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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... sometimes stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new fun cards and oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

FORE!
The Card: Nate Alleyne 2017 Grandstand San Jose Giants
The Buzz On This: A clubhouse manager isn't somebody you'll find in MLB sets -- and this month's card isn't even this guy's first (or his last) appearance in this series. This card? It's clearly all about enjoying the natural elements of the golf course on the baseball diamond -- err, about some Photoshop -- while his other card in a past month of this series was all about fire. (OK, it's barbecue ... we can get behind that, too.) Joining these? Drink up this run of cards that reinforce the greatness that is MiLB cardboard with no tie to what it's worth. The best part? His weirdest card is still to come ...

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards (and other stuff) you can find in and around MiLB.

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... sometimes stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new fun cards and oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

THE DUO FROM DURHAM
The Cards: Tim Robbins & Susan Sarandon 2024 Leaf Vivid Strike a Pose & Colorful Combos Autographs Clear & Prismatic Pre-Production Proofs (both 1/1s)
The Buzz On This: One of the favorite baseball films of many, Bull Durham has popped up in a few spots in a few baseball and non-sports sets from Leaf Trading Cards in recent years. These blank-back proofs are test runs for the series where this baseball set included autographs from some other baseball-related areas. There are varying colors and textures in play, so all cards are a 1/1 of that type but there are multiple versions. That has softened prices on these, but I like them and have picked up a number of them for very little. Why? I'm a collector.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards (and other stuff) you can find in and around MiLB.

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

THIS CARD GOT ... NUKED
The Card: Steve Dalkowski 2009 TRISTAR Obak Autographs (unsigned)
The Buzz On This: This one comes from a set that features a lot of minor-league names you know and others you don't -- and in this case, well, you probably know the type of player (check his real, yet unreal, stats) but not this particular card. The back notes the trivia that gets him here -- click here to learn more in The Buzz Archives -- but that's not why I had to have this. This is the card that was planned for Dalkowski as a certified autograph to go into packs but it was never released. Sheets of this released did get out with this and other cards on them, which were then cut down into singles and I had to have it. I had eyed the sheets for a long time but never bit -- storage is just not as easy with uncut sheets.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can find in MiLB.

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals just might be to rip fewer blasters this year and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around it's nothing but football pick-ups.

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THE MOUTH OF THE SOUTH?
The Card: Paul Finebaum 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter Framed Mini Autographs
The Price: $9.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: When it comes to college football, Buzz is pretty much SEC or nothing. The SEC Network wasn't around with this guy at the center of a lot of things when Buzz was around there, but he was still all over the place back then. Who's Paul Finebaum a small few of you might say? He's one of ESPN's top names covering the college game on the Network, though he's been a big part of radio and newspaper scenes for years covering the SEC. Finebaum's only card appearances are limited to a literal handful of autographs in this baseball set that often includes media personalities and he has no standard cards. Podcaster James Andrew Miller said this of him: "Paul Finebaum knows the American Southeast like Jay-Z knows Brooklyn. And that's a big blast of wind at your back if your job is covering college football. His instincts as an interviewer rank him in the top tier of the sports world. And he is beyond mere savvy when it comes to speaking very virally." While I'm not the biggest fan, it's a unique autograph and one that a lot of non-collectors would want if they knew it existed. I finally grabbed one since it was cheap.
Grab a box right here: 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter

Keep reading for even more interesting items ... again, all football from here on out.

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In an interview with Dan Patrick this week, Kevin Costner said he'd be opening to reprising the role of Crash Davis in Bull Durham 2 if creator Ron Shelton was open to the idea and could draft the next chapter in the story of big-screen players that have become minor-league baseball icons.

But there's one cardboard icon in the real world who's partly responsible for the creation of the 1988 film in the first place.

He's Steve Dalkowski.

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