Check out the Rest (Jan-2022)

I am ridiculously far behind on posting stuff, but I refuse to let this little thing I do die, so here is the rest of the COMC package I received like 2 weeks ago. One of my top 5 pick-ups of 2021, Sandy Alomar, Jr. has been in a ton of these Topps Archives Buyback releases, but I finally spotted one that featured one of his few Rockies cards. I paid $20 for this serial number 3/4 and was very happy to do so.

Colorado Rockies and the Hall of Fame

The names on the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot are out and the big story is going to be the "steroid era" superstars like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens on their first ballots and guys like Mike Piazza who were thought to be "clean" but who really knows. Though for this Rockies fan, the story is if this will be the year a Colorado Rockie gets into the Hall of Fame. Colorado remains the only active franchise to never have a Hall of Famer suit up for them, the expansion cousin Marlins had Andre Dawson in 1995 and 1996 and the younger Diamondbacks had Roberto Alomar for 38 games in 2004 and Tampa Bay had Wade Boggs in 1998 and 1999. The Nationals have only had manager Frank Robinson as Hall of Famer, but I am counting the Expos with Gary Carter, Andre Dawson and Tony Perez. There are eight former Rockies on the ballot this year with 6 new players and Larry Walker probably having the best chance, but only getting 22.9% of the vote last year.

Oddball Mailday: Sandy Alomar, Jr. Danbury Mint

A weird impulse buy from eBay. A 2003 Danbury mint 22K gold Sandy Alomar, Jr. card. This is my first Alomar with Colorado and my first gold card. There looks to be this card issued in 2003 and the original from 2000 with the Indians as the team. The Rockies card is a little different in that the jersey is changed with the shoulder patch and pinstripes, and the should pad on his chest protector has been removed although both cards are number 95 in the set. This is about all I can find on this card, no idea on print run or anything else, just something different to add to the collection.

The Needed Nine (Want List Refined)

Update: My first wanted cards list is almost all checked off, for the current list see the box on the right sidebar.

Acquired October 2013 Aaron Ledesma 2000 1st Edition Pennant Run #49 Showdown cards are proving hard to find, I am not really a fan of these cards, but they provide the only team cards for a few players and show up twice on my most needed list. Ledesma only played in 32 games with Colorado, starting only 3, but the completionist in me is searching for this card. There is a "first edition" and "unlimited" version of this, I am looking for either one.
Acquired November 2012 Dennys Reyes 2002 Upper Deck 40-Man #1003 Loogys don't get very many cards, but the Topps Total and Upper Deck 40-man series gave cards to a lot of player that would not normally get one. Reyes spent 4 months of 2002 with the Rockies before being traded to Texas with Todd Hollandsworth for Gabe Kapler, Jason Romano and cash. Reyes pitched a few games in 2011 proving if you are left handed and have a pulse you have a chance to stick in pro ball for years.
Acquired March 2012 Bubba Carpenter 2000 Bowman Draft Picks #48 I have no idea why Bowman gave Bubba Carpenter a card in this set. For one thing Bubba Carpenter in no way sounds like a real name, more like a unimaginative alias, or a redneck woodworker. Upon further research Bubba Carpenter was never drafted, making his only card being in a set called Bowman Draft Picks a little odd. Considering he made his MLB debut in 2000 at age 31 after reaching AAA in 1993, I would hardly have called him a prospect. Looking at his minor league numbers he had surprisingly low power for a guy called Bubba. Anyway, Rockie I don't have, need it.
Acquired March 2012 Roberto Ramirez 1999 Fleer Mystique #102  This one was hard enough to find out it even existed, let alone find the actual card as Beckett doesn't list the team for this card. I found the scan on the wonderful Zistle after someone swiped it from Check Out My Cards and uploaded it. The card is no longer on COMC or else I would have snagged it up right away. I have no recollection of Mr. Ramirez or his 1-5 record and 8.26 ERA in his only Rockies season, but again, completionism. This card is limited to 2999 making it annoyingly harder to find than most commons.
Acquired March 2012 Craig Counsell 1996 Bowman #194 Breaking the trend of no name obscure players, here we have the ageless wonder, Craig Counsell. There can't be to many players from this set still playing. I actually remember hearing about Counsell coming up through the Rockies system, but he was traded to Florida for Mark Hutton after exactly 2 plate appearances with the Rockies. I guess to open the door for Neifi Perez. Counsell went on to score the World Series winning run for the Marlins in 1997, win another World Series with the D-Backs in 2001 and play in 1,624 MLB games, and counting. Mark Hutton went 0-1 with a 7.11 ERA over 12 2/3 innings with the Rockies.
Acquired March 2012 Kirt Manwaring 1998 Upper Deck #353 This is the best scan I could find of this card, but it seriously looks like it is snowing in the photo. There can not be a lot of baseball cards that feature snow, if there are more I want them, I'm Canadian, we freakin love snow, plus Manwaring was a catcher and I collect catchers. Also reminds me of one of Chris Berman's better nicknames, Kirt What is that Manwaring. I miss Baseball tonight, baseball highlights in Canada are few and far between.
Acquired March 2012 Garvin Alston 1997 Fleer #582 I have the 1993 Topps card with Alston and Michael Case, but I don't count multi-player cards and his 1993 Bowman has an ugly spring training practice jersey so I am after this specific card, yes I am being picky, but I am picky about baseball cards, and for card poses, this one is pretty decent.
Acquired July 2012 Kurt Abbott 2000 MLB Showdown 1st Edition  #142  Another Showdown card, Abbott played in 138 games over one and half seasons with the Rockies, but this is his only Rockies card. Beckett lists his 1998 Pacific card and his 2000 Topps Subway Series as Rockies cards, but Abbott is pictured and listed with the Marlins and Mets, respectively. This is always the first card alphabetically in my want list, so knocking this off would bring me down to Benny Agbayani.
Acquired January 2013 Sandy Alomar, Jr. 2002 Topps Traded T68 The first 100 cards of 2002 Topps Traded were seeded one per pack, and the one card I want out of the whole set falls into this group. I need the Kent Mercker as well, but Alomar takes priority as a catcher and Mercker has a Rockies card in one of the Upper Deck 40-Man sets. There is a chrome version, but I prefer regular cards to chrome. Alomar also has a Rockies card in the 2003 Topps Heritage set and really either one would do as neither photo's show him geared up.

So there they are, my 9 most needed, I will have to add a sidebar like Night Owl and Cards from the Quarry have and pursue trades a little harder, if anyone has these for trade hit me up and hopefully we can work a deal out, I have lots of baseball, football and some basketball for trade