Nomo's Sushi Platter

Andy LaRoche Weekend

2012-03-11T20:46:00.001-07:00

I went to the Frank and Sons Card Show on Saturday. It is a show that occurs twice a week and a buddy and I try to make it down there once a month. The show usually has some good cheap autos and game used cards. Also, a dealer or two may have a nice deal on a box.

That is where I purchased my 2011 Topps Lineage box that was featured in my last post. The deal was good on the box but, the selection of well priced singles weren't to be found. One of the sellers that I go to, usually has hundreds of hits separated in $2, $5, and $10 boxes. I tend to mix and match from these boxes to get a better deal on the per card price. This time the seller had a very small selection. Somebody must have cleaned him out.

The show was kind of a bust for me. But, my buddy had some cards to trade me. I have been accumulating a bunch of NBA game used cards for him. I built up a stack of a dozen to trade him. Thank you blog world for sending me some nice basketball cards.

I brought my stack and he brought his. It was time to trade. He traded me this sweet 2007 Exquisite Andy LaRoche and Tony Abreu auto #ed/20!

I never would have found this card on my own. Heck, I never even knew that this card was out in the world. This card would have been searched for by me, if I knew it had existed.

This card fulfills my burgeoning Andy LaRoche collection and my failed Dodger prospects collection. LaRoche and Abreu fit that bill. Abreu is wearing shades in his photo to hide the shame of being a bust. Don't worry Abreu, I may be one of the few people alive that actually would recognize you.

The Andy LaRoche weekend didn't stop at the card show. The LaRocheness continued when I arrived home. As the only Andy LaRoche super collector, I had to write him a letter. I told him that I am a big fan of his and have been waiting for him to break out in the big leagues. I also wished him good luck and hope that he sticks with the Cleveland Indians.

I said a lot of complimentary things to him. I also may be the only person that wrote a nice letter to LaRoche and meant those comments. I really do wish him the best and I do wish he worked out for the Dodgers.

At one point in the baseball world, Andy LaRoche was a top notch prospect. He was supposed to supplant Adrian Beltre as the Dodgers 3rd baseman. Laroche was a part of a loaded Dodger minor league system at the time. The early to mid 2000s had a lot of good Dodgers playing in the minors such as Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Russell Martin, Hong Chih Kuo, Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Andy LaRoche. All of the other guys have played well in the big leagues except LaRoche.

That makes me pull for him even harder. He saw all of his peers that he came up with have nice success while he has floundered in LA, Oakland, Pittsburgh, and now fighting just for a roster spot with Cleveland.

He is an underdog that I am pulling for. Good luck this year, LaRoche!

Lineage Box Break

2012-03-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

Picked up a box of 2011 Topps Lineage on the cheap. Check out my video!All the hits are for trade and so is the Vlad box topper. Most of the inserts are for trade so, please leave a comment if your interested.

Nomos For Nothing

2012-03-07T22:25:00.001-08:00

Wes is a very kind dude. He runs the Jaybarkerfan's Junk blog. Wes is also the dude that just sent me three Hideo Nomo jersey cards and even a game used pants card. He did this just to be generous and helping out other bloggers build there collection.

I love this action that most bloggers take by just sending cards to someone in our community. I haven't done this in awhile. Since Wes was kind to me, now another blogger will get a surprise package.

I received this Hideo Nomo game used pants card just for being apart of the same club as Wes. He sent me a Nomo game used pants card!

It is my duty to keep this generosity going. It is actually our duty as a community to keep hooking each other up. We can never lose that great duty of surprising somebody with awesome cards.

This card is a 2003 Ex Hideo Nomo game used jersey #ed/375. This card is also die-cut which makes it stand out a little more. This card looks to be pretty classy and probably came out of a high end box back in 2003. I wouldn't know if 2003 Ex was a high end product. My collecting hiatus took place in the early 2000s.

This card also says emerald on it. Maybe that is the set name or a parallel color. Emerald is a jewel so this card must be classy.

I kind of miss Skybox. The Skybox brand is mostly known for basketball cards. They made really cool looking cards in a flashy computer generated sort of way in the early 90s. I wonder what type of base set Skybox may have come up with if it had a 2012 licence.

I miss some new creativity with an MLB licence for logos.

Anyways, please be on the lookout blog world, some random cards may be showing up for you from the Platter. The generosity shall commence!

Thanks to Wes!

Loving The 70s

2012-03-05T22:31:00.001-08:00

It seems that I have missed out on the grand decade of baseball card collecting in the 70s. The 70s is my second favorite collecting decade after the 90s. The reasons for me to like the 90s and the 70s differs.

My love for the cards of the 70s is that the Topps base set was king. Every card collector of the 70s was ripping packs of the same product. Each set of that decade was different. Topps changed it up in a good way by mixing great photography and random color schemes. The mustaches, afros and other 70s hairstyles worn by the players also makes the sets stand out.

The reason that I think the 90s is the best collecting decade is almost the complete opposite reason why I love the 70s. The 90s had great variety. The several card companies that came up with the sets churned out tons of product. Every kid had a choice of several sets to find there collecting niche.

The one thing that peaks my interest to both decades is the random colors that pop up on cards. I picked up this 1975 Topps Rich Gossage card at my local card shop. The colors chosen by Topps for this card is two shades of green, orange lettering on the team name and picturing Gossage in a red hat. These colors thrown into one card works somehow.

The 90s was similar. Just look at some of the cards released by Fleer or Skybox. Fleer just though a bunch of colors and graphic onto cardboard and called it an insert. I dug that.

I also like the lazy Topps approach to player photography. I can relate to lazy. Topps captured many great action shots in its cards of the 70s. The little league style photography of capturing of hall of fame dude like Luis Aparicio is cool to see. It is a simple pose that everyone who played little league can relate to.

Bounce Back Year

2012-03-03T19:43:00.001-08:00

The Dodgers always have at least one player for me to never trust. A player that can't perform at a high level on a consistent basis. I usually get most frustrated at the type of player that has great talent and shows it on occasion, only to falter during his next game.

Chad Billingsley is that type of player. He has had some really good seasons in the past. Billingsley had an ERA+ of 135 in 147 innings during the 2007 season. He was only 22 at the time. In 2008, Billingsley was able to strike out a batter per inning over his first and only 200 inning season.

Billingsley even had a really solid year in 2010. He posted the lowest WHIP of his career at 1.27. The he faltered in 2011. A lot of Billingsley's numbers turned bad. His ERA was 4.21, his WHIP was an ugly 1.45 and his K/9 was a middling 7.3

He can't put up his 2011 numbers again this season. The Dodgers would have no chance at the postseason.

I have officially stopped making fun of Billingsley. I have berated him for much of his career due to his playoff failures, his inconsistencies, and the "one bad inning" that he seems to have every game.

All Dodger fans know about the "one bad inning" he puts up in his starts. Billingsley may be cruising through 5 innings of work then will start walking guys in the 6th and giving up hits to weak hitting shortstops.

This is the year where Billingsley bounces back and reclaims the form he had in 2008 or 2010. The 2011 Billingsley will not return. He is going to pitch well and I hope my new found encouragement for him will help.

I am currently stocking up on his baseball cards right now. Especially focusing on his autos and game used cards. The price is low on Chad Billingsley because even some Dodger fans think he's a stiff and not worth collecting. His prices will begin to go up when he starts blowing away hitters this season.

Billingsley is a stiff no more.

The Dude With Glasses

2012-03-01T17:50:00.000-08:00

The autographs through the mail just keep on pouring in. The guys that I send to are from all different spectrum's of Doyerness. I have gotten returns from old school Brooklyn guys Don Zimmer and Carl Erskine. I have also sent out to and got a return from Dodger goats like Tom Niedenfuer. Also, from a dude that is considered a hero like Ron Cey.

My latest return is from an ex-Doyer that is more known for his eye wear than his ability to get base hits. That is an entirely new category. Their aren't too many players that are known more for their glasses than there baseball skills.

Jason Phillips was a Dodger briefly for one season in 2005. That season was just awful for the Dodgers as they won only 71 games. Phillips raked to a .650 OPS. Only Dioner Navarro is impressed by that stat.

I did enjoy watching Phillips play that season though. The season was pathetic so, any good baseball loyalist still suffers and watches his team lose, only to crack smart ass jokes about his floundering team. This team had a lot of punchlines.

While watching this team, I had the joy of laughing at Jose Valentin's mustache, Yhency Brazban's waistline and Jason Grabowski just for being Jason Grabowski. Laughing at this group of misfits that were banded together in 2005 was the only way that I could make it through a dismal season without lighting myself on fire.

Phillips was fun to watch because everything seemed awkward for him on a baseball field. Nothing came easy and natural for him but, he still had a 7 year career. That is impressive.

I also loved hearing jokes about his glasses. The most common one that I heard several times from various people:

"Phillips is wearing glasses but, hits like a blind man"

Thank you, Jason Phillips for the 2005 season and for these two autographs.

Diggin' In A Dollar Box

2012-02-25T22:18:00.001-08:00

I spent a lot of time roaming LA on my day off. I was doing two things that I love, eating and picking up some baseball cards. My day started out eating a jumbo sized burrito. The burrito that I had was the size of my plate. It was a great lunch.

After gorging myself and nearly being put in a food coma, I made way to Valley Sports Cards in Tarzana, CA. I was in need of some cards to fill out trades and to pick up some vintage for myself.

I was sifting through the dollar box of cards. The card shop usually has some 70s vintage of hall of fame guys. The cards are also in pretty good shape.

It has been a while since I have added to my hall of fame collection. George Brett was a beast. He has led the league at least once in every major hitting category such OB%, SLUG% and triples. I put triples in as a major hitting category because that is my favorite play in baseball.

This 1976 Topps card of Gaylord Perry is in near perfect shape. Gaylord Perry is stuck with a name that doesn't scream athlete. Let alone, hall of fame athlete. That is a lot to overcome.

Perry compiled a career win total of 314 while also pitching 303 complete games. That is a crazy stat that seems like a typo. Maybe even baseball reference can make a mistake?

Perry also looks very old and broken down in this photo. Playing several years in the big leagues could do that to a guy. Perry also could have the real life inspiration for a drunk, angry father in the movie Hoosiers.

This is Billy Williams first card as an Oakland A. He had spent the previous 16 seasons with the Chicago Cubs. Williams looks happy in this photo and even has a mustache to fit in with all the other Oakland A's of the 70s.

Williams also must be eager to finally make it into the playoffs. As an Athletic he got 7 at-bats in the postseason during the 1975 season. It was the first time he got to sniff the playoffs and take some hacks. Williams sadly didn't record a hit by going 0-7 with a walk.

You know what they say, "Once a Cub, Always a Cub."

Willie Stargell was a big time power hitter in his day. He was also a man that wore a little batting helmet over the top of his cap.

The Pirates could have gotten uniforms that weren't so cheap looking. These are the same quality of uniforms that beer league softball teams wear. The Pirates still got a ton of production out of Stargell.

It was nice to add to my vintage hall of fame collection. This is a side PC of mine that I think I will tend to more in the coming weeks. I would like to see what I can compile through trade or purchase. Please send me an email if you have any cards of hall of famers in the 60s or 70s.

Ryan Braun Won't Be Pictured Here

2012-02-23T23:06:00.001-08:00

The Ryan Braun saga has been big news among baseball fans for weeks now. Braun, as many of you have heard, will not serve a 50 game suspension. He won his appeal and won't miss a game due to his alleged PED use.

My Ryan Braun collection is on hold right now. I will not be excepting anymore of his cards at this time. A new player collection will be introduced this weekend at the Platter.

I just need sometime to relax and not think about Braun and drug testing for a while.

Let me focus on some cards that feature some good guy Dodgers. I made a trade with Dennis and he writes the blog called Pictures of Men. Dennis is a Blue Jay and set collector. He is also a fellow that lives in Canada.

This marks the first time I have traded with a collector in another country. This is another milestone reached at the Platter.

The 1975 Topps Ron Cey that he sent me is in great shape. This card looks to be pack fresh. Maybe Canada is just getting cases of '75 Topps shipped to them. This set may be new and fresh in Canada.

Clayton Kershaw on a Donruss Elite card in a t-shirt tucked into baseball pants. Fans have been clamoring for a Donruss to put out a card like this for years.

Well, not really. But, it is nice to see new Kershaw on a card that isn't Topps. Kershaw will be looking to win another Cy Young this year. I wish him the best of luck, of course.

I am not a big fan of the MLB cards that Donruss Elite has to offer. I like players captured in an action shot or with an interesting background. Players in warm up gear and photographed in a studio comes across kind of tacky to me.

Here is a card that Donruss got right. Jeff Weaver is in the process of striking out some chump. Weaver is making hitters look foolish in this photo.

Players posing in studios is no good. Players being photographed in there element on a baseball field is golden.

Thanks for the trade Dennis!

The Dodger Gwynn

2012-02-21T12:03:00.000-08:00

The blog world will probably get filled with a lot of Spring Training autograph returns very soon. I hope so anyways. Some bloggers are mailing out a lot of autograph requests through the mail. I am included in that group. I haven't sent out a bunch of TTM requests to Spring Training before.

I hope the blog world and I will succeed to getting a bunch of returns this spring. I sent one out last week and already have gotten it back. This envelope was mailed out on February 14th and was in my mailbox on February 18th.

I started out getting autographs through the mail a couple months back. I did so, in part to make use of my Dodger dupes and unwanted cards. My adventure in autograph hunting certainly made use of all the random junk wax, I have lying around.

Like this random 1992 Score Chris Gwynn, it was in my Dodger dupes and unwanted box, just being ignored and stored away. Now, after Gwynn was kind enough to sign it for me, is going to reach top loader status.

Gwynn's signature looks a little different on this 1988 Score card. On the Score '92 card, his signature looks shorter and this orange creamsicle card looks to be his full name.

I have never noticed an athlete doing this before. Is this common for a ballplayer to sign his name differently from card to card?

Some of the more experienced autograph hounds in the blog world should know the answer to that question.

This is my favorite Chris Gwynn card. He is sweating bullets after dominating the Giants. Gwynn was legging out triples and stealing bases like a madman. The man needs a towel and some gatorade.

Gwynn is now a scout in the Seattle Mariners organization. I sent him a letter to the Mariners Spring Training complex in Arizona. Just a heads up to anyone that is sending out letters this season.

Thank you, Chris Gwynn!

26 Cent Fuji

2012-02-19T22:11:00.000-08:00

The name 26 Cent Fuji would work great for a rapper. The rapper would be a Japanese dude of below average height and speed rap skills like Busta Rhymes. 26 Cent Fuji would also get critical acclaim from music writers for his debut album. The rapper would also be mildly popular for the summer season.

But, this post isn't about fictional rappers. This is a trade post to give thanks to some great bloggers.

My first trade with 26 Cent Summer was a great success. Matt is the dude that runs the blog and posts about the Kansas City Royals. I sent him an Aaron Crow Auto/GU and he sent me this Maury Wills GU. The piece of jersey looks to be a grey wool. The card also states 100% Authentic several times on the front of the card. Upper Deck just wanted to let there customers know that this is legit.

Matt also sent along this 2011 Topps Ichiro. This card looks to be the Topps flagship base set from 2025. This card has a sleek, futuristic look.

I also can't stop thinking about random life plots for the fictional speed rapper, 26 Cent Fuji. 26 Cent Fuji grew up listening to 90s rap. He did so by having the only portable Sony Mini Disc player ever purchased. 26 Cent Fuji was able to find mini discs on the cheap of such 90s stars as Dr. Dre, Coolio and Skee-Lo.

I have a minor collection of Albert Belle going on. He was a bad ass slugger in the 90s. I watched a lot of games featuring some of the good Cleveland Indians teams of the 90s. Belle could hit a line drive through an outfield wall. The dude was ripped and always looked pissed off.

Fuji was kind enough to send this one my way. He is currently looking for some old school A's from the 70s and prior. He is also looking for some random Giants such as Tim Lincecum and Buster Posey.

Here is a flashy card of Tomo Ohka. This flashy piece of cardboard fits in nicely to my Japanese ballplayer collection.

26 Cent Fuji would also have a thin mustache like the one that Ohka has on his baseball card. 26 Cent Fuji would get the idea of growing a mustache after seeing Kurt Russell's mustache in "Tombstone". Sadly, the mustache doesn't make 26 Cent Fuji look tough like Wyatt Earp.

Another Ichiro to add to my collection. Ichiro may have the most cards of mine that are waiting to be cataloged. Nomo was ahead of him but, I cataloged and put a bunch of those away. This week's goal is to get some Ichiro cards sorted out.

Thank you to both of you for the cards. Also, thanks to both of you for inspiring a fictional rap star.

Nice Signature, Greg Brock

2012-02-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

When I send out a TTM request to a ballplayer, I am always nervous about what I will get in return. That is if I even get a return. I am nervous about the quality of the signature. Will the signature look faded? Will the ink smudge on the back of the other card?

These are the things that I think about once a TTM envelope leaves my house. I even hope for the right color ink. The right color is blue for Dodger signatures. Every autograph collector, hopes the player signs in there team's colors. The Phillies fans hope for red, Cubs fans hope for blue, and the Marlins fans hope for turquoise. Or whatever the Marlins colors are now.

Greg Brock has a great looking signature and he used the right color ink. The ink on the "K" is slightly off but, autographs look good on 1985 Topps cards.

Brock was a beast in the minors. He seemed destined to be a star in the big leagues. Dodger fans in the early 80s were probably thinking that this guy could step in and take the place of Steve Garvey.

In four consecutive minor league seasons, between 1979-1982, Brock's home run totals rose every year. His home run numbers were impressive in the minors.

1979: 16
1980: 29
1981: 32
1982: 44

The 1982 season took place in Albuquerque, which I hear is an extreme hitters park. 44 home runs is still impressive. Brock never went on to hit more than 21 long balls in a major league season. He still went on to play 10 seasons in the big leagues, spending time with the Dodgers and Brewers.

The 1984 Donruss set is very nice looking. I will need to find more Dodgers for this set. 1984 Donruss also looks swell with a signature on it.

Thanks to Greg Brock!

A Great Baseball Name

2012-02-15T14:56:00.000-08:00

Some baseball player's names just flow smoothly off your tongue. Some of there names make them sound more athletic. The name Bobby Bonilla fits into both of those statements. Bonilla has a great name, it is a name I remember saying as a kid. As a child I thought Bonilla was a great player just because his name made him sound like a super athlete.

Bonilla actually was a really good player between the late 80s up through the mid 90s. But, as a child, I didn't have the internet to look up stats or was I an avid fantasy baseball participant back then. The name of a dude named Bobby Bonilla just had to be a good ball player. It was Bonilla's duty to hit a lot of home runs.

I know that Bonilla spent a partial, miserable season in Dodger blue. So, that means it was my duty to write him a letter and try to get his autograph. This was the only card I had of Bonilla in a Dodger uniform. Even though this card mentions he was traded to the Mets. This card counts as a Dodger card to me.

Bonilla is too cool to write out his full name. He just added "BO". Which I guess, goes towards my theory about his name. Another thing I will add to having a cool athlete name is that that athlete should never sign his full name. Bonilla has too many fun filled activities to write out his full name. He is a smooth dude, remember?

This was the second card I sent him. This auto came out looking good on a 1989 Topps card. A very nice Pirates blogger will be getting this in the mail soon.

Bonilla became a Dodger in the crummy trade of Mike Piazza in 1998. Bonilla took some heat from his brief time in LA because he was old, slow, and unproductive. Some Dodger fans still make Bobby Bonilla jokes. Nobody is LA is still laughing at Jim Eisenreich anymore. Eisenreich was a bum at that point also. But, it is Bonilla that still has to be a punchline for some reason.

Bonilla may not be loved as a Dodger but, I'm sure some Pirates and Mets fans are still fond of him. He was last with the Pirates when they used to finish above .500 and even spent some time playing in the postseason.

Bonilla's career numbers were pretty good too. He had a long career and ended up with some solid career stats.

OPS-.829
OPS+-124
Home Runs-287
Doubles-408

Those are just some of the good stats that I noticed on Baseball Reference. He also was a nice enough guy to sign a couple cards for me. Thank you to Bobby Bonilla!

I Own The Circus

2012-02-14T15:26:00.000-08:00

Woooo! I had a nice break from the blog community. I just needed to take a little time off from the Platter to regroup and gather some thoughts. Luckily, for you guys, I'm back and ready to blog. I have some new found energy to write some more great posts at the Platter.

There is no better way back from a blogger break than posting a trade post. Everyone loves a trade post. This is also a trade post that will let you share my joy because I completed an Allen and Ginter insert set. This is the first time that I completed any sort of card set. This is a huge accomplishment at the Platter. Please share my joy!

I know that Allen and Ginter gets some flak for having so many cards of non-baseball subject. But, I am not one of those people. I love the variety of the insert sets. These are more interesting and unique to me rather than getting another Mickey Mantle insert in a 2012 Topps pack.

The Step Right Up insert set was one of my favorite Ginter offerings. The cards were filled with circus acts like fire eaters and people walking a tightrope. This set brings out the child out of me.

Matt from Card Anathema was the cool dude that sent me this card. It was the first time that I traded with him and he deserves a round of applause for helping finish up this set.

He also sent me some other cards for my 2011 Ginter insert sets. The Uninvited Guests insert set in my absolute favorite from Ginter last year. It is a creepy set featuring haunted places. Ghosts scare me and so does this set.

I only need one more to finish this set. Anyone that may have my last need, please shoot me over an email.

I am a long way from finishing off the Animals in Peril set. This set was sort hard to pull from packs and I haven't seen much Ginter packs in stores anymore. It will probably take me a while to complete the Animals set.

Matt brought me a little closer with this card of a Markhor. The Markhor looks kind of like a deer with bunny ears? That would be my best guess. This animal actually sounds like a Topps creation.

Thanks for the trade from Card Anathema.

Card Shop Pickups:Video Style

2012-02-04T16:33:00.000-08:00

Do you guys prefer video posts as compared to a written post? I think that I am going to try and mix it up so, things stay fresh for me. I am just curious to see what the blog world thinks.

Just Another Post On 2012 Topps

2012-01-31T16:38:00.000-08:00

Here is a look at some of the cards that I pulled from a couple rack packs of 2012 Topps. I am also having trouble syncing up the sound when I upload a video from my webcam to Youtube. Does anyone know how to fix this? Also, I tried recording live from my webcam to Youtube and the sound wasn't working at all. Is this a Youtube issue or am I messing up? Any help from the tech savvy bloggers would be nice. Thanks!

TTM Auto From A Belcher

2012-01-30T15:35:00.000-08:00

I have been having a lull as far as TTM returns go. I also haven't been writing as many letters out over the past week or so. I will probably send a couple out this week. A solid return did show up in my mailbox the other day though.

Tim Belcher sent me a signed card back. Belcher was a pretty solid pitcher for the Dodgers between 87-91. He was also a proud member of the 1988 World Series winning Doyer team. In 1988, Belcher pitched 179.2 innings and had a minuscule WHIP of 1.08. 1988 was also his first full season in the big leagues. He was a main contributor for a championship team.

Belcher was nice enough to inscribe his auto to me. He also added the date that he signed the card. I guess he held onto this card for a week before sending it out my way. I am also glad that he used blue ink. Blue sharpies always look good for Dodger autos.

Here is a fun trade fact that I found out while looking up Tim Belcher on Baseball Reference:
He was dealt along with John Wetteland for Eric Davis and Kip Gross in 1991. Awfulness on the Dodgers part. Belcher had his best years as a Dodger but, was still serviceable after he left LA. Wetteland went on to become a beast closer for the Expos and Yanks. Davis was a big bust in LA. Kip Gross made Kevin Gross look ace-like.

This deal made me wonder something. If Wetteland stayed on as a Dodger throughout the 90s and was our closer, would the Dodgers still have traded Paul Konerko for Jeff Shaw? If that trade never happened, would Konerko still be a Dodger first baseman and I would have never seen James Loney try to slap singles and ground into double plays?

Just something for Dodger fans to think about.

A Couple Packages From Colbey

2012-01-29T14:32:00.001-08:00

The greatness that has been showing up in my mailbox has been amazing. Colbey from the fine blog, Cardboard Collections, held one of his cheapo group breaks recently. He always busts a wide variety of products which is usually boxes from the 90s. The prices are low and the cards are always cool looking. Colbey usually picks boxes that not many collectors have a lot of cards from. This makes his breaks new and fresh.

This is the freshness that I am talking about. These are two cards from 1999 EX Century Skybox. These cards are made of plastic and have the thickness of a credit card. Skybox also added some holographic shine to the card. This makes the cards even classier.

I was luck enough to get the Orioles as my second team for this break. The Dodgers were my first team of course. Colbey did a nice enough job pulling a lot of Cal Ripken cards for me and a healthy dose of Dodgers. I also dig seeing Ripken listed as a third baseman. I know that I watched him play third base but, I still think of him as a beast shortstop.

Colbey also opened up some packs of 1997 Stadium Club. This was one of the better sets of the 90s. The cards were super glossy and the photography was world class. This is a Mike Piazza Stadium Slugger card. This photo is perfectly framed and shows Piazza lacing a line drive down the left field line.

Here are a couple more 1997 Stadium Club cards that I got in the group break. These are from the base set. The photo of HOFer Roberto Alomar is top notch. Alomar was such a smooth second baseman. He truly was a joy to watch field his position. The Rauuul Mondesi card shows him rounding the bases on a ball he crushed in the gap at Wrigley.

Please Topps, bring back the Stadium Club. We, as collectors, need a set that focuses on photography more than we need another vintage set or a high end set that I will never purchase.

Pinnacle sets make me feel nostalgic for the 90s. Pinnacle makes me feel like listening to Alice in Chains and wearing JNCO jeans. I wish that Pinnacle never went away. There sets always looked unique and pushed Topps and Upper Deck to step there game up.

That is what needs to happen in today's collecting world. Topps needs somebody to push them for something greater than simplicity. Maybe Pannini can do that this year. But, I am not really into logo less photos or autos of 18 year old draftees.

Keep up on the breaks, Colbey. I love taking a trip down 90s lane.

Video Post Featuring Eutaw Street Cardboard

2012-01-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Kirk and Valley Sports Cards

Niedenfuer!

2012-01-25T17:40:00.001-08:00

Tom Niedenfuer was a relief pitcher for the Dodgers in the 80s. He was a pretty god bullpen piece in his day. Niedenfuer also has a name that sounds good when shouted. Especially, if you shout his last name in a German accent.

Everybody try it now. Ready? 1...2...3...Niedenfuer!!!!!!!!!!

I can't talk about Niedenfuer without mentioning his playoff troubles in 1985. He gave up a game winning home run to Ozzie Smith and then he also gave up a crushing bomb to Jack Clark. Playoff home runs are always magnified and so are the goats that give them up. I characterize Niedenfuer as the Jonathan Broxton of the 80s.

I was too young in 1985 to feel the pain of Niedenfuer. But, older Dodger fans sure know the pain that his pitches had on there psyche. When I mailed a couple cards to Niedenfuer for him to sign, my dad seemed a little angry about it. He even made a quip to me about getting cards signed by this man.

Niedenfuer was a Dodger after all and I collect Dodger autographs. That is why I wrote him a letter. Like I said, I was really young in 1985 and didn't witness the pain that the homers by Ozzie and Clark had on Dodger fans at the time.

Since, I have compared Niedenfuer to Broxton, I might as well talk about my generation's Dodger goat. Broxton gave up a crippling home run to Matt Stairs in the 2008 playoffs and he gave up a demoralizing walk off hit to Jimmy Rollins in 2009. I witnessed the Stairs homer while sitting in the right field pavillion. I witnessed the Rollins walk off while watching the game on television. That pain stung.

I don't hold a grudge against the Phillies. They came up big when they needed to. I reserve all my angst and frustration towards Broxton. He gave up those hits. I will never write a letter to Broxton. Broxton brought personal pain to my heart and I will never forgive him. Broxton is in Kansas City now and I wish him nothing but the worst. It is nothing to do with the Royals, there fans have been suffering for a while. I hope that if the Royals do well, it will be in spite of Broxton.

That anger is probably how my dad feels about Tom Niedenfuer. I have that anger towards Jonathan Broxton. I will never get over it.

I still thank Niedenfuer for sending me his autograph. I wrote in my letter that I am a Dodger fan and he may feel that he owes me a solid. Broxton autographs aren't welcome in my collection though. It may sound weird but following an entire season and then seeing failure hurts a lot more rather than just reading about my favorite team's playoff short comings.

Also, one more time in a thick German accent.......Niedenfuer!!!!!!!!!

I Know How To Use a Webcam!

2012-01-23T15:02:00.000-08:00

I bought a new laptop a few months back and it came with a webcam. I never used the webcam yet because I am part Neanderthal. This is my first post using it so, I hope it came out well. Please leave me any feedback or suggestions.Thanks to these guys:Reader Steve,Napkin Doon,Cam from Cardboard Heaven

Where is Ian Kinsler?

2012-01-22T23:16:00.000-08:00

I love getting trade packages from the bloggers I regularly trade with. Julie from Things are Funner Here has made several trades with me. She always sets good cards aside for me. There are many Dodger collectors in the blog world that I have to fight with to get good cards in a trade. Julie has my back and piles up some Dodger cardboard for me. She probably already has a stack going for me right now.

Julie also sends me a good mix of non-Dodgers that I collect. I am trying to ease off of Ryan Braun cards but, I am still unsure on the ruling of his appeal. If he loses his appeal then, Braun is dead to me. I can live with Dodger players that turned out to be cheats but, I can't live with a cheat Brewer. But, as of right now please keep the Braun cards coming.

One of the other non-Dodgers that I collect is Ian Kinsler. He is one of the better second baseman in baseball but, get overshadowed on his own team by Josh Hamilton, Michael Young and even a team president named Nolan Ryan.

I'd like to build up my Kinsler collection. This card above is commemorating Kinsler's 6 for 6 day in which he hit for the cycle in 2009. This 2010 Upper Deck card also doesn't show Kinsler on the front or back. This card shows a Baltimore Oriole wearing the #42 on Jackie Robinson day. The choice of photo for this card may have been the key reason for Upper Deck to leave the baseball card business.

This is an awesome Russell Martin card. Martin had some really cool action cards when he was a Dodger. He may still have some cool cards as a Yankee but, I don't notice him anymore.

Martin appears to be tagging out a Rockie. If I get doubles of this card, I will be sure to send one over to the Quarry.

Julie sent me this awesome Ian Kinlser card. Topps is showing Upper Deck how to make a baseball card that has Kinsler's name on it. I love getting Triple Threads cards because I have never opened a pack of these before. This one is really nice with the thick stock and the red background for the Rangers.

I got a lot of serial numbered cards from Julie in this package. This one is one of my favorites. It is a Triple Threads card numbered out of 525 and features the real MVP, Matt Kemp. As far as my Dodger collections go, Kemp cards will probably surpass Andre Ethier cards soon. Ethier may be leaving after the 2012 season to some other city that will adore him but, Kemp is going to stay in LA and beast it up for the next 8 years. I will probably have to dedicate an entire binder for Kemp.

The Matt Kemp solo binder will be here soon at the Platter.

Thanks for getting me closer to that goal, Julie!

Winning by Association

2012-01-20T23:02:00.000-08:00

There was an end of year contest that was held at JayBarkerfan's Junk that was won by the great Night Owl. JayBarkerFan was giving out prizes for this contest. I believe he gave out cards to the top 3 winners and the dude that first nominated the eventual winner.

The random dude that picked Night Owl first was me! I didn't expect to get any cards but, some were sent over to me. I am glad that many other people think Night Owl is the best blog because I got a healthy stack of Hideo Nomo cards for my collection. I counted 37 Nomo cards plus one gold coin that was sent to me from Wes.

This package has to be a Platter record for most Nomos' in one bubble mailer. I usually get sent a variety of Dodgers but, this was just a bundle of my boy, Hideo Nomo. I picked out a handful of my faves from my winnings.

Of course, all the cards that I picked were from the 90s. That was when Nomo was at his peak and the decade that I feel baseball card sets were at there peak. The card sets were at there peak due to volume of sets, variety of look, and sheer creativity. I didn't know that Topps Gallery was out in 1997. This set looks high end so, at one point it was probably out of my price range. I was still digging Fleer products and Collector's Choice in 1997.

Metal Universe was a set that my friends and I were stoked about in the mid-90s. This set was made to appeal to kids. Old school collectors that worked in hobby shops probably hated it when little kids would come in and ask for this product. Some older collectors that didn't work in a hobby shop probably despised this set when it came out.

I still think it is cool and unique. I don't think Topps would take a risk like this and release it in 2012. Too many traditionalists would be up in arms. Leaf Metal tried to make a comeback at the end of last year but, the set looked like silver foil. It wasn't inventive and just bland.

I love the 90s card sets. There is so much non-sense going on here but, I still love it. I am a collector that loves a ton of shine, colors and photos to be all on one card. I also like cards that are simple like Allen and Ginter. No middle ground for me!

This was super cool of Wes from JayBarkerFan's Junk to throw this coin in. I have no info on this set. I didn't want to rip this card from it's packaging to read the back of it. I am also not sure how I am going to display or catalog this card. Those are good worries to have because this is oddball and golden cool.

I got all of this plus other cards for somebody else being the best. Awesome stuff, Wes! Thanks! Also, thanks to the greatness of Night Owl for getting some votes. Thanks to all the people that voted for Night Owl because without your support, I would have never gotten a stack of Nomo cards.

A Letter From Carl Erskine

2012-01-19T20:28:00.000-08:00

One of my top goals for getting autographs through the mail was to get returns from some of the famed Brooklyn Dodgers. I have gotten an autograph from Don Zimmer. The other day, I got a return from Carl Erskine.

Erskine pitched his whole career as a Dodger. He pitched from 1948-1959. Erskine finished his career in Los Angeles in 1959 with a career win/loss record of 122-78. His ERA+ was a 102 for his career. Erskine was also a member of the famous 1955 championship Brooklyn Dodger team. He endured a lot of heartbreak during his career prior to 1955. The Dodgers lost four titles before breaking through and beating the Yanks in 1955.

Erskine was kind enough to sign a couple cards for me as well as answering some questions that I sent him. This is only the second time that a player has actually answered my questions. Him doing so made me very proud because I hold the Brooklyn teams in such high regard.

Here are the questions and answers from my letter:

Q: What was the atmosphere like at a Brooklyn Dodger vs. New York Giants game at Ebbets Field?

A: Tense. Lots of pressure in those games. Also respect for each other.

Q: What was the best game you ever pitched as a Dodger?

A: 1953 World Series Game 3. A 3-2 victory over the Yankees. Setting the World Series strike out record at 14. Mickey Mantle struck out 4 times.

Q: Who are your favorite players in today's game?

A: Pujols of the Cardinals and Kershaw of the Dodgers.

Q: What was your favorite ballpark to play in as a visitor?

A: Sportsman Park in St.Louis.

This was a great return. I love him mentioning that he struck out Mickey Mantle four times in a World Series game. I looked up the box score just to make sure and it was correct. Also, I got this letter a couple weeks ago so, obviously one of his favorite players is Pujols of Anaheim.

Thanks, Mr. Erskine!!!

My Boy in the Argyle Sweater

2012-01-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

I posted about trying to get some cards from one of my favorite baseball movies. That movie is called Eight Men Out. It is a movie about the 1919 Black Sox scandal. The movie was very well done and had some solid actors in the film such as Charlie Ma-Sheen, John Cusak and D.B. Sweeney.

Eight Men Out is probably my fifth favorite baseball movie. My Top 5 will probably stir a good debate. A good baseball movie debate is always good for the blog world. Every baseball fan has a different Top 5 baseball movie list. No list is the exact same. That is impossible with so many good options to choose from. Here is my Top5:
#1 Bad News Bears
#2 Major League
#3 A League of Their Own
#4 The Sandlot
#5 Eight Men Out

What is on your list?

I can go into greater detail about my Top 5 list but, I may save that for another post. Since, there is a lull in baseball news and I will let other bloggers discuss 2012 Topps later this month. The other bloggers can break down 2012 Topps better than me anyways.

Let me show you some cards that Greg sent me. Greg writes about cards at Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle. He is a Dodger collector and a player collector and a Mighty Ducks collector, and a San Diego Chokers collector and a UCLA collector and a Long Beach State Collector and a set collector. I think that covers all of the PCs he has going on. If I forgot anything, then I am sorry, Greg.

Greg was nice enough to dig up a couple Eight Men Out cards for me. These came out all the way back in 1988 and were released by Pacific. I was about 5 years old then and I don't think Greg was born yet. I am still looking for many more of these cards so, please let me know.

I didn't think James Loney was going to be a Dodger in 2012. I kept saying all throughout 2011 that Loney would be non-tendered and then will become a starter in Seattle or Pittsburgh, where mediocre ballplayers go to die. I was wrong and Loney has just signed a one year deal to stay in Los Angeles. I will continue to say throughout 2012 that this season will be Loneys last in a Dodger uniform. Be prepared, Greg, you will hear me complaining about Loney for one more season as we wait in an autograph line for several hours this coming season.

Andre Ethier also signed a one year deal to stay in LA today. I really hope Ethier can bounce back and have a great 2012. The Dodgers need him to produce so, they can try and win 82 games this year. I also think that Ethier will play well then sign a 4 year deal with Boston or New York. That is where solid layers go to win a championship. I should also clarify that when I say New York, I mean the Yankees and not the Triple-A team that also plays in that city.

Thanks for all the cards, Greg, except that card of Eugenio Velez that you slipped into the bubble mailer.

Card Show Haul:Non-Dodgers Edition

2012-01-16T01:12:00.000-08:00

I do collect players that aren't picture in Dodger uniforms. I have a bunch of collections going on that I haven't listed on my blog. They are collections that I am not trying to focus on but, when I see a good deal, I pounce at the chance to add to it. If I posted all of the players or categories that I collect, I would then receive too many cards from the blog world to keep track of. I need to keep some order and have some time to organize everything. Dodgers will always be the main focus but, here are some other cards that I bought that fit into my minor collecting goals.

I like autographs of criminal ballplayers. I don't seek them out but, I found this one of Lenny Dykstra for a couple bucks. How could I pass on a 2 dollar auto of a felon?

Dykstra was a solid baseball player that always played hard and was a champion on the 1986 Mets team. He was also a beloved member of the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies team that lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series.

His post baseball career saw him become super rich, bankrupt and jailed. He is only 48 and has committed crimes such as embezzlement, drug charges, grand theft auto, an accusation of exposing himself and using steroids. Dykstra is a dude that knows how to party.

If you Google his name, you will find articles discussing his baseball career, his criminal behavior, and skipping a celebrity boxing match against Jose Canseco. Dykstra deserves a TV movie. That would be worth watching.

This card of Eddie Murray was also in the 2 dollar box. I have a little Hall of Fame collection going on. I am not completely against trading this for a game used card of a Dodger legend or a game used card featuring a piece of Eddie Murray's jersey from his Dodger days.

I think the Orioles began wearing black in there jersey in the mid-90s. I may be wrong and an Oriole fan can correct me on that. It must have been brutal wearing a black uniform in the humidity of Baltimore in the summer.

Shin-Soo Choo is a solid baseball player with great on-base skills, some pop and can steal some bases. I only get to watch him play a few times a year on television and he impresses me. I keep his cards because i dig his skills.

The Topps 60 cards that came out this past year crack me up. The cards often list a specific catagory and the picture a player that you would think, would have led the league in that stat. On the particular card, the stat is 2010 AL SLG% Leaders with Runners in Scoring Position. That category seems so specific that Choo must be the top dog of 2010 in that stat. Well, Topps has deceived us again. Choo was actually ranked 7th in that catagory in 2010.

Choo also has one of the better names in baseball. I wish the Cleveland Indians would trade this guy to the Dodgers so, I can shout Chooooooooo from the bleachers in left field every time this dude makes a great play or comes to the plate or makes a routine catch on a fly ball or adjusts his cup. Choooooooooooo!

Please Cleveland, trade him to LA for some beard shavings from Casey Blake that have been clogging the drains since last summer. You guys kind of owe us, right? Dodger fans know what I mean.

My buddy who I went to the card show with traded this Gaylord Perry autograph to me. I have been tring to stockpile HOF autos and this will fit right in. This signature is also from unknown origins. It is probably a TTM auto but, he knows it is legit and came from a good source. He traded this to me for some of the basketball game used cards that I am getting from the blog world. This deal works because Perry is in Cooperstown and it is his signature on a card of him as an Indian. If he was pictured in a dirty Giant uniform, I would have declined.

That wraps up the baseball portion of my card show pick-ups. I may show some of the UCLA autos that I picked up. I will probably go to a card show in a couple weeks or so. We shall see....

My Dodger Haul From A Card Show

2012-01-14T23:02:00.000-08:00

My friend and I made a trip down to our local card show called Frank and Sons in the City of Industry,CA. They hold a twice a week show there with a mix of sports cards, memorabilia, action figures and other collectibles. I usually try to roll down to the show every other month. I don't go as often as I like due to money constraints.

Most of the other times that I go, I pick up a hobby box plus some singles. But, this is a new year and a new way of collecting for me. I decided to get down on boxes, blasters and packs so, I can put all my collecting dollars more towards cards that fit my needs. By, spending money more on singles as opposed to playing a game of chance with a pack of cards. This should build my personal collection a lot more easily and cut down on having random clutter.

One guy at the show had a box of hits for 2 bucks apiece. That price is right in my budget wheelhouse. I was able to get some Dodgers as well as some trade bait. Most of the trade bait that I bought today will be going out shortly to some traders of the blog world.

I love game specific relic cards. I will keep on saying that every time that I find one to show off at the Platter. This card contains a piece of jersey that Paul Lo Duca wore during the 2003 All-Star game. Lo Duca was one of my favorite Dodgers a decade ago. His name was tarnished by being mentioned in the Mitchell Report. But, I don't care too much about that, he was still a Dodger and his cards will always fit into my collection.

See, I told you that I don't care about the Mitchell Report. Lo Duca cards are welcomed into my home. Oddly, this is my first certified Lo Duca autograph. I guess that he didn't have too many back in his prime during the 2000s. I splurged a little and picked this one out of the 5 dollar box. Since, I was buying in bulk, this card came out to a little less than that.

I thought that my first Lo Duca auto card should be high end. This card comes from 2004 Leaf Certified and is numbered out of 50. This card is also super shiny which is a plus.

Back to the finds in the 2 dollar box, I found a game used Steve Garvey that I didn't have. I dig the young looking photo that they used of Garvey. He looks like the innocent, golden boy that everyone thought he was in the 70s.

This card is from a SP Authentic set called Cooperstown Calling. I don't see Cooperstown ever calling Garvey. He had a really good career but, probably will fall short in his bid to the Hall of Fame. The only people that may be calling Garvey these days are the I.R.S, an ex-wife/girlfriend seeking child support payments or some middle aged women claiming he is the fathered her child back in '85.

I have a decent sized Andy LaRoche autograph collection going. This card was probably a big hit to pull out of 2005 Bowman's Best back then. I am still a fan of LaRoche and don't fully understand how he didn't pan out into something special. He had great numbers in the minors and good genes because he has other family members that were also big league ball players. LaRoche just never made the next step in the majors to become big time.

I love collecting autos of failed Dodger prospects. LaRoche is my favorite of them all. I thought he was going to be the cornerstone at the hot corner for the Dodgers. I followed his minor league and major league career. I think that is why he is my favorite failed prospect to collect. He also has many cards and autographs from the mid-2000s. That gives me plenty of autos to chase.

The card show today was fun. Spending my limited funds mostly on singles that I want seemed to work out great. I was also able to pick up some cheap autos of some UCLA football players that I may show off at another time. So, long to pack ripping for now because I want to see where this next step of collecting takes me.

Trade Me Some Basketball GUs, Please

2012-01-13T15:27:00.000-08:00

I am currently looking for some basketball game used cards. My buddy is putting together some NBA mystery packs and wanted my help. He knows that I make several trades through my blog and may be able to score some cards for him.

I don't have many baseball game used to trade but, I am willing to pick some up to send in return. I am also willing to trade a bulk amount of base, inserts, parallels or serial numbered cards of your favorite baseball team. I am super flexible on trades and will always be willing to negotiate.

Please email me or leave if your interested in a baseball for basketball swap.

Thanks!

A Short Term Dodger Signs For Me

2012-01-12T14:22:00.000-08:00

Luis Gonzalez is the short term Dodger that signed some cards for me through the mail. Gonzalez played for the Dodgers in 2007. At the time, I criticized him for his poor play. I sit in the Left Field Pavilion for most of the Dodger games that I attend. So, I can see how well a left fielder plays defense and I can also hear what fans are saying to that player. Gonzalez did play some porous defense but, his play at the plate wasn't as poor as I once thought.

Luckily, the internet has given us baseball reference.com. This site is great for looking up a player's numbers. Gonzalez had a decent season for the team. I take back some of the mean things that I have said about him in 2007. I looked him up on baseball reference and his numbers were solid for a 39 year old ballplayer.

Gonzalez had a slash line of .278/.359/.433/.793 and for an older player those numbers are pretty good. He was one of GM Ned Colletti's veteran signings. The signing of Gonzalez wasn't as bad as some of the other old man signings that Colletti has made like Marcus Thames or Andruw Jones.

As I checked out the stats that Gonzalez put up throughout his career, I came away impressed. I knew that he had a good career, I just never knew how well he truly was. He is best known for hitting a walk off, World Series winning base hit to win the 2001 championship for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Here are some of his career stats that impressed me:
Doubles: 596
Home Runs: 354
OPS: .845
OPS+: 118

Those are solid numbers. Also, his World Series game winner was against the Yankees and Mariano Rivera. That counts for a lot more since all the non-Yankee supporters were ecstatic when his hit that blooper up the middle.

According to baseball reference the players that he compares most to is Dave Parker, Dwight Evans, and Billy Williams. He compares to two very good players and one dude in the Hall of Fame. Awesome!

Gonzalez now works for the Diamondbacks which is where I sent these cards to get signed. So, if anyone else wants to try him send cards to Phoenix.

This is the first time that I sent a non-Dodger card to a former Dodger. I knew that this Astro card would come in handy. There is a lucky Astro blogger out there that is going to get this in the mail in a few days. That person should be happy.

Thanks to Luis Gonzalez and sorry for some of the things that I shouted to you during the 2007 season.

The Kindness of the Blogworld

2012-01-09T17:49:00.000-08:00

I love all the people of the blog community. The traders are very nice and generous. Sometimes, I get an email from a fellow collector that tells me they have cards from my want lists. They also state that I don't need to send anything in return or just send me whatever cards you feel necessary. The kind bloggers just want to help out one of there own.

Of course, I will always send something in return. I am also a nice blogger and if you scratch my back then, I send cards to you. The expression goes something like that.

Tom, the nice blogger from The Angels, in Order sent me these two 1981 Topps cards. Tom knew that I needed these for my 1981 Topps Chase. He saw that they were on my want list and decided to send them my way. Just like that, I got a couple cards that I can cross off my list.

Be on the look out, Tom, a bubble mailer will be heading to your mailbox very soon. I have some Angels that need a good home and my house of Dodger blue isn't suited for them.

Oddly, the last two cards that I need for my 1981 Topps Chase are Dodgers. I still am looking for the Dodgers team card and a Bill Russell. I thought that I had both of those but, I can't find them in my binders. I may have misplaced them but, according to my records, they are still needed at the Platter.

I received these two 70s Dodgers from Wrigley Wax. The name of the dude that runs that blog is Paul. This is the first time that Paul has sent me cards. I discovered his blog through the contest held at the blog, Jaybarker's Junk. Wrigley Wax finished a very respectable second in the Blog of the Year voting.

Paul checked out my Most Wanted List and saw that I was looking for some 70s Topps Dodgers. He sent me an email saying that he had a Maury Wills and a Bobby Valentine to spare. He also warned me about the condition. Paul also stated that he wasn't looking for anything in return. What a nice fellow!

These cards are great! I don't care about condition of vintage cards. They will fit nicely into my team set binder. I will also try to find something to send him. I will have to get him something special because he was very kind in his emails. Be patient, Paul, I will send you some goods.

Trey from Rants, Reviews, and Fandom emailed me about a trade. He wasn't looking for much in return but, knew that he had some cards that I would enjoy. Trey is an Astros collector and luckily I haven;t made a trade with an Astros collector in awhile. Trey told me to send him whatever that I feel is suitable. I love that trust among bloggers. I will send him some cardboard awesomeness.

This is a red bordered 2011 Topps Update Matt Kemp. This card is commemorating his 2 home runs that he hit at the home run derby. Kempy will dominate the contest next year. Move over Robinson Cano, Kemp will put on a show.

Trey also sent me a handful of minis that I need for my 2011 Allen and Ginter sets. I totally dig the fire breathing card. The Amityville House creeps me out. The latest movie version starring Ryan Reynolds gave me chills. It freaked me out and I will never watch the original movie because it must be scarier.

I thank you all for the kindness. I am a little behind on return packages but, you will all get something nice.

Derek Lowe is my Homeboy

2012-01-09T14:21:00.000-08:00

I didn't know too much about Derek Lowe before he signed with the Dodgers in 2005. The few things that I did know was that he was a solid starter, closer and a champion while pitching for the Boston Red Sox. Those seemed like good qualities to have. I was happy that the Dodgers signed him.

Lowe had some really good success as a Dodger. In the four years that he pitched in LA his ERA was never above 3.88. His ERA+ was never lower than 114. He also had time to cheat on his wife with a Fox Sports reporter. His infidelity didn't affect his mound performance. He is either a sociopath or he under performed due to his indiscretions. No matter how you look at it, Derek Lowe was my kind of Doyer.

I will also never forget the game that he pitched in the 2008 NLDS against the Chicago Cubs. Lowe pitched Game 1 of that series. He pitched 6 innings, gave up 2 runs and struck out 6 to pick up the victory. This was also the game where James Loney hit a grand slam in the 5th inning to give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead. That's right Loney was a hero for a day rather than a goat. Things were different in 2008.

Also, I checked the box score for this game and Greg Maddux pitche the 9th inning to close out the victory. I forgot that little tidbit from the game. I also remember angry Cubs fans leaving early because they lost faith in there team despite the final score being 7-2 in the Dodgers victory.

These are my first two autographs of Lowe. I was happy to see that he signs through the mail. When I saw that on the Sports Card Forum, I knew that I had to mail out to him quickly. He was one of the first Dodgers that I sent cards to.

I wrote him a super nice letter. I mentioned that I used to wear a Derek Lowe jersey shirt to Dodger Stadium when he was starting. I felt that would give him extra luck. I also may have been the only Dodger fan with Lowe's name on the back of my shirt.

Thanks for the memories, Derek Lowe. Thanks for the autographs! As long as you don't pitch for the Giants, you will still be my homeboy.

The Future of the Dodgers Rotation

2012-01-08T20:46:00.000-08:00

I had a great day today. I pretty much sat down in a comfortable chair with my laptop and watched sports. I watched games all day long. The NFL was on television, the NHL had games airing and the NBA had a couple games to watch also. This was the type of Sunday that every man in America must have at least onc a month. That should be a new federal law. A Sunday just for sports.

I also have had time to catalog a ton of baseball cards that have been sitting in a 1000 count box for awhile. This was one of my goals for my stretch of days off from work. The sitting around and watching sports was just a bonus for having off days.

I also found the time to post at the Platter. This is my second post of the day. That is a rarity for my blog. I am sure that all my readers will be very appreciative of two posts in one day.

I picked up this auto of Rubby De La Rosa off of ebay. I have been trying to get one of his autos and they kept eluding my grasp. Bowman Sterling cards are very nice. They are a high quality baseball card.

Rubby pitched pretty well for a 22 year old in the big leagues last season before suffering an arm injury. He will miss all or most of next season due to surgery. I am sure that even if Rubby was completely healthy, GM Ned Colletti still would have blocked his path with some over the hill stiff. Rubby struck out almost a batter per inning as a rookie. He walked his fair amount of hitters but, that could be corrected with more experience.

Nathan Eovaldi was another rookie that pitched pretty decent for the Dodgers last year. He showed some great potential and has a solid fastball. Eovaldi was 21 years old last year which made his call up to the big leagues even more impressive.

Rubby and Eovaldi are the future of the Dodgers rotation. There time to become stalwarts in the rotation probably won't be until 2014. This is due to all the old guys on multi-year deals that Colletti has signed. But, one day these two will be pitching in big games as the Dodgers return to the playoffs.

The 2014 Dodgers Rotation:
Clayton Kershaw
Chad Billingsley
Rubby
Nathan Eovaldi
Some Dude

I am looking forward to the contributions from the #5 spot in the rotation. I have been reading tons of great things about Some Dude.

Don Zimmer Made My Day

2012-01-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

Don Zimmer is one of the last Boys of Summer still alive and well. I read somewhere that only 50 something Brooklyn Dodgers are still alive. Sadly, I don't have a link to where I read that or if it's true. That is just some laziness from your boy at the Platter.

After reading about the limited number of Brooklyn Dodgers still around, gave me a sense of urgency to obtain as many of there autos as possible. The 1955 Champion Dodgers is my favorite World Series winner of all time. The Dodgers were stacked with big time players. They had Jackie, Pee Wee, The Duke and Gil Hodges in the line up. They had Don Newcombe,Carl Erskine and Johnny Podres in the rotation. That team was beast.

Also, they beat the rival Yankees to win in 1955. Podres shut the Yanks down in Game 7. The Game 7 in 1955 would be my dream game to attend if I had a hot tub time machine. I would pick that game over 1988 World Series Game 1 and 1965 World Series Game 7.

Don Zimmer was a member of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. Zimmer was a back up infielder on the team. He wasn't much of a hitter but, he could play 2nd, SS, and 3rd. Utility players even had value back in the day. Every team needs a Zimmer.

I saw on the Sports Card Forum that Zimmer signs autographs through the mail. The SCF has been my source for all the TTMs that I have mailed out.

I quickly checked my Brooklyn binder to make sure that I had a good card to send Zimmer. There was no way that I was going to send him a card with him as a manager of the Red Sox or Padres. I had to have a Brooklyn card to mail him. Luckily, I had one Don Zimmer Brooklyn Dodger card. I sent him a 1979 TCMA for him to autograph.

Awesome! Thank you, Don Zimmer!

Trading With The Blog Of The Year

2012-01-07T16:59:00.000-08:00

Being able to trade with the Blog of the Year is a huge accomplishment for a little blogger like myself. The winner of the Blog of the Year was Godfather Night Owl. I am sure everybody has heard that already. The Godfather has been super busy since being crowned the champion of the blog world. I am shocked that he still has time to send cards to the Platter.

Godfather Night Owl sent me a big bundle of Dodgers my way. Many of the cards are needs of mine. He must have put together a package for me in between interviews with major news outlets like TMZ and CNN. I am grateful that he took the time for me. It must be because we both love Los Doyers.

This is one of a million Hideo Nomo cards that were released in 1995. The baseball world had Nomo fever and so did the card world. It will take me a very long time to ever collect all of his cards from 1995 alone. I wonder if Topps or whoever is running the card industry in 20 years, will release more Nomo cards. Nomo was highly collectible in the 90s and I wonder if he will show up in 90s retro sets.

This is an awesome looking 1975 Topps Joe Ferguson. It is mini and is of a cool action shot. I am positive that Ferguson made the play at the plate and tagged this dude out.

I am still trying to build up my 70s Topps Dodgers collection. I may need to get a separate section for the minis of this era. I will try to compile the regular Dodgers team set from 1975 as well as the mini set. Please keep'em coming blog world.

I remember going to Kay Bee Toys as a kid. I would get some GI Joe action figures there. They are probably gone but, they made a cool looking baseball card set. That should have been stated on the tombstone of Kay Bee Toys.

I almost forgot that Vicente Padilla was a Dodger in 2011. He hardly played and was injured. I enjoyed his time on the team in 2009-2010. I wish I remembered any accomplishment that he had in 2011. I just loved having a psycho lunatic on the pitching staff. When Padilla was on the mound, at any moment he could lose his mind and bean the batter, kick an umpire and shoot himself in the leg all in one sequence of delirium.

That would have been an awesome sequence!

2008 Topps Stadium is a beautiful set. I am glad that Topps had time to take a photo of someone's kid brother. They even gave him a uniform and everything.

I'm just teasing you, Chin Lung Huuuuu. I miss you, kid.

This is off-topic, but do you guys use the site Groove Shark to listen to music? This site has everything to listen to for free. I am currently listening to Operation Ivy. I used to this to them a ton back in Jr. High. Listening to them right now will make me a better blogger and a better human being overall.

Godfather Night Owl helped me out with some cards for my 2011 Allen and Ginter insert set collection. The World's Mysterious Figures set is eerie. This set gives me chills when I read the back of them. The Babushka Lady creeps me out. She filmed the Kennedy assassination from a good point of view. According to the FBI she has never come forward with her film footage from that fateful day. Where did she go? Who is she? Did the FBI track her down and cover up her footage? That is so strange.

Get back to being famous now, Night Owl. Thanks for the cards!

I Got A Gross Autograph

2012-01-06T15:17:00.000-08:00

My TTM endeavor has been going smoothly. Writing letters to past Dodgers has been a lot of fun for me. The words that I write them are genuine and I hope that they realize that. I especially enjoy writing to Dodger players that played during my childhood.

When I watched baseball as a kid, I didn't study numbers like I do now. I didn't go deep into advanced statistics or check baseball reference to look at someone's career. As a kid, I just went by the eyeball test and how I felt about a player. Sadly, Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti also doesn't look at statistics just like the child version of me.

Kevin Gross was a guy that I knew wasn't that good even as a kid. I had no numbers to back it up but, I knew that the Dodgers would lose games when he pitched. He was middling at best.

Even as a child I was a cynical and angry Dodger fan. This anger keeps on growing as I get older. My childhood anger was usually directed at Kevin Gross, Jose Offerman, and Delino Deshields.

But, my opinion slightly changed towards Kevin Gross during a Photo Day at Dodger Stadium in the early 90s. My mother had taken me that day to walk on the field in hopes of getting my photo taken with some of my beloved Dodgers. Orel Hershiser blew me off. My mother asked him to take a photo with me but, he refused. I am still bitter about it. Kevin Gross on the other hand was nice enough to take a photo with me. It was a simple and kind gesture that I still remember to this day. That changed my opinion about him as a person. I still joked about his on field performance but, not his personality. I told Gross this story in my letter to him. A ball player can do something simple like take a photo with a child and that kid could remember for the rest of his life. I thank him for that day.

Orel on the other hand, is still on my shit list. I am currently rooting against him for his bid to buy the Dodgers. If a ball player refuses to take a photo with a child, that child will always remember that day.

Kevin Gross is a nice man. He took a photo with me and also was cool enough to sign my baseball cards through the mail. Thank you, Kevin Gross!

Also, nice shades and mustache combo. I also mentioned that in my letter.

A Good Day At The Card Shop

2012-01-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

I spent my day off today with a nice trip to the card shop and came away a very happy collector. One of the employees from the Valley Sports Cards sent me an email mentioning that my redemption has arrived from Topps. The shop was nice enough to take care of the whole redemption process for me. Also, this gave me an excuse to go in even though, I wasn't planning on buying too much.

This is the redemption that I pulled from a pack of 2010 Topps 206 about a month ago. I wasn't looking forward to receiving a Sammy Gervacio autograph. The name sounds like someone that Joe Pesci whacked in Goodfellas. Sadly, he is not a character from Goodfellas. Gervacio is some dude in the Houston Astros organization.

Topps somehow ran out of Sammy Gervacio autographs so, they sent me a Chris Young autograph instead. I have heard of Chris Young! He was an All-Star! I watch him play against the Dodgers several times a year!

Awesome! This was a sweet deal for me. I am so happy that Topps hooked me up. This Chris Young card is definitely something that I can trade and get something solid in return. Please let me know if any of you are interested. I also probably have some other Diamondbacks to trade because I seem to trade with a Diamondback fan about once every 9 months.

This was just the start of the good luck that I was getting at the shop today.

The second part of the good luck was getting some of my bid board winnings. I always walk into the shop and check out the wall of random cards that people are selling. I usually bid on some that fit into my collection. If you check out my set needs section, you will notice that I am trying to put together some 2011 Allen and Ginter insert sets. I have been slowly chipping away. The Animals in Peril set is the biggest one that I am working on. Being able to pick up a couple of these on the cheap is good news for me.

I have been seeing less and less 2011 Ginter packs at the shop and in retail stores lately. My Wal-Mart seems to be getting rid of there card section. The only baseball cards that they have left are the Topps Value packs and a few 2011 Topps Update Rack Packs. Finishing the 2011 Allen and Ginter sets may take some luck and some work in the trade department.

The shop had some packs of Bowman Chrome, some high end Bowman something that I won't touch and some packs of Lineage. I am a huge Lineage fan and love the parallels such as the '75 Minis and the Cloth Sticker cards. The shop worker said that there were only five packs left and the hits have already been gone from the box. He ended up selling me the five packs for ten bucks. Sweet!

I was cool not expecting a hit because I dig the parallels and inserts so much. In the 5th pack that I opened, out popped this super cool Bobby Shantz autograph. I was psyched and mentioned to the shop worker that he was wrong. I had to rub it in a little. He gave me a good deal and I came away with an auto.

Shantz had a solid career. He played for 16 seasons mostly with the Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics. Shantz won a MVP in 1952. That season he won 24 games and had 27 complete games. I love that stat line. Shantz also won 8 consecutive Gold Gloves between 1957-1964.

I am totally happy with the autos that I came away with at the shop today. I wasn't expecting either one. The Shantz is a keeper but, the Young is available.

The Greatest Bobble Head Ever

2012-01-04T21:46:00.000-08:00

I got some really nice gifts over the holiday season. It was the typical holiday fare such as clothes, gift cards, and DVDs. I am okay with all those types of gifts. The clothes is usually something sports related such as a Dodger shirt or a Raider jacket. I always need new sports gear. I always need new Dodger gear because I go to a lot of games and even when I am not at Dodger Stadium, I still like to rep the team.

There was one gift that just blew me away. It was given to me by my family on New Years Day. I was shocked when I pulled it out of the box.

The gift was a bobble head of me! This is a genuine 1/1 of yours truly. This looks just like me and was at first kind of creepy. I have never seen a miniature version of myself.

Here is the real me playing some Trivial Pursuit. Not all of you know what I actually look like. You may have only seen photos of me from various autograph signings or my blogger profile picture.

As you can see, the bobble Spiegel has my signature sideburns. My sideburns have been one of my trademarks for several years. I also have lovely thick hair that will be with me for a very long time and my bobble also has some nice locks.

This is my sister and I. She is the genius that set up, getting a bobble head made of me. She know I collect them and knew that I would be overjoyed with such a killer gift. I am also showing this photo so you guys can see how my face looks. Some of the photos that you may have seen shows me with shades or regular glasses.

My bobble head even has my name on it. This makes it official. The only Spiegel bobble head in existence. I also hope you guys can compare my real life pictures with my bobble pictures. Maybe some of you guys will get confused and not know which is which.

This gift will make Dodgerbobble jealous. Even the great Dodgerbobble himself will never have a Spiegel in his collection.

I Must Get Organized!

2012-01-04T14:51:00.000-08:00

As everyone in the blog world knows, 2012 Topps is coming out soon. I also know that I still have cards from 2011 that I need to catalog and organize. Some trade packages are still sitting at my bedside waiting for me to write about and then put away in there proper spots.

I must get my cards in order because pretty soon 2012 Topps will be opened up and that will get me even more behind. I have the next week off from work. I have these days off, not because I needed a vacation or because my inappropriate work place comments have finally caught up with me. I have a week off because nobody is shopping at retail stores so, there isn't much of a need for a truck driver to deliver product to the store. This week will be dedicated to drinking beer and organizing my collection. In that order.

Part of my organization process will also involve posting more about cards that bloggers have sent me. This particular Kirk Gibson was sent to me by Matt from Cardboard Conundrum. This is a Topps card that must have been sold at Ames. I don't have any other cards from this set but, this must be the best one that the Topps/Ames team up had to offer.

This card is commemorating Gibson's 20/20 seasons. Being a 20/20 player seems like an amateur season compared to the greatness of Matt Kemp. Kemp will be a 20/20 player by the beginning of May. Kemp will also destroy any single season home run record that baseball fans recognize.

For the record, the Roger Maris record is tops in my book. My book is also the only book that matters.

This is a rookie card of the Dodgers Minor League Player of the Year, Scott Van Slyke. It is also a cool photo of him. He is spinning his helmet like a Harlem Globe Trotter.

Van Slyke mashed last year in Double-A Chattanooga. He is a first baseman and an Outfielder. The Dodgers lack good offensive players in there system so, Van Slyke may have a good shot at the Majors.

Here are is numbers from last year:
.348 Batting Average
.427 OBP
.595 Slugging
1.022 OPS
45 Doubles
20 Homers

Those numbers are solid. I hope he continues to rake in Triple-A next season and maybe gets called up to LA this year. The Dodgers will need a new first baseman soon because James Loney is still a bum.

This was the prize of this trade with Matt. This card is a dual relic of Shawn Green. The card is also serial numbered out of 100. Diamond King relics look pretty sweet and will fit in nicely with my other Shawn Green relics.

I wish that card companies would tell you what game or games that this bat was used in. I would love to go online and check out just how many home runs Green hit against the Giants with this bat. I think it is safe to assume that Green hit 7 bombs in a three game series against the Giants with this bat. The 7th homer sawed him off but still clear the fence because Shawn Green is awesome.

Thanks for the trade!

Andy Ashby Signs For Me

2012-01-01T18:30:00.000-08:00

It feels that I should be posting more. I don't post as much as I should. It seems like it has been awhile since my last post but, according to blogger, my last post was on 12-27-11. That is not too long ago. But, since the 27th, I am sure that the other bloggers that I follow have made several posts. Those guys are on point and give there fans something to check on a daily basis. Maybe 2012 will be different at the Platter. Maybe I could be one of those guys that churn out post after post.

That is one of my 2012 goals. The goal of posting more and getting better at writing as time goes on. My hours are getting cut at work so, that should leave me more free time to write some gold. I am also on the job hunt and that means no more medicating with the greens. That should enable me to stop being lazy when it comes to blog upkeep.

Another mission of mine is to keep sending out letters to baseball players that wore Dodger blue. This mission has already started a few weeks back and it should continue in 2012. Even if the player was only briefly a Dodger. That is the case for Andy Ashby.

Ashby played a few seasons in LA. I enjoyed watching him pitch even though his prime years were behind him by the time he put on a Dodger uniform. I am a skinny dude and I enjoy seeing skinny athletes succeed at the big league level.

His signature is beautiful. Everyone has a different signature that is unique to them. I am not sure about the psychology of what makes a person sign the way they do. Maybe a psychologist or an arm chair psychologist can enlighten me on that topic.

I also wish that I had included a page in the envelope with some questions for Ashby. Tom from Baseball by the Letters has been a major inspiration to me. I enjoy reading his blog and seeing some of the responses he gets. I have also seen a few other bloggers do the same thing and some players actually respond. I find that to be very cool for a ball player to answer a few questions for a fan.

A special thanks to Andy Ashby for being nice enough to mail me a couple autographs. Ashby is a cool dude!

Eight Men Out

2011-12-27T16:57:00.000-08:00

I was digging through the dime box at my local card shop the other day. They always have a wide selection of cards to choose from I usually pick up some random oddball cards when I am building a stack to purchase.

I found a couple of cards from the movie Eight Men Out. I am a big fan of this film. It captured the era well and had some good acting. This set came out in 1988 and was produced by Pacific Trading Cards. I did some research and I think this set is rather large. I thought that the set was going to be in the 20 card range. I believe that there are over 100 cards to this set.

The condition of these cards is kind of shabby. The Don Harvey card has some creases. The condition doesn't matter much to me though.

I was wondering if any of you guys have these cards for trade. My favorite character in this film was Buck Weaver played by John Cusack. I am also a big Charlie Sheen fan. I would be willing to trade cards with photos of real ball players as opposed to actors playing ball players for more of these cards.

I am sure that there are some White Sox collectors out in the blog world that may have some extras to spare. Please let me know.

Trading Off The Wall

2011-12-26T19:53:00.000-08:00

Trades have almost come to a screeching halt since the holiday season began. More bloggers are busy with family obligations or on vacation. Even posting has been moving at a snails pace this month. Trading should pick up again in the New Year. I miss coming home from work and finding a couple bubble mailers waiting for me.

I have been slowly chipping away at some of the 1981 Topps cards that I have been seeking out. Shane from Off The Wall sent me a handful of cards that I was looking for. This was my favorite of the 1981 Topps cards that he sent me. Dennis Eckersley is showing off a stunning mustache and hair combo. I almost would like to comb my hands through his hair in a heterosexual way. If there is such a way to do so without being mistaken for something that I am not.

Here is a Dice-K rookie card with his name in Japanese. That was a cool touch used by Topps. It makes this card a little more unique. Shane is a Red Sox collector so, he must be bummed that Dice-K was a bust in Boston. They paid tons of scratch for his services and didn't get much in return.

Also, this is off topic, but I hope that Shane named his blog after the Michael Jackson album. Off the Wall is probably my favorite Jackson album. The track "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" gets me on the dance floor every time I hear it. Even if I hear when there isn't a dance floor available, I create an impromptu dance floor to show off my moves.

I am still trying to build a collection of cards featuring hall of famers from the 60s-70s. This Lou Brock will fit right in. This card is in good shape and will go into my Hall of Fame box.

Sadly for Brock, all of his stolen base records will be smashed by Dee Gordon. This is great for Gordon and Dodger fans. Gordon is going to put on a speed show this year for the Dodgers.

I can't remember what the centerpiece of our trade was. Maybe Shane can remember. I think it was the Brock League Leaders card but maybe it was this signed Kazuhiro Sasaki card. I am also curious to know the back story to this card.

I have stated this before, but I love hearing a good back story on some cards that come across here at the Platter. Sometimes it may be an old vintage card that has something strange written on it or it is an oddball card that I have never seen before. In this case, it is a signed Sasaki card.

This card has a crease in it. That may indicate that this was signed through the mail. The card is also signed in pen. This may also indicate that Shane obtained this card through the mail. I hope Shane will comment on this post and give me and the readers the story on this card.

Thanks for the trade!

Ex-Doyers Are Good To Me

2011-12-25T21:18:00.000-08:00

The saga of my new found addiction continues to impress me. My new addiction is sending out letters to ball players and asking for autographs. Not an evil addiction that would be fun in the short term but have long term consequences like cocaine addiction.

TTM is a good addiction that has given me some cool results so far.

Of the Dodger autographs that I have obtained, Ron Cey may have the nicest signature. The way his first and last name bleeds into one another is sweet. The way he puts the number 10 in his "R" is a nice touch. I also dig that he used a blue sharpie on my TTM request. Cey is a true Dodger that understands what his fans like.

I guess the blue works when a Cubs fan asks for his autograph also.

Cey sent me these to me really quickly. He lives about 20 minutes from my house so, that is probably the reason. He could have held onto my letter and read and then re-read my words over the course of several days. Luckily, he didn't and sent these two cards back to me.

The next return that I received was from former Dodger shortstop Greg Gagne. His name is pronounced how it is spelled not the French way like Eric Gagne. Gagne is American so, I'm sure his ancestors assimilated and the pronunciation became Americanized.

Gagne also added a 3:16 inscription to his autograph. I have seen this before. I am not a religious man so, I am not sure what 3:16 means. Maybe a reader may be able to educate me on that.

Gagne also answered a couple questions for me. I had asked about the biggest difference for him when he came from the AL Central to the NL West. He mentioned that the travel was a lot tougher. Gagne had played in the 1991 World Series for the Minnesota Twins. I asked him about the crowd noise. I asked him this because I remember how loud the Metro Dome got during the playoffs. The place sounded insane. He wrote that he felt a different vibe from the crowd but, he was able to block out the sound and concentrate on the game.

It was cool that he answered my questions. I am going to try and include a few questions in each letter that I mail out. It will be fun for me to get some responses back from the men that played the greatest game ever at the highest level.

I believe that I have lived in the same city as Mike Lieberthal throughout his entire playing career. So, I have watched him play for a huge chunk of my life. When he started his career for the Phillies in 1994, I had just move to the Philadelphia area from SoCal. Then, when Lieberthal came to the Dodgers to finish his playing career, I was already back and living in LA. We kind of followed each other.

Sadly, I only had one card of him as a Dodger to send him. This card came out nice though.

This is kind of a Phillies card. It has the Phillies logo on the bottom corner but, Lieberthal is wearing his high school jersey. This is my favorite card that he sent back to me. He looks so young in this photo. Obviously, he does. But, I always thought that Lieberthal looked like a grizzled vet throughout his career.

This card is sweet because his high school stats are on the back of this card. He hit 13 bombs his senior year and even stole 8 bases. What happened to those wheels?

This is a full on Philadelphia Phillies card. This is also one of those mid-90s Fleer cards that were made to get signed. I am not sure if I ever had one of these signed before. I didn't open too many packs of these back in the day even though I enjoyed Fleer products. I was more of a Fleer Ultra man anyways.

I am having a ton of fun sending cards and letters out to ballplayers. I should be sending more out this week and I hope to get more returns.

An Envelope From A Legend

2011-12-22T15:43:00.000-08:00

This TTM adventure that I started a couple weeks ago has been amazing. I have actually been getting signed cards back from former baseball players. I was a little skeptical at how this whole process would come into fruition. I wasn't sure if I would get anything in return.

My skepticism was totally wrong. I am naturally cynical. Being cynical is part of being a Dodger fan. At least a Dodger fan of my generation that missed some beast Dodger teams back in the day. For the record, I was born in 1983.

My mailbox has been getting solid returns since I started this adventure. I have sent cards out to several players and they are coming back auto graphed in droves.

This is my favorite return so far. This is a signed Upper Deck Masterpieces card of Bobby Doerr. Doerr is a baseball legend. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986. He is also the oldest living Hall of Fame baseball player. His baseball reference page lists his age at 93.

Doerr was a great player for the Boston Red Sox between 1937-1951. There was a brief gap in his career due to military service during WWII. Doerr was still able to accumulate nice counting stats as a strong defensive second baseman. He hit 223 home runs and drove in 1247 RBIs.

I know new school stat geeks would scoff at me mentioning counting stats but, those stats do help you get enshrined in Cooperstown.

Here are some numbers that new school dudes love:
Career .823 OPS
Career OPS+ 115
Career OBP .362
Career WAR 47.7

Those are all great numbers for a second baseman.

His signature is also very great. He even added a HOF '86 inscription. Doerr was also nice enough to sign a couple index cards for me. I did not ask him to do so. The index cards were just there for card protection. But, Bobby Doerr is a cool dude and a baseball legend.

Thank you, Bobby!

Carl Furillo!!!!

2011-12-20T17:12:00.000-08:00

I have finally reached the point in my collecting quest where I have obtained an actual Brooklyn Dodger card. Of course, I have numerous reprints of Brooklyn legends such as Jackie, The Duke and Campy. But, I have finally acquired a real,genuine Brooklyn card that was made in the 50s.

This is my first Brooklyn card! This card is actually from 1957. This isn't a Topps reprint of any kind. This is a real Brooklyn card.

I was so excited to see this card at my local card shop. Valley Sports Cards always has a great selection of Dodgers. The shop has autos, relics, vintage and oddball Dodgers. I always at least glance at the vintage Dodger section. I love just checking out some of the Sandy Koufax cards from the 50s-60s and hoping that they will be mine someday.

This Furillo caught my eye because it is a Brooklyn card and it was reasonably priced. As a matter of fact, I was seeking out Furillo cards on ebay the night before I bought this one. The Cardboard Gods must have sensed my need for this card and made sure it was waiting for me at the shop.

Carl Furillo will always be big time because he was a member of the first Dodger championship in 1955. He was a key cog for that team. Furillo mashed 26 homers and batted .314 that season. I am forever grateful for his contributions to a great Dodger team.

It is now time to gorge myself with brisket and potato pancakes! Happy Holidays!

Funner Than A Group Break

2011-12-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

The blog Juuust A Bit Outside recently held a card draft. Kyle, the man in charge at Juuust A Bit Outside, had a lot of good choices to pick from. He had hits, vintage, and some nice modern cards. I love a good card draft!

I think that I may be more selective when joining a group break now. A group break is always a risky gamble and most of the time I feel lie I am just throwing money away. I am on a bad luck streak when it comes to group breaks. You may sense my bitterness.

In a card draft, I am able to preview the items that I may choose. In a group break, I can only hope and pray to the Cardboard Gods that I will get some sweetness. I have a better guarantee in a card draft to pick something that fits into my collection. Every card draft that I have joined brings me some cards that I want.

These two cards of the real MVP, Matt Kemp, fit greatly into my collection. I get a sweet chromed out refractor serial numbered out of 660 and a Ginter SP that I have been trying to obtain. I had my heart set on these cards before the draft and luckily I was able to scoop them up. These cards in now in a happy Doyer home.

Also, I may take down my Ryan Braun haves list that I have on the side bar. I may replace it with a Matt Kemp haves list. Now that Kemp will probably be a Doyer for life, he will probably have the most cards in my collection at some point. Braun brought too much shame to himself and his fans for me to still support him at the Platter.

When I pick well in a card draft, I usually walk away with some nice items to sell or trade. The card shop that I go to has a lot of Lakers fans. I am sure that I can plop this up on the bid board and get some cash added to my store credit. This card is serial numbered out of 50 and is super shiny in person.

This was my first pick in the draft. I knew that this card is easy trade bait or any easy sell. I will listen to some offers for this game used card of Mariano Rivera.

Even though he is a Yankee, I still had my eyes set on obtaining this card. Worst case scenario was selling this on a bid board for a few bucks. Best case scenario is getting a sweet Dodger game used in return.

Come on Yankee fans make me an offer!

Some group breaks have a variety of different boxes to open. Some only have multiple boxes of one product. I prefer a wide variety of cards to select from. A good host of a card draft makes sure that there is a wide range of years and sets to choose from.

I was able to build on my hall of fame collection. I am trying to focus on getting cards of past legends from the 60s and 70s. The 50s is a little out of my price range right now. I am also looking to trade for some 60s and 70s cards of hall of famers. Condition isn't too important to me right now.

This 1975 Topps mini Dave Winfield happens to be in excellent condition. At first I thought that this was from the 2011 Topps Lineage set. That is how good this card looks. Are people still opening packs of 1975 Topps?

This card draft gave me good bang for my buck. Certainly more bang for my buck as compared to some of the group breaks that I have failed in. My card gambling money is mostly going to go towards card drafts now.

This is a 1975 Topps Tom Seaver in great condition. The corners are good and the card is only slightly off center. Seaver was a beast. I have a handful of his cards from the 70s and the number keeps growing. I seem to be stockpiling cards of some great pitchers of the 60s and 70s. I have some Jim Palmer cards and some Bob Gibson as well.

I really have a good time in a card draft. I enjoy seeing what others are selecting and also fighting with other Dodger collectors for the best of the bunch. I am already in another draft at Cardboard Heaven and will be getting another solid haul of cards that I want.

Thanks for hosting, Kyle.

My First TTM Return Featuring Jay Howell

2011-12-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

Last week I sent out some baseball cards to get signed by some ex-Dodgers. This is my first endeavor into the fun of TTM autographs. I did some research on the subject before I mailed out any cards or letters. One of the tips that I was told about was to be patient. I was expecting to wait weeks before I got anything in return.

But, Jay Howell came through super quick. I sent out a letter to Howell on December 8th and got three autographed cards back on December 15th. Howell must have gotten my letter and immediately signed my cards. He then must have stuffed my SASE right into his mailbox.

Howell must have been moved by my kind words.

I miss the old scoreboards that Dodger Stadium had along the baselines. Those old scoreboards are less obnoxious than the ribbon scoreboards they have between the field level and loge at Dodger Stadium. The brightness from these lights can be distracting at times during night games.

Jay Howell was apart of the 1988 World Series team. I am extra psyched that he signed these for me. I plan on writing some other members of the 1988 team and will see if they write back. That team was the only Dodger championship that occurred during my lifetime.

I have seen a handful of 1988 Dodger addresses on the Sports Card Forum. I will try my luck at that. So far, so good in the TTM department.

This is my favorite Jay Howell card of the bunch. The gold foil is a classy touch by Topps. I had offered him a card to keep and I was thinking that he would have chose this one. I was secretly hoping that he wouldn't because I knew this card would look dope signed.

He ended up not keeping any of them. One of the other tips that I got was to offer the player a card to keep as a token of thanks. I will continue to follow this pointer and hope the player would enjoy a card for himself.

But, even Jay Howell must be tired of seeing late 80s and early 90s cards of himself. Howell holds the record for most '91 Donruss Jay Howell cards ever seen in a lifetime.

I really appreciate these cards. I will keep you guys up to date on anymore TTM returns that I receive

Hiflew Returns to the Platter!

2011-12-14T19:54:00.000-08:00

I am so glad that the blog called Cards From The Quarry came back. Hiflew is the dude that runs the best Rockies blog in the blog world. His blog may be the only blog that focuses on Rockies cards. The blog world was void of someone to trade there Rockies too. When the Quarry was on hiatus, I just had stacks of Rox piling up waiting for Hiflew's return.

The blog world is a better place when the Quarry is open.

Hiflew knows what I like. He knows that I like the 90s, shine and cards of first base icon Mike Piazza. Wait. What?!?! Mike Piazza playing first base in the 90s while on the Dodgers. I don't remember seeing this back then. Eric Karros had the Dodgers first base position on lock in the 90s. This card is from 1996.

Piazza does look very determined at first base. He may also just be showing off for the Pinnacle camera man while horsing around in between snap shots.

This is another great Mike Piazza card from '96 Aficionado. This is a really slick looking set. This set combines 90s flash with a retro wood finish.

Piazza is glaring into the dugout during this shot. Piazza must be looking into the dugout wondering why they are leaving Tom Candiotti in for so long. Mark Guthrie is already warm. I remember this game like it was yesterday. The Dodgers ended up rallying to overcome a 10 run deficit against the Giants.

Mike Piazza had 11 RBIs. The Dodgers won 11-10. Great game.

This is a flashy 1996 Aficionado Hideo Nomo card. The impact that know had on popularizing the game in Asia is still felt today. The impact he made just in Japan was huge. The stars of Japanese baseball still want to ply there trade Stateside.

Yu Darvish is the latest Japanese Star that is trying to make it in the big leagues. I wish the Dodger ownership situation was already clear so, they could bid on Darvish. The kid has mad skills. Just a little more patience until the new Dodger owners start spending some serious scratch.

Welcome back, Hiflew! The blog world will always need someone to rep the Rockies.

One For Keeps,One For Trade

2011-12-10T22:46:00.001-08:00

The blog world has had many posts about the situation with Ryan Braun. All that needs to be said has been said by many in the mainstream media, among fans, and typed in blogs. I will spare you anymore words typed about Ryan Braun.

I would like to show you readers a couple of cards that I picked up at Valley Sports Cards in Tarzana,CA.

I was able to pick up this Shawn Green card off the bid board at my local card shop. I probably walked in at the perfect time in order to snag the game used gem. Shawn Green cards go fast in the San Fernando Valley. The bid board at the shop lets the sellers choose to sell there cards using a "buy it now" option. The seller had this one marked at 2 bucks.

Sold!

This is a 2003 Donruss Studio Shawn Green Game Used Pants. This card is also from a specific event. I love those types of cards. The event was a Big League Home Run Challenge which took place in February 2002. It must have been an off season home run derby. I don't remember watching or hearing about this event.

Anyone remember the great Big League Home Run Challenge of 2002?

While at the shop, I decided to bust some packs of Topps Lineage. Lineage has become one of my most opened packs of 2011. I love the parallels in this set as well as the game used cards. I will probably end up buying a box of this product down the road.

This is a David Ortiz GU. The swatch is a bright red. It is always cool to see some color on a game used card.

Big Papi doesn't fit into my collection. This card is up for grabs. Please Red Sox fans, take this one home with you. Papi is probably going to retire as a member of the Sox. Add this card into your PC.

Also, Cardboard Heaven is having a cardboard draft for $15 bucks. Please go and check it out. His draft is almost filled up.

Deeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-12-09T16:38:00.001-08:00

I have finally acquired my first Dee Gordon autograph. I may be the last Dodger collector to achieve this feet. The prices for Gordon's auto have been dropping this off season. His rookie autos last year were going for a decent amount. Certainly too much for me to pay. Since, the card companies have been pumping Dee Gordon autographed cards into many products, this has helped the price lower.

Lower prices work better for me.

Bam! This is a sweet 2011 Topps Tier One Dee Gordon Auto #ed/999. Tier One is a product that I probably won't open a box of in my lifetime. The set is too high end for me. But, I will be able to get some singles of the players I collect.

I expect big things from Gordon this coming baseball season. He will steal a ton of bases. I predict getting a 100 steals this year. Gordon will be a modern day Maury Wills. Gordon is the fastest ball player I have ever seen play. He is a sprinter out there.

This is what Dee Gordon is faster than:

Dee Gordon is faster than Kenny Lofton

Dee Gordon is faster than Shane Victorino

Dee Gordon is faster than James Loney's Maserati

Dee Gordon is faster than a Clayton Kershaw fastball

Dee Gordon is faster than Juan Uribe's weight gain

I could go on forever. I think the point is that Dee Gordon is faster than anything on planet Earth.

Also, I would like to plug a contest being held at The Diamond King.

Late Night Trade Post Featuring Night Owl

2011-12-07T22:21:00.001-08:00

Very few bloggers out there have the ability to see my collection and fill in the gaps for me, without ever actually seeing my baseball card collection. Night Owl is the Godfather of the Blog World and deserves royal treatment for being a trader with special powers. Well, that is how he gets treated at the Platter. He probably gets rougher treatment at many other establishments.

Since, I have picked up a new laptop, my haves lists have been getting updated more frequently. I still have a big stack of Dodgers to go through and catalog on Microsoft Excell. One day I will hire a secretary to catalog my collection. Just a person that will type out the cards I have and let me know what cards I am looking for. I still enjoy putting new Dodgers in binders. I will never give my secretary that job.

Oh wait, I probably will never even have a secretary that tends to my cataloging needs.

Let me start out by showing a couple cards featuring some past Dodger greats. This is a really nice looking set and Upper Deck uses a smooth, glossy touch. Upper Deck may have touched up the Johnny Podres card a bit. The photo looks way to clean to have been taken several decades ago.

Seeing modern cards with past players got me to thinking. The card companies will always put past players in there recent releases. Collectors for the most part like seeing the past stars of there team on new cardboard with touched up photos. So, this trend will never end in the collecting world. Since, I am a big collector of Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp, I will have an endless supply of there cards to collect.

Kemp and Kershaw are on there way to becoming Dodger icons. I am totally biased though. I just feel the both of them will be the core of some great Dodger teams in the future. Therefore, the images of Kershaw and Kemp will adorn cardboard in 2040. Topps or whoever is running the card industry that far into the future will pop out a Heritage Refractor like this one into its 2045 set and call it retro.

My Kemp and Kershaw collection will go on forever.

Awesome! A Rickey Henderson card as a Dodger. Henderson is not featured on cardboard as a Dodger very often due to his brief stint with the team.

The back of this 1997 SPX Hideo Nomo card is better than the front. The front is pretty cool, it is a 90s holographic image of Nomo But, I just can't help but focus on this "action" shot of Nomo.

What exactly is he doing? His legs seem to be in an awkward position. Is he dancing? Maybe the snapshot caught him doing the Ickey Shuffle.

Card of the year according to Night Owl. I also agree with that statement. This is a great action shot. I know exactly what Dee Gordon is doing here. He is turning a double play against Colorado at Coors Field.

I hope that Dee Gordon does well on the field. Of course, I do because I am a Doyer fan. But, I also hope that Gordon's career on baseball cards is superb as well. He is a high energy, speedster that makes spectacular fielding plays. Gordon is destined for cardboard glory!

Night Owl also threw in a Ascent of Man card that I needed. I am almost done with this set. I will have to update my set needs page up top and add the other 2011 Ginter insert sets that I am collecting. The Ascent of Man set will look picturesque once completed. All the cards of this set fit together like a puzzle and cover the whole landscape of the evolution of mankind.

Thanks,Night Owl!

Making Junk Wax Useful

2011-12-05T21:07:00.001-08:00

I have been accumulating a lot of Dodger cards since the Platter has opened. Some of these cards are just taking up space in a 5000 count box. They are doubles or Dodgers that aren't allowed in my personal collection such as Kevin Brown or Jose Offerman. Luckily, this box is only about half filled with cards.

I am trying to keep the count low. A lot of these Dodger cards are from the junk wax era. I needed to come up with a solution of how to make use of these excess Dodgers.

I couldn't dump the junk wax Dodgers on a fellow Dodger collector. All other Dodger bloggers have seen enough cards of Franklin Stubbs in there lifetime.

There was no way that I would just throw these cards away. That would be too cruel and the baseball card gods would give me bad pack pulling karma as a punishment.

I have found a way to make digging threw my junk wax collection a fun experience. I have found a way to give new life the cards of my youth.

I am going to start sending out some Dodger cards out to get autographed. I am going to join the TTM hunt. This will be a new experience for me.

Last night, I did some research at the Sports Card Forum and found some addresses of past players. The Sports Card Forum also has a data base where you can see which players are active signers. This way it will limit making this endeavor a failure.

This Kal Daniels card will look great signed. Stadium Club was top notch back in the day.

Kevin Gross took a photo with me when I was a kid in the early 90s. He was nice enough to let my mother snap a pic with him and I during a Dodgers Photo Day.

Sadly, Gross was not wearing these shades when I met him. This will be another great looking card if Gross is kind enough to sign this for me.

This was the best Greg Gagne card that I have. I may have some cards of him when he was a Minnesota Twin but, I prefer autographed Dodger cards. I am going to try and send at least two cards to each player. Sending just one card to a player may not be worth it for me.

I am also going to try and be patient. I will not expect a quick reply from these players. Being patient is against my true self. This TTM adventure will help bring out a new character trait in me.

I picked this card up at my local card shop while searching throw a dime box. For some reason I thought Godfather Night Owl needed this card. When I got home from the card shop and checked his want list, I turned out to be wrong. Of course, Night Owl doesn't need any 1985 Sid Bream cards.

I am going to mail this out to Bream to hopefully get signed. Not a bad way to use a dime box find.

I remember having a lot of 1991 Donruss cards as a child. Even then, I think I knew that this set was an ugly disaster. This card has a terrible design. Donruss picked there game up a little years later.

Donruss '91 didn't end my passion for collecting. The junk wax era had many options to choose from but, I still had stacks of these as a kid. I picked up my game as a collector and now have better taste.

These are the players that I am going to start with. I have a few more in mind. I also saw that some hall of famers sign through the mail for a fee. I may do this since the chance of actually seeing one of these guys in person is rare.

But, I am going to start with getting some Dodger autos first. I will keep track of when I send these cards out and when/if I get anything in return.

Have any of you guys gotten autos through the mail? Any tips? I would like any help from some TTM vets out there in the blog world.

Update on my 1981 Topps Chase

2011-12-01T23:45:00.001-08:00

Awhile back I started to try and pick up certain cards from the 1981 Topps set. Mostly cards of Dodgers and dudes in the Hall of Fame. That list is slowly getting smaller and smaller. I can sense victory. The joy of completing a collecting goal is almost complete.

I just need a little more help and luck to get there.

I picked this up at my local card shop today. It was just chilling in the dime box waiting for me to swoop in on it.

This also may be the only time an Angel gets featured at the Platter. I am pretty sure I have never shown a card of a player down in the OC.

But, here at the Platter, I show respect to the legends of baseball no matter what uniform they wear. I owe it to the baseball Gods to bow down to members of the Hall of Fame.

This is a great dime box find. This card gets crossed off my 1981 Topps want list and also fits into my Hall of Fame collection.

If any of you guys have any of the remaining cards on my want list, please let me know. Check out the list here.

Finishing Up 2011

2011-12-01T14:25:00.001-08:00

Some other blogs have touched on the fact that baseball card collecting season is over. The season kind of ended when the World Series wrapped up and when Topps Update comes out. I am content with how my 2011 collecting season went. This was my first full year back since my long hiatus between 1998-2010.

It is now time for me to get some of the cards that I missed out on during the year. There are so many parallels released by Topps this year. It is going to take me several decades to finally track down all the 2011 Dodger parallels that I need.

Luckily, the blog world helps me out on my Dodger parallel search. Robert from Serial Insanity is looking to make a franken set consisting of a bunch of Topps serial numbered cards. I think he is trying to build a set consisting of over a thousand cards.

I sent him a bunch of serial numbered cards to aid his quest for glory. Robert also runs a blog called $30 A Week Habit where he posts about his Blue Jay collection. I also sent him a bunch of Jays because he is the only guy I know that collects Canadian anything.

I will probably have a whole page full of this particular Clayton Kershaw card. I also need to update my haves lists now that I have a new computer. For all I know, I already have a bunch of 2011 Kershaw Topps cards in several colors.

Also, does anyone else find it odd that Andre Ethier is a Gold Glove winner?

I opened up some packs of 2011 Bowman Platinum. It is a really flashy looking set. But, I prefer the retro sets like Ginter or Heritage. That is where most of my many went.

I have just been picking up some singles from this set. I am grateful to get this gold parallel of the Real MVP.

Robert also sent me a 3D insert of the Real 2nd Best Player in the NL. Ryan Braun is my favorite non-Dodger. He grew up in the locally in Granada Hills and he is a great player. I was happy that he somehow tricked old sportswriters into voting for him for the 2011 MVP award.

But, my allegiances will always be with Los Doyers. Kemp is the beast of the NL and will dominate next year in order to win the 2012 MVP unanimously.

The big hit of this trade was a 2011 Topps Chrome Ivan DeJesus Jr. autograph. I have been trying to get this card from the bid board at my local card shop for weeks. I kept on getting outbid. I didn't know that Tarzana,CA was the headquarters of the Ivan DeJesus Jr. fan club.

His signature appears to be in another language besides English. I have never seen characters like that before.

Thanks for the trade!

Top 5 Most Wanted:70s Edition

2011-11-30T23:35:00.001-08:00

I have neglected the top portion of my blog where I should be posting my most wanted lists. But, I decided to do something a little different. I am going to have specific themes to my most wanted list. The themes may be broad or they may be hard to find cards. A junk wax edition of my most wanted list may even appear. The possibilities are endless!

I have slowly been building up my 70s Topps Dodger team sets. Many great bloggers out there have helped give my 70s binder a boast. I still need a lot of the big time Dodger cards from that era.

I am looking to the blog world for help. Some of you may have stacks of Topps cards from the 70s that are collecting dust and just waiting to be sent my way.

#1- 1971 Topps Steve Garvey RC

I would accept this card in any condition. Since, there are a lot of Dodger bloggers out there, I hope one of you guys have an extra one of these Garvey cards.

This card is a classic to me. It is a must have card of one of the Dodger greats in the 70s.

#2- 1970 Topps Maury Wills

The second card that I seek is a 1970 Topps Maury Wills. Wills was the 1962 NL MVP. Wills was a speedster that set the table for the Dodger teams of the 60s.

This card will look sweet next to my 1970 Topps Wes Parker and Willie Crawford.

#3- 1972 Topps Hoyt Wilhelm

This is a high numbered Hoyt Wilhelm card. It is numbered at 777. Wilhelm is also in the hall of fame. I am prepared to come strong with an offer for one of these in solid condition. The 1972 Dodger team set is the one that I would like to complete first.

This is also the set that I nicknamed the "Stoner Set." The color patterns just remind me of smoking joints in the back of a van and listening to Led Zeppelin. I wasn't even born yet but, I imagine that was a good time.

I also like the background of the seats at Dodgertown. I probably sat in those seats right behind Wilhelm.

#4- 1972 Topps Bobby Valentine

I had to go with another 1972 Topps card. This set rocks and has a great color scheme.

As you may have heard, Valentine is now the manager of the Boston Red Sox. This is great for him. He gets back into managing.

That is what popped into my mind when I saw his name on my want list print out.

#5- 1976 Topps Bill Buckner

I am really digging this set right now. Also, with Bill Buckner you get a great mustache and him posing in a mostly vacant stadium. This card is so 70s.

I hope that this will become a regular feature at the Platter. I will start the next list after this one is complete. Some of these cards will be more difficult to obtain than others.

I will post the list up top under Spiegel's Most Wanted.

We Share the Same Obsession

2011-11-28T20:49:00.001-08:00

Jeff of My Sports Obsession and I share a passion for trading. I try to get trades together every week. The weekly trip to the post office is part of my routine. I am sure that Jeff has a similar routine. Some trades don't come together after some emails are exchanged. Some trades are quite simple.

Spiegel: "White Sox for Dodgers?"

Jeff: "Deal"

It is that simple when we get a trade going.

I love the blog world. Where else would I come in contact with a White Sox fan?

This Conlon card of Zach Wheat was apart of a group of Conlon cards that were sent to me. Jeff had a post featuring some cards from this set and I had to snatch up the Brooklyn players.

Zach Wheat is a Dodger legend. He holds team records such as hits and doubles. In 1923 and 1924 Wheat hit .375. That is beast! Back to back years of such a high average. If this dude played on the Dodgers right now, I would be wearing his jersey in the Left Field Pavilion at Dodger Stadium.

These are two very odd photo choices in the 1978 Topps set. The card shows Dusty Baker and Tommy John just gazing into the stands. How about a cool action shot of Baker running the bases? What about a picture of Tommy John at the plate?

Even a typical 70s photo of dude holding a bat during spring training trying to look serious would have been better.

I also hope that in both instances the players were scoping out some hot chicks. Judging by the smile on Dust Baker's face, I am sure he has found a lovely honey. Tommy John's face says he has found the looks of mediocrity.

Jeff sent me this card which is in really nice shape. This card along with some other 70s Topps Dodgers that were included in the bubble mailer, inches me a little closer to completing a team set.

I need to start pointing out cool sideburns more often. I, myself, have cool sideburns. So, I should compliment others that are in the same club.

The sideburns gave you the power to pitch in 106 games in one season, Mike Marshall.

Thanks for the trade!

The Platter Roots for the Hobbs' Knights

2011-11-25T23:53:00.001-08:00

You may have noticed that I have been posting a lot more than usual. The reason being is that I bought a new laptop a few days ago. Now I can post at anytime of the day. The faithful readers of the Platter get more content to read on a daily basis.

Well, I at least hope to keep up at a rate of a post a day.

The people that are late night readers get a treat tonight from the Platter. It is a midnight post. There is someone out there in the blog world right now that is just surfing the net looking for baseball card content. That is what I am gonna deliver for that dude.

That dude is getting a trade post to read!

Jason of Hobbs' Knights and I made a Orioles for Dodgers swap. I'll start by showing 2011 Cy Young award winner, Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw is so good that he makes me want to work more so, I have more cash to buy more of his cards. Clayton Kershaw will makes me work harder and wins ballgames for Los Doyers.

The 2011 Allen and Ginter Kershaw is one of the best of the set. The tossing of the ball up in the air while looking ahead is smooth. Kershaw is a Jedi.

I also don't think that I have seen all that 2011 Gypsy Queen has to offer. I think this may be my first Gypsy Queen mini with a red Gypsy Queen back. I wish I had opened more of this product while it was still available.

Napkin Doon is going after the Gypsy Queen master set. He recently posted some cards that he got in a trade from this set. Some of those cards looked totally new to me. Even though these cards were released months ago.

Jason hopped on board the bandwagon and sent me some 70s Topps Dodgers. Jason as well as some of my other trade partners have been sending me Dodger cards from the 70s recently. You guys are helping me chip away at the team sets.

Elias Sosa with some nice mutton chops.

The more I see 1976 Topps cards the more I dig the design. The bottom logo and color scheme is eye catching. It makes the card really recognizable. 1976 Topps doesn't have any clones or copycat sets that get me confused.

This is a 1997 Topps Finest Ramon Martinez card. Nothing says the 90s like the plastic, protective coating over a luxury card. This set was top notch back in the day. The Finest set is still slick with a flashy design.

Should I peel this coating off?

I have gotten a lot of 90s cards with the protective coating on them over the years. I am pretty sure that I have never peeled it off. I don't want to damage the card. Cards should look the same as they did fresh from the pack. Even when I pull a 2011 Lineage '75 Mini relic from a blaster, I still keep the card in the sealed, plastic bag.

I still am tempted to peel this plastic off.....

I got some more Topps Stickers! I hope to get doubles of the players I collect so, I can stick them somewhere. I would like to stick some of them on my card binders or a wall of a dive bar. Either place will do.

Thanks for the cards and stickers, Jason!

Another Bar Trade

2011-11-24T19:54:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday the Oakland Raiders took on the Minnesota Vikings. I went down to my bar hangout that I go to watch Raider games. I was meeting some friends there to drink beers and root on the Raiders. One of my friends owed me an auto for an Al Oliver auto that I traded him. He has a killer Dodger collection so, I knew that he had something good to give me.

He gave me this sweet Pedro Guerrero auto! I didn't have a Guerrero auto yet and I also haven't seen to many of his autos. Guerrero seemed to have trouble fitting his whole signature on the sticker. He just combined Pedro and Guerrero into a one word pile of blue ink.

This may have been my third post on a trade in a bar. The bar trade posts may be the Platter's signature dish.

Have any of you readers traded in a bar since reading my posts?

I highly recommend doing it on a football Sunday. You get beer, football, and cards all in the same place.

I also got to see the Raiders beat the Vikings. First place AFC West!

Helping My PC At the Rose Bowl Swap Meet

2011-11-23T22:26:00.001-08:00

About a couple weeks ago, I headed over to the Rose Bowl Swap Meet. My sister had a booth there and I wanted to go to check out some sports memorabilia. The swap meet always has some random sports items for sale as well as some baseball cards.

There wasn't many people there that day. The crowd was abnormally slim especially with the December holidays right around the corner. That was bad for my sister and the other vendors. But, it was good for the consumer with less competition when negotiating on the price.

One vendor had a really good mix of sports cards. She had some autos, game used, vintage and even oddball. I searched through her 5000 count boxes seeing if I could find some cardboard sweetness.

I was needing a 1975 Topps Bill Russell for my Dodgers team set. I recently printed out the checklist for all the 70s Topps Dodger cards. Just seeing the whole list made me realize what a tough task collecting all of them will be. I am going to try and stockpile Dodger cards from this era whenever I get the chance.

The next card that I picked up was a 1979 Topps Davey Lopes. Topps must of had a habit of using player photos on there cards with trees in the background. Shots like these show that Topps must be using the same photography techniques as the guys who photograph Little League teams.

I was also able to snag a 1964 Topps Phil Ortega. I have so little 60s Dodger cards that when I see a cheap one I buy it knowing that I probably need it. This card is in decent condition and was really cheap. That works for me.

This is a really kick ass vintage card featuring four hall of famers. I also would like to say that I would not have bought this card if Juan Marichal was the top photo. Tom Seaver stands out the most with the big boy photo that I don't recognize Marichal as much.

Besides building 70s Topps Dodger team sets, another newer PC for me is vintage cards of dudes in the hall of fame. This card fits nicely. If you dig around for cards enough, your able to find some cool vintage cards featuring legends at a good price.

I love finding random TCMA cards featuring Dodgers. I also never seem to be able to find more than one Dodger per any box that I am searching through. I always seem to find just one Dodger TCMA and never a whole stack of them to purchase. The cardboard gods are a tease sometimes.

One more thing on this Pee Wee Reese, the back of this card refers tom him as the "Little Colonel." Did you guys know he went by that nickname?

Here is a nice 1991 ABQ Dukes Eric Karros card. Karros is wearing a cheap looking hat. It looks below even beer league standards. Luckily, Karros made it to the bigs and got to wear a Dodger cap.

Someday I am going to count and catalog all my Eric Karros cards. He played in the 90s and was on millions of baseball cards. Karros may be in the top five for me as far as most cards owned by a single player.

I Met Tony Gwynn Senior!!!

2011-11-23T16:38:00.001-08:00

It was a long trip but, I made it back to safety with a Tony Gwynn autograph. I woke up really early last Saturday at 2am in order to meet up with some friends to head down to El Cajon,CA. It was a really long drive. The drive was a little over two hours and we got there around 5am after leaving the valley around 3am. When we arrived, we were about 5th in line. I thought that was pretty good.

As you can see, Tony Gwynn has a really nice signature. I was going to go with a Goudey card but, my buddy Dodgerbobble was kind enough to trade me this 1990 Bowman while we waited in line. I like this set and I also dig Gwynn's flip-up shades. Those are glasses that are only for ballplayers. That is a really limited market when you think about it.

I have been to a lot of Dodger signings and I know the crowds are usually pretty good. This crowd was fairly small for a hall of fame Padre, who is signing for free in San Diego. I expected a mob scene. Then, soon enough I realized that Padre fans are kind of half-assed. There also wasn't many people in Padre gear. I did recognize a fair amount of people that I normally see at Dodger signings.

I kind of look homeless in this photo. I look like I was just hanging out in the car dealership for warmth and the autograph was just a bonus. I also don't know why I appear to be angry. I am getting an auto from someone in the 3,000 hit club and just ate a good bagel a couple hours prior to this photo being taken. My face doesn't match my mood.

I would like to thank the El Cajon Ford for hosting this event. I would also like to thank San Diego for not showing up in droves. This let me get a good spot in line and for me to get in and out quickly.

Trading Cards With The Emerald City

2011-11-23T10:39:00.001-08:00

The Emerald City is a great nickname for Seattle. The nickname makes it seem like a pleasant place to hangout. Some city nicknames don't fit the city for which it is named.

An example is Los Angeles being known as the City of Angels. I know that Los Angeles means "the angels." But, when I hear "City of Angels," I first think of a heavenly place, where nothing bad ever happens. Los Angeles is a city with a lot of sinners. Some of these sinners have been famous such as O.J. Simpson or Phil Spector. The name doesn't match the city.

Another city nickname that doesn't quite work is the "City of Brotherly Love." Philadelphia is know for thuggish sports fans and is a hard drinking town. Combine sports passion and pints of lager and the "Love" gets thrown out the window. The nickname should be changed to the "City of Brotherly Love Unless Your From A Different City And Then We Hate You."

The nickname is long but, fits the city a lot better.

I made a trade with a Mariners fan over at the blog called Emerald City Diamond Gems. Mariner1 is a great trader and has the best Seattle Mariners blog in the community. He may have the only Mariners blog that I have seen. So, it is a joyous occasion to send some Mariners that have been piling up in my trade box.

Jerry Reuss was a solid pitcher for the Dodgers in the 80s. Reuss has the appearance of a nice grandpa. He even looks like a nice grandpa during his playing days.

Fleer has made some really nice sets over the years. I have a fond memory of Fleer because I collected a lot of there product during my childhood. In the 90s especially, Fleer was using great photos and had sweet looking inserts. By the time that I got back into collecting about a year ago, Fleer was gone. But, I still am searching for some Fleer from the past.

Mariner1 was nice enough to send me some Mike Scioscia cards from the 80s. I am a big fan of the 1988 Fleer set. It has a good ol' American look to it. Baseball and America are a power combo. The photo shows Scioscia determined to block the plate in order to tag out a Giant.

My 1981 Topps chase rolls on. I needed these two Dodger cards. The Yeager is my favorite of the two. Even though, the Rick Monday action shot is nice. Monday just doesn't look as cool lining a double in the gap as Yeager does standing in his gear.

Mariner1 also sent me some 1981 Topps cards featuring hall of fame dudes. I really hope the Astros bring back the orange uniforms. The brightness of Nolan Ryan's hat really stands out. It stands out a lot because these cards almost seem pack pulled. They are both in really nice shape. These two along with a few others that were sent my way, puts me even closer to finishing my 1981 Topps Chase.

Thank You Emerald City!

Going on a Fantastic Voyage Back to 1993

2011-11-20T22:11:00.001-08:00

About a week and a half ago, I met a buddy for some burgers in Burbank. He is also a card collector. He had been mentioning to me about Burbank Sports Cards for awhile now. I was a short drive away from the shop. I finally decided to go to check out Burbank Sports Cards. I may be one of the few collectors in the LA area never to be a customer of this card shop.

The shop looks like a big warehouse but, the store itself is very small. Most of the purchases are done on a computer and the employees will get the card for you. The shop did have some 2011 packs, a quarter box and some random packs from the 90s!!! The 90s packs really got me jazzed to purchase some. The packs were even cheaper now than they were back in the day.

I picked up a handful of packs from my favorite era. I may have another post or two showing my pulls from those packs. I wanted to start off by showing you guys some cards from one of the best sets ever.

1993 Upper Deck,baby!

The photography in this set is amazing. Using a picture of a hall of famer clumsily stepping on first is a great choice. Another great photo choice is of Joe Orsulak jumping to catch a homer run ball. The ball is no where in the shot. It is safe to assume that that ball is outta here!

Having good base cards are a way for companies to get me to buy a ton of packs. It gets dull buying pack after pack of a set with bland base cards. Most cards in the set are of the base variety so, card companies should keep those cards fresh looking just like Upper Deck did in 1993.

This is a Henry Cotto card. Cotto is looking like a bad ass with a neatly groomed, cool mustache and wearing some Oakleys that every ball player wore in the 90s. Probably most gym teachers had a pair of these shades also.

Here are some stars of the "Steroid Era." Jose Canseco is chilling in the back and he was the ringleader of this outfit of cheats. Juan Gonzalez was one of the better hitters in the 90s. Gonzalez mashed homers and drove in a ton of runs by playing on some good teams. Rafael Palmeiro was a sleazy looking spokesman for a boner pill. I don't ever remember seeing Palmeiro have a big league at-bat. He played a bunch of years but, I just never remember seeing him do anything on the field that stands out even though he had hit a ton of home runs and collected thousands of hits. But, I do remember his ad campaign for Viagra. Pudge Rodriguez is the only one in this photo to have played major league baseball in 2011. He will probably get a couple million dollars to play in 50 games and mentor a rookie in 2012.

I dislike Gary Sheffield but, this card is super awesome. It is also cool to see him making a diving play while playing 3rd base. I just hope that when he got up to make the throw that his cleat got got in the dirt causing a wild over throw.

Upper Deck chose so many great action shots that I had to pass on posting them at the Platter. I only opened 3 packs of this set and got several slick looking cards.

Every card company should remember this formula:
Head first dive+Mustache+Gold Chains+Eye Black=Great Baseball Card

Baseball Heroes is a legendary subset. But, even a legend like Willie Mays doesn't have a spot in my collection due to the ugly Giants uniform he is wearing. This card is up for trade.

I would like a Mays card with him as a Met. But, not for this card of course. I expect something far less valuable.

I really dug this card as a kid. The White Sox had some good teams in the 90s. Frank Thomas was a beast. He had a great eye at the plate and drew a ton of walks despite having a massive strike zone. Thomas was also known for hitting the long ball. Just thought I would mention that also. Robin Ventura is the manger of the White Sox now. Ventura spent a brief part of his career as a Doyer. I liked him as a player and I wish him luck in Chicago.

The great photography goes on for this set. If I ever try to complete an entire base set, 1993 Upper Deck will be on my shortlist of options. Upper Deck even made Darren Daulton look athletic. That is tough to do.

I will definitely head back to Burbank Sports Cards to buy more packs from the 90s. I may even start posting regularly on the topic of 90s pack pulls.

Also, I have posted the George W. Bush auto on Ebay. I showed the card in my last post. The card is up for auction and already has a ton of bids only after one day. I will track the progress of this card and post about it. This is the highest valued card that I have ever tried to sell.

George W. Bush!!!!

2011-11-16T20:00:00.001-08:00

Don't worry this isn't a political post. I just wanted to give that heads up right off the bat so, people don't get turned off. There won't ever be any discussions about politics at the Platter. That is not the type of blog that I operate.

Also, by making the title "George W. Bush!!!!!", that got liberals clicking on this post thinking I am going to praise Bush as a president. The title can give that impression. Conservatives probably clicked on this post hoping that I would sing the positives of the Bush years in the White House. I am just glad to get readers even if the title may be deceiving.

Once again, this is not a post on politics. This post is about a pack pull because that is one of the topics that is written about at the Platter.

Bam! This is the best pack pull that I ever got! This is a George W. Bush autograph from this year's Ginter set. No matter your political views, you'd have to think this card rocks. A two term president signed this.

When I pulled this card at my local card, Valley Sports Cards, I was in shock. I felt my heart racing as I saw this auto come out of the pack. I was expecting a game used of a 4th starter or a few minis. I was expecting anything of this magnitude.

Recently my laptop crashed. I have had to borrow the computers of family members to log online. It has been terrible. This card will pop up on ebay soon and some of the cash will go towards a spiffy, new laptop.

Bush coming through with the bailout.

Never to Late to Give Thanks

2011-11-16T14:02:00.001-08:00

I have had trade packages piling up on me for awhile. They just pop out of no where. I think that I have caught up, blogged about them and put them in the appropriate binders or boxes. But, the bubble mailers must have a life of there own. They crawl and hide. Then they reappear and jump at the chance to be featured at the Platter.

Julie from the blog Things are Funner Here sent me some great cards. I am trying to complete Dodger Topps sets from the 70s. Julie sent me two 79s of Charlie Hough and Manny Mota. This puts me a little closer to completing the team sets from the 70s. I am still very far away from accomplishing my goal because the sets are huge each year. I hope to at least complete one year by the end of 2011.

This is a 2009 Bowman Blue Clayton Kershaw #ed/500. I am a fan of parallels because they look good in a binder. When you get a bunch of parallels and set them in a plastic page, the whole page just pops with colors.

The blue border of this card looks really nice. It gives the appearance of 60s cool. Bowman gives this card a non-intended retro look.

The first card is a 2010 Topps reprint of a late 90s card. It makes me feel old when cards of my youth are being reprinted. Topps shouldn't have done this. It is way to soon to be reprinting cardboard from the 90s. I also don't remember this card being considered a classic that Topps just had to remake.

I do remember the interleague match-up between the Dodgers and Mariners in the late 90s to be pretty cool. As a kid, I had a great time getting to watch Ken Griffey Jr. play at Dodger Stadium. The Mariners had some really good teams back then.

Julie also sent me a bunch of Ichiro cards. The 2004 Fleer Ultra Ichiro is my favorite one of the bunch. The photo is great and Ichiro is in deep concentration just before he walks up to the plate to do some damage.

Things are Funner Here is hosting a contest. Please head on over and take a peak.

I also got a package from David of the greatly named blog called e rayahahn, rayhahn. I got David's bubble mailer about a month ago. I forget what I sent his way. It must have been something good to get this 2008 Upper Deck X Andre Ethier GU.

I am not sure about the background of this card. I do know that this is a card featuring Ichiro. This card is shaped like a square as opposed to a rectangle. I do want to know more about this set. The card is a 2009 Fan Pak Headlines.

Did this card come from a Mariners fan pack? Was this a Seattle giveaway?

I would like to thank both of you for the great cards. Keep up the great work on your blogs.

New School/Old School Trade Bait

2011-11-13T15:10:00.001-08:00

I have a couple trades that I am working on with some bloggers right now. But, I do have room to fill in for other trades. I am a trading addict. Trading baseball cards is the main reason that I started this blog. I am totally hooked on opening up bubble mailers from bloggers and getting some great cards. I think it is better than opening up a hobby pack. A trade package from the blog world never disappoints.

This blog has had some perks that I didn't think would come about. I didn't think I would makes friends within the card community. I also didn't think that I would receive a surprise card package from a fellow blogger. The generosity and kindness of the blog world has exceeded my expectations.

If you are a reader of blogs, please think about entering the blog world. My collection has grown leaps and bounds since the Platter opened. The blog world is a good cult to be apart of. We aren't the creepy,dark kind of cult neither. We are the good folks!

Let me start by showing the vintage that I have for trade. The elders of baseball deserve to go first over the new school cards that I will show later in this post.

This is a 1967 Topps Tony Oliva. For the longest time, I thought that Oliva was in the hall of fame. I had this card in a top loader in a box with my vintage hall of fame collection. Then, I saw Oliva's name on the current Veteran's Committee ballot and realized that he isn't in Cooperstown. That is why this card is up for trade. It just doesn't fit into my collection.

Tony Oliva isn't the only player that I thought was in the hall of fame but, was instead in the hall of very good. Sadly, at one point I thought Maury Wills was enshrined in Cooperstown. Oops! I also thought that Dave Concepcion was elected in the hall of fame. Wrong again! I had my mind made up that Minnie Minnoso had a plaque in the hall. Darn!

So, Tony Oliva shouldn't offended that I had a misguided view of his legacy. I just never did the research on the subject. But, now I have a list of all the people that are in the hall of fame. This mix up should never be a problem ever again.

Here is another member of the hall of very good. This is a crisp looking 1973 Topps Tug McGraw. The colors on this card really blend well. Also, the word "Hammer" is written on his glove. Was that McGraw's nickname? I thought Tug was his nickname or did he have two nicknames?

This card is available for trade. I am trying to accumulate some 70s Dodgers and would love to get one in return for this card.

Now, onto the new school trade bait. Here I have a 2011 Topps 60 Lorenzo Cain autograph. Cain may be in the Royals starting line-up in 2012 due to the trade of Melky Cabrera. Cain was also apart of the Zach Greinke to the Brewers trade.

This card states the 2006 South Atlantic Batting Average Leaders. Kind of an odd leaders list to include on a 2011 card. Check out the top 5 players on this list:

1. Eugenio Velez .315
2. Jeremy Slayden .310
3. Lorenzo Cain .307
4. Aaron Cunningham .305
5. Cole Garner .302

Not a list of stud ballplayers from the 2006 South Atlantic League. It also sickens me to see Eugenio Velez lead a league in anything positive.

This card may be the biggest hit that I have for trade. I pulled this Clay Buchholz jersey/auto #ed/999 out of a 2008 SP Authentic box. His signature is kind of weak. It looks like three squiggles. He may have been pounding some beers when he was signing these and was too drunk to care. That was the strategy of the 2011 Red Sox. Drink beer till you stop caring.

I expect a solid Dodger in return for this one. It is really nice and there are enough Red Sox collectors out there, that someone may want this auto.

Please let me know if any of these cards above interest you. I will be heading over to the post office in the middle of the week.

Serial Numbered Goods From The Sports Card Forum

2011-11-12T21:43:00.001-08:00

The Sports Card Forum is a great site for trading, buying and selling cards. I find some great deals every now and again. I also see more people posting some cards that aren't considered to be the "biggest hits." This means that more people sell some random serial numbered cards or some cool inserts.

Being able to find some cards that I have never even seen in person is wonderful. This may be the greatest era to be a card collector. There are so many options and ways to obtain cardboard, thanks to the internet.

Cheers to computers!

A very nice seller on the Sports Card Forum sent me some really awesome Dodgers cards. These are two Paul Lo Duca cards. The 2004 Topps Gold is #ed/2004 and the 2007 Topps '52 is #ed/552.

I really like the look of retro cards when they are chromed out. When retro meets new school on cardboard it is the perfect blend of different eras.

This card is one of my favorite in my Steve Garvey collection. This card has a sweet holographic touch with a nice background photo of Dodger Stadium. This card comes from the 2004 Donruss Timelines set. Also, just to show even more class, the serial number out of 100 is also shiny. Donruss baseball cards equals high quality.

Garvey has been mentioned for sometime now as a potential partner in an ownership group to purchase the Dodgers. I know that Garvey was a really good ball player. I still don't want him to be in a position of power in the Dodgers organization. Garvey can get back with the team as a community relations guy and do some appearences on behalf of the team. But, he just seems to slimy to be a shot caller in the Dodgers front office. He has had too many indescretions off the field to be fully trusted.

One of the great things about the internet is that it enabled me to find this random card of Kaz Ishii. There was no other way that I would have been able to find this card anywhere else but, online.

This card features one of the dullest photos of Kaz Ishii. Ishii never looked comfortable as a Dodger. He had no control on the mound and seemed to have bland facial expressions. So, he probably took a lot of dull photos during his Dodger career. This photo is the dullest of them all though.

This card is from a set called 2002 Upper Deck Diamond Collection and is serial #ed/1500. I am not even sure if 1500 packs were opened of this product. This set came out during a dead period in my collecting life. I don't remember ever seeing a card from this set before.

One more thing:
The Oakland Raiders are in first place in the AFC West!

Highlights from the Mailbox

2011-11-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

I have been spending the last few days putting away a lot of the cards that have been gathering on my nightstand. I have chipped away at a handful of some of the card stacks. I have also been putting cards in a new 4000 count box I just purchased. But, after organizing some of my cards, I decided it was time to have some fun and go through some of the trade packages that some kind bloggers have sent my way.

These bubble mailers have been compiling for several weeks. Some of the contents have slipped my mind already. So, last night I went through some of them and it was like opening them for the first time.

I love trading with the blog world. There are so many cards out there and new ones being made. My collection will become infinite. The collection at Platter Estates will continue to grow forever. These past few days have made me feel content with the stacks of cardboard that i have sitting by my bedside. Those stacks will fluctuate in size forever.

The first package comes from the awesome trade partner named the Diamond King. The Diamond King always comes through with sending me great cards. He even set this 1995 Pinnacle Zenith Edition Hideo Nomo Promo card for me.

Cards like these were super hot in the 90s. Card companies seemed to enjoy making and handing these cards out to dealers, collectors and probably stuck these in Christmas cards during the holidays. I really enjoy tracking these cards down. They were made in the greatest card making decade and a lot of Dodgers seem to be featured on 90s promo cards.

The Diamond King also sent me another package shortly after the first package arrived. He sent this one out of the kindness of his own heart. Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!

So, for him being such a cool dude, I added two links to his blog on this post because the Platter treats its VIPs right.

This bubble mailer contained a great mix of Dodgers. The Diamond King must have a vast collection and tons of trade bait. He sends me cards sometimes that I have never seen before. Maybe he will send me other things that I have never seen before like an elf or a beautiful donkey. If those items exist in a trade.

The above card is a 2002 Fleer Showcase Hideo Nomo. This card is framed nicely with a blurred, double image of Nomo. This set looks pretty sweet. I may need to get a box of this set sent over to the Platter.

I am a big fan of the 2011 Topps Lineage set. I know that some people feel that Topps is exhausting the use of parallels. Lineage parallels look cool, though. This Duke Snider that was sent to me by Chris at Nacho Grande. This card is super shiny and the colored photo of Snider really pops out in person. This card is very eye catching.

The Lineage set also has the cool cloth sticker parallel and the '75 Topps mini insert. This set exceeded my expectations and hope that it shows back up at my local Target for the 2012 season.

I recently completed a trade with Joe over at the blog, The Sandlot. Joe is a Mets collector and a huge Mike Piazza fan. I am sure that Joe is a bigger Piazza Mets fan as opposed to a Piazza Dodger fan like myself. Mets fans will never be able to cherish Piazza's 1997 season as a Dodger like I do. Just had to point that out. Sorry.....

The key to this trade was this serial numbered Scott Elbert card. It is numbered out of 150. The green border on the 2009 A Piece of History cards looks a lot better than the drab gray borders of the base set.

I actually just sent a return package to New York with Joe's name on it. I apologize for the delay. Expect the bubble mailer to get there by the middle of the week.

This mega trade post has to end on a high note. That is why I am showing you guys two cards of Kristi Yamaguchi. She is a gold medalist, a dancing champion and an attractive woman. Thank you Topps for including this in your Ginter set.

I would also like to thank Spankee for sending these cards my way. They have found a good home, friend. Spankee must be a cool dude because on top of sending me some nice cards he also has a banner on his blog featuring Charlie Ma-Sheen.

I am going to have to trade with this Spankee dude more often.

Thank you all for the nice cards that you sent me. This kind of clears some space for me now. So, expect a trade bait post coming up to get some fall time trading going.

Directions to an Interesting Group Break

2011-11-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

A blog with a super cool name is hosting a box break. This may be his first one that he is hosting. I haven't joined a break at Juust a Bit Outside before but, I signed up for this one. Sorry, fellow Doyer fans, I have already claimed the boys in blue. But, there are still plenty of other good teams available. This group break covers a lot of different years which is the type of variety I enjoy.

Please head on over to the blog called Juust a Bit Outside to claim a team.

Down At The Card Shop

2011-11-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

The other day I finally had a day off from work from my jobs. I had worked 12 straight days. It was awful. I needed to spend some cash on baseball cards to take myself from the gloom of work mode into the happiness of freedom.

Of course, I headed over to the card shop to spend my money. I have been trying to stock up on my vintage collection. I have been slowly building a solid collection of guys in the hall of fame with cards that depict them in the 60s and 70s. I will get to the 50s eventually but that is going to be costly. The 70s is right in my price range at the moment.

I have also been trying to get a nice collection going of Dodgers from the 60s and 70s. I have been getting Topps cards from that era as well as trying to get some autographs as well.

Frank Howard signs in the LA area on occasion. He usually charges around 25-30. Luckily, I waited it out and was able to pick this up for less than half his signing fee. This auto is from 2001 Team Topps Legends and is an on-card signature.

Howard was a masher back in the day. He hit homers out of any ball park. On the back of his baseball card, it lists him at 6 foot 6 inches and 245 pounds. That is a big man in any era. Frank Howard also has a very nice signature that is legible.

To bolster my collection of Dodgers from the 60s, I picked up this 1969 Topps Willie Crawford card. Crawford is a pretty big dude. He has the shoulders of a linebacker and the forearms of Popeye. This dude could crush redwood trees with his bare hands.

The 1969 Topps set is really nice. I hope to be able to complete the Dodgers team set from this year. Willie Crawford puts me one step closer to that goal.

The card shop also had a bunch of 70s cards in its dollar box. This was a great chance for me to stock up on my hall of fame collection. I will only show you guys a could of my favorites because I left the shop with a stack of 70s goodness. I also don't want to bore some of you collectors that has been looking at Topps cards from the 70s since you began collecting.

I really dig this 1975 Topps Steve Carlton. He is rocking a great mustache. Carlton's mustache accounted for a few of his victories in 1975. The better you look the better you play. Mustaches always look good. That is a fact that should be taught in high schools all across America.

I also enjoy the background of this photo. Is Carlton playing in a spring training game? Is he just pitching in a town that hates going to baseball games? It is hard for me to be able to tell which ballpark this photo is from.

This is a classic card from Topps. This is a 1977 Carlton Fisk. Fisk is making a play at the plate against the Yanks. I love this photo. If I ever make a cool banner for my blog, I may have to include this card on it. I am not a Fisk fan or a Red Sox fan but, I am a fan of a great photo. Do you guys know who is sliding into home plate?

"O" Yeah, Trade Post Time

2011-10-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

I currently have stacks of cards on my bedside mantle. The stacks have never been this big before. This is a good and bad thing. The good is that I have tons of baseball cards. The bad is that I have to take the time to catalog and put them in there own resting place.

The stacks are separated by trade bait, computer catalog, and straight to binder cards. I also have a growing stack of commons that I put in boxes based on year and set.

I also have a bunch of trade packages that I have to sift through. I have already opened all of them to see the awesome cardboard that people send me. Now, I just need to write a post about them.

Posting about the trades is a fun project for me. I don't view posting as a chore. Sometimes I feel that actually putting my cards away is a chore. I just wanted to inform you guys on the state of my collection.

Newly married Ryan "O" Another Orioles Blog, sent me a really grand trade package a few weeks ago. I sent him a Cal Ripken Jr. GU and he sent me a slew of cards that fit my PC. One of those cards that he sent me is a classic early 90s Upper Deck card of Fernando. I love the triple photograph displaying Fernando's wind-up.

Here is a 2005 Bowman Gold Kurt Suzuki card. Suzuki is looking mean. He is trying to intimidate me with this photo. Suzuki is a mad dog just waiting to attack. I must make sure that I keep this card safe or else he may jump out of this photo and smother me in my sleep.

These retro mini game used cards that came out in the 2011 Topps Lineage set, may be my favorite part of the 2011 collecting season so far. They have a 70s coolness to them and they are mini! Mini cards just look better to me. This card also contains a piece of jersey worn by Ian Kinsler.

Kinsler is repping the Texas Rangers in the World Series that is currently being played. Kinsler is one of the reasons that I am rooting for the Rangers to beat the Cardinals. Despite my last statement, I hope the Cardinals win the next game because Game 7s are the golden game of sports. I am pulling for a Game 7 Rangers victory because of the excitement that will bring to baseball.

Adrian Beltre is another reason why I'm rooting for the Rangers. Beltre is probably the best fielding third baseman that I have ever seen. I lived outside of Philly in the 90s so, I got to see a lot of Scott Rolen also. I give the nod to Beltre because he fielded the hot corner in Doyer Blue. I am biased.

This is the best Beltre GU that I have. I love the low serial number and the enlarged jersey piece that Upper Deck crammed in there.

Ryan also sent along a card that fits into my faded Dodger prospects PC. Joel Guzman was supposed to be a stud coming out of the Dominican Republic. He did look like a ball player. Guzman was tall and lean. He had the body type that scouts probably said he has room to grow.

Guzman never panned out in the big leagues. Guzman was given a big bonus by the Dodgers back in the time when the Dodgers actually tried to sign top teens from the Dominican.

This card has a piece of jersey from the Futures Game. Ryan was nice enough to send this to me because I may be the only guy to appreciate a Joel Guzman card. Except, maybe for Guzman's mother.

Thanks for the trade,Ryan!

Trading With A Dude That Runs A Hall Of Fame

2011-10-18T18:54:00.000-07:00

Tim from The Great Sports Name Hall Of Fame is a very easy guy to trade with. I just mention that I have some cards that he will like and pick a few off his extensive trade list and the deal is done. We exchange very few emails back and forth when trying to get a trade going. Very simple. Just the way I like things done at the Platter.

I also enjoyed a simpler time in my life. That simple time was my childhood. Mike Piazza was a Doyer. Pauley Shore was releasing movies. I also was easily entertained by the wrestling organization formerly known as the WWF.

Tim had some WWF Action Packed cards from the 90s. I saw them on his trade bait list and had to request that these get sent my way. These cards are golden and embossed. Awesome!

I have mentioned on this blog several times about how much I love the 90s. Cards of Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels is more proof that the 90s is the king of all decades. Razor Ramon was a favorite of mine as a child. He dominated opponents with his greasy hair and gold chains. Razor Ramon would then finish guys off with his signature move, the Razor's Edge.

Also, Shawn Michaels had a cool mullet.

Andre the Giant is a wrestling legend in most circles. But, in the world of Spiegel, Andre the Giant is an acting legend. Andre the Giant was in a movie called The Princess Bride. It was one of my favorite movies as a kid along with The Bad News Bears and Major League.

This card is awesome. I am so happy to get a card of an actor that was robbed of a Best Supporting Actor nomination.

Tim also sent me some cards that feature baseball players. I guess I will show you some cards with ball players on them as opposed to more pictures of wrestlers and actors.

Pacific made some really innovative and shiny cards back in the day. I miss the creativity that the 90s card companies gave us. This card will be considered vintage someday. It is a lot different from what is considered vintage now. What will they call cards that are vintage now when a 1993 Pacific card becomes vintage? I say "they" because I may not be alive when a 1993 Pacific card becomes known as vintage. For the record, I am a heavy smoker and love red meat.

Kirk Gibson had a good run with the D-Backs this year. Luckily, they failed in there quest to getting a title. My head may have exploded if in back to back years, a divisional opponent won the World Series as the Dodgers sat at home and watched.

I have never seen this 1987 Topps set called Boardwalk and Baseball. Does anyone have any info on this set? Once again, I came unprepared with information for this post.

Rudy Meoli? I have know idea who you are. I would just like to say congrats on growing a sweet mustache.

Thanks for the trade,Tim!

The Godfather and Graded Goodness

2011-10-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

Trading baseball cards with a fellow Dodger fan is the way to go for me. I feel better about myself when I know that the cards I have sent will help out with a Dodger fan's want list. The joy of helping out another Dodger fan is an added perk to trading online.

Night Owl is the Godfather of Dodger card bloggers. I thought I should reintroduce that, just in case I have any new readers. If your new to the blog world check out Night Owl's blog. You will be entertained on a daily basis and you may even be inspired to start your own blog by reading his.

I love getting graded cards that have no business ever getting graded. I can't imagine what was going through the sucker's mind that sent this one in for grading. This is just the type of card that I love acquiring in a trade. There probably aren't too many 2000 Bowman Draft Chin-Feng Chen Graded 8.5s out there. This makes this card a little more rare.

This Chen card also fits into my failed Dodger prospects collection. Chen was a power hitter in the Dodgers minor league system but, couldn't handle major league pitching. Chin-Feng Chen cards will be placed alongside cards of Andy LaRoche and Karim Garcia.

I also wish that you had to turn in an explanation every time you send in a card to get graded. You would have to write out the reason why you think it is a good idea to get a specific card graded. Some possible used explanations could be for future investment, its your favorite player or team. Then if the graded card ever turns into a poorly made decision, the explanation sheet would give the card a good back story. The explanation sheet could travel around with the card like a certificate of authenticity does for autographs.

Night Owl was kind enough to send me this 2004 Cracker Jack Mini Paul LoDuca GU. Retro cards plus mini plus game used equals awesome! This card was an unexpected gift from Night Owl. The generosity in the blog world is off the charts.

Gypsy Queen has just disappeared. I am not sure if I will ever open another pack of this set. I really enjoyed it this year. But, I haven't seen a rack pack at Wal-Mart in months. I haven't even seen many in trade packages or at the card shop.

This is a green bordered Matt Kemp from 2011 Gypsy Queen. I am looking forward to the end of the baseball playoffs so, I can see if Kemp gets named the MVP. I am totally confident that Clayton Kershaw has the Cy Young locked up. Bu, when it comes to Kemp, I am not so sure about his MVP bid. I am pulling for him though.

Here is another one of those quickly vanished Gypsy Queen cards that luckily appeared in my trade pack from Night Owl. This is a cool action shot of Kurt Suzuki tagging someone out at Fenway Park. I should have stocked up on cards from this set when they were available. It is a collector's blunder that I will try to make up for.

Thanks for the trade,Godfather. You once again sent me a solid variety that I appreciate very much.

Raidering and Writing a Trade Post

2011-10-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day for me. My day started early by making a drive out to Pasadena to watch the Raiders/Texans game with some friends. We had the usual fun times with morning beer drinking and shouting. The Raiders won today in honor of the late Al Davis. It is weird for me to think that the Raiders won't be run by Al Davis. I truly believed that Al Davis would out live me.

After watching the Raiders win in dramatic fashion, I made a trek from Pasadena to Tarzana in the valley to stop by the card shop. I was going there to meet up with Josh from Dodgerbobble. Normally, a trek like Pasadena to Tarzana is a tough task. But, today the freeways were clear and the sun was shining. Well, I live in LA, the sun is always shining. I made it to the shop very quickly. I believe that Al Davis cleared the way for me to give thanks for all the times that I have defended him to Raider haters as well as fellow Raider fans.

Before, this starts to sound like my October 9th journal entry, lets get to the trade post. This package was sent to me by Napkin Doon, who is a great trader and has an awesome blog name.

I love serial cards from the 90s. You know, the cards with the extremely high serial number but, was meant to show scarcity. For some reason, as a kid, I never pulled any cards like this Eric Karros #ed/6000. I may have been opening up to much Collector's Choice back then.

These were the cards that got my interest when Napkin Doon posted them on his blog. The Topps Chrome this year looks really nice. I am glad that Topps had made the proper changes to make up for last year's debacle.

The Ryan Braun card shares the design of 1995 Topps. I opened up a lot of 1995 Topps packs as a kid. The design brings me back to my glory days at age 12.

I am not sure if Ivan DeJesus Jr. will ever get a fair shake with the Dodgers. He had a breakout year in the minors a few years back and then broke his leg. He has been trying to bounce back and prove his worth to the team. He didn't do much with only a handful of at-bats at the major league level this year. Next year may be his last chance to make a strong impression with the Dodgers before they ship him off to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is where GM Ned Colletti sends Dodger prospects to disappear.

Minis! Minis are awesome, especially retro minis. 2 out of 3 of these guys will be in different uniforms by next July. In my world, Clayton Kershaw is going to be a Dodger lifer. I hope I am write. I haven't invested this much love in a player since Mike Piazza. I don't think I would be able to get over it, if I saw Kershaw in another uniform.

Thanks for the trade,Napkin Doon.

Three Cards For The Taking

2011-10-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

I have been lagging when it comes to posting. Some of you readers may have noticed. I have still been an active trader though. I have since caught up on most of my trades. I have one more to mail out but it has already been packaged up and is ready to be sent.

Since, I am caught up on getting trade packages together, it is time to show some trade bait. I picked out the top three cards that I have sitting in my trade box to show you guys. My trade box consists of hits of players and teams that I don't collect. The trade pile has been building and the cards have been begging me to be sent to a collector that would better appreciate them. Yes, my cards speak with me. I get along better with cardboard than I do when I speak to most humans.

I haven't made a trade with a Red Sox blogger in a long time. I have accumulated a lot of Red Sox cards that I would like to send off to a home that is different than mine. Boston sports teams aren't a favorite of mine. It may have to do with living in a Lakers household and growing up with a dislike of the Celtics in my blood. So, having a lot of Red Sox cards is unacceptable to me. I must unload them on a collector that would enjoy them.

This card is a 2009 Upper Deck 20th Anniversary GU David Ortiz. It is a very clean looking card. So, any Boston collector that claims this will also get a slew of other Red Sox cards.

Aren't the playoffs going to be a lot more fun without the Yanks or Sox? We here about those two teams almost year round and it gets stale. Now, the baseball world can focus on more deserving teams as the playoffs progresses.

The next card that I picked out of my trade box is a GU of Justin Morneau. This card is a very stylish hit from 2005 Donruss Leather and Lumber that is #ed/250. The jersey in this card is a dark blue. So, this should add some color to a Twins fan's collection.

I picked up this card on the cheap at my semi-local card shop. I picked it up because I know that there are some Twins bloggers out there and also the card looks cool. I hope to be able to flip this card for a sweet looking Dodger.

This may be my favorite card of the three. But, it is still a card that I know will be better liked elsewhere. This is a 1997 Best Aramis Ramirez autograph. The auto is on card and is from when Ramirez played for the Lynchburg Hillcats in the minor leagues. I believe this is from when he was in the Pirates system but, I may be wrong. So, this card could like nice to a Cubs or Pirates fan.

I really like the autos from the 90s. They look primitive to me. It was a time when card companies probably had no idea that the card industry was heading in a direction where "hits" would drive the sales. It also seems that in the 90s the minor league sets such as Best and Classic knew that on-card autos were the way to go. It is a shame that on-card autos aren't more common.

Please let me know if any of these three cards interests you. I would like to get some trades going in order to mail them out by the end of next week. So, send me an email or leave me a comment and we shall work out a deal.

Sometimes the Best Trades are Made in Bars

2011-10-06T16:22:00.000-07:00

During football Sundays, I sometimes spend my time in a dive bar watching the Oakland Raiders as well as any other games that may affect my fantasy team. The bar I go to is dark, kind of dirty, it is just the type of place that I should be watching a Raider game at.

Before the kickoff, I usually eat a cheap breakfast, wash it down with a beer and discuss the Raiders with friends that I watch the games with. But, recently, I made a baseball card trade at the bar again.

This was a great trade. I already was there to watch football and drink beer but, I also left the bar with some sweet cards.

I traded my buddy an extra Johnny Podres auto that I had. We had worked out a deal a long time ago and now it has finally been completed.

I have been picking up some cool graded cards recently. I haven't ever gotten a card graded but, I have some in my collection. This is a cool Frank Howard 1963 Topps card graded out to a 7. This was just a bonus part of the trade.

This was the big ticket item of my second bar trade. This is a jersey auto of hall of famer Enos Slaughter. I hope to get more autos of hall of fame guys. Well, I guess every collector wants to get a bunch of autos of hall of fame players. So, that is not unique.

I love the way an old school jersey card looks. This is a very flashy card. I hope to make more trades in a dive bar on Raider Sundays in the future. So, keep checking back because there may be another one in the works.

Late Night, Early Morning Read

2011-09-21T00:08:00.000-07:00

I just got back from tonight's Dodger game. Clayton Kershaw outdueled Tim Lincecum again. Kershaw is no 5-0 against the Giants this season and is 4-0 against Lincecum head to head. He has been dominating the rivals up north this season.

The atmosphere was pretty good at Dodger Stadium tonight. There was more electricity in the air as opposed to other games that I have attended this year. People were pumped for Kershaw vs. Lincecum. My favorite match-up to watch. This was also the last game that I am going to this year. It was a night that I got to witness Kershaw getting win number 20 against the hated ones. It was a great final live game for me. I don't think that I will be going to any games next season as long as Frank McCourt is in control. I won't be renewing my mini plan but, I could still see myself going to a handful of games next year. Just, much less than in previous years.

I haven't posted in a while. So, lets see some cool cards that I have gotten recently. That's what I came on to blogger tonight to show you some of the good stuff.

I am just rewinding from a thrilling baseball game. My adreneline from the game has given me the energy for some night time posting.

Wicked Ortega hosted a group break done draft style on his blog. His blog is called My past time...I love it.

Wicked had a wide range of game used, autos, and vintage to choose from. Most of my picks are going into my PC. I picked up some trade and sale bait that I may show you guys at another time.

Since the Dodgers won tonight by beating the Giants, let me start by showing you guys the only Dodger that I picked up from Wicked Ortega. This card is a 1968 Topps Dodgers team card. The condition is really solid.

Don Drysdale and Don Sutton are lurking on this card somewhere. This photo may not have ever been taken. The faces are impossible to make out. The players may have been painted in a generic fashion from a far distant. That is a fact over here at the Platter.

The 1968 Topps Dodger team card was the only Dodger that I added to my collection from this break. I did however manage to get some nice cards of players that have worn Dodger Blue.

Kirk Gibson will always be remebered in Dodger lore for what he did in the 1988 World Series. I had to pick this card even though it is him as a Detroit Tiger. Gibson is a Dodger legend, who is now managing the Arizona Diamondbacks to a division title.

2007 Upper Deck Sweet Spot has some sweet looking GUs. This is the Upper Deck set that I would like to see some back. The autos are cool looking from this set also.

Here is another card featuring a dude that has played for the Dodgers. This is a 1999 Just Minors autograph of Jayson Werth. The auto is on-card and features Werth as an Oriole.

Werth was a player that I really liked on the Dodgers in the mid-2000s. I was always happy to see him have success when he went to the Philadelphia Phillies. Werth is now struggling after signing a huge contract with the Washington Nationals. He traded away winning with the Phils for losing and a lot more cash. I just hope that his performance picks up to at least warrant the kind of deal that was given to him.

This is my first Mike Piazza relic. It is a bat relic to boot! But, it is Piazza has an Oakland A. I give that just a 1/2 notch below him as a Dodger. But, it is better than seeing him as a Met or Padre.

Bowman Heritage was nice enough to print Piazza's full name on the card. I find it important to know Piazza's middle name. It is an added sign of respect to the greatest hitting catcher. Check out his stats for the 1997 season. It was his last full season as a Dodger and it was a year only a beast can have.

Thank you for 1997 Mike Joseph Piazza.

Since, I have other PCs other than ones that involve the Dodgers, I picked up this Dice-K GU. Dice-K is a future Ned Colletti signing. I feel it in my gut.

Dice-K is a "name" player. He is also on the downside of his career. Dice-K has also had surgery this year. That sounds like a Colletti signing this offseason. So, this card will be of more interest to me in 2012 when Dice-K is donning Dodger Blue.

This was a preemptive pick for my PC.

The Best of the Best

2011-09-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

The trade packages have been piling up by my bedside. I am always glad to see new cards that other people send me. The more packages that pile up the more new cards I have. The packages that I had waiting to be cataloged and posted about are all grade "A" trade bundles.

It is time to give a warm thank you to the generous bloggers that trade baseball cards with me. This is going to be a massive trade post at the Platter.

Only the best card from each package has made it onto this post. It was a tough battle between cards because many of the bubble mailers were filled with cards that were worthy to be considered the Best of the Best. Also, these cards weren't chose because they have the highest value. They landed on this post because they were my favorite card that was sent to me.

The Diamond King sent me this top notch card. This card is in good enough condition to possibly get a PSA 10. Also, this card was #1 on my most wanted list. The Diamond King is da man!

The 1992 Bowman Mike Piazza rookie card has been alluding me since childhood. I have wanted this card since the mid-90s when Piazza was a hitting god and I was really starting to get into collecting. It was way out of my price range in the 90s. I didn't have the means to spend big money on one baseball card. Thanks to blogging and card trading, I was able to obtain this card and fill the void in my collection.

Thank you, Diamond King!

Ever since I have put Adrian Beltre in my minor PC section on the sidebar, I have been getting a lot of nice hits of his. It was a great idea for me to start a minor PC section. Many more nice cards have been sent to me since I expanded what I collect. It was a great idea by me. Let me just pat myself on the back real quick because I am all about boasting my own self esteem.

This card was sent to me from David at the blog "e rayhahn, rayhahn". This is the first time that I have traded with him. I sent him some nice Twins loot for his collection.

This card states on the back that this piece of jersey is from a World Stage Game. I am not sure what that tournament was. I do like that it is a little different and kind of an oddball GU.

Justin Sellers was a Dodger minor leaguer before he got called up and has been getting some playing time with the big club. He has been playing stellar defense at short stop and second base. Sellers is becoming one of my favorite players this season.

Ray from the blog called Shot Not Taken and I have traded once before. He really hooked me up last time. This time around was a much smaller trade. The Sellers autograph was a pleasant find on Ray's trade bait section on his blog. I didn't even know Sellers had any autos out there.

This card shows the great uniforms that Sellers got to wear while playing for Team USA. That jersey just screams patriotism. USA! USA! USA!

This 1981 Topps Pedro Guerrero was sent to me by Dustin from No Relics Pulled and he also sent along some other 1981 Topps cards that I need for the Dodgers team set.

This is one of my favorite cards from this set. The picture of Guerrero makes me wonder what the night before was like for him. I seems to be smiling at someone with a devilish grin. Guerrero must have seen or done something crazy that makes him equal parts guilty and satisfied.

I picture Guerrero and Dodger relief pitcher Bobby Castillo going out to a hip LA nightclub. Of course, the booze was flowing and the women scantily clad. It was the 80s. Ball players would go out and get into crazy antics. This was before TMZ. A player in the 80s could do a line of coke off a bowie knife in the middle of a crowded intersection and there would be no photo evidence to prove it.

Here is a card that speaks to me. It is an old school tobacco card that is promoting Player's Cigarettes. I am a big fan of smoking cigs so, its cool to have a piece of history from the tobacco promotions before my time.

Greg Zakwin from Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle sent this to me. I mentioned to him that I was interested in a card like this while we waited in line at a Clayton Kershaw autograph signing.

This is by far the oldest piece of cardboard that I own. I like the picture on this card. The man is dressed as a Gentleman at Arms. Which was a body guard to the King of England. Dudes, like this back in the day probably some some sleazy antics and had to cover up a lot of dirt to save the name of the King.

This is a great card for my collection. A card of this caliber is one of the best of my collection. Thanks, Zakwin!

Robert is the name of the dude that runs the blog called $30 a week habit. He sent me a very nice trade package. I sent him a bunch of Blue Jays that he seemed to appreciate. He just posted about the cards that I sent him the other day on his blog.

My favorite card that he sent me is this Ichiro card with a guest spot from Mr.Met. I hope Ichiro is having a good laugh right in Mr.Met's face just before Ichiro spikes him in the groin.

For a little background, for the basis of my last statement, I hate mascots! They just annoy me so much. Mascots are distracting and juvenile. Baseball is a very serious and important game. The game is the distraction from whatever else is going on in your life. I don't need a mascot to try and divert my attention from a baseball game.

Mascots also appeal to little kids. When I see young children laughing it up while seeing a mascot at a ballgame, I just get really tense. My temperature goes up and I clench my fists. Luckily, I only see this happen while watching a game when the Dodgers are on the road. The Dodgers don't have a team mascot like they do for less important teams.

I have made several trades with a blog called Cards From The Quarry. The blog is run by a cool dude named Johnny. We have made several Dodgers for Rockies swaps. This time around the big ticket items in this trade was to bulk up our other PCs.

I sent him a Brady Quinn GU and he sent me this awesome 2009 Icons Ian Kinsler autographed manupatch #ed/10. This is a crown jewel in my slowly growing Ian Knisler collection. I was surprised to see such a nice card sent my way. This is a prime example of blogger generosity.

This will conclude my Best of the Best trade post. I thank everyone that has sent me some nice cards. Now it is time to get another pile of cards from the blog world.

The Goods From The Card Shop

2011-09-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

I made a trek out to my local card shop today. I had the day off from work so, spending some time hanging out in the card shop sounded like a good idea. I cruised threw some traffic on the 101 freeway to make it to Valley Sports Cards in Tarzana,CA.

Going to the card shop is great. I probably don't need to tell you guys that. It's a great place to talk sports and baseball cards. Now only if they served beer....

Not only did I talk some Dodger baseball and crack some Frank McCourt jokes but, I also picked up some cards. I won this 2011 Topps Pro Debut Garrett Gould auto off of the bid board. Gould is a Dodger minor league pitching prospect. I was able to get this for $1.50. I thought that my bid was kind of low but, it won!

I like how Gould makes his G's. He signs them in proper cursive as opposed to the G's I write which is part cursive part block lettering. This card could become a steal of a deal if Gould ever makes it to the big club.

I also opened up some 2011 Topps Chrome baseball packs. I was excited to see if the cards still have a warped bend to them. Luckily, the cards lay flat this year. I was pleased with my four pack purchase except for the fact that I pulled no Dodgers. I at least got some sweet trade bait.

I pulled two Heritage Chrome cards #ed/1962. One is of White Sox rookie reliever Chris Sale. The other is a card of some dude named Derek Jeter.

The Jeter card show go quick. I also don't like the smile on his face or the way he is looking at me. Please take this card off my hands!

I was happy to see some gold gleaming from the pack until I saw that it was a card featuring a Giant. This card is #ed/50. I may put this card on the bid board for a nickel. I may also let my cat use it as a chew toy because she loves gold. My cat is all class.

This card is definitely available for trade. Please let me know if your interested. It won't take much to get this Matt Cain card out of my house and stuffed in a bubble mailer to send to a faraway land.

Digging in the dime box at Valley Sports Cards is a lot of fun. I spend a lot of time searching threw cards of all eras. They have cards from the 60s to 2011 stuffed inside a bunch of 5000 count boxes. I pulled these 2007 Allen and Ginter Sketch cards for trade bait.

These cards remind me of the Diamond Kings that I used to pull back in the day. I know Dick Perez has been drawing ball players for a long time.

Today was a fun day off. The card shop is a grand place to spend a day. If you are ever in Tarzana,CA, stop by the shop. The staff is super cool and the prices are reasonable.

Don't Worry,I'm Back!

2011-09-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

I started a new job a couple weeks ago. I have been working a lot and the job has drained me and made me lazy on my days off. Since, I started my new job, I think that I have posted only twice. I have missed being involved in the blogging community. It feels like I have been gone for awhile.

I usually keep the trade packages that I get organized and in order. My trades received pile is generally kept manageable. I try not to let bubble mailers that people have sent me build up. People send me such nice cards that I am excited to post about them, catalog the cards, and place them in the proper binder or box.

The bubble mailers have been piling up by my bedside. I have the next few days off from work due to some shift swapping. See, baseball card trading must help me with swapping shifts.

These next few days will let me catch up on my blogging duties. Matt from Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius had sent me a trade package about a couple weeks ago.

I'll start by showing a couple very cool 2011 Bowman cards of Cy Young. Kershaw has a huge wing span. This photo captures that very well. I am also a fan a cards with parallels. I will probably have a 9-pocket page full of this card with different border colors. Matt gave me a nice start for that to happen.

This may be one of Hiroki Kuroda's last baseball cards in a Dodger uniform. It is still unclear if he is going to stay with the team after his contract runs out at season's end. The Dodgers may not be able to afford him and Kuroda may want to return to Japan to finish out his career.

Kuroda also has been rocking a cool mustache recently. It has been taking him awhile to get it grown fully but, he still has a few weeks left of the season to finish growing one. Good for him.

Matt also included a surprise autograph card. This is a signature of the Dodgers 1994 2nd Round pick Gary Rath. Rath pitched a grand total of 8 innings in the late 90s. That was his entire big league career. Of course, I can't knock him too much because I have pitched ZERO innings in the majors, minors, or college.

This is the big hit of the package. It's a nice relic of former Dodger Adrian Beltre. This is a good boast to my Beltre hits collections.

Thanks for the trade,Matt. Please check out his blog. He was running a contest over the weekend and you may still have a chance to enter. I may be wrong about that but go and check it out anyways,

People Actually Read My Words

2011-08-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

I know that some folks do read my blog. I have known this since I got my first few followers when I first opened up the Platter. I always thought that my readers were all other bloggers in the card world. Then, I got an email from Reader Steve. Steve doesn't have a blog but enjoys reading about and collecting baseball cards.

I was so happy to actually receive a trade offer from a reader. This marks a milestone in the Platter's history. Steve got a bubble mailer full of cards from the New York baseball teams. He sent me a nice mix of baseball cards featuring Japanese baseball players.

This is a nice looking vertical Ginter card of Kosuke Fukudome. It almost looks like an unlicensed card that is trying to hide some MLB logos. It would be hard to figure out what team is supposed to be featured on this card.

Steve also sent me a shiny Dice-K from last years Topps Chrome set. 2011 Topps Chrome is coming out shortly. I hope that Topps has fixed the curvature problem that plagued last years set. I have seen some pictures of 2011 Topps Chrome and it looks pretty good. So, we shall see.

I don't really understand Fleer Ultra's subset called Lucky 13. These cards feature rookies from that particular year. I think that there is a store in my local mall that sells clothes from a company called Lucky 13. That is what I think of when I get a Fleer Ultra Lucky 13 card. I think of fat teens wearing tight Lucky 13 t-shirts to try and look tough.

This was the big hit of the package. I had told Reader Steve that I didn't have anything to send him for this card but, he mailed it to me anyways. The generosity in this community is superb. Collectors are always looking to help out there fellow man.

Thanks for the trade. I love having readers!

Bid Board Goods

2011-08-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I started going to a card shop called Valley Sports Cards in Tarzana,CA. This shop was recommended to me by Dodgerbobble. This shop isn't very close to me. It takes me about a half an hour to get there. But, the drive is worth it.

One of the better aspects of this card shop is the bid board. People pin up some random cards on a wall once a week and you bid on the items. Ebay style! Except it's in person and interactive. I even put some items up there to get a few extra bucks on something more fit for my collection. Since, this shop is in Dodger territory a lot of people put up Dodger items for bidding.

A customer of the store posted up tons of 2005 Dodger Medallions. These are metal, coin-like objects that are slightly bigger than a quarter. The set includes Dodger legends as well as players on the dreadful 2005 team.

Gagne is my boy so, I had to pick this one up. He has a nice drunken, lumber jack beard going on. I hope Gagne gets a job with the Dodgers as a coach someday. Gagne can teach the young ball players how to use roids yet still have a beer gut.

This is was the best medallion that I saw at the shop. Yhency Brazoban was briefly the Dodgers closer in the mid-2000s. He had 21 saves for the Dodgers in 2005. Brazoban wasn't very effective in getting those saves but because the team was awful and had some injury issues, he was allowed to close. He had a ERA of 5.33 and a WHIP of 1.40. Not exactly dominating stuff. His career fell down each year after 2005. Brazoban had arm troubles and troubles with obesity.

The Dodger Medallions were kind of random to find. But, I do live in a Dodger hot bed. This graded Kaz Matsui is even more random. This card is a 1994 BBM Matsui RC graded at a 10. Awesome!. I have never seen this card probably would have never found it in my life but, then here it was in Tarzana,CA. This card makes me want to find more graded cards. I hope it will be the vintage kind of card.

2011 Topps Lineage Trade Bait

2011-08-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

I showed off my Dodger pulls from the 2011 Topps Lineage blaster that I bought on my last post. This time around, I am going to show some of the cards that are for trade. I pulled some solid cards of other teams but, the Dodgers were the best pulls.

All the cards that I am going to show are for trade.

These cards are really cool. The 1975 Minis from this set are awesome looking retro cards. It also makes me want to get some 1975 Topps cards.

I pulled these two Dan Uggla cards in the same pack. The shiny one is a diamond platinum parallel which is laying next to the base card. I don't mind opening a pack like this. If a Braves fan opened this pack, it may make there day.

Here are a couple of the diamond parallels that sparkle more than shine. I wonder how much glitter Topps had to purchase to make these cards. Topps may have the biggest warehouse of silver glitter in the country.

This pop-up Albert Pujols should go quick. He is a star and still hitting tons of home runs over the past decade. I also really dig the old school 80's design on the rookie cards. Corey Luebke is having a solid season but since, there are no Padre collectors this card may sit in my trade binder for a while.

Please leave a comment or send me an email if you would like any of these cards for your collection.

Lineage Blaster Break:Dodger Style

2011-08-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist opening up some packs of 2011 Topps Lineage. I have opened a couple of hobby packs when it was first released. I enjoyed some aspects of the new set. The 1975 minis were cool. The diamond parallels are still looking hot to me. But, I was mostly trying to avoid buying a blaster. Those things are a $20 gamble that favor the house which in this case is Wal-Mart. I even joined a group break to try and get a lot of Dodger cards from this set. The group break yielded me most of the Dodger base cards and nothing else.

I went to Wal-Mart to pick up some red shirts for work and a new binder. Those were my two main objectives. Getting those two items was the key to my trip. The store happened to be packed on Sunday. The store was packed with fat people in sweat pants and whiny little kids. Some of the shelves were pretty barren. Wal-Mart looked like it had been picked through by a bunch of animals. The store was out of red shirts and only had small binders left not the bigger ones that are better for baseball cards.

Luckily, Wal-Mart has a card aisle. Since, I wasn't able to get the two items that were on my want list, I decided to see what baseball cards that they had for sale. First, I checked to see if they had any good discount blasters. The shelf only had a 2010 Upper Deck blaster on sale. I just opened one of these recently and was underwhelmed. I passed on that.

The 2011 Topps Lineage blasters guarantee one relic. Awesome! I really want to get a 1975 mini relic. So, I splurged a little and picked up a $20 blaster. I didn't get a crappy red shirt but, I got some baseball cards!

I happened to pull a ton of Doyers from this break. The Jackie card is a cool leaping shot of him. I can't wait to chase the parallels for these base cards.

I also pulled a couple more Dodgers base cards. These two of current Dodgers, Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw. Ethier is currently playing through an infected ingrown toenail. That sounds so gross. But, still not as gross as someone having an injury called a pulled groin. When I hear that some player has a pulled groin, I think of a more painful, dirty image than what the injury actually entails. You know what I'm saying.

Topps adding some refractorness to this set was a nice move. Seeing a Roy Campanella card with some modern flashiness to it is a plus in my book. The Diamond Platinum Parallel is seeded at 1:4 packs. The blaster only contains 7 packs. I was going to get at least one of these and I am glad it was a Dodger.

I only got one of the cloth sticker cards also. This one turned out to be of the great Sandy Koufax. I am so happy that his cards are popping up in Topps products this year. No Dodger fan will ever get tired of getting Koufax cards. Koufax is above everyone.

I still think that Koufax can pitch in today's game. Probably in the bullpen. He still has a solid fastball. Just last year he killed a lion, who was attacking some school children, with his fastball. True story.

This blaster was meant to be purchased by a Dodger collector!

The One and Only

2011-08-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

There are many Dodgers collectors. There are also many Yankee, Red Sox and Phillies collectors. Most of the big market, older franchises have lots of fans that collect cards. The Angels on the other hand don't have many people that collect cards of men in red. The Angels are celebrating there 50th anniversary this season. I knew that they had been around for awhile but, just seeing the number 50 makes me a little surprised.

By being around that long in a big market, which Orange County as a whole is, you would think that they would have more Angels team collectors. So, cards of Angel players usually sit around in a binder or box in my bedroom waiting to find a home that would appreciate them. Luckily, I trade with Tom of the blog, Angels in Order.

He is the only guy I know that collects Angels cards. I live in northern LA County. My home is pretty far from the OC so, I don't know many Angels fans. I don't cross paths with them. Tom is my guy when it comes to swapping Angels for Dodgers.

I believe this is the second time that Tom and I have traded. He always sends me a good bubble mailer full of Doyers. Hideo Nomo has been on some cool baseball cards. Since his career was from the mid-90s to the early 2000s during the era of a million new sets per a year, Nomo has been on a ton of cards. Also, since he had a funky, unique wind-up, that made for a great photograph. Every now and then I flip through my Nomo binder and find a lot of sweet looking photos of his pitching motion.

This is a rainbow-ish, super shiny 2007 Bowman Heritage Russell Martin. I really like the shine on a retro set. The 2010 Heriatge and Topps 206 looked killer when it was chromed out and full of shine.

What happened to the Bowman Heritage sets? They came out when I was on a collecting hiatus. They looked to be cool looking cards. Did they flop when they were released?

Andre Ethier looking damn cool! He probably hit a huge bomb off the Giants and now he is strutting around the dugout like a pimp. Ethier also throw a guy out at home during this game and made a diving catch. It was a wonderful Dodger victory over the Giants!

Tom sent me this really cool Nomar from 2008 Baseball Heroes. This is the Oakland Raiders Silver Parallel numbered out of 399. This has to be one of the biggest sets of 2008. The base design is classic and the different parallels is a simple concept that works.

What was the collecting world's reaction when this set came out? I know the buzz that certain sets have gotten this past year. Just wondering what the anticipation was like for some of the better sets of recent memory.

Tom you are my Angels guy! There is nobody out there that will be competing with you for my Angels cards. We will trade again real soon! Thanks.

Name The Set

2011-08-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

When I attend a swap meet, I often try to find some oddball or cards that are mysterious to me. Swap meets offer a great chance to find some random cards that I have never seen before. I went to the Rose Bowl Swap Meet over the weekend. I already covered the Raiders cards that I picked up in my last post.

I saw this card featuring Bob Feller and Satchel Paige and I had to purchase it. This is my first card of Satchel. This card states that these two played in an exhibition game in 1946. This was before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier so, white and black players would only play in exhibitions in 1946. This had to be a big ticket game where ever the game was played. Feller vs. Paige! That game was probably a ticket scalpers dream.

I also have no idea what set this card is from. If I had to guess the year that it would have been released, then I would say late '80s? It has a similar card stock to the cards made in that era and the condition is pretty good so, it can't be too old.

Here is the back of this card. The card is telling a background story on Bob Feller. The story continues on other cards from this set. The back of the card doesn't give any year or company information. This makes it harder for me to figure out where this card came from.

What set is this card from? What year did this card come out? Please let me know.