Quarter box finds - an odd four

I actually found a base card of Aaron Hernandez I was going to pick up to put in my 'infamous' collection of cards featuring athletes who have gotten in the news for various transgressions - but then put it back in the 5,000 card box I found it in, afraid of the bad juju it might bring, especially since the guy has been charged with at least one murder.

2011 Panini hockey Dustin Brown #109 - I had to pick this random hockey card up when I saw that 'big hair.'
2013 Topps Archives football J.J. Watt #32
2013 Topps Series II baseball Lance Lynn #507 - I think this is blue Emerald parallel available through in-store promo packs [?]
2013 Panini basketball Brandon Jennings card #23

Featured autograph - Kyle Seager

For the handful of prospects the Seattle Mariners have brought up and were expected to do something as Major Leaguers in recent years - it seems like Seager was the least hyped, but as put together a couple of solid seasons as a young, emerging talent.

Seager isn't quite an All-Star caliber performer yet - but Justin Smoak, Dustin Ackley, Jesus Montero have been sore disappointments so far and may not fulfill their potential.

As an autograph signer, Seager signs when asked and is fairly accomodating - makes him a decent guy in my book even if he plays for a division opponent of the Angels.

Featured autograph - Tony Sanchez

I brought three of Sanchez's cards when the Pittsburgh Pirates played the Angels last weekend - since he'd just been called up, it was a cool moment to actually see the guy on the field and get him to sign the cards I had for him.

As someone who tries to bring random cards to the ballpark to get autographed - it makes some sense for me to bring extra cards of guys currently at AAA since MLB teams tend to bring up or send down players on a regular basis.

2013 Topps Series II retail jumbo pack recap

The tip of the blue Sharpie I've used for autographing endeavors was getting fat and I lost the only ballpoint pen I've used to get baseballs signed - I was sort of in a rushed state so I tried to find if they had any of the pens I needed at a Walmart, but I couldn't immediately find the two types of pens I needed.

I ended up ended up with a retail jumbo pack for $4.98 of Topps Series II - it seems like card releases have been slow, so I wasn't really paying attention when Topps Series II came out on shelves.

Top section

#423 Miguel Gonzalez
#614 B.J. Upton

#630 Andy Dirks
#602 Anibal Sanchez
#610 Brandon Beachy
#621 Steve Cishek
#654 Brandon Barnes
#359 C.C. Sabathia
#551 Wellington Castillo

#418 Evan Gattis
#382 Jackie Bradley Jr.
#577 Matt Harvey
#609 Scott Baker
#409 Logan Morrison
#539 Phil Coke
#356 Greg Dobbs
#466 Jerome Williams

Bottom section
#559 Travis Snider
#547 Glen Perkins
#600 Mariano Rivera
#587 Matt Cain
#CH-87 Lance Lynn - Chasing History foil insert
#CH-80 Yu Darvish - Chasing History foil insert
#359 C.C. Sabathia - Walmart blue parallel

#387 Jean Segura - Walmart blue parallel
#475 Garrett Jones - Walmart blue parallel
#TM-64 David Price - 1972 Topps Mini insert
CH-75 Dustin Pedroia - Chasing History insert
#538 Phil Coke - Emerald Foil
#344 Kris Medlen - Gold parallel serial #'d 0200/2013
#WBC-8 Justin Morneau - World Baseball Classic insert
"2nd Chance" Vintage Card Giveaway info card
#393 Andres Torres
#463 Jason Hammel

#566 C.J. Wilson
#378 Joe Kelly
#554 R.A. Dickey

Featured autograph - Ian Clarkin

I picked up a 2012 Panini USA team set for $15 shipping at the beginning of the year - I wanted to pick up a base set [no inserts] of the boxed set so I'd have another set of cards of various players likely to enter professional baseball in the next three or four years.

One of those players in the USA set is Clarkin, who was signed this week along with second round pick, infielder Gosuke Katoh - when the New York Yankees visited the Angels, I told myself to bring the card of Clarkin since he was a Yankees' draft pick from Southern California [San Diego area] and I figured the Yankees would do something like invite him for an informal work out or something.

Both Clarkin and Katoh were waiting to enter the stadium hours before the Friday game at Angel Stadium and I was able to get Clarkin to sign his card - a handful of collectors had spotted both guys, making it easy for me to go where they were.

In five years I'm going to be wondering if I should have gotten Katoh's autograph too - though I was just happy not to get shut out that day.

It must have been really sweet for the two just to graduate high school and jump onto a MLB field to shag balls in the outfield or to take grounders at second base in the vicinity of guys like C.C. Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, Mo, Robinson Cano, et al - knowing that it was only a matter of time before they signed their first contracts to become professional baseball players.

Zack Greinke - Respek

While he got a broken collarbone and missed part of the season, I thought Greinke got a free pass in his bean brawl incident against Carlos Quentin earlier in the year - however I caught a glimpse of the benching clearing brawl between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday night and thought for as distant / goofy / aloof as Greinke is, he did right in plunking Miguel Montero after Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ian Kennedy had gone 'up and in' and beaned Yasiel Puig the inning before.

After having an explosive first week as a Major Leaguer, there was no question Puig was served up a 'welcome to the big leagues kid' message pitch - that reminded me of happened last year with Cole Hamels hitting Bryce Harper.

I'm tempted to say Ian Kennedy was sort of a punk in this whole situation - but I just watch the games and I'm not actually down on the field as a player or coach, so who am I to judge his intent?

Featured autograph - Brad Hawpe

I'm not sure when I'm going to round up [or feature] any of the 2013 Angels autographs I can add to my all-time collection - I haven't done anything as far as determining which ones I have already, which ones I've gotten this season and which ones I still need.

One featured autograph I can put up is a TTM autograph card of Brad Hawpe I picked up through a forum several years ago - I also remember pulling a 2008 Topps Stadium Club certified autograph of Hawpe, but I'll probably use the TTM auto for my all-time Angels collection.

I realize the situations aren't at all comparable but the Los Angeles Dodgers can call up a stud like Yasiel Puig - while the Angels end up bring up a guy like Hawpe from oblivion.

A late bloomer, Hawpe had some nice seasons with the Colorado Rockies - but for whatever reason his bat ran out of juice and he has bounced around with four different teams before the Angels signed him this season to serve as AAA depth.

I've noticed he kind of holds his bat in a peculiar way and it's kind of funny to watch him hit - he and Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs look sort of the same when they are at the plate.

I'm not counting on any sort of success but hopefully this guy will be of some use to the Angels - even if he is pretty much cooked as a MLB hitter.

2013 Topps Archives blaster recap

2013 Topps Archives blaster [$19.99 from a Target] - I have a hand-collated base set coming in but maybe look to bust at least one blaster of any new Topps baseball product.

I don't mind the thin stock but Topps could have gone all the way and used 'primitive' cardboard stock - like the original Topps cards these are supposed to mimic.

It's like I want to pull something in 2013 - that feels like it came from a pack in 1972, 1982, 1985 or 1990 [maybe not that year].

Pack one
#179 Tommy Milone
#44 Chris Davis
#64 Asdrubal Cabrera

#MT-RD Rob Dibble - Mini Tall Boy insert; it's not any taller than a regular sized card but it looks different because 1/3rd of a regular sized card has been cut off; Dibble is covering Angels games for some media outlet and I just got him to sign three more random cards, so this one should be inked up in-person at some point this MLB season.
#141 Adam Jones
#151 Jason Motte
#28 Mike Schmidt
#65 Paul Konerko

Pack two
#138 David Murphy
#166 Ryan Vogelsong
#5 Allen Craig
#92 Ken Griffey Jr.

#215 Bob Welch - SP
#146 Eddie Murray
#167 Rod Carew
#21 Adrian Beltre

Pack three
#143 Jake Odorizzi
#197 Chris Sale
#12 Jarrod Parker
#DFF-NU Otis Nixon / B.J. Upton - Dual Fan Favorites insert [not quite with Nixon's recent legal problems and Upton's slow start]
#60 Robinson Cano
#127 David Price
#164 Dan Uggla
#17 Hanley Ramirez

Pack four
#68 Matt Harrison
#140 Dylan Bundy
#168 Pablo Sandoval
#29 Angel Pagan

#83-PG Pedro Guerrero - 1983 All-Stars insert
#84 Coco Crisp
#121 Ian Kennedy
#161 Anthony Rizzo

Pack five
#96 Edwin Encarnacion
#106 Tim Lincecum
#165 Stephen Strasburg
#27 Manny Machado

#MT-AB Albert Pujols - Mini Tall Boy insert; these were listed 1:5 but I got two.
#42 Mariano Rivera
#93 Ian Desmond
#122 R.A. Dickey

Pack six
#88 Derek Holland
#102 Matt Moore
#169 Pedro Alvarez
#209 Dwight Evans - SP
#152 Craig Kimbrel
#37 Elvis Andrus
#70 Ozzie Smith
#147 Hiroki Kuroda

Pack seven
#25 Dexter Fowler
#81 Will Middlebrooks
#119 Ian Kinsler

#97 David Wright - Gold parallel serial #'d 186/199
#69S-SKCK Warren Spahn, Sandy Koufax, Steve Carlton and Clayton Kershaw - 1969 4-in-1 sticker insert
#155 Wilin Rosario
#30 Yu Darvish
#51 Carlos Gonzalez

Pack eight
#194 Yadier Molina
#45 Chase Headley
#56 Josh Reddick
#83-LD Leon Durham - 1983 All-Stars insert
#148 Dustin Pedroia
#178 Giancarlo Stanton
#1 Babe Ruth
#69 Eddie Mathews