6 Months

    Today is the day Don Cardwell turns six months old. I must say, I never thought that the blog would last even this long, but here we are, alive and well.

    

    I used to think that all card blogs were the same; stuffy and boring, with the same old routine of showing off what you don't have. But I was eventually drawn in, and once I gave it a try I found that card-blogging couldn't be more different than I had originally thought. I found that in reading card blogs you see pieces of baseball history in the form of cardboard. You encounter the interesting lives of every individual blogger. It takes you for a ride. That's why I can't leave it just yet. 

    I've said this numerous times already, but all the fellow bloggers have been so kind. The atmosphere truly is amazing. 

    I've made a few trades among my neighbor bloggers, as well as gotten advice on requesting autographs. I've done a contest. I've gotten some really insightful and some really funny comments. I go back to them and read them regularly. 

    My friend was the one who commented 'DANCE' on my last post. He was sitting next to me at the Rangers game a couple days ago and wanted me to jump up and dance, so he pulled up the blog and commented. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!!

    I'm a happy member of the card-blogging community. Though I haven't been commenting around as much these last couple months, I have still been reading your blogs. I am now actively following fifteen card blogs, and reading a few more that I haven't yet been able to follow. 

    To put it simply, it's been a wonderful six month experience. I've changed my initial plans and now aim to have Don Cardwell around for a long time. We'll see how it goes. But for now, have a great day, happy collecting, and thanks for all the support!

Cars in Indiana

     Gee whiz, this was a while ago by now. About two weeks ago I went to an indy-ball game with the family. Usually when you go to one of these, you can get away with at least a few autographs. Well, this particular time I ended up with two.

    One of these autographs is from a 25-year old relief pitcher named Tanner Riley, who has a 17.47 ERA this season. He signed my old raggedy baseball glove that I got when I was eight years old. Yeah, I've had it for a while now.

    The other auto that I got was one that I've been waiting for for about two years. I finally found Curtis Terry, who's actively playing for the Lake Country DockHounds. 

    

    Terry played part of a season with the Texas Rangers in 2021, which didn't really go all too well. He went 4-for-45 (.089) at the dish in his 13 big-league games. But on the bright side, he did hit two doubles. He was really good in the minors before coming up, slugging well over .500. While playing for the independent league, Curtis has a batting average below .230, but the slug is still there.

    It was really nice to get the autograph of a former major leaguer, especially one whom I have the rookie card of. He was really nice when I talked to him briefly (more of just a 'Hi, will you sign this?'), and I'm glad to finally rest knowing I got what I came for.

    Y'all have a great weekend, and happy collecting!

What to Look Forward To

     Well, to put it bluntly, the All-Star Break begins tomorrow. The actual All-Star Game is to be played on July 16th, at Globe Life Field, home of the 2023 World Champion Texas Rangers.

    While my campaign failed to bear much fruit since Jose Altuve won the starting second base role for the AL All-Stars, Marcus Semien will be starting the game anyway. It appears that Altuve will miss the game while nursing a sore hand.

    While both of the All-Star teams look really good this year (with the exceptions of a few positions), there are a few players that I am dissapointed are left out.

    I'm gonna ignore the fact that Brenton Doyle has been one of the best hitters on one of my fantasy teams since I picked him up on waivers, and head straight to the stats. Doyle is batting .276 with 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases across his 92 games this season, and is playing beyond stellar defense in center field. Why he's not an All-Star, I don't think I'll ever know.

    Trevor Megill (with the Brewers) has been ridiculously good as closer in place of the injured Devin Williams. Megill has pitched to a 2.05 ERA in his 32 appearances. He has also acquired 18 saves, 10.9 K/9, and only 2.1 BB/9. I honestly haven't the slightest idea why he's not an All-Star.

    Justin Steele has been absolutely electric across his 14 starts this season. In his 86 1/3 innings pitched, Steele has a 2.71 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 5.2% walk rate. However, his record stands at only 2-3 on the season, quite possibly the reason he's not in.

    I regret to inform all Cardinals fans that Tyler O'Neill is no longer on the team. He has, however, been raking with the Red Sox, batting .252 with 16 homers in only 68 games. Sure, the AL has a lot of good outfielders on their side. That's a definite fact. However, I would think there should be room for O'Neill on the team.

    Of course I mention Corey Seager. This is because he's batting .270 with 18 home runs in his 82 games this first half. He has also been very good in the field. And with the actual game being played in his home field, I would've thought he'd get more support.

    Though he struggled mightily his first two seasons in the Bigs (.191 batting average), Josh Smith has excelled this season in place of Josh Smith (who has a fractured wrist), batting at a nice .293 mark and reaching base at a wonderful .394 mark. He's also mashed 19 doubles and 10 home runs, while fielding like a Gold Glover at third base.

    I know that there are more snubs out there, but I'll stop with these six. I suppose it's possible that these players could get in as replacements, but I would highly doubt it by now, since the last games before the break have just finished up.

    Now then, my second order of business. Starting for the National League in the All-Star Game is the hot rookie prospect Paul Skenes. 

    Skenes has been amazing in his 11 major league starts. The Pirate has a 6-0 record and 1.90 ERA, while striking out 12.1 batters per nine innings and walking only 1.8. While 11 starts isn't a lot, the young Skenes has really earned the role as starter.

    The American League has yet to choose their starter, although I can imagine that Tarik Skubal will get the ball, with his 10-3 record, league-leading 2.41 ERA, and 10.9 K/9. He is also leading the league in Winning Percentage (.769) and WHIP (.088).

    This season proves to have an interesting All-Star Game, and I will definitely make sure to see it. Please tell me in the comments which talents you think were left out of the Midsummer Classic, and I hope y'all can get a chance to catch some of the game. As always, thanks for reading, happy collecting, and have an amazing start to your week!

The Rifleman

    I haven't posted in a week. I've been out of town, busy with family, and struggling with computer issues; the usual, I guess. Anyway, I threw this draft together a while ago, but never thought to post it. It wasn't that good. But since It's already prepared and I have nothing else to go with, well, here we are. 

    Here's something cool; I saw The Rifleman a little while back. In case you didn't know, it's a western TV show that aired from 1958-1963. A little but before my time, but MeTV is always playing those older shows in the mornings, so I'll check them out sometime. 

    Anyway, I found the lead actor really interesting. After doing my research, I figured out that he played briefly in the majors in 1949 and 1951. His name is Chuck Connors, and his nickname was, of course, the Rifleman.

    

    Here's an interesting fact; Chuck Connors is named Kevin Joseph Aloysius, not Chuck. This explains why the baseball card reads 'K. Connors.' This caught me off-guard at first, since I thought this was an entirely different person. He played first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers and then the Chicago Cubs, and in 67 games hit .238.

    Connors also played professional basketball from 1947-1948 for the Boston Celtics. I know nothing about basketball, but his Basketball Reference page says his position was as a Forward/Center.

    Since I couldn't find a basketball card of him anywhere, I'll just shoot for him in a cowboy hat from his acting days.

    Besides The Rifleman, Chuck Connors acted in quite a few other movies and television shows, but the only one I've seen is The Rifleman. He is one of fourteen people to play both MLB baseball and NBA basketball. The biggest name from baseball who played both was probablty Dick Groat, who played NBA in 1953.

Fourth of July

    Happy Independence Day!

    Let's hope that nobody encounters any aliens or accidentally burns their house down with an errant firework.

    Ah yes, on this day in 1776 our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and made the USA an independent country. During the baseball games today, the teams wear special hats to commemorate the event.

    If you wanna see something cool, quit reading this blog and take a look at the Fourth of July post from Wrigley Wax. If you wanna see me be a wise-guy, well then you can stay here. I'll give you a minute to check out that Wrigley Wax post.

    Now then, let's cheer for the Red, White and Blue!

    Well, I suppose the Rangers get the colors because of the colors of Texas. We can root for America as well.

    Have a great Independence Day y'all! I'll leave you all alone now so you can get back to your day. But, as always, thank you for reading and happy collecting!

Help the Cause

     Starting this Sunday, I believe at 11:00 Central time, voting for the starting positions of the 2024 MLB All-Star game starts.

    Why do I care? I mean, I didn't even vote for the all-stars on the initial ballot (though I did fill one out). Well, you see, the starting second base role is going to be vied for by these two gentlemen:

                             vs.                   

    So I ask; will you please spare a vote to Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien? The All-Star Game is going to be held in Globe Life Field, home of the Rangers, so wouldn't it suck if an Astro started there instead of a Ranger? I'm very glad that Jared Sandler brought this to light yesterday as I listened to the game (Not glad about the actual game though, as we lost 11-2 😭).

    While Altuve has an offensive edge thus far (.303/.350/.462), Semien has been huge defensively. His bat has struggled as of late, but hey, slumps happen. And why would we want the starting second baseman of our rival team starting in our home park? Your guess is as good as mine. 

    The cheapest tickets available in the nosebleeds cost $230. Just saying. I would love to treat those Rangers fans who are going (not me, unfortunately) to their starting second baseman.

    And so I urge you, please cast your vote in favor of the Rangers second baseman. Unfortunately, Corey Seager had to compete with both Gunnar Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr, so he won't be starting in the All-Star game. Please vote to start at least one Ranger (I think Semien's the only one in contention to start).

    In the first ballot, Altuve received more votes than Semien. Hopefully, as a fighting force, we can reverse the trends and get Marcus in there. 

    To vote (this Sunday), see mlb.com/vote or rangers.com/vote

    Well, this was actually kind of fun to write, even though it was very sloppy and fun wasn't necessarily the point of the post. But it will be fun to see Marcus. See you all next time and, as always, happy collecting.

Thinking out Loud....

    I'm going to be headed upstate on Friday to a sibling's baseball tournament with the rest of my family, so that's nice, but I'll have less access to the blog.

    Now then, where was I? Oh yes. I was thinking to myself earlier today. While this isn't a particularly peculiar thing for me to do, what I thought of I wanted to share in complex fashion today. Well, here we go. Buckle up, especially if you don't agree with me.

    

    Josh Sborz. He's a relief pitcher on the Rangers. He struck out Ketel Marte looking to end the World Series in 2023. Simple facts. However, a few things came to mind while reliving this moment in my head about four hours ago. While a few of them I would love to go over, I'll go over the more indirect one that came up rather than the fact that the closer didn't close out the win!

    Josh Sborz had a 5.50 ERA in 2023 in 52 1/3 innings pitched. This is not good. I have long considered seasons like this among relievers bad. And yes, on the outside, and quite too often on the inside, they are. When your pitcher is just mediocre running on bad all year. I know what it's like. Anyway, in the postseason that magical year, Sborz pitched to an 0.75 ERA in twelve innings. This, obviously, is really good.

    Yes, I do like Josh Sborz, though he's not my favorite relief pitcher. More of a Jacob Latz guy myself. Wow, those two sentences sounded odd. I am currently working on filling out my favorite position players of 2024, but that's a post for a different day. 

    Anyway, Josh Sborz, like many relievers, gets really hot and looks like the best in the game, and then fizzles out and looks like the worst. Then he gets hot again, then he fails again. That'll happen sometimes. A bad outing really bloats the ERA of a reliever. A brilliant example of another reliever who suffers from this is another Josh, Hader.

What are you thinking? Maybe he just hit his all-time rival? I don't know.

    Although maybe not to the same degree.

    

    Anyway, if you take a look at every game Sborz pitched in 2023 (not that hard, only 44), you'd find that he was actually really good for most of the season, this meaning most of his appearanced. He had a few too many really bad outings across the whole of the 2023 season, especially on September fourth against the Astros, when he allowed 6 runs (5 earned) in two-thirds of an inning. What's the point I'm trying to make here again?

    It is this: ERA doesn't always define the season of a reliever. For the most part, Sborz was clutch in 2023. Even though Josh Hader was miserably bad in 2022, his postseason performance was really good. It's easier to see this when you work with the pitcher (well, I would think, I mean I've never coached a major league pitcher) because you see what he has and how he feels. It just goes to show that maybe not all the stats on paper suggest how good or bad somebody is. I use the example of Josh Sborz because the radio only gets Rangers games so I listened to him a lot. He also closed out the clinching World Series game, so that helped too. There are better pitchers out there to show this. I'm not sure this was the best way to get the point across, but at the time I thought it about Sborz; about how most of the time he was good, sometimes even untouchable, but then the bad outings came back to bite his ERA. Again, probably not the best example or explanation, but y'all get what I'm saying.

    So, there you go. Please tell me in the comments what you think of my point of view.

    And as for you, Josh Sborz can thank me next time I catch a Rangers game and he pitches. Over and out. 

    Oh, by the way, a friend asked me where the best place to get cards graded is. I don't grade cards (although there's this one patch card that looks really valuable......) so I don't know which companies are the best. If any of you have a favorite, please let me know. Thanks, and as always, happy collecting!