Naturals Night

Last night at the Fayetteville Mall, the entire NW Arkansas Naturals team was signing autographs, so I packed up the family and we headed out.  As a father, it was exciting to see my son getting a baseball and a few cards signed.  He’s five, so I don’t think he was all that stoked about it to begin with, but as we went around the table, and he was more comfortable talking to the players, he really began to enjoy himself.  When we were done and his ball was completely covered with signatures, he was very excited!  I was too, thinking, “This is the year he really becomes a baseball fan, and we can really enjoy the game and the cards together.”   Then he saw the Cookie Co., handed his ball off to his mother and didn’t mention the Naturals the rest of the evening while he savored every bite of his true prize of the evening.   

Overall, the players were very pleasant and gracious.  Most took a moment to look my boy in the eye and say hello. A few just took the ball, signed it and passed it down without looking up, which as a father kind of ticked me off.  But I imagine this kind of event kind of gets to be a grind for a player, especially with how pushy and obnoxious some fans can be.  But come on, talk to my boy just a bit.  He is, after all, the cutest 5 year old on the planet.

I would like to mention John Lamb in particular as someone who was very gracious with my son.  He is considered a top 100 Major League prospect, and a good bet to be on the Royals roster in the next year or two.  As a card hobby enthusiast, I was thrilled that he signed a couple of cards that will mean more to my son over time, and I wish him the best.  I also found cards of Derrick Robinson and Christian Colon who were very nice as well.  One player I could not find a card of was Wil Myers, who is a top hitting prospect, and supposed to be on par with Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer.  I know I have his Bowman 2010 card somewhere, but couldn’t locate it.  At least we got his signature on the ball and poster.

Here are some of the fruits of our evening:

Cyber Monday- Big Etopps Week!

Etopps continues it’s T206 offering this week, and it’s a big one!  It’s been a long time since they have offered 4 cards at IPO, and the cards this week are outstanding!

 Sandy Koufax

 Buster Posey

Ryan Howard

Walter Johnson is the fourth card, but no image is available yet.

The Koufax and Posey are must buys, regardless of print run, and I’ll wait and see what the prices and print runs are for the Howard and Johnson.    I’m pretty sure I’ll get the Johnson too.

Be sure the order at 1 p.m. est, as these will likely be hard sellouts.

****UPDATE******
Looks like the Posey and Johnson will not be offered this week. 

Booknotes: Slouching Towards Fargo: A Two-Year Saga Of Sinners And St. Paul Saints At The Bottom Of The Bush Leagues With Bill Murray, Darryl Strawberry, Dakota Sadie And Me

Neal Karlen, 2000

Sometimes a book comes out that ties several interests of mine together, and immediately becomes a must read for me.  My hero (George Will) writing about my favorite sport (baseball), Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball, is one example of that happening.  Another example is Slouching Towards Fargo.    Combining subject matters of Darryl Strawberry, Bill Murray and Independent League Baseball, I was all over this one and gobbled it up quickly once I got my hands on it back when it was released in 2000.  I dusted it off again last night and skimmed through it.  It would make a great movie, and I wish someone would think about doing it. 

As I mentioned in my very first post, Darryl Strawberry was the first baseball player I followed, and I collected the heck out of his cards.  Additionally, I used to live in Lubbock, Texas and at the time there was an independent league called the Texas/Louisiana Association.  The Lubbock team was called the Crickets, named after Buddy Holly’s (Lubbock native) band.  The games were cheap, the baseball was actually not bad, and the atmosphere was odd.  It felt a little like a mix of minor league baseball and roller derby.    So a book that combined these two subject matters was right up my alley.

The book is based on a two season run of the St.Paul Saints, probably the most well known independent league team out there, who were partially owned by Bill Murray and Bill Veeck, and trotted out such players as J.D. Drew, who at the time was holding out for more money after being drafted by the Phillies, Jack Morris, and Darryl Strawberry.  Strawberry at this time had been kicked out of baseball, broke, on probation, and trying to find a way back to the big leagues. 

The author of the book was sent to cover this potential hot mess by Rolling Stone Magazine.  He intended to do a “hatchet job” on Murray and Strawberry and write a buzz worthy article for the magazine.  The book is the story of what he saw in that two year run and his fast changing views of the subject matters.

I am sorry to say, this book is no longer in print, and the only copies I see available are used copies on bn.com and amazon.com.  The good news is these copies are dirt cheap.   

Embarrassment Avoided…

I had every intention of writing something about the day after opening day.  It has actually always been my favorite baseball day, because the bandwagoners and the misty eyed poets have had their say and have moved on once opening day is done. 

Thankfully, I saw that an actual writer beat me to it and did it much better than I could.  I will avoid posting and suffering by comparison.  If you are a baseball fan and not reading Joe Posnanski, trust me, you should.   I especially love his Buck O'Neil story...

GO RANGERS!!!!!

First pitch for Rangers and Red Sox is just moments away.  Got it set up in the DVR so I will be avoiding looking at scores for the rest of the day at work.  It is so nice to buzz through commercials, pitching changes and mound visits.  How did I ever live without a DVR?  The combination of DVRs and HD television has completely spoiled me.      Here is the ideal scene for me:

Me+ HD Television + Rangers + couch + 2-3 Coronas + 2-3 Johnsonville Stadium Brats + 2011 Baseball Prospectus (which I have not picked up yet-shame on me!)  + cards to sort= Napkin Doon Bliss

Here’s what will happen:

Me  + urgent work emails + incessant attention request pleas from 5 year old boy  + incessant attention request screams from the 1 year old girl + no problems from my elegant, lovely wife (she does read this blog and I am not stupid) + dinner out=  Napkin Doon catching the highlights later in the evening

 Come to think of it, I’d rather go with the latter anyways….

Speaking of Napkin Doon Bliss, here are some nice looking 2005 Topps Gallery Artist Proofs I picked up on EBay last week.  I’m about 35% through with the 05 Gallery Artist Proof set,  which is fast becoming one of my favorites:

Wax Wednesday Topps HD 20/20

No wax openings this week, since I am sort of trying to hold off for lent.  I don't know why I bother though since I have been buying stuff at a cool local weekly auction, as well as online.  I was able to knock off one more set from my monster checklist:

This is from the 2001 Topps HD Set, and is a 10 card dicut set.  Actually, a few of these are the aluminum parallels, but sometimes they come cheaper than the base, so I don't care.  Does this mean that I technically don't have a complete set?  Well, excuse me, but my super checklist says otherwise:

Opening Day...

For my redesigned blog.  Not that my changes are any big deal.  My wife is actually the expert at this stuff so hopefully she will help me put something decent looking together.  There are several opening days I am looking forward to over the next few weeks:

- MLB Opening Day Thursday
- Rangers Opening Day Friday
- NW Arkansas Naturals Home Opener April 7th

I am also stunned to say that this will be my first year in 15 years that I have not played fantasy baseball.  Yes, I actually played in the late 80s before the Internet.  We drafted, made trades and were updated on standings all by mail.  At the time I thought it was the coolest thing ever.  Once fantasy leagues started showing up on the Internet, I didn't know whether to crap or go blind.  But last year, with the Rangers, Razorbacks and Naturals all doing so well and taking my attention, I let my fantasy team slip out of my consciousness.  I think I wound up making the playoffs anyway.  Not sure what that says about my managing skills.  So I am going to forgo a team this year and see if I miss it.

I guess I'll go on record with my homer predictions for the season, and see how I do:

AL West -  I refuse to pick this division as I do not want to jinx the Rangers. 
AL Central- The Royals, with the help of some young ultra talented Naturals are 2 years away I think.  And I can't get a feel for this division at all, so I'll pick the Twins.
AL East-  I'll take the chalk and pick the Red Sox.  Although, I think the Orioles will make some noise this year. 

NL East-  Even with the injuries, I'll go with the Phillies.
NL Central-  The Brewers look good to me on paper, but I've said that before about them.
NL West-  Giants again, but the Rockies will be tough I think.

World Series-
What the heck:  Brewers vs. a team whose name I will not mention so that I do not jinx them.

AL MVP:  Someone who plays in the outfield with last year's MVP whose name rhymes with Pelson Pooze.
NL MVP: Ryan Braun

AL CY Young:  Felix Hernandez
NL CY Young:  Roy Halladay

Checklist Chip Away: Diamond Kings 2003 Evolution Insert Set

From a collecting perspective, there is not much more satisfying feeling than entering the last remaining cards from an almost complete checklist and watch the % Complete field of my super awesome spreadsheet change to 100%.  I can then delete that set from the checklist.  Unfortuately, I just wind up adding another set. 
One of the master sets I am working to complete is the 2003 Donruss Diamond Kings set.  I've finished the base set and am whittling away the inserts.  I am pleased to say that the Evolution insert set is now done!  The last one I needed was Barry Bonds, and I finally found it for a great price.  This is one of those "sportflixy" sets that I am typically drawn to:

This is a fantastic checklist of HOFs, stars, roiders and... Kerry Wood.

Etopps 3/28 Offering- T-206 is Back!

Love, love, love etopps T206 cards.  These are beautiful cards, especially in hand!  For those who are not etopps members, this may be a great week to get started.

This week:

Hank Aaron

Tim Lincecum

More information here:

Lent is officially over for me!

Booknotes: Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History

Cait Murphy, 2008

One of the silver linings to traveling so much lately is that I have been able to catch up on some reading.   A recent trip to Toronto gave me plenty of time to read “Crazy ‘08” by Cait Murphy.  If you are at all interested in baseball in the early 1900’s, or the history of baseball at all for that matter, this book is must reading.    It is extremely detailed, researched, well written and funny.    

The bulk of the book focuses on the three team race for the National League Pennant in 1908, which was fought between the Pirates, the NY Giants and the Cubs.  Yes, the Cubs at that time were not only perennial contenders; they were a juggernaut featuring the famous double play combination of Tinker, Evers and Chance and the pitching of Mordeci “Three Finger” Brown.   The Giants were also a perennial power, starring the gentlemanly pitcher Christy Mathewson and the un-gentlemanly manager, John McGraw, as well as the ill-fated Fred Merkle.  The chapter about the “Merkle” game is enough to warrant reading the book.   The Pirates, meanwhile, were not necessarily a great team, but had perhaps the greatest player of the time, Honus Wagner, who carried them on his back.   Being a card nerd, I know all about the famous T206 Honus Wagner card , and had an idea of how good of a player he was.  Crazy ‘08 really sheds light on not only what an incredible all around player he was, but also one of the decent men of the game, which after reading this book, looks like was the exception and not the rule.

 It seemed like every other page of this book included a fight, threat of a fight, or some sort of heated argument.    These were wild, agitated people:  players, coaches, umpires, fans and all.   1908 was a significant year in the history of baseball, and after reading Crazy ‘08, it’s hard to argue it wasn’t baseball’s greatest. 

Man Crush

Despite what the Mrs. thinks, I would not be star struck if I ever met a Major League player, unless it was Cliff Lee.  Or Tony Gwynn.  Maybe Mike Piazza.  Probably Darryl Strawberry.  Nelson Cruz?  Yeah, ok him too.  And yeah, definitely Michael Young and Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus.  Of course, Stan Musial.  Willie Mays?  Who wouldn't.  It goes without saying, Albert Pujols and Ichiro and Derek Jeter.  But no one else.  Except David Wright.  And Bob Gibson. 

I will concede however, I might get a little giddy if I ever ran into Brett Eibner.  Not only is he a highly rated prospect, he is the author of one of the great Razorback baseball moments of all time.  I vividly remember jumping off the couch when he hit the above home run a few years ago in the College World Series. 

I was also excited he was drafted by the Royals, meaning he will likely come through the AA affiliate in NW Arkansas at some point.  From what I hear, that may come sooner rather than later.  I wonder if we'll become friends and hang out...

So when his first trading cards came out I spied one I couldn't do without:

My wife asked if I was going to sleep with this card under my pillow.  I couldn't believe the gall.  Like I would do that...  Not until I get that sucker tucked away in a 130 pt. magnetic snap case, baby doll.  Remember the name baseball fans.  I think this guy is going to be a star.  And my future buddy.

Napkin Doon Tip of the Hat: Society for American Baseball Research

My wife noses around my blog quite often and gives me her feedback whether I want it or not.  She is begging to post comments on this blog(undeniably to make fun of me) , but I won’t let her.  She has her own blog that covers our family, and I don’t want my baseball card life and regular life to mix.   I am trying to maintain a secret identity.  Like Batman.  But I digress…

So my wife reads my succinct, yet informative post about Etopps.  “Don’t you think these people know about Etopps already?  Do they need a lesson from you?” were her eyebrows-raised rhetorical questions to me. 

“Probably they are aware, but I never see posts about Etopps, and one can never assume,” was my patient response.   So using that logic, let me give a nod to one of my favorite websites:  www.SABR.org  I assume readers are familiar with this organization, but I wanted to give them a shout anyways.  Like the guys over at Baseball Time In Arlington, I concede that these folks are way out of my league in terms of intelligence and understanding of the game.   But I like to visit the site and see some of the innovative thinking going on over there.    They even have a yearly convention that I am much too intimidated to attend, but hope to one day. 

Is anyone reading this a member of SABR?  Have you been to a convention?  How was it?

Wax Wednesday- Confession Time

To no suprise to anyone who knows me, I caved on my vow to give up buying cards for lent. It didn't take much temptation either I have to say:

I didn't purchase any wax, which I suppose is something, but these cards out of the local dealers bargain box were too tough for me to refuse.   I am a sucker for hologram and motion cards, so I am digging the Denny's Jackie Robinson and the 2 Holoview cards of Ripken and Gwynn.  I don't collect Tulowitzki, but this refractor was begging me to buy it.  I guess I could get back on the wagon, but I don't really want to.

Cyber Monday: E-Shopping Arrivals

Even though I gave up purchasing cards for lent, thankfully, I had ordered enough product online before this ridiculous promise went into place.  I would like to pat myself on the back for being so disciplined so far.    I did put in a couple of low-ball bids for some items on eBay that I don’t expect to get, but if I do, I will have to fess up about breaking my vow.  Placing a bid doesn’t count does it?  Here are some of the goodies I got last week:

I don’t know how I managed to get that Pujols SPX card, #’d to 50 by the way!  No way did I think I would win that auction, but I am thrilled I did.  I am very slowly trying to complete this wonderful set, and that one was one I assumed I would have trouble getting.  I’m also thrilled with the 2 Sterling Base cards, as I am now about 75% through building this set.  I’ve listed the cards I am still lacking at the top of my blog.  I will post the few doubles I have for trade if anyone is interested in trading.

This was a small lot from http://www.sportsbuy.com/  It knocked out a little from my monster checklist, including a nice 2003 DK auto of Joe Borchard.  I picked up a couple of cheapies of two of my favorite Rangers as well.

Cyber Monday- Etopps

After reading many of the wonderful baseball card blogs out there, I detect a similar collecting pattern history from many bloggers:   Heavy collecting in the 80s and 90s, a drop off in the early 2000’s, and a recent re-entry to the hobby with gusto.    That’s pretty much my story, except from 2004-2009, while I didn’t really collect much cardboard, there was one product that I paid a lot of attention to:  Etopps.com.  I thought then and now that this was an exceptional evolution of the hobby, and could be enjoyed with limited resources.  I assume most of you are familiar with Etopps, but for those not in the know, here is a quick overview:

·         Every Monday at 1 p.m. eastern, Etopps.com posts a handful of new card “IPOs.”  They list the cost per card and the maximum print run.   Right now, Etopps is offering Minor League Baseball, and in a few weeks will start the 2011 Baseball offering.

·       Once the offerings go online, Etopps members can select which cards they would like to purchase and place  order requests.  The sooner you enter your order, the better your chance of getting a card.

·         The following Monday, Etopps allocates the cards (and lists a new offering).  If the card has a maximum print run of 799 cards, the first 799 people who ordered get one card each.  The folks in line after that do not get a card, but can try to acquire one later through various means.  If say, only 350 people order cards, then the print run will be only 350.  However, if cards are still available, Etopps will snake around again to the front of the queue and start fulfilling orders for people who requested multiple copies of a card.  Typically, cards are sellouts, and each person only gets one card.  The folks who order latest are the ones who get left out.

·         Once your card is in your portfolio, you have several options:  sell it on Ebay, cardtarget.com, put it up on the trade market, or take the card for delivery.  Or you can just keep it in your portfolio.  It usually takes several months before a new card is actually printed and ready for delivery.

·         All cards are sealed in a thick plastic card holder and kept in the Etopps warehouse until the buyer requests delivery.

There are a lot of other nuances with Etopps.  There is a “point” system where you can obtain points from players performances over the course of the season, daily jackpots (for example, if a player in your portfolio from the current season offering hits a grand slam, you receive 5 points for each card you have), or you can trade cards for points .   These points can be traded for other cards, used in a weekly merchandise catalog (I have purchased several factory baseball sets, additional Etopps cards, and wax boxes with my points), or used to pay for deliveries of cards.     

This past year,  I gutted my Etopps collection pretty hard to give my self funds for getting back into cardboard.  But I still have a decent portfolio.  I also have taken a lot of these cards in hand.  They are pretty slick cards.

If you read the message boards on Etopps.com , there seems to be a lot of negativity toward the Etopps program.  For all of its flaws, I am still a big fan.  So each week, I will post the upcoming offering as soon as I can before the IPO begins.  A rule of thumb:  most of the IPOs can be purchased later on Ebay or Cardtarget.com for less than IPO price.... eventually.   But sometimes, it’s best to get in at IPO to take advantage of the points opportunities. 

Here are this week’s offerings:
Gary Sanchez

Jonathan Singleton

Trade Post: 1st Trade!

I was thrilled to execute my first trade as a blogger last week.  Big thanks to Nachos Grande for helping out with a big missing piece to my Topps HD 2001 set:

I love the HD set, and I wish Topps would reprise the offering.   I look forward to many more trades!

Booknotes: The Universal Baseball Association, Inc, J. Henry Waugh, Prop.

Robert Coover, 1968

If CSPAN can dedicate its weekends to books and literature, so can this blog.  I’ll kick off this what- I- plan- to- be-weekly-category with what I think is one of my favorite books ever (Blood Meridian will always be number one, with no close second,) but am certain is my favorite baseball themed work of fiction:  The Universal Baseball Association, Inc, J. Henry Waugh, Prop.

In brief, it’s the story of 56 year old accountant, Henry Waugh, who has developed a table top baseball dice game, (think Strat-O-Matic).  He’s expanded the game to include a fully realized fictional world enveloping the games that are played out nightly on his kitchen table.    The players are all creations of Henry’s imagination, and each has their own backgrounds, stories and nuances.   From the beginning, the reader understands that Henry is having more and more trouble separating his banal, but real life from the fantasy world he has created.   Written in 1968, the book is relevant today.  It is darkly funny, sad and at times, frightening as the lines blur between fantasy and reality for Henry.    

I read this book about 10 years ago, and recently re-read it with a whole new understanding of the story.  You could easily equate the dice game Henry created with so much of the modern technology that gives us the chance to be a god controlling our own little worlds.     There is a lot of scholarship about this book out in cyberspace that can break the book down more eloquently than I can, so I won’t try to write an essay about it.  But I do highly recommend the book. 

T206 Goodness: Napoleon Lajoie

I have a small handful of vintage T206 cards.  For those of you who have printed and studied the Napkin Doon Baseball Card Solar System, you know that my T206 Ty Cobb card is the center and focal point of my baseball card collection.    Not sure why-  the more I read about Cobb, the more I can’t stand him. 

If someone was to force me to limit my collecting to one, and only one set, I would stick to the T206 cards.  They can be expensive, but these are the cards that are the most interesting, and can be shown off with pride to anyone, even non collectors.  In fact, my Chick Gandil (1919 Black Sox fame) card was the first card I showed my wife (then girlfriend).  I told her about his involvement in the scandal, and how these cards were packaged in cigarettes 100 years ago.  She probably doesn’t even remember it now, but I assume that was the moment she fell in love with me.  Or took pity on me and didn’t have the heart to dump me.  Either way, I credit that card to helping me snag her.

So when I come across a player of that era with an interesting story, I try to find a way to get a card on the cheap off eBay.  Trust me, the Cobb card was not cheap, and I had no business buying that thing.   But that was years ago, and I’m glad I have it now.  

Less painful a purchase was this Napoleon Lajoie card, although it dented my wallet as well.  Like the Cobb card, I bought this one several years ago.

Napoleon was a superstar of the era.  So much so, that when he was sent to the fledgling Cleveland franchise, he gave them instant credibility to the point where fans voted to change their team name to the Cleveland Naps.   I also picked this card up because of his rivalry with Ty Cobb.  If you aren’t familiar of the story of the famous “Chalmers” batting title race of 1909, here’s are some links:

Long Version

Short Version

“I’m a fan, not an expert” Tip of the Hat To: Baseball Time in Arlington

“I’m a fan, not an expert.”   This quote is in my profile, and it’s my motto, credo and mission statement when it comes to baseball and baseball cards.  I have friends who are casual followers of baseball who tell me I know more about baseball than anyone they know.  They mistake my passion for the game and its culture for knowledge.  Same goes for colleting.    People that don’t know anything about baseball cards think I have the largest collection in the world.  The other day my sister- in- law saw about 30 cards of mine spread out on a table and said “Are these all of your cards?  Oh my God you have so many!”  And she was not being sarcastic.  My collection is peanuts compared to big time collectors, and that’s fine with me. 

I was at a card show a month ago with my typical $20 budget, looking through a 3,200 count box of cards.  It was nice box that had a lot of game used items.  There were probably 500-800 cards in the box (all of them were in plastic screw down holders).  I thought I might find one or two to add to my collection, when this young guys skims over the box and tells the dealer: “I’ll give you $2,000 for the whole box.”  The dealer thinks about it and agrees.  The buyer pulls out a fat wad of cash, gives it to the dealer and walks out with the box like nothing happened.  The dealer pulls out another huge box of game used merchandise and puts in one the table like nothing happened.  Whatever the baseball card equivalent of “wiener envy” is, I had it, and slunk away from the table with my sad $20.

I get the same sense of sheepishness when I read “Baseball Time in Arlington.”  Man, those guys are smart.  Napkin Doon feel stupid after reading Baseball Time In Arlington.  But I get over it and keep reading.  It is my favorite baseball blog out there, and one of the first things a look at daily.  Of course I am a Rangers fan, so it probably has more interest to me than it might you.  Nonetheless, a tip of the hat to : “Baseball Time In Arlington.”

Wax Wednesday... late again

Yet another business trip interferes with my favorite thing to do in life: opening baseball cards….. I MEAN HANGING OUT WITH MY FAMILY!   Even a short overnight trip leaves me homesick for the Mrs. and the babies.   I think I’m done with travel for a short while now thankfully.     

Recently, before my stupid decision to give up buying cards for Lent, I opened two rack packs of 2011 Heritage, and 1 of the $10 special boxes of Topps 2011 from Wal-Mart.  I don’t know what they are called, but they have 72 cards and a special “Blue Sapphire” insert.  Here are the highlights:

No hits on the Heritage, but I’m happy with the Strasburg, Hellickson, Posey and Pujols.  I’m leaning toward not building this set and using these as trade bait.    Of course, by now I have about 1/3 of the set, so maybe I’ll trudge through it.  I’m sure everyone is dying to know what I’ll do.

Nice box on the 2011 Topps:   Matt Holiday bat card, Heyward Sapphire insert and Pujols, Stanton and Chapman base cards.    Plus a card of Cliff Lee (Razorbacks) in Rangers uniform.  

Bad Timing..

On my decision to "abstain" from buying cards for Lent.  I came across a deal that might be too hard to pass up on topps.com. 

http://www.toppsonlinestore.com/servlet/the-cds3489/Categories

Has anyone else seen this?  Is there a catch?  Do I need some more Topps 2010 updates and Allen & Ginter?  Chicle didn't really interest me, but at half off, shouldn't I get a box just to have something to blog about?

There is no way that deal is still on by the time lent is over.   CRAP.

Cyber Monday

Mondays will be my day to post about purchases I have made and received via cyberspace (ebay, sportsbuy.com, sportlots.com and COMC) and whatever the new etopps offering is for the week.  Etopps is off this week, so I'll pick up with them next week and dedicate a little time to that wonderful little website.

Not sure what I was thinking, but I let my mouth get away from me tonight and told my wife that I would give up purchasing cards for lent.  I think I have enough in the mail queue coming to hold me over for a couple of weeks and allow me to keep up a Cyber Monday regular posting.  I've also got enough wax to open over the next month or so to cover Wax Wednesday.  We'll see how disciplined I can be...

Who am I kidding?  I'll fail in this endeavor by Wednesday, if not tomorrow.  Especially after getting my hands on the sweet sh%&! I got in the mail this week:

 I've heard some moans about the 2011 manu-leather patch cards, but I gotta say they are cool to me.  I got these Nelson Cruz "glove" cards pretty cheap, and they will make nice additions to my Rangers/Cruz collection.  I also picked up a cheap 2005 Marcus Giles Gallery jersey, and UD Game Face Gear jersey of Jorge Posada.  The price was great on both, and they both help whittle away at my monster checklist.  The Damian Williams Auto/Gear card is out of my collecting range, except I'm a big Arkansas Razorback fan (and alum) and he was at the U of A for one year before transferring to USC.  And the scan does not do this card justice.  Very, very shiny.  Finally, I got a nice Nelson Cruz 2011 silk card #d to 50.  Is it cool to like silk cards?... 'cause I do, baby!

Bandai Coins

During the late 80s and 90s I bought any and everything I could find that even remotely fit under the baseball card category.  Now that I have got back into collecting, it's been fun to dig out the old stuff and take a new look at it.  It's also fun to scan through back issues of Beckett and look not only at old pricing (more on that later), but the ads for products like this one:

I don't remember these coins, but of course I wanted to be a winner too.  At some point I guess I picked up a few:

These are pretty nice, heavy coins with some good detail.  At the time I was a big Mets fan, as well as Andy Van Slyke, so those must have been the coins that were visible in the pack.  Each pack also had a bonus coin you couldn't see, which is the only explanation for me having a Von Hayes coin (I hated the Phillies).  I've become more and more of a Robin Yount fan over the years, so I was glad to see that one in the group.  I would guess I could find some good storage pages from a coin shop.  I also am not seeing much of this on the net (ebay, sportlots, sportsbuy etc.) so maybe these have some value to them.  If anyone knows anything interesting about them let me know.

Wax Wednes...er Weekend

My travel schedule last week threw a wrench into my intended Wax Wednesday column, so I'll make it up here.  I was very excited to see the 2011 Heritage at my local Wal-Mart and picked up a blaster.  I like the design, and the cards are very nice quality.  I'm getting cold cards though lately, and didn't have the greatest results with this box either.  Here are some highlights:

The Santana hit was great, and I collect Michael Young so that was a plus.  The Millwood is the Chrome refractor, and in hand it is a pretty sharp card.  Jeter is always a good one to get.   The Brian Wilson pre-beard card is pretty cool too.   The insert sets don't do much for me.  Can't decide if this will go into my set builder spreadsheet, or if I will use these as trade bait once I get my want/have lists up.  Anyone else faring well with Heritage 2011?

Potty humor

I've been at the International Housewares Show in Chicago this week and have tried to find something to tie into baseball.  Not much luck.  I did see these folks hanging out by the watercooler though.   Not the best place for them...