Too Many Verlanders

I don't always do things by the book...

2012-02-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

...but sometimes I do them by the letter.

The other day on TMM I talked about a rare trade I made with a Blowout member. Generally that's been my fault because sometimes it's just easier to try to buy something from a guy than to see if I have an extremely specific Bryce Harper autograph. But occasionally things DO work out because lightning struck a second time, as you'll see shortly.

A particular member listed some nice stuff for sale or for trade. I really took a liking to one of his cards and sent him a link to my trade bait. Though it hasn't garnered me a ton of trades yet (despite including a lot of useful stuff!) it proved effective here--he decided he wanted a dual autograph (which I picked up on the cheap in a Blowout lot, incidentally) and one of my Bryce Harper base RCs, which I certainly won't miss (overrated until proven not a punk-ass).

You would have thought this guy was a blogger/trader just like you guys because just for fun, I figured out the Beckett "value" and noted that I came out ahead. You know what that means? We both got exactly what we wanted, and to hell with "book value." In short, it was an outstanding trade.

Ok, enough excitement over making a trade on a board that primarily involves selling--what did I get that I'm so excited about? Have a look at THIS:

Rick Porcello 2009 SP Authentic By the Letter auto (#69/85)

It certainly seems like I've been amassing a lot of letter manupatch autos lately, and I hope that trend continues. This is a very cool card of a guy I hope follows Justin Verlander's career path, because if he can even be 75% of what Verlander offers, Detroit would have a nightmare of a rotation, especially with the potential emergence of Jacob Turner.

Anyway, that explains the reason I went hard after a Porcello card, but there's a lot to like about more than just the player. Although it's not a team color, the "E" boldly stands out with a nice signature down the largest portion of it, a natural spot for the autograph of just about anyone short of Bo Hart and Mike Olt. My only real knock on the card is that the nameplate doesn't spell the player's last name or even the team name, but instead "Rookie," which is pretty lame. That's fine with me, though, because I really don't need ANOTHER nameplate project right now.

For those of you who are interested, this is my fifth Porcello in the Tigers PC, and third autograph overall. To see all of them, please head right on over here.

So once again, here's to trading!

A new Lions card just in time for football season...to end

2012-02-08T17:29:00.000-08:00

Over at TMM you'll notice that I just completed a rare trade with another Blowout member. While five of the six cards I received were Wolverines and therefore not relevant to this blog, I did manage to snag one other card that may actually be of interest to some of you, though it happened to arrive during its sport's offseason:

This here is a Jahvid Best 2010 Absolute Memorabilia RPM jersey-ball-jersey RC (#d 22/99). I know I've mentioned before that I really like the look of these cards (plus their relatively low prices, which makes them reasonably easy to get) and this one is no exception. I didn't exactly NEED another card in the deal, but I wanted this one enough to work a bit harder to find stuff for the trade to get it. It's not like I have much of a Lions PC, and I haven't decided if I'd like to pursue one, but as far as what I got back in the trade went, it seemed like a good idea and I'm happy with the result.

Best has an unfortunately uncertain future due to a history of concussions, which is a very, very serious situation for any athlete, much less the rest of us. While I hope he's eventually able to get back on the field, my primary concern is to see him be able to live a normal, healthy life, so if retirement becomes his only option, I'll understand. But in his limited playing time so far, he's shown some flashes of exciting playmaking ability out of the backfield, and I can speak for all Lions fans when I say that having all our RBs healthy to start next season is at the top of our wishlist.

I hope some of you pigskin fanatics found this card interesting. If I don't decide to pursue some sort of Lions PC, I'm sure I'll eventually put it up for trade, so if you just have to have it, shoot me a comment/email and we'll work something out!

These Juniors aren't mint, but they were free

2012-02-06T15:32:00.000-08:00

I realize this isn't a trade post, so it won't garner that many hits, but I thought some of you might still be interested in this. I hit up the Ann Arbor District Library today as I sometimes do, and on my way out I scoped out the cart of free books, as I'm also wont to do. I noticed a nice stack of baseball-related books and upon closer inspection, found three which piqued my interest enough to bring them home:

In order, we have Baseball America Almanacs from 1996 and 1998 plus a 1993 Baltimore Orioles media guide.

The almanacs were part of a larger stack that included a couple other years, plus some of their minor league handbooks, none of which interested me enough, plus I thought taking three books was more than enough. Although the cover shots of Juniors Ripken and Griffey were my prime motivation for grabbing them, from my experience with other versions they're actually quite interesting to have beyond the collecting aspect as they include such info as a recap of the previous season, stats, draft info and more. But really, getting a shot of Cal during 2131 night and Griffey probably bashing a homer would have been sufficient alone.

The media guide was more of a lark. It's not as wide as the other two and it's your standard media guide, really, with a look at that year's team, a recap of the previous season, stats, schedules, player profiles and more. I'd be just as happy to hold onto it, but I'm making it available to any Orioles fan or anybody else that would like to claim it. Just shoot me an email or leave a comment, first come, first served. You can either have it for the exact cost of shipping (I'm thinking Media Mail, if possible, though it may fit a flat rate box) or trade me something for it, your choice.

Not bad for some freebies, eh?

A superb Super Bowl trade post featuring My Cardboard Mistress

2012-02-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

I have to quickly get through writing up two posts today because it won't be long until kickoff for the Giants-Pats Super Bowl!

Today's post features the baseball half of a ridiculous trade package Adam of My Cardboard Mistress sent me last week, and which I'm finally getting around to showing off. We made a friendly bet on the result of the Sugar Bowl, then before he was able to send me my winnings, I threw a bunch of stuff his way preemptively. His response was my winnings from the bet plus some great stuff in trade. Let's just get down to it, then:

TWO envelopes, and one of them is HUGE. What the?...

Adam splurged and threw down a dollar for me on the book. For more on that, plus the other Michigan-related items, make sure to check out my post on TMM. I'll also spoil the fun and tell you I pulled nothing of remote interest from the Canadian Football pack, but it was very cool of Adam to toss that in.

So here's what came in from the baseball portion:

Some excellent Tigers, including one of Adam's favorites in Verlander, which was very cool. Then a couple other guys from my star PCs in Griffey and three awesome Ripkens. I love the mini, plus its own mini top loader, but my favorite of everything out of the baseball stuff was definitely the Masterpieces black border card, because those just look amazing. Speaking of star baseball players for my PC, he also included

this very nice Tony Gwynn 2005 Upper Deck Classics Classic Materials jersey. Somehow it's only my third relic of Gwynn, one of which is a dual with Ripken, so this is my first solo jersey of Gwynn, which goes along nicely with my bat relic of him.

Overall this was a great trade package in its own right, but it pales in comparison to the riches he threw my way for my Michigan PCs. Please make sure to check that out over on TMM if only to see how generous Adam is. I tip my hat to one outstanding Hokie fan. Thanks, Adam!

O Yes! Another Ryan H trade package, or, Wisconsin, please don't sue me

2012-01-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

Some good news: I've been keeping up with several of my resolutions, and this week that definitely paid off in the form of a bunch of trades. With lots of stuff going on I'll be jumping around in terms of how I post them, but if you sent me stuff I promise I'll get a trade post up very soon.

Today's comes to me from Ryan of "O" No!!! Another Orioles Blog. When I threw up this post last Sunday about wanting to get rid of a lot of my set-fillers, Ryan asked for some of my Bowman Chromes, which I knew would help him towards some of his sets, so this was already destined to be a pretty good trade. I also kicked a few Orioles cards his way for fun, because, why not?

Ryan sent me one of my favorite things to get in return: major wantlist help. Because I didn't want to go imageless in this post, here's my favorite from the group:

This is former NC State/Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson's 2010 Bowman Draft Prospects card, the one that caused some controversey because, bah gawd, King, he's a student-athlete! Anyway, here's how much Ryan was able to help me with this one trade package, You Complete Me-style:

2002 Bowman: 17 cards, down to 27 needed
2004 Bowman Draft: 3, need 36
2008 Topps II set 2: 2, need 13
2009 Bowman Prospects: 1, need 5
2009 Topps Update: 3, need 1
2010 Bowman Draft base: 15, complete!
2010 Bowman Draft prospects: 17, complete!

Total cards: 58 Sets added to: 7 Sets completed: 2

This is very exciting for me because, not only did he complete two of my sets--which were up to this point the newest ones on the list--he put me within five cards or fewer for two others, which makes it that much more likely I can knock them off via Sportlots very soon.

A big thanks again to Ryan who put together an excellent and VERY useful trade package for me, and I hope we can deal again soon, especially if it means more chipping away at my incredibly shrinking wantlist!

Dude, whoa. Whoa, dude.

2012-01-24T12:23:00.000-08:00

Dude. DUUUUUUUDE:

Whoa.

This is simply insane and I don't have any idea where Detroit came up with the money. It was very clear we needed a replacement for the year due to V-Mart's unfortunate injury, but...DUDE! It'll certainly be interesting having Prince back in Detroit mashing balls into the upper deck again, this time for reals. Whoa.

Blogger league...ASSEMBLE!

2012-01-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

So once again I'm crowdsourcing some information I don't have handy--I'm working on selling some of my trade bait that's just kinda been sitting there so I get some use out of it and don't feel so guilty about spending as much as I do on cards. While I don't bow down to the holy Bible of sports card pricing, Beckett, I'm out of options here because I can't get market value prices from COMC or completed eBay listings.

SO, the question is, do any of you have a subscription to either Beckett Baseball or Football, or the OPGs? I'm really just looking for prices on two cards:

Mikie Mahtook/Brian Johnson 2010 Bowman Sterling Refractor dual auto

C.J. Spiller 2010 Press Pass Wal-Mart Exclusives auto #d /25 (bottom middle)

I know the Spiller might be too rare to be priced, which is fine. But if any of you can help me with prices on either or both of the cards, I would very much appreciate it and could make it up to you in cards or assistance to be named later (answering computer questions would probably be my most valuable non-card service I could offer). So if you can help, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

Seeya in Indy

2012-01-22T15:19:00.000-08:00

What has two thumbs and is going to Indy in two weeks?

THIS guy (Brady, not me, of course). It was by no means Brady's best playoff game, and the Pats won largely thanks to their kicker, RBs and a surprisingly good defense, but that doesn't matter because New England will be facing the winner of the Giants and 49ers in the Super Bowl, and either matchup promises to be very exciting. Either the Giants head to Indy for a rematch in which the Pats try to avenge their lost 19-0 season, or the 49ers, another team that knows a little something about winning, complete their stunning turnaround under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh. I'm excited either way, and I hope many of you are as well.

Sunday fun: last call

2012-01-22T08:06:00.000-08:00

"Sunday fun" is a bit of a misnomer today, but this is something I've needed to do for a while. You see this here box?:

This box currently contains all my dupes from over the years that I've hung onto and kept sorted by set in case someone needed them to hack away at their wantlists. What I'm using it for more often right now is to supplement trade packages--each time I send out stuff from someone's favorite team, I make sure to flip through this box in case I have more team base cards to add to their haul. It's a nice source for doing something like that, but I've been wanting to consolidate and get rid of a lot of my non-essential stuff.

So, in a lot of cases I don't have all that many cards left when it comes to some of these sets. When I finally decide to do so, I'm just going to sort what's left of those into my box that's full of trade package material sorted by team. But I figure while I have these sorted as they are, I should see how much they can help some of you. So here's the deal: I'm going to list all the sets I have in that box, and if you're working on one or more of them, leave me a comment or shoot me an email with your wantlist for however many of them you'd like. I'll then send you whatever I have that you need in return for future considerations; remember, I'm doing this to clear space above all (though I'm happy to help people with set collecting, one of the purest activities of the hobby) so if I never see a return on doing this other than freeing up space, I still come out ahead. Got all that? Good, now here's the list:
Note: few refers to an eyeball estimate of less than 100 or a relatively small amount relative to the size of the set. Lots refers to more than that. Tons refers to way more than lots. Vague, I know, but this is just to give you an idea of what to expect, not to discourage you from sending your lists.

2000 Stadium Club (few)
2000 Topps (lots)
2002 Bowman (few)
2004 Bowman (lots)
2004 Topps Chrome Traded (lots)
2004 Topps Traded (lots)
2005 Donruss (some)
2005 Topps Chrome (lots)
2006 Topps (tons)
2007 Topps (tons)
2008 Donruss EEE
2008 Topps (few)
2008 Topps Co-Signers (few)
2008 UD Heroes (some)
2009 Bowman, Prospects, WBC and Chrome versions (lots)
2009 Topps (few)
2010 Bowman, Prospects and Chrome (few)
2010 Bowman Draft (few)
2010 Topps (few)
2010 Topps Traded (few)
2011 Bowman, Prospects and Chrome (few)

So help yourself while helping me out and take a bunch of these off my hands as you work to fill your sets!

Dealing with the offseason blues with a new Freehan

2012-01-21T17:59:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy week for me on the other blog due to lots of relevant incoming stuff, but I wanted to take a moment to post one card from that package that applies over here, especially for those not following that blog:

This is Bill Freehan's 2001 Topps Archives reprint autograph. It's one I've wanted for quite some time, and it was on my singles/player wantlist for that very reason. Well, one of the two sellers from whom I purchased stuff on COMC has it, and despite his relatively steep asking price, my overall total was reasonable enough that I felt I could treat myself to a card I'd wanted so much.

It bugs me a bit that Topps blew up his part of the four-player RC, seen here,

because that doesn't really make it a reprint, now, does it? Other than that, it's a fun idea having a player sign a reprint of his RC, and at that time, Bill's autograph was one of the better ones you could get since it's fairly legible compared to many of today's stars who basically sign their initials.

I didn't pick up a lot of baseball stuff in my latest bunch of acquisitions, but this is a Tigers card that sort of helps break up the doldrums of the off-season before spring training starts next month. It's also my fourth overall Freehan autograph and second Topps reprint signature.

Sunday fun: completed sets: 2004 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites

2012-01-15T13:15:00.000-08:00

I promised a while back that I would show off this set that I completed not too long ago, so here it is: a much-anticipated look at 2004 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites.

Unlike the Topps Archives sets of a couple years prior, ATFF didn't simply reprint old Topps cards--they took a group comprising HOFers, stars, "fan favorites" that were generally loved only by their teams' fans, managers and GMs, umpires, commissioners, idiots (Rudy Giuliani and Joe Buck, for example) and more, then printed their cards using designs from the last 50+ years of Topps sets. It was actually a fairly cool concept and worked pretty well, as you'll see in this post. So here they are, all 150 cards from 2004 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites! (sans comments for your viewing pleasure and my sanity)

2012 Group Break #1: Daily Dimwit

2012-01-11T17:31:00.000-08:00

Everybody's favorite Texabama man, Sam (Daily Dimwit), held a group break over the weekend, and his expedience in shipping things out (very commendable, sir!) caused my cards to arrive to me not on Friday as expected, but this afternoon instead. I know! The USPS exceeded expectations! Anyway, hit the link up there for an entertaining video that encompasses all three boxes that comprised the break:

2007 Upper Deck Artifacts
2009 Upper Deck Piece of History
2009 SP Authentic

As you can see from the results, most of us pretty much subsidized the Pirates and especially the Marlins, but I still had a great time, and my haul wasn't all that bad. My two chosen teams were the Tigers (natch) and Mariners (hoping to snag a Griffey or King Felix), and randomization earned me the Brewers and LA/A/A/LALA/AALA Angels, which netted me this stuff:

All Tigers (Sheffield is #d 242/999) and a Guererro/Ortiz insert #d 154/999

Best of the Brew Crew and Ms

Weird stuff randomed to me from Piece of History

The strangest thing by far was this Mike Myers Austin Powers relic from Piece of History. I actually laughed out loud after Sam randomed it off to me. Also, yes, I now see there's writing on the penny sleeve, but I don't feel like scanning it again. Anyway, that's up for grabs if anyone has any interest in it.

All in all it was a fun, if not lucrative, way to start my group-breaking year, and Sam does a bang-up job of running breaks, so I'll be more than happy to join another of his in the future.

I should also mention that he sent me a card in trade that'll be posted over on TMM shortly, in return for something coming in my soon-to-be-shipped COMC monster lot. Thanks again, Sam!

Sweet surprise

2012-01-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

The "sweet" in the title refers to the player on the card that arrived in my mailbox today; the "surprise" refers to my disbelief that it actually arrived to me safely, three whole days after it was actually SUPPOSED to arrive. Thanks, USPS--I'm sure people will line up in droves to pay you more to work less.

Anyway, this card is one I've been dying to show off since I grabbed it from the usual place--the BlowoutCards forums. A guy had busted a ton of 2011 Leaf Ink, a product wherein you get slabbed, certified autos on buyback cards from different brands. The years, players and sets that comprise the checklist appear to be fairly diverse. In my case, one card caught my eye, and a quick Paypal purchase later netted me this sweetness:

It's an autographed 1983 of Sweet Lou Whitaker, my favorite Tigers 2B of all time. Whitaker was well established before I was born, having won the 1978 Rookie of the Year, so he was a Tigers stalwart by the time I was old enough to follow Detroit in the late '80s. From then on he may have been my #1 Tiger, topping a list that including Alan Trammel and Kirk Gibson. Tales of the magical Whitaker-Trammel double play combo will be passed down to future generations, and besides his defensive prowess, Sweet Lou could get on base, run and score with the best of them, not to mention provide a bit of clutch pop when the occasion arose. Hell, if you watch highlights of the '84 World Series season, pretty much every game starts with Whitaker leading off, getting on base, stealing second or moving up on a Trammel hit, then being knocked in by Kirk Gibson. Detroit will never experience another home-grown, lifetime star second baseman like Whitaker, but at least we Detroit fans have our memories of Sweet Lou.

The card itself is kind of goofy--a mugshot of Lou hanging out watching batting practice and apparently being surprised by the photographer--but I know his autographs are pretty much few and far between, so it's nice having a certified one (even if it's Beckett, a group of people who'd certify an auto of a made-up guy named Otto Pen) to go along with my non-certified version I picked up last year. I'm happy that I'm continuing to add to my Tigers PC and I'm especially happy that the HOF-dissed 2B is today's subject; may there be many more such posts in my future.

Stay tuned for a combined Blowout/COMC blowout (most of which will end up on TMM due to the players involved) to rival last year's, plus my results from Sam's latest group break--the first one I've participated in for a while and hopefully the first of several this year in trying to keep one of my New Year's promises.

Sunday fun: first trade post of the new year

2012-01-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

So my first real post of 2012 is an excellent occasion: my first trade of the young year. Kevin of the excellent Mojo Beard and a fan of all things Minnesota was interested in the Joe Webb auto I pulled from my plethora of 2010 Press Pass PE blisters a few weeks ago. That led to a trade wherein I received the following:

An old Tigers hero and a new one; I'm curious to see what happens to Young and whether or not the Detroit playoff slugger will stick around. Add to that the linchpins of the Lions' offense and one of the best WR-QB combos in the whole league--Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford. I haven't seen a Calvin Jr. this good since some guy named Ripken manned SS for the Orioles.

And then there was this card, which was the main reason for the deal as far as I was concerned:

Alphabetically the first card in my Tigers PC, it's an Al Kaline 2005 Donruss Champions bat. This is my first relic of Mr. Tiger and I'm absolutely thrilled to have something this nice of the Hall of Fame Detroit legend. When you consider what I gave up (which, hopefully Kevin will show off after it arrives since it took me longer to put it together than it did for Kevin to get my stuff to me) I thought it was very generous on Kevin's part to send this my way, so I really appreciate it!

There was one more card in the package, to but to see it you'll have to head over to my other blog, Too Many Manninghams.

A big thanks goes out to Kevin for starting off the new year with a bang thanks to a great trade. Make sure to keep following one of the top-notch card blogs there is over at the Mojo Beard.

All the cool kids are doing it

2012-01-01T19:03:00.001-08:00

I don't want to fall behind on the trend of bloggers listing their goals for 2012, and I'm happy to say I had no problem thinking of a few for myself, though many are admittedly stolen from said bloggers. So here they are in no particular order (and this list goes to 11):

MOAR TRADING: From the time I started this blog in late 2010, I've added a ton of stuff to my collection, but too much of that came from purchases instead of trades. While I've got a nice list of trade posts going along the sidebar, it's time I put more emphasis on trading both to save money and get more out of the hobby. My experiences in trading with other bloggers and readers has been 100% positive so far, and I have no doubt that will continue.
Post more trade bait: While I finally got off my ass this year and got my trade bait page up, it's really only a small portion of what I have available. I have plenty of other good stuff sure to please other collectors in addition to what's already up there--hits, rookies, bigger inserts, etc.--and I'm betting I can fuel more trades by listing more stuff. That especially includes my piles sorted by teams--ever popular in trade packages--complete sets, piles of themed inserts, and more.
Comment more on blogs I read: I follow quite a few of you, but I admit I don't comment as much as I should, especially since I've found that's a big incentive for me to keep my own going. I appreciate a lot of what gets posted, and I promise to show that more this year.
Respond to comments I receive: I'm actually pretty good about this, even if the comment is something like "Nice card!" But something I'm going to try to do more is respond to the person who made the comment with an email (as I usually do, whenever possible) AND in the comments section so it doesn't appear to everyone else that I'm ignoring you. Related note: whenever possible, please comment using an email address so I can respond to you easier, especially if you're inquiring about a trade; I hate trying to respond to something and having the address come up as "noreply-comment@blogger.com" because I can't be sure you'll see my reply in the comments.
Manage two blogs: Have I mentioned Too Many Manninghams, my Michigan-centric new blog? The support I've received so far has been outstanding, especially thanks to Jeff's (My Sports Obsession) impending contributions, but I really appreciate everyone who's already following and encouraging me. As I've already pretty much explained, I'm hoping that blog draws interest to the stuff I'm most interested in covering while people continue coming here for mostly baseball-related posts, most of which I'm sure will revolve around my personal collection.
Post quality content: With all of the Michigan stuff separated out, you won't see any more game day posts over here, but I hope to provide entertaining and insightful content that keeps people coming back. More of the aforementioned trade posts should help, and I plan to continue features on new acquisitions, You Complete Me and completed sets for sure because those seemed to be liked by some, plus I'll continue my pursuits of Bill Freehan's player collection and the Rich Hill Heroes Rainbow.
Group breaks: Two sides to this one: first, I'm going to try to participate in more group breaks others run. I'm sometimes leery of joining in on some of them because the return doesn't seem as ideal as I'd like, but there are many run by excellent and trustworthy people, and I plan to devote some of my spending to them. On a related note, I hope to run another group break or two myself because I've really enjoyed that in the past and each time I've had some outstanding participants that made things successful. I'll try to come up with ideas that work for me, but if you have any suggestions, please feel free to throw in a comment because I'm happy to run one of these having done it a few times now.
Spend less on useless crap: First of all, retail pretty much needs to go out the window for me because that's useful money that I'm often essentially wasting. Also, boxes and packs in general are a waste of my money AND my closet space and I plan to drastically cut down my spending and purchases of these. I'll let others play the box lottery and pick up the cards I really want at bargain prices. Besides PC stuff I hope to continue my new trend of picking up cheap vintage, a new addition to my collecting pursuits.
Complete some more sets: 2011 was a banner year for me completing my baseball and football sets thanks to a ton of quality sources, many of which I learned about thanks to bloggers and readers like you. Trade packages were a boon, as was finding out about COMC and Sportlots, and thanks especially to these three sources, my wantlists have shrunk by an amazing amount. I want to keep up this trend of finishing what I start so I feel less guilty about spending time and money pursuing other interesting projects.
Get more organized and get rid of unwanted stuff: I've already made some strides here thanks to some of the previously mentioned work I did, such as posting trade bait and sorting stuff into piles for trades. Still, I have a lot I really don't need that's taking up space in my card closet, and thanks to online trading I have a good way to distribute it to a good home instead of just chucking it for a couple bucks. I know this is a pretty standard resolution-type thing, but I'm hoping it's something I can get done while I'm suffering through another cold, gray, football- and baseball-less winter.
400/100/50 and beyond: 400 refers to getting to 400 unique Michigan hits, and I'm only 12 away from that, so it shouldn't take long; 500 by the end of the year wouldn't be a ridiculous goal at all. 100 refers to the number of Michigan baseball hits I hope to get to very soon as I continue to build on that collection. And I'd love to hit 50 of any player in those PCs, though whether it'll be Rich Hill, Chad Henne, Jake Long or someone else, only time will tell. Stay tuned to Too Many Manninghams for news on those goals.

I think 11 goals is enough for now and should be more than enough to keep me busy all year. Good luck to everyone else who took the time to set their own goals and have a great year of collecting!

Happy new year! Please check out my new blog

2011-12-31T21:09:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has a safe but enjoyable New Year's Eve/Day! Also, just a quick note that those of you who read this blog and like all things Michigan, please check out my new blog--Too Many Manninghams--and start following it for some Wolverines-specific goodness. Those of you who don't, or were sick of Michigan-centric posts, well there's some good news for you: this blog will now focus mainly on baseball and football.

So here's to a new year of collecting, trading, box busting, COMCing and putting up with Topps' shenanigans. Happy new year, everybody!

A December You Complete Me AND Rainbow Additions

2011-12-29T13:38:00.000-08:00

This post would have come sooner but I had decided to consolidate everything into one post and part of this haul only arrived today after the Sportlots seller neglected to, you know, actually ship the cards to me until this week, though we worked that out without incident.

So, what do I have for you today? How about one eBay purchase and two Sportlots packages that equal two new rainbow cards and a bunch of baseball set wantlist help?

Gonna gonna gonna gonna gonna gonna buy me a rainbow, continued:

A quick purchase on eBay (I'm not letting these suckers get away as they're getting rarer) netted me this guy:

This is the Emerald jersey version from that rainbow I've been working on so hard for the last couple months. This simple but pinstriped jersey is numbered out of 25, making it one of the rarer versions I have in the group, though I do have two /10 and two others /25. It's a sharp card and I'm glad I picked one up that includes a nice Cubbies pinstripe. This card goes along well with...

this Light Blue version of the jersey. Much more common as it's #d /200, it's nonetheless an important part of the set. This one arrived as part of the Sportlots package I was impatiently waiting for this morning, and it means there's only one card left on my wantlist that's numbered as high as 100--the Red jersey, which I have yet to see anywhere up to this point. I'm now just seven cards away from the 30-card rainbow, and including that Red jersey, the average numbering dips to 28; make it 16.5 as soon as I pick that one up. While I'm mentioning stats, how about a hand for the new leader in hits in any of my PCs now that Hill's 35 have surpassed Jake Long's 34 to take the crown?

You Complete Me, including an actual completed set:

As I mentioned, two packages, which I'll combine into one.

2001 Donruss Rookie Reprints: 1 (complete)
2002 Bowman: 2
2004 Topps Traded (set 2): 14
2005 Fleer Tradition: 17 (only need 2)
2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites: 2
2005 Topps Chrome: 19
2008 Topps Series 2 (set 2): 1
2008 Upper Deck Heroes: 10 (only need 3)
2009 Bowman: 10 (only need 4)
2009 Bowman Prospects: 8 (only need 6)
2009 Bowman WBC Prospects: 2 (only need 2)
2010 Bowman Chrome Prospects: 7

Totals: 93 cards, 12 sets, 1 complete

I'm obviously most excited about completing the 2001 Donruss Rookie Reprints set since I already went ahead and did a post about it on Tuesday. Getting that final card, the Andres Galarraga 1986, was the impetus for the first of the pair of buys, and it led to a few more cards from 2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites, 2009 Bowman and 2010 Bowman Chrome Prospects. The Light Blue Rich Hill above spurred the other buy which included lots more cards from the other sets listed and put a nice dent in most of those. By my count I have nine sets that need 10 cards or fewer, meaning another Sportlots run may not be far behind.

Now that I've blogged all of that, I'm not sure what else will follow because I have nothing else in the pipeline at the moment. Still, a new year, college bowls and a potential Lions playoff run leave the door open for new stuff very soon. Until then, I hope everyone continues to enjoy the holiday season and that some of you get to enjoy the benefit of a week off like I am!

Completed Sets: 2001 Donruss Rookie Reprints

2011-12-27T15:09:00.000-08:00

I've alluded to this set quite a bit over the course of writing this blog, and I'm thrilled that I finally get to show it off in its completed form now that the final piece of this puzzle--Andres Galarraga--arrived in my mailbox last week. It's a complete set I have yet to see in-person or online, (though I know I'm not the first) which isn't too surprising since "only" 1982 complete sets are possible. Putting it all together was a process 10 years in the making, from the day I first busted a couple boxes of the very fun-to-open set to picking up singles on eBay, COMC, Sportlots and the like, to holding all 39 reprints in my hands.

For those of you who weren't collecting at the time, a little bit about the set: it was one of the many "randomly inserted" Donruss inserts that year, so I'm not really sure what the odds were. This was definitely something a bit different for Donruss as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of their inaugural 1981 baseball set, and they never fell pray to the Topps mailing-it-in attitude of "Screw it, let's reprint more of our crap, people will go nuts for it."

They also didn't go the Topps route of messing with the reprinted card after the fact as Topps did with some if their reprint sets, (i.e. reducing a multiplayer RC down to that single player) and their alterations were limited to three design elements to clearly mark these as reprints: a silver "20th Anniversary" logo stamped up front, and on the back numbering based on the insert set--not its numbering from the original set--and a serial number based on the year the card was issued. Cal Ripken's '82 reprint, therefore, is the lowest numbered card at 1982 copies, meaning that many complete sets are possible, as previously mentioned.

A parallel version, of which 1900 fewer of each card exists, was also possible to pull, and in picking up the Griffey for this set, I received my first parallel version in the eBay transaction that culminated in this post, in which the USPS did its best to prevent those cards from arriving to me, as usual. My interest, though, was always in the main reprint insert set for several reasons. First and foremost I enjoy the multitude of designs the retrospective gives you, featuring cards from 1982-1992. Secondly, the serial numbering made this one of the more challenging pursuits of my collecting experience, especially when I encountered stubborn sellers clinging to the idea that they were worth much more than any sane person would pay for them. Finally, the player selection is quite good and hits on many of my favorites from that time span, the era when I grew up and first got into baseball.

All that makes this easily my favorite insert set I've yet completed. And now I proudly present to you all 39 2001 Donruss Rookie Reprints!:

Cal Ripken Jr. 1982 (#0961/1982): A great way to start the set off with a bang, though Donruss really had no choice--the '81 set featured no major RCs and the '82 version was devoid of anything major except Cal. I have the original version of this one, of course.
Wade Boggs 1983 (#1316/1983): Here's the first of a few on this list I don't yet own. Young Wade hit .349 in 104 games for the '82 Sawx on his way to a hit-filled HOF career and was one of four key '83 RCs in the set, the fourth being Julio Franco, who didn't make the cut for this set (to no one's surprise).
Tony Gwynn 1983 (#0458/1983): I own Gwynn's Fleer and Topps RCs from that year, but not this Donruss issue. The back mentions that he was "A most pleasant late addition to the Padres in '82" and that he was called up from Hawaii. Man, if you've gotta pay your dues in the minors, it may as well be in Hawaii, right?
Ryne Sandberg 1983 (#1503/1983): My eyes! The goggles do nothing! Aside from the ugly-ass uni on the front, this card reminds everyone that Ryno was traded from the Phils to the Cubs along with Larry Bowa in 1982. Bowa, of course, headed back to Philly as a manager for a few years in the early aughts. This is another one I really need to pick up--I should get a wantlist going or something.
Don Mattingly 1984 (#1006/1984): This list considers Donnie Baseball's RC the only key rookie in the set, though the next card will have something to say about that. Mattingly is certainly one of the more memorable recent Yankees even if he's not really HOF-caliber. Not bad for a 1979 19th-rounder. Bonus quote from the back: "One of the very few Yankee farmhands who made it to the big leagues as a Yankee." Those were the days.... Add this one to the wantlist too, by the way.
Joe Carter 1984 (#1034/1984): You'd better believe I have this one. Carter's no HOFer but he had an excellent overall career, and he definitely sealed his place in baseball history with one of the most dramatic World Series homers ever. The #2 overall pick in 1981 found himself in Cleveland the year after this card was made, and he would play for six teams in his 16-year career, though he'll always be remembered (and loved) by Blue Jays fans for his World Series exploits. A worth addition to this set for sure.
Roger Clemens 1985 (#0439/1985): Screw this guy--I don't have this card and I don't want it.
Kirby Puckett 1985 (#0920/1985): There's no way this set would be complete without the incomparable Kirby Puckett. This is a great posed shot of the Minnesota legend and it's a card I'm sadly missing in my collection--for now. Kirby didn't show much power--no homers--in the 128 games of his rookie 1984 campaign, but the hitting prowess was already on display as he hit an excellent .296 in the first year of his HOF career.
Orel Hershiser 1985 (#0217/1985): At first glance, Hershiser may seem like a strange addition to this set, and this key cards list agrees, but this is a guy who won a Cy Young, pitched in three World Series (winning one) and amassed more than 200 wins in his 18-year career. As with Joe Carter, Donruss made a wise choice here.

Andres Galarraga 1986 (#0864/1986): Here's another guy who inexplicably didn't make the key cards list for this year. The Big Cat compares well to the previously mentioned Joe Carter as well as HOFers Orlando Cepeda, Jim Rice and Willie Stargell, and he enjoyed an outstanding, if not HOF-worth, 19-year career.
Jose Canseco 1986 (#0247/1986): This was definitely a popular card at the time, but as with Clemens, screw that guy.
Fred McGriff 1986 (#0386/1986): One of Tim's favorites, and for good reason as he was also an outstanding player for several teams over a long, productive career, not unlike a couple other guys you've just read about. A Yankees prospect that got away (muhahahahaha!) the Crime dog moved around quite a bit but did manage to win it all with the '95 Braves. An excellent choice for this set.
Paul O'Neill 1986 (#1728/1986): I've never liked O'Neill and I never will, but he was definitely one of those unsung guys who could put a good team over the top, as his five rings (one with the '90 Reds) prove.
Mark McGwire 1987 (#1920/1987): Overrated, one-dimensional cheater, so I'll take this opportunity to mention that the '87 set is the best represented here with eight total cards, though only five make the linked list. This is definitely one of my favorite Donruss sets for that very reason.
Barry Bonds 1987 (#1884/1987): Yeah, whatever. Next.
Kevin Brown 1987 (#1669/1987): Ugh, not only was this guy a cheater, he was also an overpaid douche, and I only vaguely understand his inclusion here, but that's probably mostly hindsight. NEXT.
David Cone 1987 (#0079/1987): That's more like it. Cone was also left off that list, but he won almost 200 games in his 17-year career, including 20 twice, picked up a Cy Young award, won five rings (one with Toronto, four with the Yanks) AND pitched a perfect game.
Rafael Palmerio 1987 (#1570/1987): Ok, this is getting a bit depressing. NEXT.

Barry Larkin 1987 (#1354/1987): Not sure why one of the best shortstops of his generation and a deserving HOFer isn't included here, but there's still plenty of time to right that wrong. A Michigan grad (have I mentioned that) and product of athlete factory Cincinnati Moeller High, the 1995 NL MVP gave his all for 19 years with his hometown team, highlighted by a championship in 1990. All that remains is enshrinement in the Hall of Fame, something that had damn well better happen this year, along with counterpart Alan Trammell.
Bo Jackson 1987 (#0327/1987): There was no way Donruss was going to deny collectors another card of one of the 80s' biggest manias, but then again, Bo could have told you that. Though he only played a few seasons due to injuries, the two-sport star managed to put up some big numbers, but even those were overshadowed by his highlight reel plays in the outfield. This is a perfect case of a reprint set bringing back the perfect amount of nostalgia from collectors' childhoods.
Greg Maddux 1987 (#0742/1987): Maddux is the last of the '87s, and really, what more can I say about the guy than I already have? Seeya soon in the Hall of Fame, buddy. Just make sure you don't have the Sidney Crosby punk-ass facial hair going on, ok?
Roberto Alomar 1988 (#0678/1988): Speaking of HOFers, the first of the '88s is Robbie Alomar, an All-Star mainstay who deservedly was enshrined in 2011. You know who he best compares to? Sweet Lou Whitaker. If only the Whitaker-Tram duo could enter the Hall together in 2012. Oh well, at least Alomar got his due.
Mark Grace 1988 (#0370/1988): Interesting note: Grace finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting that year to Wolverine Chris Sabo. Both went on to win a ring, but it's not much of an argument that Grace had the better career by far. It's good to see him sticking around the game as a commentator, though maybe he'll find a front office/management-type role someday.
David Wells 1988 (#0087/1988): As with the other Yankees on this list, (though Wells was briefly a Tiger as well) I was never a fan of this loudmouth fatass, but he did have a few nice seasons over his amazing 21-year career.
Tom Glavine 1988 (#1978/1988): Glavine doesn't look thrilled to be with the Braves here, but little did he know that he'd be a big part of the best team of the 1990s. I made sure to check the back for a hockey reference, and sure enough it mentions that the Kings drafted him in 1984, the same year the Braves picked him up. Looks like he chose the right sport.
Matt Williams 1988 (#1218/1988): Williams went a few picks ahead of the forthcoming Gary Sheffield in '86, but I think the Giants are pretty happy about their pick. From 1987-1996, Williams was consistently homer-happy, including a monster shortened 1994 season, and put up some outstanding numbers. When people like Topps assemble "fan favorites" sets based around guys that don't really get their due, they include players like Williams, and for good reason.
Ken Griffey Jr. 1989 (#0702/1989): I dunno, maybe you've seen this one before? The first of five '89s is definitely the best--the Kid. The old Rated Rookie logo brings back tons of memories for me, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. In fact, I know I'm not, especially because of one of Kevin's typically excellent posts. The original card, of course, has its place in my rookie card PC here.

Randy Johnson 1989 (#0219/1989): Johnson appears to be sneering "Yeah I started my career with the Expos, and yeah I had the mullet all the way back then, so what?" The sure-fire HOFer actually found himself traded to the Mariners in 1989, and the rest is history, thanks to five Cy Youngs, a World Series ring, 300+ wins, a ridiculous 4875 Ks, a no-hitter AND a perfect game, plus a 20 strikeout game. Dude was good.
Gary Sheffield 1989 (#1756/1989): See: Barry Bonds. Screw this guy. In the ear.
Craig Biggio 1989 (#1225/1989): One of the greatest athletes ever to play the game, period. Catcher, second base, outfield, it didn't matter where you put him, he'd hit, or get hit, but he'd always get on base. And when he did that, you could count on teammates like Jeff Bagwell to bring him home. A 3000 hit club member, I hope to see him enter the Hall very soon.
Curt Schilling 1989 (#0677/1989): Something something...bloody sock...something...politics...something...Warcraft.... Interesting note on the back: The Red Sox sent him to Baltimore along with noted cheater Brady Anderson, though of course Curt found his way back to Boston in time to live up to his team's name years later.
Larry Walker 1990 (#0423/1990): Walker still has a pretty decent chance at making the Hall, but if he doesn't he can still rest on his laurels, which include fairly impressive numbers both inside and outside of Coors field.
Bernie Williams 1990 (#0564/1990): Basically Paul O'Neill minus the douchiness, plus he was a homegrown Yankee, not that New York fans would feel that they have to point that out AD NAUSEUM.
Sammy Sosa 1990 (#0391/1990): Steroids and cork are the lasting images from a career that should have been remembered for mammoth home runs and 1998.
Juan Gonzalez 1990 (#1239/1990): Oh that the ill-advised trade to Detroit never had happened. At least he won't make the Hall and everyone can just forget about his stupid ass.
David Justice 1990 (#1614/1990): The guy had some very nice seasons, especially with the Braves, and won two rings in a crazy six Series appearances. I'll always remember him with the Braves, not the Indians, Yankees, Mets and A's.

Ivan Rodriguez 1991 The Rookies (#0727/1991): Clearly one of the greatest catchers ever, Donruss was smart enough to include Pudge in their Rookies set that year. Though I'll always remember him with Texas, I'll also fondly recall his seasons with the Tigers, including the magical 2006 World Series team.
Jeff Bagwell 1991 The Rookies (#0697/1991): The erstwhile Red Sox 3B was the NL Rookie of the Year that year on the way to what should be a Hall of Fame career.
Manny Ramirez 1992 The Rookies (#1520/1992): Here's Manny being Manny as the final entrant in the set and the only representative from 1992. I started following Manny a couple years after he became a productive player so for the longest time I associated him with Cleveland. Still, it's clear that his best years--in general, mind you, what with all the drama--were with Boston. There may never be another one like him, and if there isn't, it would be a detriment to the game (mostly).

There you have it, my favorite insert set of all time completed! Please let me know what you all think of this set, what Donruss did with it, if you have any of the originals and your thoughts on those, etc., and look forward to more content hopefully soon.

Merry Christmas from TMG/V!

2011-12-24T09:25:00.000-08:00

I've delayed a bit in posting some stuff while waiting on a tardy shipment from Sportlots, so hopefully I'll have something new for you next week.

In the meantime, I'd suggest you hit up some of the excellent recent posting done by other blogs, especially My Cardboard Mistress's 12 Days of Cardmas and Cardmas Riddles, plus Jaybarkerfan's Blog of the Year contest (there's still time!).

I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday. May your Refractors be bright, your autographs be on-card and your promised hits not be redemptions!

So from all of us here at Too Many Grandersons/Verlanders, e.g. me, Merry Christmas!

2010 Press Pass PE football Blister Packs (x25)

2011-12-18T15:42:00.000-08:00

Two Saturdays ago I hit up Meijer and found something new and interesting to try: blister packs of 2010 Press Pass Portrait Edition football. I pulled two of the one-per-pack autographs (James Starks and Rusty Smith) and thought they might be fun to buy again.

Flash forward to this afternoon when I made another required trip to my favorite store, armed with more Santa Bucks coupons. Again, nothing else appealed to me in the card aisle, but on a whim I decided to price check the Press Pass PE packs to see what they'd ring up at since that's how I verified they were 20% off last time. I was more than a bit surprised, then, when the formerly $14.99 packs came up at $5.59 apiece. Thinking the one I had grabbed was a fluke I tried two more, and sure enough, they pulled up the same price.
Well I sure didn't need more of a kick in the pants than that! I promptly cleaned that particular store out of all 15 packs they had. After busting those, encouraged by what I had pulled, I hit up another store and grabbed 10 more--out of the roughly 25 they had on hand there, I mean I was trying to show SOME restraint. That explains why you see "only" 15 of the 25 packs above, by the way.

Before I show off just the hits from these, I'll give you a quick update on the rest of the stuff from this set having now opened 27 packs:

Set 1 completion: 42/50
Set 2 completion: 28/50
Extras: 13 trips, 4 quads, 1 quint
Blue parallel: 20/50 with 7 doubles (1:pack)
Headliners: 6/34, 2 doubles (1:3)
Class of 2010: 4/10, 1 double (1:6)
Face to Face: 7/20 (1:3)

And now, the hits:

Yes, I really did pull FIVE autos of Joe Webb. Two more of James Starks definitely made up for that, though, as he's one of the better ones in the set. The Stafon Johnson and Chris McGaha Reds are alternate versions of the basic Gold autographs. Spiller is the hit of the break here, a Wal-Mart Exclusive auto (hilarious since I never set foot in that hellhole) numbered 02/25. Clausen, talentless emu that he is, is a Gold version of the jersey insert numbered 193/199, while Benn and Canfield are the base versions of the jerseys.

All told, I finished with only three jerseys, which is better than I could have hoped in my wildest dreams. The three Starks and the Spiller (if I can ever determine a value) may net me some useful cash or bring something nice in trade. As usual, everything you see above is available for sale or trade but it'll take a bit of time for me to get everything put up on my football FS/FT album; that shouldn't stop you from making offers should you desire.

I'm not currently posting base set wantlists because I may go back for a few more of these packs before all is said and done, and hopefully I'll eventually hit something bigger, be it the Donovan Warren auto (the lone Wolverine) or the big guns--autos of Sam Bradford and Tebow of Nazareth. Even if I don't, these are a blast to break and are light years ahead of the shit Topps keeps spewing out. Let's see, blaster of worthless tripe or three of these? Decisions, decisions....

The Rich get Richer

2011-12-15T17:07:00.000-08:00

While I'm waiting for one more eBay pickup and a package from Sportlots, here's something I grabbed for a steal of a price via Blowout:

Whatcha lookin' at up there, Rich?

This is Rich Hill's 2008 Topps Triple Threads Emerald triple jersey/auto. For a mere $5 delivered I couldn't pass up this green stunner, numbered 26/50, especially since I have a White Whale version of this very card. That actually makes it my third Triple Threads card of Hill thanks to this one. Hill #33 in my PC ended up not being part of the rainbow of him I'm working on, but fear not--you'll see more of those cards soon.

Merry eBay 1/1...boxing day?

2011-12-11T08:22:00.001-08:00

As a follow-up to Thursday's post, another of my eBay purchases arrived yesterday:

Rich Hill's 2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes Autographs Red. I know it seems crazy that I've been picking up a bunch of stuff in a small amount of time, but considering how limited some of these are--including this one being numbered 10/10--I know I have to strike while the iron's hot. I should also point out that I really did get this card at a steal of a BIN price--less than I've spent on higher-numbered non-autographed cards in this rainbow, even.

All that said, I now have 21/30 cards in the rainbow, with a couple more en route to me, which is very exciting, as you might expect. Some pertinent stats:

This ties with the Jersey Autograph Navy Blue for lowest print run I own at 10
It's the penultimate card I need that's just autographed, the last being the Purple version /5
The average print run of the nine cards I still need is now 47
Remaining types of cards I need:

Base parallels: 2 (Light Blue /49, Purple /25)
Autographs: 1 (Purple /5)
Jersey Autograph: 1 (Emerald /5)
Jersey: 3 (Light Blue /200, Red /100, Emerald /25)
Patch: 2 (Beige /10, Purple /5)

I'm now at 32 different Rich Hill hits, and of course 21 of those are from this rainbow

You should see a couple more from this project within a few days as I await a final eBay purchase, plus a couple Sportlots buys, which are also exciting because they'll produce a complete set I've been dying to show off.

Merry eBay 1/1mas!

2011-12-08T16:21:00.001-08:00

Another of the exciting eBay purchases I alluded to a couple times this week arrived today:

Rich Hill's 2008 Upper Deck Heroes Autographs Beige. Yes, beige, I know. As you can clearly see, this guy is #d 01/25. I didn't get it specifically because of that--I got it because it's the only one I've seen so far, and better yet, the seller was very cool and took my best offer on an auction where he actually hadn't set that up. As these are getting hard to find, such a gesture is very significant and I certainly appreciated it.

This version ties for my second-lowest number in the rainbow thus far with the Patch Light Blue; the Jersey Autograph Navy Blue tops the list at 10 copies made. In case you're interested, the new average numbering for the remaining cards I need is 43, mainly thanks to a /100 and /200; after those two are gone, the highest-numbered version will be /49 and the new average will be 17!

I'm now exactly 2/3 of the way done with this 30-card rainbow, and fortunately I have a line on a couple other copies. Just as encouraging is the fact that this is Rich Hill hit #31 for me, comprising almost half my Michigan baseball PC!

Coming up in the next couple days watch for at least two more eBay posts (unless those somehow arrive at the same time) plus a Sportlots package.

Bill Freehan the RC Man

2011-12-07T09:02:00.001-08:00

I'm sure everyone roughly my age remembers this:

Well here's another famous BILL BILL BILL BILL that arrived in my mailbox this morning:

That's right, guys, it's Bill Freehan's 1963 Topps RC, knocking a huge item off my checklist for that PC. This copy is in half-decent shape, with an obviously bad upper-right corner, iffy centering, some fading and various other flaws. Still, for what it cost relative to other copies I've seen on the interwebs, I thought it was a nice deal. It also feels great to have the most important card knocked off that list, leaving me with just seven to go in that collection.

The speed at which I'm acquiring these may prompt me to go after his modern cards as well as part of this collection, though that's something I'll decide once I have everything from his actual playing days. Because this is the only card in today's post, I thought I'd also include the back:

You can see here that Bill had some pretty nice Minor League stats before his first full season in the bigs in 1963. The following year he made his first of ten consecutive All-Star teams, and eleven overall. What's interesting to me as I ponder his career is that it makes me wonder if that's the career arc young Tigers catcher Alex Avila is heading towards, which would be outstanding for a Detroit team that hasn't developed an excellent catcher in forever--maybe Matt Nokes, at least for the first couple years of his career?

Stay tuned for a few more piecemeal posts of recent PC eBay pickups that I've purchased in the last week or so, plus another small Sportlots buy, all of which will lead to some exciting (at least for me) additions to my collections and therefore this blog.

Weekend roundup: a Blowout trade, more You Complete Me and BCS and eBay rants

2011-12-05T15:29:00.001-08:00

From Friday up until this evening I had an eventful few days of collecting. Besides a couple forthcoming eBay purchases about which I'm pretty excited, there was this stuff:

BCS rant:

I'll keep this quick because it doesn't exactly relate to collecting, other than my foolproof comparison between the BCS and Topps:

It completely ignores what the consumer wants
It turns out a consistently terrible product
It claims to value tradition, but blatantly ignores it in favor of the same old shit
I want no further part of it until it's fixed

The fact that Alabama is playing in the NCAA football title game is a complete travesty and should mean the immediate abolition of the BCS for its failure to determine the two best teams that deserve to play each other for the national championship. It's an inherently flawed system that has only once produced a reasonably satisfying champion in its history, and the corrupt human element of it has made it worse.

But more than that, the hypocrisy of it kills me--Michigan was in the same boat in 2006 and we fans called for a rematch with Ohio State after losing by such a close margin on their field, our only loss. We figured we deserved the rematch on a neutral field, but some people correctly pointed out that we hadn't won our conference title, not that it was officially mandatory for playing for the national title. That was fine, but then the SEC and their propaganda factory, CBS, put on a shameless display of self-promotion that will forever be an embarrassment to anyone who isn't a NASCAR-promoting, Larry the Cable Guy-loving redneck with an IQ lower than the number of teeth in his gums. The relevant point here is that the SEC was the loudest opponent of the rematch game.

Flash forward to 2011 and would you look at that? Suddenly a rematch looks a bit more attractive to those Southerners--not as much as their sisters, but it's up there--and they finally have something to loudly and ignorantly yell about that doesn't involve Obama being a "seekrit muslin communist that weren't born in 'murica cuz I dun sawed it on the Fox News." The hypocrisy is staggering, as is the fact that a one-loss Oklahoma State team was a perfectly reasonable candidate for the title game, as was Stanford, really. For a formula that uses some complicated math, the BCS sure does benefit one specific region whose biggest numerical accomplishment was counting to potato. The title game basically has an autobid for the SEC, and now apparently it has two. Guess what? They ALREADY PLAYED THAT GAME. ALABAMA LOST. END OF STORY.

So even though it won't happen, largely because Bubbas and Cleatuses would form an unruly mob hell-bent on seeing birth certificates of every NCAA executive, it's past due that we get a playoff going, even if it's only something as simple as four teams. There's just not enough of a sample size to let a bunch of biased, corrupt and uninformed coaches and media select the two "best" teams to meet for the title.

End of that rant, Go Blue in the Sugar Bowl!

eBay: the BCS of online auction sites:

Anybody else get one of these in the mail?:

Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot. This is why I hate class-action suits. What's funny is I'm not sure how I even became eligible--I didn't sign up to be part of this because I rarely get in on these, and the whole $0.17, which eBay obviously spent more on to ship to me, isn't even enough to cover their exorbitant and extortionate fees. Like the 20th Gio Gonzalez autograph you pull from a $300 Topps box, this is literally not worth the paper it's printed on. Screw you, eBay, you dumb bastards.

On to lighter topics: You Complete Me!:

I made another productive purchase through the always-reasonable Sportlots, so I thought it was time for another YCM post. For under $15 shipped I got cards from these sets:

Baseball:

2000 7-11 Coins (5)
2000 Upper Deck (24)
2005 Fleer Tradition (7)
2008 Topps Series II set 2 (5)
2008 Topps Co-Signers (3)
2008 Upper Deck Heroes (2)
2009 Bowman (2)
2009 Topps Update (6)

Football:

2001 UD MVP (5)
2008 Topps (4)
2008 Upper Deck Heroes (8)
2009 Topps (1)

Total cards: 72

Sets added to: 12

Sets completed: 2

All of these cards were from one seller (the way to go with Sportlots) and all started with the 2000 7-11 coins, a set I've been wanting to finish for a while. The guy had all five I needed, so I proceeded to pick up literally everything else he had from each of my set lists. A nice consequence of that was also completing 2008 UD Heroes football, but I also made some strides in plenty of other sets, as you can see from the list.

No scans of these today, but I'm planning on getting up a post of the 7-11 hologram coins if I can figure out how to get them scanned/photographed so they look good.

Blowout blowo--wait, I actually completed a trade:

You read that right--I got through a Blowout thread without buying something and was able to complete a deal instead. As I was looking through the mass of post-Black Friday box breaks there, I found a guy complaining about his bad luck with a cheap box of 2007 Playoff Contenders. His three autographs were a guy I can't remember, Anthony Gonzalez (not too bad, plus he was able to sell it) and one that I thought was a great pull, but he lamented the quality of the hits, so I told him I'd take the third off his hands. A couple of trade bait Aaron Rodgers RCs I no longer wanted later and this was in my possession:

This is Leon Hall's 2007 Playoff Contenders Rookie Ticket auto RC. It's a great autographed rookie of one of my favorite Wolverines who's gone on to success in the NFL, and it pairs well with another I have from the set, Hall's college teammate David Harri s. I now have 18 hits of the budding star CB, every one of them an autograph. This card also puts me 12 away from a nice, round 400 in that PC.

That's not all I got in the deal, though, since we both threw in a few extras. As such, I ended up with this assortment:

It includes a 2008 Topps Chrome RC of Mario Manningham, Steve Breaston's 2007 Bowman Chrome RC, a 2007 Playoff Contenders Round Numbers insert of Hall and Reggie Nelson (#0241/100) and three Tom Bradys: 2006 Topps Draft and a couple 2008 Topps Chrome NFL Dynasties Tribute inserts.

I'm definitely happy with this trade, especially since no money actually changed hands and we both got something we really wanted, which proves that is possible once in a while.

Stay tuned for the previously-mentioned eBay pickups soon as they're both key cards as far as my PCs go.

2010 Press Pass PE football retail blister packs

2011-12-03T13:01:00.001-08:00

No Michigan game, no Day of Rest post, though there's still some decent-to-good conference championship action today. I'm rooting for everyone who can help Michigan get to the BCS bowl it clearly deserves, but either way, I sure wouldn't mind seeing Michigan State get pantsed by a Wisconsin team out for revenge.

So while doing my usual traversal through my Google Reader, I caught Sewingmachineguy's post that mentioned Meijer still had cards 20% today. I needed a few other things there anyway, so I headed down to a different one than last week, one that I think has a better card aisle. Nothing really looked all that great to me since most of it was recent blasters, as usual, plus there were 2008 UD Heroes football boxes, which I now know to avoid. Then some hanging blister packs caught my eye and I remember that I had looked at them before: 2010 Press Pass Portrait Edition football:

These were originally $14.99 but were discounted to $11.99 thanks to this week's 20% off sale. Here's what I pulled:

Base

Not a bad bunch of players, and unlike the often crappy player selection in SAGE, I'm reasonably happy with these. Plus, the design is fairly pleasing.

Inserts

Gronk and McCluster are one-per-pack Blue parallels. Yawn. Benn is a 1:4 Class of 2010 insert that's also sorta boring in terms of design, but at least he's a reasonably good player.

James Starks Sideline Signatures Gold auto

Rusty Smith Sideline Signatures Gold auto

And then there was the real draw of the packs which justified the price: the one-per-pack autographs. Actually, each pack guaranteed one auto OR memorabilia card, but of the bunch on the hanger, I picked two that didn't look terribly thick to me and hoped that they contained signatures; I'm not paying $12 per pack for a $2 jersey in this day and age. Some might consider that pack-searching, but in my defense, I didn't molest the packs through the blister packaging, put them on a scale or even stare at them for 10 minutes to try to gauge their thickness--I took a quick look at each and thought "I'm pretty sure these aren't jerseys."

As with the base, the autographs have a nice design that's conducive to the inclusion of a signature. Better yet for many, the autos are on-card, and that's always a plus.

So all that said, I did OK here. Starks is obviously the better pull, and COMC tells me he goes for $25 while Smith reaches $20. Starks, of course, is a Packers RB, but here he's airbrushedly (feel free to use that word yourself) pictured with his alma mater, Buffalo. Smith is a Tennessee Titans QB from Florida Atlantic, which probably partly explains why he went all Ned Flanders with his inscription. I don't want to sound like I'm against inscriptions like that, though--overall I think they're a cool idea and add a nice personal touch to autographs.

For under $25, these were kind of fun to open. I don't think I'll pick any more up unless I can find them for under $10, which isn't totally out of the question. Everything you see here is for trade, especially the two autographs, both of which went right into my Football FS/FT album. If you see anything you like, please let me know and I'll set it aside for you.

Card show report: 11/27: a Michigan Man will buy Michigan cards

2011-12-01T17:28:00.001-08:00

Previously: a trade with Dustin (No Relics Pulled), some sweet vintage

Finishing off my pickups from Sunday's show, here's a look at two other purchases I made:

First off, I grabbed three cards from a guy who cut me a reasonable deal and also told me to be on the lookout for a Jim Abbott autographed baseball the next time I'm there. The hits:

Mike Comrie 2003-2004 Upper Deck Rookie Update Top Draws auto

Not the only hockey auto I picked up on the day, this is my second of Comrie. Mr. Hillary Duff inked a nice signature on this card, even if he didn't take advantage of ample space, and he thought to include his uniform number too.

Jim Abbott 1990 Topps in-person auto

For a couple bucks, I couldn't resist adding my first autograph, even if it's not certified, of the former one-armed standout. Besides being an excellent pitcher, not to mention an inspiration, Abbott reminds me of one of my favorite scenes from the killed-far-too-soon-but-funnier-than-the-rest-of-the-crap-on-these-days Party Down (still available on Netflix Instant!):

Yes, Veronica Mars fans, that's Jason Dorhing, a.k.a. Logan Echolls, and one of many VM actors to cameo on this outstanding, hilarious show, including Kristin Bell herself. Check it out! Jim Abbott? Jim Abbott!

Rick Leach 2004 TK Legacy auto

This card of a former Michigan dual-sport star allows for a great juxtaposition later, so keep an eye out for that. Another $3 steal, at least in my book, Leach fits several of my PCs: Michigan baseball, Michigan football and the Tigers, as he was Detroit's first-rounder in 1979. Though he never lived up to that billing on the diamond, his baseball skills were probably on par with his football acumen, so you can't blame the guy for going that route, and to his credit, he didn't exactly go full Henson on us, plus he did beat Ohio State three times. His dual-sport skills merit my picking up a football autograph of his before long as well.

My second purchase involved three more TK Legacy singles plus a couple packs. Here's what the two 2004 TK Legacy III packs yielded:

These are the six base cards, and I didn't have anything of any of them, so they were cool pickups. Of course, I bought the packs for the one-per-pack autos which were:

Erick Anderson and Marcus Ray, both new additions to the PC. Anderson, the 1991 Butkus award-winner as best LB, played here from '88-'91 and went onto a brief NFL career. Ray, a safety, played from '95-'98, including, of course, the '97 championship team. He's since gone on to coaching at several levels and, as a Michigan Man, is sure to excel at whatever he goes on to do.

Those two packs were part of a package deal for two MORE TK Legacy singles:

Welcome to the football PC, Bill! Yep, along with Leach, a football star who played baseball, here's Freehan, an eventual baseball star who also played football for the Wolverines in 1960, from the 2003 set. I'd seen this one on COMC but could never get a good deal on it, so I pounced on it in this package deal, and now I have 59 different subjects among my 387 football PC cards, more than 250 of which are autographs. Not a bad feat thanks to ANOTHER UM baseball/UM hockey/Detroit Tiger!

And then there's this bad boy from 2004, my favorite pickup of the show. I briefly considered a couple other dual autos, but in the end this one won me over. Hand-numbered 002/100, this card combines autographs from probably the two most important people in Michigan hockey history--legendary coach Red Berenson and goalie Marty Turco--two men who are responsible for Michigan's two most recent hockey championships. If names like Bo, Woodson and Harmon are synonymous with college football's best historical program, these two are among the gods of college hockey's flagship school.

As you can see, despite there not being much of a mix of brands, I ended up with a nice assortment of Michigan sports hits this time instead of focusing exclusively on football, despite my desire to hit a nice round 400 before the end of the year. Part of that was due to a dearth of stuff I needed, but fortunately I know where to look next time for some top-notch stuff like the Berenson/Turco. You may just see stuff to that effect in just a few weeks, so stay tuned.

Card show report: 11/27: vintage baseball

2011-11-30T15:16:00.001-08:00

Now that I've shown off the pre-show in-person trade I did with Dustin, here's one of two additional posts that'll cover what I picked up at this weekend's show.

My main focus this time was hitting up the (mainly) 90% vintage guy I discovered last month. Dustin and I both found some keepers here, and I picked up 10 cards for something like $40. One was a dupe of a Freehan I hadn't realized Dustin had given me that afternoon, so I won't show it off again, but it's tradeable if someone wants it, and if not I'm happy to keep it with the rest of my Tigers. Here are the other nine:

Al Kaline 1960 Topps

This is now my oldest Kaline of the six I now have and it happens to be one of those classic vintage designs that I'm sure many of you are already familiar with. As with just about everything here, it has its signs of damage but is a great addition nonetheless.

Al Kaline 1962 Topps

Ah yes, one of the famous wood-paneled sets! The back of this slightly miscut card refers to his 1955 batting title when he hit a "lusty .340." Um, that might not be an appropriate use of that word, just sayin'...

Andre Dawson 1977 Topps RC

You know, I could have sworn I already had this card, but fortunately I've scanned all my prominent RCs into an album you all already know about, so I was able to quickly take a look on my Picasa album and see that I didn't. The copy I bought is fairly beat up and pretty misprinted on the back--oddly enough, Dawson's name is the part that got cut off, of all people--but I'm happy to finally have this RC of the recent HOFer.

Carlton Fisk 1972 Topps RC

Speaking of new additions to my RC collection, Dustin pulled this from the massive group of stuff for sale and I decided I had to have it for $13. The centering's a bit off and it's somewhat worn but is otherwise in nice shape and is easily one of the best cards I came home with Sunday. Pudge was obviously an outstanding player, but Cooper, who gets the center spot here, was a pretty good player in his own right, and actually compares best to Don Mattingly. Neither guy deserves to be in the Hall, but they both had nice careers, so Cooper doesn't feel out of place on Fisk's RC here.

Frank Robinson 1968 Topps

One of my favorite underrated players of all time, this makes four vintage cards of Robinson for me. I've always kind of liked the look of the '68s and this was a nice shot of Frank with the Orioles, though I'm just as happy to get his Reds cards. You can see the wearing and a crease, but this is still pretty good for a couple bucks.

Johnny Bench 1969 Topps

Johnny Bench 1975 Topps

Here's a pair of Benches I grabbed for two different reasons. The '69 is Bench's second-year card, which means it looks perfect right along with my RC of Mr. "No runs, no drips, no errors." That, plus who doesn't like those All-Star Rookie cards? Finally, it's a great posed shot of a catcher doing what he does best, as is the '75, featuring an older but no less talented Johnny on that awesomely colorful background.

Lou Piniella 1964 Topps RC

Here's another great vintage card that also fits in my RC collection. Piniella's one of those guys like Joe Torre that will be enshrined in the Hall for a pretty good career as a player but huge contributions as a manager, always a nice combo. Besides being a Rookie of the Year, he won two titles with the Yanks as a player, then one as a manager for Barry Larkin and the 1990 Reds. Sweet Lou managed five different teams, including his hometown Rays, and finished 14th on the managerial wins list when he retired this year after a hell of a career in baseball.

Warren Spahn 1958 Topps All-Star

I definitely have a thing for some of these vintage designs including this sweet All-Star card. Frozen in that moment of time, I can picture Spahn about to go into his signature windup. I don't actively collect too many vintage stars due to their obvious price premiums, but I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of him at subsequent shows. Incidentally, Spahn is one of my favorites in my autograph collection.

Tune in tomorrow or whenever I get to it as I show off the last of my haul from this show, including two purchases of groups of singles, and only a couple Michigan football hits, I promise!

Card show report: 11/27: a No Relics Rainbow

2011-11-29T15:07:00.001-08:00

Dustin (No Relics Pulled) and I hit up another of the monthly Gibraltar Trade Center (Taylor, MI) card shows this past Sunday, and I'll get to my pickups in a couple future posts, but first I wanted to show off the goods he brought along to complete our most recent ongoing trade. (Side note: in-person trading is the best and I wish I could do it more often, but I've been lucky to be able to meet with both Dustin and Jeff at least once, so that's a plus)

So to even us up this time, Dustin put in some time on COMC and, aside from getting some exciting stuff for himself that I can't wait to see, made excellent use of my singles wantlist page and went at it with a vengeance like his name was John McClane. The results?:

Bill Freehan 1964 Topps

Bill Freehan 1966 Topps

Bill Freehan 1968 Topps Game

Bill Freehan 1974 Topps

Bill Freehan 1975 Topps

That's a whopping FIVE cards I needed for my Freehan player collection, meaning I'm down to just eight. This group is interesting because it includes what are now my oldest (1964) and most recent (1975) of the collecting. The '64 is my favorite since it's his second-year card (I can almost taste that RC!) although the '75 is a lot of fun due to its signature colorfulness and having a ton of years of stats on the back. Despite looking around at shows I haven't seen a ton of Freehan that I need recently so getting these five was a huge help; I may follow Dustin's example and just snap up the rest of them online.

Rich Hill 2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes Autographs Black

Rich Hill 2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes Jersey Navy Blue

Dustin mentioned that he had some help for me on the Hill rainbow, too, and he definitely delivered with this pair #d out of 50. (12 on the auto, 02 on the jersey) The autograph is especially great as the red ink stands out on the black background. I now stand at 11 cards left to get, and at least a couple of those are reasonably attainable. Still, not including the Light Blue jersey #d to 200, the average numbering left is 26, so we'll see how that goes. In the meantime, I can enjoy these as well as...

Rich Hill 2007 Sweet Spot Signatures Black Glove Leather Silver Ink

...this bad boy, my favorite of the whole lot. Dustin was nice enough to grab me something besides the PC/rainbow stuff from my singles/player wantlist and this was the result. I already had a gold ball and Red Stitch/Blue Ink version from the set, but this one definitely blows those out of the water, especially as far as manu-autos go. Topps can go to hell with their horrible leather manubominations while Upper Deck goes and does something right with these. That's my 30th different Rich Hill, by the way, putting him close to some of the football players in my PC.

Rich Hill 2006 Topps autograph

Dustin got one more card for me in a bundle deal with other stuff he picked up, but as it turns out, I already have it, so this 2006 Topps Hill auto is now part of my Wolverines trade bait, though I won't be such a hard-ass about having to trade it only for other Michigan stuff--if you're a Hill or Cubs fan, hit me up and we'll make a deal!

This turned out to be another great haul from one of my favorite traders and I'm already looking forward to our next deal. Thanks again, Dustin!

2008 UD Heroes Football retail boxes (x3)

2011-11-26T16:19:00.001-08:00

I know it had been a while since I did a box break, but there hasn't been a ton that interested me and/or was a good deal. Despite a possible card show on Sunday plus scads of Black Friday deals on Blowout, Dave & Adam's et al, this afternoon I took advantage of one of the few days a year where Meijer has its cards on sale. (Which sewingmachineguy also pointed out today--good on you, dude!) I'll be honest--I check Meijer's ad scans online every week to check for this kind of thing, so it didn't exactly catch me by surprise today. Add to that the fact that you could snag a few further discounts and it added up to a nice deal for me, one I was happy to take advantage of after nothing on Black Friday wowed me.

Therefore, I ended up with these three boxes. I had some fun with the baseball set of that year and these were the only boxes at the store I hit up that made any sense to buy--I refuse to buy anything new from Topps since I know it'll be poorly made, missing cards and completely lacking value, and there's an easy way to avoid that headache. Blasters generally don't appeal to me either, and Panini's retail products leave a LOT to be desired. But these looked enticing especially since I almost picked up a bunch of blasters of them on the cheap from D&A. I was somewhat considering opening one each day for three straight days, but in my post Michigan victory euphoria, all bets were off, and I ripped through these quickly.

So, without getting too formal, since my review process has changed greatly--mostly because I didn't like the amount of effort I was putting into them--here's a quick look at how I did:

Product: 2008 Upper Deck Heroes Football retail boxes (x3)
Packs/cards: 24/6 (x3)
Price: $23.99, not including further discounts with Meijers "Santa Bucks" (x3)

Base set:

Base fronts: veteran, RC, legend, (also a checklist) Sports Hero, Guitar Hero

Base backs: a regular card and a checklist

Once again I like the look of the base set: you get a nice action shot framed by a nice marble kind of background. The hand-painted checklists really stand out, too, and are a great addition. The set's split into five groups: football heroes, rookie heroes, (in college unis!) legendary heroes, sports heroes and guitar heroes.

My two quibbles: I don't love the multiple versions of every player and would have preferred that they cut the set size down or include additional players instead; this set is called "Football Heroes" and yet you're lacking Tom Brady, among others? The only pro Wolverine in the set is Braylon Edwards of all people.

The other big issue I have is the inclusion of the sports heroes and guitar heroes. At least the other athletes fit in as part of a sports set, though again I don't appreciate them taking away from the subjects of the base set; the guitar heroes bore me to death and are an obvious cash-in attempt on the series of games, and to that end, UD failed miserably. Overall, I still generally like the set, especially since it features so many Wolverines. (See below)

Set completion: 258/266 (97%)

Doubles: 130

Triples: 21

Quads: 12

Quints: 8

Total dupes: 171/429 (40%)

Don't get me wrong--I knew I'd pile up a bunch of extras out of three boxes when I was due 429 base cards for a 266-card set. I'm just disappointed by the Topps-like collation I got that meant that, despite busting three boxes, I'm still eight cards short of the set. Despite my liberal arts-induced aversion to math, I have a very simple explanation for the above, though: each pack includes two cards each from 1-99, 100-199 and 200-269. (261-263 don't exist) In case you still don't get it, the fact that there's only 67 cards in that least group means you're going to pull a disproportionate number of extras there, an especially egregious decision on Upper Deck's part and one I can't begin to understand.

Unfortunately, that group happens to include the Sports and Guitar Heroes throwaways mentioned above. A tiny handful of my quadruples and a few of the triples come from #s 1-199, but obviously the majority of the rest, including all of the quintuples, are from that other craptastic group. So here's the part where I ask you, my readers, to check if you have the ones I need because I'll happily send money, cards, money/cards your way for them; otherwise I'll just grab them from Sportlots and call it a day. I currently need: 15 17 27 33 46 88 91 95. I also obviously have plenty of extras up for trade if anybody would like some before I eventually sort them into teams for dispersal that way.

Inserts:

Blue LenDale White (#017/125), Green Andre Woodson (#331/350) and running Michael Johnson (#058/350)

These inserts appeared to fall one per box since that's exactly how I pulled them. Not as exciting as the hobby versions I'm sure, especially since I like what they did with the baseball set, but not terrible either.

Hits:

Dwayne Bowe Green Retail jersey

Eli Manning Green Retail jersey

Tony Romo Green Retail jersey

The outside of each box promised one of these per box ("On average") and each did deliver as promised. I don't love the ugly background or the tiny jersey windows that feature single-color swatches, but all the same, these are a nice bonus in a box I bought primarily to build the set. I'm not a fan of Bowe, and Manning and Romo are two of my least-favorite QBs ever, so each is absolutely up for trade and already in my trade bait. They will serve nicely in that respect, so, again, a nice bonus, though easily not as valuable as they should be at the original price of the box.

Overall: I got everything that was due to me, including three guaranteed hits, and I was only eight cards short of a complete set. It still kills me that I pulled that many dupes because Upper Deck fails at basic math, though. But I do like most of the aspects of the base set, and I'll be happy to have it completed shortly, one way or another. I certainly wouldn't pay the original $50 for these and now, having opened them, I wouldn't drop $30 each either, but for what essentially amounted to $20 per box, I'm only slightly miffed at the overall haul. In the end, I'd stay away from these and either go hobby or just grab a complete base set.

Hey, I get to use this image for what I originally intended again!

All four of Braylon Edwards

Two each of Chad Henne and Jake Long

Two each of Shawn Crable, Mario Manningham and Mike Hart

Blue Saturday

2011-11-26T12:43:00.001-08:00

1-0. A new streak begins today!

HAIL!

Michigan gameday: HATE WEEK

2011-11-26T08:19:00.001-08:00

Today only one game matters. Let everyone else enjoy the BCS fixing the rankings so they can have their 100% SEC championship game that excites them so much they die of autoerotic asphyxiation--today is THE GAME. The undisputed best college football rivalry and probably the best in sports.

Today has to be the end of an ugly losing streak against Ohio--yes, I'm calling them Ohio like everyone else because they deserve it--it's what their band spells on the field, it's what they spell out with their arms, and most importantly, it's what my coach calls them.

More than a year ago an awesome fellow blogger sent me this and I think it still applies:

The only thing still not accurate on that card is that it's missing Ohio's current lame duck interim coach who, after this season, will make way for Urban Meyer--you know, until all his players continue getting arrested and he retires for "health reasons."

But that's the future, and my only concern is for today. This losing streak that started with the downward spiral of Lloyd's last couple years and continued with the curse laid upon RichRod by the athletic department should finally end today when a highly-motivated and much-improved Michigan team sets its sights on an underperforming Buckeye team reeling from the effects of its decade (or more) of cheating. Five years after this school lost its AD--athletic dad--its time to honor Bo with a win that's hard-earned by a team of players who stayed despite the chaos and bullshit of the last five years, a team that, by staying, will fulfill Bo's promise and be champions of The Game.

GO BLUE! BEAT OHIO!

JV = (C+Y) + (M+V+P)

2011-11-21T11:22:00.001-08:00

On cloud nine

2011-11-19T17:12:00.001-08:00

On the Sunday after Michigan won its 9th game for the first time since 2007, what better way to celebrate than show off some Wolverine-centric mail stuff!

Not Wolverine-centric but still good:

Thanks to the always-reliable Sportlots, I picked up the very last base card I needed for my 6th 2011 Topps base set, plus all the remaining ToppsTown inserts and one of the Super Bowl Legends on my wantlist. I just need cards from the Game Day and Super Bowl Legends inserts to complete a master set, which I'm then planning to flip. Four base sets are still available for sale/trade, though, so if you're interested please hit me up.

Super Bowl Legends, FINALLY:

Topps, in their quest to be collectively named world's biggest douche: sports card division, FINALLY managed to get my redeemed cards to my mailbox, despite ignoring my choice of UPS instead of USPS, even though they charged me UPS rates (more than $8 for five cards!) and blatantly ignored my polite request to reimburse me the difference. This is clearly a company that doesn't give a shit about their customers, but what else is new?

Anyway, the redeemed cards are pretty nice at least. Here's the fronts and backs for Brees, Rice and Elway, all of which are now part of my Trade Bait:

And here are the two I really wanted, both Bradys available through the online promotion: (I hear there's also a hobby shop version that I might try to snag somehow)

A couple quick notes:

As usual, the scans don't do these justice, but that usually goes without saying. They're very thick and holographic, which is often difficult for scanners to pick up, as I'm sure some of you are highly aware. Very nice looking overall.
They come with a thin, transparent protector on top, sort of Topps Finest-style, though it doesn't have any obnoxious removal notice on it, so for now I'm inclined to leave those on, especially on the ones available for trade.
From the preview of the cards the site offered, I had thought these would be serial numbered, but apparently I was wrong. That doesn't detract from them much, just an annoyance and another shitty aspect of their very poorly done site. Again, it's Topps, so what else is new?
I ended up with these five after a couple two-for-one trades, so technically I unlocked more, but given I entered something like 65 codes, I definitely don't think I got my money's worth on these after buying the case. In retrospect, if I would have known the codes would go for as much as they are now--which they weren't at the time I redeemed them, to be fair--I would have just sold them to recoup some of the cost of the case, then maybe bought or traded for the Bradys, the only ones I really wanted. Well, that's how you learn.

If I'm able to find the third hobby shop-only Brady card, you know you'll all see it here.

Blowout mini blowout: the four hundreding:

I got a nice deal on a small lot on Blowout the other day and those cards showed up very quickly, which was awesome. For $17 delivered I snagged the following:

A Brandon Graham 2010 Playoff Contenders ROTY Contenders insert #d 22/50, plus a Drew Henson 2004 Elite Aspirations RC #d42/93. These both look great, and while I don't usually pick up inserts on places like Blowout, these were only $0.50 each, so good deals. I really like the die-cut Henson, especially because it has a great shot of the former QB from his Michigan days. For $1 for the pair, I certainly couldn't go wrong.

Chad Henne 2008 Leaf Certified Materials Freshman Fabric jersey RC: This great jumbo relic only contributed a buck or two to the overall price, which is fantastic considering it's a great RC of one of my favorite Michigan QBs. The card's #d 180/599 on the back and becomes my 32nd Henne, putting him two behind leader Jake Long and one behind Braylon Edwards. This'll go well with my jersey/ball/auto from the same set.

John Navarre 2004 Press Pass auto: There's another guy on Blowout who's a big-time buyer of Navarre, but he tends to ignore lesser-brand cards like this, which set me back only $1. Fine by me--I'm happy to have another of Navarre in a Michigan uni, and my tenth overall, half of which now share that trait, oddly enough.

Marlin Jackson 2005 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection auto RC: This is the one that set me back the most--he originally had it listed for $15 but I got him to knock a good chunk off of that in the total price. It may seem a little crazy to pay that much for a guy who's not playing at this point, but this is still a fantastic auto/RC of one of Michigan's best DBs in recent memory. The card is thick as hell, numbered 128/150 and features a great looking autograph window which showcases a decent autograph. When a guy like Dan Orlovsky is booking at $40 in this set, you know it has to be pretty high quality, so I'm fine with the ultimate price I paid. This makes nine hits of Jackson in my PC.

Mike Hart 2008 SP Rookie Edition '95 auto: This is one of my favorite recent sets since I found nice deals on boxes of these at Meijer. I never did pull any Michigan autos, but now I have a Hart to go along with my Jake Long. This Hart is one of the variations that uses a previous SP design--1995 in this case. I believe this one was also only a dollar or two, plus it was on my singles wantlist, so hooray for knocking one off that list. This is Hart #14 and I'd definitely like to have more of my favorite Michigan RB.

Tony Pape 2004 Press Pass auto: We finish this package with a new member to my PC, the 56th overall. Pape was a tackle (wearing the same number as Michigan legend Jake Long and current stud Taylor Lewan) drafted by the 'Fins in 2004, and he was definitely one of the better linemen a school known for producing them turned out, especially since he was included in the Wolverine Blog's O-Line of the Decade. For a buck I was more than happy to add him to my collection.

All told, the count now stands at 384. Should I be able to attend a show in a week, that number should grow, plus I know Dustin has some stuff heading my way soon, plus a very exciting addition to his own PC that I can't wait to see myself.

Michigan gameday: vs. Nebraska

2011-11-19T08:08:00.001-08:00

Today Michigan takes on #16 Nebraska at home at noon EST. The Wolverines are up to eight wins in their 10 games thus far, exceeding last year's win total and some experts' predictions. At stake in these last two games will be bragging rights and a ticket to a better bowl game. Fellow Michigan enthusiasts Emerald City Diamond Gems and My Sports Obsession are also eagerly anticipating this game, plus the little matter of a rivalry next weekend.

Nebraska is actually an interesting matchup in their inaugural Big Ten season. There was that extremely poorly officiated 2005 Alamo Bowl game, a travesty that still grinds the gears of serious Wolverines fans. Then again, who can forget the 1997 split championship--one that Michigan rightly earned but Nebraska fans still claim to this day for whatever reason.

No matter--at Nebraska, as everyone knows, the "N" stands for "Nowledge" while everyone knows It's Great To Be a Michigan Wolverine!

Other interesting matchups this week:

#2 Oklahoma St. @ Iowa St., Friday: I managed to catch the thrilling end to this huge upset last night, a major blow to the standings in the obviously flawed, playoffless BCS clusterf$&k. The Cyclones gave an outstanding effort in their school's biggest win ever, a classic game.
#17 Wisconsin @ Illinois, 12 EST: I doubt Illinois has any chance in this one due to their employment of one of the most entertainingly clueless coaches in the history of the game, but you never know, and despite an extremely talented team, Wisconsin has stumbled at times this season.
#21 Penn St. @ Ohio St., 3:30 EST: Here's an interesting matchup: a team that already wasn't nearly as good as its record and insane lucky streak made it look traveling to take on a reeling squad that's barely bowl eligible and couldn't handle Purdue AGAIN. That said, GO LIONS.
USC @ #4 Oregon, 8 EST: The facts: I hate USC, one of the most corrupt programs ever; Oregon has a fun offense to watch; Seeing Oregon rack up points in a blowout against the Trojans, sitting in timeout this year, would be awesome. Go Ducks.
#5 Oklahoma @ #22 Baylor, 8 EST: Baylor is another team that's probably not as good as its ranking, but I really don't like Oklahoma, so I'd love to see the Sooners falter here and fail to take advantage of Oklahoma St.'s loss last night.
#13 Kansas St. @ #23 Texas, 8 EST: Kansas St. has a fun team this year and an exciting QB while Texas is another team I can't stand and is supported by talent-less asshat and insufferable douche Matthew McConaughey. Deduce my rooting interests yourself, if you can.

But in the end, as always, only one game matters to my football Saturday and the quality of my weekend: LET'S GO BLUE!!

Continuing the NBC Thursday Night Lineup Theme...

2011-11-16T16:43:00.001-08:00

Annie's Boobs:

As promised to Greg, I present to you Annie's Boobs:

Trade with 30 ~~Rock~~ Dollar a Week Habit:

File this under yet ANOTHER trade I completed and promptly forgot about, to my amazement when I popped my mailbox open today. Robert from $30 a Week Habit let me know that he had a cool hit for my PC, and all he really wanted in return was some Blue Jays stuff and some fodder for his pretty sweet Serial-Numbered Insanity project. No problem for me--I had a bunch of those to offload for something I wanted. Here's what he sent my way:

Brian Griese number five for me, a 2002 Playoff Piece of the Game ball. This is my first game ball relic of Griese, which kind of makes sense since those aren't as prolific as jerseys these days. This is a sweet hit of the championship-winning QB and becomes Michigan football PC hit number 379 for me. I can't wait to see if I can get to 400 by January.

A Lion and a Tiger, but after Sunday's performance, fortunately there wasn't a bear in sight. (unless you count Griese, I guess) Best is, of course, a RC, and Jackson is super sparkly. Robert also threw in a few more Tigers for that PC.

And a couple trade bait cards to round out the package--Aaron Rodgers 2005 Topps Heritage SP #344 and Adrian Peterson 2007 Bowman RC. Both are up for grabs so please feel free to make an offer.

Thanks for a great deal, Robert, and if I come across more serial-numbered stuff for you, rest assured it'll be headed your way directly.

YOU CAN'T DISAPPOINT A PICTURE!:

While I was digging around the youtubes for the Reading Rainbow theme for this post, I found this gem from one of the best ever episodes of Community:

That really doesn't have anything to do with anything other than I have another addition to the Rich Hill rainbow, possible the last for a little while as things get harder to find:

Here we have Hill's 2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes Autographs Charcoal version, #d 003/100. For a measly $4 delivered via Blowout--cheaper than anywhere I could find when you take shipping into account--I picked up my 17th card out of the 30 that comprise the rainbow. Only 13 more to go! Then again, the average print run of those is a harrowing 43, and only 30 when you take out the relatively abundant Jersey Light Blue, numbered to 200. But I won't give up, and I hope some of you will selflessly offer some help finding these down the line!

Manager of the Year, but not Assistant Manager of the Year or even Assistant TO the Manager of the Year:
I had to get an Office reference in here too. Today's a day to celebrate if you're a Tigers fan, and I guess if you root for the Diamondbacks you can join in too: Kirk Gibson was named the NL Manager of the Year. Every article boils the achievement down to one main factor in the form of a cliched phrase: "worst-to-first." Gibby impressively turned around a bad team from last year which in 2011 went on to win its division handily and push the Brewers to the brink in the NLDS. The fiercely competitive former Tiger has always found a way to succeed at whatever he pursues so this was another case of one of our state's own doing us proud. Way to be, Gibby! And may he replace the Ron Zook of the American League sooner rather than later.

Did I have you going, Greg?:

To increase page hits and reward all of you who read this far, I give you Annie's boobs fo' reals:

More Tigers math

2011-11-15T14:21:00.001-08:00

Oddly enough, every single voter realized that the AL leader in wins, (24, the only AL 20-game winner) innings pitched, (251.0) strikeouts, (250) WHIP (0.92) and ERA, (2.40) who also threw a no-hitter for his playoff-bound team, was the most deserving Cy Young award-winner. That's such an apt tribute to his phenomenal year that I'll overlook the fact that total punk-ass Jered Weaver placed second. Congrats to Verlander for an amazing season, one he'll hopefully replicate or even top next year!

Re(gar)ding rainbows

2011-11-14T08:32:00.001-08:00

Yeah, I went there

Apparently good things happen when you get off your lazy ass and work on stuff you've been putting off for a while. As you'll recall from a few posts ago, I finally put together a wantlist for my Rich Hill 2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes rainbow. I then posted that list on Blowout and proceeded to make three deals for four cards, leaving me with 13 on the wantlist. Three of those four arrived today, and the last should show up within a couple days. For now, here's the three that showed up today:

Jersey Autograph Light Blue
I got this one along with the third in this post for a fairly nice price considering how relatively rare the two are. This one interests me because when I was first figuring out a checklist for these, this version didn't show up in Beckett's OPG system, and it still doesn't, actually. But when I saw it on SportLots, I knew it actually existed, and of course a seller on Blowout ultimately confirmed that by selling it to me. The light blue versions look pretty nice, but considering Chicago's team colors, I think you'll agree the third one today looks even better.

Patch Light Blue

This is my second card with a patch, and both look fantastic, featuring very American Red/White/Blue patches and lots of stitching, unlike many "patches" you'll see in Topps' and Panini's products. Numbered to 25, this is my second-rarest card in the rainbow so far, second only to...

Jersey Autograph Navy Blue

This guy. When I considered that I'd be getting cards numbered to 75 and 10 from one person, for under $25 no less, I jumped at the offer. After all, I'm getting to the point where, other than a jersey numbered to 200, everything I still need is numbered to 100 or less. The Navy Blue versions are probably the best of the bunch for the Cubs and their team colors, and I think you'll tend to agree with me after seeing this scan.

Stay tuned for at least one more Hill rainbow card shortly!

The toughest man(ager) alive

2011-11-13T16:52:00.001-08:00

When I talk a bit about Michigan baseball alumni on this blog, there's a guy I don't mention too often since he was never a big star here or in the Majors, plus he played most of his career during an era when cards weren't quite as out-of-hand as they are now. However, I'm happy to say that today is a perfect occasion to put the spotlight on this former Wolverine who'll make Michigan alumni the world over (and believe me, there's a LOT of us) proud during a press conference tomorrow: Mike Matheny.

In news that's sure to matter to fans all over the midwest, the St. Louis Cardinals decided today to hire Matheny to replace baseball legend Tony LaRussa as their manager. Mike played for the Cards for a few seasons and was most recently a special adviser for the team. He was chosen over more experienced managers and coaches such as Terry Francona, plus Cubs legend and for some reason not new manager Ryne Sandberg. Despite Matheny's lack of experience, history shows that he has two factors in his favor: other first-time managers have gone on to have some success (see perennial asshole Ozzie Guillen) and former catchers, such as the very successful (and classier) Mike Scioscia, due to years of being field generals, tend to enjoy great managerial careers. Obviously that's my hope here, mainly because I'd love to see a Michigan Man succeed at this level, but also because I genuinely like the Cardinals thanks to their excellent franchise history and the fact that they're one of the best baseball towns period.

From MGoBlue.com

The Michigan Daily did a nice piece on him earlier this year and I totally recommend reading it because it's a fairly interesting story. (I also recommend this interview with him from this year as well) As a no-hit, great fielding catcher out of Ohio, the Buckeyes dropped the ball (OSU fans don't get that pun, why people make fun of them for marrying their cousins, the concept of not being a douche) in not recruiting him, but that was Michigan's gain. The rest of the story is interesting and features several great moments. One of my favorite aspects was the fact that he met his wife, a fellow Michigan athlete, on the first day of classes, making them a true Michigan family. I also love his obvious reverence for and pride in the school, something he was definitely serious enough about to spend two years after being drafted finishing up his degree. Matheny truly is a Michigan Man.

After being drafted by the Brewers (having spurned the apparently "standoffish" Jays years earlier) Mike went on to a solid MLB career. It was ultimately derailed by concussion-like symptoms, a hazard of the job, but he wasn't nicknamed "The Toughest Man Alive" for nothing--he couldn't really hit but his defensive prowess was almost unheard of. He won four Gold Gloves, but more impressively, he holds the record for most consecutive chances without an error in a career: 1565. He was truly a gifted defensive catcher and it's a shame his career was cut short and that he didn't get to enjoy either of St. Louis' World Series titles as a player, but at least he got to participate in one with the Cards in 2004.

All that said, I wish Mike the best in this next step in his baseball career and hope he continues the Cardinals' tradition of excellence, hopefully with slugger Albert Pujols signed to a fat contract extension soon. Go Cards and GO BLUE!

Michigan gameday: at Illinois

2011-11-12T11:01:00.001-08:00

Michigan heads to Illinois at 3:30 EST this afternoon, and I'm gonna keep it simple: LET'S GO BLUE!

New tab item: Player Collections and Rainbows

2011-11-10T20:10:00.001-08:00

Just a quick post tonight to highlight a bit of work I did to get myself moving along on a couple projects: up there at the top where all the tabs are you'll see a new one called "Player Collections and Rainbows." It's my intention to use this as a place to show off exactly those two things--player collections, in which I go for all of a player's base cards made during their career (currently just Bill Freehan, though I'll probably be adding Kirk Gibson before long) and rainbows I'm building, which right now is limited to Rich Hill's 2008 UD Baseball Heroes cards. Should you prefer, you can also view that entire collection at once as an album here on my Picasa Web Albums.

Having seen some of you pursue similar projects, this seemed like it would be a fun undertaking and something more worthwhile to spend my money on than junk wax, such as anything Topps ever produces again. I've had organizing and posting these projects on the back burner for a while, but now I finally have a little time to get things started, and I think now that they are I should start making more progress quickly. Here's a bit about the two current pursuits and why I'm chasing them:

Bill Freehan: Because Bill was a Tiger for his entire 15-year career, I had a few of his items in my collection already which I acquired through various channels over the years. However, now that my collecting efforts are more focused on former Michigan players as well as the Tigers, Freehan is a natural fit--I'm sure I've mentioned a gazillion times that he played for my alma mater, and he happens to be one of the better players the Wolverines produced, being responsible along with Barry Larkin for the lion's share of our players' All-Star appearances. (11 in his 14 full seasons!) I'm also more interested in starting with someone who played back when there was only one manufacturer to make things easy on me.

Further, I'm defining what I consider a complete collection of his base cards to be those that were produced during his career, e.g. nothing from Topps reprint sets, no autographs, no oddballs, etc. In fact, the wackiest I got was including his Topps Game and 1975 Mini cards because those seemed normal enough. That gives me a reasonable 20 to chase, (of which I have seven currently) and only his RC will really set me back anything significant. Now that I finally put together that wantlist, I'll be more likely to pick those up at the shows I hit around here, though recently I had been able to pick up a couple here and there.

Rich Hill 2008 UD Heroes rainbow: I can definitely blame this one 100% on Tim from the GSNHOF. I say that thanks to this trade which essentially set me off on this quest. Really, when someone literally hands you that much of a head start, how can you not pursue it? I don't blame him at all for passing these on to me because he knew how much of a fan I am of Hill, another Michigan baseball product, plus he's shown a great deal of focus and commitment in becoming the world's foremost Seneca Wallace collector.

It also doesn't hurt that these are some great looking cards, especially the above patch that I got in a trade with Eric from Manupatches and MustachePatches. But besides that one, there's quite a few cool variations involving base, serial numbering, autographs, jerseys, patches and colors--30 total cards, actually, of which I own 13. This won't be an easy challenge because that's an oxymoron, but that's because I'm looking down the barrel of tracking down three cards each numbered to 10 and five, only one of which I've seen on any of the major sites I frequent--eBay. But what fun would this challenge be without accomplishments like that? Tune in for further updates as I either inch closer to completion or totally fall flat on my face and admit defeat!

Of course, if you have ANYTHING from either wantlist, conveniently located here, please let me know and we'll make a deal--I have cards and money, and I'll gladly give you either in exchange for YOUR cards.

Better late than never: a trade post featuring PTSIA

2011-11-07T16:25:00.000-08:00

It looks like Greg beat me to the punch, but I'm happy to say that our trade packages arrived to each other on the same day, and hence, you get to see both ends of my second trade (here's the first) with Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle.

To be clear, the title refers to my feet-dragging, not his; as he mentions in his trade post, he initiated trade proceedings months and months ago, but I dragged things out a bit trying to dig up better stuff from him and hoping he would come across other stuff I liked. Fortunately, we came to an agreement we were both happy with. As you'll see in his post, I sent some pretty nice stuff his way, and I'm not usually one to trade autographs for relics, but Greg did an outstanding job making my end of the deal more than fair, and for that, plus his extreme patience throughout our trade deliberations, I salute him. Onto the haul!:

Andrew Cogliano 2007-08 SP Authentic Sign of the Times auto: This was one of the last pieces Greg added to the trade, making me especially glad I procrastinated so much. My 17th hockey hit (jeez, I need to work on that PC) is my second of the dynamic Cogs, making this one of the more exciting pickups of the deal. Cogliano is now with the Ducks after a couple decent years with his pictured Oilers, and hopefully his talent will bust out sooner rather than later. This is just a sweet autograph that found a happy home in my Michigan hockey PC.

Alan Trammell 2005 Donruss Greats Souvenirs bat: Another of the later additions to the deal, there was no way I was turning down adding another relic of Tram to my PC. In typical Panini fashion, a bunch of the card is wasted, I'm sure to clear space for the versions that are autographed. Still, I really like the look of the rest of the card, and the vintage pic of the should-be HOF shortstop is great.

Daniel Schlereth 2008 TriStar Prospects Plus Farm Hands auto: This one might look familiar if you read my blog often enough because I already have the Green version, a card I picked up from Johnny of Cards From the Quarry. As with that version, the future fireballing RP left a lot of unused space on his sticker for whatever reason, which probably had something to do with having to sign a ton of these, so I won't hold it against him. These TriStar autos are pretty cool, and who doesn't love awesome minor league team names like the "Missoula Osprey?"

Max Scherzer 2010 Topps Tribute auto jersey: Here we have what might have been the first card Greg offered me when he first brought up trading, and I never lost interest in acquiring it. This is definitely one of those times where Topps got it right (stop laughing, it does happen) and I really like the total package here. As you can see, this one's #d 07/75, and that combined with a very legible "Max" in the signature make this card a win, plus my second Scherzer autograph.

Miguel Cabrera 2011 Topps Heritage Clubhouse Collection jersey: It's about time I picked up my first relic of Cabrera as a Tiger (my autograph and other jersey both depict him during his Marlins days) and this is a great way to start. Topps Heritage often produces nice cards and if I have to take a single-colored relic, give me anything but white! This fits that bill perfectly and is an excellent add to my Tigers PC.

Barry Larkin 2001 SP Game Used Edition Authentic Fabric jersey

Barry Larkin 2002 Flair Jersey Heights jersey

Barry Larkin 2008 Donruss Threads Century Collection Materials jersey: Greg offered me three Barry Larkin jerseys and I jumped at the chance to get all three, especially considering my only other hit of him was this Private Stock jersey. Of the three, the oldest is actually my favorite because the SP Game Used version features a great pinstripe down the middle plus an excellent shot of an outstanding fielder plying his trade. My second favorite of the trio was the '08 Threads with its striking red jersey swatch (again, single color done RIGHT) and serial numbering--046/100. The fact that the Jersey Heights card was my least favorite proves just how great all three really are. Having quadrupled my Larkin collection, I'm now motivated to pursue more stuff of the Michigan legend, including, hopefully, an autograph as soon as possible.

Drew Henson 2002 Fleer Lumber Company bat: Finally, this fourth Michigan baseball hit closed out the package nicely. Oddly enough, my other Henson hit is also from 2002 Fleer, in this case an autograph. We Michigan fans still foster a love-hate relationship with the multi-talented, enigmatic star, but he got a major lesson in karma when he spurned the Wolverines for a Buckeye's money. All the same, I hope he succeeds at whatever else he does in life.

These nine awesome hits were a great return for the above linked trade package. I should also give Greg a shout-out for throwing in some extra Tigers stuff including--you guessed it--a Granderson. Big thanks to Mr. Z for his patience and what turned out to be an excellent trade, something it sounds like we may be repeating very soon!

Sunday fun: patch me if you can

2011-11-06T17:14:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhh, another Sunday, another trip to Meijer for stuff I needed, another jaunt down the card aisle looking for deals. Blasters of 2009 Topps baseball I and II were $15, which seemed reasonable, so today you're getting a blog post twofer. I won't bore you with most of the contents, but each included one guaranteed manupatch, and both were worth it:

Steve Carlton 1969 All-Star Game

Nolan Ryan 1989 All-Star Game

Before any of you says a thing, the Carlton (my second manupatch of him, this time with the Cards instead of the Phils) is available for trade while the Ryan isn't, because it's awesome. Apologies in advance to those of you who I know are Ryan/Rangers fans, not the least of which is Mr. Play at the Plate himself, who seems to win every contest he enters anyway, so I don't feel so bad!

On a related note, I still need a ton of cards from both series for the base set because I never bought more than these blasters and some rack packs. So many, in fact, that I don't have a wantlist yet. On a related related note, my Series I blaster contained only the retail-exclusive black cards, which wouldn't go well with my regular base cards (all racist jokes aside, so please refrain) in terms of consistency. Does anyone have a bunch of 2009 dupes for trade, and if you do, would you be interested in around 60 of the black Series I base cards in return? I'll put together a list one of these days but may attack the problem with rack packs or something first.

Anyway, no formal review, but for $15 each these blasters came out great because I got a few inserts, a few Series II cards I needed, and best of all, I got two great manupatches, one for trade and one to keep.

Blowout purchase: remember, remember the first of November!

2011-11-06T08:41:00.000-08:00

Quick programming note: I've done four out of ten posts showing off my complete set of 2003 Topps Total and you guys have stayed away in droves--they're averaging about 10 views. Message received--I won't waste more time on those.

Another month, another purchase from Blowout! It had been a while since I saw anything worthy of my hard-earned Paypal dollars, but one seller who had a ton of $3/four-for-$10 hits in his Bucket caught my eye. $30 delivered later, I had 11 new PC acquisitions, plus something that I owed a fellow blogger, which you'll hopefully see on his blog within a week. Here they are:

Braylon Edwards 2005 Upper Deck NFL Rookie Jersey Collection jersey: Aside from the usual complaining about single-color jersey relics, why would I turn down my 33rd Edwards hit?

Brian Griese 2001 Fleer Tradition Glossy Traditional Threads jersey: I definitely don't have enough hits of the most recent national championship-winning QB, so this solid blue jersey was a nice add. Suck it, Tebow.

Chad Henne 2008 Gridiron Gear Rookie Gridiron Gems jersey-ball: If this Henne looks somewhat familiar, it's because I also have the patch version. #d 06/50, this is a great piece for my ever-growing Henne PC, and the 31st member of that group.

Chris Perry 2004 Bazooka Originals jersey: If you were designing a relic card for the low-end, kid-friendly Bazooka set, this is pretty much how it would turn out, no? I can always use more of the former Heisman finalist, so this'll do.

Derrick Alexander 2001 Pacific Invincible jersey: Alexander was a first round pick, but it was back in 1993, so it's difficult to find much of him. This foil-friendly, redtastic jersey from 2001 was a nice find, then, and goes along well with my other Alexander, an auto. This one, as you can see, is numbered 100/250. EBAY 1/1!!!

Jake Long 2008 Absolute Memorabilia Rookie Jersey collection jersey: Let's be clear--if I was going to pick up a new Braylon, the rules clearly state that I had to pick up a Jake Long to keep pace. I probably have enough green single-color Long relics to piece together my own jersey, and this is #34 of him in my PC, maintaining his crown.

Jason Avant 2007 Upper Deck Artifacts NFL Facts auto: This one was tied for my favorite of the bunch. It's shiny and holographic, and the signature--despite being a sticker--looks excellent. Make it 21 of one of Michigan's most sure-handed WRs.

John Navarre 2004 Upper Deck ProSigs Diamond Collection Signature Collection auto: This is an excellent Navarre auto, with a million bonus points for being in his Michigan uni, in which he was far more successful anyway. A big-time Navarre collector on Blowout pinged me about selling it to him after I bought it, but I wasn't budging--I COLLECT these things, man!

Leon Hall 2007 SAGE Aspire auto: My other favorite of this group. I ding it one point for the signature section taking up half of the card, but I love everything else about it. The photo they chose is outstanding, and typical of Hall's ability to make play on the ball, maybe in a game against Purdue? The blue really pops on the bottom half and works perfectly with Hall's school colors, not to mention his excellent blue signature. Defensive players don't get enough love when it comes to cards, but Hall is a star for the Bengals and I can at least count myself as a fan who appreciates his skill and stardom.

Mario Manningham 2008 Gridiron Gear Rookie Gridiron Gems jersey-ball: Just like the above Henne, this is a pretty sweet pickup. The more interesting piece of football makes up for the white jersey swatch, plus it's numbered even lower than Henne's, 11/25. Make it 24 Super Marios in my PC now.

Terrance Taylor 2009 SP Authentic auto RC: I'm now up to two autos of the former portly defensive stalwart. This one doesn't feature him in his Michigan uni, but it is serial numbered, 756/999, plus I love that he signed his jersey number.

Those 11 pickups now put me at 378 Michigan hits, making me wonder if I'll hit 400 before the end of the year. Either way, it should be a fun ride.

Tune in soon for a few more things I'm expecting in the mail, including a trade package, plus my haul from the Topps Super Bowl Legends Giveaway.

Michigan gameday: at Iowa

2011-11-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

But first, sign the petition for your shot at a BowChro Harper.

Michigan heads to Iowa City today to take on the Hawkeyes, who were recently embarrassed by a formerly worst-in-the-Big-Ten Minnesota team. (Your move, Hoosiers!) At 7-1, we've already more than qualified for a bowl and matched last year's win total, but a second-half collapse, a la 2009 and 2010, would preferably be avoided thankyouverymuch. Michigan is the slight favorite, which is a nice sign, and I'm hoping our offense romps against Iowa's apparently suspect D.

Of course, this game is nowhere near the day's best; other stuff to watch, including another historic matchup:

South Carolina (9) at Arkansas (7), 7:15
LSU (1) at Alabama (2), 8
Kansas State (14) at Oklahoma State (3), 8

Then again, who cares about the $EC and Big 12 when the Wolverines are still working their way to the conference title game? LET'S GO BLUE!

Happy Guy Fawkes Day! Remember, remember the 5th of November...

A very Nickelback sucks contest

2011-11-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

Rant first, contest later. However, in a show of good faith, your contest prize is this:

One of my Bowman Chrome Bryce Harper RCs.

You may have heard about this story from someone else or the magic of the interwebz, or maybe you didn't. The fact is, right now, the Detroit Lions have booked the no talent ass-clown band Nickelback to play during the halftime show of their storied traditional Thanksgiving game against the Packers on November 24th.

I don't think I need to rehash just how terrible the Lions have been for decades, so I won't. I will, however, emphasize that over the course of the second half of last season and the first half of this one, things finally seem to be turning around for the team, rewarding their fiercely loyal (despite years of reasons not to be) fans who can now say that "next year" is this year. This is a pretty big deal, and the current staff and players deserves a ton of credit for their hard work.

I think it's also important to remind you that the city of Detroit and the state as a whole has an indelible place in music history thanks to the unique sound that came out of the city called Motown. A veritable who's who of music legends built up their resumes there as the genre became a driving force behind rock music and a veritable factory for Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famers. It's also worth pointing out some of Michigan's other major contributions to music, for better or for worse, such as Kid Rock, Eminem, and most importantly, Ann Arbor's own Bob Seger. Truly the city of Detroit possesses a rich history when it comes to music, be it past or present, rock or rap, black or white.

Said team resurgence and musical tradition make the Nickelback choice all the more baffling. I don't say this lightly, and I promise that I mean every word: Creed minus Jesus equals Nickelback. Under normal circumstances, that would be an unforgivable thing to say about anyone--referring to a group as literally the worst non-Jesus pop band ever. But I mean every single word of that. It's a fact that Nickelbad produces grating, unoriginal shit that nobody in their right mind likes. I don't mean that in the sense of "I don't like Nickelback, therefore I'm going to argue that nobody else does to prove my point." Wrong. Literally nobody likes Nickelback except Nickelback, who love themselves so much they ripped off their own song. If I was in an accident that forced me to drive off the bridge and I had the radio on and a Nickelback song came on the radio (in this hypothetical situation it's apparently pre-2006 and I'm still listening to the radio in the car) my first move would be to turn the radio off instantly, and only THEN would I proceed to arrange for my escape. Nickelback is everything that's wrong with modern music and it's a total slap in the face--no, that's not accurate--it's a total DONG PUNCH that the Lions saw fit to ignore 50-plus years of rich musical history and subject its fans to these Canadian-raised Santorums. (look it up, though I warn you, you won't like what that means, and you DEFINITELY shouldn't look it up at work)

Ok, if you're still with me, we're almost to the contest, but first I have to get to the basis of today's post. One heroic Michigan grad student with an awesome first name processed this news and said

"A day may come when the reason of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of musicianship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered eardrums, when the age of Motown comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, champions of the West!"

That person created this petition, the first step toward right a horrific and unjust wrong. My fellow bloggers, I like to think that I haven't solicited your assistance for anything like this in the past, and I'm not asking you to donate money or even get out of your chair. My goal is not more hits or followers, trades or free cards.

No, I'm asking you for one thing: for all that is good and holy, sign that petition and help my state's football team avoid making the biggest mistake in team history. That's right, this situation is so bad that Matt Millen, Joey Harrington and Mike Williams are basically #s 11-13 on a top 10 list of Lions mistakes, and #s 1-10 are NICKEL-FUCKING-BACK PLAYING DURING THE HALFTIME SHOW OF ONE OF THE NFL'S MOST TRADITIONAL GAMES. Hasn't this franchise been through enough? Can't we enjoy the resurgence of this team that hasn't been good since our grandparents were our age?

Now, then: THE CONTEST:

Go sign the petition, then leave me a comment saying you did, including your reason if you included one in the form, and make sure I either know which blog you're from or that you include your email address. Each person who signs gets one entry only.
I will give each person who includes a link to that petition (doesn't have to link to this post, the petition is fine) one free additional entry as long as you give me proof one way or another that you included it on your blog.
The last way to get more entries: if your blog post results in even more people signing the petition and giving you proof in your comments, you'll get one free entry per person. Unlimited entries, so bring it.
If this contest results in at least 20 total entries of any type above, I will random them off and award the prize to the person who's randomly chosen.
I will allow entries until Sunday night at 11:59 pm EST, then if I have enough of them, I'll random the card off on Monday.
I'm keeping track of entries as I receive them HERE.

A reminder of what a couple minutes of your time could procure for you:

As you can see, I'm putting my ~~money~~ cards where my mouth is. I like to think that this is a fairly enticing offer since Bryce is quite the phenom right now. I don't care if every other copy of this card disintegrates tomorrow and someone offers to trade me the cure for the common cold--this is my part in a heroic and hopefully successful campaign against assclownery. So please do your part and give yourself an easy shot at a nice card, you won't regret it. I thank you, and the city of Detroit especially thanks you!

Completed sets: 2003 Topps Total baseball, part 4

2011-10-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

Previously: part 1 (#1-99), part 2 (#100-198), part 3 (#199-297)

Episode 4: iOS users can't see this post since it features Flash, or, Why didn't I finish this feature before the end of the World Series?

Dunn was the picture of consistency before jumping to the AL and failing spectacularly, but he's still a reasonable candidate for a bounce-back 2012. Kinkade is from my original hometown of Livonia, MI, and therefore gets a shout-out. You'd think the Cubs would have been smarter about Prior after the Kerry Wood injury tour extravaganza-palooza, but then I'd question whether you'd seen the way the Cubs do things for the last 100+ years. Helton's 1-2 comparisons?: Edgar Martinez and former teammate Larry Walker; yep, sounds just about right.

Koch is one in a string of closers got the most from then flipped for something better, (Keith Foulke) and while his career wasn't long, he had a nice run of seasons of 30+ saves. Claussen is notable because he was traded this season for Aaron FUCKING Boone, who--well, you know the rest.... Walbeck played from some typically bad 90s and aughts Tigers teams, but he's turned into a solid minor league manager, which shouldn't surprise anyone since he was a catcher.

Graves was actually born in Vietnam, and he had some good years as a closer, mostly for the Reds. Grimsley apparently had a big-time propensity for cheating. Damon was part of a typical A's trade in which they fleeced the Royals, then signed with the Sawx before the 2002 season; here we see him a year before he was part of the famous curse-busting 2004 team. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this, but Putz went to Michigan, and he's since had some nice years as a closer, something the Tigers might need after next year when Valverde's contract expires *hint hint*. Higginson was sadly one of the better players on some awful, awful Tigers teams, parlayed that into a stupidly large (for the time) contract from the front office, then didn't live up to it; B-R.com compares him tom Carl Everett, which I don't think is fair because he ostensibly has enough brain cells not to consider dinosaurs a conspiracy.

Ishii was a bit of a story when he joined the Dodgers, and he did win almost 40 games in his three seasons with them, but then he was dealt to the Mets and their force field of suck, and he only lasted one season with them before ending his American career. Lee's put up some solid power numbers, compares to the always awesome Moises Alou, and came over to the Rangers in 2006 with future playoff stud Nelson Cruz. Matheny is another Wolverine alum, (though one I don't seem to collect for some reason) and had a respectable career as a catcher.

Conine had a nice career for a 58TH-ROUNDER, playing 17 seasons and helping both of the Marlins World Series teams win their rings. Eckstein is the benchmark for the gritty, overachieving white dude in sports, and rings with the Angels and Cardinals prove his value. I've mentioned Bagwell plenty of times on this blog, including his historic ties to Frank Thomas, but hopefully I'm staying consistent with my previous posts in saying I'd like to see him in the Hall. I was wrong about my prediction that Holiday wouldn't hit all that well when he left Coors as he's been fairly valuable for the Cardinals, his injury-plagued World Series aside.

Infante was a Tigers stalwart until he was dealt to the Cubs, then moved to the Braves, where he inexplicably was an All-Star in 2010. A-Rod was in his third year with the Rangers here, and he won the first of his three MVPs that year, which is all well and good, but he's still a massive douche and everybody likes to see him fail. Ichiro is simply amazing and, like Bagwell, I've brought him up often enough around here that I'm not gonna say more right now than I hope he keeps playing and racking up hits.

The Tigers notably drafted Inge and felt his athleticism warranted a move to catcher; 2003 was his third season in the bigs and he barely cracked .200, foreshadowing his future hitting ability, though he's also had some big moments for Detroit. Kent's stats compare to Dave Parker, and when you take into account that he played mostly 2B and the corner IF spots and had a notoriously bad temper during the steroid era, that kind of makes sense. Konerko is a former top prospect that bounced around a few teams but finally got to show off that potential with the White Sox, rewarding them with quite a few outstanding seasons, many against my Tigers.

The Braves famously chose Chipper Jones over Van Poppel and the results speak for themselves, though he did at least last for parts of 11 Major League seasons. Hairston is part of a noted baseball family which includes his namesake father and brother Scott. In his 20th season, Rhodes finally won a championship after he was released by the Rangers and signed by the Cards. (Very nice timing) Jimenez actually threw a no-no in 1999 and beat Randy Johnson in the process, which is fairly impressive, even if his career wasn't.

Randa isn't pictured as a Tiger here, but he was also part of some of our worst teams. I don't know why they went with such a goofy pose for Franco, but the guy had an awesome 21-year career as a reliever, mostly for the Mets, and compares well to another notable RP, Lee Smith. The Rangers clearly don't deserve Young after the bullshit they pulled with him over the offseason, but fortunately for them, he was still part of their 2011 team and had a typically strong year. Mauer was just 20 in 2003 and wouldn't be up with the big team until the following season, but it's been mostly success for him since then. What's the deal with inserting the checklists out of order, anyway?

Kendall had a decent career as a catcher, but he never thrilled me much, as I think I've stated before. Way to randomize the checklists, Topps. Gordon had one of the game's best nicknames and enjoyed a nice 21-year career. Shiggy had a memorable name and a not-so-memorable career. Todd Jones is one of my least favorite Tigers closers and looks like he belongs at a NASCAR race, not on a Major League mound.

Crime Dog had an outstanding career, won a ring in '95 and had one of the all-time great nicknames; really, could a player ask for anything else? Sweeney is one of the more memorable Royals of recent seasons, which isn't saying much, but he had a few good seasons with them. Mientkiewicz is famous for having a crazy last name and keeping the game ball from the '04 Boston World Series-winning game after coming over from the Twins. Moyer won 267 games in an astounding 24 seasons and won a ring with the 2008 Phils, one of seven teams he played for.

Trade with MCM and World Series thoughts

2011-10-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

Trade with MCM:

Adam from My Cardboard Mistress shot me a note last week mentioning that he had this card for me,

an Austin Jackson 2011 Topps Lineage 1975 mini relic jersey, and that he'd rather send it to me than have to put it back. That's as good a reason for a trade as any, and the result is a pretty cool Jackson hit, my first of him. AJax really, really needs to learn to cut down the strikeouts and get on base, because he definitely has the talent to be the leadoff hitter Granderson, the man he replaced, never was. Granderson, of course, only morphed into the power hitter he is after joining the Yankees, but I hope Detroit's staff can work on him and get him right--the Tigers offense would be ridiculous with a consistent leadoff hitter and stolen base artist.

Anyway, I definitely owe Adam something nice in return, and hopefully I can square us up soon. Thanks, Adam!

World Series thoughts:

Well, Friday night ended the 2011 baseball season, and I'm happy to say that the amazing Cardinals capped off one of the most unlikely title runs ever for their 11th championship. I don't mean to imply that I was specifically rooting against Texas, because I would have been thrilled especially for Nolan Ryan after all his hard work trying to revitalize the team. Still, there's the George W. Bush factor, even if he no longer actually has a hand in the team after it went to shit along with every other one of his ventures. (but that's not a discussion for a sports card blog) Besides, there's plenty to like about the incredible Cardinals run anyway. All that said, here are some of my thoughts about the Series, some of which I hope prompt discussion in the comments:

Is there a more entertaining manager to watch than Ron Washington? I don't think I could ever root against a skipper who wears his heart on his sleeve. He does make some goofy decisions but really, what manager doesn't? He's the type of animated manager that's good for the game, not some moronic asshole like Ozzie Guillen, whom I hope loses 100+ games with the Marlins for all the shit he's pulled in his managerial career.
I don't care for Josh Hamilton at all, for reasons I won't go into as they're also not relevant to this blog. Still, I give the guy huge props not only for gutting though an obviously debilitating and painful injury, but for overcoming it with an outstanding performance instead of dogging it and blaming the injury.
Nobody deserves more props than the Cardinals, though, for squeezing in to the playoffs on the season's final day, then beating the two best NL teams in the playoffs, not to mention a favored Rangers team. I know they're already getting a lot of credit for this, but seriously, they earned it. And what's cool is, it's nice to see that the wild card still makes sense--I wasn't always a fan of it, but we've seen some fun teams eke out a playoff spot like this and go on to win a title. Nothing was handed to the Cardinals, but their resilience was definitely their biggest asset this year.
Adrian Beltre was the real deal this year in the regular season and playoffs, and I was shocked because it wasn't a contract season, so I was wrong about him, at least this year. I still think the Rangers massively overpaid him, but for now the results speak for themselves, to be fair.
The Mighty Pujols had a bit of an impact in the other games, but besides his record-setting game three, he wasn't the deciding factor. Instead, guys like Allen Craig and David Freese were the heroes who will forever be legends in St. Louis, and that's the fun of the championship being decided by a seven-game series.
Speaking of Cardinals heroes, besides the two guys above, how about Lance Berkman? He rightfully caught some flak for comments he made before the season when he called the Rangers an average team without Cliff Lee, although based on their pitching performance in the playoffs, he was somewhat vindicated. Still, having not signed with them and then being traded to St. Louis, it looks like Fat Elvis had the last laugh. Protecting Pujols because Matt Holliday was ineffective/injured, he punished the Rangers time and again with clutch hits after Texas was forced to intentionally walk El Hombre. Hell, Berkman pretty much set up camp on second base throughout the series.
Can you remember a more exciting World Series in the last decade? The somewhat similarly crazy Yankees/DBacks matchup back in 2001 is the best I could do. In my mind, nothing could compare to game six in which David Freese made a crucial error, (one of several between both teams) brought the team back from within one strike of losing, (which the Cards also did in the 10th) then smacked one of the most dramatic walk-offs in the history of the game. I literally sat on my couch at 12:39 a.m. EST saying "I can't believe it!" after the hometown here Freese punched St. Louis' ticket for game seven. I hope the Series' ratings improved this year.
I definitely enjoy the games more when the pitchers bat, because sometimes they have an unexpected offensive impact, and even when they don't, the strategy of the game becomes so much more interesting. All you DH apologists can have your 300-pound .260 hitter who contributes 20 HR and nothing else to the game, I'll still with exciting matchups like this one.
I'll admit I like to see teams win championships at home, which has happened quite a bit recently in the World Series, apparently. Because of that, I might have pulled a bit more for the Rangers had the AL won the All-Star Game this year. It just has to be 100 times sweeter for the home fans to get the instant gratification of celebrating in the stadium instead of having to wait for the team to arrive at the airport. The postgame festivities just work better that way. I understand that the Super Bowl just couldn't work that way, but football really misses out on that experience, unless a team really beats the odds and gets a home game.

And now, in celebration of the Cards, and because this post is seriously lacking in images,

I give you Fat Elvis, sans awesome facial hair and mullet, plus

two-time champion and current best player in the League, Albert Pujols.

Now begins a long offseason, though fortunately for me, one that's devoid of the NBA, which means Christmas came early. Time to focus on college and pro football, plus college hockey, as the weather turns cold and depressing. For now, may your teams find success in free agency, trades, the Rule V draft, and the excitement that is baseball's winter meetings, not to mention the upcoming awards announcements. What a season!

Michigan gameday: vs. Purdue

2011-10-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

More actual content© hopefully tonight or tomorrow, including thoughts about an incredible World Series, but for now, it's college football Saturday and officially a Day of Rest for me, on a chilly and potentially stormy Ann Arbor fall afternoon.

Michigan is 6-1 and looks to rebound from a loss to hated Michigan state with a homecoming game against Purdue at noon. Other interesting games:

Michigan State (11) @ Nebraska (14), noon
Oklahoma (9) @ Kansas State (8), 3:30
Stanford (6) @ USC, 8
Wisconsin (15) @ Ohio State, 8

So for now: LET'S GO BLUE!

Completed sets: 2003 Topps Total baseball, part 3

2011-10-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

Previously: part 1 (#1-99), part 2 (#100-198)

Episode 3: Griffey and Jeter meet Bong and Fick, or, 99 Reds Buffoons.

Cards #199-297:

Baltimore fans will remember Hammonds as the #4 overall pick in 92 who never really lived up to that hype, though he did play for 13 seasons. I'll forever remember Nomah as the guy whose trade to the Cubs was the good luck charm the Sawx needed to end their World Series curse. Christianson was a highly-touted Mariners catching prospect bust. Moss is from Australia, which is about the only interesting thing about him. Richard is another one of my favorite all power/no position sluggers who never did much. Hundley put up some statistical outlier-type numbers for a couple years during the steroid era, but was a decent catcher otherwise.

Hatteberg was briefly a part of the Moneyball A's, famously converting from catcher to first to take advantage of his OBP, an undervalued stat at the time. (Sidenote: 99% of the people who complain about the book's philosophy, hype and main character have never actually read the book; one of those people is JOE MORGAN) Ken Griffey Jr. was a little-known outfielder for such teams as Seattle (twice) and Cincinnati, taking after his father, and hitting the occasional home run. George is a former Royals first-round bust. Neikro is Joe's son/Phil's nephew, and he got to play a few games in the Bigs. Ransom is somehow still kicking around the Majors, though he doesn't get in a ton of games. Biggio is probably the best Astro ever (with apologies to Bagwell and his badass goatees) due to his all-around game and willingness to get hit by pitches A LOT. (Note to internet users everywhere: "alot" is not a word so stop using it, because I know you all use it A LOT.)

Batista's been everywhere, man, and at 40 he's still available if your team wants him. Escobar was a top prospect for the Mets that never panned out (stop me if you've heard that one before) but was sent to Cleveland when they acquired Roberto Alomar. Hunter has certainly lived up to the first round pick the Twins spent on him in 1993, and I hope he makes it back to the Twin Cities before he retires because he just seems to belong there. May only pitched for parts of seven seasons, but he certainly beat the odds after being selected in the 46th round. Santiago was an excellent catcher and pretty good hitter for a long, long time, and his #1 comparison on baseball-reference.com is Bill Freehan, so he's cool in my book.

Dempster's had a reasonably successful career, though it's funny to see him in a Reds uni since I mainly remember him as a Marlin and Cub. Bong got a couple cups of coffee with the Braves and Reds after coming out of South Korea, which is fairly impressive, though that pales in comparison to his awesome name. Macias played for a couple years in Detroit, and that's all you need to know to explain how those early-to-mid 2000s teams were atrociously bad. Stewart was a decent OF for a while after being a first-rounder, and spent most of his career with the Blue Jays and Twins, and his #2 comparison is Carl Crawford, which doesn't bode especially well for the Red Sox. This is on Valent's B-R page: "Until David Wright arrived, you were the only thing mildly interesting about the 2004 Mets." Here are some words that rhyme with Corey.

Tomko had a decent 14-season career and was sent to Seattle in the Griffey deal. Stairs has played for 12 teams in 19 seasons and could still play if he wants to as he's an incredibly talented bench player. Valdes had a few decent seasons with the 1990s Dodgers and held on long enough to win 100+ games in a 12-season career. Fuentes best compares to Brad Lidge, and while that might seem strange at first, it's actually fairly apt. Izturis is a slick-fielding IF who was traded straight-up for Greg Maddux in 2006.

Jenkins was a Brewers first-rounder who managed to hit 200+ HR in 11 seasons and win a ring in 2008, his only season with the Phillies and final of his career. I think Derek Jeter works for Jostens or a pawn shop or something because he always has a lot of rings on him. Roberts, who was actually a Tigers draftee, famously came in as a pinch runner with the Sox down 1 in the bottom of the 9th, stole second and scored the tying run in game four of the 2004 ALCS, the beginning of the Yankees' legendary megacollapse and the Red Sox's rise to fame and uncursedness. Williams was a pretty good above-.500 pitcher in 15 seasons. Wells had some nice seasons as the Jays' former top prospect, then was unceremoniously dumped on the Angels, where his power has remained, though his average continues to trend downward. Lieber is a former 20 game winner with the Cubs who had a couple more nice campaigns before retiring after 14 seasons. German was part of the deal that brought Jeremy Bonderman and Carlos Pena to Detroit, but the future closer hopeful never did much.

Diego's son David played for 15 seasons in a Sean Casey-like career--not bad. Garcia has bounced around a bit in his 13+-year career, but he's apparently still a pretty effective pitcher, and actually compares to Chris Carpenter. Young had a hard time swinging with wires running across the telephone poles he called his arms. Fick hit the final home run in old Tiger Stadium, which was a grand slam, and also the final hit and RBI. Petrick never made it as a former top prospect with the Rockies, but he's since been diagnosed with Parkinson's; he's currently coaching football and baseball at his high school.

Dermal "Dee" Brown was yet ANOTHER failed Royals first-rounder. Patterson went #3 to the Cubs in '98, and though he showed some flashes of that talent, well, as his B-R.com page says, "All hope abandon, ye who enter here...." Man, what a crappy page this is, I'm not even gonna bother with the rest!

Johnson is a former Yankee-turned injury machine. Zito famously signed an enormous contract with the Giants (which they're STILL regretting) after his successful seasons alongside Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. Byrd wasn't exactly a fireballer but won more than 100 games in 14 seasons. Gagne was an elite closer (and Cy Young-winner once) for three straight seasons, then injuries essentially derailed his career. Ramirez was amazingly poached from the idiotic Pirates, along with Kenny Lofton for, among others, Bobby Hill, some propane and propane accessories; can we please contact the Pirates now?

Ray-Ray had a nice 14-year career, mainly with the White Sox and Giants, and compared well to Joe Morgan and Craig Biggio for a few years. The Mariners sold the farm for injury-waiting-to-happen Bedard in 2008; way to go, morons. Faison was a first-round bust for the Padres. Gomez's career highlight was making the World Series with the 2006 Tigers, though he was hitless in three at-bats. Guerrero has had a fine career and his comparisons are ridiculous: Jeff Bagwell, Larry Walker, Jim Rice, Chipper Jones, Billy Williams, Willie Stargell, Duke Snider, Andres Galarraga, Carlos Delgado and Todd Helton; crazy!

Appier was a fine pitcher through parts of 16 seasons after defying the odds and NOT sucking as a Royals first-rounder. Meche was a .500 pitcher after being a Seattle first-rounder. Grissom was an outstanding player with a 17-year career, and was a poor man's Ricky Henderson in many ways. Castilla is pictured here back with his original team, though he's more famous for some nice seasons filled with Coors-inflated stats. (the park, not the beer!) Halter is another symptom of ridiculously bad 90s-2000s Tigers teams, and whoever thought it was a good deal to pick him up should've been muzzled. (get it?) Finally, Hinske bounced around a couple teams before winning the 2002 AL Rookie of the Year with the Jays, and was another example of voters apparently being swayed by homers and not much else, not that there were many great options that year.

2011 Topps football value box

2011-10-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

I hadn't busted anything in a while so while I was at Meijer today I grabbed one of those Topps football value boxes, the ones that come with a nice assortment of stuff. For $20 you get:

11 packs of 12 cards of 2011 Topps football
Two "exclusive rookie Refractors" (I think these are always the same two)
One guaranteed Super Bowl Giveaway code card

Here's what I got:

103 different base cards, 13 doubles
One spectacularly damaged card whose top each must've been smashed by the pack sealing portion of the process
My two guaranteed rookie Refractors, (Newton and Gabbert) both of which are definitely available, so make me an offer
Three total Super Bowl Giveaway cards, including my one guaranteed by the package (Tom Brady, the last one I needed for yet another complete set of those) which produced two useless virtual items and one card (see below)
Two Super Bowl Legends inserts I needed (Biletnikoff and Dent) plus one other I didn't
The last card I needed for my fourth base set (Alex Green)
Six base cards I needed for set #5 (meaning I still need 60 69 142 171 229 357 385)
Another Cam Newton RC (also available)
One Gold parallel, a Dexter McCluster
TWO Faces of the Franchise inserts of Peterson/Harvin (plus one other)
More inserts I didn't need: three Game Day, two ToppsTown
Two Minis (Steve Smith (Giants) and Bilal Powell)

The aforementioned Super Bowl Giveaway card was this:

Ottis Anderson from Super Bowl XXV. I'm actively trying to trade it but likely won't be able to, so if nothing else I'll get it shipped with my other six cards and make it available then. (probably to Mike, right?)
Update: I flipped the Anderson for a Marques Colston from XLIV. That might still go to Mike, but at least it's a player I can appreciate more. Hooray for trading!

Overall I thought this was a great value. I didn't need very many cards from it, but to be fair, I previously purchased a case. The number of doubles was a tad high, but for what you get, $20 is a fair price, and I do recommend grabbing one of these whether you're building the set or not.