2015 East Coast National: Card Pickups

Hey everyone, Drew back here! Yesterday, my Dad and I attended JP's Sports & Rock Solid Promotions' "East Coast National" for the seventh consecutive year. It is absurd to me thinking that I shook Dave Winfield's hand while in line for a hot dog at Nathan's that long ago. Time has truly flew by in my years with this spectacular hobby. Typically, we have gone to several shows in Westchester per year, but it had actually been a full year since we last stepped foot into the building that has brought us so many wonderful memories. The last show we went to was at a Hilton hotel in New Jersey, and prior to that was last year's East Coast National; where we met Johnny Damon, among others.

This year, I decided to save up more than my typical card show budget and treat myself to a fun day. I didn't come home with too much, but the quality surpassed the quantity in this case. Take a look at some of the better cards I was able to add to my collection:

We start with what has been a common theme throughout the blogosphere this summer (or at least in the cases of my buddies Frankie & Andrew, who both picked up relics of his at the National recently). I am now the latest to add a piece of Jackie Robinson's famous lumber to my PC. Believe it or not, despite doing the Tier One relic set in 2011 and collecting other historical relics throughout the years; this is my first Robinson relic! I think I made the right call on this beautiful 2015 Tier One bat card numbered to 99. There is a certain aura to the card, and from the second I saw it I knew I would make sure I left with it.

Next up, here was a quick impulse buy for only $10. Andrew Miller has been a reliable closer in his first year in New York, and has made Brian Cashman look like a genius for signing as opposed to familiar face David Robertson. Miller has out-pitched Robby thus far into the season, and the Yankees received a compensatory first round pick for letting go of Robertson. There was a great deal of hype surrounding Miller when he was drafted 6th overall by the Tigers in 2006. He never worked out as a starting pitcher, and was dealt to the Marlins in the deal that landed Detroit Miguel Cabrera. Ever since, he has evolved into a top tier reliever capable of retiring both lefties and righties effectively. This orange parallel was once a hot seller, but it became mine for a bargain.

Woah, buddy. Aaron Judge. I've been counting down the days until the Yankees call him up to replace Carlos Beltran in right field, and I'm hoping he at least gets a call up this September to help out down the stretch. Judge is a big part of the reason no major moves were made for the stretch run, which was a tough decision to make considering all the talent that could help fight off the Blue Jays right now. Ultimately, Cashman made the hard, but right move for New York down the road. He is a 6'7, 275 lb. beast of a hitter, and if he can work through some plate discipline problems he may be a future All Star. For $20, I needed to take the gamble with this Bowman Inception autograph. I came so very close to pulling the trigger on a graded 10 Bowman rookie autograph, but I didn't want to pony up and hand the cash over. We'll see if I regret that down the line.

Meanwhile, we already have gotten a glimpse of our team's consensus #1 prospect, pitcher Luis Severino. And, as far as I can tell, this kid is going to be awesome. Yesterday, he showed a lot of poise in holding the Blue Jays to 3 runs over 6 innings; striking out 9 in the process. If Carlos Beltran didn't lose a ball in the sun, he may not have given up any runs. What amazes me is that although the Yankees lost a big game against our current division foe, the most important takeaway is that Severino is ready and here to stay. I can definitely get used to that.

I managed to grab this pristine 2015 Bowman Inception autographed card of his for a very reasonable price, especially given that I bought it in New York. After doing a little research, I realized that these Inception autographs are much harder to come by than the Judge card above. The card is actually from Bowman Inception, despite featuring the flagship Bowman design. They sell for a much higher amount than what I paid, and I've even considered getting the card graded because it's in excellent condition.

My final pickup of the show was one I'm sort of surprised I made. I am a big Jose Abreu fan, but I didn't even think about adding his autograph at the show. Instead, I wanted to focus on making sure I got the Yankees top prospects and some of the better all around pitchers in the game. But, nothing ever goes as planned at these shows, and I bought this absolutely amazing Tier One autograph of one of my now annual fantasy keepers for again, a great price.

Abreu may not match his 2014 breakout rookie season in 2015, but he appears to be improving each and every week. After starting the year rather slowly, he has since picked up the pace, batting over .300 in both June and July. The White Sox made a smart business decision in signing the Cuban slugger to a team-friendly 6 year, $68 million dollar deal.

Well, that will just about do it for this recap post. I'll be back soon with more pictures and autographs with some special Hall of Fame players, among many other exciting things.

See Ya!

My First Taste of 2015 Topps!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Last week, I gave myself a little love and picked up a few 2015 Topps hanger boxes and a retail jumbo pack at Target! I've been seeing the new set all over the Internet and although I wasn't a fan at first glance, my opinions took a complete 360 turn in just about no time. So, Mr. Puig and I had a nice date in the Target parking lot during my break between classes in the midst of a snow storm (nothing new there).

My first card of 2015 was of Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. The Giants are my second favorite team now after visiting San Francisco last summer, and I like this kid a lot. I'm more than content to start the year in this fashion.

Jumbo Pack:

It may not be a classy design, but its the way Topps has had to go with their flagship product for years now. In this age of advanced technology, it was only right that the product should be designed with color and flair to depict the time we live in. The photography is excellent as it has been for a few years now, and I absolutely love how there the border colors match the team colors! Hopefully this means we're slowly working towards less pointless parallels. My first Yankee card is of now ex-Yankee Martin Prado. I was bummed to lose him this offseason, but I'm excited to see how Eovaldi will fare in the Bronx next season.

My one gripe with the new product is something that has been a consistent Topps downfall of mine in recent memory: too many inserts. I like the concepts of some of them; particularly the Robbed in Left, Free Agent 40, and First Pitches, but the rest do absolutely nothing for me. The Archetypes cards look cool but have no meaning whatsoever in my opinion. And god- whoever decided to put Austin Mahone in a card set needs to reexamine their life choices (I'll definitely take the Jack White card though).

Hanger Box 1:

Boy oh boy do I love that Jeter card. Not only was it so appropriate to give him card #1 this year, but the picture to top it off just astounds me. I wouldn't be surprised if that is still one of my all time favorite cards years down the road. Another small complaint though is with the "Future Stars" cards, and I think a lot of you have vouched for this earlier. The foil does not look good at all. I'm so glad Topps went without foil for most of the base cards this year, but that was really unnecessary. All or nothing, guys.

I didn't pull anything spectacular in this box, but it was fun to go through. The Jackie Robinson inserts are neat, but I feel like the days of having a full insert set all given to one player should be coming to an end soon. The parallel I pulled of Sal Perez is beautiful looking, and has me excited for Topps Chrome!

Hanger Box 2:

I ran into some serious collation problems between the jumbo pack and this box in particular. Of the 157 total base cards I added that day, there were over 30 doubles including a few triples. With a set 350 cards deep, I shouldn't have come home with that many doubles, but what can you do. Those Hunter Pence and Cole Hamels shots are really sweet though; again, excellent photography.

We conclude with another relatively underwhelming collection of inserts. The dual past/present cards have passed their prime, but this year's Inspired Play is certainly the nicest design they've used for that template yet. The gold cards stand out this year more than in year's passed, and the history cards are interesting too.

Topps is never going to please everyone; and while I'm torn on some things with this product, I do really like it as a whole. I doubt I'll be buying much more due to financial constraints, but I'm happy with what I came home with. Over anything else, I wanted some cards to send out TTM, and I wanted to see the base cards for myself.

Very well done Topps, you're heading in the right path without a doubt! See Ya!

Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson

Hey guys, Drew back here! Well, college has started to catch up to me, which explains why I haven't been around as frequently now. Regardless of the work load, I only have had one thing to show off, which has kept me relatively unmotivated in the blogosphere. I've had a big drought with TTM successes of late, with the exception of this really unique success I received on September 27th! 

Rachel Robinson: 2/2 in 36 Days c/o Jackie Robinson Foundation

Capping off my recent projects of adding some of baseball royalty's relatives, I was able to get Jackie Robinson's widow Rachel Robinson to sign 2 photos for me! With this success, I now have gotten Babe Ruth's granddaughter Julia Ruth Stevens, Mickey Mantle's son David, and now Robinson. I absolutely love this photo I found online of Jackie, Rachel, and I believe their son Jackie Robinson Jr. The sports world is overrun with publicity, advertising, and pressure, but it's nice to see a picture of perhaps the most controversial athlete in history enjoying being with his family. I don't have enough of baseball's biggest pioneer, but this piece is something I'm very proud to be able to own.

I also was fortunate enough to receive this signed 5x7 "42" movie promo from Robinson! I included this along with the 8x10, but would've been more than content with just the one. She signed this picture perfectly aligned in the direction Jackie is sliding, and it looks so cool! I thought "42" was a pretty good movie, certainly not one of my all time favorite baseball movies, but I think Chadwick Boseman did a good job in the role. 

I'm extremely excited to add such an influential American woman's signature to my collection. Behind every strong man is a strong woman, and I'm sure some of her actions led to Jackie making the unbelievable impact he did on our country. Thank you Mrs. Robinson!

See Ya!

Revisiting Baseball's Hallowed Hall

Hey guys, Drew back here! William has soared past me with this trip recap, however I've still got quite a bit to post. I'm not used to being as busy as I am but I'm trying to contribute to the blogosphere whenever I get around to it. With that said, here is my recap of our most recent visit to the Hall of Fame.

We originally went into the Hall before we went to the Induction Ceremony to get our tickets and hands stamped. We figured that after the Induction, many people would be checking out the museum, so rather than wait in line, we got stamped and returned later on, walking through the line like VIP members!

For any of you new to the Hall, normally the first thing you'll see in the Hall is their short little introduction video. If you aren't in the museum mood, this will change that. It's a nice beginning to the Hall, but I won't spoil it any more for any of you interested in checking it out for yourself.

After the intro, you're told to start from the very beginning of history in the Hall, but I don't quite understand why you wouldn't. The earliest stuff is in my opinion the most interesting in all of the museum, especially since I had already been there in the past. There are a lot of unique pieces in the earlier displays, while some of the later displays contain more jerseys/hats/equipment/etc. 

Babe Ruth's exhibit is one of the coolest in all of the Museum! The Hall owns many of The Babe's classic memorabilia, and it is almost overwhelming to see it all in the same place and take it all for what it is. However, they own his last ever autograph (above) along with some jerseys and bats from memorable moments.

When I visited the Hall... I had still not seen 42. They had a small display featuring some of the movie memorabilia, and I wish I could've enjoyed it more. However, the night we returned to my house we got to watch it, and as far as I'm concerned we all really enjoyed it.

Hate the Yankees all you want, but when you go to the Hall of Fame you need to expect to see some of their classic memorabilia. Being a Yankees fan, there was an awful lot of incredible memorabilia I got a chance to feast my eyes on.

The Pirates have been a lot of fun to watch in 2013, and I've gained more appreciation for the organization by the day (well, everyone but Bill Mazeroski). I hope to see them win the NL Central and compete throughout the playoffs. Having them as a second favorite team should add some excitement in October when the Yankees most likely won't (and probably shouldn't) be playing.

The first time I went to the Hall with my Dad in 2009, this Hank Aaron "Chasing the Dream" exhibit had been in construction. I remember they were working on the displays while we walked by, and we got to see one of Hank's game used bats outside of the glass. They did a really nice job paying tribute to Hammerin' Hank, and I found it interesting that the MLB records displays were right next to it...

William and I's teams don't seem to share much in common. Both the Orioles and Yankees have been around for a while, and both have their share of incredible players, but otherwise they don't have a lot to relate to. Well.. except for the "Iron" connection between Gehrig and Ripken, the "Most Consecutive Games Played" record, which Ripken now owns obviously. The Hall did a nice job showing off some cool pieces surrounding the hallowed record.

Even Eddie Gaedel's classic "1/8" jersey was on display! Gaedel, the legendary midget who had one at bat for Bill Veeck's St. Louis Browns in 1951, owns the highest On Base Percentage in MLB history (although he only registered one at bat)! His uniform was next to current MLB'er Jon Rauch's jersey, the tallest player to ever take the field in the Majors.

When I went in Spring 2009, this sucker wasn't in the World Series ring display, because it hadn't been won yet. The 2009 World Series has been the only Yankee World Series I've associated myself with throughout my life because I was far too young to understand their late 90's run. So, it was really neat to get to see one of the rings up close!

"Sipping from your cup til' it runneth over, holy grail". Justin Timberlake couldn't pay tribute to the 1909 T-206 Wagner any better. Whenever you're in a room with that card, you could almost taste the aura surrounding it. Simply put, it's the greatest baseball card ever created, and is a lot of the reason why we all still are able to collect today.

Also since our first trip, I began to start the 1961 Topps set! I'm now a little over halfway done with the set (including the high numbers), but I've really started to question whether I should bother with the high numbers or not. Of the 12 cards on display, I own 7, which isn't too bad considering I haven't focused on the set in a while.

William and I really enjoyed getting to see the Hall together this year. It was a great experience, and I'm glad I was able to see it with someone who appreciates it even more than I do. However, I have a little bit more from the Hall I'd like to share with you all, which I'm planning on getting to tomorrow.

See Ya!

TTM #88 & Birthday Gift! Brooklyn Dodgers Edition!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Lately, as most of you have seen, I've been really getting into pictures and memorabilia, almost to the point where I'd rather have photos over cards. I can see why people think otherwise, as Night Owl wrote in his post the other day, but I just feel like it would be cool to clutter my wall with all sorts of awesome autographs I can stare at all day long. And, I have to say, it's refreshing to hear a "I'm so jealous" by my friends once in a while, but I'll keep that between us! Anyways, sometimes I don't even ask for something and I ended up with it, as in this case. My dad's uncle received a picture from my Grandpa about 20 years ago, and for my birthday, he thought it would be fitting to pass it down to me, given I'm such a big baseball fan.

The picture was this team photo of the 1955 World Champion Brooklyn Dodgers! I am in no means a Dodgers fan, but I am a baseball fan, and I think it's awesome to now have a piece featuring legends like Koufax, Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, and of course, Jackie Robinson. 

I don't know how soon it will be before this goes on a wall in my house, but if it doesn't have a good spot here, it will definitely one day. I dream of having a mancave when I'm older at my house so I can show off my collection even more. Hopefully that dream will come true, and if it does, I'll certainly find a spot for this. (even though they beat my dang Yankees in the World Series) Thank you Uncle John for thinking of me, and giving me this sweet gift. 

But, we're not done here. I found it fitting that the other day I happened to get a TTM success from one of the players in this picture- the guy to the left of Sandy Koufax. The success took only 9 days, and well, it was even better than I expected!

 

Yes, those are all autographs of Carl Erskine, a former Dodgers pitcher! Erskine was never quite Koufax, Drysdale, or even Newcombe, but he was certainly one of the more consistent pitchers of his era. The 1 time All Star finished his 12 year career with an ERA at exactly 4.00, compiling 122 wins and only 78 losses. He signed 4 items for me, even though I only sent two! He is now one of 6 autographs I own from the 1988 Pacific set, which I've been using a lot lately for TTM requests. The card below that is some sort of personal card he included, with a bunch of advice on the back. Also, he signed my index card and pimped out a nice inscription without a doubt, and he wrote "Hello Drew, Thanks for writing and for your interest, Regards, Carl Erskine" on my letter! I'm really happy with the success, and I'm glad I'm beginning to broaden my horizons with my baseball knowledge.

Again, a big thank you to my Uncle John for the great picture, and to Mr. Erskine for being such a class act! See Ya!

March 24th White Plains Card Show Recap! Meeting Bobby Shantz and Roy White!

Hey everyone, Drew back here. For some odd reason baseball was cancelled today, perhaps because it got to be too nice out? Oh well, anyway, since I'm stuck here in my office room, I might as well continue on the card show review! We're now moving on to Part 4 of 6, dedicated to my experiences getting to meet two former players! Both of these players were free autograph signers for the day with paid admission into the show, and had by far the longest line I've ever seen at the County Center. I'm still stumped as to why, because both players weren't necessarily stars, but a free autograph is a free autograph without a doubt.

The first player I was able to meet was former All Star pitcher Bobby Shantz! Shantz is one of those old school players who is now in his upper 80's, but the coolest part about him was that he not only was a very good pitcher, but he had opportunities to face some players us fans idolize today, in Mantle, Mays, and Jackie Robinson. He was an 8 time Gold Glove winner, which really is a hard accomplishment to achieve in baseball for a pitcher. Also, adding to his remarkable list of accomplishments, he also won the 1952 American League MVP after winning 24 games! With a career record of 119-99, he was certainly one of the better pitchers of his era. I actually already got his autograph from a past TTM success, but with a chance to meet him for practically no cost was something I didn't want to pass up.

Unfortunately, I was stuck in line for an hour and a half, and that's just being nice. However, the wait was definitely worth it, as I was able to finally meet Shantz and have him sign a few things for me. I don't quite remember how it came up, but I was able to thank him for signing for me through the mail, and how appreciative I was of that. He seemed like a really nice man, without question.

He first signed this very nice 1988 Pacific Baseball Legends card, from the same set I recently got a Roy Sievers autograph from. I discovered that I had quite a few of these cards laying around in my basement, so I decided to try and get some of them autographed, because they always seem to come out great. This was certainly no exception to that. Shantz has by far one of the nicest all around signatures I've seen. 

For the other free ticket Dad and I had on us, I decided to do something pretty neat, at least from what I think. I bought a cheap 8x10 off of my favorite photo dealer at the show, and I paid the JP's Sports guys for an inscription. I asked Mr. Shantz if he could write a little something about the photo on it, and he went right ahead and did that for me, which was awesome. I thought it came out pretty darn good. 

Yes, the photograph is from the 1952 All Star Game, where Shantz showed off in his MVP season, striking out three batters in a row- Whitey Lockman, Jackie Robinson, and Stan 'The Man' Musial! It shows Jackie swinging at the pitch in the at bat he struck out in, which was really something neat. It's rare to get a chance to meet someone who pitched against one of the biggest American icons, so I always wanted to remember the opportunity I had to meet him. I asked Shantz how difficult Jackie was to face, and he said that he was a very tough hitter, but he was able to get him in that at bat. 

Without a doubt meeting Bobby was something I probably won't ever forget, and I'm glad I took advantage of the opportunity I was given. He was a class act, and I was able to take home some pretty darn awesome autographs! On a side note, he looks very good for 87 years old. God bless him. 

Immediately following my encounter with the 1952 AL MVP, I moved right along to the next free signer, former Yankee Roy White. This wasn't the first time I met White, or even the second. This was the third time I've met him! I've always thought he was a class act guy and a good autograph to have, so I've taken advantage of getting to meet him in the past. In fact, back in 2006, he became the first Major League athlete I ever met. So, with this time around, besides picking up a nice autograph for Connor to give as a gift, I decided to do something special. The night before I met him, I decided not to have him sign my Mantle autographed photo just yet, because I had another idea in mind. 

It came out a little smeared on the right side, but nobody has really noticed it too much until I point it out. The picture was absolutely fine until he signed it, so maybe his hands were greasy or something because there was a thumbprint on the side. Or I was just being stupid. Who knows. Anyways, I now own a signed photograph of my first encounter with a professional athlete, which was something I always thought about doing. He inscribed it out "To Drew, Best Wishes Again, Roy White #6". I have five or six of his autographs already, but this one shot right up to number one. 

White seemed a little out of it that day, but he was still nice enough to add a nice personalization and what not. He's a good guy, but I'm sure he was sick of signing by that point, especially with the line that still awaited AFTER I was done waiting over an hour for them. 

So, these two experiences already had made my day, but it only got better as I proceeded to meet 2 Hall of Famers! I'll post those signings tomorrow!

See Ya!

Ancient Baseball Card eBay Pickup! Yankee Stud!

Hey guys, Drew back here. Well, I tried making a big comeback, but so far with so many plans and camp and stuff in the way, looks like it's not gonna work too well. Well, I guess its the thought that counts. I've definitely got a sweet post coming soon based off of tomorrow, but otherwise there's a lot to post in not a whole lot of free time. Guess that's never a big problem, its better than having nothing to write about. Anyways, check out this awesome card I just bought!

Out of the 1934 National Chicle/Diamond Stars set, I got card #12, of former Yankees outfielder Fred "Dixie" Walker. While Walker was known mostly for his days with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he also began his career in 1931 for the Yankees! To be honest, I knew absolutely nothing about this guy until after I won the card, but immediately researched him. Dodgers fans gave him the nickname "The People's Cherce", cherce basically meaning choice in the "Brooklynese" language. He won the batting title in 1944 with a .357 batting average, and also made 5 All Star teams in his 18 year career. 

Walker is especially famous for being the only player in baseball history to be teammates with both Babe Ruth, and Jackie Robinson. An interesting story to relate with Robinson, was that when Jackie was about to be called up by Brooklyn, many Alabama natives pressured him to make a statement by asking to be traded. Having negro league players being called up in the Majors was obviously a new thing, and at the time many players didn't want to associate themselves with Robinson. After never being traded, Walker was forced to play with Robinson, and for Jackie to avoid being embarrassed he would not look in his eyes when they shook hands and what not. Eventually he gained a lot of respect for Jackie, saying that Branch Rickey was 100% correct with the idea to sign him. He went on to coach in International Leagues with players of many races!

I found that to be a really interesting story, and it's definitely neat to own a card of his. He retired with a .305 lifetime batting average, over 100 home runs, and was often considered for several MVP awards. 

The card certainly is not in tip top condition, but it almost looks weird to own a mint condition card from this time. Its got a few decent creases, but I spent under $10 on it so it'll definitely be something I want to hang on to, and get in a nice screwdown. This is now my oldest card by about 19-20 years, and I hope to find stuff for good prices even older than this! They're definitely pretty cool to own!

What is your oldest card and how did you get it?

See Ya!