McCutchen Mailday #104: Little C

My latest addition to the Cutch PC is another 1/1 letter from 2014 Topps Five Star. This marks the 3rd letter from that set I have purchased in the past year.

The Pirates have been doing some dance move rituals before every game this year. I bring that up because Lil C is a dance choreographer.

McCutchen Mailday #251, 252, and 253: 3 MORE 1/1s

I have already added an insane amount of Andrew McCutchen cards to my collection this year.
I've even added almost 40 1/1s to the PC this year.  That would be exciting for any collector.  However, I really think that I have outdone myself with this recent group of cards I have purchased.

I got in contact with a seller who has dealt me some nice Cutch cards in the past that he's won in group breaks and beaten me on eBay a few times.  I was trying to win a triple booklet of Cutch's All-Star sleeve from 2015 Triple Threads but ended up losing it.  Patience proved to be a virtue as after a few months, I was able to acquire from the winning bidder.

This card (along with it's custom case I will never remove it from) is now the highlight of my Cutch collection.

Behold the beauty of a 1/1 triple booklet All Star Sleeve patch!!!

The customized red case really makes this card pop.

This is what it looked like before putting it in the custom case

Also from the same seller were two other nice 1/1s including only my 2nd button in the collection

Oh and another letter...

McCutchen Mailday #224: The Letter C

ANOTHER 1/1 LETTER????

I just couldn't resist.

I'm getting dangerously close to spelling out McCutchen using letters from various releases.

McCutchen Mailday #202: Another 1/1 Letter Patch

Four McCutchen Maildays in a row have been 1/1s.  I think I am legit going insane with my collection this year for adding Cutch cards.  The goal was to just add 100 new Cutch cards by year's end and I have destroyed that goal. 

This is my 5th 1/1 Jersey Letter of Cutch I have acquired this year. 
I currently sit at 61 1/1s which includes a few that I haven't shown off yet. 

McCutchen Mailday #150: Milestone Cutch Card!!!!

When I initially saw this card I thought that it might be a fake.  It was missing the jersey behind the letter.  Upon further research, I noticed that ALL 2012 In the Name All-Star Jersey Letters had the letters cut out from the actual jerseys. 

After verifying that this card was legit, I had to have it. 
Granted I already have a letter T from one of McCutchen's jerseys, but this is the letter T from his very first All-Star Game.

Check out how cool that card is!

I think I'm at almost 30 1/1s of Cutch I have added this year to the PC.  Crazy sauce, right?

MAJOR MARTE MOJO!!!!!!

On Card Autograph
The letter "T" from Pirates
Numbered to only 10!!!!

Major F-ing mojo with this bad boy!!!!

McCutchen Mailday #85: Another 1/1 Letter!!!!!

Ok, this is just starting to get silly right?  I've been showing off booklets and jumbo swatches, and prime patches, and autographs over the past month.  Well now I drop this hammer on y'all.

It's a 1/1 2014 Five Star Letter "C" from McCutchen's jersey.  It's my 5th letter of Cutch and my first C.  After acquiring this card, I thought it would be fun to spell out McCutchen using cards from various jerseys.  I currently have M C E N.  I also have an extra E.

Of all the cards of Cutch I have acquired thus far in 2015 for my pursuit of 100 new Cutch cards, I think this is the card I am most happy to own.

Yesterday I found out that my submitted best offer for a "U" from Tier One wasn't high enough so I will need to hope c C U T H pop up sometime again.

McCutchen Mailday #52: Another 1/1 All-Star Game Jersey Letter

Finishing up my McCutchen 1/1s I've purchased is this 1/1 2013 All-Star Game Workout Jersey Letter "E" from 2014 Topps.

It's my fourth true 1/1 I've added of Cutch this year.  The others can be seen by clicking on the links below.

2012 Bowman Red Paper 1/1 (damaged in transit)
2014 Leaf Legends of Diamond Artist Proof Sketch by Chris Henderson
2015 Topps In the Name "N" Letter patch from 2014 All-Star Game

My Quest for 100 has been a lot of fun and I might try to push for 200 by year's end.  Adding only 2 new Cutch cards a week isn't enough of a challenge for me this year.  LOL!

My other goals haven't been avoided either as I have added autographs of several Steelers Hall of Famers, added a few more Tony Sanchez graded autograph rookies, and my Charlie Morton PC is up to date with all the 2015 releases thus far.

I almost forgot to show off the back of the card...

McCutchen Mailday #47: 1/1 All-Star Game Letter "N" 2015 Topps

I honestly don't have a lot to say about this card besides WOW!!!!

My quest for 100 new Cutch cards to the collection in 2015 just got EPIC!!!
This "N" from Cutch's 2014 All-Star Workout jersey will go nicely with the "E" I have from Cutch's 2012 Workout Jersey.


Stay tuned though, cause it may not get better but there's more coming in terms of 1/1s...

Award Time!!!!

Jason Bay was the rookie of the year in 2004.  He was the first and only Pirates player to win the RoY award.

The Pirates had high hopes heading into 2014 that they could potentially have two guys competing for the Rookie of the Year in Gregory Polanco and Jameson Taillon.

In early spring training, Jameson Taillon underwent Tommy John surgery thus putting him out for the entire season.

Polanco tore up AAA pitching hitting .347 with a ridiculous .540 slugging percentage and 49 RBI over 60 games.  The Pirates waited until June 10th to call Polanco to the majors and hit the ground running with an 11 game hit streak before he went into a 20 game slump.

Last week, three Pirates players were awarded player of the week awards in the Minor Leagues.  They included Tyler Glasonw (FSL Pitcher of the Week) for his dominating performance where he struck out 11 batters in 6 innings while allowing only 2 hits and no runs.  Austin Meadows and Buddy Borden represented the West Virginia Power as SAL Player of the Week and SAL Pitcher of the Week respectively.  Meadows batted .500 for the week with 6 extra base hits and 7 RBI in 25 plate appearances.  Borden went 2-0 with only 1 earned run allowed in 13 innings while striking out 14 and allowing only 6 baserunners in 2 outings (4 hits and 2 walks).

It's hard to talk about small sample sizes in the minor leagues, but the Pirates have done a fantastic job getting quality out of their recent draft picks. For two decades, it was grim times but thanks to Neal Huntington and the scouts and the minor league development it is a much brighter future in the steel city.

Katy Perry presents The Letter H

Nothing grabs my attention better than a big set of tits in a tiny Elmo shirt.

They look like Ds but we're going to show off the letter H today

2007 By the Letter "H" Jason Bay AUTO 18/25

It's just another of those Jason Bay by the Letters autographs I've been in search for to complete PITTSBURGH.

Katy Perry Presents: The Letter U

A nice set of tits is always appreciated, so in the style of Sesame Street and my favorite lady to ever wear an Elmo tshirt, I will allow Katy Perry to present today's letter (yes there are baseball cards in this post too)

Today's Letter is:

2007 SP By the Letter Jason Bay AUTO 7/25

You might be thinking there's no U in Jason Bay. Well Treasure Room fans, you are correct, but Upper Deck created a name plate of Bay that also spelled out PITTSBURGH. The above Jason Bay U marks my 5th letter in attempting that plate. I have the S B U R H.

2009 Upper Deck Team USA By the Letter  Jameson Taillon AUTO 42/100

The above 2 future front of rotation Pirates pitchers are from the Team USA by the letter line in 2009. Both Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon are represented.  Speaking of Jameson Taillon, if you haven't already checked out the sick patch of his I have from the 2012 Futures Game go check it out by clicking here. It also features the letter U.

Cobras in the mailbox

I added a few more Dave "The Cobra" Parker cards to my collection recently through the world wide web.  First up...

2005 Donruss Prime Patches AUTO PATCH 52/72

A stunning auto and patch card from 2005 Donruss Prime Patches.  This lil piece of cardboard has everything I want in a Cobra hit.
photo of Parker in striped Pirates hat? check
AUTO? check
Yellow Fabric? check
Nameplate letter? check
Under the price of a blaster? check
I managed to grab this for only $19.99.

Next.........................................

2012 National Treasures Signature Materials 

While not as nice as the 2005 Prime Patches, this card is a nice grab for the $13 price tag I paid for it.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, Dave Parker deserves more consideration for the Hall of Fame.  If not for the cocaine charges against him in the 80s, his on field and off field contributions to the Steel City were beaten by only one other team mate (Stargell).  He was considered one of the top outfielders in the 70s and early 80s and posted 2,712 career hits despite 7 seasons which he played in less than 125 games.  He was in the MVP top 10 for voting 7 times through out his career and won it in 1978 while also winning a batting title, 3 gold gloves, 3 silver sluggers.

The Return of Can I Buy a Vowel?

Last year I was trying to complete a nameplate of that other McCutchen.  I was making really good progress picking up letter after letter on ebay and COMC for under $8 a card.  Then I hit a stumbling block when I had M c C U T C H N and only needed the E to complete the set.  After nearly 5 months of searching I was able to get the letter E to complete the nameplate.

While I will not be attempting this nearly impossible task of completing a long nameplate of 1/1s I am excited to pick up my first Andrew McCutchen nameplate card from 2013 Topps.  The card features the letter E used by Cutch in the 2012 All-Star Game as part of his workout jersey.

2013 Topps 1/1 In The Name Nameplate "E" 2012 All-Star Workout Jersey 

It wasn't cheap and I was playing the counteroffer game with the seller until we both agreed on a price fair to both of us.  I paid just a little bit more than the letter N had sold for and just under what the letter T is currently listed at.

Like I said I would never attempt a nameplate of 1/1s, but damn how cool would that be?  Of the players I collect, Bay would be the easiest, but I don't see him making too many more All-Star appearances in the future.

a Dodgers Hit on the PTR????

I've shown some Dodgers blue before.  But quite honestly the only reason I grabbed this card was because it's an auto of a current member of the Pirates that I managed to grab for $5.

Manupatch AUTOs were a great idea.  Some of them don't really make sense, like the one above.  Why is JAMES McDONALD signing a letter U?

The short answer?

I have no idea

But this card makes me want to spell out P I T T S B U R G H

James McDonald was traded to the Pirates in the summer of 2010 along with Dodgers prospect Andrew Lambo for a 1 month, 18 inning rental of Ocatvio Dotel.  Not a bad deal for the Bucs if you ask me.  I wish all the other Dodgers trades the Bucs made worked out like that.  Maybe they felt bad for sending us garbage in the Jason Bay trade.

The Pirates face the Dodgers tonight in LA at 10PM ET.  JMac pitched a gem yesterday giving up 1 run 2 hit baseball over 7 innings.  He didn't deserve the loss yesterday, but the Pirates bats didn't come alive until the 9th inning.  Hopefully the Bucs can get back to .500 tonight.

1st Goal of 2012 Complete!

I finally picked up the last letter needed for my Daniel McCutchen Topps Finest Nameplate.  The letter E had been escaping me for about 4 1/2 months as only 2 became available during that time.  I didn't want to get a different print run like /50 or /25.  I wanted them all to be the same.  For the price of a Subway meal, I picked up this DCutch "E" completing my nameplate.

The Pirates are currently down 1-0 in the rubber match against the Mets.  The Bucs will need to win this game to win the series.

Tomorrow is an off day for the Pirates followed by a 3 game series against the division rivals Chicago Cubs.  The cards available for the Let's Go Bucs Contest will be some vintage and a throwback manupatch of the Ryno.

Cheer for the Bucs by leaving a comment.  If the Pirates win the series, one lucky person will randomly win these cards below.

McCutchen Monday: 2010 Triple Threads Booklet

I've been reading a lot of good books lately.  My most recent one is about a letter that got misplaced in a baseball card of one of the most electrifying center fielders in Pirates history.

Sure it's no T206 Honus Wagner card, but this marks my 5th Andrew McCutchen booklet.  This is quite possibly my second favorite Cutch booklet.  The card features an auto of Cutch where he still used to sign most of his full name as opposed to his current signatures that just feature ACutch.  It also has the letter U from his jersey (possibly from McCutchen or Pittsburgh since it is a road jersey by the grey fabric)  There's also 2 other unique pieces of patch.  The card is numbered 1/3. 

To recap my other Cutch booklets, I'll show them off below.

 

 

What do you think of my Cutch book collection?  Which is your favorite?

The Pirates will face off against the Marlins today in a 2 game series in Miami.  The Marlins have had lots of dramatic walkoffs since moving into their new stadium.  Here's hoping the Bucs can at least split the 2 game series.  Let's Go Bucs!

There are no boobs in this post

Last month I posted (with the help of Katy Perry and her bouncing boobs) about how I wanted to complete a nameplate of my last name using players from the Pirates from those Letter cards that UD, Finest, Razor has done in the past.  It was a fun idea and I am getting closer to completing the goal.  Really really close actually.


Today I got the Bill Mazeroski I won on ebay.  Maz cards never go cheap on ebay.  Maybe because he's the greatest defensive 2nd baseman of all time.  Maybe because a lot of people love him for defeating the Yankees with a single swing of the bat in 1960.  Maybe because he's a very humble and kind man.  Whatever the reason, it's tough to get steals on ebay when it comes to Maz cards.  This "K" was no different as it cost me $19.99 shipped.  There's not too many Pirates with Ks in their names though so I had to pull the trigger since the card is limited to 15.

I also managed to grab the letter Y from Jason Bay.  This makes my 4th manufactured letter auto by Bay

Here's the layout so far

 I also have a S from Don Veal and Jason Bay.

the letter E.  Possibly Honus Wagner or Pedro Alvarez.  Still need the base auto letter E for my Daniel McCutchen nameplate.  This letter is starting to piss me off.

Extra letters for my future nameplate projects that I haven't determined yet.

Trade Post with Ryan's Pitch

Ryan's Pitch recently completed a trade with me in exchange for a Craig Kimbrel relic I had laying around along with some Yankees and Braves.  Here's what I got in return.


2 Gypsy Queen minis that are both new to me....and one is HOF Honus Wagner!!!!

an assortment of Pirates

and the highlight of the trade, a 2009 UD Icons Letterman Nate McLouth "T" numbered 2/40.  2 is his current number with the Pirates so this year it's an ebay 1/1

I have packages that went out to the following zip codes today
10028
90230
71203
72758
85338
29063
12571
75201
91381
29229
21117

Can I buy a vowel?

One of my collecting goals of 2012 was to complete Daniel McCutchen autographed nameplate from 2010 Topps Finest.  I had McCUTC heading into February and only needed H, E, N.  After winning 2 bids from the same seller for $10 shipped, I am now down to only the "E" to complete the nameplate of DCutch.  I'm going to be patient trying to win that final letter and would really love to get it for under $5.  I doubt that will happen though.

On a related note, I have to say that despite all the negative things people in NJ say about AJ Burnett's time with the Yankees, he just won me over before the season even started.  I just read an article that he is going to help pay for Daniel McCutchen's daughter's college tuition since DCutch gave up his jersey number (34) upon AJ's request.  That is a very noble thing to do.  I can't wait to see some of those infamous pie tossings too after some Bucs walkoffs.  LOL!