6/2/18 card show AND Tigers game report: a great day? :Repeated nodding:

Last Saturday ended up being one of my best days of 2018 so far, starting with a show, ending with a Tigers game, and some extra fun in between!  To prove how great it was I'm going to recap both the show and game in one post.

First up was a trip to the usual monthly show in Taylor.  I had a friend with me coming to the game and didn't want to keep them waiting while diving through the boxes for too long (plus I eventually run out of patience anyway) so I wasn't at it as long as usual.  Still, I came out with almost 100 cards for a nice even $20--mostly quarter cards except for a few $1 additions.

A number of those are football inserts that I'm showing off on this evening's TMM post, so please sure to head that way when you're done here.  As always a large chunk will be going towards trade packages while I've got a few things for you to see right here:

We'll start with this 2008 Topps Moments and Milestones card of former blog namesake Curtis Granderson.  Curtis has a few cards in the product, which contains numbered versions highlighting particular stats, such as his 23 homers in 2007--the year he piled up that many triples, as well as 20+ doubles and steals to form a prolific foursome.  As you can see here this is card #8 from the home runs subset, but he's got plenty of others to chase.

As it turns out this ended up being interesting foreshadowing for later in the afternoon....

Hooray for 90s inserts!  This pair of Tony Gwynn parallels hails from Score's 1998 Rookie/Traded product, which continued the silver foil Showcase insert from the flagship version.  Score!

Speaking of pairs, here's some pocket aces, in a manner of speaking.  I ended up finding two Greg Maddux inserts from the early 2000s I liked:  2000 Pacific Invincible's Diamond Aces and 2003 Ultra's Photo Effex.  As always, "ace" is an understatement when describing Maddux.

You just never know who the big winner will be until you walk out of the show, and in this case it was #1 baseball PC guy Cal Ripken Jr. with eight (his uniform number, of course) new additions. 

We begin in the early 90s with a pair of '92 Topps Gold Winners.  I never get sick of that shot of Ripken next to the Gehrig memorial.  Sticking with the decade but jumping forward we have high end offerings in the form of 1999 Flair Showcase Row 3 and SPx.  Did Showcase ever feature a bad design?

Moving into the early 2000s I came up with another fantastic pair:  2001 Topps HD and 2003 Playoff Portraits.  HD was another one of those beautiful Topps products that fell by the wayside so we could instead suffer through the endless garbage they offer today, but at least its light burned bright for a couple years.  Portraits, meanwhile, was a very nicely done artistic effort, and I continue to chase my PC guys from that set.

We'll finish up the show recap with some more recent examples:  2016 Diamond Kings and 2017 Stadium Club.  Both are fairly recent revivals of classic brands and are each executed very well.  Stadium Club's continuing quality proves that all is not lost when it comes to Topps!

With the show out of the way we headed east for the baseball game and a fun giveaway.  Because we parked in the structure of one of the nearby casinos--free parking and a short walk to Comerica--we both played the slots for a bit.  I threw some cash and free play into one of my favorites of late, the Simpsons, and just a few spins later was rewarded with a win that took care of the day's expenses with a bit left over.  Sure is nice to get paid to have fun!

Shortly after we made for the ballpark in hopes of snagging the day's promotional item, one of the main reasons I picked this game.  Despite bad luck in the past, the day's good fortune continued and I was able to bring home my prize:

a Bill Freehan bobblehead!  The Tigers are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the '68 champs, and the former Wolverine/Tiger is the second of four players to receive this honor.  You can see the rest as I decided to scan the four sides of the box for completeness:

At this point my day was pretty much already made, and we settled into our seats in foul territory in right field, an area called

"Kaline's Corner" to honor the turf roamed by Mr. Tiger.  The weather was gorgeous and our view was great, and happily the game turned out to be a fun one.

Here's my scorecard with a few notes:

1. Jeimer Candelario, the prize of last year's Alex Avila/Justin Wilson swap with the Cubs, led off the bottom of the first with a homer, and many of us thought the rout was on.  Not so much, though, thanks to Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ's excellent eight strikeout performance.
2. Also, Toronto took the lead in the third with a couple doubles and a single.
3. New RFer Nicholas Castellanos came up with a clutch two-out double to knot up the score in the bottom half, though!
4. Unfortunately, Tigers start Matt Boyd gave up a pair of solo homers in the fifth to put Detroit down again.  An impressively large Toronto contingent made a respectable amount of noise throughout the game, especially during this inning.
5. He got put in!  Curtis Granderson replaced starting Blue Jays LF Teoscar Hernandez after the latter fouled a ball off his foot.  The former Tiger favorite struck out twice and couldn't quite haul in what would've been a tough catch.  Needless to say I was thrilled to see him back in Motown, even for just a game.
6. Castellanos was at it again (as was the very productive-for-this-game bottom of the lineup) in helping to tie the game up in the bottom of the fifth.  His bat has certainly responded to the team moving his glove to the outfield.
7. Boyd overcame giving up four runs to put up a decent effort by making it through seven innings, better than it looked like he'd do after giving up those two fifth-inning homers.
8. The "rally goose" story was all over at least the local sports news a couple weeks ago, and it lead to a fun hype video up on the scoreboard during the Tigers' eighth-inning rally.  Of course everyone went nuts--it certainly didn't hurt that it worked!
9. Catcher John Hicks was the surprise hero with a huge single during that rally.  He'd struck out in each of his previous three ABs, but following a Miguel Cabrera single (after two strikeouts of his own), Victor Martinez ground-rule double (which temporarily prevented a run) and Niko Goodrum intentional walk, the backstop got one to drop into shallow center to plate the game-winner and first of two insurance runs.
10. As bad as the Tigers' bullpen can be, relievers Louis Coleman and Joe Jimenez had things on lockdown for that afternoon, throwing two perfect innings and sending everyone home happy.

That was it for my super Saturday, one I hope I can top later this year.  In the meantime I have a COMC package arriving possibly as soon as tomorrow, a Sportlots cart that's almost ready (I'll be testing their Box option and report back!), and plenty more.  Eat 'em up, Tigers!

The Royal "We"

When I went to a pair of Tigers games back in mid-September I thought I was done for the year, but then my work source came up with one last pair of tickets for a Friday night tilt against one of our biggest division rivals, the Royals.  With Detroit still in the thick of the Wild Card race at the time, plus wunderkind Michael Fulmer once again taking the hill, I was thrilled to be heading back to the park one more time this season.

Here's a look at my ticket, which is of the season variety and hence features Tigers players.  My two others this year were Jose Iglesias and Miguel Cabrera (both of which I kept), but needless to say I was thrilled to get Verlander on this one, which I took as a very good sign (even though he wouldn't pitch that day).

Here's a gander at my scorecard for what ended up being an 8-3 home team win:

A few notes:

• Fulmer once again lived up to his excellent reputation by retiring the first eight batters he saw, four of them by strikeout, including striking out the side in the second.  He'd finish the game with nine, and struck out eight of the Royals' starters in seven spectacular frames
• I get very angry when my favorite teams' pitchers walk guys.  Why?  Observe KC's Danny Duffy's first inning.  He walked three of the first four hitters, then allowed a run on a wild pitch/catcher's throwing error.  That might have been the worst of it but then Justin Upton actually came up big with a double to knock in another run.  The Tigers scored a pair on just one hit.  Throw strikes!
• Upton was surprisingly effective in this game, and for the first time that I got to see in-person.  His two-out double in the first inning was big, and then he absolutely smoked a no-doubter into the left field seats in his next at-bat
• Cameron Maybin and Victor Martinez joined in the homer fun as well, with the latter starting off the festivities with a solo shot in the third, and the former following up his teammates with a two-run shot the next inning
• Mark Lowe continued to show why he was such an awful free agent signing, coming into the ninth with an 8-1 lead and allowing a pair of runs on a single, walk, and two-out, two-run triple.  The walk was the only allowed by a Tigers pitcher this game, and (B)Lowe simply wasn't throwing strikes when he needed to.  Shane Greene came on to record the final out, and by strikeout no less
• This victory allowed me to end the year with a three-game winning streak I can take into next season!

A wild weekend of wins

Last weekend I was treated to free tickets to a pair of Tigers night games from two different work colleagues--Friday against the Orioles, then Monday vs. the Twins.  This year's team has been an inconsistent squad that doesn't look likely to make the playoffs, but it's still fun to get down to Comerica Park for a game or two, especially when it's free!

Friday night's affair had me in the seats behind the right field wall just a few rows back.  I'd sat there thanks to the same work friend back in July for a tilt with the Twins, which unfortunately didn't go Detroit's way.

It was a beautiful night for baseball, plus I was excited to see likely AL Rookie-of-the-Year Michael Fulmer on the hill for Detroit.  He definitely didn't disappoint.

Here's a look at my scorecard:

A few notes:

• Fulmer went a strong 7 IP while giving up just 2 ER, a.k.a. a quality start.  Naturally the bullpen, in this case Alex Wilson, hung him out to dry in terms of a decision, then vultured the win when Detroit came back.  Anyway, it was a treat seeing a guy who has future ace written all over him
• See that little "7!" for Hyun Soo Kim's at-bat in the 3rd?  I like to use a "!" when I see a big play I'd like to remember.  In this case, LF Justin "Mendoza" Upton made a nice grab to take away a homer from the Orioles LF, though he made it look effortless.  Not unlike Upton's plate appearances--three strikeouts as part of an 0-4 day
• Baltimore scored their three runs on just five hits, with Adam Jones leading the way with a pair of singles and a walk.  Surprisingly, Detroit held big star Manny Machado in check with an 0-4 day I didn't see coming
• Miguel Cabrera had a similarly rough day with three Ks; his rough day along with a typical Upton performance and not much (until late) from Victor Martinez stalled the offense
• Not J.D. "Every day I'm hustlin'" Martinez, though--he singled in three straight ABs and walked, scoring Detroit's first run
• V-Mart hit a dramatic eighth inning blast to break the tie, and that was more than enough for closer Francisco Rodriguez to send us home happy

With a new winning streak on the line I headed back after work Monday evening for another beautiful night, this time to watch a divisional matchup against Minnesota.  This time I was sitting behind home a bit towards the visitors' dugout, WAY the hell up, which was a lot of fun thanks to the view:

One of Fuji's favorite players, Kurt Suzuki, was in the lineup for the Twins, so I took a few shots.  Here he is before his second inning AB:

Stepping up to the plate:

And taking a hack:

He went on to strike out, but I can't imagine he felt that bad--Tigers starter Daniel Norris finished with a crazy 11 in 6+ IP.  Norris had himself a night, striking out every Minnesota starter at least once except SS/3B Eduardo Escobar.

More scorecard goodness:

• Suzuki managed just one hit but it was a big one:  a solo homer, one of two allowed by Norris.  2015 All-Star 2B Brian Dozier hit his 40th in this game as well
• Detroit's own 2B, Ian Kinsler, started things off with a solo homer, and unlike the previously-mentioned Twins game from July, I didn't miss it!  The Tigers came close to scoring another run on a J.D. Martinez grounder, but after the umpires originally ruled him safe, the Twins challenged and the call was correctly overturned
• Norris was cruising for a while, but as with two of the three pitchers out of the bullpen that night he gave up a pair of walks, which made things more difficult than necessary
• Still, the pen locked things down for 2 2/3 innings and this time Shane Green swiped himself a win
• Tyler Collins took over for Upton in left after the latter injured his leg, possibly on an attempt to snag Dozier's eventual homer.  Collins performed exactly as Upton would have at the dish (for a fraction of the cost) by going 0-3 with a strikeout
• Fill-in 3B Andrew Romine surprised me by having a pretty nice game, going 1-1 with a double, HBP, and walk, the latter of which tied the game back up in the bottom of the 7th
• That was a fun rally, as SS Jose Iglesias followed with a double that scored Romine.  The Twins challenged the very close play at the plate and lost.  The very next play was an Ian Kinsler sac fly that featured another bang-bang play at the dish, and this one went the Tigers' way as well
• Cabrera was having another off night when he decided to give the Tigers a bit of insurance with a moon shot to right-center to make it 4-2
• Rodriguez made things much more interesting in the bottom of the 9th this time after getting two outs.  He walked Byron Buxton and Dozier, then got OF Robbie Grossman to ground out to short

I'm going to guess these are the last games I'll end up attending this year, but at least I finished on a high note with a pair of wins, one of which was secured by a late homer!

On a closing note, if you're still reading this, Fuji, I kept a small souvenir for you that I'll send at some point in the future.

Here's what I did with MY weekend...

Yep, I attended my first ever Brewers game at Miller Park.  My brother and sister-in-law were hoping for a visit before they move this Summer, so I drove up to Milwaukee on Saturday, and we took in the Brewers-Cardinals matchup on Sunday afternoon.

First up, pictures!:

I was thoroughly impressed with how easy it was to get to the stadium off the highway, with very manageable traffic and clearly marked routes.  Parking was a breeze as well since I sprung for the $9 "general" lot, which truly was easy in, easy out.  There was a good amount of tailgating in the lots pre-game, which was nice to see.  This walkway takes you on the fairly short walk from the lots to the stadium.

The dome was open that day, which was great since the temperature was right around 60 and the sky was pretty clear.  You can see Bernie's slide right through the opening, plus the very cool Harley-Davidson Deck on the left.

Here's a shot of the field where you can see what the stadium looks like with the dome open.  Even with it closed I think it would look pretty nice.

 

 

Here's a trio of shots showing off Milwaukee's '82 Pennant and retired numbers.  You can also see Bernie's slide in the first image.  These were from my seats on the terrace (read: cheap, upper deck) level on the third base side.

The view was still pretty nice from up there, though, and I got a few action shots.  Here's a rare case of a Brewer batting with someone on base against Jaime Garcia.

What's a Brewers game without the famous sausage race!  The Polish sausage took home a close win in this one.

Here's the front of my score card along with my $1 pencil.  I dutifully kept score through the top of the 8th, but this one was over by the second when St. Louis scored six runs.  The Brewers were comically inept, both at the plate (besides Ryan Braun), on the mound (sooooo many walks!) and in the dugout (you left Estrada in HOW long, Roenicke?!).  Still, I had a great time since I wasn't really rooting for either team.  I did enjoy this bit of trivia:  Sunday's Mexican pitching matchup of Jaime Garcia and Marco Estrada was the first such to occur on a Cinco de Mayo!

The biggest reason I chose Sunday's game, by the way, was this:

Corey Hart bobblehead day!  Too bad he was on the DL at the time, but it was still a fun giveaway nonetheless.

Here's some key Hart stats along with a blurb about the 1913 Brewers, whose logo and uniforms looked very familiar and spiffy.  The team wore the same thing for the game.

This was the third of 10 bobblehead giveaways this season, and Ryan Braun is next up for you collectors out there--you can grab one of him on May 26.  Hank Aaron is the next best get on July 7.  Not too shabby!

I'm not exactly Comic Book Guy, so I opened it up to take a look and grab a picture.  Very nice!  I do want to make it known that this is up for trade, though I'm just as happy to keep it, and I'd like something just as nice in return, preferably of the Tigers or Wolverines (and I'd want something better than cards).

Despite the epic beatdown (final:  10-1) the Brewers suffered in a game that reminded me of some of the Tigers teams from the dark years, I had an awesome time.  The stadium is excellent and lines for concessions and bathrooms are practically nonexistent due to their relative abundance.  I definitely wouldn't mind catching another game there sometime, but regardless, I'll definitely retain good memories of attending this one with my brother and sis-in-law!

And now, here are some things that rhyme with Corey: