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.

Who else got Cole in their stocking?

Having a massive card collection is great for getting Christmas gifts.  When people need to get you something small, it can just be a pack of cards and that will most likely make you happy.  If you get a gift card because they don't know what you have....well that makes it even better.

So because Santa left me a lil bit of spending money, I am proud to say

I got Cole in my stocking and I couldn't be happier.

For $15, I just couldn't pass this up.  It's numbered to 20, has a sweet two color stitching and features an autograph of the future ace of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

McCutchen Mailday #1: 2012 Bowman Platinum Die Cut Cutting Edge Stars

One of my 2015 collecting goals was to add 100 more unique Andrew McCutchen cards to my collection that I previously didn't have.  As the cards roll in I will highlight them in a quest for 100 post.

I still have a bunch of Cutch cards to show off on the blog left over from 2014 which I will continue to highlight as part of McCutchen Mondays.  All NEW cards to the collection that were received in 2015 will be highlighted in McCutchen Maildays.

My first Andrew McCutchen added to collection in 2015 is a card that I have thought about purchasing for several years, but never pulled the trigger.  Thanks to the low price of $1, I was finally able to add a 2012 Bowman Platinum Cutting Edge Stars Die Cut.

The card features Cutch in (at the time) the team's new batting practice jersey in a unique die cut.

The back recognizes Cutch's idol, Ken Griffey Jr.

Throwback Thursday: Rick Rhoden Auto

I've been on the hunt for a Rick Rhoden autograph for my collection for several years.  To my knowledge he had 2 certified autos available and quite frankly I hated them both.  Thanks to my patience and not much of a desire to settle for anything less than the best, I finally added The Man, The Myth, The Mustache to my collection.

Rhoden was a member of the Pirates for 8 years (1979-1986) and in 1984 he had an 11 game hit streak.  He was a 3 time winner of the Silver Slugger for his outstanding hitting abilities as a pitcher and was elected to the All-Star game twice (only once with Pirates).  He was a 151 game winner and finished his career with a 3.59 ERA.

Rhoden was part of the trade that sent a young pitcher named Doug Drabek to the Pirates from the Yankees.  While a member of the Yankees, Rhoden was used a designated hitter in 1988.

The above on card auto ran me $8 which is a little more expensive than the Topps certified sticker autos go for, but the fact that it's on card, low numbered, and features that bright yellow uniform and pill cap hat, well I think it was worth every penny.

Dammit it's a Doumit: 1/1 I wear a First Base Glove and Catcher's Mask Printing Plate edition

January is an expensive month of highlighting new cards.  Why do you ask?  Well, cause quite simply it's featuring a lot of 1/1s. Already this week I showed off printing plates for Cutch and Tony Sanchez.

2005 Bowman 1/1 Magenta Printing Plate 

I've been wanting a Ryan Doumit 1/1 for a long time.  For a $30 best offer I was able to obtain this excellent 1/1 for my collection.  Best of all is that this card perfectly shows how I feel about Ryan Doumit.  He was a catcher, but in the card he's wearing a baseball cap, 1st baseman's glove, and a catcher's mask.  This shows why he was so tough to watch defensively.  One thing I loved about Doumit though was his clutch hitting especially in the House of Horrors, Miller Park.

Tony Tuesday: It's Black & White!!!!

This week will feature a lot of metal. Last year one of my favorite musicians, Wayne Static of the band Static-X, passed away and I have recently been listening to a lot of Static-X.  I remember when I was in a metal/hardcore band back in the late 90s having my hair stand up identical to his before Static-X came on the scene.

I thought today would be a good day to show off some of my own metal that I've added to my collection.  It's a black printing plate to Tony Sanchez' 2014 Topps Update card.  It's my 5th printing plate of the former 1st round pick.

Oh and because metal is fun...here's a video of Static X

McCutchen Monday: Turkey Red Printing Plate

It's time for my latest 1/1 Andrew McCutchen.  This is a 2014 Topps Turkey Red printing plate that I purchased late last year.  I forget the price I paid for it, but think it was in the $50 range.

2014 Topps Turkey Red Magenta Printing Plate

I know that it's been awhile since I showed off a Cutch plate on the blog, but didn't realize that the last Andrew McCutchen plate I purchased for a baseball card was my 500th post (Dec 2013) showing off the black printing plate from Cutch's 2005 Rookie Auto.  Back in January of 2014 I showed off the 4 printing plates from his Beckett magazine cover.

I think I will need to add several more 1/1s of Cutch to my collection to make up for my failures in 2014.