Monday, September 28, 2015

GAC VII -The end has arrived! Packs 17-24

Thanks for the good thoughts and well wishes about my health. Leg still hurts like hell in the wrong position, but luckily that stone came out pretty quick. And while I won't get into details, let me say I now know this isn't the first one I have had. Just the first that decided to be a pain in the....well, not butt. Somewhere else.

I know why he is screaming.
Time to work on my diet (again). I already try to drink a lot of water, but I will need to make it a conscious effort for the next few weeks to get that mindset of a couple quarts a day.

Let's rip and show the last 8 packs from my GAC box. I will say this: I did receive roughly 190 promised cards. You'll see what I mean. I start this post at 92 points.


All positive scoring cards start the stack on the right side of the box. Trout is a favorite player. Incredibeard is some frigging hipster that nets me a point. Black bordered mini and a full sized insert round it out.

pack total = 8
running total = 100


Yet another single scoring card pack. And not the last you will see.

pack total = 2
running total = 102


Joe Buck is treated like a Yankee, losing me a point. His forehead looks even bigger on cardboard. Flanking Joe is a couple scoring cards. While Didi is a logo back mini, I loose a point being a Yankee. For what it's worth, he is the last Yankee in my box. Just six total Yankees in the box, but a third of them were from hits and halved their score.

pack total = 2
running total = 104


My last buyback appears, and it's a pretty sweet one from the 2009 National Heroes mini insert. Gonzo gives me a couple Starting Points...er.....points.

pack total = 6
running total = 110


Here is the last of the packs that contained a single scoring card. If you kept track, it was 6 packs - 25% of the box.

pack total = 2
running total = 112


Logo back mini and a Starting Points card. Nothing exciting to talk about, so I'll just stop typing here because who wants to see me drone on and on about nothing in particular, just dragging out this section of the post and causing you, the reader, to waste you time when I could have just displayed the pack and running totals by now.

pack total = 4
running total = 116


The penultimate pack of the box is the last pack that scored me in double digits. Four packs netted me double digits - all the the packs with hits in them. That Strasburg would have been a hell of a pull 5 years ago.

pack total = 10
running total = 126

The current leader of GAC (as I type this) has a score of 185. Barring me making a MAJOR scoring error, or having the pack of my life, I will not pull out the victory this year. Here's the last pack.


Starting Points and a logo mini. The only difference here is that Middlebrooks on the mini comes from the SP section, so extra points.

pack total = 7
running total = 133

And that's all she wrote. An incredibly low score of 133 in a box with 4 hits, one of those being a 1/1. That's just how Gint-A-Cuffs can be - a very fickle game indeed.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

GAC VII - Stoned! Packs 9-16

Before we get to the scans, let me just say I did not have a great day. Let me back up a bit and give you an overview of the whole week.

So last Saturday or so, I felt this pain in my body. I had not over exerted myself, and do not recall any sharp pain as if I had pulled or damaged a muscle in any way, but I was pretty uncomfortable when I sat, with the pain being in my right butt cheek.

Made you think of my butt.
Well, I could manage the pain with some Advil and a pillow on my chair. A few days into the pain, it left my tush and moved down my right leg. Started in the hamstring and by Friday, it was my calf. More Advil and it was tolerable. Being on my feet made it feel better than sitting.

So come yesterday, I'm dealing with intense pain. It was in my calf, and my right foot was numb. I couldn't bend the leg that much without a lot of pain, and just trying to tie my right shoe was a exercise in futility. Headed to the doctor and I got a steroid shot to deal with a sciatic nerve issue. By the end of the day, I felt great.

I awoke this morning is extreme stomach pain. Right side and horrible. Slowly, it worked it's way to my stomach. Nothing I could do would make the pain go away, so my wife took me to the emergency room. Not a good day for it to be crowded. But after some blood tests and an MRI, it turns out to be a kidney stone. More than likely the sciatic nerve and this stone are unrelated, but bad timing for both. It's small, just 3 mm, and I need to let it pass, which should not be a lot of fun I hear.

Made you think of my weiner.
So that was my past week. And enough about my health cuz I got cards to show off. I left of with a box score of 41 points, which is a slow start. Let's try and pick this up in the middle stack of the box.


The Kimbrel is a favorite player and gives me two points, as does the Ancient Armory inset. Drew, however, spoils the fun by just showing up.

pack total =3
running total = 44


Bunch of scoring in this pack. Kipnis is a favorite player. Cabrera is a White Sox - my favorite team. Starting Points scores as well, as does a Magnates, Barons and Tycoons insert of James Hill. All total this pack scores me 7 points.

pack total = 7
running total = 51


This is the actual first hit of the box, as the printing plate I pulled was technically a bonus hit. But just like that plate, it's a Yankee, halving the score of the hit. White Sox hot pack with the black border Shark and my selection of fav player in Sale.

pack total = 14 points
running total = 65


Another of the full sized buybacks, this time of Jones from the 2011 design. Starting Points gives me two points, but Jimbo Fisher takes away one of those points.

pack total = 4
running total = 69


Woo-Hoo! The second of my three hits shows up and it's a mini auto of DJ Buck 65. For those unaware, his is a good friend of fellow blogger The Card Papoy. And it's not Yankee! This saves me a TTM request. Along with Buck 65 we have two inserts and a favorite player.

pack total = 12
running total = 81


Bad pack for the contest, with just a single scoring rectangle.

pack total = 2
running total = 83


Yankees rear their ugly point losing heads again in the penultimate pack from the center stack. One of the less creepy Menagerie of the Mind cards. Molina hot box as I pulled the full size to score points as I did with the mini a few packs ago. And a logo back finishes the pack.

pack total = 4
running total = 87


We finish with a Shin-Soo Choo hot pack, as both cards add points to my total. A couple from the Starting Points and a couple more with a SP mini.

pack total = 5
running total = 92

So there we have it. I added 51 points this section of the box. But to have any chance in this year's game, I will have to go ape sh*t insane with the stack from the right of the box. One hit remains - what will it be?

Saturday, September 26, 2015

GAC VII - Let's do this! Box topper and packs 1-8 (1 hit)

I finally got my box for Gint-A-Cuffs. I am just making it under the wire with my scoring, as the contest ends on the 30th of Sept. That being said, I am going to blow through the cards in just three posts. I did okay with this box. I am surprised by my score considering my box - I wonder if I messed up my scoring. Come back for the scans if you care - we can talk about the hits I pulled in regard to trades, though one is staying with me.

Also, I have my want list posted on my A&G Needs page. You are welcome to assist me in any way possible. I only scanned cards that affected my scoring. Without more delay, away we go.....


I pulled a standard box topper. Not the large A&G card nor Pride of the People. It's a meh card, but it does score me 4 points.

pack total = 4
running total = 4


First pack ripped and I pull one of my two full sized buybacks, from '07. Also a Starting Points of Springer and a SP mini of Mike Napoli. Not too bad a start to the box.

pack total = 8
running total = 12


Very poor pack, as only the insert was the scoring card. This will become a trend for this box.

pack total = 2
running total = 14


Like I said......trend. :(

pack total = 2
running total = 16


Pack 4 of the box improved over the previous 2. Another Starting Points insert and Posey shows up again, this time with a A&G backed mini.

pack total = 4
running total = 20


Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're back to a single scoring card pack. Sigh.

pack total = 2
running total = 22


Now that's a lot better! First hit of the box is a mini printing plate. The only problem being it's of a Yankee. First Yankee of the box and a horrible time to show up as it halves the score for the card. New insert with What Once Would Be and another A&G logo'ed mini.

pack total = 11
running total = 33


Starting Points shows up again with another card for the set, and I gain a point thanks to Yadier being the favorite player of another GAC participant.

pack total = 5
running total = 38


Final pack from the left side of the box and we have Yankee #2 from the box giving me a deduction. Two other insert cards turn the pack into a positive score with vacuum tube trains (why has this not happened yet?) and a bird of prey flying far more gracefully than another owl I know.

pack total = 3
running total = 41

Well, 33% down and if I keep this rate up, my score will be a pathetic 123. I do still have some hits to pull, so my hope is something to give my box a kick in the pants. Packs 9-16 tomorrow.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Throwback Thursday - 09.24.2015

Every Thursday, I post a card showing a ballplayer wearing a throwback uniform from my collection. Hopefully, he will be wearing it well, with proper pants blousing. I'll try not to duplicate a uniform. The picture may be from the front of the card, or the back. Enjoy the uniforms from years past.

Jose Altuve - 2015 Topps Gypsy Queen - Houston Astros

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Today in today's history.

Hey - ya know what today is?

Maybe if I click this text below the baby I might get a hint...
While not the official start of the season, and a certain banner raising night as a certain building on the west side of a certain city, it's nice to have the game back.


I am slowly trying to get my Hawks collection up and going. It is nowhere near the size of my Sox box, though there are not near that many cards out there from over the years. Luckily, I have a few people doing their best to help me out.


DJ up at Sportscards from the Dollar Store dropped a couple PWEs on me this week. How hockey heavy were they? Here are the only two Sox cards, one per envelope.


No complaints for either of them. Both are needed for sure. But DJ really dropped the Hawks rectangles on me.


Inside were Hawks of all shapes and sizes.....


From sticky Hawks....


To old Hawks......


Cup winning Hawks.....


To Captain Hawks. I REALLY love that All Star card at the lower left.

Thanks as always, DJ. I may or may not have something to send back. Ok - I do. And for all you other hockey fans - game on!


Sunday, September 20, 2015

Completed set: 2011 Topps Kimball Champions

Back in May of this year, I picked up the last card I needed to knock the 2011 Kimball Champions. It was a set that wasn't much on my radar until I picked up a mass of minis from my LCS two and a half years ago. From that box, I built the entire update series of Kimballs and about half the set that was seeded in packs of series 1 and 2. Having that many cards helped me better appreciate the minis, so set out building it.

When I posted the final card, I said I would scan the set at a later date. No better day than today for 10 scans.

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

Page 7

Page 8

Page 9

Page 10

Best looking card:  Campanella - page 5, middle row, far right
Worst looking card: Stanton - page 2, bottom row, middle card
How did he get in the set card: Drabek - page 10, middle row, middle card
Favorite card: Aparicio (Sox) - page 5, top row, 2nd card from left

It's a nice set. Glad I completed it. And I wish the Muppets did a a more obvious Queen song to fit this post, but this will do.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

That which I covet

Us, who collect, always want something. It's the nature of our hobby. Whether cards, stamps, coins, toys - you name it - there is something we don't possess in our hands. If you were to get everything you wanted, you stop collecting. That's true for us and certain sets. When you complete the set, you are no longer collecting it. We move on to other cards and sets to collect. Luckily, there is always something to want.

A while back, I put together the White Sox teams sets for early Bowman and all Topps flagship sets. Before I started this blog, I was nowhere close to completing any. Hell - I didn't even know what I had in many of the years. So I took a couple days to put together the wants lists for those two brands. I will add the Upper Deck main set Sox needs in the near future. The best part of knowing exactly what you need is being able to focus on the hunt. That was my issue before I found the blogging community. I was a mess, all over the place. If you're a millionaire, you can have that willy nilly approach to sports cards. Even then, you cannot really appreciate what you have. But making lists, and staying focused moves you forward.

That way.
A week or so ago, I was reading Mark's blog My Best Friend Collects Chipper Jones. He made a comment about getting close to completing the 2015 Topps set and had a list. While I don't have much, I have a few cards he needs. Mark replied with a simple email asking if I cared about the quality of the vintage cards I collect. Oh no - anything is happy with me. I learned that Mark cares about people out of the blue. I also learned that Mark has NO CLUE what lower quality looks like, cuz holy crap are the cards he sent me immaculate. I still have my side of cards to sent out, but let me show you what Mark found on my want lists. We'll start with the most recent and go back in time.


Let's start in the 80's. 34 total cards were from the 80's. When I built my team lists, I forgot how few of 1983 I had until 16 cards came out of Mark's envelope. Great night shot of Britt Burns (Owl?). Even better is that In Action of Pudge. One of those many cards I didn't have and never realized how nice the hockey set looks.


Into the 70's Mark sent over 7 needs. I got me some Wood (twice!). Good view of old Yankee Stadium in the background of that Pryor card. Lastly, does Hrabosky ever smile? Did they have cameras in the mid 70's that could zoom in that close, cuz that sure looks like a picture just before he delivered a ball to the plate.


Mark kept going back farther.  From the 60's he dropped 8 glorious pieces of cardboard. Here is 5 of them. I'm not sure the ballpark behind Esposito. It may be Tiger Stadium. Horlen is in the Bromx. Carreon didn't have the huge career that was expected, but I have wanted to add his rookie to my Sox binder.


Here's the last of the 60's (literally, 1960) and a couple sweet '59s. Of the total 51 cards, that Torgeson is the "worst" of the lot with that crease in the upper left. And that is what Mark considered "lower quality". Mark - these are amazing cards, and I cannot thank you enough for thinking of sending me such amazing vintage in return for a half dozen 2015 Topps. Your envelope got a little fatter.