Swag from Paul's Random Stuff

Social Media outlets can suck up a lot of time and for a procrastinator like myself they are quite dangerous. .

However, occasionally something pops on Twitter that gets my attention in a good way.

2015 Topps #302 Martin Prado (Gatorade Variation)

Paul of Paul's Random Stuff was tweeting some 2015T cards and he posted the above card. There are so many variations in 2015T I did not know this one existed. But I am glad the card exists.  

Now one may ask, what does Team Phungo want with a 2015T New York Yankees card of a player that only wore the uniform for about a week.

Well this card, which is a variation of Prado's 2015 base card, is going into my very special Phungo Games Colleciton.

Last September Team Phungo made a special trek up to the Stadium to see Derek Jeter play in his home park one last time. For more details on that game click here.  The Captain had an uneventful night (1-5) but Martin Prado had a terrific game 2-5 with 3 RBI including a game winning single - which led to the Gatorade Bath above.

A Big thanks to Paul for adding this card to my favorite collection!

2015 Topps
I am picking a nit here but as a Yankee Martin Prado played more second base than third. This card is a "Special" card featuring a photo from a specific game in which Prado played second. In Topps defense the bulk of Prado's time with  the D-Backs was spent at third. 


Sources and Links
Index of Phungo Games 
2015 Topps
Baseball-ref

Phungo 5 with Paul's Random Baseball Stuff

The Phillies and Mets once again renew their rivalry this weekend.  The Mets are off to a quick start despite dealing with some tough circumstances.  Today we check in with Paul's Random Baseball Stuff to find out what is going on with the Metropolitans. 

1) Should the Mets retire Gary Carter's Number?  

No. The time to do it was in 2001 when they inducted him into the Mets Hall of Fame or in 2003 when he was elected to Cooperstown. For whatever reason, they chose not to. (To be fair, Carter only played for the Mets for five seasons, and he was only an elite-level star for two of them.) I think if the Mets want to do something now, they should consider a statue or naming some part of the ballpark in Carter's honor.

2) If I am at Citifield where is the best place to get cards signed? 

I've had a little bit of luck waiting by the railing just past first or third base and asking the pitchers when they come in from their throwing before the game, but it's tough to get cards signed at Citi Field. If you're really good at spotting players in their street clothes, you might be able to catch a few guys on the way into the ballpark before the game, but that makes for a really long day.

3) Who is going to benefit most by the lowered Left Field Wall

I think David Wright will benefit the most from Citi Field's new dimensions - the original ones seemed to get in his head.

4) Have you ever considered using a baseball Scorekeeping app on your phone?

Yes, I'm curious about how they'd work. Can anyone offer recommendations? I have to admit that I'm partial to pencil and paper, though.

5) Who has the best Minor League Ball Park Food?

The teams I see most often offer the typical ballpark fare.  Last year, the Newark Bears partnered with an Italian place to offer things like meatball sandwiches - they were good, but weren't necessarily put together in a way that made them easy to eat at the ballpark. 

Scorecard
5 for 5.  The Gary Carter question is a tough one,  PRS covers all the bases here.  He is a key player to one the 2 Mets championships, but his career in New York was quite short.  This seems pretty common among Mets players as they have only a few retired numbers.  I agree with PRS on the scorekeeping.  I think I would rather do it by hand, but I am interested to see how scorekeeping on a Phone would work. 

Looking Back
2011 Phungo 5 with Paul's Random Stuff

2010 Phungo 5 with Paul's Random Stuff

2012 Phungo 5 Postings
Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies Room.

Miami Marlins - 30-Year Old Cardboard

Pittsburgh Pirates - Pirates Treasure Room

Oakland A's - The Fuji Chronicles

Seattle Mariners - Emeral City Diamond Gems 

Texas Rangers - Play at the Plate

Phungo 5 with Paul's Random Stuff

Today the Phils host the Mets in the rubber game of a 3 game set. To fill us in on the Mets and Mets cards, we are checking in with Paul's Random Stuff.

How do you feel about the Mets activities (or lack there of) at the trade deadline?

They made the right decision not to surrender prospects for short-term acquisitions. It may not have finished them off mathematically, but that 2-9 West Coast trip made it pretty clear that the 2010 Mets are not a playoff team. One or two players at the trade deadline really wouldn't have changed that. On the other hand, I'm a little disappointed that they didn't try to find out if they could have gotten a decent prospect for Pedro Feliciano.

Do you miss anything about the Mets playing at Shea Stadium?

CitiField is a wonderful new ballpark, but I do miss Shea. I loved the giant neon ballplayers on the outside of the stadium, and getting that first magical look at the field after walking through the maze of escalators and corridors to get to your seat. And since there were fewer distractions and more affordably-priced seats, it seemed to attract crowds that were more into the game.

What is the best 2 stadium Road Trip one can do for minor league stadiums in the mid-atlantic region?

I haven't actually visited both ballparks, but I'd suggest seeing the Lancaster Barnstormers and York Revolution. The Barnstormers have a beautiful ballpark, one of my favorites that I've visited. The distinguishing feature of the park is a merry-go-round out behind the left field seats. York is also supposed to have a nice field, complete with their take on Boston's Green Monster. If you get bored with baseball, you can check out Amish country and there's a neat-looking railroad museum in Strasburg that I'd like to check out sometime.

On your road trips you get a lot of cards signed, is there any particular set that is good for finding Atlantic League Players?

Any sets that have a high percentage of rookies seem to work well, if you wait a few years after they come out. The change in the rookie card rule after 2005 makes it a little tougher to find cards of Atlantic Leaguers now. Topps Total and the '52 Topps Rookies sets are my favorite choices.

2007 Topps Co-Signers #61 Paul Lo Duca

Favorite Baseball Player named "Paul"

I never really thought about this before... Paul LoDuca, I guess.

2008 Phungo #39 Brett Myers vs Paul Lo Duca (one of my favorite Phungo Cards)

Phungo 5 Box Score A strong 5 out of 5. Paul nailed the Shea Stadium question. These are precisely the same issues I have about the new stadium in Philadelphia. I do love the new ballpark, but I do miss some things about the Vet. No matter how few people were how few people were in the old building you were almost guaranteed to have someone in your section keeping score. Now you can go the whole season without witnessing a scorebook.

Paul Lo Duca was also a player on the Phungo watch list for a while - more as a Dodger than a Met. He was on several of my fantasy squads. I can't remember what it was, but I think his career ended somewhat sourly and that sort of hurt my opinion of him.

The York/Lancaster area is sort of in my old stomping grounds and I do intend to hit both of those ballparks someday - Team Phungo just has to make the time.

5 out of 5 for Paul's Random Stuff.

Looking Back
If you want to check out a previous Phungo 5, click here to check out our conversation with Project '62 click here.

For a Mets related P5 (including some interesting thoughts on the National) with Sports Locker Click here.

Phungo Readers Salute - Mets Fans

Today’s Phungo Readers Salute goes out to a couple of Mets fans that are good enough to stop by here. I don’t know what it is but despite the fact that we are sending out largely Phillies content, we have a couple Mets fans that visit pretty consistently.

I really enjoy Sports Locker - JRJ posts a lot of interesting information on cards and memorabilia. Yes He is a fan of the Mets but we will forgive him. Sports Locker has a background in the Jersey area so there is also the occasional Philadelphia related post.

The Mets stuff and too bad, but the Cowboys info get a little hard to take.

Mark runs Stats on the Back and is attempting to collect a card of every Met. Best of luck with that, I think some of those late 70s teams may have went through a lot of players that never got cards. He is also an active member in the Spot the Sig! contest and has scored a run to move into a tie for first place.

Finally I want to mention Paul’s Random Stuff, who occasionally drops in a comment here. This sometimes confuses me, since my name is also Paul and I am easily confused. PRS features a nice array of Mets cards, info, and lots of Autos.

There were a couple of different directions I could of gone here, I will save both Phils and Mets fans some anguish and not post a Billy Wagner card. Instead I will post a card of a different reliever who may be the only player to contribute to both a Mets and a Phillies World Championship team, Tug McGraw.

1975 Topps Mini #67 Tug McGraw
1977 Topps #164 Tug McGraw

These two cards are interesting when placed side by side. The Photos both feature Tugger in roughly the same pose, and they both appear to have been taken at spring training facilities. What really separates the two pictures is the uniform.

Regardless of the team he played on, I think most people think of Tug McGraw as one cool dude. I saw McGraw speak once at a local historical society. He was very funny and amusing as one can imagine. It’s unfortunate that McGraw died so young, but I am glad I was able to enjoy his career and his humor.

Tug McGraw – great guy, something both Mets and Phils fans can agree on.