Collection Cornerstones - Ovechkin!

Alex Ovechkin appears from my vantage point to be one of the more polarizing modern athletes in all of sports.  Despite being one of the premier goal-scoring snipers in the National Hockey League for more than a decade now, it seems that he's got two detractors for every one fan.

Well, you can count me as one who's been impressed watching Ovechkin ply his trade over the first 13 years of his NHL career.  As the Capitals were plowing their way through the playoffs this year, and it became apparent that they were going to mow down the storybook Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final with relative ease, I decided it was time to make a play for the one card of "The Great 8" that I've always desired.  I have a feeling now that he got the championship monkey off his back, if he continues to score at the rate that he most likely will for the next few seasons his better cards may be unattainable for me years down the line, so I pounced.

Behold!

Pretty psyched with this solid new addition to my hockey collection.  The 2005-06 Upper Deck flagship set is home to two of the more significant hockey cards of the last couple of decades.  The first, Sidney Crosby's Young Guns RC, remains a pipe dream for me, but it's nice to have finally landed a copy of the other here.

I don't particularly care that the card is graded, but since it's impossible to find these for less than triple digits these days and I was buying online sight unseen I did want to ensure that my copy wasn't going to show up with any surprise "dings" or anything of that nature.

Here's a better look at it.  I don't collect the guy by any means, and honestly with this in hand I don't feel the need to ever acquire another Ovi card again.  Some athletes are just such standouts at their particular sport that I feel compelled to add one awesome card of theirs to my collection even though they don't play for a team I root for or "fit" my collection in any significant way.  This is certainly one such card.

Since PSA-slabbed card backs scan so poorly on my scanner I grabbed this image from the internet.  Little brighter and more contrasted than my scan, but you get the point.

Back to the point about Ovechkin being polarizing, if you know something I don't certainly leave a comment.  As best I can tell his lack of fans compared to his contemporaries like Crosby might be a result of a combination of a variety of factors including the fact that he's from Russia, has been a bit of a show-boater at times (though I question whether he's really any worse than most NHL players these days in that respect), doesn't play good defense, and has never led the Caps to a Cup.

All I know is, the guy can straight up put the puck in the net.  There haven't been many players in the history of the league not named Gretzky, Bossy or Hull who have been able to score as frequently and as consistently as Alex has over the first 13 seasons of his career.  He's already sitting on 607 goals, good for 19th all-time, and at just 32 years old.  Barring a major injury he'll move up another handful of spots on that list next year, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could reach top 5 all-time or even higher!

As far as the defense goes, he'll never win a Selke, but I do have to give the man at least some credit for improvement there.  After all, this past playoff season, where play is so tight and every goal is so huge, Ovechkin recorded 27 points in 24 games and finished a +8.  And he wasn't such a defensive liability that he prevented Washington from winning The Cup.  To the contrary, he was a big part of the reason they finally won, as his Conn Smythe Trophy attests to.

If you're a hockey fan, what's your opinion of Ovechkin?  I'd love to hear from you whether you agree with me or not, after all these types of debates are one of the many things that make sports so great...

Obligatory Topps Red Sox Team Set

In the lone pack of 2018 Topps that I've opened to date I received exactly zero Red Sox.  Especially painful given that it was a 36-card hanger pack.  I figured the annual Red Sox team set that Topps churns out would be a much safer bet to match my particular collecting interests, so one made its way into my basket in a rare retail purchase last time I was at Target.

I'm not going to provide commentary on all of these.  I wish I had time to get into a breakdown of which cards feature different photos than their flagship counterparts, but I don't.  Not this week, and probably not next week either.

Mookie returned to the lineup tonight against the Orioles after a couple weeks on the DL...

Unless I missed something, I haven't heard any news at all about Hanley Ramirez since Boston released him.  I actually thought he was having a decent season and it seemed he was let go as much for contractual reasons as anything, so I figured someone would've scooped him up by now.

Always appreciate a new Xander Bogaerts card!  I just looked it up and apparently I currently have the largest Bogaerts collection on the Trading Card Database (just 68 cards added so far with many more in hand that I need to inventory).

Well, here's something a little different.  I've got quite a few Wally the Green Monster cards at this point, but this is my first "Tessie".  In fact, I don't recall having heard of Tessie before.  Whatever, if it helps get young kids into the game I'm all for it.  Besides, mascot cards are something out of the ordinary if nothing else.

Despite the team's success so far in 2018, the bottom third of the lineup is a train wreck at this point.  Lately it seems like Boston's lucky to have anyone batting over the Mendoza Line in those spots.  Makes you wonder about the Hanley Ramirez departure a bit...

Well, that's a wrap.  Just what I expected.  After getting skunked in that 2018 Topps hanger pack, 17 Red Sox for an even $5 seems like an acceptable deal.  These didn't knock my socks off or anything, but at the same time I bet I'll be grabbing next year's set...

Shoebox Legends' Sunday Smorgasbord

I actually had a decent amount of free time this weekend, but I spent it in the sun on the ocean eating lobster and drinking beer rather than sorting sports cards.  So, in place of anything more structured or well thought out, here's a handful of scans that have been sitting around in my draft folder waiting to see the light of day...

Still loving these '92-93 Ultra buybacks from the 2016-17 Fleer Showcase set.  They're tough little buggers being numbered to just /25 copies each, but I scoop them up any time I can find one I don't have yet for just a buck or two.  I was beyond excited to land this Patrick Poulin, both because it represents a fairly rare new Whalers card (of which there are fewer and fewer these days), and because it contains the infamous gold foil "Rookie" ribbon that I loved as a kid.

Every time I show one of these I'm obliged to mention just how much better the card backs were than 90% of what's being produced even today.

Here's one more, again I obviously targeted this one to increase my serial-numbered Whalers count by one.

This pair brings my total to 9 of these, plus I have 3 of the autographed versions I've shown off, bumping me up to a dozen.  I've got a couple more in queue for future posts, including a pick-up from this past week that hasn't even hit my mailbox yet!

Here's a nice graded '64 Marichal.  Not much of a backstory behind this one, I'm always on the lookout for '50s and '60s stars to strengthen my vintage collection.  Marichal is one of those guys whose cards can be had for surprisingly cheap, as was this case with this well-centered beauty from one of my favorite sets of the decade.

Think I grabbed this one a while back on COMC, just to feed my addiction to these Bubbles Refractors from 2014 Bowman Chrome.  Just 99 copies of each card out there, but they're right up there with the 2011 Topps Chrome Atomic Refractors and the 2014 Finest X-Fractors in terms of my favorite shiny baseball cards to debut since my second swing through the hobby (beginning in 2007).

Ripped another pack of Topps Kids recently from the wax box I picked up a while back.  My favorite two cards in the pack were Roger...

...and this Ozzie Smith.  Of the handful of different designs in this release, the ones that feature the photograph of the players head paired with a cartoon body and backdrop are my favorite.  Sort of a nod to the 1938 Goudey set, I guess.

Can't show Topps Kids cards without showing a back!

Why did I buy mid-grade copies of 1954 Topps Mel Parnell...

...and Johnny Sain cards?  I'm not really sure to be completely honest with you, but I guess I'll keep these around for now in case I ever decide to chase the set later in life.

Next up, a pair of legends from COMC.  First, this one-per-box Yellow parallel from 2009-10 Champ's hockey.  If you've been following my blog for some time then odds are you've seen these before.  Chasing this 100-card parallel set seems like a fool's errand, but it's one I've been chipping away at nonetheless for close to ten years now.  Howe is obviously one of the biggest names on the checklist, being one of the biggest names in the history of the sport period, so crossing this one off the list feels good.  53 out of 100 now in hand!

Here's a recent addition that showed up in my last shipment.  I've mentioned before that I'd love to collect the entire 100-card 2014 Finest set in X-Fractor form and display them all in a binder.  When I had an opportunity to snag future HOFer Albert Pujols for less than a dollar I pounced.  This is my 10th X-Fractor, so still a long way to go in this pursuit.

Lastly, how about a couple of oddballs from the 1988 Classic Red/Blue set?  I grabbed an entire set of these for cheap coin at my local shop years ago.  Cracked them open and a bunch got sent out in trade, but I kept a few select cards for myself including Bo Jackson...

...and the late great Tony Gwynn!

Well, that's a wrap.  Pretty good sampling of just how all-over-the-map I am with my collecting.  Hopefully you saw at least one card you found interesting, thanks for stopping by!

Buyback Franken-set: Molly & a Completed Page

It's been over a week since I added any buybacks to the franken-set project, so let's dive in tonight with another ten.  Some good star power this evening as well, time to get down to it!

1979 Topps #24 - Paul Molitor

Usually I save the best of the batch for last, but tonight I'm coming out strong with one of my favorite recent buyback pick-ups.  Molitor's rookie card came in the 1978 set of course, but that was a multi-player rookie card, making this Paul's first solo Topps flagship card!  I love the sunny photograph here of one of the more under-rated hitters in the history of the game (if it's possible to be under-rated as a first ballot HOFer that is).  '79 Topps isn't a favorite of mine by any means, but this particular card I love.

I ponied up a whole $3 for this one, plus a couple bucks shipping, because I figured it could anchor spot 24 in the binder for good.  Will that be the case though?

Bob Allen's 1967 card already sits in slot 24.

Did you expect that one to end any differently?  I'll be surprised if that fantastic Molitor buyback is ever ousted from the binder.

1990 Topps #133 - Ricky Horton

Next up, a '90 Topps buyback.  Can never have too many of these since I'm attempting to complete an entire set of them in addition to the buyback franken-set.  In this case Ricky Horton goes into the franken-set because he represents my first #133 buyback, and the franken-set comes first.

2006 Topps #477 - Chan Ho Park

Here's one I hand-picked recently from a seller with a ton of buybacks available at what amounted to about 30 cents per, maybe less.  Why this particular buyback?  Because I was an impressionable 11 years of age when Park splashed onto the scene in the mid-'90s.  Even though this is a later career buyback it's got a ton of nostalgia value for me.  Does it make the binder though?

This multi-player RC from '77 Topps stands between Chan Ho and franken-set glory...

...and Park mows it down!

1973 Topps #178 - Don Rose

I really enjoy the '73 Topps release, but Don Rose here is a far cry from the best the set has to offer.  Rose didn't actually pitch in the Majors in 1973 either.  It's probably going to take an empty slot for Don to have a prayer here.

Unfortunately for him I've got a more interesting Angels buyback already occupying slot 178.

Don never stood a chance.

1969 Topps #272 - Ed Stroud

I really like the look of the '69 buybacks from this year's Heritage product, but Ed Stroud's blacked out cap kinda kills the look of this one if I'm being brutally honest.  It's a shame too, this would've been a solid card if not for that.

Had this great '59 Topps Jerry Lumpe buyback in slot 272...

...and there's no way I'm evicting Lumpe in favor of Stroud here.

1988 Topps #204 - Paul O'Neill

This is a nice one, picked out from the same seller as the Chan Ho Park above.  I'm not sure if this counts as a rookie card strictly speaking, since Paul had cards from other brands like Donruss or Fleer prior to 1988.  I do believe it's his first Topps card though, which is cool.  Paul is a member of the Hall of Very Good, having won five World Series and an AL batting title among other accolades.

This record breaker subset card from 1981 Topps has been resident in slot 204 for a few months now.

As much as I enjoy a card with not one, but two, Expos on it, I'm going with the O'Neill in this case.

1959 Topps #22 - Al Smith

Here's a beat-to-hell 1959 Topps Al Smith buyback.  We've got everything from rounded corners to creases to paper loss going on with this card.  Al was a 3x All-Star who actually wrapped up his career with the Red Sox in 1964.

Already had this Charlie Smith in pocket 22 of the binder.  The obvious star of the show here is the fantastic New York World's Fair shoulder patch.  No way I'm pushing this one out of the way for Al Smith.

Sorry Al.

1990 Topps #78 - Mike Flanagan

Another 1990 Topps buyback here.  To me, this is a set of extremes, with some really good looking cards and some really poor ones.  I'd consider this the former, not the latter.  This is a new number for the franken-set project as well, funny that the only two new numbers in this post are the two 1990 buybacks.

Best of all, this one completes a page as well!  The highlights of this page are the two '67s up top in my opinion, but don't overlook Ted Kubiak's "hair wing" at lower left either.

1969 Topps #273 - Ron Willis

Tonight's penultimate entry is Ron Willis' '69 release.  This one has a weird, dreamy quality to it, I think from the photograph being a little washed out or blurred.  A nice enough looking card, I like that there's some baseball activity going on in the background there.

I think I like this '68 Dave Johnson more though, and it's already in slot 273.

It pains me to reject a card that says "Cards" on the front, but so be it.

1973 Topps #224 - Bill Lee

Last card for tonight, and it's a real winner for this Red Sox fan.  I'd love to complete a run of Bill "Spaceman" Lee buybacks that represent his entire career at some point.  I think this is at least the third one that's popped up since this project began.  I really like the photograph on this card too, certainly interesting as far as portrait shots go.

In a clear example of just how difficult it's becoming to make the binder, this card is not a shoe-in by any means.  Check out what's blocking Bill's path:

A '72 Topps World Series subset buyback featuring Brooks Robinson Davey Johnson.  Ouch, I really hemmed and hawed over this one.

In the end, even this die-hard Sox fan just had to go with the '72.  It's alright though, as Lee's '70 Topps RC is still a critical part of the franken-set, even if this '73 now resides in the reject box.

That was a good little grouping if you ask me.  Two new numbers for the project courtesy of 1990 Topps, one of which completed a page.  The Chan Ho Park, O'Neill and Molitor cards strengthening the set on top of that were the icing on the cake.

Thanks for spending a few minutes of your valuable time to read my buyback ramblings!

Franken-set Progress: 609/792 (76%)
1990 Topps Buyback Set: 65/792 (8%)
"Rejected" Buybacks: 473
Total Buybacks in Collection: 1,147