A name can go a long way in bringing recognition. For instance, Jorge Soler - it's sounds like a strong, powerful, moniker... one that only a beast of a baseball prospect would hold. It's a name that, even if you weren't a fan of the Cubs (or, now, Royals) you would probably remember, due to it's unique and almost poetic nature. Similarly, we here on the blogosphere know that the right page name can make a big difference when it comes to page views - it's the first thing that someone sees when they come across your little corner of the internet, after all. It has to properly convey what your blog is all about in just a handful of words.
A couple of weeks ago, Paul decided that his blog name just wasn't cutting the mustard; the loyal Detroit Tigers realized that he wanted the use the web-space for more than just TTM's. So, he did a little crowd-sourcing to re-brand the blog formerly known as Paul's TTM Blog. Of course, I threw my hat in the ring... because why not?
My entrant did not win the contest; but, I must admit, I think that Scribbled Ink is one heckuva catchy name. Even though my suggestion wasn't nearly as good, Paul was still generous enough to send a "thanks for participating" flat-rate mailer my way. I shutter to think about what the actual winner got as a reward because this participation package was an absolute winner!
Leading off the goodies was this All-Star game ballot from 2008, the last year in which the mid-summer classic was held in the Motor City. This was a year that the Cubs were actually good and ended up sending eight representatives to Detroit as part of the National League squad. Thus, this will make a nice, unique bit of memorabilia for my baseball stashes. Plus it was just fun to flip through and see all of these old, familiar names... Geoff Jenkins, Cesar Izturis, Xavier Nady... it's been a long time.
The rest of the package was made up of cards, mostly Cubs, including the beautifully blue Topps Chrome Future Stars insert which began the post. Accompanying Mr. Soler, Paul included some big names from the past:
Kong, the man who beat father time, Steve Trout looking as 80's as ever, and old fan-favorite Starlin Castro. Not a bad set of quadruplets there. These are all well-remembered names in the city of Chicago.
On the flip-side, pretty much none but the most depraved of Cubs fans recalls Dave Swartzbaugh. Accordingly, this 1997 Fleer single represents Dave's only Big League baseball card and will slide nicely into my CATRC binder, replacing the Classic minor league single which previously occupied his slot. I've been trying to track this guy down for a long time.
Meanwhile, Mark Grace is anything but a forgotten name - "Amazing Grace" is still a revered figure by Wrigley faithful. He looks pretty darn good on this reflective Gold Label card from the prodcut's original run. Speaking of gold...
Paul threw in a bunch of gold parallels too!
However. not all that glitters is gold... I'm a fan of shiny medallions, as well:
That's a pretty sweet looking manu-relic of Anthony Rizzo (from 2016 Update), declaring him a possibility to join the 500 Home Run Club before his career ends. With 166 long balls through his age 27 season, the chance is there - if he averages a little more than 33 homers for the next ten campaigns, this medallion will not be liar.
The medallion wasn't the only hit of the box either; it wouldn't be a package from the proprietor of Scribbled Ink with a little... scribbled ink:
Zonk!
I think we can all agree that one of the best things Panini ever brought to the table was the Hometown Heroes brand; I mean, what other product offers such niche autographic subjects? This signature is going to look fantastic in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder!
Even with all of that, there were still plenty more gems to be shown off from Paul's mailing:
Here we have a pair of key rookies, a pair of former Chicago sports greats. I realize that Jake Arrieta isn't officially off of the table for the Cubs, but I'm fairly certain that he's going to want more money and years than Theo and crew are going to be able to offer. *sigh*
On the bright side, that Joakim Noah rook kicked off a fairly sizable Bulls portion of the package:
There were a few new names added to my Bulls All-Time Roster Collection, a binder that's almost exclusively filled by trading partners. For that, I am eternally grateful!
Along with those additions, "His Airness" made is presence felt:
And his presence was impossible to ignore. As a Chicagoan who grew up during the 1990's, MJ is absolutely a personal favorite. Also as a Windy City resident who grew up during that dynastic period, any Jordan card feels more like a gold doubloon than a pasteboard, especially that Star Attractions, die-cut insert from Upper Deck.
That about did it for the hardwood portion of the package; but, at this point, can you believe that there was STILL more to be had!
This package ended up covering three sports with this Jeff Gordon All-Star "SAMPLE" from the 2003 edition of Press Pass. If you're only going to throw in one NASCAR card, you might as well make it a unique one!
As a big finale, Paul also threw in a nice stash of unopened packs that I'll likely save for a rainy day:
Topps Attax cello packs - these must have been some sort of stadium giveaway... perhaps at Comerica Park? Also, the Mantle and the Ruth appear to be some sort of special addendum to the set; anybody know what the story is behind them?
There was also a cello pack of Fleer's Authentix "Hot Tickets" from 2005, with Sammy Sosa on the front, to boot. Again, these die-cut oddities appear to be some sort of SGA - can anyone confirm or deny my suspicions?
Lastly, we have some "Brain Straining Doodlewonkers," which is something that is completely lost on me but looks incredibly amusing. The artwork on the front reminds me of something that one might see on a re-run of Monty Python's Flying Circus. I'll save this pack for when I'm having a bad day at work or when I need some cheering up.
With that, we've finally come to the end of Paul's "participation mailer." Again, I shudder to think about what the actual winner of his "name the blog" contest came away with!
The only way to top what we saw here, at least in my opinion.
Thank you, Paul, for putting together such a generous mailing... one that kept me entertained and busy sorting and filing for hours. You're a good egg, sir! I would also expect a proper thank you gift, if I were you.
Before I go, please allow me to remind you fellow baseball card bloggers and enthusiasts to update your blogroll, favorites, feed, or what have you to include the new name and URL for Paul's blog, Scribbled Ink - https://scribbledinc.blogspot.com.
There's a lot more to like about that place besides the spiffy new name!
That MJ Star Attractions is so cool!
ReplyDeletePaul blasted me with a package I need to post about as well. Good guy and a great trader.
ReplyDeleteSo the story behind the Topps Attax is that I was managing a Toys R Us store in the middle of nowhere that hosted an event to get kids excited for the set. Kids were supposed to come in and bust some packs and play the game. The winners got the Ruth or Mantle and kept the cards they played with. Nobody showed up. I kept the cards in my office forever and busted them out on Halloween and some other event to give away but still walked away with a load of them. I usually throw them in every package I send. It took a few years but I think they are all gone now. Thank you very much for the Post!
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