Dropping a Deuce

Look, I considered using "Deuces Are Wild" - the actual name of the card above - but how many times in one's blogging career can you use a poop term in the title? NOT MANY. So I did. And you clicked. So you came for the poops, but you might as well stick around for Topps Chrome.

As a Tino Martinez collector, I'm aware of mostly every Tino out there, whether I have it or not. I'm definitely not an expect on the subject matter. I don't know how many versions of 1996 Select Certified Mirrors there are (and I don't care), and I have no clue which of a his minor league cards exist, although I did receive an email with some excellent minor league info from a friendly collector named Alex.

But I do enough eBay and COMC surfing to know what cards are out there and (usually) whether or not I have them, and which are hard to find. There are the standard relics which pop up on a daily basis, but then there are the ones you see only a handful of times per year. This 2002 Topps Chrome 4 Card Stud Deuces Are Wild card is one of the rare ones.

It's a fantastic looking card and features bat pieces from Tino and Bernie Williams. I guess two relics is where the "deuces" come from. There are several versions of the 5 Card Stud set, and this card fell at 1:428. I was pleasantly surprised by how great looking this card is in hand. The refractor shine was unexpected, and the card really does glow and feel premium.

It's always nice to check off another sought after Tino, and I certainly don't regret picking this one up.

TTM Success: Kyle Holder

Man, I did it again.

A few days after posting about buying a Brady Lail auto because I hadn't go him through the mail, a TTM from him shows up.

So I went out and bought a Bowman Kyle Holder auto, then guess what?

Yep. This arrived:

Don't get me wrong, I'm very pleased to get this back! I just think it's funny that I lose patience, buy a certified auto, then end up with a TTM. The certified Holder hasn't even arrived, that's how funny this ordeal is.

Holder was selected in the first round of last June's MLB Draft. He was widely considered the best defensive shortstop in the Draft, and apparently Cashman got tons of texts congratulating the pick. I bet they were like "Hey Bri, Cool pick on Holder he's good LOL." "Aw man, I was going to take holder at #38 SMH." Holder didn't hit worth a lick last season, but he is apparently MLB-ready now with the glove. The problem is, I really don't want to see a SS defensive wizard who hits .200. That feels like the '80s.

Luckily, Kyle just needed some time to adjust to pro ball. He's hitting .294 this season at Charleston, and recently concluded a 16-game hit streak. It's nice to see him handle the bat, and I look forward to seeing him develop these next few years.

TTM Success: Brady Lail

In my last post, I mentioned that I bought a Brady Lail 2016 Bowman certified auto because I hadn’t gotten him TTM yet. I scheduled it for Saturday and headed out of town on Friday.

I got home from work Friday and ran inside to quickly change into shorts and t-shirt before hitting the road. I noticed two small, SASE waiting for me. So I had to quickly open them before I left. The first contained this:

Yep, two Brady Lail autos – a 2016 Bowman and a custom from the Rookies App. I made the custom before Bowman came out, so I figured I’d send anyways. It was also funny because I was oogling at Zippy Zappy’s Lail TTM just before mine arrived.

I went from zero Lail autos to three in a matter of days. Collecting can be funny sometimes.

Harvard? I went to Lail

Brady Lail has steadily become one of the Yankees best pitching prospects. He was drafted by the Yankees in the 18th round of 2012 Draft out of the baseball hotbed know as the state of Utah.

He's had a very steady climb up the organizational ladder, piling up some very nice numbers along the way. Last year, he threw 148 innings across three levels, going 10-6 with a 2.91 ERA. This year, he's pitching well once again, and is now in AAA, where he is 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 4 starts.

He doesn't strike out a lot of guys, but still finds a way to get them out with good command. It'll be interesting to see if he gets a spot start at some point, although there are a few guys lined up ahead of right now. Ideally he'll pitch the rest of the year in AAA and be given the chance to win a rotation spot next spring.

I was excited to see he was included in Bowman this year and was given an autograph. I haven't been able to get him TTM, so a certified auto will have to do.

756

The number 756 means a lot in baseball. It's one more than Hank Aaron's former (depending on who you ask) HR record. For years, it was "can so-and-so hit 756?" You just knew what the number was. I won't lie, I had to go look up what Bonds finished with - 762. It hasn't been nearly as ingrained in our heads as baseball fans as 755 and 756 were, and for obvious reasons.

But to me, 756 now means the number of Tinos I have. I know this number will come and go, but here are the latest that got me to this magical number.

 

SuperTraders #12: Sports Cards From The Dollar Store

I haven't had the opportunity to trade with Douglas of Sports Cards From The Dollar Store yet, so this is a great benefit of the #SuperTraders group.  I look forward to sending Douglas a whole bunch of Mets cards. He also collects Raptors...hmmm, maybe I have an old Damon Stoudamire RC around somewhere!

Regardless, Douglas sent me a great PWE of Yanks. I love these Hometown Heroes cards, so I was pumped to get a few of them.

I think at the time (this arrived awhile ago), this was my first look at 2016 Donruss.

I appreciated this Tanaka rookie card too. He was HUGE as a rook before he got hurt. I'll never forget watching him pitch while I was in the hospital the day my daughter was born. He shut down the Cubs on 4/16/14 - 8 innings, 2 hits, no runs, 1 walk, 10 Ks. Dominant.

I already sent this card off to James Pazos in hopes of getting a TTM autograph, although from what I understand is that he isn't much of an autographer signer via the mail. Still, you never know!

Lastly, a Knick made it into the package! I don't think I had any Kenyon Martin Knicks cards, so this was welcome. Also - don't Panini cards just look better with logos?

Douglas, thank you! I'll send you a package soon.

Pitcher with a glass arm

Did any of you read those Matt Christopher sports novels growing up? "Novels" may be a bit of a stretch, but they were sports chapter books that were around a 4th or 5th grade reading level. I probably read most of them, even for sports I didn't particularly like or follow.

I remember a couple of my favorites were Johnny Long Legs, Catcher With A Glass Arm, and The Kid Who Only Hit Homers. There was also one called Ice Magic, where a couple of boys found an old electronic hockey game that ended up predicting their games. Good stuff!

Catcher With a Glass Arm was about a boy named Jody who had the yips. He couldn't throw. He ends up being benched and feeling pretty down on himself. In a shocking turn of events, Jody has a chance to play later in the season and - SPOILER ALERT - leads his team to victory.

While Pitcher With a Glass Arm is probably better suited for my favorite prospect, Ty Hensley (who we just learned needs his second TJ surgery), I felt like it was fitting with the pickup of this Leaf Trinity Pure James Kaprielian auto, hand-numbered 02/25. As you can likely see, the card is made of GLASS. It's super thick too. I'm tempted to buy a cheap one of these - not of a Yankee! - to see if they actually shatter. I assume they do. Does anyone know? Has anyone ever dropped one?

Kaprielian has been shelved for the last few weeks with an elbow injury, although he is the prized pitching prospect in the Yankees system and they are being conservative with him. He is expected back at some point in June. Prior to the injury, he was as good as you'd expect for a polished college arm who was taken in the first round, going 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA an 22Ks in 18 innings at high-A Tampa. Hopefully he comes back healthy and ready to go, and sees time in Trenton this year.

Sadly, Ty Hensley will miss another season and some of next year with his second Tommy John Surgery. It's heartbreaking news for a kid who has been through so much. He has thrown just 42 professional innings since being drafted in 2012, and it doesn't look like he'll be on the bump again anytime soon. Still, he's a favorite of mine, and I'll always collect his cards. Here are two newer ones I just got in a recent shipment.