Mail from Around The Blogosphere!

Hey guys, Drew back here. This week's edition of my most recent maildays feature Coot Veal and the Vealtones, a future commodity in Canton, and a guy that could absolutely crush the ball! Let's get started!

First off, I got a package from my new trading buddy Dustin over at the new "Coot Veal and the Vealtones". The blog recently started, and so far, so good! Everyone please do me a favor and go check it out and give him a new subscriber, because he'd really appreciate new readers! Dustin asked if I was interested in a card and it picked up into a solid trade. He sent me a bunch of cards of my "PC" players, so check them out:

Nick Swisher

Four cards of Swisher arrived in the package, and 3 of them I needed! I really like the rookie card from Playoff Prestige, and I'm glad it was added to my collection.

Derek Jeter

I'm almost positive that I needed at least half of these cards, including the Victory Stat Leaders card with Bernie Williams. For some reason I really like that card.

Curtis Granderson

I recently decided to collect Curtis after I received stacks of his cards from Grand Cards. Now, I'm going to try to pick up a ton of his cards, because he's fairly affordable. I think I needed most of these ones here.

Reggie Jackson

You gotta love Reggie as a Yankees fan especially. Sure, he's cocky, but he enjoyed the game, and was just a real cool guy. Some nice additions to that collection for sure.

Don Mattingly

I got about 21 Mattingly cards in this package. I'm sure I have some of them, but it's weird to me since I have so many cards of him from his playing days yet new cards I didn't own previously are still being sent to me of his! Always nice to add some cards of a Yankee captain and one of my favorites to my collection.

Some mixed Yankees were also included, including a lot of nice cards I didn't have. I've never seen the Giambi ticket like card, it opens up and shows Giambi on the ticket, which is pretty cool. The two Phil Hughes cards in the second scan are sweet too, both very needed for the small Hughes collection.

Also he sent 9 cards I needed for the 2010 Topps Updates and Highlights set. I'm still trugging along with that set, thanks a lot Topps for providing me with a nice 200 doubles in my box. I'll remember that one.

The final card to show off for now from Dustin was this 2004 Fleer Platinum Jason Giambi relic card. I don't own an awful lot of Giambi cards, and I was always a fan of his in a way. I didn't like that he used steroids but I'm happy he admitted it and moved forward. He was pretty fun to watch back in his day though.

Thanks so much Dustin for all the nice cards! Next up is a package I got for absolutely nothing from a nice guy on the Blowout Cards Forum. I haven't done a whole lot on there lately, so I surfed around one day and found a card I was interested in. I PM'ed the guy, PackAttack419, and he told me that I could have it for $5. After he forgot to ship it out, he told me I could have it for free! Here is the card:

It's a 2010 Panini Certified Curtis Martin Mirror Red Immortals relic numbered to only 100! Curtis is one of my favorite Jets players of all time, and he does not have a whole lot in cards to chase. Whenever they put him in a new product, it's a great thing. The more and more I've seen from this product, the more I like it. One day I want to open a box of the stuff!

He also threw in this Jerricho Cotchery flag patch base card from 2009 Upper Deck Black, of Jerricho Cotchery. I haven't gotten a single card from this high end product yet, due to the price you pay for a grand total of 4 cards. I don't see the point in opening those products, but sometimes you can hit big I guess. This card is numbered to 250, of one of the more underrated wide receivers in my opinion right now.

Thanks so much to Mr. PackAttack419 if you're reading this, I really appreciated the kind gesture and it means a lot to me! Finally, the last card I have to show for the week was from eBay. I've been wanting an autograph of this guy for a while now, and finally I was able to pull the trigger on one, and I got a great price in the process!

For a little less than $10, I was able to buy this 2010 Topps Tribute Adam Dunn jersey autograph numbered to only 50! If you've been reading this blog long enough, you'd know I have a knack for picking up a lot of cards from this product, because I really like the design. For the pack price, no thank you, but when you can get a card like this for under $10, it's a great deal.

I think that Dunn is one of the most underrated players in baseball right now. Probably the reason for this is that he hasn't played for any contenders yet and hasn't gotten a chance to prove himself in October. He's only made 1 All Star team way back in 2002, but that's mainly because he only has 1 of the five tools, and that is power. And boy does he have that! He's only 31 years old right now, and he has hit 354 home runs! I bet he'll hit 500 at some point in his career, if he continues the consistent 40 home runs seasons. When I think of Adam Dunn, I think of Jim Thome. They seem to go hand in hand to me. Now he's on the White Sox, so we'll see how heading to the American League will do for him.

Thanks again to everyone that made this post possible, and See Ya!

2009 UD Philadelphia Box Break Review Part 2

Hey guys, Drew back here. Well, after a trade post tomorrow I should be caught up. I'm working a lot on my new custom cards, and when I get a response from Grandpa Roy I'll have the backs complete. You'll see what the heck I'm talking about. I got a sweet Cano in, my 5th auto of his, and you'll see it soon. Here is the final review for 2009 UD Philadelphia, gonna be hard to beat my great mid term performances! My final average in Spanish was 100! BooYah! Anyway, here goes:

Design: The design is very original, but you have to look back at the greatness of the old school set. There are some nice cards, and Upper Deck did use some nice pictures, so that makes me happy. The inserts are pretty nice, but I do have a small problem with the set. It has 100 short prints. That's a heck of a lot. 25 or 30 of whatever amount it was of stupid Obama inserts is NOT GOING TO MAKE YOU COMPLETE THE STUPID SET!!!! (By the way, this is pretty funny. Brian Bruney of the Nationals makes more money than Obama, but President Obama has more cards). I like the Woodstock inserts and I don't mind all the others, but I am sick of Obama cards. He's nothing but a celebrity, the way people are treating him. I'm not saying anything bad politically, but it feels like George Clooney is our President, the way they make him look. He's done a lot of work and I don't even follow politics, so I'm not knocking on the guy. Remember though, he's a President, not Brad Pitt. I love how the set has on card autos, there's a big plus. Design Grade: B+

Price: Another awesome deal here. For 40 bucks on Blowout Cards, you can get about close to half the base set, about 3 quarters of a short 200 card set of veterans. You also get 2 game used of solid players and an on card autograph. Being that Jerricho Cotchery may be the worst auto in the checklist benefits me. They don't sell really well but none of us are here to sell. We are here to see some great cards join our collection. With the chance of a buyback card, it adds more fun and suspense to the product. Price Grade: A+

Hits: Well, as I said, 2 game used of solid players and a nice on card autograph are guaranteed per box, and with a chance of an original card (I got a Hall of Famer, woo!!!!) from an original Philadelphia set is great. You get all that for the price of 2 blasters. Upper Deck really hit the jackpot on this set! Hits Grade: A-

Overall: Like I just said, Upper Deck definitely hit the jackpot on this set! I have seen some great cards come out of it, and they definitely proved us collectors wrong, the ones who thought they couldn't make a football set to save their life! For the price and the amount of hits it's a great deal, and I'm very happy my dad got me the box! I may trade the buyback to Beardy but I'm still thinking about it because it's such a cool card. Sure, it would be better off in his collection, but I would like to get a Jets one. Titans maybe even. No, not Tennessee. New York! Thanks Upper Deck for putting out such a solid release, definitely will consider buying more of it in the future. Overall Grade: A

Some high praise for a company that is drowning underwater right now in lawsuits! Got a mailday coming next! See Ya!

2009 UD Philadelphia Box Break Review Part 1

Hey guys, Drew back here, with a box break review of 2009 Upper Deck Philadelphia football. Still typing on Microsoft Word due to Internet connectivity issues, but its OK. I just found out how to add scans, click to enlarge them if you'd like! Sorry about the font, it'll be fixed in the next post, it's just because of Word copy and paste. Thanks again to my dad for the box, and let’s get cracking! But first, the very important Product Expectations!

PRODUCT CONTENT

20 Packs per Box

8 Cards per Box

160 Cards per Box!

1 5x7 National Chicle R311 Box Topper

15 Base Set Short Prints Expected per Box

4 National Chicle Inserts

2 Memorabilia Cards per Box!

1 On Card Autograph per Box!

Chance at buybacks from original Philadelphia Sets!

Upper Deck gave this retro set a try this year, after Topps said they would release Magic, and of course, Mayo. The cards are simple, but have a pretty nice design. More on that when I get to the review. Here is what I got in my box:

MY BOX BREAK REVIEW:

Full Set: 144/300

Base Set: 139/200

Base Set Short Prints: 5/100

- Rookies: 3 (Peria Jerry, Patrick Chung, Malcolm Jenkins)

- NFL Legends: 2 (Barry Sanders, John Elway)

Other Short Prints: 10/100

- The Story of Barack Obama: 3 (305, 307, 320)

- Woodstock 40^th Anniversary: 1 (328)

- Vietnam War Bulletin: 1 (U.S. Involvement in Vietnam War Ends)

- The Election Years: 1 (1960: JFK vs. Humphrey)

- Stars of Action: 4 (Drew Brees, Julian Peterson, Ronnie Brown, Derrick Brooks)

5x7 National Chicle Box Topper: 1 (Hines Ward)

National Chicle Minis: 4

(William Miller NC9, George McGovern NC17, FG-1D Corsair NC33, Hines Ward NC58)

Memorabilia Cards: 2

- Steve Smith (CAR)

- Darren Sproles

Autographs: 1

- Jerricho Cotchery

1965 Philadelphia Buyback: 1

- Lenny Moore (Baltimore Colts HOF!!!)

In my opinion, this was a great box! I got a very old card in decent shape of a Hall of Famer, and the game used are of players I have always liked. The autograph, is of course a Jet. Unfortunately, I bought the Cotchery auto at the show BEFORE we opened the box, before I knew he got me a box that is. So, I have 2 now, 1 is for trade I guess, but I'm only looking for my PC stuff in return. Thanks, and See Ya! Stay tuned for Part 2, the grading!

White Plains Card Show Review Part 5

Part 5: J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!!

Hey guys, Drew back here, and I am amped for the big game that will probably start while I'm posting the Jets I bought at the card show. My dad got me 2 of these, thanks again dad! Anyway, here goes, but first, this little video to amp me, you, the person sitting next to you, the dude throwing pistachios into a sleeping dude's mouth at an airport, or any other people up!

2009 Bowman Sterling Dustin Keller Jersey /999

Wow, Jordin Sparks does a good National Anthem. Anyway, got this card in a nice deal for dirt cheap, and it's an awesome card. I have one of his relics from that stupid premier from 2008 Bowman Sterling, and this is now my 3rd relic of his. I'd sure love to get his auto. He is a great young tight end, and he may be a big factor in today's game.

2009 UD Philadelphia Jerricho Cotchery On Card Autograph

What a nice card this is. When I traded my auto from this set of D-Bowe to Beardy, I knew I had to check for Jets in the checklist. Sure enough, one of my favorite wide receivers, Jerricho Cotchery, had an auto in the set. I'm pysched to have this card, but there is a funny story about the card too, and I'll have to tell you that in one of the next posts in the series. I think I got this for 10 bucks, which isn't bad.

2009 Upper Deck 3D Stars Shonn Greene Rookie Card

Boy I'm amped up! I think I got this for like 2 or 3 bucks, and it's an awesome card. When you tilt it it shows his college jersey, and then of course the Jets side as you see in this picture. Shonn is a great rookie and I'm excited to see how he'll play later on in his career.

1990 (or 1991) NFL Pro Set Matt Snell On Card Autograph

My dad got me this one and the next one, and nothing better than having an autograph of a 1968 NFL Super Bowl Champion. Matt was a key factor as the Jets fullback and occasional running back back in the day, so it's cool to have. He bought it at a vendor, so there's no guarantee it's authentic, the guy said he met Matt and got that auto then. He inscribed his number too, which was cool.

2007 Topps Performance David Harris Rookie Jersey Autograph

Jeez. First play, first down. Let's hope that isn't the start of bad things here in NY. Good, 3rd down. Sorry, just typing while watching, and since my subject is based on the Jets, then I could write whatever I want about them. 4TH DOWN!!! And guess who just sacked Peyton? DAVID HARRIS!!!! He's a good linebacker and this is a sweet card. Now I need an autograph of Darelle Revis, who has his own island named after him for the day!

GO JETS!!!! AND SEE YA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!