Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Does this happen to you follow up.

Brian over at Play at the Plate was experiencing technical difficulties.  Many comments brought up other problems people have with Blogger.  I'm wondering if anyone has seen this happen. 


See how the comments on his post are right on top of his post?  Only a few blogs do this to me PATP and Troll are two that I can think of.  

Other times there are blogs that won't let me comment because there is no comment section to comment in.  It is just a big blank hole like this. 

This is from Sportssyzygy (formally Offy) but many of the blogs out there do this.  I was going to just e-mail a screen print to Brian but I figured it would be better to show everyone out there.

I like to leave comments because I know that when you post and nobody comments it feels like no one is reading.  Either of these two problems keep me from commenting on other peoples posts.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Cards from BA Benny

When I started sorting out the cards BA Benny sent me I thought this was a double.  For some reason I looked at the back and found out it was a Traded card. Not only a traded card but the last one I needed.


I'm always happy to get Topps Total cards.  There are so many of them chances are I don't have them yet when I get them.


Every year I try to put together a Topps Gold parallel set.  Evey year I fail miserably.  Here are a few to add to my newest failure.


I don't mind Attax cards.  I enjoy playing the game with my kid.  I don't however like them as inserts in other sets.  At least I don't have to chase anymore from the Update set because this was the last one I needed.

Thanks for all the great cards Mike.  I hope you do good in our fantasy league every week except for when you play me.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Lifetime Mailday

I have been horrible at posting mail days.  Sorry all that have traded with me.  All my fault.  I'm going to do better and it starts right now.  I received a package the other day from a rather new blog (at least new to me), The Lifetime Project.  I could tell Charlie scoured my wantlist because he didn't send me a single double.  Not only that but he knocked off a bunch of team sets for me.  I have a hole in my collection from 95-99.  I was collecting cards back then, it was actually the heyday of my buying, but I was only buying football. 


These 5 cards finished off my 95 Upper Deck team set.  I like the HOFer Dawson the best.

This Stan Belinda finished off my 05 Fleer Update set.  Since I already had the base series finished this ended my search for any 95 Fleer.

This 96 Conseco finished of my 96 SP set.  I think Jose finished his career in Boston after blowing his elbow out pitching.  I may be wrong though he may have tried a comeback with another team.


96 Upper Deck is now complete also.


Charlie didn't just send mid 90s stuff he also sent some new stuff.  I love the 2007 SP Legendary Cuts base cards.  You can't tell from the scans but that is Vern Stephens and Cy Young.


Lastly this is a 2009 SP Authentic Pedroia.  I have a bunch of 09 SP Authentic but this is the only one I have above card #100.  I was beginning to think that all the high numbered cards were autos.

Thanks for the great trade.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

HAPPY THANKSGIVING and Trade Bait

I hope everyone out there has a Happy Thanksgiving. 

I would like to thank everyone that has traded cards with me.  Sorry I have been to lazy with this blog to post them all up.  I shall do a few but many are already put away in their binders and I have no way of telling who they came from anymore. Here is one that isn't filled away...

LONG ago Crinkly Wrappers had a contest and gave away some random stuff.  I mean random.  Everything from junk wax era cards to Topps Attax cards (which my 6 year old claimed and we have used many times not as ball cards but to actually play the game as it was intended).  It also had the following in it that don't fit in my Red Sox collection.   These are now for gift or trade.  Just let me know which you would like.

Conseco Star Cards - I don't know any Conseco collectors anymore.  20 years ago people would have been jumping all over these.

Some Yankees.  When I scanned these I didn't realize the Knobby cards were actually Twins.  They will soon grace the mailbox of Rhubarb Runner.  I think that is the best my scanner ever did a hologram card...

70s Dodgers

Pirate stars (and Jackson)

A few Molitors  I never saw that first one before.  I bet Thorzul already has it though.  If not he has first dibs.

Living in Cardinal territory these are cards I don't normally see.


Early 80 superstars.

Royal Superstars.  I can't believe I don't know any Brett collectors. 

Thanks for the stuff Ted.  I'm ear marking any Jays I get for you.  If anyone else has some Blue Jays cards send them Ted's way.

And once again Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Lists

I like lists.  Don't know what it is about them but I'm drawn to lists.  I like for everything to be in list form so I tend to make allot of them.  You couldn't have told this from my want list could you?  Anyway, every year I make a particular list, a wishlist for the GM.  I list a group of free agents that I would like to see get signed by the Sox.  I decided that this year I am going to share the list. 

Arian Beltre
Cliff Lee
Paul Konerko
Adam Dunn
Jason Werth
Carl Crawford
Ted Lilly
Scott Posednick
Randy Choate
Justin Duchscherer
Jason Fasor
Rafael Soriano
Victor Martinez
Matt Guerrier
Jon Rauch
David Ortiz
Andy Pettite
Pedro Martinez
Carl Pavano
Magglio Ordonez
Bronson Arroyo
Bill Hall
Omar Visquel
Scott Downs

Players are listed according to priority and I color code it as moves are made.  Red means someone else signed the player and green means we did.  I have to admit I didn't put as much effort into the list this year as I usually do, otherwise I would have had a backup option for a catcher.  I can't add one now because other than color coding the list is locked as far as content and priority.  So now that Detroit signed V-Mart I can't go in and add that we need to sign Varitek. To do that I will have to make a whole new list.  I really didn't spend as much time on the free agent list this year because I have only made one list and usually I make 2 of them.  The one you see above and also one that lists all the best free agents in order of greatness regardless of if they would fit in the red Sox scheme.
 
The moves I wanted to see this year were rendered obsolete weeks ago.  To me we should have never picked up Papi's option.  Instead we should have signed Beltre to play 3rd then Konerko to DH and play 1st.  That way we could have rotated the infield to give guys days off and keep them healthy.  So Youk needs a day off Konerko plays 1st, Beltre needs off Youk goes to 3rd and Konerko plays 1st.  I don't think that Ortiz is finished or anything I just think that would have been a better fit on the field and he isn't putting up 12.5 Million a year numbers anymore.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Results

This post is a long time coming.  Fantasy baseball is long over and I am just now getting around to posting how I did this year.  I was in four different leagues and I have to admit I had my best year EVER!! 

League #1 Card Blog League hosted by PunkRockPaint
I narrowly defeated Beardy in the finals to pick up my very 1st Fantasy Baseball championship.  When I say narrowly it came down to the a tie beaker at the end.

League #2 hosted by Sports Cards Uncensored
I picked up a 3rd place in Gellman's league.  Adam hosted a really deep league and I thought about mid season that I wouldn't even make the playoffs cause there was no free agents worth a hoot to pick up.  Oddly enough it was my pitching that carried me all year.  Only time this has ever happened. 

League #3
The 3rd league I was in consisted of mostly people that I have known for years and years.  Most are fellow collectors from my area.  There were a few guys from out of town that I didn't know however.  Two of which wrote this book.  I don't know how much their understanding of Bill James helped them though because neither of them won.  I took 5th overall.  This was a real disappointment because I still feel like I had the very best team.  I just had a bad week in the first round of the playoffs.  It's okay though because it is a keeper league so half of my team will be back next year.

League #4 Card Bloggers Unite hosted by me
This was my first try at being comish of a league.  It was also my second 1st place title as I knocked around Dayf in the final.

So two 1sts a 3rd and a 5th, not too bad for one year.  I'm very happy with that.  Hopefully my luck runs into football and I do as well with my 3 football leagues.  I think I have a legitimate shot at two of them plus I'm in a basketball league that I think is winnable.

Actually I have a shot at another baseball league.  I almost forgot about the Blaster Fantasy League Edit - I just looked at my team again, no shot at this one.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Follow up to some Night Owl comments...

Some follow up to Night Owl’s 1962 Topps post.  I commented that the 1962 set was awful.  in fact I said it was the worst of all time.  Here are my other least favorite sets followed with my favorites.

Worst Topps sets of all time.

1962 - just plain ugly
1990 – If you can’t tell by looking…
1968 – Looks allot like the 62 set to me. Dull and boring
1971 – the only reason this is here is because of the shape of all 71 cards I see the black borders make them all look worn out. Otherwise I like the way they look
1952 – I know that this is Topps most iconic set but it really does nothing for me. One of the reasons I only own about 3 of them.
1972 – I know there are lots of people that collect this set I just don’t’ understand why.
2008 – Seriously it has poka-dots on every card.

Best Topps sets of all time.

1960 - All Horizontal and two photos per card. Love it.
1975 – So colorful even a colorblind guy like me can enjoy them
1955 – Horizontal with great action pictures plus a close up.
2009 – High on my list just for Topps picture selection. Probably the best picture selection of all time.
1956 – Horizontal? Check. Vintage? Check.
1983 – Nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said.
1967 – Something about he simple design draws me. Plain white borders with some block letters. Sometimes simpler is better.
1963 – Multiple photos with a splash of color on every card.

I know it was a thrown together post jut to get me to the top of everyones blog roll again.  At least it wasn't another trade post.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Update

Bad things in the air around here.  I figure I will write about what is going on sometime in the future but not today.  At least many many good things have come in the mailbox lately.  I would like to thank everyone that has sent me a trade package lately.  I love all the new cards I received and with the help of you bloggers my Top 10 list has changed quite a few times.  Spots 4, 7 and 10 have changed multiple times in the last month but the other spots seem stuck.  I knew that the 1980 TCMA Virdon was a long shot to receive but I really figured the rest of the stuff was going to be easy to track down.  Any help would be appreciated, every card on here finishes of a team set for me.  If you don't happen to have something on my Top 10 list we can still trade, I have a rather extensive Red Sox Want List and a Bill Virdon Want List (that I have only received one card in trade from ever, thank you Troll)  just leave a comment or shoot me an email.