Three things.

Maybe four now that I think about it.

1) I fixed my domain. If you are reading this, you really don't need to be told that. But I got a little lazy and forgot to renew my URL. It seems to be working now. Feel free to tell me that it isn't.

2) Subtle change with the layout of the blog. I widened the post area and the side bar area for easier reading and also to add....

3) You see a new addition to the home page: Radio 2x3. Basically, what you have are two playlists (YouTube limits a user to 200 videos per list) that have all the videos every posted or linked on this blog. As I add videos, I will keep the list updated to the best of my ability. I am missing a few, because they were removed from YT and I have no clue what they were. Interesting information: I have used four videos more than once: The Tubes "She's a Beauty", The Waitresses "I Know What Boys Like", The Breeders "Cannonball" and Nigel Powers ripping on the Dutch (sorry Jeroen). Also, the artist that has appeared the most? Lindsey Buckingham (solo & with Fleetwood Mac).

4) After four years of cyber squatting, I have back my first ever custom domain. Yes, someone actually squatted an old domain of mine, thinking I would pony up cash to buy it back. I hope he enjoyed wasting $50 or more waiting for me to contact him. He finally gave up and I just snagged it. It was my first foray into blogging, and I may bring it back somewhat. I'll work on getting a link, but go back and read some of my older bits of stupidity thrown at you faster than the speed of light. Curiously, that is the blog name: Stupidity At Lightspeed. The name comes from an old quote I made years ago on some Star Wars message board concerning 90% of what I say or write. As you readers probably know - I was pretty accurate in that statement. Thanks for reading this drivel, though.

Ok - that's all. I better make this post sort of card related. I picked up one of the Update monster boxes everyone has been talking about. Anybody want/need this:

That was my hit from the Update Chrome. # 94/99. Email me and we'll talk.

Throwback Thursdays - 11.14.2013

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.

Tony Phillips - 1993 Topps Stadium Club - Detroit Tigers

And on the 7th PWE, he rested.

That is today's mailbox for me. Now, yesterday was Veteran's Day, so there was a chance some of these would have come 24 hours ago. But still - what a nice haul out of the mailbox. It's always a treat when your name is on an envelope and the innards are not a bill of one sort or another. All of the letters, except one, were sent with a single Forever stamp. And the one that needed more postage only cost two extra dimes.

Even though they are PWEs, they are not all from bloggers/readers/traders. These two are from a Listia auction and an eBay auction respectively. Hard to pass up a Turkey Red of the Big Train when you have creds to burn. The Adam Wilk (it's a side project) was all of 11 pennies with free shipping. So the seller lost out on that one by 35 cents.

These are also Listia winnings. I probably "overpaid" for them (1000 creds), but they are kind of fun. That is Gehrig at the lower right, but I need to figure out the others. It may be Eddie Mathews to the left of Gehrig. I thought, when I bid, that the top left might be Feller, but it's a Brooklyn Bum. The umps on the middle left have a BoSox manager and a manager in a killer sweater. Could be John McGraw for the Giants. Well, those are the purchases. Now the generosity of the bloggers/readers.

AJ from The Lost Collector gets an envelope from time to time from me. He returned the favor with 5 really nice cards. Dig these three. My Baines collection is pretty low. In fact, all my early 80s is minimal, so the Koosman is a need. And finally a Floyd refrector. Thanks AJ for the great envelope!

John from Johnny's Trading Spot is also on Club PWE. He's a new blogger, so click the link and check him out. Start following him - that's an order! Anyhow, he decided to return the favor of a few PWE with the extra postage envelope, and boy was it awesome. The best part of getting all my White Sox sorted is having a far better idea of what I have and what I need. I need all these Scores as I don't have a single one.

Here's proof John is a reader. Are these not aweseome DP cards? And I had to kick my OCD to the curb and properly scan the Gonzalez on the bottom, cuz that one is a beut! Both players checking out first to see if the play was turned. UD always had killer photography.

This card, though, is a bit of an oddball. I really don't collect plays at the plate like Dime Box Nick or Brian at that one blog like likes those types of cards. However, I do have a catch all binder of plain awesome cards. This.....is plain awesome. Stadium Club really did it right in the past. Thanks for the mail, John!

Last is from Dennis at Too Many Verlanders. Dennis is a Tigers and a Dead Wings fan, and yet I still talk to the guy. I consider it charity work.

Ok Dennis - you got me here.

 Dennis sent the 3 ChiSox I scanned above - a Buehrle Future Star, Fisk Chrome and a sweet Baines Metal. But the highlight of the package is this little number.

It only happens to be the final card in the People of the Bible set. This card has been difficult because the price has always been far too much to justify buying it with shipping. Dennis had a COMC mailing coming and offered to help out anyone that asked. And this is the result. Thanks a ton, Dennis. 

Making an appearance

For a lot of us in the blog world, one of the finest bloggers and traders around was Collective Troll. I have had some amazing trades with him in the past, and even though he took a good 10 months off from writing, I would drop him a PWE from time to time to let him know I didn't forget him. Fortunately for us, he came back around and can be found again in the innerwebs.

Finding a Rays blogger is a rarity. In fact, I only have one other person that I send any Rays cards to. It's not like you friggin' Dodger fans that multiply like rabbits.

In defense, that is pretty dang irresistible.

 I saw Troll post a few weeks back, and then he shoot me an email to watch my mailbox for some cards. Gave me some thanks for the numerous mailings I sent him to keep him in the card hobby. Let's hope the Troll hangs around a while - we are all better for it. Here's some highlights of the package.

There were a few blue bordered Sox in the envelope, but just the one gold. Do I dare go for the rainbow on DeAza here? Ummm - nah. My Beckham is proving to be hard enough. 

Sure - they look like 2013 Allen and Ginter. More specifically, they are all numbered above 300, so that makes them all SP Allen and Ginter cards. Is it me, or are the 2013 SPs harder than in the past few years?

Yup. More short prints. A total of 11 SPs, the one SP mini of Rios, and then another dozen or so A&G cards. A nice dent in my want list for sure.

Thanks a bunch, Troll, for coming back out from under the bridge and stopping my goat in it's tracks with some great cards. Was that too much of a reach for a witty final line? I'll just let me YouTube video do the talking I guess....

Throwback Thursdays - 11.07.2013

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 - 2013 Topps Archives - Houston Astros

Have I got a PWE for you.

How ya doin'? How ya doin'? How ya doin'?

Step right up, cuz I am here to show YOU the latest and the greatest from across the land. I have traveled far and wide to show you some of the finest items in all the world. You could travel the skies yourself, but why, when I have taken the time and the energy to collect together to nicest specimens on the planet.

I know what you're sayin' - "how can we be sure these are the best in the land"? Let me ask you a question in return - have I ever steered you wrong? I don't know you; you don't know me. We have never had dealings before so of COURSE I have never lied to you. Now come in a little closer to see the wonders I have in store for you.

Have you ever thought "how much can I fit into a plain white envelope"? Well sir, I am glad you asked that. You would be amazed at how you can stuff a plain white envelope for delivery to another part of the world. I'm here to tell you the most astonishing items are available in an paper envelope of white.

Hey mister....

Go away, kid....ya bother me.

Now seein' is believin', and I'm gonna tell you there is plenty to see. Why, with a little effort, some remarkable things will fit in a plain white envelope.

Take these two cards from Johnny at Cards from the Quarry. Some may think that's not much, but I am here to tell you that a bordered rookie parallel and a chrome Heritage card make for great collection additions.

Now what you see here are some older ChiSox cards garnered across the land by Jim from GCRL. And I'm here to tell you these are not the limit of cards Jim was able to send, as long as you don't mind a little extra postage. 

Sir - I heard you mumble over there: "I don't have extra postage". Not a concern at all. What you see here are 4 cards courtesy of Weston from Fantastic Catch. What Weston did here was compare the want list from this site to the extras he had, found a few and packaged them out. It doesn't get easier than that. So whatcha waitin' for? Still not convinced? Maybe these will help you decide.

Can I get an "oooh"? Can I hear an "ahhhh"? 

Yes folks - those are relics, more rare forms of items available. Ma'am - I can see that look upon your face. "How do they arrive without damage?" That's a great question, ma'am, and I'm here to tell you that it was no trickery nor slight of hand. You see, Chris and Kyle from Old Foul Cardboard placed these objects of wonder within separate hardened containers, and then placed those containers into an envelope. I assure you the condition they arrived is EXACTLY the same as how they were mailed. 

Now before you go, let me show you one last envelope. Most envelopes cost one stamp. But I'll tell you - a little more money can make the package sunny. A bit more cash can mean more flash.

Yes siree - you can place minis in those envelopes. Duane from Democratic Roadkill did just that. And it doesn't need to be just a few minis.

With the right packing, and two more dimes of postage, you can fit quite a bit in the kit. And you can even include some regular sized cards too.

So don't be shy. Give a PWE a try. 

Who did it better?

After a recent flurry of incoming packages, and a lot of desk cleaning, I was doing pretty good. For about 48 hours. Needless to say, I have about six more bloggers and readers showing some love with incoming packages. I will say this - be on the lookout for PWEs. I just mailed to the entire Club PWE database, as well as a few of you other past traders.

Today, let's look at two bloggers: Nick from Dime Boxes and Pat from Hot Corner Cards. Nick hit me with a padded envelope of cards for the numerous PWEs I have sent him over the past couple months. Pat had 4 PWEs trickle in over two days in thanks for PWEs I have sent him. The common idea between the two bloggers were they both hit the same want groups of mine: ChiSox, throwbacks, and bunts. Plus Pat dropped some DP turns while Nick sent a couple miscut cards. So, let's scan and compare what was sent.

I am holding pretty true to my statement of purchasing no Update this year. Besides a rack pack and a couple jumbos (LCS pack wars), I avoid them. Nick sent me a nice stack of Update Sox. Pat sent me two Sox Chromes. I bought only a rack pack of Chrome and my only Sox is a orange parallel of Peavy. So all these ChiSox are needed.

Lot of throwback cards between the two of them. Nick sent the larger quantity on the top with the brilliant painted facial hair plus the rare throwback double play card, while Pat dropped some great earlier throwbacks in the Detroit Stars plus a Angel card someone in the blogsphere highlighted a few days back.

Nick really brought out the bunts with a good dozen. You see just ten scanned in the first two images. I love seeing hitters like Yaz, Gwynn and Trammell squaring up. Pat had three bunters and all are needed. I had the Andrus base, but not the Opening Day. Ned Yost. Now that's a name from the past.

Lastly, we have Nick's two early micust cards. Those are so sweet. And while I have the Kenny Lance Blankenship, the other three are needed for the binder.

So - now the ultimate answer. When we compare the mailings side by side, who was the winner?

Simple: me. I won, cuz I got all these super cool cards to add the my collection. Thanks a ton, Nick and Pat. Keep watching your mailboxes.