Instagram Trade With Bruce

I completed a mega trade on Instagram the other day when I was sent a message by a guy named Bruce who was really interested in some of my Cardinals hits from 2014 Topps.  I sent Bruce a good many relic, auto and manufactured relic in exchange for a huge stack of Orioles cards.  He had sent me a few pictures of cards to kickstart our deal but assured me that any "throw ins" he would send "would not be base cards."  He wasn't kidding.  One of the keys that hammered the deal home for me was the above 1978 Topps Eddie Murray RC.  I already had one Murray in my 1978 set, but I wanted another for my Murray PC.  This one is in decent shape and is slightly off center.  I'm really happy with it, though, so that's all that matters.

Another card I saw in the group picture Bruce sent that was intriguing was this 1962 Topps Brooks Robinson.  I already had one in my Brooks PC that was in much better shape, but when I saw it in the photo, I knew I'd be making a mistake if I let one included in a deal pass me by.  I believe that you can't have enough vintage Brooks cards, so getting this one in the deal worked for me.

This 1969 Jim Palmer came as a surprise to me.  An even bigger surprise was that I didn't yet have it in my 1969 set, so Bruce actually helped knock off a much needed card from my needs list.  I'm pretty sure he wasn't aware of that, either.

The card that Bruce used to get my attention was this 2012 Topps Tier One Brooks Robinson relic.  I already had one, but this is another card that I wasn't just going to let pass me by, so I figured that I would listen to his proposal.  I'm glad I did!

One of the 'extras' that Bruce threw in was this 2006 UD Future Stars Nelson Cruz autograph. The card is a clear acetate card, which looks really awesome in person.

I am so glad that Bruce included this Manny Machado UD Team USA relic.  I have had so many people on Instagram tag me on these cards and they have wanted an arm and three legs for it. Thankfully, Bruce included it in the deal and I don't have to overpay for it with other folks.

Finally, among the throw ins, Bruce added this Machado from 2011 Bowman Sterling.  These cards look really nice and I wonder why I haven't seen more of them.

There were so many more cards that I didn't have the time to scan, but believe me, there was so much good stuff in there.

I messaged Bruce after I opened the package and saw all of the awesome throw ins because I really felt like I didn't deserve all of the extras he sent.  His response was: "..I knew you were one of the good guys on here, and I figured you should be rewarded."

He has no idea how much that meant to me.  I really appreciate the deal, Bruce.  I know we are going to do some more trading really soon.

Instagram Trade With Matt

I completed an Instagram trade recently with a fellow Orioles fan named Matt when I got these two Tier One relics in exchange for a Nelson Cruz 2014 Topps black parallel.  Matt didn't like me initially because of my extensive Orioles collection, but we have chatted quite a bit to help him overcome those feelings of hostility.  I can't help it since I have awesome stuff.

I really appreciated Matt making the trade with me and the best part was that he threw in this Adam Jones for free.  I didn't have either the Jones or the Ripken, so it was a great trade.  Now, Matt is going for the rainbow of Cruz and I'm glad I could help him along the way.

Orioles Designate Nolan Reimold For Assignment

Unsurprisingly, the Orioles have chosen to designate Nolan Reimold for assignment today.  The Orioles have 10 days to trade, release or pass Reimold through waivers.  Nolan has been recovering from a second spinal fusion surgery, after the first attempt failed.  Nolan has been healthy and playing well on his rehab assignment, posting a .315 batting average for AA Bowie.

You all know the Nolan is one of my favorite players ever and a friend of the blog.  I believe the Orioles are making a huge mistake (not the first time they have made mistakes with Reimold).  I'm really upset with the whole thing.  It's a shame that the Orioles are being held hostage to the crap that they need David Lough's left-handed bat on the team (even though he is batting .191).  Nolan could outhit Lough any day of the week.  So what he bats left handed (Lough), if he isn't hitting the ball, it doesn't matter.

This is probably a blessing in disguise for Nolan, though.  He can (and will) be claimed by another team that has to place him on their 25-man roster.  Once he is claimed, he can play every day and prove he is healthy and parlay that into a better contract for next season.  I, for one, believe in Nolan and I think eventually, the joke will be on the Orioles.

I'll miss Nolan on the Orioles (if he is claimed), but I'll always be a fan.  Even if he becomes a Yankee or Red Sox.

Best of luck to you, Nolan.  You've always been a class act and it's a shame that you got hurt playing the game the right way.  You always hustled and were a great player that the fans could stand behind and respect.

June 28-29, 2014 Bowie Baysox Vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels

I met up with my good friend, Ryan (from the blog O No Another Orioles Blog), and caught two Bowie Baysox games in Richmond this past weekend.  The highlight of the trip was that we were able to watch Nolan Reimold play for Bowie in the final two games of his rehab assignment.

Bowie took Saturday's game, 3-0 behind a stellar pitching performance by Tyler Wilson.  Wilson went 7 innings, allowing only 2 hits, one walk and striking out 9.  He was awesome.  The win put Wilson at 10-5 on the year with a 3.72 ERA.  He was aided by Nolan who went 2-4 with a SB, Christian Walker who went 3-4 and Dariel Alvarez who went 2-4.  Walker and Alvarez appear to be legit prospects and should be in Baltimore very soon.

After the game, Ryan and I met Nolan as he was exiting the stadium.  I'm sure I came off a little Kathy Bates-like (I'm your number one fan) when I talked to Nolan.  I couldn't help it.  I got nervous and ended up running off at the mouth.  I hope Nolan understood that I was just excited and didn't want to come off looking like some crazed fan.

The second game wasn't as eventful as the first. The Baysox lost 4-3 with Nolan going 0 for 4, lowering his AA average to .314.  Walker and Alvarez each went 0-4 as well.  The game was further marred by a dud of an outing by Orioles pitching prospect, Eduardo Rodriguez.  I'm sure folks have seen him throw better, but Ryan and I picked a bad time to watch him as he lasted only 3.2 innings, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) with 4 walks and 3 strikeouts.  Rodriguez looked like a typical Baltimore pitcher, throwing a ton of pitches early and walking a lot of guys.  I don't know what it is, but the Orioles need to work on better pitching development and finding guys who don't walk a ton of batters.

Before Saturday's game, I got autographs from Dariel Alvarez (above).  Can anyone help me with his inscription?  I can't make heads or tails of it.  Below is a signed ball by Christian Walker.  I had only one OMLB ball, which I got Alvarez with and I had a ton of synthetic cover balls that I needed to find a use for, so the Walker ball ends up being a bit of an experiment as well.  I used Ryan's Staedtler pen on both balls.  Let's see if this pen, which I have heard rave reviews of, can hold a signature on these synthetic leather balls.  If they work, I may have a use for these balls yet (and I will need to buy my own pen).

Finally, I treat you all with an amateur video I shot of one of Nolan's hits from Saturday's game.  I hope you enjoy.

I had a really good time at the game with Ryan, who I hadn't seen in over a year (wow).  I didn't mind the concrete monstrosity that was "The Diamond" (the RIchmond field).  It was very easy for us to get autographs, as we could stand by the wall right by the field, reminiscent of Kinston's Grainger Stadium.  The experience was fine and the hot dogs were really good.  The aesthetics of the park get a -1 out of 10, but other than that, I have no complaints whatsoever, so I would have to rate my overall experience as very high.  I miss being able to catch minor league games, so I think I need to go out and catch some more like I had been back in 2010 and 2011.  We'll see how that goes.

Ebay Pickup - 2013 Bowman Alex Murphy Printing Plate

I apologize for not posting yesterday, but I was at a MiLB game with my good friend, Ryan.  I got home today and had too much to do to be able to post my recap, so look for that tomorrow.  In the meantime, take a look at this 2013 Bowman Alex Murphy printing plate.

I got this plate off of Ebay for $9.99 BIN, which was a steal!  Murphy is doing pretty well at Low A Aberdeen, even though the team isn't playing well at all right now.  So far, this season, Murphy has played 16 games in Aberdeen and 4 at Delmarva.  In all, he is batting .274 with 2 homers and 7 RBIs.  Not terrible, but he needs to pick it up some more.  I think he'll be fine, since this is his first full MiLB season.

A Surprise Package From Scott

I got a nice surprise package from my good friend, Scott, the other day that had several Orioles cards in it.  Scott said that he had found them laying around in his room and he wanted me to have them.  I really appreciated the gesture, especially since it has been since Fan Fest that I have seen him.

Scott just recently graduated High School and is set to attend JMU in the fall.  I'm really happy for him.  I'm a little disappointed that my graduation gift to him, which was supposed to ship on June 21 has not arrived yet, but I'm holding out hope that it will get here soon!

Thanks so much for the cards, Scott!

Another Instagram Trade With Max S.

A few weeks ago, I completed another deal with a guy, Max, that I met on Instagram.  I sent him some more Cubs cards and in return, he sent me this 2013 Bowman Chrome Clint Frazier and a few vintage cards.

I was happy to get a chrome Frazier, since I didn't have much of him.  He's a pretty good prospect and it's nice to grab a few here and there before they reach the majors.  I don't do much prospecting at all, but in this case, I was happy to get the card.

The highlight of the vintage cards was this 1969 Topps world series highlight card.  I already had it in my set, but I will be adding it to my HOF box.  It is a nice looking card.  Max also included a 1976 Topps Brock, and a few other non-stars.

Thanks for the trade, Max, I really appreciate it!