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.

Give Me All the Bacon & Eggs You Have: TTM Return

Hey guys, Drew back here! It is officially one of my favorite days of the year, the Hall of Fame induction day. If you didn't see, yesterday I posted my ballot for the Hall of Fame and my predictions. I'm guessing that 3 players will make it but am hoping for 5 to 6. I guess we will see. 

In the meantime, I got an absolutely awesome TTM back last week from Parks & Recreation star Nick Offerman! My girlfriend and I watched Parks over the course of last summer and loved every second of it (with the exception of the shortened first season, perhaps). Ron Swanson was our favorite character in the show because his stubborn but loving personality was so relatable and hilarious to watch, and I was sure to let Mr. Offerman know that in my letter I sent him.

Nick Offerman: 2/2 in 132 Days (Received December 29th)

Nick signed 2 5x7's, one written out to Drew and the other to my girlfriend Victoria! He personalized both pictures, and wrote "to bacon" on my picture, which reminds me of one of his finest moments on the show. I surprised my girlfriend with the other autograph as a late Christmas present and she really loved it. I wrote in the letter that I wanted to give her an autograph of his for Christmas, and he must've read that because he wrote on my letter "Sorry if I'm late!", which was an added bonus.

Overall, this success may not stand out to anyone unless they've watched Parks & Recreation (strongly recommend it to any of you dry humor lovers), but is one of my favorite personal successes yet! Thank you so much Mr. Offerman for the amazing Christmas gift, and See Ya!