Cooler Days, Cooler Cards

After what must have been one of the hottest Japanese summers ever (though I certainly heard stories about last year) it's finally getting cooler. So it's time for me to celebrate the sweeter weather with some sweet cards. These are the last of my cards from this summer's shipment of candy and packages, and I saved the best for last.

 Dave Dravecky was an average pitcher but he has an unaverage story. He left baseball in 1988 due to cancer, but returned in 1989 with my hometown Giants. I remember his story well since I was living in San Francisco and following the Giants closely as a brand-new fan. He did great in his first game back, but in the fifth inning of his second start, his arm broke while pitching to Tim Raines. The cancer had come back, and eventually his arm and shoulder had to be amputated. He's kind of an inspirational story for his attempted comeback and he is now a motivational speaker. I'm really glad to finally have his autograph in my collection.

 Jimy Williams, on the other hand, was just acquired for the card. Silly type collection!

 Likewise for Corey here. If getting an oddball team issue card means I have to get an autograph with it, let it be.

 Remember Geoff Geary? Of course you don't. I haven't written about him in months. But I found one of those strange Upper Deck colored parallels I needed on eBay, and I'm finally presenting it here!

 It's good to be king. It's good to be a buyback card.

Now it's dinnertime:

 Curt Schilling Opening Day 2006 printing plate? Thank you very much!

 The proof is in the pudding. Or sticker.

 2012 Opening Day plate.

 Remember, this plate is a one-of-a-kind collectible. There are four others just like it.

 Now this one's cool - a back-side plate. Wasn't Kevin Appier good at some point?

And that's all she wrote!

I kind of like the uniqueness of printing plates, though I do like the backwards press plates better (since they're backwards).

Now that I've exhausted my USA draft folder, I can get back to bringing you Japanese cards and store information. I just have to get on a regular posting schedule to get it all to you - months of backlog are waiting to go online!