Instagram Pickup - 2014 Topps Nelson Cruz Orange Parallel

I completed a trade with a kid named Emperor (I'm not kidding) on Instagram last week when I sent him a Troy Tulowitzki 1989 design refractor from 2014 Topps Chrome.  In return, he sent me this orange refractor of Nelson Cruz.  Not a bad deal.  I enjoy the orange parallels of Orioles because it fits so well.

I haven't really been pursuing Cruz cards much because I fear that he is going to be a one and done signing for the O's.  He really has helped the team this year, and I hope his bat remains hot as the O's march toward the World Series.

Thanks for the trade, Emperor.  I really appreciate it, and I hope I can send more Tulos your way soon.

Another Huge Package From Max

I got another huge package in the mail the other day from my very good friend, Max, that was packed full of Orioles stuff and a few other odds and ends.  This package was a result of a trade we worked on which landed him a 2013 Topps Mini Jake Arrieta printing plate.  Since Arrieta is no longer an Oriole, I sent the plate to Max and he hooked me up with some really nice stuff.  The above 2011 UD Goodwin Chapions Manny Machado relic was the cornerstone of Max's end of the deal.  If you look closely at the relic, you can see some dirt on it.

One of the oddball cards Max threw in, because he knows I like Hall of Famers, was this 1959 Fleer Ted Williams card.  I know next to nothing about this set, but I thought the card looked really cool, so I was happy he put it in the deal.

Another nice card he sent along was this 1951 Bowman Vic Wertz.  I have a couple '51 Bowmans and would consider doing the set, except that there is a key rookie card in there that would take me forever to get, the Willie Mays.  There is also a Mantle that is his true rookie, but it doesn't carry the price tag that his '52 Topps carries.

I was so glad to continue to deal with Max.  We have gone beyond just trading by now and talk to each other regularly as friends.  I've advised him on some cards and we chat once a week over Skype.  He's just about the friendliest person I have met over Instagram, and even at his young age, one of the most knowledgeable.  I really wish more of the kids on Instagram could take the lead from him and conduct business the way he does.

Thanks for another great package, Max, as always, it is definitely appreciated.

Instagram Trade With Adam - 2013 Topps Manny Machado Emerald Parallel

I completed a trade last week with a guy named Adam on Instagram when I sent him a Matt Davidson auto out of 2014 Chrome in exchange for this 2013 Topps Manny Machado emerald parallel.  I've been trying to get the Manny for a while now for both my PC and my emerald set, and I was finally able to match up with someone who had one.

I am still working on the emerald set, even though things have slowed on it quite a bit.  I knew the Manny would be tough to find, so I'm glad I was able to get it out of the way.  I'll probably start chipping away at the set on Sportlots now, since fewer and fewer people are going to have them laying around.

Instagram Pickup - 2014 Topps Chrome Chris Davis Red Parallel

I was tagged in a post on Instagram recently where a kid named Aiden was selling this 2014 Topps Chrome Chris Davis red parallel.  I quickly made him an offer of $10.00 and he accepted.  I felt like the red parallels were selling for a bit of a premium (since I hadn't seen many of them at all), so I wanted to make a competitive offer and not miss the card.  He sent it quickly after I paid him via PayPal.

The card is numbered 4/25 and just looks awesome.  I'm glad I was able to pick it up and add it to my Davis 2014 rainbow.  I still need a few of his chromes, especially the black parallel, but I've been a bit preoccupied recently and haven't been able to search Ebay.  I should be able to settle back in within a few weeks.

We Won't Stop - Recap of My First Playoff Game

I can knock something off of my bucjet list, I went to my first ever MLB playoff game today.  Chris and I went, along with Ryan from O No Another Orioles Blog and some friends of his.  We skipped over a great deal of DC traffic this morning thanks to the HOV lanes and that we had so many people in the car.  I was worried because the start time for the game was 12:00, noon, and our plan was to leave Ryan's house at 6:30, but that would put us in DC at the Friday morning rush hour.  Thankfully, we sot through there easily and got to Baltimore right at 10:00AM with only two stops along the way.

I was really glad that I made the decision to bring Chris along so he could experience this.  He had joked that he didn't really want to go because he was missing school, but I could tell that he was really excited.  They handed us these awesome rally towels as we entered the ballpark, and Chris actually got an extra one, so my wife will get a souvenir.  I really appreciate the photo bomb by the random dude in the background, by the way.

Another thing I wanted to do while I was there was to finally try some of Boog's BBQ and who was there while we were in line?  Why, Boog himself.  He signed a ball for Chris and posed for a picture.  I told him I was happy to see him again, and he shook my hand and said he was happy to see me as well.  Boog is such an underrated historical player.  I know that the 1970 AL MVP is loved in Baltimore.  He's one of our guys and I like our guys.

This summer, when we were at the Tiger game, I was disappointed that I didn't get to see Verlander pitch and Miguel Cabrera was on the bench.  Well, I got to see both today, and Cabrera was a terror on the Orioles, but he also helped them out with some questionable baserunning when he was cut down at the plate trying to score late in the game.  That run would come back to haunt the Tigers.

Check out the sea of Orange.  I thought the Brooks Robinson statue dedication in 2012 was wild, but this crowd was raucous, energetic, pumped, whatever you want to call it.  They were a bit deflated in the middle innings when the Tigers jumped out to a 5-2 lead, but the crowd would explode in the 8th inning when Delmon Young hit his 3-run double off of the wobbly Tigers bullpen to give the O's a 7-6 lead.  Ryan and I were going crazy, and even Chris was jumping up and down, although he couldn't see over everyone who was on their feet at that moment.

There were chants of "Hey Hey, Goodbye" when Brad Ausmus lifted Justin Verlander for Anibal Sanchez; chants for "Joba, Joba, Joba" for Joba Chamberlain when he was throwing gas on the fire; chants of "We Won't Stop" when Delmon Young his the double; and one of the most gratifying chants was the role call for Nick Markakis after his home run early in the game.  Nick has been up with the O's since the 2006 season and missed out on the 2012 post season with a broken thumb.  It was really cool to see him finally play in a playoff game, and he has shone so far.

I shot a video with my phone of the final out of the game.  Sorry for the shaky camera work, but I think this captured the mood at the stadium perfectly.  Baltimore is itching for a winner, after all of those years of futility, and I believe that there isn't a fan base that wants to win right now more than the Orioles fan base.  Of course, I'm sure folks from Kansas City would like to weigh in on that.

So, I hope you all enjoyed the look into my day.  I am still elated over the outcome of the game.  I told Ryan that I had felt in the 7th inning that the perfect game would be a close one where the Orioles came from behind and won, and I got my wish.

Instagram Trade With Joey - 2007 Tristar Prospects Plus Matt Wieters

I completed a trade with my buddy Joey from Instagram about a week ago when I sent him quite a few vintage cards and in return he sent me a little cash and this 2007 Tristar Prospects Plus Matt Wieters card.

I remember when Prospects Plus came out, I was pretty excited.  I opened a ton of it, but couldn't pull this card, for some reason.  I'm pretty sure I ended up with one or more, but it was really cool of Joey to include it in our deal.

Thanks for the card, man!  I really appreciate it.

Mail From Judson - 2014 Topps Pink Chris Davis

October is breast cancer awareness month, so it is kind of fitting that a pink card is the highlight of the night.  Ladies, make sure you get checked and checked often.

I got this really awesome Chris Davis 2014 Topps pink parallel from my friend, Judson recently.  The card is numbered 7/50.  I owe Judson a card in return, and I think I have found him just the thing.  I will be shipping to him early next week, I'm hoping.

Thanks so much for this pink parallel, Judson, I've been wanting one for a while, but haven't jumped on it, and now I don't have to!