The Last Minute Group Break (Part 2: Diamondbacks)

That did not turn out the way I'd hoped.

Here it is, Saturday night, and I'm watching the Diamondbacks in Game 2 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium, a game the Rockies could be playing in if Wednesday's wild Wild Card game went just a bit differently.

2017 Topps Bunt #109 Zack Greinke

Of the four Wild Card starters across both leagues, only Zack Greinke held it together in the first inning, and that ended up being the difference. Greinke joined Arizona for the 2016 season, and had a much better year in 2017, helping the Diamondbacks sink the Rockies and get their revenge for the 2007 NLCS. He's a bit removed from his near-Cy Young 2015 season with the Dodgers, but he stayed in the NL West and remained a thorn in the Rockies' side.

His card from 2017 Bunt came my way as part of Chris's late-spring Ultimate Group Break. You saw the Rockies in Part 1, way back when they were still part of the 2017 Postseason picture. The random luck of the draw netted me the Rockies' chief rivals, the Arizona Diamondbacks, as my second team. They're, let's just say, not my favorite team. They weren't going into Wednesday, so you can imagine how I feel now.

2017 Topps Archives #287 Paul Goldschmidt

That's partly thanks to this mischievous-looking fellow at the bat rack, Paul Goldschmidt. Goldy launched a three-run shot off of Jon Gray in the first inning of the Wild Card game before an out had even been recorded, and the D-Backs kept the Rockies in the rear-view mirror the rest of the way. There were four home runs, four triples, including a demoralizing one by reliever Archie Bradley in the 8th that really put it away, and a slew of hits, making for the offensive battle we all expected.

And ex-Rockie Daniel Descalso had one of those homers. I thought something like that might happen.

Anyway, here we are, and I'm watching the rest of the Postseason on the sidelines, as is usually the case.

Goldschmidt's card from 2017 Topps Archives obviously uses the 1992 design, one that I think is better color-coded than the Rockies cards in that set. The blue borders here aren't quite right, but the Rockies got yellow, light blue, and red. Chase Field also makes a rare appearance on the back, but doesn't quite capture the park as well as Ian Desmond's card did. This one has little more than the infield and dugout areas, but it does show the unusual dirt path between the mound and the plate, something found only there and in Detroit's Comerica Park.

2002 Flair #12 Mark Grace

When Mark Grace played there, it was still called the Bank One Ballpark, colloquially known as "The Bob", which is why the Diamondbacks' mascot is a bobcat rather than a snake. Bank mergers have made D. Baxter the Bobcat (get it?) a bit of anachronism, though Grace's teammate Jay Bell's son Brantley was the brains behind all this. Jay Bell, of course, scored the winning run in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, in which Mark Grace singled to lead off that fateful 9th inning.

The background photo of Mark Grace on this upscale Flair card has the look of a man who just won a World Series, and he's even sporting an alternate Diamondbacks logo to go along with his previous-year action shot. I haven't seen many 2002 Flair cards, and I particularly like the color of the foil. It's not copper, like we've see on so many Upper Deck cards, but more of a rose gold.

2008 Upper Deck #406 Eric Byrnes

Here's one for Nick's Short Term Stops theme. Not as a Diamondback. Everyone in Denver knows him as a Diamondback, as he didn't make many friends during the 2007 NLCS around here. But when I flipped this 2008 UD card over, apparently Byrnes spent part of 2005 in Denver, his second of three teams that year, forcing Upper Deck to abbreviate that to "ATH/RCK/ORI" on the vertical-backed card. He played just 15 games here, which was apparently something that we all just decided to forget.

2008 Upper Deck X #2 Conor Jackson

Yes, I'm a bit salty, but again, it's not something that just began on Wednesday. This goes way back. And I'm completely fine with the hitting clinic the Dodgers put on in the bottom of the 5th in Game 2 on their way to a 2-0 series lead.

But I guess it's good to have a rival. Who would the Yankees be without the Red Sox? Or vice versa? Who would Tom Brady be without air?

I kid, I kid.

Other than Greinke and Goldschmidt, these are all bonus cards that Chris included in my shipment, and I found quite a few cards to like, even of a division rival. Conor Jackson was swinging a decent bat for a few years, and the back of this Upper Deck X card documents his four home runs in September 2007. One of those homers helped beat the Rockies as the season was winding down, marking the Rockies' only loss between September 16th, 2007 and the end of the NLCS.

If the Rockies somehow won that game, they would have had a 22-game win streak heading into the World Series. That makes the Indians' accomplishment this year all the more impressive, but underscores just how amazing Rocktober was back in 2007.

2012 Triple Play #300 Real Feel Jersey (MEM)

In addition to this stack of hand-selected cards, Chris also threw in an unopened pack of 2012 Triple Play. I don't see a lot of love for Triple Play sets, especially recently, but I was lucky enough to pull this relic card out of that pack. The card doesn't depict any particular player or team, and thus has no need to disclaim that the relic "is not from any particular game" etc... like most relic cards do.

The coloring on this card happens to make it fit quite well with a bunch of Diamondbacks cards, and it might actually be a real D-Backs road jersey. The back gives us a lengthy history of the baseball jersey that would not be out of place on an early Score card, and it's one of six relic types you could pull, a few of the others being the base, batting glove, and bat. This is card #300, the final one in the Triple Play set that year. It's not officially listed as a short print, but the "short set" runs only to card #90. Even jerseys of no particular player must be relatively scarce.

Munnatawket Custom #1 Paul Goldschmidt

If the Real Feel jersey capped off the 2012 Triple Play set, then Paul Goldschmidt opened up the magnificent Munnatawket Mini custom set with card #1. I recently lamented that this set hadn't made an appearance around the blogs in quite a while. It's amazing that these have been kicking around for almost ten years, and I'm happy to add another to the small quantity I've managed to collect.

2008 Topps Update #UH293 Adam Dunn

Obviously, the Rockies are heavily represented in my Coors Field frankenset, but the ones that aren't are typically NL West teams. Dee Gordon's card from 2011 Topps Update is a prime example, as he's shown acrobatically turning two over Ty Wigginton with the left field bleachers in view. The Diamondbacks seem to have all sorts of Coors Field cards, including this one of strikeout king Adam Dunn.

And when you're a strikeout king without being a pitcher, that's a bad thing. At this point in his career, he was good for about 40 home runs a season, but he'd put up darn near 200 strikeouts doing it. This Update card points out that no player before Dunn was ever traded during the season when he was leading the league in home runs.

He's either striking out or hitting a home run here, and because you can spot the Coors Field signage on the dugout roof behind him, it's a fair bet that he might be hitting one of those 40-ish home runs instead of striking out. Dunn did hit one home run at Coors Field as a Diamondback, even though that was just a 44-game stretch before he became a free agent and signed with the Nationals.

2008 Upper Deck Spectrum #1 Chris B. Young

This Upper Deck Spectrum card (another card #1) caught my eye with this striking turquoise color, not really a Diamondbacks color anymore, but a pretty card nonetheless. It's not a color-coded set to begin with, but it came in a few colored parallel variations.

This gentleman is Chris B. Young, currently playing in the Postseason for the Red Sox, not to be confused with Chris R. Young, a pitcher for the Royals. They both have quite a bit of Postseason experience. Chris B. played in the 2007 NLCS against the Rockies with a few of these other guys, but Chris R. earned his ring with Kansas City in 2015. Both are still in the league, and it's still a touch confusing.

But that's nothing compared to Khris Davis of the Athletics and Chris Davis of the Orioles. Both are noted power hitters. They've never played together, but somehow they both managed to strike out exactly 195 times this season, tying for third in the American League.

I can't mention 200-strikeout hitters like the Davises and Adam Dunn without mentioning Tony Gwynn at the other end of the spectrum (pun not intended), who only had slightly more strikeouts in the final twelve years of his career.

Of course, that was a Strike-shortened period. I'm sure his total of 203 would be two or three higher if 1994 and 1995 were full seasons.

2003 Ultra #129 Junior Spivey

I don't especially remember much about Junior Spivey. I know he was on the Diamondbacks, and I probably saw him play once or twice, but I don't recall any specific plays. I just like this acrobatic card of him playing the infield, which is cropped perfectly to fit the card and even the little dip in the bottom banner.

The old Diamondbacks uniforms and colors are on display quite vividly on this Fleer Ultra card, as is their large snake patch on the left sleeve. In the days before HDTV, I never really got a good look at that patch, and it always looked like a hot air balloon or a parachutist to me. In reality, has the state, team name, and a large snake head.

I like seeing their occasional retro jersey, but I think there's only room for one purple team in the NL West, and we were there first.

2012 Topps Update #US22 Chris Nelson

I just couldn't do a whole post of Diamondbacks. I had to get this Update card of third baseman Chris Nelson in here to wrap it up. Even if the Rockies lost the Wild Card game, they're still my team. And they're even more fun to watch when they have a four-time Gold Glover covering the hot corner, who makes plays like this look effortless.

I talk a big game about not liking the Diamondbacks, but really, I'd like nothing more than to see our rivalry expand over the next few seasons.

Perhaps a rematch next year? This time at Coors Field.

Unless, of course, the Rockies finally win the division for once.

The Trading Post #65: Cardboard Collections

I've gone on record before as saying I'm not the biggest fan of Gypsy Queen. But after my first trade with Colbey at Cardboard Collections, I may be rethinking that a bit.

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen Framed White #102 Tyler Colvin

Usually, the contrasty and painted look found in this brand appears a bit odd to my eye, especially with the unusual border colors that tend to appear on Gypsy Queen cards. But when Topps puts a raised white frame around it with a bit of silver foil, it makes the whole card look a lot more like, well, a painting. Even back in the Donruss Diamond King days, painted cards just never did it for me. But when they're treated like an actual painting, they get classed up quite a bit. I can see a framed GQ card like this looking terrific in a 5x7 or 8x10 format.

The appearance of Tyler Colvin at Coors Field is a rarity, as he only spent two seasons as a Rockie, and hasn't played since 2014. In exchange for Ian Stewart and a pitcher that has yet to progress past Double-A, Colvin came over from the Cubs along with DJ LeMahieu. I'd say the Rockies came out ahead on that trade.

But I still can't tell the designs apart that well, other than this next one.

2015 Topps Gypsy Queen Framed White #78 Charlie Blackmon

2015 Gypsy Queen, with that minaret-shaped onion dome thing, is quite distinctive. You've seen it before, but not with another raised white frame. After seeing how these look in person, I'd be completely on board if they just decided to make the framed variety the base card. They'd differentiate it from Allen & Ginter, and massively increase the visual appeal.

Blackmon, who recently returned from the DL, was in the earlier stages of growing out his trademark beard for this photo shoot. Incidentally, Vin Scully spent a good five minutes the other night giving viewers a comprehensive history of The Beard, inspired by Derek Norris. Scully can make you sit on the edge of your seat for even the most mundane topics. Give it a listen, and then be grateful for the sixty-six seasons in which Scully has graced the baseball world.

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen Mini #325 Wilin Rosario

Though it's not of the white-framed variety, this card of Wilin Rosario is a mini, fitting in perfectly with the Mini Monday theme I haven't used since last year. The minis have different dimensions than the full-size cards (obviously), but I mean that it's much taller than it is wide. That works well with the way they cropped this particular photo, and also makes it feel more like an actual tobacco-era card that this brand is meant to replicate.

Still not wild about the border color, though.

2012 Topps Stickers #290 Orlando Hudson

Orlando Hudson spent most of his career in the NL West, though he never suited up for the Rockies. This rogue Padre accompanied another San Diego player in the trade package, and it's kind of refreshing to see another team once in a while. I remember him more as a Diamondback, probably because he faced the Rockies in the 2007 NLCS. The Rockies swept the D-backs that year, and did the same thing this weekend, putting themselves in a three-way tie for first. As of Sunday night, like L.A. and S.F., the Rockies are sitting at .500, meaning that every NL West team had a losing record going into Sunday.

The 18-6 Cubs have at least a little bit to do with that. Plus the fact that Arizona's new "ace" Zack Greinke (my 2nd pick in Fantasy this season) is a mediocre 2-2, a disappointing follow up to his 19-3 record with the Dodgers last year.

You might notice that Hudson's card is actually a sticker, actually from the same set as a Dinger sticker that Nick sent me a while back. When it comes to collectibles, I'm not really a "leave it in the box" type. Whether it's a Hot Wheels car or an action figure, typically I free them from their packaging. And when it comes to peeling the protectors off of late-1990s Topps Finest cards, I can barely contain myself. But I can't remember a time when I actually peeled one of the many stickers found in this hobby over the years. Fleer and UD gave us a lot of team logo stickers in the overproduction days, but almost all of mine are still on their original backing.

I'm just not a sticker guy. But I always appreciated little gold stars and airplanes and such on my elementary school worksheets.

2012 Topps Allen & Ginter What's in a Name #WIN2 Carlos Eduardo Gonzalez

I'm going to call this a partial mini (a meta mini? synthetic mini? virtual mini)? due to the printed example of CarGo's A&G miniature from 2012. I knew this was a 2012 card because Topps put it right on the front twice. I don't know the A&G designs too well either. But this is their take on telling us a player's full name, just like Donruss did on pretty much every card back for a solid decade. Since the demise of Donruss, I've had to go an entire generation with extremely limited knowledge of players' middle names.

Interestingly, this card mentions a rather unusual family arrangement that both Carlos' and my family trees have in common. Apparently, one of Gonzalez' paternal uncles married one of his maternal aunts, making them "step-siblings". Interestingly, my maternal grandmother's brother married my grandfather's sister, which seems like quite a rare thing.

I guess that makes them step-siblings. Or perhaps an extra reinforcement of a sibling-in-law. I have no idea. Genealogy is definitely not my strong suit. I barely knew how to spell it. I got LeMahieu correct and had to look up "Genealogy."

2002 Studio Rookies #273 Aaron Cook /1500 (RC)

Anyway, this has been pretty much nothing but retro cards so far, except for that mischievous Padres sticker. Film was still widely in use in 2002, and Donruss used a little filmstrip graphic in the background. Like their Leaf brand used to do, they used an image specific to the team's home city, picturing the Colorado State Capitol building. Too bad it's not in color, because it has a striking gold-leaf dome, very often shining in the 300 days of sunshine we (allegedly) get in Colorado. But it can still snow in May.

This early card of Aaron Cook is numbered an even thousand out of fifteen hundred, likely making this the most "round" serial numbered card I own. Or at least one of the few with an easily reducible fraction. Can't do much with 499.

Over ten seasons, Cook wound up with a slightly winning record and an All-Star appearance, a darn good showing for a pitcher who spent most of his career in the thin air of Coors Field. In fact, only Jorge de la Rosa has more wins as a Rockies pitcher.

2009 Topps Ticket to Stardom #137 Troy Tulowitzki

At first glance, I though this was one of the many insert cards that Topps has printed over the years, but it's actually its own set. Topps didn't get into this game as much as Upper Deck did, mainly keeping their core brands, retro brands, and premium brands. But it's from a 225-card set, and the relics found in it are actual ticket stubs.

While this looks familiar, I've never put it on the blog before. I don't know if that barcode would actually scan as something meaningful, but they did a good job of making it sort of look like a ticket, and they helpfully put the card number on both sides.

2003 Fleer Authentix used a similar theme, even going so far as to slightly score the lower portion of the card as though it were a ticket stub. Check out this card of a batting glove-free Mark Grace:

2003 Fleer Authentix #27 Mark Grace

Though it's the first set that comes to mind which used a theme like this, they missed an opportunity to make each team's card unique. Fleer used some color-coding, and of course the usual team logos, but the back of each card has a seating chart of Yankee Stadium, regardless of the team. Fleer does include the team's home stadium's name, but not a map. I guess one-thirtieth of this set is fully accurate, assuming an even team distribution (which I won't assume for the Yankees).

Longtime fans might recall that before the bank merger that turned it into Chase Field, the Diamondbacks played at Bank One Ballpark, known as "The Bob", which is why they have a bobcat as their mascot.

I wonder whether a set like this could be meaningful even eight years later. Unless you're a season ticket holder, you probably printed your last ticket on a laser printer, or just opened up a barcode on your smartphone. But then again, Topps BUNT sure didn't exist eight years ago. A fully digital baseball fan can now keep ticket stubs and baseball cards on their smartphone.

On a related note, I'm a proponent of the MLB Ballpark app. Some teams will let you keep your actual ticket barcodes in there, and there's a feature where it tracks all the past games you've checked into, as well as your in-person record. Its Journal feature even lets you add games to your history going all the way back to 1903. Mass-produced cars were barely a thing then, let alone smartphones, satellites, TV, and even the Federal Reserve.

In the 58 Major League games I've been to, the home team is 31-27. The poor Pirates are 1-5 when I'm in attendance, something I'll have to keep in mind if they ever come to Denver for an important game.

2011 Bowman Finest Futures #FF11 Troy Tulowitzki

Though that Ticket card of Tulowitzki wasn't an insert, this one definitely is. I open so little Bowman that I didn't even realize they made insert cards. Well, the prospect cards are technically considered "inserts", even though they're numbered concurrently. Don't get me started on that.

As this card suggests, Tulo had bright years ahead of him. Though the overall design is a bit plain, I really like the background of this photo. It's one of the happy Chevron cars on the left field wall in San Francisco, a stadium that Tulo's played plenty of games in. I remember one game the Rockies played there that went to extra innings. The game was still going on, but no one told the hundreds of seagulls that showed up to scavenge the snacks left behind in the outfield seats. They have a pretty good idea of when the game is supposed to end, and are definitely perplexed whenever there are extra frames.

2011 Topps Diamond Anniversary #141 Ubaldo Jimenez

As we saw not long ago, Topps took sparkly cards to new heights in 2011 for their diamond anniversary. In the circle where the team logo usually resides, there's a many-faceted symmetrical design that has texture, a special Topps logo in the upper left, and about a zillion sparkles. The foil even has a bit of a rainbow finish, to top it all off.

Interestingly, this isn't technically a Rockies card. It's a checklist. And though this card number doesn't appear on its own checklist, having a Rockies pitcher on a highlight card is a rare thing indeed.

But with guys like Jimenez, Cook, Jennings, and even De La Rosa, good Rockies pitchers do exist. The trouble is that they can't pitch every day. If this were 1930 and pitchers didn't rely on the bullpen so much, the Rockies would be doing great!

2011 Topps Opening Day Superstar Celebrations #SC-5 Ubaldo Jimenez

Jimenez was so good that he threw the only no-hitter in Rockies history, pictured here on this Opening Day insert card. It's way less sparkly, but it documents a historic moment. Barmes, Helton, and a smiling Troy Tulowitzki are there to congratulate him on a job well done. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this feat was accomplished much closer to sea level, in Atlanta's Turner Field.

Hopefully it's not another 18 years before the next one.