TTM Success - Brian Matusz

I got some really cool cards signed by former Oriole, Brian Matusz.  The cards have been well-traveled, first being shipped to Max in Chicago for when Matusz was briefly a Cub, then back here once he left the Cubs.  I had several that I would have really enjoyed seeing signed, but the above 2011 Topps Cognac parallel was the one that I really wanted to get back.  I love this card.  It scanned so well, also.

This 2014 Topps red hot foil parallel also looks really nice.  I almost didn't send it, since I was sending the '11 cognac, but I figured why not.  I like how these recent Topps foil cards look when signed.  There will probably be some more sent out sometime soon.

I got a few Topps base cards signed, as well.  I don't have very many signed 2011 or 2013 Topps yet, so those were easy decisions to send.

Finally, here is Matusz's last O's card, a 2016 Topps.  His time in Baltimore wasn't as good as any O's fan would have hoped.  He did do great against David Ortiz on multiple occasions, but in the end, he will be remembered as a bust #1 draft pick.

Matusz (b. 1987) has played in the majors from 2009 to 2016 for the Orioles and Cubs.  He was signed to a minor league contract by the Diamondbacks this winter.  He has a career record of 27-41 with a 4.92 ERA and 462 strike outs.  He was the 4th overall pick in the 2008 Amateur Draft by the Orioles and was projected to be a top of the rotation starter.  He never lived up to that potential, many times getting in his own way mentally.  He was one of those Orioles pitchers that may have benefited from a change of scenery, but got blown up in his only game with the Cubs.  He pitched 3 innings and allowed six earned runs for them last season.

I mailed to Matusz at Diamondbacks Spring Training on February 14 and got the cards back on February 25, for an 11-day TAT.

Christmas Gift From Reed

I received a really nice gift right before Christmas from my friend, Reed.  He is a huge Orioles fan who has been following my Instagram page since I started trading cards in early 2014.  We met at Fan Fest a few years ago, and now I help him with TTMs.  He's a really great guy who I hope to keep helping with TTMs and trading.

Reed hooked me up with some Orioles cards, two of which were ones he was able to get signed in person.  The above Jonathan Schoop is from the 2014 Orioles Team Set, which is something I didn't have yet.  This will look really awesome in my album.

Here is a 2012 Topps Brian Matusz that Reed sent along.  I really hope I marked it down with my 2012 Topps when I got it, because I don't remember if I did or not.  It doesn't matter, because I'll count them up sometime, and will update the ledger.

Thank you so much for the gift, Reed, I really appreciate it.  I hope we can meet up at Fan Fest in a couple weeks!

A Surprise Care Package From Jake P.

I got a care package in the mail today from my friend, Jake P.  The package was very unexpected, and the heartfelt letter he wrote was even more of a surprise.  Jake sent me a Sonny Gray relic that was damaged badly, and I was pretty upset over it.  I wasn't mean to Jake at all, I just told him I was disappointed that the card was damaged.  He apologized profusely, and vowed to make it up to me, to which I had responded "Don't worry about it."  Well, Jake was true to his word and sent me two nice PC cards.  I really didn't want him to worry about it, and my opinion of him didn't change as a result, but this was such an amazing gesture, it won't be forgotten.

Jake hooked me up with this 2006 Bowman Futures Game relic of Nolan Reimold.  I had one already, but I am really glad to have another in my collection.

Jake also sent this 2012 Upper Deck SP dual auto of Brian Matusz and Matt Wieters that I had never seen before.  Even without pictures of the players, and no team info at all, the card still looks really cool.  I love the colors they chose for the card, and the autographs match well with that scheme.  It is a really sharp card.

So, thanks a bunch for this awesome care package, Jake, and more so, thanks for the amazing letter.  Those are really my favorite parts of any package.

Breaking Boxes With Weston

I recently entered a box break that my buddy, Weston, held over at his blog "Fantastic Catch."  He busted boxes of 2008 Tristar Projections, 2008 Tristar Prospects Plus, 2011 Donruss Elite Extra Edition and 2012 Donruss Elite Extra Edition.  Naturally, I picked up the Orioles and I also grabbed up the Cubs and Brewers to use as trade bait for a couple friends of mine (and also to help Weston fill the break).

I feel like I did pretty well on the break, as I ended up with a sweet 4-piece jersey card of (then Cub) Oriole utility player, Ryan Flaherty.  This is a really cool card, actually.  I'm glad I ended up with it.  "Flash" has had a decent career with the O's, especially since he was a Rule V pick that managed to stick with the club all season in 2012.  He has filled in admirably for the O's when Manny Machado and J. J. Hardy have gone down to injury.

I got this nice auto of former Cubs prospect Barret Loux.  He was a first round draft pick (6th pick overall) by the Diamondbacks in 2010.  A check on baseball-reference shows that Loux hasn't played since 2013.  I wonder what happened to him?

One of the former Oriole prospect autos that I got was this Kyle Hudson which is numbered 6/25.  His last entry on baseball-reference says that he was released by the Angels on July 1, 2014.

Another auto that I got was this Josh Vitters from 2008 Tristar Projections.  Vitters was a first round pick (3rd overall) in the 2007 draft and was picked up by the Rockies this past February.

I got this nice 12/25 card of Orioles former first round pick, Brian Matusz.  Matusz is a really nice guy, but I wouldn't trust him with the game on the line in the playoffs.  He is likely to be traded before Spring Training ends, which will bring an end to a somewhat disappointing run in Baltimore.  I really had hoped that he would make it as a top of the rotation starter, but it just hasn't worked out.

One of the Cubs cards I was able to pick up was this Albert Almora from 2012 Elite Extra Edition.  Almora is almost forgotten with the emergence of Kris Bryant.  At least, I haven't heard much about him with all of the Bryant drama going on.

Finally, I got this awesome Josh Donaldson prospect card.  I liked him when he was on the A's, but I can see him becoming a real thorn in my side now that he plays for the Jays.

Thanks for the break, Weston!  I'm glad I could be a part of it, and I hope you do another one soon!

2015 Orioles Fan Fest Autograph Station 2 - Matusz, Joesph and Palmer

While my wife, son and sister checked out the kids games and Fan Fest in general, my mom and I headed to the 2:00 signing for Brian Matusz, Caleb Joseph and Jim Palmer.  On the way to the line, we met up with my buddy, Michael.  Michael and I worked out our deal for the Reimold jersey and decided to go through this station together since he also had vouchers for it.

The first player at the station was Brian Matusz, whom I had met quite a few times in the past.  So, when we got up to him, I said "Hey, Brian, how has your offseason been going?"  He looked genuinely surprised that I had asked, so he responded "It has gone very well, actually, thank you for asking..."

Matusz has always been nice, whenever we have met him, so I felt really bad about the cussing I did when he gave up that homer in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Royals.  Sorry, Brian, I'll try to not yell at you through the TV as much this season.  He really is a nice guy.

I had met Caleb Joseph a long time ago when he came through this area as a part of the Frederick Keys.  I have his signature on a China ball, put up in a cabinet in my card room.  Michael had multiple items that he wanted signed, so he worked out a plan with my mom, and she got one of Joseph's game used bats signed.

I upgraded my ball with this sweet spot signed OMLB ball.  The old China ball is side panel signed, and has faded a little bit.  This one is much nicer.

The main reason for this session was so that my mom could meet Jim Palmer.  She remembers him from some sort of advertising campaign from the 70s.  I'm surprised she decided to talk to him about her son torturing her by making her stand in line for autographs and skip lunch, instead of remarking about his underwear ads.

Palmer was really nice to her, and looked at me and said "Where IS the food, anyway!" So, we all got a good laugh.  I'd buy him dinner, but I'm sure he has expensive taste.

This session was provided by my mom, she being the one who purchased the two vouchers.  I was happy to go through the line with her, and it was nice to spend some time with Michael as well.  Mom got to see us in our element, and the amount of work some collectors put in to add pieces to their collection.  This was evident with the huge amount of bats that Michael was lugging around.

Instagram Trade With Shawn - 2014 Topps Target Red Orioles

I completed another trade with Shawn from Instagram, part of the Shawn, Sean and Alex trio of Cubs fans that I have been conversing with on there lately.  This time around, I sent Shawn some Cubs cards in exchange for three 2014 Topps Target red parallel Orioles: Adam Jones (above), Miguel Gonzalez and Brian Matusz.

Shawn is really easy to trade with and I have sent him a couple care packages in return and also a Levon Washington autograph that I got for a steal on Ebay.

The triumvirate of Shawn, Sean and Alex are all really good guys and I plan on trading with each of them again in the future.  I know this because I have piles building up for each of them that I plan on sending, once I feel that they are big enough to send out.

I've really enjoyed the interactions I've had with folks on Instagram.  It has opened up a whole new forum for trading, and I feel like, for the most part, I've had a positive experience.  There are a couple kids on there who need to be taught some manners, but mostly, they are all good folks.  These three guys are definitely some of the better ones I've met.

Awesome Package From Wes

 

I got an email recently from a guy named Wes who reads my blog.  The email was quick and to the point, asking me for my address because he had some Orioles cards for my collection.  As you can see from the photo above, what he sent me was far more than I could have imagined.  It got better, too, when I flipped through the cards and saw a ton of Orioles that I needed and came upon some awesome relics and autographs.  I was amazed at the things I found in the pile.  Here are some of the highlights:

This Brian Matusz Razor Lettermen auto was so cool.  I had another of his, a Z, I believe, but this one was a different color and looks really awesome!

I don't believe former Oriole reliever Rocky Cherry has made it onto the blog before, but this Upper Deck Exquisite auto looks so cool.  It is also numbered 1/10.  Cherry didn't last long for the O's but this card is still really cool and I'm glad Wes included it.

Finally, I was really happy to get this Mike Wright Bowman Platinum auto, red parallel, which is numbered to 25.  I already had the base and now I have the red.  I like Wright because he went to nearby ECU and was really cool when Chris and I met him a few years ago.  I hope he makes it to the bigs and pitches as well as he is capable.

It is going to take me some time to go through all of these cards that Wes hooked me up with.  If you're reading this, Wes, thanks so much!  I really appreciate the package!

Trade With Fellow Blogger Roger

I received two trade packages today, one of which will be featured tonight.  I got a package from fellow blogger, Roger, from I Don't Know...3rd Base, today after discussing a trade with him for one card that he had that I was looking for.  I was elated when I opened his mailer and found TWO team bags full of goodies that I needed for some various PCs and a couple sets that I have kind of neglected lately.  Roger sent me 21 1969 Topps and 8 1971 Topps for my sets.  SWEET!  I like the above card from 1971 Topps, but it should read underneath the Reds Stay Alive - Not For Long.  You know, because Brooks Robinson was lights out when anything was hit toward him during that series.

I liked this 1969 Topps Royals Rookies, but I had no idea that Billy Butler has been with them that long!

This Bob Chance is seriously airbrushed, don't you think?  Looks it to me.

My first comment when I saw this 2004 Sweet Spot Classic Ripken was "Ooh, pretty!"  I mean, it is, don't laugh at me!  I might seriously consider finding a box of these at some point.  Really nice design.

I opened something like 5 boxes of 2010 Topps Chrome and didn't pull a single parallel.  Weird, right?  Well, I was happy to get this Orange Refractor Brian Matusz in the trade.

Mike Cuellar has to be one of the more underrated pitchers ever.  He won a Cy Young Award (he shared one, I meant to say...), won 20 or more games 4 times and was on 3 World Series teams (winning in 1970 with the Orioles).  I really need to make a PC of him; I probably already have a ton of his cards as well as a signed baseball.

Looking remarkably like the aforementioned 1972 Topps Cuellar, the above Cal Ripken was a welcome addition.  I didn't have it yet, so that was good.  I have always been a fan of the 1972 Topps design and look forward to putting the 1972 set together at some point in time (once 1969 and 1971 are done for sure).

Finally, I present the card that our trade was centered around, this 2013 Topps Emerald Chris Davis.  I am well on my way to putting this thing together and I sincerely appreciate all the folks who have emailed me with trade proposals to assist me in completing the set.  It'll be a long road, but I really look forward to completing it.

Thanks so much for the trade, Roger.  I saw on Roger's blog that he hasn't posted since 2011, so maybe we all can coax him into writing again (unless I missed an updated blog during my search...).

September 29, 2012 Buckle Up Rally

Before Saturday's game, we all (me, Ryan, his wife, my wife and my son) went to the Baltimore Animal Shelter and attended one of the Buckle Up rallies that had been held to pump fans up about the team.  At the event were Orioles players such as Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta, Chris Tillman, Nate McLouth and Wei-Yin Chen.  You were supposed to buy the $15 BARCS Pet Calendar in order to get an autograph, but the players were signing anything put in front of them.  I did get the calendar, in case you were wondering.

They were also giving away T-Shirts, so I got a free Buckle Up shirt and Chris got two free shirts, Arrieta and Matusz.  I was hoping he could get a Chen shirt, but they were all gone by the time we got there.

Here is a photo of Wei-Yin Chen signing Chris' baseball.  We were at the tail end of the line and were being rushed through.  The event was supposed to end at 2PM, but we got to the front around 2:10.  They still signed for the remaining folks in line, which I thought was nice.  The handlers wouldn't have had this problem, however, had they moved the line along quickly to begin with.

Here is a rare shot of my wife making it onto my blog.  She was flirting with Brian Matusz, I think.  Trying to bribe him with her endless pad of signatures.  Actually, he flipped through her pad and wanted to look through it, but he didn't have enough time.  He even told my wife that he was dying to know who all she had in there.

Here is my Matusz ball.  I now have 3 signed baseballs from Matusz.  I might be willing to trade one if someone has anything to offer.  Just saying.

Here is my Jake Arrieta ball.  This one, along with the one below were a little tough to distinguish 'which way is up.'  I had to go on Ebay and look at some other Arrieta autos in order to tell which was the proper orientation for his auto.  The photo above is the correct oriantation.

So, now, this one is really cool.  Wei-Yin Chen came from the Japanese league, but is actually from Taiwan.  He signs his name in Mandarin Chinese and it is read from top to bottom (I think).  At least, he put his number at the bottom, so I assume that is how it is to be read.  If any Chinese scholars would like to correct me on this, please feel free to do so.  I know English and German, so Chinese is definitely not a strength of mine.  I was excited to get this ball, however.  I got the Matusz and Arrieta autos on Rawlings OLB balls, and the Chen on a Selig OMLB ball.

We had a blast at the Buckle Up rally and got 3 good signatures for only 15 bucks, so I feel like we made out pretty well.

So Behind on Mail

Yeah, I could have broken this up into separate posts.  I'm sorry about that.  I do have a few things on the way that should keep this blog busy until Series II comes out next week.

I've gotten mail lately from all over the blogosphere.  Today, I got a package from my good buddy Scott, over at Mr. Baseball-Scott.

 Scott sent me a few Orioles cards and a 2012 Bowman Tim Lincecum for Chris.  Thanks Scott!  Scott is quite the ball player himself.  Check out his blog and follow him, it might encourage him to post a bit more.

Next, I got a nice stack of cards from my good friend Andrew from Andrew's Baseball Cards.  In the stack was this nice 1st Bowman card of Orioles minor leaguer Ronnie Welty.  I've actually seen Welty play, when he was on the Frederick Keys, and he is a pretty good ball player.  So, I was really happy that Andrew sent me this card.  Andrew's a really nice kid who need more blog followers!

I got some mail from another good friend, Dustin, over at No Relics Pulled, but I have already put those cards in top loaders and have added them to my collection.  Sorry Dustin, but I did want to acknowledge the package you sent and that it was much appreciated.

Finally, I completed a rare trade.  Rare for me because I usually just send people cards that I think they would like and don't expect anything in return.  Well, The Rhubarb Runner contacted me about a trade for the Johan Santana patch that I pulled out of 2011 Topps Marquee.

 In exchange for the Santana, I got this Bowman Heritage auto of former Oriole Brandon Snyder.  The auto is on card, and the card itself looks sweet.

Among other cards I got from the rhubarb smuggler, was this really nice Playoff Class Reunion Brooks Robinson/Juan Marichal.  I love the seriously old school Oriole logo on this card.

So, thanks for all of the mail, guys.  Keep it coming!

Cautiously Optimistic

The Orioles are playing some great baseball right now.  I have been reluctant to post about it because they got off to a good start last year, only to fall apart quickly and fade to the basement of the AL East for yet another season.  They have had 14 straight losing seasons since 1997 when they last went to the playoffs.

I have a friend who is a Red Sox fan who is still talking trash.  I don't want to respond to his trash talk because, one, I don't gloat, and two, I've been fooled before.  The Orioles were playing great baseball in the 2005 season.  They spent much of the first half in first place.  I believe 4 of their players were selected to the All Star team.  Then the wheels fell off.

This season, I'm sensing a much different feeling than in the years since my senior year of High School.  The Orioles are playing good baseball.  It isn't quite great.  Not yet.  They still have too many errors.  Jake Arrieta and Tommy Hunter have been inconsistent.  Brian Matusz's season last year left such a bad taste in my mouth, it'll take more than Crown Royal to burn it out.  Yet, he has won his last 3 decisions.  He has looked pretty good doing it, too!  I hope he is back to his late 2010 form.

Chris Davis is flirting with .300 to add to his 0.00 ERA and 1.000 win percentage.

Adam Jones has emerged as a superstar and is about to be paid handsomely.

Matt Wieters has emerged as the best catcher in the game.  I want him calling the games for all of the O's pitchers, but I know he needs rest.  His bat is mired in a tough slump, but I know he will get out of it.

Brian Roberts is about 3 weeks away from returning, after many pundits felt that his career was done.

Nolan Reimold was on the verge of busting out before a bulging disc in his cervical spine derailed him.  If he can get back and resume his early season form, watch out!

Jason Hammel has been a pleasant surprise.  What a pickup!

I don't like to brag or gloat about my team doing well, but I deserve to enjoy the good times.  It has been so long since I have been able to look at the box scores and have a good feeling about them.  I'm not sure if they can sustain this for the whole season, but, WHY NOT?  Why not the O's?  Let's keep it up, it has been a fun season so far!

A Few More Cards From the Card Shop

I didn't have any mail when I got home from work, which is never how I want to end my day.  I guess I can't complain.  I do have 7 baseballs still out for TTMs, though, so I wish they would get here.  Anyway, Last Sunday, I went to my local card shop to get some supplies and left there with a couple packs of cards.  I didn't have any huge hits, but I did get a couple cards of note.

Out of a pack of Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects (I think), I pulled this Brian Matusz.  Not too bad.  I would have rather pulled the Dylan Bundy, but oh well, at least I got an Oriole.

I bought two packs of 2011 Topps Lineage and got this 1975 mini of Duke Snider.  That same pack also had a mini relic of Jayson Werth.

I'm not a fan of Werth, so this card is definitely up for trade.  If anyone is interested, please send me an email.  I'll go ahead and add this to the for sale/trade page.

Trade With Nick

I completed a trade with Nick from Baseball Dime Box when my package arrived yesterday.  He sent me some really nice Hall of Famer cards and a few Orioles in exchange for some 2012 Topps inserts he needed for various sets.

 I really like Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts.  Any year of it.  Really.  It might be a set that I miss the most, well that and Masterpieces and Sweet Spot Classic.  This Jim Bottomley card is really sharp.  Bottomley is one of those Hall of Famers that I'm going to have to take a closer look at later on, but in a nutshell, he was the 1928 NL MVP and retired after 16 seasons with 2,313 hits, 219 home runs and a .310 batting average.

 Donruss Threads was another set that always looked good and this Brooks Robinson is a prime example.  It is just a really colorful card.  I wouldn't mind picking up some more of these or maybe busting a box of them at some point.

 2007 Legendary Cuts also looked really good.  This Jim Palmer is a great card.  This is yet another set that I would love to bust a box of.  Maybe a future group break or something like that.

 I put a big Ebay order in the other day for as many of the 2011 variation cards of Nolan Reimold that I could find.  If I had waited one more day, I would have known that Nick had this 2011 Topps Gold Reimold available.  Oh well, now I will have 2 of them.  Once all the cards come in, I'll put up a bog of all the Reimolds that I picked up.  I'm waiting on 3 more to find their way to my mailbox.

 Speaking of collecting a player's inserts, I already have 3 different versions of Brian Matusz's 2012 Topps card.  His base, black and gold parallels.  Not too bad.

Finally, here is a 2003 Topps Gallery Robin Roberts.  Roberts, a former Oriole, might be one of the most underrated pitchers in the Hall of Fame.  His 286 wins are impressive enough, but when you factor in that many former players of his era (Virgil Trucks, for one) regard him as the best pitcher of that time.

Thanks for the awesome cards, Nick.  If any of you haven't had the chance to read Nick's blog, definitely follow him.  He has some of the most well written posts I have seen and I have quickly come to enjoy his blog.