Had a short Black Friday hounding opportunity and we'll also cover a box break from the Black Friday sale at Triple Cards up in Plano. I hit up the store in the early afternoon, getting a Jumbo box of 13-14 Score Hockey, as well as two bonus Panini and Topps Black Friday packs. I also picked up two of their sig/GU mystery envelopes. We'll get to all of that in a moment.
Later on, Gen and I went on down to the AAC as the Stanley Cup was on display, along with Stu Barnes signing autographs. In addition to getting five cards signed by Stu (one with each team he played for), I also got The Keeper of the Cup, Phil Pritchard, to sign an index card for me (even adding "Keeper of the Cup" to it).
Am I the only one who found it to be in slightly questionable taste for the Stars to have Barnes as the signer for a night the Cup was on display when he was the only member of the Stars' Alumni Association to have played for the Sabres in 1999, the year the Stars beat them for the Cup? Not complaining much, I've always liked Stu. Former Penguin.
Also, apparently Andrew Miller has convinced himself that he did nothing wrong. All of you who got dicked over by him are to blame in his mind. Typical criminal thinking. Apparently he also is back posting on TAC-- I've been told dallashockeyfan is his name there.
Anyways, the box break. I love the Score Jumbo packs from this season. 52 cards per pack, 10 packs per box, 4 hits per box. Not bad. The packs are arranged as two rows of five packs each. Let's take a look at everything that wasn't just a standard base card. We'll go front to back, left side then right side. Hits are in bold italics.
Pack One
Inserts: Sean Collins Hot Rookies Auto, D. Sedin Franchise
Gold: Shore Hot Rookies, Sharks TL, Korpikoski, Bryzgalov, Latendresse, Wingels, Alfredsson, Niemi
Hot Rookies: Coyle, Conacher, Schultz, Komarov
Team Leaders: Avs, Sabres
Season Highlights: Lecavalier
35 base cards
Pack Two
Inserts: Quick Netcam
Gold: Hickey Hot Rookies, Flames TL, Stralman, Pavelski, Orpik, Hanzal, Kreider, Oshie
Hot Rookies: McGinn, Yakupov, Brodin, Howden
Team Leaders: Blackhawks, Sharks
Season Highlights: Hossa
36 base
Pack Three
Inserts: Galchenyuk Future Franchise
Gold: Grant Hot Rookies, Senators TL, Karlsson, Stuart, Voracek, Silfverberg, Ekman-Larsson, B. Schenn
Hot Rookies: Nilstorp, Murphy, Collins, Dziurzynski
Team Leaders: Stars, Flyers
Season Highlights: Selanne
36 base
Pack Four
Inserts: Anaheim Ducks Team 8's (With jersey pieces of Cogliano, Rakell, Hiller, Etem, Perry, Vatanen, Ryan, Fasth), Grigorenko First Goal
Gold: Komarov Hot Rookies, Maple Leafs TL, Read, Lehner, Galiardi, Spezza, Burns, Vokoun
Hot Rookies: Arcobello, Mrazek, Spooner, Grubauer
Team Leaders: Wild, Blue Jackets
Season Highlights: Brodeur
29 base (Therefore, packs with a Team 8's card have 46 cards; those things are thick!)
Pack Five
Inserts: Nik Antropov Black Parallel, Anton Volchenkov Check It
Gold: Schroeder Hot Rookies, Hejduk SH, Hannan, Shattenkirk, B. Boyle, Smith, Kennedy, D. Boyle
Rookies: Pickard, Jordan, Oleksiak, Forsberg
Team Leaders: Lightning, Capitals
Season Highlights: Lecavalier
36 base
Pack Six
Inserts: Howden Future Team
Gold: Mrazek Hot Rookies, Flyers TL, Eller, Suter, Blum, Pominville, Hornqvist, Gaustad
Rookies: Grigorenko, Laughton, Kuemper, Vatanen
Team Leaders: Devils, Maple Leafs
Season Highlights: Marleau
36 base
Pack Seven
Inserts: Marleau Franchise
Gold: Campbell Hot Rookies, Bruins TL, Williams, Emelin, Henrique, Spaling, Price, Legwand
Rookies: Bordeleau, Lashoff, Bennett, Matteau
Team Leaders: Ducks, Blues
Season Highlights: Selanne
36 base
Pack Eight
Inserts: Tavares Red Back
Gold: Spooner Hot Rookies, Stars TL, Clarkson, Backstrom, Plekanec, Strait, Richards, Vermette
Rookies: Gryba, Hickey, Grant, Schroeder
Team Leaders: Penguins, Canadiens
Season Highlights: Crosby
36 base
Pack Nine
Inserts: Klasen Signature, Lundqvist Netcam
Gold: Thomas Hot Rookies, Devils TL, Klesla, Sheppard, Smith, Brassard, Morris, Iginla
Rookies: Roussel, Shore, Thomas, Campbell
Team Leaders: Red Wings, Coyotes
Season Highlights: Kings
35 base
Pack Ten
Inserts: Richter Netcam
Gold: Grubauer Hot Rookies, Jets TL, Gill, Salvador, Bouchard, Markov, Martin, Carter
Rookies: Huberdeau, Granlund, Redmond, Rakell
Team Leaders: Jets, Bruins
Season Highlights: Jagr
36 base
So, there you have it. If this collation figures across every box (unlikely, yet possible), your best bets for Team 8's are the 4th pack from the front on the left side, and for Red Backs pick the middle pack on the right.
The Black Friday packs didn't have much in them. The Panini one had a Miguel Cabrera base and a Yadier Molina Lava Flow. Topps had Spring Fever cards of Wally Joyner, Cabrera, Don Mattingly, Josh Hamilton, and Buster Posey.
The Auto/GU mystery envelopes had a Rick Krivda auto and a GU of Patrice Bergeron.
Stars practice tomorrow, hoping for the best...
Blog is on indefinite hiatus as of November 2020.
Showing posts with label card stores. Show all posts
Showing posts with label card stores. Show all posts
Friday, November 29, 2013
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Hounding Report: Washington Capitals, October 4-5
In two full seasons of hotel hounding in Boston I had never been kicked out of a hotel.
Sure, some restricted where we could go, most wouldn't let us go inside at all, and the Westin end of the Copley Place mall wouldn't let us hang out inside, but aside from that, no hotel had a problem with us waiting outside.
Apparently Dallas hotels are amazingly bipolar. The Capitals' one had zero problem with a few graphers waiting inside on Friday night, but decided to give us all the boot on Saturday afternoon. What the hell? We're about 90% certain Ovechkin asked that we be removed.
A little info first: I will not be revealing Dallas hotel names on here. I did the legwork to find this one and to find the Panthers (who were staying at the Casa de Impossible, so I didn't go). You can do the work too. It's not hard; it just takes a little social engineering know-how.
Friday night we arrived around 6 pm. This was well after the team had arrived, but I had to work until 4:30 and had a 45-minute train ride from Irving. So I missed them early. Knowing how things often worked when I did hotels in Boston, we waited near the cabs, expecting maybe we could catch the last few leaving for dinner and/or everyone coming back. Usually players would start returning at about 7 or so, so we figured it shouldn't be too long.
Finally at 8:30 we had our first hit as Adam Oates got out of a cab and signed for us. The Hall of Famer is one of the best signers you'll come across, and I discovered he will usually do three per person. I also asked him if Player Personnel Director and former King, Ranger, North Star, Flame, and Red Wing Brian MacLellan travels with them. He said he sometimes does, but isn't on this trip.
As we waited a little longer, Arron noticed a bus pulling in. The other graphers who came from out of nowhere when Oates arrived took off walking fast inside the hotel. I knew it had to be the Caps' bus, so I took off with them from the outside. Unfortunately I got there just as Ovechkin was walking through the door. The players paraded off and when they come that quickly, it's tough to recognize them. I did at least get Holtby to stop and he signed two of my four cards. Inside we got Joel Ward as well, signing two of four. We called it a night after that. Decent start, but could have been much better.
We came back the next morning and I met up with a couple friends from the TTM board (ghb5 and his wife) who came in from Kansas City. They said they saw Jason Chimera inside and he signed, so I went over and asked if he would. He glared at me and said they can't sign inside the hotel. Huh, okay.
We waited outside by the bus and unfortunately most players apparently travel in an Anti-Grapher Buddy System-- sacrifice one player while the other(s) boards the bus. We did manage to get Nicklas Backstrom (1-per, so he did my set card), Troy Brouwer (1/4), Eric Fehr (2/4), Mike Green (1/4), John Erskine (4/4), and Karl Alzner (2/4). I also got Tom Wilson on an 8x10, but my gold pen crapped out so I erased it and figured I'd get him on it at game time with a better pen.
We didn't bother going for the Caps coming back from their skate, instead heading up to Triple Cards in Plano. I've decided I want to work on a master set of 1990 Pro Set Football. The set is loaded with errors and variations and I want to try to get them all. I already have a ton from that set, so I'll have to scour them to find what all I have. I picked up a couple of the rarer ones I could find (images of several of the variations can be seen here). I also grabbed a 13-14 Score hockey jumbo and a 13-14 Prizm pack. Pulled the Prizm version of Eric Hartzell's rookie and got a few cards for which I pulled the photos (cards 101-200 in the commons, if I remember correctly, plus some/all of the rookies; I'll have to look that up for certain). It's cool finally seeing some of my work in its full form.
We got back to the hotel, waited, and security came and told us to leave. As we were walking off, the bus pulled up. Assholes.
We did get Craig Ludwig at the Stars' pregame signing in Victory Plaza. Even better, I got out some of my frustration playing Floorball, discovering I'm not too bad at it (I may join the weekly games in Fort Worth), and by yelling at notorious autograph scammer Andrew Miller (AKA rangersfan1982). Miller was been busted on a number of sites for selling fake Jurickson Profar autographs and was at the very least banned from SCN and TheBench for his illegal dealings. Looks like he was allowed back on SCN. So, caveat emptor.
Anyways, Miller was about 7 spots in front of me, and I yelled "Oh, they let scammers in here?" A few minutes later, "Hey Andrew, can I buy one of your fake Profars?" After he got Ludwig and started walking off I shouted "Gonna learn to fake his sig too, Andrew?" He was pretty rattled-- he really picked up the pace walking away after that. I will call him out any and every time I see him.
Fun story about Ludwig, he was watching us playing Floorball and when I get up to him he asks who was winning when I left. I told him we were down by two and he looks at me astonished, asking "And no one was yelling at each other, throwing any elbows, getting the sticks up?!" I told him "Well, I thought I might have to drop the gloves to get a little spark going, but I couldn't find a willing partner." He looks at my fedora and says "Next time just throw that Walter White hat at 'em, that should do it!"
Totals: 22 autographs (not including the erased Wilson)
Sure, some restricted where we could go, most wouldn't let us go inside at all, and the Westin end of the Copley Place mall wouldn't let us hang out inside, but aside from that, no hotel had a problem with us waiting outside.
Apparently Dallas hotels are amazingly bipolar. The Capitals' one had zero problem with a few graphers waiting inside on Friday night, but decided to give us all the boot on Saturday afternoon. What the hell? We're about 90% certain Ovechkin asked that we be removed.
A little info first: I will not be revealing Dallas hotel names on here. I did the legwork to find this one and to find the Panthers (who were staying at the Casa de Impossible, so I didn't go). You can do the work too. It's not hard; it just takes a little social engineering know-how.
Friday night we arrived around 6 pm. This was well after the team had arrived, but I had to work until 4:30 and had a 45-minute train ride from Irving. So I missed them early. Knowing how things often worked when I did hotels in Boston, we waited near the cabs, expecting maybe we could catch the last few leaving for dinner and/or everyone coming back. Usually players would start returning at about 7 or so, so we figured it shouldn't be too long.
Finally at 8:30 we had our first hit as Adam Oates got out of a cab and signed for us. The Hall of Famer is one of the best signers you'll come across, and I discovered he will usually do three per person. I also asked him if Player Personnel Director and former King, Ranger, North Star, Flame, and Red Wing Brian MacLellan travels with them. He said he sometimes does, but isn't on this trip.
As we waited a little longer, Arron noticed a bus pulling in. The other graphers who came from out of nowhere when Oates arrived took off walking fast inside the hotel. I knew it had to be the Caps' bus, so I took off with them from the outside. Unfortunately I got there just as Ovechkin was walking through the door. The players paraded off and when they come that quickly, it's tough to recognize them. I did at least get Holtby to stop and he signed two of my four cards. Inside we got Joel Ward as well, signing two of four. We called it a night after that. Decent start, but could have been much better.
We came back the next morning and I met up with a couple friends from the TTM board (ghb5 and his wife) who came in from Kansas City. They said they saw Jason Chimera inside and he signed, so I went over and asked if he would. He glared at me and said they can't sign inside the hotel. Huh, okay.
We waited outside by the bus and unfortunately most players apparently travel in an Anti-Grapher Buddy System-- sacrifice one player while the other(s) boards the bus. We did manage to get Nicklas Backstrom (1-per, so he did my set card), Troy Brouwer (1/4), Eric Fehr (2/4), Mike Green (1/4), John Erskine (4/4), and Karl Alzner (2/4). I also got Tom Wilson on an 8x10, but my gold pen crapped out so I erased it and figured I'd get him on it at game time with a better pen.
We didn't bother going for the Caps coming back from their skate, instead heading up to Triple Cards in Plano. I've decided I want to work on a master set of 1990 Pro Set Football. The set is loaded with errors and variations and I want to try to get them all. I already have a ton from that set, so I'll have to scour them to find what all I have. I picked up a couple of the rarer ones I could find (images of several of the variations can be seen here). I also grabbed a 13-14 Score hockey jumbo and a 13-14 Prizm pack. Pulled the Prizm version of Eric Hartzell's rookie and got a few cards for which I pulled the photos (cards 101-200 in the commons, if I remember correctly, plus some/all of the rookies; I'll have to look that up for certain). It's cool finally seeing some of my work in its full form.
We got back to the hotel, waited, and security came and told us to leave. As we were walking off, the bus pulled up. Assholes.
We did get Craig Ludwig at the Stars' pregame signing in Victory Plaza. Even better, I got out some of my frustration playing Floorball, discovering I'm not too bad at it (I may join the weekly games in Fort Worth), and by yelling at notorious autograph scammer Andrew Miller (AKA rangersfan1982). Miller was been busted on a number of sites for selling fake Jurickson Profar autographs and was at the very least banned from SCN and TheBench for his illegal dealings. Looks like he was allowed back on SCN. So, caveat emptor.
Anyways, Miller was about 7 spots in front of me, and I yelled "Oh, they let scammers in here?" A few minutes later, "Hey Andrew, can I buy one of your fake Profars?" After he got Ludwig and started walking off I shouted "Gonna learn to fake his sig too, Andrew?" He was pretty rattled-- he really picked up the pace walking away after that. I will call him out any and every time I see him.
Fun story about Ludwig, he was watching us playing Floorball and when I get up to him he asks who was winning when I left. I told him we were down by two and he looks at me astonished, asking "And no one was yelling at each other, throwing any elbows, getting the sticks up?!" I told him "Well, I thought I might have to drop the gloves to get a little spark going, but I couldn't find a willing partner." He looks at my fedora and says "Next time just throw that Walter White hat at 'em, that should do it!"
Totals: 22 autographs (not including the erased Wilson)
Monday, July 1, 2013
Hounding Report: Celebrity Baseball, Rangers, and Reds, June 29-30
Most of my hounding reports so far have been about baseball. Actually all of them have except for the Paul Gillis success back in March. This past weekend, I finally got to vary it up a bit with the Reebok Heroes Dirk Nowitzki Celebrity Baseball Game over in Frisco.
Arron and his mom came to town Friday night for the Reds-Rangers game. He said it was ridiculous, that there were a good 200 people there hounding. For the Reds. They're not THAT good. Why in the hell are there that many people going for a team that hasn't meant anything since 1990? On the plus side, he said he got Phillips and Votto, so it was a decent showing for the insanity.
Saturday, it was off to Plano first to hit up Triple Cards. It was the first time Arron had been out there and he agreed with my high recommendation of it. After a quick lunch at In-N-Out (sidebar: I've been here 3 months and hadn't had In-N-Out since moving here), it was over to the ballpark in Frisco to see what we could get.
The Frisco game attracts every collector and their cousin. Unfortunately, that means it also attracts every dealer, their friends, their family members, and anyone they can convince to come with them to load up. I both love and hate this event every year. Last year was largely a bust until the late parts when I got Mike Modano and Terrell Owens to go with the Charles Barkley from earlier in the day.
This year, there was no Modano or Barkley. The lineup seemed a little lighter in star power, but what it lacked in that department, it made up for in willing signers. We tried the first base line to start, but had no luck as all the players headed to the other side for the pregame press conference. After a quick dash to the first-base side, I was able to get Drew Pearson on one of my two cards. Going up there to the press conference is usually a giant Charlie Foxtrot (to quote a Facebook post from Paul Buxton, I believe), but at least I was able to get former Cleveland Indian David Justice on my Topps All-Time Fan Favorites card, so that's another one to knock off the list. Aside from him, everyone was nearly impossible to get, so I went back down by the field. I tried to get Justice again since I had another 8 cards with me, but he skipped me three times before I gave up. I also got skipped five times by Goose Gossage. So things weren't looking good on the baseball front.
On the plus side, I did well on basketball. After Justice and before Gossage, Eduardo Najera signed four cards, even pointing out that on one of them, it depicts a game-winning shot to put the Nuggets into the playoffs. After getting skipped by Gossage a few times, I was able to get Chandler Parsons on the two cards I had of him. J.J. Barea came by as well, signing all three cards I had for him. Unfortunately it was in black Sharpie instead of my blue, as he just grabbed a pen and went straight down the line. It looks alright though.
Devin Harris came by a little before the game started, signing one of the four I had. Fortunately he signed the really awesome 2012-13 Donruss Elite card I had on me, and it looks great with his sig added. A dash across to the third base side again netted me a Vince Carter, as he also signed one of the two cards I had. I was hoping to get Michael Finley and Brian Cardinal, but Dirk was right there as well, and he was getting mobbed by crowds that were a good 10-12 people deep. I gave up and went over to my seats to watch the game.
Remembering that the players often leave the field in left field, Arrons and I headed for that side in the ninth inning. It's a good thing we did too: a lot of other people had the same idea. We grabbed seats right on the aisle and as soon as the last out was made, every person sitting there all jumped up and headed for the front. I got in the second row of people standing at least, and as Dirk came that way, here came the shoves. I had a guy leaning over my back the whole time. I boxed him out a bit though for being such an ass and gave him a couple elbows to the solar plexus. Best of all, Dirk signed one of my cards and didn't go near his hat. Dirk did a Barea and just grabbed one pen and went down the line, and unfortunately it was a streaky black Sharpie, but whatever. I finally got him.
We gave up after that. Arron got him too, the crowd was getting (or had gotten) ridiculous, and the fireworks show wasn't all that great. From there, we went outside to the players' exit, and there were already 30 people there, then becoming 100 or more including people across the street. I figured there was no way I'd get anyone. Most of the players I had already gotten didn't stop at all, and once everyone was told Dirk had gone out a different way, it was down to maybe 10 of us, and I got right up to the front. Former Cleveland Indian Mike Bacsik came out and Arron and I were the only ones to recognize him. I called out and he came over and signed. As he was signing an Akron Aeros card, I mentioned I used to go to Akron a lot, living only about 70 miles north. He said it was one of his favorite cities to have played in.
Justice came out and didn't sign, just gave a wave. Gossage followed and I figured it was my last chance. I called out, and FINALLY, the 2008 HOF inductee came over and signed one of my cards. He signed a couple others, stopped for a picture, and took off. Last was Ben Grieve, who plays in the game every year. I had a ton of cards of him, so I threw 8 in my notebook. He signed the first four, looked around, then signed the rest saying "I figured I'd see how many others were here before signing the rest of them." Fortunately they were all different cards at least, and even if he had stopped at 4, I would have been more than fine with it.
So overall, I ended up with 27 sigs from 11 players. Definitely my best year yet in terms of quantity.
Sunday, it was off to the Ballpark for the Reds and Rangers. Due to being dead tired, we got off to a late start and apparently missed out on Ron Washington-- that's fine, he's probably tired of seeing me anyway. It ended up a typical Sunday at the tunnel, without many stopping. We did get Dave Magadan, who signed three for me. One will be going to Corey Mansfield for his Mets collection. Neal Cotts stopped again as well, signing the two cards I had-- one for Andrew in New Jersey. David Murphy stopped as well-- a little odd, as he stopped on Saturday too, according to TAC. He did his usual one-per, this one being another for Andrew, so I've gotten two of his three so far.
Once in a while at the tunnel you get lucky and opposing players come in. Former UT pitcher Sam LeCure was one of them, signing the lone card I had of him. Additionally Dusty Baker drove in and signed for us. He didn't seem too happy about it though: when the first one went over there, he said "Oh come on man, I'm on my way to work." As maybe three or four of us came over, he said "See? Now everyone wants one." But he did it at least. I just put out one for him instead of the book of three. Dusty, like a lot of retired players, has a great sig. Also, he signs by mail so if you have cards of him, send them. You won't regret it.
Inside we went for the Reds' side but it was a bust: the crowd was STILL big and only a few pitchers were out there tossing, and none were ones I had cards for. We decided it wasn't worth it, but thought about hitting up the press box. It's semi-accessible from the 200-level and the Reds have four former players who now call games: Chris Welsh, Jeff Brantley, Kent Mercker, and Sean Casey. Brantley was the big one for me: I needed him for the Topps ATFF set. So Arron, Chris, and I ventured up there and waited and hoped. Steve Busby, former Royals pitcher and current Ranger broadcaster was up there, and he signed the three cards I had of him.
Note on Busby: he is not the player shown on his 1975 Topps card. He will sign it, but he also writes "NOTE: This is not Steve Busby" on it. I want to get one now.
Eventually, we saw Welsh. He was getting his notes together and Chris got his attention, pointing to a 1986 Topps card of him with a thumbs-up. Welsh laughed and got an assistant to open the window for him so we could pass our items up for him to sign and chat a bit. He's a former Ranger along with pitching for the Reds. After waiting a bit, we asked him where Brantley would be and he said two booths down. Eventually he showed up but we couldn't get his attention. Welsh even went to point us out to him, but no luck. We tried postgame as well, but he was on the air all the way until they gave us the boot from the section. Oh well, at least now I know how to get a few more guys if I want to give up on the field and just try them out. I know Steve Sparks will be in with the Astros very soon.
Totals: 12 from 7 players; one for Corey, two for Andrew.
Next up: Tuesday with Seattle. They were great their previous trip. Here's to hoping for similar results this week. Got Houston over the weekend. Don't think I'm going to do the Mariners on July 4th. It's bound to be packed and my brother in law invited me over for brisket and maybe a movie. A day off like that sounds great to me.
Arron and his mom came to town Friday night for the Reds-Rangers game. He said it was ridiculous, that there were a good 200 people there hounding. For the Reds. They're not THAT good. Why in the hell are there that many people going for a team that hasn't meant anything since 1990? On the plus side, he said he got Phillips and Votto, so it was a decent showing for the insanity.
Saturday, it was off to Plano first to hit up Triple Cards. It was the first time Arron had been out there and he agreed with my high recommendation of it. After a quick lunch at In-N-Out (sidebar: I've been here 3 months and hadn't had In-N-Out since moving here), it was over to the ballpark in Frisco to see what we could get.
The Frisco game attracts every collector and their cousin. Unfortunately, that means it also attracts every dealer, their friends, their family members, and anyone they can convince to come with them to load up. I both love and hate this event every year. Last year was largely a bust until the late parts when I got Mike Modano and Terrell Owens to go with the Charles Barkley from earlier in the day.
This year, there was no Modano or Barkley. The lineup seemed a little lighter in star power, but what it lacked in that department, it made up for in willing signers. We tried the first base line to start, but had no luck as all the players headed to the other side for the pregame press conference. After a quick dash to the first-base side, I was able to get Drew Pearson on one of my two cards. Going up there to the press conference is usually a giant Charlie Foxtrot (to quote a Facebook post from Paul Buxton, I believe), but at least I was able to get former Cleveland Indian David Justice on my Topps All-Time Fan Favorites card, so that's another one to knock off the list. Aside from him, everyone was nearly impossible to get, so I went back down by the field. I tried to get Justice again since I had another 8 cards with me, but he skipped me three times before I gave up. I also got skipped five times by Goose Gossage. So things weren't looking good on the baseball front.
On the plus side, I did well on basketball. After Justice and before Gossage, Eduardo Najera signed four cards, even pointing out that on one of them, it depicts a game-winning shot to put the Nuggets into the playoffs. After getting skipped by Gossage a few times, I was able to get Chandler Parsons on the two cards I had of him. J.J. Barea came by as well, signing all three cards I had for him. Unfortunately it was in black Sharpie instead of my blue, as he just grabbed a pen and went straight down the line. It looks alright though.
Devin Harris came by a little before the game started, signing one of the four I had. Fortunately he signed the really awesome 2012-13 Donruss Elite card I had on me, and it looks great with his sig added. A dash across to the third base side again netted me a Vince Carter, as he also signed one of the two cards I had. I was hoping to get Michael Finley and Brian Cardinal, but Dirk was right there as well, and he was getting mobbed by crowds that were a good 10-12 people deep. I gave up and went over to my seats to watch the game.
Remembering that the players often leave the field in left field, Arrons and I headed for that side in the ninth inning. It's a good thing we did too: a lot of other people had the same idea. We grabbed seats right on the aisle and as soon as the last out was made, every person sitting there all jumped up and headed for the front. I got in the second row of people standing at least, and as Dirk came that way, here came the shoves. I had a guy leaning over my back the whole time. I boxed him out a bit though for being such an ass and gave him a couple elbows to the solar plexus. Best of all, Dirk signed one of my cards and didn't go near his hat. Dirk did a Barea and just grabbed one pen and went down the line, and unfortunately it was a streaky black Sharpie, but whatever. I finally got him.
We gave up after that. Arron got him too, the crowd was getting (or had gotten) ridiculous, and the fireworks show wasn't all that great. From there, we went outside to the players' exit, and there were already 30 people there, then becoming 100 or more including people across the street. I figured there was no way I'd get anyone. Most of the players I had already gotten didn't stop at all, and once everyone was told Dirk had gone out a different way, it was down to maybe 10 of us, and I got right up to the front. Former Cleveland Indian Mike Bacsik came out and Arron and I were the only ones to recognize him. I called out and he came over and signed. As he was signing an Akron Aeros card, I mentioned I used to go to Akron a lot, living only about 70 miles north. He said it was one of his favorite cities to have played in.
Justice came out and didn't sign, just gave a wave. Gossage followed and I figured it was my last chance. I called out, and FINALLY, the 2008 HOF inductee came over and signed one of my cards. He signed a couple others, stopped for a picture, and took off. Last was Ben Grieve, who plays in the game every year. I had a ton of cards of him, so I threw 8 in my notebook. He signed the first four, looked around, then signed the rest saying "I figured I'd see how many others were here before signing the rest of them." Fortunately they were all different cards at least, and even if he had stopped at 4, I would have been more than fine with it.
So overall, I ended up with 27 sigs from 11 players. Definitely my best year yet in terms of quantity.
Sunday, it was off to the Ballpark for the Reds and Rangers. Due to being dead tired, we got off to a late start and apparently missed out on Ron Washington-- that's fine, he's probably tired of seeing me anyway. It ended up a typical Sunday at the tunnel, without many stopping. We did get Dave Magadan, who signed three for me. One will be going to Corey Mansfield for his Mets collection. Neal Cotts stopped again as well, signing the two cards I had-- one for Andrew in New Jersey. David Murphy stopped as well-- a little odd, as he stopped on Saturday too, according to TAC. He did his usual one-per, this one being another for Andrew, so I've gotten two of his three so far.
Once in a while at the tunnel you get lucky and opposing players come in. Former UT pitcher Sam LeCure was one of them, signing the lone card I had of him. Additionally Dusty Baker drove in and signed for us. He didn't seem too happy about it though: when the first one went over there, he said "Oh come on man, I'm on my way to work." As maybe three or four of us came over, he said "See? Now everyone wants one." But he did it at least. I just put out one for him instead of the book of three. Dusty, like a lot of retired players, has a great sig. Also, he signs by mail so if you have cards of him, send them. You won't regret it.
Inside we went for the Reds' side but it was a bust: the crowd was STILL big and only a few pitchers were out there tossing, and none were ones I had cards for. We decided it wasn't worth it, but thought about hitting up the press box. It's semi-accessible from the 200-level and the Reds have four former players who now call games: Chris Welsh, Jeff Brantley, Kent Mercker, and Sean Casey. Brantley was the big one for me: I needed him for the Topps ATFF set. So Arron, Chris, and I ventured up there and waited and hoped. Steve Busby, former Royals pitcher and current Ranger broadcaster was up there, and he signed the three cards I had of him.
Note on Busby: he is not the player shown on his 1975 Topps card. He will sign it, but he also writes "NOTE: This is not Steve Busby" on it. I want to get one now.
Eventually, we saw Welsh. He was getting his notes together and Chris got his attention, pointing to a 1986 Topps card of him with a thumbs-up. Welsh laughed and got an assistant to open the window for him so we could pass our items up for him to sign and chat a bit. He's a former Ranger along with pitching for the Reds. After waiting a bit, we asked him where Brantley would be and he said two booths down. Eventually he showed up but we couldn't get his attention. Welsh even went to point us out to him, but no luck. We tried postgame as well, but he was on the air all the way until they gave us the boot from the section. Oh well, at least now I know how to get a few more guys if I want to give up on the field and just try them out. I know Steve Sparks will be in with the Astros very soon.
Totals: 12 from 7 players; one for Corey, two for Andrew.
Next up: Tuesday with Seattle. They were great their previous trip. Here's to hoping for similar results this week. Got Houston over the weekend. Don't think I'm going to do the Mariners on July 4th. It's bound to be packed and my brother in law invited me over for brisket and maybe a movie. A day off like that sounds great to me.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Reader's recommendation, and some box busting
Thanks to TGC reader Big Anthony for recommending Triple Cards in Plano to me. About a month ago, I wrote about visits to Nick's in North Dallas and Duane's in Arlington, and he left a comment saying to check out Triple Cards if I'm ever out in Plano.
Two weeks ago I made my first trip out there. I didn't want to post a full review since honestly, I was a tad overwhelmed. This place has EVERYTHING. I went in pretty unprepared with just a basic list of players I needed. Most card stores I've been to lately don't have a huge inventory of current commons. Duane's is good on that, don't get me wrong, but Triple even blows them out of the water. An entire wall plus of shelves with boxes, all sorted by sport, brand, year, and set, all in numerical order. The first trip in, I just went through some Topps Heritage stuff, followed by a quick peek through their discounted autos and GU cards, and a purchase of one of their mystery envelopes, and I left $10 lighter in the wallet, but knowing where I needed to start shopping.
I headed out there again today. I skipped out on the FC Dallas game that I was thinking about going to, but it netted me time with my wife and her mom who came down from Wichita Falls for the day, a visit to the card store, to Stonebriar Mall, and dinner and quality time with my brother-in-law and his girlfriend. They live over in Allen, and while Arlington to Allen is closer than Wichita Falls to Allen, I still don't get to see them as often as I'd like to. We hit up Quaker Steak and Lube (my and my wife's favorite restaurant) and got some ideas planned out for my wife's birthday in September.
This time I came prepared for the visit to Triple. I went through SportLots last night with a list of players I needed, and scratched out a list of five cards of each player. I needed three of most of them, so listing five would give me three plus two backups in case they were lacking one or two.
All in all, I picked up 64 cards for hounding over the next few weeks (mostly Reds, Astros, and Mariners, as well as a few Rangers Alumni and celebrity baseball game players), another mystery envelope (this time GU of Charlie Ward and Latrell Sprewell; not a basketball fan, but still nice, and better than the one I got last time with an auto of a guy who never got past AA ball due to injuries), and also a box of 2002 Upper Deck Vintage baseball.
I loved UD's 2001-02 and 2002-03 Vintage hockey sets, do I figured I'd try my hand at a baseball box. The cards are very similar to (read: a direct ripoff from) the 1971 Topps baseball set, which has the classic black-bordered design that looks more like the cover of an album released on the Stax label. I almost expect the cards to feature a bonus track by the Staples Singers.
The card backs are a putrid yellow color, similar to what I puked up along I-70 a little over a year ago when afflicted by a stomach bug on the drive from Wichita Falls to Cleveland. Related: I hope you aren't eating while reading this.
So now, I'm going to borrow a page from a number of card-blogs and go through pack by pack and tell what I got. Boy howdy readers, you're in for a treat now!
24 packs, 10 cards per pack. The box has them arranged in three stacks of 8 packs each. I'll start with the leftmost pile and work down through it, then the center, then the right.
PACK THE FIRST: Todd Helton, Trevor Hoffman, Fernando Tatis, Barry Zito, Todd Ritchie, Mike Piazza, Paul LoDuca, A's Checklist, Derek Jeter Postseason scrapbook, Phillies Rookies (Nick Punto and Carlos Silva)
PACK 2: Jim Edmonds, Tino Martinez, Jeff Weaver, Tony Batista, Geoff Jenkins, Jon Garland, Carl Everett, Yankees Rookies (Nick Johnson and Erick Almonte), Angels Rookies (Wilmy Caceres and Elpidio Guzman-- no, I don't know who they are either), Tino Martinez Postseason Scrapbook
PACK 3: Eric Chavez, Bobby Abreu, Jason Schmidt, Brian Giles, Brad Penny, Mark Grace, 2001 NL Batting Average Leaders, Cardinals Checklist, Indians Checklist, Derek Jeter Postseason Scrapbook
PACK 4: Rondell White, Richard Hidalgo, Joe Mays, Marcus Giles, Frank Thomas, Nomar Garciaparra, 2001 AL Batting Average Leaders, Cardinals Rookies (Bill Ortega and Luis Saturia), Indians Rookies (Ryan Drese and Roy Smith), Nomar Garciaparra Sandlot Stars insert.
Through four packs, nothing super-impressive. One insert (Sandlot Stars are 1:11 and not very distinct from the base set), two Indians-- two rookies who never amounted to much and a team checklist, and not a whole lot I can get signed either TTM or IP. Oh well, it's fun to bust at least.
About a year ago, I finished a project that I considered making into a book. Starting as articles at SCF, I ranked the Topps baseball base sets in order from worst to best in the years of 1952 through 2011. I actually have a full book done in PDF form with photos and everything, but now that I work for Panini, I figure it would be wise just to shelve the thing. Topps is one of our big rivals, of course. But in that book, I railed against the use of "Rookie Stars" or "Future Stars" labels on cards because, really now, how many of those guys were actually Stars at any point? While Future Serviceable Major Leaguers or Future Fungal Fellows doesn't sound as good, those titles would have been more accurate. Thankfully, the dual rookies' cards in this set have nothing regarding any sort of present or future aspirations of stardom.
Back to the packs...
PACK 5: Robb Nen, Randy Johnson, Chipper Jones, Lee Stevens, Sammy Sosa, Jeff Bagwell, Brewers Rookies (Josh Mieses and Alex Sanchez), Devil Rays Rookies (Dewon Brazelton and Delvin James), Randy Johnson Postseason Scrapbook, Reds Rookies (David Espinoza and Dane Sardinha
PACK 6: Cristian Guzman, Rafael Palmeiro, Ben Grieve (I can get this signed next week!), Tony Clark, Jason Johnson (I could have gotten this signed on Thursday!), Raul Mondesi, Mike Hampton, Braves Rookies (Wilson Betemit and Horacio Ramirez-- might be able to get Betemit in mid-July when the Orioles come), Blue Jays Rookies (Brandon Lyon and Vernon Wells), Luis Gonzalez Postseason Scrapbook
PACK 7: Brandon Duckworth, John VanderWal, Luis Gonzalez, Greg Maddux, Phil Nevin, Orlando Cabrera, Bud Smith, 2001 NL Steroid Users... err, Home Run Leaders, Cubs Checklist, Mariners Checklist
PACK 8: Eric Milton, Gabe Kapler, Toby Hall, Mike Mussina, Jose Lima, Jeff Conine, Alfonso Soriano Postseason Scrapbook, Pirates Checklist, Astros Checklist, Manny Ramirez Night Gamers insert (also 1:11 packs and rather nondescript)
On to the center group...
PACK 9: Devin White (He was a Brewer? Huh, okay), Ray Durham, Hideo Nomo, Russell Branyan, Mark Quinn, John Olerud, Mark Mulder, Darryl Kile, Jim Thome Postseason Scrapbook, Marlins Rookies (Abraham Nunez and Josh Beckett)
Two Indians in that pack. So I probably won't see another one the rest of the way.
PACK 10: Garret Anderson, Pat Burrell, Preston Wilson, Ken Griffey Jr., Edgardo Alfonso, Shawn Green, Tigers Rookies (Pedro Santana and Mike Rivera), Mike Mussina Postseason Scrapbook, Phillies Checklist, Yankees Checklist
PACK 11: Matt Williams, Brian Jordan, Brad Radke, Jimmy Haynes, Derek Jeter, Mike Sweeney, Edgar Martinez, Angels Checklist, Andruw Jones Postseason Scrapbook, Mets Rookies (Alex Escobar and Jae Weong Seo)
Alex Escobar. What a bust for the Indians. There's a trade I think both the Tribe and Mets would love to take back. Alomar, after hitting a career-best .336 the year before, hit .265 with the Mets in a season and a half. Escobar shredded his knee in Spring Training, then hit .235 in only 74 games with the Tribe. Of everyone involved, only Matt Lawton was worth anything after the trade-- weird to say that about a guy who hit .236, .249, and .277 with the Indians, the last season culminating in an All-Star nod. After bouncing between three teams in 2005, Lawton picked up a PED suspension. Ask for a refund Matty, they didn't work.
PACK 12: Frank Catalanotto, Aubrey Huff, Robert Person, Troy Percival, Juan Pierre, Mark Kotsay, Twins Rookies (Adam Johnson and Juan Rincon), Curt Schilling Postseason Scrapbook, Rockies Rookies (Jason Jennings and Luke Hudson), Ichiro A Day At The Park insert (1:23 packs, also pretty nondescript)
PACK 13: Larry Walker, Brian Lawrence, Tony Armas Jr., Juan Uribe, Bubba Trammell, Barry Bonds, Eric Young, Twins Checklist, Curt Schilling Postseason Scrapbook, 2001 AL PED Abusers... err, Home Run Leaders
PACK 14: Jon Lieber, Wade Miller, Damion Easley, Jay Gibbons, Lance Berkman, Bobby Higginson, Chris Richard, Cubs Rookies (Juan Cruz and Mark Prior), Mariners Rookies (Rafael Soriano and Dennis Stark), Andruw Jones
PACK 15: Chris Carpenter, Jim Thome, Ramon Ortiz, Jose Cruz Jr., Aaron Boone, Robin Ventura, Jorge Posada Postseason Scrapbook, Giants Checklist, Royals Checklist, Tom Glavine Postseason Scrapbook
PACK 16: Rob Mackowiak, Al Leiter, Chan Ho Park, Kevin Brown, Mark McGwire, Paul O'Neill, Reds Checklist, Braves Checklist, Blue Jays Checklist, Mark McGwire Sandlot Stars insert
And finally as midnight passes, the rightmost pile...
PACK 17: Reggie Sanders, Rafael Furcal, Mark Buehrle, Mike Cameron, Tim Hudson, Dmitri Young, Pirates Rookies (John Grabow and Humberto Cota), Astros Rookies (Tim Redding and Morgan Ensberg), A's Rookies (Oscar Salazar and Juan Pena), Troy Glaus
PACK 18: Trot Nixon, Juan Gonzalez, Aramis Ramirez, Jay Payton, 2001 AL Wins Leaders, Diamondbacks Rookies (Alex Cintron and Jack Cust), Orioles Rookies (Sean Douglass and Tim Raines Jr.), Catfish Hunter Timeless Teams Jersey Card, Devil Rays Rookies
There we go! I figured I wouldn't get any big hits since the odds on them were two sets at 1:144 (or 1 per 6 boxes) and 1:288 (1 per 12 boxes). Also, the first double of the entire box, I believe (some names appear doubled in the Postseason Scrapbook cards, but those were different cards of the same player in the same subset). Really nice two-color swatch too. Here's a pic.
Let's go for a second one!
PACK 19: A.J. Burnett, Gary Sheffield, Ben Sheets, Magglio Ordonez, Vladimir Guerrero, Albert Pujols, Jorge Posada, Ryan Dempster, Edgar Martinez Postseason Scrapbook, Marlins Checklist
Or not.
PACK 20: Manny Ramirez, C.C. Sabathia, Mo Vaughn, Carlos Beltran, Kaz Sasaki, Jermaine Dye, Tigers Checklist, Chipper Jones Postseason Scrapbook, Mets Checklist, Ivan Rodriguez Night Gamers insert
PACK 21: Dee Brown, Freddy Garcia, Jason Giambi, Jose Ortiz, Charles Johnson, Curt Schilling, Jeromy Burnitz, Brewers Checklist, Devil Rays Checklist, Omar Vizquel
It feels so weird seeing Devil Rays on a card. Seeing Expos is less weird and more nostalgic. I also believe Omar Vizquel should be in the Hall of Fame.
PACK 22: Scott Rolen, Rich Aurilia, Kerry Wood, Jose Canseco, Dante Bichette (raise your hand if you remembered he played for the Red Sox; my hand is not raised), Bartolo Colon, Rangers Checklist, Brent Abernathy, 2001 AL ERA Leaders, Dodgers Rookies (Ricardo Rodriguez and Carlos Garcia)
PACK 23: Moises Alou, Robert Fick, Josh Towers, Darin Erstad, Adam Dunn, D'Angelo Jimenez, Jose Vidro, Rangers Rookies (Mark Teixeira and Carlos Pena), Carlos Delgado, 2001 NL Wins Leaders
Teixeira/Pena has to be the best "rookie" combo in this set. That's not saying much though, as the second best one is Lyon and Wells, and trying to name the third-best in this is roughly the equivalent of trying to name the third best president post-Kennedy.
PACK THE LAST: Alex Gonzalez, Kris Benson, Luis Castillo, J.D. Drew, Mariano Rivera, Dean Palmer, Diamondbacks Checklist, Orioles Checklist, Bret Boone Postseason Scrapbook, Vladimir Guerrero Sandlot Stars insert
Overall not too bad. Very few doubles. Should be less than 75 cards from a complete set out of a single box (225-ish of 300) if I wanted to put it together. Oddly, I didn't pull a Tanyon Sturtze card, the lone card from this set that I ever had in my collection coming into breaking this box (got it signed during the 2004 ALCS in Boston and apparently traded it at some point, as it's not listed in my inventory).
I'll definitely be heading back to Triple more often. I just need a Toll Tag to make the cross-Metroplex trips a little cheaper.
Two weeks ago I made my first trip out there. I didn't want to post a full review since honestly, I was a tad overwhelmed. This place has EVERYTHING. I went in pretty unprepared with just a basic list of players I needed. Most card stores I've been to lately don't have a huge inventory of current commons. Duane's is good on that, don't get me wrong, but Triple even blows them out of the water. An entire wall plus of shelves with boxes, all sorted by sport, brand, year, and set, all in numerical order. The first trip in, I just went through some Topps Heritage stuff, followed by a quick peek through their discounted autos and GU cards, and a purchase of one of their mystery envelopes, and I left $10 lighter in the wallet, but knowing where I needed to start shopping.
I headed out there again today. I skipped out on the FC Dallas game that I was thinking about going to, but it netted me time with my wife and her mom who came down from Wichita Falls for the day, a visit to the card store, to Stonebriar Mall, and dinner and quality time with my brother-in-law and his girlfriend. They live over in Allen, and while Arlington to Allen is closer than Wichita Falls to Allen, I still don't get to see them as often as I'd like to. We hit up Quaker Steak and Lube (my and my wife's favorite restaurant) and got some ideas planned out for my wife's birthday in September.
This time I came prepared for the visit to Triple. I went through SportLots last night with a list of players I needed, and scratched out a list of five cards of each player. I needed three of most of them, so listing five would give me three plus two backups in case they were lacking one or two.
All in all, I picked up 64 cards for hounding over the next few weeks (mostly Reds, Astros, and Mariners, as well as a few Rangers Alumni and celebrity baseball game players), another mystery envelope (this time GU of Charlie Ward and Latrell Sprewell; not a basketball fan, but still nice, and better than the one I got last time with an auto of a guy who never got past AA ball due to injuries), and also a box of 2002 Upper Deck Vintage baseball.
I loved UD's 2001-02 and 2002-03 Vintage hockey sets, do I figured I'd try my hand at a baseball box. The cards are very similar to (read: a direct ripoff from) the 1971 Topps baseball set, which has the classic black-bordered design that looks more like the cover of an album released on the Stax label. I almost expect the cards to feature a bonus track by the Staples Singers.
The card backs are a putrid yellow color, similar to what I puked up along I-70 a little over a year ago when afflicted by a stomach bug on the drive from Wichita Falls to Cleveland. Related: I hope you aren't eating while reading this.
So now, I'm going to borrow a page from a number of card-blogs and go through pack by pack and tell what I got. Boy howdy readers, you're in for a treat now!
24 packs, 10 cards per pack. The box has them arranged in three stacks of 8 packs each. I'll start with the leftmost pile and work down through it, then the center, then the right.
PACK THE FIRST: Todd Helton, Trevor Hoffman, Fernando Tatis, Barry Zito, Todd Ritchie, Mike Piazza, Paul LoDuca, A's Checklist, Derek Jeter Postseason scrapbook, Phillies Rookies (Nick Punto and Carlos Silva)
PACK 2: Jim Edmonds, Tino Martinez, Jeff Weaver, Tony Batista, Geoff Jenkins, Jon Garland, Carl Everett, Yankees Rookies (Nick Johnson and Erick Almonte), Angels Rookies (Wilmy Caceres and Elpidio Guzman-- no, I don't know who they are either), Tino Martinez Postseason Scrapbook
PACK 3: Eric Chavez, Bobby Abreu, Jason Schmidt, Brian Giles, Brad Penny, Mark Grace, 2001 NL Batting Average Leaders, Cardinals Checklist, Indians Checklist, Derek Jeter Postseason Scrapbook
PACK 4: Rondell White, Richard Hidalgo, Joe Mays, Marcus Giles, Frank Thomas, Nomar Garciaparra, 2001 AL Batting Average Leaders, Cardinals Rookies (Bill Ortega and Luis Saturia), Indians Rookies (Ryan Drese and Roy Smith), Nomar Garciaparra Sandlot Stars insert.
Through four packs, nothing super-impressive. One insert (Sandlot Stars are 1:11 and not very distinct from the base set), two Indians-- two rookies who never amounted to much and a team checklist, and not a whole lot I can get signed either TTM or IP. Oh well, it's fun to bust at least.
About a year ago, I finished a project that I considered making into a book. Starting as articles at SCF, I ranked the Topps baseball base sets in order from worst to best in the years of 1952 through 2011. I actually have a full book done in PDF form with photos and everything, but now that I work for Panini, I figure it would be wise just to shelve the thing. Topps is one of our big rivals, of course. But in that book, I railed against the use of "Rookie Stars" or "Future Stars" labels on cards because, really now, how many of those guys were actually Stars at any point? While Future Serviceable Major Leaguers or Future Fungal Fellows doesn't sound as good, those titles would have been more accurate. Thankfully, the dual rookies' cards in this set have nothing regarding any sort of present or future aspirations of stardom.
Back to the packs...
PACK 5: Robb Nen, Randy Johnson, Chipper Jones, Lee Stevens, Sammy Sosa, Jeff Bagwell, Brewers Rookies (Josh Mieses and Alex Sanchez), Devil Rays Rookies (Dewon Brazelton and Delvin James), Randy Johnson Postseason Scrapbook, Reds Rookies (David Espinoza and Dane Sardinha
PACK 6: Cristian Guzman, Rafael Palmeiro, Ben Grieve (I can get this signed next week!), Tony Clark, Jason Johnson (I could have gotten this signed on Thursday!), Raul Mondesi, Mike Hampton, Braves Rookies (Wilson Betemit and Horacio Ramirez-- might be able to get Betemit in mid-July when the Orioles come), Blue Jays Rookies (Brandon Lyon and Vernon Wells), Luis Gonzalez Postseason Scrapbook
PACK 7: Brandon Duckworth, John VanderWal, Luis Gonzalez, Greg Maddux, Phil Nevin, Orlando Cabrera, Bud Smith, 2001 NL Steroid Users... err, Home Run Leaders, Cubs Checklist, Mariners Checklist
PACK 8: Eric Milton, Gabe Kapler, Toby Hall, Mike Mussina, Jose Lima, Jeff Conine, Alfonso Soriano Postseason Scrapbook, Pirates Checklist, Astros Checklist, Manny Ramirez Night Gamers insert (also 1:11 packs and rather nondescript)
On to the center group...
PACK 9: Devin White (He was a Brewer? Huh, okay), Ray Durham, Hideo Nomo, Russell Branyan, Mark Quinn, John Olerud, Mark Mulder, Darryl Kile, Jim Thome Postseason Scrapbook, Marlins Rookies (Abraham Nunez and Josh Beckett)
Two Indians in that pack. So I probably won't see another one the rest of the way.
PACK 10: Garret Anderson, Pat Burrell, Preston Wilson, Ken Griffey Jr., Edgardo Alfonso, Shawn Green, Tigers Rookies (Pedro Santana and Mike Rivera), Mike Mussina Postseason Scrapbook, Phillies Checklist, Yankees Checklist
PACK 11: Matt Williams, Brian Jordan, Brad Radke, Jimmy Haynes, Derek Jeter, Mike Sweeney, Edgar Martinez, Angels Checklist, Andruw Jones Postseason Scrapbook, Mets Rookies (Alex Escobar and Jae Weong Seo)
Alex Escobar. What a bust for the Indians. There's a trade I think both the Tribe and Mets would love to take back. Alomar, after hitting a career-best .336 the year before, hit .265 with the Mets in a season and a half. Escobar shredded his knee in Spring Training, then hit .235 in only 74 games with the Tribe. Of everyone involved, only Matt Lawton was worth anything after the trade-- weird to say that about a guy who hit .236, .249, and .277 with the Indians, the last season culminating in an All-Star nod. After bouncing between three teams in 2005, Lawton picked up a PED suspension. Ask for a refund Matty, they didn't work.
PACK 12: Frank Catalanotto, Aubrey Huff, Robert Person, Troy Percival, Juan Pierre, Mark Kotsay, Twins Rookies (Adam Johnson and Juan Rincon), Curt Schilling Postseason Scrapbook, Rockies Rookies (Jason Jennings and Luke Hudson), Ichiro A Day At The Park insert (1:23 packs, also pretty nondescript)
PACK 13: Larry Walker, Brian Lawrence, Tony Armas Jr., Juan Uribe, Bubba Trammell, Barry Bonds, Eric Young, Twins Checklist, Curt Schilling Postseason Scrapbook, 2001 AL PED Abusers... err, Home Run Leaders
PACK 14: Jon Lieber, Wade Miller, Damion Easley, Jay Gibbons, Lance Berkman, Bobby Higginson, Chris Richard, Cubs Rookies (Juan Cruz and Mark Prior), Mariners Rookies (Rafael Soriano and Dennis Stark), Andruw Jones
PACK 15: Chris Carpenter, Jim Thome, Ramon Ortiz, Jose Cruz Jr., Aaron Boone, Robin Ventura, Jorge Posada Postseason Scrapbook, Giants Checklist, Royals Checklist, Tom Glavine Postseason Scrapbook
PACK 16: Rob Mackowiak, Al Leiter, Chan Ho Park, Kevin Brown, Mark McGwire, Paul O'Neill, Reds Checklist, Braves Checklist, Blue Jays Checklist, Mark McGwire Sandlot Stars insert
And finally as midnight passes, the rightmost pile...
PACK 17: Reggie Sanders, Rafael Furcal, Mark Buehrle, Mike Cameron, Tim Hudson, Dmitri Young, Pirates Rookies (John Grabow and Humberto Cota), Astros Rookies (Tim Redding and Morgan Ensberg), A's Rookies (Oscar Salazar and Juan Pena), Troy Glaus
PACK 18: Trot Nixon, Juan Gonzalez, Aramis Ramirez, Jay Payton, 2001 AL Wins Leaders, Diamondbacks Rookies (Alex Cintron and Jack Cust), Orioles Rookies (Sean Douglass and Tim Raines Jr.), Catfish Hunter Timeless Teams Jersey Card, Devil Rays Rookies
There we go! I figured I wouldn't get any big hits since the odds on them were two sets at 1:144 (or 1 per 6 boxes) and 1:288 (1 per 12 boxes). Also, the first double of the entire box, I believe (some names appear doubled in the Postseason Scrapbook cards, but those were different cards of the same player in the same subset). Really nice two-color swatch too. Here's a pic.
 |
| Pretty nice looking card! |
PACK 19: A.J. Burnett, Gary Sheffield, Ben Sheets, Magglio Ordonez, Vladimir Guerrero, Albert Pujols, Jorge Posada, Ryan Dempster, Edgar Martinez Postseason Scrapbook, Marlins Checklist
Or not.
PACK 20: Manny Ramirez, C.C. Sabathia, Mo Vaughn, Carlos Beltran, Kaz Sasaki, Jermaine Dye, Tigers Checklist, Chipper Jones Postseason Scrapbook, Mets Checklist, Ivan Rodriguez Night Gamers insert
PACK 21: Dee Brown, Freddy Garcia, Jason Giambi, Jose Ortiz, Charles Johnson, Curt Schilling, Jeromy Burnitz, Brewers Checklist, Devil Rays Checklist, Omar Vizquel
It feels so weird seeing Devil Rays on a card. Seeing Expos is less weird and more nostalgic. I also believe Omar Vizquel should be in the Hall of Fame.
PACK 22: Scott Rolen, Rich Aurilia, Kerry Wood, Jose Canseco, Dante Bichette (raise your hand if you remembered he played for the Red Sox; my hand is not raised), Bartolo Colon, Rangers Checklist, Brent Abernathy, 2001 AL ERA Leaders, Dodgers Rookies (Ricardo Rodriguez and Carlos Garcia)
PACK 23: Moises Alou, Robert Fick, Josh Towers, Darin Erstad, Adam Dunn, D'Angelo Jimenez, Jose Vidro, Rangers Rookies (Mark Teixeira and Carlos Pena), Carlos Delgado, 2001 NL Wins Leaders
Teixeira/Pena has to be the best "rookie" combo in this set. That's not saying much though, as the second best one is Lyon and Wells, and trying to name the third-best in this is roughly the equivalent of trying to name the third best president post-Kennedy.
PACK THE LAST: Alex Gonzalez, Kris Benson, Luis Castillo, J.D. Drew, Mariano Rivera, Dean Palmer, Diamondbacks Checklist, Orioles Checklist, Bret Boone Postseason Scrapbook, Vladimir Guerrero Sandlot Stars insert
Overall not too bad. Very few doubles. Should be less than 75 cards from a complete set out of a single box (225-ish of 300) if I wanted to put it together. Oddly, I didn't pull a Tanyon Sturtze card, the lone card from this set that I ever had in my collection coming into breaking this box (got it signed during the 2004 ALCS in Boston and apparently traded it at some point, as it's not listed in my inventory).
I'll definitely be heading back to Triple more often. I just need a Toll Tag to make the cross-Metroplex trips a little cheaper.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Some housekeeping, and a call for your ideas
With a busy week ahead, I'm not going to have a Wednesday Friendsday this coming week. I'm going to all three Rangers-Indians games (Monday through Wednesday) so I hopefully will have a long report (and probably a long day at work and a large dinner of Vietnamese food) on Thursday. Anything Can Happen Thursday will also be pushed back to June 20.
Also, a correction. After finding a mislabeling leading to six previously unaccounted-for cards, it was actually Rangers' manager Ron Washington who signed baseball card #1000 in my collection on Sunday morning rather than Royals' manager Ned Yost. Texas Graphing Chronicles regrets the error. Or something.
This weekend, I plan on going out card buying in preparation for the Indians, Reds, Mariners, Astros, and Orioles. Basically the next month and a half of hounding. I already ordered from SportLots for the Blue Jays and A's. Indians too, but I don't think they're going to get here in time. Fortunately, I shouldn't miss too many-- I have almost everyone here fortunately. And maybe I can find the ones I'm lacking this weekend.
Lastly, readers, I'd also like to ask you for your input. What would you like to see more of here on TGC? What would you like to see less of? Leave a comment on this post with any requests or ideas you may have for future postings.
Also, a correction. After finding a mislabeling leading to six previously unaccounted-for cards, it was actually Rangers' manager Ron Washington who signed baseball card #1000 in my collection on Sunday morning rather than Royals' manager Ned Yost. Texas Graphing Chronicles regrets the error. Or something.
This weekend, I plan on going out card buying in preparation for the Indians, Reds, Mariners, Astros, and Orioles. Basically the next month and a half of hounding. I already ordered from SportLots for the Blue Jays and A's. Indians too, but I don't think they're going to get here in time. Fortunately, I shouldn't miss too many-- I have almost everyone here fortunately. And maybe I can find the ones I'm lacking this weekend.
Lastly, readers, I'd also like to ask you for your input. What would you like to see more of here on TGC? What would you like to see less of? Leave a comment on this post with any requests or ideas you may have for future postings.
Monday, May 27, 2013
A tale of two cities... or card stores.
Over the weekend, I ventured out to the northeastern portion of the Metroplex and got to hit up a couple card stores, one in North Dallas, one in Arlington. I had been to both in the past, but I had a few new things to look for, and I wanted to do a little comparison of the two.
On Saturday afternoon, it was off to Nick's Sports Cards in North Dallas. It's in that area where Dallas, Plano, Richardson, Carrollton, and Addison all kind of come together into one amalgamation. They're located in a small strip mall at Campbell and Coit Roads.
Nick's is a pretty nice shop. I mostly was looking to restock on Ray Fosse after he signed my lone card last week-- no luck though, so it'll be off to SportLots for him. I did find a few other nice ones in their vintage baseball boxes though-- pulled a Bill Lee to TTM eventually, a 1968 Steve Blass for when the Pirates come through later in the season, a Mel Stottlemyre just for the hell of it, a 1975 Buck Martinez for when the Blue Jays come in, a 1968 Ken Suarez for my Rangers' Alumni binder, the infamous 1968 Aurelio Rodriguez that depicts the Angels' batboy, a 1972 Chris Speier for when the Reds come through, and a 1973 Chuck Seelbach card as well. Seelbach is now a history teacher at our alma mater. Picked out a few Rangers for various upcoming tunnel outings. I also got 1000 card sleeves to go on my autographs. Got them all finished last night with about 450 or so left for future additions to the collection.
One of the great things about Nick's is that they have a drawing for gift certificates. For every $10 you spend, you get a ticket. 6 winners are drawn per week, but you have to stop in to see if you won-- no phoning, no emails, you have to visit.
Sunday I went over to Duane's in Arlington. Duane's may not look like much upon a brief glance, but they have something for every collector. I spent my time going through their vintage boxes looking for Fosse (again, no luck) and a few random TTM-able items. I found a few-- Eric Soderholm, a couple of Bill Lee, two Ron Leflores, a Rich Dauer for future hounding of AA baseball, and Joe Nolan. I also searched through their newer stuff to try to find some players for the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, and luckily found at least a card or two of almost everyone I needed, plus a couple of cards for the Indians, Royals, and A's for their upcoming trips in. Commons are all 25 cents each which is on par with SportLots (18 cents usually, but you have to pay and wait for shipping).
Randy has told me I have to name-drop him with Bill when I'm in there. Unfortunately, he wasn't there on Sunday. I'll stop by again soon though.
I would highly recommend both stores, depending on where you are located. If you're in the northeast quadrant of the Metroplex, definitely take a few hours out to go to Nick's. If you're in Arlington, Duane's is excellent. I plan to hit Duane's at least once every two weeks to stock up for various hounding outings. If I can't find what I need, it's off to SportLots. And if I'm out in Plano, Richardson, Allen, or wherever, a stop at Nick's is certainly in order.
On Saturday afternoon, it was off to Nick's Sports Cards in North Dallas. It's in that area where Dallas, Plano, Richardson, Carrollton, and Addison all kind of come together into one amalgamation. They're located in a small strip mall at Campbell and Coit Roads.
Nick's is a pretty nice shop. I mostly was looking to restock on Ray Fosse after he signed my lone card last week-- no luck though, so it'll be off to SportLots for him. I did find a few other nice ones in their vintage baseball boxes though-- pulled a Bill Lee to TTM eventually, a 1968 Steve Blass for when the Pirates come through later in the season, a Mel Stottlemyre just for the hell of it, a 1975 Buck Martinez for when the Blue Jays come in, a 1968 Ken Suarez for my Rangers' Alumni binder, the infamous 1968 Aurelio Rodriguez that depicts the Angels' batboy, a 1972 Chris Speier for when the Reds come through, and a 1973 Chuck Seelbach card as well. Seelbach is now a history teacher at our alma mater. Picked out a few Rangers for various upcoming tunnel outings. I also got 1000 card sleeves to go on my autographs. Got them all finished last night with about 450 or so left for future additions to the collection.
One of the great things about Nick's is that they have a drawing for gift certificates. For every $10 you spend, you get a ticket. 6 winners are drawn per week, but you have to stop in to see if you won-- no phoning, no emails, you have to visit.
Sunday I went over to Duane's in Arlington. Duane's may not look like much upon a brief glance, but they have something for every collector. I spent my time going through their vintage boxes looking for Fosse (again, no luck) and a few random TTM-able items. I found a few-- Eric Soderholm, a couple of Bill Lee, two Ron Leflores, a Rich Dauer for future hounding of AA baseball, and Joe Nolan. I also searched through their newer stuff to try to find some players for the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, and luckily found at least a card or two of almost everyone I needed, plus a couple of cards for the Indians, Royals, and A's for their upcoming trips in. Commons are all 25 cents each which is on par with SportLots (18 cents usually, but you have to pay and wait for shipping).
Randy has told me I have to name-drop him with Bill when I'm in there. Unfortunately, he wasn't there on Sunday. I'll stop by again soon though.
I would highly recommend both stores, depending on where you are located. If you're in the northeast quadrant of the Metroplex, definitely take a few hours out to go to Nick's. If you're in Arlington, Duane's is excellent. I plan to hit Duane's at least once every two weeks to stock up for various hounding outings. If I can't find what I need, it's off to SportLots. And if I'm out in Plano, Richardson, Allen, or wherever, a stop at Nick's is certainly in order.
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