Vintage from a PWE Professional

There are a lot of PWE professionals out there. I'm not sure who sends the best ones, but if there was a competition, Mark Hoyle would be tough to beat. His PWEs are always very thoughtful, and more often than not, contain some great vintage.

Case in point:

I'm nearly certain that is the last Munson Topps card I needed. I have to go check to be sure, but I think that is the case. I love it. Just a great card from a great set.

Oh, and there was more!

I mean, that is a lot of '72s. I need to know complete this team set. And I will.

And here are a few more goodies. I love that Nettles.

 

Mark, thank you so much!

Tino Magazine from P-Town

A few weeks back, I got a larger-than-usual envelope from P-Town Tom. I opened it up and found this amazing gem:

A Yankees Magazine from February, 1996 featuring Tino! This was an issue right after he was traded to the Yankees. It's funny, when the Yanks got Tino, Mattingly wasn't retired yet, although everyone knew it was a matter of time. I forgot that, but remembered once I read about the trade in the magazine.

Anyhow, Tom found this at a card show and was kind enough to think of me. I love it that so many people think of me when they come across a Tino card or item. Means a lot.

I read this magazine from start to finish. It was a lot better product then than it is now. I loved the minor league updates, and there was even a section called "Card Corner." Alliteration!

Tom also sent me a Pineda, and a few HOFers for Joey's binder.

 

Thanks again, Tom!

Doing Yard Work in December

I still search Listia once in awhile. I'm not on there  alot, but every so often I'll log on via my phone app and do a quick search, mostly for my PC guys.

If Tino shows up, usually it's for a 1990 Upper Deck or some other card I have a bunch of. However, this beauty showed up as part of a two card lot, and I had to pounce:

That's a 1998 Pinnacle Yard Work insert. Not sure how this one escaped me growing up, as I feel like I hoarded Tino inserts back then. He was fresh off of his 44-HR season, so it was really special to see my favorite player popping up in insert sets.

The second card of this lot is one I had, but it's still nice - a serially numbered (to 1750) 1998 Upper Deck SPx card. Not a bad dupe to add.

Zippy Zappy, you scared me.

Zippy Zappy over at Torren Up Cards scared me last week. The Zapster is one of the most generous guys out there, and I was worried we lost another one. Luckily, he was just messing around, and was referring to his string of consecutive weeks with a TTM return coming to end. But lo and behold, he got back in the W column this past week.

Well, I don’t want to contribute to him shutting down his blog (he’s not!), so just to be safe, here are some cards he sent me AGES ago that have been sitting in my scanned folder. I am really bad at posting mega packages, so to guys like Zippy Zappy and JBF, my apologies. They just kind of daunt me even though I LOVE receiving them.

First, Kenny always sends me some cool SI Yankees stuff – whether it’s newspapers or pocket schedules – and this magnetic schedule is awesome. I envy Kenny for his dedication to the SI Yanks. I would love to frequent their games, but just can’t with my little rug rats, plus they play a lot of day games.

Here’s a Bowman RC auto of Eric Jagielo, one of the Yanks first round picks in 2013. I sent Kenny a Jagielo he didn’t have, and he returns the favor with an auto. Hardly seems fair.

Sean Henn! This guy must’ve autographed thousands of cards for card companies. I feel like I have more Henn autos than any player out there.

Here’s an auto of 2015 Yankees starting shortstop Brendan Ryan.

Shiny Dellin! Oh nelly these are nice cards of the 2105 Yankees closer.

I say “2015 Yankees closer” because this guy may be ready to walk. I don’t blame the Yanks. I do want Robertson back, and quite badly, but if he’s commanding the deal he’s looking for, I’d say let him go. It’s not a loyalty thing, I really like him and he’s homegrown and has been great over the past four or five season. It’s just that those resources can be better spent elsewhere. Is Betances ready for the 9^th? I’m not sure. It’s not quite fair to use the Rivera/Wetteland example, but I’m also not going to freak out if the Yanks go into spring training with Betances or Andrew Miller as the closer. Could be a lot worse. Also, the card design on this D-Rob looks like one of those ugly graphic tee’s the players wear.

Two Rizzutos I needed!

And two Pinedas I needed!

Tyler Wade. Remember the name.

And last but not least, a Tino that wouldn’t scan well because it’s just that shiny!

 

Thanks again, Kenny! Be on the lookout for something from me.

Happy birthday, Tino!

Tino Martinez, my favorite player of all time, turns 47 today. It's also the 19th anniversary of his trade to New York.

I hope Tino had a great day. 46 was a big year for him - he met me, after all - and I hope year #47 is equally good.

TTM Success: John Ryan Murphy

I haven't sent many TTMs since summer, so I'm always surprised when a a SASE returns home.

In this instance, this was sent back in February during spring training, so this guy got to his mail in the off-season:

Boom! Sweet 2014 Topps auto of Yankees catcher John Ryan "don't call me JR" Murphy. With Francisco Cervelli in Pittsbugh, the Yankees backup catcher role is Murphy's for the taking. Austin Romine may give him a run, but Murphy is the guy with more upside.

Many think this guy is MLB-ready as of right now. He hit .284 in 81 ABs last season in limited time with the Big League club. Plus, he's only 23. I would love to see him go out and win the backup C role in ST, and eventually earn a bit more playing time, especially if Brian McCann keeps trending in the wrong direction.

Jacob Lindgren Auto

How's that for a post title? See, I didn't lie:

Jacob Lindgren was the Yanks first draft pick last year (second round), and was said to be on the fast track to the Majors as a reliever. Many actually predicted him to be the first 2014 draftee to make it to MLB, although that didn't happen. It wasn't Lindgren's fault -- he pitched wonderfully.

I loved this pick for the Yanks. Instead of rolling the dice on a second rounder who might be years away, they took a reliever that is near MLB-ready. Having three first round picks in 2013 really afforded them the opportunity to overlook some of the more "high upside" guys usually taken in the first 100 picks.

I fully expect him to come to spring training with a chance to win a job in the Yanks pen. You can never have enough shutdown lefties, and I have a sneaky feeling he's going to be a very good one for years to come.