2008 Stadium Club choices: Martin, Chamberlain, Johnson, Ichiro, Granderson, Martin.

night owl:The best is #5 Russ Martin. The reasons: 1. Martin is the king of great 2008 cards (post upcoming on Night Owl Cards!). He cannot have a card that is anything less than excellent. He's incapable of it. 2. It's a play at the plate, the most dramatic play in all of baseball. 3. The ball is IN HIS GLOVE after what appears to be quite the nasty collision. And the runner, Xavier Nady, has gotten the worst of it, as he lies crumpled on the ground sans helmet (which Russell kneels over). 4. Look at the concentration on Martin's face. He is practically willing the ball to stay in his glove with his eyes, while keeping his right hand out to steady himself and/or to keep the ball in the glove. 5. The overhead angle of this is just fantastic. 6. Cards in which the entire background is dirt ROCK. (full disclosure: This photo is also on the Topps Chrome card).


sooz:

I like the Joba Chamberlain card with him blocking the plate.It's a great angle and shows a pitcher doing more than his typical routine. Plus, Joba just looks like he's ready to sack someone. And it's a Yankee.

pab:

Elliott Johnson card #129a. I don't know if Elliott Johnson will ever be an everyday starter for the Rays, but the grit and determination shown in card 129a as Johnson plows over a catcher in a spring training game demonstrates a love and respect for the game.

dayf:

#51 Ichiro. Flying through the air... about to splat into the wall... and you KNOW he caught it.

grand cards:

#6: Curtis is on the run. His pants are already dirty, despite clearly being on first base. It is cold outside, and only the most hard-core fans have stuck around on this cold Michigan spring evening. Curtis has used his telepathic powers to fool the first baseman into going in the opposite direction of him. The two have created a visual chalice—Da Vinci Code style—a fact that did not go unnoticed by the photographer who wished to convey the religious-like power that Granderson embodies. His fingers are taped, his socks are up and his neck is weighed down by magic titanium power necklaces, as if to say not even broken fingers, extra weight and good style can stop me from taking third base before the ball gets out of the infield. The background exudes vintage baseball stadiums, three different shades of green, with a bright yellow line that makes you wonder why oh why replay was ever needed. Curtis’ eyes are on the prize. He is already looking at the third base coach despite barely being past the first baseman. He is going to score. He knows it. You know it. The kid in the red with his arms up knows it—and he hasn’t even gotten to second yet.

nachos grande:

#5 Russ Martin. In an upset for the ages, Martin edges out the retired superstar duo of Robinson and Clemente for the best 2008 Topps Stadium Club picture. This card has it all - a play at the plate, visible determination on Martin ad Nady's faces, a flying helmet, and a blocked plate attempt. You can even see the tip of Martin's mask that he through up the line anticipating the throw home. It's pictures like this that make me want to go out in the yard (if it weren't snow covered) and play a game of pickup baseball like I used to in my "youth."

We don't have the above cards in our collection (although after reading these statements, now we want them) so we apologize that the pictures are mostly from eBay. We will post any more choices that arrive in comments in the next day or so.