Christmas Swag!

Merry Christmas everyone!! I hope everyone found something nice under the tree. If you’re reading this blog, someone probably gave you baseball cards for Christmas. My Christmas Day haul included 5 packs of 2008 Upper Deck X. I always liked this set but never bought any packs or boxes. I probably should have. I think I did pretty well with my 5 packs. There were no hits but I'm happy with what I pulled. There are 2 inserts in every pack if you count the Die Cuts as an insert. That gives me the sense that I’m actually getting a value. I’m not a big fan of the Die Cut cards. They are awkward to handle. Also, you might notice that some of them weren’t fully cut on the top and bottom of the card so the part that should be cut off remains with the card. Anyway, here are the results.

Pack 1:
Chase Utley
Albert Pujols
Mark Teixiera – Die Cut
Brandon Webb – Xponential
Whitey Ford – YSL
Robinson Cano

Pack 2:
Brandon Phillips
Lastings Milledge
Nate McLouth – Die Cut
Jonathan Papelbon – Xponential
Garrett Atkins
Kosuke Fukudome

Pack 3:
Josh Hamilton
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Josh Beckett – Die Cut
Ryan Zimmerman – Xponential
Ryan Howard
David Wright

Pack 4 (For the BJ Upton and Vlad Guerrero fan):
Derek Jeter
BJ Upton (Die Cut)
Vladimir Guerrero – Xponential 2
Vladimir Guerrero – Die Cut Gold
BJ Upton
Mark Teixiera

Pack 5:
Conor Jackson
Matt Holliday
Howie Kendrick – Die Cut
Trevor Hoffman – Xponential
Bobby Murcer – YSL
Nate McLouth

Yankees from Play at the Plate

I received this package from Play at the Plate. It’s mostly 2008 UD Documentary Yankee cards but there are some other Yankee cards thrown in for good measure. I have never been a big fan of UD Documentary but these are Yankee cards so I must make an exception. It’s a nice group of cards. The scans are below. I think my favorite card might actually be the O Pee Chee Phil Coke rookie card. For some weird reason, I like that black border. I wish the Yankees could have traded someone else to get Granderson. Anyway, a thank you package will be in the mail at some point.

Pack Break: 2007 Fleer Ultra

This is my latest pack of 2007 Fleer Ultra. I pulled my share of washed up players in this pack. With only 5 cards, a couple of cards can ruin a pack.

1. Gary Sheffield – Shef is a role player at best these days. He is well past his prime. Also, he has a reputation as a professional jerkass.
2. Conor Jackson – Jackson is still young but he missed a bunch of time due to desert fever or valley fever or some kind of fever. If Jackson can stay healthy, he could be productive.
3. Matt Morris – Morris is now retired after some good years with the Cardinals. He fell off the cliff pretty quickly and last played with the Pirates.
4. Richie Sexson – Sexson is one of those home run or nothing type of players. But he quietly faded away, didn’t he?

5. Daisuke Matsuzaka – This is definitely the pull of the pack. It’s a Dice-K Lucky 13 Rookie Card. I know it’s a Red Sox card, but it’s still nice.

TTM Mailbag: Pat Neshek

This is my favorite TTM success to date. It comes from Pat Neshek c/o the Twins training facility in Fort Myers. For those of you who are fans of Mr. Neshek you know that he is an avid autograph collector and friend to the hobby. For those of you who aren’t fans, you should be. Check out his website at http://www.eteamz.com/PatNeshek/news/index.cfm?cat=242699 Anyway, he signed a 2007 Topps and 2007 Upper Deck in blue Sharpie in only 8 days. As an interesting sidenote, the 2007 Topps came out of a hobby box and the 2007 Upper Deck came from a 10 cent box at a card show.

More Jersey Card Goodies!

I recently bought a bunch of game-used jersey cards on eBay. It was a pretty good haul – nothing spectacular, but I think I got a good deal. Overall, the tab came to 21 bucks and change including shipping. I received 15 2007 SPx cards of various players including two different cards of Matt Cain. And all of the cards are numbered which makes me happy. The scans are below. I like the 2007 SPx design. It’s clean and simple. Also, those big letters do something for me.

But wait, there’s more!!! I also received 15 UD Ultimate Collection jersey cards in this lot. These cards aren’t numbered but they look cool. A neat little detail is that some of the jersey swatches have tiny holes from where seams were sewed together. My only beef is that some players who changed teams are shown in the old uniforms even though the new team name is displayed. Oh well. Overall, I think I got a pretty good deal. I will keep some of these cards. Some will be resold on eBay and some will be traded. Anyway, more scans below.

Pack Break: 2007 Fleer Ultra

This is a pack of 2007 Fleer Ultra from my eBay lot. It only had 5 cards but I think I did OK. Keep in mind that this pack cost me about 60 cents.

Victor Martinez – Even though Martinez was traded to the Red Sox, I still like this card. Martinez is shown in his old Indians uniform which makes it OK. Plus, he is one of the best catchers in the game.

Jeremy Bonderman – Bonderman had a miserable 2009, but – well, there is no but. At his best, Bonderman stinks.
Nick Johnson – I like this card because Johnson is an ex-Yankee. He has had his share of injuries, but Johnson can be decent when healthy.
Mark Teixiera – This is the best card in the pack. Tex was the MVP of the Yankees and should have been league MVP. I don’t mind that he is featured in a Rangers uniform either.
Mike Piazza – This is a Faces of the Game insert. I can’t complain whenever I pull an insert. But, Piazza in an A’s uniform at the end of his career leaves a little to be desired.

Welcome to New York!!

So the Yankees have traded for Curtis Granderson. It seems like he will take over center field duties for Melky Cabrera who will move to left field. Damon and Matsui probably will not have a place on the team. The Yankees picked up an All-Star in this trade, but they also gave up some promising youngsters.

To Phil Coke, we thank you for your consistent service out of the bullpen. You were one half of the Philthies and you will be missed.

To Austin Jackson, we will never know if you would have been the Yankee centerfielder of the future as had been predicted but best of luck wherever you eventually settle in.

To Ian Kennedy, get the hell out of town!!

In an interesting side note, the Granderson card above is the only 09 SP Legendary Cuts card that I own. I picked it up at a card show for 10 cents with the intent of getting it autographed TTM but the design is so nice I think I'll just keep it the way it is. Those are really nice looking cards.

TTM Mailbag: Mike Cameron

My most recent TTM Autograph success came from Mike Cameron at his home address. He has always been a good signer in the offseason. Both signatures came out perfectly in blue Sharpie. Mike signed my 2004 Bazooka and 2006 Topps in only 8 days.

2007 Fleer: Old Timer's Edition

I busted another pack of 2007 Fleer. I really like the set, but this pack turned out to be full of players who are definitely past their prime or injury prone. I am happy to get the 2 inserts as well as the Alexi Casilla RC. Anyway, here are the results:
- Chris Ray
- Ben Sheets
- Paul LoDuca
- Aaron Miles
- Steve Finley

- Alexi Casilla
- Mitch Maier
- Jon Lester (Rookie Sensations)
- Felipe Lopez
- Jim Thome (Crowning Achievement)

Cheap eBay Finds

I do a lot of bargain hunting on eBay. Occasionally, I will pull the trigger. I recently purchased 9 Alex Rodriguez cards and 2 Derek Jeter cards on eBay for less than a buck including shipping. All of the Arod cards show him in a Mariners uniform, but that’s OK for this price. There are a couple of doubles but that doesn’t really bother me. Anyway, here are the photos of my bounty. Don't these guys look young?

Pack Break: 2008 UD Documentary Part 2

As promised, here are the details of my second and final pack of 2008 UD Documentary. I will never buy any of this product ever again. It’s downright terrible. The photos have no relation to the game featured on the card. In some cases, the player in the photo is not named anywhere on the card. On the plus side, I did walk away from this pack with a Derek Jeter base card, Hanley Ramirez gold card (one per pack), and a Kevin Youkilis All-Star insert card (one per 4 packs). It figures that the insert would have to be a Red Sox card. Here are the photos of my haul.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!!

Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everybody has something to be thankful for. I for one am thankful for food, friends, family, and football. I'm sure I'm thankful for other things that begin with the letter F as well. Is there any better day to show off a Turkey Red card? I suggest that there is not. I never had a lot of Turkey Reds although I like the design. I don't think I have ever bought a pack. Below is a 2007 Turkey Red #118 of Hideki Matsui. I acquired it as part of an eBay lot a while ago.

Pack Break: 2008 UD Documentary Part 1

I recently opened a pack of 2008 UD Documentary that I received as part of a larger eBay lot. This was the first pack of this product I have ever opened. I must admit that I was disappointed. Each card features a game during the 2008 season rather than a player. The photo on the front of the card isn't even from the featured game. In some cases, the player on the front of the card didn't even play in the game. John Smoltz is on a card that features a game that Tom Glavine started. You'll also notice that 5 cards feature a Game 159, 3 feature a Game 97, and 2 feature a Game 63. Now that's a lack of variety. On the plus side, each pack contains a gold parallel card and I'm a sucker for parallels. The gold card in this pack was Grady Sizemore. I'll show off another pack of this product soon. Anyway, here are pictures of my bounty.

Goodies from eBay

I recently bought a lot of 42 2008 Stadium Club cards on eBay for $2.99 including shipping. I love the photography and design on these cards. The colors are so bright. Also, the pictures are interesting and unique. Of course, I would never buy an actual pack or box since the prices are so outrageous. But this was a good way to get some Stadium Club cards on the cheap.

Most of the cards were commons:

I received 8 numbered rookie cards:

And a beautiful Mickey Mantle card:

Pack Break: 2007 Fleer Ultra

This pack is part of my eBay 60 cent per pack lot. It’s a pack of 2007 Fleer Ultra. Let’s see how I did:
51-Jeremy Sowers – So far, Sowers has had a disappointing career. I’ll probably try to get this card autographed TTM
99-Ben Sheets – Sheets was injured in 2009. If Sheets is healthy, he is a viable pitcher. Some team will take a cheap shot on him next year.
111-Boof Bonser – Bonser also missed 2009 due to an injury. He should be back with the Twins in 2010. This card will also be destined for a TTM autograph attempt.
139-Cole Hamels – Yet another pitcher to come out of this pack. At least it’s a decent name.
UIM3-Cal Ripken Jr. – This is the “pull” of the pack. How can you go wrong with a Cal Ripken insert?Overall, this was a decent pack. I could have done worse. You’ll notice the 4 base cards are all pitchers in the middle of their delivery. A little boring but I can’t complain. I only wish there were a little more than 5 cards per pack.

2007 SPx Jersey Card - Jake Peavy

This is the Jake Peavy jersey card that I picked up as part of a larger lot on eBay. I promised I would show it off. This card by itself cost less than a buck. It is a 2007 SPx numbered 150/199. Of course, Peavy is no longer a Padre since the Padres can no longer afford good players. Peavy was traded to the White Sox this year while he was injured for a handful of prospects and some magic beans. He made a couple of starts for the Sox. However, Peavy’s contract has a couple years left so the White Sox made the trade to compete over the next few years. Peavy is a bonafide staff ace, but the White Sox still need some more pieces. Anyway, this is a good looking card and the price was right.

Pack Break: 2007 Fleer

I recently bought 10 packs of various baseball cards on eBay for $5.99 including shipping. That’s 60 cents a pack according to my math – not a bad deal. I’ve got some Fleer, Fleer Ultra, and UD Documentary. I’ll share a few of my pack breaks as I go along. This is a retail pack of 2007 Fleer.

Cory Sullivan – Sullivan was a backup outfielder for the Mets this year. An unimpressive start.

Jonathan Papelbon – Although Papelbon is a dominant closer, he is a Red Sox and that’s bad.

Michael Cuddyer – I like Cuddyer. He a good player, fan friendly, and recently Minnesota picked up his $10.5 million option. So if you’re looking for a loan…

Josh Johnson – Johnson is a decent pitcher who will leave Florida once he gets too expensive

Eric Chavez – This card is a mini, inserted in 1:2 packs. I hate cards that aren’t 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. I’m also mildly sick of Eric Chavez. Needless to say, this card does nothing for me.

Dennis Sarfate – Just another middle reliever

Fred Lewis – I have about 5 rookie cards of this guy and I have never even seen him play.

Troy Glaus – Glaus is a 4-time All-Star but his best days are behind him. Glaus only played 14 games for the Cardinals this year due to injury.

Ryan Zimmerman – This is a Rookie Sensations insert. These are in every pack. It’s a pretty flashy looking card to come from such an inexpensive set.

Jason Bay – This is a Perfect 10 insert. These are inserted in 1:5 packs.

Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with this pack. I think I got my 60 cents worth. I received 3 inserts and 2 “rookie cards.” I wish Fleer was still in production. These cards are perfect for TTM autographs. They are simple, inexpensive, and have no gloss. But there’s no more Fleer. I guess that’s progress for you.