Secret Santa pays me a visit from the Pacific Northwest

Just before I was to head out for my yearly Christmas travels, a box from my Secret Santa showed up! Before I get into it, thanks again to Jon from Penny Sleeves for once again running this year's program. Like Matthew before him, he does a great job!

I was thinking I might be getting a package from someone new this year, as I noticed in the comments there were a lot of names I didn't recognize. Many were from Twitter or TCDB, so I figured I might be getting something from an unfamiliar name.

WRONG!

A nice flat rate box showed up from one of my oldest trading partners, Kerry from Cards on Cards! Although he does send some surprise packages throughout the year, I was thinking this one might be too well-timed to not be Secret Santa. And I was right! I opened the box and there were two glorious team bags, as well as a sticky note that read, "This worked out well. I had some cards set aside for you anyhow."

Kerry always sends super generous packages, and this one was no different. The highlights were what were undoubtedly the main Secret Santa gifts in the form of two Tinos I didn't have!

The relic is aN eBaY oNe Of OnE #'d 100/100!

And the Gallery is a Private Issue #'d to 250.

Two low numbered Tinos I needed?! Secret Santa was good to me.

And the team bags were great too, chock full of Knicks and Yankees! I was really happy that Kerry was kind enough to include two RJ Barrett rookies! These are the first cards I have of the promising Knicks rook. I love the old school Hoops Tribute design!

A few more Knicks, including some Kevin Knox RCs and a sad card of Porzingas. I do love the sweet Knicks City Jersey.

For the baseball portion, I really loved the 2019 Chrome Refractors. A nice pink of DJLM and the Jeter is awesome.

I LOVE this shot of Judge.

I'm surprised by how many Yankees cards Edwin is going to end up with this year. I loved having him in Pinstripes, even if it was for a short time and even if he stunk in the Playoffs.

Lastly, a vintage stock card of Yankees legend Ivan Rodriguez. Perhaps he is hitting his only Yankees homer in this shot?!

Kerry, thanks for being an awesome Secret Santa!

Great to see two more wearing Yankees hats into the Hall

Two Yankees got the call to the Hall yesterday. I fully expect them to wear an interlocking NY on the HOF plaque.

Tim Raines played in the Bronx from 1996-98, winning two World Series in the process. I was surprised to look back and see he hit .299 with a .395 OBP for them...although I guess I shouldn't be. A bunch of seasons like that is what got him to Cooperstown.

I remember him well for homering on the first pitch following the Tino/Benitez brawl in 1998. I couldn't find the video of the homer, so instead, here's him scoring the go-ahead run in the '96 World Series after Wade Boggs drew a 10th inning walk.

Ivan Rodriguez had a memorable Yankees career as well. The Yankees acquired him in 2008 at the trade deadline to help with catching duties. He hit .219 with two homers and three RBIs.

Ok, ok. I know both will not being going in as Yankees, but it was cool to see them each wear the Pinstripes for a short time. They are both very deserving of the HOF.

Also a congrats to Jeff Bagwell. He was a hell of a hitter, and this card is cool. HOUSTON, WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM.

Luckily, I get to add three new cards to Joey's HOF collection:

Lastly, I like the trend of Mussina picking up votes. I'd say it's becoming more and more realistic that he finds his way in a few years down the line. I'm a big supporter of his, and think his overall body of work is a bit underrated despite never having certain accolades that one might expect from a HOFer.

I'm also bummed to see Jorge Posada fall of the ballot after one year. No, I don't think he belongs in, but I would have liked to see him stick around a bit longer to see if he gained any momentum. Catcher is a bit underserved as a position in the HOF, and he was certainly one of the best offensive catchers of his generation. It's become popular to knock his defense, and while I'm not a baseball scout, I can't say that watching him over the years, especially during his prime, did I ever think he was killing the team behind the plate. Oh well. He's got his plaque in Monument Park, and that will have to do.