A Much Needed Cardboard Hug

Personal struggles.  Death of loved ones.  Friends and family member illnesses.  Maybe I'm just projecting, but it just seems like this year has been rough on more than a few of us.

On the bright side, I feel like it's personally brought my family closer together and given me a deeper appreciation of friends and family.

This also applies to the card community.  I mean... there's something truly comforting in receiving a cardboard hug from a fellow blogger. 

That's exactly what I received recently from Julie over at A Cracked Bat.  She reached out to me last month and asked me if I'd be interested in some Japanese Masahiro Tanaka cards.

I'm pretty sure you can guess my response.  If not, I'll let the cards do the talking:

I usually only take the time to scan card backs on special occasions.  This is a special occasion:

I might not be a fan of the team he plays for, but I'm a Tanaka fan.  In his sixth season with the New York Yankees, Tanaka has already established himself as one of the most successful Japanese born pitchers in MLB history.  Julie hit the jackpot when she found someone selling these for 5¢ each.

These weren't the only treasures she found sitting nickel box.  She also found this Fred McGriff bat card:

If you're new to my blog, you might not know that I offer cardboard asylum to trading cards that have been abused, damaged, or are no longer loved by their owners.

It's hard to see in the scan above, but there's a nice crease to the left of McGriff's head:

2001 SP Game Bat Bound for the Hall #B-FM

I made a promise to Julie that I will care for and love this card unconditionally from here on out.  He is now among other cards who will not judge him for his flaws.  He is home.

Here are the final three cards in Julie's care package:

The Ichiro on the left was one of those rookie cards that isn't necessarily recognized as a rookie card by most collectors.  Confused?  Yeah.  Me too.  The middle card is a Bazooka insert that highlights Ichiro breaking George Sisler's single season hit record.  And the last card is a low numbered parallel of a guy who will hopefully turn the A's season around when he returns after the MLB All-Star break.

Thank you so much Julie for this much needed and appreciated cardboard hug.  Your timing was perfect.  I know that you said that I didn't need to send anything in return, but that's not how I roll.  You were already on my hit list before you sent these cards.  I'll be headed to a card show in June.  I'll be on the lookout for some Tigers for your PC.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!