BLOG BAT A ROUND : red cards for Red Schoendienst

Collecting Cutch started a Blog Bat Around to show off some red cards in honor of the late Red Schoendienst.

I certainly have to start by showing this card, which actually isn't mine. The generous Ryan of Ryan's Pitch sent this to me for my son's HOF collection, and there it still resides:

 

 

In terms of other "red" cards, I do not have any more of the subject at hand, but do have quite a few Cardinals cards in my collection of this guy:

 And of course you can't forget about the RED, white, and blue:

Or the RED ink autograph...

 Or the guy with RED hair...

RIP, Red! Hope you're able to ball on a cornfield somewhere out there.

Something shiny from Ryan's Pitch

I mentioned it previously, but I have a folder of scanned cards that I'm months overdue in terms of sharing. While its nice to have some show-and-tell fodder for the blog, I do feel bad that I haven't been more proactive in posting it.

One of my good buddies in this hobby is Ryan L. of Ryan's Pitch. Him and I may not trade (aka send packages back and forth) terribly often, but the ones we do are always meaningful. Ryan always sends a thoughful note as well. He is truly one of the good guys out there.

While he sent a few cards, my favorite is easily this Tino Martinez card:

 

It's a dark scan, but the card is super vibrant from 1998 Pinnacle Plus.  It really is a pretty card. This was one of the years that Pinnacle put out 250 different sets. It also makes me realize that card technology has really stalled out in the past 15-20 years. If I told you I pulled this card from Topps yesterday, it wouldn't seem far-fetched. I suppose that's the problem with a monoply. There is a lakc of innovation. Topps just recycles old ideas.

Speaking of recycling, here are two new Rizzutos, both sporting the same photo:

 

Ryan, thank you much my friend. I hope all is well!

I don't even needs cards from this guy

Ryan of Ryan's Pitch has become a good friend of mine. We send each other PWEs a few times per year, and we chat baseball and cards on Twitter.

Ryan always includes a really thoughtful, hand-written note when he sends cards. His handwriting is so spectacular that he could honestly not even send cards, and I'd still be happy I got mail from him. Trust me, it's that good. He must've gotten an "A" on every test/essay in college in those little blue essay books, because his beautiful script would make any answer look correct.

However, because he is the man, he also sent me two sweet cards!

I thought I had this Tino when I first saw it, but then I flipped it over and saw that it was a promo card for Topps Gallery Auctions. Does anyone remember these? I sure as heck don't. I love oddballs like this.

Ryan also sent a great Andy Pettitte minor league card. I have no idea what Pettitte is doing here. Pitch chart? Scouting report? Line up card? Lunch order?

Ryan, thanks again my friend.

Beat-up vintage - the only way I know

The only way I really know vintage is in beat-up condition. There are a few exceptions, but the vast majority of my vintage collection are cards that are in shambles. And do you know what? I love it that way. How else would I be able to afford such oldie buy goodies?

Here's another example of that. For less than $2, I grabbed this 1953 Topps Tom Morgan. 1953 Topps is unofficially my favorite set, and my ultimate goal one day would be to put together the team set. Yes, I'm aware Mantle is in it.

Morgan pitched five seasons for the Yanks in the '50s, winning two World Series with the club. My buddy Ryan from Ryan's Pitch told me that Morgan once hit three batters in an inning in 1954...against the Red Sox. Tom Morgan, you're ok in my book. Forever.

PWE Tino from Ryan's Pitch

I returned home from jury duty on Monday and had a PWE from my buddy Ryan over at Ryan's Pitch. He recently said he had a Tino for me, and he wasn't lying. He found a 1996 Finest Tino Refractor that I didn't have!

Boom! What a beaut.

That is my 55th different Tino from 1996, and my 645th overall. My goal of 650 different Tinos by the end of the year is looking good!

Ryan, thanks bud! Now, the only question is...to peel or not to peel?

New to my eyes

Even if I'm still missing hundreds of Tino cards, it's rare that I see one I've never seen. Of the ones I don't have, many are parallels or high-end cards I've seen on eBay. It's not often when one pops up that I haven't seen.

Ryan over at Ryan's Pitch shot me a PWE this past week, and in it was a single card. Not just any single card. A Tino I don't recall ever seeing!

This card is from the 1999/2000 Topps MVP Promotion. Apparently Topps had a promotion where they named an MVP each week during the '99 season, and you could exchange the parallel (if you had it) for a special set. I believe that this card is from the redemption set.

It highlights Tino's big week of June 27th, 1999. He was 13 for 26 with 3 HRs and 11 RBIs, as the Yanks went 6-0 in Tampa and Baltimore. Not a bad week at all, and easy to see why he was the Topps MVP for that week.

Ryan, my man, thank you for thinking of me. This was a true surprise.

Pineda collection firing on all cylinders

In a little over a week, I should finally see Michael Pineda throw his first official pitch as a Yankee, about two and half years after acquiring him. He's looked good this spring. His fastball isn't the high 90s heater it was in Seattle, but after serious shoulder surgery, that's understandable.

However, he is sitting in the low 90s with great breaking pitches. His control is as advertised. Being as big as he is, living at 92 can be very effective since the ball gets on hitters quickly. I just want him to stay healthy, and if he does, he'll contribute.

If he gets off to a quick start, I anticipate his cards shooting up in value a bit, which will be annoying for me. I think I've done a good job of acquiring Pinedas while he was acting more like Pavano. If he has a good April, I'm going to have a lot more competition, which is ok. I have over 50 unique Pinedas now, and am always looking for ones I need.

This gem here is from our buddy Ryan LaMonica over at Ryan's Pitch. It's a sweet Topps Finest insert called "Finest Freshmen". Big Mike is taking the unconventional route by taking two years off before his sophomore season. That just means he's well-rested, right?

Ryan also sent a great hand-written note. The guy is definitely one of the most thoughtful bloggers out there. Ryan, thanks for the addition!

Joey's first 1952 Topps HOFer

No collection is complete without a 1952 Topps card. While many may like other sets from the 50's a bit more (I'm personally a 1953 and 1956 guy), 1952 changed the game. The checklist and design are as historic as they come. I've only got a few 1952 Topps cards of Yankees, and they are beat up old commons.

Well, my two-year-old son's 1952 collection now trumps mine. It doesn't in quantity, but does in quality. That's because Ryan from Ryan's Pitch blew me away with a package out of the blue for my son's HOF binder:

 

Yep, that is a 1952 Topps Red Schoendienst. Are you kidding me, Ryan?? My goodness. What an addition for my son's HOF binder that he has no clue exists. All things considered, the condition of this card is great. A slight crease in the upper right and along the right side, but one of the better 1952's I've seen.

Red was inducted into the HOF in 1989 by the Veteran's committee. He was a 10-time All Star and a member of two World Series championship teams. He also managed the Cards to another WS title in 1967. To his credit, he still stays around the game today even though he is 90.

Ryan, thank you so much for this gem. As tempting as it is to tuck it away in my collection, rest assured it's already in Joey's binder.

LaMonica LaDelivers

I consider Ryan LaMonica of Ryan's Pitch one of my good buddies around here. We check in from time to time on the Yanks, our kids, the bobby, etc. He’s certainly a lot more palatable than Napkin Doon. I sent Ryan one stinkin’ Anthony Rizzo card, and he goes all bubble mailer on me and sent me some great cards. On a side note, his handwriting is spectacular. He included a note, and the penmanship was simply top notch. I felt like I was holding an official document from the 1700’s. It was that good.

First off, a bunch of 4x6 (I think) photos of some Yankee greats. The back of each had a photo of another player. I have no idea what set or issue these are front, but they are very cool.

Love the GQ’s, especially the Pineda. Can’t wait to see that beast in the Bronx.

Ryan also sent me a 2013 Archives Yankees team set, which saves me a bunch of time from having to put one together on my own.

Lastly, Ryan showed off this Zoilo Almonte the other day. I foolishly made a comment that I used to have that card until Zoilo didn’t return my TTM, so of course it shows it up a PWE from Ryan. What a guy!

Ryan, thanks again bud.