One of my friends and I were talking about COVID on Saturday and I mentioned that even though less than 5% of the people who are infected with the virus die... that's still way too many.
And the main reason I'm a firm believer in social distancing, wearing masks, washing my hands, and taking this thing seriously is I truly value my family, friends, and society in general. But it's also that I can totally picture myself beating the odds and being one of the people getting really sick, having lifelong complications, and that's just not something I'm willing to risk.
On the other hand... I'm totally willing to take a chance on blog contests. Even though the odds are against me, I'm not risking my life when I decide to enter.
Worst case scenario... I congratulate a fellow blogger. Best case scenario? I beat the odds and win a prize.
Back in July, Nate over at The Bucs Stop Here ran a contest where he had his readers predict which sixteen teams would make the 2020 MLB Playoffs. The person with the most correct picks would win a pack of the highly coveted 2020 Bowman Baseball.
As luck would have it... my guesses were very lucky and I somehow beat the odds, and won the pack of Bowman.
Let's start with the base and Chrome:
A pair of Padres was cool to pull. And a look at the rookies and parallels...
I'm not going to start an Eloy PC, but I did pick up a few rookie cards of his last year. And this card will slide in right next to them. Printing plates don't command the same kind of money that they once did, but this will be a nice reminder of my friend's generosity and the fact that every now and then... you can beat the odds.
Can't really say I know much about any of these guys (even the Padre)... but that's the beauty of Bowman. I'll have the next three to five years to figure out whether or not this pack beat the odds. Maybe I just pulled the next Mike Trout or Mookie Betts. We'll have to see.
Thank you Nate for the contest! As a fan of rookie cards, I look forward to seeing if any of these guys make it big.
After opening up the pack of Bowman, I also had the opportunity to bust open a blaster box of 2020 Allen and Ginter. On Friday, my friend stopped by while I was teaching and left it on my porch. She said it was a belated birthday present.
Most of my "non-collecting" friends know that I collect cards... but I don't really advertise this blog. I'm wondering if she reads it, because I just recently wrote about these blasters being sold on Target's website.
Anyways... I thanked her, but didn't ask if she read about the box on my blog, just in case she didn't.
By now we've seen plenty of Ginter posts on the blogosphere, so I'll just show off my three favorites:
2020 Allen and Ginter Mini Where Monsters Live #MWML-10
This is one of the inserts I really like from this year's product and after seeing Gavin's glowing post last week, I figured out that this card was my favorite. And somehow... someway... beat the odds and pulled it from my blaster.
2020 Allen and Ginter Black Bordered Mini #42
The other really cool mini I pulled was this card for my Jackie Robinson collection. I'm not sure how many guys on this year's checklist are players I PC, but it can't be more than ten, so I'll go ahead and say that I beat the odds.
Unfortunately, I didn't pull a Luis Robert rookie card out of my box. But I did pull a printing plate of his teammate:
2020 Allen and Ginter Framed Black Printing Plate #30
Eloy is a stud. It's easy for him to get lost in Tatis' shadow... but this guy put up big numbers at the end of the 2019 season and didn't slow down in 2020.
Well that's it for now. I hope all of you are well and safe. Happy Monday and sayonara!
Overtime
My years of following the NBA are in the past, but if you've followed this blog long enough you probably know that I was once a fan of the Showtime Lakers up through the bulk of the 2000's. Unfortunately due to the development of super teams, I just lost that loving feeling. But the past month or so... I was hoping Lebron, AD, and the rest of the Lakers squad would find a way to win it for Kobe. Not literally for Kobe... but just because I know that it'd bring a smile to him, Gigi, and the rest of the Bryant family. Congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers and all of their fans!
13 comments:
Wow, congrats!
Nice plate out of ginter! And its amazing how much that kobe base card goes for
holy chicken, Fuji! ;) You are on a roll! Your friend will be so pleased to know the box held a 1/1 ! As for "I truly value my family, friends, and society in general", of course you do. That's who you are Fuji. I feel the same way, and it seems so simple. For me, it's not about 'rights', it's about treating others in the manner I wish to be treated.
Congrats on the pull and the contest winnings! I watched maybe 10 minutes of playoff basketball, mainly due to my work schedule. Stay safe! Us chunky Asian dudes aren't immune to the virus!
I got Adrian Morejons auto three years ago at a rookie league game in Salem on a Bowman card. It was cool to see him playing this year.
There's something ridiculous like 21 different Tony Gwynn cards in this year's Ginter. (FYI)
Geez, a plate out of a blaster?! Nice pull!
Congrats on winning the contest and for pulling such a hot item out of the blaster. Wow!
A&G can produce some cool stuff from retail. I pulled a cloth card numbered to 10 once. And there was the Gene Hackman auto. And it's still the only product for which I pulled a Kershaw relic.
Sweet pull! And I love the Where Monsters Live insert. Haven't see those before. Great Championship for the Lakers. They were so good and deserved it. Good post.
Way to beat the odds on the printing plate! I've been opening packs for about 20 years now, and I think I've only pulled one of those.
Nice Ginter box! Very cool you pulled that "Under the Stairs" mini, not to mention the Eloy plate and Jackie.
dennis - thanks! best blaster ever
sport card collectors - yeah... don't quite understand the hype over that card. i mean it's a great card, but not sure why it sells for as high as it does
a cracked bat - i texted her when i pulled it. she knew what a printing plate is, but i don't think she understood how rare it was to pull from a blaster box. yeah... it'd be nice if people treated others the way they want to be treated. it's such a simple philosophy that could truly change the world.
jafronius - thanks. i'm doing my best. rarely ever leave the house... but when i do i'm doing the best i can to be safe.
rod - very cool. hopefully he'll be a part of this team that will bring padres fans the team's first title.
jongudmund - sadly, i didn't pull one in my box :(
the lost collector - yeah, i was pretty stoked. i think this is only the fourth or fifth plate i've ever pulled
peter k steinberg - it's a good think there aren't any blasters at my local target, i'd almost be tempted to open more.
night owl - i remember the hackman auto. that's way more cooler than this printing plate. and pulling a relic card of a guy from your team is always a good thing.
bulldog - check out gavin's post. he makes them glow and they're fantastic
nick - i think this is my first plate from a blaster, but it's either my fourth or fifth overall. kinda shocked though that these plates only sell in the $15 to $25 price range. i guess it's a good thing that i don't sell card ;D
defgav - i was pretty stoked to get that card. pretty sure it was in the first pack i opened too.
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