No Rest for the Weary

This is the last post from the most recent JBF Priority Mail box.  Time to catch my breath.../checks Twitter.  

Welp...

I may teach my four year old some sorting techniques and how to scan a baseball card. My wife probably thinks I'm spending about 20k this month on cards or getting shipments of cocaine. 

Before I'm featured on the show Hoarders lets discuss the last installment of the most recent Priority Mail box.  This box was even more eclectic than the one I showcased yesterday.  

Jason Kendall and a throwback uniform.  Yes Please!

Fleer 92 went a little overboard with the aggressive name plate, but it is a Spanky card nonetheless.

Chico Lind doesn't have time to take his helmet back to the dugout.

I'm now sure that I've received every card

Here is a fun and very obscure set. This Al Martin is from the 1998 Sports Illustrated World Series Fever set.

Homestead Grays!

Another unique shot of Kendall.

Steve Pearce just couldn't stay healthy when the Pirates were trying to give him an opportunity to win the first base job.  I was happy to see him carve out a career after he ran out of chances in Pittsburgh.

This is his coolest Pirates card.

As card bloggers we like oddities.  How about a pitcher running the bases!

The Martin is the cooler photo but the Polcovich is more in focus.

The legendary Pat Meares on the left....

Sabo's goggles were a thing of legend when I was a kid.

I'm for any cards that feature Expos and Bucs.

Aki Iwamura signing was a disaster for the Buccos.  His decline was crazy fast after some productive Rays years.

Every Fleer Authentix card looks like an insert.

Some catcher goodness. I'm pretty sure I now super collect Mike Lavalliere.

Studio cards were always unique.

Being that I'm a Pacific fan I'm obligated to love Metal as well.  They were batshit crazy designs, but I love them.

Must have been a cold April photo op at Three Rivers Stadium.  Orlando Merced looks more ready to ski than to play baseball.  I dig the All Star Game logo patch on the jacket.

That was fun Wes! I need to hit you back with the ammo I have on hand since you are rapid firing to Morgantown.

Thanks for reading!

The Allure of Pacific Plus More JBF Loot

Like most suitcase sized packages I get from Wes, a portion will likely contain cards. The most recent priority mail box contained two large boxes of cards. So many cards that I've had to break it up in two posts. I probably should just have a companion blog based on items JBF sent my way.  Today on "Bob Walk to my Mail Box and See What JBF Sent Today." I'm still working on the name....

I've been asked the question a few times on why I enjoy Pacific so much.  Part of the answer is timing. Pacific's heyday was the late 90's/early 2000's.  Being that this was my junior high/high school years I didn't have much disposable income.  Pricing was important and often times Pacific offered more bang for your buck.

Pacific also offered a lot of variety.  Lots of offshoot Pacific sets exist to varying degrees of craziness. I always joke that some of the design meetings were cocaine filled parties which produced crazy insert cards.  You name the insert gimmick and Pacific surely did it.  The funny thing is these cards are highly desirable now to player collectors.

So I'm guessing the collectors that wax poetic about Pacific are likely in my same age group.

I sporadically showcase Pacific cards throughout this post.  Did I do this to keep you reading or am I just lazy in terms of how I scanned the cards.   I'll never tell.....

If I had a dominating change up I would definitely call it a Vulcan Change.

Even standard Pacific had some cool shots.

Profiles in athleticism.  I'm going to donate these six cards for an art exhibit.

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You can obviously see some of the cocaine coming through even in the splinter cell base sets.

I think we can all agree these are awesome.

Purina Mad Dog is top notch.

This Brian Giles is peak Tony Montana Pacific.

I don't think I owned this Drabek.  What a fantastic card.

The Garner Pirate uniform just pops right off the card.

I loved Craig Wilson as a player, but if he shows up on your team leaders card things might not be looking great in the wins/losses department.

It doesn't look like Carlos Garcia enjoys staring at a gigantic Pirates logo.

A lot to like for different reasons here.

The Merced is just a fantastic photo.

Matt Morris was a short stay Bucco who was absolutely horrendous during that time.  Needless to say he doesn't have much in the way of cards as a Bucco.

Craig Wilson looks like he has a perm.

Jeff Reboulet looks like a 70's porn star.

Manager cards are awesome! Leyland has some great ones out there. Love the taped bat.

As usual Wes I'm amazed that you can find so many Pirate cards on such a frequent basis.  The bombardment so far has been fun.

Thanks for reading.

Friendly Rivals

Noted Cubs fan P-town Tom recently hooked me up with cards and beer! So far I've only gotten through one of the beers so that review can come at a later date.  As usual the card portion was fantastic.  Tom always finds unique cards for my collection.  

A couple of weeks back I featured both Al Martin and Mike Spanky Lavalliere on a post and ever since it feels like they have been hitting my mailbox on a steady basis.  That is awesome.  For the sake of Science let's see if I have magical powers.  Future posts are planned on Clemente rookies and Honus Wagner cards.  Now the waiting game.....

Tom has sent me quite a few unique TTM/IP autos over the years. This is a great card to have signed. Al Martin has some cool cards out there. 

Over the past year I've been trying to add a many Keller cards as possible knowing that he was likely going to skyrocket the top prospect lists once he hit AA.  Sure enough most publications list him as the Pirates #1 prospect and a top 20 overall.

Tom is keeping up with his current events!  Moran was part of the Cole deal and will likely be the starting third baseman for the Buccos.  He has kind of an interesting career arch already.  He was the 6th overall pick by the Marlins in 2013, but really struggled.  He eventually got traded to the Astros and seemed to regain his form last year, with the big caveat that he played in the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League.  He will be given every chance to succeed in Pittsburgh.

A rare shot of someone warming up the pitcher in between innings!

I actually didn't remember Phillips.  He appeared in 6 games for the Buccos in 1999.  I'm mad at myself as I'm usually pretty good remembering guys from that time period.

Tom is just showing off now.

Things are getting crazy.

Tom is just hanging on the rim after a monster dunk.

Back when Neil Walker was a catcher!

Inception is an underrated base set.

I'm glad I've been getting some Gallery cards via trade.  I didn't open any boxes when they released. Kind of regret it....

Cardboard legend!

I want all the Keller's!

Keller just got his first Chrome auto in 2017, but his Bowman rookie base card is in 2014.

Topps Game cards are always fun.

This is awesome! I thought I had this card, but I"m pretty sure this is new to my collection.

Still in the pack!

Glasnow was a disaster last year.  I'm guessing he'll be given one more shot to start then it will be a permanent move to the bullpen.

Taillon has battled some serious arm injuries and cancer already in his young career.  The man deserves a break.

The Jamestown Jammers was the Pirates NYPL affiliate up until 2014.  It was then moved to Morgantown about two miles from my house!

I think it was my Dad that told me he remembers seeing "sets" from Renata Galasso being sold in the JC Penny's catalog.

Sigh.....The Pirates fan in me is going to have a hard time not seeing Cutch in uniform.

World class athlete, Mike Spanky Lavalliere. 

Tom sent a ton of cards.  My photos were only the tip of the iceberg.  You rock Tom.  I just got stocked back up on a few Cub cards so I'll be hitting you back very soon! Also I'll have some beer.  Beer and cards in the mail.  What a world we live in! 

Thanks for reading.