Back Story

Well I started this blog just about 5 months ago and it has been a blast posting and reading the other blogs out in the blogosphere.  In this time it reminded me how much fun it was collecting cards and trading them.

Now for a little bit of information on little ole me.

I was born and raised in NJ.  You can stop laughing and pointing this guy doesn't fist pump or talk with a funny accent or have a crazy hairstyle nor do I artificial tan.  Although I did go down the shore a lot growing up.

As a kid I collected cards from Garbage Pail Kids to Looney Tunes MLB cards and even those little round discs called POGS from the 1980's and 90's.  I believe I still have some complete sets of cards at my Moms house being my parents always got us a complete set for Christmas that we were never allowed to open.  Whats the fun in that as a kid.  I can't remember what years we may have, but next visit I need to check them out to see what I got. My first big purchase of an auto was with my Dad and it was a Mickey Mantle auto lithograph probably 20 plus years ago.  I can't remember what it is numbered too, but I know that is definitely still at my Moms house.  Yes a Mets fan bought a Mantle auto, but I did it being it was a good price and one of the greatest ball players to play the game.

Collection kind of took a hiatus come high school being life changed and didn't have much time for  it anymore with sports and other activities.  Then college happened and for this I went to West Virginia University where college life ruled and did the normal college things.  Wake-up, attend class, eat, video games and party. So I didn't have time to collect.  Well upon graduating from college I ended up staying in West Virginia and working and hanging out with buddies.  So rent, bills, golfing and beer took up most of the pay.

Fast forward a few years and now I am married with 2 kids and getting back into hobby again.  The wife kind of gives me a hard time and just laughs when I say I'm heading to Matt's or going to go through my cards, but it is all in good jest from her.  My oldest son likes to open and see the cards, but he isn't too fond of Panini's non-licensed stuff he likes to open the stuff with color(his words not mine) hence the Topps products.  The youngest guy could care less about cards as of now, but I'm sure that will change in due time or at least I hope.

So that how a Mets fan is living in WV.  I also root for the Giants and Devils too, but primarily collect Mets, WVU players both baseball(Jedd Gyorko) and football, and will grab a Giants card here and there if I stumble across one.

Well here is a card of three WVU players currently in the NFL that I got a steal on about a year ago.  Hopefully Geno steps up his game and becomes a quality starting QB and Tavon and Stedman do the same though Stedman will have to wait 4 games for violating the leagues substance abuse program.

Well WVU battles Alabama this weekend in the Chick Fil A kickoff classic.  Lets hope we pull out a win somehow.

LETS GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!!!!

LETS GO METS and YA GOTTA BELIEVE!!!!

  

The Duda Abides

Well I am 3 for 3 over the last 3 days putting up a post.  So maybe I will find a little time to dabble on my blog.  I also plan on holding a CONTEST in the next few weeks so stay tuned.  Trying to figure out what to give away as a prize(s) and what kind of contest to do.  If you have any ideas drop me a comment below.

Here we are just a little over a month to the end of the season.  Lets take a look back at a trade that actually ended up benefiting the Mets.  The trade I am talking about is shipping Ike Davis off to Pittsburgh and making Lucas Duda the starting first baseman and getting rid of the uncertainty while they split time trying to figure out who would start.

Well Lucas Duda is actually producing  pretty nicely at the plate and has been on a tear as of late.  As of yesterday he leads the league in home runs since the all-star break and he is averaging a home run every 17.7 at bats which is top 5 in the league as of yesterday.  At least that is some positive news for the Mets.  The only thing that can irk me about Duda at times is that he is too patient at the plate at times.  I guess all that off season training this past winter up in Michigan with Mike Barwis is paying off for him.  Mike Barwis is an alum of WVU and ex strength and conditioning coach at WVU and currently has his own show American Muscle on Discovery channel which I have yet to catch.  While here at WVU they produced some pretty quick and potent teams.

Well here is a 2012 Triple Threads Auto Relic of Lucas Duda /50 that I picked up about year or so ago for pretty cheap.  Sorry for the glare I guess this is another one that I need to retake a picture of when time allows.

LETS GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!!

LETS GO METS and YA GOTTA BELIEVE!!!

eBay Day

What's this two posts in two days???? I must be losing my mind. No not really just had some more free time and decided to type up another post.  Well the Mets will miss their goal of 90 wins this year unless they play some amazing baseball and pretty much win the remainder of their games.  Hopefully, they at least hit or exceed .500 this year and I would be pleasantly surprised.  They still have some needs and a question mark at shortstop.

Right now the man named starter for the rest of the year at SS is Wilmer Flores.  He was signed at the age of 16 as none other than a SS.  He was/is a highly touted prospect, but we all know how that goes.  Unfortunately for him the past few years he has seen a couple position changes from shortstop to third base back to shortstop to second base back to shortstop.  Hopefully his game against the Dodgers where he committed 2 errors was just a growing pain albeit he did trip over his own two feet while trying to make a throw.  Sorry couldn't find a video.

Well the eBay package of the day is none other than this Wilmer Flores who is a work in progress.  I picked up this 2014 Topps Finest X-Fractor /149 for pretty cheap and was glad to add it to my collection for 3 or 4 bucks. 

LETS GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!!


LETS GO METS and YA GOTTA BELIEVE!!!!!

TRADE: Cardboard Conundrum

Well life's still throwing me curves and hasn't left one hanging just yet so my posting has been quick and far apart, but found some free time this evening to get a post done.  I still read the blogs daily, but don't have much time to comment or post being it is primarily done from my phone.

Well this trade started back in the middle of July when I was on vacation in Canaan Valley.  I was reading  Matt's page over at Cardboard Conundrum and saw he posted a Stedman Bailey relic auto /49 available for trade.  So I scrolled down to post that I was interested in it, but Bob Walk the Plank already commented on it that he was interested in it.  Well I put a comment out their that Matt from Bob Walk the Plank beat me to it yet again, but he graciously bowed out and let me get a trade going.

So here is the card that I got this past Monday or Tuesday and just now found some time to snap a picture and post it in all its glory.

Too bad he is suspended the first for games due to violating the leagues substance abuse policy being he was being thrown to more at the end of last season.  Hopefully he comes back and preforms lights out when given a chance.  I can remember some unbelievable catches he made while at WVU with Geno Smith and Tavon Austin.  Here's a video highlighting some of those catches.

Well college football is upon us and nothing like opening against Alabama for your first game of the  season.

LETS GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!!

LETS GO METS and YA GOTTA BELIEVE!!!!

For the Love of the Game

Well, my love for the game of baseball was instilled in me by my father many years ago.  From playing catch and attending Mets games whenever possible to the occasional Yankees games with Little League or one of my friends parents scoring box seats and invited me to tag along. We also took a weekend trip to Fenway Park with my brother in tow to see the Red Sox play the Brewers.  I love the game of baseball and still cherish it to this day, but don't have as much time to follow it like I would like or to attend games.  I guess that's what happens when you work midnights like I do.

The Little League World Series is upon us and I try to follow it and keep informed in what is going on, but that hasn't happened much due to personal reasons which hopefully take a turn for the better.  I did see the clip of the coach from Rhode Island talking to his team after their loss.  That speech is what Little League is about and hope more coaches follow suit.  Below is the clip of the speech if you haven't seen or heard it. 

 

After hearing that it got me thinking about my Dad and what he might have said to his team after placing 3rd in 1971 Senior Little League World Series(Team picture below).  I'm sure his speech was probably very similar to the one above knowing the kind of man and coach he was even being only in his early twenties at the time.  I remember playing for him years later and seeing him coach other kids and not once do I recall him screaming or yelling at a kid playing the game for making a mistake.  He was a teacher of the game and even helped coach girls softball when asked by a friend of his for a few more years.  I wish he was still here to experience the joy his grandsons get while playing the game or attending a MLB game.  Unfortunately he was taken from this world too soon back in 1995 and not a day goes by that I don't think about him. 

 

Well the Mets need to win the next 30 out of 34 to hit their 90 wins and I dont for see that happening as of the way they have been playing lately.  I'd like to see them finish at .500 which would mean winning 21 out of the next 34 games which is obtainable.  Being the Mets vs A's game was the MLB game of the day it meant I got to watch the game on my iPhone.  One part during the game even Keith Hernandez was stating how badly they need a bat for the future and to try and get to .500 this year to build for next year being they have the young arms for pitching.

LETS GO METS and YA GOTTA BELIEVE!!!!

18 and Counting

With a title like that you probably didn't know what to expect, but I only need 18 more cards of the 2013 Triple Threads Amethyst parallel to complete the base set.

When I was typing the title I almost typed 18 and Life which was a song by Skid Row back in the late 80's.  They also hail from New Jersey.  So here's a little Sebastian Bach and Skid Rows 18 and Life for your listening pleasure if you so choose. 

Well I had some free time to go through my cards quickly, so I had to prioritize what I did.  I didn't spend as much time as I needed or wanted too, but hopefully in the near future that will all change.  I spent most of my time compiling some trade packages that I have in the works.  I also spent some time going through the 2013 Triple Threads Amethyst base set that I'm trying to complete to see what all I still need.  I only need 18 cards to complete the 100 card set so that is the reason for the title.  I've been watching eBay to see if I can come across some lots, but not too much is out there in that regard.  You can see which cards I need to complete the set from my blog or you can click here.  I don't think I'll be busting any boxes of the 2014 version anytime soon.  I'll probably just try to cherry pick some of the auto and relic cards.

Life's been busy throwing me and the family curves one after another which hopefully pretty soon it decides to hang one and stop all together.

Well the Mets need a power bat to put some runs on the boards, but I don't know who. 

LETS GO METS and YA GOTTA BELIEVE!!!!

BREAKING: Blockbuster Trade

As I alluded in my last post it's time to reveal the Blockbuster trade with Matt from Bob Walk the Plank.

Well after busting some boxes of 2012 Archives, Matt hit me up for a card he has been eying for awhile now, but didn't know what he could offer to get it from me.  The card is a UD triple auto of Michael Beasley, Kevin Love, and Joe Alexander /15.  You can check out the card HERE and some other cards that I traded.  He's been wanting this card for while and I don't really collect basketball stuff and with it's tie to WVU with Alexander it was a match made in HEAVEN for him.  The only reason I picked up this card on eBay was I got a pretty good deal on it.

Well he offered me a Gregory Polanco auto relic, a Jeff Bagwell auto, Craig Biggio auto, and a Bucky "Effin" Dent. I do plan on keeping the Polanco being I due root for the Pirates, but the Mets are still my team. I gladly accepted the offer and the trade was made, but then we got talking about his David Wright Mike Schmidt dual auto and I returned said cards for this beauty.  I also received this Kolten Wong rookie auto too.  You can check out the cards I returned here.

Well that's not all the trading that we did.  That was just the ice breaker as they call it.  I had some other cards that caught Matt's eye and he had some that caught mine so we ended up trading some more cards.

Here is a nice Carlos Beltran All-Star relic and Edgardo Alfonzo relic and a Howard Johnson auto from 2012 Archives.

Here are some other cards I ended up with in a trade a David Wright relic and a Cleon Jones auto from none other than 2012 Archives.

I forgot how much fun trading in person is and look forward to our next deals and maybe another Blockbuster trade in the future.  Go give Matt a follow at Bob Walk the Plank and hit him up for some trades.  We've been busting boxes for a few months so we've been accumulating some nice trade bait.

LETS GO METS and YA GOTTA BELIEVE!!!

2012 Archives Box Break and Trade Teaser

This past Friday I got together with my buddies Micah and Matt from Bob Walk the Plank and busted some boxes of 2012 Archives.  I already busted a box on my own and pulled a Bob Boone Phillies auto and an Ed Kranepool Mets auto.  I do plan on completing the base set and as much of the other sets that I can.

Lets see if my luck could continue into the next box and pull another Mets auto.

Well I ended up beating the odds and ended up pulling my two autos and a jersey relic of Mark Trumbo.  My two autos were Mike Scott in an Astros uniform who ended up being traded to Matt and a Robin Ventura auto in a Mets uni.  My luck did continue with another Mets auto.  Micah had the best pull of the night with a Don Mattingly auto and I can't remember what Matt pulled other than a Cleon Jones auto that I ended up with in a series of trades that ended up in the end to be a BLOCKBUSTER trade. 

 















More to follow on the BLOCKBUSTER trade, but if you want to see what Matt ended up with and a preview with what I got in return head on over to his blog.

Long Overdue PWE from 2 by 3 Heroes

Well as I mentioned in an earlier post I received a PWE from JediJeff over at 2x3Heroes.com the day before I left for vacation.  Well that day also happened to be my birthday so thanks for the impromptu birthday gift Jeff.

Now lets get to what was in this little beauty.


First off is a Matt Harvey.  He's throwing off a mound after being only 10 months removed from Tommy John surgery.  This concerns me a bit being he his the ace of the rotation and don't want to see any setbacks with his recovery.

 

Next up is Zack Wheeler who has been pretty good lately.  Maybe its DeGrom getting to him and igniting a little bit of a competition.  Well, Zack got the win tonight against Washington and put them one step closer to their goal and now only sit 7 games out of first in the division.  Hey I can dream can't I.

 

Next up is Familia who has been pretty stellar in the back end of the bullpen.  Love the reprint Koosman from Archives.  Now just to pick up one of his autos to add to my collection.

Lastly we have a Ginter mini of Tejada and Ike Davis.  I haven't opened any Ginter since 2009 and don't plan on opening any anytime soon.  I'll pick the inserts and autos off eBay.  I tend to shy away from Ginter being the last time I opened it I busted 4 hobby boxes and couldn't even complete the base set.  So if you need 2009 Ginter hit me up and I'll see if I have what you need.  I hope Ike Davis gets it turned around in Pittsburgh or wherever else he may end up.

 

 Thanks Jeff for the PWE.

LETS GO METS and YA GOTTA BELIEVE!!!!

Back from Vacation.

Finally back from vacation so hopefully posts and updates start occurring at a more frequent pace for me.  It'll still be a couple of days though being we have to get settled back in and get organized and have some appointments too this week. 

I still have a PWE that I need to showcase that I got the day before leaving for vacation.  So that will probably be my first true post in the next few days.

I love taking vacation, but hate coming back and unpacking and such.

The Mets are only 5 games under .500 for the year and 37 wins from achieving their goal of 90 wins for the season.  Lets hope they get both.

LETS GO METS and YA GOTTA BELIEVE!!!!