Alright folks, today’s little mission was finding out where anyone can still get their hands on MLB Showdown 2004, that old baseball card game. I remember playing it way back, and figured collectors might be scrambling for it now. So, I decided to actually hunt some down myself and share how it went down.
Starting Point: What Even Is This Thing Anymore?
First, I had to wrap my head around what I was looking for. MLB Showdown 2004 ain’t new. Cards, game boards, dice sets… the whole kit for a strategy baseball game. Wasn’t even sure if people still wanted it. Did a quick mental inventory – I knew I hadn’t seen any at big stores like Target or Walmart in years. Forget those places right now.
Diving Into the Usual Online Suspects
My usual first stop? The big online auction site. You know the one. Typed in “MLB Showdown 2004,” sorted by price low to high. Boom – tons of listings popped up instantly. Mostly loose player cards, lots of commons. Saw some starter sets too. But here’s the kicker:
- Price Rollercoaster: Commons were dirt cheap, like pennies each. But stars? Jeter cards? Forget it. Prices shot up crazy high for those. Felt like hitting a brick wall.
- “Complete” Game? Found sellers claiming “complete game” sets. Clicked one… pictures showed just a starter deck or two, no board, no dice. Total bait-and-switch feeling. Got burned trusting one listing and spent $15 extra thinking I was getting the full game. Nope.
- Condition Chaos: Seller says “Near Mint.” Picture shows a bent corner. Another said “Used.” Image looked like it went through a washing machine. Gotta squint real hard at those tiny photos, people.
Hitting Up the Niche Trading Sites
Alright, figured the big guys wouldn’t cut it for the good stuff. Went niche. Dove into that big online trading card marketplace everyone uses for sports cards. Searched again.
- More Organized, Maybe: Easier to find specific player cards here for sure. Some sellers listed big player lots, which was tempting.
- Finding the Board? Tricky. Found maybe two listings total for the actual game board itself. Both were pretty pricey. One guy wanted $50 just for a used board! Passed on that, felt like robbery.
- Still Missing Pieces: Could maybe piece it together slowly – buy cards here, find a board later, hunt dice separately. Sounds like a huge chore though. Who has that kinda time?
Time for Local: Hopes & Nope
Decided real stores might hold some dusty treasures. Called a bunch of hobby shops and comic book stores in my area.
- Hobby Shops: First two laughed. “Haven’t seen that in years, man.” Third place thought it was a video game. Strike out. Last shop said maybe they had some old boxes in the back storage. Went down there. Dude dug around for 20 minutes. Pulled out MLB Showdown… from 2001. Wrong year! Waste of gas.
- Comic Shops: One place thought it might be hiding in their bins. Went there. Ended up flipping through boxes of Pokémon and old wrestling cards. Found zero baseball cards, let alone Showdown. Pretty much gave up on local shops after that.
The Dark Horse: Flea Markets & Collectors Shows
Was ready to quit. Then remembered that weird flea market downtown people talk about. Went early Sunday morning. Took ages walking stall after stall. Mostly selling tools and knockoff bags.
- Bingo! Kinda… Found one guy with a huge bin of random sports cards. Asked. He dug deep and pulled out a beat-up shoebox. Inside? MLB Showdown 2004 cards! Lots of them! Not sorted, but there. Stars like Bonds mixed right in with nobodies.
- Haggling Time: He wanted $40 for the whole dusty mess. I offered $25 cash since half looked creased. We settled at $30. Felt decent.
- Bonus Board?: Nearby stall had a table of old board games. Rifled through them. Found one for something else entirely… and underneath? A slightly worn MLB Showdown 2004 game board! Dude sold it to me for $5 without even looking at it. Score!
Putting My Winnings Together
Got home with my flea market loot. Sorted the cards – had maybe 70% of a full set, including some valuable stars. Cleaned the board carefully. Downloaded dice rules online since mine were missing.
So, what actually works?
- Think online auctions and big card sites are best for specific cards or cheap starter sets? Yeah, probably. But expect condition surprises and gaps.
- Want the full game experience fast? Prepare to spend big bucks slowly piecing it together online. Painful.
- Got time and patience? Hit flea markets and collectors shows. Dig deep. You never know. It’s messy, unpredictable, and takes hours, but the payoff feels real.
End result? Spent $35 total for maybe $80 worth of stuff (rough guess). Not perfect, missing pieces, but finally got enough to actually play again. Disappointed online, surprised local. Just gotta know where to look and keep expectations low.
