If you had to choose...

I really hate sticker autographs and I really like logos, which can be problematic when you have a pair of cards which would otherwise be categorized as surefire mojo. So, let's examine two of ROCK SHOULDERS certified autographed cards from 2013 and maybe you'll see what I mean.

Above we have a Topps Pro Debut sticker auto of ROCK.  Again, I don't like sticker autographs.  It just seems like Topps is taking the easy way out or is too lazy to do it right.

The back?  Meh.  Boring, bland, bleck.  I know I just received a Topps certified autograph card, because the front already told me.  C'mon, Topps.  Seriously.  Step up your game.

 How about Panini's effor from it's Draft Picks set?

Well, it's shiny.  I like shiny.  So shiny in fact you can see my hand reflecting over the bottom of the card as I took the picture.  But right in the middle of my reflected hand is a nice on card autograph.  Score! Yet, this card is missing the logos.  Kane County not only has huge lettering on its jerseys, but it also sports a rather large Cubs logo.  Neither are apparent after Panini's art department got a hold of Mr. SHOULDERS' picture.  Man, I wish Panini had a MLB license.

The back? We have the same picture as the front, but we're also given a blurb about awesome ROCK SHOULERS is.  I'm not sure if it's large enough to read, but it says, "ROCK SHOULDERS doesn't read scouting reports, he stares down the pitcher until he gets the information he wants."  Yeah, ROCK SHOULDERS is the man.

So, which would card would you rather own?
A. Topps sticker autograph with boring back
B. Panini's logo-less on card auto with more entertaining back

Please leave a comment to let me know which card you like better.  I may even send you a ROCK SHOULDERS card for your troubles.  Every one needs a card of ROCK SHOULDERS.

Book Review: Last Days of Summer

Two months into 2014 and I've finished two books.  Here's the latest!

Title: Last Days of Summer
Author: Steve Kluger
Genre: fiction
Ease of Reading: 358 pages of 12pt font, written in epistolary format... moves quickly
Synapse: Kluger's former agent wanted him to junk this effort, because: "Men's fiction doesn't sell well."  "Boys' fiction doesn't sell well."  "Coming-of-age doesn't sell."  "World War II doesn't sell."  ... and my favorite of the lot... "Baseball doesn't sell." Kluger found a new agent and not only did it sell, but it became a staple in high schools.  I wouldn't call this a baseball book, but more of a coming-of-age book that includes baseball, World War II themes, and pop culture from the 1940's.  No worries though baseball fans, the first two-thirds of the book is a heavy dose of the game we love.
Comments:  I've never read a book in epistolary format before.  The author used everything from newspaper articles to school report cards psych evaluations to tell his tale and it worked wonderfully.  The book flowed easily and it was a fun page turner.  I would readily suggest this one to any baseball fan or even to a history/war buff.
Grade: I'll give it an A+.  I've read more than my share of books in the past.  (Heck, I was even an English Literature minor in college.)  Yet, I think I can count on one hand the number of novels that made me laugh and cry.  Yes.  I said, "cry."  I couldn't help it.  1. I'm a softie.  2. It was well written and had tremendous character development.  After reading a couple hundred pages I felt like I knew the characters of the book better than I know my own math students.  I laughed and cried right along with the two main protagonists.  Nice job, Mr. Kruger.

 My wife has dibs on this one.  She says, "This will be the first book we talk about in our book club."  Huh.  She already is a member of a book club that meets monthly.  Oh well, I could do much worse than marrying a fine lady who wants to talk about baseball books with me!

Stay tuned for other book reviews in the future.  My personal goal is to finish a book each month this year

eBay and Listia Wins

Let's clean out the photo folder!

How about a win, with combined shipping, from eBay?

Paul Blackburn has the goods and I'm hoping he takes a huge step forward this year.  Maybe he'll even make a stop through Kane County in 2014?  This is his 2012 Bowman Sterling autograph card.  Very shiny.  So shiny, in fact, I had to steal the picture off the interwebs.  Shame on me.

 Here's a 2011 Bowman Top 100 card of Arodys Vizcaino.  Vizcaino is another pitcher who should make waves, but his wake will hopefully be felt in Chicago.

 A 2011 Dan Vogelmonster blue Bowman parallel numbered 199/499.  Nice.  Love me some Vogelmonster.

This is my favorite of the bunch, a gold chrome (38/50) Dillon Maples card from 2012 Bowman.  I've been working the Maples rainbow for awhile now and everything except the parallels numbered under /50.

Now, here's a few I snagged from Listia.

 A couple of non-Cubs.  The one on the left will probably find itself in a PWE headed to Alabama before too long, and the one on the right will fill an empty slot in my 2013 Bowman Frankenset binder.  It's not a parallel, but it's a reprint, and that's good enough for me!

Kosuke Fukudome!  Need I say more? I probably should explain my infatuation with Fukudome at some point.  Today though?  Today is not that day.

Last, but not least, a new Kerry Wood card to add to the player collection.

I hope you enjoyed the picture heavy post.  Now, you must excuse me.   I'm going to head on over to Listia to see if I can find any more 2014 Topps parallels to bid on.  It's been a while since I helped JBF out on his FrankenSet!

1987 Topps Set - Complete!

The last package of 1987 Topps arrived at my door late last week.  Chris, from Old Foul Cardboard sent me the last five cards I needed for my set. 

Al Pulido!  Ahhh, another one!  Yes, I must "bip" someone at some point. 

Ray Searage (#149) has a mighty crease across the center and will probably need to be replace, but I have all 792 cards in some shape or form! 

The 1987 Topps Project is complete, and I didn't purchase one card!  Further evidence that the Blogosphere is pretty righteous.  Today is a day to celebrate!

Trading Across the Border

I tried Googling "rosenort", but all I found out was that it's a small town somewhere in vast open space of Manitoba.  So, I'm not sure what "Rosenort" means in Canadian, but in American I think it loosely translates to, "generous with Donruss".

 Rosenort, from the Condition Sensitive blog, and I worked out a quick trade.  He introduced me to Zistle AND he seemed more than happy to part with the above and below Donruss cards for my in-progress sets.  In return I sent him some really random cards from his wantlist.  Nice!

 Look! It was a Chili Davis hot pack bubble mailer!

But wait, not all the cards were made by Donruss:

Yep, a Topps card with Rosenort's autograph!  Score!

Thanks for a great trade Mr. Rosenort!

Major League (The Movie) Baseball Cards

 

Some of you from the blogosphere may have seen this already, but it was new to me so I thought it might be new to some of you as well.

 The above cards will be inserted into this year's Topps Archives product.  I haven't seen a checklist yet, but Jake Taylor and Roger Dorn are obviously in.  I'm assuming that Willie Mays Hayes and Rick Vaughn are as well.

  The idea that I may be able to get an autograph card of Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Hasybert, the Allstate guy) really appeals to me.   A card of Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker) would be pretty neat as well.

Major League is definitely one of my top 5 favorite movies of all time.  The release date for Topps Archives is the last week of May and I can't wait to see the checklist!

Contest Update: Clue #6 -- We have winner!

I posted a question earlier this morning about my humble little collection: Who is the only other non-Cub, certified, on-card autograph of a Hall-of-Famer in my collection?

Here's what we already know:
1. Not a Cub... this is not very helpful, as that narrows it down to 29 other franchises.
2. He's in the Hall of Fame.
3. He was a hitter.
4. He played an overwhelming majority of his career for a National League franchise.
5. This player had more than 10,000 plate appearances in his MLB career AND he hit a round-tripper in just over 5% of them.

For those of you lacking a calculator, Clue #5 equates to 500+ homers.

Here's your next clue:
#6. This player called three different cities "home" before eventually moving on to a different franchise.
 
Post your guesses in the comments section.  Again, you are limited to one guess on this post, and then you may guess again after the next clue is revealed, which will be about in another hour.  Good luck!

UPDATE:  Congrats to The Lost Collector on correctly guessing Eddie Mathews!
 Here are pictures of the front and back of the card:

  I love that this card features the very first Sports Illustrated covers.  How cool is that?

AJ, I'll be sure to send you something out on Monday for you!
Thanks for playing along this morning, everyone.   Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Contest Update: Clue #5

I posted a question earlier this morning about my humble little collection: Who is the only other non-Cub, certified, on-card autograph of a Hall-of-Famer in my collection?

Here's what we already know:
1. Not a Cub... this is not very helpful, as that narrows it down to 29 other franchises.
2. He's in the Hall of Fame.
3. He was a hitter.
4. He played an overwhelming majority of his career for a National League franchise.

Here's the next hint for those of you out there still participating:
5. This player had more than 10,000 plate appearances in his MLB career AND he hit a round-tripper in just over 5% of them. 

See what I did there?  I made you do math on the weekend.  Bwahahaha!

Post your guesses in the comments section.  Again, you are limited to one guess on this post, and then you may guess again after the next clue is revealed, which will be about in another hour.

Contest Upate: Clue #4

This may take a little longer than I thought.  It seems as though the blogosphere may still be waking up on a Saturday morning!

I posted a question earlier this morning about my humble little collection: Who is the only other non-Cub, certified, on-card autograph of a Hall-of-Famer in my collection?

Here's what we already know:
1. Not a Cub... this is not very helpful, as that narrows it down to 29 other franchises.
2. He's in the Hall of Fame.
3. He was a hitter.

Here's the next hint for those of you out there participating:
4. He played an overwhelming majority of his career for a National League franchise.


Post your guesses in the comments section.  Again, you are limited to one guess on this post, and then you may guess again after the next clue is revealed, which will be about in another hour.

Contest Update: Another Clue

Up for winning some cards of your favorite team?  I posted a question earlier this morning about my humble little collection: Who is the only other non-Cub, certified, on-card autograph of a Hall-of-Famer in my collection?

Here's what we already know:
1. Not a Cub... this is not very helpful, as that narrows it down to 29 other franchises.
2. He's in the Hall of Fame.

Here's a new clue to help narrow it down a bit:
3. He was a hitter.

Post your guesses in the comments section.  Again, one guess per blogger until the next clue is revealed, which will be about in another hour.

Good luck!

A Contest and My Best Listia Win to Date

I won't beat around the bush on this one.  We all love cards of Hall-of-Famers and we all love autographs of players.  When I can sell something of little importance to me on Listia and turn the credits into a certified autograph of Bob Feller, then I'm pretty ecstatic.

The above is a 2005 Upper Deck Past Time Signatures card from the Past Time Pennants set.  I've seen the Past Time Pennants set featured on Nachos Grande's blog before and it possesses a pretty nifty checklist and some nice photography.

One of the many glass cases of memorabilia at the Feller Museum.

I've been to the Bob Feller Museum in Van Meter, Iowa, and it was a great way to spend an hour or so.  I wanted to pick up an autographed card while I was there, and they had plenty, but I couldn't convince myself to drop the coin at the time.  I'm glad I waited, because this Listia win certainly fills that void and then some.

Now for the contest. 
Correctly guess the only other non-Cub, certified, on-card autograph of a Hall-of-Famer in my collection.  Leave your best guess in the comments, but make it a good one because you only get one until the next round.  If no one guesses correctly within the first hour, then I'll post an update and offer another hint to help the progression of the contest along.

I figure this should be a nice little contest to stir things up around the blogosphere, it'll give me something to do while I prepare for my fantasy baseball draft, AND I'll finally be able to show off my other autographed HOF card that I've been sitting on for a few years.

The winner will find a nice little stack of cardboard within a yellow bubbler in their mailbox within the week.    Game on!

The Rancor Monster

I'll be honest.  I didn't know what a Rancor Monster was until I "googled" it a second ago and then the above picture popped up.  Pshaw, I had one of those figures when I was a kid!

Here's the newest version of the Rancor Monster.  It's amazing how things evolve over time.  I can barely see the resemblance:

The answer will be posted at the bottom.

Yep.  Wes, the notorious JBF, has dropped another huge package on me, which he has dubbed The Rancor Monster.  Let's dissect this beast!  Hold on folks, it's going to be picture heavy!

 Woot, woot!  A Ryno rookie!  A Sandberg super collector can never have enough rookie cards!

Somehow I already had the 4-in-1 card of Sandberg from the 1992 Classic set, but I was missing the base card.  Thanks, Wes!  That's my 698th different Ryno!


Other cards for my player collections!  Kyuji Fujikawa and Kid K.  Nice.

 The 2000 Topps Golden Moments card is brilliant.  I still remember that exact look on Kerry's face after he struck out the 20th batter to end the game.  It's as though he couldn't fathom what he had just accomplished.

Hey, another Brooks Kieschnick card and a couple of Dunstons!  I sure do have a bunch of mini-player collections!

 Vintage?  Why of course!  And all are new to me!

I just showed off some '82 Topps yesterday, and here's a couple more of my faves.

Step back a few years in time and here's some '79 Topps.  I think most know Davey Johnson, Dave Kingman, and Bruce Sutter.  I threw Mick Kelleher into the picture because even though I know better, I want to believe he is the owner of a local watering hole I like to frequent.

Hack Wilson sure is getting a bunch of love on my blog lately.  The Joe Niekro card, well, that's odd.

I sent this card, at least I think it's this card, to Wes to help with his 1969 set.  Now it's in my possession again.  I guess he already one!

I'm not sure if 1983 Donruss counts as vintage, but Lee Smith is one of my favorite pitchers.  I've paired him with Greg Maddux, because they are two of the best to pitch for the Cubs during my timeline and I love how different their pitching styles were.

Here's a trio of Maddux shots from Bowman.  They're all pretty similar; '89 on the left, '91 in the middle, and '92 on the right.  For what it's worth, the 1990 Bowman card of Maddux is not a view of him pitching like the other three.

1990 Donruss! The Girardi is from the Opening Day subset, thus the blue border.  I think most of you recognize the red bordered ones on the right, like the Dwight Smith.

Here's two of the sweetest swinging first basemen in Cubs history.  One was a well-groomed lady killer (at least my grandmother thought so) and the other one possessed some of the bushiest facial hair in Major League history.  Bushiest ever, perhaps?  I suppose it's debatable.  But, that's my stance.

Minis!  The Hawk, another Grace, and . . .  Marlon Byrd?  Well, two-out-of-three isn't bad.

Topps Finest once put out a green set?  Huh. That's... um... different.

A couple more of my favorites, but neither of them really ever caught on in Chicago.  Although, Fukudome did earn an All-Star appearance.

I'll be taking these with me to Arizona for spring training next month.  I wonder if Villanueva will be sporting the mustache again this spring?

 And what about the hits?  Sure!  Here's a Luis Montanez, a former #1 draft pick, on card autograph! 

Man, that is a nice design.  Well done, Topps.

Oh, and one more big score!  My second one-of-one card and my first printing plate to add to my collection!

Jose Ceda pitched for the Chiefs in 2007 and wound up being the closer at the tail end of the season.  He was pretty dominant and struck out 12.8 batters per 9 innings.  The Chiefs' ballpark staff picked up on his success and when he would enter the game the scoreboard would flash "It's Ceda Time!!"  He quickly became a fan favorite.  It's pretty cool to have a printing plate of a player who actually has meaning to me and my fandom. 

Wes, that was quite a package!  Thank you my friend!

Whoops, I almost forgot!  Here's the answer to riddle from above:

Darn straight he does anything he wants.  He's a Rancor Monster!