Sports 'n More Trading Cards

Trade with Spankee from "My Cardboard Mistress"

2012-01-29T17:06:00.000-05:00

This past week I received a bubble mailer in mail from Spankee over at My Cardboard Mistress. Not too long ago I sent him some cards that he needed for sets and some former VT Hokies. Spankee emailed me to let me know that he sent a return package but I didn't expect to get anything like this!

First up were 17 2008 SP Authentic cards that I needed for my set. This is one set that should have been completed long ago since it's only a 100 card set. Yeah, I'm lazy!

Next up are some 2010 Topps inserts that I needed. I'm getting closer to the master set, minus the autos and relic cards.

Next we have some 2007 and 2008 Topps Chrome set needs. Spankee sent 9 2008 Topps Chrome cards in all. I've really got into Topps Chrome the past couple of years.

Not only did Spankee send baseball cards, but he sent some football too. In total, there were over 20 Steeler cards. These are a few of my favorite including a 2011 Rookies and Stars Cortez Allen RC card serial numbered out of 150 and a Rashard Mendenhall RC.

Spankee didn't just include base Steeler cards though. Here we have a 2008 SP Authentic Limas Sweed rookie "event-used" memorabilia card. Sweed never panned out for the Steelers, who released him last September, but I'm glad to now have this card in my Steeler collection. An interesting side note; the Steelers released Sweed to make room on their roster for Kevin Dockery and former VT Hokie, Macho Harris.

Spankee also sent along this sharp 2009 UD Game Day Gear Rashard Mendenhall "event worn" memorabilia card. I have to admit, being a Steeler fan I didn't have a lot of Steeler relic cards but my collection is really starting to take off.

Now, the cards that Spankee sent up to this point were more than enough but he didn't stop there. Being that I'm a Yankee fan, he also sent along this sweet 2007 Ultra "Feel The Game" game used jersey card of Robinson Cano, my first relic card of Cano!

The last thing I found in the bubble mailer was a really cool 2008 Sweet Spot tin. I never bought any of these so this was a real treat. I wish I could have scanned it but I had trouble due to the thickness of the tin. As cool as the tin is, what was inside really blew me away and caught me off guard.

Inside were 4 Yankee Stadium Legacy cards of Don Mattingly, all of which I needed! Also in the tin was this bad boy......

A 2008 Sweet Spot dual jersey card of Dave Winfield and Don Mattingly! Needless to say, I was shocked when I saw this card. Spankee, you went above and beyond! I can't thank you enough for the awesome cards! Be sure to check out Spankee's blog, My Cardboard Mistress!

Trade with Colbey from Cardboard Collections

2011-12-22T16:32:00.000-05:00

Today, I received my end of a trade that Colbey, from Cardboard Collections, and I recently made. I sent Colbey a 2005 UD Sweet Spot Classic Tony Gwynn jersey in exchange for a card that I've been wanting for quite some time; a 2002 Fleer Classic Cuts Don Mattingly jersey.

Thanks for the trade Colbey!

2011 Topps Lineage - 2 Hobby Box Break!

2011-12-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

Like many of us over the Thanksgiving holiday, I spent some time scouring the web trying to find some great deals on Black Friday. I ended up at Orange County Sports Cards where I found boxes of 2011 Topps Lineage for around $35/box. I've not purchased this product this year so it was still new to me. I purchased two hobby boxes and was happy to get the complete set of 200 cards.

2 autographs and 1 relic per box. Along with a lot of inserts!

The Diamond Anniversary Inserts. The Dawson and Thomas are sweet!

The Diamond Anniversary Platinum Inserts.

The 1975 Mini Inserts.

The 3-D Inserts.

The Cloth Sticker Inserts.

The Stand-up Inserts.

Insert Rookies.

The Venezuelan Inserts.

The back of another Venezuelan Insert.

The Two Relics Cards.

The 4 Autographs.

This was a fun product to break with all the inserts and cool retro shots of some of the games best players from the past. The Andre Dawson and Johnny Bench cards in this set are the best, in my opinion. I have some base extras if anyone needs any.

A Box of Bucs from Baseball Dad

2011-11-25T23:27:00.003-05:00

Recently, I received a box in the mail from Baseball Dad, from All Tribe Baseball, in exchange for a package I had sent him previously. In the box that arrived was a treasure trove of Pirate goodness. In all, there was around 250 cards (my best guess). I can't show them all, since I don't have enough patience with my scanner, so I'll show the ones that stuck out the most.

First off, my favorite. A 2005 SP Legendary Cuts Ralph Kiner, who led the NL in homeruns in each of his first 7 seasons!

Next up, we have 3 cards from the 1991 Conlon Collection. These cards really give you a glimpse of what baseball was like in the early 20'th century.

Here we have some modern Pirate goodness including a 2008 Topps Gold Zach Duke (top left) and a 2006 Topps Chrome Refractor Oliver Perez (bottom left).

Some shiny goodness was also in the Box 'o Bucs. I really like the Xfractors and the Topps Diamond Anniversary cards!

Also, some minis of different sizes including a couple stickers. The Topps sticker on the bottom left is my first 2011 topps sticker!

Baseball Dad didn't just send me Pirates though. In the box I also found some Mattingly's for the collection and also a Topps Pristine Nick Johnson that I didn't have.

But that's not all folks! Baseball Dad also sent me the 2011 Topps Diamond Anniversary Factory Set Limited Edition Pirate team set!

Thanks so much for the cards Baseball Dad! I have another pile of tribe cards with your name on 'em piling up!

Black Friday 2011

2011-11-25T21:32:00.000-05:00

First off, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

As Black Friday winds down, I'd like to know what your thoughts are about it. Did anyone find any good online deals? It seems most people had trouble, once again, with Blowout Cards' website and they didn't seem to have very many good deals or much anyone was interested in (at least it seemed for me). Dave and Adam's Card World had a few good deals, including 2011 Topps Chrome baseball for $50/box, and I was about to buy but I decided to spend my money at Orange County Sports Cards. There, I purchased 3 boxes of 2011 Topps Finest baseball and 2 boxes of Topps Lineage for about $250. They offered free shipping and a free 2011 Rated Rookies football set (with auto) for purchases over $100. This is, by far, the most I've spent on cards in a long while.

So how 'bout yourself? Find anything you just couldn't live without?

Topps Diamond Giveaway Diamond Die Cut!

2011-06-19T12:58:00.000-04:00

I don't usually post the cards I receive from the Topps Diamond Giveaway, since they're usually not too impressive, but I have to make an exception today. So far, my best card was a Yunel Escobar Diamond Die Cut until i unlocked this one today.....

2010 Upper Deck Blaster Case "Hits"

2011-04-17T01:11:00.000-04:00

Not too long ago I opened a blaster case of 2010 Upper Deck baseball. The case contained 20 blaster boxes with 10 packs per box and 8 cards per pack giving me 1600 cards. Each blaster also contained one jersey card giving me 20 jerseys total. As you can see below, I didn't receive anything great but I did get a Pujols. The cards are for trade except the Travis Hafner (going to Baseball Dad) and Evan Meek.

I'll post some of the insert cards in a future post. I haven't checked to see if I have the complete base set yet but doubles will be available for trade if anyone is interested.

It has arrived!

2011-04-05T16:32:00.000-04:00

One case of 2010 Upper Deck Baseball blaster boxes! Why would I buy such a thing? It was only $100! That's about the best excuse I can come up with. I hope to get a few Posey RC's and maybe a decent jersey, or two. I'll try to post some of the more interesting cards, inserts and hits this week. I've been working a lot of overtime so time will tell.

Thanks for reading,
-Steve

A Kick To the Gut Courtesy of Topps

2011-03-06T00:54:00.000-05:00

Not too long ago I purchased two hobby boxes from Blowout Cards. A box of 2010 Topps Chrome football and a jumbo box of 2010 Topps Update Series baseball. Knowing that I'll receive at least four hits from the boxes I thought I'd get at least one decent hit.

From the Topps Chrome football I pulled an Ed Wang sticker auto. Who? An offensive tackle?!? The other "hit" was a gold refractor card from some rookie that plays for the Rams. No, not THAT rookie. I'm talking about cornerback Jerome Murphy. It's a beautiful card but I hadn't heard of the guy! All I could do is hang my head.

I thought my luck would change with the jumbo box of Topps Update. Was I wrong! My first hit was an All-Star game workout jersey of David Ortiz. OK, I expected something like this since it's Topps Update. My next hit was a Peak Performance sticker auto of Colby Rasmus. Not bad. I can live with that. What came next, though, gave me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. The third, and final, hit was a black parallel manufactured bat barrel card of Eddie Murray serial numbered out of 25. Now, I have nothing against Hall of Famer Eddie Murray but these bat barrel cards are garbage in my opinion. How are these considered relics? As if this wasn't enough, there were a lot of damaged cards as well, including the Eddie Murray, both SP's and numerous other cards.

I sent some of the damaged cards back to Topps to be replaced. I received my replacements last week to find that they shorted me one of my SP's and instead of an Eddie Murray bat barrel, I received the card below.

I can't help but feel disgusted and sick to my stomach after spending nearly $120 on two hobby boxes and getting these cards as "hits." Am I overreacting to this, or do I have a right to feel the way I do? I'm reluctant to buy anymore Topps hobby boxes.

What a long strange trip it's been

2011-02-26T23:15:00.000-05:00

It's been nearly a year since my last post and a lot has happened since then. I sort of dropped off the blogosphere due to working a ton of overtime early last spring, all summer and into the fall. Add up all of my overtime and it comes out to over two months, based on a 40 hour week. I also lost some interest in blogging. I still read plenty of blogs and collected, but was just in a phunk and had no desire to work on my own. I hope to post more this year and not be such a hermit.

I also owe AdamE from Thoughts & Sox a package. Adam sent me a package last March containing several cards that I needed to complete sets. I didn't forget, Adam! I have a fairly nice stack of Red Sox cards with your name on it and I continually add to it.

From reading some of the blogs, I get the impression that some of you hate getting Pittsburgh Pirate cards because you can't get rid of them. Well, I'm your guy! Send me an email and we'll see if we can work out a trade. I'll send first!

2009 UD Signature Stars 4 Pack Break

2010-03-21T14:32:00.000-04:00

I recently ordered 4 packs of 2009 UD Signature Stars from Dave and Adams Card World. There are 4 hits per box so I figured I had a 20% chance of getting a hit, which I did.

I like the base design. Somewhat stylish and without any foil! What a novel idea! The backs are pretty basic with your usual short story and stats. I like the fact that the cards are easy to read.

One of the inserts I received was a Ichiro "Signature Skills" which are seeded 1 in 25 packs. I also received a Brad Bergesen Top Prospects card (not sure of the pull ratio for these).

My "hit" was a Kavin Keyes "By The Letter" manufactured patch/auto. number 82/100. Keyes is/was considered the second best shortstop in the state of Utah.

Overall, I enjoyed opening these packs and with a base set of 100 cards and 20 prospects, this should be an easy set to complete.

2 NEW Sweet Spot Classic Memorabilia Acquired!

2010-03-14T03:53:00.000-04:00

It's been just over two weeks since my last post and the cards acquired from trades, purchases and the generosity of fellow collectors is piling up so it's about time to disclose some of my new additions. I've been working on the 2007 Sweet Spot Classic "Classic Memorabilia" set for some time now and recently acquired two new cards for my set, thanks to eBay.

2010 Topps Turkey Red Question

2010-02-26T19:07:00.002-05:00

Today, I picked up a cereal box of 2010 Topps baseball and received the usual inserts, or so I thought. As I flipped past the Turkey Red insert (Curtis Granderson) I noticed something different. Instead of the rough finish the cards usually have, this card was totally smooth. After checking on eBay I only found one other card like this, an Edwin Jackson.

Does anyone know anything about these or have any?

EDIT:
I didn't realize it but I already had the original Granderson card. Can you tell the difference between the two?

The original is on the left. The smooth finish card is on the right.

Recent Million Card Giveaway Redemptions

2010-02-26T18:38:00.000-05:00

I recently received a few more Million Card Giveaway cards. Nothing to write home about but fun nonetheless.

1960 Bobby Locke

1963 Eddie Bressoud

1969 John Donaldson (All I can say is....dayum!)

2005 Gil Meche

1972 Duke Sims

A trade with A Fan in Wisconsin

2010-02-25T18:59:00.002-05:00

Recently, Brandon, from A Fan in Wisconsin, and I completed a trade which sent a 2010 Topps Nolan Ryan CYMTO (Cards Your Mom Threw Out) and some Astros to him in exchange for some badly needed set needs. When I say badly, I mean BADLY as in I've been working on these insert sets for nearly 9 years and haven't completed them!

Above, we have three "Diamond Tributes" inserts from 2001 Fleer Tradition (when Fleer was REALLY Fleer). I really like these cards and the pinstripes really add a touch of class.

Here we have six "Grass Roots" inserts from, once again, 2001 Fleer Tradition. The scans don't do these cards justice as the "Grass Roots" text on the cards is gold foil.

Next, we have seven "Lumber Company" inserts from, you guessed it, 2001 Fleer Tradition. I didn't mention it earlier, but like the "Diamond Tribute" cards, these cards are embossed.

Finally, we have two cards from 2008 Topps Chrome, a Blake DeWitt RC and a Travis Buck Refractor.

Thanks, Brandon, for the great cards! They were badly needed and greatly appreciated! I hope you enjoy the package I sent!

My Order From Benham Baseball Cards

2010-02-18T17:56:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I ordered some 2009 Topps Pittsburgh Pirate cards from Benham Baseball Cards, my first order from them. If I'm unfamiliar with an online merchant I always keep my initial order to a minimum. In this case, it was 23 Pirate cards for $2.37 plus $3.10 for shipping and handling. Upon ordering my cards, Mr. Benham contacted me about another Pirate card that I might be interested in. Mr. Benham made it clear that he wasn't pushing another sale on me. He had just noticed that all the cards I ordered were Pirate cards and assumed I was a fan, which he was correct. He had a 2009 Topps All-Star Jersey card of Zach Duke. I told him that I was interested and added it to my order for an additional $2.99. So, for $8.46, I received 23 Pirate cards to complete my 2009 team set and my first jersey card of Zach Duke.

I'll be purchasing from Benham Baseball Cards in the future and I encourage anyone looking for cards to complete their sets to give them a try. The service was fast and courteous and the cards arrived in a neatly wrapped box. The one drawback that I had was that a few of the cards were slipping from their penny sleeves. None of the cards were damaged however. As of this post, Benham Baseball Cards has over 5,000 baseball and hockey cards listed with more being added (I hope!).

Another day, another Topps card

2010-02-16T17:53:00.001-05:00

I picked up another 2010 Topps cereal box on my way home from work today and received another Topps Million Card Giveaway card. I've never heard of the guy but it's vintage! Can't go wrong with that!

Topps' Million Card Giveaway Cards

2010-02-15T17:57:00.001-05:00

There's been a lot of anticipation for Topps' newest promotion, the Million Card Giveaway, and it officially started today. If you had my luck, then you had to wait, what seemed like forever, to get registered and enter your codes.

After reloading pages several times, I finally got my two codes entered and received two 1987 Topps cards; Mike Greenwell RC and Ozzie Smith. 1987 Topps is one of my favorite sets and I still remember getting excited when I pulled a Greenwell RC from a pack back in '87. And who doesn't like The Wizard? Both cards may be mass produced but the memories they bring back are priceless. And that's what collecting should be about.

For those of you able to enter codes, what cards did you receive?

UD Announces Chase For Variation Set Contest

2010-02-14T18:57:00.001-05:00

Topps isn't the only company including SP/variation cards in its base set. Upper Deck has announced that is has included 25 variation cards in its 600 card Series 1 base set. The first two cards, commemorating last year's championship matchup, include Jorge Posada (#347) and Chase Utley (#376).

Read rest of article here

2010 Topps Rack Pack & Cereal Box

2010-02-13T11:40:00.004-05:00

I recently picked up a rack pack and cereal box of 2010 Topps at Walmart. The rack pack consisted of 36 cards for $4.98 while the cereal box contained 55 cards plus a Legends Chrome Refractor for $9.98.

I won't go into much detail and I'm only going to show the inserts since everyone has seen the base cards by now.

First, the rack pack.

Clint Sammons - When They Were Young (18 card set)

Jimmie Foxx and Manny Ramirez - Legendary Lineage (30 card set)

Stan Musial - Peak Performance (50 card set)

Yovani Gallardo - Turkey Red (50 card set)

I also received a 2008 Topps Tim Lincecum "The Cards Your Mom Threw Out" insert but I couldn't get it to scan right.

Now for the cereal box.

Dustin Pedroia & Nolan Ryan - Cards Your Mom Threw Out (50 card set). The Ryan got cut-off when scanning.

Ichiro - Peak Performance (50 card set)

Johnny Bench - History of the Game (25 card set)

Bill Mazeroski - Tales of the Game (25 card set)

Miguel Tejada - Turkey Red (50 card set)

Frank Thomas and Prince Fielder - Legendary Lineage (30 card set)

Jimmie Foxx - Legends Chrome Refractor (10 card set)

Slugger Frank Thomas hangs 'em up!

2010-02-12T19:34:00.001-05:00

Frank Thomas has announced that he will retire after 19 major league seasons that included 521 career homeruns and two American League MVP awards.

Full story here.

The decision doesn't come to much of a surprise since Thomas hasn't played since the 2008 season. Looking at Thomas' career stats, I figure he's a first ballot Hall of Famer.

2 American League MVP awards (1993,1994)
1 American League batting title (1997)
White Sox team record for career HR's (448) & RBI's (1465)
5 time American League All-Star
Career batting average of .301
Career slugging percentage of .554

Frank Thomas' Wikipedia page
Frank Thomas at Baseball Reference

2010 Upper Deck Fat Pack

2010-02-06T16:58:00.002-05:00

Today, while at Walmart, I picked up a 36 card fat pack of 2010 Upper Deck for $4.98. The pack clearly states the cards are "NOT authorized by Major League Baseball or its Members Teams." The pack also contains two exclusive "Tape Measure Shot" inserts.

First up, we have two base cards; Brandon Moss and Michael Brantley RC. If I hadn't known that Upper Deck had lost is MLB license, I wouldn't have guessed it by looking at these cards. The design leaves a little to be desired but I like the fact that I can actually read the player's names this year.

Next, we have a Dodgers Team Checklist. I like team checklists but this seems a little plain.

Here we have a Miller Park "Ballparks" card. The back of the card tells a little about the stadium and also about Brewer postseason history. I like these cards but, again, a little plain.

Next, we have an Alex Rodriguez "Biography" card. The back of the card tells about Rodriguez passing Reggie Jackson on the all-time homerun list.

Finally, we have the two exclusive "Tape Measure Shots" inserts. In my opinion, these are the two best cards of the pack! And guess what? No foil!

Overall, I found the design of the cards to be plain and a little boring. I don't mind that they aren't authorized by MLB, as I really didn't find the lack of team logos or names disconcerting. This will likely be the last of 2010 Upper Deck that I purchase.

Recent eBay purchase

2010-02-04T17:45:00.000-05:00

I recently decided to collect every Pittsburgh Pirates Topps set from 1973, the year I was born, to present and what better way to start it off than with a 1973 Topps Roberto Clemente. Nice centering and corners for a card that's 36 years old. It's as old as me but in much better condition!

My first trade since creating this blog

2010-01-30T16:42:00.001-05:00

Recently, Ed, from Roll out the Barrel, and I completed a trade which sent some set needs and Brewer cards his way (still in transit) in exchange for some set needs and Pirate and Yankee cards. I received my end of the trade a few days ago and was very surprised at what I found. Not only did Ed send me the 2009 Topps George Sisler Platinum Chrome Refractor card that I needed, but he also included over 100 additional cards including several Pirate and Yankee cards and also some '08 Goudey set needs.

This is one of my favorite cards of the group, a 2005 UD All-Star Classic Mariano Rivera. A classy design and great shot of the future hall of famer.

Next, we have a 2008 Goudey Ryan Zimmerman. This card came along with some other '08 Goudeys that I needed for the set. It's not nice to point that thing unless you intend to use it Mr. Zimmerman!

Here we a 2009 Topps 206 bronze Andrew McCutchen. This happens to be my first McCutchen card.

Next up we have a 2002 Upper Deck Vintage Aramis Ramirez. One of many talented young players the Pirates let get away. I may have to add this set to the list of sets I want to complete.

Talk about psychedelic! I've never seen this card before but I like it! This comes from the 1992 Topps Kids set.

Does anyone else miss stickers?? I have almost two 800 count boxes full of Fleer and Upper Deck hologram stickers!

2009 UD X Mark Teixeira. This is the first '09 UD X card that I've got and I have to say that they look better in person. I collected the '08 X set so I may go for this one as well.

Above, we have a 2001 Fleer Genuine Bernie Williams, 2008 Topps Stadium Club Derek Jeter and a 2008 UD Timeline Alex Rodriguez.

Last, but definitely not least, we have a 2008 Topps Heritage Clubhouse Collection jersey card of Steve Pearce, a 2008 Goudey memorabilia card of Jack Wilson and a 2007 Turkey Red jersey card of Darrell Rasner.

I never expected the amount of cards that I received, or the quality, so i'm more than happy with the trade and Thanks again Ed!

Pirates to honor Bill Mazeroski

2010-01-27T19:15:00.000-05:00

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH -- "The Pittsburgh Pirates plan to put a statue of Bill Mazeroski outside PNC Park to commemorate the Hall of Famer's home run that won the World Series 50 years ago.
Statues of Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell are already in place outside the stadium, which opened in 2001.
Mazeroski's ninth-inning homer ended Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, giving the Pirates a 10-9 win over the New York Yankees.
The Pirates have not said when they will unveil the statue honoring the second baseman. They plan to commemorate the World Series win during a weekend series against the Cleveland Indians June 18-20."

It's good to know that the Pirates have a great looking ballpark. Maybe one day they'll have a team to play there :-/

2009 Topps Chrome Baseball 3 Pack Break

2010-01-24T17:06:00.001-05:00

I decided to check out Walmart and Kmart this morning to see if there were any 2010 Topps packs or anything else I would be interested in. I ended up purchasing three packs of 2009 Topps Baseball. Each pack was $2.99 and contained 4 cards. After this three pack break I think I'll just save my money for a hobby box.

Above, we have Nelson Cruz WBC (#W84), Tao Bu WBC (#W67) and Travis Hafner Xfractor (#137). I also pulled the cards below.

#1 Alex Rodriguez

#2 Kerry Wood

#4 Nate McLouth

#43 Ian Stewart

#47 Evan Longoria

#59 Zack Greinke

#71 Justin Upton

#96 Justin Masterbatorson

#180 Phil Coke RC

Pirates find a closer

2010-01-22T16:43:00.001-05:00

The Pittsburgh Pirates have found themselves a closer by signing veteran pitcher Octavio Dotel on Thursday. The signing includes a guaranteed contract for 2010 and a club option for 2011. The Pirates have greatly improved their bullpen, which was one of the worst in MLB in 2009, with the additions of Dotel, D.J. Carrasco, Javier Lopez and Brendan Donnelly, who is expected to be the setup man for Dotel.

Now if they can only find some sluggers, and keep 'em!

2010 Upper Deck USA Baseball

2010-01-21T11:37:00.001-05:00

"Carlsbad, CA (January 14, 2010) – As all seasoned baseball card collectors know, if they hope to get their hands on cards of the newest baseball diamond prospects, they need to look no further than USA Baseball’s annual box set. Upper Deck has once again partnered with USA Baseball to produce one of the year’s most sought-after releases. The box set includes outstanding content from the 2009 National Team, the 18U National Team and the 16U National Team. The much-anticipated box set is scheduled to hit store shelves this week

Every 70-card set includes seven total autographs in every box, including five on-card, hard-signed autographs. Collectors will also discover three game-used jersey cards in each box, including rare, autographed game-used patch cards in many instances."
More from Upper Deck

Bryce Harper game used and autographed cards are already selling very well on eBay. I can't imagine paying that much for someone who hasn't played a Major League Baseball game in their life.

Bryce Harper 2010 Upper Deck Team USA Inscriptions Auto.
2010 Upper Deck USA Bryce Harper Auto.

Have you seen this card?

2010-01-20T01:18:00.001-05:00

After buying 15 cereal boxes of 2009 Topps Series 1, I'm still short the George Sisler Platinum Chrome Refractor (#PR-10). If anyone has this card and is willing to trade it I have doubles to trade in return, or let me know what you're looking for.

W A N T E D!

Additional Features

2010-01-19T15:35:00.002-05:00

I've added a "Cards For Trade" section on the right side of the page. There aren't too many cards listed yet but there are a lot more on the way. I also added a "Links of Interest" section. This includes links to various hobby and sport related websites which some of you might enjoy. If anyone has a blog and you would like to swap links please let me know.

Hope everyone had a good day!

Pirates reach agreement with Brendan Donnelly

2010-01-18T11:43:00.002-05:00

The Pittsburgh Pirates, in an attempt to revamp their bullpen, have reached an agreement with with veteran reliever Brendan Donnelly on a one year deal for $1.5 million. The deal is pending a physical and includes performance bonuses that could increase Donnelly's payout to approximately $3 million (if they keep him around that long).

This is good pick-up for the Pirates, considering they had one of the worst bullpens in the majors last season and they declined to offer Matt Capps, their closer, a contract. With the addition of Donnelly, D.J. Carrasco and the possible signing of Octavio Dotel, the Pirates will have a much improved bullpen. That is, of course, the Pirates don't pack it in and trade everyone mid-way through the season. With 17 straight losing seasons, and previous season's firesales, it's hard to think they won't do just that.

Customer service isn't what it used to be

2010-01-18T00:23:00.000-05:00

I pulled this card out of a box of 1989 Donruss Rookies recently and was pleasantly surprised. It's a shame card manufacturers don't go out of their way like this today. Then again, with the Internet, would it be necessary? If you have questions or concerns with cards that you've purchased you can go directly to the manufacturers website for contact information, if you have Internet access. However, I do feel that card manufacturers, their customer service anyway, would be more respected if they went out of their way like this.

I wonder who you'd reach if you called those numbers today?

Gaines Adams passes away at the age of 26

2010-01-17T13:52:00.000-05:00

Defensive end Gaines Adams, of the Chicago Bears, passed away early Sunday morning at the early age of 26. A preliminary autopsy indicates that Adams died of cardiac arrest from an enlarged heart.

Gaines Adams was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the number 4 overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft from Clemson and was traded to the Bears in October. In Adams' three seasons with the Buccaneers and Bears, he recorded 67 tackles, including 13.5 sacks, in 47 games.

Our condolences to Gaines' family, his teammates and to the Buccaneer and Bear organizations.

All is right in the world!

2010-01-16T23:15:00.000-05:00

The baltimore ravens have lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 20-3!

2006 Upper Deck Series 2 Fat Packs

2010-01-16T10:47:00.001-05:00

While at Walmart this morning I picked up two fat packs of 2006 Series 2 Upper Deck. The only reason I picked these up is because they were marked down 50%. How can you beat that? Each pack contained 30 cards plus two exclusive bonus cards (All-Time Legends). The design of the cards is OK but the names of the players are hard to read.

Above, we have Albert Pujols and Ken Griffey Jr. I didn't realise, until I scanned these cards, that they were checklists :-/

This is my favorite card of the two packs. Brian Jordan looking larger than life in spring training.

Here we have the exclusive "All-Time Legends" cards. I'm not sure if these are exclusive to Walmart fat packs or fat packs in general but it's always nice to get Hall of Famers.

Chris Johnson named AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year

2010-01-13T18:18:00.001-05:00

Today, The Associated Press named Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson the 2009 NFL Offensive Player of the Year as he easily beat of New Orleans Saints quarterback, Drew Brees, for the award. Johnson, who set a league high for yards from scrimmage (2,509), became the sixth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season. Johnson also became the first person in NFL history to rush for three 85+ yard touchdowns in a season and also ran for 800 yards in the month of November, the best month for any running back in NFL history. He'll start the 2010 football season with 11 straight 100 yard rushing games, 3 shy of Barry Sanders' mark, who set the record in 1997. 2010 looks to be an exciting year for Chris as he could break Barry Sanders' record and also become the only player in NFL history to post two 2,000 yard rushing seasons.

Free Agent Vladimir Guerrero signs with Rangers

2010-01-10T14:30:00.001-05:00

The Texas Rangers have agreed on a one year deal with free agent Vladimir Guerrero, pending a physical. The one year deal is expected to be between $5.5 million and $6 million.

How does this affect those of you who collect Guerrero's cardboard? Will you collect his Ranger cards, only collect his Angels cards, stop collecting him altogether, or trade/sell your Guerrero collection?

2009 Topps Updates and Highlights Jumbo Pack

2010-01-10T11:20:00.000-05:00

While at Walmart this morning I got the itch to bust open some packs but they didn't have anything I was too interested in, as usual. So, against my better judgment, I bought a jumbo pack of 2009 Topps Updates and Highlights which cost $4.98 and contained 36 cards. Since everyone knows what these cards look like I'll just post a few pictures of the most notable cards.

Above, we have Gordon Beckham #UH20, Turkey Red Gary Sheffield #TR117 and a Topps Gold Derek Jeter All-Star #UH131. I also received the following rookie cards...

#UH195 P.J. Walters (Cardinals)
#UH217 Craig Stammen (Nationals)
#UH116 Alfredo Figaro (Tigers)
#UH51 Jesus Guzman (Giants)
#UH108 Chris Tillman (Orioles)
#UH120 Aaron Poreda (Padres)
#UH4 David Hernandez (Orioles)
#UH216 Mat Latos (Padres)
#UH107 Anthony Swarzak (Twins)

New Additions

2010-01-09T13:58:00.000-05:00

I've added the cards that I'm looking for on the right hand side of the page under "Currently Collecting." These include cards for my personal collection and set needs. I'll be adding my football and basketball needs in the future along with the cards that I have for trade.

I also added printable checklists. I use these myself and thought they might be useful for others. If they don't print out correctly for you please let me know. I've not printed these from Internet Explorer or Firefox so they may not look the same.

2009 Topps Red Hot Rookie redemption received

2010-01-09T11:41:00.000-05:00

I finally received my 2009 Topps Red Hot Rookie redemption last week. I received Nolan Reimold of the Baltimore Orioles #RHR5. This is the first Red Hot Rookie I've received and I have to admit that I'm impressed. However, I wish I would have pulled a redemption for the Andrew McCutchen.

The First Post

2010-01-08T23:59:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Sports 'n More Trading Cards. My name is NY Hitman 23 (aka Steve). I created this blog to share my joy (obsession) of collecting trading cards, both sports and movie related, and to interact with those that share the same passion (obsession).

Many trading card blogs have inspired me to create this blog but none more than Wax Heaven, which I'm sure you all are familiar with. I think it's safe to say that Wax Heaven is truly missed and I wish Mario the best!

Blogging is fairly new to me so bear with me and please be sure to stop back as Sports 'n More Trading Cards grows!