Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Mr. Jean Beliveau 1931-2014

 
A sad and tragic day as Mr. Jean Beliveau passed away late Tuesday night at the age of 83. I wasn't ready for this. It hit me. Hard. Harder than I thought possible. Hockey will never be the same.
 
The greatest captain in NHL history is gone forever.
 
He didn't have the most goals, or the most points. But he still was the greatest hockey player ever.
 
I don't want to get too caught up in his career numbers, as that isn't what made the man... but for you younger readers...
When he retired he was the leading scorer of the Montreal Canadiens. He currently ranks second. He has the most points scored in the playoffs. Still. By a very large margin.
507 goals, 712 assists for 1219 points in 1125 games.
10 All Star games
2 Hart Trophies
1 Art Ross trophy
1 Conn Smythe trophy
oh.... and 17 Stanley Cup Rings. 17. What's in your jewelry box?
 
But that's not what will be missed. It's him. His presence. It cannot ever be replaced.
 
The greatest Canadien ever, and an even greater Canadian.
 
The only thing that ever transcended his greatness on the ice, was his greatness off of it.


Mr. Jean Beliveau. August 31, 1931 - December 2, 2014

Monday, November 17, 2014

Gold Glove aquisition

I went to trade night at one of the local shops last week. I was expecting a lot of hockey talk. The season is well underway, and a lot of new products had been released recently.
While there certainly was that, there was also some baseball being opened. And wouldn't you know it... a card appeared that as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it.
 
So much for my poker face. And they knew it.
 
Ah well... $20 later and this little beauty became mine.
 
 

I really like the card. A lot of jersey, the pic being in the center, the cut out logo, not to mention the sweet on card signature. A beauty.

I'll just concentrate on the good aspects of the game right now, and completely ignore the idiocy that is going on in ATL right now....

Al Dark (Jan 7, 1922 - Nov 13, 2014)

Al Dark passed away this past Thursday. He was rookie of the year in 1948 and placed 3rd in the MVP race. A 3 time all star in his 14 year career that ended in 1960.
 
He only played for the Braves in '48 and '49 (plus 15 games in '46) before being traded away to the Giants with Eddie Stanky for Sid Gordon, Buddy Kerr, Willard Marshall and Red Webb.

I didn't know too much about Al, but thanks to trading for this card at a local trade night last year, I did some research on him.
That's what this hobby is about for me. Not how much my card is worth. Not the mad mojo rush to get the latest prospect card graded in hopes of a 10. Not having every single card ever made.
But acquiring a card of a guy who played on my team, and reading up on him. Finding out about the past.

Most people, including Braves fans, would not even notice the passing of a 92 year old ex-ballplayer. But thanks to a trade with a fellow collector, I did.

R.I.P Mr. Dark.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Fan duel code


Breaking Down The Best Baseball Wax Boxes In The 1980s

 

The 1980s were certainly an exciting time for anyone who really got into collecting baseball cards. There were a lot of options popping up all over the place, and plenty of baseball wax boxes were around to be collected. While some are more valuable than others, there are usually certain years people point to for collectors to try and target. It might come down to a certain player that makes a person select a season, or maybe they just want the best overall value. Either way, here’s a closer look.

 

Rookie cards are always going to be enticing for people to go after when collecting baseball cards. That is why a lot of people believe that the 1983 season is a pretty good one to target. Tony Gwynn, Ryne Sandberg and Wade Boggs were all rookies at the time, and the 1983 Topps set had very good options for those 3. There were also some other valuable cards scattered in that set, and that makes the wax box pretty valuable in general.

 

The year before 1983, there were several other valuable wax boxes. Cal Ripken Jr. headlined that class of rookies in 1982, and he always seems to be one of the more valuable options available in any card collection.

 

Finally, there are some people who are going to gravitate towards a newer generation of players since they are still popular with even the younger collectors. The 1989 season for Topps and Upper Deck can still be found without having to spend a lot of money. Rookie such as Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio were all found in that set.

 

As is the case with a lot of cards, the prices seem to go up more and more the older the wax boxes are. Since there is not really a huge difference, investors seem to focus more on their personal favorites instead of trying to make a huge profit.

 

For a 100% deposit bonus use this fan duel promo here.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

The climax! (Giggity)


Let`s finish this thing off and put it out of it`s misery. Gint-A-Cuffs VI, the last packs.

Pack seventeen
+2 Fernandez
+3 Ericson
+1 Klosterman
+2 Holi
Chacin
Cuddyer
Jackson
Cole
Total +8


Pack eighteen
+1 Crime Dog
+1 Andrelton
+12 Straily
+3 Kermit
+2 Wainwright SP
Santana
Price
Total 19

Pack nineteen
+2 Segura
+1 Bulldog
+1 J-Hey
+5 Molina A&G back
+2 Dead Presidents
Hamilton
Raines
Fisk
Total 11

Pack twenty
+2 Cody
+2 Butler
-1 Beltran Yankee
Crawford
Ramirez
Seager
Ryness
Young
Total 3


Pack twenty one
+1 F&*k!n Sheik
+2 Griffey
+2 Kershaw
+2 Brussels
+3 Stuart
Frazier
Portnoy
Newhauser
Total 10


Pack twenty two
+2 Vizquel
+4 Maddux Black
+2 P-40
Tulowitzki
Riezo
Schmidt
Snider
Total 8

Pack twenty three
+2 Kemp
+6 Freddie!!!
+2 Osprey
-1 Soriano Yankee
-1 Mattingly Yankee (BOO!!! DOUBLE WHAMMY)
Segura
Rice
Cueto
Jenkins
Total 8


Pack twenty four
+2 Alonso
+1 Heyward
+2 Hamels
Davidson
Pujols
Lasorda
Okrent
Total 5

The commish wanted us to post a pic of our favourite card for bonus points... so here it is.
A Tim Raines mini in an Expos uni. I didn`t get any points for it, but I damn well should`ve It`s beautiful.So after a quick double check, including bonus points, we`re at 217 pts. No idea if that`s good or not. We`ll see I guess. Good luck to everyone else.
 


Tuesday, September 30, 2014

The middle child...

Well round one was a smashing success. A couple of people even read it apparently. Let's keep up the momentum with the next eight packs in random order...


Pack nine
+2 Anderson
+8 Blogger (Really?)
+2 Peralta SP (no scan)
Castro
Stanton
Braun
Todd
Total +12
A relic card of a blogger? Really?
I just sent in a package of various clothing items to Topps.
The sweat pants I was wearing for my first post. The stained t-shirt I wore during the Bipping of 2012. Socks from the 2010 World Cup all nighter... look for me in your favourite Topps products in 2015.
No autographs, please.

Pack ten
+1 Aaron
+2 Ryu
+2 Utley
+2 Bowler
+2 Maris Past time, -1 Yankee
Ryan
Clancy
Jennings
Total 8pts

Pack eleven
+2 Alvarez
+2 Gyorko
+5 Freddie!
Bogaerts
Snider
Dawson
Williams
Skaggs
Total +9

Pack twelve
+2 Stanton
+3 Griffey
+2 Athens
Harvey
Archer
Myers
Burroughs
Schefter
Total +7

Pack thirteen
+2 Mussina -1 Yankee
+1 Gattis
+8 Bruce
Dell
Choo
Dawson
Ripken Jr
Total +10

Pack fourteen
+4 Howard
+3 Kitty
+2 Olt
-1 Jeter
Santiago
Lake
McCutchen
Piazza
Total 8


Pack fifteen
+5 Utley
+2 Killebrew
-1 Gehrig
Cingrani
Stargell
Garciaparra
Gilligan
Rollins
Total 6pts

Pack sixteen
+1 Spahn
+2 Craig SP
+2 Biggio
Frazier
Ortiz
Raines
Robinson
Clemente
Total 5 pts

part three might be up tonight... if not, it'll be tomorrow morning.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Is it that time already?

Well, actually, it's waaaay past that time. It's Gint-A-Cuffs time. I've been waiting on the commish to make a couple of scoring rules. That finally happened, and then I fell asleep. Figuratively. For like a week or two.
Oops.
So here we go. With no fan fare or frills, may I present to the world, Gint-A-Cuffs VI. (I think)

Box topper...

mine was a pack of five red bordered minis /33 These are a case hit. (a rip off from Gypsy Queen)
 four points each plus a +1 for Upton = 21pts

Pack one? (these are out of order... but it'll all wash in the end)
+2  Altuve
+3 Sasquatch
+2 Festivals
Trumbo
Rosario
Romero
Uehara
Avila
Total +7
 Pack two
+2 Gray
+3 Clancy
+1 Mathews
-1 Hernandez Yankee
Verlander
Hosmer
Kaline
Gibson
Total +5


Pack three
+2 Pig
+2 Garcia
+2 Shea Stadium
Kershaw
Gyorko
Harper
Sullivan
Schoop
Total +6
 
Pack four
 
+??? not listed no numbered A&G back Hellen Keller mini
+2 Newsworthy
-1 Gardiner Yankee
Flores
Miller
Hernandez
Lambo
Guerrero

no idea on the total... (turns out it's +6 for no number and +2 for A&G)
Total 9 pts

Pack five
+2 Verlander
+3 Goldschmidt
+2 Taipei
-1 Rancic
Salazar
Scherzer
Paxton
Zito
Total +6

Pack six
+1 Gattis
+2 Ryu
+1 Murphy
+2 Jerusalem
Masterson
Sandberg
Abreu
Rizzo
Total +6

Pack seven
+2 Donaldson
+2 Molina
+2 Darvish
+3 Wolf
Fernandez
Cano
Cepeda
Williams
Total +9

Pack eight
 +2 Strawberry SP (forgot to scan)
+1 Teheran
+3 James Whistler
+1 Deion
-1 Snoop Lion. Snoop Lion???
Smith
Robles
Corbin
Total +6


more to come soon.....

Friday, September 19, 2014

Hockey cards even an Owl can love...

It's that wonderful time of year again. The leaves have changed their colour. The Braves have blown the division. And OPC hockey has been released into the wild. Just like clockwork. Consistency is comfortable.
 
Of course I'm all in after the set again. You knew that. So here are some pics to show what this year's set is all about.
 
The base card. Overly large borders. While the O-Pee-Chee logo has shrunk over the last few years, the team name has increased in size. Having both the team logo and name is a wee overkill. Photos are mostly closely cropped onto one player.
 
 The backs are purposely bland. When will Upper Deck look at the backs of an actual OPC hockey card ands realize they were never like this?
The addition of a second photo is new, but they re-use the same photo from the front. So it's completely useless. A lack of career stats is disappointing.

After a brief break last year, this year has the return of the 50 SP high number rookies and matching 50 SP high number legends. Again... this is getting old. It's been done. Move on.
 
 Thankfully with no real way of telling the rookies from the veterans on the front, they've added a way on the back. If you squint closely, in the fine print at the bottom, the printing number is different for the rookies than the regular base.
 Otherwise how would you ever know???

 The other SP's are the legends.
 
No such way on the back to recognize the old timers, so you'll just have to do it the old fashioned way.
Google.
 Would've loved career stats here...

Again, there is a retro parallel set.

I think this is one of the rookies... not sure though.

No helmet! So he must be a legend.

In the red-headed stepchild category. The foil parallel. Does anyone collect these things?

In an effort to make a foil something that's wanted... they add a black border and number them /100.

Found roughly two per box, there are mini cards modelled after some old tobacco era card that I'm waaaaaay too lazy to research right now. Cut 2 1/2 x 2 1/2, they're kinda cool.
 
By now, certain Owls may have nodded off... or are at least wondering why they've read this much babble about cards featuring people they've never heard of.
 
But here is the payoff.
 
For the third year in a row, OPC has inserted a 100 card sticker set.
 
Et voila.
 
 
 
 
 Oh yeah.... you're seeing it. See some more... a full page worth.

 
There are only four different colour varieties in the set. Stickers #1,5,9,13,17 etc are Green with Orange. #2,6,10,14,18... are Blue with Green. #3,7,11,15,19 etc are Red with Yellow. And #4,8,12,16,20 are the ever popular Purple with Pink.
It would be nice if there were a few more unannounced variations. But I'll take it.
If you zoom in on the top of the Jonathan Quick, you'll see an old fashioned OPC printers spot.
 
Awesome.
 
I wonder how they came up with this idea...
 
It's like if Henry Bucha had his way one night with Nolan Ryan.

+
 +

 
=

 
 
Hey. You never know. It was the '70's.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Let's hear it for 1991 Score baseball!

Who knew that a junk wax set would create so much interest? I guess maybe people are tiring of the $200-$400 per pack high end same old crappola.

or they're looking for a place to dump '91 Score.

Either way there's hope for humanity after all.

After a few emails, and some cards I found in the wrong box, here is my updated need list.

#'s 452, 457, 507, 559, 565, 577, 606, 629, 631, 636, 649, 686, 714, 719, 722, 738, 739, 841,

Quite an improvement. But, still a long way to go.

Yay team!

to celebrate, here's 1991's Miss Surfboard ... or something.

1991 Score baseball. Yes, that's what I said.

Haven't been blogging much lately. Too damn hot to do anything really. But since my hard drive died (I lost pretty much every scan I've ever done.) It took so long to fight that losing battle, only to then have our side by side refrigerator pack it in.
Have you been fridge shopping lately? "It's on sale sir! This week it's $900 off of the regular price. Only $1899.99, but you need to buy today as the sale is ending!"
And then.... my scanner stops. Oh it still eats electricity. And makes noise when I push the buttons. It just doesn't scan. Something I always thought a scanner should do.

Posts without pics are so blah.

Mind you, I can remember more than a few hundred times when I wanted to sit down and blog, only to think to myself, ugh. I really don't feel like scanning and cropping all those cards.

So I guess it's just the excuse of the week.

So if I can't scan anything interesting, then let's update those want lists. Something else that gets pushed back on the old priority list. Odd to put a list on a list.... but I do it.

Today, we have 1991 Score baseball. To most people, absolute junk. Garbage. Landfill. (oh, I meant recycled materials to be re-purposed into new, useful products)

But I actually like the set. It looks great in pages. Really. No, I haven't been drinking.

If you have any, hit me up. I'd be most grateful.

#'s 293, 452, 457, 501, 504, 507, 512, 517, 520, 523, 526, 528, 529, 551, 552, 559, 565, 568, 569, 577, 589, 598, 600, 602, 606, 609, 611, 615, 617, 620, 626, 629, 630, 631, 634, 636, 646, 647, 649, 651, 654, 655, 659, 660, 661, 662, 664, 666, 668, 670, 672, 674, 675, 676, 678, 679, 681, 682, 686, 690, 694, 697, 698, 699, 701, 702, 703, 706, 710, 711, 713, 714, 715, 717, 719, 720, 721, 722, 723, 725, 727, 729, 730, 731, 733, 735, 737, 738, 739, 742, 743, 747, 749, 750, 751, 753, 755, 757, 761, 763, 767, 769, 770, 771, 773, 774, 778, 779, 780, 781, 782, 786, 789, 793, 794, 798, 799, 801, 802, 803, 805, 806, 807, 813, 814, 817, 818, 819, 820, 822, 825, 826, 827, 833, 834, 837, 840, 841, 842, 843, 845, 846, 852, 853, 854, 855, 856, 857, 858, 860, 862, 863, 864, 866, 867, 868, 870, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877, 878, 881, 886, 887, 888, 889, 890,

I think the set is 893 cards... if there's more after #893, then I need 'em too.