Fun, Easy Instagram Dealing!

Hey guys, Drew back here! This month has been strictly business, which may explain why I haven't been around. The amount of wheeling and dealing with my collection has reached new heights this summer, thanks to eBay and Instagram in particular. I also have been working almost every day since I returned from Europe, so in order to keep me sane I've been putting part of my paychecks towards a card budget that has allowed me to expand and grow my collection.

Before I get into some of the higher end additions, I wanted to show off a fun trade package I got from Instagram user @ttm.autographs32. Luke and I were able to work out something simple and fun that we both benefitted from.

Andrew McCutchen is in the midst of his worst career season, which is worrisome for Pirates fans for sure. Luckily for them, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco have picked up Cutch's slack. I'm not collecting McCutchen as much as I once did, but I'll welcome any of his cards into my collection when offered. He is one of the best players and guys in the game today regardless of his slow season, and time will tell if he will emerge as the catalyst he's been in years past.

The best part about collecting Derek Jeter is that there isn't a whole lot that could happen nowadays that would kill his value. I would never sell any of my Jeter cards, but it's nice knowing that his cards really could only increase in value with time. I surprisingly didn't have many of these cards yet, and this pushed me to a total of 236 unique cards in my Jeter PC.

Unlike McCutchen, Robinson Cano is on his way back into relevancy as he has led the Mariners offense in 2016. The former Yankees All Star is currently batting .305 with 22 home runs and 60 RBI! I'm planning on slowing down on collecting Severino, Panik, and McCutchen and placing much of my focus on my former favorite player.

It's hard to resist collecting some of the Yankees top prospects. We don't have the best farm system in the game, but there are more significant names than I can ever remember being in the system. Jorge Mateo was in the news recently for some conduct issues, but homered today in return from his suspension. Aaron Judge has been a monster up until his recent knee injury has sidelined him. Hopefully we'll see our #1 prospect in the majors by season's end.

Finally, the Yankees are giving Rob Refsnyder some fair playing time in result of the abysmal performances from Teixeira and A-Rod. This green bordered Gypsy Queen mini is numbered out of 99.

Finally, I was given these 2 Topps Big Stix sticker pages of Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano! I recently took the time to put every single Cano card I own in top loaders in his own exclusive PC box, and I put these stickers on top to add some decoration to it.

Thanks Luke for the trade. Be ready to see some pretty great stuff on this site, despite my inconsistencies with posting.

Store Credit Flips at COMC!

Hey everyone, Drew back here! Over the past few months, I've been occasionally selling a card or three on my Check Out My Collectibles store. I've been using the site for several years now for buying and selling, and have recently put all the money I earned in sales towards cards I preferred for my personal collection. Lately, the money has been going towards autographs of rising stars in baseball that I enjoy watching, and I was able to add four to my Autograph PC in the process.

2013 Topps Allen & Ginter Starling Marte Autograph

First up, I picked up a 2013 Allen & Ginter framed autograph of Pirates young 5 tool outfielder Starling Marte. Marte swings a streaky bat, but when he's on, there aren't many more dangerous hitters. At 26, he's only entering his prime, and he's already built up two very solid statistical campaigns and is on pace for his best yet in 2015. I originally drafted him in my 8 team friends fantasy baseball league, but traded him along with Pedro Alvarez for Gerrit Cole and Jayson Werth. Werth has since hit the DL, but I've been pleased with what Cole has given me. I've always liked Marte's sharp signature, and had been looking forward to getting my own copy. 

2014 Topps Stadium Club Julio Teheran Autograph

The remaining three pickups are all of current pitchers, two of the three currently struggling thus far in 2015. First, I was able to complement ranking Julio Teheran as having the second best signature in baseball today by purchasing a certified autograph out of 2014 Topps Stadium Club. Teheran had a breakout season in 2014, going 14-13 with a 2.89 ERA and 186 strikeouts, however this season has been a different ballgame for the Columbian hurler. He has a 4.33 ERA through his first eight starts, and has produced inconsistent results. Despite this, I knew it was a good time to look into his autograph, and sure enough for just over $5, it was mine.

2014 Topps Finest Yordano Ventura Autograph Refractor

Perhaps the most controversial star in baseball (outside of A-Rod) in 2015 has been the Royals' Vordano Ventura. Clearly, the sky is the limit for this kid potential wise, as fans have seen in his spectacular 2014 playoff performances. The problem has been his attitude, which may have possibly affected his delivery on the field. After placing 6th in Rookie of the Year voting, he has come out the gate rather ineffectively in 2015. His ERA currently sits at a whopping 4.56, and advanced metrics don't appear to be cutting him much slack at all. This 2014 Topps Finest rookie autograph was too nice for me to pass up, but I know there is much more to be discovered about this kid before we can judge if he's an annoying, Delmon Young-esque fluke, or something much more memorable.

2013 Topps Tier One Andrew Cashner Autograph

My final autograph pickup was of Padres's young righty Andrew Cashner. Cashner was on my fantasy team last year, and I took a liking to him after he dominated in the early goings. Unfortunately, he only made 19 starts over the course of the season, and I may have put too much trust in him. How could I not though; when he pitched to a 2.55 ERA with 93 strikeouts when he was on the hill? This year, I shied away from him in my drafts, but despite a currently league leading 7 losses he only has a 3.24 ERA. It hasn't been an overly successful season for the 28 year old, but I can easily see his potential being all too high to keep things that way. This 2013 Tier One autograph only cost me a little over $3.00 in store credit, so it was worth every penny. On a side note, the new Tier One product looks amazing in all of the pictures I've seen so far.

What do you all think of these players, as well as the current state of youth in baseball today? Also, before I go I wanted to apologize for missing this week's Ten for Tuesday, especially considering that the king of Top Ten's is having his final show tonight. The series will be resumed around the same time next week.

See Ya!

"No No: A Dockumentary" Review

Hey everyone, Drew back here. I've had some recent pickups to share recently, but I wanted to pause momentarily and share my thoughts on a documentary my Dad told me about last night. Last year, Jeff Radice directed and produced "No No: A Dockumentary" about the life and career of controversial 1970's star pitcher Dock Ellis as part of the annual Sundance Film Festival. Ellis has universally been known for pitching a no-hitter while under the influence of LSD, but his story goes far beyond one memorable game.

Ellis states in the documentary frequently that he was either drunk or high in just about every professional game he ever pitched, but despite this, he was still a formidable pitcher for a team that transcended the game of baseball, the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates. At one point during that season, each position was filled by an African American or Latino player, and they became a tight knit group. Of course, this was based off of an era in which the majority of the young American population began experimenting and rebelling from the standards that were held from the times of the past, and this carried through to the Major League's. Dock was genuine and honest about all of the trials and tribulations that he faced as a young African American in baseball, and Radice does an excellent job of taking viewers on an emotional rollercoaster all throughout.

I know I had personally only known of him as a very good Pirates pitcher known for the famous no-hitter, who also had a brief stint with the Yankees towards the end of his prime. I did not know much else about the man, but can easily say this film was captivating from start to finish. It was cool getting to see an Al Oliver interview scattered within the hour and forty minutes, since I have met him on multiple occasions and have had nice experiences with the man overall.

The best part of the film comes at the end, when it is revealed that he redeemed himself. Ellis cleaned himself up after hitting rock bottom, and he spent the rest of his life trying to help people recover from their own drug addictions. He may have pushed the envelope during his career with fans and those involved with baseball, but by the time of his death in 2008 he appeared to have exorcised his own demons and owned up to the fate of his career.

I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary. It kept my interest from beginning to end, and I can say that I learned a lot not only about Ellis but the other players and era they were a part of. If you have two hours on your hands one day, go give it a look, it is currently on Netflix if you can't find it elsewhere for streaming.

Have any of you seen this before? Leave your thoughts down below!

See Ya!

The Rest of my Commons from Just Commons!

Hey everyone, Drew back here! I can't believe how quickly my second semester of college has gone. Three weeks remain, including finals week, and then I'll be off for my first college summer vacation. I recently started working at Dick's Sporting Goods as a cashier, so hopefully after a few weeks of saving I'll be able to become even more involved with the hobby. It's nice to finally be receiving money rather than solely spending it, and I'm excited for the summer! 

Today, I wanted to wrap up my first order from JustCommons.com. On Wednesday, I shared my seven new Joe Panik PC additions, and along with those, I was able to knock off 

2004 Topps was the first set I was given for Christmas from my parents, and sure enough over the years of elementary and middle school I managed to lose pieces of it. I traded some cards away (why?) and with that I recently decided to put it back together, put the cards in a binder and store them away. I'm not a very big fan of the set, although I've always liked the little outline drawings of the players in the bottom left corner of the cards. After this purchase, I'm down to needing only three cards to complete the set (I can't seem to find which three I'm missing at the moment, but when I do I'll leave them at the end of this post). I added 24 cards, including of players I collect so I can tuck those away with my PC's while still having the cards in the set binder. Perhaps my favorite part of the set are all the Postseason Highlights cards starring the Yankees and Red Sox. Ah, the good ol' days.

I also attacked a few of my other collections, including some I rarely pay attention to anymore. I couldn't pass up an Allen & Ginter Cano card, although I'm still trying to adjust to that Mariners uniform. As for Hensley, well, it sounds like it's going to be yet another uphill battle for the poor guy. Not only was he attacked over the offseason in his hometown and brutally injured, but he also had to have Tommy John Surgery. Ty seems like a really good kid, and he was great signing for me through the mail, and I wish him all the best with his recovery; I know the TJ Surgery news was crushing to him.

Andrew McCutchen was the other player I focused on with this order, because I was missing some pretty key base cards of his from over the years. I don't ever expect to have all the 1/1's and autographs, but I'd like to at least gain most of the players I collect's base cards from their playing days. Cutch isn't off to the greatest start of his career in 2015, but he's a consistent force to be reckoned with that should not be taken lightly. 

Topps Stadium Club is such an awesome product, and as soon as I knew this card of my all time favorite pitcher existed I wanted to add it to my collection. Sure enough, I was able to add this, as well as the following card of Mo's; both of which depicted a very special night in Yankee Stadium: his final game.

This was such a fantastic baseball moment that will most likely be overshadowed forever by the way Derek Jeter went out. I don't think Mariano minds this all that much, though. I wanted to make sure I had something to remember this game by, and this 2014 Topps will certainly do the trick. Topps has done a great job highlighting all the recent Yankee retirements, and I'm excited to see who will be the next player (from this current team or in the future) to make their mark on the franchise half as much as Jeter and Mariano did.

I was very pleased with my first JustCommons.com purchase, and I hope to add more cards from their site in the future. If you haven't given it a chance yet, I highly recommend you do. While Sportlots may provide you cheaper prices, JustCommons has a universal shipping cost that probably will save you money in most cases. And don't worry Check Out My Cards, you're not going anywhere. I'm still loyal, I swear.

*UPDATE: Here are the cards I am currently missing from my 2004 Topps set: 20, 67, 98, 365, 693! Email me at yanks1996wsc@gmail.com if you have any of these and are willing to trade!*

See Ya!

TTM Tuesday!

Hey guys, Drew back here! First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who commented on my previous post advising my recent college decision. Regardless, I am planning on coming home next semester, and I want to say that its more than just that I'm homesick. Being lonely has played into my decision quite a bit, however I also feel uncomfortable on my campus and since it's a big sports school, a majority of the students have a really scummy attitude. I've made one friend on campus, and he and I agree that we're misfits at this school, and after a few of my old friends came to visit a few weeks ago, I realized I couldn't defend why I came to this school in the first place, so I decided that coming home would be the right decision for me. It's one of the first real life decisions I've had to make, but I feel relieved having made a decision and am looking forward to returning home and commuting to a great local private school while getting to see some old friends, my girlfriend, and my family.

Anyway, personal life aside, I've gotten four TTM successes since my most recent autograph post, and here are the first three of them! Enjoy:

Adam Kennedy: 2/2 in 22 Days (Received September 9th)

Adam Kennedy was a staple of my childhood watching baseball. He was always around, and I never knew much about him, but prior to sending off a few of my cards of his, I looked up his lifetime stats and saw that he actually was a fairly solid player. In 2009, he led a career resurgence in which he batted .289 with the A's, swatting 11 home runs, driving in 61 runs, and stealing 20 bases. Mr. Kennedy is now retired, and signed a 2008 Allen & Ginter as well as a 2010 Topps card for my collection; both of which look fantastic signed boldly in blue.

Austin Meadows: 1/1 in 127 Days (Received September 15th)

Last year, I sent 2013 Pirates #1 draft pick Austin Meadows this same card, only to get a response from his mother, which you can see here. Luckily, I retried Meadows earlier this season and got him back this past month, signed beautifully in blue. I've heard great things about him thus far into his minor league career and I really hope to see him succeed for the Bucs down the road!

David Murphy: 2/2 in 35 Days (Received September 25th)

David Murphy has had his moments so far into his 9 year career. He has been known as an average player often times, but he did offer a lot to Rangers fans; maybe to a little bit lesser extent than Nick Swisher gave the Yankees in his time. Now, they both play together in Cleveland, and neither of them had very good years in 2014. However, Murphy has shown that he could turn it around, and I'll definitely be rooting for him after he signed my 2009 Topps and 2012 Gypsy Queen cards in black with bible verses! I remember reading Night Owl Cards' posts about how much he liked that Murphy card, so when I saw it I knew I should try to have him sign it. Sure enough, he came through!

Thank you so much to these three players for signing my stuff, and again to my Dad for opening everything for me while I've been gone! But, I'll be home soon! 

See Ya!

TTM Overhaul Update!

Hey guys, Drew back here. My favorite part of the TTM hobby is that even if you aren't involved in various other forms of collecting, you can still receive nice gifts from time to time. When I get some free time, I try to whip up a few autograph requests, and during my blogging absence I received quite a few substantial successes! Take a look at what I got the pleasure of adding to my collection:

IronE Singleton: 1/1 (145 Days, Received February 8th)

Any Walking Dead fans? I've recently become a bit of a TV fanatic but despite all the shows I've obsessed over, this one still is up there as one of the best. Singleton played T-Dog, who was definitely a likeable character. He inscribed this "To Drew, IronE Singleton, T-Dog, Truth + Love", and it came out beautifully on this 5x7 I printed on Snapfish!

Doug Drabek: 2/2 (167 Days, Received February 14th)

Drabek was just before my time, but had a few very good seasons throughout the 1990's with the Pirates, and began his career with the Yankees! He personalized both cards out to me, which some people hate but I personally love. I wish more players would personalize instead of not signing at all, because I've never had any intentions of selling my TTM successes. 

Bill Campbell: 4/4 (7 Days, Received April 29th)

Two time Rolaids Reliever of the Year Award winner Bill Campbell signed 3 cards and personalized an index card out to me within a week's time! I love knowing when players read my letters, which normally are pretty standard except for when it's someone I really want to add. I mainly sent to Campbell to add his autograph to my Pacific set, which I recently realized was a two year set with the same design for both years. There are over 200 cards between the two years, and I've got about 20 signed thus far!

Gary Peters: 3/3 (7 Days, Received April 29th)

Peters was a 2 time All Star and the 1963 American League Rookie of the Year, so I figured getting his autograph for free was a must. He signed a 1988 Pacific, a 1960 Topps (signed in ballpoint, very difficult to see), and an index card with his Rookie of the Year inscription! On April 29th I received 7 total autographs between Peters and Campbell, so it was a pretty big day for me. 

Bill Virdon: 2/1 (9 Days, Received May 1st)

I already got Virdon a few years back on one of my custom cards and an index card, but I needed to add him to my Pacific project as well. He signed that for me and also threw in an additional signed card, which I assume was supposed to be someone else's. I'll take an extra autograph any day!

Dick Groat: 2/2 (9 Days, Received May 1st)

I've also gotten Groat before, but it didn't seem right to not add him to my set given his great credibility as a TTM signer. Seriously, if any of you haven't gotten Virdon and/or Groat yet, you should definitely get on it. Both were key contributors to that legendary Pirates team that beat the Yankees in 1960, and Virdon was a former Rookie of the Year, while Groat was a former NL MVP! Groat also signed my 1967 Topps, which came out as a carbon copy of the facsimile autograph directly below it!

Alvin Dark: 1/1 (10 Days, Received May 2nd)

Al Dark was a 3 Time All Star and the 1948 Rookie of the Year, and on top of that he managed throughout the 1960's and 1970's after his playing days came to a close. He won a World Series with the Giants as a player in 1954 and with the A's as their manager in 1974! He's now 92 years old, as you can probably tell by the autograph he gave me on my card below. He also included a little prayer pamphlet, which doesn't interest me all that much but is interesting nonetheless. All in all, a very cool success from a man who has accomplished a lot during his time in the game.

Mike McCormick: 0/2 (Failure, 13 Days, Received May 5th)

Former Cy Young Winner Mike McCormick left me a note on my letter that read "Because of E.B.A.Y. I now charge $5 for signed cards, Sorry" and left his address below. Well, he's not getting my $5, so I guess everyone loses in this case.

Rich Reese: 2/2 (15 Days, Received May 7th)

I'm not quite sure why Reese was included in this set, as he was simply a mediocre player for the Twins in the 1960's. However, he's indeed part of it, so I now have his ballpoint pen signature in my set, along with a signed index card!

David Phelps: 1/1 (16 Days, Received May 8th)
I am really growing to like what David Phelps brings to the table. He's been one of the Yankees most consistent pitchers this season, and it's great seeing how much he's grown since he first got called up a few years ago. Of all of the successes I got in this post, this (and maybe the Walking Dead one) was my favorite! He signed a 2014 Topps card for me beautifully with his number inscribed. Safe to say I'm an even bigger fan now!

Eric Young Jr.: 2/2 (17 Days, Received May 9th)

This guy is pure electricity, and I absolutely love that in a ballplayer. He doesn't hit for much average, but he's a sparkplug and this season he's stolen 22 of 25 bases! He signed and personalized both cards for me, the 2014 Topps even included #R2BI, which is apparently something he started that stands for "Refuse to Be Ignored". I love the way the National Chicle card came out, and these are both pretty awesome additions as well.

Ken Holtzman: 1/2 (64 Days, Received June 25th)

Holtzman was my most recent success, and although it didn't come out pretty (probably one of the worst autographs I've ever seen), it was my 20th signed card in my Pacific Legends set! He threw 2 no hitters, made 2 All Star teams, and won 3 World Series', so he had a pretty solid career to say the least!

It sure is nice to be back on here from time to time. I should have more coming in the future, and I'm planning on attending one last card show with my dad before I head off to college next fall! Stay tuned for all of that, but for now, See Ya!

Summer TTM Recap!

Hey guys, Drew back here! I realized the other day that while TTM successes were trickling into my mailbox, I haven't posted any of them! I got two nice 8x10 successes, which will have their own individual posts coming up shortly, but here is the best of the rest! Enjoy!

Austin Meadows: c/o Home, 0/2 FAILURE

Austin Meadows, the Pirates' 1st round draft choice this past year, came back as a failure early on in the summer. Fortunately, his mom left me a note saying that he's already left for Florida! I'm going to mail the same card off to Florida when I get around to it, but for now I'm still empty handed on Meadows. It is pretty cool that she wrote a note to me though, and I'd laugh if Austin turned out being a star one day. I'll hang on to this!

Danny Hultzen: c/o Tacoma Rainiers, 1/1 in 14 Days

Danny Hultzen has been one of the best prospects in the Mariners organization since he was drafted 2nd overall in the 2011 draft! He's had his ups and downs throughout their minor league system, but as of right now he is 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA in Triple A Tacoma! It should be before long that he'll make his debut in the bigs, and I'm glad I got this when I did!

Didi Gregorius: c/o Arizona Diamondbacks, 1/1 in 70 Days

Mariekson Gregorius, otherwise known as Didi, has been a pretty solid player for the Reds and Diamondbacks in the 2 seasons he's played. He can do a little bit of everything and I'm excited to see him develop as his career continues! He signed a 2013 Topps for me, personalizing it and everything. Awesome success!

Doug Drabek: c/o Visalia Rawhide, 0/2 FAILURE

This failure was by result of my stupidity. I normally double check to make sure I'm sending to a valid address, but it now appears that Mr. Drabek is the pitching coach of the Hillsboro Hops! I'll have to find a different address... whoops!

Jarrod Parker: c/o Oakland Athletics, 2/2 in 129 Days

I thought this request wasn't coming back, but sure enough, young A's starter Jarrod Parker returned both of the cards I sent signed! They both look really nice, and I couldn't have gotten them at a better time! He's been one of my top pitchers on my fantasy team, with a 2.78 ERA in 87.1 Innings for me! While his year long statistics aren't as polished due to a slow start, he's turned it on and has been an important part of the Oakland playoff run!

Jason Grilli: c/o Pittsburgh Pirates, 1/1 in 8 Days

Grilli has one of the best stories of 2013, becoming one of MLB's most elite closers! He had 29 saves going into the All Star break, earning his 1st All Star selection, but unfortunately has only added 1 save since due to a forearm injury. He's been a big part of the Pirates great season, and as a semi-Pirate fan myself this was a request I really wanted to get back.

Joe Panik: c/o Richmond Flying Squirrels, 2/2 in 8 Days

By far my favorite success of them all was from Joe Panik, the young middle infielder in the San Francisco Giants organization! He is one of the Giants best prospects and could take over for Marco Scutaro's spot relatively soon. While all of that is cool, Panik actually grew up in the same county as me, and played for a local high school. He's one of our areas best athletic talents and our county's big baseball fans are all rooting for him to do well! Both cards he signed came out great, and I'm so glad I got a chance to write to him.

So far, it's been a bit of an underwhelming summer with TTM's, but I haven't sent many until just recently. Hopefully the next weeks will be filled with successes, and like I mentioned earlier I do have two more that deserve their own post. The quest to get caught up is going remarkably well, but for now, See Ya!