Falco Files: Let the Games Begin

Each year during the month of October, I show off only pink (and shades of pink like magenta, peach, etc) to help raise awareness of Breast Cancer, a leading cause of death for females in the United States.  

Due to my own financial situation this year I will not be able to make a donation for each (meaningful, non spam) comment left by those that follow the blog.  Once things settle down on the home front though I will be looking to make a donation in 2022 based on the comments left during this year's event.  Hopefully together we can help at least one woman get a much needed mammogram.  Early detection is key!!!

If you want to make your own private donation please visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  There is a donate button on the main page and it only takes a minute of your time.  Every little bit helps.

I have focused primarily on cards that only feature Andrew McCutchen on the card, but in recent years have also featured cards with a cameo appearance (either being seen on the card or as a name cameo on the back of the card).  In 2019, I created Falco Files which discussed players that replaced (Shane Falco Replacements movie reference) on an active roster, number worn, or trade.  I will also be showing some Cutch's Crew cards that show pink cards of players that have played with Cutch on multiple teams. I will continue to utilize these styles of posts as we celebrate the 5th Collecting Cutch Save Second Base event (I am no longer counting my first run on the Pirates Treasure Room I did back in 2014).

I am always looking for new ways to incorporate new celebrities into the event so today I am presenting

Emilia Clarke

She has recently agreed to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as part of the Secret Invasion storyline.  Speculative guesses around the internet include her playing the lead character Jessica Drew aka Spider-Woman.

She has been a staple in many Sci-Fi franchises

playing the role of Sarah Connor in Terminator: Genisys

and Qi'ra from the Star Wars film Solo

She has also appeared in the romantic holiday comedy, Last Christmas

She of course is best known for her role as Daenarys Targaryn in the HBO show Game of Thrones.

Last year actor Ryan Reynolds trolled Emilia Clarke that he is the most well known celebrity born on this day.

I wonder if Ryan had done anything yesterday to repeat the feat this year as Emilia celebrated her 35th birthday

If you did the math right, you'd know that Emilia was born in 1986 

This is the pink velocity autograph of Bryan Reynolds (no relation to Ryan) using the 1986 Donruss design

Bryan was the key part of the Andrew McCutchen trade with San Francisco in 2018.

Did you watch Game of Thrones?

Are you a Ryan (or Bryan) Reynolds fan?

This Day In Cutchstory

Let's hop in that Delorean and travel back to August 1st, 2009

The Pittsburgh Pirates hadn't had a winning season record since 1992.

They were hosting the Washington Nationals, who hadn't had a winning season since they left Montreal when they were formally called the Expos.

The Pirates best player was rookie Andrew McCutchen, who the Pirates drafted in 2005 with the 11th overall selection.

The Nationals best player was Ryan Zimmerman, who the Nationals used their first ever franchise selection with the 4th overall selection in the 2005 draft.

Yes the 2005 draft was loaded with future Face of the Franchise players!

The Pirates entered the game 44-58.  This made them the worst team in the very mediocre NL Central.  The Cardinals lead the division with 52 wins entering the day.

The Nationals entered the game at 32-71, nearly 40 games under .500 and the worse team in baseball.

PNC Park packed in 26,855 fans to support the last place Pittsburgh Pirates, excited for the young Pirates that were playing well after the team was gutted at the trade deadline just the day before.

What the fans got to witness was the very first Pirates rookie to home three times in a single game.

Andrew McCutchen, in less than 50 games had made Pirates history by homering three times in a game versus the Washington Nationals.

Over the years, there have been a few baseball cards recognizing Cutch's rookie year performance including the oversized 2010 Allen & Ginter cabinet card.

2017 Honus Bonus Partners made a lot of 1/1 cards similar to what Topps Moments & Milestones did.  It took a few players are recognized their home run logs with a 1/1 for each homer.  Above is a card recognizing Cutch's 5th career homerun and his 2nd of the day.

The backs all featured the same backs.

The 2021 Topps Silver Packs feature a retro 1986 design and all have the mojo refractor look

The back of this card notes Cutch's first three Home Run game.

The Pirates are looking for a sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies today.  I would love to see the Phillies not only win today so they can get back in the division race, but Also want to see Cutch launch a few homers into the stands for the fans today.

70 Year Fatigue

As many know, Topps is celebrating their 70th anniversary this year and as such there are many insert sets and parallels in their various releases thus far commemorating the anniversary.

One such parallel is the appropriately named 70th foil parallel.  They use a similar technology to what we saw last year with the Bowman releases.  

I have gotten a few of the Andrew McCutchen 70th Foil parallels released thus far including the 1986 insert set seen below.

Each of these unique parallels are numbered to 70 copies this year and for the 1986 inserts, they are numbered on the back.

I also have gotten the Stars in Service 70th Anniversary parallel.

The serial number for this is on the front.

As Topps continues to celebrate their 70th anniversary I have a few questions that hopefully we can go into discussing around the blogs.

What are your 5 favorite designs in Topps Flagship releases over the past 70 years?

What designs would you like to see used more frequently for throwback inspired sets like Topps Archives or used as an insert set? 

My 1st 2021 Cutch cards

When Topps Flagship 2021 came out a few weeks ago I was surprised to see three different insert sets that Cutch was included in.  I placed an order with Brentandbecca via eBay and got all three of my cards shortly there after.

You may recall earlier this week that I showed off a gold 5x7 card and stated I wanted to build a run of Cutch cards using each design of Topps Flagship 1952-2021.  

I have the standard size card in hand now so I will be getting that post ready to go some time next month to see how close/far away from that goal I am.  I think the mid 1990s to mid 2000s will be the hardest to accomplish.

This card looks awesome in person.  The blue background, yellow base, and red lettering all pop in a very prime way.

The back of the card focuses on the 1955 set.

Next up is the 1986 insert celebrating 35 years of Topps 1986.  I never noticed this on the original set, but there are way more triangles in the team logos than I remembered.  I thought that this was just Topps way to be cutesy and artsy following the success of Project2020, but I referenced some original 1986 cards and sure enough Michael Jack Schmidt had logos that looked identical.

I really like the throwback uniforms for the Phillies.  I also like this candid image of Cutch just joking and having fun.

The back is very reminiscing of the original 1986 design.  I LOVE the trivia bit at the bottom.  I remember that game when Cutch launched three homers in a game versus Washington.  It was so exciting to see the Pirates have a 22 year old rookie with a ceiling so high come up and impress not just Pittsburgh fans, but the nation as a whole.

It's not just the homers, the stolen bases, diving catches, and crazy on field swagger that drew me to like Andrew McCutchen as a fan though.  It was Cutch's humble nature and the way he constantly gives back to the community that made him such a fan favorite in Pittsburgh.

This image of Cutch in a suit signing for fans with shades and dreads is how I remember Cutch in the majors.  The dude is a class act all the way.  

I was honestly most excited to see Cutch get recognized for inclusion in this insert set.  Not only is it a unique idea for an insert set, it also features things that aren't baseball related and shows players in images they normally don't put on standard trading cards.  I am planning to collect the entire set of this insert series.

So those three cards are my first 2021 standard size cards of Cutch I have in hand.  I will be going after parallels of all of them so if you come across any, keep me in mind.

Have you gotten any 2021 cards?

What inserts have you been excited about this year?

(Love) Stamp of Approval

Be prepared...

The card you see today, you will see again tomorrow....

This 2015 Topps Coin/Stamp card has the word LOVE on it.  That's a perfect stamp to discuss on a day like today, Valentine's Day.  The stamp and coin are both from 1986, Cutch's birth year.

The coin features a quarter with George Washington on it.  

Tomorrow is President's Day.

Be prepared for some more Cutch coin cards tomorrow.

Enter, the Hawk

One of my favorite characters in Cobra Kai is the character, Hawk

 Originally introduced in the show as one of the nerdy loser kids of the school, Eli was often bullied because of his cleft lip.

He joined Cobra Kai as a way to learn to fight back against the bullies and Johnny Lawrence, the sensei of Cobra Kai, teases Eli about it by saying "so it looked worse before the surgery" and suggested to Eli that unless he wants to be called Lip for the rest of life to find a way to distract others from looking at his birth defect.

Eli, entered the dojo later sporting a blue mohawk, and got the respect of his sensei, dubbing him Hawk.

Hawk became the second best student of Cobra Kai after Miguel.

Over the course of the two seasons that followed we have seen a lot of personal development of the character as he has struggled with ethics, friendships, and relationships.

Hawk is my second favorite character of the series after Johnny Lawrence.  His screen time and struggles make me a Fan of the show.

There was also a baseball player who was known as Hawk.

According to baseball reference, Andrew McCutchen's age 31 season was most similar to Hall of Famer, Andre Dawson the Hawk.

Andre Dawson's age 31 season fell in 1986, his final year in Montreal.

The 1986 season saw the Hawk hit 20HR in 130 games a few years removed from a serious knee injury. He stole 18 bags and had an .815 OPS with 65 Runs scored and 78RBI.  

Cutch's age 31 season was in 2018, his first year away from Pittsburgh where he split time on both coasts in San Francisco and New York.  

Cutch hit 20HR with 65RBI and 83 Runs scored with 14 stolen bases and a .792 OPS.

2020 Donruss saw a throwback to the 1986 design with a few players getting the autograph treatment.  

The fronts featured a chrome like design in an obvious throwback to the 1986 design.

The back features a 1986 Donruss inspired back to compliment the front.

Fun side note, Karate Kid 2 came out in 1986 and Andrew McCutchen was born in 1986.

What memories do you have of 1986?

New Theme Week: Karate Kid/Cobra Kai

I have discussed my love for 2 specific 1980s movies (and their soundtracks) on this blog in the past.  In case you're just joining me, two of my favorite movies from the 80s are the animated Transformers (1986) and Karate Kid (1984).

Both films feature uplifting and rocking soundtracks.  

I am not the huge fan of Transformers that I was when younger, but the scene of Optimus Prime dying still gets me misty.

Karate Kid however is a different story.  Thanks to the Netflix series, Cobra Kai, I have fallen completely obsessed with every detail from the original movie and it's sequels, reboots, and current TV series.

This week I will be looking at my Andrew McCutchen collection and connecting items to this kicking franchise.

Much like some of my other themed weeks or the month long SaveSecondBase event, every item will tie into the theme in some way.  

To kick it off here is a 2017 Topps Throwback Set commemorating the 1984 design in honor of players' weekend.

As I mentioned above, Karate Kid was released in theatres in 1984.  I was only three years old at the time so obviously it would be years later on a VHS rental before I finally saw it (and fell in love with it).  

Everything about Danny's ability to overcome a new setting and bullies appealed to me when I finally saw it in grade school. 

I chose this card, because it was the last Topps Throwback online set that featured Cutch in a Pirates uniform.  Much like Daniel Larusso's character moving from a familar East Coast setting in Newark, New Jersey, following the 2017 season Cutch was on the move out west to California.

The colors of black and yellow match the colors for Cobra Kai.

I fricking love that show....

I'll talk a little about that show tomorrow.

80s Week: My Favorite Movie/Soundtrack combo

Yesterday I wrote about my favorite current tv show based on an 80s property.  Cobra Kai is amazing.

But my favorite movie and favorite soundtrack can all be tied to one movie, Transformers.

No, I'm not talking about that Michael Bay stuff from the 2000s.  I am talking about the original, the OG!!!

Transformers, the animated 1986 movie, is the story that broke many boys hearts.  It had our hero, Optimus Prime, die.  It had a young brash wise cracker literally grow up to become the hero to light the darkest hour of the universe.  There is so much symbolism in the movie, it is insane.  

You want "cursing" in a G rated movie?  Yup. That's there too Damnit.

You want a soundtrack that can help you work out at the gym and push yourself to the limits of greatness?  Yup, this soundtrack will dare you to have the touch.

It's my favorite movie.

It's my favorite soundtrack.

It came out in 1986.

This 2020 Donruss Optic retro autograph is designed to look like the 1986 design.

Jose Canseco would be proud.

My Favorite 80s Fictional Characters

I am running a contest which you can still enter here, but time is ticking away.  I am gearing up for my 4th Annual Save Second Base Event where I show off only pink (with some hues of magenta, peach, and maybe a light purple or light red shade) baseball cards relating to my favorite baseball player for an entire month.  Prior to each post about the card I give out some frightening information about a major disease that is effecting many woman in this country.  I also show off some beautiful women for why we should be looking for a cure and to Save Second Base.

The prize is this very limited (only 25 copies produced) of two players who debuted in the 1980s, Barry Larkin and Gary Sheffield. 

As someone who was born in the 1980s and because it is my birthday week, all week long I am showing off cards of Andrew McCutchen and how they relate to the 80s. 

Cutch is my favorite player born in the 80s. Who is yours? Enter the contest here.

Each post so far this week I have been talking about different things from the 80s I like, but today I am going to talk about my favorite fictional characters to debut in the 80s and show off a card relating to their debut year.

Up first is Marty Mcfly, played by Michael J. Fox.  If you haven't seen any of the Back to the Future trilogy I DEMAND you leave this blog and don't come back until you have.  This Sci-Fi comedy takes a look at how one event can cause a ripple effect that can cause the entire universe to change paths.  Had Lorraine, played by the very stunning Lea Thompson, not fallen in love with George McFly  then Marty and his siblings would never have been born which causes more chains in the universe to be broken etc. 

The character Marty Mcfly debuted in Back to the Future which premiered in 1985.

 Here is a trio of parallels of Cutch screaming as he rounds the bases, likely trying to leg out a triple or coming home to celebrate a walk off homer.  It is from 2013 Topps Archives.

Speaking of Homer, here is Homer Simpson, who made his animated debut in April of 1987.  

The Simpsons is the longest running TV show ever.  While early seasons had me liking Bart for his catch phrases like "Eat my shorts" or "Cowabunga", it wasn't until I was older that I realized Homer is the best character on the show.  

There are multiple options I could have used showing off Cutch using the 1987 cardboard design, but ultimately I went with a more plain option from the 1987 5x7 card line produced in 2015 as an online exclusive.  

Another animated favorite of mine was Bumblebee from the original Generation 1 Transformers.  He has changed his appearance A LOT since his 1984 VW Beetle days to his mid 2000s Camaro car mode, but the heart of the character remains the same.

I wish I had the other parallels of this card (gold/50, blue/150, Orange/25, red/5) to pair up with the black and green, but for now these 1984 Topps Chrome style cards will have to do.

This next character is actually a pair because quite honestly you can't discuss William S Preston (Bill) without talking about his best friend Theodore Logan (Ted).  Bill and Ted introduced a franchise that will see it's third installment finally get made this year, twenty years after the original.  AND I AM PUMPED FOR IT!!! I jist got done doing a totally gnarly wicked air guitar solo to show my enthusiasm duuuuude.  

Seriously. Tho. Bill and Ted!!!!

2 totally awesome characters that helped shape the end of the 80s in a most bodacious way. 

I have a new segment revolving around the awesomeness of Keanu Reeves which I will debut next week.  It will definitely be a fun one to show off.

The original Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventire came out in 1989.

I loved 1989 Topps. I think it gets a bad rap for being such an over produced set from the 80s.  The design lends itself so well to today's color parallels though.

These die cut minis were from 2014 and are most excellent finds in a pack of cards.

1986 marked the first time I watched a movie and thought of a girl as being pretty and not having cooties or being some stupid girl.  That girl was Sarah Williams, played by Jennifer Connely.  

My parents got me into all things Jim Henson as a kid. I wasn't a super fan and couldn't recite much of the movie, but I was drawn in by the wonderfully created bizarre world that Jareth lived in and Sarah stumbled into.  As I got older, I grew to appreciate the unique nature of this film even more.  It didn't hurt that Jennifer Connely got more beautiful as she got older.

1986 Topps was a series I had only a few packs of.  The following year my dad and I went full blown collector crazy.

The simple nature of this set is so fun.  I wonder how many of today's stars will still be playing in 16 years so they can get a Heritage design similar to this  2014 Topps Archives release.