New Football Customs

Hey guys, Drew back here, with some new football customs I made. What do you think?

I'm planning on making more for future TTM's, just wondering how you all thought they came out. It's gonna to be current and former players, and if I like it enough it may become a future baseball set too.

See Ya!

1 Round Down... 2 To Go!

A few years ago, Yankees fans wondered if we would ever see the Phil Hughes that everyone else saw in the past. Then, last year came around and he turned into a solid set up man, helping the Yankees to their 27th championship. This year, on an innings limit, Hughes went 18-8 with a 4.19 ERA and 146 K's in 176.1 innings. He made the All Star team, and while getting the loss, it was just the beginning of what was to come in the future. Last night, Hughes went 7 strong innings, allowing 4 hits, 0 runs, and striking out 6 in the Yankees victory over the Twins to end the series in a sweep for NY! Hughes was dominating the Twins batters like we have never seen before out of the 24 year old righty.

Has Hughes arrived? People can argue that he got an extremely high run support (7.5 runs a game) from the best offense in baseball, but at times this year he's been unhittable. I think that Hughes has emerged as possibly the second best starter on the Yankees, behind only AL Cy Young contender CC Sabathia. Us Yankees fans hope it's the case that Phil will continue to dominate not only in this postseason but in future seasons to come.

In other news from the Yankees game last night, Marcus Thames delivered a 2 run home run in the 4th inning, and Nick Swisher, my boy, hit one out in the 7th for a solo blast. Marcus has been so clutch this season off the bench, with multiple walk off hits for the Yankees. Swisher has been outstanding for us, and may have been the best move the Yankees have made in the last 2, 3 years.

I'm really looking forward to this ALCS, I'm hoping that we get to face the Rangers because even though both teams are going to put up a great fight, the Rays have our # and I'd be worried to face them. So today I'm rooting for Texas!

See Ya!

Happy 70th John!

Hey guys, Drew back here. I began collecting cards when I was 8 or so. I started blogging when I was 12. I am now 14. Before my collecting days began, my obsession belonged to The Beatles. My parents and family loved them, and they they carried the tradition over to me. My dad always sang "Beautiful Boy" to me when I was just a baby. I LOVED them, and still very much do. I used to print hundreds of pictures when I was 5 or 6 and glued them on construction paper and made books. I knew all the words at a very young age, and I was convinced that never, ever, will be a better band than the 4 lads from Liverpool.

Today we honor possibly the greatest of the 4, the most influential by far, John Lennon, on his birthday. I always thought George was my favorite Beatle, but always after giving it more of a thought, Lennon was the one that came to my mind as my favorite. My favorite song when The Beatles were together that Lennon sang had to be "Revolution", the words and the emotions that went into those lyrics and the song in general is incredible. After The Beatles, my favorite Lennon song would be "Jealous Guy", which is just another great song. But when all is said and done, these are the words that go along with John's name:

"Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one"

- John Lennon, "Imagine"

With that, I would just like to wish John a wonderful 70th Birthday. Rest in Peace, and for the rest of you, give peace a chance :)

See Ya!

Tour of my Cardboard Temple

Hey guys, Drew back here. It's very hard to climb out of a hole when you don't have anything to write about, so when all else fails, show off your card cave or whatever you may call it. Here is a photo tour of mine:

Here's the best view of the whole area. My mom let me use this awesome shelf rack, and I use every level except the bottom which is used for a huge tub of cheapie toys I played with as a kid. I have a horrible "desk" (really a table thats at least 15-20 years old), and I put a few boxes on it. The box on the left is my Yankees box, every card being of a Yankee. On the right is my Hall of Fame player box, with all cards of Hall of Fames not in pinstripes.

To the far right are 2 crates, under them a bunch more toys and stuff, but in the right box u can tell what it is in it, and in the left crate is a bunch of base doubles and stuff.

Right below the crates is a stack of binder pages of some sets I don't have binders for yet, and a binder of 1992 Topps that isn't complete but a pain to organize since I probably have at least 10 sets of it lol. Under those is a tub full of complete sets and stuff.

The row you immediately see on my shelf is the display row filled with boxes and stuff. Most of those were opened by me, except the Topps Sterling box, which contains my 1956 Topps Yankees team card in it. I have a few stacks there of just stuff I need to put away and stuff like that.

Here's a side view of the display area. To the right is my bubble mailer stack (yep, only 1), and some Becketts under my sick Upper Deck hat. Still have no idea how I got that hat.

Under the display row is all my supplies, some team sets, and that's basically it.

And at the left end of the row are 4 binders, baseball rookies, a few sets, football rookies, and serial numbered cards. See how organized I am?

Above the display row is the boxes full of base rows, and some stacks in the middle of the bottom of the two rows. There's my nice little Core 4 piece that I made with all four's rookie cards, and right above it, that box is all non Yankees hits. A lot of sweet stuff is in there.

Here is a closer look at the stacks, nothing interesting, really just some for trade cards, and a little spot filled with good rookie cards! Including STRASBURG! (bam, more views right there)

Here's another look at the Yankees box. The first 2 rows from the left are mostly all base sorted in alphabetical order, with some special spots for specific players. The 3rd row has some Yankee Stadium Legacies at the beginning and then all hits the rest of the row. The fourth row is rookies, serial numbered stuff, 2010 cards, and just some other stuff, and the 5th and final row has all my Cano and Swisher cards.

What do you think? I try to keep it as organized as possible, and I try really hard to get it all displayed nicely. I hang my 8x10 pics up in my room, so maybe sometime I'll have to show you my room!

See Ya!

My Secondary Collection Choices

Hey everyone, Drew back here. I decided to completely re-design this page and update it so it will be easier for you all to see what I have, what I need, or what I just may want to have of several of my other favorite players who aren't necessarily my mainly collected guys. I wrote how many autographs, game used, and rookies I have of the players, that way you could possibly help me complete a trifecta or just add to what I have. If anyone has anything I would like to help this page out, please email me at yanks1996wsc@gmail.com and we could try to work a deal out. Thanks!

Reggie Jackson (GU: 3, AU: 2 , RC: 0 )

I've always been a fan of Reggie's, ever since I became a true Yankees fan. Sure, he thought he was the straw that stirred the drink, and he had his way with words, but think of him as the older version of our modern Manny Ramirez. I've gotten a lot of his cards already, but I still need his rookie card.

Reggie's Most Wanted: 1969 Topps Rookie Card

Thurman Munson (GU: 2, AU: 0, RC: 1)

I really like Thurman, he was my dad's favorite baseball player when he grew up, and he just seemed like a great leader and player. It's so unfortunate what happened to Thurman, so I'd love to honor him and start to get more of his cards. An auto would be unbelievable but very unlikely.

Munson's Most Wanted: 1975 Topps Regular/Mini

Goose Gossage  (Trifecta Complete)

I already completed the trifecta of Gossage, but I'm still very interested in collecting more of his game used/autograph cards. He was so intimidating on the mound and was one of the first top closers in the game, and with that awesome signature and moustache, I can never go wrong with more Goose!

Goose's Most Wanted: Any Autos/Relics

Mariano Rivera (GU: 2, AU: 1, RC: 1)

I never met the Sandman but people say he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. With nearly 600 saves and one of the best pitches in baseball history, Mariano will surely be a first ballot Hall of Famer. I have a Rivera signature on a large picture, however, I'd also like to add one on a card at some point.

Rivera's Most Wanted: Any Autograph

Players I've Met

I always have loved meeting players, and normally, if they act kindly and nicely towards me, or at least didn't seem overly angry, I enjoy collecting most of the players I've met. So far, I haven't met one overly annoyed player yet. Here is a mini list of who I've met, my trifecta pieces of theirs that I own (rookie card, game used, auto), and what I want most of each of them:

Baseball:

Roy White- GU: 0, AU: 4, RC: 1, Most Wanted: Any Game Used Relic Card

Brian Bruney- GU: 0, AU: 3, RC: 1, Most Wanted: Any Game Used Relic Card

Al Oliver- GU: 0, AU: 3, RC: 1, Most Wanted: Any Game Used Relic Card

Bill Madlock- GU: 1, AU: 2, RC: 0, Most Wanted: 1974 Topps Rookie Card

Dave Parker- GU: 4, AU: 2, RC: 2, Most Wanted: Any Certified Autograph

Cecil Fielder- GU: 0, AU: 4, RC: 0, Most Wanted: Any Game Used or Rookie Card

Don Mattingly- GU: 7, AU: 3, RC: 3, Most Wanted: Anything I Don't Have (see PC page)

John Montefusco- GU: N/A, AU: 2, RC: 1, Most Wanted: Any Certified Autograph

Dale Murphy- GU: 1, AU: 1, RC: 1, Most Wanted: Another Game Used Relic Card

Scott McGregor- GU: N/A, AU: 2, RC: 0, Most Wanted: 1975 Topps Rookie Card

Ralph Kiner- GU: 1, AU: 1, RC: 0, Most Wanted: 1948 Bowman Rookie Card

Dwight Gooden- GU: 0, AU: 2, RC: 1, Most Wanted: Any Game Used Relic Card

Mel Stottlemyre- GU: 0, AU: 1, RC: 1, Most Wanted: Any Game Used Relic Card

Luis Tiant- GU: 0, AU: 2, RC: 0, Most Wanted: 1965 Topps Rookie Card or Game Used

Ron Blomberg- GU: 0, AU: 1, RC: 0, Most Wanted: 1972 Topps Rookie Card/GU

Steve Garvey- GU: 1, AU: 1, RC: 0, Most Wanted: 1971 Topps Rookie Card

LaMarr Hoyt- GU: N/A, AU: 2, RC: 1, Most Wanted: Completed
Tommy John- GU: 0, AU: 1, RC: 0, Most Wanted: 1964 Topps Rookie Card/GU
Lou Piniella- GU: 0, AU: 1, RC: 0, Most Wanted: 1964 Topps Rookie Card/GU
Ozzie Smith- GU: 0, AU: 1, RC: 1, Most Wanted: Any Game Used Relic Card
Bob Watson- GU: N/A, AU: 1, RC: 0, Most Wanted: 1969 Topps Rookie Card/GU
Ernie Banks- GU: 0, AU: 1, RC: 0, Most Wanted: 1954 Topps Rookie Card/GU
Denny McClain- GU: 0, AU: 1, RC: 0, Most Wanted: 1965 Topps Rookie Card/GU
Mason Williams- GU: N/A, AU: 1, RC: 1, Most Wanted: More Rookie Cards
Gary Sheffield- GU: 3, AU: 1, RC: ?, Most Wanted: More Autographs
Goose Gossage- GU: 2, AU: 4, RC: 3-4, Most Wanted: More Game Used/Autos
Jon Matlack- GU: 0, AU: 2, RC: 0, Most Wanted: 1972 Topps RC/GU
David Robertson- GU: 0, AU: 1, RC: 2, Most Wanted: Any Game Used Relics/Autos
Bobby Shantz- GU: 0, AU: 4, RC: 0, Most Wanted: 1950 Bowman RC/GU
Wade Boggs- GU: 2, AU: 2, RC: 0, Most Wanted: 1983 Topps RC
Andre Dawson- GU: 0, AU: 2, RC: 1, Most Wanted: Any Game Used Relic

Football:
Joe Klecko- GU: 1, AU: 2, RC: ?, Most Wanted: 1978 Topps Rookie Card (if needed)
Marty Lyons- GU: 0, AU: 1, RC: ?, Most Wanted: 1981 Topps Rookie Card/GU
Abdul Salaam- GU: 0, AU: 1, RC: ?, Most Wanted: 1978 Topps Rookie Card/GU
Mark Gastineau- GU: 0, AU: 1, RC: ?, Most Wanted: 1981 Topps Rookie Card/GU

Former/Current Hudson Valley Renegades

Yes, I collect a minor league team. But this is more than just a horrible single A team to me, it represents my childhood. I used to and still go to games plenty of times a year, and while the game is typically boring, it's always fun to go down there. Considering my baseball team played on the field, and I've been a counselor in training on the field, it's certainly a place I will never forget. Some players that used to be Renegades were Josh Hamilton, Evan Longoria, James Shields, Scott Podsednik, and many more. I will get some things of each of those guys, and I do also really like Hamilton and Longoria more than just I've been on the field that their careers began on. Also, one guy on the current team I met, who signed a card for me at the game, and has a decent shot at the majors, Derek Dietrich, and a guy I saw pitch for them years ago that I will also collect is Jeremy Hellickson.

Renegades Most Wanted: Jeremy Hellickson Game Used Relic

Finally, here are a few autographs that I hope to one day land in my collection:

- Tim Lincecum
- Roy Halladay
- Brian Wilson
- Albert Pujols
- Ryan Howard
- David Wright
- Ichiro Suzuki
- Ryan Braun
- Carlos Gonzalez
- Mike "Giancarlo" Stanton

See Ya!