Next Stop...IOWA!!!

Taking a trip to Dubuque, IA, today for a wedding.  There are a few quick errands that need to be run first, but we should get there about noon.  I am hoping that before making the trip that I can get some cards for the trip (one of my errands brings me close to a couple of stores).  Might have to do a couple of text message pack breaks if need be.

Hope all is well.  Didn't realize that I've been off the blog since the All Star break.  Guess I took a break myself.  Oh well.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

And the National League Wins Again!!!

Woohoo!!!  Yes, my Cubs may be out of it so home field advantage does not matter.  But I always root for the NL to win the All-Star Games!!!

8-0!!!  Talk about your blowout!!!

I tried to simulate the ASG (using Strategic Baseball Simulator) using the stats of the 68 players on the active roster.  In a 162 game season, the AL came out on top 114 times.  This was supposed to be a slaughter for the American League.

But that's why the game is played on the field and not on paper or on the computer.

I'm still calming down.  More to come shortly.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

And Now, Your Starting Lineups...

As announced yesterday afternoon:

For the National League:

1. Carlos Gonzalez, COL, dh
2. Melky Cabrera, SFG, cf
3. Ryan Braun, MIL, lf
4. Joey Votto, CIN, 1b
5. Carlos Beltran, STL, rf
6. Buster Posey, SFG, c
7. Pablo Sandoval, SFG, 3b
8. Dan Uggla, ATL, 2b
9. Rafael Furcal, STL, ss

And the American League:

1. Derek Jeter, NYY, ss
2. Robinson Cano, NYY, 2b
3. Josh Hamilton, TEX, lf
4. Jose Bautista, TOR, rf
5. Prince Fielder, DET, 1b
6. Adrian Beltre, TEX, 3b
7. David Ortiz, BOS, dh
8. Mike Napoli, TEX, c
9. Curtis Granderson, NYY, cf

The starting pitchers for the 80th ASG are Matt Cain of the Giants and Justin Verlander of the Tigers.

Enjoy the game everyone.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Peavy Replaces Wilson on AL ASG Roster

The Angels announced today that C. J. Wilson, who was selected to replace CC Sabathia at the All-Star Game, will pull out of the All-Star Game due to blister problems in his left middle finger.  In his stead, manager Ron Washington selected Jake Peavy of the Chicago White Sox to take his spot on the AL All-Star Team roster.

Peavy has had a comeback season of sorts in 2012.  Traded to Chicago in 2009, he had been battling injury issues and other issues that made many in the city question why he was sent here.  But this year, he is finally showing what the Sox was supposed to be getting, a power pitcher who can dominate a ball game.

Jake now joins fellow Pale Hose players Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn, and Chris Sale on the All-Star Team.  With four players from the South Side, and two Northsiders going to KC, Chicago will be well represented at the ASG.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

PS:  Please note that all but one of the replacements named since Sunday's big announcement were from the Final Man Ballot (Jones, Bourn, Harper, and now Peavy).  jba

Desmond and Stanton out of the ASG, Bourn and Harper Named Replacements.

Ian Desmond has been battling an oblique strain and will not be participating at the All-Star Game.  In his place, Tony LaRussa added Michael Bourn of the Atlanta Braves to the 34-man roster.

This is Bourn's second All-Star Game appearance, and his first with the Braves.  He joins the team with fellow Braves teammates Dan Uggla, Chipper Jones, and Craig Kimbrell.

In the meantime, as one National has to be removed from the NL roster, another one has been tabbed to participate in the Midsummer Classic.

Giancarlo "Don't Call Me Mike" Stanton is now out of the ASG with a knee injury that will keep him out of playing for four to six weeks. So what does manager LaRussa do?

Bryce Harper...yes THAT BRYCE HARPER...was named as Giancarlo's replacement on the roster. The nineteen-year old now becomes the youngest position player ever to participate in an All-Star Game (Dwight Gooden and Bob Feller, both pitchers, were younger than Harper at the time of their selections). So now the circle is complete. Both he and fellow phenom Stephen Strasburg now make the first of (what people are hoping for anyway) many All-Star Game appearances for the Nationals. Harper will also see fellow Nat Gio Gonzalez in KC.

More roster moves to come. Sunday's starters include Mariners ace Felix Hernandez.  I heard flying rumors that the Sunday rule may no longer really be in effect.  We shall wait and see.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Holliday Replaces Molina on NL ASG Roster

On Friday, Cardinal's All-Star catcher Yadier Molina was put on the bereavement list following the passing of her wife's grandmother.  According to mlb.com, he is now in Puerto Rico, and will not be playing this weekend, and at the All-Star Game.  Our condolences go out to Molina and his family.

To take his place on the NL All-Star team roster, manager Tony LaRussa selected OF Matt Holliday of the Cardinals.  Holliday, who leads the Cardinals with a .318 average, is now a six-time All-Star and joins a slew of Redbirds on the All-Star Roster (Rafael Furcal, Carlos Beltran, Lance Lynn, and Final Man winner David Freese).

For those adding cards to your All-Star Game binder (what...you're NOT??!), Holliday's 2012 Topps card is #320, and from the retail exclusive team set, his card is #STL3.

More players will inevitably have to be replaced on these rosters, so stay tuned.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Blogroll Updating...Because It Really Needed It!!!

It's been a few months since I last did some maintenance on the Sports Card Blogroll. Between work (real), and the new blog project, I haven't had much time to keep up with the SCBR. People have been sending e-mails to add or remove sites from the blogroll, and I have finally gotten around to responding to the emails.

So here I am more than two months later, trying to keep up. Let's review.

The last time I ran the monthly blogroll post, I ended with 355 blogs. I have added a ton since then, especially days after the purge. Presently, the blogroll contains 382 active sites (a gain of 27 new blogs). Not including the five blogs that I added today, all new blogs have been announced on twitter (I will take care of announcing the new blogs after this post is done). Here are the blogs that are going to be removed from the active roster:

• For Card's Sake
• 2008 Ginter Code Champion
• Baseball Obsession-itis
• History on Cardboard
• Uncle Doc's Closet
• Big Break Sports Cards
• Dinged Corners (remaining permanently as part of the Blogroll Hall of Fame)
• Cards On Ice
• The Hockey Card Show
• Tom The Ripper's Blogosphere
• Back in Packs
• Junk Wax Gems
• 1967 Football Cards
• 1973 Topps Baseball Set Builder
• 1974 Topps Set
• Project Baseball 1976
• On Card Autos
• Cougar Cards
• Grand Cards
• Brent & Becca Breaks
• The Wax Czar's Wax Report

That's 21 blogs being removed from the active roster (some because they've been inactive for eight months). That brings us down 361 active blogs on the roster, for a two-and-a-half month net gain of +6.

If you or someone you know has a blog about the Hobby we all love, please send me an email at bdj610@hotmail.com and let me know about it. If your blog was on the big SCBR and was removed from inactivity but are planning on rejoining the big Hobby Blogging Community, let me know as well so I can put your blog back on the roster.

It's All-Star Game time people. While the rest of the sports are on their off-season hiatus, baseball is in full gear. And with the season, so are the cards. Archives was a surprise hit. Allen & Ginter season is upon us. Life is good if you collect (and have the funds to do so). And for those who can't yet (ahem...), we can live vicariously through the great blogs out there that are talking, writing, reviewing, trading, and sharing cards from their ever growing collections.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Freese and Darvish win the Final Man Vote!!!

Freese, Yu!!!

Three years ago at this time, "Bran-Torino" was the word. Last year, Paul Star and the Flyin' Hawaiian punched their tickets to Phoenix. This time, after a bit of tweaking, it was a wire-to-wire finish on both sides of the ballot, leaving no doubt about who was going to be added to the rosters to the AL and NL All-Star Teams.

The fans have voted. Over fifty million votes were cast. Twitter feeds and hashtags were trending. And in the end, David Freese of the Cardinals and Yu Darvish of the Rangers won spots on their respective All-Star Teams as the winners of the Final Man Ballot.

Yes, alliances were formed once again, (the Beltways Ballot), and thanks to mobile voting and twitter, many famous fans put their two cents in. But 8.4 million votes were cast for the defending World Series MVP, the most for any player amongst the ten, while the Japanese wunderkind received just over 7.3 million votes.

Freese joins a contingency of Cardinals, including starters Rafael Furcal, and Carlos Beltran, along with pitcher Lance Lynn and catcher Yadier Molina. Yu joins seven of his teammates and his manager on the AL Roster (23.5% of the 34 man roster now consists of Rangers). The Texas reps include starters Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli, pitchers Matt Harrison, Joe Nathan, and infielders Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Chipper Replaces Kemp on NL ASG Roster

One of the Final Man Candidates on the NL side of the ballot has been named to the 2012 National League All-Star Team.

Matt Kemp was voted by the fans to start the 2012 All-Star Game. However, he has not played since the end of May as he has been on the shelf with a strained left hamstring. So today, it was announced that Ryan Braun, who finished fourth in the fan voting, will now take Kemp's place in the starting lineup.

Taking Kemp's spot on the roster is Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves. Jones, who announced that this year will be his last in a MLB uniform, was leading the Final Man balloting as of Tuesday morning. This will be the eighth time he's been named an All-Star. Chipper will be joining fellow Braves All-Stars Dan Uggla and Craig Kimbrel in Kansas City next Tuesday.

Thanks to Jones addition, the leaders in the final man voting are now David Freese of the Cardinals and Yu Darvish of the Rangers. There are still two more days left to vote, so get to it.

More players will inevitably have to be replaced on these rosters, so stay tuned.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

The 2012 All-Star Rosters Have Been Announced...What Do You Think???

The MLB All-Star Game rosters have been announced. Here are the players who are going:

National League Starters (with 2012 Topps Card # and retail team set if applicable.  Note #US numbers are subject to change, but the player is presently scheduled to appear in the 2012 Topps Update Series at that card number.)

1B-Joey Votto, Reds (#498, CIN1)
2B-Dan Uggla, Braves (#565, ATL8)
3B-Pablo Sandoval, Giants (#185, SF12)
SS-Rafael Furcal, Cardinals (#415, STL9)
OF-Carlos Beltran, Cardinals (#612, STL4)
OF-Melky Cabrera, Giants (#15 with the Royals, SF3)
OF-Matt Kemp, Dodgers (#330, LAD1)
C-Buster Posey, Giants (#398, SF13)

National League Pitchers

P-Matt Cain, Giants (#155, SF4)
P-R. A. Dickey, Mets (#279, NYM10)
P-Gio Gonzalez, Nationals (#519, WAS6)
P-Cole Hamels, Phillies (#190, PHI11, selected by MGR)
P-Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers (#600, LAD8, selected by MGR)
P-Lance Lynn, Cardinals (#US178)
P-Wade Miley, Diamondbacks (#558, selected by MGR)
P-Stephen Strasburg, Nationals (#556, WAS1)
RP-Aroldis Chapman, Reds (#265, CIN15)
RP-Joel Hanrahan, Pirates (#531, PIT16)
RP-Craig Kimbrel, Braves (#20, ATL13)
RP-Jonathan Papelbon, Phillies (#345, PHI15, selected by MGR)
RP-Huston Street, Padres (#369, selected by MGR)

National League Reserves

1B-Bryan LaHair, Cubs (#394, CHC12)
2B-Jose Altuve, Astros (#187, HOU13)
3B-David Wright, Mets (#240, NYM1)
SS-Starlin Castro, Cubs (#167, CHC1)
SS-Ian Desmond, Nationals (#131, WAS2, selected by MGR)
OF-Ryan Braun, Brewers (#1, MIL1)
OF-Jay Bruce, Reds (#220, CIN2, selected by MGR)
OF-Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies (#373, COL2)
OF-Andrew McCutchen, Pirates (#497, PIT1)
OF-Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins (#567, #US154, MIA12, selected by MGR)
C-Yadier Molina, Cardinals (#174, STL5)
C-Carlos Ruiz, Phillies (#117, PHI9, selected by MGR)

National League Final Man Candidates

OF-Michael Bourn, Braves (#429, ATL7)
3B-David Freese, Cardinals (#273, STL1)
OF-Bryce Harper, Nationals (#661)
2B-Aaron Hill, Diamondbacks (#527, ARZ15)
3B-Chipper Jones, Braves (#305, ATL12)

American League Starters

1B-Prince Fielder, Tigers (#650, DET1)
2B-Robinson Cano, Yankees (#400, NYY13)
3B-Adrian Beltre, Rangers (#310, TEX8)
SS-Derek Jeter, Yankees (#30, NYY1)
OF-Jose Bautista, Blue Jays (#100, TOR1)
OF-Curtis Granderson, Yankees (#290, NYY7)
OF-Josh Hamilton, Rangers (#300, TEX1)
C-Mike Napoli, Rangers (#37, TEX7)
DH-David Ortiz, Red Sox (#506, BOS9)

American League Pitchers

P-Matt Harrison, Rangers (#481, TEX11, selected by MGR)
P-Felix Hernandez, Mariners (#430, SEA5, selected by MGR)
P-David Price, Rays (#80, TB1)
P-CC Sabathia, Yankeesº (#607, NYY6)
P-Chris Sale, White Sox (#149, CWS13)
P-Justin Verlander, Tigers (#639, DET10)
P-Jered Weaver, Angels (#250, ANG11)
P-C.J. Wilson, Angelsª (#613, ANG13)
RP-Ryan Cook, Athletics (#US260, selected by MGR)
RP-Jim Johnson, Orioles (#523, BALT13)
RP-Joe Nathan, Rangers (#632, TEX6, selected by MGR)
RP-Chris Perez, Indians (#436, CLE16)
RP-Fernando Rodney, Rays (#US203)

American League Reserves

1B-Paul Konerko, White Sox (#105, CWS1)
2B-Ian Kinsler, Rangers (#550, TEX9)
3B-Miguel Cabrera, Tigers (#200, DET5)
SS-Elvis Andrus, Rangers (#439, TEX13, selected by MGR)
SS-Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians (#130, CLE12)
OF-Adam Jones, Orioles (#125, BALT1)
OF-Mike Trout, Angels (#446, ANG7)
OF-Mark Trumbo, Angels (#106, ANG4)
C-Joe Mauer, Twins (#535, MIN1, selected by MGR)
C-Matt Wieters, Orioles
DH-Billy Butler, Royals (#145, KAN9, selected by MGR)
DH-Adam Dunn, White Sox (#199, CWS10)

American League Final Man Candidates

RP-Jonathan Broxton, Royals (#US19)
P-Yu Darvish, Rangers (#660)
RP-Ernesto Frieri, Angels (#US138)
P-Jason Hammel, Orioles (#68)
P-Jake Peavy, White Sox (#518, CWS2)

Notes:
º Injured, will not participate
ºº Elected not to participate
ª Named as replacement

If you notice, not counting those injured, there will be two 34-man rosters here (including the Final Man winners). In 2010, a new rule was implemented to allow for one "re-entry" player...somebody who can go leave the game and then possibly later on get back in at another position. Previously, only catchers were allowed to leave the game and be re-inserted later. But unlike 2010, (when Omar Infante (NL) and Ty Wigginton (AL) were selected), I don't see any potential utility candidates on either roster.

This year, four players do not have any cards from either the eponymous Topps set or the retail sets. Once again, Mr. "I'm-Too-Good-For-Topps" aka Mr. "I'm-Being-Held-Hostage-By-That-Other-Card-Company," Matt Wieters, was named to the AL All-Star Team (Player Vote). He still has yet to appear on any Topps cards since his debut. Although past history with Topps and these situations (see Hideki Matsui for example and his lack of Topps cards in his first few years in the majors) eventually works out, nobody except the heads of the Topps Company knows if and when he shows up on a Topps card. (For those who follow me on twitter - @bdj610 if you want to follow me -, I posted a tweet to @toppscards about this). Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn, Athletics pitcher Ryan Cook, and Rays pitcher Fernando Rodney do not have cards in either 2012 Topps Series 1 or 2, but all are scheduled to appear in the Update series (subject to change). To alleviate their slights, I will be using the team's stadium cards to fill-in for them (found only in the team retail sets). No word on Wieters (although there are a ton of TBD's). I included both Mik...er...Giancarlo Stanton's Series 2 card (which refers to him as "Mike") and his potential Update Series card (which now correctly refers to him as Giancarlo) numbers as well.

Lots of youth on both rosters.  Both young guns from the Angels, Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo, both were selected via the players ballot.  And if you look at the Final Man Nominees, all five AL candidates are pitchers (yes, they need one more because Sabathia's injury and Wilson's inclusion still leaves 12 active pitchers on the AL roster).  Of the selections are wunderkind Yu Darvish of the Rangers, and Comeback Player of the Year nominee Jake Peavy of the White Sox.  On the NL side, Bryce Harper of the Nationals is getting a final chance of entry as an All-Star (to join Strasburg...first of many pairings???)

On a final note, CC Sabathia is injured and will not participate.  So in his stead (as requested by AL skipper Ron Washington) will be former Ranger and present Angel C. J. Wilson.  Now the rule for pitchers is that if they are set to pitch on the last day before the All-Star break, they become ineligible to appear in the game. They still get to participate in the All-Star festivities, are still officially All-Stars, but just won't play. I have not yet seen any news about All-Star pitchers that could be affected by this as of yet.

Let's hear the answers to these questions:

Who do you think should have been chosen that wasn't (not even for the Final Man ballot)?

Of the players selected, who shouldn't be going to the game?

Were the guys you wanted from your team chosen?

If not, then who should have represented your team?

Let the debates begin.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama