Featured Mail Day
2007 Upper Deck SPX Winning Material Eric Chavez patch serial #'d 54/99 [$3.88 plus $2.50 s/h on Ebay] - I like patch cards, but Eric Chavez has to be one of the most disappointing players this decade. Seriously, he has all the talent in the world as an 'all-world' defender and he's kind of pretty good, but inconsistent. I think the Angels could use him, though the past two years, he hasn't quite come around with the bat, because he's been banged up.

If he only put up four or five consecutive years of all-star offensive seasons, he'd be a future Hall of Famer.

2007 Rookies of the Year
Dustin Pedroia [American League] - he was the only Boston Red Sox player I got an autograph from this past year [on a card] and I almost had to beg him to sign my card. I couldn't believe I'm taller than he is.

I think the random little things I'd read on prospect sites such as "Baseball America" was while Pedroia was David Eckstein [like] - Pedroia's offensive skills with the bat was a little more defined and not to sell him short. To date, he's proven nearly everything said about him to be true. It just remains to be seen what he'll do for an encore.

I don't believe in 'man-crushes -' but here is this little guy who just kept hitting and hitting. He hit a home run in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series to help the Boston Red Sox win the pennant and hit another home run in the World Series.

It is fascinating how this guy grinds it out - I like how he 'comes out of his seat' to hit. The difference between him and Eckstein is Pedroia isn't the 'aw-shucks, I'm glad to be good at baseball kind of guy,' but a guy with a pronounced self-confidence who is going to kick your ass on the field.

Ryan Braun [National League] - I got the autograph in spring training of 2007 and it only reminds me I should have gotten him on something better than just a card. He signed two cards [maybe out of four] in the rain, but the other one didn't come out clean.

I remember when I could have gotten signed 8x10s of this guy - in Miami Hurricanes gear for about $5 each if I bought four since a 'local' promoter had done a signing with him. Now, he is Rookie of the Year and those 8x10s are long gone [or at least marked up]. Hopefully the next Braun, the next Pedroia is someone I'll be able to see and believe in as far as having a 'banner season.'

Featured Mail Day
2007 Tristar Elegance Hunter Pence auto [$11.99 BIN plus $3.00 s/h on Ebay] - I'm sure he'll have other certified autograph cards next year and the year after that, but I wanted to secure a certified autograph card of his right now without breaking the bank [considering he was a hot rookie star this past season]. If Pence can be very good for the duration of his career, then a certified autograph card for $15 maybe an okay purchase, even though it is a minor league issue.

How to spend $1 in $tyle - by finding obscurities and focusing on the low-end, but fun aspects of baseball card collecting as a leisurely hobby activity. I hesitated spending another $1 on common bin cards, but it is more fun digging out common cards with unique qualities than just looking for something random to spend your hard earned money for. Each card 'is what it is,' but I'll let the images do the talking.

Featured Breaks
Topps Archives break [2004 x2 and 2005 x1 for $10] - I was looking for something to bust and grabbed these randomly because Willie Mays is pictured in the 2004 set and Mike Piece of Schmidt pictured in the 2005 set.

Pack One - 2004
Monte Irvin [1953 Topps design] - Hall of Famer
Buck O'Neil [1962 Topps design] - R.I.P. Buck
Kelly Gruber [1992 Topps design] - I've pulled this particular card before. I remember being able to recite his career year stats of 1990 because they impressed me as a budding baseball fan: .274, 31, 118
Devon White [1993 Topps design] - why did I have to pull this card?
Darrell Evans [1974 Topps design] - looking very hungover in this picture.
Tim Raines [1982 Topps design] - looking very confident in this picture.

I like retro themed sets [whether they feature active or retired players] featuring recycled designs from years past.

Pack Two - 2004
Cesar Geronimo [1976 Topps design] - actually a bit before my time, so I can't common on how much a scrub pull his original Topps card was back in the day.
Jack Morris [1984 Topps design] - 1984 World Series champ
Len Dykstra [1986 Topps design] - some would say he was a true fan favorite.
Duke Snider [1956 Topps design] - nice card of the Dodger legend.
Fay Vincent [1989 Topps design] - he personalized and signed a similar card through the mail.
Tom Brunansky [1987 Topps design] - I don't care about regional issues, maybe a team-issued retro set featuring retired players like Gruber, White, Evans and Brunansky, but the last time their cards from a Topps product should be issued was when they retired as Major League players. You can put those types of players into all sorts of retro, tribute or other such products, just not in this type of product. Cards of these players were considered commons drecks and I think it is redundant to pull cards of these guys again. I don't care if you are using a 'new' file photo you've dug out from the archives, it just isn't right.

Pack three - 2005
Ozzie Smith [1979 Topps design]
Joe Morgan [1975 Topps design]
Joe Pepitone [1964 Topps design]
Steve Carlton [1974 Topps design]
Yogi Berra [1973 Topps Design]
Ernie Banks [1954 Topps Design]

Five of the six players in this pack are Hall of Famers, which is great.

Featured Breaks

2007 Topps Update [x3 for either $5 or $6 at a local show] hobby packs - yeah, it's cheap stuff people and there is just nothing to talk about here, unless you want to talk shop about the hard to pull gimmick cards featuring Joba Chamberlain's reversed image, Tacoby Ellsbury and a rodent that has apparently seen more air time than some of the New York Yankees' finest players.

Random thoughts
1.) Topps' printing process seems harried - for whatever reason, I like the idea of busting a few packs of Topps product, when it is relatively new. Unfortunately you get frustrated when you are pulling cards 'fresh out of the pack' with corners nicked up showing white and various imperfections all over [front and back]. I know the cards are glossy and black bordered, but I guess these are cards to 'flip' instead of put in a showcase somewhere.
2.) Photography - the images are sometimes obscured by the black borders. My big complaint is flipping through a pack of Topps base cards and the images seem to be all over the place: pitchers pitching, hitters hitting, catchers squatting, fielders fielding, guys picking their butts, etc. It would never occur to the people who actually selected the photos to pick out something out of the ordinary - at least not for the base Topps set. Topps Stadium Club had better photos, capturing your imagination. It was continued two or three years ago however.
3.) Filler cards and inserts - I'd rather have cards of obscure young players and obscure players who've been released five times, only to get a cup of coffee in the Major Leagues this past season, INSTEAD OF ALL-STAR CARDS OR GENERATION NOW INSERTS OR BASICALLY ANY CARD I CAN PULL SOMEWHERE ELSE.

Pack One
Travis Metcalf - true rookie card, I think?
Andy Sonnanstine - had some 2006 cards out, still my first card of his.
Francisco Rosario - qualifies as an update card; card has a right to be included in the product otherwise, whether or not it matters anyway.
Jeff Salazar - qualifies as an update card
Lee Gronkiewicz - true rookie card
Guillermo Rodriguez - true rookie card
Kason Gabbard - red back; qualifies as an update card
David Murphy - red back; qualifies as an update card, though he seems to have been squeezed into a number of update sets.
Classic Combo subset card of Khalil Greene and Mike Fontenot - I hate subsets like these, where it doesn't really reflect something updated, but more of a filler.
Freddy Sanchez - all-star subset card; otherwise a filler

Pack Two
Jeff Baker
Esteban German
Eulogio De La Cruz - he had true rookie cards out in 2005
Brian Burress - didn't he have a previous 2007 Topps card out already updated?
Marlon Anderson - qualifies as an update, but also as a guy whose cards I'd never want to see again.
Claudio Vargas - red back
Ken Griffey Jr. - all-star subset card; otherwise a filler.
Curtis Granderson - Generation Now subset; not a bad looking card.
Trevor Hoffman - season highlights subset [500th save] card
David Wright - all-star subset card

Pack Three
Edgar Gonzalez
Michael Barrett - qualifies as an update card
Tony Pena - not junior or senior; an unrelated one pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ironically, he was formerly known as Adriano Rosario, who I thought was traded or just released because they found out he was older than they thought. I thought he was the guy I pulled earlier, pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays [Francisco Rosario].
Homer Bailey - qualifies as a card with no status [because his rookie cards came out in 2004], but whom I consider a 'name pull' out of the pack because he was considered a top prospect at the beginning of the 2007 season.

What does one do with the Justin Uptons, Cameron Maybins, Phil Hughes, Kurt Suzuki, Hunter Pence, Ryan Braun cards if they are worthless - yet they had their moments in 2007 as first-year Major League players. Unlike in years past, with the MLBPA rookie card rules, this product is more of an update set for the Major Leagues and there are no first-year rookie cards of guys essentially still playing in the minor leagues.

Macay McBride - qualifies as an update card
David Ortiz - red back; all-star subset card
Yovani Gallardo - red back; put him on the list of guys to be excited about pulling, if the card had actual status because they had no cards printed before this year.
Jose Molina - gold insert serial numbered 1153/2007
Scott Linebrink - the Molina and Linebrink cards makes you realize at times, you are just collecting pictures of adult men, instead of athletes.
Takashi Saito - all-star subset card.

Featured Mail Day
2007 Goudey Hanley Ramirez auto [$10.99 BIN plus $2.50 s/h on Ebay] - I was looking for a certified autograph of this Florida Marlins' young star [for my Rookie of the Year collection] I like the on-card autograph on a retro themed card. While the card is odd-sized, it only makes it more unique and doesn't detract from the overall attractiveness of the card. The card features a clean autograph from Ramirez and is hard signed, which seems to be a term used a little bit more these days [I think the term originates from hockey card collectors] to describe an autograph signed on the card [as opposed to a sticker, label, et al].

Cameron Maybin autograph baseball with MLB and Locker Room Memorabilia certification [$37.07 plus $7.00 s/h plus $3.06 CA tax on Ebay]- my snipe with less than 20 seconds left won this auction. On Ebay, I've seen Jay Bruce and Colby Rasmus single-signed baseballs I want for my collection now.

I didn't think I'd get impulsive with picking up a Maybin baseball yet and $50 is a lot of money to spend for a player who has barely made an impact in the Major Leagues.

Still, talented young prospects and guys still needing to prove themselves are tantalizing. It isn't an investment, you are just picking something up for your collection - but you are banking on Maybin becoming a superstar and telling others you got on the bandwagon before they did, with a single-signed baseball to show off. Probably one of thousands he will sign if he fulfills some sort of promise as a top prospect.

Featured Mail Day
2007 Topps Turkey Red Hideki Okajima cabinet box topper [$0.99 plus $4.00 s/h on Ebay] - I placed a bid on this and let it ride through the end, not knowing if I'd win the auction or not. There is something unique about the oversized cards mimicking the regular base cards, especially if they are larger than 5x7s. I've decided to try to collect the particular box toppers I can get signed randomly in-person or through the mail. This was the second one I received in the mail after paying about $7 shipped for a Troy Tulowitzki.

2005 Bowman Sterling Chris Nelson auto/jersey [$2.99 BIN plus $2.50 s/h on Ebay]- I was digging around when I saw this card. I don't really like picking up random cards because I have a bad habit of losing track of them. I put the BIN because I thought it was reasonable enough for a certified autograph/jersey combo card of a player from the suddenly successful Colorado Rockies organization. It isn't a rookie-year card, but it is a certified autograph that will likely pre-date comparable MLBPA rookie logo inserts by a few years.

Featured Mail Day

A six-count lot of various cards picked up from the same seller on Ebay [$12.14 total plus $3.50 s/h on Ebay] - I was doing a random search on 'Matt Sweeney' of the Angels and found a 2007 Tristar Elegance certified autograph for $1.99. I checked out the seller's Ebay listings and found some more cheap cards: 2005 Prime Patches Hank Blalock jumbo jersey card [$2.29], 2007 Tristar Elegance Matt Antonelli certified autograph [$1.99], 2007 Tristar Elegance Chris Marrero certified autograph [$2.29], 2007 Tristar Elegance Brandon Wood jersey card [$1.99] and 2007 Upper Deck SPX Brian Giles Winning Materials jersey [$1.99].



The autograph/GU are low-end, but for less than a pack of 2007 Tristar Elegance minor league baseball cards - I got three certified autograph cards from the product [Sweeney, Antonelli and Marrero] and one game-used/worn jersey card [Wood]. I also got a couple of other GU cards [Blalock - hoping to get it signed randomly in-person or in the mail] and Giles [he probably got off the juice, but it is a patch card anyway].

A baseball card collecting lifer - I'm just a baseball card collecting lifer, a guy hitting close to that halfway point, but still bent on building the best collection from a perspective of a 12 or 13 year old. Sometimes it isn't about the player pictured on the cards anymore, because I'm not 12 years old and can't relate to multimillionaire professionals as I did if I was an adolescent. Still I wouldn't be collecting baseball cards if it wasn't for the players. Obviously there is still a draw to the sport of baseball as a fan and card collecting as an obsessive-compulsive hobby that I can probably explain, but probably do not understand at times [anymore].

It preoccupies my time when I don't want to deal with the real world.

Today, you have a list of bloggers sharing their own esoteric takes on what the cards mean to them - it makes me feel great because when you find others out there like you. It is uncanny how you can read their stuff and relate.

Featured Rock-Stars [Matt Holliday and Seth Smith]

So after many years of being a pretender and essentially being a non-factor in the National League West - the 2007 Colorado Rockies forced themselves into the playoffs and found themselves sweeping through the division and championship series to reach the World Series.

I can't say I'm a fan or a guy hopping on the bandwagon, but their run was something to watch as far as different players contributing [Kazuo Matsui, probably most of the team at different points in the last two months] and a guy being hyped up [Troy Tulowitzki] as the guy who has arrived to be the next 'superstar' shortstop in baseball.

1.) 2005 Topps Allen and Ginter Matt Holliday mini card - he probably should be the MVP of the regular season, considering he played like a captain all-season long [sorry Todd Helton] and is now the face of the franchise. He took the NLCS MVP trophy home and 2007 is about a World Series win from the best run Holliday will probably have in his professional playing career [as an individual player and as part of a team]. I have a handful of Holliday cards, including two cheap 1999 Topps Stadium Club rookie cards and maybe a couple of through the mail autographs. I scanned the A&G mini just because it was one of those oddball sized cards 'sticking out.'

2.) 2003 Upper Deck National Pride Seth Smith jersey card and 2004 Bowman Draft Seth Smith rookie card - I pulled a jersey card of some guy named 'Seth Smith' from a 2003 Upper Deck pack that was packaged with four other packs in a blister at Toys R' Us [sale for $2.99]. I didn't really know what to do with the card or knew much about the player. Fast forward to 'actober' and Smith was another one of these Rockies players who came through [not in the clutch, because 'clutch' apparently is an outdated term] at the right moment, when his 2-run bloop double was the key hit in the Rockies' National League pennant clinching 6-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Featured Mail Day

2003 Upper Deck Prospects Premier Daric Barton auto #P25 [$36.65 plus $5 s/h off Ebay] - it is always great to hop on some young rookie's bandwagon, even though you plod along in the desert before you finally would pick up a guy's key first-year certified autograph card. This guy plays for a division rival in the American League West, but has local county roots [Orange County California].

1.) I've seen him hit a few times [spring training on TV/some video clips posted online] - while he seems like a roly-poly type, like many lefty hitters, he has a sweet swing [particularly when he drives the ball]. The 22-year old hit .347 with a .429 on-base/.639 slugging percentage in 72 at-bats in his 18 game cup of coffee with the Oakland Athletics this past season.

2.) I think he could be Nick Johnson and/or Mark Grace type - hopefully not injury prone like Johnson. With Barton's ability as a pure hitter otherwise, do the high average, slick-hitting thing with more pop than Grace.

3.) Ultimately, he could be a notch below, what Jason Giambi was in his Oakland [juiced up] prime - a guy who will hit for a high average, including 25-30 home runs a year, have a great eye at the plate and drive in a bunch of runs.

4.) Speaking of rookies, top prospects and speculating on young players - who doesn't want to collect some key cards of young hotshots who actually make good on their early promise? It is harder to get on the bandwagon game however, when you can't buy a decent card for under $40 it would seem [that is decent, not the best card].

5.) What happens when it doesn't really matter? I think you have to make decisions based on conservative projections - I pick up cards not to flip, but to put in my personal collection. It might be all fun when you pick up a card, but know when to dump it if the player starts to fizzle quicker than anticipated. How good is a particular guy supposed to be? Hall of Fame good or merely a guy that is in the Hall of Very Good. Just in five years, will you be happy with this particular purchase, if it is obvious Barton is going to be overshadowed by better players? How are you going to flip the card, if it isn't a 'PC' quality single anymore?

6.) Take note a sample list of the who's who of players were considered top prospects or future stars but disappointed over the past 10 years - who are the 'who's next' prospects and the 'who's now' prospects who are having banner rookie seasons that are going to disappoint?

A.) Sean Burroughs
B.) Pat Burrell
C.) Rick Ankiel
D.) Jack Cust
E.) Ben Grieve
F.) Travis Lee
G.) Nick Johnson
H.) Alex Escobar
I.) Ruben Mateo
J.) Drew Henson
K.) J.D. Drew
L.) Jose Cruz Jr.
M.) Kerry Wood
N.) Ricky Ledee
O.) Ruben Rivera
P.) Austin Kearns
Q.) Eric Chavez
R.) Ryan Anderson
S.) Xavier Nady
T.) Eric Munson

Featured Mail Day

2007 SP Rookie Edition Ryan Braun auto #153 [$40.00 BIN plus $6 s/h off Ebay] - first it was Hunter Pence burning through the National League, then it was Braun showing some prodigious hitting skills and through the last week or so, it has been the Colorado Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki getting the pub from a lot of the mainstream baseball media.

1.) I was nervous about getting the card since I sent payment for it on 9/24/07 - instead of immdiately after I hit the BIN on 9/15. It came rather promptly in my opinion however.

2.) It is a personal collection card I guess - I like the 'old school' design and was looking to get a key autograph insert from the product. I'd rather pay $46 for a single than $55 for an unopened box of SP Rookie Edition, where I only have a chance of pulling a Braun, Pence, Tim Lincecum, et al.

3.) The question is - will this be my worst purchase since I picked up a 2000 SPX Winning Materials Troy Glaus for about the same price in 2000? His true rookie cards from 2005 are more valuable and while his 2005 Bowman Draft Chrome autograph has skyrocketed in value, I didn't get into the bandwagon then. I could have at least picked up his 2005 Sterling autograph, since it was initially cheaper. I also remember a local promoter doing a signing with this Braun and leftovers of signed 8x10s of Braun [pictured in his Miami Hurricanes gear] for about $4-$5.

Hopefully Braun can avoid the sophomore slump and even if he doesn't win the National League Rookie of the Year, can build upon the numbers he has posted this past season.

Card show trip

I always feel handcuffed because I don't want to spend $$$, but just come away with something decent for about $20-$40. I end up hitting the common bins, maybe picking up a pack or two and probably spending more time twiddling my thumbs than making something happen [to improve my collection].

$2 for 40 commons - 23 random 2007 Topps Allen and Ginter base cards, four random Manny Ramirez cards, two Jonathan Papelbon cards, five 2007 Fleer Ultra [Joe Mauer, Robinson Cano, Adam Dunn, Dan Haren and Vicente Padilla], a 1993 Flair Barry Larkin [Barry Bonds cameo], a 2003 SPX Tim Salmon, a 2007 Fleer Shane Victorino and three random 1982 Topps cards featuring then Angels [Geoff Zahn, Andy Hassler and 'Disco' Dan Ford].

$5 for 20 assorted cards at another guy's booth - didn't think I'd find 20 cards out of his random $0.25 bin, but ended up with the following:

2006 Bowman Draft Chrome - Wade LeBlanc, John Shelby [x3], Chris Davis [x3], Brett Sinkbeil, George Kontos [x2], David Huff [x2], Jermaine Mitchell [x2], Cyle Hankerd, Tyler Robertson [x2] and Ryan Morris.

2006 Bowman Draft - Chris Davis

2007 Bowman prospects chrome - Ronnie Prettyman

Also spent $12 on an official MLB baseball - figure to pick one up now, in case I can get it signed later.

Featured Breaks

Two packs of 2007 Topps Turkey Red retail [$2.99 each at Target] - Vladimir Guerrero base card, Phil Hughes Turkey Red Ad back variation and A-Rod home run #302 insert card. As a collector who tries to get cards signed randomly either in-person or through the mail, I can't keep up with these nice looking, arty, retro cards.

1.) You don't want to plunk down $4-$5 a pack for these cards - you are competing with collectors who build these sets. You don't collect these sets for how they look in binders, unsigned. You don't want to pay $25-$40 on Ebay for a hand collated set of cards at one time either, if it means having to add another base card set [usually not the short prints] to your stash just for 'autograph endeavors.'

2.) The 'white whales' add up - as far as players have retired, moved on [figuratively, literally, etc] and are basically tough to get an autograph from in-person and don't usually sign in the mail. If you had a chance to actually see Ichiro, Dice-K, Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez, et al and they are going to sign for you - I'm not going to have them sign a card, no matter how great it looks. Some guys like my favorite pictured does not even bother to acknowledge you. You basically have to shoot for the subjects within the sets that you have a realistic chance of actually getting an autograph from.

3.) The Turkey Red oversized box toppers - maybe the ones to focus on, if you want something unique to get signed, without having to focus on the entire regular card set.

4.) I guess, it would just be a matter of - trying to get the cards you do have signed and sticking them together, so at least you have a 'representive' sampling of cards you can show off.

A Random Card Surprise

My brother's long time friend [Chris] left me about 5,000 assorted trading cards. Going through them through the past week took me back to moments when I would jump at any opportunity to look through cards from neighborhood acquaintances when I was a kid.

1.) The 5,000 card box [?] looked like it was from a late night shopping TV network - a somewhat 'organized' set of assorted, overproduced cards, mostly the 1990s. There were so many cards to go around during the decade, from sport [basketball, baseball, football, hockey] to nonsports cards [some artist cards], but just not enough of the 'good stuff' still having collecting value today [which probably would mean a few specific baseball cards from the decade]. The baseball cards I found in the box otherwise sucked [brands and player wise] and there were no real 'finds' as far as any cards that booked over a half a nickel each.

2.) There was a binder with mostly 1989, 1990 and 1991 Upper Deck - I was hoping for a 1989 Junior rookie card and I would have busted out a grin if I found one, but there was just commons and some 'minor stars.'

3.) It is kind of sad - my brother's friend said I could keep them all or just throw them away if I didn't want any of them. You want to sort the cards out for various purposes and to be done with them and it is mostly cards I should discard. Back in 1992 or 1993, the cards in the box would have still been crap. Still, in some revisionist sort of manner, maybe my brother's friend was just throwing it all away, giving it up and it got me just a little sentimental, knowing I haven't let go of this hobby of collecting cards.

4.) On the other hand - it doesn't seem like a box that was handed down from one generation or another. I think what I really would have wanted, is if the box contained actual cards having some value and being dumped to me for free. Who cares about being sentimental, when you are living the dream you've envisioned since you were knowledgeable enough to distinguish what cards were good and what cards were not. I think what my brother's friend did was save me from buying a random Tristar Hidden Treasures packs [if that was what I was thinking] or take a stab at possibly another random box of cards [if made available for sale at some show somewhere]. I've got my fill of cards worth 1/2 of a nickel and I don't need to fulfill those hunger pangs with regards to getting some overproduced cards printed 15-20 years ago.

Featured Breaks

Due to logistics out of my control I couldn't quite make it out to a bi-weekly cardshow - I had wanted to see what the 2007 Upper Deck SP Rookie Edition looked like in-hand. I've seen the cards on Ebay and I like seeing 2007 rookies like Tim Lincecum, Ryan Braun, Hunter Pence, Phil Hughes, Alex Gordon, Troy Tulowitzki, Brandon Wood, Hideki Okajima, Dice-K, Akinori Iwamura, et al pictured on cards [true rookie cards or not] that were printed to look like they were from 1993, 1995 and 1996 SP products.

Two packs of 2007 Goudey retail [$2.99 each] - I wanted to get a feel for how these cards looked and I pulled about eight green backs, seven red backs and one Brooks Robinson Heads Up subset card. I like the rendering of the cards, the 'oddball' size that apparently mimics the originals - but for myself, it comes to the same old story of being as a collector who likes to randomly get stuff [mostly cards] in-person at the stadium. You have to really pick and choose which cards you want signed and extra cards of the same veteran MLB players only add to the confusion, particularly if the players don't even sign all that often: Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran, Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Craig Biggio, Joe Crede, ICHIRO, Kenji Joh-mama, Greg Maddux and Gary Matthews Jr. [Angels].

Speaking as Angels' fan, Matthews Jr. has made occasional highlight reel grabs and has stabilized centerfield for the Angels [for the most part]. At the plate, he has shown he can hit for power, run, drive in runs, leadoff and also be capable of hitting in the middle of the order.

While his numbers have dragged along through the second half of the year, he seems to be a player [when healthy] that is capable of doing something good in any given at-bat.

Unfortunately the Angels are still $10 million for a guy who can't crack 20 home runs and .260? Who does Matthews Jr. think he is, Andruw Jones? There have also been HGH allegations during the spring that he is apparently being made even more accountable for [since Troy Glaus and Rick Ankiel's names have come out for alleged steroid/HGH usage].

My philosophical take - I think the buybacks are the most 'attractive' common pulls out there besides the [most likely 'hard to pull'] autograph cards from sporting icons like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. The buybacks seemed to be seeded in a realistic manner, making them relatively more common and easier to find [right now]. I think I'll go to Ebay to see if I can pick at least one card up for a price of a blaster box of Goudey.

Two packs of 2007 Bowman Chrome retail [$2.99 each] - I don't like these packs because they come with only three cards in them. If you are grabbing two packs from a retail store like Target, then you probably a long way from a hit, as far as an autograph is concerned. Cards pulled include: Brett Myers, Paul LoDuca, John Smoltz, Mitch Maier [rookie logo card, which means 95 percent of the time, he has probably had a rookie card release from a previous year], Whitt Robbins [first-year prospect card] and Jeff Locke [first-year prospect card].

Anatomy of a Fan Favorite: Reggie Willits

1.) Has to be middle-America to represent what the average baseball fan appreciates on a day-to-day basis.

2.) Has to be unique - for a time, Willits had a batting cage in his bedroom.

3.) Can't be a 6'3'' and 240 pounds - must be a runty guy.

4.) Must exude some confidence, despite apparent lack of stature.

5.) Must remind fans of the old school player, doing the little things to win and earn his keep on a Major League roster.

There has been backlash over the last several years with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's 'Latinofication' of its nucleus of players, with names like Vladimir Guerrero, Orlando Cabrera, Bartolo Colon littering the roster [as key free agent signings] as opposed to guys like Tim Salmon, Troy Glaus, Darin Erstad and David Eckstein [essentially home grown].

Local fans in the 'OC' eat up stories of a 'unique' guy like Willits, since he has the complexion and the game they can identify with now. If you are an Angels' fan that goes to the game, more likely than not, the shirt you'll see that 'chic' fan wearing is that of Willits' and not of Guerrero, Cabrera, Matthews or Anderson.

Coming into the 2007 season, Willits may have been considered as the fourth or fifth outfield option if he made the team. Given an opportunity to play early in the Major Leagues, Willits has not given the Angels an opportunity to doubt his ability as a catalyst in their lineup.

In 290 at-bats so far, Willits has an impressive .402 on-base percentage with 49 walks against 53 strikeouts. He has stolen 22 bags while being caught six times. He has collected 88 hits, including 14 doubles and scored 50 times.

Right now, the 26-year old Angels' rookie star has provided the team with a sparkplug, obviously reminiscent of recent former Angels like Erstad and Eckstein.

The card pictured is his 2006 Upper Deck Update rookie card. His first professional card seems to be his 2003 Upper Deck Prospects Premiere XRC, a card produced months after he was drafted.

I remember picking up the 2003 Upper Deck PP XRC for $0.50. I didn't think much of it then and I thought Willits was going to be a player that isn't likely going to stick in the Major Leagues for a prolonged period of time. With his start so far, is it too late to be a frontrunner and get on the bandwagon?