Unwinding at the card shop with some finds

1997 Topps Chris Snopek #137 - Bernie Williams cameo
1997 Topps Pat Hentgen #330

1997 Topps Matt Lawton #428
1997 Topps John Jaha #446
2013 Panini Black Friday Adrian Peterson #13

2013 Panini Black Friday Russell Wilson #21 - the 2013 NFL Most Valuable Player candidate is your newest Texas Rangers minor leaguer.
2013 Topps Chrome Andy Dalton #33
2013 Topps Update Justin Grimm #US 17

2013 Topps Update Tim Collins #US 40 - Blue Sapphire parallel serial #'d 19/25
2013 Topps Update Luke Putkonen #US 43
2013 Topps Update Brett Marshall #US 51 - Emerald Foil parallel
2013 Topps Update Kevin Frandsen #US 58 - Emerald Foil parallel

2013 Topps Update Martin Perez #US 69 - Gold parallel serial #'d 0593/2013
2013 Topps Update Yu Darvish #US 79 - Gold parallel serial #'d 0849/2013

2013 Topps Update Bryan Peterson #US 82 - Gold parallel serial #'d 0529/2013
2013 Topps Update Michael Young #US 90 - Emerald Foil parallel
2013 Topps Update Salvador Perez #US 98 - Gold parallel serial #'d 0444/2013
2013 Topps Update Bryce Harper #US 100
2013 Topps Update Michael Morse #US 103

2013 Topps Update Ryan Kalish #US 108
2013 Topps Willie Bloomquist #US 117 - Gold parallel serial #'d 1044/2013

2013 Topps Update Ken Griffey Jr. #US 119 - SP?
2013 Topps Update Jose Fernandez #US 133
2013 Topps Update Jim Henderson #US 161 - Gold parallel serial #'d 0942/2013
2013 Topps Update Nick Punto #US 171 - Gold parallel serial #'d 1169/2013

2013 Topps Update Blake Parker #US 172
2013 Topps Update Reed Johnson #US 173 - Gold parallel serial #'d 0782/2013
2013 Topps Update Bryce Harper #US 180 
2013 Topps Update Dioner Navarro #US 184 - Gold parallel serial #'d 1803/2013
2013 Topps Update Brad Miller #US 224
2013 Topps Update Preston Claiborne #US 252 - Gold parallel serial #'d 0122/2013
2013 Topps Update Skip Schumaker #US 261 - Gold parallel serial #'d 0202/2013

2013 Topps Update Josh Thole #US 272 - Emerald Foil parallel
2013 Topps Luis Avilan #US 298 
2013 Topps Dylan Axelrod #US 305

2013 Topps Update Nate Jones #US 312 - Emerald Foil parallel
2013 Topps Update Junichi Tazawa #US 314

2013 Topps 75th Anniversary hobby pack recap

Non-sports cards have little appeal to me, especially ones that were printed from the same junk wax era [1986-1992] as baseball cards - I saw random posts about this on Chris Olds' Twitter and tried a pack to see if I can hit anything on a one-pack impulse purchase for $4.

I had the same experience opening packs of the first year of Topps Archives baseball in 2001, where I didn't know what I had - but 75th Anniversary basically consist of reprints with write-ups about the original set on the back.

It's kind of fun seeing a mash up of different cards reprinted from Topps' non-sport trading card history - though the cards seems whimsical and odd, not focused on one theme or one product.

Pack one

#83 Michael Jackson

#49 Winston Churchill - Who am I?

#4 Tarzan and The She Devil

#2 X-Ray Round Up

#84 New Kids on the Block - Foil parallel

#15 James Dean 

#72 Grease 

#64 Comic Book Heroes Stickers

Autograph request through the mail received: Cameron Maybin

For the past several years, my TTM activity has really been non-existent - once in a blue moon, I can look forward to getting a SASE from a request I'd written off at least several years ago, though I don't really wait around the clock for the mail anymore like I did in the late 1990's through late 2000's.

With this request, I think sent a couple of cards, one of which was Maybin's 2005 Bowman AFLAC card - worth maybe a quarter, but a card I didn't want to lose when I thought a base card of a young prospect maybe worth something when it came from an 'oddball' set that one had to mail a redemption card for.

I got back a 2007 Bowman Draft card signed in black Sharpie - Maybin earned himself a 5-year contract with the San Diego Padres in 2012, but after a lost season this past year, he is looking for a bounce back season.

Not a bad trade for the Angels

The Angels sent off Mark Trumbo in a three-way trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago White Sox - the Angels are going to miss Mark Trumbo's tremendous pop but not his streakiness with the bat.

There is a chance that Trumbo still has the ability to improve as a hitter - but the Angels were able to get a pitching prospect [though one that was originally in their system] and a serviceable pitcher for a guy whose power is constantly negated by the holes in his swing.

C.J. Cron is just about ready at 24 to figure into the Angels plans next season - the irony is he maybe a Trumbo clone who had a down year in AA in 2013, but the Angels should see what he can do at the MLB level sooner than never.

Speaking as strictly as a fan, I'm not going to miss Trumbo's occasional douchiness despite being a fan favorite - he's actually done the usual things normal ballplayers would do countless number of times such as signing autographs, taking pictures, make appearances at public events, making appearances on behalf of the team, et al.

Maybe he was just was never a warm and fuzzy guy and at times - he'd let you know in no uncertain terms that he'd rather be doing something else than signing another autograph.

Hector Santiago has actually been pretty good over the past two years as both a reliever and starting pitcher - he maybe the key that wins this trade early for the Angels because should be able to help the MLB team next season.

Santiago needs to walk less guys and hopefully he stays healthy, which is always a concern for any pitcher - but maybe it matters more for a guy that wasn't considered a top prospect and has sort of come out of nowhere to enjoy relative MLB success.

Tyler Skaggs hasn't been impressive in parts of two MLB seasons and he may not be better than a No. 3 starter - but he's young and gets to go back to the organization that drafted him 2009.

Featured autograph - Tony LaRussa

If my eyes were to be believed LOL

I thought I saw Glenn Hoffman at a Best Buy, possibly looking for a TV with his wife - the last thing on my mind was spotting a random former MLB player [brother of Trevor and current third base coach of the Padres], but according to the address listed for him on SCN, he may actually live 5-10 minutes away from the particular store.

Heavy lifting with lil pieces o' cardboard

I have to figure out where cards have to go sooner than never - I'm trying to eliminate situations where things are not in order and I end up feeling like I'm missing cards.

As the baseball off-season rolls on, I should be worried about MLB / MiLB related transactions, but in-between moving my nickel and dime cards to 'new homes' as players move on - I'm focused on trying to deal with some of my collecting topics cards.

I feel like I need to go over my collecting topics cards for the longest time since I might be missing something - which makes me feel uneasy because I'm supposed be on top of at least the cards I collect for fun. THIS SOME SERIOUS BUSINESS HERE.

Right now, I'm listing all my additions from this year as 'achievements,' though there is still a little bit of time to add some assorted cards - I'm physically putting the actual cards into collection stored in boxes and fixing any discrepancies between what I may have and what is actually listed on a file in Excel.

1.) For any particular cards missing or otherwise loose somewhere in the wild, I tried to highlight the listing in red meaning so I have some peace of mind to say - 'OK, I do not have this card among this group of collecting topics cards, but I should be able to account for where it is.'

2.) I deleted listings of particular cards even though it fits among a similar group of collecting topics cards - if I can get particular cards autographed in-person, those take priority over stuffing a particular card in a box of my collecting topics 'sets.'

I WANT TO MAKE ANYTHING HIGHLIGHTED IN RED 'DISAPPEAR' SOONER THAN LATER - so it's best to delete the listing of the card just so I don't have to worry about it.

3.) At times I've listed the same cards twice, so if I have dupes, I just note it in one listing and delete the other, especially if it's a card I've had in my collection prior to the current year - don't want to duplicate the general number of cards I ended up counting out through my database as far as my current year achievements are concerned.

4.) Collecting topics I officially collect - many of these consist of cards I've seen on other blogs throughout the past five years, though I think back to the Pinnacle and Triple Play subset cards from the 1990's as my primary inspiration [at least in name] as well as the advent of better baseball card photography and premium quality card sets [maybe starting with 1989 Upper Deck].

Tools of ignorance - done 11/29
Broken bat shots - done 11/29
Facial hair - done 11/29
Awesome outfield action - done 11/29
Nations - done 12/2
Shades - done 12/1
Hats off - done 12/1
Pitchers hitting - done 12/5
Interesting backs 
PEDs - done 12/4
Bonus babies - done 12/2
Local [OC] guys - done 12/4
High socks - done 12/4
Inking it up - done 12/4
Infamous - done 12/4
Awesome action - done 12/5
Retro uniforms
Grips
Cult baseball players / feats
Beyond the glory
Bloodlines
Two-sport stars - done 12/5
Uncorrected errors - done 12/5
Players smiling

Angels acquisitions so far

This guy, Wade LeBlanc, Joe Smith and Clay Rapada - it looks like it has shaped up to be a great offseason to pick up scrubs fighting for a spot on the pitching staff in the spring, though I'm thinking the Angels might be looking to grab someone they might not need relative to their pitching woes.

Just throwing it out, but maybe Robinson Cano, who might not make it back to New York Yankees after they signed Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury - signing Cano is going to jack up the Angels payroll [in addition to Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton] but he who might be a force in the middle of the lineup as a No. 3 hitter through his mid 30's.

Featured autographs - Edgar Martinez and 2001 Seattle Mariners All-Stars

I sent in a 2001 Seattle Mariners All-Star 8x10 and paid $35 to have it signed by longtime Mariners star Edgar Martinez - I bought the photo in 2002 since the Mariners were coming off a 116 win season and they were one of the top teams to chase for autographs [at the very least for Ichiro], though I didn't realize it would take 12-13 years to complete.

I even brought the photo to a Seattle trip I took earlier this year, hoping I'd random see Martinez at the lone Mariners game I was able to go to - no dice on that, but I eventually saw a post through the SCN message boards where someone was taking items for Martinez to be signed.

I thought it might be a good opportunity to get the photo signed and not have to worry about carrying it around - though it seemed pretty ballsy to send the photo in to a random person who was going to get it signed for a fee.

I assume the person taking items has some sort of agreement to get at least a certain number of items signed - from what I stumbled upon, I assume the signing was at Sun Times show - Martinez was scheduled to appear on Sunday [Nov. 24], so that was when my item was probably inked up.

My biggest fear about this whole deal was something catastrophic happening - maybe my Priority SASE gets lost or banged up, the autograph was signed on the toploader [not likely, but who knows] or the autograph is imperfect and/or comes back wrecked.

I sent my photo, money order and SASE out early in November and got my package at the end of the month - upon closer inspection, the autograph was just a little imperfect, so I let out a faint groan, but it doesn't look bad at all and I can finally put it away, knowing it's finished.

The toughest autograph to get was Kaz Sasaki - he wasn't fond of signing or being mobbed, but I managed to get the 8x10 infront of him, where he relented to scribble on it.

Ichiro was running with black when I got him to sign - that kind of messed things up, but can't worry about when he maybe one of the toughest.

Making my own $5 repack

I spent an alotted hour digging through an old standby's booth at a card show - by 'old standby,' I mean a guy who has set up off and on for at least the past eight years, with his monster boxes of cheap-o cards and other stuff i.e. trinkets and other sports related junk.

I don't know him well at all but I know if I stop wherever he is set up for the day - I could spend a long time just standing around digging up all sorts of cards, even if I spend only $5-$10 at the most.

I ended up picking up about 60 assorted cards - I don't know how the guy picks up the cards he has, maybe he works for a collector or something, so the boxes are sort of refreshed with newer cards.

These the cards are the ones out of the dime boxes
1996 Leaf Preferred Will Clark #16
1996 Leaf Preferred Garret Anderson #21

1998 Fleer EX 2001 Nomar Garciaparra #95

1998 Fleer Tradition Nomar Garciaparra #5
2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars Asher Wojciechowski #USA 40 - USA Star Prospects insert / x2
2010 Bowman Chrome Jae-Hoon Ha #BCP 85
2012 Panini USA Kyle Farmer #7 - x2
2012 Panini USA Dom Nunez #36

These the cards are the ones out of the quarter boxes
1983 Donruss Howard Johnson #328

1991 Topps Stadium Club Sammy Sosa #6
1993 Bowman Jason Kendall #162
1993 Bowman Jose Vidro #592
1993 Upper Deck Eric Karros #WI 9 - Iooss Collection insert

1993 Upper Deck SP Frank Thomas #260
1994 Bowman Tony Clark #209 - x2

1994 Bowman Ryne Sandberg #250

1994 Pinnacle Hilly Hathaway #127 - Museum Collection parallel
1994 Pinnacle Wayne Kirby #132 - Museum Collection parallel
1994 Pinnacle Eric Young #133 - Museum Collection parallel

1994 Pinnacle Greg Myers #156 - Museum Collection parallel

1994 Pinnacle David Hulse #162 - Museum Collection parallel
1994 Pinnacle Phil Clark #167 - Museum Collection parallel

1994 Pinnacle Sam Horn #170 - Museum Collection parallel

1994 Pinnacle Bob Natal #173 - Museum Collection parallel
1994 Pinnacle Roberto Mejia #181 - Museum Collection parallel

1994 Pinnacle Steve Frey #185 - Museum Collection parallel
1994 Pinnacle Kevin Young #186 - Museum Collection parallel

1994 Pinnacle Ivan Calderon #192 - Museum Collection parallel
1994 Pinnacle Jose Lind #199 - Museum Collection parallel

1995 Pinnacle Willie Banks #337 - Museum Collection parallel
1995 Topps Carlos Delgado #263 - Cyberstats parallel

1996 Pinnacle Ryan Klesko #153 of 200 - Starburst parallel

1998 Flair Showcase Larry Walker #33 - Grace / Showpiece parallel
2000 Bowman Jeff Bagwell #MP 10 - Major Power insert

2001 Donruss Tim Salmon #26 - "1999" Retroactive insert

2001 Upper Deck SP Top Prospects Josh Beckett #BD 5 - Big Town Dreams insert
2004 Topps Cracker Jack Dioner Navarro #201
2007 Upper Deck Rookie Edition Brandon Morrow #170
2010 Bowman Platinum Grant Green #PP 15 - x2
2010 Bowman Platinum George Springer #PP 48

2010 Topps Bo Jackson #CMT-36 - 2010 Topps Cards Your Mom Threw Out insert / original back?
2010 Topps 206 Ichiro #52

2010 Topps 206 Honus Wagner #69 - Gold parallel

2010 Topps 206 Ty Cobb #165

2010 Topps 206 Albert Pujols #221

2011 Topps Andrew McCutchen #60 - Liquorfractor parallel

2012 Topps Archives Torii Hunter #105 - Gold parallel
2012 Topps Archives Andrew McCutchen #77C-AM - 1977 Topps Cloth insert
2012 Topps Archives Giancarlo Stanton #77C-MS - 1977 Topps Cloth insert
2012 Topps Archives Josh Hamilton #77C-JH - 1977 Topps Cloth insert
2012 Topps Archives Monte Irvin #62 - Topps Gold Stamped Reprints insert

2012 Topps Archives Juan Marichal #420 - Topps Gold Stamped Reprints insert
2013 Pinnacle Allen Craig #40 - Museum Collection parallel
2013 Pinnacle Roy Halladay #55 - Museum Collection parallel

2013 Pinnacle Jon Lester #83 - Museum Collection parallel
2013 Pinnacle Matt Holliday #129 - Museum Collection parallel