A Beckett Organize Trade

I decided I would finally pay money to get the Beckett Organize feature just so I could make contact with a few members that had some of my missing Alomar cards in their trade lists that I could not contact otherwise.  I ended up contacting several people, but to this date I have only heard back from one.  Which is okay, but not quite what I was hoping for.  Some of those other members have not been on the site in several months, others I am not quite sure why I have not heard back.

I did work out a trade for these two tough-to-find 1997 parallels:

The Donruss Signature Platinum Press Proof is limited to 150 copies.  The Donruss Gold Press Proof is limited to 500.  I like the die-cut on the Gold Press Proof.

RESOLUTION TRACKER:
1.  4/5 previously achieved.

2.  Just four to go.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #273: 1995 Topps Embossed #105

YEAR: 1995
BRAND: Topps
SET: Embossed
NUMBER: 103
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Embossed was a very short-lived Topps set.  It only existed in 1995.  It is kind of unfortunate because the cards had a unique texture and some decent photography.  I really like the photo on this card.  It definitely looks dated now, but in the mid 1990's it was really something.

Some Bilingual Cards from Southpaw Cards

Over the weekend I received my latest package of cards, this time from Beckett Marketplace seller Southpaw Cards, a seller I have bought a number of cards from over the years.  They specialize in parallels and oddballs.  

These cards have a distinct theme in that each card has text in languages other than English.  Actually three of the cards have both English and another language with only one card solely in a different language.

The first card is another red parallel from Pacific and features Spanish and English text.  As discussed previously on this blog, the red Pacific parallels are kind of hard to find on the secondary market as they were retail-only parallels. 

The second card is the 1999 Bowman Chrome International Refractor.  It is definitely my favorite card from this package.  The refractor aspect really pops with the picture from Alomar's home of Puerto Rico.  The card is also numbered out of just 100.  The text on the back is all in Spanish.

The third card is a Panini French sticker and feature French text as well as English on the back.  Other than the text on the back, this card is exactly like the non-French sticker I already had.

Finally, the fourth card is another Panini French sticker, this time it is a Guessing Game card with a small picture of Alomar, cutting off his head, as a hint to a trivia question.  Yes, Alomar was an All Star in 1991 despite driving in just seven runs.  It is an example of fan balloting gone bad.  He did not deserve the All Star berth that year.

RESOLUTION TRACKER:
1.  4/5 previously achieved.

2.  Six to go!

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #272: 1997 Ultra Gold Medallion #45

YEAR: 1997
BRAND: Fleer
SET: Ultra
NUMBER: 45
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: Gold Medallion
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Gold Medallions became the Ultra parallel in 1995.  The first two years there was nothing real special about them other than a badge near the logo.  But in 1997, Gold Medallion cards featured a different photo from the base set cards.  It also featured the "Gold Medallion Edition" tag under the name and gold foil lettering.  Unfortunately Fleer would not keep this up after 1997, which is why this is my favorite year for the Gold Medallions.

Sandy Alomar Could be the Next Manager for...

Well we are a little ways into the season and by the end of the year there should be some managerial openings.  Sandy Alomar's coaching contract is up with the Indians at the end of the year, so this would be a great time for him to find a managerial position.

Alomar brings a few strengths to the table as a potential manager.  Firstly, as a former catcher (and a well-regarded one at that), he has experience dealing with pitchers, so a young pitching staff would probably be an ideal fit for him as a manager.  Secondly, Alomar is bilingual, which is important with teams that have a young, Spanish-speaking core.  Third, Alomar has coached under a number of well-regarded managers, such as Manny Acta, Terry Francona, and Willie Randolph, so he has likely picked up a few things along the way, particularly in the last few years under Francona.      

Bleacher Report recently looked at five managers that could find themselves without a job by the end of the season.  That article can be found here: Link .

These are the five listed there:

TERRY COLLINS: NEW YORK METS
The Mets are doing quite well early this season but Collins is in his last year as manager.  The Mets are an improving club with a potentially very strong pitching staff in the years to come with Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Jacob DeGrom, and Noah Syndergaard.  Their offense could use a little bit of work though.   The Mets also have some young Latin stars such as Juan Lagares, Jeurys Familia, Jennry Mejia, and Dilson Herrera.  Finally, Alomar has some connections to the Mets, having played his final season for the team and starting his coaching career as a catching instructor from 2008 to 2009.  There is no one left in the team's management from the time Alomar was there, other than owner Fred Wilpon.

The Mets are a rebuilding team and have some pieces in place to contend in the future.  Terry Collins is in his final season as the Mets manager and the team may be looking for someone younger  and more energetic to help guide the team into contention.  Alomar would be a very good fit for the Mets.

LLOYD MCCLENDON: SEATTLE MARINERS
The Mariners are expected to contend this year for the first time since 2001.  They are in a difficult division with strong teams in Los Angeles and Oakland.  McClendon has not been a terribly successful manager over the years, mostly managing teams with little to no expectations.  He did have a successful season managing the Mariners in his first season, but if he stumbles this year with the Mariners expected to contend, you have to think he would have a short leash.  Like the Mets, the Mariners have a young pitching staff, though one with a certified veteran ace in Felix Hernandez.   The Mariners do not have a strong Latin core though.  Other than Hernandez, they have Robinson Cano, and a few role players.  Alomar also does not really have ties to the Mariners organization.

Seattle could probably use a young manager to help with the very young pitching staff.  However, the lack of ties to the organization and the fact that McClendon has been reasonably successful with the team make this a bit of a long shot.  McClendon has not been a great handler of pitching, but if he succeeds this season, he will likely be rewarded with a longer contract.

WALT WEISS: COLORADO ROCKIES
The Rockies perpetually have problems.  They are not expected to contend this season, particularly in a division with the Dodgers, Giants, and the surging Padres.  Unfortunately that has been the norm.  Other than a few seasons, the Rockies have typically not contended.  This is Weiss's third year as manager and if his record diminishes again this year, it is unlikely he will be brought back, despite being under contract for next season.  There is some hope though, the Rockies actually have some decent young pitchers coming up.  Alomar does have some ties to the Rockies organization as he once played for them, but there is no one left in the organization from his brief time there.

The Rockies remain a possibility for a managerial position for Alomar.  It is a younger team in the midst of a rebuild.  Alomar does not have strong ties to the organization, but with a bright young pitching staff and some young hitters, they could be looking to contend and need a young manager to grow with them.

DON MATTINGLY: LOS ANGELES DODGERS
It doesn't seem like the Dodgers should really be a team looking to change managers.  But the team has seemed unable to make the next step from contention to success in the postseason.  That and the fact that Mattingly has not always seen eye to eye with management means that a shakeup could be coming.  There have been moments in past years where it looked as if Mattingly could be headed out the door.  If the Dodgers don't take that next step soon, Mattingly would be the first to go.

Alomar also played briefly for the Dodgers, though that was under a completely different management and ownership group.  The Dodgers are a veteran team that should be contending and teams in that position would typically be looking for managers with experience.  But the Dodgers did once hire Mattingly with no managerial experience after the Yankees went for Joe Girardi.  So they could surprise. 

BUD BLACK: SAN DIEGO PADRES
The Padres have not contended in years, but Bud Black has generally been well-regarded and popular with his team.  The Padres are a team in transition after putting together a more-powerful offense and developing some decent pitching.  Alomar, of course, began his career with the Padres, but it has been a very long time since he was in that organization.  The Padres have often highlighted their Latin stars in an effort to interest their fanbase.

I would be very surprised if the Padres were to dismiss Black.  This is the first year that the Padres have put together a decent team in several years.  If the team is at all successful, then Black will be rewarded.  If they stumble, there is a possibility that they could dismiss Black, however I suspect he will be given a longer leash than that.  

Other Possibilities:
Outside of the five teams mentioned in the Bleacher Report article, I have come up with a few other teams that may be possibilities for a new manager.

FREDI GONZALEZ: ATLANTA BRAVES
The Braves are expected to struggle this season.  Their offense is in particular trouble.  The Braves do have an exciting young pitching staff and a couple of impressive catchers.  They also have a young Latin core made up of Andrelton Simmons, Christian Bethancourt, and Julio Teheran.  What makes the Braves especially promising as a landing spot for Alomar as manager is the fact that President of Baseball Operations John Hart was the general manager of the Indians who orchestrated the trade for Sandy Alomar Jr.  He also brought Alomar to the Rangers in 2005.  That kind of connection seems very promising for Alomar as a possible manager.

JOHN GIBBONS: TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Gibbons has had a tenuous hold on the Blue Jays managerial position for quite some time.  This is his second stint with the Blue Jays as manager.  The Blue Jays are perpetually disappointing.  They are frequently predicted to be contenders in the East and they always fall short.  The Blue Jays are another team with a young pitching staff coming up.  The team has also interviewed Alomar in the past for their manager position and nearly hired him before going with John Farrell.

RON ROENICKE: MILWAUKEE BREWERS
The Brewers are another team that has disappointed recently.  Roenicke is in his last season as manager for the Brewers and if they continue to disappoint, he could be on the chopping block.  However, the Brewers are somewhat of a stagnant organization at this point.  That being said, a manager getting his first real work may be just what this type of team needs.

MIKE REDMOND: MIAMI MARLINS
There are rumors that the Marlines may be headed for a managerial change sooner rather than later.  That being said, the Marlins owner has given Redmond a vote of confidence.  The Marlins are another team in an area with a large Latin fanbase.  And they also have a young, upcoming core.  Redmond's job is in jeopardy because the Marlins continue to struggle despite pumping some money into the team.

If I had to pick one team to put my money on, I would say that next year Sandy Alomar Jr. will be the manager of the Atlanta Braves.  

Card #271: 1997 Finest Embossed #113

YEAR: 1997
BRAND: Topps
SET: Finest
NUMBER: 113
SUBSET: Warriors
INSERT: Embossed
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Embossed was a partial parallel of the 1997 Finest set that included most of the stars and veterans from the set.  The cards did not feature the protective covering that the base cards had and the player was raised somewhat to provide a texture to the card.  It is kind of an interesting card, but it's tough to tell how different it is from the base card from a scan.

Card #270: 1998 Donruss Collections Preferred #630

YEAR: 1998
BRAND: Donruss
SET: Collections
NUMBER: 630
SUBSET: Preferred
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

I have covered the Donruss Collections set before.  In 1998, Donruss released a set that was essentially a parallel of four of the sets Donruss released that year.  Preferred was the higher-end set that was encompassed in Collections.  The texture of the card was different, as was the smaller picture and the background.  The cards seemed to be a little lower-end than the regular base set.  Of course you can still see the "Collections" logo along the side.

Card #269: 1999 Flair Showcase Row 1 #140

YEAR: 1999
BRAND: Fleer
SET: Flair Showcase
NUMBER: 140
SUBSET: Row 1
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

This is not a scan of my card.  My card is numbered 1750 out of 6000.  But I love this card.  It is such an interesting design.  It is an almost three-dimensional picture on the right profile.  It really is an amazing looking card in person.  Flair once again had three rows with each player getting three different cards.  This is the first row, though it is probably the rarer one, since it is serial-numbered.  It is also the most different from the other two.  This is definitely my favorite one.

Card #268: 2001 Bowman Heritage #106

YEAR: 2001
BRAND: Bowman
SET: Heritage
NUMBER: 106
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Chicago White Sox

2001 was the first year that Bowman released a Heritage set.  The purpose of the set was the same as Topps Heritage: to pay tribute to old Bowman designs.  In this case, the 1948 Bowman set was the focus.  The problem with this design is that there is no identifying information on the front of the cards.  You would have to really know your baseball to be able to identify everyone without looking on the back.  It made for kind of an interesting set. 

Card #267: 1999 Bowman's Best #79

YEAR: 1999
BRAND: Bowman
SET: Best
NUMBER: 79
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

I never really understood the point of Bowman's Best.  Of course then most sets were just padded numbers to release more products and make more money.  Best was supposed to have been more of an upscale set with chrome-like cards.  Most of the cards were fairly boring though.  Such as this one.

Card #266: 2002 Stadium Club #64

YEAR: 2002
BRAND: Topps
SET: Stadium Club
NUMBER: 64
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Chicago White Sox

Here we have a terrific play-at-the-plate shot of Alomar, here pictured with the White Sox, preparing to tag out someone with the Twins.  I checked and my research turned up Eddie Guardado wearing #18, which doesn't make any sense.   Guardado was a relief pitcher.  So I have no idea who that is.  This shot also looks as if it occurred at the Metrodome in Minnesota.  So, another terrific action shot from Stadium Club.  Unfortunately there were no parallels, so this is it from 2002 Stadium Club.

Card #265: 1996 Topps #294

YEAR: 1996
BRAND: Topps
SET: Topps
NUMBER: 294
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Very little to say about this one.  1996 Topps was one of my least - favorite designs and the set was not very large.  Couple that with a boring photo and you have one of the more uninspiring Topps cards of Alomar ever.

Card #264: 2001 Fleer Focus #49

YEAR: 2001
BRAND: Fleer
SET: Focus
NUMBER: 49
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Focus was another short-lived set from Fleer, although this was the second year from the set.  There would not be another one.  It is odd that the Focus Fact on the back mentions the long career of Sandy Alomar Sr. and nothing about Roberto.  I do like the photo on the front of Alomar fielding a ball in the dirt.  Nothing much else to say about this one.

First New Card in Awhile

Just a few weeks ago I had made a comment on this blog about not ever seeing a 1998 Paramount Holographic Silver parallel.  Well, here it is:

It popped up on COMC the other day.  It was a little bit higher-priced than I would have liked, but it was the first time I had seen one of these.  It also knocks off the 1998 Paramount set.  I have all of the parallels from this set now.

RESOLUTION TRACKER:
1.  4/5 previously achieved.

2.  10 more to go!

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #263: 2001 Fleer Futures #66

YEAR: 2001
BRAND: Fleer
SET: Futures
NUMBER: 66
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Chicago White Sox

I'm not sure if I prefer the updated logo with the previous team's picture or the air-brushed uniform the way Topps does it now.  I think I prefer the way this one is done.  Alomar is clearly still pictured with the Indians but his team on the front and logo on the back are for the White Sox.  Fleer Futures was a one-off set.  Rookies and prospects were the major focus of the set. 

Card #262: 1998 Upper Deck #427

YEAR: 1998
BRAND: Upper Deck
SET: Upper Deck
NUMBER: 427
SUBSET: Postseason Headliners
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Alomar had a terrific 1997 season in all parts of the season.  He was even terrific in the postseason.  He had a huge home run off of Mariano Rivera in the ALDS and had a couple of big home runs in the World Series.  Had Cleveland not blown it, Alomar likely would have been the World Series MVP.  This card celebrates his home run off of Kevin Brown.

Card #261: 1998 Sports Illustrated #3

YEAR: 1998
BRAND: Fleer
SET: Sports Illustrated
NUMBER: 3
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

This is an awesome night shot of Alomar tagging a runner sliding into home.  There is no way to tell who the other player or team is.  I love the inclusion of the hockey-style mask.  This is a terrific photograph of Alomar, one of my favorites.

Card #260: 1998 Sports Illustrated #190

YEAR: 1998
BRAND: Fleer
SET: Sports Illustrated
NUMBER: 190
SUBSET: '97 Year in Review
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

I have mentioned before that I love picking up cards of Alomar celebrating his All Star Game MVP.  It was one of the biggest highlights of his career.  This is his response to a standing ovation after hitting what would have been the winning home run off of Shawn Estes of the Giants.  It is one of several cards I own celebrating this feat.

Card #259: 1995 Panini Stickers #26

YEAR: 1995
BRAND: Panini
SET: Stickers
NUMBER: 26
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

I remember having a Panini sticker book at some point growing up, but it was dinosaurs and extinct animals, not baseball.  I was a little surprised to see that Panini was still making sticker card sets as late as 1995.  This shot is a little out of focus, but otherwise an interesting photo.

Card #258: 1997 Leaf #259

YEAR: 1997
BRAND: Leaf
SET: Leaf
NUMBER: 259
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

I actually really liked this design.  I never really got why.  It is just kind of simple and almost elegant-looking.  The photography is interesting enough, although the picture on the back is of Alomar in a crouch in full catchers' gear and the hockey-style mask.  That may have been a better shot than this one of him swinging.

Card #257: 1995 Collector's Choice #273

YEAR: 1995
BRAND: Upper Deck
SET: Collector's Choice
NUMBER: 273
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

This appears to have taken place after a play at the plate and judging by the look on Alomar's face and the possible celebration behind him, it does not look like it went well for the Indians.  It appears that the opposing team is the Mariners and Ken Griffey, Jr. may be the player on the left.  I actually like this shot quite a bit.

Card #256: 1997 Collector's Choice #93

YEAR: 1997
BRAND: Upper Deck
SET: Collector's Choice
NUMBER: 93
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Collector's Choice is well-known for having some terrific photography.  Unfortunately that is not quite the case with this one.  I generally like horizontal action shots, but this is not really the kind of shot that is really worthy of a horizontal action shot. 

Card #255: 2002 Upper Deck #222

YEAR: 2002
BRAND: Upper Deck
SET: Upper Deck
NUMBER: 222
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Chicago White Sox

This card marked the final time Alomar appeared on a card in the Upper Deck base set until 2006.  He would still have a base card in a couple of other sets and a few inserts, but this was it for a few years.  Not the best way to go out either as this picture is a little unflattering, depicting Sandy with a very awkward swing.

Card #254: 1998 Sports Illustrated Then & Now #56

YEAR: 1998
BRAND: Fleer
SET: Sports Illustrated Then & Now
NUMBER: 56
SUBSET: Legends of Today
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

The Sports Illustrated sets branched out fast then faded just as fast.  After appearing for the first time in 1997, there were three different SI sets in 1998, then they were gone after 1999.  No idea what happened there.  As was typical for the SI sets, the photography was great, with vibrant colors and decent action.  Not sure why there were so many sets, but oh well.

Card #253: 1999 Ultra #178

YEAR: 1999
BRAND: Fleer
SET: Ultra
NUMBER: 178
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

This is a terrific play at the plate shot of Alomar.  I am pretty sure Tony Eusebio of the Astros is safe on this play.  This play likely occurred on June 28, 1998 in a game with the Astros beating the Indians in Cleveland 12-3.  Eusebio had two hits in the game, including a double, and drove in three runs.  He doubled in the third inning, moved to third on a bunt from Ricky Gutierrez, then scored on a Craig Biggio sac fly.  Alomar, for his part, collected two hits, including a home run in the game.

When an Autographed Card Has No Autograph

I'm not sure what you would call this card.  It is supposed to be the 1998 Stadium Club Co-Signers card with Tino Martinez on it, but the autographs of both players are missing.  Is it a sample?  A proof?  An error?  I am sure it was not packed out like this.  I picked it up because it was cheap and to pad my numbers.  I have yet to see the autographed version of this or the one with the Alomar brothers anywhere.  The Alomar/Pettitte shows up frequently.  Maybe one of these days the real version of this one will too.

RESOLUTION TRACKER
1.  4/5 previously achieved.

2.  11 cards to go.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #252: 2001 Pacific #121

YEAR: 2001
BRAND: Pacific
SET: Pacific
NUMBER: 121
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

2001 was the end of the road for Pacific.  I never really understood what happened.  I was very disappointed because I liked Pacific from a team collector standpoint.  They always had some interesting player selections.  I have no doubt that if Pacific had been around in 2007, they would have released a card of Alomar with the Mets.  I like this shot of Alomar in full catchers' gear with the hockey style mask.

Recollecting 1992

I just picked up another Donruss autographed buyback from 2004 Donruss Timelines.  Here it is:

This is the 1992 card, which features a fairly interesting photograph for the set.  The 1992 Donruss card was my fifth card in my Sandy Alomar, Jr. collection.  It is kind of interesting to add autographed buybacks of cards that were so important to me in my formative years as a collector. 

This gives me eight Recollection Collection autographs for my Sandy Alomar, Jr. collection.  I also have four cards in my Red Sox collection.

RESOLUTION TRACKER:
1.  4/5 previously achieved.

2.  I am now up to 988.  12 to go.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #251: 1999 Pacific Crown Collection #82

YEAR: 1999
BRAND: Pacific
SET: Crown Collection
NUMBER; 82
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Pacific frequently used a crown logo in the early years on its base sets.  Some time in the mid 1990's, the brand separated its base set from what it now called Crown Collection.  This card features a pretty decent play at the plate with Alomar tagging out a member of the Blue Jays.  I can't tell who it is though.

A Red Parallel from Pacific

One of the ongoing threads on one of the more hobby talk-related forums I frequent, has been discussing how rare and difficult to find the red Pacific parallels from a variety of sets have been to find.  Invincible is one of the major ones discussed.  Luckily when I bought a retail box of that product, I pulled the Sandy Alomar, Jr. red parallel.  Some of the other brands have not been nearly as easy.  Recently I found the Paramount red parallel:

Luckily, I don't think a lot of sellers realize how rare and desirable their cards are at times.  This cost me $0.18.  Nice, cheap little pickup of a hard-to-find card.  Another Pacific parallel down.

RESOLUTION TRACKER
1.  4/5 previously achieved.

2.  Up to 987.  13 to go.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #250: 1990 Donruss Factory Set Variation #30

YEAR: 1990
BRAND; Donruss
SET: Donruss
NUMBER: 30
SUBSET: Rated Rookie
INSERT: Factory Set Variation
TEAM: San Diego Padres

The Factory Set Variation from 1990 Donruss has a different pattern of spots on the border.  I actually don't know if this is the factory set variation or the pack variation.  I just know it is the second variation I received so I am calling it the factory set variation.  There was never any uniform pattern for the spots.

Card #249: 1998 Studio #181

YEAR: 1998
BRAND: Donruss
SET: Studio
NUMBER: 181
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Quite some time after I got the Silver Press Proof, I finally got the base card of this one.  Studio still looked pretty good in 1998, but for the most part it was nothing really special anymore.  The brand still included the portrait-like pose in the foreground of the card, as was the trademark, but added an action shot to spice things up a bit.

I Had to Buy a Team Set for This

I am not an Indians fan.  I believe I have been pretty clear about that.  I am actually a Red Sox fan.  However, I was a Sandy Alomar, Jr. fan from an early age.  Every once in awhile I have to buy something like a rare team set in order to get the Alomar card I need.  This was one of those times.

This is the 1996 Topps Team Topps card.  What separates it from the regular base card is the logo in the top left corner that says "Indians American League Champions '95".  Now I also have the whole team set to deal with, which I will likely break up and sell piece by piece.  I imagine the Thome, Lofton, and Vizquel cards could make my money back if I can find collectors of those players.  They are out there and Vizquel collectors are pretty crazy.

RESOLUTION TRACKER
1.  4/5 previously achieved.

2.  Up to 986.  14 to go.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #248: 1991 Score Hot Rookies #6

YEAR: 1991
BRAND: Score
SET: Score
NUMBER: 6
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: Hot Rookies
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Along with Donruss Highlights, Upper Deck Baseball Heroes, and Fleer Pro Visions, the Score Hot Rookies were one of the first insert sets I remember.  I started collecting in 1991 and these were somewhat harder to find.  They were only available in Score blister packs.  My older brother bought one once and as I recall, his Hot Rookie was Jeff Conine.  Of course they are not really that hard to find these days.

1990 Team Issue

This is yet another larger card, but it is only about an inch larger all around.  The team issue cards are sometimes the hardest to find, particularly when you are looking 25 years after the item was originally released.  But, as luck would have it, one seller on Ebay was breaking up a set of these team issued cards from 1990.  I paid a little more than I would have liked, but I can check this off of my needs list:

RESOLUTION TRACKER:
1.  4/5 previously achieved.

2.  One card brings me to 985.  I am getting close.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #247: 1997 Score Team Collection #9

YEAR: 1997
BRAND: Score
SET: Team Collection
NUMBER: 9
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

This is one of many team-centric sets released by the various brands in the mid to late 90's and the one I have had the most success with, at least in my Red Sox collection.  The cards are numbered differently and feature the red foil at the bottom.  No differences other than that. 

Scorecard Collector's Cards

Continuing on with the oddball items, I recently purchased a couple of large "cards" from the Indians scorecards/programs in 1999 and 2000.  These things feature team stats on the back of players with the Indians and the opponent during that particular series.

As I stated, these are fairly large, 5x8.5", and the picture is not terribly exciting.  The cards are from a year apart and both feature Alomar in the on-deck circle with his bat on his shoulder.

So, nothing terribly exciting here, but it is kind of a unique item to add to the ever-growing collection.

Neither of these are what I would consider cards so they will not be added to my final count.  Just a weird oddball item.

Card #246: 2002 Topps #193

YEAR: 2002
BRAND: Topps
SET: Topps
NUMBER: 193
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Chicago White Sox

Oddly, I had the gold version long before the base card.  As in possibly years before.  Pretty strange when that happens but I was only passively collecting Alomar for a long time.  I still like this picture, Alomar is definitely showing age at this point.

The Junior Junkie Hits a Tek Need

I was excited to be one of the chosen ones to receive a random package from that crazy Griffy collector The Junior Junkie.  Well he kind of spilled the beans a couple of days before by posting a comment and gave me an idea of what to expect as well.  The package was decent-sized and most cards were Red Sox-related, but there were a handful of random Alomar cards as well.  Many of them were duplicates, but there was one card and it was a massively helpful one:

This is Tek Pattern 20.  It looks like Alomar is standing in front of a massive file cabinet or card catalog. 

Thanks a bunch!

RESOLUTION TRACKER
1.  Some Tek progress here.  I need just 17 more patterns to knock this one off.  Still 4/5 previously achieved.

2.  I am now up to 984.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #245: 1997 Stadium Club #101

YEAR: 1997
BRAND: Topps
SET: Stadium Club
NUMBER: 101
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

I like the texture of this card.  The name label sticks out a little bit.  Stadium Club once again comes through with some nice photography.  Here is Alomar chasing after a foul ball.  Kind of a call back to his 1991 Topps card, though that picture was still better than this one.

Some Disgusting 20+ Year Old Candy

Going along with the really bizarre oddball pattern of the last couple of weeks comes this item:

This is a 1991 Topps Stand Up and it is a candy dispenser.  Not only that but the candy was still inside.  That's right.  Candy that is 24 years old.  That is only about nine years younger than me.  I treated the candy as hazardous waste and had it extricated from my presence.  It was all discolored and even looked black and gray.  Let me tell you, there is nothing as appetizing as black and gray candy.

This is not a card, so no resolution update.

Card #244: 2003 Topps Chrome Black Refractor #399

YEAR: 2003
BRAND: Topps
SET: Chrome
NUMBER: 399
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: Black Refractor
TEAM: Chicago White Sox

Alomar did not appear in the first series of Topps allowing him to be pictured with his new, old team the Chicago White Sox in Series 2.  The black refractor version is serial-numbered to 199, yet it was the first of the refractors I picked up from this set.  I think the black border looks great with the black pinstripes and logo of the White Sox uniform.