2008 UD Timeline Pack Breaks

Here are the goods from todays puchase at BC Sports:

- Ichiro #48 Gold
- Clay Buchholz #176 20th Anniversary Gold Stamp
- David Wright #158 20th Anniversary Gold Stamp

Base Cards:
- Jeter #28
- Hamilton #47
- Buchholz #53 RC
- Bocock #90 RC

- Brandon Phillips #102
- Corey Hart #107
- Fred Lewis #114
- German Duran #116 RC
- David Ortiz #136
- Manny Ramirez #156
- Homer Bailey #190
- Jeff Baker #193
- Matt Holliday #243
- Frank Thomas #281
- Colt Morton #350

Black Friday & Blasters

The alarm went off at 2:50am, I hit the snooze button twice then got out of my warm bed to head for the mall. I had only been asleep for about 2 hours so you can call that a nap. I was in the mall parking lot by 3:20am with my first cup of coffee, waiting for my friend to meet me. Some stores were open when we got there (why I have no idea), but we were there for our free annual JC Penney snow globe of which I haven't even opened yet. They opened at 4am, and thus kicked off the Black Friday debacle for us.

Our schedule was done by the hour according to which stores opened at what times. JCP at 4, Modells/Old Navy at 5, Target at 6, Gamestop at 7. Target had a line from one side of the mall halfway to the other outside, and when they opened the doors the line was no more. So I ran. I ran like the wind to the back of the store to get my brother a video game. I made it there in like a minute, literally and asked for the game and it was SOLD OUT. REALLY?! That sucked. But I got all my DVD sales.

OK, enough girly shop talk. Now onto Modells....

Modells had coupons for 33% off any licensed sports apparel for one item and 33% off any licensed novelty item. I found a Stadium Club blaster (!), although $25 I figured I was taking a chance on a Pujols auto and rewarding my valiant early bird efforts. Well, the manager did the same. He gave me the 33% off the blaster, and I only ended up paying like $16. Hooray! I also picked up 2 blister packs of SP Authentic in Modells.

Then to BC Sports... I grabbed 2 packs of Timeline's thanks to my brothers debit card. I run an errand or two for him, and he rewards his older sister with cardboard. Awesome.

12 noon: Target #2 -- Another blaster of Stadium Club was found, as well as many blasters of Timeline, which by the way are only $14.99 if you can find them in Target. Well, long story short, the Stadium Club box didn't scan, and I ended up with that one for $14.99. Yay for me, not for mom who gets to pay and put those into my stocking which now will hold nothing else, and thats fine by me.

I spent a good 9 hours shopping on 2 hours of sleep, got a bunch of presents on a small budget and did pretty ok. I didn't spend much (of my own money) on myself, I helped my mom get some things on sale so she didn't have to spend extra money, too. I'm not usually a shopper for things other than baseball cards and coffee, but Black Friday is the best. And when you get sales on baseball cards, it makes getting out of bed at 3am worth it.

Stay tuned for pack breaks... I need to refuel and perhaps wash the nap off my face before playing.

Rolling with Trades

I am currently working on a trade with White Sox cards, and desperately need to log all my cards and figure out what I don't have.

In the meantime, one card I need is the 2008 UD X XPonential 2 Albert Pujols. I have 1, 3, and 4 and both the base card and die cut. Anyone leading me to that card will be rewarding in cardboard. As well as the Pujols Marquee Matchup cards from the SP Authentic.

A better blog will hopefully be posted later today, if not I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Guy Completes YSL Set

I stumbled upon this on Beckett.com and sadly, it maddened me instead of being happy for the guy. It's ok, I will finish it someday. Here is the article from Beckett for all to snarl at with me:



Collector Completes Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy Collection
By Chris Olds
11/21/2008 2:28:22 PM


Tommy Baxter, a 36-year-old precast concrete specialist from Little Rock, Ark., has accomplished something no one else in the world has been able to do: put together Upper Deck’s gigantic, 6,661-card Yankee Stadium Legacy Collection.

Baxter, an avid Cubs fan, is the first collector to piece together Upper Deck’s enormous insert set, which pays tribute to every single Yankees home game ever played at the historic venue since its doors opened on April 18, 1923.

“I’ve put together plenty of Upper Deck sets in the past, so I figured this was just one more to complete,” said Baxter, whose 11-year-old daughter, Madeleine, helped him sort the thousands of cards. “I really didn’t take it seriously at first, but once I got through that first series of inserts, I knew I had to finish it.”

That first series appeared in Upper Deck’s 2008 Series One Baseball set, which released on Feb. 5. That’s when Baxter got started. The cards were found one in every four packs. Within two weeks he had collected 200 of the YSL cards; he only had 6,461 to go.

Nine more Upper Deck baseball products were released during 2008 that each contained various YSL cards from the overall set. Baxter’s feat, therefore, is a study in patience and persistence. It was also an expensive pursuit for the single parent of one.

“I would estimate I spent a little more than $15,000 putting this set together,” said Baxter, who mentioned he finished the set the night before Halloween. “I remember it was a Thursday, since those were the days we’d collate the cards. Madeleine would go through and sort the cards every week. That night we knew we had this thing licked.”

It would have been sooner, but despite his best efforts with buying and trading the cards with collectors from as far away as Taiwan, there was one single card that kept eluding him: No. 4,272.

“It had Ron Guidry on the front. I couldn’t find that card anywhere. Nobody had it,” Baxter said.

He was recording each of the YSL cards online at Upper Deck’s ownthelegacy site. He was watching his numbers climb almost every day, but No. 4,272 was nowhere to be found. In the final week of October, though, he received the card from collectors in New Jersey and Florida.

“I couldn’t find that card for seven months and then I got four of them within the same week,” he said.



Once he had the complete set in hand, he quickly packaged up his work and shipped it off to Upper Deck headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif., for verification. Today Upper Deck staffers Chris Carlin, Terry Melia and Carrie Peterson certified the contents of Baxter’s shipment.



“All the cards are in,” said Carlin, Upper Deck’s hobby marketing manager. “Tommy’s accomplishment is incredible. He’s the first person to complete the set, so we’re ecstatic and very happy for Tommy and Madeleine.”

Baxter’s prize for completing the entire set of insert cards is multi-tiered. He and his daughter will receive an all-expense-paid trip to New York City in the spring at which time they will take in a Yankees game at the new venue and meet Yankees captain Derek Jeter. In addition, since 2008 marked the final MLB season in the old stadium, Baxter will receive 81 additional YSL cards chronicling the last campaign which brings the grand total of games played (and cards produced) to 6,742. And, of course, he will get all of his cards back to display proudly at home.

“You know, I was never really been a big Yankees fan, but I did always admire Don Mattingly,” Baxter said. “I liked his work ethic and I guess I always had a penchant for guys who could hit over .300 every year.”

Upper Deck still has four openings left for any other collectors who are able to piece together the entire Yankee Stadium Legacy Collection. The word is there are a few people who are just single digits away.

First Trade of the Blog

Drumroll please....... (this is where you all make the sound in your head for me)

The first trade of the blog has been made. Eric and I completed a pretty massive trade, of which I think we are both making out really good. I got what I think is close to or over 100, yes 100, Yankee Stadium Legacy cards and a Joba Chrome TCH for sending Eric lots of 2008 Moments & Milestones of Pettitte and Posada, a bunch of 2007 Moments & Milestones of Clemens including some black ones, and whatever cards I had that he needed for his collection of the Yankees he is working on.

I haven't logged all the cards into Beckett yet, but this will definitely put me over 600 cards for the set. One day, I will have all of them but for now I wish I could get the first 20 or so filled in to attempt putting them into a binder. Actually, that would end up being alot of binders, so maybe not.

I am very pleased, and this was a really fun experience especially after getting burned on the BMB once and never bothering again. I encourage people to write to us or leave us comments if you want to trade, you know what we like.

Upper Deck & Yankee Stadium Legacy Update

I just want to say that I have now sent 2 e-mails in regard to that waste of money box set from QVC and have not received a response. Granted the second one may not have started as politely as the first, but I have nothing better to do than to progressively get nastier with every e-mail I compose. Not that I am ever mean or cranky (ha).

I picked up 3 packs of Timeline today at BC, got one YSL card, and a gold Longoria SP #361, and a gold Daric Barton RC base card. The rest of the packs were boring. I still have those 2 2008 UD Masterpieces to rip so we will do that tonight or tomorrow hopefully.

Retail therapy isn't cheap.

2008 Stadium Club Pack Rip

Sometimes you can't help yourself and even for $25, you put money down on one pack of cards. In this case, every card cost me $5 since only five cards come per pack.
Here are the two main cards that I got in the pack. I don't remember who the base cards were.

Limited Edition Yankee Stadium Legacy Set

So.... we got hosed. $38.74 for 100 cards and 2 game-used jersey cards of no one specific. If I could choke someone at Upper Deck, I might. Don't get me wrong, the cards are nice looking, but they are not in chronological order which annoys me. We pre-ordered these 2 months ago, and waited... for what? We waited for 100 cards that are in no specific order, first card being Babe Ruth (which is the exact same card from the YSL blaster you can buy at Target for $19.99), and ends with card 100 the 1951 World Series. Figure that one out.

The game-used cards are an insult to card collectors. They lead you to believe that you could pull various Yankee game-used cards, and send you a blank card essentially with a swatch of a jersey that means absolutely nothing at all. I am going to post the description of this item so you can see what you might have expected had you placed an order for this product. It is serial numbered /53540.

My advice: save your money. (What do I know about that? Nothing.)

Here are the pictures and description of this set courtesy of QVC.com:






Be one of the few to own a piece of The Final Season of the vaunted Yankee Stadium with this Limited Edition card set, featuring great moments and great players from the team's history. It captures all the mystique and aura of Baseball's Cathedral in game-used memorabilia and images from its opening in 1923 to the final season and final regular season home game in 2008. The New York Yankees are the most successful team ever in sports, with 26 World Series titles--all of them won after this national landmark was built.

Grand slam set. If you're a baseball fan, this collection is the ultimate catch. Officially licensed by MLB and the Yankees, it is individually numbered and exclusive to QVC--it has never, and will never be, offered for sale anywhere else.

Two game-used cards. One card holds an actual uniform swatch, and the other a piece of a bat--both used at the stadium by a Yankee superstar like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, or Mariano Rivera.

All-Star lineup. This is the first set with cards from the 2008 All-Star Game, the fourth and final one to be played at the stadium. You'll own exclusive cards from this historic matchup.

Final game. The set contains cards featuring photos and commentary from the last regular season game ever played at Yankee Stadium, on September 21, 2008. This is the only 2008 trading card set with photos of the final game in the Bronx!

Pinstripes past and present. All-time legends forever commemorated on cardboard include Reggie Jackson, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Phil Rizzuto, Goose Gossage, Roger Maris, Sparky Lyle, Don Larsen, Red Ruffing, Wally Pipp, and more. Recent top Bombers include Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Don Mattingly, Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, David Wells, Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, and more.

If you must say good-bye to Yankee Stadium, make it a walk-off homer with this must-have memento. From Upper Deck.

* Includes 102 cards (100 regular photo cards and two game-used cards)
* Five cards commemorate the Greatest Yankee Teams Ever
* Officially licensed by Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Players Association, and New York Yankees
* Limited Edition to what is sold between today through the last home game of the regular season, scheduled for 9/21/08
* Manufacturer's Certificate of Authenticity on game-used cards; individually numbered
* Pinstriped collector's box
* Made in USA
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please feel free to comment if you ordered this same set, or think that I'm off my hinges for being kind of annoyed at Upper Deck.

I had some free time

With me, free time can be a dangerous thing. Usually, it means I end up in Atlantic City at a poker table somewhere.

This time I made a little deal with myself. I was allowed to go play poker, but only if I put up the cards that have been sitting on my desk in penny sleeves, waiting to find a home. These baseball cards need to be loved and, frankly, I can't give them the love that they need.

So I finally got some work done and managed to list about 80 or so cards on the Bay.

I put up my 2008 Stadium Club, although, I haven't listed the Gary Sheffield Team Beam autograph numbered to 99, yet. That is probably gonna go up tonight.

A Manny Ramirez 1st Day Issue, numbered to 599 will also make it up tonight. I have the card scanned, it's just a matter of putting the auctions up.

I also managed to get up the 2008 Timeline base cards. I haven't put up the variations yet, but Marie has hers up. There are a nice assortment of cards up there. However, also missing is my Brandon Boggs auto #'d to 99.

And, I listed some numbered UD Baseball Heroes cards that I have had since the summer. This is what happens when an entire month of your life is consumed by the Philadelphia Phillies.

As a little bonus, I thought I would head over to KMart to see if mine had the same deal Marie's had. No.

But I did end up with three packs of cards (1 SP Authentic, 2 UDX) and got three YSL cards. That should thrill Marie, however, one was a Jeter. Yay for me.

2008 UD Masterpieces & K-Mart

Today me and K-Mart are best friends. I go there to look for 2 Christmas gifts, and well I didn't get them. However, I did search the baseball card area, and hit the jackpot. It seems as though they were trying to get rid of some 2007 blasters, 2007 Rookies & Stars and 2007 UD Masterpieces and had them bundled as 2 blasters for $19.99. Only problem was, whoever bundled them accidentally bundled 2 2008 UD Masterpieces boxes for $19.99 and I snatched them up. It didn't dawn on me that those were the only ones until I was walking around thinking about getting other blasters, and when I went back I decided to cut my losses with this steal.

I haven't opened them yet because earlier in the day I went to Target. I picked up 5 packs of Timeline (yes, 5 - I normally do not purchase things in an add amount, but I thought I had 6) and opened those today. I got 1 YSL card, and TWO ALBERT PUJOLS!!! Wahoo!! Jackpot for me, thanks Target and thanks to $1.99 retail packs. I still need 1 of the Pujols cards from this set, if anyone has #142 let me know so we can work out a trade.

Tomorrow I will break one or both blasters. I am trying to hold off on opening them so I don't go out and spend more tomorrow. OK, I know what you're thinking so.... shush.

NL MVP Albert Pujols

Congratulations to my boy, Albert on winning his second National League MVP Award. Coming in second was Ryan Howard of the Phillies, who many thought would be the MVP for carrying the Phillies to the playoffs.

Just another reason to like Pujols, .357 BA this season and a lifetime .332 BA (not including 2008). At least his cards can't get much more expensive than they already are. Snarl.

I just won a sweet card of Pujols on eBay that I absolutely love and can't wait to get.



Stay tuned for the first trade of the blog with one of our readers. It will be a sweet deal for both of us.

2008 Upper Deck Timeline Pack Breaks

I only got suckered into 4 packs over the course of the week, which for me isn't terrible. Here is a quick breakdown of what I got, with some scans to show you what the cards look like if you haven;t purchased any yet.

-14 Derek Lee Gold SP
-18 Ryan Braun
-21 Tim Lincecum
-25 Brandon Webb
-27 Alex Rodriguez
-31 Manny Ramirez
-48 Ichiro
-67 Justin Masterson RC
-69 Micah Hoffpauir RC
-75 Max Scherzer RC
-94 Brett Lillibridge RC

Reprints / Short Prints

-107 Corey Hart
-117 Greg Smith RC
-119 Joey Votto RC
-124 Nick Swisher

-133 Greg Maddux
-150 Grady Sizemore
-154 Magglio Ordonez
-157 Travis Hafner 20th Anniversary Foil Stamp
-160 Matt Holliday

-184 Callix Crabbe RC
-187 Clayton Kershaw RC
-198 Josh Hamilton
-199 Kosuke Fukudome RC

-217 Chipper Jones
-263 Justin Morneau
-273 Carlos Beltran
-301 Rick Ankiel

-317 Daric Barton RC
-326 Jesse Carlson RC
-337 Johnny Cueto RC

1 Yankee Stadium Legacy card, 1455 Henrich

2008 Upper Deck Timeline (or lack of)

We ordered a case of the 2008 UD Timeline Baseball back in August as a pre-order from someone in good standing, and with good feedback on eBay. Apparently since then, this guy has jumped the shark and ran. In recent months his feedback has plummeted to 57.1%, and now we are going through the motions with PayPal to get our money back. Honestly, I would rather have the cards because we got the case at a steal of a price, and instead he stole our money. So if we end up getting a case of cards, there will be fun for everyone otherwise, no fun.

Moral of the story: If it's too good to be true on eBay, it very well might be.

Buuuttttt........ for those loyal readers out there who know me better than to have not purchased any of these, you are right. I will be back later with some scans and pack breaks. I may also have a surprise for tomorrow. (You can thank my local Target, who finally restocked and got some new things in.)

The Barack Obama Inaugural Edition

Beckett released information today stating that Topps will be releasing a 90 card set chronicling Barack Obama's historical campaign and election to the White House. The cards are set to release before the Inauguration in January and will have a price of $1.99 per pack.

Do I believe they will end up costing a heck of alot more than $1.99 a pack? "You betchya".

Silver Slugger Awards Announced

Look out Madonna, A-Rod still plays baseball despite his "poetic soul". Sorry, I felt like making a joke and including that cute little tid-bit Sooz heard on the radio today. Congrats to Jeter and A-Rod for another Silver Slugger award.

Here is the article that was posted on mlb.com today:

It's silver and gold for talented quartet

At the plate as well as in the field, the quartet of Joe Mauer, Dustin Pedroia, Grady Sizemore and David Wright can always find a way to help win a ballgame.

Silver Slugger Award winners this week, Gold Glove award winners last week. For Mauer, Pedroia, Sizemore and Wright, it's time to clear another place on the mantel for some shiny hardware.

2008 Silver Sluggers
AMERICAN LEAGUE AL
C Joe Mauer, MIN
1B Justin Morneau, MIN
2B Dustin Pedroia, BOS
3B Alex Rodriguez, NYY
SS Derek Jeter, NYY
OF Josh Hamilton, TEX
OF Carlos Quentin, CWS
OF Grady Sizemore, CLE
DH Aubrey Huff, BAL

NATIONAL LEAGUE NL
C Brian McCann, ATL
1B Albert Pujols, STL
2B Chase Utley, PHI
3B David Wright, NYM
SS Hanley Ramirez, FLA
OF Ryan Braun, MIL
OF Matt Holliday, COL
OF Ryan Ludwick, STL
P Carlos Zambrano, CHC

That foursome highlighted the 2008 Silver Slugger Award announcements on Thursday as offensive stars from both the American League and National League were saluted.

The Silver Sluggers, which have been given annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position, were selected by Major League Baseball managers and coaches. The managers and coaches were not allowed to vote for a player on their team.

In addition to Mauer at catcher, Pedroia at second base and Sizemore in the outfield, the remainder of the AL selection were first baseman Justin Morneau, third baseman Alex Rodriguez, shortstop Derek Jeter, outfielders Josh Hamilton and Carlos Quentin and designated hitter Aubrey Huff.

Joining third baseman Wright on the NL squad were catcher Brian McCann, first baseman Albert Pujols, second baseman Chase Utley, shortstop Hanley Ramirez, outfielders Ryan Ludwick, Matt Holliday and Ryan Braun and pitcher Carlos Zambrano.

Lincecum wins Cy Young Award

Tim Lincecum was named the National League Cy Young Award winner on Tuesday. It's just his second year in the league.

He received 23 of 32 first-place votes with Brandon Webb (73 points) and Johan Santana (55 points) rounding out the top three.

Check out all our Lincecum cards here.

Rookie of the Year Awards

MLB.com announced Rookie of the Year Awards on their website, so I figured we would share that with you. Here's the article from MLB.com.

Check out the Geovany Soto and Evan Longoria cards in our store.

Longoria, Soto are Rookies of the Year
Rays third baseman, Cubs catcher take home 2008 honors

Evan Longoria, the third baseman whose powerful bat keyed the Rays' remarkable turnaround season, and Cubs catcher Geovany Soto were named Monday the 2008 winners of their respective leagues' Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award.

Longoria was the unanimous American League selection of the 28 voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, for the 27 homers and 85 RBIs that followed his delayed addition to the Rays' lineup on April 12.

Longoria, also the only player named on all 28 ballots, and White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who drew 18 second-place votes and 59 total points, reigned over a deep influx of first-year players.

An unusually high number of 10 different rookies, half of them pitchers, attracted votes.

But none of them wowed voters like Longoria, the first unanimous AL winner since Nomar Garciaparra in 1997 (Albert Pujols took NL honors unanimously in 2001).

"This is so special. I appreciate every vote, and every writer who thought I was No. 1, " said Longoria, who spoke on a conference call from his California home and quickly set his sights on more.

"I know I had a great year, and if I can keep replicating it, I'll have a productive career," Longoria said. "But I know I have the ability to do a lot more. All I can do is prepare to the best of my ability. You can't control the results, only the preparation."

Soto was nearly as popular a choice in the NL, getting 31 of the 32 first-place votes after minding the critical defensive position for the Central Division champs while putting up 23 homers and 86 RBIs.

He was the only player named on each of the 32 ballots, his 31 firsts and one second resulting in a total of 158 points. Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto finished second with 76 points and was followed by Atlanta pitcher Jair Jurrjens (34).

"I feel very honored," said Soto, speaking from his homeland of Puerto Rico, calling the moment he learned he'd won the award "very emotional. It was a very good moment in my life.

"I worked really, really hard. And now I feel all the work paid off."

The Reds had the distinction of placing three young talents among the top five, with right-hander Edinson Volquez and outfielder Jay Bruce following Jurrjens.

Volquez's presence on that list is definitely unique: No longer a rookie, the pitcher was mistakenly placed on the ballot and received three votes for second, thus there was an obligation to include him in the final results.

2008 NL Rookie of the Year Voting
Player, Club 1st 2nd 3rd Points
Geovany Soto, CHC 31 1 158
Joey Votto, CIN 1 21 8 76
Jair Jurrjens, ATL 6 16 34
Edinson Volquez, CIN* 3 9
Jay Bruce, CIN 7 7
Kosuke Fukudome, CHC 1 1 4
* Volquez received votes despite being ineligible as a rookie.

Longoria, the first Rookie of the Year in Tampa Bay's 11-season history, also became the first third baseman to earn the award in the AL since his current Tampa Bay teammate Eric Hinske -- who played that position for Toronto in earning honors in 2002.

Ironically, Longoria identified Hinske and Cliff Floyd as the two veteran teammates on whose advice he depended while making the challenging transition to the Majors.

"I tried not to show it, but I was in awe most of the time," said Longoria, who cracked the Rays' lineup 22 months after having been the team's No. 1 pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. "I knew staying in the big leagues is a lot harder than getting there, and I constantly talked to Cliff and Hinske about handling certain situations."

Soto is the first Cub honored with the award since pitcher Kerry Wood in 1998, and the first catcher in the NL since the Dodgers' Mike Piazza in 1993.

"I had a huge responsibility with the pitchers," Soto conceded. "Day in and day out, I just prepared the best I could. It was a rollercoaster all season, and everything just happened for the best."

The rookie award caps off a remarkable year for the 25-year-old Puerto Rican native, four months after he'd been elected by fans as the first rookie catcher to start in an All-Star Game.

Soto's power numbers were 47-year highs for Cubs rookies. Billy Williams hit 25 homers and drove in 86 runs while also earning NL Rookie of the Year honors in 1961.

Soto gave heartfelt props to teammate Henry Blanco, thanking the veteran catcher for being "in my corner, like a big brother."

"I owe him a lot of my success," Soto said. "It was huge having him on my side."

2008 AL Rookie of the Year Voting
Player, Club 1st 2nd 3rd Points
Evan Longoria, TB 28 140
Alexei Ramirez, CWS 18 5 59
Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS 7 5 26
Mike Aviles, KC 2 3 9
Armando Galarraga, DET 9 9
Joey Devine, OAK 1 3
Denard Span, MIN 3 3
Nick Blackburn, MIN 1 1
Joba Chamberlain, NYY 1 1
Brad Ziegler, OAK 1 1

There were premature ends to the storybook seasons of the first set of Rookies of the Year to play in the postseason since 2001, when Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki appeared with the Cardinals and Mariners, respectively.

Longoria's Rays dropped the World Series in five games to the Phillies, while Soto's Cubs couldn't survive a Division Series meeting with the Dodgers.

"I want to get a ring. That's why you go to Spring Training, to ultimately win it all," said Soto, not short of further motivation. "I want to work harder, to have a better season and help my team win again, then go deeper into October."

Longoria's aspirations are more basic following his second full professional season during which he played 129 games (including the first seven in Triple-A), but missed 30 others with a fractured right wrist after being hit by a pitch in early August.

"My No. 1 goal is to get myself ready and healthy for 162 games next year," Longoria said. "I want to play every day. If I do that, I know everything else will fall in place."

National League Gold Glove Awards

This article was taken from the National League side of things, we have the article from the Phillies.com website. Congrats to the Phillies on the World Series, and to Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins for winning gold gloves.


Rollins, Victorino snare Gold Gloves
Shortstop wins second award; outfielder first-time recipient

By Ken Mandel / MLB.com
PHILADELPHIA -- The Oct. 10 box score shows Shane Victorino with two hits and four RBIs, a huge offensive contribution in Philadelphia's 8-5 win over Los Angeles in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.

Ask Victorino about one of his prouder moments from that game, however, and he'll likely start with the "F8" that retired Casey Blake -- a leaping grab against the wall that preserved a lead, keeping the Phillies in control.

Gold Glove Awards
National League
P, Greg Maddux, LAD
C, Yadier Molina, STL
1B, Adrian Gonzalez, SD
2B, Brandon Phillips, CIN
3B, David Wright, NYM
SS, Jimmy Rollins, PHI
OF, Carlos Beltran, NYM
OF, Nate McLouth, PIT
OF, Shane Victorino, PHI

For efforts like that, which came with two outs and two on, Victorino earned his first of what could many Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. He and teammate Jimmy Rollins, who won his second straight and second overall, were named Wednesday among National League winners.

"Of course, you want to do well offensively, but I always take pride in my defense," Victorino told ESPNews. "There's times you're struggling at the plate, [but] there's never a time that you should struggle on defense. There's no time that you feel, 'Oh, my first step is not there, or my legs aren't feeling good.' At the plate, you fail more than you succeed in this game. When you go on defense, it's about helping your team win."

The switch-hitting Victorino was in center field for 134 of his 138 starts this season, after shifting from right to replace Aaron Rowand. He committed just two errors in 323 total chances in center field and had a .994 fielding percentage, third best after Pittsburgh's Nate McLouth and Milwaukee's Mike Cameron.

Victorino is the fourth Phillies outfielder to win the award, joining Rowand (2007), Bobby Abreu (2005) and Garry Maddox(1975-82). This season is the 10th time in franchise history the Phils have had multiple Gold Glove winners.

The winners were selected by managers and coaches from each NL team. Managers and coaches couldn't vote for their own players.

The rest of the NL winners were Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, Mets third baseman David Wright and outfielder Carlos Beltran, McLouth and Dodgers pitcher Greg Maddux.

One of the standard methods of constructing a winning baseball team is to secure adept defenders up the middle, typically at catcher, second base, shortstop and center field.

The World Series champions have two of those spots covered in Rollins and Victorino.

Despite missing 25 games with a sprained left ankle, Rollins paced NL shortstops in a league that contains sterling defenders Jose Reyes (Mets), J.J. Hardy (Brewers) and Miguel Tejada (Astros). This is his second successive and second overall Gold Glove.

Rollins led the NL with a .988 fielding percentage and a career-low seven errors in 593 total chances. Rollins is the first Phillies shortstop to win the award in consecutive seasons and first player to do so since Scott Rolen in 2000-01.

"It's an honor anytime you are recognized as one of the best defensive players in the league," Rollins said in a statement. "It's something I work very hard at and I understand the importance of playing on both sides of the ball. I would like to thank all the managers and coaches for believing I'm one of the best."

The 2008 season marked the 52nd year of the Gold Glove Award. The first were awarded in 1957 to one player at each position from both leagues, then expanded the next year to include a lineup of nine players, one from each league.

"It's an honor," Victorino said. "Growing up as a kid, you heard about guys winning Gold Gloves and being known as the best defensive player at their positions. To be awarded that is definitely a reward."

American League Gold Glove Awards

Gold Glove awards were announced today, and here is the article that was seen on Yankees.com. Congrats Moose!

NEW YORK -- His future with the Yankees may remain uncertain, but his status within the baseball world is as clear as ever. Mike Mussina confirmed that much on Thursday, winning his seventh career Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

Mussina bested every other American League pitcher to nab his first Gold Glove since 2003, his third with the Yankees, and his seventh overall since 1996. Now with more AL Gold Gloves than any pitcher other than Jim Kaat, who won 14 straight from 1962-75 and an additional two in the National League, Mussina has entered rarefied air among the top defensive pitchers in history.

Gold Glove Awards
American League
P, Mike Mussina, NYY
C, Joe Mauer, MIN
1B, Carlos Pena, TB
2B, Dustin Pedroia, BOS
3B, Adrian Beltre, SEA
SS, Michael Young, TEX
OF, Torii Hunter, LAA
OF, Grady Sizemore, CLE
OF, Ichiro Suzuki, SEA

And the fact that Mussina won this year for the first time in half a decade seems fitting. This season marked something of a renaissance for Mussina, who posted his lowest ERA since 2001 and won 20 games for the first time in his career.

"I was hoping that I'd be important to the club this year," Mussina said in August, after proving that importance time and again. "I was hoping I'd have a role like I've had in the past."

Mussina easily could have been referring to his role as a defensive asset, which he established in Baltimore last decade and carried with him to the Yankees. Mussina made just one error -- his first in three years -- in 200 1/3 innings this season, despite ranking 11th in the league with 42 total chances. His fielding percentage of .976 was sixth among pitchers with at least 200 innings, and more remarkably, he did it at the age of 39.

Mussina's award came one day after Greg Maddux, at age 42, won his record 18th Gold Glove Award in the NL. Among pitchers in both leagues, Mussina's seven Gold Gloves rank fifth in the 52-year-history of the award.

The first Gold Gloves were awarded in 1957 to one player at each position from both leagues, then expanded the next year to include a lineup of nine players, one from each league.

The winners are selected by AL managers and coaches, who can't vote for their own players. Johan Santana won last year's AL Gold Glove for pitchers, then moved to the NL this season and lost out to Maddux.

Joining Mussina on the AL team was catcher Joe Mauer of the Twins, first baseman Carlos Pena of the Rays, second baseman Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox, third baseman Adrian Beltre of the Mariners, shortstop Michael Young of the Rangers and outfielders Torii Hunter of the Angels, Grady Sizemore of the Indians and Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners. Hunter and Suzuki each won their eighth straight awards, joining a Gold Glove team that included four first-time winners.

And accolades, most will admit, are nice -- but they can't erase the uncertainty that has surrounded Mussina since last season ended. Mussina filed for free agency on Wednesday, and he has not yet informed the Yankees whether he will pitch next year.

Originally thought to be playing out the final contract of his career, Mussina opened the door for a return after enjoying one of his most successful seasons. He now stands merely 30 wins shy of 300 -- a number that traditionally begs Hall of Fame consideration, and that could entice him to return.

"I'm not sure what he is going to do," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said at season's end. "Whatever Mike Mussina does, he has had a wonderful career up until this point, and I believe that he is a Hall of Famer."

"I don't know what the future holds," Mussina said after winning his 20th game of the season in his final start. "It could be my last year, it may not be my last year. When you get to your 18th season, it could always be your last season."

But if he does return, it's a near certainty that he'll do so with his defensive prowess intact. Mussina has made just 11 errors over his past 11 seasons, and he certainly does not plan on making many more.

"You make adjustments or they find someone else to get the job done -- it's that simple," Mussina said in July. "Fortunately, I've been able to make changes for quite a few years, and that's why I'm still out there."

Yankee Stadium Legacy

Drum roll please...... We got 64 total Yankee Stadium Legacy cards in the case. 1 double, 2 Jeters (for Sooz), and 61 for me! That was exciting. What I will say was very annoying as always was trying to log all of them into Beckett last night. Maybe it's me, maybe it's my connection but their server is super slow most of the time I am on there. I will say this, the new way of logging the cards in is great if they are all from the same set, it should make things much quicker this way. However, when the server/site freezes every third or fourth card it begins to get frustrating. I know it's a free service and as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

I'm done ranting now. So with the addition of 61 new cards, my new total is...... 501! Which is awesome to have surpassed 500, but still is just 501/6661. (Snarl)

What I was thinking last night while cursing at Beckett is how the heck to get the rest of these. I knew it was going to take a while to do, but with them only being produced for one year, it makes me wonder how the price of the individual cards will run in the upcoming months, or perhaps (and I hope) people will no longer care because they are last years news.

If anyone has some to get rid of and wants to trade for some stuff, by all means drop me a line. I'm willing to trade most players for the Yankee Stadium Legacy cards.

2008 UD Masterpieces Case Autographs

OK, now that you have all seen the game used cards, I'm sure you're interested in what autographs were pulled. I am still leaving something out because I'm banking on Sooz telling you about it. I didn't include the dual GU/Auto cards since they were posted in the previous blog. Here goes:

2008 UD Masterpieces Game Used Cards

This is the breakdown of Game Used cards that we pulled from the case, we ended up with 2 Freddy Sanchez and 2 Khalil Greene. The "holy grail" of Game Used cards, and well the case will be posted by Sooz, hopefully later tonight. Probably one of the best cards we'll ever pull. I'm going to do a blog of all the auto's later tonight or tomorrow so everyone can see them. Everything is in the store.