The Dead Letter Office Delivers

I check my Post Office box every single day on the way to work. Some days the box is empty, but others it is overflowing with goodies. Last Tuesday was one of these days. I had 5 fat envelopes crammed into my small PO Box. The interesting thing was several of these packages had been stuck in the postal system for a REALLY long time.

There was a package from my buddy in South Florida, Wicked Ortega from the My Past Time…I Love It! Blog with a post mark from early August.

I generally don’t look at postmarks, but what triggered me was a package from an unknown sender that wasn’t addressed to Troll. I hadn’t bought anything online or traded with anyone new, so all the envelopes were from familiar senders except this one. I tore it open first and found this 2010 Topps Chrome autograph of my favorite Rays rookie Wade Davis.

I had bought this card from an eBay seller in late September when the product first dropped. I was searching around for the card late one night after work and found a BIN or Best Offer card. I made an offer, a really low offer, just for fun and the next morning I had an invoice for the card in my inbox. I didn’t really want to buy the card – actually I did, but I really couldn’t afford it, I couldn’t afford to be buying anything that week, but I did make an offer, it was accepted and I was on the hook to pay for it. Anyway, I “wrote” an e-check to pay for it and checked my PO Box in anticipation of the new card for the next 2 weeks with no success.

Finally I wrote a “hey WTF” letter to the seller. The seller actually turned out to be really nice and cool about the situation. He said he sent the card out the day I paid for it and he had a tracking code for the package. That was pretty cool of him considering I had only paid 5 bucks for the card including shipping and the asking price was $9.99 plus shipping. Anyway, he tracked the package down-it got stuck in his home post office and he couldn’t get an answer as to why. He offered to refund my money and said if the card arrived I could keep it as bonus. Sweet! I was happier to get my money back; I left him good feedback and forgot about the card. I tried using the 5 bucks to buy a different Wade Davis auto, but got outbid every time.
Anyway, 2 months after I dropped 5 bucks I didn’t have on this on-card autograph of Lake Wales native Wade Davis, it showed up in the mail.

What made it even cooler was that the seller had included a couple of 2010 Topps cards of Davis as freebies along with the card I “bought” which ended up being a freebie too. Yeah, getting an on-card auto of my favorite Rays pitcher for free is freaking awesome! On the negative side, looking at the card it ain’t that great and the autograph looked nowhere near as good as the photo in the auction. Same card yes, but a far weaker looking autograph.

So, that was the reason that I started looking at postmarks and that one took 2 months to make it to Bradentucky. The package from my homie Wicked Ortega was lost in transit even longer. It spent 3 and a half months hovering in postal purgatory. This package was a total surprise to me. Wicked never mentioned sending it to me, so I had no idea it was lost. Either way I am psyched that it showed up. He sent a 2007 Topps Tampa Bay Devil Rays retail team set along with 2 autographs.

Before I show the sweet autographs I have to send out a LONG overdue and HUGE thank you to my buddy Wicked! I am going to show the 2 autographs that were in this surprise package now, but I still owe you my readers a Wicked Week of posting to show off all of the unposted autographs and cards that I have got from Wicked this past year, there are a LOT of sweet autos he has shared with me and SOMEDAY I will actually post them.

Okay, here are the two autographs liberated from the Dead Letter Office.

He sent a Select Rookies and Stars autograph of Brent Abernathy. BA was the Devil Rays starting second baseman for the 2002 season, had a decent year, but was taken off the waiver wire by the Royals in April of 2003 and he never found a regular job in the Majors again.
Next is a 2003 Donruss The Rookies autograph of prospect Brian Stokes. In 2003 the D-Rays were awful and Stokes was coming off a 10-7 season in A ball and represented hope for the pitching staff. Stokes wouldn’t see Tampa Bay until 2006 when he came up as a rookie starter, he moved to the pen in ’07 and moved to New York after that. He was since moved to the Los Angeles Angels and hopefully will have a shot to stay in the Big Leagues in 2011. He is one of those players that I am surprised doesn’t sign TTM. Relief pitchers are generally pretty good about keeping up with their mail. Thanks to Wicked, I don’t need to waste ANOTHER stamp on him…

Okay, now I mentioned that I had received 5 packages that day. Funny thing (awesome thing) is all 5 packages included autographs in them. One came from The Great Orioles Autograph Project which will get its own post because he sent a bunch of autographed cards - the 5th package will remain a mystery for now, but I will show off a one card surprise treat from Zack of the Autographed Cards blog. He included a note saying that I needed to get my Rays autograph list online again because it made it a lot easier to surprise me with an auto that I needed. I am working on getting the list together again and will hopefully have one online again soon.

The card that Zack sent WAS in fact one that I needed. He sent along an in-person autograph from former Rays pitcher Mitch Talbot which looks great! Talbot was a 13 game winner in AAA with the Durham Bulls in both 2007 and '08 and earned himself a call up with the Rays in 2008. He spent all of 2009 in the minors before being traded to Cleveland as part of the Kelly Shoppach deal. Talbot won 10 games for the Tribe and I think they got the better end of the deal. Either way I am glad that Talbot is in the big leagues and I am thrilled to scratch him off of my autographs need list.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who made my day and my week with their generosity! Thanks Wicked, thanks Zack! Thanks Ryan! Thanks everyone! Go Rays! Troll out.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance Awards - My Picks for the Willie Mays Award

As a proud member of the BBA, the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, I have the opportunity to make my choice for their postseason awards. There are currently 224 baseball bloggers who make up the BBA and this number grows on a regular basis. Much like the Baseball Writers of America, we at the BBA make our selections for postseason awards.
The first award, the Connie Mack Award, has already been awarded. It is given to the top manager in each league. The bloggers have spoken and have name Texas Rangers skipper Ron Washington the top manager in the American League and San Diego Padres leader Bud Black for the National League.
Moving forward, the next on the list to name is the Willie Mays Award for the top rookie in each league. Named in honor of Hall of Fame centerfielder, Willie Mays, aka The Say Hey Kid. Mays stormed in the Major Leagues in 1951, making his debut and spending the entire season with the Giants as a 20 year old rookie. He roamed centerfield and hit 20 homeruns and earned himself the Rookie of the Year honors. Just a few years later, in 1954, Mays won his first MVP Award and led his Giants to a World’s Championship.
Since I cover an American League team, I will only be able to post a vote for the American League Awards, but since I have your attention, I will quickly post my top-3 rookies in the National League. I am sure this will turn into a 2-man race between a catcher and a right fielder who faced off in the NLDS, but I am not choosing either of them.
My top rookie in the National League is St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jaime Garcia. I love the story of a 22nd round pick coming in and pitching as dominant as Garcia did. He wasn’t on many people’s radar this year – he didn’t have big stats in the minors, but the left hander from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico delivered for the Red Birds this year. He started 28 ball games, struck out 132 batters and posted a mark of 13-8 with a low, low 2.70 ERA.
Placing in second is another lefty, but this one pitches out of the bullpen. I can see this guy taking over the closers role in Atlanta in 2011. I am speaking of Braves reliever Jonny Venters. He appeared in 79 games, pitched 83 innings and struck out 93 batters. He also posted a 4-4 record with a low, low, low 1.95 ERA. I think this 25 year old from Kentucky has closers stuff and with the retirement of Billy Wagner, he should get his chance next year. For now, he is a solid set-up man and as a rookie he appeared in more than half of his team’s games and helped them win ballgames and make the playoffs.
My third place rookie in the NL is Pirates second baseman Neil Walker. During spring training this year I remember saying that it looked like the only player in the infield who had a job secured was Akinori Iwamura at second base. Obviously I was wrong and Aki flamed out quickly in the NL. Neil Walker was given the task of stepping in at second base even though he had NEVER played the position as a professional before. He didn’t make the Pirates squad out of spring training, but got some practice at second base with AAA Indianapolis over 43 games. With Indy he hit .321/6/21 while playing surprisingly decent D. Walker was a first round pick in 2004 who had been written off as a bust, but he was able to carry his AAA hot hitting over to the big leagues. In 110 games with the Bucs Walker hit .296 with 12 homers and 66 RBI. The Pirates are still the worst team in baseball and will go nowhere without pitching, but you can add Neil Walker to the core of young talent in Pittsburgh in the field.
Honorable mentions go to Rockies starter Jhoulys Chacin, Ian Desmond, Chris Johnson, Starlin Castro, Jason Heyward and Buster Posey.
Now onto the American League, where my vote matters. This choice was a total no-brainer for me. My vote is cast for the Texas Rangers 22-year old closer Neftali Feliz. Like Neil Walker, Feliz had to jump in and change his role after the flame out of an established star. Frank Francisco WAS the Rangers closer at the start of the 2010 season and Feliz was figuring to be a spot starter and middle reliever, but Francisco blew some games early and manager Ron Washington made the decision to place Feliz in the closers role. It was decisions like this that helped earn Washington the BBA’s Connie Mack Award for Manager of the Year. Feliz blossomed in this role, he was an All Star, and he led the AL in games finished with 59 and set a rookie record with 40 saves. I saw him hit 100 MPH in person in the ALDS against Tampa Bay and he can deal! He appeared in 70 games, had a 4-3 record and a 2.73 ERA. He also struck out 71 batters against only 18 walks and he is only 22. I would still like to see him get his shot as a starting pitcher, but as a closer he is one of baseball’s best as a rookie.
Since I am a total homer for the Tampa Bay Rays my selection for #2 could have easily been my #1 had Feliz not been so dominant. For second place I am choosing Rays starter and Lake Wales, Florida native Wade Davis. Davis was my preseason favorite for this award, but a 5-9 start wiped him from consideration. The thing is, as other rookies faded after the All Star break, Davis flourished. He was 7-1 with a 3.22 ERA in the second half of the season and finished at 12-10 with a 4.07 ERA. With his dominant second half, when his team needed him most, Wade Davis is a clear choice for second place as AL ROY.
As my third and final choice I could have easily gone with Davis’ battery mate John Jaso, but instead went with Twins third baseman Danny Valencia. A 19th round pick who spent 5 seasons in the minors, Valencia was called up and jumped right into the infield and gave the Twins some much needed offensive pop. He only played in 85 games, which precludes him from being considered higher than third place, but what he did in the second half impressed me. A .311 batting average with 7 homers and 40 RBI definitely helped the Twins win the Central this year and for that he is my third choice for AL Rookie of the Year.
I will hand out honorable mentions to Rays catcher John Jaso, Rays infielder Reid Brignac and Tigers outfielders Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch.
That concludes my ballot for the BBA’s Willie Mays Award for the Top Rookie in 2010. There are more Baseball Bloggers Alliance Awards to hand out, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading. I love this game! Go Rangers (or whoever is playing the Yankees). Troll out.

Wade Davis to Pitch the Clincher at Home Tonight!

Man do I wish I could take tonight off from work and head back to the Trop. Rookie Wade Davis, a Tampa Bay area native will get the ball for this potential playoff clinching game. I don't yet own this card, but wouldn't mind it... 2010 Triple Threads... Good luck to Wade Davis and the Rays! Lets make history!!! Go Rays! Troll out.

More Blogger Generosity and Contest Winnings!

A few weeks ago I entered a contest on the Project 1962 blog. The prizes were this autographed card of Donkey Kong champion Steve Wiebe and an unopened pack of Topps Donkey Cards from 1982. I entered, like I enter every contest, and didn’t expect anything. When the randomizer picked me I was stoked. I am trying to collect the 2009 A and G set autographed and I actually bought packs of Donkey Kong and chased this set as a kid. The ice cream trucks in my neighborhood sold cards. They didn’t have baseball cards, but over the years I bought Pac Man, ET, WWF wrestling, Garbage Pail Kids and even Donkey Kong cards. It was pretty awesome. It was more awesome that I actually won the contest. Along with the Donkey Kong related prizes, the winner (me!) was able to choose their favorite team and receive bonuses related to said team. I got greedy and picked the Rays, the Pirates and the Orioles. Well, this weekend I received my prize pack from Project 1962 and Gritz76 hooked it up beyond my wildest dreams. The hits just kept on coming. I am honestly in disbelief that he shared so much great stuff with me. Rays cards, Pirates cards, autographs, inserts and vintage, oh my goodness wait till you see the VINTAGE! I am working on limited time, so I will just post a few of the current cards for now. This includes inserts I needed for the 2010 Topps set, cool cards for my PCs and random Rays awesomeness. This is just a small sample of the goodies he sent… I will start off with the final card I needed for my Rays team set from 2009 Topps T206, card #253. I didn’t like these cards at all when I first saw them, they have seriously grown on me and now I love this years and really loving Topps attempt from 2002. The fun fact on the back of Aki’s card mentions that Aki had a framed Carl Crawford jersey at his home in Tokyo years before they became teammates. That is cool. Finishing off another team set is also cool. Some rad cards I needed for 2010 Topps include a Yo Mamma card of Steve Carlton, a Peak Performances card of Lefty. These were especially because Lefty Carlton was my favorite player back in the days when I was buying Donkey Kong Cards off the ice cream truck. Another card I needed that he included was card #TOG-7, the Tales of the Game card of one of my favorite moments in sports history, Bill Mazeroski’s walk off World Series homerun. I have updated my needs list for this set. A few other cards he included from 2010 Topps are this serial numbered Gold card of Pirates All Star starter Zach Duke and a black variation of Akinori Iwamura. The true gem of the package, the card that seriously made me cry is coming up next… I mentioned last week that the wife and I had celebrated our 4-year wedding anniversary. I didn’t go into much more detail, but when we got married we did it in Lake Wales, Florida. Lake Wales is a small town in Polk County; it has a population of about 10,000 people. It is the home of former MLB catcher Pat Borders. In 2004 the town was hit by hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jean. Much of the town was destroyed. We chose this town as our wedding site because we had our first date at the Florida Skydiving Center in Lake Wales and we spent a ton of time there. The Skydiving Center and much of the town and places we visited were destroyed by the hurricane. Going back afterwards was really emotional for both of us as there was a ton of destruction. I got off track a bit, but I mentioned that because Pat Borders in no longer the only player from Lake Wales to make the Major Leagues. He has been joined by Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Wade Davis who struck out 9 batters in his MLB debut last September against Detroit. I have wanted to add Davis to my collecting radar because of his hometown, I just didn’t think I would be able to afford too many of his cards right now. I am now the proud owner of a beautiful autographed card of Mr. Davis from 2010 Topps Peak Performance, thanks to Gritz76 and Project 1962. Thanks so much Gritz! You blew me away with this one!!! Words cannot express my appreciation or how happy I was with this package! Stay tuned for all of the vintage awesomeness that was included in the package. Stay tuned tomorrow for plenty more posting and the conclusion to this one. Go Rays! Troll out.