Once every four years

Oh, I was going to do an 'oddball' cards post, but I thought, what a better way to cleanse oneself from a week of racing cards than some good old League Leader cards?

1962 Topps
AL ERA Leaders (card # 55)

1965 Topps
NL Pitching Leaders (card # 10)

1966 Topps
NL Home Run Leaders (card # 217)

1966 Topps
AL Stikeout Leaders (card # 226)

1968 Topps
NL ERA Leaders (card # 7)

1969 Topps
AL ERA Leaders (card # 7)

1970 Topps
AL RBI Leaders (card # 64)

1971 Topps
AL HR Leaders (card # 65)

1973 Topps
Batting Leaders (card # 61)

The post title doesn't refer to today being February 29, but rather it seems that once every four years I put together a quality post. I think that the content, rather than the words of this one, carry it.

No baseball cards, yet

J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy is probably my favorite set of books. I was introduced to Tolkien's writings back in the early 1970s while in junior high school.

It wasn't until high school that I read and began to appreciate the trilogy. I've tried to get my wife to read them and she is hesitant. We did go see all three movies on the day of their release, though. Here are some cards from Peter Jackson's third installment, The Return of the King.

Aragorn is so dreamy.

2002 Topps Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King
Leaving Edoras (card # 36)

One of my favorite scenes from RotK is where Théoden is getting fitted in his armor and says:

Where is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like wind in the meadow. The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow. How did it come to this?

2002 Topps Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King
King Théoden's Crusade (card # 54)

And who could guess that Bruce Willis's daughter could be so beautiful.  Good thing she didn't marry Ben Affleck.

2002 Topps Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King
A Poet's Approach (card # 83)

Of course, I'm referring to that wonderful Steve Buscemi film, Armageddon.

And if you turn the poster 90 degrees,  you get this...

Which reminds me an awful lot of this...

2002 Topps Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King
Sauron (card # 18)

Former Daytona 500 Winners

I bet you are just praying that the Daytona 500 runs tonight and is not postponed another day.

Here are some past winners of that race.

Bobby Allison won in 1978, 1982, and 1988.  He was a Ford man in the 1970s and won driving a Buick in the 1980s.  His son, Davey, won in 1992.

1994 Traks
Bobby Allison (card # 141)

Darrell Waltrip won in 1989.  His brother, Michael, won in 2001 and 2003.

1996 Wheels Knight Quest
Darrell Waltrip (card # 17)

Sterling Marlin won back to back years in 1994 and 1995.  His father, Coo Coo Marlin, drove in the Winston Cup from 1966 to 1980.  Coo Coo never won a NASCAR race during that time.

1997 Maxx
Sterling Marlin (card # 117)

Maybe tomorrow I can get back to baseball cards.  We'll see.

NASCAR Nationwide Series

It used to be known as the Busch Series.  But now it is the Nationwide Series.  Go figure.  I think of it sort of the minor leagues of NASCAR.  Others would argue that the minor leagues are the ARCA series.  Maybe the truck series.  I'm not even going to guess what that series is called.

2009 Press Pass
Jeff Burton (card # 37)

On Sunday is the Daytona 500.  The Super Bowl of NASCAR. You know, to celebrate the culmination of the season. There's so much I don't understand.

Jeff Burton rookie card and a Klingon Batleth Sword

Everyone needs to start somewhere.

1991 Maxx
Jeff Burton (card # 201)

I have no other words to describe this die cut except a Klingon Batleth Sword.

2001 Press Pass VIP
Making The Show
Jeff Burton / Checklist (card # 24)

My sakes, what ghastly cards!

This is what the Night Owl's grandmother would say about these two 2010 Panini Century Collection Souvenir Stamps cards.  A bit of jersey.  A bit of late 1970s.  A bit of postage.

I found these on ebay.  I couldn't pass them up for the price.  99 cents each.  Combining shipping got them to my mailbox for just under $5.

Panini didn't have a license with MLB, so they couldn't use MLB images or team names.  Because of this card I now know that Orel played for some National League team in Los Angeles.  If I could just find the name of that team I could catch up on my sleep.

2010 Panini Century Collection
Souvenir Stamps Materials Pro Ball
Orel Hershiser (card # 2) #'d/100

I don't know who was Orel's girlfriend in high school, but I'm guessing a pretty penny that Panini payed her handsomely for their prom picture.

2010 Panini Century Collection
Souvenir Stamps Materials Centennial
Orel Hershiser (card # 2) #'d/50

One of the frustrating parts about our hobby is the lack of quality checklists.  And the lack of quality cards, but I digress.  I scoured the web trying to find a checklist for this set so I could see what these abominations were.  The usual haunts didn't list this card.  Then I tried the manufacturer's site.  PaniniAmerica.net has a checklist.  What a mess.  How many inserts and subsets can one set have?

Here are the Orels in that set:
Common: card # 36
Materials Jerseys: card # 36 (#/50)
Materials Jerseys Prime Signatures: card #36 (#/50)
Materials Jerseys Signatures: card #36 (#/50)
Post Marks Silver Signatures: card #36 (#/25)
Post Marks Gold Signatures: card #36 (#/10)
Post Marks Platinum Signatures: card #36 (#/1)
Souvenir Stamps Materials Pro Ball: card #2 (#/100)
Souvenir Stamps Signature Materials Pro Ball: card #2 (#/5)
Souvenir Stamps Signature Prime Materials Pro Ball: card #2 (#/10)
Souvenir Stamps Materials Centennial: card #2 (#/50)
Souvenir Stamps Signature Materials Centennial: card #2 (#/5)
Souvenir Stamps Signature Prime Materials Centennial: card #2 (#/5)

Another reason that I think any card should have the year issued, manufacturer, set, subset or insert set, and card number clearly labeled on the card itself.  Clearly labeled.  Good thing that there's not refractors, xfractors, liquorfractors, ponyfractors, whathaveyoufractors in this set.  Chrome, too.

Actually, I do like the stamps. At the post office a few weeks back I saw a teaser that they would be issuing some baseball related stamps this year.  Can you wait until July?

Top 12

Aside from the cards, there's still a lot of things about NASCAR I don't understand.  Several years back they instituted the "Race for Chase" or "Chase the Cup" or something that basically made the final quarter of the season semi pointless to the average fan.  Drivers got points for doing well during the season and then only the top 12 drivers competed for the Winston Cup.  No, the Nextel Cup.  No, the Sprint Cup.  Whatever.  But everyone raced.  These cards honor the fact that Jeff Burton made it into the top 12 in 2008 and 2009.  Or maybe in 2007 and 2008.  The cards came out in 2008 and 2009.  Dang confusing NASCAR.

2008 Press Pass
Jeff Burton (card # 116)

2009 Press Pass
Jeff Burton (card # 113)

Look, just a few more days of this and we'll be back to baseball.

2010 Press Pass Eclipse

As I've said before, Jeff Burton is my wife's favorite NASCAR driver.  I've got a collection of about 60 different Jeff Burton cards.  I really need to get hold of a Beckett Racing Magazine.  Or the big fat price guide.

2010 Press Pass Eclipse
Jeff Burton (card # 12)

The texture of these cards are very much like the Upper Deck Masterpieces.  A canvassy type of paper.  I like them.  The New Hampshire card is a bit much.  Very busy.

2010 Press Pass Eclipse
Jeff Burton - New Hampshire (card # 59)

Non Racing Card Fictitious Baseball Card Post

I'm taking a respite from racing cards to bring a special post. I like to watch TV. To balance that out, I like to read. And spend time with my wife and my kids. But back to the TV. I don't watch that many current shows. Big Bang Theory. The Middle. Modern Family. Castle. White Collar. Yes, these are all mindless drivel. But I like them. Call them my guilty pleasures.

Last night's episode of White Collar centered around the theft of Babe Ruth's first official home run ball from the Yankee Stadium museum.

I'm not going to describe the whole show, episode or the characters, but we learn that the main FBI agent, Peter Burke, pitched for the Twins and had a baseball card. They show the criminal turned good give the agent a copy of his rookie card. It was only on screen for a few seconds. It appeared to be a 2008 Topps. You want a synopsis of the episode?  Here you go.

I set out to make a fictitious card. I haven't done one in a while, so why not?

I lifted all the elements. The picture is of Carl Pavano. The name font is Ironmonger Black.  I typed in the name for a sample and then snapped that.  The signature font is Denistina.  Is the card good?  No, not really.  But it works.  And it isn't a racing card.  They'll return soon enough.

There is nothing quite as wonderful as money

1999 Upper Deck Victory Circle
Income Statement
Jeff Burton (card # IS5)

2000 Upper Deck Victory Circle
Income Statement
Jeff Burton (card # IS2)

Tomorrow? More racing cards. So there.

Happy President's Day

Since today is Presidents' Day (or Presidents Day or even President's Day) let's take a moment to show a card featuring a president.  And one of the best NASCAR drivers in the last decade.

2008 Wheels American Thunder
Jimmie Johnson (card # 83)

I know that some of you are thinking, "Wait, isn't this supposed to be a baseball card blog?"

I'm just not quite feeling baseball yet.  I'll come around.  Speaking of around, NASCAR's all the buzz at my house.  My wife was wonderfully thrilled that she's been able to watch practice, qualifying, and the Bud Shoot-Out.  To honor the return of NASCAR, I'll be featuring racing cards the rest of this week.

Quoting a friend of mine, "Haha, well, er, um, good luck with that."