Double Header of Pack Busting

Sometimes in life a little rain must fall.  If it happens during the baseball season and the game gets cancelled then you might see a double header the next day.  In the blogging life sometimes you are just too tired to make a coherent column so you skip a day (or in my case two weeks).  Since I missed yesterday’s post we’re doubling up today! That’s right, why bore you with nine cards when I can do it with eighteen!

Here we go –

John Jaso – A former Ray, it looks like Jaso will settle into the role of a journeyman catcher. He’s probably never going to hit for a lot of power or be a key cog in any lineup, but he gets on base and handles pitchers decently so there is a good chance that he’ll still be around when Heritage 2019 is mirroring the 2003 set.

Alexi Ramirez – When the Rays played the White Sox back in the 2008 playoffs the only player I was worried about in Chicago’s lineup was Ramirez (and that was in his rookie year!).  Hopefully he stays in town for a long time so Chicago fans can debate Ramirez vs Starlin Castro for years to come.

Huston Street – Street has struck out 488 batters and walked only 122 in his career.  According to the back of his card opponents only hit .214 against him in his career.  After watching Jim Johnson close games for the Orioles I wonder what’s it is like to have a closer who doesn’t allow three base runners every time he comes into a game.

Matt Joyce – Loved the Joyce for Edwin Jackson deal back when the Rays made the move.  Love it more now that Jackson is on his 65^th different team.  His hometown is listed as Riverview, FL.  I had a buddy that lived in Riverview. 

Barry Zito – Zito is the warning poster for all GM’s wanting to throw a ton of money at a free agent pitcher.  I also knew a girl who dated Zito back when he was in the minors.  My friends know way more exciting people then I do.

Dodgers All Star Vets – Not only is Clayton Kershaw a pretty good pitcher, he has a great name. The 1964 version of this card had Nellie Fox and Harmon Killebrew featured.  Killebrew – also a great name. 

Baseball Flashback Yaz – It would have been nice if the Red Sox had won a World Series for Yastrzemski he just seems like a nice guy. I’m voting Joe Mauer as this generations nice guy who never wins a title.  Sorry about that Joe.

Ricky Nolasco – He’s still a Marlin.  I guess someone has to be.

Addison Reed – Love, love, love the big ol’ All-Star Rookie logo on cards.  One of these days (after I pick the right Powerball numbers) my life quest will be to collect all of the cards featuring the All-Star Rookie logo.

Best Card- All Star Vets

Worst Card- Nolasco.  I just don’t care about Marlins cards. 

Now on to pack two

Josh Willingham – Is this a baseball car or a casting photo for the next Bounty cover guy?

Bud Black – Manager card.  Uggh, The only thing I like less are checklist cards that are actually part of the set.

David Freese  - At six-foot-two is Freese too big to be “gritty”?  To me “gritty” maxes out at five-ten.

Bruce Bochy – Manager hot pack!  Wheeeee!

Kyle Seager – Yeah, not idea who this guy is, but I guess he’s the reason Chone Figgins no longer has a job in Seattle.  Do free agents count against the unemployment numbers? If a player is cut, can he file for unemployment?

Gordon Beckham – I’m well on my way to completing the White Sox team set. Yea?  Beckham strikes me as a “change of scenery” guy. He just seems to have too much talent to be hitting .230 in the majors.

Ryan Howard – I watched about 10 minutes of a Spring Training game during lunch yesterday.  Ryan Howard launched a home run during that time and for a brief, brief moment I wished I was back in Florida.  Spring Training games during the middle of the week were a definite bonus for living in that whacked out state.

Joe Blanton – How is this not a “action variation”? Blanton was a hot name in the Oriole land down the stretch last year.  I’m kind of glad they went with Joe Saunders instead, what with that whole winning the play-in game thing.

Jason Motte – Motte looks like a 7^th year college senior in this pitcher.  “Bro, I think I missed a physics final today. Today worth it though.”

Best Card – Kyle Seager, ‘cause I learned about a new player today.  And it’s all about learning.

Worst Card – Tie between Bud Black and Bruce Bochey.

Seven packs in and no Orioles.  I don’t even think I’ve pulled a former Oriole yet. Hopefully they’re all hiding in the bottom of the box.

Five Packs In - Can I Get An Oriole, Please!

With snowflakes falling outside it is time to tackle pack five.  I was a little underwhelmed by pack four (so underwhelmed that apparently I forgot to hit the publish button), and honestly I’m not overly enthralled with this year’s product.  I’m posting all of my base (except for the Orioles, of which I haven’t received any) on Zistle for trade.  Feel free to contact me through this page if you’d like as well.

Jason Grilli is fired up about something.

Gaby Sanchez – Pirates hot pack!  I really hope Pittsburgh gets their act together and becomes a competitive team again.  Thanks to the Pens and Steelers it’s not like folks living in Pittsburgh are hurting for success like, say Cleveland, but after more than 20 years of not competing it is time they challenged for titles instead of hoping for .500.

Rangers Rookie Stars – Holy Crap I know these guys! Along with the Orioles Bundy/Machado card this has to be one of the top rookie draws for this year’s Heritage set.  It’s likely Olt won’t see too much of the majors this season, but Profar should make the roster as a back-up infielder. 

World Series Game 2 – And I thought I was bad with puns for my titles.  I can’t say I watched that much of the World Series last year.  After the rush of the Orioles playoff run ended in New York there was a bit of a letdown for the rest of the postseason. Not a bad run for San Francisco sports over the last couple of years.

Todd Helton – Todd Helton has been in the league for 16 years and hit for a career average of .320.  Yet he only has 2,420 career hits.  No way in hell anyone breaks Pete Rose’s hits record. By the way, is Helton a Hall-of-Famer?  I think probably, but not first ballot.

Lance Lynn – Mr. Lynn looks more like Nick Swisher than Nick Swisher does in this set.  Can the Cardinals count on another 18 wins from him this year?

News Flashback Lyndon Johnson – President Johnson has the, “I can’t believe you asked me that fricken’ question,” look on his face. I’m really hoping to pull the Beatles flashback sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Brandon Beachy – Beachy was putting a strong season together before he went under the knife for ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, aka Tommy John surgery.  He’s projected to be back in June and, if healthy, could be a boost for a young Braves team that could be in the playoff hunt.

Will Middlebrooks – I’ve got nothing to say about Middlebrooks so let’s look at the question on the back of card.  Topps question is, “How many men did the Browns use in the 9-hole on 5/25/53?”  By holding the card up to right at the correct angle I see a cartoon and the answer – “10…but they lost”

Best card – Olt/Profar – gotta like the rookies.

Worst card – World Series Card.  Boo on bum-puns.  I’ll show myself out the door now.

March 18^th and it is still snowing. I really need to plan a Florida trip at some point. My Vegas tan is fading.

Heritage Pack Four

I know what you’re thinking, “He broke his streak by not posting on Sunday!”  Well unfortunately for you nitpickers I don’t abide by the normal calendar.  I make my own nights.  And since I haven’t slept yet it still counts for me. In other news, I checked in some hockey players today. They are just like us, they drink beer in the lobby and book their rates through hotwire.  Of course they were minor league hockey players, but still!

Here we go!

Jayson Werth – Former Oriole farmhand and Edge lookalike, Werth didn’t exactly wow the folks in Washington in his first season.  He only played in 81 games and only knocked five balls out of the park.  If he rebounds this year and Steve Strasberg doesn't fall apart the Nationals could be the team to beat in the National League.

Phillip Humber – Heh, he had a perfect game last year.  I totally forget that.  I guess Humber goes down as the most average pitcher to throw a perfect game, right?

Phillies Rookie Stars – Tyler Cloud – not a good looking beard/sideburns thing there.  If you’re going to rock that look never, and I do mean ever, take your hat off. Oh and yeah, two more guys who I've never heard of.

2012 AL RBI Leaders – Three happy guys.  Cabrera pulled off the Triple Crown last year.  That’s something I honestly doubted I would ever see. I still think a bigger deal should have been made of his accomplishment.  I know batting average, RBI and home runs are a bit passe, but still to lead an entire league over a 162 game season is impressive.

Ivan Nova – With the way things are going Nova might be playing first base on days when he’s not pitching.

Bud Norris – Wow. I mean wow.  This might be the worst photo I’ve seen in a long, long time. There is no way he shows that to his kids.  Does he even have kids?  I don't know. I don't do research.

Mark Buehrle – So weird to see him in a uniform other than the White Sox. Rather than abandon his pit bull or have it stay in a kennel all season Buehrle is leaving his family in Florida while he lives the single life in Toronto. Good for him.

David Price – Speaking of dogs – Price’s dog Astro is getting his own bobble-head as a giveaway for Rays fans this season.

Jeff Karstens – These cards are airbrushed/photoshopped.  Did they really have to include such a scruffy beard for Karstens?  Couldn’t they have just filled it in a bit for him?

Best Card – Ummmmm I guess Werth because he was an Oriole at one point

Worst Card – Bud Norris in what could be the worst card of the set.

Happy St. PACK-tricks Day! Heritage Pack Three

I realize if I check the Sports Card Blogroll I’m probably 18^th in line for making a St. Patricks Day pun on my blog.  You know what – much like Jay Cutler Idooooonnnnn’ttttt carrrrrrrrre.  Long day at work today.  Working at a hotel in downtown Chicago, especially one along the river, doesn’t make for a fun day at work on this holiday.  At least all of guests looked like they were having a good time.  Well let’s get to the cards.

Kyle Lohse – Do you know Kyle has been in the league for twelve seasons? And it took him that long to finally post an ERA under 3.00 for the season. You could argue that his last two seasons have been the best stretch of his career. Good on him.

Trevor Cahill – I just sold a Cahill card on eBay.  Not this card, but still that’s 99 cents in my pocket (plus a little markup on the shipping).

Chad Billingsley – “Over here, Chad over here.  Don’t look at the camera!”

Kendrys Morales – There must be something happening to the right of the photographer. Four cards in a row with players looking that way.

R.A. Dickey – Short Print!  Double Short Print!  Not only is this short printed, but it’s the not-as-rare-as-I-thought-therefore-not-as-valuable-as-I-thought “action” pose.  It will be interesting to see how Dickey does in the AL East this year with the big contract in his pocket.  Two warning signs in my book.

Yoenis Cespedes  Clubhouse Collection Jersey Relic – The Big Hit!  I like Cespedes, but man did he pick a shitty year to be a rookie. If it wasn’t for Harper and Trout I think the Cuban would have had much more ROY hype (and I would probably know exactly how to say his name).

Chris Iannetta – “Hey ladies.  I’m Chris.  I play a little ball.  Gotta nice smile.  What ‘cha doing later? Yeah, I’m penciled in to be the starter this year.  Time for you to get on this bandwagon.  Call me..”

David Murphy – Dave beats to his own drum.  Y’all look to the left, Dave looks to the right.  Y’all want home runs? Dave hits singles. Actually he had 15 homeruns last year.  Color my surprised.

The ol' 8 card pack due to the relic card.  Hey, it's been three packs and no O's yet.  What the hell? I want my Bundy!

Best card – Yoenis Cespedes – Relic cards win by default (but Iannetta was a close second).

Worst Card – Trevor Cahill. Just not a flattering photo.

Topps Heritage Break Day 2

I’m going to post this one early since I’m off to the doctor to have something scraped off my back.  A little unsolicited medical advice for all you kids out there – if you have a small bump on your back get it checked out before it gets infected and makes the doctor gives you a look that basically says, “You’re an idiot.”  How about that, an-anti drug message one day and medical advice the next? I should be getting a grant from the World Health Organization for this blog.  Anyway, onto the cards.

Pirates Rookie Stars – C’mon folk.  We all know there is only one Justin Wilson. What are they looking at by the way?

Edwin Jackson – The nice thing about photoshopped cards is that it is easy to change uniforms to reflect offseason changes.  Of course, by the time the season starts Jackson could be on another team.

Josh Reddick – The bat over the shoulders pose is almost as badass as the pointing the bat at the camera pose.

Dusty Baker – Aroldis Chapman throws 100mph? Not when I’m done with him.

2013 Rookie Stars – No individual rookie cards for the Heritage set this year.  I like mixing things up like that.  After all, without double rookie cards the Bong Puffer card would have never existed.

Coco Crisp – Any posed card that doesn’t feature his OscarGamble worthy afro is a wasted card in my opinion.

Baseball Flashback Hank Aaron – Body weight is leaning a bit forward, but the hands are still back. I’m thinking he roped this one into the gap for a double.

 Nick Swisher – Is this really Nick Swisher? It doesn’t look like Nick Swisher. Can a logo photobomb a card? Cause it looks like Chief Wahoo is photobombing this piece of cardboard.

Adam Laroche – I’m sure Laroche is a nice guy, but I’ll never like him because he spurned the Orioles in free agency.  I’m not sure why that matters to me, because so so many free agents have turned the O’s down.  But let me be me, damn it.

Two days down and apparently only twenty-two to go.  I really thought there were thirty-six packs in a hobby box.  Silly me.

Best Card - Hank Aaron

Worst Card - Adam LaRoche - 'cause "F" that guy

Topps Heritage - One Pack at a Time

It is experiment time here at the Hopeful Chase. Yesterday I picked up a box of 2013 Topps Heritage from Elite Cards.  John was nice enough to hold it for me even though I was three day late picking it up. Instead of doing what I normally do – getting home and opening the entire box in less than 5 minutes and immediately experiencing buyer’s regret – I’ve decided to test my self control and your patience.  Over the next 36 days I will be opening one pack a day, and offering you my comments on each card in the pack.

I know it’s been done before, but then again hasn’t everything been done before?  However, I’ve never done it before. Heck, I don’t think an unopened pack has ever lasted more than 48 hours in my house.  So, with Saturday Night Live playing in the background, lets dive into Pack Number One.

The first card of the year is a sad looking Dee Gordon.  As he only hit .228 last year I’m assuming Topps had plenty of similar photos to choose from.

Brian McGann – All-Star catcher for the Braves

Christian Friedrich – The first of what I’m assuming will be many players that I don’t know who they are.  God I’m getting old. It doesn’t help that Friedrich looks all of 15 years-old.

Mike Fiers- Welp.  That would be number two. I used to know everyone, even kids in the minors.  Now, I’m lucky to know the entire Orioles roster.

Jimmy Rollins – Now we’re back on track. For some reason I always think he’s a second baseman even though Chase Utley has been on the team almost as long.  I never said I was a smart man.

Phil Coke – The ol’ Yankee prospect turned situational reliever.

Carlos Beltran Memorable Moments – My first insert of the year!  300 HR’s and 300 SB’s.  Even though Home Runs and Stolen Bases are archaic stats by today’s standards those kind of numbers are impressive.  (Holy sh*t-snacks – a Two Wild and Crazy Guys cameo?  Wow, SNL).

Franklin Gutierrez – How many years does someone get to be a “prospect”?

Alex Aliva – An alliterative name, I like it.  Aliva looks so damn happy here.

Best card of the pack – Beltran

Worst Card – Dee Gordon, just cause he’s so very, very sad.

Lightning Card of the Week - Hamrlik's Back Again

Shiny cards and scanners don't mix

Roman Hamrlik 1995-96 Donruss Elite #36

We’ve been over Hamrlik’s story before so instead – a brief story on how the card came into my collection.

A few weeks, or months, ago I received a small brown parcel in the mail.  My first thought was, “Sweet! My cocaine is here!” Then I saw the postmark was from North Carolina and remembered that I don’t get my cocaine from The Tar Heel state.  In fact I don’t get me cocaine from anywhere because I’m not rich enough to have a coke habit. What I mean is - DON’T DO DRUGS!

I wasn’t really expecting anything in the mail so I was intrigued as I started to rip off the brown wrapping paper and newspaper (which was secured really, really well).  I didn’t trade with too many folks in North Carolina and hadn’t bid on anything on eBay (well, anything that would constitute an actual package) so I was completely stumped as to what was in the box.

When I finally tore through the last bits of paper I saw a plastic cube filled with cards and a note on top.  The cards were shiny and the note was from my Pops, apparently he had spent a day at a flea market in Stuart, Florida (Sailfish Capital of the World) spending my inheritance and stumbled across a guy selling sets of cards.

I then remembered a voicemail he had left me a couple of weeks before asking me to call him back to see if I wanted him to buy some “ope dee or whatever you call them” sets.  I missed his call because I was sleeping off an overnight and assumed he had passed and moved on to the guy selling golf equipment.

Instead, because he is an awesome dad, he grabbed one set and sent it to me when he got back home. Now I own the 1995-96 Donruss Elite base set.  Not a bad set for a couple of bucks as it had all of the stars from the mid-nineties (including Jaromir Jagr’s fabulous mullet).   In addition to the Hamrlik card Brian Bradley makes an appearance in a Lightning uniform.  Hey there wasn’t much to choose from in the early days!

One card did make me laugh when I saw it.

"I wonder if Roman Vopat is at the beach right now. I liked the beach."

The Great One with a, “What the heck did I do to end up here?” look on his face as he rocks the St. Louis Blues uniform. 

If my memory serves me right this is the third set my old man has bought me over the years.  The first one being a 1987 Topps Baseball base set which is, to this day, my all around favorite set of all time.  I’m pretty sure he paid about $15 for it and the last time I checked I think it was still worth $15.  Not much of a return on investment, but I still page through that one from time to time just to look at the wooden borders and cool “Future Star” script that was a staple of the late 80s sets.

The second set he bought me was a Christmas present.  And back in the junk wax era it was one of the sets to have.  I’m talking about the 1990 Leaf set that was released as competition to Upper Deck’s 1989 base set and kind of cemented the idea of “premium” sets.  The big card of the day Frank Thomas’ rookie, but marquee names from the 90’s were also in there.  Names like John Olerud, Marquis Grissom, Dave Justice and Larry Walker.

It’s kind of funny to type those names and realize that they probably don’t mean much to kids under 25 these days.  But back then, those guys were the stars and that set demanded a premium.  So much so that I actually broke the set to make a little money.  No it wasn’t Thomas that I sold, or Ken Griffey’s second-year card.  It was a rookie card of young slugger in Cleveland named Albert Jujuan Belle.  I believe I got $10 from my buddy Mike at the time. 

There would be a hole in the set for many, many years until one day I was combing through a dime box at a flea market in Florida (odd how that seems to be a running theme) and stumbled across a copy of the missing Belle.  I was shocked, shocked and happy, to see one of these cards languishing in a box of commons. Much like the Belle card the value of the set as a whole has taken a bit of a hit. Still, for me it’s the first premium set I owned and now that it is complete again I don’t plan on breaking it up any time soon.

Not only did my ol’ Pappy support my habit financially by paying me an allowance he also instilled the best advice on the industry that I’ve heard, advice that I still follow to this day.  One day when I was rambling on about how much a card was “worth” he put down his pipe, swirled his rocks glass filled scotch and said, “Son. Those cards are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them.” 

If he told the story I bet he would say there was no pipe or newspaper or scotch, but whatever.  To this day, in trades and selling cards I remember what his advice. No matter what Beckett says, or what the “experts” say – the cards are only worth what someone is willing to give up for them.  If no one wants it, then no matter how rare or how foiled up a card is it’s not more than a piece of cardboard.

Of course, that can work for you.  For instance, my buddy Mike who bought the Belle card from me overpaid because he was such a big fan of the recalcitrant slugger. I exploited that and charged him way more than book value to have that card.  Same with the John Rocker cards that I made a mint off of back when yahoo had auctions and the reliever made some dumb comments about Mets fans.

So like the other two sets, this one will get slid into pages and then into a binder. And no matter what Beckett says, it’ll take way more than $15 for someone to pry it out of my collection.