With that said, there has been some spectacular demolition of my "Big 10 Wantlist" yet again. You may remember last time when four out of the Top 10 (11) were ceremoniously stricken from the list. Today, I get to do it again, with more of a top-heavy Jenga-friendly removal of items.
From the top:
Number Two
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| 2005 Topps Factory Set (Tiger Edition)5 of 5 Curtis Granderson |
Here's Curtis, before age ravaged his once youthful looks. Or, when he was nondescript enough to be mistaken for somebody else entirely. Interestingly (and sadly), this is his first official Topps card, back when he was still a September call-up guy. This card came courtesy of Barry (Los Gatos on the Detroit Sports Collectors Forum) who sent it to me for future considerations. I am now deeply indebted to him and need to keep my eyes open for some hard to get Topps Tigers that he might be able to use for his collection.
As for the specifics of this card: 1. Curtis does make an appearance:
>2. I am now on a quest to figure out who is on the front of this card. My theory is that it is somebody who was invited to the Detroit Tigers 2005 Spring Training, so that will be my starting point. Look for a post at some point in the future that catalogues my search for this illusive outfielder and his 15 minutes of fame.
Number Three
Oh, the fun doesn't stop with Curtis. How about a "Career Best" card from someone who has actually had a career worth "besting" about:
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| 2009 Topps #CBA-GS Gary Sheffield "Career Best" Autograph |
Sheff! People gave Sheff a hard time in Detroit, and not without reason, but this is a guy who has had an incredible career and would be a sure-fire Hall of Famer if not for his prickly personality and steroid suspicions. My guess is that he ultimately makes it in anyway. He was the most dangerous hitter in baseball for more than a handful of his years.
As for his "Career Best" card--here are the other Tigers with autographs in this subset this season: Armando Galarraga and Curtis Granderson. Galarraga was a rookie in 2008. Granderson just finished his 4th full season. Thank you, thank you, Topps for including someone with a long career full of bests and not just whoever you could pull out of your sticker drawer.
Speaking of Career Bests...
Number Four
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| 2009 Topps #CBDR-HC Ryan Howard/Miguel Cabrera (#78/99) |
Hey, what do you know about that! This is another premature Career Best card, but these are two guys who have posted incredible early-career numbers and have long, bright futures ahead of them. This is far better than some other Tigers Career Best cards like, say, Jeremy Bonderman. In general, the Career Best relic cards are pretty solid, and I think that the Dual Relics are outstanding. This one, for example, features two of the best young first basemen in the game today, both of whom are huge stars and fit well on a card together. Chalk this one up as a win.
So what does this all mean? Well, three big wants were eliminated from the top of the list, allowing the whole thing to shift up a bit. This also completes my "Career Best" subset needs for 2009 Topps, which is something to smile about. Finally, one of the hardest to find Granderson cards has a new home! Just imagine how nice this card would be if Curtis was actually on the front. Boy, that would have been sweet.
Now, With that now in my possession, the search for the mystery man begins.
