Getting Back Into My Flea Market Groove

A few years back, I had been in a nice rhythm.  We were stopping at local flea markets pretty much every weekend, which was a great way to bolster the collection.  But since buying the house and moving closer to the city, weekends have been eaten up by yard work, house projects, and seeing friends.  I think we went to two flea markets last year, which was a total that we would occasionally match in a weekend in previous years. 

But as I've hopped back into collecting, I realized I'm woefully behind on 2016 and 2017 releases.  And there's no better place to fill in team sets than an indoor flea market about 25 minutes away.  It's an movie theater that opened in the early 2000's that closed a few years later and then was turned into a flea market.  In the summer, they have vendors set up in the back parking lot.  But year round, there are permanent stands in the atrium, hallways, and what used to be the theaters.  And there's a card guy there that can always be relied on to have some Pirates, Steelers, and Penguin dime boxes that have cards from recent releases.

 

And this trip was no exception.  McCutchen cards have always been hard to come by, so it's always a plus to knock some of those off my list.

 

I posted a custom rendition of these 1989 Very Fine Juice cards earlier in the month.  But I found a couple of the real deals in the boxes, which I'll hopefully be able to get signed at some point.

 While the dime boxes are mostly base cards, I occasionally come across some low end inserts and parallels.  Nothing earth shattering, but a nice surprise.  As Bowman has cranked up the print run and checklist, refractors have gone from cards I absolutely love to a real pain.  They're tough to find at shows in this area, but too darn common to justify spending $.50-.60 per card on COMC.

In past years, the flea market was where I would go to find the cards I didn't pull in a group break or fill in team sets.  This time, it was where I went to figure out what the heck was released over the last year.  I'm always a fan of Archives, but it's nice to see the '92 design getting some love.  It's an underrated design in that middle era where production was still relatively high but inserts and parallels were starting to gain the hobby's focus.

I was able to figure out what set most of the cards were from pretty easily, since Topps isn't known for their creativity in the design or naming department these days.  But this one threw me for a loop.  I at first figures it might be from Leaf or a similar offshoot.  I was a little surprised to see a Panini logo on the back when I got home.  I've been a big fan of Panini's releases since they jumped back into baseball a few years back.  But this design just looks amateur and uninspired to me.  I found the three common base cards as well as a blue parallel of Gerrit Cole, but it looks like there are some serial numbered rookies I still need to track down.

I was a little pressed for time, but I couldn't resist grabbing a few Steelers and Pens cards as well.

My haul wasn't as large as I might have expected, but I was still about to find about 80 new cards.  I buy from the dealer pretty regularly, and I'm probably the only customer his dime box gets so he always knocks a few bucks off.  So I could have been out the door at a cool $4.  

...but what fun would that be?

 

I was browsing some of his other stuff.  He usually has a decent collection of bobbleheads and other SGA's.  Most of them I have, but every once in a while I find a gem.  Or in this case...a bear.

You can't see it in the photo, but underneath the arm tag is a Jack Wilson signature.  And that was enough for me to make what might be one of my oddest purchases to date.  To I'd like to introduce you to Jack, who is apparently a Build a Bear that was put together in 2005 for what was probably a lot more than the $10 I paid for it.  The bear was still in its carrying box, and didn't look like it had been loved, displayed, or any of the other things you would expect to do with a really freaking expensive teddy bear since 2005.

I have a hunch that the bear might have been signed because Jack Wilson was signing autographs at the Build a Bear store, but I couldn't find any news articles online to back that up.  Either way, I now need to figure out what to do with a large stuffed bear wearing a Pirates uniform.  The struggles of being a player collector, I suppose.

It was a lot of fun getting back to uncovering some hidden gems at the flea market.  I'm excited for the weather to start to warm up and to make it a more regular outing again this summer.

A Little Bit of 1992 Left in Ya

We're about 10 hours away from the first pitch of the NL Wild Card game, and I think everyone knows the narratives by now.  Most of the civilized world, anyone with a heart not made of stone, is rooting for the Bucs.  Except Reds fans.  And perhaps some spiteful folks in the city of Baltimore. 

I'm going to enjoy this day for what it is, because regardless of whether the Pirates revisit the post season any time soon or not, there will never be another game quite like this.  As one Pirates blogger wrote, your first time is always special.  And this, for an entire generation of Pirates fans, is the first.

But there are some remnants of the heartbroken 1992 team still lingering around Pittsburgh.

Perhaps the most notable is new hitting coach Jay Bell.  Bell was a mainstay at short for the Pirates through most of the 90's, and one of the better shortstops in franchise history.  And that's saying something for a franchise that has some of the best to ever play the position.

It's undoubtedly tough to judge the effectiveness of a coach.  But Bell came to Pirates as a well regarded minor league hitting coach, and the results seem to speak for themselves.  While there have been players who regressed this season, the overall approach of the team at the plate looks more measured and effective than in years past.

Bell is the only 92 holdover still in uniform, but it's not the end of the line.

The broadcast booth carries a pair of 92's finest.

Bob Walk is one of the top color guys in the game, and had a pretty nice season in '92.  His 3.20 ERA  was good for 10 wins while splitting time between the pen and the rotation.

And of course no post is complete without the obligatory John Wehner reference.  Wehner only broadcasts road games, with longtime Pirate Steve Blass calling home games.  His role on the '92 team was fairly limited, and he didn't perform well in his 137 plate appearances.  But...playoffs!

And the honorary mention goes to the guy throwing out tonight's first pitch, former Cy Young winner Doug Drabek.

Drabek was the top of the rotation arm that the Buccos have been lacking ever since. 

I may try to get one more post up before heading to the park.  Win or lose, this season has been awesome, and this night should be great.

I've Been a Bad, Bad Blogger

Apparently it's been a full month since I last posted.  Geeze.  After being gone from Pittsburgh for three years, it's taking even longer than expected to get settled in.  Add in wedding-related stuff during just about every free moment (I spent 3 evenings this week along going to various stores to do registry stuff), and add in that there has not been a single card show in the Pittsburgh area, and cards have sort of moved to the back burner.

Thankfully we're entering the home stretch with the wedding, finally think we found an apartment that has everything we are looking for at a great price point, and of course the cardboard itch is coming back.

Ironically, this all happens while the Pirates are in the middle of the best season in far, far too long.  In all honesty, I'm still adjusting to the idea of competitive baseball.  And with the Steelers looking to be rebuilding and the Pens coming off a disappointing, but successful, season, it seems all the casual sports fans are once again flocking back to the Pirates.  Sadly the stadium hasn't been filled with a new fleet of McCutchen and Burnett jerseys, but rather an array of girls in Victoria Secret Pirate tshirts that appear to be about the same thickness as Hulk Hogan's tear away tshirts and frat guys in backwards baseball caps.  So is the price of winning, I suppose.  But I must say that for all the misery, errant throws into the stands, and botched baserunning over the past two decades, it was glorious to never have to deal with fair weather fans.  The seas were consistently stormy through those years.

But this season has also brought up some interesting connections.  For the team to be historically bad for such an extended period, it will be interesting if the "streak" will be bookended by playoff appearances.  Of course I can't imagine any playoff loss being more heartbreaking than Sid Bream's death blow to the Bucs.

And the team is not without some connection to that '92 team.  Jay Bell joined the team as hitting coach this season, and though I am hesitant to ever put too much blame or praise on a coach or managed, he was a well regarded candidate before getting the job.  Bob Walk was a starter in '92.  Now he's a broadcaster whose Ban the DH campaign has won a piece of my heart.  Even during the worst years, Walk was always good for a laugh with his honest, hilarious analysis.  Watching mlb.tv earlier in the season made my appreciate his style, since most broadcast booths are dedicated to the continuous praise of the parent club, regardless of performance.

Really, the only thing missing is the voice of the team.  Longtime broadcaster Lanny Frattare left the team unceremoniously after the 2008 season.  For most of my life, Lanny was the Bucs.  His voice was the only constant as a revolving cast of characters put on the black and gold. 

This season is only a reminder that "there was nooooo doubt about it."