Goodwill and Goodwin

I've been sitting on this package for more than a week and I'm just now, finally, getting around to posting about - as the great Bruce Springsteen once mused, "time slips away."  However, it didn't leave me with "nothing mister," as this mailer included a healthy amount of excellent cardboard.  I hope that Kin, from I Feel Like a Collector Again and Bean's Ballcard Blog, can forgive me for taking so long to show off the goods; the holidays really screwed with my posting timeline this year.

Of course, in my defense, I had no idea that this package was coming my way.  Kin, in the spirit of the season, dropped this grouping in the mail as a gift, a surprise gift.  I'm never going to complain about free baseball cards; there are few things in the world that are guaranteed to bring a smile to my face quite like finding cards in my mailbox, especially when they're unexpected.  That sort of goodwill is always makes it feel like Christmas, even if it occurs in the middle of July.

The ever-go-generous Kin apparently noticed that I commented about how cool the following card was and still is.  I can honestly say I never expected such a gesture, but just a little while later, Kin made sure that said card ended up on my sorting table:

You might say that the gifting of this 1998 Topps Stars Kerry Wood was out of this world!  How cool is this space age design?

As an added bonus (something I didn't know when I first pined over it), it turns out that this card is numbered 5,374/9,799.  So, it's not exactly an exclusive piece, but I bet this rookie card printed in the wake of Woody's famed 20-K game booked for a stupid amount of money at that time.  I wasn't actively collecting at that time; but, had I been, I'm sure I would have drooled over this card and it's attainability.  Now, it's just a far-out looking card and it's all mine!

That selfless donation to my collection would have been phenomenal on it's own, but Kin wasn't about to stop there either.  Accompanying what is now one of my favorite Kid K cards, Mr. Kinsley also tossed a few other gifts in this magnanimous mailing.

Hmmmmm.... a White Sox card, eh? I mean, I'm not going to complain about free cards and I love cards which spotlight baseball in the first half of the 20th century and earlier, but I was still left scratching my head about Ed Walsh's inclusion

...until I flipped that Fleer Baseball's Famous Feets over to the other side, that is.  I must admit, the incongruity of a big, ol' Cubs sticker slapped on the back of a White Sox card brings a big smile to my face. It adds a certain je ne sais quoi to an already fun, 80's oddball.

Sticking with the horizontal orientation, let's flip to the next card:

Fast forwarding nearly 30 years, we have a wonderful fielding shot of short-term, rebuild Cub, Nate Schierholtz.  In another 30 years, this guy will be filed under the "he played for the Cubs category?" but this photo will make Nate the Great look like a Gold Glover!

Besides just the excellent photography, this parallel to the 2014 Flagship base set also features beautiful, blue borders.  I'm sure that Kin has read here on Wrigley Roster Jenga and comments sections across the blogosphere that, when it comes to parallels, blue is my all-time favorite color.  When you consider that I'm a rabid, blue-blooded Cubs fan who's entire collection is based on those who sport Cubbie Blue, that fact really should not come as a surprise.  All in all, Nate has never looked greater than he does here.

Finally, we have the card that actually stole the spotlight.  As great as everything else in this mailer was, it was this bad boy that immediately caught my eye... and not just because it's super-duper shiny:

This 2012 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions mini foil parallel (whew, that's a mouthful) doesn't photograph well because it's almost as reflective as a mirror; that said, it's quite nice, in hand.  Also, it's almost poetic that Matt Szczur ascended from a Goodwin Champion in 2012 to a World Series Champion in 2016.  Though he's now a Padre, "Scrabble" will be a "forever Cub," courtesy of being an extra outfielder for that curse busting squad.

All that being noted, it was still yet another quality that truly drew my attention.  Upper Deck obviously does not have an MLB license and, in order to get around that fact, they pictured Matt in his Villanova Football t-shirt.  For those that didn't know, the fly-chaser was a highly touted NFL prospect during his time as a two-sport athlete for the Wildcats.  The would-be wide receiver drew a hefty signing bonus when he was drafted by the previous front office to keep him from continuing his gridiron career.

I got this 2011 Upper Deck 20th Anniversary single from Bob Walk the Plank

In the recent past, I've started a small side-collection of cards which feature multi-sport Cubs players competing in their secondary athletic endeavor.  In fact, just a few days ago, I showcased a pair of "Ken Lofton" basketball cards that were given to me by Angus from Dawg Day Cards.  I'm considering this card to be close enough to a Szczur football card to be included in this particular binder. 

Given the relative limited possibilities for this collection, I'm thrilled to be able to add another dual-sported card to it's pages!

 Some of Matt's company in this multi-sport side-collection.  The Stoddard was a gift from the Snorting Bull

With that, we've covered all of the pasteboard goodies which Kin altruistically gifted to me during the Christmas season.  As you can plainly see, this package pretty much blew me out of the water.  Again, I'm sorry it took so long for me to acknowledge your generosity on the blog, Mr. Kinsley!

This post serves as further evidence that there is no more generous kind of people on this planet than baseball card bloggers.  Thank you Kin and thank you everyone who took the time to gift me with trading cards in 2018.  I've been a little slow on returning the favor (getting married and moving has messed with organization); however, I assure you that I will be paying you all back in the very near future.

Thanks again, Kin!