Domo Arigato: Martyn @ Arbitrary Crap

Last week, I received a padded envelope from a guy I've never met in person, because he lives over 3,500 miles away... but that doesn't keep me from saying that I consider Martyn a friend.

Some of you may know him from his blog Arbitrary Crap... while others might remember his old blog Steal Second. He's also a member of the Sports Card Radio Fan Forum, so you may have seen him around there too. And finally... he's one of my Facebook friends too. We've supported each other's blogs for what seems like years now... and even co-authored a blog called Sports Jambalaya with a bunch of other guys at one point. However it's been almost a year since anyone has posted anything over there.

Okay... back to the nature at hand. Martyn contacted me a while back to see if I had a Tony Gwynn card that he set aside for me. It's a 1998 SPx "Radiance" of my favorite baseball player and after checking my binder... I told him I could use it.

So when I saw an envelope from the United Kingdom... I figured it was the Gwynn. What I didn't expect were the other bonuses he threw in.

2011 Topps "60 Years of Topps" #33 Tony Gwynn

It's a reprint of his 1984 Topps card and it's awesome. Since I don't bust a lot of new product... it's another new addition to my Gwynn PC.

2011 Topps "CMG Reprint" #14 Jackie Robinson

Martyn is 3 for 3 now... as I add this card to my Robinson PC. Since I'll never be able to afford a 1949 Leaf Jackie... this is easily the next best thing.

2010 Topps Chrome "Wrapper Redemption Refractor" #224 Jackie Robinson

This is the only card I already have... but I'm okay with having a double... since I'm considering building this set. I have the Mantle and the Gehrig... and a lot of the singles sell for less than a buck on COMC. The only problem is I have too many projects I'm already dealing with. We'll just have to wait and see.

And the last card in the package was this 2010 Rookies & Stars card of Lee Evans.

It took me about a few days before I figured out why he included this. At first I thought he confused me with Charles from Hoopography who collects Buffalo Bills cards. Maybe it was a filler card thrown in for protection? Then it hit me. I remembered that I needed a Lee Evans for the Rookies & Stars set I was building.

So thanks a million Martyn. Three new additions to my Robinson and Gwynn PCs... one card for my 2010 Chrome "Wrapper Redemption Refractor" set... and the one card I needed to finish my 2010 R&S's football set. I really appreciate these cards and your friendship. See you around the blogworld, Facebook, or on SCR forum.

Today's question of the day:

What's the farthest you've ever shipped a piece of cardboard? Was it a sale, trade, or gift?

Happy Monday everyone and sayonara!

Are you ready for some football?

Wow, did you watch the Packers/Saints game on Thursday night? I'm not sure if it's because I haven't watched football in eight months, but it seriously felt like the NFC Conference Championship game. The energy was flowing... both QB's were outstanding... Sproles and Cobb made spectacular punt/kickoff returns... the Saints came back storming back after being down 42 to 27 with under six minutes to play... and ended with the Packers stuffing rookie Mark Ingram on the final play of the game at the one yard line.

Both offenses were outstanding and unstoppable. I was surprised to see the Packers give up so many yards, but after thinking about it... they played Drew Brees and the Saints. They're just that good. It essentially came down to one turnover and huge plays by the Packers defense on a 3rd & one, and two 4th and ones.

As a Green Bay fan, I'm super excited about this season. The talent runs deep on this team and I truly like their chances to return and defend their Super Bowl title.

Since this blog is my soapbox, today I'll reveal my playoff picks for the 2011 NFL season. Now before I begin... I should let you know where my football knowledge stands. I'm not an expert... a guy who watches every highlight of every game. Nor am I a fair weather fan who just pretends to like the Packers and Seahawks.

I'm the guy who follows his two teams on a weekly basis... as well as takes in a Raider or 49er game every now and then. And since I play fantasy football... I'll also keep track of who's doing well and who isn't. So the following picks are based on stuff I've heard on ESPN and local morning radio, my gut feeling, along with a little wishful thinking...

AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)

AFC South: Houston Texans (11-5)

AFC East: New England Patriots (13-3)

AFC West: San Diego Chargers (10-6)

Wild Card: Baltimore Ravens (12-4)

Wild Card: New York Jets (11-5)

AFC Wild Card Weekend: Ravens beat the Chargers

AFC Wild Card Weekend:Texans beat the Jets

AFC Divisional Playoffs: Patriots beat Texans

AFC Divisional Playoffs: Ravens beat Steelers

AFC Conference Championship: Patriots beat Ravens

I don't support any teams in the AFC, but I'm a fan of some of their rivalries: Browns vs. Bengals, Colts vs. Patriots, Patriots vs. Jets, and my current favorite... Ravens vs. Steelers. They're going to meet three times this season (can't wait until tomorrow's game)... and beat the hell out of each other... which will open the door for the Patriots.

Ever since Brady and the Patriots strung together three Super Bowl victories in four years... I've strongly disliked them. So, I truly hope I'm wrong with my selection.

Now the NFC is a little different, because I have two teams I support in this conference: the Seattle Seahawks & the Green Bay Packers. And if the stars are aligned... one of them will be playing for the Lombardi Trophy in Indianapolis on 5/2/12.

Here's how I see things playing out...

NFC North: Green Bay Packers (12-4)

NFC South: Atlanta Falcons (12-4)

NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)

NFC West: Arizona Cardinals (9-7)

NFC Wild Card: New Orleans Saints (12-4)

NFC Wild Card: Detroit Lions (10-6)

NFC Wild Card Weekend: Eagles beat the Lions

NFC Wild Card Weekend: Saints beat the Cardinals

NFC Divisional Playoffs: Packers beat the Eagles

NFC Divisional Playoffs: Saints beat the Falcons

NFC Conference Championship: Packers beat the Saints

I originally picked the Falcons to meet the Packers in the NFC Conference Championship... but after watching Thursday night's game... I changed my mind. I still think Atlanta will win the NFC South by having a better record within their division (5-1... the only loss coming to the Saints in New Orleans... while the Saints will be 4-2, because they'll lose to the Falcons in Atlanta and to the Buccaneers at home).

Sadly it won't be the Seahawk's turn to make a run at the Super Bowl. I love them and will cheer them on... but they're in a rebuilding phase and will continue to be in that state as long as they have Jackson (or Whitehurst) at the helm. Nope... I see the 49er's helping the Cardinals out by taking down the Rams in a surprise win in St. Louis and at the same time shooting themselves in the foot as the victory costs them the #1 pick and their shot at Andrew Luck.

As for Vick and the Eagles... I'm not buying into the hype that they're the most talented team. Actually... I think they're the 4th best team in the conference. But they're the best in the East.

And remember I said a little wishful thinking inspired some of my picks... well Detroit securing the last Wild Card spot is definitely wishful thinking. We all know they're not the same old Detroit Lions. But how far they go remains to be seen. I'm hoping they hold off the Cowboys for the final playoff spot.

As you can see... I've picked the Packers to return, even though a lot of people don't think it will happen. If you're in my shoes, it's pretty simple. Their defense is balanced, talented, and is in the top 10 (if not 5) in the NFL. Although it's hard to say after one game... it looks like their special teams will hold their own. Ryan Grant is back... and along with James Starks and John Kuhn... the ground attack should be better than last year. And let's be serious... their passing game is scary. Aaron Rodgers is an elite QB and has an unreal amount of targets to throw to.

Which leaves me with my Super Bowl prediction. Brady vs. Rodgers. Belichick vs. McCarthy. Patriots vs. Packers.

Packers 27

Patriots 24

Wishful thinking? Maybe... but that's who I've got. What about you?

What are your NFL playoff predictions?

And what do you think of mine?

Looking forward to reading your picks... and better yet... looking back in five months to see who was right. Have a great weekend everyone. Sayonara!

I love the 80's #8: Topps Rack Packs

Remember those rack packs I picked up at the Santa Clara GTSM card show? Probably not. If you're bored... go here and refresh your memory. If you're strapped for time, here's the Cliff Notes version:

A. Two weeks ago I attended the GTSM card show in Santa Clara.

B. I spent $75 on everything from 90's inserts to autographs to vintage singles to insert sets.

C. In addition to the items mentioned above, I also picked up three rack packs from the 80's.

D. Total cost = $10

I'm in the process of building a 1984 Topps baseball set and have only one card left on my wantlist... card #431 Chris Bando. Well.. I didn't pull it. But I did pull a couple of Oriole HOFers.

1984 Topps Baseball Rack Pack

Pack 1

741 Wayne Gross

429 Randy Bush

197 Garry Hancock

176 Lee Smith

728 Tug McGraw

455 Terry Kennedy

Stick of Gum

58 Max Venable

211 Rick Sweet

114 Checklist

284 Howard Bailey

437 Mike Prowly

614 Len Barker

Pack 2

749 Doug Flynn

642 Tom Underwood

757 Larry Bowa

275 Len Matuszek

68 Luis Salazar

212 Broderick Perkins

Stick of Gum

240 Eddie Murray

25 Glenn Hubbard

750 Jim Palmer

383 Terry Puhl

488 Jesse Barfield

623 Ron Washington

Pack 3

731 Lynn Jones

650 Phil Niekro

385 Tony Perez

145 Gary Lavelle

46 Ray Smith

538 Kevin Bass

Stick of Gum

775 Dave Parker

518 Greg Walker

498 Rich Gedman

466 Gen Garber

601 John Tudor

504 Mickey Rivers

Actually the coolest part of this rack pack was the gum. Inserted into each pack was an individually wrapped piece of gum. Yep... your read it correctly... individually wrapped.

Add in the fact that cellophane was used for the inner packs and what you have is... drum roll please... NO DAMAGED CARDS! What message am I trying to send? Well... if you're interested in building a hand collated set of 1984 Topps baseball... go out and pick up some of these grocery rack packs.

1981 Topps baseball is like scotch... it gets better with age. For years 1981 Topps was the forgotten set when it came to 80's baseball cards. 1980 had Rickey. 1982 had Ripken. 1983 had Gwynn. 1984 had Mattingly. 1985 had McGwire. 1986 had the black borders. 1987 had the wood borders. 1988 and 1989 were ugly, but at least I could picture them if I wanted. But for one reason or another, 1981 always slipped my mind.

However over the past few years... I've slowly started to appreciate the colorful baseball hats in the bottom right corner. And when I was offered the opportunity to bust 30 year old rack packs for less than $3.50 a pack... well... I just couldn't pass them up.

The first rack pack consisted of the stars... while the second rack pack was loaded with rookies.

1981 Topps Baseball Rack Pack #1

Pack 1

439 Denny Walling

369 Frank Tanana

453 Rob Wilfong

27 Champ Summers

131 Keith Moreland

111 Greg Minton

Stick of Gum

570 Ken Singleton

120 Larry Bowa

185 Dennis Leonard

602 Bobby Murcer

627 Luis Tiant

90 Bake McBride

Pack 2

512 Gary Thomasson

412 Britt Burns

371 Charlie Hough

157 John Wathan

390 Cesar Geronimo

578 Bill Gullickson

Stick of Gum

520 Steve Stone

301 Matt Keough

380 Willie Stargell

572 Jack Morris

630 Steve Carlton

539 Rodney Scott

Pack 3

406 Dickie Noles

176 Mike Krukow

359 Tom Hausman

365 Graig Nettles

363 Geoff Zahn

16 Ron Davis

Stick of Gum

480 Carlton Fisk

189 Craig Swan

488 Damaso Garcia

126 Charlie Leibrandt

703 Alvis Woods

660 Gary Carter

I'm not going to lie... I really wanted to pull a pristine Fernando Valenzuela rookie card... or even a nice second year Rickey Henderson. But do I really have any right to complain when I pulled four players enshrined at Cooperstown? I think not.

1981 Topps Baseball Rack Pack #2

Pack 1

82 Astros Future Stars (Heep, Knicely, Sprowl)

469 Jeff Leonard

376 Ron Reed

713 Bill North

536 Bob Owchinko

94 Harry Spilman

Stick of Gum

354 Mario Soto

78 Steve Dillard

379 Lary Sorensen

569 Al Williams

178 Jim Essian

456 Jeff Reardon RC

Pack 2

234 Lou Whitaker

381 Cubs Future Stars (Lezcano, Macko, Martz)

183 Dick Davis

310 Vida Blue

502 Giants Future Stars (Bourjos, Hargesheimer, Rowland)

646 Marvis Foley

Stick of Gum

246 Ed Ott

542 Larry Bradford

524 Willie Aikens

166 Floyd Bannister

721 Toby Harrah

42 Jerry White

Pack 3

525 Mike Torrez

356 Padres Future Stars (Stablein, Stimac, Tellmann)

346 Larry Christenson

564 Ron Hassey

399 Orioles Future Stars (Boddicker, Corey, Rayford)

144 Allen Ripley

Stick of Gum

484 Max Venable

333 Sid Monge

553 Tim Blackwell

465 Bill Russell

568 Dave Revering

375 Dave Concepcion

Tim Raines? Nadda. Kirk Gibson? Not a chance. How about a little Mookie Wilson/Hubie Brooks love? Nope. But I did pull two rookies worth mentioning.

Boddicker won 72 games in a five year period for the Baltimore Orioles. In 1984, he was an all-star when he led the AL in wins and ERA.

Reardon has 367 career saves, which ranks him 7th all-time. He was a four time all-star, who won the NL Rolaids Relief Award in 1985.

Sure... they're not quite Cooperstown quality... but I don't consider them commons either. Both will be added to my rookie card collection... along with that sweet San Diego Padres Future Stars card, that shows off those beautiful yellow and brown uniforms.

Some will say that's $10 down the drain... and when you consider the fact that I'll never recover my money... then you're right. But if you take the time to factor in the entertainment... which lasted just under 12 minutes... it wasn't that bad.

These packs didn't contain autographs, jersey cards, parallels, or inserts. But it did bring back childhood memories... something no modern day pack will every produce for me.

Will I bust anymore of this stuff? Well... probably not in the near future. But what I will say is... if I see these guys again at the next show... I'll probably buy a few more packs. So when I'm caught up in the relic and autograph hype and need to be brought down to Earth... I can pop one of these babies open and remember how it all began.

Thursday's question of the day:

What's the oldest pack you've busted in the past 6 months?

What's the oldest pack you've ever opened?

Okay... it's taken me almost two hours to write this post... because I'm watching the Packers/Saints season opener. The Packers are leading 28 to 17... but the Saints are on the move and are about to score. So... it's time to give them my full attention.

Sayonara and good night!

I went Shark hunting & here's my haul...

It's been almost 10 years since I've gone Shark hunting... but Labor Day freed up my schedule and allowed me to go. So after two hours of standing in the sun... here's what I hauled in:

Douglas Murray

My first catch of the day was our Swedish defensemen, who happens to be one of my favorite players on the team. I like the way Murray carries himself on the ice... always willing to stand up for his teammates. I'm not 100% sure... but I think he fought in almost every game I attended last year.

Antti Niemi

After Murray, a bunch of the younger players came out... but I didn't recognize any of them... so I didn't bother to ask for their signatures. Then a few minutes later our starting goalie walked out. I've never seen him in person, but I knew he was a bigger name, because my buddy started digging through his photos. He told me it was Antti Niemi, so I pulled a puck out of my pocket... walked over to him and said hello... asked him to sign my puck... and then wished him luck this season.

Ryane Clowe

When I turned around... Mr. Clowe was walking towards me... so I pulled the other puck out of my pocket and repeated my greeting. He smiled and said "thanks" and started signing for a few others in the group.

Todd McLellan

After those three, we stood around for another 30 minutes. I had to call it a day, because I was meeting my brother for lunch. And just as I was about to head out, Coach McLellan walked out of the building smiled at us and headed towards his car. Nobody else was interested in his autograph... but I figured what the heck and walked over to his car. Just as he was about to put the car in reverse, he noticed me and rolled down his window. Like with the rest of them, I said "thank you" and wished him luck this season.

I couldn't wait around any longer... or risk being late for lunch... so I took off without seeing Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, or anyone else. But you won't hear me complaining. I just met and acquired autographs from three players and the head coach... all of whom I had never seen before in person.

Today's question of the day:

Who's the nicest professional athlete you've had the privilege to meet in person?

Happy hump day everyone! Sayonara!

Flea Market Finds #13

Happy Labor Day everyone!

This past week has been crazy. I can't remember the last time I was so busy. Since last Monday, I have gone out to dinner every night with the exception of Friday... and there have been a couple of lunches too. It was like a week long birthday celebration and it carried over into this weekend where there were two flea markets... in two days... with two very different experiences.

When: Saturday, September 3rd

Where: De Anza Flea Market

What: Non-Sports Cards, SLU's, a Bobblehead, & a Boba Fett

How Much: $42

On Saturday, I went to the monthly flea market at De Anza with a buddy of mine. The weather was nice and the place was packed with both customers and vendors. It was the most people I've seen in a while and there were collectibles scattered here and there throughout the flea market.

However, I didn't want to keep my friend waiting... so I ended up rushing through the rows and finished in record time. It's probably a good thing though... because it's not like I need to spend anymore money on stuff I don't really need.

But in the end... I was still able to pick up a few things from several different vendors.

Purchase #1: 1994 Marvel Masterpieces "Silver Holofoil" Set $5

There's a vendor there that specializes in non-sports cards and I so wanted to look through his stuff. But my buddy had walked ahead... so I quickly sifted through a box that contained insert sets. I inquired about several hologram sets from the 90's, but he was looking for a little more than I wanted to spend.

Then I came across this cool looking set, which I'll feature in a future post. It has 10 cards and includes some of Marvel's biggest characters. I figured for fifty cents a card, it was money well spent.

Purchase #2: 1992 Impel DC Cosmic Cards Set $2

When it comes to comic books... I prefer Venom, Deadpool, and Wolverine over Superman, Green Lantern, and Flash... but $2 for a 180 card set is too good of a deal to pass.

My friend asked what I planned to do with it and I told him I wasn't sure. It's not like I plan on reading the card backs or anything... but I just felt it was just too good of a deal to pass up.

Purchase #3: Two Kenner SLU's & a Bobblehead $15

The guy I typically buy my figures from finally came with a new batch of products. So it didn't take me long to find some stuff I wanted to add to my collection.

Before I break down the purchase, I should explain that the price I paid is based on the fact that I also purchased some Star Wars stuff too. Without the SW stuff, he wanted $30... which I probably would have walked away from.

The two SLU's are a 1991 Joe Montana and a 1998 Vince Lombardi. I might already have the Montana in my collection somewhere, but at that price & condition I didn't want to risk passing it up. As for the Lombardi piece... I've never seen this figure before and it's awesome. My only regret is that I didn't buy both of them... one to pop open and the other to keep sealed. Hopefully he'll have the other piece next month when I see him again.

I also picked up a bobblehead of Owen Nolan, who at one point in my life was my favorite San Jose Shark. As of now, he's the only sports piece that I've freed from packaging.

Purchase #4: 1996 Star Wars Collector's Series 12" Boba Fett $20

Okay so he cost more than my Obi Wan Kenobi & Luke Skywalker combined and out of the four 12" Boba Fetts I've seen... he's the least desirable. But he's Boba Fett and easily my favorite villain in the Star Wars Universe... Plus if I bought it, he'd throw in the three sports figures for $5 each.

My overall experience at De Anza was fairly enjoyable. The people are nice... they had a good variety of collectibles... and their churros are delicious.

However yesterday's trip to the Capitol Flea Market was a little different. Simply put... De Anza is a middle class flea market with crafts, collectibles, and a variety of other items new and used which are generally kept in decent condition. While Capitol is the ideal place to find used socks, dirty stuffed animals, and expired cereal. Between the two, I'd expect to find better deals at the later... however this weekend... that wasn't the case.

When: Sunday, September 4th

Where: Capitol Flea Market

What: A tour of a pretty cool junk wax era collection & an embellished history of sports figures

How Much: $0

I found several items I was interested in, but one of the vendors was a collector still living in the 90's and not reality... and the other guy... well... let's just say he was a little off on his facts.

Attempted Purchase #1: 7 Packs of 1995 Flair Baseball

The first guy I ran into had a huge collection of sports cards and figures. He had at least 5 display cases and probably 30 to 50 figures. In addition to that, he had cereal boxes, complete sets, wax packs, wax boxes, and binders full of star cards.

There were a few singles that caught my attention, but as soon as he said he wanted $5 for a 1986 Topps Traded Bo Jackson rookie... I realized he was looking to get half off the price on his stickers... which were over inflated beyond belief. Trust me... I spent 20 minutes... just admiring his collection to see what he had and there wasn't a single card priced reasonably.

Before I left, I did make him an offer on some wax packs. He had seven packs of 1995 Flair Series 2 baseball floating around in a bin, so I gathered them up and asked how much he wanted. The gentleman asked me to make him an offer, so I said $ and he chuckled. He told me they usually sell for $4, but he'd take $20 for the lot and I laughed. I guess at least we were able to entertain each other.

Attempted Purchase #2: 1995 Kenner SLU Sandis Ozolinsh

Later on, I ran into a guy who had a bunch of San Jose Sharks stuff. I think he purchased it from someone, because he didn't really know what he was talking about. He had a hat autographed by Patrick Marleau, Ryan Clowe, Joe Pavelski, and a few other current players... but he kept saying he got their autographs in the mid 90's.

Most of the stuff he was selling I already had... but I was interested in his 1995 Sandis Ozolinsh SLU, since it's the only Sharks SLU I don't own. So I inquired about it and he went into a 30 second spiel about how rare these figures are to find sealed and in great condition. After hearing an exaggerated Kenner SLU history, he said he'd take $10 for the piece.

Now 15 years ago... this price would definitely be a steal... especially in San Jose. And I won't even say his price is unreasonable... since it's probably what a card shop would sell it for. But I've picked up SLU's from this flea market for a buck before... and a day earlier I found two HOF figures in amazing condition for $5 a piece... so I was ready to trade a Hamilton for an Ozolinsh. Instead I offered him a Lincoln, but he wasn't interested.

Wait... I almost forgot. I did buy something. It cost me $1.75 to get into the flea market, so technically I purchased an admission ticket. What a steal... right? At least I got some exercise and a few laughs.

Before I wrap up this post and publish it... I did want to mention that there are no feelings of animosity towards any of the vendors I encountered yesterday. I understand that it's their items and they have the right to set the price as high or low as they deem fit.

I'm just wondering if they know what their items typically sell for... or if they even want to know.

Which leads me to today's question of the day:

If you purchased an item 15 years ago and over the years it lost most of its value, would you want to know its current market value or would you prefer to live in denial?

There's definitely some truth to the saying... "ignorance is bliss". But if I had to choose, I'd want to know the current value even if the information was painful. The fact is... less than 1% of the cards I own has held their value over the years and I'm okay with it. I've learned from my mistakes and today I collect differently. My only hope is that this new style of collecting will bring more joy and less regret in the future.

Have a great week everyone. Three day weekends are awesome! Not only do we get an extra day off... we also get a short work week. Sayonara!