The Big Donkey

When I was in Little League, I swung at everything. It's baseball, man. Get stick, swing stick. Had to swing. Loved the ones up high. Coaches would say I need to improve my plate discipline. This just resulted in me deciding to take the first two pitches no matter what, then going right back to mashin'. Once kids got good enough to actually pitch, I was toast.

 

Which brings me to my favorite player, Adam Dunn. My boy hit .204 with 41 homers one year. He also struck out 2,379 times in 2,001 career games. He is also one of only 41 people to hit 450 career dingers. That's more than all but 26 Hall of Famers. Legendary.

 

He hit a home run from a ballpark in Ohio that landed in Kentucky. Watch that here. And watch Secret Bases's treatment of his career here. Worth the ten minutes.

 

As for my collection, it's both vast and modest. Vast, as in I have 1,584 different Dunns. 1st among TCDB users by a lot.

 

 

But modest, because there are certainly more serious superfans out there, as my collection has precious few rarities. And somebody(s) outbid(s) me. Always. By many, many dollars.

 

Dunn being one of the stars on the Reds during the card glut of 2002-2008 resulted in a hell of a lot of cards. But it all started with his only card of 1998, a Billings Mustanges Minor League team issue:

 

This popped up on feeBay and I snagged it for way too cheap. The other guys must have all already had this one. And probably not graded a paltry and pathetic 9. I also have two printing plates, 2006 Upper Deck Ovation and 2013 Topps Turkey Red:

 

 

 

 

 

These randos are all /10:

 

 

 

 

 

And thus ends the rare card run. The other 1,577 cards are a lot of stuff like this

 

 And this:

It's was fun for a while when I could bring em in as fast as I could grab em. But I'm really only acquiring a few new ones each year any more. Y'all will be seeing several of my Adam Dunn cards and things. Lots of silly stuff.

 

Big Ol' Donkey, he's as pretty as the angels when they sing
I can't believe I'm out here at the ballpark in this swing
Just a-swingin'

Go Redlegs.