2009 Topps T206 Want List

This is rather premature, but I have had a few requests to post it. I am looking for everything from this set except Bronze parallels, though I will take them. Bronze is just the lowest priority right now.

So, without further adieu, The List.

NOTE: The base set is a NEED list, the inserts are HAVE lists. This way required less typing. Eventually, it will all be NEED lists.

Mantle Checklists: 3


Base Set:
NEED: 2, 3, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 26, 28, 30, 33, 37, 41, 47, 48, 51, 52, 53, 58, 60, 62, 63, 66, 67, 68, 70, 72, 75, 76, 78, 79, 81, 83-86, 81-86, 88, 90, 95, 99, 100, 101, 102, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 111, 113, 114, 118, 121, 122, 123, 126, 129, 131, 132, 135, 138, 139, 141, 142, 144, 146, 147, 149, 150, 154, 155, 158-160, 165, 167-170, 172-174, 177, 180, 181, 182, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 190, 193-195, 202, 205, 206, 207, 210, 215, 221, 223, 225-229, 231, 233, 234, 237, 238, 239, 241, 243, 247, 249-253, 258, 264-268, 271, 272 274, 276, 280, 281, 285, 286, 287, 288, 291, 295, 297, 299, 300.


Base Set Doubles: Mantle #2, 5,8, 50, 96, 125, 145, 191, 201, 218, 236, 245, 255, 259, 264, 265, 275, 296, 296


NNO Short Prints: Too early, need 44. Have: Ichiro, George Sisler, Rick Porcello, Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixeira, Walter Johnson, Albert Pujols, Fernando Martinez, Derek Holland, Michael Bowden




Minis Have List (Cards I own): *Not Updated
Piedmont - 15, 18, 31, 74, 108, 122, 151, 155, 191, 194, 212, 239, 240, 243, 294
Polar Bear - 89, 102
Old Mill -
Cycle - 64



Bronze: *Not Updated
Have: 53, 61, 65, 125, 137, 177, 180, 183, 201, 213, 240, 245, 250, 254, 258, 265, 274, 288




Framed Autographs:
Have: Josh Outman


Framed Relics:
Have: Miguel Tejada

Cards found on the side of the road...

...well not really. Today I got three packages, er..down the road. The one which I will showcase tonight is a solid package from Duane at Democratic Roadkill. I want to thank you, Duane, quickly, before I get to the loot. Duane came to me saying he had a good amount of cards from my '07 Fleer Ultra want list, and some '06 Fleer Traditions. Without giving him a rundown of a return package, he sent these awesome cards my way. Don't worry Duance, I'll cook something good up for you, though it may take a while.

First up, one of the greatest players of all time from one of the greatest sets of all time:
What a great card. He sent a bunch of these, all Jays save for the Junior Griffey, including the flowing golden locks of a one Kelly Gruber:
Awesome. Gruber is letting everyone in Major League Baseball know right then and there, who finished first in 1992. And will again in 1993. And 2014.
Currently the oldest Jays card in my collection. Boomer's 6'5"/218 frame dominates his panel. He might be average by today's standards.

I juxtaposed these on purpose. Why? A couple reasons. One, The pose is very similar. I'm assuming Topps did not do this on purpose, because they hate the Blue Jays, but also because these cards are 200 apart in the set.

The real reason they are juxtaposed for me is that this way, we can symbolize the passing of the torch. My favorite Blue Jays traded away for some baby birdies, the ringing in of the new ace and my favorite player, as well as my #1 Personal Collection player. Dusty, it's time to be a man.

Now for some more '08 Allen & Ginter's (I need to get a want list up for these) of Mr. Joe Baseball himself:
Love the state cards, pissed that my state is represented by a complete shithead.
'08 Ultimate Collection Joe Baseball. Didn't think much of these from randoms I have seen on eBay, but these are pretty solid for high-end (limited to /350) base cards.
As I mentioned above, got some '07 Ultras in this package. This was the one that stood out most, only because of that hat. I really dislike the Padres, but that hate is awesome. WANT.
Weee. Another Soria, for my paltry Soria collection. I haven't heard of anyone else who collects him, but someone mentioned it on their blog recently. I dig this card. Someone else sent me a Seth Smith of the same variety. I really like how UD did this set.

Well, thanks for the awesome cards, Duane. I will get a package out to you soon. I hope you'll be as pleased with it as I am with my half. Awesome.

Go check out the trader's blog, Democratic Roadkill.

2009 Topps T-206 Blaster

A little story. As you read this post, you will eventually notice a *** in the Good Doctor's segment. This is where I copied and pasted the entire html script from where I realized I was accidentally posting this on another blog, A Pack to be Named Later.

To celebrate my jackassery: Brand New!



I. Love. This. Set.

Why?

Simple design. Unique backgrounds (examples: Ichiro and McCutchen (the good one)). Rookies, and lots of them. Legends, and few of them (only 13 I believe). Minis. The best minis in the business (well, baseball anyways, 08-09 UD Champs Hocker were pretty fantastic.) Short prints done right.

About the only thing I don't like about this set is that the price hasn't come down on blasters yet. This one was $20. But really, I haven't even come close to having a bad pack of this product yet, over 9 months into it's life.

Anyways, on to the box. I bought and ripped on Saturday out searching for a desk for when I move in August. So of course, I bought cards instead. I am young, and I will continue to not spend money correctly. Deal with it.

On to the highlights:

I didn't get any "hits" of the relic or auto variety, but this does not concern me. I have already lifted a sweet Josh Outman auto way back in one of my first ever posts, you can glance at it here. The relics aren't worth much anyways, as I snagged a Tejada pantaloon relic off eBay for a cool quarter dollar.

Best-looking Card of the box:
Maybe I'm partial to the Pasty White Hope. Who apparently has to "earn his spot on the roster" this season. Which means, of course, he will have to hit better than...Jose Bautista and Joey Gathwright?! Dear Cito, thanks for the early 90's. Now kindly screw off.
There were*** a fair amount of Jays in this box. Three of 'em! That's GREAT for a Topps product. Topps hates Canada.

What would a Topps T206 post be without some....Dial 9-1-1 Shorty Fire Burning on the Dance Flooooooor...Whoaaaa (Short Prints):

Two bad one is a radical dork and the other is a raging, yet entertaining douche bag. Apparently, "douchebag" is incorrect. It's two words. Learn something every day.

Rookies!
And good ones, too. Zimmerman, sadly is going to be out all year with TJ surgery. McCutchen, however, will be knocking NL Central pitchers senseless. Not like there's any good ones, anyways. Ok. Maybe Carpenter and Wainwright.

Bronzies!

Awesome. Wish they would have done a better job on the Romero, but whatevs. I pulled two Coghlans, This and a base. Terrible photo. Almost as bad as the Kinsler others seem to like, I don't care for it much. I plan on collecting everything but the bronze cards from this set. So if you want some...

And of course, the Mini Page!

These were not all pulled from this box. The Soria came in a trade, and is ultra-rad, Blanks and Konerko came in a two-pack, or a diet fat pack. The Ubaldo, however, did come from this box. It was also the hardest to come by in the box, as it's a Polar Bear.

In conclusion, I love this set. I want to put it all together, but I'll need some help. I probably cannot afford to keep snagging $20 blasters and $75 hobby boxes, so please, trade me your extras. I'll take minis of any variety.

Snappy sign-off line!

The Great Pasty White Hope Says:

Blaster Box Breaks: 2007 Upper Deck Series 1 & 2 plus 2009 Topps T-206 coming soon!

I will not let myself near the internet until tomorrow, as the USA/Canada Gold Medal game is tonight, and I have to DVR it. No spoilers! Will hopefully get to watching the game tomorrow sometime, and I plan to at least post the T-206 break at that time.

Go USA.

Friday Rock Out: Catch-22

9MM And a Three Piece Suit

Cards from Fans of Red Teams

That's right. Fans of the blasted Red Sox and the "who knows how they'll be this year" Reds. Seriously, how the Reds will fair one year to the next is always a mystery to me.

Anyways, let's start with some goodies from fanofReds over at Nachos Grande. Sadly, no nachos were included. I flipped him a Gallardo relic for a near-impossible task of putting together the '09 A&G relic set, along with some Larkins, and he was kind enough to send these my way.

First up is a V-Dub spectrum jersey:
Nice, healthy card. Spectrums do not scan well, but they're a treat to look at. Also the jersey cards seem pretty common, I am currently sitting on a Brandon Webb who will probably go visit someone's pseudo-card shop in Arizona in the future.

Chris sent some Jays to boot:
Greatest Blue Jay of All Time, Roy Halladay with painted-on eyes...
Gruber!
And something else...
...this makes me happy. Apparently I wasn't the only one who spent $.99 of 16 of these suckers back in '00. (This card is 10 years old...yikes.)

Thanks for the cards Chris, they're good ones.

Next up, Adam at Thoughts and Sox. I contacted him a week or so back (this package got here quiiiick), and proposed Jays-for-Sox. Unfortunately, he had sent all but a few Jays to another blogger. Aww shucks, but I collect Rockies too! Well, add another blogger to the list that cannot wait to drop his Rockies off on another. Adam sent a 100-count box over here to NY, filled with mostly Rox, but a few, very quality Jays mixed in.

First: some Baby Jays:
These are beauties. You can probably pull my fingerprint from the Aaron Cibia if you feel like incriminating me. Hopefully the Jays won't give up on these guys.
'08 SPx Halladay die-cut. Are these all die-cuts or is this a parallel? Either was, I cannot believe it scanned so well. Adam also sent a Todd Helton. Fellow bloggers have been exceptionally generous in sending me Heltons. Adam sent 15. Wow.
Adam - when you were putting this package together did you know this would be my favorite? Probably not, but Dusty Lambchops is my favorite Jay now that Shawn Green, Carlos Delgado, Orland Hudson and Brandon League are gone. I am actually thinking of starting a Dustin McGowan collecting blog, as other have for Carl Crawford, Brian Roberts, and other players.

Here's the bad news for Adam, though. I haven't even started putting the package together yet! I apologize deeply for this, but things have been a bit hectic lately, and I'm out of packages. I'll put the cards together tonight, so hopefully you can expect them by the end of next week. Once again, sorry for the delay.

On to an eBay score...

This is the best deal I have ever received on eBay. Two autographs, a Tejada pants relic, and an Ichiro SSP from '09 Topps 206.
I'm leading myself to believe that the seller had no idea that he was sitting on an Ichiro short print. This is one of my favourite cards ever, at least in my Ichiro collection. What a great card.

Also, for $.25, Miguel Tejada's pants!:
I picked this up since shipping was cheap past the first card. For two autos, Miggy's pants and the SP, the order cost $4.75 or something. STEAL.

Quick COMC Question

So today I decided tojump head-first into Check Out My Cards for my first purchase. Twenty hard-earned (pressing the play button) bills from PayPal to my COMC ID for one goal: boost that personal collection. So far I have added three cards of my favourite (remaining) Blue Jay, which total a staggering $.74.

My question is this: the shipping rates, similar to eBay it seems, are set at an initial $3 +$.50 each additional card.

Does this work if you purchase from multiple sellers? I am not majorly concerned, because in my understanding, the sellers ship to COMC before they ship to the buyer, thus the cards come from one place, drastically reducing shipping rates. Am I right?

Update: Only $3.63 (without initial $3 shipping) Including a jersey relic, multiple rookies and inserst, 9 cards total. I'm beginning to like this site.

All posts must have pictures:

God I miss that place.

The Transformation of a Ballplayer: Jayson Werth

Just the first in a series.

In 1998, Jayson Werth, one of my favorite players, was a solid catching prospect for the Baltimore Orioles.
Last week Jayson Werth reported to Philadelphia Phillies camp in Clearwater, Florida. Coming off a stellar season in 2009 with a total of 36 HR/99 RsBI/20 SB, Jayson Werth has decided to add a new asset to his game. Now, it's not quite Markakian in respectability but behold:
On a side: 2010 Spring Training caps = lame.

Want List - 2008 Topps Chrome Refractors

Any refractors will do, basic, XFractor, Blue, Copper or Red. Really want to get a Red.

Need: 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 20-24, 27, 28, 31-36, 38, 39, 41, 43, 44, 46, 48-57, 59, 60, 62, 64-66, 68, 69, 71, 73, 77, 78, 81, 83-85, 91, 92, 95-97, 101-105, 107-109, 112, 116, 117, 120, 123, 127, 130, 131, 134, 135, 137, 139, 140, 142-145, 148, 151-154, 156, 158, 159, 162, 165, 166, 168, 170, 171, 174, 178, 179, 181, 183-185, 188-190, 192-199, 201, 206-209, 211-214, 216-220.

Autographs: All. I might just collect these as chrome base cards, but any refractors would be awesome.. Looking for Evan Longoria, Randy Wells, Brian Barton most of all.

Okay, for trade from this set, I have either doubles, triples or quadruples of these:

8 - Jimmy Rollins Refractor
14 - Orlando Cabrera Refractor
26 - Jason Bay Refractor, XFractor
40 - Robinson Cano Refractor
61 - Gil Meche Refractor
63 - Roy Oswalt Refractor (2)
74 - James Loney Refractor (2)
76 - Jermaine Dye Refractor
82 - Carlos Delgado Refractor (Need XFractor and Red for complete Rainbow!)
87 - Mark Teixeira Refractor
88 - Bobby Crosby Refractor
126 - Rocco Baldelli Refractor
129 - Geovany Soto Refractor
133 - Jeremy Bonderman Refractor
146 - Curt Schilling Refractor
155 - Joba Chamberlain Refractor, XFractor
163 - Greg Maddux Refractor (2)
175 - Rickie Weeks Refractor
176 - Milton Bradley Refractor
177 - Daniel Cabrera Refractor
180 - Hideki Okajima Refractor
200 - Elliot Johnson Rookie Card Refractor
215 - Kyle McClellan Rookie Card Refractor

I usually get a few lots of these off eBay per month, so keep checking back. Any help will be rewarded. I would prefer the colours in this order: Red, Blue, Copper, Basic, XFractor.

Semi-Live Blogging: USA vs. Canada

WARNING: Explicit Blogging

7:05 Pregame...

• Team USA white jersey really look like Rangers uniforms. Not cool.
• Supposed to start at 4:40 PST, but seems kinda early as Team USA already took the ice, no Canada yet.

• The British Columbia commercial make the place look great to visit but...all of the celebs (yes, that basketball player is a celebrity, anyone can show up and play basketball) are obviousbly being shot on a set, and are most certainly not in British Columbia.
• Love Christopher Guest, but these census commercials are kind of unnecessary. How much $ are we spending to make them?

7:11 Canada takes the ice...always in sick unis.

• I'd rather have Mike Richards on my team than Sidney any day.
• On a side, I'm pumped about moving to Buffalo this summer. I still have not been to an NHL game, so it looks like my first chance will be in Buffalo. Hopefully versus Toronto, but I'll aim low and be happy to see them beat the hell out of Florida or something. Yeah Florida, you suck. Now. Wait a few years.
• 
  Puck won't drop until 7:45. It is currently 7:17. I'll be back around 7:40.
• $5 footlongs! As long as you're not in Alaska. $6 footlongs!

7:40

• Yes, Parise is that good. Just ask my fantasy teams from last season. Nailed it.
• Puck drop very soon. I vote big hit within 3 minutes.

7:45

• USA coming out full of piss and vinegar...I like it.
• YEAHHHHHHHHDEFLECTION MOTHERFUCANADARS!!!
• Sidney Crosby: -1
• Credit the goal to Sidney Crosby. Point your stick down, dumbass.

7:49

• So when Jays traded League for Morrow a month ago, Drunk Jays Fans totally schooled me by posting Brenden Morrow and headlining their post "Toronto trades for Morrow". Touche, drunkies.
• Miller, 1. Crosby, 0.
• Ryan Getzlaf? Penalty? No way! PowerPlay USA.
• I hope no one sees this post as anti-Canadian. I am very much a fan of Canada. But I am America.
• Brodeur saves a stick from his victories? Does he own an airline hangar to put them in?
• High-stick, Pavelski on Getzlaf. Getzlaf draws a lot of penalties on top of getting a few called on himself, so he's no liability.
• 

8:00

• No one said it'd be a defensive game. Well, except me. I was wrong. 1-1.
• Someone give that albino Staal some eyebrows.
• RAFALSKI!!!!!!!!! Or someone else....
• Nope. Rafalski:
• 
• Getting a bit Chippy.

8:06

• Hey, USA, watch out for that #87
• For those concerned, I did end up (SAVE BY MILLERRRR) $4.50 for those 2 autos, an SP and a relic off eBay. Score!
• That's what she said, Eddie.

8:17

• Game letting up a slight bit, plus I'm roaming eBay.
• First Intermission. Great Start. Back for Period 2.

Second Period, 2-1 USA, 8:36

• Good, the energy is back
• Heatley. Prick. Scary good line.
• 2-2 Canada. Looking like a 12-12 shootout at this point.
• Michael Phelps enjoys a cool Molson as well. That may be the only thing we will ever have in common.
• 
• "..and a steal by Nash" is enough to get me to need a new pair of shorts

8:50

• My Dad and brother keep taking my popcorn. And tossing it to my dog.
• Might have to replace the glass after this game. Lots of hits in the corner and around the blue line boards.
• Poor Do Emerick, Russian v. Czech and now USA v. Canada. Hope he doesn't have a heart condition - other than love for the game, OH! (+1 point)
• Yellow Card - embellishment.

8:58

• Lots of hitting around the USA net.
• 3 canucks, one pile
• Oh...Ohhh...OHHHHHDRURYYYY
• Rick Jeannerrette flashbacks, 3-2 USA

9:03

• According to the game clock, it took me 17:40 to eat a bag of popcorn
• Wow, end-to-end three plays in a row. What a game
• Power Play, you albino fuck.

9:05, 3-2 USA PowerPlay

• To be continued in Period 3...

9:20, Period 3, USA leads 3-2

• No PPG, Brooks Orpik penalty. Why is he on this team?
• No! Crosby penalty! You little schoolboy bitch.

Americans on the Power Play, 9:24

• Yipes. Even strength.
• Another penalty against Canada...

9:29, USA PP

• RAFALSKI HAT TRICK
• Stay outta the box, score goals with the man advantage. NICE. Maybe the goal goes to Langenbrunner.
• RYAN MILLLLLERRRRR
• "How close can they coma and not score?" -Doc Emerick

9:33, 4-2 USA. YES. 4-2. Not a typo.

• Canada Power Plat. Do not want.
• Patrick Kane. Ugh. Get a haircut. This coming from someone with long hair.
• No hat trick for Rafalski. Goal goes to Langenbrunner.

9:42, 4-2 USA, Even Strength

• Okay, no Maple Leaf style breakdowns now...
• 42', 26% battery remaining...
• Sweet Boog Powell auto on eBay...
• Hope I don't have to work tomorrow. Since, you know. I just don't want to.
• -wince- Erik Johnson penalty....

9:44, 4-2 USA, Canada PP

• Alright Michigan boy, it's Miller Time.
• STICKS ON THE ICE DAMMIT!!
• Don't let Weber wind up on one...
• Nice clear, MILLERRRRR before i could even type about the clear, Miller made three game changing saves. Fucking eh.
• 
• Pucks been bouncing on Canada all night, can't expect this luck for USA later on in the tourney.
• Or by the end of that sentence...

9:48, 4-3 USA, Even Strength, Fuck Sidney Crosby

Hold 'em, 2:34 to go. Gotta win this faceoff.

Iginla has been quiet, but don't talk to him about destiny: [video removed]
9:52

• Faceoff win!
• HOLYSHITKESLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Goal. Of. My. Lifetime.
• I am happier than a pig in shit, Canada is on suicide watch.
• 5-3 USA. This isn't over. But it's close.
• 31s
• 26s
• Empty Net
• Frozen puck @ 16.5s
• 7!
• 3!
• USA WINSSSSSSSSSS

USA is 3-0, World. We're not here to fuck around this year. See you in the next round.

Announcing...

USA versus Canada hockey live blog tonight!

This will be my first live blog. I don't expect anyone to follow along through the whole game. But at least check it out afterwords. Plus, plenty of pictures of this handsome man:

Some (more) eBay thoughts

Recently, I placed a healthy order on eBay for 4 cards. Actually, it was just last night. I managed to score a 2009 T206 Short Print, which may very well be my new favorite card. When it arrives, I will post it, but until then, you can wait. I'll have to.

I won all four cards for $.25/card. So, the auctions ended for a total of $1.00. The shipping is listed at $3/card. Now, without a shipping discount, the order comes to $13. Keep in mind, this is a rare T206 SP, 2 Autographs and a Game-Used. So $13 really isn't dreadful for the whole group.

However, the seller lists this within each auction:

"COMBINED SHIPPING IS 3 AUCTIONS FOR 3.00 AFTER 3 AUCTIONS .50 AN AUCTION FOR SINGLE CARDS 1.00 FOR LOTS."

I went to checkout, and the total was listed at $13. So of course, I sent a "Request Total" email for combined shipping, but still haven't heard anything back. In fairness to the seller, they had a fair amount of auctions end last night, so I am not expecting a super-fast response. But the pessimist in me checked his feedback, and thought it was 100% positive or damn close, no one seems to purchase multiple auctions at once from him.

Just looking for some feedback here, really. I have the tendency to NEVER read directions and fine print correctly (student loans, Graduate Record Exam, final exams, card blog contests, letters from others) so I just wanted to see what everyone else might think of this situation. Am I right to believe I'll only owe this seller $4.50? ($1 for cards, $3 to ship cards 1-3, and $.50 for the fourth card).

Here's a hint of what I bought:
Name all three cards and win...something.

Ultimate Wish List Card #4

2000 Pacific Crown Royale
Sweet Spot Autograph
Vernon Wells

Plain Beautiful Cards: Volume 11 - 1996 Fleer Ultra Power Plus Reggie Sanders

No need to adjust the colour information of your monitor. This is foil. Super ultra mega foil. I think I need the other 11...

eBay Scores: Week of 2/18/2010

Still trying to get used to writing 2010.

Anyways. Now that the whole applying-for-graduate-school fiasco is over with and actually had a semi-positive result, I'll be back and more active in posting, rather than just quick Matt Wieters posts and three-weeks-delayed trade posts here and there.

I'll start off with some eBay pickups (which were from last week, but arrived today.)

First and ABSOLUTELY most important, Number 2 in my Base-Shredding Saga: Troy Glaus!
What a beautiful foiled beyond recognition, well-used rubber (gross) piece of cardboard. This is my second of the insert set, which in 2000 were an about every 5th case hit at 1:288 packs. They're still hard to find, but with a $.50 price tag (not including shipping) they're very attainable - when you can find 'em. Vladimir Guerrero and Tony Gwynn are both hanging out on eBay right now as well, listed @ $9.99 BIN. Also, Eric Munson is on there too, at a staggering $3.99. I wouldn't pay $3.99 for an Eric Munson if he hand made the damn card.

A new Delgado relic. Sic mosh, brah. I've built a steady collection of Delgados so far, and man, this one looks awesome in the preview with an all-white background. Unfortunately, it won't show up that way in the actual post.

I'm getting close to completing the 2010 Jays bullpen and rotation relic/autograph set right now, and Accardo is the newest to join in on the custom-book party (more on that at another time). These Ultimate Collection cards are incredibly beautiful. There's a slight tint to the sticker so it doesn't blend as well into the card as this one:

Eugenio Velez is not a Blue Jay, Rockie or a player I collect of any sort. I bought this one because the shipping was only $1 added on to the initial $3.00 for the previous three cards, and this is probably one of the best/worst autographs I have ever seen. Ever.

You can look at this card and guess his named would be spelled "E L V Gamma B/R". Still, he's faster than a flushed grouse and it's a sick card. Worth $1.35 plus shipping.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, and really, why the hell should you have, these are the mystery cards from this post on the Thirteenth of this month.

A quick review: Somehow, without trying, the cards listed there are the same order that they show up here: Troy Glaus Base Shredders, Delgado uni, Accardo ink and Velez ink.

How many of you knew Accardo saved 30 games for Toronto in '06?

Next, and last package.
A $.99 lot of 2008 Topps Chrome Refractors! By far the best deal so far, got 19 of 'em for $3.49 with shipping. If you've got any you want to get rid of, let me know. Trying to piece together 225 refractors is proving pretty tough. I'll take all colours, too - Red, Copper, Regular or Blue. Blue and Red are the best.

And, just for fun, here's my dog covered in snowballs: