2010 Upper Deck Blaster Break. Lets Trade!

I stopped by my local Target today to pick up some cleaning supplies.  So, of course I had to check out the baseball card aisle.  There was a blaster of 2010 Upper Deck on sale for 9.99.  I didn't buy much of this product last year.  So, I picked this up because it's all kinda new to me.  The photography is great but the inserts are kinda stinky.  They are very bland and unimaginative to me.  Well, anyway here are the cards that I pulled that I have for trade. 

BASE:

Andrew Miller #221

Andy Sonnanstine #486

Brian Buscher #313

Burke Badenhop #218

Carlos Carrasco #7

Carlos Lee #225

Carlos Quentin #126

Charlie Morton #399

Chris Davis #497

Chris Ray #86

Clete Thomas #193

Dan Wheeler #485

David DeJesus #241

Dustin McCowan #523

Hanley Ramirez #222

Howie Kendrick #261

Ian Snell #443

Jake Peavy #141

Jake Westbrook #168

James Shields #487

Jason Bergmann #540

Jeff Francoeur #327

Jered Weaver #267

Jesse Chavez #401

Joe Nathan #316

Joe Saunders #268

Josh Fields #131

Juan Uribe #437

Kevin Richardson #29

Kevin Slowey #314

Luis Castillo #328

Luis Durango #16

Luis Valbuena #174

Mark Buehrle #134

Marlon Byrd #509

Matt Carson #34

Matt LaPorta #161

Matt Tuiasosopo #446

Nate McLouth #73

Nick Green #107

Nick Punto #310

Nolan Reimold #76

Oakland,California Ballparks #560

Pat Burrell #480

Rafael Soriano #57

Rob Johnson #457

Ryan Zimmerman #529

Shaun Marcum #524

Sizemore/Hafner Checklist #578

Tony Pena #125

Wandy Rodriguez #234

Zach Duke #400

Here is an example of what the base cards look like.  I'm sure that almost all of you have seen this but just in case check out this Hanley card.

I have some of these inserts to trade:

I got a couple of these Celebrity Predictor inserts.  This one features Gwenyth Paltrow and some dude.  These cards are awful.  If know one wants to trade me for this card then the next person that I trade a card lot with will get this in there bundle.  Maybe this will be a new Bipping experience.  I also pulled the one with Robert Pattinson and some chick with a guitar.  So, two different traders may have these coming there way as a surprise.

This Baseball Heroes 20th Anniversary card of Nick Markakis for trade.  I know that there are a lot of Oriole bloggers out there so, maybe one of you guys will want this one.

I pulled a couple Upper Deck Portraits inserts.  This is one of K-Rod.  If you have a PC going of players that punch out your father in law then this is the card for you.  I also picked up a Upper Deck Portrait card of the pitcher Chris Young.

I also pulled some Season Biography cards.  I didn't take any pictures of these because they are dull and ugly.  But, you guys have probably seen them anyways, probably too much. I have a Josh Willingham, Jeff Nieman, and Jorge Cantu for trade from this insert set.

Here is an Upper Deck Gold card of Yovani Gallardo #ed/99.  I love a low numbered parallel set.  I hope someone loves this card more than me and sends me a nice Doyer in return.

The blaster has one guaranteed game used card.  Luckily, I pulled a Todd Helton with a pinstripe down the middle.  I have emailed Hiflew from Cards From the Quarry to give him first dibs.  If he doesn't want/need this card and then this card will be up for trade.

If anyone needs the cards that I have listed or pictured please let me know and we'll be able to work something out.

Trade Post, awesomeness from Scott Crawford

Scott Crawford and I crossed paths in the trade bait draft hosted at the Great Sports Name Hall of Fame blog.  We were able to work out some trades.  Scott Crawford has many player collections going on so, trading with him is fairly easy.  He sent me this gem of Don Drysdale.  Drysdale was a key cog on the 1963 World Series winning Dodgers team.  That team actually swept the Yanks that season.  I can't imagine the joy every Dodger fan and possibly every other non-Yankee fan felt after that series.

This is a Nomo card that was also included in the package.  I like this set.  The baby blue border jives real well with Dodger Blue.  My Nomo PC has been skyrocketing since I started this blog.  Starting this blog has been one of the best ideas I have had in a very long time.

I have added another Ryan Braun rookie card to my collection.  This is another perk of my blog, which is getting cards in trades so, I don't have to scour ebay searching for it.  Keep the Brauns coming readers. 

One of the main pieces of our trade was him sending me this Nomo Metal Universe card.  I loved this set back in the day.  I miss the days when card companies would take a risk and see if it works.  I also think this set has stood the test of time.  Even though the drawing on this card doesn't look like Nomo, it is still an awesome comic book depiction of him. 

Thank you for the trade, Scott Crawford.  He posts a lot on his blog and it's an enjoyable read.  Please check it out here.  I just sent out your package today.  Sorry for the delay.

Ichiro Haves List

Here is a list of cards that I have of Ichiro.

Updated on 12-29-14

Ichiro                                               

2001 Bowman Chrome #351
2001 Fleer Platinum Chart Toppers #416
2001 Fleer Platinum Chart Toppers #417
2001 Fleer Platinum Team Leaders #436
2001 Topps #363
2001 Topps #726
2001 Topps Nestle #6
2001 Topps Stadium Club #51
2001 Upper Deck 2001 Greatest Hits GH2
2001 Upper Deck Checklist #493
2002 Bowman Heritage #261
2002 Donruss Fan Club #147
2002 Fleer MLB Hot Prospects #45
2002 Fleer Premium #71
2002 Fleer Ultra #51
2002 Leaf #142
2002 MLB Showdown S30
2002 Topps 10 #87
2002 Topps 206 T206-5
2002 Topps Heritage #1
2002 Topps Heritage Then and Now TN4
2002 Topps League Leaders #337
2002 Topps League Leaders #338
2002 Topps Stadium Club #70
2002 Upper Deck #123
2002 Upper Deck #726
2002 Upper Deck Checklist #738
2002 Upper Deck Diamond Connection #12
2002 Upper Deck Honor Roll #18
2002 Upper Deck MVP #12
2002 Upper Deck MVP #16
2002 Upper Deck MVP #53
2002 Upper Deck MVP Checklist #298
2002 Upper Deck Ovation #9
2002 Upper Deck Pepsi #4
2002 Upper Deck Sweet Spots #13
2003 Bazooka Mini #229
2003 Donruss #180
2003 Donruss Champions #236
2003 Donruss Diamond Kings #6
2003 Donruss Elite Series #ed/2500 ES-3
2003 Flair #81
2003 Fleer Box Score #71
2003 Fleer Hardball #131
2003 Fleer Tradition All-Star U208
2003 Fleer Ultra #3
2003 Playoff Absolute Memorbilia #79
2003 Playoff Prestige #71
2003 Topps #100
2003 Topps 205 Fielder's Choice Fold-Out TF35
2003 Topps Gallery #30
2003 Topps Opening Day #90
2003 Upper Deck 40 Man #129
2003 Upper Deck Superstars #217
2003 Upper Deck Talk of the Town TT12
2003 Upper Deck Victory #198
2004 Bazooka Comic BC21
2004 Fleer Authentix Ticket Studs #8
2004 Fleer Classic Clippings #8
2004 Fleer Ultra #40
2004 Fleer Ultra Gold Medallion #40
2004 Leaf Second Edition #77
2004 Skybox Autographics #5
2004 Topps #10
2004 Topps #703
2004 Topps All-Stars TAS2
2004 Upper Deck #67
2004 Upper Deck Checklist #286
2005 Bazooka Comic #20
2005 Donruss Champions #10
2005 Donruss Diamond Kings #202
2005 Donruss Greats #113
2005 Fleer National Past Time #36 #ed/150
2005 Fleer National Past Time Grand Old Game GG12
2005 Fleer Standouts #2
2005 Fleer Ultra #137
2005 Leaf #176
2005 Skybox Autographics #48
2005 Topps Heritage #7
2005 Topps Opening Day #7
2005 Topps Total Checklist TTC25
2005 Upper Deck Bound for Glory #456
2005 Upper Deck Checklist #495
2005 Upper Deck First Pitch #286
2005 Upper Deck Reflections #11
2006 Bowman Chrome #50
2006 Fleer #86
2006 Fleer Ultra #80
2006 Topps #225
2006 Topps All Star Fan Fest #1
2006 Topps Chrome #136
2006 Topps Chrome Gold Glove #260
2006 Topps Chrome Gold Glove Refractor #260
2006 Topps Gold #225
2006 Topps Hobby Masters HM16
2006 Topps Rookie 0f the Week #726
2006 Topps Sports Illustrated for Kids Funny Photos #22
2006 Topps Update All-Star #218
2006 Topps Update Team Leaders #320
2006 Upper Deck #406
2006 Upper Deck Diamond Stars DS29
2006 Upper Deck National Pastime NP-15
2006 Upper Deck Player Highlights PH19
2006 Upper Deck Speed to Burn SB6
2006 Upper Deck Stars #62
2006 Upper Deck Sweet Spot #82
2007 Allen and Ginter #300
2007 Bowman #75
2007 Bowman Chrome #75
2007 Bowman Chrome Refractor #75
2007 Fleer Ultra #173
2007 Topps #313
2007 Topps #400
2007 Topps Fan Favorites FF16
2007 Topps Finest Green Refractor #105 #ed/199
2007 Topps Heritage #489
2007 Topps Heritage Then and Now TN7
2007 Topps Moments and Milestones #10
2007 Topps Moments and Milestones #11 #ed/150
2007 Topps Moments and Milestones #6
2007 Topps Opening Day #154
2007 Topps Opening Day Diamond Stars DS25
2007 Topps Stars TS12
2007 Topps Update #222
2007 Topps WM15
2007 Topps World Domination WD7
2007 Upper Deck #196
2007 Upper Deck Artifacts #26
2007 Upper Deck Checklist #481
2007 Upper Deck Future Stars #83
2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces #43
2007 Upper Deck SP Authentic #87
2007 Upper Deck SP Authentic Speed AS26
2007 Upper Deck SP Rookie Edition #87
2007 Upper Deck Triple Play TP15
2008 Allen and Ginter #250
2008 Allen and Ginter Mini Ginter Back #250
2008 Bowman #185
2008 Bowman Gold #185
2008 Topps #320
2008 Topps All Rookie Team ARC11
2008 Topps Chrome #83
2008 Topps Heritage #373
2008 Topps Heritage Mini HTCP11
2008 Topps Opening Day #19 of 25
2008 Topps Stadium Club First Day Issue #51
2008 Topps Update All-Star #95
2008 Topps Year in Review YR-33
2008 Upper Deck #139
2008 Upper Deck #364
2008 Upper Deck 20th Anniversary Hobby Preview UDC20/UD-48
2008 Upper Deck A Piece of History Franchise History FH46 #ed/699
2008 Upper Deck A Piece of History Stadium Scenes SS48 #ed/699
2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes #182
2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes #186
2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes Black #152
2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes Black #182
2008 Upper Deck Checklist #364
2008 Upper Deck Documentary #1450
2008 Upper Deck Documentary #2045
2008 Upper Deck First Edition Starquest Common SQ-46
2008 Upper Deck National Baseball Card Day UD12
2008 Upper Deck Season Highlights #739
2008 Upper Deck SP Authentic #4
2008 Upper Deck SP Authentic Authentic Achievements AA-28
2008 Upper Deck SP Authentic Marquee Match-up MM-16
2008 Upper Deck SP Authentic Marquee Match-Up MM-19
2008 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts #4
2008 Upper Deck Starquest Common SQ46
2008 Upper Deck Starquest SQ1
2008 Upper Deck Timeline #48
2008 Upper Deck X #87
2008 Upper Deck Xponential X2-IS
2008 Upper Deck Xponential X3-15
2009 Allen and Ginter National Pride NP68
2009 Bowman WBC BDPW1
2009 O-Pee-Chee Black #275
2009 Topps Legends of the Game LG15
2009 Topps Million Giveaway TMC-4
2009 Topps Ticket to Stardom #2
2009 Topps Update #153
2009 Upper Deck #333
2009 Upper Deck #866
2009 Upper Deck A Piece Of History #83
2009 Upper Deck Award Winners #958
2009 Upper Deck Goudey 4 in 1 Red #35-74
2009 Upper Deck Icons #46
2009 Upper Deck Rivals R23
2009 Upper Deck SP Authentic #51
2009 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts Blue #51
2009 Upper Deck Starquest Gold-Rare SQ-12
2009 Upper Deck Team Leaders #451
2009 Upper Deck X #80
2009 Upper Deck X #87
2010 Allen and Ginter #149
2010 Allen and Ginter Sketch Card AGHS5
2010 Allen and Ginter This day in History TDH37
2010 Bowman #172
2010 Bowman Platinum #44
2010 Bowman Platinum Refractor #44
2010 National Chicle #3
2010 Topps #125
2010 Topps 206 #52
2010 Topps 206 Bronze #52
2010 Topps Attax
2010 Topps Card Your Mom Threw Out CMT111
2010 Topps Card Your Mom Threw Out CMT50
2010 Topps Chrome #38
2010 Topps League Leaders #8
2010 Topps Legendary Lineage LL-37
2010 Topps Million Giveaway TMC-14
2010 Topps Opening Day #56
2010 Topps Peak Performance PP34
2010 Topps Town FCTTT6
2010 Topps Town TTT6
2010 Topps Update All-Star #130
2010 Topps WalMart Black #125
2010 Upper Deck #451
2010 Upper Deck #499
2010 Upper Deck All World AW-9
2010 Upper Deck Portraits SE-79
2010 Upper Deck Season Biography SB172
2010 Upper Deck Season Biography SB184
2011 Allen and Ginter #250
2011 Allen and Ginter Baseball Highlight Sketches BHS25
2011 Bowman #153
2011 Bowman Chrome Rookie Reprint #351
2011 Bowman Platinum #100
2011 Bowman Platinum Emerald #100
2011 Gypsy Queen Green Frame #1
2011 Gypsy Queen Wall Climbers WC6
2011 Leaf Limited GU Jersey #ed/499 #15
2011 Playoff Contenders Season Ticket #38
2011 Topps #200
2011 Topps 60 GU Jersey T60R-IS
2011 Topps Attax
2011 Topps Chrome #50
2011 Topps Chrome Refractor #50
2011 Topps Chrome Vintage VC22
2011 Topps Diamond #200
2011 Topps Diamond Anniversary HTA2
2011 Topps Diamond Star DS-20
2011 Topps Finest Finest Foundations FF012
2011 Topps Heritage #317
2011 Topps Kimball Mini KC10
2011 Topps Lineage #120
2011 Topps Lineage #196
2011 Topps Lineage Diamond Anniversary #196
2011 Topps Lineage Diamond Platinum #196
2011 Topps Opening Day #110
2011 Topps Opening Day Celebrations SC20
2011 Topps Target #385
2011 Topps Team Card #589
2011 Topps Team Card Diamond #589
2011 Topps Tier One #51 #ed/799
2011 Topps Town TT-20
2011 Topps WHP13
2012 Allen and Ginter Baseball Highlight Sketches BH3
2012 Bowman Chrome #155
2012 Bowman Gold #176
2012 Bowman Platinum #8
2012 Gypsy Queen #40
2012 Gypsy Queen SP #40
2012 Panini Triple Play #293
2012 Panini Triple Play #75
2012 Panini Triple Play Piece 2 #191
2012 Panini Triple Play Piece 5 #194
2012 Panini Triple Play Piece 6 #195
2012 Panini Triple Play Piece 8 #197
2012 Panini Triple Play Piece 9 #198
2012 Topps #119
2012 Topps '87 Mini TM105
2012 Topps '87 Mini TM14
2012 Topps Archives #155
2012 Topps Archives Deckle Edge #6
2012 Topps Blockbusters BB23
2012 Topps Chrome #100
2012 Topps Golden Giveaway GGC-9
2012 Topps Golden Moments GM25
2012 Topps Mini #119
2012 Topps Museum Collection #89 #ed/299
2012 Topps Opening Day Elite Skills ES-12
2012 Topps Update #272
2012 Topps Update Short Print #272
2013 Panini Prizm #106
2013 Panini Prizm #25
2014 Donruss #59

Trade Post from the Heavens featuring Cardboard Heaven

Cam from Cardboard Heaven ,recently sent me a trade package with some greatness in it.  He sent me my first Ichiro rookie card.  It's a 2001 Topps card.  This acquisition also knocks off a card from my most wanted list.

He also sent me my first Kurt Suzuki auto.  I began following Kurt Suzuki's career when he was at Cal State Fullerton and have continued to follow him in the bigs.  The Peak Performance autos look really nice.  Topps did a great job with this set.  I may look to obtain more autos from this set.

Also, included in this trade was a 2010 Bowman Platinum Refractor #ed/999.  You can definitely see the rainbow glow from the picture above.  I am really happy with how this trade came together.  Cam collects Brewers, Ravens and he has various other player collections going on.  Check out his blog and make a deal with him.  He is an easy trader to deal with and I hope that I'll be able to swing a deal with him in the future.
Thanks for the cards!!!

Ebay/SCF Pick-Ups

I love to trade baseball cards.  Which is an obvious statement, being that I have a baseball card blog.  Trading is one of my favorite things to do in this hobby.  You send cards that you may not want to someone who will really enjoy them and they send you something that you'll cherish.  Also, the person you mail a package to is a stranger.  You may never meet this person or even know what they look like.  It makes the baseball card collecting even greater because of the internet.  It opens trade portals that you never know existed.  I'm sure Al Gore had trading cards in mind when he invented the internet.

The Shawn Green card above was acquired from one of the many strangers that I trade with on the Sports Card Forum.  It's a card from 2001 Private Stock.  The Sports Card Forum was a site that I joined last fall when I started to get back into collecting.  That site has been the source of over a hundred trades and helped me build up my collection.  I had a lot of gaps to fill in my PC after taking several years off from the hobby and the Sports Card Forum helped me obtain a lot of cards.  My screen name over there in Spiegel83.  So, look me up if you'd like.

This was the second card that I received in the same trade.  It's a 2009 Topps Career Best Matt Kemp GU.  This card has two gray swatches from his jersey.  It looks like a retro jersey though.  It kinda looks to be made of wool from the type of jersey Pee Wee Reese would have worn. 

This is my first game used card from 2011 Topps.  I picked this one up on ebay.  As you can compare this Matt Kemp to the 2009 Topps Matt Kemp, the jersey looks different.  The material doesn't even look the same at all.  Maybe, one of you other bloggers out there can explain this to me.  The back of this card lists the center fielders who have hit the most homers during the 09-10 season.  Kemp ranks number two behind Curtis Granderson.  Kemp takes some grief about his defense and base running from Dodger fans.  He is still a major talent with huge power potential.  I expect that if Topps does a card like this again in five years that Kemp will be far and away the number one power hitting center fielder.  That may be my Dodger bias kicking in but, I still believe that Matt Kemp is the next Dodger superstar.

Andre Ethier is my favorite current Dodger.  From his clutch hits to his great hair, Ethier is my boy.  This card is a gold refractor from 2010 Bowman Platinum numbered to 539.  I was able to snag this one for $1.25 delivered.  The goldiness gives this card a classy, regal feel.  Ethier is another Dodger that I expect to have a big year.  Maybe hit 30-35 homers if things go right.  I think my Dodger bias is persisting.

This card was another ebay pick-up.  This is a very sweet 2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces Mike Piazza.  The card depicts Piazza in Dodger blue not the stolen blue of the Mets.  I only collect Piazza cards when he is wearing a Dodger uni.  When he is pictured in any other uniform it makes me depressed and angry towards Fox for trading him.  Upper Deck Masterpieces is one of my favorite sets.  It's also a set where I have never opened a pack but, I am able to get cards from this set by way of trade or purchase.

One more thing before I go, Night Owl wrote a post last night about a package that I sent him.  I love his blog!  Anyways, he seemed to really appreciate what I sent him.  I believe he also is a reader of my blog which gives me a very happy feeling.  Night Owl is one of the blogs that got me to not only collect cards but to also read about them.  He is one of the reasons that I decided to start my own blog.  He seems to have a joyfulness in his posts.  I just wanted to give a shout out to my boy, Night Owl.  He is the leader of the Dodger Blogger Union.  Please check out what he wrote last night, right here.

Trade Post starring Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle

When I returned from my trip to Arizona, one of the packages that was waiting for me was from Greg of Plaschke Thy Sweater is Argyle.  This is the first trade that Greg and I have made together.  I have been reading his blog for awhile because we share similar PCs.  He is a collector of Dodgers and UCLA basketball players.  I don't collect basketball cards but if someone was willing to trade me a GU/Auto of a UCLA player, that would be great. 

Huuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!  One of the cards that he sent me was of former Dodger prospect Chin Lung Hu.  At one point he looked like the heir apparent to Rafael Furcal.  He put up solid offensive stats in the minors in 2007.  Hu could always field his position well but he never was able to hit at the major league level.  Hu has since been traded to the Mets in the off season.  I can see Hu sticking in the big leagues as a utility guy that can play both middle infield spots.  I wish him the best with his time in New York.

I have been trying to get all the different variations of Dodgers in the 2010 Topps Chrome set.  This one gets me closer to completing the Ethier portion of my goal.  The picture I took shows off the shininess.  Of this set I really like the blue refractors the best because it looks better on Dodger cards.  Just like, I'm sure Rockie fans like the purple refractors or Cardinal fans like the red ones.

This was the main prize in our trade.  I sent Greg a patch of Jay Cutler and this was what he offered for it.  He wrote about our trade in his blog if you want to see pictures of what I sent him.  This is a 1978 Topps card autographed by Charlie Hough.  It's my first auto of his.  This card will sit very nicely in my Dodgers PC.  Greg also sent me some Ichiro, Kinsler and other Dodgers.  It was a very nice mix of cards.  Thank you for the trade and this is only the first between us with many more to come.

Spiegel Returns from Camelback Ranch

I am back from my vacation!  I had a wonderful time watching my Doyers play some spring training games in Arizona.  The weather was great for the most part.  One of the games that I was supposed to see got rained out.  I was looking forward to the pitching match up of that game which was going to be Clayton Kershaw vs. Brett Anderson.

I'm not sure how many people in the blog world realized my lack of posts the last 5 or 6 days.  But, there will be a lot of catching up to do on the Platter.  When I came home last night, there was a nice stack of bubble mailers waiting for me.  Which was great, as I got to go through some new goodies before bed last night.

As you can see the crowds were good at Camelback Ranch.  Luckily all the games that I saw were at the Dodgers spring training complex.  That cuts down on travel time.  The game I went to on Saturday against the Brewers was jam packed.  There was lots of tailgating going on that day. 

Here's a picture of old friend Juan Pierre.  It's kind of a shame that the Dodgers don't act like a big market team and were able to keep Pierre as a 3rd/4th outfielder type despite his big contract.  Once again I blame Frank McCourt.  It's always his fault.

Today, I will be writing up at least one other post.  I will have some posts coming up that will consist of some trades made with bloggers, trades from the Sports Card Forum and some ebay pick ups.  So, enjoy the return of Spiegel!  The Platter is back in business.

Trade Post from the Quarry!

Johnny from Cards From the Quarry, and I have made a handful of trades together.  I send him some Rockies and he sends me some cards to my liking, which is mostly Dodgers.  Since Johnny is a big time Rockies fan, he has no problem sending me some Dodgers.  He has a weekly post regarding a blaster break and I check it out and see if I need any of what he's posted and then he sets them aside for me.  He busted some packs of 2009 Upper Deck Icons.  I really like the look of this set.

Aki Iwamura played on the Devil Rays when they made it to the World Series in 2008.  Yes, I still call them the Devil Rays.  I just like that name a little better than the Rays.  Anyways, I got to meet Iwamura before the 2009 season.  I was in Arizona for my annual trip to watch the Dodgers in spring training.  My family and I were dining in Scottsdale and were waiting outside for a table.  I look over and see Iwamura with a couple of his boys.  Iwamura was smoking a cig and waiting for a table also.  I mentioned it to my mother since she is a big fan of all Japanese ball players because as Japanese Americans its kinda a source of pride that the old country plays big league baseball.  She then went over to talk Iwamura's ear off while we waited to be seated.  He was very polite and signed an autograph for us.  Surprisingly we got seated before him and his party despite him being a pro ball player.  That shocked me.  I think that all pro ball players should get the royal treatment.  He was a very nice guy that listened to my mom chat with him before we went inside and then even when we saw him after our meal on the sidewalk.  Ever since them I rooted for the guy because he didn't act rudely to my family.

Here is another sweet Icons card that Johnny sent me.  Bills has been putting up some solid numbers during his Dodger career.  I don't think he gets enough national or local credit for the numbers he puts up.  He is a very solid number two that a lot of teams wish they had.  Maybe this is the year that some of his detractors switch over to rooters and stop hating on him.  The Dodger fans that don't appreciate him need to show him more respect.  He deserves better.

Ichiro!  Ichiro!  Ichiro!  Great name, great ball player and a current legend.  I don't think he will ever retire.  He may be patrolling Safeco Field into his late 40s.

Yooooouuuuuk!  Kevin Youkilis is a player that I have a minor PC going on.  I don't really seek out his cards because he plays in Boston.  But, I try to look past the uniform and appreciate the way he plays and his bad ass facial hair.  As an LA sports fan, I was programmed to hate the Giants and the Celtics.  I don't even watch the NBA but a lot of people I know including my parents are big Lakers fans.  So, since the Celtics play in Boston hence, I root against Boston sports teams.  Sorry Boston collectors.  I'll still make trades with you though.

Thanks again Johnny.  Please check out his blog.  He is a great guy to trade with.  Here is his link again: Cards from the Quarry

2009 Goodwin Champions Blaster Break Trade Bait!!!

The other day I saw a blaster of 2009 Goodwin Champions on sale at my Wal-Mart.  I had to jump at the chance to open some packs of this product.  The cards are really cool looking.  I love retro sets and this is one of the good ones.  I kept a lot of this set and also put some aside for Julie from Things are Funner Here.  So, as I will do with my box/blaster breaks is only list the stuff that I have for trade.  So, here is what I got left, dig in and lets make some trades!

For Trade:

David Price RC #148

Adrian Peterson #94

Albert Pujols Upper Deck 20th Anniversary

Alfonso Soriano #95

Bill Showron #13

Brian Roberts #63

Carlos Zambrano #117

Chase Utley #100

Chuck Liddell #70

Cliff Lee #144

David Wright #72

Dustin Pedroia #121

Ivan Rodriguez #80

Jamie Shields #103

Jason Varitek #78

Jay Bruce #39

Joe Carter #48

Joe Lewis #84

Joe Mauer #76

Jonathan Paplebon #122

Laird Hamilton #129

Matt Holiday mini #110

OJ Mayo #24

Prince Fielder #137

Ryan Ludwick #149

Tim Lincecum #108

As you can see this set has minis!  I only have one for trade right now as I kept and have already set aside some of the other ones.  I also thought that some of the non-baseball cards would annoy me as they sometimes do in retro sets but, adding a running back is pretty cool. 

Chuck Liddell was once one of the biggest bad asses on the planet.  I'm glad that he was included in this set.  He was one of the fighters that took the UFC to the next level of popularity.  To the point where non-fight fans knew who he was.

I love this card of Chase Utley.  Well not enough to keep it.  But, the cloud and the sky behind makes him like he plunging down from the heavens.

 Here is another card that has a heavenly look.  Joe Mauer is playing in the clouds.  I guess some of the cards that I'm showing is the opposite of Night Owl's night cards.  Maybe there will be a segment on the Platter of daytime cards.  You know, I live in LA and it's always sunny here.

This is a rookie card of David Price.  This guy seems like the real deal.  He's a lefty that can throw hard and has a good breaking pitch.  Leftys that have that skill set can last a long time in the bigs.









Once again, everything that I have listed and have pictured are up for trade.  This was a fun blaster to break, I hope Wal-Mart gets more of these in the future.  Also, has anyone bought a hobby box of this?  What's the price range on those?

Shot Not Taken=Awesome Trader!

Ray from Shot Not Taken, is a great dude.  This is the first trade that him and I have made together and he blew me away.  I sent him a David Wright GU and a Hisanori Takahashi X-Fractor and he sent me a lot more than that in return.  He sent me not one, but two Ryan Braun rookie cards! 

He sent me more than I asked for because I am a new blogger and he was showing me the generosity that goes on amongst the community.  Shot Not Taken must be the welcome wagon of the collecting world.

Here is a nice Upper Deck Diamond Collection GU of LA's home run king, Eric Karros.  It's also numbered to 775.  Karros appears to be getting a good secondary lead because he is about to score from second on a base hit to right.  Karros now does some TV work for Fox and locally on KCAL9.  He is a decent analyst but, makes up for it with a great head of hair. 

Ray also included a jersey card of JD Drew.  He is listed as a Red Sock but pictured as a Dodger.  It seems that Upper Deck does this a lot.  It does make the card appeal to more collectors I guess.  Drew is also the first robot to ever play for the Dodgers.  He was a productive player but, often seemed bored and had zero personality.  He was a robot that was not programmed to have any fun.  This is my first Drew relic card for my Dodgers PC.  Thanks,Ray!

You didn't think that I was going to end this trade post with JD Drew, did you?  No way!  JD Drew is not a show stopper at the Platter.  This is another Upper Deck card where two teams are featured.  Gagne was one of my all-time favorite Dodgers.  He was a beast.  Great fastball, great secondary pitches, cool hair, goat tee and he came out to "Welcome to the Jungle."  Besides his steroid use, the biggest regret that I have about his time on the Dodgers was that he didn't get to be on many great teams.  He was only on one Dodger playoff team in 2004.  I hope the Dodgers will give Gagne a job someday.  Gagne really enjoyed his time in LA and may be able to offer some help to the team someday. 

Thanks again, Ray.  Please check out his blog.  He made me so happy today when I opened the bubble mailer that he sent me.  There are so many great people in the blog world and Ray is one of them.

2008 Upper Deck Timeline Blaster Break Trade Bait

I was at my local Wal-Mart yesterday, looking for some new Topps Heritage.  There wasn't any on the shelves which is typical of my Wal-Mart.  They get cards a lot slower than some stores around the other collectors in the blog world.  So, I decided to get a discounted blaster of 2008 Upper Deck Timeline.  This set features players of 08 on cards from all different sets of Upper Deck.  It's kinda like buying a repack blaster but it was Upper Decks idea of paying tribute to its past history. 


Here is what I pulled that I have for trade:

#1 Jose Reyes

#100 Nick Adenhart RC

#103 Chad Billigsley

#112 Emmanuel Burriss RC

#137 Jake Peavy

#14 Derek Lee

#15 Jason Bay

#155 Carlos Zambrano

#17 Ken Griffey Jr.

#179 Johnny Cueto

#19 Prince Fielder

#2 David Wright

#20 Albert Pujols

#202 Nyjer Morgan RC

#203 Randor Bierd RC

#228 Justin Masterson RC

#23 Matt Kemp

#242 CC Sabathia

#256 Nick Adenhart RC

#26 Randy Johnson

#27 A-Rod

#270 Joe Mauer

#28 Derek Jeter

#30 David Ortiz

#326 Jesse Carlson RC

#36 Jim Thome

#37 Grady Sizemore

#38 Travis Hafner

#41 Justin Verlander

#44 Frank Thomas

#45 Vlad Gurerro

#46 Torii Hunter

#47 Josh Hamilton

#5 Johan Santana

#50 Erik Bedard

#67 Justin Masterson RC

#76 Greg Smith

#8 Chipper Jones

#85 Rico Washington RC

#9 Mark Texeria

#90 Brian Bocock RC

Yankee Stadium Legacy Spud Chandler YSL1509

This is the base card of this set.  It looks really nice.  I wish the whole set had this type of look.

These two to the left and right are the reason why, I didn't fully enjoy this break.  I didn't like these cards in the 90s and they brought them back and one has a picture of Nyjer Morgan on it.  Yuck!

Ok, now this is more like it.  I enjoyed pulling cards that look like this from the packs.  Remember Peavy as a Padre and CC as a Brewer.  It seems so long ago doesn't it?

Now here we go.  The look of this Billingsley is bringing back some great childhood memories.  Simple classic look by Upper Deck.

How many Yankee Stadium Legacy cards are there?  Upper Deck seems to sneak them into every set that they release.  May someone please let the card companies know that not everyone is a Yankee fan.  I don't care about there legacy!



Now here is the guaranteed hit in the box.  I got an AL MVP Josh Hamilton game used jersey!  Hamilton here is seen as a Red but named a Ranger.  So, this could be traded a little more easily since collectors of both teams may show interest in it.

In conclusion, this was an ok blaster to bust.  There was some that I liked and some that I didn't.  I got some solid PC cards out of it.  The hit was nice.  Everything that I pictured and listed is up for trade.  So, please email me or leave a comment below and we should be able to work something out.