Custom Card of the Day

Right now Torii Hunter may be one of the most underrated outfielders in the game. He's a great outfielder, but he's constantly overshadowed by overhyped rookies or recently traded outfielders. It's just that Torii Hunter doesn't get a lot of news his way. And that's a shame, because ever since his seasons with Minnesota, he's been an excellent ballplayer. But no one seems to notice.

Custom Card of the Day- Hamilton edition

Josh Hamilton was long overdue for a custom. So I gave him one. Here he is, in all his division leading glory.

I don't know if any of you heard, but I was in Williamsport a few days ago for the Little League World Series. I was there for something a little more than baseball, something I'd rather not get into, but if you really want to know, check the 6:30 news with Diane Sawyer tonight. I think it's on there somewhere, although I might not be there by face.

It was a cool experience. I witnessed a close game between Taiwan (Former home of my dentist, Chien Ming Wang and Chin Lung Hu) and Japan (Former home of about 1/10th of the Major Leagues). It was tied by 2 and going into extra innings when an error by Taiwan sealed the deal for Japan, and yesterday they ended up winning the whole thing.

I also was pushed headfirst into the world of pin collecting. At these games, every team has little pins that they get, each from their own District, like District 13 is here in New Jersey, and there are other ones in Massechussets, Newark, New York and more. I ended up trading a few of my own pins for some from around the country, and I even got one of last year's Europe pins (Cause of my former German resident grandma). It's amazing, because the same way we trade cards, they trade pins. These guys have whol books of pins, and they take ours and we're allowed to pick from theirs. It seems like an awesome hobby, but not as awesome as the one I blog about.

Still it was an amazing experience. Just going as a spectator has been a dream of so many (My dad said he could now cross that off his bucket list), and only so few get to witness it in person.

A riddle, if you will

I lie on the East Coast, but not down south.
I house people from all over the world
I pay host to a few Baseball Legends
I am part of a countrywide national pastime.
This blogger came to me today.

What am I?

(Let's just see if anybody can guess where I was today. No prizes, just a simple guessing game).

Update: FanOfReds got it right. Yesterday, I was in Williamsport at the Little League World Series, a dream to some, a reality to few. More details to come.

Manny's going WHERE?

I originally thought this didn't have to be news, but once it became official, and once I realized this was Manny Freaking Ramirez, I had to bite.

Former Red Sock and supposed steroid abuser Manny Ramirez was claimed off waivers by the White Sox (Every time a waiver deal is completed, a Topps designer gets a heart attack). This bodes well for the other 4 teams in the NL West, and the Yankees, but is less good for the Red Sox, Dodgers and the other 4 teams in the AL Central.

Since Manny is still healing apparently, he won't play against the Yankees this weekend (A sigh of hope). I do, however, wish the other 4 players that Chicago has in the DH position good luck, for playing time will cease once the dreadlocked Manny resumes being Manny.

A Milestone

Congratulations, Albert. Just keep smacking 'em and who knows what'll happen.

Adironpacks Part 3- The Final Insult

I'm finally home in Joisey, after a devastatingly long car ride home. Last night, I did pick up 7 mix packs from the local card shop, while friend Kyle bought four. Kyle soon became dissatisfied with his cards, and gave them to me, removing only one card (A 2006 Topps National Baseball Card Day Pujols, which I had). So Long story short, my final rip from the shop will be 11 packs!

Pack 1-
The Headliners- 2010 Finest Curtis Granderson, 2007 Turkey Red Derek Jeter
The Classic Card- 1979 Topps Alan Trammell
The Obligatory Griffey- 2004 Play Ball
The Once and Future Yankees- 1999 UD Black Diamond Jason Giambi, 2005 Donruss Lance Berkman
The Other Good Card- 2006 SPX Adam Dunn

Pack 2-
The Headliners- 2005 Diamond Kings Derek Jeter, 2006 Bowman Robinson Cano
The "Wow! 2 Mark Grace cards in the same pack!"- 2001 Topps Finest, 2001 Stadium Club
The Awesome Greg Maddux Card that I already have- 1997 Pinnacle Certified
The Diamond King- 2002 Magglio Ordonez
The Hall of Famer- 2001 SP Legendary Juan Marichal
The Rest- 2001 Vintage Eric Chavez, 2001 UD Juan Pierre

Pack 3-
The Headliners- 2003 Topps Derek Jeter, 2009 A&G Joba Chamberlain
The Diamond Kings- 2002 Adam Dunn, Mark Buehrle
The Hall of Famer- 1988 Donruss Robin Yount
The Future Hall of Famers- 1997 SP Jim Thome, 2002 Fleer Tradition Ken Griffey
The Yankees- 2003 MVP Jorge Posada, 2005 Fleer Classic Clippings Lance Berkman
The Rest- 2002 Donruss Classics Carlos Lee, 2005 Donruss Geoff Jenkins

Pack 4-
The Headliners-2005 Diamond Kings A-rod, 2006 Baseball Card Day Derek Jeter
The Diamond King- 2002 Robert FUUUUU- I mean FIIIIICK
The Hall of Famer- 2001 SP Legendary Cap Anson
The A-rod- 1995 Pinnacle Swing Men
The Rest- 2001 UD Melvin Mora, 2002 Donruss Fan Club Juan UUUUUUUUUribe

Pack 5-
The Headliners- 2005 Fleer Authentix Chase Utley, 2006 A&G Ryan Howard
The Hall of Famer- 2001 SP Legendary Warren Spahn
The Future Hall of Famer- 2002 Donruss Fan Club John Smoltz
The "No WAY!"- 1997 Leaf Insert Mark McGwire
The Rest- 2002 Leaf Certified Miguel Tejada, 2001 Stadium Club Rafael Furcal, 2001 UD Evolution Luis Gonzalez

Pack 6-
The Headliners- 2009 Bowman CC Sabathia, 2007 SP Authentic Derek Jeter
The Rookie- 2003 Bowman Draft Picks Adam LaRoche Rookie.
While we're at it, here's a Chipper- 1999 UD Black Diamond
The Future Hall of Famers- 1999 SPx Barry Larkin, 2004 Sweet Spot Jeff Bagwell
The Maybe Hall of Famers- 2002 Topps 206 Kenny Lofton, 2003 Fleer Patchworks Larry Walker
The Rest- 2006 SPx Tim Hudson, 1999 Finest Bartolo Colon

Pack 7-
The Headliners- 2010 Finest Nick Swisher, 2000 Topps Gallery Derek Jeter
The A-Rod- 1997 Pinnacle
The Vladdie- 2006 A&G
The Rest- 2001 UD Miguel Tejada, 2005 Donruss Garrett Atkins

Pack 8-
The Headliners- 1999 Gallery Derek Jeter, 2008 Bowman Joba Chamberlain
The Red Sox Headliners Just in case- 2007 Artifacts Big Poopi, 2006 UD Manny Ramirez
The Rookie- 1998 Bowman Chrome Orlando Cabrera
The Hall of Famers- 2005 Sweet Spot Classic Don Newcombe, 1994 Ultra Tony Gwynn
The Future Hall of Famer- 1994 Collectors Choice Insert Mike Piazza
The Rest- 2002 UD Vintage Larry Walker, 2003 Victory Bobby Abreu, 2003 205 Bartolo Colon

Pack 9-
The Headliners- 2006 Flair Showcase Josh Beckett, 2006 Bowman Big Poopi
The Other Headliner- 2005 Donruss Elite Manny Ramirez
The Would-be Headliners- 2007 SP Authentic Vladdie, 2006 SPx Ken Griffey Jr.
The Hall of Famer- 2002 Play Ball Joe Morgan
The Almost Future Hall of Famers- 1999 Black Diamond Hideo Nomo, 2003 Fleer Authentix Gary Sheffield
The Rest- 2006 Dontrelle Willis, 2006 SPX Paul Konerko, 2005 Skybox Autographix Ben Sheets

Pack 10-
The Headliner- 2002 Play Ball Albert Pujols
The Would Be Headliner-1996 Pinnacle Summit Cal Ripken Jr.
The Future Hall of Famer- 2003 SPX Randy Johnson
The Future Hall of Shamer- 2003 MVP Andruw Jones
The Rest- 2002 Leaf Certified Brian Gilez, 2005 Donruss Jacque Jones

Last Pack-
The Headliners- 2006 Bowman Robinson Cano, 2005 Fleer Tradition Derek Jeter
The Future Hall of Famers- 1996 Pinnacle Summit Jeff Bagwell, 1990 Classic John Smoltz
The Borderline Hall of Famers- 2003 MVP Mike Mussina, 2001 SP Authentic Omar Vizquel
The Rest- 2002 Bowman's Best Jason Kendall, 2001 Stadium Club Edagr Renteria

I don't know if I'll be coming back next year, but it was a really good rip.

Adironpacks Part 2- Citizens on Patrol

I made a run into town with fellow collector Kyle (who got so much more cards than me- seriously, he spend $32 on this stuff!), and got some more mix packs from the card shop- my findings...

Pack 1-
The Headliners- 05 Fleer Pastime Albert Pujols, 2002 Play Ball Fatty McGwire
The Rookie- 2003 Playoff Prestige Travis Hafner Ranger Rookie
The Current Superstars- 2005 Autographics Carl Crawford, 2006 SPx Scott Rolen
The Man I will not be forgiving for his actions anytime soon- 1998 Topps Barry Bonds
The Future Hall of Famer- 1998 Fleer insert Jeff Bagwell
The Rest- 2005 Fleer Platinum Eric Chavez, 2000 UD Shawn Green

Pack 2- (I got a lot of crappy 90's junkwax from this one)
The Headliners- 1997 Donruss Elite Cal Ripken, 2000 Fleer Focus Insert Chipper Jones
The Yankees- 2004 Donruss Classics Jason Giambi, 2002 Bowman Javier Vazquez.
The Rest- 2002 Gallery Corey "Hype? What Hype?" Patterson

Pack 3-
The Headliners- 2004 Leaf Certified Vladdie, 2004 SP Authentic Ken Griffey
The Hall of Famer- 2007 SP Legendary Hoyt Wilhelm
The Obligatory Chipper- 1997 Fleer Going Yard
The Future Hall of Famer- 2004 Donruss Elite Ivan Rodriguez
The Diamond King- 2004 Matt Morris
The Rest- 2007 Finest Rafael Furcal, 2000 Fleer Ultra Richie Sexson, 2003 Victory Shannon "Who needs Baseball, I have kids" Stewart, 2003 Team Heroes Bill Hall

Pack 4-
The Headliners-2007 Artifacts Chase Utley, 2006 Ovation Ryan Howard.
The Piazzas- 1995 Donruss Insert, 2004 Sweet Spot
The Hall of Famer- 2007 SP Legendary George Kell
The Future Hall of Famer- 2000 Omega Craig Biggio
The Wasted Opportunites- 2007 SP Authentic Kenji Johjima, 2007 Turkey Red Jake Peavy
The Just Retire Already- 2003 UD Patch Shawn Green, 2003 SPX Eric Chavez, 2004 Playoff Pretsige Geoff Jenkins
The Rest- 2004 Donruss Rafael Furcal

Last Pack-
The Headliners- 2006 SPX Big Poopi, 2007 A&G Ryan Howard
The 2005 Skybox Autographix- Curt Schilling, Torii Hunter
The Little Known HOFer- 2002 UD Vintage Rick Ferrell
The Future Hall of Famers- 2004 Throwback Threads Ivan Rodriguez, 2003 Donruss Classics Frank Thomas
The "HOF? Naahhhh"- 1997 Flair Showcase Tim Salmon, 1997 Ultra Javy Lopez
The Rest- 2003 Stadium Club Vincente Padilla

And in addition, I traded a few cards for two cards that Kyle got. I acquired 2 Yo Mamma cards, an 1987 Don Mattingly and an 06 Verlander Original Back.

Custom Card of the Day- Faked Night Card Edition

The man you see above has been pitching beautifully in relief for the Yankees. Remember when he was in Chicago and Cleveland, and he could barely stay off the DL? Here comes a new Kerry Wood, fit for destruction of any and all adversaries...or something like that. I saw him astonish the crowd last night by striking out a heap of Detroit batters. That takes skill.


By the way, if the Yankees had gotten Kerry Wood 10 years earlier, the response would be ecstatic, but the payoff would be disappointing...sorta like Carl Pavano. Now, we get him in 2010, the response is quieter, but the payoff is way more excellent.


Another thing- the photo shown on the card was originally taken during the day, but with the help of a few photoshop tools, Kerry looks like he's showing the opposing team what he's made of later at night.

Sorry, but no more customs until I get back from Lake George, which is late Saturday. Sunday or Monday I will TRY to get a custom or two out.

Custom Card of the Day- Tejada Edition

Looks weird, eh, Orioles fans? Seeing your hero on the NL's #1 team? Yeah, it looked pretty weird to me, too. He's on the Astros for a few years, he goes back to the Orioles, and 6 months later he's on the Padres. That team is red hot right now (Don't know why, their only real star is AAAADDRIIIAANNNNN!) and Miggy is a decent addition

Yesterday I wound up with one tantalizing pack of Last years UDX. Nothing spectacular, although I got a pretty cool Russell Martin insert. Cheap packs are cheap packs.

Coming Tomorrow- My last prepared custom, of a red hot middle reliever in New York doing a hell of a lot better than Joba.

Topps Series 2 Rack Pack Double Rip!

Ah, Wal Mart- land of opportunity. I scored myself 2 rack packs of series2, all ready to be ripped.

Pack 1-

415- Reds
432- AJ Burnett
473- Jason Varitek
528- Brian Bannister
457- Kanodkjgdshglgljajdj Texiera.
563- Bronson Arroyo
590 Hey, it's recently injured Ryan Howard
485- Jesus Flores, still not Superstar
558- Ronny Paulino
545-Fred Lewis
Mel Ott Vintage Legends
Hunter Pence in 20 years
Max Scherzer ToppsTown
458- Todd Wellemeyer
507- K-Rod (Insert your own joke here)
628- Ross Detweiler
578- Aaron Rowand
630- Ben "I was traded with Cliff Lee and all I got was this stupid backup spot" Francisco
568- Jarrod Saltasfkdjshfkjdsh
644- David Purcey
538- Travis Hafner
460- Aaron Cunningham
362- Travis Snyder
497- Edgar Renteria
353- Hey, Waddaya know, a Jason Heyward rookie. Too bad I already have it!
548- Twins
361- Nats
1982 Steve Carlton Yo Mamma
Dawson and Soriano Lineage
Catfish Peak Performance
Ryan Ludwick Turkey Red
500- Brad Lidge
414- Sean West
369- David Ortiz
412- Giants
382- Kyle Davies

Now for Pack #2-

599- Jaaay Bruce!
421- Doug Fister
364- Trevor Hoffman
659- Nick Blackburn
571- Brandon Lyon
514- Rafael Soriano
453- Jesse English
395- Jenry Mejia
335- Jordan Norberto
498- Sergio Santos Rookie (OOOOOH!)
454- James Lonely
451- Michael Saunders
641- Chase Headley LaMarr
Cool, CodeCard! Lets see who I get!
1976 Ron Fairly. Pretty good
Jon Lester ToppsTown
389- Troy Tulowitski
481- Scott Rolen
557- Aaron Hill
537- Michael Cuddyer
435- Nelson Cruz
501- Jake Peavy
591- Fernando Rodney
418- Aaron Laffey
463- Carlos Marmol
544- Kouz
524- Dusty Hughes
469- Alex Burnett
565- Franklin Morales
1966 Galyord Perry Yo Mamma...I think I have that one. Up for trade, if anyone needs it.
Mickey Mantle World Series
Adam Dunn Peak'
Brooks Robinson Turkey Red
618- Jorge Cantu
593- Derek Holland
348- Jordan Zimmerman
390- Ervin Santana

Good rip overall. Got some nice cards.

Custom Card of the Day- Haren Edition

First I do a Ranger, now I do an Angel. I must be making a certain blogger pretty mad.

Haren has always been a pretty good pitcher. Now, being swapped onto a team with a pretty decent rotation (Weaver, Santana, Kazmir), his popularity has skyrocketed. I believe he's been pitching pretty well, but I'm pretty sure to diehard Halo fans, he'd fall into the category of "Not yet Lackey"

And this custom... yeah, I was working toward some sort of cool, slomo effect. Now it looks kinda sloppy.

Good thing, too, cause tomorrow's custom? Another good player swapped to the east coast. Or should I say, swapped back to the East Coast after just a half-year.

Custom Card of the Day

It's been a rainy day in Lake George today. I have no plans of going anywhere card related today. Too damn wet out.

The guy on the card has had a bumpy year. He plays for a decent half season, then gets hurt, then gets traded to the Rangers,then starts being awesome again. I mean, remember when this guy wasa household name? Nowhe's just a Rangers staple, hopefully (For Night Owl's sake), headed to the playoffs.

Coming tomorrow- Another guy swapped to the East Coast...who faired slightly better.

Adironpacks- Lake George Mix Packs

The card shop was open today, and I delightfully gorged on a couple of its world famous mix packs. Remember, you can only see two cards from these, on the front and back.

Pack 1:
The Headliners- 2003 Derek Jeter Studio, 2002 World Series Heroes Joe Dimaggio.
The 80's- 1984 Fleer Wade Boggs
The Steroid Users- 2004 Patchworks Roger Clemens, 2001 MVP David Segui, 1997 Pinnacl Mark McGwire
TheRandy Johnson- 2000 UD Vintage
The Ex-Yankee- 2000 Fleer Mistake Johnny Damon
The Rest- 2006 Fleer Javier Vazquez, 2003 UD Vintage Ben Sheets, 2001 SP Authentic Ryan Dempster

Pack 2:
The Headliners- 2002 Play Ball Albert Pujols, 2007 SP Authentic Ryan Howard
The Giambis- 2005 Leather and Lumber, 2003 Flair
The Diamond King- CC Sabathia 2002
The Yankee- 2006 Baseball Card Day Derek Jeter
The Surefire Hall of Famer- 1997 Pinnacle Mike Piazza
The Phillie-2002 Play Ball Pat Burrell
The Ex-Yankee- 2005 Cracker Jack Johnny Damon
The Non-Hall of Famers- 1998 Topps Matt Williams, 2001 Stadium Club Mark Grace
The Rest-2003 MVP Armando Benitez, 2001 SP Authentic Carlos Lee, 2002 Donruss Fan Club Aramis Ramirez, 2001 UD Legends Ryan Dempster

Pack 3-
The Headliners- 2004 Bowman Andruw Jones, 2004 Diamond Kings Chippah Jones.
The Steroid Abusers- 2002 Play Ball Rafeal Palmiero, 2000 Gallery Sammy Sosa
The Miguel Cabrera-2004 SP Authentic
The White Sox- 2004 Leather and Lumber Paul Knoerko, 2003 SPX Magglio Ordonez

Pack 4-
The Headliners- 2003 Ultra Derek Jeter, 2004 Fleer Showcase Jorge Posada.
The Surefire Hall of Famers- 2006 Ovation John Smoltz, 2004 SP Authentic Greg Maddux, 1994 Leaf Roberto Alomar
The "NO HOF FOR YOU!"- 2007 Barry Bonds Home Run History
The Yankee- 2004 Playoff Honors Hideki Matsui
The Andruw- 1997 UD Global Impact
The Rest- 2001 SP Authentic Mike Sweeney, 2006 Fleer Brandon Webb

Pack 5-
The Headliners- 2001 UD Reserve Cal Ripken Jr, 2003 Topps Retired Signature Brooks Robinson.
The Shiiiiiinnnyyy- 2002 Leaf Certified Juan Pierre, 1997 Pinnacle Certified Frank Thomas
The Phillie- 2002 Donruss Classic Roy Oswalt
The Rest- 2005 Donruss Bartolo Colon, 2001 UD Vintage Livan Hernandez

That was a fun rip. Hopefully I'll be going back later in the week.

Custom Card of the Day- Pat the Bat Edition

I didn't get any cards last night. The store owner closed for the night just as I had gotten to the door. He closed us out at 8:55. I'm not making this stuff up.

Pat Burrell really surprised me this season. He started off slow, with the Rays, then he was signed by the Giants, and his year took off. I saw him play at home, and he had a few hits. He's really been doing great this season for San Fransisco.

Today I'm definitely getting some cards. I don't care if he closes at 5:00 PM, I just want some cards!

Tomorrow- Once a highly touted Tampa Bay prospect (Geez, so many good players fall into that category), now a Texas Ranger. Jorge Cantu is tomorrow.

Custom Card of the Day- Berk Edition

I'm sitting here in lovely Lake George NY. I might head to the card shop later today, although I'll definitely hit it sooner than later.

Now about the man on the card. Berkman was an odd choice for a midseason New York addition, but so far he seems to be working. Before the accquisiton, I always seemed to get Berk cards in packs. Must have been an omen. He's been doing pretty good for the Yankees, and is a good Sheffield-esque permanent DH guy. I can't wait for his update card.

Coming Tomorrow- I don't know what my pre-planned posts have to offer. If I'm right, it'll be Pat Burrell. If I'm wrong, it'll be Jorge Cantu. I better be right.

...And that ends Unexplained Haitus #274

In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm back at my old computer, in my own house. I've been in Englewood NJ for the past week (Don't ask me why. It has to do with a Travolta), and I'm so relieved that I'm home. Unfortunately, I have to go back on the road on Saturday to start my final vacation of the summer, to Lake George NY.

Those of you who have stuck with my blog since last year may remember when I ventured to Lake George in 09. I do it every year. Every year, I go back to the same card shop (I just hope it's still around), and purchase $2 mix packs. What the shop owner does is he rips packs over the years, splits his findings up into the mix packs, and the cards are paired with other treasures that he pulled.

The only cards seen in the mix packs are on the sides. It could be a Braves pack (Chipper/Andruw), it could be a Yankees pack (Jeter/Posada or A-Rod), it could be a Mets pack (Reyes/Wright), hell, he could do a Japanese pack (Ichiro/Matsui), or a Albert Pujols fun pack. Each year I get many different mix packs, and add them to my collection (Unless they just can't fit, or if it's a card of Carl Pavano. You had your chance to play for New York, you just Steve Blassed on us!)

Oh, and the customs will be along for the ride. I'll be cranking some out tonight, since Yadi up there was my last one from before the All Star game.

National Treasures, or what I blew $40 on at the National

I have returned from a day in Baltimore. The show was nice. It was a lot bigger than I expected, but it didn't overwhelm me. After a while, I forgot which aisles I'd been down, and which aisles I hadn't. But it was still a good show, and I got some cool cards out of it.

I got a bunch of Chicle. I'll show you my findings organized by artist-

Branch- Nate McLouth, Kevin Kouzmanoff, David DeJesus, Luis Castillo, Stephen Drew
Felix- Andre Ethier, Zach Duke
Zachowski-Rick Ankiel, Mark Rzep...Rzep...Mark Spellcheck, Kurt Suzuki
Kong- Neftali Feliz, Dan Haren, Clay Kershaw
Kupka- Robin Yount, Erick Aybar, Matt Cain
Farr- Adam Lind, Carlos Lee, Ryan Ludwick
Lempa- Eddie Matthews, Eddie Murray, Ozzie Smith, Luis Durango, Bobby Abreu, Nelson Cruz
Hobrecht- Michael Saunders, Rich Harden, Victor Martinez, Carl Crawford, Aaron Hill, Russell Martin, Johnny Damon
Henderson- Luis Aparicio, Jholys Chacin, Michael Bowden, Miguel Tejada, Jason Kubel, Scott Feldman
Higgins- Richie Ashburn, Mat Gamel, Ian Stewart, Eric Young Jr, Jorge Cantu, Jacoby Ellisbury, Jason Bay, Kendry Morales
Sheldon- Ryne Sandberg, Stan Musial, Rogers Hornsby, Juan Marischal, Orlando Cepeda, Chad Billingsley, John Maine
Davies- Joe Morgan, Dennis Eckersley, Billy Butler, Jonathan Papelbon, Chris Young, Matt Kemp.

I came across a dealer with assorted canvas-type sets (Diamond Kings, Masterpieces)-

2002 Diamond Kings-Craig Biggio, Rickey Henderson, Barry Zito, Paul LoDuca, Roberto Alomar, Pat Burrell, Bobby Abreu, Rafael Palmiero, Pedro Martinez
2003 Diamond Kings- Edgar Martinez, Mark Buherle, Derek Jeter, Roger Clemens.
2004 Diamon Kings- Jim Edmonds, Hideo Nomo, Edgar Martinez, Carlos Beltran
2007 Bowman Heritage Chrome- Mike Piazza
2008 Masterpieces- Eric Chavez, Randy Johnson, Carlos Beltran, Harmon Killebrew
Rookies- 2004 Topps Zach Grienke, 20o5 Topps Felix Hernandez

And one dealer had some assorted vintage-

1970- Juan Marichal
1974- Gaylord Perry
1975- Gaylord Perry, Don Sutton
1976- Johnny Bench, Gaylord Perry, Tony Perez
1977- Brooks Robinson, Steve Carton, Phil Niekro
1978- Jim Palmer, Lou Brock, Robin Yount
1979- Eddi Murray
1980- George Brett
1981- Harold Baines Rookie
1982- Lee Smith Rookie
1983- Nolan Ryan

I didn't get much, mainly because the Chicle was so pricy. Still, pretty damn impressive show.

How I learned to stop worrying and go to the National

I haven't posted in ages, mainly because of a vacation, but also because my computer, the one that has photoshop on it, is in the shop. I'm using the family laptop, which isn't as good, since it doesn't have photoshop.

Of course, not a lot is going on this week. A-rod hit his 600th Homer, but nobody cared. All the bloggers aren't writing much, cause half of them are up at the National.

Now, onto the basis of the post. You see, I wasn't originally planning to head to the National. Sure, it's a giant Card Show, but it usually takes more than one day, and I like card shows where I can just go for a few hours. I did go to Comic Con, and I couldn't conquer the ground floor in a day, and Comic Con is the National for geeks.

I was up at a friend of my dad's place a few weeks ago, who's a big time collector. Mainly, he collects ticket stubs. But he's always had a soft spot for cards (He gave me a few Yankees when I was over, including a 1981 Kellogg's 3D Reggie Jackson). He told us that he and his wife would have a booth at the National is August, and he explained that we HAD to go, and it's AMAAAZING, and it's UNLIKE ANYTHING WE'D EVER SEEN

So my dad and I considered it. We wouldn't go for the whole week, but we'd pick a day over the weekend, take the 2 hour drive out to Baltimore and go for a day. And needless to say, I was into it.

So tomorrow, despite missing the first few days, I will be heading out to the final day of the National. I may not have time to go to every booth, but it's the biggest card show in the world.

And yes, loyal Mint Condition fans, Custom Cards will be coming as soon as my computer gets back from the Betty Ford clinic for computers, Best Buy.

The low Life of High End

Everyone knows what high end products are. They're the non-retail mucho expensive boxes (which usually only contain a few packs) that people buy just for the game used. Topps Tribute is a good example. I'd have to break the bank just two afford a pack of that stuff, while most collectors dig in, just to see if they can get a good player (which, most of the time, they don't)

Let's say I had the cojones to get a pack of that stuff (Which will never happen, unless I win the lottery or become a world famous star). I open the pack, and my big hit is a player that I hate, like Carl Yastremzski (No idea how to spell it), or Fergie Jenkins, a guy who some thing should not be in the hall of fame. Then, that's 100 dollars down the crapper. But the slight possiblity that I get a Yankee (which isn't very slight, since sooooo many people retired with the Yankees and went to Cooperstown) would drive me to get the pack...and be let down when I see a game used to Don Sutton (Because I have to say something bad about a Dodger now that I've read this).

And people still buy the high end products, even though they know that there's a 1 in a million chance they'll get something good. And that is why I stick with the low end.

And if you bloggers know me by now, this is the part where I ask you some question that nobody answers. What's your take on high end? Do you hate it? Do you love it, even though at the end of the day nobody wants that Dom Mossi autograph?

By the way, this post is not meant to offend any big name bloggers, specifically Dodger fans, Boston fans and Fergie Jenkins' mother.