Who's going to buy it??

I have been thinking for a bit to decide the direction this year. As we all know, baseball card season is almost here. Granted, spring training doesn't start for another month but it's coming. As most collectors know, Topps again is the big dog on the block this year. I will soon be asking for your help in collecting the base Mariners that look like this here:

My decision is whether or not to collect this stuff this year?

I know that it something new and different. I also know that I collected 2010 Upper Deck Mariners even though they weren't an "authorized" baseball set. It was pretty easy many times on UD to see logos and figure out who's who. I'm not too sure I really want to collect this Panini set? If I don't will I kick myself for not putting it in the Super Set when people start loving this set?

What is your plan this year? Should I waste my time asking people to send any extra Panini this year? How long will Panini survive in the baseball market?

Purple Rocks in the Emerald City

Have you ever noticed when you made deals, you are surprised that people are nowhere near their teams? I've seen it quite often with many of the bloggers that I've made deals with. While some of us are near where our teams call home, some are halfway across the country, some are on opposite coasts, and some are on totally different continents. Is it because they grew up with a team and moved, or is it just a love affair with a team that started at a young age?  I recently found another who is removed from his team. Johnny(aka hiflew) of the great Cards from the Quarry is a big Rockies fan. He is based nowhere near Denver, which is cool to find a Purple fan. I sent some assorted Rockies, and I got a package all over the map to help many needs.

How about some cards from a side project that has been taking a nap? Johnny sent me about 10 cards to add to my Angels in the Desert project. Do you have some 70's and 80's Angels laying around that might fit the criteria for the collection?

What is a trade with a Mariner fan without some Mariners? A '92 Score for the Super Set, and some Canadian Mariners. Also some nice Laser cut Topps. While I'm not a big fan of this overkill kind of cards from the 90's, I will definitely add them to the great pile of Mariners.

As you may have seen recently, I have been working on trying to bump up the few player collections I really want to make look like collections. One of those players is the should be HOF'er Dale Murphy. Johnny was nice enough to send some Atlanta Murph love to add to the binder. Why can't he get more of the vote to get in?

The last few cards I'm sure made him happy to get rid of. As a Rockies fan, I'm sure he's not too high on players from other NL West teams. As you may have seen, my son has become a big fan of Tim Lincecum. Johnny was also nice enough to send along a few cards of the Freak for him. Big thanks again to hiflew for helping me along with many collections. It is too bad that his team wasn't around for the 1979 Topps set. It would have been fun to see the colors and how they would have fit in back then.

New Faces from Old Places

Have you ever received random mail from another blogger? You haven't been working on any trades or anything. Suddenly a package or envelope shows up at your house. I had that happen to me just yesterday. A plain white envelope was in my mailbox. I thought I recognized the return address, and was kind of scratching my head not knowwing what it was. I seems that AJ of The Lost Collector decided I needed to have a card of each of the newest Mariners.

I was surprised to see these. While I will agree with AJ's hand written note that I hope the trade works out for both teams, I'm still bummed about it. I hope that all the "experts" are right that Jesus is going to be a stud. I'm starting to have my worries about him. I hope that Noesi can step in to big Mike's shoes in the rotation for the Mariners. I think I wouls still like one more pitcher like an Edwin Jackson or Roy Oswalt signing for us. I think one more good to above average bat would help too. I see the vision and the direction we are heading, it just seems like it's taking forever.

Big thanks again to AJ for some new Mariners in those god awful pinstriped Yankee uniforms. These guys will look better in Mariners colors, while poor Michael Pineda will now have to wear that dreaded NY.

Want to see my Willie??

As you might know, I recently put up a wantlist for some vintage. It was a player of my youth and my son's new favorite player. Who in their right mind doesn't love "Pops?" In my mailbox yesterday was two cards from a Cubs fan of all people. I honestly think sometimes that Paul of Wrigley Wax owns just about every card ever made. You ask for it, he probably has it. Look at these two beauties:

A nice 1969 Topps featuring a a young Willie. If you look at the back, you can see it been loved but I don't care. Also in the envelope was a nice '76 of a now 1B Willie. Funny though that he grew an inch and gained almost 40 pounds. That extra weight was one of the things that made him lovable at the end of his career.

Big thanks again to Paul. I can't say I'm a Cubs fan, but I do want to make it to Wrigley someday.

Who needs another follow?

I thought I would let everyone know that the 1979 Topps blog is live. I got the first post up today. It won't be an everyday blog, but I will try to put up one card every few days. I hope I can be half as good as the other set specific blogs. Put on your disco clothes and let's take a trip together back to 1979.

Feeling like a FREAK on a leash

Time again to put up one last wantlist for a player collection. This one belongs to my 13 year old son. Ever since he was a phenom at the UW for the Huskies, my son know his name. He couldn't understand why he didn't play for the Mariners since he grew up here. He knows he can't duplicate Tim's mechanics, but would love to have the awards and the ring that he has. My son is realistic and isn't expecting to find or buy all the relics and autos of him, but any base, subsets, and inserts will suit him fine.

2007 Bowman Chrome 217
2007 Bowman Draft BDP11
2007 Bowman Heritage 202
2007 Fleer 428
2007 Topps 52 130
2007 Allen&Ginter 274
2007 Turkey Red 88
2007 Upper Deck 918
2008 Bowman 44
2008 Stadium Club 2
2008 Topps 165
2008 Allen&Ginter 201
2008 Topps Heritage 303
2008 Upper Deck 362 CL
2008 Upper Deck 634
2009 Bowman 100
2009 OPC 300
2009 OPC 542
2009 Topps 206 286
2009 Topps Heritage 7
2009 Topps Heritage 165
2009 Allen&Ginter 224
2009 Turkey Red TR9
2009 Upper Deck 323
2009 Upper Deck 485
2009 Upper Deck 851
2010 Bowman 175
2010 Topps 106
2010 Topps 206 255
2010 Topps 206 333
2010 Topps 206 344
2010 Allen&Ginter 175
2010 Topps Heritage 45
2010 Topps Heritage 49
2010 Topps Heritage 383
2010 Topps Heritage 429
2010 Topps Heritage 496
2010 Turkey Red TR22
2010 Upper Deck 440
2011 Bowman 141
2011 Topps 590
2011 Allen&Ginter 170
2011 Topps Heritage 60
2011 Topps Heritage 237
2011 Topps Heritage 319
2011 Topps Heritage 429
2011 Topps Update US58

We want our Willies

As a kid, the first player I fell in love with was "Pops." My first journey into the baseball world was Topps cards in 1979. The only game I ever saw was the Saturday game of the week. In the 1979 World Series, there was something about Willie's windmill of the bat, and the stars on his hat that caught my attention. Fast forward 30 years, and my son has really gotten into the '79 Pirates. He has the same fascination with Willie that I did. He had to wear #8 for baseball last year, and has already said that is his number going forward. We don't have many cards of his, but hope we can bump up the collection without having to buy too many spendy cards.



1963 Topps 553
1965 Topps 377
1966 Topps 255
1967 O-Pee-Chee 140
1967 Topps 140
1968 O-Pee-Chee 86
1968 Topps 86
1970 Kellogg's 29
1970 O-Pee-Chee 470
1970 Topps 470
1971 Kellogg's 68
1971 O-Pee-Chee 230
1971 Topps 230
1972 Kellogg's 53
1972 O-Pee-Chee 343 Boyhood
1972 O-Pee-Chee 447
1972 O-Pee-Chee 448 In Action
1972 Topps 343 Boyhood
1972 Topps 448 In Action
1973 Kellogg's 25
1973 O-Pee-Chee 370
1974 Kellogg's 37
1974 O-Pee-Chee 100
1974 Topps 100
1975 Hostess 135
1975 O-Pee-Chee 100
1975 Topps Mini 100
1975 Topps 100
1976 Hostess 49
1976 Kellogg's 22
1976 O-Pee-Chee 270
1977 Hostess 27
1977 O-Pee-Chee 25
1978 Hostess 11
1979 Hostess 104
1979 O-Pee-Chee 22
1980 Kellogg's 25
1980 O-Pee-Chee 319
1981 Fleer Star Stickers 15
1981 Kellogg's 11
1981 O-Pee-Chee 127
1982 Fleer Stamps 76
1982 O-Pee-Chee 188
1982 O-Pee-Chee 372
1983 Donruss 610
1983 Donruss 8 DK
1983 Fleer 324
1992 Kelloggs 1
1992 Pinnacle 588

The Haves and the Have Nots

I don't if anybody saw this coming down the pipeline today. We Mariners fans have wanted something exciting to happen to the Mariners roster all offseason. Today they made a big trade. I personally am not too impressed with the deal. The mighty Yankees have pulled down the Mariners pants in front of the whole school. Back in June of 2010, the Mariners and Yankees were working on a deal to send Cliff Lee to the Yankees for catching prospect Jesus Montero. The deal fell apart and Cliff went to Texas instead. Today the M's finally got Montero. They also acquired Hector Noesi.

In exchange for a right handed hitting catcher that can't catch, we give up a big horse in Michael Pineda. Also going to the Yankees is Jose Campos, who spent last season on A Everett.

While I know that everybody thinks that Jesus is next hot commotity, I don't know if I'm sold on him. I would assume that since he can DH and Justin Smoak can play 1B, that pretty much takes us out of any slight chance there was of getting Prince to come to Seattle. I  think we still need a lefty hitter, but I guess we will probably roll out another stinker this year. I'm starting to feel the pain of Royals and Pirates fans, every good kid gets dealt. I sure hope there is some more signings or deals to come before Spring Training.

Chopping down some Murphys

For many summers, I would come to Seattle to spend the summer with Grandma. It was awesome because she got the SuperStation WTBS on cable. I got to watch almost every Braves games at 4:05 PM everyday. I fell in love with the team and instantly was a huge fan of #3. I still think it is a crime that one of the best players of the '80s and 2 time MVP isn't in the Hall of Fame. I have decided to try and really bump up my collection of the Dale Murphy cards. Here's a look at what I need. Any oddball, small maker, insert, or subset cards are also always welcome if they aren't listed.

1978 Topps 708
1979 Hostess 121
1981 Fleer 243
1983 Donruss 47
1983 Fleer 142
1983 Topps 401
1983 Topps 502
1984 Donruss 66 
1984 Fleer 186
1984 Topps 126 
1984 Topps 133
1984 Topps 391
1985 Donruss 66
1985 Fleer 335
1986 Donruss 66 
1986 Donruss 60
1987 Donruss 3
1988 Donruss 78
1988 Fleer 544
1988 Fleer 639
1988 Score 450
1988 Topps 549
1989 Donruss 104
1989 Fleer 596
1989 Upper Deck 672
1990 Bowman 19
1990 Fleer Update 46
1990 Topps 750
1990 Upper Deck 533
1991 Donruss 484
1991 Donruss 744
1991 Fleer 409
1991 Score 650
1991 Stadium Club 243
1991 Studio 220
1991 Upper Deck 447
1992 Bowman 684
1992 Donruss 146
1992 Pinnacle 124
1992 Pinnacle 284
1992 Score 80
1992 Stadium Club 280
1992 Studio 79
1992 Ultra 249
1992 Upper Deck 127
1993 Fleer 496
1993 Pinnacle 479
1993 Pinnacle 503
1993 Score 597
1993 Select 103
1993 Stadium Club 572
1993 Topps 445
1993 Ultra 353
1993 Upper Deck 706

Looking for Mr. Right

I will leave that job to the ladies. I am looking for Mr. Mariner Alvin Davis. While he didn't have the longest careers, he was one of my favorites. Here is a list of the major cards from his days from 1984-92 when he played and a nice looking retro card. I know that there are many oddball and subset cards for Alvin, and I'm always open to those too.

Who couldn't collect a guy that was always smiling?

1985 Leaf DK 18
1986 SportFlics 31
1987 Leaf 118
1987 O Pee Chee 235
1988 Leaf 196
1988 O Pee Chee 349
1988 SportFlics 52
1989 O Pee Chee 57
1989 SportFlics 33
1990 O Pee Chee 373
1991 Fleer Ultra 334
1991 O Pee Chee 515
1992 Bowman 341
1992 Fleer Ultra 324
1992 Leaf 168
1992 O Pee Chee 130
1992 Pinnacle 467
1992 Stadium Club 617
2003 Topps Fan Fave 96

One more??

Yesterday in the mail I received a package that came with some of the gift card I got for Christmas for Amazon. My son has really gotten to become a Willie Stargell fan from watching highlights of the 1979 World Series. I decided to buy the DVD's of the Series. IT IS AWESOME!!

 Anyways, it got me to thinking about heaping another responsibility on my plate. We haven't seen a blog dedicated to the great 1979 Topps set. Do you think there is room in the blog world for one more set dedicated blog? Would everyone be up for a card by card look at the great 1979 set? It was after all the first cards I got as a kid and I tried to get them all back then.

I'm thinking it will be basic info about the player, maybe a six degrees of Mariner separation(similar to to this great one), and some other fun if anybody has ideas. Let me know what everyone thinks and I might do it if I can stay on top of ANOTHER blog.

Coming Attractions

I know that I said I would start to post more for the new year. Work has decided that it is more important than my life. I'm going to try and get back into it a little this weekend. One player collection wantlist is almost done and I'm starting research on the other two.

Also soon to start hopefully will be a top 5 of hats and uniforms team by team. I have decided on the first couple of teams, but still have lots of deciding to do on the looks of some. Any suggestions about your favorite hats or unis from the past feel free to comment and let me know. This is going to be more than I thought making the decisions on fashions of the past.

I promise to try and get more content on a regular basis like most of you do.

Whata you wanna do with your life??!!

I WANNA ROCK!! Oh yeah, I'm blogging about cards not 80's hair metal.

Do you have a collection plan for the year? I know what my plan is. I really want to get some of these Mariner cards added to my super collection. I did widdle it down a little more after stopping by my favorite LCS.

I spent a couple hours this morning going through the binders and spreadsheets and cross checking the numbers. I'm up to date. It's hard to believe that after all these years I now own 3003 Mariners cards that are in the binder. I'm still 361 cards short of having all the bases from the big five makers. I REALLY want to get that number down to 100 or less before Opening Day in April. Can you help? I know you can.

I figure if I add in duplicates and all the other makers and sets, I must currently have about 8 to 10 thousand total Mariners cards. I also really want to try and get the 100+ cards I need to finish off the Angels in the Desert PC. I am working on trying finalize the checklists of haves and needs for the few Player Collections I want to work on this year. The four for sure on that list are Tony Gwynn, Alvin Davis, Dale Murphy, and Willie Stargell. I think I might seriously look to severely thin out the tons of cards I have that I don't want or need. I'm thinking about a huge team by team sale later in the year. I will want your charity later on when Topps comes out to help me. I hope that I and all you other bloggers can hopefully meet our collecting desires this year.

Happy New Year to all from the Great Northwest!!