Hey Mo!! Hey Mo!!

Good Friday evening to you all, hope that you're ready for a great weekend!! 

For the past couple of weeks, Eric over at Manupatches and Mustaches has done his part to make the blogosphere aware of a worthy cause, prostate cancer.  From his posts I have seen that he is very passionate about the cause, which I totally respect and admire.

Part of my 12 step program that I mentioned a few days back is being more active in other bloggers' pursuits.  Today, I decided to put my money where my mouth is.  I donated a week's worth of my blog ($30) to the cause. 

Want to donate?  Click on this LINK and donate to Eric's team. 

BTW, Eric has no idea that I did this....to be honest, it was something I felt I had to do.

Maybe if we get enough donations from the blogosphere, maybe I will run another contest for you guys & gals.   If you do donate, please leave a comment for me.  You don't have to give what I gave, any amount will do. 

In honor of Thanksgiving next week, here's a short video on how NOT to prepare dinner on Thursday...enjoy!!

Thanks for reading, Robert

words in this post:  197, total for the month, 9540

Unforgettable

Good Thursday evening to you all, hope that you're ready for another great weekend (I know I am!).  I came home today to find a brown envelope in my mailbox, from Dennis over at Too Many Grandersons Verlanders.  We had completed a trade last week that saw me send some cards his way in return for some serial numbered insanity that was very welcomed into my house.

If there's one thing I've missed over the past 8-9 years, it's trading online.  The ability to get cards that you want for the price of postage, along with some cards out of your collection that someone else really wants.

Another thing that I'm really behind on is the staggering array of cards that I've missed over the years by only purchasing packs here and there at the big box stores.   Here are some examples:

'08 Co-Signers

I received a couple of these a few weeks back in another trade, but not to the extent that I pulled in today.  The '08 Topps Co-Signers set is fast becoming a set that I may have to look into when I can start putting together some newer sets.  These cards are fantastic!  Of course, they're serial numbered as well, which only adds to my enjoyment.  It's a little tough to see on the Young and Utley cards, but the holographic image in the background of another player on the same team is pretty cool, at least from where I sit. 

Great cards for the insanity

I'm sure that a lot of you looked at the 5 cards above and knew right away that they were black parallels from '05 Topps Chrome.  I never would have known if it hadn't been written on the back of the cards.   Man I am so out of touch.

More Jays Goodness

A multitude of colored Jays cards also came with the envelope.  Purple, Red, Blue, Black, Brown...all great stuff.   Still more yet!

Building Blocks

Another trio of cards that I had never seen before, but gathered that they were older because calling Troy Glaus and Eric Chavez "future foundations" definitely could not have happened in the past couple years.  I turn over the cards, and they're from '99!  Serial numbered even.  I was like a junkie today with the fix I got with serial numbered cards. 

You've hopefully read this far and are still wondering "why did he title this post 'unforgettable'".  Well, I'm just poking a little fun at Dennis' post about our trade from yesterday.  To quote "File this under yet ANOTHER trade I completed and promptly forgot about, to my amazement when I popped my mailbox open today."   LOL!!


I had to laugh when I saw that, because I can totally understand sometimes that when life gets you going, smaller things like cards and blogging can take a back seat.  

From my end Dennis, this trade was great, and for me unforgettable.   Thank you very much!

This one's for you....thanks for reading, Robert

 

( Words in this post 494, total for the month, 9343)

There is life outside of the blogosphere.

Good Wednesday to you all, I actually stumbled across something very interesting on Tuesday that I thought I would share with you.

Most of you know I'm a numbers freak, so while looking over my stats for the Serial Insanity blog, I noticed a rather large amount of hits on Tuesday.  This link was actually responsible for 23 hits, which is more than that blog has received on a lot of days total.   So I decided to check it out, and I found this.

I have become an inspiration!! 

There is another collector out there that actually liked my serial numbered insanity idea enough to attempt one on his own.  His idea varies somewhat from mine, as he's going to go up to 3000 instead of 1500, and he's going to use all 4 sports and all types of cards (relics/autos) as well. 

The fact that he published a link to my blog was flattery enough for me!  I emailed him really quick on Tuesday, and his main worries were about cataloging and cards that had players from multiple teams.  Both worries I understand completely.

It may not be much to anyone out there, but to me this was a big deal, because as one of the new kids on the block, this is a triumph in my own mind.

The one card rule....another pickup from the Toronto Expo last week:

Any bad asses from the west coast interested???

Thanks for reading, Robert

(words in this post, 231.  total for the month, 8849)

Features on other blogs that I could never think of imitating.

Good Tuesday evening to you all, hope that you've survived the toughest portion of the week.  As many of you know, I try to stay active in other blogs.  Some of my posts do border on the verge of stealing other bloggers ideas. 

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...no?

Well, during my evening drive home from work today, there were several thoughts about truly unique ideas that I could never get away with stealing.  Take a gander.....

There are practical reasons I could not get away with copying these ideas: 


1. Airbrushed Fridays by Kerry at the Cards on Cards blog:

What's great about it?  A weekly series about cards that were absolutely butchered by Topps, fantastic!
Why I couldn't copy it:   I don't have the trained eye, or the card collection that Kerry has...simple enough.


2.  JayBee Anama's Sports Card Blogroll: 

What's great about it?  How can a blogger not like a one stop shop for finding pretty much any type of blog you're looking for.
Why I couldn't copy it:  I don't have the patience or the tenacity to keep up with each and every blog out there, an arduous task to say the least.

3.  The Hot Dog Tournament Championship on the Adventures of Napkin Doon:

What's great about it?  Baseball and hot dogs are part of America, so a perfect marriage was born.
Why I couldn't copy it:  There is only one hot dog vendor where I live, and the thought of driving 40 miles for multiple hot dog vendors....well let's just say....no

4.  You complete me by Dennis on Too Many Grandersons

What's great about it?  Although not a regular series, this was a group of posts that I really enjoyed because Dennis took a great line from a great sports movie and used it effectively.
Why I couldn't copy it:  Two reasons, one it would be blatant stealing, and second, I really need to complete a set before I could use it.

There are humorous reasons I could not get away with copying these ideas:  (well, at least to me they're humorous)

1.  Delivery Time by Chris at Nachos Grande

What's great about it?  Chris turns each trade into a work of art, highlighting his favorite cards, and making the other person look great.
Why I couldn't copy it:  Two reasons, I) I don't trade near as much as Chris, II) I work for a delivery company, and using the word delivery each time I published a trade post would mean more work...which is a 4 letter word.

2.  Sketch Posts by dayf at Cardboard Junkie

What's great about it?  Dayf's great sense of humor and artistic talent come out in each of these posts.  Although I am new to reading his blog, the love he has for his ponies is almost mythical.
Why I couldn't copy it:  I couldn't draw a stick figure if my #@%$# life depended on it.

3.  Movember by Eric at Manupatches & Mustaches

What's great about it?  A great idea for a "franken-set" and promoting a great cause, fighting cancer.
Why I couldn't copy it:  I have a goatee.

4.  Awesome Night Cards by Greg at the Night Owl

What's great about it?  129 night cards and counting shows a love and dedication for these cards that few other collectors will ever possess.
Why I can't copy it:  Since I do the majority of my posts at night, posting about night cards at night is like using a double negative, which in turn would simply just cancel out my post (which I bet most of you are hoping would have happened by now.....lol)

I hope you enjoyed my look at other bloggers and their regular features, hopefully you haven't fallen asleep by now.

By the way, I have to show at least one card right?!  So I figure I'll show you #1, and leave it at that...

Thanks for reading, Robert

(words in this post,  650.  Total for the month, 8618)

The year a reliever almost won the ERA title

Good Tuesday morning to you all, hope that you survived Monday unscathed.  I was taking a deeper look into the cards that Kerry from Cards on Cards  had sent me, and came across a bunch of 1987 Leaf cards.  Leaf was Canada's version of Donruss, and it was pretty cool to see these cards again.

Case in point...

Here are 4 of the cards from the '87 set.  I like the black borders, the cards for the most part were pretty simple, no fancy logos or anything to distract you from the player on the card.


Joe Johnson started 15 games for the Jays in '86 after coming over in a trade from Atlanta, going 7-2.

Ernie Whitt was a long time Jays catcher who platooned with Buck Martinez for several years in the 80's,

Jim Clancy was also a long time starter for the Jays, spending 12 seasons in Toronto and winning 128 games. 











In the upper right hand corner is Mark Eichhorn, and yes he is the reliever that almost won the ERA title in 1986.  To say that he was a rubber armed pitcher that year was an understatement; check out his stats for the season.

14-6, 1.72 ERA, 10 Saves.  157 IP, 166 K's 45 BB, 105 Hits allowed.  All that in 69 appearances.  Mark was the talk of Toronto that year, so much so that there was a faction of people that wanted him to start a game during the last week of the season in order to get enough innings and qualify for the ERA title.  Mark refused, and Roger Clemens wound up winning the ERA title in '86 with a 2.48 ERA.  (Clemens won the Cy Young award unanimously as well that year)

1987 was also another good year for Mark, as he led the league in appearances with 89 but his innings pitched dropped to 127.2.

Mark also spent time in Atlanta, California and Baltimore, but to me will always be remembered for the 1986 season where he was the rookie with the golden arm.

Thanks for reading, Robert

(words in this post, 343:  total for the month, 7968)

Hello, my name is Robert M., and I'm a parallel/serial numbered card addict

Good evening to you all, hope that your week is off to a good start.  As I've talked about in previous posts, personal experiences play a big part in blog posts, so I figured I would delve a little into my past to enhance what I want to talk about in the present.

You may or may not have figured out what the post title represents.  If you, or any one of your family members may have dealt with an alcohol or drug problem, that is how people introduce themselves at meetings.  I personally have never joined Alcoholics Anonymous, but have had a close family member actually leave home for a month to enter a center and help himself "dry out".  I do not attempt to make light of this situation, I just use it to lead myself into this post, and offer a little more background into my life.  Anybody who knows AA is familiar with their 12 step program, and I am going to incorporate this into my own 12 step program for a better blog (for me anyways).  Look for that post soon.

OK then, enough of the preaching...on to what you came for,  the cards!!

Yes, I admit it, I am an addict when it comes to serial numbered parallels.  Hence the 2nd blog I'm working on as well.  I don't know what it is about serial numbered cards that fascinates me so much.

Case in point...

Reed Johnson, Chicago Cubs.  Card # US157 from this years Topps Update.  Cards are exactly the same except for the gold border on the left card.  Oh and the "60 years of collecting", can't forget that.

The only difference on the back?

0780/2011...

That's it...

HUH?

What's wrong with this picture.  Two minor details that are different from the original, and for some reason, I love the gold one more.  Makes no sense.

I've devoted an entire blog to chasing the damn cards.


















It's because of my obsession with numbers, of which baseball over the years has done nothing but enhance.  Formulas for generating ERA, winning percentages, magic numbers, batting averages, etc.  All of these numbers did nothing but exercise my mind.

I am a numbers freak, and always will be.  Some of the new stats, such as WAR and OPS+ I still have not taken the time to digest and figure out how they are calculated and what they really mean to a major league team.  But I digress...

Here's another case in point...

maybe one of the best baseball names ever...

Another great card I received on the weekend while I was away, with arguably one of the best baseball names ever, Wesley Dodge Swackhamer.  The reason I picked it up?  Well, it's serial numbered as you can plainly see.   Sick I tell you, I'm just sick.

I could have just as easily gone on about how Wes never made it above high A ball, or played for a team with the great name of Swing of the Quad Cities in the Midwest League.   But no, it's a parallel, that's why I have it.

I am weird.  But I love it, I really do.  This is what makes me unique.

Hi, I'm Robert M., and I'm a serial numbered parallel card freak, and it's a pleasure to meet you.

thanks for reading, Robert

(words in this post, 552:  total for the month, 7625)

Week 16 begins @ a card show

Good Sunday evening to you all, I hope that you've had a great weekend.  I am a day late with the posting of the beginning of a week, mostly because I had no access to a computer last night. 

The show I mentioned you all are well aware of, it was Canada's "National", a 400 table event at the International Center just outside of Toronto.  I haven't been to one of these shows since the late 90's, and to be honest it really hasn't changed much.  Aisle after aisle of some great memorabilia.  Not only cards, but jerseys, sticks, masks, and meat  (YES, I said meat).

After perusing the show for the better part of 5 hours on Saturday, I realized I learned a lot of things:

1.  I'm 44 years old, and I can no longer do the things that I did when I was 24.  20 years ago I would have had no problems walking that floor and chatting it up with every dealer that had an interesting card.  This year, it's sad that after only a couple of hours, the most memorable thing for me was seeing an elderly woman riding in her wheelchair and thinking "I could use one of those right about now". 

2.  I still love hockey, and hockey cards.   Yes, I said it.  You can take the boy out of Canada, but you can't take the Canada out of the boy.  There was a ton of hockey cards there at some absolutely sick prices.  You'll see some of the cards I grabbed over the next little while at prices that were anywhere from 50-90 % off.

3.  Set builders at these types of shows are a dying breed.  Unless you're building a set of jersey cards, or building vintage sets from the 50's and 60's, which currently I am doing neither, you are out of luck.  I could count on maybe two hands the dealers that had stacks of commons boxes, and most of those weren't anything that I was collecting.  Maybe I'm just out of line with what's hot in collecting.

4.  I'm ready for another show like this.  There is a show in a Pittsburgh suburb every May that has a great selection of dealers carrying a wider variety of singles and sets.  I'll be there.

Well, the show for me was a great success, I was able to pick up some wax for dirt cheap prices, including a couple boxes of 08-09 series 2 UD hockey at $22 a box, along with a bunch of singles to put towards my Leafs collection.  Here's a couple of cards I really liked:

The mustache says it all

The first card I featured above is from 08-09 UD Artifacts, a dual patch card of Lanny McDonald.  Yes, it features him in his Flames uniform, but it also had a blue swatch, and my favorite memories of him will always be when he was wearing the blue and white.  Great card, numbered 19/50.

Next up, another great longtime Leaf (of course):

Had to have it

2008-09 Black Diamond Mats Sundin 4 swatch card.  Again, another card I got on the cheap, and loved the blue and white swatch in the lower left. 

These cards symbolize what's right, and what's wrong with the hobby right now.  Yes, I do love these cards, the fact that I got them for half "book" value, and that they picture two great Maple Leafs players.  But the show focused on what seemed to be nothing but these types of cards, especially from high end products such as the Cup, and Dominion. 

I hit one booth, I'm going to say he had approximately 10 shoebox storage boxes full of nothing but jersey cards!  Crazy.  Why?

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I'm conflicted.  The set builder in me really wanted to hit this show and knock off a few of the set want lists that I brought with me.  The truth there is, I never took them out of the bag, because I couldn't find any of those sets. 

So I settled.  Settled on buying wax and jersey cards.  I loved the show, don't get me wrong, but a part of me left there unfulfilled.  Probably because the true collector in me didn't get to come out.

Thanks for reading, Robert

(words in this post:  721, total for the month, 7073)