Jim Fregosi 1942-2014

I typically don't do in memorium type stuff, but Jim Fregosi meant alot to the Angels' franchise history.

Fregosi was drafted by the Angels from the Red Sox in the expansion draft.

He got his first taste of the majors in 1961 as a 19 year old.

He established himself as a regular in 1963.

From 1963 to 1970, he was an All-Star 6 times,

received MVP votes every year,

and won a Gold Glove in 1967.

Before Brian Downing came along, Fregosi was the Angels' career leader in just about everything.

If I'm not mistaken, he is still the Angels' career leader in triples.

 

In December of 1971, the Mets decided he could solve their third base problem.

Even on his way out, Fregosi helped the franchise, delivering the immortal Frank Estrada Nolan Ryan.

Fregosi retired as an active player in mid-1978, to return to Anaheim as the Angels' manager.  In 1979 he led the club to the first post-season in franchise history.

Mailbox time

Is there anything cooler than opening the mailbox and seeing a handwritten envelope in there?  Seems like everything that shows up in there is just bills right?  So the handwritten stands out.

When I see a handwritten envelope, I walk back to the door a little faster.  I know what's in there!  Can't wait to open up the envelope.  Baseball Cards!.   But I won't do it until I get in the house.  Gotta keep them safe. 

My most recent PWE comes courtesy of everyone's favorite dime boxer, Nick.

An insert of former Angel Mark Trumbo.  Not too big on inserts, but if its an Angel, I'm all in.  He goes nicely with the Josh Hamilton and C.J. Wilson cards I've gotten from the same set.  Trumbo was made expendable because as a 1B/DH type, he had to vie for playing time with the other 14 1B/DH types on the roster.

Gold parallel of Garrett Richards.  This guy and a couple of the young pitchers that the Angels got back for the aforementioned Trumbo are the key to the Angels' season this year.   The pitching was awful last year.

And finally....ummm......wait a minute.  Let me try something.

Eh.  That's a tad better.  Brian Downing was the Angels' career leader in almost every category before the arrival of Tim Salmon.  So he's definitely one of my main PCs.  This card will actually go right into my Angels Frankenset, the first Sportflics to be enshrined.  

Thanks again Nick.

Wear your helmets kids

It's been an eventful week in the land of Junk Wax.  On Monday, my older daughter fell off her bike, and was knocked unconscious for 10-15 seconds.  I rushed from work to the hospital.  At the hospital we heard numerous people tell her "..and don't forget to wear your helmet".  Which made me think of the card above.  (Hopefully that isn't too morbid a tie-in.  She suffered a concussion and a black eye.  But she's doing just fine)

I have already professed my love for 1982 Fleer.  And so have writers with far more talent than me.  But specifically I was always fascinated with that Landestoy card.

And the Mejias card.

And Concepcion too.  There was always something vivid about the Reds' helmets in the set. 

I'm not really sure if it's the Reds' helmets themselves, or if it's just that the rest of the set is out of focus, and these cards are in pretty sharp register.  But whatever it was, I could just look at them forever.  (What do you want?  I was 9).

Speaking of Reds....

I'm working on the 1979 Topps set, and something really stuck out at me.

Where's the distinctive Reds' "C"?  The first thing that hit me was Topps football cards prior to 1982:

Topps didn't have the NFL license, so all the helmets were airbrushed up through the 1981 set.  In 1982 they got the license and put out my favorite football set, which is a coincidence.... but I digress.

Those Reds' helmets without the logo were almost jarring to me when I first saw them.  I'm assuming those are spring training photos, and for whatever reason they just hadn't added the logo in?

Topps is trying to Bip me!

Just a quick post/rant today.

I've already touched on this, but I seem to be having the worst luck with 2014 Topps this year.  I'm also not the first blogger to document this, but I'm getting dupes left and right.

Today I went to blue parallel world to grab some things, and of course I went to the card aisle.  I bought one rack pack.  Out of 36 cards, 21 base and 1 insert were dupes.

Maybe I've bought too much?  I've bought a total of 6 rack packs at 4 different stores.  Welp, I only have 133 different cards from the 330 card set and 40 dupes.  23.1% duplication rate, seriously Topps??  Plus 3 insert dupes.  There's like 5 million inserts possible.  Nick warned me, but I didn't listen.



Moving the dupes to here.

Update 2/13/14.  Having only half the set (163 out of 330 49.4% to be exact), I bought a box of 72 cards (what do you call those?).  I got 9 new cards out of 63 base cards in the box.  Topps hates me!!  Seriously.  What the hell??


Edit: I need a picture.  I've seen other blogs use the obligatory swimsuit model picture.  So I will too, but mine will harken back to the Junk Wax era..or a little before:

The Angels used to play in Chavez Ravine....

(Side note: I lost my "Members" gadget over on the right side, and I can't get it back.  Ugh  Edit:  Got it back!)


I recently got a trade package from Alex over at Chavez Ravining.   I sent off some Dodgers, as I was after this guy:

 But I also got a whole bunch more.

Set needs.  I really like the minis from 2012.

These 3 had 16 more buddies.

More set needs.  He put a dent in my 2013 Update needs.

And of course there were Angels.  Way more Angels than I can show.  I'll show some highlights.  Like Gypsy Queen.  I'm not buying Gypsy Queen.  There are just too many sets available every year.  I gotta focus.  So base it is.  But now I have Gypsy Queen.

And Bowman.  These are actually pretty sharp looking cards.  And not blue either.

And parallelness.  Some Target Izturis acrobatics.  And a Chrome overpaid Wells.

There's another Cron.  And a couple of guys I've never heard of.  Cruz was a 13th round pick in 2009.  He reached AA in 2012...at age 25.  And was done. Abel Baker was a 7th rounder in 2011 who spent 2013 in the Cal League.  Wait a minute...where have I heard that name?  Oh yeah, just the other day.. right here.  Tom beats me to every other Angel card, so that was appropriate.

Thanks Alex.







 

What the ?

Stopped at the purveyor of blue parallels and bought a pair of the $5 36 packs (what do you call those things anyway?  Rack packs?)

I thought I'd do a side by side comparison.  Let's see which pack is better, shall we?

Let's start in the bottom compartments:

Ummm, tie

Tie

Tie

Tie

Grr, let's try the top compartments.

Tie

Tie

 Sigh, tie

Really?

So, ya.  A full one fourth of these packs, which were back to back on the hanger, are the exact same.  I guess let's compare the rest

Both of the "retirement" guys.  Tie

This will represent the rest of the base cards.  Angels versus non Angel.  Advantage Pack 2.

Blue Parallels.  Ummm, guess I like the throwback Sox unis.  Advantage Pack 1.

Duh.  Pack 1 takes the lead.

Really?  Even when they're not the same, they're the same.

"The Professor and Maryann...."  Red sparkly parallel vs. Super Veteran, tie.  Griffey vs. Power player.  Pack 1 wins.

I bought some

Yeah, I bought some Series 1.  I needed milk and a few things anyway, so I just got them at the red parallel store on the way home.  I bought two of the $5 36 card packs.  I won't bother with a product review, I think it's all been said.  I'll just post a couple thoughts on each pack


Pack 1:

Got two Angels.  Got Mike Trout in my first pack of the year.  That's promising.

Two former Angels.   That "Future Stars" thing on Segura there looks like a 1989 card.  And did I miss what was going on with Carlos Villanueva there?  His uni isn't retro, but apparently his facial hairstyle is?

I got a hit.  Game used! woohoo! (sarcasm).  Anybody collect Marlins?  Anybody?  I generally don't like inserts.  This pack had a "The Future is Now" (Boring), a "Upper Class" (eh), but I kinda like the "Super Veteran" thing there.  Then again, that's stolen from 1983 Topps, which is right in my wheelhouse.

Lime green?? boo.  And Peavy there isn't a base card.  "Power Players"?

Pack 2:

2 more Angels.

I like this red sparkly parallel.  Its redder in person.  The one insert I did like the last two years was the 1987 and 1972/71 minis.  But this thing?  eh.  Pack 2 was less exciting.  Another "The Future is Now" and another "Upper Class".  If anybody wants an insert, let me know.