rack 'em up

This past weekend I made it out to a local card show for the first time. This show takes place in a church/high school gymnasium, and is actually easier for me to get to compared to the monthly club show I usually attend. Jim from cards as i see them asked me if I was going to this one, and I probably would have missed it if not for his e-mail. I always just assumed that it was farther away than it actually is! The added bonus was that Jim had a stack of cards waiting for me when I arrived.

I am looking to find a team photo (card) for each year the Twins have been in existence. Didn't have this one from 1999 yet!

There were some fun parallels in the stack, including these green Bowmans.

Still building the bat rack frankenset - I don't know if there are enough bat rack cards to get to numbers #204, 393, or 421, but it's fun to be optimistic! Even if I never fill the gaps between these three cards, they are all more than welcome in the mini collection.

Some more parallels - hoping that Luis Arraez has a strong 2nd season! The first big signing this off-season for the Twins was giving Odorizzi the Qualifying Offer, so they will have him in the rotation for at least one more season.

It was an odd phrase to promote the 2018 season, but "THIS IS HOW WE BASEBALL" makes for a dramatic photo!

Saint Paul, MN represent! Also, I bought 2 boxes of Stadium Club and didn't get the Killebrew card, so I am very happy to not have to buy the single on COMC!

Jim was part of a couple box breaks earlier this year and had the Twins, and I am the lucky recipient of the sick hits! The Twins would have been in a very rough place the last two years if Jake Cave hadn't been there to fill in for all of the injured outfielders.

This card is super thick - like, Maximum thickness. You can tell it's a big card when the jersey swatches are out of focus on the scanner!

Jim, great as always to chat baseball and swap some cardboard. I am hoping my Dodger luck never fades!

Chipping Away;- OR, A Hale and Hearty Collection

In addition to buying some cards at Saturday's card show, I also met up with Jim from cards as i see them at one the vintage vendor's tables. He'd already been at the show for over an hour, so it was short but sweet, and as an added bonus, he left me with a stack of Twins!

Why share a 1990 Topps card? Well, it was a Topps Tiffany Chip Hale. Rarest of the rare 1990 Topps cards.

There were parallels galore - Twins might be missing Dozier's bat if Jonathan Schoop doesn't have that bounceback year they are hoping for.

Some 2019 guys - Tyler Austin is already out the door, designated for assignment after a disastrous short start necessitated calling up another pitcher. Austin ended up being traded to the Giants in exchange for Malique Ziegler, a minor league outfielder, just 22 years old. Adding C.J. Cron and Nelson Cruz made Austin's right handed bat less useful in the Twins' future plans. Mitch Garver finds himself in a rotation of three catchers on the Twins' bench. *But hey, he just now hit a homer off DeGrom!*

Byron Buxton is back in the starting lineup after a back injury that limited his appearances in the Philly series. Odorizzi had that bad start I mentioned earlier getting just two batters out on a cold and rainy night at Citizen's Bank Park. Good to see Torii showing up on some cards post retirement, too!

My favorite Twins pitching prospect is Fernando Romero - I was at the game on the left, at least I'm pretty sure that was his MLB debut against the Blue Jays. Both of those Donruss cards are Card # 207, though they are obviously different - the backs have different info on them as well. Donruss is strange.

On to the sick hits! They only made 500 of this card.

They only made 50 of this one! And it's a Twins-Friendly 34/50. eBay Puckett one of one!

Topps probably made half a million of this card, but Willians Astudillo is one of a kind. Thanks for the cards, Jim! I will try to regain that magic and pull some great Dodger cards to send you real soon.

A Card Show Connection (GCRL IRL)

Jim from cards as i see them e-mailed me ahead of the show and asked if I was going (he had heard that the vintage guy was in town as well). We exchanged some small talk about the playoffs, and some small stacks of cardboard! This Miguel Sano card looks even better in hand - I think I like it even more than the autograph I bought at the show from Gold Label!

Jim found this set and picked it up for the Garvey inside, I was the lucky recipient of Bert and the Killer.

Some all-time great PC guys!

Horizontal heroes as well!

Sal Butera's son Drew also played for the Twins - Drew is still chugging along, backing up Salvador Perez in KC. Nice gig if you can get it!

A pretty sweet Joe Mauer from Topps Tribute! As always, great stuff from Jim. Thanks again, and great to see you at the show!