Red Cardboard's Mostly Reds Cardboard Draft, Part 2

(Part 1)

Today's cards have a lot fewer Cardinals, but I did manage one per scan.

2004 Donruss Elite Extra Edition #88 Ken Griffey, Jr.
2005 Donruss Diamond Kings - Framed Red #75 Danny Graves
2006 Topps Turkey Red - Red Parallel #355 Adam Dunn
2006 Topps Turkey Red - Red Parallel #566 Brandon Phillips
2006 Topps Turkey Red - White Parallel #355 Adam Dunn
2010 Topps 206 #233 Frank Chance
2011 Topps Update - Diamond Anniversary #US96 Ryan Hanigan
2012 Topps - Blue Border Parallel #268 Miguel Cairo
2012 Topps - Gold Sparkle #41 Devin Mesoraco

I really like Turkey Red, but I wasn't collecting when it first began, so I'm always trying to fill in gaps, and I found I actually owned no cards from the 2006 set. Also, the Cardinal I mentioned in this scan is Miguel Cairo, who was picked up by the team in August for both of his stints. Once was off waivers in 2001 and once was as a free agent after being released in 2007, so essentially the same situation. According to Baseball Reference, he's played every position except Pitcher, Catcher, and Center Field. This seems to be the first Miguel Cairo card I've ever posted.

2005 Bowman Heritage - Mini #47 Felipe Lopez
2014 Topps Mini #505 Homer Bailey
2014 Topps Mini #581 Tony Cingrani
2012 Topps Mini #135 Johnny Cueto

It's tough to tell from the scan since I didn't leave any frame of reference, but these are indeed all minis. Felipe Lopez is the Cardinal here, another guy who played for the team twice, and was picked up the first time after being released. I've only got 2 cards from the base set of Bowman Heritage, and this is my first mini.

Bowl Pick 'Em Contest Winnings, Part XXX

College football will be here again before we know it IS HERE, so I've got to get my prize from last season's Bowl Pick 'Em contest at Cards on Cards posted! My prize for a second place tie was a very generously sized box of cards, so I felt a bit overwhelmed even sorting through them. I finally sorted them out by player, and, as usual, I'll plan to post them all eventually, but I might quit halfway through, we'll see.

Part I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X
XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII XIX XX
XXI XXII XXIII XXIV XXV XXVI XXVII XXVIII XXIX

I'm not sure I've ever done a 30 part post before. Oh well, let's keep rolling! Today I've got Kyle Lohse, Matt Holliday, a Matt Carpenter, Trever Miller, and Mark Ellis, and a pair of team cards.

2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars #77 Matt Holliday
2011 Topps - Factory Set Diamond Anniversary #373 Trever Miller
2012 Topps - Gold Sparkle #26 Kyle Lohse
2013 Topps Archives #125 Kyle Lohse
2013 Topps Gypsy Queen #343 Kyle Lohse
2014 Topps - Blue Parallel #44 Matt Carpenter
2014 Topps - Red Hot Foil Parallel #329 Matt Holliday

I'm still a little bummed Matt Holliday won't finish his career in St. Louis, but that's sort of the nature of the game when players who are much better hitters than defenders can go to the American League and squeeze in another season or two.

2012 Topps #233 St. Louis Cardinals
2012 Topps - Gold Sparkle #233 St. Louis Cardinals
2014 Topps Update #US272 Mark Ellis
2016 Topps #254 Matt Holliday

I know Mark Ellis played for the Cardinals, but it felt like I never actually saw him play during his one season in St. Louis. He only started 46 games and played in 73 total, so that may be part of the reason. The team cards here commemorate the game that clinched a World Series appearance for the Cardinals, which they ultimately went on to win for the 11th World Championship.

A Discounted 2012 Topps Rack Pack

This rack pack was 40% off the original price at Walmart, so down to $3 from $5. I picked it up awhile ago, don't think they've suddenly restocked some old packs.

2012 Topps
#342 Kosuke Fukudome
#344 Nelson Cruz
#357 Aaron Harang
364 Brandon Beachy
371 Jim Thome
378 Brandon League
385 David Murphy
422 Austin Jackson
425 Carlos Zambrano

2012 Topps
440 Chien-Ming Wang
465 Michael Schwimer
473 Evan Meek
484 Hisashi Iwakuma
492 Rickie Weeks
497 Andrew McCutchen
500 Alex Rodriguez
506 David Ortiz
514 Brian Roberts

2012 Topps
527 Aaron Hill
543 Josh Johnson
547 Jason Giambi
577 Dallas Braden
580 Tony Campana
607 CC Sabathia
611 Neftali Feliz
618 Eric Chavez
658 Juan Pierre

2012 Topps
247 Craig Gentry
397 Hector Noesi
410 Jeff Locke
460 Thomas Field
591 Aubrey Huff
Career Day #CD-4 Stan Musial

There were no Cardinals base cards in this pack, but it redeemed itself with a nice Stan Musial card, commemorating the day he hit 5 home runs. Those of you with important baseball stats committed to memory probably know the record in a game is 4, but there was a double-header that day, and Stan hit 5, a feat that has only been done one other time since then.

2012 Topps
Gold Sparkle #438 Juan Uribe
1987 Topps Mini #TM-53 Matt Kemp

I'll finish the pack with the other two inserts, a Gold Sparkle Parallel and a 1987 Mini. I had forgotten 2012 was Topps' year of gold, and at first I thought this was a more rare yellow parallel, but that was 2011. As for the 1987 mini, it looks like it really could be from 1987, thanks to the Dodgers uniform consistency through the years. The only think that really gives it away as new is the sharp photo, and of course Matt Kemp.

Tis The Season Winnings, Part XII

Sometimes, I procrastinate posting and sorting some cards. Normally I don't pay too much attention to how long a particular item has been sitting on my desk, but given that this one was the Tis the Season contest from 2013, I've probably had it in my possession for a little over a year now. But, even with the long delay, I still want to throw Jeff at 2 by 3 Heroes some referral traffic while I show off my prize.
Part I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI

Today I have the last of the Red Sox and Yankees. When I sorted roughly by year, no Cardinals showed up in this last bunch.

2012 Bowman #102 Clay Buchholz
2012 Bowman - Prospects #BP105 Xander Bogaerts
2012 Topps Update #US310 Kelly Shoppach
2012 Topps Chrome #4 David Ortiz
2012 Topps Heritage #20 Derek Jeter
2013 Topps Update #US177 David Ortiz

I don't buy much Chrome, for some reason, so it's always nice to get them in the mail. Bowman products are sort of in that same category, because the sheer number of sets and subsets just overwhelms me. But, just like Chrome, I like getting them in the mail, because they're very rarely duplicates.

2011 Topps - Kimball Champions #KC-6 CLay Buchholz
2011 Topps Update - Kimball Champions #KC-130 Adrian Gonzalez
2013 Topps Update - Blue Parallel #212 Alfonso Soriano
2012 Topps #50 Adrian Gonzalez

Kimball Champions are one of those insert sets that Ambitious Me thought I would finish by now. Maybe someday.

Giant Pile of Prizes from Jaybarkerfan's Junk, Part 3

Sometimes when I win a contest, I set the prize aside until I have time to fully rummage through all of it. In this case I won a contest back in late September, and I think the "Small Flat Rate Box" arrived by early October. I opened it immediately, but it's been sitting on my desk, too daunting of task to sort, since then. I finally felt the need to dive into it, and give jaybarkerfan his proper thank you post.

Part 1, 2

Yesterday included a giant stack of 1981 Topps. Today's stack is decidedly more modern.

2012 Topps
#72 Rex Brothers
#161 Dee Gordon
#280 Ryan Howard
#289 Casey Kotchman
#330 Matt Kemp
#367 Chris Volstad
#381 David DeJesus
#398 Buster Posey
#415 Rafael Furcal

2012 Topps
#424 Vladimir Guerrero Checklist
#428 Jordan Schafer
#438 Juan Uribe
#476 Ramon Hernandez
#288 Nick Swisher
#493 Ryan Madson
#505 Fautino De Los Santos
#513 Gaby Sanchez
#519 Gio Gonzalez

2012 Topps
#520 Ryan Adams
#525 Paul Maholm
#526 Casper Wells
#529 Luke Hughes
#570 Zach McAllister
#571 J.J. Hardy
#572 Hiroki Kuroda
#574 Kerry Wood
#593 Marco Scutaro

2012 Topps
#601 Dan Haren
#610 Cody Ross
#615 Luis Marte
#632 Joe Nathan
#634 Jose Contreras
#635 Brett Gardner
#645 Kyle Seager
#656 Carlos Santana
Gold Futures #GF-37 Jordan Walden

2012 Topps
#347 Craig Gentry
#397 Hector Noesi
#410 Jeff Locke
#460 Thomas Field
#585 Jimmy Paredes
Golden Moments #GM-9 Ryan Howard

I'd hardly call the 2 inserts junk. Though I suppose we'll have to give Jordan Walden a few more years for a final verdict on that card. After all those 2012 Topps, there were also some 2012 Topps Update cards, including Randy Choate, the old man of our extremely young pitching staff.

2012 Topps Update
#US21 Buster Posey
#US50 C.J. Wilson
#US77 Miguel Batista
#US100 Ryan Dempster

2012 Topps Update
#US101 Casey McGehee
#US107 Randy Choate
#US293 Shane Victorino

And to finish off today, here's another sampling from the cards with no set-mates in the box.

1997 Collector's Choice - All Star Connection #39 Vinny Castilla
1996 Collector's Choice #538 Quinton McCracken
1999 Skybox Premium #246 A.J. Burnett
1995 Bowman's Best #B63 Alex Ochoa

There's still so much left in the box...

Contest Winnings, Part III

A good friend of mine likes to say - jokingly, I think - that second place is the first loser. When Daniel of It's like having my own Card Shop, opened up a contest to help Pack War reach 100 followers, I joined in, and the Randomizer put me in 6th for 4 prizes. But, since 2 people won the top 4 prizes, he was kind enough to throw some cards to the 5th and 6th position to still have 4 people as winners. Consequently, I got some cool stuff for being the 5th loser.

Part I | II

The end of my prize package posts has the 2011-2013 cards, with players who are mostly still on the team.

2012 Topps Archives
#14 Yadier Molina
#34 Jaime Garcia
#85 Matt Holliday
#114 Jason Motte
#125 David Freese
#197 Allen Craig

Here we have half of the 2012 Archives Cardinals. I almost have to get the other 6 now. Freese is gone to the Angels, but the other 5 are still here.

2012 Topps
Red Parallel #363 Fernando Salas

2013 Topps
Red Parallel #125 Matt Holliday

I really like red parallels, especially for Cardinals cards. Completing the red parallel team sets is on my long list of collecting goals. Also, Salas was another part of the same trade that sent Freese to the Angels, but like any former Cardinal, I still collect his cards.

2013 Gypsy Queen - Mini #322 Jason Motte
2011 Allen and Ginter - Mini #303 Jaime Garcia

Finally, we have 2 minis. Like I said in the last post, I think everyone loves minis. Motte and Garcia are both coming off injuries this year, so I'm hoping they'll strengthen our already very good bullpen, Garica indirectly as a starter.

Thanks to Daniel from It's like having my own Card Shop for all the Cardinals!

Zistle Trade #6

I made another small Zistle trade, for 4 Cardinals and a Heritage SP. I'm finding that as long as I put cards in my want list, and mark duplicates in my trade list, Zistle makes it fairly easy to put together trades that cherry pick my wants from my trading partner's trade list, and vice versa.

2011 Topps Update - Diamond Duos #DD-12 Matt Holliday/Colby Rasmus
2012 Topps  - Walmart Blue Border #291 David Freese
2013 Topps - Chasing History #CH-74  Stan Musial
2013 Topps - Chasing History #87 Lance Lynn

2011 Topps Heritage
#427 Will Rhymes SP

This card leaves me with about 19 High Number SPs to go for 2011 Heritage, and 76 total cards if I count all the variations available. As I get closer I'll figure out how close I really am to a "complete" 2011 Heritage set.

Happy Trails, Ty and Mitchell

The Cardinals got rid of 2 players on July 9. One was on the 25-man roster, and one was in AAA but had been in the majors for parts of the last 6 years, including all of 2010 and 2012.

2012 Topps #154 Ty Wigginton

Wigginton signed a $5 million deal for 2 years, and was granted his unconditional release after about half a year. My understanding is that any team could pick him up for the league minimum for the remainder of 2013 and 2014, with the Cardinals paying the rest. I would assume a team looking for some cheap depth will pick him up soon. The rumor mill says he'll platoon at 1st for the Yankees, but we shall see.

As far as I can tell, he never even had a Cardinals card produced - with no cards in 2013 so far - so above, you see him as a member of the Rockies in 2011 (in the 2012 set). By the time 2013 Update rolls around, he'll probably be in another uniform, if he gets a card at all.

2012 Topps Update #US131 Mitchell Boggs

Speaking of the Rockies, that's where we sent Mitchell Boggs. The deal was for international signing money. I suppose the advantage for Colorado is that they didn't see any international prospects on which they wished to spend the money this year. Otherwise, a plain old cash-for-player deal would seem to be simpler. As long as the Cardinals have their eye on another $200k worth of player(s), it'll work out for them.

I'll keep collecting cards of these two, of course, since that's just how I collect. If you put the Cardinals uniform on once, you're a Cardinal to me.

All-Star Winnings, Part 7

Way back in July 2012, I won a contest at Cards On Cards. The premise was to pick the Cardinals player who would have the biggest impact on the game, determined Sabermetrically. I picked the right player, and got a pile of Cardinals for my trouble. They've been sitting in that same pile, haunting me, for quite some time, so now is the time to show them to you.
Part [ I | II | III | IV | V | VI ]

Today's theme is "The Ghosts of Free-Agents Past".

2006 Upper Deck #807 Braden Looper

I distinctly remember being up in arms when I found out we traded Braden Looper for Edgar Renteria. But a look at the stats shows he pitched only 4 games for the cardinals before that point. 4 of his 10 outs were Strikeouts, but still, I don't know why I was so sure we needed him. We picked him back up just in time for the 2006 season, and he got to pitch in 7 playoff games including 3 in the World Series. Eventually he left for Milwaukee.

2010 Upper Deck #473 Kyle Lohse

2012 Topps #26 Kyle Lohse

Speaking of Milwaukee, Kyle Lohse turned his 16-3 2012 season into a 3-year, $33M deal with the Brewers for 2013-2015. So far it's not going quite as well at 2-6. At least that matches his jersey number, and 2012 card number.

2010 Topps Attax #121 Ryan Ludwick

I'd make a horrible GM. I'd never want to let any players go. It appears the Cardinals traded Ludwick at a good time, but in return we got Jake Westbrook, who is only recently off the DL again.

2009 Goodwin Champions #149 Ryan Ludwick
2009 Goudey #177 Ryan Ludwick
2009 Upper Deck Icons #92 Ryan Ludwick
2009 Upper Deck SP Authentic #47 Ryan Ludwick

These 4 Ludwick cards make me want the Topps monopoly to end. All 4 are Upper Deck products, and I think all 4 look really good.

182 Packs Giveaway, Part IV

When I claimed the Cardinals - and Mark McGwire and Todd Stottlemyre - in the pack-per-day giveaway held at TribeCards, I had no idea just how many cards I'd wind up with, and how many different players. So that I can tag all of the sets and Cardinal players, I've broken this up into a series of who knows how many posts. Thanks for all the cards, David.
[ I | II | III ]

2006 Opening Day #19 Scott Rolen

I'm sure I've noted this before, but I was at Rolen's first home game for the Cardinals, sitting in a friend's rich uncle's close seats. As he ran from his stretches in right field back to the dugout, someone in my section yelled out "Welcome to St. Louis, Scott!" and everyone around me cheered. A little schmaltzy, but it got a smile out of him.

2009 Upper Deck Icons #85 Rick Ankiel

I was at Ankiel's first game as an Outfielder too. I wasn't nearly as close that time, I had tickets we bought through my wife's cheap company. Luckily they were in foul ground on the third base side, so we had a clear view of RF that night. Also, now I have 3 of the 4 Cardinals in this small set.

2008 Goudey #193 Troy Glaus

Glaus was obviously supposed to be pictured as a Blue Jay in 2008 Goudey, because he's surrounded by Blue Jays in the checklist, and the Cardinals are a few cards back.

2012 Gypsy Queen
#197 David Freese
Hallmark Heroes #HH-SM Stan Musial
#237 Bob Gibson

Ah Gypsy Queen, one of my weaknesses, because I'm a bargain shopper, and they're 50 cents a card in retail packs. Yet, I feel the need to collect it. I've actually got 2 of the Musials now, after pulling the same card from a discounted blaster.

2012 Opening Day #60 Adam Wainwright

2012 Opening Day #206 David Freese

We've see these two guys together before too. More Cardinals for my trade list.

2012 Topps #559 Brandon Dickson

I can't get enough of this guy either. I was hoping he'd be our next young fireballer, but he has left for the Orix Buffaloes in Japan.

Christmas 2012

Do you ever get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, and forget to do things? There's Christmas, then New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Valentine's Day, Washington's Birthday (aka Presidents Day), St. Patrick's, uh, probably a few national <insert carnival food> days...anyway, my point is, surely I have a good excuse for showing you my sports-related Christmas gifts in March. Ok, I don't, but here we go anyway.

First up, some Cardinals stuff.

A long-sleeve t-shirt, since I refuse to wear anything but t-shirts when I'm not dressed up, and both my wife and mom say I make them feel cold when the see me in short sleeves.

A new Cardinals cap. But not just any cap, this one is trimmed in gold to celebrate the 2011 World Series win.

Even the back has some unnecessary sparkle

Here we have a nice print of Busch Stadium, about 11" x 14". Don't tell my sister-in-law I haven't framed or hung it yet though.

Next up, the Rams:

These two items actually have an interesting story. My wife and I were doing some last minute shopping; I think it was Saturday night before Christmas, which was a Tuesday in 2012. Anyway, I saw this jersey, as well as a Billikens hooded sweatshirt, both pretty cheap. Even at Christmas time the writing was on the wall that Steven Jackson was probably leaving, but I still wanted the throwback jersey. I mentioned to my wife that I wish I had known both of those items were there and they would have been on my wish list. Apparently she managed to text her mom on the way to the next store without me noticing. As it turns out, by the time she got there the last SLU hoodie in my size was gone, so she decided to get the Rams sweatshirt you see above instead, which is awesome. So my wife and mother-in-law will have to split the credit on that one.

Last, but not least, we have a 2012 Topps Value Box, consisting of 2 packs of Heritage, 5 packs of Series 1, a Golden Giveaway code, and one of three Chrome cards of Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, or Ken Griffey, Jr. I'm clearly a busy man, taking 3 months to post these, so here's just the good stuff.

2012 Heritage #484 Todd Helton SP

Heritage has a hold on me, so yes, this SP counts as the good stuff.

2012 Heritage
#22 Edwin Jackson
#357 Allen Craig
#382 Joe Girardi

I'm going to miss the blue road cap - seen here on Edwin Jackson - this year, although I like the red with the road grays too.

2012 Heritage - New Age Performers #NAP-JW Jered Weaver

Every time I see Jered Weaver I think, "He was a Cardinal, right?" Wrong. That was Jeff Weaver, but it confuses me even moreso because then they both pitched for the Angels.

2012 Topps
#108 Albert Pujols
#291 David Freese

Speaking of Angels...no no, let's not get that started. Instead I'll revel in the 2011 World Series once more with these cards from games 3 and 6.

2012 Topps
#28 Placido Polanco
#154 Ty Wigginton

Here's former Cardinal Placido Polanco, and soon-to-be - at least in the regular season - Cardinal Ty Wigginton.

2012 Topps - Golden Moments #GM-29 Albert Pujols

Another Albert. I don't think I could ever stop collecting his cards.

2012 Topps - Value Box Chrome #MBC2 Willie Mays

Here's the shiny card promised on the box. It's very orange. And shiny. And the Hall of Famer on it isn't bad either.

Well, that's it for my Christmas gifts. Normally this is where I'd wish you a Happy New Year, but that ship has sailed. How about a Happy Passover, Easter, and/or April Fool's, whatever you're into? And, if the Easter Bunny brings me any cards, I'll try to get them posted before July.