Jason Heyward is good ... or so I heard

Atlanta Braves rookie Jason Heyward signed a promotional deal with Topps, the Topps blog posted earlier today.

Heyward will appear in Bowman, Topps Chrome, Allen and Ginter and Triple Thread this year.

Right now, his only cards are minor league cards and prospect cards. His "rookie cards" will appear later this year in Topps releases.

Heyward is off to an amazing start, and the article in Sports Illustrated by Tom Verducci wasn't too bad either.

In 10 games, he's hitting .316 (12-for-38) with three homers and 12 RBIs.

According to Beckett, Heyward currently has 222 baseball cards, including 116 autograph cards.

So what's the most sought after? It seems collectors can't go wrong with 2008 Bowman Chrome cards of Heyward. That's if you have the money for them.

Speaking of cards I can't afford, Heyward's 2008 Bowman Chrome red refractor /5 and graded a 9.5 sold for $9,500. Yep.

Another one bites the dust.

I got an e-mail last week from a new blogger on the scene, Brandon, who writes the blog "A Fan in Wisconsin". Brandon is an Astros fan who found a card that he thought I might like. Boy was I glad he found this card because it was next on my RC hitlist of Albert.

Despite the fact that it has taken me this long to acquire this particular card, it has always been one of my favorites to look at.

There are still a few RC I need that I will be willing to trade most anything for them. I am still trying to get a hold of 2001 Topps Traded T247 and Topps Traded Chrome T247, T99. I know there are a few more I need but those are next on the list.

Thanks for the trade, Brandon. Be sure to stop by his blog he has some autos and game used stuff he's looking to trade.

Sticking to the plan

Since I said I was going to try and only buy singles I have been doing such a good job of that and I'm pleased with the early year pick-ups so far. The one thing I hadn't thought of in this "great" plan was that if I don't buy any packs, blasters, or boxes, how will I trade for the cards I want? Yeah, so this plan will be easy until something new gets released. We all know once 2010 Series 1 comes out, I'll be the first one on daily Target checks.

Anyway, while I am still behaving I took a trip to the Baseball Card Store to see Dave who was holding a nice Pujols for me. He also showed me a a video of Shaq challenging Pujols to a Homerun Derby. If you are interested in watching it, it's pretty amusing and the part when A.J., Albert's son is in the cage was my favorite. He has his Dad's swing down to a T. Look out MLB. There are a bunch of different segments but I'm pretty sure that is the one I liked best.

I picked up this beauty.....

2001 Donruss The Rookies R97 Albert Pujols RC

I had also brought in some game used jersey cards that I no longer had an interest in to see if I could trade a few for something fun. Indeed, I had found something fun. I traded a Ron Guidry Sweet Spot GU Jersey card and a Johan Santana Legendary Cuts Jersey card for this:

2004 Fleer Authentix Albert Pujols game used jersey card

Pretty damn sweet. I also got an e-mail yesterday that there are more Pujols cards there for me to thumb through so hopefully I make it over there tomorrow or Monday.

Anyone looking for game used jersey cards I have a ton to unload so if you are looking for a specific player to add a card or two to your collection let me know, chances are I may have one.

2009 UD Rookie Edition Rack Packs

I am a little behind posting some of my findings from K-Mart, but a while back I mentioned that I picked up some 2009 Upper Deck Rookie Edition rack packs. The only reason I got them was because I was curious what the rookie cards looked like, and figured this way would be more fun than looking online for them. Sadly, had I posted this when I bought them I'm sure there probably wouldn't have been as many photo's online but here is what I got from them.

I picked up 2 of these, and aside from the promised 2 Rookie Debut cards per pack I got air. They are pretty cool looking, but if you are seeking a specific player don't bother buying one of these because the rest of both of them were just plain old boring base cards.

Travis Snider, Blue Jays
Chris Lambert, Tigers
Freddy Sandoval, Angels
Matt Antonelli, Padres

Out of the four cards, my favorite two are Snider and Antonelli. I'm not going to start collecting either of them, but those were the ones I liked.

The K-Mart that is closest to me just started getting more 2009 products in as I mentioned, and I am hoping that they have a little more variety in the upcoming weeks and specifically when the OPC is released. It seems as though where I live there are a bunch of people who collect cards because if you don't hit the local Targets at the right time, they are consistently out of new release products. It is probably better that way since I really shouldn't be buying anything anyway. If anyone needs any of these 4 cards, let me know we can work out a trade though I must warn you my post office time is becoming limited to what seems to be Friday and Saturday with the occastional weekday trip.

Mail Day #2 - Rookie Heaven

Since the promise that I am focusing on Albert Pujols cards from 2001-2003, I have done pretty good. I picked up a 2001 Topps Gallery Albert Pujols rookie card on eBay at what I thought was a great price, and now that I have seen the exact card in person it was a steal. The centering appears to be near perfect, sharp corners, sharp edges - definitely BGS/PSA material. The seller also took the time to wrap this card in like 5 paper towels, tape it up, stuff a box with tissue paper and send it in a box as opposed to a bubble mailer. I thought that was a great thing to do, it's nice when sellers have the sense to mail you something in the way that you would think to send it. If I were crazy enough to sell a Pujols rookie, I would probably mail it in the same fashion for over-protection.

I am very pleased with this card, and I have to say I am rather fond of the Topps Gallery series. It is like an early Masterpiece set, but from Topps. I actually snagged this card after coming home from that card shop that had the 2001 packs for $2. This made a lot more sense to me, and I am glad I didn't buy any packs because this was by far a much better choice.

After all the responses I got back on the grading/not grading topic, I definitely think this will end up getting graded. My problem is that I would rather spend that money on cards that sending it away for a fancy case. Obviously, this will depend on my mood Friday.

The Missing Years 2001-2002

While climbing uphill on the treadmill I was trying to figure out what happened to my card collecting in 2001 that I don't have all Pujols' rookie cards already, and then it hit me. I didn't really buy any cards in 2001-2002 when I was in college. I was so busy doing other things I guess I took a break, and realized it now. Way to go Marie! Way to stop collecting in what is now the most expensive year of Pujols' cards.

I am currently working on filling in all 2002 gaps since I can't afford to buy all his rookie cards now. I have his 2001 Bowman card, only because I bought the whole set on eBay for $60, took out that one card and never looked at the rest.

I picked up a great number of his earlier cards on eBay over the weekend which was great. There is nothing better than opening a bubble mailer full of Pujols cards to log in and put in my binder.

I am hoping one of our readers out there would be willing to part with a card or two and I will do my best to get you some cards that you will enjoy equally.

Mail Day!!!

I got a 2001 Bowman Complete set today that I purchased on eBay. I only purchased the set to get the Pujols Rookie card because I didn't have one yet. Now I feel like my collection is a little more complete. I am going to have it graded soon because it is mint, as was the whole set. It ended up being 95 bucks for the complete set, which I felt wasn't too rough considering what it would have cost me to buy a hobby box in an attempt to pull one. Plus, I got a whole bunch of other rookie cards that I can grade or sell or both. I am thrilled right now.

I know I still owe you all a blog about the card show. It's coming.

And I have to go to Shoprite later....