I've been battling an infected finger since last weekend. The tip of my middle finger on my right hand is fat, red, and ranges from mildly sore to excruciatingly painful. I got prescribed some antibiotics on Monday, but they haven't been doing much and now I've got a follow-up appointment tomorrow to hopefully figure something out. I haven't been able to go into work, and with limited use of my dominant hand, I've been pretty useless the past few days, just surfing the web and watching Netflix, occasionally napping due to pain pill drowsiness. I'd love to use this downtime for sorting cards and whatnot (I got a few takers on my recent "CDs & cards" offer that I need to pack up), but with a throbbing right hand, I'm limited with what I can do. Even typing up this post is tough.
To cheer myself up, I've been ripping the third and final box I picked up a while ago of 2016 Allen & Ginter X. And wow, this was just what I needed to perk myself up today...
Holy crap!!
This was deja vu for me. Pull a redemption card.. at first I'm disappointed.. then I look at the name and see it's Griffey, then happily yell and jump around. Same thing happened last year with a box of Archives, if you remember that. Crazy that lightning struck twice for me pulling Griffey auto redemptions!
Looks like this card is already live (there's one on eBay right now with an asking price of $700 OBO), so it shouldn't take long to be redeemed.
Nice hit from a $30 box! I pulled a Robinson Cano auto from my first box, then Sox reliever Brian Johnson from the second. I thought for sure the final box auto would be like Henry Owens or Marlins Man. So to pull a Griffey, the freakin' all-time HOF vote-percentage-getter, really knocked my socks off and has brought a jolt of happiness into an otherwise rough week for me.
As a long suffering fan of the underdog (specifically the Padres, but really whoever), I'm happy we've ended up with a World Series matchup of the Dodgers vs. Astros. A team that's never won versus a team that last won 29 years ago. Either outcome, I'll be happy. But that said, my default is to root for the team that's gone the longest since winning, so I'm pulling for the Astros. (and as a Padres fan, I'm required to hate the Dodgers on some level.)
I've been meaning to do a tribute-type post with some of my favorite Tom Petty songs, so let's focus on some of my best Dodgers and Astros cards as we listen to the late, great Tom Petty.
George Springer - "Swingin'"
Big swingin' Springer led the Astros in strikeouts this season, but had a good year. I picked up this 2015 Stadium Club Crystal Ball insert back when I briefly considered going for the set. I dropped that idea, but I've still got this, easily my best George Springer card.
Adrian Gonzalez - "Don't Come Around Here No More"
A-Gone is a guy I collect because he had some nice years with the Padres in the past (and he's from the San Diego area, too). But honestly these days I could care less about him. He's out for the postseason with an injury, so he won't be a factor (just as he wasn't for the regular season.. if anything he negatively contributed to LA's embarrassing losing skid that marred their otherwise incredible year), but I guess it'd be cool for him to finally get a ring.
Clayton Kershaw - "I'm Depending On You"
I think the Dodgers' chances depend heavily on how Kershaw pitches. If he's his usual lights-out self, they'll have an easy go of it. But if his reputation of being beatable in the postseason catches up with him again, the Astros could take advantage.
Ken Caminiti - "Mary Jane's Last Dance"
Cammy, one of my favorite PC guys, spent much of his career in Houston, sadly not around to watch this series.
AJ Reed - "Yer So Bad"
One of my under-the-radar semi-PCs is young Astros slugger AJ Reed, who rakes in the minors, but is so bad with the big league club.
Vin Scully - "The Last DJ"
Vin Scully really was the last of the classic old-school baseball broadcasters. The #1 reason why I would possibly want the Dodgers to win the World Series is for Vin Scully. They choked it away during the twilight of his career, but maybe they can still bring home another championship in his lifetime, at least.
Well, I could keep going with more songs and players but I'm in a ton of pain thanks to this infected ingrown fingernail (really hope the antibiotics start helping soon), so I'll stop here. Rest in peace, Tom Petty. And here's hoping for an exciting series.
Feels like a good time to show off this Carlos Correa autograph I picked up before the season and haven't gotten around to posting yet.
CARLOS CORREA 2013 BOWMAN STERLING RC ROOKIE AUTOGRAPH PSA 9
I was happy to add my first auto of this young stud to my modest PC of the guy.
Good luck in the World Series, Carlos! If he's the first player to hit a double in the '17 WS, I'll win Collecting Cutch's contest for a neat Pete Rose auto (FYI, still time for you to enter.) I'm already out of the other 2 postseason-related cardsphere contests I entered because I picked the Cubs. :( Them's the breaks.
Here's the PC. I'm due to sort it. Some good stuff in here that I had forgotten about! I was tempted to sort it out and make this into a PC post, but I'm not at full strength right now (battling a nasty ingrown fingernail), so we'll leave it at just an overview pic.
The first instrument I really got into playing was bass guitar. My two best friends played guitar and drums, respectively, so it just made sense that I would complete the presumptive trio (that never really came together in the end). But anyways, bass is my first love and learning to play it gave me a greater appreciation for good basslines.
One particular bassline that's always been a favorite is the main riff of "Taxman" by the Beatles. It sounds great plus it's fun and easy to play. You don't even have to move your arm around the neck of the bass, as all the notes you need are right there in the middle. I've noticed an "homage" to it popping up in a few other songs, and thought I'd work a post out of it. And I'll try to pair up a recent card pickup of mine to each song to keep us on focus.
Bauhaus - Too Much 21st Century
This song from Bauhaus' reunion album from a few years back walks the fine line between homage and blatant ripoff, but I like it. What are your first impressions?
This card kinda fits in with the song, I guess. It's my first auto from Cal Quantrill, last year's #1 draft pick of the Padres. He had a solid 2017, advancing to AA. We'll probably see him in San Diego in a year or two. Gotta love these "cracked ice"/"atomic" refractors.
Rancid - Start Now
Here's a cool punk song that busts out the Taxman bassline in the bridge (starting around the 1:45 mark) (Head's up, they drop a prominent F-bomb, so be careful around innocent ears).
Rancid is from the Bay Area, so let's match them up with a refractor auto from A's rookie Bruce Maxwell. I think his story fits well with the song, too.
U2 - Some Days Are Better Than Others
U2 changes the bassline up, almost reverses it, but at its core, I still hear it as an interpretation of the familiar Taxman groove.
For Andrew McCutchen in recent years, some days are better than others, as he has been very streaky with the bat. But overall he had a solid bounce back from his down 2016 season. I feel like my Cutch PC is at a good place and generally don't seek out his cards anymore, but I had been keeping an eye out for a deal on a 2009 Topps Red Hot Rookie Redemption-- just a cool prominent rookie card of his I wanted to score-- and recently landed this one for a good price.
Boingo - Change
The Beatles allusion in this Boingo song is no accident, I'm sure. In fact, the same album also includes a cover of "I Am the Walrus". "Change" is an epic 16 minute song, and you can catch the Taxman bassline creeping in around the 1:40 mark.
Since it's such a long song, I'm going with 4 cards for it. These all come from a seller on eBay who had a bunch of various "proof" cards from Chrome/Finest from the mid 90s to early 00s. I think these are pretty cool, though many collectors don't concern themselves with them since they weren't "packed out" traditionally. The Reggie Sanders 1996 Bowman's Best Gold Refractor is oversized, not yet trimmed down to standard size. The 1996 Topps Chrome Star Power Refractor Gwynn also needs a little off the top. I love the Julio Franco 1997 Finest Silver Refractor.. with a similar refractor design to superfractor "wheels". It's proof quirk is that it's not embossed. My favorite here might be the Ken Caminiti. I love that style of Xfractor (er, excuse me, they were actually called Atomic Refractors in 1997 Bowman). The final version of this card has "Best Cuts" on the left side, but I prefer this proof card without that text.
Any other songs out there with the Taxman bassline that I missed? Let me know in the comments!
- - --o
I've had a couple guys take me up on my offer for a bunch of CDs for the price of shipping, but I've still got a lot left and I'd like to try giving it another push here as Roctober winds down. I've got a few USPS Medium Flat Rate boxes I would love to fill up and send out.
Here's my latest offer:
An even $20 Paypaled will get you shipped a box (US-only) with a bunch of CDs (you can pick out what you want from those I've got available, and I'll throw in a few recommendations), plus I'll fill the rest of the box up with many cards for you. I'll try to weigh it heavily on your favorite team(s), but it'll be a random mix for the most part.
Also, you can pick one of these encased autograph cards...
And one of these encased serial-numbered cards...
Bobby Jenks, Richie Sexson, Eny Cabreja, Ryan Cameron, Ramon Ramirez, Michael Jenkins, Haj Turay, Kazuhisa Ishii
Encased cards like this are kind of a pain to trade because they're heavy and jack up the postage, but it's not an issue with flat-rate boxes. Some of the autos have scratched up cases, but the cards themselves are in excellent condition, so you can pop them out of the case if you like (remove the sticker on top, then twist a quarter in there to pop open the case).
And just to give you something to chase, one of the 6 autos is also secretly bundled with this...
If you are lucky enough to pick the auto bundled with it, you'll also win this custom Simpsons Wade Boggs TTM autograph. Have you heard there's going to be a documentary-type-thing about that famous episode Sunday on Fox? I'm excited for that!
So who's ready to take me up on getting a big box of CDs and cards for the price of a blaster? Drop me an email and let me know what you're interested in! Trust me, I'll jam-pack that box with a bunch of great stuff and totally make it worth it for you.
First come, first serve. Offer expires 10/31/17.
I know not everybody has a similar taste in music, so you might not have much desire for the CDs I've got available, but just wanted to put together a solid offer for anyone who might have been on the fence. Again, I'd love to find good homes for them rather than just dump them with Goodwill.
As for songs in this post, the CDs with the U2 and Boingo songs are among those I've still got available. And there's a Rancid CD (Let's Go), though it's a different one from the one with that song on it.
It's time for another Pack Skirmish. This time it's Elvis Presley pitted against rap stars of the late 80s/early 90s.
The impetus for this is I need an Elvis card (any Elvis card) for a dumb collecting project I've been toying with starting up. And since it's a music-themed month here at Baseball Card Breakdown, I thought it'd be a good post to do now. (And who wants to talk about baseball right now with all the heartbreaking evil afoot in the postseason?)
Stop: Hammertime! Elvis can't hold a candle (or a cup, in this case) to M.C. Hammer's sparkly jacket.
Elvis - 0
Rap - 1
I opened a couple packs or so of these Yo! MTV Raps cards back in the day, and I know I had that LL Cool J card. I remember even doing a sketch of it in my middle school binder. Keep on walking, Elvis.
Elvis - 0
Rap - 2
Oh man, there's no love lost in this matchup, as Public Enemy dissed Elvis in their song "Fight the Power". I like a few PE songs, but I think I gotta go with Jumpsuit Elvis here.
Elvis - 1
Rap - 2
Young MC's Stone Cold Rhymin' was one of the first cassette tapes I ever bought. That album was pretty huge thanks to the hits "Bust a Move" and "Principal's Office" though I pretty much dug it from start to finish. Easy win for rap here.
Elvis - 1
Rap - 3
Oh man, this might be the toughest round of the skirmish! Vanilla Ice rookie card! That's another card I owned back in the day, and also remember sketching this picture somewhere too. But Elvis on the drum kit?! That's like pulling a card of a pitcher wearing catchers' gear! Point: Elvis.
Elvis - 2
Rap - 3
Shirtless Elvis in an awkward moment with his mom? No thanks! The point goes to Heavy D and the Boyz. I always liked the In Living Color theme song from them. It's never too late and it's never too soon. Rap scores an insurance run.
Elvis - 2
Rap - 4
That's a nice portrait of Elvis. Terminator X? Wasn't he part of Public Enemy's crew? Not sure how he ended up with his own card. That'd be like pulling a card of the Marlins' pitching coach.
Elvis - 3
Rap - 4
Jeez, this is a tough matchup. I'm down with KRS-One, but young Elvis on a hog is pretty badass. We've got a tied game!
Elvis - 4
Rap - 4
More motorcycle goodness, but Elvis is MIA. Gotta go with slick Fab Five Freddy here.
Elvis - 4
Rap - 5
Hmm.. I sure do like that "Pop Goes The Weasel" song 3rd Bass had, but that's all I know from them. Elvis looks pretty cool here with a dangling acoustic guitar. Viva Las Vegas.
Elvis - 5
Rap - 5
Here's the grand finale. A couple "offers" but no more rap cards. Elvis lands a pair of unanswered blows.
Presley pulls off an exciting come from behind win!
I kicked up my Adrian Beltre collection recently by scoring a couple autographed cards.
I dressed this one up with a custom overlay from that crazy moment this past season when the ump told Adrian he needed to be on the on-deck circle, so he picked up the circle and dragged it over to where he had been standing. That was pretty great, but the ump wasn't amused and quickly tossed him from the game. Apparently it was too naughty to get a Topps Now card, but the quirkiness was right in my wheelhouse, and so I whipped up a custom overlay spicing up an otherwise boring auto card.
Here's what the original card looks like naked. It's actually kinda cool because it has a metal nameplate embedded in it. Low-numbered, too. The whitewashed uniform is a drag, though.
And the other pickup...
This one needs no custom overlay, as it's a very nice looking card as-is. It's a special Topps Now card commemorating Adrian's 3000th hit, an incredible milestone he reached at the end of July. I'm not sure how much Topps was originally selling these for, but I think I got a good deal on this from a secondary-market eBay auction, perhaps in part thanks to a slightly dinged lower left corner from when someone must have been dragging it around.
Stop Draggin' My Card Around
Shiny back. This is like my 3rd or 4th Topps Now card of 2017, but my first ever "hit" Now card. A couple things I'd like to see added next year are shiny fronts and serial-numbering (on the regular cards, not just hits). But I'm not holding my breath.
So there are a pair of nice additions to boost my Beltre PC. It's been one of my favorite player collections to build over this past year or so, and it's nice to bring in a couple cool hits like these to be focal points.
Ok, I dragged it out long enough, so let's finish documenting my haul from the October card show. You might want to put on your sunglasses for this one.. it's nothing but a big stack of shiny refractors.
Xfractors this year are apparently exclusive to Wal-Mart Mega Boxes. Verlander has been very impressive since the trade to Houston. Rounding out this quartet are the face of the Padres, Wil Myers, plus native San Diego boys Cole Hamels and Adam Jones.
Something's a little fishy here... a big lot of fishfractors! (That's what I call these scaly-looking things because I refuse to call them by Topps' official name of "Prism Refractors" which was obviously just to antagonize Panini who already had their own Prizm brand.) Several good names here, though Dexter Fowler caught the light best in the photo.
And a few more, horizontal this time.
Going back to 2016 for this pair of rival teams.
Now we're getting into the regular refractors. They might seem a little muted following all those fishfractors, but still very attractive cards.
Inadvertently grabbed an extra of these Beltres, so let me know if you'd like me to set one aside for you.
I think I've decided not to do a separate "trade bait" post from this show's haul, but I did score some good stuff to add to my trade box. I seemed to especially end up with interesting Giants cards at the show, such as this pair of negative refractors (also known as the "Topps Is Out Of Ideas" parallel). So any Giants collectors should hit me up for a trade sometime soon (ARPSmith, you out there?) Also some neat Brewers for next time Tony L. or Matt Prigge or whoever has some cards for me.
A couple Finest refractors.
And finally for today, a pair of blue wave refractors from 2015 Bowman. Never heard of these guys, but I won't likely pass up a wave refractor for a quarter.
Let's see.. Andre Wheeler didn't have a pretty 2017, still grinding down in the low minors. Victor Alcantara pitched well enough to earn a September call-up with Detroit this year after coming over from the Angels for Cameron Maybin.
So there's that! A whole lotta shiny. Thanks for swinging by.
