The Night Owl is apparently aware of my fandom for the AAGPBL cuz he sent me two sweet sample cards from the ’95 Frisch set. I really need to bite the bullet and send away for the whole 234 card set, (and now I have a coupon) but it is so much more fun hoping and occasionally one or two of these gems. The sample cards feature starting pitcher and 20-game winner Dorothy Wiltse who is #1 in the set and card # 61 of Dorothy Ferguson. 
One of the reasons I want the entire set is that I would really like to know how high the percentage of players named Dorothy is. They can’t all be Dorothy’s, can they?
From the Ladies of Baseball he went on to attack other facets of my collecting preferences. He knows I like Heritage Chromes and sent a few of them. 
What I like better than chromes is refractors and he hooked it up with this refractor of Rays new closer Rafael Soriano. 
On the refractor tip, here is a 2009 Topps Chrome refractor of former Rays lefty Scotty Kazmir AND an X Fractor of the Rays Gold Glove first baseman Carlos Pena from the same set. 
I like these a lot. I think these came from the dusty packs of chrome that the Owl acquired in late March. I am on a mission to collect the 8 card set of 2009 Chrome refractors and X Fractors. I am more than halfway there with each. A list will come soon...From the super shiny Topps refractors right to the Upper Deck… Beginning with the FINAL Tampa Bay Rays card I needed to finish up the 2009 O-Pee-Chee set. I have been chasing this one for nearly a year and it feels great to cross the last name off of my want list. It is card #317 of Akinori Iwamura and is a rare action shot.
Nice! The Owl didn’t stop there. Oh no, there is plenty more to see here people… He hit up 2010 Upper Deck too. I think that his stance on this year’s Upper Deck is officially ANTI, but the two packs he bought were very Rays rich apparently. I was pleasantly surprised to see that these two were included in the set at all and I was thrilled to own them. 
Card #476 of Fernando Perez sliding in safely and card #483 of Saturday night’s hero Walk-off Willy Aybar. 
Moving right along onto 2008 Upper Deck X, here is an XPonential (X2) card of Rays All Star left fielder Carl Crawford. 
I have not ripped a single pack of X myself and I don’t intend to, but I think I would like to chase down all of the Crawford XPonential cards I can. I think this is the last square card I need, but I don’t have a cube root from any year… Moving back to Topps, 2006 Topps, of the GOLD variety, here is #519 of shortstop Julio Lugo. 
In 2005 Lugo batted .295 with 182 hits, 36 doubles, 6 triples and 6 homers, too. He also stole 39 bases, good enough for 4th in the AL. Sweet. The last couple of Topps cards I will post come from the 2010 set that I am so aggressively working on. First off is a Tales of the Game insert, card #TOG1 of Ty Cobb sliding in spikes up. 
A card I am happy with from an awful set I would never buy is this one from 2010 Topps Attax. Being a player collector you need to get some funky product every now and then. That said I am glad that I can scratch this off the list so I don’t need to yearn for a card from Attax. 
Okay, here is the final card I am going to show off. Normally I end my trade posts with a relic or autograph card, but this package went far beyond just mojo hits… I prefer refractors to relics anyway and I posted them first, so this card from History of the Game, #HOTG8 gets finale status. 
This card celebrates baseball being broadcast for the first time in August of 1921 by Harold Arlin. The photo is a close-up of an old style microphone. I really don’t think it is Arlin’s original mic and I also doubt it is from the 20’s. It looks more like a late 30’s style to me. The card rocks for a few reasons. One I need it for the set, but more importantly as a fellow broadcaster I collect cards of players holding microphones and broadcast equipment in general. In the last year this is the first microphone card I have got in the mail. I like it. 
I want to extend a GIGANTIC thank you to my friend the Night Owl. This is quite possibly the most thoughtful package I have ever received. I collect a lot of strange things and he somehow touched on almost all of them. Had he included Danny Tartabull, Buck O’Neil, Roberto Clemente and a sombrero card it would have truly been the most thoughtful pick me up EVER. Anyway, after the gift of no more Pat the Bat that Andrew Friedman gave me, the bar is pretty freaking high, but I will give this one 9 out of 10 Billy goats. Thanks so much Senor Owl, redemption is yours! I am officially relinquishing my grudge from the “oh no Nomo” attack. Go Rays! Troll out.
The guy they inked to a 2-year, 16 million contract last year is gone! I shouted loud against this move when it happened and I have supported my team while wishing there was a way to end this chapter. I even 
That is exactly how I felt when the Rays signed him. He’s a great hitter; I just wish they signed someone else. A big thanks to 
He hooked me up with a ton of stuff including the Duke Snider and Frank Robinson cards to finish off this page. I hope to post all of the Rays goodness he shipped my way soon. For now, enjoy a reprinted sample from each year from 1952-1960. I would LOVE to own any one of these amazing cards. I kinda wish that Topps had included Clemente and Aaron in this, but that is my only complaint. This filled page looks GOOD! 
Since all of my Dallas Braden cards have long been traded away, I thought I would offer up this autographed postcard of Vida Blue. Blue won the Cy Young Award and MVP in 1971. He was also the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year that year and won the Award again in 1978. He was a 6-time All Star and won 3 World’s Championships over his 17 year career. He won 209 games and he pitched a no-hitter for the Oakland A’s in 1970. 
I didn't get to watch the game, I wish I did. Watching a perfect game is unforgettable even when your team is on the losing end. No Rays pitcher has ever thrown a no-hitter before never mind a perfect game. I would love to see that someday, but for now I am pretty happy that my team has the best record in baseball. As long as the Rays are winning more often than they lose, I don't really care if they get blanked every now and then... So a huge congrats to Dallas Braden and the Oakland A's. I don't think anyone expected the A's to be sitting in second place in the West at this point, I am really happy for the team. I love seeing over-hyped teams lose, but I love to see the underdog rise up. Congrats to Oakland and Dallas both!
The plan remains to one of each for 
He wasn’t the first player I collected, that title would be shared by Steve Carlton, Hubie Brooks and Tim Raines Sr., but the difference is that I still collect Tartabull and always will. A while back I tried to have my wonderful readers choose a new player for me to collect. That ended in a tie. I guess that is appropriate because a personal collection is very personal. After the tie on the poll I went to my best friend, my Wife for advice. 
Although she isn’t a card collector herself, she supports my obsession and after the poll and all of its ensuing confusion my lovely Wifey stood out as the voice of reason. She said simply “I thought Buck O’Neil was your favorite. Why don’t you just collect him?” Well, I explained to her that when he played they didn’t make cards of him. I wanted to collect a player with some regular Topps or Bowman or Fleer issues as well as current retro cards and oddball stuff. 
I never really considered Buck for the collection because of that reason. Even though he had a long and storied career with the Monarchs as a player and a coach, he never appeared on a card. While he was coaching with the Cubs in the 60s, he also got snubbed out of a card. It really sucks. It’s deplorable and embarrassing really. Buck dedicated his entire life to baseball, but didn’t appear on a card for the first time until he was already retired. Anyway, my Wife was the voice of reason and clarity. I don’t think she realizes the can of worms that she opened though. I honestly don’t know how many cards that Buck has or how many more will be made. I know there are at least 9, so I can fill a page which is good. Like I said, there are no regular issues from Topps or Bowman or Goudey or Leaf from his playing days in the 30’s and 40s or his coaching days in the 40’s, 50s and 60s, but there have been a few cards made of him in the late 90s and 2000s. I have 5 cards now and have them randomly spotted throughout this post. 
I know the first card I got of Buck was from Wicked Ortega and is from the awesome 1994 Ted Williams set. Prior to that I didn’t even realize that he had any cards. Since then Padrographs, Reds and More and Play at the Plate have hooked me up with more Buck cards. A reader hooked me up with this Sports Illustrated autograph and I bought my new favorite card of Buck myself from an auction site. 
Buck O’Neil on a 1962 Topps card, plus it’s a REFRACTOR! I love it! Aside from the obvious reasons that I am a fan of Buck, here is my story… Like many people my main introduction to Buck was his appearance on Ken Burns’s baseball. From there I ran to the store to get his autobiography “I Was Right on Time”. 
I read the book at a rough time in my life and it really inspired me. Buck’s kindness and love of life really touched my soul. I read it and read it again. From there I tracked down more books on players that Buck referenced. I had met him briefly at autograph signings before, but never got to know him. 
In 1998 I had read that Buck O’Neil was going to throw out the first pitch at a Devil Rays spring training game in Sarasota, his home town. I was at work and during lunch my boss asked me what was wrong. I explained that Buck O’Neil was going to be at the game, but that I had to work. My boss gave me the afternoon off and I raced to Ed Smith Stadium.
I lurked around and I saw Mr. O’Neil waiting in the aisle to throw out his ceremonial pitch. I introduced myself and told him how much his life spoke to me. He said “What are you waiting for, give it up” and gave me a big hug.
I was dirty from working all day, but Buck didn’t care. That moment meant a lot to me. I watched him start the game off and waited for him when he was done. We chatted for a bit and exchanged phone numbers. I nearly had a heart attack when he called me a week later and asked if I wanted to join him for a game. From then a friendship, not just a fan obsession was born. Buck spoke a lot and I listened and hung on every last word. 
He taught me about the game. The modern game and the way things were when he was my age. He invited me to attend a reunion in Kansas City at the Negro Leagues Museum and from there I met many legends that I only read about. I am proud to call him a friend and I am not shy about calling him a hero either. Anyway, I had never considered collecting his cards, but I can’t think of a reason not to, can you? For me Buck O’Neil will live forever. . If you aren’t familiar with Buck O’Neil, the man was amazing and I am honored to call him a friend. He wrote a pair of books and I highly recommend checking out his first autobiography, “I Was Right On Time”. 
If you are in the Kansas City area, checking out the Negro Leagues Museum is also highly recommended. There is an amazing life sized bronze statue of Buck there. Thanks for reading. Buck O’Neil forever! Thanks to everyone who has sent me Buck cards already, please keep 'em coming! Thanks to my beautiful wife for the idea and thanks to Brian for the post inspiration! I also owe a thank you to Madding from Cards on Cards for the Bull card at the top of the post. Go Rays! Troll out.
Anyway, 
He sent a TON (a Wicked-like) of great Rays cards that need posting, but for now here is a 2007 Upper Deck Game Materials jersey relic of Crawford. I really like the silver crest they use to frame the swatch in this series. The card shows 3 different Devil Rays logos on Crawford, I miss that Upper Deck. Anyway, moving right along…
Literally hundreds of great cards. Several autographs, many relics, black refractors and all kinds of goodies including this autographed mini of Crawford from 2005 Topps Cracker Jack. I am a Topps guy. I love Topps flagship and my favorite sets each year are that and Allen and Ginter and Heritage. I also love their releases that don’t come every year like Bazooka, T-206, Total and Cracker Jack. When I send an autographed card to another blogger it is always right on top in a top loader. This gem was just in the box with the rest of the goodies. The auto is on-card, but even just a few years after the Just Minors card up top you can see the de-evolution of CC’s signature. It has become even smaller in the last 5 years.
Thanks so much to all 3 of these awesome, generous, sympathetic and all around great collectors. One day the Crawford collection will be organized. So organized in fact that I will even have a list of dupes. I think I have mentioned before that my current financial situation is keeping me from buying new product. 
I still want to keep trading, but my trade-fuel is diminishing quickly. I still have a lot of cards to get rid off and the more time I have to sort, the more cards I find that are expendable. If you are starting a collection of Crawford or Longoria, Price, Upton, Kazmir, Baldelli, Pena or Iwamura, please get in touch. I could set you up with a nice starter lot. Oh, does anyone know how to reach the super kind and awesome Jacob Mrley??? Does he have a blog, please let me know... Thanks again to Wicked, Chris and Jacob M!!! You guys are awesome!!! That’s it for now. Go Rays! Troll out.
This is a feature I have planned for my other blog, 
Topps did their research and made a great pick for this pairing. Both players are catchers from Kansas City. Both were at the 6 year point in their career. Both had career batting averages around .235 and both weren’t long for Kansas City when the cards came out.
Pete Daley, shown in a Boston Red Sox cap, played with the Sox for 5 years backing up Sammy White. He played for the Ted Williams led Boston teams that never could catch the Yankees. After the 1959 season he was traded man for man to the Athletics for relief pitcher Tom Sturdivant. The following season he was grabbed by Washington in the expansion draft and retired after that season. His final number line is .239/18/120. During his one year in KC he hit .263 with 5 homers and 25 RBI in 73 games.
John Buck hit 3 homers on April 29th against the Athletics of Oakland. That power show came from Buck in a Blue Jays uniform. He too left KC the year after this card was printed. Buck has had a seven year career like Daley and his career line is .236/75/273. He has power, always has, but has the low batting average and frequent slumps to go along with it.
Oh and cartoons ALWAYS rock!
I hope y’all enjoy this format. In the future there might not be so many words, just the two cards side by side. You can be the judge. Go Rays! Troll out!
All of these are 
He was hitless last night and the Rays lost. The key seems to be if Bartlett is hitting, the Rays are winning. I hope to see Bartlett chasing the AL’s Batting Crown this year! His season numbers are still lackluster, batting .269 with no homers, but I think he’s just getting warmed up… Anyway, he is the subject of today’s Joy of a Completed Page. This is one of the nicer pages in my PC binder. It turns out I have more autographs than base cards with Bartlett. Off to work… Go Rays! Troll out.
