ST21

Posted by cardboard hogs on November 27, 2013

Today marks the 6 year anniversary of Sean Taylors’ death. His time with the team was very short and exciting. Like a lot of kids in his 20’s he had off field issues and made some poor decisions…but I don’t believe he was a terrible person. He had a family and a daughter that meant the world to him and was doing everything he could to change his life for the better. Unfortunately, he was gunned down in his home attempting to protect his girlfriend and daughter.

I will always remember Sean Taylor as a hard hitter and a very nasty football player…ask any Redskin fan what their thoughts of him are and undoubtedly they will mention his punishing hits and aggressive play. Hail to the Redskins! Hail Victory!

Ballin D’Hall

Posted by cardboard hogs on November 26, 2013

OK. I’m over the debacle from last night and want to focus on some positivity here at Cardboard Hogs. One player that has been having a very solid if not great season is DeAngelo Hall. Hall is one of those guys that Redskin fans love to hate and hate to love. In his short career with the Redskins he has made some terrible bonehead decisions, like picking fights with receivers and getting penalized or bailing on coverage to go for a pick only to get burned when he misses out.

This year though, amidst all the terrible-ness of a 3-8 season, Hall has stepped up in a major way. He’s having the kind of season that would get much more pub is he wasn’t on a terrible team…albeit, the main reason for the bad record is due to the defense (and special teams if you keeping score at home). Hall has managed to slow down if not stop some of the leagues best receivers all year long. From Megatron to Dez and Brandon Marshall, he has slowed them down from their standard levels of production.

I’ve picked up a few nice jersey or swatch cards as i have decided to coin them from my new favorite local card shop, Hoopla Sports. I am loving the customer service at Hoopla and the friendliness of their staff. One reason for switching shops is their online stores with Beckett and ebay. They are constantly updating their store with new items that i can bid on or add to my cart and pick up in store with no shipping charges. Cuts down on my in store time (which isn’t necessarily great) which is great considering my demanding 14 month old baby monster…(I love the kid!)

Black Monday

Posted by cardboard hogs on November 25, 2013

Ugggghhhh!

What did you waste your time doing tonight? Mine was spent fast forwarding through 60 minutes on ineptitude and a pathetic showing on the football field. I really didn’t expect too much from the Redskins tonight, but kind of expecting SOMETHING. Sometimes, expectations are set too high and cannot be met…mine were not met this evening. What a terrible season.

Being a fan of the Redskins has to be one of the most gut wrenching things in all of sports.

I’m staying with my guys though. I will be there when they eventually turn it around. I just wish they could get a way from the circus sideshow crap and just be a football team. Between them and the Dallas Cowboys, i’m not really sure any other football team has so much importance put on things other than playing football. Lots of noise for the organization and a ton of distractions. The good thing is that it really doesn’t matter…it’s just football and a game these silly kids play for tons of dollars.

Just watch and enjoy what you can…as always Hail to the Redskins!

A break from football and new PC additions

Posted by cardboard hogs on November 24, 2013

So, i was going to do a post on some Redskin cards that have been sitting around the computer but thought i should mix it up with a couple of baseball cards. Being a Redskin fan i tend to listen to DC sports talk radio and over the past 5 years, that has bled over to their coverage of the Wizards, Capitals and Nationals. Not being a huge fan of hockey or basketball, two of those teams didn’t quite do it for me. But one has, the Nats. Normally when you become a fan of a team and collect sports cards, you want to start a collection of their better players or at least the guys on their team you enjoy watching. I’ve been a fan of Ryan Zimmerman for a while but haven’t jumped all in for his cards but have decided to roll with Harper and Strasburg…with the potential to start collecting Zimmerman, assuming Spanky is cool with that 🙂

Harper was a pretty easy decision for me. I love the way the kid plays. He may be a little to intense and hasn’t had the best reputation for being a modest humble guy…but most great players are not quiet on the field, right? I will admit that he has some growing up to do, but you gotta love a guy that sprints around the bases after going yard, right? Or a guy that dives in to a wall to make a catch, risking his face and his health…and his beard! Harper is the new addition to the PC. I will more than likely be focusing on the base cards and a few inserts, avoiding the autos and super short prints.

The other player that i’m adding to the PC is Stephen Strasburg. He is going to be the first pitcher added to the collection, which for some reason, i’ve never started a Mariano Rivera collection. I guess that can come at a later date since i’ve never started a PC for a retired player. Strasburg was a tough decision. Pitchers are always tough decisions since their health is always a concern and Strasburg has proven to not be a tough durable guy. When he is though, he’s lights out…and that’s what i’m counting on. The lights out part. Similar to Harper, I will be focusing on base stuff and a few inserts…maybe i can pick up an autograph or two next year.

Lots of football stuff coming this week, keep reading please and do yourself a favor by not watching the Redskins tomorrow night…please…

Alf Plate

Posted by cardboard hogs on November 21, 2013

Here’s another printing plate recently purchased by none other than me. It’s of Alfred Morris aka Alf aka Fromo aka the Butcher aka A-Train…and so on. H’e a really good player and I like him a lot. The kid is crazy modest and borderline impossible to tackle with your arms. Along with Garçon, he’s been one of the most consistent Redskins this season. He’s also been a guy that doesn’t go blabbing to the media about how certain players don’t say ‘I’ or ‘Me’ enough…but that’s another post.

Ok, so there is the card. A magenta printing plate. I don’t know about your collection, but the vast majority of the plates that i’ve come across are magenta. It’s almost like there are more of them, but of course that doesn’t make sense since they are all 1/1. Not like the magentas are in more packs…because, there’s only 1. Get it? I need to be on the lookout for a nice yellow printing plate. Let me know if you see one…A Redskin of course.

One thing about this lil piece of metal is that is slightly bent/rolled on the bottom with a slight dent on the bottom left. No matter. It’s a nice piece of metal from one of my new favorite players. I have so many favorite players…

This man is no boy, Pierre Garçon

Posted by cardboard hogs on November 20, 2013

One bright shining star in a dimly lit season has been Pierre Garçon. In his second season with the Redskins he has clearly become RGIII’s number one target. Mostly because he can catch just about any poorly thrown pass, whether it be at his ankles or 8 feet above his head…Pierre’s got this!

And i got this! An autograph refractor numbered to 10. It’s shiny and pretty. As with all sticker autos, i hate them, they suck…and this is the reason why. His autograph is decent and fairly clean, except for the part where, you know, the autograph runs off the sticker. The autograph is certified by Topps and that means the world to me, doesn’t it do the same for you? No matter, still a beautiful piece of cardboard or card stock.

When he was signed last season as a free agent and one of their ‘big’ signings under the $36M cap hit, i immediately thought…great, another free agent bust in a time when the team really can’t afford one. My instincts failed me miserably and Garçon has quickly become one of my favorite Redskins to watch each week. Win or lose, i don’t think anyone else on the field plays with as much passion or intensity as he does. The guy runs angry, like he really wants to injure someone…seriously injure them…possibly maim them for life as he runs through them violently.

Metal Reed 1/1

Posted by cardboard hogs on November 19, 2013

Ok, it’s been a helluva long time since i posted. My absence is due to many reasons, one of them is of course the fact that my Redskins have tanked this season. I thought the first Eagles game was an aberration, but i was wrong…coincidentally, my last post was after the first game on Monday night. I’ve still been collecting and picking up new items…just inspired or motivated to scan and post them. But guess what bitches, i’m back!

As i may have mentioned in an earlier post, i’ve been on a printing plate binge of sorts. Focusing my collection on 1/1’s. Plus I like light gauges of metal in the colors of C-M-Y and K. Here is one plate that i recently picked up on the electronic bay. Jordan Reed. He’s Magenta, M in your 4-letter color coding system. It’s cool to turn the metal over and see ‘Congratulations’. Being an only child, i could never get enough accolades. So seeing it on a Redskins card is pretty awesome even I wasn’t the first person to see it, but you can see it right here!

Some of you fantasy leaguers out there should take note of this kid. He’s going to be something special. If only he can manage to stay healthy and on the field. Seems to be struggling with that so far. But i have high expectations for 2014. That will be the Redskins year. #HTTR