14th Curly Blogiversary!

Today marks the 14th Blogiversary of "Curly W Cards". Some readers might be a little confused because just last week I celebrated the 20th Blogiversary a my main blog Kirk's Knook. Back 14 years ago I was ambitious by adding a third blog to my plate. I already had my regular blog and my regular trading cards blog, but noticed at the time there was an absence of blogs focused on Washington Nationals (and Senators) cards so Curly W Cards was born. I missed last year's blogiversary and only made one post about a glitch or possible hijacking of the blog. I forget what the dang thing was doing other than the fact I didn't have access to the blog (and it was just that blog with the problem at the time). 

In the meantime I don't know what the fate of this blog is or will be for this year.

Happy Blogiverary To Curly W Cards

 

HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY!

Today marks the 11th Blogiversary for "Curly W Cards". I think I might have missed posting last year for the 10th Blogiversary. OH Well. Ten years is 10 years.

As is my tradition I am timing this post to be published at the same time of day that my very first post on this blog was.

Throwback Threads: 50th Anniversary Style

THROWBACK THREADS

Franchise 50th Anniversary

I don't recall when this retro "throwback threads" trend of MLB teams wearing retro versions of vintage uniforms from the team's past began, but ever since the Montreal Expos moved to become my beloved Washington Nationals they haven't worn any Expos throwback uniforms... Until now. On Saturday 06 July 2019 The Washington Nationals are going to be wearing Montreal Expos Throwback Uniforms vs the Kansas City Royals who will also be wearing retro throwback uniforms. The Nats will specifically be wearing The Expos 1969 powder blue road unis. Huh? Road Jerseys at home? According to the Washington Post article it is because the road uniforms are more striking than the home whites. I am a little sad we won't see Bryce Harper in an Expos Uniform even though there are mockups of him in one on the internet.

So a card that was made almost 10 years ago showing Face of The Franchise Ryan Zimmerman in an Expos Uniform will turn from fantasy to reality. I just hope Ryan doesn't get back on the Injured List between now and then. The card is a 2010 Topps Chrome National Chicle card. Why they didn't have a regular version of this card I'll never know. I am bummed it is only in the Chrome version as I have a strong aversion to Chrome cards. Not as bad as my anti-relic cards stand but sometimes pretty darn close.

2010 Topps Chrome - National Chicle: CC49 

Ryan Zimmerman Nationals/Expos

553/999

So it took the 50th Anniversary of the Franchise for them to finally wear RexTros Uniforms. I plan on at least watching Saturday's game. At one point I thought about going to the park and getting a ticket. I'm not sure if the game is sold out or not. If I find the energy and a VHS tape I might record the thing. Not sure if I'll go that far or not.

It Is Good To Be First

#1 At All-Star Break

It is always nice to be in the lead. There are sometimes when it is even more fun. Obviously being number one in your team's division at the end of the season is the goal for every team, but it is also fun to be number one when the league takes the mid-season break in regular play for the All-Star game.

For the Nationals 10th Anniversary Season,(11th season as the Washington Nationals) they are once again first in the NL East division at the All-Star break. 

Now this is a fun time and I am always excited when the team is in first place at this time, however, some years they were in this position but the season took a nosedive. The Nationals Inaugural Season in 2005 is a most excellent example of how things can go south. That first Curly W year for the Franchise didn't finish nearly as well as it had began or was at the midway point. The Nats finished in last place (5th) with a .500 record 81 wins 81 losses. They would spend many years finishing last in the division no matter where they had placed during the All-Star Break.

I remember the excitement I had at the beginning of the 2005 season. Baseball was back in DC for the first time in 33 years. I have always been a Senators fan, but have very little memories of their actual time here. I was 6 in 1971 the last year of the Senators. Most of my early memories of the Senators was what I saw on my baseball cards and whatever memorabilia was sitting around our house. It would be many years before I would watch a major league game since I didn't have a "homie" team anymore. Well all that changed in 2005 with the Nationals "rebirth".

I'm not going to make any bold predictions like saying the Nationals will win the World Series, although that would be very nice, very nice indeed. Provided that their starting pitchers continue to do well and stay healthy and the rest of the team that can stay healthy remains so (some players Like Jason Werth are out for the season with injuries) they should at least make the playoffs. I'd love them to be in first place still or again at that point. There are no guarantees as the Nationals and other teams in their division have shown several times a team in first place at the All-Star break can very well lose all direction and dive down to finish in last place. I hope the Nationals continue with the trend of recent years by staying at the top or near enough to reach the playoffs, not the trend they had 10 years ago of being at the top at the beginning and then finishing just even and at the bottom.

Happy New Year 2014 to 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Goodbye 2014 and Hello 2015. Here is to a great 2015 season for the Nationals. This past year 2014 that is in its final hours winding down was an excellent one for the Nats. They won their 2nd NL East Division Crown in the last 3 years of there first 10 years as the Washington Baseball Club.

It's Curly W Cards 2nd Blogiversary!

It was 2 years ago today that I started this my third blog (2nd card blog) that concentrates on my Homie Baseball Team the WASHINGTON NATIONALS as they prepare to start their 10th Season. At the time I started I wanted to have my blog posts about My Homie team separate from my main trading card blog. I had noticed there were several blogs about the Nationals and there were several card bloggers who collected either the team or individual players but there was no card blog specifically dedicated to The Nationals (at least not a currently active blog). It is both interesting and a little ironic that the year I decided to start this blog was the year the Nats finished in 1st place in the Division and made their first ever Playoffs birth as the Washington Nationals. Hopefully it is not their last.

For laughs you can read my First Curly W post (which is also my Welcome Page) Skipping ahead a year here is last year's 1st anniversary post.

As with my other blogs I hope that as this one goes on I improve the quality of the posts with each passing year. Sometimes I think it does improve with each post, other times I think it just gets stale and becomes uninteresting until I show a cool card...

Hmmm speaking of showing cool cards... Oh I haven't gotten around to showing this card yet. I keep meaning to do a Cury W Version of this cool early 1990s set.

 1994 Ted Williams Baseball 90 Eddie Yost Senators

(Front and Back)

Since I first laid eyes on the Frank Howard card from this set I fell in love with it. Since I was mainly on hiatus from active card collecting in the early 1990s I missed the boat on the Ted Williams Card Company. I think I had heard of it when it first started up but I'm not sure. At any rate I am currently trying to complete both the 1993 and 1994 sets.

Here is the current count for my progress on the Ted Williams Sets:

1993 Ted Williams:
Base: 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 68, 69, 71, 73, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 83, 84, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 123, 126, 127, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 142, 148, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159,
Brooks Robinson: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Roberto Clemente: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

1994 Ted Williams:
Base: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 17, 23, 25, 27, 36, 37, 50, 60, 62, 63, 64, 73, 74, 102, 104, 106, 107, 108, 109, 111, 112, 113, 114, 117, 121, 127, 130, 131, 135, 136, 137, 139, 141, 143, 147, 153
500 Club: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

As you can see I have made more progress on the 1994 set that is due to starting with it and also a Generous Random Act of Cardness or two.

I try to keep my Master Want List up-to-date. As time goes on it will be more current than this anniversary post listing.

New Nats Skipper Matt Williams pitching during Spring Training 2014.

Maybe he thinks the quality of this blog is going down hill?

Strive for '65

On my regular blog I posted a special goal I call "Strive for '65" to complete my 1965 Topps set build by next April the 50th Anniversary of the set and also my 50th birthday (yeah I don't like to talk about my birthday much)

Hopefully before then I can finish up the Senators Team set from that year. If I don't I'll be pretty sad.

Lets see here is what I need for the Senators set, just 15 11 9 1 to go of the 26 Senators from that year:

Technically I have all of them but my Don Blasingame #21 has paper glued to the back. At one point it was glued into a binder or notebook of some kind. I need an upgraded copy with a readable back.

021 Don Blasingame (just got it but need desperate upgrade)
099 Gil Hodges MGR
148 Willie Kirkland
152 Phil Ortega
211 Steve Ridzik
224 Bob Chance
252 Pete Richert
284 Nick Willhite
304 Dave Stenhouse
319 Ken McMullen
336 Woodie Held
371 Frank Kreutzer
466 Senators Rookies: Pete Craig,  Dick Nen RC
496 Joe Cunningham
523 Mike Brumley SP

Updated: 11 Mar 2014

Happy Birthday HONDO!

Hey! It's 08 August and born on this date in 1936 is #33 Your Washington Senator Frank "Hondo" Howard Outfielder/1st Baseman.*

Man I really need to find an upgraded copy of that promo photo. I think it is my fave piece of Hondo Memorabilia that I have. I probably should try to get it signed.

*Thanks goes out to blogger Contrary Guy it was on his blog that I saw it was Frank's Birthday.

First Curly W Anniversary

Today at this exact post time marks the FIRST ANNIVERSARY of Curly W Cards! Who would have thunked that the first year I decieded to blog about Nationals cards they would finish FIRST in the National League East and have their first Playoff Run? (OK second for the franchise but first with Curly Ws)

Wish I had thought of it sooner, the blogging about the Nats thing. For this past year (2012) sadly I was so caught up in the excitement of being in first place in the division almost all year and then playing in October that I didn't do much of my own writing here. Hopefully I can be motivated enough to improve here (and on my other blogs) this year.

image via www.natsenquirer.com