Beer in the bleachers

Alcohol was banned in the bleachers long before I ever sat out there so I can't vouch for the craziness, but Sooz can. She has been sitting out there way longer than I have. A few weeks ago they announced that beer will now be allowed in the bleachers and will be sold in the bleachers as well. As if there wasn't enough entertainment out there already. There has always been alcohol out there, just not purchased from Yankee Stadium. According to this article in the New York Post, they will be selling 12 oz. beers for $6. Much more cost efficient to drink a 6 pack from the supermarket in the parking lot for the same amount of money as one beer from them.

The last time I bought a beer in Yankee Stadium was when the Yankees played the Red Sox in the ALCS a few years back because my seats were in the tier above home plate. It cost me $8 for a cup that was warm, or maybe it just seemed warm because it was about 30 degrees out. I took 2 sips and handed it to my brother who was happy to have it.

I can bet that on Friday or Saturday I won't be purchasing a beer despite the "coolness" of finally being able to after years of sitting out there.

The BEST EVER 2009 Heritage Blaster

OK, so I got crap in my last blaster but this made up for it tenfold. Although I did not get a chrome or refractor, I am not disappointed. I decided to rip the packs tonight out of boredom and curiosity.

The first pack made me happy despite the fact that I don't care for what it was. I pulled a Cameron Maybin game used bat card, and a Placido Polanco SP.



We are going to fast forward to pack 5, and then I will show you the other inserts. Pack 5 caught me way off guard. I saw the top of it and was like whoa there, then actually read it. I pulled a Real One Autograph hand numbered 43/60 and all red ink of Mat Gamel. Sick pull for a blaster considering some hobby boxes don't even contain an autograph.




Somewhere in the packs I pulled a Marcus Thames SP, along with the inserts pictured below. Pack 7 also contained 9 cards instead of 8, which oddly enough while holding the contents of that pack I thought felt a wee bit heavier.





So far since the blasters have been around I have opened 4, this is the only one that had a game used card much less an autograph. I think I am going to quit buying these after this one because it's not going to get any better as far as odds. In 4 blasters I did not see an Albert Pujols or Derek Jeter, not that I expect to see them ever but it's a pleasant surprise sometimes to get them.

The autograph is sweet, however I don't care for Mat Gamel and will end up trying to trade it or sell it. One completed listing for a red ink auto makes this look promising if I decide to sell it. I'm not sure how many base cards I needed out of this, but I didn't really intend on trying to complete the set. I have a ton of doubles available from previous blasters, and I'm sure more from this one. If anyone needs any let me know we can work out a trade for something.

- Need some quick cash, to pick up a few more cards for your collection, but your wallet's tight? Don't worry about a thing, hop online and check out a vast array of resources available to you. Check out a cash advance, and get stunning pieces today!

I was bored...

So bored in fact, that I drafted a random fantasy baseball team on Yahoo! and oddly enough it is so awesome. Too bad this league wasn't for any money. I have no idea what the scoring is, but really this team is going to win it anyway regardless of what the scoring system even is. Here is what I ended up with:

C: Brian McCann
1B: Mark Teixeira
2B: Brian Roberts
SS: Jose Reyes
3B: Alex Gordon
LF: Jacoby Ellsbury
CF: Vernon Wells
RF: Ryan Ludwick
UTIL: Pat Burrell
UTIL: Xavier Nady

SP: Roy Halladay
SP: Cliff Lee
SP: Clayton Kershaw
SP: A.J. Burnett
RP: Mariano Rivera
RP: Jose Valverde
RP: Joba Chamberlain
P: Matt Garza
P: Jair Jurrjens
P: Chien-Ming Wang

BENCH: Jorge Posada
BENCH: Raul Ibanez
BENCH: Derek Jeter
BENCH: Robinson Cano
BENCH: Hunter Pence

I really like this team, and supposedly this is one of those "competitive" leagues so we'll see what happens. I also got roped into a league with some people from work. One of the guys was doing a free league with some friends and they needed a few more people so me and the only other girl that are there joined. I feel like that one will provide some good entertainment as well.

I have issues thinking I will be checking this team, though I can probably change my line-up once a month and be fine.

Nasty weather

Last night we got some really nasty weather in my area, hail was the size of quarters and silver dollars. It was coming down so hard we thought the windows were going to break, the deck was covered and so was everything else. Today I go outside to run an errand, I look at the hood of my car and it is dented like Swiss cheese. It got pelted and destroyed, hood and trunk alike. I checked the other cars on my driveway and they were all dented, but not as bad as mine. Lucky me. So we have to have the insurance company come look at everything. Did anyone else experience this lovely weather last night? If you did, I hope you checked your cars. It has hailed here before, but never the way it was last night- it was absolutely insane.

After it calmed down I was going to open my one lonely blaster that I was saving for a rainy day, but my dog was being a baby and needed to practically sit on my lap. So I was babysitting one dog, and my brother was babysitting the other dog. In their defense, it did sound like we were being invaded.

On another, more related to the blog kind of note, I picked some YSL cards from a dude selling them for a buck each over 2 weeks ago and I am still waiting. He said he was out of town on business and blamed his wife for not mailing them. Really? That's the best excuse he could come up with? I wanted to let him have it and ask him why he didn't just e-mail me when they were purchased and let me know he was out of town along with some other choice words, but I decided to just wait it out.

Baseball season can not get here fast enough. I am bored out of my mind.

1142

That is how many Yankee Stadium Legacy cards I have right now. I got a package on Friday or Saturday from madding containing a good chunk of cards that I needed. I just logged in 47 cards total from all the bubble mailers this week. I know Sooz has some more for me also so that is cool.

I have a great deal from this years UD thanks in part to fellow bloggers because I don't think I pulled any of my own, other than buying on eBay. So thanks to all the people who have sent me cards, and e-mailed me with offers for trades or donations. All are appreciated.

What I have zero of is another story. I do not have a single card between #2000-#2099, not one. I haven't even researched which product these numbers were released in, but it's very odd that in a year of collecting these cards I haven't come across a single one. If anyone has any info, or better yet any cards between 2,000-2,099 please let me know.

P.S. 7 days left til baseball season starts!!! I'm so excited.

The BGS mailday you've all been waiting for

Yesterday I am leaving the house to go to the gym when I see the Fed Ex truck circling the cul-de-sac. He stops in front of my house just as I'm opening the car door, and I was wondering why until I saw the tiny box in his hands. He had a box of Albert and I needed to open it. I opened it right where I stood on my driveway using my keys to tear the tape.

Needless to say, I was super happy with the results and I think it met my expectations as far as what I thought about the raw cards before sending them in. I knew I didn't have 2 10's here, and I thought they both had a good shot at a 9, and the Bowman maybe even a 9.5. Here is how they came back: (drumroll....)



You can click on the cards to see all the subgrades for both.


Despite the argument both ways about to grade or not to grade, at least now I know that they will be protected for years to come. I can always pick up spares that are not in mint condition for my binder later if I want to (which I can bet that I won't). For whatever the reason may be, there are certain players rookie cards I don't like to keep in my binders just in case something were to happen, i.e. page creases or binder falls and damages a page or pages. It sounds crazy since I am super careful but you never know.

Another reason to love the readers

In the mail yesterday I got a bubble malier from Charlie, who writes the blog behind these hazel eyes. Charlie was kind enough to send me a TON of Yankee Stadium Legacy cards in lieu of something to be named or picked later. He is currently looking to downsize his card collection as you can see from reading his blog. Charlie was also kind enough to include a card I didn't have and love, a 2008 Baseball Heroes charcoal Albert Pujols #156. Here are a couple of scans to make this blog look more aesthetically pleasing:




For some reason when I look at that Ruth card, I feel like he is looking up at someone doing something really annoying and possibly mumbling something under his breath.

I put together a package for Charlie that went out yesterday, and I think he will like it just fine. I included only players that he had on his want list, and I hope he doesn't have them. One of the cards that I sent I absolutely loved because it is one from a subset that is so hard to find, and I am sure he will appreciate the card once he sees it.

Make sure you stop by Charlie's blog, his want list is very player specific and he is a great guy to trade with.

Welcome home Adam

Today we are welcoming a new Adam Lind card to the collection. Please give a round of applause to a 2007 SP Rookie Edition Adam Lind RC Autograph. At a whole $2.00, this one was well worth the bargain price even despite the sticker being partially placed over the rookie card logo. I'm not going to lie, the placement of the sticker is kind of annoying but there really is no other place to put it if you look at the card. Now if he actually just signed the card (gasp!), this wouldn't be an issue.

This is going to be added to my Beckett checklist, then put into my binder. For some reason, the only guy's autographs that are in any of my binders are Lind's. All of my others are in snap cases for protection. I guess if he ever pans out he can relocate, though not likely I will care enough to move all of them.

I need your help...

I got an e-mail today from Beckett (I hear those snarls and grumbles) saying that my graded cards (I hear it again) have been shipped. The cards I sent were a 2001 Bowman Pujols RC, and a 2001 Topps Gallery Pujols RC. Now here is my dilemma. If I click on the order number to see where they are, it will tell me what they got graded... I want to be surprised when they get here and open the box, but at the same time I sent them off in January and I have been dying over here. Granted I chose the cheapest service because I wasn't going to pay more to get them graded than I paid for the cards in the first place.

Do I look? Do I wait? I don't even know how long the shipping will take.

In the words of the great Spongebob Squarepants, "Barnacles!!!"

Red Hot Rookie Redemption In Hand!

After over a year of waiting, there were two Tri-Star fulfillment envelopes in my mailbox today. Red Hot Rookies number #11 Clayton Kershaw, and #14 Pablo Sandoval have arrived and are pretty sweet looking. I scanned both the front and back of each card to show everyone what they finally ended up looking like after all this waiting and anticipation. Simply stated, they are really nice Topps Chrome refractors. I like them because they are un-like all the other cards out there. I'm going to hold onto them for a bit and decide if they are worth trading, at least I think that's what I am going to do.

What sets these cards apart from other rookies is that they are alot harder to find, and they are different than your average rookie card. Probably would have been a cool idea to continue these from year to year, but with the length of time it took them to deliver on them I can see why they are not doing that. I think Kershaw is going to be a great pitcher, and I have also heard great things about Sandoval from fellow bloggers as well as from reading stuff. I don't think I did terrible on these two guys.

Let me know what you think of them, or if you got yours today who you got as well as what you think of 'em.

Player Collector Alert

I mentioned in the previous blog that those cards were from a nice guy by the name of Todd. What I failed to know at the time was that Todd has his own blog, and after a 10 year hiatus has just been getting back into collecting again. He is a Casey Blake collector, and unfortunately it doesn't look like I have much to offer him though I am going to keep looking. Todd's blog is called Wax Pack Relapse, and he posts breaks and blogs, and sometimes does some youtube stuff as well.

I'm always happy to do a plug for good traders and nice people. I also hope that someone out there has some Casey Blake to unload. Stop over at his blog and check it out, and let him know if you have anything for trade.

Mail Day

Currently I am sitting in my desk chair watching Mariano Rivera pitch the 7th inning against Boston in a tie 1-1 game. I figured I would share a very generous mail day from Todd, a reader of the blog. My delay in sending his cards hopefully will not make him a non-reader.

Todd sent over the 2009 Spectrum red /250 Pujols as we discussed, and threw in a 2008 SP Authentic Marquee Matchups Pujols/Lidge, and a retro 2009 Topps #4, Jones, Pujols, Holliday card which makes me want to go find myself a retro blaster. Those cards are way cooler than the base set. I scanned those cards for your viewing pleasure. Todd was also kind enough to throw in some Yankee Stadium Legacy cards which made me smile from ear to ear.

I am going to dig some more to look for more cards for Todd, so keep an eye on your mailbox.

Go Yankees!!

World Baseball Classic

I'm not too sure how many people out there have sat down and watched these games, but I for one have watched maybe 5 innings total of this "classic" event. I couldn't care less about this, and the fact that Japan is playing Korea for the championship, or whatever, doesn't make me want to watch that game either. So much for America's pastime.

I honestly don't see the point in this event. It tears guys away from their teams in spring training, and sometimes these players end up getting hurt while playing and wind up on the DL. I understand that can happen in spring training, but really they are not going all out for spring training games like they are when they are actually competing for something. This is what the Olympics is for, well it was until they shut it down in 2012. Baseball and softball are shutdown for the London 2012 games, and there is still talk of what may happen at the summer games in 2016. This should not replace the Olympics.

The final game is on tonight at 9:30 live from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in case anyone out there is actually interested.

A&E Biographies - Andre the Giant & Jose Canseco

Saturday I wasn't feeling so well, so I was laying in bed watching the Villanova game and at the half I was channel surfing. I came across the A&E biography of Andre the Giant (I am going out on a limb here that you all know who he is) and was instantly sucked in. I used to love the old school WWF matches, and went to a whole bunch of them as a kid. I once had ringside seats when the Bushwhackers were still wrestling, I did not get licked but let me tell you the fake teeth were a flyin'. At any rate, I never knew Andre's background, and how he got into the WWF so I found all the old footage very cool and informative. Some of that footage I still remember, like Andre choking Bob Uecker.



After this was over it was followed up with Jose Canseco: Last Shot, which cemented me into my bed for yet another hour of tv watching. Again, another athlete that I watched as a kid and him and McGwire were the guys all the kids wanted a rookie card of. Even as a youngster I was keenly aware of baseball cards, and potential value. The story was rather interesting, and was mostly about his life after baseball. Jose is still jacked, and was still taking steriods at the start of the filming of the biography. 24 years of injecting himself with steroids, and still going... We were taken on a small tour of his current life, meeting his girlfriend, touring his house, seeing him play on his softball team, and going on doctor visits. Jose has lived in I believe they said 7 different residences in the past 5 years, and his current address required a year's rent down because he has filed for bankruptcy. During the filming he quit using steroids, and has had problems with his testosterone levels as a result, and was put on medication to try and regulate that.

One part that was rather interesting was him talking about the players named in his book, and telling everyone that he is known as "the Godfather" of steroids because he introduced them to a lot of players, and educated them on what to take based on what he does with what mix. He showed them that if they take this one, they need to do this workout routine, and eat these foods. He showed a number of players mentioned in the book what to do and all were different depending on what they wanted to take, etc. He is not allowed in any MLB stadium, and has not been for some time since being banned from baseball. He had a contract with an independent team that he did not fulfill and was currently being served papers for not finishing out his contract. He is not a welcome face in most places, but the one game he did attend in a minor league park many fans went up to him and asked for autographs, pictures, and talked to him.

Canseco did mention that he regrets writing the book, and regrets even more naming the players that he implicated as steroid users. He said that he wrote the book because he was alone in the matter, used as a scapegoat by being banned, no one would talk to him, and no one was punishing everyone else when he was definitely not the only one using. They used him to make an example out of and told players if you are caught you will end up like that guy. Jose didn't like that, and didn't like that no one wanted to talk to him or believe him that this was very commonplace and he was not the only one. So they didn't listen prompting him to get it all out one way or another and he chose to write a tell all book. After seeing this, I don't know if they book was written to get MLB officials back for not listening or to try and pay his bills.



I'll be the first to admit I thought he was a royal jackass when this book came out. Now.... well, he looks like a genius because so far he has been dead on with what he said. Funny how the blackballed player, and the "biggest liar" turns out to be fairly, if not totally honest.

I did find it a little odd that he was repeatedly saying how he wants to be clean, yet was appearing very proud for what he did for the sport. He didn't seem to regret being "the Godfather of steroids". I'm not sure if his sad, lost puppy type of demeanor in this was really how he feels or is right now, or just a way to pay his bills right now. With a house gone to foreclosure, a 24/25 year steroid habit, and a health problem that will inevitably cost him quite a bit of money who knows what to believe out of what he said. Maybe he will end up clean, maybe he won't- either way I'm not sure how many people in baseball will care.

If you guys get a chance to see either of these they are both worth the hour of time to watch.

The ride home

Tomorrow morning I will be headed home from Salem, Va. The team I covered, Richard Stockton College, lost 61-52 to defending national champs Washington University in the Division III national championship.

It was a fun season. I genuinely like the guys on this team. I usually can't say that about all the people I cover. I've met some real jerks, but not these guys.

Anyway, to treat myself, I am thinking about hitting the Reading, Pa., card show tomorrow. It's not White Plains or the Philly show, but it's something right? When I was in Denver two years ago, I hit a card show there and bought a box of Turkey Red. I pulled a Dick Perez signed Derek Jeter large box topper /25. Perhaps I should try finding something local and try my luck on the road again.

Reading (pronounced redding) would put me an hour of my way in an already six-hour drive.

What do we say?

Reading or straight home?

By the way, anyone else watching the W. Kentucky/Gonzaga game?

2009 Mayo Albert Pujols

This is probably my favorite Pujols card of 2009 so far, as far as subsets go. It came to me from Steve, who writes the blog, The Easy Life. Steve's blog has a great deal of information and scans on the set. Now as for the card, it isn't the sharpest card, or the most colorful, but there is something about it I just love. There is just something cool about a card that I don't have 7 of the same card in different colors for years. Topps hit a homerun with this set with me. This is a far better subset than most other things around right now, i.e. Starquest (which I am still chasing a rainbow of colors to complete).

I picked up 4 retail packs today at Target as a sorry you can't go to the card show gift for myself. I got air. Dan from Grand Cards and Lucy at Dinged Corners will benefit from my trip to Target today as I am sending off some cards to each of them tomorrow. I really just wanted to see if anything came out of those since I opened a blaster the other night and walked away with 3 SP's and not one Chrome or Refractor, much less a gu anything. You will just have to wonder if I gambled on another blaster.

The one thing that kind of sucks about the Mayo cards is that last I looked, they are not yet in Beckett and I would like to log in my cards before I put them away so I am hoping they get those in there sometime within the next few days.

Salem Card Shop

'Salem Card Shop' doesn't really exist. I looked, Dave. However, I did a search in the yellow pages for card shops in the Roanoke, Va., area , where I am currently holed up.

I don't have a lot of time to spare while I am down here. I am covering Richard Stockton College in the Division III men's basketball Final Four. (If anyone wants to join my live blog tonight from the game, you can go to www.pressofatlanticcity.com/sports. I may need some friends).

I did find one card shop not too far from here in the yellow pages. But that could be deceiving because many times they are still listed on yellowpages.com, I ended going to the shop and it's been converted into a laundry-mat.

Last year (or two years ago), Marie and I went on a baseball card shop around southern New Jersey and parts of southern Philadelphia. I think there were just 2 or 3 shops left on the list of about 20. So, I am not expecting much, but this place is on the way to the arena. I won't be losing any time if I do a drive by and it's no longer there.

However, I am going to give myself and extra 10 minutes in case the shop is there and it's still open.

I already struck out at the 24-hour Wal-Mart last night. They used to sell cards, but recently stopped.

The only other thing I might do is a hit a small card show in Reading, Pa., on the way home since I missed all three major card shows in my region for the last three weekends.

Wish me luck.

Yankees Tickets Pre-Sale Success

Today the Yankees offered a pre-sale of tickets for the exhibition games against the Cubs, Opening Day, and other "premium games" to full season ticket holders, which includes half season plans as well. I was up bright and early (10am) and refreshing until the option popped up to enter my choices and my pre-sale password.

I had a plan worked out before I went to bed and all appropriate windows were up and waiting from the night before, on two computers just in case one had a problem for some reason. My plan was initially to secure the exhibition games then go for Opening Day, but that changed as soon as I woke up and realized that was kind of dumb. My tickets for Opening Day are currently for sale to help pay for my season tickets, so I wanted to get another one for myself so I could go. I secured 2 tickets for Opening Day for me and Sooz, and was able to get the exhibition games as well.

The cool thing about the exhibition games is that they are the same price as tickets were when Yankee Stadium opened in 1923. Bleacher seats were 25 cents, and I got 4 tickets to each game totally $3.75 per game total with shipping. Surprisingly Ticketmaster did not charge a convenience charge for these tickets, which was nice since they were intended to be cheap. I wonder if hot dogs are going to be a nickel, because I would gladly have one for a nickel even if they are bad for me, I just want to be able to say I had a hot dog for a nickel at some point in my life. I would also like chicken fingers. You may think that's crazy, but in the bleachers in the old stadium they did not offer chicken fingers, and I am sure in 1923 they didn't have them either, but I want to sit in my bleacher seat and scarf down some chicken fingers.

At any rate, I am so amped up for the regular season it's killing me. I have been watching most televised spring training games and it just isn't the same. You can only take them so serious knowing they mean absolutely nothing. I know NCAA is March Madness, but I would still take baseball over it.

Is anyone else going to their home teams opening day? Anyone going opening night in Philly? Sooz will be there covering that game, I wish I could get a ticket for that it will be a great night and Phillies games are awesome to go to. The best part of Phillies games is the ice cream there. Anyone who has ever had Phillies Graham Slam knows what I am talking about.

eBay mailday - Adam Lind auto

Hi, my name is Marie and I am addicted to cardboard. The first step is admitting you have a problem. Though I have no idea what the second step is, I am pretty sure it involves fixing that problem. Clearly, I have no intention of fixing my addiction.

I picked up this card sometime last week on eBay for a whole $1.74 which is well worth it to me. It is a 2007 Topps Co-Signers dual autograph of Adam Lind and Delwyn Young.

Oddly enough today I was browsing on eBay and saw a 2007 Masterpieces auto of Lind that I really wanted because it is on card, however the bidding got to $3.50 and for some reason I find that kind of ridiculous. I understand in the scheme of things that $3.50 is not alot of money to spend on an autograph, and of a person who I collect. The problem here is that I am just not really sure if I think he is worth $3.50 for one card. Maybe I am crazy. Don't say it.

Some people think he could have a break out year this year, but I will wait to see it with my own eyes before believing speculation. My whole reason for starting this in the first place is based on speculation, and the fact that I could scoop up cards at a cheap price. Then again compared to Pujols anything is a cheap price. We'll see what happens.

2009 Topps Cereal Box Sighting

I spotted them yesterday in Sports Authority with a price tag of $11.99, which is $2 bucks more than if you found them at Wal Mart. They also had 2009 Topps Series 1 Blasters for $24.99. I said not thanks to both and continued to the running sneakers (which I didn't buy either).

I have a shiny new blaster to open, which I will probably be doing tonight and writing a post about that. I also got a sweet card in the mail which I will post later on.

I found two random packs of Heritage in Target the other day so I had to buy them, just in case there was a Pujols refractor in one of them. There was nothing in either pack except my 2nd (yes, 2nd out of all the cards in the set) Hanley Ramirez Mayo card. Luckily I found a good home for the extra one, and that will be going out very shortly.

Spring Tease

Today it's exceptionally warm in my area of New York. By exceptionally warm, I mean I don't need a coat to go outside. I had a little fun before work detailing little parts of my car that needed a little cleaning, and vacuuming it all nice. I love the time of year when you can go outside clean the car and not worry about what you are spraying freezing to the car or to your hands. Sadly my fingers are currently covered in brake dust, and I don't mind one bit. This is also making me very antsy for baseball to start already. Just a hint of warm weather and I am ready to wash the car, plant some vegetables, and go to a baseball game.

Tomorrow it is supposed to be cold again, but at least I enjoyed my short time of Spring and I am hoping that it will come back to visit very soon.

P.S. Happy St. Patrick's Day! The picture on the left was taken one year ago today at Brighthouse Field where the Phillies have their Spring Training facility. Sooz and I were there celebrating St. Patrick's last year. I also drank a green beer later that same night, in case you were wondering.

Albert Pujols in Sports Illustrated

As if I needed another reason to like this guy here comes a great piece on him in this weeks Sports Illustrated magazine. The article basically puts him in the same league as Babe Ruth as far as being able to hit homers on command, and Roberto Clemente for all the charity work he does and donations he makes. The article also points out that he is deeply religious, and would never offend God by taking steroids. Albert wants us to believe in him, and knows most people don't. Albert knows that the more he produces the less people will believe that he did this with his own talent, muscle, and natural ability. The message he wants to get out is to believe in him. Sure, no problem Albert- I got your back.

I would tell you all more, but then what fun would reading it yourself be?

I am sure there are a bunch of readers out there that are going to say he's nuts thinking we will all believe him, that I am nuts for believing him, and I know all about how much he charges for autographs because I am sure someone is going to throw that in. Bottom line is it's guys like him who have their own foundations to help other people, donate time and money, and don't expect anything in return that people should look up to. There are plenty of other players who do the same thing with charities and helping those who are less fortunate, and those guys are all heroes to someone- regardless of how many homeruns they hit. If he ends up on that list of 200 players, I will gladly eat my words about believing in him- but I don't think it will happen.

Now as for this Sports Illustrated issue, it is off to an Ultra Pro sleeve and into Pujols' binder.

Fantasy baseball draft results

Here are the results of our fantasy baseball draft:

Carolina Xfractors
1. (1) Hanley Ramírez
2. (24) Prince Fielder
3. (25) Dustin Pedroia
4. (48) Kevin Youkilis
5. (49) Jonathan Papelbon
6. (72) Joe Nathan
7. (73) Matt Wieters
8. (96) Corey Hart
9. (97) Max Scherzer
10. (120) Shane Victorino
11. (121) Brandon Morrow
12. (144) Justin Upton
13. (145) Brad Hawpe
14. (168) Matt Garza
15. (169) Kevin Slowey
16. (192) Johnny Cueto
17. (193) Erik Bedard
18. (216) Travis Snider
19. (217) Hiroki Kuroda
20. (240) Chris Snyder
21. (241) Nelson Cruz
22. (264) Joey Devine
23. (265) Carlos Gómez
24. (288) Jed Lowrie
25. (289) Paul Konerko

Purple Donkey
1. (2) David Wright
2. (23) CC Sabathia
3. (26) Matt Holliday
4. (47) Jake Peavy
5. (50) Dan Uggla
6. (71) Álex Ríos
7. (74) Adrián González
8. (95) Daisuke Matsuzaka
9. (98) Troy Tulowitzki
10. (119) Chris Davis
11. (122) Carlos Mármol
12. (143) Matt Cain
13. (146) Pablo Sandoval
14. (167) Ryan Zimmerman
15. (170) Milton Bradley
16. (191) John Danks
17. (194) Trevor Hoffman
18. (215) Justin Duchscherer
19. (218) Felipe López
20. (239) Hideki Matsui
21. (242) Chris Carpenter
22. (263) Taylor Teagarden
23. (266) Chris Duncan
24. (287) J.J. Putz
25. (290) Rick Porcello

Legion of Boom
1. (3) Albert Pujols
2. (22) Johan Santana
3. (27) Alfonso Soriano
4. (46) Brandon Phillips
5. (51) Geovany Soto
6. (70) A.J. Burnett
7. (75) Josh Beckett
8. (94) Garrett Atkins
9. (99) Joakim Soria
10. (118) Hunter Pence
11. (123) Kerry Wood
12. (142) Mike Aviles
13. (147) Chris Young
14. (166) Nick Swisher
15. (171) Aaron Harang
16. (190) Brett Myers
17. (195) Jered Weaver
18. (214) Adam Jones
19. (219) Edwin Encarnación
20. (238) Travis Hafner
21. (243) Ubaldo Jiménez
22. (262) Kevin Gregg
23. (267) Miguel Tejada
24. (286) Hank Blalock
25. (291) Jason Motte

The Franchise
1. (4) José Reyes
2. (21) Álex Rodríguez
3. (28) Cole Hamels
4. (45) Carlos Lee
5. (52) Mariano Rivera
6. (69) Derrek Lee
7. (76) Robinson Canó
8. (93) Scott Kazmir
9. (100) Bobby Abreu
10. (117) Chien-Ming Wang
11. (124) Francisco Cordero
12. (141) Johnny Damon
13. (148) Zack Greinke
14. (165) Cameron Maybin
15. (172) Xavier Nady
16. (189) Oliver Pérez
17. (196) Alex Gordon
18. (213) A.J. Pierzynski
19. (220) Pat Burrell
20. (237) James Loney
21. (244) Andy Pettitte
22. (261) Matt LaPorta
23. (268) Wandy Rodríguez
24. (285) Yadier Molina
25. (292) Mike Cameron

Grand Cards
1. (5) Miguel Cabrera
2. (20) Lance Berkman
3. (29) Roy Halladay
4. (44) Jason Bay
5. (53) Curtis Granderson
6. (68) Francisco Rodríguez
7. (77) Michael Young
8. (92) Ryan Ludwick
9. (101) Carlos Delgado
10. (116) Ryan Dempster
11. (125) José López
12. (140) Justin Verlander
13. (149) Ted Lilly
14. (164) Scott Baker
15. (173) Jair Jurrjens
16. (188) J.P. Howell
17. (197) Mark Buehrle
18. (212) Jonathan Sánchez
19. (221) Manny Parra
20. (236) Chris Volstad
21. (245) Fred Lewis
22. (260) Andy Sonnanstine
23. (269) Kelly Shoppach
24. (284) Randy Winn
25. (293) Brandon Inge

Cards on Cards
1. (6) Grady Sizemore
2. (19) Ian Kinsler
3. (30) Justin Morneau
4. (43) Nick Markakis
5. (54) Francisco Liriano
6. (67) Rafael Furcal
7. (78) Carl Crawford
8. (91) Joba Chamberlain
9. (102) Chone Figgins
10. (115) Jonathan Broxton
11. (126) Bengie Molina
12. (139) Javier Vázquez
13. (150) Adam Wainwright
14. (163) Jayson Werth
15. (174) Chad Qualls
16. (187) Chris Young
17. (198) Adrián Béltre
18. (211) Rick Ankiel
19. (222) Denard Span
20. (235) Joel Hanrahan
21. (246) Frank Francisco
22. (259) Ryan Theriot
23. (270) Dioner Navarro
24. (283) Anthony Reyes
25. (294) Paul Maholm

Boneyard Braves
1. (7) Josh Hamilton
2. (18) Nate McLouth
3. (31) Brian McCann
4. (42) Chipper Jones
5. (55) Brian Roberts
6. (66) Aubrey Huff
7. (79) J.J. Hardy
8. (90) James Shields
9. (103) David Price
10. (114) Derek Lowe
11. (127) Brian Fuentes
12. (138) Raúl Ibañez
13. (151) Gavin Floyd
14. (162) Mike González
15. (175) Jesse Litsch
16. (186) Gil Meche
17. (199) Bronson Arroyo
18. (210) Jack Cust
19. (223) George Sherrill
20. (234) Adam LaRoche
21. (247) Yunel Escobar
22. (258) Kenshin Kawakami
23. (271) Rickie Weeks
24. (282) Jeff Francoeur
25. (295) Ramón Hernández

WESTCOAST PIMP
1. (8) Vladimir Guerrero
2. (17) Manny Ramírez
3. (32) John Lackey
4. (41) Alexei Ramírez
5. (56) Torii Hunter
6. (65) Joey Votto
7. (80) Cliff Lee
8. (89) Mike Napoli
9. (104) Edinson Vólquez
10. (113) Jorge Cantú
11. (128) Joe Saunders
12. (137) Jermaine Dye
13. (152) Ben Sheets
14. (161) Jose Arredondo
15. (176) Kendry Morales
16. (185) Elvis Andrus
17. (200) Huston Street
18. (209) Kelvim Escobar
19. (224) Khalil Greene
20. (233) Jarrod Saltalamacchia
21. (248) Troy Percival
22. (257) John Smoltz
23. (272) Willie Harris
24. (281) Gary Sheffield
25. (296) David DeJesús

gcrl
1. (9) Ryan Howard
2. (16) B.J. Upton
3. (33) Matt Kemp
4. (40) Chad Billingsley
5. (57) Ervin Santana
6. (64) Carlos Quentin
7. (81) Jhonny Peralta
8. (88) Jon Lester
9. (105) Ryan Doumit
10. (112) Bobby Jenks
11. (129) Ricky Nolasco
12. (136) Mark Reynolds
13. (153) Kelly Johnson
14. (160) Chris Pérez
15. (177) Jim Thome
16. (184) Matt Capps
17. (201) John Maine
18. (208) Jason Kubel
19. (225) Troy Glaus
20. (232) Carlos Guillén
21. (249) Hong-Chih Kuo
22. (256) Orlando Hudson
23. (273) Cristian Guzmán
24. (280) Randy Wolf
25. (297) Nomar Garciaparra

Victorious Secret
1. (10) Ryan Braun
2. (15) Tim Lincecum
3. (34) Russell Martin
4. (39) Ichiro Suzuki
5. (58) Magglio Ordóñez
6. (63) Adam Dunn
7. (82) Derek Jeter
8. (87) Joe Mauer
9. (106) José Valverde
10. (111) Mark DeRosa
11. (130) Carlos Peña
12. (135) Clayton Kershaw
13. (154) Brian Wilson
14. (159) Vernon Wells
15. (178) Aaron Cook
16. (183) Randy Johnson
17. (202) Armando Galarraga
18. (207) Orlando Cabrera
19. (226) Jamie Moyer
20. (231) Jason Giambi
21. (250) Chase Headley
22. (255) Ken Griffey Jr.
23. (274) Plácido Polanco
24. (279) Shaun Marcum
25. (298) Jon Garland

Gabe's Babe
1. (11) Jimmy Rollins
2. (14) Evan Longoria
3. (35) Brandon Webb
4. (38) Carlos Beltrán
5. (59) Jacoby Ellsbury
6. (62) Brad Lidge
7. (83) Rich Harden
8. (86) Víctor Martínez
9. (107) David Ortiz
10. (110) Yovani Gallardo
11. (131) Conor Jackson
12. (134) Howie Kendrick
13. (155) Tommy Hanson
14. (158) Andre Ethier
15. (179) Heath Bell
16. (182) Fausto Carmona
17. (203) Jorge Posada
18. (206) Mike Pelfrey
19. (227) Tim Hudson
20. (230) Joe Crede
21. (251) Kosuke Fukudome
22. (254) Kevin Kouzmanoff
23. (275) Luke Scott
24. (278) Jeremy Guthrie
25. (299) J.D. Drew

The Dude
1. (12) Chase Utley
2. (13) Mark Teixeira
3. (36) Aramis Ramírez
4. (37) Dan Haren
5. (60) Félix Hernández
6. (61) Stephen Drew
7. (84) Roy Oswalt
8. (85) Jay Bruce
9. (108) Chris Iannetta
10. (109) Carlos Zambrano
11. (132) B.J. Ryan
12. (133) Elijah Dukes
13. (156) Brandon Wood
14. (157) Delmon Young
15. (180) Josh Johnson
16. (181) Dayan Viciedo
17. (204) Matt Lindstrom
18. (205) Lastings Milledge
19. (228) Billy Butler
20. (229) Jeff Clement
21. (252) Clayton Richard
22. (253) Micah Hoffpauir
23. (276) Clint Barmes
24. (277) Adam Lind
25. (300) Phil Hughes

2009 Fantasy Baseball Draft Today

Live draft for the fantasy baseball league will take place today on Yahoo! at 6pm.

Can't wait to see everyone there and talk some smack. Which means I will have to think of some clever smack between now and then.

2007 Exquisite Rookie Signature

I came across this card (2007 Exquisite Rookie Signature Materials 12/99) on eBay last weekend, and luckily for me there was only about 7 minutes left when I did. I put in a bid for about $3.00 or so, and ended up only paying $2.25 for this awesome looking card. From the eBay scan, and even my own it looks like the signature is on card but upon in person inspection, it is a sticker- a very carefully placed one at that. You can hardly tell that it is a sticker, and I am going to make myself believe that he signed the sticker while it was on the card. Heck for $2.25 I don't care how the heck it was signed.

Quad relic autograph for that price, you can not beat it. I don't really seek out his cards much these days with all the other things I am trying to track down but he does end up in my watch list often. I really look for Pujols and Cano before anyone else, and the Yankee Stadium Legacy set which has consumed my life. This is my first relic/auto combo of Lind and it is a serial numbered quad game used which makes me very happy.

Help with 2009 Pujols

I need the 2009 Topps Heritage chrome refractor of Albert Pujols, so here is what I am proposing.... I have 2 chrome refractors of Pujols from last year, and I want to trade one for this years. This card is not for trade in any other instance, however I need to get my hands on the 2009 card. I am hoping someone out there has a double of this years, or has one they don't care about having to send my way. If you want a different card for it, by all means we can talk.

Now, here is another card I have but want to trade... A Mark Teixeira 09 Spectrum Red /250 (card pictured for your viewing pleasure). Looking for a serial numbered Pujols from this set in return, or even the black or emerald Starquest cards from this year.

There is a card show in my area next weekend, and I am hoping to go to that to pick up a few cards maybe.

2009 Topps Heritage Blaster Break

After watching Card Junkie's video break on his Heritage blaster, I had to open mine. I also waited until I knew Target would be closed before I could get there to buy anything else. I was surprised that there were no Mayo cards in the blaster, but I guess because they distribute the same blasters to all stores and only send Target retail boxes with their exclusive cards.

In the blaster there were 2 SP's, Zach Duke and Kevin Millar (I hate him). I also got a refractor of Ivan Rodriguez which was cool to pull, but not someone I have any interest in.




Here are the Flashback inserts that I got:





I'm not disappointed in the blaster because I don't expect much out of them, but I am probably not going to buy another one of these and just take my chances on a retail pack here and there if I want something this way I can try and get some more of the Mayo cards. I am growing quite fond of those, and last check the Pujols one that was up for auction was $10.50. That is very surprising to me for some reason, I feel like it's the first one on there and people are just scrambling to get it not really knowing much about it.

Oh Target how I have missed ye

After all my complaining about Target, today I want to commend them for finally getting in my favorite blasters thus far, 2009 Topps Heritage. I swore this would be my first blaster of 2009, and I was not lying. I have this perfect little box sitting on my printer just wanting to be opened up. I went to Target with a friend today before we went to lunch and I was practically giddy knowing that I was going to buy one on the way out. When we left, I made her pick the box since I usually pick a crummy one I figured I would try her luck. We'll see how that goes later.

Now let's rewind to yesterday.... I picked up some loose packs in a different Target, despite counting the two retail boxes and noting one pack missing from each. Ahh, pack searching, how I hate you and your micrometer. Since I think the game used cards in this set suck anyway, I bought some packs just to try for a Pujols refractor or some Mayo cards. 8 packs yielded one Mayo card of Hanley Ramirez, and 2 SP's- Nick Swisher and Shane Victorino. I didn't scan them because you know what the cards look like by now.

Here is where I repeat why I love blasters and would sooner buy a blaster if they are available rather than buy just a few packs loose. I don't expect much out of retail even if it isn't searched already, but once it's been searched you know you really have no chance of anything. Yes, with the blasters you may be spending a bit more than if you just grabbed 2 or 3 packs, but you get the piece of mind that you are paying for packs that a micrometer has not touched.

Target also had Topps Series 1 blasters today, which I think were the retro ones, but I didn't have the code with me so I left those on the shelf. I have that code if anyone needs it, it's above the bar code 1-825-50-12-9. Call me crazy, but I want to go back and I haven't even opened the box yet.

The best kind of Red Sox fan...

is one that sends me Jeter rookies. (Although Yankee fans, especially in the bleachers would have finished that another way.) I made a trade with Section 36 sending him the team set of 2009 Spectrum Red Sox (boo), and asked him to send over some earlier pre-2001 Jeter's, Mariano, or Jorge- providing they were cards Sooz already had. That was fairly easy since she has a zillion. Good news for me because I got some awesome cards today, I scanned Jeter although there were Jorge cards, and Mariano as well.

One card that came as a total shock was a 93 Topps Derek Jeter Draft Pick, I really love that he hates the Yankees. I actually don't have this card for some reason, though it is entirely possible that it is in a screwdown case since I was taught that young to place all cards that could be valuable in screwdowns or toploaders. (Ironically I hate screwdown cases, I find them annoying.)

Here are the goods from the only cool Sox fan:

1993 Topps Draft Pick


1994 Bowman


1996 Topps Stadium Club


1997 Donruss Fan Club


2001 Upper Deck Vintage


Gotta love the floating head action in this retro card. I have a similar card of the Yankees from the 2001 Fleer Tradition (probably the only 2001 box I bought back then- there was no Pujols card in there).

I also landed this cool Jeter card:

2007 Derek Jeter Retrospectrum


I like the retrospectrum idea for the Jeter subset, however it is not something I can actively pursue now with the Yankee Stadium Legacy debacle, but Sooz is trying to finish that set. I don't believe she has all of them yet, so if you have any extras let her know.

A "Grand" Surprise

Today was an 'I love the mail' day. I seem to be having these days more often than 'I hate the mail' days, which is awesome. When I opened my mailbox today, it was just how I like to see it- stuffed with bubble mailers. There was one in there that came as a total surprise to me, and made me very curious the whole 4 minutes home. It came from Dan over at Grand Cards, and boy was it grand. Dan sent me the only 4 cards I had any interest in from the Wal-Mart Topps black set and made my day.

Here is what I got:

#4 Jones, Pujols & Holliday


#217 Pujols 2008 NL MVP


#290 Albert Pujols


#94 Adam Lind


I think I like this set better than the actual base set simply because it's something different. The blacked out backgrounds made the players images jump out, plus they just look a heck of a lot nicer to me.

Thanks so much Dan! You saved me from having to update my want list twice, since I never had a chance to add these then take them away. If anyone has any spare Curtis Granderson cards, send Dan an e-mail.

A new season and new stadium

Although I am super excited for baseball season to be starting in about 4 weeks, I am only a tad excited to see the inside of the new stadium. It is so hard to think of the Yankees playing anywhere else but the Stadium. I have been going to games since the late 80's as a kid, and have had the privilege of seeing a great number of games over the years and even more so in recent years with my season tickets. It's a shame for anyone who never got the opportunity to see a game from one of the greatest places on Earth as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps other teams fans won't really understand this, and wonder how I could not be super happy about a whole new state of the art stadium but it just isn't that simple.

Shea Stadium was torn down and I did a jig, not so much because I dislike the Mets, but that place was a dump. It was purple and ugly, and you can even see pictures online that make it appear as a toilet bowl. I will actually make an attempt at some point this season or next to get to Citi Field to see a game, preferably when they are playing the Cardinals. I have also been saying I am going to do that for about 3 years, and have yet to go but I think now I might actually follow through since it's not Shea.

Yankee Stadium hosted so many play-off games, World Series games, and many other historical moments. You can't replace how a place made you feel when you walked in, or how you felt walking into the first game of the season and seeing the inside of the Stadium. I am sure I will like the new stadium just fine, but all the magic and memories of all the Legends that have played in that Stadium are gone now. Hopefully all of Jeter's friendly ghosts packed their bags and moved across the street.

Did anyone else find it difficult to see their team playing in a new stadium after many years and memories or were you happy to see it happen?

Card Cleaning Success

I want to thank everyone who was kind enough to give my old cards a good home, or take them and give them to children in the area, whatever the case may be. I was able to get most teams out to people who wanted them, and I still have two to mail out for trades. I cleaned out one full box of 900 cards, and part of another with still some cards left to spare from a friend and a yard sale.

There are many cards still left if anyone is interested. I still have Reds, A's, Rangers, Padres and possibly some other extras.

I also sent out a few random bubble mailers to some fellow bloggers who have been very nice to me with trades, or just found some cards I knew they would appreciate. I also received many packages like this, so I like to return the favors. I am working on sending out stuff to Todd Uncommon, Stale Gum, The Pettitte Pursuit, and Chris. Those cards will go out by Friday, I am gathering and packing them up tonight.

First Look: Mayo Baseball Inserts

I had to return something at Target today and as luck would have it they finally got in some 2009 Topps Heritage packs, still no blasters though. I contained myself and only picked 2 packs, those being the 2 packs on the bottom of the box. The box was still full so I figured I had a chance at something since the box wasn't searched. I ended up pulling 1 chrome card of Beltran, which I didn't scan and 2 Mayo inserts.

The Mayo cards are cool looking to me, however I feel like they are a little too dark. They could have lightened the pictures just a tad, especially the A-Rod one. This looks like it would be a fun subset to put together, but I am not going to be trying to do that. My only concern is finding the Pujols one, if there is one in the set (I haven't checked a checklist yet). Topps gets an A from me for a cool subset that doesn't look like everything else we have all seen already.





I scanned the back so if anyone is curious they can see what they look like. The pack states that 'Target Continuity' cards are 1:4 packs so I guess I lucked out going 2/2. I don't plan on trading either of these cards because I like Braun, and well A-Rod is still A-Rod. There were no dark backs in either pack, I figured there wouldn't be because normally that kind of stuff is hobby exclusive.

I am crossing my fingers for blasters to surface soon because I want one so badly. I haven't picked up one blaster in 2009, and believe me or ask Suzy when I say that is a major feat for me. I used to get them almost daily and kept a stockpile in my room for rainy days.