My First Sign Of Spring Is Here. 2015 Topps Yakees Cards!

For those of you poor, unfortunate souls who live in the northeast like I do, you are looking for any glimmer of warmth from the cold winter we have been experiencing. It seems like when the calendar switched to 2015, old man winter turned down the thermostat and proclaimed, "I'm back".

I have been looking for anyway to beat the cold. Staying indoors, drinking lots of coffee, layering, anything. But today, my first real sign that the cruel winter will soon be over arrived in the mail today. No, it wasn't the head of old man winter staring at me when I opened my package. It was my 2015 Topps Series One Yankees cards that I got in a team break my team collector group recently held.

I had been holding off picking any packs of this up because I knew my group would be breaking the product. But, like a drug addict jonsing for his fix, I would wander into Target, looking at the card section in hopes of grabbing a rack pack or two. Then I remember that I have the absolute worst Target in the free world when I see no 2015 Topps. No 99 cents packs, no rack packs, no blisters, no nothing. I guess it's a good thing I didn't pick any up because when my package arrived, I tore into it like I tear into a Big Mac.

Let's take a look at the goods...

First off, I really like the design of this year's set. It's not the same, boring designs Topps has used in the past. I like how the Yankee colors are blended in the border and of course, the photography is top notch. Not Stadium Club top notch, but good enough for this collector. Love that Jeter card. The picture was taken during his last game at Yankee Stadium, right after he hit a walk off single to win the game in his last at bat. That's an image I will carry with me the rest of my life.

I get my Teixeira card for the Tex binder as well as the Jeter short print card. My only beef is there isn't a Betances card or a Chase Headley or a C.C. Sabatha card in this set. I understand that there need to be some players for Series Two, but come on. We couldn't have included Bryan Mitchell or Shawn Kelley in Series Two so we could get the missing stars in this series?

Ah, the inserts. I maybe one of the few collectors who don't complain about Topps bringing out so many inserts. I love inserts and I think Topps did a great job with the inserts in this set. I love the look of the Free Agent 40 cards. The Gallery Of Greats is a pretty classy looking card and I got some of the classier players you can find in Jeter, Rivera and DiMaggio.

Another nice looking insert set in this set is the Archetypes set. Love the way the gold and blue of the card blends in with the image of the player featured. I also got the only Yankee card in the Inspirations Duels set, which will also go into the Teixeira binder. I think Donnie Baseball will like it in there.

Finally, we come to these awesome insert cards, the Highlight Of The Year set. As you can probably gather, Topps takes a particular year and player and gives you a highlight of that year from the particular player chosen. I actually thought I had these cards in order by year when I took the picture. Embarrassing...

I also got a gold border parallel Derek Jeter short print and what I believe are Rainbow foils of Jeter, Ellsbury and Martin Prado.

My hit is this Career High Hiroki Kuroda autographed card. I have been trying to get a Kuroda autograph in my collection since he first joined the Yankees. I tried TTM to Steinbrenner Field during Spring Training and Yankee Stadium during the season. I tried in person at Yankee Stadum, but to no avail. No, I finally have a Kuroda autograph in my Yankees collection. I hope he does well in Japan for what may be his final year as a professional ball player.

I am really happy with this year's Topps release. I'm so glad I got in on the group break, I have just about every Yankee card in this series with the exception of Ellsbury Robbed card, the Babe Ruth Gallery Of Greats card. I didn't get any of the First Home Run cards or Babe Ruth Story cards, which I think are Target exclusives. The Coin And Stamp cards are case hits, so if I want any of those as well as the other autograph cards, I will have to go though eBay or trades with other collectors.

Regardless, I am quite pleased that I was able to add a near complete set of Yankees cards into my 2010 to 2019 Yankees Topps Flagship binder. Whenever I get new Yankee cards around the time Spring Training begins, I usually start to get my Yankee t shirts and jerseys ready because spring, and more importantly, Yankee baseball is just around the corner.

Recent Mailday. Yankees, Yankees And A 1/1

Recently I participated in a group break of 2014 Topps Minis. It's not a product I normally pick up as mini cards are kind of difficult to protect. Recently, I have seen pages that can hold mini cards, so my Allen and Ginter mini's can now be displayed in my A&G binder. Knowing this, I decided to take grab the Yankees spot in the group break and I'm very glad I did.

When I opened the mailbox, I was excited to see another package with my group break scores. It was the Mark Teixeira card I recently picked up off eBay.

I grabbed this 2007 MLB Artifacts Awesome Artifacts Quad jersey card numbered to 50 for a steal. I have a Derek Jeter bat card from this same subset and I put in a bid when I saw this card. I was pretty shocked when I won as  put in a $2.00 bid on it. I am very pleased to be able to add this to the Teixeira PC. This is game used card number 66 for the PC. The march towards 100 continues.

Then I opened up the bag containing my Yankees cards. My buddy threw in a couple of extras for me to add to my various collections.

A  Roger Maris Manufactured Patch Card for 2012 Topps Series 1. Me likey.

2013 Bowman Blue Border Mark Teixeira numbered to 500 for the Teixeira PC

2014 Allan & Ginter Lou Gehrig mini that I needed

A couple of the 2013 Topps Cut To The Chase inserts. I love these cards. I have to make sure I don't already have these two.

A 2012 Topps Derek Jeter Short Print card, which I am stoked to have in my Jeter PC.

And a couple of cards of El Capitain that I needed for my Jeter PC.

Now, on to the main event. To be honest, I think the Topps minis are actually pretty nice. They are just the regular flagship cards, shrunk down. They are going to look pretty sweet in their pages next to the regular flagship cards once I get the complete set done.

I have some Jeter and Teixeira cards to pull out for their PC's, but other than that, I will be putting them in the Topps flagship binder soon enough.

I got a few nice gold border cards in the batch. This Tanaka was the best of the bunch. This is numbered to 63. Not sure why Topps picked that number though.

And this pink bordered CC Sabathia card numbered to 25. Not sure if I'll chase after the set of these. Probably depends on how much the cards go for.

I also got a huge pull from this break. I was shocked when it was pulled and it's going to become a permanent part of my collection until I leave this life.

A yellow printing plate of Derek Jeter

Yup. A 1 of 1 card. My first 1 of 1 Jeter card. I am very happy that I could add this to my Jeter collection and will cherish it for life.

I am very glad I decided to participate in this group break. I actually almost passed on it. I can only imagine how I would feel if I saw that Jeter slip through my fingers. I might have given up on collecting cards all together. OK, not true, but I would have made sure I was involved in every single break going forward.

Now, I look towards 2015 Topps Series 1. Can't wait to break some of that.

When Baseball Cards Talked

A few weeks ago, I was in my closet, looking for a couple of things when I came across a box of some old baseball stuff I had as a kid. Among the goodies, I found some old Yankees mugs that were given away during Fan Appreciation Day back in the 1980's (I'll show those off in a future blog post) and a couple of old baseball cards. In the very bottom of the box, I found this envelope

The envelope looked vaguely familiar to me, yet I couldn't place what was inside. Once I pulled out the plastic bag I remembered instantly what they were and how I came about owning these.

 
These were the Talking Baseball Cards that were put out by Collectors Marketing Corp. They were actually records you played at 33 1/3 that had the calls of some of the greatest moments in baseball history. My mom had gotten these from the Sears Christmas Catalog for me as a Christmas gift in the 80's. I remember when I initially got these I was less than thrilled, but over time I was very thankful I had them because I could listen to the radio calls and learn all about some of the great achievements from some of the biggest names in baseball.

Now, when I was trying to find out the year these came out, 1989 was a year that popped up a lot and I can surely tell you that I did not get these in 1989 as I was a senior in high school and I was listening to CD's of groups like The Beatles, Depeche Mode, The Cure, KISS, Guns N Roses and other bands. I doubt I even owned a record player back then. I'm almost certain I got these in 1982 or 1983.

Among the records I got were:

Even though this happened 11 years before I was born, I barely listened to this recording of Bill Mazeroski walking off the Yankees in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. Although Roberto Clemente was on that team, I still dislike knowing the Yankees outscored the Pirates in that series and still lost. It cost Casey Stengel his managers job because it was thought that had Whitey Ford pitched in Game 1 he would have pitched game 7 and the Yankees would have won the series. Oh well, I chalk it up as the Pirates revenge for the 1927 World Series when the Murders Row destroyed Pittsburgh. Still, this was a nice moment in baseball history.

Another nice moment in baseball history was the New York Mets having their moment in the sun when they beat the Baltimore Orioles in 5 games to win the World Series in 1969. 1969 was a great year in New York sports. The year started off with the Jets upsetting the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl 3 and the Knicks would win the NBA Championship later on. Now that I think about it, Baltimore had a lousy sports year in 1969. Also, I am pretty sure that picture is not from the 1969 World Series but from after the last out from the 1973 NLCS when Tug McGraw led the "You Gotta Believe" Mets into the World Series.

Here's a recording that I enjoyed listening to. I had always wished I was able to watch this happen live. Unfortunately, I didn't start watching baseball for another 2 years, so at the time, this was all I had to relieve that moment when Hank Aaron broke what was thought to be the unbreakable record and that was Babe Ruth's all time home run record of 714. I still have a great amount of pride when I watch video of the record breaking moment, but I just wish he didn't break the record in such an ugly uniform.

One of the greatest catches in baseball history was captured on vinyl so I could listen to it over and over. I am pretty sure I had seen film of Willie Mays's catch by the time I got this record set. I was a frequent viewer of "This Week In Baseball" and I am certain that they played clips of this catch and other great moments in baseball history. One of the coolest things about this record was I got to hear the term "optical allusion" over and over.

Here's a record that I'm sure my Dodger buddies won't be happy to see (Hey, if I had to listen to Maz's home run over and over, you can deal with this :P). One of the greatest walk off home runs in the history of the game was hit by Bobby Thompson in the deciding game of a 3 game playoff between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. We all know the story by now. Ralph Branca came in to pitch to Thompson and Thompson yanked the one out of the park to put the Giants in the 1951 World Series. Of course, there is the controversy that the Giants may have been stealing signs from the Dodgers through a telescope that was positioned in the Giants clubhouse in center field and relayed those messages to the Giants dugout through a buzzer wire. Branca, always never wanted to take away from the significance of the moment, always said that even if Thompson knew what was coming, he still had to hit it. I always though that was classy of Branca and the moment is still a significant one in the annuls of baseball.

Pete Rose, friend to Mets fans everywhere...OK, maybe not after almost killing Bud Harrleson during the 1973 NLCS. On this recording, he sets the National League Hit Streak Record against the Mets at Shea Stadium by hitting in his 44th game in a row off Pat Zachary in the 7th inning. I actually remember watching highlights of this game and seeing what a big deal it was, although I didn't realize it at the time, especially since Joe Dimaggio had the 56 game hitting streak. In my opinion, that record will never be broken. Btw, Pete Rose For The Hall Of Fame!

I just missed seeing this World Series live by one year. From what I heard, I missed a great Series. Although the Reds won the Series in 7 games, Carlton Fisk had his moment in Game 6 when he led off the 12th inning and hit one out. The visual of Fisk willing the ball fair on the first base line is a sight that will be replayed for forever.

Of course, I have my fair share of Yankees in this set:

Don Larsen's Perfect Game in the 1956 World Series. The funny thing was he started game 2 and couldn't get out of the 2nd inning and he didn't think he would get another start in the Series. Well, I guess he made the most of this start.

I remember watching this game with my mom. Reggie Jackson was my mom's favorite player and he made Game 6 of the 1977 World Series a memorable one for us both as we watch Reggie go yard in the 4th, 5th and 8th innings on just 3 swings. The old ballpark in the Bronx was rocking that night as Reggie helped bring the Yankees their first title since 1962. If my love for the Yankees was born the year before, this game cemented the Yankees in my heart for a lifetime.

This one was a particularly sad recording as it's of Babe Ruth's final speech at Yankee Stadium with his throat ravaged with cancer. It was a rough and raw sounding Ruth and it's a sound that I have never forgotten and I'm so glad I still have this record.

Another game I can say I watched. This recording is of the Bucky Dent home run off Mike Torrez in the 1 game playoff that the Yankees won and moved on to the ALCS to play the Kansas City Royals. Now a days, a game like this would have been shown on ESPN, TBS or Fox, but back then it was shown on a Yankees telecast on Channel 11. I actually remember Bill White's call of "Yastremski's not going get to it, it's a Home Run!" Three straight years I was treated to great Yankee moments and I haven't stopped enjoying them since.

Finally, I have the recording of Roger Maris's record breaking 61st Home Run in 1961. After seeing Bily Crystal's wonderful film 61* and reading about the chase between Maris and Mantle for Babe Ruth's single season home run record, with the fans behind Mantle, The Commissioner of Baseball proclaiming any record had to be broken in the same time period that Ruth had since it was an expansion year, and the press hounding Maris, I'm sure it was gratifying for him to have been able to hit that home run. It's another of those moments in baseball history that I wish I could have seen.

I always wished we had gotten records of Jackie Robinson's first game in the majors, Roberto Clemente's 3000th hit,  Lou Gehrig's speech (I don't think a full version of it exists), Joe Dimaggio's 56th hit, Ted Williams final at bat at Fenway, Bob Gibson's 17 strikeout performance in the 1968 World Series. But I am happy that I had these records as a kid. I was able to learn baseball history in my spare time.

Now, these records have been listened to quite a bit, so they are in less than mint condition. I actually doubt I can play these even if I had a record player right now. But they are still very cool pieces to own and I'm really glad I still have these and if I can figure out a way to display them with my collection, I definitely will show them off proudly

Yankee Stadium Tour

It's cold outside. It's snowing. So, what do I do? Do I curl up in front of the T.V. and watch some Yankeeography? Do I go and build a snowman? How about none of the above. When it's colder than cold and the snow is blowing in my face, I want to be reminded how soon it will be warmer than Hades so I go to my summer home. I take a trip to Yankee Stadium.

My girlfriend, Gina, was in town for Valentine's Day Weekend and one of the places we both wanted to visit was the home of our favorite team. So, we went on Saturday afternoon to see if there was any tickets available for any of the remaining tours that day. Luck was on our side and we were able to score tickets for the 3:20 tour.

Before the tour started, we walked around and took some pictures outside the ballpark.

Once we were let inside, we were treated to a fantastic view of the Great Hall.

And The Hard Rock Cafe

And The Yankees Clubhouse Store right next to the Hard Rock

Once the tour started, Carlos, our tour guide, led us up to the Yankee Museum. We stopped by the Mickey Mantle Exhibit first. Mantle is one of my favorite Yankees, so this was a real treat for me.

There are a lot of those pieces on display I would just love to add to my Yankees collection, especially those vintage magazines, the movie poster and pin collection. I just wish I got a better picture of the pin collection.

After the Mantle display, we got a look at all the Yankees World Series rings. The Yankees got pocket watches instead of rings. The first year the Yankees got a ring was 1927 when they swept Pittsburgh. Due to the crowd, I was unable to take pictures of all the rings. I just got a few quick shots of the more current rings.

After the rings, we were bought to the Babe Ruth exhibit.

Lou Gehrig Exhibit

After the Museum, We were then taken to the Press Box. The view of the field from there is real nice. Makes me wish I finished my journalism degree so I could have worked from there as newspaper reporter.

Then we went down to one of the suites. This particular suite goes for 385.00, which includes an all you can eat buffet. A great view and food makes me consider this deal.

Yes, they serve Blue Moon here. Deal maker.

Gina and I even got to take a picture on the Suite deck.

After this they took us to a more expensive suite, which was pretty unimpressive. Just a couple of tables and pictures. I didn't really take any pictures in this suite. I was too busy talking to Carlos, our tour guide. We found out he is a 19 year old who is a student at St. John's University, taking Sports Management as his major. He's working his way through college by being a tour guide at the Stadium. Carlos seemed to be pretty smart person. I hope he goes pretty far in life.

OK, I lied. I did get to take a picture with the huge Tino Martinez picture in the suite.

After, we were led back downstairs and given wrist bands and that was the end of the tour. A bit disappointing because we couldn't go into the players locker room, dugout and on to the field. Carlos told us that because they were still dismantling the hockey rink we couldn't go down there. Great. First my Islanders lose to the Rangers, now we were denied access to the field. I was told to come back for a later tour during the season and we could go to the locker rooms and field, so I'm thinking that's what Gina and I will do.

Afterward, Gina and I picked up a few items at the Clubhouse Store and left the Stadium.

Outside the Stadium, I noticed a life sized bobblehead. I have this same bobblehead on my shelf, which is an all star bobblehead. I don't remember which All Star game it was from though.

Then Gina and I decided to hit the Yankee Tavern. Rumor has it that Babe Ruth actually used to get drunk here so I thought it would be a great place for Gina to visit.

It's a nice little place. In between drinks and some Motown on the jukebox, we got to take a quick picture.

Dispite the snow and the fact we weren't able to visit the locker room or field, this turned out to be a great day at the Stadium. I now we will take the tour again and now Gina can say she had a drink in the same bar that Babe Ruth did. Isn't that what dreams are made of?