Greetings! I think this makes 3 posts in one day after being gone for a week. The more things change, the more they stay the same… I am actually posting from home-thanks to Allison for coming by with her laptop! I really wanted to type out my Tampa Bay Rays team set needs and I was able to do just that today! This weekend I got a package from Justin at
Is This a Wasteland… and he knows of my quest for total Rays cardboard completion and he has sent me probably over half of the cards I have in my team set binder. Up till this package I didn’t have a single card from the 2001 Topps set-I was weak in a few areas, but that was the worst. I actually had 3 different gold cards and not a single base from that set. I didn’t want to put up a
want list having nothing for the ’01 set, but thanks to Justin I have a page full and that gave me the necessary motivation to get things rolling.
Anyway, I have been feverishly typing away on this teeny tiny little keyboard and my Topps
want lists are all typed up and ready to go! I was able to finish the 2004 and 2009 (Thanks to Mike at JD Wild!) Topps team sets and I am really close on some of the others.
For instance in 2007, I have the base team set, but I am missing quite a few of the Updates and Highlights cards. Anyway, here it is, peruse away and get in touch if you can help! The link will remain in the sidebar of the blog under
Rays Collection. I couldn’t scan anything for this post, but was able to steal an image of these Randy Winn and Ben Grieve cards which were included in
Justin’s trade. Thanks so much for all of the rad Rays cards and the bonus Pena’s too! You rock my friend, I really look forward to finally meeting you soon, and I will buy ya a beer at Fergs! Okay, if you have any cards at all from this list, PLEASE shoot me an e-mail at bacontowne at yahoooo dot etcetera.
I will respond as soon as I can get to a computer. Also, if you have any Rays Topps Gold cards from any year-get in touch. I have about 15 golds from the 2009 Updates set, a bunch of stars, too. Okay, that’s it, thanks again to Justin and thanks to the entire Blog-O-Sphere, I have missed you all so much!!! I will end with a question regarding the Secret Santa deal that Sarah is running. I purchased all the cards for my recipient and have them all here wrapped up. I was going to wait a week or so to get them in the mail, BUT I was checking out my recipient’s blog and he has traded for several of the cards that I had already got him. Are we supposed to wait until Christmas to send and open these packages? Just curious, I am a little lost on the details of this. Anyway, it feels great to be back here, and it feels really good to get my binders out and make
lists that I should have made months ago! Oh, and by the way, my
Carl Crawford list is up-to-date, still need 6 more cards to reach my goal! Oh again... I have heard that 2009 Heritage High Numbers in live now. Still need another 35 cards to finish off the base set and I had already sworn to not buy any more wax, AHH!!! Anyway, if you rip and get doubles, please save them for a Troll, okay? Another one more thing... The 50,000 hit contest will be on. The question I have is should I start it this week to lead up to 50,000 OR should I wait till I get to 50,000 and then start it? Go Rays! Troll out.
It has been a LONG time since I bought a pack of cards. A really long time. This weekend I bit and picked up one of the 15 dollar value packs from Wal Mart. It comes with 6 packs of Topps Series 2, a chrome card, a hobby pack of Allen and Ginter and a Topps Million code card. I got another code card in one of the packs and I decided that last night would be redemption day. I had a few code cards tucked away for a rainy day and it was very rainy this weekend, so I crossed my fingers and redeemed them all. I had said after my first redemption many months ago that I didn't plan on having any cards shipped to me. Had I got something from the fifties or 60s I might have changed my tune. Guess what? My tune remains the same. This means there are 9 cards sitting in cyberspace somewhere that have my name on them. Out of my last 9 redemptions I unlocked 2 Hall of Famers and 3 cards from the 70's. Not too bad I guess. Unfortunately, the Hall of Famers come from 1987 and 1990 and the cards from the 70's are NOT Hall of Famers. 
Needless to say I will not be getting these shipped to me. I thought about pooling them all together to trade for a '65 Topps card I needed, but that seems like too much work and I am a very lazy Troll... Plus I would still have to cough up a credit card to have them shipped. Had I unlocked a '56 Clemente it would be well worth it. I didn't. SO... I am offering up these 9 super awesome cards to the first person to claim them. If you can offer me 1 (one) single card from anyone of my wantlists I would consider that more than fair. Normal rules apply. Comment to claim them and then e-mail me for details. 
By the way, the highlight of my unlocking is this 1972 Topps card of All Star catcher Ray Fosse. Fosse was twice an All Star but only played in one game. Everyone remembers him blocking the plate and getting bulldozed, but he also had 2 hits and an RBI too. The next oldest card is this 1976 of Padres pitcher Dave Freisleben. 
Also included is the Braves team card from 1977 and junk wax goodness featuring Steve Sax, John Jaha, Mike Lansing and Hank Blalock... 
Actually, the 1998 Mike Lansing wasn't an unlocked card, it was what I had traded my last bunch of cards for. Still, even Mike Lansing must go. 
Who wants em? Oh, for those keeping track, I have now unlocked 18 cards and the 1971 Diego Segui (already traded already...) is the oldest card I have unlocked. 
I forget who the newest card was, but it was 2008. Incidentally, the title for this post was intended to be sarcastic...Oh, I HAVE had a few trade offers on these cards - someone actually offered up a Shannon Stewart for the Braves team card. Obviously they read my blog and know what a huge fan of Shannon Stewart I am. 
Unfortunately when I clicked on the offered card it was NOT this Shannon Stewart... Go Rays! Troll out.
FC-30 of the Roosevelt’s. From the ’08 Topps Campaign 2008: CO8-BR Bill Richardson, CO8-FT Fred Thompson and 
CO8-RP Ron Paul. From the 2008 Goudey 
I have card no. 247 of Rutherford B. Hayes. 
Also, from the 2007 Topps Distinguished Service I have President Harry Truman, card #DS9. There are a few non-presidents that are in that set, too, if anyone wants them. They are DS10, 17, 27 and 30. I would prefer to send them all out in one great big politician package, but if you need just one, let me know. You can e-mail me through bacontowne at yahooooo dot com.
relic off to someone for a while now with no takers. I’ve decided that I feel bad for the guy. I’ve never offered a card up and not got at least one e-mail of interest. I am going to make a bold statement, but I don’t think its too far off-Dontrelle is officially the most unwanted player to be pulled in 2009 packs! Am I wrong? If no one else wants Dontrelle, well I give up. I do. I am officially declaring myself a Dontrelle Willis player collector! I don’t care that he’s 1-6 over the past two years in Detroit. I don’t care that his anxiety disorder may not allow him to pitch again. I don’t care that his cards are worthless. I want them! I am officially opening up a privately funded shelter for cards of the D-Train. 
Send me your tired, your unwanted, your whatever Dontrelle cards. It wasn’t too long ago that this guy was awesome. Does anyone remember him hitting 3 freaking triples in 2007 with the Fish? That was great! So was winning 22 games for them in 2005. He won the Rookie of the Year Award and a World Series Ring in 2003. He deserves to have someone collect his cards. If Andy Ashby can get a vote for the Hall of Fame, I can collect a washed up pitcher from Detroit! I will actually be adding a total of five non-Rays players to my player collector list. Dontrelle will be first, his team mate and former Rays hurler Edwin Jackson will be 2nd. Another former Ray and all around awesome athlete and current Reds outfielder Jonny Gomes will be the third. The last two slots are open and I am open for suggestion. Some of the considered nominees are Ryan Zimmerman, Brian Roberts, Rick Porcello, Justin Upton and Brandon Inge. I'm pretty sure of them are already heavily pursued around here. I don't want any more cyber fist fights over cards! Happy Wednesday everyone! Go Rays! RIP Teddy K! If you haven't voted for the Hall of Fame contest, PLEASE do so soon. troll out.
