my favorite cards of the year - 2012 edition

i recently introduced my mini collection focusing on my favorite cards from each year that i've been a collector. the basic gist is that i wanted to create a space for the cards that i most appreciated having in my collection in the year that they were released. these were cards that i acquired in the year that they were issued, and that i considered to be my favorites at the time. i have disallowed (most) cards that are already in other mini collections in order to avoid having a mini collection consisting of more steve garvey, double plays, and dodger stadium cards.

2012 is the last time that the dodgers finished lower than first place in the national league west (knock on wood). they were 8 games behind the eventual world champion san francisco giants and 2 games out of a wild card spot. it's also the last time i saw a game in dodger stadium as i attended the game that took place the night before the big trade with the red sox was finalized.  fast forward to late in the year when topps update was released and i was super pissed about the super short printing of the dodger cards of adrian gonzalez, nick punto, carl crawford, and josh beckett. that put an end to my annual completion of topps flagship and update dodger team sets which from 2009 through 2011 had included the legends short prints. it also left a bad taste in my mouth, although i was right back in it in 2013 chasing all of the yasiel puig short prints in that year's update set. shame on me.  to this day, i have only acquired the beckett card from 2012 update and i don't even look for the others any more.  now, on to my favorite cards from that year.

favorite non-dodger card: topps andrew mccutchen

i am sure it is not intentional, but there is a lot of symbolism present in the photo chosen for this card. as you probably know if you are a regular reader of my blogs, i spend a lot of time looking at the backgrounds of cards and i have a thing for retired numbers on display in stadiums. i decided against a retired numbers mini-collection (i only collect those cards that show jackie robinson's (and bruce sutter's) 42), but i recognized this card as a favorite worthy of keeping due in part to roberto clemente's number 21 on display behind mccutchen. combine the fact that cutch is in the foreground and that number is in the background with cutch wearing number 22 and there is a lot of "next" on this card. the pirates' home field makes for a great background on cards, and i can't wait to get out to pnc park and see it for myself.

favorite dodger card: topps update adam kennedy

speaking of stadiums, the star of this card is dodger stadium - no offense meant to adam kennedy.  i typically disallow cards like this from consideration, but it was so far and away my favorite card that year that i made an exception (for the record, the runner-up was matt kemp's faces of the franchise insert from 2012 topps finest). this card was one that i chased the rainbow for, thanks to it's wonderful aesthetic. i never did find a printing plate, though.

up next, 1996. stay tuned!