The Big Trade Top Whatever
When I drove most of my card collection back to Minnesota in January of this year, (read about that here if you'd like...) one significant chunk of it was left behind in Colorado. That would be five Monster Boxes, containing over 22,000 stars, semi-stars, rookies and inserts.
These cards consisted of players and sets that I just didn't feel right about simply tossing in the dumpster to get rid of. Don't get me wrong, I had zero problem with throwing away tens of thousands of commons over the last 25 years.
The last five or so years have seen me whittle my collection down even further, to 75 plus albums, a bunch of boxed complete sets that I don't remember, and my three team collections. Separate boxes and albums for each of my saved Twins, Expos and Rockies cards.
Ideally, I could trade this heavy stack of bulky non-trash cards for more of those long desired Twins, Expos and Rockies cards that I needed.
Here is where Mike's Stadium Sports Cards comes in... (Please note that I'm mixing my stock photos up, this would be an interior shot of some cheap Junk Wax boxes that Mike has available...)
I asked Mike if he would have any interest in making such a trade, describing what I had with this sales pitch:
"It's about 22,000 cards, all sorted by team, that would be perfect filler for your quarter boxes. Nothing high dollar, but nothing that's trash. Not looking for a huge amount back in trade, let me take some cards out of your various baseball boxes and we'll go from there..."
He agreed and told me to bring what I had down and he'd take a look. We could likely work something out and the worst he could say was no, to taking my stuff...
Good to know, but I really don't want to haul these BACK up to the third floor apartment...
After waiting almost a week to bring them in, I made plans to do this as my 43rd birfday outing. Thursday being in the middle of the week, traffic doesn't lend itself for a good Urban Decay hunt. That will have to wait for this weekend. And I already have several planned targets...
I woke up at 8am to prepare myself for card searches. I'd hauled the heavy Monster Boxes down to the car late last night, so I didn't have to do it in the morning.
However, I stubbed my pinky toe in the bathroom and ripped most of the nail off the morning before, which then bled all over the floor. I clipped away about half of the nail and was okay for the rest of the day.
Whatever was left of that nail then shifted somewhat while I was sleeping that night. Socks this morning were highly uncomfortable. I had to take my shoes and socks back off to cut away more pinky toenail, before I could leave the house.
Life has been very hectic leading up to my birfday, so I didn't get a chance to finish my Fairfield Re-Pack story. I still will finish it, and it will find it's way up here soon. But a point I wanted to make about the Fairfield Re-Pack is they are filled by buying bulk commons from the secondary market.
While he was not a part of the Fairfield Company, in 2007, I sold 100,000 commons to a guy in Wyoming for $100. He was then packaging them up in quantities of 100, and selling them for $5 each around outstate Wyoming. He was making a killing and couldn't keep his grab bags on the shelves.
I spent a little over three hours in the store. Dug through about twelve different boxes of cards. Each of varying qualities and quantities. Had a great time in a fun environment, enjoying one of my favorite hobbies, and for those few hours, all was right in the world...
Mike could -and likely will- make hundreds of dollars very slowly off what I traded. He has the room and the means to move that product. in a way that will provide a slow, but steady, source of income. A lot of what he traded me falls under the category of stale inventory.
As far as my returns, the key in the trade for me was shedding five Monster Boxes full of cards. I don't want to move or store them. It's ridiculous to look at those cards from a strictly monetary value and say:
Moses was the Twins first round pick (21st overall) in the 2003 Amateur Draft. Predicted to go on to be Minnesota's star third baseman, winning gold gloves and slugging 35 home runs a year. Well, after ample chances in the Minnesota organization, Moses barely made it above AA. Finally leaving baseball for good in 2009.
I've written previously about how awesome a guy I thought Mr. Leach was during his 2 year run with the Twins. This is my first card of his of the Mustard variety...
I didn't have any 1994 Super Team Cards in my collection (REALLY want the Expos Super Team Card) so I'll snap up this one of the Marlins... The idea of them winning the 1994 World Series was laughable at best. They wouldn't buy their World Series trophy for three more years!
I also have very few O Pee Chee cards in my collection. Which feels wrong... So if I find any O Pee Chee Expos cards, I feel compelled to own them. It's that whole Canadian Topps / Black plate change angle that O Pee Chee has going on here...
A minor pet peeve of mine with the Expos catcher's gear of the mid 1990's was the bright red. The standard uniform is predominantly blue, with red accent. Giant blocks of bright red just don't work. Especially with the home uniforms... These road uniforms with the red chest protector and shin guards look better...
A card for each player on the 40 man roster for each of the 30 teams. Great idea! That way Tony Fiore gets a Twins card! A journeyman minor league relief pitcher with the Phillies and Devil Rays organizations, Fiore pitched to an 11-5 3.92 record in 133 innings with Minnesota over the 2001-2003 seasons. After his Twins stint, Fiore spent time with the Astros, Orioles and Tigers organizations, but never returned to the major Leagues.
The scanner just didn't do this nice card justice, and I didn't feel like spending an hour cleaning it up. Trust me, it looks nice. Actually, I think I may have picked this card up last year too... Oh well, I have worse doubles...
After Minnesota traded Mientkiewicz to Boston in time to catch the final out of the 2004 World Series, giving Boston it's first World Championship in nearly 100 years, Mientkiewicz bounced around to the Mets, Royals, Yankees, Pirates and Dodgers over the next five years.
Stewart was a big deal for Minnesota, after the July 2003 trade from the Toronto Blue Jays. Acquiring him helped the Twins to win the division (and not much else) that season, and his performance lead Stewart to finish 4th in the American League MVP voting that year.
This set was fairly hard to find, even in 1994! I only bought two packs of it back in the day. But it was a nice and clean looking base set with some pretty good photos. I'd absolutely love to get some more of it today.
Another of the seemingly endless string of smaller Fleer sets that all looked the same from the early 2000's. Ron Coomer was the poster boy for all those bad Twins teams of the late 1990's, and a player I've just never liked.
Minnesota's Rule V Pick from the New York Yankees in December 1993. In order for the Twins to retain his rights, Garagozzo had to stay on the Major League roster for the entire 1994 season. He lasted through April... 10 runs off of 9 hits and 13 walks in 9 innings equals not very good... Garagozzo was returned to the Yankees and never made the major leagues again.
Personally, I blame the Twins keeping Garagozzo on the roster, costing Jeff Innis a chance to make the 1994 Twins bullpen...
Jury is still out on Jay's future with Minnesota. In two years since being drafted 6th overall, Jay had dealt with injuries and an unclear role with the organization. When healthy, Jay has a big arm and could still provide value to the Twins. Or he could flame out completely.
I just like saying his name. Gabino never caught on outside his 7 game major league cameo (only 2 games with Minnesota, 5 with Baltimore) in 2009-2010. The scanner didn't like this one either... I do!
1984 Topps has one of my favorite Topps designs. I like the layout and the use of two photos. It's a nice variation of the 1983 design that worked so well. Great action photo of the future Hall of Famer, sprinting out from behind the plate after a pop-up, at Shea Stadium. Chewed corner aside...
In 1995, Sportfflics was owned by Pinnacle Brands (makers of Score and Select and Pinnacle and others), and for reasons that can only be summed up by the number 1995, Sportflics became Sportflix. Sportflix did not come back in 1996.
Hill's career peak coincided with his 3 year run with the Expos (1992-1994), which saw him go 41-21 3.04 in 84 starts. He was never more effective with any team he pitched for. Cardinals, Angels, Rangers and cups of coffee with the Indians, White Sox and Devil Rays didn't get the production out of Hill that the Expos did...
Pinnacle was guilty of putting out whatever gimmick wasn't immediately dismissed at the pitch meeting... Which leads to stuff like Aficionado... The cards feature an above average action shot -in sepia tone! That image is butted up against a giant refractor-head profile. Gold foil name over fake wood grain... Identity crisis much?
That was the big pitch for this brand. It was all over the box and wrapper. Someone needed to have the heart to tell Pinnacle that these cards didn't smell like wood. They didn't smell like typical cards, so there was something going on. But it wasn't wood. By the time I picked up this Knoblauch, it smelled like a card. Any card....
And I also find it slightly disconcerting in how much the giant refractor-head of Knoblauch looks like Chris Benoit...
Something that really turned me off to collecting in the late 1990's and early 2000's was the influx of hobby shop only packs, that were priced in upwards of $5-$10 each, with less than ten cards inside. Serial numbered rookies were considered "box hits" back then. With the high percentage of these box hits turning out to be not-so-good, like Good, the entire box is bad. And overpriced and worthless product. Hope you enjoyed wasting that $100...
As his future Hall of Fame career was winding down, Thome shocked me by signing with Minnesota for the 2010 season. He would be the DH for a team expected to contend for a division title, while moving into a long desired brand new stadium. Thome shocked me again by delivering on his personal march to his 600th Major League Home Run. During his season and a half (179 games) with the Twins, Thome hit .266/.387/.562 (.949 OPS), with 37 home runs in 582 plate appearances. This came in his age 39 and 40 seasons.
With Jorge Polanco's unfortunately timed 80 game PED suspension, I hoped the Twins would have given Tom's son and Dee's brother a shot at shortstop. They chose to go in a different direction. I wouldn't doubt the phrase "service time" was uttered at some point between Falvine...
Nevermind... I hated this steel card gimmick back when it debut in 1996. (The silver base steel inserts were no better) And I still don't like it. Leaf did not bring it back for 1997.
I've never picked up this set, though I need to. Abbott now sits alongside the Griffey and the Sosa, as the only cards I have from it.
The graphic designers employed by Fleer in the mid 1990's took a lot of acid... Circa was a set of cards... It's colorful... Yeah...
Roberto Kelly signed a two year contract with Minnesota after a down 1995 season, split between the Expos and Dodgers. Kelly had a good 1996 season for the Twins, but his 1997 season was a step back. Kelly was traded to the Seattle Mariners in August 1997, for Joe Mays. Whom you may remember from #59 on this Top Whatever.
During his rookie season of 1991, Knoblauch was such a bouncy fun happy player... But by the mid to late 1990's, he was moody and pouty and whiney...
Because it's the Whatever, and it's my Whatever, I'm going to throw an ex-WWE wrassler and current UFC hopeful in my countdown. UFC isn't my thing, but I enjoyed Punk in WWE. That's worth enough for me having this card.
Fleer put out some really ugly cards in 2004. No wonder they went bankrupt the following season. While this design is terribly boring, in fact I almost like the way Vidro's grey Expos road uniform blends in to whatever is going on in the background of this card. Is it a forest on a cloudy day?
The multiple exposure photo trick was used by Topps and Upper Deck as well back in these days, so it's hard to give Score Pinnacle Select too much crap over using the gimmick.
I remember it being very odd when the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Smiley in the middle of 1992 Spring Training to Minnesota. Smiley won 20 games for the Pirates in 1991, but was too expensive for the Pirates to carry into 1992. The Twins had just lost Jack Morris to the Toronto Blue Jays, and tabbed Smiley to replace Morris in the Twins attempt to repeat as World Series winners.
Smiley won 16 games in 1992, Minnesota went 90-72, finishing second to the Oakland Athletics. Smiley signed with Cincinnati as a free agent after the 1992 season, and Minnesota started a quick descent into a terrible baseball team for nearly a decade.
Starting to get some Radke into the collection. Probably one of the least represented of all Twins star players, given his run with Minnesota lasting from 1995-2006. Many of those years I bought very few cards. Now they're starting to come my way...
2004 Flair should look a decade earlier at how they used to make very nice looking cards. While I'm not sure I need two pictures on the front, this is a great deal better than what 2004 Flair was serving...
Minnesota gave no love to Bunghole... His entire Major League career lasted less than three months and 62 games. He did hit 9 home run in those games, some of which haven't yet landed, but couldn't provide the consistency the Twins (Terry Ryan specifically) expected when they inexplicably paid about $15 million to sign him.
Some 25 years before Shohei Otani, Frank Rodriguez was another two way player entering the draft. Would he pitch? Would he play shortstop? It cost the Boston Red Sox a great deal of money to find out that he would attempt to pitch and not be very good at it. After several years, the Red Sox would flip Rodrigeuz to the Twins in the 1995 Rick Aguilera deal. Initially, I was excited to see the Twins trade for a hyped prospect... Then I watched him try to pitch in the major leagues for a year...
Speaking of hyped and failed prospects, here is Brien Taylor. The dictionary definition of hyped and failed prospects. For some reason, this very basic and overproduced minor league issue had eluded me all these years. But it's one I needed very much!
I see where the Texas Rangers released Bartolo Colon yesterday. It would be a truly horrible match, but might I propose the Colorado Rockies offering Colon a shot? I'd really like to be able to add one final player to my list of those played for Montreal, Minnesota and the Rockies...
There's still a slight chance he turns it around, but all signs point to Stewart being another failed Minnesota first round draft pick, this one being fourth overall. It's always interesting when a Texas high school kid goes into the draft "throwing 98mph" and once he signs a pro contract, it's more like 92mph... And Stewart hasn't struck anybody out in four years of trying...
I looked for a silver lining with Stewart, but he was left off the 40 Man Roster this Winter, and no other team batted an eye...
SPx was one of the first offenders with the overpriced per card pack, with lottery like prizes, that the hobby devolved into during the late 1990's and early 2000's. That's not to say they weren't some nice cards. This Koskie is just a simple base card. But while it's cool and shiny to look at, I'd much rather pay 25 cents for this, than $8 for this and 4 more just like it. But with a remote chance that Ben Sheets or Barry Zito could have scribbled on one of them!
Unlike this attractive autograph! As a young Twins pitcher still trying to find his way in 1996 (without much success), I never would have predicted a career spanning 21 seasons in the Major Leagues. Congratulations to LaTroy. I followed his career dating back to his 15-5, 1993 season with the Ft. Wayne Wizards of the Class A Midwest League. I also watched him pitch for the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 World Series. LaTroy has been a player I've always collected and cheered for.
I've become the cranky old man that can't keep all of the differently named Refractors under the Topps umbrella straight. I do not know what this version is called. I know that I liked it. I also know that Benson was a quick flame out as a Twins prospect.
These are really nice cards, serial numbered out of 500, and it actually scanned somewhat decent.
Casilla hung around with the Twins from 2006 to 2012, after being acquired by Minnesota, from the Angels for J.C. Romero (who is coming up very soon on this Whatever...). He always teased you with his talent, but ultimately ended his career just slightly above average.
I did not know this card existed. The back mentions Ventura citing Kirby Puckett's 1991 World Series Home Run as his favorite moment as a fan.
As a Ventura fan, my favorite moment would be of him laughing at and making fun of Uncle Elmer's wedding on Saturday Night's Main Event. He was an effective Governor too, and don't let Fox News tell you any different!
If this guy could hit at all, he would be an All Star. For years he has held a Major League job with well below average offensive production, strictly because of his defensive abilities. At the plate, he was not a fun batter to watch. Behind the plate, he was a great catcher to watch... Not that I want to see him on a team I follow's roster. He's also the son of former Twins catcher (and 1987 World Champion) Sal Butera.
Here's the card I referenced a while back. This also marks the second autograph I have from this set, Joey Eischen being the other. That's two of however many there are... Maybe I should try to chase it?
1986 Topps is an underrated design in my book. That font at the top is EXTREMELY dated, which is why it works. I remember wanting to collect 1986 Topps as a kid because that fonts looked so cool paired with baseball pictures. Even if it's an updated version feature Mauer ho-humming it through another at bat...
Baker was a player I hoped to see more from. His time with the Twins (2005-2011) was productive, as his 66-53 record, and 4.26 ERA in just over 1000 innings. Unfortunately, Baker never did make it all the way back after Tommy John surgery in 2012. Comeback attempts with the Cubs, Rangers and Dodgers all fell short.
Dozier didn't look like all that great of a prospect back in 2012 if you went by his minor league numbers. However, Dozier turned himself into one of the top power hitters at second base. This is just a really nice card from the days when he was thought to be a viable shortstop.
Not really sure why this set is named after the Polo Grounds, other than the image of the Polo Grounds on the back. Neither Radke, nor the Minnesota Twins played in the Polo Grounds. The Washington Senators did, but that's a different story. But it's a new Brad Radke. That happens to be serial numbered out of 55. And that's a pretty rare number. I like the card, just don't understand the correlation...
I like a whole of things about this card. Throwback Twins uniform... Refractory-appropriate card design... Sloppily scribbled autograph that likely shows fatigue from writing one's name several thousand times in a day... Former first round pick Wimmers never lived up to his potential, spending parts of two seasons with the Twins. Saw that Wimmers threw during 2018 Spring Training for the Miami Marlins. Don't let that take away from how awesome this card is...
I don't have many combo jersey autographed cards, so acquiring this one was a no brainer. Oh and it's serial numbered too! Looks like Colby approves... He didn't have a long career, so I'm sure this was a nice pay day...
Similar to Miller, there are plenty of Labandeira autographs to go around. Card companies needed a lot of low level rookies to draw collectors. Rookies typically want the thousand or two dollars they'd get for signing all these autographs, so there would be thousands of autographed rookie cards for players that got into maybe five Major League games. But if you hit on one, say an Albert Pujols in 2001, you just hit the lottery...
Even though he played for the Rockies while I lived here, I never remember that Todd Zeile was our third baseman for 2003. 2004 would see Zeile finish the season with the Montreal Expos. Making the last out in franchise history.
I'm a big Rondell White collector. I had an autographed and framed Rondell White Twins jersey above my fireplace mantle for over a decade. Yet this sweet insert card from the highly underrated 1997 Upper Deck set eluded my collection for years.
The Fleer Sport Illustrated partnership lasted only a couple of years, but it was a great pairing for baseball cards. Giving a card company access to a legendary publication's photos and history leads to some great ideas. Such as the Autograph Collection set. An image of a Sport Illustrated cover with a player autograph underneath. The set's 1999 issue date allowed for the inclusion of a lot of Hall of Famers before they died.
(This was most of that, another 4,000 or so were added to these boxes after this photo was taken)
You just can't keep everything...
The last five or so years have seen me whittle my collection down even further, to 75 plus albums, a bunch of boxed complete sets that I don't remember, and my three team collections. Separate boxes and albums for each of my saved Twins, Expos and Rockies cards.
Ideally, I could trade this heavy stack of bulky non-trash cards for more of those long desired Twins, Expos and Rockies cards that I needed.
Here is where Mike's Stadium Sports Cards comes in... (Please note that I'm mixing my stock photos up, this would be an interior shot of some cheap Junk Wax boxes that Mike has available...)
I asked Mike if he would have any interest in making such a trade, describing what I had with this sales pitch:
"It's about 22,000 cards, all sorted by team, that would be perfect filler for your quarter boxes. Nothing high dollar, but nothing that's trash. Not looking for a huge amount back in trade, let me take some cards out of your various baseball boxes and we'll go from there..."
He agreed and told me to bring what I had down and he'd take a look. We could likely work something out and the worst he could say was no, to taking my stuff...
Good to know, but I really don't want to haul these BACK up to the third floor apartment...
(I'm going to sprinkle in some mass shots of my return in the trade, as I continue my story...)
After waiting almost a week to bring them in, I made plans to do this as my 43rd birfday outing. Thursday being in the middle of the week, traffic doesn't lend itself for a good Urban Decay hunt. That will have to wait for this weekend. And I already have several planned targets...
Besides, I can't think of a better way to spend a birfday than digging through cards I want.
Okay, I can think of many better things... But I'm going to really enjoy doing this!
I woke up at 8am to prepare myself for card searches. I'd hauled the heavy Monster Boxes down to the car late last night, so I didn't have to do it in the morning.
However, I stubbed my pinky toe in the bathroom and ripped most of the nail off the morning before, which then bled all over the floor. I clipped away about half of the nail and was okay for the rest of the day.
Whatever was left of that nail then shifted somewhat while I was sleeping that night. Socks this morning were highly uncomfortable. I had to take my shoes and socks back off to cut away more pinky toenail, before I could leave the house.
But I wasn't going to let it stand in my way...
I'm going to look at cards damat!
Life has been very hectic leading up to my birfday, so I didn't get a chance to finish my Fairfield Re-Pack story. I still will finish it, and it will find it's way up here soon. But a point I wanted to make about the Fairfield Re-Pack is they are filled by buying bulk commons from the secondary market.
While he was not a part of the Fairfield Company, in 2007, I sold 100,000 commons to a guy in Wyoming for $100. He was then packaging them up in quantities of 100, and selling them for $5 each around outstate Wyoming. He was making a killing and couldn't keep his grab bags on the shelves.
Point being, you absolutely can still make money with garbage cards...
You just have to put in a great deal of time and effort to do so...
This was similar, yet different...
To anyone that would look at what I got in return for 22,000 $1-$5 cards, look at the Wyoming guy...
Mike could -and likely will- make hundreds of dollars very slowly off what I traded. He has the room and the means to move that product. in a way that will provide a slow, but steady, source of income. A lot of what he traded me falls under the category of stale inventory.
The only way it sells is if someone comes in specifically looking for it...
As far as my returns, the key in the trade for me was shedding five Monster Boxes full of cards. I don't want to move or store them. It's ridiculous to look at those cards from a strictly monetary value and say:
"Even if they averaged only $1 a card, the Becketts say they are worth $45,000, these boxes are worth $22,000! I want $22,000! Give me $22,000 right now!"
Yeah, it doesn't work that way...
All I wanted was some more cards of the teams I care about, to fill in a few gaps in my collection.
That is exactly what Mike offered in trade!
Since there's a bunch of awesome stuff that I feel like covering in greater detail,
I'm going to do that in "Top Whatever" format. Again, cards are ranked by how much I like them.
I'm going to do that in "Top Whatever" format. Again, cards are ranked by how much I like them.
********
So here are the Top 81 Cards Acquired in The Big Trade!
#81 - Matt Moses - 2004 Topps Heritage
Moses was the Twins first round pick (21st overall) in the 2003 Amateur Draft. Predicted to go on to be Minnesota's star third baseman, winning gold gloves and slugging 35 home runs a year. Well, after ample chances in the Minnesota organization, Moses barely made it above AA. Finally leaving baseball for good in 2009.
This is not my first Matt Moses card, but it's my first that looks like this one.
#80 - Terry Leach - 1991 Fleer
I've written previously about how awesome a guy I thought Mr. Leach was during his 2 year run with the Twins. This is my first card of his of the Mustard variety...
#79 - Florida Marlins Super Team Card - 1994 Stadium Club
I didn't have any 1994 Super Team Cards in my collection (REALLY want the Expos Super Team Card) so I'll snap up this one of the Marlins... The idea of them winning the 1994 World Series was laughable at best. They wouldn't buy their World Series trophy for three more years!
#78 - Ray Burris - 1983 O Pee Chee
I also have very few O Pee Chee cards in my collection. Which feels wrong... So if I find any O Pee Chee Expos cards, I feel compelled to own them. It's that whole Canadian Topps / Black plate change angle that O Pee Chee has going on here...
#77 - Darrin Fletcher - 1994 Ultra
A minor pet peeve of mine with the Expos catcher's gear of the mid 1990's was the bright red. The standard uniform is predominantly blue, with red accent. Giant blocks of bright red just don't work. Especially with the home uniforms... These road uniforms with the red chest protector and shin guards look better...
#76 - Vladimir Guerrero - 2001 SP Authentic
Nice card, but rather bland. Upper deck made a lot of cards with this basic design in the early 2000's.
#75 - Tony Fiore - 2003 Upper Deck 40 Man
A card for each player on the 40 man roster for each of the 30 teams. Great idea! That way Tony Fiore gets a Twins card! A journeyman minor league relief pitcher with the Phillies and Devil Rays organizations, Fiore pitched to an 11-5 3.92 record in 133 innings with Minnesota over the 2001-2003 seasons. After his Twins stint, Fiore spent time with the Astros, Orioles and Tigers organizations, but never returned to the major Leagues.
#74 - Jose Fernandez - 1999 Bowman's Best
The scanner just didn't do this nice card justice, and I didn't feel like spending an hour cleaning it up. Trust me, it looks nice. Actually, I think I may have picked this card up last year too... Oh well, I have worse doubles...
#73 - Doug Mientkiewicz - 2008 Topps Heritage High Numbers
After Minnesota traded Mientkiewicz to Boston in time to catch the final out of the 2004 World Series, giving Boston it's first World Championship in nearly 100 years, Mientkiewicz bounced around to the Mets, Royals, Yankees, Pirates and Dodgers over the next five years.
This may be the only card I have of him with Pittsburgh.
#72 - Corey Koskie, Doug Mientkiewicz and some San Francisco Giant - 1999 Topps Chrome
Again, bad scanner job. Chrome cards either scan really well, or really terrible. This one, terrible...
#71 - David Ortiz - 2002 Topps Total
I still need this Twins team set... But now I have the Ortiz!
(Releasing him was still one of the DUMBEST moves in Twins history)
#70 - Bill Lee - 1981 Fleer
"What bothers the Space Man?"
#69 - Shannon Stewart - 2003 Topps Chrome
Stewart was a big deal for Minnesota, after the July 2003 trade from the Toronto Blue Jays. Acquiring him helped the Twins to win the division (and not much else) that season, and his performance lead Stewart to finish 4th in the American League MVP voting that year.
And this is a nice card, regardless of what my scanner would try to convince you...
#68 - Moises Alou - 1994 Pacific
This set was fairly hard to find, even in 1994! I only bought two packs of it back in the day. But it was a nice and clean looking base set with some pretty good photos. I'd absolutely love to get some more of it today.
#67 - Ron Coomer - 2001 Fleer Focus
Another of the seemingly endless string of smaller Fleer sets that all looked the same from the early 2000's. Ron Coomer was the poster boy for all those bad Twins teams of the late 1990's, and a player I've just never liked.
#66 - Keith Garagozzo - 1994 Ultra
Minnesota's Rule V Pick from the New York Yankees in December 1993. In order for the Twins to retain his rights, Garagozzo had to stay on the Major League roster for the entire 1994 season. He lasted through April... 10 runs off of 9 hits and 13 walks in 9 innings equals not very good... Garagozzo was returned to the Yankees and never made the major leagues again.
Personally, I blame the Twins keeping Garagozzo on the roster, costing Jeff Innis a chance to make the 1994 Twins bullpen...
But it is a nice card...
#65 - Kent Hrbek - 2004 Topps All Time Fan Favorites
1982 card design from his rookie season... 1992 photograph from seasons of bad conditioning...
#64 - Tyler Jay - 2015 Bowman Draft
Jury is still out on Jay's future with Minnesota. In two years since being drafted 6th overall, Jay had dealt with injuries and an unclear role with the organization. When healthy, Jay has a big arm and could still provide value to the Twins. Or he could flame out completely.
#63 - Vladimir Guerrero - 1997 Collector's Choice Super Action Stick Um's
I don't remember Vladimir wearing #41 at any point with the Expos... But there it is...
I really want to affix these to the cover of my notebook...
But I wont...
#62 - Armando Gabino - 2010 Finest
I just like saying his name. Gabino never caught on outside his 7 game major league cameo (only 2 games with Minnesota, 5 with Baltimore) in 2009-2010. The scanner didn't like this one either... I do!
#61 - Gary Carter - 1984 Topps
1984 Topps has one of my favorite Topps designs. I like the layout and the use of two photos. It's a nice variation of the 1983 design that worked so well. Great action photo of the future Hall of Famer, sprinting out from behind the plate after a pop-up, at Shea Stadium. Chewed corner aside...
#60 - Rondell White - 1995 Sportflix
In 1995, Sportfflics was owned by Pinnacle Brands (makers of Score and Select and Pinnacle and others), and for reasons that can only be summed up by the number 1995, Sportflics became Sportflix. Sportflix did not come back in 1996.
This Rondell White is my first card from 1995 Sportflix. And I don't have many Sportflics either...
#59 - Joe Mays - 2003 Donruss Champions
Donruss also issued a ton of pointless and redundant sets during the early 2000's,
but at least Donruss Champions had a fun design.
but at least Donruss Champions had a fun design.
#58 - Ken Hill - 1995 Ultra
#57 - Chuck Knoblauch - 1996 Pinnacle Aficionado
Pinnacle was guilty of putting out whatever gimmick wasn't immediately dismissed at the pitch meeting... Which leads to stuff like Aficionado... The cards feature an above average action shot -in sepia tone! That image is butted up against a giant refractor-head profile. Gold foil name over fake wood grain... Identity crisis much?
So beyond all of these gimmicks, what was the biggest gimmick for Aficionado?
THE CARDS SMELL LIKE WOOD!!!
And I also find it slightly disconcerting in how much the giant refractor-head of Knoblauch looks like Chris Benoit...
#56 - Eric Good - 2002 Upper Deck Ovation
Something that really turned me off to collecting in the late 1990's and early 2000's was the influx of hobby shop only packs, that were priced in upwards of $5-$10 each, with less than ten cards inside. Serial numbered rookies were considered "box hits" back then. With the high percentage of these box hits turning out to be not-so-good, like Good, the entire box is bad. And overpriced and worthless product. Hope you enjoyed wasting that $100...
No offense Good, that Expos uniform looks Great on you...
#55 - Jim Thome - 2012 Topps Gold Standard
As his future Hall of Fame career was winding down, Thome shocked me by signing with Minnesota for the 2010 season. He would be the DH for a team expected to contend for a division title, while moving into a long desired brand new stadium. Thome shocked me again by delivering on his personal march to his 600th Major League Home Run. During his season and a half (179 games) with the Twins, Thome hit .266/.387/.562 (.949 OPS), with 37 home runs in 582 plate appearances. This came in his age 39 and 40 seasons.
#54 - Nick Gordon - 2015 Bowman
With Jorge Polanco's unfortunately timed 80 game PED suspension, I hoped the Twins would have given Tom's son and Dee's brother a shot at shortstop. They chose to go in a different direction. I wouldn't doubt the phrase "service time" was uttered at some point between Falvine...
#53 - Rondell White - 1996 Leaf Steel Gold
It's GoldSteel! Officer Gold Steel...
#52 - Jim Abbott - 1989 Donruss Baseball's Best
I've never picked up this set, though I need to. Abbott now sits alongside the Griffey and the Sosa, as the only cards I have from it.
#51 - Roberto Kelly - 1996 Circa
Roberto Kelly signed a two year contract with Minnesota after a down 1995 season, split between the Expos and Dodgers. Kelly had a good 1996 season for the Twins, but his 1997 season was a step back. Kelly was traded to the Seattle Mariners in August 1997, for Joe Mays. Whom you may remember from #59 on this Top Whatever.
#50 - Casey Candaele - 1988 Sportflics
Also another style of cards that just don't scan well...
#49 - Anthony Swarzak - 2009 Topps Unique
Neither did this card... And I hate to break it to you Topps, this card isn't very unique.
I guess the patented Topps pitcher face on Swarzak is kinda unique? More pouty...
#48 - Larry Walker - 1993 Upper Deck Triple Crown Contenders
These cards were a lot of fun to collect back in 1993.
That 1993 Upper Deck set was just all around goodness...
#47 - Tsuyoshi Nishioka - 2011 Topps Chrome Vintage
Here's something else that doesn't scan well... But it's Nishioka!
#46 - Chuck Knoblauch - 1993 Studio
During his rookie season of 1991, Knoblauch was such a bouncy fun happy player... But by the mid to late 1990's, he was moody and pouty and whiney...
And angry!
He went from "Skippy" to "Fuck You" in a few short seasons.
And for that, he's always been one of my favorite players!
#45 - CM Punk - 2016 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions
Because it's the Whatever, and it's my Whatever, I'm going to throw an ex-WWE wrassler and current UFC hopeful in my countdown. UFC isn't my thing, but I enjoyed Punk in WWE. That's worth enough for me having this card.
Have I ever mentioned how much I wish Upper Deck still had a Major League Baseball license?
#44 - Shannon Stewart - 2004 Fleer National Pastime
Another Fleer product that I knew little about. I also care little about it.
About as little as Fleer's embosser cared about hitting the mark...
#43 - Mike Fitzgerald - 1991 Fleer
Yellow and Blue are refusing to make Green...
#42 - Denny Martinez - 1994 Stadium Club
Martinez is appearing to wince as a line drive is headed right at him. His right arm appears to be flying upwards to protect his junk. Who can blame him? Great photo Topps!
#41 - Bert Blyleven - 2011 Topps Triple Threads
High end nonsense with every card being serial numbered. I'm sure these were well out of my price range considering this was the first time I'd seen any of them in person.
#40 - Rich Reese - 1970 Topps
A little beat up, but a sweet spring training photo from nearly 50 years ago.
And a little more consistent of a design with Blyleven's era photo from #41...
#39 - Jose Vidro - 2004 Flair
#38 - John Smiley - 1993 Select
I remember it being very odd when the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Smiley in the middle of 1992 Spring Training to Minnesota. Smiley won 20 games for the Pirates in 1991, but was too expensive for the Pirates to carry into 1992. The Twins had just lost Jack Morris to the Toronto Blue Jays, and tabbed Smiley to replace Morris in the Twins attempt to repeat as World Series winners.
Smiley won 16 games in 1992, Minnesota went 90-72, finishing second to the Oakland Athletics. Smiley signed with Cincinnati as a free agent after the 1992 season, and Minnesota started a quick descent into a terrible baseball team for nearly a decade.
#37 - Mel Rojas - 1997 Topps
Classic Topps Wacky Pitcher Face...
#36 - Tomas de La Rosa - 2001 Fleer Triple Crown
Fleer Triple Crown... Another set that I didn't know existed...
#35 - Brad Radke - 2001 Fleer Focus
Starting to get some Radke into the collection. Probably one of the least represented of all Twins star players, given his run with Minnesota lasting from 1995-2006. Many of those years I bought very few cards. Now they're starting to come my way...
#34 - Pedro Martinez - 1994 Flair
2004 Flair should look a decade earlier at how they used to make very nice looking cards. While I'm not sure I need two pictures on the front, this is a great deal better than what 2004 Flair was serving...
#33 - Torii Hunter - 2004 Ultra
Great photo... I had zero 2004 Ultra before today.
Or maybe I did since they look like every other set of Ultra from 1998-2007.
#32 - Byung-Ho Park - 2016 Topps Chrome
#31 - Jose Vidro - 2002 Upper Deck Ovation Diamond Futures
Plain white (or grey) jersey swatches are had to get excited about when the card itself is this dull.
#30 - Matt Lawton - 2001 Fleer Futures
Nope... Don't remember this set either... But I kinda like it...
Not sure why...
Not sure why...
#29 - Byron Buxton - 2016 Stadium Club
Then there's this... How could you not love everything about this card?
#28 - Frank Rodriguez - 1996 Leaf Signature Series
Some 25 years before Shohei Otani, Frank Rodriguez was another two way player entering the draft. Would he pitch? Would he play shortstop? It cost the Boston Red Sox a great deal of money to find out that he would attempt to pitch and not be very good at it. After several years, the Red Sox would flip Rodrigeuz to the Twins in the 1995 Rick Aguilera deal. Initially, I was excited to see the Twins trade for a hyped prospect... Then I watched him try to pitch in the major leagues for a year...
#27 - Brien Taylor - 1992 Classic Best
#26 - Bartolo Colon - 2003 Topps Opening Day
Big Bart... Montreal Expos... Didn't have this card... I do now!
I see where the Texas Rangers released Bartolo Colon yesterday. It would be a truly horrible match, but might I propose the Colorado Rockies offering Colon a shot? I'd really like to be able to add one final player to my list of those played for Montreal, Minnesota and the Rockies...
#25 - Kohl Stewart - 2014 Bowman Chrome Refractor
There's still a slight chance he turns it around, but all signs point to Stewart being another failed Minnesota first round draft pick, this one being fourth overall. It's always interesting when a Texas high school kid goes into the draft "throwing 98mph" and once he signs a pro contract, it's more like 92mph... And Stewart hasn't struck anybody out in four years of trying...
I looked for a silver lining with Stewart, but he was left off the 40 Man Roster this Winter, and no other team batted an eye...
#24 - Choo Freeman - 2000 Bowman Autograph
These are just nice looking autographed cards.
#23 - Johan Santana - 2005 Topps Own The Game
Serious Johan... Colorful trippy background... This card is fun!
#22 - Corey Koskie - 2000 SPx
SPx was one of the first offenders with the overpriced per card pack, with lottery like prizes, that the hobby devolved into during the late 1990's and early 2000's. That's not to say they weren't some nice cards. This Koskie is just a simple base card. But while it's cool and shiny to look at, I'd much rather pay 25 cents for this, than $8 for this and 4 more just like it. But with a remote chance that Ben Sheets or Barry Zito could have scribbled on one of them!
#21 - LaTroy Hawkins - 1996 Leaf Signature Series
Unlike this attractive autograph! As a young Twins pitcher still trying to find his way in 1996 (without much success), I never would have predicted a career spanning 21 seasons in the Major Leagues. Congratulations to LaTroy. I followed his career dating back to his 15-5, 1993 season with the Ft. Wayne Wizards of the Class A Midwest League. I also watched him pitch for the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 World Series. LaTroy has been a player I've always collected and cheered for.
#20 - Joe Benson - 2011 Bowman Platinum SomethingFractor
I've become the cranky old man that can't keep all of the differently named Refractors under the Topps umbrella straight. I do not know what this version is called. I know that I liked it. I also know that Benson was a quick flame out as a Twins prospect.
#19 - Wilkin Ruan - 2001 Donruss Elite
There's the serial numbered rookie box hit showing it's face again....
For shame too, it's a great looking card!
#18 - Alexi Casilla - 2007 Topps Chrome Autograph Refractor
These are really nice cards, serial numbered out of 500, and it actually scanned somewhat decent.
Casilla hung around with the Twins from 2006 to 2012, after being acquired by Minnesota, from the Angels for J.C. Romero (who is coming up very soon on this Whatever...). He always teased you with his talent, but ultimately ended his career just slightly above average.
#17 - Jesse Ventura - 2005 Donruss Fans of the Game
I did not know this card existed. The back mentions Ventura citing Kirby Puckett's 1991 World Series Home Run as his favorite moment as a fan.
As a Ventura fan, my favorite moment would be of him laughing at and making fun of Uncle Elmer's wedding on Saturday Night's Main Event. He was an effective Governor too, and don't let Fox News tell you any different!
#16 - Drew Butera - 2010 Topps Chrome CheckerFractor
If this guy could hit at all, he would be an All Star. For years he has held a Major League job with well below average offensive production, strictly because of his defensive abilities. At the plate, he was not a fun batter to watch. Behind the plate, he was a great catcher to watch... Not that I want to see him on a team I follow's roster. He's also the son of former Twins catcher (and 1987 World Champion) Sal Butera.
#15 - Fernando Rodney - 2017 Bowman Chrome ParquetFlooringFractor
The consensus #2 prospect in the Twins farm system, I was happy to pick up whatever this is...
It's a gorgeous card...
#14 - J.C. Romero - 2004 Upper Deck Pro-Sigs
Nope...
#13 - Joe Mauer - 2014 Topps Archives RetroFractor
1986 Topps is an underrated design in my book. That font at the top is EXTREMELY dated, which is why it works. I remember wanting to collect 1986 Topps as a kid because that fonts looked so cool paired with baseball pictures. Even if it's an updated version feature Mauer ho-humming it through another at bat...
Oh, and it's serial numbered out of something. I don't remember.
#12 - Scott Baker - 2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars
Baker was a player I hoped to see more from. His time with the Twins (2005-2011) was productive, as his 66-53 record, and 4.26 ERA in just over 1000 innings. Unfortunately, Baker never did make it all the way back after Tommy John surgery in 2012. Comeback attempts with the Cubs, Rangers and Dodgers all fell short.
#11 - Brian Dozier - 2012 Bowman Platinum Top Prospect
Dozier didn't look like all that great of a prospect back in 2012 if you went by his minor league numbers. However, Dozier turned himself into one of the top power hitters at second base. This is just a really nice card from the days when he was thought to be a viable shortstop.
#10 - Vladimir Guerrero - 2001 Fleer Premium Brother Wood
Brother Wood?!?!
#9 - Brad Fullmer - 1999 Upper Deck Encore
In 1999, Upper Deck took it's very bad design and made an all parallel, all refractory set.
It looks nicer than the regular set by a bunch. And this Fullmer for example is top notch.
#8 - Brad Radke - 2005 Donruss Throwback Threads Polo Grounds
Not really sure why this set is named after the Polo Grounds, other than the image of the Polo Grounds on the back. Neither Radke, nor the Minnesota Twins played in the Polo Grounds. The Washington Senators did, but that's a different story. But it's a new Brad Radke. That happens to be serial numbered out of 55. And that's a pretty rare number. I like the card, just don't understand the correlation...
#7 - Alex Wimmers - 2011 Bowman Platinum
I like a whole of things about this card. Throwback Twins uniform... Refractory-appropriate card design... Sloppily scribbled autograph that likely shows fatigue from writing one's name several thousand times in a day... Former first round pick Wimmers never lived up to his potential, spending parts of two seasons with the Twins. Saw that Wimmers threw during 2018 Spring Training for the Miami Marlins. Don't let that take away from how awesome this card is...
#6 - Colby Miller - 2004 SPx SPxCITING Rookies
I don't have many combo jersey autographed cards, so acquiring this one was a no brainer. Oh and it's serial numbered too! Looks like Colby approves... He didn't have a long career, so I'm sure this was a nice pay day...
#5 - Josh Labandeira - 2004 Absolute Memorabilia
Similar to Miller, there are plenty of Labandeira autographs to go around. Card companies needed a lot of low level rookies to draw collectors. Rookies typically want the thousand or two dollars they'd get for signing all these autographs, so there would be thousands of autographed rookie cards for players that got into maybe five Major League games. But if you hit on one, say an Albert Pujols in 2001, you just hit the lottery...
Who (besides me) wants autographed Josh Labandeira cards?
#4 - Todd Zeile - 2003 Topps Chrome Refractor
Even though he played for the Rockies while I lived here, I never remember that Todd Zeile was our third baseman for 2003. 2004 would see Zeile finish the season with the Montreal Expos. Making the last out in franchise history.
#3 - Rondell White - 1997 Upper Deck Rock Solid Foundation
I'm a big Rondell White collector. I had an autographed and framed Rondell White Twins jersey above my fireplace mantle for over a decade. Yet this sweet insert card from the highly underrated 1997 Upper Deck set eluded my collection for years.
#2 - Brad Radke - 2002 Topps Own The Game
This is a beautiful card...
#1 - Gaylord Perry - 1999 Fleer Sports Illustrated Autograph Collection
The Fleer Sport Illustrated partnership lasted only a couple of years, but it was a great pairing for baseball cards. Giving a card company access to a legendary publication's photos and history leads to some great ideas. Such as the Autograph Collection set. An image of a Sport Illustrated cover with a player autograph underneath. The set's 1999 issue date allowed for the inclusion of a lot of Hall of Famers before they died.
This cover (dated May 17, 1982) celebrates Gaylord Perry's
300th career victory for the Seattle Mariners.
I love the Fleer Sports Illustrated product and would love to own more...
*****
And that's pretty much that...
I needed to get rid of a bunch of cards, and I knew I wouldn't get top dollar for them.
I wanted a bunch of singles that I wanted...
(That statement makes a lot of sense...)
Now I have a bunch more room, and a lot less of what I no longer needed.
And just a little bit more of a lot of what I wanted.
When both sides walk away with what they wanted, both sides win that trade.
I spotted that Perry autograph right away.
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