David Ross Addition & Rotating Cats

David Ross and Ben Zobrist were my favorite players on the 2016 World Series team and sometimes when I get the inkling I go searching for new cards of both.

Usually my search for "2020 David Ross" in Ebay comes up empty, but not this time!

This is a promotional card from this year's Spring Training for the Special Olympics.

The back of the card shows it's definitely a promotional item, which I'm perfectly fine with. It looks like an event I would like to go to!

Now, onto the rotating cats part of the post.

Holiday loves her ears rubbed.

 For those of you have cats and windows on multiple sides of your house, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Hugo prefers belly rubs.

 When I need a break from sitting at the computer "teaching" all day I go looking for a cat.

 They seem to like the ear and belly rubs I give and it makes me feel better.

I don't always know where they are in the house, but depending on the time of day I can usually narrow it down quickly. 

They seem to rotate around the house as we rotate around the sun.

It may be the floor, a window sill, a chair or a stair, but all those locations have one thing in common: sunlight. 

It's got to be hard work being a cat. Especially with that pesky sun moving an all.

Thanks for stopping by!

DB Bracket: Winners

We had an all Willson Contreras final and it ended up being a very close battle, 7 votes to 6.

The 2020 Turkey Red fell behind early and stormed back, but ultimately the 2019 Holiday parallel took home the prize. Here's your winner: #5 seed - 2019 Topps Holiday, Willson Contreras, #HW64.

It's a great looking card and someone at Topps did a very nice job of framing Contreras with white holiday foliage. Personally, what makes this a winner for me is Willson's catching gear. Yellow isn't one of the Cubs colors, but the blue, red and yellow are the colors of the Venezuelan flag. Patriotic catcher's gear!

Here's a view of the final bracket:

One more time, a big thank you goes out to Nick for providing the cards in this mini-series!

Lastly, this bracket challenge also doubled as a contest. A vote in any of the five posts during this mini series earned you a chance at winning a PWE of cards. The were 68 votes placed over the five days of voting, which was really the perfect number (in other words, not to hard to tabulate on any given day).  Thank you to everyone who participated in some fashion or another.

I just learned how to use Screencastify earlier in the week as part of my teaching gig. So here's a short video revealing the winner.

Congrats to Nachos Grandes on the win. I'll see what I can do about sending something red your way.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

DB Bracket: The Championship

It's Championship time on today's penultimate post of the Dime Box Bracket. Both Willson Contreras Cards bowled over the competition by the score of 9 to 3 in the semifinals

The Hawk and Kong put up a good fight, but an all Contreras final it is!

Thank you Nick for providing the cards in this mini-series!

Here's a view of the updated bracket:

Please leave a comment with your votes below, which only needs to include the player name, but I do appreciate your extra thoughts!  Remember, each time you vote you'll gain an entry for a PWE of cards.

The Championship

Match-up #15

#2 seed - 2020 Topps S1 Turkey Red, Willson Contreras, #TR-19

vs. 

#5 seed - 2019 Topps Holiday, Willson Contreras, #HW64

Commentary: Two cards produced within six months of each other, of the same player, have made the showdown. One is a little more classic and the other is certainly a little more gimmicky. But, they both have a certain level of appeal and I personally think a batting Willson Contreras card doesn't make it this far. There's something about the "tools of ignorance" on a piece of cardboard that catches my eye and the eyes of others. By the seeding, you know which one I'd vote for, but this poll is for the readers. So what do you think?

Alright, get to voting in the comment section below. I'll close it up here in roughly 48 hours, so don't delay. The next post will celebrate the winning card of the bracket and the winner of the contest giveaway.

Thanks again for playing along!

DB Bracker: Final 4

Welcome to the Final 4 and the fourth post of our Dime Box Bracket. Today we reveal the winners of each region.

• In the NL Region, #1 Kingman defeated the #9 seeded 1981 TCMA Billy Williams by the score of 8 to 5. 
• In the Central, the #5 seed Holiday Contreras is proving to be a favorite as it toppled the #13 ranked 2020 Baez Sticker, 8 to 5.
• On the other side of the bracket, the #1 seed, also a Willson Contreras card, held serve in the East Region and denied the 2019 Topps Magazine Rizzo insert. The score of this match-up was also 8 to 5. 
• Punching their ticket in the Cactus Region, was the #6 seeded Dawson, which ousted the #3 seeded Panini Ferguson Jenkins, 7 to 6. By way of seeds, this was an upset, but I think there are many purists out there who were shocked a logo-less card could be awarded a #3 seed. 

Once a gain, a big thank you to Nick for providing the cards in this mini-series. It's been fun crafting these posts and a pleasure to see the votes stream in.

Here's a view of the updated bracket:

Please leave a comment with your votes below, which only needs to include the player name, but I do appreciate your extra thoughts!  Remember, each time you vote you'll gain an entry for a PWE of cards.

The Final 4

Match-up #13

#1 seed - 1981 Topps Baseball Scratch-Off, Dave Kingman, #69

vs. 

#5 seed - 2019 Topps Holiday, Willson Contreras, #HW64

Commentary: Nearly four decades separate these two cards and the differences don't stop there. Plain design versus intricate. Posed picture versus in-game. Mustached versus full catcher's gear.
There's a lot to like on both sides of the table in this one. 


Match up #14

#2 seed - 2020 Topps S1 Turkey Red, Willson Contreras, #TR-19

vs. 

#6 seed - 2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites, Andre Dawson, #36

 Commentary: Both of these cards pay homage to a previous design. Turkey Red is known for it's simplistic border and name plate, but I absolutely adore the backgrounds and how they make the players pop. 1990 Topps was right in the middle of the Junk Wax Era, but it's design reminds me a little of 2015 Topps with the dots in the border and 2020 Topps with the geometric shapes, especially the name plate. Contreras is a fan favorite in Chicago these days, but The Hawk owned Wrigley in 1987. I can still picture the RF bleacher bums bowing to Dawson after he clubbed a homer. Good times.

You know the drill, get to voting in the comment section below. Voting will close when the next post for the Championship Match-up is announced in two days.
Thanks again for playing along!

DB Bracket: Elite 8

Welcome to the third post of our Dime Box Bracket. Today we have the winners of the Sweet Sixteen match-ups, which saw two upsets. The TCMA Billy Williams took out the 1971 Holtzman O-Pee-Chee card in the #8 vs. #9 dual by the score of 10-5. And the Baez Sticker (#13) sneaked out a win, 8 to 7, over the Topps Gallery Brooks Kiesnick (#4).  The rest of the match-ups weren't close, as they were all decided by a 10-5 or 11-4 margin.

Once a gain, a big thank you to Nick for providing the cards in this mini-series.

Here's a view of the updated bracket:

Please leave a comment with your votes below, which only needs to include the player name, but I do appreciate your extra thoughts!  Remember, each time you vote you'll gain an entry for a PWE of cards.

The Elite 8

Match-up #9

#1 seed - 1981 Topps Baseball Scratch-Off, Dave Kingman, #69

vs. 

#9 seed - 1981 TCMA The 1960's, Billy Williams, #402

  Commentary: Bloggers love older cards and oddballs, so I'm not too surprised both of these cards found their way to the next round. This should be a close vote!

Match-up #10

#13 seed - 2020 Topps Sticker Promotion from Opening Day, Javy Baez, SP-2

vs. 

#5 seed - 2019 Topps Holiday, Willson Contreras, #HW64

Commentary: Two current Cubs in this one battle. The Baez sticker was shown a lot of love in the first round on its way to an upset and the Holiday Parallel seems to be a very polarizing card. Do we have a Cinderella card on our hands?


Match up #11

#2 seed - 2020 Topps S1 Turkey Red, Willson Contreras, #TR-19

vs. 

#7 seed - 2019 Archives Topps Magazine Insert, Anthony Rizzo, #TM-12

 Commentary: I'm a little surprised Rizzo handled the Gary Matthews Topps Tiffany card so easily in the first round. Personally, I think he'll find it much more challenging against a beautifully done Turkey Red card of Willson Contreras. Regardless, it's Topps inserts versus Topps insert in this one!


Match up #12

#3 seed - 2013 Panini Cooperstown International Play Insert, Fergie Jenkins, #6
vs.
#6 seed - 2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites, Andre Dawson, #36

 Commentary: This is the match-up I'm most interested in, because it sports two Hall of Fame players on modern day cardboard. The unique design earned Fergie the higher seed, but The Hawk had one of the better smiles in baseball . . . plus, logos!  Is it possible that a Panini offering could take down a card from Topps?

Alright, get to voting in the comment section below. Voting will close when the next post for the final four goes up in two days.
Thanks again for playing along!

DB Bracket: 2nd Half of the Sweet 16

Welcome to the second post of our Dime Box Bracket. Today we have the other half of the bracket to think about. Again, thanks to Nick for providing the cards in this post.

Here's another view of the original bracket.

Please leave a comment with your votes below, which only needs to include the player name. Remember, each time you vote you'll gain an entry for a PWE of cards.

The Round of 16 (part II)

Match-up #5

#2 seed - 2020 Topps S1 Turkey Red, Willson Contreras, #TR-19

vs. 

#15 seed - 2019 Topps Flagship Perennial All-Stars Insert, Ernie Banks, #PAS-25

 Commentary: My phone did some weird things to border of the Turkey Red card. But, oh my goodness, the blues and yellows of that card are just too much for me. It's my early favorite for card of the year. The Perennial All-Stars insert concept is nice, but once more, I'm worn out on Topps inserts.

Match-up #6

#7 seed - 2019 Archives Topps Magazine Insert, Anthony Rizzo, #TM-12

vs. 

#10 seed - 1985 Topps Tiffany, Gary Matthews, #210

Commentary: I was just ragging on Topps and all of their inserts, but I really dug Topps Magazine and was glad they went to back to the well on this one. And how about that Topps Tiffany? The front is all glossied up and the back is a shade of lime green that one could expect from a Tiffany card. Plus, bonus points for it being a card of Sarge. I'd say that is a very solid offering for a #10 seed. Nick's PWEs really pack a punch!

Match up #7

#3 seed - 2013 Panini Cooperstown International Play Insert, Fergie Jenkins, #6

vs. 

#14 seed - 2018 Topps Pro Debut, Adbert Alzolay, #70

Commentary: Panini Cooperstown is one of my favorite sets from the last decade and this is an insert of a Hall of Famer I had never laid eyes on before. Adbert Alzolay is the latest and greatest Cubs pitching prospect. Well, we all know how that has gone lately.


Match up #8

#6 seed - 2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites, Andre Dawson, #36

vs. 

#11 seed - 2017 Archives Bazooka Insert, Kris Bryant, #59B-15

 Commentary: The All-Time Fan Favorites set is chocked full of great players and this Dawson card is a beauty. The Bryant, another insert, pays tribute to the 1959 Bazooka minis. Nice, but I'm personally kind of down on Bryant right now, thus the lower seed.  Could this be an upset in the making?

Alright, get to voting in the comment section below. Voting will close when the next post goes up in two days.
Thanks again for playing along!

DB Bracket: 1st Half of the Sweet 16

Welcome to the first four match-ups of our Dime Box Bracket. Again, thanks to Nick for providing the cards in this post, which miraculously all came via one cram-packed PWE.

Here's another view of the bracket.

Please leave a comment with your votes below, which only needs to include the player name. Remember, each time you vote you'll gain an entry for a PWE of cards.

The Round of 16

Match-up #1

#1 seed - 1981 Topps Baseball Scratch-Off, Dave Kingman, #69

vs.

#16 seed - 2018 Topps Throwback Jerseys Flagship Insert, Anthony Rizzo, #S-49

Commentary: Kong may have very well hit the longest homer in Wrigley Field history. Additionally, it's a nearly 40-year-old odd ball!  The Rizzo... well, I love Rizzo, but I'm tired of all the numerous Topps inserts.


Match-up #2

#8 seed - 1970 O-Pee-Chee, Ken Holtzman, #505

vs.

#9 seed - 1981 TCMA The 1960's, Billy Williams, #402

Commentary: How about this for an #8/#9 match up? I don't want to sway the voters so I'll keep my mouth shut.


Match up #3

#4 seed - 1996 Topps Gallery, Brooks Kieschnick, #135

vs.

#13 seed - 2020 Topps Sticker Promotion from Opening Day, Javy Baez, SP-2

Commentary: I needed this one for the Kieschnick player collection, which is my 99th different card of the former #1 draft pick. I didn't know the Gallery brand ever produced non-portrait like cards, but I really dig the batting cage photo. I'm a big fan of Topps stickers, but I wish they kept to the smaller size. The sticker design this year is better than previous editions in my opinion.


Match up #4

#5 seed - 2019 Topps Holiday, Willson Contreras, #HW64

vs.

#12 seed - 2016 Topps Stickers, Kyle Schwarber (RC), #200

 Commentary: I love-love-love Willson's catcher's gear and how about that sparkly holiday parallel? The Schwarber is more of the mini/traditional sized Topps sticker and it's sporting the RC logo. Definitely better than the Baez sticker, but is it enough to take out Contreras?

Alright, leave your votes in the comment section below. Voting will close when the next post goes up in two days.
Thanks for playing along!