2025 Card-vent Calendar: December 4

December 4, 2025:

1981 Topps #514 Elvis Peacock

Man, football players sure had cooler names in the early 1980s.

Remember the Buccaneers' defensive front four in 1982?  You had Toothpaste McHennessy, Disco Pantagruel, Shakespeare Bandsaw, and Clump Funkus.  You couldn't run on the Bucs that year, but the secondary gave up an average of 643 passing yards per game.

 

Who can forget the PB&J Connection for the St. Louis Cardinals?  If you close your eyes, I'll bet you can still picture a long bomb from Peanut Butter Maxwell to Hard-Time "Jelly" Johnson.

 

And don't even think about trying to tackle Hayride Kennedy.  Damn near became the first 3,000-yard rusher for the Patriots in '83.

 

I would have partied with Elvis Peacock back then.  A guaranteed good time.

 

2025 Card-vent Calendar: December 3

December 3, 2025:

1981 Topps Traded #811 Bob Owchinko

To see Bob on a card in an (airbrushed) A's uniform, where the photo was taken long before the Jon Matlack Incident, the contrast in tone and appearance is quite striking.

The eyes twinkle, the hair rests under the cap, carefree.  The focus is on throwing strikes. Palling around with Rich Bordi and Mike Norris.  Marveling from the dugout at the speed of that youngster.

The beard came later, then the sleepless nights.

A steely gaze underneath a rigid side-part.

Bob Owchinko became something less than a man.

Nights spent waiting up.  Quick glances into corner cafes.

And all the while, she was right by his side.

Yet he still suspected.

Harbored.

Speculated.

 

Some say that on chill, October nights, the wind still faintly whispers, "Ooooooooooooh."

 

 

2025 Card-vent Calendar: December 2

 December 2, 2025:

2022 Panini Chronicles Luminance Draft Picks #14 Johnny Davis

Watching Wisconsin basketball has become one of my great winter joys as of late, perhaps even more so now than during the back-to-back Final Four years.  Every year we seem to be projected to finish in the bottom half of the Big Ten, and every year we manage to surpass the experts' expectations and contend for the title, in one form or another.  This year, it's more of the same, but it's come with a brand new identity.  In years past, we played plodding, methodical basketball, where every game it seemed to be a race to 40 would win the contest.  This season, we're running and gunning, averaging over 95 ppg the first six games (before being held to a paltry 74 by TCU this past weekend).  It's just enjoyable to curl up in bed, flip on the game, watch the boys play hard, the fans get into it, and at the end, I can turn over, pull up the covers, and drift off to sleep without having to drive home.

Seeing this card makes me wonder how Johnny Davis, our best player since 2015, would have fared on this team.  He managed 11 minutes and 3.5 points per game, not exactly lighting it up as a former lottery pick.  He's now on the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks' G-League team.  Maybe, just maybe, we'll get to see the home-state guy crack the big league roster here in Milwaukee.

 

No matter what, I'll keep enjoying my Badgers.  College basketball is still fun in the NIL era.  I don't have any real aspirations for a national championship, so some good, strong play in the conference is all I hope to see, maybe a little bit of a tournament run every few years.  I don't even hate any other teams, mostly because guys don't stick around for very long.  My coach hate is disappearing, too.  I think Izzo is the only one left, and he's getting close to his 200th birthday.  Do you have a team like this in your fandom, one where being just okay is good enough?

 

Yup, college basketball is still fun.

 

My college football team, on the other hand... 

2025 Card-vent Calendar: December 1

How could it be Card-vent already?  We just went trick-or-treating.  (BTW, Milwaukee instituted its first municipal nighttime trick-or-treating in my lifetime this past October 31.  All I've ever known has been a lame-ass Sunday afternoon joint.  We took the kids to my parents' neighborhood, turnout was low, so people were giving the youngsters literal handfuls of candy.  Filled their bags to bursting in about two blocks.)

This year's calendar looks pretty festive, in a deliciously secular way.

I usually like to catch people up on the state of the Thorzul household at the beginning of Card-vent.  Here's what we've got.

First of all, our house is an absolute disaster zone.  We're in what I believe to be the late-middle stages of a bathroom remodel.  We hired a guy that did a neighbor's bath, and were forewarned that he is a very slow worker, preferring to work only a day or two per week.  He started the demo when we were away at a cabin for the second week of August.  As of right now, the shower is operational, there is something that resembles a pocket door (that gives slightly less than 100% privacy), the walls are fairly finished-looking, and we've had electricity in it for about a week.  There's still a ways to go, and I'm thankful I'm not showering in the backyard with a hose any longer (which I once did when the temperature was 59 degrees).  The job required our entire front closet to be emptied, so there's boots and coats and shoes strewn throughout the dining room. Ack!

 

Aside from that, the kids are doing great in school, Mrs. Thorzul and I are miserable in our jobs, but doing better than 90% of America, and we're all looking forward to a family Caribbean cruise in a few weeks.

 

Enough of that, let's see what the first card is.

 

2008 Upper Deck #739 Ichiro Season Highlights 

The primary highlight that this card refers to is Ichiro's 3-for-3 MVP performance in the 2007 All-Star Game.  Most people, however, neglect to read the fine print on the backs of cards, so the majority of collectors missed the secondary award he received, that for Skinniest Tie.

Man, look at that thing!  It's thinner than the one I got at JCPenney for my 8th grade graduation photos in the fall of 1992 (a choice that earned a compliment from the somewhat flamboyant clerk who expressed a dislike for wide ties, calling them "big ol' soup napkins").  You cannot say a single bad thing about the way the guy played, but his taste in neckwear peaked about the same time as Snow's "Informer."

 

A licky boom-boom down, indeed.

 

CC: CMYK

We're still doing this, huh?

 

Any by this, I mean this blog, which hasn't been updated since January.  And by this I also mean that I'm finding CC Sabathia cards that I don't have.  Kiss this beauty with your eyeballs.

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights #UH300 Yellow Printing Plate (1/1)

Yes, this card has been eluding me for nearly 17 years.  It's so old that Topps was still using the U&H name at the time of its birth.

As it stands, I'm halfway to reaching the capability of printing my own 2008 Sabathia cards, as I have already acquired the magenta plate.  Yeah, it's going to be a real moneymaker once I get the presses up and running.  Base cards are the key to financial independence.

The final step in the process is deciding which card to bump from the first page of my Sabathia binder.  I think there's actually a group of three cards that could be swapped out for the four I need to move.  It's a good problem to have, and I will welcome a similar one, hopefully sooner than 17 years from now.

Trade Me Anything XVIII: #6

Trades like the one I'm about to share are actually my favorite.  A few cards sent, a few cards gained, and I get to delete a little bit from my want list.  (Don't get me wrong, I love getting books and Brewers and stickers and gadgets and everything else, but a want list trade is a fastball over the plate for me.)  This one is from Daniel. 

 

Giving:

#US49 Jared Jones, #US12 Jon Berti, #US134 Cade Smith, #US163 Clayton Andrews / Josh Maciejewski 

Getting:

1983 Topps #770 Dave Winfield

When typing out want list numbers, it's always a little disconcerting to see a Topps cards that you need that ends in a zero.  I'm glad to have Dave become a part of my still-incomplete set.

1980 Topps #110 Fred Lynn, #663 Ralph Botting / Bob Clark / Dickie Thon

Ditto on the Lynn.  I don't remember having any other Botting cards (only pitched in 18 games in his career), but Clark pops up from time to time in stacks of Brewers, and Thickie Don is a legend in his own right (and a short-time Brewer).

1987 Fleer #328 Tim Raines, 1987 Fleer All Star Team #8 Todd Worrell

I swear you could insulate a 3,000-square-foot home with 1987 cards and stickers featuring Worrell.  Decent career, but three cards in 1987 Topps was some overkill.  This insert is cool, though.

1997 Pinnacle Denny's #8 John Jaha

Jaha is kind of the face of the dark years between Yount's retirement and the emergence of Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun in the late 2000s.  He's what passed for a good player in Milwaukee.  If he was several years older or younger, he would have been a great companion piece to a pennant winner, but wasn't the guy to carry a team.

Thanks, Daniel!  I always appreciate help crossing a few cards off the list.

Trade Me Anything XVIII: #5

A little bit of background here.  This package actually arrived in mid-to-late December.  I always post these in the order in which they are received, and when this trade was up next on the docket, we were in the week between Christmas and New Year's.  During that time, first my wife, and then I, got really sick.  She was diagnosed with type A influenza.  For four days it was mostly body aches and feeling like doing absolutely nothing, even sleeping, since that was usually when I felt the worst.  She felt better by New Year's Eve and was out with the kids doing some round robin drinks and merriment with some of the neighbors.  They got home a little after midnight, and I had already been in bed for a while, feeling like garbage.  Then I woke up around 1:15 in the morning and felt great all of a sudden.  Within that hour it finally went away.  School started up again on January 2nd, and there's been a lot going on otherwise, so that's why I'm just getting to share this trade today.  In a strange way, the delay makes this one so much better.  You'll see.

This one is from Patrick (aka Zpop).

Giving:

#T89CU-60 Pedro Martinez 1989 Topps 35th Anniversary Refractor, #AT-35 Stephen Strasburg Autumn Tales

Getting:

1997 Upper Deck Collector's Choice Sealed Factory Set

Wow!  I think that's the first time something like this has ever been traded to me for TMA.  That's overly generous and greatly appreciated.

1995 Brewers Police Bob Uecker

I wish I had the words for this one.  When this card was sent and received, Bob was still with us.  I'm still going back and forth on whether I should write a tribute post.  There's not much I could say that would properly honor his legacy.  In short, the team didn't deserve his talent.  He was the best ever at what he did.  You can argue with that, but you'd be wrong.  He made a horrible,  miserly franchise fun to listen to.  He deserved better.

Thanks for the trade, Patrick!  The single card you sent was oddly prescient.  You should go do some gambling with that skill of yours.

Packs That Just Showed Up #7

Forty-three posts in 2024?

Unacceptable.

That was the lowest annual total since this blog began.  Things are going to change in 2025, and that change starts today.

This is the final pack that just showed up, and it's from the set with the earliest release date of all the packs.  Fleer released its 2007 Ultra set that July.  That's over 17 years ago, a few months after I started my card blog.  It's a small pack, only five cards, so let's try this.  I'll do a little digging and try my best to find out what each player is currently up to.  Should be interesting.

#226 Travis Buck

Assistant coach of the Loyola Marymount baseball team.  Look him up, he still has the mile-wide smile, but I'm a bit disappointed by the Key West barfly-looking haircut.

#152 Adam Wainwright

Came back for a 19th season in 2024, finishing the year with a 6-32 record, but won all five decisions against the Milwaukee Brewers.  In those games he held the Crew to a .072 batting average without giving up a single run.

Just kidding, he's a Fox Sports commentator now. 

#184 Ian Kinsler

Special Assistant to Rangers GM Chris Young.

#91 Francisco Rodriguez

Not a lot of information available, but it appears that he was named manager of Venezuela's U-15 National Baseball Team early in 2024.

#43 Bronson Arroyo

Wikipedia says that Arroyo was on season 12 of "The Masked Singer" in 2024, and that fellow pitcher Barry Zito was his "Mask Ambassador."  I don't know exactly what this means, but I assume it's what you do after baseball if you don't want to sell cars or insurance and you're not as smart as Chris Young.

So, who ya got for the best post-baseball gig from this group of five?