What is your favorite part of Spring Training?

You can see by the sporadic blog posts the last few days that I have been buried in books, and enjoying the weather and Sooz has been busy as well. Nice weather starting up makes me think of one thing: baseball. When you walk outside and you smell grass and not rock salt, a cool 70 or so degrees outside, open the sunroof and windows and head to... oh wait, it's only March.

I try my best to watch the spring training games when I am near a tv, or at the gym on the cardio machines but it's hard for me to stay interested when I know the games mean nothing. What keeps me paying attention to the news, scores, and sometimes the game is seeing the starting pitching. More so the back end of the rotation for the Yankees since there is a competition for the 5th starter spot. I was pretty sure that Mitre or Gaudin had no chance, and well if they did.... I would question many things.

Personally I want Phil Hughes to become the 5th starter and think he should be working towards that this spring. Despite him doing such a great job as a set up man, he is what the Yankees need if you ask me- homegrown talent. I would really like to see a young kid who has been in the farm system grow as a player and come up with the team the way guys like Andy and Mo did. I know I was mad that they put Joba in the bullpen, but his performances were a little scary as a starter at times. I feel like Joba has the mentality of a closer, and for a guy with such a great fastball he may be better suited to be the heir to the throne so to speak.

As far as cards go these days, I haven't picked much up since the Heritage but have been sent tons of cards in the mail from many people who I have been meaning to thank. All the cards are in a stack waiting to be logged in when I have time to put into that. I still need a couple of Heritage of Pujols, and a Lind black refractor to finish that off. Otherwise I don't think I am pursuing building that set.

I am also going to post a for trade type of blog post sometime this week with some cards I want to trade for stuff. I would rather cards be where they are appreciated than just piled on my desk.

My first TTM request

I've been meaning to send out a TTM for about 2 years now. It's not that I don't have the time to write a short note and stop at the post office, I just never think about doing that or remember until spring training is over. I could send them during the season but in my tiny pea brain I am convinced the odds are better if I get them sent out during spring training.

I sent my first one to Phil Hughes one of the Yankees pitchers who is competing for the 5th spot in the starting rotation. Hughes pitched great out of the pen last season and really was the best bridge to Mo that we could have asked for. While he was great as a relief pitcher, I am 100% behind seeing him get the 5th spot. I made sure I was at his first start in the majors because I was so excited he finally got called up, and oddly enough one of my favorite memories of him was watching him on tv when he had the no hitter going in Arlington... Until he got hurt, then I was sad for him because he was hurt and because who knows how that game would have gone after.

Anyway, I sent the custom made card that topher from Crackin' Wax made me sometime last season and I squirreled it away until now. I had to order a special pen from eBay to send along with the card that was instant dry, and smear resistant. The pen was cool, I had to try it out before I sent it because I am pretty sure that's a pen I'll never see again.

With the custom Game Day Graphers card for him to sign, I sent about 10 cards and told him he could keep all of them if he would like them. I am not expecting any of those back, but I wouldn't be upset if they came back.

Package was sent March 5th, and we will see when I get the return. I am toying with sending one or two more but I feel like that is too ambitious for a person who took 2 years to send anything much less a card that was made specifically for that purpose.

Has anyone sent out any TTM's this spring training? Who did you send to?

Barry Zito and his revenge

It seems as though Barry Zito doesn't forgive and forget, or even realize that it is ONLY Spring Training. Last season Prince Fielder hit a homerun off of him, and Zito was not a fan of how he was showboating after doing so.

You can read the full article here from the St. Petersburg Times.

If anyone wants to send Zito a card for TTM, I don't suggest using his 2010 Topps Series 1 card... or his 2010 Topps Opening Day card...

Thanks to Pete from Dropped 3rd Strike for sending me the link to the article. Go to his blog, he busted a boatload of 2010 Topps Heritage.