My Wallet Card - Day 2,264

My first wallet card post was 2,264 days ago on January 5th 2015. I'm not 100% positive who started the craze. I'm thinking Junior Junkie? Recently, my daughter caught me looking at my childhood Lenny Dykstra rc which has been in my wallet for 6 years now, and asked if she could have it. I was reluctant at first but thought who better to carry on the tradition than my daughter. 

My Favorite 9 Right Now - Updated

To quote one of my favorite M.C. 's ,and probably the best that ever did it, Rakim "It's been a long time..." The fact of the matter Is that I'm not really collecting cards anymore.At least ,not the way I used to.I don't buy packs anymore and It's only once In a blue moon that a particular player will strike my fancy enough for me to go online and pick up his cards.I will,however,pick up any Mets players ,especially homegrown guys,that make  MLB impact.Hence the reason for this quick update.As you can see Peter Alonso ,Jeff McNeil and Keith Hernandez have all made their way into my Favorite 9 card sheet  ,while the elusive Cespedes ,injury prone Bryant and Ultra Pro Canseco have been voted off the island.

Also ,quoting another one of my all time favorite M.C's ,Big Pun ,even though "I'm Not A Player" anymore ,I still appreciate the game.I still love looking at baseball cards and look forward to seeing new card designs every year.There is just so much out there - online exclusives, parallels ,variations- that I just can't keep up with  anymore. I'll never stop being interested In baseball cards,but I refuse to let It drive me batty either.Ironic how the "overproduction" era of baseball cards , was a much simpler time. 

Captain Caveman

I've already come to grips with the strong possibility of  another failed Mets season. Syndergaard Is one poor outing away from being placed on the IL. Matz and Vargas have been decommissioned leaving  Degrom,Wheeler and whatever minor league pitcher gets called up to fend for themselves.Someone forgot to tell Mets newly appointed GM Van Wagenen that he was getting 60 year old Cano and not 23 year old Cano and Mickey  Callaway is one losing streak away from being told to go thataway.Not all Is lost ,though.Young guns like Jeff McNeil and Peter Alonso have been a blast to watch.Speaking of "blasts".Have you gotten the chance to catch a Peter Alonso bomb?If not,ya should.Even If your not a Mets fan.I liken Alonso to a neanderthal swinging one of those giant Captain Caveman clubs.In fact,that should be his new nickname.

Jump ahead to the 1:00 mark to watch Captain Caveman's hitting display!

It's crazy how this Is Alonso's first year In the bigs and already he has  ,like, a gazillion cards !I figured why not start his PC  with this Bowman trio ,starting with his first year 2016 card followed by his 2017 and 2018 cards. 

Recent Pick Ups

I know.It's way too early.With my luck he'll go 0 for the rest of the season and these cards won't be worth the paper they're printed on.That said,right now their Is very little not to like about the Mets young utility man turned everyday player  Jeff McNeil.Or should I refer to  him as "The Squirrel" ,his newly appointed nickname.Which is probably the only thing I hate about McNeil these days.The kid can hit.He proved It towards the end of  last season and It's carried over into spring training and this  season.There was a point  this year where he got a little homer happy but he's gone back to slashing and hitting line drives which Is really his bread and butter.He was  a .300 plus hitter pretty much his entire career In the minors.I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do throughout the course of a whole season In the majors.

Next we have a PSA 8 1986 Fleer  Update Canseco. I would have preferred an 86 Donruss graded but for now this will do.It's certainly In better shape than the current 86 Fleer Update Canseco I have now,so It's an upgrade.

And last but not least,an impulse buy. I've taken a liking to PSA 8 cards. They are super cheap and  In great condition. I think I paid like 3 bucks for this Gonzalez ,and why not?The guy was a stud and I thought it'd be cool to have something graded. HOF?Maybe not but It could be close.

2,591 Hits

354 Homeruns

.283 Average

.360 OBP

5X All Star

Does Gonzalez make the hall?Sound off In the comment section. I mean, your at my pub .What better place to chop It up  about baseball :)

   

Collecting Cards Of Keith As A Card

Looking through my Mets binder the other day,I came to the realization that I was gonna need more Keith Hernandez In my collection.And then I came to another realization .Keith only played 7 years with the Mets ,spending the bulk of his 17 year career with the Cardinals.After scouring the net for Keith Hernandez cards ,I found myself liking his Cardinals cards more than his Mets cards.Hard to believe that he started his career way back In 1975.In his 1976 Topps  card ,you wouldn't even know It was Hernandez If It wasn't for his name tag on the bottom of the card.This has catapulted way up to my top 5 favorite cards list.

 Safe to say,I am now collecting cards of Keith as  a Card.

My Mets Binder 80's

     The following are the contents of my  Mets binder featuring   prominent players from each decade , starting with 1986!                                                    

        I'd like to add more   Hernandez,Carter, Gooden and Strawberry cards at some point. For now ,this is all I have.There may be a couple of 90's cards of players who's careers with the Mets spanned the 80's and 90's.I included rookie cards of some players ,even If  they started their careers with a different team.Enjoy!    

The Bruce Is Loose!

I'm happy to see Bruce come back to the  Mets .I felt like his departure to the Indians came right when he was beginning to mesh with N.Y. , the fans and teammates. He's a gamer and a nice spark in the middle of a lineup that shouldn't have a problem scoring runs this year. Bruce Is also an asset to guys like Conforto and Dom Smith.Can't wait for February .And when February finally comes ,I'll be longing for April.

So Long Mr. Duda

A funny thing happens when you , religiously ,follow a sports team .You become attached to the players.Some players more than others,but ultimately the team as a whole becomes ,almost like, part of your family.So when a player gets traded or let go ,it stabs you in the heart a little bit.Lucas Duda was traded to the Rays a couple of days back for AA reliever Drew Smith.With Dominic Smith and free agency on the horizon  ,it was only a matter of time before he got dealt.I'll miss the prodigious moonshots to right field,the humble way he went about his business  and most of all ,the hair!Early in Duda's career ,my dad and I  would get a kick out of  the little bit of hair that protruded from the air holes at the top of his batting helmet.I wish him the best as he takes his much improved bat and defense over to Tampa Bay in hopes of reaching the playoffs for the third time in three years.So long ,Mr. Duda, and the best of luck moving forward!

Met Killers I Don't Hate - Madison Bumgarner

Forgive me my fellow Met fans ,but I just can't bash Bumgarner or the Giants for that matter.They got the best of  us and I'm not disappointed because It was at the hands of  a pitcher I don't hate.O.K. I'm disappointed  we didn't move on to the next round,but I've healed surprisingly well.I caught the game last night with my dad and we both dreaded a Familia ninth ,knowing how shaky he has been recently.We kind of saw It coming.It sucks too because I really like Familia ,and I had to put up with my dad cursing him out and verbally abusing him up until I walked out of the front door shortly after he blew the hold. Familia doesn't convince my dad .I ,on the other hand,love the guy.He can't save them all and let's face It,without him,we wouldn't have played In that Wildcard game.Anybody could have given up those three runs and  we were never going to match It.Not with Bumgarner on the mound.He's so fearless out there on the mound.A kind of fearlessness that evokes fear.But he's all business.No frills.Hats off to my Metsies for surprising the league and making It this far with the makeshift squad they had going Into that game.But hats off to the Giants as well.It'll be Basketball season before any of them catch up to Syndergaards fastball ,lol.But seriously,they played a heck of a game.As for Bumgarner?I don't hate the guy.He Is a consummate professional.

Heeee's Baaaack!

It's going to get a little bit strange In Citi Field as fans will think they have stepped into a time machine and traveled back to 2,005 when they begin to hear chants of "Jose,Jose,Jose,Jose" again.Earlier today the Mets inked Jose Reyes to a minor league deal ,bringing back what might be arguably the most exciting player In Mets history.I'm not sure how he'll factor Into what I feel Is an already solid infield.I'm hearing that he'll be used as a super sub.who knows what tricks Collins has up his sleeve.It's not a young Reyes that'll be suiting up and hitting the field when the Mets decide to call him up ,but It's Reyes nonetheless.Decent speed,quick bat from both sides of the plate and over the top excitement for the game Is what he'll bring back to Citi Field.

Singles Only

It's been a while since I've done a Singles Only post,mostly because I haven't had any new singles to write about.With the Mets struggling as of late I've fallen into a baseball funk.I usually disassociate myself from anything baseball related when the Mets are scuffling ,not because I'm not a true fan,but because I value my health.I'm such a fan that losses affect me In the worst way.There's a term for that I think  ..oh yeah ... sore looser.So to avoid sleep loss and any and all hypersensitive neurotic behavior I turn to family,toys and video games .I'm especially bummed about Conforts. Man,this guy all but carried the team for about a month and a half  ,but seems to be coming back down to earth these last couple of weeks. It didn't stop me from picking up this  2016 Archives '91 Topps beauty!Please Conforto,catch fire again some time this season. 

I've wanted a Springer rc for a while now.He's got a nice blend of speed and pop and plays the game with intensity.

Remember these Ultra Pro cards?These were cool back in the day because they were all hologrammed out and were limited edition!These cards offered a more intimate look at our baseball heroes depicting them in their civvies ,sometimes holding sporting equipment relevant to some of their off season hobbies.Canseco wasn't much of a golfer and picturing him holding a bag of roids would have been a little straight forward,so they opted to have him hold his baseball bat. Although the back of the card could be Canseco at a clinic. Ya gotta love Jose ;)

Remember all those Fleer subsets of the 80's and 90's? League Leaders,Soaring Stars,Award Winners are  just a few.This ones an 87 Hottest Stars Canseco. 

Noah Syndergaard...The Legend CONTINUES!

Random Card Picks

It's been a while ,but I'm back. Between my other two blogs Toy Break , 5 Points And Proud , and a new toy forum I've recently started,baseball cards have taken a back seat.Actually,they're pretty much in the trunk of the proverbial car. I've come to the realization that I just don't have the  time or money to take on full blown card collecting again.I thought card collecting would be a little easier on the pockets than action figure collecting but when you factor in rising pack prices , protective sheets,sleeves,top loaders and the 10 dollar monthly price guide fee,things can get spendy. So I figure to snap pics of cards that are already In my collection as well as other misc. memorabilia I may have lying around ,with the occasional single sprinkled in between.Today we take a look at the bare hand bandit,Kevin Mitchell.Besides the iconic base hit to keep the inning going In the 86 series for the Mets,most of my Mitchell memories are from his playing days In San Francisco.I remember an interview where he was asked about another player and Mitchell's reply was  somewhere along the lines of "I don't even watch baseball when I'm at home. I don't know who half these guys are out there.I just come here to play the game and then leave at the end of the day."

1987 Topps -One of my all time favorite cards 

Singles Only

Here are my latest pick ups.A couple of Conforto's and a Jacob DeGrom,all from the 2016 Donruss release.I don't mind the Donruss Panini product.In fact I like It.Their inserts are fun ,baseball player related and won't feature Bud Seligs pet hamster  or some old lady throwing  a 2 mile per hour first pitch a la Topps flagship.It's heart warming and all but I think there's a place for cards like that,and that place Isn't In my  collection.I'll be going over some more Panini Donruss 2016  once I get the must haves from the set ( mostly Mets and some pc guys)out of the way. 

I'm glad Panini decided to stay with the same Rated Rookie logo and not try and switch up the font on It.Same for The Rookies logo.I love that old school touch on cards of new school players! I'm still not 100% sold on Conforto but I know the kid's got talent.I can't wait to see the kind of numbers he puts up given a whole year to show what he can do.He kind of gives off the same vibes Jefferies did when he first came into the league and onto the Mets In '88 -' 89. 

These homage to '82 Donruss inserts aren't horrible but could have been perfect had they shrunken the Donruss logo and '16 on the right hand corner.I love this card mostly because It shows DeGrom batting. A combined 23 -14 over his first two Major League seasons ,DeGrom looks to improve on that In 2016.

Six Headed Dragon Spotted In Queens , NY!

So I finally scored a Wheeler RC,completing my Mets Topps RC rotation. I'm pretty damn excited about our pitching staff.But at the same ,sick with the butterflies about them.In a perfect world,all 6 of them over achieve and we're looking at an unbeatable rotation.In the real world, I'm hoping for at least two of them to pitch to their full potential and help us reach the post season again.Harvey,Degrom and Syndi are all capable of 15 Win seasons.Matz and Wheeler should be able to win 20 between the two of  them,10 a piece.Another 40 Saves from Jeruys Da Damaja and a dab of Bartolo Cologne puts us right back In the race!

Singles Only

It's a good time to be a  card collector,especially If your a Mets fan.With the deep ,young pitching staff and up n' comers like Conforto,Matt Reynolds and Dominic Smith on the horizon ,things are looking up for fans and collectors alike.I've been fixated on Dominic Smith as of late. Alot of his debut base cards and even some of his auto's  can be had for a song.I'm not big on autographed cards,mainly because of their price point,but Smith's are fairly obtainable.I haven't gone after any of his signed stuff ....yet.I'm still trying to figure out who he reminds me of in the box ,watching clips of him batting on Youtube. I'm thinking Bobby Abreu maybe?Then there's Syndi,a guy I'm hoping can equal and surpass his 2015 success.Love Syndergaard! Plus, I'm finally able to spell his  last name right without Google having to verify It.

Not since Dave Stewart can I remember a more intimidating stare from a starting pitcher.I love the attitude Noah brings to our pitching staff,and this card conveys that perfectly. MLB license or not,I like what Panini's doing.   

Another day,another Dominic!I sure hope we give this guy a shot at first base soon. Duda won't be here forever so Smith's debut could be imminent. 

Singles Only

        Nothing big,just a couple of Chrome pick ups.The 2015 Topps design was one that I was curious about getting the chrome treatment.I don't know If It's just me but they don't really pop as much as past Topps Chrome stuff.Still,the Degrom and Harvey are nice additions.Stay tuned for my next couple of posts as I'll be showing some recent Football card pick ups.