Box Break: 2009 UD Signature Stars

Retail stores (in this case Shopko) carrying hobby boxes could prove to be the death of my bank account. I got another box of 2009 UD Signature Stars as a birthday present to myself and although it looked bleak heading into the last few packs, it turned out to be a pretty good break. Here's what I pulled:

Garin Cecchini USA Jersey: Garin Cecchini was a fourth round pick of the Boston Red Sox (who else?) out of high school in 2010 after being rated as one of the top hitting prep prospects available. There's probably more info about him available online but it's late and I don't care enough to look for it...a thousand apologies.

Chris Tillman RC Auto: I've always rooted for Tillman because he's a former Mariners' prospect even though he was part of the ill-fated Erik Bedard trade (which doesn't quite seem as bad today as it used to). He's had a decent spring training and hopefully will put it all together in 2011. I could see the Orioles surprising quite a few people this season and their young starting pitcher will be a major reason why.

Drew Pomeranz Winning Materials #/499: Pomeranz was the ace of the Arkansas Razorback staff and was drafted 5th overall by the Cleveland Indians in last year's draft. The Indians hope Pomeranz is the next Cliff Lee but only time will tell. He signed to late to pitch in 2010 so no stats to speak of...sorry.

TJ Walz USA Jersey/Auto #6/799: T.J. Walz is a senior pitcher at Kansas who currently has a record of 2-3 with a 4.88 ERA and 31 K's in 31 innings. I don't have particularly high hopes for Walz as a professional (although I hope he proves me wrong) but I do love the design of the USA Future Watch cards. The sticker blends right into the card and the large photo is a big plus. I might have to find a player from this set to collect. Sonny Gray? Gerrit Cole? Bryce Harper?

Joe Mauer Sky Blue Parallel #32/170: Though underwhelming, the blue parallels are a tough pull at about one in every other box, and one day will be sold by Burbank Sportscards for ridiculous amounts. I was awfully happy to pull one of a great player and someone that I collect. WINNING!

Pablo Sandoval Gold Signature #7/15: The box had been pretty mediocre until one of the last few packs when this beauty popped out. Technically this set is from 2009 (even though it wasn't released until 2010) making this one of Pablo Sandoval's most difficult rookies to track down. This card nearly paid for the box by itself and I certainly won't complain about that.

Overall Thoughts: I had quite a bit of fun busting this box once again, and even though I didn't pull a phenomenal looking Pride of Nation auto or a Bryce Harper, I was awfully happy with the results of my break. At the right price I certainly wouldn't hesitate to bust another box of this. Thanks for looking!

Happy Ken Griffey Jr's Jersey Number Day!

In honor of of the incredible accomplishment that is my 24th birthday (I think I'm being sarcastic, but I'm not sure) I proudly present some of my favorite cards of the greatest #24 ever (yes I know he isn't wearing #24 in all of thse cards, deal with it) Mr. Ken Griffey Jr. Feast yo eyes on the following:

There's more, but I'm too lazy to scan them right now. It is my birthday after all. Thanks for looking! Stay tuned for some birthday box breaks coming soon!

Card of the Week: 2002 Bowman Toby Hall Future's Game MVP Game-Used Base Autograph

I didn't envision a day when I would feature Toby Hall as the card of the week, but I also didn't imagine I would find a Toby Hall card quite as cool as this one, for as cheap as I got it ($3 including shipping). The card features an on-card autograph of Hall (who I always had a soft spot for because he's from Washington) and a multi-colored swatch for a base used in the 2001 Future's Game (of which Hall was the MVP). I couldn't find a picture of the base used in the game, so I don't know exactly where the swatch comes from, but there is something cool about avoiding the dreaded white swatch. Cards like this make me miss the days when manufacturers put more game-used items in cards than just jerseys. Hopefully, they will once again return to those halcyon days. Thanks for looking!

Box Break: 2009 Bowman Chrome (x4)

Tax season is a great time for those of us who don't make much money (cough Bud cough). The government sent me a decent chunk of change for my year of not making much money and I decided the most American thing to do with my new found wealth would be to buy some baseball cards. After much deliberation I settled on a favorite, 2009 Bowman Chrome. A low price, lots of shine and a few decent autos in the checklist...who could ask for more? Here's what I pulled:

Holliday/J. Johnson/A. Jones/Eichorn/Mauer/Doolittle/D. Bard/Parra/A. McCutchen: The regular refractors fall about six per box (there are plenty not pictured--no offense Scott Olson. Actually offense, I really don't like you) and I was happy to pull two PC players (Josh Johnson and Joe Mauer) as well as a handful of decent "RC" logo cards. The prospect cards are numbered to 500 and fall about one per box. Kevin Eichorn looks like a decent prospect (lots of strikeouts) although Todd Doolittle was born in 1982 so I'm not holding my breath on that particular card.

Dan Hudson RC Refractor #230/500: Besides Starlin Castro (who seems to be a case hit in this product) Dan Hudson is the top prospect in 2009 Bowman Chrome (he utterly dominated the NL after being traded to Arizona) and I was thrilled to pull a refractor of his true rookie card. If he continues pitching like he did at the end of last season this will probably be worth more than all of the autographs from this break.

Hermida/Parnell/Wright/Kulik/Sizemore/Youkilis/Takahashi/Beckett X-Fractors #/250: X-Fractors fall about two per box and I pulled a decent crop of players (the Sizemore is just one serial number away from his jersey number) although I would have liked more prospects in the mix. I love these cards and was awfully disappointed that Topps did away with them in 2010--they add quite a bit of value and fun to each box. Hopefully they'll bring them back soon, although for the initial reports, it doesn't look like they'll show up in 2011.

Jermaine Dye/Hanley Ramirez/Kazuo Matsui/Hunter Pence/Jorge Posada Blue Refractors #/150: Blue refractors fall roughly one per box (although Matsui and Ramirez both came in the same pack) and look just terrific in person. I've said it before and I'll say it again: if I had the time and the money, I would definitely attempt to complete this set. In fact, maybe I'll start now...

Hector Correa Orange Refractor #9/25: I was pretty happy to pull an orange refractor until I realized that Hector Correa (who projects as a solid middle reliever) also had a "1st Bowman Chrome Card" in 2008 Bowman Chrome. That makes very little sense to me. I understand the whole "RC" logo thing, but not back-to-back first year cards. Thanks Topps.

Tim Federowicz/Connor Graham/Brett Anderson/Robbie Grossman Autos: I went into the break hoping for an auto of Freddie Freeman, Carlos Santana, Dayan Viciedo or Tommy Hanson. Unfortunately, I was shut out and left with three scrubs and one solid auto (Brett Anderson). Thankfully, there is much more to these boxes than just the autos (something you can't say about Bowman Draft) including the following card:

Tim Lincecum Gold Refractor #20/50: Wow! I was excited when I opened a pack and saw that I had struck gold and downright ecstatic when I realized I had hit a great card of the terrific Tim Lincecum. This card is a real peach in person and even though Tim isn't a Mariner (although he could have been...ehhhh) I think I will keep this one in the PC for a while.

I love this product and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap, shiny break. Thanks for looking!

Card of the Week: 2004 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. Super Patch Name Plate SP/15

I won this beauty in a hotly contested auction on eBay last week and couldn't wait to show it off. There's quite a few nice Griffey patches on eBay, but the majority of them are set at ridiculously high Buy It Nows, so I wasn't about to let this one get away when it came up for auction. The super patches from 2004 Upper Deck fell at 1:7,500 packs and this particular card is short printed to just 15 copies. Needless to say, it will be a centerpiece of my Griffey collection for a long time, and is a card that I hope to one day pass on to Bud Jr. Thanks for looking!

Stay tuned for another great Griffey pick-up coming soon!

First Day Issue's eBay Adventures & Exploits: #1

I won everything in this lot for $11 DLVD (the auction was merely titled 6 game-used baseball jerseys) which is a steal considering that it contains two PC players (Ichiro and J.J.) plus a Ginter auto (which always look great) and an SP two-colored relic of Serena Williams. The Damon bat and Clemens/Hughes jerseys are just icing on-top of a filling, but affordable, eBay cake. Stay tuned for more of First Day Issue's eBay Adventures and Exploits (not all of which work out in my favor) in the coming weeks and months. Thanks for looking!

Card of the Week: 2005 Donruss Leather & Lumber Jamie Moyer Auto #10/100

Although the sticker on this card can be seen from space, the card still holds a special place in my heart. Not only is an auto of one of the M's best pitchers and baseball's classiest guys (can't wait for his comeback in 2012) but to top it all off I pulled it from one pack of 2005 Donruss Leather and Lumber that I won from a friend in a bet. Coincidence? I think not...

Triple Rainbow: 2009 BDPP Michael Saunders

Alright there's only one rainbow to show off today but this is my third in the past few months so deal with it. I've been working on this particular rainbow for about six months and had managed to track down everything except for the x-fractor, which with 199 copies, should not have been that difficult to find. I was worried that it might not even exist (a conspiracy no doubt!) Thankfully, someone on Blowout Cards pulled one from a box recently and was kind enough to sell it to me. The rainbow looks great in person and I am expecting big things from Michael Saunders in 2011. Thanks for looking!

They're always after me lucky charms!

Box Break: 2009 UD Signature Stars (Hobby)

I found this box at a local Shopko for $59.99 (not terrible considering Blowout Cards has the boxes for $45-50) and bought it on a whim after getting some good news. I wasn't expecting much from the box with it being one of Upper Deck's last baseball products but I was pleasantly surprised with my pulls and the quality of the product. Here's the goods:

Rick Hague Team USA Jersey: The basic jersey cards are well designed and it's always nice to get a something other than the standard white swatch. I'd never heard of Rick Hague before but he had a pretty good season in the minors after being drafted by the Nationals in the third round of the 2010 draft, hitting .327 at Single-A Hagerstown.

Andy Wilkins Team USA Winning Materials #156/499: It's almost impossible to tell in the scan, but the left swatch of jersey shows some dirt from game-use, which is always a plus. Wilkins was a 5th round pick of the White Sox in last year's draft and hit .307 with more walks (33) than strikeouts (31) at Rookie League Great Falls.

Kavin Keyes USA Future Watch Jersey/Auto #620/899: The auto/jersey cards fall approximately one per box and I was (un)fortunate (we won't know for a few more years) enough to pull Kavin Keyes of the 18U squad. The card looks crisp and although the autograph is on a sticker it blends nicely into the background. Keyes is attending college at Oregon State and hopefully this card will one day pay for a meal...at a sit down restaurant!


Kevin Gausman Team USA Jersey Patch #20/25: I opened one pack and was greeted by a card thicker than most Red Robin hamburgers--it turned out to be a patch variation of Kevin Gausman. Yes it's the dreaded one color patch, but at least it wasn't white, and the red completed the American Flag (red, white and blue) in jersey cards. Gausman was drafted in the 6th round by the Dodgers but didn't sign and will instead pitch for LSU. He seems to be fairly highly regarded so this might not be a bad pull at all.

David Price Top Prospects Auto RC: I had already received my four promised hits with a few packs remaining, so I was very surprised when I pulled this card. He's no Bryce Harper, but David Price was one of the top autos from the rookie subset, and I'll never complain about an extra hit. The upper right hand corner is a bit dinged but it's a great card nonetheless.


Overall Thoughts: I got pretty lucky on this box with an extra auto and a likely case hit (the patch) but for $40-45 dollars this is a fun product with an insert in nearly every pack and a decent shot at a big hit (Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Matt Weiters). If you get the urge to open something other than 2011 Topps Blasters this is a great, albeit more expensive, way to go.

Thanks for looking!

Pack Attack: 2011 Topps Retail (x12)

Everyone has seen 2011 Topps ad nauseum so I'll just show the highlights from the first batch of packs I grabbed:

Rick Ankiel Gold Parallel #392/2011: Can't complain about pulling a parallel of a PC player even if I'm not a huge fan of the photo. I'm hoping that Ankiel has a good bounce back year with the Nationals this season, but regardless of what happens, he's had a pretty remarkable career.

Ricky Romero/Aubrey Huff/David DeJesus Diamond Parallel: I love the addition of the diamond parallels to this year's Topps set. It's great to pull something shiny and they are reminiscent of some of the gaudy inserts of the 90's. I'm definitely going after the Mariners team set of these parallels. Outstanding!

Roy Halladay Diamond Giveaway Code Card: I was a little disappointed to only pull one giveaway card from 12 packs and even more disappointed when it turned into a 1994 Mike Schooler. Things only got worse though as I pulled another giveaway code from a different set of packs and that turned into: a 1992 Topps Mike Schooler!! Way too much school!! Still, I like the promotion, even if it doesn't seem to have as many good cards as last year.

Victor Martinez Topps 60 Game-Used Something: I guess I should be excited to pull a hit but Topps' language is so nebulous that the piece of "memorabilia" on this card could have been worn by me. Not only is it not from "any specific game, event or season" but it doesn't even metion that it was worn by Victor Martinez. I like the design but don't want to feel like I'm getting bamboozled by the shady practices of our only card manufacturer. Step it up Topps.


Overall Thoughts: It's Topps. It's good. I'll buy more. Thanks for looking!

Back in the Game: A Trade with Night Owl

It had been a very long-time since I had received a trade package in the mail so I was thrilled to find one last week from the dean of baseball card blogs, Nightowl. As always, he came through with a great mix of Mariners both old and new. Here are some of my favorites:

2001 Bowman Chrome Edgar Martinez: Edgar didn't make any headway on his journey towards Cooperstown this year but I remain optimistic that one day he will receive the credit he deserves for a tremendous career. 2001 Bowman Chrome is one of my favorite Bowman designs and my little brother will be thrilled to add another great Edgar to his binder of one of the M's most beloved players of all-time.

2001 Topps Chrome Rafael Soriano: This card is another stinging reminder of how incompetent the Mariners' front office used to be (I think they're better now, but I would like to see some results on the field). Rafael Soriano was a stellar reliever for Seattle before Bill Bavasi decided to send him to Atlanta for Horacio Ramirez (slaps forehead). Long story short, Soriano has been even better since and Ramirez posted an ERA north of sevent (7!) while in Seattle. Yeah, we came out ahead on that one.


2010 Topps Attax Ken Griffey Jr.: Ken Griffey Jr. didn't attack much of anything besides the team buffet last season, but I'm always happy to add another new card of the Kid to my collection. I saw Griffey in a Nike commercial the other day and forgot for a second that he's retired. It still hurts.

2010 Topps Chrome Franklin Gutierrez X-Fractor: Franklin "Death to Flying Objects" Gutierrez was one of the lone bright spots for Seattle in 2010 and I'm hoping he takes a step forward at the plate in 2011. Speaking of bright spots, there all over this card! AHHHHHHHHHH!

Thanks for the great cards Night Owl!

Box Break: 2010 Bowman Draft (Hobby)

Got this box wicked cheap on eBay (about 1/2 price) so I didn't have very high hopes of pulling a big hit. That's good, because this year's BDPP is built to disappoint, and there were only two cards worth showing:

Leon Landry Blue Refractor #136/199: This might not be a big money hit but it is one terrific looking card (I love me some blue refractors). Leon Landry was a third round pick of the Dodgers and had a great first year in pro ball, hitting .349 with 4 HR's, 38 RBI's and 13 SB's for rookie league Ogden. It's worth holding onto, but if I decide to move it, it's headed your way Night Owl.

Ryan Bolden Refractor Auto #237/500: Well that sucks. Not only does Ryan Bolden have one ugly autograph, but he also happens to be one of the worst (if not the worst) players in the set. Yet another 1st round pick of the Angels Bolden hit a paltry .187 at rookie league Arizona with no HR's and a 14/68 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Not counting on this to make me any money.


Overall Thoughts: I can't complain about what I pulled because the box was so cheap, but that being said, this one was a real stinker. '10 BDPP is a huge gamble by the box and while it may pay off on occassion more often than not it will leave you feeling hollow inside. I should take my own advice and stick to singles...