...and the home of the brave

Figured I had to start my first baseball card post with the National Anthem, right?

Why am I writing about baseball cards? Well, in 2008 I started reading a trio of four (just like the Hitchhiker's Trilogy) baseball card blogs; Cardboard Junkie, Thorzul Will Rule, and Stale Gum. They also all contribute to A Pack A Day. These three guys are funny and knowledgeable and after reading them for a year and really getting into the whole online baseball card community, I decided to revive my collecting after a 17-18 year hiatus.

There are a number of projects on which I am working that involve baseball cards and so I wanted and received a scanner/printer for my computer for Christmas. Unfortunately, when I went to set it up yesterday, I found once again that I do not have a proper connecting cable. I've already looked all over the house so unless I win the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes and the prize in the mail that comes is a USB Cable, there will be no pictures today. I'll still open a pack of cards for you.

Cardboard Junkie has talked a lot about Topps Stadium Club cards and how nice looking they are. I agree. They are also largely affordable and they made sets the years my sons were born. I've been getting them into the collecting, too, with mixed interest. They care more about the special insert cards whereas I'm all "Chad Gaudin, ALL RIGHT!!!!". I picked up some Stadium Club cards on eBay and I'm opening a pack of 1992 Series One cards today.....

207 - Ramon Martinez. Ramon is the big brother of future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez and when this card came out was largely considered by many to be the "good" Martinez brother. I wanted to scan this one because I think his pitching motion and body in this card suggest something other than greatness.

122 - Wally Joyner
55 - Bud Black
175 - Paul O'Neill. I don't think there has ever been an instant in my life where I liked or appreciated Paul O'Neill. That's a rare thing.
157 - Rich Monteleone. The Stadium Club cards for 1992 had a picture on the back of the player's card from a previous Topps set. The front picture has Monteleone with the Yankees. The back has him with the Angels (from his 1990 Topps card). In both pictures he has an identical smile and squinting eyes. It's like the photographer said, "OK, Rich, give me your best baseball card smile".
97 - Dave Stieb. One of, if not the most underrated pitcher of my lifetime. Stieb was fantastic but never had the luck. In 1988 and 1989, he threw five one-hitters including consecutive starts in September of 1998 where he carried a no-hitter into the 9th inning before allowing the hit. He finally threw a no-hitter in 1990.
2 - Eric Yelding. One of those really fast guys with little else to offer. I like him.
183 - Lenny Webster
64 - Hensley Meulens. Always liked "Bam-Bam". He was a coach on the Dutch national team not too long ago. Have a couple of autographed cards of his.
149 - Jerald Clark. I had a comment on this card but you have to see the picture.
160 - Robby Thompson. One of my biggest disappointments in baseball is that Robby Thompson was never able to recreate Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard Round the World" with the announcer making the same call but using Robby Thompson.
An offer card for Stadium Club Membership which enabled me in 1992 to buy six packs of these cards for the same price as I can buy, oh, about ten boxes of them on eBay now.
21 - Luis Salazar
23 - Chris James
50 - Ryne Sandberg. Hey, a Hall of Famer!
143 - Carlos Baerga. Baerga was playing in the Atlantic League in 1991. I love the Atlantic League.

That's it. Nice pack. Sandberg and Stieb and Bam Bam. Good way to start a set. Once I get the scanner going, I'll have all sorts of things going on. Tune in.