Pedro Guerrero on baseball cards

A lifetime .300 hitter, Pedro Guerrero played fifteen years in the major leagues for the Dodgers and Cardinals. A five-time All-Star, his best season was 1985, when he led the National League in both slugging and on-base percentage as he hit .320 with 33 HR and 87 RBI to lead the Dodgers into the playoffs. He can now be found on Twitter (see my note below) as @PedroGuerreroLA, and he kindly answered my questions about baseball cards.

"I really don't collect cards. I always thought that Canseco '86 card would be the s**t but i guess not. I liked the 80s cards."

Thanks!
(For those like Night Owl who are skeptical as to whether this is the real Pedro Guerrero as the account is unverified, here is my reasoning why I think it is him. In his first tweet, he thanks his agent Jose Melendez, who is best known as the agent for Jose Canseco. Both Melendez and Canseco follow Guerrero, and Canseco has tweeted him directly. In another early tweet, he mentions that he is doing a signing at a place called Harry's Dugout. Harry's Dugout's twitter account follows Guerrero and his website mentions the upcoming Guerrero signing. So it seems that people who would be interacting with Guerrero are treating the account as legit.)

Home Team Advantage? A conundrum

So it turns out that the 2001 Topps set I bought was not a 2001 Topps set at all - it was a 2001 Topps Home Team Advantage set. The cards are identical to the base set except for "Home Team Advantage" logo over part of the photo. I was totally unfamiliar with this before I opened the box last night.

Now I have a conundrum. Should I consider these the same as base set cards, or as a whole different set? As you may know, I like to collect everything, mainly trying to complete sets. I keep all my cards in boxes in chronological order by set (i.e. all my Bowmans, then all my Collectors Choice, then all my Donrusses, etc.). I have generally considered parallel cards to be a different set than the base set. For example, after my 1992 Topps set, I have my 1992 Topps Gold cards, then my 1992 Topps Gold Winners cards. Similar for things like Upper Deck Electric Diamond or Ultra Gold Medallion. There have been a couple of exceptions to this rule - I consider red-back and white-back 2007 Topps cards the same, and tiffany-back and plain-back 1990 Topps Traded cards the same. However, both of those variations only cover the back of the card, not the front.

If I followed this logic that I have applied to my collection already, I would put this 790+ parallel set after my base 2001 Topps set (I think I have about 300-400 cards from the set already). Then I would still need the other few hundred cards from 2001 Topps, which is disappointing because I figured I now had the complete set I thought about just buying a 2001 Topps base set, but they are expensive - average sale on eBay is over $50 according to Wrigley Wax's very helpful complete set eBay sale watch. I am unlikely to get one for under $10 any time soon.

Instead, I am leaning to considering the HTA set the same as the base set for my collection, keeping all the HTA cards (so all the cards in my set look the same) and put all of my 2001 Topps singles (which do not have the HTA logo) up for trade. However, I would be interested to know what you blog-readers think, if that is a good idea or not.

Another thought - do any of you have all (or almost all) of the 2001 Topps set to trade?

The cards I didn't buy on Saturday

I picked up two hauls of cards on Saturday. One was the Topps sets I bought from a guy on Craigslist. Earlier that day I got a whole bunch of cards from someone on Freecycle. I had gotten cards from her last year, and she had more to give away. No ten Frank Robinson autographs, but some really cool stuff nonetheless. All of you collectors, especially those like me who aren't team or player specific but love all baseball cards, really need to be on those sites. People who were hoarding their collections for years looking to get rich off of them are realizing their cards aren't worth anything, except for those like us bloggers who love the cards for their own sake, not their monetary value.

Here is what I got - some of it is for show-off purposes, a lot is trade bait.

 - There were a bunch of these cans of Pinnacle Inside. I've never gotten any before - I guess I will need a can opener to get at the cards? Weird.
- There are two postcards of Hall-of-Fame plaques - Roberto Clemente and Mickey Mantle. I don't collect postcards so they are up for trade.
- Next to the postcards is a Willie Stargell tribute set from Sunoco - there were two in the lot so one is up for trade.
- Under the Stargell is an unopened 1992 Front Row Draft Picks set - I already have it so this one is up for trade
- Under that are autographed cards of Willie Stargell and Brooks Robinson. That is to show off, not for trade. Pretty cool, especially since you can't get autographed cards of Willie Stargell any more.
- There was a whole box of the 1993 Upper Deck BAT set of retired baseball legends. The last time I got cards from this person there was a complete set of these, so I don't need any more. I haven't gone through what's in the box, so I don't know if it's a complete set or not. Either way they're up for trade.
- The box on the right had a whole bunch of star cards in plastic. The cards I took out and put on top are all trade bait.

-  The brown box appears to have complete sets of all three years of Topps Big Baseball ('88, '89 and '90). I will have a lot of dupes and so plenty to trade.
- The '89 and '90 Topps Traded sets are up for trade.
- The other three boxes were loose cards from 94 and 95 UD and 95 Collectors Choice. Plenty to trade from those sets especially Collectors Choice since I have the full set.

 This is to show off - four signed cards of stars from the '69 Mets (plus an unsigned Tom Seaver). I'm a Yankee fan but I can appreciate that this is cool to get, especially for free.

 Finally, there were several binders of 8.5 x 11 photos, mostly from Front Row or Spectrum. They look like they are designed for autographs but none are signed. Most are star quarterbacks but there are a few baseball legends as well. I don't collect these so they are available for trade.

There were a lot of loose cards too, many in the junk wax category but plenty of interesting stuff too.

Nine Topps sets

I got a great deal on a bunch of Topps sets - nine sets for less than $9 each. The sets are:
1994
1995
1997
1999
2001
2002
2003
2005
2008
I am going to have a lot to trade from these sets once they are sorted, so let me know if you have needs from these sets!

Meanwhile, I am getting pretty close to having the full Topps run from 1978-2008. Here is what is left that I need:

1980: 100, 450, 500, 600

1996:  8, 25, 55, 80, 83, 96, 100, 133, 155, 177, 187, 189, 197, 200, 210, 211, 219, 220, 230, 252, 318, 427

1998: 1, 2, 7, 9, 12, 14, 20, 21, 24, 25, 28, 30, 46, 50, 75, 100, 103, 106, 107, 125, 130, 150, 159, 167, 168, 179, 183, 255, 261, 265, 270, 271, 273, 274, 275, 276, 290, 305, 316, 317, 320, 321, 325, 326, 334, 335, 439, 463, 475, 488

2006: 1, 5, 6, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 32, 34, 35, 50, 53, 64, 69, 71, 72, 73, 74, 80, 82, 89, 90, 91, 92, 96, 100, 105, 111, 126, 132, 135, 155, 157, 158, 177, 183, 186, 200, 206, 208, 213, 216, 217, 221, 223, 224, 226, 229, 231, 232, 234, 235, 241, 242, 244, 246, 248, 249, 250, 251, 252, 255, 257, 258, 261, 262, 263, 267, 269, 275, 276, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 285, 289, 290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 297, 298, 299, 300, 304, 310, 311, 314, 315, 316, 318, 319, 320, 321, 324, 325, 332, 333, 334, 338, 341, 342, 347, 349, 351, 352, 353, 354, 359, 360, 361, 362, 363, 365, 367, 368, 369, 370, 371, 372, 373, 377, 378, 379, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 387, 388, 390, 391, 393, 397, 398, 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 409, 410, 413, 414, 415, 416, 417, 418, 419, 422, 423, 424, 425, 426, 428, 431, 432, 433, 434, 437, 438, 440, 443, 445, 446, 447, 449, 451, 454, 455, 456, 458, 459, 461, 462, 463, 465, 466, 467, 468, 469, 470, 472, 473, 475, 476, 477, 479, 480, 481, 482, 483, 487, 489, 490, 491, 492, 493, 496, 497, 498, 499, 500, 501, 502, 504, 505, 506, 507, 509, 511, 512, 513, 514, 515, 518, 519, 520, 522, 524, 526, 527, 528, 529, 530, 531, 532, 533, 535, 536, 537, 538, 539, 541, 542, 543, 544, 545, 546, 547, 548, 550, 551, 552, 553, 555, 556, 557, 559, 560, 561, 562, 564, 565, 566, 567, 568, 569, 570, 571, 572, 573, 574, 575, 576, 577, 578, 579, 580, 581, 582, 583, 584, 585, 593, 607, 608, 612, 614, 615, 616, 617, 618, 620, 622, 623, 624, 625, 626, 628, 629, 630, 632, 634, 635, 636, 637, 638, 639, 640, 642, 643, 645

2007: 262, 554

 

Baseball card stories from Jacob Shumate

Jacob Shumate pitched eight years of professional baseball, mostly in the Braves organization, winning 14 games and striking out 323 batters in 313 innings. Now a math teacher at Marlboro County High School in South Carolina, he kindly answered my questions about baseball cards.

- Do you have any stories about cards of yourself or of other players? 

I remember being a young kid playing baseball in little league and dreaming of having my very own baseball card. Suddenly, I was 18, graduating high school and being a first round draft pick in the same day. Not long after that the baseball card deals started coming in. I can remember how excited I was to have actual REAL baseball cards of myself. It was so surreal for me and I have each of the cards of me that I am aware of in a case at my parents house.
  I remember taking the pictures for my Topps cards during my first ever road trip in professional baseball. We were in Bluefield, West Virginia. The photographer picked me up at the hotel and we went to the stadium to take the shots. That was a great experience, made me feel like some kind of star at 18. Great feeling.
  I signed a deal with Signature Rookies to autograph some of their cards of me for $1 each. Joke was on me, they sent me 10,000 cards. Talk about overwhelming, my hand stayed cramped all of the time. In one of the boxes, they accidentally sent 2 cards of another player. I can't remember the name, Paul something, but my roommate and I had some fun with those cards. We autographed them for him, so to speak,  and it was a riot. I doubt those cards ever made it into circulation, but if they did i would love to know what their worth is!

My students absolutely have a field day when they run across my cards, usually on the internet. They come in the next day make me pull up their discovery on the lcd projector for the class to see. They stare in amazement that their teacher actually has baseball cards. Some of them have parents that have cards of mine that I have signed and bring it to school like its show and tell day. The looks on their faces in both situations is classic!
The first question they ask me when they find out I played professional baseball is "Hey do you have any cards?"

- Do you have a favorite card of yourself or of another player?

 I really don't collect cards so I really don't have a particular favorite of another player. I do remember when I was young that Billy Ripken's card with the message on the knob of the bat was a deal to me and my friends. We couldn't believe that made it onto an actual baseball card. As far as my cards go, my favorites are probably the Topps cards because they were the first ones I took pictures for and it was such a good experience. I will always cherish those.

- Do you collect baseball cards?

  As I mentioned, I really don't collect baseball cards. Some of my students do, and they love to come across my cards in shops or on the internet. They just cant believe that i actually did what I did before I started teaching high school. It amazes them!

Thanks! There were three Pauls in the Signature Rookie Set - Paul Konerko, Paul Wilson, and Paul Failla, who played in the Angels system, the NFL, the AFL and the XFL.

Darrell Jackson on baseball cards

Darrell Jackson pitched five seasons for the Minnesota Twins, winning 20 games in the major leagues. He is now the Founder and President of the 10-20 Club, which provides early intervention to youth at-risk for joining gangs, as well as classes and other community service offerings in Downey, CA. He kindly answered my questions about baseball cards.

"I like the card of my high school teammate Eddie Murray which mentions the fact that we went to high school together. Also there is a card of mine that has a minor mistake that has me wearing a red hat with a blue road uniform. The hat should be blue. I personally do not collect cards because a value is placed on them by collectors. A card worth 5 cents on the market is priceless to the player who worked hard to make it to the major leagues. I collect the cards of all the players who I played with in Compton California. Ken Landreaux,Ozzie Smith,Lonnie Smith, Derrel Thomas,Dan Ford, Chet Lemon, Rick Peters, Blue Moon Odom and Hubie Brooks as well as Bob Pate!"

Thanks!

Player Profile: Warren Arrington

I have one card of Warren Arrington, from 1987 ProCards.

Playing career: Outfielder Warren Arrington played three seasons in the Cubs organization from 1987 to 1989, hitting .244 with 6 HR, 94 RBI and 89 stolen bases.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Where he is now: Anyone know where Warren Arrington is now?

Google Autocomplete results: He is fourth when you type Warren Arr, between Warren Arrasmith, a dentist in Alabama, and Warren Arriola, a senior recruiter at Spas Elites in Chicago. The first entry when you Google Warren Arrington is not the ballplayer but the owner of American Safety Products in North Carolina.

Coming up next: The next profile will be J.D. Ashbrook.

Player Profile: Mike Arner.

I have one card of Mike Arner, from 1990 ProCards.

Playing career: Mike Arner pitched five seasons in the Rangers organization, going 32-15 with a 3.04 ERA. A full account of his career can be found at The Greatest 21 Days.

Where he is now: District Manager at Southern Wine & Spirits in Tampa.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: He is eighth when you type Mike Arne, between Mike Arnesen Twitter, referring to a social media expert, and Mike Arnett Canadian Tire, referring to the head of corporate development for the company. Another prominent Mike Arner is a security analyst at IBM.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Warren Arrington.

Player Profile: Jack Armstrong Jr.

I have one card of Jack Armstrong Jr., from 2011 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects

Playing career: The son of the former major league pitcher, Jack Armstrong Jr. was the third round draft choice of the Astros in 2011. He was slated to make his pro debut in 2012 but missed the entire season due to Tommy John surgery.

Where he is now: Hopes to make his pro debut in 2013.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: Jack Armstrong Jr. is tenth when you type Jack Armstrong, after Jack Armstrong Wrestler, who famously wrestled Abraham Lincoln. There do not appear to be any other prominent Jack Armstrong Jrs.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Mike Arner.

Player Profile: Tommy Arko

I have one card of Tommy Arko, from 2001 Topps.

Playing career: Catcher Tommy Arko played six seasons in the Orioles’ organization, hitting .204 with 39 HR and 106 RBI in 277 games.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Where he is now: Anyone know where Tommy Arko is now?

Google Autocomplete results: He is first when you type Tommy Ark, ahead of Tommy Atkins, World War I slang for a common soldier in the British Army.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Jack Armstrong Jr.