Opening Day…a couple of days late

Posted by cardboard hogs on April 5, 2017

The last few years i’ve taken the…sort of MLB opening day of Monday off. I already get Sundays off, so it’s not really necessary to take that day off. It’s Monday’s that i like to not be at work. Plus, who likes working on Monday’s. They tend to suck don’t they? Take ’em off i say. The only problem though was that i am drowning in a mess of a deadline at work…so that time could have been better spent working than watching baseball…but life goes on.

Normally, i take this time off to be with my kid, but he’s in school until 3pm and i saw that as a time in the day to open up some packs of cards from my local Target. Why Target and not my LCS…well, Brian was apparently out that day…he must have taken opening day off too.

I’m not typically a pack buyer or box buyer unless i plan on putting the set together, but i do like to pick up a pack or two of new releases. A couple reasons, it helps me replenish my team card lots as well as adds star cards to my personal collection…which unfortunately ends up living in a white box in my basement. Let’s take a look at what i picked up.

Just a couple of battery mates from the city by the bay. MadBum and Posey. Both of these cards are fantastic examples of how Panini should make cards with none…or at least very minimal photoshopping in order to get a proper non logo’d image. Plus some cool action photos

Next up is a couple of Longo cards that just so happened to be back to back in the fat pack of Donruss. Longoria was one of those guys that I had added to my PC a few years ago…but never really followed up on him. I kinda feel bad for the guy. He’s a great player on a mediocre team…they’re not bad, but playing in the AL East is tough…plus, not too much fan support in Tampa for their baseball team.

Cutch is a player that i’ve waffled on adding as a “guy i collect” but never seem to actually getting it done. Instead, i think i’ll just add this card to my non official collection of him…again, in the white basement box.

Ok, this guy. Mr. Sanchez will most likely be a “guy i collect”. I’m already building up a little stack of his cards so far…would like to get an autograph of his at some point this year. I’ve never been overly fond of catchers though…cept for Posada of course!

Last card from the Donruss pack was this shimmery bit of sexiness. A Madison Bumgarner ‘The Elite Series’ serial numbered card of 96/249. It was the only hit of the day for me…very nice though.

Next up was a few packs of Gypsy Queen. GQ is something that i get excited about each year, but never really seem to get that much in to the set. I saw a few samples on the other blogs and was quite impressed with the cards this year though. My trip to Target yielded single packs only. I had high hopes of getting a blaster, but that wasn’t in the cards for me…so i had marginal expectations for the packs i picked up and was definitely not let down…or lifted up? Pretty cool to get a couple Bronx Baby Bombers though.

Rizzo, because he’s a champion of the world with the Cubbies. Also, JaCoby Jones…not the receiver from Super Bowl fame, but JaCoby Jones that appears to be doing something that should not be done on a baseball card, but maybe i’m just a perv…

Trea Turner. I watched the Nets game Monday morning and couldn’t get over how smooth Trea seemed out at short. He’s quite the talent at such a young age and he rocks the 7 like he owns it. Can’t wait to see what kind of player he becomes.

When i first saw this card, i thought it was some kind of error card. NO WORDS! I’m rich!! Well actually it’s an introduction card from last season of a clean shaven Evan. Maybe he’s working to get back in my PC box.

Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus are buddies and should totally make a buddy cop movie.

A former Nat in a Sox Jersey. Not sure Adam Eaton was worth giving up on Giolito…but Rizzo is a better baseball GM than i am and so maybe i should just trust the process and see what Eaton can do this season.

Now, Topps Opening Day is not something i buy much of if at all. Just not really in to the cards. I wish they would do something different with the cards rather than just copy the base design…but, it’s a cool and inexpensive little set each year that i like to get a few packs from.

Last card of note is Turner again. A nice kitchen mitten action photo. That’s how i look chasing my kid when he takes the spatula from the kitchen when i’m making fried eggs on sundays.

So that wraps it up for me tonight. Deadline wraps up next week…not sure i’ma make it but there’s always another deadline…Oh yeah. One odd story. At the end of last year, i received an email which i initially though was just some spam email. Turns out it was legit. Someone from a book publisher had reached out to me as they came across an image from my blog a few years ago (2013 no less!). They wanted a copy of an image i did not produce, but scanned and wrote about…as we all do. The image they wanted was the one shown below. Adam Dunn’s 2013 Topps Series 2 card #647.

I was slightly confused because…it’s not an original image of mine, just a scanned one. I was concerned about sharing the image, but figured it wasn’t in my court…it was their book. Nevertheless, the book is out and i read through a couple pages and it’s quite a fascinating take on some of the biggest, recent trades and how each team benefited or not from the deals. Kind of excited to read a little more soon…plus an “image of mine” has been published…not really, but you know what i mean…

Today’s music video is brought to you by Evidence from Dilated Peoples. It’s a great one!!!

young’ns

Posted by cardboard hogs on March 29, 2017

Although the past Redskins season didn’t unfold as i had expected, there were a couple of bright spots…or at least areas that may appear to be bright if things unfold how i hope they will. The rookie class from last years draft had minimal impact this season, starting of course with the much written about here, Josh Doctson. Most of the kids drafted in April of 2016 didn’t see much playing time due to injuries or roster depth.

Take a quick peek:

WR – Josh Doctson from TCU
LB – Su’A Cravens from USC
DB – Kendall Fuller from Virginia Tech
DT – Matthew Ioannidis from Temple
QB – Nate Sudfeld from Indiana
LB – Steve Daniels from Boston College
RB – Keith Marshall from Georgia

If you look closer at the draft though, the team managed to keep everyone in the organization and didn’t cut them. What that means of course is that the organization felt they did a good job of drafting. Now, who really knows who drafted these guys. Could have been Scott McCloughan or Bruce Allen…or maybe it was Chris Cooley…who knows…! I’m going to keep my hopes up and hope these guys have great futures with the team.

Besides Doctson, i’m really hoping for something great from Su’A Cravens. He’s making the shift from LB to Safety next season. Something that should have been done last year…but who has time to look backwards these days.

Cravens likens himself to a Sean Taylor kind of player…most of the defensive backs that play for the Redskins or wear 21 do, so it’s cool that he gets to fulfill that wish i guess. Taylor was a freak of nature and a complete beast on the field. He also loved football and always went all out when he played…not saying Cravens can’t do that…but…i’m just sayin it’s a lot to live up to.

Not to mention, Cravens likes his social media which i really couldn’t imagine Sean Taylor posting photos of him posing near a waterfall during his vacation…but maybe…who knows. I have hope that Su’A will become a dominant player, only time will tell.

The only other player that really saw much time on the field last year was Kendall Fuller, although it was somewhat short lived. He was coming off an ACL surgery from the prior season, so no telling how healthy he was last season. His impact last year didn’t amount to much, but he seems like the kind of player that will be solid and have some great games. Maybe not an All-Pro, but his blood line is that of an NFL’er…plus the new secondary coach for the Redskins was his DB coach at VTech. So there’s that.

Nate Sudfeld is a bit of a curiosity for me. Is the Cousin’s replacement next season? Is he just a guy that will be a 2nd and 3rd string quarterback? Who is he and what can he do! Only time will tell for him.

Since he’s a QB, i’ve been working to stock up on his autographs like i did with Cousins during RGIII’s rookie year. That was some seriously major foresight on my part. If things don’t work out for Cousins and the Redskins in the future, i’ll have my Sudfelds ready to go and fully invested in!

The other players i don’t have cards for yet are Steven Daniels and Matthew Ioannidis. Daniels was injured during training camp and was placed on IR but had a decent start to his camp last year. Seems like one of those small cannon ball kind of line backers that is everywhere and becomes a field leader…like London Fletcher was for so many seasons. Keith Marshall was another player that was injured and didn’t have an impact on last season.

Looking back on t the draft, you really have to hope that these kids can get and stay healthy or this draft could turn out to be a huge bust. But if they can get and stay healthy, who knows what their future holds for them. Lots of potential and talent for them young’ns.

The music today is brought to you by a couple of enigmatic dual personality MC’s from New York. Kool Keith and MF Doom. A couple old guys that the young’ns love…especially Doom. He has quite a cult following for those true hip hop fans.

A Big ole’ box of Memories

Posted by cardboard hogs on February 4, 2017

I pre-ordered a jumbo box of ~~1987~~ 2017. This is the big 30th anniversary for a set that is seemingly very popular with a lot of people. Me though, i have a different memory of these vertically wood grained over produced cards.

I started collecting baseball cards in the fall of 1985.

I was 9 and had fallen in love with baseball and baseball cards.

I wanted to learn everything about baseball and own everything i could about baseball.

So, baseball cards met that need at the highest level for a young’n like me. There weren’t many opportunities to buy cards at that time due to scarcity at my local Stop n’ Go or 7-11, but also my lack of funds…I was 9. I did what i could back then. When the 1986 cards rolled out, i was able to complete a set via trades and multiple pack purchases. The way it was done in the old school days. I had a little more money and ’86 turned out to be a fun year, a year that i became addicted to these damn cardboard things.

That all changed in the winter of 1987.

The very first packs of cards i bought that year were in the Stop n’ Go down the street from my home. I was headed out to my very first camping trip for the local Boy Scouts troop…a trip that i wasn’t too excited about (maybe a story for later, but my BSA experience was very forgettable!). My mom pulled in to the parking lot and gave me some money to get a special snack and a juice…i bought a coke and two packs of cards. 1987 Topps. The cards had gum in them, so that’s kind ova snack, right? Fearing that i had betrayed my mom, i kept the cards tucked in my pocket to be opened later that weekend…during a camping trip. I made it successfully to the bus without anyone finding out about my card purchases and was able to procure a solo seat and open them on the ride to the camp site. I had 34 brand new cards in my hands…and two horrible pieces of gum. Little did i know that this was the start of an incredible amount of over-consumption of wood grained cardboard that i would later become overwhelmed with.

For me, this was my first understanding of over production of a product. I was buying packs everywhere. I was even able to buy a few boxes at our local Sams Wholesale Club…for about $18 each. Now, t’ve never been a collector for the investment purposes but i also don’t like to buy junk…well that year i must have spent about $100 on 1987 Topps. I was completely overwhelmed with them and grew to really dislike them…everything about them. So when the set gets a re-up, i don’t jump for joy. I’m old enough now and have some perspective to understand and appreciate the design, so maybe this year won’t be so bad.

I mean, they do actually look kind of nice and as others have mentioned, the wood grain is quite lighter than the original. The cards stock as i remember it is quite better as well, significantly better actually…as i look at these cards, i can see why they are adored by so many…i have baggage that i need to let go of i guess.

They are nice, very nice. Well done Topps. You did a great job with these re-issues. Tweaked some of the things that were of concern to me…thank you for listening 🙂 Some of you may have already seen the cards that i pulled as i thought it would be nice to pre-share over Twitter last night. Just in case though, here is my very first 2017 Topps card of the year!

Miami Marlins Giancarlo Stanton! Pretty sweet first card eh? Don’t think i know what my first card is for the past 30 years, but i would venture to say that none of them are as good as this one.

This was my first card pulled for a favorite team, the Nationals or Yankees…Bryce Harper is cool, i mean…he’s probably going to have a good season. Yeah, this card is fantastic for me not to mention that i got two in the box. One for my flagship set and one for my Bryce Harper PC. Collecting goals are being met.

This was my first Yankee, Nathan Eovaldi. It was immediately followed by Aaron Hicks, also a Yankee. Guess that duo was a nice little mini Yankee hot pack…or not…?

Topps is also continuing with the buyback program, but stamping them differently this year with a vertically embossed stamp along the right edge of the card that reads “REDISCOVER TOPPS’. Nothing spectacular, but i have to admit these cards are in great shape.

One of the many inserts that you get are the foil cards which are great looking cards, assuming you can see them. I passed up a couple of them and had to go through the stack again to make sure i pulled them all out and when i did…four of the five were team cards. Feel a little gipped here, but i guess it would have only been successful if one of them was a player or team i collect. The fifth was a Kurt Suzuki.

Topps is also continuing to do the first pitch cards…and i think they are running out of celebrities or there just aren’t enough celebrities to go around. Not trying to blast either of these two musical entertainers, but one of them is great and the other one is Mase. I’ve tried to associate the connection of the First Pitcher to the team they are pitching for. Mase, per wikipedia was born in Florida, but left with his mom for New York when he was three. I guess maybe he’s always been a fan of a Florida team? Ms. Jett is from Pennsylvania, so maybe she grew up watching Harry Caray and Steve Stone on WGN like me? I kid…Joan Jett was one of my favorite rockers in the early 80’s, mostly due to my mom liking her music with The Runaways. I like her biggest solo hit, a cover of ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll”

Speaking of hits, i have three of them…well, two and a half. I don’t consider redemptions hits until i have them in my hand. Here they are, in my current favorite order. When the redemption is in my hands, that will be without a doubt my favorite one…assuming of course it’s a Yankee card.

My timeline counter is starting on February 3rd, 2017. Let’s see how long this takes to hit my blog post. Ball is in your court Topps Corporation.

Clayton Kershaw Spring Training commemorative patch…it’s like a hard plastic’y metal’y thing’y numbered 38/50. Not gonna complain at all.

My favorite hit, currently, is this Addison Russell trip color patch…they snuck that white portion of the patch in there didn’t they? Numbered 19 of 25 is pretty good too. Kinda wish it was autographed, but i’m quite happy with this pull. Russell is a great young player and nice to add to my collection.

d’oh! I have a couple more cool cards to show off. Nothing spectacular, but wanted to share. First one is the Bryce Harper Then and Now…i always remember that moment when i almost pulled that card in a box. The guy next to me picked the box that had it and i picked the other one…such is my luck…i always get the other one..Harper looks like he’s aged 10 years since the Bowman card, beards man…they make you look old.

The other one is of the young Astros prospect, but aren’t they all? Teoscar Hernandez…feels like his name should be spelled T’Oscar…but that’s not my lane. I’m gonna stay out. This is one of those reverse negative cards that are not printing plates, but every time i see one that’s the first thing that crosses my mind…kinda wished it was yellow.

Well, that’s the haul from my one jumbo box that i purchase for each series. Hope you enjoyed. I will be posting the cards from the two silver packs that came with the box another day, so until then. Enjoy some random music that i was listening to while writing this letter to you.

Faces in new places

Posted by cardboard hogs on February 1, 2017

Change is inevitable, it happens. People move, make new friends, change jobs, etc. It’s a big part of life and in my opinion, it’s a great part of life. I love to experience new things. Try new restaurants and take a trip to a place i know nothing about…or simply listen to new music. I live new. New is good to me, it excites me and awakens me. The flip side to that is i tend to jump in head first for the new thing and get caught up in the moment. I’m a bit impulsive at times and this can be a bad combination…compulsivity and attraction to the novel. That said, if i really am honest with myself and look back on what i’ve gone through, i can’t say that i have any regrets (or at least very few…) for things that i’ve done. It’s always the things i didn’t do that get me…which i think most people go through in their life. The fear of taking a risk and just going for it cripples most of us. I know it’s paralyzed me in the past…completely shut me down at times. I’m a totally afraid of fear. Last year though, i started to take a different approach and go head first in to new things…now, these were safe gambles. I wasn’t jumping out of planes or wrestling tigers (GO CLEMSON!! YAY!), i was leaving something that was know for something that was unknown and striking up a conversation with people i wouldn’t normally talk to. Attempting to become fearless. Well, my levels of fear are creeping back up. Self doubt is creeping back in to my mind and slowing me down once again. It’s been tough adjusting to the new…but i think it’s worth it and i could really use a little bit of a reboot and a chance to challenge myself again.

Leaving and arriving are antonyms, but really you can’t have one without the other. If you are leaving a place, then you must be arriving to another place. Whether the circumstances were of your own volition or through the making of someone else, it’s a chance to start fresh and push yourself to do things you maybe haven’t had to do in a while.

Less than a year ago, the Carolina Panthers offered the Franchise tag to arguably the best cornerback in the NFL, Josh Norman. There was quite a bit of back and forth with him and the Panthers and to be honest, i wasn’t paying attention…didn’t need to. He played for a team that i appreciate, but don’t think too much about, he wasn’t a Redskin. Well, time went on and the contract wasn’t signed for whatever reasons. Just before it needed to be signed, the Panthers pulled the offer and Norman became a free agent. Less than a week after, he was a Redskin.

This was quite a coup for my team. They needed major secondary help…MAJOR secondary help (and still do), he wasn’t going to be the savior but he was a night and day improvement over what the Redskins had last season. Being the shutdown corner that he is labeled, he doesn’t get too many passes thrown his way. A little ironic that the best player on your defense rarely sees the ball or gets close to the ball…seems counterintuitive doesn’t it? He’s basically a little leaguer in right field…put him where he won’t see any action!!!

Norman had a good season. Not an epic season, but nice. Held some of the best receivers in the NFL to their worst games of the year. His battle with Odell Beckham Jr. earlier this year led to OBJr. getting sacked by a kicking net on the Giants sidelines. Classic material if you ask me. Josh Norman is one of those guys that you love if he’s on your team and hate if he isn’t and i’m cool with that. He seems like a cool guy, energetic and knowledgable about the NFL game. I guess he’s a great example of making the best of a new situation. A situation he didn’t have total control over, but it worked out…kinda helped he got crazy paid though.

Being a rookie has to be tough on the college kids. Incredible levels of competition and a whole new routine and way of life. There is always someone nipping at your heels pushing you to be better and reach higher levels of excellence. Some succeed and some crumble. This guy, Matt Jones did neither last year. He was somewhere in between and ended up losing his job due to costly fumbles…but hey, competition, right! That hair in the photo is pretty epic.

Another difficult part of being a rookie is injuries…damn injuries. This kid, Keith Marshall was hit with some elbow issues in preseason and ended up on the IR for the year. Not a great start for a guy at a deep position.

He showed some signs of potential in the few touches he had in preseason, so it made sense for the Redskins to IR him in hopes of keeping him on the roster and not cutting him.

Not sure what next year will bring for him, i hope he gets healthy, gets reps and has a chance to make the team next year. Georgia has had some pretty fantastic running backs in the past, and maybe he can be a hidden gem?

So yeah, i picked up a couple autographs of him over the weekend. They are cheap and colorful with wicked wands of hair…can’t go wrong really. One of the cards i picked up though really caught my eye. It was a personalized card, and a card that Kim had set aside for me. My first personalized authentic card ever. But it was cool and timely for me. Take a look.

I already miss Athens, GA.

Now, this could simply be rhetoric and i’m making it in to something deeper, but my point is that we should always feel great about moving forward and challenging ourselves with new experiences and be allowed to miss the people/places/things we’ve left behind.

I’ve always thought i was someone that never wanted to look back, only move forward…KIM (keep it movin’). But, i’m understanding the importance of being able to look back happily and remember the experiences, good and bad that i went through…and more importantly the people that helped get me where i am today. Thank you for reading tonight.

The song for the night is fitting for the post i believe…

A buncha PC randos…

Posted by cardboard hogs on January 31, 2017

I’m a bit of a scatter brain at times.

I love things. I ~~hate~~ dislike things.

I Get excited. I Get intimidated.

I’m motivated. I’m uninspired.

I’m focused. I’m distracted.

Lots of pendulum swings with my moods. In fact…just the time it took me to write the words above, i got up to mute the TV, select a song on my iTunes…didn’t see anything i wanted to listen to so i downloaded the new free copy of the OC album. Poured some water, sat down, got up to pour some whiskey, got some coke to add to the whiskey…and now i’m back ready to write something about my collecting hauls. The baseball and basketball PC that guys i collect…or do I…?

I’ve been a Bryce Harper collector for a while. He’s a fantastic player, intense and quite emotional. He also has some great hair, see! Theres something perversely magical about the combination of everything on this card. The wavy brushed back hair, close cropped beard, unbuttoned shirt, open mouthed gaze to right field…and the animal print border. This card has it all for the creepy collector…so i picked it up. Plus it’s numbered to 199, not 200.

Harper is a good player for me to collect, why you ask? Well, he’s a National at the moment and will be for another year at least. He heads in to arbitration after next season and has been fixated on a GIGANTIC contract…a YUUUGE ONE! Not too many teams can front the cash for a player like Harper, except maybe his favorite team as a child…the Yankees.

This would be awesome for me. Many times a player i like moves on to a team i can’t really get down with collecting…i’m looking at you Hanley Ramirez and Carl Crawford. So, it’s a win win. Assuming everything goes according to plan…which rarely happens if ever these days. So, keeping things in the proper perspective, i can see collecting this guy for a long time, no matter if he plays in DC or NYC.

Just hope if he ends up in the pinstripes, he can take the ups and downs of playing on a tremendously large stage…it can roughen the edges of the smoothest player.

Normally i love it when a guy stays on the same team his entire career, like Jeter and Ripken to name a few. One guy that i could see staying with his team for the duration of his career is this kid, Trea Turner. He’s a future superstar…with a ton of potential. I can’t help but thing of Jeter when i see him, slightly different type of player but I think he has that magical ability to be where the play is and can bring a ton of victories the next few years. I’m slowly working on his collection and this Gold Label is a nice base card pick up from the show.

Ok, enough about the Nats and baseball. How about some basketball…and a couple Spurs i picked up. I’m a streaky Spurs collector. I’ll go months between a Spurs purchase and then pick up a few cards to add to the collection. At the moment though, they are just dropped in a box marked “Spurs to be organized”. The odds are not favorable that that box gets organized in the current year, but at least they are together. Go Spurs Go!

The obvious guy for me to collect at the moment is Kawhi. If this guy wasn’t born to be a Spur, i don’t know what a Spur is. Tough, physical, durable, smart and doesn’t need to let you know everything about his personal life…i like that. The quiet modesty vs. the humble brag.

The problem with me and Spurs cards is that i tend to skip the basketball tables at the show…just walk right past those dudes. One of the guys works for COMC and is super cool, but his table is filled with basketball cards…and i don’t have that kind of time to sift through a ton of basketball cards. Not to mention i don’t know most of the guys. If they don’t play on the Blazer or Spurs…i don’t know them. Apparently Vince Carter is still dunking over dudes…who knew!

Every time i get one of these Red White Blue Prizm cards, i’m just gonna go ahead and post this image as well…because…well…it’s the exact same thing.

I couldn’t get some Leonard cards and not get one of this guys. The Saint, Timmy Duncan!

This card in person is crazy sparkly. It’s like a flat disco ball. It shimmers quite a bit. Plus you can really see the gray beard of a man young Duncan became. He does have skills.

I also picked up this card on a whim…was about to start buying up a bunch of Clemson Tigers at the show and slammed on the brakes, but not before i slipped this Hopkins card on my stack.

So, as i’ve been typing, i’ve been listening to the new OC album. I believe it came out today, maybe yesterday…doesn’t really matter. It’s a free download and it sounds pretty nice. I’ve been a fan of OC since i first heard Times Up! A great moment of lyrical supremacy and a very cool sample from Les DeMerle’s Jazz version of A Day in the Life which has been sampled many times in hiphop, but for my money, Times Up is the best use of the first portion of the cover…If you like the OC video below, maybe give the free download a chance…it’s not bad…and it’s free!!! Or listen to the Beatles A Day in the Life…it’s pretty fantastic as well.

One more Chance!

Posted by cardboard hogs on January 4, 2017

I have a stack of cards in front of me that have a story that needs to be unearthed, something that can connect the pieces of card stock together in a nice little cycle of like kinda way. I just don’t know what that story is yet. I got foil cards. I got celebrity cards, I got guys with turkey necks and a guy that took a barbecue sauce bath, and some cards that are called Fire but look like Chihuly glass…guess it was fired glass…semantics i guess. Let’s start with the celebrity stock of First Pitches.

Two rappers, one is The Rapper…Chance that is. The other is Warren G. If you have been reading my words the past few years, you are fully aware of my affinity towards the rap music and culture. I’m pretty critical with my rap music though, almost a snob…yes, you should call it a snobbish attitude. I love lyrics and great storytelling. Guys…and Gals…that can paint a picture with their words in a seemingly quick or witty manner. The two guys above do that, although in all honesty, i can’t say i’m a fan of either. The reason for me? Their voice. Guru from Gangstarr had a song “Mostly the Voice” that clearly explained that its mostly the voice that we love or hate about a rapper. Now, he did go on to explain that the lyrics are critical as well, but in his opinion…it’s mostly the voice, and i agree with these two guys. Both Chance and Warren G have very distinctive sounds to them and are incredible story tellers. One of Warren G’s biggest hits was a terrific narrative of the wild life of an inner city Regulators, but the voice though…couldn’t handle it, plus it was the kind of laid back west coast music i wasn’t really in to back then. Now, Chance is one of those new rappers and i’m an old guy, so part of my distaste for his sound is that i’m not sure i truly get his metaphors. Seems like a great kid, positive kid trying to do some great things and share his stories…just not something i’m really in to yet. Possibly haven’t given it a good enough listen, I just struggle with him. Plus he’s in Kit Kat commercials and gettin’ down with so many different stars on my television set and internet machines. Seems like a lot of success came quick for him, too quick. I’m sure he’s been grinding at his craft for a while…but too much too soon for me to be a believer.

Speaking of quick success, Aubrey Plaza. Came on the scene out of nowhere with her popular character in the comedy series Park and Recreation (April Ludgate) who might have been the quintessential apathetic employee…that’s what the backside of this card said about her. Think that’s pretty appropriate. I had never heard of her until the Parks and Rec show that i watched for Nick Offermans’ character, Ron Swanson and the lovable Amy Poehler. I feel like Aubrey is one of those actors/actresses that doesn’t really ACT! but rather ends up playing the same person in each role that is really her in real life like Vince Vaughn or Michael Cera. She’s cute, awkwardly funny and somewhat edgy i guess. I must admit that her glove seems excessively large for her scale of human being. A smaller glove may have been in order for her big first pitch opportunity. Wonder if she could borrow another one?

Here are those Fire cards i was talking about earlier, not really sure how i feel about these inserts. Maybe if the card stock was thicker and possibly shinier, shiny is good sometimes, then i might be all in. I’m definitely all in for Griffey and McCutchen.

Griffey and Cutch appear to be in a flaming cauldron and trying to swing their way out to a burning hell. The Cutch card should be a Steelers card. Meanwhile the two Dodgers i pulled are emerging straight out of a pit of propane and butane, or more poeticly, emerging from the latest experimental Chihuly sculpture. Either way Maeda is feeling the effects of those flames coming in as hot as blue blazes!!! (my grandma would have been so proud of me for getting that one in, miss you Winn!)

We’re about to go from fire to foil, just like a night over the grill. (Really wished i pulled a Jason Grilli foil card, would have made that transition solid gold). I will settle for this quote though from the back of Pat Deans’ card “the cunning southpaw soaked up a barbecue sauce shower after beating Felix Hernandez for his first win”. So foil, grilling, BBQ sauce, Pat Dean:

You readers at home are just going to have to trust me in regards to the foil on these guys. It’s there, you can’t see, but trust me, it’s there.

The next card was a pretty cool pull, a Cubs team card black and white reverse negative SP card…wait, It’s a Jake Arrieta card…wait, it’s a Jake Arrieta no-hitter card…wait, it’s a damn checklist. Damn!!! It’s also a very demonic appearing David Ross.

Moving on to the next group of cards. Serial numbered foil cards with perforated screen print and a running 2016 Topps banner…these cards have it all…everything on one card. If it had a snowflake/snow flake (forgot to look that up today…) it would have been over the top though. The thing that struck me about this trifecta of National League East pitchers was their turkey neck poses. I wonder how many players get excited to see their cards in a pack and pull…

THIS!

OR THIS!

OR THIS…!!!

Actually, i can’t really see Bartolo Colon ever caring about his image on a card, seems too carefree for such frivolities. That glove…he should let Aubrey Plaza use that if she ever tosses out the first pitch for the Metropolitans.

I have a few more cards to post, the hits you know. Gotta wait for those tomorrow though. Kinda happy with the little success i had with those three cards…not a bad bunch. Nothing ground breaking, but nice no less.

Hope you guys have a great evening.

Here’s a video from one of the greatest storytellers in rap and a no doubt classic. From 1988!!!

Rookie Autos!

Posted by cardboard hogs on December 21, 2013

I think the 2013 Redskin rookie class could be a pretty good one. Most of their performances were overshadowed by injuries, lack of playing time or just not being ready for NFL action. One of my favorites and a guy that i’ve been picking up a lot of cards of has been Jordan Reed. One of the knocks on him coming out of Florida was his tendency to suffer injuries, or not being able to play through the injuries. He has been shut down for the remainder of the season due to a concussion. I’m hoping this isn’t a precursor to future issues with him as he’s shown to be a player with a ton of upside.

I have a pink chrome refractor card autographed by Mr. Reed…This is a very masculine card.

$13 TC Jordan Reed Pink Refractor Auto 12:75$

…and a nice fancy topps base card auto that is unfortunately a sticker auto.

Another kid that i’ve been really excited to see play has been Jawan Jamison. He’s been on the practice squad for most of the year and made the roster last week, but was inactive for the Falcons game. I’m hoping he can see the field against Dallas this weekend and get some good runs in…all over the field agains the Cowteam.

JJ has an extremely tiny signature, but it’s numbered to 25. This card was picked up at the last card show i went to that Tom had pulled for me. He told me he had a nice short print autograph card for me that i could have for free if i could name the player. I said Alfred Morris, wishful thinking i guess…didn’t get the card for free, but I got my usual great deal from Tom and was very pleased to walk away with this platinum #1 beauty.

It’s a little weird seeing a Redskin wear #47 and it not be Chris Coooooooley!

Breaking Box

Posted by cardboard hogs on December 18, 2013

Some of you kids, if not most of you have heard of Collector Revolution. It’s supposed to be a revolution for collector’s in that it’s not ebay…or feebay as some like to call it. For those that don’t know, it’s a place where collector’s can sell their goods to other collectors online. Not a new concept, but a pretty cool place to find some good cards at a good rate from people you can sorta trust. I still prefer COMC as my #1 online shopping for singles, but collectors revolution is something i may be looking into in the coming year.

One thing they have that really intrigued me was their online box breaks. The intriguing part for me was that they are fairly inexpensive for good product…the drawback is that the breaks are all random, at least the ones i’ve seen. If you are into big hits, which i tend to not be, than this is something you may be interested in. For me, I like a little more focused collection process. I don’t have a ton of money to spend on the hobby so any dollar I have to spend on product is stuff for completing sets or chasing players i like from teams i like. That said, i wanted to give the breaks a few chances.

I was a little weary about the breaks at first, so went with a lower end football break of 2013 Leaf Certified and Platinum Football as well as a break of 2013 Topps Triple Threads. I picked up two spots on the football break and one for the baseball break for a total of $30. As i expected, I got teams I wasn’t excited about – San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts. I was hoping for a Luck auto…but the best card i received was this Dan Fouts serial numbered card.

The baseball break was a little better. I got the Tigers and received these two very nice cards. An Al Kaline serial numbered card…

…and a Prince Fielder Largest Card memorabilia card. Nothing too exciting, but nice cards no less.

Me being a glutton for punishment, i went in on a 4-box break for 2013 Topps Chrome…and pulled the Jacksonville Jaguars…i know…

$13 TC Denard Robinson 86 Refractor$

Not wanting to go out on a bad note, i thought i would buy a spot for the Topps Five Star for $14.50. I figured, i would never buy this product ever and may end up getting lucky. I was essentially buying 7 mega millions lottery tickets…and I lost. I pulled the Astros and ended up not getting anything in the box. When you go hitless in the box break, you name is added to a special bonus box break…which has yet to happen…i’m hoping it happens soon though!

All in all, I like the idea of the box and case breaks but not the random teams. I’d rather pay a little premium to get the Redskins or Yankees or Nationals. I guess at the end of the day it’s no different than buying a pack or box of cards in that you have no idea what you will get. You could end up with a short print auto relic or you could end up with a 7th round offensive linemen…it’s always a gamble. One that I will probably avoid in the future as it doesn’t fit my collecting tendencies.

PS – If you are interested in any of the cards above, let me know as they are up for trade!

PPS – as a side note and something completely unrelated…my favorite album of the year Run the Jewels from El-P and Killer Mike was noted as Okayplayer.com top album of 2013. There are a few other albums on their I need to dig deeper into before I can agree with the ranking (Earl, Tyler and Chip).

2013 Topps S2 – Packs 1 and 2

Posted by cardboard hogs on July 15, 2013

It’s been a few weeks since i’ve done just a baseball post and I have a jumbo box of Topps Series 2 sitting here to my left. Whattaya say we open it up slowly and see what we see kids!

There’s no need to go over the design of these cards since it’s been covered ad nauseam on your favorite bloggers website, so i’m just going to touch on the hits and fun cards that were pulled from the packs…two at a time. Double your pleasure!

The first card is two cards, because i’m doubling your pleasure…remember? I LOVE landscape base cards. I think they are fantastic and would love to see more sets go this route…just for the fun of it, you know? The only problem is that they don’t look as great when put in a binder which is where these two islanders are going. HanRam, as some of you may know is one of my favorite players and along with Carl Crawford are the only two guys that I collect that haven’t played for the Yankees…yet. Wait until they are 35, then they will be in pinstripes. Apparently that’s what the Bronx Bombers do these days. Lose to the Orioles and sign old guys. The Chapman card is also fantastic, plus he’s Cuban…and I love Cuba…PLUS he’s throws really really hard and fast.

The next two cards are one of the reasons why people hate Topps. Although, I don’t think either one of these guys are SP cards they are still super gimmicky. Of the two, I would rather be Justin Ruggiano becuase it’s either water or that crazy clear Ice Gatorade or something…I have no idea, the card doesn’t explain what is being expelled on his shoulder. Anyone feel sorry for the sideline reporter on the Lombardozzi card? Me neither…

Alright, this is where is turn in to a singles hitter. That said, here is Derek Jeter. I love the Captain. And there is nothing wrong with that, just like there is nothing wrong with starting a sentence with and.

This is a cool card because it has Bryce Harper and the look of a child who got his hand caught in the cookie jar. Brian is the older brother that gets in trouble for not keeping a better eye on his little brother. Big Brother = Baltimore Orioles — Little Brother = Washington Nationals.

Here is one of the 73 different inserts that Topps likes to entice people to collect. I believe this is what they call an emerald card? Please correct me if i’m wrong, and if you are correct, I will send you this card. When scanned, it kind of looks like a forrest. David didn’t do so well in the Home Run Derby this evening…on his home turf, but neither did Robbie Cano donchaknow.

Another insert, similar to the The Greats inserts. Yes, I used The back to back. As far as i’m concerned, this card would be better if it were Rickey Henderson. Not to take anything away from the wizard, he was a phenomenal player, but when you have 73 inserts, it would be nice to get one of your favorite player, eh?

This rarely happens, but I pulled a box hit in one of my first two packs. This heavy ass ~~metal~~ mettle coin card of Adrian Gonzalez. I like this guy so much more now that his short stint with the Red Sox is over. Great player, great cards…but still heavy.

Cedar Hills Show – The low budget version ep.II

Posted by cardboard hogs on June 28, 2013

One of my goals at last weekends show was to pick up some Robinson Cano cards. For whatever reason, he is difficult to find at our local shows and shops…at least inexpensively. I was hoping to get a handful of Cano cards for a dollar or two each…didn’t happen. In fact, I didn’t pick up one Cano card. BUT, i did manage to find a few nice cards of other players I collect…and here they are.

The first card is the classic Mattingly Topps Rookie reprinted from 2001.

Next a Rickey Dodger incarnation from the 2003 Upper Deck set.

And a Rickey A’s from the 1981 Fleer Sticker set. Nice!

Also picked up an Allen and Ginter Mini

And a Prizm. This is both a cool card and one of my least favorite card. I really have a tough time with the photoshopped logos and team names.

The Hanley was part of a 7/$5 deal and it’s numbered to 25. Can’t beat that.

A Crawford Prizm in his Los Angeles Baseball Club jersey…photoshop…

Last up area few Jeter cards. I specifically said I wouldn’t purchase any Jeter cards at this show because he is one player that I have never organized…but always manage to pick up one or two when they are marked for a $1. Also, I couldn’t pass up this trio of cards or the mini. All were part of the 7/$5 deal. Sometimes you justgottagettajeta!