The Outlaw makes his appearance

I've been super busy with real life lately that I haven't had much time to blog. On top of that, my scanner is not functioning again.

Today kicks off NFL Free Agency which for football fans is the start of the 2016 season. The Steelers have already resigned some of their current team by restructuring contracts. In addition though, they lost a long time Steeler great when Heath Miller retired.

They will look towards young tight end Jesse James to take over the mantle. I'm not sure if he has the nickname, The Outlaw, officially but that's what I'm going to call him when I root him on.

I picked up my first (of hopefully many) Autographs of him recently for under $10.

It continues the All Green month

Football Sunday: Le'Veon Bell 1/1 Nike Swoosh

How crazy was the ending to that Steelers/Bengals last Saturday?  My emotions during that game went from high to really high to very low to very high.  Wow!!!!  The Bengals proved that they are their own worse enemies as they lost the game due to terrible penalties in the closing minute. 

I'll take the W!!!

I've been showing off some amazing Killer Bees cards in recent football days.
Unfortunately since showing them off, the players (Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown) have both gotten injured.

To not doom Martavis Bryant, I will show off my favorite current member of the Steelers who is already injured. 

Much like the MLB logoman for baseball cards, the Nike or (formerly) Reebok symbols are some of the most sought after football cards.  When I saw this pop up for sale, I knew that I must add it to my collection.  It's such a beauty!!!!

This is by far my favorite football card in my collection besides the Troy Polamalu Museum Frame I showed off earlier in the 2015 season.

Football Satuday: Antonio Brown Bumblebee Relic

Last Sunday was an incredible day for football for me.

I got to see the Jets lose and the Steelers win within minutes of one another.

Antonio Brown has proven that he is the best Wide Receiver in the game year after year.  He came up with a huge catch against Cleveland last week to ensure the Steelers would go on to have playoff football again this year. 

I said last week that I wanted to get a hit of each of the Killer Bs wearing their "Bumblebee Prison" uniforms.  Nothing will top the Big Ben Auto /10, but this Antonio Brown jersey relic depicting the NFL's top wideout making a sensational catch is a good start to continue the theme.

Football Sunday: Big Ben Signature Moves

Today is the game!!!
The Steelers must Win!
The Jets must lose!!!!

Big Ben might be one of the most underrated quarterbacks of this generation.  Many people just don't give him enough credit for getting the Steelers to 3 Super Bowls (and winning 2).  He has put up unbelievable numbers the past few seasons. 

In the past few years, the Steelers have been wearing these "Bumblebee" or "Prison" uniforms as part of their throwback alternate jersey each year.  They only wore them once this year and in that game, Big Ben got injured.

One of my goals this year will be to add an autograph of the Killer Bees (Big Ben, Bell, Brown, Bryant) wearing these uniforms.  Ben is always an expensive auto to chase because he doesn't sign nearly as often as the other Black n Yellow team mates.  For those of you that don't know about Signature Moves from Immaculate, go check it out.  There are some incredible cards to be had.  I'd love to add an Aaron Rodgers discount double check championship belt to the PC even though I'm not a Packers fan.

Football Sunday: Markus Wheaton Auto

We are in the 11th month of the year already so here's my only certified autograph of #11.

The Steelers loss to the Bengals today and suffered another devastating injury that will affect their season success when Le'Veon Bell left with a gruesome knee injury.

Football Sunday: LT Auto

Terrible signature

Good Athlete

Football Sunday: Troy Time!

Topps Museum is consistently one of my favorite releases each year for on card autographs for the Pirates.  When I heard that Topps was going to be doing a football release last year, I looked at the checklist and saw that one of my all time favorite Steelers had a framed autograph.

This marks my first Troy Polamalu card autograph. It is beautifully placed inside a silver frame and has a great on card silver autograph.

Not seeing Troy play this year is still kind of strange, but with each passing week its getting a little easier.

Football Monday: Time to be Great!!!!

My favorite moment of Santonio Holmes Steelers career occurred during Super Bowl XLIIIV when he took home MVP honors for the tip toe catch he made against the Arizona Cardinals in the final minutes of the game.  During the second half, you would hear him say "Time to be Great!!!" and after the catch "That's How You Be Great!"

I don't have a large Steelers or Penguins PC, but the cards that I do have are more meaningful to me than just pieces of cardboard.  I knew I wanted to bolster the Steelers PC this year and one of the main guys I wanted was Santonio Holmes.  This on card autograph rookie was a no brainer for under $10 delivered.

Football Thursday: Heeeeeath!!!

Heath Miller is one of those fan favorite guys that I wanted to get an autograph of.

 

He's not as good as he was a few years ago, but it still a very reliable tight end and red zone target. 

My Steelers PC has become a more focused collection the past 12 months.  I am going for quality over quantity with my favorite Steelers.  So far this year, I have managed to purchase autographs of Heath Miller, Jack Ham, Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis, Ben Roethlisberger, and Joe Greene. 

Football Sunday: The Bus has Arrived

Jerome Bettis is my favorite football player EVER!!!

Before he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, I set out a 2015 goal to add an autograph of him along with 2 Pittsburgh Steelers that have been inducted into the Hall.  When Bettis got inducted, I could have easily killed two birds with one stone as they say by just adding this to the PC. 

I've already shown a few Canton enshrined autographs with Bradshaw, Greene, Ham, Blount, and Harris.  Bettis makes #6 on the year.  Another 2015 goal accomplished.

Football Sunday A trio of Hall of Famers

One of my collecting goals was to acquire some Pittsburgh Steelers autographs of men enshrined in Canton, Ohio.  Very early in the year, I was able to track down a lot of three on card autographs that met that criteria.  For $37 delivered, I was fortunate to add autographs of Jack Ham, Franco Harris, and Mel Blount.

Granted, the Ham isn't licensed and the signatures of Harris and Blount aren't the cleanest, but they are all certified autographs and for $12.33 each you just can't beat that price for someone who has earned the golden jacket.

eBay recently ran a 5x eBay bucks program so I picked up another Steelers autograph as part of the promotion and I have to say that it's a huge hit for my PC. 

Football Thursday: Mean Joe Greene auto

The NFL season officially kicks off tonight as the Steelers and their multiple suspended playmakers and injured roster will be taking on the New England Cheaters Patriots.  I don't have a very good feeling about this game, but there were times last year that I had figured the game was in the bag for victories (Tampa Bay and NY Jets come to mind) so who knows?

One thing I do know though is that I completed another of my 2015 goals by acquiring this Mean Joe Greene autograph earlier in the year for the cool price of $35.  I set out the year to acquire two autographs of Steelers in the Hall of Fame in addition to a Jerome Bettis autograph.  At the time of my goal planning, Bettis had not yet been selected to join the illustrious group in Canton. 

So far the only card I had shown from that goal was my dual autograph of 4x Super Bowl Winner Terry Bradshaw and 2x Super Bowl Winner Ben Roethlisberger.  I'm super excited to add an on card auto of one of the most legendary Steelers of all time.

The Steelers have one of the most storied histories in the NFL, but only 2 players have ever have their number retired by the Steelers.  They have not issued numbers once a "Steelers Legend" has retired, but the number has not officially been retired.

One player who received the honor of getting their number retired is Joe.  Look up his stats and you will see why Joe Greene was a Hall of Famer and Fan Favorite. 

There will be other Steelers HOFers displayed before the season is over and also some very nice Steelers Legends too.  Keep an eye out for my Sunday Football posts. 

NFL Draft Day is Upon Us!!!!

The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the clock later tonight when they (pending any trades) select 22nd overall.  It's a great thing to select later in the draft because that means that your team had an excellent season the previous year.  However, it also means that the team will have a smaller chance of getting impact talent.

Earlier in the year, I grabbed this ticket stub of Big Ben from his draft day.  It cost me $6, which is a little more than I was hoping to pay for a card not serially numbered.

I like the quote on the back though.

What are your team's biggest needs from the draft this year? Leave a comment below.

Football Sunday: Going Green with Troy

I bought a total of 4 blasters and rack packs of football product in 2014.  One pack of Valor yielded me this awesome numbered green parallel of Troy Polamalu.

Troy is getting up in age, but his presence on the field is still incredibly strong for the Steelers defense.  He's a natural leader and when he isn't on the field for a game they have had a losing record since he came into the league.

I'd like to add an autograph card of his to my collection one day, but in the meantime I'll be happy with my autographed 8x10 plaque I got as a Christmas gift many years ago.

There's been a lot of talk about Troy retiring this season and if he likely doesn't retire, he will most certainly be cut for the 2015 season.

Super Bowl Sunday: 6 Time Super Bowl Champs DUAL AUTO!!!

One of my 2015 Collecting Goals was to add a pair of Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famers to my collection.  With this card, I am now half way there.  When I was looking to upgrade my Steelers collection, I knew that I wanted to go Quality over Quantity.  Getting a dual autograph of the two quarterbacks who have brought the Steelers 6 Super Bowl Championships seemed like a no brainer.

Hailing from 2005 Donruss Elite, this Passing the Torch dual auto numbered 25/50 features 4 time Super Bowl Champion Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw on the front

and

2 time Super Bowl champion (and potential future Hall of Famer) Ben Roethlisberger on the back.

With the Patriots and Seahawks playing today, it is a guarantee that one of them will tie the number of Super Bowl rings with someone on this card.  Could it be Tom Brady as he attempts to get the elusive number 4 tying him with Bradshaw and Montana for most all-time or will it be the young Russell Wilson tying Ben Roethlisberger and 10 others in the list of 2x Super Bowl champions?

Personally I'm pulling for the Seahawks because quite frankly, I hate Tom Brady and the Patriots.

GO HAWKS!!!!

Beats by Dri for $1.29, The Next Episode ALREADY

Last Sunday, I posted my reasons for not wanting to continue Football Sundays since my Steelers were eliminated, however....

2014 Bowman Inception Jumbo Patch 19/25

I came across this Dri (pronounced like Dray) Archer for $1.29 and instantly listened to a classic rap song, the Next Episode by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.  For the low price I couldn't ignore the massive jumbo patch and in the words of the original Dre "YOU KNOW WHO'S BACK UP IN THIS MUDDAFUCKAH"

The rookie special teams/back didn't do a lot for the Pittsburgh Steelers offense which set some NFL History records with Big Ben, Antonio Brown, and Le'Veon Bell.  I suspect that Dri will be used a little more in the 2015 season.

Football Sunday: The Final Chapter (for now)

Well, as far as I'm concerned football season is over and I have 44 days of watching hockey until pitchers and catchers report.  The Steelers lost in disappointing fashion yesterday at home to the Ravens eliminating them from further playoff appearances.

A lot of people I work with know that Le'veon Bell is my favorite current Steeler and his absence was greatly missed yesterday.  However, when I got asked if I thought Bell could have given the Steelers a win, I had to say "probably not".  There's no doubt that the Steelers offense would have been better suited against the Ravens with Bell in the lineup instead of being on the sidelines. However, the Ravens rushing defense was downright filthy this year limiting opponents to less than 4 yards per carry.  Bell wasn't the reason the Steelers lost yesterday.

The team made a lot of costly stupid penalties that Joe Flacco capitalized on.  That's the reality.

Above is my latest Le'Veon Bell purchase that cost me a winning bid of $4.99.  I considered making an all green month for March to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but didn't know if it would be as well received as my Save Second Base, Save the Boobies month.  Would you guys like to see me Go Green for St. Patty's Month?  I've got a lot of emerald/green type cards I can show off.

Football Sunday: My 1st Antonio Brown Autograph

The Steelers season has been much better than I had anticipated.  The offense has really been a sparkplug in the team's sucess since midseason.  The Killer Bs might be best known in baseball as Bonds/Bonilla for the Pirates in the 90s or Bagwell, Biggio, Berkman for the Astros, but the Bs are setting all kinds of franchise records this year offensively led by Big Ben (2 Bs in that...LOL), Brown, and Bell.

I've been showing off a lot of Le'Veon Bell cards this season as he has emerged as my favorite player to watch.  Of the Steelers 16 games a quarter of them featured autographed of the league's top fantasy back this year.

Last month I showed off a gorgeous relic of Antonio Brown which marked my first and now I am going to show off my 1st Antonio Brown auto.  I'd like to add an on card auto to my collection sometime, but the prices for his stuff have skyrocketed in recent weeks.  For now, I am happy with the AB84 signature which still cost me nearly $20 delivered.

Football Sunday: Fantasy Focused!!!

For the second straight year, my fantasy football team is going to the Championship game.  Strong seasons by Aaron Rodgers (1st Round), Le'Veon Bell (2nd Round), TY Hilton (4th Round), Odell Beckham (12th Round), and Justin Forsett (Waiver wire) have really helped get my team to the Championship Game.  I'm currently sitting 8 points ahead of my opponent but he still has Emmanuel Sanders and the Broncos defense left while I only have a kicker left.

Last year we played for an autographed football (player's choice) and I lost by less than 2 points in the big game.  This year we are playing for an autographed jersey (player's choice).  I'm hoping that Cincinnati loses and Denver kicks about 10 field goals while giving up 4 TDs.  That should help secure my marginal lead.  

Regardless of what happens in fantasy football, the STEELERS ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS!!!!!!!

The above card was part of a Pittsburgh lot I recently purchased for $3 delivered.  The lot also included Pirates McCutchen and Polanco and Steelers Polamalu and Bryant.

Football Sunday: Saved by Le'Bell

My fantasy football team has been an absolute force to be reckoned with the past few weeks.  The past three weeks, my team has posted over 200 points which is just crazy numbers for those of you that do fantasy football.  I play in a PPR League on NFL. com and my team name is Saved By Le'Bell.  I chose the name because every year I pick a Pittsburgh Steeler (my favorite team) and draft a player and name the team after him.  I went overdraft and got Le'Veon Bell (after the drug arrest) in the 2nd round with the 14th overall pick.  I had a good feeling about what he could mean to the Steelers offense and boy have I been rewarded with my instincts.  Last week thanks to his 3 Touchdowns I was rewarded with 52.5 fantasy points.  He almost beat my opponent by himself as my opponent only mustered up 56.46 points.

The Steelers post season hopes as well as my own will be riding Le'Veon Bell hard today.  Let's see if both teams can be "Saved by Le'Bell"