New York's Newest Rent-a-Yankees

At 4:00 PM today, the MLB trades came to a screeching halt. At the same time, the manager at Topps screamed to card designers "BACK TO WORK! You know we need that Update set by October!"

The Yankees garnered three legitimate stars out of the deal. Berkman I already talked about. Let's meet the other two. Guess what- THEY'RE BOTH CLEVELAND INDIANS! That'll send the "I hate the Yankees" posts a-blazing!

Austin Kearns was the Yankee trade that I wasn't happy at all about. Austin Kearns is like the Owen Wilson of baseball. Sure, he does a lot, and he's on a lot of good teams, but at the end of the day he's annoying! (Although I don't think Austin Kearns talks like an idiot). But, I'm sure he'll be able to fill in a hole or two on the team. Sad to say it, we need a guy like Kearns. I don't know if he can hit much, but this move wasn't about offense.

Kerry Wood was a little more impressive in my opinion. You see, the Yankees are in need of set up men. If the pitcher is tanking halfway through the game, you can't just leave him in there. You know what we have for middle relievers? We have Chan Ho "Oh, I'm Japanese and that makes me good- NOT!" Park, a couple of young guys and Joba, who suddenly can't pitch for his life. We were in desperate need of Kerry Wood, and it's a nice deal. Of course, if the deal happened about 10 years ago, then maybe we'd be more interested.

Still, it's pretty cool that the Yanks got three stars that they needed. Of course, none of them are staying for 2011. Three months may be it for these guys unless they can make themselves useful.

Berkman in Pinstripes?

The Yankees and Lance Berkman are one of the same at this point in the year. They're older, stronger, and just need one last guarantee of greatness.

And that's when Lance Berkman agreed to be traded from Houston, the place where he called home for more than a decade now.

Berkman was getting tired of playing every day, it seems. With the Yanks, he can DH, you know, Guerrero style. DH so much you get an All Star nod out of it.

Do I think this is a good deal for the Yankees? Yes. It's an addition of strength to an already strenghtened team. As far as I know, Berk did not take steroids, and can hit pretty damn good, and that's just what the Yankees need.

The Yankees needed this deal. Berkman needed this deal. The Astros will end in 5th place in the NL Central this year (You know, Pirates are 6th).

And if it's another Yankees-Phillies series, maybe Oswalt may go up against his former teammate Berkman.

But still, the Yankees needed a full time DH. And with Berkman, that's just what they got.

(Update- What do you mean it isn't final until 1:00! He's still gonna do it!)

2010 Topps Series 2 Cereal- Trade Deadline Edition

I got a 10 dollar series 2 cereal box on the eve of the trade deadline. I'm going to analyze each card and see what the chances are of them being traded.

Honus Wagner Guaranteed Chrome Refractor

573- Johan Santana. The Mets will not trade this guy. He's their only hope!
531- Matt Cain. Hey, you never know.
655- Ryan Madson. For some reason, no.
491- Rafael Furcal. No, the Dodgers will not trade this guy. He's a multiple all star, and he produces.
394- Luis Castillo. They wouldn't.
547- Brett Gardner. They certainly wouldn't.
649- Casey McGeehee. We'll see...
509- Todd Helton. There is a slight possibility, but I don't think the Rockies want to risk their big star getting traded away. All they'd have left is Wimpy at Shortstop and that awesome pitcher.
525- Grady Sizemore. He's hurt. I don't think Cleveland would want to trade this guy.
579- Trevor Cahill. No.
540- Sean Rodriguez. Well, maybe.
483- Daisuke Matsusaka. Boston would not even dare give this guy up.
334- Jayson Werth. The Phillies sure are trying. They might even succeed.
408- Tigers team card
647- Alfonso Soriano. He's the face of the team. Why would the Cubs trade him?
623- Miguel Cabrera. Not unless he starts drinking again.
551- Everth Cabrera. No.
471- Drew Butera. This guy's a catching prospect for the Twins. Now why on Earth would he get traded (Hint- who's playing catcher for the Twins?)
452- Allen Craig. This guy's an outfielder rookie for St. Louis. Hey, you never know.
375- Mike Leake. Give me one good reason why the Reds would trade this excellent pitching prospect (And if it rhymes with Rassburg than I don't want to hear it).
Ryas Checklist
467- Fausto Carmona. Well, the rumors are saying he'd go to Philly, but he better not now that we got Roy Mach 2.
504- Jeff Mathis. I wouldn't
648- Brian Fuentes. Again, I wouldn't.
534- Hideki Okajima. I WOULD! Naw, just kidding. He's a decent pitcher that just so happens top play for Boston.
Hey! It's a Yo Mamma card of two people I wouldn't trade! Ichiro and Pujols sharing a card in 2004 topps. This one I needed!
Reggie Vintage Legends which I have.
CHASE UTLEY WORLD SERIES! WOOOOO!
Code card, let's see who I got-
1977 Ray Sadeki. Not bad. Not extremely good, either, but still.
Billy Buttler Turkey Red
Tris Speaker and Jacoby Ellisbury. One sucks, the other doesn't. Guess which.
COME ON! ANOTHER RED SOCK! Clay Buchholz peak performance.
Gordon Beckham in the year 2020.
Derrek Lee ToppsTown
607- Ubaldo Jiminez. NO! GOD NO!
344- Brett Myers. The Phillies already tried and look where that lead us.
356- ANgels
435- Nelson Cruz. He hits like crazy. They shouldn't.
501- Jake Peavy. NOOO!
591- Fernando Rodney. Being that they have Fuentes, they should trade him.
418- Aaron Laffey. Maybe
592- BriRo. NOOOO!
(Rest of pack is dirty doubles

Well, out of the pack, only one person I pulled was traded (Dan Haren).

Custom Card of the Day

I wanted to make an O-Hud, mainly because he deserves one, and if he gets traded it'll seem ironic. Also, 84 is one of my fave designs, but it's also one of the hardest to customize.

Moving on to people who will likely appear on update sets sometime soon, Miguel Tejada, Jorge Cantu, Matt Capps, Scott Posednik and others have been traded to new cities. These next few days are going to be very hectic, and here's hoping the Yankees get someone they need (Just not Ty Wiggington)

Phillies: Will we be seeing the Roy and Roy Show?

Trade talks are flying through Philadelphia like all birds fly away from Temple Games. The #1 Philly trade rumor concerns a certain Houston fireballer. Yup, this is the post where I talk about Roy Oswalt.

Roy has been a Houston staple throughout the decade. He's seen rookies stay (Willy Taveras, Hunter Pence, JR Towles) and veterans leave (Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Roger Clemens).

He's been with the team since early in the decade, and apparently, he wants out. Last night, the Astros and the Phillies struck a deal to send Oswalt to Philly. Only one problem- they need Oswalt's approval.

I don't think Oswalt is going to go to Philly, but if he does, here's what might happen:

Upsides:

• The rotation will strengthen. It'll be Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels, Blanton, Happ (?). And Halladay and Oswalt will be drawing the crowds. It's like when Schilling and Johnson used to play for Arizona. It's the Roy and Roy show! It might even turn into the Cy and Roy show! But we'll just have to wait and see for that.
• Oswalt will see the postseason for the first time since 2005. And he (and Halladay) will pitch excellently all the way.

Downsides

• Resigning him. What if he hates Philly by next year. What if he wants to go somewhere else. What if we trade him for another decent pitcher (Naw, that'll never happen)
• He might not even want to go.
• He gets injured quite a bit.

Either way, he'd make a pretty good pitcher for the Phillies. Let's just hope that the minute I post this, he doesn't get traded to St. Louis.

Update- Roy agreed to the trade! He'll be going to Philly while JA Happ and some youngsters go to Houston

Custom Card of the Day-Realistic Edition

A simple play at the plate, is not what this photo is. It was a simple play at the plate, darkened by the lack of sunlight. What I did was lighten it some, then colorize the important parts (The Ground, the Catcher, Pence), and suck the color out of the background. I wanted it to LOOK like a 1973 Topps card, and I'm pretty sure I suceeded.

Coming tomorrow- I've got quite a few in my folder that are new. I might give you an Orlando Hudson or Yovanni Gallardo. Depends on what I want tomorrow.

The Arms Have It, or Pitchers versus Hitters

I've seen people calling 2010 The Year of the Pitcher. Mainly because some of the top players this year (Roy Halladay, Phil Hughes, Justin Verlander, David Price) are pitcher, and there have been quite a few no hitters this year.

I bring this up because tonight, in Tampa, Matt Garza just pitched 2010's 5th No Hitter. All of Detroit's batters tried very hard to get a hit, but came up short every time.

And this is the FIFTH time this has happened this year. There were two Perfect Games this year...twice in the same MONTH, for Heaven's sake. With Perfect Games, you're lucky if you get one once a year! And three no-hitters to go along with it. The pitchers are really bringing their A-Game this year.

We all remember that 1998 was the year of the Great Home Run Chase, where two steroid addled division rivals (but probable friends), fought day and night for Roger Maris' Seasonal Dinger Title (Matter of fact, Billy Crystal's 61* was on HBO). And McGwire broke 61. And Sosa broke 61. And McGwire held the record, and then, 3 years later, Bonds broke the record again. There have been numerous power seasons by batters (Matt Williams in 94, for example).

So why are we all so shocked that the season is being dominated by pitchers instead of batters?

Batters are why we go to games. Just to see A-Rod hit another home run, or to see Jeter try and break 3000. A-Rod is still at 599, because of why? Because Jake Westbrook, a decent enough pitcher, held him off.

We go to baseball games to see people smack the ball out of the park. This is why the "Year of the Pitcher" is so shocking to us baseball fans. We always want to see the batter winning over the pitcher.

Casey Stengel once said "Good pitching will always stop good hitting, and vice versa"

Thanks to the Year of the Pitcher, the last part of that quote is becoming endangered.

Custom Card of the Day

This is probably the coolest card I have ever created. I have no idea how I found that picture, but I will say I was amazed, and there was only one set that I thought of putting it in, cause it'd be the only appropriate set for it.

Tomorrow- this card even looks vintage!

That's what I call an action shot

Throughout my past Customs things haven't been going on. Basically, the guy gets a hit, the guy makes a catch, the guy strikes out, the guy pitches, etc. I've added a few action shots to the mix, like the shot of Buster Posey above. And a few shots coming up are much cooler (David DeJesus is tomorrow, followed by Hunter Pence, and quality is really faithful to their eras)

Now, onto the man on the card. Buster Posey was labeled this year as the next big thing. Every Topps set has one- a rookie card of a guy in the base set who people know will be good (Case in point- Ryan Howard, David Wright, Alex Gordon, Troy Tulowitski, Joey Votto, David Price). Buster Posey was billed as Card #2 in the set this year, after The Prince of Fatness, Prince Fielder. I saw Posey twice this year, and he was red hot in both games.

And that action shot always seems to personify him. Always leaping for home, and always ending up safe.

Tomorrow- One of the coolest customs I've ever done.

Custom Card of the Day

These customs are from after the All Star Game, so I might crank out some more tonight.

I might not be getting any cards for a while, since the vacation has rendered me nearly broke. I still need quite a bit from Series 2 and Chicle, so that is a shame.

I might need some ideas for customs, so does anyone have any requests?

Back in Joisey

You can believe your eyes. It's a 2010 Topps card of a recently traded phenom who used to play for the Phillies. This is an actual photo that will be used in the Update set.

Okay, I'm screwing with you.

I made it the night before I flew out to SF. And now I'm back, and this guy's pitching beatutifully against Jered Weaver, who will have a custom up tomorrow.

But back to me. I just got home from San Diego. I could be mistaken, but if I know former Yankees as well as I do, David "Boomer" Wells was on my flight. No I didn't get an autograph, because from what I've heard, he isn't the nicest guy when it comes to fans.

I'm anxiously awaiting A-Rod's 600th home run. At this point, I've forgiven him. No longer is he A rod, the once hyped phenom who wasted his career by needling up the wazoo, he is A-Rod, the Yankees Third Basemen who for a time was my favorite player, and still might be.

And if he hits 600, I'll be wearing my Yankee Jersey and clapping

(Just don't tell him it's a Jeter jersey)

Topps and National Chicle (?) Blaster Rip

I'm in San Diego right now, anxiously awaiting a trip to Comic Con preview night tonight. Before I left LA (Or Monrovia if you ant to be specific) this morning, I saw a Target nearby and felt the urge to rip. I saw boxes and boxes of Series 2, but I also saw, in the back of the aisle, a lone box of National Chicle. Chicle may in fcat be one of my favorite sets of the year. So I picked up the box, along with a box of Topps (I've got Yo Mamma fever!), and am ready to rip.

National Chicle-

Pack 1-
The Legends- Hank Greenberg, Christy Matthewson.
The Double- Wandy Rodriguez
The Rest- Chris Carpenter, Felix Pie, Brett Anderson

Pack 2-
The Legend- Al Kaline. I believe he's in a modern uniform.
The Yankee-Derek Jeter.
The Doubles- Nolan Reimold (Chicle Back), Carlos Quentin
The Rest- Miguel Cabrera, Jonathan Sanchez

Pack 3-
The Yankee- Curtis Granderson
The Doubles- CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Nolan Ryan
The Rest- Kevin Richardson, Marco Scutaro

Pack 4-
The Rookie Flashback- Juan Fransisco as Eric Davis 85
The OTHER Reds rookie- Drew Stubbs
Th Doubles- Melky Cabrera, YOOOOUK (Aw, Crap), Russell Branyan
The Rest- Derek Lowe

Pack 5-
The Legend- Babe Ruth Bazooka Back
The Doubles- Will Venable, Duke Snider, Tom Seaver
The Rest- Justin Morneau, Brian Roberts

Pack 6-
The Legends- Jim Palmer, Warren Spahn
The Ex-Phillie accquired in the Cliff Lee deal- Carlos Carrasco
The Double- Jonathan Broxton
The Rest- John Danks, Kyle Blanks (Hey, that rhymes!)

Pack 7-
The Guy that I saw play twice in one state- Buster Posey rookie
The Awesome Looking Cards- Assdribble Cabrera, Derrek Lee
The Doubles- Vladdie, Andrew MacCutchen
The Rest- Michael Bourn

Pack 8-
The Legends- Roy Campanella, Modern Cy Young (Nice Stache!)
The Filthy Red Sock- Dustin Pedroia
The Doubles- Jermaine Dye, Josh Hamilton, Scott Kazmir.

And now the Topps-

(I will give the highlights of what I don't have-

Hiroki Kuroda
Rick Porcello Yo Mamma
Darryl Strawberry 88 Yo Mamma Original Back
Ozzie Smith Peak
Luke Hochevar
Joba Chaimberlan
Chippah Jones
Killebrew and Morneau Lineage
Kung Fu Panda 2020
Jacoby Eliisbury
Carlos Pena
Joey Votto Turkey Red
AJ Pierzinski
J-Rol
Carlos Guillen Gold
Cal Ripken 92 Yo Mamma (I have it)
Babe Ruth Vintage Legends
Gerardo Parra
Ronny Paulino
Jeter and Rizzuto Lineage
Chippah 2000 Yo Mamma
Whtey Ford World Series
Prince ad Foxx Lineage
Another Cal 92 Yo Mamma
Rickey 81 Yo Mamma...ORIGINAL BACK
Tom Seaver Turkey Red

Good rip overall. If you want any of the Chicle doubles, or if you really need that Cal 93 Yo Mamma, set up a trade. I'd be more than happy to give away my doubles.

And if you have any Cards Your Mother Threw out that you don't need, set up a trade. What I HAVE is on the sidebar.

Friday Night Giants Game- Photos

I'm the kind of guy who will travel the country, go through plane rides, car rides, train rides, any transportation, any weather, any time...just for a good baseball game. So my family hopped on a plane to Frisco on vacation to California, and we picked 2 games- a Giants game and a Dodgers game. This post will document my Friday night Giants game.

Dave Righetti, former Yankee and Giant, is the pitching coach. Rags is a bit of a legend down in the Bronx, so I had to snap a shot of him talking to tonight's starting pitcher.

Speaking of starting pitcher, there he is. Former Oakland Prospect Barry Zito started on the mound that night against the New York Mets.

Our seats were very close to the Giants bullpen, so whenever a Giants pitcher warmed up, we'd be the first to know.

That night was very special for Giants fans. Legendary broadcaster Jonny Miller will be inducted into the Baseball Hallof Fame soon, so the Giants gave a ceremony on his behalf. This included...

Miller's emblem and name being retired by the Giants association, and...

Everyone being given a free Miller pin.

Standing in Left Field was a Philadelphia favorite, Pat The Bat Burrell. We attempted, on many occasions, trying to get him to throw us a practice ball, by yelling "HEY PAT! WE'RE FROM PHILLY!" I don't think the other Philly fans have liked it when Burrell comes to visit. Thome...they scream and cheer and clap. But a Philly legend like Pat? BOOOOOO!

Another shot of Pat the Bat,

Barry Zito in action. That night, he pitched a two hitter, slowing down the Mets' offense and letting not much go by.

The Mets' left fielder, former Boston Red Sock Jason Bay, would've been better if he were wearing a Yankee uniform like we planned it, Cashman!

Just a Friendly reminde of who was playing.

Of course, after Zito got the batters slowed down toward the 8th inning, there was only one man to turn to...

WIIILLLLLLSSOOOOOOONNNNN!!!! Seriously, that's what the Giants fans yelled. I'll have you know that I ate at a Bubba Gump earlie that day, and to go from "Run Forrest Run" to "WILLLLLSSOOOON!" is quite a change. But man, Wilson is something. He gave up a hit, but he still fanned down three New York batters.

Overall, it was a nice game. Of course, last night was the Dodgers game, but I have so many photos from that one that it deserves its own post.

Custom Card of the Day

I'm still breathing on the All Star cards, so you get Konerko today, while I wish I had a Giant I could post.

Before I left for SanFran, I got a rack pack of Series 2. Base Cards was a lot of doubles. I did get 2 yo Mamma's, 53 Mantle, 89 Johnson Original Back. I got a code card, which redeemed Dave Winfield's All Star card from 1984. I got an Ian Desmond Turkey Red, which would excite me if I was a Nats fan. I believe that was basically it.

By the way, my customs are uploading incorrectly, so this may be my last Custom you'll see until I get back to Jersey

Custom Card of the Day- San Francisco Edition

I'm in a hotel in San Francisco right now, on a vacation on the West Coast. Still getting used to the Cali time/Jersey time ratio. My customs are also still stuck in Jersey. Luckily, I have a few non-Yankee customs coming up. Californians too.

On a lighter note, tomorrow night, I'll be going to a game at AT&T Park in SF. Giants game, baby. They'll be playing the Mets, so I can boo them.

So the NL won for once...

It was heartbreaking enough that I couldn't find a McCann custom, but my AL boys didn't win the game last night. But still, I have to acknowledge the NL for a great game. They played excellently last night (Except for Kuo, who now needs to be reminded that Adrian Gonzalez is not ten feet tall).

But you know what's interesting? This piece of superstition will either make me look like a genius, or a complete idiot. The last time the NL won the game was 1996. 1996 was also the year that Nomar Garciaparra's first season. (At least his Topps rookie card). And since he retired this year, the Nomarless NL could actually try to win the game again.

Or....maybe consider this...the NL last won the game in 1996, and the BRAAAVES...THE BRAVES eventually got Homefield advantage...to the Yankees (stay with me here). And the YANKEES...won the series. So fearing that the teams would lose when faced with Homefield advantage, the NL decided to not win the next 13 All Star Games.

OR...Maybe the NL All Star team had just stank for 13 seasons, and they finally picked the right formula this year.

Y'now...I'm just saying.

Home Run Derby Custom Card of the Day

There's no way I'd be showing you a custom of a filthy Red Sock, so I gave you the runner up. Hanley was pretty damn good last night, decking more homers than Corey Hart, Nick Swisher and others. It was a really great game.

The Celebrity/Legends Softball game however...that was hilarious. I snuck a peek at it after the Derby, and I saw the amazing feat of MC Hammer hitting a homer off Jennie Finch, and Jennie Finch blasting one off Chuck Finley. Plus, lotsa Hall of Famers like Ozzie, Rickey, Rollie Fingers, Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, Gary Carter, Mike Piazza (Okay, he's a Future Hall of Famer, but he counts).

I'm pretty sure the resident blogger heckler's gonna kill me for that one.

Custom Card of the Day: Because he deserves it

When he was on the Phillies, I loved Scott Rolen. When he moved to St. Louis, I liked him. When he was in Toronto, I despised him(Or at least his team). But now that he's having a tremendous season for the Reds, the love's coming back to this Philly Phan. And he's an All Star, which he deserves.

Now to something you might care about.

On Thursday morning at 10:00 I'll be on a plane to San Fransisco, and for the week I'll be all over the great state of California (Mainly because of the Comic Con tickets, but you people don't care about that). I'll be going to a Giants game, and I'll be going to a Dodgers game at their respective stadiums. And I'll be keeping a laptop handy, so you'll be up to date on my games, and some card finds (And I know for a fact there will be some).

Card Show- The rise of the 10 cent bins

I went to a card show today at the local mall, and I was surprised. A lot of stuff I needed for sets, and a few random cards that caught my eye.

Yo Mamma cards-
Nolan Ryan 1988, Thurman 1971, Johnny Bench 1973, Ichiro 2001
National Chicle- Nolan Ryan, O-Hud, Dale Murphy, Yaz, Scott Kazmir, Chris Coghlan, Vladdie, Cliff Lee, MATSUIIII, Chone Figgins, Roy Oswalt, Torri Hunter, Kung Fu Panda, Helton, McCutchen, World's Fattest Vegetarian.
Dornuss Champions 2005- Lou Brock, Joe Morgan, Prince Fielder rookie, Phil Niekro, Paul Moltior on the Twins, Keith Hernandez on the Cards, Jeff Bagwell, Trevor Hoffman, Curt Schilling, Jim Thome, Gaylord Perry, Willie Mays
2004 Skybox LE- Barry Larkin, Roy Halladay, Pedro Martinez, Jose Reyes, Chippah, Jim Edmonds, Brandon Webb, Craig Biggio, Barry Zito, Big Papi, Man Ram, CC
2004 Flair- Chippah, Roger Clemens, Thome, Mike Piazza, Frank Thomas, Jeff Bagwell
2004 Fleer Patchworks- Chippah, Jason Bay, Jim Edmonds, Tom Glavine, Andy Pettite, Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Man-Ram
2008 Trading Card History- Jacoby Ellisbury, Joe Mauer, Johan Santana, Hunter Pence, Okajima, Justin Upton, Grady Sizemore, Vladdie, Miguel Cabrera, CC, Pedro, Curtis Granderson, Jake Peavy, Brandon Webb, Hiroki Kuroda, Mike Lowell, Carlos Lee, Tulo, RAAAUUUULLL, Michael Young, Chris Young
1993 Topps- Rickey, Sheffield, Frank Thomas, Joe Carter, Bo, Andre Dawson, Randy Johnson, Thome, Larkin, Eddie Murray, Tony Gwynn,
1995 Topps Larry Walker, Wade Boggs, Jim Edmonds.
1996 Topps- Andy Pettite, Tom Glavine, Fred McGriff, Rickey Henderson, Sammy Sosa, Andre Dawson, Gwynn, Rafael, Ozzie Smith, Barry Larkin, Roger Clemens.
1997 Topps- Roberto Alomar, John Smoltz, Wade Boggs, Jim Edmonds
1998 Topps Pedro, Mark McGwire, Frank Thomas, Joe Carter, Todd Helton, Garret Anderson.
1999 Topps Nolan Ryan, Sammy Sosa
2000 Topps- Hideo Nomo, Jose Canseco, Jamie Moyer, Greg Maddux, Vladdie, Chippah, Mark McGwire, Jeff Bagwell, Sammy Sosa, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Mike Mussina, Carlos Beltran
2001 Topps Pat Burrell.
2004 Topps Tom Glavine, Todd Helton,
2005 Topps Brian Roberts
2009 Goodwin Curtis Granderson, Grady Sizemore, Daiskue, Pedroia
All Time Fan Favorites Bo Jackson, Rollie Fingers, Dale Murphy
2007 Masterpieces Luis Aparicio, Brooks Robinson, Maz
Daimond Kings Josh Beckett, Sammy Sosa
2003 UD Classic Portrait Shawn Green, Robert Alomar, Soriano, Tejada
1994 UD Rickey, Winfield
1997 Donruss Canseco, Kenny Lofton, Shawn Green
2007 Legendary Cuts Tom Seaver

All in all, decent finds,

Who is Travis Wood?

I flipped on Comcast sportsnet a few minutes ago, just to see the Phillies. What I saw was miraculous.

Travis Wood, a player for the Cincinatti Reds whom I have never heard of, is on his way to a perfect game against the Phillies.

First of all, the obvious question- who? Travis Wood before the game is a player I've never heard of. He might be a rookie, he might be a veteran, he might be a callup. I am not a Reds fan (As Jerry Seinfeld might quip at this point "Not that there's anything wrong with that"), so I don't know all aout the Reds farm system

Second of all, the score is still zero to zero. Roy Halladay might also be on the way to a no hitter if Wood loses. It's a win-win situation. Wood gets a perfect game, Halladay gets his second no-hitter.

But I'm just watching the game, and I'll probably update you if Wood wins, or if Halladay wins.

UPDATE- CARLOS RUIZ, INTO THE OUTFIELD! BYE BYE PERFECT GAME! Roy Halladay will be credited with a shutout.

15 Pack Series 2 Bust

I got some Target Series 2 packs. Last time I tried to do a rip, my computer choked on me and I had to nix the post. But with 15 packs, it better not fail.

Pack 1-
368- Wade LeBlanc
427- Brandon Webb
567- Mike Pelfrey
544- Hey! It's Kevin Kouzmanoff! And he's on the A's!
555- BJ Upton
REGGIE! REGGIE! REGGIE! Vintage Legends in 1955.
Frank Robinson and Ryan Braun
Torrii Hunter ToppsTown
579- Trevor Cahill
540- Sean Rodriguez
483- Daisuke Matsusaka. He has that bathroom face.
334- JAYSON....WERTH!

Pack 2-
352- Cameron Maybin
456- Clayton "I appear in everyone's packs" Richard
536- Matt Palmer
477- Nate "Take me back to Pittsburgh so I can play again" McLouth
508- Chris Getz
565- Franklin Morales
Nelson Cruz Turkey Red
Aaron Hill Peak
Steven Drew ToppsTown
Jeremy Bonderman
484- Mike Tatertot
396- Jake "Not Brian" Westbrook

Pack 3-
464- Francisco Liriano
391- Manny Parra
a couple rookies
598- Alberto Callapso
Hey! It's a Joe Mauer 2002 Yo Mamma card!
Mel Ott World Series
A-Rod ToppsTown
560-Ryan Rowland Smith
615-Justin Verlander
351- Koji Uehara
440- Willie Harris

Pack 4-
505- Andy Marte
586- Roy Oswalt
a few rookies
Dennis Eckersley 76 Yo Mamma
Enos Slaughter World Series
Lance Berkman ToppsTown
383- Derek "Why am I still pitching" Lowe
337- Carlos Zambrano
580- Ian Snell
549- DEREK....JEEEETAAAAHHHH!

Pack 5-
397- Rockies
577- Jorge Jaramillo
340- John Buck
406- Jeff Francis
601- Blake DeWitt
478- Conor Jackson
Walter Johnson in 1954 Vintage Legends
Andre Dawson and Alfonso Soriano Lineage
Ian Kinsler ToppsTown
525- David Huff
610- Alex Gordon
532- Hunter Pence

Pack 6-
556- White Sox
498- Sergio Santos
455- Cardinals
Cy Young in 87 Vintage Legends
Alex Gonzalez World Series
Josh Johnson Marlins
349- Felix Pie
622- Indians

Pack 7-
366- Hiroki Kuroda
393- Jason Frasor
651- Mike Aviles
510- Checklist
Paul Molitor Y Mamma 79...ORIGINAL BAAACK!
Joey Votto Turkey Red
Lance Berkman ToppsTown
405- Dustin McGowan

Pack 8-
522- Jordan Schafer
582- Martin Prado BRAVE MANIA!
496- RAJAI!
Gaylord Perry 66 Yo Mamma
Henderson and BJ Upton Lineage
BJ Upton ToppsTown
475- Johnny DDDAAAAMMMMOOOOONNN!
560- Another Ryan Rowland Smith

Pack 9-
Another Wade LeBlanc
357- Scott Downs
640- Matt Diaz
Munson Peak
A-ROD ToppsTown
Topps Sketch
Doubles

Pack 10-
Doubles
572- Clay Buchholz
Cy Young in 1956 Vintage Legends
Tommy Hanson Topps 2020
Ian Kinsler ToppsTown
525- David Huff

Pack 11-
493- Travis Ishikawa
512- Scot Sheidls
377- Felix Hernandez
ANOTHER 1957 Whitey Ford Yo Mamma
Chad Billingsley Turkey Red
Billy Butler ToppsTown
Doubles

Pack 12-
Doubles
World Series Paul Molitor
Howard and the Babe
Zimmerman ToppsTown
Doubles

Pack 13-
367- WANDY!
645- Rangers
550- Freddy Garcia
472- Jays
Code Card. Let's see who I got-
Ugh. 198 Jose Mesa.
Ryan Zimmerman Peak
Morneau ToppsTown
413- JJ Hardy

Pack 14-
527- Bradon Wood
388- Joel Pinero
482- Mike McCoy
600- Hanley Ramirez
John Smoltz 1997 Yo Mamma
ChristyMat in 1972 Vintage Legends
Derrek Lee ToppsTown
523- Phil Coke

Pack 15-
505- Andy Marte
442- Dan Runzser
344- Brett Myers...GOLD NUMBERED!!!!
Eddie Matthews Turkey Red...and I have it.
Chutley ToppsTown
Doubles

Patch Card-
BROOKS ROBINSON! From the 1964 All Star Game!

All in all, decent rip. I might need to submit the ToppsTown codes, to feed into the craving.

Do The Yankees Really Need Cliff Lee?

Let's flash back a little bit. July 29 2009. I'm sitting in a restuarant with my Cleveland loving friend, talking about the Phillies. There were rumors that the Phillies would trade for Roy Halladay right at the cusp of the deadline, but the rade had failed. He asks me how the Phillies will rebound. Breaking news, Cliff Lee has been traded to the Phillies with Ben Fransisco, you know the dill.

Go forward about a year. The trade deadline is on the horizon. Cliff Lee is not sitting very well in Seattle. January news that the Yanks are after Halladay is halted by Roy's signing in Philly. The question pops up...how do we rebound? Javier Vazquez is signed, but does nothing. Soon, we may be braced with the prescence of Cliff Lee in New York. But will the Yankees need him?

Here are some reasons why they might benefit from Lee.

1. If the Yanks do indeed strike postseason gold again, Lee could propel us with his fastball.
2. Our reliable rotation would be Sabathia, Lee, Pettite, Hughes, Vazquez, Burnett.
3. Minor leaguers and rookies that we don't need may prosper in Seattle

Here are some reasons why Lee might not help.

1. The Yankee bullpen may be overcrowded with Lee. Also, Hughes, Sabathia and Pettite would pretty much render him obsolete.
2. Lee's tendencies caused his run in Seattle to be scandal plagued. Could the Yankees catch the scandal big as well?
3. Lee's contract will be up soon, ad he will be a free agent in 2011. Is is really worth it trading for Lee if he'll only last 3 months on the team?

Still,it does make for an interesting story. And who knows where Lee could end up. Maybe the Phillies could accquire him again. Maybe he'll stay with Seattle. Maybe another team will trade for Lee.

With only 22 days until the deadline, there's only one way to find out.

Update- Aw, crap. Less than an hour after my post, Lee got traded...to th RANGERS! He went to Texas for 1st baseman Justin Smoooooooooooooak (On the water).

I guess we can't always get what we want.

The Yankee All Star Disappearing Act

On July 4th, I informed you, my loyal (and less so) followers, that 6 Yankees had made it to the All Star Game. Jeter, Cano, Sabathia, Hughes, Rivera, Rodriguez. Over the past three days, however, the umber remained at six, but two big guns had bailed out-

• CC Sabathia is removed because of Girardi's WISE....COMPLETELY WISE (Not) decision to start CC the day before the break, which meant he couldn't play. Dammit! He is replaced by Jered Weaver, who deserves the spot.
• Clay Buchholz bails out of the game due to sucking, and Andy Pettite has replaced him. The number is back at six.
• Because he is tired, Mariano Rivera decides to sit out the All Star game. He is replaced by Rafael Soriano (EXCUSE ME! Mr. WAAAYYYY Overrated in the ALL STAR GAME?)
• The Final Man Vote is announced...Nick Swisher (And Joey Votto who deserves it) is elected to the All Star Game over YOOOOOOOOOOOOUK!

And now Robinson Cano is bailing out of the Home Run Derby because of his bad back. I mean, the two surefire all stars were replaced by wannabe all stars who just are happy to be there, and the other Yankees are coming onto the team anyway.

It's insane.

(Just you wait until Kobe gets signed. Then the sparks fly)

Inserts vs. Base Cards

Back in the 1960's, 70's and 80's, most card sets didn't have inserts. It was all base cards, with maybe an all star card, or gum. Now flash forward 20 years. Inserts are a defining inclusion in many Topps products. Case in point- The Yo Mamma Cards, the This Day in History, the Vintage Legends, the 2020 set. All blogger acclaimed insert sets. But are the inserts the reason to get the product?

I remember before Series 2 came out this year, I bought packs of Series 1 just for the inserts. I had already completed the base set, I just needed more Yo Mamma cards, or more Topps Town codes, or Million Card Giveaway stuff. I didn't care about the base cards.

Of course, then Series 2 came out. That was when I got it for the base cards, as well as the inserts. But I saw that since it was still a new product, I had to complete the base set- and I'm still trying to do so. I'm also still trying to get the series 2 inserts (As well as the Series 1 inserts. Anyone have any extra yo mamma's?)

But do I collect series 2 because of the inserts? No, I collect it for the base set, then for the inserts.

It does however, bring up an interesting question- Do Inserts matter? Do you buy products for the inserts, or for the base cards?

The customs are back!

The All Star rosters were announced yesterday, as I ranted about last night. Fortunately, all that razzing off team devoted bloggers (Maybe Rhodes isn't that awful...for once) made me think...I could showcase the picks I liked with Customs. And here's one of them.

I had a lot of fun making this card. It isn't the easiest set to customize, but I had a good time crafting it. Also, Jiminez is a very good pitcher, and he deserves the nomination.

I just made a bunch of these, so look for other all star players (Ryan Braun will be tomorrow's) and more coming soon on Mint Condition.

(Yeah, I do realize I spelled his name wrong. Sue me)

Well, they're not MY all stars...

I glanced at the rosters for the upcoming All Star Game today. Let's just say I'm not the happiest. I mean, when an aging, 40+ year old pitcher gets nominated, what's the world coming to. So I'm gonna run down the AL roster, and revise it if I must. Because most of the guys on the list shouldn't be all stars.

AL:

C: Joe Mauer. Vote for him. Okay.
1B: Justin Morneau. Would have thought someone else would be more worthy, but I'll deal.
2B: CANOOOOOOOOO. Affirmative.
SS: JEEEETAAAAAHHH. Great.
3B: Evan Longoria. Respectable. I mean, he'll do.
OF: Josh Hamilton, Ichiro and Carl Crawford. Yeah, they'd make my list.
DH: Vladdie. AND HE DESERVES IT!

Reserves:
OF: Torrii Hunter, Vernon Wells. Okay.
C: John Buck. Uh....maybe someone else...oh, wait, they're all injured. Maybe Wieters?
Other reserves:
Ty Wiggington- WUHBUTTEHYEEHHHHH? How does THIS GUY...over Wieters, Jones, Tejada, Reimold, Scott...the entire freakin team...get the All Star nod? HOW?
Adrian Beltre. Smile all ya want ya overrated hunk of Boston Garbage (TM)
David Ortiz. I don't hate you. Move along.
Miguel Cabrera. You deserve it. A shame you didn't start.
Alex Rodriguez. WELL DUHHHHH! Of COURSE you nominate A-Rod. It's in the Bible "Thou shalt nominate A-rod for all star game"
Elvis Andrus. You know, if the kid's living up to the hype, I'll take it.
Ian Kinsler. I'll take that one too. At least you're replacing Pedrooooooia.
Jose Bautista. Okay, I'll say it. Most underrated player in Baseball.

Pitchers-
CC Sabathia. Of course.
Fausto Carmona- Excuse me? You don't even lay a finger on Strasburg and yet you put in FAUSTO STINKING CARMONA? For Shame, MLB
Phil Hughes- because you, of all people, need to give some respect where it's due.
David Price and Neftali Feliz- the hypemeisters get in for free.
Jon Lester. BOOOOOOOOOO!
Mariano Rivera. You better bow, MLB.
Matt Thornton- UBUTENYEH? Over Quentin, Ramirez, and even Gordon Beckham?
Jose Valverde. Okay.
Cliff Lee. If only he was still a Phillie.
Trevor Cahill. And not Andrew Bailey? Wow.
Joakim Soria. Okay.

I'm not even gonna go into the NL roster (You leave out Strasburg, but you put in ARTHUR FREAKIN RHODES? And who the hell is Evan Meek?), but just the AL alone is dumb. I mean, the All Star game used to be a dynasty where the FANS voted for the BEST players to play against each other. But instead, we get players like Omar Infante, Matt Thornton, Ty Wiggington and Arthur Rhodes...over big stars like Steven Strasburg and even Mark Teixiera.

This is not our All Star team. This is the SOME Star team.

Happy 4th of July!

I love the 4th. It's a day of honoring the Red

White

And Blue

It's also a day that we remember that without this great country of America, there would be no baseball. We'd probably be playing cricket by now if there was no USA.

So thanks Founding Fathers...we really owe you one.

The Tournament of Bad Autos- FINAL FOUR!!!

Yes, it's been a long tournament, but we're finally down to the final four (Temple basketball not permitted). I've been given the matchup on behalf of my region and somebody else's (Because in any situation, the Yankee fan always beats the Baaston fan). Here we go with our two representatives!

From My region- Jason Jennings!

And from Mike's region- Ubaldo Jiminez!

It's the battle of the Rockies! Will it be the No-Hitter guy, or the mediocre guy who's stuck in Texas AAA ball?

Go ahead and VOTE in the sidebar...and be sure to vote at Drew's blog too.