Gimme a break, and other news

GROUP BREAK

BOXES!  GET YER BOXES!  (Once again yoinked for advertising purposes)

AJ's group break over at Georgia Mindset is tonight!  10 pm EST, http://www.ustream.tv/channel/gamindset-group-break.  Somehow I doubt he'd mind if you put in a last-minute request for one or more teams as long as it's before he gets started.  Even if you don't want to buy in, get some vicarious thrills by peeping the promised UStream...um...stream (if that doesn't work his backup is Youtube vids, still good too).

Yours truly got dibs on the Tigers (AJax RC/Auto and Cabrera 1/1 patch plz) and Orioles (much to Beardy's chagrin, but sometimes a guy needs to get his Ripken on) but there's still some pretty good teams left.  Anyway, don't miss it!

Michigan-Michigan State, 3:30 EST Saturday

Heading says it all.  A beatdown of little brother for my big brother's birthday would be awesome.  Here's hoping for the Denardening and not the Retardening.  A fun video for the meantime:


Since I likely won't be posting tomorrow, here's this stuff a day early:

Other blogs?  Other blogs.

• After seeing all those stupid ads with people getting paid with gum, Night Owl getting paid with cards sounds pretty sweet
• If Refractors were horses, then...um...ok, that's not how the expression goes, but Mojo got his bad self 31 Refractors from 32 2010 Topps Chrome packs
• '"O" No!!! Another Orioles Blog appreciates another Cal card, so again I appreciate his blog
• Sharpe is still busting A&G blaster packs.  Personally, I didn't get into the A&G thing (not this year or any other year) and based on his results I'm not disappointed
• Waxaholic is today's winner of one internet for posting a picture of baseball's dumbass commish picking his nose.  Baseball does need replay and he needs to get his head out of his ass and realize it (Selig, not Waxaholic)
• I Don't Know...3rd Base is trading cards for comments, something I know about all too well, so go get you some

MAIL CALL

Mail update: 

If your blog's name is

• All About Cards
• GA Mindset
• No One is Going to Read This Blog
• Waxaholic

you might want to keep an eye on your mailbox for the next week (or two Canadian!  No seriously, I went pretty cheap on the shipping) or so.  Consider yourselves On Notice.

Meanwhile, in my mailbox...

If your blog's name is Midwest Cardboard, well all I have to say is

 and

What can I say?  I love both of these

as your trade package was the first I received.   The incomparable darkship not only cut a swath through my 2010 Topps football list, he managed to send me not one, but THREE new Wolverines cards:

That's right, I'm back, bitches

2010 Topps Braylon, a.k.a. the one I didn't get in my jumbo box

Braylon 2005 SPx jersey

Robot Henne 2008 Masterpieces jersey

Fantastic stuff, MC, and my thanks again.  As always, the UMich premium card collection can be found here.

Other trade/mail stuff

I have a couple packages left to finish, then I'll have paid off my debt of my soul my first-born incriminating photos cards to all the awesome bloggers who advertised me, just wanted to trade, or both.  For what it's worth, I've had a blast doing it, and I'm happy to look through my collection for more stuff that you people can use, so hit me up and let's do some trading.

Finally, in non-children's hobby pervasive with middle-age men news...

Happy first NFL game of the season.   The Favreasota Favres take on the Saints in...well, instead of telling it to you, I'll SING it to you!

Long before the Superdome,
Where the Saints of football play...
Lived a city that the damned call home,
Hear their hellish rondelet...
New Orleans!
Home of pirates, drunks and whores,
New Orleans!
Tacky overpriced souvenir stores.
If you want to go to hell,
you should take a trip
To the Sodom and Gomorrah
of the Mississip'
New Orleans!
Stinking, Rotten, vomiting, vile,
New Orleans!
Putrid, brackish, maggotty, foul,
New Orleans!
Crummy, lousy, rancid, and rank,
New Orleans!

Potential Michigan alumni participants include:  New Orleans:  WR Adrian Arrington and C Jonathan Goodwin.  Minnesota:  G Steve Hutchinson.  Go 'Ain'ts!

Trade packages and other blog news

Many thanks again to everyone who not only linked to this brand new blog, but mentioned it on their own, sometimes even flatteringly.  I don't want you to think I forgot my end of the bargain, otherwise....



So, if your blog's name remotely resembles one of the following, I've sent out 60 soiled matresses a free trampoline trade packages to you and you should receive them soon:

• BA Benny / BA Benny
• Behind These Hazel Eyes
• Night Owl Cards
• Cardboard Junkie
• Thorzul Will Rule

HOWEVA, if I haven't mentioned you, fret not as I haven't forgotten you--I've just had a buttload of trade packages to put together.  In fact, a couple are going out tomorrow.  I still need to put a couple more together, get addresses, etc.  Don't worry, I'm on it.

In other news:

• dayf was on TV
• Reds and More wants your, um, Reds, for your favorite team.  Count the Tigers taken by yours truly, possibly in an inadvertent attempt to live up to this blog's name
• Phungo gives a shout out to the game honoring the 15th anniversary of Cal passing Gehrig in consecutive games played, and therefore gets a shout out from me

I have no plans for busting anything in the next couple days, but did win a few lots of 2005 Topps Chrome Series 2 packs (I can haz Ether/Butler/Cabrera/Verlander RC autoz?) <plug>at awesome prices thanks to my favorite (and currently only saved) eBay seller, fortycards17.  The guy sells pack lots he acquires wholesale and shrinkwraps, and that results in some pretty sweet deals.  I can vouch for him having bought some 05 Topps Chrome I and 04 Topps Traded packs a while ago at bargain prices, so check him out next time you need a pack fix.</plug>

A Baseball-Related Post!

Not content to have the average person be frustrated by the Ginter Code, Sharpe Since 92 is featuring a code-cracking contest of his own.  The prize is this bad boy right here: 

 

That's assuming you crack the code, of course.  If not, give him some pub on your own blog and if nobody solves the thing he'll have a drawing around the World Series.  Since I'm not smart enough to break it myself, I'll wuss out and go for a shot at an entry, and you should too, so give it a shot.

The man I'm really looking for, wink, is Mr Bribe. Wink, wink!

Let me put it to you this way.  I'm looking for my friend Bill.  Have you seen any Bills around here?

Arms for hostages--er--Gridiron Giveway codes for blog pimping seems to have worked.  First of all, a huge thanks to everyone that linked to, followed, and/or pimped this blog, every one of you is awesome, and easily bought.  That doesn't just deserve a Simpsons reference, I'm digging out a classic WWF clip:





But seriously, everyone that responded so far should have received their Gridiron Giveaway codes, which have now been exhausted (but if you still do me the honor of linking over here/following me, name what you're after and I'll see what I can find).  Most of you will also get some good stuff sent your way as soon as I have some time to dig it up.

While I'm on the subject of thanking everyone,

• Behind These Hazel Eyes offered a link and some kind words on his site featuring cards and cool artwork
• MojoBeard did their own giveaway and looks like fat Jesus
• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Emerald City Diamond Gems gave a shout out that led to All About Cards who did the same, causing the world to divide by zero.  I'd be a hypocrite not to help out fellow new blog AAC, and Emerald City could use some positivity coming his way, being a fan of the Mariners...
• Georgia Mindset is an SEC blog, but I'll forgive that for now since my current Lions QB that looks to actually be decent hails from there.  He also collects Braves, so he and dayf can fight over those
• Among other things, Waxaholic actually talks hockey too.  Coming from an area with one of the best NHL teams of all time, and THE best college hockey team of all time, that's a big plus.  Also, he's as much a card whore as the rest of you
• Great Sports Name Hall of Fame gets +1,000,000 for collecting Rich Hill and the rest of his conquests (Wonderful Terrific Monds anyone?)
• Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius doesn't seem to have any kind of specific theme in terms of what he collects, making him like everyone else, if they also produced awesome and hilarious custom cards
• Cardboard Junkie is one of my favorites and was the source of most of my new hits, making him the King of Threads as far as this goes

I probably owe him my soul, or a bunch of Braves stuff, even if he did write a check my ass can't cash and promise that I'll open a new box everyday (in the greatest blog post written by a man south of the Mason-Dixon line).  This isn't aboxaday.blogspot.com, dayf, at least not until I pull a card that Beckett will overgrade and pimp for me

• A Cardboard Problem just broke a case of T-206.  Hmmm, maybe I should start reviewing cases....  For some reason Sooz really seems to like Kevin Kouzmanoff (and Jeter), but at least Marie goes for Pujols, Adam Lind and (to a lesser extent) Robinson Cano
• Night Owl Cards shatters everyone's dreams of wanting to be on their own baseball card but has some cool themes going, including his Card Back Countdown
• Thorzul Will Rule helps with the always awesome APackADay (which is about a pack a week right now if you're lucky) while collecting Brewers and doing some cool box breaks.  He also thinks people should be able to identify teams based on miscolored photos of their helmets for free
• BA Benny's Baseball Card Cafe and Pack Rip Cafe are awesome sister sites by a collector who appears to love collecting and opening stuff as much as I do.  Many of you probably already follow both, but if you don't, get your asses over there  
• No One is Going to Read This Blog is an aspiring writer (props from this English major) who's apparently mastered reverse psychology.  He's one of many who's appreciated my appreciation of the Simpsons.  He's got a wantlist here so help him out

If I missed you please let me know, I definitely owe all of you a big thanks for helping make sure I'm not just posting a bunch of words and pictures for myself.  The rest of your bribes will be going out soon.

10 Free* Unused Gridiron Giveaway cards (*Guarantee void in Tennessee)

Ok, everybody, it's time to finally get this blog some new readers.

I've got 10 spanking new, unused 2010 Topps Gridiron Giveaway cards from the box reviewed below.  I'm giving every single one of the codes away to the first 10 people that link to me on their blog/website and contact me to prove it (hit the link on the right). If you also mention this here blog in a post on your page, I'll throw in some cards of a player or team of your choice.  So if you only do the former, I'll just email you an unused code, but if you do the latter I'll give you your choice on whether or not you want the actual card as I'll be mailing you other stuff anyway.
If more than 10 participate I'll come up with something else to give away, possibly inserts from this box or something better.

So help give me some free publicity and earn yourself a free spin on the Topps Wayback Machine.  Remember, you don't win friends with salad, you win them by bribing them with cool stuff!