How Does One Thin Their Collection?

What to do. What does a collector do when the proverbial cup has runneth over? Having been retired from collecting since 2002, I now find myself overrun with baseball cards. To some this does not sound like a problem, but rather a blessing. To me, it has become a problem.

Last Friday evening, my wife and I were discussing downsizing our lives. Shedding material possessions and their inherent responsibilities, and focusing on what truly matters. Having two young children, I have come to the realization that I cannot take my possessions with me when I die, and I do not want to laden my children with all of my hobbies, etc.

That being said, I have already started selling old toys, movies and my library collection, but what to do with the baseball cards? During our conversation, my wife said (reiterated again) that I should focus on what I want and not collect for numbers. She said if you want to collect each Topps set from 1952 until now, do it, but don’t keep 5 copies of one card, or brands you don’t even like (She didn’t specifically say this, but used an analogy based on colors and numbers).

Of course, I became defensive and agitated because I’m a man and these are my cards, blah, blah, blah. Yet, she’s right. When I was younger, and up until recently, it was about how many cards I had and not what I had. So, I guess this leads me to a crossroads. I have personally decided that I cannot keep 200,000+ cards, for I do not want to move them, organize them or will them.

Now this bears the problem of what to do with all of these? Do I pull the HOFers and trash the rest? Do I get out the kerosene? Do I sell them (not likely a buyer)? Or do I try and trade them as lots for say a handful of cards in return?

I must admit that the last option does intrigue me. Somewhere, someone out there must want what I have and would be willing to pony up a few cards for what I offer. Trouble is, I have complete Topps sets from 1971 to 2004, and I was hoping to complete 2005 until whenever with my kids when (if) they decide to collect.

So, I need pre 1971 Topps and I do like Tony Gwynn, so maybe that’s a starting place. Yet, it just doesn’t seem plausible that someone would trade me a couple of pre 71 Topps in whatever condition or a few Gwynn cards for 200 Studio cards.

Maybe I should just try it and see.

What do you think?

Name the Game #4 - 1990 Upper Deck Doubleheader

A friend of mine gave me two 1990 UD cards to track down. First one up is Billy Hatcher featuring Benito Santiago with a play at the plate!

Looking through Baseball Reference, I found that Hatcher played 7 games versus the Pads at good old Jack Murphy. In only two of those games he scored a run, and he was not called out at the plate. One of those runs scored was from one of his homers, so that game is out, leaving us with the August 10, 1989 game. So, in this shot, Hatcher is scoring from second on a single to RF by Craig Reynolds. That means that Tony Gwynn couldn't throw him out in time. DANG!

Hatcher's line form the game

Astros	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OPS	Pit	Str	PO	A
B Hatcher LF	2	1	1	0	0	0	.227	.583	11	8	0	0

Next up is a Fred Manrique card featuring a play at second with the Crime Dog sliding. There were only two candiates for this card. One being a double play and the other being a force out at 2nd. Since Manrique is still holding the ball, the double play is out!

So, this card is from the August 7, 1989 game at SkyDome. This play took place in the Bottom of the 2nd after McGriff walked. Pat Borders grounded to 1st causing a force out at 2nd (3-6).

Manrique's line from the game.

Rangers	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OPS	Pit	Str	PO	A	Details
Manrique SS	4	0	1	0	0	1	.308	.770	15	11	1	1	SB

Weird side note is my friend stopped by on Saturday for a few hours and I gave him two unopened 1989 Topps Wax packs. He opened them with the help of my 2 year old son, and low and behold he pulled a Fred Manrique (and a Pat Borders).

Other interesting side note is my son took each card and threw them on the ground, each of the 15 cards landed face down. We gave them back to him and he threw two more face down, making 17 cards in a row face down. The odds: 1 in 131072. Should have bought a lottery ticket with that luck!

My daughter on the other hand (11 months) decided that Tom Brunansky looked better bent in half.

Name the Game #3 - 1971 Casey Cox

I'm coming off a nasty bought of illness (I say flu, wife says ecoli), and thought I'd post a softball of Name the Game.

Akin to the 1981 Donruss enigma I mentioned in an earlier post, Topps action shots in the 1971 set have the uncanny coincidence of being almost entirely shot in New York. If you look through your binders, you'll notice (almost) every action shot includes a Met or a Yankee. That being said, review of the Casey on the Mound card shows him at the original house that Ruth built.

Note the Visitor's Bullpen

A quick glance at the handy Baseball Reference shows that Casey pitched one game at Yankee Stadium in 1970. July 4th, 1970. Casey had a decent game, but lost 4-2 to the Damn Yankees.

Senators	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA	BF
C Cox, L (4-6)	6	6	4	4	1	3	0	4.50	25

And before someone says that's not Yankee Stadium! Yankee Stadium had not undergone renovations or alterations to the outfield until 1974-75.

Note the bullpen between the LF-CF stands & the Monuments in CF

Not a hard game to find, but it does add an added dimension to our favorite baseball cards when we actually know the game in which the picture was taken!

As noted before, I am taking requests (Plunger!) on Name the Games, otherwise I will continue marching through the 1971 set until now!

Flu and Work Bound

Apparently I caught whatever Night Owl and his family had. I knew I was spending too much time reading his blog. I think the addition of the second Night Owl 1975 Topps (it's far out, man) blog put me over the edge into wretched flu sickness.

That being said, I'm going to lay low for a bit until feeling better, and then I have to catch up on work. Gasp!

In the meantime, send me any requests for Name the Game entries and Topps Cards That Never Were. Perhaps if I have some fodder to work with when I return, posts will start rolling again.

I also got wrapped up in working on Thorzul's 2010 Halloween Contest. Is it too soon to declare myself the winner? :-) Jinx.

I will share with Night Owl, maybe, if he's interested because I think he would be...

Name the Game - 1971 Lee May #40

I had so much fun doing the Thurman Munson card, I thought I'd move on to the next 1971 Topps action card that is even remotely possible to determine the game. This card is of Lee May holding a currently unknown Phillie on first base.

Intense base holding action!

So, we are left with a Phillies home game, Lee May on first and an unknown Phillie with a jersey number beginning with 2, obviously a 20-something. But what number?

Review of the Phillies roster from 1970 gives us: Jim Hutto (#20), Ron Stone (#21), Larry Hisle (#22), Oscar Gamble (#23), Byron Browne (#24), Scott Reid (#25), Sam Parrilla (#27) and Grant Jackson (#29). Hisle, Gamble, Browne and Jackson are out for obvious reasons.

That leaves us with Hutto, Stone, Reid and Parrilla. Philly hosted the Reds 6 times in 1970, and Parrilla did not appear in any of those games, so now we are left with Stone, Hutto and Reid. Stone appeared in 5 of those 6 games, Hutto in 2 and Reid in 2.

From the card, we can plainly see that it is a day game, sorry Night Owl, and of the 5 potential games, only one was played during the day. The June 14, 1970 day game. In that game, Stone and Reid appeared, so Hutto is out. Reid pinch hit, but grounded out to second. That leaves Stone.

Our mystery baserunner has been solved!

Stone was 1 for 3 in the game with a RBI and a walk. May was 2 for 2 with 2 runs and 2 ribbies. Stone had a single in the first scoring Gamble, but advanced to second on the throw. McGlothlin walked Stone in the bottom of the 4th, lined out in the 6th and hit into a double play in the bottom of the 9th. Looks like the 4th inning is it!

Therefore, the action in this card is of Lee May holding Ron Stone at 1st in the bottom of the fourth after a walk from McGlothlin. Stone would later be forced out at second, and the Reds beat the Phillies 10 to 1 on a CG by McGlothlin.