My Mattingly Collection: 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces #106

Part of my collecting goals moving forward was to re-energize my pursuit of Don Mattingly cards for my favorite player collection.

To break the seal on this new adventure, I snatched up a Donnie Baseball "lot" on the Bay of E for a decent price. It was a lot of fun to crack open and flip through - sometimes sheer volume is a wonderful thing! On the downside, there were numerous "usual suspect" cards that already resided in my collection but from what I gather it's really to be expected with these wholesale opportunities.

One of the cards that I did NOT have, however, was this 2008 UD Masterpiece:

As I am sure many of you will agree, these releases from Upper Deck usually live up to their name and make excellent additions to any collection, regardless of your penchant for modern, junk, vintage or anything in between.

This particular Donnie displays a beautiful "oil on canvas" style image of Mattingly executing his familiar swing plane from the left side of the plate. It's easy to appreciate and the dark, delicately raised and foiled border of this card works quite well with the contrast of the Yankees' pinstriped home uniforms. Throw in a little eye black and peekaboo stirrup, and we're GOOD TO GO.

Here's the back:

Please accept my apology for the blurriness of this image, but you get the idea. A cropped version of the card's front image sits atop some basic biographical data but the real gem is the popular "Mattingly statistic of choice", his streak of home runs in eight straight games during the 1987 season. At some point, I really should gather all of the cards I have that pay homage to this feat, just to get a sense of the quantity and diverse approaches.

While I poke a little bit of fun at its redundant use, this HR stat for Don truly was amazing and will always be one of my favorites. Why? Well, it still stands - having only been tied by The Kid during an eight game stretch in 1993. AND I'd be remiss as a Mattingly fan if I failed to mention that Donnie slugged ten home runs during his streak compared to the eight solo shots from Griffey, Just saying! Honorable mentions are when Jim Thome fell one short in 2002 along with Barry Bonds in 2004. I wonder if I have any Dale Long cards in my archives? Must look...

Still got it, Donnie! This is a great addition to my Mattingly collection. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Thank you for reading!

Ryan

My Mattingly Collection - 2002 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Bat Relic Card

There's nothing I enjoy more than a relic card for one of my Player Collections. I came across this Mattingly Sweet Spot for a little less than $10 and decided to - not buy it. Yes, in a rare feat of self-control, I recognized that this was probably a little too much to spend on another bat card of Donnie Baseball.

 

Don't get me wrong, I WANT THEM ALL. But Mattingly, for better and for worse, demands curiously high rates for any/all of his cards due to his loyal and passionate fans. So, often I find myself on the sidelines as I watch so many terrific-looking, higher-end releases go to good homes elsewhere. 

 

Fortunately, nobody else had their eye on this Hit Man because the card was re-listed at a discounted price of just over $5 - an amount I could happily accept! I like Upper Deck's design on this one, with emphasis evenly divided between the relic and a great follow-through image of Maatingly.

 

 

Yep, it's Don and the bat, no more, no less. It's a sharp card in person and is in really good shape. Sometime these relic cards that are listed on the cheap come with hidden dings near the relic or banged up corners and edges. For the most part, it's tough to get too upset over the condition of relic cards in my book. Which does beg the question, why? These are cards too, so why do I care so much less about their condition? Very interesting thought. If I had forked over $5 for a mid-90's Mattingly insert, for example, I would be disappointed if it showed up with dinged corners and crushed edges. Is this a normal double-standard for any you?

The back recycles a zoom-in on the front side's image with a standard accompanying relic card "CONGRATULATIONS!" statement.

I need to total up my Mattingly relic cards. I'm sure it's way less than what it needs to be right now.

Right!?

At any rate, I'm pumped to add this one to my Mattingly Collection!

Thanks for reading!

Ryan

My Mattingly Collection - 2001 Topps Archives Reserve, Bat Relic

Not that anybody was really worried or about the lack of posts over here at Ryan's Pitch...but just in case.

The Fall really overwhelmed me with family and work and school and...life. I had so much that I wanted to share with you guys in October as an epic baseball season was coming to an end. A season with so many emotional connections to the Ryan's Pitch Collection - but I had to place the blog on the back burner to make sure I could take care of business.

October became Halloween and then Thanksgiving was looming large and then December hit with a fury. But now - now that finals are done and the office has not a creature stirring - now for a few days...I'm all out of business!

I've missed you guys!

(group hug)

And I've missed my hobby time. I have a year left in my MBA program so 2015 may prove to be just as challenging, but as you all know, I am an eternal optimist - so here's hoping! Until then, I'd like to end 2014 on a positive note with a few posts. I'd love to provide one of those "STATE OF THE COLLECTION" posts. My collecting approach has truly evolved over the past year (or so) and I am very excited about tackling some much needed house cleaning in parallel with a renewed vigor for laser-guided collecting focus. And just who wouldn't want to hear about all of THAT?

For now, though, let's check out a slick Mattingly card I recently picked up! I found this bad boy for the price of two modern packs. It wasn't in a shop or at a show (what are those?) and in this case, I didn't even have a picture. This 2001 Topps Archives Reserve fell in my Hobby Ice Age, so I didn't have a clue as to what it might resemble. I am familiar with the Archives series, but what did the "reserve" label indicate?

At $5 though, it was a Mattingly card that I DIDN'T have and a bat card at that, so I scooped it up. And I am sure glad that I did:

I know, I know - another damn version of the Hit Man's '84 Topps rookie card. Isn't it sweet!? It's shiny and refractor-y in all the right, biased ways for me. This one was in great shape, too - for which I am always thankful. The corners are sharp and the surface is pretty clean. The Archives logo is slightly annoying in the top right, but I'm over it. The circular bat relic is kind of a cool contrast with the otherwise well squared-away card.

To the back: 

Pretty much the standard with the exception of the fine-print line at the bottom and the...wait, what's that? A certification hologram?

Enhance!

Houston, that's a serial number! Woo-hoo! God bless these cards from the Hobby Ice Age. I am supposing this an early example of serialization that was utilized as the hobby was figuring out just how they were going to handle this attribute. It's kind of a neat variant, even if it covers up some statistics. Good thing I can easily check the other 30 versions of this card.

Returning some focus to my Mattingly collection is one component of my 2014 Collecting Evolution story-line. It was very easy to dial-in on my modern day PC's:

Craig Kimbrel
Freddie Freeman
Anthony Rizzo
Dellin Betances
David Robertson
Eric Jagielo

Unfortunately, these quests often left Donnie in the dust despite his status as my favorite all-time player. Not to mention, there are SO many cards during the aforementioned Ice Age that I haven't even begun to discover or enjoy and are probably quite affordable.

Hopefully this card is another great step in the right direction for 2015. I say "another" because I was able to scoop up a "Player Lot" of Mattingly cards over the past couple of months that has been a joy to flip through during free moments here and there. Some good, old-fashioned player collecting.

Anyways, it feels great to be back and I hope this doesn't turn out to be a one-hit wonder. I hope you all had a great 2014, find much peace with you and yours for the holidays, and hit the base path in 2015 with tremendous gusto!

Thanks for reading!

Ryan

I've Been 30YOC PWE'd!

We all love them and this one was no different!

I believe a basic "oh, I like that" comment on one of 30YOC's posts resulted in a PWE with this bad boy being speedily sent my way for the Mattingly Collection. Couldn't be more grateful, my friend! Thank you!

Here's Donnie....in a fresh version of the 1989 Topps design:

What do you think? Fort Lauderdale, circa 1988? Actually, I am unsure as to exactly what the name of their stadium was back in those days.....either way, I love it! The pinstripes, the Florida sun, the 'stache, the bat......greatness abounds.

Thank you, B! Welcome home, Donnie.

Thanks for reading!

Ryan

Night Owl Made A Pass At My Woman!

Nah.

Night Owl is a righteous dude with tremendous cardboard and Dodger knowledge surpassed only by his own incredible talent for writing. I just couldn't resist the gratuitous post title inspired by The Lost Collector's recent interview of [99.9%] retired blogger, Napkin Doon. It had me laughing out loud and wishing once more for a "Cleve's" of South Carolina....but alas, no such luck. The interview can be enjoyed here.

NO, it was I that was seduced by this glorious plethora of cardboard from our community's winged friend of the night. Completely unexpected but surely treasured, I must now hatch plans for a counterstrike.

Thank you very much, Night Owl!

Here we go - 

Yankees and Braves dominated this well-crafted package. I had never seen these tri-fold Upper Deck "BAT" cards before.....but I LOVE them. How do I store them?

We sure miss Robbie in New York but it's always a pleasure to see him knock one out of Safeco from time to time. I think I caught an update recently that he left a game with some pain...I hope he's okay. This "blue-sparkle" parallel from 2013 is a beautiful card and I have quickly become a fan of the Opening Day logo. Man, that follow-through.......one of the finest swings in baseball right now, folks.

What Mo can I say? Rivera cards will always be accepted around here. A simple baseball card with a winning smile from baseball's greatest closer is fantastic!

PC alert!!!!! A Donnie-Braves sandwich served up with my first look at the A&G insert set, "Across the Years". I can dig. The Braves colors and that OD logo (again) look great on the Freddie and Kimbrel cards. Great additions to my collections!

Here's a look at the back of the BAT card. See what I mean? They are REALLY nice and offer up some great baseball knowledge in an attractive, unique design. How were these cards distributed?

A giant Donruss Righetti!!!!! How giant?

THIS giant! Thank you for the perspective, Chippah (also included).

I'm a bit unsure as to how I'm going to store/display this bad boy....but I'll find a way to let Rags breathe safely in the Card Cave. In the end, a wonderful problem to have, right?

Thanks again, Night Owl and thanks for reading -

Ryan

My Yankees Collection - 2003 Upper Deck "Standing O" #54, Derek Jeter

Well, I always say that I am eager to explore cards of my favorite players and teams that I missed out on during my Hobby Ice Age....

FOUND ONE!

From 2003, here is a very unusual, very cool looking "Standing O" Jeter card from Upper Deck.   I have no idea if these were inserts in normal packs or special edition whatevers, but I knew I had to have this card as soon as I saw it!  

 It's in pretty good shape, though it does have some rounded corners.

Thanks, I'll be here ALL night......

The card is fairly simple, consisting of a background baseball image for the front.   The colors are great and the ball's seams pop nicely.   In front, we have a much younger-looking Captain, grasping a bat and looking....a bit confused.   Perhaps this was during his Mariah Carey years?

What does the back of a card like this look like?

OH, HECK YEAH!   We get a bonus for Ryan with a great Mattingly reference! And although it is slightly inaccurate (Mattingly officially announced and retired in January of '07, if I recall correctly), it is a WELCOME addition in the middle of this quick summary of Jeet's accomplishments.   32 STEALS!   Way to go, Derek.

Cool card and glad to add it to my collection.   Now....how to store it?

Thanks for reading!

My Mattingly Collection - 1995 Donruss Diamond Kings #4758/10,000

I've been trying to put forth a little more effort (and a little more hobby fundage) towards my Mattingly collection lately.   It's a lot easier for me to chase and seek out newer cards for my modern day player PC's (Kimbrel, Freeman, Robertson and Rizzo).   Their cards fall into my current collecting period and deal in terms, brands and sets that I can understand.

Mattingly cards that I require for my collection (which yes, include any and all Mattingly cards.....ever!) do include modern release issues, but a lot of these are highly priced autographs, relic cards and parallels.   The bulk of missing Mattingly cards, for me, completely span the 15+ year Hobby Ice Age that I unknowingly suffered through from about 1993 until 2011.   A quick glance through a Beckett for these years is enough to make my head spin.   There were so many brands and sets and inserts and....God only know what else produced during these years that included Donnie Baseball!   I know that I will never conquer them all, but I aim to make a pretty good dent whenever I can.

Just such an opportunity came up for me when I was able to snag this '95 Diamond King for less than $5.   Coming during the preface of my Hobby Ice Age, the Diamond King insert is definitely something I am familiar with.   DK's were a frequent pull for us back in the day and, unfortunately, reached a saturation point where they elicited minimal excitement from us whipper-snappers.

It looks like Donruss stepped up their DK game after I checked out:   

A basic design for an incredible rendering of The Hit Man from Mr. Perez. I love this card and it even appears to be in pretty good shape.  I'm not quite so sure how production quality rated back in '95, but the centering on a card like this is key due to the very discernible (and comparable) borders.   Fortunately, it looks like we're good to go with these golden beauties - looking good, Donnie!

Here's the back:

AH!   It's even numbered!   The extremely high production for this "limited edition" card gives me a little chuckle when compared to modern day serialized statistics - I'm sure it does for most of you, too.   That being said, it does add a little dose of 'special' to an already impressive card.   I'm glad they added another nice color shot of Mattingly on the back in those wonderful home pinstripes.

The write-up on this DK is superb.   While Mattingly's career highlights are easily summed up in '84, '85 and '95 for sportswriters, I feel like Donruss pays some wonderfully balanced homage to Mattingly's value as a Yankee and one of the game's best for more than a decade.   Every time I read about his ill-fated postseason debut in '95, I can still feel the bitter-sweet joy of childhood dreams born and destroyed within a matter of months....to be followed by huge "what-if's" the following October.

But for now, I digress.   What a great card to add to my Mattingly Collection!   I hope to be adding more as often as possible.

Thanks for reading and keep collecting!

Ryan

A Treasure From The Lost Collector!

It's always a great day when a package arrives from my friend, AJ.   He was one of my first trading partners when I joined the blogosphere (as a reader) back in early 2011.   He gave a lot of great encouragement as I mulled over the idea of Ryan's Pitch and he inspires me to always strive to be a better Yankees fan.   He runs one of the finest blogs in our community and maintains a TTM success rate that exceeds the hobby average by about 1,000%!

Off the collecting field, we also compare notes from time to time as fellow dads and I'm always on the lookout for new HOF cards I can send to him for his son's collection.   A little while ago, I sent over an old beat up Red Schoendienst that I thought might plug a hole in a page.   I was happy to assist!

Well, that rascal went and returned the favor with a Don Mattingly card that I've been wanting since......well, since the lovely thing was created - HELLO, gorgeous:

Rainbow! Mustache! Pinstripes! Stars! Foil! Eye Black! DONNIE!

I mean....LOOK AT IT!

Amazing to go from a single '93 Topps Finest in my childhood collection ( a Jeff Bagwell that I ought to share on here pretty soon....) to a full hat trick in a matter of weeks!   I fawned over the early 90's wholesomeness of Nolan Ryan's Finest card in a previous post - but this Mattingly, my favorite player of all time, take the cake.   It MUST be the finest Finest card I will ever own!

Here's the back:

Drafted a couple of months after another epic event.....my arrival on earth.

AJ - thank you!   Thank you very much!   This card will be treasured always.

Thanks for reading!

"I Wasn't Going To Buy Any - Until I Did." - 2013 Topps Series 2 Review

Yeah - I lied.

Again.

I blame it on the Evan Gattis RC and all of those teasers on Twitter!   Seriously, it's not my fault....

There are, however, some silver linings to all of this:

- I will show more than one card in a post

- I listened to my brain and used math to realize that 2 hanger boxes are better than 1 blaster (for me)

- It was a lot of fun

- Now I don't have to buy any more retail this year.....seriously!

I walked into WallyMart on the way home from work.   Like a zombie, I headed towards the card isle with the intent to only buy - get this - one or two "loose" packs.   That's all I was going to snag.   Just for old times sake, just to get a taste of the new and scratch the itch.

But then I thought - how much of a taste can you get from two loose packs?   How about a BLASTER?   At least you know you'll get a cool cereal box manupatch prize!

"NO!" my brain yelled.   "You can get almost TWICE the cards for half the price if you go with two "Hanger" boxes.

Normally, my illogical heart would snag a blaster and giggle at this point but something made me pause this time.   The math was too much to overcome and images of disappointments during release rippings past flooded back.......

Two Hanger boxes it was!   For the price of a blaster.

Ryan 1, Card Gods 0.

No more delay - the goal was a Gattis rookie card.   Could I pull it off with 200+ cards to flip through?  

Let's see!

 

First insert - #1 of the WBC subset. Reyes.   Colorful.  Enjoyable to pull.   Won't be collecting.

"Greinke Face" made me laugh.   I referred to Greinke Face in a tweet last night, promptly received a @NightOwlCards "hoot" and that made me happy.   An example of why baseball cards are awesome, even a (GASP) base card!   Next:



Harvey beat my Braves this week.   Boo, Harvey!   He's pretty good, though.   Promising future with his buddy Wheeler.   We'll see!



Easily the most awkward, painful looking "baseball" face I can think of.   Dominguez is on his way up, though.   Marlins used to have him, yes?   I think the Astros' strategy is materializing before our very eyes.



Simple but pretty.   Should have been a Yankees card.  I kid!



BONUS RIZZO!   Woo-hoo!   Trust me, this is the only Soriano card that is penny-sleeved in my collection.   I think.

Standard.   By the end of Series 2, these kinds of inserts run their course for me.   This Schmidt is pretty sharp, though.   Good colors - and I still must commend Topps for ensuring this year's inserts don't look like a waste of space for we who never pulleth autographed versions.....



HOLY MOLY!!!!!!   MATTINGLY!!!!!   '72 MINI!!!!!  I didn't even know he made the insert set so this was a complete and utterly pleasant surprise - and there is no better feeling than that when you're busting baseball cards!   YES!   Player Collection!!!!   Favorite card so far......

BACK TO BACK FAVORITE PLAYER INSERTS?!?!?!?!   As we say down here - OH LAWDY....okay, pretty boring shot of Rizzo, but I love cards that mark a certain event, game or date.   This card commemorates Rizzo's first HR as a Cubbie.  Love the stamped foil.  To the growing Player Collection it goes!

This is probably the card that most of you would consider to be the "HIT" of the day.   I'll always take my favorite guys' base cards over something like this.....BUT....this card is very nice.   It's really thick stock:



Notice the dramatic shift to sepia? (laugh)   Very thick, bright/sharp color scheme on the front with a strong shot of classic Gibson, sideburns and all.   It is numbered 9/50.   I didn't know this subset existed and surely didn't expect to pull a /50 card out of a hanger box.   Great surprise.   Might sell it.   Might trade it for similar.  For now - I'll enjoy!

      

This kid Segura can PLAY and I stand by my belief that if he were a Yankee, Dodger or other large market team - we'd be int he middle of SeguraMania right now.   It's almost like he's having the season that Starlin Castro just can't seem to find.   What do you guys think?   I wish it had a "RC" logo on it.   Did he lose eligibility for that last year or something?   Sharp card.   Might have to keep an eye on this guy.....

Underrated Oriole.   Surrounded by what is currently an offensive MACHINE.   Nice old-school style follow-through captured here....I could easily imagine this picture on an '85 Topps card.



More strong photography here, in my opinion, from Topps.   They've really stepped up their game in both Serieseses.   Do you guys think Dom Brown can keep his revolution going this season?   Will the Phillies have a sell-off here pretty soon?  



Dickey making his Greinke Face.   Love it.



Rainbow-y "Chasing" inserts.   Pretty sharp, but I'm not in love.   They highlight specific achievements, though.   +1.   If only there was a Yankee or Brave in there....

My attempt at a summary photograph of Hanger Box #1.   Yes, I was pretty lucky with this one - but even if the Gibson had been an Aubrey Huff base card (no offense, I love Aubrey Huff), I would've been very happy with all of this for $10.   Good variety, no dupes, healthy stack.  

No Gattis, though!!!!!!!

Box #2...............would I find the White Bear?!?!?!



Apparently, epic follow-through's are a "thing" this year.   Miss this guy in the Bronx.  He's still mashing out west!   RAUL!!!!!!!!!!!



ROOKIE CUP!!!!!!!   Love this card.   Classic.   Is it just me or does Yoenis look really old here?



Moving on.



Horrible use of the horizontal design.   Seriously?



This horizontal picture is better.....AND in black & white.





This might be the nicest design/layout/picture/etc card out of the whole bunch.   Love this.   Almost makes me want to be a Buccos fan!!!!   Almost.   Good job, Topps!

"Scooter turning two over top of Votto" - doesn't that sound cool?

My workout partner.



This guy is raking - nice parallel card.   The blue and red work really well together.  I like it.

No way I could have asked for a better follow-up to the Mattingly '72 mini - another Bravo!



:(

Another great card for my Braves collection - Medlen's first career victory is the event that is commemorated here.   I wonder if he'll stick tot he rotation when Beach returns?



My "Cut to the Chase" offering between the two boxes.   Kaline is a favorite of mine from the club in Detroit.   Sharp looking card.   Not sure if I am going to hold on to it, though.



Ah, yes!!!!!!   The Captain, himself.   Jeter's version of the Chasing History insert is of the vertical variety and I think it shows pretty well.   It highlights his pursuit of lofty career numbers.   I hope we get a chance to see him play again as soon as possible.   The Yanks need him this season and baseball needs him for just a little bit longer.....nice card for the Yankees collection.



My prayers for more Yankees and Braves were answered with these last two cards.   This Aaron insert is a nice looking card and I was able to capture some of the rainbow shine that reflects off of these.   The card highlights a rather random stat - XBH Record - but a record is a record.   I like this card.



Not a Yankee or a Brave on this one but another sharp looking card from this set.   Rickey making the dash to (second?) base was a sight I grew up with and his single-season marks were amazing.   I wonder if Mr. Hamilton of the Reds will write himself into this story of speed one day soon?

And how do we wrap up a lengthy post like this?

With a big 'ol MISSION ACCOMPLISHED - that's how!

My friends, if this were to be my final 'pack' of cards for 2013...........I'd be okay with it.   Here it is, my first ever Evan Gattis card.....the card I was hoping to pull!



Thanks for reading!