I like how the card design mimics the 1993 Upper Deck SP Premier Prospects subset - I was looking at images of the Adenhart online and thought the card scanned too dark until I realized the card was designed to highlight the player's image with a muted background.
It's a shiny card which is appealing - though it's not exactly refractor shiny where the image pops off the card like a firecracker.
The No. 7 overall pick in the nation in 2009, Minor is a lefty out of Vanderbilt who has the ability to be on the fast track to the Major Leagues - but he doesn't seem to be as highly regarded as his draft status indicates.
I didn't really know much about him until I saw him pitch in the Arizona Fall League - because he was drafted so high, I assumed he'd be considered a stud pitching prospect, but apparently he isn't.
Just like the Mike Leake card featured here - I purchased the card at a card show for $5.
The No. 8 overall pick in the nation in 2009, Leake is a relatively undersized pitching dynamo - who has the ability to be on the fast track to the Major Leagues after a stellar career at Arizona State.
This card featuring Leake on the US National Team is from a 2008 Upper Deck Timelines insert set - lurking around to find some 'bargain bin' type cards, I purchased the card at a card show for $5.
The card features doesn't feature Stephen Strasburg, but it isn't a bad pick-up - if Leake works to fulfill his potential in the near future.
I was dreaming about something as I slept on the couch - I heard the faint ringing of a doorbell and knock on the door. I ran as fast as I could to the door, so I could sign for the package.
All I cared about was securing what I assumed - was my redemption from Upper Deck in my hands.
It looks like a bubble mailer was mailed from Upper Deck's offices in Carlsbad - I had thought everything they did was in Nevada.
I was hoping to get someone infamous [maybe Richard Nixon] or someone iconic [maybe John F. Kennedy] - I'm not sure if Woodrow Wilson, the 28th United States President can be squarely pidegonholed into either category, but his cut autograph card [serial #'d 05/22]was the one that popped out of the bubble mailer, housed in nothing but a thick-card top loader.
What stuck out in getting this particular certified cut autograph card is during a time when the United States has taken one step forward in having its first African-American President in Barack Obama - Wilson was probably the symbol of 'institutionalized racism' in the United States during the first part of the 20th century. Even today as the United States is more a melting pot, it gets to be a volatile one due to racial issues. Wilson's views and actions may not be at all flattering or qualities to admire his life for, but something part of his legacy as a United States President.
I'll be busting 2009 Topps and 2009 Upper Deck soon enough - nice to see Upper Deck on the ball and sate my collecting impulses by fulfilling my redemption in a short time.
I initially thought I'd be getting a more common cut from this list of baseball players - but then my mouth started watering when I saw this and this. It was a mystery redemption, where all I knew was I was going to receive a certified cut autograph card of a former United States President.
I don't know if the redemption ended up as a 'holy crap' pull that is a collection centerpiece [anyone have a 2009 Topps Vladimir Guerrero super patch card]? - but there is definitely a lot of history behind the cut autograph and hopefully it will be in my personal collection for a long time.
2008 Upper Deck Timeline - when my boxes arrived, I tore through the first nine packs from the bottom pack to the top on the left hand row.
We'll jump to pack eight - which was actually the second pack from the top
#23 Matt Kemp
#86 Jay Bruce - rookie card subset
#112 Emmanuel Burriss - 1992 Upper Deck Minors
#81 Matt Tolbert - base rookie gold parallel
Signs of History - some kind of a filler card with scratch off feature
#126 Reed Johnson - 1992 Upper Deck Minors auto; after dreading pulling a possible Brandon Boggs auto [I would step on that mine with this box], I end up pulling an auto of this veteran fourth outfielder? He is pretty good for what he is and he went to my alma mater, Cal State Fullerton, but I've gotten his autograph [in-person] several times and he isn't exactly the latest or the greatest.
#170 Ryan Howard - 1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes
#198 Josh Hamilton - 2005 SP Top Prospects die-cut
#237 Joey Votto - 2004 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes; like the image used which is of Votto wearing a camo jersey.
