A Christmas in February Gallery of Stars!!!

I had nearly given up on my Secret Santa gift this year, but 2 weeks ago a surprise showed up in my mailbox. It was Christmas in January then, of course it took me a few weeks to post it, so it is Christmas in February! Normally I might be irked that the cards took a while to get here, but this is a special situation. My Secret Santa had his son’s 2nd birthday to plan for and he also had his job working for the United States Army to worry about. That is correct; my Secret Santa is stationed at Rose Barracks in Vilseck, Germany. So he has some more important things to worry about it… Included in the package were his payment for the group box break along with a birthday gift (for me!) and a Christmas Gift. All of it came all the way from Germany and spent well over a month in the possession of the USPS. Was it worth it? Hell yeah! Here are a few of the highlights: First up is a framed Masterpiece of Carl Crawford. I think it is a dark blue linen card. I am not too familiar with this product. It is numbered 055/125 on the back. It is the first variation I have received from this 2008 Upper Deck Masterpiece collection. I now have a pair of dupes of the CC base card, so get in touch if you need it. Next up is another great CC card. This one is from 2005 Diamond Kings by Donruss, card #GS-5, Carl Crawford Gallery of Stars. Nice. The last card I am going to highlight is a certified autograph of Andy Sonnanstine from 2009 Topps. It is part of the Career Best subset, card #CBA-AMS. This is now my second Career Best autograph and I really like the idea behind these. The refractor sticker auto looks sharp on these cards. Some of Sonnanstine’s career bests include: 10 Ks in a game, 2 hits (in 8ip) and 78 strikes thrown in one game. Sonnanstine had an off year in 2009, but he has the stuff to be a legit big league starter. Thanks so much for all the great cards and Merry Christmas to you! By the way, I figured out that my Secret Santa is Anthony K from the Balk Four blog and the United States Army. I look forward to getting more great trade packages from Germany! Thanks again brother. I loved ALL the cards you sent, not just the ones that I scanned. If you have any extra Houston Astros, Javier Vasquez or Bob Gibson cards-those are AK’s favorites! Thanks again for the great gift! Stay warm and stay safe over there. Before I end this, check out this post from the Easy Life. This is proof that some people actually read my posts and reap the rewards. Congrats to you Mr. Easy Life, enjoy your prize! The moral of this story is, READ MY DAMN POSTS! I will end this with a flyer for our season opening bout on February 21st. Are there any local bloggers out there? We will have some special guests in attendance and plenty of awesome raffle prizes, PLUS 5 kegs worth of FREE beer and lots of lovely ladies on wheels, PLUS some amazing competition. After the bout we will have our awesome after party at the Distillery Tavern and we will be auctioning off booty ad space. For a minimum bid of 25 bucks you can have your company (or blog) name right here. All proceeds will go to charity. Go Bombers! Go Rays! Troll out.

Christmas Eve Treats....

I am ridiculously far behind in posting trade packages and I apologize. I have got some pretty amazing stuff of late. Crawfords, Clementes and Bartletts oh my! I have also been on the receiving end of some AMAZING Christmas gifts from some amazing people. A huge thank you to Duane from Democratic Roadkill, Alfredo from My Past Time…I Love It! and Brian from Play at the Plate. You guys rule!!! I have also received some envelopes of awesomeness from readers, too. Thanks for the gifts to Frank, Sally, Derek and James. You guys went above and beyond. Man, I am just happy you read this! I have still yet to get anything from my own Secret Santa (tapping my foot) and I am pretty bummed about that. I thought the Secret Santa deal that Sarah organized was amazing and a very cool program to be involved with. At the time I was shopping I couldn’t rememeber how much we were to spend, so I dropped a fifty (oops!) so needless to say, I can’t wait till my recipient posts his cards, I think he is gonna be pretty happy! Over here at Troll HQ it doesn’t really feel like Christmas. Maybe its because it is 80 degrees out, I don’t know… We did (after much deliberation) decide to put up a tree and it is topped with a mini Rays helmet! We are getting ready to make the rounds and visit our Moms and Dad since I will be working all day tomorrow at All Charities. Thanks again to everyone! I didn’t think I would find my way on the good list this year, but I think I fooled some people… I will post the goodies soon. This wasn’t a gift, but it is soooo regal and spectacular looking that I couldn’t wait to post it. It came here by way of Paul from Carl Crawford Cards and it is my first slabbed Carl Crawford card. Graded cards are one of those things that I don’t really like (unless their in my mailbox!). Anyway, the card is from the 2001 Just Minors set. It is graded at a 9 with the autograph graded a 10. The signature looks nicer than some I've seen, but is Beckett really qualified to grade penmanship? Anyway, kidding aside, it is pretty awesome and I couldn't wait to take a picture and post it up. Thanks so much for thinking of me with this card Paul. I will find something more than suitable to return the favor with after the holiday. Anyway, off to my folks place, then my Momma-In-Law… Thanks to all and Happy Christmas Eve! Troll out.