Another Charlie Morton 1/1?????

Topps keeps coming up with more and more gimmicks to sell to us collectors.  Each year a new parallel hits the market.  Gold numbered to the years, well that's a classic and easy to obtain.  Black parallels, diamonds, cognacs, anniversary, camo, blue, red, sparkle, emeral, and yes even pink.  Well...over the past few years Topps started to produce wood parallels of most of their products numbered to 5 or less copies.  Flagship Topps is numbered 1/1 and Gypsy Queen minis are around 5 copies per card.

2012 Topps Wood Parallel Charlie Morton 1/1

Last year, I managed to grab the 2012 Topps Wood Parallel of one of my main players I collect, Charlie Morton.  This wasn't had cheaply though.  I had to pay $20 for this off center parallel.  BUT, it's just my 2nd Charlie Morton 1/1 so I couldn't pass up adding it to my collection.

I purposely didn't trim down the scan so that you can all see how poorly cut this card is.  It reminds me of my 1989 Topps collection.  Off center on so many levels.

The back is also off center and features the basic card back.

IP Auto: Andy LaRoche

Yesterday a couple of my friends and I went to see the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (AAA Phillies) take on the Buffalo Bisons (AAA Blue Jays).  I got to the stadium about an hour early to try and grab some autos.  It was largely a failure though.  Two players from the Iron Pigs (Adam Morgan and Tyson Gillies) were signing outside the Majestic store prior to the game, but the line was capped off at 6:15pm (a full hour before gametime).

Many of the Bisons players remained silent when fans approached them for autographs.

Former Royals prospect Clint Robinson signed for a short time for a few fans before starting his normal game day rituals.  Several other players would sign for a few fans then scatter off to do their pre game workouts.  I didn't bring many cards with me mainly because I was using this game as an opportunity to just hang with my friends and watch a game as summer came to a close.

The two players I was hoping to graph strictly for their Pirates ties were Buffalo Bisons 3B Andy Laroche and relief pitcher Brad Lincoln.  Both players were well regarded prospects in the Pirates franchise at one time.  Lincoln came out of the dugout and immediately ran to the bullpen allowing no time to even attempt an autograph.

2009 Heritage Andy LaRoche IP AUTO 

Andy Laroche signed a few cards for everyone though including the card you see above.  He had a terrible game at the plate grounding into two inning ending double plays and also striking out with a runner in scoring position.  Nevertheless I am grateful that Andy was willing to sign for the fans and am happy to add this IP Auto to my collection.

DUAL PATCH AND AN AUTO FOR $9.99?

It's no secret.  Jason Bay was one of my favorite players on the Pirates.  I have quite a ridiculous collection of that gent.  Last month, someone with a larger nicer Jason Bay collection than mine was selling off a large amount of Jason Bay cards on ebay and I jumped at picking up some of the nicer ones.  In doing so I was able to complete my Jason Bay Partner Project I've been working on for well over a year in addition to grabbing some nice patch and autographs.

This might be the best value card I grabbed.  For $9.99!!!!!

2005 Donruss Portraits Prime Patches Dual Patch/AUTO 15/25

It's a 2005 Donruss Prime Patches Dual Patch and Auto numbered 15/25.  Prime Patches offered up some really nice cards during it's release.  I've gotten several Jason Bay including a bat and jumbo jersey swatch and recently grabbed a Dave Parker PATCH AND AUTO numbered 52/72.

You can click on the link below to see some of the other Jason Bay cards I won from the same seller.
Triple Autograph: Jason Bay, Adam Laroche, Tom Gorzelanny
6 player booklet: Russell Martin, Jason Bay, Shawn Hill, Justin Morneau, Rich Harden, Erik Bedard
2008 UD Premier LOGO Patch 23/50 SICK!!!!!!
2008 UD Premiere 3 player patch: Xavier Nady, Jason Bay, Freddy Sanchez 11/15

Yesterday marked the 10 year anniversary of the Pirates trading their slugging right fielder Brian Giles to San Diego for Jason Bay and Oliver Perez.  I explained how the Pirates were moneyballing for years before the A's were and you can read my article (and see some sweet cards while you're at it) by clicking this link.

McCutchen Monday: It came from Japan!

My current favorite player in baseball today is Andrew McCutchen.  Quite honestly, he might be my favorite player I've ever gotten a chance to see play. I currently own almost 300 unique cards of Cutch and hope to get that number closer to 400 by the end of the year.  Amongst my cardboard collection of Cutch are many autographs, over a dozen 1/1s, and almost enough jersey material to put his jersey back together.  Back in 2011, I created Morton Mondays, but with the lack of Charlie Morton cards available, I changed it to McCutchen Mondays so each Monday I will show off one new card from my Cutch collection.

To see all my Andrew McCutchen relics, autos, printing plates, manupatches, etc ... check out this link.

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you may remember that I picked up several video game cards produced by Topps for the Japanese market.  I highlighted those cards back in February which included Jason Grilli, Garret Jones, Joel Hanrahan, and of course Andrew McCutchen.

I found a seller of these cards who has a shop on ebay and added him to my favorites.
I recently saw that he had listed several of the 2013 Topps SegaCardGen cards so naturally I had to pick them up.

2013 SegaCardGen 

Here's the 2013 SegaCardGen gaming card of Cutch.

2013 Sega CardGen back

 Above is the back of the card.

In addition to Cutch, I grabbed 5 other Bucs and a former Buc.  Below you'll see Pedro Alvarez, Jared Hughes, James McDonald, Neil Walker, AJ Burnett, and Joel Hanrahan.

I don't have any idea what the back of the cards say, but I think my favorite description is for Pedro Alvarez. I wonder if El Toro wears a cape when he disguieses himself as  Power Hitting Hot Corner Man.

Ralph Kiner ate his Wheaties

Everyone knows what 1952 Topps did to the card market.  Prior to that, very few cards were found to be mainstream.  Sure you could get cards as bonuses in tobacco or cereal products, but nothing like what Topps was able to accomplish when they released the 1952 series.

I've previously shown off a few of my 1952 Topps cards I've picked up at shows, but just recently came across this little gem for $3.

It's a 1952 Wheaties side panel featuring Ralph Kiner.  Clearly it doesn't have the same market or resale value that a Topps card would have and the cutting of the "card" was not done perfectly, but for $3 I will gladly add this to my binder of Pirates HOF players.

Oh Canada! Jameson Taillon WBC AUTO

I recently showed off the booklet that FINALLY gave me 38 different players to appear on a relic or autos with Jason Bay.  It featured all Canadian born players including Russell Martin, Jason Bay, Rich Harden, Justin Morneau, Erik Bedard, and Shawn Hill.

While Jameson Taillon wasn't born in Canada, his parents were so he was qualified to play for Team Canada in the recent WBC.  As is customary for Topps, they produced cardboard of the players involved.

There were several Pirates players featured in the 2013 Topps Tribute WBC release including Jameson Taillon, Wandy Rodriguez, and Jason Grilli.  I still need a Grilli auto from the set, but have already shown the  sepia Wandy Rodriguez I grabbed for 99 cents.  

2013 Topps Tribute WBC AUTO 35/35

Taillon pitched only 4 innings in the WBC allowing 1 earned run while striking out 3 member of Team USA (Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Braun, and Shane Victorino).  He threw 34 pitches of 52 for strikes so his command was pretty strong against an All-Star worthy lineup.  Not too bad for a kid that had never pitched above AA prior to the WBC.

I've said it before, the Pirates pitching staff should be very strong in the next couple years as more and more homegrown players begin to appear in the majors.  While many predict Cole to be the more dominant pitcher, I think that Taillon will one day surpass him strictly because his curveball is nasty.

The above card is my 18th certified auto of Jamo.

My loot from the Crackin Wax break

I decided to participate in the Crackin Wax Allen & Ginter 2013 Case break and of course chose my beloved Pirates.  The Bucs had several good hits from the set list and I was hoping to add one or two to my collection.  Unfortunately I got shut out, but that also meant I got a $5 reimbursement which I've already used to purchase a Starling Marte auto which I'll show off in a future post.

2013 SPs: McCutchen & Martin

The Pirates did have two SPs in the team set (Andrew McCutchen and Russel Martin) and I managed to grab two cards of each.  I will consider trading a copy if the offer is right.

2013 Base team set: Clemente, Mazeroski, Kiner, Stargell, Burnett, Jones, Alvarez, Walker, Marte

The rest of the Pirates team set includes 9 base cards

2013 Across the Years inserts: Stargell and Clemente

The Allen & Ginter Across the Years set includes two Bucs greats (Roberto Clemente & Willie Stargell).

2013 Minis: Walker Black Border, Kiner base, Kiner A&G back, Stargell base, McCutchen A&G back

One of my favorite things about A&G is the minis.  I didn't exactly hit on anything of major note, but did get two A&G backs (Kiner and McCutchen) along with a black border Neil Walker.

As an added bonus I received two cards from 2013 Platinum that I desperately needed to add to my collection.  They are of top prospects Gerrit Cole and Alen Hanson.

Team USA autographs: Future Aces, 5 Tool Player, Solid Backstop

I've been tracking down Pirates prospects wearing the Team USA uniform as of late and wanted to show off some of my recent additions to the Treasure Room.  3/4 of the cards were on card signatures and many were very cheap that I just couldn't pass them up.

2011 Bowman USA Blue Refractor Austin Meadows AUTO 18/99

Up first is the Pirates 2013 1st Round Draft Pick Austin Meadows.  The minute the Pirates drafted him, I looked on ebay for a nice refractor auto to grab.  While this card was quite pricy, if he pans out as expected this will be a steal of a deal.  It's from 2011 Bowman USA and is the blue refractor auto.

Meadows got off to a very slow start before finally turning it on.  His line is now a very solid .316/.409/.534 which gives him an OPS of .943 as a center fielder.  Many feel that Meadows has the skill set to remain a centerfielder as he continues to climb through the minors.  Some have even said that they wouldn't be surprised if he becomes the most talented player selected in the draft.

2013 Panini Team USA AUTO 63/349 Reese McGuire

From the same draft class is the player that the entire Pirates fan base thought would be their 9th overall selection and fellow 1st round talent Reese McGuire.  McGuire was linked to the Pirates days before the draft happened and many Pirates fans felt that McGuire should not be taken 9th overall.  Fortunately, Austin Meadows slipped to the Pirates and McGuire was still on the board 5 picks later when they selected 14th overall.  McGuire has had a pretty good start to his pro career, but has cooled off recently.  He began the year with a batting average over .500 for his first 10 games.  Since that time it's dipped to a .315/.375/.385 line.  McGuire has yet to show any kind of power at the plate (10 doubles of his 45 hits), but many see the power potential growing as he matures and fills out a bit more.  One thing about McGuire that will help him accelerate through the minors is his ability to recognize pitches.  He currently has a 15 SO to 13 BB ratio, showing clear judgement for the strike zone.  The most impressive thing about McGuire is the rate he's throwing runners out (41%).  To put that into perspective, many fans and scouts view Yadier Molina as the premier defensive backstop in the game today.  Molina was throwing runners out at 43% at the same level and slightly older.  I grabbed the above auto for $15 shipped.

2013 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes Jameson Taillon AUTO 694/800

Next up is a Jameson Taillon USA Panini Stars and Stripes sticker auto that I grabbed for $7 shipped.  I don't understand why Taillon autos are so cheap.  I've talked an aweful lot about my excitement towards the future with Jameson Taillon so I don't really need to say anything further.

2010 Topps USA Gerrit Cole AUTO

Finally the Pirates future ace and current rookie flamethrower Gerrit Cole from 2010 Topps USA Baseball that I grabbed for $22.  Same as Taillon, I've expressed my thoughts on how good I think Gerrit Cole will be for years to come.

McCutchen Monday: 2013 Gypsy Queen Mini Relic

My current favorite player in baseball today is Andrew McCutchen.  Quite honestly, he might be my favorite player I've ever gotten a chance to see play. I currently own almost 300 unique cards of Cutch and hope to get that number closer to 400 by the end of the year.  Amongst my cardboard collection of Cutch are many autographs, over a dozen 1/1s, and almost enough jersey material to put his jersey back together.  Back in 2011, I created Morton Mondays, but with the lack of Charlie Morton cards available, I changed it to McCutchen Mondays so each Monday I will show off one new card from my Cutch collection.

To see all my Andrew McCutchen relics, autos, printing plates, manupatches, etc ... check out this link.

2013 Gypsy Queen Framed Mini Relic

Today, I'm going to show off a card that may look familar.  I grabbed this for only $3 shipped

That's because I've previously shown off the 10/10 patch version seen below.

2013 Gypsy Queen Framed Mini Relic PATCH 10/10

Roberto Clemente bat for trade/sale

I have a Roberto Clemente bat relic card for trade/sale.  If interested leave a comment below.  I'm primarily looking for Pirates autos or Vintage Needs.

I've included a scan of the front and back for your reference

.The card is from 2005 Donruss Greats Hall of Fame Souvenirs.  It's unnumbered.

Today would have been Roberto's 79th bday if he hadn't passed away tragically in 1972.

An oddball featuring Cutch, Alvarez, Marte, and Walker

Back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s many companies used to produce oddball cards of baseball players that you could only find regionally.  As an Andy Van Slyke collector, I've managed to grab a few of these.  However with the exclusive license to produce MLB cards given to Topps, oddballs are becoming more and more scarce of current players.

Almost all minor league teams produce cards of that year's crop of prospects and filler onto cardboard and sell them as team sets around $10 at stadiums.  Occasionally though, they'll do something like what you see above.

That is the back of a set of playing cards given out at Altoona Curve games this year.  It was part of a promotion where you could save up all four of the "Tailgate" themed giveaways to receive a tailgate party pack.

The cards feature 4 of teh Pirates top positional players on the roster as Kings of Curve, Pa.
Clubs: Andrew McCutchen
Heart: Starling Marte
Diamonds: Pedro Alvarez
Spades: Neil Walker

I'm not sure if it was intentional, but the suits of the player actually suit the player pretty well.
Cutch is the face of the franchise (club).
Starling Marte often plays through his injuries and will gladly take one for the team by getting hit by a pitch just to get on base (heart)
Pedro Alvarez was the Pirates 1st big draft signing bonus (diamonds)
and Neil Walker is a player every team has in spades, but can't win without

I'm happy I was able to pick these cards up.  The only problem is I don't know how to organize them.  I have a binder of just Cutch cards and have a binder full of current players that I collect (Marte, Alvarez, and Walker).  I could put the kings of each card in a page of that player, but what do I do with the other 50 cards? (52 cards + 2 jokers - 4 kings)

GIVE ME YOUR SUGGESTIONS HOW YOU WOULD STORE THESE....

The Jason Bay Partner Project is COMPLETE!!!! Russell Martin, Erik Bedard, Rich Harden, and Shawn Hill help out BOOKLET

FINALLY!!!! AFTER ALMOST 2 YEARS!!!!
I have successfully added 38 unique players appearing on a relic or autograph card with Jason Bay to my collection.  This was a fun project and maybe one day I would like to get 38 jersey/bat relics and 38 autographs.  But for now, I AM HAPPY!!!

I can cross that off my 2013 Goals.

2008 Triple Threads Booklet (3/3) TTRDC16 CANADA

This was the final card I won from the ebay seller selling off a large Jason Bay collection.  The seller neglected to include full names in the description of the item which I think helped my chances of winning this extremely low numbered booklet.  Featured on the card are jersey swatches from Russel Martin, Erik Bedard, Rich Harden, and Justin Morneau.  Jason Bay has part of a patch and Shawn Hill (a pitcher) features a bat relic.  What's most fascinating to me is that the 3 players on the left hand side of the card have all played with the Pirates at some point in the career.  CAN the Pirates finish above .500 this year?  Yes they CAN!!!!  Get it?  That's a joke, son.

I now sit at 38 different players to have either an autograph or relic with the 2004 Rookie of Year. 38 DIFFERENT PLAYERS APPEARING ON A MEMORABILIA OR AUTOGRAPH CARD WITH JASON BAY!!!!
Here's a list of the others that I have memorabilia cards with Jason Bay 
*if bold and yellow it means I also have an autograph of them with Bay too

Albert Pujols
Alex Rios
Alfonso Soriano
Andruw Jones
Bill Madlock
Bobby Crosby
Carlos Lee
Craig Wilson
David Wright
Edgar Martinez
Erik Bedard
Freddy Sanchez
Gary Carter
Jacoby Ellsbury
JD Drew
Jose Castillo 
Justin Morneau 
Ken Griffey Jr.
Kenny Lofton
Mario Lemieux
Mark Teixeira
Manny Ramirez
Matt Holiday
Nick Markakis
Ralph Kiner
Rich Harden
Russell Martin
Shawn Hill
Torii Hunter
Xavier Nady

And here is a list of the players that I have autograph cards with Jason Bay

Adam LaRoche
Bill Mazeroski
Casey Kotchman
Dale Murphy
Dave Parker
Dustin Pedroia
Tom Gorzelanny
Willie Parker

Last minute road trip gets me 3 autographs of top prospects

A last minute idea for a road trip caused me to stop in Lakewood, NJ on Sunday August 11th to see the Phillies and Pirates A- ball teams collide.  The West Virginia Power (Pirates) were finishing up their road trip against the Lakewood BlueClaws (Phillies) and had won the previous 2 games of the series.  On paper, the Power should have came out swinging some big bats as the BlueClaws starter had issues throughout the season.  I got to the stadium around 4 pm for the 5:05 start and gates opened shortly after my arrival.  After finding my seat, I went to the 3rd base dugout to seek out some autographs.

Many players stopped by but I only had cards for 2 players on me and a cheap "official league" ball on hand.  Rather than get the ball signed by the entire team I held onto it waiting for certain players I wanted to display in my collection.  

Up first was 2013 Futures Game All-Star Dilson Herrera.  Dilson was extremely fan friendly signing close to a dozen cards for one guy and signing until everyone in the surrounding area got autographs.  He signed my ball right on the sweet spot.

From a distance I could see Tyler Glasnow signing and went into a little bit of a geek mode as I think Glasnow has the potential to be as good as the Pirates top pitching prospects (Cole and Taillon).  Tyler is only 19 years old and is dominating in A ball.  Through 97 innings pitched he has given up only 53 hits and has a 2.75 Strikeout to Walk ratio (140:51).  He only has a 2.50 ERA with an 8-3 record.  Not bad stats for a 19 year old in his first taste of full season ball.

As the game was getting ready to start, Josh Bell came over to sign for a bunch of fans as well.  When I first got there he told a couple fans he would be back to sign before the game and that he had to get loose first.  So often is the case with top prospects that they don't actually come back to sign for everyone.  Josh was the exception.  He signed cards, ticket stubs, balls, hats, photos, etc until everyone was taken care of.  He doesn't have a long name to sign for, but his signature is clean.  No squiggly signs or anything like that.  Also he was doing number inscriptions on everything he signed.  

2012 Leaf National Young Stars IP AUTO 

2013 Topps Pro Debut IP AUTO

Above are the 2 cards that Josh had signed for me before the game.  Below is the ball signed by all 3 of the Pirates top prospects.

Tyler Glasnow #24
Josh Bell #2

Dilson Herrera #31

McCutchen Monday: Low Numbered Dual Relic with Roberto Clemente

My current favorite player in baseball today is Andrew McCutchen.  Quite honestly, he might be my favorite player I've ever gotten a chance to see play. I currently own almost 300 unique cards of Cutch and hope to get that number closer to 400 by the end of the year.  Amongst my cardboard collection of Cutch are many autographs, over a dozen 1/1s, and almost enough jersey material to put his jersey back together.  Back in 2011, I created Morton Mondays, but with the lack of Charlie Morton cards available, I changed it to McCutchen Mondays so each Monday I will show off one new card from my Cutch collection.

To see all my Andrew McCutchen relics, autos, printing plates, manupatches, etc ... check out this link.

Topps Heritage offers up some really great looking dual relics of retired players with stars of today every year.  Often times, these go for mega mega dollars on the secondary market.  Earlier in the year I ponied up and bought my first dual relic of Andrew McCutchen and the "Great One" Roberto Clemente.  It's still one of my favorites in my collection.  Well...that was until this card came out.

2013 Topps Heritage Clubhouse Collection DUAL RELIC 29/64

Was it cheap?  It has a bat relic of Roberto Clemente, what do you think?
Does it use photography we've seen before?  It's Topps, of course.
Does it belong in my permanent collection...um yes!!!!

Football is back in Pittsburgh

The Steelers will play their first preseason game tonight against the New York Giants.  Preseason football might be even less meaningful than spring training for baseball, but I'm still going to root for the black and gold.

2011 Rookie & Stars Prime Patches Rashard Mendenhall 15/50

The above prime patch of Mr. Mendenhall was picked up at a mall sports card show back in May for $3.  Couldn't be happier to add it to my collection for the price paid.

2013 Bowman Inception Barret Barnes

Last month I showed off 3/4 of my 2013 Bowman Inception collection.  I showed the Alen Hanson, Gregory Polanco, and the sweet dual auto of the two top prospects.  In addition to those three cards I also grabbed a Barrett Barnes auto from Inception.

2013 Bowman Inception Barrett Barnes

This is my second on card auto of the young outfielder.  Earlier in the year I showed my 2012 Bowman Sterling auto I grabbed for less than $3.

Barnes is having a decent season as a 21 year old in A ball.  He's currently on the 7 day DL and hasn't played since July 23rd.  However in 46 games, he was batting .268/.338/.399 as a speedy centerfielder (10SB) with a little bit of pop (5HR and 24 RBI).  Barnes profiles with a ceiling of 20/20 potential and above average glove in centerfield.  The Pirates have a lot of depth in the outfield and I suspect that Barnes may eventually be included in a trade for a veteran player.  He was the Pirates compensation pick for losing Ryan Doumit to free agency in 2011.

Post 385: Remembering Arky Vaughan aka How the Game has changed

Today is my 385th post on the blog.  The blog was started in early 2011 and and has had several periods where nothing was posted.  It's also had periods where I posted every day.  My posting habits are kinda similar to the Pirates actually.  Short periods of success and long periods of sucking.

One player that didn't suck was HOF shortstop Arky Vaughan.  Arky holds the Pirates All-Time single season batting average with a .385 record that he accomplished in 1935 during his age 23 season.

2012 Prime Cuts Biography Arky Vaughan BAT RELIC 62/99

Replacing a HOF shortstop is tough.  Replacing quite possibly the greatest shortstop to ever play the game in the early 20th century is incredibly tough.  Arky Vaughan had that responsibility when he took over for the Steel City legend Honus Wagner in 1932.  Arky Vaughan had an incredible 14 year career as you can see on his Baseball reference page.  The 9 time allstar was eventually voted into the HOF by the Veterans Committee in 1985.  However, Vaughan wasn't able to be there as he had passed away at the early age of 40 after retiring in his age 36 season.  I grabbed my first bat relic of the HOF shortstop for $9.99 shipped.

The back of the card highlights Arky's 100th career triple.

What I found most incredible when looking over Vaughan's stats was that he finished 3rd in MVP voting back in that 1935 season.  If you thought that Matt Kemp was robbed in 2011 of the MVP to the recently suspended Ryan Braun, check out how much more Vaughan was deserving of the hardware than the actual winner Gabby Hartnett.

Even understanding that WAR wasn't used back then, it's clear who was the Most Valuable Player to the NL.  Vaughan beat Hartnett in every offensive (AVG, HR, RBI, SB, BB, R, OBP, SLG, H)  It should be worth noting that Dizzy Dean finished second in voting for the MVP when he posted a 28-12 record in 325 innings.  My, how the game has changed.

Dave Parker is battling Parkinson's Disease

I recently became aware that one of my favorite Pirates players of all time is battling Parkinson's disease.  I think this is a good time to really point out why HOF players should be voted in during their 15 year eligibility.

Dave Parker never received more than 24% votes for his HOF candidacy.

He often played hurt and one time even played with a football helmet to protect his broken jaw.

While Parker was involved in some off field battles that may have ruined his chances, there is no doubt that he was one of the best outfielders in the 70s and 80s.

He finished in the top 10 MVP voting 6 times in his career and won the award in 1978 (95%).  In addition to the MVP honors, he also won 3 gold gloves, 3 silver sluggers, 7xAll-Star, 2x NL Batting Champ, and won the 1979 All-Star game MVP.

He finished his career with more RBI than other HOF players Mickey Mantle, Jim Rice, Billy Williams, Orlando Cepeda, etc
His doubles total are higher than many HOF players also.

His career ended with a .290/.339/.471 line with 339 HR and 526 doubles while collecting 2,712 hits while driving in just shy of 1,500 RBI.

Below you'll see my entire hits collection of the Cobra.
I have 6 autographs, 15 jerseys, and 12 bat relics along with 1 Three Rivers stadium seat relic.