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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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?
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.
