Nine to go: One of my favorite pulls

In 2007, I went to Denver to cover the Philadelphia Phillies against the Colorado Rockies in the National League Championship Series.

Nothing went right on this trip and I am not talking about the way the Phillies played.

While in the press box, the lights go out for a bit, which was actually a very scary thing. Coming from New York, you tend to think the worst when something extraordinary happens.

Then, I got elevation sickness. I got a booming headache, my eyes went blurry and when I went to the bathroom, I had the first bloody nose of my life. I couldn't believe it. All I could think about was headed home.

Luckily, I read there were a card show in a nearby mall. So, to make myself feel better, I jumped in my rental and headed to this show. I've always been a big fan of Topps Turkey Red, so I bought a hobby box of it from a dealer there.

Before I even left the mall, I had to look at the box topper. I have serious issues when it comes to opening cards. I cannot wait until I get home. I need to open the cards right away. When I go to Target, I open them on the ride home.

So, I pull out the box topper and do the slow burn. I slowly pull out the card and see at the top it says “Artist Certified Signature Edition.”

My heart begins to beat quicker. I wonder to myself, Did I get a Dick Perez auto card? I don't know. I inch the card up a little higher, just enough to see the cap.

Oh Gosh! It's a Yankee. I couldn't wait anymore, I pull it up and see the face. Although it's not the best portrait, I knew this was Jeter because I had seen the base cards already. I pull it all the way out of the wrapper and see that pretty Dick Perez autograph on the bottom of the card.

Very sweet!

I love the card, but I think the story is what gets me most about the card. I had to go all the way to Colorado just to pull a card like this, which if you noticed is numbered to /25.