Another Day, Another Seager...

Hoping for yet another homer in game 3 today, although this time maybe it can be a 3 run shot?! I was so bummed with the way game 2 turned out yesterday. Bases loaded three times and they couldn't muster any runs. Now they're facing a lefty today, so I'm hoping they can turn it around. We really need the bats to come up big today, especially with Maeda on the mound. Fingers crossed that they get it done! If they lose today, I don't think they stand a chance in the series.

On a side note, I'm heavily rooting for the Cubbies! I hope they destroy Bum and the rest of those pesky Giants. I am so over hearing about this even year BS. If the Dodgers don't advance, I at least want to see the Cubs go all the way. It really seems like it's their destiny.

Now on to the card of the day. I picked this up to go along with the red auto:

 

Seager Red Ginter 1/1

Ok, so it's not really a 1 of 1, but it is most definitely the only live red auto at the moment (obviously that will change at some point). I was lucky enough to win an auction for this redemption months ago on ebay. I was equally shocked at the quick turnaround on this one, because with a bunch of pending Kershaw redemptions, I'm used to waiting a few years to get stuff from Topps. Even though Ginter autos aren't as beloved as Heritage for example, I have to say these mini framed autos are my favorite. I love everything about this card. Happy Saturday to everyone, and GOD BLESS VIN SCULLY!

Finally got a Topps Redemption in the Mail!

With so many pending redemptions, it got to the point where I just stopped checking the Topps page, because it seemed like none of my redemption cards were getting made/signed. Well, after about 6 months of no good news, fellow blogger, DodgerPenguin mentioned that a few Kershaw cards finally got signed! Sure enough, it turned out that I had a card on the way. I was on vacation for a week and a half, and when I got back, there it was:

Seager Smooth- 2016 Topps Chrome

I was trying to resist spending more money on cards, but this was a deal I just couldn't pass up.  While I'm not a big fan of the 2016 Topps design, I really wanted a chrome Seager rookie auto.  The blue chrome would have been ideal, but they are selling for more than I want to spend, so the chrome base auto was just fine with me.  The scratches on the surface are from the case it came in, and this is likely an ideal gold banner candidate, so I may just have to raw grade it when BGS is in town.  Enjoy!:   

Story of the Unfortunate Ginter RIP Card

After receiving my pristine double-sided rip card, I was looking forward to the one-sided Kershaw rip card, but it arrived completely damaged.  I planned on returning it, but the seller offered me a 50% refund.  I was torn on what to do, but I eventually decided to get the partial refund and immediately ripped open that sucker.  I never seem to have much luck with hobby boxes, which is why I always buy singles, but I was hoping this rip card would be my lucky day...Well, it most definitely wasn't.  I ended up with a Jake Arrieta ssp mini, and I must admit, I'm not a fan of his.  If there are any Cubs fans out there, feel free to comment with an offer.   Thanks for reading, and have a great day.
   

2016 Allen & Ginter Double Rip Kershaw/Maeda

The rip cards have always been interesting to me.  On one hand, I would love to rip them and see what's inside, but on the other hand, I think it's even better to just leave the card as-is.  The mystery element is what makes them so appealing to me.  I have held out on previous years due to the high prices, but this year I was finally able to find one for a price I was comfortable with.  apparently the rip cards are not as desirable this year in comparison to years past.  Either way, I definitely won't be ripping this card, that's for sure.  Who knows what's inside?  I love the design on these, and ripping it would be a shame, and most likely a huge letdown.  Here it is:   

Allen & Ginter 2016 "K" Booklet

I had been patiently awaiting the arrival of 2016 Allen & Ginter, and I've been lucky enough to pick up some very nice autographed cards of my favorite Dodgers. This one definitely takes the cake though. It was very expensive, but nowhere near the ebay asking price thanks to a little web site called Blowout. As soon as this card got listed the watch count was up to 11, so I knew I would need to act quickly. The seller just so happened to be a name I recognized, so I quickly shot the seller a message and asked if he would take down the listing. Unfortunately he wanted to see what type of offers he would get, but he said he was going to give me first shot at the card regardless. Another Kershaw collector that I know from Blowout has almost all the 1/1 Kershaw cards, and he has an endless supply of money, so I just knew he would try and get this card. Turns out that I was right, but because I was the first one to contact the seller, they told me what they planned on countering his offer with. I immediately suggested PP direct to save us both some money, and a few days later this card showed up at my doorstep:

Corey Seager PC Addition and Some Rambling:

After the Dodgers awesome come back win last night, I was motivated to post a new blog entry! With the red ink Seager Heritage auto currently out of my price range, I decided to look for the next best thing. A graded 9.5 was a must for me, because Heritage is notorious for having soft corners. Everyone knows the Bowman Chrome first year autos are always the most valuable cards for any given player, but IMO the Heritage autos are right behind them as far as long term value. Although I do have to admit, that's not why I like Heritage. My sole reason for collecting Heritage is the design. I'm old school when it comes to baseball cards. I'm really not a fan of the new designs, and the 1956 Topps is my all time favorite, so that should tell you all you need to know. In addition to my new Seager Heritage auto (1967 design), I thought I would share a card I purchased a year ago with the '56 design. It's not an official Topps release, but this artist has produced some nice looking cards. Have a great weekend everyone!

Stadium Club 2016

I've said it once, and I will say it again, I have loved Topps Stadium Club since I was a kid.  The photos are unique, and they always look sharp.  Stadium Club is simplicity at its best and it's a throwback the 80's and early 90's Topps releases, which is a good thing IMO.  I spent a few days going back and forth with an a-holish (yes, I know it's not a word) seller on ebay for this one.  He wanted more than the card was worth, especially with a dinged corner, and he refused to bend on the price.  I told him, "Bye Felicia," and decided to just move along. Within a day of the failed negotiations, another seller ended up listing the same card, only this one had perfect corners. 

The timing couldn’t have been better, and after initially rejecting my offer, the seller came around and agreed to my more than fair offer.   This Kershaw goes together quite nicely with last years no-hitter version (the pic made the auto look streaky, but it's perfect):  

My Other Ebay Bucks Pickup...

and of course it's a Kershaw card.  I have been collecting the Topps Museum gold framed autos for about three years now, and the only one that continues to allude me is the ultra rare 2011, which has a print run of only 10.  It was released under the much maligned and now extinct Topps Marquee product.  If anyone out there reading this knows where I can get one, please let me know!

Now onto my latest pickup.  I had been waiting to purchase a 2106 gold frame, but all of the ones I saw on ebay had silver ink that was barely visible.  Then a few weeks ago, a perfect silver ink gold frame showed up on ebay, but it ended up selling for way too much money.  After that sale, I kind of figured I would pass on 2016 since the autos were so bad.  Of course I spoke too soon, because last week I saw a silver frame Kershaw with a pretty solid auto up for auction. I knew I had some more ebay bucks to spend, so I figured I might as well go for it.  I ended up winning it for a pretty decent price, and even though I prefer the gold frames /15, the silver frame /10 is better than nothing.  The pics really don't do these cards justice.  They look ten times better in person, and when I finally had this card in hand, I was ecstatic.   Here it is:

Ebay Bucks Pickup:

The first of my two ebay bucks purchases came in yesterday, and I couldn't be happier!  I started my Seager Bowman 2013 refractor project about two years ago, but I gave up after realizing it would be way too expensive to get the red and canary refractors.  It was just too hard for me to justify paying hundreds for those cards, especially when I paid virtually nothing for the gold and orange refractors a few years ago.  I now regret not going after the canary and red refractors harder, especially after seeing another Dodgers blogger acquire them for his collection (At least one of us has them now).    The prices have skyrocketed, and understandably so...so what did I do?  The next best thing:  Magenta Refractor /32.  The card is beautiful, and it is so sharp, it could very well grade 10.  I literally couldn't find anything wrong with it.  This pristine card will definitely be graded in the future, so stay tuned.  Thanks for stopping by, and GO DODGERS!

Kershaw Card of the Day

Topps 2016 Series 2 has some interesting autographed cards, and the Futures autos immediately caught my eye.  The auto cards have a print run of 25, so I knew it would be a challenge to find one on ebay at a good price.  After a few weeks of waiting, a seller listed one with a best offer option.  We were able to come to an agreement, and here it is:

We Don' Need No Stinkin Patches...or Do We?

I've always kept my eye on the Momentous Materials patch autos, and I figured if there was ever a chance to pick one up at a decent price then I would have to at least try.  Well I just so happened to find two patch autos from two different years, listed on ebay at auction virtually weeks apart.  They weren't cheap, but they were much less than what they sold for in the past.  Here they are n all their glory.  Happy 4th of July to everyone!!!  Be safe and have some fun...

 

"It's Tiiime for Dodger Baseball"

Man, I'm really gonna miss Vin!...A lot of people, especially the media have written off the Dodgers, especially now that Kershaw is on the DL.  But something interesting has happened.  Now that the team knows they can't rely on Kershaw, they've really stepped it up, especially the offense.  My personal pick for starting ss for the NL is a big reason for this.  Corey the kid is playing like an MVP, well other than his sometimes questionable defense.  He should be the starting ss in the All Star game, but I guess people would rather have a starter with an average in the 230's  (REALLY?!).  Ok, I will now step off my soap box.

So anyway, on to the card of the day.  I decided to pick up a blue refractor rookie auto of Mr. Seager, and I really think this one has a good shot at a 9.5:

Kershaw Card of the Day: 9.5 eTopps Rookie Auto

I had been after a graded version of this card for quite some time, and it finally showed up as an auction on ebay.  With a 9.5 graded population of 5, this was a special one for me, and I'm super happy to be able to add this to my Kershaw collection. 

BTW, how about Grandal coming through in the clutch last night?!  The Dodgers really needed that win, especially with the red hot Giants continuing to put the pressure on them.  It seems like the Gnats never lose, but I would think at some point they hit a cold streak...right?  I mean, maybe?  Fingers crossed!

Time to Hit the Panic Button?

A lot of fans sure think so.  I personally feel like it’s too early to write off the season, but things do not look good.  Rather than focusing on the negative, let’s take a look at the positive.  The young guys are really starting to make an impact, ie. Seager, Thompson and yes, even Joc (in the field anyway).  I have also been pleasantly surprised with Adam Libertore, who I wanted DFA’d earlier in the season.  The emergence of Julio Urias is also extremely promising, even though he only has about 70 innings left this year, before they shut him down.  This brings me to the possible secret weapon.  We are all eagerly awaiting the arrival of Montas.  The guy throws in the upper 90’s, and he is sure to make a big impact, even if they decide it’s out of the bullpen.  What puzzles me as well as the rest of the Dodgers fans is why this team has been so horrendous on the offensive end this season.  They have no fire, and they just look like losers up at the plate.  Take last night for example; bases loaded with one out and Kike Hernandez up at the plate.  It was painfully obvious that he was going to strike out, and well, he did.  What happened next...do I even need to say it.  0-12 with runners in scoring position!  YIKES!  This is becoming a broken record for this team.  I’m getting so sick of watching this team fail time and time again.  I am loyal though, and I will always support my boys in blue.  I can’t stand bandwagon fans!  Yes, the Dodgers are boring, but you have to stay true.  We are The Dodgers are only a few players away from being a major contender, and I believe that even though we may not catch the Giants, we can at least secure a Wild Card spot.  Only time will tell.

Card of the day is a steal from ebay that I got last year in the $70 range.  Not too shabby for a Heritage auto:

 

Topps Tier One Gallery and Kershaw card of the day

The new Tier One is a mixed bag, with some really nice autos, and some not-so nice autos.  In years past I collected every single auto parallel of Kershaw that I could get my hands on, and this year will likely be no different.  I got a decent jump start yesterday, when I purchased the bronze ink auto /25 via BIN.  I may have slightly overpaid by 10 or 20 bucks, but I've seen how some of the other players bronze ink autos turned out (not good), and I wasn't going to take any chances.  Here it is

KOUFAX AND OTHER THOUGHTS...

Before adding this to my PC, I was sitting on two Koufax autos for quite a while.  I have said it before, and I will say it again.  Five Star has always been one of my favorite Topps releases.  When this Koufax auto turned up at auction I decided to go for it against my better judgment.  I hate to use the word “waste,” but let’s be honest; buying autographed baseball cards is a huge waste of money.  I just can’t get enough of them though.  I suppose this is no different than being addicted to drugs, but at least I’m not hurting my body or other people.  The only thing I’m really hurting is my wallet.  I won the ebay auction and I'm happy to have another Koufax in my Dodgers PC.  The pick is a bit blurry, but the card itself and the autograph are flawless.  I'm no professional grader, but this has 9.5 written all over it...
 

Kershaw Gypsy Queen 2016

After adding the orange auto /25, I really wanted to snag a red /5, but I figured it would be impossible.  Lucky for me, someone ended up listing a red, and although I figured it would be a long shot, I ended up winning the auction, and best of all, I paid only slightly more than I had for the orange.  The card is definitely not 9.5 material, but I've noticed that the Gypsy Queen autos in this years product have had a lot of imperfections and corner dings.  I'm starting to feel like Topps purposely does this!  The card itself is really slick, and IMO it looks better than his auto card from 2015 Gypsy Queen.  Overall it's a nice addition to the PC, and I'm happy to have it:

Kershaw Rarity Finally Attained

When Topps 2013 Archives was released, it seemed like all Dodger collectors wanted to get their hands on this card, and I saw people paying prices north of $200.  That seemed a bit high to me, and I decided to wait it out.  Unfortunately, the wait for this card ended up being years.  I figured I would never see one of these on the market again, because of the limited run /10.  So imagine my surprise when last weekend this card popped up on ebay.  I submitted my best offer and asked the seller to give me priority since I had purchased Kershaw's from him before.  5 min. later my offer was accepted, and I am now the proud owner of this awesome throwback.  I hope everyone has a nice weekend.  It's feeling like summer!    

Kershaw FTW!

The game has just gotten underway, but I'm hoping Kershaw can put a lid on the NY Mets crowd. Go ahead guys, keep boooooing Chase. The Dodgers needed something to light a fire, so let's hope this is only a start of better things to come. I'm pegging Kershaw for an 11 SO/1 earned run game. Let's see if I'm right! Go DODGERS! My latest Kershaw pickup from 2016 Gypsy Queen:

Julio Mania!

So the day has finally arrived.  The 19 year-old "phenom" is making his first start in the big leagues against the Mets in what's sure to be a very hostile environment.  I have heard that nothing really bother Urias, so I don't expect the crazy NY crowd to get to him, but of course you just never know.  In honor of the kid, here are some of my cards:

“We’ll take ‘em any way we can get ‘em.”

I have been so torn this year regarding the Dodgers.  I tune in to listen to the legend that is Vin Scully, but it’s becoming more of a chore to watch the Dodgers as of late.  How many times can one watch the Dodgers get runners on and no outs, and do absolutely nothing with it?!  It’s literally starting to drive me crazy.  I mean look at last night for example.  We are facing the Reds, who are by all accounts one of the worst teams in MLB this year.  We managed 1 meager run in 9 innings, and the runner scored on a double play, but hey, whatever gets the job done, right?  “We’ll take ‘em any way we can get ‘em.”  Of course, the one glaring bright spot is Clayton Kershaw.  He didn’t strike out his usual 10 plus, but he only gave up 2 hits and thankfully his pitch count was low enough that he could go all 9, which was vital, especially after the 17 inning marathon yesterday.  Kersh is such a gamer! 

Kershaw card of the day: