I collected baseball cards from the late '80s through 2002. Then I went to college and when I came out, I was lost. There were too many brands, sets, choices, relics, autos, parallels, variations. It was a turn off. However, I slowly made my way back.
So here is my attempt to venture back into the hobby. I'll buy a few packs of cards here and there, comment on some cards I have, send out some TTMs, and follow the progress of my Topps Yankees Project.
One of the greatest trades in Yankees history occurred on June 29, 2000. Instead of waiting for the trade deadline, Brian Cashman struck early. He sent Ricky Ledee, Zach Day, and Jake Westbrook to the Cleveland Indians for David Justice. I remember hearing about the trade on the Yankees pregame show because no Twitter, and hearing Ken Singleton say, "Wow, I didn't realize he already had 21 HRs on the season."
Justice would go on to hit 20 more HRs for the Yankees, finishing the season with a career-high 41. He was a true force in the lineup, and went on to win ALCS MVP for two massive HRs that he hit in the series, notably the 3-run shot he hit in Game 6 versus Seattle:
It didn't take long for Justice to become a part of Yankees lore, and for that, I've always enjoy picking up new Justice cards. One of the first game-used bat sets, and in my mind, one of the finest, was
2001 Upper Deck SP Game Bat Edition Piece of the Game. It was probably the first game-used Tino bat card I owned, and I'm pretty sure I paid about $25 for it at the time. Oof.
However, I recently discovered Justice was part of that set, so I figured I'd snag it on COMC for a few bucks. I'm glad I did!
The Yankees have a great checklist in this set - Tino, Justice, O'Neill, Bernie, and Canseco. I believe I only need the O'Neill from that group. I'm on it!
I have a few bucks in my COMC account from cards I've flipped on there. Isn't from the Jeter fund since I won't get the Jeter on that site and I won't cash out because of 20% fee.
I'm calling for a David Justice and Aaron Judge dual card soon.
ReplyDeleteSidenote, it's a cool card and all but aren't these the kinds of cards you said you'd lay off on to save up for a Jeter auto?
I have a few bucks in my COMC account from cards I've flipped on there. Isn't from the Jeter fund since I won't get the Jeter on that site and I won't cash out because of 20% fee.
DeleteAh, gotcha. Smart :).
DeleteJustice will always be the Brave that halted the Pirates from getting to the World Series in 1992. Very cool card btw
ReplyDeleteNot a big fan of seeing Justice in Yankee Pinstripes... but he did have one heck of career.
ReplyDeleteI have an extra O'Neil. My wants are here sites.google.com/site/paulie3jobscards
ReplyDelete