2016 Archives

 Hello friends!

A little while ago I was debating on whether to collect Archives. It tends to not show up much here in the wilds of Peterborough, so unless I order from BC to get a box, or from the States, I don't see much of it. But I love the cards. 

I mentioned that to fellow Jays fanatic and Canadian blogger CrazieJoe (check out his blog if you like baseball, hockey or Magic The Gathering Atrifact cards) and he started setting them aside for me. I recently got a message asking how I was doing, if I was home (aka, not in hospital) and up for a trade of some sort. I let him know I am home and sure. 

So today I got 5 envelopes in the mail of baseball card goodness. 

Most of the cards he sent me are from 2916 and 2018 Archives. A couple 2019 Archives and some Expos were also sent my way. Alas, No Cliffing this time.. 

(aside: I've received multiple copies of the Ted Williams Cliff Floyd card from his minor league days. Most of them have been from Joe) 

I'm sure anything I have to say about the designs or anything else (aside from it's Damned hard to read the years on the back without a magnifying glass!!!! or is that me getting old?) would be old hat, so I don't know what I can add, other than I'm curious how some players who appear in Archives look opposed to the original card from the set.. 

Maybe it's better if I show you.. 

Here is PK Steinberg's favourite guy John Kruk from Archives. Rocking the Phillies uni and in the 1991 design homage. 

And here we have the Krukster playing first base on the 1991 card. 

I know I've read complaints about players appearing in a card design that was too modern for them. So I'm wondering the opposite. How many players ended up in Archives representing a set they actually appeared in? 

Another 91 duo here. Good Ol Larry Jones.. Here in 91 he's a fresh faced draft pick ready to make the trip to the Majors. 

Here we got the Chipster into his HOF Career. Now, in a case like this, I would say I much prefer the Archives version simply because it's MLB rather than a draft pick. .

The final one I'm going to demonstrate before I decide whether or not I want to put myself through the aggravation and long hours of looking at cards to see how common it is... 

Andre Dawson!

Now in 1991 he was a Cub. This was after the collusion cases where teams weren't offering contracts period. Hawk famously sent the Cubs a signed blank contract and said "Fill in a number.. I'll play" 

Now, here's one thing someone can get sticky about. Yes, Dawson was an Expo for many years.. But he was not an Expo in 1991. To me, it really doesn't matter. Both cards are cool. I do like the Expos factor a little more though. .

So has anyone taken the deep dive I'm thinking about? 

Let me know. 

Stade Olympique in Cards

 Hello Friends!

Today I'm going to show Olympic Stadium in Montreal in cards. 

There are only a few. The most interesting part of the place is the exterior, to be honest. But it was home to the first MLB team outside Canada.. Eventually.... 

So what I mean by that is this.. Montreal was given the team in 1969 on the condition that Jarry Park, which wasn't even suitable for minor league baseball, was used for two to three seasons at most. Olympic Stadium was supposed to be built and in use for 1972 or 1973. Instead, it didn't open until the Olympics in 1976 and the Expos didn't move in until 77.. 

It had the "first retractable roof" but the system never really worked. It would tangle and the tarps used would tear in heavy winds. So they played the "On-Off" game for the lifetime of the Expos. Sometimes the roof was on. Some years it was off.. It was... Different. 

The Big O (Or Owe, as it wasn't paid off fully until the last couple years) ran incredibly over budget. Part of the hesitation of getting the Expos a new stadium in the 90s was the amount still owing on Olympic Stadium. The other of course, being "How can we justify a stadium when we're closing hospitals?" -Lucien Bouchard, Premier of Quebec.. 

1994 Score showing the view from the right field foul area. Even being on the lower level,  you seem to be very far from the action. 

Doesn't this look like a spaceship? Especially with the sparkly effect from the sticker. 

It almost looks like it should be rubbing engines with the Enterprise. 

A less sparkly version of the stadium. 

This one is from the Women's World Cup Soccer sticker set. The roof is a newer style tarp and is permanently in place now. 

The stadium also housed CFL Football for years. Even after the Montreal Alouettes moved out of the stadium, they would have playoff games and Grey Cup games played at the stadium. 

Now, a stadium like The Big O is rather forgettable because of the design. Inside the place reminded me of some of the lower tier cookie cutters of the era. The outer design was like someone watched Star Trek and decided it would work as a stadium design. 

I miss the Expos, but I also know that until this stadium is no longer an option and a new one is built, Montreal has no chance at another team. 

SkyDome in Cards

 Hello friends!

In my last post, I mentioned how it seemed the shot from the field towards the CN Tower was a common thing. 

I thought about it more and decided to see how common it was. But rather than going through every card out there showing the Jays, I just looked at cards showcasing the stadium itself. 

Most of these I sadly do not have, but am always looking for them.. All images are from TCDB

First card I'll mention since it showed up first as the upload,1992 Triple Play.

I do have this card. Open roof, blue sky, a few clouds, the Tower.. Beautiful day for baseball!

1994 Score used a field level shot from the first base side. You can see the roof partially opening or closing. I can't really tell.. 

The abomination that was UD OPC. I'm sorry but as a Canadian, OPC Must have French on it.

*ahem* Anyway... This angle looks like the upper portion of the 500 level behind home plate. 

Night shot with the dome closed. 

This was the checklist card from I believe the 1989 or 1990 Fire Safety team set. Again it's an outside shot, but you see the tower and the dome open. 

The card that started the thought process leading to this post.. 

This is one of the newer shots. I'd say it's from the Left Field side, likely 500 level again.. Because it's pointed to the field, no Tower. 

And a card I didn't know existed until this post. This Only In series highlights something that can only be found at one stadium.. 

Obviously, for Toronto they picked the CN Tower 

Also, is it me, or does it look exactly like the shot from the Donruss commemorative set? Aside from cleaning up the sky of the clouds.. 

Anyway. I just found this an interesting topic to dive into. If I get positive feedback, I may do more of these with other stadia.. 

Cheap Find on the 'Bay

 Hello friends! I did a thing recently.. I purchased the 1993 Donruss Toronto Blue Jays commemorative set they put out for the 1992 World Series Championship season. 

When I first found out about it, I made it a goal in life to get the set sometime.. I've seen it for sale previously for $20 plus, but earlier this month I was able to get it for $15 CDN total (The set was $3, the shipping was the rest) so I bit. 

And now I own the 54 card commemorative set finally!

So the cards themselves are a borderless version of the 1993 design. Both front and back. I think they look good. Almost prefer this design over the flagship from 1993.

I honestly feel bad for Stieb. He was great on some really bad teams. Finally when the team gets over the ALCS hump, it's with him on the shelf. Imagine vintage 80s Stieb in the same rotation as Morris, Key, Stottlemyre, and Guzman? There may not have been a need to get David Cone. 

I am glad he was able to make a comeback for a season in the late 90s, even if he didn't get a card. 

Of course I'm going to show the team's Canadian Content!

Well, the attendance numbers may be lower now, especially with the decrease in seats through the renovations, but the decrease in seating capacity still leads to lively crowds and a full stadium..

So much better than the fans disguised as seats like they were in the late 90s and 2000s..  

Somehow I think this shot is a requirement for sets that have stadiums in it. Or even players.. Field level angle of this shot was done for Stadium Club a few years ago. 

The 1992 series was against the Atlanta Braves. Bobby Cox' current team against his old team with his old hitting coach as the manager. Games 1 and 2 took place in Atlanta, with 3, 4, and 5 in Toronto. Game 6 was back in Atlanta. 

Game 6. The game Dave Winfield finally got the World Series Zoo off his back. Part of the feud with Steinbrenner in New York was Dave's lack of hitting in the postseason. That grounder past Pendleton was a source of cheering in Toronto, and all across Canada. 

Pat Borders won the MVP for the World Series. As the back above states, he was one of the lesser known or lesser focused on stars of the team. He showed up, did his work, and went home. Teams need those types of players to mix in with the superstars and the rest of the team. 

And ending on the celebration near 1st base after Carter gloved the throw from Timlin to put out Otis Nixon. 

In both 1992 and 1993, Joe Carter was in the mix at the end. Both years he was Jumpin' Joe. But as we know, next year he was jumpin' for a whole different reason. 

I honestly didn't expect this to turn into a mini essay like this. I hope you guys don't mind. 

Some 81 OPC

 Hello Friends!

I know I've been erratic in posting the last couple years. Between mental and physical health struggles it sometimes takes all I have to get out of bed.. 

I do cherish those who have stuck around through all the bullshit and continue to be amazed people want to read the card ramblings of some guy in Canada.. lol 

Speaking of Canada.. 
I got some 81 OPC Expos and Jays from an American friend, who posts on the Blogosphere as Poison75. 

With the backlog of cards I have sitting everywhere but my hobby room, plus the lack of working computer in my hobby room, I've been lax on organizing. I know when I finally get to it, I'll have to deal with the feeling of being overwhelmed. But anyway..

You can never have too many Gary Carter Expos cards. 

A card of the recently departed Jim Clancy

Roy Howell showing the Jays uni but shown as a Brewer on the hat and "now with...." text

Shaker!!!

Ron LeFlore after his one season in Montreal, now with the White Sox

As is Tony Bernazard

I wonder if Valentine was hit in the face.. The football helmet style face bars looks interesting

The Spaceman! I love how every auto he signs he puts "Bill Lee.. Earth" 

Player and broadcaster for both the Jays and Expos. I think he did CTV/Baton Broadcasting games in the late 80s and early 90s. 

Stieb!

Finally, one more Now with, as John here ended up with the Angels. 

I did receive much more from Poison75, but the others might end up being shown in another post. 

Thank you!!

Concert Time Part 2

 Hello friends!

A couple posts ago, I mentioned that I went to see Weird Al Yankovic in Toronto and was planning on seeing Steven Page here in Peterborough when he played Musicfest on the Saturday. 

I ended up going. I didn't think about it at all. I didn't psych myself out beforehand. I knew it would be busy, but that generally happens when you have a free concert series in the middle of town. 

Musicfest, by the way, is one of the longest running free concert series in Ontario. It began in 1987 and has run every summer. Acts such as Carly Rae Jepsen, Crash Test Dummies, Our Lady Peace, Tom Cochrane, Kiefer Sutherland, Randy Backman, Kim Mitchell, and (one of my favourites) Arrogant Worms have performed at the venue. 

It was called the Festival of Lights, with fireworks after the concerts, then illuminated boats in the water. It was rebranded to Musicfest and they do fireworks on July 1.

Well, Saturday was Steven Page. He performed some early BNL favourites that he wrote such as Enid, Brian Wilson, Break Your Heart, If I Had $1000000 (with Tom Green) as well as some solo stuff. 

I enjoyed listening to the music. I was a little further back, as with my wheelchair I would prefer to stay on the brick path they have as opposed to going on the grass. 

The photos turned out better than I thought they did, honestly.. 

The concerts are held at Del Crary Park, downtown Peterborough. It's situated on Little Lake. 

I did take a couple videos but I don't think I can post them here unless I upload them to YouTube. Besides, since they were partial songs, I'm not too worried about showing them.. 

I think the only other concert I may want to see is Kim Mitchell, though truthfully, there are only really two songs of his I know. Patio Lanterns and Go for a Soda. 

Jim Clancy

 Hello Friends!

Today I want to post about longtime Blue Jays Jim Clancy.

He sadly passed away yesterday at the age of 69. He pitched for the Jays from 1977-1988. He then played for Houston and Atlanta before retiring. 

He was the first pitcher for the Jays to 100 victories. 

I never got to see him pitch but Clancy and Dave Stieb were the anchors of the 80s pitching staffs. 

Rest in peace, Jim.