And Now For Something (Almost)Completely Different

No, sadly I'm not referring to anything Monty Python related. However, with the sheer number of new(to me) and interesting cards that came out of this recent trade package, I thought that borrowing that line was apropos. A few weeks back, I completed a first trade with madding from Cards On Cards. Initially, the trade was based upon a few Topps inserts that I needed, but since everyone is probably less than excited about seeing Topps inserts anymore, I decided to leave those out of the scans. They were every bit as appreciated though because they put me a few steps closer to a few more completed sets.

I'll start off with this card which appears to be printed by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I don't know much else about this one, but I need to do some research. It does use a picture I've never seen before of the Yankees traveling, a very cool way to start things off.

In staying with the vintage 'oddball' theme, here are a trio of Action Packed, embossed Yankee greats from days gone by. You've gotta love the Richardson especially since it shows him turning the DP(I'm looking at you Nick).

Moving right along... I've got a bunch of these Collect-A-Books from more modern players, but this is my first old school player. I might need to track down a few more of these, but for now it's great to have this former Yankee Captain.

We'll finish up the vintage 'oddball' and transition into some more contemporary oddities. I had no idea that Kmart did a set that included the likes of The Mick! As most of you know by now, it's a sure fire way to make this guy happy, finding some new cards of Donnie Baseball for my collection. Yes, I said new cards...

I'm really digging that Superstars photo of a younger Mattingly. That glossy Topps All-Star of Rickey isn't half bad either!

Next, we've got minis to transition us from 'oddball' to more conventional releases. The Winfield appears to be some kind of box bottom mini or something. Again, I guess I'll have to do some more research on it. I always like when a trade package hits the other teams' players that I collect. The non-Yankees goods didn't stop there though.

Faux-vintage former Bulls! The greatness just keeps coming.

I scanned this one backwards. The Rendon should have been at the left and the new Bernies should have been to the right for a nice segue back to the Yankees collection. Oh well, you guys can imagine it that way can't you? I also love coming upon any new Bernie cards, and I needed both of these. It's cool that they both highlight his nationality in one way or another.

I've heard an awful lot about these OPC black parallels from a few years back, but this is the first I've held in my hand. They really aren't too shabby, are they? I had what I guess is the 'base' ToppsTown of that Mo. This is the gold parallel, I suppose. I like these cards, but I wasn't heavy into collecting when they were released so I don't really get the point of these(beyond being another insert to chase). We wrap up the Yankees portion of our program with a nice GQ insert of Pineda. Here's hoping that he recovers from his forearm strain quickly and benefits from the rest so he can be strong for the stretch run!

The package didn't stop there. No...Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?!?!

I am almost ready for the NFL season. There were more Broncos included, but I wanted to keep the football to a minimum, at least until the pre-season starts. It's been a while since I really bought many football cards, so the RC of the best receiver on the team was new to me. I do have the gold parallel of that one, but didn't have the base. I love the Topps NFL sets because they usually have a lot of the players you don't see too often. That is my first Ryan Clady and I think it's my second D.J. Williams. Good stuff. I've gotta say, I'm really glad that Thomas resigned before the season. I hope that he can team with Peyton and accomplish his goal of setting receiving records left and right this year. If so, I like the Broncos chances of making another Super Bowl run.

Thanks for a great trade, Kerry. Sorry it took me so long to get this post written. I hope we can swap again soon!

Technical difficulty addendum: I have been out of town without laptop access this last week. The few posts that I've put together have been created, edited, and published using the Blogger app for my iPad. Unfortunately, a lot of my typical editing is not easy this way. I'll clean up these posts next week once I get back to the real world(and desktop/laptop availability). Thanks.