He was a Pirate? Volume 2

It's pretty embarassing when you hold a record for highest ERA in the history of the game with a minimum of 75 innings pitched.  But like all things Buc from the early millenimum it fits with the trend of the team.

Imagine if the Pirates had used the 8th overall selection on someone that went 38th overall in the 2001 draft. If your google skills are not rock solid and super fast let me give you a hint.

Yup the Pirates passed up David Wright to select JVB with the 8th overall pick.  Granted many didn't view Wright as a top 10 selection but he was on draft boards.  It frustrates the hell out of me that the Pirates took a guy that lead the college rankings in homeruns and converted him to a pitcher.  A terrible one at that.

Well JVB you had 19 games with the Bucs and currently hold the major league record for highest career ERA with at least 75 innings pitched with an ERA of 9.20.

These segments of He was a Pirate make me very angry and realize why we couldnt' have a winning season.

Trade Post with Things Are Funner Here

Julie from Things Are Funner Here runs a great blog highlighting Phillies cards, her Roy Halladay collection, and pack breaks.  It's a fun blog.  Go check it out!

Recently, Julie sent me a nice selection of Pirates past and present.  Above are some of my favorites.  The Zach Dodson xfractor is much better than the scan picked up.  I don't have any of the international parallels of the Bowman set and I'm happy to make one of the Pirates top pitching prospects Kyle McPherson my first.  Unfortunately Kyle has been having "dead arm" since spring training.  I'm not sure what that means, but I hope it's nothing too serious.

I always enjoy getting some new Cutch cards to add to my collection.  I normally don't chase Wal-Mart or Target exclusives, but when it's Cutch I can't help but excited to open up that binder and slide the new Cutch in next to all the other parallels.

 This is the back to a Josh Rodriguez 2011 Topps Target throwback card.  Josh was a rule 5 pick for the Pirates in 2011 and had 1 RBI while with the team.  He was hit by a pitch with bases loaded.

I also got 2 of my favorite Steelers.  Since Julie is a Ravens fan, I'm sure she was more than happy to get rid of these.

Here's the hits of the package that Julie sent me.

Kevin Correia 2011 Topps All-Star Game Jersey (red)
Correia was signed as a free agent prior to the 2011 season.  He earned his first All-Star game trip due to being one of the NL's leaders in wins.  After the All-Star break, Correia would go on to win only 1 more game and was shut down in August with an injury.

John Van Benschoten Topps 52 AUTO
JVB was one of colleges top hitters prior to the 2001 draft.  He lead the NCAA division 1-A in HR, but was converted to a pitcher by the Pirates.  He currently has one of the highest career ERA in MLB history.

 Nate McLouth red ink AUTO
I'm so happy to see Nate back with the Bucs.  The Clear Path to Greatness Red Ink autos were supposed to be short prints.  Nate doesn't play by those rules though as he used the red marker to sign all his autographs for the set. 

AS A REMINDER...
TONIGHT THE PIRATES WILL TAKE ON THE DODGERS IN HOPES OF BECOMING .500 AGAIN.  TOMORROW STARTS THEIR SERIES AGAINST THE SAN FRANSISCO GIANTS.  DON'T FORGET TO TRY TO WIN THOSE FREE CARDS FOR THE LET'S GO BUCS CONTEST.

50% off sale ebay winnings

One of my favorite ebay sellers Kruk Singles was running a 50% off sale their entire inventory for 2 days and I picked up a ton of stuff with the bulk of it for $2.50 each with free shipping.  I was able to get a few game-used cards of Pirates that I didn't know existed. 

To start things off, I got this really nice Jason Bay Upper Deck Goudey autograph for $4.69.  Anytime I can add a Bay auto for less than footlong sub is a good day. 

I also managed to get a dual jersey relic of Jason Bay and Bobby Crosby numberd 14/25.  I've been looking to add a dual relic of these two for awhile, but never pulled the trigger until I could get it for about $4.

This is a 2005 All-Star Stitches of Jason Bay.  Not much needs to be said for this $2.50 purchase.

I also managed to get a few Brian Giles cards for cheap $2.50 a piece to be exact. 

 2001 Donruss Diamond Dominators BAT 193/725

This card recognizes Brian Giles team leading HR achievement in 2001 when he smacked 37HRs.

 2003 Fleer Platinum Heart of the Order BAT 70/400
This quite possibly is my favorite design for a relic that Fleer ever did.  Fleer often times had very plain and boring bat/jersey hits, but this one is very well layed out featuring the team's actual lineup card along with a bat in the center of the card and the 3 "heart of the order" player's pictures on the left.  I'm wondering if there's a triple relic out there with all three of Kendall, Giles, and Ramirez.  If so, I must own it.

2002 Upper Deck SP Superstars Swatches JERSEY 105/400
Just a very typical Upper Deck jersey swatch of Brian Giles numberd to 400.  Not much to see here.

2002 Fleer Platinum Fence Busters BAT
Another Fleer Platinum Bat relic of Giles.  The design is ok, but nothing great. 

Ok, so this cad was actually $4.69 so I lied about $2.50 a piece.  But again, how can I pass up an autograph of the Pirates all time slugging percentage leader for less than the price of a sandwich?  Quite simply, I can't.  Food is over rated

John Van Benschoten 2008 Upper Deck Signature AUTO
I always wanted to get the autograph of John Van Benschoten for two reasons.  First, his name is awesome and sounds like he should be the lead character of a video game hunting demons and monsters.  Second, he is an all-time stat leader, but more on that later.  JVB was supposed to be one of the Pirates top pitching prospects and a fixture in the Pirates rotation for years to come when he was selected 8th overall in the 2001 draft.  He was the Pirates top prospect in 2003 and 2004.  Unfortunately for JVB, he never lived up to his potential and is currently the major league's all time highest ERA leader with a minimum of 75 innings pitched.  In 90 innings pitched he has a career ERA of 9.20 and a WHIP of 2.144.  I wish JVB the best of luck getting back to the majors and hopefully lowering that ERA.  This AUTO cost me only $2.50.

Matt Lawtcon 2005 Upper Deck Midsummer Swatches

Matt Lawton was aquired by the Pirates during the offseason of 2004 from the Cleveland Indians for reliever Arthur Rhodes.  The Pirates had lost Jason Kendall to free agency and asked Lawton to be the team's leadoff hitter and help increase the offense.  Lawton was selected to be a Pirates representative at the 2005 All-Star game. After 101 games he was traded to the Cubs for Jody Gerut.  After 19 games with the Cubs, he was traded to the Yankees.  

2007 Upper Deck Star Signing Ian Snell AUTO

Ian Snell has gone by many names during his MLB career.  He began as Ian Oquendo after adopting the name from his wife.  Then he became Ian Snell.  Then Ian Davilla-Snell.  Now he's known as Ian Snell again.  I'm glad to see that he's no longer with the team. 

This was the most expensive card I bought from Kruk.  It was $7.81 shipped.  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS CARD!!!  The Playoff Portraits are just beautifully painted cards and have the autograph on the back is a nice touch.  This is my first Ramirez auto I own and I am happy to cross him off the want lists for getting a certified autograph.  Aramis was traded along with Kenny Lofton from the Pirates to the Cubs strictly as a salary dump when the previous owner Kevin McClatchy said they needed to cut payroll.  I've enjoyed watching Aramis develop into one of the NL's best 3B over the past decade.

Aramis Ramirez 2002 Tools of the Trade Materials JERSEY 91/300
Continuing the Playoff and Aram trend, here's my first jersey relic of the newest Brewer 3B.  Another $2.50 bargain.

So there you have it.  My mega lot of cards I bought from Kruk Singles on ebay.