Cards from Night Owl

Night Owl is the dean of baseball card bloggers. I think everyone can agree on that. He is one of the first card bloggers I started reading and, in my mind, still sets the standard for quality of writing in this particular milieu.  He also has some very specific collecting focuses, which makes it easy to come across cards that he might need.

The last card show was no exception. I came across 4 Topps 1975 Minis in a dollar box.  Also in a dollar box I found a 1961 Post Don Drysdale.  The minis were in decent shape, but the Drysdale was rough. Rough like someone was digging through an old landfill and found a 50 year old box of Post cereal underneath an old refrigerator rough.  And decided to cut the card off the box with a set of those dull scissors they let you use in kindergarten that were found a few feet away underneath a stack of old newspapers. That rough.

Yesterday, I got some cards back. It wasn't necessary. Watching a professional writer ply his craft is payment enough.  But, they were appreciated nonetheless.

Ahh, the ubiquitous card #7 from Topps. I have to wonder if Topps had never dumped the cases of leftover 1952 cards off a barge into the ocean, would Mickey Mantle's rookie card from that set be so valuable?  Well, I don't have to wonder since I have taken economics.  Basic economics says that since the supply of 1952 Mantles would be larger, so the price/value would be lower.  What I really wonder is if the 1952 Mantle wasn't so rare and pricey, would ALL Mantle cards be less valuable and would Topps not continually issue Mickey Mantle cards in every stinking set that they issue every stinking year?

Discuss.

I like Robbie. He is an outstanding player, but goes about his business in a quiet, workmanlike manner. Little pomp and circumstance. Just a solid star that lets his play talk for him.

Granderson is something of a joke among the various Yankee blogs. He continues to assert that he isn't a home run hitter.Uh, dude? Only Jose Bautista hit more home runs than you last year.  And only Bautista, Josh Hamilton and Adam Dunn are hitting more than you this year.  You. Are. A. Home. Run. Hitter.  Deal with it.

The big man.  The undisputed anchor of the Yankees rotation.  He really hasn't gotten into a groove this year and is probably not the best starter for the Yankees to date.  But, when the weather turns hot, he turns into a monster.  I expect he'll run off a string of starts where he is unhittable.

Night Owl has been working lately on his Topps All Time Fan Favorite set. I don't have many of these cards. In fact, I think the only ones I do have are part of my Paul Blair player collection. So, I am happy to get a couple others. One of these days, I need to research the Fan Favorite sets and see if it is something I'd like to collect.  I have been quite clear in my dislike of 2012 Topps Archives, mainly because it attempts to do too many things and does none of them particularly well.  The idea of Archives is something I like.  It is Topps execution that is lacking.  If they did a better, more coherent job with Fan Favorites, it is probably something I would enjoy collecting.

This Chrome Jim Abbott is 76/299.  Both of these Fan Favorites cards are going into my MOJO !!!1!!1!!!111! binder.

2006 Topps Opening Day Hideki Matsui parallel (1251/2006). Interestingly, at this moment Matsui has 1248 MLB hits in his career. 3 more and this card becomes a 1 of 1!!!1!1!1!!!!

And now my two absolute favorites from Night Owl.

I know a lot of folks don't like Michael Kay, but I enjoy his Yankee announcing. He works together well with all his color men, although I most enjoy his work with Ken Singleton.  I also like that he is not a homer.  At least not as much a homer as other announcers like the execrable Hawk Harrelson.  Kay gives his signature home run call "See ya" for all dingers, not just those of the Yankees.  Also into the Mojo binder.

A 2011 Topps Lineage '75 mini Sabathia relic. I realize that this card isn't exactly rare. In case you haven't noticed, CC is a big fella. I would estimate that Topps was able to make 25 bazillion of these cards with one of CC's away jerseys.  But, I don't care that. I love this card.  Mojo binder?  Oh, yea!