'no bip...just junk'

'no bip...just junk'.  that note was attached to the cards i received the other day from captain canuck.  he lied.  partially.  you see, he bipped me a while back and i launched a counter attack which affected him so deeply that he has yet to even try to post the carnage.  as a result, i was a little leery when he emailed me saying a package was on the way with an 11% chance of bippage occurring.  once i saw the note, i was still a little unsure, but upon inspecting the cards there was, in fact, no bipping. however, there also was no junk.  yes, there were a couple of wax packs from the junk era, but they each yielded some non-junk.  let's see a sampling of what i received.

captain sent 3 cards from my 'nefarious 9' list, including this 1989 fleer tim belcher

in addition to the belcher, he also sent the 1991 fleer ultra eddie murray and the non-dodger 1990 topps glenn wilson bonus card (a cheap way of expanding the list from 9 to 10 without changing its name) with a fantastic dodger stadium background.  in doing so, he will be handsomely rewarded.  as will anyone else who provides any of those cards listed to the right.  back to the card - i first saw this card in the dictionary next to the phrase 'blank expression'.  just a totally dynamic photo fleer used here.

2010 upper deck casey blake

apparently 2010 product has made it to the hinterlands.  cheers to upper deck for including the inset photo showing the mighty casey in full beard profile.  jeers to upper deck for not using that photo as the main one on his card.  we need to be celebrating bearded players while they still exist.

2008 topps update & highlights angel berroa bat card

berroa was back with the blue this spring, but i think he is now toiling in the giants' organization.  with furcal going to the dl again, we have jamey carroll doing his best 2008 berroa impression.  berroa was obviously slowed on the basepaths by the drag his inverted pockets created.

1984 donruss steve garvey

in the taco bell uniforms.  i am showing this card in part to be able to link back to this monstrosity.

as i mentioned up top, there were a couple of wax packs in the package.  one was a 1988 donruss pack.  it may well have been the first pack of its kind that i have ever opened.  inside, amongst the rabble, was this gem - a billy hatcher dodger stadium shot

yes, the good captain took a pre-emptive strike on a future nefarious 9 bonus card listing.  well done!

there was also a pack of 1989 topps, which is a set i have come to appreciate over the past couple of years as i have seen so many of those cards come my way that i am no longer able to dismiss the design out of hand.  here's a dodger - jesse orosco

orosco was part of the dodgers' bullpen committee in 1988, along with jay howell and alejandro pena who each had more saves than orosco that year.  i was quite happy that orel pitched a complete game in the world series clincher partially because i didn't want to see orosco flailing around like he did in 1986.  i am kidding. sort of.  orosco left the dodgers after the 1988 postseason, but returned for a two-year stint in 2001.

here's another card from that pack - it's mike schmidt on his final topps card

it's not a final tribute, though, because he played a portion of the 1989 season before retiring.  i will reiterate what i wrote in a blog bat around post a long time ago - topps needs to do a 'final tribute/birth year' set.

there was also an ozzie smith card in the 1989 topps pack.  i am only going to show you the back though

first of all, notice that ozzie had exactly 500 rbi after the 1988 season.  i am constantly looking for stuff like this ever since steve at wait 'til next year pointed out the coolness of round numbers on the back of cards (steve, i hope you are doing well).  next, notice that ozzie had 16 home runs for his career at that point.  that's only about 1% of his hit total.  and of those home runs, guess how many were hit against right-handed pitchers?  well, i would have guessed zero, but he did hit one in 1988 (off of greg maddux of all people).  so, my point is not as strong, but i still believe his 1985 nlcs home run off of tom niedenfuer has to be one of the biggest flukes in baseball history.  go crazy, indeed.

thanks captain!  your reward is being assembled and should be out soon.