i still need more nomar

i was pretty excited to see that nomar garciaparra was featured as a dodger in the 2015 topps museum collection release - at least as far as the relic cards go.  i was so excited that i almost forgave him and topps for not being a part of the 2007, 2008, or 2009 sets.  almost.

i went out and found some relic cards from the museum collection set, and here they are:

jumbo (or momentous material)

quad jersey

and quad bat

i've eyed a couple of relic/autos, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

i hope that this is a sign of things to come, with nomar dodger cards eventually showing up in archives or tribute or somewhere else.

until then, here are some cards that were made during his dodger tenure that i haven't shown before:

2006 bowman heritage

2006 topps turkey red (red parallel)

and 2007 upper deck

maybe my opinion will change should topps flood its products with nomar dodger cards, but i'm willing to take that chance.  please, topps - more nomar!

double plays are more prevalent than i originally thought

i have been going through my collection to pull all of the double play cards so that they are all in one place.  i have a fairly sizable double play binder these days, and it keeps growing as i encounter more and more cards showing the turn at second base.

i think i have mentioned before that i used to play second (and a little bit of shortstop) back in my playing days, and there is nothing better (defensively) than making that turn.  actually, my favorite defensive play was when, as the shortstop, there would be a runner on first with a ball hit up the middle so that i could go left, field the ball, and slide my foot alongside the bag and avoid the sliding runner with ease as my momentum carried me towards first.  loved that play.  kind of like the play luis aparicio is making on this 2010 topps heritage insert card.

except i rarely, if ever, jumped.

barry larkin jumped on this play

captured nicely on a 2004 playoff honors card.  still, it would have been better had they not cropped jack cust in half.

this bobby crosby card from 2005 fleer ultra

is pretty nice.  it might make the 'greatest double play card of all-time' tournament, coming sometime in 2013!

anyway, when i started collecting cards that showed the dp turn, i didn't realize how common they were.  probably because they were pretty rare when i first started collecting (the 1978 topps felix millan card was the first one i saw), and even though it wasn't until 1985 or so when i first really started to be adept at turning two, there were still only a few cards that i knew of.  these days there are a ton, and i like it.

here's a 2006 topps turkey red card dedicated to the art of breaking up the double play.

i will admit that i looked more like tadahito iguchi than luis aparicio after a double play turn.

i also have the red edition of the card.

by the way, if this depicts the play from the third inning of game 1 of the 2005 world series, then ausmus was successful in breaking up the play.

here are a few other dp cards that aren't so great.  like this 2008 topps mark grudzielanek card

random legs weaken double play cards.

this 2010 topps alcides escobar

would be better if the 2010 topps design were better.  think 2011 topps update dee gordon, even though that card isn't completely clean either.

speaking of 2011 topps, the design gets in the way on this darwin barney card

but not quite as badly as 2010 topps.

ditto for 2012 topps, as seen on this stephen drew gold sparkle card

although that is much better than dustin pedroia's card from the set (this one is his opening day card)

sure, he's airborne, but the ghost arm of some yankee detracts from the card's appeal, in my opinion.  or maybe it's just pedroia.  anyway, if you have a double play card (or several), send them my way!  i'll make room!

cards from the sandlot

long overdue, here are some cards i received from joe at the sandlot in trade for some amazin's.

1997 fleer sports illustrated vladimir guerrero

remember the expos?  here's another vladdy from a previous life - 1999 topps chrome homerun heroes

and 2000 fleer showcase

apparently, vladdy has a license to skill.  i am worried about the sale of the dodgers.  if you recall, frank mccourt wanted to sign vladdy to a deal when he first bought the team, but he had no money so bud selig put the kebosh on the deal.  now, with some big name free agents out there, i wonder if the dodgers will again be denied thanks to the transient state of the ownership.  as we all know, vladdy wound up with the angels.  here's his 2006 upper deck card

joe also sent some double play cards, like this 1992 donruss triple play card

awesome action, indeed!

how about a 1998 upper deck collector's choice fp santangelo

santangelo eventually played for the dodgers.  here he reminds me of a victorious gladiator.  are you not entertained?
here's a double play card created for the purpose of illustrating part of the twin killing

is that david eckstein that is avoiding the runner?

fret not, there were also some dodgers in the package, including a bunch of cards from 2005 upper deck classics.  like ropes - bill russell

that's a nice photo with the low-rail fencing of dodger stadium in the background.

here's russell's double play partner, davey lopes

i am guessing lopes will go back to number 15 next season since furcal has moved along.
pedro guerrero

there should be more pedro guerrero cards.  thanks joe!

a card lot from the sandlot

i recently completed a trade with joe over at the sandlot.  he had a bunch of autos and game used stuff he advertised and i jumped on the dodgers and twins.

here's a 2007 sp authentic by the letter rookie signature card of andy laroche

if it weren't a dodger, i wouldn't bother - just like shaq's biological.  a messy auto on a manufactured patch artificially numbered to 40 as if it's really scarce.  note that laroche is wearing 66.  the last dodger rookie i recall wearing 66 was paul konerko.  another dodger prospect they traded away.

2006 fleer flair showcase rafael furcal jersey

i still think of furcal as a brave, even though this is his 5th season in la.  he just passed 1500 career hits and will play in his 500th game as a dodger this weekend.  still a brave to me, though.

2006 topps turkey red joe mauer jersey

joe mauer even has the kirby puckett generation of twins fans wearing number 7 jerseys.  in related news, i went to target field twice last week.  it is awesome.  and so is joe mauer.

2006 ud future stars jason kubel auto

it's strange to think that after a breakout season in 2009, kubel is losing at bats to jim thome this year.

2005 topps chrome kevin west auto

kevin west looks to have been a very good minor league player who never got a shot in the big leagues.  he was in the twins organization from 1999 through 2006 and then with the rangers' minor league system in 2007. the next two years saw him playing in the independent northern league.  he had some good seasons for the twins' aaa club, but i gues couldn't break through the shannon stewart/torii hunter/jacque jones/michael cuddyer outfield in the majors.

2007 topps chrome glen perkins auto

perky is the fifth minnesota gopher to play for the twinkies that i can think of off the top of my head.  denny neagle, terry steinbach, dave winfield and paul molitor being the others.  right now perkins is in the doghouse in aaa.

1998 fleer sports illustrated world series fever orel hershiser

with jeff hamilton and rick dempsey lurking.  i like the idea of orel as a new mr. october (and i reject the idea of derek jeter as mr. november).  i wonder if there would have been a market for 'bulldog' candy bars.

thanks joe!

dodgers in the night, exchanging glances...

true story. i returned from the post office the other day, where i had mailed a box of cards to a certain night owl, and found a package from the very same nocturnal bird in my mailbox. karma. fate. good fortune. whatever it was, he sent some very nice cards. here's a sampling.

2004 donruss studio hideo nomo studio starsvery much like those old perma-graphic credit card issues.

2006 topps turkey red duke snidera classic pose from the duke of flatbush.

1994 bowman's best billy ashley billy may have been the best the dodgers ever had at the three true outcomes. in 1995, he homered, struck out, or walked in 50% of his plate appearances. in 1996, he increased that to 56%!

1996 starting lineup jackie robinsoni had no use for the actual starting lineup figures, but it's nice to have one of the cards that accompanied them.

2008 topps heritage high numbers mark sweeney one of my 'magnificent 7'. i'll have to update that list soon - there are a couple others i've been able to get my mitts on.

1995 skybox emotion raul mondesi. attentive. really? that's the emotion mondesi exudes? how about brooding? sulking? no matter, he was still my favorite dodger for a few years.

2001 upper deck legends don drysdalebig d. i am guessing that picture was taken after his third consecutive shutout in 1968 during his 58.2 scoreless inning streak, although he looks fairly young for that to be the case. it is absolutely crazy to think that he did that in his last full season.

2007 bowman andre ethier the blue parallel. this one is numbered 111/500. i am so happy that we are beyond the luis gonzalez/andruw jones experiments and can just let andre and matt kemp play.

2006 upper deck sweet spot update greg madduxmaddux during his first foray into los angeles. why upper deck updates these types of issues is beyond me. still, it's nice to have more cards of maddux in a dodgers uniform!

thanks greg! i hope you enjoy the package i sent as well!

deja vu, i'll never forget you

i much prefer the 2009 topps turkey red inserts to the stand alone turkey red issues from previous years. having said that, i am a bit perplexed about the 2009 matt kemp card. it's a nice, clean image, but where is his number 27? he hasn't worn 65 since 2005 or so. oh. that's right. it's just the same player image topps used on his 2006 turkey red card.

at least they changed the background and removed the rookie logo. thanks for the effort, topps.

by the way - i know a little german...and he's sitting right over there! (top secret is a fantastic movie)

dodger cards from white sox cards

first, let me say i am way behind on these posts. i want to feature all the trades i have made, so bear with me.

steve over at white sox cards sent some good stuff. here are just a few of them.

1984 topps steve yeager.

yeager is the catcher i identify the dodgers of my youth with the most. he platooned with joe ferguson, and shared the duties with jerry grote and johnny oates, among others, but he was the guy as far as i was concerned. everything they say about chuck norris? i'm pretty sure it's true for steve yeager as well. the guy is tough.

1985 fleer ken howell.

with dodger stadium behind him, there's nothing he can't do. although i don't remember too much about him. nice card, though.

1990 classic kirk gibson.

the official card of zubaz. how many cards were made of kirk gibson in 89 and 90? a bunch. well, he deserved it. that chuck norris stuff is true for gibby, too.

1995 ud sp roger cedeno.

i couldn't find sp when it came out in 95, so this is great. cedeno is one of those guys that played better after leaving the dodgers. good for him.

2006 topps turkey red rafael furcal.

who ticked off the atlanta braves a couple of weeks ago? ok, raffy, put your hand down. glad to have him back. now just stay healthy.

and now for the former dodger - 2008 upper deck timeline (2004 timeless teams) pedro martinez.

i love this subset, which is probably why steve sent it. either that or he wants me to re-live the pain of the past. either way, i'm happy to have the card.

thanks steve. i will send out some more white sox when i get caught up.