Thoughts and Sox Breaks a Box

Er, okay, so I don't know (red, remember) if this was from an actual BOX break or not, but it rhymes, so I'm going with it.  Regardless, I received a bubbleope from Adam containing my haul from the '87 O-Pee-Chee and '87 Leaf breaks.

First up, Adam so "kindly" included the wrapper from a 1987 O-Pee-Chee pack, and even left the gum in it - or pieces of the gum anyway:

I tried to fit Humpty Dumpty back together, but things just didn't work out too well there.  As you can see, the gum is nasty. Very nasty.  Of course, any food still hanging around since I graduated high school would tend to have that characteristic.  Wow, what a scary thought - this pack is from the year I graduated high school. 

I scanned in only one of each of the cards I received from the pack, but let me assure you that there were more cards than those shown - nearly every card has at least one double in my take from the break!

My brother and I called these "The Wooden Kind" when we were collecting back in the day. I always loved the little notes OPC included on the cards, like in Dennis Lamp's - "Now with Indians."  If OPC was able to license the photos and the design from Topps back in '87, I wonder if there is some sort of provision for something like that now... If I, for example, wished to license the design and photos from the Topps set in order to make my own set, would they let me do that for a fee?  Perhaps I could come up with my own set(s) featuring players from a certain region or that only batted left-handed or something.  I'll have to write and ask.  I'll keep you posted.

In addition to the '87 OPC cards, I also received a slew of 1987 Leaf cards:

Like the OPC cards, nearly each one of these cards has at least double to go with it.  Great stuff!  Not only that, but look at the Tribers pulled here: Carter, Niekro, Jacoby, Butler, Franco... This is a who's who of 80's Indians.  Awesomeness!

There was also a "bonus" card included:

This is an Upper Deck Masterpieces card featuring Asdrubal Cabrera's unassisted triple play in 2008 - the 14th of such plays in the history of major league baseball.  Pretty danged sweet if you ask me.  As an aside, I don't understand why so many people have such a hard time saying his name: Az-Drew-Bull (though I have also heard it as "Az-Drew-Ball" and "Az-Drew-Bowl" - subtle differences, I know).

In any case, a BIG Tribecards THANKS goes out to Adam at Thoughts and Sox for the break!!

Thoughts-N-Sox thought of Tribecards!

Adam over at Thoughts-N-Sox sent a package to me back in January.  I didn't open it (much like several other packages lately) until just now to scan them in.  I have to say there is a wide array of Tribe cards in here for sure!

I love gold cards. Maybe it's the implied prestige of the gold, or maybe I just like shiny things.  Either way, I got plenty of both in this package!  There are chrome cards, too, adding even more shininess to the mix!  You'll notice a couple minis in there as well. Excellent!

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In the next group, we have more shiny chrome and some Fleer cards, too.  I may be in the minority (not sure, never took a poll), but I always liked the Fleer brand.  I was not a great fan when UD took over for them (since, you know, it was just UD with emperor's clothes on), but Fleer has always held a special place in my nostalgic psyche.  Okay, okay, no more tissue talk.

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And then we have die-cuts!  I love die cuts.  Both of these are of CC Sabathia which makes them even cooler in my book (for no real reason other than I think it is great both cut cards of the same player. Work with me, people!).  I am also a fan of the embossed cards (like the Ovation above).  I digress here for a moment, but I thought the 1965 Topps Embossed were some of the coolest cards ever made.  Hmm, I need a thesaurus - just how many times can I use the word 'cool' anyway?

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Ooo, more Ovation!  I really like the Sizemore card - like an old photo/newspaper thing there.  And, of course, the "X" die cut is great!  Add to that the shiny Topps Finest, and I could die a happy camper right here.  Except there is even more 'coolness' to come! Uh, not from me - from the cards...

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I've seen a lot of collectors blast the "Ticket to Stardom" cards.  I like them, but wish they had different barcodes at the top. Yeah, they are like the Authentix of "old," but that's okay to me.  These are still fun.  The Martinez Artifacts is cool too, in its vintage kind of way. Though, red print on it is a tad difficult to read now that my eyes seem to be aging with the rest of me.  Geez, I sound like my grandfather...

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And now, some sweetness - UD Past-Time Pennants. If I have seen these, I don't remember it. I am loving these cards!  The things you can do with Photoshop these days makes these cards look like the photos were taken just before the cards were made. Superb!  Sorry about the cut-off Grady there at the bottom.  I really will get the hang of scanning one of these days. Or not. You know, it makes for interested conversation. Well, at least I like to tell myself that.

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THANK YOU so much, Adam!  These are going to be wonderful additions to my collection!

AdamE, Time Traveler

I received a package from Thoughts and Sox the other day. I had no idea that inside was the key to time travel.

Adam started me off in present day baseball with a fantastic shot of Grady Sizemore doing what Grady does - chase down fly balls. I suppose you could say it's "Grady being Grady!" In his case, that is a positive thing! This is his 2009 Topps card:

And then, as I slid Grady's card onto the table, I suddenly found myself transported back in time (which happens to be one of my all-time favorite Huey songs!)^* Adam sent me nine 1960 Topps cards that were on my 'wanted' list! And it gets even better:


Ernie Johnson was signed and released by Cleveland in 1960. Better known for his pitching with the Milwaukee Braves and Baltimore Orioles, Johnson never saw action in a Tribe uniform (so far as I could find). On the other end of the spectrum, we have newcomer Don Dillard. Dillard was featured on two Topps "Rookie Star" cards - the '60 you see here and the '59. How does one get to be a 'rookie star' in two seasons? I dunno. Well, in 1959, he batted in 10 games and earned a .400 average. I guess that might help. In 1960, he netted a .143 average in 7 games. Ouch. The Indians kept him until 1962, when they traded him and two others for Joe Adcock and Jack Curtis.

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Next up, we have Jack Harshman and Bob Hale ("Oh, Hale" as my Dad would say, though his was actually "Oh, hail!!" - as in balls of ice falling on our heads. He was a comedian in his own mind and we loved him dearly for it - even if we did spend most of our time shaking our heads... I digress, again.)

Jack Harshman had a busy 1959. He started with the Orioles, gets traded to Boston to play in 8 games and then finds himself in Cleveland. I think the guys at Topps finally caught up with him, threw on a Tribe hat and said, "Stand still so we can get a picture of you in SOMEONE'S uniform!" On the back off his card, there is a list of highlights from '59. The very first stat is not one I would think many Indians fans would want on a card of one of their players: "June 18: After losing 6 straight as an Oriole, Jack beats Cleveland." Well, I guess if you're looking for a pitcher, you sign the guy that beat you, right? He played two seasons with the Indians, netting a 3.285 ERA. Bob Hale came to the Indians by way of the Orioles, batting .300 in his first year with the Tribe. Unfortunately his average fell to .167 as he played in about 2/3rds as many games. In 1961, he was sold to the Yankees. The back of his cards says he is a "husky portside swinger... and a specialist at extra bases." Something I had no idea about: He started his baseball dreams in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. If that town sounds familiar, you may have heard of a guy named Torii Hunter from the same place.

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Next up, the "Youth of America" selected Johnny Romano as the Topps All-Star Rookie Catcher. The Youth of America? How was this done? Did Topps have ballots out at the stores where they sold cards? Was this an insert ballot in packs? I am very curious about that one. In the meantime, I cannot help but wonder if Johnn and comedian Ray Romano are somehow related. I mean, dang, I could almost put Ray's face there and not tell a difference... Well, not much of one. Johnny came to the Tribe from Chicago (and after his time in Cleveland went back to Chi Town) and went on to be selected for the '61 and '62 All-Star teams, playing in both games. He averaged 378 at-bats per season in his five years with the Tribe and netted a .258 batting average. I think the 'Youth of America' knew what they were talking about.

Gary Bell spent 10 seasons with the Indians. In 419 games, he amassed a 96/92 pitching record with a 3.709 ERA. In '59 (the season before the card), he recorded a 7-hitter win against Detroit, a 4-hitter the next month against Detroit again, a 6-hitter victory in July against Washington then four days later beats Boston with a 6-hitter. Want more? Okay, in September of that same season, he pitched a 5-hit win over the Royals followed by a 3-hit win against the Nationals. He was a two-time all-star while sporting an Indians uniform.

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Johnny Temple came to the Indians in 1960 from the Reds, played two seasons and then was traded off to the Orioles. Temple played second and third base for the Tribe and was selected for the 1961 all-star team. In his two years with Cleveland, he batted a .272 average. In 1961, he was walked 61 times and brought in 30 RBIs while getting 143 hits and 22 doubles. Is it really any surprise why he was selected for the all-stars? I don't think so.

Ed Fitzgerald is actually Ed Fitz Gerald. Did you know that? Probably you already did. I didn't. Ed spent his MLB career with the Pirates and the Senators. He came to the Indians, as so many do, to finish out his time in the "Bigs." By the time he came to Cleveland, he played 10 years in the MLB. He played in 49 games for the Indians, getting 129 at-bats and earning a .271 average. He served mainly as a back-up catcher throughout his career. I'd say going out with a .271 is a pretty good way to go.

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The last card in the package shows the face of a man who looks like he was just shown how the whole time-travel thing works. I'm not sure what expression Herb Score was going for here, but he looks more shocked than anything to me. Perhaps the photographer called out his name and said "Look!" Herb Score was one of the all-time greatest Indians. His passing last year was a blow to Indians fans everywhere. Ironically, this 1960 card features him in a Tribe uniform though he was traded to the White Sox that year. Maybe that's the look on his face - "Hey, you just got traded to the White Sox!" He played on two all-star teams and in his first two years with the Tribe, he struck out a combined 508 batters. Yes, over 500 batters in two seasons. "Holy Crap!"

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A super huge THANK YOU goes out to Thoughts and Sox for these timeless Tribers - from today and days gone by! They are welcome additions to the Tribecards family!

^{*I worked for several years as a radio DJ back in my younger days. "Back in Time" is a great song for radio guys. Near the end of the song, there are two sections where a whole phrase of music is played between two chorus repetitions. It is the perfect place to throw in the station's call letters, wait for the chorus, throw in the station's frequency, wait for the next chorus, then the song starts to fade and a DJ could either come on live or move on to the next song. I preferred to come on live since I had already "interrupted" the song with my break. I had one specific incident where a caller told me they had been recording the song on tape (we had things called cassettes back then) and now my voice was on their recording. I told her to save it and I would autograph the cassette if she wanted me to. Evidently, she didn't.}

Sox and Thoughts...of Christmas

I had two more packages delivered to my mailbox while I was in Phoenix. One was from AdamE at Sox and Thoughts, and the other from Voltaire. I'll get to Voltaire's in a bit (it was a big box, like 500-count or something!), but after I removed the paper wrapping AdamE's was sent in, I found this:

The box is covered with foam Christmas shapes! The Henderson household was VERY excited and thought this was a GREAT idea!! Then, when I opened the box, I found these:

WRAPPED cards! Man, this was like getting my own "12 Days of Christmas" gift! Plus, it turns out the box AdamE used was actually the box we had sent HIM for Trick-or-Treat! Another very cool surprise!

So, the question now remains: Do we open the cards NOW or do we make them the official first presents under the tree? I will let YOU decide!! Respond here and let me know what you think! :-)