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Sunday, November 11, 2018

DUPE, DUMP OR DWINDLE ROUND FOUR: TONY GWYNN

I can hear the haters already; those who assume I'm dumping Tony. She must be out of her ever-lovin' mind, they say. Maybe she's cray cray. Too much anesthesia in August.  Oh the judgement you rain down upon me. It's entirely possible I don't have room for all Tony's cards. It's just as likely I have an enormous amount of dupes. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

HALL OF FAME - 2007
One of the game's all-time best hitters, Gwynn fits my player collection profile. I love base-stealing hitters. [Though oddly enough, I do NOT collect Rickey Henderson.] Tony was a thief over the first several years of his career. Leg injuries and weight gain took what speed he had away. I never watched the Padres unless they played the Braves or Cubs. Tony was another player I collected because he was good. Wasn't I suppose to collect him?  [If you've read the first three rounds of DDD, you might notice a pattern developing.]


Unless you're new to the game, you know Gwynn's career is legendary. Mr. Padre played 20 years for the same franchise, ending his career with a .328 BA; 3141 hits; 319 stolen bases and 135 long balls.  He struck out only 434 times in total! White Sox Yuan Moncada had 217 SOs in 2018 alone. Stanton was right behind with 211!

The strike of  '94 ended what may have been the closest attempt to hitting .400 any player will ever have again. The season officially ended on August 12th that year with Tony batting .394!  The question will always remain: could Tony have have hit or surpassed a .400 BA that year?  Ted Williams was the last to do so - in 1941.  Gwynn did have 19 consecutive seasons hitting .300 or better.

Five Gold Gloves and 15 All Star Appearances

Stole 56 bases in 1987

May 9, 1960 - June 16, 2014

So why are these cards up for grabs? Am I cracked? Freeing up space? Shedding dupes?  Only I know the answer.


THE FINE PRINT
Do you want these cards?  If so, you must be a regular reader with a USA mailing address, be the Card Papoy or a regular Canadian reader. No contest hounds. The rules are simple: determine why I’m giving away these cards.  You must comment with a correct response to have a chance via Randomizer.   Your only response choices are:
  •      DUPE  (duplicates)
  •      DUMP   (player booted from my collection)
  •    DWINDLE  (player collection thinned, only select cards kept)
The next edition of Dupe, Dump or Dwindle will reveal the reason for the removal of these cards from my collection, and our randomized winner.  Remember, only correct responses will be randomized.

Do you need any of these cards?  Leave one of the only three correct responses for a chance to win a stack of Tony Gwynn cardboard. 

I'll wait at least a week to close out this edition's commentary with my own response noting the end of this round.

25 comments:

  1. I'm going to say 'DUPE' because everyone loves Tony Gwynn and I couldn't see myself - or you - parting with singles of his.

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    1. Thanks Chris! Sounds logical, certainly reasonable. We'll know soon enough.

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  2. I am going to say "Dwindle". You will be moving to quality versus quantity with your Gwynn collection.

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    1. Hello Fred! Again, a reasonable possibility. Thanks for participating!

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  3. I have no idea, I just wanted to hijack the comments section for a moment and say that it's always nice to see a new blog post from you :)

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    1. Mr. Pennysleeves, your support is appreciated and commentary always welcome!

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  4. I'm gonna say...dwindle. Mr. Padre has quickly developed into one of my larger player collections and I could see someone much saner than myself wanting to trim things down a bit. (In the meantime I've somehow managed to accumulate nearly 500 Tony Gwynn cards, almost all from dime boxes.)

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    1. 500 Gwynns at a dime per? Nick, your collection is one to reckon with! Your 'dwindle' is duly noted.

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  5. There's no way you're dumping or dwindling down your Captain Video PC. These are definitely dupes. :)

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    1. Fuji, Mr. Padre loved his Beta! So true! Well, there is certainly no way I'm doing both - or all three. ;)

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  6. DWINDLE. Dumping would just be absurd! And I don't think they're dupes because the chances of having two of the same serial-numbered Triple Threads card doesn't seem very high, even if it's numbered out of 1350.

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    1. gavin - absurd is such a great word. And there is truth in that no two like cards can share the exact same serial number unless one is a fake. great point you;re making there!

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  7. I'm gonna do--I'll be the first to propose that you might actually be dumping Tony Gwynn. Of course, I've been really bad at guessing these so far.

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    1. hi Trevor - thanks for coming back. Dumping Tony - like beta for vhs? you'll know soon.

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  8. I am going to say that these are Dupes. Completely ruling out dump. I am not a Padres fan per se, but Gwynn was one of the classiest players in the game. An easy player for baseball fans to enjoy regardless of your own team allegiance. Loved the Private Stock card in that last group.

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    1. Tony was a classy act for sure, Snort! Dupes would make for less drama, that much I can say. If Tony is dumped, I will be too.

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  9. Gavin beat me to it...a serial-numbered Triple Threads card? I'm thinking you have another one, so I'm going with DWINDLE. And if dump is the answer, you may need to go into hiding! :)

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    1. Jaf - well, you do have a point there. Perhaps I have another or perhaps this Triple Thread was too ugly for my collection.

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  10. This can't be a dump -- unless you're starting an Ichiro PC instead. He's the most worthy comparable I can think of, but Ichiro is still no Gwynn.
    Dwindle is a distinct possibility. With modern manufacturers churning out billions of sets, and associated inserts and parallels, it wouldn't take long for one's #19 collection to balloon into unmanageable proportions.
    But I'd have to say these are DUPEs. I've unwittingly acquired multiple serialized cards on more than one occasion. I'd gladly divest myself of the duplicates if only to hide the evidence of my needless (mindless?) acquisitions.

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    1. Hello Michael Ott! I like your thinking here. I am not an Ichiro collector. I do have duplicate serial numbers in some of my collections, so that is also possible. I'll reveal the answer soon!

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  11. Ok - this one's a wrap. Results posted soon. Thanks for your comments!

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  12. New reader here not for your contest Have read 3 posts and enjoy

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    1. thanks for dropping by, Baltmoss! Feel free to join in the fun anytime!

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  13. Just for fun, I'm going to guess "Dwindle," since I can't imaging dumping a Hall of Famer but who needs everything unless they are your favorite player? Best of luck to the folks who are entered in the contest.

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    1. Paul, thanks for reading! Dwindle is an excellent guess.

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