Saturday Night Five: Favorite Seattle Seahawks

When I retire, I'd love to settle down in the Seattle, Washington area.  I love the weather, the people, the food, the scenery, and of course the Seahawks.

So tonight, I decided to sit down and attempt to list out my favorite Seattle Seahawks of all-time.

The list of candidates wasn't too difficult to create... but ranking them was very, very challenging.  There were multiple factors that came into play:  players I've collected, memorabilia I've purchased, and of course the different generations of Hawks.

And as of right now... on the eve of Super Bowl XLIX... here's what my Top Five Seattle Seahawks list looks like:

#1 Steve Largent

1976 to 1989

Largent is a no-brainer.  There's nobody who comes close to being my favorite Seahawk of all-time.

#2 Curt Warner

1983 to 1989

Warner is the perfect example of how I embrace nostalgia.  When it comes to sports and sports cards, both of these things were shaped by my childhood and the fond memories I will always hold onto.  Curt Warner was my favorite running back on my favorite team and for this, he'll always rank high on my all-time favorite Hawks' list.

#3 Russell Wilson

2012 to Present

I love everything this guy brings to the Seattle Seahawks.  He's hungry.  He's passionate.  He's a leader on and off the field.  He's involved with the community.  And he's everything you'd want in a franchise quarterback.

#4 Cortez Kennedy

1990 to 2000

The 90's were a rough decade for the Seattle Seahawks and their fans.  They only had two winning seasons, made one lone playoff appearance, and had an overall record of 70-90.  Thankfully they had a few standout players to entertain the fans on a weekly basis.  Kennedy was one of those players.

#5 Kam Chancellor & Earl Thomas

2010 to Present

Okay... so I'm kind of cheating by throwing two players into the #5 slot.  I just couldn't choose who I liked more.  Earl is a fearless leader like Captain America, while Kam lays people out like the Hulk.

Truth be told... depending on the mood I'm in... the #5 spot could have been filled by any of these honorable mentions:

Shaun Alexander

2000 to 2007

Kenny Easley

1981 to 1987

Joey Galloway 

1995 to 1999

Marshawn Lynch

2010 to Present

Mack Strong

1994 to 2007

John L. Williams

1986 to 1993

Dave Krieg

 

1980 to 1991

Michael Sinclair

1992 to 2001

I hope all of you have a safe and entertaining Super Bowl weekend.  I'm looking forward to hanging out with friends, devouring delicious food, and hopefully watching an awesome game tomorrow.  What about you?

What are you looking forward to the most about Super Bowl Sunday?  The food?  The company?  The game?  The commercials?  The halftime show?

Happy Saturday and sayonara!  Go Hawks!

Just Another Piece of Paper

The 1984 All-Star Program Inserts have haunted me for years.  Every time I browse the Tony Gwynn checklist over on Beckett, it's the seventh card listed.  The thing that has bothered me the most about this card was the fact that I had never seen one in person and (outside of what's written on Beckett) I knew nothing about it.  Finally I broke down and found a cheap copy of the program on eBay and added it to my collection.

1984 All-Star Game Program Inserts #52

The good news is I'm able to cross off this mysterious Tony Gwynn card.  The bad news is that it's not really a card.  It's part of an insert page (hence the name) in the program that includes other MLB players on the all-star ballot.  I decided to put the entire set of uncut sheets in my Gwynn binder, instead of taking my chances with my sub-par scissor skills.

Now this set isn't for everyone.  There's nothing special about the design.  The uncut sheets pose a storage issue.  And should you decide to cut them up, you risk damaging the cards... or should I say "pieces of paper".

However fans of oddballs might be able to appreciate that it's not your everyday set.  And if you collect rookie cards, the checklist includes a pair of famous Mets:

#77 and #69

Donnie Baseball was also featured on a separate sheet that included write-in candidates:

#183

Now remember... it's an all-star game program, so the set is loaded with some of the biggest names from the 1984 season:

#143, #113, and #86

And I'll wrap things up with my personal favorite (outside of the Gwynn):

#68

I absolutely love seeing Pete representing Montreal and hope to one day own every card of him featured in his Expos uniform.

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

Card Collecting = Excellent Workout

This weekend I met up with Father Time at the Serramonte Sports Cards, Toys, & Collectibles Show in Daly City.  He reminded me that I'm not getting any younger and that mixing a pair of yoga classes with a handful of dime box dealers will leave you with very, very, very sore muscles.  

Who knew that standing around and sifting through cards are such effective forms of exercise?

Anyways I ended up spending a little more than I originally budgeted, but that's because there were so many amazing dime box gems.  Here are just a few of the highlights:

I couldn't believe my eyes when I stumbled across a stack of vintage stars in one guy's dime box.  I ended up buying everything he had:

Vintage collectors should be able to spot the good stuff in my box of dime box purchases above.

One of the dime box dealers, had some really cool cards in his dollar bin.  I ended grabbing thirty-two cards from him.

Some of them were for a few blogger care packages.  I don't want to ruin the surprise, so I'll refrain from showing them off.  But here are a few of the ones for my own collection:

I honestly never thought I'd see the day when I'd see rookie cards of Jeter, Clemens, and Puckett for a buck.  I even found a pair of Gwynns:

The Fleer rookie has a big crease in the bottom left corner, but the 1984 Topps Tiffany and 1997 Bowman's Best Refractor made up for that.

I have a few friends who set up at the show and one of them had a bunch of wax boxes from the 90's.  They're kind of hard to see, but if you look closely in the above photo they're next to the Superman poster.  I grabbed this box for $5:

1990 Pacific Legends

Sure it's from the Junk Wax Era, but at least it's not 1991 Score or 1992 Fleer.  I'm looking forward to busting this box the next time I get the wax pack itch.

Another buddy of mine had a dollar table, so I picked up a handful of memorabilia cards.  Yeah... I'm one of those guys who still buys relic cards.  Well... if the price is right at least.

And finally... I'll wrap things up with the handful of higher priced singles I purchased from yet another friend.

In the spirit of Super Bowl week, I picked up a five card rookie card lot of Russell Wilson and a beautiful on-card autograph of Eddie Lacy:

2013 Strata Clear Cut Rookie Relic Auto #CCAREL

The six card lot was pretty pricey... $40.  But my buddy usually hooks me up with some great deals and it's important to give back every now and then.  I'm especially excited to add the Lacy to my collection.  It's my very first autograph of his.

Overall I was happy with the show.  I'm not sure what the deal is... but the dime boxes were loaded with amazing value this time around.  Nick... you would have been in Cardboard Heaven.  Had my legs not given out on me... I probably could have found another $10 to $20 more worth of dime cards.

Well that's all for now.  Have a great week everyone.  Happy Monday and sayonara.

More Card Show Camaraderie

Yesterday I attended my first card show of the year and had the opportunity to hang out with two familiar names in the cardboard blogosphere:  Brady (Yadier Molina Baseball Cards) & Mr. Haverkamp (cardboard blog supporter).

This is the second time I've had the opportunity to talk shop with Brady and there's a chance we'll both be going to the De Anza Flea Market in a couple of weeks.  

At the show we exchanged boxes to help each other's collections.  Unfortunately, I had no idea he'd fill up a 400ct. box.  I had a blast digging through it and checking out the variety of cardboard contents.

The box included cards from four of my PC's:  Oakland A's, San Diego Padres, Montreal Expos, and Japanese Athletes.  Here are just a few of my favorites:

There was a little bit of everything in this box:  inserts, rookie cards, parallels, vintage, and even a few memorabilia cards:

Thanks Brady for this awesome box of cards.  Hopefully you were able to use a few of the Cardinals I brought.  If we meet up at De Anza, I'll have some more for you.  I picked up some stuff with your collection in mind later on in the day at the show.

After I saw Brady, I ran into Mr. Haverkamp.  We've hung out a few times at the Serramonte Show.  One time he sold me some cool A's memorabilia.  Another time, he traded me a 1975 Topps Mini of Thurman Munson.

This time around, he brought five unmarked checklists for my 1975 Topps Mini set:

I mentioned awhile back that I purchased a complete 1975 Topps Mini set, but discovered that a bunch of the checklists had pencil markings.  Earlier in the week, he graciously offered to help me out.

Thanks Mr. Haverkamp.  Let me know which sets you're working on and I'll try to return the favor.

Happy Sunday and sayonara!

Saturday Night Five: Mr. Cub

Ernest Banks played his final MLB game on September 26th, 1971... almost a full year before I was born, so I never had the opportunity to personally watch him play.  However thanks to his legacy, I've had the opportunity to hear amazing stories and look up his insane statistics during his 19 years with the Chicago Cubs.

1999 Century Legends Epic Signatures #EB

He ranks among the top 5 in almost every offensive statistical category for the Chicago Cubs, including: Offensive WAR, Slugging Percentage, Games Played, Runs Scored, Hits, Total Bases, Doubles, Triples, RBI's, and Base on Balls.

1998 Donruss Significant Signatures #1

In 1959, Ernie became the first National League player to win back to back MVP Awards.  In 1967, he took home the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award which is handed out annually to the player who best exhibits the character and integrity of The Iron Horse.  And in 2013, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.

Mr. Banks was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977, his first year of eligibility.  Five years later, his jersey number was retired by the Chicago Cubs... the team he dedicated his entire MLB career to.

In fact, that's the thing that I admire about Mr. Banks the most.  Even though I grew up watching superstars like Ryne Sandberg, Mark Grace, Greg Maddux, and Sammy Sosa wearing the red, white, and blue uniforms... Ernie is the first person that pops into my head when I think of the Cubs.

Sadly... last night my friend texted me at 8:17pm and told me that Mr. Cub had passed away.  The news reminded me of several other losses that have recently occurred both in the sports world and my personal life.

But the good news is I can always go back and read all of the amazing tributes that have been posted on websites and blogs around the internet, as well as look back on the great memories I've accumulated over the years regarding one of the greatest baseball players of all-time.

Rest in peace, Mr. Banks.  You will be missed.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!