Trade Post: Nick's Dimebox Castoffs

Have you ever been so hot that you nearly stop sweating? That's bordering on heat stroke. One does not combat the effects of near heat stroke by drinking beer. 

In other words, tailgating before yesterday's Clemson at Georgia football game was not a typical football tailgate. We arrived pretty early -- around 9 AM for a 5:30 PM kickoff.  We probably should have arrived a bit later to reduce our time outside, but it was the opening game! We had to be there early.  

I drank beer to start the day (I had had breakfast, folks -- I did give myself a base!), and the beer went down pretty well. As the morning went on, though, my thirst for beer got less and less and my thirst for anything non-alcoholic increased. 

My wife and I had packed 6 bottles of water -- and we finished those. We also finished several cans of light lemonade and a coke or two. Then, inside the stadium, the best thing in sight was the change this year for the souvenir cokes -- $8 each, but free refills for the entire game.  After 3 of those 64 oz. cups of Sprite later, I still wasn't feeling right. But I made it through the day.

At least the Bulldogs stayed far more hydrated and walloped No. 16 Clemson 45-21 in Episode 1 of the Todd Gurley Show. Thanks to his 198 yards rushing on 15 carries and his 100-yard kickoff return (the NFL would have called it 104 yards), Gurley led Georgia to victory.  

Now that I'm back from Athens, I thought I would wrap up my August of getting lots of envelopes in the mail with the final envelope of the group -- a great package that arrived from Dime Box Nick. Nick has one of the more eclectic collections of anyone on the internet, and he also cheers for the Cubs. I sent him a bunch of oddball Cubs -- including a 7 UP-sponsored set from 1984 -- and he sent me a number of great cards.

I like to include the notes I receive from fellow bloggers when they send packages my way, so here's the one from Nick:

Let's start with the player collection cards. Something I don't get a lot of from others are those Milwaukee Braves guys I collect. Commishbob did, and so did Nick:

The Mathews from the Fleer Fall Classic set is a really attractive card -- it's that Turkey Red-style of card before Topps took that old card type over.  The Spahn cards are pretty awesome too.  The Fleer Greats of Warren showing him on the Boston Braves is pretty cool, but that Upper Deck Cooperstown Collection is my favorite of these three -- the photo has some of the personality that Spahn was noted for showing through in the card.

Nick also sent me this 1980 Gary Carter Topps that features a photo that could appear on any of the unlicensed sets these days.  I'm glad Nick sent this, because my 1980 Topps Carter was in less-than-desirable condition.

Nick of course also sent a bunch of Brewers.

For whatever reason, this SSPC set is quickly becoming a favorite for the fairly decent photography -- though that bottom card is pretty over-exposed.

That Yount mini is currently the only Yount from the 2014 Allen & Ginter set that I have.  And, I am still looking for that 1989 Bowman is Back insert of Yount -- I don't even know what set that was inserted in!

Nick, thank you very much for the Brewers and especially for the Spahn and Mathews -- and I'd love any more of those Milwaukee Braves or the Braves PC guys you might with to send my way!