Time sure does fly...

It's been a while.

I'm still here, not reading as much as I used to, but I'm still active in the hobby... but I haven't opened a pack of cards in about six months. I look at the barely opened box of '88 Donruss and want to keep going, but I just can't find the time.

In my time away, I've been working full time and recently upgraded my computer to Vista Ultimate after holding onto XP Pro for about ten years. Since I don't have my scanner software installed yet, this post will be sans quality pictures. I've also gotten back into my old ways of knife collecting and have been spending more time drooling over knives than baseball cards... But here I am, ready to talk cards for a bit.

I've been working on a trade with reader Robert for a few weeks and some bad weather and bad timing got in the way. His end of the trade came in today, and I'm still pulling cards for him.

Going his way are a small stack of 1988 Score and as many 1994 Topps as I can give him. Coming my way are 12 Steve Avery cards (!), a few 88 Fleer that I needed for the set and some '81 Topps that pushes me a bit closer to my ultimate goal of completing that set some day.

We'll do this the old fashioned way and use some camera pictures.



And here's the Steve Avery haul...


In other news, I'm finally on broadband internet... after two years of waiting, Verizon finally let me have DSL.

So there you have it. Thanks again to Robert and as soon as you let me know what '94 Topps you're looking for, I'll have your cards in the mail.

Slicin' up a box for Dayf...

Well, looks like Dayf wants to see me hack up my 1988 Fleer box with a machete. Well, here you go.

In three parts.





I had to switch to a smaller knife to cut out the cards because I like my fingers. The knives used are: Ontario RTAK and a Spyderco Centofante 4.

The end result wasn't as clean as possible because the RTAK is a good quarter inch thick (and seventeen inches long) and it kept hanging up in the soft cardboard, and I did manage to slice off the corner of Kirby Puckett, but that's ok. The little Spyderco slid right through the cardboard though.

I realize it's more of a slice than a hack... but I've spent too much money on guitars to risk losing a finger.

So, there you have it.

HUGE, combined 1988 Fleer mail day...

I didn't get around to posting the stack of 88 Fleer that Jeff from Card Junkie sent yesterday, and maybe it's a good thing. Becuase in the mail box today were two more packages. One from Fat Rat with more 1988 Fleer.

Before going to the mail box on Saturday, I had 509 of the 660 cards of 1988 FLeer. After going through both packages from Jeff and John, I'm down to needing less than 40!

So, any extra Phillies I get are going to John and I'm looking through my '09 Series 2 extras for Card Junkie.

I really don't know where to begin on these, so I'll just highlight a few of my favorite cards from the stacks.

Let's just look at a random sampling, shall we?


A very young Matt Williams. I always liked him despite the steroid allegations.


1980's glasses goodness.


"rrrrrrrrrrrrr... Zomberto Kelly eat braaaaaaaainssss..."


Like Bob Walk, Eric Plunk is a guy that I think, based solely on last name, should have chosen another career path.

In fourteen seasons, Eric only plunked 32 batters though.


Looks like Fleer stole a page out of the Topps Big Book of Bad Baseball Card Poses. I'm pretty sure there's no ball in that glove.


I have no memory of this guy playing for the Braves... or anyone else for that matter. Looks like his big league career consisted of 31 games with an 4-11 record and an ERA of over 6.


Here's a guy I really didn't want to see leave Atlanta. I like Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson (when he remembers how to hit) up the middle, but I miss Blauser and the Lemmer.

When I saw the 32 on his bat knob, I thought he was holding someone else's bat because I remember Blauser wearing number 4. But it looks like he had number 32 until Gary Eave was called up in 1989, at which point Blauser switched to number 4.

Well... that's it.

I want to send a huge thanks to both Jeff and John. I'm less than 40 cards from the end thanks to their generosity.

My want list will be updated pretty soon.

And check out A Pack to be Named Later sometime this afternoon for the first pack of 1988 Donruss.

Thanks again.

Steve Avery TTM attempt: Success!!!!!!!

I'm no autograph hound and I've never asked for an autograph in person. So I really didn't know what to expect when I sent out these TTM attempts. When an envelope from me showed up in the mailbox today, I got pretty excited.

Honestly, I expected the Marquis Grissom cards to come back first. But when I ripped into the envelope, these fell out:



Now there are two autographs in my player collection! I want to thank Mr. Avery for returning these in only 12 days.

This was also sitting on my front porch this morning (why don't delivery people knock on the door?).



Head on over to 1988 Fleer for daily pack breaks.

Happy day.