Sweet, Bro

One of the most memorable moments of the very boring televised 2018 MLB Draft occurred during 2nd round with the 61st pick overall. The Yankees were on the clock, and former Yankee Nick Swisher was selected to announce the pick.

As many know, and some are irritated by, Nick Swisher likes to have a good time. He's always smiling and goofing off, but he's genuinely just an enthusiastic, energetic person. Many of his post-game interviews included the saying, "bro." It doesn't matter who asked the question. "Bro" was part of his response.

It was all too ironic then that with the 61st pick, announced by Swisher, the Yankees selected Josh Breaux, a junior college catcher. All of those letters at the end of his name form an "O" sound. So yes, his name is Josh "Bro."

Nick Swisher got to announce the newest Yankees, Josh "Bro."

Breaux is currently in Staten Island, and was kind enough to sign my card in just 10 days. I also included a Nick Swisher card for him to keep (which he did), since they'll always be linked together because of Draft night.

TLC in '17

Usually, I'm not the kind of person to make New Year's Resolutions. I like to think that I can make changes in my life whenever I need to, not because the calendar says January 1st. Although, I think I used to be better at that than I am now.

So with that being said, here are a few card-related items I hope to address or sustain in 2017. There's nothing particularly tangible, like completing a set, but I think I can make a few changes to enhance the way I enjoy the hobby.

1. Add 2017 to my Topps Yankees Project. That's the only real goal I have.

2. Continue to send out TTMs. I sent out about 150 in 2016, which is a lot more than I have in years past. TTMs are probably my favorite part of the hobby and they make me happy. I need to continue sending them out.

3. Organize. I moved twice in the past two years (I know, you're sick of hearing about it). It's been an easy excuse to keep my stuff boxed up. But this house is permanent and I need to make my collection more accessible.

4. As it relates to the above, I really want to take another inventory of my Tino collection to make sure everything is accounted for. I also want to officially count how many unique Jeters I have. While I've never formally collected him, through trades I know I have a few hundred. I'd love to know what that number actually is.

5. Joey's HOF binder - organize by player, and display them on the page above by player instead of as they come in.

6. Stop buying $3-$5 cards that add up - both in terms of money and clutter. For example, I recently picked up this Nick Swisher jersey card. It's a cool card. Huge jersey swatch. Three pinstriples. It ran me a little over $5 shipped. I keep doing this. $4 here, $3 there, etc. I know it's not a lot of money, but it adds up. I need to stop doing that, because it just creates clutter.

7. If I stop making about 25 to 30 of these random purchases, and pool my money, I can probably pick up a Jeter autograph. That would make me a lot happier than random autos and relics of forgettable players.

That's it. That's what I've got. Nothing above will make the year a success or failure, but I think it's a good starting point for my collection as it continues to grow and evolve.

Trade with reader Zach

I always enjoy finding a new trading partner. Zach recently commented on an Adam Jones relic that I posted about from 2012 Archives. He offered up a 2011 A&G Nick Swisher bat relic. I don’t have any Swisher relics, so I accepted in an easy one for one deal.

Of course, Zach threw in a few other Yanks, including this 2012 Archive Michael Pineda. It’s my first Pineda in a Yanks uniform. I just wish he was pitching this year.

Thanks, Zach!

A plate of Bowman

Brian from Play at the Plate sent me a bunch of Bowman Yanks recently. I'm one of the few who likes Bowman every year since I'm a big Minor League Baseball fan. Here is what Brian sent:

Parallels woop woop! I actually have the Swisher Silver Ice, so I have a mini rainbow type thing going of sorts.

Chrome prospects. That's what I'm talking about. Tyler Austin is on his way to becoming a Top 30 prospect. Jose Campos was awesome before his arm injury. Greg Bird has a funny name. Rookie Davis...what happens if he is a 10 year MLB pitcher? Will his name change to Veteran? Vet? Now pitching, Vet Davis. That could work.

Dellin! You walk too many guys. You're like Ubaldo, and it's annoying because you have a chance to be so, so, so good.

Brian, thanks for the cards. Rangers heading your way soon.

Happy Opening Day!

Mostly everyone has gotten to celebrate Opening Day so far. But not me. The Yanks open in Tampa in a dome, so they don't have the day off that a lot of teams have in case their first opening day is washed out. The Rays pose a major threat in the AL East, so it's time to jump right into the fire.

There aren't a ton of changes from last year's team. A few small pieces here there, including Raul Ibanez replacing Posada at DH. The rotation looks slightly different, with a new face in Hiroki Kuroda.

Here is the lineup that the Yanks will run out today:

 

Diamond Giveaway targets: Diamond Die Cuts

I don't have any real goals in the Diamond Giveaway. There are no Topps cards that I need for my Tino Martinez collection. I'd love to add some older Yankee cards that I don't have, but the cards I've unlocked aren't sexy enough to land something from the 1950's or early 1960's.

I've actually set my sights on these two cards - 2011 Diamond Die Cuts. I think these are pretty cool, and there a bunch of Yanks...current players and HOFers. These are the two I'd like in particular:

Of course, I'd love the ARod or Mo or Mantle or Ruth, but these guys might be more realistic. I think I'll have to unlock a few more cards to give myself a better chance...as of now I only have two 1974's (Jim Merritt and Tom McCraw) and two 1988's. However, it's fun to actually have a target and something to pursue.

Trade Review: No Relics Pulled (I have the same problem)

A few weeks back, Dustin from No Relics Pulled reached out about a trade. He collects a few different players/teams which makes him a very easy trading partner. He has a Johnny Damon PC, so he figured as a Yankee collector I might have some Damon dupes laying around. I wish I did! While looking through my collection, I was surprised by how few Damon cards I had at all, let alone dupes! In a recent trade, I had just received a Damon Bowman foil, and while I liked the card a lot, I figured someone who collects Damon would like it even more. So I sent that Dustin, along with a King Felix 2010 Bowman Chrome Refractor and a few Tigers I had laying around.

Dustin sent me a really nice assortment of Yanks, including a Robinson Cano 2011 Topps Purple Diamond card. This is my first of any of the Diamond cards - red, blue, or purple! It's a really cool card, and I believe it was exclusive to Toys R Us. He also sent me a Teixeria and Whitey Ford '09 Goodwin Champs, and a few other Yanks. I'm glad to get the 2010 Topps Michael Dunn RC again, as the only other one I had I used for TTM, although it did come back signed. The Swisher Upper Deck card is pretty cool as well, as this was after UD lost their license. They did a good job hiding the logos in this card, although overall it's something they struggled with. The Jeter and Mo checklist in the picture clearing shows the interlocking NY on their caps.

Dustin - thanks for the trade! Looking forward to trading again.

Trade Review: White Sox Cards

I reached out to Steve over at White Sox Cards about a possible trade. I had a few White Sox inserts that he didn't have, including a Magglio #'d/99 Pacific insert card. Steve sent me a couple of really nice Yankee cards in return.

Of those six cards, there were three 2011 Topps that I didn't have - a Topps Gold Brett Gardner #'d/2011, a Walmart Black Nick Swisher, and a Topps Lost Card 1954 Mantle. Steve also had a few cards from a set I had never heard of, 2007 Topps Moments & Milestones. He sent a Mantle #'d/150, ARod #'d/150, and a Matsui #'d/29. I had to do a little research on these cards, and I was pretty confused about the idea at first. Eventually it started to make sense...we'll use the ARod for example. The moment Topps is highlighting is his 110 runs during the 2005 season - so there are 110 versions of the card, each serially numbered to 150, which seems like a lot of cards. However, there are some stats, like Ichiro's 8 assists (only 8 versions of the card), which makes his cards that much rarer...or easier to collect I suppose since there are less versions. It's an interesting concept, albeit a bit confusing. Either way, it's cool to have a few Yankee cards numbered this low, especially Mantle. Outside of a Tino I have #'d to 25, the Matsui now becomes my second lowest #d card.

Steve, thanks for the trade! Hope the White Sox cards I sent you helped check a few cards off your want list.