Saturday, September 28, 2013

The Wait is Over- Partial Topps Comeback

Hey guys, Drew back here. I got a very random, but nice surprise in my mailbox the other day. Out of the blue, Topps sent me one of the three redemptions they've owed me! Take a look:


Out of 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen, a sweet Eric Hosmer on card autograph! I pulled this card as a redemption back during the Summer of 2012 at a card show, and although Eric was having a down year, I was excited to receive the card. A little over a year later, it arrived, and while my excitement generally wore off by the time it came, I still really like the way it came out. Hosmer had a much better season in 2013, batting .302 with 17 home runs and 79 RBI for the surprise Royals team! Kansas City is out of the playoff race, but they experienced their best season in a while and Hosmer was one of the major reasons why. 

I will consider trading this if you have a solid offer for me, but if not I plan on holding on to it for a little while! Thanks Topps for finally cashing in on this one! See Ya!

Sunday, September 22, 2013

A Bittersweet but Equally Special Day!


Hey guys, Drew back here! I have to say, writing this post makes me feel old. I started watching the Yankees in 2005, and although that was only 9 seasons ago; I've had the pleasure of growing up to watch a ton of incredible players every day. Many of them have since left the game: Jorge Posada, Randy Johnson, Gary Sheffield, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, and Hideki Matsui among my very favorites. Andy Pettitte had already left the game only to come back a year later. But today, most fans in attendance at Yankee Stadium recognized that Andy and Mariano Rivera would no longer grace the mound in Yankee Stadium barring a late playoff push. Andy pitched brilliantly against the Giants, allowing just 2 earned runs in 7 innings, and Mo came in for the 9th inning. Unfortunately, the Yankees offense didn't have enough in the tank to make the already memorable day even greater, but it was a fantastic day to be a Yankee fan regardless.


Prior to the game, Mariano Rivera was honored with a 50 minute ceremony led by Michael Kay, John Sterling, and many of Mo's teammates, past and present. Jorge Posada came back to bring the Core 4 back together for the day, and other core members such as Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, Hideki Matsui, and former Manager Joe Torre were on hand as well. The ceremony celebrated Mo's finest moments throughout his illustrious 19 year career, spanning from his various Saves records to closing out 4 different World Series championships! While he didn't have the workload of a starting pitcher, Mariano's legacy came more from what he took from the game to the world around him. His personality, clubhouse presence, and Philanthropist acts have given him perhaps the greatest reputation among any athlete in the sports world today!


Among the various gifts Mariano was given were a few special honors. First, Metallica came out to perform "Enter Sandman" live, which was an idea I had thought of months ago. I thought it would be an awesome move, and sure enough the Yankee organization thought so too! Also, his number 42 was retired, which I didn't see coming at all. I knew it would happen eventually, but had no idea it was going to happen today. When his number was revealed among the Yankees legends, I couldn't help but tear up. It marked the end of a dominant era, and Mariano became the first player I've grown up with to be honored in any sort of way. It was a special moment not only for him I'm sure, but for me as well. I'll never forget it!

I haven't gotten around to writing about Mo's final season yet, but let me start by saying it has been a treat to be able to watch and discuss him pitch. He and Andy have been my favorite pitchers of all time, so saying goodbye to both of them today was bittersweet. Hopefully one day I'll be able to tell my future kids and grandkids about how a Yankees game was almost always over after 8 innings, and how one famous glare was enough to intimidate the most confident hitters. 


Thank you Andy and Mo for everything you've done for the Yankees organization! I wish both of you the best moving forward with your lives and I can't wait to cheer for you both at future Old Timer's games, and who knows, maybe in Cooperstown as well!

See Ya!

Saturday, September 14, 2013

TTM #129- Another Walker Killing Pro!

Hey guys, Drew back here! My senior year is now underway, and it has already shown signs of being by far the best year of school. The workload hasn't been horrible, and having a car has really made things less stressful on me. Unfortunately, before long I'll be having to submit applications to colleges, so it won't all be fun, but I'm looking forward to seeing where I get accepted and to making a decision in general. On that note, check out this awesome success I recently got through the mail!


I got Rick's autograph (Andrew Lincoln) already, but I knew I wouldn't be content until I ended up with Daryl's! Norman Reedus, the rising star of AMC's "The Walking Dead", signed this 8x10 for me in a little over a 3 month wait! As I mentioned in my last "Walking Dead" post, I've been an avid fan since last fall, and this spring I mailed to a few members of the cast. Daryl, Reedus' character, is my favorite on the show by a longshot, so I was thrilled to see this come back! He personalized it to me, and although he signed it in red, it still looks pretty nice!

Any of you guys into the show? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

See Ya!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

COMC Card Exchange Mailday!

Hey guys, Drew back here! A few months ago I decided it would be a great idea to send a few batches of my autographed/memorabilia cards in to Check Out My Collectibles in anticipation of making a few extra bucks. It turned out to be an awesome idea, because with the $300+ I've earned thus far I've been able to buy the Robinson Cano Bowman Heritage autograph, some cards I've used for TTM requests, and a bunch of various other cards that hold more of a place in my collection! Here's a look at some of the loot I brought in this summer from COMC:


Charlie Sheen is one of my favorite actors, and "Eight Men Out" is a classic baseball movie. Although he didn't have a leading role here, it was one of the kickstarts to his "winning" career! For under a dollar, I couldn't pass this bad boy up!


There is a slim possibility that Robinson Cano may not be a part of the Yankees after this season, but clearly I believe Cashman will pull through and resign him longterm. Of course, I wouldn't like to see anything past 6 or 7 years contract wise, but with the way these longterm contracts have panned out throughout baseball I doubt he'll get much more. I picked up this 2012 Museum Collection parallel numbered to 299 and 2013 Heritage purple refractor for a couple of cheap meaningless relics.



I really need to update my Cano PC page soon. I've been in the midst of a huge liquidation movement with my collection, but after things settle I'll try to take my current PC's to the Internet for all of you to keep up with. Here's a bland Leaf Limited logo-less bat relic numbered out of 299 along with a funky 2006 All Star Stitches jersey card!


Despite the unfortunate Fanfest turnout with Mr. McCutchen, I'm still attempting to root for him. He's a great player and a lot of fun to watch, and when I saw this 2012 National Treasures relic of his for so cheap I knew I couldn't give up on the McCutch PC!


With the last dollar I had to spend, I turned to William and asked him what I should do with it. Rather than use it towards shipping costs, I bought 1961 Golden Press Bill Dickey card! I own literally next to nothing of Dickey's, and since he was the model in which Yogi Berra used to build his playing abilities, I feel like that's a bit cruel. That said, he doesn't have much out there and his autographs cost a fortune. For under a buck, I'll stick with this cool vintage card for now!


I haven't worked on my Knicks collection in what feels like forever, so here's a Raymond Felton auto relic out of this past year's Absolute Memorabilia product numbered out of 74! I'm not the biggest Felton believer but I do think he moves the ball extremely well and I admire his toughness and ability to drive towards the basket. JR Smith recently guaranteed a championship (what else is new), but on a serious note I'm looking forward to seeing the Knickstape back in action!


Last but most certainly not least, I added this beautiful 1982 Topps Bob Bonner and Jeff Schneider rookie card! Oh, and some Ripken guy. Bummer he didn't work out, or else this card would've been a classic. Seriously though, any baseball fan should own a rookie card of Ripken's. I've now had the pleasure of saying that 9 months into 2013, I've had the opportunity to see Cal in person on 4 different days! That's a pretty easy way of saying 2013 has treated me pretty darn well!

School starts Thursday... but for now, See Ya!

Sunday, September 1, 2013

TTM #128- A Ruthian Return!

Hey guys, Drew back here! I mentioned in my TTM post recently that there were 2 successes I received that I felt were worthy of receiving their own posts, and this one you're about to see was one of them. I had this picture sitting around for months since I first found it on Google, but I finally had an afternoon to get everything ready and out in the mail. 22 days later, it arrived back in my mailbox, fresh with a signature! Check it out:


In case you couldn't recognize the guy on the left (and if you can't you may want to leave this blog ASAP), that indeed is Babe Ruth! I had a disappointing downfall with my Grandpa's "signed" Ruth pictures he gave me when I learned the autographs weren't authentic, so I instead settled for getting Ruth's adopted daughter Julia Ruth Stevens autograph instead! Obviously, one day I'd love to own an autograph of "The Babe", because without him the game of baseball wouldn't have ever been close to what it is today. Ruth Stevens is now 96 years young, which really is telling of how long baseball has been America's greatest sport (you heard me, football)! She signed this photo I found of her being accompanied by her new husband and "The Babe" himself at their wedding. As soon as I saw the picture I knew I had to try to get her to sign it!

If any of you are interested in mailing to Mrs. Ruth Stevens, use the Babe Ruth Museum address, and I wish you the best of luck! I'm so fortunate to have gotten her autograph, because this will certainly be the closest I'll be getting to the Babe for a long, long time.

See Ya!