[zeprock]

I think Cal Ripken Jr. had a lot to do with saving baseball after the strike shortened season of 1994. He brought spectators back out to the ballpark. That's a man who didn't miss a day of work for more than 16 years with the all-time record of 2,632 consecutive games. Back in the 1990's I went eight years without taking a sick day at work but I was operating video cameras and sitting at computers and production switchers or speaking into microphones. That's a lot less physical than playing Major League Baseball day in and day out. I've collected the "Iron Man" for his entire career and currently have 1,960 Beckett recognized unique cards. I'm coming closer to 2K. Here are nine from my Ripken collection including some parallels, inserts, a SP and some game used.


1996 Collector's Choice Gold Signature #421 Cal Ripken TC
1999 Aurora Red #25 Cal Ripken
2000 Pacific Invincible Holographic Purple #21 Cal Ripken (I love Pacific cards. You can actually see through the sky on this card.)


2001 Fleer Authority Figures #7 C.Ripken/J.Gibbons (Cal shares this card with Jay Gibbons. Probably one of Jay's higher valued non-GU/Auto cards.)
2001 Fleer Futures Black Gold #62 Cal Ripken
2001 SPx Winning Materials Bat-Jersey #CR Cal Ripken


2002 UD Piece of History #16 Cal Ripken SP
2003 Playoff Prestige Player Collection #74 Cal Ripken Jsy
2007 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Star Materials #CR2 Cal Ripken Jr.

[zeprock]

Headed back to the grocery store today for some more food issues. Soda, juice, sports drinks, milk, tea, lemonade or beer, all of these cards from my collection have a connection to a beverage.


1958 Hires Root Beer #15 Rip Repulski (Hires Root Beer was first introduced in 1876 in Philadelphia. These cards were issued along with a detachable coupon as inserts with cartons of root beer.)
1972 Clemente Daily Juice #1 Roberto Clemente (This hand cut card was produced by the Daily Juice Company out of Oakmont, Pennsylvania specifically for the Roberto Clemente Fan Club. On the reverse is an address you could send away for a free 8x10 color picture of Roberto "suitable for framing".)
1986 Cubs Gatorade #49 Jamie Moyer (Cards from this set, sponsored by Gatorade, were given out as a special promotion at Wrigley Field.)


1986 Meadow Gold Stat Back #8 Pete Rose (Produced by Meadow Gold Dairies in Hawaii, these cards were issued in two-card panels and distributed in packages of popsicles and fudgesicles.)
1988 Our Own Tea Discs #9 Roger Clemens (Produced by Mike Schechter Associates, or MSA, for various grocery chains, this disc was included with a package of Our Own Tea.)
1993 Brooks Robinson Country Time Legends #3 Brooks Robinson (An eight card set issued with Country Time Lemonade Drink Mix.)


1994 Colorado Silver Bullets Coors #6 Phil Niekro MG (The Colorado Silver Bullets, sponsored by the Coors Brewing Company in Golden, Colorado, were an all-female professional baseball team that lasted about four years back in the mid-1990's. HOFer Phil Niekro was their manager.)
1994 Yoo-Hoo #14 Ryne Sandberg (Yoo-Hoo is a chocolate drink originally developed in New Jersey back in 1928 and serves as the favorite beverage of Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper. These cards featured past Rawling's Gold Glove Award winners.)
1997 Milk Mustache #NNO Alex Rodriguez (I love milk. I drink a gallon of skim milk a week by myself. I am so glad that I am not lactose intolerant like my wife who's favorite food is ice cream. These cards were issued in 9 card sheets featuring 8 player cards and a pro milk card. Here's ARod sporting his milk mustache. Or is he smirking while sporting an upper lip covered in a Testosterone or Human Growth Hormone powder?)

[zeprock]

The second non-HOFer (next to Clemens) and first current player the randomizer pulled up that I collect is Bryce Harper. I shied away from all the Harper hype that was going on when Bryce first started to appear on cards. I saved what I'd pulled but didn't pursue his cards. In fact he was a few years into his MLB career before I resigned myself to the thinking that he really was going to be a star and if his star shone bright enough he may one day be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, so, I jumped on the bandwagon. Better late than never. I am not yet a fan because his attitude and temper rub me the wrong way, nevertheless, bigger jerks have made it to the HOF, so here are nine cards from my Harper collection which currently sits at 473 unique Beckett recognized cards and counting.


2011 Bowman Chrome Futures #1 Bryce Harper (I pulled this one out of the only pack of 2011 Bowman Chrome I bought in 2011.)
2012 Topps #661D Bryce Harper/Yelling/Factory set (One of a couple Harper variations that came with my complete 2012 Factory set.)
2012 Topps Allen and Ginter #12 Bryce Harper RC


2012 Topps Update #US183 Bryce Harper RC
2015 Topps Toys R Us Purple Border #207 Bryce Harper (I pulled this one from one of the many packs I bought at Toys R Us in 2015 while specifically looking to acquire the purple parallels for use as trade bait. Obviously I kept this one.)
2017 Bowman Chrome '92 Bowman Green Refractors #92BBH Bryce Harper


2017 Stadium Club Beam Team Gold #BTBH Bryce Harper
2017 Topps Gold Label Class 3 Blue #1 Bryce Harper
2019 Topps Now Spring Training #ST3 Bryce Harper/12387 (Courtesy of Phillies Joe.)

[zeprock]

The 1957 Topps set is my oldest complete set. I finished it just a couple of years ago buying the last few cards I needed from a longtime fellow trader who just passed away last month. Most of my cards are EXMT+. This is probably my favorite 50's set issued by Topps. I like that it is standard size and not over-sized. I like that they put career stats on the back for the first time and I like that they used many posed shots and it wasn't strictly head-shots. Here are nine cards from 1957, all from my Topps set.


1957 Topps #1 Ted Williams
1957 Topps #10 Willie Mays
1957 Topps #18 Don Drysdale RC


1957 Topps #20 Hank Aaron UER (The famous uncorrected error card showing a reversed image of Aaron.)
1957 Topps #35 Frank Robinson RC
1957 Topps #95 Mickey Mantle (This is my most valuable card as it is near mint just edging out my 1952 Bowman Mays pictured earlier in this thread that is also near mint.)


1957 Topps #302 Sandy Koufax DP
1957 Topps #328 Brooks Robinson RC
1957 Topps #407 Yankees Power Hitters/Mickey Mantle/Yogi Berra

[zeprock]

Another non-HOF player that I collect is Joe Jackson. I think he should be in the Hall and that's why I collect his cards. He owns the third highest batting average of all-time at .356 but he got caught up in the Black Sox scandal of 1919 and was banned for life while in his prime even though he led both World Series teams in several statistical categories and set a then World Series record with 12 base hits. I don't have a lot of his cards, currently just 61 Beckett recognized as of this posting. Here are nine from my "Shoeless Joe" collection.


1982 Ohio Hall of Fame #48 Joe Jackson
1993 Conlon TSN Color Inserts #21 Joe Jackson
1994 Conlon TSN Burgundy #1030 Joe Jackson


2005 Helmar #NNO Joe Jackson
2008 Donruss Threads Century Proof Green #9 Joe Jackson
2008 Donruss Threads Diamond Kings Framed Red #51 Joe Jackson


2010 Leaf Joe Jackson #5 Joe Jackson
2014 Panini Golden Age Mini Hindu Brown Back #25 Joe Jackson
2018 Diamond Kings Red Frame #30 Joe Jackson

[scottzoe]

Great stuff, keep them coming, both new and old. Not really sure why, but the 56 Aaron has always been one of my favorites!
Scott

[DrMitchJ]

Joe Jackson should be in the HOF! And only 61 cards listed in Beckett???? Wow, that's amazing low. I guess maybe there are only like 4 or 5 pictures of Sholess Joe, so they can't make too many variations?

[zeprock]

Joe Jackson should be in the HOF! And only 61 cards listed in Beckett???? Wow, that's amazing low. I guess maybe there are only like 4 or 5 pictures of Sholess Joe, so they can't make too many variations?

Beckett lists more than 600 Joe Jackson cards. I only have 61 of those. Eight of the nine cards I pictured are different pictures.

[DrMitchJ]

Beckett lists more than 600 Joe Jackson cards. I only have 61 of those. Eight of the nine cards I pictured are different pictures.

Man, I've been misunderstanding you too many times. Sorry, Mark! I'll try to read more carefully next time.
Yeah, I just checked OPG for "Shoeless" and only 31 show up, but searching "Joe Jackson" is closer to 600. In the Shoeless search, a bunch are from Eight Men Out and are pics of the actors not Joe Jackson, himself!

[zeprock]

Man, I've been misunderstanding you too many times. Sorry, Mark!

Whatdayamean?!?? I don't understand.

It's all good.