Imploding Want Lists: Incoming Cards from "Remember the Astrodome"

My headline is misleading. The Astrodome has not been imploded -- just some ramps that were added in 1989 to ease internal traffic in the concourses and to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The "Eighth Wonder of the World" opened to great fanfare in 1965 -- a symbol that man could build buildings which would allow baseball to be played in the syrupy humid, regularly raining, and stultifying hot climate that is Houston, Texas, by creating an indoor stadium that is air conditioned, dehumidified (somewhat), and, eventually, employed fake grass (since real grass would not grow in the Dome).  

The Dome was a trendsetter.  Within 15 years, circular multipurpose domes popped up in Detroit, New Orleans, Seattle, Indianapolis, and Minneapolis.  The Dome was also the first to feature an animated scoreboard -- a feature which sounds quaint in today's "largest HD screen on the face of the planet" systems such as the one in Jacksonville's EverBank Field.

This year -- specifically, April 9 -- marks the 50th anniversary of the Astrodome's opening. Despite being closed for building code violations in 2008 by the City of Houston, no one knows quite what to do with the building. 

Voters in Houston in 2013 turned down a bond referendum that would have provided money enough to turn the Astrodome into a multipurpose entertainment facility. Yet, neither implosion nor demolition appear to be in the cards, as even that option would cost a significant amount of money.  Noted land use think-tank The Urban Land Institute yesterday released its report that made several recommendations regarding the Astrodome's future.  It does not sound much different than previous recommendations, which means it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to implement.  

Still, it's worth saving in many people's eyes. Indeed, the National Trust for Historic Preservation added the Astrodome to its 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list in 2013.  Rest assured, something will be done with the Dome soon -- the adjacent "NRG Stadium," the corporate-sponsored home of the Houston Texans that sits right next door to the Astrodome, is scheduled to host the 51st Super Bowl in 2017.  The City of Houston does not want a derelict hulk next door.  

But what will be done?  What should be done?

In the spirit of revitalization -- and to end what might be my most labored introduction to a trade post ever -- I received a great bunch of cards from Bru, the man responsible for putting me on the National Trust for Historic Preservation website, for his excellent blog, Remember the Astrodome.  Nearly a month ago now, I received an incredible package of cards from Bru with the following note:

Houston's loss of a card shop turned into a MAJOR gain for me.  How major?  Let's start with the recent cards -- which, to be fair, were certainly the lesser lights in this package.

The Segura is just a regular Topps Heritage card -- one I did not have, of course, but just a base card.  The Lohse is the Blue serial numbered Opening Day Parallel from last year. Again, another card I did not have. 

I've told on myself sometimes in the past that, as a little kid in the late 1970s, my cards were toys and not "save the card good condition money money money value worth something some day" as cards became later.  So, a lot of my cards from as late as 1982 had some wear and tear that necessitates some upgrades.

So, Bru helped there too.  A couple of 1982 Donruss cards to help upgrade a Hall of Famer and add the Brewers' first Diamond King to my team collection:

Gorman was all about those homers.  And, let's be fair -- in 1982, Dick Perez still had his fastball in terms of his drawing ability.  He scribbled those suckers out as time passed, and the players started looking more like the Panini Triple Play stickers from 2012 than like themselves.  But 1982 -- even though it was just the start -- were some of the best.

Bru also upgraded a ton of 1979 cards for me:

Not a bad haul at-- wait, there's more?

Oh yes, there is more.  A second year card of Hall of Famer Paul Molitor.  At some point in the near future, I am going to feel the need to look into the incessant position shifting that the Brewers seem to enjoy putting their best players through, but note for now that Molitor came up as a shortstop.

Bru also sent a card from 1975 that I needed to complete my team set from Topps Regular Sized from that year:

Where's that kid who drew the beards on the rookie pitchers to fix this card?  There's all kinds of weird going on here.  Gorman Thomas being clean shaven.  Gorman Thomas wearing #44 -- and yes, he wore it just before Hank Aaron joined the team.  Thomas then switched to #3 -- visible on his 1977 card -- before switching to his later trademark #20.  

In many trade packages either the 1979 Molitor or the 1975 Thomas would be the piece de resistance.  But not when we are talking about remembering an iconic building such as the Astrodome.  Oh no. 

Remember, Paul Molitor came up as a Shortstop.  So did Alan Trammell and the very aptly named Mickey Klutts and the for-once toothpick-less U.L. Washington.  

When I laid eyes on this card -- the last one I needed for my 1978 Topps Brewers team set -- I was blown away. The card I have in my Molitor PC is the same one I have had since 1978, and it was always a cherished card because of that fact.  From the earliest date that I had real 9-pocket sheets -- sideloaders, in fact -- that Molitor card was always in the sheets.  

And now, thanks to Bru, I have two.

Bru, thank you for the great package of cards and for the excuse to dig into things like urban preservation issues!

Dime Box Additions

For some reason, some bloggers are easier to "buy for" than others. That centers around the fact that some bloggers -- like me, for example -- have huge holes in the collections that they have chosen to pursue. Other folks are much more focused than I am, have been at it for much longer, and/or have want lists that fall right where my card collecting "holes" are located.

Another type of blogger who is easier to "buy for" than most are the bloggers with eclectic tastes. Whether it's because they collect plays at the plate, pitchers hitting, players with microphones, or just oddballs generally, these bloggers are ones who appreciate the random collections of cards that one can harvest from a 1980s-based collection like mine.

I say all that because I really enjoy trading with Nick from the Dime Boxes. I really enjoy reading Nick's blog because it's truly the Forrest-Gump-box-of-chocolates there. You never know what has caught his eye, his dimes, and his attention on a day-to-day basis.

That's a good thing, by the way. 

An envelope from Nick showed up in my mailbox while I was actually in Nick's neck of the woods in Northern Illinois. Nick had shown off some Robin Yount O-Pee-Chee cards that he had bailed out of their dime-box jails, and I asked him if he might send them to me. 

Along with these cards came this note:

I wasn't expecting more, but let me tell you, Nick -- I enjoyed every one of these and needed all of them!

Starting with Eddie Mathews. As I have said on a few of my individual player collection pages, some of these players are ones that I simply haven't focused on in my time back in the hobby. Eddie Mathews is one such guy. It took me until that recent card show to get cards in hand that were from his playing days, for instance. 

Somehow, Nick has found Eddie with his dime box Friends in low places:

To be fair, that 1953 Topps card of Mathews is from the Topps reprint set from 1991. That does not in any way distract from the fact that these are all excellent cards I needed for my Mathews collection.

Nick also ticked a box on the Warren Spahn collection page:

I've only recently mentioned that I added Lew Burdette to the ever-expanding player collections I have. Thankfully, Nick sent these envelopes out after I said that, as this "1953 Topps Card That Never Was" found its way to me. 

I can't leave out Matt Scott's favorite steroid user, though. This Hobby-shop-only card is from 2010. I did not even know this card and a similar Prince Fielder card existed a month ago. Now I have both Prince and the Ryan Braun card.

This Jose Valentin card surprised me because it's one really horribly ugly base set card from Fleer in 1995. 

It's as if the graphics designer who wanted to give ESPN2 that "jaunty, young 1990s look" lost his/her job in Bristol and went to work at Fleer.

Back when Keith Olbermann was viewed as pulling in the "younger" crowd...

Another random gap in my collecting is from the 1980s and involves anything not named "Topps." I think I just haven't broken up the sets from that era that I collected, but I just don't have much in the way of Fleer from that era.  Nick fixed that some, sending a number of members of the PC brigade from 1984 to me.

Charlie Moore

Jim Slaton

Ben Oglivie

Cecil Cooper

Don Money

Bob McClure

Finally, while I'm not a Rollie Fingers "collector" like Cynical Buddha is, I don't mind getting a 2005 SP Legendary Cuts base card of the mustachioed one. Especially since I did not own one before.

As with his blog, Nick's PWE to me displays the gems that people with enough patience and sticktoitiveness to plow through dime boxes can find.  And Nick -- a return package is coming your way soon.

Thanks again!