Cardboard Heaven

Secret Santa: Eric from Manupatches & Mustaches

2012-01-13T19:23:00.000-08:00

Eric from Manupatches and Mustaches; a blog that I must say is a joy to read with every post and a collector that I must say is one of the more unique out there in the blogosphere, sent me the card above (Cuttre Dykstra Patch Auto) as well as some Kimball cards for the my secret santa gift. I was happy with that, but there was this large piece of plastic that Eric must have thrown in the envelope to protect these other cards:
Oh wait! It's a Christmas Miracle. An autographed Yovanni Gallardo RC graded to 9.5! This is my third Gallardo Auto, my second one that is a RC and my first that is graded! That takes the Bronze, Silver and Gold of my Gallardo collection (which I'm now pursuing more since hearing the news of Braun, although I am reserving judgement of my favorite player see: The Braun Situation)

Thanks Eric for the great Christmas gift. It was my best card related Christmas gift I received.

Congrats to Barry Louis Larkin

2012-01-09T13:45:00.000-08:00

Barry Larkin has earned a well-deserved nod into Baseball lore with his recent election into the Hall of Fame. Larkin has always seemed to be the type of guy that doesn't quite get the respect he deserves. Just check out below (click to enlarge):

I know these are from the junk wax era, but still. And his relics are pretty cheap, even though they seem to be few and far between. I seem to see Paul O'Neil relics goin for more than Larkins, not so sure if that should happen. Either way he was a great player and he deserves this, no doubt about it.

Draft Cards Added - And Some Pimpage

2011-12-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

Hey guys I added some new cards for the Bonus Rounds of the Draft. Please e-mail me your picks by Thursday night. If not, I will begin picking for you on Friday (just to get this draft concluded and get people their cards). Thanks to everyone who participated.

Now for some unrelated pimpage. I am currently operating a website for my dad, who makes furniture out of wine barrels. Yes, I agree, this is about as unrelated to baseball cards as possible, but it's cool stuff and fairly priced from what I've seen. So his blog (ran by me) is Wine Barrel Furniture by Randy. There isn't much on there yet, but I'm working on it, so it might be something to check out if you're at all interested. He makes anything from chairs, benches and tables to coat racks, centerpieces and uses scraps as flavored chips for grilling. Thanks everyone.

The Draft: Mr. Irrelevant

2011-12-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

We're at the last pick of the draft and so far I have six people that have sent me links to their advertising prior to the draft, thus unlocking four bonus rounds of the draft. The six who pimped the contest are:

Poch, Night Owl, Matt, Spiegel, Eric L and Robert

If you pimped the contest, but your name is not here then paste the link below by Wednesday.

For those of you who are joining the draft for the extra four rounds here's how it'll work. On Wednesday I will post additional cards - in the same album numbered B-1 (for bonus and then number). These additional cards aren't much, but just to give a little more selection and reward those who took the time to advertise for me.

Each drafter will then send me their top picks (just as before). I will need you to send me the top picks even if you have picks remaining because I will be adding cards. I will do all four bonus rounds as soon as I get the picks, if I get them all Wednesday, it will be completed Wednesday night.

This has been really fun for me as I hope it has been for all of you. Also in your last picks tell me anything you would like me to throw in. Thanks Everyone!

Card Draft: Final Stretch

2011-12-23T19:46:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

We're coming to the close of the draft and most of you are running out of picks and the selection is dwindling. Some of you have sent me a list of picks and then concluded with simple guidelines. Anyone can feel free to do this and it will speed up the end of this draft.

So send me some picks and feel free to have a pick be "newer rookie cards", "cool inserts", "Ginter mini's", "Any remaining Mariners", etc. Things like that will work and then I should be able to finish the draft and get a good grasp for what bonus cards to include with your package. Thanks a lot everyone. I hope this has been fun for everybody.

And if anyone was wondering I was able to score a Rose Bowl ticket, so stay tuned for my coverage of the event! Thanks!

20 More Rounds - (that means round 6 complete)

2011-12-17T17:44:00.000-08:00

Round 5 and 6 are completed and posted in the album, so go see what you got. I have quite a few remaining picks for most of you, but if I don't then send me some updated ones and the draft won't come to a lull. Anyway, go check the album and see what you've scored through the first six rounds. There were plenty of good pick-ups in rounds 5 and 6:

Jeroen grabbed this Sizemore

Eric L. picked up this Minors relic of Delino DeShields Jr.

And Poch got this '75 Mini relic as well
There are still even some relics and autos left on the board and heck of a lot of nice inserts. The draft is beginning to take shape, so look through the updated draft pool to send any remaining picks.

Round 3 and 4 Complete

2011-12-14T21:19:00.001-08:00

https://picasaweb.google.com/118063244681072103698/CardDraftDrafted#

This is the link for the album with the cards that have already been drafted. Go there and check out what your haul looks like. I have completed rounds three and four on in the album and removed the cards from the draft pool. I'll preview some of the cards taken, right now:

Spiegel picked up this Greg Madduz in the middle of the 3rd round (nice pick!):

Night Owl snagged this Prince Fielder with the second pick in the 4th round. Night Owl was able to do what so many teams are trying to do right now (sign Prince).

And Andrew got a card of the Homerun king in the third round

Card Draft: Round 2

2011-12-14T15:56:00.000-08:00

First Click Here to see all the cards that have been drafted and who they were drafted by. Or to check out your haul! Now on to the second round.

No. 1 (11 Overall) Potch takes Tyrell Jenkins
No. 2 (12 overall) Night Owl takes Victor Diaz

No. 3 (13 overall) Matt P. takes Brad Chalk

No 4 (14 overall) Ryan G. takes Daniel Cortes Threads AUto

No. 5 (15 Overall) Andrew takes HOFer Mike Schmidt

No. 6 (16 overall) Spiegel takes Josh Tomlin

No. 7 (17 overall) Eric L. takes Lorenzo Cain (another Brewer turned Royal)

No. 8 (18 overall) Jeroen takes Alay Soler

No. 9 (19 overall) Gooch takes Cliff Pennington

Finishing of the second round is Robert's pick of Vladimir Guerrero

Good Stuff! I should be able to get Round 3 done tonight too, but it is already up in the album linked above if you're curious. If you a lot of cards being drafted that are in your picks that means I may be running low on picks for you.

Card Draft: Rounding out the First Round

2011-12-14T12:52:00.001-08:00

For the remaining rounds I will most likely be doing it 10 picks (the whole round) in one post. I have a lot of picks from everyone, so this should get us going pretty fast. Just wanted to give the rest of the first round their proper publicity, don't need any mad draft picks.

With the 6th pick in the 2011 CBH Draft Andrew selects Andre Dawson (No. 78)
No. 7 Ryan selects Milton Bradley (No. 23)

No. 8 Matt picks up a Miguel Montero Auto RC (9. Montero)

At No. 9 Night Owl snags this Zach Lee Green Tint (no. 215)

And rounding out the first round is Poch's pick of a graded Nolan Ryan card (No. 88).

Pretty good first round. I think everyone even got their highest pick, maybe their second highest at worst. Like I said I have more picks, so I'll get cracking on round 2 and maybe even round 3 if I'm feeling ambitious today.

Frist Five Picks are IN

2011-12-13T23:53:00.000-08:00

No. 1 - Robert picks a Travis Snider Auto RC (photo no. 5)

No. 2 The Gooch picks the second Blue Jay RC Auto and this one is Adam Lind (card no. 32)

No. 3 Jeroen goes for the on-card trifecta with a Carlos Carrasco relic Auto RC

No. 4 Eric L. picks up a card that used to belong in my Brewers collection, but now will be a piece to his Royals collection thanks to a trade the Brew Crew made for Greinke.

No. 5 Rounding out the first half of the first round is Spiegel83's pick of USA Auto Blake Smith

I won't be individually posting every pick like this, but I will be updating it through the album and e-mailing all of you guys when I run out, or get close to running out of your picks. Most of you have sent quite a few and they should get us going for a while. I'm waiting on picks from Andrew, which I'm sure he'll get to me soon.

That was fun! I think the first five all received their top pick in the Draft.

Card Draft - Order is Set

2011-12-13T23:41:00.001-08:00

Let's get it started (no connection to The Black Eyed Peas) it's time for my first card draft and to get the ball rolling and hopefully get you guys a hand full of cards that you want, need or will use for other trades. Entering the list:

1st Randomization....

Second Randomization....
And the third and final one to set the order:

BLAM! Robert has the first pick in the draft. This is a snake style draft, which means that Poch picks 10 in round 1, but then first (11th overall in round 2). I have received picks from just about everyone, so I'll update which cards have been taken shortly.

Card Draft - Time for Submissions

2011-12-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

Hello Drafters!

I STILL HAVE ONE SPOT OPEN! Again $15 for 26 rounds. There are 32 autos 15 relics (that means guaranteed three hits) plus a lot of inserts, Ginter, 2011 Topps inserts, vintage, a little bit of everything. As usual I'll also throw in any cards that I see fit before I send off your package.

For the Drafters already signed up - I won't be adding any more cards to the draft unless I find a stack that I must add, but all the autos and relics are pretty much in there. I have sorted and confirmed that I have all the cards pictured. That means that even though we still have one spot to fill. It is time to start sending in your picks. At least the top ten. The draft order will be set Wednesday whether or not the one spot is filled. I hope to be able to fill in the first round of picks that day as well.

If there are any questions about payment, draft rules, etc. please email me at
cameronclow12@gmail.com

Card Draft - ONE SPOT & Payment Info

2011-12-11T13:52:00.001-08:00

Ladies and Gents,

I have one last and final spot left to fill for the Card Draft. IF THE FINAL SPOT IS NOT FILLED BY WEDNESDAY WE WILL START THE DRAFT. If you have already signed up it is time to start collecting payments. $15 for 26 rounds (snake-style), four bonus rounds if you pimp the draft, which many have shamelessly done. I will be adding the final additions to my baseball TB, aka the Draft pool.

PAYPAL payments should be sent as a gift to camclow@yahoo.com PayPal account. This e-mail is different from my account for this blog, sorry for the inconvenience or confusion. After you pay please send an e-mail to cameronclow12@gmail.com stating that you've paid and your shipping address. The e-mail you send it from will be the primary way that I connect with you during the draft.

Essentially, the draft order will be determined by a randomizer. Then each drafter will be asked to submit 10 picks, or more if they feel up to it. I will sort through the picks in the order of the drafters (snake order). In doing so, I will remove the cards drafted from the Baseball TB album and place them in a Drafted Cards album and the caption will change to the name of who drafted that card (just to ensure accuracy of the draft). I will be continually communicating picks, needed picks, etc. on the blog and through e-mail. Good luck!

Thanks everyone, this is shaping up to be a good draft!

The Braun Situation - From a Fan's Perspective

2011-12-10T21:42:00.000-08:00

Getty Images

I am torn. Torn between being naive and believing that Ryan Braun is innocent and torn between abandoning my admiration for a player that could stand to cheat the game. I am torn between grasping onto the last bit of optimism surrounding Braun and baseball as a whole and becoming a baseball naysayer and cynic (which I don't want to be). I am leaning towards holding on to that last bit of optimism.

Not because I'm ignorant of the fact that a player has never reversed a positive test. Or because I support the "unknowingly" defense, but because I'd like to believe that I live in a world where my favorite athlete isn't this stupid. I'd like to believe that a player doesn't need PEDs to hit 33 HR. I'd like to believe that I lived in a time when all my heroes weren't dethroned and crowned cheaters right before my eyes. I'd to believe these things and I'm going to...for a little while longer.

Braun's camp is standing strong, "There are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan's complete innocence and demonstrate there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program. While Ryan has impeccable character and no previous history, unfortunately, because of the process we have to maintain confidentiality and are not able to discuss it any further, but we are confident he will ultimately be exonerated." I guess he has a special case. I, like most people, am hesitant buy this. I'm not that naive, but I am going to let everything play out. Innocent until proven guilty. I'll stand by my favorite player for a little while longer, I don't have much of a choice, it's all or nothing at this point.

Guilty or not guilty. Knowingly or Unknowningly. I do think that Braun has a chance to do something noble. I want to see Braun step up and VOLUNTEER to be tested, every month, every week, hell test him every series I don't care. I would like to see him have the first documented guaranteed PED-free season. I think that this could at least show that he cares about the game, which is what I really care about. I could give a (sh*t) if Braun misses 50 games, but I would like to think that he gives a (sh*t) about the integrity of the game.

I truly hope there is some crazy situation with Braun. I hope it was a failed test or what have you, but I'm as real as the next guy - It's never happened before, I get it. I just don't have much of a choice other than to take that last shred of optimistic fan that I have left in me and cherish and save for a little while longer.

All of this two days after my favorite basketball player retired from the game at the age of 27.

Card Draft - UPDATE

2011-12-10T15:11:00.000-08:00

Looks like I have some drafters (in no particular order):

1. Eric L. - PAID - 4R
2. Night Owl - 4R - PAID
3. Spiegel83 - 4R - PAID
4. Matt Pederson - 4R - PAID
5. The Gooch - PAID
6. Robert - PAID - 4R
7. Jeroen - PAID
8. - poch - 4R - PAID
9. Andrew - PAID
10. Ryan G. - PAID
11.

That means I have four open spots to fill before I can get my Rose Bowl ticket! There's a lot of cards and I encourage you to check out my Baseball TB, which the draft will be picking from in snake order for 25 rounds (actually going to make it 26 rounds to make the snake even) and if you're like The Gooch and pimp the contest on your blog you get 4 extra rounds (30 total rounds).

I'll be consistently adding cards until the draft begins, which I hope to be shortly after this weekend.

90's Cardboard: Shawn Kemp "Reign Man"

2011-12-10T11:38:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I have 5 spots left in my Card Draft for a Rose Bowl Ticket. See the post below if you're interested and check out my Baseball TB. Ok Back to the good ol' 90's Cardboard, BLAM:

You can tell this card is from back in the day, whether it's the slim version of Shawn Kemp, the playful TSC (Topps Stadium Club) logo, or the fact that Mr. Kemp is wearing a Sonics jersey this card just screams 90's. Oh and let us not forget the crazy foil hologram that the card is printed on, which the scanner doesn't do justice. Anyway this is a super sweet card and a one that I actually pulled out of a pack as a kid! I never bought packs as a kid, my dad was all about buying single cards. Just about the only time I got packs was when Santa put some in my stalking. Well Santa worked a little magic on this particular 1996 Stadium Club pack. I don't know how much wax y'all busted in the 90's, but inserts like this are equivalent to pulling an auto out of some retail, usually like (1:50+, 1:72 was common).

Card Draft - Interested?

2011-12-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

I am hoping to attend the Rose Bowl and root on my Oregon Ducks in the final year of my schooling here. To do so, I need a little extra spending money. I'm trying to buy my ticket with a card draft. My goal is to have 11 participants at $15 each ($165 is the face for a student ticket). I won't do the draft with any less than 9 participants.

The draft would consist of my baseball trade bait - seen here

So I was hoping to see how many of you would be interested. And if you had any preferences as to if I should add my football trade bait in as well?

As far as baseball goes I have a lot of Ginter, 2011 Topps inserts, refractors, various RCs and the hit count - 32 Autos, 14 relics, with more likely to be added (depending on the interest in the draft). My plan is to have 25 rounds in the snake formation (you pick last in round 1, you pick first in round 2). Think of it as buying a blaster and having a guarantee for four hits! Let me know by commenting below or shoot me an email at cameronclow12@gmail.com

Thanks, here's a little teaser, doesn't necessarily represent the BEST cards, but some of the decent picks!

Frail Blazers: Rough 24 hours for the Blazers

2011-12-09T17:38:00.000-08:00

Last night the NBA vetoed a trade of Chris Paul to the Lakers and just when things were looking alright in Blazer land I woke up to the announcement that 27-year-old Brandon Roy is retiring from professional basketball. This isn't a Ricky Williams, "I gotta find myself" type of retirement. This is (for those of you who don't follow the Blazers) because of terrible knee conditions. His knees are so bad that doctors told him continuing to play basketball could jeopardize his ability to walk not far down the line. This comes two days after Blazers coaching staff said he looked like a starter.

I feel just terrible for Mr. Roy. I loved watching him play and it's really a shock that I won't get to ever again. I knew his knees would likely shorten his career and/or prohibit him from returning to all-star form, but there was this seed of optimism in my mind that it could happen, or that Roy's mystique would show up somewhere down the line.

Anyway, I do want to remember his great career. He was a huge piece of RIP CITY! He brought basketball back to Portland and erased the Jail Blazer label (though the Frail Blazer label might be replacing it). Roy won the ROY and was a two-time all-star not to mention one of the most loved players in Portland. I'm so thankful for what he did for the franchise. It's not often that a team enters rebuilding phase and drafts the ROY and a solid big man (Aldridge). It's not often that a team goes from rebuilding to No. 4 seed within a couple years and B-Roy was a huge part of that. Goodbye Brandon - You will be sorely missed.

Oh and PS - Greg Oden had a snag in his recovery and is likely out this whole season (we signed him to a one year deal about a week ago). Talk about pouring salt on an open wound.

Hot Stove Update

2011-12-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

Super crazy stuff is happening that I can't even wrap my mind around. This Hot Stove, Winter Meetings extravaganza has been one of the most heartbreaking gut wrenching experiences of my baseball fandom. Why, you ask? Because Jerry Hairston Jr. is no longer a Brewer. I know this caught everyone by surprise, but I'll be OK. Because, while it appears that the Brewers will lose Prince Fielder it was already not in the cards for another NL Central team to keep their MVP Candidate 1B - Albert Pujols, who signed a deal with the Angels.

Now, it looks as though the Cubs are out of the Prince Fielder race (though I doubt that), but if that is the fact then it looks like the Astros (Brett Wallace) might have the second best first baseman in the league - depending how the Cards and Crew rebound from their losses.

Secondly, Prince was rumored to go to the Mariners and Rangers. The Rangers would have an offensive lineup that rivaled murderer's row (lose pitching - CJ Wilson, combat with more offense). The Mariners must believe that one power bat stands between last place and contention, so I want to hear from you guys what do you think?

Is the AL West in an arms race (or rather a bats race)? Is there a power shift in the leagues? And are the Astros doomed by switching leagues at the wrong time?

2011 Bowman DP&P

2011-12-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

I scored three packs of the Bowman DPP today at Target. I usually pick up a couple packs from this set just to get some of the top draft picks of that given year. Topps has been kind of leveraging the Strasburg and Harper buzz for their flagship bowman products, but there are still a lot of stars in these.

First off I got two purple refractors. I was confused with the normal Bowman Chromes, but these aren't numbered. At least Stephenson was the Reds #1 draft pick, that's a good sign. Moneyball wouldn't like it because he's a pitcher out of high school, but oh well. These are the base cards:
The black border is... different. I like that they use something to differentiate the base cards from Bowman, but I don't know how much I like this black border. It might take some getting used to. Right now it just feels kind of lazy. I am happy to pull two guys that I worked with this summer with the Eugene Emeralds. I always like having cards of players that I've met. Black border just doesn't feel right though. Plus the chrome cards still have the white border:
Here's another No. 1 pick and a USA card of a player younger than my brother. Yeah this kid was born in 1995! What?! Anyway, this is an adequate product depending on if you're a prospector or not. I don't consider myself one, but I do like flipping through my cards and finding RCs of the next star, who knows? This is how I got a David Wright RC back in the day, maybe I'll be lucky again. It does take patience though.

Dear Topps,

2011-12-07T15:32:00.000-08:00

Please figure your [stuff] out! This site has been down for quite a while and I'd like to redeem my 1980's junk Topps cards. Thanks!

90's Cardboard: E-X the first sparkley

2011-12-06T19:48:00.000-08:00

Ok so it's more glittery than anything else. I don't particularly like these cards and I think I'm cheating the system by showing a card from 2000, no 2001! But hey the point was to show cards from my childhood collection. Anyway, just about the only thing I like about these cards is that the player is ever so slightly raised up from the card. Oh and I like the credential parallels (classic 90's)!

Here's a Nick Van Exel
Here's a Biggio from the 90's

Pretty sweet lookin' huh?

Trade Update: Grande Dimwit

2011-12-05T17:41:00.000-08:00

A little bit ago I sent Chris at Nachos Grande a couple Ginter needs and some Barry Larkin insert cards for his collection. I didn't really care to get anything back, but he was generous enough to send me a Brewers team set from Lineage:
This might spark me to collect the Diamond or Refractor versions of these cards as well. Seeing as I already have the Diamond Braun.

A second deal that I recently completed was for my Ernie Banks / Hanley Ramirez jersey card and a couple others. It was my second deal with Sam from The Daily Dimwit. I picked these cards out of his trade bait and luckily for me, we were able to find a deal.
I picked up a Matt Cain autograph. Something I've been keeping an eye out for. So when I saw it on his TB page I knew I had to make an offer. I also picked up a Felix relic. I'm always down for some nice Mariners relics whenever I get the chance to trade, or get one for cheap. Then this was the kicker. This card made the deal well worth it in my eyes:

Yogi Berra game used pants - WOW! I did have to trade an Ernie Banks / Hanley Ramirez relic for it, but Hanley was kind of ruining that card for me (sorry, I just don't like Hanley all that much). This though, this is a stellar card with a nice clean, vintage swatch of one of the greatest and most loved Yankees. A couple days later I was able to pick up his book - Yogi Berra - Eternal Yankee at Value Village, which I'm sure will make me enjoy this card even more.

I don't like the Yankees of my lifetime, but damn it if the Yankees from way back when weren't pretty cool and damn it if Yogi Berra wasn't just about the coolest and most off-the-wall character in baseball.

Thanks!

First Pac12 Championship Game EVER

2011-12-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

For those of you not paying attention to college football let me give you a brief explanation of the season. Oregon lost to LSU, who is now No. 1 in the nation... Oregon also lost to USC, who would have won the Pac12 South had it not been for Reggie Bush (i.e. recruiting violations). So Oregon is playing the 6-6 UCLA Bruins for a spot in the Rose Bowl. Oh and Stanford (not playing in the game) is ranked higher than Oregon because they've only lost once (to Oregon). Yes, college football is confusing.

There's also an interesting scenario that in my eyes, takes the BCS system and trashes it. That scenario is IF and it's a big if, but if Oklahoma St. loses to Oklahoma AND LSU loses to Georgia in the SEC Championship game then the National Championship game would likely have Alabama and Stanford (two teams that didn't even play in a conference championship game, couldn't finish #1 in a half of a conference!). Would that be enough to put an end to the whole "season is the playoffs" debate in college football and make a playoff? I digress... Here's a little preview of tonight's game:

Oregon has a running game, a great one! This is our back-up RB Kenjon Barner and he could start for a lot of college teams. He's a solid player, reminiscent of Jeremiah Johnson backing-up Jonathan Stewart, or Maurice Morris and Onterrio Smith. Then Oregon has this TRUE FRESHMAN weapon:

Mr. DeAnthony Thomas, aka Black Mamba (before Kobe, got the nickname from Snoop Dogg), now it's Quack Mamba, but whatever you call him you better know he's fast. He plays receiver, does some returning, goes in the backfield, he does it all. Including scoring the most TD's by a true freshman at Oregon. Then what do we have here? It's our candidate:

LaMichael James! Amazing running back, puts up huge numbers. Has been hindered by injuries, but he's quite possibly the greatest running back that Chip Kelly's system could ask for. Sometimes you get a perfect fit and LaMichael at Oregon has been a perfect fit for three years now. I hate to say this, but this could be Autzen's last game watching LaMichael. I sure hope not, but if it is, it has been quite a ride! Go Ducks! I smell Roses!

90's Cardboard: Holographics (Motion)

2011-12-01T20:41:00.000-08:00

So my scanner isn't going to be able to pick up on this motion, but it's a sweet card and of Tony Gwynn. Not to mention it comes straight from Denny's! Nothing goes better with cards than greasy breakfast food. Kind of a weird design, but nothing I wouldn't expect from the 1990's and I do like the gimmick of the holographic motion cards when it's done right (still haven't decided if this one is done right).

eBay craziness: Robinson Cano Edition

2011-12-01T09:29:00.000-08:00

Ok I know he won the HR Derby and I know he's a Yankee, but this is getting a little crazy. At first I thought the guy added an extra zero. Then I realized he thought he had a treasure as the Buy It Now price was $125. For $125 I could pretty easily pick up a relic of the Yankees Starting nine (if I so desired). For this price, you'd think he was selling the whole bat:

I guess the card is NICE!!!! I don't see too many of those...

Legendary Lumber from eBay

2011-11-30T19:54:00.001-08:00

I definitely prefer to trade or buy cards at my LCS before buying off the Bay, but I check pretty regularly for good deals and I usually scroll through all cards sorted by ending soonest when I'm bored late at night...Hey what a man does on his computer late at night is his own business! Anyway I was able to pick up this GEM for a reasonable price of $22.76 shipped to my door.

It's a 2005 Donruss Champions game used bat of Roberto Clemente. Clemente was my dad's favorite player growing up and as an impressionable child he quickly became one of my favorites (that later translated to a 100+ card Vladimir Guerrero collection, but that is a story for another time). Anyway, you all know Clemente's story and it was a great one. One that consisted on 3,000 hits (exactly) and surge for Latino's in the Majors and a cannon arm that would make Aroldis Chapman feel like he belonged on a softball field. Ok that was harsh and I may be exaggerating that arm of his, nonetheless he was a great player and I own a piece of history!

Minors Heritage: First two, Last three

2011-11-30T10:59:00.000-08:00

The same day that I snagged all that lovely Certified I decided to grab five packs ($20) of the Heritage Minors that were sitting on the shelf. Each box contains two autos and one relic in addition to the slew of prospects you get from a respectable set like Topps Heritage (and most of the shots are more action shots than the MLB Heritage, so that's a plus). Anyway to start with the base cards:

A couple nice prospect names that are familiar to me in Yasmani Grandal and Jurickson Profar. Oh and look at this it's Cory Spangenberg, one of the players, who spent a bit of his summer in Eugene. I had the pleasure of watching him lead the Emeralds to a 15-game winning streak this summer! He was called up and continued to play well, this kid has promise and he's super humble. Now the Autos, the autos?! Yeah I got the two autos in my 5-packs!

Brad Chalk and Blake Tekotte. Both are /861, I like these autos. I knew what to expect and these are pretty clean, especially for minor league cards that generally don't take the time to care for design. The Tekotte is probably the best card and he should arrive in the majors shortly. Now for the relic! Yep, that's right I got the two autos AND the relic in my 5-pack selection:

Delino DeShields Jr. Red Tint relic /99. Delino is in the Astros system and being the son of a major leaguer albeit Delino DeShields, he has a nice path to the majors. I actually really like these relic cards. I know I said most of these were action shots, but this one isn't... oh well. It's a nice card and I got super lucky with my 5-pack selection which was my theory that boxes are front or back loaded (I chose the first two and the last three) The first two had the relic, the last three had the two autos. No, I'm not a pack searcher! This is just my theory and it's success is about as common as T206 Honus Wagner.

Anyway, this is a nice product. I don't know how many of you follow the minor league affiliates of your favorite teams, but there were a lot of nice prospect cards in here. Names like; Manny Machado, Jake Odorizzi, Gary Sanchez, Zach Wheeler, Brett Jackson, etc. Plus I believe there are Bryce Harper's in this set. And it's pretty affordable - $40 for a 24-pack box from Blowout Cards. Anyway, all of these cards are available for trade except the Spangenberg.

Certifiably Insane: 2011 Certified

2011-11-29T10:10:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my Black Friday post Panini was having a nice promotion, giving out special Black Friday packs with the purchase of a box. I decided to snag a box of 2011 Certified and here were it's contents. Unfortunately the best card is a stinkin' redemption. First some of the base cards:

Adrian Clayborn RC /999
Eddie Royal Mirror Blue /100
Stephen Paea RC /999 - He's from OSU and I've seen him play a couple times, so this is a nice little bonus. And now the hits:

BAM! - DeMarco Murray Patch RC /50. This guy has burst onto the scene by averaging around 6 yards per carry and he's a Cowboy, which a lot of people collect. This was the first relic I pulled and I had a feeling it was going to be a good box.

AJ Green Relic /250 - Another nice relic. I like AJ Green and I think the Bengals made the right call by rebuilding with him and Dalton. I wouldn't surprised if they pick up a RB in the next couple years and then look out - it might be a three team division there again.

Ricky Stanzi Auto Mirror Red /25 - Holy Cow! I love the auto, it almost looks like an on-card auto and the mirror red goes nicely with the Chiefs color scheme (in addition to making the card more rare). I wish it was of somebody better than Ricky Stanzi, but the way things are going in KC he might get a shot before too long.

My Redemption was for an Antonio Gates / Vincent Brown (RC) Dual Autograph! One of the less common redemptions. My Local Card Shop says that most of them are Freshman Fabric redemptions. Definitely a nice box, pretty good value, good as far as rookies go and a nice set of relics and autos!

90's Cardboard: It's Retro...Already?

2011-11-28T23:34:00.001-08:00

Gotta love the foil SP's of the 1990's. Some classic RCs have been made in these foils - Derek Jeter (93 SP), A-Rod (94 SP) are two of the most iconic ones that come to mind. One of the less iconic ones, possibly because it's football is this:

1993 Jerome Bettis SP RC - Sweet foil card, scan doesn't really catch the foil on this card in the right way, but it's a super sweet card. Not to mention, Jerome Bettis was a pretty good running back and a class act off the field. Plus is preserves an era that I haven't witnessed in my sport spectating lifetime - NFL in LA. I guess Upperdeck loved the 90's SP designs so much they felt the need to reprint them in 2008:

2008 SP Rookie Edition Auto Dennis Dixon RC - Terrible Scan, nice auto (even though it's a sticker). I like this card and the SP Rookie Edition cards are pretty cool in football. In baseball they are a little difficult because they aren't "rookie" cards and most of the best rookie cards come out of Bowman Chrome, but football isn't as hard to determine a player's "rookie" year because it's just when they are drafted. Anyway, nice card! Super nice with an auto! I love exclamation points!

Trade with a Dimwit

2011-11-27T11:46:00.001-08:00

I sent some cards over to Sam at the Daily Dimwit and he sent me a package that made this Thanksgiving weekend even more exciting. The main piece of the deal was a 2010 Topps Chrome Darwin Barney Auto (Below). Barney plays for the Cubs and I'm a Brewers fan, so what gives? Well, Barney played high school ball in Oregon and eventually wound up at Oregon State. I've had the pleasure to watch him play and win two college world series titles with them (the Ducks didn't have a baseball team, so my Oregonness allowed me to root for the Beavs at this time). I've also met him a couple times at OSU prospect camps, so while I hope the Cubbies find a new home at the bottom of the division, I hope Mr. Barney continues to play well.

Sam also sent me a sweet vintage Robin Yount (1978 Topps). I never intended to collect much of Yount, but I now have a couple nice vintage cards of him and I met him down in Spring Training this summer, so I welcome all the vintage Yount anyone wants to send me. And the icing on the cake:
A Ryan Braun refractor and UD Baseball Heroes, both of which I will add to my ever growing collection of Ryan Braun cards. Thanks Sam!

Happy Thanksgiving: Early Black Friday from Panini

2011-11-24T11:55:00.001-08:00

I heard rumor about Panini doing some special Black Friday packs chalk full of great stuff from Pro Bowl to Super Bowl relics to Tim Tebow DVD release autographs. I decided to stroll over to my LCS and see what this was all about. I expected that the deal would be something outrageous or that my LCS wouldn't be participating, but they were.

The deal was essentially buy a box of Panini and get a Black Friday pack (which included two packs). So I stood there, next to a guy who had spent close to $1,000 and was showing me Cam Newton RCs, Tebow Autos, Jerseys, Patches and all that good stuff. I, with my one box of Certified, trembling because I had just spent more on a box of cards than I ever have (with the exception of the Gypsy Group Break, which I spent $$ on to piece out). Anyway, I'll be previewing my findings later. This is to tide you over until then:

An Aaron Rodgers base card from the Black Friday set. Pretty cool because I'm watching him play on Thanksgiving Day and he is essentially confirming the notion that he is NFL MVP. Won't be any questions in the NFL, he's got the numbers and the playoff team!

Today's A Good Day: MVP Edition

2011-11-22T13:26:00.001-08:00

Yesterday the AL MVP was announced as Justin Verlander, without surprise. The Cy Young's were known before their revelation as well. The NL MVP, however, came down to the wire and anything before today was speculation between Ryan Braun and Matt Kemp (both more than deserving). Some people went out on a limb for Pujols, Fielder, Reyes, Kershaw, Votto, etc. But everyone knew the real race was between Kemp - the numbers guy and Braun - the team leader of a great team, a debate that has surrounded the MVP award for years. Well this year's winner is:

RYAN BRAUN!!!! Obviously that means that I am ecstatic. The voting was uber-close as Braun had 20 first place votes and 12 second place votes (388 points). Kemp had 10 first place, 16 second place and 6 third place votes (332 points). I don't know who put Kemp in third place! Anyway, both candidates had spectacular seasons and I'm not oblivious to the fact that Braun only won because the Dodgers weren't a playoff team.

If any thing did it I think it was Braun's three run-bomb that clinched the division for the Brewers. That was his MVP moment. I look forward to many battles between Braun and Kemp for future MVP titles and it's likely that they will both have to lead there teams for years to come as it looks like Prince Fielder (Third Place by the way) is leaving the Brew Crew this offseason. Anyway here are just a few reasons Braun was named the MVP this season:

My First Hope Diamond

2011-11-22T10:18:00.000-08:00

... is of Fred Lewis. Not my first choice, but hey, for a $2 pack this card is absolutely beautiful. I hope this whole diamond thing doesn't completely die after this year because I love the look of these cards. I love the parallel levels with the cognac and now the Hope Diamond, which is /60! Opening cards is fun again because I see the sparklies shining at me as I thumb through the other nine cards to unveil it.

Anyway, I'd love to trade Mr. Lewis for a Brewer of equal value. If anyone is interested please let me know. I'm trying to get a Brewers team set of Diamonds, Cognacs and Hope Diamonds, so please help me out (I need lots of help!). Thanks!

Sad Day for the Mariners Family

2011-11-21T09:58:00.000-08:00

Emerald City Diamond Gems caught a tragedy on the news this morning. 24 year-old Outfielder Greg Halman of the Seattle Mariners was stabbed to death. To most of us this guy was just another prospect, or another piece of trade bait. To is community and to the growth of youth baseball in Europe he was huge.

"Greg was passionate about the game of baseball and generously gave of himself to share his passion with others in an attempt to help grow the sport's popularity across Europe. He will be sorely missed. Having played for the Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, and having participated in the recent 2011 European Big League Tour, Greg's lasting legacy is sure to be the trail he helped blaze for European youth to follow in his footsteps," Weiner said in the statement. From ESPN.com.

Halman played some games in the majors last year and was expected to contribute to the Mariners offense, especially power numbers in the coming years. Mariners chairman, president and general manager described him as:

"...a part of our organization since he was 16 and we saw him grow into a passionate young man and talented baseball player," they said in a statement. "He had an infectious smile that would greet you in the clubhouse, and he was a tremendous teammate. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Greg's family."

Halman was killed in the Netherlands and the main suspect is his 22-year old brother. Terrible, terrible news for any body. Obviously, the MLB's thoughts and prayers are for the kid and his family and for his legacy to live on in European baseball, as are mine. I hope everyone can take a second to step back from the pieces of cardboard and take note of a great player and a great person.

Join this Card Draft

2011-11-20T21:30:00.000-08:00

Just A Bit Outside is having a 30 Round card draft jam packed with inserts and a couple relics. I think it's a pretty fair price to have. The way I see it, you will most likely get a relic, you will get a ton of inserts and RCs that you hand pick and all for cheaper than a blaster box, which in my experience yields a relic and a couple inserts that you probably don't even want! Anyway, here are some teasers for his draft, which I'm a part of.

Oh and I think this is even better than a group break. You're getting guaranteed value and you can pick cards from any team. Plus, it should be pretty fun to see what cards go where and all that. I'm excited, so you guys should look into it! For $15. That's 5 packs of randomness or 30 cards of greatness.

Bubble Mailers > Wax

2011-11-20T20:30:00.001-08:00

I recently completed a trade with Kyle from Just A Bit Outside and in doing so, he helped remind me why I started this blog; to connect and trade with collectors like me, to help people in their collection. I usually don't so much as trade as I just send people cards that I think they'll like. Sometimes, like in this instance, I worked out a trade with somebody for the first time and I think we were both satisfied and will be doing so again in the future. Anyway here are a couple reasons why bubble mailers are better than wax:

A Gorgeous Mike Stanton cognac parallel and a Finest Mark Trumbo RC.

Two hits?! Don't get that in a pack unless you're droppin $50+.
Vintage and Current Brewers! Again you don't get stuff like this in any pack, unless those 100 baseball cards for $10 packs happen to have this amazing assortment (a risk I'm not willing to take). Two Ryan Braun's that I didn't have and a excellent vintage Robin Yount. He sent over a couple other things that I will add to my collection. All in all a great deal!

Drunk With Cognac

2011-11-20T17:35:00.000-08:00

I scored one of those Topps Update/Hobby Bowman Chrome/MCG/Bryce Harper boxes searching for something good out of the Chrome pack and maybe a Kimball that I need. What I found in my five topps update packs was this:

That's right four Cognac parallels! Each pack had a cognac except for one, which yielded me a Justin Verlander Kimball card. The cognacs are supposedly 1 in 12 packs, but I got one about one every twelve cards (don't we all wish that is how the odds worked sometimes). Anyway, if anyone is going for the Cognac set these are up for trade, or if you're like me and going for a team set. I'd like Brewers in return, but that is negotiable:

SAM LeCURE - US277
STEPHEN DREW - 269
DERNARD SPAN - 408

90's Cardboard: Portrait Style

2011-11-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

Not really sure what Score was thinking in 1991, but these Dream Team portraits and kind of awkward. I feel like we're catching Bruce Smith during his personal thinking time. I guess it puts a face on the football player, who usually has his helmet on, maybe that's the type of personality they were going for in this set. Ok you know what, it's not actually that bad. It's kind of classy, it's got a small action shot and it would look awesome with a silver signature!

75 Mini: The Real Version

2011-11-14T12:16:00.001-08:00

Yeah Hank Aaron as a Brewer and a nice '75 mini, this is why I love eBay sometimes; I can find a card like this for about $1.00 free shipping! Now I know that this card isn't one from Aaron's prime, but it is cool to have an actual Brewers card of him. Oh and the wisdom from the back of these old cards is just awesome. On this one I learned that Ernie Banks' cousin is OJ Simpson - Interesting, very interesting. Anyway this is one of my favorite Brewers cards that I own and I got it for a cool $1.19.

This is What an 83 Boggs Chrome Refractor Would Look Like:

2011-11-13T21:14:00.000-08:00

Well that's fun isn't it?! A pretty cool take on some of the older cards. Not that the older cards need anything added to them to make them worth collecting, but for a card in a base set this one is pretty cool.

Ryan Braun PC: The Refractors

2011-11-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

First off I love Ryan Braun and I love refractors, so if you ever want to do a trade with me that is a good place to start. I'm pretty sure that all of these have been picked up via trade. I don't keep track, but thanks to those who have dealt me these. And away we go:

2009 Bowman Chrome Blue Refractor /150. I love the amount of Blue on the Blue Refractor, it makes it distinctively different from a base refractor and a lot cooler. Plus Blue just works with the Brewers and it looks sharp.
2008 Bowman Chrome Refractor - Another solid card. I just love refractors. The picture looks like was taken from the stands, but regardless it's Ryan Braun and it's a refractor.
2009 Topps Chrome Refractor. You can barely tell this card is a refractor, but it is! And according to the back of the card Ryan Braun has his highest career slugging pct. against Roy Oswalt. Maybe I would have rather faced the Phightin' Phils in the NLCS.

Oh this just looks nice! Purple ref /599 from 2010. A sweet action shot makes this card all the better! Plus because he's in left field at Miller Park the scoreboard wall is behind him, so it looks like he is making a sliding catch on a Brian Roberts fly ball. Interleague play...interesting!

So my refractor collection isn't actually all that extensive. That means I'm itching to get more. Hit me up and I'll make you glad you did!

Group Break at - Just A Bit Outside

2011-11-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

Just A Bit Outside is doing a group break of a whole lot of boxes! The highlights are Ginter and Topps Lineage. For only $15 you get to pick your team and there's a lot of good ones left. I think it's a really fair price for a lot of cards. Should be a lot of fun. Head on over and secure your team, so he can bust some wax for us. Thanks!

Topps Combo: Update and Hobby Chrome

2011-11-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

The Topps Update product always sort of remains in the very back of my mind. I'm usually switching gears as a fan into football and baseball just doesn't do it for me. However, I have seen people get good hits out of the Hobby chrome pack and back in the good ol' days (2010) when they had the Ginter Hobby packs in there I got a Printing Plate. Anyway, I scored a couple Royals in my Update packs that have since been shipped to Kyle from Just A Bit Outside.

Also picked up a legendary Roger Maris card. I really dislike these current inserts that have legends on them. I think it takes something away from the mystique of having a legend's card. I don't mind them showing up in Heritage and in reprints, but they don't need to be in our insert sets.
Sparklies of course. Topps Update is meant to track what is going on in the season, but they got Lyle Overbay's team wrong, he's on the Diamondbacks. Then Michael Pineda, the guy I seem to pulling every time I open a pack (that is certainly not a complaint). I've said already that I kind of like the All-Star Game cards, at least when they are done right. The Hobby Chrome pack did not yield me a hit, but I did get a nice piece for Trade Bait:

Jesus Montero, top prospect of the Yankees. I love these Die-Cuts! I also got a Brewers RC in the pack, so I'm pretty satisfied. Plus, I got a Reyes Kimball. I stopped collecting the Kimballs after series one, but I think I want the whole set, so please feel free to offer me trades with Kimballs!

Topps Chrome Football: I Love Goooooold (and Chrome)

2011-11-10T18:24:00.000-08:00

K, so I've used that I love gooooold (and chrome) thing form Goldmember at least five times, but it's true I do and this time it has some special meaning. Anyway we'll start slow, with what might be the only thing I actually try to go after in the 2011 Chrome Football product:

The Superlative Rookies insert set. These cards are sweet! Die cuts, yeah maybe Topps listened to me when I said to bring the fun of the 90's back! The rookie fun doesn't stop there. I bought one of the 3-pack deals with the special Orange refractors and got:

A card of a Cameron! Cameron Jordan, who played for Cal last year and a player that I've seen play, which I always like. I've also seen the man to his right play. Out of all the rookie QB's, I think Jake Locker has the best chance to succeed. I really like that he isn't playing right now. He's not being scrutinized, he's learning a playbook and getting accustomed to the NFL. Actually, I think him and Cam Newton will be the two to prosper from this class. I'm not on the Dalton bandwagon yet and it's not because he's in the Ravens division, it's because he hasn't played the Ravens or Steelers yet. Cam Newton might be the real deal, but I think Jake Locker will be a household name within the next couple of years. And here comes the gold:
DeSean Jackson (another Pac-10 member) Gold Refractor 30/50. Wow! I've never actually pulled a gold refractor! This is sweet. I saw the gold border and got really excited. Visions of a Cam Newton Gold Ref. played in my head. I could flip that for an 05 Chrome Braun RC, what if it's a Gold Ref. Auto of Mr. Newton... my next term of college might be payed for. Well it was just DeSean Jackson, but I'm very happy regardless. It could be an OT... Anyway Chrome was fun as always, got some good stuff. Please let me know if you're interested in any of these cards and we can work out a deal!

90's Cardboard: Moose

2011-11-10T10:51:00.001-08:00

I think this was Donruss' way of emulating what Topps was doing with Chrome and Bowman's Best. It's in the design of the typical 1998 Donruss, but is chrome-esque and has a refractor like parallel to it. Donruss calls it "Collections" and this is #PC9 Mike Mussina. I don't remember these in packs, but then again 1998 wasn't the year I was buying packs. Either way it's a really cool card and I love how the lines project inward and stop at the player. It's hard to see in the scan, but it makes the player pop out of the background. I wish I could find more of these cards because I think they are pretty sweet. Good Ol' 90's Cardboard!

Cards on Cards on Cards

2011-11-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

I recently completed a trade with Kerry from Cards on Cards. He picked out a Matt Holiday X-fractor that I featured in my Trail of Trades series. Well I included some other Cardinals cards and he sent me back:
A beautiful Mike Stanton Chome REF RC, which is my nicest Mike Stanton card to date and a nice pick up from my personal collection. Kerry also helped me with other PC's by including a Ryan Braun card I didn't have, some nice McCutchen cards and:
A pretty sweet Troy Tulowitzki card that I didn't have from Upperdeck Portraits. His trading abilities are not limited to baseball as he felt the need for some down home in-state fun:
A couple Oregon Ducks. Man what would have happened if Dennis Dixon get injured back in 2008. He still gets a standing O, pun intended, whenever he graces Autzen with his presence. And Jonathan Stewart was a no. 1 recruit coming in... I'd say he did us well. Thanks Kerry for the great trade!

Braun PC: The Rookies

2011-11-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

What better to do in the off-season than showcase some of my PC of my favorite player: Ryan Braun. Braun seems to be a tough guy to get cards of. Relics used to be hard for me to come by, but now I have a nice hand full, but rookie cards are increasingly harder to find and stay within my budget. Anyway here we go with the RCs:

2005 Bowman Heritage #341 - Nice rookie card, remember these, Bowman Heritage cards. I picked this one up at a card show in 2006, before Braun was even in the bigs, so I got it for a decent price.

2005 Bowman Heritage Retro (Fielding SP) #341 - A nice shot of Braun fielding a grounder (he was a third baseman). I like how they threw Miller Park in the background. Had to resort to eBay for this one, but it was worth it and I bought it before Braun made his splash in the bigs in 2007.

2005 Topps Chrome Update #UH198 - This picture looks familiar (see Bowman Heritage).

2005 Topps Update #UH313 - This 2005 Topps Update product is stacked, if you ever see packs or a box snag it. There are RCs with the likes of; McCutchen, Bruce, Kemp, Weaver, Verlander, Zimmerman, Tulo and I'm sure I'm missing somebody. Luckily, I was able to get both the Chrome and base Update versions through packs, which I bough a ton of in these three pack things at WalMart that usually had something like a Topps Chrome Update pack and two Opening Day packs. Oh well, it was worth it. I also remember getting a gold Matt Kemp, which I have since traded to Plashke Thy Sweater is Argyle, for some great cards I'm sure.

2005 Topps #5 of 10 - These cards were only given in sealed sets of 2005 Topps, so they are relatively rare and I did have to resort to eBay to pick this one up.

As you can see there is a gaping hole in my Braun RC collection; The 2005 Bowman Chrome RC (Auto). I would love to get my hands on this card and I have been trying to find an affordable one. I was really close to pulling a deal trading my 05 Chrome Ryan Zimmerman Auto Ref /500 for a Braun Auto Blue Ref /250 (I think), but the deal fell through when my local dealer got a better offer. I'll get it though, someday!

Discounted Topps 206

2011-11-08T16:44:00.001-08:00

Decided to snag a discounted Blaster while I was at Target picking up Modern Warfare 3. Yeah I play COD, I'm not very good, but it's fun as hell. Kind of like ripping open packs of cards. I'm not very good (or lucky), but it's definitely fun. Anyway this will be brief as we've all seen this product for a couple years now. I got the above Starlin Castro RC. And then the parallels:

Tom Seaver and Joey Votto with their hats on. This set is the hats off set and to have the players with their hats on is an insert. Plus the back of the card is different and they have a Ginter-esque feel, not a Heritage feel like the base set.
This set is another Topps product with a mini-per-pack. This was my best one, a Justin Upton Old Mill back. I also got three Piedmont backs - Adrian Gonzalez, Clay Buchholz and Robinson Cano, two Baseball Caramel backs - Kohi Uehara and Fausto Carmona, oh and two historical events minis #HE1 & HE4. I like this set, but I like the hits and the base cards are kind of underwhelming. I like the minis, but I don't like having to keep track of a bunch of different mini-backs. If you make a parallel make it worth while. I like the backgrounds they used for the photos, but I wish the action shots (Votto and Seaver) were more common.

I might be uneducated about this set, so I'm throwing this question out there. Every card I got featured a players shot from about the torso up, except one of Carlos Pena, which featured his whole body. It struck me as awkward, which it might well be, but is it any kind of SP?

90's Cardboard: Orel Edition

2011-11-08T10:49:00.001-08:00

Mr. Hershieser was one of the great pitchers of the 90's and now we get to hear him analyze the pitchers of today. Orel is most famous for his scoreless innings streak of 59. If it has slipped your mind, he's a starting pitcher, not a reliever. That's right 59 scoreless innings, that's about... 6 shutouts in a row! Anyway here's a nice Finest card of Orel:

I love the pinstripe background with varying textures, really adds to the card. A bit of knowledge from the back of the card: "Orel's seven straight post-season wins (85-95) tied Bob Gibson's record." And now for the jersey that he wore while accomplishing all of these feats:
A 30th Anniversary Dodger Stadium card produced by DARE of California. Words of wisdom from the back of this card, "Life is a series of tests and challenges. Each time you pass a test, you become a little stronger, a little more mature." Words of wisdom from DARE - Say "No" to alcohol and drugs. I DARE you! - gotta love it!
Orel even took part in manual labor with an unnamed Pittsburgh Pirate. I have no idea how the guys at Stadium Club captured this, or why they put it on a card, but it's unique I'll give them that. And on the back of this card they have a Topps Skill rating system: 7.5 Arm Strength, 7.8 Control, 8.1 hold runners, 7.9 stamina. What about his postseason clutch factor - I'd give him a 9.7.

Locked Out

2011-11-07T23:06:00.000-08:00

I don't want to spend too much time on the NBA lockout. I don't want to get into a debate over whose fault it is or to talk bout all the news surrounding it, that stuff just puts me in a bad mood about the business that is professional sports. I understand it more than the average joe, but sometimes I feel like that leaves me more confused. Anyway, I am writing about the thing I have missed most about the NBA and it rhymes with Take Bliffin Sperlunking afterall.

Ok, so that was pretty cheesy. If you didn't get it I miss this:

...And this

... Oh and a little bit of this

It seems as though most of us aren't primarily basketball fans, but surely there is something that you miss from the lack of an NBA season. Or maybe you have developed a new appreciation for something. I imagine I'll be more into the NCAA basketball (regular season) than I ever have been. Please chime in.

90's Cardboard: Advertising

2011-11-07T15:53:00.000-08:00

If you didn't know I'm an Advertising major at the University of Oregon, so this post really captures two of my passions; Advertising and pieces of cardboard from the 1990's. Here we go:

Ok I cheated, this is from 1989, but it's a nice Don Mattingly card that also serves as an ad for Kmart. I'm not exactly fond of crossing my two passions, but it can be done nicely. I like the subtlety of the Kmart logo and it shows that they respect the card as its own entity, not solely as an advertisement. Or maybe they were restricted by Topps.

This Kenny Lofton card doesn't have any indication of a card producer making it. On the back all it says it that it is licensed by the MLB. If that's the fact it's an interesting effort by Jimmy Dean to make an advertisement.
These were pretty popular back in 1992. A powerhouse Coke brand decided to team up with Donruss, the lowly cheap card producer. I like that these cards were gold, that gave them a little flair, but my oh my, the flair would quickly become the trend of the 90's as cards started being made of metal, having rainbows and space backgrounds, featuring embossed players, and the eventual cataclysm of game-used cards.

Trade with Play at the Plate

2011-11-06T15:53:00.001-08:00

I made a trade with Brain (Brian) at Play at the Plate, where I received a Ray Rice Topps Prime card 5/5 and a Ray Lewis game used jersey. The Ray Rice card was the big piece of the deal and he is one of my favorite football players. Ray Lewis is self-explanatory; he's a legend, a leader and a great player. Plus, he plays on my favorite team. I have a couple Lewis relics, but I will rarely turn one down. Thanks for the great trade Brian!

2011 Bowman Chrome Baseball

2011-11-06T14:42:00.001-08:00

If you've been following the general tone of my blog you know I like three things: 90's Cardboard, Ryan Braun and Chrome. This post is about the latter a features my latest blaster pick up of 2011 Bowman Chrome:
Here are two of the better base cards that I pulled:

Matt Moore BCP220 - Pitched well for the Rays in ALDS and looks mature as a young pitcher.
Tyler Skaggs BCP194 - The Angels sent Skaggs, one of the top prospects in baseball, to Arizona for Dan Haren, that didn't help them get to the postseason, but I would be surprised if Skaggs isn't pitching there someday.

The Rest of the Base Set RCs:

Erasmo Ramirez (BCP189) - Young, solid Mariners pitching prospect (sound familiar?)
Wade Gaynor (BCP211) - Sold 3B prospect for the Tigers
Anthony Ranaudo (BCP181) - #1 Draft pick by the Red Sox in 2010, out of LSU
Brandon Guyer (BCP168) - Acquired by the Rays for Matt Garza, card has him pictured with Cubs. Hit .344 with 13 HR in 102 minor league games in 2010

Now for some inserts!

Manny Machado Bowman's Best Insert - The thrid pick in the 2010 draft
Jameson Taillon 2001 Bowman Chrome Insert - The second pick in the 2010 draft, these guys will be in the shadow of the No. 1 pick Mr. Bryce Harper, who is taking the hobby and the league by storm, but these two guys should find their way to the big leagues and show promise.
Ramon Morla Purple /799 - really solid offensive 3B in the Mariners system, hit 17HR in 62 games in the minors last season!
Chris Owings Purple /799 - Bypassed scholarship to South Carolina to become Dbacks minor league shortstop. Young guy shows promise as a contact hitter
Peter Tago Die Cut - Rockies #1 pick in 2010 draft, beautiful card reminds me of the Topps Finest parallels found in the football set.

Stephen Strasburg Refractor - So I did get a Nationals #1 overall pick, just not the right one or the right year. I actually am really rooting for Strasburg to have a great career. Unlike Bryce Harper I actually respect Strasburg as a baseball player. I'll enjoy watching him pitch for years to come.

Overall I'm pleased with the value and the array of inserts in the Bowman Chrome set. I like the design, it doesn't have the "Wow" factor, but it's what you expect from Bowman Chrome. I really like the throwback 2011 Bowman Chrome and Bowman's Best cards. All of these cards are up for trade, just comment below and we'll work something out!

90's Cardboard: Now That's A Pack

2011-11-06T13:18:00.000-08:00

They don't make packs that look like this anymore unless they run $50 and have a laundry list of guarantees. This pack ran me a cool $1.29 at Target and I already knew that I loved the base design of this set:

It's just clean. That's the best word to describe it. I love the backs of these cards and I like how they used the whole cardboard for the picture. The inserts are pretty cool too:

This is a foil Hot Numbers insert of Ryne Sanderg. I promise it looks a lot cooler in person. And the Wave of the Future inserts are stellar cards that have been made a number of times since this set was introduced.

Freese Frame: Former Eugene Emerald Doin' it Big

2011-11-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

David Freese was once in the Padres organization, which landed him in Eugene for one summer early in his career. He played only 18 games with the Emeralds in the summer of 2006, but was about as outstanding as he was in the postseason in 2011. He hit .379 with 5 HR and 26RBI. And to think that the Padres gave up this stellar prospect for Jim Edmonds back in 2008. Granted, nobody knows what would have happened of Freese in the Padres system, but he sure showed some promising signs that he was a solid contact and power hitter.

Anyway, Freese put the dagger in my Brewers postseason run to take home NLCS MVP honors, then capped one of the most historic games in World Series history to take home World Series MVP honors and he is now immortalized for having one of the most outstanding and unexpected postseason performances in recent memory. I can, however, look back at this with some positivity... at least he was a Eugene Emerald.

90's Cardboard: And Foil

2011-11-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

I went back the Ol' parent's house the other week and I was looking through a box that I likely haven't opened since the 90's and I found these two cards, which I never knew I had. The first features a young Tony Stewart.

Yeah that's right I found out I had NASCAR cards in my collection, you learn something new everyday. This is a foil insert from 1999 Press Pass Stealth. On the back it says Promo 1 of 1, which means that this was likely a sample and the 1 of 1 was a placeholder for where the set numbers would go (example 2 of 20, meaning card 2 of a 20 card set), but if I were sneaky I would throw this up on the Bay as a true 1/1, but I'm not like that.

This is a base set card from Wheels 1999, it's also a promo (1 of 2) of Bobby LaBonte. I don't know much about NASCAR, but I do know these two drivers and that must mean they are good. I don't collect NASCAR cards, but it was a cool thing to come across. If anyone would enjoy these cards more than I did having them sit in a box forever, please let me know, I'd be happy to send them your way.

Gettin' My Topps Update On

2011-10-24T22:43:00.000-07:00

Got my first Michael Pineda card out of Topps Update, too bad it's not technically a RC. Seattle has a stud in this kid and I hope his arm holds up and doesn't have any trouble. I really like the Mariners and as an Oregonian I guess they are my local team, but I haven't had the chance to catch a game in the past couple of seasons, which I should really find the time to do before King Felix or Ichiro decide to leave the great Pacific Northwest.

On a side note I do like the cards dedicated to the All Star Game. It's a nice way to remember who was an All-Star each year as sometimes guys sneak in and you forget they ever were an All-Star.

90's Cardboard: Glamour Shot

2011-10-21T23:21:00.000-07:00

I don't know if he didn't have his glasses on, or what, but Greg Maddux did not take a great picture for his 1992 Stadium Club card (#665), which is ironic because Stadium Club later became known for its photography. At least Mr. Maddux was able to rebound from this horrendous card and have a pretty solid career.

On The Prowl: Brewers Sparklies

2011-10-14T10:11:00.001-07:00

Pictured are Brewers Sparkle cards that I have. I'm looking for the whole team set. I have some sparkles to trade as well as a lot of other stuff. Shoot me an email at: cameronclow12@gmail.com, or comment on this post if you would like to help me out.

90's Cardboard: Sky Cards

2011-10-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

Brewers won, I turned in two essays today, I'm feeling good, so I thought I'd crank out two posts this evening. Sky cards is what I called these bad boys back in the day, but E-X 2000 is the proper vernacular. At one point I was lucky enough to have a Kobe Bryant RC of these, which I specifically remember trading for Tim Duncan and Ichiro Suzuki RC's, but I digress. These are pretty sweet looking cards, they have a nice holographic material, sweet plastic sky backgroud, that apparently comes in amber and blue and the base set cards were different colors; blue (seen here), green (which the Kobe was), red (or pink?). I know what you're thinking, E-X 2000, doesn't that stretch the boundaries of 90's cardboard. No, silly! These cards were made in 1997 and the 2000 is supposed to be futuristic...woah! If they wanted to be futuristic they should have bagged the design and thrown some splinters of a bat that broke from a foul ball! Sometimes, I miss the fun of 90's cardboard.

Thanks for Showin' Up: Randy Wolf

2011-10-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

Randy Wolf pitched a gem in a must win game tonight at Busch Stadium. He went seven strong and gave up only two solo HR (one of which was a routine fly ball that caught a jet stream). He had the best start of any Brewers pitcher not named Yovani Gallardo. He saved some of the bullpen arms, put home-field advantage back in the Brew Crews hands and even smacked a double in the game. That's a clutch start by your No. 4. Thanks for Showin' Up Randy Wolf! You might have saved the Brewers postseason.

90's Cardboard: Metallica

2011-10-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

Good Ol' Topps Stars 'N Steel, straight from 1998 back when card gimmicks were getting just a bit ridiculous. Topps Marquee has actually used some metal cards in this years set, but those are pretty sweet parallels, this was a card that was purchased in a special pack and had a special cardboard frame to hold this piece of metal heaven as it was. I think it's an interesting idea and it made for an interesting card at the time. Plus it's damage resistant, since it is metal and all. The scan doesn't do this card much justice, but I promise you're not missing much. I would like to see these cards with more embossed area around the player, I think that would make them pretty cool.

Doesn't Get Much Sweeter

2011-10-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

Game 5 extra innings, it doesn't get much better than that! What a series. Hats off to the Dbacks, their bats were hot and they almost had it. Thanks to Nyjer Morgan for making my Friday night a good one and thanks to Tony Plush (or whatever he wants to call his crazy self) for dropping obscenities on national TV. Come on TBS, you can't put that guy on live TV. Either way great series, great way to end it. Looking forward to Sunday and having home field advantage for the rest of the postseason! It would be pretty awesome to see the Brew Crew in the world series and have home field advantage because Prince hit a bomb in the Mid Summer Classic.

Milestone Post: 3,000K Pitchers Showcase

2011-10-05T22:49:00.000-07:00

This is my 200th post. WOOO! It's been sporatic, but very fun and I've enjoyed every second of it. What better time to unveil what I've been working on in collecting a relic of every 3,000K pitcher. It is a milestone is it not?

Nolan Ryan (5,714) - I have no problem with calling a swatch of Ryan's jersey epic, absolutely amazing testament to a pitcher's dominance, stamina and masterful talent. A flamethrower that never seemed to flame out. One of my favorite Ryan moments has to be the Robin Ventura headlock though.

Randy Johnson (4,875) - He made his living dodging the sweet spot and scaring the crap out of hitters who had the stones to step in against him. People call Tim Lincecum the Freak, but I think that would have been a better nickname for Johnson. He was epic with the Mariners and won a WS with the DBacks, a surefire HOFer and a true icon of the 90's.

Roger Clemens (4,672) - And we get to the first tainted pitcher. Clemens was a dominant pitcher, but I never really liked him after that whole Piazza fiasco. He was a strikeout king, had a 20K game and put together a nice career. If he hadn't taken steroids (allegedy) he would be in the HOF.

Steve Carlton (4,136) - Our second Lefty and the original "Lefty". Steve Carlton is somebody who I had always had an interest in (as a left handed pitcher myself). I also like how this card uses a black and white photo, but spices up the design with some color.

Bert Blyleven (3,701) - STILL DON'T HAVE!!!

Tom Seaver (3,640) - Don't know too much about him, but this card frustrates me a little bit because it uses a picture of him with the Mets and a jersey with the Reds. It's not he randomly changed teams in 2005, why couldn't they just use a Mets jersey swatch, or a Reds picture? Either way it's a swatch of a legend!

Don Sutton (3,574) - Don't know too much about him, but he is the only pitcher to record his 3000th strikeout as a Milwaukee Brewer, which was in 1983!

Gaylord Perry (3,534) - Love this swatch! It really shows the character of an older jersey swatch and unlike the Seaver it actually features the jersey that the picture shows! This is a clean card of a great pitcher.

Walter Johnson (3,509) - STILL DON'T HAVE, don't even know if they have relic cards of his?

Greg Maddux (3,371) - The professor. And he drove NL East foes crazy with his masterful command for years. Maddux is a guy that I really respect. He embodied what it means to be a pitcher. He maximized his potential and killed it year after year. He didn't just rack up the K's, but he could pitch to get a double play. Chicks might dig the longball, but the HOF digs guys like you Greg.
Phil Niekro (3,342) - Another Braves pitcher and another sweet retro relic. Niekro is perhaps the most unique pitcher of the bunch. Aside from Walter Johnson he pitched the most innings (5404) on the list and that's because this knuckleballer stayed in the game for 23 seasons.

Ferguson "Fergie" Jenkins - I LOVE this blue relic, it's a nice color and changes up the pace from white and grey. Jenkins is a Cubs favorite and he well deserves to be. Pitching a handful of seasons for them and recording his 3,00th K dawning the Cubs uni.

Pedro Martinez (3,154) - Struck out Aaron Harang for his 3,00th, which is about the easiest way to do it, but the other 2,999 were probably a bit harder as he pitched in the AL for most of those. People forget that Martinez was DOMINANT for a stretch in his career. He could make hitters look like fools with any of his pitches and was for a while the face of the Red Sox. I implore any baseball fans that doubt Martinez to look back at some of his performances with the Sox and tell me that he wasn't as dominant as Halladay, Lee, Lincecum or Kershaw are today.

Bob Gibson (3,117) - I do have his relic, but it is at my parent's house. It's actually a relic and auto card. Gibson is one of my favorite pitchers. He posted the lowest ERA in the modern era and was a beast on the mound!

Curt Schilling (3,116) - The "other" part of the DBacks 1-2 punch that took them to the World Series in 2001. Schilling has a few other memorable post season performances (bloody sock) and he was always a pitcher with a knack for winning games. Struck out Nick Swisher for his 3,000th.

John Smoltz (3,084) - I'm not sure what team he was with when he got his 3,00th because he floated around the league so much, not he was a Brave through and through. Him, Chipper and Bobby Cox have spent a collaborative lifetime there. Smoltz is one of few pitchers to have success as a starter and closer, which shows his versatility and willingness to do what a team needs him to.

And there you have it. A collection of pitchers that to get to this point had to be dominant, have endurance and fool hitters time and time again (3,000 to be exact, or 9,000 if you count by strike). Some did it with blazing fastballs that never seemed to slowdown, other's did it with dancing knuckleballs in the disco era. More recent pitchers staggered to the 3,000 K mark, but did so with years of dominance behind them and a great appreciation for the art of pitching. Interesting factoid: Cesar Geronimo was the 3,00th strikeout for both Nolan Ryan (1980) and Bob Gibson (1974).

Thank you for tuning in to my milestone that demonstrates a lack of consistency in posting, but a continued consistency in my passion for collecting! 200 is a small step and I hope to increase my posting and trading in the future, but thank you to all of those who have read, traded and commented on my blog!

Trail of Trades: Brewers Relic

2011-10-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

I picked up this gem by trading Greg from Plaschke Thy Sweater is Argyle an 05 Bowman Heritage Jered Weaver RC. We worked out a bigger deal, but this was what I got out of my Trail of Trades cards. You might think that trading a Weaver RC for a Sheets relic isn't a good deal, but I have a couple Weaver RCs and a double of the one I sent Greg, so to get a relic of one of my favorite ex-Brewers is a nice deal for me.

I Love Chrrrrrome!

2011-10-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

But I don't like the Braves, just kidding, they're ok I feel bad for them collapsing this season, but I don't feel to sorry for them because they have a really good team and a lot of young pitching prospects that will either carry that team in the future or be used to bring a star to Atlanta. The two pictured above, however, probably aren't on the move.
I love the purple refractors and I've always liked Carlos Beltran. It sucks he couldn't carry the Giants into the postseason, but as a Brewers fan I'd rather face the playoff inexperienced Dbacks than the defending champion Giants, so it's ok by me.
One of the more underrated sluggers in the game. He doesn't put up huge numbers and the White Sox just couldn't put it together this season, but I think Quentin is a decent player. He has flashes.
I am really rooting for Strasburg to have an awesome career. I could care less about Bryce Harper, but Strasburg seems like a winner and he's bounced back nicely from his injury. The Nats will handle him carefully and I hope to see him unleashed in a couple years.
Speaking of a nice pitching career! Cliff Lee is one of two amazing lefties to come from Cleveland (CC Sabathia, yeah they were on the same team!). I know the Indians got good prospects and what not, but watching Cliff Lee tear up the postseason must be difficult to swallow. Just another downfall of being a small market club. I do love me some Xfractors though! Any of these cards are up for trade. Specifically I'm looking for Brewers of equal measure.

Battlin'

2011-10-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

Ryan Braun and Justin Upton are doin' work today. This is what postseason baseball is all about!

Brewers Playoffs Game 1

2011-10-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

The Brewers took Game 1 from the Diamondbacks and it was in typical fashion as Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun accounted for most of the Brewers Offense (5-8, 2RBI, 3 Runs combined). That's what them to where they are and that's what is going to carry them further, hopefully. At least it won't be another 1-14 performance by Prince (He's already got 2 hits).
The Brewers pitching has been the biggest difference this season. Even though Gallardo has been on the club in years past he put together a great season and because of some previous post season experience he came in and was able to bounce back after giving up two hits in the first inning and needing Ryan Braun to throw Bloomquist out at the plate. If this were 2008, I don't think Gallardo bounces back like he did.
The most overlooked play of the game was Yuniesky Betancourt's two-out triple. With the Brewers up just 1-0 Betancourt tripled and later scored, because the D'Backs pitched to LuCroy in stead of walking him and facing Gallardo (who is a hitting threat). Without Fielder's HR this would have been the deciding run in the game. And while the Brewers will need Fielder and Braun to power their offense I would bet that they will need the bottom of their lineup at some point this post season. All in all it was a great game to see and a great way to start the post season.

90's Cardboard: Barry Larkin Underrated Player Edition

2011-09-30T16:14:00.001-07:00

Barry Larkin is one of the most overlooked players of the 90's and I love that he represented one team his whole career. I don't like the Reds, but I can definitely tip my hat to what Barry Larkin did for 19 seasons in Cincinnati. He was a truly great all around player and should be considered one of the best shortstops in the game by anyone who believes different. I personally feel, that things would be a lot different if Alex Rodriguez wasn't hitting 52 bombs as a SS and people weren't going longball crazy for those years late in the 90's. But either way Larkin had a very solid career and true all around ballplayer, who deserves a spot among the games best. Enjoy these fine Die-cuts from the 90's.

1996 SP Marquee Matchups - MM12 - Nice card that can stand alone, but does have a counterpart out there somewhere. Nice use of foil in the background and a cool die-cut design, classic 90's.
1998 Leaf Gold Leaf Star Fractal Matrix Y-axis Die-cut - Geez that's a mouthful, but a beautiful card nonetheless. The scan doesn't do it justice. Not exactly sure what Leaf was trying to do when they released a bunch of these crazy Fractal, Fracterial, Gold Leaf, Die-Cut, Collections inserts parallels, etc, but it is a nice card of the 90's no doubt.

Trail of Trades: Marquee Swap Meet

2011-09-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

So I sent comparable Derek Jeter and Mickey Mantle Topps Marquee cards to Nick from the Cardboard Dugout in exchange for a Ryan Braun that I didn't have (and will not pull as I don't have the money to buy any more Marquee) and a Zack Greinke. A very satisfying trade for both of us, I hope.

90's Cardboard: Dennis Eckersley

2011-09-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

Does this card really need an introduction? Just look at it! It defintiely maximizes laser technology and creates an awesome card that's really cool to look at and really difficult to protect. I can imagine how many of these cards were ruined in a shoebox. Believe it or not this is part of the base set from 1996 Topps Laser #54. Enjoy!

Trade: Swappin' MVP Candidates

2011-09-27T20:20:00.000-07:00

I made a trade with Greg from Plaschke Thy Sweater is Argyle. I sent him a nice Matt Kemp Bazooka Mini /25 and he sent me a slew of game used cards and made me a deal that I really couldn't refuse. I thought about throwing the Kemp up on eBay, but I'm glad I didn't because I know it's going to someone who will enjoy it. And Greg gave me some cards that I'm really going to enjoy!

This is what really sealed the deal for me: 2009 UD POH Timless Moments Ryan Braun Jersey /180. It commemorates Sep. 28th 2008, when Braun hit a two-run homer in the 8th inning to breat a 1-1 tie and take the Brewers to the postseason. Sound familiar? Brauny did the same thing this year, except it was a three-run bomb to clinch the division (not the wild card).

He also sent me a 2004 UD Stitched in Time Rickie Weeks Auto /250, 2007 Just Minors Cole Gillespie Auto /10 and a 2011 Prestige Jersey of Terrell Suggs /100, which is my first relic of perhaps the most underrated member of the Ravens defense.

All in all another very satisfying trade. I recommend that anybody who hasn't dealt with Greg tries to dig up some Dodgers and make him a deal, he's a great person to do business with. Thanks Greg!

Thanks for Showin' Up: Torrey Smith

2011-09-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

I was beginning to wonder about the Ravens RCs as Jimmy Smith has been sidelined most of the year so far and Torrey Smith hadn't caught a pass in the first two games, but then Torrey decided to put on his big boy pants and PF Flyers as he torched the Rams. His first three catches (of the game and of his career) all went for TDs, the first of which was a 74 yarder! He finished with 5 catches for 152 yards and was held to three TDs. It was definitely great to see this from a rookie, who got off to a slow start. Thanks for Showin' up, Torrey Smith!

90's Cardboard: Zensational

2011-09-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a classic 90's card that makes me feel old because this team no longer exists (neither does the card company for that matter). It is however, a sweet looking die-cut of one of my favorite players in the NBA. It's a 1997-98 Z Force Zensations insert of Gary Payton. Enjoy!

2011 Ginter: For Trade

2011-09-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Base Set: 9, 16, 19, 20, 38, 44, 48, 53, 55, 67, 68, 72, 83, 107, 109, 121, 126, 132, 133, 138, 143, 155, 163, 180, 188, 191, 200, 202, 203, 223, 232, 236, 243, 244, 261, 269, 272, 275, 282, 285, 290, 299, 317, 329, 331, 334, 336, 339, 341, 342.

HH: 1, 5, 25, 29, 40, 42, 55, 67, 87, 89, 96.

AOM: 6, 14.

FF: 3, 11.

MMF: 25, 36.

BHS: 4, 18, 21.

Mini (Base): 6, 179, 299.

Mini Ginter Back: 44, 196, 237.

PP: 3, 8.

SRU: 1, 3.

WMF: 2, 5.

AP: 1, 5.

Relics:

Billy Butler Jersey (Blue)

If you are interested in anything make an offer or just send me your address because I'll probably send them out to you anyway. If you're interested in a team/player and can't tell if I have any because I listed them by set # just let me know and I'll go through them.

Thanks! Hopefully I can help somebody complete their set.

90's Cardboard: Foldout Edition

2011-09-23T11:43:00.001-07:00

This is another typical gimmicky insert card from the 90's, but I still love it. Like I said earlier, my basketball collection has only 90's inserts remaining and this 97-98 Fleer Tower of Power Patrick Ewing happens to be one of them. It'd be a nice looking card at the normal height (ABOVE), but wait for it, wait for it....
BAM! Now that is how you make a basketball card. I have to say this is a pretty sweet insert set and a good use of a fold-out; to really show the height of these players and emphasize the Tower of Power! Just another 90's cardboard classic that some of us forgot about when they started putting jerseys in cards.

90's Cardboard: Bichette Happens

2011-09-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

Just a pretty sweet shot of a player having fun, which I like about 90's cardboard (when it's done right). This card is from 1995 UD Collector's Choice and is quickly catching on as my catchphrase when I open a bad pack of cards. Enjoy!

2011 Topps Lineage

2011-09-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to give lineage a one-pack audition the other day and I like what I saw. If only I had more money to spend on cards I would probably pick up more. In my pack I got the above card

-Johnny Bench #191

-Jose Bautista #172

-Clayton Kershaw #84
-Marlon Byrd #180

-Blay Buchholz #92

-Brooks Robinson #74

-Nelson Cruz #67

And this beauty:
Joe Mauer Cloth sticker#TSC39 - I really like the look of these cards, or stickers (I'm sure most of us will be using these as cards not stickers). They are seeded 1:12 packs, so I was pretty dang lucky to get one and even more lucky to get one of a great player like Joe Mauer, but it is up for trade and I would love to get one of a Brewers player if anyone has one of those out there. The others are up for trade as well, except for the Kershaw, which will be on its way to Greg from Plaschke Thy Sweater is Argyle.

90's Cardboard: Basketball Edition

2011-09-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

Yes Chauncey Billups did play for the Boston Celtics at one point in time. I believe he even played under Rick Pitino. Apparently it was during the 1997 season, because that's when this card was made. Billups must not have been too much of a "star attraction", because he was quickly traded form Boston, but this insert from Upperdeck is pretty sweet. It's die-cut, it's foil and it's the epitome of what remains from my basketball card collection. Enjoy!

90's Cardboard: Psychedelic

2011-09-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

The third installment of 90's cardboard features a lovely Brewers card of Dave Nilsson, but this is no ordinary 95 Topps card. Check it out:

There's four Dave Nilsson's! Not to mention a psychedelic background that reminds me of a drug trip scene from a movie. My reaction to this card if I actually pulled this from a pack would be something like, "Hmmmm, interesting." I don't know what else to say about this card, so I'll talk about Dave Nilsson for a second

Nilsson is an Australian born catcher, who hit .418 in 65 games for El Paso in 1991. Oh and by the way he hit the first home run at The Ballpark in Arlington (Texas) on April, 11th 1994.

Glorious Ginter: Matt Kemp Edition

2011-09-18T12:27:00.001-07:00

So this looks like a standard Mini and you might do what I did and set in your stack on minis as you're ripping through twenty bucks worth or retail Ginter. You might also let out a childish scream of glee when you flip the card over later and see this:

A hand numbered Matt Kemp. Wow! This is the best Ginter card I've ever pulled (I don't delve in the Hobby Ginter too often as they sell so fast). It is up for trade at the right price, I'd really like to do a trade for the same card of Ryan Braun if anyone has seen that one out there.

90's Cardboard: 90's Finest (Literally)

2011-09-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

Embossed, fireworks, protective coating, this card has it all! It's an Aaron Glenn RC #165 straight out of 1995 Topps Finest. I love the Finest stuff, even today I love the look of Topps Finest. They don't quite reach the awesomeness of the earlier Finest cards like this one, but they are a fun pack/box to open. I wish they would do a throwback thing with all of the Finest sets though, it'd be pretty sweet to see these remade and to have refractors of them.

90's Cardboard

2011-09-16T15:11:00.001-07:00

A new series brought to you by Cardboard Heaven it's 90's Cardboard: A showcase of my collecting heyday. I've showcased some of this stuff before, but I figured I'd try to compile it into a nice series. And without further ado here is the first card:
1997 Fleer Ultra Comeback Kids Jerry Rice - featuring a glorious die cut design that is absent in many of today's sets. I loved getting Die-cuts when I was a kid and to be honest I kind of still like them. I prefer die-cuts to mini-cards any day. Plus this card has Rice's name on their twice, not sure why, but it works.

2011 Topps Marquee

2011-09-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

This was my hit from the pack of Topps Marquee I decided to purchase with some trade-ins I did at the local card shop. The most disappointing thing about this card is Topps' lack of regard for design. I think they could have taken the time to put the grey swatch in the middle and at least make the card symmetrical, but oh well. It's a beautiful card of a great young player. It is however, up for trade at the right price!

Trail of Trades

2011-09-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a new thing I'm trying. I'm going to offer all of the pictured cards in trades, I'll keep track of what I get from each card and trade after trade I will hopefully end up with a completely different bundle of cards. I'll be keeping track on my blog with posts tagged with Trail of Trades. I tried to put a little bit of everything up there, so if you see something you like send me an offer:

cameronclow12@gmail.com

Here's what I'm starting with (and I want to part with all of it):

2010-2011 Playoff Contenders (ROY Contenders) Blake Griffin RC
2007 Bowman Chrome Darrelle Revis RC
~~2011 Topps Platinum DeSean Jackson GREEN variation~~ Kimballs
~~2010 Score Tim Tebow RC~~ Kimballs
1982 Topps in Action Ronnie Lott
~~2010 Topps Chrome X-fractor Matt Holliday~~ to Kerry from Cards on Cards (Stanton REF)
~~2011 Topps Marquee Derek Jeter~~ to Nick from The Cardboard Dugout (Greinke Marquee)
~~2011 Topps Marquee Mickey Mantle~~ to Wicked Ortega (My past time ..... I Love it!) (Braun Marquee)
2011 Topps Marquee Jon Lester Blue /299
1985 Topps Joe Morgan
1982 Topps In Action Willie Stargell
~~2005 Bowman Heritage Jered Weaver RC~~ to Greg (Plaschke Thy Sweater is Argyle) (Sheets Relic)
2010 Bowman Platinum Purple Dustin Ackley RC

Keep in mind that these cards can be used as building blocks for bigger deals and please direct anyone who might be interested in one of the cards listed to the site. I'd love to trade with new collectors!

2011 Topps Platinum Football

2011-09-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

Finally got the chance to run to WalMart and look at the latest football in stock. A blaster of Platinum caught my eye and it was a $20 well spent. Lovely base cards, color parallels and x-fractor cards are abundant. Here was one of the X-fractor cards that I got:

Marcell Dareus #64 - The third overall pick in this years draft for the Buffalo Bills, who were a huge surprise in week 1. My other X-fractor RC was:

Mikel Leshoure #94 - A second round pick out of Illinois. He was supposed to be the back-up to Jahvid Best, which would have likely landed him a chance to play this season, but injuries have sidelined Leshoure for the year, so I'll have to hold on to this one until he gets a chance to play.

These were the colored parallels I pulled:

Vincent Jackson #108 (Red) - I like this guy. He has one of the best QB's in the league and he's the prime target, plus a great red zone target, that's a combination that can put up huge numbers.

Desean Jackson #144 (Green) - Obviously one of the most explosive players in the game. I remember watching him dominate Oregon when he was with Cal, size was an issue when he was in the draft, who cares about his size now? Not, Andy Reid.

Scored a RC of the Ravens top pick:

Jimmy Smith #51 - He's injured for a couple weeks, but he will be a huge part of the Ravens future. As guys like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed move on it will be up to Jimmy Smith, Terrell Suggs and Sergio Kindle to keep that D strong.

Other base RC's I pulled were:

Jamie Harper #8 - Out of Clemson and drafted by Tennessee. Looks like he'll be Chris Johnson's back-up.

Jeremy Kerley #16 - Out of TCU in the 5th round by the Jets. He had a rough start on Sunday night as the Jets punt returner as the first punt he had a chance on hit his facemask and went out of bounds, but maybe he'll do something special this year. At least he's getting on the field.

Cecil Shorts III #115 - WR out of Mount Union, now with Jacksonville (4th Rd.). A lot of receivers have come from small schools and put up numbers: Greg Jennings, Terrell Owens, Marques Colston, Steve Johnson. Maybe Shorts could be next, who knows. I think it's a good sign that he had 1196 yards and 18 TD last year in college.

Kyle Rudolph #97 - The stud TE from Notre Dame. The Vikings will likely build the team around Rudolph, Ponder, AD and Percy Harvin for the future. He'll be a go to guy while Ponder is developing.
Here was the biggest surprise out of the blaster:

DeLone Carter #91 Auto Patch Green Ref /125 - I LOVE this card. It has a fat jersey swatch and a great design. I just wish they took the time to make it an on-card auto, but hey I won't complain. Carter has the chance to become the feature back in Indy if he can put up numbers in the chances he's given. Addai has been mediocre in his time there and if Carter shows something the Colts like, I wouldn't be surprised if he started getting more touches. The only problem is that Peyton Manning is out and the Colts offense will probably put up baseball scores until he gets back. Oh well, this is a stellar card!

First Ginter of the Year!

2011-08-21T15:43:00.001-07:00

I finally got the time to run to Target and pick up some cards and write a post about them! So here is my first pack of Ginter this year:

Robinson Cano (With Bee Wings at the top?) #130

I'm not a fan of the Yankees, but I do like Cano. He's a solid player, great hitter and his performance in the HR Derby was pretty awesome.

Jeremy Hellickson RC #20

Hometown Heroes Adam Dunn - Not much of a hero this year as he is on pace to set a record for lowest batting average. I feel for the guy and I think he can still play, maybe he just needs a fresh start.
Jered Weaver mini Ginter Back - Started the year as a Cy Young front runner, but has since taken a back seat to Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia. I hope Verlander gets it.
Ozzie Martinez RC

I really like the look of Ginter this year. I always wonder how they are going to take a successful product and tweak it. They have done an amazing job of not changing what we all love about Ginter, but still giving us something that is fresh and new. I really like the team logos on the front this year.

Bandwagon: I'm In

2011-08-14T18:14:00.000-07:00

I'm on the bandwagon this year of two guys whom are red hot and are true five-tool, do-it-all players. The first is Justin Upton, read 'em weep (unless your a D'backs fan, then read 'em and feel great about this No. 1 overall draft pick)/

After 2010 rumors swirled about his potential trade! I bet they are glad they held on. Upton is a child in terms on Major League baseball players and at only 23 these are monster numbers to have. What speaks to me is the combination of average, power and speed. Guys with power always come up and have a couple good years then fizzle out, guys with speed have a couple good years and then all of a sudden it declines and these guys go from dropping 40 bombs, hitting .325, or what have you to becoming an average ball player.

What Upton's numbers tell me is a different story. Upton's .304 avg and steady power numbers tell me that is figuring out major league pitching (at 23 that is frightening!). He's being a leader of team in contention for a division title (at 23 that is amazingly mature) and he's doing it coming off what people were calling an off year. I like everything I see from him this year!

My next guy is Matt Kemp. The prototypical "If his team was better he would be the MVP" guy of 2011, which is an argument I'll save for another day. His numbers, like Upton's show just absolute dominance of the game, maturity and perseverance because he has played through a ton of drama, insecurity and on a subpar (that's kind) team.

He is, however, hitting .320 with 28 bombs 31 swipes and just straight wrecking NL pitching. Not to mention playing center field day in and day out not knowing if his paycheck will bounce. What I really like with Kemp is the stolen base column. He could very well be the next 40/40 man. He scores runs, drives in runs and is hitting for average more this year. Like Upton he is also coming off a down year (avg. wise).
With all that said count me in on the bandwagon for these two young stars. Upton in particular, the guy is 23. Braun, my favorite player, was barely in his second year at that point. Spectacular yes, but Upton has five years under his belt and at 23 he plays, acts and puts up numbers like a seasoned veteran and should be a perennial All-Star.

Contest!

2011-08-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I've been largely inactive this summer, but I'm almost back. I had some time today and I designed a new header for my blog. As part of my redesign and absence I would like to remind all of you that I am still here and still going strong in the card collecting game. I am making this into a contest of sorts, but really I just want to send some cards out to somebody. So here it goes, here's the contest:

Name every logo on my new header that makes up the spelling "Cardboard Heaven". The Cardboard is made of all MLB logos, so nobody has to tell me all of those, but tell me what logos make up Heaven and you will win a package of cards from your favorite team. Please comment or email to:

cameronclow12@gmail.com

ATTN: That is a new email, which I will be using from now on. I will also check my old one (camclow@yahoo.com), but the above email is going to be my primary.

Thanks and enjoy!

Amazing barehanded catch!

2011-08-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

This play was made by first round pick Jace Peterson out of McNeese State, while playing for the Eugene Emeralds. The Emeralds are the short-season single A affiliate of the San Diego Padres and for a while this season had three first round picks on their roster (Peterson, Corey Spangenberg and Donavan Tate, 2009 3rd overall pick). Some good baseball down here in Eugene!

CamClow Original: Ravens Desktop Back Ground

2011-08-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

Just for fun!

Mid September: Trades

2011-08-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I apologize for my inactivity on the blogosphere recently. I have been absolutely swamped with an internship with the Eugene Emeralds, the short-season single - A Affiliate of the San Diego Padres, but more about that later.

I will have some free time in mid September before school starts back up and I want to take some of that time to go through cards and send out a bunch of packages. Many of you that I have made deals with in the past will get a free package and if I haven't done a deal with you please leave a list of what you would like or email me before mid september.

I expect nothing in return, but if you feel obligated to send something I collect Brewers and Ravens, but really pretty much any baseball cards.

Hope to hear from you guys and that we can work out a deal!

GROUP BREAK: IMPORTANT

2011-05-30T23:20:00.001-07:00

To everyone who participated in the Group Break:

Please e-mail your address to camclow@yahoo.com because a number of you did not attach your address when paying with PayPal and sending a gift. I have no way to get your address. If you have already received your cards then no need to send me your address, if not, please do as soon as you can and I will mail the cards as soon as possible. I have either shipped (or packed) ALL THE TEAMS EXCEPT:

White Sox
Jays
Royals
Marlins
Cubs
Dbacks

Thanks!

Gypsy Group Break: The Final Four

2011-05-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

Pack 21:

Bob Gibson - Cards - 44

Ryne Sandberg - Cubs - 78

Andrew McCutchen - Pirates - 79

Chris Volstad - Marlins - 109

Colby Lewis - Rangers - 285

Rickie Weeks - Brewers - 127

Brad Lidge - Phillies - 270

Matt Kemp Bronze Frame /999 - Dodgers - 15
Bronson Arroyo Mini Red Queen back - REds - 195

Ike Davis Future Stars - Mets - FS7

Pack 22:

Ryan Howard - Phillies - 12

Hanley Ramirez - Marlins - 30

Frank Robinson - Orioles - 6 (Thats the third Frank Robinson card I've pulled and two were Orioles, one was Reds, but the Reds one happened to be a relic).

Ryan Zimmerman - Nats - 172

Joe Saunders - Dbacks - 250

Stephen Drew - Dbacks - 265

Aubrey Huff - Giants - 259

Kali Gypsy Queens - Romania - GQ9
Pat Burrell Mini - Giants - 196

Rogers Hornsby Great Ones - Cards - GO19

Pack 23:

Aroldis Chapman - Reds - 98

Josh Hamilton - Rangers - 64

Roy Oswalt - Phillies - 27

Neil Walker - Pirates - 179

Ian Desmond - Nats - 230

Lucas Duda RC - Mets - 104

Franklin Guiterrez - Mariners - 300

Evan Longoria Gypsy Queen Autograph - Rays - GQA-EL
Just a beautiful on-card autograph! I bet Brian is really happy he added on those Rays.

Alex Rodriguez Mini - Yanks - 51

Miguel Cabrera - Tigers - 327

Pack 24:

Andre Dawson - Expos (Nats) - 20

Frank Thomas - White Sox - 54

David Wright - Mets - 21

Jason Kubel - Twins - 286

Max Scherzer - Tigers - 142

Will Venable - Padres - 130

Rollie Fingers - A's - 211 Three Legends in one pack!

Manny Ramirez - Rays - 171

Adam Dunn Mini - White Sox - 173

Nolan Ryan Great Ones - AStros - GO16

NOTE: I will be packing all the cards up this weekend. If you sent payment via PayPal I will use that address, If you sent payment via mail I will use your return address from the envelope. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE I HAVE YOUR CORRECT ADDRESS JUST EMAIL ME, TELL ME YOUR TEAM(S) AND GIVE ME YOUR ADDRESS. THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING, IT WAS A LOT OF FUN!

Group Break: Gypsy 17-20

2011-05-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

Pack 17:

Walter Johnson - Senators (Nats) - 38

Tommy Hunter - Rangers - 186

Francisco Liriano - Twins - 125

Billy Butler - Royals - 126

Jonathan Sanchez - Giants - 280

Tyler Colvin - Cubs - 220

Fausto Carmona - Indians - 240

Nolan Ryan Bronze Frame /999 - Rangers - 100

I like these bronze border cards, but from what I've seen I actually like the green border ones from the Target packs more. If anyone has some green border Brewers to offer me, let's talk!

Dernard Span Mini - Twins - 278

Jose Tabata Future Stars - Pirates - FS15

Pack 18:

Babe Ruth - Yanks - 65

Carl Crawford - Red Sox - 32

Matt Kemp - Dodgers - 15

Geovanny Soto - Cubs - 226

Marco Scutaro - Red Sox - 263

Kosuke Fukudome - Cubs - 150

Tim Hudson - Braves - 209

Bronson Arroyo - Reds - 195

Mat Latos Bronze Frame /999 - Padres - 56

Neftali Feliz Mini Red Queen Back - Rangers - 204

Tom Seaver Great Ones - Mets - GO22

Pack 19:

Albert Pujols - Cards (for now) - 75

Roger Maris - Yanks - 48

Carlos Santana - Indians - 52

Brian Roberts - Orioles - 241

Cody Ross - Giants - 131

Magglio Ordonez - Tigers - 103

RA Dickey - Mets - 155

Jake Peavy - White Sox - 116

Honus Wagner Black Mini - Pirates - 49
I really like these black minis. This is the second one I've pulled from this box, I think large SP versions of these cards would be pretty cool too.

Carlos Pena Home Run Heroes - Rays - HH5

Pack 20:

Jimmie Foxx - A's - 53

Ian Kinsler - Rangers - 33

John Danks - White Sox - 271

Delmon Young - Twins - 153

Bob Abreu - Angels - 182

AJ Burnett - Yanks - 246

Rick Ankiel - Nats - 283

Austin Jackson - Tigers - 218

Manny Ramirez Stamp Relic 7/10 - Rays - 171
These are pretty sweet! Some of them have larger stamps and the stamp represents where the player came from. Oh and did I mention they are numbered to only 10!

Josh Hamilton Mini - Rangers - 64

Erik Bedard - Mariners - 345

Group Break: Gypsy 13-16

2011-05-18T10:48:00.001-07:00

.....And here we go:

Pack 13:

Alex Rodriguez - Yanks - 51

Christy Mathewson - Giants - 18

Honus Wagner - Pirates - 49

JonNiese - Mets - 144

Michael Young - Rangers - 151

Carlos Lee - Astros - 253

Jake Arrieta - Orioles - 267

Vlad Guerrero Bronze Border /999- Orioles - 36

Robinson Cano Mini Red Queen Back - Yanks - 88

Ike David Future Stars - Mets - FS7

Pack 14:

Jose Reyes - Mets - 42

Sandy Koufax - Dodgers - 66

Mark Buehrle - White Sox - 251

James Shields - Rays - 199

Jeremy Jeffress RC - Royals - 115

Juan Pierre - White Sox - 281

Lance Berkman - Cards - 187

Zack Greinke - Brewers - 11 (My first Greinke card in a Brewers Uni!)

Angel Pagan Black Mini - Mets - 216

Prince Fielder Home Run Heroes - Brewers - HH8
Pack 15:

Johan Santana - Mets - 34

BJ Upton - Rays - 282

Ben Revere RC - Twins - 106

Derek Lowe - Braves - 277

Logan Morrison - Marlins - 185

Daric Barton - A's - 266

Lou Gehrig - Yanks - 316

Felix Hernandez - Mariners - 76

Ichiro Suzuki Mini Sepia /99 - Mariners - 1

Frank Robinson Framed Relic - Reds - FMRC-FR
Holy cow! That was a great pack. Lovely Ichiro /99 that I really like and I might be looking for a Ryan Braun. Plus a sweet red swatch of Frank Robinson. I bet Beardy is wishing it was an O's card, but I really like that vivid red swatch.

Pack 16

Ty Cobb - A's - 296

Tris Speaker - Red Sox - 5

Brian Matusz - Orioles - 203

Aaron Rowand - Giants - 210

Ian Steward - Rockies - 276

Jed Lowrie - Red Sox - 284

Jeremy Hellickson RC - Rays - 264

Garrett Jones - Pirates - 294

Ubaldo Jimenez Mini - Rockies - 96

Russell Martin Yellow Printing Plate 1/1 - Yanks - 163
Well it's not a Jeter art card, but it is a pretty sweet 1/1. I liked the suspense of having to flip it over to see who it was too. I also liked seeing the yellow sticking out of the pack, I got really excited.

Nyjer Morgan - Nats (Not Brewers) - 341

Well that was a pretty good series of four packs. If anyone is wondering all three of our hits so far have come from the right side of the box. Just an interesting tid bit.

Group Break: Gypsy 9-12

2011-05-16T19:03:00.001-07:00

Pack 9:

Josh Johnson - Marlins - 91

Tim Lincecum - Giants - 84

Roy Halladay - Phillies - 2
Starting this pack out with some stellar NL pitching talent. I could be wrong, but isn't this how the NL Cy Young went (Halladay, Lincecum and Johnson?)

Todd Helton - Rockies - 110

David Dejesus - A's - 252

Marlon Byrd - Cubs - 260

Freddy Sanchez - Giants - 258

Cameron Maybin - Padres - 227

Mark Teixeira Home Run Heroes - Yanks - HH4

Aaron Hill Mini - Blue Jays - 129

Pack 10

Kurt Suzuki - A's - 147

Frank Robinson - Reds - 85

Dale Murphy - Braves - 58

Kevin Youkilis - Red Sox - 69

Chris Johnson - Astros - 205

Aramis Ramirez - Cubs - 161

Carlos Beltran - Mets - 193

Chris Coghlan - Marlins - 114

Konrad Schmidt RC - Dbacks - 347

Curtis Granderson Mini red queen back - Yanks - 269
Pack 11:

Justin Morneau - Twins - 72

Duke Snider - Dodgers - 59

Casey McGehee - Brewers - 219

Edwin Jackson - White Sox - 175

Felix Pie - Orioles - 272

Mike Stanton - Marlins - 208
One of the best young players in the game. Stanton and Jason Heyward are going to be the games next pair of bashers if they both stay healthy. Look out NL East pitching!

Vernon Wells - Angels - 225

Brian Bogusevic - Astros - 119

Rogers Hornsby Mini - Cards - 70

Johnny Bench Home Run Heroes - Reds - HH20

Pack 12:

Clayton Kershaw - Dodgers - 87

David Price - Rays - 83

George Sisler - Braves - 95

Kendry Morales - Angels - 176

JJ Hardy - Orioles - 124

Johnny Damon - Rays - 263

Jair Jurrjens - Braves - 192

Melky Cabrera - Royals - 146

Johnny Bench Mini - Reds - 235

Jackie Robinson The Great Ones - Dodgers - GO8

Still waiting on some hits, so be sure to keep checking in, I can feel a good one coming soon!

Group Break: Pack 7 and 8

2011-05-14T16:34:00.001-07:00

First of all, my apologies to everyone on the slow pace of this break, it will pick up this weekend. Here is the list from packs 4, 5, 6 and the Mini pack, as well as the new packs 7 and 8:

Pack 4:

Ty Cobb - Tigers - 29

CC Sabathia - Yanks - 71

Pee Wee Reese - Dodgers - 35

Gerardo Parra - DBacks - 184

Reggie Jackson - Yanks - 174

Jorge Posada - Yanks - 102

Alex Rios - White Sox - 236

Sean Rodriguez - Rays - 234

Matt Cain Mini Red Queen Back - Giants - 43

Jim Thome Home Run Heroes - Phillies - HH14

Pack 5:

Al Kaline - Tigers - 50

Jon Lester - Red Sox - 19

Alexei Ramirez - White Sox - 180

Adrian Beltre - Rangers - 217

Yunesky Maya - Nats - 233

Neftali Feliz - Rangers - 204

Alex Gonzalez - Braves - 229

Rick Porcello - Tigers - 213

Jeremy Hellickson Mini RC - Rays - 264

Honus Wagner Great Ones - Pirates - GO26

Pack 6:

Jay Bruce - Reds - 324

David Ortiz - Red Sox - 57

Roger Hornsby - Cards - 70

Jason Heyward - Braves - 10

Dallas Braden - A's - 117

Carl Pavano - Twins - 143

Hank Conger RC - Angels - 245

Omar Infante Mini - Marlins - 339

Derek Jeter Gypsy Queen Relic (Jersey) - GQR-DJ

Miguel Tejeda - Giants - 212

Mini Pack (ALL MINI version):

Carlos Gonzalez - Rockies - 45

Carl Pavano - Twins - 143

BJ Upton - Rays - 282

Lance Berkman - Cards - 187

Tyler Colvin - Cubs - 220

Garrett Jones - Pirates - 294

Nolan Ryan Great Ones - Astros - GO16

Mell Ott Home Run Heroes - Giants - HH22

Brian Matusz Future Stars - Orioles - FS 1

Adrian Gonzalez - Red Sox - 26 (seems to be white compared to the others)

Pack 7:

Nolan Ryan - Rangers - 100

Gary Carter - Expos (Nats) - 68

Johnny Mize - Cards - 39

Brennan Boesch - Tigers - 156

Travis Snider - Bluejays - 201

Andruw Jones - Yanks - 299

Kyle Drabek RC - Blue Jays - 207

Juan Pierre Mini - White Sox - 281

Goran Beckham Future Stars - White Sox - FS19

One of my favorite young players in the game and he plays for what is one of my favorite teams, well I root for them over some others (Yanks and Red Sox, sorry guys).

Bob Gibson Bronze Border /999 - Cards - 44

One of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game. I love Bob Gibson and I still need his relic for my 3,000 K pitcher collection if anybody is feeling the need to get rid of one... I realize how stupid that sounds, I might have to resort to eBay for that one.

Pack 8:

Mark Teixeira - Yanks - 17

Mel Ott - Giants - 25

Michael Cuddyer - Twins - 121

Ricky Romero - Blue Jays - 137

Andre Ethier - Dodgers - 292

Miguel Montero - Dbacks - 160

Jose Tabata - Pirates - 274

Cal Ripken Jr - Orioles - 167

Aubrey Huff Mini - Giants - 259

Johnny Bench Great Ones - GO12

2011-05-14T00:08:00.000-07:00

In the past couple days I have experienced the wonders and pitfalls of technology first my hard drive crashed on my laptop, but then I realized I could post using my cell phone, who knew? Here's the pics from pack (Mini - above) (5 and 6 below) and (4 way below). We finally got a hit: Jeter Relic! I'll post the complete list tomorrow night as I should have my computer repaired by then. I really apologize for the inconvenience.