WAs you all I'm sure are aware of, I'm normally a day late and a dollar short when it comes to new products. I've never pre-order or bought the day they are released.
The tradition is continued with Finest and Donruss Series 2.
A trip to the LCS for boxes proved to not be the only thing I had in hand upon exiting the establishment...and I didn't figure it would be.
Wanna see?
I loved last years Finest as I've publicly stated. This year's? Even better!!! I love the colorful, techie designs! Too bad a box is way too rich for my blood.
I've also shown my support of the resurrection of Donruss. It just do happens there were some singles laying around.
Love the inserts! All those Rockies are going to the PC.
I couldn't leave the shop without a pack of Series 2, though, could I?
Ok, so the Marte DK I bought as a single (on the cheap FYI). The rest are pack fresh. But that's not all...
McCuthen Elite and Solarte Stat Line. Not thrilled with the latter, but that's the luck of the draw.
Overall, I'm very ecstatic about both sets. So much so that I have a box of Donruss Series 2 on the way!
Um...if anyone has any Finest they don't need/want, I know someone that does. This guy!
I would like to take this time to announce that I have finish reorganizing my keeper sets!!! (For now, of course.)
In accordance with such a joyous occasion, I've decided to change up a few things on the ole homepage. You will notice as you look to the right of this post a new list comprised of all the spreadsheets I've been working so diligently on these past weeks. Any card listed on those sheets are ones I need.
With the addition of the new box mentioned above, I have taken the liberty of deleting the wants tab from the top bar as all my set wants are listed in the nice box to the right.
I've also started another box for my "Other Wants". I'm not sure exactly what else will go into said box, but something else will eventually.
Finally, to the left of this post, you will see that I've added another email address as well as my Facebook profile url and twitter handle. Feel free to add or friend me on either...
As you will recall (and if not scroll down a ways), I bought a blaster of Allen & Ginter a while back. In said blaster, I pulled a Mini Tim Lincecum hand-numbered /25.
My first thought after realizing what I had...email Adam at ARPSmith's Sportscard Obsession, who happens to be the biggest Giants fan I know.
After a few correspondences back and forth, I got this package in the mail.
Adam had a few extra 2014 Rockies Archives laying around and sent them my way. Overall, I'm on the fence for this installment. Just not much to get me to get into the set this year. That's not to say I won't still trade for/buy my players and other Rockies, though.
Along with the Rockies of the present, Adam dropped these in for me as well. I've heard some really good things about Kyle Parker. Here's to hoping we see him with September call ups. Rockies don't have much to lose. On the other hand, I'm not familiar with Tapia. Looks like I've got some research to do.
Finally, let's not forget this awesome Deckle Edge Tulo. I love the black and white photo. Great action shot, too.
Great mail day from out Californy way! Don't worry, Adam. I'll have yours out very, very soon.
By the way, if you don't know Adam, get over to his site ASAP. Great stuff and great guy.
You know, reorganizing my collection has been very tedious but not at all a bad thing.
One thing it has done is reinvigorate my love for the game. Looking back on these sets, I see players that I had long forgotten. Guys who have been part of my watching and collecting life. Gentlemen who I thought were the next big thing only to turn out to be busts. (I was young and impressionable!)
In this post, I've like to relive some of those long-lost players who've been uncovered once again.
As you can guess by my player collections, I have a soft-spot for mediocre second basemen (i.e. Dan Uggla and Freddy Sanchez). It doesn't stop there, though. In the early 2000s, the Braves brought up a young two-bagger by the name of Marcus Giles.
Giles, younger brother of Pirate and Padre great Brian, enjoyed an All-Star season at age 25 in 2003 and finished 18th and 26th in MVP voting in '03 and '05 respectively.
I remember Giles as a prototypical two-hole hitter. He could get on base, move runners, steal bases or drive in runners. Paired with Rafael Furcal, they were a dynamic duo at bat and in the field.
Unfortunately, Giles was not able to hang on to the majors long after signing with San Diego for the 2007 season.
Everyone has one person they love to use in a baseball video game that shouldn't really be that good. Let's turn back the clock to Hardball 95 for my Packard Bell home computer. That player for me was former Baltimore Oriole catcher Chris Hoiles.
For some reason, seemingly every hit to come off Hoiles bat in that game was out of Camden Yards. It was amazing.
Honestly, that's really my only memory of the durable backstop. Oh, I forgot to mention he finished 16th in MVP voting in 1993 when he batted .310 with 29 dingers and 82 RBI.
Ok, so I never really liked former Blue Jays and Dodgers outfielder Shawn Green, but that doesn't mean he wasn't any good.
Green, two-time All Star, is most famous for hitting four homers and a double adding up to 19 total bases breaking a 48-year-old record held by Joe Adcock (18). He went on to hit 42 home runs and drove in 114 runs.
After finishing top-10 in the MVP race in 1999, 2001 and 2002 and Rookie of the Year voting in 1995, Green hung up his spikes in 2013 after his Israeli World Baseball Classic team was eliminated in extra innings by Spain in the 2012 qualifiers.
I'm sure if we all look back to our sets we can find players we've forgotten about long ago but still respect in one way or another. Who's yours?
Trade Deadline 2014 has come and gone friends. Some are winners, Red Sox, A's, Tigers. Some are losers, Rays, Dodgers.
Either way, there are a ton of new faces in new places.
The biggest, most shocking and lop-sized trade of the day saw the Rays trade ace David Price to the Tigers in a three-team deal with Seattle.
What did they get in return? Drew Smyly and Nick Franklin. And my question like many baseball fans is...WHY?
A year-and-a-half of team control left for the 2012 Cy Young winner and all you get in return is a middle of the rotation starter and a backup second baseman? Really???
Great deal for the Tigers, though. What a rotation! Three former Cy Youngs. Can someone say steal?
In other news, it looks as though I'll now be collecting a Boston Red Sock. Ben Cherrington sent Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes to Oakland for two-time Derby champ Yoenis Cespedes.
This deal shows that Billy Beane and the A's are in it to win it in 2014 going all-in on pitching to keep up with Detroit. The thing is it will be hard to score runs when you trade one of your power bats.
The Mariners (Austin Jackson), Braves (Bonafacio & Russell), Marlins (Zach Cosart), Nationals (Asdrubal Cabrera), Orioles (Andrew Miller) and Yankees (Prado & Drew) all improved their teams, if only slightly, while the Blue Jays, Dodgers and Phillies will look back at what could have been.
One thing's for sure. The stretch-run for the playoffs will be AMAZING!!!
