Troll Might Rule!!!

3 Walk-Off Wins in 3 Days? Are You Kidding ME????

2014-05-24T22:45:00.000-04:00

True story.

Saw it with my own eyes...

Even I was starting to doubt my Team a little, but this is exactly what this team and it's fans needed... Much appreciation to the Rays for making sure I get my money's worth with the ticket price...

I don't have tix for tomorrow yet, but my broom is ready in the event anybody has an extra...

That is all.

Batter up!

Go Rays!

troll out.

Mom & Me & DJ KITTY!!!

2014-05-12T21:05:00.003-04:00

Not much time, but I wanted to get at least one photo from my hot date on Saturday night posted... It was a GREAT time with GREAT company and a GREAT outcome...

I was a lucky man to have such a fine game watching companion and we were pretty lucky to see the Rays LONE win on this homestand...

My Rays are on the other coast tonight and for a while... Tonight's matchup is King Felix vs. Cesar Ramos - GOOD LUCK!!! Stranger things have happened...

Hope the Mom's had FANTASTIC weekends and were appropriately spoiled...
Hope the fellas treated their wives and mothers like royalty this weekend...
Go Rays! Batter up!
troll out.

My Mom is the Ray's New Clean-Up Hitter!!!

2014-05-11T01:17:00.000-04:00

I just got home from Tropicana Field where the Tampa Bay Rays stomped the Indians from Cleveland to a score of 7-1.

The Rays haven't had much luck at home lately. It's been more than 2 weeks (I think) since their last home victory. The only major thing that changed between tonight every other home game this year was the presence of my Mom. They needed a victory badly and I knew she would be the key to getting them back on track and she delivered!

I had mentioned that Mom and I had taken a little break in-between ball games - we hadn't been out to the ball park together since 1986 when her and I teamed up to cheer the New York Mets all the way to the World Series.

Tonight wasn't the World Series - just a regular, early in the season, non-division game featuring a battle between number 5 starters who probably won't have spots in their rotations come September, but my date for the night made it one of the best games ever!!!

Mom and I had a BLAST!! She hasn't been watching much baseball, but it all came back to her quickly and she had a smile on her face from the moment we walked in the door and we got our DJ Kitty plush hats!

We took plenty of pics, but they were all on Mom's camera - I will get them from her shortly and post them up - for now I did snap a pic of the DJ Kitty hat to share. I wore my DJ Kitty hat all game long as many fans did. My Mom is not a hat person, but she was wearing a Rays cap and didn't wanna cover it up. She had to work today, as well as tomorrow, which is why we couldn't celebrate Mother's Day at the ball park on Sunday... Anyway, when she got home from work today there was a brandy new Rays cap waiting on the kitchen counter for her!

This was a last minute plan - I had invited her late last night and today while she was working my Dad bought her a Rays cap as a surprise. AWESOME!!! I had probably could have given her on the 16 different Rays hats that I have accumulated over the years, but I thought it was great that My Dad did that for her...

Everything about tonight worked out perfectly. We decided to do this late last night and today I was able to find FANTASTIC seats behind home plate at a decent price and she was able to work her regular schedule at work and still get out in time for the game. I was able to mow my lawn and get my "chores" done around the house prior to picking her up.

We got there quickly without hitting any traffic and we were able park in my regular spot for only 5 bucks!!! It is generally $10 on the weekend - sometimes 15. The spot is about a half mile walk from the Trop. Perfect to stretch you out a little before sitting for 3 hours and its in the ideal spot to circumvent traffic and get right on the highway post game. Mom starts work at 5 AM, so I was a little worried about having her out too late, but the game was fairly quick and the parking slot worked - we avoided the traffic and I had her home safe by eleven o'clock.

On the ride home we talked about the game - Mom knows the game well - AND we agreed that we need to do this frequently... I wish we'd done this sooner, but I am so glad we did it tonight!
I truly am a lucky man. This spring my Dad and I were able to go out to a spring training game together and tonight I got to take my Mom out to see my favorite team. AWESOME!
Speaking of awesome - that is what the Rays were tonight!!!

With Erik Bedard on the hill I wasn't too confident - I even warned my Mom that the game could get out of hand quickly and we might see a lot of calls to the bullpen. Well, Bedard made me eat my words. He walked himself into trouble a bit, but worked out of it. He pitched 6 full innings of shut out ball, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 4 Indians. Juan Carlos Oviedo was his relief and he threw 2 shutout innings holding Cleveland hitless. The Rays were pitching like the '95 Braves - over the first 8 innings at least... Even though it wasn't a save situation - the bullpen had been overworked and Grant Balfour needed to get some work in...

He got plenty of work... And made things pretty interesting. If all went smooth he could have preserved the 0ne-hit shutout and it would have been the first staff 1-hitter since early in 2012. He didn't preserve anything and after a couple batters the mood at the Trop changed drastically. After a couple singles, he walked the bases loaded with NO OUTS!

Perhaps Balfour needs that pressure to be effective... He allowed a sac fly to blow the shutout, but get the first out and then he coaxed a ground ball double play to end it and bring the Rays to a 7-1 victory!!!

The offense, which has been somewhere between weak and non-existent this year, was on fire! Seven of the starting nine had base hits, they were 4 for 6 with runners in scoring position and Zobrist, Longo and Wil Myers all had gappers for extra bases.

Our seats were just to the right of home plate, so we were directly behind the Rays on-deck circle. I wore a dark blue Rays jersey tonight - repping my favorite player. When Mom saw a man get out of the dugout to warm up wearing a jersey identical to mine which said "Jennings 8" on the back - she quickly identified that I was a fan of his and she cheered when he stepped to the plate. He delivered a base hit, stole second and scored courtesy of David DeJesus and put the Rays on the board in the third inning. They added a pair of runs in the 4th, 5th and 7th innings while holding the Indians scoreless.

It was a great night for the home team and an AMAZING evening for my Mom and me! I hope she's not tired heading to work by 5AM - I think she had a pretty GREAT night as well.
I hope she will join me for a ball game again, but I am SO glad she did tonight! It was a perfect evening for my Mom and me and I can't stop smiling about it, which is why I am blabbering on and sharing my story with all of you...

As end note - this is all about my MOM, but since I don't have pics of her and I yet, I decided to start the post off with a photo of Dad and I at a spring training game in March - it's all in the family, right?
If you are a rep of the Rays and you want to arrange for my Mom (the good luck charm) to attend ALL of your home games, you can contact me here;).
Thanks for reading my story.
Viva DJ KITTY!!!
Batter up! Go Rays!
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
troll out.

Doing Something I Haven't Done in 30 Years!

2014-05-10T15:31:00.000-04:00

Hey kids!
I don't how it happens, but somehow 2 months have lapsed since my last appearance around here... Not gonna waste yer time with excuses, but I will say I have had a TON of things to say, but haven't been able to make the time to say it.
As y'all know - I am a DIE-HARD TAMPA BAY RAYS FAN... I LOVE my team and will support them through thick and thin. So far this year I have been a lucky fan and I have gone to nearly EVERY home game this year. Working third shift has its advantages in that regard - I often have the chance to check out games on the way to work, but that is another story...
Anyhoo - my team has issues. There are injuries and mucho bad luck, but beyond that they have played like crap. The starting pitching sucks, the offense is non-existent and on the occasion they are still in a game after the sixth inning - chances are the bull pen will blow it. It is still early in the season and I have tons of faith in my team, but I aint gonna lie - I'm getting nervous. I have gotten quite used to the Rays battling for a playoff spot every year and I am not ready for that run to end...
Switching gears - I am still collecting, I have trades and sweet new cards to post - I am slowly chipping away at 2014 Heritage and will post my have and have not list sometime soon. I have also been working on my "Rays Man Cave". At 22 years old with a family of his own - I have decided it is safe to convert my Son Zadeh's bedroom into my collecting den... I have been saving stadium give aways and collecting baseballs, bats and photos for years now, but everything has always been tucked away in storage, but now it going to be displayed full on!!! I have a little more painting to do, some light construction and some more picture frames to buy, but the cave is getting close to its Grand Opening. I will post photos, perhaps even video when it is done!
So, back to the subject of this post...
I WILL be doing something tonight that I haven't done since 1986.
I have a hot date and I am going to Tropicana Field and sitting in the Home Plate Club, but that isn't the exciting part...
I am going out to a ball game with MY MOM!!!!
We haven't gone out to a game alone together since 1986 when her and spent many weekends at the wonder known as Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. She took me to many games during the 80's, but we went to many during 1986. We were Mets fans (and I feel comfortable admitting that, now) and I think everyone knows how that year ended for them...
I am looking forward to a night out with my Mom and I hope she can lend herself as a good luck charm to a team that can really, really use it.
Her and I will be sitting in section 106, behind the net, behind home plate and I am SO EXCITED!!! Now would be a great time for them to remember how to win again. Sorry Cleveland...
Batter up!
Go Rays!
troll out.

Box Number One - 2014 Topps Heritage - The Results

2014-03-19T10:37:00.001-04:00

This box was waiting for me when I got home from work yesterday. I tore into it like no body's business! It has a twin - which I badly wanted to rip, but I promised myself I would post the first box before I ripped the second...

So here goes, my commitment to myself and some of the notable things that came in this fancy box o'cards.

I should note that I had vowed to finish my 1965 Topps set BEFORE I started the '65 version of Heritage. This might be an anti climatic way to announce this - I had a little fan fare planned - but we will take the no frills approach. The 1965 set - cards 1 - 598 are all safe in my binder. I found the final 3 cards I needed online just a few weeks ago. A trio of Hall of Famers. I had been held up on these 3 cards for nearly a year, but I kept on having the feeling like I had one of them already.

Turns out I was correct. I had found a Phil Niekro rookie YEARS ago - long before I even put the cards in the binder. As I was cleaning up the extra bedroom at Christmas time to prepare for some amazing visitors - I found the Niekro/Clay Carroll card I had long forgotten about.

I guess I can start this post off by offering this little slab as trade bait. Card #461.

Anyway, back to cards I actually needed... card#526 featuring Catfish Hunter brought me close and card#250 Willie Mays finished off the journey.

So, what could have been a very long story is over for now and so is my quest for '65 Topps. (Arguably) the GREATEST player to ever play this game, Willie Mays drove home the winning run and provided the final card for my set. With it done, I can start on it's great-great-grandchild - 2014 Topps Heritage, so here we go.

After opening the shrink wrap I was greeted by this wrapper. I had no idea there would be a 50th Anniversary stamped real '65 in here. Nice touch, Topps. I wasn't thrilled with Charlie Smith, but the idea of pulling a Mays or a Mantle (1 in 598 odds?) was pretty darn cool.

After I ripped open the very first pack and saw the back of the first card I wondered if I had a "hot pack" filled with vintage cards. I saw this League Leader card and the blue back was dead-on. Once again, well done Topps.

It took a few minutes before I got much more excited. The first 6 packs yielded no inserts or SPs, but did provide me with cards of four of my favorite players - a really sharp looking Desmond Jennings which came in my second pack and stands as my favorite card in the set so far.

He was followed by one of my favorite non-Rays. Former O's second baseman Brian Roberts.

As a fan of his I am glad he has a job and a chance to be a starter AND to have a big role in Derek Jeter's farewell tour, but man it burns me to see B.R. in pinstripes (or NY road greys)...

Speaking of teams I hate and players I like - my third pack contained card #135 commemorating game 4 of the World Series. Ken Boyer's grand slam was on the original and my man Jonny Gomes' 3 run homer gets the modern one.

My 4th pack had my favorite pitcher in it, Alex Cobb on a fairly blah looking head shot.

It also had my first Rookie Cup card featuring an ultra close of up of Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko.

Pack number five contained my first look at the World's Largest Vegetarian (I think Robert Parrish is the tallest, but Prince is far larger) in a Rangers uni. I hated to see Ian Kinsler leave TX, but preseason prediction - I think Prince knocks out 40 plus this year.

Another cool card for me was this Rays dual rookie featuring Enny Romero and Tim Beckham.

Both will be at Durham this year, but I think both of them will be playing in St. Pete this fall...

Pack number six had my first SP and my first chrome card as well. The SP was Prince's former teammate, Mr. MVP Miguel Cabrera on the prestigious card #500, formerly occupied by HOF slugger Eddie Mathews. The chrome featured Mr. Met David Wright.

As I finished the box off, I pulled the appropriate number of SP (1:3) high numbers (8) and I pulled 2 chromes (1:14) and 1 refractor (1:27) of Jon Lester.

The box promised a Real One Autograph OR a relic card - I got neither. That was a HUGE bummer. If I pull 2 in my next box I will be happy, but otherwise I feel kinda scammed...

I did get one "hit", a logo variation SP card of Mets inactive phenom pitcher Matt Harvey, these are 1 in 135. Unless someone wants this, it will likely end up on eBay. I will wait a week or so in case somebody needs it, but please get in touch soon with an offer if you do want it. Same goes with everything - I am not chasing any of the insert sets or saving chromes. I am determined to finish this set sooner than later. There are 75 high number SPs and I have 8 thus far, so I will need to do some serious trading.

Back to my ripping... It was Mike Trout who got the honor of Willie Mays card #250.

The standard insert series' all returned this year as well. I got a few of each - New Age Performers, Then and Now and Flashbacks.

I didn't rip any Heritage last year so i don't know for sure if this is new or not, but this year's set included a MLB Draft First Rounders set (1:12) and I pulled 2 of them.

Aside from the short prints the last few packs were highlighted by a pair of former Rays and a trio of current ones.

I ripped pretty quickly, stopping only to put a few cards in penny sleeves. After waiting for what seemed like forever, about 10 minutes after meeting Charlie Smith i had a stack of wrappers and an empty box.
The good news is that now that I have posted this box - I am free to tear into the next one!!!

Thanks for reading! Go Rays!
troll out.
PS. The Rays won again last night, Wil Myers led-off and had 3 doubles. They are down the street in Sarasota today against the Orioles.
PSS. Every insert is available, so hit me up if ya need anything. I will have a wantlist up soon...

Guess What Came in the Mail Today???

2014-03-17T15:43:00.002-04:00

It has been pouring rain all day... My guard dog - who is scared of EVERYTHING, especially the sound of thunder, rain, wind, everything... has been flipping out all day. She has been so tense she didn't alert me when the Mail Man dropped by. A few minutes ago I took out the trash and peeked into the mailbox. Three wet letters, all bills. I picked 'em up and started walking back upstairs when I realized that on the back of one of the bills someone has written "package" with an arrow. All jokes ignored - I followed the error and searched for the "package"... Found the package soaking wet, behind the recycle bin. I picked it up like I was rescuing a baby and ran upstairs - very concerned about water damage to whatever I had received...
Let's make this long story shorter...
The box was well packed, the contents were bagged, nothing was damaged.

Inside the box I found not one, BUT 2 BOXES OF 2014 TOPPS HERITAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I am pretty psyched... Tune in tomorrow for some details...
Go Rays!
troll out.

I Have the Best Tan of Any Third Shift Machinist in the World!!!

2014-03-16T18:27:00.003-04:00

It was a great weekend of spring baseball in Port Charlotte, Florida. Hung out with my lovely Wife, saw back to back Rays wins over AL East rivals, got a ton of sun and feel really good about MY team being ready for games when it counts in two weeks...
On Saturday it was a split squad game with the Blue Jays. They didn't Joey Bats or Edwin E, so the Rays weren't facing a formidable offense by any means. The Rays had Zobrist, Myers, Jennings, DeJesus and Joyce elsewhere as well.
That said, Erik Bedard didn't do too bad... He still has strikeout stuff, he can still hit 90-91 on the gun, he still can throw a knee buckling curveball on occasion and he can get a ground ball when he needs it. Not great and I don't still don't feel confident about him being our 5th starter (I would prefer Jake Odorizzzi) but it could be worse.
This game was more about the guys rounding out the roster than the regulars and those guys made the most of their chances... With a ton of SEC baseball fans in the crowd, former LSU Tiger star and Rays minor leaguer Mikey Mahtook's first at bat came with the bases loaded and the crowd was screaming "Mikey Mikey, Let's Go Tiger"!. He drilled a pitch over the left field wall. GRAND SLAM. I had good seats, but his smile was so big when he was rounding the bases you could have seen it from the parking lot. The kid was psyched and the fans went nuts.

Mahtook had been sent back to minor league camp a while back, but with a split squad game he dressed as JIC-guy. Actually more than that cuz he got the start, but he really made the most of things. I've watched him play A-ball in Port Charlotte and really like his game - he's still pretty far from being a big leaguer, but he showed that he could tear up bad pitching and make a guy pay for a mistake. Well done Tiger.

Today was more about David Price. My favorite part was his pick-off of Jackie Bradley Jr. There's always something special about beating the Red Sox, too, whether the games count or not. Seeing Price pitch into the 7th, give up a few hits and fan 7 was pretty nice. Watching James Loney at the plate was a show in itself. He's batting over 400 this spring and had 5 rib eyes today. NICE.
Thats all for now. Much more to come... The Price card at the top came from an awesome surprise package from Jeff of 2x3 Heroes. My scanner is non functional right now - when I solve that problem, I will give him a proper post cuz he made my week with all the 2x3 gems he sent my way. Oh - the Longo throwback patch came from him as well. Freaking awesome! Thanks Jeff!!
Go Rays!
troll out.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

2014-03-15T10:46:00.001-04:00

Heading to Port Charlotte with the Wife... It's our first game together since the Playoffs last year... Woot woot. Go Rays!

troll out.

On a card note - there was some sort of delay in the shipping of 2014 Heritage - my boxes were shipped to me yesterday and I should have them on Tuesday. Can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!

Hot Plans for Thursday Afternoon!

2014-03-05T13:06:00.001-05:00

Greetings!!!!
I must say I have a number of posts that are ALMOST ready to share...
Right now all I have is an awesome announcement about my plans for Tomorrow... Last minute, but worked out perfect...

Just scored a pair of second row tickets at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida tomorrow. The spring home of the Baltimore Orioles...

The O's will be hosting the Tampa Bay Rays and my Father and I will be attending! I am amped for ANY game, but SO excited to go to an outdoor, afternoon game with my Dad!!!!

I have no idea what the line-up will be and it really doesn't matter, but it would be neat if David Price spent an inning on the hill...
Go Rays!
troll out

post script / una cosa mas... Dad has agreed to wear a Rays cap - our Father and son outfit is ready to go!

and another thing... on the trading front - I am READY to go! My 1963 Topps, 1964 Giants and 2008 Upper Deck Documentary want lists are updated. I will get to the others soon. My 2014 Heritage boxes should be arriving any day now, so there should be some spare cardboard to trade in there. Also, if anyone is still working on 2013 Allen and Ginter - I have a TON of dupes to trade mail me yer needs list and I will hook you up!

2014-02-27T16:58:00.003-05:00

GGGGGrrrreetings Trollites!!!!!

My goodness! The positive feedback I received for posting a paragraph after 5 month or so of silence was AMAZING!!!!!!!!

I really love my friends and fellow collectors all over the net, y'all rock!!!
Anyhoo, there is so much I wanna get into... I really wanna sit here and type and type, but I am not going to because I am going to be responsible... I need to be at work in less than 4 hours and I haven't slept yet. Of course I would rather blog than sleep, BUT I really should get some sleep (as boring as that is).

I will tease 3 things.

First, this Saturday afternoon the Tampa Bay Rays will be in Bradenton (my home town) playing the Pirates! My favorite National League team hosting my favorite team - all within 2 miles of my house!!!! How flipping perfect is that? Don't forget both teams completely over-achieved last year and made the playoffs, too. AND the AL East will be playing the NL Central in inter-league this year, so this will be a regular season match up preview. I bought a new lens for my camera (a Sigma 75-300 F4-5.6) - actually I ordered one online. It won't be here by then, but it will be joining me for a few spring games this year. Anyway, this Saturday I will be watching, not photographing, but I am SUPER psyched!!!!! I am stoked because I have a hot date (my lovely wife) AND I am thinking this could be a World Series preview... Had I said that one year ago y'all would assume that I had been smoking crack, but right now it's not that far fetched...

Oh, I got carried away with that, but I promised 3 things. The next two will be quicker.
First (actually second) this year's Topps Heritage comes out early next month. In more exciting news (for me) I have pre-ordered 2, yes TWO! Hobby boxes of 2014 Topps Heritage!!!! WOOT!!!!
This is super uncharted territory for me - ordering hobby boxes, pre-ordering, getting more than one... The last hobby box of Heritage I bought was 2009. Incidentally, I am still working on that set. The 2014 set is not going to be incomplete 5 years later. Even though I haven't finished a Heritage set since 2008 - I can GUARANTEE that I will be finishing 2014 off as a priority.

You see, sometime around 2008 I figured how Heritage worked and I did the math and determined that in 2014 Topps would use the design of the GREATEST SET EVER, the 1965 BANNER set. The '65 design is my favorite set of all time. Those who have read this blog before know that the '65 set is one I have been chasing since long before I discovered card blogging (which was in 2007). I LOVE that set and I have tried to work on it with every extra collecting dollar I've had since I was a kid going to card shows. In 2007 I had about 50 cards (out of 598) and I have grown that number somewhat rapidly over the past 7 years.
In fact, years ago, on this very blog I made a pledge. I swore that I would finish the 1965 set before I ripped my first pack of 2014 Heritage.

That brings up my third thing... Am I keeping my promise? Well, I have at least a week before my hobby BOXES will be shipped so I am going to decline to answer that question that I just asked myself. I will say that 5 months ago when I last posted I need 21 cards to finish the set. Now, I haven't updated my want list YET, but I will show y'all photographic proof that although I may not be done with the set yet, I am AT LEAST ELEVEN CARDS CLOSER TO COMPLETION!!!!!!! Oh, and 2 of the cards feature Hall of Famers and one features the star (or at least 1 of the co-stars) of Mr. Belvedere.

And with that I will say adios Trollites! Hit me up as you wish... Thanks for reading!

Go Rays!
Go Vintage!
troll out.
PS. Punchline is my roller derby identity and the Hitmen are my team. 789 is my number and also the reason why 6 is afraid of 7. A back injury is preventing me from skating at this moment.
Emma is my dog. She says "Rello Bloggers".
Joey Ramone is cool.
The ALDS banner and mini bat were both on mega clearance at the Rays Fan Shop at the Trop. Each one was a mere $2.50 each. In retrospect I really wish I bought more than 1 of each.

2014-02-24T20:53:00.002-05:00

Hello!!!!! Is there anybody out there????
It is your long lost pal the Troll...
Where have I been? My goodness, that is a LONG story. It is one that I would like to tell, though...
Am I back? I can't make any promises, but I LOVE the game of baseball, I LOVE my team, the Rays, I LOVE the hobby of card collecting and I truly LOVE this community - the card collecting Blog-O-Sphere...
I sure want to be back. I intend to be back. I know I have said this before only to disappear for months and months and years and more months. I REALLY don't wanna let that happen again. I am alive and kicking and intend to be kicking it at Tropicana Field all summer long... I intend to trade my dupes and build my sets and I intend to rip the heck of 2014 Topps Heritage - I have been WAITING for this design!
I will say that I spent this past Saturday at Tampa Bay Rays Fan Fest at Tropicana Field... I met many fellow Rays fans and I am PSYCHED for everything baseball.
My local card shop has closed, so my card purchases have entailed road trips and eBaying... Eh, card collecting is card collecting no matter where you get em, right?
I am babbling, but that is because there are SO MANY things I wanna talk/write about... I don't have any local/in-person pals who collect, so I have had a lot bottled up for a long time and I am ready to spill over talking about my cards, my goals, my autographs and my growing bat collection... Oh yeah my fingers are tingling at the thought of a monster rambling, run on post...
I don't know where to begin, but I hope to figure it out soon. I might start by updating my haves/needs pages and go from there...
Deep breath. Aaahh... I know it ain't much, but it just felt right clicking on "new post". Gonna feel even better hitting "publish". I hope y'all will see me soon... Oh, I should warn you that I am proclaiming myself a Desmond Jennings Super Collector and I am doing my best to be his number one stalker/fan... Oh, by the way, that IS the turf at the Trop in the background of the header photo - centerfield!
GO RAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Come on Opening Day 2014!!!!!
COLLECT!!!!
troll out.

Congrats to the Tampa Bay Rays For Another Amazing Season of Excitement and (Over) Achievement!!!!!

2013-10-09T14:25:00.002-04:00

Thanks to a super understanding employer and an amazing spouse I have practically lived at Tropicana Field over the last 6 weeks... During that time span I was lucky enough to see them win 18 games while losing just 2. Last night was the second loss and unfortunately it was the loss that ended their season... This photo was snapped yesterday while the game was still knotted up at 1 and we were all full of hope. I think everyone knows how it all ended. The game, the season and my delightful distraction from real life. I know its just a game and when its all said and done there is one winner and a whole bunch of losers, but I can't help but feel sad, melancholy and a little empty... Congrats to the Red Sox. They played a super tight series. Jacoby Ellsbury was an amazing catalyst, as was Shane Victorino. There is no shame in getting beat by those two.

It does however sting that it was Xander Jan Bogaerts drawing 2 key walks and scoring the game winning and insurance runs last night. Yeah, that stung, but either way the Rays are done, the Red Sox are rolling and now I will be shifting all of my rooting and attention to the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight. I would LOVE to see them face off (and beat) the Red Sox in the Series.
So that is all. My cowbell is gonna sit on the shelf for the next few months, my Rays jerseys are hung up in the closet and Stub Hub will no longer be my most frequently visited website.

It was a great run and I loved be a part of it as a fan. Things worked out so magically for me. I paid my bills before I bought tickets and so many times they just fell into my lap. That happened last night when our friend Lora (pictured above on the end, wife in middle, Troll on other end) offered us 2 of her season tickets and joined us in the last row in right field under the Jumbotron scoreboard. Out of 20 games in 6 weeks we only paid for about half of the games we saw - we relied and benefited from the kindness of strangers (and friends) and to all of them I saw thank you!

To the Rays I say the same thing - THANK YOU! For an exciting season full of hope with a little despair thrown in for good measure... Of course I will be watching the rest of the playoffs and I will be talking over the theoretical hot stove all (Florida) winter long.

I will be hoping that David Price returns in 2014 and signs a nice long term deal. I will be hoping that James Loney, Yunel Escobar (3 for 3 last night!), David DeJesus, Jose Lobaton and Jamey Wright all elect to remain Rays in 2014 and beyond and I will be hoping that Evan Longoria, Ben Zobrist, Alex Cobb, Matt Moore, Desmond Jennings, Alex Torres, Jake McGee, Wil Myers, Chris Archer, Jeremy Hellickson, Jeff Niemann and company all get plenty of rest, maintain their health and continue to improve on their games through the off season. I will also be hoping that my awesome online friends and fellow bloggers continue to share their unwanted Rays cards with me,too!

Yes, this was a magical year for the Rays and their fans, but its over. I am bummed, I am gonna have a whole bunch of free time and I have less chances to scream my head off and give strangers high fives, but spring training is right around the corner and I eagerly await seeing my team on the field again. Thank you, thank you, thank you! To the Rays, their fans, my friends and game day buddies and all of the generous ticket gifters out there. THANK YOU!!!
Go Pirates!
Troll out.

P.S. A HUGE thank you to my lovely (and tired) wife who cheered for every pitch till the end and didn't get home till 3:00 AM and turned around and went to work at 6 this morning. What a trooper!

P.S.S. This does mean I will be posting more often. I have completed many trades and received several surprise gifts in the mail and those awesome folks need thanks too!

P.S.S.S. I still have many Allen and Ginter dupes and minis available for the taking and for trading... I need only 2 more base cards to finish the set, 1-350, and I need just a few more inserts to finish the master set. Get in touch if you can help me out with that OR if you I can help you... Happy collecting kids!

It's Enny Romero Time!!!

2013-09-22T02:04:00.002-04:00

After a great season in AA and 1 single start in AAA, 22 year old lefty Enny Romero is big league ready!!! Playing 18 innings on Friday after a 12 inning contest on Wednesday has a whole lot to do with it, but this is still pretty darn exciting for a Rays fan... There are only 2 regular season home games left for the Rays - both are MUST WINS and this Troll will be in attendance for both... Best of luck to Enny Romero in his Major League debut!
Go Rays! MUST WIN!!!!
troll out.

Rays Win - I'm a Zombie!

2013-09-19T15:47:00.001-04:00

Goodness! What a long, exhausting, emotionally draining game to go to BEFORE work!!! Had an AMAZING time with my co-workers and the other fans. Watched what was at times horrible baseball from both sides, neither team really played well. They def did not look like teams battling for the postseason, but a win is a win and my Rays finally pulled it out and didn't lose...
I was responsible and avoided the ball park beers that were calling my name, and I did stay till the end. I screamed and clapped and had lots of fun as fan, but by 5 AM I was a total zombie...
Even though it wasn't pretty, I am hoping that was one of those momentum changing, difference making, rally starting type of wins... Matt Moore vs. Yu Darvish tonight. I will be watching on TV...
Go Rays!
troll out

Rays Game Tonight - I Will Be There!!!!

2013-09-18T16:29:00.002-04:00

Getting ready to head to Tropicana Field to watch the Rays versus Rangers tonight... For those who don't know, I work third shift in a machine shop that isn't too far from the Trop. Its a HUGE company, but the building I work in has just 22 guys working there on my shift. Nearly everyone is a big baseball fan and most love the Rays...

I typically hit games with the wife and don't get out with the boys too often, so I am pretty amped about this... I do have to work tonight, but not till eleven pm. Me and five co-workers are checking out the game before work. That idea seems a little odd, but it will be awesome as long as the Rays win...

We picked out this date and got the tickets back in July. At the time the Rays were neck and neck at the top of the AL East with Boston and Texas was out in front of the West. It seemed it could be a preview of the ALCS... Since then both teams have struggled. The guys have joked that they hope the game will actually matter by the time they play. Well, tonight, it really, really matters. The Rays and Rangers are neck and neck, tied up for the Wild Card with the Indians (amongst others) hot on their heels... Its time to go, so I must sign off...

Gonna be decked out in Rays blue. Our seats are on the field behind the Rangers on-deck circle. We really lucked out and got a bargain. Not too surprising because the Rays have barely drawn 10,000 fans the last two games. Hoping for a sell out (yeah right) tonight...Excited. Very excited. I think the game is on ESPN tonight, so check us out. Just ignore all the blue seats, he he. Chris Archer is on the hill tonight for the home team, so I am decorating this post with all 3 Archer cards I own right now... I would love to grow this collection and I have 2 copies of the Turkey auto, so get in touch if you wanna trade...

This will be my first time seeing Archer pitch in person - hoping for a complete game shut out, come on Arch!!! Bragging rights are on the line for this one Brian, ha!

One last thing... Got a giant padded mailer from Sam at the Daily Dimwit today... He beat up my Ginter want list pretty bad! Lists are up to date, so check 'em out... Thanks SO much Sam!!!
GO RAYS!!!!
troll out.

Great Things Coming! Of a Vintage Nature...

2013-09-09T20:46:00.002-04:00

So I have yet to write a post, that will be coming later this week, but I have been invited by mega blogger Jim from Downing Town to join the crew at the 1963 Topps Blog.

I started working on the '63 Topps set about 2 years ago when I was still regularly blogging... I have been buying lots and making trades and I am now in possession of 217 cards (out of 576). That means I am 38% complete and I am working hard to make that number climb!

I will begin blogging the cards I already have for the '63 Topps Blog and will ideally be posting 2 - 4 times weekly. That means I can keep it going for at least a year even if I don't acquire any more cards.

The baseball season is nearing the final stretch and I am very focused on cheering the Tampa Bay Rays into the playoffs... Hopefully this happens and they return to the World Series to play for all the marbles, hopefully.

Whether they do or not - I would like to keep blogging and collecting throughout the MLB offseason. I don't really follow football (I am a Bucs fan and we saw the great start they got off to) so I think that VINTAGE is the perfect subject for me to write about.

If you don't already follow the 1963 Topps Blog, you should check it out. All the current content is from Jim, who is a very knowledgeable collector. I will do my best to follow his format and follow his lead. It should be pretty awesome. I am very excited about the opportunity to try something new and write for a well respected blog about an awesome set.

If you also collect '63 Topps and want to trade - you can find my needs list right HERE.
If you are a fan of this set and you want to blog about it also - contact Jim through the blog. The more the merrier!

As always, I love to trade and to talk cards, if you wanna get in touch you can reach me HERE.

Thanks for reading and please, please check out a great vintage card set blog right here. You can find links to all of Jim's fine vintage set blogs on the page and if you check back in about a week, you can see the debut of yer pal the Troll trying his hand at set blogging.

When I write my first post, I will link it here, but just the first post. If you like what you see, I hope you will follow the 1963 Topps blog...

Vintage forever!
Go Rays!
troll out.

The Magnificent Seven

2013-09-07T11:03:00.000-04:00

Yes, the Clash reference is intentional as they are my favorite band of all time… I am referring to my 7 favorite Rays – the 7 players who dominate my Rays binder. I have decided to collect JUST current Rays. I haven’t ditched my collections of Carl Crawford, Jonny Gomes, James Shields, Wade Davis or Carlos Pena. Still have em, still enjoy them, just not pursuing any more cards of them really.

The players I do pursue, in order I guess, are the Magnificent Seven, they are:

1. Ben Zobrist

2. Desmond Jennings

3. Evan Longoria

4. Alex Cobb

5. David Price

6. Matt Moore

7. Joe Maddon

Not really in order. I have the fewest cards of Moore and Maddon and probably have the most of Longoria and Price. I seem to hunt for Zobrist and Jennings more than anyone and I have a knack for getting really cool Alex Cobb cards in trades. There are other guys I keep in the Rays binder. I don’t dislike Jeremy Hellickson or Matt Joyce. I am a big fan of Sean Rodriguez, Jake McGee, Jose Lobaton and Alex Torres – I just don’t have many cards of any of them.

I don’t really care for cards of Jose Molina or Luke Scott. I am still indifferent about cards of Fernando Rodney, James Loney or Yunel Escobar. I guess the Magnificent Seven are my favorites. I love the variety of cards of Longo and Price and I love tracking down every variation of Zobrist, Jennings and Cobb and I get psyched any time I can add any card of Moore or Maddon to the binder.

I illustrated this post with a few cards that I got in my first trade package received in a long, long time. It came from Nick W. who still doesn’t have a blog yet. Turns out I did a trade with Nick nearly two years ago – actually he sent me cards, I forgot to return the favor… Fortunately he didn’t hold a grudge and he hooked me up with a variety of cards from my 2013 Ginter needs list, PLUS a bonus pile of awesome Rays cards. Inserts, parallels, base cards, oh my! Including these 3 archives cards of players on my Magnificent Seven list.

Thanks for the hook up Nick! I look forward to many, many more trades in the near, near future. Cheers!

Go Rays!

Troll out.

Quickly, Quickly...

2013-09-06T15:14:00.001-04:00

Greetings Trollites!!!!

I must be brief, but I wanted to take a moment to give a sincere THANK YOU to everyone who read my last post and a HUGE, WHOLE-HEARTED THANK YOU to all who commented and messaged me. I was honestly shocked that people remembered me, but the warm response seriously brought tears to my eyes. Thanks sooo much for that!!!

I also owe a big ole, Florida-sized thanks to everyone who has beat up my Ginter needs list. When I made this post over the weekend I needed over 130 cards and I was out of money after buying far too many blasters. I was ready to give up hope, but the Blog-O-sphere came to the rescue!

As I type this I need just 10 more base cards to finish the set!!! WOOT!!!

Anyway... I have updated ALL of my Ginter lists including the trades lists - I added up a bunch of minis, plus more SPs. I have dupes of 25 different SPs - half the set! All are there for the taking, just waiting to be claimed...

More to come, I promise...

Till then - THANKS AGAIN!!!!

Go Rays (it is okay to win on the West Coast guys)
troll out.

My Ripping Addiction Causes the Troll to Resurface... 2013 Allen and Ginter

2013-09-02T03:00:00.001-04:00

Greetings friends and bloggers!
Yes, it has been about a year since my last post. I don't have much of an explanation - there are about 6 thousand reasons and excuses. I won't try to claim that I am back, but I will say that I am back into collecting again and with the long weekend I had tons of extra time to hit the storage boxes and fill the binders, all the while making list after list.

I am trying hard to get the cards I have had scattered around for the past couple years safely stored in binders with corresponding lists. I have been pretty darn successful. I ordered 10 boxes of 100 Ultra Pro Platinum pages along with a dozen d-ring binders (thank goodness for back to school sales!) and a small bookshelf for the extra bedroom.

Yes, I was burned out pretty bad on collecting. I took a solid year off, then spent the next year as a casual collector, then started liquidating cards on eBay. I made a little bit of money, but ended up reinvesting pretty much all of it back into cards. I worked hard at finishing 1965 Topps (so close!), building my '63 Topps set (getting respectable), finishing 1979, 1991 and 1996 Topps and working hard at 2007 - 2013 Topps flagship. I still Topps Heritage, but it is so damn expensive and so damn tough and so damn frustrating. I will get back into next year when they do my beloved '65 Topps design...

So, the title of this post... I mentioned selling cards and buying more. One of my purchases was a hobby box of 2013 A & G. I really wish I had been ready to get back to playing Troll because I would have loved to actually participate in Gint-A-Cuffs this year... I wouldn't have fared very well. It was a HORRIBLE rip! It was enough to reignite my addiction, obsession and true love of the rip, especially the always fun and full of surprises Ginter rip.

I would estimate that since the hobby box I have ripped 8 (maybe 9 or 10, I've lost count) retail blasters, along with a couple jumbo hangers and retail packs. Basically I have invested over $300 into this product and I am nowhere close to completion.

Subconsciously, this may be why I decided to try and remember my blogger password... I went to Target and left with a blaster and a hanger pack. I ripped the hanger first and got 2 cards that I needed and also nabbed a black bordered mini. The blaster, on the other hand, was a horrible mistake. I tore into the 8 packs and sorted the cards into stacks of base, SP, inserts and minis and then checked them against the binder. I then realized that out of 8 packs I did not find a SINGLE card that I needed!!!! Not a base card, not an insert, not even a short print. In fact I got my second extra copy of Cole Hammels' SP.

After this I decided that I can't blow another 20 bucks on one of these boxes.
So... I sorted and sorted and sorted some more. I filled a binder with the regular set plus all of the full sized inserts. I organized all of my dupes, put each one penny sleeves and sorted them numerically and typed out a list and posted it here on this blog.

Its amazing how motivating the frustration of Topps' crappy collation can be...It got me to update this page for the first time in a year. I didn't stop at A and G either. Nearly ALL of my lists are current and up to date.
Yep, that's right, yer friend the Troll is READY TO TRADE!!!!!!!! Help me out with Allen and Ginter PLEASE! I made 4 separate page to cover my full sized haves and needs and the same thing for minis. I can't waste any more bucks on blasters. Especially with this many dupes kicking around. If you can help me out, I promise to do my best to make it worth your while...

I haven't listed them out yet, but I have ripped many, many blasters of each series from 2012 and 2013 Topps both and I have stacks upon stacks of inserts, parallels and singles, so if you have a needs list, send it my way.

All of my want lists, as well as my Ginter trade list are on the side bar. My address is, too. If we've traded before, I no longer have my post office box, so make a note of my new address. My e-mail address is the same, though. You can reach me right here.

Hey, thanks for reading my 3 AM rant. I should note that as I type I am watching (for the 2nd time) the replay of the Rays loss to the A's earlier today. Yep, they got swept and I am getting nervous. I still LOVE the Rays. I still collect their cards and you can find me at the Trop for nearly EVERY home game.

Thanks again for reading. I am going to bed.

Please trade with me! Wait... Una cosa mas (one more thing). I started the post with a Bill Buckner card. Question for parents out there. If you are going through cards with your child and they pick up this card and ask "who is Bill Buckner?". How do you respond? Just wondering. Signing off for real now...

Go Rays!
troll out.

Slight Signs of Life in Trollville...

2012-09-17T21:48:00.005-04:00

Greetings Trollites! I am not ready to declare myself back, but damn do I miss the blog-o-sphere!!!

It has been far too long! I won't bore y'all with all my personal woes, but I will say that I got a new job and things are looking up and I hopefully will be blogging away as the Rays make a run at the postseason... Sadly, they are losing 5-1 to the Red Sox right now...

I did reinstate my Post Office Box today - you can find me once again, and for the next year at: Collective Troll, PO Box 1063, Tallevast, FL 34270... The box had been locked since July and I did free up some pretty awesome packages. One of which came from the always awesome Rod Richards of the Padrographs Blog.

I need to get back to blogging just so I could thank Rod 6 billion times! It was perhaps the most amazing collection of things I have ever recieved in the mail AND it was all a surprise!!! I will try and get some photos up soon... There were cards, of course, but also autographs, memorabilia, photos, baseballs and a felt pennant! WOW and THanK You Rod!

While I was there I dropped off some packages... I am guessing all these folks thought I had dropped off the face of the earth and that they would never get any return from me... Well, I hope they are cool with "better late than never"... Packages went out to the following zip codes: 85233, 60586, 08551, 47246, 11426, 66049, 98022, 21117 and 43028. Yer patience is much appreciated... Hope ya like the cards!

If I still owe you a return on a trade you sent, PLEASE shoot me an email with your address and collecting needs. Like I said, I am not back yet, but I am working on it... I have missed this community ALOT and I have missed the wonderful people in it. Of course I still LOVE the game of baseball and I LOVE collecting cards, trading and writing about it...
Go Rays! troll out.

Marauders Win!!!

2012-06-01T00:25:00.004-04:00

In the bottom of the 10th inning with 2 outs, a full count and the bases loaded, outfielder Alex Dickerson launched a long fly to deep right field... It would go as a walk off single and gave the Marauders a 2-1 win over the Ft. Myers Miracle... Lots of fun was had at McKechnie Field!

Go Rays!

troll out

If Ya Need Me...

2012-05-31T18:46:00.001-04:00

I will be at the Bradenton Marauders game with my buddy Slade...

A Day Off After 19 Days...Spending Time With My Cards, Thanking the Topps Collector and Showing Off Photos of the BRADENTUCKY BOMBERS!!! Oh Yeah!

2012-05-26T12:06:00.002-04:00

YeS!! No work today! After working 19 straight days without a day off I am off for 3 days in a row... The boss decided at the last minute to close the shop for the weekend and I wasn't about to complain. I do love overtime, but working 29 days a month gets old.

So, what do I do with my day off? First I sort through all the awesome cards I got in the mail for The Topps Collector... We are talking want list annihilation from 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Topps along with a big stack of 2008 Topps which could lead to want list creation...

So far I have only updated the 2009 Topps list, which I must say is starting to look a lot shorter and a whole lot better... I will do my best to post up a formal thank you to my new buddy Edgar from the The Topps Collector blog... For now, do what I did and start up a trade with him, you will not regret it! TTC want lists can be found HERE. Tell him the Troll sent you!

Aside from card fun, I will be doing a charity car wash with the Bradentucky Bombers at 2 o'clock... My lovely wife is at work, but will be getting a very large tattoo right after. She is thinking about 5 hours to do the outline, so I can wash some cars and then meet up with her. Tonight? I am sure there is fun on the agenda, I just don't know what yet. For now I am glad just to not be at work...

I haven't scanned any of the sweet cards that the Topps Collector sent over yet, so I will leave you with this photo of the wife and I that I think is pretty darn cool...

Our team, the Bombers, did a photo shoot with an AWESOME photographer named Ken LeBleau last week. I am still waiting to see the official photos, but he leaked out a few extras including this one... The photo is called Bacon and Eggs - I (Side of Bacon) provide the bacon while my wife (Esther Gin N Juice) is giving the ovary gang sign to account for the eggs... Good times!

Thanks for reading! I totally crashed last night before all the group meetings on the field during the Rays game. Interesting stuff, but the final score was all that was really important to me...

Oh, the photo at the top is of some of the folks from the Bradentucky Bombers before a parade we did last month. It rained on our parade, literally, but over 100,000 people still came out and we flung 1000s of beads. The team photo is from our last home bout against Gainesville last Sunday...

Our next home bout is June 30th and we are going to start playing at our Convention Center and will be able to house 1000s of fans. Pretty psyched about that!

Oh, also thanks to all the awesome folks who have helped me in my quest for 2012 Topps Heritage! Soooo much help and support! I am now well over 80% and need just 46 more short prints and a handful of basecards to stick a fork in this set, I really can't believe it, thanks!!!!!!! The list is once again UP TO DATE!

Thanks again to Edgar aka The Topps Collector for all of the awesome cards, PLEASE go check out his blog right now!

Go Rays! troll out.

Joe Maddon is GENIUS!!!! /// THANX Adam!!!

2012-05-25T00:15:00.001-04:00

Here is a quick, one card post of my newest card in the Carlos Pena section of the Rays Stars binder... It comes courtesy of one of my oldest blogging "friends", Adam E from the Thoughts and Sox blog and thanks to him I now have this super rad, super shiny, low numbered (35/99) refractor of the Tampa Bay Rays' Gold Glove, hard slugging LEAD OFF hitter!!!

From 2010 Topps Finest (a fancy, high end product that I have NEVER ripped before) comes this SWEET refractor of Carlos Pena. Pena, who has been a first round draft pick, a Gold Glove first baseman, an All Star, a Silver Slugger, a homerun king, a Comeback Player of the Year - a dude with over 1000 career hits and half of them going for extra bases... A dude who dumped 264 balls into the right field bleachers, a prototypical cleanup hitter whose only flaw is those 1349 times he has whiffed...

A dude who has swiped 26 bases in 12 seasons (about 2 a year), a dude who has batted 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th when he isn't in the cleanup spot, a dude who has become the Rays LEADOFF hitter the past two games, a job he had yet to perform in 12 seasons in the Majors... A dude who has got on base in those 2 games and has helped his team win and has made his manager Joe Maddon look like a genius!

Pena doesn't have much speed and he strikes out ALOT and he has historically been one of the Rays top run producers - 3 good reasons for him to NOT be a leadoff hitter, but simple things like that don't sway Joe Maddon... Looking deeper you notice that Pena is second in the AL with 31 walks, he leads the AL with 6 hit by pitches, he is 7th in the AL with 72 times on base and he has a .364 OBP. Those aint bad numbers for a leadoff guy, but more importantly, since finding himself in that role, his bat is waking up and his team is winning, so I am def not complaining!

Thanks so much for the super shiny awesome card Adam! A great surprise, a great card - y'all know I love refractors!!! I would write more, but I need to be at work in 3 hours or so and I haven't gone to bed yet... That is how much I love this hobby, ha!

Thanks also to everyone who has responded and offered to help me out with 2012 Heritage! Pending delivery I am now better than 80% complete and the first 45 pages or so in the binder are getting nice and full... I still need a ton of short prints and a good handful of basecards, so feel free to check out my needs list and help a troll out...

Go Rays! Go to bed (to me) troll out (cold).

70 Per Cent of 2012 Heritage Is Now In the Binder!!!

2012-05-21T22:04:00.004-04:00

The post office has been quiet the past 2 weeks for me... I am expecting a few, but I check everyday and its empty, well everyday except last Friday when I had a box reader Bruce B. from Connecticut... The box was chock full o' Heritage, 32 cards including short prints and also including my first copies of Joe Maddon and Desmond Jennings base cards... My LIST is up to date and current now. You might notice that Maddon and Jennings remain on the list. I don't actually NEED them anymore, but I WANT more copies...

With the 30 cards I did cross off of the list I have officially hit 70%!!!! I seriously didn't think I would get near this close and I am pretty damn psyched about it... Right now the decision is easy cuz I am broke, but should I have an extra 20 bucks next week, do I buy another blaster? Do I bid on eBay or COMC? Do I rip something else and hope to get some trade bait for more trading?

What to do? I could use some advice...

The Rays are down 3-2 to the Jays and I need to be at work in 4-1/2 hours. Blurgh. Come on Rays! Put this away before I fall asleep, please!!!!

If ya have any extra Heritage laying around, PLEASE check out my 2012 Heritage needs list which is current and up to date...Thanks again for the trade Bruce!!! You should have yer cards in the mail this week for sure...

I should mention that this is the first Joe Maddon card I have posted in some time - I don't have many and this is my first Maddon Heritage card, so that is pretty freaking awesome!!! Maddon is one of my PCs and I am desperately chasing any parallels or autos or relics that I can get my hands on... I will say someone headed my call the last time I made this plea and sent not one, but 2 of my MOST WANTED Joe Maddon cards. Stay tuned cuz I just might get around to posting them someday soon...

Before I sign off I wanted to send out birthday greetings! These aren't directed at Josh Hamilton, but it is his b-day, too... The man I am concerned with is my hero, my best friend and my biggest fan - my Dad! Happy Birthday Dad!!!! It was great to see you today and you still don't look a day over 40!

One last thing... The mission for this Friday is to get cards in the mail for Matt F., Julie, Adam E. and D. Waggoner. If I still owe you and your zip code wasn't listed in my previous post, please drop me a line and a friendly reminder... Thanks also to Kyle from the JABO Blog who included the 2001 Josh Hamilton as a bonus along with my take from his Gypsy Queen break (which I will post someday)...

The score is now Toronto 6 and the Rays 2. Come on guys, LETS GO!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for reading! Go Rays!!!!!!!!!!!!! troll out.