1990 Socko Juice Orel Hershiser set

This is one of those food premiums that doesn't pop up too often for a reasonable price. I think I pulled the trigger for about $10 a few months ago. Interesting thing is that the cards don't mention the sponsor, Socko Juice. The design reminds me of the Classic game cards. I guess that after reading the backs of the cards, you, too, can become a Major League pitcher.  Nice airbrushing of the caps.

I'll classify the cards as an odd-ball premium, slip them into the binder some cold and rainy night, and check them off my want list.

Edward Vila Glicée of Orel Hershiser

11 months ago I hit up ebay and purchased this limited edition (numbered to 50), giclée card of Orel Hershiser.  It was less than half the cost of a blaster.  Or so I've heard.  I've never actually purchased a blaster before.  Standard card size.  Signed by the artist.  I'm happy.

Edward Vela Glicée - Orel Hershiser

I don't know why it took me the whole year to show this.  It isn't like I haven't had time to post.  I'm not really keeping up with my "let me scale back a bit and just do one post a month" thing.

What have I been doing?  Well, baseball research.  Historical type stuff.  Oh, I did go to a card show and visited a few local shops.  I ran Gint-A-Cuffs X.  I bought a few cards here and there.  I recently joined The Trading Card Database.  I read the occasional card blog.  I follow and read some card tweets.  I play Topps BUNT.  I still like cards, card collecting, and the hobby.

Maybe this year I'll be more active.  Maybe not.  We'll see.

Happy New Year!

1989 Orel Hershiser Socko Tips set

I've heard of this set for years, but have never seen images of the cards until today.  It was a seven card set.  I have no clue if it was a food item promotional set or given out at the ballpark.  I found these on COMC.  A bit steeper price than I was hoping for.  For now I'll just look at them.

1989 Socko Tips From Orel Hershiser
#NoN - Orel Hershiser (The Fastball)

1989 Socko Tips From Orel Hershiser
#NoN - Orel Hershiser (Fielding)


1989 Socko Tips From Orel Hershiser
#NoN - Orel Hershiser (The Fastball)


1989 Socko Tips From Orel Hershiser #NoN - Orel Hershiser (Pitching Motion)


1989 Socko Tips From Orel Hershiser #NoN - Orel Hershiser (Pitching Motion)


1989 Socko Tips From Orel Hershiser #NoN - Orel Hershiser (Fielding)


1989 Socko Tips From Orel Hershiser #NoN - Orel Hershiser (Holding The Runner)

Last of the COMC Black Friday haul

Wow.  Do I know how to stretch out a post series or what?

Trying to maximize the free shipping I picked up some cards that typical collectors (okay, Night Owl is not a typical collector, but you'll see where I'm going soon enough) might not care for.

The first is one of the Fleer boxes.  There were probably 50 of these boxes floating around Hills, KMart, Kay-Bee and many other stores.  I can't keep track of them all.  But I wanted this one.

1989 Fleer Baseball MVP
Orel Hershiser (card # 19)

On to the glut of featureless Panini of 2013.  "We don't have licensing rights?  Who cares?  Not our customers."  I don't know if Orel's other coaches or teammates called him Bulldog outside of LA.

1998 Panini Hometown Heroes Nicknames Black
Orel Hershiser (card # N9)

This is where it turns really south for Greg.  He really only cares about Orel being a Dodger.  Well, he collects Orel as a Dodger.  The rest of the cards can go to the shredder.  Or to me.

1998 Panini Hometown Heroes Rivalry Gold
Orel Hershiser (card # R17)

Another one that Greg doesn't care about.  But it is shiny.

1998 Pacific Omega
Orel Hershiser (card # 211)

And a different one that he doesn't care about.  I kind of like this E-Motion XL card.  The frame is actually a frame.  It sits on the card and gives it a class look, even though Orel isn't sporting Dodger blue.

1996 E-Motion XLOrel Hershiser (card # 48)

So there.  You've got your fix of Mark's Ephemera in for March.  I might actually pick up card blogging on a more regular basis.  Who knows?

The Mother of all blog posts

Mother's Cookies, that is. Part of my COMC Black Friday haul was some Mother's Cookies Hershisers. No, I can't tell them apart.  But I knew that I didn't have them.  Now I do.

1988 Mother's Cookies LA Dodgers
Orel Hershiser (card # 6)

1989 Mother's Cookies LA Dodgers
Orel Hershiser (card # 6)

1990 Mother's Cookies LA Dodgers
Orel Hershiser (card # 12)

1993 Mother's Cookies LA Dodgers
Orel Hershiser (card # 10)

1994 Mother's Cookies LA Dodgers
Orel Hershiser (card # 7)

I also get confused by the names that COMC gave these sets.  The 1988 card is from the LA Dodgers.  The others are from the LA Dodgers Stadium Giveaway [Base].  Hmm.  My guess is that the cards were included in the product and given away at the stadium, but I don't know for sure.  Anyone want to venture a guess?

Spurred into action

Night Owl posted some cards that he got from Corey.  As I was looking at the pretty pictures, because who really has time to read anymore, I noticed an Orel Hershiser card I thought I had, but wasn't sure.

It was a box bottom card from 1989 Fleer.  I thought that I picked it up in my Black Friday shopping spree at COMC.  I knew that I hadn't put the cards in the binder yet, so I started looking for the padded envelope that they came in.

I looked around the computer.  Nope.  In the stack of stuff by my bed.  No.  Ah, it must be in that pile of envelopes out in the sun room.  Nope, but I did find the packing slip.  On the bookshelf?  No.  Other bookshelf.  No.  Crud.

I slept on it and this morning, being a snow day for Caroline and knowing that after spending some time doing a jigsaw puzzle, cleaning the kitchen, catching up on some correspondence, putting a few loads of laundry in the washer, I'd set out to find the cards.  I looked in one more stack of stuff and bingo, bango, bongo, I found it.

1989 Fleer Box Bottom
Orel Hershiser (card # C-14)

It wasn't just this Hershiser, but cards of some other players I collect.  Bill Wade, football player.  I had the original of this card, and the Archive edition, but the GOLD Archive?  Nope.  I do now.

1994 Topps Archives 1957 Series Gold
Bill Wade (card # 34)

This is one of those oddball cards.  I'm guessing that they're plentiful in the Chicago area, but I don't live there anymore.  Ah, Chicago, where I could, and did, go to a card show every month.  There hasn't been a card show in east Tennessee in years.

1998 Discover Card Chicago Bears Fan Convention
Bill Wade (card # BIWA)

On to Del Harris.  Del kicked around the NBA as a coach for some time.  He went to the same college my wife did.  Milligan.  So did Francis Gary Powers.  But they don't make cards of Francis.

1995-96 NBA Hoops
Del Harris (card # 182)

Boy, howdy.  Doesn't this look like an ad for some sort of hearing aid or fiber supplement?

2005-0 Topps Total
Del Harris (card # 372)

Also in the package were about another ten or so cards.  I've scanned them, but will share them later.  Probably in two different posts.  Right now I'm averaging about a post per month.  I can't get too wild.

So thanks, Greg, for spurring me into action.  I almost wrote, "You can saddle me up and spur me all night."  But I didn't.  That would be wrong.

PWE - NRA

Plain White Envelope. No Return Address.

 A few weeks ago I received a PWE in the mail. I had come home from work.  Picked up the mail on the way into the house.  Shuffled through it.  Bill.  Bill.  Ad.  PWE.

That caught my attention.  I opened it and these came out.

1969 Topps Mini Album Inserts
Cleveland Browns (Bill Wade) (card # 4)

1990-91 Skybox
Del Harris (card # 315)

1981 Detroit News Tigers Centennial
Earl Wilson (card #51)

1989 O-Pee-Chee
Orel Hershiser (card # 380)

1996 Topps Stadium Club - Virtual Reality Members Only
Orel Hershiser (card # 26)

They were all on my Elusive Eight want list.  After dinner I rushed out to some meeting or rehearsal, thinking that I'd scan and put them away later that evening.

I don't remember what happened.  I guess I forgot about them, or decided to do it later.  The cards were placed back in the envelope and set aside.

When I went looking for them later, they were not to be found.  I looked in drawers, near the computer, on my bedside table, with the other cards.  Nowhere.  A sickening feeling started to form in my stomach.  I renewed my search with vigor.  That stack of papers.  With my other cards.  With my other cards on the bookshelf.  With my other cards in a box.  Nothing.

I let it go for a few days.  Ah.  That special place where I put the important papers.  That's where I left them.  No.  Inside the cover of that book I want to read next.  Back to the stacks of paper.  Near the other bills.

My wife had noticed that I was actually doing some cleaning while looking for the cards.  That made her happy that I was decluttering, but made me sad that I still hadn't found the.

Time to retrace my steps.  I finally found the envelope.  It had fallen off the stack of a clump of papers, down near my dresser.  They had been found.  There was much rejoicing.

So, kids.  This is a true, but cautionary tale.  Get a system in place to process your cards.  Know where they are.  I don't care if you scan them, blog about them, file them a month or even a year later.  But know where they are.

So, a big thank you to whatever kind and benevolent reader took the time to go through my wantlists, procure and send me these cards.  I'll be a better steward next time.

The Junior Junkie to the Rescue

I arrived home the other day after work. Following my usual routine, I back in to the drive, gather my stuff and head down to the mailbox before making my way in to the house.  It has been some time since a PWE just appeared in post.

The Junior Junkie knocked off two Hershisers that were on my wantlist.

1995 Topps Finest
Orel Hershiser (card # 304)

Yes, I know that these two cards will do nothing for Night Owl.  Absolutely nothing.  I know that David and Baseball Dad can appreciate them.  Okay, in order to fill this post with words I've become a name dropper.  Sue me.

1997 Topps Gallery
Orel Hershiser (card # 7)

Thanks, Junior Junkie, for making my week a bit more fun.  Now to poke around and see if I have anything to send your way.

Goodbye for now

Call this a "state of the blog" post, a "milestone" post, a "hanging my hat up for a bit" post. Call it whatever you'd like.  I just thought I'd let you know where I'm at.

Like most of you, I'm busy.  Life makes demands on our time.  Our interests wax and wane.

Enough talking in general.  I'm busy.  I'm finding that I have less time.  I'm easily distracted by small shiny objects.  To that end, I'm going to step away from this blog.  For a while.  It might be weeks, it might be months.

At the first part of the year I put forth some goals.  I'm not even going to go back and specifically recall them.  You know the type.  Post more.  Trade more.  Follow more.  Leave more comments.  Get organized.  I've done that.  Well, maybe not trade more.  Until today I was on track to probably have the second or third best year of my blogging career (if by best I mean the sheer number of posts).   But it isn't a numbers game.

Well, a bit of it is.  This is post number 1,000.  No contests.  No flashy banners.  Nothing.  Just a noting of a significant number.

"But Mark, what will you do with those minutes a day you spent posting?", you might be asking.

I'll tell you.  I'm shedding the self imposed weight of trying to keep up with the Joneses.  Of trying to be witty all the time.  I'm going to focus on some historical baseball research.  Right now I'm in the final steps of formatting the transcription of the 1945 Appy League stats to turn in to the SABR Minor League Stats committee.  I've got a keen interest in the 1920 Negro League World Series between the Chicago American Giants and the Knoxville Giants.  I'm going to read.  I'm going to spend more time with my family.

Now, please don't think that I haven't been researching or reading.  That I have been ignoring my family.  I haven't.  But my plate was full.  This is the time for me to push back from the table.

"But Mark, are you leaving for good?"

Nope.  I still have games to share, trade packages to post, Listia winnings to annoy you with.  I'm going to try to make this the best season ever of Gint-A-Cuffs.  I'll still be seeking to complete the first series of the 1971 Topps set.  I just picked up three team sets of the Tennessee Smokies.  I know you're dying to see them.  I just won't be showing them to you for a while.

Here's one thing I did want to show you.  My first 1/1 card.  And my very first real bribe for Gint-A-Cuffs.  Spankee, from My Cardboard Mistress, sent it my way.  There's an interesting story behind him obtaining it, but that is his story to tell.  Thanks, Spankee.

2009 Press Pass Fusion
Orel Hershiser (card # 4) #'d 1/1

So, as you finish reading this, don't tear your clothes and look for ashes to put on your face.  Know that I will return.  Someday.

And of course, I couldn't have blogged these last 5 and a half years without you, my readers.  I've made some good internet friendships and trading partners.  I won't name them as I'm sure to forget someone.  Thank you, one and all.

Please keep on blogging about cards and the hobby.  I'll need to read something.