One recent search led me to a seller who had recently opened a case of 2006 Bowman Chrome, and had several individual rookies, rookie autos, uncirculated rookies, etc that were of interest to me, and all at reasonable prices.  So I ended up bidding on a whole slew of them.

I didn't win them all, but all told, I won 8 auctions--one uncirculated rookie, one rookie auto, and six individual rookie cards.

Now, they were all listed with $2 shipping, and granted I didn't ask up front about combined shipping or shipping method--but I got the invoice, and the seller had dropped shipping from $16 to $8--which, based on my experience, I thought seemed a little high, but I figured "Eh, could have been worse."

Then, a few days later, an envelope arrived.  Not a padded envelope, just a regular #10 envelope.  Inside, the cards were wrapped securely inside some paper, and taped/stapled into place, so they wouldn't move around the envelope too much--but once I opened that up, I was once again dismayed--the six rookie cards were in penny sleeves only, taped between the rookie auto (in a top loader) and the uncirculated rookie.  That's right, he taped right to the uncirculated case (including the hologram tape seal), with no team bag or anything.

Fortunately, I was able to get the tape off the case with no problems, and all the cards were fine.  But in all, the guy spent $1.34 on postage, and probably less than $0.50 on packaging expenses, for $8 in shipping charges.

I understand I got many of the auctions for very cheap, and the guy was probably just trying to make some additional profit--but even using my shipping methods (all cards in top loader, wrapped in invoice, using padded envelope) and charges (I think I usually at $0.50 per additional auction), there would have been more money made.

And then I wouldn't have made sure to dock him on my review of his shipping charges when I left feedback.

Needless to say, I'm not real likely to buy there again...

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com

Sure enough, a couple weeks back, as I was Christimas shopping at one of the local giant box stores, I took a quick peek at the card aisle, and while they had no blasters, they did have individual packs, so I grabbed a few (along with some Bowman Chrome--old habits die hard).

Sure enough, I was hooked--not a set I would ever expect to get rich busting, but great looking cards that mix classic football moments, icons, and modern day stars.  Some of my early "hits" included a couple decent rookies (Matt Forte & Kevin Smith), Brett Favre, Tom Brady and Joe Namath.

But my favorite card?  Brian Bosworth, sporting probably the best mullet in the NFL (until Jared Allen came along).

2008 Masterpieces YA Tittle

2008 Masterpieces Joe Namath

2008 Masterpieces Brian Bosworth

And when I stopped back tonight, they had a couple of blasters (and they must have been on sale, unless $15.99 is the normal price), so I've added to the collection--although I've already doubled (or tripled or quadrupled, in the case of Peyton Manning) up on some.

I'll try to get a list up of what I have and what I don't, in case I decide to go after a set--but I did get a kind of cool Favre/Paul Hornung card, a Bob Sanders tackling Lynn Swann card, and Scott Norwood Wide Right and multiple Eli Manning/David Tyree Helmet Catch cards (including a black bordered one)--but still now Slow Plow Game.

2 Case Lot 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Football Hobby

US $1,600.00

3d 19h 22m

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Football Hobby 16 Box Case

US $815.00

3d 19h 24m

2008 UPPER DECK UD MASTERPIECES FOOTBALL HOBBY BOX

US $53.49

4d 14h 11m

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Football Hobby Box

US $53.00

4d 14h 48m

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Hobby Football Box

US $57.00

7d 14h 26m

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com

So where have I been, that has prevented me from posting on my football card blog during the football season?

Well, nowhere, unfortunately.

Back around the start of the football season, there was a convergence of things that made me back away from the hobby some--a combination of me putting more time in on another football blog that I help run, to a vacation that put me a week behind in catching up with the rest of the sports card blogs, to frankly just getting kind of worn out with the whole scene.

Oh, and a combination of being disgusted with Beckett, turned off with the general direction the card companies were going, and not being real impressed with the rookie class this year (good call on my part--although, in my defense, I still don't think that anyone in this rookie class has long term superstar potential), and I decided I wasn't going to buy any more 2008 product.

So, in terms of the hobby, since I posted last September about opening a box of Donruss Threads, you've missed...nothing.

But, in the last few weeks, things have started to percelate again.  I've started reading a few of the blogs again.  I'm getting ready to set up at my first show--during which I hope to REDUCE my collection some, and pick up some cash.  And I even broke down and picked up a box of cards--to no one who regularly reads the site's surprise I'm sure, it was a box of Bowman Chrome.

So I finally decided I would pick things up here again.  No promises on regular posting, no Cards of the Week (for a little bit), and likely still not much in terms of box breaks.  But we'll see.

As for the box of Bowman Chrome--not real exciting--Ryan Torain Autograph, Joe Flacco Refractor being the main highlights--but it was fun to open again.

As for the show that's coming up--it's not really a "real" show--rather a friend set up last year at a bar in a small town about a half-hour south of the Twin Cities, and had a decent draw considering the town is less than 5,000 people.  So he decided to do it again this year, and I've offered to set up too.  Unfortunately, it will be after Christmas this year--but we'll see how it goes.

So, if anyone is interested in trading me Vikings cards (or Twins, for that matter--maybe Wild, if there are actually any hockey collectors out there--as for basketball, well, when Minnesota gets an NBA team, maybe I'll be interested)--vintage, new, whatever--let me know, and we'll see if we can work a deal.

Also, I still am interested in completing that 2007 Refractor set, and am still toying with the idea of completing the 1982 Topps as well.

So drop me a line if you get a chance--hopefully there are still a few readers left around here!

Oh, and a special PS note, to commentor Shawn--I apologize for not responding to your message, but you hit me right in the middle of my funk.  I hope you figured out a way to get your cards back from Iraq--and I think it's awesome that you were able to collect while you were there.  Here's a special shout out to your card store site--hopefully I can drive you a sale or two.

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com

So I actually opened the whole box the night before I left, thinking I would pre-write some posts for publishing while here.

But then the inevitable happened--the box pretty much sucked. Which meant writing about it wouldn't be all that fun.

Still, here are the hits:

#199 Justin Miller rookie (#314/999)
#RCCM-2 Joe Flacco/Ray Rice Rookie Collection Materials (#320/500)
#173 Darius Reynaud rookie autograph (#656/999)
#148 Clinton Portis Bronze Parallel (#175/250)
#250 Zackary Bowman rookie (#155/999)
#PGK-50 Maurice Jones-Drew Pro Gridiron King Gold #028/100)
#104 Willie Parker Jersey (#090/250)
#178 DJ Hall Autograph rookie autograph (#452/999)
#155 Antoine Cason bronze rookie (#184/250)

In addition to the various non-numbered inserts and "Common" cards. At this point, I'm missing just 19 of the "Common" non-rookie cards--but I'm not too worried about picking them up, although if anyone is interested in trading to try to complete a set, feel free to drop me a line.

While the box wasn't that good, I'm not going to complain--the Matt Ryan rookie card I pulled in the first box will hopefully pay for both boxes, and a few of the other cards should sell for enough to make a little profit on the box--which in this case, is probably what I was hoping for.

I'll be back to Minnesota on Sunday night, in plenty of time to watch the big opener with the Packers on Monday night. I'll hopefully get on the "Card of the Week" track again (it's been more like card of the month--or worse as of late), with at least one each week of the regular season.

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com

Well, a few months back, since we also participate in some fantasy baseball leagues, we decided to launch something similar for baseball--this BrushBackPitch.com was born. And, since I do actually occasionally buy some baseball cards too, I thought I'd include baseball cards as a topic for that blog.

Unfortunately, I haven't written about any baseball card topics--until today, as I wanted to put my two cents out there about the Kosuke Fukudome Bowman Chrome Autograph fiasco.  Actually, Chris at StaleGum wrote about the same thing that I was planning on writing--but I've always felt that this "error" card trend is ridiculous, given today's technologies, and I think something needs to be done to put a stop to it, for the good of the hobby AND the good of MLB's name.

Meanwhile, Donruss (who I think makes some of the better football cards out there) can't even get their MLB license back...

Anyway, I hope you'll check out the site, and consider adding it to your bookmarks or RSS subscription list.

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com

The draft was Saturday afternoon, and unfortunately I couldn't make it--so I set up my draft list on Yahoo, and kept my fingers crossed. When I got home Saturday night, I was quite pleased with the results:

Regular readers may know that my brother and I have another football blog, so I'll recap this draft in ZoneBlitz.com style:

1) With the sixth pick in the draft, TheFootballCardBlog selected Tom Brady, quarterback, New England Patriots. Top five went as expected, so Brady is the logical pick. Sure do hope that foot is better.

2) Marshawn Lynch, RB - OK, not exactly a "Do The Opposite" pick here, but a nice pick. I'm thinking he maybe wouldn't have fallen so far if there wasn't a huge Giants fan in the mix (Eli Manning and the Giants Defense go at the 10-11 turn).

3) Marques Colston, WR - three picks, two guys I already have on other teams. Looking good!

4) Edgerrin James, RB - Maybe not who I would have grabbed had I been there in person, but gives me a solid #2 RB.

5) Calvin Johnson, WR - A guy I would have considered in the fourth--I think Megatron might have a solid second season in Detroit.

6) Chris Cooley, TE - One thing I absolutely hate about auto drafters--they always try to fill all the holes first. With the run on TEs starting at the end of the 4th round, I probably would have grabbed another WR and picked up scraps at TE later on. Oh well, I do think Cooley will have a good year in the new offense--he was actually the #1 or #2 on my board, and at least I have another excuse to link to Cooley's blog all season. Maybe he'll even send me a personalized card or something, if he finds the blog...

7) Dwayne Bowe, WR - I think Bowe is a great talent. I'm just not sold on his QB situation. I'll take him as a 3rd WR, though.

Dallas Defense - Way too early for a defense, but at least it's a defense I have in another league. Guess I have more reason to lobby for the return of Pac-Man. Oh, and the Giants fan finally picks a non-Giant in the 8th, with Adam Vinatieri--in the first seven rounds, he went Manning, Giants Defense, Plaxico Burress, Brandon Jacobs, Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, and Ahmad Bradshaw--an interesting strategy.

9) Stephen Gostkowski, K - Did I really just draft a kicker in the 9th round? I should have put all kickers on my do not draft list...

10) Thomas Jones, RB - A steal in the 10th round, with Brett Favre around.

11) Matt Schaub, QB - I like Schaub--have ever since I saw him pick apart the Vikings in the preseason as a rookie and I loaded up on Schaub autograph cards. Still, I wouldn't have bothered with a backup QB to Brady.

12) Reggie Brown, WR - Out for the first few weeks, probably--but not a bad #4 WR.

13) Donte Stallworth, WR - Possibly an even better 4th WR than Brown.

14) Mason Crosby, K - A backup kicker too? Oh man...anyone want to trade?

15) Alge Crumpler, TE - This is why there should be rules allowed for auto-drafters, like "Do not draft two defenses, kickers, or tight-ends."

So that's the team. The waiver wire expires in the morning, and I've got a couple claims in already I'll set this post up to go live tomorrow morning--just in case any of the competition is reading)--but overall, I'm very happy with the team. That being said, it looks like there are several very strong teams--in the first week, I go against a team of Romo/Randy Moss/Santonio Holmes/Greg Jennings/Portis/Maroney/Vernon Davis/Nate Kaeding/Chicago Defense. Should be a good matchup.

Let me know what you think in the comment section, and follow the season via our RSS feed.

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com

Pack 19:
#78 Reggie Bush
#CS-9 Brian Westbrook Century Stars
#67 Dwayne Bowe
#25 Donte Stallworth
#82 Derrick Ward

Pack 20:
#98 Ed Reed
#CS-9 Larry Johnson Century Stars
#6 Brian Urlacher
#64 Reggie Williams
#22 Jason Taylor

Pack 21:
#35 Tony Scheffler
#59 Reggie Wayne
#107 Santonio Holmes
#132 Maurice Morris
#147 Jason Campbell

Pack 22:
#56 Peyton Manning
#D-6 Joe Montana/Jerry Rice/Roger Craig Dynasty
#104 Willie Parker
#121 Devin Hester
#129 Derek Anderson

Pack 23:
#17 Julius Jones
#CGK-28 Mike Hart College Gridiron Kings
#39 Brandon Marshall
#96 Brian Westbrook
#12 Isaac Bruce
Pack 24:
#71 Tarvaris Jackson
#CGK-12 Early Doucet
#79 Marques Colston
#36 Jason Witten
#93 Ronald Curry

As expected, no big hits over the last six packs. The final tally was 124 cards in the box, including 105 of the "common" card set (as Donruss is calling it), which means it is 70% complete (or just a hair better than Chris at the Orlando Sentinel did).

The inserts included:
- one Bronze Century Proof (serial numbered to 250) - Dallas Clark #026/250
- two rookie cards (serial numbered to 999) - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie #447/999 & Pierre Garcon #611/999
- one rookie Bronze Century Proof (serial numbered to 250) - Ryan Torain #236/250
- one College Gridiron King Red Border (serial numbered to 100) - Ernie Wheelwright (#087/100)
- one Bronze College Gridiron King (serial numbered to 250) - Early Doucet (#152/250)
- two College Gridiron Kings - Mike Hart, Early Doucet
- one Pro Gridiron King - Donovan McNabb
- one Century Stars Jersey (serial numbered to 250) - Eli Manning (#013/250)
- two Century Stars - Brian Westbrook, Larry Johnson
- one Century Legends - John Elway
- one Dynasty - Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig
- one Generations - John Stallworth & Santonio Holmes
- one Jersey card (serial numbered to 250) - Carson Palmer #147/250
- one Rookie Collection Materials (serial numbered to 500) - Mario Manningham #015/500
- one Rookie Letter Patch Auto (serial numbered to 100) - Matt Ryan #020/100

Overall, a great box thanks to the Ryan auto--and I do actually really like the design again this year, even if they do take the less is more approach to the extreme on the backs.

I do have a second box, but I'm going to hold off opening it for a bit--we'll see how long that lasts.

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com

Pack 15:
#5 Steve Smith
#63 Maurice Jones-Drew
#27 Eli Manning
#51 Matt Schaub
#9 Tony Gonzalez

See? Not much there...

2008 Donruss Threads Letterman Matt Ryan

Pack 16:
#60 Dallas Clark
#84 Leon Washington
#262 Matt Ryan Rookie Class Letter Patch Auto #020/100
#33 Donovan McNabb
#90 Alge Crumpler
#48 Donald Driver

Ho-ly Crap. I was just gonna bust a few packs before I took a quick nap before the big Vikings-Ravens Preseason game tonight--flipping going through the second pack, I notice that the thick card has printing on it.

"OK, another patch," I think.

Get there, notice that it's Matt Ryan and that I'm looking at the back of it.

"That's odd" I think. Also notice that it's numbered to 100--and my first thought is "Shoot, it's just a regular patch, not a premium swatch.

Then I flip it over--and it becomes the biggest hit in some time for me. Probably my biggest football hit ever (doesn't quite beat the 2002 Bowman Chrome David Wright Xfractor I pulled a few years ago when trying to pull a Mauer the old fashioned way).

Anyway--back to the last two packs I pulled.

Pack 17:
#21 Vince Young
#G-6 John Stallworth/Santonio Holmes Generations
#112 DeAngelo Williams
#124 TJ Houshmandzadeh
#141 Randy McMichael

Pack 18:
#41 Selvin Young
#CL-14 John Elway Century Legends
#134 Braylon Edwards
#149 Chris Cooley
#117 Bernard Berrian

OK, so I was wrong--Berrian is a 5th Viking in the set. And either he is absolutely ripped, or he tied off his biceps to pop some veins on his arms for the photo shoot.

Well, not much could beat the Ryan pull from this box--and there's still another box to go. While it's unlikely that I would hit another patch, to my knowledge, the Ryan was only the second patch to come out of that case (first one was a Dorien Bryant)--so I believe there is a chance.

2008 08 DONRUSS THREADS Rookie Auto Letter HOT PACK

0 Bid

US $.99

2d 1h 20m

2008 08 DONRUSS THREADS Gu Auto Letter HOT PACK

0 Bid

US $.99

2d 1h 20m

2008 Donruss Threads Joe Flacco Auto Letter RC 20 SP

US $125.00

2d 4h 50m

2008 Donruss Threads Daniel Cortes Letter 240 AUTO

US $14.99

3d 1m

2008 Donruss Threads James Darnell Letter 280 AUTO

US $13.99

3d 13m

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com

Pack 13:
#89 Justin Fargas
#47 Ryan Grant
RCM-2 Mario Manningham Rookie Collection Materials, #015/500
#120 Alex Smith
#128 Kenny Watson
#137 Marc Bulger

Manningham has some potential, although I'm not sure I see him contributing a lot this year, barring injury, since the Giants have Burress and Toomer as starters, and Steve Smith started to figure things out late last year. They also have Sinorice Moss and Super Bowl hero David Tyree on the roster.

Pack 14:
#44 Shaun McDonald
#2 Larry Fitzgerald
#122 Carson Palmer - Jersey Parallel #147/250
#126 Vernon Davis
#143 LenDale White
#109 DeShaun Foster

Hmmm...a Carson Palmer white jersey patch--at least it's official game worn, according to the back. Two other notes--first the McDonald card has an error--it says he had 79 receptions for 62 yards, when he actually had 943 yards (and yes, I know this will not make it more valuable--unless someone happens to have one that has the correct number), and second, the 49ers, much like my Vikings, really need to make their throwback uniforms their full time uniforms. Seriously, the drop shadow numbers? Ain't doing it for me. Better than 4-color combos, monochrome combos, and Nike swooshes down the side, but not by much.

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com

Pack 11:
#32 Correll Buckhalter
#PGK-46 Donovan McNabb Pro Gridiron King
#55 Ahman Green
#13 Jeff Garcia
#70 John Beck

Buckhalter and Green couldn't combine their stats from last year and deserve to be in the set. At least Green could be a starter, if he could stay healthy--but when was the last time that happened?

Pack 12:
#86 Matt Leinart
#PGK-18 Carson Palmer Pro Gridiron King
#94 Willis McGahee
#52 Owen Daniels
#76 Laurence Maroney

Two Gridiron Kings in two packs. Not much else to say. We're at the half-way point in the first box, and so far only one jersey, and no auto--so either the last half will yield a decent number of hits, or the number of hits per box is lower than I remember it being last year.

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com