Don't Hate the Player

This year... Halloween was extra special, because it's the first time in as long as I can remember that I had the chance to sit down and watch a World Series game from start to finish.  I'm limited to a handful of streaming services and Fox isn't one of them.  However I helped pass out candy at my homegirl's house and she had the game on.  What an awesome game!

I figured Yamamoto and the Dodgers would win Game 6, but had no idea it would be that exciting.  I also predicted that the Blue Jays would win Game 7.  Oops.  Guess it's a good thing I'm not a betting man.  In fact, I had a Blue Jays celebration post in the works.  Unfortunately it'll be scraped and substituted with this post which will highlight my favorite Los Angeles Dodgers.

The key difference is I was going to list my all-time favorite Blue Jays.  However the Dodgers have so many current players I actually enjoy following and collecting, I decided to focus only on them.

Let's start with an honorable mention...

Honorable Mention:  Freddie Freeman

2023 Topps 1988 Topps #T88-59

I've been a fan of Freeman since he was with the Atlanta Braves.  He hits for average and has a likable personality, just like the guy in the #5 spot...

#5:  Mookie Betts

2021 Finest Flashbacks #119

Mookie sort of struggled at the plate against the Blue Jays, but that single on Friday in the top of the third drove in two runs and helped them win that game.  Honestly... as much as I dislike the Dodgers... the beauty of that team is that lineup is so deep and almost everyone contributed at one point or another.

#4:  Roki Sasaki

2024 Topps Now Off-Season #OS-13

Man... I was so bummed that Sasaki didn't sign with the Padres.  But from his point of view, I totally understand.  Less than a year after joining the Dodgers, he's a World Series Champion.  That's pretty cool.  A big piece of the credit has to go to this guy...

#3:  Yoshinobu Yamamoto

2025 Topps #231

This guy was so fun to follow in the series.  I was so torn, because I wanted the Blue Jays to score enough runs to win the game... but not necessarily off of Yamamoto.  The exception was when he relieved Snell in the bottom of the 9th in Game 7.  I was really hoping Kirk would single off of him, end the game, and give Snell the loss.

#2:  Clayton Kershaw

2023 Topps Chrome Titans #CT-1

Kershaw has been one of my favorite pitchers since the early 2010's.  Like Freeman and Betts, he seems like a good guy.  But I really started rooting for him, because he was such a dominating lefty.  I'm glad he stayed with the Dodgers his entire career.  Can't wait until he receives the call from Cooperstown in a few years.

#1:  Shohei Ohtani

2024 Topps Update 1989 Topps #89US-12

This guy is the most exciting baseball player in my lifetime... and that's saying a lot, because I've had the pleasure of watching guys like Rickey, Griffey, and Barry.  And it's not just that he's the greatest player in the game, it's also how he plays the game.  This guy is the classiest of the classy.

I might not be happy that the Dodgers won the World Series again... but I am happy for these six guys.  Congratulations to them, the rest of the Dodgers organization, and their fans... especially the ones in our card blogging community.

Speaking of Dodger bloggers, Greg over at Night Owl Cards sent me a care package a few weeks ago and targeted my two favorite teams:

I haven't been this excited about A's baseball in years, but their young core is super talented and fun to watch.  It's a shame that the owner sucks and has no interest in building a winning team like the Dodgers.

Luckily my other favorite team does:

The Padres had a great season and I was happy to see them make the playoffs again.  However it'll be interesting to see if Cease, Suarez, and/or Arraez are with them next season.  If none of them return, that's a lot of talent exiting the roster.  Whatever happens, I hope ownership continues to try to build a team that can compete with Ohtani and company.

If not, well at least Padres fans will always have this guy:

2000 Pacific Private Stock PS-2000 #48

Thank you Greg for the care package... and congratulations!

Happy Monday and sayonara!

Enjoying My Free Time

A few weeks ago, I received a warning from a fellow blogger in my comment section...

The message was simple.  I was going to need "a lot" more free time soon.  The reason?  John over at Johnny's Trading Spot had just sent me two packages.

One was a large padded envelope and the other was a small flat rate box.  The contents were ten team bags filled with goodies.  The sorting process took me a little under an hour, but scanning the singles took another hour.  That's two hours of solid entertainment on a Sunday afternoon.

In an effort to keep things timely, I'm going to follow in John's footsteps, keep the writing to a minimum, and let the scans do the talking.  Here we go...

2025 Topps 1990 Baseball #T90-46

2025 Topps 1990 Baseball #T90-40

2025 Topps 1990 Baseball #T90-36

Unlike last year, I have barely touched any 2025 Topps baseball.  I think I opened up one jumbo hobby pack earlier in the season, but that's about it.  I'm very excited to add new cards of three of my favorite players.

Here's one more of #19...

2025 Topps Call to the Hall #CTH-21

Not the most creative or attractive insert, but it's a new Gwynn for my collection.  Here's another favorite...

2004 Bowman DP&P Gold #BDP39

Two Kurt Suzuki sightings in three days.  Life is good.

Let's show off three more Athletics...

1991 Topps Magazine #TM59

2025 Topps Chrome Refractor #45

2025 Topps All-Star Game #4

Johnny has been showing off a ton of magazine cards lately on his blog.  Here's the first one of this post, but not the last.

Let's show off some new additions to my Japanese PC:

2007 Finest Rookie Finest Moments Blue Refractor #RFM-KJ

2015 Topps Update #US335

Not sure if it's coming across in the scan, but the Johjima is stunningly beautiful.  As for the Aoki, I discovered it was a photo variation when I was adding it to my binder.  Nice angle of Citi Field in the background.

2024 Topps Trading Card Day #NTCD-B14

These days, any Ohtani sent to me will get scanned.  Can't stand the Dodgers, but I can't root against this guy.

2021 Topps Chrome NPB #90

The same applies to Mr. Yamamoto.  Outside of one rough outing against the Phillies, this guy has been a stud in the playoffs this season.

One more Japanese athlete, but let's switch genders... 

1992 Legends #42

As a teacher, I try not to name favorites.  But this magazine card of my celebrity crush is the exception to the rule.

Here are the final two baseball card scans...

2006 Upper Deck Collect the Mascots #MLB-1

2006 Upper Deck Collect the Mascots #MLB-2

John knows that I'm a big fan of mascots.  In 2006 Upper Deck created a three card set which was also an interactive contest for kids.  I'm now on the hunt for the final card:  Mr. Met.

Okay, five more cards.  Two feature athletes I collect:

2019 Prizm Red, White, & Blue Prizm #258

Wilson is past his prime and now riding the bench in New York, but I'll always appreciate what he accomplished in Seattle. 

2021 UD Goodwin Champions #61

Just like Ohtani... any card of MJ is scan worthy.

Last, but not least are the non-sports cards...

1972 Donruss Choppers and Hot Bikes #48

I'm not sure why John sent me this card, but I love it.  This chopper reminds me of the Hot Wheels I used to play with when I was a kid.  Speaking of childhood toys, here are a pair of Lego cards:

2000 Lego Mini Heroes Collection #1

2000 Lego Mini Heroes Collection #3

Not familiar with them, but they'll be added to the Japan non-sports binder.

That wraps up the two care packages from John over at Johnny's Trading Spot.  Sorry it took me so long to open them up and sort them, but this was the first weekend in as long as I can remember where I had some "free time".

Happy Monday and sayonara!

Not Finished Yet

On Tuesday, Dennis @ Too Many Verlanders and Tom @ The Angels in Order left comments about the Los Angeles Angels hiring Kurt Suzuki as their manager.  Reader X followed up their comments saying he was "looking forward to the forthcoming Kurt Suzuki post in honor of his managerial status".

Well I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and do this by showing off Zuk's complete Topps base card run:

2004 Topps Traded & Rookies #T87

The Oakland A's drafted Kurt Suzuki in the 2nd Round of the 2004 MLB Amateur Draft after he helped Cal State Fullerton win their fourth College World Series championship (more on that later).

2007 Topps Update & Highlights #UH176

The A's called him up in 2007 and he became their starting catcher in 2008.

2008 Topps #226

2009 Topps #622

2010 Topps #285

2011 Topps #79

2012 Topps #309

After the A's signed Suzuki to a four year extension in the summer of 2010, I was stoked.  I hoped that this was the start of a beautiful career where he might become the next Athletic to spend his entire career in Oakland.

Unfortunately, he struggled to put up the same kind of numbers at the plate as he had in 2008 and 2009, so in the summer of 2012, they shipped him off to Washington...

2013 Topps #208

The Nationals would send him back the following summer and once again I hoped he'd stick around and end his career in Oakland.  Nope.

2014 Topps #104

2014 Topps Update #US-230

That off-season he signed with the Minnesota Twins and ended up making his lone MLB All-Star Game appearance that summer.

2015 Topps #373

2016 Topps #208

In January of 2017, he signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves...

2017 Topps #27

2017 Topps Update #US207

Two of his finest seasons at the plate were with the Braves.  In fact, he hit a career high, nineteen home runs in 2017 while splitting time with Tyler Flowers.

2018 Topps #608

This card plays an important role in this post for a couple of reasons, but before we discuss them... let's check out the rest of Kurt Suzuki's Topps base card run:

2019 Topps #654

2020 Topps #89

He would return to the Washington Nationals after the 2018 season and win a World Series ring with them in 2019.

He'd sign a contract with the Los Angeles Angels in 2021 and wrap up his sixteen MLB season career there.

2021 Topps #571

2022 Topps #171

On October 4th, 2022... Phil Nevin honored Zuk by allowing him to catch the first pitch in his final MLB game in front of a (far from) sold out crowd at the Oakland Coliseum where he kicked off his career.  I wasn't in attendance, but just watching this video of him hugging his teammates and waving to the fans gives me goosebumps.

Now he starts the next chapter of his MLB career.  Although he's managing a division rival, I wish him nothing but success.  While we wait to see how his one year managerial contract with the Angels pans out, let's get back to his cardboard.

First, let's take another look at his 2018 card:

Until this morning, I had assumed that this was his regular base card.  However while scanning all of these images, I noticed that it's actually one of those factory team set cards.  It's a little hard to tell by looking from the front, but it's pretty obvious if you turn the card over:

2018 Topps Atlanta Braves #AB-15

Although I can't say for sure, I'm pretty confident that John over at Johnny's Trading Spot sent this to me in one of his care packages.

Surprisingly, I don't have a copy of Suzuki's 2018 Topps base card, yet I have his factory team set card and this one-of-one superfractor:

2018 Topps Chrome Sapphire Edition Superfractor #608

This awesome card was sent to me back in 2020 by Brian over at Collecting Cutch.  

It's the first and only pack pulled superfractor I have ever owned and it's one of my favorite cards in the Kurt Suzuki collection.

I figured I'd wrap up this tribute to him with a few more of my favorite cards since he's one of my all-time favorite players.

2007 Sweet Spot Signatures Bat Barrel Black Silver Ink #SS-KS

Kurt Suzuki reached the MLB right about the same time I returned to the hobby.  I was drawn back by super cool autographs like this bat barrel signature.  The bat might not be game used, but I loved that Upper Deck switched things up and had players sign slabs of wood like this.

That year, Upper Deck also released their first UD Masterpieces baseball card set.  This is one of my favorite product lines of the 2000's.

In 2012, AJ over at The Lost Collector sent me this original sketch card:

This card sat in a screwdown holder for years in my office.

But in an effort to keep it from fading or getting discolored, I have since moved it into a top loader where it sits with the rest of my Suzuki PC.

Remember I mentioned the 2004 College World Series earlier in the post?  Well check these out...

2004 College World Series Tickets

A fellow A's fan and card collector sent me these two tickets back in 2015.  I don't think these were for either of the championship games, but they're still a cool piece of history and part of the collection.

I have tons of cool cards from Kurt's career... many of which were sent by fellow bloggers.  But a few were purchased.  One of my biggest purchases involving Zuk was for these six cards:

2007 SP Authentic By The Letter Rookie Signatures #125

Upper Deck sure produced some sweet stuff back in the 2000's.  They had players sign manufactured (not game-used) jersey letters which they embedded into cards to create beautiful collectibles.  Here's a closer look at one of them:

Just like the sketch card and World Series tickets, these were once on display in my office.  However to protect the ink from fading, I have since moved them into a box with the other items.

But this morning, I took them out and admired them in an effort to honor the new Los Angeles Angels manager.

His playing career might be over, but just like my Topps base card run... he's not finished yet.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!