what, me quarry?

you betcha i quarry for cards.  in fact, i just completed my first trade with hiflew of 'cards from the quarry' and i couldn't be more pleased.  in exchange for a bunch of colorado rockies, he sent me this 2012 topps sandy koufax manufactured retired numbers patch

back in 2001, i was pretty excited about the first topps tribute set (still trying to complete the set, too).  the checklist was comprised of only players for whom franchises have retired numbers.  i knew there would be a lot of dodgers in the set, but i was really hoping for a steve garvey card.  yes, the padres retired garvey's #6 in 1988.  unfortunately, garvey was not included in the set; nor was koufax even though topps had included him on a couple of inserts in the flagship release that year.  anyway, retired numbers are cool, and i like this insert set that topps put out.  i have the jackie robinson, but still need the tommy lasorda.  it's too bad that they didn't make a card for all the dodgers with retired numbers, but that's just me being greedy.

  the next card up from the trade package was this fantastic 2011 topps rafael furcal card

i really like this card, mostly because of the landscape double play turn.  this version, however, is a bit more special thanks to the 'sparkle' from furky's belt.  this is the first of these short prints that i own, and i'm glad it's this furcal.

the other cards i will show from the package are also new to me.  here's a 1996 pinnacle aficionado checklist card of mike piazza

look at the italian-american superstar slugger taking infield practice!  remember when such a big deal was made about him spending time at first base in new york?  i do.  he spent exactly one inning at first base during his dodger years, and that was in his rookie season of 1993.  not sure why he was in the field when this photo was taken.

here's another dodger catcher - paul loduca - on a 2003 fleer double header card

if loduca had more cards like this, maybe i would have liked him more.  no, that wouldn't have helped.  i do like this card, though.

finally, here's one more card from 2003, and it's one i had never seen before.  it comes from the fleer genuine set, and features a short-time dodger, fred mcgriff

the crime dog hit career home runs 479-491 with the dodgers, but could muster only two more when he finished his career with the devil rays.  i was really hoping that he would get to 500 as a dodger, especially since there wasn't much to root for in 2003 after the team dropped 13 out of 15 just before the all-star break to go from tied for first in the west to 8.5 games back.  whatever, mcgriff didn't get to 500 and the dodgers moved shawn green to first the following year as mcgriff returned to tampa.

thanks for all the cards johnny!  let's do it again soon!

this card almost made my header

when i was putting together the header for this blog just over 4 years and two months ago, i considered including a card of an expo.  specifically, this 2002 topps total orlando cabrera card.

that's why the first time i showed it, i used a photo (like the header) of it rather than a scan.  i considered using it in the header because i thought that it showed a couple other elements of my collection - cards featuring dodger stadium, and cards featuring the double play turn.  in the end, i decided against using it, mostly to keep the header free of non-dodgers.  besides, this version of the play, featured on cabrera's 2002 fleer premium card, 

shows dodger stadium better - that's sandy koufax's outfield wall retired number mural - but was strangely cropped and doesn't show the double play as well.

cabrera's 2002 topps gold label card is quite shiny and shows the same play as well

i know i have shown all three of those cards before, but i can't show one without the others.

here are some o-cab cards that haven't been featured here before.  like his 1999 skybox premium card

his 2003 donruss card

his 2003 topps opening day card

his 2006 topps card

and his 2008 topps chrome card

with refractor!

you may recall that cabrera was the guy who replaced nomar in 2004 and went on to win the world series as the red sox's starting shortstop.  that 'short stop' in boston kind of kickstarted the weary traveler stage of cabrera's career that saw him play for 7 franchises in the next 7 years.

another guy who bounced around a bit was roberto alomar, seen here on his 2003 topps traded card

here he is again on his 2003 fleer double header card

before he was traded to the white sox.  the first time.

cabrera is not alone in regards to his 2002 fleer premium card, either. here is rafael furcal's card from the set, which also has him turning two in dodger stadium

although he's turning two in philly on his 2001 upper deck card

other 2001 upper deck double plays include edgardo alfonzo

warren morris

and pokey reese

who also turns two on his 2001 fleer ultra card

that's not the last we'll see of pokey reese, either.  more double play cards coming tomorrow!