I was going to post the winner of this morning's contest in the Eastern Hemisphere, but the game is being replayed on ESPN and I didn't want to spoil it for the 99% of America who missed it the first time.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The Competitors
I was going to post the winner of this morning's contest in the Eastern Hemisphere, but the game is being replayed on ESPN and I didn't want to spoil it for the 99% of America who missed it the first time.
First Strikeout, 2008
Daisuke Matsusaka, struck out Jack Hannahan.
Also, first hit batter, wild pitch, meltdown.
That's enough firsts for right now. Maybe I'll do a Fleer sticker of the winner later today.
Also, first hit batter, wild pitch, meltdown.That's enough firsts for right now. Maybe I'll do a Fleer sticker of the winner later today.
The Season Hasn't Even Started Yet, and J.D. Drew is Already Hurt
Ahhhhhh Hahahahahahahahahahahahaaaa!!!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Card of the week 3/24/08
Opening day is just a few hours away. The MLB marketing geniuses put the opening series in Japan this year, resulting in a 6am opening pitch. By the time many of you read this post, the game will already be over and the jet-lagged A's and Red Sox will be resting up for the second game of their series. I understand why they're opening up the season in Japan. It's a great marketing opportunity, Japan loves baseball, it kinda had to be a regular season series to get any publicity (how many people watched the Dodgers/Padres series in China, hmmm?) and Bud wants to really push the international flavor of the game in preparation for next year's World Baseball Classic. I understand it all, but it just doesn't feel like Opening day, ya know?
First of all, 6:00 AM. 6:00 AM. I love baseball, but I love sleep too. And that's 6:00 AM for the Sawks fans, the poor left coast schmoes who root for the Athletics have to be up at 3:00 AM to watch their team. I guess ESPN or whoever is televising it will have a replay at some point (or maybe MLB expects us to all have insomnia or a TiVo or both) but watching a rerun of opening day just doesn't have the same oomph. I'll probably have some sleep-deprived brain cells die off, but I'll be watching at least some of it. It's got a couple of interesting teams in the game. The Sox have their World Series Championship lineup pretty much intact. The A's still have some good young players in the lineup despite the fire sale. Boston is pitching hometown (or home country, rather) here Dice-K in the opener. Blanton, Harden and Houston are solid pitchers when healthy and it will be intriguing to see if that lineup can gel when half the team got traded. Hopefully it will be intriguing enough to keep me from nodding off.
Still, as interesting as the matchup is, isn't opening day supposed to be featuring the Reds, not the Red Sox? And in Cincinnati, not Tokyo? I know, they haven't had opening day in Cinci for years, but it still galls me a bit. At least open up with a National League game, not those whippersnapper American Leaguers. Those Johnny come latelys weren't even formed until the 20th century. Then they get the DH, win a bunch of All Star Games and all of a sudden they're hot stuff. Bah. And don't get me started on having to check my Fantasy lineup this early... I'm still combing the waiver wires for players that might have a starting job out of Spring Training. Heck, there are still Spring Training games GOING ON. Nope, it just doesn't feel right. Opening day should be a national holiday, not a 6:00 AM wake up call.
That's why I chose this card to be this week's Card of the Week. Yep, a stinking checklist. An Opening Day checklist. See how that ties in? It's also an ugly checklist. Well, an ugly set to be exact. Gaudy red borders for no reason at all. Just because. Notice that the design team took so much care in selecting just the right colors for the set that they chose a red that clashes with the red border for the little circles for the B, S, B and L in Baseball. The blue don't look so hot, either. That's not all, the printing process got gooped up a bit and there's splotches on the card that smear the print and almost obscure Jason Bay, Josh Beckett and Jack Cust on the list. Now, that might just be a little glitch, printer errors do happen even in this day of high quality control. One thing that is not an error is where I pulled this card from the pack. Most readers out there have ripped enough Topps to know that the Checklists are usually filler inserts in the packs, kind of like the Top of the Class or Rookie Cup ads. The checklists can still be annoying, especially after you've pulled a half-dozen of each one, but they don't count against you towards the number of cards in the pack so who cares. Well, this checklist was not a filler. It replaced a regular card in the pack. It's printed on the same stock as the rest of the set, so I'm guessing it was on purpose and not just a pack that was short one card. In a pack with only 6 cards to begin with, getting shafted on one card isn't very fun.
So we have a disappointing opening day game and a disappointing Opening Day card. Luckily there is a remedy for the opening day game blues. The Braves play the Nationals Sunday night in the Nat's new home park. It will be all alone on the schedule, there will be fanfare and bunting and the President throwing out the first ball. History will be made. Will Chipper Jones get the first hit in the new stadium? Will Ryan Zimmerman hit the first homer? Can the Nats christen the stadium with a win? That's a real opening day game, and you won't have to drink an extra pot of coffee at work the next day either just to stay awake.
So the opening day problem has been solved, so what to do with our crummy little checklist? Why, the only thing that should be done with crummy little checklists:
Now that felt pretty good. That felt real good actually. I kinda want to go out and buy a couple more packs now so I can check off a few more boxes. Maybe I'll do that for opening day.
Update: Apparently Jeff Schultz agrees.
First of all, 6:00 AM. 6:00 AM. I love baseball, but I love sleep too. And that's 6:00 AM for the Sawks fans, the poor left coast schmoes who root for the Athletics have to be up at 3:00 AM to watch their team. I guess ESPN or whoever is televising it will have a replay at some point (or maybe MLB expects us to all have insomnia or a TiVo or both) but watching a rerun of opening day just doesn't have the same oomph. I'll probably have some sleep-deprived brain cells die off, but I'll be watching at least some of it. It's got a couple of interesting teams in the game. The Sox have their World Series Championship lineup pretty much intact. The A's still have some good young players in the lineup despite the fire sale. Boston is pitching hometown (or home country, rather) here Dice-K in the opener. Blanton, Harden and Houston are solid pitchers when healthy and it will be intriguing to see if that lineup can gel when half the team got traded. Hopefully it will be intriguing enough to keep me from nodding off.
Still, as interesting as the matchup is, isn't opening day supposed to be featuring the Reds, not the Red Sox? And in Cincinnati, not Tokyo? I know, they haven't had opening day in Cinci for years, but it still galls me a bit. At least open up with a National League game, not those whippersnapper American Leaguers. Those Johnny come latelys weren't even formed until the 20th century. Then they get the DH, win a bunch of All Star Games and all of a sudden they're hot stuff. Bah. And don't get me started on having to check my Fantasy lineup this early... I'm still combing the waiver wires for players that might have a starting job out of Spring Training. Heck, there are still Spring Training games GOING ON. Nope, it just doesn't feel right. Opening day should be a national holiday, not a 6:00 AM wake up call.
That's why I chose this card to be this week's Card of the Week. Yep, a stinking checklist. An Opening Day checklist. See how that ties in? It's also an ugly checklist. Well, an ugly set to be exact. Gaudy red borders for no reason at all. Just because. Notice that the design team took so much care in selecting just the right colors for the set that they chose a red that clashes with the red border for the little circles for the B, S, B and L in Baseball. The blue don't look so hot, either. That's not all, the printing process got gooped up a bit and there's splotches on the card that smear the print and almost obscure Jason Bay, Josh Beckett and Jack Cust on the list. Now, that might just be a little glitch, printer errors do happen even in this day of high quality control. One thing that is not an error is where I pulled this card from the pack. Most readers out there have ripped enough Topps to know that the Checklists are usually filler inserts in the packs, kind of like the Top of the Class or Rookie Cup ads. The checklists can still be annoying, especially after you've pulled a half-dozen of each one, but they don't count against you towards the number of cards in the pack so who cares. Well, this checklist was not a filler. It replaced a regular card in the pack. It's printed on the same stock as the rest of the set, so I'm guessing it was on purpose and not just a pack that was short one card. In a pack with only 6 cards to begin with, getting shafted on one card isn't very fun.So we have a disappointing opening day game and a disappointing Opening Day card. Luckily there is a remedy for the opening day game blues. The Braves play the Nationals Sunday night in the Nat's new home park. It will be all alone on the schedule, there will be fanfare and bunting and the President throwing out the first ball. History will be made. Will Chipper Jones get the first hit in the new stadium? Will Ryan Zimmerman hit the first homer? Can the Nats christen the stadium with a win? That's a real opening day game, and you won't have to drink an extra pot of coffee at work the next day either just to stay awake.
So the opening day problem has been solved, so what to do with our crummy little checklist? Why, the only thing that should be done with crummy little checklists:
Now that felt pretty good. That felt real good actually. I kinda want to go out and buy a couple more packs now so I can check off a few more boxes. Maybe I'll do that for opening day.Update: Apparently Jeff Schultz agrees.
Baseball Card Tournament: First Round - Birmingham
It's tourney time, so let's have a tournament. Here are 64 random cards from my archive of scans. I will seed them and match them up into brackets. Each card that advances to the next round gets more written about it. If you want to know more about a card, vote for it - your votes determine the winner. Feel free to vote for the other first round matchups as well. Voting is open until Wednesday or so so we can start the second round on Thursday.
First Round - Birmingham
East Region
#6 2005 Upper Deck Origins Travis Hafner Old Judge
It amazes me how Pronk always manages to look Pronky on his cards. One of these days I am going to find a cheap set of UD Origins on eBay, pull out a sharp pair of scissors, and cut off all those ugly green borders so the set can be enjoyed the way it was supposed to be.
vs.
#11 1991 Conlon Collection Honus Wagner
The Flying Dutchman is looking particularly crotchety on this card. I love the Conlon set, I don't love how eBay scam artists try to sell them for 5-10 bucks a pop as a card from "1939" or whatever date is on the card. Lousy rip offs.
#3 1992 Upper Deck Tom Selleck Mr. Baseball
Frank Thomas in a Yankees uniform is one of those things that scared me to death about 10 years ago. Magnum PI is the bomb though, so I'll let it slide.
vs.
#14 2001 Upper Deck Rafael Soriano
I found this card out of nowhere looking for Steve's St. Patty's day contest prize. I still can't believe we got him for Horacio Ramirez.
#7 1976 Topps Marvel Howard The Duck sticker
Ok, ok. HEAR ME OUT. I know what you're thinking, but Howard the Duck is GOOD. No, seriously. It's that idiot Lucas who screwed him up so badly. The moron should have stuck to Star Wars. The actual comic from the 70's is pure genius. Here's a cool interview from his creator, Steve Gerber, who recently passed away. Somebody please back me up on this... Thorzul? Anyone?
vs.
#10 1987 Topps Jay Howell
I unexpectedly got this guy's autograph at the Braves Fan Fest this winter. The guy big-timed me while he was signing, but oh well. Everyone loves '87 Topps so poor Howard is doooomed.
#2 2005 Donruss Studio Portraits Mark Teixeira #22/30
I love love love these old retro inserts from Donruss, even though the byzantine serial numbering system that depends on the border color, color or sepia photo, ad back, phase of the moon and player's I Ching reading make the Moments and Milestones checklist look positively obvious. The design is ripped off from the Honest Cabinet series from Duke cigarettes, ACC designation N142. I probably shouldn't have told you that since you guys are killing my Nineteenth century cards.
vs.
#15 1981 Fleer Football Halftime
Fleer Action football sets are a neat obscure 80's set for the football fans out there. I chose this one because of the dudes playing tuba on the card.
Final Scores:
Travis Hafner 4, Honus Wagner 3 (ot)
Tom Selleck 2, Rafael Soriano 4
Howard the Duck 5, Jay Howell 2
Mark Teixeira 4, Halftime 3 (ot)
East Region
#6 2005 Upper Deck Origins Travis Hafner Old Judge
It amazes me how Pronk always manages to look Pronky on his cards. One of these days I am going to find a cheap set of UD Origins on eBay, pull out a sharp pair of scissors, and cut off all those ugly green borders so the set can be enjoyed the way it was supposed to be.vs.
#11 1991 Conlon Collection Honus Wagner
The Flying Dutchman is looking particularly crotchety on this card. I love the Conlon set, I don't love how eBay scam artists try to sell them for 5-10 bucks a pop as a card from "1939" or whatever date is on the card. Lousy rip offs.#3 1992 Upper Deck Tom Selleck Mr. Baseball
Frank Thomas in a Yankees uniform is one of those things that scared me to death about 10 years ago. Magnum PI is the bomb though, so I'll let it slide.vs.
#14 2001 Upper Deck Rafael Soriano
I found this card out of nowhere looking for Steve's St. Patty's day contest prize. I still can't believe we got him for Horacio Ramirez.#7 1976 Topps Marvel Howard The Duck sticker
Ok, ok. HEAR ME OUT. I know what you're thinking, but Howard the Duck is GOOD. No, seriously. It's that idiot Lucas who screwed him up so badly. The moron should have stuck to Star Wars. The actual comic from the 70's is pure genius. Here's a cool interview from his creator, Steve Gerber, who recently passed away. Somebody please back me up on this... Thorzul? Anyone?vs.
#10 1987 Topps Jay Howell
I unexpectedly got this guy's autograph at the Braves Fan Fest this winter. The guy big-timed me while he was signing, but oh well. Everyone loves '87 Topps so poor Howard is doooomed.#2 2005 Donruss Studio Portraits Mark Teixeira #22/30
I love love love these old retro inserts from Donruss, even though the byzantine serial numbering system that depends on the border color, color or sepia photo, ad back, phase of the moon and player's I Ching reading make the Moments and Milestones checklist look positively obvious. The design is ripped off from the Honest Cabinet series from Duke cigarettes, ACC designation N142. I probably shouldn't have told you that since you guys are killing my Nineteenth century cards.vs.
#15 1981 Fleer Football Halftime
Fleer Action football sets are a neat obscure 80's set for the football fans out there. I chose this one because of the dudes playing tuba on the card.Final Scores:
Travis Hafner 4, Honus Wagner 3 (ot)
Tom Selleck 2, Rafael Soriano 4
Howard the Duck 5, Jay Howell 2
Mark Teixeira 4, Halftime 3 (ot)
What Th-?
Ok it's 50 degrees here, sunny, some dude is out mowing his lawn and all of a sudden...
SNOW FLURRIES.
IN ATLANTA.
AFTER EASTER.
What in the world is going on around here??
This is not right.
I think it's this guy's fault:
The Weather Gods have not gotten their yearly blood sacrifice and they're antsy. No pulled groins for Mike. No broken bones. No arms falling off the guy. No shredded ligaments. No ribs spontaneously ejecting from his chest. Mike is completely healthy and pitching well late into spring training. Seriously, if it weren't for Smoltzie's wonky shoulder, I fear it would look like The Day After Tomorrow around here. Don't panic folks, Smoltz will probably end up making his debut against the Mets so he won't be missing any time other than Spring Training, which he kind of skipped this year anyway with him pitching simulated games. I'd rather see him healthy in September/October instead of April anyway. Besides, a blizzard would be fun and a 5 man rotation would be even more fun.
SNOW FLURRIES.
IN ATLANTA.
AFTER EASTER.
What in the world is going on around here??
This is not right.
I think it's this guy's fault:
The Weather Gods have not gotten their yearly blood sacrifice and they're antsy. No pulled groins for Mike. No broken bones. No arms falling off the guy. No shredded ligaments. No ribs spontaneously ejecting from his chest. Mike is completely healthy and pitching well late into spring training. Seriously, if it weren't for Smoltzie's wonky shoulder, I fear it would look like The Day After Tomorrow around here. Don't panic folks, Smoltz will probably end up making his debut against the Mets so he won't be missing any time other than Spring Training, which he kind of skipped this year anyway with him pitching simulated games. I'd rather see him healthy in September/October instead of April anyway. Besides, a blizzard would be fun and a 5 man rotation would be even more fun.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Atlanta Falcons Offseason
Crumpler...
Turner...
Dunn...
HARRINGTON?!?!?
Deangelo...
Elam???
I... I don't even know what to say anymore. I really don't. I don't even know if I like some of the moves or not. Take the Joey Harrington signing. Joey Harrington is a terrible quarterback and I'd rather have Tony Graziani leading the squad. But........ his signing might mean that the Falcons are finally going to focus on rebuilding (oh who am I kidding, flat out building) an offensive line the next couple of years and they just need a warm body to hand the ball to Turner for a while. I just don't know.
They better have a damn good draft next month. One where there is a real plan for building the team with no WTF moments like picking Roddy White when they desperately needed help on the defense. Selecting Jake Long would be great. (aw jeez, I agree with Terence Moore) Trading the #3 to some sucker drooling over McFadden for a truckload of picks would be even better. Picking Matt Ryan so he can get his ass handed to him until he ends up the next David Carr would be sub-optimal. I really hope Dimitroff knows what he's doing, because I've got over 25 years of suffering and disappointment invested in this lousy franchise and I can't take it anymore.
I'm this close to defecting to the Titans. That I do know.
Turner...
Dunn...
HARRINGTON?!?!?
Deangelo...
Elam???
I... I don't even know what to say anymore. I really don't. I don't even know if I like some of the moves or not. Take the Joey Harrington signing. Joey Harrington is a terrible quarterback and I'd rather have Tony Graziani leading the squad. But........ his signing might mean that the Falcons are finally going to focus on rebuilding (oh who am I kidding, flat out building) an offensive line the next couple of years and they just need a warm body to hand the ball to Turner for a while. I just don't know.
They better have a damn good draft next month. One where there is a real plan for building the team with no WTF moments like picking Roddy White when they desperately needed help on the defense. Selecting Jake Long would be great. (aw jeez, I agree with Terence Moore) Trading the #3 to some sucker drooling over McFadden for a truckload of picks would be even better. Picking Matt Ryan so he can get his ass handed to him until he ends up the next David Carr would be sub-optimal. I really hope Dimitroff knows what he's doing, because I've got over 25 years of suffering and disappointment invested in this lousy franchise and I can't take it anymore.
I'm this close to defecting to the Titans. That I do know.
Baseball Card Tournament: First Round - Washington D.C.
It's tourney time, so let's have a tournament. Here are 64 random cards from my archive of scans. I will seed them and match them up into brackets. Each card that advances to the next round gets more written about it. If you want to know more about a card, vote for it - your votes determine the winner.
First Round - Washington D.C
West Region
#6 1994 Upper Deck Fun Pack Greg Maddux/Roger Clemens
I love this card for the way Greg Maddux's greatness almost totally eclipses that other guy. He's only 7 wins behind so more eclipsing will be done this year.
vs.
#11 2006 Upper Deck All Time Legends Jimmie Foxx
#3 1888 Duke N133 State and Territorial Governors Florida
These beautiful triple folder cards make up my absolute favorite nineteenth century set. Bar none. The backs are just as fascinating as the fronts.
vs.
#14 1980-1981 Topps Rudy Tomjonovich, Eddie Johnson and Doug Collins
The other half of the triple card bracket features Eddie Johnson in a coach sandwich. I bought a vendor's box of this stuff for 7 bucks back in the 80's. I got a complete set out of it, too bad it's a separated complete set.
#7 2000 Fleer EX Jose Canseco
Anyone who remembers the outstanding 1998 and 1999 EX sets will understand how disappointed I was to open five packs of this stuff and find this. At least this Canseco I recently picked up didn't peel off the front like my Jeter did.
vs.
#10 1993 Upper Deck Robin Yount Glow Stars
What a beautiful, beautiful mess this card is. Back when companies actually put some effort into the cards they marketed towards kids.
#2 2002 Fleer Greats of the Game Tony Oliva Autograph
Tony was one of the absolute best hitters of his time, but since he hasn't made the Hall yet no one knows who he is anymore. Thank goodness for ignorant collectors chasing rookie 'graphs looking for the 'next big thing' that allow me to pick up an auto like this for 5 bucks.
vs.
#15 2006 Topps Chrome Declaration of Independence Stephen Hopkins Refractor
One of the funniest characters in 1776. "Give her a flourish for me, young feller!"
Final Scores:
Maddux/Clemens 2, Jimmie Foxx 3
Governor Perry 2, Tomjanovich/Johnson/Collins 3
Jose Canseco 2, Robin Yount 4
Tony Oliva 3, Stephen Hopkins 2
West Region
#6 1994 Upper Deck Fun Pack Greg Maddux/Roger Clemens
I love this card for the way Greg Maddux's greatness almost totally eclipses that other guy. He's only 7 wins behind so more eclipsing will be done this year.vs.
#11 2006 Upper Deck All Time Legends Jimmie Foxx
X is the first
Of two x's in Foxx
Who was right behind Ruth
With his powerful soxx. — Ogden Nash
#3 1888 Duke N133 State and Territorial Governors Florida
These beautiful triple folder cards make up my absolute favorite nineteenth century set. Bar none. The backs are just as fascinating as the fronts.vs.
#14 1980-1981 Topps Rudy Tomjonovich, Eddie Johnson and Doug Collins
The other half of the triple card bracket features Eddie Johnson in a coach sandwich. I bought a vendor's box of this stuff for 7 bucks back in the 80's. I got a complete set out of it, too bad it's a separated complete set.#7 2000 Fleer EX Jose Canseco
Anyone who remembers the outstanding 1998 and 1999 EX sets will understand how disappointed I was to open five packs of this stuff and find this. At least this Canseco I recently picked up didn't peel off the front like my Jeter did.vs.
#10 1993 Upper Deck Robin Yount Glow Stars
What a beautiful, beautiful mess this card is. Back when companies actually put some effort into the cards they marketed towards kids.#2 2002 Fleer Greats of the Game Tony Oliva Autograph
Tony was one of the absolute best hitters of his time, but since he hasn't made the Hall yet no one knows who he is anymore. Thank goodness for ignorant collectors chasing rookie 'graphs looking for the 'next big thing' that allow me to pick up an auto like this for 5 bucks.vs.
#15 2006 Topps Chrome Declaration of Independence Stephen Hopkins Refractor
One of the funniest characters in 1776. "Give her a flourish for me, young feller!"Final Scores:
Maddux/Clemens 2, Jimmie Foxx 3
Governor Perry 2, Tomjanovich/Johnson/Collins 3
Jose Canseco 2, Robin Yount 4
Tony Oliva 3, Stephen Hopkins 2
Javy Retires
I better do this before Brian has a heart attack...
Javy Lopez retired yesterday after being told that he wouldn't break camp with the team in Atlanta. Javy decided to hang 'em up instead of going to Richmond to wait for an opportunity to get called up to the bigs.
Javy got caught up in a numbers game, the Braves have a bunch of talented young catchers and quite a few players out of options. Not a good combination for a non-roster invite trying to make the club. Brayan Pena will probably make the opening day roster, assuming he's not traded to make room for Clint Sammons. It's a little disappointing he won't even make the two exhibition games against the Indians next week at Turner Field, it would have been nice to see him catch at the Ted one last time. Hopefully Javy will one last appearance on a Braves card in one of the second series sets. I've got a Gary Matthews Jr. card in a Braves uni, Javy's more deserving than him. Put 'em in the set, Topps!
Javy Lopez retired yesterday after being told that he wouldn't break camp with the team in Atlanta. Javy decided to hang 'em up instead of going to Richmond to wait for an opportunity to get called up to the bigs.
Javy got caught up in a numbers game, the Braves have a bunch of talented young catchers and quite a few players out of options. Not a good combination for a non-roster invite trying to make the club. Brayan Pena will probably make the opening day roster, assuming he's not traded to make room for Clint Sammons. It's a little disappointing he won't even make the two exhibition games against the Indians next week at Turner Field, it would have been nice to see him catch at the Ted one last time. Hopefully Javy will one last appearance on a Braves card in one of the second series sets. I've got a Gary Matthews Jr. card in a Braves uni, Javy's more deserving than him. Put 'em in the set, Topps!
Baseball Card Tournament: First Round - Omaha
It's tourney time, so let's have a tournament. Here are 64 random cards from my archive of scans. I will seed them and match them up into brackets. Each card that advances to the next round gets more written about it. If you want to know more about a card, vote for it - your votes determine the winner. Feel free to vote for the other first round matchups as well.
This is one of the cards that I got in that big trade with Chris Harris that I haven't gotten around to writing about yet. Cory missed last year with shoulder problems, but he should be back this year and it's a freaking refractor auto. Even if he bombs it shore is purdy.
vs.
#16 1991 Upper Deck Domino's Chris Miller
This is the guy that made Brett Favre expendable. When I think how much bad pizza I ate for these cards...
#8 2007 Turkey Red Jimmy Rollins
A great looking painting, an amazing action scene, an all around wonderful card, and all I can see is the Turkey Hill ad on the wall. What, no love for Wawa?
vs.
#9 1987 Drake's Big Hitters Jim Rice
Now this is a proper oddball food card. Cut right off the box.
#6 1995 Fleer Sticker Cal Ripken Jr.
I didn't even know Fleer had a sticker set in 1995. Well, it's actually Panini, but it's got the Fleer logo on it.
vs.
#11 1961 Topps Danny Kravitz
Venkman: Nimble little minx, isn't she?
Spengler: We're gonna go full stream.
Stantz: Aim for the flattop!
#3 1981 Donruss Yogi Berra
Yogi! Everybody loves Yogi. Plus this card has a special seecrit power.....
vs.
#14 1992 Topps Kids Albert Belle
GRAAAR! BELLE SMASH!
Final Scores:
Cary Rasmus 6, Chris Miller 1
Jimmy Rollins 5, Jim Rice 2
Cal Ripken Jr. 2, Danny Kravitz 5
Yogi Berra 6, Albert Belle 1
First Round - Omaha
Midwest Region
#1 2006 Bowman Chrome Cory Rasmus Auto Refractor
#1 2006 Bowman Chrome Cory Rasmus Auto Refractor
This is one of the cards that I got in that big trade with Chris Harris that I haven't gotten around to writing about yet. Cory missed last year with shoulder problems, but he should be back this year and it's a freaking refractor auto. Even if he bombs it shore is purdy.vs.
#16 1991 Upper Deck Domino's Chris Miller
This is the guy that made Brett Favre expendable. When I think how much bad pizza I ate for these cards...#8 2007 Turkey Red Jimmy Rollins
A great looking painting, an amazing action scene, an all around wonderful card, and all I can see is the Turkey Hill ad on the wall. What, no love for Wawa?vs.
#9 1987 Drake's Big Hitters Jim Rice
Now this is a proper oddball food card. Cut right off the box.#6 1995 Fleer Sticker Cal Ripken Jr.
I didn't even know Fleer had a sticker set in 1995. Well, it's actually Panini, but it's got the Fleer logo on it.vs.
#11 1961 Topps Danny Kravitz
Venkman: Nimble little minx, isn't she?Spengler: We're gonna go full stream.
Stantz: Aim for the flattop!
#3 1981 Donruss Yogi Berra
Yogi! Everybody loves Yogi. Plus this card has a special seecrit power.....vs.
#14 1992 Topps Kids Albert Belle
GRAAAR! BELLE SMASH!Final Scores:
Cary Rasmus 6, Chris Miller 1
Jimmy Rollins 5, Jim Rice 2
Cal Ripken Jr. 2, Danny Kravitz 5
Yogi Berra 6, Albert Belle 1
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Baseball Card Tournament: First Round - Raleigh
It's tourney time, so let's have a tournament. Here are 64 random cards from my archive of scans. I will seed them and match them up into brackets. Each card that advances to the next round gets more written about it. If you want to know more about a card, vote for it - your votes determine the winner. Feel free to vote for the other first round matchups as well.
First Round - Raleigh
East Region
#1 2007 Moments And Milestones Derek Jeter #3/10
This card was the big hit from an inexplicable Moments and Milestones pack ripping binge.
vs.
#16 1972 Topps Checklist
Whoever filled out this checklist was very similar to myself - meticulously filling in the squares completely, messing up on a couple and putting a little scribble next to the name to note the goof and having mostly lousy cards. The guy even had the Chris Chambliss rookie card.
#8 2002 Topps American Pie Statue of Liberty
This is one of the nicer non-sports cards in the now utterly forgotten American Pie sets.
vs.
#9 2002 Donruss Studio Paul Lo Duca Spirit of the Game
For some reason there were a whole lot of American Flags all over 2002 sets. Paul LoDuca wasn't on every card in 2002, but it seems that way to me.
Midwest Region
#7 1995 Gil Elvgren Prototype Fire Bell
I really really like this card, can ya tell? Anyone know where I can find a set of this stuff?
vs.
#10 1987 Classic Yellow Joe Niekro
To be fair, knuckleballers do need emery boards because their fingernails are very important in gripping the ball correctly. The sandpaper, Vaseline, exact-o knife and cordless belt sander were a bit of overkill, however.
#2 2008 Topps Heritage Eddie Mathews Relic
I didn't even know Eddie was in the set, let alone had a relic card. The fact that Don Newcombe gets a mention is an even more pleasant surprise.
vs.
#15 2003 Bowman Chrome Quincy Carter
Wasted Opportunity, thy name is Quincy Carter. Seriously guys, if you have to smoke the weed, wait till your damn career is over and you've made your money at least.
Final Scores:
Derek Jeter 0, Checklist 6
Statue of Liberty 5, Paul LoDuca 1
Gil Elvgren 5, Joe Niekro 1
Eddie Mathews 5, Quincy Carter 1
#1 2007 Moments And Milestones Derek Jeter #3/10
This card was the big hit from an inexplicable Moments and Milestones pack ripping binge.vs.
#16 1972 Topps Checklist
Whoever filled out this checklist was very similar to myself - meticulously filling in the squares completely, messing up on a couple and putting a little scribble next to the name to note the goof and having mostly lousy cards. The guy even had the Chris Chambliss rookie card.#8 2002 Topps American Pie Statue of Liberty
This is one of the nicer non-sports cards in the now utterly forgotten American Pie sets.vs.
#9 2002 Donruss Studio Paul Lo Duca Spirit of the Game
For some reason there were a whole lot of American Flags all over 2002 sets. Paul LoDuca wasn't on every card in 2002, but it seems that way to me.Midwest Region
#7 1995 Gil Elvgren Prototype Fire Bell
I really really like this card, can ya tell? Anyone know where I can find a set of this stuff?vs.
#10 1987 Classic Yellow Joe Niekro
To be fair, knuckleballers do need emery boards because their fingernails are very important in gripping the ball correctly. The sandpaper, Vaseline, exact-o knife and cordless belt sander were a bit of overkill, however.#2 2008 Topps Heritage Eddie Mathews Relic
I didn't even know Eddie was in the set, let alone had a relic card. The fact that Don Newcombe gets a mention is an even more pleasant surprise.vs.
#15 2003 Bowman Chrome Quincy Carter
Wasted Opportunity, thy name is Quincy Carter. Seriously guys, if you have to smoke the weed, wait till your damn career is over and you've made your money at least.Final Scores:
Derek Jeter 0, Checklist 6
Statue of Liberty 5, Paul LoDuca 1
Gil Elvgren 5, Joe Niekro 1
Eddie Mathews 5, Quincy Carter 1
Baseball Card Tournament: First Round - Tampa
It's tourney time, so let's have a tournament. Here are 64 random cards from my archive of scans. I will seed them and match them up into brackets. Each card that advances to the next round gets more written about it. If you want to know more about a card, vote for it - your votes determine the winner. Feel free to vote for the other first round matchups as well.
First Round - Tampa
Midwest Region
#5 2003 Topps Fan Favorites Monte Irvin No Sig Variation
Monte Irvin is one of my favorites and this not-scarce variation card eluded me for years. (Thanks, Andy)
vs.
#12 2007 Topps Heritage WWE John Cena Allen & Ginter
I don't even know who this guy is, but it's an A&G mini, which is all that counts. What the heck is on that shirt? It looks like a bulldog with a cabbage for a hat.
#4 2006 Topps Co-Signers Tim Hudson/Andruw Jones Duo
I'm sorry, but Co-Signers is not an attractive set. This card has Huddy and Druw on it though so it's all good. Well, not all good... Tim doesn't need extreme close ups on his cards. Very few baseball players do, actually.
vs.
#12 2006 Grandstand Southern League Joey Votto
Another neat card from a reader in Alabama. The set this came in is freakin' loaded, I chose Votto for the cool Chattanooga Lookouts logo.
West Region
#5 2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Yunel Escobar Refractor
Watching Yunel in Spring Training is giving me Rafael Furcal flashbacks. Oh yes, this is a good thing. A very, very good thing.
vs.
#12 2002 Donruss Super Estrella Mariano Rivera Nacion De Origen
So who else bought up a few boxes of this Spanish-language Donruss product when it was dirt cheap at Wal-Mart? Let me guess, you didn't finish your set either.
#4 1995 Score Don Mattingly Platinum Team Set
This is my second-favorite Score set and it kills me that it's totally ignored. I got this redemption-only parallel card out of a dollar grab bag. No respect. No respect at all.
vs.
#13 1995 Topps Royce Clayton Cyber Stats
Between the glowy foil, bullet-time and cyberstats, Royce Clayton is apparently playing in The Matrix. Take the blue pill, Royce, the blue one!
Final Scores:
Monte Irvin 6, John Cena 1
Hudson/Jones 1, Joey Votto 6
Yunel Escobar 6, Mariano Rivera 1
Don Mattingly 5, Royce Clayton 2
Midwest Region
#5 2003 Topps Fan Favorites Monte Irvin No Sig Variation
Monte Irvin is one of my favorites and this not-scarce variation card eluded me for years. (Thanks, Andy)vs.
#12 2007 Topps Heritage WWE John Cena Allen & Ginter
I don't even know who this guy is, but it's an A&G mini, which is all that counts. What the heck is on that shirt? It looks like a bulldog with a cabbage for a hat.#4 2006 Topps Co-Signers Tim Hudson/Andruw Jones Duo
I'm sorry, but Co-Signers is not an attractive set. This card has Huddy and Druw on it though so it's all good. Well, not all good... Tim doesn't need extreme close ups on his cards. Very few baseball players do, actually.vs.
#12 2006 Grandstand Southern League Joey Votto
Another neat card from a reader in Alabama. The set this came in is freakin' loaded, I chose Votto for the cool Chattanooga Lookouts logo.West Region
#5 2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Yunel Escobar Refractor
Watching Yunel in Spring Training is giving me Rafael Furcal flashbacks. Oh yes, this is a good thing. A very, very good thing.vs.
#12 2002 Donruss Super Estrella Mariano Rivera Nacion De Origen
So who else bought up a few boxes of this Spanish-language Donruss product when it was dirt cheap at Wal-Mart? Let me guess, you didn't finish your set either.#4 1995 Score Don Mattingly Platinum Team Set
This is my second-favorite Score set and it kills me that it's totally ignored. I got this redemption-only parallel card out of a dollar grab bag. No respect. No respect at all.vs.
#13 1995 Topps Royce Clayton Cyber Stats
Between the glowy foil, bullet-time and cyberstats, Royce Clayton is apparently playing in The Matrix. Take the blue pill, Royce, the blue one!Final Scores:
Monte Irvin 6, John Cena 1
Hudson/Jones 1, Joey Votto 6
Yunel Escobar 6, Mariano Rivera 1
Don Mattingly 5, Royce Clayton 2
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)