Baseball Palooza Card Show Recap!

Buongiorno, everyone! I can't believe how long it's been, and how much has changed since my last post. It's been two weeks since I left the United States for the first time, and I am now temporarily living in the beautiful country of Italy. It is such an honor to get the chance to share these next few months studying in Florence, perhaps the cultural capital of the world.

I had a little time to kill this morning, so I decided to share with you what took place the day before I left. Unfortunately, half of my computer screen broke on one of the first days, just a week after I accidentally chipped my front tooth. I haven't been all that lucky lately, but then again, I am getting to wake up every day in an amazing city. I had my computer repaired for a semi-lofty cost, but it feels new and improved. With that in mind, let's get to the gettin'.

Dad and I first attended the MAB Celebrity Yankees card show last January. It was there that we met Don Larsen, Tino Martinez, and several other Bronx greats. We also met Frankie for the first time, and it was an excellent day when all was said and done. When MAB began to reveal the lineup for their 2016 "Baseball Palooza" at the same location, we knew we had to go. It was the best parting gift I could possibly ask for.

One of my main gripes with the show last year was that it was based in a very small room and got really tight in certain sections. There were vendors selling autographs scattered throughout the room, but it was hard to get a hold of them. Unfortunately, the location was the same this year, and they decided to expand the audience by adding Mike Piazza to its lineup. This was Piazza's first public signing since he was inducted into the Hall of Fame last month, and Mets fans flocked to the scene to get that fancy inscription. On top of it all, it was after the huge snowstorm hit New Jersey, so there was barely any parking available. After some time and frustration, we made it into the show and panicked to get in lines because some players were finishing their sessions before the scheduled time if they didn't have a line left.

One of such players was the first we met this year, John Wetteland. Last year, Dad basically had coffee with him, and this year we decided to get a ball signed spur of the moment. We didn't have any baseballs in advance, and Wetteland was preparing to leave until we let one of the MAB employees know we had a ticket. Dad dashed back to buy baseballs amidst the wild crowd, and came back as quickly as he could.

At this point, I don't remember too much about my exchange with Wetteland. I told him I was born the year he was World Series MVP, which I hope he didn't take as an old joke. My dad reminded him of their encounter from last year, which he seemed to vaguely remember.

I really wanted to find a 1996 World Series ball to have him sign, but should've ordered one in advance. There was no way I was getting anything other than a regular ball with the crowd the way it was. Until Piazza's signing ended, it was practically a mosh pit. But hey, autographs!

Wetteland inscribed a ball with his "96 World Series MVP" for me. Not many people remember how good he was at closing games in his prime. He currently ranks 14th all time in saves (330), and he added 3 All Star nods to his resumé in his 12 years. He was a guy I'd been meaning to add for quite some time, particularly on my Mantle 16x20. With the limited space left though, I passed on the opportunity for some other bigger Yankees I still need.

From there, I bounced over to Topps' newest representative, and one of my current PC players, Luis Severino! I've talked a great deal about the Yankees emerging ace through all of my pickups (My PC), and I knew this event was in the cards the second he was added to the lineup. 

I didn't know all that much about Luis until I started collecting his cards, but I'm definitely rooting for our top pitching prospect (if he's even considered that anymore). He was pretty friendly, but I knew he didn't speak the best English. What sucked was that he chose not to allow photos, which seemed like a bit of a prima donna move to me. However, I respected his decision, told him I collect his cards, and went on my way with a signed baseball to add to the collection.

Severino has a pretty interesting autograph, which I'll take over a just plain terrible autograph. It is definitely distinguishable the more you see it. Although I was really disappointed I couldn't get snap a photo with him, the experience could've been much worse (ie: anything involving Reggie Jackson).

Next, we made our way over to a Hall of Famer who has somehow managed to elude us ever since our very first card show. I'll never forget being at the Westchester County Center for the first time and standing behind Dave Winfield in the Nathan's line. It made the show feel larger than life (especially considering how big of a guy he is), and although I didn't get his autograph that day, shaking his hand was such an honor for me.

Mr. Winfield has been in the news a little bit lately, as he recently launched his own personal brand that will focus on some apparel. He was so friendly, just as I remember when he was waiting for his hot dog. He asked whose jersey I was wearing, and I showed him the big #2 and mentioned how cool it was that he was Jeter's favorite player growing up. I also mentioned the brand to him because I read a SportingNews article the night before about it, and he appreciated the support and told us that he wants to do some cool things with it.

He really seems like the kind of player you could have a really fantastic conversation with. In our brief moments together, I really gained respect for the Hall of Fame slugger.

I haven't been doing well lately with where players are signing on my Mantle 16x20. Many of them are accidentally leaving noticeable gaps between autographs, but I guess that's just what comes with the territory of being a perfectionist. However, Winfield signed perfectly where I wanted him to. He signed it large enough to realize it was his signature but small enough to give space for one or two autographs directly below Mantle.

As if the day couldn't get off to a better start, we then met our current shortstop Didi Gregorius! Didi blew us away with his kindness. I told him how I thought he deserved the Gold Glove last year after how much he evolved defensively down the stretch, and he was so humble and thankful for my remarks. We learned afterwards when talking to one of the showrunners that he drove Didi to the show, and really enjoyed getting to know him. I wish I could drive big league players around.

Didi doesn't have the most special autograph, but my baseball came out nice! He kindly inscribed his number, and as we walked away Dad told him he did an excellent job stepping into Jeter's role. I overheard someone say something about my Dad's comment, and Didi just shrugged and said "What are you gonna do?" with a big grin on his face. He embraces his role in Yankees history, but isn't letting it affect his performance. I really like that.

For a baseball player, it does not get much bigger than "Big Mike" himself, Michael Pineda. Pineda was acquired in a controversial trade involving our former top prospect Jesus Montero. Neither player has overly impressed, but Pineda easily has provided more for the Yankees than the Mariners have gotten out of Montero. 

Pineda occasionally flashes his potential, but injuries have frequently put his hot streaks to a halt. Last year, he struck out 16 batters in 7 innings against the Orioles on May 10th in what was his best career performance. Dad and I saw him pitch last summer against the Mariners, and were looking forward to getting to meet him at this show. I told him we love him in New York and were excited to see him pitch next year. We got a little smile out of the big man and a "thank you, my friends". It was the happiest I've ever seen the guy!

Aside from the injury bug haunting him, I think Pineda needs to get a little better at controlling his emotions on the mound. You can clearly see that he pitches differently when he knows he doesn't have his best stuff, and that is a quality that makes or breaks major league pitchers. When he's confident, there aren't many better pitchers in the game. But it's been a rocky road since he became a Yankee in 2012. 

I'm a little tough on Pineda because I know he has the potential to be something special. Also, I've tried to justify for years why I traded my friend Scott my David Ortiz autograph for his Pineda rookie autograph. He was very nice though, and the baseball came out so well, again with a number inscription (that looks like it was written in by a toddler).

Last, but most certainly not least, was Alfonso Soriano! We had a really good feeling about Soriano after we saw how much he was interacting with those before us in line. He took his time, flashed his $100 million dollar smile, and really looked to be enjoying the signing. There is no more relieving feeling than that.

I didn't get to see much of Soriano's early years in New York, but I'm well aware of his huge home run in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series that almost sealed the Yankees' 27th championship. He left New York in 2004 when he was traded to Texas for Alex Rodriguez, and the rest was history. Looking back, I don't think I would've made that trade. The drama has outweighed Rodriguez's performance in the Big Apple, which is telling considering he's won two MVP's and helped lead us to our 2009 World Series title.

When Soriano came back to the Yankees in 2013, I paid attention. Sure, he was 37 years old when we acquired him at the trade deadline, but he hit. In 243 plate appearances, Sori hit .256 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI! That is what I'll most remember him for. I told him that when it was finally my turn to shake his hand, and he was really nice in return.

And he gave me a wonderful autograph to boot. Does it get much better than that?

I've learned to embrace the role as a bit of a "suck-up" in order to get the best experience from players, but it really is the way you should act in that situation. These players face so much adversity and pressure (especially in New York), and my job as part of the fanbase is to help boost these players' self esteem. I didn't have a single bad encounter with any of the players I met, despite the chaos surrounding them at all times. I just wish more fans would think before they say something regretful.

Before leaving the show, I decided to buy a photo I'd been eyeing since we first walked in.

This signed 11x14 of Luis Severino is without question the highlight of my PC now. I didn't think I would have what it took to add this to my collection, but I really couldn't pass up this beautiful Steiner authenticated action shot for the price. This picture was from his Major League debut against the Boston Red Sox on August 5th of last year. He gave up one run over 5 innings, but didn't get any run support and wound up being handed a L. His first win came on August 22nd against the Indians.

I really believe in this kid's ability after watching countless videos and highlights of his. I'm going to continue to collect his cards, although I probably can't afford to add much more while I'm away.

Dad and I really had a blast at this show, as we always do. I couldn't ask for a better card show teammate, and just Dad in general. I miss you, as well as the rest of the family.

Alright, time to get up and get myself a cannoli. Ciao!

Mail Catchup!

Hey guys, Drew back here! For the second day in a row, we have a snow day here in "upstate" New York, which has been nice for me as I'm trying desperately to get somewhat organized before the holidays. I think it's about time I get some of these cards off my desk and loaded into binders, so take a look at some of what I've gotten in from my buddies William, Scott, and Andrew over the past few months!

We'll kick things off with William, who; although I've had a hard time keeping in good touch with this year, still treats me better than anyone else in this hobby. I can't begin to express my gratitude for his friendship and I always appreciate the random care packages! He always catches me up on the products I don't buy (which is basically every product at this point) and sends me the Yankees, and once again he came in clutch and really helped me out. I really like the Panini Cooperstown product and I like how they chose some pictures that aren't used as commonly. It's a nicely designed product and maybe one day I'll buy a pack or two!

I always have checked out Allen & Ginter, so it really says something about my interest in investing in packs that I hadn't bought a single pack this year. The Berra & Cano's were really appreciated, as well as the Jeter insert! It's going to be weird remembering Cano isn't a Yankee anymore but I'm still going to recognize and honor the 9 great years he put towards the Yankee organization and highlight him in my collection.

He also sent me all of the Topps Update Yankees he pulled, which was awesome of him too! I hardly opened any of the flagship product this year, and I actually really liked it. I've been spending my hobby money elsewhere, such as improving my Mickey Mantle 16x20 project and I've also had to allocate that money towards real world stuff such as gas and food. I've always enjoyed the update product though, because I'm the type of fan that really enjoys seeing how GM's can upgrade their teams and a majority of the cards in this set are the small names that Brian Cashman needed to make the most out of what was a pretty bad 2012 season. Lyle Overbay was solid all season, however Kevin Youkilis was injured most of the year. You win some, and you lose some, I guess.

Andrew surprised me one day with a PWE containing this sweet Mariano Rivera 2013 Bowman purple refractor numbered out of 199! I really appreciated that he went out of his way to give me this card for nothing other than being a good friend. Everyone go give his blog some love if you haven't already!

But that wasn't all that Andrew had to offer. I also recently participated in his group break of a box of Topps Update, and I ended up with the Yankees and Mets. I got all of the big base cards from each team including the Mariano Rivera inserts, the Home Run Derby cards, the Harvey card, and the Wheeler rookie card!  

On top of that, I got a few nice inserts, my favorite easily being the Mariano green parallel. While this past year wasn't very good for the baseball team, honoring Mo's legacy did make the season somewhat more of a success than it would've been! I also really like the Mussina "Chasing History" insert. I really hope he does well on the Hall of Fame ballot this year, because I think if he can survive the heavy classes of the next few years, he'll eventually get in.

Last but certainly not least, I made my first trade in the past century with my good friend Scott over at Mr. Baseball. He and I have made some trades in the past, but nothing major was ever moved between us, until now. I finally gave up my David Ortiz Stadium Club auto in exchange for all of these goodies, because while it held a significant memory in my hobby experience, it fit much better in Scott's Ortiz PC. I got a bunch of nice inserts in the deal, including the Jeter red parallel and the Cano silver ice out of Bowman. 

In addition to the inserts, I managed to pick up this Andy Pettitte relic with a pinstripe out of 2008 Upper Deck Timeline. Many people overlook the fact that Andy didn't play his entire career in New York, but he had some of his best seasons for Houston in the mid 2000's. He capped off his brilliant career last year, and he'll certainly be missed in the Yankees rotation next season. However, as Pettitte exits, enter a possible new era, as this guy could be vying for a spot next year:

Numbered out of 199 from 2011 Topps Chrome, the newest big addition to my collection is this Michael Pineda blue refractor autograph! Pineda has a ton of potential, some of which he's already shown in the majors during his rookie season. He played very little last season, all in the minors where he was recovering from his shoulder surgery he underwent. He currently has an opportunity to take a spot in next year's rotation, but Yankee fans haven't gotten their hopes up. He's still only 24, so there's a lot of time left before considering the near 2011 Rookie of the Year a dud. If he ends up working out, I'll be very proud to have this card, but if he doesn't, that's part of the risk you have to take with cards like these.

So, I want to thank all three of you for everything, you all went out of your way to improve my collection and it means a lot to me!

See Ya!

My Take on the Big Yankees Moves

Hey everyone, Drew back here. As the free agency period is starting to slow down and come to a close, Yankee fans seemed to wonder where GM Brian Cashman had been. Normally, Cashman and the Steinbrenner family are all over the free agents every winter, but it seemed different this year. Obviously, the team's weakness from last year was our starting pitching, with struggles from Phil Hughes, Bartolo Colon, and more famously, AJ Burnett. Burnett has been consistently awful through his 3 seasons in the Bronx, and for about $16 million a year, Cashman did the wrong thing taking him on. But you can't necessarily blame him for the signing. Burnett had been a very solid #2 pitcher for several years, and his performance demanded a salary of maybe just a bit less than what he got.

But when I heard about the big trade that went down yesterday between the Yankees and Mariners, I was a bit stunned. In case you haven't heard, the Yankees sent their top prospect Jesus Montero and a potential starter in Hector Noesi to Seattle for their young future star pitcher Michael Pineda and pitching prospect Jose Campos. I was in shock when I received the Yankees News Alert text message, because of the way they brought up Montero. His hitting skill was un-matched by most catching prospects, and his overall future talent was predicted to be of All Star caliber. I invested in a few of his autographs and was extremely excited for his call up to the big leagues. Last September, he made a splash when they finally called him up for his cup of coffee at the end of the season. He hit .328 in 18 games, slugging 4 home runs, and knocking in 28 runs, which in my book is an unreal first month in the big leagues! 2012 will be his official rookie season, now with Seattle, and he may do even better in a less covered team in the Mariners.

Michael Pineda is going to be a beast in the major leagues, from what all of us fans got to witness last year. With very minimal run support, the 6'7 right hander still managed to win 9 games and sported an ERA of 3.74. He collapsed as the year went on, but he showed many signs of promise. I actually had gotten 2 of his autographs through the mail last season, and I owned him at some points of last year's fantasy baseball season. I'm not sure how he'll stack up in New York, with all of the media and pressure that has scared away many other solid players that just couldn't perform in the environment. My take on his collapse last year was that he lost confidence in his ability to help his team win games, because the Mariners offense didn't give him much/if any run support all season. Also, he was only 22 years old, and it's very hard for a young pitcher, no matter how talented, to pitch that well against so many All Star hitters for an entire year.

While I am a fan of Pineda, I still don't understand why Cashman decided to deal the future face of our franchise, once Jeter retires. The deal does even out in the end, but after how Yankee fans fell in love with the future hitting star late last year, I couldn't believe he would allow his stint to end. They have wanted many top of the line players over the years, and in order to get those guys, they would have to surrender Montero. In fact, a few years ago they could have gotten Cliff Lee from Seattle, if they gave him up. But Cashman wouldn't do it. Finally, he did it. Hopefully he did it, and got the right guy out of it.

Based off their 2011 performance, Pineda's numbers top most of the other big name pitching free agents' stats. CJ Wilson was pretty much the only pitcher that topped him last year, but Wilson is inconsistent and did very poorly in the playoffs. I'm really going to miss Jesus, and I wish him the best of luck in Seattle.. well as long as Pineda can perform to the ability the Yankees management thinks he can!

Immediately following the trade, the Yankees also announced they had signed former Dodgers pitcher Huroki Kuroda to a one year, $10 million dollar deal. I honestly don't know a whole lot about Kuroda, besides the fact that he's an aging pitcher who had one of his better seasons last year, although he also did not receive much run support from his Dodgers teammates. I think judging off of what I've read he could make a solid number 4 starter, and if he doesn't turn out well, he could be a long man in the bullpen, because they certainly have many other arms to test out in the rotation! The rotation now looks to consist of: Sabathia; Pineda; Nova; Kuroda; and either Hughes; Burnett; or Garcia in the 5th spot. I could see them putting Hughes in the bullpen, because as we've seen, he can be dominant in that role. Burnett may either be traded prior to the season or could fill a bullpen role, as much as he won't like the idea. But honestly, I don't think it matters how happy he is, because he earned the role he now has, by failing to perform at the level his contract wanted him to.

Nobody wins in the offseason, because simply, there aren't any games to play! With the Angels signing Pujols and CJ Wilson, the Marlins signing Jose Reyes; Heath Bell; and Mark Buehrle, and all of the other big moves,  it's been an interesting offseason for sure. I hope a few years from now the Yankees won't regret yesterdays moves, but we're going to have to wait and see!

What are your views on the big moves in the Bronx? Who do you think got the bigger edge in the deal?

See Ya!

TTM #'s 73 & 74- Rookie of the Year? Plus a Failure

Hey guys, Drew back here. First off, SCHOOL'S OVER! "No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks!" I've got an unbelievable summer ahead of me, and the thought of not having to be in a classroom until September is a blessing in the skies! So, like last week I got these 2 TTM's as well as a failure, and I still wasn't able to post them. But here they are now, check them out:

First is Mariners phenom rookie pitcher Michael Pineda, who signed 2 cards for me in only 9 days! Pineda has emerged this season as a candidate for the Rookie of the Year award, so far being 7-4 with a 2.53 ERA in 15 starts. He's been overwhelmingly consistent for the Mariners, almost as much, maybe more consistent than their 2010 AL Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez! 

As you can see, the cards, in particular the bottom card have been EXTREMELY damaged, even though the autographs are great looking. I have no clue why this is all happening again, and it's been ruining my attempts at having nice looking autographed customs in my collection. Normally the Stars of Tomorrow cards don't get too damaged since most of the card is black, but for some reason this one came out horrible. I'm still planning on just hanging on to them, since his autographs are hot right now, and I definitely wanted one. It's a shame, but I'll still take it!

The second success came back from now Padres second baseman Orlando Hudson! "O-Dog" has had a fairly successful career in 10 years, mostly acting as a defensive player. He won 4 Gold Gloves, in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009. His best season was probably 2006, when he batted .287 for the Diamondbacks, with 15 home runs and 67 RBI's. 

The custom he signed, of course, came back damaged, with a noticeable circle marked over his face, as well as some damage over the Padres logo. It certainly doesn't look horrible but again it could be better. He's got a very nice looking autograph, and he inscribed his #1 for me. 

Lastly, I got a failure from back in Spring Training, from Neftali Feliz. A lot of the Rangers have recently returned these preprint autographed "cards", such as Elvis Andrus, Feliz, and Adrian Beltre lately. It's a bummer, but at least it's better than nothing. He also left a note that said:

"Thank you for writing to me. I am so grateful to all of my fans and appreciate your encouragement. Due to the amount of fan mail that I receive, I am unable to sign the items that you sent. I hope you enjoy one of my cards.

I wish you all the best (translated from Spanish),

Neftali Feliz"

At least it's better than nothing! Does anyone have any ideas to help me with my custom damage? Thanks again guys. See Ya!