Let's go USMNT!

Tony and Tino say let's go USA!

Another Maris finds its way home

I don't know why, but I've been snagging some Roger Maris cards on the cheap lately. I'm not sure if there just isn't much demand, or the fact that he doesn't carry the same appeal that some of his Yankee teammates and vinatage stars of the '50s-60s. Regardless, adding his cards to my collection is important. Although he isn't in the HOF (bogus given his place in the game's history), in my eyes he still shares a place in the hobby next to guys like Mantle, Yogi, Whitey Ford, and Phil Rizzuto. In fact, Maris cards are a bit more expensive (in my observation), than Whitey Ford, a no doubt HOFer.

My most recent pick up cost me about $4 total, and it's in pretty damn good shape for a '64. The surface is a bit worn, but there are no creases. I consider that a victory.

I still have a few more Roger Maris cards to pick up, but I'm loving the fact that I've picked up so many over the past year or so.

Two new Ty Hensley autos!

I am up to 37 different Ty Hensley cards. Amongst those 37, twelve are autographed. Pretty freakin' cool. One day, I hope to add something else to my collection that is signed by Ty...a jersey or a cap or something. You know, a little diversity never hurts.

After battling back from two surgeries, Ty is finally back on the mound in the Gulf Coach League. In his first outing of the year, he threw 2 2/3 innings, allowing one run and striking out five, while walking just one. Definitely a successful first appearance, and I hope he builds on this throughout the summer. Finish strong, then head to full-season ball next year. He's just 20, and still has a lot of time to develop into a star in the Yankees system.

It feels like forever since I've picked up new Hensleys, mostly because I have many of the ones that pop up on eBay, except for a few overpriced or low-numbered ones.

The first is an Elite Extra Edition I've been trying to pick up for ever, but I was just waiting until the price was right. I like this set.

I also picked up my first Hensley from the Leaf Rize brand. These cards are super thin, and not the best quality. Still, I needed it. He's got a bunch of cards and autos in the set, but everyone wants an arm and a leg for them. Unlike Bowman and Elite, these are sticker autos.

 

Ty, can't wait to see you back on the mound, and hopefully we'll see you in Staten Island in a few weeks!

Contest winner!

First off, thanks to everyone who entered my contest. I had 38 different entries, and some of the players were so random and awesome.

At the end of the day, there can only be one winner. Congrats to Tony L of Off Hiatus Baseball Cards! Tony will be receiving a Robin Yount sketch card!

Tony, email me your address. Thanks for playing, everyone!

JBF Epic Boxes: Packs 11-12

I need to do these posts faster. While I've been slow to do them, ANOTHER epic box from Jaybarkerfan found it's way to me! Sheesh. It'll take me 'til Christmas to get these up.

Let's look at team bags 11 & 12, shall we?

Pack 11

Let's start off with some truly attractive SP Authentic cards. Holy smokes these are nice. There is SO MUCH border, bit I gotta say, the white makes it look classy. I know a lot of people don't prefer a large border with a small photo, but these just look nice. They tried to give the photo a ragged look, which works ok. The photo has an interesting gloss. Think of the 1995 Topps Cyberstats parallels.

Primetime is too cool for Classic, and definitely too cool for pink borders. 

Could Fleer really not find a better third shot than Wade Boggs' butt?

And the card of the pack? This 1999 Stadium Club Mariano Rivera. Great shot. Great simple design. Love the muted team logo in the corner. Stadium Club was so solid in the late '90s.

Total cards in pack: 42 (appropriate)
Running total: 388

Pack 12

I'll start with a Tino, because any pack with a Tino is a good pack.

Yogi! While his quotes might be a bit overdone at this point, it's cool to have them immortalized on cards. This is the ever-popular "Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical" quote.

Jeter. Classic pose. Man, I'm curious what his last Topps regular base card will look like in 2015. I say "regular base card" because you know he'll be in 9,000 other sets for the rest of his life. I'm a fan of Rivera's last card, and hope Jeter gets a good one too.

The card of the pack? Let's go with a darkhorse! 1995 Topps Finest Mike Stantley. This set wasn't as iconic as '93 or '94, but I like the bright colors and design. Someone took the fun out of this for me and peeled the unnecessary clear coating off of it already. Jerks.

Total cards in pack: 40
Running total: 428

Tino says, "USA! USA!"

I’ll show my support for the red, white, and blue with another Tino Martinez autograph that I recently picked up. My Tino autograph collection is looking healthy these days as being pretty sparse for a long time. This particular one is from 2013 Panini USA Champions.

Tino was a member of the 1988 USA Olympic Gold Medal winning squad. Let’s hope the US Men’s soccer team gets another W tonight against Portugal. I know I'm really stretching to draw a connection between the two, but bear with me!

Tino Day at Yankee Stadium

Today, the New York Yankees will honor Tino Martinez, my all-time favorite player, with a plaque in Monument Park. Unfortunately, I will not be in attendance. I would love to be, but it's hard to give up a whole Saturday with a 2-year-old and a 2-month-old. I choose family-time.

When I first heard Tino was getting honored, I was like "Huh? Why?" But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. He's not getting his numbered retired. He's not getting a big monument like Mickey Mantle. He's getting a plaque to honor his role as the starting 1B on four World Series championship teams. He hit two of the most dramatic HRs in Yankees World Series history, notably the Grand Slam in Game 1 of the 1998 World Series. That deserves a small mention in Monument Park, in my opinion.

Congrats, Tino! Enjoy your day today.