Mini Stacks

I have a love/hate relationship with minis.  I feel like a should acquire them for my player collections, but generally I would rather just have a full size version of the same card.  

These minis from 2014 Topps fit that description.  I enjoy the design of these die-cut cards, but I would enjoy full size versions of these cards more.  The Kershaw in particular looks great.  The gray text of Dodgers even matches the away jersey Kershaw is wearing and you get Kershaw in his throwing motion. The Glavine is fine but the yellow border is kind of blinding and doesn't fit with the Braves colors.  He's also staring right at the camera.

Speaking of Kershaw, I need to add more cards of the best pitcher in baseball to my collection.  He has been so dominant this year it's almost an automatic win when he goes out there.  I purchased MLB.tv through the end of the season, and a large part of it is just to watch Kershaw pitch every 5th game.  Last night against the Padres Kershaw went into the 6th inning without a hit before giving up a hit to the opposing pitcher, Tyson Ross.  When the crowd comes to the game hoping for a no-hitter, you know something special is happening.  A future post on Kershaw is coming.  Back to minis...

I did a double-take when I received a stack of cards from JustCommons without looking at a picture of the cards before buying.  I purchased a copy of Cal's 2013 Topps Mini and 2014 Topps Archives.  I was a bit confused as at first glance I thought I'd received a mini and full size version of the same card.

Same design used, two separate sets, different photo.  At least they are from different years, and the card from 2013 is an insert set.

I know I've read some posts on other blogs about minis recently.  How do you feel about minis from recent sets?  Do you collect them because you feel obligated to fit them into your collection, or do you collect them because you really like them?

The Braves Aren't Rockin' but I Won't Stop Choppin'

The Braves are in trouble.  They aren't producing runs and their strong pitching from earlier in the season is starting to slip. The current Braves are clearly a step below the best teams in baseball and without a turnaround in the near future, making the playoffs would be difficult.  With some tough teams coming up with the league's best A's and the Pirates on the road after that, the Braves need to figure things out quickly.

Freddie Freeman, though, has emerged from a slump and has been hitting well as of late.  With 2 All-Star appearances under his belt already and an 8 year contract, Freeman should be a mainstay at first base for many years and someone the Braves can continue to build their lineup around.

And just because the Braves are slumping doesn't mean the Braves cards stop coming.  In fact, this card from 2014 Topps Archives is the first Freddie Freeman card in my collection.

I am a fan of this simple design, modeled after 1971-72 Topps Hockey.  I've always liked this type of card, the Heritage/Archive/Retro type sets, and picking up this card of one of my favorite current players is a great start. One thing I always envied about baseball yearly releases when I was collecting basketball was the mainstay of Topps Heritage, only released by Topps for basketball in 2000-01 and 2001-02.  I look forward to picking up Braves and Orioles from these releases.

I picked this up off ebay from an auction that let me select a card I wanted from a dropdown for a particular set.  This type of ebay purchase was new to me- I ended up spending a bit of time browsing the seller's other insert sets for singles.

You might be thinking- Ryan, it looks like a lot of Orioles cards should be showing up on your blog! What's with the Braves posts?  Well, I am an Orioles fan, but a Braves fan as well.  Growing up I had the Richmond Braves (AAA) close by, and saw some great players pass through on their way to Atlanta.  Some of my favorite players are current and former Braves and so a good number of posts will show up on this blog that relate to Atlanta players.  

Check out my What I Collect page for a list players I collect.  I'll also be chasing some team sets of the Orioles and Braves and will compile a list of some cards I have for trade.  A big part of this blog will hopefully be interacting with other card bloggers and helping each other out with our collections.