No, YOU check out MY cards: October purchase: football awards and excessive title colons edition

Yesterday I covered the baseball and hockey portions of the PC cards I picked up from COMC.  Today you'll see the rest of the package, all of which is headed to my Michigan football collection.  You've seen just about all of these players before, and as such there's not a lot more to say about them, so this time for fun I thought I'd make up an award for each of them.  Please to enjoy the 16 newest members of this PC on this, the day before the Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe:  

Alan Branch 2007 Bowman Chrome auto RC:  Outstanding achievement in the field of making me go "DAMN, Bowman Chrome, you looked FINE in 2007"

Anthony Thomas 2002 Fleer School Colors jersey:  Bipolar Award for making me love the card while reminding me that the Tigers are one game away from losing a pennant

Braylon Edwards 2006 SPx Swatch Supremacy jersey:  Award for the jersey card most likely to make me yawn

Braylon Edwards 2008 Elite Prime Targets jersey:  Serial-numbered jersey most likely to make me yawn (#29/50)

Chris Perry 2004 Absolute Memorabilia RPM jersey ball RC:  Shiniest Chris Perry (relic category) (#589/750)

Chris Perry 2004 Playoff Contenders Rookie Ticket auto RC:  Shiniest Chris Perry (autograph category)

Chris Perry 2004 SP Authentic Rookie Authentics patch auto RC:  Shiniest Chris Perry (Firefly definition category) and Best in Show in "Holy hot damn little baby jeebus is that a sweet-ass patch" competition (#009/499)

David Terrell 2001 Absolute Memorabilia RPM jersey ball auto RC:  Déjà vu except this time it's autographed award (#012/950)

Jason Avant 2006 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Rookie Jersey jersey:  Most ultimate boring jersey card ever (#57/75)

John Navarre 2004 SAGE Red auto:  Gumpiest communist auto, class of 2004 (#386/440)

Leon Hall 2007 Finest auto RC:  Best in show, autographed RC division

Leon Hall-Alan Branch 2007 Topps Co-Signers dual auto:  Monopoly Guy Q. Wolverine award for excellence in depicting Michigan football players who got PAID in 2011, son award

Marquise Walker 2002 UD Graded Making the Grade auto RC:  Award for autograph sweet as Shirley Temple dipped in pudding (#51/75)

Marquise Walker-Brian Griese-Desmond Howard 2002 SP Authentic Authentic Threads triple jersey:  Three Michigan legends for under $5 award

Mike Hart 2008 UD Premier Signature Premier auto:  Best autograph of an Eastern Michigan assistant in this package (#84/99)

Prescott Burgess 2007 Topps Draft Senior Standouts jersey:  Welcome to the PC, you are tremendous award

So after all that, how about some stats:

• I'm up to 367 cards in my football PC
• Prescott Burgess became the 55th unique player/coach
• Braylon Edwards jumps up to 32 cards, leapfrogging Chad Henne (30) for second place, one card behind leader Jake Long
• David Terrell moves up to his 27th card but remains in 4th
• I now sit at 241 autographs (including autographed relics)

Well, the way things stand I'm not sure when I'll next acquire anything, be it via a purchase or a trade.  I can promise plenty of complete set content, plus of course I'll come up with other stuff.  Besides that, if there's anything specific you guys would like to see here, please let me know in the comments--I aim to please.

No, YOU check out MY cards: October purchase baseball and hockey

Now that we've taken care of all the posts about filling my wantlists, let's have a look at some of the fun PC stuff I grabbed from CheckOutMyCards this time.  I did this a few months ago with my last major COMC purchase (links:  baseball, football and hockey) and while this time the package included a heavy number of set wants, I did pick up a nice number of baseball, football and hockey hits.  Notice I didn't specifically say "Michigan" hits this time, and you'll see why that's the case soon. (though, fair warning--this is going to be the usual Michigan-centric post)

Today we're going to look at eight of the hits I grabbed, seven of which are baseball and one of which was hockey.  I picked up a good number of these (as well as the forthcoming football haul) from just a few sellers because of the always advisable COMC strategy of combining and offering, hence my process of starting with one card I want, picking a seller and combing through their collection for each and every player I collect.  It takes a while but as with SportLots, it often pans out, especially in terms of pricing.  I also had some luck by sifting through some of the site's classifieds as they note sellers who are heavily discounting and/or auto-accepting various offers.  The lesson:  put in your time and you will be rewarded.

Enough walls of text, the tl;dr crew is screaming at me for some scans, so here they are:

Hockey:

Brendan Morrison 2008-09 Upper Deck Trilogy Two-Way Threads dual jersey:  I definitely don't have as many Morrison hits as I'd like, but it's something I can work on provided I can continue to find nice prices on his stuff on COMC occasionally.  I do at least have an autograph of him in my PC already, but considering he's one of the best players in Michigan hockey history, I should definitely have more.  MOAR!

Baseball:

Cal Ripken Jr. 1982 Fleer RC:  I figured I'd lead off the baseball section with this guy because I'm pretty excited about finally having it.  Thanks to a package deal with one of the wantlist cards I bought, I got a pretty nice price when my offer was accepted, and now I have all three of his RCs from that year. (Donruss and Topps here)  The Topps is my favorite (you know I love multiplayer RCs even when the other guys aren't great) and this one would be my second because of the cool action photograph, but I definitely don't like the rest of the ugly, boring design that year, so Donruss takes second despite its close-up headshot.  Anyway, as with some of the insert sets I completed, it took me way too long to finish this trifecta, but now it's done and part of my Cal Ripken PC.  Maybe someday I'll also pick up his highly sought-after 1982 Topps Traded as well!  This was my only non-Michigan PC card of the order, but it was definitely a nice one.

Clayton Richard 2006 Bowman Draft Signs of the Future auto: Every time I go to add a hit of the former Michigan QB and pitcher to my baseball PC I think "Wait, don't I already have that?"  What's funny is that before I added this guy, I literally only had one hit of the guy--this auto.  I think the problem is that I've seen a good number of his hits but only jumped on these two so far.  Anyway, he's had a bit of success in the gaping chasm that is Petco Park, and since I don't really care for the White Sox I'm happy he got traded away from them, even if it was to the Padres.

George Sisler 2010 Topps Update Manufactured Bat Barrel:  This one was a key card on my singles wantlist and I'm thrilled to have it after pulling a not-nearly-so-interesting player in my 2010 Topps Update box. (let's just say it wasn't Werth it)  I believe it was actually the very last card I grabbed before I hit the "ship" button because I didn't feel like having a heap of COMC credit left over and just sitting there.  I made a lowballish but fair offer and it was accepted fairly quickly.  Now I have a manubat from a set I really like (before Topps went downhill with the ugly-ass leather patches) of a great player.  Who couldn't love a Hall-of-Famer who held the single season hits record (257 in 1920, until Ichiro broke it in 2004) and played at Michigan while studying mechanical engineering?  Communists, that's who.

Rich Hill 2009 Topps Unique Solo Shots auto:  You all know I can't go very long without picking up Rich Hill stuff.  Out of today's bunch, this was the only one that included him in an Orioles uni.

Rich Hill 2009 Upper Deck Spectrum Spectrum Swatches jersey auto:  This was definitely the best Hill of the three I picked up.  A lot of bloggers use the cliché "The scan doesn't do this card justice" and I believe most of the time they're correct because this is a good example.  A jersey/autograph that's numbered fits in my collection any day.

Rich Hill-Randy Johnson 2008 SP Legendary Cuts Generations Dual Memorabilia dual jersey:  I often don't like multiplayer hits because the combinations make me cringe. (remember when Topps thought Kevin Orie was good enough to pair up with Cal?)  Obviously I'm happy to make an exception when the player I like most on the card is the weaker one and he happens to be paired up with a future HOFer.  This isn't the type of card I actively search for, but when it's part of a COMC seller's portfolio and I'm already grabbing some stuff from him, it's a reasonably cheap add, and a win for my PC.  This makes 23 Rich Hills for me, for those of you who are counting.

Zach Putnam 2009 Bowman Chrome Prospects auto:  My 10th Zach Putnam is my third of his from this set. (Refractor, XFractor)  Still, I'm only 25% done if I want the rainbow, or 43% done if you don't include the FIVE 1/1s this card has. (four plates and a Superfractor)  Who says collecting is dead?  Anyway, this mini-rainbow is pretty cool, and it's kind of funny that I saved the most common version for last.
My Michigan baseball PC now tips the scales at 51 cards, so that's a nice little milestone to have cleared, even if it's only a fraction of my football stash.  Don't think I won't keep plugging away at collections for my favorite, Rich Hill, or the legends, like Bill Freehan and Barry Larkin.

Still, you all know football is king at this here school, so keep your eye out in the next couple days for that portion of this COMC package!

No, YOU check out MY cards: baseball edition

Previously:
Hockey
Football

Here it is as promised:  part 3 of my huge COMC purchase shipment:  baseball.  As I've stated many times on this blog, there are a few Michigan alumni that graduated to MLB that I collect whenever I can, and I was happy to grab a few of those over the course of the several COMC purchases I made.

A quick note:  I added this one,

a 2008 Donruss EEE auto, before I traded for another one separately on Blowout.  Well now I have two, but as usual I only count one for my collection.  Now that I'm starting to build up some dupes I may eventually put them up for trade for other Michigan stuff.  Now on with the rest of the haul!:

Bobby Korecky 2008 Sweet Spot auto RC:  I don't come across Korecky cards I want too often (usually because the prices don't make sense) but I did manage to find another auto/RC to go along with the other one I have, a 2008 SPx.  I do like the overall style of this card--a full bleed photograph, an on-card autograph and the stamped stitching effect on either side.  Plus, of course, it's a serial numbered RC.  Pretty cool.

Chris Getz 2007 Bowman Signs of the Future auto:  I found a pair of Getz cards I liked, both from his stint with the ChiSox.  This card (and its several variations) is oddly Getz's only one from 2007, and his actual RCs are from 2008, for whatever reason.

Chris Getz 2010 Topps Peak Performance auto:  I think I've said this about others in the set, but I generally like the design on these, but only the autographs.  I hadn't realized that Getz had accomplished what the front of the card states--that he was the AL's "most successful" base-stealer in 2009.  That's slightly misleading, though--he didn't steal the most, he just had the highest percentage at a certain cutoff:  25/27, or about 93%.  That's still somewhat bragable, just a weird stat to celebrate in this kind of set.  Of course, I'm happy that a Wolverine got included, he just seems like a strange addition, but that's Topps for you.

Clayton Richard 2009 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Autographs auto:  I'm glad I finally got something of Richard, who's actually a fairly interesting case.  He came to Michigan to play baseball and football (but not to screw us over a la Drew Henson) as a QB, but after a redshirt in 2003 lost out to the phenomenon that was Chad Henne.  Fortunately, Clayton made the most of his baseball career here and parlayed that into an 8th round pick by the White Sox in 2005 (along with Getz in the 4th).  Even more fortunately, as with Getz I don't have to hate the team he's on any longer because he was traded to San Diego in the 2009 Jake Peavy deal.  Despite "experts" like Rotoworld doubting that he'd have any kind of success there, he went 14-9 with a 3.75 ERA for the Pads in 2010, so as far as I'm concerned, the White Sox can continue to SUCK IT.

Rich Hill 2006 Flair Showcase Fresh Ink auto:  the next few cards shouldn't come as too much of a shock to you--I found a bunch of Rich Hills I liked at nice prices.  We'll start with this autograph, which carries on the Fresh Ink line, a set I liked since its earlier Fleer Ultra versions.  The blue works very well with Rich's Cubs uni and the autograph looks great.

Rich Hill 2006 Topps Co-Signers Solo Sigs auto:  From the same year, here's a Topps Co-Signers autograph.  I've generally liked the Co-Signers sets since they came into being and this one's no different.

Rich Hill 2006 Topps Triple Threads Sepia dual jersey auto:  Now we get a little high-class with a Triple Threads card.  It's not a rookie, but it's got a lot of other features I like:  dual pinstriped jerseys, serial numbering and a nice autograph.  The sticker location is really the only thing that takes away from an otherwise excellent card (did they really need to make the set logo so large that they'd have to cover up part of the player with a sticker?).

Rich Hill 2006 Ultimate Collection Printing Plates Black:  Now here's one I was excited to get.  I grabbed it by itself for something like $15 from a guy that was asking $20, so I feel like I got myself a reasonable deal.  It's my first baseball printing plate and only second overall (the other being a Brandon Graham).  Despite MLB's insistence upon using that "Rookie Card" logo whenever the hell it feels like it, Hill's RCs actually hail from 2002.

Rich Hill 2007 Sweet Spot Signatures Red Stitch Blue Ink auto:  If this one looks pretty familiar, that's because I also have the gold version, which is of course more limited.  Unfortunately, the autograph on that one is a lot more legible than this one, but this is still a pretty sweet card.

Rich Hill 2007 Topps Turkey Red Relics jersey:  Oddly enough, this is the only relic-only card I picked up in the baseball group, but that shouldn't be too big of a surprise due to my growing dislike of relics compared to autographs.  This one was a pretty good deal, though, and getting a Cubs pinstripe card meant a good pickup.

Rich Hill 2007 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Futures Signatures auto:  I like the fact that this card has a fairly low serial number, but I don't really get why UD didn't do more with this card--you get an isolated picture of Hill and not much else.  Solid otherwise, though.

Rich Hill 2007 Upper Deck Goudey Goudey Graphs auto:  a pretty cool not-quite-mini, not-quite-normal-sized autograph of a pretty happy Rich Hill.

Zach Putnam 2008 Razor Letterman Dual-Color N patch auto:  That's right, I finally got literally the ONE player I wanted from all of '08 Letterman!  So of course Razor decided to put the patch in upside-down.  No big deal, I still like the card--the multi-colored ones (#d /20) from this set are pretty sharp.  Not a bad shot of Zach in action for Michigan in the background either.

Zach Putnam 2008 Razor Letterman U patch auto:  That's right, I got TWO of the card I wanted the most from Letterman.  This is the single-colored, non-numbered version, but I'm still happy to have it.  The jury's out on whether or not I'll go for a nameplate (I do have a mix between the variations so far) but this is a great start.  COMC has been the only place I've seen reasonable prices for these; some jackasses on eBay are asking more than TRIPLE the Beckett price (at which these don't sell to begin with) and wondering why they haven't sold month after month.

Zach Putnam 2008 Razor Signature Series auto:  Same year, same brand, different set.  This one was literally less than $1 but the autograph looks great and there's another nice shot of Putnam pitching for the Wolverines.  Great deal.

Zach Putnam 2008 Razor Signature Series Black auto:  For only $1 more I got this rarer version, which confirms that Putnam is consistent with his signature even after signing more than 1000.

So now that you've seen the entire haul, how do you think I did on my first foray into COMC, keeping in mind I spent around $170 delivered for 40 cards?  That's right, not including shipping, I paid about $4/card for everything you saw in all three groups.  I hope you've enjoyed a look at a large addition to my PC and that some of you discovered or confirmed a great way to acquire some new stuff.

Now you can all get ready for a look at my share from Tim's (GSNHOF) trade bait draft as those arrived today.  I should have something on those tomorrow.

In the meantime, a quick congratulations to my alma mater for their basketball victory over hated Michigan State.  I fully admit that I don't really support our basketball team, not so much because of our generally lack of success, but because I hardly give a lick about the sport, my least favorite.  Still, that was a huge win over a rival, and possibly one that'll get us back into the NCAA tourney.  GO BLUE!

No, YOU check out MY cards: football edition

Since there were no interruptions today (ie nothing in the mail) I present to you the second part of my CheckOutMyCards haul:  Michigan football:

Adrian Arrington 2008 Bowman Signs of the Future auto:  Hi, I'm this picture of Adrian Arrington.  You may remember me from such cards as this one, and the one below!  I'm hoping I've now cornered the market on this image and can move on.  Nice design, though.

Adrian Arrington 2008 Bowman Sterling auto RC:  shiny autographed rookie card goodness.  Hmmm, I wonder if I could get away with triple dipping on projects at work too....

Alan Branch 2007 NFL Trilogy America's Game Signatures auto:  I don't acquire that many Branches anymore, but it's still fun to get something of him every now and then, especially as cheaply as I got this one.

Anthony Thomas 2003 SP Signature Autographs Blue Ink auto:  The people asked for MOAR A-TRAIN, so moar A-Train you get.  Ok, nobody asked to see more of Thomas, but he's a very collectible (and cheaply collectible) Wolverine NFLer so here he is.  I really like the shot of an intense A-Train and the signature looks pretty nice too--not necessarily legible, but there's a lot of loops or something so it sort of looks cool that way.

Anthony Thomas 2003 Leaf Certified Materials Mirror Gold jersey:  This card has two obvious factors in its favor:  a pretty nice dual-colored jersey swatch and its Mirror Goldness (#d /25).  The scan doesn't do it justice, but still, it's a great looking card.  Minor digression:  were any of you collecting years ago when Mirror Golds (not even autos/relics, just inserts) first came out?  Doesn't seem funny now how popular they were at the time when nowadays the same card would be a throwaway non-hit for many collectors?  Personally, I think the idea is great, I just don't feel that we need 10 different color parallels.  Nothing wrong with a little limited gold action, though.

Anthony Thomas 2003 Gridiron Kings Gridiron Cut Collection jersey:  The last A-Train in the bunch, I promise.  As always, I have to point out that I don't particularly care for boring jersey swatches, but I generally like the rest of the design of the card (Diamond Kings are always winners, just like Masterpieces).  Can't go wrong for a couple bucks.

Brian Griese 1998 Score Rookie Autographs auto:  I'm not sure how it took me this long to acquire a Griese hit, but here we are.  This is a great way to start, though--an autograph from his rookie year, and pictured in a Michigan uni (sans winged helmet for whatever reason, which always bugs me), #d /500.  Brian, Bob's son, will always be a legend in Ann Arbor for walking on, beating OSU three times and winning Michigan's most recent national title as the Rose Bowl MVP in 1998.  Although his NFL career didn't live up to his college performance (good luck filling John Elway's shoes, son), I'd say he did pretty well for a former walk-on.  Nice signature from a great player.

Brian Griese 2002 Leaf Certified Mirror Red Materials jersey:  And then there were two.  It looks like we've got a Broncos jersey here, which is pretty cool and this colorful parallel (another good choice) is #d /100.  I'm sure I've got a RC lying around to form a trifecta here.

Chad Henne 2009 Gridiron Gear Player Timeline Jumbo Jerseys jersey:  There's a lot for me to like about this card:  it's Chad Henne, he's pictured as a Wolverine and Dolphin and the sharp, Michigan blue jersey piece is huge.  Plus it's #d /50.  Not a bad addition to the Henne PC.

Chad Henne 2010 Topps Peak Performance Autographs auto:  I can always use more Henne autographs, you got me?  MORE.  What confuses me about this design is that they shrink the picture area so much to make room for a sticker that takes up about 1/3 of the rest of the space, meaning there's a lot of wasted space.  Anyway, it's nice to see a card emphasize Henne's accuracy, which would be apparent if the team had an offense that made sense and would actually support the guy and put him in situations where he could succeed.

David Harris 2007 Playoff NFL Playoffs Signatures Red auto:  Just one David Harris today but it's a pretty nice autograph, #d /100.  One of the Jets best players, the team franchised him this year, and it's nice to see that they recognize his importance to the team and playmaking ability, something Michigan fans have been well aware of for a while.  Still, it's not much fun rooting for the Jets and their jackass coach, even with another Wolverine, Braylon Edwards, on the team.

Jake Long 2009 Playoff Prestige Rookie Review auto:  Wow, just one Jake Long autograph this time?  And it's not even from 2008?  I'm as surprised as you are.  Not the greatest design in the world, but at this point I'm still willing to take whatever I can get of the 2008 #1 overall pick.

Jason Avant 2006 Topps Paradigm Rookie Dual Jersey Autographs:  For whatever reason, some of my nicest cards are of Jason Avant, and I've got no problem with that--he's one of my favorite possession-type WRs of all time.  Yes, the jersey pieces aren't multi-colored or anything, but again, anything other than white is an improvement.  I can't believe Topps had a set called "Paradigm", though.  Really?  Were they thinking outside the box?  Did their metrics prove it to be a value-added, green, forward-thinking, organic product with upward mobility in a market that valued synergy and low-hanging fruit?

Leon Hall 2007 Topps TX Exclusive Rookie Autographs auto:  If you don't like Leon Hall, you might want to scroll down a bit--fair warning.  This is another of Topps' stranger sets, but the design kinda works for me.  I'm not a big fan of green, but it ends up working here.  Hall's signature is a fairly decent one too in this case.

Leon Hall 2007 SAGE DECADEnce Autographs Gold auto:  Hand-numbered to 25, eh?  Not too shabby.  Throw in a Michigan uni action shot and this one's a winner for me.  When I looked at this one I thought it was interesting that it noted Hall's NFL draft team--it seems like SAGE, Press Pass et al usually don't denote NFL teams, because of licensing, timing or some other factors.  I like the fact that it emphasizes that he was a first-round pick, so that works for me.

Leon Hall 2007 Playoff NFL Playoffs Signatures Red auto:  As with some others in my collection, this one goes along nicely with Hall's former teammate David Harris above.  I'm pleasantly surprised that both turned into quality or better NFL players for the respective teams.

Leon Hall 2007 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Rookie Signatures auto RC:  This would probably be considered the highest-end of the quarter of Halls here (it does say "ultimate" on it a lot), but COMC tells me I only had to give up $5.85 for it, under 25% book price.  More autographs of a promising young DB isn't a bad thing at all.

Mario Manningham 2008 Topps Rookie Progression Signatures auto:  Only one Jake Long AND only one Manningham?  At least I got two Hennes.  Anyway, this one's a winner for me--the design is visually striking and colorful, and Mr. New Math looks good in his old Michigan uniform, relishing the days of not being a teammate of Eli Manning.  I got this one in a nice $8 deal along with another card you'll see another day, a pretty nice deal for a card from Super Mario's rookie year.

Marlin Jackson 2005 Upper Deck Rookie Debut Ink auto:  I've pretty much said all there is to say about Marlin's injury-plagued NFL career, so let's just admire what ended up being a pretty cool card.  Kudos to UD for the Michigan uni shot, and the rest of the design is pretty nice too.

So there's 19 more Michigan football cards to throw on the pile, putting me up to an unofficial 220.  Next up is the remainder of the haul:  baseball.  Depending on what else shows up in my mailbox in the next few days, you should see those relatively soon.  For now, try to tide yourself over with yet another post filled with large scans of my PC cards.