Sunday, January 31, 2010

Rippin Wax in the Windy City of Bradenton, Florida... Pack #22 of 1994 Pinnacle Series 2

Greetings Trollites! It’s been a while since I have posted. I’ve been a very busy troll. Playing mechanic has become a full-time job, but I am getting better at it. After knocking out a fan belt, water pump, oil change, fuel-injector rebuild, thermostat and starter change (on several different cars) yesterday I am amped and ready for major automotive surgery tomorrow. I have to change the fuel pump in my wife’s Jeep. Doesn’t sound difficult, but the fuel pump is INSIDE of the fuel tank. Wish me luck! Trying not to forget my promise to have all of the cards from the group break shipped out by Thursday morning I am gonna keep on going. 1993 Topps Stadium Club is done, 1994 Pinnacle is getting close. Here we go with pack # 22 on ’94 Pinnacle:
#450 Rickey Henderson Oakland A’s (Great shot of the Greatest...)
#529 Rich Becker Minnesota Twins (Wasn’t there a sitcom with Ted Danson in it called Becker?)
#408 Harold Baines Baltimore Orioles
#311 Mark Langston California Angels (I know that Matt from HCoSG collects Matt Williams cuz they share the same first name. I was a fan of Langston for that same reason… Plus, back in his Seattle days the dude was a serious power pitcher… Leading the league in Ks as a rookie? That’s freaking awesome! Not being a fluke and doing it 2 more times, even better…)
#478 Melvin Nieves San Diego Padres
#452 Bob Tewksbury St Louis Cardinals (Tewksbury was an All Star in ’92 and finished third in the Cy Young voting behind Maddux and Glavine when he had a record of 16-5 with a 2.16 ERA) #319 Luis Alicea St Louis Cardinals
#291 Wally Joyner Kansas City Royals (It’s a Wally World, I’m just ripping packs)
#412 Mark Hutton New York Yankees (Hutton, a big righty from Australia, was in the Yankees system since 1989, he finally made the big leagues to stay and he gets traded in August of 1996, right before they go to the World Series. That sucks.)
#314 Hal Morris Cincinnati Reds (Hal, whose real name is William Morris, had an awesome rookie season for the Reds in 1990-he hit .340 with a .498 slugging % to help them to the playoffs. He hit .417 against the Pirates to help them win the NL Pennant. Then came the World Series. He choked against Oakland, getting 1 hit in 14 at-bats, but the Reds STILL swept the A’s) #471 Xavier Hernandez New York Yankees
#340 Pat Meares Minnesota Twins (As a rookie with the Twins in ’93 Meares turned 70 doubles and had 304 assists, but he pissed off wrong Pinnacle photographer somehow and got this as his card)
#378 Carl Willis Minnesota Twins
#287 Roberto Alomar Toronto Blue Jays (This pack started with a great low-down close-up of Rickey and ends with a nice wide shot of Alomar. I think the dude is safe at second though…)
Okay, another rip rapped up. Just 2 more packs and ’94 Pinnacle will be gone forever. I will do my best to keep on posting tomorrow, but dropping the fuel tank is gonna keep me tied up for a bit… By way it has gotten cold in FLA again and it’s REALLY windy too. By the way, there a couple of you who still haven't got in touch about paying for your slot in this (the 1st) break. I want to ship everything out this week so PLEASE let me know whats up. Go Rays! Troll out.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

The LAST Pack of 1993 Topps Stadium Club, THE LAST PACK!!!!

It's been a long night, (actually it's much more like morning) but I’m on a roll and I am really psyched to finally finish off one of these boxes. This is the LAST pack of 1993 Topps Stadium Club… Here we go!
#666 Harold Baines Baltimore Orioles (Should I be nervous that the first card out of #the last pack I opened is number 666? 1993 was the first year of the first stop that Baines made in his home state with Baltimore. He hit 20 homers and batted .313. Pretty much standard stuff for Baines… Also, 1993 was the first year that Baines became exclusively a DH-he did spend 2 innings in right field in 1997 though.)
#644 Tony Fernandez New York Mets (The Padres send Fernandez to NY for Wally Whitehurst right after the ’92 season. He would only play 48 games for the Mets before they traded him back to the Blue Jays in June ’93 for Darrin Jackson. In Toronto Fernandez’s batting average jumped 81 points from .225 with the Mets to .306 in Toronto. Of course the Jays won the Series in ’93 and Fernandez, who had originally signed with the Jays in 1979 won his first and only ring with his original team)
#703 David Cone Kansas City Royals (Cone was a late season acquisition by the Blue Jays in 1992 and he helped them to their first World Series, but left for free agency and Kansas City after the Series. Had an off year in ’93 for the Royals going 11-14, but came back and won the Cy Young Award for the strike shortened ’94 season)
#737 Rob Natal Florida Marlins (I don’t think I have a scan of this one, but it is a Rob Natal play at the plate)
#707 Ken Griffey Jr. Seattle Mariners (Its hard to get upset with pulling a Griffey, but this is like the 6th copy of this card! Griffey batted .358 against lefties in ’92 with 12 homers in 173 at-bats)
#724 Frank Bolick Montreal Expos (Who?)
#652 Armando Reynoso Colorado Rockies (Reynoso was 12-11 with a 4.00 ERA and 4 complete games for the Rockies in their inaugural season)
#713 Manuel Lee Texas Rangers (After 8 seasons in Toronto the Roberto Alomar trade made Lee expendable. He found a temporary home in Texas in 1993 and ’94 fighting for playing time at short with Mario Diaz)
#671 Jerald Clark Colorado Rockies (One half of the slugging Clark Brothers of the early 90’s. Combined the two (Jerald and Phil) played for parts of 12 seasons and hit 61 homeruns)
#602 Jeff Reardon Cincinnati Reds (The Terminator spent just 1 year with the Reds and he logged (7th All Time) 8 of his 367 career saves there)
#735 Mitch Webster Los Angeles Dodgers
#673 Kirk Gibson Detroit Tigers (Gibby won the MVP in ’88 but NEVER made an All Star team…)
#748 Roger Clemens Boston Red Sox MEMBERS CHOICE (From the back of the card: “Clemens is to pitching what Lombardi’s Packers were to football”
#672 Doug Drabek Houston Astros (This is a great card to end the last pack of a box that bored me to tears at times. That isn’t sarcasm either, I was a Drabek fan… Drabek will forever be remembered as the 1990 Cy Young (22-6, 2.76 ERA) and also the guy who suffered all 3 losses in the 1992 NLCS against the Braves. Drabek started 7 games in the postseason, he threw 2 complete games and struck out 33 batters. He has a career 2.05 ERA in the playoffs to go with his 2-5 record. Hard luck for a very cool and decent guy)
Okay, that’s it! Stick a fork in 1993 Topps Stadium Club, cuz it is DONE!!! It was a nice ride, but I am glad It’s over. Thanks for reading. Just need to finish off the Pinnacles now. Go Rays! Troll out.

Ripping Again... Pack #23 of 1993 Topps Stadium Club

Here we go with the 23rd pack of 1993 Topps Stadium Club…
#705 David Hulse Texas Rangers (Hulse burst on the scene as a rookie in 1993 with the Rangers batting .290 with a homer, 29 RBI and 29 steals while playing an above average centerfield. After his newness wore off he returned to obscurity. Fortunately someone has 8 copies of this card to remember him with)
#646 Joe Magrane St Louis Cardinals (Magrane was a pretty decent arm for the Cards in the 80’s, but more importantly he was part of the Original Devil Rays play by play team)
#717 Paul O’Neill New York Yankees (O’Neill was a batting champ, a 5-time All Star, 5-time World Series champ and he played on the winning side in 3 perfect games. I am pretty sure he is the only player who can make that claim)
#619 Richie Lewis Florida Marlins (Pitchers on expansion teams get a lot of work… Lewis pitched in 57 games in relief for the Fish in 1993 posting a 6-3 record with a 3.26 ERA)
#690 Kirt Manwaring San Francisco Giants
#749 Joe Carter Toronto Blue Jays MEMBERS CHOICE
#649 John Olerud Toronto Blue Jays (1993 was THE YEAR for Big Rude… Of course he won his second straight ring, but he also logged 200 hits, scored 109 runs, drove in 107, hit 54 doubles and won the batting title with a .363 batting average. He also walked 114 times and had a .473 OBP, not too shabby…)
#700 Andy Ashby Colorado Rockies (Ashby was the player to be named later in a deal between the Padres and Rockies. He went to Colorado in July of ’93 and didn’t fare well in the mountain air. He was 0-4 with an 8.50 ERA in 9 starts for the Rockies. He hit his stride in the late 90s in San Diego)
#683 Jim Converse Seattle Mariners (I like to root for short pitchers and Converse was 5’8”, but he was not the exception to the rule. He was 2-11 for his career with a 7.21 ERA)
#709 Dave Nilsson Milwaukee Brewers
#675 Mike Felder Seattle Mariners (Felder played for 10 years in the big leagues and somehow I can’t ever remember seeing him play. I pulled the card, said “Who?” and looked him up and realized he spent a decade in the Majors. Damn)
#743 Charlie Hayes Colorado Rockies (Hayes caught the final out to seal the World Series for the Yankees in 1996. He also committed the error that ruined Terry Mulholland’s perfect game in 1990. Hayes had his best year for the Rockies in their first year. He batted .305 with 25 homers with 98 RBI. He also stole 11 bases and led the NL with 45 doubles. His son Tyree Hayes is a pitcher on the Bowling Green Hot Rods in the Rays organization. He was 7-5 in 2009)
#687 Matt Mieske Milwaukee Brewers
#636 Pete Incaviglia Philadelphia Phillies
Okay, that was pack #23, only ONE MORE left to go from this box! Go Rays! Troll out.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Breaking Boxes-Pack #22 of 1993 Stadium Club

Before I begin, if you have not yet checked out the Super Bowl contest over at the Cobb and Hallady blog, you should. You can find it HERE-the contest is easy to enter and the prizes are AWESOME! Tell him the Troll sent ya...
Okay, the car (which won’t start) is keeping me real busy the few hours of the day that I am not in school or at work, but I am gonna post up a QUICK rip. Turns out these are almost ALL dupes, so it’s a really QUICK rip…Here we go with the 22nd pack of 1993 Topps Stadium Club Series 3:
#731 Mike Hampton Seattle Mariners
#692 Steve Decker Florida Marlins (Who’s behind the plate? Decker is the catcher!-See, it sort of rhymes...)
#661 Fernando Valenzuela Baltimore Orioles (After 11 seasons in Los Angeles the Dodgers released Valenzuela during spring training in 1991. He was picked up by the Angels, but was released by them after giving up 10 runs in 6 innings in his first 2 starts. El Toro spent all of 1992 pitching for Jalisco Charros in Mexico. He got off to a rocky start, but finished really strong and posted a 10-9 mark with a 3.86 ERA. He signed with Baltimore during spring training in 1993 and returned to MLB. He pitched decent in his one season with the Orioles posting an 8-10 record with a 4.94 ERA in 31 starts. He would extend his career until 1997 with 3 other teams. For his career El Toro was 173-153 with 2074 strikeouts)
#641 Dave Stieb Chicago White Sox
#730 Jim Tatum Colorado Rockies
#720 Nigel Wilson Florida Marlins (The Ajax, Ontario native struck out 11 times in 16 at bats for the 1993 Marlins WITHOUT getting a hit)
#721 Mike Bielecki Cleveland Indians
#654 Ben Rivera Philadelphia Phillies (How many players get to share a card with a decapitated Pirate? This is among my favorite photos of this set. It is a rather unique shot for a pitcher. The 6’6” right-hander was 5-0 at the Vet in 1992. He was 13-9 in 28 starts with 1 complete game shutout overall in 1993 for the Phillies - I will have to post this one later, I don't have the image with me and can't find it online...)
#744 Guillermo Velasquez San Diego Padres (Like Valenzuela, Velasquez was born in Mexico and spent time playing there, too. Unlike Valenzuela his time in Mexico didn’t help him back to the big leagues. His career lasted just 94 games from 1992-’93 for the Padres. He did hit 4 homeruns for San Diego)
#674 Steve Reed Colorado Rockies (Reed went undrafted out of college, but signed on with the Giants organization after a non-roster spring training invite. He was picked by the Rockies in the 60th round of the 1992 expansion draft AND the submariner went on to be the Rockies most used pitcher and had a 15 year career. In 1993 he pitched in 64 games with a 9-5 record and 3 saves. He appeared in 833 games in his career which ranks him 37th All Time.)
#624 Bud Black San Francisco Giants (Black was in his 13th season in 1993 and saw use only as a spot starter, but he pitched great with all that extra rest going 8-2 in 16 starts)
#734 John Johnstone Florida Marlins
#742 Damon Buford Baltimore Orioles
#663 Mark Gardner Kansas City Royals (After the 1992 season the Expos traded Gardner to the Royals for Jeff Shaw and Tim Spehr. The Royals didn’t use him much and released him after the 1993 season and he returned to the NL with the Marlins. He was 99-93 over his 13 year career)
Okay, another pack down. I started and stopped this post about 100 times today-I began around 7:30 AM and nearly 11 hours later, here it is… I am work now, but I am outside and if my battery holds up I think I can finish Stadium Club off tonight. I have my fingers crossed anyway. The scans are going to be limited and so will the descriptions, but if you’re okay with it, I am okay with it. The 23rd pack is coming soon! Go Rays! Troll out.

Box Break is Full!!! Thanks Everyone!

Greetings! A few minutes before calculus class starts… The second break is now FULL! Thanks everyone! I picked up a jumbo pack of 2009 Ticket to Stardom on the way home from work to add to the break. Thanks to everyone for getting in on this break. I stopped at the post office today and got out about 8 more packages, bringing my total to 19 this week. I still haven’t been able to open any of mail, but thanks to everyone who keeps on sending! Off to class. Troll out! Oh, here is who has who. Please check in and send me your mailing address. E-mail: bacontowne at yahoo dot com…
Atlanta Braves-Captain Canuck
Baltimore Orioles-Orioles Magic
Boston Red Sox-Adam E PAID
California Angels- Opoohwan
Chicago Cubs-Wrigley Wax PAID
Chicago White Sox- dayf
Cincinnati Reds- FanofReds
Cleveland Indians- Spastik
Colorado Rockies- Roy
Detroit Tigers- Roof God
Florida Marlins-Wicked Ortega
Houston Astros-Anthony K
Kansas City Royals- Darkship Todd
LA Dodgers-Night Owl PAID
Milwaukee Brewers-RotB Ed PAID
Minnesota Twins- Rhubarb Runner
Montreal Expos/Nationals-Mark’s Ephemera
New York Mets-Jeremy
New York Yankees-Nico PAID
Oakland A’s- Peterson
Philadelphia Phillies-Dan PAID
Pittsburgh Pirates- DOG FACED GREMLIN
San Diego Padres-Rod Padrographs PAID
San Francisco Giants- OMEGA
Seattle Mariners- PATP
St Louis Cardinals-Madding PAID
Texas Rangers-Brian PAID
Toronto Blue Jays-DR Duane PAID
All of the packages and bonus cards from the first break will go out no later than Thursday morning, then the second rip will begin! go rays! troll out.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Doesn’t Anybody Collect Joe Mauer, Tim Lincecum, Kurt Suzuki or Ryan Zimmerman?

Or Kirby Puckett, Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson or Vlad Guerrero for that matter???
Things are hectic and behind schedule in Troll town. Taking a quick break from work to try and fill these last 4 spots for the next break so I have one less thing to worry about...
This is a 150 pack box break. 120 packs from between 1991 and 1998, plus a bonus 30 packs from 2009. The last 4 teams are the Oakland A’s, San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins and the Montreal Expos slash Washington Senators. Only one slot per person allowed and by the way, there is ZERO chance that a Henderson rookie will be pulled, its just a pretty picture...
If you want in, comment on this post to claim the spot and then send me an email. This is a no-cash break. You trade me something to cover your spot. The rules for the previous break are RIGHT HERE. I like cards from the 50s and 60s, 1965 Topps, 1964 Topps Giants, Roberto Clemente, Tampa Bay Rays, Topps Heritage and I still need some cards to finish off the 2009 Updates set and the 2008 Allen and Ginter set. My want lists are on the side bar. Somebody please claim these last 4 teams so I can stop worrying about it, okay? Also, there will be a couple of hockey, basketball and football cards in this break. I need to know who wants them BEFORE we start. So far Dog Faced Gremlin is the only one claiming the hockey... If ya want em, say something! My email addy is: bacontowne at yahoo dot com. Good luck. Go Rays! Troll out.

A QUICK Update...UPDATED

Today STARTED off great. I was on time for my 8 AM class. I stopped at the post office and I had 7 envelopes/packages waiting for me. I was in such a great mood that I stopped at the card shop and bought binders and pages for my 1965, 1968 and 1969 Topps sets, plus another pair of binders for 1951 Bowman and 1994 Topps Finest. Now that I have the binders, my want list won't be far behind. The card shop dude had 22 packs left in his hobby box of 2009 O-Pee-Chee and he gave me a decent deal on them, so I bought them all. I had got a 36 count box of 1992 O-Pee-Chee Premiere on Monday. All 58 packs of O-Pee-Chee will be added to the group rip (which already includes 118 packs) IF all of the slots fill up. While I was at the card shop my employer called and asked me to come in and work... Money is good, so this isn't a bad thing, but I was already working tonight. I got called in for 2 more shifts, so I am halfway through the first of 3 consecutive shifts. No rest for the wicked, er troll. Okay, gotta get to work. Here is how the team slots are looking. Lets fill those up tonight, shall we? Also, some of the packs in the rip will include basketball, hockey and football. I need a list of who is interested in what sports so I can determine a system of who gets what. I wont be answering e-mails till tomorrow. Here is the list of team slots...This is who is already signed up for the next rip and their status.
Second Rip
Atlanta Braves-Captain Canuck
Baltimore Orioles-Orioles Magic
Boston Red Sox-Adam E PAID
California Angels- Opoohwan
Chicago Cubs-Wrigley Wax PAID
Chicago White Sox- dayf
Cincinnati Reds- FanofReds
Cleveland Indians- Spastik
Colorado Rockies- Roy
Detroit Tigers- Roof God
Florida Marlins-Wicked Ortega
Houston Astros-Anthony K
Kansas City Royals- Darkship Todd
LA Dodgers-Night Owl PAID
Milwaukee Brewers-RotB Ed PAID
Minnesota Twins-
Montreal Expos/Nationals-Mark
New York Mets-Jeremy
New York Yankees-Nico PAID
Oakland A’s-
Philadelphia Phillies-Dan PAID
Pittsburgh Pirates- DOG FACED GREMLIN
San Diego Padres-Rod Padrographs PAID
San Francisco Giants- OMEGA
Seattle Mariners- PATP
St Louis Cardinals-Madding PAID
Texas Rangers-Play at the Plate PAID
Toronto Blue Jays-DR Duane PAID
OKAY Folks, Troll here halfway done again... I am gonna be one worn out Troll by 8 AM class!!! It looks like we have 4 teams left to be taken unless I missed someone... Remember on top of all the crazy mid 90s wax there will be a blaster of 2009 Heritage PLUS 22 hobby packs of 2009 O-Pee-Chee! Lets fill those remaining spots up! Everyone who is in, please send me an email at bacontowne at yahoo dot com. I probably wont reply till Friday. I am wiped out already... Back to work...
By the way, the CC card has nothing to do with this post, its just a great card. Thanks Wicked!
Go Rays! Sleepy troll out!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

An Update Plus Pack #26 of 1997 Pinnacle X Press!

There are 12 teams left for the next break. If all the slots fill up, like last time, all 118 packs featured HERE will be divided up for it (and probably a few more). The slots don’t have a monetary value, you can trade your way in with Rays jerseys, autographs, cards off of my want list, 2009 Topps Heritage SPs, cards from the 50’s or 60’s-anything you think I will like, just email me an offer…
Trying to finish up this break, so here we go with pack #26 of 1997 Pinnacle X Press:
#2 Andy Pettitte New York Yankees (It is a shocker to pull a pitcher out of this product… I think there is one pitcher to 12 hitters. I looked up Pettitte’s career numbers as soon as I yanked this one. The first surprise was not only has AP never sniffed a Cy Young, he has only been an All Star twice. He won 21 games in 1996, in the thick of the juiced ball/juiced player era… His record in the postseason is more than an entire season for most. He is 18-9 in 40 starts including 8 World Series. Wow. His 229 wins are 63rd All Time and his .629 winning percentage is 53rd All Time. He won 14 games for the Yankees last year in the regular season and he was 4-0 in the postseason. At 37 years old, I think he still has a few good years in him)
#20 Rafael Palmeiro Baltimore Orioles (A lot of people have a lot of opinions about Palmeiro-mine is that dude could MASH! 39 bombs and 142 ribs in ’96. You can say the juice bought him all the long balls, but you don’t get 3000 hits in a needle… Question: Are all left handed first basemen required to have a porn star mustache? Are they still or did that rule apply from the 70’s to the 90’s?)
#115 Joe Carter Toronto Blue Jays (I have searched and searched and I can’t find the 1984 Donruss Carter that I was sure I had-anybody got an extra? Carter joined the power party in ’96 himself with 30 bombs and 107 RBI)
#46 Bernie Williams New York Yankees (Did anyone in the AL NOT drive in 100 runs in ’96? Bernie brought home 102… When he hung up his cleats, he picked up a guitar. I saw him perform in Sarasota in November, the guy can pick it!)
#101 Rondell White Montreal Expos (Finally a human! Rondell had a respectable 15 year career, topped 20 homers a few times, was an All Star, but he never put up those sick and crazy triple crown numbers that nearly everyone else in this pack did)
#??? Swing for the Fences Game Card -4
#125 Kevin Orie Chicago Cubs (Orie was the Cubs first rounder in 1993… He made it to the Show in 1997 and had the best year of his short MLB career. He batted .275 with 8 homers and 44 RBI-all career bests. He was named on a ballot for Rookie of the Year, finishing 11th the year that Scott Rolen won it. He broke in with the Cubs, went to the Marlins and returned to the Cubs. He would actually go to the Marlins organization once more and return to the Cubs again. He spent 12 years in the minors with 10 different organizations… He made it back to Chicago briefly in 2002 and finally gave up in ’06)
#143 Mark McGwire Oakland A’s Peak Performers (Perhaps “Peak Performance Enhancer” would be a more appropriate subset title for this card…)
Another pack down… If you haven’t signed up for the next rip yet, please think about doing so. There are about 12 open spots. The break will be 50 packs UNLESS every spot is filled, then it will be around 130 packs. If you are already in and paid up, then turn on your salesperson charm and get these last slots filled up. If you are interested, please email me at bacontowne at yahoo dot com. Stay tuned, I aint gonna sleep until I finish at least one box today… Go Rays! Troll out.

The First Rip (of many) Today! Pack #21 of 1994 Pinnacle Series 2

Ripping ahead on to pack #21 of 1994 Pinnacle Series 2. Here is what we got!
#308 Paul Sorrento Cleveland Indians (Sorrento went to the Twins from the Angels as part of the Bert Blyleven trade. He never cracked the starting line-up, but did collect a ring for the ’91 Series. The following spring Sorrento was traded to the Indians and took over as their full-time first baseman in 1992. He averaged 19 homers a year for the Tribe before signing with Seattle in 1996. In 1998 he signed with the expansion Devil Rays and was their original designated hitter. He hit 17 homers for the inaugural D-Rays. He retired after the 1999 season)
#301 Jim Deshaies Minnesota Twins
#353 Ramon Martinez Los Angeles Dodgers (Kodachrome! You give us those nice bright colors, the greens of summer; you make all the world a sunny day)
#340 Johnny Ruffin Cincinnati Reds
#496 Ellis Burks Colorado Rockies
#497 Karl Rhodes Chicago Cubs
#315 Robby Thompson San Francisco Giants
#437 Jon Ratliff Chicago Cubs MUSEUM COLLECTION (More Dufex technology wasted on a bust draft pick. The Cubs made Ratliff their first round pick in 1993 and he spent 5 years in their minor league system. His minor league career totaled 11 seasons, his big league career lasted 3 pitches for the Oakland A’s in 2000)
#313 Stan Javier Oakland A’s (1994 was Javier’s 3rd stop with Oakland. He won a World Series there in 1990 and spent a total of 7 years there, but the highlight had to be getting to wear the Oaks throwbacks)
#288 Charlie Hough Florida Marlins (The knuckler in action)
#322 Jose Rijo Cincinnati Reds (Shown without the super soaker)
#434 Wayne Gomes Philadelphia Phillies
#374 Dave Stewart Toronto Blue Jays (Beware the man in the hat)
#412 Mark Hutton New York Yankees
#447 Mark Lemke Atlanta Braves (I can hardly believe that this is the first appearance of the Lemmer! The Braves grabbed Lemke in the 27th round of the 1983 draft. After 8 years in the minors he was the Braves second baseman and he led (?) them to 4 NL Pennants and 1 World Championship. After 10 years as a Brave he spent part of a season with the Boston Red Sox and then in 1999 joined the Northern League’s New Jersey Jackals as knuckle ball pitcher. He was 5-1 in 5 starts, totaling 33 innings. He abandoned the experiment after he gave up 8 runs in 2 innings in his first start in 2000)
Okay, pack #21 down… Only 3 more to go and 1994 Pinnacle is done and over with! I am gonna try and finish this box off TODAY-keep on checking back! Go Rays! Troll out.

Collective Troll Card of the Day!

I have never owned this card and I have wanted it for a long time… I collected Danny Tartabull as a kid and when I got back into collecting, it seemed only natural to finish chasing his cards. I got a package from Madding of the Cards on Cards blog this Friday past-it weighed about 10 pounds and was a total surprise. He sent cards I needed for 2008 Allen and Ginter, 2009 Topps Updates, cards for my Rays team sets, Carl Crawford cards, Brian Roberts cards, Roberto Clemente, Jonny Gomes, Pat Neshek and Danny Tartabull. Its going to take a bit of time to get all of my lists up to date again. I got another 10 pounder from Adam E of Thoughts and Sox on the same day. There are so many cards I want to show off from these two packages, but I will start with this one… Danny Tartabull’s father, Jose Tartabull spent parts of 9 seasons in the big leagues in the 1960’s. He was a speedy centerfielder with a good glove and gap power. He was a part of the 1967 Boston Red Sox team and split time in right field with a young Tony Conigliaro. The card is from 1993 Pinnacle, card #473. This subset, called The Idols, shows current players with their baseball heroes. I love this card because Danny Tartabull picked his Dad, Jose Tartabull as his hero. I have always considered my Dad to be my hero and I like seeing that from a pro ball player, especially one of my favorites. Thanks so much for this and the other 500 cards you sent Madding! Oh, I do still collect Tartabull cards. I THINK that I have EVERY card made of him up till 1989 and most till '92. I am seeking Tartabull relics and any card I don't have of him. Go Rays! Troll out.

If you are a group box break participant OR a potential breaker, PLEASE READ THIS POST!!!

If you are a group box break participant OR a potential breaker, PLEASE READ THIS POST!!!
The first group box break is nearing the end, so I am gonna start planning for the next one. I picked up the remaining packs to be included today. There are a total of 118 packs to be ripped and dispersed. Here is what we have: 36 packs (12 cards) of 1994 Collectors Choice Series 1, 36 packs (15 cards) of 1992 Topps, 24 packs (12 cards) of 1994 Topps Stadium Club, 1 can 1997 Pinnacle Inside (10 cards), 3 cans of 1998 Pinnacle (10 cards), 1 pack each of Fleer, Donruss, Upper Deck and Topps 2004 National Trading Card Day, 1 pack 1989 Topps, 1 blaster of 2009 Heritage High Numbers, 2 packs of 1991 Donruss Series 1 and 2 packs of 1994 Pinnacle. I may add some more odds and ends to this, but all of these are already in house. I have a box of 1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier on order-if these slots all fill quickly, I might add that to the break. I am also expecting 10 hobby packs of 2009 O-Pee-Chee-I MIGHT add those as well.
Okay, here is who participated in the first rip along with their payment status. (Below this are the slots for the next one!)
First Rip
Atlanta Braves-Captain Canuck EN ROUTE
Baltimore Orioles-Orioles Magic PAID
Boston Red Sox-Adam E PAID
California Angels-Drew’s Cards PAID
Chicago Cubs-Wrigley Wax PAID
Chicago White Sox-Steve, WSC
Cincinnati Reds-Nachos Grande PAID
Cleveland Indians-SotCS-from AdamE PAID
Colorado Rockies-Troy
Detroit Tigers-Grand Cards
Florida Marlins-Wicked Ortega PAID
Houston Astros-Anthony K PAID
Kansas City Royals- Open
LA Dodgers-Night Owl PAID
Milwaukee Brewers-RotB Ed PAID
Minnesota Twins-Drew’s Cards PAID
Montreal Expos-Captain Canuck EN ROUTE
New York Mets-Wicked Ortega PAID
New York Yankees-Nico PAID
Oakland A’s-Nico PAID
Philadelphia Phillies-Smitty
Pittsburgh Pirates-Nachos Grande PAID
San Diego Padres-Rod Padrographs PAID
San Francisco Giants-Omega Wax PAID
Seattle Mariners-Play at the Plate PAID
St Louis Cardinals-Madding PAID
Texas Rangers-Play at the Plate PAID
Toronto Blue Jays-DR Duane PAID

This is who is already signed up for the next rip and their status.
Second Rip
Atlanta Braves-Captain Canuck
Baltimore Orioles-Orioles Magic
Boston Red Sox-Adam E PAID
California Angels-
Chicago Cubs-Wrigley Wax PAID
Chicago White Sox-
Cincinnati Reds-
Cleveland Indians-
Colorado Rockies-
Detroit Tigers- Roof God
Florida Marlins-Wicked Ortega
Houston Astros-Anthony K
Kansas City Royals-
LA Dodgers-Night Owl PAID
Milwaukee Brewers-RotB Ed PAID
Minnesota Twins-
Montreal Expos-
New York Mets-Jeremy
New York Yankees-Nico PAID
Oakland A’s-
Philadelphia Phillies-Dan PAID
Pittsburgh Pirates-
San Diego Padres-Rod Padrographs PAID
San Francisco Giants-
Seattle Mariners- PATP
St Louis Cardinals-Madding PAID
Texas Rangers-Play at the Plate PAID
Toronto Blue Jays-DR Duane PAID

Okay, I am sure that I forgot at least 1 person here, but assuming I didn’t there are 12 open slots. I have purchased all of the wax for the break. I had said I was going to limit this one to 50 packs, but that didn’t seem like enough funs, so it is actually going to include 118 packs, totaling 1,481 cards. One pack of each product will be ripped on A Pack to be Named Later and additional packs will be opened here. Everyone involved in the break WILL GET EVERY CARD PULLED OF THEIR TEAM, but I will not be posting 118 packs. I will post at least 1 pack of everything. For the boxes of 36 I will post the first 12 packs I open and if something special is pulled after that, I will post that, too. The 24-count box will have 8 packs posted. The 8 pack blaster will have 3 packs. These are all minimum figures, but I am trying to get the point across that I won’t be posting every single pack. I didn’t want the break to only include 48 packs, I wanted it to be fun and have some variety, so I bought extra, but I know I won’t have time to post 118 packs, so figure on somewhere between 40-50 packs posted. Does this sound good to everyone? Please spread the word to everyone to PLEASE READ this post. The rip including all 118 packs is contingent to all slots being filled (there are 12 open) and it also needs to be read by all participants to make sure that no one objects to me only posting 40-50 packs. In the matter of the Heritage blaster, here is how it will be divided. The new teams (D-Backs and Rays) will be kept by me. Any multi-player cards will be mine. Nationals cards will go to the Expos slot. Any single player card of your team is yours. If I pull a Lou Gehrig autograph, it would go to Nico who holds the Yankees slot. If I pull an Albert Pujols jersey, it would go to Madding who holds the Cards slot. Does this all make sense? If you want to claim a team, do so here. If I forgot you, point it out here. If you have yet to pay for your team’s slot in the previous break, please contact me. Bacontowne at yahoo dot com is my email. Okay, that is all for now. Let’s fill those 12 slots. Oh... I wanted to end this post with a HUGE THANK YOU to Adam E from the Thoughts and Sox blog. He donated enough padded mailers to cover everyone for BOTH group breaks with some leftover. I was paying 69 cents per envelope, so Adam E saved me some SERIOUS money. That is a big part of why I added so much more to this break. I understand that Adam will accept "thank yous" in the form of Red Sox cards... THANKS ADAM!!! Now go read HIS blog! Go Rays! Troll out.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Ripping Ahead! Pack #24 of 1997 Pinnacle X Press

Welcome to pack #24 of 1997 Pinnacle X Press… Here we go!
#124 Dmitri Young St Louis Cardinals (The Meat Hook was the 4th overall player selected in the 1991 draft for the Cards)
#58 Moises Alou Florida Marlins (1997 was the only year that Alou spent in South Florida. He made the All Star team, drove in 115 runs and led the Fish to the Fall Classic where they beat Cleveland)
#6 Kenny Lofton Atlanta Braves (During spring training in ’97 Lofton and Alan Embree went to the Braves in exchange for David Justice and Marquis Grissom. Lofton hit .333 in his one season with the Braves… He choked at the plate in the postseason and signed back with Cleveland in ’98)
#137 Hideki Irabu New York Yankees (The botc says Irabu was considered the Japananese Nolan Ryan prior to signing with the Yankees. Didn’t quite work out that way in the big leagues)
#100 Jeff Fassero Seattle Mariners (After the 1996 season the Mariners sent 3 players to the Expos for Fassero giving them the best all left-handed 1-2-3 punch in the American League. Randy Johnson, Jeff Fassero and Jaimie Moyer, along with an amazing offense led the Mariners to a 90 win season, netting 1st place in the AL West. Unfortunately the Orioles rolled over the M’s in the first round of the playoffs. Fassero won the only game for Seattle when they lost the series 3-1)
#43 Paul O’Neill New York Yankees (O’Neill had a pretty nice career, but all I think of was his guest spot on Seinfeld when I see his cards. Paul O’Neill hit TWO homeruns for Bobby!)
#18 Chuck Knoblauch Minnesota Twins (Knoblauch batted .341 for the Twins in ’96, and in ’97 he won the Trifecta for AL 2nd baseman as an All Star, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner. He was traded to the Yankees for 5 players before the ’98 season)
Okay, that is pack #24 of X Press. This was a jumbo box, so I am only 2/3 of the way there. If you missed the last pack I ripped, it was posted on A Pack to be Named Later, you can check it out HERE. Deep breath, I got a lot of ripping to do! Go Rays! Troll out.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Group Box Break Info Post, Plus Pack #20 of 1994 Pinnacle Series 2

I think it has taken me about 2 months so far to rip and post everything from my mid-90s group box break. I had NO idea that it was going to take that long and I apologize to anyone who was counting on having their cards right away. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and once again I will set this Wednesday upcoming to be done with it all. As soon as the last pack is posted I am going to count each team and post the final stats for each team. I was keeping track in the beginning and the Braves were running away with it, but things have balanced out and many teams are pretty close. The Pirates and Tigers have been pretty poorly represented on this one and I apologize for that. Like I said when this began-I will include EVERYTHING that I have for your particular team in with the group break cards. I do have a pretty decent pile of both Tigers and Pirates and I think you guys will be pleased. There are a few of you who reserved slots but have not yet sent me anything. PLEASE send me an email and let me know what is going on and when/what you will be sending. Adam from Thoughts and Sox very graciously padded envelopes to cover the mailing and I have 50 bucks on a USPS gift card set aside for this break, so as soon as I rip the last pack and get a team by team quantity, I want to get everything out the door. If you haven’t yet, PLEASE EMAIL ME YOUR ADDRESS!!! This is VERY important. I want to get the envelopes all addressed ASAP. Even if you don’t have anything ready to send to me, SEND me your address. I know one or two of you picked team slots that you wanted for another blogger-send me a reminder of who gets what and get me their address, too. We are ready to go with pack #20 of 1994 Pinnacle… I posted this one over at the super awesome blog A Pack to be Named Later. Please click HERE to check it out. While you are there, please go ahead and sign up as a follower, you won’t regret it. It is easily one of the top 10 blogs in the entire blog-o-sphere-it has a staff of many very awesome bloggers and there is a great variety of sweet wax being ripped on a daily basis. Okay, I hope to have pack #21 ripped and posted here on the Collective Troll later on tonight so keep on checking back. The plan for tomorrow is to post about 10 packs, so PLEASE keep on checking back, okay? There are slots open for the next one, if you want in, send me a message. Again, to view the rip of pack #20, complete with images of ALL 14 cards pulled, click HERE, thanks! Go Rays! Troll out.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Another State of the Blog Post-My Collecting Goals for 2010!

I have good luck finishing sets with the help of the blog-o-sphere. The 1978 set that had been in progress for 30 years was completed in just a few months with your help. 2009 Allen and Ginter-done. 2007 Topps Heritage is done (story coming soon!). 1991 Topps is done, as is 1996 Topps and I am sure that 1996 Score will go quick as soon as I get a want list together. I finished the 1976 set, but then parted it out again. I am currently trying to weigh my priorities in collecting for 2010. Collecting Rays autographs is going to be a big thing. Rays Fan Fest is on February 20th. It has always been free, but this year they are charging 20 buck for an all day armband, but ALL of the proceeds from that go to Haiti relief, so I applaud that. I do want to build on my Carl Crawford collection-I want to get it organized, but would like it to grow as well. My Brian Roberts collection is at over 50 cards thanks to all of you. Thanks to an idea from Drew’s Cards I am going to start chasing Trifectas of my favorite players that I don’t (read can’t afford) want to add to my personal collection. The short list for 2010 is: Billy Pierce, Danny Tartabull, Ben Grieve, Junior Gilliam, Quinton McCracken, Bill Mazeroski, Joe Carter (which I now have a relic thanks to Hackenbush of Can’t Have Too Many Cards!!!), Steve Garvey, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Dave Winfield (now have a bat relic thanks to Largo Frank!), Minnie Minoso, Willie Stargell, Bert Blyleven, Mike Cuellar, Darryl Strawberry, Don Mattingly, Robin Ventura, Tom Seaver, Albert Belle, JR Richard, Andrew McCutchen, Rickey Henderson, Moe Drabowsky, Maury Wills, Rod Carew, Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria, Prince Fielder, Steve Carlton, Warren Spahn, Frank Robinson, Curt Blefary, Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Paul Molitor, Jack Morris, Nick Markakis, Tony Oliva, Frank Howard and the list goes on and on… I will post a want list page for my Trifecta Collection very soon-Aside from 3 cards I posted here; I am missing relic cards for all of these former players. Other things that I plan on working on are: Finishing up the 2009 Topps Heritage set, high and low numbers, finishing the 2008 Heritage set (I only need ONE freaking card), gathering up all 35 of the 2009 Topps Gold cards of the Tampa Bay Rays, collecting an autograph of every member of the 2008 AL Champs team (I need Upton, Navarro, Garza, Howell, Gross) and finishing up the 2008 Allen and Ginter set and starting on the 2007 and probably chasing the 2010 as well. Some older sets I am chasing and will probably never finish are the 1969 Topps set, which thanks to Wrigley Wax I have quite a few of now, the 1965 Topps set, the 1951 Bowman set (I have 7 cards, but just got another in the mail today!), the 1887 Allen and Ginter set (I have 2 of 50) and the 1964 Topps Giants set. The giant card is my new obsession. I don’t know how many cards are in this set-I know it includes Mantle, Clemente, Kaline, Killebrew and Robinson and I don’t have any of those, but it is an awesome set, chock full of information on the back of the card. I just got this Milt Pappas this week (from Clyde in Illinois, THANKS!) and that puts me up to 10 cards. When I finish this box break I am going to start posting all of the giant cards I have, one by one, front and back. I am posting this basically because a lot of wonderful folks have emailed me asking me my collecting priorities for 2010, so I thought I would lay it out here formerly. Like I said I will start a page for the Trifecta collection and I will get together a list for ’64 Topps Giants, ’65 Topps and ’69 Topps soon. I have been gathering 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968 Topps and 1954 Bowman as well, but I am nowhere near close enough to form a list. So to put the priorities in order for 2010, here we go!
1. Finish 2008 Heritage-I need just one card, #469 of Frank Thomas
2. Chase as many Rays autographs as possible!
3. Get aggressive on the 1965 Topps set!
4. 1964 Topps Giants!
5. 2009 Topps Heritage High and Low
6. 2009 Rays Topps Gold set
7. Finish all Topps Rays team sets…
8. Build the Carl Crawford collection!
9. Get relic cards and on-card autos for the Trifecta collection
10. Finish the 2008 Allen and Ginter set, start on the 2007 one.
11. Build the Jonny Gomes, Brian Roberts, Jason Bartlett, Danny Tartabull, Roberto Clemente and Pat Neshek collection
12. Build the Negro League Vets collection
13. See the Pittsburgh Pirates NOT finish in last place and NOT trade McCutchen!
14. Get the last autographs I need from the 2008 American League Champions
15. Acquire 5 more cards from the 1951 Bowman set
16. Work on the 1969 Topps set, I am at 20%, double that!
17. Gather as many cards from the ‘60s as I can.
18. Make want lists for EVERY set that I covet.
19. Acquire at least 1 more card from 1887 Allen and Ginter
20. Continue to donate cards and binders and supplies to Children’s Hospitals
21. POST DAILY!!!
Okay, those are my top 21 collection goals for 2010. Barely missing the cut was to build my PC of players wearing sombreros and players holding microphones. I do also want to build my collection of specific moment in time cards, too. I also plan to attend as many games as possible, both Major and minor league and take pictures and write recaps. I also plan on doing at least 5 more interviews specific for this blog-specifically interviewing players who played with Roberto Clemente, plus post pack rips on a Pack to be Named Later and trade as often as possible. Of course I would REALLY like to see Jonny Gomes as an every day starter and I would LOVE to see the Rays run the table through the playoffs... 2010 is gonna be a great year for baseball and for blogging, thanks for reading! Oh, my most pressing goals are to finish this damn group box rip and to fill up the remaining spots for the next one! Get in touch with me at bacontowne at yahoo dot com. I want to end this post by thanking EVERYONE reading this and everyone who has read and/or enjoyed this blog this past year. I would continue writing regardless, but it means the world to me knowing that people are reading and reacting and interacting. THANK YOU! I love this game, I love this hobby, I love this blog-o-spher! Go Rays! Troll out.