Pack War!

 

My pack from last weekend's National Baseball Card Day takes on my pack from this weekend's National Baseball Card Day sequel.  Which pack will emerge victorious and which will be slaughtered  on the field of battle?  

We start with the #1 seeds:

The #2 seeds:

The #3 seeds:

#4 seeds:

Lastly, the #5 seeds:

So five match-ups.  I'll allow 48 hours for voting.  

Edit:  Please vote for your preferred card in each match-up.  Thanks.

Cardbarrel Order

Eighteen cards, fourteen of which were in the 1963 - 1976 range.  Let's look at a few.

 

    

-  Colt .45s team page.

-  Senators team page.

-  Reds team page.  Two All-Star seasons and two Gold Gloves.

-  Pilots team page.

-  Not sure why.   Five-time All-Star though. 

-  Tigers team page.  Four All-Star seasons.

-  False advertising (and Angels team page).  Five Gold Gloves and 354 steals. 

-  Expos team page.  Hall of Famer.  

National?

I've been seeing a lot of talk about the "national" convention.  Checked their  web-site - they haven't been west of the Mississippi since 2006 and won't be the next two years at least.  

Did my country lose a war when I wasn't paying attention? 

Name Game: Junior Circuit

This is Part Two of a two-part series suggested by Matt, the Diamond Jester.  

New York Gothamites

Runners-Up:  Bats and herons.

Verdict:  The Yankees were beatable, but I failed to close the deal. 

Boston Pilgrims

Runner-Up:  Rebels

Verdict:  Win for me.

Toronto Loons:  The official bird of Ontario.

Verdict:  Draw.

Baltimore Barons, after the second Baron Baltimore.

Verdict:  Win for me.

Tampa Bay Smoke:  A subtle nod (as opposed to the more obvious Smokers) to the city's cigar making history. 

Runner-Up:  Spirits, after a name for the area used by 16th century Spanish cartographers.

Verdict:  I take the L.   

Chicago Monarchs:  The state butterfly of Illinois.  Also, royalty. 

Runner-Up:  Cooks

Verdict:  Win for me.

Cleveland Rockers:  Rock and Roll Hall of Fame reference.

Runner-Up:  Shredders

Verdict:  Win over Guardians. 

Detroit Diplomats:  A reference to the city's friendly relationship with Canada.

Runners-Up:  Ambassadors - Same as Diplomats, but longer.  Ospreys - a local bird.

Verdict:  L for me.    

Kansas City Mules:  State mammal of Missouri.

Runner-Up:  Bullfrogs - State amphibian.  

Verdict:  Win for me.  

Minnesota Aqua:  A reference to the numerous lakes and rivers in the state.

Runner-Up:  Ice - a reference to the cold winters. 

Verdict:  Win for me.

Oakland Wolves:  A nod to Jack London, author of The Sea Wolf  and wolf-related short stories.

Runner-Up:  Panthers, after the Black Panthers, who were founded in Oakland.

Verdict:  Win for me.

Seattle Grunge:  Music genre popularized in Seattle. 

Runner-Up:  Orcas

Verdict:  I take another L.  

Los Angeles Stars:  A Hollywood reference and also things in the sky.

Verdict:  Draw.  

Texas Wranglers

Verdict:  I take the L.

Houston Drillers:  An oil reference and also a baseball reference.

Runners-Up:  Roughnecks and Roustabouts, both oil industry references.

Verdict:  Win for me.  

Record:  8 - 5 - 2    

 

Name Game: National League

So Matt, the Diamond Jester, renamed the MLB teams and challenged readers to think of our own new names. 

Philadelphia Independents:  Declaration of Independence reference.  

Runner-Up:  Brothers -  City of Brotherly Love reference. 

Verdict:  Low bar to clear, but I prefer this over Phillies, which isn't even a word. 

New York Naturals:  A sports term.  Also a reference to naturalized citizens, as Queens is heavily populated by immigrants.  Also a reference to The Natural, which was about a New York baseball team and was written by a New Yorker.   

Runners-Up:  Bats and herons - Both animals of New York.  The former is also an item used in baseball.  

Verdict:  Another low bar which I think I cleared.  

Atlanta Kings:  Martin Luther King Jr. and King George II, for whom Georgia is named. 

Runner-Up:  Peaches

Verdict:  I remain undefeated.  Yeah, baby!  

Washington Owls:  A local animal.

Runner-Up:  Republicrats

Verdict:  Another easy win.  MLB sure has a lot of lame team names.  

Miami Breakers:  Waves and spring breakers.  

Verdict:  I suffer my first L.  Props to the Marlins.   

Chicago Cranes:  A local bird and a construction tool used to erect the city's skyline.

Runner-Up:  Cooks, after Cook County.

Verdict:  Another win for me.

Milwaukee Robins:  A local bird and the first name of one of the best Brewers of all-time. 

Verdict:  Beer wins.

Cincinnati Foxes:  A local animal.

Runners-Up:  Miracles -  Reference to the Jefferson Starship song written by and sung by Cincy native Marty Balin.  Salamanders -  A local animal. 

Verdict:  I take the win, but it's an ugly one.

St. Louis Pioneers

Verdict:  I give myself the win, but Cardinals might be preferred by some readers.

Pittsburgh River Rats:  A reference to the city's location at the convergence of three rivers.

Runner-Up:  Earls, after William Pitt, the first Earl of Chatham.

Verdict:  Another one where I give myself the win, but others might disagree.  

San Francisco Fog:  If you know SF, you know.  

Verdict:  Win for me.

Colorado Cougars:  A local animal.

Runners-Up:  Mountaineers and various local animals. 

Verdict:  I take the win over the inanimate object. 

Los Angeles Surfers:  It's not the state sport of California because it's popular in Sacramento.

Verdict:  I take the win, as Dodgers is an antiquated NYC name.  

San Diego Amigos:  A reference to the city's neighborly relationship with Tijuana and the city's easy-going vibe.  

Verdict:  A tough loss.  Padres is a good one.  

 

Arizona Ocelots:  A local animal.

Runner-Up:  Scorchers

Verdict:  Another tough L. 

Record:  11 - 4

Diamond Jesters: More Random Musings (diamond-jesters.blogspot.com)

August 6

So a blogger mentioned that he was sick of people who keep grabbing the free cards and I felt my ears burning.  A normal person might stop claiming free cards for  a while.  But this is me.  

U.S. and Canada only.

Previous commenters only. 

First person to name my least favorite football team gets a 9-card PWE of that team.  Good players, but they're not cards that are particularly special.  

CONTEST CLOSED

Time Traveling

 

Another Time Travel trade with Matt, the Diamond Jester. 

-  First team All-Pro once.  Second team All-Pro twice.  Browns' career INT leader. (Thom misspelled.)

-  Three-time first team All-Pro.  Second team All-Pro once. 

-  Michael Irvin

-  Three-time first team All-Pro.  Career shortened by a neck injury. 

I sent him nine cards, including a pair of 1970 Topps baseball. 

There are a lot of cool early 1980s cards available.  Just sayin'.   

Diamond Jesters (diamond-jesters.blogspot.com)