Trading With an Old Coot

So I see there are all sorts of "Blog of the Year" and "Favorite Blogs" posts going around these days.  I'm not daring to go down that road this year myself, but I will say that if Dustin from Coot Veal and The Vealtones doesn't get some love in these posts, then what the hell are we all doing here?

Sure, I'm probably a little biased right now because he just sent me, again, an amazing package of cards.  Starting with this gem that none of you care about but me:

Dustin seems to be my pipeline for Eric Hinske autos, because this isn't the first he's sent me.  Actually, if we are ranking cards on the excitement scale, I might have to make this my #1:

My progress continues on building a 1952 Bowman set, and this Ned Garver is a very welcome addition.

Actually, it is hard for me to rank the cards he sent because there were a couple of others I was psyched to get:

GU of the Moose and the Straw-man!

Thanks for these wonderful cards Dustin, as well as the fun stack of Rangers, Naturals, Razorbacks and other great stuff that I didn't get time to scan.

The Vealtones Touch My Hot Spots

I’ve traded with Dustin from the highly literate “Coot Veal and TheVealtones” several times now, and he always makes me moist….with perspiration!

He pretty much hit on all my hotsports:  Rangers, Razorbacks and Darryl Strawberry, with many other goodies thrown in.  

This was the main card of the deal on my end:

I have always been an  Al Leiter fan, and enjoy watching his commentary on the MLB Network, especially when he’s discussing the craft of pitching.  I’ve heard he is interested in going into politics, or maybe he used to be.  Sure, I could see it.

Dustin also sent an unexpected bonus:

I’ll always take MY cards….as long as he’s in a Ranger uni.  I don’t want any of him in Phillie uniforms.  I consider him retired.

Speaking of Ranger unis, Dustin sent several current Rangers:

AND a star Congressional witness:

AND cards of a big goober.  An awesome goober, but still a goober.

AND Darryllllll……Darrylllllll…….Darryllllllll

 AND some vintage (love the Jenkins):

AND a couple of awesome Razorbacks to top it off.

Thanks Dustin, and enjoy that new baby of yours.  You should know I intended to pepper this post with lots of parenting advice for you but the lovely wife said that if I actually did like you I would keep my tips to myself and save you from going down a horribly wrong path.

That Old Coot

It's been a while since I've traded, but after I received my part of a trade with Dustin From the highly literate and entertaining Coot Veal and the Vealtones, I remembered how much fun trading could be.

Dustin has a great feel for what I like and sent some great stuff:

These relics of Michael Young and Ian Kinsler were the main attraction to the deal.

 He also added a nice lot of other Michael Young cards,

and other favorite Rangers.  I especially like the Andrus mini.

Finally, here are some misc players I collect.  I think the Hinske on the 86 Donruss style card is one of my favorites ever, and something I hadn't seen yet.

If you haven't been on Dustin's blog yet, you're missing out.  It should be fun to follow his participation in Nachos Grande's blog contest.  Vegas has Dustin listed as one of the favorites despite rumors of PEDs.

A Cool Deal From Coot Veal- Part 1

A looooooonnnnnngggggg time ago, Dustin from the awesome Coot Veal and the Vealtones blog reached out and said he had an autographed card of Razorback Eric Hinske in his possession and wanted to see if I was interested.  Indeed I was interested, but I didn’t have much to offer and the trade kind of fizzled out.  Thankfully, he didn’t forget about me and recently cast his line again.  This time I had a few things to offer. 

His cards arrived in the mail Saturday, and he sent way more than I expected.  In fact, this trade will take up two posts and it still won’t cover everything.  

Today, I’ll show you the Razorbacks and Rangers, starting with the main prize of this trade:

I was fortunate to see Hinske play a few games in person while he was with the Hogs.  He has become quite the seasoned traveler in the big leagues, but I’m glad to see him continue to get a paycheck.   I was “this” close to meeting him, too.  He was friends with a girl that interned at the book store I managed back in the late 90s and apparently he came by the store one day while I was not there. 

Dustin also sent a few other Hinske cards, none of which I had yet, and some always appreciated cards of Cliff Lee.

Next, we have cards of the new superpower of MLB, the Texas Rangers.    Yes, I know they lost the World Series.    Yes I know the Angels got Pujols.  The new superpower of MLB, the Texas Rangers:

 These alone would have made a great trade.  But there's more to show tomorrow!