Rays Versus Rangers, PAYBACK!!! A Cardboard Tribute to MY Team!

The game starts VERY soon. After yesterdays pathetic showing against Cliff Lee (hats off to you Mr. Lee) today is a MUST WIN for Tampa Bay. As a fan, I blame myself. Maybe the Rays lost because they didn't get their normal support from this card fan blog. I am not going to recap yesterday, I would much rather forget it. I want to start fresh today and see the Rays jump on CJ Wilson early! As a fan I have to put my trust in Joe Maddon, our fearless leader. I didn't like the looks of the line-up yesterday with two sub-Mendoza-line bats in the starting lineup. Today, for a second day in a row Maddon is giving the start behind the plate to Kelly Shoppach. It seems silly to me, but Maddon is a genius beyond my level of comprehension. I REALLY hope it works out Joe! Willy Aybar has been activated for the rest of this series and Rocco Baldeli has been deactivated for health issues. Seeing Rocco up with 2-outs and the bases loaded yesterday was riveting. He is one of the most popular Rays EVER and I wanted him to be a hero SO BADLY. I am glad he got a start in front of the home crowd though... Okay Rays, lets get pumped! Here is a favorite card of mine of each of the 10 guys getting the start and the chance to even the score... Here they are-a 10-card tribute to the starting line-up for the Rays...Here's the Rays' lineup for Game 2:
1. Jason Bartlett, shortstop (You need to set the table JB, come on!)
2. B.J. Upton, center field (Smooth as silk, thanks so much Wicked!)
3. Carl Crawford, left field (CC for MVP - of the ALDS!)
4. Evan Longoria, third base (A one of a kind card of the games best third baseman, do what you can do Longo! Happy 25th Birthday, lets celebrate!)
5. Ben Zobrist, first base (Zorilla hit his first playoff homer as a right fielder, now he gets his first start at first base...Looking for even more power!)
6. Willy Aybar, designated hitter (All you need to do is HIT Willy!)
7. Kelly Shoppach, catcher (Prove Joe Maddon is a genius Shoppach!)
8. Sean Rodriguez, second base
9. Desmond Jennings, right field (Des J gets his first playoff start and I am EXCITED!)

and on the hill it's Big Game James. Lets do it boys!!! I really hope the scene in a few hours looks more like this and less like this... Brian and Spiff - you boys want to get a bet going? I am in, even though we spotted you guys one... Thanks for checking out my cardboard tribute to the starting 10, I am behind you guys, LETS DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!! First pitch in 10 minutes...Get it done for the SOLD OUT crowd. By the by, best of luck to the Twins tonight, beat them freaking Yankees! GO RAYS!!! Troll out.

The Beam Team!

Like many of you I took full advantage of the half off blasters of Stadium Club. They were a fun rip, but didn't yield any autographs. I was able to add both of these stained glass gems for less than the cost of a half price blaster. Sticker autos aside, these are pretty awesome! Don't forget to vote for the All Star team! Carl Crawford deserves to start! I will post my All Star picks for the BBA vote this week. Ideally I will have my American League team up tomorrow and the NL soon there after. I have started to rip for the group break. I will try and get a few packs posted on A Pack to be Named Later this weekend before they ship. Go Rays! Troll out.

Smooth As...

Tuesday Moring Musings, Blogging as Therapy and a Card from the Wicked Vault!

After work on Friday before I took a nap and before we left for Gainesville I sat down at my desk in the dining room (which has become my card room) and had plans to schedule a weeks worth of posts. I was staring at literally thousands of cards. Blogger kindness packages, trades with readers, trades with bloggers, purchases made online and at the card shop and a shoebox from Mom and Dad’s garage. I was too overwhelmed. There was too much stuff. I can not use my computer at work anymore. I used to make the majority of my posts while I was at work, but now I can only think about posting. In my head I have passed 5,000 posts so far. Sometimes I get confused and think I actually posted them in reality and not just in my head. As anyone reading who blogs as well knows, blogging is therapy. I haven’t been blogging and I haven’t got my therapy. I really think I am losing it. I often apologize for not posting the great trades I have received. This is still a source of guilt, but more so I owe myself an apology for not continuing with my therapeutic blog sessions thus causing myself to go crazy and do so quickly… All that said I have two hours before I leave for work and I intend to see how much damage I can do. Expect to see something worthwhile on one of the 5 blogs I write for this afternoon. I don’t know which one, I will probably try and simultaneously write 3 posts and not finish any. Since I am here already I will end this one with a card. This baby comes from the legendary WICKED VAULT and is one of the many AWESOME cards that traveled to Troll-Towne from South Florida. I have around 20 unposted autographs from Senor Wicked and he keeps sending more. If I had the time I would start a new blog simply called Cards I Got From Wicked Ortega. I could post everyday for the next six months based on what I have already. Anyway, this is one of many autos that he has sent and one of many autos of my favorite current player, Rays All Star shortstop Jason Bartlett. JB is currently in third place among AL shortstops in the vote for the All Star game. I still contend that he is the best at his position in the league, but statistically he has dropped off considerably since his breakout season last year. He is batting just .246 which is quite a drop-off from last year when he ended the season with a .320 mark. He has just one homerun, a leadoff shot against the Yankees in New York last week. He is still the field leader and offensive sparkplug of the best team in baseball though. I would rather he end the year batting below the Mendoza line with a ring on his finger than have him battle for the batting title on a losing squad. Anyway, I believe this is the 5th JB auto I received from My Past Time I Love It!. It was my 8th total. This particular card is among my favorites of JB as a Twinkie. The auto is neat, legible and fits in nicely with the composition. I like the design of this series. It is a 2004 Upper Deck Etchings, a rookie autograph “Future Etchings”.
I recently received my 9th Bartlett auto in a trade. It is a pretty amazing card and I can’t wait to post that one so stay tuned! There will probably be a corresponding Joy of a Completed Page featuring 9 Bartlett autographs, too. Okay, thanks for reading my therapy session, it helped. A huge and ongoing thanks to my Homie and neighbor Mr. Wicked Ortega from My Past Time I Love It! By the by, the card at the top of the post also came from My Past Time I Love It! It is a Matt Joyce auto from 2009 UD Signature Stars. It probably deserves its own post, but I felt like killing two birds today. By the big smile on his face in the photo I would guess that it was taken during spring training in '09. Joyce didn't have much to smile about last year as he spent most of it in AAA. This isn't my first Joyce auto, but it is my first Certified one and I really like their choice of photo for this one. I think he is covering up enough of his jersey that this one could even work for 2010. When you flip the card you see that the folks at UD really really liked the picture, too. Double thanks Wicked! You rule!!! You should be getting a package from me today that will make you smile bigger than Matt Joyce in spring training! Keep your eyes open for more posting somewhere this afternoon. Oh... If the person who sent me the awesome 2010 Bowman Rays stuff last week is reading this, please get in touch. You can email me at bacontowne at yahoo dot com. The same goes for the future owner of the '85 Lance Parrish Super Card... Go Rays! Troll out!

The Joy of a Completed Page-PC Edition

Prior to last night’s loss to the Royals, the Rays had won 5 games in a row. In those 5 straight wins Jason Bartlett had at least one hit and one RBI in each contest. In fact he had a really good week. Over those 5 games he batted .444 (8-18) with 2 doubles, a triple, 3 walks and NO strikeouts. He also drove in 10 runs. Not too bad… He was hitless last night and the Rays lost. The key seems to be if Bartlett is hitting, the Rays are winning. I hope to see Bartlett chasing the AL’s Batting Crown this year! His season numbers are still lackluster, batting .269 with no homers, but I think he’s just getting warmed up… Anyway, he is the subject of today’s Joy of a Completed Page. This is one of the nicer pages in my PC binder. It turns out I have more autographs than base cards with Bartlett. Off to work… Go Rays! Troll out.

An Epic Post of Blogger Kindness from Reds and MORE!!!

Greetings and good afternoon Trollites! I apologize for my absence yesterday, but I am back! It is a very busy week for me. There is a National Invitational Roller Derby Tournament this weekend that I will be calling, the Stone Crabs are opening their season and the Rays will be defending first place against the Yankees this weekend, after they complete the sweep of the Orioles tonight that is. Oh and I have a small speaking role in an independent film. Plus, I’m scheduled for 9 shifts at work and… Busy, busy Troll. Anyway…
My wonderful readers are continuing to wow me with very kind packages and I do plan on posting each and every one of them. I am way behind, but I am ready to roll!
I have been sitting on this package for exactly one month now. It came to me from Cameron in Tulsa the author of the Reds and More blog. Honestly I had never met Cameron before, online or otherwise, but after I posted this last month Cameron got in touch and got a gigantic and generous package in the mail for me the next day. It has been a little bit over a month since the heart of my collection was stolen, I went to the card shop yesterday and to the flea markets this weekend and the cards still have yet to surface. I am not giving up hope, but that crappy situation has really turned into a blessing for me. I believe that things happen for a reason and if not for that post and the Cardboard Junkie aka the King of the Blog-O-Sphere linking it I would have never met Cameron or a score of other bloggers. I love this virtual community that we all exist in-I am proud to be a part of it and I never get tired of saying how wonderful and amazing it is. Okay, back to the package from Reds and More. Like I said I got this over a month ago-I know this because I left the cards in their original envelope so I wouldn’t forget where they came from and the postmark says March 6. I have posted several editions of Blogger Kindness and I have MANY more to show off, but getting a package from a complete stranger sent IMMEDIATELY after reading of my experience really blew me away. Damn work for taking up all my time and keeping me from posting this! That said, I do need to get ready to go back, so let’s get back to the business of showing off some of the highlights of this package that included Negro Leaguers, HOFers, autographs, relics, Clementes and a whole ton of Pirates and Rays. He included quite a few David Price cards that I needed, but I am going to show this one because this is the only one I have ever seen like this. It comes from 2009 Topps, but isn’t the standard pose from the set. The card is number JCP2. If Google is correct, the JCP stands for either the Journal of Computational Physics or JC Penney. Anyone know anything about these? Moving on to a serial numbered rookie card of my favorite shortstop Jason Bartlett. This is card #62 from 2004 Fleer Draft Edition, serial numbered 0514/1000. He sent me a few Topps Chrome refractors which are always welcome here, including a 2008 BJ Upton and a 2009 Matt Garza. He also sent the most amazing refractor I have ever seen… From 2008 Bowman, card #171 of 2009 Home Run King Carlos Pena. As much as I love refractors I am not too knowledgeable about the different varieties. I thought this was an X Fractor, but since then I have gathered quite a few of those and none compare to this one. Is this a SUPER FRACTOR? It is serial numbered 216/250 and shiny as all hell! The pile of Rays he sent was never ending and it seemed that I needed all of them, but I won’t every card. I have trimmed it down to just 3 more beginning with an old school Wade Boggs from 1999 Topps Stadium Club. I picked this one because as many cards as I have of Boggs as a D-Ray (100+) this might be the only card that shows him running. Next up is a SWEET new RED Turkey Red that I have been coveting for a while. This is from 2005 (I think, my eyes are failing me), card #152 of All Star Carl Crawford. AWESOME! The last card to show off comes 2008 Topps Series 2, card #TR-SK, a jersey relic of the Rays former Ace Scott Kazmir. I am pretty sure with this one I have every Rays card from this subset. I love being an obsessive team collector!
Sticking with 2008 Topps, but switching gears to my favorite player of all time and the third best right fielder in history according to my readers, Roberto Clemente, this card is from the Ring of Honor insert set, card #RH26. It celebrates Clemente’s second WS win in 1971 where he batted .414 and took home WS MVP honors.
Since we are on the topic of the Pirates, he sent a slew of sweet cards of the Bucs. I love vintage Pirates cards but don’t really collect modern Pirates because no one stays on the team long enough to build an attachment and if I do build one, they get traded and I get really bummed. That happened with Jason Kendall who spent a few years as my favorite player. He and I actually became friends, went surfing together and hung out a bit and from there I obsessively collected his cards during the pre-relic era. When I got back into things last year I considered chasing him again, but I wasn’t that interested anymore. That said I am thrilled to have this one! It comes from the 2002 SPx Winning Materials Combo Jersey set and features Kendall and Brian Giles, each with a different color jersey swatch. It is AWESOME! I dug out some old Kendall cards I had and filled 2 pages in my PC binder. Ah, memories! From the past to the present, here is a pair of Ticket to Topps Town cards of future star Andrew McCutchen. I REALLY like the photo on the GOLD version, great angle, bad crop, but still great. I am starting to think about chasing TTT Gold now, too. I have 6 cards so far… We went from the past to the present, now here is a great relic of the future. From the 2008 Topps Heritage Clubhouse Collection, here is a black jersey swatch of outfielder slash first baseman Steve Pearce. The Pirates have a lot of weak spots on their roster, but they have a ton of depth at first base and right field and Garrett Jones IS the real deal. That leaves Pearce behind for now, but I think this guy has a shot… Shifting back to the past, these 2 were my favorites from the package. These cards wowed me so much that I thought about chasing both of these guys and YES I got these before the poll where you guys voted for Bill Madlock (in a tie) as the next play I collect… This is my first relic of Mad Dog and my only one so far… It comes from 2006 Fleer, the Decade Greats set, card # DEC-BI. I really like the design of this card, the batting pose from the former batting champion and little piece of his bat in the corner. I still haven’t decided how to break the 3-way tie between Madlock, Larry Doby and Bill Mazeroski. I don’t see a problem in collecting all of them a little bit-they are 3 of my All Time favs… I thought it was awesome that Cameron was so clairvoyant with this one. I have been typing for over 2 hours and I really need to go to work, so I am going to close up this super post of a super package from a super kind blogger… This is a great Pirates card to close it on, it comes from a set that I didn’t even know about until recently, but have recently become obsessed. I love Hall of Fame autographs, but I get tired of seeing the same players in every set. That makes these sets super awesome because of the variety. This is a chrome version of a 2004 style Topps card of one of the best relievers the National League has ever seen. I am rushing and not too great with words right now, so just enjoy this super great, uncirculated awesome certified, on card auto of Elroy Face!!! I LOVE this card. I like vintage players on modern designs; it’s like a reverse Heritage type thing. Anyway, this card is easily one of my favorites. This was my first Face card (a KING!) and later that week Chris from Project '62 sent me a few vintage Topps cards of him. Those are two great reasons to start collecting a guy that I was already a huge fan of. More cards that he included from a set that I didn’t know existed are these amazing 2001 Fleer Greats of the Game cards. He sent a stack of former stars from the Negro Leagues. Among the group were this card of one of my favorite people in the world, former Kansas City Monarchs player and manager Buck O’Neil. This last card inspired me too, stay tuned for some Buck O’Neil obsessiveness!!! In the awesome letter that Cameron sent with these awesome cards he suggested that we could talk some smack during the season, Reds vs. the Pirates. It’s hard for me to talk bad about the Reds since my favorite player Jonny Gomes plays for them, but… The Pirates, much like the Rays are undefeated and in sole possession of first place! I never thought I would be able to say that outside of April Fool’s Day! The Pirates rule, Reds suck! This so concludes another amazing episode of Blogger Kindness. Thanks so much for everything Cameron!!! You blew me away! Go check out and follow Reds and More right now! It isn’t just for Reds fans, hence the more, you won’t regret it! Stay tuned for more amazing stuff coming soon from Jacob Marley, Wicked Ortega, Stale Gum, GCRL and more, much more!!! Thanks to all who read this all the way through! If you thought this was long, imagine if I had posted EVERYTHING he sent and not a few highlights... Man if I only had a little bit more time... Go Rays! Troll out.

Huge PC Hits and a Contest Addition...

Okay, so another day and another delay on the contest. I PROMISE that it will begin tomorrow regardless. In an effort to make it up to my dear readers I am adding to the bounty. In addition to the previously mentioned Hall of Famer autographs, I will add one more HOF autograph that will not disappoint. I have also decided to add one more non-HoF auto, but a great auto nonetheless. This certified auto of the Capital Punisher will now be added to the prize group when the contest commences tomorrow. Now, since I am in player collection limbo with my undecided new player, I am gonna hit the current player collections HARD. I am speaking of my Jared Sandberg and Danny Tartabull collections. I am confident that I can gather up EVERY single Sandberg card ever made. Tartabull may be a little more difficult, but I am gonna go down swinging with that one. Of my current PCs, I am still looking to build on the Carl Crawford, Jonny Gomes, Brian Roberts, Pat Neshek, Akinori Iwamura and Jason Bartlett collections. Yesterday I showed off another Bartlett auto from My Past Time I Love It!, today I am going to start with my first Bartlett relic, a 2009 Topps U&H All Star insert of JB. Embedded in this card is allegedly a piece of JB’s All Star workout jersey. It isn’t quite a Rays relic, but its Rays era and it celebrates Bartlett making his first All Star appearance, plus the card is numbered to 50. Now, onto Danny Tartabull. This first card doesn’t look like much, but it was a tough pull back in 1993 that I never thought I would own. This is from the 1993 Topps Stadium Club set. It is card #85 and shows my fav outfielder of my youth in a stupid Yankees uniform, but this card has a little stamp in the corner that says “1st Day Production”. Cards with this little stamp were one per box and I am really happy to add this. I think there are few more years of 1st Day cards that I still need, but I am on the right track. In addition to that ’93 Yankees card I also added a 1996 Leaf card showing the Bull as a member of the White Sox. The Bull had major career resurgence with the Sox in ’96. I know it was the live ball era, but as a fan I was thrilled to see Tartabull hit 27 long balls and drive in 102. This card is special because it was from that time frame, but also because it is my first Tartabull certified autograph. It comes from the 1996 Leaf Signature Series which is really affordable and loaded with players who don’t have any other certified autos out there. Speaking of certified autos, I also added my first Jared Sandberg certified auto this week. This card is from the 1999 Bowman set, card #BA57 with a nice bold blue signature across the front. Now I have officially completed the Trifecta for Sandberg, owning his rookie, a jersey relic and now a certified autograph. If I can find a bat relic, I will be ALL SET! I have been collecting Tartabull for 25 years now and I still don’t have the Trifecta of him, lacking a relic card. If anyone has ANY cards of Sandberg or Tartabull, please get in touch. I am still looking for a good idea to break the tie between Maz, Mad Dog and Doby, too. Off to work... That is all for now… Contest will be posted tomorrow, by hook or by crook! Thanks for reading! Go Rays! troll out.

Another Auto From the Wicked Vault

Here is 1 more card from the Wicked Vault. It is of my favorite Rays player, shortstop Jason Bartlett. JB hasn’t had too many autographed issues since joining the Rays, but when he was a future star with the Twinkies he had a ton. I think this is the 4th or 5th JB Twins auto that My Past Time…I Love It! has sent my way. The back of the card on this 2004 Playoff Honors autographed (and #ed to 800) offering touts Bartlett’s quick hands, bat control and ability as a table setter. I just wanted to use my break between shifts to it’s fullest to get a post up. I will be back later tonight. There is just a little bit of time left to vote for the next player I collect, it is a tight race between a couple of Hall of Famers right now. Thanks for the great autographed card Wicked! I still have a few more autos in the vault just dying to be shown off! Go Rays! Troll out.

More Blogger Kindness - Sewing Machine Style!

I was planning on posting the vintage cards that I got from Project 1962 this morning, but I don’t have the scans with me and I thought I should mix it up a bit. The blogger kindness packages have been wondrously overwhelming and greatly appreciated. On Friday I got several and one of them came from the legendary Sewing Machine Guy. I have been reading his blog for a while now, but somehow we never had the occasion to trade. I wish he was around last year when I was swimming in Detroit Tigers relics that no one seemed to want, but I am sure those will come again as soon as I get the cash to start ripping again. On that topic, the First Annual Collective Troll Thank You Blog-O-Sphere Contest will go up next Tuesday evening (3-23-2010, mark your calendars!). I have already shown the Brooks Robinson autograph that will be awarded; the next card I am adding to the bounty is of none other than Mr. Tiger, Al Kaline. So yes, the CTTYBOS Contest now includes certified autographs of two of the finest ball players EVER… Okay, back to this package. The Sewing Machine Guy sent a very nice note along with a healthy stack of Tampa Bay Rays cards. As usual I am short on time, so I am going to limit this post to just 8 of my favorite cards. I will start off with a few highlights from 2010 Topps Heritage. I have considered myself a huge fan of this release-I have completed 2007 and 2008 and am still hanging on and trying to finish off 2009 but I have yet to rip a single pack of 2010. I have been pretty jealous checking out so many of these cards on other blogs, but now I am the proud owner of some old school (looking) Rays. The 1961 design isn’t my favorite, but the level of photography versus the sets of the 1950s increased dramatically and that shows in this release. As much as I love the 2007 and 2008 Heritage sets, the goofy close-up pics have always irritated me. The classic look, no gloss finishes and portrait shots that include the entire player make it a winner with me. Anyway, here is a look at my first 3 Rays. As a spoiler alert, I got a few more after this package including some of the chromey variety that I will be showing off soon. Anyway, I will start off with the 2009 American League homerun champion, the Rays left-handed slugger Carlos Pena, card #216. The back of the card mentions that Pena is the Rays only homerun champ (so far) and that he owns half of the clubs six 30-homerun seasons. Next up is my favorite rookie pitcher from Lake Wales, Florida, 24-year-old right-hander Wade Davis on card #298. The botc touts that Davis fanned the 1st four MLB batters he faced. The final 2010 Heritage card I am gonna show off is of my favorite Ray, their All Star shortstop and probable lead-off batter, card# 399 of Jason Bartlett (a card soo nice I had to show it twice!). I haven’t read the short print list for this set, so I don’t know if any of these cards are SPs, but either way I am thrilled to have Bartlett’s card already. I am still trying to track down his 2009 SP. The botc touts that Bartlett batted .386 with runners in scoring position last year; he stole 30 bases in 37 attempts and jumped from 1 homer in 2008 to 14 in 2009. His .320 batting average last year is a Rays single season record. All mega impressive, but the real reason he is my favorite player is his glove and leadership on the field. It’s still up in the air as to who his double play partner will be in 2010, but with Longoria to his left and Pena to his right, the Rays will have a sharp team defensively. Speaking of Evan Longoria… The Sewing Machine Guy sent a stack of Longos-I am only going to show off two for now, his Topps Town Gold from 2009, card #TTT5 and his black Topps Ticket to Stardom insert, card #TTS-10. The next 3 cards will get progressively shinier. I will start off with a 2007 Bowman Chrome, card #BDPP55 of left-handed starter David Price. The back of the card shows off his stats at Vanderbilt University in 2007. He was 11-1 with a 2.63 ERA with 194 strikeouts in 133 innings. Many people have written David Price off after he didn’t dominate in his rookie season, but I seriously think this guy can be an All Star starter. Speaking of rookie pitchers with All Star potential, Jeff Niemann showed what he could do last year leading the staff in wins. This is my first refractor of him (and I LOVE refractors!); it is card #192 from 2008 Topps. Speaking of refractors and 2008 Topps, the last card I am going to feature from the SMG is card #200 of Elliot Johnson, a young infielder who just celebrated his 26th birthday last Tuesday. He is shown here in full refractorific glory. Bronze refractor to be exact, the kind with a serial number (079/599), yep it is pretty awesome. I am thrilled with these new additions to my collection and I owe the Sewing Machine Guy a HUGE thank you. Muchas gracias Larry! For all things Michigan (and not much about sewing) check out his blog right HERE. Thanks again SMG! Much more blogger kindness to come! Community Gum dot com is on deck... Go Rays! Troll out.