My Wallet Card

The Baseball Card Breakdown Wallet Card has been a lot of fun so far.

I was torn over what to choose as my wallet card. Ty Hensley is my main PC guy right now (for current players). I could have easily chucked a Bowman Draft card of him in my wallet. I thought about a Mattingly from the 1980s to see how that cardboard would wear over the course of the year.

But in the end, I appropriately went with the following card:

Tino Martinez 1997 Collector's Choice #181.

Why? A few reasons:

1. Collector's Choice was my favorite brand growing up. As a kid, it meant a lot to me,. Affordable packs, inserts, and You Crash The Game. That was the best.
2. 1997 was Tino's career year, hitting 44 HRs and driving in 141 RBIs.
3. I have to keep a Tino card on me in case I ever bump into him again on my way to work.

I thought about a mini card since I only cary a front pocket wallet/money clip (hey, I work in NYC...wallets go in the front pocket. Rule #1). Although I gotta say, it holds just what I need and I don't sit on it or wear out the back pocket of my jeans. No sir, I don't miss the Costanza. I went front pocket in 2009 and will never go back...pocket.

Tangent aside, here is the card going into the wallet. It didn't fit in the two pockets on the reverse side of the clip, so it's behind the massive amounts of cash you can see in this photo. I anticipate it staying there for the most part, as it fits pretty nicely back behind the clip. And yes, as you can see by that thick wad of cash, I'm very rich. I actually only carry that much when I'm headed to the strip club after work. So that's where I am while you read this post. (kidding, kidding...maybe)

I did already prick my finger on a sharp corner of the card. I don't anticipate that happening after a few weeks of wear and tear.

Anyways, let's take a photo of this guy our and about on my morning commute. I'm not sure how often I'll photograph it or how frequently I'll use NYC as a backdrop, but let's start it off right here and we'll see where this adventure takes us. This is the Trump International Hotel and Tower. I don't work there, but it's the first thing I see when I emerge from the subway before walking a few more blocks north to work. Sorry for the blurriness of the Tino. The wind was insane today. Almost blew the Tino out of my hand.

 

Gavin, thanks for the fun idea. Let's do it.

More eBay bargain hunting

I've done a few posts like this before, but there are always deals to be had on eBay. Sometimes I'll take a few minutes and search penny auctions (with free shipping) and put in a low maximum bid, and once in awhile, I'll win a card for dirt cheap.

Most of the time I lose, and I expect to. But all of these cost me just a few cents a pop, and no more than a buck including shipping. Pretty fun when it actually works out.

 

Let's go Bengals!

I know, I know. It's not going to happen. The Bengals are incapable of winning a first round playoff game.

But damn, it has to happen one of these years, right? Let's go Bengals!

Two more Hensleys

My Ty Hensley collection is growing rapidly, and he only had one or two cards in 2014. That's because he had 9,000 parallels in 2013.

I'm now up over 50 unique Henlseys, which is awesome. I'm not sure what I can realistically get to until he's included in more sets, but there are definitely a bunch I still need. Here are two I just picked up from 2013 Bowman Platinum. If you think you have one that I might not have, check my 'have' list HERE.

Fixing a mistake

At the end of November, I won the above Ty Hensley card on eBay for $.99 + free shipping. Solid pickup for my PC, if I must say so.

So I waited and waited, and it didn't arrive. The seller said he sent it. Given the free shipping, and the fact that end of the auction was less than $1, I figured one of two things:

1. I got unlucky and the PWE got lost in the crazy December mail blitz.
Or
2. The seller said he sent it, but didn't, because it sold for less than he thought it would.

I always think of #2 when I win a card for cheap, especially when free shipping is part of the deal. Why wouldn't the seller just say "screw it" and say he shipped it, then just refund the $.25 or whatever it was I paid.

I hate to think that way, but I do.

Anyhow, the seller was nice enough to refund my money when this card didn't show up. It's only $.99, but still, every penny in my PayPal account adds up.

So last week, as my wife and I were driving to Maryland, we stopped at a rest area to attend to my screaming daughter. You know, those piercing screams during a car trip? As she's getting out of the car, my wife goes, "Hey! An envelope for you was down here by the door. I must've grabbed the mail in the car a few weeks ago and this slipped down by the door." Sounds right out of Christmas Vacation, doesn't it?

And in the envelope? No, not a membership to the jelly-of-the-month club. It was this:

So I was in a little pickle, as the seller refunded my money, but the card actually did arrive. Not wanting to be a cheapskate, I sent a note to the seller explaining what happened and asking if I could send the money back to him. I offered to paypal him directly, or to buy one of his $.99 auctions and he just wouldn't send me the card. He said, "No, it's ok, I understand."

Not good enough for me. I returned his $.99 via PayPal. It was only right. I felt better about myself, and I also had the Hensley I needed. We all won in the end, it just took a little longer than expected.

Good luck, Manny!

Today, the Yankees traded one of my favorite prospects, Manny Banuelos, to the Braves for two relievers.

Banuelos was once the #1 prospect in the Yankees organization, but TJ surgery and other issues limited his development. He returned in 2014, but he just wasn't the same as pre-injury.

He's still young, and I hope he's able to salvage his career and find success in Atlanta.

Happy New Year!

Wishing all of you and your families a very happy and healthy New Year! Let's go dominate 2015!