Filling the Binder With 2 x 3 Heroes!

Time passes so quickly in life and in collecting… That sounds cliché, but I have a point… As collectors we are always working on sets, but we are always waiting for the newest product to hit the shelves. When it does there is a month long period of feverishly buying, ripping and trading, and then when the dust settles, if you haven’t finished the set yet, it goes to the back burner. In life I guess you could equate that to that diet you go on, or the new workout regimine… You watch what you eat and exercise like its beast mode for a couple of weeks and then you start mixing in burgers and spending the afternoon on the couch – those two tie in, right?

Anyhoo, on the collecting tip - I am notorious for fudging up my want lists… I cross cards off before I get them. Worse, I get them, forget to put them in the binder and assume they are dupes and trade them away… I totally did that with 2010 Topps. I declared all 3 Series completed and then, about a year later I picked up the binder to thumb through and see which Rays were in the set that year and I realized that I was missing a total of FIFTY freaking cards!!!! Some of the cards I was missing I had even posted after I got them, then I guess I traded them away, probably put them in team stacks and shipped them off to folks who didn’t even need them, ha!

On the topic of 2010 Topps – I got some of them in the mail today – from 4 different people. How weird is that? I went months without trading, without getting a package from anyone. I also went months without adding a single card to the 2010 binder and then today, I got FOUR packages from FOUR different people! Three were complete surprises and the 4th was a planned surprise… Last weekend, while riding the high of seeing the Rays live in Port Charlotte and enjoying a cocktail or twelve (ha!) I got an email from a new blogger, a dude who was not yet on my radar who, it turns out, is VERY new at blogging, but off to a very good start… You can find his blog HERE. It is called Two By Three Heroes…

Jeff, the author behind 2 X 3 Heroes is a White Sox fan, I think he lives in Chicago… This fascinated me because one of the very first three blogs that I started reading and got me hooked back into the hobby again after a long hiatus was also about the White Sox – of course I am referring this awesome blog.

Anyhow, out of nowhere, he wrote to me and offered to nearly complete my 2010 base set, plus send some Yo Mama cards and Vintage Legends. Nice!

I will show off the Vintage Legends cards in a different post a little later on… For now, I am glad to have this set so close, again. I am one card away from retiring this want list. Who has card #458? Send it to me please so I can put this set out of its misery…

Oh, speaking of misery. Ever get cards from your wantlist and think. Fudge. Man, I HAVE that card!

Well, turns out this sweet BJ Upton was one of the last cards on my want list. At least 10 copies of this card have passed through my collection. Dumbass Troll. The other cards, not so much. All Yankees, Phillies and crap… The retired Red Sox captain was the only card in the pile that I would consider putting on my page…

Oh, before I sign off and speaking of my stupidity… I was wondering why no one has sent me any 2007 or 2008 Topps cards and I noticed that I don’t have lists posted. What? I then grabbed the binder for 2007 and found that it ends halfway through Series 2. I just don’t know… I made a list for cards 1 - 431... Yer Troll is a mess…

Thanks for trading Jeff! Please go check out his page and support new bloggers!

Go Rays! Troll out.

Does Anyone Have These Cards from 2011 Allen and Ginter??? or Its a Plaid Plaid World and We're Trying to Improve It!

So, I have plans to be "back" very soon... Good things are happening in Troll Towne... Wifey is feeling way better and things are changing career wise, for the better I think... I have a buyer (finally) for my 1990 Jeep Cherokee, I just mowed my lawn and didn't die of heat stroke. Things aint bad... I will fill you all in on EVERYTHING very soon... I also plan on doing a little contest. There are 2 themes. First, I am closing in on 800 posts. Second, I really want to say "thank you" to everyone for their kindness and support last week. All the comments and e-mails for mind blowingly sweet and awesome and really made us feel great! The third reason is that I want to help promote a new blog that I think it is going to be pretty awesome, so stay tuned...

In the meantime, before I give away all of my potential trade bait in the contest, I wanted to check and see if anyone had a few cards from 2011 Ginter that they might want to trade... I finished off Step Right Up and P of P, but I am 2 cards away from both World's Most Mysterious and Uninvited Guests. If you have cards #WM9 or 10 OR UG6 or 8, please get in touch. I need a bunch of the animals minis, too many to list right now... I need 8 more to finish off the Ascent of Man set. I do have some dupes of these. I promised dayf first crack at them, but I don't know if he is still working on it, so... I need cards #ed AOM3,5,6,10,11,13,14 and 22. Am I the only one (by the way) who felt this should have been a 27 card set???

I am still far, far away from Minds That Made the Future, the boat cards and Hometown Heroes. I think I am halfway done with the base set and regular minis - well, I am just looking for awesome cards for the Frankenset. I somehow managed to pull 2 copies of short printed mini card #327 of David DeJesus in the same box. I also pulled the full sized version and 2 copies of his Hometown Heroes card. Bizarre...

The card I really want, more than any other card, is the one shown at the top of the post. I REALLY want this one folks! I wouldn't mind having multiple copies either. Def one of my fave cards of the year... Anyway, my contest will likely offer my Ginter hits as prizes, but if anyone wants to trade beforehand, I am ready! As far as the other "BRAYzer" relics... I think it is just Maddon, Upton and Pena. I have the Pena, need the Upton. The only other standard Rays relic I have is Johnny Damon. I would not mind having a few more... Thanks for reading! Get in touch with a Troll and stay tuned... Oh, as the flyer that acts as my blog header indicates, it is a roller derby weekend. Local folks come out! The beer is cold and free and the action is hot and well worth the 10 bucks (ticket cost) Go Rays! troll out.