Domo Arigato: Sam @ The Daily Dimwit

Earlier this month, I entered The Daily Dimwit's contest and as luck would have it... my name was on top of his randomization list. Which means that I got the pick of the litter from the ten cards he was giving away.

I was torn between a few cards (a Fausto Carmona autograph, Carl Crawford jersey card, and Felix Hernandez jersey card), but in the end I went with this:

It's a 2010 Topps Update "All-Star Stitches Gold" Alex Rodriguez event-worn piece from the 2010 MLB All-Star Game Festivities that's numbered 38/50.

I know some of you don't like "event-worn" pieces... and I normally would agree with you. But A-Rod has been one of the greatest hitters over the past 18 seasons and now I own a piece of his workout jersey. Throw in the fact that it's a prize from a contest... and the only thing left to say is thank you very much Senor Dimwit. It's much appreciated.

By the way, I encourage you to head over and check out his blog: The Daily Dimwit.

Right now running a group break of 2006 Artifacts baseball. There are currently eleven spots available at $30 per slot. You have the opportunity to pick the team you want. These are the teams that remain:

A's

Brewers

Rays

Dodgers/Dbacks/Pirates (you get all three teams)

Giants

Mariners

Nationals/Team USA (you get both teams)

Padres

Rockies

Tigers

White Sox

It's a 20 box case with four hits per case. In other words, 80 hits will be pulled out of this bust. Best of all... if you're team doesn't get a hit, he will personally pull a memorabilia card or autograph from his collection and add it to your base cards. That means, everyone wins. So head over there right now and check it out.

Today's question is...

After A-Rod retires, how many years will it take for him to be enshrined at Cooperstown?

It's been a long day... and I'm too tired to even begin to voice my opinion on ball players who have used PED's. So... I'll look forward to seeing what everyone else has to say on this topic.

Thanks again Sam... best of luck on the group break.

Have a great week everyone... and sayonara!

10 Cent Singles & a Funny Quote

One of the best things about going to card shows is sifting through people's bargain bins. It's pretty common to see guys selling singles for a dime a piece... but it's not often they include parallels, inserts, and rookies among those cards. So when I came across this guy's table on Friday night, I knew I had to go back on Saturday and look through his cards. Unfortunately, I was on a tight schedule... so I had to rush through... and in the end I only picked out 50 singles for $5.

I won't bore you with all of my findings. Instead, I'm here to show off my top 10 (actually 11) singles from this purchase. The list is based on which cards I like the most... and are not necessarily the cards with the highest book value. So... without further adieu... here's my list:

#10 2007 Topps A&G Mohandas Gandhi

I've always been a fan of A&G, mainly because of their non-sport cards included in the set. I knew I wanted this card as soon as I laid eyes upon it. Gandhi practiced non-violence and advocated that others should do the same.

#9 1968 Topps Norm Cash

A 43 year old piece of cardboard of a guy who was a 4x all-star, hit 377 homeruns, and had a career batting average of .271. Cash was straight up "Money" in his day.

#8 1995 Collector's Choice "Player's Club" Barry Sanders

I thought of Ice Cube as soon as I saw this card and not because of the way Barry froze defenses. It makes me want to sing We Be Clubbin' (beware explicit lyrics).

#7 1991 Ultra "Gold" Bo Jackson

Bo Knows Gold

#6a 2005 Topps Chrome "Refractor" Ed Reed

#6b 2006 Topps Chrome "Refractor" Ed Reed

Two sweet additions to my Ed Reed PC... and it only set me back 20 pennies.

#5 2006 Topps "Mantle HR History #1" Mickey Mantle

I don't like the Yankees and Mantle played before my time. Add the fact that I find inserts documenting home runs annoying and you're probably wondering why I like this card. Well if there's one card I'd want, it'd be the one documenting the first one he hit. Yippee!

#4 2008 Marvel Masterpieces 2 "Avengers" Captain America

Easily the coolest looking card I picked up this weekend. In person, the Captain is popping out of this card. As if I didn't have enough projects... I'll definitely be building this set.

#3 1971 Topps Oakland A's Team Card

A high numbered card... from a vintage set... of my favorite team... for 10 cents. Amazing.

#2 2000 Greats of the Game Vince Lombardi

I've been looking for a decent Lombardi card to go on my Packers' shelf. Since I can't afford the Pro Set Lombardi Trophy hologram... this will have to do.

#1 2004 Bowman Chrome Sean Taylor RC

If I could only have one card in the 50 card lot, I'd pick this one. Sean Taylor was a beast... and that hit he put on Moorman in 2007 is one of the greatest I've ever seen. Missed it? Here... check it out:

RIP Mr. Taylor.

By the way... if you're curious here's a summary of the other cards in the lot. One of my favorite parallels is the "refractor" and I picked up a ton of them for ten pennies a piece. Here are just a sample of players I found: Dwight Freeney, Tony Gonzalez, Anquan Boldin, Reggie Wayne, Michael Strahan, Shaun Alexander (Seahawks PC), Terrell Owens, Steve Smith, Bobby Crosby (A's PC), Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine, Alfonso Soriano, Jimmy Rollins, Jake Peavy (Padres PC), Jeff Bagwell, Zack Greinke, Tim Hudson (A's PC), and Mark Mulder (A's PC).

In addition to the refractors, there were a bunch of baseball and football inserts from the 90's and 2000's.

Oh... one more thing. I recently told one of my friends about my blog and she wanted to a part of it. So, I figure I'd share an awesome quote of hers. But before I do... here's a quick summary of my Sunday afternoon leading up to her famous words.

I was hanging out with my friend's family yesterday watching the Little League World Series and the Giants game. Remember the free cards from the Craigslist haul a few weeks back? I brought one of the boxes and gave it to my friend's nephew. He seemed to enjoy them, although there weren't a lot of stars or San Francisco Giants. The two of us sat around... looked through them and played "find the funniest photo", along with who has the "funniest name". It was just like when I was a kid with my neighborhood buddies. I also explained "batting average" and "earned run average", so he could distinguish the good players from the average players. If we're lucky... we might just have a new member of the cardboard club.

The ladies in the house obviously weren't interested in cards. Instead they focused on makeup. My friend's niece just started high school and all of the women were excited about shopping for makeup and testing it out. I'm guessing it's some sort of "rite of passage" or something. Anyways, later in the evening... as I was putting my shoes on to go home, I hear my friend's sister tell her daughter...

"Remember... less is more... more is whore"

Is this an awesome quote or what? It's now one of my personal favorites.

Secret Squirrel... if you're reading this. Here's the shout-out you were looking for. I personally think you should copywrite this quote and produce t-shirts or bumper stickers with this and a picture of a "cake face" girl. You truly have a knack for words.

Everyone else... I have two questions for you.

First...

What's your favorite quote?

And...

What's the coolest card you've picked up for less than a quarter?

Well... I hope everyone has a wonderful week. My birthday is just around the corner and I'll be busy the next few days, so forgive me if I don't post until Friday or Saturday. Sayonara!

2 Days @ the GTSM Show - $75 = 1 Happy Camper

Since there aren't many decent card shows in my neck of the woods... I have to appreciate the ones I have. The biannual GTSM show is one of them, and I've been looking forward to this weekend for awhile now.

As I drove to the show, I devised a game plan. Actually it was quite simple: No major cardboard purchases, unless it involves either of the T206 cards I'm trying to hunt down. The economy sucks and I need to start living within my means... which means... I need to stick to a budget.

Well... I'm happy to announce... that I stuck to the plan and after two days worth of shopping, I walked away spending only $75 (free admission both days... my buddy had a dealer pass for me yesterday... otherwise it would have cost me $10).

And... in my hands are a ton of cards headed straight towards my personal collection.

There's a bunch of stuff to cover, so let's get going...

Purchase #1: Two Vintage Singles from the 70's $2

I arrived just as the doors opened and decided to start on one end and work my way to the other end. After running into a guy I met last month (at a local mall show), I skipped the wax box table and went towards the guy who had singles. I asked him if he had any 2005 Topps "Barry Bonds HR History" cards, because my buddy nblackford1412 is trying to finish off his set. The guy said he might have some, so I sifted through several $1 boxes... but he didn't have any.

But he did have two sweet cards from the 70's. This 1978 Topps Thurman Munson has been on my cheap vintage want list for awhile now. The card is the epitome of 70's baseball cards and is one of my personal favorites. Just check out the look on his game face... it's all business. On the flipside... Carlton has this big smile on his face. I've decided to hunt down every regular issue Topps base card of Lefty from his playing days and this 1977 issue looks like it was pulled from a pack yesterday.

Purchase #2: 1983 Topps Bronze Premium Steve Carlton $2

Another blogger wrote about this card a while back... and I've wanted one ever since. Another one (of the cards on my want list) bites the dust.

Purchase #3: Seven Sets $7

Although none of these sets are worth much... if I had to pick a steal of the show... I'd choose these. I came upon a grumpy old man who was selling a bunch of autographed photos, unsigned photos, singles, and card sets. Why would I "call out" this guy and describe him as grumpy? Well... let's just say he snapped at me, because I opened one of his sets. Now before you pass judgement... let me just say that the set was already opened and I was just checking to see if all of the cards were in there. And it's not like it was a vintage Willie Mays... it was a set he was selling for a buck.

I almost walked away... but one particular set caught my eye. It was a 1994/95 Donruss Masked Marvels set... which was a set I tried to build years ago, but never finished. I've thought about building one on COMC, but never pulled the trigger. Now, I won't have to.

I also picked up it's sister set... the baseball version:

1995 Donruss Mound Marvels

Plus all of these...

1993 King-B Disc Set

1994 King-B Disc Set (x2)

1987 Topps Glossy All-Star Set

1991 Upper Deck Comic Ball Promo Set

After scanning all of these cards... I just have to say... I love oddball sets. Especially when they're a buck a piece.

Purchase #4: 1989 Topps Tiffany A's Team Set $5

Did I over pay for this set? Yes. Am I okay with it? Heck yeah. 1989 may not be Topps' greatest card design... but it was the last time the A's won the World Series. This set is going to go great next to my regular 1989 Topps A's team set. Now all I need are the Rickey Henderson and Mike Moore cards, which were part of the Tiffany Traded set.

Purchase #5: Cheap Autos & Memorabilia Cards $20

Right next to my buddy's booth... a guy had 5 or 6 boxes of "hits" for $3 each. There were tons of memorabilia cards of stars... including older stars like Fred Lynn and Gaylord Perry... which just shows that memorabilia cards are slowly spiraling down in value. But I did find a few cards that peaked my interest... like the Greg Luzinski 1982 Donruss Recollection autograph, which reminded me of my youth. I think the only card I won't keep will be the Takeo Spikes. I accidentally left the card in my stack... when I really wanted a 2002/03 SP Authentic Jay Williams autograph.

Anyways... the guy was willing to sell me the cards for $2.50 a piece, because I bought a lot. My favorite card in the bunch is easily the 1995 Signature Rookies Kromax autograph of Tim Hardaway. The card looks scratched in the scan, but when I removed the protective covering... the card looked really clean.

Purchase #6: Cheaper Autos & Memorabilia Cards $18

Just before my buddy and I left... I had to check out this one guy's table. It was packed every time I went by it... so wanted to see what all of the excitement was about. He had two boxes of autographs and memorabilia cards... but this time they were cheaper than the previous guy. He was selling everything in the boxes for $2/card. However, cheaper doesn't necessarily mean better. Half of these cards will be added to my trade bait. But I will be keeping the A's cards, along with the BJ Amstrong and Carracter autographs.

Purchase #7: 50 Cards for $5

This was my first Saturday purchase. I saw this guy the day before, but didn't realize he had cheap singles until I was about to leave. I decided to go straight to his table yesterday.

If you love sifting through bargain bins... then you'd love this dealer. He had tons of refractors, inserts, and even some vintage cards for ten cents each. I wasn't planning on staying at the show long, so I quickly pulled 50 cards that caught my eye. Obviously there aren't any $100 cards in this lot... but I was definitely happy with my purchase. I'll highlight the top 10 cards from this purchase in my next post... an idea I once again saw in another blogger's post. Can't remember who... but he was sharing his top cards he picked up for $.10 each at the National.

Purchase #8: Four Seahawks & a Packer $6

The dealer who was selling the 10 cent singles... also had a few shoeboxes marked 75% off. I didn't see much I wanted... but figured I couldn't pass up this deal. Five PC additions for the price of two packs of Topps football.

Purchase #9: Three 80's Rack Packs $10

As I was getting ready to leave, I went by the table with the Jay Williams autograph. But instead of picking up the Williams... I decided to pick up a few 80's rack packs for future entertainment. He was selling 1981 Topps baseball, 1983 Topps football, and 1984 Topps baseball rack packs for $4 a piece. He told me on Frida that if I'd buy three, he'd sell them to me for $10... so voila. I decided to pick up two 1981 Topps baseball rack packs... and one 1984 Topps baseball rack pack.

I haven't busted them yet... but as soon as I do... I'll share my results.

Well that's it... nothing spectacular... but no regrets either... seriously... not even with the Spikes purchase. He's had a great career and hopefully he'll help the Chargers out this year.

Oh one more thing... I finally met one of my favorite YouTubers at the show. His username is im140, and I enjoy his videos because he's local, has a very laid back personality, and his collection is pretty amazing. So... if you're into watching sports card videos on YouTube, I encourage you to subscribe to him.

So... what do you think about my purchases?

More specifically... what was my best show pickup... and worst show pickup?

Be as brutally honest as you want... you know me... I'm a big boy, so you won't hurt my feelings... lol.

Happy Sunday everyone... and Sayonara!

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly #5: Javaris Crittenton

I apologize in advance for this disturbing post, but as a former fan of this former NBA player... I was shocked and appalled to hear this recent news.

If you're having a great day and are enjoying your weekend... please skip this post. I just felt the need to write this out... to document my frustrations as a former fan and collector of his cards.

The Good

In his sophomore year of high school, he won the state championship with Dwight Howard as his teammate. Two years later, he was named a McDonald's All American. He decided to play at Georgia Tech where he had a solid freshman year... averaging 2.o steals, 3.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 14.4 points per game.

He entered the NBA draft after one year of college and was drafted with the 19th pick in the first round by the Los Angeles Lakers. Later that season, he was part of the package that was sent to the Grizzlies in return for landing Pau Gasol.

The Bad

Sometime either in December of 2009 or January of 2010... Crittenton and former teammate Gilbert Arenas drew guns on each other in a locker room dispute. Both were suspended for the rest of the season. Crittenton pleaded guilty on a misdemeanor gun charge and was given a year of probation. Last year, he signed a contract with the Charlotte Bobcats, who quickly released him. Since then, he's played in China and the NBDL.

The Ugly

According to ESPN, Crittenton has been charged with the murder of a woman in Atlanta. Reports state that it appears to be in retaliation for a previous robbery, but sadly Crittenton missed the intended target and hit the innocent bystander. This story is extremely sad... and Crittenton's slide down his slippery slope is nothing short of ugly.

In my lifetime, I've never been through anything like this... and I'm clueless as to what the victim's family is really going through. But I know that anytime you lose a loved one, it isn't easy.

I hope justice is served and Crittenton and/or whoever else is guilty of this heinous act is punished to the full extent of the law.

That's it... I have nothing more to write about this subject. Good night.

PC Addition - Jim Thome Autographed Hat

The more I collect... the more I realize that busting wax packs aren't my thing. Sure... I'll pick up a clearance box (or even a case) when the price is right. And yes... every now and then I'll add a pack into my Walmart haul, just for kicks. But, the fact is... I'm on a budget and to make matters worse... I'm cheap.

I'm one of those collectors who will buy specific things I really want... and sometimes will be tempted by an outrageous offer. Which means that I probably won't be busting any 2011 baseball products anytime soon.

But if Topps is reading this... there's something that might make me reconsider my view on box purchases.

Ten years ago, Fleer put out a product called Fleer Legacy. The product contained game used cards and the chance to pull an autographed rookie card of Albert Pujols... but the thing that attracted me to this product were the autographed hats inserted into these boxes. Now I'm not talking about the type of hats you find at Old Navy or Big Lots... we're talking about official MLB fitted wool caps.

A few months ago... as Jim Thome closed in on his 600th homerun... I decided I wanted to add an autograph of his. I've never owned his signature, but when I came across this:

I knew... I had to have it. After some research about Fleer Legacy and a small bidding war... I came out on top with a bid of $51.99 (free shipping). It's debatable whether or not I overpaid on this. But since I have no intentions of selling this anytime soon... and I haven't seen another one at this price... I'm content with my purchase.

Included in the purchase was a Fleer envelope that contained a certificate of authenticity.

The COA included a number that matched a Fleer sticker attached under the bill of the cap.

I'm surprised more companies haven't jumped on this trend. I'm sure they would be able to acquire authentic MLB hats at a reasonable price... and the fact is... these hats (IMHO) are a lot nicer and more unique than autographed cards or even autographed balls.

So Topps... if you're interested in attracting a collector of over 30 years back into the box busting market... you might want to consider taking a look at 2001 Fleer Legacy.

Now... I know this is only one collector's opinion. Obviously there are millions of collectors out there who collect autographed cards... and autographed balls and 8x10's are probably the two most popular signed pieces of memorabilia.

But I'm curious...

Do any of my readers own any autographed hats? If not... would you ever consider getting a hat signed?

And one more thing...

Outside of cards, balls, and photos... what are some other items you've had signed?

Off the top of my head... I could only think of two things. I have a couple of action figures that have been autographed on the package and a skateboard deck that was autographed by Tony Hawk. I used to own a sock autographed by Mankind, but I gave it to one of my students who was in love with the guy.

Well... I hope everyone has been enjoying their week. Only one more day of work... and then I'm off to the GTSM Show. So hopefully, I'll have some cool new PC items to share with you this weekend.

Last time I walked away with the 1956 Topps Jackie Robinson, I've wanted for years... and this time... I'll be on the hunt for a T206 Chief Bender or T206 Eddie Collins... although both are probably out of my price range.

Oh and before I forget... a tip of my hat goes out to Mr. Thome on becoming the 8th member of the MLB 600 home run club. There are some who say this club is not what it used to be... but the fact is... only 7 other people can say they've done what you have. Congratulations!

Have a great Friday everyone... and sayonara!

Cheap Cool Cards #18: 1991 Leaf Gold Rookies Nolan & Rickey

On August 22, 1989... exactly twenty-two years ago... Nolan Ryan struck Rickey Henderson out to become the first and only pitcher in MLB history to record 5,000 strikeouts.

"It gave me no chance. He just blew it by me. But it's an honor. I'll have another paragraph in all the baseball books." -Rickey Henderson on Ryan's 5,000th strikeout (The Sporting News, 1989)

Two hall of famers, who each hold records that may never be broken (Henderson's 1,406 career stolen bases & Ryan's 5,714 career strikeouts) involved in one historical event. It's as if the baseball gods were writing the script to a movie. Who would have predicted that these two superstars would share newspaper headlines again less than two years down the road.

May 5th, 1991. Ryan's Rangers were hosting the Toronto Blue Jays and Henderson's Athletics were at home against the Yankees. When the evening was over, Nolan Ryan had fanned 16 Blue Jays, including Roberto Alomar to end the game and secured the 7th & final no-hitter of his career.

Fourteen hundred miles away, Rickey Henderson wanted to enter baseball's record books himself. Entering the game, he knew he was tied with Lou Brock for the most career stolen bases. With Brock in the stands and over 36,000 fans in attendance, Rickey would get the opportunity in the first inning... after Yankee's starting pitcher Tim Leary walked him. On a 2-1 pitch... he took off for second... but it wasn't meant to be as Matt Nokes threw him out at second.

In the second inning, Leary struck out Henderson... leaving the fans waiting... as the suspense kept building.

Then in the fourth... the baseball gods helped Henderson reach base safely on an error by Yankee's shortstop Alvaro Espinoza. Dave Henderson hit a single advancing Rickey to second base. Two batters later... on a 1-0 pitch to Harold Baines, Rickey was off and running... diving head first into third safely to become the Stolen Base King.

Later that year, Leaf produced two cards to commemorate these two historical events:

1991 Leaf Gold Rookies #BC25 Nolan Ryan

1991 Leaf Gold Rookies #BC26 Rickey Henderson

Unfortunately, I don't access to price guide information regarding these two inserts. But if I'm not mistaken... the card shop I worked at sold these in the $10 to $15 range... and we couldn't keep them in stock.

These days, you can pick up either one for less than a quarter on COMC... which is either a blessing or a nightmare depending on your point of view.

Now for today's question of the day:

Do you think anyone will ever break Ryan's seven no-hitters record, or his 5,714 career strikeout record?

And will anyone ever break Henderson's single season record of 130 stolen bases or his career record of 1,406 stolen bases?

It's hard to say never... but in these four cases, I just don't see it happening anytime soon.

I'll start off with with the no-hitter record. Second behind Ryan is Sandy Koufax with four. I'm not 100% sure, but I think Mark Buehrle and Roy Halladay are the current MLB leaders with 2 a piece. Nobody is even close.

Then there's the insane career strikeout record. A pitcher would have to nineteen 300 strikeout seasons to catch up to Ryan's career totals. The last person to record a 300 strikeout season was Randy Johnson in 2002.

Rickey's records seem to be untouchable as well. These days a player is lucky if he steals 75 bases in a season... or even 100... let alone 130. And he'd have to average over 70 stolen bases for 20 years to catch up to the career record.

But it could be just wishful thinking on my part... and maybe I'm just being selfish... hoping both of these guys remain the Kings of their records forever. Both of these guys played when I played (lol... little league of course)... and both were a huge part of my childhood in terms of collecting cardboard.

And if you looked around my office... you would eventually come across these two cards, which are both cool and cheap. So what are you waiting for? Pick up these two beautiful insert cards from the overproduced 90's and grab a piece of baseball history.

Good night everyone... and have a great week. Sayonara!