Thank you, mister Matt Plank

Each time I write about the cards Matt sends me in our usual trading battles, I seem to repeat myself in superlatives. It's just that...well...yeah. At least. And much more. We've been sending packages back and forth for over a year now, and it seems that Matt knows my collecting habits to the point. He warned me that he was having trouble winning bids on Ebay for Blue Jays players (I guess that's what happens when you make a run in the post season (one day I'll write about that ALCS game six and how it literally gave me nightmares and kept me awake all night)), but that he found a couple of cards that might fit my collection and that packed a punch.

And boy oh boy did that package ever !

Glad to hear he's finally ok and getting healthy. For those who didn't follow, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in April, chose to play anyway, and had it removed this October. The surgery was a success and he's now cancer-free.

I chased the regular version the minute I saw that Devo was in this year's Fan Favorites checklist. Matt surprised me with this great Gold parallel version, numbered 48/50

Adrian Beltre isn't in my official Gold glovers' list, as I've only listed those with at least ten, but his four awards aren't too shabby, and make him one of my favorite players. Too bad he plays for the Rangers, but hey, nobody's perfect. That low-numbered, great looking, 4 colour patch card is amazing


And finally, just like that....

Yup, absolutely. When I first saw it, I couldn't believe my eyes. I never in a million years thought I'd one day receive an on-card auto of the Iron Man himself in a blind trade. This is an incredible addition to my collection, I'm really baffled. I could'nt care less that it's unlicensed, as I love that little Leaf logo up there, and the signature simply looks great. I remember how he single handedly put baseball back on track with his record, despite the previous year's strike.

Thanks Matt !