Cardboard Insider: Piano Legs & Gonzo

Baseball is a game with a rich history.  It's been described as a thinking man's game and all the statistics, sabremetrics, analytics would help support that.

Sometimes though we forget about the history.

That's where the cardboard insider comes in.  The job of the Cardboard Insider is to reveal how my favorite player, Andrew McCutchen, connects to the game's rich history.

I have to be completely honest, prior to looking at the back of this card, I had never heard of Charlie "Piano Legs" Hickman.

Why am I bringing up Charlie Hickman on a blog about Andrew McCutchen?

Because Hickman, Luis Gonzalez, and Andrew McCutchen are THE ONLY PLAYERS IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME to extend a hit streak to at least 15 games with a walk off homer.
(The front of the card will be shown at the bottom along with a recap of the game)

Considered to be a utility player, Piano Legs was one of the original pitcher/hitter players.  Playing before Babe Ruth and Shoehei Otani, Ol'Piano Legs hit 59 homeruns and won 10 games in his career.

Take that Shohei!!!  I wonder what his "Piano Legs" Bowman Bubblefractor Autos would have sold for.

Luis "Gonzo" Gonzalez might be one of the most underrated players of the 90s and early 2000s.
In addition to having the most memorable hit in Diamondbacks history, Gonzo also accumulated 51.5WAR, 5 All-Star appearances, and is on a who's who list of players with over 300HR/300SB, 500 doubles, 2500hits.  That list is pretty exclusive and includes names like Bonds, Mays, Rodriguez.

Do you ever look on the back of cards and see a name you have never heard of?
If so, do some research and you may find it very interesting to learn more about the history of the game.

Missing 7 of 9: A Contest Response

Daniel is holding a contest for his 9th year blogging.  If you aren't already reading It's Like Having My own Card Shop you surely are missing out.  It is a fantastic read and he has so many different kinds of collections.

Originally I thought I could use my Triple Threads cards to show off cards numbered to 9 and highlight my favorite card from each  specific numbering.

The problem?

Well....you will see later.

1/9

Let's get this thing started, shall we?  Here we have a standard jumbo patch numbered 1/9.  No big deal, right?  The patch is from the 22 on the front of Cutch's jersey.

2/9

I had a few options for number two, but ultimately decided on this 2017 WBC Team USA triple relic.  I loved the WBC tournament so much and think I might try to see a game in person in 2021.

3/9

If there is one thing you should notice from all these cards I am going to be posting is that Cutch is a jovial fella and enjoys playing the game of baseball.  2015 Triple Threads was the last year Topps ran the patches in a straight horizontal line.  That means that the 2015 ASG would be represented on 2016 Triple Threads different as you can see above.  While the design isn't terrible I much rather see the patches line up.

4/9

The patches on this ASG workout jersey aren't the greatest as there is only one super unique patch (the star) in window 3.  I love the photo though as it is directly from Cutch's Home Run Derby appearance.  Cutch lost to eventual champion Prince Fielder in the first round.

5/9

This card is both awesome and bittersweet at the same time.  Following the 2013 season it looked like the Pirates were going to be set for success for a long time.  They had a perenial MVP in Andrew McCutchen, a budding star and constant Gold Glove caliber player in Starling Marte, and a top 10 prospect in Gregory Polanco.  #RunPMC never developed into the outfield the way Pirates fans had hoped and the Marlins, Red Sox, and Yankees outfields overcame them as the best outfields in baseball the past few seasons.  With Austin Meadows breaking out at the MLB level it looks like we will never see Cutch come back to the Steel City as a permanent fixture patrolling the outfield.

Another good 5/9 I have is a triple relic of Joey Bats, Cespedes, and Cutch.  The relics are meh and the saying is PURE GLOVE?  Huh?

6/9

I went all in on acquiring Cutch Triple Threads cards in 2015 for his 2014 ASG appearance.  The design for this year is my least favorite as it doesn't reflect much of the city the game was played in very well.

7/9
I don't have a 7 of 9

So I will just show this Unity relics from PNC Park that Matt from BobWalkThePlank traded me as our most epic trade we completed last year.  All three cards are numbered to 9.  It was part of 5 cards Matt sent me in exchange for these cards I sent him which you can see here, here, here, here, along with about half a dozen of "super rare" buyback Bob Walks I sent him to set the stage for the trade.

8/9

Boring jersey swatch, but at least it matches the subject's jersey color.  Oh and did you notice Cutch is wearing a Jackie Robinson jersey for the card? Can't go wrong with that.  The card also represents Cutch being selected to Topps All-Rookie team for the 2009 season.

9/9

The design for the 2014 Triple Threads celebrating the 2013 ASG is the best of all the ASG patch cards Cutch has appeared on.  The NY skyline in the background complete with a backwards capped dreaded Cutch and 3 unique patch windows make this card have more flav and swag than all the others.

So while i am missing a 7 of 9, how about if I show off another card numbered to 9 just to close thimgs out.

The above 2014 Triple Threads is numbered 8/9 and features patches of Cutch, Pedro Alvarez, and Gerrit Cole.  I miss these guys all being on the same team. 

So I tried to show off 9 cards numbered to 9, but failed.
Guess it is back to the drawing board tomorrow.

Finally Got My Hands On The Jinx for $10 Delivered

This damn card and it's parallels has been a thorn in my side for 2 years.  I don't know why this particular card seems impossible to track down, but in terms of Unity Triple Threads relics this *&$%er has done nothing but annoy me.

In terms of "high end" relics go, it's kind of blah looking.  Just a decent sized black alternate jersey swatch numbered to 36.

Anyone who has ever opened a box of Triple Threads knows that getting relics to 36 is the equivalent of pulling a Dave Stewart 1990 Topps.  There's plenty to go around.

And yet here sits this card that I purchased for under $7 with $3 s&h.

Damn this card!!!

Damn the back of it and it's jinxing ways!!!

Don't make predictions Topps.

You blew it!!!

Welcome Home Cutch!

This is it...
Andrew McCutchen is coming home. 
The longtime face of the Pirates franchise will be coming home to Pittsburgh this weekend after being traded to the Giants in the offseason.

The back of this Triple Threads unity relic card talks about Cutch and his dominance in PNC Park

I will be attending the game between the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates tomorrow.  I have also entered a code for the Home Run Challenge in for the next three days in hopes that Cutch goes yard one of those days. 

Jackie Robinson Day: Standing United

Today is an important day not just for baseball, but for remembering the history of our entire nation.  We all know that every April 15th, MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson day.  It helps to unite all players, coaching staff, umpires, etc and remember what Jackie did to help unite this country when he wore the famous #42 seventy one years ago.

Last year I showed a bunch of cards that were released by National Treasures in the special Jackie Robinson insert set.

This year, I thought I would show off a pair of Unity Relics from Topps Triple Threads that have Cutch wearing the 42 uniform.

The Topps Unity Relics are a pain in the ass to complete the three different versions.  They're even harder if you're trying to complete the different color parallels.

The two different Golds that I have celebrate different awards that Cutch won.
He was a member of the 2009 Topps All Rookie Team

He would also win the 2010 Heart and Hustle Award.

The missing gold /9 doesn't feature Cutch in a Jackie Robinson #42 jersey.  I currently only have the /36 version which you can see below.

Blockbuster trade at the deadline

Last Thursday was the last day teams could trade players to get them available for the postseason.  It was also the day that a blockbuster trade was finalized between everyone's favorite Pirates collector and the blogging world's biggest Andrew McCutchen collector.

I'm sure Matt will show off his end of the deal in the future, but I couldn't wait to show mine off.

This was the main card I wanted

A 2012 Tier One Crowd Pleasers Silver Ink Signature card numbered to 10.  I had the blue ink auto numbered to 50, but really wanted this one for the collection.

Next up, a sweet booklet

This card escaped me a few times back in 2013 when it was released and with two players and only 5 in existence, it quickly became tough to find.

Closing things out we got the beautiful PNC Park with 3 Unity Relics each numbered to only 9 copies.

I'm happy we were finally able to work out a deal Matt.  I'm hoping you enjoyed the cards I sent you.