The Goudey Trade-away That Time Forgot

I just found this post in my drafts folder... Not sure why it was never posted. Originally from October 17, 2007.

Goudey Trade-away #46: Tekulve and Bottalico for Mulder and Vidro

This trade comes in from Nic in Wausau, Wisconsin.

Giving: Mark Mulder, #75; Jose Vidro, #187 (red back)
Getting: Ricky Bottalico, 1997 Collector's Choice; Kent Tekulve, 1988 Score

These two cards I'm getting in this trade are really out there. Hey! Which way to the beach? Also, that background on the Tekulve card is freaking me out. Is he pitching inside a kaleidoscope?

Or is his windup so powerful that he's about to fall backwards off a bridge into the Delaware River at sunset? Gotta love any pitcher whose games played stat line reads like an NBA starter. Teke was pretty tall, too (6'4"). He probably could been a backup shooting guard for the Sixers if Andrew Toney got injured. Kent would come prepared: He could provide his own striped knee-highs.

Form Letter from The Baseball Card Blog

Dear Friends,

What will you think of when you think of 2007? The year you fell in love? The year you said the hell with it all? Well, for us, I mean me, here at The Baseball Card Blog, 2007 was the year baseball cards crescendoed (if that's a real word). While 2006 saw a explosion in mainstream attention towards the hobby, 2007 was a year of ups and downs, with whatever mainstream attention given focused on the public and private sides of the drawn out Topps sale...

...2007 also saw the publication of Michael O'Keeffe and Teri Thompson's The Card, a telling of the somewhat tawdry history of the former Gretzky/McNall T206 Wagner. Not surprisingly, the book didn't garner much press in hobby publications like Sports Collector's Digest, where Mastro Auctions is a large advertiser. O'Keeffe also achieved my own personal life goal this year when he became an obscure footnote in a text of importance by being quoted in The Mitchell Report...

...2007 saw me sell out to help Topps checklist an under-performing eTopps product, and branch out to Beckett.com for a few weeks there in the summer, if only to prove that writing on a schedule is harder than I thought...

...But mostly, 2007 was the year of collaboration, with the successful launch of A Pack A Day, the Cardboard Junkie/Baseball Card Blog alliance in creating The 792, and interactive projects like The Great Goudey Trade-away and Top Topps. Both proved to be unqualified successes thanks to Blog readers. And speaking of readers, 126,400 people visited The Blog (that's over 184,000 page views!), from all over the country and the world.

I got a lot of emails, answered a lot of questions, got some hate mail, made some friends, ate some bad food, went to some shows...

Not a bad year. Here's to another.



Fondly,


Ben

Goudey Trade-away #52: Liriano and Pujols for 5 Awesome Cards

This trade comes in from Mike in Bethel, Connecticut.

Giving: Albert Pujols, #6; Francisco Liriano, #167 (red back)
Getting: Bo Jackson, 1991 Topps Traded; David Ortiz, 1999 Upper Deck MVP; Kirby Puckett, 2002 UD World Series Heroes; Cool Papa Bell, 2001 UD Cooperstown Collection; Latin Stars, 1993 Upper Deck

I'm calling this trade 'Latin Stars and Shades of Bo.'

First I want to focus on the Latin Stars combo card from the vastly underrated 1993 Upper Deck set. The copy on the back is all about the massive amounts of home runs each hit in 1992, and how they'd keep poundin them out forever. What's also of note is that Pudge, Juan Gone and Raffy all look like relatively normal big leaguers, while Canseco looks like a wall of bulk. ... and two quick notes on Canseco: First a theoretical question. Let's say Canseco played out his days without taking steroids. Would he still have been remembered as the more productive identical Canseco twin? Second, do you think the roids did anything to Jose's hair? Seriously, how come his hairstyle never seemed to change over his entire career? Also, can we re-name the sports flat-top/mullet 'The Canseco'? Or has Jaromir Jagr already laid claim?... what was I saying? Oh yeah, the mid-Nineties Rangers. I guess there's not much more to add.

There's plenty to say about this card of Bo Jackson. So much, in fact, that I'm going to give it its own post as the Fantastic Card of the Day.

Goudey Trade-away #51: Ryan and Patterson for a stack of cards

This trade comes in from Scott in New Jersey.

Giving: Nolan Ryan, #202; Corey Patterson, #115 (red back)
Getting: A stack of fifty cards

That's right. Scott sent me a stack of cards. And begged that he only get one or two in return. Um, okay. I can live with that. These scans are only the tip of the trade iceberg. In particular, check out the Post cereal cards that are completely non-sensical, not simply because the name of this set is 'First Collector Series,' as if either Post forgot that they created cards in the Sixties (with significantly more licensing) or that they considered these cards for newbie collectors. (As a side note, If I was just starting out collecting baseball cards, I probably would choose a set where I could figure out each player's team, not one that might lead me to believe there were only two teams: blue and red...)

The other reason this set is non-sensical is because those baseball fanatics at Post came up with their own position shorthand. First base? FB. Second? SB. Check out this card of Wade Boggs of the Blue Team. Heck of a job, Postie. Way to teach those kids about this here game of baseball.

Goudey Trade-away #21: Peralta for Teixeira

This trade comes in from Ryan in Fairborn, Ohio.

Giving: Jhonny Peralta, #119
Getting: Mark Teixeira, 2006 SPx


I've heard of people misspelling their own names on the SAT, but when, in the course of human events, has anyone ever had their name misspelled on their birth certificate? I can''t think of anyone (besides Jhonny Peralta).

Goudey Trade-away #20: LaRoche for Wilson

This trade comes in from Daniel in Provo, Utah.

Giving: Adam LaRoche, #152
Getting: Preston Wilson, 2000 Upper Deck

Daniel writes: "Enjoy this card of Preston Wilson in a reflective pose. He is probably pondering over the fact that he will never hit over .300."

Daniel, you could very well be right. Either that, or he's trying to figure out if the good times will last. It's funny how some players can seem to figure the system out, but only for a very short period of time. Some guys make that period last for a year or two (like Preston Wilson), while other guys can't last for even a whole year.

Probably the most famous contemporary flame-outs are one-hit wonders like Kevin Maas and Jerome Walton. But there are others. Take this year's Red Sox. At one point they had two or three guys in Hideki Okajima, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Dustin Pedroia, who were in serious contention for AL Rookie of the Year. Now we're just looking at Pedroia, as Okajima has hit a wall as of late and whenever I watch Matsuzaka pitch, he's always working with guys on base ("Taking the Gas-pipe," as my father calls it).

By the way, do you think it would be weird if you could also call your step-dad Uncle Mookie?

Goudey Trade-away #19: Wasdin for Francoeur

This trade comes in from Pat in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Giving: Jeff Francoeur, #56 (red back)
Getting: John Wasdin, 1995 Topps

Pat writes: "One of my favorite things about baseball cards is looking back at 'future star' cards of players who turned out to be quite forgettable." I agree. There's nothing like coming upon Steve Searcy's 1989 Topps Future Star card and trying to figure out who he is. Or Mike Harkey. Or Pat Dodson, Todd Van Poppel, Jeff Juden, Earl Cunningham, Nigel Wilson, David Nied--stop me if I'm hitting nerves here. I mean, we all bought into these guys.

The only thing better, when it comes to rookie cards, is going back through old stacks and finding an overlooked star rookie. I have very clear memories of finding about six or seven of the 1986 Topps Cecil Fielder rookie during his breakout 1990 season. I also just pulled a few Torii Hunters and Derrek Lees from old stacks of 1994 Score (which, by the way, is a very clean, attractive set with a nice array of inserts. Unopened wax is also abundant and cheap, if you've got an itch for ripping old wax).

A couple fun things about Wasdin. The back of this card is just classic Topps: two photos on the back that are exactly the same. Good times. Also, although he's out of the game, he's in MLB: The Show 06, which I still play (I'm in season nine of my Red Sox franchise). And no matter how many runs I'm down, if the computer puts Wasdin in the game, I know I'll be able to tie the score or take the lead in one inning. I mean, he wasn't called Way Back Wasdin for nothing.

Goudey Trade-away #18: Oglivie for Chipper

This trade comes in from David in Vero Beach, Florida.

Giving: Chipper Jones, #27
Getting: Ben Oglivie, 1973 Topps

You know, the Red Sox have never been a bad team. Sure, they've had bad stretches, but you can't call them historically bad, like you can the Chicago Cubs or the various Seattle teams.

Let's look for a moment at the stretch between their World Series appearances in 1967 and 1975. They developed raw talent into league mainstays with Carlton Fisk, Dwight Evans, Cecil Cooper, Sparky Lyle, Bill Lee, and yes, Ben Oglivie, and traded for other guys like Luis Tiant and Ray Culp and gave them room to flourish.

And while they didn't necessarily make all the right moves in terms of keeping all their good players, they had enough talent that when the front office made a change, there were guys to pick up the slack (Rice, Lynn, Hobson, Burleson, take your pick).

Goudey Trade-away #17: Honus for Ichiro

This trade comes in from Tony in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Giving: Ichiro, #104
Getting: Honus Wagner, 1994 Ted Williams Card Company

I know I'm the one who decided to trade away all his Goudey cards, and so far I don't regret that decision, but tonight I'm a little jealous. Tony's getting a great card of one of my favorite players: Ichiro Suzuki.

Don't get me wrong, I'll take a Wagner in trade any day of the week. It's just that this Ichiro is one heck of a beautiful card. Give 'im a good home, Tony.

Goudey Trade-away #16: Maddux for Nettles

This trade comes from Ricky in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

Giving: Greg Maddux, #44 (red back)
Getting: Jim Nettles, 1972 Topps

I know a lot of stuff's been written about the 1972 set; it's kind of a tired subject to find something new in the story. But here's something: besides the Electric Company front-of-card design and the ironically action-less In Action subset, it's the first set to feature a 'Traded' subset.

And these cards are hard to find, to boot. A few months ago I bought the Joe Morgan (that he had signed across the front in ballpoint pen) for a few dollars and just last weekend I bought the Frank Robinson at a show for $20. It's such a great subset that the $20 was one of the most expensive single cards I've ever purchased (what do you want from me; I'm not a big spender on single cards).

This is kinda funny: Jim is Graig's brother; Greg is Mike's brother. Also, says here Jim was hitting a mean .368 at instructional league level before breaking his wrist in 1970. Gotta love Topps for pointing out the good times and sealing the deal with the bad.

Goudey Trade-away #15: Berkman for 2004 Postseason Highlights

This trade comes in from Kevin in Columbia, Maryland.

Giving: Lance Berkman, #72 (red back)
Getting: 2004 NL Postseason Highlights, 2005 Topps

2004 was a very good year, and though the World Series was rather anti-climactic for Red Sox fans (consider that neither Mientkewicz or Keith Foulke are with the team anymore), everyone was introduced to all of Larry Walker's rhymey-named family sitting in the stands in St. Louis, so that was worth it.

Also worth it is this card of Berkman. Not only does he look focused on the barrel of his bat, but his head and neck are gigantic. He kind of resembles Gimli the troll from Lord of the Rings. Seriously. Slap a beard on him and let him burrow into the Misty Mountains and you'll never see him again.

Goudey Trade-away #14: Kazmir for Top Prospects 1B

This trade comes in from Bob of Manchester Center, Vermont.

Giving: Scott Kazmir, #142 (red back)
Getting: Top Prospects 1B, 1992 Topps

Despite their randomness in pairing, Scott Kazmir and Ryan Klesko have something in common: first, their former teams gave them up for practically nothing, and second, they either played out the balance of their career (Klesko) or are playing currently (Kazmir) in relative obscurity. They are both also very, very good at what they do.

Just one other note about the Klesko card. I've always been intrigued by John Jaha. It's probably due to his uncommon last name, but I really bought into those rookies I would never have heard of if it weren't for baseball cards. Guys like Jaha, Matt Mieske, Chad Mottola, Midre Cummings. You can add Jermaine Allensworth to that list. Funny thing about Jermaine Allensworth...there was a skit on SNL about a hundred years ago with Tracey Morgan where Morgan kept repeating the words 'Jermaine Allensworth' until they had almost no meaning. It was a running joke that nobody got. I don't know why I remember that.

Goudey Trade-away #13: Bo Breaker for Sizemore

This trade comes in from Zach from Kokomo, Indiana.

Giving: Grady Sizemore, #43 (red back)
Getting: Bo Breaker, 1991 Score

I hope Zach and Brandon (Trade-away #12) are friends. I remember one of the best parts of collecting as a kid was that my friend Michael collected, too. I got some of my best cards from trades with him (1979 Topps Alan Trammell, I'm thinking of you), and as we got older, and our collecting obsessions took different roots, it was he who turned me from a price guide-oriented collector into someone who truly appreciated the cards for what they were, not the riches they promised.

So here's to The Card Collecting Buddy, the one who'll try to out-gun you for a card at a show, but marvel with you at that one out of both of your grasps.

By the way, thanks for the Bo Breaker card. 1991 Score is one of my favorite sets, the very epitome of the over-stuffed early Nineties. I think that set had 10,000 cards in it, right?


The Trade-away is in full swing, but it's not too late to get in on the fun! Email me if you're interested in participating.

Goudey Trade-away #12: Ortiz for Damon

This trade comes in from Brandon from Kokomo, Indiana.

Giving: Johnny Damon, #65
Getting: David Ortiz, 2007 Fleer Perfect 10

I'm convinced that Fleer's Perfect 10 insert set is one of the best inserts of the year, and this is after I've familiarized myself with Allen & Ginter and Goudey. My proclamation is based on one very simple principle: the designers at Upper Deck succeeded by limiting the use of gold foil. By restraining their foil-loving side, the gold acts more like gold leaf than a cheap foil. It makes for an elegant card. So what that the backs look like they were printed on a college freshman's free Lexmark inkjet printer?

Brandon writes: "I'm a huge yankkees [sic] fan so i was glad to get rid of one of my Red Sox cards." Gee, thanks Brandon. You know what? I'm glad to get rid of this Johnny Damon card. Enjoy.