Catching Up

As summer kicks into full swing, I've realized I've become terribly out of touch with the world of cardboard.  Prizm and Stadium Club, two of my favorite products, went live and I was blissfully unaware.  It will probably be a while before I start to tackle the cards from either of those sets, but I did spend some time checking ebay to see what I missed.

And boy was I excited to see the Pirates in Archives this year.  Sid Bream and Kent Tekulve are two of the easier Pirates alumni to get autographs from, even if they don't have a ton of certified issues.  But I was downright giddy to see Jason Kendall in the autograph checklist.

I've soured on Kendall a lot over the years.  He was a fantastic player during some of the darkest years in team history.  But from a purely personal standpoint, Kendall was a jerk to just about everybody he encountered in Pittsburgh from fans to teammates.

Still...nostalgia and all that jazz.  I usually hesitate to pony up for Archives autos, since they often sell for more than similar products, and Kendall does have quite a few autographs from his playing days.  Still, I decided to pull the trigger when I was able to land this silver parallel for $7.  That's actually less than most of the base autographs are selling for, and I like the colored border.  So while I'm not exactly back into the swing of things, I'm getting there.  I have a COMC shipment from the Spring Cleaning promo the past week that is scheduled to be delivered today, so maybe that will get me back into a more regular posting routine.

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Signature Sunday

As as Pirate fan, it's been a big change the past couple years to be adding rather than subtracting at the end of the season.  And late season pickups like Marlon Byrd have been a big part to the success the team experienced heading into the fall months.  The down side if that most of those guys have missed out on having cards as a Pirate.

But with a little photoshop magic and some good signers, I've been able to fill in some gaps in my collection.  Kyle Farnsworth is a guy who it feels like has been around forever.  But he was a decent bullpen addition plucked off the scrap heap for the Pirates.  There aren't a ton of photos from his short Buc tenure out there, but I was pretty happy with how this card turned out.

Seeing Green

Reading through some of my posts over the last few months, I've realized I've become the "get off my lawn, you dang kids" kind of collector.  The hobby has changed over the last decade.  I don't like it, and it has led to a dramatic decrease in my overall interest in level in collecting cards and sports in general.  But the train has left the station and there's no going back.  So unless I want to start acting like one of those guys set up at card shows that still pine for the days when they could sell a Ripken base card for $3...guess I'll just have to change with the times.

But someeeeetimes the grass really is greener on the other side.  Or more accurately, emerald.

The rainbow madness has burned me out on collecting.  But it was actually the idea of chasing rainbows from sets that didn't include Jack Wilson that sucked me into team collecting.  And Leaf Certified Materials?  That was the cream of the crop.  The formula was pretty straightforward - white, red, blue, gold, emerald, black (no camo, pink, or any other wonky colors).  I have a pretty good collection of the more common colors from the various years.  But the Emerald /5 are just a tough find.  I have one Jack Wilson, but that's it.  I'm sure most sold around the time of release (for good money) and are tucked away in collections.

But as luck would have it, I saw one surface on ebay a few weeks back.  Not exactly a star player.  Or even...a player anyone has heard of.  Jeff Miller was a middle reliver who I had never heard of in 2005.  He entered the Pirates system as a college draftee in 2001, and moved pretty quickly through the minors with decent success at each level.  I assume in 2005 he was added to the 40 man roster, and in desperate hopes to include players that Topps hadn't already produced cards of Donruss included some real head scratchers in their 2004-2005 releases.

Miller actually had a pretty good season as a reliever in 2005, posting a 3.36 ERA.  And the Pirates, you may recall, more or less sucked.  Yet one way or another, not only did Miller never get MLB action, the Pirates jettisoned him from the organization.  He pitched for the Giants AAA team in 2006 with nearly identical numbers, but by 2007 played a couple games in the Independent League before retiring.  So...no, not a star player.

Still, the sheer excitement of landing a Mirror Emerald for $4 shipped more than makes up for the lackluster results Mr. Miller had in the years since this card hit the market.

The Long and Winding Road

The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind.  Quite honestly, my interest in cards has been in a tailspin for a while now.  And life hasn't helped.

While it was far from perfect (the pay wasn't great, the commute was killer), the teaching job I loved came to a pretty abrupt end when I learned a couple weeks ago that the alternative school I was at would be closing.  Better yet, we had one week's notice and weren't allowed to tell the kids.  So I spent a week as a lame duck, with our students blissfully unaware that the school that for some of them was very much a last chance was going to be locking the doors behind them.  It was emotionally rough to see some kids I had really grown to care about get thrown back into some real shitty situations.  The not having a job thing can be problematic too.

Quite honestly, it's been tough trying to work up the interest to post and keep the blog feeling fresh.  Prime example?  The photos for this post have been uploaded into this post for nearly 3 weeks.  I just haven't mustered up the energy to actually add words.  Sad, huh?

These were all flea market pickups.  Better yet, they were all a dime.  Normally I'd be pretty thrilled about some of these.  Hell, rookie cards of some of the best players in the NFL for a dime?  Puhleeze.

 But...meh.

Don't get me wrong.  I don't want to quite blogging.  I don't want to quit collecting (the slightly obscene COMC bill I ran up this weekend during the Spring Cleaning specials would testify to that).  But I just don't get the same warm and fuzzies about cards.

 
So don't mind me if I'm still a little sparse for the time being.  My batteries need recharged.  Or maybe just replaced.

But I'll be back with some insightful quips before too long, I'm sure.

Simply the Best

Simply put, there aren't many superstars today who are great TTM signers.  And then there's Dirk Nowitzki.  Not only is he a Hall of Fame bound player, but the guy will sign just about anything put in front of him.

I have a few TTM autographs from Dirk over the years, but when I found his RC in a dime box, I couldn't have been happier.  I sent the card at the beginning of the season, and it finally came back in the middle of the playoffs.

My basketball collection is tiny compared to football or baseball, but this instantly becomes one of my favorite basketball cards I own.  I can't gush enough about how much I respect a guy who makes that kind of time for fans in today's multi-billion dollar sports world, where more and more players won't even touch a pen unless there is a check attached.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Baseball can be a strange, strange game.  Take a look back at top prospect lists from the past decade and you'll see the top of the lists littered with names that make you say, "Who?"  And even for the guys that make it, or at least seem to, success can be fleeting.

 In the mid 2000's, I bought in to prospect hype.  Not to any significant degree, but I picked up a few cards here and there of guys who I thought were sure fire locks for big league success.  Casey Kotchman was one of those guys who I thought would be a blast to watch for the next two decades or so.  He had a great approach at the plate, hit the ball well, and was a pretty strong defender.  He was the type of well-rounded player I love watching.  And when he put up close to a .300 average with good power by age 24?  Seemed like a guy who was headed towards good things.

 ...and then by 30 he was out of baseball.  Like I said, crazy game.  Even when his star was on the rise, Kotchman was a great TTM signer.  And those habits have continued since leaving the game.

 I always like getting cards from different teams signed, particularly for guys who have traveled around a bit.  But the real star is the signed Pristine Refractor at the top.  It was one of those prospecting buys, and I still remember shelling out $1 for it at a mall show around 2005 or 2006.  It's been sitting in a box, toploadered and waiting for superstardom ever since.

Looks like the time for that came and went.  So I'm glad the card got a second life through the mail.  Even better, the blue signature looks awesome on the card.

Card Show Haul: It Took Some Balls

Rennie Stennett 7-for-7 inscribed Three Rivers 

I was thiiiiiis close to making it home under budget.  Seriously.  And I even would have skipped the third day of the show.  

But as fate would have it, I guess going back wasn't the worst thing in the world.  First, let me flash back to last year's show.  I blew the budget out of the water, but landed some of the centerpieces of my collection thanks to a fellow Pirates super-collector I met named Todd.  He was retiring and downsizing, and in the process parting with some pieces.  But that was supposed to be a one-time deal, so I was shocked to see him back again this year.

We chatted for quite a while Friday, but just about all the stuff he had brought with him were the same items he had last year.  The prices were still good, but wall space is a finite thing, and there was nothing that screamed "must have" to me.

So fast forward to about 15 minutes before the show is set to close on Saturday.  I was squaring up on a couple deals, and as I headed for the door I made a stop by Todd's table just to say bye and to make plans to get together sometime at PNC Park.   

Devil Rays Inaugural baseball 

 Ok, so here's the part that cost me my Sunday.  I'm a sucker for a deal.  Don't judge.

Dock Ellis Three Rivers ball

 On Todd's table was a box that I hadn't remembered seeing the day before.  I peeked inside, and saw it was full of signed baseballs.  I've never been a big fan of signed balls.  I like having a photo of the player - whether it's a photo, or a card, or what have you - than just a generic white baseball.  But right on top of the box was the Dock Ellis ball above.  Now that alone is pretty exciting - Dock is one of the more notorious characters in baseball history for his LSD no hitter (side note: there's a pretty interesting documentary on Dock on Netflix, which even Kate enjoyed).  But more interesting was the Three Rivers stamp on the ball.

 I consider myself pretty well versed in the various oddball Pirates memorabilia out there.  Yet somehow I had no idea they made a commemorative baseball for the final season at PNC Park.

Bert Blyleven World Series baseball w/ Game 5 winner inscription

 I had never seen a ball like that before, signed or unsigned, and absolutely needed one for my collection.  2000 was a special season for me, as it's sort of the pre-cursor for my baseball obsession that would come to full boil in 2001, and I have some great memories of watching games at Three Rivers during the 2000 season.  I asked Todd what he would need, and he replied that he would like to just sell the full box, but we could work something out if there were just one or two balls I wanted.

Chuck Tanner WS baseball with 1979 World Series Champs inscription

 I decided to flip through the rest of the box of about 20 or 25 balls.  Like I said, I'm not a signed baseball collector.  I have maybe half a dozen from one year at Piratefest, but that's it.

But the one thing I can't resist is unique memorabilia.  I just love having pieces in my collection that are one of a kind, or damn close to it.  And from what I was seeing, this box was full of just that.

Dave Parker 1979 All-Star game ball - Parker won the MVP and made one of the most impressive throws of all time

 I asked Todd for his number on the box, and he said he was looking to get about $200 for all the balls.  As I flipped through the box, the PA system was asking dealers to wrap up their transactions and close up for the night.  I really had no interest in spending that kind of money.  But at the same time, I wasn't sure I could pass on some really unique and cool Pirates items for such a good price.  You would quite literally pay more for twenty plain, unsigned baseballs.

Lucky for me, I was saved by the bell as the show closed down.  I told Todd I would be back the next morning to see what we could figure out.

Jason Kendall and Brian Giles 2000 All-Star game ball

Guess I was going back on Sunday after all.

multi-player signed ball from Pirates Fantasy Camp instructors.  Matt's favorite Bob walk is at the bottom of the panel, but check out the signature 4 above that.

 I can't say I didn't try to talk myself out of the purchase more than a few times.  I hate spending big chunks of money in one swoop, whether it's sports related, groceries, or anything else in life.  And I had already had a very good show, without or without the box of balls.  But while I'm not ga-ga about signed baseballs, I do love the look of those home plate shaped ball displays.  And I'd much rather fill one up with some Pirates greats than with signed balls Andy LaRoche and John Grabow.

Don Robinson 1979 World Series baseball with Game 2 Winner inscription.

 The added time was definitely needed just to think through everything.  I got the green light from Kate, and even gave my mom, who I'm convinced genetically engineered a frugal gene into me, the chance to talk me out of it.  But ultimately it just seemed stupid to pass up on - a similar Chuck Tanner baseball on just a plain MLB ball sold for $90 alone.

The Original Frank Thomas

I headed back early Sunday to close the deal.  I know I've already emphasized it to hell, but the uniqueness of these balls is what really made me fall in love with them.  Many items in this hobby are simply a matter of whether you can afford them or not.  With enough cash, a patient collector could probably find a game used jersey of Michael Jordan, or a Willie Stargell bat.  There's a finite supply, but they're available, and will pop up at auction houses every so often.

Ralph Kiner

Obviously anything like that is well, well, well out of what I would ever spend.  But I love the idea that I can, for a pretty affordable price, have some really unique Pirate items.  It's not like these are private signing items where there are hundreds of identical inscriptions out there that a dealer is selling off one by one.  The Nellie Briles ball below?  I imagine there can't be many of those around.

Nellie Briles, 1971 World Series Game 5, 4-0, 2 hit shutout, base hit and rbi! Inscription on Three Rivers ball.

Briles is sort of a special one for me.  He lived about 15 mins from my parent's house.  In high school, I was scheduled to interview him for a feature in our school newspaper.  Unfortunately a couple weeks before we were supposed to get together, Briles died unexpectedly.  He was, from everything I've heard, a great guy who did a lot for the Pirates alumni.  While I wish I would have had the chance to meet him in person, I do enjoy the fact that I now have a great item from him in my collection.

Sweet spot from Briles ball above

 I didn't have a chance to fully go through the box until I got it home.  The final count was 23 signed balls, the Devil Rays ball, and an unsigned Gold Glove baseball.  All of the signed balls were players who you wouldn't be ashamed to have on a signed ball.  The "lesser" names that I didn't picture were guys like Neil Walker, Bob Robertson, and recent first round picks Austin Meadows and Reese McGuire.  Some of those may get sold to cover some of the cost, but I'll be holding on to all the really unique balls.

2000 Pirates team ball

As for how I'm going to display them?  That's an entirely different question.

Jason Kendall

Short answer?  I have no idea.  For now, I'm just doing the most I can to protect the balls until I finally have a proper display.  

But I wasn't totally done.  I picked up this great Three Rivers lithograph from Todd for dirt cheap, along with a PNC Park one by the same artist that isn't framed yet.

While I would have been perfectly happy to have walked home Saturday without spending any extra money, and having a day at home certainly would have been nice, it's almost impossible for me to pass up the chance to add some great and unique items.  Finding the space to display everything?  Well, that's sort of a different story.  But one step at a time, right?