1953 Topps Richie Ashburn!!

Is a card that does not exist.

However, over at Topps Archives they have found the artwork.

And thanks to Punk Rock Paint we have what the card may have looked like had it been produced.

This is what the blogosphere is about - people merging their talents and resources and yielding great stuff for the rest of us fans to enjoy.

Thanks to Topps Archives and Punk Rock Paint.

For a look back at another Richie Ashburn card that never was click here to see a custom version for the 1955 Topps Set.

Kmart Bargain Bin - Thanks to Marie for the Heads Up.

I was in my old neighborhood which has a different big K then my new locale and decided to check it out and see if they had any of the bargains that Marie over at A Cardboard Problem had found.

Turns out they did - lots o different blaters. They also had single backs at about 1/2 off and I decided to create my own buffet from the selection.

The packs are going for the following:
2008 UD X 99 cents
08 Baseball Heroes 97 cents
09 Artifacts $1.69 for 2 packs
UD Timeline $1.49/pack

For real cost of each pack add 6% for PA Sales Tax.

overall I pikced up 11 packs for $12.72 (including PA Tax).

If the Phillies ever score another run I will open a pack - or maybe I should open a pack to get them to score some runs. Any ideas on what pack would be the best luck for the Phils??

Chase Utley MVP?

2007 UD #MVP40 Chase Utley

John Dewan, who is associated with Bill James, produces a weekly web column called Stat of the Week which looks inside the numbers of the game we all love. His most recent column dealt with a favorite topic of baseball junkies, Who is the best position player in the game.

Through a lot of statistical analysis involving both Offense and Defensive skills - Dewan's formula rated the Phillies own Chase Utley as the best player in the league over the last five years.

It's odd the Phillies roster over the last three seasons has featured two MVPs, a World Series MVP, and three different Cy Young award winners - yet Utley has to this point in his career has not been as decorated as the his many celebrated teammates.

Yet many Phils fans would consider Chase Utley to be the teams year in and year out MVP. He delivers everyday with both sides of his game. He is not about flash nor personal statistics. He is the anti-Hanley/Manny Ramirez - His only concern is winning.

His career has had many defining moments, ranging from a grand slam for his first hit to 5 homers during the 2009 World Series. To me his moment was a heads up play where he threw out Jason Bartlett at home during the decisive 5th game of the 2008 World Series.

Today team Phungo Salutes Chase Utley - And I am happy to see that Bill James and some complicated formula has recognized him as the best in the game.

Phungo 5 with Thoughts and Sox

The May 2010 Interleague weekend is upon us and the Phils and Bosox meet yet again in what has become an almost annual ritual for the two teams. Today we are chatting with Adam from Thoughts and Sox.

1) Do the Yanks an Red Sox take up to much time out of the box between pitches?

It depends. In a regular game no, because with the players on the two teams every at bat is a potential game changer. However, if Joe Morgan is announcing than yes they take too long because it gives him more time to talk and there is nothing worse in baseball than to having to hear Joe Morgan’s nonsense. (except a Yankee win)

2) The Phillies and Red Sox play each other almost every yr does it feel like a rivalry to you?

Not really. Because, between the Yankees and Rays we are all rivalried out.

3) Which, if any of the following numbers should the Red Sox eventually retire? 5, 24, 33, 34, 38, 45?

Not pulling any punchers are you? There is only one of those that I think should be retired. The Red Sox have a rule that a player has to have spent a large amount of time with the team, be a member of the HOF, and retire with the club before their jersey can be retired. They broke the rule for Pesky but he is more than just a player on the team he has been an icon of the team for over 50 years. I don’t think that they should break the rule for anyone else. At least not for any of those guys. So if Pedro signs a one day contract as a Red Sox or takes an office position I think he should be the only one. I don’t think Nomar should even make the hall.

2004 Topps Pristine #18 Pedro Martinez

4) are the Red Sox buyers or sellers come deadline time in 2010?

Another rough one. There is still a lot of season left but it isn’t looking good. I wish they were in the position to be buyers but I’m not thinking it will happen. The only one I see getting traded though is Papelbon. Him going could just be wishful thinking though. Hottest guy at the trade deadline will be Even Meek of the Pirates. (write that down, Even Meek…)

5) DH or No DH

Ahh, DH. If you don’t have a DH than you are one of those teams over in the minors/National League. You’ll see what I mean come interleague… That will be our chance to get back over .500.

Phungo Box Score

Hmmm.....4 out of 5. I will hand out a big thumbs up on Pedro and I like the call on Evan Meek. Of course I have to pull out the gong for the DH question, but a strong 4 of 5 ain't bad at all.

Looking back

For a previous Phungo 5 with Thorzul Will Rule click here.

Card Show Report - 2010 05 14 Exton Mall, Exton PA

I mainly scoured cheapo bins in the 2-3 hours I spent at the Exton card Show. I was able to knock out about a dozen cards from my Phillies Want list and another dozen cards from my other want lists.

There were some minor surprises. In one of the dime bins I was perusing I found 3 Chicle cards and picked out all of them. I spent a good deal of time in a nickle bin which actually had a number of 2010 Topps Cards, and 2010 UD - including a good chunk of the Biography set. There were several Bowman Chrome cards in there as well.

My biggest surprise was finding a couple 2007 Topps XFractors in the dime bin.

The Pictures:

2010 Topps National Chicle Lou Brock
Later in the year I may have skipped the other Chicles (Zambrano, Braun). I was a bit of a Brock fan when I was a kid, and I will always at least consider any retro card of his when thumbing through a budget bin.

The Phils


I am pretty sure all of these came from my Phils vendor. I am good for finding a bunch of Phils cards in his bin at every show, I picked up these and a bunch of 2010 Topps Phils Commons all for $5. Someday I will get around to cataloging my haves and wants for the Phils Carlton collection, but I haven't as of today.

Set Building
These cards are all from different sets I am building:

2007 Bowman Heritage
2007 UD Masterpieces
2008 UD Spectrum
2008 Topps All-Star Rookies


The Retro
I am a sucker for this kind of stuff. The Brooksie is from the 2006 Topps Rookie of the Week promotion. I picked up maybe a dozen of these. The Action Packed card is of Roberto Clemente.

Shiny
As always there were lots of Bowman Chrome in the nickel box, not as many Topps, but I did find the above Ibanez card in there.


Other Nickles



There is one woman who often has a nickel box at the show - this week she had a lot of 2010 Topps commons (no phils) and 2010 UD cards including gobs of the Biography cards. She also had the above Soriano card - which was homaged in the 2010 Topps Yo Momma Set. Who needs the reprint when you can get the original for a nickle??

I am not a football guy nor a Giants fan, but I could not let this 08 Masterpieces Football cards sit in the nickle bin.

All told I went through $28.50 at the show in about 3 hours. $5 in Phils card, $7 in the nickle bin, $6 in a dime box, $1.50 on a Grab Bag, and $5 on a six pack off oddball packs to open over at A Pack To Be Named Later.

Phungo 5 with Thorzul Will Rule

This weekend the Phils are finishing off a week on the road with a three game set versus the Brewers and we are checking in with Bill from Thorzul Will Rule to get the latest on whats going on with the Brew Crew.

1) Evaluate the CC Trade.

I believe my CC-as-a-Brewer collection fully answers that question.

2) Phungo favorite Randy Wolf is now pitching for the Brew Crew. Any impressions?

haven't seen him in person yet, but I'm guessing the AV nerds at Miller Park aren't playing a prerecorded wolf howl with every strikeout. If I'm right on this, it's something they should consider doing.

3) .The brewers switched leagues a few years back, if two teams were to switch leagues today who would you select?

The Minnesota Vikings should switch places with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Keep the same players, if you want. That way, if Favre returns, we could all call him "The Vagina From Regina."

4) What card are you using as a bookmark this season?

Right now I'm reading this book...

...and using this card to hold my place.

5) Is the Chorizo a common consumed sausage in Milwaukee?

The chorizos are sold at Miller Park, but they force you to consume it in a tortilla. This doesn't do the sausage any favors. Actually, a pack of chorizos make an appearance at nearly every tailgate, but my crew comes correct with the buns.

Phungo 5 Box Score

Great stuff from Thorzul as always. I am glad to see that despite the fact that Sabathia was only in Milwaukee for a couple of months, team Thorzul is still showing CC the proper respect - Sabathia's performance for the 08 Brewers was absolutely epic and I prefer to think of the Captain as an Indian and a Brewer rather than as a Yankee. As a Vikings fan I am really mixed on the the franchise swapping question - despite all that Favre did for the Vikings in 2009/10 the season ended the way I thought it would and Brett Favre will always be a member of the enemy for me.

I am supposed to be reading one of Comac McCarthy's other books right now - I probably should award a bonus point for this rather remarkable coincidence. I am with Thorzul on the sausage question - when I am at the ballpark, I don't need to be bothered with a Tortilla when consuimg a Chorizo. I am glad that the tailgate team gets it right. Although my first knowledge of the Chorizo is from the classic film "Midnight Run" and I have always felt that Chorizo should be served with Eggs (Go to 2:20 in the clip for Cw/E)

I am all over the place here - 5 out of 5 for Thorzul. Been drinkin in the sun all day - if you have any complaints notify my manager.

Looking Back

For a Look back at a previous P5 with Cards on Cards click here

Card Show in Exton this weekend

There is a Card Show at the Exton Mall this weekend, and if I can get out of work early I plan on having a look around today.

Typically the Exton Show has 15-20 vendors with a mix of stuff:

There is a one pretty good Phils vendor.
A woman that has a nickle box filled with 80s to more recent junk.
A vintage dealer that has well organized clean vintage (54-73 Topps) selling around VG book value.
A couple of guys selling Jerseys and other memorabilia.
A couple of guys peddling Autos/GU/Inserts at reasonable prices for low end - not so good for High-end.

For out of town Phils fans, I just wanted to note that tonights Phils game is on the MLB network and will feature the ageless Jamie Moyer and former Phil Randy Wolf on the mound.

Finally the Phils are up against the Bruins in Game 7 in the NHL Eastern Conference Semi-Finals tonight - Lets Go Flyers!

Happy Anniversary Bobby Orr

Monday May 10th marked the 40th anniversary of the Boston Bruins winning the 1969-70 Stanley Cup on Bobby Orr's Overtime goal. The goal was captured in a famous photograph taken by Ray Lussier.


2010 UD Masterpieces #34 Bobby Orr

This card is just one of the many which make us all miss UD Masterpieces. It captures an image we, as sports fans, have seen countless times. It is similar to the Willie Mays "Catch" footage, It is from an era before I was cognizant of the game, yet it is instantly recognizable.

It is truly a shame that Masterpieces had to go away - I am not sure what it takes to license a card like this one much less 20 or so for a nice card set. Perhaps Masterpieces is best left alone. future sets would have only been disappointments. I know that 08 Baseball is a shell of 2007 Masterpieces.



2010 UD Masterpieces #34 Bobby Orr (b-side/click to enlarge)

I also like how in 08-09 Hockey Masterpieces UD recognizes the artist on the flip side of the cards. This card features the work of Ron Stark who had previously also done work for Topps Gallery Edition Cards.

Ok enough about Bobby Orr and Days of Yore - In the present day The Flyers are locked in a best of 7 with Bobby's Bruins and I am hoping for a big comeback from the Broad Street Bullies.

Local Baseball Teams

Philadelphia Phillies
Baltimore Orioles

Aberdeen Ironbirds
Altoona Curve
Camden Riversharks
Delmarva Shorebirds
Harrisburg Senators
Lancaster Barnstormers
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Reading Phillies
Trenton Thunder
Wilmington Blue Rocks

Villanova Wildcats Baseball

Washington Nationals
New York Mets
New York Yankees

2013 Top 100 Prospects Locator

Robin Roberts Memorial Posts

2010 Phungo BFI Jim Bunning & Robin Roberts

As mentioned a few days ago the photo from the above Phungo Card was taken prior to 2009 World Series Game 5. The Phils won that game, which was the final game pitched by Cliff Lee as a Phillie.

If you click the link from that post you can see the original picture from which this Phungo Card was created. Due to be taken at a distance under night game conditions the photo is a bit blurry. Thanks to creative reducing and cropping, I can make a photo that is somewhat cardworthy.

I believe this is the first 2010 Phungo Black Frame Insert I have posted. As with 2009 the cards feature a Solid Black Frame and Grey Lettering. The Phungo signature on the bottom right of the card has been altered slightly from 2009. Other than that the cards are basically the same.

Robin Roberts Card Postings

Since Roberts passed away on Thursday several articles have been written by various bloggers. I have collected many of those links here.

Capewoods Collections has featured the largest collection of Roberts cards I have seen posted so far. The title card is a special card from the 1959 set which we here at Team Phungo are frequently writing about. The remainder of the cards are retro cards created after the Hall of Fame Pitchers playing days. There is a Fleer SI auto card featured here that I have had my eye on for a while.

The Phillies Room has featured Roberts cards in several recent posts. The intial Post featured a 1961 Topps Card. For a collection of Jim's Robin Roberts related posts click here. Jim's most recent post features Roberts 1960 Topps card, and he has added Roberts 1956 Card to the top of his sidebar.

Steve over at White Sox Cards even went as far as creating a custom card marking Robin Roberts short stint with the Chicago Cubs at the end of his career.

The Great Orioles Autograph Project posted a really nice TTM auto card.

While Orioles Card "O" the Day posted the 1963 Roberts Card which is the first card to feature him and Oriole.

While checking out the 1963 Card Posted by Kevin I realized the black and white inset photo matches the one from Roberts 1960 Phillies card.

1960 Topps #264 Robin Roberts (From the Phillies Room)
1963 Topps #125 Robin Roberts (From Orioles Card "O" the Day)

Mojo and Beardy have also posted a TTM auto of Roberts 1959 Topps base card.



Robin Roberts Related Pages and Articles

Baseball-Reference
Wikipedia
1952 Game Used Ball from Roberts Fanily Auction
Hall of Fame
SABR Bio Project

Swag from Thorzul UD Piece of History Group Break

Bill over at Thorzul recently ran a group break involving several boxes of Upper Decks 2009 Piece of History. In addition to picking up all 4 of the Phils card in the set, I received the cool cards featured in this post.

MMMM Serial!!

2009 UD PoH #71 Chase Utley (Turquois #d134/150)
2009 UD PoH Box Score Memories #BSM-PB Pat Burrell (#d 447/999)

The Box Score Memories cards all have the box of the game on the reverse. The Burrell card salutes a Phils playoff victory over Thorzul's Brewers October 5th 2008.

2009 UD 20th Anniversary Retrospective

#565 Julius Erving
#765 Mike Schmidt

Two pretty cool cards for any Philadelphia fan to get out of this set.

And a Hit!
2009 UD PoH #124 Lou Marson Autograph with Base Card

And I was lucky enough to get one of the autos from out of the set. Lou Marson was involved in the trade that brought Cliff Lee to Philadelphia and is no longer a Phil, but it is cool to get an autograph card of his. Marson is struggling at the plate for the Indians, but he is still getting the bulk of the playing time at catcher.

Thanks to Thorzul for running a fun break that fell within the Phungo Budget.

Phungo 5 with Cards on Cards

Now I am falling way behind. The Phils series with the Cardinals is already over and I still have not posted the Phugno 5 from Cardinals fan, Kerry, from the great Northwest. Kerry from Cards on Cards demonstrates his versatility here by giving us some feedback on not just the Cardinals, but also the Portland Trialblazers and one of our favorte bands.

First off a hoop question is the Trail Blazers season a success or failure?

If you’re talking about the regular season, then I’d have to say it was a resounding success. I’ve never seen another professional franchise have to deal with so much adversity, more in terms of volume than just severity, that the 09-10 Blazers went through. After Greg Oden went down, I really did not expect the team to make the playoffs considering all of the talent available in the Western Conference right now. The move to pick up Marcus Camby proved to be a critical one in terms of solidifying their playoff position. However, if you look at the end result, the bottom line is that the Blazers did not improve as a playoff team and improvement is what you strive for.

2008 Topps Heritage #433 Adam Wainwright

Do the Cardinals have the best rotation in baseball?

Yes, absolutely. But we’re in Week 5 of the season right now. Adam Wainwright is among the select few elite pitchers in baseball, in company with Roy Halliday and Tim Lincecum. Chris Carpenter is simply amazing at 35. But when you look at the rest of the rotation, we’re getting the best case scenario from all three pitchers. Brad Penny has been the All-Star caliber pitcher he was in 2006-2007, albeit with a Dave Duncanized groundball rate (which means fewer strikeouts.) Kyle Lohse has looked, at times, like the healthy 2008 version of himself. And Jaime Garcia has lived up to his pre-Tommy John surgery top prospect billing. I think it would be quite a leap of faith to count on the latter three situations continuing for the rest of the season, but if one or two of them continue to play out that way I’ll be a very happy Cardinal fan.

Best Year of Topps Heritage for Cardinals Collectors?

I’m going to go ahead and say 2002 for purely aesthetic reasons. I think the most interesting Heritage Cardinals cards end up being short prints, so it’s hard for me to say whether that becomes a “best” situation or is just simply annoying. Also, I don’t have many 2002 Heritage cards, so feel free to send me some!

Last year you introduced us to Daryl Jones - He appears to be struggling this year after a pretty decent 2009. Any updates on his progress?

I suppose I’m admitting to being a bad fan if I reveal that I haven’t followed the minor league clubs at all so far this season. I guess you could blame it on the big club getting off to a huge start. When things aren’t going right, you naturally look to the minors to see what’s on the way. I suppose that it’s probably a bit disappointing that Jones is still in AA, but the AAA club does have two outfielders with big league experience on the roster and are loaded right now in the majors.

TMBG Question - What Album would you like to hear TMBG do a Concert of?

Ordinarily, I would say Apollo 18 without skipping a beat as it is one of my favorite albums of all-time. However, I know that they have done that one a few times on the east coast and I have actually been listening to the Then: The Earlier Years compilation lately. (I recently scored a used copy.) As far as I know, I’ve never heard of them performing Lincoln in its entirety, so I’d love to see that.

Phungo 5 Boxscore

Thanks to Cards on Cards and we have a 5 out of 5. I think Kerry is correct in his analysis of the Cardinals rotation. As with all aspects of the game, the assumption that whatever happens in April is automatically replicated during the rest of the season is certainly dubious. That being said and despite their recent power outage in Philadelphia, I believe the Cards are in the race for the long haul. The Phils and Cards have both been in the mix the last couple of years, but have yet to meet in the playoffs - I think it would make for an exciting series.

Looking Back

For a look back at a previous Phungo 5 with Sports Locker click here.

Hall of Fame Pitcher Robin Roberts Dies at Age 83

Story at Phillies.Com

Photo from the first pitch of game 5 of the 2009 World Series (Roberts is on the Right with the white shoes - Jim Bunning is on the Left)

Pull of the Month - April 2010 - Heritage Chrome Troy Tulowitzki

It is a good thing I got involved in the Cardboard Junkie Heritage Blaster League - or else I would have a very little fodder for Pull of the Month.


2010 Topps Heritage Chrome #C90 Troy Tulowitzki (#d 288/1961)

I was also pretty happy with this Topps Heritage Then & Now Insert that came out of the box.

2010 Topps Heritage Then & Now #TN10 Shutout Leaders Whitey Ford & Roy Halladay

Not exactly sure how Topps came up with this one. According to the card back Ford actually finished 8th in shutouts in 1961. And if the stat doesn't match up there isn't much of a reason to pair up the HoF lefty with The Phils new staff ace.

I could also mention some of the cards I picked up in a group break from Nachos Grande that would be Pull of the month worthy, but I am sticking to packs I actually opened this month.

Meh of the Month


2009 UD Signature Stars #90 Ryan Garko

This product only has 100 veterans and Ryan Garko gets a card marking his 40 games as a San Francisco Giant?

If you want to find out more about the rather bland UD Signature Stars set check out my pack break over at A Pack to be Named Later.

Previous Pull of the Month Posts

2010 March

2010 February

2010 January

Group Break - Nachos Grande

2005 UD Classics
#125 Ryne Sandberg
#81 Richie Ashburn
#83 Robin Roberts
#48 Jim Bunning

These are just four of the cards that I recieved in a recent Nachos Grande group Break. The Break involved the 05 UD Classics and 1998 UD Collectors Choice as well as a handful of miscellaneous packs.

I really enjoy the 05 UD Classics such as the ones featured above. The 1998 portion of the package included a heavy dose of Curt Schilling and Scott Rolen as the star cards from a rather down era for the Phils.

If your interested in another break that is being run by Nachos Grande check out the current break featuring five different boxes from 1995-2005.

Phungo 5 with Sports Locker

The Phils are spending this beautiful, summer-like, weekend hosting the NL East leading New York Mets. Representing the Mets on the Hot Seat is the always informative Sports Locker. In addition to updating on the Mets, Sports Locker is always good about providing hobby related tidbits and commentary with a fresh perspective.

1) How have your plans for the National been shaping up?
I'm actually not sure I'm going this year. I like talking about it and the idea of it, but I'm not sure it's the best thing for collectors any more. Reg. admission is almost $20, plus the parking fee add up to around $30 a day just to walk in the door. TriStar also keeps rolling out the same autograph guests at each show. I'd like to see admission prices cut in half, door prizes, more of a show for the opening, card company product presentations and some collector/hobby presentations like: spotting fake autographs, fake patches and competitions. Lets do some fun stuff with instead of charging $20 for rows of tables to look through. Just my 2 cents.

2) You attend a lot of autograph and card shows, are there any dealers who you try to buy from consistently?
I recognize more faces than names. It's great to see the same people at shows and catch-up with them. Some of the people I talk to are dealers and a lot are fellow collectors.

3) Your a Cowboy and a Mets fans (this would make you very detested locally btw) - if you could add a Cowboy to the Mets Roster who would it be and what position would he play?
I'm a Cowboy fan because of my grandfather. He was born/raised in Louisiana and I spent a lot of time with him as a kid. He didn't like baseball, so when I lived in NJ I started following the Mets. Our family favorite Cowboys player is Bradie James. He's a gamer and the Flushing crowd loves that. He's probably too big for infield - so I'd say corner OF for him.

4) What is the favorite Road food when traveling to all the card and autograph shows that you attend?
I'm a cliff bar fan. I eat a ton of those things. Easy to pack, easy to throw in a backpack and you don't have to worry about finding something disgusting to eat at the food court.

5) Where does the Snuggie go from here?
I've cooled on the TV sales since my favorite BMays passed away. I'm a marketing guy, so if I were marketing the snuggie - I'd like to push for custom imaged snuggies. Submit your photo and get it screened on there.
2010 Topps #249 John Niese

Phungo 5 Box Score

Despite what the Hated Mets did to the Phils last night behind a strong pitching effort from John Niese and an impressive hitting attack, I will need to hand out a 5 of 5. I am not sure I am looking forward to seeing the custom Snuggie, but I am sure it's day will come.

Looking Back

If you want to look back at a prior Phungo 5 with A Giant Blog click here.