Play at the Plate's One Trade to Rule Them All

Recently I had the privilege of opening the greatest trade package in the history of First Day Issue. Brian, from the outstanding Play at the Plate, send me an amazing collection of cards in return for a couple of Rangers and catchers that I sent to Texas. I am constantly amazed by the generosity of everyone in the blogosphere and this trade really went above and beyond the call of duty. Here's a smattering of my favorite cards from Brian:

2000 Skybox Metal Ken Griffey Jr. Hit Machines: It doesn't get any better than a Griffey that's shiny and diecut. I am nearing 400 unique Juniors on my Zistle page, but there are plenty of missing ones that I still need to upload. Why did diecuts disappear, I loved these!

2001 Topps Ichiro Suzuki RC: Ichiro! This is only the second Ichiro rookie in my collection (the other is the Fleer Fanfest card) and a most welcome addition. I like the design of 2001 Topps, simple yet elegant with plenty of room for the photos.

2000 UD Century Legends Eddie George Parallel #97/100: Despite the fact that I have never been within a 1,000 miles of the state of Tennessee I am a loyal Titans fan for reasons I can't explain. Brian was kind enough to send some my way, including this sweet diecut of workhorse Eddie George, who announcers liked to call "a throwback".

1999 Donruss Steve McNair X-Ponential Power #194/2500: If you thought the last diecut was cool take a look at this! A sweet card of one of my favorite players of all-time, this insert reminds me of a beautiful and delicate dragonfly wing. It's incredibly thin and made out of some sort of plastic. Awesome.

1999 SP Signature Edition David Segui Auto: Before you laugh, don't forget that Segui did receive one vote for the Hall-of-Fame this year (probably from someone who didn't vote for Alomar). These on-card autographs are really sharp and Segui has an intricate if illegible auto. He spent two years in Seattle, compiling an even .300 average in 867 AB's (but hit only 28 HR's).

2001 Upper Deck MVP Kerry Wood/Rick Ankiel Dual Bat Card: I've always thought that game-used bat cards of pitchers are cool because, well, how often does a pitcher even use a bat? Few used one as well as Ankiel, which sure helped in his transition to the outfield. I hope he signs with a team I like, because I've always rooted for Ankiel.

2000 Topps Stars Rick Ankiel Auto: Schwing! A well designed on-card auto of my favorite pitcher turned hitter, this was my second favorite card of the trade (just behind the one listed below). I think I am drawn to Ankiel because his story parallels that of Roy Hobbes from The Natural, except with uncontrolled wildness instead of a gunshot wound.

2001 UD Gold Glove Ichiro/John Olerud Game-Used Ball: My jaw literally dropped when I saw this card. It contains a piece of game-used baseball from a Mariners game during the teams historic 2001 season in which they won 116 games (but of course, not the World Series). It's a nice swatch of ball that shows game use and a couple of stitches, and it's also technically an Ichiro rookie card. A winner all around and a card I will hold onto for a long time.

Thanks for everything Brian! I will do my best to match this amazing trade package. Expect to find some Rangers in the mail soon. Good luck Cowboys!