A Zipp-ity Zapp-ity doo dah trade

A few weeks ago, reader Kenny aka Zippy Zappy reached out about a possible trade. Zippy Zappy has been a frequent commenter on my blog, so I was all for it. As seen in many of his comments, he too is a Yankee fan. He mentioned he had some prospect cards and other goodies, and that he collects Cervelli, Posada, and Cano. I figured I had enough dupes around that I could help him out, and a trade was born.

Kenny’s package arrived first, as I was a slacker and took forever to send out my portion. Kenny exceeded any expectations I had by a longshot. He sent some sweet autos, a relic, and an overall large stack of awesome Yankee cards. I had been missing out by not trading with him sooner!

I’ll start with the autos. When he was my favorite Yankee prospect, I always coveted a Jesus Montero autograph. I was about 0 for 12 with him TTM. Although he’s no longer a Yankee, I’m thrilled that Kenny sent this:

These 2008 TriStar Projection cards were always a favorite of mine. I love the white, and signatures stick them very well. Kenny sent me a stack of the base cards and the foil parallels.

Here are a few more Montero and other prospects that Kenny included: 

Kenny also included two other autos of Yankee farmhands – Austin Romine and Daniel Brewer. Romine just got called back up to the Yankees to replace Frankie Cervelli. 

The Brewer is really interesting. His autographed card says “Danny Brewer”, but the base card says “Daniel Brewer.” I found that to be quite odd. 

Here is the relic that Kenny sent. I didn’t have any from 2012 A&G. 

Check out this sweet Sabathia. I have NO IDEA where this is from. It’s issued by Topps, but also co-branded with Sega. The back is in Japanese as well, and the stats appear to be some sort of rating system. It’s a very, very cool card. CC’s gut looks completely massive in this photo. For all you Dodger fans, Kenny also included a Matt Kemp Sega card. 

Here are some shiny inserts that really caught my eye. That Montero die cut is actually gold and #’d 03/25. I didn’t know there was a gold parallel for these. I couldn’t get it to scan well, but the gold is really cool…almost like a diagonal rain. 

 

Finally, Kenny added a few cards to my son’s HOF binder.

Kenny, this was a great, great trade. Thanks for being a loyal reader, and I hope to trade again soon.

Non-crap from Uncle Martyn

I got a surprise package from Martyn of Arbitrary Crap and Cards Beyond Oceans recently. It was out of the blue, and considering the cards were coming from the UK, it made the package even nicer.

The most meaningful cards to me were in a white envelope. Martyn, or as he called himself “Uncle Martyn,” sent two relics for my son, Joey. Martyn said that they had come damanged and he could play with them. The damage was extremely minimal, I basically had to hold a magnifying glass to the cards to find it. Anyhow, they are two really nice UD Spectrum relics of Chien Ming Wang and Pudge. I’ll definitely add them to Joey’s growing card binder.

Martyn also sent a 2011 A&G AJ Burnett framed relic.

There were a ton of other nice Yanks. Here is a small sample:

Martyn, thanks again for thinking of me (and Joey).

Phew, on to Game 5

A few thoughts on Game Four between the Tigers and the Yanks:

I was as nervous about last night's ALDS Game Four as I've been about any Yankee game in recent playoff memory. I'm sure any elimination brings the same feeling for any fan, but this one was particularly scary because AJ Burnett was on the mound.

The game was won in the first inning. Curtis Granderson made a game-saving catch on a really tough ball that Don Kelly smoked. Everyone knows the hardest ball for an outfielder is the one hit right at him. Curtis broke in, retreated and made an Angels In The Outfield type catch. His catch in 6th was a lot cooler and a more athletic play, but this first catch was bigger.

AJ Burnett was by no means good in this game. He was good enough, but not necessarily good. I'm not going to overly praise the dude for doing his job though. I was terrified by every single pitch he threw. Literally. He got lucky in the first, but give him credit for settling in. If the Yanks win Game 5, I still don't feel comfortable with him in the ALCS, but that's a worry for another day I hope. I liked Girardi's quick hook, even though AJ was only around 80 pitches. Those were 80 stressful pitched though. With a well-rested pen, you have to go to them there.

This comment might make another blogger sick, but Russell Martin's slide to score on Jeter's double was freakin' awesome.

The offense finally started to show some signs of life late in the game, and that should scare the Tigers because the middle of the order (minus Cano) has been just putrid. The Ghost of ARod finally had a few good swings. Teixeira and Swisher still need produce and I hope one or both of them decides that Game Five is the time to do it.

Game Five should be a dogfight. I fully imagine Nova won't be as good as Game One and I'm sure Fister will be a lot better.

Contest winnings from Cardboard Heaven

A few weeks back, Cardboard Heaven held a contest. The banner on the site was redesigned using all team logos. Readers had to take a stab at guessing the logos, and I was lucky enough to be one of the winners. There were a few minor league stumpers in there, but luckily I recognized them. Thanks Topps Pro Debut!

I had actually forgotten about the contest, so when I received the package I was very surprised. I quickly remembered though, and the prize package was great. It actually came on Saturday while we were waiting for Hurricane Irene to arrive, so once I saw that the package contained a block of Yankee cards, I didn't open them until that night for something to do.

Here are my favorite cards that Cam was nice enough to send:

I was VERY surprised and pleased to see this card. While I'm indifferent about manupatches, this one is awesome. I was at the first game at New Yankee Stadium and CC pitched, so I really think of this as a cool keepsake from the game.

Two very shiny Yankee greats. I did not have this Ruth from the Topps Value Packs, so it will gladly join the Mantle from the same set.

A couple more Yankee legends. This Gehrig eluded me this year in 2011 Topps, so I was happy to finally get it. This Yogi is awesome. It looks like it should be a Topps Tribute card.

Prospects! I looove me some Yankees prospects. Murphy is a great hitter. I had him sign this Bowman card TTM for me, but I didn't have the Chrome version. I sent this exact card to Melky Mesa and I think it's gone for good, so this is a nice replacement for it.

Two current Yankees in their old uniforms. One of these guys is awesome. One of these guys is not.

There were a ton more Yankees too. Some more Mantles and a bunch of Heritage cards. Cam, thanks again for the awesome cards and helping me pass time during Irene.

Cool Gypsey Queen card

I always like cards of pitchers where you can see what pitch they are throwing. I have a great 8x10 of Mike Mussina and he is clearly throwing his knuckle curve. AJ Burnett's 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen card jumped out at me because he is definitely throwing a circle change-up. Burnett doesn't throw a lot of change-ups, but he has been incorporating it a bit more this year and so far it's been a helpful pitch for him.

Here is a close up of the card:

Gypsy Queen from the Doon's Big Fun Game

Yesterday, I received my winnings from Napkin Doon's latest Big Fun Game - 13 base cards of American League players from 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen. I haven't bought any GQ, so it's fun to get cards without buying packs. There was a nice assortment of players here, minus the Red Sox. There was also a John Damon Photoshopped card of him with the Devil Rays. Yes, they will always be the Devil Rays. While there was only one Yankee, I actually needed it for my team set, as I didn't pull the AJ Burnett in the group break I participated in, so that was helpful as well.

The Kendry and Verlander cards are already promised to other bloggers, but the rest are available. Nappy, thanks again for the game - it's always a blast.

Trade Review: My Cardboard Mistress

About a month ago, I bought a few packs from 2010 Topps Chrome on discount from Target. I pulled a Mark Reynolds Purple Refractor, so I reached out to Adam at My Cardboard Mistress to see if he'd be interested since he collects Reynolds. Adam answered with an AJ Burnett Purple Refractor from the same set, a good 'ol fashioned one for one. Done deal!

Adam - thanks for helping my Yankees collection. Hopefully this week goes better than your weekend!