Two Trades in One

I completed two trades recently, both of which landed me the above Chris Davis 2013 Topps Update Chrome.  I originally traded something that I can't remember to my buddy, Kalib (you know, from CUbs Cardboard) and he sent me the Davis in return.

Then, I completed a trade with a guy named Shant.  He needed some Chrome refractors and in return he sent me some Chrome base and the Davis (along with a few other O's cards).  The trade with Shant and the one from Alex really put a dent in my 2013 Chrome needs.

Thanks for the trades, guys.  I really appreciate it!

A Trade With Alex

I found a new trade partner recently, well, he found me, actually, when Alex from the blog "Chavez Ravining" messaged me about a trade.  I sent Alex a bunch of 2013 Topps inserts and a whole lot of Dodgers.  In return, Alex sent me a HUGE stack of Orioles, a few of which I already had (but that's ok because I can use them anyway), but most of which were new to me.

The above 2013 Panini Prizm Cal Ripken was a card that I knew I needed.  I didn't even know that Cal was in that set.  Add this to the Cal PC!

Alex hooked me up on the Manny front.  All of the Manny Machado cards he sent me, I didn't yet have, so this trade stack was really a benefit.  Manny cards are becoming tough to find, so any that I can get my hands on make me happy.

Finally, Alex included the 2013 Topps Update Chris Davis Red Home Run Derby card.  I didn't have this one either, so it will help out my Davis PC.  I believe I have most of the versions of this card.  I know for sure I have the Camo, Chrome and a few others, but I'm not too sure what else.  I just feel like I have a bunch of the variations now.

So, thanks for the trade, Alex.  I already have another stack that I hope to send your way once I thaw out.

Orioles Team Sets From TJ

I got a nice surprise email the other day from TJ (better known as the Junior Junkie) saying he had picked up some vintage Orioles team sets and he wanted to know if I was interested in them.  I sure was, so TJ dropped them in the mail for me.  Included in the package was what appeared to be Oriole team sets from 1980, 1983 and 1987 Topps.  I have to double check to see if they are full team sets, but I do know that the 1983 'set' is missing the Cal Ripken card.  I'm pretty sure I have an extra lying around somewhere.

I chose to show Mike Flanagan from each year because I don't feel like I feature him enough on my blog. The 1980 'set' consists of 24 Orioles.  There's the Flanagan, an Orioles team card showing the team photo and a smaller (really small) photo showing Earl Weaver.  Other cards that TJ sent include: Tippy Martinez, Benny Ayala, Steve Stone, Lee May, Terry Crowley, Pat Kelly, Benny Ayala, John Lowenstein, Gary Roenicke, Ken Singleton, Al Bumbry, Doug DeCinces, Mark Belanger, Billy Smith, Kiko Garcia, Rich Dauer, Rick Dempsey, Don Stanhouse, Dave Skaggs, Tim Stoddard, Sammy Stewart, Denny Martinez and Scott McGregor.

The 1980 Orioles went on to have a record of 100-62 and finished SECOND in the AL East (3 games behind the Yankees).  The team featured three Hall of Famers (Murray, Palmer and Weaver).  Steve Stone's 25-7 record paired with a 3.23 ERA would land him the AL Cy Young award.

TJ included 24 1983 Topps Orioles.  Other guys include: Eddie Murray, Rick Dempsey, Scott McGregor, Tippy Martinez, Earl Weaver, Joe Nolan, Sammy Stewart, Storm Davis, Denny Martinez, 1982 Orioles Batting/Pitching Leaders- Murray/Palmer (Also with a team checklist!!), Jim Dwyer, Lenn Sakata, Terry Crowley, Benny Ayala, Al Bumbry, John Lowenstein, Dan Ford, Gary Roenicke, Rich Dauer, Glenn Gulliver, Floyd Rayford, Tim Stoddard and Jim Palmer.  According to the team checklist card, yes, the Ripken is the only one I'm missing here.

The 1983 Orioles finished the season 98-64, first in the AL East.  They would go on to win the World Series, their final one so far.  Cal Ripken would take home the AL MVP award in '83, beating out teammate Eddie Murray, while Rick Dempsey would take the World Series MVP.  The team featured four Hall of Famers - Ripken, Murray, Palmer and Weaver.

Finally, the 1987 set TJ sent consisted of 28 cards.  Along with the above Flanny, TJ sent: Tippy Martinez, Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray, Rick Dempsey, Scott McGregor, Mike Boddicker, Earl Weaver (with team checklist on the back), Juan Beniquez, Orioles Leaders, Jackie Gutierrez, Juan Bonilla, Lee Lacy, Fred Lynn, Jim Dwyer, Mike Young, Jim Traber, John Shelby, Larry Sheets, Tom O'Malley, Nate Snell, Don Aase, John Stefero, Floyd Rayford, Rich Bordi, Brad Havens, Storm Davis and Ken Dixon.

The 1987 Orioles would go on to finish the season 67-95 (6th out of 7 in the AL East).  Earl Weaver had retired at the end of the 1986 season (but had a card in the '87 set) and was replaced by Cal Ripken, Sr.  The Orioles had two players who hit 30 or more homers that season - Eddie Murray (30) and Larry Sheets (31) with Cal hitting 27 and Fred Lynn hitting 23.  They had one batter finish with a +.300 batting average (Sheets with .316).  Bill Ripken would hit .308, but that was only over 58 games.

The Orioles pitching was pretty much horrendous that season, Mike Boddicker would end up leading the team with a 10-12 record and a 4.18 ERA.  Eric Bell (I've actually never heard of him) was second on the team with a 10-13 record.  His ERA, though, was 5.45.  Flanagan, at age 35, would go 3-6 with a 4.94 ERA.  They say the season is won and lost with pitching and it appears to me that Cal, Sr.'s hands were surely tied at the mound.  This team, although kind of terrible, still featured two eventual Hall of Famers (Murray and Ripken), two former MVPs (Ripken and Lynn), three former Rookies of the Year (Murray, Ripken, Lynn) and a former Cy Young Award winner (Flanny).

Thanks for the cards, TJ.  I might try to add some more Orioles team sets; maybe start a binder.  We'll see.

More PC Pickups from COMC

Finishing off a batch of COMC cards, here are a few PC needs that I picked up for myself.  First off is the 2013 Bowman Rookie Card blue chrome Stan Musial that I made mention of the other day.  It, like the Feller that I picked up, looks awesome.  I looked up the rest of the Blue Chrome rookies and these are really the only ones I would pursue.  I still need to pick up the Spahn at some point.  I did get the Ted Williams out of a pack and it is earmarked for Scott, while, I pulled two Joe Mauers that I need to send to a good home.  Of course, I need to remind myself where I sat them, first.

Here are a couple more of the 1980-83 Pacific Legends cards, this time Jimmie Foxx (of course) and a Musial.  I also bought a copy of the Musial for my good buddy, Andrew.

So, that wraps up a COMC package, but I have another one on the way.  I sold quite a few things recently, so I have used my store credit to add to my PCs.  Here's to hoping that the sales keep coming so I can continue to grab some cool stuff to show off.

Continuation of the Trade With Max

I completed a trade with Max of the blog "Starting Nine" back in November.  You can refresh your memory here.  He had some 2013 Topps Spring Fever cards earmarked for me, but at the time of our trade, he hadn't located them.  When he did, he sent them to my mailbox. I think I had this Machado already, but with the way his cards are shooting up, I don't mind another one.  I'll have to look in my Manny PC and see, but this one is nice to have, nonetheless.

I'm pretty sure I didn't have this Cal already.  So, it was nice to see it in my package.  Cal cards are still coming out every year, so it gives me opportunities to add to my PC and have a chance that I'll know whether or not I own the card.

So, thanks for the trade, Max.  I really appreciate it.  Let's do this again!

Bob Feller COMC Pickups

I spent a little bit of store credit recently on COMC and was able to add a few cards to my Bob Feller PC.  I got the above 1980-83 Pacific Legends Feller for under a dollar.  I hadn't heard of these cards before I was showing a Stan Musial to my good friend, Andrew.  He ended up not buying the Musial, but I liked the cards enough that I bought one for him and I got a couple for myself.  They look really good, in my opinion, and at a cheap price for Hall of Famers.

I also picked up this 2013 Bowman Blue Rookie Card refractor of Feller.  I thought this was really cool, especially since I am working on the 1948 Bowman set.  Having the original card makes this even cooler.  I also picked up the Musial, since it was a '48 Bowman as well.

I'll probably show the Musials I got at a later time, or I'll let Andrew show them on his blog, since I got him the same ones.  I really like both cards, though.  Really cool designs and not a lot of cost.

COMC Pickup - 2013 Bowman Chrome Black Wave Alex Murphy

Well, I guess I am officially doing a PC of Orioles 2013 draft pick, Alex Murphy.  I got this 2013 Bowman Chrome Black Wave version of his card off of COMC for about $3.  I'm really liking the 'wave' parallels.  I think they look really cool.  I'll be attempting to get the rainbow of these now, so I need the silver and red wave versions.  I know I've seen red wave cards of Murphy going for $25 on Ebay, so I think I'll wait a bit before I get one of those.  Probably after Fan Fest, I think.

I may also get a couple of the wave parallels of a few other Orioles as well.  I saw a Black Wave Manny Machado going for $12, so I'll probably jump on that as well.

Last Post From The December Card Show

Thankfully, I have reached the end of my posts from the December card show that I went to with my good friend, Scott.  These last few cards are some inserts I got for various PCs.  The above card is the 2013 Bowman Platinum purple chrome parallel of Jonathan Schoop (pronounced - scope).  He is the Orioles' top position player prospect.  Hailing from Curacao, he impressed during the Arizona Fall League.  Schoop likely will begin the season at AAA Norfolk, but could win the Opening Day second base job if he outplays Ryan Flaherty.  No longer are the Orioles waiting on Brian Roberts to return from injury, he cut ties with them this winter and signed with the arch-enemy Yankees.  With Roberts gone, Schoop now has a much clearer path to the majors.

Another player who could start at AAA Norfolk, but could win a job out of Spring Training, Kevin Gausman is the Orioles' #1 pitching prospect in some circles.  If you have Dylan Bundy ahead of him, that's ok, they are 1 and 1A, pretty much.  Gausman has the potential to be very good, he just has to put it together.  I got upset at times last year, mainly because I'm afraid that he is going to end up like other much hyped pitching prospects, like Hayden Penn, Adam Loewen, Daniel Cabrera, Zach Britton, etc.  Let's hope Gausman puts it together and has a strong year.  I know the Orioles need him to, since they haven't signed any other starting pitchers.

Finally, here is an X-fractor from 2013 Finest of 2013 NL MVP, Andrew McCutchen.  I've had a McCutchen PC going for about two years now.  He is the only current non-Oriole that I have a PC of, but I probably will have a few more this year.  I definitely will continue to get Nate McLouth cards, but he was an Oriole, so I don't know if that counts.  Really, though, there aren't too many other non-Oriole players who interest me like 'Cutch does.  He's such a good player on a team that you can root for.  I hope he keeps up his production and puts together a Hall of Fame career.  At this point, he is definitely on pace.

Random Orioles From The Card Show

I picked up a bunch of Orioles cards from random tables at the December card show.  I really came away with a bunch of stuff,but I won't show it all.  I did get this nice 2013 Topps Finest Adam Jones refractor for a quarter at one of the tables.  I also bought a few refractors for some buddies of mine, like Andrew, Drew and Scott.  I liked this year's version of Finest.  Actually, I've always liked Finest, I just can never afford it.

I got a 2012 Bowman Ice Kevin Gausman in a bulk insert purchase that was a couple bucks.  I'm a big fan of the Ice parallels (is it just me, or does Bowman set the standard for inserts/parallels these days?).  I still don't own a purple ice parallel of anyone, but I'm working on that.

Finally, this was a really cool pickup, a 2002 Topps Super Teams Orioles card.  The card shows Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, Jim Palmer and Dick Hall and discusses the 1970 Orioles pitching staff.  The card looks really cool and is reminiscent of the early 1990s Upper Deck cards.  I was actually surprised it was a Topps card.

So, I'm starting to get caught up as far as posts go, so I'll need some more trade proposals to come in, along with myself making some more card purchases.  I've blogged non-stop for quite a while, now, so let's keep it going!  I did complete a couple trades recently, which will be highlighted soon, so you guys have that to look forward to.  I also have a couple more cards from the December card show that I may show off.  We'll see.

Some New Cal Ripken Cards From The Card Shop

I picked up a couple new Cal Ripken cards for my PC at the December card show.  The above 1995 Score Select Gold Team Ripken was only a dollar and I'm pretty sure that I didn't have it in my PC.  It looks really cool, also.

The above 2013 Team Pinnacle Ripken/Jeter (He's on the flip side of the card) is one I'm certain I didn't already have in my collection.  It also scanned really nice.  In person, the card is a bit more metallic, but I do like how this scanned.

As I always say, it is really hard for me to find Cals that I need since I have so many.  I did go through my Cal PC last year and pull out several duplicated, so I'm starting to see which cards I have and which ones I need.  I really need to make a database on my laptop of the cards I have so I'm not doubling up.  One of these days, I'll have time.

COMC - Brooks Robinson SP Legendary Cuts Pickups

I grabbed a couple cards off of COMC last week with my store credit.  Two of which were Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts Brooks Robinson cards from various years.  The above card, shown using a Sepia tone, is from 2002. I really like how this card looks, as I am a fan of sepia photos.  It just looks vintage to me.  I might have to look into some other Hall of Famers from this set.

This bat relic card is from 2004 SP Legendary Cuts.  The piece of bat is raised up a bit from the front of the card, not something you see too often.  This card also looks really cool.  The photo of Brooks used for this card seems to be an older shot than the 2002 card, as he is in an older Orioles hat/uniform.

The relic card was around $3 in store credit and the 2002 card was less than a dollar, so I think I did pretty well.  Don't you?

Christmas From Mom and a Surprise Visit

My final post of Christmas presents, and you know how I love to save the best for last, comes as a sort of request.  Almost a demand.  You see, I had some surprise visitors com to the house last night.  My parents (plus my sister and niece) came and stayed over at my house last night since they had to be in the area early this morning.  I told them that since their venue was fairly close, they could crash here and save some money on hotel costs.  Luckily enough, they decided that was a good idea, so they dropped in at 11:30 last night.

In a conversation with Mom, either last night or early this morning, (because I woke up so early, they pretty much blended together) she asked why I hadn't done a blog post on the two minor league jerseys that she got me for Christmas (or the other stuff she got me).  Was it because I hated it?  Did I not like the stuff?  No way, I loved what I got, but I was saving the post.  Anyway, I won't show everything I got, but I will show the jerseys.

Mom has a knack of finding MiLB jerseys that are whimsical or interesting.  She was really fond of the Modesto Nuts jersey shown above.  I tend to agree. Nothing beats the Biscuits jersey she got me a couple years ago in terms of weird team names, but the Modesto Nuts is right up there.

I thought that this Reading Phillies jersey was really nice, too.  I like the old school "Fightin Phils", plus the pinstripes.  The jersey had a bit of a double meaning, since my older brother's name is Philip.  If we were teenagers again, it would be a fitting jersey.  I quit trying to fight him once we hit middle school because he shot up while I stayed scrawny, so I usually got my butt kicked.  I learned pretty quick that 'fightin Phil' was not a good endeavor.

The story doesn't end here with the jerseys, though.  I've spoken often on here in the past about how my mom really supported my interest in the hobby at a young age, even collecting baseballs cards alongside me when I was a teenager.  Something really cool happened last night/this morning, though.

You see, my parents aren't able to get out here on this side of the state often.  Dad has his business and making the three and a half hour trek out here on a weekend is really tough with all of his hobbies and other things going on.  This was, actually, only the second time my parents have seen my house since we bought it in 2011.  So, my dad hadn't really seen the extent of my collection until last night/this morning.

He took one look at my baseballs (you know, my china cabinet with my 98 Hall of Famers, plus lots more of other autos) and said "What the hell are you going to do with all of this stuff?"  My response?  "Look at it!"

This morning, as we were waiting on the girls to wake up, I was showing my mom some of my bobbleheads and die cast race cars, Dad walked up again and said, "So, what's all the fuss in here?"  So, I showed him a few of the things I had on the walls, including some really old racing photos of him, some of his memorabilia, like his old helmet, etc.  He patted me on the back and said, "I'm proud of you, you're just like me!"

My dad has collected a bunch of stuff over the years, HO and Lionel trains, Rocco mini tanks, Johnny West figures, birds (yes, live ones), and scores of other things.  So, my mom helped me get my start with all of this, but I can trace a lot of why I do this to my dad, too.  It was a really cool feeling being able to show him the stuff I've worked hard to collect and display over the years, even though he has admitted that watching baseball is like watching paint dry.  He did get the chance to go to Washington Senators and Baltimore Orioles games with a close friend from school in the early to mid 60's, so he does have that on me.  Little did he know that I would become such a huge Orioles fan.

So, it was really nice to have my parents over last night and this morning.  I really wish they could come up more often, but I do understand.  I'm also really proud that both of them think what I'm doing with all of this is cool.  It means a lot to me.

Gift From Michael - 2013 Chris Davis Fan's Choice Bobblehead

I got a box in the mail today from my good friend, Michael.  Inside the box is something he said he was going to send me as a gift a while back, but he didn't have the funds to ship it out immediately.  So, I finally got the 2013 Orioles Fans Choice Chris Davis Bobblehead!  I wanted one when they came out, but they were pretty expensive.  Luckily, he went to the game with several family members who weren't all too interested in keeping the bobbleheads they got, so I was able to get one!

I'm so glad I was able to add it to my collection and I really appreciate Michael thinking of me.  Speaking of Michael, he just started a blog (finally).  Go take a look: http://2131mike@blogspot.com.  Michael is a really good guy and has a lot of cool memorabilia for trade, and it's not just Orioles memorabilia.  Check it out!

Brooks Robinson Finds From The Card Show

Man, I am milking this December card show haul.  Of course, I did leave there with a ton of stuff.  Today's discussion is about the 1969 Topps Deckle Edge Brooks that I picked up for a little over a dollar.  It scanned a bit crooked, sorry.  It must have slid when I put the cardboard behind it to set it off from the white background of the scanner.  I love the Deckle Edge cards.  I feel like I already have one of these, but that's ok.  More of these cards wont hurt.  THey look like you could have plucked them out of someone's dusty old photo album.

I also got this 1964 Topps Coins Brooks Robinson for a couple bucks, from the same guy I got my Jimmie Foxx pin, actually.  I honestly don't remember how much I paid for it, but I feel like it wasn't much.  It looks really cool and reminds me of the Topps Coins that I had in the late 80s.  Seems like only yesterday, but was actually quite a while ago.

Brooks is always a fun subject in my PC.  I'm so glad I got to meet him in 2009.  He's a great guy and I can never have too many of his cards.  I actually got a few more in today, but I'll save those for a later post.

Card Show Pickup - 2013 Topps Dylan Bundy SP

One of the last cards I got at the December card show was the above 2013 Topps Dylan Bundy SP.  I already have the Mike Trout SP (Someone asked to trade for it, but I forget who, so if someone offered me the Adam Jones SP for the Trout, please email me a reminder.  I'll do that deal.).

Bundy underwent the now obligatory Tommy John surgery last season and is on track to return to active competition toward the end of June.  I'm hoping that this is the last he sees of arm/elbow issues.  I want him to realize his huge potential and not flame out like Mark Prior did.  We'll see, though.  The Orioles can definitely use him in the rotation, especially if they choose to sit pat and not sign anyone else.

Some Card Shop Purchases

Last week, I went to my LCS for a few supplies and went through some of the boxes of old cards.  In one of them, I picked up some cheap vintage for my son, Chris, and I also got some cards for a couple fellow bloggers.  I did manage to get one card out of the vintage for myself.  The above Joe Morgan 1985 Fleer jumped out at me because I completely forgot that Morgan played for the A's at the end of his career.  He looks so funny in that green and yellow jersey.

I've met Joe Morgan twice now and was impressed with him both times.  Because of that, I may start a PC of him pretty soon.  I'm seriously considering it.  As for the Fleer card itself, I really like it in its simplicity.  The early to mid 80's Fleer offerings were pretty basic, but don't mistake that for a lack of quality.  Some of those cards are pretty sharp-looking.  Case in point, above.

Here is a card of a guy who I have a PC of.  A very small PC, but a PC nonetheless.  Brandon Snyder is another player whom I've met a few times.  He is a really nice guy.  I was happy to see him get a ring for being on the 2013 Red Sox part of the season.  I'm assuming he's going to get a ring.  Anyway, he doesn't have too many cards so, I was happy to find one in a bargain bin that I didn't already own.

Here is another guy who I am considering starting a PC of.  I have heard quite a bit about Alex Murphy and so far, it has all been good.  He is a local product (local as in he is from Baltimore).  I love the 'Wave' refractors in Bowman Chrome.  I just learned that there are black, red and silver versions as well.  I'm smelling a rainbow.  I'd say I was tasting a rainbow but I don't have any skittles.

Finally, here is a 2013 Panini Prizm Kevin Gausman RC.  Gausman is someone I started a PC of last year and have been slowly adding to it ever since.  In a perfect world, Gausman starts the year in AAA Norfolk (meaning the O's signed a decent starting pitcher so Gausman isn't needed in the rotation at the beginning of the year).

So, there you have it, some PC stuff of guys not named Chris Davis.  I know one fellow blogger who will appreciate that.

Card Show Bob Feller Pickups

I had a couple issues scanning today, pretty much the same issues I always have when scanning - the scanner chops off edges of cards (above) and this time, it divided the below card into several files.  That's a new one for me.  I just have to get used to the scanner, that's all.

Anyway, I picked up two Bob Feller cards for my PC when I was at the December card show.  The above 2013 Triple Threads was $1.00.

This autographed mini photo was really cool.  I honestly thought it was an off-shade of yellow, until I took it out of it's very aged top loader.  I bought it off of an older fellow at the show who was selling his entire collection.  He couldn't recall how old the mini photo was or what it was even called.  It didn't matter to me, I bought it from him for $15.  I've seen plenty of Feller autos over the last few years to know its legit.

I would be interested in knowing about how old the photo was.  If I had to guess, I'd say it came from the early 50's or so.  Maybe an Indians promotional photo or something?  Who knows.

Some Recent Chris Davis Pickups

This post will serve two purposes for me.  One, it will catch me up on the Chris Davis cards I got recently via my LCS, COMC, Ebay and the December card show.  The other purpose is that this is a test of my new laptop and printer/scanner.  I finally was able to upgrade both of those devices this weekend and am really happy with the results so far.

The above card was found at my LCS in the dollar bin.  It is a 2008 Topps Heritage High Number rookie card.  It scanned really nicely, if I do say so myself.  I just can't believe this card sat in that dollar bin as long as it did.

Next up is the 2013 Topps Opening Day purple.  I had no idea these existed until a couple months ago when I saw one on Ebay for $20.00.  I'm glad I waited because I found this one for less than $5.  I just hope there aren't Target Red or Wal Mart Blue versions of these.

I found this 2006 Bowman gold Davis in a dime box at the December card show.  I got a bunch of Davis cards at the show, actually.  I know Scott is happy that I am combining all of them into one post, instead of breaking them out to multiple posts.

I liked that I found this 2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Davis in another bargain box at the show.

Same with this 2009 Bowman Chrome Refractor.

This 2010 Topps Gold came from a COMC purchase (from September, I think).

Finally, here is a 2013 Bowman Gold Davis that I found at the show in one of the same dime boxes as before.  I feel like I did a really good job getting Davis cards for my PC there.

So, there you have it, you're all caught up for the time being on my Chris Davis PC.

Picking Up Some Set Needs

I'm still playing catch up between the card show I went to in December, a couple COMC purchases and on top of that, I made a couple Ebay purchases.  The above 1959 Topps Orioles team checklist came out of a bargain box at the December card show.  The back is un-marked, so even though it has a crease down the middle, it is still acceptable for my set.

I got this Mickey Mantle un-marked checklist off of Ebay last week.  I know it isn't the actual Mantle, but it is a Mantle nonetheless.  It looks really good, even tough it isn't very well centered.  The '69 checklists are very colorful.  I guess anything to take away from the fact that it is, you know, a checklist.

Mail From Judson - 2013 Topps Heritage '64 Mint Dylan Bundy

Sometimes folks email you with some really awesome trade proposals.  Judson, from the blog "My Cardboard Habit" messaged me recently saying  that a local card shop near him had a hand numbered Dylan Bundy card with a nickel in the card.  I told him I definitely would be interested and next thing I know, here's the card.  I had no idea that it was also graded (at a 9, by the way).

I've got some stuff in mind that will head towards Judson.  I'm still in awe over this card, it is pretty sweet.  Especially that it is hand numbered 1/15.  Not bad at all.

Thanks for the pending trade, Judson!  I really appreciate it!

Ebay Pickup - 2013 Leaf Trinity Hunter Harvey Patch

I made an Ebay purchase recently that landed me my first real 'sick' patch card.  I mean, I've pulled jumbo relics before and even patches, but I never owned anything as awesome as the patch card you see above.  The card is a 2013 Leaf Trinity Hunter Harvey patch/auto.  The card isn't numbered, but it really is awesome.  Harvey was the Orioles first round pick this year.  He is the son of former Major Leaguer Bryan Harvey and is from North Carolina.

I'm really excited about this card.  I wanted to show it off before today, but I had some pretty substantial stuff ahead of it.  Now, here it is and you all get to take a look.  I just hope this card doesn't end up like the Gem Mint 10 Bowman Chrome RC of Billy Rowell I picked up.  I've been trying to sell that thing for almost 2 years now.  Oh well, here's to hoping that Harvey doesn't follow in Rowell's footsteps and realizes his talent on the field.

Maddux + Thomas = 98

Today's election of Frank Thomas (above) and Greg Maddux (below) pushed my total of Hall of Fame baseballs up to 98.  I figured Maddux and Thomas would get in, and among the other guys eligible between Jack Morris and Jeff Bagwell, I thought that Morris had an outside chance.  Now, since Jack Morris didn't get in on his 15th try, he will have to wait until at least 2016 to have a shot.  This is when he will be first eligible for the Veterans Committee.

Maddux was named on all but 16 ballots.  I can't believe that 16 people who claim to be writers with a knowledge of baseball would leave someone like Maddux off of their ballot.  I won't go into a rant about idiots who have the honor of a vote, yet, leave their ballot blank because "no one should be unanimous" but if I had the honor of a vote, I definitely would use it.

That being said, it doesn't matter.  Maddux, Thomas and Glavine are in and join Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Tony LaRussa on a very crowded 2014 induction class.  I would love to be there to hear the speeches, but I doubt I will be able to attend a second year in a row.

I'm really happy to now be able to say that these three guys that I watched growing up are Hall of Famers.  I believe that next year's class has the potential to be almost as big, with Biggio seemingly on his way to enshrinement and the additions of Randy Johnson, John Smoltz and Pedro Martinez to next year's ballot.  We'll see, though.