Don't Panik: There's a New Joe Collector

Hey guys, Drew back here. I announced on my last post that I plan on going home after this semester back to my Card Cave and all the memorabilia sporting the walls (I even convinced my mom to hang my Willie Mays signed photo outside my room in the hallway... with mostly family photos nearby)! With that, I'll have a little more of an opportunity to keep up in the hobby, since I'll have all my resources with me. I'll be busier having to commute every day, but it'll be much easier to send some TTM requests out and be a little more involved. And with all that comes an announcement.

I will be collecting any and all Joe Panik cards from here on out, as he will replace Robinson Cano as my main PC! We don't often get to boast about homegrown professional sports players in my hometown, but this kid has been quite special for a long time. And we NEVER get to boast about local World Series champions, but now we do.

Panik come up through the Giants organization to replace the oft-injured Marco Scutaro. I actually had a chance to see him play in San Francisco, but unfortunately I went to one of the few games Scutaro was available for; thus no Panik. After getting adjusted for a few weeks, he took off and was a catalyst down the stretch for a streaky Giants team that needed people to step up. He batted .305 on the season in 287 at bats, and garnered some Rookie of the Year consideration for helping to get the Giants to the Wild Card Game. In such game, he collected 3 hits in 5 trips to the plate and the Giants advanced, and we all know how the rest of the story went. He didn't hit tremendously well in the playoffs from that point forward, but had some huge moments! He tripled in both the NLDS and World Series, homered off of Adam Wainwright in the 5th Game of the NLCS, and who can forget the incredible double play he and Brandon Crawford turned in Game 7? He's shown so much poise for a young player, and my friends at school mess with me for how excited I got seeing him play well.

Needless to say, we're all really proud of Joe at home. He played about a half hour away from my house in high school, and he ended up playing college ball at St. John's University in Queens; a school I considered to be my #2 option before committing elsewhere. I've purchased a Bowman rookie autograph of his in the past and gotten a few autographs TTM last season. I may not be as crazy as I was while collecting Cano, but I just wanted to inform you all that I'll be more than happy to take his cards off your hands!

As for Cano, I'll still be interested in adding some of his older Yankees cards I didn't have yet (his prices have gone down a little since being in Seattle, of course), but I won't be going out of my way. He's a great hitter, and I'm planning on stashing his stuff for when he makes the Hall of Fame one day (knock on wood), and just as he did to the Yankees; I may look to add a little extra profit due to his talent.

If you have anything of Panik's, comment below or email me. I won't be able to trade for a little while but I can keep some ideas aside if they do arise for when I do return home. Alright everyone, have a great day, See Ya!

Happy Spring Training! Yankees Prospect Mailday!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Today is one of the greatest days of the year: the first day of Spring Training baseball! In honor of this special day for so many young prospects that finally get the chance to show the pros what they've got; I have a few sweet prospect autographs of one of my favorite Yankee prospects to show off! I've been picking up a lot of 2012 Yankees 1st round pick Ty Hensley's cards on eBay lately; all for relatively cheap prices. I watched some footage of him pitching, and I was very impressed with his tools. However, I'd still say he's got about a 50/50 shot of being a solid major league starting pitcher. I decided to take the risk though, and I may add him to my list of PC's!

The first autograph of Hensley's I picked up was his regular Bowman Chrome auto, which was kind of an accidental pickup. When I saw this auction, the scan made the card look like a refractor, and I didn't read into the details enough to notice that it was just the regular autograph. Nonetheless, I think it's cool that Hensley makes an attempt to sign his full name on every card, even though the letters are a little sloppy. 

I ended up buying his Bowman Sterling refractor autograph a few days later, because the price of shipping cost more than the price of the card! For such a low price; I couldn't pass it up, and it sure is a beautiful card in person. 

I already have a few more sweet Hensley cards to show off, but I figured I'd start with a few autos to kick this new PC off with a bang! If anyone has any card of his for trade, please let me know! Thanks everyone, and Happy Spring Training to you all!

See Ya!

A Very McCutchen Mailweek!

Hey guys, Drew back here! As you can see from the title, I recently decided that I'm going to PC Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates have been my second favorite team for a few years now, and Andrew is certainly a good reason why. He's already an MVP contender at the age of 26, and is a great role model on and off the field. It was a no brainer to add him to my list of favorite players!

In order to conserve a little money, in exchange for McCutchen, I've decided to un-PC Nick Swisher. I still love the guy, but chances are he won't be a Yankee anymore, so I thought it'd be wise to close that collection while he's still in New York. I'll still take his cards off your hands, but I won't be buying up on him as big as I used to.

I already owned one McCutchen autograph prior to the beginning of this collection- out of 2010 Bowman Platinum, but I recently picked up a few more things to jumpstart the chase. Check out the first official McCutch Mailday!

We begin with a bang! Out of 2010 Topps Triple Threads, the Rising Stars triple relic autograph numbered to 99 is now mine! This one wasn't exactly dirt cheap, but I really wanted to get something sweet to base this whole collection around. It's a real clean, slick card, and it shines quite a bit as well.

Next, out of 2012 Topps Heritage, a Clubhouse Collection relic! I'm not too big on relics, although I still am one card shy of completing the Topps Tier One relic set. When you start a collection of a player, however, relics are almost a necessity, and this will also push me towards the almighty trifecta. 

Lastly, for now, is this beautiful framed relic out of 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen! McCutch has two relics in the Gypsy Queen set, one framed, and one not framed, and I believe this is the nicer of the two. I'm not too crazy about the color of the border, but it certainly wasn't bad enough for me to pass it up at only 2 bucks shipped.

So, that'll do it for now! If anyone has some McCutchen cards for trade, leave a comment below! Thanks, and See Ya!