The Best Card I Got at The Card Show - UPDATE!

It’s update time!  If you remember this post (and I’m sure you do) then you know I received an extremely beat up Taylor Hall card in my box of 2012-13 Upper Deck Series I.  Well I eventually got around to gathering all of the paperwork needed to send it back to Quality Assurance to get it swapped out.  Their disclaimer said it would take about 6-8 weeks to process so I promptly forgot about it because I have the attention span of a squirrel.

Right after Christmas I received a padded envelope from Morrisville, NC.  I have never heard of Morrisville (named after Jeremiah Morris and located in the heart of the Research Triangle) so my first thought was that this was a late Christmas gift or some elaborate packaging for a credit card offer.  Imagine my surprise when I opened it on the table and out spilled:

Still weird to see orange and not have it be a Flyers card.

That’s right, an exact replacement of the card,down to the same color swatch, I sent in free of damaged corners or mangled sides.  But that wasn't all.  Right next to it was a bonus card:

It's like early 2000s card designs never left!

A 2012-13 Requisite Radiance card of Carl Hagelin.  I’m not sure if Upper Deck reads this blog, but they nailed two of my favorite things about cards – die-cut and shiny (if only they had put acetate on it!).  I’m not a fan of the background – kind of busy for my tastes, but still a nice card.

Even better, it was a nice gesture by a company that is a leader in an industry that all too often gets slammed for poor customer support.  Working in the hospitality business like I do, I've learned that it’s the unasked for gestures that really make a difference. I would have been perfectly happy if Upper Deck had just returned a clean copy of the card I sent in, instead by including the extra card makes me more likely to actually buy series II of this set and make a half-hearted attempt to finish the base set.

The process itself was relatively painless.  I went to the Upper Deck site and found the email address for Quality Assurance.  I exchanged a few emails and was assigned a case number which I popped onto the envelope and mailed off with the required documents. 

I’m glad that the guy at Pittsburgh Sports Cards took the time to write out a receipt when I bought the box.  At card shows it is way too easy to forget that step and then I’m sure things would have been a lot harder.

Since I dragged my feet a little mailing the card back I’m not sure of the actual processing time it took, but it wasn't more than 4 weeks. The cards came in a padded envelope and individually secured in penny sleeves and top loaders along with a typed letter of apology.  I really couldn't have asked for better service. 

As bloggers we’re quick to point out when things go wrong, so it’s nice to write a post where I get to point out some good things about a company.  So kudos to Upper Deck Hockey.  Good job!

Now let’s see how long it takes Topps to redeem that auto/relic card I sent in!

The Lightning Card of the Week - Version 2.0 (Now with more Barnaby!)

The NHL is back and I am excited.  Yes, that means I’m a sheep. I’m part of the problem.  I don’t care. Professional hockey is my favorite sport and the fact that I was denied it for 3 months sucks.  So why would I deny myself even more of it with some damn, fool idealistic crusade of revenge that in the grand scheme of things doesn’t really mean anything?  Owners will still be rich and so will the players.  So I say, “Bring on the Pucks!”

In honor of the news that the boys will be dropping the puck again in about two weeks I’m bringing back the Lightning card of the week.  I know Version One of this project was shorter than a Blue Jacket’s winning streak, but that’s not my fault.  I got a job and that cut into my writing time! I got married and that cut into my writing time (not sure how, but I’m sure it did). I started working overnights and that cut into my writing time (well that one is kind of true).

So let’s start out with an addition to the personal collection.

Look how loose those chinstraps are - correlation to concussions?

2002 Pacific Riding Shotgun Vincent Lecavalier/ Matthew Barnaby

As a Lecavalier fan I’m half-heartedly collecting as many cards of his as possible. Around Christmas I was doing a little surfing on COMC and stumbled across this card.  What a perfect card to sum up the early-2000s Tampa Bay Lightning.  Their best offensive weapon paired with……Matthew Barnaby.

The back of the card notes that Barnaby’s “hard-nosed playing style” was brought to Tampa to play as Lecavalier’s winger. Which I guess is a good thing, because he surely wasn’t there to score.  In 58 games spread over two seasons he managed just 8 points with the Lightning (although he did rack up 167 penalty minutes).

Although it looks like Lecavalier had a hand in at least ½ of Barnaby’s 8 points so I guess they had some sort of chemistry.  From what I can remember Nils Ekman rounded out that power-packed line.  All of those points came in the 2000-01 season as Barnaby managed to go 20 games in 2001-02 without scoring a point before being shipped off to the Rangers for a Slovakian named Zdeno. Sadly his last name was Ciger not Chara (Big Ciggy did score 12 points for the Lightning before heading back to Slovakia).

Matthew Barnaby would continue to do Matthew Barnaby things for another four seasons before briefly being a tv commentator. He’s had a few run-ins with the law since he retired and has spent most of the last year or so off the radar apparently running some youth hockey training camps.

As for Lecavalier, he finally found someone to really ride shotgun for him as Vinny Prospal came to the team and within three seasons he had a Stanley Cup and a string of 30+ goal seasons.  

I'm Back Into the Swing of Things

Welcome to the new year, folks.  It's that time of year where everyone swears things are going to be different, and that this is the year things turn around.  Heck we survived the Mayan Apocalypse, the Fiscal Cliff and a baby-off between the Royal Family and the Khardashian/West Family - 2013 should be golden!  As for this spot of internet real estate - I will be getting it ramped back up as part of a larger, yearly initiative  I know I've said the same thing in the past, but I swear this time is different...just give me another chance, baby...I promise I'll change.
 
Humans who know me in real life know that every year I give something up.  There is no reason for it, I just do it.  In the past I've made it through years without soda, red meat, beer (otherwise known as the longest year ever) and in 2012 it was fried food.  Three-hundred-sixty-six days without potato chips, Cheetos, fried chicken, mozzarella sticks, doughnuts, french fries, steak fries, sweet potato fries, curly fries, bacon and cheese fries (see a trend), deep-fried Twinkies and various other sweet, sweet oil-drenched goodies.
 
It wasn't really all that difficult, just the occasional craving for Chik-Fil-a sandwiches, and the year turned out rather well.  Actually, 2012 was a banner year at the Chicago Estate.  The Duchess and I got married, I got a job, got promoted at said job and dropped about 25 lbs. Not sure if that is all related to giving up fried food, after the one thing I learned in Pysch 101 is that correlation does not prove causation.  I'm not kidding that's the only thing I remember from that class.  Well that, and the teacher really, really, really liked experiments involving mice.
 
So the number one question I get from Christmas to the New Years is "What are you giving up next year?"  (followed closely by, "Who are you choosing in your Death Pool", but that's a story for another time). The answer this year - nothing.  That's right I'm giving up giving up things. There was just nothing that came to mind when I was thinking about a 2013 challenge   Not that I put a lot of time into it since I really planned on the world ending in December (guess I shouldn't have spent January's rent money on hookers and blow), but when the choices came down to giving up bread (a challenge I've failed twice) and going vegetarian (not going to happen) I figured it was time to take a different track.
 
Instead of giving something up every day I'm going to do something every day.  Everyday, from now until December 31st, 2013 I plan on writing something.  Some of it will end up here on this blog, some might end up on a Tampa Bay Lightning based website and some will stay private.  Sorry, the epic novel I'm writing about cats taking over the world isn't quite ready for the public yet. Even if it's just a couple of paragraphs or a revision of something that i had previously jotted down I want to see if i can maintain a dedicated work ethic in regards to this writing thing.  Already it started out with a bit of a challenge as I started jotting these notes down at 11.55pm, but hey it counts.  
 
I also want to see if I get any better as a writer. I guess that actually is the number one goal. If I really dedicate myself to this craft, can i get better? Shutting down for about three months helped clear my mind (and the number of site visits on the ol' blog) and now I'm writing because I want to, not because I feel obligated to. Forcing myself to write through any blocks that I encounter throughout this year will probably be the most difficult part of the process, but who knows what it will produce.  Some of the pieces that I enjoy the most started out as nothing more than stream of consciousness ramblings.
 
There's also the part of my mind that wonders how many words I can actually write in 365 days.  I'm not sure if I'll publish a word count or not (this page is cluttered enough as it is, but I'll be working on that as well), but I'm sure privately I'll keep a rough estimate of the words that spill out of my brain-hole.  Thanks for taking the time to read this and hopefully I'll keep you all entertained somewhat throughout the year.
 
Oh, and I'll keep you posted on the whole Death Pool thing.....  

The Best Card I Got at the Card Show

Twice a year, the Donald E Stephens Convention Center in lovely Rosemont plays host to the Gathering of the Cardboard Mafia, i.e. The Mounted Memories/Sun Times Memorabilia Show.  I usually hem and haw about going and then end up hopping on a bus to the Blue Line so that I can fork over my money to sift through dime boxes and "$15 for 5 cards" jersey/auto boxes for hours on end.

It's also a chance to catch up with some fellow bloggers (Sal, Tim and Nick B) and hand off the cards I've saved for them.  Usually they've managed to out do themselves in what they've given back to me, one of the joys of being the only Lightning collector in the blogging world (at least it seems that way).

We usually bust some wax as well, because what fun is getting together without the ripping of packs?  This year we all went in on some Upper Deck Series one - affordable even for a hospitality worked like myself.

I am not planning on completing the set so at some point almost all of my base will be available via Zistle. I actually did alright on the box pulling 4 UD Canvas cards, a UD Exclusive card, all of the Lightning cards and a patch card numbered out of 15 of Sam Gagner.

Notice I'm not posting a picture of that card.  Instead I'll post the best card of the bunch.....

Yup. A nice orange swatch of a uniform worn by emerging young talent Taylor Hall.

Which was cool for about three seconds.  I'm not sure if it was bring your dog to work day at the Upper Deck factory, but to say this card was mangled would be a tad bit of an understatement.  The first ding I noticed was the one right below the jersey.  It took a minute or two before I saw the top corner.

I'm not sure where in the process this card was vilely attacked, but none of the other cards in the pack were damaged in the least.  So that probably eliminates the packout process.

Getting a card like this kind of diminishes the joy of a new box, but it would have been worse if that had truly been the best card in the box.   I've started the process of getting the card replaced by emailing all the information I could to Upper Deck's quality assurance department.  We'll see how long this process takes and what kind of card I get as a replacement.

Full review of the box coming later this week.

Dear God! That's The Hopeful Chase's Music!!!!

I still can't say that I'm out of my writing doldrums, but I'm going to give it a shot and firing this site back up.  Let's start off easy with a little street art:

It's street art and not vandalism as long as I call it that, right?

The lockout continues to drone on and now we're looking at the next round of cancellations probably happening some time next week and killing games in December.  If there is no agreement in the next two weeks there is a good chance that the season will be axed.  Sad news for NHL fans.  Although, who knows, maybe I'll finally get around to learning a second language.  Since the lockout has started in September I've managed to:

- write one column
- get promoted at work
- get married (probably should have listed this one first)
- book a trip to kayak with Orcas
- plan a golf outing to Myrtle Beach
- destroy my sleeping habits by working overnights three times a week
- start and finish a Charles Dickens book.

So I can't say it's all been bad (especially the whole marriage thing). Now, imagine if I invested the two hours a night/three times a week into something like learning French.  I'd learn it in no time, right?  Instead I dedicate that time to watching more Netflix (but hey I was able to watch the entire run of "Undeclared" in a week!)

Sadly I'm starting to run out of series to watch so I think it is time to be productive with all of this free time.  Plus, it's starting to get cold up here in Chicago.

Well, stick around.  Hopefully there will be more content coming soon.

Golf? Photos? Gotta Write Something With Hockey Locked Out

Timely reporting?  Not on this sight, buddy! A real blogger would have had this up a week ago and wouldn't be dragging up horrible memories of an epic collapse by the Americans on Sunday.  Well epic collapse and the Europeans draining everything within 15 feet of the cup.

Thanks to the fact that I live reasonably close to Medinah (40 minutes by Metra!) and my parents are unbelievably cool and have tons of friends with connections I was able to attend the Wednesday practice round of the Ryder Cup.   

So here is a quick photo tour of my day on the course.

The grandstands were packed all over the course all day long.  Even though the players were skipping around the course, the spectators were camped up at almost every hole. The worst spot was by the shared tee for 15 and 12 where it would have been easier to part Lake Kadijah then walk against the flow of the crowd at that spot.

Rumors were that tickets for the practice rounds were in the hundreds of dollars.  I'm kind of surprised that my parents didn't sell me out.  The flags were handed out upon entry. I assume someone was handing out European flags but damn if I could find one.

Welp. There's one.  I'm not going to lie, the European fans did way better than the Americans at dressing up.

See exhibit 2:

These guys were so happy to see Ian Poulter walk by.  The brushy-haired Englishman stopped to pose with these delightfully clad gentlemen who I later spotted at the on-site pub, naturally.

This is what happens when you give Rickey Fowler an endorsement deal.  At least he finally won a tournament this year. Odds these kids have iPhone 5's - 3:2.

I'm Martin Kaymer.  You don't know me yet.  You will.  I will break your dreams.

Phil was in Sunday form.  I swear he lipped out 3 puts in a row on this hole (number 7).  He also put one into the spectators on 14. That being said it was fun seeing Lefty play during the actual tournament. He was one of the few players that seemed to actually be enjoying himself on the course.

Let's see..my first drive would be in the water.  Second would be in the water and then I would give up and drop on the other side.

Masters winner Bubba Watson practicing a shot he really wouldn't need.  A pitch shot on the drivable 15th. It's a shame Bubba got plastered on Sunday.

The closest I was to Tiger all day.  He's the one in the red pants and white/blue windbreaker.  If the US had worn the red pants on Sunday they would have won.  That's all I have to say about that.

The beer selection.  Since I was coming off an overnight I did not partake. Day Drinking after being awake for 24 hours would probably have had me napping under a tree.  That and I had no cash on me.

There ya go.  I spared you the mob scene that was the gift shop.  It was like Black Friday and a pre-hurricane grocery store crowd had 10 million babies and infused them with the insatiable need to buy overpriced polo shirts.

If I have the chance to attend another Ryder Cup I think I would avoid the Wednesday practice round.  Since they had the opening ceremonies later in the day most of the players only played about 12 or 13 holes. Even on the holes they did play they weren't taking it all that seriously. Lot of drops and second or third shots.
 

"Greatest" Hockey Box Break of My Year?

Thanks to a steady paycheck, a large base set to collect and some eBay sales I decided to go in on a second  box of O-Pee-Chee hockey this week.  That's right, I got myself a birthday present! Yea, me.

Quick reader question....... Did I get a Vincent Lecavalier card?

Wait for it....

I know you're wondering.....

Did I break my box curse......

Nope.......

No Vinny base cards, no Vinny retro parallel, no Vinny sticker (is there even a Vinny sticker?) and no Vinny Rainbow parallel.  I broke down last week and bought a Vinny Rainbow Black parallel on eBay last week because I knew there was no way in hell I was ever going to pull that.

In fact it was a pretty how-hum break.  Lots of base that I believe I need (I'm sure it will end up as a bunch of dupes instead) and some basic inserts, including a Corey Crawford sticker that is totally getting stuck somewhere in the Chicago downtown area.

With about six packs left I started to think that I wasn't going to get anything special, and I was ok with that. One doesn't break O-Pee-Chee for excitement.  Then, in an unassuming regular sized pack out popped this gem:

2010 World Juniors goal scorer Matt Donovan

That's right - a MATT DONOVAN rookie card!  Perhaps the greatest hockey player from Edmond, Oklahoma EVER.  Maybe the only NHL'er ever from Edmond?  I don't know, that would require research and I don't do research here.  Flipping over the card to see where he was from was exhausting.

After unearthing that gem (and quickly ensconcing it in a plastic hard case) I reluctantly went back to see what else was in the pack (as if it mattered). There wasn't anything else of note....just some card that someone scribbled on.  I mean c'mon don't you know what writing on a card does to it value?  Look at this!

No hits in O-Pee-Chee? I beg to differ!

Felicitations, indeed my bilingual trading card company!

I beat the odds (stated at 1:6,212) and finally added a signature of the greatest hockey player of all time.  It's a sticker, but done in a way that you can barely tell looking at it. A young Gretzky looks like he's building up a head of steam on his way to scoring his 34th goal of some random season.

Will I keep it? Will I sell it? will I trade it?  I'm not sure, gonna enjoy it for awhile and see what comes along.