Scott Crawford Trade Bait Card Draft Results

Scott Crawford had a card draft a few weeks ago that I participated in, but I just now got around to scanning the cards so here ya go. Luckily for you, Scott's holding another one real soon, so hop in on it if you can. Here's my picks ranked from last to first to build up the suspense.

#25 2005 Donruss Signature Series #154 Brandon McCarthy - Anibal Sanchez dual autograph

Yes, this was the last card I picked up in the draft, not the first. And this was five rounds after the draft was supposed to end to boot. I'm not sure if everyone just forgot this thing was out there or if a dual autograph card of two serviceable pitchers was just not anything anyone was interested in. I'm not sure who would actually specifically want to collect this card to be honest... Player collectors probably aren't thrilled by that other guy on the card no matter which other guy it is. Team collectors might go for it, but Brandon pitched for Texas and Oakland before signing with the Diamondbacks and Anibal is best known as a Marlin who just signed a ridiculous contact with Detroit this offseason. The card is a prime example of Panini/Donruss design so people with good taste will run far away from this card. Who cares, EET IZ SHIIIIIINY. And I had completely exhausted my short list of wanted cards by this point so why the hell not?

#24 2011 Topps Gold #US271 Eric O'Flaherty S/N 0891/2011

So, speaking about that list of cards I wanted out of this draft... Scott posted a gigantic list of cards in the draft a couple days in advance and in my laziness I waited until the last second to go over it. Unfortunately for me, I was working the day of the draft and I ended up working late that day so this was not so much an organized draft than a mad scramble. I knew to snag the Barves cards I knew I didn't have though and Eric O was on that list. O'Flaherty has been a shutdown lefty reliever since the Braves picked him up off of waivers and I'm hoping he has a couple more shutdown years left in his overworked arm.

#23 2011 Topps Heritage Chrome Green Refractor #C53 Chris Johnson

The card draft was just after the Justin Upton trade which is why I had a green refractor of CJ on my radar. Because otherwise, I might not have even picked this up in a dime box. Why the hell were there green refractors in 2011 Heritage again? I'm officially on Team Roadrunner as far as the Braves' third base job goes, but I won't mind if Chris grabs the job and runs with it.

#22 2012 Topps Gold #US311 Dan Uggla All-Star S/N 1532/2012

So. Dan Uggla. I'll admit that when the Braves signed him to that extension after trading for him, I was all for it. Uggla's a beast and the deal was more or less market value at the time. Well, the beast turned into a little annoying yappy dog last year. I know he ain't going anywhere with that contract so hopefully  Dan can keep his head above the Mendoza line and hit 25 homers this year. It's a gold card though, and I have hardly any 2012 cards period so what the heck.

#21 2011 Topps Blue Sparkly #18 Kevin Millwood S/N 19/60

What can I say, I like the sparkly. I don't know what this particular shade of sparkly is called but it's shiny and blue and features an ex-Brave that never should have been an ex. Kevin had a remarkably good career for someone who was mostly invisible after his no hitter. This was my first pick after Scott declared we were going into overtime and it was kind of a scramble to figure out what to get.

#20 1987 Topps Traded #70T Greg Maddux

Greg Maddux's first Topps card was chosen for what I thought would be my Mr. Irrelevant. I picked Greg before all those shiny serial numbered cards because IT'S GREG FRICKIN MADDUX. The card is off center and I already had one of these for my MadDog collection but IT'S GREG FRICKIN MADDUX. This card is going in my small pile of '87 Traded cards until I finally decide it will be too big a hassle to build the set and just buy a complete set at which point it will be a duplicate but I won't care that I have doubles because IT'S GREG FRICKIN MADDUX.

#19 2011 Topps Lineage '75 Mini #195 Chipper Jones

I'm almost certain I have this card but I wasn't 100% dead lock certain I had it so I got it. It's a '75 mini card though, how can you pass that up? I really need to get my Braves collection in order one of these decades.

#18 2005 Playoff Prime Cuts #92 Nolan Ryan S/N 390/399

So for my first dozen picks or so I had a somewhat loose but effective game plan. The second half of my draft was a mess. It resembled my Fantasy Football drafts more than I care to admit. Take this card here. I don't really collect Nolan Ryan cards specifically. I also don't really care for Donruss/Panini products although this is a decent looking design for Playoff. The thing is, there are TONS of rabid Ryan collectors out there and this one is serial numbered and it's not utterly vulgar so..... what the hell I grabbed it. No clue what I'll end up doing with it but it's nifty at least.

#17 2007 Sport Kings No. 26 Maurice Richard

Anyone else remember when Sport Kings first came out and it was a huge deal and every card was in its own toploader straight out of the box and there were all kinds of huge stars in it and a one pack box sold for over $400 a pop and when you sold off enough plasma to buy one your big hit was an Amanda Beard autograph? No one? Just me, eh? Well, I always loved the concept of the set even if I didn't love the scarcity and the price and I always wanted to get my hands on one of the cards just to have. I would have preferred Dominique Wilkins or even Gordie Howe if I were to get a hockey player but Rocket Richard fell in my lap and I have to say I'm happy with it even if I'm too chicken to break the seal and paw at the card with my grubby mitts.

#16 1979-1980 #25 Topps Artis Gilmore

Fact you may or may not have known about me. My favorite non-Hawk basketball player is Artis Gilmore. By far. He might be my favorite basketball player period. And yes, my love affair started with the Fro, but it goes beyond that. Artis was an absolute beast at center. Rebounded everything, blocked shots like mad and had a ridiculous shooting percentage in the paint. My favorite sports poster ever is the one where he is taking a shot at the Omni over a hapless Steve Hawes. If/when I ever get my shizz together and post a list of players I am actively collecting Artis will be #1 on the Basketball list.

#15 2012 Topps Prime 9 HRL-1 Hank Aaron

Shiny! And Hanky! And from 2012 so I don't even know how these things were distributed let alone have one in my collection! Topps needs to give up on the flagship and Bowman and Heritage and the rest of that nonsense and just make nothing but finest/chrome refractors forever.

#14 2011 Allen & Ginter Endangered Animal mini AP13 African Wild Dog

Scott put a whole bunch of Allen & Ginter minis in the draft and other than this one I think they were all ignored. (which means they are still available for the next draft so scroll up and click) I checked on the minis, I really did, but I either had or didn't need all of the base minis. The insert minis were more complicated since I don't have a handle on what I have/need of those things or even if I'm actively collecting them anymore. I did want to get at least one mini though and I couldn't pass up the cute little poochie woochies! Ok, so they're not that cute and if I stumbled upon a pack of 'em they'd probably rip out my throat in seconds. They're almost extinct so I'm probably safe for the time being.

#13 2003 SP Authentic Golf #126 Carin Koch S/N 1205/1999

I... well, I still am not sure why I picked this card. Because it's autographed I guess? And there needs to be more women on trading cards? Especially women who are wearing more clothes than just a bikini? I dunno, it just looked cool. It's not something you see every day at least.

#12 1981-82 Topps #East 101 Larry Bird In Action

Larry Bird annoyed the living crap out of me when he was playing the game and the second he retired and no longer murdered the Hawks all the time I liked him all of a sudden. I also really really really like old vintagey hoops cards so I hadda get Bird shooting while Wes Unseld looks on.

#11 2007 Goudey No. 43 Grady Sizemore relic

One of my goals for the year is to finally figure out what I am and am not actually collecting. I'm doing ok weeding out some stuff I'm not collecting but figuring out what I am going to focus on has been a little more difficult. I have decided that the 2007 Goudey set is one that I will be focusing on. I have a large chunk of it already, I love the design and it seems that everyone has forgotten about it so I can probably scrounge a good portion of it cheap. I've always had a kinda sorta maybe idea about even going for the complete relic set. The die-cut G just amuses me. That may not happen but I added a Grady to my collection at least.

#10 2007 Goudey No. 256 Brooks Robinson Heads Up no cartoon

See? Told ya I'm collecting this set. I wouldn't just pick a random short print from a set I 'm not collecting for my #10 overall pick now would I? I love these cartoony heads up cards. I wish the original Goudeys weren't so hard to find.

#9 1986-1987 Fleer #5 Julius Erving Sticker

When I was a wee little tiny Junkie, just learning about the Ways of Sport, there were five players that I distinctly remember knowing about and being in awe of before I even gave a crap about sports at all. Those players were: Babe Ruth, Mohammed Ali, Pele, Richard Petty (yes, I grew up in the South) and this guy right here, Doctor J. He's a basketball player? AND a Doctor? And he can dunk?? Like THAT??? My tiny little brain couldn't handle all the awesome. I still love the Doctor to this day. I already have this sticker but I needed another one. You know, to stick on my Trapper Keeper or whatever.

#8 1981-82 Topps #30 Julius Erving

I just said I'm in awe of the guy, I'm not going to pass up a vintage base card of him.

#7 2011 Topps #US152 Julio Teheran RC

Of the Big Three braves pitching prospects from the past few years Julio is the last man standing. Aroydis Vizcaino went to the Cubs in the Paul Maholm & Reed Johnson trade. Randall Delgado just went to the Diamondbacks for Justin Upton. That leaves Julio and the 5th starter spot which is his to lose this spring training. Of course with the Braves' prospect pitcher pipeline, Sean Gilmartin and  J.R. Graham have already popped up to take Randall and Aroydis' place to push Teheran. Julio has looked electric in winter ball though, so I'm feeling good about his 2013 season. 2011 Updates and Traded or Whatever was the point where I completely stopped caring about Topps Flagship so I have very little of that set and less chance of getting more anytime soon thanks Mike Trout. So I snagged me a Julio while I could.

#6 2012 Topps Inception #65 Matt Ryan S/N 226/252

Matty Ice! Or as he's known in the playoffs, Matty Melt. I think I've bought maybe two packs of football cards since 2010 but I still like the Falcons (when they're not holding the city hostage to build them a billion dollar stadium to replace the one they held the city hostage over just twenty friggin years ago) so I nabbed a serial numbered parallel (? I think) from a set I've never heard of before.

#5 2011 Score #351 Julio Jones RC

Like I said, I have almost no recent football cards and I'm pretty sure this is my first Julio Jones rookie. While I initially bitched and moaned about trading a bunch of draft picks for ANOTHER friggin wide receiver when our defense is in a shambles, I have to admit Julio is an amazing receiver. And our defense is still a goddamn mess. Fix the damn defense and MAYBE the city'll renovate the Georgia Dome. Don't like it? Then move to Los Angeles and take the stinkin' Hawks with you ya bloody birds.

#4 2011 Topps Heritage Minor League #16 Bryce Harper

Yeah, yeah, I know. That's a clown pick, bro. What was I thinking? I HATE Bryce Harper and his stupid face and that dumb eye black and that ridiculous haircut and the essence of Pure Bro that oozes out of his stinking pores and how the hell did the lousy Gnats end up getting good so quick and graaaah I hates him. Why in the world did I blow my #4 pick on this card? The thing is... I hate Michael Jordan and Barry Bonds and LeBron James too but if I can find a decent card of theirs for cheap that I can stash away for a rainy day I do it. You'd do it too, don't fib.

#3 1996 Fleer Ultra Gold Medallion #156 Chipper Jones

I'm certain I have this card already stashed in my giant Chipper box that is in desperate need of cataloging. I'm also certain that there was no way I could pass up on this super shiny Gold Medallion card from his rookie year. SO SHINY.

#2 2007 Donruss Americana Private Signings #21 William Fichtner S/N 63/100

You know how in every actual sports draft there's always one team early in the draft that does something so completely off the wall that it confuses the hell out of the other teams so much that it causes them to react to it and ultimately changes the tone of the draft? Pretty sure that's what I ended up doing here. There were two Donruss Americana autographs in the draft list. This guy here and one other. The other card featured someone I had never heard of before but was in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I couldn't quite make out the name on this one when I saw it and asked for clarification on who this guy was in the chat before the draft. Turns out William was in The Dark Knight and I decided Batman > Buffy so I put him on my short list of draft picks. I took it with my second pick and the Buffy auto went soon after. Turns out one of the other guys in the draft married a Buffy fan. Good thing I checked IMDB so no one was disappointed.

#1 1974 Topps #456 David Mark Winfield MFRC

Yep. It's beat all to hell. Creases everywhere. All four corners are soft. Really bad shape. But it's a Dave Winfield Mother F$#&ing Rookie Card and it's the entire reason I pulled the trigger on the card draft in the first place. If I had not gotten this card I would have been Sad. I had the second overall pick though and Dave was mine all mine.

Along with these cards there was a little pile of extras Scott threw in as a bonus including some I would have taken in the draft over quite a few of these cards. Maybe one day I'll show some of 'em off. Not a bad deal at all for the price of a blaster. Would anyone be interested if I hosted one of these things this summer?