I had a crude grip on the pencil when I filled in these squares-- High up the neck and held too tightly, The hexagon imprinting Lines on my fingers That would remain there for hours. This was the sixth and final series and summer was over-- Second grade had started, and I imagine That white-haired [...]
[Editor's Note: The Card of the Week fact-checking team is unavailable this week, suffering as they are from collective nervous exhaustion brought on by Card of the Week's consistently tenuous grasp of the very facts that they are sworn to uphold. As a result, we cannot vouch for the complete accuracy of this week's installment.] [...]
It's reasonable to expect that the Mets will retire Mike Piazza's 31 this year. It's equally reasonable to expect that they'll handle the announcement in their patented tone-deaf manner, timed so that any reasonable cynic could mark it as compensation for a lost free agent or a lost season. But never mind that-- the bottom [...]
As I sit here writing this on January 1, my head still sore from all that stiff pink Topps gum I shoved in my mouth in the midst of last night's revelry, I am overcome by the sincere desire to be a better baseball-card collector in the coming year. So to that end, here are [...]
The following video is rated TV-JB, for scenes of explicit Jason Bay. Viewer discretion is advised. Bonus fun drinking game: Take a shot each time I use the phrase "We have"... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgyWPUTcYbM
June 30, 1962. In San Pedro de Macoris, a shortstop was born. Of course, the birth of a shortstop was essentially a daily occurrence in San Pedro de Macoris back in the day, so allow me to be a bit more specific: future Mets shortstop Tony Fernandez was born. I Can't Stop Loving You by [...]
It's hot-stove time here at Card of the Week, and now's the chance for you to do some winter wheeling and dealing of your own. Here's the offer on the table: be the first to identify this old-timer with the Astro Boy do and I will send you an assortment of Mets cards to fill [...]
2015 TOPPS CHROME UPDATE YOENIS CESPEDES Last week's meditation on Mike Piazza's brief time in Miami was sparked when I pulled this pulsating piece of chrome out of a box from the local Target. Yoenis Cespedes' lifespan with the Mets will probably amount to 57 regular-season games and the length and breadth of the 2015 [...]
1998 LEAF ROOKIES & STARS MIKE PIAZZA Sometimes I'm sure it was a hallucination. The idea that Mike Piazza's road from Los Angeles to New York included a week in Miami playing for the Florida Marlins just seems surreal. But fortunately a number of card companies were on hand to capture this mid-1998 madness. Among [...]
INTERVIEW WITH JEFF GROSE: PART 2 Last week in this space we featured part 1 of our discussion with Jeff Grose. We heard about his early days with the Mets, Spring Training memories, and the onset of arm troubles. We wrap up today with his recollections of some of his teammates, the emotional end of [...]
INTERVIEW WITH JEFF GROSE: PART 1 Back in November of 2014, Card of the Week's Mystery Met episode 9 featured a fresh-faced '70s prospect named Jeff Grose. The internet being the strange and magical thing that it is, the piece made its way back to Grose, who left a quick note in the comments section. [...]
1971 TOPPS DEAN CHANCE Wait, no one told me that Dean Chance had died. It happened back on October 11 apparently, and granted, we've all been pretty busy around here, what with the playoffs and World Series and heartbreak and stuff. But Chance deserves a moment of recognition, and not just for the fact that [...]