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.

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.

Go Go Gadget arm!

I know it's all about technique. It works like a catapult. But stil...one thing that always made me go and look again, was seeing baseball players in moments like this one, like Garciaparra throwing the ball and the arm is in the strangest position...

It's more common seeing this in pitchers cards, so this card is special.

Besides, following the trend from last post about Grand Slams, Nomar "is one of 13 players in Major League history to hit two grand slams during a single game, and the only player to achieve the feat at his home stadium."

When the stands stand out

I like cards where you can see the stadium and specially the stands.

It gives you an idea of being surrounded by the life you get in a ball game.

It gives you more the feeling of being in the game.

(There are those times when the stands are empty but you can always picture them full of people.)

Oil Can

I have read many talk about the 'Oil Can' in the blogoshpere and saw some cards of him.

I've read a bit of articles about his sports life and difficulties to keep it up.

Still it seems there are some 'off' players that no matter what they do they are somehow a legend in the game.

It seems Boyd is one of them.

So now I'm a proud owner of a 'Oil Can' Boyd card.

It came in one of those Donruss rack packs I got and that had some tags with some players names. Boyd's name was not on the tags so it was an incredible surprise when I got his card.

Zooming

'Ok..They told me it's just like pressing this button and it would open..'

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

'Ok..opened now it's this button right to the left and it will zoom to the flying ball.'

 Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

'Target in view!'

A bunt is always a bunt - Steve Lyons

Even if you bunt doing tricks like bunting in one leg only.

Rip the logo

I don't know if Score was not allowed to issue cards with teams logos or not but this card seems a good example of what Panini would do nowadays.

Showing off half of the Boston B is not showing the Boston B.

But Score did it with a fashionable rip of the border.

That or it seems like those cards I've seen in many blogs from the time the owners were kids and didn't like some players team and simply rip off the teams name or logo.

So everytime I look at this card I touch the upper left corner to make sure it 's not ripped for sure.

So yeah they won it

Well...I know that a Yankee cannot like Red Sox.

I also know that I really don't like them, but the truth is that they overcame their 'issues' and did play well all season and in playoffs.

So yep. They won the World Series.

And they won well.

I got one of those repack boxes with some packs and some rack packs.

One of the packs were this Upper Deck Boston fan pack.

And none the less I also got the Yankees version of this too.

By the cards I got I think these two fan packs are from 2007 or 2008.

And since Boston won the WS I'm sharing with you some of the cards I got in the pack.

Got five 2007 SP Legendary Cuts cards.

I don't know why the more recent ones have the Boston symbol in blue instead of in red but ok. The 'B' is slightly different too.

Those are simply beautiful cards!

I kind of see where Panini got the inspiration for their Cooperstown base cards design.

Also got some Masterpieces cards but these ones made me go quite sad.

Not that they aren't good and with great art.

The thing is that these must be some kind of remake cards because they are not like the originals.

I'm missing the right words to describe it but the originals have that roughness to them like they are not cardboard but made of some kind of true canvas.

These are simple cardboard. Very glossy and smooth but they simple don't feel the same...

I give the spotlight to mister David Ortiz who's still in good health and doing what he does best: hit for the Red Sox.

Other cards I got were three 2007 MLB Artifacts.

Again got a David Ortiz.

Manny Ramirez with short hair is like one of the weirdest things to see.

A Matsuzaka RC in the year Boston also won the WS. I know him better for that red glove he uses.

To end this post two 2007 Upper Deck flagship set.

One of the pillar at Boston, the mighty Dustin Pedroia. He's one of those players that cannot be disassociated from Red Sox and Red Sox from him.

Pedroia try to change teams and it will be bloody strange!

And I think it's only appropriate that Ortiz card celebrating.


Well done Boston Red Sox.

Hope to see Yankees playing well next season to win it all!