drewscards 2015 Year in Review

Hey everyone, this is Drew back here with you for one last time this year. Today marks the end of one of the craziest years of my life. After a seamless conclusion to high school, the transition to college was rocky and resulted with me transferring schools to come back home. I got out of what once was a really healthy relationship that was affected severely by the changes that took place. I started working at a local Dick's Sporting Goods store and made some really great friends in the process. And I am currently preparing to leave the country next month and explore Europe as part of my journey to start a newer, fresher beginning.

With all of these changes, I had to choose whether to keep this blog going or to let it fade away with the rest of my childhood. I remember saying last year when Derek Jeter retired that it was the final straw for me to grow up and become an adult. I've been starting to take my writing more seriously, as you saw all of last year through my occasional "Ten for Tuesday" ranking posts and my frequent opinions on trades, teams, and the Baseball Hall of Fame. Some of the articles you saw towards the end of the year were even published in my school's online newspaper. I plan to use my passion for not just this hobby but for the game of baseball itself to hopefully land an internship next year, and maybe a job down the line. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that I'm the type of person that would prefer to love what I do more than love the benefits of doing something I don't enjoy.

So, the blog continues into 2016, but I decided to brush away the rust and create something new for you all. With that in mind, I'd like to formally welcome you all to "Drew's Hot Corner". Same author, same style, but I would like to think it feels more "grown-up". One of my biggest goals in 2016 (I'll get into this more tomorrow) is to shed away the skin of the 12 year old I was when I began this endeavor and give you all a more mature representation of who I am today. I'll continue to show you all how my card and memorabilia collections grow over time, but a lot of what you'll see from here on will have to do with my thoughts on the sport itself. I'll occasionally branch into football, basketball, TV, music, or really whatever else I feel like writing, but baseball is and will always be the concentration.

I chose third base because it was the position I enjoyed playing the most in the decade I participated in baseball. I've always had the most respect for players that are capable of making the long throw to first and have unquestionably quick reflexes. Maybe had I caught during my career, this blog would be "Behind the Plate". But I think this serves me best. Evan Longoria and David Wright were my favorite players to emulate when playing third, so they accompany all time greats Brooks Robinson and Mike Schmidt on the updated logo. I hope you all have found this post well, because I did purchase a domain through Blogger. We have moved from www.drewsbbcards.blogspot.com to www.drewshotcorner.com.

But before the Hot Corner begins to spark, let's take a journey into what 2015 brought into my life.

January

- I was blessed with a Nick Offerman through the mail success.

- Cubs prolific slugger and a personal favorite of mine, Ernie Banks, passed away.

- Dad and I met Tino Martinez, Don Larsen, among other Yankee greats at MAB's Pinstripe Pandemonium (and Frankie!)

March

- I celebrated watching baseball for 10 years by creating my All Time Yankees team. (Pitching)

- TTM Success from the legendary voice of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones!

April

- I started my "Ten for Tuesday" series by discussing my 10 favorite memories as a Yankee fan!

May

- I counted down the Top 10 Sports Photos of All Time

June

- One of the most controversial lists discussed the most Overrated Hall of Famers.

- I ranked the Top 10 Greatest Yankees of all time.

- I read and reviewed Jorge Posada's autobiography, "The Journey Home"

July

- I went to an NLCS Game several months too early with my friends, Mets vs. Cubs

- My birthday brought two new signed baseballs into my collection (Panik / Brooks)

August

- I discussed moves made during the Baseball Trade Deadline

- I bought an autograph of the game's top current prospect, Byron Buxton

- Dad & I attended the East Coast National, Meeting Robinson, Murray, & Kaline

- That day, I unofficially began collecting Yankees phenom Luis Severino!

September

- I payed my respects to the wonderful man that was Yogi Berra.

October

- Victory Fine Art & I teamed up to give away one of their beautiful prints!

- I picked up a signed copy of Ray Lewis' autobiography, "I Feel Like Going On"

- I started selling on eBay and treated myself to an upgraded autograph of Giancarlo Stanton

November

- I shared the articles I wrote for my school's newspaper: "Five Ways the Yankees Can Claim Back New York" and "A Letter to the Hall of Fame".

December

- I went to my first card show by myself and met future Yankees first baseman Greg Bird

- Dad and I went to the biggest Jets game of 2015!

- I got a TTM success from Yankees top prospect Aaron Judge!

- Frankie and William hooked me up with amazing Christmas gifts!

Thank you to each and every one of you that helped make this year as great as it possibly could get. I'm fortunate to live a wonderful life with amazing influences, friends, and family, and I want it to be clear just how blessed I know I am. I hope I can continue to use all that I have to make a considerable impact on all of your lives much like you have mine. 

Thank you to every single reader out there. Even if you just take the time to click my link, it allows me to continue to bring material out for you. 2015 was an enormous comeback year on the blog for me, and I hope to ride out this hot streak well into 2016 and beyond.

Until next year, so long, and goodbye. Rest in peace, drewscards. It was fun.

Impulse Buy - Ray Lewis Signed Book

Hey everyone, Drew back here. Before I continue, I just want to friendly remind you that my contest for a free print from Victory Fine Art will be concluding on Halloween at 5 PM EST. It's a great value and they do a fantastic job, so check out this link if you want to try to win something special to display in your man cave.

I recently was perusing the web as I often do, until I was sent an email from Barnes & Noble. I've ordered a few signed books from their website over the past year, and they now send me updates when new signed books will be hitting the web. As soon as I saw this coming out on October 20th, I knew I had to make it mine.

Future Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis just released his first tell-all autobiography entitled "I Feel Like Going On: Life, Game, and Glory". I haven't had the chance to read it yet, but the description sure does put it at the top of my reading list. Ray talks about his tough childhood and his incredible football career with the Baltimore Ravens mostly within the book, as well as discussing his faith and how it has gotten him to where he is today. 

Lewis' story has been the subject of debate for many years now. While I don't expect him to go into too much detail from the controversial Super Bowl party in Atlanta of 2000, I do hope he at least touches on it. If you didn't know before, he was on trial for murder in a very suspicious incident that has since left his reputation in jeopardy. However, since that case he has avoided trouble and focused on becoming perhaps the greatest linebacker of his generation.

I'll never forget Ray for his elaborate dance routine to pump up the crowd in Baltimore. He was one of my favorite players to watch, and it isn't the same without him on the field. He was the player on the cover of my first Madden I ever owned (Madden 2005), and was one of the few that didn't allow the Curse to get to him.

His autograph doesn't have much to show for it, but for $20 shipped, I'm beyond content with what I received. I haven't been reading as much as I used to, but I did review Jorge Posada's autobiography from earlier this year and hopefully eventually I can cover this one as well.

If you are interested in great signed book opportunities, look no further than Barnes & Noble's signed book collection. They offer a wide variety of autographed books that would look great in any collection.

See Ya!