My Philip Humber Collection

I was lucky enough to watch the end of Philip Humber’s perfect game yesterday. It was the first perfect game I had watched since David Cone’s in 1999. The end of the game was a bit confusing as Brendan Ryan allegedly swung to strike out at what would have been ball four with two out in the ninth. The ball got away from AJ Pierzynski who recovered it to make the final out at first. Humber is yet another former Met to throw a no-hitter. No pitcher has ever done so in a Mets uniform. I own exactly one Philip Humber card. It is a 2005 Bowman card. The card could easily be found in a dime box at any card show. However, the last 5 of these cards to sell on eBay sold for (including shipping) $5.74, $7.50, $8.99, $4.74, and $3.00. The average selling price is $5.99. This is an absolutely ridiculous price for this card. Needless to say, I have already put my Humber card on eBay. I may buy another in a few months if I see it in a dime box.

eBay Mailbag: Carlos Beltran

I recently purchased a 2011 Topps Heritage card of Carlos Beltran on eBay for only six cents. Despite what the scowl on Beltran’s face on the card might suggest, I was actually quite happy to make this purchase. This is my first card from 2011 Topps Heritage since I didn’t purchase any packs last year. I like the design much better than some of the previous years. Beltran is a Cardinal this year after spending time as a Met and Giant last year. Today, he is also my pick in MLB’s Beat the Streak Challenge.

TTM Mailbag: Aaron Hill

I recently received a TTM autograph return from Aaron Hill of the Diamondbacks. I received my 2011 Topps card signed in black Sharpie in just 18 days. The signature looks perfect with no flaws or smudges. Hill was traded to the Diamondbacks by the Blue Jays last year. He was an All-Star in 2009, but his numbers have slumped in the past two years. Hill is off to a slow start in spring training, but that doesn’t mean much once the season starts.

Fantasy Baseball Draft!!!

Spring is here which means that baseball season fast approaches. And with the beginning of baseball season comes fantasy baseball. I drafted my team over the weekend using an auction-style draft. This was my first auction-style draft. It’s much like eBay. 20% of my money went towards drafting Pujols. Now I know how the Angels feel. I feel pretty good about my team. Look at this roster:

Joe Mauer

Albert Pujols

Dustin Ackley

Alex Rodriguez

Derek Jeter

Drew Stubbs

Brett Gardner

Ichiro Suzuki

Ryan Howard

Jesus Montero

Edwin Encarnacion

Jose Tabata

Ian Desmond

Roy Halladay

CC Sabathia

Shaun Marcum

Anibal Sanchez

Ervin Santana

Mariano Rivera

JJ Putz

Frank Francisco

Brandon League

Chris Perez

I overpaid for Halladay, but otherwise there are no regrets. Fingers crossed for no injuries.

eBay Mailbag: 2010 Topps Update

My latest eBay purchase was a lot of 4 2010 Topps Update cards. I paid 11 cents shipped for all 4 cards. I received one card each of Brian Matusz, Logan Morrison, Travis Wood, and Jeffrey Marquez. All are considered rookie cards. I figured I could use some for autograph purposes. For the price, I can’t really go wrong. I generally pay 10 cents for commons at card shows. I got these cards for less than 3 cents per card.

TTM Mailbag: Neil Walker

I received my first TTM autograph return from spring training this week. Neil Walker signed a 2010 Allen & Ginter and a 2011 Topps in black Sharpie from Pirates spring training in just 7 days. Unfortunately, the A&G card has a small corner ding but it’s not that bad. Both cards still look really good though.

TTM Mailbag: John Maine

I received a TTM autograph return this week. This was my first return of the year. I thought this was a spring training return, but the envelope only had a 44 cent stamp on it. It turns out the envelope was from John Maine. I received two cards signed in 276 days. I sent the cards to AAA Colorado Springs but the envelope was postmarked from Charlotte, NC. Both cards came back in great shape signed in black Sharpie. By the way, did anyone realize that Maine signed a Minor League deal with the Red Sox?

1st TTM Autograph Requests of 2012

I sent out my first TTM autograph requests of the year out this week to spring training facilities. I made a list of the players that I wanted to send letters to this year. I sent 5 letters out to Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano, Aaron Hill, Chris Volstad, and Neil Walker. A couple of those are close to sure bets. I would be thrilled to get the Joba request back. Typically, I will send 5 letters out at a time just to make life easier and continue doing so throughout the year. Any advice for who to send to during the rest of the year?

eBay Mailbag: Manny Banuelos

I picked up a 2011 Bowman Chrome Throwback Card #BCT11 of Yankee prospect Manny Banuelos on eBay. I paid 1 cent shipped. It doesn’t get any cheaper than that. I figure that my investment can only go up in value. Banuelos is a big pitching prospect in the Yankees organization. He has yet to make his big league debut. That will probably come at some point this year. He will probably start the season at AAA Scranton. This is my second card of Banuelos. I will probably be looking to pick up a few more Banuelos cards in the future.

eBay Mailbag: On Card Autographs

My eBay purchases had earned me some eBay Bucks for this last quarter. With these Bucks set to expire, I had to use them up. After several unsuccessful bids, I finally bought two cards from the same seller. Both cards cost less than a dollar after using my Bucks.

The first card is a 2011 Topps Chrome autograph of Aaron Crow. Crow was an All-Star last year for the Royals. Of course, Mark Redman was once an All-Star for the Royals. But the Royals have to have an All-Star and last year it was Aaron Crow. I only bought this card because I recognized the name from the All-Star roster. If he’s any good, he will move on to another team someday and have a decent career.

The other card is a 2009 Goudey autograph of Phil Coke. I bought this card because it shows Coke as a Yankee. Coke was one-half of the “Phil-thies” with Phil Hughes. Coke was eventually shipped to the Tigers in the Curtis Granderson trade. I am happy to say that both cards are signed on the card rather than a sticker. However, the Coke signature can be missed after taking a quick glance at the card.

On an unrelated topic, I have not purchased any 2012 Topps product nor do I intend to. I will save my money for Heritage or maybe Allen & Ginter. That is all I have to say on that topic.