2014 Donruss

There back.....9 years ago was the last "regular" Donruss set that was around. Now there back
better than ever. Oh...wait....that's right, no team logos. OK. Should be at least a 400 count set.
Nope.... a bunch of inserts.....finally a winner.


Was just part of a group break, watched a few others in the last 2 days and I would like to say,
YES......Donruss is back. You see, I'm probably one of the FEW people who really loved the
Donruss basic sets of the past. My best all-time pull is from a Donruss pack(1998 Purple Crusade
Cal Ripken numbered 001/100).


The cards that I have seen so far and reading over the checklist makes me want to buy a ton of it,
like the old days, but I have to be financially sound right now.


Let me know your comments.


Thanks for reading.

Starting Over

Wow.....its been a year since I posted anything. A crappy job will do that to you.


Enough about the past.


2014 Topps


I have read numerous other blogs with opinions about the cards and I will give mine.


Base- not at all bad looking, the "down the right side team name" is too much like the Bowman cards
Gold- same old, same old...... how many years in a row now
Red Target and Blue Walmart- I like it and have no idea why
Red Hot Foil- I rather the green from last year, looks too much like the Target cards
Yellow and Green- the A's cards are outstanding..... other than that just 2 more colors in Topps idea of a rainbow
Power Players- another year, another gimmick
SP'S- different pictures like last year is fine, but having to examine every card for a sparkle, come on




89 Topps Minis- really, die cuts of this.....to be kind, not good
Upper Class- everytime I see this listed, I think Upper Deck....not happening for me
Future is Now- another excuse to add 3 more cards of certain players
Super Veterans- like the idea, would have loved it if they did NOT use gold foil
All-Rookie Cup Team- again, another excuse.....also hate the grey coloring
50 Years of the Draft- nice idea, nice look to them, kinda reminds me of the early 80's look of draft pick cards but better feel than the cardboard ones


Overall, I actually like this product..... but waiting for Bowman to come out


That's my opinions


Always looking for Texas Rangers, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Cowboys, and Dallas Stars


Thanks for looking

2013 Blaster Weekend

Went to Target and found some Blasters from 2013 Topps and here are the best of that group.

 

 

 

 

Love the Boggs and got 2 SSP cards to put on Ebay or trade.

 

 





Everything New Again

A new house.......a new state......a new job........new baseball season is almost here.

First off,i now live in Texas,closer to an actual team(Rangers are 20 minutes from my work,about a hour from home).

Second,got a new job,one that will let me have time to post a blog topic a little more often,and able me to read all of the great blogs that i have missed for the last 7 months.

Third,comment about how far off i was in my predictions for 2012.

And Forth but not least(i know thats the wrong spelling-but i now live in Fort Worth,Tx.)......i get to collect cards again.

Thanks for reading and i welcome your comments and/or complaints.

Roger(Cool Breeze)

Congrats Mets Fans

Congrats to the long suffering Mets fans about never having a no-no.

Johan Santana just became your all-time hero.Way to go.

Just a short post to congradulate the Mets and their fans.Now its time for the Padres to get one.

A. L. Report

First post in a series on the standings throughout the year.

The American League

East
Baltimore        20-12 ---
Tampa Bay      20-12 ---
Toronto           18-14  2.0
New York       17-14  2.5
Boston             12-19  7.5

One word comes to mind,WOW...never did I think that the powerhouse/money guys would be 4th and 5th.....yeah,I predicted the Yanks to be 4th,but,that was just because I hate them.

I hope the O's can continue to actually play good against the Yanks,they usually never do.

Go Rays and Jays.

Central
Cleveland       18-13  ---
Detroit            16-15  2.0
Chicago          15-17  3.5
Kansas City    11-19  6.5
Minnesota        8-23  10.0

Only comment here is how bad the Royals are showing themselves so far.I figured Minnesota would not have a great year and it doesn't surprise me at all.

West
Texas             21-11  ---
Oakland         16-16  5.0
Seattle            15-18  6.5
Los Angeles   14-18  7.0

Texas is slowly running away with it,but I wont count out the Angels.The A's are playing above their heads and it will slow down soon.

So,if season ended yesterday,the O's and Rays would have to have a one game playoff for the division title and loser would play the Jays for the Wild Card in another one-game playoff.

The Indians and Rangers would also be in.................so,no Angels,Redsox,Yanks or Tigers....Oh my.

I know its early,but Wow,things are not going that great in a few cities so far and I haven't even done the N.L. yet.

Any comments?

Favorite Baseball Announcers

I have been swamped at work and thankfully making a few sales on ebay which has kept me busy like crazy.

Also,baseball has started and i watch as much as i can,free preview just ended and now i only have limited amount of games to see.

The channel i watch most is the MLB Network,but i'm in the Braves territory,so i get Braves games on their 3 different networks.

While i had the free preview,i try and watch the broadcasters from all of the teams and see who i like and who i dont like......without my YES prejudice.

I grew up listening to Milo Hamilton on the Astros radio network and on the TV side,i've always enjoyed Chip Carey,because he also did the Orlando Magic games when i lived in Florida.

Who are your favorites and from what team.

2012 Predictions

2 down,2428 to go.......Number of regular season games that are supposed to be played.Two have finished playing in Japan,now the North American games begin soon.

Every year i try and predict the outcome of the season,this year will be very scary as i will be able to look back at in print and say how waaaaayyyyyy off i was.

National League
East
1. Phillies
2. Nationals
3. Braves
4. Marlins
5. Mets

I do think even with all of the injuries the Phils have,they will overcome them because of their pitching staff.
Braves and Nats will battle for second and Nats will win it in late Sept.

Central
1. Cardinals
2. Pirates
3. Reds
4. Brewers
5. Cubs
6. Astros

I'll start by saying its alot easier to predict the bottom as both the Cubs and Astros will really stink this year(it pains me as i grew up listening to Milo call the games on the radio).
Even with Pujols gone,i dont see the Reds,Pirates or Brewers having enough to overtake them.

West
1. Rockies
2. D-Backs
3. Giants
4. Dodgers
5. Padres

Toss up for me,as i find myself surprised about last years D-Backs team and wonder if they have it for 2 years in a row,then i'll be drinking the kool-aid.Rockies look good so far in spring and i actually like the look of this team.

American League
East
1. Rays
2. Redsox
3. Bluejays
4. Yankees
5. Orioles

Hey,i could dream right.....if you dont know,i hate the Yanks and i love 29 teams and hate 1.Truth be told,they look good this year,but i will cheer my a$$ off for the other 3 and hope Yanks dont make the playoffs.,However,I do see the Rays winning the division.

Central
1. Tigers
2. Royals
3. Indians
4. Twins
5. Whitesox

Wow,where do i start,easy division for the Tigers,most likely by at least 15 games.I like the Royals to compete for the Wild Card.Twins and Whitesox will not be too fun to watch this year.

West
1. Rangers
2. Angels
3. A's
4. Mariners
5. Astros(early 2013 prediction)

I think the Angels have too much ground to make up to catch the Rangers.

Wild Card Teams
N.L.
Nats,Braves and Pirates will battle till the end and Pirates will be looking at the game on TV.

A.L.
Redsox,Jays and Royals will battle it out and the Yankees will be the spoilers and Bluejays will go home.

I'll make predictions after the season for the playoffs.But if everything goes well,i see the Rays and Phillies in the World Series.

Thats mine,whats yours??

HELP Please,Going to Atlanta

I have read a bunch of posts from alot of bloggers in the last few months,but cant remember who had the blog i'm looking for.
Someone posted a "review" of the Atlanta,GA. card shops,please direct me to that blog,i will be going to Atlanta soon and would like to know who has the better "dime boxes","team boxes",etc.

Thanks for any help.

Work and MLB Network

Wow,work has been fun lately......wait,wrong part of post,work has su%^ed lately,there we go,working wayyyyy too many hours.At least when i'm at home and wife and kid aren't wanting to do something to occupy my time,i GET to watch BASEBALL.

Literally,i have have been watching Baseball on my local channel for the Braves,WGN for the Cubs or WSox,ESPN for an occasional game,but mainly MLB Network for non-stop baseball games at any time of day or night.I woke up at 2:00am,put tv on,a game,4pm,a game......this is so cool.

Can we have non-stop games during the regular season? Probably not,oh well,enjoy it while you can.

Really,3 days in a row

Dont get me wrong,i'm glad there is a channel on my TV that actually has baseball games to watch.MLB Network is and has been the best network on my television for years now.

BUT.

Yankees VS. Phillies for 3 days in a row,come on.I mean on Sunday,the network showed 3 games that all started at 1pm est.,so of course they pick the Yanks game to be live and the other 2 to be shown on tape delay including Stephen Strasburg's first outing.

Today at least,all 3 games being shown at going to be live,but they cant come up with another game for 1pm,seriously.

If you cant tell,i'm NOT  a Yankees fan and am always sick to my stomach if i have to listen to that egomaniac Michael Kay.....the funny thing is i have always loved Ken Singleton going back to when he played for the O's in the 70's.

At least i can see how the Phils are coming along w/out Howard.

Wins and losses are never important to me during the spring,just hearing the crack of the bat,the catcher's mitt pop and the homeruns and when i used to live where the Nats play,the smell of the popcorn.

Thanks for reading my rant.

Team Checklists

Checklists are needed cards in the collecting world.Knowing who's on what team,you can turn on a tv now a days and see who's there.But......in yesteryear,ok,the 80's and before,you had to count on the back of a team checklist to know that Kiko Garcia was on the 1978 Orioles or Bo Diaz was on the 78 Redsox or that Mike Schmidt was on the 78 Phillies,jk.

The cards kinda changed to make one member of the team stand out,like the Topps Total insert card of Garret Anderson,YES,i said insert.They made them inserts instead of regular cards for that set.The 2009 OPC set had different looks to them,some with the stadium,some with a few players on them(i guess the rest were playing golf and forgot about Upper Deck coming by for a picture).

The early Fleer team checklists had to share it with other teams.Some manufacturers didn't even include team checklists-ie,Donruss.

My favorites had to be with all of the members of the team like the 78's above.

Whats your favorite?

2011-2012 NBA Hoops

The new Hoops cards from this year.

I was thinking about getting some packs,mainly because i saw the price point was only .99c a pack(retail,of course).

Now,i dont know.The box prices have gone nuts on ebay thanks to all of the "Linsanity".

I ran across some 10-11 Donruss cards and actually loved the Panini design(i miss Donruss baseball-the real stuff).

Who is going to collect this basketball set?

Vlad,Johnny,Manny and Raaaaauuuuuuulllllll

Vladimir Guerrero,Johnny Damon,Manny Ramirez and Raul Ibanez........

The 4 OF/DH types that could help a team in some way IF the price or situation is right.

Well,what is the price,hopefully not too much if they actually want to play with spring training starting in most places tomorrow.The leaves the situation,well,thats alot harder to figure out.

The A's could get one of these players and they have been rumored to Manny,but why......to trade them come July 31st for more prospects of course.

The Yanks need/want a DH type to "fill in" when their players aren't in the DH role most of the year.

Who else?

Who else needs them? Who else wants them??

Too bad,some great careers coming close to an end.

Jorge Soler-Where are you going?

A fresh 19 year old outfielder from Cuba is now being entertained to offers to play in major league baseball.There are at least 8 teams that i have heard about wanting this alledged 5 tool player.

Where do you think he'll land?

Do you think he'll be a superstar or a bust?

Will it be a surprise team like Oakland getting Despedres(i think this is how you spell it)?

Oh,where oh where will Jorge Soler be to start 2012.....

Late 90's Color Explosion

I know,i know,nobody likes these overproduced cards from the late 90's.Actually,i do!!!!

Now that i'm back into the collecting and finishing off sets,i'm gonna see how close i am from knocking these explosive cards off my wantlists.

I really do like the design of the 1998 Circa Thunder cards-the "weirdness" (if thats a word)of the mixed up colors,I dont even think there are 2 cards alike and the 1997 Fleer Ultra cards are similiar to me in the sense of different team colors and a lot of sharp pictures(or pitchers-either spelling).

On another note.....If you have unwanted 2012 Gold Inserts,please go and read the post of the year and see why The Night Owl was the 2011 blog of the year.I just started reading these card blogs at beginning of this year and really enjoy his and about 30-40 more on a daily basis.Makes me want to sell some gold......

LCS Trade Day

On Wednesday,i went to my local card shop(ok,only card shop in the area-a good 21 miles from door to door-i calculated)and was told that on Saturday they had a trade day from 2-4pm.So expecting to see maybe 5-10 people,i brought a box of baseball,some new some old,to make trades with.

Got there around 11am because i forgot what the guy told me,was thinking 10-2,so i bought some cards,went to lunch and came back around 1pm.Well,from that point on shocked me,about 30-35 people came in that little store full of comics.

Earlier i said i bought cards from the store while waiting.First card out of the pack was the #1 prime 9 trade card for which the shop gave me the redemption of the Hank Aaron Home Run Legends card above.Sweet card.

The Nolan Ryan was one of many great inserts,but of course,no major pulls,did get in a drawing for a relic,well see???

The Crawford jersey numbered to 50 and the Bourn auto I got for trading a Bowman Strasberg that I received from Ebay last month for .15c shipping included......wow.

The Crawford bowman chrome numbered to 50 and the Glavine tools of the trade card numbered to 50 I got for trading a  Jeter and 2 David Ortiz 2012 classic walkoff inserts of which i had duplicates already.

The Maddux epix card is numbered to 350 and is a great addition to my collection.

As you can see,i collect alot of numbered cards and players like Ryan,Maddux,Randy Johnson,Halladay,and batters like Crawford,Berkman,Sheffield,Ripken,and many more stars......but,Halladay,Maddux,Sheff,Crawford and Berkman- I have a ton of numbered cards under 25 and will always accept more....lol.

Thanks for reading.

2012 Topps

2012 Topps is here.......and i got 3 Nolan Ryan's in 14 packs on his birthday......When they said "Gold",they weren't kidding.....i got 3 golden giveaway cards,4 timeless talents,4 golden greats including 2 different Ty Cobb's,3 gold standard(2 pitcured and Bob Gibson),3 gold parallels,1 gold future,5 golden moments,3 classic walk-offs,and 5 1987 topps minis...........and,of course,no major hit.....kinda expected that coming from retail.

On Wed,when hobby stores get the cards.....i will travel 17 miles one way to the only card shop in the Montgomery,Alabama area........

Kinda cut off the minis.....hey,there small anyways!!

Waiting and Waiting and Waiting

The 2012 baseball season is almost here.......its hard waiting and waiting and ....well,you know,waiting

So,a great distraction is only a few days away.......the 2012 Collecting Season is here,the new 2012 Topps will be out in a few days.

Its a time of year that means that Spring Training is just about to start.

For card collectors,it means no more spending money on old product or on ebay,its all about the 2012 stuff.Wantlists get forgotten about,put aside,lost,you name it........

The baseball season is almost here.

My Wantlists

This will be a work in progress,as i'm old school and use a small memo book to list them.

I'll start by saying i'm close to finishing off a few sets=2001 Topps,2003 Topps,2000 Ultra,2001 MVP,2001 Tradition,2001 Victory,2005 Topps,2006 Fleer,2005 Tradition

Then there are sets i'm after because of my absence from the hobby the last 5 years that i want to collect.....just started some of these=09 OPC-regular and black border,2008 Topps,2009 Topps,2010 Topps,2003 Donruss,2002 Topps-series 2

Player collections include Roy Halladay(many numbered),Carl Crawford,Gary Sheffield(only numbered),Lance Berkman,Nolan Ryan,Cal Ripken,etc

I'll try and specific numbers as i get close and/or i have the time to list them here.

Thanks.