You can’t spell “Jingle Bells” without J. Bell! Number 12 in our countdown is Jay Bell, although it may be hard to read his name because he is so fragmented.
Bell was among the game’s better middle infielders in the 1990s. Kind of weird to me when a guy I remember from when I was a kid in the overproduction era – a non-star at that – sticks around long enough to also have Xfractors and the like. Jay got a ring with the ’01 D-backs and finished his career with the Mets in 2003. He didn’t get any “last tribute” cards in 2004, so 2003 is his swan song for game day cards.
I mix it up with some non-baseball stuff. After all, I like my Christmas card collection to be diverse. Colby Jones and Julian Phillips make up the basketball duo. I don’t know about either one, but I got it for a few bucks on a recent eBay purchase with combined shipping. But the hockey card I set up because the guy’s name is Gavin Brindley, and I’m thrilled to score a double bullseye from a guy named Gavin on a 12/25 card. (A rare one triple Bullseye is coming soon, so get excited about that! lol)
Are you ready for a game of football? I’m not – I haven’t paid much attention to pigskin for several years – but I am an omnivore when it comes to my card collection. A few more combined shipping options. BJ Ojulari is a pretty fun name and Zach Charbonnet represents my “local” team here in the PNW. These are numbered on the back, so let’s take a look…
Gee, sorry about the blurry photos. As I said in the previous post, I hope the light box I asked I got some help this Christmas to tighten up my photos on the blog (otherwise I might have to try scanning more, but I prefer the speed of taking photos.)
Another basketball guy in Villanova’s Mark Armstrong, plus a football guy named Michele De Gregorio.
12/25 on the back.
Another Gavin makes this year’s countdown. Cross was a first-round pick in 2022 and has spent the last few seasons in Double-A with mediocre results, so his cards have been more affordable than when he was a better player. I might as well buy a cheap 12/25 car if the opportunity presents itself.
Here is the triple rose I mentioned. Card number 12/25, from my favorite team, from a man who went to the same high school as me.
I’ve been working on a big Trenton Brooks post for a while now, but I haven’t published it because I keep adding parallels and always seem to have another one in the mail, so I’m waiting for that, but then another one comes along too, and on it goes. LOL But no, soon I’ll stick a fork in that post and show some modern parallels – really my first foray into ‘rainbow’ in the Fanatics era. But for now, this is the only Trenton Brooks Christmas card I’ve scored so far.
I wanted to boost my Stephen Strasburg PC with a nice card, and this Ginter refractor fit the bill. He looks like he just saw Mom kissing Santa Claus under the mistletoe, and he’s not sure how to process it. The serial number 12/25 is located at the bottom right. He is another local boy who went to the same school, but this time SDSU, and a rival high school from my conference. His pro career was hampered by injuries, but he had a few strong seasons, including a stellar 2019 when he helped lead the Nationals to a World Series Championship.
Pete Alonso brings some star power as we near the end of the post. This 2024 Tier One parallel looks great with the Mets colors. I picked this one this summer, when the Mets were in the playoffs, before things fell apart and the team was dismantled. Good luck to the polar bear in Baltimore.
Last card in the mail…
Bobby Witt Jr. has built an impressive career and he is only 25 years old. It took me a while to find a nice car and place it in my price range. Delight in this five-star Christmas card with enough rainbow foil to make it pop.
There you have it. Merry Christmas again and/or enjoy your 12/25 this year!
#Twelve #cards