Happy Trails JA Happ

2010 Phungo #43 JA Happ

It is definitely a happy occasion as the Phils are bringing in the Astros Ace Roy Oswalt. But I will miss the quality player in JA Happ who is headed the other direction. Happ's numbers speak for themselves, As a Phil the young lefty has been a competitor, a winner and he will always be a member of the 2008 World Series Championship Phillies team.

This photo was taken during a game on Saturday June 20th 2009 in a game versus the Orioles. It was one of the better games that I have seen where the Phils lost. Happ Pitched well scattering 10 hits over 6 innings yielding 2 runs. The big moment was a pinch hitting appearance by Ryan Howard, who was suffering from the flu. On a night when a dozen ball died at the track, He hit one of the most majestic home runs I have ever seen. The Homer capped a 5 run 7th inning which gave the Phils a 5-3 lead. Unfortunately in one of his early test runs as a Closer Ryan Madson would blow a save in the 9th. The Orioles pesky second baseman Brian Roberts hit the game winner on a 2 run shot to the RF power alley.

Sometimes you see great games when your team loses. It's tough to take at the time, but I am glad I was there.

Early Wynn may have something to Say to A-Rod

To find out what it is check out the latest Phungo Post at A Pack to be Named Later.

1956 Topps #187 Early Wynn

Card Show Report 2010 07 24 - Concorde Mall, Wilmington DE

The Concorde Mall has skylights throughout which I am sure are wonderful for letting in the tons o light most of the year. Unfortunately the AC in the mall cannot compete with the 100 degree heat and the sun just keeps baking down on you while your trying to sort through dime bins.

But that is my only complaint about the show - A couple of vendors I enjoy seeing were not there, and the $1 Vintage guy wasn't there so there were some disappointments. Still I manage to spend $53 mostly at dime boxes. Here are some examples of things that were selling.


There was a guy that had a bunch of the cards that were thrown out by someone, probably me - during my various moves during the crazy years during and surrounding college. He had plenty of 1976-79 Topps cards for a nickle a piece. I splurged for about 160 of these including the 76 Tony Perez above. I think I only found 3 HOFs including this Perez and his 1977 card (Expos) as well as a Goose Gossage card.

The other 3 cards came out of a dime bin. Congrats to Andre Dawson on his Hall of Fame induction. This card is a BBC magazine cutout. It actually looks really good. The Blanton card goes into the 2008 WSC Phils in other unis box. It is interesting that this is an early card of Blanton and he is in a position you frequently see him in for many cards and pictures. The Miguel Cabrera is the short printed no sig variation - nice find for a dime.


This is partially the Trade Deadline Group. Both the A&G cards were in dime boxes. The Oswalt card is a short print (#333). I would like to see the Phils land either pitcher, but if they don't start hitting, I am not sure either pitcher would make a difference. There were plenty fo the A&G This Day in History cards in the dime bin. At 1/pack this is no surprise. I picked up about a half dozen of the SPs which I was happy to find in the dime bin.

The Zorro/Zoilo Versalles card is a Rookie Card of an MVP player (1965) - nice find for .50 cents. I doubt that you will find an older rookie card of a future MVP any cheaper than that. Finally the Chrome Sandberg card. For most Hall of Famers if you find a Chrome Card from their playing days for a dime, there is no reason to not have the card in your personal collection.

Team Phungo is Going to the Show

Card Show that is.

The Philadelphia S&B Show is at the Concord Mall this weekend which is about a 30-35 minutes from Team Phugno Headquarters. I am not really sure what I am in the market for right now, but I hear there is going to be sweltering heat on Saturday afternoon. It's not like I really needed an excuse, but yes I think I will be spending the day in a nice climate controlled mall perusing dime boxes.

If you are in the Philadelphia Wilmington area, I can recommend the Concorde Mall show. there are typically 15-20 tables. There is usually one guy that has cheap Phillies commons. One vendor is good for nice vintage stuff if you are willing to pay VG vintage book prices. Another vendor has a ton of dollar vintage commons dating back to '52. One guy rotates his stock, so it may be Premium Autos one week, and dime boxes the next. There are also a few folks selling memorabilia, Jerseys, and plaques. If nothing else there is always a stand that has supplies such as sheets, penny sleeves and top loaders at reasonable prices.

Hall of Fame Profile - Steve Carlton

I used to have a regular feature I referred to as "Hall of Fame Thursday". I am now going to try and revive the series under the heading of "Hall of Fame Profile". This should give me the freedom to continue the feature while not be tied to a specific day of the week. Once again the HOF profile posts will not be restricted to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Players enshrined in Cooperstown. I will also be featuring a heavy dose of folks in the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. I will occasionally feature the HoF players or people from other popular sports, not so popular sports, other fields, schools and locations. However the main focus will remain Baseball and Philadelphia with the other folks mixed in.

The Phils were in St Louis battling the Cardinals this week (1 up 3 down ) and I thought that largely known as a Philly, but one time Cardinal, Steve Carlton would be a great way to Re-kickoff HOF Profile.


1973 Topps #300 Steve Carlton

1973 Topps is not one of my favorite designs. But I do like this card.

#1 I like it because it is Carlton's first base card as a Phil (There is a 1972 Traded Card)

#2 I like it because for a long time Tim McCarver was known as Steve Carlton's personal catcher. This photo features Carlton with a catcher that may be McCarver. The Photo is likely from 1972, Carlton's first year with the Phils. McCarver was with the Phils in '72, unfortunately for us card photo sleuths McCarver was traded mid-season to the Expos for John Bateman. Of course Bateman would wear number 6 as a Phil. So unless someone can make out weather this is Bateman or McCarver we may never know.


1973 Topps #300 Steve Carlton (b-side)

I feature the flip side of the card here just for the cartoon. The artist has shown a little creativity giving the comic a baseball motif for billiards...although cartoon Lefty is shooting Right-Handed.

For the Collector
I picked up This 1973 Topps Carlton card for $1 at a card show last year. In recent auctions the card has sold as low as $1.81 (shipped) - graded versions of the card topped out a $17.75. The 1965 Topps #477 Steve Carlton Rookie Card (shared with Fritz Ackley) has sold as low as $23.59 - The High end for the graded RC was $218.50.

Autographed Cards
The lowest finished Auction of a Carlton Card was a really yucky 2003 Timeless Treasures that featured him in a White Sox Uni - why bother - which sold for $13.49. A serial numbered (/99) 05 Baseball Heroes card also went for $13.49 (sticker auto). The 1999 Fleer SI On Card Auto went for $15.50 and as with many of the cards in this set, is pretty sharp. 2007 Sweet Spot (#d/25) and faded $19.37. A much sharper auto is the 2005 Sweet Spot Bat Barrell (#d/10) which went for $38.50. And finally on the high end somebody laid out $102.98 for a 2010 Sportskings Steve Carlton Auto Jersey.

Lefty HoF Index
1972 Topps #751 (Traded/First Phillies Card - Post includes Carlton Card Price Guide)
1981 Donruss #481 (70th Birthday Posting)
1981 Topps #202 (Record Breaker Most Strikeouts Lifetime Lefthander)
1982 Topps #1 (Carlton Breaks Bob Gibson's NL K Record)
1982 Fleer #632 (Carlton Battery with Carlton Fisk)
1984 Topps #1 (300th Win, All-Time Ks leader)
1984 Topps #4 (1983 Highlights - Ryan, Carlton, and Perry pass Johnson Career Ks)

Sources 
Baseball-ref
Ebay

Allen & Ginter This Day in History

Check it out, we can do this now...

2010 Topps Allen & GInter This Day in History #TDH20 CC Sabathia/Neil Armstrong

2010 Topps Allen & GInter This Day in History #TDH20 CC Sabathia/Neil Armstrong (b-side)

On the day that the Captain turns 30, we can celebrate the 41st anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Walking on the Moon.

2010 Phungo Cards - Judy Johnson

2010 Phungo #42 Judy Johnson

Judy Johnson is a Negro League Player from Delaware. He was active with 5 different negro league teams between the years of 1918 and 1936. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks (KC Royals Class A affiliate) play on Judy Johnson Field @ Frawley Stadium. The Statue you see on the above card is in front of the Stadium.

The Card number is #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson. The Picture was taken after a Double Header between the Blue Rocks and Lyncburg Hill Cats. I had gone to see Mike Moustakas and Pedro Alvarez play 3rd base for each of the clubs. Neither player was remarkable that day as the pitchers were the highlight.

For another great custom card of Judy Johnson check out the Infinite Baseball Card Set. In addition to producing a fine custom card Gary has also added the usual quality biographical information that he brings to every post.

I always enjoy learning the history of the game and seeing the creativity that other card bloggers bring to the table. In an era where we find the baseball card designed by the sole authorized producer can be sometimes wanting, it is good to see that the card collecting community can provide some interesting and quality alternatives.

2010 Allen Ginter Blaster Break and Review

2010 Topps Allen & Ginter This Day in History
#TDH1 Chase Utley/Wright Brothers

Time to open and review a Blaster of 2010 Allen & Ginter. First off I would like to state that this was a fun product to open. I sort of soured on Ginter in 2008. I was already building a variety of current sets at the time, and I felt that 08 Ginter was pretty bland. In general the A&G cards have a fairly plain appearance. For me the spice is in the oddball cards and the non-baseball insert sets - which in A&G do not feel out of place.

Opening a Blaster full of 2010 Allen & Ginter was just a box of good old fun - there is a History and or pop culture lesson in just about every pack. These packs actually even drew some interest from the future Mrs Phungo. Thats right I said the future Mrs Phungo. I don't really get into many personal messages here, but yes I am very happy to let everyone know that I have been given the promotion from Boyfriend to Fiance. Jo is on my mind a lot currently as she is traveling abroad for a long term work assignment and we will be apart for the next several months.

The Review
Product
1 blaster of 2010 Tops Allen & Ginter ($21.59 incl PA Sales Tax).

Specs
8 Packs @ 6 Cards/Pack = 48 cards.

Phillies Cards - Strike Out
ugh - 8 packs, 4 base cards a pack - 30 teams in the league. You do the math - one should get at least a single base card from their favorite team. I haven't really analyzed the checklist but my guess is that the Phils likely have more than their share of 2010 Topps A&G base cards. Well none of those have found their way into the Phungo collection yet. I did manage a Phils insert - see above - which sort of makes up for not getting any of the base cards.
2010 Topps Allen & Ginter (click to enlarge)
#73 Avery Jenkins
#145 Jim Thome
#264 Nemo
#277 Regis Philbin

Base Cards - Line Drive Single
The rest of base cards were solid enough. I picked up a good mix of Favorite Players, Former Phils, Hated Villains and Oddball guests. I think I would have handed out a Double here had I received any Phils in the Box.

I love the Avery Jenkins card. Until my late 30s I was involved in the Philadelphia's areas Ultimate Frisbee league. My legs, knees, ankles and resistance to staying in good shape eventually conspired to force my retirement. About a year ago on the suggestion of card blogger Lake Effect Baseball Cards, I took up a little Disc Golf. It's a fun hobby, we have a very short course near our home and get out to it a few times a month when the weather if favourable. If anybody comes up with the relic or auto of this one, let me know - perhaps we can work a deal.

Regis Philbin and I are within a degree of separation. A co-worker of mine appeared on "Millionaire" about a decade ago. I think She won $125,000. I can' t remember what question she went out on, but I remember there was a Question regarding Magnum's baseball cap.



2010 Topps Allen & Ginter (click to enlarge)
#334 Brett Myers(sp)
#302 Daric Barton(sp)
#311 Chone Figgins(sp)
#304 Carlos Pena(sp)

Short Prints - Ground Rule Double
A former Phil, plus Phungo favorite Chone Figgins. Is it me or are the Figgins and Pena cards recycled images?


Inserts
This Day in History - Home Run

Love this set!!!

2010 Topps Allen & Ginter This Day in History (click to enlarge)
#TDH48 Matt Holliday/Queen Elizabeth I
#TDH67 Josh Beckett/Women Suffragettes: Susan B Anthony & Elizabeth Cady Stanton
#TDH20 CC Sabathia/Andy Kaufmann
#TDH34 Troy Tulowitcki/USNA opens


2010 Topps Allen & Ginter This Day in History (click to enlarge)
#TDH8 Yunel Escobar/KDKA initial commercial radio broadcast
#TDH53 Nick Markakis/First Session of Congress
#TDH61 James Shields/Louisiana Purchase

Yes, I like this set, Plus my one Phils card was the December 17th Chase Utley/Wright Brothers Aviation card above. Not sure at 1 per pack I will feel this way down the road, as I will likely open at least one more blaster of A&G this year.

Sketch Card
2010 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball Sketches #AGHS4 Mariano Rivera
I suppose according to the Odds, This is the hardest card in the box to pull. The Card is nice enough, Not sure who the Phillies rep is in this set.

2010 Allen & Ginter Mini
#243 Jim Zapp (negro leaguer)
#177 Pedro Feliz
#315 Bobby Abreu (sp)
#201 KF Panda (AnG back)

Minis - Ground Rule Double

Former Phils Pedro Feliz in the black border format, A Negro Leaguer. John Milton is a great Wordsmith - If I decide to build a mini insert set the Wordsmiths would likely be the one.

2010 Allen & Ginter Lords of Olympus #LO20 Thanatos (Personification of Death)
2010 Allen & Ginter Monsters of the Mesozoic #MM7 Spinosarus
2010 Allen & Ginter World's Wordsmiths #WGWS8 John Milton
2010 Allen & Ginter National Animals #NA3 Falcon of Iceland
2010 Allen & Ginter National Animals #NA34 Condor of Colombia



Not sure if the Dinosaurs work in a mini format - Oxymoron violation.

Overall - Double
Nice cards, Cool Subsets, Fun to bust - Only drawback was a low Phils count.

Phungo 5 with Project '62

Project '62 is where Cubs fan Chris chronicles his journey building the beautiful 1962 Topps Set. Today we check in with Chris while the Phils visit Historic Wrigley Field to play the Cubs.

1) What series of 1962 cards (other than the hi one) is the toughest to find?
It seems anything higher than #400 (note: Hi Series 1 starts at #447 and a tougher High Series starts at #523) is not only hard to find, but rather expensive. This is something I should have looked into a little more before I committed to collecting the set. I hate paying a premium for a guy who should be a common, just because Topps couldn't figure out how to release a baseball card set in less than 6 series. Damn you Topps!!!!!

phungo note: I am sure that most of you have seen this but the Project '62 banner page is as nice as any page out there - definitely check it out.

1970 Topps #240 Fergie Jenkins

2) What is the best Cubs card set from the 70s?
I would say 1970. The checklist is full of Cub's legends like Jenkins, Hundley, Kessinger, Santo, Williams, and Banks. Oh yeah, Durocher too. It's also pretty affordable. Unfortunately it is also the year that depicts their legendary meltdown of 1969. You take the good with the bad I guess.

3) Who will be in the Cubs 2011 starting Outfield?
Well I heard next year Lou wants to carry 12 outfielders and rotate them around like a merry-go-round, so who knows! Seriously though, I like what we've gotten out of Byrd this year. He deserves his spot next year. I'm sure no one will be dumb enough to take on Soriano's absurd contract so he'll still be hopping around and booting balls in left. I think Fukudome will be wearing different colors by the end of the year so that would leave Colvin in right, which is a good thing. He's quietly putting together an arguement for the ROY.

4) When will Bob Brenley take over as Manager of the Cubs?
Never!!!! I can't stand the guy. He's like your half drunken uncle who tells you the same stupid stories over and over again for the first time. In my Cub's dream world I would like to see Trammell get the nod next year and Sandberg get the bench coach position. Then after Trammell fails, give Sandberg the lifetime contract! Or better known on the north side as The Soriano Deal.

5) Who would you like to see sing "Take me out to the Ballgame"
Bartman, a goat, and the black cat that ran out in front of Santo in NY in '69. Together the trio will erase every thought of a curse with their sweet, sweet harmony, the Cubs will win, and everything will be right with the world.

Phungo Box Score
4 out of 5, I am bummed to see that Brenley isn't so well liked in Chicago. As part of our cable package we get a few WGN games and I actually look forward to those Cubs games when I can catch them - Brenley has always been a large part of the attraction - I cannot stand Ken Harrelson when we get the Sox games.

Looking Back
For a look back at a Previous Phungo 5 on the Cincinnati Reds with Nacho's Grande click here.

If you haven't voted in the George Steinbrenner poll (to the right please check it out). For background info on the poll click here.

Phungo Poll Question - George Steinbrenner

This is just a curiosity I have with how we get our sports information in 2010.

On the Right I have posted a poll to find out how different people found out about the death of George Steinbrenner.

I am not really interested in who is a Yankee fan or debating the influence good or bad that Steinbrenner has had. I just wanted to find out how information/news of this nature is passed on spread and discussed.

Team Phungo Ticket Stubs

A couple of Tix from the Phungo Collection. I have been meaning to do a series on tix stubs at some point. For now I will just give quick descriptions of the a couple of fun tickets that Team Phungo has amassed over the years.

2008 10 27-29 World Series Game 5 Rays 3 @ Phillies 4
Top-loading this post. This will likely be forever the center of my collection.


2001 03 22 NCAA Divsion 1 East Regional USC 80 v Kentucky 76 & UCLA 63 v Duke 76

Duke won also went on to win the 2nd session in the Saturday game - and eventually the 2001 National Championship. Shane Battier, Mike Dunleavy, Chris Duhon, Carlos Boozer, and Jay Williams were all part of that Duke team. Teyshaun Prince was on the Kentucky Squad.

1996 05 04 Florida Panthers 2 @ Philadelphia Flyers 3

This was the final game the Flyers ever won in the old Spectrum.

The Panthers and Flyers met in the 96 Eastern Conference Semis. This ticket is from game 2 of the series. The Flyers victory evened the set at a game a piece. Unfortunately the Flyers would only win 1 more game during the 1995-96 campaign.

There are a lot of Flyers fans that will never miss Eric Lindros. The big man never brought the town a title and definitely had some health issues and diva qualities. I will always remember him for this game - He had a goal, a pair of assists and held the puck for what seemed like an eternity at the end of the game to seal the victory.




1993 10 07 NLCS Braves 14 @ Phillies 3

A horrible game, but it was my first playoff game ever. Fred McGriff hit a majestic homer in the first - John Kruk said the ball killed a family of four in the upper deck. The Phils never recovered. But Tommy Greene came back to pitch game 6 of the series, and the outcome was much better.



2007 09 23 Phillies 3 @ Nationals 5

This is significant as the Final Game ever played at RFK Stadium.

The Phils really needed this game, going in they were 1.5 games behind the Mets with a week to play. Cole Hamels came off the DL to pitch in the game and could only get the Phils through 5 innings. He left with a 1 run lead which the Phils failed to hold. The loss coupled with a Mets W dropped the Phils to 2.5 back. Who knew that the Mets would collapse and on the Final day of the Season the Phils would emerge as Division Champs.

Phungo Game Report - 2010 07 07 Braves @ Phillies

The Phils dropped the final game of a 3 game series against the Braves on Weds night. Jamie Moyer held the Braves to one run through five innings, but couldn't get out of the 6th inning. The Braves sent 10 hitters to the plate in the 6th and scored 6 runs which would lead them to the 7-5 victory.

Brian McCann had a bases loaded double which broke open the 6th inning. Martin Prado added a pair of homers in his 3-5 evening. Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino each homered for the good guys while Jimmy Rollins collected a pair of doubles.

Kris Medlen earned the victory for the Braves, while former Phil Billy Wagner (hitting "only" 96mph these days) picked up the save. During the big 6th inning I found out that Medlen is a switch-hitter, and performed the rare feat of striking out from both sides of the plate in a single inning - good thing or else the Phils might still be trying to get the Braves out.


Photos and Observations
2010 07 07 Jamie Moyer v Chipper Jones (click to enlarge)

This is a picture of Jamie pitching to Chipper in the first inning, if you enlarge the picture you can see the baseball right below the right hand side of the first base coaching box. Moyer would win this AB as Chipper popped out to center.

It was a hot somewhat humid night - fortunately there was a bit of haze which actually kept the sun from beating down on us in the early innings. Braves fans were fairly well represented, including a confused young lady in front of us who wore a Braves cap and a Jayson Werth T-Shirt.

One thing that you really get a sense for when your actually at the game as opposed to watching on TV, is the size of some of these guys. The Braves have a couple of guys that are just huge. Tommy Hanson and Troy Glaus were among the giants. Perhaps it was just that I spotted them standing next to Matt Diaz.

Cards that Never Were
Wilson Valdez was still a Met in 2009, but he gets the 2009 Topps treatment as a Phil in the above starting line up card.

Cards that will likely never be in my PC

1952 Topps Mickey Mantle and Willie McCovey Autograph

Excuse the layout here - I am not going to put in the time to figure out why I can't orient this photo correctly.

Hunt Auctions is based in Exton PA about an Hour west of Philadelphia. They have a case of items for sale at the ballpark - it may be in conjunction with their memorabilia auction at the All-Star fan fest this week. This is a 52 Mickey Mantle in basically horrible condition, if I am not mistaken the salesman quoted a price of $35,000 for the card. The McCovey Autograph mext door was listed for $20 - a comparative bargain.

Good Guy Awards
Tim Hudson gets a GGA for signing roughly two dozen autographs. Other Braves spotted signing balls and caps included Matt Diaz and Bullpen Coach Eddie Perez. I also saw Ryan Howard signing for a few kids on the Phils sideline.

Despite the Phils losing an important mid-season game and series and the hot humid conditions, it was still a fun night at the ballpark. We are half way through the season, hopefully Team Phungo will catch some Wins soon.

Happy Trails Geoff Jenkins

2009 Topps Chrome #13 Geoff Jenkins (Refractor)

Today Geoff Jenkins will retire as a Milwaukee Brewer. Jenkins spent 10 seasons with the Brewers but to me he will always be a member of the 2008 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

Jenkins struggled most of the 2008 season and would eventually cede his side of a Right Field platoon to an emerging star, Jayson Werth.

But, Geoff Jenkins disappointing season was totally turned around by a single at bat.

Jenkins last career at bat was a pinch hit double in the 6th inning of game 5 of the 2008 world Series. He would then come around to score a critical run to help the Phils to a 4-3 victory in that decisive 5th game.

Geoff Jenkins has not picked up a bat in a Major League game since since that night in October of 2008. Despite his 200+ career Home Runs he has been unable to find a home since the end of the Phils incredible 2008 season, today he is hanging up the spikes.

2010 Topps Series 2 - Wawa v Target

okay so I am way behind - everybody else is oohing and ahhing over A&G and I am still working with Series 2. thats ok. I was never good at being the NKotB - I stopped in at BC Collectibles and I just couldn't $6+tax for a pack of Ginter. So here is my experiment with 2010 topps 2.

Quick experiment in 2010 Topps Series 2 packs. Our local convenience store is carrying some baseball cards, and they were the first place this years S2 packs. I also picked up a pack during a recent trip to target. Here is what we found

Both packs are 12 cards and went for $1.99. Wawa must of messed up their pricing and didn't charge tax on their packs. whoohoo Team Phungo saves 12 cents.

The Challenger - Wawa

2010 Topps 2020 #T16 David Wright 2010 Topps #462 Alcides Escobar 2010 Topps Gold #480 Red Sox Team (#153/2010)


For the record the first card in the pack was of Manny Parra. Just doing best in pack and inserts here. Escobar was the best in the pack both in star quality and as far as the photo. The Yankees Team card was in this pack - with the Sox - go figure. Kung Fu panda was the Topps Attax card. The Pack yielded no Phillies.

Overall a pretty lackluster pack.

The Veteran - Target
2010 Topps #516 Marlon Byrd
2010 Topps #490 Michael Bourn
2010 Topps 2020 #T2 Gordon Beckham
2010 Topps Gold #426 Mark Reynolds (#1046/2010)
2010 Topps Gold #464 Francisco Liriano (#311/2010)

Johan Santana and Matt Cain were both in this pack, but a Met ain't making the cut in this post. Cain got bumped by the former Phils. I wish somebody had not pointed out that the photography looks a little off on the portrait style cards in this set. Still I like the Bourn card. It's a nice touch when a leadoff speedster is featured on a card bunting. The Topps Attax card was of Alexi Ramrez.

As you can see there were two gold cards in this pack. Which was a unintended bonus, as the pack contained 13 card rather than the advertised 12. While there were no Phils in the Target pack, it is the clear winner. The bonus gold card helps - and the star quality of the pack was MUCH better.

The quality of the Target cards was also better. The foil stamping on the cards from Wawa was all over the place. some above some below some weak.


2020 Topps

Everyone is gaga over the 2020 cards, Frankly I don't get it. The card covering tiles out the faces of the players. The T16 card above could be David Wright or it could be Ty Wiggington. And what is with the red and blue dots all over these cards. Check out any white part of the uniform, nothing but red and blue dots.

1988 Sportsflics

Have been opened at A Pack to be Named Later

The Great Rod Carew Degumming Experiment

Last week I opened a 27 year old pack of O-Pee-Chee baseball Cards over at A Packed to be Named Later. As you would imagine the stale gum was affixed to one of the cards, which happened to be a Rod Carew All-Star card.

There were a couple of comments on ways to remove the gum. One was to put the card in the freezer overnight. This is how we remove excess wax from a candle encased in a glass, so the approach seemed reasonable.

Rod Carew in Plastic Baggy - excuse the shadow - once again I would have failed Photography 101.

Rod Carew in Freezer sharing a shelf with a frozen water bottle, which will be needed while attending a 100 degree humidyfest game later this week.


The Results.....


Voila - minimal scarring. The gum remained affixed but less so I think. I left the card in the freezer for a week, mainly because I forgot about it. It was still pretty well stuck - I then hit it with the wave for about 15 seconds. That loosened it a little further.

In the end I stuck a knife under the gum and pried it off. The card looks better than the scan, it isn't mint, but it is acceptable.

Sources and Links
Phungo Rod Carew HoF Index

Pull of the Month - June 2010

I don't care if it is from the late 80s junk wax era. An early Greg Maddux card is a keeper.


1988 Donruss #539 Greg Maddux

A few months back a picked up a buffet of mixed packs at a 6/$5. one of those packs was the 88 Donruss - which may have been the last pack I went for. The Maddux made the 15 card pack worth it, other semi-stars in there included Rick Sutcliffe, Garry Templeton, and Dave Stewart.

and of course if you have a Pull of the Month, one must have...

Junk of the Month

2009 UD Piece of History - Historical Moments #177 Microwave Oven Invented

Are they serious. And this is my insert for the pack. A stinkin Microwave Oven...And I am pretty sure this is not the one that was invented either, this one looks like the one down the hall in Upper Deck's Coffee Room. Piece of History my butt more like Piece of Snot.

B-sides

Click to enlarge these guys. Just wanted to point out Maddux's Rookie and Sophomore years. A collected 5.58 ERA and an 8-18 record. After that point, he was 138 games over .500 amassing s total of 355 wins. There are not many cards for which you can say after it was minted the guy won 347 games, this is one of them.

On the flip of the PoH Wave card we finally find out that Percy Spencer invented the Microwave. Still no picture of the guy but at least they mentioned him.

Past Pulls of the Month

2010 May
2010 April
2010 March

2010 February

2010 January

2010 Phungo Cards - Kirk Gibson

2010 Phungo #23 Kirk Gibson

I Took this photo prior to a D-Backs @ Phils game last August. It was a Cliff Lee game - he was masterful, going the distance only allowing 2 hits and an unearned run. The Phils won easily 8-1.

prior to the game Kirk Gibson signed maybe a dozen autographs while on his way out to monitor batting practice.

Starting this Holiday weekend, BP will be different for Gibson - He will now be the leader of the 2010 Diamondbacks, who have had a disappointing first half. Best of luck to Mr Gibson, He gets a good-guy award from Team Phungo for being a pretty big star, but not being to big to sign a couple of autographs - It's good to see that there are some players that realize that the game is still about the fans.

For a more detailed look at the D-Backs Phils game last year click here.