The last Bengals cards you'll see on this blog

On Saturday night, I watched in disgust as the Bengals gave away an opportunity to win a Playoff game due to lack of self-control.

As a fan, I don't care that they lost. I'm used to that. I was prepared for it. The Jeremy Hill fumble was awful, but that (unfortunately) happens. But the way they responded in that last minute, by caring more about dirty/cheap shots and bitching to the refs than actually winning the game, infuriates me. I know it's unfair to lump in guys like AJ Green and Andy Dalton with guys like Pacman Jones and Vontaz Burfict, but to me, the latter outshines the former. It's sad, and it's all I'll be able to remember.

I kept thinking about what if my son was old enough to watch the game. I would have been horrified telling him that grown men, at the pinnacle of their careers playing in the most important game of their lives, can't keep their composure and just do their job. We all want to go nuts at work sometimes But we don't. We put our heads down, keep our mouths shut, and do our jobs. Somehow, that doesn't apply to some professional athletes.

Many said they feel bad for Marvin Lewis. Please. He was nowhere to be found when his players were going off the rails. It starts at the top, and the lack of discipline was present all season, not just in the last minute of the final game of the season.

I don't care if my thoughts are viewed as an overreaction or jumping ship on your team. That's fine. When the players care more about themselves than the team, why should I care about the team as fan? I don't. I'm not going to root for another team in particular. I'm not going to say "Hey, I'm a Giants fan now." Nope. I'm just not going to root for the Bengals. I'm not. I can handle losses on the field. I can't handle a team behaving the way they did on Saturday night.

Therefore, I thought I'd show some Bengals cards for the last time. One batch came from Uncle Tiny, and the other from JBF. While I appreciate their gestures, I hope they no longer go out of their way to send me Bengals cards as a result of Saturday night. These guys also sent me awesome Yanks, which I'll show off later. I appreciate that they always find some Bengals to send my way, but I just don't have the heart anymore.

From Tiny:

And from JBF:

 

Uncle Tiny strikes twice!

Uncle Tiny recently (or not so recently) sent me two great packages. He really takes to heart that I’m a Bengals fan, and finds some cool (and often shiny!) Bengals to send my way. While I don’t buy football, between JBF and Tiny, I have a really nice binder of Bengals cards, especially newer stuff.

But first! Perhaps the crown jewel of two packages, at least for me, was this signed Mason Williams 8x10! It came with a COA. I’m not sure where Tiny picked this up, but I’m super happy to have it. I don’t have many signed 8x10s in my collection – maybe four or five - but one day I hope to have more and have a nice display. 

I still think Mason Williams will be an MLB player. He is already an elite defender and could play MLB CF right now. However, he needs to pick it up with bat. He was close a few years ago, as he hit .298 and jumped up to #32 in Baseball America’s prospect rankings. He’s had two straight down years since then, but spent all of 2014 in AA. If he can hit in the .250-.260 range, plus shows a bit more maturity (which has been a knock), I think he can find a way to NY as a reserve outfielder later this year or next. 

Tiny also sent me a Ty Hensley for my PC, and a cool Zach McAllister auto.

Aside from there, here’s an assortment of Bengals. My favorite is definitely the Gio Bernard relic, although the Blue Wave AJ McCarron is very cool too. I hope McCarron pushes Dalton next season. Someone needs to! 

 

 

Tiny, thanks again. You should be getting a package from me in the next day or two.

Nothin' Nerdy about football cards on a Sunday

I came into possession of a Dallas Cowboys relic card recently. I really had no need for it, so I reached out to Nerdy Girl on Twitter, who collects Cowboys cards. I offered to send it her way with no expectation of anything in return, but she decided that wasn't acceptable and send me a great lot of Bengals.

Being an NFL Sunday, here are a few highlights from the package.

I have to start with this Cobi Hamilton auto. On-card goodness of the former Arkansas WR drafted by the Bengals in the 6th round of the 2013 Draft. He had a good pre-season, but has since found himself of the Bengals practice squad. Regardless, it's a very nice card.

Topps Inception football cards are really nice. Even if Andy Dalton is really bad, the card elevates him. It's a great set, although I wish the cards weren't as thick.

Camo! I think the Topps football camo cards are a lot more "camo" looking than this year's baseball.

A couple of AJs! My name is AJ. Their names are AJ. What's not to love?

Nerdy Girl, thanks so much!

Go Bengals!

I'm a hometown guy. I like to root for the home team. I am a Yankees, Knicks, and Rangers fan. By the same account, I should be a Giants or Jets fan. Maybe even Bills, although no one in my area cares about the Bills. I knew maybe one or two Bills fans growing up, even when they went to four straight Super Bowls.

However, in football, sadly, I like the Bengals. It's a long story. But in short, my dad's friend's son (got that?) was drafted by the Bengals in the late '70s. He started following the team then, and stuck with them. I was born into it. But hey, at least you can't say I'm a front runner. It's not like I'm randomly a Cowboys fan.

Anyhow, the NFL season starts today for most teams, and there is a strong sense of optimism amongst us Bengals fans. Cincy has been to the Playoffs three years in a row. No longer are these the yearly 3-13 Bengals. But enough is enough. It's time to take that next step and win a Playoff game or two. Is this finally the year?

It's going to start with these two guys:

AJ Green and Andy Dalton. Green is one of the top receivers in the league. Dalton is mediocre and got a huge deal. Personally, I feel like he is holding the team back. We shall see.

I think this guy is going to have a MONSTER year. He'll be the Bengals #2 WR while Marvin Jones is out with an injury. My prediction is that he won't give up the #2 spot.

Lastly, while the Bengals have a 7-8 year reputation as a team with character questions (rightfully so then, not so much now...but it's hard to shake a reputation), I present to you Devon Still. The Bengals recently re-signed Still to their practice squad so that he could receive full medical benefits for him and his family, notably his four-year-old daughter who is receiving cancer treatments. Sometimes, sports are awesome.

Thanks to Jaybarkerfan's Junk for sending me a bunch of great Bengals cards recently. Let's go Bengals!

Go Bengals!

I've mentioned it on the blog in the past, but I'm a big Bengals fan. Long story.

Anyhow, I'm set to watch a Bengals playoff game for the third time in four years. Maybe I'll see a victory this time. Finally. But for now, I'll show off this sweet AJ Green/Andy Dalton dual relic that Jaybarkerfan sent me last year.

Doon't you know it's President's Day?

I’m sure there will be lots of pictures of presidents and presidents on baseball cards today, being President’s Day and all. I am going to feature Napkin Doon instead, because if there were a Napkin Doon Fan Club, I’d probably be President. Or Sargent at Arms or something.

Anyways, Randy over at The Adventures of Napkin Doon sent me an awesome package recently. The headline card was a 2011 Bowman Sterling Any Dalton relic. Love the orange jersey piece! This marks my second Dalton jersey card, which is pretty cool since I don’t actively collect football. But adding a RC relic of rising QB and the signal caller from my favorite team? Yes, please! The future is bright in Cincy.

Nap also sent a few Tinos and assorted Yanks. I love the Banuelos Bowman Chrome RC’s. He’ll be happy to know that I’ve already sent one of them out for an autograph, except Banuelos generally doesn’t seem to sign anymore so I'm not expecting any return. There was also a Michael Pineda Bowman Chrome. He’s going to be a damn fine pitcher, you know.

Last, and certainly not least, a three-pack of Gerber relics…err, burp cloths for young Joey. As Nap knows, you can never have enough burp cloths, and I enjoy using these ones more than our other ones because they have baseballs on them. Makes me feel manlier.

Nap, great stuff as always. Really appreciate the gifts.

A sweet Andy Dalton/AJ Green relic from Jaybarkerfan

A few weeks ago, I picked up a lot of cards from Wes of Jaybarkerfan’s Junk. Wes always has awesome cards, and has been very generous to me this past year. Wes’ lot of cards guaranteed a relic or auto, as well as some cards of my favorite team, the Yankees.

I was hoping for a Yankees relic, but even if he didn’t have any, I wasn’t too concerned. I knew I’d get some good trade bait, which I am severely lacking these days. When the lot arrived, I was shocked to find the relic included. It wasn’t even of a spot I collect. But it was of two of my favorite young NFL stars on my favorite NFL team – THE BENGALS! No joke…I was born into being a Bengals fan. It’s the only non-NY team I follow (I don’t follow the Giants, Jets, or Bills…it’s all Bengals in the NFL).

Wes sent me this incredibly cool dual jersey swatch of the Red Rifle, Andy Dalton, and one of the game’s most promising WRs, AJ Green. This card is really pretty and numbered to just 25. This will definitely be a keeper in my collection!

Here is an assortment of Yanks Wes sent my way as well, including two Tinos that I didn’t have. Wes, I really appreciate these cards. Thank you!