2014 COMC pickups #2: Huddy's my buddy

I'm a bit tired from a couple days of doing a bit of OT, but I've got another single I've been dying to show off, and fortunately it arrived with my COMC package on Monday.  While I've still got a nice bunch of Tigers to get to, here's one of my favorite pickups from this month:

Tim Hudson 2005 Absolute Memorabilia Tools of the Trade Swatch Triple Prime Red jersey-jersey-hat (#23/50)

Whoa dude!  I love the '05 Tools of the Trade set (here's my Bagwell from the same product) as it features a number of really nice cards like this Hudson, with the only hitch being that they can sometimes get kinda pricey.  Not so with this one, believe it or not--it set me back a measly $5.50!  Not bad for a triple relic that includes two "prime" swatches (it's not a patch if it doesn't say "patch") and the relatively uncommon hat piece.  Better yet, the left jersey is a fantastic looking swatch, and the hat is bursting with so much color it literally comes off the card!  Even the weak link middle swatch at least shows a bit of stitching.

Don't assume that I picked this up for the combination of swatches and price, though--although he's not as high on my list as others, I'm still a pretty big fan of Hudson, who's quietly had an excellent career.  In 15 years he's gone 205-111, finished in the top six of the AL Cy Young voting four times (#2 in 2000) and compared well to another winning percentage ace, CC Sabathia.  Sadly, though, none of his teams has ever won a playoff series, with Hudson going 1-3 over six losing efforts.  That's really the only knock on his career to this point, though.  I'm hoping he can bounce back well from last year's gruesome ankle fracture and get back to business as usual.  He's a guy with a reasonable shot at a plaque in the Hall, and I for one am rooting for him to punch his ticket when all is said and done.

Stay tuned for more COMC pickups now that I've got everything scanned, labeled, and uploaded!