Uncharted Waters

Super Bowl Sunday. A great day if you're a football fan(I am), but it's also a great day if you only focus on baseball. It means that the release of Topps Series One is imminent. Since I really don't care who wins today, I'm just hoping for an entertaining game(and some great commercials). Then I'll be setting my sights on the new baseball card collecting season. Last year, I bought more flagship products than I had in many years. Thank you Masahiro Tanaka, and as I've mentioned before, the Mariano Rivera checklist card in series one is perhaps my favorite card of last year. This year's series one is lacking in sought after Yankees rookies, but I will be looking for whatever card Topps has created to highlight Derek Jeter. I can only hope it is as good as the tribute to Mo. I've seen this image splashed around.

I'm hoping that it is 1. A real card(not some photoshopped fan creation) and 2. Not some super SP that I'll likely never see with my card budget being what it is. 

Other than the Jeter farewell, there wasn't a ton in the checklist that really got me interested for my collection's purposes. I had hoped for a Jose Pirela RC since he made his debut in September, but no luck there. So, in an effort to mix things up and create some more excitement around its release, I decided to take a leap into the unknown. I saw an opportunity to join a group break on the great blog: Nachos Grande. Chris posted that he was planning to break a case of jumbo boxes at a reasonable cost per team slot. I had read about this group break concept, but it is a fairly new idea to me. This is the first time I was really tempted to take the plunge. I scanned the list of teams that hadn't been claimed. Sadly, the Yankees were already spoken for. I figured that my urge to jump in would just go away. It did not. So, I began searching for the next best team to claim. I would have claimed the Rays, but there isn't much in the way of possible hits to make it worth the cost and there's only four base Rays that I'm going to be seeking. So, I chose the Cubbies. They've got a few great rookies, a Future Star, and a LOT of autos and relics on the checklist. I was happy with the decision. I thought all that was left was to wait until the break... I was wrong. I little while after finalizing my slot, I saw the name next to the Yankees was gone. I quickly emailed Chris and asked if they were available. He told me they were, so I claimed them as well. I guess if you're going to jump in, you might as well do it with both feet! So, now I sit here waiting for the release date so I can watch my first break video to see what  cards will be headed my way. It's an all new and different kind of anticipation!

Once again, I'm happy to say that I'm excited for this year's series one to come out this week. So, to everyone planning on busting some packs this week, good luck and happy ripping!

Who is Billy Moran?

The other day I found a few packs of 2014 Topps Heritage retail on clearance so I snapped them up. I didn't expect to pull anything except maybe a high number SP or two. However, in the second of four packs I opened, this Real Ones autograph of... Billy Moran?!? It's a cool card, but I had never heard of him before. I felt the need to do a little research. This is what I unearthed:

He played from 1958-1964 for the Indians, the Angels, then the Indians again. He was mostly a one season wonder, earning an All-Star nod in 1962 with the Angels. He got the starting slot, beating out NY Yankees second baseman, Bobby Richardson who would place second in AL MVP voting that season. His career numbers were average at best. He batted .262 with 28 home runs and 202 runs batted in over his 7 seasons.

Its always cool to pull an on-card auto from a pack. It's interesting to me that Topps would have players like this on their autograph checklist. I just wish it was a relatively unknown Yankee player that I had pulled. If anyone is interested in Mr. Moran, leave me a comment or send me an email and we'll work something out.

Trade With Reader - Brandon

This post is a few weeks past due. A while back, a reader named Brandon emailed me to initiate a trade. I'm always up for this so we sent a few messages back and forth and I ended up emailing him a list of basketball relics and autos that I have lying around. I was happy to do this because pretty much all of the basketball stuff I have is fair game in the trade market. Brandon told me he had a few Yankees and a former Bull to send my way. We agreed upon a straight 3 for 3 swap. I sent a random Topps Shawn Marion auto, a Scoreboard Shareef Abdur-Rahim auto and a Jason Kidd dual relic that contained pieces of a ball and floor. Back in the earlier days of my collection, I wouldn't have thought of parting with the Marion or the Kidd, but like many of you I narrowed the focus of my collection a few years back. I just haven't had a very good avenue to get rid of he eh stuff I no longer want. So, this opportunity to eliminate some of the old to bring in the new was certainly welcome.

Here's what showed up in my mailbox.

Interesting...I have only a few cards that show a player in a certain team's uniform, but has been updated to list the player on their current team. I know this happens from time to time, I've just never actively sought these out to add to my collection. I must say, the Rangers blue swatch embedded in this Teixeira card was actually a welcome change of pace from the gray/plain white/single pinstripe swatch that I was expecting to see!

Expanding my former Durham Bull player collections is a relatively recent thing. This is actually only my second BJ Upton relic. Receiving this has given me one jersey card, this bat card, and one certified auto to go along with 2-3 in-person signatures that I collected at the DBAP during his time in Durham. In my eyes, this was the centerpiece of this swap. It's not the most limited relic I could have hoped for, but I really like the design of the Golden Moments inserts so in my eyes, this is a pretty sweet piece of cardboard(and wood). 

I've never been a huge Jason Giambi fan. He was a Yankee, so it was hard to turn down this card considering I'd much rather have a Yankee to add to the collection than the basketball cards I was packing up to send to Brandon. I hadn't seen this insert before. Though you can't tell from the scan, some of the circles are embossed. It kinda reminds me of something I'd see on Marvel Agents of SHIELD. Interestingly enough, this is another card that shows the player in one jersey but lists him on another team.

Brandon also tossed in a 2014 Topps Gold DeMarcus Ware card for my Denver Broncos collection to sweeten the deal. All in all, it was definitely a great experience that I wouldn't have come across had I not started this blog. If you're still out there reading, thanks for a great trade Brandon. I hope you're enjoying the cards I sent your way!

A Few of My Favorite Cards - Durham Bulls Edition

I grew up in Orange County, New York. That is where my love of the NY Yankees began. I moved to North Carolina right after I graduated high school. I've been fortunate to live in close proximity to the nationally-known Durham Bulls franchise for my entire NC residency. I was too late to have seen any of the well known Braves alumni play in Durham, but it has been a LOT of fun getting to see some of the players that have gone on to excel in Tampa Bay and beyond. I love the look and the feel of Durham Bulls Athletic Park and had wanted to add a card depicting the home of the Bulls for some time. I was finally able to do that with the above stadium card. It came in a PCL All-Stars set that I picked up at the All-Star autograph session this past summer. It was a stroke of good fortune, since I only picked the set up since I didn't  have many cards of most of their roster. Just like busting packs, it's good to be lucky.

Here are some of my favorite cards depicting players in their Durham Bulls uniform.

I'll begin with Toby Hall. He was the first Bulls player that I found myself liking for really no good reason. He was a decent player and he made it to the bigs for a bit, but he wasn't outstanding. Toby was the catcher on the team during the first season that I became a regular spectator at the DBAP. Besides the Bulls logo and uniform, this card kinda makes it look like you're looking down the barrel of Toby's bat. It's a pretty cool visual, if you ask me.

Next up are two guys with a lot of major league miles under their belts. Aubrey Huff really hit his stride with the Baltimore Orioles a number of years after he appeared on this card from the 2000 Bulls team set. Conversely, Juan Guzman was well past his prime when he made his appearances in Durham. He had been a solid pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays for years. This is one of the perks of having a Triple A club close to home. You can see players before they become MLB stars and you can see former stars trying to hold on for one last go round.

From some of the older cards in my Bulls collection, we come to one of the newest. Early this past season, Kevin Kiermaier became another one of my favorite players to watch. He's dynamic, he can hit, run, and make plays in the field. Obviously, other folks in the organization took notice as well since he spent quite a bit of time patrolling the outfield in Tampa. This comes from the 2014 team set and shows off a little of the 'hustle' that made him one of my faves.

Did I mention that you get to see veterans trying to make it back to the bigs for one last hurrah? Well, this is the first of two former World Series MVP's that I have been fortunate enough to see play. Pat was the MVP for Toronto's 1992 championship team. He hit .450 in the series with a homer. His primary function while with the Bulls was to guide the two young catchers on the squad. One of those guys was Paul Hoover who never really amounted to much. The other guy was the previously mentioned Toby Hall.

World Series MVP number two... Hideki Matsui! This one is probably tied for my absolute favorite Durham Bulls card in the collection. The card it is tied with will make an appearance shortly. It was incredible to see a former NY Yankee WS hero in my local ballpark. His arrival in town just happened to coincide with the Pawtucket Red Sox visit in 2012. Even better, Dice-K was on a rehab assignment and pitched during that series. It was quite impressive to see these two former MLB rivals face off in our back yard.

Here is the first of the favorites that I didn't get to see in person. Chipper is a sure fire Hall of Famer and it was really fun to see the Bulls retire his number. I wasn't his biggest fan while he was playing(thanks to the fact he played for the Braves), but I can respect a guy like him that plays the game the right way, stays out of trouble, and is loyal to one team for his entire career. Now that he is no longer contributing to the Braves teams that I loved to hate, I've got to focus on his minor league cards since he is one of the greatest layers to wear the Durham uniform. As good as Chipper was, the greatest player to wear the Durham uni is...

Hall of Famer Joe Morgan(the only other player that I didn't get to see in person). I recently stumbled onto this card on eBay. As soon as I saw it, I knew I needed to add it to my collection. I had never seen a card of Joe Morgan wearing a Bulls jersey. I didn't even think one existed. This came from a Carolina League Anniversary set issued in 1995. It wasn't expensive, but it is a priceless addition and is tied with the Matsui at the top of my Durham Bulls collection favorites.

Spring training is rapidly approaching which means the Bulls roster will be announced soon. Here's hoping that the 2015 team set will contain a new favorite to add to this list.

Farewell Mr. Cub

Last night the world lost another baseball legend. Ernie Banks, Mr. Cub, passed at the age of 83 - just about a week shy of his 84th birthday. I am not old enough to have seen him play, except in documentary footage. However, as I've stated in the short history of this blog, I am a lover of baseball history and Ernie Banks is a great part of baseball history. He hit over 500 HR, was an 11 time All-Star, and a two time League MVP, but he was much more than those career numbers. He became the first African-American to play for the Cubs at age 22 after starting his career with the Kansas City Monarchs at 19. He is a veteran of the United States Army and a true class act.

In all fairness, I don't own too many cards of him, but in tribute, I'll share a couple of my favorite Ernie Banks cards.

What would a tribute to a baseball legend be without a little oddball? This toothy grin hails from the 1985 Woolworth's All Time Record Holders box set. This card highlights his league record 5 grand slams in 1955 and his mark for most HR by a shortstop which he set in 1958 with 47.

I love pictures that display he cub's head on the jersey sleeve. That's why I selected the photo at the top of this post and one of the reasons I wanted to highlight this card from 2012 Heritage. It's a classic pose for one and it's a nod to his 'Let's play two' philosophy and catchphrase.

Finally, I'll showcase this dual relic. It's the only game-used or auto card I have of the Hall of Famer. Perhaps it's a bit tarnished by the pairing with Sammy Sosa, but I'll always remember the thrill I had when I pulled this from a pack back in 2001. I couldn't believe I was actually holding a dual relic of one of the biggest names at the time, and one of the best players in MLB history. I still smile when I look at this card.

Rest in peace Mr. Cub. You will be missed dearly and remembered fondly.