30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Perfect Pairings

I'd like to start of this post by saying thank you to everyone who sent well wishes to my mother.  The surgery was a huge success and although she's in a lot of pain, she's been moving around, getting in some exercise with the aid of her walker.

She still has a ways to go, but at least she's headed in the right direction and the family was able to breathe a major sigh of relief.


With the exception of rushing to my sister's house for a quick shower on Tuesday afternoon, my father has been at my mom's side the entire five days.  It's the kind of thing I imagine you'd find in romance novels.

Anyways, I'm very fortunate to have a father who is mentally and physically capable of helping my mother through this difficult time.  I'd also like to acknowledge my sister and her family who have been there to help as well.

I considered flying down to Arizona to be with them, but I've been dealing with a terrible head cold the past few days and the last thing I need to do is get everyone sick.  Plus my parents will need someone to be there for them when they leave Arizona and head back to Las Vegas.  That's when my brothers and I will be there for support.

Okay.  Enough family talk.  Let's shift our focus to baseball cards.

Today I wanted to show off a card that has sat on my mental want list for almost two decades.  Back in 1999, Topps produced a Finest insert set that paired up either two teammates or two players who had similar career paths called Split Screen.

1999 Finest Split Screen Dual Refractors #SS5

One of the cards on the checklist featured baseball's Iron Man paired up with my favorite player of all-time: Mr. Tony Gwynn.  These two guys might have played different positions and in different leagues, but they also had a lot in common.


Both of these guys kicked off their MLB careers in the early 80's.  Both were perennial all-stars.  Both collected 3,000 hits.  Both were loyal to one franchise their entire career.  And both are first ballot hall of famers who were enshrined into Cooperstown together in 2007.

I paid top dollar ($7.75) for this card, but have absolutely zero regrets.  It features two iconic baseball players from my childhood on a single card that utilizes the Finest refractor technology.  It doesn't get much cooler than this.

Okay... It's time to get some rest.


I currently sound like a cat purring when I breathe.  My body is sore.  I'm coughing up chunks of sticky green goop and my head is pounding.  I've gotta drink some of this honey and lemon juice to help soothe my throat and hopefully pass out and let my body recharge.

Lemon and honey.  Mama and Papa Fuji.  Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn.  Three very different ways to show off prime examples of "perfect pairings".

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

16 comments:

Johnnys Trading Spot said...

Feel better bud!

Jon said...

It's good to hear that your mom is getting better! Now it's your turn to do so :)

The Angels In Order said...

Glad to hear. And I dig that coffee cup.

Kin said...

Very happy to read about your mother. I hope that you’re feeling better soon!

Zippy Zappy said...

Feel better man. I also wish you and your family the best.

Commishbob said...

Glad to hear your Mom is doing well. Now it's your turn to recover. Take care of yourself!

SumoMenkoMan said...

Plus two sumo wrestlers on your cup!!! Well played. Get better soon!

Peter K Steinberg said...

Hope you're feeling better. Really nice post here and great cards. But more importantly best wishes to your Mum, and your family, as she recovers. Will be thinking about you all.

defgav said...

I hope you and your family have a very Happy New Year, Fuji!

The Lost Collector said...

Feel better!

Cool card! I don’t remember that set.

Big Tone said...

Get better Fuji,but don't forget to milk It just a little ;)

BTW-That's an awesome pic of your parents.Glad your mom Is doing better.Happy New Year to you and yours.

Roy-Z said...

Get well Mama Fuji!

Adam Kaningher said...

Get well soon! And peel that Finest card while you're at it.

Fuji said...

Thanks guys! Appreciate the well wishes and kind words... especially for my mom.

SumoMenkoMan - Lol. Totally didn't plan that. Thanks for pointing it out though.

Tony - I took that photo last year (maybe 2 years ago) while walking through the casino. Thought it was cute how they still hold hands.

Adam - I going back and forth on doing it. Can't/Won't pull the trigger until I'm 100% sure that that's the direction I want to go, because there's no turning back.

Matt said...

Feel better! I am currently dealing with that as well.

Love, love, love the card. I am still trying to hunt down the Griffey versions

Fuji said...

I've been wanting to add the dual refractor Griffey/ARod card to my collection as well.