We Have a Winner!

I threw up a little contest to celebrate this blog's 450th post, it's 1st birthday, it's 120th follower and also to eat some humble pie after the Rays were victims of a perfect game for the second time in 2 years. I asked who the lone baserunner was during Vida Blue's no-hitter and 8 of you answered with all of the correct information. I entered the names at random dot org and randomized three times and we have a winner of the autographed Vida Blue postcard. It is:
List Randomizer
There were 8 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1.5. BA Benny
2.3. Ryan AKA Orioles Magic
3.6. Royals Scorecards
4.2. Mark's Ephemera
5.8. Rocco
6.4. Wicked Ortega
7.7. I Don't Know 3rd Base
8.1. Slangko
Timestamp: 2010-05-17 18:01:50 UTC

Congrats to BA Benny! Send me your address again and I will send this out to you. Thanks to everyone for playing. Next contest I will have to find a more difficult question. I actually know what the next contest will ask, I just don't know what the prize will be yet. As some of you know I get all of my statistical information from Baseball Reference dot com and I sponsor several different pages. Many player pages are available to be sponsored for between 5 and 10 bucks a piece. These donations help keep the site going and they are a good way to connect with other fans of your favorite players. I now have sponsored 10 different player pages. In the next contest I will ask you guys to name all ten. Thats all for now, congrats to BA Benny! Off to work! Go Rays! troll out.

A Homer's Humble Pie, A Blogday and a Contest...

I wanted to offer a little contest to celebrate Dallas Braden’s perfect blanking of the Tampa Bay Rays. It was the 3rd time that the Rays have been no-hit in their short history and the second time in as many years that they were on the wrong side of a perfect game.
Since all of my Dallas Braden cards have long been traded away, I thought I would offer up this autographed postcard of Vida Blue. Blue won the Cy Young Award and MVP in 1971. He was also the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year that year and won the Award again in 1978. He was a 6-time All Star and won 3 World’s Championships over his 17 year career. He won 209 games and he pitched a no-hitter for the Oakland A’s in 1970. He missed having a perfect game however. In the 4th inning he allowed a baserunner. Name that baserunner, his team and how he reached base in the comments. I will randomize the correct responses and announce a winner on Friday.
I have 2 copies of this signed postcard. One will be a prize, the other is up for trade. I collect Rays autographs, Topps Heritage SPs, 1965 Topps, 1964 Topps Giants, Buck O’Neil, Carl Crawford and Danny Tartabull. Make me an offer if you are interested. These were signed at a card show in Hernando, Florida in 1999.
Oh, by the way... The other reason for a contest is this. On Saturday May 8th the blog you are reading, the Collective Troll turned 1. I wanted to thank those of you who emailed me congratulations. I had totally forgotten about it, so thanks for the reminder! The contest thus becomes a birthday contest, along with some humble pie for a homer... Thanks to everyone who has read this blog over the past year, y'all rock! Also, I have got many trade packs in the last week that I need to post, but I have updated my wantlists, so check em out! Good luck to all in the contest. I will probably include some other oversized cards as a bonus for the winner. Perhaps something from this set or an unopened pack or two.
Don’t forget to check out a Pack to be Named Later and the Nitty Gritty for more Trolly goodness. Go Rays! Troll out.

David Price 1/1

Before I start, if ya haven't entered the CONTEST yet, do it now... With that out of the way. My initiation into the world of Big D Cards began today...Lately I’ve been jealous. I admit it. I have been reading the other blogs the past few days I have seen amazing Big D Customs popping up all over the place. There was THIS awesome post and THIS awesome post showing off some really sweet customs. It seemed like Big D, AKA the Big Dude from the Hey That’s Mine blog had been a pretty busy card creator…  Oh yeah, those are pure awesome and as far as I know it is a 1/1. I generally despise 1/1 cards, UNLESS of course, I own them, then they are a-okay! It was my turn today… I got an envelope with the Big D logo on the return address. I was psyched! I was wondering what or who it would be. I was honestly hoping it wasn’t regular trade cards as I really wanted a custom of my own. I ripped open the envelope and found that they weren’t boring out Topps or Upper Deck cards; they were in fact, super awesome Big D Customs… As everyone else has already reported, these cards are nice. They are thick and glossy and totally one of a kind. I now have 3 different 1 of 1 cards of both Evan Longoria and David Price in my little collection. That is quite cool cuz I never even set out to collect those 2 guys… I was originally confused with the Devil Rays logo on them because neither guy ever played for the Devil Rays, but the more I have seen, I now know that all of his cards have a retro logo on them. Maybe it’s a licensing thing. Either way, they are pretty rad. The back of the card tells you these weren’t easy to make, so I do intend to treasure them and not leave them in an unlocked car. I would suggest heading over to Hey That’s Mine and beginning the ass kissing process right now! Thanks Big D! These rock. Oh, there is about 1 more day left to enter the contest, not many entries today, let’s change that! PS I ran out of time... I will show off the awesome Longo later... Go Rays! Troll out

New Poll Up.

To go along with the question of Greatest Right Fielder Ever, there is a poll on the Troll's brother blog, the Nitty Gritty which asks "Who Is The Greatest Left Fielder Ever?" Please check it out. If you haven't entered the contest yet, scroll down and win stuff... Go Rays! troll out.

The First Ever Collective Troll Reader Appreciation Contest Is HERE!!!

It’s contest time!!! The first annual Collective Troll Reader Appre-ciation contest is here! Thanks to everyone who contributed to this blogs 75,000 hits and 100 followers! It’s time for me to give back. I am going to try and keep this post short (for me) and sweet. The contest will stay up for 3 days. I put a poll up on the side bar that will run for 3 days. When the poll closes, you can no longer enter the contest. The rules are simple. You must follow this blog to enter. If you have a blog yourself, please add this blog to your blog rolls. One entry per person. I would encourage you to mention this contest on your blog, to vote in the poll, to follow the Nitty Gritty and to check out my new sources for Rays News, but doing those things will earn you a thank you, but not an extra entry. To enter comment on this post or any other post that is authorized on this blog. Simply put your name. That’s all that is necessary. You can add your location, your blog name, your favorite team or your shoe size if you wish, but all you have to do is enter your name. There will be up to 11 different winners based on randomization and number of entries. There will be a grand prize winner who gets first pick of the prizes, second, third, etc. All of your names will be randomized 3 times and the winners will be based on numbers I have preselected and posted on the sidebar. It will not be 1-2-3-4-5 on the list. If 25 people or less enter there will be 2 prizes, 40 makes 3, 60 makes 4, 75 makes 5, 90 makes 6 and over 100 different entries will yield 7 winners. If you guys pass 120 you can make it 8, pass 150 and I will give it all away to 11 different winners. Remember it is winner’s choice; I am giving y’all 11 different options. There are 3 Hall of Famer autos, 4 other autographs or 4 relic cards to choose from. Basically the more people who blog roll this blog and enter the contest, the more winners there will be. All of this might sound complicated, but I will deal with all that. All you have to do is follow this blog, comment with your name and cross your fingers. It is that easy. A few people have asked me why I am giving these cards away. The reason is simple; I appreciate the card blogger family. Through hard times it has picked me up and all the time it makes me feel welcome and I truly enjoy posting as often as I can and I love reading all of the other blogs out there. This is my way of saying thanks! So, to everyone who has ever stumbled across this blog, commented on it, traded with me or sent me a message, I do appreciate it! Good luck to all… Oh, the prizes. Yeah. Here is what you can win… All of the autos are on-card unless noted, some are serial numbered and all of them are awesome!

Brooks Robinson.

Al Kaline

Ralph Kiner

Frank Howard

Your choice of one of these 3 young pitcher's autographs from Topps T206 (Johnny Cueto is a sticker auto)
Or if it’s your preference, any one of these relic cards.
Okay, that is it. While you are here, please check out some of my other posts. Check out the Nitty Gritty Card of the Day everyday or my new source for Tampa Bay Rays News-this site will launch officially on opening day, but it won’t hurt to check it out now, plus are a new sponsor of this here blog, so show them some love… Good luck to everyone! Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to vote in the poll for Greatest Rightfielder of All Time…When the poll ends, so does the contest. It will be open for 3 full days. I wouldn't wait, enter now! Remember that this is on the honor system. You must be a follower, one entry per person, no cheating! Good luck to all and thanks for reading! Go Rays! Troll out.

The Polls Are Closed OR A 3 Way Tie For a Fifth

The poll is finished. It was up for a week and I couldn’t believe how many people got involved and voted. Thanks so much to all 68 of you who voted. I really couldn’t believe how many of y’all voted and I REALLY appreciate it. Thank you all! Thank yous aside, even with 68 people voting, I am still right back where I started. Somehow the vote ended in a 3 way tie! 16% of you think I should collect Hall of Fame outfielder and former star of the Newark Eagles, Larry Doby. 16% of you think I should collect Pittsburgh Pirates hero, defensive standout and Hall of Fame member Bill Mazeroski and 16% of you think I should collect 4-time batting champion Bill “Mad Dog” Madlock. Like I said, even with the help of 68 of my friends and readers, I am still where I started and I still can’t choose. I have about 12 cards of Maz with no autos or relics, but there are plenty available. I have 5 cards of Doby with no autos or relics. There are some of those available, but the autos get pricy. I have 5 cards of Mad Dog, one relic and an autographed 8X10. Since he played for 15 years and up until 1987 I think Mad Dog has the MOST cards, but since he is not a Hall of Famer and he is still alive and well, his autographs are much more affordable than Doby’s. Ugh. I hate decisions. That was why I left it up to you guys. I enjoyed checking on the poll, though. It looked as though some people changed their votes as time went on. Roy Face had a pretty big lead early on and Oscar Gamble was off to a great start, but they lost votes as time went on. With Doby, Maz and Mad Dog tied for 1st, Roy Face finished 4th with 7 votes. Gamble was in 5th with 5 votes and Don Newcombe and Bert Blyleven were tied for 6th place with 4 votes each. Tony Oliva finished 8th with 3 votes and Ray Durham and Monte Irvin each received 2 votes. 2 of you also thought that I should stick with current players. The problem with that is that current players can get traded to the Yankees. It happened to Danny Tartabull and I am terrified it is going to happen to Carl Crawford... The contest and poll over at the Nitty Gritty are still up for another 13 hours. Comment on that post with your name and have a shot at winning a Steve Garvey game used bat relic. Easy huh? I had promised to start the big contest here at the Troll tonight, but I am going to hold off until tomorrow. Two of the prizes were things that I ordered online and since I haven’t checked my post office box all week, I wanna wait till I have them in hand first. I am riding my bike (bicycle not motorcycle) over there after work so I can post the contest manana afternoon. Thanks again to everyone who voted. Any ideas for a tie breaker? Go Rays! troll out.

Community Kindness!

I am running late as always, but I wanted to throw up a quick post and wish all of you a safe and Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!!! I also wanted to post up some more Blogger Kindness cards. These came from the guys who bring ya Community Gum, a great blog that serves up sports cards and sarcasm like no other. I posted a bunch of sweet 2010 Heritage cards from The Sewing Machine Guy earlier this week. Well, Community Gum filled in the rest of the blanks for me. Not much time, so here we go… First up is card #314 featuring two of the best infielders in the great state of Florida. Next up is card #303 of probable opening day starter James Shields. From 2010 back to 2008, this one is super special… I hate hunted for this base card for a while for my team set and it kept on eluding me. The Night Owl hooked me up with the base and then I picked up about 5 more of them, now I have the CHROME version, numbered 1405/1689. Next up is a 2010 Topps Gold card of the aforementioned potential opening day starter, its card #195 of Big Game James Shields. The final card in this quick post from the great guys of Community Gum dot com is from 2010 Heritage. I saved the best for last as always. This one is super special because it is the FIRST Evan Longoria REFRACTOR I have ever had in my collection. Yep, I said REFRACTOR. This baby is number C98 in the set and is serial numbered 448/561. Freaking awesome! Thanks so much guys! I really appreciate your note, well wishes and of course these great cards! Keep up the great work and keep on bringing the sarcasm! Thanks to everyone who is helping me select the next player I will be SUPER COLLECTING! I can’t believe that 31 people have voted already! This vote will stay up till Tuesday night and the poll will close then. Coincidentally, that is the exact same time that the CONTEST will go up, so stay tuned. When voting, don’t forget the guidelines. Whomever you pick must have all of their cards attainable by a normal collector. No crazy one of ones, no 500 dollar autographs or 600 different parallels number to 5. They must have a relic card of some sort and a certified autograph that I can afford. This is why Roberto Clemente isn’t on the list… Anyway, thanks to all for voting, keep on helping a Troll out! Don’t forget to check out the Nitty Gritty Card of the Day. Gotta go to work. Go Rays! Thanks Community Gum! Thanks Blog-O-Sphere! Troll out.

There is a Contest on the Horizon!

Greetings Trollites! I am working 5 shifts in 2 days so this will be the ONLY post I am putting up. Tomorrow, March 11th Esther Gin N Juice will be celebrating our 4th Wedding Anniversary! That has me in a REALLY good mood and we will celebrate with a contest. As soon as this blog gets it's 100th follower there will be a contest. The contest will be open to 100 people. No questions, nothing complicated, just leave a comment when it is announced. The contest will have 5 prizes, so there will be five winners. This is one of the prizes. What do you guys think? This is by far the nicest current card I own and I figured that everyone likes Brooks, right? Thanks for reading! If there are more than 100 followers on here by the time I open the contest, it will be open to that many people. I will probably post it on Friday. The follower thing is important to me because I want to be included on as many blogrolls as possible. On occasion I write a good post and really like the idea that 100 different people might see it. Gotta get back to work... Go Rays! Troll out!