Two is Better than Juan

Cheese 'n crackers, I am waaay behind on trade posts!  I was so preoccupied with doing my jersey number countdown to Opening Day that I let every else sit on the back burner.

To all those who were Juan-derful enough to send me cards, please accept my apologies for the tardiness of my 'thank you' posts.  They will all be coming up this week, I promise!

Where to start?  Oh, well how about this brand-spankin' new Juan Lagares autograph from this year's Topps flagship product?  With the ink barely dry on his new contract extension, this reigning Gold Glover is fast becoming one of my favorite Mets not just of this era, but of all time.  The way he plays center field is reminiscent of the mastery that Rey Ordonez--another of my all-time faves--used to display at shortstop.  The extraordinary play seems to become routine when Lagares is on patrol, and I love watching it!

Anyhow, back to this card.  Or should I say cards.  Y'see, because I am now the proud owner of not one Juan...err, sorry....not one, but TWO of these Juan autos thanks to a super coincidence.

My first copy of this brilliant card came courtesy of Jason, a new friend to the Clubhouse who runs a nifty 2015 Topps blog of his own.  (Check it out if you haven't already!)  Jason heard if through the grapevine that I was a Mets guy (a hat tip to Nick of Dime Boxes!) and contacted me about a trade, and the rest is history.

I was now the new owner of a Juan Lagares autograph, which would qualify as my first auto card of Juan.  But, apparently not my last...

A few days later a PWE from my man Pat of Hot Corner Cards arrived bearing three magnificent Mets cards.  I'll give you a stab at guessing what one of those three was.

Guessed it yet?

BANG!!!  Not Juan, but two!!  Talk about rags to riches!

Certainly, this doesn't qualify as an 'issue' or a 'problem' since there is a 15-month old little boy running around my house who will someday (with daddy's help) be cultivating a collection of his own.  And I think he will probably love to have in his collection an autographed card of a guy who helped the Mets win the 2015 World Series (hey, I can dream, can't I??).

Oh, as for the other two cards from Pat's PWE, let's have a look...

Yesss!  The gold parallels from '15 Topps are out of this world.  Probably my favorite yet.  And on a Lagares Future Stars card, the gold looks even more dynamite!

And, finally...

Talk about a show-stopper, this Piazza insert--also from 2015 flagship Topps--is a throwback to the awesome insert sets from the Topps of old, before everything became about sticker autos and pieces of actual grass embedded into super-thick card stock.

Very, very happy to add all of these cards to my Mets collection--and Gabriel's, too!

A big and humble thank you to both Jason and Pat for keeping me in mind!  Thanks, fellas!

MK

Opening Day 2015: Here at Last!

Happy Opening Day!  The Cubbies and Cards got a head start last night, but the rest of baseball--including your New York Mets--gets going on the 2015 season today.  The Mets begin their quest to end an eight-year playoff drought with a 4:05 p.m. tilt in D.C. against Scherzer, Harper and the Nats.

Much was made on New York sports talk radio of the club's decision to send Bartolo Colon to the hill as the Opening Day starter.  With a team featuring Matt Harvey and reigning Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom, there was a large faction of Mets fans who were quite sour at the notion of Colon getting the nod.

As for me, I was neither incensed or shocked.  Big Bart won 15 games for the Mets last year and is a 200-game winner in the big leagues.  Therefore, he's quite worthy enough to get the ball to start the year.  Furthermore, Opening Day isn't Game 7 of the World Series; I really don't care who the starter is.  As long as the Mets win, I'll be a happy camper.

Let's Go Mets!

MK

One More Day!

1996 Fleer Ultra #513

First and foremost: Happy Easter!  Secondly, Opening Day 2015 for your New York Mets is tomorrow!!  I can hardly wait!  The Mets will be down in D.C. to take on Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nats at 4:05 p.m. EDT.

Some noteworthy Mets have worn the No. 1 during their time with the Mets, including Vince Coleman, Luis Castillo and the ever-popular Mookie Wilson.  Perhaps you think I have committed a sin by not singling out the Mookster for this particular feature, and maybe you are right.  But, when I was in high school and lovin' the Mets, the guy in the No.1 shirt was Lance Johnson.

Added Knowledge:  Johnson put together one of the finest seasons in Mets history in 1996 when he batted .333 with 31 doubles, 21 triples, 69 RBIs and 50 steals.  His 227 base hits led the league.

MK

Two Days

1995 Upper Deck Minors #19

In just two days, the 2015 New York Mets season gets underway!  The Mets begin the six-month regular season marathon with a visit to the District of Columbia for the first of a three-game series versus the Washington Nationals.

Some notable Mets players and managers have worn the No. 2 throughout the history of the ball club, including fan favorites such as Marv Throneberry, Mackey Sasser and Bobby Valentine.  One guy who never wore the No. 2 for the Mets was Rey Ordonez... yet there you see him above.  Yes, I cheated a tad, as Rey wore that number for the Single-A St. Lucie Mets, while he wore 0 and 10 for the big club.  Hey, it's my blog, I'm allowed to cheat a little bit, right?

Added Knowledge:  Ordonez won three straight National League Gold Gloves from 1997 to 1999.

MK

Three Days

1977 Topps #44

We are a mere three days from the dawn of another season of New York Mets baseball!  The Metropolitans will be in the nation's capital on Monday afternoon to battle last year's Eastern Division champs, the Washington Nationals.

The No. 3 has been worn by 23 different players or coaches during the history of the Mets, including such fan favorites as Richie Hebner, Rafael Santana and current right-fielder Curtis Granderson.  But, I chose a guy who was not only the starting shortstop for the '69 Miracle Mets, but also served on the coaching staff of the '86 champs.  That would, of course, be Derrel "Bud" Harrelson.

Added Knowledge:  1977 was Harrelson's final season as a New York Met (as a player, anyhow).  Buddy ranks third in club history in games played with 1,322.

MK

Four Days

2000 Fleer Ultra #38

We are just four days away from the start of the 2015 New York Mets season!  Can you believe it?!  The Amazins travel down I-95 to meet the Washington Nationals for a late afternoon matinee on Monday, April 6.

In terms of the No. 4, some very impressive names donned the number for the Mets over the years.  Ron Swoboda, Rusty Staub and Lenny Dykstra are three of the 28 players or coaches to fashion the 4 on their uniform top.  But I gave the nod to Robin Ventura, who manned the hot corner for the last pennant winner in Flushing (2000).

Added Knowledge:  On April 18, 2000, Robin launched his 14th career grand slam, helping the Mets defeat the Brewers, 10-7, at Shea Stadium.

MK

Five Days

2014 Stadium Club #86

Five days from now, the 2015 baseball season gets underway for the New York Mets!  The Metsies will be in D.C. on April 6 to begin a three-game set versus the Washington Nationals.  First pitch, 4:05 p.m. EDT.

The uniform No. 5 has been well represented by the Mets over the years, having been worn by such notables as John Olerud, Tsuyoshi Shinjo and skipper Davey Johnson.  But, some day that number will be retired by the club in honor of current captain David Wright, who is the Mets' all-time home run leader and a seven-time All-Star.

Added Knowledge:  David went 3-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs vs. Washington on Opening Day, 2014.

MK