Many Ramirez - Then & Now

Then...

...and Now.


Praise Baseball Gods for the change in wardrobe. Those clinging shirts were a mess...

R rated post kids

Wha...Is that a tongue!? Ohhhhhhhh yeah! It's a tongue!

And you all know what it means...Tongue is love.

It's because you don't like me!?

I think I've posted this card before, but everytime I come across it again I have to re-post.

It's just one of those that makes one wonder what was happening inside UD people to make them chose this photo for Wes Chamberlain card. I know it's the back photo, but none the same.

It just makes me laugh every single time.

Salmon take a knee

I think Tim Salmon is looking for that left knee after sliding for that base. The pants almost ripped open.

Nice job!

Where is the ball Gates!?

I think only now I noticed that Brent Gates is looking up like waiting to see the ball and catch it, when the ball is already on his glove.

I think the problem are those glasses...

Van Slyke presenting E-Sports

Andy Van Slyke here was getting ready to play some MLB The Show 19 online.

(This was an excuse just to bring the PS4 game up. Because it's one of the 2 games this month on PS Plus and it's one of the best things I could get! It's like Christmas for me!

Marquis Grissom - Catch me if you can

Upper Deck sometimes had it going on in a way no one else could do it like them.

That's why Marquis Grissom here looks like his trying to run out of Heaven back to the field.

Chris Turner was lost but I found him in a dust cloud

I had this fantastic Dust-is-in-the-air card in a box and never realised it!

This is a 1994 Upper Deck Star Rookies card for Catcher Chris Turner.

Turner just played 25 games in his first Major year with 75 ABs and had good stats for such a few appearances.

But what adds to this card is that Turner ended his career with my Yankees with the 2000 World Series title. So this makes the card also eligible to my All-Those-Players-That-Once-Played-for-my-Yankees-but-I-Have-Their-Cards-Playing-for-Other-Teams.

Quite the title there.

Top 10 by Price

I decided to see if my old accounts at Zistle and The Trading Card Database were still alive and after some work from my memory I could manage to log in.

I must say that I added these cards wayyyyyyy back I don't remember when. So I might have to go and re-do all my listings. Which, for a listing-maniac is like Christmas.

One thing I like at The Trading Card Database is the all the top 10s they provide, based on your added cards.

So, based upon the cards I have registered this is my situation:

Only registering around 4,5K cards the values of my collection goes like 2K dollars. Not bad!

So lets see my top 10.

So my card ranking #1 is this beauty commemorative patch from 2009 Topps Update Series.

I like these cards. I have a couple of them, the commemorative patches. But I always thought people used to dislike them because they were things manufactured and not true relics, like pieces of real cloth or bats. Maybe it's because I don't have much cards and tend to appreciate this little things more. They are all kinda important to me, to make me closer to the game.

Notice that the patch is a Reds patch (yeah!) but Tom is wearing a Mets uniform (buhhhhh).

And then my #2 card is also an other commemorative patch from the same set.

I also have a Roy Campanella patch but it does not make the top10.

And the final podium place, ranking #3 (two times) is Altuve RC.

And it seems I even have, at least, two of them. I think after Astros win this is normal to happen, getting a RC card like this to get a better price value.

But this card is one of those that I like besides all those facts. It's mainly because no matter how many times I see it, I have to double-take it in order to see the 3 people in it!

Getting on to #5 I have the Tris Speaker SP, from 2009 Topps (what a year!)

On #6 is one of the many Stephen Strasburg RC variation

I still cannot see him as such a star...but ok.

Now the first Yankee in the house is #7

Well...technically Alex Rodrigues RC card is not a Yankee card, but I take what I get!

And this is one of my favourite Upper Deck sets. It has such good photos!

#8 is the one and only Mickey Mouse! And now in truly Yankees mode!

Ok..this is a cute card.

And also at #8 it's Cal Ripken

You see...Mickey Mouse and Cal Ripken tied.

And I must say that this insert set is one of the ugliest... I can see it working with a relic, but this way, it's just a waste of card space..

And closing top 10 we have two giants

Again Ripken with a Yankee, but not Mickey Mouse. This time around is the insert Timeless Talents with The Captain Jeter.

That's a nice top10 by price. Lets see how it changes when I add more cards.

Some '90s and Upper deck love

I commented in one of Fuji's posts that I don't have many '90s cards in my colelction.

But I'm trying to overcome that issue.

I got more '94 Upper Deck packs.

Since they are Central Region packs again I got more dups. But since the photography is so good I don't mind that much.

And it's always good to have dups to trade to some fellow blogger.

Julio Franco is a dup but his cartoon face on the back photo makes me always smile.

Ozzie Guillen has a double play at second on both sides of the card.

Like the Roper card I like it when the photo shows the moment they let go of the bat and sometimes you get really fun photos with the bat looking like someone else invisible is holding it.

There are a lot of Upper Deck cards with the players being interviewed.

Catchers wearing catchers gear is always a plus. I know that batting is much 'good-looking' on a card but if it is a catcher I go more for the catchers photos.

The best card of these four has to be the Jose Offerman.

Not only he seems to can't see where the bloody baseball is but in the card back he seems to be having troubles with hearing.

'Are you talking to me? I can't hear you. You better shout!'

Raul Mondesi card also deserves a note because it's a second year card for Mondesi! Look at him running and batting like there would be no tomorrow.

And it is a great card for that fact that the 'no-tomorrow' for Mondesi took place only in 2005 he's sunset year.

Lets do a small quiz...

Damion Easley is pointing to:

• a bird?
• a baseball?
• an ovni?
• super man?
• a Big Mac?

Easley got so caught looking up that he was thrown to the ground on 2B.

And one of the best cards in the set not for the spectacular play but for one of the worst situations you could get on a card.

Wes Chamberlain.

Look at that precious photo.

I think he should have tried for an actor career, don't you think? Because baseball was not he's thing. And that pitcher tried to show him the most painful way.

Ricky Gutierrez if flying on the front to maybe turn a double play on the back. Both Reds players I think.

But the front photo is awesomely stunt. He's facing the ground!

Ausmus is too difficult to say. I'm always changing his name to 'Rasmus'.

Greg Gagne not batting. No no. Not on front nor on the back. But that arm looks quite strong.

Macfarlane with an almost slide-to-home-plate-in-Tatooine if not that grass on the top. None the same...

It's a dusty card!

Were he on a '80s card and the dust would be clouding around him like a storm.

Again Aaron Sele on Baltimore stadium.

I got 3 or so Mike Greenwell cards. I should have known it was a sign Boston would win the World Series...

And he should be called Mike 'GreenWall' because he's leaning to the scoreboard on the Green Monster.

Ricky Gutierrez was the one facing the ground but it is Bernie Williams with the pain face.

I think it's the first and only time I see a baseball player practicing with a ball support.

Isn't it used by kids?

And the bag on the ground? He seems to have lots of baseballs to bat.

Lots of players in this set are watching OVNIs invading the fields.

At least Devon White is looking up but we can see the ball.

I don't remember why I got Terry Pendleton alone because I don't have anything to state about the card.

Horizontal cards like to have the spotlight. They like to be separated from the vertical ohhh so common cards.

Denny Hocking I'm sorry but I don't know you and the wikipedia is not that that friendly about you.

But Tom Glavine 7-year states card and him still looking as young as a baby has all my attention.

Well...it would have all my attention if it was not for the second-year card of Chipper Jones!

And talking about looking young as a baby...

But if I had to choose one of those two I'd have to go for the Glavine card.

And I think you know why...

Pitcher at bases is always a plus! Wearing the jacket make it plus * plus.

Baerga eating/breathing dust!

Albert Belle I know why I 'spotlighted' his card.

I don't know if it is well visible on the image but the photo was taken during a rainy game.

Look closely and you can see the rain drops.

I think I have at least one more rainy card. I have to search for it on my 'vault'.

The photo on the back reminds me of David Ortiz.

Go figure.

Facial hair style is a given.

Lofton has two great photos.

One winning the 2B and the other the thing that turns it a great photo is the detail of the falling cap.

He threw the ball with such force the cap even fell off.

Mark McLemore stands in 3B.

The perspective created by the downhill mound looks awesome on the photo.

Jamie Moyer card does the perfect motion, with him preparing to throw on the front and ready to deliver on the back.

Barberie card is trying to get into my Dusty binder but I'm still with a few doubts.

The thing is that there is some kind of a dust cloud. Well, remains of it.

Those two Marlins are trying to compete to see which one is batting the ball the most far from...the ball itself.

I think Chuck Carr is succeeding a bit more than Whitmore.

You see, Todd Benziger is way much closer to my Dust binder than Barberie. I have to prioritize.

Clayton also have a funny front photo. Not losing the cap like Lofton but the photographer got the precise moment he was hanging in mid  air.

Mike Bordick did the bingo and is looking for the Hail-Mary in both photos.

I double Alan Trammell Tatooine card because it's awesome.

And David Wells is for my Front Row collection.

Since when the Hail-OVNI-Mary is so used in baseball?

I can only get flyballs and pop-ups?

Oh wait!

I'm getting a call...

Back again for a Texas retro-uniform.

Does Tatooine have white lines?

Smith gives me an other Front Row card while Martin gives me an other Dust cloud.

But Ken Griffey Jr. is trying to get me.

He can go to two binders: Dust or Flying-Catch?

I think I need to check for a duplicate of this card.

The first time I saw Marcus Moore card I thought he was Michael Jordan! Doesn't he look awfully like him!?


So these are all my '94 Upper Deck cards so far. I got quite a few of great cards to add to my specific collections and others just for the fun of it.

I'm more and more into Upper Deck cards. And thinking that I'd see the light again if they could start selling baseball cards again.