Happy Ken Griffey Jr's Jersey Number Day!

In honor of of the incredible accomplishment that is my 24th birthday (I think I'm being sarcastic, but I'm not sure) I proudly present some of my favorite cards of the greatest #24 ever (yes I know he isn't wearing #24 in all of thse cards, deal with it) Mr. Ken Griffey Jr. Feast yo eyes on the following:

There's more, but I'm too lazy to scan them right now. It is my birthday after all. Thanks for looking! Stay tuned for some birthday box breaks coming soon!

My Brother Is a Great Artist: Exhibit B

An Ichiro Mini Masterpiece

Out of the Blue Generosity from Wicked Ortega

I was happily surprised to find a package from Wicked Ortega in the mail the other day. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, he is one of the most generous people in the blogosphere, but it was still unexpected because I haven't sent any cards out in a long time (please read note at bottom of post if you've traded with me before). Here's a look at the great cards he sent me:

1997 Topps Gallery Edgar Martinez: I loved Edgar Martinez and Topps Gallery. Everyone loved Topps Gallery. Not everyone loves Topps Chicle. Your move Topps.

1995 Sportflix Ken Griffey Jr. Detonators: My Griffey collection has grown a bit stagnant so it was nice to get some new cards of the Kid. This was my favorite of the bunch; you can never go wrong with Sportflix and missiles on one card.

1989 Topps Traded Ken Griffey Jr. PSA 9 RC: WOW! I was shocked to see a rookie of Griffey in the package, and a graded rookie just made it that much sweeter. This card is definitely going on my Ken Griffey Jr. mantle above the fire.

2007 Sweetspot Ryan Rowland-Smith Rookie Auto: Despite his early season struggles (then again, who on the Mariners isn't struggling) I'm still a big fan of Aussie Ryan Rowland-Smith. He's a very down to earth guy and he even tweeted at me once, for what it's worth. This rookie auto is a nice addition to my M's collection, even if it is thick as a cinder block (I'm not even joking).

Thanks for the sweet cards Wicked! I'll have some Marlins headed your way soon!

EDITOR'S NOTE: IF I'VE TRADED WITH YOU BEFORE PLEASE EMAIL ME YOUR MAILING ADDRESS SO I CAN START TRADING AGAIN! THANKS AND GODSPEED!

The One Card I Wouldn't Trade for the World

Despite being an ardent Ken Griffey Jr. collector the most prized card in my collection is not one of the Kid; rather it's an autographed card of the greatest shortstop of our (and possibly any) generation--Cal Ripken Jr.

Growing up I played shortstop because of my slight build (I'm gigantic now) and thus aspired to be like baseball's Iron Man. I didn't model my swing after his (though judging from my high school stats, perhaps I should have) but Cal was someone I looked up to for his character on and off the field.

As luck would have it my parents got tickets for our family to watch the Mariners play the Orioles in Cal's final trip to Seattle during the 2001 season. I grabbed the best Ripken card I had at the time, a 2001 Topps Gold Label Gold Parallel #606/999, in hopes that I might grab an autograph of the Iron Man, though I certainly wasn't counting on it.

We got to the stadium early and lined up on the third base line for a chance to get face-to-face with greatness. My little brother and I were pretty far down the line and felt a bit bummed because it seemed like Cal would sign autos for the people closest to the dugout and he might not have time to get to us. But someone upstairs was looking out for me, and Cal started signing autographs about 10 feet up the line from us.

Before I knew it I was looking right into the steely blue eyes of Cal Ripken Jr. and he was autographing my baseball card. My mom said that she could see my face light up from across the stadium, and I believe her, because it was one of the greatest moments of my young life.

I don't remember who won the game that day (probably the M's) but I'll never forget my childhood idol taking the time to sign an autograph for me. Memories are what make collecting baseball cards worthwhile, and there are so many attached to this card that I wouldn't trade it for the world. Seriously.

2010 Seattle Mariners Home Opener

My parents got me tickets to the home opener on Monday and with my new Ken Griffey Jr. jersey in tow (a gift from my wonderful girlfriend) I made the trip over to Seattle to catch the M's first game in the Emerald City. It was my first time at a home opener and was a terrific experience despite the Mariners pedestrian play (just two hits all game). Randy Johnson threw out the first pitch (a strike) and was joined on the field by Seattle legends Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner and Dan Wilson. Here's a few shots from the game:

Ryan-Rowland Smith had a no-hitter through 5 innings

Ichiro!

I thought A Cardboard Problem might enjoy this one

Griffey at the bat

So close to a true American Idol

Andrew Bailey vs. Ken Griffey Jr.

Junior trying to find me in the stands

A Stellar Swap with Sign Here and Here

Chris, from the fun and unique Sign Here and Here blog, recently sent me a giant batch of Mariners and Griffeys in return for some on-card autos and Brewers. The variety of cards was amazing with plenty of refractors, x-fractors, numbered parallels, etc. Here's a handful of my favorites:

2005 Upper Deck Reflections Wladimir Balentien RC #95/99: A cool looking card even if Balentien never quite panned out with the Mariners (although I don't think they gave him a long enough look--they made the same mistake with Shin-Soo Choo) this comes from a set I've never seen in person before--it's pretty snazzy. I hope Balentien gets a shot with the Reds this season.

2006 Topps Finest Felix Hernandez Blue X-Fractor #140/150: Me gusta mucho! This card comes from one of my favorite sets of Finest and features the 2010 AL Cy Young Award Winner. The blue really works well with the Mariners' uniform.

1996 SPX Ken Griffey Jr: Back in the day Upper Deck was really the frontrunner in bringing cutting edge technology to baseball cards. Case in point, 1996 SPX, which had only one card per pack but darn it all it was one cool card. It looks better in person, but it is a little unnerving as Junior's head moves from side to side (though thankfully not all the way around). I'll miss you Upper Deck...I'll miss you.

2006 Flair Showcase Freddy Garcia Showcase Stitches: I was always a fan of the "Chief" during his tenure with the Mariners, including the 2000 season in which he led the AL in ERA. This card features a swatch of his Team Venezuala jersey, which I think is pretty rad. Garcia is slated to be the #5 starter for the White Sox this year, but I'm not sure he's got much left in the tank.

2010 Topps Throwback Parallel Mariners Team Card: In a word: "awesome". I wasn't a huge fan of this year's Topps base set, but I loved the team celebration cards and this is the one I had to have. Can't wait for Opening Day!

Thanks for the great cards Chris and good luck to the Blue Devils!

Felix Inks Five-Year Deal to Stay a Seattle Mariner

Yes, I realize that Felix's deal was finalized over a week ago, but I had to wait (it only took about 14 days) until I received this card to use the word "inks" in the title for this post (I was legally obligated by the MLBPA). I never used the phrase "breaking news" did I?

As a Mariners fan, this is probably the best offseason since we signed Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre (slaps forehead). Another season of Griffey Jr. and Felix staying with the team through 2014--yeah, it's a good time to be an M's fan. Throw in Cliff Lee and Chone Figgins, and heck, Seattle might even be a playoff contender this season.

The card itself is my first King Felix auto and one of my new favorites of the most talented 23-year-old in the game. The card comes from an insert set out of 2005 Topps Gallery titled "Penmanship". Hernandez has one of the best autos in baseball and the blue ink really pops off the card because of the muted colors in the background. The fact that the autograph is on-card just seals the deal for this sweet card. This one's staying with me for a long time (or until he's traded to the Yankees).

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!

Stadium Scenes Part II: Safeco Field

I made a trip over to Seattle to catch the Mariners' final homestand against the Oakland A's and Texas Rangers. The M's took the first game against the A's 4-2, but dropped the next to the Rangers 7-3. I wasn't too worried about the outcomes of the games, I just wanted to catch one last glimpse of Ken Griffey Jr. just in case he doesn't return next season. Here are some of my favorite shots from the games:

Cliff Pennington HR that I caught in BP. My first at an MLB Game!

Ken and I have always had a special connection.

This one's for Night Owl.

Reunited and it feels so good.

The old "Arms Akimbo Club" over at first base.

2009 AL Cy Young winner?? A boy can dream.

It was a real treat to see the Kid on the field one more time and I had great seats just behind the M's dugout. I was literally 10 feet from my childhood idol Griffey, who probably was staring at me because my jaw was on the ground. Funny side note: I bought one pack of 2009 UD A Piece of History at the game and pulled a Ben Stiller shirt swatch from Along Came Polly, anyone interested?

Trade with Baseball Dad from All Tribe Baseball

I recently completed a trade with Baseball Dad from All Tribe Baseball and let me tell you, I got some serious Mariners loot. As his blog's title would dictate, Baseball Dad is a Cleveland Indians collector and I was able to scrounge up a couple hundred of Chief Wahoo's finest to send his way. It didn't take long for him to return in kind, with about 10 pounds of Mariners' cards in a priority mail box! I had a blast sorting through all the cards (including a sweet Bret Boone bat card from 2004 Topps CrackerJack), relieving some great memories of the M's glory days and laughing aloud at some of the former Mariners I had forgotten about (or simply blocked out from my consciousness) like Jose Mesa, Aaron Sele and Brian L. Hunter. I have twin younger brothers who also collect Mariners, one's favorite player is John Olerud and the other's is Edgar Martinez, and there were plenty of those two to go around. All in all, it was a great experience for me and my brothers and I truly appreciate the generosity of the fellow collectors that I have meet through the blogosphere. Thanks again Baseball Dad, I'm sure it won't be our last trade.

My Favorite Card from the Trade: 2006 Topps Turkey Red Ken Griffey Jr. Red Border SP (What a Beauty!!)

Stadium Scenes: Safeco Field

I was lucky enough to get some time off from work and head over to Seattle to catch three Mariners' games over the weekend, two against their bitter rival the Kansas City Royals and one against the L.A. Angels. The first game at Safeco was a slugfest that featured six HR's and an eventual 8-4 win for the Mariners. The tables were turned the next day, as a classic pitcher's duel was staged between Ryan "the Hyphenator" Rowland-Smith and the odds on favorite for the AL Cy Young Award, Zack Grienke. Predictably, a Mariners' offense more anemic than Kate Moss could muster only one hit against Grienke, and the Royals took the game 3-0. The final game of the series featured more of the same for Seattle, as Joe Saunders (who came into the game with a 5.27 ERA) scattered 3 hits over 7 innings and Vladimir Guerrero crushed 2 longballs on the way to a 11-0 Angels victory. Despite the rather poor play of the Mariners, and the fact that neither Ichiro, Ken Griffey Jr., Russell Branyan or Adrian Beltre played in any of the games, I enjoyed my time there; Safeco Field is an absolutely beautiful stadium and the weather was great. Since I did title my blog "First day Issue: Baseball Card Collecting & More", I though I had better figure out what the "and more" portion of the website would be. I'll start with some of my favorite pictures from the games: