Another Sunday. Another sort. Another issue with Blogger.
This time... blog posts aren't popping up in Blogger reading lists. Hopefully they resolve this issue as quickly as they did with the commenting one.
Let's start with a flat rate box that John sent me two weeks ago. The majority of the cards he sent my way were for my Japanese Athlete PC.
He sent me a good mix of retired and current players as well as a mixture of base, inserts, and parallels.
After sorting them into player lots, Masataka Yoshida's stack stood taller than everyone else combined. Here are nine that stood out:
The cherry blossom card in the #3 spot is my favorite, because it's a Japanese Edition exclusive. However there was another insert that stood out:
2024 Topps 1989 Topps The Real One #89B-14 (#'d 32/89)
At first glance this card looks like any other 35th anniversary insert. Only this card lacks the usual glossy finish.
It's hard to tell in the scan, but Topps tried to mimic the original 1989 paper stock and added serial numbering to this insert parallel.
The other large stack contained a bunch of Masahiro Tanaka cards:
John also sent me some A's cards. Unfortunately I misplaced the scan containing some of my favorites. But here are two new Barry Zito jersey cards:
2003 Fleer Showcase Baseball's Best Jersey #BB-BZ
2003 Fleer Platinum Portraits Jersey #PP/BZ
The last time an A's pitcher won the AL Cy Young Award was twenty-four years ago. Zito was the guy.
Dave Stewart finished in the top 4 voting... four years in a row (1987 to 1990)... but never won the award.
1991 Baseball Card Price Guide Monthly #44
Stew was rewarded with this cool magazine card in 1991... the same year he led the MLB in earned runs allowed. However A's fans will always remember his great run with the team more than those earned runs.
John also sent me a stack of 80's Topps Glossy All-Stars:
I've been putting together a collection of these sets from 1984 to 1991. None of these were needed for the project, but five out of the six went into my player binders.
He also sent me some vintage non-sport singles:
1957 Topps Robin Hood #5
1954 Bowman US Navy Victories #21
1957 Topps Isolation Booth #14
I'm not building any of these sets... but each of these will be added to my non-sport sampler binder.
John gives away nine Greg Maddux cards every week. I've won a few times. Here are my latest winnings:
The Topps 206 Mini in the middle is the one I was most excited about. Maddux is probably the 2nd largest player collection behind Tony Gwynn. So anytime I can add a new card to the binders, it's a reason to celebrate.
I also won one of his Wacky Packages giveaways:
I was absolutely stoked to see this in the box. John is the blogger responsible for getting me into collecting Wacky Packages and I'd say 80 to 90% of the ones sitting in my collection were gifts from him.
This particular sticker takes me back to my college years:
My buddy and I drove down to TJ a few times and one of the key memories is walking across the Tijuana River and instantly getting smacked in the face by the smell of raw sewage. Good times. There are a few other memorable moments... but those stories don't really fit into a card blog post.
Thank you John for the generous giveaways and the thoughtful care package.
Rounding out this post is another care package. This one arrived the same week as John's... but from the other side of the planet.
Kenny hooked me up with a pack of 2026 Topps Series 2 Japan Edition:
Although there are cherry blossom parallels and koi fish versions of the 1991 insert set... the odds of pulling them aren't very good. That's why I've decided to add this to my collection of unopened Japanese trading card packs.
Don't worry... I do have a pair of Japanese Dream Order game cards to show off:
2025 Dream Order #TBP01-G21
First up is Toronto's Kazuma Okamoto. Next is Chicago's Munetaka Murakami:
2024 Dream Order #CBP01-S02
Each of these MLB rookies have hit 31 home runs this season. And I'm excited to add both to my Japanese binders.
Thank you Kenny!
Not sure how many people will have the opportunity to see this post, but hopefully Blogger fixes the issue sooner than later. If not... this could pose a huge problem for everyone who works hard to write blog posts about the hobby we love. Only time will tell.
Fingers crossed.
Happy Sunday and sayonara!
Extra Innings
I just discovered on Night Owl's blog that Kenny has started a Blog Bat-Around. He wants us to share our proudest collecting moments.
#1: Becoming a blogger.
Before starting this blog, my hobby world revolved around card shows, card shops, message boards, eBay, and flea markets. However the blogosphere has introduced me to more collectors than all of those areas combined. Sure most are strictly online interactions, but I have met a fair share of bloggers in person.
#2: Collecting 19+ on-card, pack pulled autographs of Mr. Padre.
2007 UD Masterpieces Stroke of Genius #SG-GW
This wasn't too challenging. However after Rickey Henderson passed away two years ago, I realized that I probably won't be able to obtain 24 on-card, pack pulled autographs of him due to the rising cost of his signatures. This also made me realize that I was very lucky to chase Gwynn autographs while they were plentiful and affordable. It would never happen today.
#3: Attending the final A's game at the Coliseum and owning the Topps Now card that commemorates it.
This might be more of a fan accomplishment, but considering how important the A's are to my collecting focus... I felt like this should make the list.
