The Accidental Prospector

There are a few reasons why I have never gotten into prospecting and they're all very valid, but above all I don't prospect because I hate getting rid of my cards. Sure, I love to send off cards in trades and to collectors who have more need for them than me, but I don't like selling my cards on eBay, no matter how much money is to be made. I've sold a few cards here and there throughout the past couple of years, but for the most part I've only sold cards I had absolutely no interest in or that I had multiple copies of.

Prospecting scares the crap out of me. I barely have enough money to collect the stuff I really want, I sure as hell don't want to spend money on cards that may have absolutely no worth to me in the future. Sure, there are successes out there to be had and my love of baseball may even have given me a chance to be only slightly crappy at it, but in the end I'd hate it. I'm a hoarder, not a profiteer.

So why am I now the accidental prospector? Well, it all began about two years ago when I was searching for Ervin Santana cards. I love collecting anything with a Halo, but Ervin held a special place in my heart and I was really enjoying picking up his autographs on the cheap.

After some time of searching and purchasing, I came across a lot of 4 SPx autographs from 2005. The headliner on the lot was Ervin Santana, with 3 other cards thrown in. I wasn't all that interested in picking up the other cards, but if the price was right I figured a couple of other autographs in my collection wouldn't hurt me. I added the lot to my Watched list and waited for the auction to come to an end. After a few days the lot still sat at .99 and with little time remaining I put in my bid of 4 dollars. That was completely unnecessary. The auction ended at 99 cents and I was the proud owner of an Ervin Santana autograph and 3 other throw ins.

When the bubble mailer arrived I removed the 4 cards from an oversized toploader and quickly placed Ervin in his new home and slid the other three cards into some holders and onto a box of random autographs and relic cards.

So what else was there?

Steve Schmoll, lightly used Dodgers pitcher, out of the league since 2005.


Dan Johnson, former A's first baseman of the future, claimed off waivers by the Rays and now playing for the Yokohama BayStars.

So who was the 4th card that made this lot worth slightly more than the 99 cents I paid? Well, he just recently made the cover of Sports Illustrated where he was proclaimed as "The Best Pitcher in Baseball".


Yup, the man who has set baseball on fire in Kansas City, Zack Greinke.

As this season has progressed and Greinke has continued to put up ungodly numbers, there has been a voice in the back of my head saying, "Don't you have a Greinke auto somewhere?" So after a bit of searching and scouring, I came across the card that has turned me into a psuedo-prospector. I present to you, Zack Greinke, 2005 SPx autograph numbered to 150.

So obviously I threw the card right up on eBay so I can wallow in my profits and feel like a baseball card genius right? Well, not so much. See, it all goes back to that pesky way I collect. I look at the card and suddenly it has a little more meaning to me. It's an autograph of one of the best young pitchers today and it has a story of interest behind it. Sure, I should probably sell it now, pick up 10 or 15 bucks and move on, but I just don't have the stomach for it. Instead, Zack will get packed up a little tighter, he'll be moved to a box of more prominence and I'll sleep well knowing I have an autograph of a bright young star. And if he eventually blows out an elbow or some other ailment brings him down, I'll be just as content with my decision.

So I guess I learned today that collecting really is about the journey for me. I like the stories behind certain cards and the fact that the monetary side of this hobby is of so little importance to me. Now I just hope that Zack doesn't destroy my Halos on Saturday.

Go Halos!

Just Manny Being Alex and Jason and Barry and Jose and...

I love baseball. That should be obvious by the fact that I choose to spend almost every day writing about it in some form here, that I'm a grown man with a wife and child who still collects cardboard with baseball players on it, and that I spend every night convincing my wife that American Idol can wait while we watch this important Erick Aybar at bat in the bottom of the sixth of an 8 run game. I love the game and have since as far back as I can remember. And that's why I'm so upset to hear about Manny.

It's not just that I enjoy watching Manny and know that he will now be forever tainted, it's because I love baseball. Everyone I teach with knows I love baseball, all my students know I love baseball and after incidents like this all I hear about is how baseball is ridiculous, everyone's a cheater and it's pointless to follow the sport.

I hate seeing my favorite sport destroyed slowly and ridiculed at every turn. I refuse to believe that baseball players alone have decided to do steroids and that the giant sized football players and others are simply clean athletes doing the right away. It's not even that I want those sports torn down as well, I just wish my sport wasn't taken this hit every few months.

I guess the only solace I can take in this whole thing is that it's very apparent that the team I'm rooting for isn't filled with steroided up freaks. At least I hope they aren't playing this crappy while on the juice. It certainly wouldn't be a very good endorsement for the makers of these substances.

Ehh. Baseball, do me a favor. Stop drug testing, stop naming the cheaters and let me live the life of the ignorant football or basketball fan who gets to gloat about how clean their sport is and how dirty mine is. Why does my sport have to be put above the others? Shawne Merriman is suspended for steroids and he's seen in no different light today than he was before. But Manny, A-Rod, Giambi and the rest will forever be branded as cheaters and ruiners of the game I love.

Go Halos!

1 Win Away

Going into tonight's game, the Halos find themselves one win away from finally reaching .500. Unfortunately, there is a kinda decent pitcher in the way.

Career Numbers
136-67
3.52 ERA
1,851.2 Innings Pitched

Of course the Angels will be countering with...

Not sure who that is? Well that's the Giant Killer, Anthony Ortega.
Career Numbers
0-1
5.56 ERA
11.1 Innings Pitched

Prepare to light up the Halo!
.500 here we come.

Go Halos!

¡Cinco De Halo!

¡Olé!










¡Vámonos Halos!

Halo Cards Come to Life!

It started with a challenge from Bo at Baseball Cards Come to Life! and it ended with Bo receiving a mess of Yankees from me and yours truly receiving a gaggle of Halos from Bo, plus a couple of much coveted Yankee cards.

While getting Angel cards is the highlight of most any package I open, this one was slightly different. I loved all of the various Halos, but what I most coveted were Several Yankee cards and an A's card. The horror, I know. But there is a reason for such madness and his name is Luis Polonia.


The lone Oakland card in the bunch, but it's a beauty. They're too large for most holders, they mess up my stacks and organization, but these cards are absolutely irresistible, especially when they are accompanied by the visage of Polonia.


The beginning of the Yankee cards. These card look eerily similar to...


This card. Same uniform with dirt stains, same stadium, same stache, different angle.


The backs of these cards are odd as above the stats, one stat is written out in gold. For Luis, that stat is .696 Stolen Base Pct. Uhhh...is that even good?


I've never liked the shrunken down photo in the corner of these cards. A big step down from 93 UD.


Great photo on front, great stat on back. "Went hitless in consecutive starts only once all season". It seems a bit innocuous at first, but it sums up Luis...relentless!


Bonus Yankee card featuring Halo Luis. Love the cameo card!

Now on to the Halos. It would take me three weeks to show off all of the Halos that Bo sent along, so here is a sampling.


Brian Downing Revco card. One has to wonder if perhaps Revco was supplying my boy Downing with some muscle juice. The man is a beast.


Not exactly the photo you're hoping shows up on your baseball card.


Only 21 games as an Angel, but apparently this guy made an All-Star game with the Jays.


Devo's eyes suggest that he has hit a dribbler about 6 feet in front of the plate.


Never produced in the way Angels fans had hoped he would, but I still have a soft spot for the guy.


See facial expression.


First, I love 88 Score even though it doesn't really have any of the elements I normally love in a card design, but that can be discussed later at more length. Best part of this card is how the swing and photo look so great until you look between Johnny's legs and notice the plume of dirt that is the result of smnashing the ball directly south.


F U Brian Fuentes. I miss you Percy. Sure K-Rod was great, but Percy and the tongue were legendary. The new guy just plain sucks. Of course the whole bullpen is atrocious, so he kinda fits in well.

Thank you Bo, for the Halos of course, but also for the addition of some Yankee cards featuring my homeboy Luis. You sir are a gentleman, even if the team you root for is pure evil. haha I keed, I keed.

Go Halos!

Fun With 95 SP: The Conclusion

What better place to start the conclusion of "Fun With 95 SP" than with the Cardboard God, Bip Roberts.

Once again, Bip shows off what makes him a legend. SUre, he could have mailed it in with just the million dollar smile, but he took it to another level by pulling off the ball balancing on a bat act.

But did Bip's presence end there? Of course not.

Bip showed up on a regular season card sliding back into first...


And from a spring training game trying to break up the double play. Props to Vinny Castilla on the athleticism.

If you think seeing Vinny Castilla jumping in the air seems a little out of place, this will make your jaw drop

Jim Thome looking like a skinny second baseman levitating in the middle of the Oakland infield. Definitely worth a double take.

Hairstyles also played a prominent role in 95 SP, we've already seen Will Clark and his combover, but we also have the stylings of Sammy.

Apparently Mr. Sosa had swimmer's ear, or maybe a tick that needed to be checked out. Digging the racing stripe down the side.


Mark Portugal showing off the mid 90s mullet.


Not to be outdone by the famous ginger mullet of some guy who seems to have disappeared from baseball all together. You gotta wonder if Will Clark was more interested in getting some juice to prolong his career or some hair styling tips.

Finally, the winner for Best Mullet in a 1995 baseball card set goes to...well let's him come on out and show it off to you.

As Juan prances in from the outfield, he lets us all know the source of his strength. It's nothing from the locker of Mr. Canseco, instead it's all about the locks.

If we're going to give Juan an award for that hair, how about an award for the most awkward card of 95 SP.

Director's chair on baseball field...check.
Pasty white skin accented by sleeveless shirt...check.
Odd expression from Mr. Nevin...check.
Officially awkward.


It's not often that you get a good run down captured on cardboard, however I'm more interested in the fact that the catcher has made his way out to the infield, displaying just how intense of a run down this was.

Random Oddities:

Ray Lankford, #1 Fave 4 Cardinal and aspiring gymnast.


The awful gray hats of the Baltimore Orioles. You will only find evidence of these caps on a few cards out there.


1st oddity, a time when Pedro Martinez needed the J. to help in identifying himself.
2nd oddity, Pedro is taking a vicious hack.


No one loves their fat guys quite like I do, but I really don't think Kirby should have been throwing himself around like this in a spring training game.

Finally, we take a look at the rookies of 95 SP. A chance for me to realize just how old I've become.


Yup, there was a time when Edgardo Alfonzo was a bright young rookie making his way onto the scene and not a washed up hitter barely holding on.


Nomo-mania!


I just figures Grudz began his career as a 6 year veteran.


Seriously, this guy was young once.


Even as a rookie Tony Clark looked like he was 40.

And thus ends our look back at the wackiness that was 95 SP. Feel free to look here, here and here for more of the fun. They just don't make 'em like they used to.

Go Halos!

Fun With 95 SP: The Continuation

It started here and continued here, now the saga continues.

The great thing about 95 SP is that the oddities are at times of the routine variety, example below:

Jose Rijo examining some pictures that I can only pray are of him, but likely they are pictures of Dominican embryos that he plans on signing illegally once he becomes a part of the Nationals front office.

But the oddities aren't always so obvious, occasionally they don't register immediately, example below:

What's so odd about a player making a leaping grab at the wall? Let me count the ways.
1. It's Gary Sheffield. A man not always known for his great effort.
2. This is a spring training game as evidenced by the peculiar wall/fence.
3. That is Gary Sheffield putting out maximum effort in a meaningless spring training game. Cats and dogs living together!

95 SP actually had a couple of nice wall shots outside of the Sheffield miracle.

Rickey Henderson with gold chain flying. Does Rickey ever not look smooth?


Maybe the most expected player to have a wall catch card other than Kenny Lofton in 1995. Finley seemed to make these plays regularly during the mid to late 90s.

Maybe my favorite card of the set is Rod Beck.

What could be better than a card that shows Beck lacing up the gloves? I know when I think of Rod Beck I instantly flash to his off-season workout regimen which by glancing at his physique, you instantly can determine that it is filled with intense sessions. So I return to the original question of what could be better? Well, just check the back.

Yup. Beck has graduated from the lacing up the gloves to absolutely annihilating the heavy bag. You can instantly see why Beck is the finely tuned professional athlete that he is. An absolute cardio beast!

The madness continues with the hairline of Nuschler.

Oh Will. Why oh why did you continually insist on doffing your cap? I certainly understand that the Star Spangled Banner is a justified reason to take off the hat, but it seemed like your hat was always off. Could you have done us all the favor of shaving it off or at least going with a different hairdo than the one you had when you were 6? And shame on the photo editors who decided to torture us with this sight.

Finally, we will round out today's action with a look at one of the best second basemen of our generation, Ralph Macchio, I mean Daniel LaRusso.

The secret to Roberto's great success wasn't natural talent passed down from his father. It wasn't hours spent on little league fields honing his craft. Nope, Roberto's success is due to the teachings of an elderly Asian maintenance man who fled to America in order to escape the wrath of Sato. Early on he took Roberto under his wing and taught him the importance of wax on, wax off. Unfortunately, Roberto spent a brief time under the mesmerizing tutelage of the Cobra Kai who influenced him to spit on an umpire in an act of disrespect that was difficult to live down. Thankfully, he returned to the teachings of Miyagi and lived happily ever after.

Thank you for this reminder 95 SP. Only one more installment is left, I know you're on the edge of your seat.

Go Halos!