Dear Blog Gods

Dear Blog Gods or the Powers that be,

Why all of a sudden out of nowhere are my posts taking hours to reflect on blog rolls and reading lists, even my own is taking that long. This is really frustrating. Everything has been working good the past few weeks everything has posted normally until now. Now everything is taking hours to show up. So much for wonderful technology that works. Hopefully this is just a hiccup and will resolve it self over the coming days and not weeks unlike last time. So if you see some posts and timestamps that don't make sense now you know why. For example This morning at 7am I posted an entry and it didn't show up on my reading list until 4pm and then I posted one about 630pm and it's now almost 10pm and that one still hasn't shown up, but they are on my blog. I guess if you're a frequent reader you'll see the post anyways. 

A Concerned Blogger

Keith

Lots of Catching Up to Do

Well the title pretty sums up this short post.  Still have a trade package to go through and will probably have another one tomorrow or the next day delivered along with some eBay mail and a COMC package too.  At least tonight is my last nights work until Sunday night so I should be able to get caught up over my weekend.  I did get out my trade package today like I said so that is one good thing.

Well maybe if I get some time this evening I'll post again with something of a little substance.

It look like the bug is back again where my posts take hours to show up in reading lists and blog rolls.  I still haven't figured out why this occurs, but it is frustrating.

Quick Update

Well I have been busy at work again, but this time on COMC instead of eBay.  I used my store credit from COMC from the past 2 days that I earned and picked up 21 cards that I needed fore a set.  I also won a lot of 37 cards on eBay for the set that I'm looking to complete for a steal of $15 shipped.  I now have about 65 cards and only need 35 more from '13 Triple Threads Amethyst parallel to complete the base set.  So you can check out my link to the right to see which cards I need from the set and hopefully you reach out to me for a trade.  Hopefully COMC keeps their work for store credit coming so I can complete the set with spending little to none of my cash.

This guy is falling asleep while typing this post being I just got home from work about an hour ago.  Sorry for any incorrect spelling and grammar use.

I'm also hoping to take a look at the trade package I received, but I dont know if I will have the time once I wakeup.  Definitely will look at it tomorrow when I have more time.

Lets Go Mets!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, the head bobs are happening with the nasty repeat of a held key and such a short post, but this guy is exhausted.  Here is a Sterling Ruby auto of LJ Mazzilli the son of Lee Mazzilli.

Just a Quick One and Trade Package

Just a quick post before heading off to work.  After looking through my Sports Card Album it looks like I may be a PC'er of Jedd Gyorko and Stedman Bailey being I have 9 and 13 autos of each respectively.  I guess I can always add more if I find some good deals on their cards while on the search for Mets stuff.

I also received a trade package in the mail today from The Dutch Card Guy, but haven't had a chance too look at it yet.  All I know is that its pretty packed.  More will follow on this in the coming days.

Well tonight Jon Niese takes the mound for the second place Mets in Philly.  Well here's a card I picked up a few years for under a buck of tonight's starter.  I guess I could of featured David Wright being he has some pretty career numbers against Cole Hamels and at Citizens Bank Ballpark.  His OPS against Hamels is 1.055 and it is .920 at Citizens. Lets hope he breaks out and hits some long balls in this short 2 game series.

Did I Get Lucky or What

Well the other day I got an eBay message in my email saying bid on some items and get $5 eBay Bucks. Was kind of suspicious being it sounded to good to be true and I didn't get the same message in eBay so I just kinda ignored and forgot about it. Well last night I had an eBay message in eBay saying the same thing bid on 5 items get $5 eBay bucks. JACKPOT that's a quick easy doing to do in a weeks time for a free $5 bucks. Plus nightly I should be able to get about $6 plus COMC CREDIT for helping them encode cards for their catalog.  Hopefully this continues for awhile and I can build up a nice sizeable store credit and get some cards. 

A Fuji Contest

Well time for another chance to win some cards from The Chronicles of Fuji.  In celebration of his 1000th post he is giving away 1000 cards between 4 different people.  Go check out the CONTEST HERE and see what you have to do.  Nothing to hard and the contest runs for awhile.

Check out my previous just to see how lucky or fortunate I was this past weekend.

Congrats again Fuji 1000 posts.

Near Disaster Avoided

All in all the weekend went well up until around 2:00 this afternoon. That's when I heard water running an asked my wife if she was running the washer or dishwasher or anything else. She replied back no. So I hurried outside to get into the crawlspace. When I first peaked my head in I heard water running but not gushing. So as I ventured further under the house it was coming from the are our hot water tank is in which is a walk in pantry. So I hurry out an run into the house to see what's going on. Luckily it was the pressure release valve that went bad and the previous owner has the pipe going through the floor into the crawlspace so it dosen't flood. So I shut off the water intake to the tank and shut off the gas an pilot light too. Head outside to get a hose to drain the tank hookup said hose to the tank disconnect the pipe going through the floor so I can disconnect the valve once the water drains some. Well I opened some hot water taps in the house to start draining the tank well I thought to myself might as well an go ahead an flush it too while it's all hooked up and turned on the water intake and went outside to see what was coming out. Walked back in not even 5 minutes later and had water on the floor. No fault of my own being the water was coming out the vaults pressure release valve and not draining thru the floor because I disconnected the pipe. So I shut the water off quickly again. Yanked everything on the floor up as fast as possible. Well luckily not too much was on the floor. It's a good thing I took my cards out when I first went in their to shut everything off or else some if not all cards would have been lost. I probably would have been lucky and the autos and jersey cards being they were not directly on the floor would have been alright, but not the other cards or boxes of cards. Let's just say I got lucky and the wife was just a tad upset with me. Let me rephrase that she was upset with me. Needles to say I will not be storing my cards on the floor in the walk-in pantry/closet anymore. I learned my lesson. I may put them on the top shelf that is about 7 feet off the floor or find a new place all together. Yes so I was lucky in a way but not so much on the good side of my wife. And yes I did manage to replace the valve and all is good being we have hot water and no leaky valve.  And to add insult to injury I twisted/sprained/strained my ankle after closing up the crawlspace. Needless to say I'm not in the best of mood at work.

At least the Mets won again and beat the Marlins and are only 76 wins away from their goal of 90. I liked Daniel Murphys comment the other night when asked about being over .500 his reply was we expected to be. Good attitude Murphy and keep winning.

 

LETS GO METS!!!

Here is a card that could have been potentially lost, but thankfully wasn't. I got a steal on this beauty too. I believe this was right around 25 bucks.

Busy Busy Busy Day and a Contest Too!!!

Phew today was a busy busy day.

Started out with opening day ceremonies for my son's tee ball at noon.  Had some running to do after that and then be back at the field for his first tee ball game which they ended up playing in and out of light rain showers.  While talking to other parents after Friday's rain out most parents said their kids were disappointed and one even stated that their son cried because he was so upset.

It was a blast seeing them take the field and play and not have a care in the world either.  Seeing the kids chase after the ball like a pack of wild animals and not having parents scream and yell at their kids.  After the game when they asked who won they were told both teams won because they played the game hard and fair and had fun which is the most important part.

Well if your still reading after that go checkout Tony's blog at Off Hiatus Baseball.  He's running a contest for his 100th post and has a treasure chest of goodies too choose from if you win.

Well I was busy today on eBay again and made a few purchases which I will show off when they come in.  One was an auto I have been wanting and another was a lot of cards to help me come closer to completing a set and I'll just leave it at that.

I did receive some mail today from and eBay purchase that I forgot about.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

One Disappointed Kid...Make that Two

Well today was supposed to be opening day for the oldest.  Well it was unfortunately a rain-out and boy was he upset and disappointed. All he has been talking about for the past few days was playing tee ball with Coach Dave.  He said he was going to pray for no rain when we told him there is a chance of rain the next few days.  He was saying something out loud on the way to Dick's Sporting Goods when we ran out to get him a helmet an bat bag.  When we asked him what he was saying because he was speaking softly he said "I'm praying for no rain so I can play tee ball with Coach Dave." So Mother Nature please no rain for the next few days. Good thing opening ceremonies are tomorrow morning and he has a game tomorrow evening with minimal chance of rain.

Dad is a little disappointed too that the boy didn't get to play and I lost some eBay auctions via last second snipe bids.  That's OK there are more of the cards I was wanting out there and they're not too rare plus I didn't want to overpay for the cards I was wanting. I am watching a few low numbered cards that are ending tomorrow so hopefully I have better luck and don't have two rain-outs.

Well the Mets won again and are a few games over .500 and ended the Marlins closer consecutive saved games at 30 something.  Mr. Wheeler was wheeling and dealing strikeouts to the tune of 10 in 6 innings of work.  Here's a nice little jersey card from '14 Gypsy Queen that I picked up for a buck or so.  Plus its pretty unique being and alternate orange jersey from I believe Spanish Heritage Night with Los Mets on the front.  Can never have too many Mets cards.
 

I Can't Believe It

HWhile flipping through eBay looking at cards it dawned on me too check out a particular card or cards of a certain player. I went ahead and looked just to see what was out their and not too much. So I went flipping through my sports card album to see if I had the player and I do not. I could swear I picked up an auto of Jenrry Mejia earlier this year. Maybe I forgot to add it to my album or maybe I didn't pick one up at all. Oh well looks like another purchase on eBay may be in store. I'll have to check my collection before I indulge though. Hopefully it was just an oversight on my part. 

Well the Mets are above .500 and took 3 of 4 from the Cards so that's a good thing. 

Did I wakeup in NY/NJ

Well I woke up just a while ago and flipped on MLB Network and heard Mex(Hernandez) and Gary Cohen from SNY. For a moment I thought I was somehow transported back to my home state getting to hear the familiar broadcast team but no such luck.  But boy do I love MLB Network. Maybe one day I'll break down an get the MLB Extra Innings on cable so I can watch my team everyday but not until I get off working midnights will that happen. Hopefully the Mets win an take 3 of 4 from the Cardinals.

A Wild Wacha Wednesday

Well my Wednesday could be just as crazy as the game stat below. I'll let you decide. My normal work hours are 7:30pm to 6am an I usually sleep from 6:30am to about 2am. Well yesterday I left work at 5am went to bed got up at 7:45am to help the wife get the boys ready for preschool then went back to bed from 8:45am to about 12:30pm. Then had an interview at 2:30pm got home about 3:30pm.  Played outside with the kids till about 5:15pm then came into work at 6:30pm which is an hour early for a coworkers retirement party plus doing my normal job after that. Phew all in less than 24 hours. Plus this weekend my oldest has 3 T-ball games in 4 days plus opening ceremonies Saturday morning. Weekend doesn't look  like much relaxing or downtime either. Oh well wouldn't have it any other way. 

The Mets Cardnials game sure was a wild one this evening. Michael Wacha had 10 strikeouts in 4 innings worth of work pretty amazing, but he also had 5 walks in that time frame and only lasted 4 innings. Two of those walks were with bases loaded.  The Mets ended up winning 3-2 in a large part due to their catcher d'Arnaud applying a beautiful tag at home with wonderful throws from Nieuwenheis and Tejada.

Well being it was a crazy day. I'm showing off a card I got a crazy steal on a few months back. Here is a 2013 Panini Penpals auto of Geno Smith, Tavon Austin, and Stedman Bailey which was picked up pretty cheap compared to other auctions.   Plus these are on card autos and not stickers. Just wish I knew what these were numbered too. 

Another night of work

I've been busy perusing ebay almost nightly while at work and boy only if I had an unlimited supply of money. In the past few nights a bunch a cards have hit that I want to get my hands on but would be too expensive. The other night I saw '14 Gypsy Queen tri auto jersey card of Harvey, Wheeler, and Wright come an go in about a day. Just a little too high for my liking. Also there has been some listings of some guy named Piazza who I'd like to get a hold of too. At least the Piazzas at auction so I maybe able to get a hold of that one. Don't get me wrong I like the collection I have and will continue to build on it, but it sure would be nice to have some of these other prized possessions. Some day maybe unless the card gods or powers that be let me get them as hits in my box busting adventures.

Well enough of my dreaming I have work to do still, but before I get back to the grind it's time to show another card. Well this player was traded after winning something called a CY Young award, but completely understand it. I did see him pitch a few times for the Mets before he was traded and talk about a guy who's finally made it after a long journey. Well sorry for the rambling and incoherent sentences this guy is tired, but without further ado here is a nice tribute auto /25 of RA Dickey. Any scratches or lines are on the case and not the card.

What did they do?

Well Ike seems to be fitting in well at Pittsburgh with hitting his second grand slam of the season. I just wish Mets management would have given him the chance this year. I still don't think Duda is the answer long term at first. I've been saying to my buddy who is a Pirates fan all along since the trade was announced that he'd turn it around. I just was hopeful it would have been with the Mets. Well so much for patience with the Wilpons.  

Also how bout these Mets. Exceeding my expectations so far. Yes I know the season is still young and a lot can happen. 

After busting some Gypsy Queen a few days ago it's time to start thinking about the next boxes to bust. Anyone have any recommendations?  We usually try to keep it around 70 a box so that limits us to products that have been released for awhile. 

Well goodnight and Let's Go Mets!!!!

Quick One Before Practice

Ok fellow bloggers. Just a quick post before the boys T-ball practice with more to follow tonight, hopefully.

Well the Mets look like they might be a fun team to watch this year and maybe even be competitive in most of the games. The only game they haven't been in is the blowout loss to the Angels in which Murphy and Wright got ejected at the same time for arguing balls and strikes from the dugout. 

Well the Mets take on the Cardinals tonight at Citi Field and will be another test after facing the Braves.

I'm going to change it up a bit today and showcase a pretty cool card in my opinion. Without further ado here is a Stedman Bailey inception glove auto /10. 

Box Break '13 Gypsy Queen X 2 and Happy Easter

Well yesterday Mike Trout had a career first.  Yes that's right Mike Trout another career first.  This time though his first was he struck out four times in a game for the first time in his career earning him the golden sombrero.

Now with that out of the way lets get on to the good stuff...

Today me and my buddies Micah and Matt (Bob Walk The Plank) gathered at Matt's house and opened some '13 Gypsy Queen boxes.  We normally try to bust a box about every month or so, but got a little behind and busted two boxes this time around.  The hit of the night went to Matt and was a card numbered /5.  For once Micah wasn't the hot hand this time around getting the big hit which normally happens.  Go check out his blog to see what it was and check out his other hits.

My First box the autos weren't anything special in Fiers and Archer, but I did hit a nice jersey card.

Here are my jersey cards from the first box. Pretty standard Rollins, but a nice Tony Gwynn jersey card.  Too bad they didn't center the pinstripe which is just barely noticeable on the right hand side.

On to box two.  The one auto was better and the other not so much and pretty standard jersey cards too.  The autos were of Matt Carpenter and Garret Richards.  The funny thing is we have all pulled a Carpenter and Richards auto out of our three boxes.  The jersey cards were of Wilin Rosario and Carlos Santana.  The Rosario had a nice purple pinstripe in it and the Santana was just a plain grey jersey.

The minis I hit on were pretty standard.  I traded Matt two black minis of Russell Martin and Neil Walker.  I did have a nice Ty Cobb mini /99 and Josh Johnson to /99 too.  

It was great getting together busting some boxes and talking baseball.  Myself and Matt talked briefly on the Ike Davis trade.  I wish they didn't trade him and told Matt that he'll probably get back into his hitting ways.  Well the Pirates game was on TV and I decided to watch Ike hit while at Matt's and his first at bat he had a double and his second he walked and I just shook my head.  The Mets I think will probably regret this move in the long run.

Well Happy Easter everyone and I hope to squeeze in a post sometime tomorrow evening.  I updated my trade bait to include the above cards and will add more cards this week.

Lets Go Mets!!!!

More to come later

I'll be posting an update and probably be adding some trade bait later being I'll be opening 2 boxes of '13 Gypsy Queen.  The way my luck goes busting boxes lately I'll probably pull a Cozart or Cingrani auto.  It seems the past few boxes I busted one of those guys seems to be in each box.  Unfortunately they just follow me.  I guess there could be worse guys.

Also, I don't know what disaster happened with the previous post, but that sure is a site for sore eyes.  Hopefully this posts properly.

Well the Ike deal is interesting cause the stuff I'm hearing is that the player to be named later is the more significant piece of the deal and not reliever Zack Thornton.  Kinda curious to see who it is and how this turns out for Ike.  I'm sure he is relieved that this whole ordeal is over with.  Lets see if the Mets organization made the right choice/decision with this deal.  Well at least I'll get to see him and hear about him daily being he was traded to the local sports team the Pirates.

I personally don't like parting with him but what say you?

TRADE: 2 by 3 Heroes and Gypsy Queen (2013)

Yesterday I received a nice little package from Jeff over at 2 x 3 Heroes.  His page was one that I stumbled upon through my buddies over at Bob Walk the Plank's.  I just happened to click on the link at the right time and he was doing a giveaway of some UD Starquest on 4/3.  The only catch was you had to be the first to comment on the post and email him stating you were claiming the cards and send him just one card that he wanted which in his list was a '13 GQ of Omar Infante.  Well I did just that being one of the cards in the giveaway was a Jose Reyes Ultra Rare un-common that I wanted to add to my Mets collection and the others were some nice cards that will probably be added to trade bait or a contest as well.   I also saw that he had an Alomar an Maine jersey card's in trade bait and asked what it would take for those as well.  Although, I felt kind of guilty sending just one card for six in return and dug through some of my 09 Ginter to see what I had that he wanted and sent him some of that as well.  Jeff was really easy to deal. So first off I'll show the giveaway and then I'll show off the extras that he sent and was surprised by all what he did send.  

The Give Away Loot

More Starquest

More Loot

Alomar Jersey

Thanks again Jeff for the awesome loot.  Well yesterday saw the departure of Ike Davis to the Pirates for basically nothing in return except for a minor league reliever and a player to be named later.  The way I found out was my buddy Matt texted me that the Pirates just acquired him. I really wish the Mets would have given him another chance this year as I do not think Duda is the answer at first long term.  Plus with the way the Mets luck has been on trading players he'll probably have a breakout year and make my stomach churn.  I really do hope he turns it around cause I liked the guy and from what the broadcasters were saying during the game he is a good guy all around.  Well later today I'm busting 2 boxes of '13 Gypsy Queen with my buddy Matt(Yes, the same one that texted me) over at Bob Walk the Plank and will be showing off the hits from my boxes.  Plus, I'm sure the whole Ike deal/ordeal will be brought up too in discussion.    

Just a quick update

Today was a busy day out with the family shopping for clothes and such for the little guys. 

Well I did manage to sneak in a snipe bid an win an auction thanks to the eBay mobile app. When we arrived home I had to envelopes waiting in the mail box for me one was from eBay auction win and the other was a trade package from Jeff over at 2 by 3 Heroes. The eBay auction was a .99 cent win of '14 Gypsy Queen jersey card of Dillon Gee. The other package from Jeff was pretty sweet and I'll show some of what he sent later today when I have time to snap some pictures of the goods. I was very pleasantly surprised by what he added in addition to what I knew I was getting. 

Well it was a slow day in baseball and the Mets start a big home stand against the divisional rival Braves Friday. 

Here is a card I picked up multiples of earlier this year. Noah Syndergaard will probably be called up this May or June going the route of Harvey and Wheeler. He was part of the package with D'arnaud that sent Dickey and Thole to the Blue Jays. Still a big fan of Dickey an hope he can get back to his winning form. 

Just my Two cents

Well I believed I touched on this topic awhile ago briefly in another post.  The Mets have Ike Davis & Lucas Duda for 1B with Duda being the starter this year after an abysmal year by Davis. Well Duda seems to be hitting the ball fairly well this year and Davis seems to be better than last year at the plate.

Davis is a better defensive 1B than Duda and both have struggled with the bat in prior years. Id like to see Davis get more playing time and take back the starting job from Duda.  With the injuries to the OF I wonder if they'll move Duda into left or right at times to let Davis play. 

This should get interesting as the season unfolds. 

My votes for Ike. Who do you think should start?

Here is a Duda Triple Threads that I picked up a year or two ago pretty cheap. 

What's with the mail

Ok last week I kinda went on a buying spree on eBay. I think I purchased 8 or so cards with most of them being paid for at one time an one or two single pay items. Well the grouping of 6 that was paid for some were in California, Florida, Ohio, Illinois, an Pennsylvania. I believe four were mailed the same day and the others the next day. Anyone care to take a guess which cards arrived first?  It was the 2 from California from 2 different buyers. Even though 2 of the other states are bordering states to my home state. Kinda crazy if you ask me.

Well the Mets won again and are another game closer to their 90 win goal. So in honor of Kirk Nieuwenheis getting called up to fill in for injuries and going 3 for 5 with a HR and 3 RBIs here is a 2013 Triple Threads /10. Sorry for the glare on the picture. 

In honor of Jackie Robinson Day

Here is a picture of my oldest standing in the Jackie Robinson rotunda at Citi Field 2 years ago.  He thoroughly enjoyed kiddie field out behind center field. Kiddie field is a replica wiffle ball field of Citi field where they let kids take turns trying to hit one out off a tee. Let's just say he had a blast at his first Mets game.  RA Dickey pitched a gem that game also, but too bad they lost.

Lets Go Mets!!!

Interesting tidbit from tonight

Well the Mets won this evening so that is a good thing. Also Chris Young in his rehab assignment is 7 for 7 at Triple A Las Vegas as due back with the team Friday. Well this can be big being the Mets potentially just lost Granderson and Lagares due to injuries to what extent is unknown.

Now while listening to the game tonight the announcers gave an interesting stat. The mets have led in 12 out of 13 games so far this year. That is good thing. Now if they can only find a way to hold onto the lead. 

I still think they are a year away from competing for a playoff spot but who knows. Maybe if the chips fall a certain way they may get lucky this year. 

I should have featured this card in my other post in regards to Tommy John surgery, but here is another beauty from Triple Threads. An yes this too is available for trade. 

Quick Post, More updates, and More to follow from work

Well just a quick post before heading to work this evening. Hopefully the Mets drubbing the other day was just a fluke.  Well hopefully Mr Wheeler can get it turned around in Arizona this evening for the Mets and get them back on track. 

Added two more cards to the trade bait link to the right.  If your a Cardinals or Atheltics fan they are sure to please, but feel free to take a look even if your not a fan of those teams.

Well here is a 2012 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Patch of Zack Wheeler.  I picked this up off eBay a few months ago for a pretty reasonable price and was happy to add it to my collection

eBay day and showcase

Yesterday was another ebay day picking up some more cards cheap to add to my collection. Most of the players I picked up I already have some sort of card either auto or relic.  There was one player that I managed to pick up that I didn't have and that is Jeremy Hefner who is currently out recovering from tommy john surgery. Speaking of tommy john surgery it seems to be happening quite often to quite a few pitchers every year. Just wonder what's going on to cause all the tears.

Well this week should be a busy mail day with most of my eBay purchases hopefully arriving throughout the week and hope to include them into the blog. 

I need to start including in my collection some of the older and not quite as old Mets such as Seaver, Ryan, Koosman, Hernandez, Johnson, Jefferies etc. 

I would like to pickup a Mr Met auto too fortmy collection.  

Here is a sweet Shelby Miller RC Gold auto 3 color jersey /10 that I pulled from 2013 Triple Threads. It'll probably make it's way to eBay eventually being being I'm not a Cards fan not a Shelby Miller PC. I'll try to show off my triple threads pulls from busting two boxes earlier this year. 

Lets Make a Trade

Ok guys and gals lets make a trade or trades.  

I have Allen & Ginter, Triple Threads, Series 1,  Prizm, and Gypsy Queen available in my trade bait. Some are autos, relics, minis, and inserts.  I'm still in the process of adding to my trade bait so if you don't see it just ask and I may have it.  

I collect all things Mets and I'm trying to complete the 2013 Triple Threads Amethyst parallel set.  The cards I need can be found on the right hand side under my wants list for the Amethyst set.

Just added some more stuff to my trade bait link which you can CLICK HERE or find on the right hand side of my blog.  I also have 2009 Allen and Ginter base and minis available and 2013 Series 1 and some inserts and minis available in addition to what is showing in my trade bait link.  Once again if you don't see just ask and I'm still in the process of adding to my trade bait links.

Well I was hoping to be asleep by now, but the Mets did it to me again and went extra innings for the second night in a row with the Angels.  So I stayed up late to listen to it on MLB at bat lite with hopefully a different outcome.  Well the outcome was different and it only took 13 innings with the Mets winning on the HR of Anthony Recker in the top of the 13th.  Well the Mets pen had to face the top of the order in the bottom of the 13th including Mike Trout with 2 outs.  Well Trout lined out to 1st and thats the ballgame. PHEW!!!  Congrats John Lannan on your first win as a Met.

Well I didn't know what card to feature tonight. I decided on a Derek Jeter green series 1,  yes a Yankee is gracing my page as a Mets fan and probably only this once will that happen unless I feature this card again or another Jeter I stumble upon.  Well let me explain why.  The reason is he was born in the same town that I was born and raised in and that town is Pequannock, NJ.  Yes my claim to fame is Derek Jeter was born in my hometown and hospital I was and so was Jason Biggs the actor and yes he's the pie f@$ker.  I don't know you decide for yourself who the bigger claim to fame is and let me know by commenting.

LETS GO METS!!!

Busy Busy Day, Baseball and Sports Related

Today was a busy day.  Our oldest had his Easter party at preschool and then the wife and I had a long long long overdue date night.  I think its been over a year that it was just the two of us.  So after taking the boys to their grandma's for the evening we jetted off to dinner and a movie.

Well after eating dinner we had some time to kill before the movie and decided to head on over to Target to pickup Easter candy and so goodies from the Easter bunny.  While their I wondered over to the card aisle and pondered picking up some blaster boxes for a good 5 minutes while the wife patiently waited.  I was going to get each of the boys a blaster box, but decided against it being they are a little young yet.  I know I know your asking well did you at least get yourself a box and the answer to that question is I did not.  The reason being is I have been busy on eBay the past few days and are currently watching a few auctions ending in the next day or two.  So I decided not too. Hence the name of the post.

The movie the wife decided on was Draft Day.  She had her choices narrowed down to that one and Captain America 2 but ultimately chose Draft Day.  The movie was good and I won't ruin it for anyone.  But man too be in that kind of position I wouldn't know what to think.

Well my eBay purchases and watches consist of Mets autos and relics and a special surprise that will be revealed at a later time.  I've been cherry picking some of the new 2014 Gypsy Queen Mets autos and relics and have not spent more than 5 bucks on a single item other than the one special item.  I also picked up an museum auto of D'arnaud for real cheap too via a best offer that was probably the best experience with that feature on eBay.  Now only if all sellers could be like that seller.

Well after staying up late to catch the end of the Mets Angels game I'm going to bed after that debacle.  Lets just say extra innings bases loaded hit-by-pitch.  If it's any consolation it was the pitchers first career hit by pitch.  Oh well they hung with the Angels and the prodigy of Mike Trout.

Good Night and LETS GO METS!!!!!

Shame Shame Shame

Shame on you Topps for using the same photos across your products.  I can understand if it is a Rookie or player with only a handful years of service, but here we are talking about a player with 19 years of service.  I'm sure Gary Carter has more pictures you could use that span his 19 yr career then the few you have chosen to use.  Especially being he played a majority of his career with the Expos then the Mets.  As you can see in the photo below just how lazy Topps has become.

Lets Go Mets!!!

Frustrated

I don't know if anyone else is having issues with their blog, but mine seems to be acting screwy.  My last two posts have never showed up in other bloggers feeds nor have they showed up on my feed or reading list.  Don't know what the issue is and it seems like it just has been the last 24 hours or so.  I willing to bet that this post shows up just fine and doesn't have any issues.  Wonder if anyone else is having issues?  Oh well at least there's bonus coverage on MLB network of the Giants and D'backs and I'm enjoying a nice Sam Adam's Cold Snap too.

Hopefully the issues I'm having resolve themselves sooner rather than later.

Lets Go Mets!!!

eBay and how not to use Best Offer

Ok here is a bit of a rant.  I'm interested in a card that has a best offer, but the seller doesn't seem to grasp the concept of that very button nor terminology.  I offered the guy one time and he never countered, accepted or declined my offer until I contacted him through eBay.  He came back with a counter 15 Bucks below his BIN and I counter again upping my offer 35 bucks over 24 hrs ago and he still has yet to respond.  If you are going to use the best offer function at least review the offers you receive and accept, decline, or counter.  If not just leave it as a BIN an thats it.  This auction has been listed for about a month now and each time it has never sold so I figured I'd take a stab at it, but my gosh this is painful.  Plus the auction ends in under 24 hours so you think the seller would respond.

End Rant......

Well at least the Mets took 2 out of the 3 from the Braves.  Shame on you MLB for making the Mets play a night game then fly cross country to the west coast for a game Friday night against the Angels.  Usually travel days have day games not night ones. Shame on you MLB.



LETS GO METS!!

Haves, Wants, and other Ramblings

Quick post before the oldest's T-ball practice.

Ok Guys, I added a link to sets I'd like to complete.  As of right now the only one I'm shooting for is the 2013 Triple Threads Amethyst.  Any help would be greatly appreciated

Well I have 2009 Allen & Ginter's base along with mini's that I can trade.  I also have 2013 Topps Series 1 base and inserts/variations available too. If you know of anyone that needs the above cards send them my way or let me know and I'll reach out to them.

Also check out my trade bait for some other cards from Triple Threads, Ginter, Series 1, and Prizm.

Now for the other ramblings.(It'll be quick)

The Mets need to cut down on their strikeouts per inning.  I believe they are averaging right around 1.5 strikeouts per inning which is way too high.  Also,  I do not believe the Braves and Mets are as bad as they looked at last nights game.  Well every team can can look like a contender or a pretender just look at the Marlins through the first week.

Well here is an old timer Mets player in Ed Kranepool.  To date he is the only player in the Mets organization to start and play his entire career with the Mets.  His signed on in 1962 and retired after the 1979 season and was also the Mets all time hits leader until David Wright passed him.  Hopefully we can add one more to a career Mets player in David Wright one day.

Happy Birthday Kid

Well today was Gary "The Kid" Carters Birthday.  Another one taken way too soon from the world 2 years ago.  I had the pleasure and luck to watch him play a bunch at Shea as a little kid.  He played the game just like his nickname and had a blast doing it.  I use to average about 2 games a week with my Dad and two of his buddies.   We were fortunate that we didn't have to pay for the 3rd base box seats being the one friend always got the tickets for free so I was told.  He was a detective in our town and as a little kid I never asked how he got them just when are we leaving and what time the game was.  I always had to take my mitt with me just in case a ball came our way.  We use to get their early to watch batting practice and fielding drills.   As an 7-8 yr old kid it was a blast.  There is a cool Carter auto after my Harvey story.  Also, I have a Mex(Keith Hernandez) story from a game I attended for another time.

My post yesterday for those that read it states that I let a Matt Harvey auto slip through my hands.  I did let a National Treasure patch card /99 from 2012 slip through, and I still kick myself to this day for it.  I found the card on eBay as a best offer and shot the guy a reasonable offer an he countered. Well I countered one last time with the price I was willing to spend an he cam back about 10 bucks higher than my counter.  Needles to say I debated biting the bullet and accepting but I didnt.  He never pitched in the majors before and was hesitant to spend that much.  Well I believe the price was 95 that I let it go for.  Well now the card is selling today for about 150 plus even though hes out for the yr.  During the 2012-13 season the card was selling for 300 plus.  To this day this still haunts me.

Without further ado here is the sweet Carter auto.  Sorry for the glare. There is a Tom Seaver auto from the same Hawaii Trade Conference that I'd like to get just because it is a unique auto picture.

Random Thoughts

After observing 2 T-ball practices some parents have to come back to reality that these kids are only 4-6 yrs old and they are not the next (insert your favorite superstar here).  It's unbelievable that parents think kids should be able to throw far an accurate when most can't throw beyond 10 feet or they should be able to kill the ball when hitting. For the most part these kids are probably playing the game for the first time with real bats and balls and not a wiffle ball and bat. One dad was yelling at his son to catch the ball when he's probably never been taught how. Other parents are yelling at their kids go get the ball when another kid has it or is nearby. You can see on these kids faces they are not happy when their parent yells at them and are confused. Some parents are laughing at other kids because they are starring up at the plane in the sky. Kids this age have no attention span whatsoever. Let them have fun an play and learn the game. T-ball is to learn the game for when they get older. Some parents today just kill me because they put too much pressure on their kid.  As a child of a parent who coached baseball an had success he would be ashamed at the way parents are behaving today.

Sorry for the rant. 

Now hopefully in the next day or so my two packages that I mailed out make it to their destination and those people share the goods on their blog.  If you are looking for 09 ginter or 2013 Series 1 let me know I should be able to help you out with your needs. 

Now onto my most recent purchase that I made on ebay from topps update is a Matt Harvey allstar jersey.  I was perusing ebay early this morning(hey I work midinghts) and came across a buy it now for under 6 bucks with free shipping so I decided to pull the trigger unlike another Harvey that I let slip through my fingers(more on this tomorrow), but did some quick research on the card an it's sales price first. It looks like a pretty good deal for the most part because others are selling around 7 bucks an up plus delivery except  that went for just a bit less than what I purchase. So without further ado here is the card in all it's glory. 

More to follow later (update)

The other night while going through cards to send off to people I gave my youngest a base card to hold. Well he's usually pretty good holding it and waving it and carrying it around. Well not this time. After 5 or so minutes of being perfect with it he tried to hold it on both sides with one hand and shown below is what happened. I just had to laugh and go oh well it's just a card.

  

He also gets excited for mail when he sees an envelope from ebay. I think I have a future buddy in card collecting in my soon to be 2 yr old. My older son is still a work in progress. 

Well hopefully this is the only casualty from my youngest with the cards.

SCORE the Mets Reds game is the free MLB.TV game of the day.  Looks I'll be watching it till T-ball practice.

Lazy Saturday

Today was a day of not doing too much, but now some running to do for a bit and this evening who knows.  So time for a quick post.

Well as one kid naps the other watches cartoon's on TV and the wife does her thing(more on that in the future) I followed the Mets game on the laptop.  The game saw the Reds take the lead then the Mets take it back of a Granderson 2 run bomb and then give it up on a Brandon Phillips 2 run bomb.  The bottom of the ninth inning saw a challenge by the Mets get overturned to have runners at first and second after a sac bunt attempt.  What happened next is the first walkoff win of the season for the Mets. Here is the card and LINK to the video of todays hero.

Congrats Ike on the pinch hit walkoff Grand Slam!!!

More on this later, but it looks like it could get interesting with the battle for first base between Duda and Wright.

1 Down 89 More to Go

Tonight the Mets got their first win, FINALLY.  And that means they have only 89 more to go to reach their goal of 90 wins for the season.  Today they announced that Lucas Duda will be the starting first baseman for some time with Ike Davis being shelved/backup for awhile.  All I can say is Lucas knew how to make the most of it with 2 2-run home runs which were the only runs the Mets scored,plus the BULLPEN didn't cost them this game, but they came close.
SO in honor of Lucas Duda 2 home runs and the Mets first win here is a video of the original home run apple at Shea which now sits outside Citi Field and can be seen in the main picture at the top.

Random Thoughts and Trade bait

Well the Mets are 0-3 after the first series against the Nationals.  This is the first time since 2005 they have lost the first 3 games and the first time in 17 years they have lost the first 3 at home.  Was hoping to at least get one win in the series with those kind of stats, but today starts a new series against the Reds, lets hope for the sweep.  Wait, too optimistic I'll take one win so I can finally Start the countdown on games left to 90 wins on the right hand side.  At least it looks like they may be able to score some runs this year unlike years past.

I stumbled across 2x3 heroes and saw he was having a contest first to post and email him to claim some UD Starquest cards and you had to send him something of his wants list in return and saw a Jose Reyes was part of it an jumped at the chance.  At first I just had a common want, but then I saw some more stuff he needed that I had and happily packaged them up too.  For $30 a Week Habit I saw he needed some 09 ginter and I have a bunch I sent some his way too. Now that I sent out my first two packages today to the bloggers of 2x3 heroes and $30 a Week Habit.  I hope they like what they get and if I get anything in return I will share on my blog.

For those wondering I collect the NY Mets both current and past and Jedd Gyorko of the San Diego Padres for baseball.  I also collect WVU players such as Geno Smith, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, and Bruce Irvin.  Those are the guys I have autos of but their are other guys out their I don't such as Marc Bulger, Anthony Becht, Jeff Hostetler etc..  I also keep an eye out for some NY Giants the football team or to be correct the New York Football Giants.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!!

Still Looking and a bit of a Test

For this post I'm using/testing the free Blogger iPhone app so bear with me if the picture is off or the post looks weird. Figured I try it out and see what happens.  

We'll after two games the Mets are 0-2. I figured they'd at least get the W on opening day considering as of late they don't lose much on opening day. If I recall correctly their opening day record is 32-23.

Well I'm optimistic that they'll get the W today being Zach Wheeler is toeing the rubber. He came over in the trade for Beltran with the Giants. So with that here is a Bowman Sterling auto of Zach Wheeler. 

Group Break and Trade Bait

I went ahead and entered a random group break for 2014 Topps Museum with Cards Infinity and ended up getting the Brewers even though I was hoping for the Mets.  I would have been happy with the Yankees and Dodgers too being it looks like they have the most hits in the product.  Here are the hits I received and I also updated my trade bait with some of the stuff I have been meaning to.  Also, the Mets take on the Nationals again with Bartolo Colon toeing the rubber tonight against Gio Gonzalez.  Lets hope this off season acquisition pans out and the Mets can begin their quest to 90 wins.  LETS GO METS

Robin Yount Canvas Reprint

 

Aramis Ramirez Primary Pieces

Jean Segura Auto 

 

Rickie Weeks Primary Pieces

 

So it begins.....

After stewing over the loss yesterday to the Nationals this just adds to it.  Bobby Parnell is out with a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his elbow.  Well hopefully they use some of the money Alderson was talking about to sign some bullpen hope cause things are not looking up.  Here is the article of Alderson saying the Mets could sign a free agent.  LINK

Recap

The loss to Nationals was a tough one yesterday on opening day.  Especially after taking a 3-0 lead in the first inning off an Andrew Brown home run.  The game showed the biggest concern I have as a fan with the bullpen blowing the win in the 9th inning.  On the other hand the Mets touched Strausburg for 4 runs in 6 innings worth of work.  Hopefully the offense keeps clicking and the bullpen can get turned around and maybe the 90 wins management is hoping for will become reality.

On another more positive/happy note Daniel Murphy and his wife welcomed their first child into their family.  Here is a 2009 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions card of the new dad himself to celebrate the occasion.  I believe I picked this card up for about a buck off eBay.