tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74506763151128183042024-03-13T19:00:40.750-07:00One Man's Junk (Wax) .....is another man's gold?Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-39422746175737177512015-06-29T11:50:00.001-07:002015-06-29T11:50:59.032-07:00May<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XUySwei1WIk/VZGOdJEZm3I/AAAAAAAABow/EeoxHznj15k/s1600/Virginia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XUySwei1WIk/VZGOdJEZm3I/AAAAAAAABow/EeoxHznj15k/s320/Virginia.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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Its been just over two months since I posted. Holy cow, time can get away from you, right? Attentions get divided, work responsibilities change, blah, blah, blah. I have received some great cards in the mail, and they are deserving of thank yous and posts, but I wanted to go a different direction.<br />
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As some are aware, Ryan Zimmerman's alma mater Virginia won the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/2015_College_World_Series">College World Series</a> last week.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TcsczHdsf-Q/VZGOdfHwxzI/AAAAAAAABok/TzDn__VCQOo/s1600/Virginia2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TcsczHdsf-Q/VZGOdfHwxzI/AAAAAAAABok/TzDn__VCQOo/s320/Virginia2.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
Mark Reynolds and Eppa Rixey (one of the worst HOF selections) also went to Virginia. But that wasn't the only college post season happening in May.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oSmlJEQHCrE/VZGObnNR8pI/AAAAAAAABoc/sQnNNEX87Hc/s1600/Tampa2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oSmlJEQHCrE/VZGObnNR8pI/AAAAAAAABoc/sQnNNEX87Hc/s320/Tampa2.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
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Lou Piniella went to the University of Tampa.<br />
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So did Tino Martinez. Tampa won the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/2015_Division_II_College_World_Series">Division II World Series</a> last month. It was their 7th title. <br /><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YJ6gB9zWXZo/VZGOXoPl54I/AAAAAAAABoU/xHZ8Hq8pJgw/s1600/Cortland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YJ6gB9zWXZo/VZGOXoPl54I/AAAAAAAABoU/xHZ8Hq8pJgw/s320/Cortland.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
Marion Fricano (great name by the way), went to SUNY Cortland. Cortland won the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/2015_Division_III_College_World_Series">Division III World Series</a> last month.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-voc7NcvzA6A/VZGOXhviUjI/AAAAAAAABpA/ZT9lLe__K8U/s1600/LewisClark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-voc7NcvzA6A/VZGOXhviUjI/AAAAAAAABpA/ZT9lLe__K8U/s320/LewisClark.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
Marvin Benard...<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WbQM-jNuBQ/VZGOYcRQDzI/AAAAAAAABn0/KndLvLgqS4c/s1600/LewisClark2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WbQM-jNuBQ/VZGOYcRQDzI/AAAAAAAABn0/KndLvLgqS4c/s320/LewisClark2.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
...and Keith Foulke were briefly teammates on the 1997 Giants. They also both attended Lewis-Clark State up in Idaho. Lewis Clark won the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/2015_NAIA_College_World_Series">NAIA World Series</a>. It was the 17th title for the school. <i>17</i>!<br />
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Junior Colleges play baseball too.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X-Zcvg9i3P4/VZGOZTBYnmI/AAAAAAAABoE/80KZtSvZu1w/s1600/NWFlorida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X-Zcvg9i3P4/VZGOZTBYnmI/AAAAAAAABoE/80KZtSvZu1w/s320/NWFlorida.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
Tim Spooneybarger went to Okaloosa-Walton College, which is now Northwest Florida State College. That school won the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/2015_NJCAA_Division_I_Baseball_World_Series">NJCAA Division I title</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqx2AFC34K4/VZGOfONXg3I/AAAAAAAABo4/JRrUDgS_5Bk/s1600/LSU_-_Eunice.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqx2AFC34K4/VZGOfONXg3I/AAAAAAAABo4/JRrUDgS_5Bk/s200/LSU_-_Eunice.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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Louisiana State University at Eunice won the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/2015_NJCAA_Division_II_Baseball_World_Series">NJCAA Division II title</a>, but literally nobody significant in baseball has come from the school yet.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PLGugvSqPns/VZGOe7_IpiI/AAAAAAAABoo/Fn2JWudZh0Y/s1600/tjclogotjc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PLGugvSqPns/VZGOe7_IpiI/AAAAAAAABoo/Fn2JWudZh0Y/s1600/tjclogotjc.jpg" /></a></div>
Ditto for the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/2015_NJCAA_Division_III_Baseball_World_Series">NJCAA Division III winners</a>, Tyler Junior College.<br /><br />
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The California junior colleges participate in their own postseason.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wX2fjrxacUo/VZGOZ4BxYxI/AAAAAAAABo0/DmL9-nAiRcc/s1600/OrangeCoast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wX2fjrxacUo/VZGOZ4BxYxI/AAAAAAAABo0/DmL9-nAiRcc/s320/OrangeCoast.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
Brent Mayne went to Orange Coast Junior College, which won the<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span dir="auto"> <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Community_College_League_of_California">Community College League of California</a> title for the sixth time. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span dir="auto">The Northwest schools have their own tournament as well.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4kF6czk0cp4/VZGOY8z5P4I/AAAAAAAABn8/D7H-g9ae_WA/s1600/LowerColumbia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4kF6czk0cp4/VZGOY8z5P4I/AAAAAAAABn8/D7H-g9ae_WA/s320/LowerColumbia.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
Bud Black went to Lower Columbia College, winners of the <a href="http://2015 NWAACC Baseball Championship">Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges</a> title. <br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span dir="auto"><br /></span></span></span>
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<br />Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-84673285997521679272015-04-28T21:56:00.000-07:002015-04-28T21:56:11.886-07:00My Horizontal HeroMan, its the 28th of the month and I've only posted once this month. My mind has been elsewhere. New position at work, new schedule that goes with it, sick kids...blah blah blah<br />
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Awhile back I had some horizontal cards lying around. So naturally I sent them off to Mark over at <a href="http://clubhousekaz.blogspot.com/">This Way to the Clubhouse</a>. I don't know if any of them were needed for his <span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://clubhousekaz.blogspot.com/p/horizontal-heroes-frankenset.html">"Horizontal Heroes" frankenset</a>, but I think that's one of the more fascinating frankenset ideas, so I sent them anyway. </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Well, he decided to send some cards back my way.</span></div>
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This is a card I've never seen. 2003 Upper Deck Standing O Troy Glaus. It looks much better when you look at it straight, instead of slightly crooked like I scanned it.<br />
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Parallel Angels? You're speaking my language.<br />
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I'm guessing these might be cards that missed the cut in the frankenset. But I'll take them. I still think the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raining_Blood">Slayer parallels</a> are <a href="http://junkwax.blogspot.com/p/red-foil.html">fantastic</a>!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JvpljEdASlc/VUBgd0KcWcI/AAAAAAAABmo/3jYI_MCBPQM/s1600/003a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JvpljEdASlc/VUBgd0KcWcI/AAAAAAAABmo/3jYI_MCBPQM/s1600/003a.jpg" height="300" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">And they brought along some vertical cousins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">All in all, a pretty darn good PWE. Thanks Mark.</span></div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-81288904550747281402015-04-16T19:03:00.000-07:002015-04-16T19:03:01.257-07:00Maybe its just meI haven't blogged in awhile. Man, its been over two weeks. Sheesh. I've been spending my time compiling the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Template:Division_III_Regionals">Regional rounds</a> of past <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Template:Division_II_Regionals">small college World</a> Series. Consider that my entry into the nerd contest.<br />
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I've gotten some fantastic cards in the mail recently, but this post is going to be somewhat of a <a href="http://junkwax.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-good-bad-and-uglerrrawesome.html">"The Good, the bad and the Awesome"</a> part 2.</div>
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I decided to buy some 2015 Donruss. "Why would you do that??' you're asking. I dunno, I kinda like it. And I quit wasting my money on Heritage dupes (I bought a huge lot of them from <a href="http://www.justcommons.com/index.php">justcommons</a>). And I was hoping to get some of the advertised Tony Gwynn cards (I didn't). And I was really hoping to get some of the 1981 Donruss cards.</div>
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<b>The Good</b></div>
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I got a couple of Angels. I really hope MLB comes to their senses and grants a second license. These would look pretty sharp without the airbrushing. Still doesn't really look as bad as I would have thought though. I had just bought the Trout base card in the justcommons order.</div>
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I don't know if there are just a bunch of prospects in the set and inserts overall, but it sure seems like I got my fair share.</div>
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And I did get a pair of the 1981s (teaser). The team name is centered instead of off to the right, which doesn't bother me. The donruss logo is way too big, which does bother me. But these are fantastic. I can't get enough of these.</div>
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<b>The Bad</b></div>
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I bought two rack packs. 60 cards total. Minus the 13 inserts leaves 47 base cards. These are my <i><b>7 dupes</b></i>. Maybe its just me. Seriously, I'm just a dupe magnet I guess. But I like the design. There's still a little too much wasted space in the borders, but its not as bad as 2014.</div>
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<b>The Awesome</b></div>
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That's a thing of beauty right there.</div>
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Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-70217290651578985262015-03-29T09:34:00.000-07:002015-03-29T09:34:02.139-07:00Stop me if you've heard this before<a href="http://bradsphilliesblog.blogspot.com/">Brad</a> dropped a package on me recently with a huge stack of my 2015 base needs (and he's stubbornly refused to send a want list back). <br />
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While flipping through them, I came across a name I didn't recognize.<br />
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So I did what I always do, and I flipped the card over to read the back.<br />
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Wow, 13 seasons in the minors.<br />
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But he was born in 1990? So he's been playing since he was 11? Wait, what?<br />
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And what's 28.2 hits? in 2 ABs?<br />
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It didn't take me long to figure out who was born in Albuquerque, NM in September 1990:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oRGtjAMKcVM/VRgnl3NFA1I/AAAAAAAABlA/UjTSWQalWzI/s1600/84424-14327263Fr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oRGtjAMKcVM/VRgnl3NFA1I/AAAAAAAABlA/UjTSWQalWzI/s1600/84424-14327263Fr.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
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Of course when I headed over to the <a href="http://www.tradingcarddb.com/">trading card database</a> they already <a href="http://www.tradingcarddb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/97340/cid/15234505/2015-Topps-103-Guilder-Rodriguez?PageIndex=1">had it noted</a>. So I'm guessing there's other blogs who have written about this, but I missed them. Are there any other errors I don't know about? C'mon Topps, you should be better than this.<br />
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<br />Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-61843997750722548362015-03-19T12:11:00.003-07:002015-03-19T12:11:41.047-07:00The Good, the bad and the Ugl...errr.....Awesome!I picked up two more rack packs of Heritage today. What can I say, I love the card stock of Heritage, and I sure as heck ain't buying <strike>the Base parallels</strike> Opening Day that came out recently (maybe I'll find a group break somewhere). So I'm up to 5 rack packs of Heritage, or almost 100 cards. What did I get today?<br />
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<b>The Good</b><br />
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<b> </b>I pulled another relic, the second in 5 packs, and Marichal is pretty cool. But that's not even what's so good about my two packs today. I only got 3 inserts (we'll see the 3rd later), which means.... more base cards! I'm a set builder at heart, so most inserts don't do much for me. Frankly I'd prefer to find a Stanton fan so this card can be where it belongs.<br />
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<b>The Bad</b><br />
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<b> </b>Here we come to a running theme on this blog. I wish I wasn't always talking about this, but these 7 cards are <i>all dupes</i>. I have 82 different cards and <i>7 dupes</i>. C'mon Topps. really?<br />
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<b>The Awesome</b><br />
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<b> </b>The card on the left is just a base card, but it's Mike Trout and the guy who stole two of Trout's MVP awards. I would never be able to get my hands on the Trout mini unless I lucked into pulling one. I could certainly <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mike-Trout-MINI-077-100-2015-Topps-Heritage-Baseball-Parallel-SP-500-/351343237525?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51cdb05995">never afford</a> to buy one on the <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/MIKE-TROUT-2015-TOPPS-HERITAGE-RARE-SSP-MINI-PARALLEL-SP-071-100-500-ANGELS-/131457665692?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e9b7cca9c&nma=true&si=g97lXLRTLMgpijAzyjNc%252BRofr0g%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557">secondary market</a>. I guess this was almont something of a Trout hot pack. Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-19503724245708118572015-03-15T16:48:00.001-07:002015-03-15T16:48:29.711-07:00FinallyI got back from my Spring Training trip last night. I've been gone for 5 days, so naturally I needed to go to the store to get some things for the coming week. <br />
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I made my way over to the card aisle and was about to be disappointed when I noticed some rack packs of 2015 Heritage laying there.<br />
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I <b><i>finally</i></b> got some Heritage. I grabbed three of the packs and headed home. <br />
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There seems to be alot of indifference towards Heritage this year. Seems everybody is knocking the 1966 design. But is there really anything wrong with 66, or is it just paling in comparison to the iconic 1965 design? I tend to like the 1966 design. Sure, it's a bit basic and not as good as 1965, but I like it. <br />
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I got three Angels in my three packs. The team card up top, plus Calhoun (who goes into his PC) and Iannetta. Looks pretty darn close to the originals. The 1966s are actually a tad sharper actually than the Heritages.<br />
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The backs of the Heritages are definately more muted than the originals.<br />
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Let's see what else is in the packs.<br />
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<b>SPs</b><br />
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Let's be honest, SPs are the worst thing about Heritage. Just a gimmick.<br />
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<b>Inserts</b><br />
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<b> </b>One thing I do like is that there aren't many inserts in each pack. I like base cards.<br />
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<b>Hits</b><br />
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I guess this is a hit? I dunno. It's numbered to 999. But chroming Heritage seems silly to me. Its the antithesis of what Heritage is. Right?<br />
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I guess this would be my real hit.<br />
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Except for the Angels, I'd trade anything I posted though. I like base cards.<br />
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Speaking of trading....<br />
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<b> </b>that's my dupe stack of 2015 Topps base. I, of course, only have about 3/4 of the set. I'm looking for somebody (somebodys?) with a similar stack. Let's complete each other's sets.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-29351964250394595332015-03-12T20:14:00.000-07:002015-03-12T20:14:16.588-07:00I went to a baseball game and a movie studio broke outSo yesterday we went to HoHoKam Park and saw the Oakland A's beat the Cleveland Indians 3-2. My buddy is a big A's fan, so he was happy.<br />
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Today we got to Tempe Diablo Stadium to watch the Angels play the Cubs. There was a headline this morning that Will Ferrell was scheduled to go to 5 Cactus League games and attempt to play all 9 positions. Well, I know of at least 2 of the positions he played.<br />
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Ferrell showed up around the top of the third. He made his way down the right field line and into the dugout. He popped back out to give some coaching.<br />
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In the bottom of third he waited until the Angels took the field then ran out to center field.<br />
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He not only took Mike Trout's position, he took his glove.....<br />
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...and his hat.<br />
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There's the best player in baseball running off the field, replaced by the Anchorman. He re-entered the game in the next inning.<br />
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And yes, there was a ball hit to Ferrell. A single to center.<br />
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He's about to throw it back in here. Somebody's head is in the way of the shot I tried to take of the actual throw.<br />
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But that was his only play. He ran off the field and many of the fans assumed he was done for the day. But the camera crews stayed.<br />
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And so did Ferrell. He moved over the Cubs as third base coach. He held up a number of large signs, some of which read "don't steal", "Remember, these games don't count", "Ignore that last card, play hard", "You're sooooo handsome", and "I'm not just saying that"<br />
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The Cubs scored 4 runs with Ferrell in the coach's box, including this homer.<br />
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Addison Russell received some extra special attention during an at-bat.<br />
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When it got to 2 outs, Ferrell stepped up to the plate. He looked at strikes one and two, then whiffed on the third pitch.<br />
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He then began the top of the 5th at 1st base. After one out, Mike Olt came out, and in a reversal took the glove from Ferrell. Well, he tried to. Ferrell threw it on the grass and stomped off.<br />
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Despite two homers from Kris Bryant, the Angels won 10-9.<br />
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<br />Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-85954879929663618672015-03-09T10:20:00.002-07:002015-03-09T10:34:53.646-07:00Yes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That's me tomorrow. Well, that's not a picture of me specifically, but you get the idea. I'll be on a plane tomorrow.<br />
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And where am I going?<br />
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Spring Training!<br />
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We'll be seeing the Angels play on Thursday and Friday, and the A's on Wednesday (my buddy is an A's fan). And who knows, those are all day games, so we might see some random games at night too.<br />
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So this blog doesn't always have a reason for going dark for a week, but this week it actually will have a reason.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-61403446502734893262015-03-03T10:34:00.001-08:002015-03-03T10:34:42.502-08:00Angels from BradI got a package the other day from Brad over at the aptly name <a href="http://bradsphilliesblog.blogspot.com/">Brad's Blog</a>. I had sent off some extra red foil parallels and I guess he wanted to say thanks. (If anybody wants/needs any red foil, let me know and I'll see what I have)<br />
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Brad sent me a bunch of Angels, so let's look at some highlights.<br />
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Chromy-ness! Ariel Pena made it to AAA in 2011, then was included as one of the three players sent to Milwaukee for the Zack Greinke rental in 2012. He still hasn't made the majors. <br />
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Here's some ill-advised contracts. One from 2007 and one more recent. I knew the Pujols deal would be a problem for the last 5 years of the contract, but I didn't realize he would break down so quickly. He's still an above average productive ML hitter. But he's not $25 million a year anymore.<br />
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Who doesn't like Heritage and Gypsy Queen? Although, without the blogosphere, I'd never have any GQ myself. I hear this year's Heritage is out now? 1966 isn't as universally well loved as 1965, but I think I might go get myself some.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-20913369544363328282015-02-21T16:51:00.001-08:002015-02-21T16:51:03.893-08:00To∙ny Gw∙nnI wanted to do a quick post today. I bought a hanger box of 2015 today. And this was easily the highlight for me.<br />
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I've always been a big Tony Gwynn fan. He was never an Angel obviously, but I pulled his rookie card out of packs of Donruss and Fleer. So I bought the Topps version almost 30 years ago, and I've had a Gwynn PC ever since. This is a good looking card. I'm not sure what the concept is behind ar<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">∙</span></b>che<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">∙</span></b>types, but whatever. I'm guessing the image has been used a number of times, because it looks very familiar. But it captures a young Gwynn pretty well. <br />
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Another I like about the card is on the back.<br />
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Topps referenced Gwynn's famous "5.5 hole". Perfect.<br />
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But notice the top left corner of the back. The hanger box was full of dinged corners. Nice QC there Topps. While I'm complaining, I got 64 base cards and 36 of them were dupes. I've got barely half the set, and I'm already at the point of diminishing returns. I have nice stack of dupes though, so if anybody needs something specific...<br />
<br />Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-60528811684586454792015-02-19T21:30:00.001-08:002015-02-19T21:30:46.023-08:00Mailer Prospect ReportI spent a lot of time complaining about the collation in 2014 Topps. Too much time. I had hopes that this year things would be different.<br />
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I was wrong.<br />
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I bought a rack pack of 2015 base a couple of days ago. Before I opened the pack, I had roughly 1/3 of the set. I got <i>more</i> <i>dupes</i> than new cards. That ain't right. <sigh><br />
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In other news.....<br />
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Are there any cards better than unexpected cards? I got an envelope from <a href="http://tilnextyear-tom.blogspot.com/">P-town Tom</a> with cards from the 2013 Panini Prizm Perennial Draft Picks set in it (I had to look it up). Let's see what draft picks I got.<br />
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Alex Yarbrough was drafted by the Angels in 2012. He made it to AA last year. His batting line looks roughly similar to Howie Kendrick's. The Sporting News has him ranked as the Angels' 7th ranked prospect heading into this season. Maybe he'll be the Halo second sacker in 2016.<br />
<br /><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/2012_amateur_draft" title="2012 amateur draft"></a>
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Kaleb Cowart was the Angels' first round pick in 2010. He's been stuck in AA the last 2 seasons hitting in the .220s. TSN has him ranked 9th for the Angels.<br />
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Zach Borenstein was drafted by the Angels in 2011. He got his first taste of AA and AAA last year. Then was traded to the Diamondbacks in July in the deal for Joe Thatcher. Then spent more time at both AA and AAA. He didn't make TSN's list for the Diamondbacks, but he probably would have for the Angels who have literally the worst farm system in baseball.<br />
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These are the type of cards I could never get for myself. Which is why the blogosphere is so great. And there was one other card in the package.<br />
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Mike Trout was drafted by the Angels in 2009. He made it to the majors at the end of 2011. He hasn't really done much since then. One thing he has done though... be the best player in baseball in each of the three years.<br />
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Thanks Tom.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-9964234704795941032015-02-14T14:10:00.004-08:002015-02-14T14:10:59.822-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-14343275385757491992015-02-11T16:02:00.001-08:002015-02-11T16:02:39.147-08:00Coincidence?So I went in to Big Blue to grab a couple of things......<br />
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I think all of us in one way or another end up shopping for cards at the big box stores. You ever take notice of where the card aisle is situated in the box stores?<br />
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The Big Blue I will typically go into to buy groceries has its card aisle on a register aisle that is never in use except for the busiest Christmas shopping days. But its cards aisle is pretty sad. I don't think they even have 2015 base yet. And they never have marked down past years' product.<br />
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The Big Blue I was in today has its cad aisle on a register that is typically in use. So you can't sit there and shop the aisle. There's somebody standing there having their groceries rang up. Its a decent card aisle, but I don't like the store itself. Its busier, and I like the shoppers there even less the shoppers in other Big Blues.<br />
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There's a Bullseye store on the way home from work. Their card aisle is away from any register, although well in view of the registers, I assume so the aisle can be watched. And its a nice wide aisle. Its pretty well stocked, but again, no marked down past years' products.<br />
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Anyway, I got rung up on the card aisle today and threw a box of cards in the order (the 72 card box, whatever you call that one).<br />
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I got 7 dupes. I know I seem to harp on dupe-age, but I don't remember this much from when I was a kid. Then again, maybe it was there and I just don't remember it.<br />
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I noticed something interesting<br />
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Hey, which blogger is doing the Horizontal Frankenset?<br />
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<br />Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-11222000159569054332015-02-08T13:44:00.001-08:002015-02-08T13:44:40.880-08:00Small worldSo I have a very casual relationship with Listia. I usually have a couple of credits floating around, so I bid them all on random auctions, get outbid, and repeat.<br />
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A couple of weeks ago I did a quick survey and got a bunch of credits. Then i did another one and got a bunch more. I managed to win some 1975 Topps and some Dallas Cowboys.<br />
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This auction in particular was interesting. As a Cowboy fan, I've always been a huge Emmitt fan. When he was playing he was overshadowed personality-wise by Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman, but that was something I could relate to. So Smith is my only real football player collection.<br />
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But that wasn't what made it interesting. When I went to transfer credits to the seller, I recognized the avatar in an instant.<br />
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I had just won an auction from Tom over at <a href="http://angelsinorder.blogspot.com/">The Angels, In Order.</a> Half the time, reading Tom's blog is like looking at my want list. He gets all the best Angels cards.<br />
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But in true blogosphere fashion, he sent more than just the card I won.<br />
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Aikman might have been much less showy than Irvin also, but I don't think there was any doubt on any player's mind who the team leader was. Aikman wasn't expected to be Dan Marino or Peyton Manning, but he led the team and was maybe the most accurate thrower of all time.<br />
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But he didn't stop there.<br />
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Nope, I haven't gotten sick of these things yet. Love 'em.<br />
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Thanks Tom.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-47311220919606866912015-02-05T14:49:00.001-08:002015-02-05T17:56:41.588-08:00Random ThoughtsI just bought my first 2015 Topps base. So I guess that means its my turn to weigh in with my opinions.<br />
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But I'm just going to go over some thoughts I had while opening and sorting my cards.<br />
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First, they came in 36 card packs, but they weren't the long rack packs with 18 in each pocket. 36 in one pocket. I like it.<br />
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Did Topps double print this card? Seems like everyone is pulling it (not a scientific study). Granted, it's a fitting tribute to the retiring star. But I've never much of a Jeter fan. I'm the one who has been saying he's over-rated for 20 years. Then again, I guess I'm the one he's been proving wrong for 20 years.<br />
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I got 2 dupes. But this isn't exactly a gripe. Last year if I saw a dupe, the next 6-7 cards were also dupes. The fact I only got 2, and they weren't consecutive, gives me hope that the collation will be better this year. (C'mon Topps, you can do this)<br />
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Give me more of this<br />
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and this<br />
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and less of this. I love looking at the backs of cards and seeing rows and rows of minor league stats. I know absolutely nothing about Barnes' career, but I know all about Greene's.<br />
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Really Topps? Gattis is a "Future Star"? He exhausted his rookie status in 2013. I don't know about anybody else, but he doesn't qualify for this subset.<br />
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The good - I pulled an Angels team card. The bad - Topps picked Hamilton and Pujols to represent the team. No and no. Calhoun is great for the team card. The whiff and the gimp are just wasting payroll at this point.<br />
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And finally, look at the team logo. I know there's supposed to be circles around it. But that's not what I see there when I'm shuffling through the cards. Maybe I'm the only one who sees this, but those look like fingerprints to me. I'm calling 2015 the Fingerprint Set.<br />
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<br />Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-91598373707996002312015-02-03T10:26:00.003-08:002015-02-05T14:20:36.656-08:00AwesomeThis is starting out as a pretty good week.<br />
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I just got done booking a trip to Spring Training for a couple of days for me and a buddy of mine. We're going to take in a couple of Angels' games for me and an A's game for him. I'm pretty excited and can't wait for March to get here now. I did however buy tickets to a game on the wrong day, so I'll have to try to sell them on eBay or something. Oops<br />
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I also received all of these awesome cards from Jeff over at <a href="http://www.2x3heroes.com/">2x3 Heroes</a>.<br />
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I was trying to find a way to tie them together, but not we're not going to see any games against Jeff's White Sox, so .....ummm.......Baseball!<br />
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<br />Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-9473569582489988402015-01-28T11:02:00.002-08:002015-01-28T11:02:54.653-08:00You win some, you lose someJeez, its been 2 1/2 weeks since I posted. Eh, life.<br />
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Not a whole lot has been happening on the card front really. Nothing going out, little coming in.<br />
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I have been trolling eBay though, looking for deals. I decided to pop on a 50 card lot my <a href="http://junkwax.blogspot.com/p/red-foil.html">favorite parallels.</a> The auction didn't list the numbers, and I didn't ask. I thought, "I'm sure I'll need a bunch of the 50". Welp, there were only 49 in the box (shrug), and I only needed 3 of them. <i><b>3</b></i>. Caveat emptor. So I have another stack of extra red foils if anybody wants any specific ones.<br />
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I also look for deals on my Angels from the 60's.<br />
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I got this one for a pretty good deal. It goes right into my Angels Topps base binder. But the buyer decided to throw in another card.<br />
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Presumably to protect during shipping? Either way, I'm calling this a win.<br />
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I actually find all the marking interesting. Why are some checked, some are crossed out, and some are circled?<br />
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<br />Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-91309664676823530412015-01-11T09:17:00.001-08:002015-01-11T09:17:58.165-08:00It's Gameday!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That's all I can say. Too excited!<br />
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<br />Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-70018443447596580482015-01-06T10:53:00.000-08:002015-01-06T10:54:02.165-08:00My ballotI write this about a <strike>half an hour</strike> 10 minutes before the Hall of Fame class of 2015 is announced.<br />
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I don't have a vote (duh), and I never will. But if I did, this is my thinking about the ballot. Pretty soon we'll know how far off I am.<br />
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First, let me show two players who I think should be in, but I don't know if I vote for.<br />
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Trammell gets lost I think because of the era he played. His numbers don't look as big, but what a hell of a player. Interestingly (if only to me), I have a player collection of his double play partner, but not him.<br />
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Best hitting catcher of all time, but is that enough?<br />
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Now let me show my no doubters. I believe these guys belong in the Hall, no questions asked.<br />
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Come on. I think his problem is simply a question of being overshadowed. I think he was quite possibly the second best leadoff hitter of all time. But played at the exact same time as the greatest, so he looks like a second tier guy. He wasn't.<br />
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Don't keep this guy out just because he played at the same time as all the PED users. Biggio 3060 hits, <i>669 doubles</i>, and 414 steals. Hall of Famer.<br />
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Early on, Johnson was a mechanical mess. 100 mph, but he didn't know where it was going, and neither did anybody else. But he put it together, he was effective well into his 40's and got 303 wins. He won 293 games after turning 26.<br />
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Let the debates begin. Look, the guy was an asshole. He was a user. And a liar. But he was a Hall of Famer before he used. He was the best pitcher in the game in the late 80's into the 90's. If he doesn't use, he gets in the Hall and <i>for me</i>, that's the criteria I have to use. He was a great of the game.<br />
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And let the howling begin. Same comments as Clemens. Maybe a bigger asshole. Maybe a bigger user. Bigger liar. But he was probably the best player in the game, <i>before</i> he used. Hell, if you cut all the "PED years" off his career, the remaining years have a Hall of Fame debate. I can't ignore that.<br />
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If you want to put Pedro Martinez, Mike Mussina, or Curt Schilling in, I don't think they lower the standards of the Hall. But I wouldn't lose any sleep over them being left out.<br />
But that's just my thinking.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-61125970585835308632014-12-23T11:09:00.001-08:002014-12-23T11:09:18.160-08:00So that just happened<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Left a Topps Chipz magnet parallel in my pocket, which then went into the wash.<br />
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Dammit.<br />
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-6208970625680053742014-12-22T19:16:00.002-08:002014-12-22T19:16:48.166-08:00Everything old is new againI just came back with the mail today. And in the mail was a card I won on eBay.<br />
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For 43 cents, a new Rod Carew is always a good thing.<br />
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But as I was placing him into my Carew binder, I started looking at all my Carew cards (not that there's enough of them. I have plenty of holes).<br />
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And I noticed something.<br />
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There's plenty of talk in the blogosphere about how Topps uses the same photo for card after card. And rightly so.<br />
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But Topps has been doing this for years. That's 2 1968s and a 1969.<br />
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<br />Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-50949397545830490352014-12-15T09:10:00.001-08:002014-12-15T10:24:44.771-08:00That works outI got a package in the mail about a week and a half ago from Kerry over at <a href="http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/">Cards on Cards</a>. I've kinda dragged my feet a little on posting about it for a couple of reasons. First, the package was pretty big, there were 3 team bags full of cards. Second, I've been working a bit, and last I've frankly been procrastinating.<br />
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But I think the timing has worked out pretty well. By posting now, I can pimp <a href="http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2014/12/contest-time-college-bowl-pick-em-6.html">a contest he just put up</a>. If you like college football and/or picking bowl games, head over and enter.<br />
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Also, my Cowboys had a huge win last night against a very strong team that quite possibly will turn out to be an elimination game for the two teams involved. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>And it was against Kerry's Eagles</i>. </span>These cards came from a time when I wasn't collecting football cards (and was almost out of baseball cards too), so these will get a happy home. Is there ever a card of Tom Landry that isn't awesome?<br />
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There's some Cowboys from their Super Bowl teams, and some from the current incarnation. I think the Cowboys showed last night some heart for the first time in years. Can't say enough how excited I was with the win.<br />
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But even though Kerry and I are fans of rival teams, there is <i>always</i> common ground somewhere:<br />
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So that was just some of the first team bag. The other two team bags were roughly themed too.<br />
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Oddballs. I actually had all the box bottoms from 1986. In full panels and cut. I bought lots of boxes in 1986. I don't know what happened to them all. I'd never heard of the Hills Team MVPs set, so that's always a good add. And another new Ryan for that PC.<br />
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Are the paint splotches supposed to line up like that on the 1990 Classic cards? We had a Kay-Bee card in the last scan, and a Toys "R" Us card in this one. And again, this is only part of the "oddball" themed team bag.<br />
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The third bag had more Angel goodness for me.<br />
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Can't go wrong with parallel Halos. You've got your overpaid players parallels in the top row and your Chris parallels in the second. I never buy Chrome, so the generosity of the blogosphere is my main means of acquisition.<br />
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I had to go figure out what that Vlad was. Its a "Flapper Card" insert from 2008 Opening day. You can kinda see the perforations in the scan, and it opens up. I don't think I will open, but I don't know why. And again, there were many more Angels in the bag.<br />
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If I was forced to choose a favorite card though..<br />
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A new Carew. Awesome.<br />
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Thanks again Kerry. Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-37011609398856595352014-12-10T23:51:00.001-08:002014-12-11T00:09:00.268-08:00Huh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Angels traded Howie Kendrick today.<br />
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I was a bit surprised by my reaction. I was kinda upset for a minute. I did one of those <gasp> "What?" things.<br />
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Not long after Kendrick established himself as a regular for the Angels, he seemed (to me at least) to just blend in. Doesn't seem real excitable, more even keel. He didn't ever really become the superstar hitter in the lineup, but he was never a problem spot either.<br />
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So why was I so surprised? I don't know.<br />
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The more I think about it though, the question I come up with is.. Who's going to play 2nd? Now you've traded the established starter, what's the plan? The Angels have been blessed/cursed with too many 1B/DH types in recent years, but middle infielders are a whole different deal.<br />
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I guess you can never have enough pitching. Welcome aboard Rookie.<br />
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(Edit: When I saw Heaney's twitter post, I became a fan: "<a href="https://twitter.com/Heandog8/status/542917138634506240">Well, <s>@</s><b>Dodgers</b> we had a good run! Great to be a part of such a storied franchise. <s>#</s><b>thanksforthememories</b></a>" That's awesome)<b><br /></b><br />
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Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-74693422766391611002014-12-08T19:06:00.000-08:002014-12-08T19:06:21.875-08:00I'll be your excuse too..The mailman has been good to the house of Junk Wax recently. I've had a couple of packages come in from generous bloggers and my collection is all the better for it.<br />
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Last month Tom over at <a href="http://tilnextyear-tom.blogspot.com/">Waiting 'til Next Year</a> picked up a huge lot of 1984 Topps. And he was left with 60% of a set. I knew I had to send some cards to help towards completion. It's always good to see a post where I can think "I can help!"<br />
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Tom decided to send me a bunch of cards from 2013 and 2014 Topps base. I doubt anybody is as excited to see those cards as I was to get them into my growing set. He didn't stop there. He also sent me some needs from 1991 and 1992 Topps.<br />
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But he didn't stop there. He sent off some extra Cubs for me to move towards set completion. Ike Hampton up top there is in a Tidewater Tides uniform, but he was traded to the Angels in March of 75.<br />
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Rod Carew is my oldest PC, but I still have plenty of cards I need. Here's one of the last from his playing days. And a Fleer sticker of Gary Pettis? I'm in.<br />
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A minor league Angel. Nice. The Angels drafted Herndon in 2006, but lost him to the Phillies in the minor league draft in December of 2009. He spent 2010, 2011, and April of 2012 in the Phillies bullpen. He must have been hurt, because he didn't play the rest of 2012 at all, and never returned to the majors.<br />
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I like Allen & Ginter. A lot. But I just can't bring myself to buy it. I like a little more bang for my buck. So I rely mainly on the generosity of bloggers to obtain these things.<br />
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Opening Day is another product I don't buy. I bought a bunch of it last year, but I just can't justify buying a repeat of base. One or the other Topps, one or the other.<br />
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Pitcher Yency Almonte made it out of Rookie ball in 2014. But he's only 20, so he still has time. Oh and his brother has apparently also played in the minor leagues for 8 seasons as an outfielder.<br />
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I had already received a Rainbow foil parallel of this card from a group break (although it looks black to me), and now I have the base card to go with it.<br />
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With the exception of Ryan, Panini is getting my cartoon fix all taken care of. Have I mentioned lately that it would be a good thing to give Panini a license? Competition is a good thing MLB.<br />
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I should say thanks to Tom. And I truly am grateful. But the reality is that Tom was just using me as an excuse to head down to his LCS. <br />
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I feel so taken advantage of.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450676315112818304.post-50609629876877490112014-12-04T22:39:00.001-08:002014-12-04T22:39:31.528-08:00War of the WARsI recently read a post on another blog asking if anyone was reading. Basically should the blogger keep blogging.<br />
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I was about to comment on the post tell the blogger to blog for himself. Then it hit me, that advice is for me.<br />
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See, I think the normal state for bloggers is to post. And then life may get in the way and force them to stop blogging for a bit, but they'll go back to their normal state. Posting.<br />
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But I'm the opposite. My normal state is to read blogs. And then that gets interrupted by me having something to say.<br />
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Since I've started this here little blog, I've had the feeling that I wasn't doing it right. I should be posting more. But its not like me to say much in real life, so why would I constantly be saying something on the blog? Gotta be me right? I think I'll just have to accept that its okay for me to post only when I have something to say.<br />
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The only variation I pulled from this year's Topps base was the David Ortiz Sabermetric Stats variation. <br />
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Which is sorta ironic, in that I think the only variation I pulled in 2013 was the David Ortiz photo variation.<br />
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Anyway, I recently received the base version of Ortiz.....<br />
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...which gives him credit for 0.1 more WAR in 2004 and 0.2 more WAR for his career. <br />
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<b>What??</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/ortizda01.shtml">Baseball Reference gives Ortiz different WAR values</a> altogether. I'm kind of a numbers guy, so while I'm okay with WAR as a concept..<br />
a) I don't like that it compares players to a mythical "replacement player" which then can give a 600 at-bat player less value than a 3 at-bat player, and<br />
b) there are different WAR values depending on who is calculating it and who is reporting it. So I can't even go look up what the correct WAR values should be.<br />
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Guess I had something to say.<br />
<br />Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896780361855961353noreply@blogger.com1