Trick or Treat!

'Twas the day before Halloween when I came home from work was greeted with a pile of mail on the kitchen table.  Included therein was a PWE from Pat of Hot Corner Cards, which meant I was in store for a few great Mets cards.

Keith Hernandez has a lot of great cards, but maybe my favorite of them all is his '90 Topps.  Not only is it his final 'regular' (read: non-Traded or oddball) Topps card, but it's a pretty awesome photo of Mex, replete with full-blown stirrups and pine tar rag.

I didn't realize this card had made the cut when Topps did its 2001 Archives set, but I'm glad it did!

Happy days at Shea during the late '90s normally concluded with John Franco on the mound, recording the final outs of a Mets win.  So, this card always makes me wistful for the good ol' days when the Mets weren't a mess.  I've got a copy of this in my collection presently, BUT this will be an awesome addition to my Horizontal Heroes frankenset.

I guess it's appropriate to have a 'frankenset' mention on Halloween, no?

Lastly, my seminal Jon Matlack card!  I'm not really sure how Matlack has eluded my collection to this point, but that's trivial now.  This is a great card to be the first, and one that's been on my wish list for some time.  It's Matlack's second Topps card and his only horizontal card.

Pat, thanks for the treats!  And congrats on reaching the 9K mark with your Tigers collection!

MK

YDF, 10.30.14 (aka Bummer!)

2012 Heritage Target Black, #HP66

Welp, the final baseball game of 2014 did not disappoint us, did it?

A legendary (and seemingly effortless!) performance by Mr. Bumgarner-- or #MadBum as I saw all over Twitter last night.  More so than that, what a series by this guy!  In 21 innings, he allowed one run on nine hits with 17 strikeouts and just one walk.  That's just...wow!

In other words: Wow!

Hats off to the Royals for an unbelievable ride.  They produced the type of season and playoff run that Kansas City fans can only dream of usually.  I hope this isn't a one-and-done thing for them, and that they remain in the running for the foreseeable future.

And now the long hibernation til 2015's spring training begins...

MK

YDF, 10.29.14 (Game Seven edition)

2010 Topps, #602

Was anybody expecting that?  Ten to nothing?  Wow, okay then!

So, tonight either ends a 29-year drought for Kansas City or crowns the Giants champions for the third time in five years.

My original series prediction of 'Giants in Six' now by the wayside, I'm going to submit 'Royals in Seven."  I don't care who pitches tonight for the Giants.  Madison Bumgarner, Juan Marichal, Christy Mathewson...doesn't matter.

Game Seven, folks.  Enjoy it!

MK

Buffalo Football Gameday, 2014: Week 8

The Buffalo Bills (4-3) look to head into their by week with a winning record as they head to New Jersey to take on the New York Jets (1-6) at 1 p.m. this afternoon.

The Bills eked out a thrilling last-second victory over the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday, needing a Kyle Orton-to-Sammy Watkins 2-yard touchdown pass to pull off a 17-16 win in Orchard Park.

The Jets, meanwhile, lost on a blocked field goal attempt in Foxborough last Thursday.  New York's Nick Folk had his 58-yard attempt blocked as time expired, granting the Patriots a 27-25 win and handing the Jets a sixth straight defeat.  New York's lone victory of the season came on opening day versus Oakland.

The Jets lost last week despite clicking off 218 net rushing yards and out-gaining New England by 100 total yards.  It follows the narrative that New York's record isn't very telling of their efforts for the most part this season.  The Jets' last-place standing is somewhat ely a byproduct of their schedule, which has featured the quarterbacking likes of Rodgers, Cutler, Stafford, Rivers, Manning and Brady so far.

So today would seem to be a breather-type of game for the Jets, and Vegas largely agrees by listing the home team as 3-point favorites over the Bills.

Buffalo has not registered a victory in the new Meadowlands stadium since its opening in 2010 and are just 3-9 against New York overall since the beginning of the 2008 season.  The last Bills victory in New Jersey occurred in October of 2009, when the defense intercepted Mark Sanchez five times and kicker Rian Lindell booted a 47-yard field goal in overtime.

In regards to today's featured football card, Buffalo's quarterback for that last Meadowlands victory was Trent Edwards, while linebacker Paul Posluszny was one of five Buffalo players with an interception.

The Bills and Jets split last season's contests, with each team winning on its home field.

I don't have the best feeling about this game.  The Jets have come close to that elusive second victory on numerous occasions and are overdue to claim it.  Plus, I think it comes down to coaching preparation and on-the-fly gameplanning.  Rex Ryan has figured out the Bills quite well since his New York coaching tenure began in 2009.  The Bills staff, meanwhile, has more often than not been left grasping at straws.

I would be pleasantly surprised with a win today, and would be thrilled to sit on a 5-3 record through the bye week.

Go Bills!

MK

Chrome Is Where the Heart Is

It's been quite a while since I purchased baseball cards in traditional fashion, meaning via boxes, hangers, blasters or packs.  I kinda (read: really!) miss it, but with our family budget the way it is these days, getting six random cards that will most likely disappoint me for $3.99 a pack ain't very appealing.

Instead, I've taken to eBay on a few occasions when I really need my fix.  Heck, if I'm gonna shell our four or 10 or 20 shells, I better be getting the biggest bang for my buck, right?

Well, one of the new and shiny 'toys' that has been on my radar for some time now has been Topps Chrome. More specifically, the 1989 Chrome Refractor inserts.

Yep, it's a well-documented fact that I'm a junkie for anything pertaining to '89 Topps, as it's my all-time favorite set.  So my hobby senses went bonkers when I learned that Chrome had devoted a 25-card insert set to my beloved '89 design in stunning refractor form.  My heart was instantly warmed and I knew I had to get 'em in my collection some way, some how.

Enter eBay.

I didn't take my long to track down an auction for a complete set of the lovely refractors for considerably cheaper than the cost of a blaster.

As you can see, the fronts and backs of the cards stay true to the spirit of the '89 design, even if the player name within the swoosh is left-aligned instead of being centered.  Somehow it's not as noticeable on these as it is for the cards in the Archives set.

Anyhow, I couldn't be happier with the way the cards look, especially when I slipped 'em in to binder pages.

Here's a peek at what they look like, arranged alphabetically by the suffix in the 'card number'.  In this case, that suffix would be the player's initials.

Okay, here they are...

And, of course, the Yasiel Puig card would be the final one of the set, so the final binder page is left with two blank pockets.  Hey, it beats having that one orphan card taking up an entire page.

Some impressions of the set, which features a pretty decent mix of players both veteran and new:

Biggest Star in the Set:  Obviously subjective, but Trout is essentially the 'face of baseball' these days, so I'll give it to him.  Kershaw is pretty good, too, I hear.

Biggest Omission:  Uh, Jeter? Shocked that we didn't get our mandatory dosage of RE2PECT.

I'm Suprised He Was Included:  I guess this isn't the most flattering category, and this guy might be a future ace, but I'm sorta surprised that Tijuan Walker was chosen for the checklist.  And, to be fair and not pick on the rookie, how about Cargo and Tulo?  Always hurt and they play for a bad team.

I Wish He Was Included:  Gotta be Jose Fernandez, my favorite non-Met.

I Wish He Wasn't Included (aka Please Stop):  No more Ryan Braun. Please.

Most Important Rookie:  Abreu and Tanaka are both high-profile, sought-after rookies.  Flip a coin.

Meet the Met:  Indeed, David Wright made the cut.  Somewhat surprising given his apparent fall from stardom, but, hey, he plays in NY and he's a handsome devil.

The Only Retired Player:  Only one, and it's Junior. Makes sense to me, though, since his '89 Topps Traded cards is one of the greatest cards in the history of mankind. Along those same lines, it woulda been neat to have included a a few of the other key rookies from the '89 set, such as the Big Unit, Craig Biggio or John Smoltz.

Department of Redundancy Department:  Photo recycling alert!  Since I'm a Mets fan and Wright collector, I immediately I knew the DW was a recycled image (2013 Archives).  That's the only one I'm sure of, but I suspect one or more of these photos have been around the block.  The Goldschmidt and Prince photos look very familiar.

Best Captures the Essence of the '89 Set:  The Posey, Trout and Miggy cards each feature photos which I feel would seamlessly fit into the style of the '89 set.

How Many Mariners? Oh:  Yup, three M's.  Can't argue with any of them.  Well, actually, I guess I already did with Walker.

So now that I've got this set out of the way, my next objective is to start attacking the die cut minis from this year's Series 1, 2 and Update.  That's 150 cards to track down.

Gulp!

MK

The Fall Classic

Forty-five years ago, the "Miracle" New York Mets, in just their seventh year of existence, shocked the sports world when they defeated the heavily-favored Baltimore Orioles to take the 1969 World Series.

Now, I might be biased, but I don't think a more amazing feat has been or will ever be accomplished in the realm of sport.  The story would have been miraculous enough had the Mets, previously a lovable doormat, just captured the pennant or won their division.  But, in an era where there was no free agency or big television contracts, New York's expansion baseball club defied logic and trounced the odds by taking the whole shootin' match.

And, of course, the 2014 Fall Classic blasts off tonight with another rags-to-riches story perhaps taking center stage from the team in the opposite dugout, which aims to win its third title in five years.  No, Kansas City isn't quite the story the Mets were in '69, but the Royals and their fans certainly endured a lot over the 29 years it took 'em to get back to the Series.  For the Giants, meanwhile, October has become old hat; business as usual.

Should be a fun ride over the next week or two.  I'll be pulling for the underdog Royals, but my head tells me the Giants will win it in six.  Regardless of the outcome, I think we're all in for a treat.

The gorgeous UD Masterpieces card up top was one of the cards that recently came my way in PWE form from my buddy Nick of Dime Boxes fame.  A perfectly appropriate card for the occasion, and one that nestles wonderfully into my ever-growing Mets collection.

Lots of other goodies included in Nick's PWE surprise.

There were more Mets, of course...

Some fine additions to my player collections, as well...

How about a couple of cards for my Gabe Kapler collection...

I LOVE the faux-Wheaties insert from Skybox Thunder.  Never seen this insert set before!

Finally, an epic addition for the Horizontal Heroes frankenset.

As a matter of fact, I think I sent a copy of this very card to Nick last year, prior to dreaming up such a mish-mash project.  I'm extremely happy to now have a copy of my own...again!  It's gotta be one of the most unique and downright brilliant horizontal cards ever conceived!

Nick, as always you kicked major booty with your selections.  All are fantastic!

Enjoy the Series, everyone!

MK

Buffalo Football Gameday, 2014: Week 7

Last Sunday, for the one-billionth time in the past 15 seasons, the Buffalo Bills (3-3) were emasculated by Tom Brady the New England Patriots.  I'm so sick and tired of watching it happen, I've exhausted myself of words to properly express it.

So, as a penalty for their shortcomings, I've chosen to post a card from today's opponent--the Minnesota Vikings (2-4)--for today's gameday post.  The Bills and Vikings square off at Ralph Wilson Stadium this afternoon at 1 p.m.  Buffalo are 5.5-point favorites over their NFC North visitors.

No, the great Fran Tarkenton won't be at the helm for the Vikes today (thank God!), but given their inconsistent level of play this season, the Bills can't afford to take any opponent lightly.  That being said, Buffalo ought to handle business today and get above the .500 mark.  After all, Minnesota will start a rookie at QB and has managed just 13 total points over the past two weeks of play.

As an aside, the only thing as good as vintage baseball cards is vintage football!  For the most part, Topps has scored touchdowns with their football card designs over the years.  This one, from 1978, isn't necessarily a press-stopper, but it's colorful and basic without being overly drab.  And that's even with Topps having to airbrush the the helmet logos off the photos.  See, Panini, it can be done!

So that's that for today.  I'm not going to go overboard with analysis or prognostication for today's game.  All I want to see is the Bills go out and dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and win a game that they sorely need.

Is that too much to ask?

Go Bills!

MK