Solid Day at the Card Shop

Many times I feel guilty walking out of All About Sports with out buying something. The conversations about baseball I'm able to have with William and Pete are amazing, and being able to open packs are share in people's joy as they find a card they like is well worth the price we pay for cards there. Today the conversations were on our fantasy baseball league and Derek Jeter. I was able to reminisce about William instant messaging me "I'm sorry P.A. but I've got to do this" and drafting Josh Hamilton, followed by me having to "settle" for Tim Lincecum.

We then shifted the discussion to Derek Jeter. There are some better known bloggers who think of him as over-paid and over-rated. I'm sorry but if you think Derek Jeter is over-rated you just don't know baseball. The guy is the Captain of the highest profile team in baseball, and arguably one of the most recognized franchises in all of sports. I don't care if he doesn't hit 40 something home runs a year and drive in over 100 runs, his job as a #2 hitter is to get on base and score runs and he does a great job of that. With regards to his defense I don't care if he's "lost a step" or "lacks range" I've yet to see the man cost the Yankees a big game because of his glove or his throwing ability. Jeter is a Hall-of-Famer and true ball player.

On to the cards of the day. Pete and I split a box of 2008 Bowman Chrome. I didn't pull the Gordan Beckham rookie card I was hoping for but I'm definitely please with what I was able to pull. The highlights of my half box were:

Daniel Bard 1st Bowman Chrome Card Auto - my neighbor said that he played against Daniel Bard in High School and the guy could bring 90 plus heat back then.

Kosuke Fukudome - no sig variant -

Michael Young - XFractor - courtesy of Pete -

And last but certainly not least the 1991 Upper Deck Short Print Michael Jordan card. I'll blog more about this card tomorrow.

Team USA Saturday

My beautiful and awesome wife was nice enough to accompany me to the Baseball World Cup Exhibition game between Team USA and Team Canada yesterday in Cary, North Carolina. I went to the game with two goals in mind. First and foremost to watch some good baseball. My second goal was to score some autographs of Justin Smoak and Pedro Alvarez. I think I'm the first Texan in many a year to say these two words and actually mean it...Mission Accomplished.

Pictured below are the baseballs my wife got signed by Pedro Alvarez and Justin Smoak, and the bats I was fortunate enough to get signed by each of these players.

I was pleasantly surprised that both Alvarez and Smoak signed on the sweet spot on each of the balls. I was always under the impression that you signed on the sweet spot once you made it to The Show. I would have been content with a signature anywhere who am I to complain about a sweet spot signature. Both players signed the balls with your everyday black sharpie.

The bat signatures also turned out rather nice. I was inspired to get a bat signed by two sources. One was my buddy Jeff who takes his son to games and manages to score game used bats that may have a crack or some other deficiency that would cause the player to no longer want to use the bat and has gotten the bats signed by the likes of Eric Hosmer. Also I had read the blog Bad Wax and seen that Mike had gotten Bryce Harper and many other members of the USA 18U Team to sign a bat. I figured if these guys were able to get some bats signed I might as well try myself.

Justin Smoak signed a Rawlings Big Stick with a red barrel and a blonde handle, and black lettering. The bat was signed using your everyday black sharpie. I like how this bat had a red barrel as red is one of the Rangers primary colors. Although it was a little tough to do this signature justice on camera it looks good in person, and I'm satisfied with the way it turned out.

Pedro Alvarez also signed a Rawlings Big Stick, however the Alvarez bat had a black barrel, red handle and gold lettering. The bat was signed using a gold sharpie poster marker. When I saw this bat I knew I wanted to attempt to get Pedro Alvarez to sign it a beautiful bat and in Pittsburgh Pirate colors none the less. In the future I'll be using the poster markers to get bats signed as I think they provide a bolder signature that's easy for the eye to see and for me to enjoy.

Let me conclude by saying this day wouldn't be possible with out the support of my loving wife Brandi. Who not only accompanyed me on this trip during the afternoon but in the morning but in some time in her lab, and successfully guided our little Scout through the Canine Good Citizen test at Pet's Mart. Scout obtaining the CGC Certification was the highlight of my day (sorry Pedro and Justin).

Winnings From the Last Few Weeks

Well I've made it through month one of the $100 personal money budget and I have to say it's opened my eyes at bit as to the cost of collecting. I'm still down with opening packs of cards and all but think that in the future I'll be purchasing more from online than in stores.

These last two weeks haven't been totally fruitless. I won a Dustin Pedroia jersey as part of the Big League Blast Contest that was being held at All About Sports and other card shops across America. I'm not a Pedroia fan and am definately not a member of the Johny Come Lately crowd known as Red Sox Nation, but a win is a win. On a side note about All About Sports - William Regenthal is what makes All About Sports a special place. I enjoy opening packs with William and especially talking baseball with the guy. Hopefully he'll be able to join me on my journey to the Triangle in a couple of weeks to watch THE Bryce Harper. Do yourself a favor and check out his blog foul bunt.

I also was able to get a Washington Nationals hat signed by Michael Burgess (courtesy of my wife). According to the fine folks at Tri-Star Mr. Burgess was "the 49th selection of the 2007 Draft and is a legend in Florida for his powerful bat. In the 2006 Florida 5-A high school playoffs, the lef-handed Burgess joined Ken Griffey Jr., Bo Jackson, and Frank Thomas as the only players to clear the 60 foot high wall in center field at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. Burgess is projected as a futer power-hitting corner outfielder."

Lastly my Justin Smoak/Eric Hosmer card came in along with my first Michael Young autograph. I'm excited to finally have an auto of the Ranger's Captain. Josh Hamilton may be more popular, but Michael Young is the heart of this Ranger's squad. Hopefully they'll continue to play well throughout September and make the play-offs.

Coming Soon

Well I made my first e-bay purchase since getting back into the collecting game. A couple of days ago I purchased a Justin Smoak and Eric Hosmer dual autograph card produced by Upper Deck. Both of theses guys were 1st Round picks of their clubs Smoak (11th in the 2008 Draft by the Rangers) Hosmer (3rd in the 2008 Draft by the Royals) and are projected to be important pieces to each franchises future.

Justin Smoak was the reason I purchased the card. A lot of sites have been comparing him to Mark Teixeira because he’s a switch hitting first baseman. But one Rangers scout called him a switch hitting Justin Morneau (which I can definitely live with). Smoak is currently listed as the Rangers #1 prospect and might get called up in September when major league rosters expand to 40 players. There will be a bit of a traffic jam at first base at that point in time if the Rangers also call up Chris Davis but I suppose that’s a pretty good problem to have if you’re Ron Washington.

Hosmer was an added bonus to the card. He’s still pretty young and obviously has great talent. I don’t know if the Royals are in any rush to get him to the big leagues any time real soon, but you never know with a franchise that is constantly rebuilding. I saw him play in Winston-Salem but didn’t get his auto. However a buddy of mine and his son got a ball and bat signed by Eric, and he seemed like a pretty nice guy. He wasn’t exactly tearing up High A pitching, but his defense was solid, so we’ll see if he starts off the year in Wilmington (High A) or moves on to the Texas League (Double A).

This card is my second Smoak card and first of Hosmer. It also marks my first venture into prospecting (I suppose that’s what the kids are calling it these days). I figure it’s not too shabby of a purchase for the price I paid for it (less than $20 with shipping) I could have also purchased a Smoak card with a small piece of jersey, but like I said above the Eric Hosmer auto was definitely an added bonus and in my eyes more valuable/enjoyable (good conversation starter with my pal Jeff) than a little piece of jersey.

Back in the Saddle but Wondering Where To Go

I'd be ashamed of myself if I didn't first start this post by saying praise the Lord God Almighty for guiding me through these last 2 1/2 months of unemployment, and for blessing me with a wonderful and loving family who supported and encouraged me during this period of time. I was fortunate enough to obtain a job as the assistant controller at Hospice & Palliative Care here in Winston-Salem. I expect this position to both challenge me and foster professional and personal growth and development.

This new position also allows me to venture back into the hobby. I was blessed enough to get many a pack from my dear friend William during my time away from the hobby, but now that I have the means to start collecting again I just don't really know what my focus will be. When I was away from the hobby I realized how expensive collecting can be, and although my wife and I have always had our finances in order I'd to start paying down the student loans (Dave Ramsey would be proud). That being said I guess the most logical step is to develop a budget and list of cards or sets I'd like to acquire. I'm willing to take suggestions from the public, but right now I'm thinking about focusing on my Rangers Team collections, and my player collections of Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Hank Blalock, and Hunter Pence.

I'll keep you posted on my collecting decisions but until then feast your eyes on some of my latest additions I found at All-About-Sports for less than $10.

Millito Navarro auto - from 2009 A&G Pack. At 103 Mr. Navarro is the oldest living former Negro Leaguer and the first Puerto Rician to play in the Negro Leagues.

1987 Donruss Greg Maddux Rookie Card. Just a classic card that I thought would make a great addition to my collection.

1991 Upper Deck Final Edition Ivan Rodriguez Rookie Card. My favorite of Pudge's rookie cards, I already had a copy but this one was in excellent condition and was definitely an upgrade.

How I Met Stephen Strasburg's Mother

It was around this time last year that my wife and I made our first trip out to Durham Athletic Park and watched the US Olympic Baseball team play an exhibition game against Team Canada. The US Team was comprised of some of baseball's best prospects including Matt LaPorta, Dexter Fowler, Jake Arieta and one collegiate athlete Stephen Strasburg.

I had heard stories of Strasburg's fastball as well as rumors that he would be the number 1 overall pick in the 2009 1st Year Player Draft. Needless to say I was hoping to get an autograph. Fortunately before the game I was able to obtain Stephen's autograph as he was signing along the railing outside Team USA's dugout.

Now in between innings my wife and i ran down to the Bulls' Team Shop to pick up some souvenirs. I picked up a Team USA cap and contemplated getting a jersey. However, I found the only jersey's available at the time were player jerseys and they were a bit out of my price range. My wife asked me about the jerseys and I informed her that I was going to pass on the jersey but took her by to see what they had. At this time a lady was looking at the Strasburg jersey and it appeared that she was contemplating purchasing it. I figured I'd offer some assistance to both her and the Bulls' Team Store and encourage her to get the jersey. I told the lady that Strasburg was a great player and that his jersey would be a pretty good collectors item. The lady responded by asking how good a player was Stephen Strasburg. I figured I'd share with her the little bit of knowledge I had on the young lad so I told her that he can throw the ball around 100 mph, was the only college player on the team and that many a baseball expert predicted he would be the number 1 pick in the 2009 draft. I then added the following " he's also a pretty nice guy and would probably sign the jersey for you after the game." To which the lady replied "I'd hope so I'm his mother."

My wife and I were a bit wowed by the experience of meeting an Olympian's mother, we welcomed her to North Carolina (we were new ourselves); talked a bit about San Diego (where the Strasburg's were from and where my wife and I honeymooned); and asked if she would be attending the Olympic Games (which she said she was). It was really a pleasant conversation enjoyed by all parties. As we parted ways she thanked us for the kind words we had to say about her son and wished us luck in North Carolina, and we wished Mrs. Strasburg safe travel on her journeys.

I hope the Nationals call Stephen soon (instead of dealing only with Scott Boris) and can get him signed. We've all heard the rumor that the Nationals might start Stephen Strasburg in the Majors but part of me hopes that he would play some in the minors (at Potomac) and make his way through Winston-Salem. You never know my wife and I may run into his mother once again.

Reboot

Well the blogging thing is a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. I definitely have a new found respect for those out there who post on a daily basis. Anyhow things have been a bit hectic over the last few months I lost my dad, and lost my job. I did however find salvation in Christ Jesus and a renewed interest in baseball. I can't guarantee I'll be posting everyday but I'll do my best to post a least weekly. I think the majority of my posts will be about the Texas Rangers and their pursuit of the AL West Title during the second half of the season, but I'll also try and post some on some of my favorite cards in my collection. So thanks in advance for reading and here's to a great All Star Game, and second half of the season.

p.s.

Special thanks to William from foul bunt for his friendship and constant encouragement. I hope I can give you something worth reading on a weekly basis.