Zistle Trade #84: paulb

Back to the World Series, but specifically the studio team that Fox delivered.  Kevin Burkhardt, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, and Keith Hernandez.  Both Ortiz and Hernandez were new additions this postseason and the four of them seemed to gel together nicely.

Burkhardt and Hernandez worked together for eight years before Burkhardt moved over to Fox.  It was actually Burkhardt himself who called Hernandez asking him if he was interested in the position.  Alex was gushing about Keith even before their first show together.  The gushing is well deserved though.

Keith Hernandez was barely considered for the Hall of Fame when his time came, but he is very much regarded by his peers and current players.  He brought the shows his usual honesty and critiques with his off the cuff wit.  He almost got into some hot water with an off the cuff remark about San Francisco that was taken out of context.  People who brought it up seemed to not know that Keith grew up in San Francisco and was very much entrenched in the Giants-Dodgers feud.  I didn't even realize people took offense until a bit later, but I can see why that would happen and so did Keith.

Anyway, back to the cards!  This trade is another one with Paul.  I recall Paul being a NY team guy, collecting both Mets and Yankees.  This was a nice trade that filled in some missing holes in a number of sets.

I think there are some pretty classic designs here from Donruss, Fleer, and Upper Deck.  It also looks like Fleer decided to tone down their Metal Universe set.  This time players are placed in locations with their home teams, but just look like giants.  Here we see John Olerud playing ball over Central Park.

Finishing up with new World Series champions, Carlos Beltran.  Carlos has had a great career that looks to be wrapped up now with the World Series victory.  He really has no reason to continue except for his love of the game.  I could see him doing one more year with an AL team, though.  He also seems to have enough passion for the game to be doing something (coaching or front office) after retiring.  (Edit - He announced his retirement.)

He probably also wrapped up a Hall of Fame induction with this ring.  He could become the next Met to be inducted since he played his best years in the orange and blue.  That debate is in the future, though.

Zistle Trade #77: scottbdoug

Back to Canada we go with another trade with Scott.  This was a larger trade then some of our previous ones, but Scott has always been a great trader and getting things sent down from Canada safely.

Scott has always been a great source for 1980's and 1990's junk wax cards.  I can probably estimate that he has sent me most of my needs for that period than anyone else. 

My favorites from this trade are those 1981 Fleer cards along the top row below.  That year was the first release for Fleer since 1963.  I am more partial to action shots compared to posed shots, so it is nice to see some in a 1981 set.

Overall, this was another great trade with Scott.  Lots of 80's needs filled and some good FFM needs. Thanks, Scott!

Zistle Trade #69: TheToddFather21

This Zistle trade came in from Josh.  When I saw his username, in my mind, I was thinking Todd Helton.  I believe there is another Blogger out there that goes by something similar.  Josh's request was for some Reds cards, so I thought that was weird.  Then it hit me and I was forgetting about Todd Frazier.

I always find Bobby Bonilla cards from his second stint with the Mets to be funny.  He put up pretty decent numbers during his first go round, but he never lived up to being the highest paid player in baseball.  I am not sure why the owners thought things would be different the second time around.

There is an annual reminder about how the Mets pay him over $1 million a year despite not playing baseball since 2001.  I do not understand why this is a big deal.  A lot of teams have deferred payments for players who are retired, just not as long as Bonilla's runs.  I guess it only gets attention because of the Madoff scandal that made his deferred salary possible.  Just Mets' owners being Mets' owners.

Zistle Trade #64: bbronzan

Well, the San Francisco Giants were eliminated from the postseason earlier this week.  It ended the ridiculous even year streak the Giants were on (#BeliEVEN).  I am not sure "streak" is an accurate description, though.

Fittingly, my next Zistle trade included a bunch of Giants.  I reached out with a trade offer to Brandon, who collects Giants.  We made a pretty quick trade and sent off our cards.
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I received a bunch of Jeff Kent cards in this trade which makes sense as Kent had his best playing years with the Giants.  I always think of Kent as a big loss for the Mets.  He played well for the Mets, but the team was pretty terrible.  He also wasn't known to have the best clubhouse reputation.  Maybe he was bitter for being traded from the Blue Jays during the start of their back-to-back World Series wins.

Furthering the Giants connection, Edgardo Alfonzo also played for the Giants.  His case is a bit different than Kent's.  Alfonzo had his best years for the Mets and is beloved by Mets fans.  He played pretty lousy for the Giants.

Marco Scutaro is another Giants connection from this trade.  Marco made his MLB debut with the Mets in 2002.  He spent some time with the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers before that, but never reached the big leagues with either team.  Scutaro bounced around from the Mets to the A's, Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Rockies.  In 2012, he was traded to the Giants mid-season and helped the Giants win the NL West title.  He went on to hit .500 in the NLCS, win NLCS MVP honors, and drive in the winning run in Game 4 of the World Series as the Giants swept the Detroit Tigers.  Some may remember this image from the NLCS.

Overall, this was a solid trade!  Thanks again, Brandon!

Zistle Trade #60: halos17

Let's keep the line moving with another Zistle trade.  I sent a trade request to Rob offering up a bunch of Tim Salmon cards.  Rob countered back with a larger request asking for all of the matches I had for him.  Since I like receiving more cards, I was down to work out a larger trade.

I know a lot of junk wax era sets do not get a whole lot of love, but the 1986 Donruss set is not too bad.  The cards above show are some pretty clean looking cards.

I am not sure why I like the 2009 O-Pee-Chee set, but I do.  It has a pretty cool retro design with some good images.

Overall, this was a very pleasant trade!  Thanks, Rob!

Zistle Trade #59: hittinaway

Next up is another Zistle trade.  Nick reached out with a trade request mostly for a bunch of Tim Wallach cards.  I thought it was a strange request since I know there was already a big Wallach collector out there who literally wants every Wallach ever made.  Nick said those Wallach cards are sent out to another collector, so they just might end up at the Stackhouse Law Office, if they haven't already.

Nick sent out the request with just what he was looking for while leaving my side blank.  Instead of picking a bunch of random cards, I thought I would keep it simple and select based on set.  Nick had a complete team set of 1994 Studio, so that was a good starting point.

Nick was kind enough to throw in some extra cards to the package.  Most of those extras will go into the trade pile, but there were still some cards that I needed.  Thanks for the extras, Nick!

Blogger Trade: Tony L.

In the five months I went between posts, the Mets have played five months of up-and-down baseball.  The team has been plagued by injuries with some key pieces going down with season ending injuries.  Other players have been dealing with nagging injuries most of the season.  Other players have not played up to expectations.  Despite all of this, the team is still in playoff contention which in my eyes is still an accomplishment.  

Up next is a trade with Tony.  Many of you might know Tony.  He has his blog over at Off Hiatus Baseball.  Check it out if you haven't done so.

Tony reached out sometime last year on my Topps project page (which I still need to flesh out or just delete).  He said he could help me out with a bunch of my 1970's Topps needs.  His comment totally went unnoticed by myself as I did not realize it was there until months later.

Eventually, I got back to Tony.  Luckily, he still had those cards.  He sent along a bunch of Topps needs that are much appreciated.  

It looks like Topps used a couple of nice action shots in their 1978 set.   I wonder what the percentage is of action shots versus posed shots for vintage Topps sets.

I think the 1979 Topps set is pretty decent.  The set does not really have many memorable cards.  The most memorable is definitely Ozzie Smith's rookie card when he was with the San Diego Padres.  I think the set has a simple design that works quite well.  I also like the use of the "vintage" Topps logo.  I am not sure if vintage is the correct term, but I think it was the first year they put their logo on the card fronts.

Tony was kind enough to send along some non-Topps needs, too.  He also sent along some Donruss, Fleer, Score, and a few oddball cards.

I thought Sportflics cards were pretty cool when I was younger.  I wonder how long it will take Topps to make digital cards like this for their app.  Gif cards?  It still won't get me to use the app, though.

Thanks for the great trade, Tony!

Zistle Trade #56: paulb

Next up is a Zistle trade with new trade partner Paul.  Paul reached out with a trade request mostly for some Yankees needs.  A small tweak later and we had an agreement.

Paul sent an nice eclectic mix of Mets.  Here are the highlights.

The 2000 Topps Gold Label is definitely the slickest looking card of the bunch.  My favorite card though is probably the 2005 Fleer Tradition Update Mike Piazza (Tale of the Tape).  It is not the best looking design, but I like the color contrast and the turning down of the background color.

Paul, thanks for a nice and easy trade!

Blogger Trade: Bo

Our next trade is a Blogger trade.  This time with Bo over at Baseball Cards Come to Life.  Bo made a post about obtaining about 40,000 cards from Craigslist. 

Bo sent out a lot of cards to various traders.  I ended up receiving a small USPS Priority box bull of Mets.  The majority of cards were early 1990's releases, but there we still plenty that I still needed for those sets.

Even while getting 40,000 cards, I was still able to send Bo the same sized box back in return.

Some interesting cards in the cards shown above.  First, there is Jeff Kent is letting former Met Mark Carreon smell his armpit.  Second, there is Ryan Thompson suffering from some abdominal discomfort.  Not sure why Pinnacle would chose this for his ball card.  Finally, there is power hitting Carl Everett about to murder bunt a baseball.  Very intense.

I really like receiving Lance Johnson Mets cards.  He only played for the Mets for a season and a half, but he was pretty great for the Mets.  His career year was with the Mets in 1996.  That year he was an All-Star starter and led the National League in hits, singles, and triples.  He had a WAR of 7.2 that year, too (if you are into sabermetrics).

I wish Topps would get him on some Archives releases.  I do not believe there are any auto or relic cards of him out there, Mets or not.  Anyone know an address to send a card to him for a TTM auto?

Zistle Trade #52: BucCollector

Next up is another Zistle trade with user BucCollector.  David reached out prior to last season's playoffs with a trade request for some Pirates with some Mets coming my way.

He had high hopes for his Pirates making it to the NLCS to face my Mets.  It was definitely the match-up I wanted to see, but it just was not meant to be for the Pirates.

Zistle Trade #49: mj262

This Zistle trade was with user mj262.  Apparently, Matt lives not too far away from me.  I saw his post on the Zistle forums about wanting to get rid of some recent Donruss product.  I thought he would be a good target for a trade proposal, but he beat me to the punch.  He sent along a trade request looking to unload his cards.

I know in the past I have said that I am not a fan of the Donruss/Panini brand.  The lack of logos will probably always look strange to me.  Their cards do not vary pictures much as players are shown in similar poses to hide any logos (or for there to be less airbrushing).  I guess they do the best they can without an MLB license.

 Matt was kind enough to throw this Jon Niese relic card, too!

Zistle Trade #45 jaysfan46

Here is another Zistle trade to our neighbors of the north.  This time with Leonel.  Most requests I have received are asking for cards of certain teams, players, sets, or brands.  This is the first request specific to Mexican ball players.  Just thought it was strange (in a good way, of course!).

In return, I got a Puerto Rican, a Dominican, and a Floridian.  I will let you figure out who is who.   

Zistle Trade #43: dannicole2112

Well, I had a good run of getting some things posted.  I still have some more posts to burn through before I catch up to present day.  I have not done many trades so far this year.  Work and such get in the way at times.  I still intend to get those posts out there and hopefully I have not overlooked any trades.

Up next is a Zistle trade with Dan and Christian, a father and son collecting team.  Nothing too special here, but still filled a few holes in want lists.  Decent looking Keith Hernandez, though.

If any one is looking to make trades, large and small, Zistle is a great place to find trade partners.  The trade process is so easy to work and the vast majority of people on Zistle are quite pleasant. 

Zistle Trade #42: tidalwav90

Here is another Zistle trade with Jesse.  This time he sent a trade request looking for some early 90's card needs.

Filled some set needs with this trade.  Obtained Dave Magadan card showing him with the Mariners.  I enjoyed watching Magadan play for the Mets when I was younger.  He was an excellent hitter for us.  I was bummed to see him go, but kept up with through the rest of his career.

Zistle Trade #31: tidalwav90

It is the end of 2015 with 2016 just a few hours away.  This has been a pretty great year for Mets fans.  We went into Spring Training with a returning Matt Harvey, but then lost Zack Wheeler for the season.  We started the season strong, but then lost a couple of big bats to injuries and stopped scoring runs.  We traded for a big bat then went on a tear to the top of the NL East.  We made it to the World Series then lost it in five games.

I have read a lot of Mets fans being upset at the lack of a big signing this off season, but I think the signings we have made are just fine.  Cespedes would be nice, but not at the cost he is asking.  Zobrist would have been nice and filled many needs, but he wanted to play somewhere else.  Murphy signing with the Nationals hurt a little, but we got a nice replacement in Neil Walker.  We still have a couple more needs to address, but this off season has been good enough so far. 

Now back to the cards!  Here is another Zistle trade completed, this time with Jesse.  He reached out with some Cubs needs and offered up some Mets in return.

I always like to get 1988 cards since they show Mets players in their 1987 uniforms.  The 1987 season was the only time they wore those New York script uniforms.  Here's to hoping they bring it back for some games in the future.

Finally, here is nice Jeff Kent card depicting him about to make a play at second base.  Kent had a great career and showed a lot of promise with the Mets, but played his greatest elsewhere.  For Mets fans, at least for me anyway, it feels like there are a number of players we can look back on in the same regard.

Zistle Trade #29

So, here we are before the start of game four of the World Series.  It has been a tremendous ride so far this postseason.  At the start of the season I said that a successful season would be a playoff run.  Well, we made it to the World Series!  The Dodgers made it a tough Division Series.  I thought the Cubs had our number before game one of the League Series, but we rolled through them with a four game sweep.

Things have not started out too well for the Mets in the World Series, but they have played well.   The Royals have just played better.  The Mets showed some life in game three and look to continue their swinging ways in game four.  

Now, on to another Zistle trade!  This one with user ccards.  Tim was looking for some various card needs and I requested some various Mets needs in return.

Next up is a nice full sheet of 2003 Topps.  This time with Cliff Floyd in an actual Mets uniform. 

There wasn't anything too ground breaking here, but still a nice set of cards that fills some holes in my binders!

Zistle Trade #22

Zistle user, BucCollector, reached out to me with a trade looking for some various Pirates and some basketball cards.  I generally can not turn down a trade that gets rid of my basketball cards.

I do not mind getting some junk wax oddball cards. We all know what the main sets look like and these are a nice change of pace when dealing with junk wax cards.

Finally, a card that can pretty much sum up the Mets from 1992 to 1995.  I guess you can expand that up until 2035 as the Mets will be paying Bonilla a little over $1 million dollars per year due to a contract negotiation with his release before the 2000 season.

Fun fact:  the "V. Wells" you see on the above card is the father of former MLB player Vernon Wells.  The artist Wells has done numerous pieces of art for many players over the years.

Zistle Trade #18

This Zistle trade was with user Bumfan.

This was a simple trade.  In my quest to find good homes for my unwanted football cards, I found Bumfan had a some on his want list.  I sent some his way while getting these in return.

Charlie O'Brien played for the Mets from 1990 to 1993.  He was their starting catcher until Todd Hundley was brought up to the majors.  Charlie is probably best known for introducing a hockey-style catcher's mask to the MLB world.  He began using the mask while playing for, whose else, the Toronto Blue Jays in 1996.

Now you can find Charlie selling his own brand of Charlie O's Products.  Sadly, these are not cereals, rather a line of hunting scents.  Well, I think that is what they are (I am not a hunter).

Trade with an Underdog

I have been actively seeking good homes for all of my non-baseball cards.  I have pretty much taken care of hockey (only 3 more cards to go!) and have made some progress with the football and basketball cards.

I had a small stack of San Diego Chargers that I was looking for a nice home.  I used Zistle to look for some potential trade partners when I found Zach of The Underdog Collector.  He was more than happy to take these cards off my hands and sent along some nice Mets cards in return.

Zach also sent over this oversized Dwight Gooden.  It was a nice suprise and my first oversized Mets card!  Thanks Zach!

Zach blogged about our trade back in October.  You can really see how far behind from current time I am on these posts.  

Let me know if you would like some football and basketball cards.  I saw a couple other blogs offering their unwanted non-baseball cards.  I will hopefully be reaching out to those that commented on those posts soon.

Zistle Trade #17

This Zistle trade was with user glassnickels.

Not too long before glassnickels sent a trade request, I had purchased a number of 2007 Upper Deck Goudey packs.  I found them in the clearance section at a local drug store for $0.75 a pack.  I ended up with a few Mets, a number of short prints, and a Ken Griffey, Jr. relic.  Griffey was one of my favorite players to collect back in the day and pulling a relic was quite the surprise.

Anyway, glassnickels requested a bunch of these for his set.  He offered quite a large number of cards in return when compared to my previous Zistle trades.

I debated leaving off those 1991 Fleer, but I just need one of each Met.  They look bad due to their yellow color, but at least they look different.

Some more glorious 1992 cards from Donruss and Score.  It looks like Score kept to two basic types of card shots that year.  Hitters hitting and pitchers pitching.

I sometimes forget that Carlos Gomez started out with the Mets.  He was part of the deal that brought Johan Santana from the Minnesota Twins to Queens.