One zero is all it takes to F--- things up

I didn't scan a lot of cards tonight, only 11 because I thought that the story behind this post was more entertaining (at least to me it is).

I received a nice package from 3 time trade partner Craig (TCDB ID: DukeyDevil) that contained a bunch of '78 Topps.  71 of them.

The cards are really just for show here, although I must say that the George Foster/Jim Rice Home Run Leaders card is really bad ass.

But the fun here, is the trip that my cards took.

Step by step, in bullet point form, just to make it easier to read, is the journey:

• Package leaves MA on the 19th of August
• Arrives in Miami on the 21st.  Not bad.
• Makes it to a Ft. Lauderdale post office on the 21st.  Not the correct post office by the way, but it's in Ft. Lauderdale
• Because the package is missing a 0 on my address, it sits in that post office.  For a week
• On the 28th, the package is sent to the Opa Locka distribution center (N. Miami)
• Opa Locka sends it back to the wrong post office on the 29th. 
• It gets sent back to Opa Locka on the 30th. 
• The package finally makes it to the correct post office on the 30th, and is delivered that day.

9 days to go 9 miles locally.   I work in the package delivery business.   I've had people on the phone scream at me for a lot less than this.

I've had lots of packages make it across the country in no time flat.

Funny how one zero can F--- things up.  Oh well.

Thanks for reading!

Robert

So excited to post it, I forgot the title

Sometimes the unexpected happens and it just blows you away.  Trade offers have kind of dried up the past couple of weeks on the TCDB for me, so I decided to see if I could get something going.

I found a person that was offering up 13 of the Gypsy Queen green parallels that I'm chasing after this year.  Standard trade M.O. is to see who it is I'd be trading with, check the feedback, then see if I have anything on their want list.

What I've encountered a lot lately is many new people to the TCDB site, and they've entered cards for trade, and have no want lists available.   The opposite is also true, many people have want lists, but nothing available for trade.   Most of these people have 0 feedback as well, so it's been a little frustrating, since I can be a bit leery when it comes to new trade partners at times...

Then I stumbled across these, and new trade partner Nathan (TCDB ID:nathanfrancy).

What's quite interesting about this trade is I sent the trade offer this past Saturday morning.   That's right, just 2 days ago.  Yes, the cards are in hand.   MO to FL, 2 days.

Cover your ears kids, but that's a holy shit moment right there.  I like to think that I'm fast when it comes to getting cards out to trade partners, but I can't beat this...

Sometimes you have to accentuate the positive, and this trade is about as positive as I can get.

Thank you for the cards Nathan, they are truly appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

Robert

78 Topps is also in my sights

Following up on yesterday's post, Adam also sent a nice lot of '78 Topps cards, another set which until the past 2 weeks I thought I had no shot of finishing this year, but things have changed a bit recently. 

Now there's still 136 cards on the want list, and with the Eddie Murray RC part of that list, this may not happen in 2019, but with the way my luck has been recently with trades and generosity such as Adam's, who knows?

Oakland is heavily represented in the first 3 scans, as 5 of the green and gold warriors found their way here.  Maybe my favorite card of the first 27 is the Roy White card, a nice action shot of Roy just after contact.  Not sure but maybe that's Carlton Fisk behind the plate?

2nd scan.  Dick Pole.  Commence snickering....

Love the Al Oliver card, him sitting in the dugout with his elbow resting on his batting helmet, just waiting for his turn to pick up one of his 2743 hits. 

Had no idea that Donnie Moore was a Cub.  My memories of him were as a closer for the Angels, and the unfortunate circumstances of his death.  Interesting to note that while he spent pretty much his entire career as a reliever, he wasn't a bad hitter.  16 hits in 57 AB's, including 2 doubles and 2 triples!

I remember Len Barker as an Indian, throwing a perfect game against the Jays in '81.  Buck Martinez is still the play by play voice of Blue Jays TV broadcasts, it seems like he's been doing that for an eternity. 

Dwight Evans without a mustache just doesn't look the same to me...

I miss the days of light hitting, great glove middle infielders such as Fred Stanley and Denny Doyle.  Manny Sanguillen's only season away from Pittsburgh was 1977, when he played for the A's.  He actually led the A's in hits in '77.  I had no idea that he was traded to the A's for Chuck Tanner. 

To finish off the envelope, and continue the theme from yesterday, there were a couple of '83 checklists in there that I needed...

Adam, thank you very much for the cards, they are greatly appreciated!!   A link to his want lists for all just in case you may have something he needs...

Thanks for reading!

Robert

'81 Topps is in the sights

I had mentioned in my post last Sunday about getting one card closer to the '81 Topps set, and the next day I received an email from long time blogger Adam who mentioned that he had a bunch of cards that he could send my way, along with some '78s as well.

This certainly was a fun envelope to go through, as you'll see in a few seconds.   There's 11 scans coming your way....

Apparently, most of the cards I had on my '81T want lists were checklists.  There's 3 already.  As you can see, it's not just commons he sent my way, there's some star power as well.

The middle of these 3 scans is the key one, featuring both the Gibson and Baines RCs!  Nothing cheap about this big batch of cards.  Oh, and checklist #4 as well. 

More checklists, although now we have the team variety.  A dozen of these arrived as well.  Interesting that they couldn't get the Cubs together for a team photo, so they all just got their heads on the card instead.

The last scan has both a bird and a hawk in it.  I'm guessing the Art Howe photo was taken during spring training, because home whites and outdoors back in 1980 weren't a thing for the Astros. 

Lots of black and white White Sox uniform shots on the scans.   Both different colors of the Pirates hat on display (black and gold).

When I took a quick glance at the Bobby Brown card, I thought the picture was of Dwight Gooden. 

Never knew that Bucky Dent made an All-Star team.  I thought he was famous only for his HR against the Red Sox.  Saw Don Baylor's card and was reminded that he left this Earth way too soon.

Don't remember Al Holland as a Giant.   Loved seeing cards of Tom Seaver, Pedro Guerrero and Ron Cey.  Ron LeFlore could run...455 stolen bases in just 9 seasons.  This was the only season that Topps released a card of him as an Expo (he actually had 3 in the 1981 set), while OPC had updated his 1980 card to show that he was on the Expos but featured him in his Tigers uniform.

This fantastic group of cards turned '81 Topps from a maybe I'll finish this year to a "better get it done this year" status.  Just 46 cards left to go to finish this up, and I bought 8 of those this morning on COMC.  

It'll happen.

Tomorrow, the other half of Adam's envelope...

Thanks for reading!

Robert