Thursday, June 28, 2012

Where I've Been These Past Two Weeks...

For those wondering where I have been these past two weeks and why I haven't updated either the Sports Card Blogroll or this humble, little blog (aren't you wondering???), it's because I've been busy working on my latest project, bdj610's All-Time All-Star Team Tournament.

I explained the purpose of my pet project back in May, and what I've been doing ever since is getting scans (too much work to get cards from my collection) from the Baseball Card Cyber Museum and putting the cards of all the players that have made my All-Star Teams since 1987. This time, though, I thought it would be a good idea to use the Topps cards from the year the team was created. So all I have been doing is posting pictures of the cards of every player from each team. I thought it would be easy to do, and in fact, the 1987 and 1988 teams I had no problem finding the cards of every player and the team they played for that year (helps to use the traded sets too). My problems started with the 1989 Topps set.

In 1989, Harold Baines started the year with the White Sox, but was traded to the Rangers. Probably because it was too late in the season when he was traded (his number was retired by the Sox, making him one of the few active players to have his uniform number retired), he did not have a 1989 Topps Traded card with his new team. So what do I do? Should I add his 1990 card which would throw off the point of painstakingly putting the cards together from one year (green bordered Rangers card...ugh)? Or do I dare try my hand at making fake cards, thus creating a 1989 Topps Harold Baines Rangers card?

Mind you, I am no Goose Joak. I'm not a Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius. Heck, I'm not even Ben Henry. And I'm definitely not the guy who runs the talented White Sox Cards blog.  But somehow, I was able to find a picture of Harold as a Ranger in 1989, cut his name from the White Sox name plate, paste it onto a Rangers name plate, and would you believe it?

At left, the original 1989 Topps Harold Baines card #585. At right, my handiwork.
What do you think? Authentic looking or really bad attempt at photoshopping?

I had to make cards for players who either somehow did not make that year's Topps set, or were not depicted with their new team, even in a Traded/Update set. The years 1996-1998 were the worst as there was no Traded or Update set to save me.

Go to the new site, and check out my teams (at present, I will have my teams from 1987 to 2006 up) and see if you can figure out what cards are fake. Some will be obvious. Others, not so much. Let me know what you think. When all the cards are on the site, the tournament (which was the point of the blog in the first place) will commence.

And maybe I'll be able to get back to more important matters.

Like getting that Series 2 Master Set in time for the All-Star Game!!!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

P.S. Does anybody out there have used code cards from the Series 2 Golden Giveaway? I just want a copy of each of the ten cards from the set for my collection. Please email me at bdj610@hotmail.com and let me know. Thanks. jba

Monday, June 11, 2012

A Quick Lunchtime 2-Pack Break of 2012 Topps Series 2

I’m just sitting here at my desk eating my lunch of leftover jambalaya and ramen noodles, thinking about what to do with the two packs of 2012 Topps Series 2 that I bought on Saturday (yes, since my last post, I did go to Target before the last dance show of the evening). And I thought, I have four minutes before I punch back in, why not go ahead and post what I got from those two packs.

Okay, before it’s time to get back to work, here is what appeared in the packs of cards I purchased on Saturday.

Pack 1 (rip):

• #481 Matt Harrison, Rangers
• #650 Prince Fielder, Tigers (note that the 2B/3B stat category has been corrected and the BB header is back instead of W…finally)
• #355 Mark Buehrle, Marlins (photoshopped Marlins jersey…why didn’t they fix the color border on the Marlins from teal to orange? The color border is supposed to match the color of the surfboard. The border on this card appears to be blue)
• #433 Nate McLouth, Pirates (didn’t know he came back to the Pirates this year…)
• #383 Andre Ethier, Dodgers
• #ACA-16 Sandy Koufax A Cut Above (die cut card…corners are sharp - all seven of them)
• #TM-58 Prince Fielder 1987 Mini card (two Fielders…great)
• #460 Thomas Field RC, Rockies (a shortstop who is living up to his last name, get it?)
• #390 Taylor Green RC, Brewers
• #359 Danny Espinosa ASRT, Nationals (remember, there is a regular card AND a card with a trophy)
• #535 Joe Mauer, Twins
• #404 Jonathan Sanchez, Royals

Pack 2 (tear)

• #421 Heath Bell, Marlins (again with a photoshopped Marlins jersey)
• #389 Alexi Casilla, Twins
• #449 Shane Victorino, Phillies
• #369 Huston Street, Padres (he’s still playing???)
• #534 Hector Gomez RC, Rockies (that’s two…TWO Rockies rookie cards)
• #418 Jarrod Parker RC, Athletics
• #562 Henderson Alvarez, Blue Jays (Gold sparkle parallel card)
• #GF-44 Matt Dominguez Gold Futures
• #410 Jeff Locke RC, Pirates (how did he get a card ending in “0”?)
• #463 Francisco Cordero, Blue Jays
• #578 Wade Davis, Rays
• #475 Chris Dickerson, Yankees

Pictures to come later. Opinions to come later. Time to go back to work.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Saturday, June 9, 2012

2012 Topps Series 2 Was Live This Week...and Not a Post from Me??!

Sorry for the lack of posts, especially during Topps Series 2 season. I've been so busy with my filling out my latest project, bdj610's All-Time All-Star Team Tournament that I haven't been doing much else online.

Am I excited that Series 2 is out?  Absolutely.

Am I thrilled that there finally is an updated checklist?  Yes!!!

Am I thrilled that Topps put back the HOF/legends SP's in series 2?  You bet!!!  (will get to this in a minute)

Have I gotten any cards yet?  (sob)  No, not yet.

Today would have been the perfect day to run to Target and grab a few packs, just so that I can at least join in the chase for that elusive #661 (the one that if I don't find, I'll wait patiently until factory sets arrive...I'm in no rush).  But alas, bills had to be paid (groan), and with this weekend being my daughter's dance recital, any extra funds will be going to all that goes with her show (food, tickets, after-show parties...)

Yes, money is tight, but it doesn't mean I can't be excited about Series 2.  If you didn't know by now, not including the Harper SP, there are 25 other short printed celebration/fun with mascots/pied-in-the-face cards that not only includes players whose regular cards are in series 2, but now also add onto the fun in series 1.  To wit, Derek Jeter's #30 card now not only shows him in a vertical leap that we all know was chosen by that guy who caught the #3000th hit, but now shows him celebrating with his teammates (maybe it was because of said hit...who knows?)  Also, the Rally Squirrel makes another appearance in Series 2, albeit as a stuffed animal instead of live rodent.  Here are the rest of the cards, if you need to know received the treatment.

Series 1 SP's in Series 2 (how weird sounding is that??!)

  • #30b Derek Jeter (celebrating with teammates)
  • #80b David Price (celebrating with a trophy)
  • #85b Jason Heyward (throwback jersey)
  • #158b Josh Reddick (with the rookie cup, batting...so now you have two ASRT cards of Reddick to go with a third that doesn't)
  • #207b J. P. Arencibia (with the rookie cup, fielding...so now you have two ASRT cards of Arencibia to go with a third that doesn't...repetitive isn't it...)
  • #273b David Freese (celebrating with fans, holding a squirrel doll)
  • #280b Ryan Howard (looking out towards the field at Citizens Bank Park)
  • #330b Matt Kemp (showing off the Beast Mode t-shirt).
Had to look it up, but "Beast Mode," according to the Urban Dictionary is "A hype, energetic, outgoing, wilding out state of mind."  If I had to fathom a guess, I would think that means when baseball players, and all athletes for that matter, push themselves further and harder during their workouts than normal, probably as their pre-season or regular season gets closer.  Here are the pics:


On to Series 2 SP's in Series 2 (makes no sense, just typing that for consistency):
  • #331c Albert Pujols (yes, "c", at press conference)
  • #350b Evan Longoria (signing autographs)
  • #398b Buster Posey (riding the trolleys in SF)
  • #430b Felix Hernandez as Larry Bernandez (will explain this one in a minute)
  • #462b Brett Lawrie Pie in the Face
  • #497b Andrew McCutchen (wearing Homestead Grays...the Parrot makes another appearance)
  • #537b Ichiro Suzuki (wearing his trademark shades)
  • #540b Dustin Pedroia (with the US flag in the background as he's tossing the ball...Patriotic)
  • #600b Clayton Kershaw (wearing Brooklyn Dodgers jersey)
  • #639b Justin Verlander (holding two balls...commemorating his two no-hitters)
  • #650b Prince Fielder (signing autographs)
  • #660b Yu Darvish (throwing left handed, he apparently does this in practice...nothing new it seems)
  • #661a Bryce Harper (yeah, we know all about this one...consider this one shortprinted in lesser quantities than the others...then again, a factory set card will come soon)


King Felix as Larry Bernandez is a tribute to the Mariners ever popular tickets commercials.  The subplot is that the King wanted to pitch MORE than he would otherwise be allowed to do, so Larry Bernandez tried out for the team.  The marketing stunt proved so successful, hence Bernandez' own bobblehead night.

Now, just like the series 1 variations, I'm not going to be running amok on the Bay looking for them.  I'm more interested in these:
  • #30c Joe DiMaggio
  • #273b Stan Musial
  • #330b Willie Mays
  • #331d Babe Ruth (yes, now there's a fourth #331 card)
  • #497b Roberto Clemente

Now that's more like it.  Here are cards I'm going to put on my wantlist.  With only 5 cards (the cream of the crop of HOF's no doubt), this should be an interesting set to go after (among other things).

I will wait patiently on the Bay hoping that master sets will come down in price after the hysteria.  In the mean time, maybe I will run to Target and get at least a couple of packs to tide me over. 

Who knows?  I might actually get something good.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Friday, June 1, 2012

You Mean It Finally Happened??! Topps Was Actually Right!!! (Well, Almost...)

I'm just getting word that a pitcher from the New York Mets has finally pitched a no-hitter.

Is this true?

It seems so.

Who did it???


That guy!!!

Okay, so Topps was almost four years late on the date.  And he did it against the St. Louis Cardinals, and not the Florida Marlins.

But Johan Santana, just as the card predicted, has just pitched the Mets first ever no-hitter!!!



Somewhere, Mark Hendrickson is breathing a heavy sigh of relief.  Congratulations Johan on your accomplishment.  Congratulations to the Mets who have finally gotten their no-no after 8019 regular season games.  Topps, you got this one right...somehow.

Now I have to wonder what those guys who had the Mets "No No-Hitter" blog are going to do now???

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama