“O” No!!! Another Lame Trade Post Title

Ryan from “O” No!!! Another Orioles Blog sent me an email to bounce a trade off me, which I was more than happy to entertain. While I was piecing together some of the cards on his wantlists, his package arrived here with a slew of Twins. The lion’s share were Bowman singles from several years (I’ve said it before: I don’t entirely get Bowman), as well as various other brands. Time to hit my LCS for some more wantlist items, it appears.

clockwise, from top left: 1997 Bowman Best Preview Atomic Refractor #BBP-13 Todd Walker; 2011 Topps Heritage Black Border #C74 Joe Mauer; 2009 Bowman Orange #125 Carlos Gomez [016/250]; 2000 Bowman Chrome Retro/Future #131 Corey Koskie; 2006 Upper Deck #279 Lew Ford; 1999 Fleer Sports Illustrated #25 Paul Molitor

Interestingly, I received the non-Atomic Refractorized Todd Walker preview card just last week. Did you leave this card in your window for a few years, Ryan? Todd looks a little washed out. Thankfully I had this waldo on site so as to avoid the radiation.

Thanks, Ryan — your return package is being built even as we speak.

Advertisement

In Memoriam Friday Random 10

It’s been just over three years since I lost good friend and co-worker Steve to skin cancer, and I thought it appropriate to dedicate this Friday’s random 10 to his memory, and include some tracks which he introduced to me.

Steve and I had a whole lot of overlapping interests, including prog rock.  Growing up in St. Louis, he was introduced to several bands that I hadn’t had as much access to in my past, and we had a nice CD exchange program going for a while.

1. “Remember the Future, Part 1” – Nektar, Remember the Future
2. “Sylvia” – Focus, Focus 3
3. “Illusions on a Double Dimple, Part 1” – Triumvirat, Illusions on a Double Dimple
4. “13/8” – Gong, The History & Mystery of Gong
5. “Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)“, Robyn Hitchcock, I Wanna Go Backwards
6. “Focus II” – Focus – Moving Waves
7. “Super Strut” – Deodato, Deodato 2
8. “Lady in the Lake” – Starcastle, Starcastle
9. “Who We Are” – Camel, I Can See Your House from Here
10. “Spartacus” – Triumvirat, Spartacus

Please, do periodic skin self-evaluations, for those you love.  We miss you, Steve.

A Cool Card Swap

This is starting to get old: for the fifth time this season, I was listening to the Twins game on Father’s Day and sent the first correct answer email for the Twins radio trivia question. This question was, “Which Twin holds the team record for runs in a season, and how many?” Answer: Chuck Knoblauch – 140

——————–

Another SportsCardFun.com-based trade: COOLBRUCE specializes in chrome cards, but had several other Twins cards to swap for some s#’d Yankees, Red Sox, and Braves. Bruce was very accommodating during a few adjustments to our trade; here are some of the featured Twins cards I received among all the Bowman chrome, some ’90s cards (always glad to cross those off the wantlists), etc.:

clockwise, from top left: 2008 Update All-Star Stitches #AS-JN Joe Nathan (jersey); 2009 SP^x Game Patch Autograph #GJA-BF Boof Bonser [02/23] (patch/auto); 2002 Donruss Select Rookies & Prospects #64 Luis Rivas (auto); 1995 Score Hall of Gold #HG11 Kirby Puckett; 2008 Upper Deck SP Authentic Rookie Exclusives #RE-NB Nick Blackburn; 2003 Fleer Flair Future Fame #91 Lew Ford [08/25]

Thanks for the cool trade, Bruce!

NCIS: Grand Prairie, TX [1995 Pinnacle]

Before we get started: I was listening to the Twins game last night, and I made sure I had Baseball-Reference queued up for when the 4^th inning rolled around. I fired off an email with the answer to the Twins radio trivia question, and later heard my name announced as the winning answer — fourth time this season. Question? “On this date in 2005 against the Padres, which Twins player got his first major league RBI?” Answer: Glenn Williams

——————–
Stumbled over this card while going through a binder today, and considered it a prime prospect for another NCIS challenge:

1995 Score Pinnacle Artist Proof #91 Chuck Knoblauch

What can we uncover regarding the play on the front of this card?

My initial examination revealed:
1) Twins second baseman Chuck Knoblauch, and Detroit baserunner Lou Whitaker
2) it’s a day game and outside; must be at Detroit
3) initially looked like a stolen base attempt, but Lou is not someone who would be stealing, particularly in the second-to-last season of his career. We’re probably looking at an erroneous throw from the left side of the infield.

I challenged the regulars at WGOM with this one, and again they didn’t let me down. Here are their findings:
– the patch on Whitaker’s sleeve confirms that this play was from 1994
– Whitaker had no stolen base attempts against the Twins in 1994
– the only candidate for this play occurred in the bottom of the 7^th inning of this game on June 5^th, 1994.

Whitaker singled to lead off the inning. On a 1-1 count, Travis Fryman hit a ball between short and third; the throw to second was off the mark and Knobby had to leap for it — either a tough play or a generous offical scorekeeper, as it was ruled a single. Must have fired Knoblauch up though, as he hit his second homer of the game in the Twins’ half of the 8^th, the go-ahead and last of the Twins’ three runs. Interestingly, the first six runs scored in this game were all on solo home runs, but in the bottom half of the 8^th the Tigers took back the game for good. Carl Willis didn’t do Scott Erickson any favors in this one.

Friday Random 10

WMP set on shuffle — some more new additions…

1. “Where is My Love?” – Blackfield, Blackfield
2. “My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)” – Chilliwack, Wanna Be a Star
3. “Thoughts (Part II)” – Spock’s Beard, V
4. “Hot Fun” – Stanley Clarke, School Days
5. “Darktown Riot” – Steve Hackett, Darktown
6. “Chilean Pipe Song” – Stanley Clarke/Al DiMeola/Jean-Luc Ponty, The Rite of Strings
7. “Crowing” – Toad the Wet Sprocket, Super Hits
8. “Strange Dreams” – Frank Marino, Juggernaut
9. “He’s Gone Away” – Charley Hayden/Pat Metheny, Beyond the Missouri Sky
10. “…Remember” – Stuart Hamm, Outbound

I Get By (With A Little Help From My Friends) — Part 2

Three-way trades? How blasé. All the hipster card traders are dabbling in four-way trades now. Pretty successfully, too.

In the midst of some other trades, I got an email from Tony of Ike’s Cards asking about a trade. A (more-or-less) local trader to me — cool! The father-son trading duo had several Twins cards I needed, including a Thome relic and a Gassner auto card; problem is, Tony collects Cardinals cards, and Ike collects Markakis cards (among other PCs), and I was lacking inventory in both areas. Time to hit the rolodex.

I Get By (With A Little Help From My Friends) — Part 1

Back during my eBay experiment, I purchased a two-card lot of jersey cards, one of them being a 2003 Upper Deck Game Face Gear #GG-PW Preston Wilson jersey card, like this one. I already had a couple cards saved for hiflew at Cards from the Quarry, so I asked if he was interested in it. He was, but didn’t have a comparable Twins card to trade back, so we sat on it. But not for long.

Daily Dimwit turns out had a 2007 Masterpieces auto of Glen Perkins that he’d picked up off eBay…FROM THE SAME LOT I HAD BEEN BIDDING ON AGAINST HIM. Yeah, we shared a laugh about that one. Well, turns out Double D had already tapped out any Astros cards I had to trade to him, but on a whim, I asked hiflew for a favor. Yeah, he was already thinking to trade with Dimwit, so…you guessed it, another three-way trade.

DD also threw in a novel minor league card; I don’t actively collect minor league Twins, but I don’t turn them down, either.

1988 ProCards #1384 Steven Stowell; 2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces Stroke of Genius #SG-GP Glen Perkins (auto)

With the right traders, these kind of trades end up being a snap. Thanks for playing along, guys! (and you can tell by the post title, there’s another of these to report coming up, too)

Couple O’ Shiny Autos

Once more, a trade that originated at SportsCardFun.com: I noted that ED HENDERS had several GU and auto Twins for trade; for a bunch of Bonds cards that his grandson needed, he dealt to me the following:

2005 Donruss Signature Series Silver #66 Lew Ford (auto); 2004 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia Signature Spectrum Silver #121 J.D. Durbin [073/250] (auto)

That’ll work — thanks!