April 15th - Jackie Robinson Day

April 15 is Jackie Robinson Day, a day worth celebrating.  I think when they first retired the number 42 for all the MLB teams I was not sure how I felt about it, but now I really like the idea.  I also hope that Robinson is the only number that the MLB does this for to keep it special.

I have been to many a Jackie Robinson Day, once I even went to two during one season!  Once at a Nationals game in DC, then a week or so later at Citi Field (both wanted to celebrate, but only one was home on the official Jackie Robinson Day).

Here's a picture from that game.

Rachel Robinson, Jackie's wife, on the big screen at Citi

Also, as a Met fan, I am really happy with all the Jackie Robinson tributes at Citi Field.  It really does not feel strange to me since it is part of the proud history of NL baseball in NYC.  Especially now that that history is complimented by Mets history with a cool Mets Hall of Fame.  For those of you who have not made it out to Citi Field, here is a picture from inside the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.

Thanks again Jackie Robinson for all you did for the game and the country!

The Hatless Horsemen aka Topps 206 Mets

So I stopped at a mini card show this past weekend.  Many of the dealers were packing up, but I found one that had a bunch of 2010 stuff unsorted in large boxes and was happy to wait around as I poked through them.  One of the benefits to being a Met fan in the Chicagoland area is that Mets are pretty much thrown in with the commons.  This guy had a whole bunch of Mets mixed in with his 2010 Topps 206, so I picked up a bunch.

First, I found a Jackie Robinson.  Not a Met I know, but he still fits in with this theme since the Citi Field entrance is a fitting ode to him.

Look ma, no hat!

Next came a trio of pitchers.

The Ace

The Up-and-comer

The Kid

And a trio of hitters, now more question marks than exclamation points unfortunately.

This card perfectly summed up Beltran's season, nice work Topps!

The one Met hitter who had a very good year.

 His smile can still light up a field.

And finally, one I picked up in a trade rather than at the card show.  A Tom Seaver mini piedmont!

Hats off to madding over at Cards on Cards for this terrific, puns intended, throw in.  I will probably get around to posting the central card in the trade another day.

I'd be interested to hear what other Mets fans think of these.  I don't mind these hatless cards, but maybe the Mets just have interesting looking heads even without the caps.

Jackie Robinson Day at Citi Field

In honor of Jackie Robinson Day being celebrated in the stadium where the entire entrance is dedicated to him, here is a 2009 Topps 206 Mini Piedmont that I pulled from the one rack pack I purchased of 206 several months ago.

In case any of you have not seen the inside of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda here are some pictures I took there during the 2009 Jackie Robinson Day (humorously enough I also attended Jackie Robinson Day at the Nationals Ballpark in 2009: both games were Nationals Mets games).



Also, congrats on a nice Met win today. Days like this make the future hopeful for Mets fans. I am hoping for a sweep of the Cubs to get the Mets back on track. No offense Cubs fans, but I consider the Cubs perhaps the only high payroll team in the NL that gets less out of the money its spends on players than the Mets right now.

Set of the Month: 2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces

So I broke down and decided to get the entire set of Upper Deck Masterpieces 1-90. I like the set because it combines two of my favorite things about contemporary baseball cards: an all painted set and an interesting material. The material is considered canvas paper, which is like a textured heavy cardstock and had been touted by Upper Deck as "unlike any set ever created before."* The paintings transferred to the cards depicted some of the greatest moments in baseball along with some of the best players and rookies of the year. It is a nice set, so onto some pictures.

This is one of my two favorites. A card worthy of Play At The Plate whose current blog header is also from this particular set.

Here is my other favorite.




















Now these two are both base cards, but the set also had nicely framed versions in various colors which I am sure each had different runs and seeding ratios. Anyway, I got a Jared Weaver, Vlad Guerrero, and Travis Hafner with a green frame, which I believe is the least rare of the parallels, depicted below that are up for trade. I actually also got a game used jersey Matt Holliday insert called "Captured on Canvas" but I already promised that to Madding over at Cards on Cards.




* Check out this press release for more info on 2007 UD Masterpieces