A baseball card blog for the hopelessly addicted wax pack opener...
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Card of the Day
I dug deep into the stack on my desk... which stack? My Nolan Ryan stack of course... to pull out this beauty of a card... I love it...
Great Friends? The old man has the "I will end you, right here, right now" look on his face. All the while, it looks like Nolan is just sizing him up, ready to go all "Robin Ventura Headlock beat down mode". Hell, the old man looks drunk. Cap tipped askew, wild eyes... who let him out of the home for this picture to be taken? I hope none of my "Great Friends" look at me this way...
Wow, the old man played with Ruth? Maybe he got caught jumping in front of the Babe at the buffet table a few too many times and had to get a little crazy to survive. Great card, thanks Pacific.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Wednesday Card of the Day
It's been a few days, I've been intending to do these daily but life has gotten the best of me and I haven't been able to get them up regularly...
Today we have a new addition to the collection that showed up over the weekend:
A bronze parallel of Nolan! SWEEEET! The color of this parallel goes well, I think, against the classic Astros rainbow jersey.
Here's the back of the card... I love the 3rd item in the triple take, about how Nolan published a book in '91 on pitching mechanics. You learn something new every day...
Today we have a new addition to the collection that showed up over the weekend:
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Saturday Card of the Day
I was going through my binders to pick a card of the day... and I realized that this cards is the oldest Nolan Ryan card I own...
A 1975 Topps Nolan Ryan Highlights card celebrating the fact that Nolan struck out 300 batters for a third season in a row. It's kind of sad to me, being such a big Nolan fan, that this is the oldest card I have of his, and honestly the next oldest are the 1978 cards that are part of my (almost) complete set.
Slightly off-center on the back. I like the overall look of the card. I don't know why, but it still is very weird for me to see Nolan in an Angels uniform. To me, even the Mets uni seems more natural on him than the Angels. Weird...
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Fighting it... Going three rounds with Apathy...
So, it's been a long summer. The Astros have SUCKED... there is no hope in Mudville, there is no Casey on the roster or even in the minors... we're getting farmed out to the AL, to become another incarnation of the Royals, Blue Jays, and until this year the Orioles: once proud franchises on hard times with nothing to do but watch the ship sink. I used to be able to go down through the roster and know who all the players were, where about we acquired them, etc. Now, not so much... we've got guys who I think may have been in a slow pitch church league team in Spring Training. 80% of the roster would be at AAA in any other organization. Drayton left the cupboard bare, all the while muttering "We're champions... killer bees... Junction Jack... I like trains..." on his way out the door.
Jim Crane has further dismantled what was left of the club, put up a wall of advertisements in left field completely blocking the stellar view of downtown and then began discussing removing Tal's Hill, the train in left and the Crawford boxes. The man is out of control. He accepted Selig's blood money and the fans categorically got screwed in the end. And Topps, well Topps has decided that Astros collectors don't even need cards of the scrubs we've got, no matter how promising Jose Altuve, Justin Maxwell, and Jimmy Paredes are (and for those of you scratching your heads, yes all three are current Astros). Finest and Chrome came and went with absolutely no love for the Astros. Heck, even Bowman Platinum had zero Astros in the base set and only 3 Astros in the inserts.
All that to say this... for this any many other reasons, I've been fighting blogger apathy lately. In some ways I feel like I've run out of things to blog about. In some ways, I feel like what I have blogged about is lame on most days. Trades are my highlights, I love showing off the great cards you all send me in trades. I REALLY enjoy the group breaks, although I hate it when guys who've bought in end up with 4-5 cards for their buy-in. I know that's the risk we all take with breaks, but it still kills me when I get ready to package them up...
My collection has gotten out of control over the past year. I've spent ENTIRELY way too much on sets I don't either don't like (2007 Artifacts) or have no means of completing (Museum Collection). I have twice as many 5,000 count boxes as I did when we moved to Mobile a year ago. They aren't all full, but you get my point. It's getting out of control. My computer desk is a mish-mash of half completed trades, cards I haven't put in binders and random cards I have no clue why I have them pulled. It's a disorganized mess. My entire "man cave" has turned into a pit of hopelessness... and I blame the Astros and Bud Selig.
In all seriousness... I've devised a plan... and it will be benefiting all of you, my loyal readers. First of all, I'm going to be getting my 5,000 card boxes cleaned up and cleared out. I will be separating the sets out and creating lots. I will ask nothing more than the following for each lot: shipping plus whatever you think is fair. Once the items have arrived at your location, you will see the postage charge on the package and then you take a look inside at the lot and decide what you think is fair, then paypal me. Sounds pretty easy eh?
I'll be creating the lots mostly by set. Some time in the next week or so...
I will also be working on changing the method of my collecting. The sets coming out lately just aren't doing much for me and I'm going to be changing focus to my big 3 player collections: Bagwell, Biggio and Ryan. There are cards, high end, low end and everything in between that I really do want of these three but I spend more time and money chasing boxes and junk I don't need. I will be reducing the set needs lists on the sidebar down to just a couple that I want to finish up for the sake of my sanity.
Group breaks - Yes, they are going to continue. But I'm going to do them a bit differently. I'm going to move away from the "2 teams for ___ dollars" model I've used for a while. I have grown a bit weary of getting a bunch of cards of a second team I don't really want, and I am sure you have too. This means I'll be running the sign-ups until the break fills, then secure payment from all participants. I am going to try and move away from the late 2000's UD products and get into some different products and/or sports. I want to try an NFL break, as I think I may want to pick up some Texans stuff. I will be aiming to keep the price below $10 per team shipped, with quality taking precedence over quantity of hits.
I originally considered the idea of taking a 2-3 month hiatus, but I just can't see myself being able to stay away.
Stay tuned! Lots of change and fun coming in the next few months...
Jim Crane has further dismantled what was left of the club, put up a wall of advertisements in left field completely blocking the stellar view of downtown and then began discussing removing Tal's Hill, the train in left and the Crawford boxes. The man is out of control. He accepted Selig's blood money and the fans categorically got screwed in the end. And Topps, well Topps has decided that Astros collectors don't even need cards of the scrubs we've got, no matter how promising Jose Altuve, Justin Maxwell, and Jimmy Paredes are (and for those of you scratching your heads, yes all three are current Astros). Finest and Chrome came and went with absolutely no love for the Astros. Heck, even Bowman Platinum had zero Astros in the base set and only 3 Astros in the inserts.
All that to say this... for this any many other reasons, I've been fighting blogger apathy lately. In some ways I feel like I've run out of things to blog about. In some ways, I feel like what I have blogged about is lame on most days. Trades are my highlights, I love showing off the great cards you all send me in trades. I REALLY enjoy the group breaks, although I hate it when guys who've bought in end up with 4-5 cards for their buy-in. I know that's the risk we all take with breaks, but it still kills me when I get ready to package them up...
My collection has gotten out of control over the past year. I've spent ENTIRELY way too much on sets I don't either don't like (2007 Artifacts) or have no means of completing (Museum Collection). I have twice as many 5,000 count boxes as I did when we moved to Mobile a year ago. They aren't all full, but you get my point. It's getting out of control. My computer desk is a mish-mash of half completed trades, cards I haven't put in binders and random cards I have no clue why I have them pulled. It's a disorganized mess. My entire "man cave" has turned into a pit of hopelessness... and I blame the Astros and Bud Selig.
In all seriousness... I've devised a plan... and it will be benefiting all of you, my loyal readers. First of all, I'm going to be getting my 5,000 card boxes cleaned up and cleared out. I will be separating the sets out and creating lots. I will ask nothing more than the following for each lot: shipping plus whatever you think is fair. Once the items have arrived at your location, you will see the postage charge on the package and then you take a look inside at the lot and decide what you think is fair, then paypal me. Sounds pretty easy eh?
I'll be creating the lots mostly by set. Some time in the next week or so...
I will also be working on changing the method of my collecting. The sets coming out lately just aren't doing much for me and I'm going to be changing focus to my big 3 player collections: Bagwell, Biggio and Ryan. There are cards, high end, low end and everything in between that I really do want of these three but I spend more time and money chasing boxes and junk I don't need. I will be reducing the set needs lists on the sidebar down to just a couple that I want to finish up for the sake of my sanity.
Group breaks - Yes, they are going to continue. But I'm going to do them a bit differently. I'm going to move away from the "2 teams for ___ dollars" model I've used for a while. I have grown a bit weary of getting a bunch of cards of a second team I don't really want, and I am sure you have too. This means I'll be running the sign-ups until the break fills, then secure payment from all participants. I am going to try and move away from the late 2000's UD products and get into some different products and/or sports. I want to try an NFL break, as I think I may want to pick up some Texans stuff. I will be aiming to keep the price below $10 per team shipped, with quality taking precedence over quantity of hits.
I originally considered the idea of taking a 2-3 month hiatus, but I just can't see myself being able to stay away.
Stay tuned! Lots of change and fun coming in the next few months...
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
A Mistress Sent Me a Package
It's not what you think... really... it's a trade post... I swear... My Cardboard Mistress and I made a deal a while back and I got my loot!
That's some quality Biggio good-ness in this package! Somehow, in all the boxes and eBay purchases, I had never gotten that Biggio Masterpieces relic! I claimed it from a box he busted and another great trade resulted! Gotta love the J.R. Richard rainbow jersey card as well!
I also got some A&G in the mail from Jack over at All Tribe Baseball as a thank you for sending a pack and outer box from Finest to him from the August group break.
I'm sorry about the lack of posts lately that aren't about a group break. I'm struggling to figure out what kind of content to keep posting lately. Trades have dried up a bit lately and I've got a few on my desk from months/weeks of correspondence but no follow through on either my or the traders part to finish up a deal.
Please, if you have a pending deal with me... shoot me an e-mail and let's get it complete, or let me know you've changed your mind so I can use the card(s) in other trades. Thanks!
I also got some A&G in the mail from Jack over at All Tribe Baseball as a thank you for sending a pack and outer box from Finest to him from the August group break.
I'm sorry about the lack of posts lately that aren't about a group break. I'm struggling to figure out what kind of content to keep posting lately. Trades have dried up a bit lately and I've got a few on my desk from months/weeks of correspondence but no follow through on either my or the traders part to finish up a deal.
Please, if you have a pending deal with me... shoot me an e-mail and let's get it complete, or let me know you've changed your mind so I can use the card(s) in other trades. Thanks!
Monday, September 17, 2012
TeenyMates Contest Winners
The cut off for entries last night passed with a total of 7 entries into the contest! I put the seven names into Random.Org and the top 3 are winners:
Congrats to Spankee, Jeremy and Baseball Dad.
I will be sending in your e-mail addresses to the folks at TeenyMates, so be expecting a contact from McKenna Lovelace regarding your prize.
Thanks for those who joined in the fun!
I will be sending in your e-mail addresses to the folks at TeenyMates, so be expecting a contact from McKenna Lovelace regarding your prize.
Thanks for those who joined in the fun!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
September Group Break Box #3 - 2005 Topps Pristine
The final box of the break is here!
As always, click "read more" to see the pictures!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Blog Product Review - NFL TeenyMates
A big thanks to everyone over at TeenyMates for giving me a shot at reviewing this product!
As I mentioned in the video, TeenyMates are sold 2 per package along with 2 puzzle pieces for $3.99 at Target stores! They are sold in the retail gravity pack-style boxes and should be pretty easy to find!
Here's the complete puzzle in all it's glory front and back!
Pretty cool if you ask me! These little dudes rock and the poster/puzzle/field idea gives you another level of set collection!
The TeenyMates website also has all kinds of downloadable games, coloring books and computer wallpapers.
Future releases of TeenyMates are planned with other sports being included! Can't wait to see what league is next!
There are pros and cons to this product, first the "Pros":
- Highly collectable! Once you start getting a good number of teams, you definitely want to complete the set!
- Chase figures - 3 rare, rarer and rarest figures make the product even more fun to open. I am bound and determined now to get a Houston Oilers figure!
- Licensed product - Of course this product would be next to nothing if it wasn't licensed, but it's great to see the NFL logo on each and be able to have your team figure on your desk or mantle... or prominently displayed elsewhere. As much as a 1" figurine can be displayed, right?
- Great for kids! Not of all ages of course, as there is a choking hazard for the small kiddos, but I'm sure these would appeal to all the kids out there who are NFL fans at a young age.
Cons:
- Price point - some people may balk at the $3.99 per pack but it won't be me.
- Duplicates - Yes, it's a risk we all take with buying any product blindly. However, I would also argue that this also encourages trading... so those of you who end up with this product and have duplicates, let's make a deal!
- All the same pose - It'd be cool to see them in different poses or in different actions as a QB, but not a huge deal. Also, they are all QB's. Why not some RB's or WR's? I don't have a huge problem with it, hopefully other positions will be coming down the line some day! (Unconfirmed and unsubstantiated dream of the blogger... haha!)
Ok, so overall, I think this is a fun, solid and great product for NFL fans, kids and collectors! They are fun and the blind aspect of each pack helps keep it fun. What would be the point of seeing exactly which ones you're going to get, right? I give this product a 4.5 out of 5 stars! I really like it and plan on buying a bunch more!
Ok, so if you watched the video, you know what to do! And if you read this far, that should be a hint to go watch the video to the end! Come on, it's only 6 minutes of your life... Sunday night, 9:30pm is the deadline!
September Group Break - Box #2 - 2007 Artifacts
I, The Dimwit, do solemnly swear to never buy another box of 2007 UD Artifacts. I have subjected both myself and my readers/group break participants to too much pain watching this product spew forth it's crap laden bounty.
With that out of the way, here's the box of 2007 Artifacts... if there is a hell, this box came from it...
Scans of the hits after the page break... not even going to pretend to be excited about this box...
With that out of the way, here's the box of 2007 Artifacts... if there is a hell, this box came from it...
Scans of the hits after the page break... not even going to pretend to be excited about this box...
Thursday, September 13, 2012
My Half of a Box
So, Matt over at DocHoloday.com and I recent split a box of 2012 Topps Chrome... it was a crap-tas-tic box... here's the highlights of my half:
Yea... so it was all crap... got about 5 cards from my want list, the rest was duplicates and junk... both of the above are for trade, the Kemp is 19/100...
Group break box #2 coming in the morning!
Group break box #2 coming in the morning!
The Group Break Begins - September Group Break - Box #1 - 2007 UD Masterpieces
Here we go everyone! Here's the first box: 2007 UD Masterpieces!
Scans of all the hits and parallels after the page break!
Scans of all the hits and parallels after the page break!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
2nd Team Randomization - September Group Break
The boxes were ordered yesterday. They will arrive tomorrow here in Mobile, AL. I'll get the first box up tomorrow night and one more each the next two nights. I have to work Saturday so the "big" box won't go up until after I get off work.
Here is the list of "first teams":
1) Atlanta - Chris Mays
2) Baltimore - Kirk Jacobson
3) Boston - Carlos S.
4) Chicago Cubs - Matt Pederson
5) Cincinnati - Kirk Jacobson
6) Detroit - Arno
7) Houston - The Dimwit
8) Los Angeles Dodgers - Stealing Home
9) Milwaukee - Arno
10) New York Mets - Carlos S.
11) New York Yankees - Derek Hill
12) St. Louis - madding
13) Texas - Andrew
Randomized the left overs 3 times and here's the list:
And so our final groupings are:
1) Atlanta & Cleveland - Chris Mays
2) Baltimore & KC - Kirk Jacobson
3) Boston & Seattle - Carlos S.
4) Chicago Cubs & White Sox - Matt Pederson
5) Cincinnati & Pittsburgh - Kirk Jacobson
6) Detroit & Philadelphia - Arno
7) Houston and San Francisco - The Dimwit
8) L.A. Dodgers & Angels - Stealing Home
9) Milwaukee & Toronto - Arno
10) NY Mets & Minnesota - Carlos S.
11) NY Yankees & Oakland - Derek Hill
12) St. Louis & San Diego - madding
13) Texas & Washington/Montreal - Andrew
There you go. Trading allowed! Just leave confirmation in the comments below.
Here is the list of "first teams":
1) Atlanta - Chris Mays
2) Baltimore - Kirk Jacobson
3) Boston - Carlos S.
4) Chicago Cubs - Matt Pederson
5) Cincinnati - Kirk Jacobson
6) Detroit - Arno
7) Houston - The Dimwit
8) Los Angeles Dodgers - Stealing Home
9) Milwaukee - Arno
10) New York Mets - Carlos S.
11) New York Yankees - Derek Hill
12) St. Louis - madding
13) Texas - Andrew
Randomized the left overs 3 times and here's the list:
1) Atlanta & Cleveland - Chris Mays
2) Baltimore & KC - Kirk Jacobson
3) Boston & Seattle - Carlos S.
4) Chicago Cubs & White Sox - Matt Pederson
5) Cincinnati & Pittsburgh - Kirk Jacobson
6) Detroit & Philadelphia - Arno
7) Houston and San Francisco - The Dimwit
8) L.A. Dodgers & Angels - Stealing Home
9) Milwaukee & Toronto - Arno
10) NY Mets & Minnesota - Carlos S.
11) NY Yankees & Oakland - Derek Hill
12) St. Louis & San Diego - madding
13) Texas & Washington/Montreal - Andrew
There you go. Trading allowed! Just leave confirmation in the comments below.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Group Break Update
Wow, that was fast! All 13 regular slots are full, only waiting for payment from Derek, madding, Stealing Home and Matt Pederson.
This is going to be a great break!
Once I get payment, I'll get the boxes ordered so hopefully we'll be busting boxes by the end of the week!!!!
Monday, September 10, 2012
September Group Break - Sign Ups are FULL!!
So I'm going to dip into a couple of products we've previously busted here at The Daily Dimwit and open up a high dollar box of product that I've never opened before!
Check out this month's selection:
2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces
3 Relics and 1 Auto per box! Plus some great looking base cards! A fan favorite!
2007 Upper Deck Artifacts
How about 3 more relics and one more autograph?!?!?! That's 8 hits and we're not even at the last box. Artifacts is great for "hit" collectors for their teams, lots of variety and a good mix of new and old school players!
Finally, the "big box" of this month's break:
2005 Topps Pristine Legends Edition
Oh YEA!!!! That's one more autograph, five more relics and 5 slabbed uncirculated cards! This is going to be a fantastic break! That's 14 hits total plus the added 5 uncirculated! This is going to be fun. Topps Pristine Legends Edition has an incredible mix of old school players. Please note this is NOT the regular Topps Pristine, but a separate product all together.
Alright, because the "big box" is a legends product, there are going to be 13 slots for this break, with a 14th and 15th slot that will be a discounted slots for Arizona/Colorado & Florida/Tampa since they will have no representation in Pristine Legends.
The 13 slots will be $18 per slot, with each additional slot costing $16. Each slot will get you one team of your choice with a second team randomly assigned once all slots are full. The two discounted slots of Arizona/Colorado and Florida/Miami will be $10 per slot shipped. If you have a slot already and want to pick up one of these discounted slots, it'll be only $8.
Any multiple team cards will be randomized among the teams involved. In Topps Pristine there are cards depicting players in their college uniforms, on the back of the card the player is shown in a team uniform, this team will get that card. Example: Pete Incavilia is shown on the front as an Oklahoma St. Cowboy, on the back is a headshot in a Rangers uniform, thus the card would go to the Rangers. Any disputes will be resolved by an unbiased third party blogger not involved in the break, and/or by random.org where needed to assign the card randomly among those having claims to the card.
Alright, claim your team in the comments below, and ONLY in the comments. Slot will be awarded by time stamp on the comment, any claim via e-mail will be invalid. Once all slots are filled and paid, the randomization for the second team will be completed (except of course for the discounted slots). Payment is to be made via PayPal, at the address samuelpair (at) yahoo.com
Teams:
Atlanta - Chris Mays - PAID
Baltimore - Kirk Jacobson - PAID
Boston - Carlos S. - PAID
Chicago Cubs - Matt Pederson
Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati - Kirk Jacobson - PAID
Cleveland
Detroit - Arno - PAID
Houston - The Dimwit - PAID
Kansas City
Los Angeles Dodgers - Stealing Home
Los Angeles Angels
Milwaukee - Arno - PAID
Minnesota
New York Mets - Carlos S. - PAID
New York Yankees - Derek Hill
Oakland
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Seattle
San Diego
San Francisco
St. Louis - madding
Toronto
Texas - Andrew - PAID
Washington/Montreal
Colorado/Arizona - Discounted Slot - jaybarkerfan
Florida/Tampa - Discounted Slot - jaybarkerfan
The faster this fills, the faster we can get to busting packs of AWESOME CARDS!!!!!
Check out this month's selection:
2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces
2007 Upper Deck Artifacts
Finally, the "big box" of this month's break:
2005 Topps Pristine Legends Edition
Alright, because the "big box" is a legends product, there are going to be 13 slots for this break, with a 14th and 15th slot that will be a discounted slots for Arizona/Colorado & Florida/Tampa since they will have no representation in Pristine Legends.
The 13 slots will be $18 per slot, with each additional slot costing $16. Each slot will get you one team of your choice with a second team randomly assigned once all slots are full. The two discounted slots of Arizona/Colorado and Florida/Miami will be $10 per slot shipped. If you have a slot already and want to pick up one of these discounted slots, it'll be only $8.
Any multiple team cards will be randomized among the teams involved. In Topps Pristine there are cards depicting players in their college uniforms, on the back of the card the player is shown in a team uniform, this team will get that card. Example: Pete Incavilia is shown on the front as an Oklahoma St. Cowboy, on the back is a headshot in a Rangers uniform, thus the card would go to the Rangers. Any disputes will be resolved by an unbiased third party blogger not involved in the break, and/or by random.org where needed to assign the card randomly among those having claims to the card.
Alright, claim your team in the comments below, and ONLY in the comments. Slot will be awarded by time stamp on the comment, any claim via e-mail will be invalid. Once all slots are filled and paid, the randomization for the second team will be completed (except of course for the discounted slots). Payment is to be made via PayPal, at the address samuelpair (at) yahoo.com
Teams:
Atlanta - Chris Mays - PAID
Baltimore - Kirk Jacobson - PAID
Boston - Carlos S. - PAID
Chicago Cubs - Matt Pederson
Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati - Kirk Jacobson - PAID
Cleveland
Detroit - Arno - PAID
Houston - The Dimwit - PAID
Kansas City
Los Angeles Dodgers - Stealing Home
Los Angeles Angels
Milwaukee - Arno - PAID
Minnesota
New York Mets - Carlos S. - PAID
New York Yankees - Derek Hill
Oakland
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Seattle
San Diego
San Francisco
St. Louis - madding
Toronto
Texas - Andrew - PAID
Washington/Montreal
Colorado/Arizona - Discounted Slot - jaybarkerfan
Florida/Tampa - Discounted Slot - jaybarkerfan
The faster this fills, the faster we can get to busting packs of AWESOME CARDS!!!!!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
A Stop by the LCS and a trade!
Since I sold off a bunch of cards over the past couple of weeks, we stopped by the LCS and I cherry picked some cards from their many boxes of hits...
Here's what I was able to pick up!
A SWEEEEEEET autograph that I needed for my Gypsy Queen autograph project! Only about 40 more to go!!! Haha! A couple of Nolan cards, including another jersey card! The Berkman auto is AWESOMe, on the clear acetate stuff that I love!
Next up, I have a trade with my now frequent trade partner Adam over at ARPSmith's Sportscard Obsession. I sent some cards his way, he sent some back my way... and here we are with my loot:
Here's what I was able to pick up!
Next up, I have a trade with my now frequent trade partner Adam over at ARPSmith's Sportscard Obsession. I sent some cards his way, he sent some back my way... and here we are with my loot:
I was REALLY happy to add the Caminiti TTM-style autograph to my collection as obviously there aren't going to be a lot of Caminiti auto's out there. I was a huge fan of the guy, and what a tragic story of fame gone wrong. The Pettitte patch is ridiculous, and I snagged the Santana as he was a guy included in the Hunter Pence trade with the Phillies and had a great year in the minors. I generally stay away from Jordan Schafer, but figured why the heck not...
Thanks Adam!!!!
Question for the September Dimwit Group Break
With some things settling down here at the Dimwit home... I've got a question about what you guys would like to do for the September group break.
I've been itching to do another case break, and I think I've got a good idea on an underrated product. I'd have to sell each team individually, so it may take a little longer to fill...
How about a case break of 2011 Topps Lineage? 10 boxes, 3 hits per box... 30 hits with some great old timers autographs and current players as well.
Cost: this is the best part, only $20 per team. Again, please give me some feedback, let me know if this would interest you or if you'd rather just do another 2-4 box break with 2 teams for $15 or so. Also, I could do a similar case break with 2010 Topps T-206, but the cost may be around $23 per team.
Plenty of options, let me know what you think... PLEASE!!!! I need input!!!!!
Thanks!
I've been itching to do another case break, and I think I've got a good idea on an underrated product. I'd have to sell each team individually, so it may take a little longer to fill...
How about a case break of 2011 Topps Lineage? 10 boxes, 3 hits per box... 30 hits with some great old timers autographs and current players as well.
Cost: this is the best part, only $20 per team. Again, please give me some feedback, let me know if this would interest you or if you'd rather just do another 2-4 box break with 2 teams for $15 or so. Also, I could do a similar case break with 2010 Topps T-206, but the cost may be around $23 per team.
Plenty of options, let me know what you think... PLEASE!!!! I need input!!!!!
Thanks!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
My Feelings on the Lost 2012 season of my beloved Astros...
The other day, I wrote an e-mail to a co-worker. This guy actually writes guest blog posts for the Houston Chronicle, so after reading one of his posts debating whether the Astros have "bottomed out" (I sure as hell hope this season is "bottomed out" status") I shot back a long winded rant/response, summary of my feelings toward this season. I am tired of hearing Red Sox fans whine about this season's "disaster" or the Yankees moan about their collapse... or any other team complaining about how bad things are. The Astros are in serious danger of not even eclipsing 50 wins... 50... 50!!!!! Damn it this is just pissing me off...
Here's the e-mail...
"I’m in the category of fan who believes that as painful as this season has been, it’s a necessary evil. We need to bottom out. I never thought last year was the end. There were too many bloated salaries for veterans who I never really felt earned their pay (Wandy, Lee, Lyon and Myers). There is a reason the last three were available on the free agent market for Houston , and it is remarkable to me that the best deal we got for Wandy (supposedly our ace and best pitcher on the staff) was from the Pirates and not a “premier” team like the Yankees or Angels who arguably could have offered better packages. I’m not amazed by any of the prospects we’ve gotten in return on all these trades, although I am surprised with the Blue Jays deal in total, I just don’t see what the end game was for Toronto . They got older and took on money. Good move by our GM, for sure, especially since we’ve moved Francisco on for a PTBNL. We gave up no prospects or players of real impact on our system and picked up some prospects who might just pan out.
I’ve been encouraged by the early progress of our draft class this year, as well as the development of our minor league program in just the first year under Ludhow. Almost every level is in playoff contention within their respective league. Draft picks have been promoted to the level of being challenged, which I feel Wade was inadequate at doing. He let too many guys stay in the lower levels for too long and I think it stifled their competitive nature. Hopefully some of the last few picks from the Wade regime pan out with Springer, DeShields and some of the pitchers as they’ve shown the ability to succeed thus far.As for Mills, I felt he needed to go last off-season. There was no point in bringing him back for this season knowing he was a lame duck manager on a team that was going to be stripped of pretty much all the veteran talent that was on the club, and that his philosophies did not exactly mesh with the new front office saber-mantra. I think it would have behooved Ludhow to bring in a complete new staff of “his guys” before the season to get the rebuilding kicked off a little more soundly. Keeping Mills around may be one of the few missteps made this year. I’ll be very interested to see who comes in as part of the coaching search.
I think there will be an additional culling of talent from the roster before Spring Training and wouldn’t be surprised to see Bougesevic, Schafer, half the bullpen and other fringe guys put on waivers at the end of the year. The question is whether Crane will be open to chasing free agents. Not counting any arbitration eligible players, they only have $5.5 million committed to contracts for next year, least in the majors. Do they fill in the roster with prospects being promoted and low-cost free agents, or do we make a splash or two in free agency. If I were a betting man, I’d say the former rather than the latter. I think Crane is working to reduce the payroll in an attempt to make up some of the debt he incurred in buying the team. We’ll get the revenue sharing money and however much is required to be spent will, but I think we’re in a 5 year re-build that will be based on shrewd drafts and timely trades for prospects at the peak value for current players. With Paredes looking to be a solid 2B option, I think it gives us the ability to trade Altuve this off-season if the right package of prospects is put together. I’d hate to see him go, but if you’re going to sell high on Altuve then now would be the time to do it.
Well, that turned out to be a lot more in depth than I thought it would be. Haha, I should copy and paste this into my blog! I had a bet at the beginning of the season with two buyers over on the 10th floor there in the tower. They both felt the Astros would win 60+ games, I took the under and predicted 54 wins. Looks like I’m going to win that bet!"
Yes, readers I bet against my team. I looked at the roster and minors and just knew that this was going to be a train wreck of a season. It can only get better, right? Right? I sure as heck hope we aren't stuck in a Pittsburgh scenario where it's another 10 years of this...
Here's the e-mail...
"I’m in the category of fan who believes that as painful as this season has been, it’s a necessary evil. We need to bottom out. I never thought last year was the end. There were too many bloated salaries for veterans who I never really felt earned their pay (Wandy, Lee, Lyon and Myers). There is a reason the last three were available on the free agent market for Houston , and it is remarkable to me that the best deal we got for Wandy (supposedly our ace and best pitcher on the staff) was from the Pirates and not a “premier” team like the Yankees or Angels who arguably could have offered better packages. I’m not amazed by any of the prospects we’ve gotten in return on all these trades, although I am surprised with the Blue Jays deal in total, I just don’t see what the end game was for Toronto . They got older and took on money. Good move by our GM, for sure, especially since we’ve moved Francisco on for a PTBNL. We gave up no prospects or players of real impact on our system and picked up some prospects who might just pan out.
I’ve been encouraged by the early progress of our draft class this year, as well as the development of our minor league program in just the first year under Ludhow. Almost every level is in playoff contention within their respective league. Draft picks have been promoted to the level of being challenged, which I feel Wade was inadequate at doing. He let too many guys stay in the lower levels for too long and I think it stifled their competitive nature. Hopefully some of the last few picks from the Wade regime pan out with Springer, DeShields and some of the pitchers as they’ve shown the ability to succeed thus far.As for Mills, I felt he needed to go last off-season. There was no point in bringing him back for this season knowing he was a lame duck manager on a team that was going to be stripped of pretty much all the veteran talent that was on the club, and that his philosophies did not exactly mesh with the new front office saber-mantra. I think it would have behooved Ludhow to bring in a complete new staff of “his guys” before the season to get the rebuilding kicked off a little more soundly. Keeping Mills around may be one of the few missteps made this year. I’ll be very interested to see who comes in as part of the coaching search.
I think there will be an additional culling of talent from the roster before Spring Training and wouldn’t be surprised to see Bougesevic, Schafer, half the bullpen and other fringe guys put on waivers at the end of the year. The question is whether Crane will be open to chasing free agents. Not counting any arbitration eligible players, they only have $5.5 million committed to contracts for next year, least in the majors. Do they fill in the roster with prospects being promoted and low-cost free agents, or do we make a splash or two in free agency. If I were a betting man, I’d say the former rather than the latter. I think Crane is working to reduce the payroll in an attempt to make up some of the debt he incurred in buying the team. We’ll get the revenue sharing money and however much is required to be spent will, but I think we’re in a 5 year re-build that will be based on shrewd drafts and timely trades for prospects at the peak value for current players. With Paredes looking to be a solid 2B option, I think it gives us the ability to trade Altuve this off-season if the right package of prospects is put together. I’d hate to see him go, but if you’re going to sell high on Altuve then now would be the time to do it.
Well, that turned out to be a lot more in depth than I thought it would be. Haha, I should copy and paste this into my blog! I had a bet at the beginning of the season with two buyers over on the 10th floor there in the tower. They both felt the Astros would win 60+ games, I took the under and predicted 54 wins. Looks like I’m going to win that bet!"
Yes, readers I bet against my team. I looked at the roster and minors and just knew that this was going to be a train wreck of a season. It can only get better, right? Right? I sure as heck hope we aren't stuck in a Pittsburgh scenario where it's another 10 years of this...
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
A Couple of Packages!
I had a couple of packages in the mail today... first up we have a purchase I made from Kirk over at Eutaw Street Cardboard, he put up a relic from Allen and Ginter that I had my eye on for a while and was just waiting for a fellow blogger to post!
Needless to say, I'm pretty excited about the 3 cards I got. I was able to trade for the Nolan Ryan by packaging a Frank Robinson and a Carlos Gonzalez together, luckily someone swung the deal. The Rivera and Felix were actual cards I unlocked! The cards are thick too! The front and back seem to be glued to what would be a "blocker" style card in most hobby packs these days. Being a die cut, I was expecting a card the thickness of Chrome, with the same curvature. But these are thick, heavy die cuts that look AWESOME in person.
The Felix and Mariano are up for trade. For those who care, I did already take the protective film off in order to get a good scan, so if that bothers you, sorry...
How did Topps end up with the balloon? Who knows, but this is an awesome piece of Americana! I love it, and it's the kind of unique relic that I'm glad Topps throws in. Now if there were just more like this and less 3rd tier baseball players in the wrong team's uniform (Zambrano and several other Cubs). No offense to Cubs fans, more pointing out that Topps did a disservice to you fans by putting in players and relics from players a year or two removed from actually playing on the team! Onward....
Ok, so I also go a package from Topps! I made the realization that I wasn't going to be buying any more 2012 Topps and decided to cash in on the cards that I had won through the "gold" "giveaway" promotion.... since these cards are not gold, and definitely not free (had to pay like $6 in shipping, BOO!)
The Felix and Mariano are up for trade. For those who care, I did already take the protective film off in order to get a good scan, so if that bothers you, sorry...
Monday, September 3, 2012
A Call Out To Football Collectors
I need to make a trade for high quality hits for University of Alabama alumni football cards.
Here's the deal, at our LCS trade night there was a big baseball-related prize (I'll tell you about it if I'm able to secure it)... and I didn't win. But a good friend of mine did, and he doesn't collect baseball stuff AT ALL, only football. So I have nothing to trade him for it... but he's a HUGE Alabama fan, so I was hoping maybe one of you fellow bloggers/readers may have something ridiculously awesome that you could trade me that is 'bama related. I will send baseball stuff your way of course. Let me know, again any football hits, autos, relics or unique 'Bama stuff would work great...
By the way, an update on things here at the Dimwit abode... my work changed course, well actually the client my company works for changed course, and for us salaried workers they are going to pay us 40 hours for last week!!!!! WOO HOOO!!!! I still am trying to sell off some items on eBay but the need isn't quite as great as it was 4 days ago when I was told we were up %$#$ creek without a paddle. Anyways, for all those who participated in the Dimwit Fire Sale, I really do hope you enjoy the cards and I'm thankful that you helped us out in our time of need. I'll definitely keep those who helped in mind and hopefully will be able to return the favor some day. The good karma you sent out will certainly come back to you some day!
But for now, a tease... the item in question is a piece of memorabilia with 3 HOF signatures... 2 of which would be new additions to my collection... so send me trade offers if you have anything football related from the U of Alabama!!!!!
Here's the deal, at our LCS trade night there was a big baseball-related prize (I'll tell you about it if I'm able to secure it)... and I didn't win. But a good friend of mine did, and he doesn't collect baseball stuff AT ALL, only football. So I have nothing to trade him for it... but he's a HUGE Alabama fan, so I was hoping maybe one of you fellow bloggers/readers may have something ridiculously awesome that you could trade me that is 'bama related. I will send baseball stuff your way of course. Let me know, again any football hits, autos, relics or unique 'Bama stuff would work great...
By the way, an update on things here at the Dimwit abode... my work changed course, well actually the client my company works for changed course, and for us salaried workers they are going to pay us 40 hours for last week!!!!! WOO HOOO!!!! I still am trying to sell off some items on eBay but the need isn't quite as great as it was 4 days ago when I was told we were up %$#$ creek without a paddle. Anyways, for all those who participated in the Dimwit Fire Sale, I really do hope you enjoy the cards and I'm thankful that you helped us out in our time of need. I'll definitely keep those who helped in mind and hopefully will be able to return the favor some day. The good karma you sent out will certainly come back to you some day!
But for now, a tease... the item in question is a piece of memorabilia with 3 HOF signatures... 2 of which would be new additions to my collection... so send me trade offers if you have anything football related from the U of Alabama!!!!!
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