Vrooom Vrooom to the Astrodome!

Get your motor running, head out on the highway. Astrodome our final destination. I took a wrong turn somewhere along the way. They tell me it's gone to the rats. The beloved landmark still stands, thanks to the Texas Historical Commission.  The Alamo and Astrodome are now equals. No chance of demolition or renovations without a THC permit. My memories of the Dome are greater than the those of Alamo. I paid a singular visit to each during my time in Texas. Which one sold 24 oz draft beers for two dollars? Yeah.

Let's catch a ride with Vrooomed of TCDB fame. The lack of a blog presence doesn't keep Dan from trading. He used my TCDB wantlist to fill some pockets in a couple of pages back in May. [Reminds me...the PP page will be live again in just a couple of days...wink.] Dan's a Phillie fanatic and Daulton collector. He sent a few for the Dutch binder:

Ultra, Score and Private Stock

He's a man of many stickers though I doubt we'd find any Fleer on his bumper. All of my Fleer sticker needs can be found on my TCDB list.

While I may be scaling back on new Hawk additions, there is always room for vintage. Like these 71/72 Topps beauties!

Pedal to the metal as we arrive at Marc's place, Remember the Astrodome. {Please use this new link to update your reading list if you've had trouble finding him.} Marc has a TCDB presence as well. He's been busy with life so his posts are infrequent but he is still collecting. He needs to pick it up a bit if he's ever going to catch up to my Altuves.

It's a friendly competition, as we continue to trade Altuves. He recently sent six for my PC:

Altuve was a hitter before the scandal and will continue to be. It may take a trade or contract with another team for him to find some redemption. Feel free to send your unwanted Altuves my way. Speaking of redemption - how about this one, also from my wantlist:

The Hurling Nun:

I love this Sister! From the mound!! Yes! That's for the folder of fun [P-Town], a favorite new card in my collection.

************

And now, it's time for another election round where you choose your next Cracked Bat Ballot Box Candidate! Before we hear what these hacks have to offer, a review of the rules is required.

CANDIDATE A: 1988 Score Young Superstars Series One and Two

80 cards of the glossy fare, vying hard for your vote today. What politician doesn't show his best face during the debates? Rhetorically speaking, of course. The list is actually long. Checklists for both series are found here and here. Score burst onto the scene in 1988 and wasted little time flooding the hobby with cards.

SERIES ONE

SERIES TWO

CANDIDATE B:  Three years of Topps League Leaders Minis. Complete sets of 1986  1987  1988.  These little cards have been appearing in trade packages for years, trying to influence your vote. 1986 and 1988 differ little on their fronts. 1987 is the same design wrapped in famous faux wood borders with slightly different font. I'm rather fond of the backs. These sets contain a nice assortment of stars and passing fan favorites - fellows who led the league one year and faded away just as quickly. Checklists are  1986  1987  1988.

Review the rules........and away we vote!

The Man With the Golden Age

In 1955, Frank Sinatra starred in the classic drama, The Man with the Golden Arm. Frank portrays a drug addict who gets clean while in prison. Once released, he struggles to stay clean. The actual drug is apparently never identified in the movie but it's believed to be heroin. I'm a fairly straight-laced gal. I've never been interested in drugs of any kind and can't begin to imagine the struggles of the drug addict.

Not you, Cowboy

If it is one, my addiction is that to which many collectors can relate. Cardboard. As some addicts say, I can quit any time.  Yeah, sure I can. Covid-umpteenth has made it much easier to say no to the new stuff but I do miss the smell of Panini Prizm.  So maybe I'm getting my new card high one piece at a time?  I won't say, but eBay is such a pusher. Still, there are other ways to get my fix. Sometimes it takes a blog pal; the man with Golden Age.

Tip Top - Bread For Energy.  Personally, I like to spend mine.

2013 Panini Golden Age. I miss this product! Golden Age managed to tickle that space in my brain dedicated to the 60s and 70s.  Goldy also included those old dead guy ballplayers I've oft mentioned. So who was it out there that sought to fill a void in my collection? Who knew I needed these cards, and quickly?  Jon Pennysleeves. He went right down my list, crossing off card after card, after card, so on and so forth, ad infinitum. Well, maybe not endlessly but as much as the mailer would allow which was 55 cards plus an oversized hero.

DeLong - for the good old days

Playing Cards - care to join me in a game of Solitaire?

All that remains is the faces and the names, of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

What a sweet fix! Every one of these cards was on my wantlist. Jon made a huge dent in this set. Those remaining are:

I've been chasing the inserts but in my heart of hearts, I know the base cards are in my future. I've decided to dedicate a binder to Golden Age. Oh yes. And where does this slippery slope lead - 2012 or 2014, the only other years for G.A.?  Is it possible for one to fall down both sides of said slope?

Even with all these ageless beauties, Jon knew it wasn't enough. So into the mailer went Bazookas.

2017 ARCHIVES  '59 Bazookas, obtained in the Covid 19 era 2020

SIX CARDS TO GO

He topped it off with confetti!!

2011 Topps Kimball Champions minis

Kimballs don't appear to be overly popular but I've loved these since I spied them at a 2015 card show. Yep, that's right. Fours years after release. I didn't return to collecting until 2012. At that time, I was asking - who is Mike Trout?  Holy moly, Jon! You are a crazy man. And for that, I am thankful!

Still a chunk left...

Let's switch gears a moment, for an announcement. It's time to follow-up on our first election battle between candidates 87 Sportflics Team Preview Set and 88 Topps Glossy Send-Ins. Of the 34 total votes, two were foreign interference, one for each candidate. I love this twist! With voting this close, it is possible our northern neighbors could actually sway an election! In this case however, the outcome would have been the same: 18 for Sportflics and 16 for Glossy.  Topps fared well and could be seen again at a later date.  Sportflics goes into the ballot box! Every voter has been recorded, along with their selection. Another opportunity is coming soon.

Sportsflics tells the Real One to stick it.

Jon's generosity is well-known. There were a lot of smiles in that mailer including an Exhibits box topper featuring 60s/70s hero, Evel Knievel. He was a crazy stunt biker who wasn't always successful. Knievel's history of crashes is the stuff of legend.  Evel's image in his red, white and blue suit with cape are burned into my memory. The jump that made him famous and nearly killed him, was over the fountains of Caesar's Palace in 1967. This card was a BIG want; a timeless image. Until I have a Golden Age binder, this will fit perfectly into the pop culture collection. Thank you, Jon!

VOTE FOR A CRACKED BAT !

Today begins a months' long journey to Election Day, Tuesday November 4th.  My previous post shared an overview of what you can expect to find in the Cracked Bat Ballot Box. It's possible you won't like the item offered. I encourage you to vote for the candidate you hate least - you know, the lesser of two evils. There will be fun items offered - new, old and...vintage.  More to like or love than not! I will track your votes with the help of a nonpartisan assistant. Your names will be entered into the final drawing, equivalent to the number of times you voted.

Voting opportunities may be a standalone post or found within one of my outlandishly creative ventures.  Basic rules will be available each time as a reminder:

I apologize in advance, for the questionable quality of these shots taken with my 5 year old phone. With election proceeds, I'm purchasing a high-end smart phone with elaborate camera capabilities. Oh wait... I'm not making one RED cent during this election! And now, without further ado, here are your first Cracked Bat Candidates:


A)  1987 SPORTFLICS TEAM PREVIEW SET
26 cards plus 26 team logo/trivia minis.  This set contains the only 1987 MLB card featuring Tom Glavine.  Checklist here.

CANDIDATE A

B) 1988 TOPPS GLOSSY SEND-INS
60 card set. Available through mail-in offer. Contains several HOFers.  Checklist here.

CANDIDATE B

Both are common oddball sets from the 80s but aren't often seen. Sportflics was somewhat unique in its time. Topps Glossy contains many stars and fan favorites. Take a look at the checklist links and choose your candidate wisely. The loser of this round may or may not, be seen again.  The winner goes into the Ballot Box!  Thank you for being loyal to this blog. Let the voting begin!

*************

Also in my previous post , I shared my fireworks display. A friend filmed my short but fun finale from 4th of July evening. She didn't turn her phone for landscape viewing. Her husband is the pyro who assisted me. Next year, we are fusing the cakes together for better timing. We had a blast!

A Cracked Bat Ballot Box: Where Your Vote Counts!

I hate what has become of modern politics. No matter how great you believe your candidate to be, he or she is still quite human. Politicians aren't perfect and many, deeply flawed.  As this election year ramps up, we will hear a lot of ugliness, and maybe some debate. Tuesday, November 4th won't get here quickly enough for many of us.  To take some focus off our political frustrations, I thought it might be fun to have a Collector's Choice election!

PRE-SHOW FUN

There will be two candidates to choose from each time A.C.B.B.B. presents a new election opportunity. It's entirely possible you won't like either candidate. Isn't that just like politics? If you want your vote to count, you will be forced to choose. Only one vote allowed per person per post. Each post will be open for at least two days.  Your comment to choose "a" or "b" is your vote.  I will randomly close voting on each post by commenting on said post. At that time, votes will be tallied. The winning item of that round will be placed into the ballot box. Each voter is added to voter registration. With the assistance of a non-partisan friend, I'll track voters and their choices with a spreadsheet. Please do not share a link on Twitter, Facebook, any blog, Instagram, Wet Noodle or any other form of social media. You are giving your vote away by doing so. I most want to see a regular reader win this box.

Mail in votes are allowed. Any trades RECEIVED between July 5th  and Nov 4th, Election Day count! An additional vote will be added to your vote totals. Please keep in mind, you are trusting your vote to the postal service. Any envelope or package MUST be in my mailbox no later than Tuesday, November 4th.

TRUST ABE

Our US Territories {including American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin and Northern Mariana Islands} have no congressional representation and cannot vote in the official US election. These residents not allowed to vote in the A.C.B.B.B. primaries. Disappointing for me since so many of my readers live in these remote locations. Although I cannot afford the expense of shipping to Canada or overseas, I would like to extend the opportunity to all my Canadian and overseas friends to vote in the primaries. In other words, foreign tampering with election results is allowed. Those votes won't be added to the final tallies but they can lobby for the item they'd like most to see win.

Let's fill the ballot box! On the evening of November 4th, each voter will be entered into the Great Randomizer the appropriate number of times. This number is equal to how many times you voted or sent trade mail. The list will be randomized several times - number to be announced prior to the event.  Our first place winner will take home the ballot box, filled with every winning item from the primaries! The first round of primaries will be live next Saturday.

What? You wanna know what kind of stuff is going into the box? I am 'cleaning house' so right now, I don't even know. There may be vintage cards. Small sets. Packs. Books. Baseballs. A blaster. Perhaps other sports as well. Whatever it takes to fill a medium to large flat rate priority box to capacity! I'm getting my money's worth out of shipping costs! Since you choose the contents, it won't be junk!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!

As you may have discerned from the photos, my July 4th evening is planned. I'll be outside, sharing loud works of fire with friends. It will be a noisy night but not at the same decibel levels an ear-drum-shattering evening with Kiss produced at Tiger Stadium.