Baseball Obsession-itis

Updates.

2011-11-29T18:55:00.000-05:00

To be honest, I have forgotten about my blog. This is due to multiple factors.
1. School has been so busy for me, but the semester is almost over! I'll soon have a month to catch up.
2. I didn't have my main email address connected to this account. I always forget to check that email and end up falling behind on trades. I've changed that now. My main email is now connected so all of you will be able to contact me much easier and faster.

I know this hasn't been much of a blog for the past couple of months. I really hope to change it. It's not going to be all about baseball cards, though. I want it to be about other things, too! Haha, basically it will be 50% baseball and trading and 50% whatever is on my mind at the time.

Please contact me through my changed email address, and let's make a trade!

Email From Tim

2011-09-21T11:44:00.000-04:00

Hey Guys,
Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been very busy with school.
I got an email from blog reader Tim asking me to share this link on my blog.
Here it is: http://www.bestonlinecolleges.com/blog/2011/10-worst-mvp-snubs-in-baseball-history/
It's a good read so check it out!

Let's Trade.

2011-08-15T11:16:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't been posting on a regular basis, but I've been keeping up with the trades!
Leave a comment or send an email if you'd like to make one.

#19

2011-08-06T13:47:00.000-04:00

I love Josh Beckett. I've always stuck by him through his good and bad years. He's having an amazing 2011 so far, but with only 9 wins to show for it. All the other Sox starters get at least 5+ runs a game of support with some getting 6. Beckett meanwhile gets just over 3. It just goes to show that winning is a team effort. Pitching is obviously important but you need the offense to help you out in order to get that W. Sabathia has 16 wins this year, pretty much getting a W or at least a decision every 5 days. (Beckett has 8 no-decisions. Most of those went into extras.)

It's interesting that he's gone head to head against Beckett 3 times this year. The record: 3-0 to Beckett. When voting for the Cy Young comes along, do you think the writers will take into account this factor? Probably not. Of course, there are other guys who definitely deserve the award like Weaver and Verlander.

Now I just had a thought. Is it possible for Beckett or Ellsbury for that matter to get consideration for Comeback player of the Year? Beckett had a 5.78 ERA with a 6-6 Record in an injury plagued year. He currently has a 2.20 ERA and was named an AL All-Star. Jacoby only appeared in 18 games last year and now has that number in the home run column. Ells was named to his first All-Star Game and is having a career year.

(I really need to get my Josh Beckett card collection posted on here soon!)

Allen and Ginter?

2011-07-31T19:02:00.000-04:00

Hey guys,
Just got back from vacation and trying to catch up on things. I'm debating whether or not I should purchase a box of A&G or concentrate on my current sets.

What do people think of the 2011 A&G? Maybe your suggestions and comments will help me decide. Let me know!

All-Stars.

2011-07-03T21:55:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Josh Beckett for making the 2011 All-Star Team. I feel that all four players are very deserving of the honor. This will be Adrian's 4th, Papi's 7th, Josh's 3rd and Jacoby's first time as an All-Star.

Just some quick thoughts before bed.

2011-06-26T00:39:00.000-04:00

This probably isn't the best time to be posting this considering the Sox have lost four in a row to the Padres and Pirates, but this is just really bothering me.

There is a guy I work with who considers himself a huge Red Sox fan. All he does is complain about the team, the city, and the ballpark. According to him, Fenway should be literally blown up because the seats aren't comfortable. The ballpark is almost 100 years old. Obviously, it's not gonna be as great as the new Yankee Stadium, which he absolutely loves. If you're a true fan, you should appreciate the history Fenway holds and all the greats that have made history there. He hasn't even been to Fenway in seven years so my co-worker hasn't seen the renovations yet.

Also, in his eyes, Terry Francona is the worst manager in the league. He gave no legitimate reasons why, but just because. Who knows if we would have 2 World Series titles under a different manager, but obviously he doesn't care about the titles we've won under Francona and the 86 year drought he ended. It's possible that a different manager could have done the same thing, but we did it under Francona. The Red Sox have had success under him, so why is he the worst manager in baseball? Go figure.

Let's hope for a win in Pittsburgh tomorrow. Then it's off to Phillie. Josh Beckett vs. Cliff Lee on Tuesday. That should be a great match-up! Beckett has been one of, if not the best pitcher in the American League this year. (Also, he has hit two home runs with the Red Sox. Both of them coming at Citizens Bank Ballpark.)

Rainy Days

2011-06-24T12:06:00.000-04:00

I feel like it rains every single day. This is not how summer is supposed to be. I've been attempting to organize all my baseball cards during this dreary weather, but haven't been too successful. There are many, many holes to pretty much all of my collections. I'd like to try to fill them in. Let's make a trade! All of my wantlists are on the right hand side of this blog as well as a list of most of the cards I have available for trade. Take a look and shoot me an email and we can work something out! Thanks.

Stanley Cup Champs!

2011-06-20T08:07:00.000-04:00

I am so horrible at blogging. It's been over 4 months since I posted something. For a while, I was too busy with school to post on here and then it got to the point where I just forgot about it completely. I really need to get back to doing this on a weekly basis at least!

I'll need to update all my wantlists for starters. I've decided not to start any new sets until I've completed at least HALF of my current ones. Not sure how that will work out, but I'll try.

As you all know, the Bruins finally won the Stanley Cup after a 39 year drought. I had the opportunity on Saturday to go to the parade in Boston. Never before have I experienced anything like that and I don't think anything else will ever come close. Over a million people were in Boston that day. Here are some shots I got during the rally. Enjoy!

P.S. I promise I'll make my blog a regular thing now!

Just a few thoughts on my collections...

2011-02-12T09:31:00.000-05:00

Before I start any new sets, my goal is to complete the one's I have already started. I'm not sure about everyone else, but I absolutely hate it when things aren't finished. It really bothers me. Anyway, I have plenty of cards available via trade. Let's get something done! After they are complete, I think it's necessary that I put more thought into what I collect. You know, just being more selective over particular sets. In the past, I've spent way TOO much money and I really need to budget myself. I think I want to concentrate on some of my player collections as well and make a bigger dent on my 1975 Topps set. (Which is extremely tiny at the moment.)

And someday, I'll actually find the time to post some of my player collections!
Hope everyone has a good weekend.

I'm Back.

2011-02-08T17:36:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone,
I realized that I haven't posted in such a long time. Honestly, I abandoned this blog for a while. There has just been so much going on right now that I didn't have time to even look at cards, let alone create a wall post. Also, I haven't been able to access my Yahoo email so if anyone emailed me about a possible trade, I'm sorry for the lack of response. It's back up and running now. I hope to make my blog a regular thing once more.

I'm so excited for Spring Training. New England, or should I say the Arctic Circle, needs something to look forward to. The snow has gotten way out of hand and I'm tired of shoveling every other day.

Catching Up.

2010-10-08T13:57:00.000-04:00

I recently completed a bunch of trades and this is just a thank you to the people I traded with.

Blog reader Troy, who recently just got back to collecting cards, really helped me out. He had tons of cards from my want list and in turn I gave him most of the Twins cards I have. It was a great trade!

I've also traded a couple times with Tim from Tim's Baseball Cards. He has also helped me out quite a bit. Thanks Tim!

Jim from Sharpe Since 92 and I just finished up a very benefiting trade. Both of us had many cards that the other needed and were able to knock of many cards from various wantlists. Thank you!

If I forgot to mention anyone I recently traded with, I apologize. Just leave me a comment, and I'll add you to this post!

Thanks everyone for trading. Let's keep it up!

What an experience!

2010-10-08T10:51:00.001-04:00

Yes, it does bother me that the Sox aren't in the playoffs. However, I am happy that they won the final series of the year against the Yankees, denying them the division title. Even better was the fact that I got to witness one of their wins. Although my dad made us leave when the game was tied, the experience of seeing the Yankees at Fenway was still amazing! It was 12:30 and the 8th inning just ended. We were at game 2 of the double header since it was postponed the night before after a 3.5 hour rain delay! Anyway, the game went to extras and ended at 1:30 with an Eric Patterson walk-off single. We were on the subway when they won, but it felt like we were still at Fenway. A "Yankees suck" chant got started and some of the Yankees fans who were a little to drunk didn't even realize what was going on.

The game itself was back and forth the whole night. At one point that Yanks had a 4-1 lead off Dice-K who pretty much walked the whole ballpark. Honestly, I thought the game was over then. The Sox had their JV lineup going, which disappointed me at first. If the game wasn't postponed, I would have saw my Mikey and Jason Varitek and even Derek Jeter. Oh well, the Sox fought back in this game against AJ Burnett and made it very interesting. Big Papi pinch hit in the 8th and Fenway Park was on their feet for that whole inning. He drew a walk against Nova and Kevin Cash came to the plate with the bases loaded. Everyone was pissed at first that no one was pinch hitting for him, but he drew a walk to tie the game. So it wasn't a total waste I guess. The next day, I understood why Lowell didn't pinch hit for him. Tito wanted Mikey's last a bat to be a good one and he achieved that in game one of the doubleheader.

Here are some pictures from both nights I went to Fenway:

it had stopped raining for about an hour, and they were going to get the game in...

...and then it was postponed.

let's try this again!

teixeira got hit by a pitch, he made a big deal about it all the way down the first base line.

jv lineup that beat the yanks 7-6.

lars anderson looked directly at me at one point. first time i've made eye contact with a player.

the yankees had a pretty sloppy game as you can see from their 4 errors.

jed lowrie also pinch hit in the 8th inning

papi!

Doctober.

2010-10-06T20:06:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Roy Halladay on his postseason debut. What an amazing pitcher! This was only the second no-hitter in playoff history.

2010-09-30T18:03:00.000-04:00

It's raining and it's pouring and tomorrow it will do the same thing. As long as the Sox-Yanks game isn't postponed, I'll be a happy camper. You see, I'll be attending the game at field box level! So excited! This will be the first Sox-Yankees game I've ever been to. I'm looking forward to seeing the team in person. Even though the Sox were eliminated the other day, this game will still have meaning as this final series will decide who gets first place in the AL East. Should be interesting!

I'll post pictures from the game. Also, I have a few trades I recently made that I need to cover. Stay tuned!

The Pirate Ship is Real.

2010-09-22T17:11:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone,
Saturday night I went to the Sox/Jays game with my college. We had an amazing time even though the Sox lost. I'm not on very good terms with Ryan Kalish at the moment. He got picked off in the 9th inning right before Victor Martinez hit a triple that would have tied the game.

Anyway, I had my first experience in the bleachers. We were right by the NESN sign by the "triangle" in center field. Since we got there around 5, my friend and I had the privilege of watching the Jays' batting practice. Homeruns came to either side of us or fell just short and landed in the Red Sox bullpen. We stood at the bullpen until the game started. This was a good thing considering people started filling in around us wanting to see Beckett warm up.

There is a Jolly Roger flag mounted on the bullpen wall. The pitchers are introduced with music from Pirates of the Caribbean. Their pet "parrot" comes along with the pitchers are rests in front of the flag. Do other teams doing anything like that?

The September 18th game was my 9th time seeing the Sox and first seeing Beckett. It was such a different experience to be just feet away from him. A fastball has such a unique sound, and it was crazy to hear it whiz by my head.

Here are some pictures from the game. Enjoy!

this picture of jarrod was an accident, but i love it!

you can see the path of the baseball on the bottom left.

How does one aquire a favorite player? Part II

2010-09-08T16:02:00.000-04:00

Dennis Eckersley: Eck is an analyst for NESN. Last year, he filled in for Remy and I think he did a great job. His vocabulary is quite unique, even amongst baseball standards. (Hairy cheese with gas...or salad. How often do you hear that when someone is analyzing baseball?) During his first stint with the Red Sox, Eckersley had a drinking problem to the point where he became an alcoholic. He had a very troubled life at such a young age, but through the support of his second wife he was able to overcome his problems. It shows that even athletes and superstars deal with the same issues as everyday people, but also the fact that these issues can be conquered. This, along with his work for NESN sparked my curiousity in his baseball career. I knew he was a HOF'er, but that's it. I soon learned he threw a no hitter with Cleveland; was a starter with the Red Sox; became a dominant closer with the A's and enjoyed a long and successful career. He just seemed like an interesting guy to collect. (His hair, mustache, and delivery also played a roll in my decision.)

Miguel Cabrera: When people talk about the best players in baseball, they immediately think of Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Roy Halladay, Ichiro. I never hear anyone mention Miguel Cabrera. His stats are just as good as these guys and he's still very young. Cabrera has been completely overlooked since he joined the Tigers for the 2008 Season. 2010 gave him his first All Star selection in the AL, but the vote wasn't even by the fans. No one ever mentions what he did with the Marlins. He made his debut in 2003 and helped the team beat the Yankees in the Fall Classic. He's had problems in the past with his weight and more recently with alcohol but Cabrera has recognized his problem and has since gone to rehab for it. I just wanna give the guy a little love. He deserves it. I'd give him a 1st place vote on this year's AL MVP ballot. (.333AVG, 110RBI, 33HR, 83BB with 29 being intentional, a .428OBP and .624SLG)

*I also collect Jerry Remy, but I have most if not all of his cards. When I see a good Sean Casey card, I'll pick it up. He's such an easy going guy and I really enjoyed watching him play with the 08 Sox. There was some really funny moments that involved Casey. Chris Iannetta is another guy I have interest in. He's a local guy from New England and has plently of potential. He just needs to take advantage of it. Perhaps a change of scenery would do Iannetta some good.

How does one aquire a favorite player?

2010-09-06T20:55:00.000-04:00

Lately, I've been organizing my player collections and it got me thinking "why do I collect these players?" For starters, I should probably tell you some of my favorite players...Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, Daniel Bard, Miguel Cabrera, and Dennis Eckersley to name a few. Josh Beckett is very inconsistent, Mike Lowell is old and will be retiring at the end of the year (sorry Mike), Daniel Bard has little experience, Cabrera has had problems with alcohlism, and I was 6 years old and didn't care about baseball when Eck played in his last game. Why do I like collecting these guys so much?

Josh Beckett: My passion for baseball was ignited during the 2007 postseason. (I knew about 2004 of course. At the time I was 13 and understood how big a deal it was that the Red Sox finally won a World Series for Boston) I watched Game 7 of the ALCS out of boredom. I went to bed before the game was over and the next morning turned on the TV to see the Sox had won and advanced to the World Series. Should I watch the Series? Yes. Beckett pitched game one and I thought he was absolutely amazing. (I didn't even know he had won 20 games in the regular season). He provided me with a great first impression and by the time he struck out the side in the first inning, he became my favorite player. As my knowledge for baseball expanded, I learned about his years with Marlins. His heroics in the '03 World Series against the Yankees made me adore him even more. His 2008 season disappointed me beacuse I didn't get to see the Beckett I had read about. The 2009 season provided me with that Beckett, but this year has been "ehh" to say the least. He's a guy who pitches well every other year it seems, but he's my favorite player and nothing will stop that.

Mike Lowell: World Series MVP. Need I say more? I will anyway. Mike Lowell appeals to me because he has been with Josh Beckett since Beckett joined the Marlins organization in 1999. Lowell was an extra in the Beckett trade before the beginning of the 06 season. That bit of information interested me and forced me (in a good way) to pay attention to Mike Lowell. Whenever I went to a Red Sox game, Lowell always did something special. Drive in the winning run. Homer. Make a spectacular play at 3rd base. I just enjoyed watching him play, and in turn, decided to collect his baseball cards.

Daniel Bard: Me being a girl plays a hand in this. I think Daniel Bard is absolutely adorable. His attractiveness made me pay attention to his appearances. The more I watched him pitch, the more I realized that there was so much more to like about him. He pitches so easily and with such velocity. It's amazing. I love the way he strikes out people. 100MPH fastballs and then he drops a slider on them. Daniel Bard has great potential and could eventually become the next closer. (Might be sooner than you think, since Papelbon has been not as dominant)

I'll talk about Cabrera and Eckersley in another post. I'll try to get up some of the cards from my various collections as well. Beckett takes up the majority of my collection, but some of my favorite cards depict Lowell. Stay tuned!

Relaxing end to a busy week.

2010-09-05T15:08:00.000-04:00

Wow, talk about a busy week!
I started college and got my license, not to mention I'm in the process of redoing my room. I'm trying to keep up with this blog as well as trades, but failed.
I wish I hadn't missed the end of the Gint-a-Cuffs, but I wouldn't have won anyway. I think I'll still post some of my favorite cards from the two boxes at some point.

I don't wanna think about this, but I must be realistic. My Red Sox won't be going to the playoffs this year. I'll still be keeping up with them though as I am not a bangwagon fan. My college has organized a trip to Fenway to see the Sox play the Jays at the end of September. I hope to purchace tickets. Only $15! I'm assuming they're bleacher seats, but I've always wanted to see the view from there.

In case you are wondering who I'll be rooting for coming the postseason, my top choice is the Cincinnati Reds.(Unless the Sox pull off a miricle, of course) If they fail to go all the way, I'll then be rooting for the Braves. Sorry Yankees/Rays fans, but I will not root for the teams that finish ahead of the Sox!

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day Weekend!
Best Wishes,
Kelly

Packs 10-12.

2010-08-27T12:31:00.000-04:00

Pack #10:
#121 Francisco Rodriguez
#112 Tyler Bradt
#288 Bobby Jenks
#139 Miguel Cabrera
#127 Albert Pujols
#298 Jorge Cantu
#LO25 Lords of Olympus: Atlas (+3)

#TDH68 Brian McCann (+1)

Pack #10 Total: 4pts
Total: 94.6pts.

Pack #11:
#207 Wandy Rodriguez
#24 Brandon Webb
#67 Carl Crawford (+2 Favorite Player List)

#113 Billy Butler
#169 Felix Hernandez
#342 Erik Bedard (+2 SP)

#219 Adam Wainwright Mini
#TDH28 Jose Reyes (+1)

Pack #11 Total: 5pts.
Total: 99.6pts.

Pack #12:
#156 Cameron Maybin
#291 Ron Teasley (+2 Negro League Player)

#67 Carl Crawford (+2 Favorite Player List) (not liking the doubles, but at least it's a player from the list)

#113 Billy Butler
#120 Nick Swisher (-1 Yankee)
#330 Jonathan Papelbon (+1 Favorite Team, +2 SP)

#100 Matt LaPorta Mini A&G Back (+2)

#TDH65 Zack Greinke (+1)

Crack the Code Ad

Pack #12 Total: 9pts.
Total: 108.6pts.

Sox-Mariners.

2010-08-25T20:47:00.002-04:00

We had a great time at Fenway Monday night. It only rained for about 10 minutes or so during the game and they were able to start on time. John Lackey pitched well although he still managed to cough up the lead at least once, haha. Anyway, here are some pictures I took throughout the game...

pretty good band.

i'm trying to figure out which pitcher this is... (*update: this is chris seddon, a rookie with a dora the explorer backpack. thanks Mariner1!)

ichiro struck out to begin the game.

marco scutaro drove in 4 runs.

first lead of the night. lackey lost it in the next inning.

j.d. drew.

pap's patented stare.

a nice 6-3 win in 2.5 hours.

Rainy Day.

2010-08-23T15:47:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,
I'm still having problems with my scanner, resulting in the lack of A&G posts. I've totaled everything up, and my box does not yield the highest score. I'll still try to get all the packs up as soon as I can though.

Meanwhile, I'll be going to tonight's Red Sox-Mariners game. It's supposed to rain most of the evening. That doesn't bother me, I just hope there aren't any long rain delays. Tomorrow, I'll put up some pictures from the game.

It's been a really busy month for me between work and getting ready for college. (September 2) Also, I'm in the process of getting my license, which I need for school. The RMV requires me to wait 2.5 weeks between my last lesson and my road test. I think that's pretty unnecessary because instead of having my licence already I have to wait until September 4th. Oh well.

P.S. Johnny Damon back to the Red Sox? I don't think so. I just saw the waiver claim on Boston.com. I highly doubt that it's going to happen, and honestly, I don't know how I would feel if he did, indeed, return to the Sox.

Packs 7-9.

2010-08-02T16:21:00.000-04:00

Pack #7:
#99 Anthony Gatto
#281 Kurt Suzuki
#173 Jimmy Rollins
#19 Tommy Hanson
#273 David DeJesus
#343 Brad Penny (+2 SP)

#NA42 National Animals: Carabao (+2)

#TDH13 Adam Dunn (+1, +2 Favorite Player List)

Pack #7 Total: 7pts.
Total: 67pts.

Pack #8:
#172 Ian Desmond
#22 Lucy
#230 Brian Roberts
#145 Jim Thome
#AGR-RH Ryan Howard Framed Relic (+8x1.7=13.6)

Pretty nice hit. White's always boring, but at least there's a pinstripe.

#223 Jason Kubel Mini A&G Back (+2)

#TDH5 Chipper Jones (+1)

Pack #8 Total: 16.6pts.
Total: 83.6pts.

Pack #9:
#239 Mike Cameron (+1 Favorite Team)

#152 The Parthenon
#213 Mark Reynolds
#256 Rick Porcello
#265 Kendry Morales (+2 Favorite Player List)

#338 Francisco Liriano (+2 SP)

#120 Nick Swisher Mini A&G Back (+2-1 Yankee)

#TDH72 Jay Bruce (+1)

Pack #9 Total: 7pts.
Total: 90.6pts.

I think this is a pretty good box so far. My average total per pack is 10. If this particular box keeps yielding about 10 points a pack, my score should be around 240.

I just got back...

2010-08-01T16:46:00.000-04:00

from a nice vacation in Maine. :) We had absolutely amazing weather the whole week. Now that I'm back, I've had to catch up on a lot of things, and I should get a couple posts of the Gint-A-Cuff's up tomorrow.

Packs 4-6.

2010-07-22T13:48:00.000-04:00

Sorry it took so long for me to post the next few packs. I finally got my scanner to work properly.

Pack #4:
#73 Avery Jenkins
#63 Matt Carson
#299 Robinson Cano (-1 Yankee)
#166 Chris Tillman
#296 Barry Zito
#118 Eric Young Jr.
#93 Brandon Inge Mini A&G back (+2)

#TDH28 Jose Reyes (+1)

Pack #4 Total: 2pt.
Total: 46pts.

Pack #5:
#192 Tom Knapp
#257 Ervin Santana
#122 Yadier Molina
#169 Felix Hernandez
#141 Matt Cain
#328 Jered Weaver (+2 SP)

#66 Orlando Hudson Mini Black Border (+3)

#TDH30 Hideki Matsui (+1)

Pack #5 Total: 6pts.
Total: 52pts.

Pack #6:
#232 Hubertus "Master of Hellfire" Wawra
#140 Brandon Allen
#267 Martin Prado
#36 Victor Martinez (+1 Favorite Team)

#276 Daniel Runzler
#AGHS11 Andre Ethier Baseball Highlight Sketches (+3)

#MM5 Mosters of the Mesozoic: Allosaurus (+3)

#TDH21 Magglio Ordonez (+1)

Pack #6 Total: 8pts.
Total: 60pts.

2010-07-13T17:07:00.000-04:00

I have my first box of Allen & Ginter all scored. I just need to scan the necessary cards and add them to the posts. (I wish my scanner would cooperate once in a while!) I don't know if my final score is good or not, as there isn't much to compare it to yet. However, I have a feeling that this box is better than my second one even though I haven't officially tallied up all the points for box 2 yet. Could be wrong, though. We'll just have to wait and see!

The Gint-a-Cuffs Begins: N43 & Packs 1-3

2010-07-02T14:02:00.001-04:00

I was trying to wait as long as possible to do this, so I could savor it. 1:08 PM. I can't wait any longer, but I'm only going to open the packs I mentioned.

Here's the N43:
Holy Crap! If this in any indication, my box should be absolutely amazing.
N43 Autograph of Ian Kinsler 12/15. (+30)
Aww, too bad he isn't on the favorite player list! This is a very nice looking card. I love the blue ink and Ian has a legible signature at least. Being hand numbered is also a bonus in my books. The hand on the bottom right reaching for the baseballs is a little odd, though.

Okay, it's 1:15 now, haha. Time to open the next few packs.

Pack #1:
#11 Wade Davis
#297 Isaac Newton
#45 Justin Verlander
#111 Josh Willingham
#123 Mariano Rivera (-1 Yankee)
#329 Troy Glaus (+2 SP)

(This cards look much better in person, as many of you know. My scanner is on the way out the door, so I'm lucky I at least get an image. The background color on these cards is a light green. You can kinda see it on the Kinsler above)

#262 Zack Greinke Mini
#TDH60 This Day in History: Roy Halladay (+1, +2 Favorite Player List)

Crack the Code Ad

Pack #1 Total: 4pts.
Total: 34 pts.

Pack #2:
#165 Nick Jacoby (+1 '09 Code Cracker)

#254 Rich Harden
#190 Randy Wolf
#26 Andy Pettitte (-1 Yankee)
#198 A.J. Pierzynski (-1 Because)
#65 Andre Ethier
#WGWS4 World's Greatest Wordsmiths Miguel de Cervantes (+4)

#TDH73 Ian Kinsler (+1)

Pack #2 Total: 4 pts.
Total: 38 pts.

Pack #3:
#264 Captain Nemo
#83 David Wright (+2 Favorite Player List)

(This is the only horizontal card I've gotten so far, but they look really nice. They add a bit of a variety to the set.)

#220 Manny Ramirez
#164 Kyle Blanks
#69 Clay Buchholz (+1 Favorite Team)

( I like Clay. He's finally pitching to his capabilities, and is having an All-Star year to show for it. I hope he makes the team.)

#348 Asdrubal Cabrera (+2 SP)

#252 Matt Garza Mini
#TDH38 Jim Thome (+1)

Pack #3 Total: 6pts.
Total: 44 pts.

Not to bad so far. The Kinsler auto was a cool surprise. I hope I can keep this going!

Arriving Packages

2010-07-02T12:10:00.000-04:00

is the greatest, especially when I forgot what I ordered. (I knew was getting two boxes of A&G, but I forgot that I threw in a box of Chicle)

Due to my impatience, I have already opened the box of Chicle. It provided me with many doubles, but also knocked off a good chuck of cards from my wantlist.

I got another Brent Dlugach autograph, of course.
But this autograph makes up for the dupe...

This is my second Andrew Bailey auto this year, the other coming from Topps Series II.

I also pulled this nice relic of Ozzie. Unlike the Teixeira I pulled, this one is numbered... (98/199)

You've already seen plenty of base cards, I'm sure. I felt like I had to scan this Gehrig card, though. Some of my girlishness is showing through when I say this card is absolutely beautiful. The black background makes Lou glow. This card was also done by Jason Davies, my favorite artist from the National Chicle set. This card really stands out from the set to me:

2010-06-30T11:58:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,
Sorry I'm just getting around to post this now...

Back in the beginning of June, I went to Baltimore with my Dad to see two Red Sox games. We had a great time. The first game we had seats on the 3rd base side. Those were my favorite. Clay Buchholz pitched a complete game shutout and we saw Adrian Beltre take out Jeremy Hermida. (He's having a great year, but needs to stop personally injuring our depleted outfield!) The second game we had seats on the 1st base side. These were closer to the field but farther from home plate. This game was amusing in many ways. The Sox won of course, with Jon Lester pitching 7 shutout innings. Daniel Bard got into the game, and I love Daniel Bard! There was an Orioles family sitting behind us who trashed their team the whole entire night. In front of us, there was an elderly woman who was a Red Sox fan and a 20+ year old guy who was an Orioles fan. They trashed each other the whole game and that was hysterical. Here are some pictures I took around the city and at the games:

I'd like to know why people tried to steal this statue? Not exactly easy to hide. There were a lot of Phillies fans at the game. There was also a Yankee fan sitting a few seats away, but he left in the 2nd inning.

Daniel Bard had a Red Bull hidden in his glove.

Great bulletin in front of an old church. Fort McHenry, where the Star Spangled Banner was written.

The grave of Edgar Allan Poe. Pretty creepy cemetery. Almost all of the graves were above ground in tombs. We went to Lexington Market, they had some pretty interesting things for sale. This "Salmon Graveyard" made me laugh.

Julio Lugo doesn't look like a very happy camper. Jon Lester in his windup.

Yankees Galore.

2010-06-07T10:58:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone, I have plenty to talk about. First things first, my 2010 Topps Series II Jumbo Box.
Here's what I got:
*entire base set.
*plenty of doubles...so let's do some trading!

*Johnny Mize Hat Logo Patch.
*Phil Hughes relic. Dirt included. (It's more obvious in real life than in the scan)
*Andrew Bailey Autograph.
*Michael Bourn Black Border Parallel.
*Red Hot Rookie #5

Overall, I enjoyed opening this box. It's always nice to get a complete set in one shot. I've been debating with myself since Series I came out whether or not I should collect all of the inserts. In some ways I want to because I like having the complete set but there are some inserts that are just plain ugly or don't have a purpose. I hate ToppsTown. Luckily, they got rid of it in Series II but replaced it with Attax cards. ...Not collecting those. Another unnecessary insert is the Peak Performance. There are way too many of them! Some of the inserts could potentially grow on me. For example, the 2020 inserts are kinda odd but I think I like them. My favorite, though, is The Cards Your Mother Threw Out. The concept is really cool.

The base cards have really nice photography once again. However, the foil names on Series II seem to be much harder to read than the ones printed on Series I. Is it just me, or do others feel the same way?

Can anyone see what's wrong with this particular base card? It's been photoshopped, of course. However, I think they did a bad job with it. Can you see why I think so?

__________________________________________________

I recently completed a trade with Jeremy Scott. He knocked plenty of cards off my want list as well as sending me some surprise Red Sox cards. Didn't expect that, but thanks a bunch. It was fun trading with Jeremy, and everyone should keep him in mind if you ever want to trade. Thanks!

Stuck in the 70's.

2010-05-30T19:43:00.000-04:00

I told myself I would only unlock 1 Topps Million Card Giveaway Card.

Blegh. It looks like this card was made on paint. Unsatisfied, I decided to unlock another card...

1977 Topps. Much better. Sweet uniform.

I ended up unlocking all ten cards out of the jumbo. 8/10 cards were from the 70's. The other two from the 80's. Not too shabby.

Can anyway one say "ugliest uniform ever?!" I find it hard to believe that the players actually agreed to wear these things. They must have secretly been paid extra. Yuck.

So all together, I received 1 from 1970. 2 from 1971. 1 from 1975. 4 from 1977. 1 from 1981. 1 from 1984.

My post on the jumbo box break isn't ready yet. However, I can give away a few hints.
*Yankee Hat Logo Card.
*Yankee game used. It's pretty cool...there's actually dirt on the swatch. (I'm excited over dirt? Kinda pathetic, but at least you know it was actually used.)
*2009 Rookie of the Year auto. Not saying which league just yet.
*black border parallel of an Astro.
*got the entire base set with a nice chunk of extras.
*Red Hot Rookie #5
Promise it will be ready for tomorrow!

(Why do I always pull Yankee-related relics?!)

Sorry.

2010-05-30T06:33:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,
I know I have been posting inconsistently. That will change now that I'm done with school for the next three months. Graduation was this past Friday and I had an extremely busy school-related week. I didn't even have time to open my jumbo box of 2010 Topps Series II until last night. (It came Wednesday.) I'll post about the box after I get home from work. (9-3 shift)
Thanks for reading!
Kelly

4 Random Packs.

2010-05-07T18:42:00.000-04:00

So I was driving around today and needed to stop in at Target. Passing by the card aisle, I decided to take a gander. I ended up getting four packs of cards. 2010 National Chicle. 2009-10 Champ's Hockey. 2008 Stadium Club. 2010 Topps Heritage. I felt the urge to get a variety, so let's open 'em up!

First the Chicle:
Haha, wow. Good thing I just realized I got the football ones. I didn't even know they made football Chicle. I need to learn how to pay attention better.
Anyway, here they are:
C124 T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
C141 Clinton Portis.

C122 Hakeem Nicks.
C191 Steve Slaton.

Youngsters of the Gridiron YG-9 Kevin Smith.
C172 DeSean Jackson.
These are all for trade, since I don't collect football. They're pretty nice, though. (it's actually from 2009)

Champ's Hockey:
#15 Miikka Kiprusoff

#322 Kris Versteeg Mini
#98 Alexander Semin
#47 Sheldon Souray

Stadium Club:
#115 Brandon Boggs
#68 Gary Sheffield

#11 David Ortiz
#104 Gergor Blanco
#45 Josh Beckett First Day Issue

That's a rarity. Two Red Sox cards in a pack, not to mention a Josh Beckett Card I don't have! Nice. I really like the look of the Gary Sheffield Card as well.

Heritage:
Gum.
#110 Willy Taveras
#176 Howie Kendrick
#96 Randy Johnson

#37 Curtis Granderson
#314 "Han-Ram and Longo"

#85 Jeremy Guthrie
#292 Jhoulys Chacin
#346 Akinori Iwamura
Security Card.
Ehh, nothing too special. These cards are all available for trade as well.
So there you have it. Four random packs from Target.

Box Break.

2010-04-29T20:55:00.000-04:00

I just got home from work and found my box of National Chicle waiting to be opened. Let's get started!

Cabinet Card:

I really like the look of these!

Pack #1:
#196 Will Venable
#166 Duke Snider

#126 Melky Cabrera
#70 Cliff Lee
#28 Andrew McCutchen National Chicle Ad Back
#64 Alex Rodriguez
#104 Justin Upton
#159 Kenshin Kawakami

Pack #2:
#46 Youk
#11 C.C. Sabathia
#30 Michael Cuddyer
#175 Dexter Fowler

#3 Ichiro Bazooka Back

#194 Tim Lincecum
#184 Phil Hughes
#49 Adrian Gonzalez

-Checklist

Pack #3:
#192 J.D. Drew
#222 Lou Brock
#47 Brandon Inge
#260 Drew Stubbs
#291 Cy Young

#53 Marco Scutaro
#224 Al Kaline
#179 Carlos Quentin

I'm having a lot of fun with these cards so far. There are some curious looking cards, but most of them are well done and beautiful.

Pack #4:
#62 Chad Billingsley
#102 Adam Wainwright
#157 Jimmy Rollins
#205 John Danks
#35 Justin Morneau
#79 Russell Branyan
#154 Derek Lowe
#249 Nolan Ryan (with an interesting chin)

-checklist

Pack #5:
#22 Tim Wakefield (this is the weirdest card I've seen so far. I'd like to know why Wake is licking the baseball. It also looks like he's winking.)

#137 Zack Greinke
#107 Mark Teixeira
#110 Curtis Granderson (cool idea to have NY in the background)

#160 Jonathan Sanchez
#134 Felix Pie
#59 Wandy Rodriguez
#174 Marlon Byrd

Pack #6:
#211 Jim Palmer
#266 Carlos Carrasco
#140 Javier Vazquez
#255 Mike Schmidt
#NCA-LD Luis Durango Autograph (the fact that it's on card in blue ink is nice)

#3 Ichiro
#269 Tommy Manzella
#19 Jay Bruce

Pack #7
#112 Dustin Pedroia
#232 Roy Campanella
#1 Albert Pujols
#5 Prince Fielder (not a very attractive card of him)

#107 Mark Teixeira National Chicle Ad Back
#119 Jose Lopez
#164 Andre Ethier
#204 Carlos Gonzalez

Pack #8:
#250 Joe Morgan
#25 Aaron Hill
#NCR-MT Mark Teixeira's Pants =p (of course I get a Yankee relic, but the card looks nice)

#234 Tris Speaker (nice looking card)

#54 Yunel Escobar
#84 Hanley Ramirez
-checklist

Pack #9:
#37 Ryan Howard
#92 Cole Hamels
#90 Miguel Tejada
#45 Adam Lind
#140 Javier Vazquez Bazooka Back
#14 Mariano Rivera
#69 Jose Reyes
#124 Carlos Zambrano
-checklist

Pack #10:
#187 Joe Saunders
#217 Frank Robinson
#262 Reid Gorecki
#135 Chris Carpenter
#214 Warren Spahn National Chicle Ad Back (sweet card)
#144 Jhoulys Chacin
#209 Juan Marichal
#259 Henry Rodriguez

Pack #11:
#147 Jon Lester

#252 Duke Snider
#237 Thurman Munson
#20 David DeJesus
#329 Juan Francisco

#44 Jason Bay
#244 Eddie Matthews
#274 Ian Desmond

Pack #12:
#122 Roy Halladay
#97 Matt Kemp
#87 Ted Lilly
#195 Alex Rios
#150 Zack Duke
#9 Brandon Webb
#4 Daisuke Matsuzaka
#74 Ryan Zimmerman

Pack #13:
#201 AJ Burnett
#261 Kevin Richardson
#36 Derek Jeter

#55 Carl Crawford
#317 Kevin Richardson

#24 Kevin Kouzmanoff
#89 Chone Figgins
#109 Nelson Cruz

Pack #14:
#71 Miguel Cabrera
#141 Brett Anderson
#206 Hank Greenberg
#85 Justin Verlander (I think this card is one of my favorites so far)

#65 Clayton Kershaw
#189 Mat Gamel
#219 Eddie Murray

#264 Josh Thole

Pack #15:
#241 Christy Mathewson
#226 Phil Rizzuto

#216 Bob Gibson
#105 Mark Reynolds
#137 Zack Greinke National Chicle Ad Back

#39 Michael Young
#94 Nyjer Morgan
#149 Trevor Cahill

Pack #16:
#91 Asbrubal Cabrera
#96 Derrek Lee
#151 Michael Bourn
#190 Orlando Hudson
#309 Ryan Zimmerman

#129 Nolan Reimold
#169 Denard Span
#199 Trevor Crowe

Pack #17:
#202 Ian Stewart
#42 Robinson Cano
#255 Babe Ruth
#125 Luis Castillo
#271 Brent Dnugach Bazooka Back
#103 Pablo Sandoval

#63 Aramis Ramirez
#23 Shane Victorino
-checklist

Pack #18:
#52 Nick Swisher
#82 Josh Beckett
#127 Kyle Blanks
#165 Jed Lowrie
#290 Walter Johnson
#188 Rich Harden
#138 Scott Kazmir
#108 Josh Hamilton

Pack #19:
#167 Ryan Ludwick
#197 Dan Haren
#120 Tommy Hanson
#80 Jermaine Dye
#NCA-BD Brent Dlugach Auto

#68 Vladimir Guerrero
#28 Andrew McCutchen
#173 Jonathan Broxton

Pack #20:
#67 Mark Buehrle
#267 Tobi Stoner
#17 Ken Griffey Jr.
#275 Buster Posey
#65 Clayton Kershaw National Chicle Ad Back
#214 Warren Spahn

#83 Brian Roberts
#248 Tom Seaver

Pack #21:
#257 Madison Bumgarner
#12 Raul Ibanez
#227 Rogers Hornsby

#10 Manny Ramirez
#95 Ryan Braun
#33 Evan Longoria

#203 Edinson Volquez
#273 Juan Francisco (I love this card)

-checklist

Pack #22:
#32 Andy Pettitte
#172 Gavin Floyd
#242 Mickey Mantle
#235 Jackie Robinson
#277 Rogers Hornsby

#258 Gordon Beckham

#223 Carl Yastrzemski
#158 Stephen Drew

Pack #23:
#22 Michael Brantley
#7 Joe Mauer
#2 Grady Sizemore
#180 Freddy Sanchez
#289 Johnny Mize National Chicle Ad Back

#133 Andrew Bailey
#88 Jorge Cantu
#43 Ian Kinsler

Pack #24:
#72 Jorge Posada
#117 Jason Marquis
#162 Jonathan Papelbon
#220 Dale Murphy
#187 Joe Saunders National Chicle Ad Back
#18 Josh Johnson
#193 Mark Rzepczynski
#148 Chris Young (nice to end on a good looking card)

Not too shabby. Nothing fancy with the autos and I didn't get anything extra, but it was a fun box break. You can tell that there was a lot of effort by the artists put into these cards. I like the fact that they used a variety of artists so all the cards don't look the same.

As I've been looking through the cards, I noticed the ones by Jason Davies stick out to me. Some examples are the Verlander, Francisco and the Young. The cards look like they glow and are very appealing.

Million Card Giveway.

2010-04-27T16:58:00.001-04:00

I completely forgot that I redeemed 7 Million Card Giveaway Cards until I saw some posts about them. I have 5 trade offers:

offering a 1989 Don Mattingly for my 1985 Don Baylor
offering a 1973 Jim Beauchamp for my 1972 Jim Beauchamp
offering a 1988 Ken Caminiti for my 1971 Reggie Smith
offering a 1986 Team Leaders Atlanta Braves Card for my 1972 Jim Beauchamp
offering a 1968 Dick Calmus for my 1972 Jim Beauchamp

Pretty Interesting. Jim's a pretty popular guy. Hmm, I think I'll be taking the 1968 Dick Calmus for it. However, the Caminiti for Smith trade will be declined. I will not be giving up the one Red Sox card I got. Besides, Vintage for a late 80's card? No thanks. I suppose I'll accept the first trade, it doesn't really make a difference to me.

Good Bye, Jim.

& Hello, Dick.

Coming Up...

2010-04-27T16:25:00.000-04:00

My box of National Chicle has just been shipped. Yay!

This and That.

2010-04-26T16:22:00.000-04:00

A while back, I preordered a box of National Chicle. It's about to come out and I'm excited about opening it. I'll have the box break right here on the blog. Any thoughts on the product before it's released?

I've also had a stroke of luck on ebay recently, winning a few nice cards. They will be posted as soon as I receive them.

I wish I could be posting more at the moment, but school is keeping me really. I have the AP Calculus and AP English test next week. Our graduation is the 28th of May, and a lot of things still need to be done. Once May is over, I'll be posting with much more frequency.

-Kelly

schooool.

2010-04-15T15:47:00.002-04:00

Hey Everyone,
Sorry for the lack of posting so far. I've been really busy in school at the moment. Luckily, April Vacation is this week, so I'll be able to get some posts up!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T09:34:00.000-04:00

Working Hard.

2010-03-31T17:32:00.001-04:00

I'm in the process of making checklists for all the cards I need and all the cards I have available for trade. I'll try to get them up as soon as I can for everyone. Also, I have some player collections I want to add to the blog. Those will be up soon as well.

2010 Finest Box Break.

2010-03-31T16:15:00.004-04:00

Nothing like coming home to finding a package waiting for you!

First Mini Box:
Pack #1:
#144 Craig Gentry
#147 Josh Butler
#17 Prince Fielder
#2 Evan Longoria
#82 Marco Scutaro Green Refractor 93/99

Pack #2:
#133 Armando Gabino
#65 Ken Griffey Jr. Refractor 113/599

(this is a refractor, my scanner's just terrible)

#31 Miguel Cabrera
#49 Dan Uggla
#82 Marco Scutaro

Pack #3:
#120 A.J. Pierzynski
#154 Juan Francisco Autograph Letter Patch Rookie Card 1/106

#106 Clayton Kershaw
#18 Ryan Howard
#42 Ian Kinsler

Pack #4:
#96 Ubaldo Jimenez
#31 Miguel Cabrera Refractor 100/599
#62 Jason Kubel
#89 Shane Victorino
#113 Hunter Pence

Pack #5:
#69 Josh Johnson
#141 Jeff Manship
#3 Alex Rodriguez
#115 Cole Hamels
#36 Pablo Sandoval Blue Refractor 191/299

Pack #6:
#145 Brent Dlugach
#128 Chris Johnson Refractor 399/599
#73 Jon Lester
#46 Jason Bay
#23 C.C. Sabathia

Second Mini Box:
Pack #1:
2010 Rookie Card Redemption #2 (green)

#146 Esmil Rogers
#137 Kyle Phillips
#77 David DeJesus
#116 Brian McCann
#37 Manny Ramirez Blue Refractor 201/299

Pack #2:
#117 Michael Cuddyer
#86 Yunel Escobar Refractor #560/599
#11 Johan Santana
#22 Russell Martin
#14 Derek Jeter

Pack #3:
#84 Lance Berkman
#161 Madison Bumgarner Autograph Letter Patch Rookie Card 5/106

#100 Jose Lopez
#24 Adam Dunn
#41 Adrian Gonzalez

Pack #4:
#54 Kevin Youkilis
#121 Jayson Werth Refractor 302/599
#65 Ken Griffey Jr.
#95 Ted Lilly
#149 Matt Carson Gold Refractor 21/50

Pack #5:
#150 Henry Rodgriguez
#123 John Lannan
#21 Joba Chamberlain
#121 Jayson Werth
#143 Pedro Viola Blue Refractor 1/299

Pack #6:
#136 Adam Moore
#143 Pedro Viola Refractor 173/599
#124 Luis Castillo
#85 Dan Haren
#43 Ryan Zimmerman

I really like the look of these cards, especially the refractors.
Is it often that you get two "1 out of whatever number" serial numbers in the same box?
I'll Write Up More on this Later

Newbie.

2010-03-30T19:33:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone. I'm Kelly. I've been wanting to create my own blog for some time now and I finally got around to doing it. Now that I have one, I don't know how to work it yet. I'll get the hang of it soon, though.

In the meantime, I'll explain the meaning of my blog name.

I have a little brother who hates the fact that I love baseball and specifically the Red Sox. He doesn't understand why I enjoy it and thinks I have some type of disease: Baseball Obsession-itis is what he calls it. The name has just stuck with me.