Secret Santa: En Fuego

I wanted to get to this post before Christmas. After all, it was my Secret Santa post. When I was younger, I was told that a Secret Santa deal was to include the person receiving the gift trying to guess who gave it to them. Of course, those deals always included an in-person gift giving session, so maybe that's why some folks did not go that route in the BWTP-organized giveaway this year.

For what it's worth, I kept mine secret for this reason. I don't know if my recipient quite figured out it was me. Still don't.

I was lucky enough, though, to get cards from Ketchupman36 from "Rekindling the Cardboard Flame." It's time for a music post, because that blog name puts the same song in my head every time I hear it. 

Cheap Trick sold out. Yup, they did. But they deserved it -- they worked hard and came back from the dead. It hit number one in July of 1988. The same song writers apparently also wrote Chicago's "Look Away" -- which was another catchy ballad from the time period. 

This song was absolutely huge during the summer before my junior year of high school, and I remember well when this song got played at the music camp I attended that summer. For the first time I could recall, I was one of the cooler people around -- which, I suppose, shows how lame band kids could be -- but it also showed me that I could be myself, trying to be funny and crack jokes and such, and people would actually like me if they didn't come in with a predisposed notion of me as the "smart" kid.

Appropriately for that memory, K-Man sent me a number of late 1980s/early 1990s cards. Let's start with the Sportflics!

Thanks to this mailer, my want list for 1989 Sportflics was obliterated. Ah, the joy of youth matched with the joy of a complete team set. I love it!

Let's keep the music appropriate for the time. 

The next summer, I went to three camps for four weeks total. Music camp was even more fun, because I had a base of friends already from the previous year and I wasn't the "new" kid. I had a blast. I met tons of girls and guys whom I still keep in touch with through the wonders of modern social media a/k/a Facebook. 

One person I have never found again after a few letter exchanged back in 1989 was this fellow saxophone player named Andi. She was obsessed with Skid Row. Like, unhealthily obsessed. I thought she was really cool though, because she wasn't a "good girl" -- and I don't mean that in a sexual way. I mean that in a "doesn't give a crap" sort of way that really appealed to me. Plus she was cute too, of course, with long, curly brown hair and blue eyes. That didn't hurt either.

I think I liked her for that second thing, but that "don't care" thing was pretty big too. I cared too much back then.

Okay, weird remembering Andi after over 27 years of not really having thought about her. Music does that to me.



Some great early 1990s oddballs go with that odd recollection about a very different girl. The Mootown Snackers card shows how good unlicensed cards looked back then, before MLB started getting super picky about its teams' uniforms and probably started filing Lanham Act complaints to protect the teams' "trade dress" as exemplified through their team uniform schemes and designs.  

The 8 of hearts is from a U.S. Playing Card company deck from 1991. I have looked in vain for this; K-Man sent me two. 

The Yount is actually a Cracker Jack card from that same year -- 1991. The front looks the same, but the back is different. 

Finally, we have a Pat Moustache card from the Milwaukee Boozers. I'm pretty sure that MLB was not a fan of this set. Parody is protected under the U.S. Constitution as free speech -- just ask Jerry Falwell. See Hustler Magazine, Inc. v. Falwell, 485 U.S. 46 (1988) (expanding First Amendment protection to an ad parody insinuating Falwell's "first time" was with his mother in an outhouse).

I love parentheticals in legal writing.

Okay, last song for the modern cards:

Yup, I cannot help another Bastille song here. I'm an Anglophile, they are extremely British, and their attempts to make their videos into something straight out of the minds of Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte all appeal to me. Just try figuring out this song's video. I mean, I can figure out the song itself, but the video? Strange.



I'm not saying that these cards are strange. No, they are pretty much your typical Topps cards from 2014 and 2016. It is strange that this is my first Junior Guerra card. Guerra was a waiver wire claim from the Chicago White Sox. In fact, Guerra was the first move that David Stearns made as General Manager. It turned out well -- Guerra pitched 121-1/3 innings and finished 9-3 with 100 strikeouts in 20 starts. With his age being 32 coming into this season, I'd be in favor of flipping him if it's possible. We'll see. I don't think Stearns's moves are done for this year.

It's also strange that Kirk Nieuwenhuis appears to be playing centerfield in the midst of a forest fire. But that problem with design has been addressed in many, many places. 

Many thanks go out here to Ketchupman for the great cards and to Matt from BWTP for organizing the Secret Santa program this year. 

Cards from The Lost Collector

AJ a/k/a The Lost Collector is one of the good guys in the hobby. There are plenty of people who are nice to others, and, frankly, there are a fair number of complete trolls unfortunately. 

By trolls, I'm not talking about people who just complain all the time -- I mean, why would I call myself a troll? -- but rather I mean the people who feel the need to denigrate others and what they collect. I complain too much about Topps and especially about Topps Now, but it's not because I don't want Yankee collectors like AJ to get 35 cards in every set Topps produces. Well, actually, that is why I complain -- I want a little more equal time for the Brewers. 

The people I am talking about are those who call others names, make unwarranted claims about people's collecting, or, as one person did, say that a good guy like AJ is only in the card collecting hobby for money. Stuff like that actually annoys me. If given the opportunity with a card with value, I'll sell something. I do it very rarely, and I haven't done it in a couple of years -- choosing, instead, to send whatever I get out to folks in trade rather than selling. Plus, if AJ is only in this for the money, how can random troll explain all the money AJ spends on postage and supplies to send out packages -- as he did recently -- to people like me?

I'm in a theme music mood today, so let's get Lost with the Lost Collector and the cards he sent to me.

Getting lost in the shuffle with Drivin' N' Cryin', first of all. I've mentioned in the past that I listened to Drivin' N' Cryin' a lot during college -- especially their album Mystery Road, but also their "big" album called Fly Me Courageous. I listed to both albums enough to know all the words to all the songs back in the days when I actually had to listen to CDs rather than streaming music. "Lost in the Shuffle" always felt a bit like a filler song to me. It isn't bad, but it isn't nearly as good as other songs.

Now, I'm not saying that any of these cards are "filler" cards. But, there's a bit of "filler set" about the "First Edition" sets Upper Deck put out as well as the "Opening Day" set that Topps puts out every year. Same goes for those parallels that came out for a while that were exclusive to a particular store. I view those as ridiculous.

Brendan Katin in a prospect set like Bowman Heritage was definitely filler, though. Katin never made the major leagues -- not even for an at bat. He got closer to setting records for the Nashville Sounds than he should have. As this article from 2011 noted, he was within 24 homers and 47 RBIs at the beginning of the year to set career records in each for the franchise. 

Sadly for Katin, he was denied even that bit of fame, as hit hit only 11 homers and drove in just 25 in 34 games for Nashville that year before knee injuries and knee surgery shelved him. In late 2011, this story noted that his knee was so bad at the time that he might have to get a partial knee replacement. He is known now more for the fact that he appealed a 2007 drug suspension successfully than anything else.

I enjoyed finding a version of Top Gun with Spanish subtitles. This scene is weird on so many levels -- not the least of which is that the song makes no sense to sing in an effort to pick up a woman since it's a breakup song. I did enjoy hearing Leah Remini's story about Tom Cruise apparently serenading Katie Holmes at their wedding with this song too. 

Of course, Tom Cruise is weird.

1990s cards are weird too. Even the cool ones like Stadium Club went down paths that are best seen only in the context of what everyone else was doing -- like that Pinnacle Aficionado card that I thought, at first, was completely coming apart. 

Strange days indeed. And, the less said, the better.

The song "Lost On You" is by LP -- the stage name for singer Laura Pergolizzi. The model in the video is Laura Hanson Sims.

I had never heard of either before writing this post. But, I wanted something new to go with three new cards that AJ sent.



The Topps Bunt physical cards were a very good idea by Topps. Sure, they bear a resemblance to some cards from the 1990s, so design-wise we may be going back to that crazy era. But the reason these were a good idea is because kids play on their parent's phones and their own phones constantly. Tying a physical card product to the successful app that it has already is a great way to get at least a few kids to cross over into physical cards. 

At least I hope so. I want cards to continue being issued.

For the next set of cards, I needed something appropriately 1990s. It's not that these next cards are the weird crazy cards from the later 1990s, either. No, I needed grunge.



1990 was the last year that Topps issued its "big" cards. By the look on Bill Spiers face, you can tell that some fatigue had set it by that point with the cards. I'm still trying to figure out, though, who thought that Paul Molitor should be given a portrait that makes him look somewhere between psycho killer and annoying little brother.

And, finally:

Yeah, Bastille is pretty morose at times but their moroseness is couched in such catchy songs that I can't resist their music. Plus, they are so very English. That's worth a lot to me too, oddly enough.

I don't think that the song really relates to the cards below, other than the cards and this song both being from the recent past.

The highlight here is the Gilbert Lara green refractor parallel serial numbered 3 of 99. Seeing this card reminded me that if the Brewers do follow through on reports and trade Ryan Braun for Yasiel Puig (which is an interesting idea, but the Brewers must get more than just Puig), then I will not have any current Brewers players or prospects as PCs. 

I have a thought on a guy I'd like to develop as a PC, though I almost don't want to mention his name. The guy is Isan Diaz. Diaz was the real gem in the Jean Segura trade to the Diamondbacks (well, other than getting 3 months of Aaron Hill and the only Topps Now card for the Brewers in the first half of the season). Diaz is Puerto Rican and went to high school in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was the D-Backs second round pick in 2014. In 2015, he put up video game numbers in the Pioneer League -- in 312 plate appearances, he hit 13 HRs, stole 12 bases (but caught 7 times), and slashed .360/.436/.640. Yes, you read that right.

I have two fears about Diaz, though. He is still a ways away from Milwaukee, having just finished up his first full-season experience in A ball in the Midwest League. Granted, he did incredibly well again -- 20 HRs, 75 RBI, 11 SB (out of 19 tries...) and slashing .264/.358/.469 at the age of 20. But, that's a long ways away. 

The other fear is that his doing this well over the past two years -- and being likely to be named the Brewers Minor League player of the year this year -- will cause his cards to go skyrocketing upwards in cost. Heck, I may be too late for that already based on looking at eBay.

But, hey, if you guys want to send me his cards, I'll definitely take them.

And, speaking of taking them, I am glad that AJ sent me these cards and that the card package did not have an invoice. I mean, after all, he's supposedly all about the money.

Celebrating the 2014 Brewers, Card Style

Coming into this season, I did not know what to expect of the Milwaukee Brewers. After a 74-88 season, some changes seemed to be called for in terms of the playing staff. The only thing resembling a "big splash" was signing Matt Garza to a 4-year contract. It was not a bad move -- just not a "wow" move.

The team started out incredibly well and spent an amazing 133 games in first place during the season. The high water mark for the year came on June 28, when the Brewers reached 19 games over .500 -- or on July 1, with a 6.5 game lead over second.  

The team fell apart in August and thereafter. That month of September...well...it brings to mind a song about a volcano.

In all seriousness, the year closed with tons of negatives. Mark Reynolds and Lyle Overbay at first base were not good at all. Despite 22 HR, Reynolds put up a SLG of just .394. That's what happens when you get 378 AB with 74 hits (.196 AVG). Overbay's SLG was .333. Soak that in for a second. That's your first basemen, where you stash a hitter who isn't the best fielder.

While Khris Davis showed that he can play left field well enough to stick, his OBP was a paltry .299 (though he slugged .457 to make up for it). 

As the song says, "How am I gonna be an optimist about this?"

Let's talk about some of the good:

Rickie Weeks played reasonably well in a platoon/pinch hitting role in what will almost certainly be his final season in a Milwaukee Brewers uniform. He stayed healthy the entire year, and got on base at a .357 clip in 286 plate appearances. 

The bad with Weeks? His refusal to play anywhere but 2nd base -- certainly driven by his desire to be a starter somewhere else this coming year -- meant that the team had little flexibility on its bench and had to carry guys like Elian Herrera because Herrera could play literally everywhere on the field.

But, with Weeks leaving, here are a few of the cards I picked up at the card show earlier this month.

Yovani Gallardo -- and the pitching staff in general -- had a solid season. Even when Marco Estrada turned into a batting practice pitcher, guys like Jimmy Nelson and Mike Fiers filled in admirably. Gallardo, Kyle Lohse, and Wily Peralta each threw over 190 but less than 200 innings this past year. That's an excellent record. 

While it seems like Gallardo has been in Milwaukee forever, he was only 28 years old. Studies by sabermetricians interested in the issue for fantasy baseball purposes have shown that age 30 tends to be the peak for pitchers -- when physical ability catches up with mental acuity. Brewers fans can hope that Gallardo will pitch well this coming year in the option year of his contract and then resign with the Brewers. Okay, I hope he does that. I wouldn't be surprised if bigger money came in and swiped him, though.

One of the clearest bright spots for Milwaukee this past season was the play of catcher Jonathan Lucroy. He and Carlos Gomez were by and far the best hitters on the team -- with Lucroy winning the OPS race .837 to .833.  Both play key defensive positions, though Lucroy's is certainly more difficult. Add in the fact that Lucroy just signed a very team-friendly contract in which he will be paid just $3 million in 2015 and $4 million in 2016 before a $5.25 million option for 2017 (when Luc is 31 years old), and he quickly becomes a favorite.

So, there's at least one point about which I can be an optimist.

Here's the other guy about whom I can be optimistic. The Twins whiffed on Carlos Gomez's potential when they traded him to Milwaukee, though certainly the Brewers wouldn't mind having JJ Hardy at shortstop too.

Gomez is 2 years into a 4-year, $28.3 million deal. His agent is Scott Boras, which usually means testing the water in free agency at the end of a contract, but, Gomez did sign that deal and give back some of his arbitration and early free agency years. 

Anyway, I'm glad he is on my team. I'd probably not like him too much otherwise.

Okay, back to doom and gloom.  Jean Segura was avert-your-eyes bad in the middle of the year as well -- certainly with good reason in light of his baby son's death -- but that .246/.289/.326 line looks more like an anchor on the offense than anchoring the middle infield.  

I hope he continues to develop. He'll only be 25 at the start of next season, and he finished the season strongly. That may mean that he made some adaptations and changes at the plate, or it may mean that he got lucky.  But, his first half dragged things down after the second half of his season last year was the drag. You never know what is going on in a player's head, but there's at least a glimmer of hope here.

Then, there is the PED man.  

Ryan Braun couldn't hit his way out of a paper bag after the All-Star break due to thumb trouble. The snarky among us might cite karma being a bitch and all for that, but fans expected more than a .266/.324/.453 line.

There is talk that Braun might be shifted positions yet again, this time to first base, in the offseason. It's possible, I suppose, but it will be tough to do that if he is hurt or struggling with potential nerve damage in his thumb that makes hitting painful.  He had a procedure to try to fix that immediately after the season, and we will not know whether that was successful honestly until he swings again in anger next spring.

So, what do the Brewers need to do to rebound next year?

1.  Fix First Base: that means getting a real player who isn't the reincarnation of Rob Deer to play there.

2.  Shore up the Bullpen: at least one and possibly two or three good middle relievers are needed. The Wei-Chung Wang Rule 5 draftee experiment taxed the bullpen greatly in trying to hide a kid with a ton of potential but no experience above A-ball in the bullpen. It meant working with a 24-man roster.

3.  Hope that Segura & Braun Rebound: With the money (Braun) and time (Segura) invested in them, that's really the only option.

In reality, this was always a flawed team. That they did as well as they did for as long as they did was a good result, generally. It just would have been easier to take if the bad month was in April.

2014 is in the books for the Brewers -- on to the next episode.

Thanks again for reading, and note that the links above take you to the player collection page for each of these guys.