Sometimes there is a very good reason to keep a rule in tact. AJ is the reason you should always be able to run over the catcher.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
2006 Topps Allen & Ginter #157
Sometimes there is a very good reason to keep a rule in tact. AJ is the reason you should always be able to run over the catcher.
Monday, April 22, 2013
2012 Elite Extra Edition
This stuff blew up pretty big online and a lot of folks were pulling a lot of great stuff from it. I snagged a few hobby packs from the LCS over a few weeks, despite the fact that I don't have much interest in prospecting.
I'm sure some of these will mean something in the future. The inserts look pretty nice:
I also hit two autos in four packs:
 |
| #267/299 |
Gavin was the 2012 first-round pick of the Mets. This may be one to hold onto. Nice on-card auto.
 |
| #055/100 |
Not too bad.
If I had $1600
Drop the Gloves' blog bat around contest immediately caught my eye because I love fantasizing about spending money I don't have. I also thought it would be a challenge to add up to $1600 since I'm not a high-end fiend and not a huge vintage collector. I also don't have Jordan, Tiger, LeBron, or anyone crazy expensive on my want list. Regardless, I still managed to fill up the tank. Where Fuji only had a couple of things. I had many many things on my list.
For starters, I did limit myself to singles/sets. I was tempted to chew up a big chunk with a 2008 UD A Piece of History case or a few boxes of 2006 Allen & Ginter (a dream of mine). However, I wanted to really challenge myself.
I had too many items to link the auctions. Here's my list.
First things first, my current most wanted Scott Sizemore card:
2010 Bowman Chrome Scott Sizemore Red Refractor #/5 - $53
>>>That's the Buy-It-Now price, though I could probably get it for $40. The seller of this one pissed me off once, though (I offered $20...well above market value...he said "red refractors should never go that low")
Next up, some David Wright wants:
2002 Bowman Heritage David Wright RC - $8
2001 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres David Wright XRC - $10
2006 Artifacts David Wright Auto-Facts - $38
2007 Topps Allen & Ginter David Wright Auto - $95
Next, I went Olympic style:
1996 Centennial Olympics Torches T-1,5,10 - $18
1996 Centennial Olympics Posters P-10,11,12,13,14 - $19
2012 Olympics Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser Autos - $30
2012 Olympics Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser Gold Parallels - $6
I added a few random want list items:
1952 Topps #3 Hank Thompson - $14
2010 UD World of Sports Alonzo Mourning Jersey (Black Swatch) - $7
2007 Ace Authentic Straight Set Kim Clijsters Relic - $5
After all that work, my total was $303. Son of a...
So, I decided to hit some of my unspoken dream wants...
1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. RC - $18
1970-71 Topps Basketball Pete Maravich RC - $150
1954 Topps Al Kaline RC - $210 - My LCS had this in the case when I was a kid...it was THE untouchable card there.
...including some sets:
1989-90 Fleer Basketball Complete Set - $20
1989-1993 Upper Deck Baseball Sets - $106
Topps Sets 1984-2012 except 89,91 - $775
>>> For the Topps sets, I used Wrigley Wax's complete set pricing so I didn't have to look each one up. I could probably get them cheaper, but average pricing works for this.
New Total: $1582
I added two more cards for the last $18:
2011 Sweet Spot Tyrod Taylor Helmet Auto Variation - $13
2008 Topps Chrome Eddie Royal RC Auto - $5
$1600...DONE!
Well, that was fun.
For starters, I did limit myself to singles/sets. I was tempted to chew up a big chunk with a 2008 UD A Piece of History case or a few boxes of 2006 Allen & Ginter (a dream of mine). However, I wanted to really challenge myself.
I had too many items to link the auctions. Here's my list.
First things first, my current most wanted Scott Sizemore card:
2010 Bowman Chrome Scott Sizemore Red Refractor #/5 - $53
>>>That's the Buy-It-Now price, though I could probably get it for $40. The seller of this one pissed me off once, though (I offered $20...well above market value...he said "red refractors should never go that low")
Next up, some David Wright wants:
2002 Bowman Heritage David Wright RC - $8
2001 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres David Wright XRC - $10
2006 Artifacts David Wright Auto-Facts - $38
2007 Topps Allen & Ginter David Wright Auto - $95
Next, I went Olympic style:
1996 Centennial Olympics Torches T-1,5,10 - $18
1996 Centennial Olympics Posters P-10,11,12,13,14 - $19
2012 Olympics Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser Autos - $30
2012 Olympics Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser Gold Parallels - $6
I added a few random want list items:
1952 Topps #3 Hank Thompson - $14
2010 UD World of Sports Alonzo Mourning Jersey (Black Swatch) - $7
2007 Ace Authentic Straight Set Kim Clijsters Relic - $5
After all that work, my total was $303. Son of a...
So, I decided to hit some of my unspoken dream wants...
1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. RC - $18
1970-71 Topps Basketball Pete Maravich RC - $150
1954 Topps Al Kaline RC - $210 - My LCS had this in the case when I was a kid...it was THE untouchable card there.
...including some sets:
1989-90 Fleer Basketball Complete Set - $20
1989-1993 Upper Deck Baseball Sets - $106
Topps Sets 1984-2012 except 89,91 - $775
>>> For the Topps sets, I used Wrigley Wax's complete set pricing so I didn't have to look each one up. I could probably get them cheaper, but average pricing works for this.
New Total: $1582
I added two more cards for the last $18:
2011 Sweet Spot Tyrod Taylor Helmet Auto Variation - $13
2008 Topps Chrome Eddie Royal RC Auto - $5
$1600...DONE!
Well, that was fun.
2006 Topps Allen & Ginter #156
Lee, a .281 career hitter, batted .335 in 2005. Its amazing how guys can have that one big season.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Football Contest: Week 6
Another Sunday means more games, more packs and more cards!
Today's packs: 1 x 2010 Topps Prime Retail, 1 x 2011 Topps Gridiron Legends, 1 x 2009 Topps Chrome, and 2 x 2011 Topps Rising Rookies Rack Packs. In total, we're looking at 60 cards.
Now that teams are having bye weeks, the standings are getting interesting, and we're tarting to get a feel for what teams are favorites and what teams have work to do. The Pats and Dolphins are both sitting at 5-0. The Pats take on the lowly Seahawks (1-4) while the Dolphins take on the Rams (4-1). The two winless teams, the Steelers (0-4) and the Titans (0-5), take each other on this week. Carolina, Chicago, Jacksonville, and New Orleans have byes.
Despite only having 60 cards this week, plenty of points will be awarded as two of the cards feature multiple teams:
The two Rising Rookies packs are rookie-heavy as well, so that should help scores. Three teams hit gold rookie parallels (3 pts each).
Let's dive into some games:
PITTSBURGH STEELERS 2, TENNESSEE TITANS 2
>>> What better game to start with than the matchup of the bottom-feeders. Naturally, this game was a tie. The Steelers hit two base cards while the Titans grabbed a Jake Locker RC. I gotta give the tie to the Steelers though, as one of the base cards was a Gridiron Legends Franco Harris. Sweet card.
ATLANTA FALCONS 3, OAKLAND RAIDERS 3
>>> Two games, two ties. Crazy. Each team had a base card and a RC. The Falcons win though, because the base card was Matt Ryan, and the RC was Julio Jones. That's a sick tandem right there.
BALTIMORE RAVENS 7, DALLAS COWBOYS 5
>>> The Cowboys played well with a couple of base cards and the gold Bruce Carter above, but the Ravens were just too much, lead by a Tyrod Taylor RC (Hokie bonus point!) that I really wanted:
CINCINNATI BENGALS 4, CLEVELAND BROWNS 0
>>> Two RCs take down the pitiful Browns.
ST. LOUIS RAMS 7, MIAMI DOLPHINS 4
>>> St. Louis hands the Dolphins their first loss. The Rams used a base card, 2 RC, and the quad card from above to overcome a valiant Miami effort that included one of the best cards this week:
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 1, NEW YORK JETS 0
>>> ZZZZZzzzZZZZzzZzzZZZzzzzzzzZZZzzZZZzzzzzz....
DETROIT LIONS 2, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 0
>>> Ditto.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 4, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 2
>>> The Adrian Clayborn gold RC was too much for the Chiefs.
ARIZONA CARDINALS 6, BUFFALO BILLS 4
>>> The Bills had a RC and a piece of the quad card above but the Cardinals hit the only numbered card of the week:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 5, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 1
>>> The Pats win to claim the title of last unbeaten team.
NEW YORK GIANTS 5, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 4
>>> A pair of Giants RCs were enough to take down a 49ers parallel:
MINNESOTA VIKINGS 3, WASHINGTON REDSKINS 3
>>> The Vikings really have a fetish for ties. Fortunately for them, one of their cards was Percy Harvin, a guy that I've followed since he was at Landstown High School in Virginia Beach. Vikings win. I still remember one analyst saying Harvin has "next-guy" speed. He said we may never know exactly how fast he is, but he's faster than the guy next to him.
HOUSTON TEXANS 7, GREEN BAY PACKERS 1
>>> This was a good ol' fashioned butt whoopin' highlighted by a great-looking Xfractor:
DENVER BRONCOS 6, SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 4
>>> Both teams had two base cards and a piece of the quad card, but the Von Miller have of the Combine card gave the Broncos the win.
As for the Bye Week teams: Panthers 1, Bears 0, Jags 3, Saints 4. I'm sure the Panthers and Bears are happy they sucked in their bye week. The Jags hit the week scoring average and the Saints exceeded it, so it wasn't as fortunate for them.
Current Standings:
This is the first time we've had 8 outright division leaders. Ladies and Gentlemen, there are your teams to beat.
Today's packs: 1 x 2010 Topps Prime Retail, 1 x 2011 Topps Gridiron Legends, 1 x 2009 Topps Chrome, and 2 x 2011 Topps Rising Rookies Rack Packs. In total, we're looking at 60 cards.
Now that teams are having bye weeks, the standings are getting interesting, and we're tarting to get a feel for what teams are favorites and what teams have work to do. The Pats and Dolphins are both sitting at 5-0. The Pats take on the lowly Seahawks (1-4) while the Dolphins take on the Rams (4-1). The two winless teams, the Steelers (0-4) and the Titans (0-5), take each other on this week. Carolina, Chicago, Jacksonville, and New Orleans have byes.
Despite only having 60 cards this week, plenty of points will be awarded as two of the cards feature multiple teams:
 |
| Broncos/Saints and Rams/Bills/Broncos/Chargers |
The two Rising Rookies packs are rookie-heavy as well, so that should help scores. Three teams hit gold rookie parallels (3 pts each).
Let's dive into some games:
PITTSBURGH STEELERS 2, TENNESSEE TITANS 2
>>> What better game to start with than the matchup of the bottom-feeders. Naturally, this game was a tie. The Steelers hit two base cards while the Titans grabbed a Jake Locker RC. I gotta give the tie to the Steelers though, as one of the base cards was a Gridiron Legends Franco Harris. Sweet card.
ATLANTA FALCONS 3, OAKLAND RAIDERS 3
>>> Two games, two ties. Crazy. Each team had a base card and a RC. The Falcons win though, because the base card was Matt Ryan, and the RC was Julio Jones. That's a sick tandem right there.
BALTIMORE RAVENS 7, DALLAS COWBOYS 5
>>> The Cowboys played well with a couple of base cards and the gold Bruce Carter above, but the Ravens were just too much, lead by a Tyrod Taylor RC (Hokie bonus point!) that I really wanted:
CINCINNATI BENGALS 4, CLEVELAND BROWNS 0
>>> Two RCs take down the pitiful Browns.
ST. LOUIS RAMS 7, MIAMI DOLPHINS 4
>>> St. Louis hands the Dolphins their first loss. The Rams used a base card, 2 RC, and the quad card from above to overcome a valiant Miami effort that included one of the best cards this week:
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 1, NEW YORK JETS 0
>>> ZZZZZzzzZZZZzzZzzZZZzzzzzzzZZZzzZZZzzzzzz....
DETROIT LIONS 2, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 0
>>> Ditto.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 4, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 2
>>> The Adrian Clayborn gold RC was too much for the Chiefs.
ARIZONA CARDINALS 6, BUFFALO BILLS 4
>>> The Bills had a RC and a piece of the quad card above but the Cardinals hit the only numbered card of the week:
 |
| Blue #/1339 |
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 5, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 1
>>> The Pats win to claim the title of last unbeaten team.
NEW YORK GIANTS 5, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 4
>>> A pair of Giants RCs were enough to take down a 49ers parallel:
 |
| Thick Blue Parallel |
MINNESOTA VIKINGS 3, WASHINGTON REDSKINS 3
>>> The Vikings really have a fetish for ties. Fortunately for them, one of their cards was Percy Harvin, a guy that I've followed since he was at Landstown High School in Virginia Beach. Vikings win. I still remember one analyst saying Harvin has "next-guy" speed. He said we may never know exactly how fast he is, but he's faster than the guy next to him.
HOUSTON TEXANS 7, GREEN BAY PACKERS 1
>>> This was a good ol' fashioned butt whoopin' highlighted by a great-looking Xfractor:
DENVER BRONCOS 6, SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 4
>>> Both teams had two base cards and a piece of the quad card, but the Von Miller have of the Combine card gave the Broncos the win.
As for the Bye Week teams: Panthers 1, Bears 0, Jags 3, Saints 4. I'm sure the Panthers and Bears are happy they sucked in their bye week. The Jags hit the week scoring average and the Saints exceeded it, so it wasn't as fortunate for them.
Current Standings:
This is the first time we've had 8 outright division leaders. Ladies and Gentlemen, there are your teams to beat.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
A brick of Nats from the Junior Junkie
TJ, the Junior Junkie, recently sent me a butt load of Washington Nationals because I unofficially collect Nats.
Ok, so I don't actually have a master set of Yo! MTV Raps cards. These cards are sweet, though. I especially like the Leaders of the New School. Can you say Busta Rhymes RC? Bladow!
What's even better about those cards is the fact that, while writing this post, I'm listening to my Total Devastation: The Best of Busta Rhymes CD.
MY best Busta Rhymes memory, though, is having Woo Hah! as the entrance music for my custom character in Legends of Wrestling on Xbox. My custom character was Sho'Nuff from The Last Dragon. The best part was that they had Converse All-Star style shoes in the game. Sho'Nuff's custom finishing move was the "Kiss My Converse" roundhouse kick. Damn I miss college.
He sent some other things I like, as well:
The real gems, though, are these Yo! MTV Raps cards that completed my master set:
Ok, so I don't actually have a master set of Yo! MTV Raps cards. These cards are sweet, though. I especially like the Leaders of the New School. Can you say Busta Rhymes RC? Bladow!
What's even better about those cards is the fact that, while writing this post, I'm listening to my Total Devastation: The Best of Busta Rhymes CD.
MY best Busta Rhymes memory, though, is having Woo Hah! as the entrance music for my custom character in Legends of Wrestling on Xbox. My custom character was Sho'Nuff from The Last Dragon. The best part was that they had Converse All-Star style shoes in the game. Sho'Nuff's custom finishing move was the "Kiss My Converse" roundhouse kick. Damn I miss college.
2008 Upper Deck X
I'm fairly certain I've bought more retail 2008 UD X than anyone out there. I'm trying to complete the trifecta set (base, die cut, gold die cut). I've got the base and die cut sets, but the gold set is a pain. I'm also trying to finish the Xponential 1-4 sets. I briefly considered collecting the relic and auto sets, but I'm not that crazy, yet. Besides, the Griffey, Jeter and Longoria RC autos are well outside my reach.
Anyway, I still pick the packs out of Target's $1.59 boxes whenever I can.
It's hard to resist the foil X. The base cards aren't much to look at. I've seen about 50 of these BJs.
I do like the die cuts, though. The symmetric X cut from 2008 looks way better than the goofy 2009 cut.
People complain about the Yankee Stadium Legacy cards, and while I understand Yankees hate, I don't understand why you would be mad to get these. For starters, they're actually pretty nice cards with a good design. Second, they actually have decent value. I started a pile of these a couple years ago and just added them in there anytime I bought 2008 UD products. I used some of them in trades, but ended up selling a lot of 99 of them on eBay for $70. There aren't many inserts that get that kind of return.
Lastly, I have to show the Xponential cards as they are the true gems of 2008 UDX. They are the only cards that really live up to the foil hype of the wrapper:
3 X2s and 1 X3 is pretty good for 4 packs. Unfortunately, I didn't need any of them.
If you can help with any of my needs, please let me know.
Anyway, I still pick the packs out of Target's $1.59 boxes whenever I can.
It's hard to resist the foil X. The base cards aren't much to look at. I've seen about 50 of these BJs.
I do like the die cuts, though. The symmetric X cut from 2008 looks way better than the goofy 2009 cut.
People complain about the Yankee Stadium Legacy cards, and while I understand Yankees hate, I don't understand why you would be mad to get these. For starters, they're actually pretty nice cards with a good design. Second, they actually have decent value. I started a pile of these a couple years ago and just added them in there anytime I bought 2008 UD products. I used some of them in trades, but ended up selling a lot of 99 of them on eBay for $70. There aren't many inserts that get that kind of return.
Lastly, I have to show the Xponential cards as they are the true gems of 2008 UDX. They are the only cards that really live up to the foil hype of the wrapper:
3 X2s and 1 X3 is pretty good for 4 packs. Unfortunately, I didn't need any of them.
If you can help with any of my needs, please let me know.
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