Contest Winnings from Sports Card Haven!

Hey guys, Drew back here. I'm telling you, if you have never had the thrill of entering a contest on the blogs, I would highly consider you to do so. By entering you always have a chance to add new things to your collection for usually no cost whatsoever! Sometimes you get lucky and win, which is what I did in this, from the awesome guys over at sportscardhaven.com! Now, the thing with these guys that is awesome is that with every box they review, they give away one of the top cards to one of their fans, and all they have to do to enter is leave a comment about what they think of the product that was reviewed. I won one of their contests a while back for a Cano Allen & Ginter relic, and somehow I believe I managed to win two more, without even knowing! I received a very random package the other day that included these two cards, and I was stunned at the amount of luck I was able to bring out in these two respective contests. 

For starters, the first prize was this green refractor autograph of Brett Wallace out of 2011 Topps Finest baseball! Wallace is stuck in a dismal lineup down in Houston, but although he hasn't quite panned out just yet for them, at the age of 25 with a lot of potential he can be a late bloomer without a doubt! This is an absolutely great looking card, and it was really my first look at Finest for the most part, because I rarely buy anything from that product. This card is indeed for trade if anybody is interested; if so just leave a comment and let me know. 

However, as if that free autograph wasn't enough already, the icing on the cake was this 2011 Topps Update Robinson Cano All Star Workout relic! Not only is it a sweet relic, but it's also the Diamond parallel numbered 44 of 60, making it a really rare card! And to make matters even better, Cano is one of the main players I collect! How about that for some good luck? I already purchased the regular version of this card, but now I have one of the tougher parallels to go with it, because some great people were nice enough to extend their collection into their fellow collectors hands! 

Thank you oh so much to Pinetarsports and the rest of the people at SCH! If you haven't given their site a look yet, please be sure to check it out sometime, because it's a great home for sports card news and reviews! 

See Ya!

P.S.: Speaking of contests, be on the lookout for one coming very soon here at drewscards...

The Debut of Bryce Harper- Good Things to Come?

Hey guys, Drew back here. I got sidetracked the other night, so unfortunately I missed the debut of Bryce Harper. I got to see it all the next morning online though, and I have to say he looked very good in his first MLB game! For a kid who is less than 4 years older than me, he really raised a lot of eyes, going 1 for 3, doubling in his third at bat, as well as delivering a strike from left field to Wilson Ramos that would have been an out if the catcher held on to the ball. While he certainly could be one of the best all around players in baseball in a few years, I still personally believe Strasburg will wind up having a better all around career than the 1st pick of the 2010 draft. 

One thing I may always remember Harper for is that he will be one of the first players in the majors that I can closely associate myself to, due to the very slim age difference. As I get older, more and more athletes my age will be playing, but as of now, watching a 19 year old playing in the Major Leagues against players in their 20's, 30's, 40's (and even 50's, Jamie Moyer!) is something that doesn't come around often. Mike Trout also was called up the other night, and he was in the same scenario as Harper last season. 

What I'm trying to say here is that seeing the youth in the major leagues has made me realize that I'm not the little kid I once was. Knowing that if I worked my absolute tail off, that I could be in the shoes of Bryce Harper four years from now, is pretty scary. While I don't have a whole lot of ambition towards playing in the big leagues, this fact just emphasizes that I'm really growing up. If you go back to my original posts, the way I wrote was completely different, and as time went on I learned more and more about this hobby and matured a heck of a lot more. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I'm more trying to emphasize how real this major league debut was to me. That these guys start off as ordinary kids with a lot of talent, and that their road to success didn't necessarily start in Yankee Stadium. 

So, I wish Bryce the best of luck on his road to success. One game doesn't land you a spot in the Hall of Fame, but with the talent he possesses, if he makes good use of it, he could find himself a plaque one day in Cooperstown. Or, he could be the next Rocco Baldelli? As much as I don't want to see that, it could happen. 

By the way, thank you Schuyler for trading me the Harper card above- which is the first card of his in my collection! It's the start of good things to come!

See Ya!

Museum Collection Pickups!

Hey guys, Drew back here. I haven't opened a pack or broken a box in ages, but thanks to eBay, I've been able to get a little taste of a lot of the new products. One of these products was the new Topps release, Museum Collection! It is yet another high end, clean, and top of the line release by Topps, and another I can dream of actually having the guts to buy a pack of. Nonetheless, for the singles collector that I am, this set is a major win for me. Take a look at the first two cards I've been able to add from this set:

First, I was able to win the auction for this quad "Primary Pieces" relic numbered only out of 25 of 4 of the better closers in baseball: Heath Bell; Brian Wilson; Craig Kimbrel; and Mariano Rivera! Granted, Bell has blown 3 save opportunities, and Wilson is unfortunately shelved for all of 2012, but over the past few years they have both been as dominant as can be! Kimbrel had an unreal rookie season, and he's off to a great start in 2012, and well, everyone knows Mariano and how much of a legend he is. It's a good looking card all around, and it'll go into my Yankees PC due to the Rivera jersey swatch being included on the card. 

Second, and finally, I added this "Archival Autographs" card numbered 24 of 100 of Diamondbacks stud Ian Kennedy! Kennedy started his career in the Yankees system, and I'm not going to lie, I was really glad they traded him off when they did, as a part of the Curtis Granderson deal two years ago. Fortunately for Kennedy's sake, getting out of the AL East was a blessing from the skies, as he went on to show why he was a top prospect last season, winning 21 games and only losing 4! He finished 4th in Cy Young voting and had most Yankee fans, including myself, completely stumped. This season he's gotten off to another solid start, winning 3 games in his first 5 starts, without a loss.

It's safe to say the Diamondbacks really lucked out with this guy. I've always wanted to see him succeed, and although he couldn't do it in New York (which not everyone can), I'm glad he was able to put it all together and show off his potential. I picked up this beauty for about $10, and I thought it was worth every penny.

What do you guys think of Museum Collection? See Ya!

R.I.P. Moose Skowron, 1930-2012

Hey guys, Drew back here. We lost a real good one today in baseball, in Yankee great Bill "Moose" Skowron. The Polish-American athlete; nicknamed "Moose" after a haircut that looked like Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini's, was one of the better players to put on the pinstripes during his tenure in New York between 1954 and 1962. He was a clutch hitter, and big games always brought the best out of his ability; as he batted .293 with 8 home runs in 39 World Series games, including 3 of those home runs in the 7th game of the series' he played in! He walked off the field as a winner, taking home 5 World Series rings, 4 with the Yankees, and 1 in 1963 with the LA Dodgers after he was traded from NY the season prior. He retired with 8 All Star appearances to his credit, and a lifetime batting average of .282 with 211 home runs. 

Today, Moose passed on at the age of 81 after a long battle with lung cancer. Of course, I wasn't alive at the time of his career, but I'll always remember him for being an integral part of that 1961 Yankees team, the team that wanted revenge after Bill Mazeroski beat them the season before. Maris and Mantle went off as you all know, but Skowron also hit 28 home runs, which added up to 143 home runs between the three of them ALONE that season! 

Not only was he a great baseball player in his 81 years, but he was also a great man. He always signed items for fans through the mail, and was a common guest at the Yankees Old Timer's Game festivities. Yogi Berra said of him: "There weren't many better guys than Moose, he was a dear friend and a great team man. A darn good ballplayer, too." He signed a card for me via a through the mail success a little over a year ago, and I appreciated every bit of it. He was a class act in every way, and I'm fortunate I got the opportunity to get his autograph. 

Moose, you will forever be remembered and missed. Rest In Peace.

One of the Most Underrated Pitchers in Baseball...

Hey guys, Drew back here. The reason for this mid-day post is due to the fact that I'm home sick from school, with an awful cold. I guess playing baseball in 40 degree weather really isn't all that smart now isn't it? Anyways, I have a bunch of cards to catch you all up on, with this being one of them. 

Out of 2010 Topps 206, this here is a framed autographed card of Nationals starter Jordan Zimmerman! Zimmerman is off to a tremendous start for my fantasy team this season, going 1-1 in 4 starts with a spectacular 1.33 ERA! Somehow this guy, even though he hasn't allowed more than one earned run in any of his starts, flies completely under the radar as one of the top young pitchers in all of baseball. Perhaps it's because of the mega-star prospects the Nationals have in Harper and Strasburg? Or by their recent big additions in Jayson Werth and Gio Gonzalez within the past two seasons? All I can say is, this Nats rotation is going to be pretty darn solid with all the young talent they possess. If you can have a guy of this caliber as a number three starter, that's saying something. With a 14-5 record to sit them in 1st place of the NL East to start the season off, watch out Phillies and Braves fans. There is certainly more competition than you may have thought. 

I was able to add this card for only a few bucks, but it will go absolutely great with the Strasburg autograph Dad pulled out of our 2010 Topps 206 box break! Hopefully the tandem can be worth an awful lot one day. 

See Ya!