Status Update

Since Facebook was started seven years ago yesterday, and I'm coming up on a year soon, I thought the status of a blog update was due. I have found blogging to be pretty therapeutic, a bit obsessive at times but I'm loving it. I'm so excited for all the friends I've made. I'm even more excited for all the trades I've made, and the great things I've gotten from all of you.

 I used to be fairly active on Sportscard Forum, but found that to make a simple trade was work. I did make some great trades with guys on there, but to get some junk wax Mariners I sometimes was sending trades that were 20:1 in their favors. I do still log on once in awhile, but don't find anything that tickles my fancy. I'm a simple old school card guy. I don't need autos, relics, or any manufactured memorabilia. It seems that all I find on most boards, and in the one LCS that is on my drive home. I understand that's what is driving the industry right now, but don't forget about us regular card collectors. Lord knows, some think if it isn't numbered to a low number, it just a junk base card.

As to the status of my card collections. I have decided to put a temporary hold on anymore Gwynn cards. I can't believe the generosity of you guys. I started this blog owning maybe 20 Gwynn cards. Now, including some duplicates, I think I have about 600 Gwynn's. Unless you want to send me anyone of these:

I will gladly take any '83 Gwynn, but I know there might be a high price to pay for any of those. Instead of Tony, for right now as far as player collections go, I'm going back. I looking to go Vintage, and borderline vintage to borderline junk wax era. I think it's time to focus on bumping up my collections of these guys:

Willie "Pops" Stargell started his career in what's now vintage, and ended just as the other guys came in. I only have a few of his cards, and I really want to try and bump up his pile. The guy had talent, style, and charisma.

Also, I've gotten a few more cards of this guy from some of my fellow bloggers. His cards started in the edge of vintage now to the beginning of the junk wax era. I first got to know Murph and the Braves in the summer of  '82 watching the SuperStation TBS at my grandmother's house in the summer. If you love the player or the card of him is it junk wax to you?

As far as my obsession with Mariners cards go, I think one day the boxes of Mariner cards may fall over and crush me. I feel so humble by all the people that I have made a point to over send me so many great M's cards. I have a lot of cards I've never seen before and I love them all. I think by quick eyeballing, I probably have about 4000 cards that are dupes or something other than what goes into the Super Set binders. As of today, in the binders are 2724 Mariners cards from base and traded from 1977 to 2010.

After consulting the spreadsheets I currently need the 11 new 2011 Topps cards that are out, I am missing 113 cards from any Donruss years, my big hurdle is Fleer. I still need 260 different Fleer cards to close the book on them. I'm getting close on Score, only needing 73 cards from them. Most of those are from their Rookie&Traded series. Lastly, I only need 41 Upper Deck cards from their flagship releases. All in all I have 84.8% of all base cards from the Big 5 makers.

So to all of you out there that have helped with trades, and those who have inspired me to write better posts by reading yours, THANK YOU! I only hope that I can continue to do a decent job of writing and showing off to keep you reading and trading. I know it's hard to read all the blogs out there, because they are all great. Thank you ladies and gentlemen, and may you be showered in cardboard of your liking!

Baseball cards come to my mailbox!

I recently got another hit on the super set wantlist. Bo over at Baseball Cards Come To Life sent me an e-mail saying he had a bunch of cards to help the list. In all he sent me 107 cards I needed for the set. Here are 9 of some of the coolest cards:

The card that I thought was most interesting was the Randy Johnson card that I showed the back of. It was the one time he wore #34 to honor Nolan Ryan after he retired when his arm gave out at the Kingdome. Just wanted to let Bo know that his cards went out today. The package is small, but I will send more when I have some time to search through cards for him. My son's baseball is taking up life five nights a week. What we do for our kids. If you don't read Bo's work, you should. He brings a comical and informative look at some of baseball's greatest cards. Thanks again for the cards Bo!

Big thank yous to many!!

I have been holding on to this post for a couple days, but it is a good one. I have recently gotten about five trades in the mail and I am so thankful for all of them.

First off, I want to thank the Collective Troll. We exchanged e-mails and he said he had a couple of Phil Bradley autos, and an Alvin Davis auto that he would send me for being an M's fan. I got these in the mail from him, and I sent him whatever Rays cards I had laying around. Thanks Troll, you are top-notch!


Also, one of his readers Noah sent me an unsolicited e-mail saying that he had some Mariners cards if I would like them. I decided to send him a package of Mets cards from many different years. In turn, he sends me this box of cards, that not only contains almost all my needs for the 89 Fleer cards, but also this beauty of Doug Fister. Thanks again, Noah!


Next on the thank you list would be Greg at Night Owl Cards. We agreed to exchange some Dodgers for him and of course Mariners for me. He comes through with this little dandy of cards.


Also hidden the bubble mailer was this cool thing I had never seen, but really like it!


The next person on the list would be Rob at Texas Rangers Cards. We decided to exchange Rangers for M's. I sent him a box of assorted Rangers cards from all kinds of years, and he send me this box of beauty.


These cards are all current or former major league guys. They are from the AA Jacksonville Suns, AAA Calgary Cannons, and A Wisconsin TimberRattlers. Way too cool! Thanks Rob!

Last, and by far not least is a stack of cards from Community Gum. They recently bought a huge box of 81-85 Fleer. I said that I would love to get any Mariners cards out of that for the massive Super Set. I received this stack of 81, 82, and 83 Fleers to add to the collection. Definitely way too cool. Thanks Andy!


In the end, this is what I was able to figure will be added to the Super Set. Thanks again to all the readers and fellow bloggers for making me feel so welcome. I am humbled by your generosity. THANKS EVERYONE!!!

I want your junk!!

I am looking for your junk wax that says Mariners on it. I know many of you out there have those 80's, 90's and 2000's Donruss, Fleer, Score, and Upper Deck laying around taking up space. I have a binder that wants to be their home. Any year's base cards or traded/update to try and help kill the Super Set. I know the wantlist is only through 89 so far, but that's alot of cards to go through and input into a wantlist. If you could spare some cards on the list, or not on there yet please feel free to drop me a comment or shoot me an e-mail. All help will be greatly appreciated and will try to be returned in fair trade!!

Retro Mariner Sunday 4/4/10

Time again for another look at a Mariner from the past. This week's player didn't spend much time a Mariners uniform as a player.

Alonzo Powell was an undrafted free agent out of high school, but signed with the Giants in 1983. After the end of the 1984 season the Giants traded him to the Montreal Expos. Alonzo was the opening day starting left fielder for the Expos in 1987, because the team and Tim Raines could not work out a contract. Once Tim signed, Alonzo was sent back to the minors and remained there. Near the end of the 1989 season, he was traded by Montreal to the Minnesota Twins. After spending 1990 at AAA Portland, he was granted free agency and signed with the Mariners for the 1991 season.

While with Calgary, he was part of a team that made history by hitting three grand slams in one game. On May 16, 1991 Dave Cochrane, Chuck Jackson, and Alonzo all hit grand slams. He spent a total of 57 games with the Mariners in 1991, playing all three outfield positions, some time at first base and at DH. During spring training of 92 he was approached by Ken Macha asking if he could give his name to some Japanese teams. In May of 1992, he signed with the Chunichi Dragons of the Central League. While spending six seasons with the Dragons, Alonzo won three straight batting titles from 1994-96, and was a five time all-star and two time gold glove winner. During the 1997 season, he hit a home run in the Nagoya Dome that travelled 520 feet. one of the longest in Nippon Pro Baseball history. He was released after the 1997 season and signed with the Hanshin Tigers for 1998.

After not being too productive with the Tigers in 1998, he was released and signed with the Blue Jays and was assigned to the Syracuse Chiefs. In 1999, He moved to the Yankees organization and spent the season with the Columbus Clippers. For 2000, Alonzo split time between Columbus and The Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Rockies system. 2001 was his final season as a player when he played for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League.

In 2002 and 2003, he was the hitting coach for the AA Chattanooga Lookouts of the Cincinnati Reds Organization. For the 2004 and 2005 seasons, he became the manager of the A Dayton Dragons. Unfortunately, those teams both finished in last place. He was replaced as manager by long time manager of many teams, Billy Gardner. Alonzo was retained as the hitting coach in Dayton for 2006. In 2007, Alonzo came back to the Mariners family and was the minor league hitting coordinator, working with players at all levels. In 2008, he was named as hitting coach for the AAA Tacoma Rainiers. At the end of the 2008 season, He was named to John McLaren's extra staff for the last few weeks of the season. He worked with players on hitting, and did a little coaching at first base. He spent 2009 and will spend 2010 as the hitting coach still with the Tacoma Rainiers.

Card from the box

Time to take another trip to the big box of cards and see what kind of beauty we come up with . I'm really hoping for something good. I want something that will make people remember why they loved that card or what they were doing in their lives in that year. Please oh great gods of the cards give me a good one....

OK, I guess I deserved that. I guess it all can't come up winners. All I can think is that I hated the design, and make think of my days in high school. I will admit I like the two-tone hat with the cartoon Oriole, but not much else. Well, let's hope for better cards next time!