Hemorrhage in my mailbox

I think the first time I heard the word "Hemorrhage" was back in 1995, when Billy Madison hit theaters.

There's a part in the movie where Billy is down the in the dumps, and he sings his redemption song. A clown that had previously fallen off of his stilts then perks up and says, "Hey kids, it's me. I bet you thought that I was a dead. But when I fell over I just broke my leg and got a hemorrhage in my head."

Graphic, I know.

These days, the word hemorrhage is now, thankfully, more closely associated with a newer blogger, Jay over at Card Hemorrhage.

Jay recently sent me his second PWE, which was funny because it came while I also had one out in the mail to him. This was a fun one full of random cards of all sorts.

There were some very unexpected hits, like a Brook Lopez jersey and a Cleanthony Early autograph.

Or a low-numbered Reggie Jackson. A close friend of mine when to Boston College, so I may hand this off to him.

I have very few LeBron James cards, so this was a cool surprise.

A couple of rookies. Randy Moss will go into my RC collection of guys from other sports. He's a HOFer, you know. And Chris Jackson...he later became Mahmoud Abdul Rauf. Great old Skybox design!

Billy Martin vintage?! Sign me up.

A few more from the late '80s as well. With the recent boom on 1987 Topps, this Pete Rose might command a pretty penny now. Just kidding.

What a fun and diverse PWE. Thanks, Jay...not only for the cards, but hopefully for the new word association of cards instead of clowns.

Nylon - great taste, less filling

I'm a big Billy Martin fan. I remember him well as a kid (as Yankees manager a few times), and unfortunately, he tragically passed away just a few minutes from my house on Christmas Day in 1989. My family still has their copy of the local newspaper from December 26.

I jumped at the chance to own this card, which has a piece of the nylon jacket Billy famously wore during his stint(s) as Yankees manager. It's a lot more exciting than a plan jersey swatch, and even has a few stitches. The design is awesome too. I won't lie - best looking card I've seen in a while.

I love that the card photo also shows Billy wearing a similar jacket. I hate it when relics don't match the photo. Now, it's of course upsetting that he doesn't have Yankee logos, but what can you do.

While I do love this card, I've vowed, at least temporarily, to stop purchasing cards like this. It's not that I don't want them, but I really want a Jeter autograph. By giving up purchasing $5-$6 cards like this - that add up - I'm hoping to save enough for a decent Jeter autograph. I'm sure this will last about a week, but I'm going to try! I could just be an adult and buy one, but think this is a good exercise in cutting down on these smaller purchases.

Radness!

A couple of weeks ago, I got my March Radness NCAA Tournament prize from Kerry of Cards on Cards. I think this is the first year I actually placed near the top. I won a prize in the contest once before, but that was a pity prize for finishing dead last. I blame Syracuse on my success this year. Since they were banned from post-season play, I did not feel the need in my heart to pick them, so I was able to be a little smarter about my choices.

The results? Baseball cards!

Kerry definitely went out of his way to snag this sweet Ty Hensley die-cut auto for me. It's a green parallel that I needed for my PC, and I know Kerry checked my 'have' list to see if I had it. Very cool. I love it.

Of course, Kerry also used it as an opportunity to get ride of a bunch of Yanks, something he likes to do like most collectors. Here are some of the goodies, including a Billy Martin I had never seen before.

And last but not least, I'll never turn down a Tino Team USA 1988 Topps Traded RC.

Thanks, Kerry. Hopefully I'll win next year!

Finally, a Billy Martin

I've long desired to add a vintage Billy Martin card to my collection. He certainly holds a very important part of Yankees history, both from his playing days, managerial days, and post-baseball days.

On Christmas Day in 1989, Billy Martin died in Port Crane, NY. Port Crane is about a 15 minute drive from where I grew up. I had several friends who lived in the area, and one friend in particular lived just past the area of the road where Martin's auto accident occurred. I've probably passed it a hundred times.

Living in the area, Martin received many visits from past Yankees, including Mickey Mantle. In fact, my family once sat on the same flight as The Mick while he was on his way to visit Billy.

I'm not old enough to remember Martin's antics, especially while managing. I do remember him vaguely as the Yankees manager, and remember him being a topic of discussion many times in my home growing up.

I won this card for just a few bucks, but it already holds a lot more sentimental value for me.