Slyked by the Junkie and a Glimpse into his Future

As I was preparing my post tonight all of the following happened to me....

1. Right arm gets covered in stickers
2. Daughter says the word "music" 15 times straight
3. I play Wheels on the Bus 3 times
4. Daughter drops basket full of plastic easter eggs and then hides because it scared her
5. Read Mr. Brown can Moo.

This is what a normal night consists of if I attempt to anything blog related while my daughter is awake. The only reason I mention this is that everyone's favorite Griffey collector TJ is a proud new papa. Having a kid makes you the ultimate multi tasker. Before you know it you will be singing Old MacDonald, scanning Griffey's and pulling Play Doh out of his mouth! 

Right before TJ became a Dad he sent out an actual ton of cards. I was one of the lucky recipients. It was two team bags stuffed to the gills. 

At first glance Midre Cummings really looks like a young Barry Bonds. This will probably the only time I mention Midre Cummings at the beginning of a post.

It really looked like the Pirates had found their solution long term at catcher. So much so the Pirates were trying Ryan Doumit at different positions to keep his bat in the lineup. As usual with the Pirates during this time period it all went to shit pretty quickly. Paulino's defense went to hell and his bat wasn't enough to keep him in the lineup. 

I love Pacific so much. Crown Royale was probably the most Pacificy of them all. Late 90's cards are hard to beat. Could you imagine the design meeting on this card. "Hey guys I'm thinking we put an actual crown on the card."  The manager instantly says "love it" and drops some acid. 

I love receiving high end base in trades. Polanco is fresh off a long term extension and has been the hottest Pirate out of the gate. 

Here is the beginning of the Slyking...

 Triple Play!

 Diamond Collection is my favorite here.

 More Triple Play!

Holy crap that was a lot of Slyke's. The crazy thing is their were multiples of many of these.

So many Cutch cards! The Topps Chrome really pops for cards featuring the Bucco black and gold uniforms.

 Some young Bucs. Only Heredia is not considered a high end prospect.

Does anyone build Bowman sets? I've always liked Bowman, but I don't think the thought ever crossed my mind to complete the base set.

Conlon cards are always fun. I remember my Mom buying me some when I was young. The Big Poison is my favorite.

 I want the Pirates to hold a Jason Bay appreciation day. He was just about the only reason to come watch the Pirates for a long stretch.

 I'm such a sucker for nickname cards.

In terms of outfit this is probably more on the conservative side for New Orleans.

Thanks for the great cards TJ. I hope you are getting on a nice routine with the little one. Hope you are still finding a little time for cardboard.  

Thanks for reading. 

Junkie Mail

TJ aka the Junior Junkie and I finally broke the ice. I've been following his blog pretty much since I started mine, but for whatever reason our paths never crossed. Thankfully TJ must have had a big time card spring cleaning as he bombed mailboxes all over the US. If you need proof check out this receipt. That poor girl is probably going to hide at the post office next time she sees you.

A rare serious looking Sanguillen and an all smiles Richie Zisk Isaly's Disc. Most of the Isaly's restaurants had closed by the time I was born, but you can still buy some of their products in grocery stores in the area. I also found out they invented the Klondike bar. You learn something everyday.

I had no SSPC cards before I started blogging now I have a ton. I love these. Simple in the best of ways. The Murtaugh on the bottom right is my favorite. He looks like an old gym teacher.

Finest is a great set that I wish was just a tad bit cheaper. I loved last years set. Cutch is going to be the NL MVP this year!

The Pirates gave up on Jose Bautista and it came back to haunt them. He credits the Blue Jays hitting coach at the time for making a small adjustment to his swing. That small adjustment turned Bautista into one of the most feared sluggers in the game.

Pedro Alvarez has had a hard time living up to the huge hype after being the 2nd pick in the 2008 draft. It finally looked like he had broken out two years ago and had an All Star season, but the wheels came off last year as his defense hit rock bottom. He could not throw to first accurately which is pretty essential part of playing third base.  This year he has moved to first base which I hope eases the stress of the fielding issues. Be nice to get that power stick hitting on all cylinders.

TJ was nice enough to throw in the complete Welland Pirates set from 1994. Jeff Banister is the new coach of the Texas Rangers!

I'm a huge Gerrit Cole fan so I love it when people send me his cardboard. If I had to pick one guy who is key for the Pirates to make a deeper playoff run it would be the big righty. Our lineup shouldn't have a problem scoring runs so Cole taking the next step and becoming the ace of the staff would be huge. Hard to think of many recent World Series teams that didn't have an "ace" at the front end.  Just look at Bumgarner last year. Freaking guy pretty much won the World Series for the Giants.

Thanks for all the great cards TJ. I'll hit you back soon.

Thanks for reading.