San Francisco Treat (aka Zistle the 21st)

For the 21st edition of my Zistle trading experience, I had the pleasure of conducting a pretty sizable team swap with site member bbronzan.  He lives a bit north of San Francisco and, thus, is a big Giants fan.  He had some Mets I wanted and I had some extra Giants.  It was a pretty good match!

Initially, I approached him about doing a smaller PWE-sized deal, but he countered with more of a whopper. By that I mean in the neighborhood of 60 cards!  Hey, 60 new Mets always works for me!  I'm not always a huge fan of doing bigger trades, but every so often they're just what the doctor ordered.  Especially if my trade partner has a lot cards that make me say Oooh!

Such was the case, so here we go!  I've scanned the majority of the cards from the trade, as many were images that were absent from the Zistle library.  So, buckle up, as I'll share here roughly 2/3 of the cards I netted.

In the lead-off spot, I figured I would show the card that initially caused me to investigate a trade possibility.  I'm a big fan of the Fleer Platinum releases from the early '00s, and this Robin Ventura from the 2001 set was right up my alley.  Lots of good non-action photos in this set.  Anytime an equipment bag is involved, I'm game!

Another big selling point for this trade was an abundance of Mets from '94 OPC.

There were a few...

What can I say?  This is a pretty under-appreciated set, in my opinion.  The design fits in well with it's time, but isn't dated by any stretch.  Colorful and sharp.  Good photo choices, too.

Fleer 2002 was another set that my trade partner had a bit of.  I dig this set mostly for it's patriotic design scheme.

Vance Wilson.  Now there's a guy I don't have nearly enough of in my Mets collection.  For a couple years in recent past, he was actually the manager for the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Single-A, Royals), just up the road from where I live.  I'm told he was something as a hot-head as a skipper.  Winning the games was a bit more important than player development.  It's a delicate balance, obviously.

Just above Vance, "Super" Joe McEwing.  Interestingly enough, Joe was briefly a manager in the same league as Wilmington--the Carolina League--with Winston-Salem (White Sox).  Nice guy.  I had a chance to meet him before a game in Wilmington and had him sign a Mets t-shirt for my father.  Dad Kaz, you should know, was as big a Super Joe fan as you'll find.

These "Changing Places" cards are also from '02 Fleer.  They're subset cards that highlighted notable players who changed addresses during the off-season.

Here are some more Robins...

A few Jeff Kents...

Interesting that Kent's '94 TSC Dugout Dirt subset card and the '95 TSC base are nearly identical at first glance. Though, he's got long sleeves in the '94, plus there are dugout phones in the background of the '95.  I happen to think Jeff's '95 TSC is one of his finer cards.  As purdy as a portrait.  And, please don't get me started about his snub from Cooperstown...again.  I could rant.

Instead, how about a couple from a guy who is a HOFer...

It's always an occasion to add a couple new Rickeys.

A pair of Rey-Os....

Some southpaws who had a hand in the 2000 NL pennant-winning Mets club...

(Despite the Astros uni, this is a Mets card.  "Traded to Mets" and the "Mets" under Hampton's name make it so.)

The closer on that 2000 team--and the man who cost the Mets Game 1 of the Series and perhaps the whole shootin' match--was Armando Benitez...

(Another "Traded to..." entry.  Not as pretty, but it still counts.)

And, without commentary, the rest of the highlights from this terrific trade package...

Still with me?  Good!  Because there is a two-part grand finale to this post.  Well, how grand it is will be up to you, the reader, but go ahead and check it out.

First...

An ordinary enough 2001 Fleer Ultra card, but it's such a cool photo choice that it's been prominent on my non-published-but-always-in-my-head Most Wanted list for some time.  Bell was a short-timer in New York, but as I've opined many times before, he's one of the most colorful characters in the history of the club.  And that's saying something if you stop to think about it!

Finally, this guy has been getting a lot of ink of late, and for all the right reasons...

Hall of Fame.  Period.  As a Mets fan, you couldn't possibly be any prouder of Mike Piazza.  He had many a great season for the team; led them to back-to-back playoff appearance; took them to a World Series; and is very visible with the Mets to this day in the realms of team PR and general fandom.  He is a Met through and through.

Not only that, but he was adamant in declaring his allegiance to the blue and orange upon getting the call to Cooperstown.  Could we Mets fans love him any more, really?

Perhaps we're a bit late on this final card, but it doesn't take away any of the juice.

Holy Christmas ornament, Batman!!  I've always wanted one of these things, and my trade partner Brandon surprised me by including it unannounced!  A pretty weird concept for a trading card, I must admit, but that's what makes it all the more amazing.  Leave it to Pacific, right?

Welp, that's a wrap on Zistle Trade No. 21.  A most wonderful swap for sure.  I wouldn't be surprised if bbronzan and I hooked up for another exchange somewhere down the road.

MK

One Met at a Time, Vol. 5

[Ed. Note: Since my Mets collection recently eclipsed the 7k plateau, I figured it might be fun to drop in a few single-card posts here and there to celebrate the achievement.]

Player:  John Franco

Card Info:  1996 Topps Gallery, #48

When you think of Topps Gallery, maybe you don't necessarily think of a borderless, super-glossy card.  This one from the '96 set looks more like an entry into the Stadium Club catalog.  Nonetheless, one of Franco's nicest cards from the mid-'90s era.

At the time of this post, I have 106 John Franco cards in my Mets collection.

MK

As Seen on TV!

I got lots of great baseball card-related stuff for Christmas, but my favorite might just have to be a little something from the golden era of collecting.

That's right...the '90s!

For the longest time, I've been keeping an eye on eBay for the special edition Mets team set that Topps produced in 1990.  Apparently, this set was only available via a special television offer back in those days (though I can't attest to having ever seen these advertised amidst the thousands of hours of television I watched that year).  Thus, the sets have come to be known as "Topps TV."  They were only produced for a few teams, including the Yankees, Cubs and Cardinals.  And, of course the Mets.

The snag is that they're not exactly priced so friendly on the secondary market nowadays.  I'm peeking at eBay right now and I see a Cubs Topps TV set for a Buy It Now price of $59.  In other words, Yikes!

So it was probably a month or less out from Christmas that I found a reasonably priced Mets set with very reasonable shipping.  I immediately sent Mrs. K a not-so-subtle hint via email that this particular little set would make the perfect gift for the Mets fan and card collector in her life.

Luckily, I was pretty good this year and I found the long sought-after set under the tree on Christmas morning! Perhaps not Ralphie's bb gun, but pretty darn close!

The great thing about these sets is they're deep as all get-out.  Deep as in 66 cards deep!  That includes all the players on the 1990 opening day roster plus coaches plus a bunch of minor leaguers that you hadn't seen or wouldn't find on any subsequent Topps cards.  That's, like, nirvana for the team collector.

The design is pretty much standard fare for the era, at least in terms of the cards that Topps produced for the special boxed sets you found at Woolworth or Kay-Bee.  Translation: GRRRREAT!!!  And the card backs are tremendous, as well.

But, rather than gush on and on about how much I love this set, let's take a look at all 66 cards from the 1990 Topps TV New York Mets collector's set.  Set in binder pages, arranged sequentially by card number for your enjoyment.

First things first: the skipper and his coaches.  I think I was unnaturally giddy to get a card of Mike Cubbage, the former third base coach and interim manager for seven games in 1991.

As you can see, most of the photos are from Spring Training shoots.  Also, the players are all sequenced alphabetically by position within the checklist.  We're in the midst of the pitchers on page two.

Wally Whitehurst rounds out the pitchers that were on the opening day roster.  The three catchers occur next, followed by Kevin Elster and the infielders.  I'm especially fond of the Elster and Mike Marshall photos.  Magadan in the warmup jacket is pretty boss, too.

Super pinch-hitter Mark Carreon begins the outfield brigade, which includes Lou Thornton.  To my knowledge, this is the one and only Topps card of Lou as a New York Met.  After all, he only appeared in 16 games over two years as a Met.  That makes Lou's card a real hidden treasure of the set.

In addition, the run of Mets prospects and minor leaguers begins with Shawn Barton.  These players are also listed alphabetically, but not according to position.  Most of these guys never cracked the big leagues and you've probably never heard of them.  Some, like Tim Bogar, will be familiar to many baseball fans.

Everybody on the above page eventually put on a New York uniform, with the exceptions of DeButch, Diaz, Gonzalez and Graves.  Yes, even Manny Hernandez, whose Mets career consisted of exactly one inning of one game in 1989!

The shining star of this page is most certainly Todd Hundley, but maybe the best footnote is Dave Liddell. Another player whose Mets and major league career can fit into a thimble, Liddell appeared in just one game and logged one at-bat as a big leaguer.  It was a pinch-hit single against the Phillies on June 3, 1990.  Not a bad way to spend your lone bullet, I think!  A pretty cool story to pass along to the grandkids, too.

Also of note, Keith Hughes appeared in eight games for the Mets in 1990.  He went hitless in nine ABs with four strikeouts.  That was the extent of his service for New York.  Suffice it to say, both Liddell and Hughes are fantastic gets for the All-Time Mets Project!

For me, the highlight of this page is Craig Shipley, as this card represents Shipley's only Topps entry as a Met. While his Mets career endured all of four games during the '89 season, Craig went to enjoy some pretty decent seasons as a part-time player for San Diego.

Oh, and let us not fail to mention Steve Swisher.  Swish managed in the Mets system for Jackson, Tidewater and Binghamton before serving on the big league staff during the mid-'90s.

Of these three--the final three cards of the set--only Valera played in Queens.  Alan Zinter's biggest contribution to the organization was as the player traded to Detroit for Rico Brogna in 1994.

And there you have it.  An investment that's totally worth it, but only for the die-hard fan and obsessed collector.  I'm both, so I had to have this or I'd simply wilt and die.  Okay, a bit dramatic, but this is a pretty unique offering and one that should be on the completist's radar for sure.

MK

Zistle the 19th and 20th (A Pair of Quickies)

Still some unfinished business from 2015 to wrap up.  With the holiday hustle and bustle, more than a few things slipped through the cracks around Clubhouse HQ.  So, let's make things right!

In the lead-off spot is actually a card from Zistle Trade No. 20, which was a nice 'n easy four-for-four swap with member halos17.  That Leiter card from 2001 UD Reserve is my favorite of the trade, and the one that was the impetus for the exchange.

If you can imagine the worst batter in baseball history, you'd be pretty close to conjuring up Al Leiter.  Thus it's both funny and awesome that the southpaw from NJ would be shown in the throes of attempting a drag bunt. Great stuff!

Always a fan of the Topps Stars brand.  This one is from 1999.  With that swing, Rockin' Robin either just harmlessly lofted a ball to short left or pummeled one into the bullpen.

One of the best sets from 2009: Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee.  Further proving that a simple design drawing inspiration from the olden days coupled with solid photography is a foolproof combination for a nice card.  My only complaint with this one is how Delgado's head gets partially cropped off.  Otherwise, a really cool card replete with an A-Rod cameo.

Had no idea Cliff had a card in the 2003 Donruss Estrellas set.  This was a must!

And, because he's obviously a good guy, my trade partner threw in a couple of extras, including a card I needed for my Mets collection!

Ronnie looks prepared for "a three hour tour...a three hour tour" in that Mizuno top which is undoubtedly rain-proof, ocean-proof, tornado-proof, etc.

A fantastic trade.  Surely, a study in quality, not quantity.

Now let's go back in a time a tad to Trade No. 19...

An even smaller exchange, this one with Zistle member Rockiesfan14.  Two cards for two cards, to be exact. The first cards is Todd Hundley's Bowman's Best base card from 1997.  It's always a successful trade when I acquire a 'new' Todd Hundley card.

And, Lord help us, a card from 1992 Score!  I'm not ashamed to have traded for it, but I'm more embarrassed that I didn't already have this one!  I bought (or begged Mom for) so much '92 Score back in the day, I don't know how I didn't have a complete set of the stuff.

A couple of quickies, but both very important building blocks as I work towards my ultimate 2016 collecting goal: surpassing the 10,000-card plateau in my Mets collection.

MK

Happy New Year & Happy Birthday!

Happy New Year to one and all!  I hope everyone had a safe, fun celebration on NYE and January 1st.

Today, the 2nd, is big Birthday No. 2 for my little boy, Gabriel.  To celebrate, the Clubhouse Blog proudly presents Gabe's second-year Topps card.  This photo was snapped on Opening Day of the 2015 baseball season, when Gabe and I watched the Mets topple the Washington Nationals.

And, in case you were wondering, here's GK's Topps rookie...

This photo was snapped on the day of the Mets 2014 opener.  The little guy was only a few months old at the time.  The Mets lost to the Nationals that day, so it's probably a good thing Gabe doesn't remember.  I decided to go with the '87 design for his rookie, since that was the year that his old man started collecting!

Both cards are courtesy of Topps.com and their Custom Card service.  I highly recommend it!  It was lots of fun to do and, if you wait for them to have super site-wide sale, it's not very expensive at all.

I've decided to get a Topps custom card made for every Mets Opening Day that my boy and I spend together.

Y'know, until he's a teenager and thinks it's dorky or embarrassing or something...

MK