Juuust a bit outside (JABOs)

Blogarage Team Lot Clearance - Update

2012-05-31T15:18:00.001-05:00

Thank you to everyone who claimed teams on the Blogarage team lot clearance! I've updated below the status of each of those transactions.

As a reminder, there was no up front payment. All I asked is that once you receive them, you pay exact shipping and 2¢ per card for every card you add to your collection (paypal gift or cash through the mail, please). So, for example, if you get them and you feel only 50 of them are worthy of your collection, you will only pay me $1+ exact shipping.

Here's the status for each team:

Cards mailed and should be received but not paid:
Padres
Blue Jays
White Sox
Pirates
Phillies
Twins
Dodgers
Braves
Red Sox
Rockies
Mariners

Cards in the mail and should be arriving soon:
Diamondbacks
Orioles/Nationals/Rangers

Cards paid for:
Mets
Cubs
Yankees
Indians
Cardinals
Astros

Teams still available:
Athletics
Angels
Rays
Royals
Tigers
Brewers
Giants
Marlins
Reds

Thank you!

2012 Topps Archives BOX BREAK RESULTS

2012-05-23T20:34:00.000-05:00

THANK YOU! TO:

FOR SPONSORING OUR BREAK!

Well, my camera is an "epic fail" as the kids say. I'm going to have to buy a new camera I think. Sorry about that guys. BUT, I've got scans below of all the SPs and inserts. I also am including a count of cards by team.

Here we go...

First, SPs

Three more SPs and six Fan Favorite reprints

Six more Fan Favorite reprints and three cloth stickers

Five more cloth stickers and four 3D cards

Two more 3D cards, six '67 stickers, and one gold foil parallel

Three more gold parallels and four deckle edge inserts

And the four autograph hits

Yankees 32

Red Sox 21

Braves 20

Giants 20

Cardinals 20

Brewers 19

Phillies 19

Rangers 16

Tigers 14

Nationals 14

Indians 13

Reds 13

Blue Jays 12

Dodgers 11

Diamondbacks 10

Cubs 8

Rockies 8

Orioles 8

Pirates 8

Mariners 7

White Sox 4

Twins 3

Astros 2

Padres 1

Thanks to everyone for participating! I'll get these out to you asap!

Baseball Card Would You Rather

2012-05-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Today's card question: Would you rather have this card....

Or this card...

AND WHY?

Blogarage Tuesday - One last time

2012-05-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

One last time...I recently completed sorting all my "nice but no wow factor" pile of cards (about 4000-5000 cards) into teams. The cards are a variety of new and old ('81-85, a handful of '76, etc) and stars to commons. There are no high dollar cards, but plenty of nice cards of the team you love.

I want to sell them and here's the great part for you. You don't have to pay anything up front. All I ask is that once you receive them, you pay exact shipping and 2¢ per card for every card you add to your collection (paypal gift or cash through the mail, please). So, for example, if you get them and you feel only 50 of them are worthy of your collection, you will only pay me $1+ exact shipping.

The following teams are still available.

Athletics
Angels
Rays
Royals
Tigers
Brewers
Diamondbacks
Giants
Marlins
Reds

Thank you!

Rear View Mirror - 1995 California Angels

2012-05-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

The 1995 season was shortened to 144 games due to the lingering 1994 strike.

On August 16th, 1995, the California Angels were in 1st place, 10 1/2 games ahead with a record of 64-39. Two nine game losing streaks down the stretch and they fell behind. By September 26th, the Angels were 3 games behind in second place. There record during the slide was 9-27. Epic. Give them credit, they fought back to force a one game playoff against the Randy Johnson and the Seattle Mariners. To complete their collapse, they lost 9-1.

The Angels hitting was led by Jim Edmonds 33 HRs and 107 RBIs and Tim Salmon 34 HRs and 105 RBIs while leading the team in batting at .330. The pitching was anchored by Mark Langston and Chuck Finley who led the team with 15 wins each and Lee Smith was strong out of the bullpen for 37 saves.

And the collapse must have been a learning experience, just seven years later with Tim Salmon still playing hard, they won the World Series.

By 1995 there were so many choices in baseball cards it was dizzying. Surprisingly, there were not very many great cards. But there was a lot of variety; phone cards, parallels, die-cuts, faux gold signatures, press proofs, and autographs. The most curious cards were the phone cards. If you don't remember, these were cards you could use to pay for long distance phone minutes. They were inserted into packs and some were even signed. The good news is that most of the cards from 1995 are really pretty reasonable (click on the Bazooka eBay lot below to see an example). Overall, 1995 was an interesting year as baseball tried to begin to recover from its self-inflicted wounds caused by the strike.

There you have a brief history from an epic collapse not all that long ago: 1995.

Baseball Card Blog of the Week - Play at the Plate

2012-05-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Brian on his blog Play at the Plate writes with wit and a touch of sarcasm, which I love!

A Rangers fan, he connects real life with cardboard in a pure and believable style. He is an unabashed homer and cheers his Texans at every turn, just like a great fan should. And he appreciates the hobby and its past.

He posts on pack breaks, trades, vintage pick-ups, and all the new cards of his two-time defending American League Champs. Oh, and he holds terrible contests (see the link here). Just kidding Brian! If you haven't already, go check this blog and drop Brian a message letting him know how you like it and that you've got Rangers to trade him!

Thanks Brian!

Around the Hobby News - Yanks Celebrate Yogi's Birthday

2012-05-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yankee Stadium Welcomes Berra for His 87th Birthday

By ZACH BERMAN

Yogi Berra sat in the passenger seat of a golf cart driven by his close friend and de facto valet Ron Guidry and soaked in the applause of the Yankee Stadium crowd. It was minutes before the Yankees’ game against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, and the Yankees honored Berra on his 87th birthday.

After a tribute was shown on the large video screen in center field, Guidry and Berra drove in from the outfield gate. The golf cart rode along the warning track and down the third-base line before stopping behind home plate. Berra was greeted by Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal and Derek Jeter, both of whom presented Berra with a birthday cake. The Yankee Stadium crowd then sang “Happy Birthday.” The fans received a commemorative Berra baseball card upon entering the ballpark.

The video presentation included information on Berra’s career and his museum and learning center in Upper Montclair, N.J. It concluded with a homage to memorable Berra quotations such as “we’re open till we close” and “if you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

Berra, a Hall of Famer, was an 18-time All-Star and won three Most Valuable Player awards for the Yankees. He also won 10 World Series championships as a player and three as a coach.

Very cool and classy. Love 'em or hate 'em, the Yankees do things with style. Yogi is one of the last living legends from that amazing Golden Age of Baseball. And the fans got a baseball card to boot! Sweet! Any readers get one? I'd like to have it! Happy Birthday Mr. Berra!

Cards from your favorite team for just 2¢ each!

2012-05-18T10:34:00.003-05:00

Pick your favorite from the teams listed below!
by clicking <<HERE>>

Barnstorming Fridays

2012-05-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

No word on where the cards are headed.

I'll let you know more when I hear more! For now...

Good luck boys!

Trader Thursday

2012-05-17T10:27:00.000-05:00

No trades to share this week. I did ebay pick-up this Frank Thomas relic for my trifecta.

And these two for my Hall of Fame One Card project.

Thanks for looking! And if you find you have something I need, LET'S TRADE!

Also, I would love to have a few more folks vote for the Hall of Fame 1975 candidates. Check the poll on the left and the link above the poll to see the candidates! Thanks!

Baseball Card Would You Rather

2012-05-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Today's card question: Would you rather have this card....

1962 Post Carl Yastrzemski

Or this card...

1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr.

AND WHY?

Blogarage Tuesday - Your favorite team for just 2¢ per card!

2012-05-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

As posted on Saturday, I have just completed sorting all my "nice but no wow factor" pile of cards (about 4000-5000 cards) into teams. The cards are a variety of new and old ('81-85, a handful of '76, etc) and stars to commons. There are no high dollar cards, but plenty of nice cards of the team you love.

Many teams still available!

<< CLICK HERE to claim your team(s) >>

Rear View Mirror - 1913 Philadelphia Athletics

2012-05-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

The 1913 Philadelphia Athletics were a dreadnought that rolled through the 1913 season. They were never a full game out in the standings and were in first place from April 24th through the end of the season. This team featured six Hall of Famers: Manager Connie Mack, Chief Bender, Home Run Baker, Eddie Collins, Eddie Plank, and Herb Pennock (who didn't contribute much to the A's but went on to make his mark with the New York Yankees).

This team was also known for it's "$100,000 infield". Baker, Collins, Stuffy McInnis and Jack Barry were the first infield to be paid such an exorbitant amount. But they were worth it as they helped the Athletics win three pennants and two World Championships in four years.

Home Run Baker lead the team and the league in 1913 with 12 home runs. He was in the midst of leading the league in that category for four straight years. He also hit .337 with 117 RBIs. Eddie Collins led the team in batting at .345. Chief Bender, their closer (not like today of course), won 21 games followed by Plank with 18 and Boardwalk Brown with 17.

In the World Series, Philadelphia beat the Christy Mathewson led New York Giants in five games, finishing by beating Mathewson 3-1 in that final game.

Now, baseball cards from that year. This from the PSA Website:

Obviously, these cards are very rare ephemera and are exceedingly difficult to obtain. Of all the cards I've seen for these champions, I would like to have the Fatima T200 team card. It has all the Hall of Famers except Pennock and seems to be plentiful enough that a regular guy can afford one if he saves up.

Other potential "gets" would be the National Game cards or possibly the Tom Barker Game cards. Remembering these are 100 years old now, just about any condition would be worth having.

There you have a brief history from a century ago: 1913.

Baseball Card Blog of the Week - $30 A Week Habit

2012-05-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Robert over at $30 A Week Habit has a very entertaining blog. I really enjoy the variety of his posts as he has a realist, purist, and slightly leftest point of view.

He keeps things real by talking about cardboard with coworkers and accepting cards for the condition they are in, without judging. And look at the title of his blog! I think most of us are in denial about what we spend on cards, he puts it right out there for everyone to see.

He's a purist in his love of the hobby. Whether he is posting about a random Blue Jay or sharing how awesome his rounded corner 1964's are, he just loves collecting.

And he flies a little left as he strays from liking traditional American teams and loves a Canadian one.

Go check out a really enjoyable blog and be careful he doesn't suck you into his north of the border love!

(Just kidding Robert!)

Blogarage SATURday - Your favorite team for just 2¢ per card!

2012-05-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

I have just completed sorting all my "nice but no wow factor" pile of cards (about 4000-5000 cards) into teams. The cards are a variety of new and old ('81-85, a handful of '76, etc) and stars to commons. There are no high dollar cards, but plenty of nice cards of the team you love.

The following teams are still available.

Athletics
Angels
Rays
Royals
Tigers
Brewers
Diamondbacks
Giants
Marlins
Reds

Around the Hobby News - Kate Upton on 2012 Topps

2012-05-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Kate Upton on 2012 Topps Baseball Card

Baseball card collectors will have a chance to hold Kate Upton (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) in their own hands in the summer of 2012. The popular Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model is one of five celebrity non-athletes who will be featured in the Topps Allen & Ginter World Champions Set, which is scheduled for release in July.

The limited edition set is modeled after cards that were provided by the Allen & Ginter tobacco company in the late 1800s, featuring paintings of baseball players and other athletes, in addition to well-known celebrities. It is reported that Kate Upton will be shown in the same red dress she wore at the launch party for the SI Swimsuit Issue in February.

Why is this news? Ginter sets have been doing this for a long time, haven't they? Is it because she is recently hot? Or was it just a slow news day? How many of you guys are going to go full tilt to get Kate's card? Will there be a "game-used" card? So many questions. Anyone going after a Kate Upton trifecta?

Barnstorming Fridays

2012-05-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

No word on where the cards are headed.

I'll let you know more when I hear more! For now...

Good luck boys!

Trader Thursday - ebay pick-ups

2012-05-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

No trades to share this week so I'll share a couple of my latest ebay pick-ups.

After last week's trade with Julie for the Nelson Cruz autograph, I completed my trifecta this week by getting a Gypsy Queen jersey and his Chrome refractor rookie.

Thanks for looking! And if you find you have something I need, LET'S TRADE!

ROYALS UPDATE: Just a follow-up to my post a little while back about how bad the Royals are. Trying to look at the bright side. With their series win against the Red Sox last night, the Royals have not lost a series in their last five series and are 3-4-3 (Win-Loss-Split) for the season. That's just one series under .500! So, they are coming around and they haven't even started hitting yet!

Go Royals!

Baseball Card Would You Rather

2012-05-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

Today's card question: Would you rather have this card....

2010 Upper Deck Buster Posey

Or this card...

1992 Bowman Mike Piazza

AND WHY?

Blogarage Tuesday

2012-05-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

This weeks blogarage sale items (and last weeks is still available):

1997 Screenplays Cal Ripken [fielding] $5 dlvd

(card and tin)

1997 Screenplays Cal Ripken Private Screenings (Premium) [batting] $7 dlvd

(card and tin)

1997 Screenplays Ken Griffey Jr. $7 dlvd

(card and tin)

Rear View Mirror - 1969 New York Mets

2012-05-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Amazin's. The 1969 New York Mets shocked the world with their miracle march from also-rans in August to World Series Champions. Similar to the 1977 Royals that I wrote about last week, the Mets were 10 games out of first when they lost to the Astros in Houston on August 13th. This however was normal for the Mets. They had not had a winning season since they began in 1962 and had never finished above 9th in the ten team National League. But in 1969, Major League Baseball added expansion teams and divided the leagues into two divisions each. The Mets took off on August 14th and when they finished off the Cubs at Wrigley on October 1st, they had won their 100th game of the season and had a nine game lead on the 2nd place Cubbies. That translated into a 38-10 stretch run. In the League Championship Series, they sweep the Braves in three games with a young Nolan Ryan pitching 7 innings of relief to preserve the final win. In the World Series they took on the very experienced and star-studded Baltimore Orioles. They again rose up and dropped the Orioles in five games for the franchise first World Series Championship. Tom Seaver was the ace of the squad with 25 wins and Jerry Koosman close behind with 17. Cleon Jones was their top hitter batting .340 and Tommy Agee provided the power with 26 home runs.

Baseball cards in 1969 were dominated by Topps. The first two examples above are from the 1969 Topps set. Topps did have a couple insert sets that year. The Jerry Koosman is a Deckle Edge insert and the Tom Seaver is the Decals insert. The next item is a MLB Photostamp of Bud Harrelson and last item is a Tommy Agee from the Milton Bradley game set. I know we'll be seeing some new Deckle Edges in this year's Topps Archives. I can't tell you too much more about the decals, the MLB Photostamps or the Milton Bradley sets, except to say at least there was a little more out there to collect than in some previous years.

A brief history from when I was two years old: 1969.

Baseball Card Blog of the Week - Waiting 'Til Next Year

2012-05-06T10:24:00.000-05:00

Today's Baseball Card Blog of the Week is...

Waiting 'Til Next Year

Tom, who is waiting for the Cubs to break through for a World Series win, has a very enjoyable blog to read. The thing I enjoy most about it is how real he is. His posts are just dripping with Midwestern Americana. You can hear him in between the lines saying "Da Bears!"

Tom mixes real life adventures (like his trip to NYC) with his love of baseball and all the fun that goes with it. While his posts are not daily, sometimes less is more as each post is rich and brings you into his world. His baseball adventures, travel, running, and pursuit of bobble heads are all fun to follow.

Yes, this is supposed to be a Baseball Card blog of the week, and Tom is more into the collectible bobbles. I defend my pick this week because of his love of baseball, collecting (bobbles), and quality of his writing.

Thanks Tom for a fun read and keep up the good work! And if you have any baseball cards, throw a post or two up about them. I'm sure it would be very entertaining for your readers.

Around the Hobby News - The Dmitri Young Collection Goes Up For Auction

2012-05-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

SCP Auctions will feature Major League Baseball All-Star Dmitri Young's high-end baseball card collection - widely considered to be the finest quality collection of Baseball Hall of Fame rookie cards in existence - in its spring auction beginning Monday, April 30.

Young's collection includes some of the finest one-of-a-kind GEM MINT rookie cards in existence, including:

The only 1955 Roberto Clemente Topps rookie card ever graded PSA 10 Gem Mint. Value $250,000
A 1954 Hank Aaron Topps Rookie card PSA 10 Gem Mint - One of only two cards have ever been graded PSA 10. Value $250,000+
The only 1963 Pete Rose Topps rookie card ever graded PSA 10 Gem Mint. Value $75,000+
The only 1969 Topps Reggie Jackson Topps rookie card ever graded Gem Mint 10. Value $30,000+

The auction proceeds will allow Young to begin the Dmitri D. Young Foundation that will host baseball and softball camps and clinics, support of Boys and Girls Clubs and sponsor programs and scholarships for student athletes and their families in Young's home area, Ventura County, Calif.

Bidding will be open to registered bidders on Monday, April 30. The Dmitri Young Collection auction will conclude on Friday, May 18, while the rest of the auction will conclude on Saturday, May 19. The auction will be conducted online at SCPAuctions.com. The spring auction will also feature hundreds of other historically significant sports memorabilia items and cards, including the earliest known jersey worn by New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth - one of the most valuable pieces of sports memorabilia ever brought to auction - and Bobby Thomson's 1951 "Shot Heard 'Round the World" cap. For more information on how to participate, visit www.scpauctions.com or call (949) 831-3700.

Now, I expect us bloggers to dominate the bidding and take home all the cards. Right?

Barnstorming Fridays - A Communist Plot!

2012-05-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

Fort Wayne, Indiana.

A mystery is growing in the Hoosier state. And some believe the hammer and sickle are behind it.

The ball players had finished packing the bus and headed down the road, but then disappeared.

Could this be the work of the red scare?

The real question would be "why"? Do they hope to brainwash the base ballers and have the barnstorming tour turn into a chance to spread communism across our great land? Will they hold them hostage in hopes of forcing our government to bow to the demands of the evil reds or, do they just want chocolatey goodness for all!

We're praying for you boys! Whatever you do, don't believe them when they tell you they "melt in your mouth, but not in your hand". Look at your hands, there's red all over them!

I'll let you know more when I hear more! For now...

Good luck boys!

Baseball Card Hall of Fame Candidates - 1975

2012-05-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

Continuing the voting, the candidates for the Blogger's Baseball Card Hall of Fame for cards issued in 1975. In the poll at the top right of the blog, please vote for up to 10 of the cards shown below. If you feel strongly that a card has been missed that should be considered, please comment to this post and I will do my best to add a photo to this post. Because I will not be able to edit the poll once voting begins, votes for late added players should be made by comment to this post.

Remember its the cards, not the players that are being elected. Photo, color, design, topical interest (the stadium, event, and yes, the player would all factor in), significance of the card to the hobby, and overall eye appeal should be considered when voting.

Thank you for participating!