Still Think the WBC is Boring?

Netherlands 2, Dominican Republic 1.

11 innings.

Walk off single by Yurendell De Caster to plate Eugene Kingsale.

The Dominican Republic and all their major league talent are eliminated from the tournament.

The Ex-Cub Factor may have been refuted, but it's still not smart to depend on one when elimination is on the line.

Also: David Pinto ended up live blogging the game on Baseball Musings if you're interested in how it all went down.

09 Macs

Gotta post something, I suppose... If I stay gone too long you'll think I immersed myself into Achewood's massive archives and ended up lost in that world forever. Nah, I do need to post some cards though. How about Brian McCann's two base set cards this year? He did hit a homer against Canada yesterday you know. I won't mention his celebrating the victory with a Met pitcher. T'was a breif moment of victorious exuberance, nothing more.

Anyway, so which is better, Brian the catcher:

or Brian the hitter?

(I'm leaning towards Brian the catcher myself)

Cards courtesy AdamE, who will be getting some Red Sox eventually.

Six Third Basemen

Here's cards for all the third baseman up in that poll over on the right. Hopefully this post will help you determine the right choice.

Also: Fifth Blog Bat Around - Topic will be up on let's say....... Monday.

Mike Schmidt

Hall of Fame, World Championship, 548 home runs, 3 NL MVPs, 10 Gold Gloves.

Brooks Robinson

Hall of Fame, 2 World Championships, AL MVP, 16 Gold Gloves, 18 All Star appearances.

George Brett

Hall of Fame, World Championship, AL MVP, 317 home runs, .305 lifetime average.

Eddie Mathews

Hall of Fame, 2 World Championships, 12 All Star appearances, 512 home runs, 143 career OPS+.

Alex Rodriguez

Really a shortstop, juiced it up, schtupped Madonna, has more money than Sub-Saharan Africa, out till May.

Bob Horner

#1 draft pick, four home runs in one game, if you squint at this name right in the right font it looks like Bob Homer, would have been a Hall of Famer if he had even half of a functional knee, my favorite player when I was a kid so please give him enough sympathy votes to put him past A-Rod, ok?

1961 Nu-Cards Baseball Scoops Braves Team Set

Thanks again for everyone's support. You know I couldn't stay gone for too long and besides, I had a very productive day today.

I got a 1961 Nu-Card Baseball Scoops card from Matt G. (same guy who sent me the Chipper Flipper) And I thought I'd show off my Braves Nu-Card set. After reviewing the checklist it turns out I don't actually have a complete team set but I'm showing 'em off anyway. As you can see the set has a newspaper headline theme. The company came out with a similar set in a larger format size the year before with both the photo and the text on the front and a quiz on the back. For some reason the 80 card 1961 set starts at #401 and goes to #480. This is a good set for cheapskates as you can usually find high-quality star cards for under $100. Yes, even Mantles.

402 Warren Spahn Hurls No-Hitter, Whiffs 15

408 Braves' Lew Burdette Wins No-Hitter


412 Eddie Mathews Blasts 300th Big League Homer


425 Red Schoendienst Key Player in Victory


433 Adcock Gets Four Homers, Double


435 Burdette Beats Yanks in 3 Series Games


451 Braves Take Pennant


462 Aaron's Bat Beats Yankees in Series


463 Warren Spahn Beats Yanks in World Series

Somehow Spahn has eluded me. No worries, it's just another thing to chase. You can kind of see why these cards aren't all that popular, but then again that's the whole oddball appeal.

I've still got plenty of vintage stuff to post and to be honest a lot of newer stuff I never got around to. I will let you in on a little secret: Next week I just might rip a box of colorful retro horizontal cards. Keep it under your hat though...

Offline for a bit

I got a bit of a bombshell this morning.

If you've been watching the news at all in the past 6 months, you'll probably guess what it is. Once I get stuff in order I'll be back.

Thanks.

Chipper & Zistle

I got these shiny Chippers from Mario at Wax Heaven recently. Ain't they purdy?



That last one is a jumbo sized box topper. These three cards got the honor of being the first ones I loaded into my collection at Zistle. They send me a Beta invide a while back but I just got around to setting up an account this weekend. I've only messed with it for an hour or so, but it seems like a decent place to catalog your collection. It's easy to enter new cards in the system and it's one click to add an existing card in their database to your collection. I'm having some issues sorting and actually finding the cards easily, but I really haven't played with it enough to get the hang of it yet. It's still in beta, so there are links to give them feeedback everywhere. I've only put in about 15 cards so far, but I initial impression is favorable.

I've been looking for a way to catalog my Chipper Jones collection for a while (I've been putting it into a spreadsheet up until now, blecch) and I'm going to give this a shot. I'm getting jealous of everyone bragging about their Cansecos and Mattinglys and Lincecums and I want to be able to throw out a nice big number for my Chippers too. Give me a week or so to really get my mitts into it and I'll give a full report.

Now I just have to join Carboard Connection and find a new e-mail account for trading and I'll really be in business...

I am having excellent luck with the Topps patches so far

After pulling the really nice looking Tom Seaver patch on my first Topps blaster, this is what I got out of the second:

Yep, that's the Schmidt I was drooling over on the checklist. The best third baseman ever and a White Sox All-Star patch. Now I'm intrigued to find out what all these patches are. Thorzul just pulled a Braves patch on A Pack A Day. I'm going to try to put together a checklist of these things this week with the subject and the patch. If anyone has pulled one, I'd be interested to find out what you got. If you want to send me an image, I'll put together a gallery of the things.

YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS

This news makes up for Thom Terrific.

Braves broadcasts change FM stations in Atlanta.

The Atlanta Braves and Clear Channel have announced that 2009 Braves games will be aired on 96.1 FM while continuing on 640 WGST.

The previous two seasons, games were on sister station 94.9 The Bull.

Clear Channel also will air 52 Braves games on VIVA 105.7, broadcasting every Sunday and Tuesday game in Spanish.

You do not know how depressing it was last year to have the Braves Postgame show end after a loss and turn into lame Nashville pop country sludge. Willie, Hank or the Man in Black would have been fine but that plastic prepackaged fake country garbage can go take a flying leap. My radio station presets have already been changed. 96 Rock, BABY! (ok so it's project 9-6-1 now, it's still 96 rock to me dammit) ClearChannel actually did something right. Jesus, the Apocolypse must be upon us.

Three links for a monday afternoon

I'm trying to get packages together and cards sorted today so here's three interesting links to get you through the long afternoon. Also: if you have a blog and I have not linked to it over there on that sidebar, send me an e-mail. I'm putting together a links post tonight. If you have e-mailed me already, do it again. If you don't want to e-mail me, then use your psychic brain waves to beam the URL into my head. Now to the links.

Mario from Wax Heaven interviews Pete Williams, the author of Card Sharks: How Upper Deck Turned A Child’s Hobby Into A High-Stakes, Billion-Dollar Business. The book is hard to find now, but Mario went straight to the source.

Ol' Joe alerted me to a vending box CASE BREAK of 1976 Topps. This might get me through the long afternoon.

Finally, I found this baseball vignette while lurking on the interwebs. No, I didn't make it, but it had me laughing for quite a while.

Real posts later this afternoon/tonight. I have a feeling this will end up on the banner in '10.

Marketecture

Yes, it's another 3AM post.

Saturday's Dilbert was shockingly relevant to recent events in our hobby.




Yeah, I bought another blaster. I'm a sucker for the Cosmic Bowling cards.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

No!

nononononononononononononononononono

NO.

RATFARTS!!!

Hat tip: BallCard Mania and The Topps Heritage Blog and Stale Gum via Someone who is about to get a big package of Cubs for gloating



no.

WHAT IS THIS DEMONRY part 2

It's snowing.

In Georgia.

It's not allowed to snow in Georgia.

Especially since I didn't see the local news do their annual SNOWDEATHWATCH 2009 - CRISIS IN ATLANTA - BUY ALL THE MILK AND BREAD YOU CAN POSSIBLY CARRY AND WATCH CHANNEL 2 ACTION NEWS NOW OR YOU'RE ALL DOOOOOOOOOOMED

Now I have a half a gallon of milk, some stale hot dog buns and I'm watching a Spring Training game on MLB network. So now I'm doooomed. Thanks Local News Channel.

In two months I'm going to be sweltering in 99 degree lows with 120% humidity, so Jack Frost needs to let me enjoy some mild weather for a few more weeks. Not this Snow/Rain (snain?) slushy monstrosity.

The worst part is I had an awesome 1991 Bowman football playoff card where the teams were playing in the snow all scanned and posted and ready to go for the inevitable "ZOMG SNOW" post and I looked for an hour and can't find the buggery bugger.

Damn snow.

UPDATE: Found it!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....

Online at 3AM

Why not post a 2008 Topps Opening Day Chipper Jones 'flipped' Flipper Card?

Front

Vertical flip

Double horizontal flip

Double vertical flip

Flip fantasia

Ok, so I guess '08 Opening Day didn't suck. Let's just go easy on the all red borders for a while, mmmmkay Topps?

Card courtesy reader Matt G. Phillies are on the way soon probably!