Who Knew Robin Yount Had Another Brother?

Most people, by virtue of the cartoon trivia question on the back of Robin Yount's rookie card, know that he had a brother Larry who played in the majors. But look at the message that got caught in my Spam folder.

Rashaun must have been one of those closed domestic adoptions the Yount family was so fond of. That Rashaun Yount, HE CRAZY! And oh, boy, did I look so stupid there!

Don't Bring Me Down (Bruce?)

Okay, so apparently that's a misheard lyric, but it doesn't change what happened recently. I've just come off a tear where I keep hitting the same player when opening packs of cards. The culprit: Jay Bruce.
First, I ended up with his Marquee patch card from the February break.

After that, I opened for myself a cheap jumbo box of 2005 Topps Updates & Highlights. My main goal here, along with building the whole set, was to get two Ryan Braun Draft Pick cards. This ended up happening, and I happily placed the extra one into my Braun binder. There are a lot of great early cards of stars in this set, including Matt Kemp and Felix Hernandez. One of the second-tier rookies that you can find is Jay Bruce. In this box, I happened to find doubles of his base card, as well as one of his gold parallels.

2009 UD O-Pee-Chee is a set that has recently caught my fancy, so I picked up a box of that, too. Halfway through the box, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a black border mini parallel of Jay Bruce. These come one-per-hobby box. In a 600-card set, pulling any specific player is fairly difficult. I've paired him up with one of my other doubles, Trevor Hoffman, for size evidence.

Here's to hoping a similar phenomenon happens to you someday soon, but with a player with better ties to your collecting tastes.

Guys I Wish Would Have Made It #1

Poring over a stack of 2005 Topps Updates & Highlights cards, I came across a young buck who never made it past double-A.
2005 Topps Updates & Highlights #UH308 Jayce Tingler*

You gotta love a guy who reminds you of something you might buy form a gas station men's room for seventy-five cents. And with a name like that, the adult entertainment industry seemed a more natural fit. Alas, Tingler ended up managing the 2010 AZL Rookie League Rangers. He was replaced for the 2011 season by 17-year minor league veteran Henry Ortiz. No word on Tingler's whereabouts since 2010.

*(Not to be confused with the 1959 film The Tingler, which was accompanied in some theatres by Percepto, an electrical buzzer system attached to the underside of seats.)

PODCAST: Card Wars Episode 1

At last, I found the time to take the raw footage from last night and expose the world to it. For the inaugural Card Wars podcast, I solicited the help of dayf from Cardboard Junkie and Matt from 26 Cent Summer. Honestly, the best part about doing this was being able to take a couple hours out of the day and sit around talking cards. If I receive as much of an education during the forthcoming podcasts as I did from this one, it's going to be some time well spent.

So here are the links to the podcasts. Due to one slight technical difficulty, the episode is divided into two separate podcasts. I haven't tried to listen to them yet through my blog, but it looks like you can stay on this page and listen, or, if you prefer, download it and then listen to it later on your favorite digital device. Personally, I've found myself listening to a couple of different podcasts during long car trips.

PART 1

PART 2


Below are the images each contestant sent me, in case you'd like to have a visual aid as you listen. After you're done, I'd appreciate any feedback you have. And no, I'm not going to tell you who wins... you'll have to listen to find out for yourself.

1st Inning: 1981 Topps
Matt

dayf


2nd Inning: Shiny
Matt

dayf


3rd Inning: A Kansas City Royal
Matt

dayf


4th Inning: 1988-1991 Score
Matt

dayf



5th Inning: Team Card
Matt

dayf

6th Inning: Cal Ripken, Jr.
Matt

dayf


7th Inning: Any 1960s Topps Card
Matt

dayf


8th Inning: Non-Sport Card
Matt

dayf


9th Inning: Mustache!
Matt

dayf



This must be noted: When finding myself thinking about recording this podcast the following day, a realization hit me regarding Hal McRae's mustache. His face could double as one of those wooden labyrinth games. Just grab hold of the knobs (an ear and the chin) and try to roll that little metal ball into the gaping maw. Challenging, yes, but rewarding to the patient and steady.

"Card Wars" Podcast #1 Is in the Can

A big thanks goes out to dayf and Matt who just finished recording the premiere episode of the "Card Wars" podcast tonight. I'm aiming for having it up for mass consumption later this week. For a first go-round, I thought it went remarkably well. Just a fun night talking cards with two cool guys.

February Group Break: 2011 Topps Marquee

And here's the second box for this month's break. Sorry for hogging 75% of the hits.

The photography in this set is outstanding. The Johnny Bench might be a better photo, but this Chipper Jones is cool, too.

THE HITS
Hunter Pence Titanic Threads
I misspoke in the video. This one is going to jaybarkerfan.

Jay Bruce Patch

Pablo Sandoval/Brandon Belt Dual AUTO

Brandon Belt AUTO Dual Jersey

The Bruce and Belts are available for trade, if you've got some pretty outstanding Brewers stuff in return.

February Group Break: 2005 Flair

Both boxes arrived last night, and I started with the little one.

THE HITS
Jake Peavy AUTO (045/200)
As I stated in the video, I really like his signature. There's a certain thoughtfulness to it, like he's an artist or something.

Hideki Matsui Jersey (co-starring Gary Sheffield)
That's just chintzy, to have two players on one card, but a jersey from only one of them.

Kerry Wood Jersey (co-starring Mark Prior)
This one's die-cut and numbered to 75.
News Flash: It didn't happen.

This box was kind of a dog, but at least the wealth was shared.

February Group Break Randomization

I decided to pick up the A's, Rangers, Reds, Dodgers, and Giants in order to fill the group break. There's a NASTY Rickey Henderson card in the Marquee product, so maybe we'll see some Athletics love in this box.
Here's the randomization.

And here's the resulting list.
1. Angels - BS
2. Athletics - Thorzul
3. Rangers - Thorzul
4. Mariners - Chris Mays
5. White Sox - Tim
6. Indians - IkesCards
7. Royals - Tim
8. Twins - Thorzul
9. Tigers - Thorzul
10. Red Sox - jaybarkerfan
11. Yankees - BS
12. Blue Jays - D a V e
13. Orioles - BS
14. Rays - BS
15. Cubs - Tim
16. Cardinals - IkesCards
17. Brewers - Thorzul
18. Pirates - Thorzul
19. Astros - jaybarkerfan
20. Reds - Thorzul
21. Padres - D a V e
22. Diamondbacks - Thorzul
23. Dodgers - Thorzul
24. Giants - Thorzul
25. Rockies - BS
26. Braves - Chris Mays
27. Nationals/Expos - Thorzul
28. Mets - Tim
29. Phillies - BS
30. Marlins - Thorzul

Feel free to propose trades in the comments. Good luck!

Group Break Last Chance

I ordered the boxes last night. This is your last chance to get in. Check out the remaining teams. If no one claims them by noon, I'll pick up the last five slots.

Seriously, I Need Someone to Be on My Podcast!!!

Last week I put out a call for a participant on my inaugural podcast, "Card Wars." Maybe the timing was wrong, and someone reading posts early in the morning would be more likely to want to do this. Don't be scared off by Skype, it takes like a minute to download and maybe two minutes to set up. If you're a hideously deformed monster, fret not, since this will be an audio-only presentation. If you want in, read the original post and get in touch with me.

Time to Pay Up, Folks!

The February group break will go forward... once all of the claimed slots have been paid for. Peer pressure works well, in case you're interested in harassing someone.

CC: Venticinque

I teased it last week, and now here it is.
2008 Upper Deck Timeline #242 Platinum Parallel (22/25)

This is actually the last one of my Most Wanted I thought I'd be able to track down. It's hard to know what to label this card exactly, as Upper Deck itself has its colors mixed up. On their official online checklist, they have the parallels numbered to 25 being called "gold," and the ones numbered to 100 called "silver." The #/100 I have is clearly gold, not silver, and this new one is closer to a platinum, refractory finish, certainly not gold. The base cards have silver foil, naturally. In any case, this closes the book on the Sabathia Timeline cards.

Now, if I could just get my hands on the other three...

How About Joining a Group Break?

The February group break is open, and there are plenty of good teams left. I'm on the fence as to whether I'm going to have to refund everyone's money so far. Getting a few more participants would prevent this from happening, so please sign up today. And if you've already picked up a slot, maybe you'd consider snagging another? Only $19.00 per two-team slot.

February Group Break Is Open!

The monthly group breaks, I realize, have been a little pricey as of late, and perhaps that's scared a few of the semi-regular participants away. Well, this month I had a goal of coming in at under $20 for a two-team slot, and I think it should be pretty nice. I rarely include a product less than a year old, so this month is a little unusual. Here's what we're looking at.

One box of 2011 Topps Marquee. Four hits per box. The videos I watched on YouTube seem to average an AUTO, a patch, and a humongous jersey card per box.
One box of 2005 Fleer Flair. This is a one-pack-per-box dealie where you get two memorabilia cards and one AUTO.

A two-team slot (one of your choice, one randomly assigned later) will run you $19.00 this time. Immediate payment can be sent to: bill13boehm@yahoo.com
Please include your screen name, team(s) of choice, and mailing address as a note with payment. Remember to claim your team first with a comment.

TEAMS
1. Angels -
2. Athletics - Thorzul
3. Rangers - Thorzul
4. Mariners -
5. White Sox - Tim (paid)
6. Indians -
7. Royals -
8. Twins -
9. Tigers -
10. Red Sox - jaybarkerfan (paid)
11. Yankees - BS (paid)
12. Blue Jays - D a V e (paid)
13. Orioles - BS (paid)
14. Rays -
15. Cubs - Tim (paid)
16. Cardinals - IkesCards (paid)
17. Brewers - Thorzul
18. Pirates -
19. Astros -
20. Reds - Thorzul
21. Padres -
22. Diamondbacks -
23. Dodgers - Thorzul
24. Giants - Thorzul
25. Rockies -
26. Braves - Chris Mays (paid)
27. Nationals/Expos -
28. Mets -
29. Phillies - BS (paid)
30. Marlins -