A Winner in my (crooked) Contest and a Stack O' Brewers from Fuji

At long last I have finished my BIG BREWERS SORT. Which means we have a winner in the HOW BIG IS MY CREWNEVERSE contest. But before we get that...

Look at that! What a beautiful sight... everything so damned orderly. What you see there are my all-time Brewers binder, which now is home to a COMPLETE set of every player who ever appeared with the Pilots and Brewers, my oversized Brewers stuff, and my two Brewers monster boxes, with players sorted by name (plus some spillage). Each of these cards is now entered into the Trading Card Database... which gives me a little demographic info about my collection.  

1.	Ryan Braun	262
2.	Robin Yount	238
3.	Paul Molitor	168
4.	Prince Fielder	162
5.	Ben Sheets	154
6.	Greg Vaughn	126
7.	Rickie Weeks	121
8.	Geoff Jenkins	120
9.	Dave Nilsson	112
10.	B.J. Surhoff	99

There you see the top ten players in my collection. Not a lot surprising about that... although Dave Nilsson ranks a but higher than I would have thought. 

Anyway, I don't plan on keeping all of these cards in these boxes long-term. I ended up having some issues with the monster box set-up. First off, I have come to hate penny sleeves. You notice that most of these cards are in penny sleeves. It makes them slick as hell, and it's almost impossible to pick up a stack of these from the top without sending them flying out in all direction. I also erred on the player dividers. They look fine, but they are printed on normal printer paper and tend to slide down between the cards. In short, this is not a good set up to actually LOOK at the collection. My plan is to start binders with my favorite players - a Braun/Prince binder for example - which would make everything much more accessible and fun. But many players will remain in the boxes... Jose Valentine for example... not someone I regularly need to browse. Perhaps a Franken-set or something like that will also soon be in the offing. 

So what about that total???? Well, about that total...

I remembered as I was doing this that in the original post for this contest, I said that I would not count Brewers cards that I got DURING the count. Well, I did. I totally forgot my own rule and lumped it all together. Anyway, since I have no idea how to undo that, I'll just stick with changing the rule mid-way through the game.

So, now, getting to the winner of this crooked contest...

But WAIT! There are some Brewers cards in my collection that I have not yet added to this total. Cards I just got yesterday from San Jose Fuji. I had won a contest of his (not crooked, I assume) a while back and my prize lot was full of Brewers!

Here is Lorenzo Cain, the backbone of this year's team, in a great-looking SP from A&G.

Hey! And a Dan Plesac card from the Topps TV All Stars set... I've been wanting one for a while.

And.... yeah, that guy. He's... certainly on the team.

Here's a Ryan Braun I wasn't even aware of... signed by the artist! Very cool.

And a couple of Greinkes from this brief time as a Brewer. The blue-bordered cards in numbered to 199. Sweet. 

And HELL YEAH! The best of the bunch, a clear-cut Greg Vaughn. Thanks, Fuji!

Which is, oddly enough, from the same set as the Lenny Dykstra in the prize pack for the Crewneverse contest. Let's recap that prize pack.

There's Nails and some UD stickers...

... and a signed Tom Selleck card...

And that's all I'd gotten around to including. But, since I now know the WINNER of this contest, I can craft the rest of the prize package around their interests. 

(which includes a lot of football)

To the guesses one last time...

Laurens – 2,200

Angels in Order – 4,444

Sportscard Collectors – 4,444

Doug Hoback – 6,500

Mike Matson – 6,700

Gavin – 6,969 (nice)

Bo – 7,676

GCA – 7,955

Trevor P – 8,100

Adam Kaninger – 8,750

EP – 9,009

Nick – 9,219

Rob 792 – 9,482

Jon – 9,700

Fuji – 9,887

Adam Sanders – 10,100

ARPSmith – 11,111

The Lost Collector – 12,224

 

and the final tally is...

 

8,162!!!!

Which means Trevor of Bump and Run is our champion!!!!

I know I've got a few Packers somewhere around here that I will include in your package and I'm sure I can find a bunch of other fun stuff from your lists. In the next week or so, I'll put something together... if you can send me your address, I'll get it out ASAP.

Thanks again everyone for playing and for sending me so much great Brewers stuff over the past year-plus. 

 

WOW Factor: A Crazy-Loaded Prize Package from Iron Lion Collectables

I mostly avoid high-end cards. I don’t think I’ve ever paid more than five or six bucks for a pack in my whole life and the idea of dropping hundred on a box of fancy-deal product with the hopes of landing something rare and cool just doesn’t do much for me. Of course, plenty of other folks do. And a brand new shop in Colorado Springs (home to more than just Brewers prospects with terribly skewed statistics) carries all kinds of this stuff. THE IRON LION is opening this Saturday, Feb 17. In the run-up to their opening, they have been doing a bunch of give-aways and breaks on their facebook page. Encouraged by the Daily Dimwit, I threw my hat into the give-away ring.

This happened right around the time I was called out of town for all that awful family stuff that has consumed most of the last three weeks. I had planned to watch a facebook break and give-away of some Bowman’s Best stuff, but got distracted and forgot about it. The next day, the Dimwit messaged me on Twitter telling me I had won, saying something like, “WOW!!!!”

Ok, I thought. I checked out the video on facebook when I had a moment, just glancing at it, and saw that I had been picked out of over 100 entrants. So maybe that was the wow? I hate to say that I didn’t care about the prize, but with everything going on, it just wasn’t a priority. It wasn’t until later, when I watched the video, that I understood the wow.

But let’s build up to that!

First off, it was two boxes.. or mini boxes or whatever the hell. A big stack of Bowman’s Best 2016 packs and a few packs of Panini Absolute football.

Some of these base card names I recognize…

And I certainly know Dan Fouts, one of the numbered cards I got. That Josh McCown is out of 25. I am unfamiliar with him, but know enough to be certain that if he is a former Browns QB… as in a QB that the Browns did not want anymore, he must be terrible.

In the Bowman product, the base is split between vets and rookies and prospects.

Here’s ol’ Mike Trout. I must admit, these cards are very sharp. The effects and photos are very well-defined and the foil shimmer adds to the almost 3-D effect.

Here is one of the prospect cards, Mr. Universeandbeyond, Aaron Judge. These use the same basic design as the vets, just with the team logo “slash” thing in the background going in the other direction.

And, of course, there were refractors. Lots of ‘em. I got some decent vets, including Trout, Rizzo, and this Kenta Maeda RC. I also the Scwarber and Aaron Nola RCs fractor-style.

And then some prospect fractos. Number 1 pick Mickey Moniak was probably the top find here.

And then some inserts.

And some more inserts, with one having that “cracked” foil effect. I think that’s what they call a “Superfractor.”

And a blue parallel of Michael Conforto, who had a pretty good season last year with the Mets.

And what I assume is the box’s promised base superfractor Atomic refractor.

And a pair of very cool 1996 Best tribute cards.

Now let’s get to the hits…

T.Y. Hilton patch card, numbered out of 25. He has made four straight Pro Bowls, so that’s not bad. UPDATE: This card has been traded.

Kenny G!!! According to Pro Football Reference, this fellow played for the Lions last year, but also signed a four-year deal with the Titans before the season? Anyway, he seems to have a sense of humor. UPDATE: This card has been traded.

G’s nickname is Babytron, a play (I assume) on Megatron. Laquon Treadwell is nicknamed Megaquon. He was a first round pick in 2016.

David Johnson ball/jersey/helmet(?) card. How do they cram a helmet sliver into a card? Anyway, he was real good in 2016, but missed most of last season.

Bowman’s Best promises four sigs per box. Here is sig one: Padres prospect Anderson Espinoza. (UPDATE: This card has been traded.) Not much I can say about him. This, honestly, is the kind of stuff I would expect from these high-end products. Cards shiny as hell, relics that look bonkers, and autographs of fringe prospects. If this prize package ended here, I’d be perfectly happy with it. But things are about to get crazy. Buckle up, kids.

Here was the big Panini Auto. I recognized the name, but didn’t realize he was the top draft pick last time around and seemed to impress people in his rookie season with the Bears. It’s numbered out of 100.

Nolan Arenado is just 26 and probably the best third baseman in the game. He’s a regular 2-3 win player on defense and has claimed two home run crowns and three Silver Sluggers over the past three years. An absolute stud.

And here is a World Champion stud! Carlos was just 22 years old last year and missed part of the season with an injury, but still hit .315 with 24 homers to lead the Astros to the world title. The sky is the limit for this kid, and I was thrilled to add his signature to my collection.

Back to football… A redemption card! I haven’t been in possession of a redemption card since I pulled a Signature Rookies voucher for a Shawn Respert autograph. This was back when I still followed the Bucks and I was thrilled to pull it. Sadly, Respert didn’t do much in the NBA and had his career cut short by stomach cancer. So will this yield me something better???

Whoa! A Dan Marino etched crystal card? Damn. And a one-per case insert at that. I’ve looked these up online and they look hella-sharp.

So what can top all of this stuff? How can this package get any better? Let’s count it down!

THREE

TWO

ONE…..

BOOM! ANOTHER Correa autograph, the Superfractor variety, numbered 25/25. This was pretty stunning. It’s probably the most valuable modern card I’ve ever owned. It’s the kind of card that makes one of these boxes actually worth the sky-high price tag. This, dear readers, was the WOW. UPDATE: This card has been traded.

And now, I don’t really know what to do. I def want to keep some of the Best cards and the Arenado auto and the first Correa auto. But I am more than willing to spread the other stuff around to those who would appreciate it more than I. I have no interest at all in football cards (save for Bo Jackson) and as long as I have one Correa auto to keep, I’m be glad to swap the fractory version.

So that’s a lot of product up for grabs! I’m not QUITE so generous as to do simple blind trades for the big stuff, but I’d be interested in creative swaps. I don’t want to sell them and I’d prefer to keep things within the blogging circle, as opposed to posting on a trading forum. I am in need of some major Topps baseball rookies for my set-building. Like the ’76 Eck, the ’79 Ozzie, the ’82 Ripken… oh, and that pesky 2011 Trout.

Any suggestions? Any offers? Anyone want to share in the WOW?

From Bo to Matt: 1988 Donruss "The Rookies"

I have yet to post on the MASSIVE trade I pulled off last month with Bo at Baseball Cards Come to Life. This really isn't about the trade, either, but it's about something that came in the same box. Bo did a Little-Big Fun Game just before the trade-a-thon, and I happened to win a set of 1988 Donruss The Rookies. Not just Rookies, THE ROOKIES. Take the baseball out of that logo and it's the perfect word mark for a puss-rock band from the 1980s.
Unabashed junk wax weirdness! Just my style. Let's take a look at some the more choice items from the set, shall we?

Dave Stapleton is one of two Brewers in the set. Stapleton was coming off a short-but-awesome 1987 season in which he pitched 14 innings and allowed just three runs. He threw 13 more in 1988, but couldn't stick around, posting a 5.93 ERA. He played one more season professionally, but never appeared in the majors again. 

Estelle (crying): I can't believe it, he was so young. How could this
have happened?
Steinbrenner: Well, he'd been logging some pretty heavy hours, first
one in in the morning, last one to leave at night. That kid was a human dynamo.
Estelle: Are you sure you're talking about George?
Steinbrenner: You are Mr. and Mrs. Costanza?
Frank (yelling): What the hell did you trade Jay Buhner for?!? He had
30 home runs, over 100 RBIs last year, he's got a rocket for an arm, you don't know what the hell you're doin'!!
Steinbrenner: Well, Buener was a good prospect, no question about it.
But my baseball people loved Ken Phelps' bat. They kept saying 'Ken
Phelps, Ken Phelps'.

I was kind of stunned to learn that Pat Borders played 17 years in the majors. He never made an All Star team or led the league in anything, but he did win two World Series, a gold medal with the 2000 USA Olympic baseball team, and appeared in five different postseasons. In the 1992 Series with the Blue Jays, he batted .450 and won MVP honors. Not a bad career at all. 

Doug Jennings. What a depressing photo on this card. It looks like its about 150 degrees out. Anyway, he played for a while in the majors and didn't do much. Next.

Roberto Kelly was actually one of the first TTM autos I ever got from a non-Brewer. He was a pretty decent player, too. He made two all-star teams and finished with a .280 career batting average.

Walt Weiss was a punch-n-Judy hitter wit a slick glove who was a part of the A's juggernaut of the late 1980s. He played in 46 postseason games with the A's, Rockies, and Braves. 

Jeri-curl enthusiast Melido Perez lasted ten seasons in the majors. Perez was a member of the no-hit club for a few months in 1990 when he tossed a rain-shortened seven-inning no-hitter, only to lose the feat after the season when MLB changed its definition of an official no-hitter. He also gave up Manny Ramirez's first career homer.

I don't even feel like looking up Steve Peters' career numbers. He just looks so dopey on this card. 

This guy, either. Although he does have an awesome name. Also, two guys in a row with the snuff can in their pocket. 

Randy Milligan played for eight years and a regular with the O's in the early 1990s. He is seen here very, very sweaty. Did they take these pictures on the face of the sun? 

Hey! A Hall of Famer! The only one in the set.

Personally, I don't think this guy belongs anywhere near the Hall of Fame. Seriously, not even close. I'm talking, of course, about Edwin Nunez... who is mistakenly pictured on Edgar Martinez's card in this set. 'Gar is a clear HOFer in my mind and its a shame that he has only this thing and his 1988 Fleer for rookie cards. 

Joey Meyer is the other Brewer in the set. According to (probably incorrect) lore, Meyer once hit a 582-foot homer with the Denver Zephyrs in old Mile-High Stadium in 1987. This ranks unofficially as the longest homer in professional baseball history. He hit only 18 homers in the Bigs, but is the only player to ever his a walk-off homer against Roger Clemens. 

I have nothing to say about Mike Capel. I just like that you can see a house in the background of this card. 

Someone get Dubs! It's Ronnie Gant! As a second baseman, no less. 

We'll wind things up with Mackey Sasser. I won't recount his story here, but look it up. It's an interesting tale.

Big Fun Charlie!

It's about time I got around to posting about my haul from Gavin's recent BIG FUN GAME at Baseball Card Breakdown. The main part of my prize was an encased Charlie Hayes auto from 2005 Topps Retired. Not to sound like I'm denigrating Gavin's generosity, but this was a prize that was not exactly in dire threat of being stolen. Charlie had a decent career, but he never made an All Star game and was mostly role player. His biggest claim to fame was probably catching the last out of the 1996 World Series. He did, however, get some MVP votes in 1995. This is pretty baffling, actually. Hayes had a pretty run-of-the-mill season for the second-division Phillies and led the league in nothing more than grounding into double plays. 

BUT! Charlie Hayes spend a year with the Brewers, the second-to-last of this career. He got into 121 games as a corner infielder and put up mostly pedestrian numbers. Still, he this prize allows me to cross another Brewer off my all-time autograph list. Charlie is my 208th Brewers autographed card, putting me at an even 25% of the all-time roster.

But I keep those cards in binders. And this fellow is in some big-ass case. Hmm.

A little help from the Milwaukee Tool Company will solve this.

I've broken the seal! 

This case was actually a big harder to open than I anticipated. I switched tools at this point to avoid slicing off a finger. 

Charlie is home! Right between a couple of other also-ran Brewers and just above Jamey Wright, who was still pitching as recently as 2014. 

There were a few other goodies in the bundle Gavin sent. Including this oddball Mickey Mantle reprint. It has since found its way to a Yankees fan. 

Gav tossed in some Brewers as well. Jeromy Burnitz was a pretty fierce slugger for a few years, and this card captures his helicopter swing nicely.

I cannot get enough oddball Brewers, and one-year stop oddballs are even better. Willie Randolph had a hell of season in 1991 for the Crew, batting .327 in his second-to-last year.

I really dig this Archives card of Beej, done in the style of the 1985 #1 picks subset. 

And this Braunie, done in the 1991 style, is instantly one of my favorite cards of his. 

Jeff Cirillo was one of my favorites on the cellar-bound Brewers of the late-1990s. I don't think I've ever seen a Gold Label card in person. They are very impressive. 

And We'll close with a minor league card of Ben Sheets, who is by far the greatest right-hander to ever take the mound for the Brewers. 

Thanks for the big fun, Gavin! I've actually got a PWE headed your way right now. Keep looking up!!!!!