I am an idiot. I am very depressed right now. Last night I was supposed to work outside and I thought I would have a lot of time to post. I spent about 4 hours scanning cards and packed all of them into a shoe box along with everything I had from my set collections that I hadn’t posted yet. Thursdays are normally really slow, so I brought a ton of cards with me. I didn’t have my Carl Crawford cards with me fortunately, but I did have all of my 1951 Bowman (43 cards including Campanella, Snider,
Ford, Berra, Fox, Mize, Roe, Sain, Vander Meer, Robin Roberts, Larry Doby, Hank Thompson and Danny Murtaugh) and all of my 1965 Topps (Clemente, Mays, Koufax, Aaron)
plus all of my
Topps Gold Rays cards (over 100 total) from over the years and all of my new 2010 Topps relics which were going to be the focus of my next contest. I had all of the Rays cards that I posted 2 days ago with me.
The Aki silk, plus the David Price and Carl Crawford silk cards that I had JUST purchased were with me. Everything that has been shown on this blog in the past 2 weeks EXCEPT the Crawford PC and the Allen and Ginter cards from Duane and MOST of my 1964 Topps Giants were in the box. The 3 newest 1887 Allen and Ginter cards I had acquired (Jake Kilrain, Gem Smith and Jimmy Carney) that were still in their stupid PSA slabs, were all in there.
When I say “in there” I am referring to the shoe box filled with cards that I had left in my car last night when I thought I was going to work parking lot security. I didn’t lock the door because I thought I would be outside all night. Thursday is a very slow night and I planned on posting ahead, filling up the queue with a ton of posts to go up automatically.
Underneath that shoebox of cardboard gold was 2 notebooks filled with story ideas and letters and class notes.
I also had my Pirates and Rays media guides. I also had my address book (yes I still write all of my addresses and phone numbers down) which had all of my business contacts in it. I had just got the Bucs Media guide that day and I had a 1952 Bowman card of Billy Meyer bookmarking his page in it because I had a feature on him that I had been working on.
All of the notes from that, including a letter from his grandson were in there. My AP Style book and calculus text book were also in there as was a 1966 Lou Brock card that I had just bought that day.
I was trying to decide whether to be greedy and keep it or send it out to my favorite Cardinals fan. All of these things, plus my cholesterol medication sat on the front seat of my car. At least I had the sense to bring my lap top inside with me.
Anyway, after work was done I was the last person to go out to my car. We shut down at midnight because it was so slow and we were shorthanded anyway. Normally we stay open 24-7.
Anyway, when I arrived at my car the passenger’s door was ajar and
EVERYTHING that I had left in it was gone. Cards that I had been collecting since I was a kid. Generous gifts from people all over the country and the world. Prizes for this silly blog. All gone. It was my fault, I didn’t lock my door, but it doesn’t change the feeling of emptiness I have going on right now. I have the flash drive with all of the images of all of these cards in my hand right now. Fortunately I had already mailed out some packages, so those cards didn’t get taken, but most of it was still there. Most of my Rays autos and all of my spring training autos were in there. Cards for my little brother (not all of them) were in there. I still have my 2010 Topps base cards and some inserts safely in my binder, but ALL of the relics are gone.
My Longoria collection (except for one auto that is on my mantle) is gone. My new player collections that I was planning on unveiling on the Nitty Gritty of Billy Pierce, Mudcat Grant, Willie Stargell, Bill Mazeroski, Don Newcombe,
Tony Oliva, Bill Virdin, Bob Friend, Roy Face, Rod Carew, Duke Snider, Mike Cuellar and Steve Carlton are all gone. There were also 2 special baseballs that I got signed at spring training for my fellow bloggers and a piece of memorabilia from a Pirates pitcher that I know a Cubs fan really likes. I am pretty freaking bummed out right now. Some of the useless scans are posted here. This really sucks. The good news is there is only one card shop in town here. Someone will try and move these cards eventually and my friend Frank from Ryan's Sportscards knows exactly what I lost. I really hope this person trys to sell my stuff soon. Go Rays, troll out.
He hooked me up with TEN of them! I want to dedicate a special post to all of these awesome cards, but I can’t resist showing 1 right now. 
This is the first Jackie Robinson mini that I have ever seen! 
He also included a pair of Ginter Ad back cards of former Negro Leaguers Clyde Parris and my friend Willie Williams. 
There is a pair of Pablo Picasso minis and four more Rays minis with Ginter backs. 
I seriously love this series of cards! He also included my first Pat Neshek mini. 
I think that over half of my Neshek collection is Ginter cards. I can’t resist showing another Baseball Legends mini, so here is Johnny Mize. 
You will have to wait to see the other 8 in all of their glory. The trade pack included more Rays for my collection and more great Allen and Ginter cards. He finished off my State Card set and got me very close to finishing the 2008 Allen and Ginter base set, 1-350. For those concerned, the few cards I still need are: 43,55,83,95,238,305,315,318,320,341 and 348. Another thing that DR included in the package that I will tease, but will save for later to show in its entirety is the complete set of Worlds Victories cards. 
AWESOME! With all of these amazing cards I saved the best for last. This card absolutely blew me away and I honestly never imagined seeing one of these, never mind owning it. It is a mini, but its number is 399. The set ended at 350 making this an EXTENDED MINI! Absolutely amazing! I think the only way to pull an extended mini is by desecrating a rip card which I think are case hits. From there the odds of getting this one are astronomical. 
This is easily the best BJ Upton card I own and have ever seen. 
I LOVE IT!!! Thanks so much Duane, you have been hooking me up huge for nearly a year now. From my first Evan Longoria card to my first Rays relic to my first Allen and Ginter card and then mini to my first extended mini, wow, you are the best! A huge thank you to Duane and the 
In the case of the Rays, I like these pairings. 
Carl Crawford with the best base stealer of all time and Evan Longoria paired up with one of the greatest third baseman ever. 
Here is a trio of Rays base cards and then a card so nice that I had to show it twice! 
One of them is golden; I still need another one of them. 
The other gold Rays card I have so far is David Price. 
I am still waiting to get a black, #ed to 59 card of the Rays. Evan Longoria is all over this set. Here he is in the Topps Town set, regular and gold (I think) both. 
The first Rays relic I got from 2010 is a Longo, too. This is a Peak Performances bat relic card. The back celebrates Evan becoming the first ever rookie to homer in his first two postseason at bats. 
The other Longo card I have pulled is pretty ridiculous. It is an original back (1:24) card from the CYMTO series. 
Yes, it is a 2009 card. Sheesh. My favorite card from the set so far is this one. It is the first Rays silk card in my collection and I LOVE IT! 
These things are too cool. It is numbered 16/50 and if you compare it side by side to his base card in the set, there is a slight difference… 
The last card I am going to show is of Carl Crawford. 
I am not keeping this one, it is on its way to another CC fan, but I just couldn’t resist taking a scan of it. I received a whole lot of cards here; I think it is only proper to share… That concludes this session of bringing out the hits, Tampa Bay Rays style. Please check my freshly updated 
It features Matt Garza who just might be the Rays opening day starter this year. 
Speaking of opening day starters… 
Here is the gold version of Rays starting third baseman Evan Longoria and probably 3rd or 4th starter David Price. I have had great luck getting gold cards from 2009. I haven’t updated my list, but I think I have 21 out of 35. The other super bonus non-2010 card he sent was this Brian Roberts serial numbered rookie. 
I posted it along with some other Orioles cards on my other blog, 
Here is one Orioles related card that Brian sent that I didn’t post over there. It is from 2010 Topps though. 
It shows Frank Robinson, the American League MVP, World Series MVP and Triple Crown Winner in 1966. Thanks so much for the great cards 
Card #86 of Carl Crawford.
Card #182 of Jonny Gomes.
And finally card #200 of Elliot Johnson. 
EJ should get some playing time in the first game of the spring as he and Rodriguez and Brignac and Aybar are all fighting for a job on the team. If anyone has the Carlos Pena, BJ Upton, Scott Kazmir or whomever else is in this set, please get in touch. Look for a monster post on 2010 Topps very soon. Oh, by the way, does anyone have advice on how to scan these awesome cards any better? Thanks to PatP, Night Owl, SotCS and Cards on Cards for these shiny cards! Since I have a minute and some space here, earlier this week I got a package from Chris OK of the 
I think I have 2 others from that set and yes I am chasing it! THANKS Chris! In the outgoing mail department, Play at the Plate, Cardboard Junkie, Condition Poor, Thoughts and Sox and Cards on Cards should have mailbox love coming next week! Go Rays! Go Baseball! Troll out.
After appearing in the World Series with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008 (and hitting a home run in the losing effort) Baldelli wasn’t re-signed by the Rays. He left Tampa Bay in favor of Boston in January of 2009. He played in 62 games for the Red Sox last year, batting .253 with 7 homers. He was not included on the Sox postseason roster and wasn’t offered a contract for this season. He had some teams interested in signing him for 2010, but he is hampered by a shoulder problem which may require surgery to repair.
He was originally drafted by the Rays with their first round pick in 2000, the 6th player chosen overall. In 2002 he was selected as Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year after batting .331 with 19 homers and 71 RBI with 26 stolen bases while rising from A to AA and finally to AAA. The next season he was a 21 year old rookie for the Devil Rays in 2003. His He batted .289 with 11 homers, 78 RBI and 27 steals. He finished 3rd in the American League Rookie of the Year vote, behind Angel Berroa. Baldelli had more hits, RBI, steals, doubles and a higher batting average than Berroa, but had 6 fewer homers than the Royals outfielder. He played almost a full year the next season and upped his homerun total to 16. 
The future looked bright for the Rays outfield with prospects Carl Crawford, Jonny Gomes and BJ Upton all joining Baldelli in the majors. Unfortunately an injury sidelined Baldelli for the entire 2005 season. He returned in 2006 and equaled his career high of 16 homers in only 92 games, while batting .302. The decline in games played has been Baldelli’s downfall. He played in less than 40 games in 2007 and 2008. The talent and ability is there for him to be a superstar, but the health has not been. 
He returns to Tampa Bay today, but not as a player. Still, as a fan it is hard to not be nostalgic at the sight of number 5 back in blue. Baldelli will serve as a special assistant coach helping minor league players on base running and outfield defense during spring training. It hasn’t been determined yet if he will join the coaching staff at the major or minor league level during the regular season. He may find his shoulder is healthy once again and try to earn a spot on the team. I personally would rather see him wearing #5 than the other guy this year… Welcome back 
I have been running this blog for close to a year now (please hold your applause) and shortly after it started, I began listing my collecting preferences on the side bar. It lists the players that I follow and collect like Carl Crawford, Jason Bartlett, Brian Roberts and Carlos Pena from the present day as well as players from the 90s like Danny Tartabull and Quinton McCracken, on to legends like Roberto Clemente, Buck O’Neill and Larry Doby from the past. I am also a huge fan of baseball history, Negro League Baseball and Woman’s Baseball, too. I like cards and pictures of players wearing sombreros. These are funny, but as a Mexican American, I enjoy players having fun with a symbol of my heritage. The last line on my list of “Legends of the Troll” has always been “anything roller derby related”. Those of you who read this blog know I am a roller derby announcer, a huge fan of the sport and husband to a phenomenal skater. Up till now I have been able to collect a handful of old derby programs from the 30s and 40s and 60s and 70s along with some 8X10s. Most of these have come directly from former skaters that I have interviewed for a roller derby magazine. I collect a lot of things beyond baseball-mainly record albums, vintage and hardcore punk rock, early aviation memorabilia, vintage tattoo flash and piggy banks. Aside from that I collect, love and live roller derby. I have always assumed that there were derby cards made at some point and time. It was a massively popular sport. With all the different subjects for cards that I have seen, I figured roller derby must have got its due at some point and time, but the cards have always eluded me. Now I can say I finally own a roller derby card. Thanks to Sean, owner and operator of 
This comes from the 2010 SlangKo Sports Stars set; it is card #50 of 240 of Gerry Murray, who began skating in New York in the mid-40s. She was one of the early standouts of the sport and is a member of the Roller Derby Hall of Fame. Her son, Mike Gammon was one of the most famous male skaters of the 50s and on up till the 80s. This card is amazing! It has a colorized photo of Murray on the front-at the time this photo was taken teams did not have nicknames as they do today, her team was New York City and her battles against the squad from Brooklyn were legendary. 
I have never had the pleasure of meeting Gerry Murray, but in any interview I have ever done her name comes up within the first two minutes. She is one of the most important figures in the sport. I would love to find more cards of her and other derby legends, but for now I am thrilled that 
Still I refuse to go without posting. Here is the card of the day, from 2004 Topps Chrome, a Carl Crawford refractor. At least I think it is because it is really shiny, but typically it says refractor below the number and this one doesn't... 
I haven't been able to update my list in a while, this could be CC card #300 for me for all I know... By the way, this is post #450 for the Troll. Hopefully the word count will rise once again! Go Rays! troll out.
She lives in London, England and has not yet experienced American baseball. That will all change soon. She did get her first taste of baseball cards and auto hunting... 
Cheers to all! Go Rays! troll out.
I thought this shot of super prospect Pedro Alvarez had it covered, but the publication didn't agree with me. They bought a different shot, so I own this one (so I might as well use it...). Florida baby!
