Down in the Dumps & in the Books

This has been a pretty rough start to the year.  I'll take my father's advice and avoid discussing politics, but I will say these are scary times and it's hard for me not to stress over what's going on.  The good news is that I can distract myself sometimes and talk about other stuff.

Today I wanted to show off a pair of books and some baseball cards that were recently sent to me.  Let's start with a Christmas present from my nieces in Oregon.  One of them is a huge Lions fan who happens to hate the Packers.  She made me this lovely tree ornament.

Her favorite author is Alan Gratz and they recently had the opportunity to meet him at a book signing.  I don't read a lot of books.  In fact, I'm lucky to read one a year.  But last year, I ended up reading two... and they were both historical fiction stories written by Gratz.   One of them covers the Battle of Okinawa from two perspectives: a young Okinawan boy and an American Marine.  The other one is about three young kids and their families from different countries and time periods forced to leave their homes and seek refuge somewhere else.

Refugee: The Graphic Novel by Alan Gratz

My nieces bought me the graphic novel version of the latter and had him sign it:

Thank you T & K!  I absolutely love it and plan on reading two more of his books by the end of 2026.

The other book I recently added to my collection was a gift from Jim @ cards as i see them:

1969 Topps Stamp Album #18

Here's a peek inside:

He also included a few Oakland A's inserts and parallels:

2025 Topps Chrome RayWave Refractor #67

The stamp book is a huge addition to my collection.  I'm planning on purchasing the final four stamps and fill the book as soon as possible.  I was also excited to see this Butler refractor.  I've really grown to appreciate the 2025 Topps design in recent months.

Matt over at Cards Over Coffee added to the collection of 2025 Topps Chrome refractors by sending me three more for my team set:

This six pack represents the core of the post-Oakland lineup.  I wasn't familiar with Tommy White, but it looks like he's one of their top prospects.

I'm gonna wrap things up with a Zippy Zapping from Kenny over at Torren' Up Cards.  He sent me this Calbee card of Shota Imanaga:

2023 Calbee #99

I'm always excited to add new Calbee cards to my binders... especially when they feature guys who have found success in the MLB.

While writing this post, Kenny sent another PWE with these three cards:

2025 Stadium Club NPB #180

2025 Bushiroad Dream Order #TBP01-L12

Not sure who Takumu Nakano is, but the card on the right features Tatsuya Imai.  He's one of the NPB stars who is bringing his talent to the MLB.  Back in December he signed a three year deal to pitch for the Houston Astros.

2024 Bandai Carddass Gintama

I'm not familiar with this character, but I enjoy collecting any Japanese trading cards... especially when they're shiny anime cards.

Thank you Jim, Matt, and Kenny for these cards.  They were a nice distraction from all of the drama going on in our country and around the world.

One of the things I'd like to do with this blog is return to my roots and begin ending my posts with questions like I did years ago.  So here we go...

Today's question of the day:

Outside of collecting cards, what do you like to do to reduce stress or help you take your mind off of things?

I'm not proud of it, but ever since I got sick back in December, I've been binge watching television shows like Stranger Things, Fallout, and Game of Thrones.  However normally, I enjoy going out for walks or riding my bike.  I'll also hop in my car and take it up in the hills.  If my back ever gets better, I'd love to start golfing again.  There is a really nice executive course a few miles from my place that is loaded with rabbits, deer, and turkeys.  It's about as therapeutic as it gets.

Well that's it for now...

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Find or Flop?

At the start of the month, I went out to the De Anza Flea Market and found a guy with sandwich bags filled with 50's, 60's, and 70's baseball cards.  He was asking $25 per bag or five bags for $100.  After sifting through about twenty bags, I grabbed these two and offered the vendor $40.  He accepted.

Each bag contained fifty cards... which breaks down to 40¢ per card.  After sitting for three weeks in my office, I finally got around to opening these up.  Let's see if this purchase was a flea market find or a flea market flop.

Obviously for the price, the bulk of the bags were commons.  However I managed to add a few notable names to my vintage binder.  I'll start with the bag of 1961's:  

1961 Topps #20

1961 Topps #503

1961 Topps #483

1961 Topps #80

1961 Topps #41

These five are keepers.  Here's a look at the other forty-five:

There were a few other semi-stars as well as some A's and an unmarked checklist that I added to the binder.  The rest are available if you are building this set (see list of #'s down below).

Next up are the 1959's.  I don't own a lot of singles from this set, so I was happy to add these five to my binder:

1959 Topps #268

1959 Topps #410

1959 Topps #392

1959 Topps #295

1959 Topps #428

Less star power compared to the stack of 1961's, but at least there were some familiar faces and names.

In addition to the first five, I pulled a few semi-stars from these nine pocket pages... along with all of the A's and a pair of unmarked team cards.  The rest are available to those who are working on either of these sets.

Here's a breakdown of what's available:

1961 Topps  :  100, 116, 131, 151, 182, 190, 193, 201, 206, 213, 216, 225, 236, 242, 253, 259, 272, 275, 283, 285, 334, 339, 352, 378, 418, 458, and 465

1959 Topps  : 29, 43, 72, 75, 84, 94, 167, 169, 170, 188, 196, 199, 207, 219, 223, 232, 242, 258, 277, 285, 299, 308, 323, 347, 370, 379, 386, 419, 434, 454, 479, and 501

In hindsight, this wasn't one of my better purchases (in regards to value), but I wouldn't classify this as a "flop".  I was able to add some singles to my collection.  The rest will either help some of you out with set builds... or go into my box of vintage.

What do you think?  $40 for fifty 1959 Topps cards and fifty 1961 Topps cards.  Find or flop?  You make the call.

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Flea Market Finds #173a: Junk Wax and Old Stuff

I'm three weeks behind on blogging... and end of the school year activities aren't helping.  In an effort to catch up... I'm going to split my May 3rd trip to the De Anza Flea Market into two shorter posts.

It's the largest flea market in my area and gaining in popularity with each passing month.  Unfortunately that means large crowds and congested parking lots.  It also means more vendors are choosing to set up and sell stuff.

Let's kick this post off with the first and cheapest item of the day...

Purchase #1: Commemorative Baseball  $1

1997 Opening Day Oakland A's Baseball

The second vendor down the first row had a bunch of tables with junk tossed on them.  Found this ball (holder not included) sealed in a bag.  Before I could even ask, the lady told me to take it for a dollar.

It looks like it might be a stadium giveaway promotion handed out on Opening Day at the Coliseum.  This isn't something I typically seek out for my collection... but the price was right.

Purchase #2:  Vintage School Supplies  $8

Hasbro School Pak

A few dealers down there was a couple with crates filled with old stuff like books, candlesticks, and ashtrays.  The lady had just put this school supply pack on a table when I walked up.

Although I don't normally collect school supplies... this item looked interesting and eight bucks seemed like a fair price for a piece of history.

Purchase #3:  Unopened Packs of World Records  $10

1992 Pro Set Guinness Book of World Records

This was an impulse purchase.  Best case scenario... I build a complete set... while keeping a few packs sealed for a rainy day.  Failure to do so will result in arguably the worst flea market find in 2025.

Purchase #4:  Bags of Vintage  $40

Found a guy with tons of sandwich bags filled with vintage baseball cards.  He was asking $25 per bag or five bags for $100.  The bags were sorted by years (ranging from 1958 to 1973 Topps) and contained anywhere from twenty to fifty cards.  I wasn't looking to drop $100 on one purchase, so I found these two bags and offered him $40.  He accepted.

I'll try to scan the contents in the next day or two and publish them in another post as well as start working on the second half of my flea market purchases.

Until then...

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Fifty-Seven Years in the Making

Fifty-seven.  That's how many seasons the A's played in Oakland.  This season will be my very first as an A's fan where they'll call another city their home.  That means you'll be seeing some Oakland A's dedicated posts sprinkled throughout the 2025 MLB season.

Today I'll be highlighting Oakland's all-time leaders in Opening Day starts... which is something permanently set in stone unless the A's return to the East Bay sometime in the future.

Starting Pitcher:  Dave Stewart (6 Opening Day Starts)

1992 Fleer Ultra #117

Stew is the perfect guy to kick off this post, because he's an Oakland native.  He won his first four Opening Day starts before getting a no-decision in his fifth and losing his sixth.  His combined ERA for those six games was 2.24... which is pretty darn impressive.

1983 Topps #286

Rick Langford is right behind him with five Opening Day starts.  He was part of the Oakland A's starting rotation from my childhood that also included guys like Mike Norris, Brian Kingman, Matt Keough, and Steve McCatty.

Catcher:  Terry Steinbach (9)

1996 Score #95

Steinbach was the starting Opening Day catcher a record nine consecutive times from 1988 to 1996.  He had a pair of three hit games in the time span, but his brightest moment is arguably the grand slam he hit against the Milwaukee Brewers in 1994.

2011 Topps #79

Kurt Suzuki is #2 on the list with five Opening Day starts.

First Baseman:  Mark McGwire (9)

1992 Upper Deck #153

Out of McGwire's 583 career home runs, only one took place when he was an Opening Day starter with the A's.  It was off Mark Langston back in 1989.  He started three Opening Day games with the St. Louis Cardinals and hit two more.

1982 TCMA Baseball's Greatest Sluggers #38

Harry Davis is the all-time franchise leader with ten Opening Day starts.  All ten were during the Philadelphia years.

Second Baseman:  Mark Ellis (8)

2006 Topps #219

Ellis was the A's primary second basemen during the 2000's.  He struggled at the plate (3 for 25) in his eight Opening Day starts with the A's, but did manage to hit a home run off of Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2008.

1971 O-Pee-Chee #258

Dick Green was the A's Opening Day starter ten times, but four of them were during the Kansas City years.

Third Baseman:  Eric Chavez (10)

1999 Topps #250

Steinbach wasn't the only Oakland Athletic to start nine consecutive Opening Day games for the A's.  Chavez represented them at third from 1999 to 2007.  His best performance was in the 2002 Opener when he went 2 for 4 with a double and home run against the Texas Rangers at the Coliseum.

1986 Topps #134

1973 Topps #155

Third base might just be the most stable position in Oakland A's history.  Out of the fifty-seven seasons in Oakland, twenty-eight of the Opening Day starters were among three players:  Chavez, Carney Lansford (9), and Sal Bando (9). 

Shortstop:  Bert Campaneris (8)

1969 Topps #495

Finally a representative from The Swingin' A's.  Campaneris was the Opening Day starter for the A's ten times, but two of them were during the Kansas City years.  Unfortunately he didn't really have any standout performances at the plate in those eight games.  On a positive note, the A's won six of those games.

2017 Topps #97

Marcus Semien is second on Oakland's list with six Opening day starts.

2003 Fleer Ultra #127

That kinda surprised me.  I would have guessed Miguel Tejada (5).

Left Fielder:  Rickey Henderson (12)

1983 Fleer #519

Rickey is the greatest Oakland Athletic of all-time... and he holds the franchise record for most Opening Day starts.  He collected a hit safely in eleven of those games with a .318 average, 13 runs scored, 14 walks, and 6 stolen bases.  Not too shabby.

1972 Topps #209

If third base is the most stable position in Oakland A's history, left field is probably the least.  Joe Rudi is the only other Oakland Athletic to start in left more than two times.  

Center Fielder:  Dwayne Murphy (8)

1983 O-Pee-Chee #184

I grew up watching Rickey in left, Tony Armas in right, and Murphy patrolling in center.  Good times.

Murphy was known for his glove more than his bat.  That being said, he was a solid 8 for 29 at the plate in those eight Opening Day games.

1993 Topps #473

1975 Topps #121

Dave Henderson and Bill North are tied for second with five Opening Day starts in center field each.

Right Fielder:  Reggie Jackson (8)

1974 Topps #130

Reggie felt that fans would remember him best for his years with the New York Yankees.  That's fair.

Just remember that he won more World Series titles and played twice as many games and seasons in Oakland.  Plus he started in right field five more times in Oakland than he did in New York.

His best Opening Day performance for the A's was April 4th, 1974 against the Texas Rangers when he went 4 for 5 with two doubles and a home run.

1992 Score #500

1985 Topps #778

1980 Topps #391

Who's second on the list?  It's a three-way tie between Jose Canseco, Mike Davis, and Tony Armas.  Each started for the Oakland A's in right field five times.

Designated Hitter:  Geronimo Berroa, Erubiel Durazo, & Khris Davis (3t)

1997 UD Collector's Choice #185

2004 Upper Deck #410

2020 Topps #527

All three of these guys were successful as Opening Day designated hitters for the Athletics.  Berroa and Davis each hit two home runs in their three appearances and Durazo added another one in his very first at bat with the A's in 2003.

Well there you have it:  OAKLAND's all-time leaders in Opening Day starts.  Sorry this post is a week late.  What started in my head as a three to four hour post ended up taking me a lot longer.  But it was totally worth it, because I got a chance to research and learn some new things about my favorite MLB franchise.  Hope you enjoyed it.

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!