Words of Distraction

The pain of the Dodgers playoff defeat by the hands of the Cardinals hasn't fully sunk in yet.  I am still in the zombie-like state of shock.  Totally unsure which emotion I should actually be portraying at any given moment.  I probably laughed at the most inappropriate time at work last night without even realizing laughter was not called for at the time.

The Dodgers lost in embarrassing fashion by a score of 9 to 0 in a playoff elimination game.  Clayton Kershaw started the game for the Dodgers.  Kershaw is the god-like pitcher who has the 2013 Cy Young Award wrapped up by winning an ERA title and thoroughly dominating everyone except the Cardinals.  Getting crushed when your team's ace is on the mound is the second worst way to lose a season ending contest during the postseason.

The absolute worst way, in my opinion, is by losing in walk-off fashion.  That would have hurt even worse seeing a beast like Carlos Beltran up in the bottom of the 9th and hitting a game/season ending base hit to beat the Dodgers.

The outcome is actual outcome is still terrible for Dodger fans.  Its just that it may feel even worse today if we had a grand opportunity to win Game 6 in the later innings.  Maybe that will make my fellow Dodger fans feel slightly better.

Just say to yourself, "well it could have been even more awful."

 
I decided to buy a pack of 2013 Topps Update this morning.  I felt I needed a pick me up and purchasing some new baseball cards seemed like a great idea.  When fat kids feel gloomy they eat ice cream to feel better.  When I feel dour, I scoop up some baseball cards.  That is what addicts of baseball card collecting do.  I guess if you are down in the dumps, fat and a card hoarder you eat ice cream while buying baseball cards.

This retail rack pack yielded me my first pack pulled Yasiel Puig rookie card.  I had just gotten a Chrome Puig rookie from Brad's Blog.  Maybe getting Puig cards in 2013 is pretty easy?

This Sandy Koufax image has been used before by Topps.  It is another recycled photo that Topps uses just to add Koufax into a set on the cheap.  I still love this image of a celebratory Sandy Koufax.  I just don't want Topps to ruin the joy I have of seeing this photo of a happy Koufax.

Just writing this post should help me make it back to the real world after the Dodgers demise.  Seeing a stack of baseball cards that are ready to be sorted.  I can feel a slight change in mindset that the power of the Platter is giving me.  Writing this post has brought me one step closer to reaching full on off season mode.  I will get there eventually.

Upper Class Base Cards

Some sets are released by Topps that I never open.  Sets like Topps Tribute and Topps Marquee aren't in my buying price range.  Those cards are way too classy for me.

I am cool with that though.  The upper class base cards of these sets are always available for trade.  Some card collectors are daring enough to bust open boxes or packs of these products.  Those dudes are always willing to trade some glossy finished cards with me.

2011 Topps Marquee cards are a little thicker than the usual base card.  This Sandy Koufax also has a nice gloss and glistens under some artificial light in my bedroom.

Ryan from the blog called "O" No!! Another Orioles Blog sent me a couple 2011 Topps Marquee cards.  This Koufax is my favorite of the two.  The image of Koufax striking out a chump and the Dodger Stadium crowd loving every inning of greatness is splendid.

I don't remember Topps using this image of Jackie Robinson.  This card of a legend seems fresh and modern to me.  Topps must save some random, old school Jackie images for there upper class sets.

After seeing, these two cards, it makes me tempted to seek out some other base cards from this set.  Thank you for opening my eyes to this set, Ryan.

Ryan also sent me some cards of current Dodgers.  This is a nice shade of blue for a Dodger parallel.  Topps should use this color way more often.

Whenever I get a Bowman card, I have to turn over the card to check the year of the set.  I can't tell the sets apart year after year.  Change things up, Bowman. Make your cards unique.  Make them stand out from each other.  I still won't buy packs of Bowman.  It is too prospect heavy for my tastes.

I am just trying to lookout for Bowman collectors.

Also, this card is numbered out of 500.  This Matt Kemp is a great shade of blue and has a nice serial number.  Awesome!

Kevin Youkilis is a player I kind of collect.  I don't seek out his cards too often.  He has a lot of cards out there and I willingly except them in trades.

I just flipped the Matt Kemp Blue Parallel to check the year about a minute ago.  I just did the same thing to check this Youkilis Gold Parallel.  Freaking Bowman!

This card has a really weird color of gold to it.  It has a hint of mustard.  Not a very flattering look.  This card fits into my collection nonetheless and is serial numbered out of 50.

This is a 2006 Upper Deck Kaz Matsui #1062.  Wait.  What!?!?  Card #1062?

That is a big base set.  Surprisingly, I don't see too many cards from this set.  I may not even have all the Dodgers I want from this set.  This is one of my favorite cards that Ryan sent my way.  I love how the photo shows the ball on the way to Matsui's glove. Does he make the play?

That suspense in action makes this card great.

Also, what was the opinion of collectors to have a card set of over 1000 cards like 2006 Upper Deck did?  I imagine some set collectors may have been mad.  But, some team or player collectors may have dug it.  A card set of this size would have cards of players that you normally wouldn't see in your average base set.  I enjoy getting a Doyer card of a middle reliever semi-prospect.

Thank you for the trade!

Lineage Blaster Break:Dodger Style

I couldn't resist opening up some packs of 2011 Topps Lineage.  I have opened a couple of hobby packs when it was first released.  I enjoyed some aspects of the new set.  The 1975 minis were cool.  The diamond parallels are still looking hot to me.  But, I was mostly trying to avoid buying a blaster.  Those things are a $20 gamble that favor the house which in this case is Wal-Mart.  I even joined a group break to try and get a lot of Dodger cards from this set.  The group break yielded me most of the Dodger base cards and nothing else.

I went to Wal-Mart to pick up some red shirts for work and a new binder.  Those were my two main objectives.  Getting those two items was the key to my trip.  The store happened to be packed on Sunday.  The store was packed with fat people in sweat pants and whiny little kids.  Some of the shelves were pretty barren.  Wal-Mart looked like it had been picked through by a bunch of animals.  The store was out of red shirts and only had small binders left not the bigger ones that are better for baseball cards.

Luckily, Wal-Mart has a card aisle.  Since, I wasn't able to get the two items that were on my want list, I decided to see what baseball cards that they had for sale.  First, I checked to see if they had any good discount blasters.  The shelf only had a 2010 Upper Deck blaster on sale.  I just opened one of these recently and was underwhelmed.  I passed on that. 

The 2011 Topps Lineage blasters guarantee one relic.  Awesome!  I really want to get a 1975 mini relic.  So, I splurged a little and picked up a $20 blaster.  I didn't get a crappy red shirt but, I got some baseball cards!

I happened to pull a ton of Doyers from this break.  The Jackie card is a cool leaping shot of him.  I can't wait to chase the parallels for these base cards.

I also pulled a couple more Dodgers base cards.  These two of current Dodgers, Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw.  Ethier is currently playing through an infected ingrown toenail.  That sounds so gross.  But, still not as gross as someone having an injury called a pulled groin.  When I hear that some player has a pulled groin, I think of a more painful, dirty image than what the injury actually entails.  You know what I'm saying.

Topps adding some refractorness to this set was a nice move.  Seeing a Roy Campanella card with some modern flashiness to it is a plus in my book.  The Diamond Platinum Parallel is seeded at 1:4 packs.  The blaster only contains 7 packs.  I was going to get at least one of these and I am glad it was a Dodger. 

I only got one of the cloth sticker cards also.  This one turned out to be of the great Sandy Koufax.  I am so happy that his cards are popping up in Topps products this year.  No Dodger fan will ever get tired of getting Koufax cards.  Koufax is above everyone. 

I still think that Koufax can pitch in today's game.  Probably in the bullpen.  He still has a solid fastball.  Just last year he killed a lion, who was attacking some school children, with his fastball.  True story.

This blaster was meant to be purchased by a Dodger collector!

Trades Are Funner With Julie And Fuji

I have made several trades with Julie over at the blog Things are Funner here.  But, the package that she sent me may have topped all the other ones that she has sent me.  Julie was nice enough to include some of the things that she got from the Dodger Fan Pack she received.  I was surprised that the Dodgers sent out such nice things such as player photos, key chains, stickers, pocket schedules and a magnet schedule.  I just assumed that since the team has been in the hands of Frank McCourt, that every part of the team was run with cheapness on the mind. 

One of the two photos that were included was of Clayton Kershaw.  The other photo was of James Loney.  Kershaw may have surpassed Andre Ethier, in my mind, as my favorite current Dodger.  If I get lucky and have tickets to a game that Kershaw is starting, I have an extra excitement in me on my way to the ballpark.  When Kershaw pitches, you have a chance to see greatness.  I have had the honor to be at his two complete shutout games.  His second one being a complete game two hit shutout of the Detroit Tigers just a few days ago.  I hope the next owner of the Dodgers gives Kershaw a huge contract.  Keep him in LA for several years to come.

Julie also sent me some cards.  She sent me this Shawn Green GU for a Roy Oswalt GU that I sent her way.  My Green collection is growing pretty well.  Card companies seemed to have made a lot of game used cards of him.  Oh yeah, this one is numbered out of 100.  Sweet!

I love the paper parallels for 2011 Gypsy Queen.  It makes the design a lot better and more regal than the regular base card version.  I also like how Sprint kind of gets a free advertisement on this card.  I guess that is one of the perks of being a stadium sponsor.  You know your ad will pop up on TV or even baseball cards.

I am really glad that Sandy Koufax is popping up in Topps products this year.  It was awesome for Julie to send this one to me.  Koufax is a Dodger icon, a baseball icon and a cultural icon.  He is above everyone.  At least in the world of Spiegel.  Koufax can walk on water and fly like Superman.  Koufax has an open invite to have dinner at the Spiegel household.  He has yet to except but, I hope he will someday.

Thanks for the trade, Julie!  We'll get another one going next month as usual.

I also received a card from Fuji who runs the blog called the Chronicles of Fuji.  This trade was a lot smaller.  He told me he was running out of space to keep all his cards so, he was just going after certain players.  This was a simple one GU for one GU trade.

I sent Fuji a Walt Weiss bat relic for his Oakland A's PC and he sent me this Shawn Green GU.  I love the blueness of this card.  Shawn Green has been on a book tour all over LA recently.  I have yet to attend one yet.  My collection is lacking a Shawn Green autograph.  Thanks for the card Fuji.  You should get yours in the mail by Saturday or Monday.