The Thank You, Plug, & The Contest Update

The Thank You:

For the past two years, I've slowly accumulated over forty different unopened baseball card packs. However, these aren't your everyday wax packs. They're baseball card packs from Japan, which I haven't been able to find at any of my local card shops or Japanese grocery stores.

So, how do I acquire my packs? Well... I used to buy them from an online store called the Yakyu Shop. Unfortunately, it closed its doors in 2011. But thankfully, I've made a few friends from across the Pacific who have generously offered to help me with my collection.

One of those guys is a fellow blogger: Ryan G. Last week, I received a package from him that included the following:

A Pair of Power Rangers

A Japanese Anime Card

Some Japanese Super Mario Cards

& 10 Packs of 2012 Calbee Pro Yakyu Chips Series One

I've already added the cards to my Japanese PC Binder and opened one of the packs for my post on A Pack To Be Named Later. I'll also be giving one of these packs away in a prize package. The rest I'll save for a rainy day.

Thanks Ryan.... I appreciate you putting together this package for me. Everyone else... if you haven't done so already, I encourage you to check out his two cardboard blogs: This Card Is Cool & Cardboard Zoo.

The Plug:

Last month, the PR manager from www.wholesalekeychain.com contacted me about reviewing some of their key chains on my blog. In return, they're allowing me to hand them out as contest prizes. So if you're a San Francisco Giants fan... check these out:

I'm not a Giants fan, but if I was, I'd keep the pewter one for myself. The bottle opener key chain is cool too, but I rarely drink bottled beverages.

Both of them are high quality key chains, not the kind you'd find in a dollar bin at the local flea market. Trust me, I know.

So, if you're in the market for a key chain that will last, please head over to their site and check out the other MLB teams, as well as NBA, NFL, NHL, Nascar, and collegiate products. They also offer engraving services for a small additional fee.

The Contest Update:

I'll break down the contest into two parts: The Dream Team mini contest and the week #4 overall standings.

Here are the results of the Dream Team Mini Contest:

SpastikMooss, Section 36, & Dan each guessed the exact number of cards, so they earned five points each. Dayf's guess came within one of the exact total, so he earned three points. Everyone else earned one point for participating... and to those who didn't participate... well, you lost a point.

I also gave points to the people who chose the least popular players. Nobody picked Magic, Jordan, or The Admiral. However... Stockton, Pippen, and Bird each received two contest entries. So if you picked any of those guys, you'll notice an additional two points added to your score.

After all the points have been tallied, here's what the scoreboard looks like after four weeks:

It's a pretty tight race with dayf, Greg Zakwin, and Richard Nebe Jr. sharing the lead with 31 points.

You'll also notice that points were deducted to those who didn't enter the Team USA contest. I'm essentially trying to clear out some of the people who aren't participating anymore and increase the odds of those who are.

If there's a zero next to your name, I'll be pulling your name from future totals. I'll also be cleaning out more names with the All-Star mini contest as well.

If you haven't submitted your All-Star Game predictions, click here. There's still plenty of time to get your guesses in. I'll accept your predictions until 3pm on Tuesday (the day of the game).

Okay... it's time to get some rest. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Sayonara!