When I first heard those words, "Infield Fly! Batter's out." I was very confused. I was in little league. I didn't understand that someone could hit a pop fly and automatically be out, regardless of whether or not the fielder caught it. I mean, it's little league. Kids drop pop flies. I still remember driving home from the ballpark that day with my dad trying to explain it to me.
Come to think of it, I remember him explaining offsides in soccer on the way home from a game as well. Funny, the things you remember.
Anyhow, I made my first card swap with Adam K over at
Infield Fly Rule. He sent me a massive amount of Yanks, which was very generous since he doesn't mind the evil pinstriped guys. However, the Rockies are his #1.
Here's a photo of what he sent. He clearly was not joking around! That's a flat rate box.
The assortment of great cards was seemingly endless, but I particularly liked the 1990s cards. It felt like a trip down memory lane checking out these cards again and seeing things I have never noticed. For example, check out the faces on Boggs and Mattingly. Hilarious!
I also really like the backs of these cards because of the holofoil-type logos. I was 9 when this set came out, so to have something so shiny on the back of the card made it feel very special. But also, check out the background. Wow. A harrowing image of the Twin Towers. In fact, several of the Yankees had different backgrounds, such as the Statue of Liberty for Mattingly. I never realized that until examining these cards from Adam.
Speaking of Mattingly, I love this 1994 Topps Gold. I swear! In 1993 and '94, I actively collected Topps. My mom would always grab me a pack at the grocery store or at CVS. I remember keeping my stack, in numerical order, on the stairs in my house. That was the closest I ever came to set collecting. And you know what? It was a BIG DEAL when you pulled a Topps Gold (one per pack) of a star. I remember getting Frank Thomas in 1993 and immediately called my best friend to tell him. I know we shrug at parallels now, but for a 9 or 10 year old in the early '90s, Topps Gold was really special.
Prior to receiving this card, I had never seen it. Turns out, it was from 1997 Topps, and featured 22 players voted on by Topps employees. Imagine the outrage today if a set like this came out. Lifetime Topps Project did a nice post on these cards earlier this week:
click here. Anyhow, it's a pretty card with the fireworks, and I love coming across new cards from so long ago.
This Upper Deck Jeter is nice. The set is fairly forgettable, but the photos are pretty good. The full out, head first slide is cool. I wish the logo wasn't blocking his hands, but it's just a neat shot and not seen much on cardboard.
Lastly, I'll show off this Robert Refsnyder card. Before Stephen Drew was brought back, Refsnyder had a chance to win the 2B job out of spring training. He should definitively see some MLB time this year, but still needs a little minor league seasoning. His bat is his best tool and is close to ready, but his D needs a little work. He's a converted OFer learning 2B. Still, I think he's going to be a very solid regular, and Drew's one year deal shouldn't hold him up if he's ready.
There was a TON more good stuff. Adam, thanks so much, my friend.
