It's Not Over Yet

The Oakland Athletics' season is over, but that doesn't mean I've completely checked out.  There's still plenty of baseball for me to get excited about.

Today I'll break down the teams and players I'll be rooting for... and the only team I'll be rooting against this postseason.  Let's start off with my favorites...

#1:  Washington Nationals

2017 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP180 

Kurt Suzuki is my boy.  And guys like Scherzer, Soto, and Rendon are fun to root for as well.  Plus there are only two teams in this year's playoffs who are still looking to bring a World Series Championship home to their fans.  I'm not sure I like their chances with the Dodgers standing in their way, but I've never been shy about cheering for an underdog.  Go Nats!


#2:  Houston Astros

2011 Topps Update #US132

My second favorite player in the 2019 MLB Postseason is Jose Altuve, which puts the Astros ahead of teams like the Braves and Rays.  Plus with their talented lineup and solid rotation, I feel confident they'll give the Evil Empire a run for their money should the meet in the ALCS.


#3:  Atlanta Braves

2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks and Prospects #BDPP12

If I were to break these rankings down into tiers, this would be the last of my top tier teams.  Ever since the 90's when I'd watch them on TBS, I've had a soft spot for the Braves.

With each passing year, I've grown to admire and respect Freddie Freeman.  And even though he's been caught watching the ball fly off his bat twice, instead of hustling on the base paths... I still look forward to watching Acuna step into the batter's box.

The next four teams are my mid-tier teams.  I won't necessarily root for them unless they're playing the New York Yankees.


#4:  Tampa Bay Rays

2016 Five Star Autographs #FSA-BSN

As much as I admire small market teams like the Rays... they're still the team that eliminated the A's a few days ago.  Right now I'm pulling for the Astros.  However, I'd cheer for them if they end up facing the Yankees in the next round.

Favorite Ray:  Blake Snell


#5:  Los Angeles Dodgers

2014 Topps Allen and Ginter Autographs #AGA-CKR

The Dodgers are stacked and scary.  This summer I took a trip down to Southern California and had the opportunity to see just how impressive this lineup and starting rotation is.  I realize there are many Southern Californians who don't want to be associated with Northern Californians, but the feelings aren't mutual (at least with me).  I have no problem cheering for the Dodgers, since they're the lone team representing the state I've lived my entire life in.

Favorite Dodger:  Clayton Kershaw


#6:  St. Louis Cardinals

2019 Topps Chrome Refractors #51

Although I never claimed to be a fan, I loved tracking Willie McGee, Ozzie Smith, and Vince Coleman in the San Jose Mercury News every morning when I was a kid.  I cheered for them back in the 1987 when they played the Minnesota Twins in the World Series.  If they meet them again this year, I'll cheer for them again.

Favorite Cardinal:  Yadier Molina


#7:  Minnesota Twins

2019 Topps Chrome Refractors #51 147

I'm not a big Twins fan.  It seems like they always got the best of the A's whenever I watched them play back in the 80's.  And after Mauer retired at the end of last season, I haven't paid much attention to them.  I think I can name five, or maybe six guys on their roster... but I'd be lying if I said I took the time to check their statistics.

I'm rooting for them right now to take down the Yankees.  After that, I don't really see any other scenario where I'd be pulling for them.


#8:  New York Yankees

2013 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP160

Sure I don't mind supporting some of their players like Masahiro Tanaka, Gleyber Torres, and Miguel Andujar (when he's healthy)... but I honestly can't picture any scenario where I'll ever root for the New York Yankees in the postseason.

So there you have it.  My postseason rankings in regards to current fanfare.  What about you?

When your team's season is over, do you still continue to watch the playoffs?

Which teams are you rooting for this October?

Happy Saturday and sayonara!

Extra Innings

1991 Pro Set Super Stars MusiCards #292

Are you a fan of trading cards featuring musicians and bands?  If so, I encourage you to check out Gavin's newest project:  1991 MusiCards Blog.  It's a blog dedicated to showcasing the 1991 Pro Set Super Stars MusiCards set.  Gavin doesn't mess around.  Both of the posts I've read so far have been super informative, so if you love music, I'm positive you'll enjoy his blog.

Wrapping Things Up

Watching the Oakland A's season come to an end last night hurt.  I wasn't surprised.  The Tampa Bay Rays have been playing well and Charlie Morton had pitched well against them this season.  But the entire day leading up to the game... I kept telling myself that the A's would find a way to win the game.

Oh well.  Maybe next year.  Until then, let's check out the second half of my card show haul from last weekend...

Purchase #4:  2019 Topps Chrome $1

After digging through possibly the greatest dime boxes I've ever encountered... I moved on down to the next vendor who had a display case filled with high end autographs and rookie cards.  The dealer asked if I was looking for anything in particular and I ask if he had any 2019 Topps Chrome base cards.

He did.  The guy bent over and pulled out a 3,500ct. box with two rows worth of 2019 Topps Chrome.  I immediately asked him how much he was looking to get... and he said anywhere from 5 to 10¢ each.  That's a price I could live with... and the digging began.

After about twenty minutes, I ended up pulling out 35 cards and the guy ended up hooking me up with a one dollar price tag.


Purchase #5:  A Very Cool Tatis Rookie Card $20

2019 Topps Chrome Negative Refractor #203

After paying for the singles, I asked to see his Tatis rookies and one of the cards was a sepia refractor.  He originally had a $25 price tag, but I told him Tatis sepia refractors were selling in the $15 to $18 range.  I offered him $20, since he hooked me up with the great deal on the base cards and he accepted.

When I got home, I looked at the card a little closer and didn't see the typical brown tint that sepia refractors have.  After a little research, I figured out that this is a reverse negative refractor which is a little tougher to pull.

After I left the Chrome guy's table, I headed back to the guy with the awesome dime boxes.  My buddy Ben was still hanging out at his booth and the crowd had died down a little.  I decided to look at his graded cards.


Purchase #6:  Barry Bonds Rookie Card $4

It's hard to believe that this card sold once sold for close to $50 ungraded.  I realize that prices on this card have collapsed over the past decade or so, but $4 seemed like a fair price... especially since I'll be throwing it into my sports card time capsule and forgetting about it for a year or two.


Purchase #7:  Quarter Bin Packs and Sets  $2

The dime box guy also had two boxes filled with quarter packs and sets.  I grabbed out these 8 items that I'll probably write about in a future post.  By the way... the white pack labeled "super premium" contained a bunch of Upper Deck Looney Tunes holograms from the early 90's.  Honestly those singles were worth the two bucks by themselves.


Purchase #8:  Dollar Autographs  $3

The final purchase of the day came as I was about to leave the show.  My buddy who I drove up with was talking to his friend, so I started digging through this dealer's dollar box.  I just couldn't pass up these three cards for a buck a piece.

Adam Eaton isn't a perennial all-star, but he's a solid hitter for the Washington Nationals.  And if you collected cards in the early 90's, then you're familiar with Juan Guzman.  And the last card is one of those cut signature monstrosities created by TriStar.  However it's numbered #1/5, so it's an affordable addition to my Prime # PC.

Well that wraps up another Oakland A's baseball season... and another card show haul.  On the bright side, there's only one more day until the weekend and the De Anza Flea Market.

Until then...

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Best Dime Box Ever

Some people exercise to help them take their mind off of their problems.  Others use drugs.  Me?  I walk around my "not so local" card show.

On Saturday I went with my buddy Ben to the Serramonte Mall Sports Cards, Toys, & Collectibles Show and for a solid four hours, I barely gave "work" a second thought.  Instead I was blown away by the increased number of sports card dealers and some pretty solid deals.

I've got lots to share and not a lot of time, so let's get going...

Purchase #1: Time Capsule Items  $15

My first purchase of the day is probably my worst purchase of the day in regards to value.  However the $15 went to Tony... the flea market vendor I see on a regular basis.  He's hooked me up a few times over the years, so I didn't think twice when he quoted me this price.

Each of these cards were sitting in his $2 box and with the exception of the Jacob Nix and Frank Clark, they'll be thrown into the time capsule I've been dropping hints about.


Purchase #2:  Football Collection  $100

While driving up to Serramonte, my buddy and I were discussing how autographs and memorabilia cards just don't hold the attention of collectors as much as they used to.

However when I saw memorabilia cards of guys like Terry Bradshaw, Chuck Bednarik, and Earl Campbell sitting in a stack of top loaders, I couldn't help myself.  I asked the dealer how much he was selling them for and he told me they ranged from $3 to $5 each.  If I'd be willing to purchase the entire stack of 63 cards, he'd give them to me for $100.

$100 is a lot to drop on football cards, but there were no commons in this collection.  Only hall of famers and fan favorites.  My favorites were the three new additions to my Green Bay Packers PC and this Jim Otto:

The card is serial #'d 50/50, which means it's been added to my Prime # PC.

Purchase #3:  Best Dime Box Ever  $7

Okay.  This statement is obviously a little exaggerated.  But I was stoked to find so many cool cards for only a dime each.

The seller was a college kid who was set up for the first time at this show.  He had tons of vintage cards, a few graded cards, and really awesome dime boxes.  I would have spent more time at this guy's booth, but his stuff caught the attention of other collectors and dealers... and within five minutes of my arrival, he was swamped.

I'm not a big fan of rubbing elbows with other people, so I gathered my stack of cards, called over the dealer, and paid the guy.

I don't have the time to scan each card individually, but here are five of my favorites in the bunch:

When was the last time you found a Wade Boggs rookie card in a dime box?  There were also rookie cards of Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey, Darryl Strawberry, Jim Abbott, Will Clark, Robin Ventura, Steve Nash, Michael Irvin, and Teemu Selanne.  Plus some shiny inserts and parallels from the 90's... mixed in with a handful of memorabilia cards and autographs.

I'm just a little bummed thinking about what I left behind in those boxes.

Okay... this post seems to be dragging on and I want to limited my writing sessions to no more than an hour a day this week, so I'm going to split my card show haul into two posts.

It was nice to hang out at the card show and chat with other collectors including Dan who authors the blog:  The Other World.  We hung out with his buddy and talked about vintage cards, our collections, and they gave me a quick introduction to Magic: The Gathering cards.

Well that's it for today.  I'm going to try to post the rest of my card show haul on Thursday.  Until then...

What sort of things do you do to help you take your mind off of things?

Hopefully it doesn't involve anything too addictive or illegal.

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!