Favorite card of 2016

Posted by cardboard hogs on December 14, 2016

Ok, sometimes i like to participate in the activities that other are participating in. I’m human…it’s human nature to want to be around other like minded folks. People that share your same interest, goals…hobbies.

So with keeping up with the blogses, here is my favorite card from the weird ass year of 2016: Big shoutout to P-Town Tom over at Eamus Catuli

2016 Topps Stadium Club card #194 Willie Mays San Francisco Giants OF

This card is my favorite because it’s just a bad ass photo of a bad ass baseball player. From the lower perspective looking up to the foreshortening of the bat in Willie’s hands and the ghost like mirage of the light standard in the background. Stadium club has always been a favorite set of mine, but something i’ve never decided to collect for no real reason at all. The glossy finish of the face and thicker card stock is also extremely attractive to me. The back of the card though, leaves a lot to be desired…so much so that i decided not to scan it, and i’ve been on a crazy back-scanning rampage of late. I apologize for that to those that are not interested in card backs.

Apparently, Willie enjoyed this bat pose so much he attempted to teach a young John F. Kennedy Jr. the proper technique while he was wrapping up his career with the New York Metropolitans. Not sure the cameraman and young John John really got what Willie was trying to do. Sometimes legends are just ahead of the curve i guess.

We got hit with another little snow attack today and it took quite some time to get home…luckily this song was available to my ears and served as a calming agent while i slipped and slid up and down the west hills of Portland to our home.

Cabin fever + Homeless shelters + Art

Posted by cardboard hogs on December 10, 2016

The ice has thawed and the snow is melting…today was the first day that we were able to get out of the house and venture around a bit. It was much needed after a day and a half together you need a break from your home, you know? I was super excited to check out a couple of things in our city and show our kid his beautiful city. The big item on my checklist today was a visit to something my new office has been a part of the past few months, the Partners on Dwelling (POD) initiative of Portland.

In a very tiny nutshell, it’s a plan that was set in place with city leaders/visionaries, Portland State University and a handful of architects in town to build very simple, easily constructible housing prototypes for the homeless population in our town. Now, this is by no means meant to cure all the ills that are attached to homelessness…but to hopefully fill some kind of void in many peoples lives. I know there are a ton of political and personal issues associated with this subject and i’m not going to get into that debate…what i wanted to show you though was some exceptional work done by my very talented office. Now, keep in mind this project was designed and built by my coworkers with the goal of fabricating everything for $2,000 or less. I’m not sure that was completely achieved, but what the folks at my office created was awesome…in my opinion…as well as a certain 4 years old. Here is some background on Cabin A from my office…and some images from the visit today.

Funny story, my kid discovered the door lock and waited until the cabin was empty and locked himself in…he couldn’t really get into any trouble, it was just…you know…embarrassing a little, but hey you laugh and move on! That’s my boss looking and laughing at my offspring…luckily the boss is a good guy.

There was a lot of great work done by everyone today, but in my opinion…this was by far the best as it had the smallest footprint, maximized material limitations and was most likely the closest to the $2,000 target. Regardless, all the work was definitely a best foot forward for helping those that need help…and shelter.

Stepping off my soap box now.

I don’t have any cards to show today, but rather some art that i’ve picked up from Gypsy Oak over the past couple of months. I think most you are following him on twitter @gypsyoak and maybe have stopped by his Gypsy Oak website to pick up a couple items of your own…if you haven’t, i would highly recommend it. The pieces that he has available are great and not too expensive for the common man…:). Here are a few that i wanted to share with you guys.

A couple Yankee greats…i’ve always had a fascination with Lou Gehrig…one of my friends passed away from ALS a few years ago…so i’ve felt more drawn to the history of the Iron Horse. The Joe DiMaggio image is just fantastic.

Now…I’m a baseball fan. A fan of all generations and all levels of greatness. Being a Yankee fan, i can appreciate the absolute greatness of Ted Williams and the icons career. Willie Mays is just fantastic and in my humble opinion, the greatest all around player of all time.

Here are a couple more legends as i step further back in baseball time with a couple fantastic images of Honus Wagner and Walter Johnson. These 4×6 images are really fantastic and he’s constantly producing new work.

I couldn’t not get Ali…

2013 Topps – Packs 7 and 8

Posted by cardboard hogs on February 19, 2013

I’m getting close to the bottom of this jumbo box. As usual, it’s taken thrice as long as i had expected, but i can finally see the end in sight. I’ve been a little lackadaisical in putting these things in their respective binder slots, but that will come in due time. I’d like to get these cards organized so I can stay on top of completing the set during the baseball season…rather than waiting until the ~~Super Bowl~~ Big Game to wrap it up. (sorry NFL, didn’t mean to infringe on your copyright restrictions)

Let’s get started on the 4th row of packs.

The first card just might be my favorite card of the year. At the very least it’s a front runner. Gotta love the looks on these drunken fools faces. Some have the look of panic like the blondie on the left and her overly tanned mom on the right. Although their fear may be due to the double barrel gun show reaching out from the card’s left border and Hawaiian shirt from the right. What about the guy, or girl…not really sure…with the black wife beater. I will call him/her Pat. Sorry if you are reading this blog. I mean no harm, just unsure and i don’t want to assume anything here, but I do love the joy on your face dear sir, or madam. Hey, what about that Pirates fan, he’s pretty stoked isn’t he? If Mr. Raburn could see the grief/joy he was about to bring to these fans he would think twice about catching the ball. My favorite though is the dude above the the glove in the stoner glasses. I really need to get outfield tickets this season and make some sweet ass faces for the cameraman. Anyway you call it, this card is awesome.

Don’t have much to say about the next two cards other than one guy had a great career and the other probably will. The Past and the Present. Manny looks like he’s going to be a super star for many years. My man Jeet is nearing the end of his career and i’m not sure he will get another ring, but he will always be a legend. Collecting his cards is one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life…there are exacting 50million cards and counting. I’ve decided to only buy the ones that i think look really cool. There are just too many to pick up.

Putting this Verlander card in because he got down with Kate Upton…allegedly…and that’s good enough for my book. It’s Kate Upton people, Kate Upton.

Didn’t Topps have enough of the sparkle cards last season? Didn’t we all hate them because simple sun flashes looked like SP starburst cards? Are they back? What the HELL is going on HERE!!!

This is what the Jayson Werth card should have looked like. How could they not have put Werth’s walkoff in game 4 on a card…unless i’ve missed it. Morse wasn’t too happy with the Nats offseason and he is now in Seattle. A place that has become baseball purgatory for a lot of player in recent years. They do appear to be building something nice through multiple trades and good drafting. There is a lot of young talent and Felix Hernandez is pretty nice with his.

You can never, ever, ever go wrong with a shiny Willie Mays, now can you. I am pretty fond of this card, although when i was scanning it I noticed it didn’t fit within the 2.5×3.5 box. It was slightly bigger, what does that mean? Was Willie Mays on some delayed growth hormones that have miraculously affected his glossy cards? Sorry, that was weak. Mays is one of those guys that i wish i could have seen play in his prime…if only one game. He was a true legend of the game and a phenomenal talent. I would love to have the cash to collect his vintage cards, maybe one day when architects are paid what I think we are worth.