Zistle the 11th

I recently wrapped up my 11th Zistle trade, and this one was one of the bigger transactions.  Nearly 80 new Mets cards added to my collection of Amazins, which has eclipsed the 6,600 mark.  A tip of the cap to Zistle member ccards for constructing this particular swap with me.

So here's a sampling of the great cards that are now a part of my collection...

I don't generally set collecting goals.  Just like I don't do New Year's resolutions.  I'm not good at honoring either, so I don't dabble in them.  But, if I did set year-to-year goals for my collection, it would be to triple the Al Leiter count within my Mets collection.  As it stands, I'm at 50 of the southpaw.  I can be much better than that, especially for a guy who pitched seven seasons for the Mets.

I heard this guy is going to be enshrined in Cooperstown on Sunday.

Certainly not this guy.  I still haven't forgiven Armando for blowing Game 1 of the 2000 World Series.  Who knows what could have been if the he nailed down the save in that first game.

An all-time great Met, Franco still took quite a few years off my life when he was closing games for the Amazins.

A true-and-true HOFer, I never really warmed up to Glavine.  After so many years as an enemy in Atlanta coupled with a pretty subpar first season in Queens, he never had a chance with me.

I was always an Aaron Heilman guy.  He should've gotten more of a chance to be a starter for those mid-'00s Mets clubs.  Instead, he was herded into the bullpen where he just never clicked.

It looks like Frankie is wearing those Halloween wax lips in this card.

Nomo's Mets cards aren't exactly easy to come by, at least in my travels.  So, I'm always happy to tack on a few when I have the chance.

These are the best retro rookie cards by a lot.  I love these old-timey knothole rookies from Bowman Heritage.

Chrome Johan is always a good play.

I've had this card on my radar for quite some time.  What a name!  Furthermore, it's very strange that this guy even got a "Star Rookie" card.  In three seasons on the farm, Mateo carried an ERA of 7.36.  What's worse is that the back of the card touts his "solid" 4.97 ERA at the University of Nevada.  Maybe his uncle worked for Upper Deck??  Regardless, it's a pretty neat card if for no other reason that it's a real head-scratcher!

One of the best photos from 1998 Topps!  By the way, the Mets wore that white alternate cap during select home games during the 1997 season only.  It was never seen again.  I regret not buying one when they came out.  Not that the Mets should ever deviate from the all-blue cap with the the solid orange 'NY' but it would have at least been a cool collector's piece.

For those scoring at home, that's three Carloses in a row.  And different Carloses at that.

I wanted so badly for Alomar to be a hit in New York.  Alas, he was a major flop for the most part.

Ventura was a member of that 1999 Mets team that boasted perhaps the best defensive infield in history.  You had Robin at the hot corner, Olerud at first, and Rey-O and Fonzie up the middle.  Man that was a fun team.

Like Alomar, Shawn Green was largely washed up by the time he pulled on a Mets uniform.  Still, he did a fair job for the Mets down the stretch and during the postseason in 2006.

I think Topps oughta go back to giving the Opening Day cards different colored borders than the regular flagship cards.  Using the same photo and slapping the gaudy "Opening Day" logo on the card just isn't doing for me these days.

This sure does look like a Mets card, does it not?  But look a little closer and you'll see the "San Francisco Giants" designation at the bottom of the card.  Well blast it all to hell; I'm breaking the rules and putting this Fonzie card in my Mets collection!

No such rule-bending was necessary for those two.  The Pacific features an awesome double-dip action shot.

An interesting name for a set: Ballpark Idols.  Sounds like it ought to be an insert set.  Or one of those little boxed sets that Topps and Fleer created for pharmacies and grocery stores in the '80s.

The sweet stroke of Keith Hernandez.  A note on the uniform top: 1987 was the lone season that the Mets featured the script "New York" on their road jerseys.

Mike Cameron shows off this uniform from 2004 that the Mets wore in Kansas City as part of a Negro League tribute.

And we'll finish off with Jim Burt.  Because, why not?  Did you know Burt is the son of the former New York Giants nose tackle of the same name?  The back of the card points out that big Jim carried little Jim around on his shoulders following the Giants victory in Super Bowl XXV.  As a Bills fan, I try not to think too often about that game.

All in all, this was one of the biggest and best trades I've executed thus far in the Zistle world.  Quantity and quality, what more can you ask for?

Happy Weekend!

MK