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!!!