Tomorrow's forecast...

So as I alluded to yesterday, I was royally and completely bombed by Wes from Jaybarkerfan's Junk. His radar focused it's attention on my location, and fired. If you read my post, I gave a preview with this image.

And after all was said and done (with the help of my wife), I have this for the recycling bin:

 

Give a hoot - don't pollute.

Total, you see 8 of the small priority mail boxes, a 100 count box, and about 175 envelopes. When we weren't pulling envelopes out of the boxes, they were strewn around the box. Thank the maker for letter openers - that's the main gist. 

Now, before a storm hits, the weatherman will usually give you a warning of what's about to come the following days. A couple days before the box showed up on my doorstep (literally - no room in the mailbox), a smaller mailer was delivered. And like those days where you think the meteorologist is off his rocker with his prediction, this mailer was nothing like what I ended up receiving, So, just like the flood that Noah survived began with a single raindrop, let's start with an innocent padded envelope.

That Lemon photo is pretty funny, with the single flapped helmet messing up his hair. A nice Konerko for the Sox collection as well as a white Quentin swatch.

I may start a Podzilla collection - I haven't decided yet. I think I'll see what I have dupe wise and make a decision. Magglio didn't have the career he should have, either here or in Detroit. The Alexei manu-barrel is the 2nd in my collection, paired up with a Dye I received many moons ago. If anything could be foreshadowing of what was to come, this card fits it.

Because it it both very cool, and "what the hell"? Prior to this mailer, I had a total of.....let me count them up...... umm.....carry the 6..... ZERO. I had no Benchwarmers in my collection, and unless one appeared in a dime box, I had little plans to add any. That is more of a "not my collecting style" statement than a "these cards are sexist" comment. But I will add this to my binder.

So that's it. The forecast over the next few days included darkness and cold temperatures. Bundle up, if you plan on tagging along.

The calm before....

We all have been through that weather pattern - the eerie quiet, the gentle wind, the slow darkening of the sky. Just before that downpour hits, the wind howls and all hell breaks loose, it's peaceful.

When I look to the west, I see this on the near horizon:

If you look close, there are dozens and dozens of envelopes and 8 of the UPSPS mini boxes. Also in there is a small 200 count box. That is Hurricane Wes about to strike my land locked city. Well, maybe Tornado Wes. Hey - why don't we name the big tornadoes?

Sorry, I am getting off track. That box (and another envelope) will be the focus for the next.....oh let's say 14.2 years or so. Until then, let's see the calm front ahead of the heavy rain.

Like Allen and Ginter. Nothing that will knock you off your feet, of have you holding onto a lamp post so you don't blow away. A&G is innocent. The very cool Roger from Sportscard Mask-A-Rade helped out my 2014 need with a large drop of cards. I know people have talked of past years and the horizontal cards in A&G, but this year's design helps make them work, in my opinion.

And not just base. This year has some nice insert sets. Anytime you feature a plane with the D-Day paint job on it, it's a good day.

This may be my favorite insert set, though. Love old stadiums. I hope the do a part two in 2015, because they forgot Comiskey. Appreciate the help, Roger.

Considering what I will be showing from the box, you wouldn't think these are calming cards. They all fit into needs, though. Everyone's favorite Dutch (except Nigel's) Jeroen sent a nice envelope filled with Sox.

Good ol' One Dog in the middle. And I think I am maybe one or two cards short for the '12 minis. Here's the higlight.

Before the EPL hit NBCSports, before La Liga, Serie A, Liga MX and a few others, I used to catch the Dutch Football league (Eredivisie) on cable. I saw Ajax, PSV, Vitesse and many others each week. It was a great time to watch soccer, even though I think I was underemployed at the time. BTW Jeroen - I didn't know you were a keeper for Volendam. :) Thanks for the cards, bud.

Alright. The clouds are really rolling in, and the temperature dropped a bunch in the past 20 minutes. Let me better head for cover before tomorrow starts, because a storm's a-coming.

Throwback Thursday - 10.09.2014

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.

Zack Greinke - 2007 Upper Deck - Kansas City Monarchs

100 days

It's been about a 100 days. Give or take 5. I didn't feel like doing the exact math, but it was about 100 days ago that the Kings scored a 2OT goal to take possession of the Cup. And tonight, the next quest for hockey's Holy Grail starts. My boys have the day off, opening the season tomorrow in Dallas. Should be another fun season, with NBC singing the praises of Washington and Pittsburgh, only to watch them falter in the post season and another West team raises the Cup.

It's always nice to get hockey cards. Kyle has dropped a few envelopes on me, and he sent an all but one envelope of NHLers on me.

I remember that PowerPlay program from the early 90s. Amonte was a great member of the RAM line (Roenick, Amonte and Murphy). Not sure how John Scott has a job in the NHL. Then again, we just signed Carcillo for the 2nd time.

We'll see if Richards still has a couple years left in the tank.

Gotta love that Spitfires logo. Their sweaters though..... That Sale is how you make a nice uniform.

Thanks again, Kyle. And LA, we're coming for you.

A storm of PWEs

Actually, that is a bit misleading. There has actually been a storm of every form of mailing here at the worldwide headquarters of 2x3 Heroes. I had my desk fairly cleaned off, but the past week or two has been a flood of incoming. And simply amazing incoming they have been. Whether 3 cards, half a dozen or more, the generosity is appreciated. No way my collection gets anywhere near it's level without the envelopes received. So a thank you for all in the past, and for those writing my address on a mailer.

Let's post a few thank you's for the world to see. First off, if you have Sox, but are tired of sending them to me, I can easily give you someone that may need them. Check out Jeff's needs at his blog My Sports Obsession. It's nice to have a place to send dupes, and vice versa. Jeff dropped four cards on me, and four great cards they are.

So clockwise, we have a Sale Chrome for the throwback binder, two Konerko cards for the Reds section of the Konerko player collection, and a kick butt Crede prospect card for the Crede PC. Always strange to see a player NOT in their usual uniform. Thanks Jeff, and like I said, chat him up if you are sick of sending me Sox. Or if you are sitting on a lot of pre 87 Topps/Fleer/Donruss.

Next up, is the Bipping threat of Pat from Hot Corner Cards. So far, his notes have just been "the boy calling wolf" Bippings. I still don't trust the guy. But I like him, when I get two separate PWEs like this.

(I was drunk on scan two. Or not drunk enough....I forget).

DPs, bunts and throwbacks. I guess he did some pulling prior to his recent card unloading, and I benefited. Dang, that 91 Weiss is sweet. Thanks again, Pat. But I still think you will truly Bip me.

Last up was an envelope just today. While I didn't get Bipped, I did get Hoyled from the great Mark Hoyle. He emailed me a week or so ago asking about the '75 White Sox team set. I mentioned what I was missing, and today he dropped a stuffed PWE on me.

That Dent, along with 4 others, puts me 4 cards short of the team set. I am going to start working on want lists, but that will take time. I will say I am pretty good on '73, '74 and '78, but at best half done on other years. Check out the Seals on Beck. I think those are the best throwback unis. Mark also dropped 10 Negro League cards on me.

It's through this community that I even know the Ted Williams set exists. And I never knew about this subset until a few month back when two showed up from Dime Box Nick (I think). Man, this are cool cards. Thanks again, Mark.

Ok - so I have just a couple more trades to showcase over the next days. Then, I think, I will start the week of Wes, cuz after he bombed the living hell out of my card room, it will take a week to show it off.

Road trip, U.P. edition

My daughter moved many miles north to attend school in the upper peninsula of Michigan. She's been gone now about a month. There was some work needed on her car, some items forgotten, as well as the general "my wife misses her baby" feeling, so we trekked the 7+ hours to visit. For a Chicago guy like me, a ride to the banks of Lake Superior is a dangerous drive.

It was so dangerous that the Crips and Bloods were seen singing "Kumbaya" together.

Along the way are three sites that can be seen from the expressway. In Milwaukee, Miller Park is about 2.5 miles west of I-94. Now, that would matter more if the Brewers were still in the AL, but interleague makes them hated enough. Bradley Center is just a half mile west of the highway, so the hated Bucks as well as the AHL Admirals play in that place. But the worst location is where Hwy 43 merges with Rt 41. At least for a Bears fan. That puts me in dreaded Packer territory. We were running late on the way up, so my wife and I saw Lambeau but had to keep going. However, on the way home, I told my wife we had to stop by and pay proper respect to the hallowed home of Lombardi and Starr. Hornung, Favre and White.

Yeah....that might be a stumbling block in future trades. Fortunately, I pulled off this trade with Fuji before I posted this picture. Fuji's blog was one of the first I came across and is always a great read. I love his questions at the end that invoke future conversations. I have been trying to find something to trade with Fuji a long time, but nothing ever prompted me to reach out. Finally, it was just an email comment we had where I mentioned we had never traded before and we need to make it right, courtesy of red Chipz I had pulled of an Athletic. It was also nice to drop a lot of my oddball Sharks, A's and Padres relics on someone because they needed a better home than a box in my closet. If what Fuji sent back is standard for his part of the country, I'm moving. 

Couple nice autos to start with. Anderson never panned out into the CF he was supposed to be. I hope Floyd comes back from his Tommy John. It was sad to see him go.

Valdez never amounted into much, but an interesting fact: he is the last person to play an inning at third base in MLB who was left handed. Tekotte is in the minors for the D-backs.

Nice Beckham Gineter relic and a sweet Semien RC Chrome. I hope his 2014 was not a fluke.

Fuji also hit my Hawks wants, as in "you got Blackhawks cards? I want them". Zhamnov was ok, but could have had a better career. Cleary sucked with the Hawks, so we send him to Edmonton, who dealt him over to Detroit and he becomes a pain in our butts. Moreau - good speed but horrible stick handling. Deadmarsh.....was never a Blackhawk. He is pictured here as a Portland Blackhawk, which has no connection to Chicago. The team is usually confused as a farm club to Chicago, but they only happen to look like them because the first sweaters worn were used uniforms purchased from Chicago. Still, I'll take a nice Deadmarsh auto any day - 2 time Cup winner.

Two nice Hawks relics too. Remember that Cleary trade I mentioned above? Mironov was who we got from Edmonton. We got the short end of the stick. Daze should have been a star, but too many injuries ended his career early. The highlight of the package though....

It's about dang time I got a Fuji custom. However, I am thinking that Lambeau photo will not get me his card from Series 2. Thanks for the trade, Fuji!

Getting my Ginter on.

If you see the link at the top for my Allen & Ginter wants, you can take a wild guess that I am trying to complete all the A&G sets. I am not alone, except for the fact that I work on the complete regular size set, and except for the 2010 minis, only work on the mini inserts and random minis from the set. Even my 2010 mini set is a hybrid of whatever back or border I can find. Just gimme - I'm not picky.

Digging for booger nuggets.

So many trades have helped. One of the first trades, and a blogger that has probably sent me the most of non-current years, is Duane at Democratic Roadkill. Great collector and a great progressive, I help him when I can with A&G minis. Duane builds EVERYTHING Ginter, so I was more than happy to send any useless cards I pulled from my Gint-A-Cuffs box out east, and Duane did some more beating to my want lists.

I can only imagine the amount of dupes Duane has from building every possible version of mini set out there. I'll take all the White Sox I can get, and he delivered. I like the black bordered from last year. Good job filling in the scroll work.

Duane also helped with the last few 2013 base I needed, moving the base to the completed section. Why do I always need the big names to finish sets?

While I am woefully low on my mini inserts for 2014, I got a nice stack to work towards the full sized inserts. Air Supremacy is just too damn nice a set.

What Jeroen didn't beat down for 2014, Duane picked up, leaving me just 6 cards short of the base. I may have this done before Christmas.

I am not sure what insert set in A&G these two come from. I have searched all the checklists and can't seem to find any information about them. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks again, Duane. Liberal bro hug!