Thursday, December 31, 2020

MVP Family Tree Project Update Number 2

I has been a busy couple of days with the project and I am loving it! I have increased the card count after buying some of the bigger cards. While this project is about having people help me out via PWE trade or gift, I never intended to do anything less than buy the big cards. I also got a shout out from Herman and Brad over on Youtube during their weekly show and that was awesome because it got more people engaged with the project. As a result, their guest of the day, Mark reached out to me and said that he would round up a card or two for the project and send my way. I appreciate that, Herman, Brad, and Mark! Anyway, let's get to some of the cards. As of 12/28, I said that I had 5 cards of the 119 cards needed for the project. However, I didn't think to mention that I also had the 1968 Bob Gibson but I'm sure anybody that knows me knew that I had it. After all, it's no mystery that I have Gibby's completed Topps playing era run! So, here is the 1968 Topps that I have for this collection.
Now, on to the purchases. The first purchase that I made toward this project, starting it, was none other than this 1966 Roberto Clemente. It would be hard to find better player and card to start this project of with in terms of purchases. In 1966, Clemente would end the season with a .317 AVG, 29 HR, and 119 RBI. He won the honor with 218 voter points beating out Sandy Koufax by 10 points.
The second purchase was for this project was one of the iconic cards featured in the Topps Project 2020 set, the 2001 Ichiro Suzuki. In 2001, Ichiro won not only the MVP award but also the ROY award. Over the course of the season, Suzuki had a .350 AVG, 8 HR, and 69 RBI. He won the MVP award with 289 points beating out Jason Giambi by 8 points. I would say that this future HOFer transitioned well from the NPB to MLB.
The third purchase was a name that you heard me mention couple of paragraphs earlier in this post, Sandy Koufax. In 1963, The Left Arm of God, posted a record of 25-5, 1.88 ERA, and 306 Ks on his way to 237 MVP points. He beat out St. Louis Cardinal Dick Groat by 47 points. Also, this is one of the most beautiful Koufax cards in my opinion. I love the 1963 Topps set.
After picking up the beautiful Koufax, I knew what I had to do. I had talked about it way too much on Youtube and I knew that it would end up being the big boy of this run. If your not good at guessing, don't worry because I will tell you who it is. It's The Commerce Comet, Mickey Mantle. In 1962, Mantle hit for a .321 AVG, 30 HR, and 89 RBI. He had a runaway MVP points victory by beating out teammate Bobby Richardson by 82 points, 234-152. This was The Mick's third and final MVP award of his career. His first came in 1956.
Next up on the purchases was a card from my favorite set, 1967 Topps. So, who's the player? Well, it's Orlando Cepeda. In all honesty, I can't remember if I have purchased this card in the past or not. I'm a Cardinals collector and I often buy cards that I don't get sent to me until 6 months to a year later so there is a chance that I have already purchased this one. If I did, I don't mind and won't complain about having 2 of them in the collection. So, what did Cepeda do in 1967? He batted .325 with 25 HR and 111 RBI on his way to his 1st and only MVP award of his HOF career. To grab the award, he beat out teammate Tim McCarver by 144 points, 280-136.
Staying in line with the 67 season and my favorite set, I purchased the Carl Yastrzemski. Like Cepeda, this was the only MVP award won by this baseball legend. In 1967, Yaz batted .326 with 44 HR and 121 RBI. He won the award by a wide margin, 275-161, over Harmon Killebrew. This is a beautiful card and a beautiful set. You've gotta love the 60s.
After all of those cards, one would think that the purchases would have been done. In all honesty, my wallet wished it had been but I had to pick up one last card and that card was the 1966 Frank Robinson. In 1966, Frank beat out teammates Brooks and Boog to pick up his 2nd MVP award of his career. One of the fun facts about this second award was that it came while playing in the AL and his first award had come during his playing days in the NL with the Reds in 1961. In his second MVP award season, Frank hit .316 with 49 HR and 122 RBI.
I hope you enjoyed the post. Stay tuned to find out more about the journey of the MVP Family Tree Project. Also, if you would like to help out, you can reach me on Twitter, Instagram, or by email. Twitter: @kbocollections Instagram: @collectionskbo Email: kbocolletions@gmail.com
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Monday, December 28, 2020

#MvpFamilyTreeProject Has Kicked Off

Any good project needs a good name and I've decided to name my 1962-2020 MVP project the MVP Family Tree Project. I started calling it the Project MVP Family Tree but that just doesn't roll off the tongue the way that I would like it to. Anyway, that's enough talking about cheesy names and let's get to the heart of this post which will be my 1st update to the project. Soon after announcing the project on a live stream yesterday, 12/27/2020. Herman at 3bCollection spoke up and said that he wanted to help get me started with a few cards for the project. He went into his stash and came out with 3 awesome cards to kick things off, the 1983 Dale Murphy, the 1991 Terry Pendleton, and the 2020 Freddie Freeman.
He also mentioned that he thought that he had a duplicate 1991 Cal Ripken but he didn't. It was completely fine though since he had already done more than his fair share with the Murphy, Pendleton, and Freeman. Him mentioning the 91 Ripken also reminded me that I had seen one (or at least I thought I had) in a collection that a friend here in Korea had given me one day. So, I went to that box and sure enough there was a 91 Ripken sitting there. I also found the 92 Bonds so it was a worthwhile search.
Anyway, I'm now at 5 of the 119 cards needed for the Family Tree MVP Project. If you would like to help out by donating one of the cards on the following spreadsheet via PWE just let me know. You can contact me on Twitter: @kbocollections, Instagram: @collectionskbo, or Email: kbocollections@gmail.com. Also, I would be more than happy to find something to send to you via PWE for your collection. MVP Family Tree Project Spreadsheet Link
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Sunday, December 27, 2020

AL/NL MVP Project (1962-2020)

With 2020 coming to a close, I have started to make hobby plans for 2021. I have been making plans, setting goals, reaching out to more people, and making changes to how I collect. I think it’s going to be a great year and one of the projects that I’m about to take on is going to help make it a great year. However, I can’t do it without the help of others in the hobby.


So, what is this new project that I’m planning to start up? Well, it’s simple. I want to collect the Topps flagship base card for each AL and NL MVP from their MVP winning season starting from 1962. Now, you may be wondering, why 1962? The answer is family.


My mom and dad got married in 1962 so essentially I am a product of 1962. Sure, I wasn’t born until years later but if they hadn’t gotten married in 1962 I wouldn’t be here today. So, for me, my family as I know it began in 1962 and that’s why I picked 1962.


So far it all sounds simple enough and it’s not something that hasn’t been done before. I’m no hobby pioneer. I’m just a guy that collects baseball cards. However, the way that I want to carry out this project is with the help of the hobby community. 


I could easily go out and track down each card and purchase them but that seems boring to me. I want this project to have more meaning and to create memories, stories, and friendships. Not just friendships between me and you, but also friendships between you and others in the hobby. I want us to all work together to help each other achieve our hobby goals and help with each other's hobby projects.


So, how can you help me with my project? It’s simple. If you have a Topps flagship base card of an MVP winner from their MVP season and you don’t need it (or want it), send it my way. Yes, I’m aware that I live in Korea but it can be sent PWE for $1.20 by using a US Global Postage stamp so I’m certainly not asking you to break the bank to help me out. Also, the majority of these cards are low value cards that are typically found for a buck or two (even less for many of them). 


Sure, I realize that some of the cards that are going to be included in this collection are going to be on the expensive side but I’m not asking you to send me a 1962 Mickey Mantle (unless you just want to...lol) because I will end up buying those at some point. I’m asking you to send me a 2020 Freddie Freeman, a 2015 Josh Donaldson, a 2007 Jimmy Rollins, or so on. Like I said, most of these cards are low value cards. So, if you can help me out and be a part of this project, it will be awesome. Also, I’m willing to send you something that you collect via PWE (from Korea) in return if I have it. I’m not just looking for something for nothing.


Anyway, I plan to keep a record throughout the whole project. I want to document what card I received. Who sent the card to me. When they sent the card to me. Where they sent it from. How long it took to arrive. Also, if you want to include it, I would like to receive a short note and maybe even your custom card or business card, if you have one.  After all, I want this collection to be about the memories! 

So if you have one of the following Topps flagship base cards that you are willing to send my way, you can reach out to me on Twitter, Instagram, or via email and I can give you the postal address. Also, feel free to just reach out if you want help with your projects. At the very least, I can help spread the word for what you are doing.


Twitter: @kbocollections

Instagram: @collectionskbo

Email: kbocollections@gmail.com
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