A Very Good Pack of 2012 Bowman Flagship

Don't get too excited. This was a very good pack. Not a  Hall of Fame pack. It won't be accepted into the Hall of Fame without presenting the proper accolades. It certainly won't get slightly better over time and build up a meaningless jump in percentages of a percent point.

No. Just a very good pack.

I'll start with, well, the pack:

Bryce Harper & Gerrit Cole

Respect to Bowman for photoshopping a jersey ON THE FRONT OF THE PACK. Poor Gerrit Cole had never thrown a pitch in that uniform by Spring of 2012, when most of Bowman's photography was done for this set.

Also, if you're not used to Bryce Harper by now, it's going to be a long couple of decades for you.

Ten cards, 8 of them paper and 2 of them chrome. Which is more of a plastic.

Click to embiggen for odds and blinding foilage.

You can see what contributed to this being a great pack right away. Only $65.1! Wait. $1.59. As you may have guessed it by now, this came from the wonderful Target bargain-slot-bin-thinger, which also included 2012 Archives, 2009 Topps Chrome, 2012 Heritage and 2012 Gypsy Queen/ However,there was only one of each, save for chrome which there were two - spoiler - they were all really good packs, aside for, surprisingly, the Gypsy Queen. But still, at $1.59, you cannot go wrong. And I sure didn't:

Red catchers not from The Reds.

Immediately, we have my favourite thing to see on a card: catchers in gear doing catcherly things. And they're elite catchers, no Geovany Sotos or Mike Nickeas' here. Yadier and Chooch both enjoyed career years in 2012. Yadier made a simple, but hard-to-explain-without-demonstration batting fix (A-C rather than an A-B-C swing - I can explain that in the comments if anyone is curious.) Chooch used some amphetamines to give himself a little extra fire in the ass, and he ended up raking as a result. I'm so desensitized to PEDs at this point that I don't really carem especially for High T or greenies. I'm sure Bud Selig needs a coffee in the morning just like everyone else.

As always with Bowman, rookie cards. Bowman is kind of a pain-in-the-ass with the assortments of what may be considered rookie cards nowadays. I had a conversation with noted case breaker @brentandbecca a week or so ago on this subject, we were in agreement to some extent, but this is my hierarchy:

1. 1st Bowman Card (Paper, usually in Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects)
2. Rookie Logo Card (Topps Series 1, Bowman, Topps Series 2, Topps Update)
3. Other sets and Parallels

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. I really feel case breakers have demolished "the rookie card" feel, but I will post more about that when Bowman comes out in May (swoon.)

Death to the Grunt Face pitcher card!

Ahh, a pair of Aces. Sort of. Price, definitely. MadBum has to "compete" with Matt Cain. But the two's basic pitching stats are more or less the same, with Ks going to DPrice and ERA to MadBum. But then again, DPrice doesn't get to face the (old) Dodgers, Rockies, Astros, Marlins, Padres and other National League "foes"  repeatedly throughout the season - replace them with The Tigers, Angels, Rangers, Blue Jays, Orioles and others.

Goooooaaaaaaaaallllll(d).

Ahh, getting into the inserts, which are decidedly less infuriating than Topps. Nice gold parallel, probably one-per-pack, but I am not sure. If they are, thank you Bowman. 2012 was an outstanding design, if not for the sometimes crotch-logo placements. I really want Jemile Weeks to succeed, but he can't hit a damn thing. Also, a cameo of Victor Martinez. He can hit many damn things.

Look, guys! Kyrell Hudson!

If you're confused, don't be. Hudson is a low-level Phillies prospect, drafted in the 3rd round of the 2009 Draft. Aut-9 was when the draft first started to get interesting - with some Strazborg guy going 1st overall.

Other notable players drafted before Kyrell: Dustin Ackley, Zack Wheeler, Drew Storen, AJ Pollock, Shelby Miller, Mike Trout, Tyler Skaggs and Tanner Scheppers.

And after: Keyvius Sampson and Max Stassi were the most recognizable, with only Stassi making an appearance in the Bigs - and should be the Astros #2 catcher this year behind resurgent Jason Castro.

Lest we forget.

Ohh, Jake. A casualty of The Trade and of photoshopping. This guy is going to kill it for three years in Miami and get traded. Maybe even back to the Blue Jays. I can only hope.

Bowman's Best. Misss youuu.

I love Bowman's Best. I loved it moreso when it was a release and not an insert, but oh well - I'll take what I can get.  I seem to be getting lucky with pulling Josh Hamiltons lately (2011-present) and I don't mind this one bit. There are definitely bloggers out there that dig this guy. Eventually, I need to come around to posting an all-Hamilton trade bait page.

There are supposed to be two chrome prospects per pack. The Bowman's Best counts as a chrome, I guess, at an insertion rate of 1:6. I'll take it.

And finally:

(F)GBOAT.

The "other" chrome. May not seem to much to most of you, but AJ Jimenez, a Puerto Rican native, is one of my favourite Blue Jays prospect. I have the paper, paper blue, International, blue wave refrsctor, base refractor and blue refractor of this card. I may have the chromer, but I forget. I have the potential to accumulate a super-rainbow of this card.

So, you know. Great pack for me, but I think it would have been "just ok" if it weren't for the Hamilton. I just love Bowman's Best so much.

The Collective "We"

Happy Friday, everyone.

After last night's tremendous World Baseball Classic game between the Dominican Republic and AMERICA, baseball writers, bloggers and I'm sure advertisers, are starting to take notice of just how awesome this tournament is.

Smoltzy said it best during last night's telecast: "This is beyond October."

And it is. Look, I know it's going to take a while for American players and fans to finally catch on. But everyone else is in this thing, full-throttle. I couldn't believe the emotion that the Dominicans and their fans showed last night. They deserved that win more than USA deserved the loss, and I - "we", cannot wait for a rematch with them.

The collective "we", man.

Tonight, The Collective We plays Puerto Rico. Which, if you want to be an ass, is kinda part of "us", anyways. But since they're not a state, then they can be their own kind of thing. Which is fine, as I am sure they wouldn't want to be grouped in with us anyways.

The pitching matchup is a little lopsided, with legitimate Cy Young candidate Ryan Vogelsong versus fringe-starter but more appropriately long-reliever or Org Guy Nelson Figueroa. The lineup for Puerto Rico kind of looks like that of a non-playoff MLB team, with very solid players and very little star power. By now, you know the formidable USA lineup with it's glaring holes at the top and bottom.

All considered, pitching wins games more than anything else, and I have to take Vogelsong and the deep USA lineup over Figueroa and a shallow Puerto Rican lineup.

So tune in. Even if you're Canadian. It's going to be a good game. Saturday will be even better, abd  Sunday even better than that, but nothing may come close to last night's. But it's still going to be fun.

Besides. It's baseball that means something. In March! Do it!

Fantasy Baseball Draft 1: Springfield A&M

In the next three weeks or so, I'll be posting my fantasy baseball drafts. This may seem like a boring idea, but mostly all posts I've been reading lately are trades, Heritage rips or...well there's not so much more.

I don't have many trades in progress (by design, $30/week in postage is killing me) and I don't plan on buying much of anything until Gypsy Queen comes out. Also cutting my ebay spending, which is where most of my posts come from, anyways.

So while I'll be boring you with these posts, I'll also be giving my two cents on fantasy futures of some of the blogspheroids favourite players - and of course, pictures of baseball cards!

So without further Apu, I present you with the 2013 Springfield A&M draft picks:

I got crushed with a mediocre draft position of 10/10, so keep that in mind.

Key: Round:Pick, Overall Pick

Round 1:Pick 10, 10th Overall

2010 Bowman Chrome Refractor

1B - Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers

The Man: Prince is super consistent. Lots of home runs, lots of RBIs, and last year's .300 BA doesn't hurt either.
The Card: Pulled from one of my 2010 Bowman Chrome $11 Sprawl Mart Blasters. The refraction doesn't show much in 2010, but it is still one of my favorite Bowman products, save for the dreaded "Chrome Curl."

2:1, 11

2010 Finest Refractor

SP - Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Man: Blogger favorite and perennial Cy Young candidate Clayton Kershaw. Verlander went #8 overall, but I was still looking at Clayton Kershaw with this pick. Always add an ace early on.
The Card: This is one of the few Finest sets I don't hate, yet I have virtually no cards from this set. Virtually meaning zero, in this case.

3:10, 30

2013 Topps '75 Mini

CF - Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles

The Man: This league goes by all OF positions, thus drafting a quality CF rather than 5 LFers is important. It doesn't get much better than Adam Jones in CF, either.
The Card: The 1975 minis are blah for me, though the checklist is seemingly better than that of 2012 - and we've only seen 1/3 of it so far.

4:1, 31

2012 Bowman Platinum Ruby

3B/SS - Hanley Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Man: The ever-enigmatic Hanley Ramirez is killing the ball in the WBC. That, coupled with a stack Doyers lineup and a renewed purpose as a full-time SS again, and I feel very comfortable taking a solid run producer in a premium position, even as early as 31st overall. Two years ago, and Hanley was a 1-3 overall guy.
The Card: Very few things fill me with the same amount of joy as a discount rack pack of a generally overpriced product. Great-looking card. #loviste

5:10, 50

2012 Bowman Chrome Purple Refractor

SP - Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals

The Man: Gio is adorable, and he's starting for America tonight in the WBC versus Puerto Rico, who most people are surprised made it to Round 2. Then again, they faced Big Z, so...
The Card: Grabbed from a 6/$8 box at Collectorsfest in January. Picked up this, a Green JPA mini from Gypsy Queen, three Blue Jays '12 BowChrow refractors and a Tony Gwynn jersey card in one shot. Killed it.

6:1, 51

2012 Topps Chrome Refractor

LF/CF - Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland Athletics

The Man: Cespedes is an incredibly impressive player. Just watch him.
The Card: Came from my Purple Refractor hot blaster of 2012 Chrome. The purple came later in the box.

7:10, 70

2007 Donruss Elite Collegiate Patches Autograph

SP - Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers

The Man: Justin Verlander with a higher ERA and less innings pitched. Seriously. The league values strikeouts and K/9 more than the % stats for pitchers. Easy call.
The Card: I don't have it. But I need it. I mean, come on, that's awesome.

8:1, 71

2011 Gypsy Queen Sticky Fingers

2B - Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds

The Man: Phillips is a consistent, middle-top tier 2Bman, good HR and RBI totals. And that's about it. Decent follow on the Tweetz, too.
The Card: One of my favourite insert sets ever. Going to have to go after that complete set eventually. Great photo for the card, but BP is one of those lads you can't really take a bad picture of.

9:10, 90

2012 Topps Archives

SP - Brandon Morrow, Toronto Blue Jays

The Man: Morrow, on the other hand, is very hard to take a good picture of. Thus, collecting him has been tough. It's just those beedy eyes. But damn, I love watching him pitch more than anyone in the 'Bigs right now.
The Card: The Archives subset of the 1984 awesome, nay - majestic year of Topps.

10:1, 91

1998 Upper Deck Retro New Frontier

3B - Aramis Ramirez, Milwaukee Brewers

The Man: The old guy on the team. Third baseman were purged in the 9th round, so I felt I had to act quick. I thought about taking Will Middlebrooks later, and he managed to drop until after the 15th round. Still, if he keeps up with his own trends, he can still be a solid pick.
The Card: Like I said, Aramis is the old guy on the team, so I picked a card of his off of COMC from 1998 - a very cool rookie card from the hugely underrated 1998 Upper Deck Retro set. Love the bold serial numbering.

11:10, 110

2012 Heritage

C - Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals

The Man: Hotshot young stud of a Venezuelan catcher - one who saw little to no playing time in the WBC - of your 2013 Kansas City Royals. .300 average probably won't be duplicated this year, but I'm looking for 20 HR and 80 RsBI from him - without the brutal "catcher batting avaerages" you get from the likes of Matt Wieters, JP Arencibia, etc.
The Card: Hands down, my favorite from 2013 Heritage. Perfect. And his 2012 Heritage was even better.

12:1, 111

2010 Allen & Ginter's Black Border Mini

SP - Josh Johnson, Toronto Blue Jays

The Man: He had an off-year last year with some shoulder tightness - unless you look at his second half, in which he was lights out. Absolute steal in the 12th round. Strikeouts are going down a bit, but that happens when you're control gets better and a league has had many, many looks at you over six or so seasons. Expecting a huge bounce-back year with Toronto - and this is in no way a homer pick.
The Card: JJ has some sweet cards, but I don't have many. Seeing as he's in TO for one year, I am not looking to collect him unless he signs an extension. My guess is that he'll be wearing Yankee pinstripes by December 2013.

13:10, 130

2009 Topps 206 Old Mill Mini

RF/1B - Nick Swisher, Cleveland Indians

The Man: The Swish, power, power, power. Should rake in his new mediocre division. Don't be surprised if the Indians whomp on some teams this year. But not opening week versus the Blue Jays.
The Card: Would have liked to avoid more pinstripes, especially with the next card coming - but I just grabbed this card from a discounted 206 blaster a week or so ago, and it was still on my desk. Plus its an Old Mill mini, for whoever the hell cares about four-year old minis. I actually really like the pose, too.

14:1, 131

2009 Topps 206 

RP - Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees

The Man: No introduction necessary.
The Card: Possibly one of the best looking cards I have ever seen. Beautiful. I need to get this one signed.

15:10, 150

2010 Bowman Topps 100

CF/RF/LF - Ben Revere, Philadelphia Phillies

The Man: New Phillies CF Ben Revere. I really like Revere, and his 40+ SB came cheap at the end of the 15th round.
The Card: Loved the Topps 100 insert from 2010 Bowman. Wish they'd do these every year, but Bowman is such a cash grab, you can't expect to get anything you want from them.

16:1, 151

2013 Topps Sergio Romo Red Border

RP - Sergio Romo, San Francisco Giants

The Man: The American Dream, Sergio Romo. Low ERA, lots of Save opportunities on a very, very good team. I don't believe in saves (And I was actually a closer in High School and Legion, as well as today in MVBSL or whatever I play in) but the league rewards saves and holds. I prefer Saves+Holds leagues, but what are ya gonna do, I was invited. Might as well be a good guest.
The Card: Target Red. I apologize for the amount of 2013 Topps you'll see, but many of the players I drafted do not have huge big league careers, yet. The blues this year are much better than the reds.

17:10, 170

2012 Topps Chrome Purple Refractor

SP - Ryan Vogelsong, San Francisco Giants

The Man: By now Dodgers fans are probably dry heaving or have already x'ed out of their browser. Suck it guys. I kid, it gets better.
The Card: Another from my all-purple refractor blaster which has gone unclaimed. Vogelsong is probably the most boring player in the MLB, and it's actually helped his career to be that way.

18:1, 171

2013 Topps

OF - Norichika Aoki, Milwaukee Brewers

The Man: Limited in card board, but not to the walk-off - Nori Aoki. When they signed him I knew that had something, but it took Yost until August to figure that out. Major League managers do more harm to their teams than good.
The Card: More '13 Topps. I'm sorry. It's a good one, though.

19:10, 190

2012 Topps Chrome Purple Refractor

1B - Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins

The Man: Sleeper pick of the draft, Morneau was carrying the Canadian WBC team with Michael Suanders before, well, the USA exposed their pitching inferiority.
The Card: You guessed it. Ripped from the purple refractor hot box. Yes, I will continue to rub this one in until someone else bests me.

20:1, 191

2013 Topps

RP - Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Man: Supposedly Dutch clozer for the Dodgers.
The Card: My only one of him, apparently. I looked in 2012 Update, but didn't see one. Is he in there?

21:10, 210

2012 Panini National Treasures 

SP - Wei-Yin Chen, Baltimore Orioles

The Man: Hugely underrated Orioles starting pitcher, should post good win totals, ample strikeouts and a decent ERA.
The Card: No, I don't have it. Yes, I want it. Look out, Topps, Panini is going to crush you.

22:1, 211

200? Turkey Red Black Border

SS - JJ Hardy, Baltimore Orioles

The Man: Cleverly disguised awful hitter, JJ Hardy. Emergency short stop should something happen to Hanley, or it takes a while to get eligibility.
The Card: I picked it for this reason only:


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Bunting is the laxative of Twitter.</p>&mdash; Jason Parks (@ProfessorParks) <a href="https://twitter.com/ProfessorParks/status/310891633413615617">March 10, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


23:10, 230

2011 Topps Commemorative Patches

OF - Torii Hunter, Detroit Tigers

The Man: Serviceable 5th outfielder in a treeeemendous lineup and all-around awesome dude, Torii Hunter.
The Card: One of my lacking collections, 2011 Topps Commemorative Patches. Grabbed this for about $1.30 and combined shipping with Shin-Soo Choo, who I pulled from a discount blaster a few months later. So it goes.

24:1, 231

Hyun-Jin Ryu, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Man: 2013's Wei-Yin Chen, but I suspect better.
The Card: Does not exist. Looking forward to 2013 Topps S2, possibly Gypsy Queen super-ultra-mega short print. You've been warned.

25:10, 250

2008 Upper Deck

RP - Eric O'Flaherty, Atlanta Barves

The Man: Holdz!!1
The Card: Early-century Upper Deck awesomeness, I miss you. Perfect composition on this card.

26:1, 251

Least Creepy Sean Burnett Card I Could Find

RP - Sean Burnett, Los Angeles Angels

The Man: MOAR HOLDZZ!!!11
The Card: A surprisingly uncreepy Sean Burnett card. What do I mean? Search COMC for Sean Burnett. Here. I'll do it for you.

27:10, 270

2012 Heritage Minors Clubhouse Collections Blue Tint

C - Travis d'Arnaud

The Man: The Jays traded him, so he'll be awesome. I'm just dicking around at this point in the draft. Ten-team league with DEEP rosters, why not take a shot on baseball's top Catching prospect? He'll start the season with Las Vegas, but I doubt the Mets will allow the mediocrity of John Buck and, according to Yahoo Depth Charts, no second string catcher.
The Card: My first D'Arnaud, grabbed off ebay for around $7, numbered to /199 I believe. Blue tint, you guys!

28:1, 271

2013 Topps Gold

LF - Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Man: Another prospect, but I think Marte is expected to make the Bucs out of Florida. Hope he does, because the guy has got assets.
The Card: I have four versions of this one so far, pulled two and scored a couple in trades. They ALL look stunning, but I am waiting on the black and purple parallels, they'll probably look the best.

So there you have it. You 27?-man roster for Springfield A&M Baseball.

If you can guess where my team name came from, I will send you a sweet card via PWE, because, why the hell not?

CARDS!!!! From S'Crawford

Well, I finally got out of my rut. Despite the bad language and racial, um, acknowledgements, it seems no one had unfollowed the blog, sent me hate mail. or asked me to move to Arizona or Mississippi. And that's cool. You bloggers and blogreaderers are a solid bunch.

With yesterday's post and the heavily accelerated bloodflow from baseball that means something on my TV once again, I feel like I can get back into the swing (hey-o!) of writing again.

So what better way to do so than throw up yet another trade post! Right?!

Right.

This one came from Scott Crawford (on cards), who I've never actually seen on cards, so he must be a big fat liar.

Just kidding, Scott.

Anyways, on to some CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!1

2010 Mothership Update, Gold-Flavoured

First, the centerpiece. Yeah, a $.79 card on COMC might not be a centerpiece, but this one has been hard to come by. There are many things I love about this one. The gold border. Ghetto serial numbering, classy RC logo (on a true, what I understand to be XRC), catcher's equipment. What I don't like? JP's douchey sunglasses.

2010 Bowman Firstie

...and JP's Bowman "Rookie Card." This is not a rookie card to me. I like the Dunedin shot, though, and this is a nice, classy first-year card. I have a few incarnations of this one, but my first of the Flagship, coincidentally.

2011 Bowman's Best

Devin Mesoraco? Sure. Why the hell not? I love this Bowman's Best release. I've got quite a few of the heavy hitters in this one and really want to go after the complete set, because, well, it's gorgeous for a flashy release. And I usually don't care for flash. As for Mesoraco, he's a young catcher, so he kind of fits into my Puma Box collections, meh. I am undecided.

1992 Greatest Set of All-Time.

Classic Pudge.

Pudge Squared

PUDGE OVERLOAD.

1997 Score Awesome

Any trade with a horizontal, catching Carlos Delgado is a good trade. Especially if it's three years after he lost relevance as a catcher.

2009 Upper Deck is Beautiful

Earlier today I commented on a blog that I just don't care for cards with sketches, drawings, cartoons, caricatures, etc. This is a big exception. Geographic relevance on baseball cards would be my biggest turn-on if it had anything to do with a woman's personality traits.

2002 Upper Deck WTF

I don't know what set this came from. HALP.

*Junior Griffey in a Reds uniform is kind of like learning there's no Santa Claus. Of course, I don't ever really remember believing in Santa. By the way, I grew up to be a scientist.

HOOOKAY.

You made it this far. Didn't even know this card was coming. It was the surprise of the package and now is one of my favourite Junior Griffeys, EVAR:

1990 Topps Rookie Cup

It's soooo blue. Blue Eye of Springfield borders, blue uniform pacthes, blue hat, blue batting gloves, blue foam (or cement) on the dugout. I don't even like blue so much, but damn.

This card is unspeakable beautiful. Listen to me. I'm just rambling. I really need to look into more Junior Griffeys from these day.

Oh, and, you know. Topps Rookie Cup. An actually deserving one. No  big deal.

Huge thanks for these, Scott.

Isn't trading great?

Your 2013 Blue Jays discuss 2013 Heritage

Warning: Adult Blogger Language, Dammit.

Jose: Dis version o' Topps is majestic, beautiful. Like a deep fly ball against a bright blue Florida sky.

 Brett: Yer shittin' me, right Joey? It's just a bunch of fuckin' head shots of dirty hayseeds...all sweaty an' shit. You probably just sold like 53000 fricken packs, why ya gotta lie to the good folks? I mean just look at this creepy fuck:

Emilo: Hey mang.

JPA: Brett, I love you, but shut the hell up. That's not funny - guys gotta be on some Predator list or something. Besides, there is a quiet dignity to like, a third of the set maybe.

RA, in a "Dad" voice: Now JP, it's not that bad. 

Joshe Thole: Yeah, RA! Besides, Brett is kind of funny, Mr. JP.

JPA: Shut up and carry my bags, rookie.

Raj, softly: But JP he's not even a rook--

Ricky: Rajai, shut the hell up or I'll shave the other half of your face.

Casey: Let's get back on topic, Ricky. Anyways, it's not that bad, you know - I mean look at me. Then again, I always look good. Is Sergio hurt yet?

Josh Johnson, AKA Grumpy Cat: NO

Melky: Thankyou fans!

Ricky: Who the fuck invited this guy? He doesn't even have the right hat on. 

RA: I've never seen him before. Wait - weren't you on the Giants last year?

Jos-eh: No worry about him mang,  he come with me, ju no walk off de Island! Brandon - sup wid dat stare of yooz?

Brandon: Too bright. Can't see a damn thing. Wait - what the hell happened to your eyebrow, Jose?

Raj, quietly: Yeah Jose, what happened?

Ricky: Raj, you're out of your element.

Colby: Hey guys, I just got here. Holy shit it's bright. Where's Anthony?

Anthony: 

JPA: I think he's sleeping. With his eyes open.

Anthony: Soooo many hot babes at Spring Training. I want to be sent down to Dunedin.

Colby: That's what I like about Spring Training girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age.

Lindy: I am so fuckin' done with this shit.