Saturday Night Five: Favorite Oakland Athletics

Don't ask me to explain the 2012 Oakland Athletics, because I can't.  Trust me, I've sat around with buddies trying to dissect and analyze it, but a few weeks ago... I stopped.  I decided to sit back and enjoy the ride.

The fact is... there was a time when I could name the entire starting 9 for the Athletics.  But yesterday, one of my coworkers quizzed me and it wasn't pretty.  I was only able to produce five of the eight positional players... and only three of the five starting pitchers.
  
I know... I know.  Weak sauce!  What's worse is that I don't even have a favorite player on the current A's roster.

But here's the thing... there are plenty of former players I love to make up for it.  So without further adieu, here are my top 5 all-time favorite Oakland Athletics:

Honorable Mention:  Carney Lansford, Terry Steinbach, Billy Martin, and The Big 3 (Mulder, Hudson, and Zito)

You have no idea how hard it was to keep Billy off of my list.  He's one of the most entertaining managers I've ever had the pleasure to watch.  The other five are special in their own way... but just don't have what it takes to crack the top 5.

So... as my fellow A's fan, Mr. M.C. Hammer would say... let's get it started:

#5  Dennis Eckersley

He served up the dagger that nearly made me punch a hole in the wall in 1988... but more than made up for it by giving A's fans nine years of HOF effort.

#4 Jose Canseco

I'm sure this doesn't sit well with some of you, but I can't deny my past.  I loved JC back in the day.

#3 Rollie Fingers

Rollie has one of the coolest mustache's in the game.  He played for both of my favorite teams.  And he's my childhood buddy's uncle.  In other words, he's the man!

#2 Kurt Suzuki

Words can't express how I felt when the A's traded Kurt to the Washington Nationals earlier this season.  The fact is... I enjoyed cheering for him without the high expectations people have for their favorite super stars.  He's just a hard working catcher, a solid leader, and a guy who happened to play for my favorite team and shares my ethnicity.

#1 Rickey Henderson

I was truly torn between Kurt and Rickey.  But I felt that my childhood carried more weight than the present, so I went with The Man of Steal.  When reflecting on my childhood favorites, plenty of names come to mind.  However Tony Gwynn and Rickey Henderson are truly in a league of their own.

Okay... it's time to share your favorite five:

What's your favorite MLB team?  And who are your five favorite players from that franchise?

Alright Athletics... I did my part.  Now it's time to do yours.  Let's take care of business and finish what you started.  And in the meantime... Hammer will lead us in prayer:

Happy Saturday and sayonara!

A Pile of Packs

The past few weeks, I've picked up sixty non-sports packs in a pair of purchases.

I grabbed the first twenty packs at the Capitol Flea Market for $4.

Here's a peek at what the pack distribution looked like:

There wasn't anything too impressive in this box, although I surprisingly didn't own any of these packs.  So this purchase was a huge addition to my unopened non-sports wax pack collection.

The remaining forty packs were purchased at last weekend's Serramonte Mall Collectibles Show.  I paid $10 for these two boxes:

I was much more happy with this purchase.  See for yourself:

Here are a few of my personal favorites:

Hey Ladies!

The King

Canadian Wacky Packages

TMNT Power!

He no nuts... he's crazy!

There were several duplicate packs in the two card show boxes, so I'll be opening them up for A Pack To Be Named Later in the future.  Hopefully... I'll get around to opening up at least one this weekend.

Happy Friday and sayonara!

I'm Sexy & I Know It!

Move over Ryan Reynolds... there's a new Deadpool in town.  And his name is Fuji.

On Saturday, I was walking around the Serramonte Mall Show when I saw a small crowd gathered around a table.  This guy was drawing a sketch for a customer and everyone watching was in awe.  I couldn't really see what he was drawing and didn't want to waste any time, so I decided to come back when things settled down.

His name is Bordin "Mark" Marsinkul and he told me a little about himself, while he was finishing a sketch for another customer.  

It's pretty amazing the talent some people have.  His ability to draw personalized, high quality colored sketches in less than 20 minutes is mind boggling.  I knew right away, I had to have one.

For $25, you get a 8.5" x 11" colored, personalized sketch.  The hardest part was deciding who I wanted drawn.  But after a few minutes of deliberation, I settled on my favorite comic book character:  Deadpool.

He starts out by taking a picture of you on his phone, which he then uses to draw a pencil sketch.  

After you're okay with that, he begins outlining everything with black marker.  

Then, he goes to work with his suitcase of colored pens.  

And finally, he wraps things up by adding the fine details to the sketch.

As I mentioned in my previous post, my buddy thought I was crazy to pay that much for a colored drawing.  But the way I see it, I'm now the proud owner of a one-of-a-kind, personalized ink drawing of my favorite comic book character.

Here's a photo of Marsinkul with the finished project:

If you're interested in seeing more of his creations, head over to his Facebook Page or if you're interested in checking out his comic book, Zacklin... go to his website:  hyperbooster Studios.

Okay... 
  

Who's your favorite comic book character?

Or if you're not into comics...
  

Who would you have chosen to get a drawing of?

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

As a fan of both teams, I've gotta throw in my 2¢...

Once upon a time, the Seattle Seahawks called the AFC West their home and the world I lived in was a happy, jolly place.  It allowed me to have a favorite AFC team, while also having a favorite NFC team: the Green Bay Packers.

But in 2002, everything changed.  The Hawks moved back to the NFC... a place they left 25 years earlier... and chaos and destruction consumed my world.

Okay... maybe I'm exaggerating a little.  But I seriously had a major dilemma on my hands.  And when the dust settled, I chose to have two favorite NFC teams.  I knew it my cause some problems... like what happens when they play each other?

Well... after some discussion and meditation, I came to a simple solution.  I'd root for the team who needed my support more at that particular moment.  In other words, whoever was in the position to make the best playoff push.  But last night, I ran into a problem.  Both teams entered Centurylink Field with a 1-1 record and both have a legitimate shot at the playoffs.  So what did I do?

I cheered for both teams.

But enough beating around the bush.  As a fan of both teams, I feel it's my duty to throw in my 2¢.

As a Seahawks fan,  I was happy they were able to put themselves in the situation to win.  Their defense dominated the first half, played hard, and aren't to blame for how the game unfolded.

As a Packers fan, I'm proud of the way the coach and the team handled themselves for the most part.  They came into the 2nd half with a new game plan, worked their tails off, and have every right to be upset at the officials' mistakes.

And as a football fan, I think I'm a pretty patient person.  I understand that the zebras are humans and humans make mistakes.  But after last night's game, I think it's time for the owners to open up their wallets and give the officials a fair contract.  They may not be perfect, but it's pretty obvious that the game isn't the same without them.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to me rant...

Have a happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Nickel & Dime Boxes = Sore Legs

The Serramonte Mall Show made its final 2012 appearance this past weekend and there was no way I was going to miss it.  It's my favorite collectibles show of the year, because of the variety it has to offer.

Are you looking for cards?  Got 'em.  Toys?  Yup.  Comics?  Have those too.  Video games?  You know it!

And it's pretty big.  I can't say for sure... but I'd guess that there were at least 50 vendors with 100 to 150 tables.  It usually takes me two to three hours to walk the entire mall.  But I spent over four hours walking around and spending my hard earned money on Saturday.

I picked up a ton of cheap singles and one really cool addition to my collection.  Best of all... I actually spent less money than I anticipated.  

Here's a peek at my purchases...

Purchase #1:  Max's Nickel Box $3

Remember Max's 10¢ bins?  Well... they're now known as the 5¢ bins.  Yup... that's a Buddy Bell rookie card for a nickel.


Purchase #2:  Max's Dime Box $4

And if you're familiar with Max, then you probably know his 2 for $1 top loaders.  Well... they're now 10 for $1.  Yep... another Buddy Bell rookie card.  This time it cost me a dime.

Purchase #3:  Max's Dollar Box $1

Is this piece of fabric fake?  Who cares?  It was a buck and I needed it for my Seahawks PC.


Purchase #4:  1982 and 1983 Granny Goose A's Team Sets $10

Two food issue team sets from my childhood = one happy camper.

Purchase #5:  Early 80's Mad Magazine Lot $2

My favorite magazine growing up?  Mad Magazine of course!  I should have bought a bunch for this price.  The previous owner kept these in amazing condition. 


Purchase #6:  1988 Donruss A's Team Book $1

I had never seen these before... so I figured it was worth a dollar to check it out.  It contains 27 cards and a complete Stan Musial puzzle.   According to Beckett, there were five books produced:  Oakland A's, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and New York Mets.


Purchase #7:  Another Guy's Dime Box $4

Rookies, and oddballs, and beards, oh my!  

Purchase #8:  See Tuesday's Post $25

I can't wait to show this off on Wednesday.  My buddy said I overpaid... and in terms of resell value he's right.  But here's the thing... I don't plan on selling it.  EVER!


Purchase #9:  Non-Sports Wax Lot $10

You should know by now... I have little self control when there's cheap non-sports wax packs sitting in front of me.  Forty packs for $10.  I couldn't pass it up.
Okay... time to plop myself down in front of the television, get ready for my two teams to face off, and start sorting through my nickel and dime box purchases.

Alright... it's time to let me have it.

What were my best and worst purchases?

I always get a kick out of hearing your thoughts and usually I have at least one regret in terms of my purchases.  But this time, I'm pretty happy with what I bought.  Yep... that includes the possible "fake" jersey card for a buck.

Happy Monday and sayonara!