A Card Only I Would be Excited About and the David Ortiz Topps Tribute

On Thursday, I received another two very diverse packages.

Up first was a card that only I would be truly excited for, a Leaf buyback of a Carlos Quintana card.  Quintana is still a player of whom I love picking up cards.  There are not many rare Quintana cards out there, but this stamped buyback numbered to five certainly counts.  Quintana's best game came on July 30, 1991 when he drove in six runs in the third inning against the Rangers.  He came up against former Red Sox Oil Can Boyd with Luis Rivera, Wade Boggs, and Jody Reed on base and no one out and hit a grand slam.  Later in the inning with two outs and Boggs and Rivera again on base, Quintana doubled off of Wayne Rosenthal.  He had been playing left field in that game.  What really makes that game interesting is that Boston had been considering trading him, and decided against it after the game.  The Red Sox scored ten runs in the 3rd inning and won 11-6.  Kevin Morton got the win.

The next package contained the Topps Throwback Thursday Tribute to David Ortiz mini set done in the 1997 Stadium Club design.  I showed all six cards, but obviously the first card is a Twins card and will not find its way into my Red Sox collection.  The rest of the cards each celebrate special moments in his career: his signing with the Red Sox, his three World Championships, his 500th home run, his 10 All Star selections, and his final game.  Ortiz will be missed.  He is getting quite large in my collection lately.  He is very close to catching up to Pedro Martinez which would put him third overall in my Red Sox collection.  Jason Varitek is first.  Nomar Garciaparra is second.