Recent Rays and Tigers luck

 After  my last post about Wander Franco , I thought I’d do the post I was originally planning to do. It is much brighter, as it includes a trip to a new card shop, and some good Rays and Tigers luck. 

I had a doctor appointment on Tuesday, and ended up about a half an hour south of DeLand. I am switching to a Omnipod insulin delivery device instead of an insulin pump, and a Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring sensor instead of the Medtronic version. My endocrinologist is in Lake Mary, and it’s a pain to drive to, but I needed to take a training class for the new stuff, so it was worth it. No more tubes to get caught on drawer handles or pumps to worry about being in my pocket. 

Lake Mary had 1 or 2 shops nearby, and both looked like they would be wastes of time. Layton Sports Cards was the nearest one. They seemed like a flipper paradise from the pictures, and I actuallyI made fun of them on a previous post, featuring them on a mock insert called ‘Breaker Mojo Hitz’. The other shop looked like they dealt in Pokémon, so Layton it was. 

I called them to make sure they had boxes of loose cards from years I needed, and they said yes. I got there, and they only had 1 box of ‘80’s stuff. Each box was less of a cardboard box, and more of a plastic vault. I had trouble figuring out how to open them, and almost called someone over to ask for the password, and finally figured out how to slide the tab over to open them

  I didn’t find too much, but was able to get 2 cards I needed for the 1980 Topps set, leaving me needing just card #710 Graig Nettles to complete the set. I went back and asked for the Rays and Tigers vaults, and dug through them. 

Those had more to my liking, but most of them were priced a little high. I did dig out some that I thought were at or below market value, including a 2021 Topps Chrome rookie refractor of Casey Mize. The Greene and Skubal rookies were 3 bucks, and the Leyland was a pull from a 2025 Donruss pack that I purchased. The guy working that side of the store was an idiot. I asked him if they had 2025 Donruss, he said no, and then I searched the wall and found it and pointed them out. Back to the Rays and Tigers vaults, I found a Shane McClanahan Bowman rookie, and a Josh Fleming auto. Getting closer and closer to having autographs and jersey cards of everyone on the ‘20 AL championship team. The shimmer reflector Bowman Caminiero is a rookie even though it doesn’t say it is. 

A few more Caminiero rookies, and the purchase of the day for me, a 2005 Topps Update complete set, which included a Justin Verlander rookie. That set will (basically) give me complete Topps/Update sets from 2005-2007. Once I purchase some cards to fill in some holes, I will basically have 1980-2002 done, leaving me with only 2003 and 2004 Update to give me a run from 1980-2007. If you have anything from those sets that I need, please reach out. Speaking of trading, that Verlander is a dupe, so I’d be happy to include that in a trade. 

The whole atmosphere of Layton screamed flippers/scalpers. Guys were asking employees about product and they responded with the names of key rookies. They barely had any dime boxes, and a number of stuff was overpriced. What did it for me was the guy not knowing that they had the 2025 Donruss. Sure, he could’ve been a Pokémon expert, but still, at least know what the latest inventory is for sports. I probably won’t be back, but at least so came away with some cool cards. 

Im going to hit the rewind button and go back to June 12, when I recieved a package from Dennis of Too Many Verlanders. Dennis sent some Rays and Tigers that filled some needs, and also sent some cut up vintage that I claimed. Let’s take a look.

That McClanahan relic is my first of his, as are the 2 EEE autographs. Strangely, I have another copy of the Toby Hall relic, but I will take as many as I can. Here’s why. Check out the date of the game that the bat relic is from.  If you don’t feel like zooming in, it’s September 24, 2001. If you were around back then, you remember the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. MLB stopped playing games for a little while, and then started playing again around the 20th or so (not quite sure without checking).  That means this bat relic was used during the 1st or 2nd series after the 9-11 attacks. I kind of have a 9-11 collection of random things pertaining to the dates, and this could be added. Some things include a jersey card of John Finn, a firefighter who helped rescue victims, a few autographs of former Lakeland Tiger Marty Boryczewski, who became a stockbroker after retiring, and was in the towers and passed away during the attacks. Lastly, I visited the site when the monument was getting built in 2008, and picked up a piece of cynder block, which very likely could’ve been part of the twin towers. 

Back to the package, Dennis was giving away some cut up vintage cards, and I claimed a few. The Catfish Hunter is a pretty early card of him. I liked the Dave Adlesh and Johnny Romano cards, because I have a book showing every Topps St. Louis Cardinals card from 1952-1988, and both Romano and Adlesh appear in the book I figured the Hodges and Palmer World Series cards might be toughies later, so I eagerly claimed them. 

The Baz and Bradley cards were All-Star Game parallels. I could’ve sworn I had the Arozarena card, but it was a need. 

Thanks, Dennis, for the great cards. I have a stack I’m working on to send back to you. 

I actually have a few stacks I’m adding to, as well as stacks that are in the mail to Night Owl and Fuji. People say buying retail is a waste of money, but most of what are in my trade piles are pulls from packs, including this one I pulled from a Series 2 2025 Topps blaster. 

This one is in the stack for Johnny’s Trading Spot, and will be hand delivered the next time I can make it up to Ocala. 

Don’t worry. I’ve pulled plenty of stuff for my collection, too, including some Rays and Tigers hits from 2025 Bowman and 2025 Topps. 

I found a blaster of ‘25 Bowman in the wild, and I got Jesus’ autograph. Jesus Lopez, that is. It was a green parallel, as well. The Kumar Rocker card is kind of cool looking, and I pulled a ‘peanut refractor’ (I’m not kidding, that’s what they call it) of Tigers prospect Josue Briceno. 

My birthday was on June 14, and let me tell you, I made out.mu brother-in-law sent me a Series 1 hanging box of 2025 Topps and a hanging pack of 2025 Heritage. 

I pulled a Casey Mize, and  Yankee$ Diamonte card. Not the best inset to pull, but at least I can probably trade it. I’m also counting the Rainbow Kim card as a Rays pull, since he signed with them in the offseason and should really be pictured as a Ray. 

 The Heritage pack gave me a Yandy Diaz, and 2 parallels. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t Dime Box Nick collect Salvador Perez?  

That leads me to the latest trip to Wal-Mart. I picked up a blaster and hanging box of 2025 Topps Series 2. The cards didn’t disappoint, as most of the hits were either Tigers or Rays. 

Diamonte Flaherty and J Lowe, rainbow Tigers team card, OPS Leaders Riley Greene, Stars of MLB of Jobe and Caminiero. 

It is funny that I pulled Junior, because my mother-in-law got me a value box of 2025 Bowman, and Kyler was like ‘we’re going to get a Junior Caminiero. We pulled this Mojo refractor, as well as the Mojo Carson Williams and the Jung. 

Sometime inbetween the birthday Bowman and the last Wally World trip, I found some Bowman at Target, got a blaster, and pulled the card on the right. 

2 great Tigers hits in 2 Bowman rips. 

Counting last year, when I pulled a Carson Rucker auto from 2024 Bowman, this is the 2nd year in a row that I’ve had luck pulling a Tiger autograph.  2026 better be ready.  

Lastly, are some Caminiero cards I pulled. I believe the last 2 are from the birthday Topps packs Karen got me. Kyler is expecting to get Junior in every pack now, and while we have been for about a month or so, it can’t continue, can it?

I don’t know when the Rays and Tigers luck will run out, but hopefully it won’t be for a while. 

Thanks for checking out my latest post. 

-Jeremy