Wow...what a pull

     I hit the LCS a few weeks ago and picked up some goodies....unfortunately, if I try to mash all the cards I got into one post it would never get done. So I'll split them up into two or three shorter posts.

    Today's post will feature the packs I got. There were three such packs, containing a total of 73 cards.

    I also received a couple packs for my birthday, which wasn't long ago, and the contents of those will be shown off at the end of this post. There was quite the hit in one of these packs, but you'll have to be left hanging until the very end.  

    Coming first is a couple packs of 2025 Topps Stadium Club. These packs were four bucks for five cards. 80 cents per card doesn't thrill me, of course. I meant to grab one pack, but accidentally picked up two, and based on the scenario, I felt a little too silly to put one back. Yeah I know, I have social issues 
:(

    The first thought that came across my mind when I saw these cards was 'Holy smokes the photo quality on these bad boys is crisp.' 

    

    Even though $8 is a lot for these cards, I can't really complain. The Posey was a nice pull, along with the Chase Petty Sepia Parallel (never heard of that parallel before) and Schwellenbach insert. That Gerrit Cole card has a really nice picture as well.

    I actually found this pack while walking out of the store. There was a stack of cards from the LOTR card game, and the initial one I found was the 'Pippin Deck.' Then I saw this one, and if any of you have read my LOTR blog, you would know that I had to go with the Aragorn deck from The Two Towers. Unfortunately the price tag is covering our beloved Ranger's face.

    The 63-card starter deck is from the discontinued Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game (known simply as LOTR TCG) started in 2001. Apparently the goal of the game is to compete with your opponent to try and destroy the One Ring. Your opponent tries to stop you, either by killing your Fellowship or corrupting them. It's a pretty dark but also super cool concept.

   

    Now that I know that this game is discontinued, I wish that I had gotten all the decks while I had the chance. At $12-14 each it would come at a bit of a price, but not one I'd be unwilling to pay. Well, I should be able to hit up the LCS soon enough and see if there are any decks left.

    If you'd like to see what this Aragorn deck contains, I'm planning to open it up sometime soon on my LOTR blog, He's Known as Strider. Stay tuned for that post if you're interested.

    That does it for the three packs I bought, However, I did receive two birthday packs, which I will show off presently.

    The first such pack contained 14 cards from 2025 Topps Allen & Ginter. A&G seems a bit like a novelty design to me, and I enjoy ripping a pack every now and then.

    So you see we got some interesting stuff here. The little Matt Olson card is pretty cool. That Jack Morris insert looks like a Halloween advertisement.

    The last birthday pack I received was a 2026 Topps Fat Pack. Unfortunately, I seemed to have misplaced the bag the pack was in (though I know I would have put it in a safe place, don't you worry), except for that pull I mentioned at the start of the post. And without further ado, here it is:

    Few things are more exhilerating than pulling a sweet card from a fat pack. This was one of my better pulls over the years, as I'm a pretty big Matt Shaw fan. This card will find a home in the case of my 'prized' cards.

Marv is such a funny character lol

    That'll do it for the latest pack-pulled additions from the local card shop. Make sure to stay tuned for my next post, where I'll be celebrating a blogging milestone almost two and a half years in the making. Until then, thank you for reading the blog, have a great weekend, and happy collecting!

Rescued from THE BOX - Ep. 6

     I hadn't had an encounter with THE BOX in a month and a half. I had kinda forgotten about its existence. And then last night it reared its ugly cardboard face once again.

    I went to open a drawer and it would hardly budge. I stuck my hand in the small opening and pushed down the binder that was blocking it from opening completely. 

    When the drawer opened I was shocked to see THE BOX leap out at me. Using my lightning-fast reflexes, I ducked out of the way as THE BOX came crashing into the wall. Getting that fixed is going to be expensive.

    I think THE BOX must have sensed that the rectangular hole in the wall peeved me, because it changed its tactics, and instead of attacking me it destroyed my personal property. Not cool bud.

    I watched in horror as THE BOX jumped onto my shelves and knocked over all my autographed baseballs and bobbleheads. Thankfully none of them were damaged, but it was still pretty rude. 

    As I was pondering how it's possible that I got stuck with the evil sentient box, it made another move, knocking all my lego sets that I had since I was a child onto the floor. Growing up with numerous siblings, I was surprised they lasted that long anyway, but my years of hard work preserving them was in serious danger. 

    Once THE BOX turned to my library is when I got particularly mad (library meaning a shelf of books). I was gonna maybe possibly read some of those books some day. 

    I lunged at THE BOX. It wasn't ready for my attack; I suppose boxes think they can destroy personal property without any consequence. Ain't no way.

    Being a human being, superior to a box, and especially since I had caught it by surprise, it wasn't much of a fight. 

    When the cops showed up to take THE BOX away, I was able to grab a single card from its disgustingly unbrushed maw. 

    As the police lights faded into the distance, I looked down at the card I rescued. I was surprised to see the face of....

    ...Ali Kazemaini?

    Let me be perfectly honest here. I've never heard of this guy in my life before. But this is why I enjoy freeing cards from THE BOX so much. Let's learn about Mr. Kazemaini, shall we?

    This card, from the 1987-88 design of the Pacific Trading Card Company, is a 'premier issue.' From looking at the front of this card, I would have guessed it was from the early 2000s. I guess I'm not very smart when it comes to soccer.

    

    Looking at his Wikipedia article, I found that Kazemaini was drafted in two soccer leagues, but ended up going with the Cleveland Force of the Major Indoor Soccer League (so that's where the MISL on the set's TCDB page comes from). He won the rookie of the year in the 1984-1985 season. Unfortunately for Kazemaini, his team folded after the 1987-88 season, so he went to play with the Tacoma Stars. Interesting, this card is from the last year the Force had a team. It's a shame to see teams fold like that. As a matter of fact, there were two professional teams I've been to games for that have folded within the last seven years.

    After his playing career, Kazemaini was the head soccer coach at John Carroll University in Ohio, a position he held for 14 years. He was extremely successful there, posting a record of 177-61-13 and winning seven Ohio Athletic Conference regular season titles and four postseason titles. 

    You know something? I still don't really know the rules of soccer. 

    Nonetheless, it was cool to discover Ali Kazemaini's card and rescue it from THE BOX's evil clutches. Other than the occasional hockey post I don't really talk about many sports other than baseball on the blog, so thanks for that Mr. Kazemaini. 

    As I close out this post, I realize that with THE BOX rotting in prison I will be unable to free any more cards. I'd best get on over to the police station and see if I can work something out. While I'm away, make sure to enjoy the rest of your week, and happy collecting! Thanks for checking out the blog.

A Quickie About My Favorite Prospect

    Coming into this season, it seems that a lot of people I know had a favorite prospect; JR Ritchie and Konnor Griffin were popular among my family members. My choice was Colt Emerson.

    It seems a little bit counter-intuitive since he's on a rival squad, but to be honest it doesn't really matter to me. Aside from being a man (hardly, he's 20 years old) of strong faith and a seemingly all-around good guy, Emerson is just a fun player to watch.

    I've been following Emerson for a while and was stoked when he made his MLB debut in mid-May. And he's done pretty well for himself in the big leagues too; (stats)

    I was pleasantly surprised to find the above card of Colt Emerson while at the LCS. I picked it up immediately and am very glad to add it to my collection. I'm excited to see what this kid can do the rest of this season. Who knows, maybe we have a great career in the making...

Life

    Life is a blessing. I would advise you not to take it for granted.

    That being said, life is a little bit crazy at the moment. It's been way too long since I've posted on the blog, and that saddens me. In fact, it is exactly one month since my last post.

    I got a new job that is taking up a good deal of my time. Aside from that I have made some commitments to family and friends, which is also taking up a lot of my time and energy. I could use an extra cup of coffee every now and then (where are ya at, Matt?). I go to bed tired every night.

Pauses to reflect on the logic of that last sentence lol

    As wild as my life has been the last few weeks, I wouldn't change it for a thing. However, I don't want to leave Don Cardwell here to rot. I'm afraid I haven't thought of it very much the last month. 

    For the forseeable future I think the posts on the blog are going to be a little bit on the shorter end (a handful of cards I picked up recently, Rescued from THE BOX posts, etc.) but that's fine. Hopefully I can hit up the LCS in the coming weeks and make a post out of that. In fact, I still have some cards waiting to go on the blog from my last trip, but I haven't had the time to work on that lately.

    Anyway, that's the update. I've gone awhile without posting on the blog before, but I don't really like doing it. I'll make sure to get a post out this week (with Memorial Day I get an extra day off work).

    Thanks for stopping by, have a great rest of the day, and happy collecting!

    Edit: My blog hit 100,000 views between posts, which is pretty cool. Thank you to all the readers who made reaching that milestone possible!

THIS IS SERIOUS NOW

     There's been a lot on my plate lately (pun intended), so posting has come either short or slowly. I'm hoping to get another post out soon with some LCS grabs, but in the meantime I would like to share what I found out this evening.

    I was rooting for the Rockies while watching the play-by-play on MLB gameday (it's a long story, but I almost always root for Colorado). When they scored their first run, the on-screen scoreboard lit up saying '6 more runs until we get tacos!' with the Taco Bell logo.

    I did something I probably shouldn't have done - in that I went to BR and typed in Taco Bell. AND I FOUND THIS: 

   This gave me a good ol' laugh. But at the same time, I wanted to know why he was gifted with one of the greatest nicknames on the planet.

    Apparently it comes from the 2007 World Series, when Ellsbury stole a base, therefore stealing a taco. As somebody who doesn't frequent Taco Bell, I never make use of this promotion, though I still find it entertaining. I wish more players had fun nicknames.

    

    And in the end the Rockies defeated the Mets 4-3, if anybody's wondering.

    Anyway, this was a fun ten minutes of my life, definitely well-spent. I'll make sure and get that LCS post up within the week. Until then, thanks for checking out the daily dose of nonsense, have a wonderful weekend, and happy collecting! 

Drew Gilbert in 200 Words

     Drew Gilbert was born on September 27th, 2000 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He played baseball at the University of Tennessee and was drafted by the Astros in the first round of the 2022 June Amateur Draft. Gilbert has a reputation as a goofball, which showed itself when he made his MLB debut with the Giants last season. In fact, he nicknamed himself "Chilly Goo Bear," which I find is one of the more interesting MLB nicknames in recent memory. His goofiness is combined with an energy on the field that makes him a fun young player to watch. I hope his teammates feel the same way....The outfielder showed potential in the minor leagues, and was the #53 prospect coming into the 2024 season, according to MLB. And while his short debut season of 2025 was underwhelming, he impressed enough in Triple-A early this season to merit another chance in the big leagues, reunited with his coach from Tennessee, Tony Vitello. Gilbert hit his first home run of the season yesterday against the Nationals. I hope he can contribute both offensively and in the field for a struggling Giants team and be an effective and fun addition to the lineup.

Anybody up for a challenge?

     By a challenge I mean another bracket challenge. The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin tomorrow at 2:00 PM CT, and I'll be doing another contest-like bracket such as the football bracket Fuji won a few months ago. 

    Unfortunately, my LCS didn't stock packs of hockey cards this year, so I have no choice but to offer a pack of 2026 Topps baseball to the winner of this one. I dunno, maybe that'll be more appreciated.

    Sadly, my San Jose Sharks will not be participating in the playoffs. But don't you worry, we'll be there next year. It stinks, I was fully ready to predict them winning it all 🤣

    Anyway, you can click here to join: ESPN Playoff Hockey Challenge

    The password to enter is: GoSharks
    (haha, now you have to say it)
    
    Again, I don't have very creative names for my brackets lol

    Also, I apologize if any other bloggers do this for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I promise I'm not trying to steal your idea!!

    Thanks for checking out the blog today, have a great rest of the week (one more day until the weekend!!), and happy collecting!

Rescued from THE BOX - Ep. 5

     THE BOX had been quiet for some time now. I was beginning to fear that the rest of the cards it held captive would never be feared. But THE BOX proved me wrong when it showed its ugly face again.

    By the looks of that Dean Palmer card THE BOX had trapped in a prison of packaging tape, I knew something needed to be done.

    I sprung into action. Being a human, my body is much more capable of taking hits than a cardboard box. I'm surprised THE BOX hasn't figured this out yet. Every time we have a showdown, it puts up less and less of a fight. I escaped this one with little more than a few scratches.

    Unfortunately for Dean Palmer, I was unable to free him from THE BOX's evil clutches. However, I was able to liberate one of his friends in......

    2004 Fleer Platinum Jose Vidro!

    I kinda like this card design. It's nice and simple, and the colors go well with Vidro's Expos. This is quite possibly the newest set that THE BOX contained. Interestingly, this was the last year of the Montreal Expos; they became the Washington Nationals for the 2005 season.

    By the looks of the picture, Jose Vidro is about to do something pretty cool on the field. The second baseman had a very successful playing career which spanned from 1997-2008. During that time he acquired 1524 hits, 128 home runs, and 720 runs while batting .298 in 1418 games. Vidro was a three-time all star in 2000, 2002 and 2003. 

    After his retirement, Vidro has not been publicly active in the sport of baseball. In fact, I couldn't find much else about him aside from his playing career. If anybody knows anything about him, feel free to share.

    Though I don't know too much about Jose Vidro, I enjoyed freeing his card from THE BOX. It was cool to learn about his playing career; I had never heard of him before finding this card, and he was quite a talented player. It just goes to show what you can find out when you free some cards you haven't seen in a long time.

    Thanks for checking out the blog today, have a great rest of the week, and happy collecting!

Not Quite Electrocuted + More Late Night Thinking

    It's been longer than anticipated since my last post. Alas, my PC (not personal collection lol) threw a little fit last week and would not work. For a little bit I thought I would need to get a new computer, which I wasn't looking forward to.

    I finally got my computer up and running again a few days ago. I hope to post again with some cards within the week. Fingers crossed my computer keeps working - I've only had it for a couple years.

    And now for the second part of this post. Last night I had the wonderful idea to start a new blogging project. I know what you must (probably not) be thinking: "If this guy doesn't post too often on his main blog, what on earth is he doing making side projects?"

    To that I offer this answer: I don't know. 

    Anyhoo, I've added a new blog for a different card-related idea that I thought would make more sense than adding to Don Cardwell. This blog will still get priority of course; in fact, I'm only planning on posting like a half dozen times a year on the other one.

    As I read back what my brain has drooled onto my keyboard, I'm beginning to think maybe this wasn't such a good idea.....but I already made it, so no going back. This'll be fun.

    Click this link to see the new blog

     Anyway, I'm glad to get something up here for the first time in almost two weeks now. Thanks for stopping by, have a great week, and happy collecting!

April Fool's!

     Today is a wondrous day where all the jokesters of the world get to act as jovial as they please without need to take responsibility, unless they commit a crime.

    Perhaps the worst statement I've ever made on the blog....don't listen to my advice.

    Aaaaanyway....

    Pranks are something I hold dear to my heart - especially when I was the pranker or got to witness one.

    I remember one prank I pulled when I was a kid. I reckon the only reason I still remember it is because my victim has mentioned it many times over the years.

    I offered to get a glass of milk for my younger brother. Unbeknownst to him, the milk was accompanied by a large amount of mayonnaise which I mixed into his drink. When he took a sip........I GOT 'EM!

    Man, those were good times.

    Being the pranker is usually more fun than the victim. I've been the target of many a chair pulled away over the years. Right before you hit the ground you wonder what went wrong in your life. It's a little bit humbling. 

    

    A quick google search of 'best pranks in mlb history' revealed a great article from MLB on some of the league's best prankers.

    One that especially caught my attention occurred in 2008, when the Phillies convinced pitcher Kyle Kendrick that he was traded to a team in Japan. Even Kendrick's agent was in on it!

    That may be not only the greatest prank in MLB history, but perhaps the greatest prank I've ever heard of. 

    

    Have y'all played a really good prank (or been the victim of one) that you would like to share?

    Thanks for checking out the blog, make sure to have a great rest of the week, and APRIL FOOL'S!!!

Final Draft Results!

     Last night was my third and final fantasy baseball draft. This league contains various friends of mine, and is the largest I'm playing in, at 14 guys. 

    I'll keep this as brief as I can, only mentioning the guys I drafted and adding little commentary. I don't want to take up any more of y'all's Sunday than I need to. 

    My team in this league is called The Select Travel Ball Team (pretty clever, right?), and I was lucky enough to get the third overall pick.

    The categories are a little bit different, as they include the following stats:

OFFENSE:
Runs
Hits
Home Runs
RBI
Stolen Bases
Total Bases
Errors Committed
Batting Average
OBP
Slugging Percentage
Extra Base Hits
Double Plays Turned

PITCHING:
Wins
Saves
Walks
Strikeouts
Wild Pitches
ERA
WHIP
K/BB
OBP Against
Winning Percentage
Save Percentage
Quality Starts

    There are 24 rounds to this draft, so without further ado, let's get down to who I picked.

    Round 1 (3rd Overall): Bobby Witt, Jr. (SS, KC)

    Round 2 (26th Overall): Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. (1B, TOR)

    Round 3 (31st Overall): Ketel Marte (2B, ARI)

    Round 4 (54th Overall): Riley Greene (OF, DET)

    Round 5 (59th Overall): Austin Riley (3B, ATL)

    Round 6 (82nd Overall): Joe Ryan (SP, MIN)

    Round 7 (87th Overall): Andres Munoz (RP, SEA)

    Round 8 (110th Overall): Oneil Cruz (OF, PIT)

    Round 9 (115th Overall): Devin Williams (RP, NYM)

    Round 10 (138th Overall): Brandon Woodruff (SP, MIL)

    Round 11 (143rd Overall): Michael King (SP, SD)

    Round 12 (166th Overall): Cade Horton (SP, CHC)

    Round 13 (171st Overall): Adley Rutschman (C, BAL)

    Round 14 (194th Overall): Trevor Megill (RP, MIL)

    Round 15 (199th Overall): Sal Stewart (1B, CIN)

    Round 16 (222nd Overall): Daylen Lile (OF, WSH)

    Round 17 (227th Overall): Ezequiel Tovar (SS, COL)

    Round 18 (250th Overall): Connelly Early (SP, BOS)

    Round 19 (255th Overall): Seranthony Dominguez (RP, CWS)

    Round 20 (278th Overall): Sal Frelick (OF, MIL)

    Round 21 (283rd Overall): Matt Shaw (3B, CHC)

    Round 22 (306th Overall): Chad Patrick (SP, MIL)

    Round 23 (311th Overall): Will Warren (SP, NYY)

    Round 24 (334th Overall): Brandon Sproat (SP, MIL)

OFFENSE:
C: Adley Rutschman
1B: Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.
2B: Ketel Marte
3B: Austin Riley
SS: Bobby Witt, Jr.
OF: Riley Greene 
OF: Oneil Cruz
OF: Daylen Lile
UTIL: Sal Stewart
BN: Ezequiel Tovar
BN: Matt Shaw
BN: Sal Frelick

GRADE: B+

What I like: Once again my infield is very strong. Getting Sal Frelick was big too because Cruz is often benched against southpaws. Tovar can play utility if Sal Stewart is less than he was hyped up to be. For a 14-team league I think I drafted very well. 

What I dislike: I kind of neglected my outfield again, though this time I don't find it necessarily a liability. Oneil Cruz is a high-risk, high-reward kind of guy. His steals are a plus, but I hope he can hit like he did in 2024.

ROTATION:
SP: Joe Ryan
SP: Brandon Woodruff
SP: Michael King
SP: Cade Horton
SP: Connelly Early
SP: Chad Patrick
SP: Will Warren
SP: Brandon Sproat

Grade: B

What I like: My top four is very solid, and my bottom four is going to be just fine. I drafted well considering the fact that I focused on batters in the early rounds.

What I dislike: Not much to dislike here. It's not a powerhouse staff (one of thee guys in this league stacked up on pitchers), but it's solid for sure. My main worry is injuries and perhaps a minor-league assignment.

BULLPEN:
RP: Andres Munoz
RP: Devin Williams
RP: Trevor Megill
RP: Seranthony Dominguez

Grade: A+

What I like: This isn't a holds league, and with 14 teams, four good closers will win me almost every week

What I dislike: Nothing to dislike here

OVERALL GRADE: B+

    This is a good team. Once again, my final draft of the year is my best one. This is a team that's going to have a good shot at winning the championship, barring any significant injuries. 

    Thanks for checking out the blog! I'll have cards next time. Until then, enjoy the rest of your weekend, and happy collecting!

Ranger Recap - Opening Day

This recap is coming a little bit later than I would have liked, but I was out all day today 

    Yesterday the Rangers began their season against the Phillies of Philadelphia. Facing Christopher Sanchez, it was going to be a tough game.

    Nathan Eovaldi, Big Game Nate, took the hill for Texas, and though he didn't fair as poorly as Paul Skenes, he still got a bit roughed up, allowing five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings, striking out seven and walking zero. Home runs by Kyle Schwarber and Alec Bohm did Nate in, and rookie outfielder Justin Crawford had an impressive debut as well, scoring up a couple of hits and a run.

    The Ranger offense struggled just as much as they did all of last season, as they failed to get any runs on the board until the ninth inning, when a monster Jake Burger home run put the score to 5-2. Danny Jansen, our new catcher, would also single to bring the score to 5-3, but that's the best the team could do as they were ultimately defeated by the Phils. 

    Evan Carter was not in the starting nine, but he pinch-hit for Sam Haggerty. Carter went 0-for-2, but did not strike out, which I suppose is good. Hopefully he'll be in the starting lineup for Texas's next matchup.

    So we've fallen to 0-1 just like we did last year. There are still 161 games to go, but every game is important. I hope they can make it back into the playoffs this year and potentially make a run.

    Thanks for checking out the blog. Have a great weekend, and happy collecting!

This Card Holds Sentimental Value

    When I was fairly new to card collecting, I found this 1972 Topps Tony Perez taped to the top of a box at the card store I frequented at the time. I remember thinking that the card seemed so old to me because at the time I owned almost exclusively modern cards (for reference, I really started collecting in the 2010s). Since then I've added plenty of cards older than this one to my collection, but this was the oldest in my collection at the time.

    It had been beaten up pretty badly, as you can see. When I first removed it from the tape, the middle of the card was so creased I was in danger of accidentally folding it in half. It could probably tear in half easily as well, but I'm not about to try it.

    I had this card in my possession for a long time, but eventually misplaced it a little while ago. This was a bit frustrating because of the sentimental value it held for me. I just recently found it in its top loader, in a plastic box hiding in a drawer. Thankfully, it wasn't any more damaged than it was when it first came to me.

    1972 Topps was a pretty solid design. I like the little bits of trivia one can find if he looks on the back of a baseball card; though  I have a very bad history when it comes to getting the answers right.

    The 1972 OPC card of Tony Perez is almost identical to this one. Here's a comparison (images courtesy of TCDB):

    I had to double-check the back of the card to make sure it was the Topps version and not O-Pee-Chee. 

    My friend enlightened me on why the cards look so similar: OPC reprinted cards for Canada. I didn't know that. Cool.

    Well, that's all I got for today. Thanks for checking out the blog, have a great week, and happy collecting!

The Mouth Agape PC

     I love those baseball cards featuring players with their mouths open so wide it looks like you can stuff a triple cheeseburger into their maw. I have many such cards, some of which happen to be sitting on my desk right now.

    These cards are extremely easy to come by. For example:

2023 Topps #9

    The wide-open mouth and flailing hair make this one of my all-time favorite mouth-agape cards.

    This gives me a wonderful idea. Whenever I hit the LCS I want to find a single card of a player with his mouth agape and add it to my new Mouth Agape PC. I've set a few rules for myself to make the game a little bit more challenging:

    1) It must not be a base card
    2) If possible, I must find a different player every time

    Granted, I don't hit up the LCS too often these days (sadly), but whenever I do I hope to grab one of these cards for the new PC. I'd like to see how long this PC will continue and how many different players I'll add to it. We'll see how this goes down, but I hope to have a good deal of fun doing it.

    

    Also: From my Two Truths and a Lie post on Tuesday, the lie was for Adael Amador. He stole his first base off of Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante, not Andrew Kittredge. Thanks to everybody who played the initial game of Two Truths and a Lie. That's a bit I'd hope to continue.

    Thanks for checking out the blog today, have a great weekend (we're almost there!), and happy collecting!

Two Truths and a Lie: Baseball Card Edition

     I'm a night owl for sure (not to be confused with Night Owl, lol). All my best thinking happens late at night. For example, I've been working for awhile now on a creative writing project, and most of my best writing occurs between 10:00 and 11:30 at night.

    Anyway, the idea of doing two truths and a lie with baseball cards came to me at 11:09 a few Tuesdays ago (I know because I started writing this post then). The thought of playing a game and using baseball cards in a post appealed to me.

    Here's how I envision this going down. I'm going to pick three cards, and show them off on the blog. They may be chosen randomly, but more often than not I'll use players of the same position. Then, I'll take the player from each card and give some form trivia about him (injuries, college stats, children, etc.). However, for one of the players I'm going to be a filthy liar. Some of these facts may be super obvious, and some not so much. I really don't know. Bonus points to those who don't look it up online.

    At any rate, I should know pretty soon whether or not this is a good idea. So without further ado, let's begin our first game of Two Truths and a Lie. Get your detective hats ready, folks, cuz here we go!

    

    For today's game of Two Truths and a Lie, I've selected three second baseman from the Topps flagship sets of 2023, 2024, and 2025. The topic for today is major league firsts. Here they are:

2023 Topps #56

        Jermaine Palacios made his first career double play in June of 2022 on a ground ball hit by Spencer Torkelson. He was playing shortstop at the time.

2024 Topps #177

    Jonathan India gets hit by a lot of pitches. The first time he was ever hit was in his second-career major league game, when Jake Woodford hit the second baseman in the bottom of the fourth inning.

2025 Topps #191

    Adael Amador stole the first base of his career in a 2024 game in June off of Cardinals pitcher Andrew Kittredge.

    I realize that this may have been pretty difficult. If I continue making these posts I'll get a feel of how hard to make them. Nonetheless, good luck on guessing which player I lied about! I will announce on my next post which was the lie.

    Please let me know if you liked this idea and if you would like to continue seeing Two Truths and a Lie on the blog. Have a great week, thanks for stopping by, and happy collecting!

MORE DRAFT RESULTS!

     One fantasy team down, two to go. Three leagues is too many, I'm telling you. But I'll live; I just might not spend as much time on each of them. 

**Disclaimer - Stick around to the end of the post for an exciting announcement**

    This fantasy league includes some siblings and their friends. It is a twelve-team holds league with 26 roster spots. Those holds leagues man! I don't know what to think of them.

    I've got another inside joke for a team name, and one I am not proud of. I'll probably change it very soon, but I was convinced to name my team.....this.

    I kind of don't like to admit that I know enough about Spongebob to use this as a joke...but I was asked to do it, so I did.

    Anyway, the name isn't the point; I'll change my team name sometimes, and will almost certainly be changing this one.

    Anyhow, I'm here to recap my team's 26 picks. I got the 8th pick out of twelve, which isn't too good, but I made the best of it anyway.

Round 1 (8th overall): Jose Ramirez (3B, CLE)
    I want a big power-hitting third baseman, so drafting Jose Ramirez was great, especially since he steals bases as well

Round 2 (17th overall): Gunnar Henderson (SS, BAL)
    And now my shortstop position is filled

Round 3 (32nd overall): Matt Olson (1B, ATL)
    I would've liked Kurtzy or Vladdy or Harper, but Olson should definitely be pretty good

Round 4 (41st overall): Bryan Woo (SP, SEA)
    I drafted my first starter in the fourth round, like I usually plan on doing

Round 5 (56th overall): Jackson Merrill (OF, SD)
    Hehe I got Merrill again

Round 6 (65th overall): Austin Riley (3B, ATL)
    My utility spot is full now

Round 7 (80th overall): Nolan McLean (SP, NYM)
    This shows how much faith I have in McLean

Round 8 (89th overall): Devin Williams (RP, NYM)
    A few closers were taken right before my turn a couple rounds before, so I landed my first one in the eighth round

Round 9 (104th overall): Nico Hoerner (2B, CHC)
    I always like getting Nico :)

Round 10 (113th overall): Trey Yesavage (SP, TOR)
    I have a lot of faith in Yesavage, and was glad to get him in this league

Round 11 (128th overall): Michael King (SP, SD)
    That's a solid top-4 starting rotation right there

Round 12 (137th overall): Emilio Pagan (RP, CIN)
    I'm not sure how great Pagan will be, but the saves are certainly welcome

Round 13 (152nd overall): Lawrence Butler (OF, ATH)
    I've been forced to have a lot of faith in Butler, but I believe he can rebound this year

Round 14 (161st overall): Brenton Doyle (OF, COL)
    Not sure about Doyle, but he's hitting really well in spring and gets to play half his games in Coors

Round 15 (176th overall): Ivan Herrera (C, STL)

    Considering that I neglected drafting catchers, I think I got a solid one for the fifteenth round

Round 16 (185th overall): Ryan Walker (RP, SF)
    Closer numero tres

Round 17 (200th overall): Dylan Crews (OF, WSH)
    I started to panic at my lack of outfielders, so I hope Crews plays well

Round 18 (209th overall): Jac Caglianone (1B, OF, KC)
    Another product of my panic, but he's raking in spring, so we'll see

Round 19 (224th overall): Brandon Lowe (2B, PIT)
    I mostly got him as trade bait, but he should be a solid option

Round 20 (233rd overall): Shane Bieber (SP, TOR)

    He'll start the season injured, but hopefully he'll be great when he returns

Round 21 (248th overall): Spencer Schwellenbach (SP, ATL)
    It looks like he might be out longer than I thought, which scares me. But he should be great when he makes his 2026 debut

Round 22 (257th overall): Matt Shaw (3B, CHC)
    What can I say? I really like him and think he'll be good

Round 23 (272nd overall): Tanner Scott (RP, LAD)
    I hope Tanner Scott will get me some holds

Round 24 (281st overall): Camilo Doval (RP, NYY)
    Got him for the holds as well

Round 25 (296th overall): Evan Carter (OF, TEX)
    My last product of my outfield dilemma, as well as a sentimental grab. He's hitting well in spring, so I hope that continues on to the season

Round 26 (305th overall): Parker Messick (SP, CLE)
    I'm running out of pitching options, and he was solid last year. I narrowly chose him over Connelly Early because it looks like Early will begin the season in Triple-A

OFFENSE:
C: Ivan Herrera
1B: Matt Olson

2B: Nico Hoerner

3B: Jose Ramirez

SS: Gunnar Henderson
OF: Jackson Merrill
OF: Lawrence Butler
OF: Jac Caglianone
UTIL: Austin Riley

BN: Brenton Doyle (right now I have more faith in Caglianone)
BN: Dylan Crews
BN: Brandon Lowe
BN: Matt Shaw
BN: Evan Carter

Grade: B-

What I like: My infield is pretty stacked, and we should see a fair share of steals

What I dislike: My outfield is looking really sketchy, and I made a couple too many sentimental picks, which leads to not enough pitching depth

ROTATION:
SP: Bryan Woo
SP: Nolan McLean
SP: Trey Yesavage
SP: Michael King
SP: Shane Bieber
SP: Spencer Schwellenbach
SP: Parker Messick

Grade: B-

What I like: Patience is a virtue. The top four of the rotation are really good, and once it hits mid-season my top six should be great 

What I dislike: Too many injuries

BULLPEN:
RP: Devin Williams
RP: Emilio Pagan
RP: Ryan Walker
RP: Tanner Scott
RP: Camilo Doval

Grade: C-

What I like: Those two setup men should be awesome, and I expect a bounceback from Devin Williams

What I dislike: I don't have enough arms, and missed out on Aroldis Chapman, Ryan Helsley, and Daniel Palencia, to name a few

OVERALL GRADE: C

    Eh, it's alright

    

    We'll see how the fantasy season goes. 

**ANNOUNCEMENT**

    I just found out that a blog known as Red Cardboard has returned from a 12-year hiatus, and is offering quite a nice prize to anybody who shares his post on their blog. This isn't just an attempt to win a sweet baseball card, but also an offer to check out a new blog (if you didn't read it 12 years ago). So go on ahead and check out Red Cardboard!

    Don't worry, I've got cards to show off for the next post, which will hopefully start a fun and challenging new series for the readers of the blog. Until then, thanks for checking out the blog, make sure to have an amazing weekend, and happy collecting!