The new season is underway! and maybe a contest...

It's time already for the start of the 2012-13 season of the Barclay's English Premier League!

I am completely psyched up for the upcoming season. The end of last season was one of the most exciting finishes ever! There is no reason this season won't deliver the same quality.

We have a new ball this year.... the Nike Maxim Ultra Flight somethingorother.....

 Three new teams up from The Championship.

Southampton
Reading (pronounced 'Redding')
West Ham United

and we say goodbye to

Blackburn
Bolton
Wigan Athletic

all relegated down.

If you want to keep track of how things are progressing throughout the season, go to the Official Site of the Barclay's Premier League. <------------Clicky

Now, for those of you have managed to read this far, I have a little contest for you. Throughout the season I want you to keep an eye on your team. There are 31 Saturdays in the season. On every one of those Saturdays, I will put up a post.
I will give you until Monday to post a comment giving me the score of your favourite team's game, and listing one of the goal scorer's. If no score, the names of the two goal keepers.

For every time you post correctly, you get three points. If you make an effort, but somehow screw it up, I'll hand out one point. The one with the most points at the end of the season wins a prize. I'll randomize everyone else to give out another prize.

If you don't follow English football, fear not! Simply go to the Premier League homepage. <---- Clicky.
Along the top are the icons that will lead you to all of the teams webpages. Do a little research, and pick one! Congratulations! You now have a favourite team.

You will have fun learning about your team throughout the season, I promise.

As an incentive, I picked up a box of 2006 Benchwarmers World Cup with 24 packs. I will open and post those packs, one every Saturday.

Here's your first taste.

 First we have Japanese striker Aiko Tanaka!

 Irish defender Alana Curry

 Polish midfielder Janis Kowalsky. Because she looks like a Kowalsky. More like a Tanaka.

 Sweet mother.... Kasie Head. Like Sean Connery said, "I must be dreaming..."

 and Mexican keeper Tammy Vallejos

 so there you have it.... quit gawking and get to finding your team. The matches start 8:00 am MST.

Go United!!!! Beat the Blues!

For this week one, because there is a match on Monday, you have until 3pm MST on Monday.

Questions? Get commenting!

...and Oh Hey! Melky?

I got two words for ya!

cheating loud mouthed bastard.....

Let's all wish a big Happy Birthday....

First, a huge Happy 25th Birthday to future CFL great, Tim Tebow.

 Let's hope this day finally brings him the media attention he so richly deserves. Soak it up Tim.

Second, a Happy 29th Birthday to...

no, wait... that ain't right. I meant this instead.....

better. Anybody got cake?

Cardboard Musings on 2012-13 Score Football.

I stopped by one of the local card shops today on my lunch. My buddy was on vacation, but he had left behind a brand new box of 2012-13 Score Football on the counter. 

At a buck a pack, how could I go wrong? Let me show you.....

I originally plunked down a 10 spot and grabbed a couple of packs. I opened the first one.

Eeechhhhh.

I opened the second one.

Yeeasssshh.

On to the third.

Yuck.

The fourth?

Dear gods, what am I doing?

I stopped at four and bought 2012 Euro sticker packets with the rest.

But, I may as well show you so you can be saved the trouble.

The base cards. 300 cards to the base set. I've done better recently with my own customs using Inkscape than this. Nice borders Panini.

 How about the backs? Maybe they're better. Um. No.

 Thanks for telling me the little number in the corner is actually the card number. That helps. Nice use of blank space. Maybe the kids are supposed to take their school notes on these?

Of course there are the obligatory rookies.

 Nice of Justin to stay out of prison long enough for a photo to be taken in anything but a day-glo orange jumpsuit.

Along with five, yes, five parallel sets to the base set.... there are seven different insert sets to chase, each with three different parallel versions. Good luck building a set by buying packs.

Some of the inserts..... Complete Players

 In The Zone!!! (exclamation points mine)

 Numbers game. (I typed Munbers four times before getting it right)

 RC Flashbacks. Really? Do I need an RC Flashback of a 1990 Haywood Jeffires card? I still haven't forgotten the original. Have you? If so... I have several. Just shooot me a comment.

 They look like this if you're interested. Just like Topps reprinting 1975, Panini couldn't quite get the colours right.

 Great. Now I have the Houston Oilers fight song going through my head. Where's my gun?

and of course, Hot Rookies! Now, from a low end set, this is what I'm looking for/expecting. This card actually looks kinda good.

I'm guessing, but it looks like unlike hockey, the 4-5 "key" guys aren't super short printed. Or maybe they are. Who knows?

Anyways, thanks for looking... it'll be the last of this you see around here.

Oh, and here's a video for you. See if you can last through the whole 2:25. I dare you. I double dog dare you.

Holy crap! Are You Ready?

With all of the excitement of the Olympics, I completely missed the fact that as of today, it's football season! (insert obligatory Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck wabbit/duck season joke here)

That's right, it's Hall of Fame weekend. And that means the annual Hall of Fame game was played. Arizona vs New Orleans. Who won? Who cares?

The absolute highlight of the night was colour man Mike Mayock singing "Play that funky music white boy" from beginning to end with 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter.

Gotta get used to some new things this year.... replacement refs for one, and I've heard rumours of a new QB in Denver. Anybody else hear about that?

And another thing, anybody bust any of this Inception stuff??? It's pretty sweet.

Go Cowboys!

A cardboard conundrum

a wee while ago, Matt from Cardboard Conundrum had a group break. Unlike a lot of the group breaks out there, he wasn't trying to make a profit. He just wanted to have some fun. He offered up 6 boxes of 2012 product. Topps Heritage, Topps Archives, Topps Jumbo Series 1, and Jumbo Series 2, as well as two boxes of Gypsy Queen. Your choice of teams for $20 shipped, later reduced to $15.

Sold.

With me not busting any boxes of baseball anymore, the opportunity to pick up almost complete team sets of my Braves from all of the 2012 product in one scoop was too good to pass up.

Relax, I won't show you every card I received, but a few highlights. You know how I like pictures.

 Pride of the NLTM. Uggla and Jones. Damn am I gonna miss Chipper.

 Did you know that in 2011, Eric O'Flaherty became the first pitcher in the history of baseball to appear in over 70 games and keep his ERA under 1.00? With Eric in the 7th, Venters in the 8th, and Kimbrel closing the 9th.... you had better be ahead after 6 if you wanted to beat the Braves last year.

In the box of Heritage I also received
229 Brandon Beachy 
238 Jose Constanza
308 Brian McCann
347 Chipper Jones (see? I don't show every Chipper card I get)
350  Tommy Hanson
394 Tim Hudson
409 Jair Jurrjens (what in the hell happened Jair???)
429 Jonny Venters
TN-AK Hank Aaron / Matt Kemp


2012 Archives

Here I'll show every card I got since I hadn't seen Archives in person yet.... plus I didn't get that many.

 Freddie on a really white card.... and his buddy Brandon. (oh Brandon, what could have been)

BMac and Huddy from the same photo shoot as the Heritage cards. Ahh... Atlanta at sunrise.

 The past and the future. Chipper and Kimbrel.

 here's my first 'hit'... a Jason Heyward gold foil parallel that my scanner doesn't like.

 Speed and Power. Hopefully we see more of both... and soon.

Topps Jumbo Series 1 and 2

I got quite a stack of these cards. But I had to show off this one.

 it has to concern a batter to be looking out at the pitcher and seeing this maniacal smile coming back at you.

Look owl! Mini's!

 ended up with three of them.

 These go great with the ones I already have, Heyward and Bourne. So I just need a couple more I think???? Chipper probably? I have no idea who's in the checklist.... anyone?

And now my second hit. A Randall Delgado autograph.

 Thank the gods Dempster said no. What in the hell is Frank thinking???????

I also received 30 Braves base cards from both series, as well as 8 inserts. Not bad.

Gypsy Queen

you knew Chipper was making an appearance along with his hunting buddy.

 someone needs to remind Freddie to catch with his glove. That's what it's there for. I showed the big version of Tommy to illustrate the mini variant I got. At least I think it's a variant. Maybe.

 I got three mini's out of those two boxes. I'm not sure if that's good or not.

 one of them was this crooked Straight Cut back of Craig Kimbrel. The irony is not lost.

 Here's where my luck really took off.

First, a mini relic of Tim Hudson.

 a regular sized relic of Brian McCann

 AND an on card auto of future Hall of Famer, John Smoltz.

NICE!

as well as 20 Braves base cards. No inserts. But I don't think they are in any of the insert sets. I think. Maybe. Hell I don't know.

If you are in need of any Braves base cards from this year, let me know, I may have dupes. Maybe we can swap for ones I need. IF I can figure out what I need.... that may take some doing.

I'll tell you what. Matt included a Golden Giveaway code card. (I'm assuming unused) The first person who offers up a card off of my wantlist gets the code. Any takers?

Most Overrated players in MLB

Sports Illustrated magazine polled 228 MLB players to vote for the most overrated position players in baseball. The results....



Alex Rodriguez - 3B Yankees 16.8%

Derek Jeter - Yankees 9.2% (how is he not number 1???)

Jason Werth RF Nationals 6.0%

Nick Swisher RF Yankees 5.4%

Albert Pujols 1B/DH Angels 4.7%

Ichiro Suzuki RF Mariners 3.4%

Hanley Ramirez 3B Marlins 2.5%

Jason Heyward RF Braves 2.2%

David Wright 3B Mets 2.1%

Coco Crisp CF A's 1.8%

Yanks take 3 of top 4 positions. Seems if you have an overrated player, stick him in RF or 3B.....

What say you?