Opting in

As many of you have surely seen, Colbey from Cardboard Collections recently held a free group break for a couple of boxes of 2016 Donruss Optic he opened. I claimed the Yanks, hoping for a Greg Bird or Luis Severino autograph.

While that did not quite happen, it was still a success that netted me some very nice Yankees cards. ARod led the way with a few Diamond Kings, include the Refractor (Prizm? Holo?) version.

He was also in the base set.

One thing I learned is that Aroldis Champan's first name is actually Albertin. I did not know that!

It feels like forever ago that Brian McCann was on the Yankees.

I was able to score a few of the Rated Rookies, including Severino and Bird. It also feels like forever ago that Robert Refsnyder was a top Yankees prospect.

My favorite card of the break was the Mariano Rivera Masters of the Game. Just a very nice card!

I also got a few of the purple parallels, including McCann and Bird. The Bird is a particular favorite.

Thanks for the break, Colbey!

Fa(s)t Albert

I felt like the Yankees sold a little short on Brian McCann last off-season, sending him to the Astros for two pitching prospects.

It’s not that I disliked the prospects, it’s just that they were in the low minors. I would have liked to see them try to get a guy back who was a bit closer to the Majors, that’s all.

However, it’s hard to argue that the Yankees didn’t know what they were doing, as the arms they were targeting have put on quite a show this year. One of those pitcher is Albert Abreu, who is a bit further along in his development than the other, Jorge Guzman.

At just 21, Abreu has already been promoted once this season, from low-A Charleston to high-A Tampa. On the year, he’s got a 3.82 ERA in 37.2 innings. He has also K’d 41. He’s currently battling a shoulder injury, but has been impressive when healthy. He’s currently ranked by MLB.com as the Yankees 10^th best prospect, which is saying a lot in a loaded system.

This is the only card of his I own, but hopefully will get a few more as he climbs the ladder. I hope his shoulder heals up and he continues to develop as the season goes on.

SuperTraders #22: Cardboard Clubhouse

I've vowed to try and catch up on trade packages and clean out the scanned folder this week.

I'll start with a #SuperTraders package I got from Adam of the Cardboard Clubhouse. Prior to SuperTraders, I don't think I had the pleasure of swapping cardboard with Adam, so this is certainly one of the intended purposes of the group.

Adam is a big Halloween fan, and sent me some treats just before October 31, placing me about a month behind showing these off.

One of the greatest treats was an unopened Yankees 1993 Stadium Club team set. I had received a few of these cards in various trades, but definitely didn't have the complete set in one place. Now I do. Love that Brien Taylor led off things off. Man, what could have been...

I haven't busted this thing out of the plastic wrap yet, but I'm sure I will for storing purposes. It's too bulky!

There was also a ton of '70s vintage! Some cards I definitely didn't have, and some that will undoubtedly be used for some TTMs. It's kind of crazy that I still get taken aback when vintage falls out of trade package, but it hasn't lost its luster on me at all. These were also in really nice condition.

Of course, there was also a mixture of new cards too. I seem to receive less and less A&G every year, and since I don't really buy the product myself, I appreciate what is sent my way. This foil-stamped mini McCann 10th Anniversary is pretty cool, even though he's now an Astro!

Lastly, I thought this year's Pro Debut cards looked really nice. I actually liked the blues of this card more than the Yankees regular flagship design. Degano had a pretty horrid season and went from someone who looked like a stellar prospect to someone who couldn't find the plate. He had 34 BBs in 27 innings. Weird how that happens. Maybe he can straighten it out a bit this season. I'm pulling for the guy, as he seems like a good dude and is a great TTM signer.

Adam, thanks again for all these great cards. Halloween is only 11 months away!

SuperTraders #8: Junior Junkie

It's well-known by now that Junior Junkie had a mini Junkie. The man was smart enough to get his affairs in order before the baby came, which meant a massive amount of #SuperTraders packages went out. Lucky for me, I was one of ‘em.

Tony Burbs recently called out the fact that these old Pacific Crown diecuts tend to look like brass knuckles. I definitely agree.

At the time, this was my first taste of 2016 Donruss. I think they are fine, but very similar to last year's design. It’s not a good sign when you get a new card and have no clue if it’s from 2015 or 16.

JJ’s relic and auto game was strong in this package. The Jim Bouton Golden Age auto is super cool, and I would never turn down a Moose jersey swatch.

Classic Topps right here.

I had never seen this set from 2013 Hometown Heroes. The “Hometown Rivalry” set is interesting, but it really doesn’t work very well when you cannot use team marks or names. New York Baseball Club vs New York Baseball Club. I know what they are trying to do, and I think it’s neat, it just doesn’t work with their limitations. Even if they used color photos that would have helped.

This mini Jim Abbott is really cool. It’s from Humpty Dumpty snack foods, which I admit I’ve never heard of and had to Google. The card is still in the cellophane. I’m guessing it was a prize in a snack package?

I like this Mattingly from Topps Trubute. The purple is actually pretty cool, and I like the shot of him catching a fly ball. I have so many cards with Mattingly’s sweet lefty swing, that this is nice change of pace.

One thing JJ always takes care of me is with his Tinos!

Lastly, I think he must’ve sent me most of his Mariano Rivera collection. I counted 17 different Riveras! Pretty sweet.

TJ, thanks for the great package, and I hope Trip is doing well!

Old Habits are the best

I think Robert of $30 A Week Habit and I have been around the blog world for about the same amount of time.

His his first post was in July of 2011, while mine was February of that same year. So we're about the same age around here.

Robert is one of those generous guys that sends 'just because' packages. I actually need to send him some Jays soon because I think he's pulled ahead of me in the 'just because' package unofficial race. Also, those pesky Jays.

Anyhow, Robert sent me these while the Yanks were cemented in first place and the Jays had a good offense but no pitching. So, in other words, he sent these several months ago. Times change, eh?

Regardless, here are a few of the goods, including a Nova relic, and a couple of 2015 GQs, a set which I've gotten very little of.  In fact, these might be the first I've gotten. Therefore, it is most appreciated.

This Walk-Off Winners set is pretty cool. I didn't know about it. These two in particular are really great memories of Yankees walk-off HRs in my lifetime. The Jeter is from the 2001 World Series when he became "Mr. November". Funny, I really do remember Clay Bellinger (#12) going crazy with that right fist in the air.

I remember this Giambi moment well too. In the rain, int he 14th inning, with the bases loaded and the Yanks down 3. That was a sweet moment in his first season in NY.

There are a few more I wish were in the set, including Aaron Boone's 2003 ALCS walk-off. I realize it can't be a Yankees-only set (or can it????), and there are probably a few notable omissions overall. I like that Raul Ibanez is in the set from the 2012 ALDS. I was at that game, so that make it extra cool.

Thanks, Robert, and good luck in the post-season. See you in the ALCS? (probably not)

A Christmas Zapping: Part 1

There are two bloggers (you know who you are) who routinely bomb my mailbox. And while I love everything they send and always try and follow up with a thank you note, their packages sometimes sit and waited to be blogged about for far too long. It's not because I'm not thankful. I am! It's because the packages intimidate me, honestly. But that's bad form. Yes, it's much easier to blog about a TTM return or a small trade package, but when hundreds of cards arrive, I often don't know where to start.

So I'll just jump in. Before Christmas (and now it's late February), Zippy Zappy of Torren Up Cards sent me an epic holiday package. He warned me it was coming, but it still exceeded expectations.

Beyond the generosity, Zippy also had a VERY unique way of sending the cards. It added to the fun of the package. He basically recreated a hobby box for me, complete with custom packs. It honestly felt like opening a box of cards that had everything I would have wanted in them. There were random relics, autos, PC guys, vintage. It had it all. It was like the ultimate team-specific repack.

So here's what the box looked like, and even included a "high-end" pack, a pin, and a ticket stub.

So the high end pack of Topps Marquee? Let's see what's in there.

I'll start with some autos! I love the Betances refractor auto. Love love it so much. I actually saw Dellin in the concourse at MSG at the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night. I had just seen Shawn Kemp and Jerry Stackhouse, so I was thinking "who is this NBA player?" When I go closer, I yelled "Yo Dellin, let's get it done this year and he gave me a fist bump." The fact that he fit in with all the random NBA players shows how huge he is.

Here's a few more autos. It's crazy how much Tyler Austin's signature has changed over the last few years. This was clearly one of his early autos. Below that, David Phelps and David Adams. I'll miss Phelps. He was a nice, homegrown piece, and while he'll likely never be a star, he was a valuable guy who could fill multiple needs on the pitching staff. However, he was dealt for Nathan Eovaldi in a trade I absolutely love. The 'ol "you gotta give something to get something" mantra.

 

Ok, this Tanaka is just badass. Kenny has a ton of unqiue Japanese cards, and to see Tanaka showing such emotion is pretty rare.

A Jorgie Bowman rookie! I did not have this. In 2008 when I voted in the Presidential Election, I actually saw Posada coming out of a voting booth. No fist bumps were exchanged.

Additionally, Kenny sent me an unopened 2014 SI Yanks team set! While I toyed with leaving it in the shrink wrap, cards are to be looked at and enjoyed, so I "torren" it opened. Amongst the cards inside was a new Ty Hensley I needed. And I have to show LUUUUIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSS! It's still one of my biggest regrets not seeing Hensley pitch in Staten Island. I just never got my act together to make it out to a game. My baby daughter was just a few weeks old when the season started, plus they play a lot of day games. It was just a hard trip for me to make, even though it was so close.

Now, let's crack a couple packs, shall we? Pack #1 starts us with some nice shininess and a PC guy, Michael Pineda. Let's show off an X-Fractor of Zippy Zappy's favorite major leaguer, Brian McCann.

Pack #2 was good as well. No hits, but we've got a nice mixture of current and vintage. McCann shows up again, as does minor PG-guy Gary Sanchez.

Let's see what's next. Wow, a Brian McCann sighting in three straight packs! Also a nice 1971 Topps of Ron Woods.

On to pack #4! Shockingly, no Brian McCann, but we do have our first hit! It's a Melky Mesa autograph from ITG! The Lou Gehrig threw me for a loop. I thought it was like a Bowman promo card from the early '90s. It's actually from 1970 Fleer! Sneaky vintage!

The hightlight of the next pack is the awesome Derek Jeter Leaf card, #'d to 40. It's certainly not a Jeter that you see every day.

 

And let's round out this post with another hit! This time, we have an Opening Day auto of Boone Logan! That Elston Howard OBAK is sweet too.

 

Stay tuned for more packs!