Always Happy When It's Free

The latest Dodger news over the last few days has my head spinning.  It seems so long since the team had owners that were willing to make moves to try and win championships.  Not moves that would make the team possibly good but, moves that may make the team great.

The Dodgers getting Zack Greinke is amzing to me.  This was a pure baseball decision from the Guggenheim ownership group.  The Dodgers needed a #2 starter and went out and bought one.  I have been waiting for an acquisition like this for years.

The real baseball world throws around big money to get what they want.  I can't survive in that world.  Luckily, I reside in the blog world and we can get some free cards just for being here.

Baseball Dad from All Tribe Baseball was just willing to give free cards out for people that claimed them.  My last post was about some free cardboard goodness that was sent to me by Dennis from Too Many Verlanders.

I will keep this them going for the rest of December.  So many nice bloggers are taking their time and adding nice cards to my collection that they will always get a mention on the Platter.

I have been seeing some boxes of Upper Deck MVP being opened on some blogs.  I enjoy the sleek, modern design.

The black border with a greenish center reminds me of mint chocolate chip ice cream.  That is a good thing.

This photo just doesn't quite cut it for me.  I can't keep my eyes off of Ichiro's left elbow.  The rest of his arm appears missing.  Someone needs to give him the rest of his arm back.

Fleer Ultra was a good competitor with Topps Stadium Club as far as photography goes.  Both products have churned out great sets over the years that were photography gold.

This Ichiro may be excused.

Those Ichiro cards were thrown in as extras because Baseball Dad is a cool dude.  This Eddie Murray was the card that I claimed.  My hall of fame Angels collection is lacking.  It mainly consists of about a dozen Rod Carews, a Nolan Ryan and maybe a Reggie Jackson or two.

Adding to my hall of fame collection is my top goal right now.  You may click on my "Current Goals" link to check out what my other priorities are right now.

This card makes me wonder about something.  When people were ripping packs of Topps in the 70s, did they ever wonder what baseball cards would look like decades later?

Did any collectors in the 70s think that a card would be made with a hologram, a die-cut "X", and an aging Eddie Murray awkwardly trying to catch a pop-up?

Thanks for the nice cards, Baseball Dad!

From Email to my Mailbox

From time to time, I like to write a post that sort of works as a refresher course to the Platter.  Not every Platter super fan has been reading about my collecting exploits since the birth of this blog.  Some new fans may have been created yesterday and haven't had time to catch up and read all my past posts yet.

Those new fans will get caught up soon.  I have that type of writing power of people.

Anyways, my main point is that I like to remind my loyal readers what I enjoy collecting and what I am seeking most to add to my collection.  Since the summer, I have been loading up on some hall of fame players on cardboard.  I have been building up my binder with some nice base, oddball, reprints and some other random stuff that you have all seen before.  I have also been able to pile up on some vintage and hits of  legends from baseball's past.

I purchase some cards from a seller that sends a list out via email.  He usually has some good deals and some nice hall of famers to pick from.

The prices of game used hits has seemed to dip after all the garbage of card companies knowingly buying non-game used jerseys and playing them off as game used.  The scandals are awful.  The low price makes it easier for me though, to buy these pieces of cloth stuck in cardboard.

Even, guys like Gaylord Perry that reside in Cooperstown sell only for a few bucks now.  This piece of blue Rangers jersey #/25 was only 3 bucks.  I am including shipping into the equation.

Fake or real, this card looks nice to me.  I feel every collector prefers a baby blue jersey piece as opposed to a white or gray piece.

Los Angeles born Eddie Murray was a hitting legend.  He hit over 500 home runs and had over 3000 hits in his career.  His lifetime OPS was .836 over 21 seasons.  Murray was a smooth switch hitter with a big, strong swing.

Murray was also a two time Dodger.  He got to play in his hometown during the 89-91 seasons.  Murray also had a second stint with the team in 1997 where he had a grand total of 9 plate appearances to finish out his legendary career.

Murray played most of his career as a Baltimore Oriole in the 70s and 80s before being traded to the Dodgers for Juan Samuel, Brian Holton and Ken Howell.  Murray usually pops up on modern cards in an Orioles uniform which is understandable.  Therefore when I see a Murray game used bat card with a Dodger photo on it, I must pounce.

This is my first hit of Eddie Murray as a Dodgers.  Great addition to my collection.

One more thing, please check out the Blog of Trade Bait which still has some cards that are unclaimed.  Make a deal with some of the many solid contributors that have been assembled on that blog.