Your 2010 HamRamMobtown Heritage Team

Here they are…cheer them on to victory!

2 Catchers – Yadier Molina (Cardinals), Josh Thole (Mets rookie)
1 First Baseman – Justin Morneau (Twins)
1 Second Baseman – Ian Kinsler (Rangers)
1 Shortstop – Ryan Theriot SS (Cubs)
1 Third Baseman – Alex Gordon (Royals)
3 Outfielders – Ichiro (Mariners), Justin Upton (D’backs), Matt Holliday (Cardinals)
1 Corner Infielder (1B or 3B) – Ian Stewart 3B (Rockies)
1 Middle Infielder (2B or SS) – Aaron Hill 2B (Blue Jays)
1 Outfielder – Jason Bay (Mets, 36 HR, 119 RBI)
1 Utility (Any position player or DH) – Michael Cuddyer (32 HR, 94 RBI)
7 Pitchers (Starters or relievers)  Chris Carpenter (Cardinals), Mark Buehrle SP (White Sox), J.A. Happ SP (Phillies), Joel Pineiro SP (Cardinals), Daisuke Matsuzaka (Red Sox), Derek Lowe SP (Braves), Brandon Morrow RP (Blue Jays)

1 Manager (least amount of losses) – Dave Trembley (maybe the O’s will fire him)

1 Team (most amount of wins) – Boston Red Sox

 

PS – Punk Rock, want a side bet of who gets more RBI’s, a full strength dose of Yadier or a quarter Pujols monster? I wish I had some Rittenhouse Lost cards to bet!

2010 Topps Heritage Blaster

I’m hoping that Dayf will allow me to join his Heritage Blaster rotisserie league (details here)  so here’s the box break. I purchased this blaster from the Columbia, MD Target. Here’s the details: 8 packs, 8 cards each pack, 64 cards total. From this break, I’ll assemble my fantasy team, composed of the following:

Choose your team. The team consists of 20 players:
2 Catchers
1 First Baseman
1 Second Baseman
1 Shortstop
1 Third Baseman
3 Outfielders
1 Corner Infielder (1B or 3B)
1 Middle Infielder (2B or SS)
1 Outfielder
1 Utility (Any position player or DH)
7 Pitchers (Starters or relievers)

1 Manager (least amount of losses)

1 Team (most amount of wins)

Only allowed to use on SP All-Star type card, so the main body of the team will be the base, non-chrome, non-insert cards. Here we go!

Blaster Number: 0600711

Pack 1

• 28 – Melky Cabrera OF
• 29 – Reid Gorecki RC OF
• 127 – Joel Pineiro SP
• 193 – Daisuke Matsuzaka SP
• 372 – Ian Stewart 3B
• TN10 – Then and Now Whitey Ford/Roy Halladay
• 346 – Akinori Iwamura 2B
• 77 – J.A. Happ

Review – I’m actually disappointed with pulling an insert, since we’re trying to make the best fantasy team. Melky might be a good CF for the Braves. Happ is considered risky to improve on his rookie season. I’m not sure I’m happy with any of these guys.

Pack 2

• 234 – Jeff Samardzija RP
• 197 – Gio Gonzalez SP
• 52 – Ronny Cedeno SS
• 304 – Alex Gordon 3B
• 256 – Pedro Feliz 3B
• 78 – Jayson Werth OF
• 157 – Mark Buehrle SP
• 239 – Derek Lowe SP

Great pack for solid starters. Gordon is going to be a strong candidate for 3B, Werth is a definite starter, probably #5 in the lineup, and two solid SP in Buehrle and Lowe. Not bad.

Pack 3

• 100 – Zach Duke SP
• 33 – Jason Bay OF
• 301 – Ryan Spilborghs – OF
• 373 – Boston Red Sox
• 118 – Yadier Molina C
• 117 – Trevor Cahill SP
• 341 – Brandon Morrow RP
• 396 – Aaron Hill 2B

How much you want to bet that Bay’s outstanding 2009 was due to batting in Fenway. Looks like we’re definitely got one of the catchers in Molina. Why isn’t Morrow a closer by now?

Pack 4

• 68 – Josh Thole RC C
• 135 – Dusty Baker MGR
• BF2 – Baseball Flashback Warren Spahn
• 417 – Garrett Atkins 3B
• 391 – Melvin Mora 3B
• 360 – Vladimir Guerrero OF
• 295 – Rick Ankiel OF
• 251 – Jarrod Washburn SP

Should I just quit? Where are the Hanleys or Pujols? Mora and Vlad would have been excellent…four years ago. At least Washburn will be a decent #4 starter.

Pack 5

• 202 – Torii Hunter OF
• 238 – B.J. Upton OF
• 332 – Ryan Langerhans OF
• 233 – Ian Kinsler 2B
• 305 – Brad Bergesen SP
• 244 – Ichiro OF
• 191 – Travis Hafner DH
• 125 – David Hernandez SP

Pretty good pack. Got Kinsler for 2B (sorry Aaron Hill) and Ichiro leading off. Too bad Pronk isn’t worth starting, since I used to collect him. B.J. Upton will be considered for the OF job.

Pack 6

• 436 Short Print – Miguel Tejada SS
• 345 – Nick Swisher OF
• 307 – 2009 World Series Game #2
• 8 – Rajai Davis OF
• 178 – Matt Holliday OF
• 112 – Adam Everett SS
• 80 – Michael Cuddyer OF/1B
• 418 – Jim Thome 1B

Another pretty good pack, with starters Matt Holliday and Michael Cuddyer joining the team. Welcome fellas. Swisher isn’t going to get enouhg ABs right?

Pack 7

• 487 short print – Topps All Stars Ichiro OF
• 292 – Jhoulys Chacin RP
• 26 – Chris Tillman SP
• 196 – Ryan Theriot SS
• 82 – Justin Upton OF
• 420 – Justin Morneau 1B
• 64 – Mark DeRosa 3B/OF
• 131 – Dave Trembley MGR

Alright, alright. We got a pair of Justins. Now, where’s Mauer…we need us a Mauer or another high caliber catcher.

Pack 8

• 442 short print – Carlos Delgado 1B
• 32 – Chris Carpenter SP
• 18 – David Huff SP
• 228 – New York Mets
• 243 – Adam Lind OF
• 359 – Jose Lopez 2B
• 412 – Joe Saunders SP
• 350 – Scott Podsednik OF

Nice, a legitimate ace and another great OF. Got some tough choices ahead of me…let’s dive in with the locks.

2 Catchers – Yadier Molina (Cardinals), Josh Thole (Mets rookie)
1 First Baseman – Justin Morneau (Twins)
1 Second Baseman – Ian Kinsler (Rangers, top rated 2B)
1 Shortstop – Ryan Theriot SS (Cubs, .284, 81 runs)
1 Third Baseman – Alex Gordon (Royals), Pedro Feliz (Astros)
3 Outfielders – Ichiro (Mariners), Justin Upton (D’backs, 84 R, 26 HR, 86 RBI, .300), Matt Holliday (Cardinals)
1 Corner Infielder (1B or 3B) – Ian Stewart 3B (Rockies)
1 Middle Infielder (2B or SS) – Jose Lopez (Mariners), Aaron Hill 2B (Blue Jays)
1 Outfielder – Jason Bay (Mets, 36 HR, 119 RBI), B.J. Upton (Rays, Tier 2 OF)
1 Utility (Any position player or DH) – Michael Cuddyer (32 HR, 94 RBI)
7 Pitchers (Starters or relievers) ACE Chris Carpenter (Cardinals), #2 starter Mark Buehrle SP (White Sox), J.A. Happ SP (Phillies), Joel Pineiro SP (Cardinals, 15 wins), Daisuke Matsuzaka (Red Sox, injured), Derek Lowe SP (Braves), Joe Saunders (Angels), Brad Bergesen (Orioles), Zach Duke SP (Pirates), David Huff SP (Indians, 11-8, 2.18 ERA in last 5 starts), Brandon Morrow RP (Blue Jays)

1 Manager (least amount of losses) – Dave Trembley (maybe the O’s will fire him), Dusty Baker (Reds, same)

1 Team (most amount of wins) – New York Mets (not likely), Boston Red Sox (winner, winner, chicken dinner!)

Tough choices…next post will have the team, set and ready to dominate without any saves.

2007 Topps Trademark Moves Basketball

Base Needs: 8

Rookie Needs (only #’d /1999):

56, 57, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 73, 76, 80, 82, 85, 90, 100

2005 Donruss Champions Needs

Base card needs:

25, 101, 110, 113, 118, 122, 126, 127, 132, 136, 140, 143, 151, 155, 163, 168, 170, 179, 183, 185, 187, 193, 197, 216, 220, 230, 231, 240, 245, 258, 273, 283, 287, 297, 300, 405, 408, 409, 410, 414, 415, 420, 423, 427, 428, 432, 437, 441, 442, 446, 450

2010 Topps Heritage Needs and Tradelist

Base Needs (bold are SP)

1, 4, 6, 10, 11, 12, 19, 20, 35, 36, 39, 40, 42, 50, 56, 58, 65, 66, 79, 84, 87, 94, 99, 102, 103, 114, 117, 122, 123, 129, 132, 133, 136, 138, 139, 140, 142, 145, 146, 152, 156, 159, 160, 166, 168, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 186, 195, 199, 205, 206, 212, 220, 223, 226, 227, 236, 240, 245, 246, 247, 249, 253, 255, 257, 258, 264, 266, 268, 271, 272, 279, 280, 291, 298, 300, 310, 315, 316, 317, 318, 326, 327, 334, 335, 338, 343, 348, 349, 352, 354, 355, 362, 364, 365, 367, 374, 375, 381, 382, 390, 393, 398, 400, 402, 404, 410, 414, 416, 419, 422, 423, 425, 426, 427, 430, 431, 432, 433, 434, 437, 438, 439, 440, 441, 444, 445, 446, 447, 448, 449, 450, 453, 454, 455, 456, 458, 460, 461, 462, 463, 464, 466, 467, 469, 471, 472, 473, 474, 475, 476, 478, 480, 481, 482, 483, 486, 488, 489, 490, 491, 492, 493, 494, 495, 497, 498, 499

The FOR TRADE LIST

Base card Doubles

5, 8 (x2), 15, 18 (x2), 23, 24, 26, 28 (x2), 29 (x2), 34, 47, 48, 49, 61, 64 (x2), 67, 69, 70, 71, 75, 76, 78, 80 (x2), 85, 92, 95, 97, 107, 108, 116, 116, 118, 119, 121, 124, 125 (x2), 131 (x2), 137, 141, 149, 155, 165, 170, 172, 175, 177, 187, 189, 190, 191 (x2), 192, 194, 196, 197 (x2), 203, 211, 216, 217, 222, 228 (x2), 230, 231, 232, 233 (x2), 234, 237, 241, 243 (x2), 250, 251 (x2), 252, 254, 256 (x2), 262, 263, 269, 273 (x2), 275, 277, 286, 290, 295, 296, 299, 301 (x2), 302, 303, 306, 307 (x2), 314, 323, 328, 329, 330, 331, 332 (x2), 341 (x2), 350 (x2), 353, 357, 358, 366, 369, 370, 372, 373 (x2), 378, 379, 383, 384, 385, 386, 387, 388, 389, 392, 396 (x2), 401, 407, 412 (x2), 413, 415, 417 (x2), 418 (x2), 424, 487

Babe Ruth Chase

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14

Then & Now

1 (Maris/Pujols), 3 (Kaline/Mauer), 4 (Aparicio/Ellsbury), 9 (Ford/Verlander), 10 (Ford/Halladay)

Baseball Flashbacks

1 (Maris), 2 (Warren Spahn), 4 (Frank Robinson), 7 (Yastrzemski), 9 (Kaline)

News Flashbacks

2 (JFK), 4 (Venera 1), 5 (Hassan II), 7 (Apollo), 9 (Vostok 1)

New Age Performers

10 (Ryan Howard), 13 (Miguel Cabrera)

Chrome (#’d /1961)

16 Pablo Sandoval, 41 Prince Fielder, 47 Justin Verlander, 64 Max Scherzer, 67 Adam Lind, 71 Cliff Lee, 80 Kevin Youkilis, 93 Tommy Hanson, 95 Brian McCann

Refractor (#’d /561)

4 Adam Wainwright, 37 Dan Hudson RC, 92 Ryan Braun

Black Chrome Refractor (#’d /61)

93 Tommy Hanson

Clubhouse Collection Relics

CCR-DH Dan Haren (jersey), CCR-PH Paul Konerko (jersey)

1961 Topps Buyback

235 Camilio Pascual

Went to my first card show…

…and all I got was a 2005 Donruss Studio Private Signings AUTO card of Adrian Gonzalez.  Hey, at least it was numbered 26/50, even if it is a sticker auto.  I was lucky to get out of there with anything as it was a dazing experience walking through the Dulles Convention Center, viewing aisle after aisle of cards, signed balls, and custom art work.  A handful of times I stopped to ask dealers about any Hanley cards, but the only card that really piqued my interest was an 2006 Ultimate dual auto card of Hanley and Willingham, and the price was kinda high.

Then again, I did make a goal not to go crazy buying boxes or chasing singles. I went for the experience of getting used to being at a card show.  Joined by my non-collecting buddy, who I dragged there with me in return for delicious tacos at Taco Bar II in Gaithersburg, we walked around, tried not to bump the chubby dudes with signed mini-helmet plethora, and watched the strange tide of humanity buy, sell, wait for signatures, and talk loudly.

The first impression was of noise: the sound of commerce, loud speakers announcing the availability of autographs for Ravens back-up quarterbacks, sellers stating that it was time to make a deal, and the bustle of shoppers perusing all the ware.  I imagine that the National, which is exponentially larger than the CSA, will be much more chaotic and stuffed with humanity, so I’ll have to gear up. Maybe I’ll have to make more trips up to the mall on the weekends…bumping past hordes of teenagers clutching bubble-tea sounds like a good acclimation zone.

The next impression: I have no idea how people value their cards.  Roaming from table to table, I noticed that some cards were wildly inflated as sellers clutched their Becketts and quoted High Value prices.  Funniest thing, there were two instances where the person quoted a price with an air of apology, that distinct used-car salesman tone of “I’d like to help you but it’s the MSRP.”  There are few experiences worse than buying a car from a standard car dealership, and I got those waves of disgust from some of the dealers. I couldn’t help but feel like I was a mark to some of the sellers, particularly the guy with the crumbs in his goatee and the wee beady eyes; like a hawk eye-ing a field mouse, he locked his gaze on me as I flipped through his $5 card box.

Of course, not all sellers were like this. Some had clear price tags on their cards and clearly marked what the expectations were (“20% off, final” or “$10 box, firm”) for any sale. I gravitated toward these sellers, who were also some of the most organized. They had their cards so that the buyer could easily identify the item and buy what they needed for a solid price. I like these sellers.  Maybe I’ve been spoiled by Check Out My Cards or eBay, just as I’ve become spoiled by CarMax (though I’m sure some of you would call me a sucker), but I like not haggling. I just don’t have the constitution for it.

Finally, the worst experience for me was walking past the eager eyes of the auto signers who didn’t have the big name and the rampant attention.  Some signers, like the awesome Robin Yount or the indomitable Mike Ditka, were swamped with fans wanting signed shwag.  Other lesser lights looked up with bored, rheumy eyes, much like that scene from autograph session in “The Wrestler.”  One old timer had a strangely eager look as each person passed his table and, when they walked by without a word, looked a bit dejected.  It reminded me of walking past a shriveled Helen Thomas, the White House correspondent, at a book signing at the Smithsonian History Museum. She had a table full of books, arms folded, as an aid made small talk that she wasn’t listening to.  I have to admit I felt embarrassed for these former greats who don’t draw attention.

Anyway, I digress.  Overall, I still had a good time.  It was neat to see all the vintage cards and to see all the base ready for new owners to claim them to complete their sets.  I also liked the great mixture of people.  I expected white dudes, but saw all races and all ages.  I even saw some women, and not just those dragged by collector husbands.

So, overall, a good initial immersive experience. I vow, I will be ready when the National rolls around.

CSA Show in Chantilly, VA, Saturday

Anyone going to the CSA show on Saturday? I’m going and will provide a recap. Question: is it worth $100 for a Robin Yount auto?

http://www.csashows.com/

“Mint Condition” excerpt on Slate.com

Entitled “The Great Baseball Card Bubble,” the excerpt is interesting and written for a general interest audience.

http://www.slate.com/id/2247677/

Someone’s got to want this…

“Hoppin’ and Poppin’” indeed!

Trade with PatKelly14

It has been difficult getting any trades accomplished using the Sportscardforum message board. First, because of my own laziness, I don’t have images posted on Flickr or PhotoBucket of my trade bait, so that probably lends to not having many trades (to my credit, I have been shirking my law studies and been compiling a trade list, which will be comprehensive and, I’m sure, will lead to one or two trades. Totally not worth it). Second, it seems that most of the time, the private messages are completely unintelligable, especially when the dude replying doesn’t quote the original message. I always love getting messages that read like this, and I quote, “yeah, like it. what do you want it” … and the title just say Re: Mets cards. I’m going to stop the griping after one final aggrevation: why is everyone so damned coy? Just say what you want and what you’ll offer. It’s almost like reading the transcript of a shark hunt…people are too on the ready to rip off a fellow collector or are afraid of not getting enough value. Ugh. Seriously, four of the twelve completed trades I’ve made online have been complete giveaways (relics/inserts for scrub Hanley base). It’s that difficult.

I write all this to introduce one of the easier trading partners I’ve meet on SCF. It was only a few back and forth messages where we identified targets and then agreed. A week later, and I’ve got some amazing cards. I hope you find some more cards you want from me, PK, because I will gladly trade with you in the future.

In exchange for some basketball stuff, here’s what the generous PatKelly14 sent me. I’m still in shock.

First up, two Hanley Minis from 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter, the black border and the A&G back. I didn’t have any of the minis for ’09, just the base, National Pride, and N43 cards, so this was a thrill. Now to track down the regular mini.

Next, the 2007 UD SPX cards…first, an Anibal Sanchez jersey card. He’s scheduled to be the Marlins #3 starter this year according to MLB.com, so that’s something to look forward to after three lost seasons due to injury. He’s back at full health and should be at the same effectivity as his first year in the majors, when he threw a no-hitter against the D-backs.

Next, a single white jersey SPX card of Hanley. This is the blue variation of the card, and numbered 172/175. Maybe it’s time for me to find out how many other variations there are of the Winning Materials cards, since I’ve now got four of the variations (bronze, blue, silver, and green).

Finally, one of the nicest non-Hanley Marlins cards I’ve ever owned. I was shocked when PatKelly said this was available for trade. A Josh Johnson triple relic/patch/auto card, numbered to 10. I’ve got the non-auto /50 version of Hanley, but not one with an auto. Seriously, what a nice looking card, even if the relic cuts off the image and has a sticker auto. I love the crisp blue ink signature and the works well with the colorful centerpiece of the patch. What a great card.

So, thanks again to PatKelly14. If you guys have star baseball players from the ’80′s, Yankees, Miami Dolphins, Boston College Eagles, and basketball to trade with him, you can find his SCF profile page here. Three Cheers for a great trader!!!

Hooray PatKelly! (I miss Jim Zorn already)