Thorzul Will Rule

Get on the Bus

2012-01-28T11:17:00.000-08:00

Back in May, I wrote about my completed quest to finish off all of the insert sets within the 1994 Fleer Football set. At least, I thought I had completed it.

Fast forward to this past October, when I get an email from a reader who is trying to complete the same set with her young son. She stumbled across the blog looking for some of the cards they were still missing, and informed me that it looked like my Jerome Bettis Rookie of the Year set was a few cards short of completion. I never responded, but I did get an "Awwww, crap" feeling. I thought I was done. It was like that one time when I was a week or two from graduating from college and I got a letter that I had been taking the wrong coursework for my academic minor. That fiasco took a sweetly worded letter to the dean to avoid being a sixth-year senior. This time, I just shelved the idea of chasing the Jerome Bettis cards #13 through 15. They would have been easy enough to find, yet having already declared victory over this set, it just wouldn't have felt the same.

Fast forward a few more months. I'm cleaning up a few card-related items scattered across the house, and I find a couple of loose Ultra Pro sheets with cards in them. At the top of one of them, I see the motherlode. Jerome Bettis inserts #13, 14, and 15.

Hells to the yizzy, I had the complete set all along! I was wondering what was up, since I could have sworn there were only 12 cards in the set. Resourcefully, I went to the checklist, the 480th and final base card in the set. As you can see plainly in black and green: 12 CARD JEROME BETTIS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR" SERIES

Okay, my mind wasn't playing tricks on me after all. I'm accessing the farthest reaches of the memory banks here, but I have an inkling that the final three cards were available as a wrapper redemption. A story like this checks out, as my mom was one of those people who was forever getting free shit in the mail with proofs of purchase and cash register receipts and shit like that. I was the kind of kid who owned an M&M's painter's cap, some Kool-Aid suspenders, and a dinosaur game made out flimsy cardboard delivered to my house by the good people at Chef Boyardee. So it made sense that the 15-year-old me would have sent in an envelope full of wrappers to acquire the final three cards in the Bettis insert set. If anyone can direct me to some concrete proof that this was the way to get them, I'd appreciate it.

(Oh, and sorry if you this post's title made you think that you were going to get a few pictures of Charles S. Dutton.)

Found One!

2012-01-26T17:08:00.001-08:00

I've located one of the cards from this wanted poster.

A post will follow once it's in hand.

Why Didn't You Think of That???

2012-01-24T17:40:00.000-08:00

Just fiddling around this evening, and came up with this.

T-shirts will be available for purchase soon. (Minus the watermark, of course.)

No, really, they will be. I'll try to get to it this weekend. Until the dream becomes reality, let me know if you've already pondered buying one, and what you consider a reasonable price to be. I'd like these to be high quality garments, not a plain Hanes base crew-neck shirt.

Vintage Lot Reminder

2012-01-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

Just letting you know there's only a couple hours left until the end of my vintage zoolBay lot. Don Mossi still needs a good home.

zoolBay #10: Vintage Lot

2012-01-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

Get your hands on this lot of vintage cards, including that rascal, Don Mossi.

Here's the contents of the lot:
1959 #154 168 254 302 375 (includes the Zeke Bella with the effed up corners)
1963 #122
1978 #287
1979 #653 (Sourpuss Warren Brusstar)
1980 #29 29 64 228 336 337 454

Bidding shall begin at $6.00 including shipping. To bid name your price in the comments. Bidding shall increase in 25-cent increments. Bidding will end at noon central time this Saturday. Happy bidding!

The Pissant

2012-01-17T10:54:00.000-08:00

The Time: July 16, 1990
The Place: Anaheim Stadium
The Event: The Birth of "The Pissant"

I distinctly remember listening to the radio broadcast of the Brewers/Angels game that night. It was a 3-1 victory, but all I remember is the performance of a kid who came out of nowhere to go 3-for-4 in his major league debut. That kid's name: Lee Stevens.
1992 Topps Stadium Club #281 Lee Stevens

I guess I just have something against precociousness. Wanna trigger my gag reflex? Tell me a story about a kid who graduates from college at 13. Show me an 8-year-old who can blurt out "Millard Fillmore" when you try to stump him on his memorization of the presidents with "13th."
And then there's rookies who bat .750 with their first taste of The Show.
Maybe there's something to be said about paying your dues. Maybe there are more deserving players, harder workers, guys who fortune decided not to smile upon. Lee Stevens isn't the go-to example for the pissant, but he's the first I can remember noticing. The next night he did not let up, going 2-for-4 with an RBI in a 8-1 ass whipping. Sure, his average dipped to .214 at season's end, but for a few fleeting nights against Milwaukee, he was a baseball god.

Fast forward 21 years. Thorzul buys his annual box of Topps Update Series. He lucks out... his one promised autograph or jersey card is an AUTO. A sinking feeling starts to overcome him when he sees who it is. He is the owner of an autographed card of a Modern Pissant... Colby Rasmus.
2011 Topps 60 Autograph #T60A-CR Colby Rasmus

Great, I get an autographed card and it's of this a-hole, this guy who stuck in my craw for the past couple of seasons until he was finally traded across the border? I don't know exactly why, but this guy was on my shortlist of my least favorite players, at least until he was sent to the Blue Jays. A true Modern Pissant.

I've used that word several times, but haven't had the chance to explain it. It's hard to define, much like Justice Potter Stewart's stance on what determines pornography: "I know it when I see it." I'll try to put together a few non-binding criteria to help you identify your pissants.
THE PISSANT
*Not a major star.
(This is important. Albert Pujols, while he decimated my Brewers in the playoffs, cannot be a pissant by any stretch of the imagination. He's too damn good.)
*Always seems to do unusually well against your team.
(How can a guy mash three home runs in a series against your team when he's batting .232? 'Cause he's a pissant!)
*Generally annoying.
(This is hard to quantify, but is has a lot to do with respect. St. Louis Cardinal Jon Jay may have played the Brewers tougher than most other teams, but he's a good player worthy of respect, so he's not a pissant.)
*Skinny white guy.
(Rasmus was a big dude, so that doesn't apply here. And being a person of color and a pissant are not mutually exclusive, but there is a trend.)
*Stupid name.
(Pissants often, though not always, have a stupid-sounding first name. Colby is just a moronic, trendy, three-second-glance-at-a-baby-name-book kind of name, as are all of its similar variations. Cody. Coby. For that matter, Mason. Names like that cause me to picture non-working mothers with tightly stretched face skin and sunglasses atop dyed black hair not watching their suburban children well enough at a public place. A little specific, but I hope it paints a picture for you.)

Now that the parameters are out if the way, let me share with you a couple more current pissants.

2009 Topps Unique #68 Ryan Ludwick Red Parallel (0585/1199)

Ludwick is the Jason Voorhies of pissants. I hated him during his early years in St Louis, thought I was rid of him. Then he shows up on division opponent Pittsburgh. Then, holy shit, just yesterday he gets signed by the Reds. Could you leave the fucking division already???
I hate his last name, too. Ludwick is a little too close to Lampwick, the naughty boy from Pinocchio who got turned into a jackass. I know nothing about the guy, but he's a pissant.

2011 Topps #347 Darwin Barney

This guy hasn't achieved full-fledged pissant status yet, but he's on his way. Small in stature, division rival, extremely stupid first and last name, he might be the burr under my saddle for years to come. Teammate Koyie Hill is also close, but mostly for his fucked-up name (see "Colby," variations, above). Catchers don't make good pissants, and neither do pitchers.

Pissants aren't exclusively residents of Major League Baseball. College basketball is full of them, and that's fueled by a lot of factors. Taunting student sections, proximity to the court, and all of that blasted "get big" defensive floor slapping makes college b-ball an ideal breeding ground for the specimen. I remember a guard from Iowa quite a few years ago who fit the bill. Ugly read hair, a stupid yellow mouthguard, and the propensity to hit big buckets against the Badgers were enough for club membership. And let's not forget Bobby Hurley, probably nature's most perfect pissant of all-time.

Now's your time to shine. Based on the established criteria, who are your pissants? And don't even think about naming someone I have in mind: Having anything against him just makes you a racist.

Best Hockey Logo of All-Time?

2012-01-16T08:36:00.000-08:00

This morning I was reading dayf's post about an outing to a hockey game, wanted to learn more, and soon stumbled across this.

That's the logo of the Quebec Rafales, an IHL team that played for two seasons in the late 1990s after moving from Atlanta. I don't know what else to say about it except that it's a yeti wearing a scarf riding a hockey stick like it was a snowboard. In a perfect world, my house would have a basement rec room with the walls adorned with 10"x10" professionally drawn framed pictures of insane minor league sports logos.

Three Down, Three to Go

2012-01-15T10:15:00.000-08:00

Completion of the 2001-02 Topps Basketball set is so close, yet so far away. In the past couple of weeks I've been able to track down three of the six remaining draft pick cards I need to finish the set.

#241 Joseph Forte (21st Pick)

#237 Michael Bradley (17th Pick)

#253 Ousmane Cisse (47th Pick)

Ousmane is nice, what with the picture being taken in a high school gym and all, but my favorite Cisse of all-time is Djibril Cisse, a French footballer who played for Liverpool, among others, and who always took the pitch with an interesting hairdo and facial hair.

If you can find the location of any of the three remaining cards I need for this set, please let me know. There will be a reward at stake if you can supply information that leads to any one of the following cards getting into my possession.
235 (Steven Hunter)
242 (Jeryl Sasser)
248 (Trenton Hassell)

January Group Break: Hockey and Baseball Card Randomizations

2012-01-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

So, IkesCards gets the five-piece hockey ensemble, and I'll be keeping the Whelan/McDowell dual auto. Cool, an autograph of THE SECOND SPITTER!

Trade Me Anything V: #18

2012-01-14T08:24:00.000-08:00

Is this going to be the last one? I mean, I started this in November, folks. This one's from Mad Guru.

Giving:
2011 Topps Cognac #455 Logan Mossiron

Getting:
A Sack With Two Balls In It

A Ryan Braun 2008 Upper Deck X Die-Cut Parallel and a Basketball Bookmark
I'm proud to say I could identify all of the players on the bookmark without looking up any information. From the top we have Shaq, John Stockton, Hakeem Olajuwon, Grant Hill, Juwan Howard, and Danny Manning. Despite the mold growing near the start of the word CHALLENGE, I'll use this on one of the books I'm reading now, because hey, who could pass up an opportunity to use a Danny Manning bookmark.

A Bunch of Panini Americana Cards
I already have all of these, but the Romero would make a great bookmark as well.

A Trio of 1993 Topps Expos For My Set
This was probably my favorite part of the trade package. With a close play at the plate, the Gary Carter card got me curious to see if I could identify when this play took place. The only situation that fits all of the criteria (Fred McGriff PatP, Carter in the game, Expos at Padres) was in a July 3, 1992 game. In the bottom of the eighth inning of a 6-4 Padres win, McGriff led off with a single and was moved to second by a Darrin Jackson single. The next two batters struck out, but Jack Clark hit a short line drive to left, scoring McGriff. Taking my first look at the card, I had originally interpreted Carter's move to be an "I got 'im" gesture, but McGriff apparently beat the throw and crossed home in a cloud of dust.

Thanks, Mad Guru!

January Group Break: 2010 Famous Fabrics

2012-01-13T12:15:00.000-08:00

And finally, the Famous Fabrics box.

I'm not afraid to say I'm a little disappointed here, but with a multi-sport product, those are the risks you take. Here's a nice look at the front and back of the card so you know who and what this came from.

Now the question is: Who gets it?
Not being a hockey fan, I had to look a lot of this up. Here's a list of who has the rights to each player and team.
Crosby - Penguins - Thorzul
Ovechkin - Capitals - Chris Mays
Stamkos - Lightning - IkesCards
Tavares - Islanders - Thorzul
Kane - Blackhawks - Chris Mays

The one thing that makes it easy is that each of these guys has played for only one NHL team for his entire career up until this point. The back of the card only mentions the Capitals by name, there's a London Knights guy, a Sarnia Sting guy, and Kane's and Crosby's teams are not mentioned at all. The blue pants swatch is doubly confusing, as this is a color that, to my limited knowledge, does not appear on a Pittsburgh jersey.

So here's what I'm proposing. Each of the five group break names is entered into a randomizer. I think this is the fairest thing to do, despite the odd team connections present on this card. If you have a huge problem with this, leave a comment. Conversely, if you agree with me, feel free to say so as well.

If no better solution is proposed, I'll be doing a Random.org video for this card and the Whelan/McDowell card some time this weekend, probably tomorrow.

January Group Break: 2005 Topps Rookie Cup

2012-01-13T06:04:00.000-08:00

THE VIDEO

THE HITS
Kevin Whelan/Roger McDowell Dual AUTO
This will be randomed off on video later between sewingmachineguy and me.

Mark Kotsay AUTO

Reggie Sanders 1993 Rookie Cup Chrome Reprint (13/25)
Chrome on 1993 Topps??? That just looks weird.

The Famous Fabrics box is coming up next.

January Group Break: 2008 Topps Stadium Club

2012-01-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

The boxes have been busted, and I'd say that we started off with a winner.

THE HITS
Babe Ruth Ceremonial Cuts Photographer's Proof (Authentic Bunting) (01/99)
I guess this makes me the Tim Tebow of group breaks. All Tebow does is win. All Thorzul does is pull Babe Ruth cards (for other people).

Ty Cobb Ceremonial Cuts (Authentic Bunting)
This was a nice bonus after only expecting one of these per box.

Beam Team AUTOS
Nate Robertson

Edwar Ramirez

Josh Hamilton

Jason Bartlett

Matt Tolbert

Rookie AUTOS
Danny Herrera

Travis Denker

Brent Lillibridge

Gregor Blanco

Burke Badenhop Gold Proof (38/50)

Blake DeWitt Blue Proof (76/99)

And, what might be the sleeper card of the break...
Evan Longoria Gold Proof (45/50)

I tried to redeem the Cuteo redemption card, but no dice. Expiration dates are the worst thing in this hobby.

Trade Me Anything V: #17

2012-01-11T05:28:00.000-08:00

This year's Trade Me Anything is a beast that refuses to die. It's already been through the Swamps of Sadness, survived The Nothing, fought Gozer, successfully played the bones, had its heart ripped out by Mola Ram, and the trades still keep coming. No lie, I actually got two of them in the mail in the last two days. I'll share the first with you, from jaybarkerfan.

Giving: 2011 Topps Update Gold Parallel #US4 Brian McCann (0627/2011), Cognac Parallels #US134 Michael Bourn, #505 Tommy Hanson, and #245 Neil Walker

Getting: 2011 Topps Update Prince Fielder Home run Derby Cognac Parallel, 2002 Pacific David Martin Jersey Card

A Bunch of 2011 Topps Inserts From My Want List and a Bowman Card of a Packer Who Is No Longer On the Team

That is one serious side part Cy Young is sporting right there. A follicular continental divide, if you will.

Thanks, jaybarkerfan, great stuff all around!

Top Five Pulls of 2011: #1

2012-01-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

For the second consecutive year, my top pull was an entire box of cards. And again, it was a box of 2003 Topps Gallery Hall of Fame. Just an outstanding, outstanding product. It's hard to say which was better, this year's or last year's. It might come down to personal preference, but I think the 2011 edition will pull ahead slightly. Let's take a look at the hits.

#AR-JT Joe Tinker ARTifact (Game-Used Bat)
It's hard to believe, sometimes, that this type of stuff is even around at all. The piece of bat in the card must me close to 100 years old, if not more. If I was going for a set of cards that included a relic from each Hall-of-Famer, this would be a nice addition.

#12 Roberto Clemente Artist's Proof (Yellow Jersey Variant)
With Artist's Proof and the variant cards coming at one-per-pack, the combination of the two only appear once in each box. I can't think of a better subject to get. While most of the variations to the painting are subtle, Celemente's picture offers a stark contrast to his more common white uniform.

Currency Connection #CC-LG Lou Gehrig (w/1938 Buffalo Nickel)
Easily, one of the best you could get for your one-per-box coin card. Now I'd still like a Ruth or a Mays.

And here it is, the monster of the box, the General Sherman that didn't get away this time.
#ARA-OC Orlando Cepeda ARTifact (AUTO Game-Used Bat)
The autographs in this product are hard to come by, definitely not guaranteed in a box. Cepeda the person is a great guy, a humanitarian, and I'm proud to own a card with his signature on it.

So, whaddya say... should I buy another box in 2012?

January Group Break Randomization

2012-01-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

With seven empty slots, I claimed the Twins, Orioles, Cubs, Reds, Dodgers, Giants, and Mets. Here's how the MLB randomization went...

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

These are now assigned as slots 1-30. Now we have to randomize the NBA, NHL, and NFL teams. Here they are.

Plugging each of those teams into its appropriate spot gives us the final randomization.

1. Angels - Thorzul (Timberwolves, Blues, Bears)
2. Athletics - BS (Jazz, Thrashers/Jets, Texans)
3. Rangers - Thorzul (Lakers, Sabres, Dolphins)
4. Mariners - sewingmachineguy (Hornets, Avalanche, Panthers)
5. White Sox - Thorzul (Heat, Coyotes, Ravens)
6. Indians - Thorzul (Kings, Panthers, Falcons)
7. Royals - Thorzul (Warriors, Penguins, 49ers)
8. Twins - Thorzul (Bulls, Blue Jackets, Patriots)
9. Tigers - sewingmachineguy (Spurs, Canucks, Buccaneers)
10. Red Sox - shoeboxlegends (Raptors, Stars, Eagles)
11. Yankees - BS ( Thunder, Ducks, Lions)
12. Blue Jays - D a V e (76ers, Maple Leafs, Packers)
13. Orioles - Thorzul (Rockets, Sharks, Cowboys)
14. Rays - Thorzul (Blazers, Senators, Seahawks)
15. Cubs - Thorzul (Pistons, Islanders, Browns)
16. Cardinals - IkesCards (Bucks, Canadiens, Jets)
17. Brewers - Thorzul (Mavericks, Flames, Broncos)
18. Pirates - Chris Mays (Suns, Blackhawks, Titans)
19. Astros -BS (Hawks, Devils, Giants)
20. Reds - Thorzul (Nuggets, Wild, Colts)
21. Padres - Thorzul (Nets, Flyers, Saints)
22. Diamondbacks - D a V e (Bobcats, Bruins, Jaguars)
23. Dodgers - Thorzul (Grizzlies, Rangers, Bengals)
24. Giants - Thorzul (Knicks, Kings, Vikings)
25. Rockies - Thorzul (Cavaliers, Hurricanes, Rams)
26. Braves - Chris Mays (Pacers, Capitals, Bills)
27. Nationals/Expos - IkesCards (Clippers, Lightning, Chiefs)
28. Mets - Thorzul (Celtics, Oilers, Redskins)
29. Phillies - BS (Wizards, Red Wings, Raiders)
30. Marlins - shoeboxlegends (Magic, Predators, Chargers)

With the Steelers and Cardinals popping up last on the NFL list, those teams are out of play. As stated earlier, if either of those teams emerges in the Famous Fabrics box, there will be a random draw amongst all participants according to how many slots they purchased.

Trading is now open. I feel kind of bad for dominating the NBA ramdomization, but that's how it goes when you have to eat up spots. Propose and confirm your trades in the comments. The boxes were ordered last night, so they should be here by the end of the week.

January Group Break Open, Good Teams Available

2012-01-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

Join now! (Or, please pay if you've already joined. I'd like to order the boxes tonight.)

Completion: B-Ball Inserts

2012-01-06T06:08:00.000-08:00

Just last week I finished off the last three insert cards I needed for my master 2001-02 Topps basketball set. It hurts to realize it, but I would have had a much easier time collecting Topps Chrome from that year, or even one of the specialty sets like the goofily oversized High Topps or that year's Topps Heritage. But no, I had to pick an unpopular one with redemption cards as part of the base set. Here are the last three inserts.

Lottery Legends #LL7 Jason Williams
It's funny to look back at pictures of "White Chocolate" from after his Sacramento days when I wasn't paying attention to basketball. He looks like Shaggy from Scooby-Doo in his Memphis/Miami days.

Mad Game #MG1 Allen Iverson
My Bucks ran into this guy on our way to the finals. He wasn't the difference maker, however. That bastard Eric Snow had to go and have his breakout series against Milwaukee. That damn missed shot in Game 5... man.

Yeah, it's worth looking at this dunk again.
Mad Game #MG4 Vince Carter

Here are the complete insert sets. There are a few ringers in each group. Remember, I had already finished the Alcindor set a while ago.

LOTTERY LEGENDS
Austin Croshere? Really???

TEAM TOPPS
I'm going to finger Antawn Jamison as the "one of these things is not like the others" suspect. Even as a two-time All-Star, his pro career never quite caught up to his college resume.

MAD GAME
Darius Miles did not have Mad Game at any point past high school. I saw him in the "steal-the-SAT-answers" movie The Perfect Score this summer. He might be a better actor than basketball player.

Alright, now I just need to get to work on those wascally wedemptions.

Morning Group Break Reminder

2012-01-05T06:25:00.001-08:00

Get to it, kids.

January Group Break Is Open!

2012-01-04T16:47:00.000-08:00

We're going back to the regularly scheduled break this time, and I've got a few nice products I've been scoping out. This month we will open:
One box of 2008 Topps Stadium Club
One box of 2005 Topps Rookie Cup
One box of 2010 Famous Fabrics Second Edition

Rationales for each:
Stadium Club - 12 autographs, so hopefully a lot of breakers go home happy. There's a bunch of parallels and other stuff, too.
Rookie Cup - Cool design, lots of parallels, two autographs.
Famous Fabrics - Doing a one-card box of this is fun, and it's been almost a year since I've included one. If you remember, this is a multi-sport product. All participants will receive two random teams from the NHL, NFL, and NBA. If we happen to get a card portraying a subject not in one of the four leagues, it will be randomed off among all participants. Also, all of the leagues have 30 teams except the NFL, which has 32. The last two teams on the NFL randomization list will be considered unowned, and if one of those two teams happens to pop up as the hit, the card will be randomed off among all participants.

The buy-in for this break will be $27.50. This will get you a two-team slot with one team of your choice and the other randomly assigned. The exception will be the Yankees, whose buy-in will be $35.00. This is because the Stadium Club box guarantees a Yankee relic card, a luxury none of the other teams possess. Your buy-in also gets you the aforementioned two NHL, two NBA, and two NFL teams for the Famous Fabrics box. Trading will be allowed and encouraged.

As always, please include your screen name, mailing address, and team(s) chosen as a note with your PayPal payment. Please send payment to:
bill13boehm@yahoo.com

TEAMS
1. Angels -
2. Athletics -
3. Rangers -
4. Mariners -
5. White Sox -
6. Indians -
7. Royals -
8. Twins - Thorzul
9. Tigers - sewingmachineguy (paid)
10. Red Sox - shoeboxlegends (paid)
11. Yankees - BS (paid)
12. Blue Jays - D a V e (paid)
13. Orioles - Thorzul
14. Rays -
15. Cubs - Thorzul
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 - Thorzul
29. Phillies - BS (paid)
30. Marlins -

Top Five Pulls of 2011: #2

2012-01-04T06:15:00.000-08:00

From the same box of Topps Lineage, another San Francisco Giant in the top five pulls. Weird year.

Card: 2011 Topps Lineage 1952 Autograph #52A-BP Buster Posey AUTO

From: Hobby Box

Why I Love This Card: It actually made paying the early-in-the-release price for this box. Yes, it was a redemption, and yes, it is inexplicably a sticker autograph, but it's probably one of the better ones in the set. In retrospect, I could have gotten David DeJesus, Gaby Sanchez, or Jonny Gomes. Aside form one of the vintage reprint autos, this was just about the best I could do.

Pulling this redemption helped bring to my attention some of the quality control issues at Topps. Here's a screen cap from my Topps redemption page. First of all, the word you're looking for, Topps, is "Lineage," not "Linage." You know... the name of your set.

Secondly, the design year is obviously 1952 Topps, not 1954.

Aside from the errors, still a pretty nice pull.

Archaic?

2012-01-03T14:36:00.000-08:00

(Sniff.)

I feel like a part of me has died.

I suppose some of us just weren't cut out to make long-lasting contributions to the American lexicon.

Top Five Pulls of 2011: #3

2012-01-03T06:57:00.000-08:00

Best pulls of the year can come from surprising places. Let's investigate this next one.

Card: 2001 Pacific Cramer's Choice Awards Die-Cut #3 Emmitt Smith (79/99)

From: Hobby Box

Why I Love This Card: Set building can sometimes pay off. While this was not one of the insert sets I'll be chasing for this now-decade-old set, it's a nice little bonus. I'll most likely try to sell this off to recoup the cost of a future box. Since there are some pricey rookie autographs in the base set, I won't feel too bad selling this card. When there's a Trent Dilfer of these going for $12 on COMC, I think this Smith should command a pretty penny. Emmitt Smith collectors are rabid, and this is a difficult pull from a long-forgotten product.

The Cramer's Choice comes from Pacific's president Mike Cramer, about whom you can read here. The odds for this set, unlike most of the other inserts, are not listed, but they have all the markings of a case hit (or tougher). By comparison, there are 1,000 Drew Brees autographed rookies in this set. So if you know of any Emmitt Smith Super-Collectors, I'd love to make a deal with one.

Stubs: 1999 Wisconsin Football

2012-01-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

With the Rose Bowl kickoff only a couple of hours away, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit the last season the Badgers won that particular game. Prior to last season's tough loss to TCU, Wisconsin's last appearance the Grandaddy of Them All was January 1, 2000. I was still a student at UW at the time, and the 1999 season was one full of glory. The Big Ten Network recently rebroadcasted the 2000 Rose Bowl against Stanford, which I recorded and will probably watch once I finish this post. The tickets this season were a beautiful rainbow assortment. Let's take a closer look at each one.

September 4: Badgers 49 - Murray State 10
Hall of Fame Day
Head Coach Barry Alvarez adorns this ticket. You can't say enough about the guy who turned the football program around.

September 11: Wisconsin 50 - Ball State 10
Band Day
We are as guilty as anyone for scheduling cupcakes for pre-Big Ten games. The band is great, but I don't understand the need for this particular character with his high steps and baton.

September 25: Michigan 21 - Wisconsin 16
Parents' Day
If you look closely, you'll notice how much closer this seat was than all the rest. For once, my group of friends actually thought to plan ahead. Someone collected our vouchers earlier in the week and then camped out at the ticket office to acquire premier seating. Row 6 was actually the first row, right behind one of those tarp covered sections in the first few rows at Camp Randall. My most vivid memory from that game was of Chris Chambers dropping a sure TD pass in the end zone right in front of us. Apparently Tom Brady was knocked out of this game and had to be replaced by Drew Henson. Following the loss at Cincinnati the week before, the chances of a return trip to the Rose Bowl looked bleak.
The player featured on the ticket is punter Kevin Stemke from Green Bay. And as for Parents' Day, I'm not sure what that means. Players' parents should come and visit? Students' parents? Was this the only day they were allowed to come?

October 16: Wisconsin 59 - Indiana 0
Homecoming
I distinctly remember sweating out the end of this game. Not the outcome, of course, but the just-out-of-reach end of the game itself. As it turned out, I had scheduled a bus trip home to Milwaukee a reasonable amount of time after the game would have ended. Wisconsin, however, kept scoring points, thereby pushing the end of the game farther and farther into the future. I may have even left early. In any case, I got out of Camp Randall as quickly as possible, grabbed my stuff from my apartment, and was able to make it to the Badger Bus depot on time.
As you can plainly see, Ron Dayne is pictured on this ticket. During my time in Madison, I crossed paths with Dayne just once. It was an early weekend morning and I was on my way to the library, walking alone. On the way there, who do I see walking in my direction with a backpack and letterman's jacket but Ron Dayne! As we neared each other I said hi. Dayne politely smiled and said hi back. For all of his talent, he remained such a humble player, a real hand-the-ball-to-the-ref-after-a-touchdown type of guy. I'm happy that our single brief encounter confirmed this view of him.

October 23: Wisconsin 40 - Michigan St. 10
Badger Blast
At this game, this happened.

After yet another Wisconsin touchdown, Bucky Badger decided to pull an innocent mascot prank by sneaking over to the MSU sideline and stealing their flag. A roided-up Michigan State male cheerleader took offense to this and decided the best way to handle the theft was by laying out Bucky. What the video fails to show is the aftermath of this idiotic act, but fans in attendance will surely remember seeing the male cheerleader being escorted from the stadium by university police.

November 13: Wisconsin 41 - Iowa 3
W Club Day
It all came down to this. Between the loss against Michigan and today, the Badgers had recorded four conference road victories, three of them against opponents ranked at the time (#12 Ohio St., #25 Minnesota, and #17 Purdue), putting the team in position to clinch another Rose Bowl berth. What happened that day is best summed up in a list.
*Big Ten Championship
*Rose Bowl Invitation Accepted
*Ron Dayne Becomes All-Time NCAA Rushing Leader (A record which still stands today)
*Ron Dayne Name/Number Revealed on Camp Randall Facade

That was was a great one to be a student in Madison. We got to celebrate a second consecutive Rose Bowl win (this time against a team other than UCLA), and little did we know that a magical run to the 2000 Final Four was a few months away. Let's hope another victorious chapter is written today.

GO BADGERS!!!

Top Five Pulls of 2011: #4

2012-01-01T08:18:00.000-08:00

Card: 2011 Panini Americana Movie Posters #20 His Girl Friday (Cary Grant Personally-Worn Material) (300/499)

From: Blaster Box

Why I Love This Card: One of my very few retail purchases this year (outside of Topps flagship) actually came through for me. I don't recall the box promising a hit, but the more I search for these, the more it seems like everybody got one. At the time, however, I felt like a winner. Cary Grant was one of the coolest guys of his time, and His Girl Friday is actually a film I have seen and studied. Do yourself a favor: Next time your significant other has her turn at picking movie night, steer her away from the Amy Adams/Jennifer Aniston/Reese Witherspoon claptrap and towards this classic. I promise, both of you will come away from it more entertained as a result.

Top Five Pulls of 2011: #5

2011-12-31T11:27:00.000-08:00

2011 was a wonderful time to be alive. The year began with an impossibly epic Green Bay Packers Super Bowl run, closed with a disappointing collapse by the Brewers in the NLCS to end an otherwise brilliant season, and somewhere between those two bookends, a baby was born. I didn't bust as much wax as I usually do, but there were some nice cards pulled. I'm attributing this to my need to use discretionary card funds to subsidize unfilled group breaks. That's cool, since I ended up with some lovely cards form those, but this series of posts will tell the tale of my personal, hidden-from-view pulls of cardboard glory.

Card: 2011 Topps Lineage Autograph 2009 Topps Reprint #RA-PS Pablo Sandoval AUTO

From: Hobby Box

Why I Love This Card: Picking out the top four cards for this year's edition was simple. With the fifth, though, I struggled. I really could have stopped at four, but tradition is tradition. This card's autograph is on-card, which makes it a little more special, but apart from that, there's not much that sets it apart from other autos. Sandoval is a likable guy with a great nickname, and by starting small, I can allow the tension to mount as I reveal the top four pulls.

If you feel like playing along, you can check out how this year's pulls stack up to those form the past.
2010
2009
2008
2007

Christmas El Cheapo Group Break: NL West

2011-12-29T08:25:00.000-08:00

Gotta get this done, so it's one card each team, one card only.

Team: Padres
Buyer: BS
1989 Upper Deck #471 Roberto Alomar
I don't know if you caught the price sticker on it, but someone once wanted 75 cents for this card, thought better of it, and upped the price to five bucks. Not bloody likely. Aside from a Gwynn insert, not much to brag about for this team.

Team: Diamondbacks
Buyer: Thorzul
Nothing worth showing came from this lot.

Team: Dodgers
Buyer: Stealing Home
1994 Leaf Power Brokers #6 Mike Piazza
Fireworks, mullets, pie charts on the back???

Team: Rockies
Buyer: BS
2007 Topps #135 Troy Tulowitzki
I'm guessing most people already have this card, since packs of 2007 Topps came with the year 2000 census forms (WHAT???). But hey, at least it came with that fancy green penny sleeve.

Team: Giants
Buyer: BS
Okay, I'm going to break my one card rule here.
1971 Topps #19 Skip Pitlock, #108 John Cumberland, #128 Frank Johnson, and #251 Frank Reberger
These were the only '71s to come out of the lot for any NL West teams. Strictly speaking, the only other team this would put in play is the Dodgers, but there weren't any of those.

Some of these cards have been shipped, but the majority have not. I will try to get them out this week, along with those from the regular December break.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 25

2011-12-25T05:59:00.000-08:00

December 25, 2011:
2002 Fleer Platinum #32 Javy Lopez

"Guess Who I Am"
(A play in one act)

Somewhere in the American midwest, 2001
Javy Lopez: Hey guys, guess who I am.

John Smoltz: Oooh, oooh, I know, I know!

Javy Lopez: I know you know, don't ruin it, John.

John Smoltz: C'mon, lemme guess.

Javy Lopez: No, let someone else have a chance for once. You always guess these.

John Smoltz: I know, but no one else is going to get this. I know it, I knoooooooow it.

Javy Lopez: Knock it off and let someone else have a turn. Raffy? Chipper? Andruw?

John Smoltz: They don't know it. They never know it. Why bother asking them?

Javy Lopez: No guesses? How about the bullpen? Kerry Lightenberg, you look like you've got it on the tip of your tongue. And Rocker, I know what you're going to say, so don't even go there.

John Smoltz: I can't stand it. He's obviously pretending to be-

Javy Lopez: Wait! That looks like a hand in the air! You want to make a guess?

Odalis Perez opens mouth to speak, no sound comes out.

John Smoltz: Arrrgggghhh, come on, this one is sooooo easy!

Tim Spooneybarger: I know, you're-

John Smoltz: Cthulhu!

Javy Lopez: (stares in disbelief)

...

...

There, you made Tim Spooneybarger cry. Are you happy with yourself, John Andrew Smoltz? (Mumbling to self angrily under breath) Fucking resident Lovecraft enthusiast, you don't have to tell me about Lovecraft grumble grumble grumble...

FIN

Merry Christmas, everyone! You keep readin' 'em, I'll keep writin' 'em.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 24

2011-12-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

December 24, 2011:
2003 Star Wars CCG #76 Luke Skywalker

Every time the show Family Guy happens to start when I'm watching TV, I check it out for a minute or two, then turn it off. Friends of mine with good senses of humor seem to enjoy it, but I just can't get into it. There must be something I'm missing.

The reason I bring this up when receiving a Star Wars card in the Card-vent Calendar is that I've seen some of the different Family Guy Star Wars parodies for sale in stores. I've watched a couple of clips of these online, and they seem much funnier than the normal episodes. Is this something a non-fan of the show might enjoy? It's not that I hate the show, it's just a little too hit-or-miss for me. I understand why certain jokes are meant to be funny, but it seems more like the kind of comedy meant for stupid people who needs the jokes force-fed to them. What do you think?

"Great, kid, don't get cocky."

"Great, kid, don't get penisy."

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 23

2011-12-23T20:57:00.000-08:00

December 23, 2011:
1984 Milwaukee Public Museum #8 The Last of the Dinosaurs

The card above depicts the centerpiece of the MPM's prehistoric collection called "The Third Planet." The image used for this card is actually a pretty poor representation of the diorama. The real thing is much more gruesome, with the Triceratops' guts on display for all to see.

My trivia question for you is this: What is the best vantage point from which to view this exhibit? Get this right, and you can call yourself a true Milwaukeean.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 22

2011-12-22T17:23:00.000-08:00

December 22, 2011:
1959 Topps #254 Zeke Bella

Mi chiamo Zeke. Come ti chiamo?

Il mio cognome è Bella.
La mia carta non è bella.

Mi scusate.

(Two semesters of college Italian, baby!)

Christmas El Cheapo Group Break: NL Central

2011-12-22T06:59:00.000-08:00

I don't think I've done a post with this many pictures in a while. The NL Central had some good cards emerge, some teams did better than others, and as always, there were a few surprises.

Team: Cubs
Buyer: Tom
Traded Bippings are rare, and here we witness one in the wild.
1990 Topps Traded #126T Hector Villanueva
Accumulating a ton of Hector's rookie cards might have seemed like a good idea at the beginning of his career. Now, not so much, but you can pretend the cards make a puzzle and fit together at the corners.

1971 Topps #203 Larry Gura

Team: Cardinals
Buyer: IkesCards
2001 Topps Gold #417 Alan Benes (1847/2001)

Not much else intriguing here, but there were some nice Ozzie Smith cards.
1986 Fleer #46 Ozzie Smith

1991 Fleer Ultra #296 Ozzie Smith

Team: Pirates
Buyer: Thorzul
Arrrrgh, I was just giving dayf a hard time. Both the Pirates and Rays had nice lots, but I think the Bucs had it a little better.
2003 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts Etched in Time #ET-RC Roberto Clemente (147/400)
It wasn't until I looked through the team piles for cards to showcase that I noticed that the little game fact thing at the bottom was actually made of wood. "It's like a ski lodge in here."

2010 Topps National Chicle #321 Neil Walker
This one didn't look anything like the other Chicle that was being shown on blogs last year. I checked it out and, yup, sure enough, it's a short print. Pretty nice sketched picture, kind of like the kind that, well, dayf has been known to draw.

1971 Topps #143 Steve Blass
I wonder if this guy ever wanted to be called "Classy Stevie Blassie." PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT STATING WHY I WOULD THINK THIS. IF YOU GET IT RIGHT, THE PRIZE IS MY RESPECT.

Team: Astros
Buyer: Thorzul
1971 Topps #148 John Mayberry, #102 Pirates Rookie Stars Ken Forsch/Larry Howard

1984 Topps #66 Astros Leaders Jose Cruz/Nolan Ryan

Team: Reds
Buyer: FanOfReds
Only one Barry Larkin found in the lot, a base card not worth showing, but there were plenty more Reds to be found. I'm thinking a previous owner of the lot was a Reds fan.
1991 Reds Pepsi Lot
Not sure how many cards are in this set, but I found these and some doubles. The Choice of a New Generation.

Something a little older... 1970 Topps #380 Tony Perez
This card is messed up. Maybe some of that Diet Pepsi got on it.

1971 Topps #164 Reds Rookie Stars Frank Duffy/Milt Wilcox
Milt rocked the high hat his entire career, apparently.

2001 Upper Deck #67 Steve Kelly AUTO
That's a nice little pull, something different for the kiddos.

1985 Fleer #538 Tom Hume
There's a big part of me that loves the shit out of this set. The gray border with the team color border within it, plus the grainy B&W photo on the back... classic!

Team: Brewers
Buyer: Thorzul (Duh!)
For once, a team name/location change goes in my favor. After watching great Milwaukee Braves cards (and pennants) go to the Atlanta braves slot in several past breaks, I finally get some love.
1969 Seattle Pilots Lot
I'm guessing not quite a team set, but there are plenty of doubles that I'll sell off soon. I think we saw only one other 1969 Topps card. These were in a team bag all together. I love this seller!

More?
Renata Galasso Seattle Pilots Lot
I'm happy to have these, but I'm also wondering who was begging for these cards to be made.

1971 Topps #236 Bob Humphreys

Lot of 31 1988 Fleer Update #U-39 Jeff Leonard
Words escape me...

Why?

Just... why?

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 21

2011-12-21T17:22:00.000-08:00

December 21, 2011:
2006 Fleer #78 J.J. Hardy

Getting a common card such as this one can be a special treat, if you know where to look. The trained eye can ascertain that this photograph was taken on the Brewers' yearly road trip to Minnesota. If you look even closer, you can see that an outfield videoboard is displaying an advertisement for Cub Foods, a regional grocery chain. We used to have a bunch of Cubs in the Milwaukee area, but now the closest one to be found is on the west side of Madison. The wife actually used to work at Cub when she was in high school. She took a lot of grief from the dudes who worked the night stocking shift with her, but she got the last laugh, lasting longer than any of them would have predicted. She used her small, womanly hands to her advantage by being able to deftly stock boxes of Jell-O without making a mess of things, as her mouth-breather co-workers were known to do.

I also had an older cousin who worked at a Cub. I thought it was so cool when I saw that his employee name tag identified him as "JAMES BOND."

Trade My Anything V #16

2011-12-21T07:46:00.000-08:00

You thought that since it's almost Christmas, Trade Me Anything was over, didn't you?

Well, I did, too. I was surprised the other day to get a package full of stuff from Justin's World. Fortunately, I still had the stack of cards I had offered up sitting on an end table upstairs. Speaking of which, there are still a couple of you out there who offered to trade me anything, and I confirmed your reservation, but nothing was ever sent. I think someone claimed some Rockies, and very early on, someone claimed some Braves. These will become available again if I don't receive a trade package for them by the end of the year.

Moving on, here are the details of the trade from Justin.
Giving:
2011 Topps Gold #US173 Charlie Furbush (0836/2011), #US131 Jeff Keppinger (0055/2011), and Cognac #US292 Mike Adams

Getting:
A bunch of 2011 Topps insert cards. There were some Topps 60 and Topps Town cards I don't have time to scan right now (or just forgot to), as well as these.
Diamond Duos #DD-15 Joe DiMaggio/Derek Jeter
This is #DD-15 from the Update Series, not the #DD-15 from Series 2. I hope someone got fired for that mistake.

History of Topps #HOT-9 Eisner & Co. buy in to Topps
One away from finishing this insert set now.

Here's a base card, the only one from several sent that I still needed.
#US233 John McDonald

2010 Brewers Guest Information Guide

Mickey Mantle: His Final Inning
Some sort of Christian leaflet. So the American Tract Society can use logos, but Upper Deck can't?

A bunch of baseball schedules

An issue of South Coast Golf Guide
Judging from the maps I glanced at inside, this guide covers golfing destinations in the Florida panhandle, that tract of land whose official slogan is, "Technically, not Alabama."

The back cover of the magazine has an advertisement for some sort of avian establishment to visit after golfing. It's "Your Official 19th Hole!" From the looks of things, she's also the 20th... HI-YOOOOOOO!
Actually, I couldn't decide which tag to use for her: "Freaky White Girls" or "Asian Girls," so to be safe I went with both.

Thanks for the trade, Justine, I hope you enjoy the trio of cards.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 20

2011-12-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

December 20, 2011:
1995 Graffiti Goldeneye 007 #Q5 Gadgets of Q Insert

Hmmm, they don't come much more oddball than this, do they? An insert card from a movie trading card set. Let's flip this over, see what the gadget is.

A Piton Gun, sweet! That damn dam scene in Goldeneye still holds up damn well today. I really need to check that one out again, and I think it's in my first Bond box set.

Speaking of Bond, this reminds me of my honeymoon. Each night, we took part in a progressive trivia game. Our team (we paired up with a retired couple, so our knowledge base was well spread out) nabbed maximum points when we had to list as many actors to play Bond as possible.

Although he wasn't officially counted, one man's name came up. Which begs the question: Do you count Peter Sellers or not?

By the way, our team came in second in a very close finish. One of the players on the winning team had previously been on Jeopardy!, so no shame in that.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 19

2011-12-20T16:05:00.000-08:00

I forgot to open one of these yesterday, so you should get two today.

December 19, 2011:
1996 Pinnacle Denny's Grand Slam #8 Albert Belle

During a 1996 Trip to a Cleveland-area Denny's establishment, Albert Belle was accused of the following:
*Punching a hole in the glass enclosure of the lobby crane vending machine.
*Responding to the hostess's inquiry of "Smoking or non?" with a forearm shiver.
*Leaving a $1.12 tip on a $43.98 check.
*Picking the mushrooms off of his Mushroom Swiss Chopped Steak platter and depositing them in the toothpick dispenser.
*Loudly boasting he would quote "Fuck that bitch up," after his waitress brought him white toast instead of wheat.
*Applying for a line cook position under the assumed name "Jacques Strapp."
*And finally, pulling down his pants and underpants and defecating on a fellow patron's Moons Over My Hammy breakfast meal.

Christmas El Cheapo Group Break: Toronto Blue Jays

2011-12-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

Payment has been received, so it's time to return to the AL East and show off some of the best Jays that buyer D a V e will be receiving. Either I'm really horrible at pulling Blue Jays, or there aren't all that many great cards to pull. However, a Jays fan will undoubtedly appreciate this lot more than I would.
Lot of 3 1992 Donruss McDonald's Gold Blue Jays, #3 Kelly Gruber, #5 Tom Henke, #6 Devon White
BaseballCardPedia has a great page on this set, which was distributed only in the Toronto area, I'm guessing because the won the World Series in 1992. These three Jays are part of a six-card subset . I must say, these look pretty good. 1992 Donruss is one of my least favorite designs of all time, but if they looked anything like these, I would have collected them hard.

1990 ProCards #184 Carlos Delgado
Orangie goodness!

2003 Upper Deck Superstars #241 Roy Halladay
I liked this guy a whole lot more when he was in the American League.

That's all I have to show. There were some Clemens cards and some other interesting ones, too.

Christmas El Cheapo Group Break: NL East

2011-12-19T14:04:00.000-08:00

Team: Braves
Buyer: dayf
Let's start things off with what was the lowest numbered card of the break.
2005 Upper Deck Hall of Fame #CO-OC2 Orlando Cepeda (07/15)
My mind doesn't automatically think "Braves" when Cepeda's name is mentioned, but it was his second longest stint with a team after the Giants.

A quartet of 1971 Topps, #244 Bob Tillman, #463 Tom Kelley, #8 Mike McQueen, and #81 Felix Millan
Kelley is baked. Mike McQueen reminds me of Steve McQueen. Did you know there's a young actor now named Steve McQueen. Apparently it's his grandson. That must suck, knowing that no matter what you do, you'll never be as cool as your grandpa.

There's also this.
Some sort of Uncirculated 2003 Bowman #82 Marcus Giles (115/245)
There's a nasty mark left by an old price sticker on the top right corner of the case, and the seal sticker has seen better days. I see work as a paperweight in this card's future.

Team: Nationals/Expos
Buyer: Zpop
This lot was heavy on the Expos, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Here's the best National.
2007 Topps Moments and Milestones Black Parallel #69 Ryan Zimmerman 54 Runs (21/29)

1972 Topps #657 Bobby Wine
This is the first card in Series 6. Perhaps the most desirable card to come out of the break, as those '72 Topps high numbers are hard to come by. Pretty damn good shape, too, except the bad centering.

Another year of cards popping up only once or twice in this break.
1970 Topps #109 Expos Rookie Stars Garry Jestadt and Carl Morton

And the requisite '71s...
1971 Topps #157 Bob Bailey, #21 Dan McGinn, #142 Mack Jones, #232 John Strohmayer, and #59 Gene Mauch

Team: Mets
Buyer: Thorzul
Should Dwight Gooden ever write his autobiography, I get to title it. Based on this break, I'd call it A Shitload of Gooden, because that's what I got. None of it worth showing, however, but there were also these.
1971 Topps #183 Gil Hodges, #83 Mets Rookie Stars Tim Foli and Randy Bobb, #104 Dan Frisella, and #115 Donn Clendenon
It's shocking that Gil Hodges is not in the Hall of Fame, just shocking. I'm guessing the Veterans Committee will someday let him in.

Team: Phillies
Buyer: daddyohoh
1969 Topps #599 John Boozer
The only one from this set to pop up. Nice card.

Only a pair of '71 Phillies.
1971 Topps #23 Oscar Gamble, #233 Larry Bowa
This is pre-fro Oscar, and it's beautifully mis-cut. I've identified that as part of a Kansas City Royals card sneaking up into frame.

1981 Fleer Star Sticker #79 Bob Boone
I found about ten or so of these in the lot, so some of the rest of you might be getting one. Great set, something I'd eventually like to collect.

Team: Marlins
Buyer: BS
There weren't really any good Marlins cards at all, so I'm settling on this one as the best of a bad bunch.
1998 Topps Chrome #356 Bobby Bonilla

Yeah, these teams with short histories don't always do so well. You take what you can get, though.

Next Division: NL Central, where dayf cries into his beer after letting go of the Pirates.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 18

2011-12-18T19:27:00.000-08:00

December 18, 2011:
2009-10 Bowman #84 Larry Bird

So the NBA season starts in exactly one week. Is there anyone who feels even one iota of excitement about this? I remember enjoying Christmas day NBA games once all of the presents were opened and the new toys got a little boring. After filling your face with ham and cheesy potatoes, you always had the opportunity to plop yourself down next to a sleeping Uncle George and watch Larry, Magic, Michael, Isaiah, and friends. That was a time when basketball was fun, when you knew the names of the majority of guys in the league. Now, I'd legitimately be happier with the Beef O'Brady's Bowl.

Christmas El Cheapo Group Break: AL East

2011-12-17T12:23:00.000-08:00

American League East

Team: Red Sox
Buyer: Zpop
I'll have to say, I was underwhelmed by the Red Sox haul. None of the '71 Topps showed up, but at least they built the second-tallest stack.
2008 Topps Co-Signers #077 Mike Lowell / J.D. Drew Red Parallel (070/100)

How about a guy who doesn't get a ton of hobby love?
1987 Hygrade All-Time Greats Jimmie Foxx

Team: Yankees
Buyer: The Diamond King
Plenty of good cards in here, but nothing spectacular.
1982 Renata Galasso #2 Yogi Berra
I'd never run across any of these before. Apparently, Renata Galasso was a baseball card dealer form Queens, NY, who built what at the time was the largest baseball card business in the world. Here's a link to a collection of great vintage photos.

What would one of these posts be without one of these?
1971 Topps #131 Curt Blefary, #263 John Ellis, #234 Jim Lyttle

2002 Fleer Fall Classic Hall of Fame #9 Lou Gehrig (1626/1939)

1999 Upper Deck Powerdeck Babe Ruth CD-ROM

Team: Blue Jays
Buyer: D a V e
You cards are being held hostage until you send payment. None of them beaver nickels, either.

Team: Orioles
Buyer: Kevin
Here's perhaps the most astonishing thing to come out of this lot.
44 2006 Topps Rookie of the Week #14 Cal Ripken, Jr.
Some are in sleeves, some aren't. I have an inkling this came from some dealer's overstock, and now they're on their way to a good home.

1971 Topps #29 Don Buford, #137 Marcelino Lopez

Team: Rays
Buyer: dayf
The Cardboard Junkie traded me the Pirates to get the Rays. Let's see who comes out ahead.
2000 Royal Rookies #21 Paul Hoover AUTO (2816/4950) and #20 Dustin Carr AUTO (2891/4950)
Carr made it as far as AAA Durham. Hoover played every position except pitcher in the minor leagues, and got into 40 MLB games with the Rays, Marins, and Phillies (as recently as 2010). That Rookie Card top loader is nice and yellowed for you too, dayf.

2003 Fleer Mystique Die-Cut #129 Chad Gaudin (037/200)

2006 Topps Co-Signers #DUO-C 89 Julio Lugo / Aubrey Huff Parallel (056/150)

Hmm, maybe dayf had a premonition, snagging two AUTOS and two serial numbered cards.

We'll palindrome across the country next, starting with the NL East.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 17

2011-12-17T09:25:00.000-08:00

December 17, 2011:
1981 Topps Scratch-Off #30 Bruce Bochte

Anyone out there have a cheap uncle who, in lieu of actual presents just buys everyone a lottery ticket? Well, this is even worse than that.

I've always wondered if, back in the day, Bruce Bochte and Bruce Bochy ever got together for dinner one night. How I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that chance encounter.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 16

2011-12-16T12:51:00.000-08:00

December 16, 2011:
1985 Leaf #205 Mike Schmidt

DID YOU KNOW...
Mike Schmidt invented the weekend?

It's true. Before his bill was signed into law, The typical American week ended on Thursday before starting up again with Sunday. The deal with that, however, was that Sundays were only one hour long, the duration of which one was required to spend at church. That's right, you got home from work on Thursday night, the next thing you knew it was time to go to Mass. And then you would sing the last few bars of "Gloria in excelsis Deo," grab your bulletin, and then head for the Monday morning commute.

Mike Schmidt, we salute you and are forever in your gratitude for legally guaranteed Friday and Saturday nights.

Christmas El Cheapo Group Break: AL Central

2011-12-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

American League Central, for what it's worth.

Team: White Sox
Buyer: Thorzul
No vintage Sox here, but there was an interesting trio of Big Hurt inserts.
2000 Upper Deck Black Diamond Diamond Might #M3 Frank Thomas, 1992 Fleer/7-11/Citgo The Performer Collection #2 Frank Thomas, 1998 Pinnacle Epix Moment #E7 Frank Thomas
The Performer Collection was a 24-card set given away at the aforementioned gas station/convenience store. They chose a blue color to set it apart from the green of the base set, but I think it's still to similar.

Team: Indians
Buyer: Thorzul
1971 Topps #24 Rich Hand
Yesterday we had Dick Green, today, Rich Hand. So I suppose if your hand was green, we know where it's been.

There were no other good Indians cards, so I'll share this nice 1987 Hygrade All-Time Greats Bob Feller. There were a bunch of these in the lot.

Team: Royals
Buyer: The Diamond King
1982 Topps Squirt #10 Dennis Leonard
This card is refreshing, and it goes great with the distilled spirit of your choice.

1971 Topps #91 Bob Lemon, #221 Dave Morehead

2007 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Die-Cut #18 Derrick Robinson (009/100)

Team: Twins
Buyer: FanOfReds
1971 Topps #74 Pete Hamm/Jim Nettles, #127 Danny Thompson
Nothing special here, nothing to see, move along.

1971 Topps #26 Bert Blyleven
Whoa, 90/10 centering aside, that's a rookie card of a Hall-of-Famer. Nice pull!

To cleanse the palette, here's a 2009 Topps 206 Mini 3281 Joe Mauer. So he got engaged earlier this week. A lot about that surprises me.

Team: Tigers
Buyer: Thorzul
1971 Topps #208 Billy Martin, #133Mickey Lolich, #101 Les Cain
So I'm guessing you might pay a premium for 1971 Topps cards in mint condition. I like my cards with character, though. Speaking of characters, Billy's cap has a "D" on it on the back photo, but not on the front. I wonder why?

2003 Donruss Classics Membership #M12 Ty Cobb (1574/2500)

Up next: Wagons... east!

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 15

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

December 15, 2011:
2011 Panini Americana Matinee Legends #13 Jayne Mansfield

It's hard to say which part of this card I like better, the Saul Bass-inspired design, or the big set of tits.

Hm, tits for the win. Sofia Loren may not have approved, but those are some measurements I can really get behind.

Christmas El Cheapo Group Break: AL West

2011-12-14T16:46:00.000-08:00

That lying bastard. Finally, FINALLY, the group break cards arrived this afternoon. Scratch that. They arrived in a box with a December 12 postmark. That son of a bitch told me he mailed them last Thursday.
Whatever, they arrived safe and sound, and I've just finished sorting them into team piles. For some reason, the Cincinnati Reds ended up with by far the tallest pile, even after all of the 1989 Donruss and 1988 Topps got pitched into the giveaway box. We won't be seeing those cards today, though, as we're going to criss-cross the country, starting with the American League West. Let's see some of what the breakers will be getting.

Team: Angels
Buyer: IkesCards
In addition to his usual Cardinals, IkesCards went with the option for a random team, and ended up with the Angels. This was a pretty nice lot, starting with these:
1971 Topps #43 Steve Kealey and #15 Andy Messersmith
Surprisingly, a few team bags full of vintage cards, mostly '71 Topps, ended up being in this lot. Most of the teams that were around then ended up with one or two of these, so keep your fingers crossed if you team isn't in the AL West. The Messersmith has a big, bad crease, but I think it's the only one like that.

There was also this 2003 Upper Deck Vintage #5 Nolan Ryan. This is believed to be a short print from the set, but don't quote me on that. The $4 sticker is a bit speculative, but it's still a nice card.

Team: Athletics
Buyer: jschris
The trend continues, with 1971 Topps #258 Dick Green.

One of the coolest cards in the lot, 2005 Upper Deck Hall of Fame #CO-RJ1 Reggie Jackson (33/50).

And we bear witness to a mini-Bip. That's 8 1990 Fleer Mark McGwire #C-20 box bottoms. I wish Topps would bring these back. We got a taste a couple of years back with UD's O-Pee-Chee product, but I don't believe there's been any box bottom cards since.

Team: Rangers
Buyer: Thorzul
I traded Zpop the Nationals/Expos after he requested them in exchange for his Rangers. Let's see how that worked out.
2007 Bowman Sterling #BSP-EM Emerson Frostad Refractor (165/199)
Emerson Frostad? That sounds like a name straight out of Tolkien. "Emerson Frostad, I know the likes of no greater friend in all the Shire."

1987 Donruss #99 Bobby Witt AUTO
"To Roy,
Best Wishes
Bobby Witt"
Well, at least I saved this card from being hacked up by Upper Deck and sold a a cut signature.

Ooh, a nice 1971 Topps Washington Senators lot.
Who knew a bunch of cards from the team that became the Texas Rangers would pop up? Certainly not Zpop, who had me shop for those very same Senators a few weeks ago, only to blindly and unwittingly trade them to me. Weird.

Team: Mariners
Buyer: Thorzul
1989 Mother's Cookies #3 Ken Griffey, Jr.
Choosing the Mariners in a random lot is usually a good bet. It's not a question of if the Griffeys will appear, but how good they will be. This one's a keeper.

1997 Topps Chrome #AR14 Alex Rodrguez Refractor
Cards of this dude tend to emerge from M's lots, as well.

2005 Playoff Prime Cuts #19 Ichiro (257/449)
This guy, too.

2008 Topps Heritage Chrome #C30 Ichiro (0992/1959)
Already got one of these, so this will probably be going up for sale soon.

Up next: AL Central

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 14

2011-12-14T08:36:00.000-08:00

December 14, 2011:
1995 Upper Deck Minors #206 Yuri Sanchez

Yuri's Minor League Fielding Coach: "Yuri, Yuri... put a little more bucktooth into that throw, the ball's gotta beat the runner to first. And a make a little fart noise with the release... a little FFFFFFT. Theeeeeeeeeere you go."

In various minor leagues from 1992 to 2005. Ouch.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 13

2011-12-13T19:27:00.000-08:00

December 13, 2011:
2003 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classic Robin Yount 1982 World Series Patch #P-RY3 (066/350)

Visually, Robin Yount cards don't get much better than this. The colors. The pose. The 1982 World Series logo. Magnifique!

There's another manufactured patch Yount card in the '03 Sweet Spot Classics set. It has a different photograph on the left, it lacks a serial number, and the patch is just the Brewers logo. That card is numbered #P-RY1, and today's calendar card is #P-RY3. I've never seen a #P-RY2.

While writing this post, I found out that it does exist. It's the rarest of the three, numbered to 150, and containing an actual game-used patch. Drool.

My Secret Shame #10: Stickers With Style

2011-12-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

Holy crap, I am going nuts waiting for the group break cards to arrive. I checked the mailbox today, and all that was there was the rec department catalog. If the lot doesn't arrive by tomorrow, that seller is getting an effing earful! To tide us all over, I've decided to share another page from the sticker book

Cursive-esque writing, checkerboard motif, and a shade of orange that would make Satan cringe... this page hits the '80s sweet spot right between Punky Brewster and Blossom. Let's check out some of the stars of the "Stickers with Style" page.

If you have to choose a leadoff batter, you really can't go wrong with Pedo-Clown. He just got out of jail, he hasn't been added to the local predators list quite yet, and Joey's got a birthday party next week. Everything's looking up for Pedo-Clown. I believe this sticker is from one of those kits where you get 50,000 blank stickers to color in with six markers that last no longer than an afternoon.

At some point during my childhood, I must have passed a test where 75% of the correct answers had something to do with turning off the faucet when you're brushing your teeth. The Energy Wizard's magic is strong, but is subject to rolling blackouts.

Ugh, this has to be the worst sticker in my entire collection. What kind of sick manufacturer produces a sticker of a brown high-top shoe? Surely we had arrived at a point in human evolution where even the poorest children wouldn't be even remotely amused by a sticker featuring a shoe, even if it is a high-top. "Look at those noble laces," exclaimed Jimmy. Nope, I ain't seeing it happen.

White reindeer, blue horns, "Have a Merry..." That's three strikes right there. You're out, Rudolph. Note to self: When starting a sticker company, invest in more than four colors of ink.

I think these Ghostbusters stickers are from one of those square-format books from Troll Book Order that came with a bunch of stickers. Being the juvenile stickler for consistency that I was, I can just about guarantee you that the layout of Peter, Ray, Egon, and Slimer was exactly the same on this page as it was on the sticker sheet. That's just how I rolled.

Santa Camptosaurus, yes! I remember the Santa hat coming from a sheet of stickers that came from an insert from a magazine advertisement for some sort of hard liquor. I'm guessing my mom nixed the sticking of any of the bottle-shaped stickers from that ad, so I had to settle for the stocking cap. It was probably something like Johnnie Walker, but I'd like to pretend it was Glenlivet. Plant-eater or not, Camptosaurus settles for nothing less than name-brand Scotch.

No research necessary to figure out who this dino-chef is: That's T-Rex of the Dinersaurs, a Ralston-Purina cereal from the '80s which attempted to cash in on kids' enthusiasm for both dinosaurs and blue-collar dining establishments. I probably took a lot of ridicule for including the name from the sticker border aside the sticker proper, but cultural anthropology must never be scoffed at. Look who's having the last laugh now, hypothetical bitches from the past!

I take back what I said about the shoe sticker earlier. This is the worst sticker ever. An orange-faced viking with a brown, orange, and yellow color scheme on a hot-air balloon? Clearly this was the winning entry in some sort of Depress-the-Audience-With-a-Sticker contest.

Clearly, not the best page in the book, but there's more to come.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 12

2011-12-12T06:16:00.000-08:00

December 12, 2011:
1990 Best San Bernardino Spirit #28 Batboys

The dynamic between these two would make most men cringe. The older one was made fun of relentlessly at his high school for his extra-curricular job, mostly because he was perceived as being too old for the task. When the players and management weren't looking, he would take it out on the younger one, the one with the glasses. He gave the middle schooler the nickname "Little Bitch," with which he would torment him during games and practices. The relationship between the two was like something out of a Jack Ketchum novel.

The abuse continued until "Little Bitch" couldn't take it any more. Top prospect Roger Salkeld regrets that he was too late to stop the carnage.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 11

2011-12-11T10:04:00.001-08:00

December 11, 2011:
1985 Topps Traded #126T Bobby Valentine

Would you look at that babyface! This is Valentine's first card as a manager, and now there will probably be a few more to follow. I always thought he was entertaining, either during games or in the studio. His name popped up when both Ken Macha and Ron Roenicke were hired, and I had a hunch he would have done a good job with the Brewers.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 10

2011-12-10T14:39:00.000-08:00

December 10, 2011:
1994 Fleer Ultra X-Men #132 Mesmero

Not a character I'm familiar with. No shame in that, but that's my main struggle with comics. I stopped buying new comics about four years ago, partly because of the expense, but mostly because of the futility I felt trying to keep tabs on any single story, character, or universe. Without even going into crossovers, comics are notoriously difficult for a new reader to get into. I started buying them in 1997. I was in college and I found a five dollar bill in the street. No, really, I did. I bought a couple of Green Lantern comics, and I was hooked. In the 14 years since then, I've gained only a fraction of the understanding of what's going on in either (DC or Marvel) universe. Major crossover events used to be a once-in-a-decade phenomenon, but now it seems as if a universe has a monumental upheaval every year. The DC reboot that took place in recent months only served to further alienate me. Readers get fooled into thinking that the characters they love are supported by a sense of history, but that's not the case. Think about Action Comics. It was primed to hit issue #1,000 by the end of this decade, but the reboot stalled it at #904. What a slap in the face to loyal readers!

Let's go back to Green Lantern. If I wanted to be up on just that one character, I'd have to have read his comic, GL Corps, Blackest Night, all of the tie-ins, and probably a bunch of other stuff I don't even know about. That's a commitment, both financial and temporal, that I just can't make. And we wonder why video games have taken over...

(Yipes... what a rant. I actually like comics, I just prefer to buy them at used bookstores now. Next time I see Mesmero on a cover, I will pick it up, if only to learn.)

DVR Additions (+) Subtractions (-)

2011-12-10T08:52:00.000-08:00

...oh, it's so much more than that.

Well, hello there. Now it's time for the part of the show where I examine my recent DVR additions and discuss the thinning out process for some shows that no longer make the cut.

Recent Additions
(+) Moonshiners
This one just started a few days ago, and I watched the first episode last night. I wasn't overly impressed, and was left with more questions than answers. For starters, just what type of moonshiner is going to allow a camera crew to record their exploits? And how about the crew with the law enforcement officers? What stopping them from being like, "Well, there's these guys with a still we've been following that you might want to take a look at,"? It all comes off as being very phony to me, but I'm going to give it a few episodes to kick in.

(+) Hell on Wheels

AMC has become the go-to source for outstanding drama. The building of the transcontinental railroad and the unsavory characters surrounding it makes for some great TV. Colm Meany is excellent, and Common has an intriguing supporting role. I am a couple of episodes behind, but will try to catch up this weekend.

Recent Subtractions
(-) Sons of Guns

I am the farthest thing from a gun enthusiast, never even touched one, but I enjoyed the first season when I started catching an episode here and there. However, the show has fallen into the common sophomore reality TV trap. Actually, I hate the term reality TV. Most programs with the "reality" label are either actually high-concept game shows (like Survivor, the show I most look forward to each week), or they're television documentaries. The term "partially-scripted televised documentary" would be more appropriate. Many of these shows give viewers glimpses into interesting lives and occupations of regular people. The trap is often sprung in the second season, when the previously unknown show subjects start to become semi-famous, then balloon into caricatures of themselves. With Sons of Guns, Will, the owner, used to be a pretty normal, stern guy who might get a bit surly if you pissed him off. More recently, however, he's been playing the character of Will the Asshole, and it makes for really horrible television. The forced romantic plotline between the gunsmith with the goatee and the spiky hair (as opposed to the gunsmith with the goatee and the pushed down hair) and Will's snaggletooth daughter was incredibly stupid. Also, it became apparent that every time a cast member was in a talking head interview, they were reading off of cue cards. Consider this dumped from the DVR.

(-) Storage Wars: Texas
One episode was all I was able to give this show. Another one we watched last night, this is unwatchable compared to the original. Most of the characters from the California version the producers have attempted to duplicate here. The faux-Barry looks like a child enticement charge waiting to happen, the New York guy is a complete prick, and everyone else is just morbidly obese and speaks with the world's worst accent. If I'm going to sit down and watch people dig through junk to find strategically placed treasures, I need the comfort of knowing what role each character will play. In the original, Dave's the smug asshole, Jared and Brandi are the feuding lovers, Barry's the kook, and Darrell is the tank top enthusiast. In Texas, they're all just dipshits. I'm sticking with the original.

On the Brink
(+/-) Person of Interest

This one is right on the edge of getting booted. Jim Caviezel has the charisma of a dried out carrot, but he's balanced out by Michael Emerson, Benjamin Linus from LOST. The show has a lot of potential with its premise of there being a supercomputer that can identify people as having involvement in some sort of future crime, either as the victim or the perp. There's almost nothing memorable about the show, however. If I wanted a dull, predictable suspense show, I'd watch NCIS. Person of Interest, you have been placed on probation. Shape up soon, or you will be deleted.

El Cheapo Christmas Break Update

2011-12-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

I still haven't received the cards for the El Cheapo break. I messaged the seller yesterday, and he just got back to me. Apparently he was out of town and just got back, and he did ship the cards yesterday. We'll see if they get here tomorrow, but I'm betting on Monday.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 9

2011-12-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

December 9, 2011:
1996 Topps Stadium Club #299 Fernando Vina

That is an outstanding home plate collision! You don't usually see them happen that far off the ground. I'm counting three tippy-toes and one foot in the air. Were the rules different in 1995? Was home plate suspended from above with a rope, like in a WWF ladder match? Did the player attempting to score have to jump up and slap home?

I'd like to think Vina was safe, but he was most likely out. If this game took place during the regular season (which is very likely, as the background looks like County Stadium), I've pinpointed this moment as occurring in a June 14, 1995 day game against the Texas Rangers. Fernando Vina led off the third inning with a single. The next batter, Jose Valentin, walked, sending Vina to second. After Greg Vaughn struck out, Darryl Hamilton came to the plate. The Brew Crew pulled off a successful double steal. Vina swiped third, and Valentin took second. It appears as if Vina got a little greedy and tried to get all the way home as the throw was relayed to second. Unfortunately, Ivan Rodriguez was able to apply the high tag, and Vina was out at home.

The inning turned out okay, though. Hamilton walked, Matt Mieske reached on an error, scoring Valentin. Kevin Seitzer then hit an RBI single before a John Jaho groundout ended the inning. The winning pitcher ended up being Sid Roberson. He's a guy I've never heard of. He had 26 appearances for the Brewers in 1995, his only year in the majors. I'm in the process of organizing all of my Brewers cards by player, and I can't recall a Roberson showing up.

Spot the Mistake: Solution

2011-12-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

Here's the Yahoo sports page I had you look at earlier today.

Deal was the first one to spot the mistake, the accidental misspelling of Marshawn Lynch's name as Marshawn Lunch. It was a simple typographical error that all of us make, and Yahoo corrected it in a couple of minutes. No big deal.

On the other hand, this past weekend Yahoo made a much more unforgivable mistake. In an article licensed from Men's Health about the saddest cities in America, St. Louis made the list as the fifth most depressed city. No surprise there, I suppose. When I took a trip there as a high schooler for a club soccer tournament, my buds and I made friends with a local group of girls after handily defeating the team their friends/boyfriends were on. They wanted us to party with them, but we declined, as we still had the long drive home to make. Wait, this story gets better. When one of the girls asked my friend what we thought of their city, he replied, "It's like it got hit by radiation." So, yeah, St. Louis is still a relatively backwards place. It might be geographically in the midwest, but culturally leans to the South.

But I digress. Look at the first sentence in the story describing why STL is such a horrible place to live.

This article's author was writing under the assumption that the Cardinals had LOST the World Series. Did this story have a deadline that happened to coincide with the ninth or tenth inning of game 6? And did the story then get locked down without any ability to make changes until it was published more than a month later?
Giving the story the benefit of the doubt, I could suspend my disbelief enough to interpret the "Cards' World Series loss" line as referring to the 2004 Series against Boston. But even if you make that tremendous leap, the Cardinals went on to win the World Series two years later. Are we supposed to think that St. Louis residents, despite a relatively recent World Series victory, are still in mourning over the 4-0 sweep at the hands of the Red Sox which came two years earlier?

Even though this was the rare article where reader comments could not be left directly below it, there must have been some sort of outcry over the egregious factual error. Pulling up the same article today, I found that the mistake had been corrected.

Is there a lesson that can be learned from this? Perhaps. As one Steve Czaban, hilarious sports talk show host (who spends a good 20 minutes with a pair of morning DJ's here in Milwaukee each day) likes to say: The internet never forgets, and it's always open.

Spot the Mistake

2011-12-08T08:06:00.000-08:00

Just cleaning off the desktop here, and I came across a screen capture I took last week. Highlights For Children this ain't, but it's now your job to find the mistake on the front page of Yahoo's sports site from Thursday, December 1, 2011.

Leave a comment if you can find it. After someone guesses it, I'll be back with the correction and a rant.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 8

2011-12-08T05:52:00.000-08:00

December 8, 2011:
2006-07 Fleer Platinum Influence #PI-RF Randy Foye

Rarely do you see a baseball card (or that of another sport) show up in a photograph on another card. Rarer still, it's a card you would want to have. Indeed, I would like to own the Michael Jordan rookie card Foye is holding. Alas, there are other collecting goals that supersede such a desire. Such is the life of a collector.

Upon further review, it looks as if every player in this insert set was holding the Jordan card, even Matt Leinart and A.J. Hawk.

Dumb.
This would have been so much cooler if each player could have chosen a card of someone he idolized growing up. Granted, almost everyone idolized Jordan, but a little personalization would have been nice.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 7

2011-12-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

Today's card nearly took my hand off as I pried it from its little envelope.

1952 Topps Look 'n See #126 Leif Erickson

Kick ASS!
The Tiffani-Amber Thiessen from last week has been left completely ravaged, and I suspect that if this calendar had candy in it instead of cards, it would all be gone.

I didn't know about this set before, but I do now. If you want a much cheaper way to collect a 1952 Topps set, this might be it. The major obstacles to set completion will most likely be a Babe Ruth card and a scarce Rembrandt, #82 in the set. Here's an article that can tell you much more than I can. These cards are small, close in size to the Topps Lineage 1975 minis that came out earlier this year.

Card Show Report Part 3

2011-12-07T05:20:00.000-08:00

It's time to finally put this card show to bed. Hell, it's been over a week and I haven't gotten to my first two goals yet. Let's see how I did.

Goal #2: New Yount
A general, unspoken rule of a Milwaukee card show goes like this: If you put a Robin Yount jersey card out on an Every Card Five Bucks table, don't expect it to be there for long. This is 2005 Upper Deck SP Authentic #82 Game-Used Stripe (014/199). I haven't even checked yet, but I might even have this card.

*Runs to check.*

Nope, I just had the base card, so this certainly qualifies as "New Yount."
Got a couple more.

1992 Upper Deck All-Star FanFest All-Star Heroes Gold Parallel #44
This card has been in and out of my COMC cart a few times. Waiting paid off, as I was able to knock a few cents off the price.

1993 Police (Wausau)
This is the fifth of these that I have, all form different police forces. Wausau is in north-central Wisconsin. Imagine a dartboard with an outline of the state on it. Wausau is the bull's-eye. On the back, Robin warns of the dangers of drugs. "Call it what you want, pot, grass, crack, speed, angel dust, or coke..." I'm going to go with angel dust, Mr. Yount. (Speaking of which, here's a link to the old anti-drug commercial where the dealer turns into a snake. That's great and all, but the one I remember more was the one where the dealer says something like, "You like flying? I got something that'll really make you fly." Can anyone back me up on this? I can't seem to find it on YouTube.)

Goal #1: Beat-up Vintage
More than I usually pay for a 1959 Topps card, but I had to have this one. I still think it's a steal.
1959 Topps #419 Milwaukee Braves / Checklist

The rest of these were 40 cents apiece. I would have grabbed more, but eventually the condition of the cards in the pile got into places even I don't care to venture. There's a '59 Whitey Herzog with a bite out of it that I've seen appear at every show over at least the past two years.
1959 Topps #406 Solly Drake

1959 Topps #29 Jim Bolger
Grabbed Grandma's glasses by mistake.

1959 Topps #109 Bob Schmidt
This is my favorite of the bunch, with a possible burn mark in the upper left corner. In your left hand you can hold your Chesterfield non-filter, or you can hold your Bob Schmidt card, but you can't do both. This card paid the ultimate price for one man's hubris.

1959 Topps #98 Arnie Portocarrero

1959 Topps #403 Clem Labine
Beautiful signature despite the near-catastrophe resulting from trying to do too much within his first name. That being said, Labine seems like a guy I should know more about. Relief pitchers just didn't get the same respect back in his day.

1957 Topps #155 Jim Brosnan
At last, a doctored card. This card must have been altered somewhere in the years 1959-1963, Brosnan's years with the Reds. However, was the line through the "Chicago" on the jersey really necessary?

There you have it, my trip to the card show. There were a few random Brewers unworthy of posting here, but you got to see most of my haul.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 6

2011-12-06T12:28:00.000-08:00

December 6, 2011:
1993 Score Select #71 Cory Snyder

In retrospect, don't you think ALL of Cory Snyder's cards, regardless of brand, going forward from 1987, ought to have been emblazoned with a Topps Rookie Cup?

Nice shoes, jackass. Have fun trying to round second in those.

El Cheapo Christmas Break Randomization

2011-12-06T05:50:00.000-08:00

I'm expecting the huge lot for the El Cheapo break to arrive either today or tomorrow, so I've gone ahead and chosen some of the unclaimed teams so there are just enough left to randomize for the plus-one option. The teams with no owner are:
Angels
Rangers
Indians
Royals
Twins
Rays
Pirates
Astros
Diamondbacks
Rockies
Nationals/Expos
Marlins

I then randomized the names of everyone who requested the +1 option.

Here is the resulting master list:
TEAMS
1. Angels - IkesCards
2. Athletics - jschris
3. Rangers - Zpop (Traded to Thorzul)
4. Mariners - Thorzul
5. White Sox - Thorzul
6. Indians - Thorzul
7. Royals - The Diamond King
8. Twins -FanOfReds
9. Tigers - Thorzul
10. Red Sox - Zpop
11. Yankees - The Diamond King
12. Blue Jays - D a V e
13. Orioles - Kevin
14. Rays - Thorzul (Traded to dayf)
15. Cubs - Tom
16. Cardinals - IkesCards
17. Brewers - Thorzul
18. Pirates - dayf (Traded to Thorzul)
19. Astros - Thorzul
20. Reds - FanOfReds
21. Padres - BS
22. Diamondbacks - Thorzul
23. Dodgers - Stealing Home
24. Giants - BS
25. Rockies - BS
26. Braves - dayf
27. Nationals/Expos - Thorzul (Traded to Zpop)
28. Mets - Thorzul
29. Phillies - daddyohoh
30. Marlins - BS

Trading is now open. Please propose and confirm your trades in the comments. Good luck!

December Mega-Group Break: "HOLY SHIT" Edition

2011-12-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

Great, great box. Hope to feature this product again in a future break, but they're getting hard to come by.

MONSTER HIT!!!
Babe Ruth Jersey (27/50)

Congrats on landing this one, BS. In the past two weeks, one of these has sold for more than $180.00 shipped, and another one went for more than $170. Odd to see three of the fifty of these in existence in such a short period of time. I've been experiencing a lot of synchronicity lately, like I'll be typing a word and right at that moment, someone on TV will say it. It's happened at least three times in the last couple of days.

Jason Giambi Patch-Jersey-Hat (12/35)

I think this is the first hat card I've owned, but I can't place what part of the Oakland hat this would be from.

Al Kaline AUTO (007/150)

Love the James Bond serial number on this. Kaline did have a license to kill, but never used it. I know sewingmachineguy wanted a Verlander, but I think this is better.

Bo Jackson / Joe Borchard / Carlos Lee / Charles Johnson Bat x4 (032/150)

Bo Jackson was the man.
Seriously, I feel bad for those of you who skipped this break. Hopefully this will put us back on track for some great pulls.

Also, what did you think of my spontaneously slipping into Borat mode when the Ruth card was pulled? Looking for some feedback here.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 5

2011-12-05T06:32:00.000-08:00

December 5, 2011:
2004-05 Parkhurst #471 Anson Carter

The weed in Vancouver must be pretty good, if a Rastafarian hockey player can hit the ice later that day still baked to the hilt. I don't think I've ever seen a player giggling that much during a faceoff.

By the way, "Hockey Rastafarian" is the working title for the Adult Swim cartoon I'm currently developing.

Topps Diamond Giveaway Haul: 1965

2011-12-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

Last one of these. This was the oldest card I ended up with in the Topps Diamond Giveaway.

1965
#163 John Briggs

Despite numerous trade offers, I held onto this card. First of all, 1965 Topps is pretty enough to take to the prom. And second, Johnny Briggs became a mainstay on some of the early Brewers teams. This is Briggs' second Topps card, the first being a '64 Phillies Rookie Stars card he shared with Danny Cater.

And that's all she wrote with the TDG. See you next year, maybe, if I decide to buy any Topps Series 1.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 4

2011-12-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

2009 Rittenhouse Star Trek #L13 "The Cage" Lenticular

At first glance, I knew there was something not quite right about this card. The moves looked familiar, but that guy is no James T. Kirk. The image used for this card is from the original Star Trek pilot episode, which remained unaired until 1988. An actor named Jeffrey Hunter played Captain Christopher Pike. NBC hated the pilot, and ordered Gene Roddenberry to punch up the material a bit. The result was the two-part pilot called "The Menagerie," starring William Shatner as Captain Kirk.

Christopher Pike is apparently referenced in several future Trek series. All of this was news to me, as, if I had to pigeonhole myself, I'm more of a Next Generation guy. The lenticular motion on this card is great, with the lovely blonde tenderly laying her head against Pike's chest. This episode is available on the remastered season three DVD set.

El Cheapo Christmas Break Reminder

2011-12-04T05:30:00.000-08:00

Just a quick reminder that the December El Cheapo group break is open with a few good teams left. Join now!

And pay up if you haven't done so yet!

Suck It, Michigan State!

2011-12-03T21:07:00.000-08:00

Remember, folks... they aren't given scholarships because of their academic performance.

Earlier in the day, I made disparaging comments about the perceived lack of intelligence on the part of students at Michigan State University. Turns out, a play steeped in stupidity clinched the Rose Bowl berth for the Badgers.

Thank you, guy who ran into the kicker.

BIG TEN CHAMPS!

Maybe You Can Help Me On This...

2011-12-03T15:54:00.001-08:00

I'm under the impression that if you live in the state of Michigan and have at least half a brain, you go to Michigan.

If you're a fucking idiot, you go to Michigan State.

Concurrence?

GO BADGERS!!!

Completion: Bow-man... BOH. MAN. B-O-O-O-O-OH-MAN

2011-12-03T13:13:00.000-08:00

This week I made a trade with Kary, who happens to live in northern Wisconsin. Included in this trade were the last three cards I needed for the 1989 Bowman set.
At the time of printing, of the three, Rico Brogna was the only sure-fire first ballot Hall-of-Famer.

#102 Rico Brogna

#9 Cal Ripken, Jr.

#479 Tracy Jones

So Tracy Jones is kind of a weird guy, yes?

This was reportedly Kary's first online trade. If he proposes a trade with you, he's got my recommendation.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 3

2011-12-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

Reflecting on the past two days, I've realized how unpleasant-looking the first treats from this calendar have been. I'm hoping that something more aesthetically pleasing comes out of door 3.

1992 Pacific Saved By the Bell #25 Tiffani-Amber Thiessen

Ask, and ye shall receive.
The back of this card contains stats (actually biographical information) in the form of "Tiffani's Report Card." While I accept the premise that Tiffani's favorite foods are Cuban, Chinese, and Japanese, I'm not buying her response about her musical tastes. Under the subheading "Music," she says, "Any music except Country." This is the pat answer for people who say they like music from all genres, but only like the bland, palatable, Top 40 pop music with barely recognizable genre undertones. If she really liked any music, she'd have no problem listening to the likes of Cannibal Corpse, "The Fast Food Song," or even John Cage's "4:33."

I say we strap her down and force her to listen to Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music. If she's still smiling, then I'll admit that, yes, she enjoys listening to any kind of music (except country).

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 2

2011-12-02T06:59:00.000-08:00

2002 Topps Stadium Club #119 Manuel Ramirez

Lucky hat or not, that's disgusting.

I mean, hook a brother up with some Tide. Christ, Gain, even, if you're poor.

The calendar this year so far has been pretty unpleasant to look at. Hoping that changes soon.

El Cheapo Christmas Break Is Open!

2011-12-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

Since there will end up being very few packages to mail out from the regular December group break, I'll also be holding one one of my famous El Cheapo breaks. These cards will come from the same seller that the August Break came from. If you remember correctly, there were a ton of refractors, many recent inserts, lots of chrome, et cetera. My famous 100 Best Finds thread that ran all summer long was also form the same seller, with more jerseys and AUTOS than refractors. I'm assuming we're going to get something similar to one of these lots, maybe a nice mix of the two.

There will be one change, however. For your benefit and mine, I'm going to be subtracting all of the junk wax from these lots. If there are commons from, say, 1986 to 1993, I'm not going to mail them to you. For example, let's say you have the Padres. If a 1986 Fleer Tony Gwynn is on the lot, I'll send it to you. If a 1987 Topps Tim Pyznarski shows up, it's going into a junk box that I'll give away to my students. Keeping the junk cards out of the hands of the USPS will save money on postage, and I'll pass that savings on to you. In August, each team lot was $10, with a +1 random leftover team option for $15. This time, any team of your choice will cost you $9.50, and the +1 option will go for $14.00. Claim as many tams as you would like. (Does that last sentence really say "tams?" It's supposed to say "teams." No one will be receiving a Tam o'Shanter this month. Those I'm saving for my January 25 giveaway, celebrating the birth of Robert Burns.)

If you want in on this, leave a comment and send your PayPal payment to:
bill13boehm@yahoo.com
Please don't forget to add your screen name, team, and address as a note with the payment.

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

December Mega-Group Break: 2005 Donruss Prime Patches

2011-12-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

Here's the 2005 Donruss Prime Patches box. Nothing amazing, but solid from top to bottom.

THE HITS:
CC Sanathia Patch (049/136)

Johnny Damon Jumbo Jersey (031/155)

B.J. Upton Bat (067/150)

Jason Jennings Jersey/Fielding Glove/Shoe (149/150)

Andruw Jones Jersey/Jersey (044/150)
Just a hint of red stitching on the white swatch.

Michael Young Jersey/Jersey/AUTO (019/150)

Matt Williams AUTO

Livan Hernandez AUTO

The second box is on its way, hopefully here by the end of the week.

2011 Card-vent Calendar: December 1

2011-12-01T06:28:00.000-08:00

This year's manufacturer of the Card-vent Calendar went positively elementary school in his approach to the design. This thing looks like it was sopping wet with glue, as if constructed by a first grader bold enough to eschew the "Little Dab'll Do Ya" mantra. Glitter, construction paper, and the overwhelming desire to be the first one finished, no matter what the cost, were what went into this year's calendar.

Well, that and love.

Let's pry open that first envelope, see what's inside.

1997-98 Upper Deck Collector's Choice #354 Gheorghe Muresan

Basketball??? On the first day of Card-vent???
Professionals aren't even playing basketball yet. Card-vent will technically be over by the time players aside from those at Ohio State are playing basketball for money. (Although this year's calendar comes with a rare 25th door. Screw that noise, by that time I'd have already opened up my requisite one-on-Christmas-Eve present, and Card-vent was OVER. I wonder what's in #25?)

Anyways, good ol' Georgie Muresan isn't a bad specimen. My Giant, anyone? Also, I never knew Muresan sported a John Waters 'stache. I guess I need to keep up better on all things Muresan, like this Gheorghe Muresan Super Collector. Although for my money, Manute Bol was my all-time favorite freakishly tall player. When I was maybe seven or eight and went to my fist Bucks game, they were playing the Bullets. At that time, I was flabbergasted by Bol's height. My the time Muresan came along, Shawn Bradley had already arrived on the scene, and skyscraper big men had become a dime a dozen.

Yet, I'm still holding out hope that they can find a way to work Rik Smits into an episode of Parks and Recreation. Detlef Schrempf has already appeared in a cameo, and now I'd like to see Aziz Ansari's Tom Haverford hire him to do something around the office. Entertainment 720 is no more, but my fingers are still crossed.

Topps Diamond Giveaway Haul: 1972

2011-11-30T18:19:00.000-08:00

1972
#261 Steve Mingori

To answer your question, jerkoff Topps Diamond Giveaway members, no, I will most certainly not trade you my 1972 Topps Steve Mingori for your 1973 Topps Steve Mingori. You may now go about your business.

By the way, can anyone let me know where (with card numbers) each series of 1972 Topps begins and ends? My go-to source for set information, BaseballCardPedia, does not include this information.

Card Show Report Part 2

2011-11-30T10:43:00.000-08:00

Alright, enough with other people's cards, it's time to show off what I picked up for myself at this weekend's card show. By the way, did you know that the complex in which this show is held has a bowling alley in it? I'd say about 10-12 lanes, with what looked to be at least some Miller Lite on tap. Acquire some High Life or PBR and I'm there. Not open on Sunday mornings, though.

Before leaving, I set some collecting goals. I'll work my way backwards through these in the report posts.

Goal #4: Completely Random
This is the one goal I did the most poorly on. It would be safe to say that nothing I bought was truly random. The closest I came was picking up some Brewers cards for a few of my player collections. My Yount cards are all recorded in a rigidly structured database. Prince, Braun, Gallardo, etc... these just get slipped into a binder. Here are two of my best "randoms."
2009 Upper Deck A Piece of History Box Score Memories #BSM-RB Ryan Braun Game-Used Jersey
I'm a sucker for Brewers cards with green color schemes, so picking this off the $5 table was a no-brainer.

2007 Just Minors #JAPr-07 Yovani Gallardo
I'm glad Yovani's not Japanese, or else I'd be offended by that extremely odd card number. From the back I can tell that JAPr stands for Just Autographs Preview. Hate the name, love the hair.

Goal #3: Want Lists
I certainly picked the right time to hit this show. My low-grade commons guy had a small stack of 1971-72 Topps Basketball, the set I'm currently collecting. The price was 10 for $4.00. No stars, but I picked out 10 NBA players. Those seem slightly harder to find than the ABA cards in the second half of the set.

Same guy also had this sweet Finals Game #2 card I needed. That's Alcindor in the foreground, ready to rebound Jon McGlocklin's rainbow J, should it not go in. Unlikely, as the Bucks shot .509 from the field as a team that year. Not sure if it's still the record or not.

My final set builder card was the last thing I picked up on the day. A Buck for a buck, #59 Bob Dandridge. The dollar I gave the seller (which itself came as change from another dealer) was so flimsy as to almost be transparent. I think the other dollars in my wallet were making fun of it. So let's say I actually got this card for 87 cents, shall we?

Thanks for reading, the third and final part will be coming soon.

December Mega-Group Break Randomization

2011-11-30T07:38:00.001-08:00

Well, I got tired of waiting for others to join, so I picked up the remaining group break slots. I picked the Athletics, Twins, Red Sox, Orioles, Cubs, Reds, Dodgers, and Giants. The ramdomization of the participants' names came out like this:

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

Trading is officially open. The Prime Patches box is scheduled to arrive first. Good luck!

Stubs: 2002

2011-11-29T05:17:00.000-08:00

I've just realized it's been over a year since I've done one of these ticket stub posts, and I really need to get my envelope of tickets off my Blu-ray shelf. So, here we go.

The decade-and-a-half since 1997 has been a golden age for professional soccer in Milwaukee. The outdoor Rampage won the A-League (second division) championship twice (but have since folded) and the indoor Wave have won five world titles. I'm much more partial to the outdoor game, and I have a ton of Rampage tickets from 2002. Here are some of the best.
It's always a major coup to beat a team from a league higher than yours, and the Rampage did just that in 2002, defeating the Chicago Fire in Milwaukee. I remember declaring loudly after the final whistle, "Once again, a team from Wisconsin has made a team from Chicago its bitch!" That one got a lot of laughs.

Later that summer, we lost to the Kansas City Wizards. Nothing to be ashamed of, however, as MLS teams have won all but one U.S. Open Cup since they have taken part in the competition.

I also have a pair of stubs fro the playoffs. Seeing that Vancouver Whitecaps ticket makes me wish someone would have pulled the trigger on an MLS team here. Vancouver's got one, and they suck. We beat the Richmond Kickers in the title game in Milwaukee. Not as memorable as the 1997 trophy, but it solidified the franchise's place in history.

The Wave went to the finals that year after beating Baltimore in the semis, but lost a really close game 3 to the Philadelphia Kixx at home.

This ticket must of been on the forefront of the Scan, Don't Tear admission movement. Yes, this is a coveted full ticket to a Marquette/Elon basketball game. I believe the hole punch means I was granted entrance to a luxury box at the Bradley Center. In case you want to know my thoughts on the matter, December basketball sucks. This game was so lopsided, I remember Jerry Sichting's son getting into the game.

It's not all sports here in Milwaukee. We've got culture, too! This production of Moby Dick was awesome. I'd never seen such balls-out effort on set design and special effects in a play before. Plus, it gave me the rare opportunity to be in the presence of a large number of white people.

As per the custom with these posts, you get to see the first and last movie I saw that year. Coincidentally, those were the first two installments of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. I really need to watch those again.

This is a stub from some sort of UW-Milwaukee event. It could be anything, really. I'm guessing basketball had better designed tickets, so I'm narrowing it down to men's soccer and women's volleyball. I've been to each of those events at some time in the past, so I'm going with them as possibilities.

Here's a perfect example of the hoity-toity nature of private schools. This is a Marquette men's soccer ticket stub. Compare that to the UWM stub. And, oh yeah, were were in Conference USA back then. Marquette joining your conference is a death knell.
MCC? Dead.
Great Midwest? Dead.
C-USA? On life support.
Big East? Well, that's not exactly fair, but it's going to be a shell of its former self soon if it survives.

Those are my favorite tickets from 2002. Stay tuned for more.

Topps Diamond Giveaway Haul: 1973

2011-11-28T14:31:00.000-08:00

All three of the Diamond Giveaway cards you are about to see were obtained naturally and withstood the onslaught of trade offers. Though I'm not sure why there were so many of those.

1973
#238 Tony Muser
White Sox players in the red color scheme are automatic keepers. However, I mainly hung on to this Muser card because I remember him being one of the Brewers coaches when I was a kid. Apparently he was being groomed to take the managerial post in the mid-1980s, but Tom Trebelhorn skipped ahead of him.

#298 Ron Bryant
This card is 1973 Topps in a nutshell.
Subject of card in the background? Check.
Opposing player larger than subject of card? Check.
Vast backgrounds of infinite darkness? Check.

#42 Mike Andrews
Another card typical of this set. Andrews is turning two in spectacular fashion, but the photographer was sitting in the upper deck. I know there are some of you out there who love to pinpoint the particular date, game, and even play depicted on a card. Any ideas on this one?

You know what? I'll try to figure it out for myself.
The player sliding into second appears to be on the Red Sox or Tigers. Frank Howard wore #33 for the Tigers, but they did not play the White Sox any later than July 19, and Howard was acquired around September 1. Pitcher Marty Pattin wore #33 for the Red Sox in 1972, pitched against the White Sox twice, but failed to reach base in any of his plate appearances.

Another possibility is that #33 is a California Angel. I found out that first baseman Bob Oliver wore #33 for the Angels in 1972. In a game played at Anaheim Stadium on September 17, Oliver reached base to lead off bottom of the second inning on a passed ball strikeout. The next batter, Doug Howard, grounded to third and Mike Andrews made the putout at second, which means that #33 Oliver was out at second. This is the best I could come up with after searching for about an hour. However, I think the Angels had red numbers on their uniforms in 1972. Plus, I'm not sure that #33 on the card is even black. Groan.

Other AL teams with dark helmets and numbers that I've ruled out:
Yankees - No #33
Twins - No #33
Rangers - #33 Frank Howard not found in any out-at-second situation.

Let's look at who's left:
Orioles: No #33
Indians: #33 pitcher Lowell Palmer, no plate appearances in 1972
Brewers: Uniform not even close
Athletics: Ditto
Royals: Ditto

So Bob Oliver is my closest guess, though I'd welcome anyone to prove me wrong. (And who knows, this is probably a Spring Training game, where everything's up for grabs.)

December Mega-Group Break Pot Sweetener!!!

2011-11-28T06:35:00.000-08:00

This is reposting of the first group break announcement post, with one minor... no, make that MAJOR change. The sign-up has been really slow so far, and I really don't want to pick up the remaining slots. So this will be my Christmas gift to the group breakers. If each of the eight remaining slots in this break fill up, I will randomize the names of all the participants, and one person will be refunded $25 of their group break fee. This will apply to all existing participants (not including me), as well as the eight new ones. Existing participants are encouraged to claim more slots, since each slot will add your name one more time to the randomization list. Give yourself a 1-in-14 chance of getting 25 bucks back! Let's fill this break!

Like we did last year, the stakes will be raised for the December group break. You're spending all kinds of money on presents for the kids, so why not treat yourself? Come on, you can do better than that Fraggle Stick Car that Junior keeps going on and on about!
This year, we're going to open a box of two different products from 2005.
The first in 2005 Donruss Prime Patches. This product has a whopping 8 hits per box, with a couple of them in the Oh My God range.

The other is a box of 2005 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia Update. The big hits in this box are going to be just as silly, with a good mix of then-current and former players.

With a high price tag on both boxes, the cost of the break is going to be higher than normal, too.
A two-team slot will cost you $51.00. You get one team of your choice, and the other will be assigned to you randomly. If you want, I will give a discount on a four-team slot (two of your choice, two random) for $100.00. (Canadian residents, please add $1.00 per slot.) As always, please include your screen name, team(s) chosen, and shipping address with your payment.
Immediate payment can be sent via PayPal to: bill13boehm@yahoo.com

1. Angels -
2. Athletics - Thorzul
3. Rangers -
4. Mariners -
5. White Sox -
6. Indians -
7. Royals -
8. Twins - Thorzul
9. Tigers - sewingmachineguy (paid)
10. Red Sox - Thorzul
11. Yankees - BS (paid)
12. Blue Jays - D a V e (paid)
13. Orioles - Thorzul
14. Rays -
15. Cubs - Thorzul
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 -

Card Show Report Part 1

2011-11-27T12:50:00.000-08:00

The cold, hard reality of this day was that I got to the card show at the wrong time. Yet, in another way, I got there just at the right time. I felt like I was in a rush, even though as I'm typing this, the show is still scheduled to go on for another hour. Some of the dealers were starting to pack up their tables when I was nowhere ready to leave. At this point in a show, however, the prices start to drop as sellers try to get as far into the black as possible. In this first post, I will show what I got for Zpop.

Zpop requested Washington Senators and Boston Red Sox. In a note he sent with his forty dollars, Zpop wrote, "My ideal would probably be to get vintage Senators, but I trust your judgment." Let the record state that someone once trusted my judgment. I suppose it helps that it's someone who hasn't ever met me, but I'll take what I can get. Well, I think Zpop will be happy with my choices. Let's start from the least expensive cards and work our way up.

Cheapo Senators
These I got from my favorite dealer. He had a box of low-grade vintage cards that were going for 50 cents apiece, with a 10-for-$4.00 incentive deal. I picked up a few of these for myself, and was lucky enough to snag some 1967 and 1968 Sens. for $0.40 each. That Frank Bertaina is in rough shape, but you have to respect a guy who wears a hat like that. He just looks like the type of guy who, when he got pulled from a game, sat in the dugout with a piece of hay coming out of one corner of his mouth and one of those foot-long Slo-pokes dangling from the other.

1960 Topps Red Sox
Since I was able to find so many Senators, I went pretty light on Sox. The seller these cards came from had two prices listed on each penny sleeve; the top shows the book value, the bottom is his price. I found the prices fair and bought a bunch from this guy.

1960 Topps Senators
I don't know much about any of these guys, but I'm guessing this is a nice head start on a '60 Topps team set. Steve Korchek's glasses are outstanding.

I topped off the purchase with a 1960 Topps Senators Coaches card. The quality of the copy on the backs of these cards never ceases to amaze me. The lot of these 1960 Topps cards came to $8.00 total with a nice seller's discount. I will be sure to visit him again.

1968 #320 Frank Howard
The last seller I bought from had more than half of his stuff put away. I had visited his table earlier and made a mental note. I quick grabbed this Frank Howard and this...

1966 Topps #70 Carl Yastrzemski
The bottom left corner of this card is a little sketchy, but the price was right. The Howard above was $2 and this Yaz was only $8. Half price, baby!

That's it for Zpop. I'd imagine I'm making his wife/girlfriend happy by sending one of his twenties back with his card haul. All in all, this was a fun experience that I'm looking forward to repeating in the future.

Card Show Pre-Game

2011-11-27T07:07:00.000-08:00

Well, today is the day I'll be hitting up the Serb Hall Card Show. Reader Zpop was the only person who took me up on my offer to be a straw buyer for him. He sent $40, and later I'll be showing whatever I'll be able to find for him.

As for myself, I've decided to sit down and write some goals for my excursion. Going in with a plan seems to be a good idea for today.

GOALS
1. Beat-up vintage
I hope to find at least a couple of really cheap cards from the '50s due to their condition. Ink mustaches, perfectly round corners, and owners' names on the front will be on my radar.
2. New Yount
I must purchase at least one Robin Yount card that's new to my collection.
3. Want Lists
I'm not looking to completely close out any set, but some progress would be nice.
4. Completely Random
I'd like to come home with at least a couple items that are spur-of-the-moment purchases. Whether it's $3 box of 1989 Fleer or a card with a piece of dress worn by an actress who never appeared in color, I want to surprise myself today.

If you're in the area, feel free to join me. If you want to stop and say hi, I'll be wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates cap and a red hoodie. Full report to follow later today.

Topps Diamond Giveaway Haul: 1974

2011-11-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

1974
#178 Garry Maddox

Everyone and their mother wanted to trade me for this card. I suppose I generally would have accepted offers of older cards for more recent ones, but the 1973/74 Corollary flies in the face of this doctrine. I've always liked the '74 set, although I wish the backs, with their dark green ink, were easier to read. Always better than '73 in my book. This was another natural redemption, and it fit well within the scope of my search for beards and hair, as Maddox is seen here sporting plenty of each.

While Garry accomplished much in his career, including eight straight Gold Gloves and the 1980 World Series, the best clip I could find on YouTube was the tough 10th inning he had in the clinching game of the 1978 NLCS for the Dodgers against his Phillies. His error on Dusty Baker's fly ball allowed LA to keep the inning alive. The next batter, Bill Russell, hit a ball that skipped past Maddox, allowing Ron Cey to score from second. Cey probably would have scored anyway, but the fact that Maddox couldn't come up with it made it academic.

December Mega-Group Break Reminder

2011-11-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

Are you crazy? Sign up for this! Possibly the coolest products ever in a Thorzul group break.

Trade Me Anything V #15

2011-11-23T01:38:00.000-08:00

Ztrade for zcards from Zpop...

This trade was so chock-full of want list goodness! There were even cards in there I didn't know I wanted that I wanted! Here are five of my favorites.

1. 2010 Topps Allen & Ginter National Animals #NA3 Falcon - Iceland
"You saved us a lot of money on car insurance. I used that money to buy a falcon. Ergo, you bought me a falcon."

2. 2011 Topps Gumball Champions Mini #KC-10 Ichiro
I actually had this one in my cart at CheckOutMyCards, and I've just happily removed it.
"You saved me 50 cents by sending me an Ichiro. I used that money to buy a sticky hand from a vending machine. Ergo, you bought me a sticky hand."

3. 2010 Upper Deck Season Biography #SB-87 Prince Fielder (w/Ryan Braun cameo)
A team that goes 82-79 is a winning team, yes?
Then quit your fucking complaining.
That is all.

4. 2008 Topps Chrome #11 Yovani Gallardo Copper Parallel (428/599)
Awesome, awesome card. This will look good next to all of the other Yo cards with the same pose.

5. 2008 Topps Chome #165 Chris Carpenter X-fractor
Still working on this X-fractor set, and I really appreciate the help. Down to needing 59 more of these, still a lot, but no longer impossible.

Zthanks, Zpop!

The Face of American Football, Circa 1992

2011-11-22T14:47:00.000-08:00

A quick once-over of my storage room indicated a need to pitch some stuff out. The first to go will be this picture atlas, a book I have saved since cleaning out my classroom last spring for the sole purpose of blogging about it. The picture below tells you all you need to know about the rigorous quality controls that all scanned photos here at the Thorzul Will Rule home office must pass.

The Library of Congress information lets us know that this atlas was first published in 1992. Another clue as to the book's relatively old age is the "Room 30" designation on the inside cover. Ever since I have been at my school, room numbers have always been in the triple digits.

Let's flip to the United States page to find the reason this book was worth keeping.
A fan of one of the other 31 inferior professional outdoor football teams in this country might have glanced over this superlative detail. No, not the misplaced computer symbol hovering just north of Los Angeles, although it certainly does belong in a location closer to San Francisco. I'm looking at the off-shore picture of a football player.

To the untrained eye, this is merely a generic #7 for an undetermined green-and-yellow football team. The astute observer easily recognize, however, the unmistakable countenance (even with mullet obscured) of legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback Don Majkowski.

In fact, even the laziest of Google image searches found a couple of photos that clearly served as the basis for the atlas sketch.

Yes, for the most fleeting of moments, likely in the glow of 1989's Packers/Bears "Replay Game," Don Majkowski was THE physical embodiment of sport in America. At least Labybird Books of Auburn, Maine, thought so.

Topps Diamond Giveaway Haul: 1975

2011-11-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

This is one of those cards that people wanted me to trade to them. I held onto it purely out of spite.

1975
#237 Carl Morton

Contrary to popular belief, Carl was not the model for the girl on canisters of Morton Salt. Carl did get caught in a fierce rainstorm, he was carrying a large umbrella, and he was wearing a yellow raincoat that was three sizes too short for him. His family has never been compensated.

Forget it, that was stupid. Let's just work on finding the answer to the trivia question on the back of this card:
Which NFL owner once played major league baseball?

December Mega-Group Break Is Open!

2011-11-21T14:10:00.000-08:00

Like we did last year, the stakes will be raised for the December group break. You're spending all kinds of money on presents for the kids, so why not treat yourself? Come on, you can do better than that Fraggle Stick Car that Junior keeps going on and on about!
This year, we're going to open a box of two different products from 2005.
The first in 2005 Donruss Prime Patches. This product has a whopping 8 hits per box, with a couple of them in the Oh My God range.

The other is a box of 2005 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia Update. The big hits in this box are going to be just as silly, with a good mix of then-current and former players.

With a high price tag on both boxes, the cost of the break is going to be higher than normal, too.
A two-team slot will cost you $51.00. You get one team of your choice, and the other will be assigned to you randomly. If you want, I will give a discount on a four-team slot (two of your choice, two random) for $100.00. (Canadian residents, please add $1.00 per slot.) As always, please include your screen name, team(s) chosen, and shipping address with your payment.
Immediate payment can be sent via PayPal to: bill13boehm@yahoo.com

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

Yes, I do realize this is a bit early, but with the holidays coming up I want to beat the Christmas shipping rush.

Let Me Buy Your Straw (Or Something Like That)

2011-11-21T07:17:00.000-08:00

Next Sunday, I am planning on going to a card show. To liven things up a bit, I'd like to do some shopping for you.

Here's what I'm thinking. At a local card show (if they have them in your area), you are going to pay a premium for the home team players. Yes, the selection of Brewers is much bigger in Milwaukee, but you will pay more for, say, a Yovani Gallardo relic card than you would in a place like Phoenix or Seattle. Or maybe you keep seeing the same old sellers and you've picked over anything of theirs that interests you.

Here's where you can actually take advantage of this trend. If you send me some cash along with some buying parameters, I will do some shopping for you. However much money you send me, I will try to fulfill a general wish list with that money, minus a couple of bucks for the cost of shipping the cards back to you. I don't even know if anyone will want to participate in this, but it's worth a shot. I'm taking a maximum of five participants. If this interests you, leave a comment. Please make sure you send your cash to me so it arrives before this coming Sunday. The money, along with your address and your team/player/set preferences to:
Bill Boehm
1916 N. 52nd St.
Milwaukee, WI 53208

Please be reasonable with your wish lists. If you're going to have something specific like "1956 Topps #129, 253, 302...," then also ask for something general like "Pittsburgh Pirates." (And just so you know, all unspent money will be returned, of course.)

If you feel like taking a reasonable gamble and you're in the mood for a surprise, now's the time to jump in!

Trade Me Anything V #14

2011-11-20T18:22:00.000-08:00

This one's from Chris in New York.

Thanks Chris, I appreciate the Brewers and old-school Bucks. Lots of great inserts in there, too!

Wii Schmii

2011-11-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

This is how Thorzul is spending his Saturday night.

Hope this makes dayf feel a little bit better.

Try to stay out of the cemeteries, kiddies. Those flying eyeball things will FUCK. YOU. UP.

YOU KNOW BAGU?

2011-11-19T18:22:00.001-08:00

THEN I CAN HELP YOU CROSS.

Topps Diamond Giveaway Haul: 1977

2011-11-18T15:37:00.000-08:00

1977... at last we've arrive back to a year when I wasn't yet born. The highlight of this sports year had to be Marquette winning the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The championship game victory over North Carolina proved to be coach Al Mcguire's last, and believe me when I say that he is still beloved 'round these parts, God bless his soul. Let's get to the cards.

1977
#240 Ron LeFlore
After another card that has not been shown, I'd have to say that this was the most trade requested non-Die-Cut card in my virtual collection. Maybe it's because of Ron's amazing life story. In a break from tradition, all of what you will read here is true. Ron was discovered playing ball in prison, where he was doing 5-15 for armed robbery. Billy Martin, then the Tigers manager, scouted LeFlore, offered him a tryout and then a contract, got Ron out on parole, then put him in the minors. LeFlore made the Tigers roster a few years later, but by that time Martin was gone. The most amazing part of this, however, is that LeFlore's story was documented in a made-for-TV-movie One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story in 1978. The actor playing LeFlore? LeVar Burton.

Let me break it down for you.
An actor we all know and love named LeVar... played a guy named LeFlore... as well as a Star Trek character named La Forge. That's spectacularly awesome!

#293 Jack Brohamer

That's just an awesome last name. I have a brother-in-law named Joe, and we sometimes call him Broseph, but Brohamer is almost as good. I think it might become my pen name for future novels.