A New Favorite Player In The Doon Household- Addendum Part 1

Not everything that happened over the weekend was glorious.  I mentioned Monday there was a dealer at thecard show that some readers of this blog may recognize, and I guess I should tell you what went down with him.

 After getting autographs from the Naturals, my son and I went to peruse the dealer tables.  One table looked especially interesting, with tons of high end autos and relics spread out.  In fact, it was basically a dream table of mine, with copious amounts of vintage and high end Texas Rangers and Razorback cards.  I was immediately impressed and intrigued and impressed again.  I was drooling over the cards when I heard a soft, evil chuckle from behind the table.  I looked up and there he was, dressed in black and stroking a white cat:

My Nemesis

“Do you like what you see Napkin?” he asked.  “You should, because these are all the cards I outbid you on at Cleve’s!”

And with that, he threw his head back and laughed hysterically.  I could feel my fists clench, and my heart began to race with rage.

Then my nemesis looked down at my boy.  “Perhaps you would like to come hang out with me for a while and see what a real baseball card collection looks like.” Then he looked up at me again and flicked his forked tongue out.  “Or maybe I should just show my stuff to your lovely wife?”

I let out a primal scream and dove across the table and plowed into him.  I must have looked like Ronnie Lott delivering a bone crushing hit because I heard the crowd at the card show go “Ooohhh!!!”

I began raining blows to his face and blood began to go everywhere.  He finally went limp and I eased up.  That was my first mistake.  He made a quick move, and I felt something sharp go into my side.   I couldn’t move due to the sheer pain I was in.  He grabbed me and slowly began lowering me to the ground, whispering “Shhh, shhhh, shhhh, shhhh.” Then he removed the 6 inch blade from my side and showed it to me.  I could feel my body get cold.  I hoped my boy wasn’t watching.

Then my nemesis knelt down and put his face mere inches from mine.  “I’ve always wanted to tell you something Napkin,” he said with a sincere look on his face.  “ George Will is a hack and will never get an Allen & Ginter card.”

I don’t know how it happened, but suddenly I felt a surge of strength and reached up and grabbed his head with my hands.  “Hack this mother f’er!” I said and twisted his head until I heard his neck break. His body collapsed to the ground.   I slowly got to my feet and staggered to his table.  I looked the cards over again.  “These cards belong to me now,” I said and began bagging them up.

Thankfully, due to my incredible healing powers, my wound was not life threatening.  The medics were stunned with my strength and mental toughness.  The told me my body seemed to defy science.  I stayed and answered the questions from the cops as the medics sewed me up.  I was thankful to the other folks at the show who verified I acted in self defense.   

I watched  the paramedics wheel my nemesis out on a stretcher.  It was over.  He would never outbid me again at Cleve’s.   Or would he?  As his stretcher rolled past me, I am almost certain that I heard a whisper from under the sheet that covered his body.  

A whisper of “Dooooooooooonn”  

We’ll meet again Nemesis, we’ll meet again.

Cleve's Auction Night: The Hobby Is Thriving In Northwest Arkansas...

...and it sucks for me.  There were about 30 people at Cleve's auction tonight, which is the most I've seen not including the Holiday auction.   What was most concerning was that there were several people in attendance I've never seen before, and they all were aggressive bidders.  If they get a Cleve auction in their veins, they'll be back.  Of course I'm happy to see Cleve get a good turnout, and I want the hobby to be healthy.  But these dudes are making it harder for me to sneak home some cheap pickups.  These new guys weren't married either, which is not a good sign.  They don't have to answer to anyone on how they spend their money like us married folk.  Single dudes with jobs are the toughest competitors at auctions for guys like me.

There were a few kids there too, and they're also tough to deal with.  A 1983 Fleer Tony Gwynn came up for bid that I wanted.  I bid $3 and some kid bid $4.  No one else bid, and I probably could have got it for $5, or at least made the kid pay $6.   I can't drive up the price on a kid without looking like a jerk now can I?   So kids are the second toughest competitors at these things.    Actually, the toughest competitor is this doctor that sits in the back and lays down a few grand every time he comes in.  Tonight he picked up an unreal complete 1966 Topps set in a binder (every card was pristine), with the Mantle card PSA graded separately.   I think he spent $950 on it.  He also picked up a few American Caramel cards that were ridiculously cool.  Maybe I should just start posting his wins each week.  They would be much more interesting than mine.

Speaking of competitors, my nemesis has not been to an auction in a while.  I would like to believe I scared him off, but something tells me he's out there, lurking, up to no good.

Even though the place was packed tonight, and I didn't get everything I wanted, I did manage a few wins.  They were modest, but decent:

I found this card of Robin Roberts interesting just for the fact that it lists the Yankees as his team.  Roberts started all of 0 games for the Yankees in his career.  They acquired him at the end of the 61 season when it looked like he was at the end of his rope.  He pitched for them during Spring Training, and they released him in May.  He then signed with the Orioles, sort of got a second wind and went on to have a few more good years. 

I didn't have any Rocky Colavito cards, so I decided to make a grab of this pair for $4.  Colavito is not in the Hall of Fame like Roberts, but he was very good, with almost 400 home runs and 6 all star game appearances.  Both cards are in great shape, and the 1960 on top is really superb.  Again, these will be great adds to my sampler album.

Not so superb was this lot of 1960 Fleer cards.  There are some good names here, but they are not in great shape.   I blew it on this one even though I only spent $2.

I also picked up 3 1961 Fleers for $4.  I bought these because for some reason I had it in my head that Jeff from Cardboard Catastrophes was collecting this set and I was going to help him out.  I've been trying to find something good to send him because he has always been so generous with me.   After looking back over his blog I think I was wrong about him collecting these.  Who was I thinking of?  Eh, I'm glad to get the Hubbell at least.

Grades:

1962 Topps Robin Roberts $2:  A  Good HOF pickup for my sampler album.
2 Rocky Colavitos $4:   A   Not a HOFer, but these cards are purdy.
1960 Fleer Lot $2:  D    If I'd spent a dollar more, I'd give myself an F.  Didn't need them, and they're not in good shape.
1961 Fleer Lot  $4:  B-   My target trade recipeint was off on this one, but I don't have any of these and they're in good shape.

My Weekly Trip to Cleve’s Auction Gets Sucker Punched…

I was pretty excited to take in another fun auction atCleve’s Tuesday night.  I drove to Springdale and when I arrived at the auction, I noticed all the parking spots were full.  No big deal, I just parked in the alley behind the store.  That’s where the trouble started. 

Just as I stepped out of my truck, my face was met with a fist.  And not just any fist.  The fist belonged to my Arch Nemesis, who I still haven’t named, and he was out for blood.  It was a total sucker punch and he used it to his advantage, beating me silly for several minutes.  I guess one of Cleve’s customers must have heard something going on, because he came out with his camera and got the whole thing on tape.   I decided I would share it with you.  The action picks up right as my nemesis had started dunking me in a barrel of water and trying to get me to admit he was the “master.”  I didn’t really want to reveal my identity on this blog, but I guess I’ll have to make an exception.   You’ll also get to see appearances from Cleve and, yes, the Lovely Wife.

A few thoughts:

·         I don’t know how this video was able to capture and illustrate the thoughts in my head as I was being dunked in water (perhaps it’s an app for the iPod), but you see that previous words of wisdom from Cleve and the Lovely Wife are partly responsible for the ass that I kicked when I realized that I, in fact, am the “master.”

·         I can’t really explain how I got my body to glow.  At the time, it was great, and helped me overpower my nemesis.  But now that it’s started, I’m having trouble controlling it, and it often happens at inappropriate times.  It’s a little embarrassing when I’m in a meeting at work and it flares up.

·         I’m not sure who the little man was that seemed to be egging on my nemesis.   They apparently have ties.  I’ll definitely keep an eye out for him.

·         I don’t know why he kept referring to me as “Leroy.”  But I’ve heard him call other people that too.  I guess it’s just his thing.

So, the point of this post is that I don’t have any Cleve auctions to show you this week. 

Cleve's Auction Night Part 2: Choke, Choke, Choke...

Yesterday, I covered the first four of eight purchases I made at Cleve's weekly auction.  I had a sense of failure about my overall auction performance after I left the auction, but once I started listing out the cards, I felt a little better.  Let's see if analyzing the last four cards makes me feel even better, or validates my initial feeling of dejection.

It's hard to be dejected about a sweet card like this though:

This was my second Triple Threads 2011 card of the night, and I was thrilled to get it for $4.  Longoria is a stud, and this will either fit nicely in my collection, or perhaps bring something cool in trade.  Speaking of which:

A few weeks ago, I got another Kershaw auto from Cleve's and wound up trading it away to Greg at Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle.  There must be a strong Kershaw connection at Cleve's because this week another auto of him was available.   So, I decided to go for it again.   And so did... dun dun dunnnnnn, my arch nemesis.  I made my initial bid of $3 and he went $4.  Last week, he got the better of me 3 times, but I wasn't letting it happen again.  I rolled up my sleeves and gave him a front row ticket to the gun show as I bid $5.  It didn't faze him and he said $6.  I bid $7, but instead of saying $7, I  stood up in my chair, pulled out my switchblade and made a big "7" in the air with it.  Then I slowly turned and mimed the universal gesture of slitting one's throat.  He stopped bidding, and the card was mine. Victory, baby.
There was lots of vintage at the auction, but not much I felt I had to have.  There was a neat Johnny Mize 1952 Topps that I could have had for $15.  I wish I'd gone for it now.  But I did get this little gem:

Eddie Stanky is one of those old ballplayers I love to read about.  Leo Durocher said of Stanky, "He can't hit, can't run, can't field. He's no nice guy... all the little SOB can do is win."   I was very pleased to get this.

I should have ended my night on this high note.  But I was impulsive and bought this as well:

This was a lot of 5 Red Man tobacco cards.  I like this set, but didn't look over the lot before bidding, and didn't see that one card was in it 3 times.  And the Mel Parnell card is in bad shape.  But still, for $4 it's not too bad of a purchase.

Here are the grades for the second four purchases:
 
Evan Longoria Triple Threads $4: A-  Great card of a budding star.
Clayton Kershaw A&G Auto $7:  A  A little pricey, but Kershaw is a bad dude, and I'm glad to get back an auto of him.
Eddie Stanky Bowman $4:  A+  I don't know what the book value of this is and I don't care.  I love talking about cards and players like this.
Red Man Lot $4:  C+  Yeah, I like these cards, but this was unnecessary for my collection, even for $4.

I guess overall, I'm relatively satisfied.  I feel good about 5 of 8 purchases.  If I would have lopped off the three that didn't jazz me, I would have spent closer to $20 and felt like it was one of my better auctions ever.  I'll need to show some better discipline next time.

Cleve’s Auction Night- Enter ….The Villain

I’ve been doing this blog about 9 months now, and so far I haven’t had anyone materialize as an arch- nemesis.    The Lost Collector and Dimwit beat me so regularly at Words W/ Friends that they could have been good candidates, but they are nice guys, and I don’t have any motivation to destroy them.  I need a good, solid enemy.  There is a “lady” that lives down our block who gave my son candy from her “cheap candy” dish on Halloween a few years ago which really pissed me off.  I saw the good candy dish on the table behind her with Reese’s and Kit Kats.  She made my boy choose from the dish with little tootsie rolls and sweet tarts and caramel squares.  I sneer at her house every day, but she’s not really a satisfying enemy.  I need a nemesis in the card collecting world.   A yin to my yang.  A Jabba the Hutt to my Han Solo.  A Redskin to my Cowboy.   A night to my day.  A Hatfield to my McCoy.  A chicken to my Peter Griffin.  A Joker to my Batman.    

That enemy arrived Tuesday night, and announced himself to the world at Cleve’s auction.  Before we get into that, let me show you what I won. 

My first 1952 Topps cards.  I’ve decided to construct a sampler album from every year Topps has put out cards, and will only be able to afford the cheapies from the early years.  These were $3 each.  

This was only $3 also, which was a no brainer for an auto/relic from 2011 Triple Threads.  

Finally, these two relic cards were $2 each.  The Kemp was a great value, considering his budding super stardom, and the Beltre will be a nice addition to my Rangers album, even though he’s in a Red Sox uniform.  Overall, a pretty solid B for the auction.

Now let me tell you about what I DIDN’T win.  I went into the auction with three cards on my wish list:  Autographed relics of Elvis Andrus and Craig Gentry from 2011 Triple Threads (gorgeous cards), and a very cool Derek Holland auto with a little USA flag patch from Upper Deck Black.  These were all beautiful cards that I really wanted and needed. 

The Holland came up for bid first.  Bids at Cleve’s usually go quickly.  There is no dramatic pause between bids like on Storage Wars (great show by the way).  The bidding started at $2, and I offered $3.  Someone else said $4 and I said $5.  No one else said anything, and Cleve started to write my name on the bidding sheet as the winner.  I was so stoked.  Holland may never amount to much, but then again he may, and this card was a work of art.

Then out of nowhere I hear, “Oh, wait no, $6.”  I glanced around to get a look at who was killing my buzz.  He was two rows behind me: young guy, late twenties, glasses, spiky hair.  Well, I was not going to be pushed around.  “$7” I said, with a gravitas that should have made this guy understand who he was up against.  “$8” he replied without missing a beat.  “$9” I said.  Some of the children in the room huddled against their fathers at the pure intimidation in my voice. 

“$10,” he said, not even looking at me.  There was a deafening silence in the room.  Well, I didn’t want to let this character beat me.  I prepared to keep going, and then remembered there still were the Triple Threads cards of Andrus and Gentry on the docket.  I also wondered how I would explain to the lovely wife if my purchases got out of control.  I said nothing, and gave a dismissive wave of my hand to let everyone know I couldn’t care less about that card.  He could have it.  Whatever.

Soon after came the Andrus card.  $6 was my opening bid.  Immediately, $7 was counter-bid by the same guy behind me.  This time, I whipped my head around and made sure he could see the fury in my eyes as I bid $8.  Did he stop?  Nope, he upped the bid to $9.  I got a better look at him too.  He definitely is one of those people you can tell has an evil soul and probably tortures puppies.  There was a certain menace to him.  I said “$10” and he said “$11.”  I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.  I had to pass again.  

Next was the Gentry card.  Surely, this guy had blown his wad on the Holland and Andrus cards, and would lay off and let me get the Gentry.  Nope.  He bid it up against me all the way up to $10 again, forcing me to pass again.  I was now 0-3 on the main cards I really wanted.

When the auction was over, I turned to face my tormentor, and get a good look at him.  This time, I noticed he was sitting in a large leather chair, wearing all black, and stroking a white cat.  He looked at me and began to laugh, a slow, evil laugh.  I started toward him, ready to punch him in the face, or perhaps break a finger.  He opened his jacket to reveal his gun and slowly shook his head.  

I backed away, paid Cleve for my winnings, and headed home.   I fumed all night.   The Rangers losing didn’t help any.  I couldn’t sleep.  Was my new enemy out there, plotting his schemes for the next auction?  Or was he watching my every move right then, perhaps through a scope on a sniper rifle?  I dusted off my Chinese throwing stars in case I needed them.    

We’ll meet again, arch-nemesis.  We’ll meet again.