In The Ballpark

Back When Tex Was a Ranger

2013-05-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

I snagged this 2005 ESPN card of Mark Teixiera on Listia for just 8 credits. I don’t know how ESPN got into the card business, but they got out of it pretty quickly. Upper Deck produced these cards, but the ESPN logo is a lot bigger than the Upper Deck logo. Teixiera is currently a Yankee but was a Ranger back in 2005. That was before he became a very rich man. Tex is currently on the shelf with an injury for the Yankees. The Yankees miss him, but Lyle Overbay has been a decent replacement.

TTM Autograph Requests Have Been Neglected

2013-05-19T16:33:00.001-07:00

It's true. I have been delinquent in my TTM requests. In fact, I haven't sent a request out in over a year. I just realized that today. My last request was to Denard Span in April 2012. I haven't gotten that back yet. I sent it to the Twins so I guess I won't hold my breath. This week will be the week that I resume my TTM mailings. I don't have all those 2013 Topps duplicates for nothing. Any suggestions?

Brandon Webb, We Hardly Knew Ye

2013-05-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

I purchased a UD Masterpieces card of Brandon Webb on eBay for 3 cents shipped. I have a liking for the bumpy texture on these cards. Also, there is no gloss on these cards. The cards just feel right in your hand. I didn’t realize this, but Webb actually retired earlier this year. That’s a shame because he had tons of talent. Injuries betrayed Webb throughout his career.

Autograph from Upper Deck SP

2013-05-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

I picked up this 2007 Upper Deck SP Autograph of Kory Casto on Listia for only 581 credits. Casto had a brief stint with the Nationals in 2007 and 2008. He has been out of baseball since 2010. The price was right. Also, I think I was buying the card brand rather than the player. I have always liked the SP brand. There’s something about all that foil.

eBay 101

2013-05-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Over the years, I think I have learned a good deal about how to buy and sell on eBay. I have made mistakes and tried to learn from them. As a buyer, I try to exploit poorly worded listings. Here are two examples.

The first auction was for a 2011 Topps card of Stephen Strasburg. I won the auction for 10 cents with free shipping. The auction title was “baseball card.” There was a photo of the card but no description. I half expected to receive a 1990 Donruss common card. But I received the Strasburg card in mint condition instead.

The second auction was listed as “Eric Surkamp Topps 2012 Chrome Rookie Card.” There was a clear picture of the item. But something didn’t look right. Upon further inspection, this card was a refractor. There was no mention of this fact in the auction listing. To make a long story short, I am now the proud owner of this card for the economical sum of 10 cents shipped.

This Just In...

2013-05-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Big news in the world of fantasy baseball. My team has moved from last to second to last. I have been rather busy on the waiver wire. This year's pickups include Jhonny Peralta, Michael Young, Justin Morneau, Tim Hudson, David Hernandez, and Jared Burton. I will have Jered Weaver and Zack Greinke back in the lineup soon. I really need the help. My pitching has been awful outside of Madison Bumgarner.

New Yankee Additions

2013-05-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

I purchased a lot of Yankee cards on eBay for just 51 cents with free shipping. My math tells me that I paid about 10 cents per card. The lot includes 3 Robinson Cano cards, an Alex Rodriguez card, and a Joe Girardi card. I didn’t have any of these cards in my collection, so it was money well spent.

More Stadium Club Love

2013-05-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

I purchased this 2008 Stadium Club card of David Purcey for only 6 cents on eBay. I have a thing for 2008 Stadium Club. The photography is excellent and the lack of borders is a refreshing change. Purcey was a prospect for the Blue Jays for a few years. He last appeared in the big leagues in 2011. Since then he has been around the minors. He is currently playing for the AAA Charlotte Knights in the White Sox organization.

Random Cheap Cards on eBay

2013-04-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

I picked up a lot of 20 baseball cards on eBay for only 42 cents shipped. There is really no common theme to this lot, but the price was certainly very cheap. These cards were not junk wax and contained several stars, including Albert Pujols. The lone Pujols card was probably worth 42 cents. Also included were card of Hideki Matsui, BJ Upton, Mike Piazza, Torii Hunter, Greg Maddux, and Vladimir Guerrero.

Remember Elliot Johnson?

2013-04-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

I have been rather quiet on Listia lately. However, I did pull the trigger on this autographed card of Elliot Johnson. It set me back 864 credits. Johnson may be best known for running over Yankee catcher Francisco Cervelli at home plate during a spring training game. That seemed kind of unnecessary during spring training. Johnson is currently warming benches for the Kansas City Royals. It seems like everybody plays for the Royals at some point.

O How I Miss O Pee Chee

2013-04-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

I found a pair of 2009 O Pee Chee black bordered cards on eBay for 12 cents. The only other black bordered card that I have from this set is Phil Coke. I picked that card up at a card show for cents. I have no idea why I remember that. These two cards feature Anibal Sanchez and Carlos Villanueva. Sanchez is currently starring for the Tigers. Villanueva is actually starting for the Cubs. I did not know that. I would have guessed somewhere in the minors. Anyway, I really enjoyed the short-lived return of O-Pee-Chee. It was a really colorful card design. It also lacked a glossy finish which is my mortal enemy.

Clay Buchholz's "Rookie" Card

2013-04-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

I picked up a 2008 UD First Edition “rookie” card of Clay Buchholz on eBay for 6 cents shipped. First Edition is the cheaper cousin of the regular Upper Deck set. So far this season, Buchholz has been a stud. He has a tiny ERA and 4 wins to show for his efforts. This will change if history tells us anything.

Pitching Woes

2013-04-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

Jered Weaver. Chad Billingsley. Zack Greinke. Joel Hanrahan. What do these people all have in common? They are all Major League pitchers. They are all on the disabled list. They are all on my fantasy team which now finds itself in last place. My starting pitchers now consist of Madison Bumgardner, Phil Hughes, Tim Hudson, and Matt Cain. Free agency can only help me so much. And don’t even get me started on my relievers. John Axford is awful. Carlos Marmol is awful. Steve Cishek might get some saves if the Marlins ever win. That leaves Huston Street as my only reliable closer. It can’t get any worse, right?

Angels Cards from eBay

2013-04-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

I picked up a lot of 3 2013 Topps Angels cards on eBay for 16 cents with free shipping. I bought this lot for the Jered Weaver card. Weaver is on my fantasy team and I have a habit of accumulating cards of my fantasy players throughout the year. Of course, Weaver isn’t helping my cause since he is on the DL. To add insult to injury (or perhaps injury to injury), Zack Greinke is also spending time on the DL. Thanks Carlos Quentin. The other two cards represent a past Blue Jay in Scott Downs and a current Blue Jay in Maicer Izturis.

Cheap Finds on eBay

2013-03-23T14:40:00.000-07:00

I purchased this game used jersey card of Erubiel Durazo on eBay. You may remember Durazo from the Diamondbacks and Athletics. It has actually been 8 years since he last played in the big leagues. So why would I have any interest in this card? It only cost 60 cents. I basically entered a lowball bid so that if anyone got the card on the cheap, it would be me. Apparently, I have nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon.

2012 Topps Gio Gonzalez Autograph

2013-03-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

I picked up this 2012 Topps autograph of Gio Gonzalez on Listia recently. I was the winning bidder by 1 credit. The total cost was 3,334 credits. That is more than I am accustomed to spending, but it was worth it. The card looks great. And it’s not exactly a no name. Gonzalez is shown in an A’s uniform, but he played for the Nationals last year. And he turned in quite a season. He almost won the Cy Young. I can understand why RA Dickey won the award though. For the record, that is a sticker autograph.

Preparing for the Baseball Season

2013-03-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

Opening day fast approaches. I have started to purchase some 2013 baseball cards. I still need to draft my fantasy team. That will happen this Thursday. As usual, my strategy will be to stock up on quality starting pitchers. This year, I will attend three spring training games. I prefer spring training over regular season games because the tickets are cheaper (but certainly not cheap) and the seats are MUCH better. Also, the weather cannot be beat. I will see the Marlins at Red Sox, Red Sox at Twins, and Orioles at Twins. I will take as many pictures as my camera will allow. I will also try to snag a few in person autographs at the games. If anybody has any spring training success stories with these or any other teams for that matter, please feel free to share. By the way, I will have opening day off from work for the first time in forever. Score!

I've Neglected You Topps Heritage

2013-03-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

My most recent eBay purchase involved a lot of 2012 Topps Heritage base cards. Actually, I bought two separate lots. One was a Blue Jays lot and one was a Cubs lot. I never bought packs of this stuff, so I figured I would add some cards to the collection. There are some duplicates, but these cards were much cheaper than buying packs so I can’t complain. These cards seem like they would be great for autographing. I hope to do some spring training and TTM autographing this year. By the way, those Darwin Barney cards are not the error cards. Neither is the Kerry Wood card.

2012 Bowman: Paul Konerko

2013-03-10T12:01:00.000-07:00

I bought a 2012 Bowman Paul Konerko card on eBay for just 6 cents. I don’t have many 2012 Bowman cards. I usually don’t buy packs or boxes of Bowman. But I like this design. It has a simple white border and an attractive color photo. I have a ton of Konerko cards but that’s because he has been around forever.

Who is German Duran, You Ask?

2013-03-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

I paid 6 cents for this 2008 Stadium Club card of German Duran on eBay recently. I really liked the design of 2008 Stadium Club. The photographs are second to none. Also, the set contained several autographs that can be purchased on the cheap. Bring back Stadium Club Topps! Duran had a brief major league stint in 2008. Since then, he has floated around the minors. I think I only bought this card because I like Stadium Club.

eBay Mailbag: Nick Markakis

2013-03-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

I purchased this 2009 SP Authentic card of Nick Markakis on eBay for just 6 cents. I am pretty sure that I already owned this card, but I pulled the trigger anyway. For some reason, I feel like have more Markakis cards than I should. His cards just seem to be everywhere.

2009 Upper Deck: Kevin Jepsen

2013-03-03T11:51:00.002-08:00

I purchased this 2009 Upper Deck rookie card of Kevin Jepsen for 6 cents on eBay. I don't really care for the landscape photo. I never know how to put these cards in my binder. This was the last year of Upper Deck using team logos. Jepsen is still a reliever for the Angels. His numbers aren’t horrible either. Who knew? The west coast teams really don’t get the same coverage as the east coast teams due to the time difference.

Colby Rasmus Autograph

2013-02-21T17:49:00.000-08:00

I scored this Colby Rasmus Autograph with Game Used Jersey from a seller on Listia. The card is from 2011 Topps Triple Threads. It is serial numbered 18/50. This card looks amazing. It cost me about 7700 credits, so it wasn’t cheap. But it was well worth it. Rasmus is with the Blue Jays now, but is probably best known for his days with the Cardinals.

2013 Topps Pack Break

2013-02-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

I finally opened my first pack of 2013 Topps. I purchased a 50 card jumbo pack for the occasion. My first card was that of Paul Konerko. Other notables base card included Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols. The rest of the base cards were decent.

I like this year’s design. The cards are clean and simple. You have the player name, team name, and large photo on the front. I’m a fan of the white background with team colored border. This jumbo pack was full of inserts. I like most of the inserts. Although I could live with more current players and fewer retired players. I especially like the emerald green parallels.

The Million Dollar contest doesn’t really interest me. I have already resigned myself to the fact that I am not going to win the million dollars. Needless to say my contest card is for trade. Overall, I was pretty satisfied with this pack. However, I don’t plan on buying much of this product. I will probably save my money for Allen & Ginter or Topps Heritage.

I Bought A Soccer Card

2013-02-16T14:34:00.000-08:00

My latest Listia purchase was a 2012 Goodwin Champions Relic Card of Tim Howard. Tim Howard is actually a soccer player. This set covers the stars and legends of different sports. It reminds me a little of the old Classic 4 Sport sets. I am not a big soccer fan, but at 303 credits, I could not pass this up. Plus, when was the last time you saw a green swatch? As a bonus, the seller threw in a few green mini cards which was nice.