A Much Needed Trade with Reader Dan

I hadn't made a trade in a long time...a really long time (part of that has to do with the fact that I lost every one's addresses when my computer crashed...shoot me an email with your mailing address when you get the time). So it was nice to come home the other day and find that familiar manila envelope of goodness. Dan (of an unknown blog?) contacted me about some of my needs for 2008 UD Masterpieces and sent them my way along with some Griffey and Mariners goodies. Here's the stuff:

2008 UD Masterpieces Cal Ripken Jr. SP: These are gorgeous cards and I am excited to be nearing completion on the set. I still need the following cards ( ) so contact me if you have them and I would love to work out a deal.

2007 Sweetspot Felix Hernandez #570/850: I'm always happy to add a card of one of the best young pitchers in baseball, even if Felix has been a bit inconsistent in the early going of 2010. Thankfully the rest of the team has been picking up the slack with their stellar play.

2008 UD Masterpieces Kenji Johjima Jersey: How bad are the Mariners' catchers this year? Bad enough that I wish we had Kenji Johjima back. On a positive note, I love the design of these cards. Can someone please bring Masterpieces back?

Thanks again for the cards Dan! I'll make sure to send some your way as soon as the Mariners can reel off a two-game winning streak.

Christmas Comes Early: Upper Deck's Unexpected Generosity (Jerseys! Jerseys! Jerseys!)

As some of you may recall, Upper Deck and the Beckett Blog recently put on a contest to find the face of 2010 SPX Baseball. I entered the promotion and didn't give it a second thought before later discovering that I was one of five finalists for the prize. Unfortunately, I didn't end up winning (a face only a mother could love probably did me in) but Upper Deck was kind enough to send me some cards as consolation prizes (they also sent a retail box of Icons which I will break later). I was really impressed by there generosity and would like to thank Chris Carlin in particular for his excellent communication throughout the process. Without further ado, here's what UD send my way:

2008 Upper Deck Kenji Johjima Game Jersey: I love these throwback jersey cards, this particular one featuring the 2000 Upper Deck design. While Kenji is long gone, he won't soon be forgotten (oh wait, he already has).

2008 Sweetspot Felix Hernandez/Justin Verlander Jerseys: A dual jersey of two of the best young right-handers in baseball, this card has a simple, elegant design that I find quite appealing.

2008 Upper Deck Felix Hernandez Game Jersey: Another cool throwback, this one modeled off the 1998 Upper Deck design. My Felix jersey cupboard was nearly bare before UD sent all these my way; he's probably my second favorite Mariner behind Junior.

2007 Ultimate Collection Felix Hernandez Jersey #75/75: The gem of all the Felix jerseys that UD sent, this beauty has an excellent design, and even though it doesn't mean anything to most collectors, the fact that it is the last serially numbered copy is cool in my book.

2008 Sweet Spot Bobby Richardson Auto #158/250: Admittedly this card seems out of place amidst all the Mariners but I mentioned to Chris how much I like Sweet Spot autos and he was thoughtful enough to include this card in the package. I'm not a Yankees fan, but Richardson was from a different era of the Bronx Bombers, and despite being a poor hitter had a successful career that included 5 Gold Gloves, a World Series MVP award and a place in history as the man who snagged Willy McCovey's screaming line drive to end the 1962 Fall Classic against the Giants.

2005 Ultimate Collection Ken Griffey Jr/Miguel Cabrera Dual Jersey #14/15: SHAMWOW! I was utterly flabbergasted when I saw this card, a dual jersey featuring my favorite player, a skinny Cabrera, and numbered to only 15! This is easily one of the best Griffeys in my collection and a wonderful surprise.

Thanks again Upper Deck. These cards certainly helped ease the sting of a bitter defeat. I will highlight what I pulled from the Icons box in the next few days. Merry Christmas!

Give a Hoot: Trade with Night Owl

What can you say about Greg from Night Owl Cards that hasn't already been said? The man is omnipresent in the baseball card blogosphere, a larger than life figure who transcends collecting yet still interacts with mere mortals such as myself. The driving force behind the creation of this very blog, the humble Night Owl refuses too take any credit (who can blame him, have you seen my grammar?) for his influence in the baseball card world, but has been behind every major innovation since the 1980's (the game-used jersey? His idea. Topps Ticket to Stardom? Not his idea). Anyway, Greg took a break from balancing the Earth on his shoulders, and sent me some Mariners, Griffeys and miscellaneous other cards I collect. He mentioned that a recent box of his contained a couple of hits I would enjoy, and as soon as I saw an envelope in the mailbox with a NY address I knew something good was in store. Check it out!

1992 Pinnacle Shades Jay Buhner: A cool subset of one of the coolest Mariners ever, this card really makes me miss the 1990's. What would have made this card absolutely bananas is if the picture of him in the sunglasses, would have been the picture of him in sunglasses. It hurts me to even think about it. Can anyone explain the process to me? Time travel?

2007 Bowman's Best Ichiro Suzuki: If I held a contest to see which one of my base cards was the thickest, this card would win, and it wouldn't even be close. A shiny Ichiro is always appreciated, especially from a product that I have never opened.

1978 Topps Mariners Team Card: Greg sent me a bunch of '78 Topps M's, and I am sad to say that I didn't recognize any of the players (although I did enjoy a hearty laugh at the expense of Dick Pole). This card however, features the unmistakeable Kingdome in the background. I went to quite a few games there when I was a kid and was really sad to see it go, a lot of good memories in that building (see: 1995 Mariners).

2008 UD Masterpieces Kenji Johjima Jersey: This is the first of the hits from Greg's box that was actually destined for me. UD Masterpieces are absolutely beautiful cards, and it would be tough to find a better designed relic than this one. Sadly, Kenji took off for Japan after four years in the States (I'm not so sure he wasn't forced back) during which he had mixed results with the Mariners. He looks like a turtle, but I liked him anyway.

2008 UD Masterpieces Ken Griffey Jr. Brown Border #27/100: Wow! This is easily my favorite card from the trade, a sweet numbered parallel of Junior with a great painting of the sweetest swing in the sport. I really wish UD would bring back Masterpieces, it was one of my favorite sets of the past few years.

Thanks for the tremendous trade Greg! Sorry you ended up with my box, but thanks for sharing the M's goodness with me. Expect some Dodgers in the mail soon!