Cards on my Mind: 2002 Topps Chrome Tim Raines

Figured I'd start a new series on here in the wake of...there not being anything to write about [at least for another month]. 

So here's a card I received in the mail recently from a CardBarrel order. I didn't do a whole post about the order because it mostly consisted of cards from the past two years of Stadium Club, and I figured there was no way to make that interesting.

But this is...maybe one of the most interesting cards of its time.

First of all, it's a low-number card from 2002 Topps Traded, one of the most maniacally complicated sets in  the company's recent history. For those unaware, it was sold as a dual flagship/chrome set, unlike recent Update sets that have a chrome edition in mega-boxes in retail. The deal was you get 8 base cards and 2 chrome cards per pack. Sounds simple.

Well, the base set, which was 275 cards, has the first 110 cards short-printed. These are your traded cards. They are seeded 1 per pack. So actually pulling cards of the traded players the set was actually made for, people like Bartolo Colon as an Expo, Jeff Weaver as a Yankee, Rookie of the Year Eric Hinske, Juan Gonzalez as a Ranger again, and Johnny Damon as a Red Sock, was painstakingly difficult, while the PROSPECT CARDS were all seeded evenly, 7 to a pack. So you could find 5 Jason  Bay rookies before you found Rickey Henderson's base card.

The Chrome base cards, on the other hand, came 2 in every pack, and had no Short Print separation. All 275 were printed equally. So you had more of a chance to get a chrome base card of Placido Polanco than you did his actual base card. It's genuinely dumbfounding.

However, thanks to CardBarrel, I did manage to finally attain two cards from this set that I'd been looking for since I'd become aware of the set. One was an account of Bartolo Colon's two glorious months in Montreal, and the other...was this one.

There is so much to love about this card.

First of all, it's the...insanely weird combo of 1981 Rookie of the Year runner-up Tim Raines in a 2002 Marlins jersey. He's really one of those players that look odd in a Marlins uniform, much like Charlie Hough, Darren Daulton, Carlos Lee and Ozzie Guillen. 

Second of all, not just the contrast of baseball eras stands out to me, but the contrast of card making eras. Tim Raines was a part of the very first TRADED set Topps ever did in 1981, and 21 years later he finds himself on the checklist for not just the 2002 Traded set, but the 2002 Chrome traded set. Seeing people from the 80s, and not just the 80s but the  EARLY 80s, wind up on chrome or dufex sets is never not gonna be weird to me. Like Socrates stepping into the San Dimas Mall.

But also, 2002 Topps is one  of those sets that looks weird in chrome anyway, because it belongs to a color scheme that contrasts with chrome, like the gold, so the whole design has to be redone for chrome. It's not like 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003 Topps, whose border color deviations actually fit really  well with chrome. This one sticks out, and even the rectification doesn't completely work.

Look at those sweet career stats for Tim Raines, one of the greats. Look at how happy he looks to still be in a baseball uniform at the age of 42. This card shouldn't fit together, and yet it kind of does, a lot like Rickey Henderson's late-career issues.

I will say that his stats from 1999 to 2002 are all very interesting in itself, as he was used mostly as a bench guy with speed, and these are teams associated with different types of youth movements. The 1999 A's are associated with the grassroots youth movement guys like Jason Giambi, Eric Chavez, Miguel Tejada and Tim Hudson. The 2001 Orioles are associated with veterans crowding around Ripken while the young guys like Mora slowly repopulate the team, and the 2002 Marlins are the prelude to the Championship year, with pieces like Beckett, Lee, Burnett and Lowell being shifted into place. Tim Raines shouldn't fit into any of these teams, and yet he tried to, and did what he could for a lot of them.

This is a card that shouldn't exist  for a year that's only being commemorated because it's Tim Raines, and it's likely his sunset issue [it was], and yet it works so well despite that because it represents the sort of late-career push that you don't get many cards of lately. Last year you had late career pushes from Hanley Ramirez in Cleveland, Carlos Gonzalez in Chicago and Cleveland, and Carlos Gomez in Queens, and none of them got Topps cards! Omar Vizquel had a fun final season in 2012 with the Blue Jays, and nobody knew about that. Same with Jim Thome's farewell in Baltimore. The sort of thing where a Hall-of-Famer gets a final sendoff in an unlikely place on a Topps card doesn't happen anymore, and cards like the 2002 Tim Raines one aren't ideas that Topps still has. And that saddens me.

I'm happy this card exists, and I'm even happier it exists in my collection.

JustSnowbound

Right now I'm kind of stuck in my dorm room. But, arguably, for the best reason possible.

There's got to be at least 10 inches of snow outside. Probably fourteen. I'm not going out there with a ruler, mostly because, other than to trek all the way to the crappier dining hall later today, I don't feel like going outside much today.

So, thankfully, a JustCommons order arrived just yesterday for me to sift through. It all kind of works out.

As I'm up at college, no scanner, but there is the usual array of iPhone photos set to my bedspread. It's not wonderful, and it makes the blog look second rate, but...I mean, look at it, it's already pretty damn close to second rate as it is. But, I digress.

I focused a bit less on set-completion here, even though I did slide some in, and more on player-collections and stuff I wanted to invest in.

But before we get to that, the aforementioned...

 SET NEEDS:

As you can see, I'm still making progress on completing quite possibly one of the most ubiquitous sets of the 1980s (besides 1987 Topps, which, thankfully, I already completed). 1988 Donruss is slowly coming along, and I got a great deal of the set through this order.

 I picked out four highlights. Yes, there is a Hall of Famer here, but also, Keith Hernandez was still a Met, Jeffrey Leonard was still playing, and Rafael Palmeiro hadn't bulked up yet.

 I picked out 4 needs from 1995 Stadium Club as well. I didn't go for a ton of SC needs this time around, but Lee Smith was at least a nice touch.

 Also...this card arriving means I have OFFICIALLY completed the 1990 Topps set. It took a bit longer than I would have liked, but...it's done. Finished. Kaput. Along with 1986, 1987 and 1988 Topps...I've completed Topps sets from scratch...which is pretty nice.

 PLAYER COLLECTIONS:

Yeah. Here we go. I wanted to focus on some guys I either wanted to focus more on, or...already was focusing a ton on and wanted to replenish. Dexter Fowler was one of those guys I was fringe-collecting, even though I wasn't sure whether or not he'd be good. Now that he's a definite standout with Chicago, now St. Louis, I figured I'd go harder, with some Rockies and Astros issues.

 This one's a little less serious, but these two John Lackey cards are from sets I love, so it kind of made sense to throw these in, as i didn't have enough Lackey-Angels issues.

 Raul Ibanez will always be a sentimental favorite for his time in Philly, but I wanted to get these two late-career issues just because I could. I didn't know they made an Angels issue in Gypsy Queen, either.

 Brandon McCarthy's another cool fringe player that I'm contemplating collecting, so getting some early-career issues with Chicago is definitely a nice touch. That '06 UD one is pretty great, posed shot notwithstanding.

 Scott Rolen...yes, he's not a Hall of Famer, but he's a former Philly player, so...I got to. I don't have a ton of his stuff on the Reds, even if, All Star gigs aside, he was slowing down a bit. I do like the '11 Heritage one.

 And...never enough Konerkos. He's that good. 2007 SP Rookie Edition is a 'new to me' set that apparently exists, and it's simple enough. The '07 Heritage one is a sentimental favorite, because...so is that set.

 Also, since Rich Hill has burst onto the scene as one of the most amazing comebacks in baseball, I'd figured I needed some earlier Cubs issues of his. Lots of Upper Deck ones from 2008 though.

 Carlos Ruiz will be likely playing backup for the Mariners this year, but...in my mind, he's always gonna be catching for the Phillies. That Bowman one is a pretty fantastic one, even if it is, well a Bowman release.

 Never enough Adrians though. NEVER ENOUGH.
The '07 Ultra one is great because...yeah, those throwbacks are awesome.

 Wanna know one of the reasons why I miss Upper Deck?
If somebody was traded in the offseason...they'd get a first new-uni issue like THIS ONE. Spring Training, great colors, dynamic shot. Dan Haren looked pretty damn cool, even if he hadn't even pitched a game for Arizona yet.

 More Harens. He looks kinda drunk in the '08 Heritage one, but the '08 Goudey is pretty great. Also, a reminder that he played for the Nationals.

 Jim Thome was 8-year-old Jordan's favorite player. Made me like the Phillies for a spell. I have so much appreciation for his 3 years in Philly, however short they were. Again, that '03 UD issue was our first taste of Thome as a Phillie, though the '04 Ultra one is freaking awesome.

 Later-career Thome. I dig the '06 Upper Deck one, mainly because I'm just figuring out now how awesome that set was.

 Speaking of Phillies I'll never stop collecting, some Cliff Lees. I do have a soft spot for the period in 2010 when card companies thought he'd be sticking around in Philly for a bit, like the UD issue down below.

 Verticals. the 2011 Topps Chrome one is great because it's a different shot from both the flagship base and the update base, as the signing happened in between. it's an example of Chrome using a different photo because they bloody well can...and there's a reason why I bring that fact up.

 But...we can't have a segment on player collections without at least mentioning one of my favorite players to collect, Juan Pierre. So many amazing cards of this guy. This '04 Ultra one is so deep.

 Dodger Pierre. More '07 SP Rookie Edition, though I do adore the Bowman Heritage one, showing off his #1 trait of a quick bunt.

 Later career. I'm sorry, but his stuff in Philly for 2012 was absolutely fantastic, and so much fun to watch.

 HALL OF FAMERS:

First of all...how could you not love that card? It's just fantastic all-around.

I figured I'd nab a ton of Raines cards, which turned into fine-tuning collections of Hall of Famers in general.

 Sox Raines. I know he didn't do anything to rival his stuff in Montreal, but the point is he didn't especially have to. He was already an outstanding player, and his White Sox, and later career, numbers were just icing on the cake. The Pinnacle card is a pretty nice one though.

 THIS, however, takes the cake.

The sky looks beautiful, the fields look green, and Tim Raines never looked more optimistic. 1993 Upper Deck has a ton of outstanding shots like these.

 I also went for some Eddie Murray, because...why the hell not, really? His Dodgers stuff is always great, but it's also great to see him as a Met.

 Later career Murray. The Pinnacle one is a great card, and the Circa one, as frenzied as it is, is a great design for Murray's late-career trip to Baltimore.

 And finally, pictures of two Hall of Famers in the last stages of their careers. Ivan Rodriguez as a National, for 2010 T206, and Jeff Bagwell's last hurrah as an Astro for 2006 UD.

 BRIEF MISCELLANY

Just a few cards of players in odd uniforms I felt like getting. Adam Dunn as a D-Back! Yoenis Cespedes as a Tiger!

 Heck, 2009 Heritage High Numbers had a few of these, from Coco Crisp's Royals stint to...Bartolo Colon's initially career-ending tenure in Chicago.

 This one's more important, I think.

I don't think anyone remembers that Orel Hershiser played for the New York Mets. Upper Deck apparently did, giving him a base card of that in 2000 Topps. Again, he was near the end of his career, and he was giving up a few too many runs, but...still. It's Orel.

COOL SETS:

I'd like to talk for a moment about 2008 Topps Chrome.

You're all asking why.

2008 Topps Chrome is a great set, at least in my eyes, because it gave collectors something rarely found in a Chrome set- effort. A good 70% of the photos in this set are different from the ones in Flagship Topps, even for players who hadn't changed uniforms. For someone who'd been used to the sameness in 2008 Topps for years, this is an amazing change of pace, and leads to some really nice moments. It's just a pleasing set for me...so I just got a shit-ton of it.

 Hall of Famers. Glavine's photo is a Spring Training one...and I do not care. Even if 2008 was his last season, he still did his best to keep the team afloat.

 Retired Stars. Bobby Abreu's stint in New York wasn't exactly memorable...but it's still Bobby Abreu as a Yankee, so...I got to. And, of course, Jim Thome's shot is pretty great.

 More recent-retirees. Again, if that Haren shot would have been used in 08T, it'd be a ton better than the airbrushing. The Konerko and Burnett are just more out-there shots than the standard, unmemorable ones we were getting in 2008.

 Active but Irrelevant players.
Josh Hamilton and Nick Swisher's photos aren't just airbrushes of Reds and A's photos! Carlos Ruiz' photo here is a completely different one, not just the exact same one as his 2007 Topps issue. Jered Weaver's looks cool. I mean, this is what you get when you have to design a set in May rather than December.

 Active but not-as-powerful. VICTOR MARTINEZ CATCHING! Maybe it's been so long, but I forgot that was a thing.

 Active stars. Again, if Miguel Cabrera's first Tigers issue was this, instead of the airbrushed one we got, wouldn't we all breathe a bit easier? This difference is clear, guys.

 I also nabbed a few cards from Topps' 2010 Topps Retired Legends set, throwing Hall of Famers into anachronistic but cool sets. This Seaver in 2007 one is one of the better ones.

 Not all of them are its, and the '81 set looks kind of awkward here, but when it works, it's kinda cool, even with the Smith and Ott.

 Even if I'm not a huge fan of the Bunt concept, the tangible Bunt set that came out last year was a pleasant, inoffensive idea. A few base highlights, at least for my collections' sake. I rather like the Maik.

 And, of course...Ichiro. I couldn't not.

 Also, in honor of the World Baseball Classic, a few reminders of the actually-kinda-nice 2008 Topps subset. Chut and Adrian are pretty nice here.

 Ortiz is probably my favorite, because you have to imagine how pumped he had to be to play for the DR team, and give back to his roots.

 And, finally...because it's me, here are a few cards from the new 2017 Topps First Pitch set. I actually pulled this Joan Jett out of a pack a few days ago, but...hell, I'm fine with having two. it's Joan Jett!

 Actors in uniforms. It saddens me that such a great actor like John Goodman is a Cardinals fan. At least he looks great here.
Keegan Michael Key's Dodger card makes him the first Whose Line is it Anyway cast-member to appear on a base card...though, not the only one in this set...

Just...just look at this.

This is iconic. This is a pretty amazing card, even if it is just just of Stephen Colbert. Like the real Colbert, you can't not love the card, especially the over-the-top nature of the costume. Just a great addition to the First Pitch set this year.

That brings this JustCommons order to a close. I'll be spending the rest of the day avoiding going out in the snow.