Mike Trout On The Wrapper

Mike Trout is on all sorts of wrappers this year, most recently for Topps Series 2.

I have the following wrappers already for my Mike Trout collection, but would like to add all the variations.

If anyone has any other neatly opened wrappers or boxes (Walmart, Target, Toys"R"Us and such), I'd be willing to trade some cards for them.

Please leave a comment as to what you can send so as to avoid any duplication.

Thanks for you help in this little project.

Jack Howell Kept Me Waiting For 1,495 Days

Mailed these cards to Jack in May, 2009.  

Got them back Saturday.

My records show that I had sent a 1992 Stadium Club with the 91 Upper Deck and custom, and not a 1987 Topps.  Obviously it's been so long I'm not sure.

This might be a personal record for longest wait.

Very glad to get any return back from Jack Howell even if it was 4 years in the waiting.

My Parents Went To See Those Damn Yankees

This is the program from the play Damn Yankees.  

It was in my folks stuff at the old homestead when I was last there in January for my mothers funeral.

You learn a lot of stuff about your folks after they're gone.

Which is too bad because I would have asked them about this when they were living.

I knew that they liked plays and musicals but I would have asked them if they remembered anything specifically about this one.

The play was at Melodyland Theatre, a circular theatre across the street from DisneyLAND (not that fake in Florida) on Harbor Boulevard, in Anaheim, California.  The theatre opened in 1963 and was eventually demolished in 2003.  It was a church for most of those years. There's no date in the program but I'm figuring the play was in late 1964 after the baseball season...you'll see later how I figured that out.

I remember as a elementary schooler going on a field trip to Melodyland, which was maybe 5 miles from our home.  That would have been around 1971.  Can't remember what we saw then, must have been a play of some kind, but I can visualize some clown telling jokes or doing tricks or something.

This is cool part now about the program, and the play.  Check out who had parts in it!

Dean Chance played for the Angels from 1961 through 1966.

Bo Belinsky played for them from 1962 to August 1964 when his future with the team became uncertain after a fight with a reporter, hence the "temporary retirement".  He was then traded to the Phillies in December of that year.

The mention of Chance's 20 wins was the first clue that lead me to 1964.

The Angels didn't start playing in nearby Anaheim until 1966 (they were still at Dodger Stadium, or Chavez Ravine as the Angels called it) but I know that my folks knew who these guys were, and were probably thrilled to see them up close and in action, although out of their element.

I'm sure they had a great time.

For you youngin's unfamilair with Damn Yankees I included the programs synopsis of the story.

Because An Autograph Post Is Easier Than A Layoff Post

Yeah I got laid off today, reduction in force they call it in aerospace, after 13 years on the program.

Sucks.

So with that, how about some autographs to take my mind off it!
(These all came in in the last couple weeks.)

Tommy Goodwin, 12 days c/o the New York Mets.

Danny Darwin 9 day from his home in nearby Sanger, TX.

Ryan Bolden 113 days mailed to Angels Spring Training in Tempe, AZ.

Added a nice note too.

Check the smiley with the wagging tongue.

Classic!

Chris James 13 days from his business Fish and Still Equipment Inc.

Franklin Stubbs 13 days from the Albuquerque Isotopes (one of the best team names in baseball).

Mickey Morandini 18 days from the Lakewood Blueclaws.

Needed Brad Hawpe for my all-time Angels collection.  

Got him in a trade.

Needed these two for the set, one by trade and twoeth by gift.

I mailed a request to the Rangers asking for a signed (or unsigned) Nolan Ryan business card.

They sent an autopen team issued card.

Still pretty cool.

One Of The Coolest Pocket Schedules Ever

A dear friend of ours has been involved with Athletes In Action for a long time and has been tied to their Collegiate Baseball team in the Alaska Baseball League for near 15 years. 

Their team is the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks.

Prior to 2012 they were the AIA Fire.

I decided that I would start collecting their pocket schedules and the first one I received is this years issue.

Check this out.

Holy Cow (pun intended - AIA is a Christian organization)

Check that out!

But wait, it gets better when you open it up.

Sweet goodness!  

No cheesy sponsors on the back.

You can just make out the ghosted baseball in the background.

The sked folds out to a nice little piece of art work.

So sweet in fact that I framed it and put it on my desk at work.

This will serve as another reminder to pray for these guys the next several months as they play ball in Alaska.

Inside is nothing but baseball from June 9 through July 27.

Interested in the Chinooks?

Check them out at cerchinooks.com

Anyone Need Some Update Cards?

I bought a lot on ebay that included these sets:

1987 Fleer Update

1992 Topps Traded

1993 Topps Traded

I also recently ripped a box of 1991 Topps Traded wax packs.

After pulling out the Angels, major rookies (ie Greg Maddux, Pudge, etc), and all the Team USA cards, all the rest are available for trade.

I also set the 1987 Fleer Mickey Hatcher aside because I thought I remembered someone having it on their Top Ten Want list (let me know if it's you).

Teams collectors, player collectors, whatever, let me know what you want and send me some Angels in return.

I Thought I Hit The Jackpot Today

You know that feeling you get when you're thumbing through cards and something is not quite right, then you take a look closer and you think you've found a one-of-a-kind error card?  

Happened to me today at my LCS.

I was thumbing through 1991 Stadium Club baseball looking for for Dave Gallagher (the last Angels card I need for the team set) and for Gary Green (I'm sending out a Team USA card for him to sign and wanted to include this one as well).

I found the Gallagher but not the Green (isn't that always the case?).

But in the midst of thumbing I saw this guy:

We all know who this is right?

Otis Nixon?

But when I glanced down at the name...

Alex Cole.

Now granted Alex Cole could be Otis Nixon's son, there are some similarities.

But Alex Cole is No Otis Nixon.

But Sweet!

I just found a one-of-one error card!

But no I didn't.

After some research this is a fairly well known UER (uncorrected error) worth about 50 cents.

Ah well.

But take a look at this:

Now this ebay listing really doesn't make sense.

Would you sign a picture of yourself (albeit on the wrong card) but state that it isn't you?

Red flag!

The Autographs Keep Marching In

New Angel J.B. "Dont Call Me Jack" Shuck signed these cards in 13 days c/o the Angels.

Now why J.B. wouldn't sign in the nice white area is beyond me.

Fay Vincent added a nice personalization to this 1991 Upper Deck checklist card for my set collection.

18 days from his home in Vero Beach, Florida.

Beau Allred signed this set card and 1990 Topps in 10 days from Safford, Arizona.

Mail Pattern Autographing

Recent returns in the mail for my Angels and set collections.

Chris Beasley 1992 Skybox, 1992 Stadium Club

35 days from his home in Gilbert, AZ.

Bob Milacki 1990 Toys R Us, 1991 Upper Deck, 1992 Stadium Club set cards.

55 days c/o the Clearwater Threshers.

Something new to me is collecting signed business cards.

Not of everybody across the board, but just Angels front office guys (for the most part).

Tim Mead is my first return.

7 days c/o LA Angels.

Ed Montague NL/ML 74-09

Ed added the signed photo as well.

Nothing better than a shot of an ump yelling at a manager.

17 days from San Mateo, CA.

Umpires Sign Cards Too

It's extremely difficult to get an umpires autograph before or even after a game.  They are the most elusive critters around, so I've never even really tried to get one.

Being a signed set collector though, you will come across the dilemma of having an autograph on every card in the set, and that includes checklist cards.

Having front office personnel or umpires sign those types of cards has been the norm.  Since I've gotten deep into several sets now, and I mean years into getting these sets signed, I figured it was time to turn my attention to the checklist cards, and I chose retired umpires for those.  The sets I'm working on are 1983 and 1984 Topps and 1991 Upper Deck.

I only started to attack this effort in the last couple weeks but I'm finding the turnaround has been very fast and reliable.

Terry Tata NL 73-99

9 days from Chesire, Connecticut.

Drew Coble AL 82-99

Drew included this signed postcard.

7 days from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Ken Kaiser AL 77-99

7 days from Rochester, New York.

Rocky Roe AL/ML 79-01

9 days from Mount Dora, Florida.

Larry Barnett AL 69-99

12 days from Prospect, Ohio.

Jim Evans AL 71-99

13 days from his Academy of Professional Umpiring.

Dale Ford AL 75-99

Did not sign the cards but included this signed postcard instead.

9 days from Jonesborough, Tennessee.

Completed Angels Team Set - 1983 Fleer Baseball Stickers

Thanks to GCRL for putting on a box break of 1983 Fleer Baseball Stickers.  

This enabled me to get an Angels team set (plus some) in one big whack.

Interesting that the Tommy John sticker is an "action" shot as opposed to all the others that are head shots.

I wonder if Tommy felt singled out because of this.

Each team set includes a logo sticker as well.

I'm showing two because they have different backs.

A poster offer back and the team checklist back.  

I think there were also some logo stickers with a different teams checklist on back.  

I'll have to keep an eye out for that version.

I actually purchased two teams for the break, the other being the Astros.

I chose them with the hopes of pulling a Nolan Ryan sticker.

Score!

Two different Ryan stickers.

I didn't have either of these in my Ryan collection before.

Each team you purchased allowed you an additional random team, so I drew the Mariners and the Rangers.

Nothing notable to scan from either of those teams!

Mariners, Astros, and Rangers collectors let me know if you want to trade.