Cards from Cards on Cards

Recently, Madding from Cards on Cards sent me a great envelope full of Brewers cards. Through the years, despite my own personal grudge begotten by the heartbreaking loss in the 1982 World Series, nearly 100 players have appeared both for the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals in their careers. 

Indeed, I have three of them as player collections -- Ted Simmons, Cal Eldred, and Bob McClure all donned both the Brewers blues and the Cardinal red. And, that "grudge" I have held is irrational -- after all, without the huge blockbuster trade after the 1980 season between the two clubs, I'm not sure that the Brewers get to that 1982 World Series.

Still, despite all that overlap, the envelope from Madding featured just one Cardinal-turned-Brewer that I scanned in:

Braden Looper began his career in the St. Louis system as the 3rd pick overall in 1996 out of Wichita State -- 5 picks before a Brewers draft flop that I highlighted recently, Chad Green.  He reached the majors quickly when the Cardinals turned him into a reliever in 1998. That offseason, he was traded to the Florida Marlins with Armando Almanza and Pablo Ozuna in exchange for Edgar Renteria. 

He was the closer for the Fish in 2003 when they won their second World Series title. Then, the Mets signed him for two seasons before he returned to the Cardinals in 2006. After a season in middle relief, the Cardinals turned him into a starter for two years before, finally, at the age of 34, he signed with Milwaukee and served as their nominal top of the rotation pitcher on an absolutely horrendous starting staff supported by a great offense (a TEAM FIP of 4.84 for a team that finished 80-82). His last appearance in the majors was on October 2 for Milwaukee, picking up the win in St. Louis.

Other than Looper, the great thing about the cards that Madding sent my way is that I needed nearly all of them. I guess those Want Lists help! 

But, then again, who needs a wantlist when you get a complete team set of 1990 Panini stickers?

That's almost as much sticky goodness from Italy as you'll get at your local gelato shop.

Madding also sent me quite a few Brewers from many of the Heritage sets that I missed out on or haven't seen in the wild myself.

It would have helped all of us collectors if Topps hadn't decided to put out the Heritage sets on a basis that puts the card as having the design from thirty-nine years before. Why not an even forty? 

I can't answer that question. My incredibly limited understanding of copyright law doesn't get me to an answer -- perhaps they simply realized that they needed to reuse their own designs from yesteryear in a way to make sure that their competitors (remember competition?) couldn't use them. Maybe. 

Finally, Madding sent me some nice new stuff too -- refractors and inserts and parallels for PCs!

All of these cards were needed for my player collections.

Madding, thank you very much as always for the great cards. Now, have the Cardinals trade the Brewers a couple of minor league pitchers for Aramis Ramirez and Adam Lind!