Quick Post, A New PC Addition, A Contest Update and a Question for the Group Break Faithful...

I miss my blog!!! All of them. I got so used to posting daily on at least two of my blogs and it is driving me crazy to not be around. I am working 7 days AGAIN this week and I have finals on Monday and Tuesday and then I begin summer semester B on Wednesday. No rest for the wicked I suppose... I have hundreds of great cards that I have recieved in trades to post, kind bloggers and readers from all over the world have been tearing up my want lists which are all updated. I also updated my needs list on the side bar for autographs from the 2008 AL Champs team. I am down to needing just 5 cards. I have autos of three of them already, but not on Rays cards. I think ultimately I want to upgrade and have the whole team on-card. I looked through the collection and I am pretty close. I only have one sticker auto that I still need to upgrade. The unfortunate thing is that sticker auto is of their third baseman and his on-card autographs ain't cheap... I will get a few posts up this weekend. I will also update on the promised contest. It will coincide with my 600th post which should happen next weekend. The question will be how many cards I have in my Carl Crawford collection. I have been buying recieving a lot of new cards lately, so you can't guess yet. I will set a date and then count everything. The closest to the right number will win. First prize will be closest without going over and second prize will be closest over. The prizes will include a Carl Crawford Topps Traded rookie card and a few other goodies for the non-Rays fans out there. One prize will be a very nice Tony Gwynn rookie card so stay tuned and start thinking of your guesses. I will give you a hint now... I passed 200 at the end of 2009. I will also tell you that I count variations as different cards so if I have a 2007 Topps, the same card with a red back and the same card in gold it will count as three different cards. I will also count any card that pictures and names Crawford on it. For instance this new addition to my collection will count. It is a 2007 Upper Deck Premier Rare Patches Dual card with BJ Upton. It is numbered 48/50. I like dual player cards when they make sense and Crawford and Upton have patroled the same outfield together for a while now. I really don't like all the Crawford cards with Scott Podsednick (sp?) or Jose Rios. Those don't make sense. This card doesn't identify which swatch is from which player, but I love that the patch is below the photo of CC. I know everyone out there is over jersey swatches. I became obsessed with them when I got back into collecting and now I am getting bored a little bit, too. Patches on the other hand still have my interest 100%. Thats it for now, I really hope to be able to post some of the amazing trades I have recieved very soon. You guys-my readers and fellow bloggers-are amazing and your generosity continues to blow me away. Oh... one last thing. If you are a participant in my long overdue group break I have a question. Would you rather continue to wait for me to slowly post the rips OR would you rather I tear EVERYTHING and not post it, but send all of your cards out and you-the recipient-will post them on your blogs? Please let me know. I feel really bad that everyone rushed payment and I have not sent anything in return out yet. I put up a poll question, please vote on it. Oh before I sign off I have a very odd card in my Rays collection. I found this card-it is a 1998 Best Trading Cards promo card of Kerry Wood. Wood came up with the Cubs obviously and he never played for a second in the Rays organiztion, but in 1997 he was in AA with the Cubs and played for the Orlando Rays, which were still a Cubs team. Oddness... Does anyone know if Wood signs TTM? I would love to have this card signed... Thanks for reading! Please check out my freshly updated want lists. Go Rays! Troll out.