Custom Card of the Day: Soriano Edition

You know, it's nice when someone on your team gets hot.

Alfonso Soriano has had a very nice last few games. He's been having loads of RBI, numerous homers, and has been performing the exact way Brian Cashman wanted him to perform, which is nice.

In my opinion, this is great for baseball, because the last few seasons of Soriano haven't been the same guy. This guy was unbelievable in 2004 and 2006, simply because he was hitting like crazy and being a great player. Now, he's finally getting back to his old stuff, and it only took him being airlifted out of Chicago to do so.

I really, really, REALLY hope he keeps this up, because it's making this blogger very happy.

Coming Tomorrow- The closer for the Cardinals. Not that one, the other one. Wait...the first one. Yeah, the one they have now. That one.

A Blasterful of 2013 Topps Archives: Awful Collation, Awesome Hit

After Topps' inability to release their football cards when I want them to put a wrench in my schedule, I decided to get a few packs of Score Football, which you saw yesterday. I also felt like getting a box of Archives, because I loved the set, and because I needed a chance to fill out the set.

As you'll find out, there were a lot of cards I already had before, but there was a silver lining, which you'll see in a few packs.

Pack 1-
103- Mike Minor and his thin beard.
182- Andre Ethier, who isn't having the greatest season.
35- Adam Dunn, strikeout king.
74- Miguel Montero.
83 All Star insert of Giancarlo Stanton, the sole reason to go to Marlins games.
86- Jackie Robinson, always nice to pull.
142- Willie Stargell, whose card looks great.
175- Yogi Berra, a great Yankee legend.

# of base cards I needed: 2.
# of doubles: 5.

Pack 2-
195- Dave Winfield, another Yankee great.
10- Matt Kemp. I think I might need this one, but I'm not sure.
71- Darwin Barney
4-card insert of Gwynn, Boggs, Ripken and Sandberg.
63- David Freese. Grrr...
134- Wei-Yin Chen
198- Jason Heyward.
48- Ryne Sandberg. Not sure if I have this one either.

#of base cards I needed: 0
# of base cards I don't know if I need or not: 2
# of doubles: 5.

Pack 3-
191- Mark Teixeira
43- Starling Marte.
80- Jered Weaver, who my Yankees battered a few days ago.
135- Adam Wainwright.
213- Juan Samuel. YES! A SHORT-PRINT I NEED! WOO-HOO!
149- Hisashi Iwakuma
186- Brett Lawrie
6- Adrian Gonzalez

# of base cards I needed: 0
# of short prints I needed: 1
# of doubles: 7.

Pack 4-
8- Roy Halladay. Not sure if I have this one or not, but I probably do.
75- CJ Wilson
118- Brandon Belt
A Tallboy mini of Kevin Mitchell, which is pretty nice.
108- Austin Jackson.
174- Ike Davis. Those last two are questionable.
7- Jon Jay
55- My 1,000,000th copy of CC Sabathia's card. RRRRRR!

# of base cards I needed: 0
# of base cards I think I need but probably don't: 3
# of doubles: 4.

Pack 5-
58- Cole Hamels. Not sure, but looks kinda new.
107- Kendrys Morales
180- Buster Posey, another questionable.
83 All Stars of Jim Rice, which is a cool one.
139- Matt Holliday, another one I don't know
196- Johnny Cueto
13- Ryan Zimmerman
87- AJ Burnett.

# of base cards I needed: 0
# of base cards I think I need but probably don't: 4.
# of doubles: 3.

Pack 6-
163- Hyun-Jin Ryu. I have this one, but still, it's a Ryu rookie.
15- Michael Morse.
Okay...this is an amazing hit, and there's no way I can do this justice.
This is 1960 design relic of ANDREW MCCUTCHEN! I mean...this is as good as the Greinke I pulled out of Sweet Spot a few years ago. It's a nice card, and it's of a player who is KILLING IT right now. This is awesome.
171- Jay Bruce. Wow, a card I need.
48- Alcides Escobar. Another card I need!
73- Aroldis Chapman.

# of base cards I needed: 2
# of doubles: 3.
# of awesome relics: 1.

Pack 7-
172- Freddie Freeman. Nice. I needed this one.
36- Wade Miley. Ditto this one.
76- Fernando Rodney...and this one.
116- Billy Butler. This is turning out to be a really good pack.
237- Sid Fernandez Short Print. WOW! To top it off, a short print I needed.
1- BABE RUTH!
69- Cool, an Eddie Mathews!
129- Madison Bumgarner, another great current pitcher.

# of base cards I needed: 7
# of short prints I needed: 1
# of doubles: 0.

Pack 8-
38- Hey, it's DEREK JETER!
54- CLIFF LEE!
131- Salvador Perez??? Not a great way to follow those two,
A Tallboy mini of Cal Ripken. Better
30- YUUUUUUUU Darvish!
51- Carlos Gonzalez
148- Dustin Pedroia
178- Giancarlo Stanton. Another great pack.

# of base cards I needed: 7
# of doubles: 0.

Well, barring the initial doublefest, it was an okay box, complete with an awesome hit. Still, not as good as Panini Football.

Custom Card of the Day: Colon Edition

When one is greying gradually these days
We all assume he's clearly passed his prime.
Yet Barty's found a hundred million ways
To make his pitching arm go back in time.
Exterior: A seventeen year vet
Who won a Cy before reaching for juice.
He hasn't shown his age in pitching yet.
His arm's but thirty-five, one can deduce.
Of course, this never comes without a price
Bud's saying he'll suspend him for a while.
And being he spared Quentin (awfully nice),
Colon'll probably leave this with a smile.
But still, this blogger every day gives thanks.
That Bart never got caught while with the Yanks.

Coming Tomorrow- FOURTEEN RBIs IN THREE GAMES. REALLY. That calls for a nice custom.

Why Panini is doing Football Cards better than Topps

So today, I hit up the local Target for some much-needed wax. I was fully expecting to find 2013 Topps Football, because last year this time, it was out, and I picked up two boxes full.

However, I found none. No Topps Football from this year was at Target. They had Bowman, but screw Bowman.

So, in frustration, I decided to buy two $5 rack packs of 2013 Panini/Score Football. Why? Because I had ripped a box of Panini Certified this year, and it was one of the best boxes I had ripped this year. And by this point, I was already convinced that Panini was putting more effort than Topps into card-making. In the box of Certified, I got a stellar base set, some nice parallels, and hits of players I had heard of. I mean, Topps does that every once and a while (I may have spoken too soon; find out why in tomorrow's post).

But Panini actually tries. And if today's rip doesn't convince you, then nothing will.

Pack One-
38- Martellus Bennett.
73- Ndamukong Suh.

Okay, really quickly, here's a few things I like about this set already.

1. Simple design of base set. It doesn't have too many bells and whistles, and that's WHY it's so good. Topps has to model its design after a facemask, and throw foil and crap all over the set, but Panini just gives you some pennants and a bit of foil, and it's executed 100 times better. Which brings me to my next point.
2. It's cleaner than Topps. What I mean by this is the photography is not only better, but it POPS more than Topps does. Topps can give you good photography, but it doesn't stick out. It sorta blurs together. I ripped a box of flagship Topps last month, and all of the base cards were sorta dull, and the colors were dilluted. It didn't stick out the way these ones do.
3. Better photography. Topps can give you a guy running, or a guy making a pass. Panini gives you a moment in time of a guy jumping, or a guy dodging a pass, and it's impressive. It's also crisp, clean photography.

fine, back to the cards.

215- Pierre Garcon.

okay, fine, one more.

4. Better card backs. No photos, but a cool little helmet insignia with career stats. It's clean, it's simple, and it works.

130- Drew Brees. Always nice to get a Brees. Future HOFer.
61- Peyton MANNING! Another surefire Hall of Famer. And a great leader.
88- ANDREW LUCK. Manning followed by the guy who replaced him. Great selection. Also, amazing photo.
164- Nick Foles, your Philadelphia Eagles' starting Quarterback.

5. You can get four QBs in a row in a pack. You can't get that in a Topps pack, unless it's truncated by a BS insert.

16- Jacoby Jones. Met him back in March. Commented on my height. Great guy, glad he got so far on Dancing with the Stars.
139- Victor CRUUUUUUUZ! Man, they love this guy in New York.
210- Nate Washington. Four Elite QBs followed by Three Elite WRs. Nice.
111- Lamar Miller.
207- Jake Locker. Still not sold on this guy.
10- Steven Jackson. I'm mixed on Panini not Shopping Jackson into a Falcons uni. True, it's how they did it back in the day, but I'm not 100% there on it.
122- Jared Allen. Hate this guy. Love this photo.
25- Scott Chandler.
172- Sam Bradford, a slumping QB.

6. Not too many people I've never heard of. Topps does cards of bit players and people that are just popping up, which is great if you like a wide range of players, but not so great if you like finding stars in packs.

53- D'Qwell Jackson, a member of the rebuilding-but-still-probably-bound-for-last-place Browns.
251- Jake Locker Airmail.
247- Phillip Rivers Airmail.

7. Inserts are not only included in the base set, but include full stats. This is something Topps would NEVER do. Never in a million years.

393- Logan Ryan Rookie Star.
372- Jasper Collins Rookie Star. Never heard of either, but I like the rookie design.
291- Ben Roethlisberger The Franchise. I like these too.
295- Marshawn Lynch The Franchise.
303- Cam Newton The Franchise, still a great QB.
314- Eric Berry The Franchise. The first three, yeah. Berry, not really a franchise player.
260- Ed Dickson Road to the Super Bowl. These are nice.

8. Keep in mind, that is the first half of the first pack. And that was 26 cards, already more than you'd get in a rack pack of Topps. So another advantage- 52 cards for $5. That is SO MUCH BETTER than Topps. Hell, for Archives, you get 64 cards for $20 dollars, which isn't fair. 52 for $5 is much better.

216- Santana Moss.
62- Demaryius Thomas, who I have a game-used rookie of.
89- Reggie Wayne. He's still going?
165- Ben Roethlisberger.

9. A whole bunch of sideways action shots. I love these. Topps very rarely does these. I mean, they do them, but it's just some guy raising his arms up, or some other guy sitting on the sidelines. These are full on action shots, and I love these.

17- Ray Rice.
140- Brandon Myers.
79- DuJuan Harris. Another Packer I've never heard of.
44- BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Hooray for Law Firm!
174- Lance Kendricks. That is an awesome throwback.
1- John Skelton. I don't love that THIS GUY gets the Hero Card treatment. You could have done Fitzgerald. He's a Cardinal!
144- Mark Sanchez. PFFFFFHAHAHAHAHA!
26- Tarvaris Jackson. An eternal backup.
173- Jared Cook
95- Blaine Gabbert. Why the Jags haven't given up on this guy yet we'll never know.
205- Ronde Barber.

10. Final Tribute Cards. Topps rarely does these the year after players retire. This one for Barber is perfect. Score for Panini.

199- Richard Sherman
105- Tony Moeaki.
250- Josh Freeman Airmail. Other people wouldn't consider that a great Hero Card, but I do.
238- Christian Ponder Airmail. He's lucky the Vikes didn't sign Tebow.
259- Dennis Johnson Star Rookie
374- John Simon Star Rookie
270- Steve Johnson The Franchise.
280- Reggie Wayne The Franchise.
323- Jonathan Dwyer The Franchise.
327- Russell Wilson The Franchise. All except Dwyer fit.
266- Justin Tucker Road to the Super Bowl.

PACK 2. It took THAT LONG to get to Pack 2. This is a good thing.

142- Andre Brown
81- Jermichael Finley. Didn't the Pack release him?
46- Geno Atkins. Will unsurprisingly be overshadowed by another Geno.
186- COLIN KAEPERNICK! The man of the hour!
94- Antoine Bethea
132- Lance Moore.
217- Alfred Morris.
63- Eric Decker. A lot of quick young players to start.
90- T.Y. Hilton
107- Derrick Johnson
184- Antonio Gates
97- Justin Blackmon.
146- Stephen Hill
28- Steve Smith. Yeah, THAT Steve Smith.
175- Chris Givens.
2- Larry Fitzgerald. Should have been #1.
114- Davone Bess
236- Alex Smith AIRMAIL. He's gonna have a lot of work to do this season for Kansas City.
230- Peyton Manning AIRMAIL.
382- Josh Boyce Rookie Stars.
24- Hot Rookies of Knile Davis.
277- Calvin Johnson Jr. The Franchise. Dunno if we needed the Jr. part.
287- Eli Manning The Franchise.
330- Alfred Morris The Franchise. Not necessarily. Try RG3.
307- DaMarco Murray The Franchise. Close.
261- Ray Lewis Road to the Super Bowl. Much better.
187- Michael Crabtree
123- TOM BRADY. Where's Matt Cassel now? Oh yeah...hi, Tebow!
66- Ronnie Hillman.
218- Fred Davis.
64- Willis McGahee.
91- Vick Ballard
167- Antonio Brown
19- Dennis Pitta.
98- Maurice Jones-Drew, the sole reason Jacksonville fans have to leave their houses.
147- Joe McKnight. Okay, I lied, there are some specialists on the checklist.
29- Brandon LaFell.
176- Isaiah Pead. Heheh...Pead.
3- Andre Roberts
115- Ryan Tannehill. Okay, he'll at least do okay.
11- Jacquizz Rodgers
113- Cameron Wake. What a boring wire.
212- Shonn Greene, not yet shopped into a Jets uni.
249- Russell Wilson Airmail.
225- Cam Netwon Airmail
337- Andre Ellington Star Rookie
332- Aaron Mellette Star Rookie. This one's red. Dunno if that means anything.
267- Larry Fitzgerald The Franchise
273- AJ Green The Franchise
301- Torrey Smith The Franchise. No, not really.
310- Randall Cobb The Franchise. Nah.
254- Anquan Boldin Road to the Super Bowl.

11. Small base set. It's like 350 cards. Topps has 500. I like the smaller set.

So in conclusion, those are ELEVEN REASONS why Panini is kicking Topps' ass. Eleven Good Reasons, too. I really hope you take that into consideration when you go for Football Cards.

I just wish someone would give them a baseball license.

Custom Card of the Day: Kimbrel Edition

so...LOOK AT THOSE ROYALS PIRATES DODGERS TIGERS BRAVES GO!

I know, everyone's had a huge season this year, but the Braves are really doing well this month. The outfield isn't even hitting well...just everyone else is. The pitching is on, the hitting is on, and the time couldn't be better.

And what better to represent the best team in the NL East than the best closer in the NL (thanks Grilli). Kimbrel's had a couple of nice months at the top, even though he's just having a regular season. It's like he's not even trying to be a great closer...he just is.

Will the Braves come crashing down? No. Maybe they'll dip slightly, but I see them eventually clinching the East, barring any setbacks/random Philly comebacks.

Coming Tomorrow- Sigh...a steroid abuser who pitches like he's 10 years younger.

A day at Cooperstown: Shops, rookies, and The Hall

So today I was in Cooperstown. It was my fourth time going to the Hall of Fame, and quite frankly, it never gets old for me.

The first time I went, I was 9 years old, and I was juuuuuust learning who these people were. Like, I knew Yogi, I knew Babe, I knew DiMaggio, and I knew the obvious ones like Mays, Banks, Robinson and Clemente. I loved the museum, and I got a program at the gift shop, one celebrating recent inductees Sandberg and Boggs, and a drinking glass with the entire transcript of the Who's on First routine printed on its side.

Two years later, in 2007, I went back, with different relatives, and more experience. At this point, I was a full on mega-collector, getting cards wherever I could, and now I knew more of the bigger players. It also helped that two gigantic names (Ripken and Gwynn) were being inducted that year. I took more advantage of the card shops, and spent some time looking for cards of Thome, Thomas, and all the players I knew from 2005, in new uniforms.

2009, the blog was already underway, and I was a seasoned collector. I knew exactly what I was doing with everything, and I knew all of the big players I'd be looking up at, even to the point of campaigning for eventual enshrinees like Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson. Now I was in it for the history, scrutinizing the exhibits, and really enjoying all the cool stuff at the hall. This year I hit up more card shops than ever, and spent a lot on dollar cards of stars.

I waited four years to get back, and it felt good to be back in Cooperstown.

As for the museum, nothing's really changed. With the exception of computerizing the leader charts, and remodeling the room reserved for perfect games and no-hitters, it's the same museum, with the same plaques, and the same exhibits. And it still continues to make me smile. It always will. It's a whole museum devoted to my pastime.

This year I did indeed hit up some card shops, and while I didn't get any BIG MOJO HITZ, I still managed to nab some nice, cheap, cards.

Diamond Kings (there were a few):
2003: Barry Zito
2004- Tom Glavine, Rickie Weeks rookie.
2005- Jose Reyes, Jeff Bagwell, Carl Crawford.

90's/00's Topps.
1993 Traded: Wade Boggs (one I'd been looking for for a while.)
1995- John Smoltz
1998- Roberto Alomar, "Bob" Abreu, Jim Thome
1999- Trevor Hoffman, Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Jim Thome,
2000- Tom Glavine
2001- Tony Gwynn (another one I'd been looking for), Barry Larkin, Carlos Beltran.
2003- Adam Dunn.
2004 Traded -Curt Schilling (another nice one to have. year of the bloody sock!)

Sets I was looking for:
2004 Fleer Patchworks Torii Hunter
2004 Fleer Classic Clippings Carlos Delgado.

Etc.:
2000 Fleer Tradition Update: Rickey Henderson (a Mariner Rickey!)
2005 Bowman Heritage Chien-Ming Wang. Always nice to get a Wang.
1986 Topps Traded Phil Niekro on the Indians.

And now, the four semi-awesome rookies that I got at Cooperstown.

4. 2006 Topps Traded JERED WEAVER rookie. I rate this lower because it may not be the bonafide actual rookie, but it's still nice to have.
3. 2004 Diamond Kings DAN HAREN. Again, not the most pricy rookie, and you can do better, but it's still a nice rookie of a great player, even in Diamond King form.
2. 2000 Topps Traded BRANDON PHILLIPS. This one was the priciest of the four ($6), and right now, it's the player that's doing the best in the standings. Plus, it's kinda weird to see the current Red in Expos garb. Still, it's a great rookie to have. Still, for the #1, I have to go with...
1. 2000 Topps Traded JUAN PIERRE! This is my best find of the day not because it's the best player, but because it's my favorite of the four. The impact of Juan Pierre is undeniable, and he was brilliant for my Phillies last year. I felt like I needed his rookie, regardless of his Hall chances. Besides, it was $2.50.

So overall, my trip to Cooperstown was a success, with cards and a great day had by all.

Custom Card of the Day: Locke Edition

I know people have moved onto talking about the Braves, Royals, Rangers, and Orioles, but I wanna get back to the Pirates. I don't care if they're no longer the IT team, I don't care if their closer's injured, I don't care that it's August. I don't care. I'm still talking about them. Deal with it.

Jeff Locke has gone the entire year with a low ERA, a strong consistent record, and absolutely no coverage. Nobody talked about Jeff Locke. Nobody said anything about how well he was doing. He made an All Star team, and pretty much everybody's reaction was 'huh, wouldja look at that', and promptly resumed being blown away by Yasiel Puig.

Right now Jeff Locke is slowly, quietly, secretly becoming one of this year's best pitchers. He's young, he's consistent, he has a great ERA, and he's doing very well for Pittsburgh. Any other year he'd be doing well in the headlines. But NO, this is a year where Strasburg has to be lazy, where A-Rod has to hog every other headline about the MLB that isn't a Puig lovefest.

Blah. Just a musing on a baseball season. Tomorrow's Cooperstown anyway, so there.

Coming Tomorrow- Besides a report from the Hall of Fame, a closer for one of the best teams in baseball.