I am Iron Man

This card, number 884, comes from the 1992 Score set. Score included a bunch of interesting subsets in its issues in the early ninties. One was the Dream Team subset, which most notably included the Bo Jackson and Jose Canseco cards, which featured both sluggers shirtless.

This later Dream Team incarnation featuring Cal portrays him in uniform standing in front of a early 20th century train locomotive. Im assuming the corelation between this steel locomotive (one that you would be likely to see in the Smithsonian) and Cal, is the fact that steel is an alloy mostly made up of iron and Cal's nickname, as everyone knows is the Iron Man. (Though the train metaphor might have worked better for Walter Johnson, whose nickname was the Big Train).

At the time this card was issued, Cal was coming off his MVP season in 1991 where he batted .323 with 34 home runs and 114 RBI. Despite Cal's production the Orioles finsished under .500 in 91' and would not make a playoff appearence until 1996. Cal's career coincided with the era of overproduction in the ninties, where thousands of cards were created of the top players in the game. I like this card because its unique and the subject matter is original, even if its a stretch picturing Cal with a locomotive, it is still a cool card. Amid all the excess, alot of nice cards were produced in the ninties and these cards can be added to your collection for very little cost today.



Trade with Tomahawk Chopping



Early last week a large stack of cards arrived from Derek at, Tomahawk Chopping. He is currently working on the 2010 Topps Chrome Orange Refractor set, so I sent him the orange refractors I had left in my collection. I also sent him a nice stack of Chipper Jones and Braves cards from the mid to late nineties, this was time period was the pinnacle of my collecting as a teenager and I seemed to have been able to acquire a lot of Braves cards.

Derek's generous package included some Kimball Champions, which helps to shorten my want list.

He also sent a lot of Orioles I didn't have. The 2006 Topps set is not one I'm particularly fond of, it is another example of too much foil. I do like the Topps David Newhan card because he was a likeable player during his days with the O's. At 5'10'' and 180 lbs he was a blue collar player who made the most of his chance to play baseball. In 2005 he hit .311 with 116 hits and 54 RBI in  95 games. His most famous hit was an inside the park home run off Boston's Pedro Martinez on July 21st 2005 at Fenway Park.

Another former Oriole was Adam Loewen, a top pitching prospect for the O's until he suffered chronic stress fractures in his pitching elbow. He eventually gave up pitching, transitioning to the field and is a currently a right fielder for Toronto's Double A team.

Topps Total was discontinued when I returned to the Hobby, but I enjoy getting these cards in trades and can see why many bloggers would like the set to return. A low price point, no foil and a simple design make these cards a solid product. The Tony Batista card must be a silver parallel to the regular set, it also has no UV coating and is printed on cardboard stock.

When I receive any cards of Cal they are always my favorite cards in a trade. Here are a few he sent.

My personal collection of Cal is nearing one hundred cards. Though a milestone, this number is minuscule when talking about the gluttony of sets that were produced during the 90's and 2000's. A small article in the October 2010 issue of Beckett Baseball Monthly, states Cal has over 12,400 different cards. This number is astounding and is daunting for any player collector, and given the fact that Topps likes to produce new cards of past players this number is certain to grow.

One thing that a collector cannot complain about is the lack of choices and variety in collecting, so many different cards have been produced the last twenty years, that it keeps it fresh and exciting when you discover or find a new or rare issue of your favorite player.

Thanks for the great cards Derek!

Trade with Plaschke Thy Sweater is Argyle

Greg of Plaschke Thy Sweater is Argyle proposed a trade for some 2011 Topps he saw on my trade list. I checked out his want lists and also sent him some Mike Piazza and Roger Clemens cards and two 1989 Topps cards to finish his set. From reading his blog, Greg looks to be an active trader and I wasn't disappointed. He also sent a sent a bunch of 1989 Topps for my set.




The highlight of this group has to be the Dwight Gooden Turn Back the Clock 661 and Charlie Hough 345.

I'm intrigued by pitchers who become starters later into their careers. Charlie saved 22 games in 1977 for the Dodgers. He pitched in 70 games, which means he wasn't only a closer and sported a 3.33 era. By 1982 his game appearances dropped and his innings pitched rose to 228. He posted 16 wins and 13 losses for the Rangers with a respectable 3.95 era. Charlie was pretty consistent as a starter, making an All Star appearance in 1986 for the Rangers, until his numbers started to decline by 1990.

1987 Donruss Highlights Cal Ripken Jr 38

The Cal Ripken is a card I did not have. I do like the 1987 Donruss design with the black borders, more than the blue of the Highlights set. This was the last year Donruss issued Highlights as a stand alone set. After I held the card I was surprised to find the card has a glossy coating on the front. The card "highlights" the end of Cal's consecutive innings streak on September 14, 1987 when he was pulled from the game by his father, Cal Ripken Sr, then manager of the Orioles.

Greg also sent some early nineties Orioles I needed and a Cal Ripken figurine which I couldn't post here, but has a place on my shelf with Oriole bobble heads and souvenirs. Thanks for the cards Greg!