Spare Change Spent Wisely

I recently won 5 individual baseball cards in 5 different eBay auctions from the same seller.  The total damage was 9 cents shipped.  There is really no common theme to these cards.  The first card is an Upper Deck X base card of Randy Johnson.  The next is an Upper Deck card of Alex Rodriguez showing off his quarter billion dollar Rangers jersey.  Then, there is an Allen & Ginter of Dan Haren.  I would rather have the base card.  I don’t care what his middle name is.  I can about wins and ERA and the like.  Next is a Upper Deck Spectrum card of Scott Kazmir.  Remember him?  The former All-Star was last seen playing independent ball in Sugarland, Texas.  Finally, there is Evan Longoria featured on a simple Upper Deck base card which is really a checklist.  Not a bad haul for the money.  This is better than some packs that run 5 bucks each. 

Happy Trails Randy Johnson

After a 22 year career, Randy Johnson called it quits today at the age of 45. I think most people would agree that he is a hall of famer. I will remember Johnson for his 2 years spent as a Yankee. He wasn't exactly the most popular guy in New York, but he was a decent pitcher during his time in pinstripes. I always found it interesting that Johnson was traded from Arizona to New York and then back to Arizona. The Yankees originally sent Brad Halsey, Dioner Navarro, and Javier Vazquez to Arizona for Johnson. Halsey didn't work out. Navarro became a servicable catcher. Some thought Navarro would one day replace Jorge Posada. Vazquez is back in New York to eat up innings. (Ugh.) On the flip side, the Yankees received Alberto Gonzalez, Steven Jackson, Luis Vizcaino, and Ross Ohlendorf when they traded Johnson back to Arizona. Gonzalez and Jackson made little contribution. Vizcaino was a decent reliever for a while. Ohlendorf was a middle reliever before being traded to Pittsburgh in the Damaso Marte-Xavier Nady deal. So the Yankees got 2 years out of Johnson and received some salvage value at the end. Overall, it wasn't a bad deal for the Yankees.