Cardboard Fenway: 1935 Goudey 4-in-1 Red Sox

Cardboard Fenway - #96. 1935 Goudey 4-in-1 Red Sox (Cronin/Bishop/Reynolds/Cissell)

I happen to be a very large fan of this set, and this card is a great, early example of team name and uniforms not matching. Max Bishop is shown here on the Philly A's. I mean, they colored the image from a black and white photo, but what was stopping the artist from changing the uniform to the Red Sox?

Cardboard Fenway: 1938 Goudey Heads Up Bobby Doerr (Dover Reprint)

Cardboard Fenway - #95. 1938 Goudey Heads Up Bobby Doerr (Dover reprint)

Aren't Dover reprints just the best?

Cardboard Fenway: 2007 UD Goudey Curt Schilling

Cardboard Fenway - #93. 2007 UD Goudey Curt Schilling

Back in 1988, the Red Sox traded Curt Schilling and Brady Anderson to the Orioles for Mike Boddicker. I thought it was a good trade at the time, and I still sort of stick by that sentiment. As for this card, I like to believe that the chimney puffing smoke in the background is at one of Boston's many now-defunct chocolate factories.

Muppets... From My Grandpa's Attic

I found an oldie, but a goodie, while helping clean out my Grandparents' attic. Having no concept of the value, my Grandpa said I could keep it as long as I would post it on his favorite blog:

TBCB Muppets - #11 Fozzie

Design based on: 1934 Goudey #22 - Arky Vaughan

* Unfortunately, I am not allowed to post on The Lawrence Welk Blog, so I had to post it here. 

Goudey Trade-away #11: Colon for Griffey Jr League Leader

This trade comes in from Steve in Ringwood, New Jersey.

Giving: Bartolo Colon, #14 (red back)
Getting: Ken Griffey, Jr., 1998 Topps League Leader


This card of Colon is one of my favorite from the set. Why am I such a sucker for cards where the pitcher has the ball thrust at the camera? Is it because it makes him look like a little kid with a 'Look what I've got' pose? Or is it because nobody could ever look tough in a fake pitch pose? I hope I randomly pick the Carlos Zambrano card to trade, because that guy looks like he's got a score to settle. But Bartolo Colon? Eh, he's just proud that he can still grip a baseball. Look, he'll even show you...


Get something for nothing ... Trade with me!

Goudey Trade-away #10: Rodriguez for 2004 NL RBI Leaders

This trade comes in from Frederick in Lansing, Michigan.

Giving: Ivan Rodriguez, #7
Getting: 2004 National League RBI Leaders, 2005 Topps

Topps has issued a League Leaders subset at least 25 times since 1961. In 1963, cards had upwards of five guys on a card, while during the Seventies it was down to just two, and later in the Nineties they split up the leaders by league and had just one player per card.

Frederick writes: "What is better than having three stars on a single card?" He's right. There's nothing better. Well, let me rephrase that. There's nothing better when your three stars are Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron (1968 NL RBI Leaders), or your leaders card features four Hall of Fame pitchers: Gaylord Perry, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal and Sandy Koufax (1967 NL Pitching Leaders).

But what about when you get a leaders card with six guys on it and you can only recognize one of them (1970 AL Pitching Leaders), or when you can recognize all of the players, but you don't necessarily want to?

League Leaders cards are perhaps my favorite subset Topps has ever done (the MVPs from 1975 being my second favorite). This card of 2004 NL RBI Leaders will be a great addition to my collection (even if it does feature Vinny Castilla).


Trade with me! It will be fun, dammitt!

Goudey Trade-away #9: Napoli for Crosby

This trade comes in from Andy in Akron, New York.

Giving: Bobby Crosby, #17 (red back)
Getting: Mike Napoli, 2006 Bowman

Mike's facsimile signature looks like 'Mihi Nupor.' This gets me thinking...has there ever been a sports injury suffered while signing an autograph? I know about Lionel Simmons and his Nintendo Thumb, but Auto Grip? Also, do you think ballplayers suffer from arthritis at an earlier age (ostensibly from all the signings, not the crippling wear and tear from playing a sport every day) than those of us who aren't in stellar athletic shape?

One last thing: Do you think that the Oakland A's management has it written into player contracts that they must grow some sort of facial hair? I wouldn't put it past them. I've never been to a game in Oakland, but from the hair worn by the players, I'd imagine the guys selling soda and peanuts in the stands all wear sherpa packs, use carved walking sticks and have birds living in their Rip Van Winkle beards.


If you want to get in on the fun and trade with me for a 2007 UD Goudey card, email me!

Goudey Trade-away #8: Carter for Bonderman

This trade comes in from Matt in Manchester, Connecticut.

Giving: Jeremy Bonderman, #58 (red back)
Getting: "Clutch Hitting," 1987 Fleer 1986 World Series factory insert set

Matt writes: "I chose this card to symbolize my favorite baseball moment of all time." Whether Matt knew it or not, this card symbolizes one of the very worst moments of my childhood: the 1986 World Series. I can still remember walking through the living room crying after the Red Sox lost in stunning Red Sox fashion to the Mets.

I didn't get over that series for a very long time. As they say at the trial of Ted Stryker in Airplane! II: The Sequel, when trying to determine the place of death:

Prosecutor: Over Macho Grande?
Witness: I don't think I'll ever get over Macho Grande.

The 1986 World Series will always be my Macho Grande. Thanks for bringing that one up, Matt.


If you want to get in on the fun and trade with me for a 2007 UD Goudey card, email me!

Goudey Tradeaway #7: Glavine for Schmidt

This trade comes in from Scott in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Giving: Tom Glavine, #94 (red back)
Getting: Mike Schmidt 1982 Topps All-Star (wrong back)

Man, I love wrong-backs! They're the best kind of misprints, if you ask me. It looks like a card of Mike Schmidt...but...it's really...Del Unser! And a little bit of George Foster! To quote the esteemed cultural icon Flava Flav: Yeahhhhh boi-yee!

Goudey Tradeaway #6: Utley for Slaten

This trade comes in from Dave in New York, New York.

Giving: Chase Utley, #76 (red back)
Getting: Doug Slaton, 2007 Topps Chrome (red or something)

I've been trying to keep the Goudey cards random, but when Doug wrote that he was a Phillies fan, living in New York, I thought he needed all the help he could get. The stack got a little shorter and out popped this card of Chase Utley.

Not quite sure what to make of this card I'm getting in return. I've never purchased a pack of Topps Chrome, but this one looks like the maniacal Topps pressmen put this one through the Heidelberg more times than necessary. It's also the first sequentially-numbered card I've ever received in a trade, so there's something. Shit...I've already dinged a corner putting it into a page with the other trade cards. Oh well.

Goudey Tradeaway #5: Rolen & Drew for Bird & Drago

This trade comes in from our old friend Dave in Vermont.

Giving: JD Drew, #47; Scott Rolen, #91
Getting: Doug Bird, 1983 Topps Traded; Dick Drago, 1979 Topps

The funny thing about the Red Sox from 1978 to 1984 is that they had at least five pitchers who looked exactly the same from the neck up. Let's look back together: Dick 'The Dragon' Drago: white guy with a mustache; Mark Clear: white guy with a mustache; Dennis Eckersley: white guy with a mustache; Doug Bird: white guy with a mustache; Bruce Hurst: white guy with a mustache. I'll stop at five, but I haven't even mentioned Steamer Stanley.

The Bird/Dragon twofer is countered with two Phillie malcontents (Drew and Rolen). Drew kind of looks like Bud Bundy on this card.