"O" No!!! Another Orioles Blog: April 2012

Friday, April 27, 2012

Trade with Adam of Arpsmith's Sportscard Obsession

I just completed a trade with Adam of the relatively new blog ARPSmith's Sportscard Obsession. Adam has been around the blogosphere for a while but just recently took the plunge and started writing his own. He's a Giants fan so I sent him a bunch of cards from his wantlists and the 3 Willie Mays inserts I pulled from my Gypsy Queen packs.

This is the card that started the whole trade. A mini of JJ Hardy. James Jerry had a great year last year coming over from the Twins and it earned him a 3 year contract to stick around in Charm City and hand off SS duties to super prospect Manny Machado when he's ready. Both have had slow starts to the season but I'm sure as the weather warms, so will their bats. If anybody else has any mini Orioles from Gypsy Queen (especially the regular back minis) let me know, I'd love to trade with you.

Adam was also able to send a few Cal Ripkens that I didn't have before. I chose this one card to show because he's wearing sunglasses while batting. I think this is the only card that I own that shows him donning the shades while batting.

I still have a soft spot for Larry Bigbie. Thanks a lot David Segui for ruining his career. I really like this shot of Larry taking a secondary lead from 1st base. You just don't see this odd camera angle that often.

Here's the first of two firsts that was sent to me. This is my first Roberto Alomar relic card. Though it is just a plain grey swatch, I still like the card. Donruss Champions was a pretty neat set when it came to the relic and autograph cards but the base set was a little bit of a mess design wise. There was just too much empty space for my liking.

And here's the second of my firsts. A Lou Aparicio Bat card. I think my buddy William also got one of these in a trade recently. It's a really classy looking card in my opinion of a great player. Everybody says that Frank Robinson was the missing piece that was added to the 1966 WS Champion squad before the season started. That's true but Lou was an integral part who was aquired 3 years before the 66 season. In my humble opinion, Little Louie was just as big a part of the team as the Robinsons were and I think a lot of people inadvertently forget that.

Thanks for the awesome trade Adam, I can't wait to trade with you again!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

My Gypsy Queen Breaks

I couldn't resist the urge to rip some packs so I picked up 4 rack packs of 2012 Gypsy Queen over the past 2 days. I think the cards look nice but the huge Gypsy Queen logo is a little distracting. The player selections seems to be spot on with current players and retired ones too. These packs are a lot of fun to open ( I guess that's why I made 2 separate trips to Wal-Mart and Target to buy some!). Soooo you're probably interested to see what I got huh? Here we go:

These aren't the hobby exclusive mini inserts, just 3 Willie Mays cards out of 12 packs! Too bad I don't collect the Say Hey Kid.

The Blue Framed paper cards look pretty awesome. I don't think that I could have gotten a better team since the Dodger blue matches the border so well. I'm pretty sure this card won't last in my for trade list very long.

Here's the 4 Photo Variation shortprints. Another Kemp, Ryan Howard, Nelson Cruz and Joey Votto. Who's the best player in the group?

And here come the mini's. A Dan Haren Green, and Black Bordered Prince Fielder and Dee Gordon. I like the Black borders but the Greenie doesn't do anything for me. It's just another parallel for me to chase of Nick Markakis.

Alright, Here's the rest of what I pulled and what's for trade:

Photo Variation SP's: 83 Howard, 220 Votto

Retail Exclusive Gold Borders: 6 Moore, 10 Halladay, 50 M. Cabrera, 197 Freese, 231 Dawson(2), 249 Musial, 294 R. Jackson

Minis: 155 Yovani Gallardo, 271 Weaver, 295 Gooden

Red Back Mini: 261 Smoltz, 277 Worley

Black Border Mini: 124 Dee Gordon

Green Border Mini: 148 Haren

Straight Cut Mini: 19 S. Smith

Glove Stories: GS-TR Trayvon Robinson

Moonshots: MS-RH Ryan Howard

Future Stars: FS-JH Jeremy Hellickson, FS-JU Justin Upton

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Good News Comes in Bunches

Well at least in 2's. Adam aka Spankee, the genius behind "My Cardboard Mistress" announced his good news earlier today so I'm going to make another life changing announcement of my own.

Last week, the wifey and I got some good news. We bought our first house! We put in an offer on a house in mid-March and had it accepted by the homeowner and bank. The real thing that makes the whole process incredible is that the house was a short sale. Anybody who has dealt with a short sale before knows that they can take a long time to get approved. Friends of ours had to wait 6 months for approval! Ours went through in a little over 2 weeks.

We're both really stoked about moving into OUR house. I actually own the house we live in but we have simply outgrown it. We are only 2 people and a very energetic boxer named Heidi. For the 3 living beings in the 980 sq.ft house, we have a lot of things. I will now get my own mancave where I can have all of my baseball cards, collectables, and video games in its own dedicated room!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #23

It's IP autograph weekend here at "O" NO!!! Another Orioles Blog. I'm featuring each and every in-person autograph that I obtained this past Wednesday when the Orioles played an exhibition game against their AAA affiliate, The Norfolk Tides.

#23) BRADY ANDERSON!!!

HOLY CRAP! I was totally unprepared for Brady to be there but a fellow autograph collector named Mike hooked me up with this 1999 Topps card. 1999 Topps is one of my favorite Topps sets overall and probably one of my favorite Brady cards. He looks to be in full home run trot after hitting one into the flag court.

He signed for a ton of people before the game. He was actually working out with Brian Roberts in the outfield. HE WAS OUTRUNNING BRIAN BY SEVERAL STEPS! I swear he could still play!

So this concludes autograph weekend here on the old blog. I hope I didn't get on anybody's nerves by my posts popping up every hour but I felt the need to show off my bounty from Norfolk.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #22

#22 Brad Bergesen

I have a soft spot for Bergy since I was at Camden Yards during his MLB Debut. I hope he regains his sinker this year and makes it back with the big club. Damn you Billy Butler!

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #21

#21) Ryan Adams

I got Ryan's autograph right before the game started. They were landing a Helicopter in centerfield at the time. I asked him and Xavier Avery if they had ever seen a helicopter on the field before a game before and neither had.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #20

#20) Zelous Wheeler

I know the other day I was lamenting how nobody has cool nicknames in baseball anymore. Well Zelous isn't a nickname but it is the coolest name on the Orioles 40 man roster. Zelous also had a few good plays during the game.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #19

#19) Josh Bell

I finally got Josh before the game. I've sent him TTM but haven't gotten anything back. No more wasted stamps for Josh again.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #18

#18) Steve Tolleson

I got Steve after the game as he was getting ready to board the team bus. He made some real slick plays in the game. He seems like a good guy to stash at AAA if somebody gets hurt at the major league level.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #17

#17) BRIAN ROBERTS

I had a feeling he'd be with the team since he's supposed to take in the sights and sounds of Camden Yards as the next step in his concussion recovery. I love the way the autograph looks on this Sweet Spot card! I'm really pumped to get his autograph in person!

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #16

#16) Steve Johnson

Steve started for Norfolk in the game and pitched pretty well. I wonder if this might be his year to make it up to the big club. I think only he can pitch well enough so he can get his shot.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #15

#15) Jonathan Schoop

I was surprised to see Jonathan at the stadium because he was assigned to AA Bowie earlier in the week. Once again I was unprepared without cards for him to sign so he signed my custom.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #14

#14) Troy Patton

Troy signed inside the stadium after he completed his warm up tosses in the outfield. I'm finally glad he's getting a shot to be a major contributor out of the 'pen this year!

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #13

#13) Adam Jones

Adam Jones was one of 3 players that signed as the Orioles jumped off of the bus. Gypsy Queen = autograph perfection.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #12

#12) Scott Beerer

Scott was my first autograph of the day. He was walking into the players entrance as soon as I got to Harbor Park. It would be cool to see him make it to the Orioles this year since he's converting from pitcher to an outfielder.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #11

#11) Jamie Hoffman

Jamie was a late sign by the Orioles. I think he used to play for the Dodgers. Unfortunately I didn't have any real cards for him to sign.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #10

#10) Dontrelle Willis

I know it doesn't look like much but this is really Dontrelle Willis' autograph. I went to the game and totally forgot to bring anything for him to sign. I've got to be more prepared!

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #9

#9) Matt Antonelli

Matt has his own blog which is a nice read if you want an inside view on what players do on their time off and how they handle everyday life. Matt was really pleasant in person before the game. I actually gave him one of my blog business cards so if you're reading this Matt, thanks for the autograph!

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #8

#8) Chris Tillman

Chris was as pleasant as always. He signed for everybody that asked and stopped to take pictures with some fans as he boarded the buses to head to Charlotte for Norfolk's season opener.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #7

#7) Pedro Strop

I don't have any cards of Pedro Strop yet but he was able to sign the O's Checklist from 09 OPC. I think Pedro will be around Baltimore for a while. He throws strikes and gets ahead of batters.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #6

#6) John Hester

I was able to get the Tides starting catcher after the game at the Tides players entrance. He was really nice and signed for everyone.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #5

#5) kevin gregg

I'm not a fan of his pitching but if he's giving out his autograph for free I'll take it. I really hope he keeps his BB/9 rate under 5 this year.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #4

#4) Matt Lindstrom

Other than knowing Matt Lindstrom played for Colorado and Houston, the only other thing I know about him is that he throws some real gas.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #3

#3) Luis Ayala

Luis was nice enough to sign for fans after he was done throwing in the outfield. I look forward to seeing him pitch. I remember seeing him pitch in the World Baseball Classic and subsequently walking off the mound after blowing out his elbow.

Orioles @ Tides IP Autograph #2

#2) Wei-Yin Chen

I got one of the Asian imports to sign after he warmed up in the outfield. Since I didn't have any "real" cards of him, I had to get him to sign this black border parallel from 09 OPC. I can say this is my first autograph in Chinese Characters.

Orioles @ Tides Exhibition IP Autograph #1

#1) Jake Arrieta

Orioles Opening Day Starter Jake Arrieta signed for everybody who wanted a sig when the Orioles were jumping off the bus and heading into the locker room. I like both of these but the Gypsy Queen cards really look great when they've been inked!

2012 Spring Training TTM #3

I got this one back earlier this week on Tuesday. I decided to send to Lonnie since he has a pretty good track record of signing TTMs. Even though he's starting the season in the minors, he's the Indians cornerstone 3rd Baseman.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Card Show Report: The Bargain Hunter

I did a fair amount of Dime Box digging at this show and I pulled out a ton of great trade bait and cards for my collections, I did score some other bargains. Each of these cards featured in this post I bought for a dollar a piece. Some may say I overpaid, but I say bargain.

2012 Topps Tribute Cal Ripken Jr. Don't get me wrong, I like the high end products just as much as anybody. You just won't catch me buying any (not anymore at least). This is my favorite Tribute Ripken out of all that I own.

This Cal is Die-Cut. Since it's the Gold Medallion parallel I had to have it since these don't show up very often.

MOOSE ALERT! The back of the card says its one of 150 made. I don't think it's #1/150, just one of the 150 made. Unless anybody has further knowledge on the numbering I'm going to stick with my original hypothesis.

It's appropriate that this card posts on Orioles Opening Day. Jake was named Opening Day starter for the first time of hopefully many more. I think this is his breakout season now that he got those bone chips removed from his elbow. He's pitching pain free for the first time since his college days so I'm interested to see the results.

This concludes my card show posts for the Spring 2012 Show at Chantilly. I hope you all enjoyed seeing the cards I got as much as I enjoyed showing them off.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Card Show Report: The Vintage

Continuing with my card show haul from last weekend, here's the vintage cards I picked up for my One Card of Every Oriole collection. I started this collection for 3 reasons:

1.) Obviously to collect a card of every Oriole to play in a game.

2.) Not all of the players that suited up for the O's had and Orioles card issued. The collection gives me the chance to broaden my horizons past just Orioles cards and collect cards of the players on other teams.

3.) It gives me a way to collect some awesome vintage cards even before the Orioles were the Orioles.

Both of these cards are from 1949 Bowman.
The card on the left is Oriole #10 Dick Kokos. He debuted in Charm City in the Orioles 1st game as a pinch hitter.
The card on the right is Oriole #28 Dave Koslo. He's pictured here as a New York Giant. Dave also pitched for the Orioles in 1954 but his debut came on May 6th.

Here's my 1951 Bowman Ted Gray. Ted played with the Orioles towards the end of the 1955 season after he was released by the Yankees. His stats were uninspiring with and 8.22 ERA in 9 games. After he was released by the Orioles, he never played in the majors again.

Moving on to 1952 Bowman we have Walter "Hoot" Evers. I love that his nickname is Hoot. Players just don't get sweet nicknames like that anymore. Hoot gained the nickname because of his love of a popular Film Cowboy named Richard "Hoot" Gibson who made about 75 short films when Walter was a boy. Now you know!

I already had Mike Blyzka's card but I picked this one because it was Mike's only appearance as an Oriole on cardboard. I really like the 1954 Topps set and I picked up both of these on the cheap. I think one thing that jumps out at me from Ray Murray's card is the awesome Athletics logo. A White Elephant!

Here we have two 1961 Topps cards of Topps All-Star Rookies Ron Hansen and Chuck Estrada. I chose these cards for my binder since they were cost effective and they prominently displayed the Rookie Cup. I didn't like the 1961 Topps set but it has grown on me as time has passed.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Card Show Report: The Hits

I didn't buy a whole bunch of "hits" at this show but that's ok. The 2 I got were pretty cool regardless. We'll just say quality over quantity.

I was a big fan of David when he was with the Orioles in '09 and '10. I'm still a fan even though he's playing for the Dbacks. Not that I have anything against the team, I just don't get a lot of exposure to them since they are in the NL West. Anyways, I actually saw Hernandez pitch recently while I was eating my dinner. I was kicked back in the recliner watching one of those boring Spring Training games.

I bought this card at the first table of the day. As I bought my disastrous Bowman Sterling pack I thought to myself: "Wouldn't it be my luck that I would pull a double of this card or an autograph I already had". I was really hoping for a Dylan Bundy autograph or even pulling a double of the Britton above would have been better than what I pulled. Do you think I have a case of buyer's remorse?

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Card Show Report: The Big Mistake

Well 12 hours is just about long enough to hold you all in suspense. Now, you will see what my big mistake of the show was:

I bought a pack of 2011 Bowman Sterling. I swore that I would never buy a pack of cards that cost more than 5 bucks. This pack of 5 cards went for 8 times the maximum that I said I'd ever pay. I'll just say that my buddy that rode along had something to do with the purchase.

It wasn't all that bad though since I got 6 cards out of a 5 card pack. Here's the damage:

This guy was so highly regarded by the Red Sox that they sent him to the Astros. He was also ejected in his MLB Debut this past season for hitting Vlad Guerrero with a pitch. Way to leave your mark on your first day on the job!

(See what I did there?)

I know a lot of prospects but I can't say I'm familiar with Lamb. I haven't heard a ~~Little Bow~~ peep about him.

(Comedy is all that's keeping me from crying about flushing 40 bucks down the toilet)

I have heard about this guy since he's a potential #1 pick in this years draft. I'm not sure if he's going to be the best of the bunch though.

(I'm not sure where these awful, cheesy jokes are coming from tonight)

Never heard of Goeddel either. This STICKER autograph was signed with a dried up sharpie apparently. Get with the program Topps, Staedler Lumocolor pens is where it's at!

Why the hell does a 40 a pack product have sticker autographs? Seriously somebody answer that with an insightfully witty and funny response in the comments below.

Jungmann is fairly highly regarded as a future big league pitcher. I would have been pretty excited to get his graph (even though its another sticker, sigh) if I hadn't pulled his 'graph from one of my 2011 Bowman Draft Picks boxes. At least that one is on-card. BDP came out around Thanksgiving and Sterling came out in late December. What's the problem here?

I think this is a bonus hit of the box or case or pack or whatever... The box says 2 autographs and one relic card in every pack. I also have Fontana's autograph too. I got that one from a box break that The Daily Dimwit did a little while back.

I guess I wouldn't have been as disappointed if I hadn't already had 2 of the autographs already. The design of the cards is nice but the Sticker autos should not be in a $40 a pack product. There's no excuse.

I'll probably not buy another product with as high a price point of this again, but never say never. Peer Pressure can be a bitch sometimes.

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