Forgotten but not lost...

In my last post about my trade with Greg of Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle, I completely forgot to post this fantastic Joe Saunders card.

I have no idea how I forgot it.  It's in my photobucket right next to all of the other scans.  It's in the text file I used to log the cards as I opened the package.  It's not in that post.

I assumed I had included everything, then came across Greg's comment on the trade post:



I immediately assumed Greg was mistaken as I strictly operate under the assumption that I am always right and everyone else is always not.  However, in this one single solitary case, I was...


...always going to post it in its own post after the original post, and Greg is just impatient.  I'm never wrong.

On a lighter note, I didn't already have this Joe Saunders card.  For those who don't know, Joe Saunders went to Virginia Tech, which means he is probably always right, too.

Plaschke, thy cards are needed.

I recently completed yet another trade with Greg of Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle.  In his package, he requested that I do a breakdown of what cards I actually needed, just like I did for the Night Owl package.

I suppose I can do that.

First player up: David Wright.  I already have a handful of the Fathead cards (though I tend to keep them all, just like the Topps of the Class cards.  The Trading Card History card is also not unique to my collection.  However, the 2011 Topps Factory Set Limited Edition is absolutely something I needed.  I really didn't see a way I would acquire them, so I'm thrilled to add it to my collection. That puts my D.Wright collection up to 308.  1-for-3 so far.

 
Again, the FSLE card was needed, while the 2011 OD card was not. 57 Reynoldseseses.  2-for-5 is still a great day.

8 cards and Greg bats .500 here.  The cards from 2013, 2014, and 2015 were all needed.  I stopped buying as much baseball in the past couple of years, so I'm glad to land some in a trade.  The FSLE was also needed. 6-for-13 on the day thus far and up to 189 Justin Upton cards.

It's not everyday that I get a package with 9 Cuddyers.  I want to grow my Cuddyer collection quite a bit, and his success in recent years has certainly helped.  Of these, I needed the Red Border, 2010 Opening Day, Stadium Club, FSLE, and 2014 leaders. That gets me to 96 Cuddyers. Greg pulls to 11-for-22.

Add the Topps 60 Zim to the list of cards I've gotten recently that I would have sworn I already had.  Apparently I didn't.  I also didn't have the FSLE or the 2015 base. That gives me 247 Zims.  14-for-27.

Yet another FSLE for the collection.  I really am stoked to add those to my collection.  I have 30+ of that Starquest card.  It's just one of those cards that happens to be in every package. BJ trails Zim by just one card.  15-for-29.

As I mentioned in the Night Owl post, it's going to be nearly impossible for someone to send me a Sizemore I don't already have.  15-for-31.

In addition to PC cards, Greg also sent a plethora of Nats cards:

He also sent a few cards for my VT collection:

Who wouldn't want to be friends with that smile?  I already had the card, but who cares?  It's a happy card.  I seriously love Bruce.  My daughter bobbles a Bruce Smith bobblehead every night before going to bed.  I'm 100% serious.

New D.Hall #17 for my collection.

Last but not least, a couple of Vick National Trading Card Day cards.  I already had the Upper Deck one, but needed the Topps version.  I now have 69 Vicks.  Hehehe 69.

So, the final tally is 17-for-35, or a batting average of .486.  So, while he didn't touch Night Owl's record batting average of .632, he did add a record number of cards (17)*.

Thanks, Greg!


*records only include trade packages received since October 2015.  Yeah, so not a long time but a record is record.

The Night Owl Effect

If you're reading my blog and you don't know Night Owl, then you need to reevaluate your life.  He is the undisputed king of all card bloggers.  His posts are always insightful and unique.  Therefore, I'd like to define two card blogging theories inspired by Night Owl:

The Night Owl Effect: A phenomenon where a card blogger devotes far more time and effort toward writing a trade post simply because the cards were sent by Night Owl.

Example:  Fellow blogger Stealing Home recently posted a trade package from Night Owl.  It took him 2 posts (Part 1, Part 2).  That same blogger once created a trade post that captured three trades in one single post.

The Night Owl Syndrome: A phenomenon where you read a Night Owl post and instantly think you have a bunch of good ideas to blog about.  Ultimately, after repeatedly trying to develop crisp fresh content and wasting several midnight hours (because there has to be something to that night owl thing), you say "screw it" and enter the seven stages of grief.  Shock ("I really thought I had a good idea"), denial ("No, it's not over, I can do this"), bargianing, guilt ("I should have tried harder in school"), anger ("Damn YOU, NIGHT OWL!!!"), depression ("I'm never going to be like Night Owl. He's a stud, and I'm just a stinky piece of donkey poopoo"), and acceptance.

Dammit, I'm making this a good post.  It's going to be interesting.  It's going to have a theme.  It's going to be completely fantastic.   I'm also going to cheat and use Night Owl's words to get me started.

In case you can't read it, it says, "Hey Adam, You have an incredible ability to collect what I don't.  Here's hoping you need more than 2 cards in this package. -Greg (N.O.)"

Well, let's just put those two sentences to the test.

1. "You have an incredible ability to collect what I don't."

Night Owl collects Dodgers.  I collect Scott Sizemore, David Wright, Justin Upton, BJ Upton, Ryan Zimmerman, Justin Verlander, Michael Cuddyer, and Mark Reynolds.  Together, they have played for the Tigers, Athletics, Yankees, Mets, Diamondbacks, Braves, Padres, Rays, Twins, Rockies, Orioles, Indians, Brewers, and Cardinals.  That's 14 teams, and no Dodgers.

Night Owl collects 1975 Topps Minis.  I collect Topps Flagship #3 cards.

There are currently no baseball sets on which both he and I are working.

So I'd say, in general, his statement is correct.  Of course, if you know Night Owl, you know he is a Bills fan.  I'm a Virginia Tech fan.  Tyrod Taylor went to VT and plays for the Bills.  Crazy, I know.

2. "Here's hoping you need more than 2 cards in this package."

Well, let's find out.

2012 Topps Scott Sizemore
I didn't need it.  To be fair, it would be extremely difficult for someone to find a Scott Sizemore I didn't have.  I currently own 165 of 172 non-1/1 Scott Sizemore cards.  If you take out off-brand and minor league team-issued cards (Tristar/Choice/etc.).  I only need three cards: 2010 Topps Pro Debut Futures Game Patch #/5, 2013 Topps Factory Set Orange #/230, and 2013 Topps Mini #496 Black #/5.

2014 Bowman Justin Verlander
Needed it.  Cards from 2014 and 2015 are a pretty safe bet since I have slowed my collecting recently.  This is my 191st unique Verlander.

2009 Topps Allen & Ginter Mark Reynold Ginter Code Parallel
Needed it.  These are easily some of the most unique parallels out there. This is my 56th Mark Reynolds card.

2012 Topps Chrome David Wright

Needed it.  I was actually surprised I didn't have this yet.  This is my 307th David Wright.  Really wish he could have won a ring this year.  

2013 Topps Archives David Wright

Didn't need it.  I would have bet money that I would have needed this one and not the 2012 Chrome. For those not keeping track, Night Owl is 3-for-5 so far in this trade.

2010 Topps Justin Upton Peak Performance

Didn't need it.

2014 Topps Heritage Justin Upton

Needed it.

2010 Topps BJ Upton Attax Code Card

Didn't need it.  Conservative estimate: I own 20 of this card.

2012 Topps Chrome BJ Upton

Needed it.  2012 Chrome strikes again.  I thought I had this.  Turns out I had the refractor but not the base card.  It is unbelievably satisfying to get the base card when you already have a parallel. This is BJ #245.

2013 Topps Update Michael Cuddyer ASG

Needed it.  This was my first 2013 Cuddyer.  Night Owl is 6-for-10 through just over half of the package.  I now have 89 Cuddyers.

2013 Topps Update Michael Cuddyer HRD

Needed it.  Make that 90.

2014 Bowman Michael Cuddyer

Needed it.  Make that 91.

2009 Upper Deck First Edition Ryan Zimmerman

Needed it.  I rarely get cards from 2007-2010 that I don't already have.  This is the second such card in this package alone.  This is my 243rd Zimmerman. He's closing in on my BJ mark.

2010 Topps Ryan Zimmerman Attax Code Card

Didn't need it.

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter Ryan Zimmerman Hometown Heroes

Didn't need it.  That's 9-for-15 so far.

2013 Topps Ryan Zimmerman Wal-Mart Blue Border

Didn't need it.  Night Owl should have shopped at Target.

2014 Topps Archives Ryan Zimmerman

Needed it.  That makes 244 Zims.

2007 Fleer Ultra Conor Jackson

Needed it.  I now need 57 more cards to complete my set.

2014 Topps Allen & Ginter Co¿nc?dence RMS Carmania & SMS Cap Trafalgar

Needed it.  This was the top card for me in the package.  I'm now just 4 cards shy of finishing the Co¿nc?dence set.  That means Night Owl was 12-for-19 in this package.  That is a really good percentage for a package these days.  He definitely exceeded his hopeful goal of two.

If you don't know the story behind the RMS Carmania and SMS Cap Trafalgar, allow me to read the back for you:

"During World War I, the German cruise liner SMS Cap Trafalgar secretly was converted to a warship in order to patrol the seas disguised as the British cruise liner RMS Carmania.  One problem: the RMS Carmania had been converted, too, and sank the German vessel."

In other words, you can strive to be someone else, but the original will always blow you out of the water.  

Thanks for being the original, Night Owl, and thanks for the cards.

I'm not worthy...

I'm not worthy of a great trade package these days.  My blog is gathering dust, and my card-buying is near-frozen.  Life is thickening and expanding and pouring on.

But damn, it's so good to get a package of stuff in the mail.

No package disappoints, but packages from Dennis are always special.  There are packages that satisfy needs or wants or bips.  There are packages that have old things, new things, unknown things.  But Dennis' packages reek of thought.  They're personal.  They make you feel good inside.  They remind you that some people actually are good people.

I got a package out of the blue (pun intended) the other day and it blue blew me away.  The first thing out of the package was this:

It is easily the most iconic SI from a VT perspective.  It's amazing how much Vick played a role in the current college football landscape.

There was one other SI in the package, too:

This one features Vick's favorite target, Andre Davis.  The two lines at the top, though, seemed to pretty relevant, too.  The "Undoing of Kordell Stewart" played off of the Mr. Electric cover as, for a time, Stewart seemed to be the too-early revolution at the QB position.  Then there's the "Unveiling of Lamar Odom" which is currently relevant in an almost eerie way.

I'm hoping to frame these and hang them in my Hokie room.

He also sent some Hokie cards:

Jimmy Williams, featuring his J-Dubb signature

I don't have many Chancellor cards, so I'm thrilled to get one.  He is easily the best player on the Seahawks.

Tyrod has certainly shown his value this year.  I really hope he keeps it up.

Adibi is one of my all-time favorites.  I also these Prestige cards that have the VT in the foil.  So nice.

And here we have the guy who should still be our basketball coach.  I will never understand why he was fired.  Such a terrible decision.  We are really fortunate to finally have a good coach again in Buzz Williams after the James Johnson disaster.

As usual, Dennis packed the mailer with other great stuff.

A handful of very nice Justin Uptons, including a rare 10th Anniversary Issue Buyback.

I'm a fan of manupatches, as long as they make sense.  This one clearly does, and is a pretty cool addition to the collection.

The last card I'm showing is of a World Series-bound David Wright, complete with oversized toploader:

I;ve been disappointed to not pull a Wright boxloader from my past A&G cases, so I'm happy to get one in a trade.

I'm not worthy of a trade package of this caliber.  I'm not sure I can even muster half the goodness in return.  Thanks, Dennis!

Gint-A-Cuffs VII - Part 7 of 7

Pack 21:

251 Adam LaRoche

213 Elvis Andrus

14 LaTroy Hawkins

330 Jason Heyward

85 Kris Bryant

242 James McCann

MM-16 Leprechaun Menagerie of the Mind (+2 Insert)

317 Hunter Strickland Mini A&G Back (+5 Mini A&G Back SP)

Really not a bad pack from both a GAC and value standpoint, but I'm going to need gold at the end of this rainbow.

Pack Total: 7
Box Total: 132

Pack 22:

270 Mike Foltynewicz

234 Michael Cuddyer

157 Jose Reyes

59 Hector Rondon

321 Ben Zobrist

36 Anthony Ranaudo

SP-30 David Price  Starting Points (+2 Insert)

BUG-13 Calleta Silkmoth Caterpillar A World Beneath Our Feet (+2 Mini Insert)

At least I got a Cuddyer.

Pack Total: 4
Box Total: 136

Pack 23:

200 Jose Abreu

27 Maikel Franco

61 Domonic Brown

318 David Price

246 Andrew Cashner

229 Ivan Drago (-1 Commissioner Says So)

SP-100 Jayson Werth  Starting Points (+2 Insert)

238 Dee Gordon Mini

It pains me to lose points for the Drago card.  It's fantastic.

Pack Total: 1
Box Total: 137

Pack 24:

57 David Cross

119 Paul Scheer (-1 Commissioner Says So)

282 Adeiny Hechavarria

139 Chris Sale (+2 FP List)

327 Jeff Mauro

89 Jonathan Papelbon

AA-2 Katana Ancient Armory (+2 Insert)

142 Yasiel Puig Mini A&G Back (+2 Mini A&G Back) Why does Paul Scheer get a -1? Pack Total: 5 Box Total: 142 Well, that does it.  My final score is 142.  I'm guessing it is near the bottom of the leaderboard.  I can say with confidence that this was the worst box of my entire case...for the second straight year.  Pitiful.  I need to get better at choosing a GAC box.

Gint-A-Cuffs VII - Part 6 of 7

Pack 17:

240 Trevor May

122 Jesse Hahn

309 Gabe Kapler

49 Hisashi Iwakuma

191 John Lackey

NNO Delmon Young (2011) Buyback (+3 Full Size Buyback)

MBT-2 Cornelius Vanderbilt Magnates, Barons & Tycoons (+2 Mini Insert)

MM-5 Griffin Menagerie of the Mind (+2 Insert)

Of 24 full-size buybacks in my case, 2 were Delmon Young.

Pack Total: 7
Box Total: 107

Pack 18:

198 Albert Pujols

174 Joe Mauer

19 Charlie Blackmon

291 James Shields

SP-65 Maikel Franco  Starting Points (+2 Insert)

FMR-PA Pedro Alvarez  Framed Relic (+8 Framed Relic)

Well, there goes my chance at winning.

Pack Total: 10
Box Total: 117

Pack 19:

75 Brandon Phillips

188 Shelby Miller

96 Tim Hudson

103 Salvador Perez

304 Gary Brown

92 Michelle Beadle

AA-3 Quarterstaff Ancient Armory (+2 Insert)

216 Jake Lamb Mini

Ugh.

Pack Total: 2
Box Total: 119

Pack 20:

294 Adam Wainwright

146 Michael Morse

70 Kyle Seager

339 Clayton Kershaw

230 Keith Law

65 David Ortiz (+2 FP List)

SP-39 Clayton Kershaw  Starting Points (+2 Insert)

185 Gus Malzahn Mini A&G Back (+2 Mini A&G Back)

Kershaw hot pack, would have thought someone would have him as their FP.

Pack Total: 6
Box Total: 125

Well, with 4 packs and no guaranteed hits remaining, I'm on pace for 148.  I would be shocked if I get there.