Plank you for being a friend

Seriously, how many "walk" and "plank" titles have there been since Bob Walk The Plank became a blog? My guess is 300. And also, each one is worse than the last one. But that won't stop me.

As several bloggers have done, Matt sent me a housewarming gift to my new house. It was a very kind gesture, and the package packed a lot of punch for being just three cards deep.

The first card I saw was the back of this one. Cool, I thought. An old '85 Leaf Phil Neikro. This can go in Joey's binder. However, it was more than that:

Boom. A buyback auto from Leaf hand-numbered to 35. This is my first Niekro auto, and I love it. What a pleasant surprise. I've always like the slant and style of Niekro's auto. Sort of looks like a lefty's signature.

I was on a Niekro knuckleball high, but that evaporated when this dropped out:

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

Roger Maris. Game used. I mean...I just can't.

There is nothing I don't like about this card. Old school jersey swatches are the best. The cream color of the Yankees home jersey is so cool. They should go back to that for a throwback game. But, seriously? A Maris relic? With a prominent pinstripe. This is one of the best cards in my collection, hands down.

The last card is so shiny I think I could put it on my roof to power the new house. It's a very cool low-numbered Mariano Rivera from 2005 Leaf Limited.

Matt, this was a great package. Thank you so much!