Autographed Baseballs and a Ballgame

The Dodgers hosted the Giants in the first series of the year.  The last Dodger game that I went to was the third game of the season against the Giants.  Dodgerbobble and I rolled to the game to watch the Dodgers lose a tightly fought battle with the Dodgers losing 5-3.

That put a damper on an otherwise fun night at Dodger Stadium.  Before the gloom of falling to hated ones to the north, Dodgerbobble and I arrived to the park about 15 minutes before the gates opened.  This gave us a chance to explore the ballpark a little more and see some of the new additions made on the different levels.

On opening day this year, I was sitting in the Left Field Pavilion and have roamed around the Field Level of the stadium before.  My next step was rising up to the Reserved Level where I heard about some life sized bobbles.

Sure enough some big headed bobbles have been placed by a Reserve Level entrance that is right next to a taco stand.  This was the prime spot for a photo-op and to try some of the new street tacos that the Dodgers  are selling now.  I should have taken a photo of the tacos that I scarfed down shortly after this photo was snapped.  I was eating the tacos in one hand, while reaching for my camera with the other, and by the time I finally plucked my camera from my pocket, the tacos were gone.

Maybe next time I will eat more like a human as opposed to a pig.

Dodgerbobble and I were also able to complete one of our ongoing trades of autographs.  We have made several trades by just setting aside some nice signatures, that we have acquired through various avenues and exchanging them every month or so.

This time Dodgerbobble raised the bar in our trade agreement.  He had an extra Yasiel Puig autographed baseball for trade and was willing to hand it over to me.  Puig has the makings of the next Dodger superstar.  The first outfielder to get hurt on the big league club, will open the door to the majors for Puig.

I am happy to get an autograph of his before he hits stardom and these may be harder to come by.  Puig was already getting tons of hype from his scorching performance in spring training.

 
This is my first Nomar Garciaparra signature.  Dodgerbobble had gotten this one at a charity soccer game in Carson, CA.  Nomar was a decent player for the Dodgers and he is a local kid that grew up going to Dodger games.  His signature was much needed in my collection.

Dodgerbobble also game me some baseball cards and some of which also had signatures of ballplayers on them.  I may show those at another time.  I owe him a little more for our next trade because I consider a Puig and Nomar signed ball to be a pretty good get for a Dodger collector.

Improved

The Dodgers hosted the Angels on Friday night in an exhibition game and this was the first time that Dodger Stadium was open after some renovations.  I was lucky enough to be able to attend this game and check out some of the updates that was completed during the off season.  Getting a chance to see the improvements made to beloved Dodger Stadium was what excited me most about attending this game.

The game itself actually turned out to be exciting and both teams had line ups full of stars.  Both squads played, pretty much their opening day rosters and this led to an exciting slug fest.  The Dodgers ended up winning 8-7 with the aid of an A.J. Ellis first inning grand slam.

  
Since this game didn't count in the standings, the real joy for me was being able to see these new video screens that I have been reading about.  I have been clamoring for more modern scoreboards and jumbo trons at Dodger Stadium for a while.  The screens add some much needed vibrancy to the ballpark and the images are crystal clear.  More game footage and replays were also shown throughout the game.

This is a shot of the jumbo tron in left field.  The screen is bigger than the one that they have had in the previous seasons and the images are full of more life and color.

I caught myself staring at the screens and checking out the stats that were displayed as well as some of the close-up shots that were shown of the players.  Watching the game felt more like the comfort of viewing at home on a nice HD flat screen television.

The team added new ledges and some tables along the back rows and edges of the concourses.  This is the view from a ledge that is perfectly made to place one's food or drink.  Dodger Stadium used to not have many places to post up for a drink other than your own seat.  Now, the stadium is littered with places for people to perch and still be able to watch the action on the field.  This gives fans the chance to stretch their legs a little and maybe see the game from a different vantage point than where they were sitting, all the while comfortably eating a Dodger dog and having a beer.

It is good seeing Carl Crawford healthy, hitting the ball hard and patrolling left field for the Dodgers.  The Dodgers were awful last season with batters in the lead off spot.  If Crawford, is at least an average hitter, then that will provide a huge upgrade from the number one hitter as opposed to the bums that tried that slot last season.

The stadium has a whole, has a higher level of cleanliness and positive vibes as in years past.  The stadium upgrades certainly help a lot and the new screens keep you more informed with the game action due to more replays and a clearer image.  I am pretty sure that everyone is able to view the screens from their seats now. Before there was some blind spots and you may miss some action without the aid of a replay.

Things are much better now with a solid ownership group that is keeping their promises so far.  I look forward to being able to see what changes have been made to the Left Field Pavilion as I will be cheering on the Doyers tomorrow afternoon.

Sleeping will be difficult tonight as I am overwhelmed with excitement due to the start of the 2013 baseball season.

Live Archives Blaster Break Packs 7 and 8

Live blogging as been a fun exercise for me.  It has been an exciting writing experience that I have really enjoyed.  I dig the rapid fire pace of writing as the thoughts creep into my head.  Posting multiple posts in short period of time seems like it was a good idea.  This is the type of idea that I should do more often.  Maybe I will start live blogging while opening packs in the future or if I have some random thoughts while sorting through some stacks of cardboard.

Whatever my next live blogging idea is, I will be sure to try it.  The Platter needs a jolt of newness now and again.  This is the type of endeavor that not only keeps things fresh for my tens of readers but, also keeps me interested as a blogger.

Without further ado, let me start the grand finale.....

Pack 7:

I always love it when I pull a reprint of a card that I own the original of.  It makes me feel special as a collector.  Even pulling a reprint of a '85 Topps Tony Gwynn makes me happy that I have the genuine '85 Topps Tony Gwynn.

The Padres need to bring back this color scheme and uniform.  Once they bring back these hats and jerseys, they then need to stick with it.  The Padres change their uniform design so often that sometimes I forget what their jersey looks like and they play the Dodgers a million times a year.

Pack 8:

Smaller sized card in 3-D featuring a legend named Al Kaline.  These cards aren't quite minis and slightly smaller than the average base card.  It fits somewhere in between mini and normal sized.  The 3-D version of a crowd shot is cool to look at as they sway with every shift the card makes.

I know that some of you are probably thinking that I rigged this break to make sure I showed an auto coming out of the last pack.  The folks that are thinking that are completely wrong.  This John Kruk signature actually did pop out of the last pack.  I will swear to that on the Platter Bible.

I am tempted to keep this autograph.  I am not saying that as some sort of negotiating ploy.  I will also swear to that on the Platter Bible.  Kruk was a fun player to watch and I wish he was still playing as he made me stop watching Baseball Tonight on ESPN.  He is also one of the many reasons I keep the volume low when I am watching a baseball game being broadcast on ESPN.  He is not the only reason I keep the volume low, ESPN has some awful announcers.

Kruk as a player was solid and it always seems more fun to watch fat guys with mullets play baseball as opposed to roided dudes with mullets playing baseball.  The fat guys just seem more like real human beings and somewhat sadly appear to look like the common man.

Like I said, this live break has been a lot of fun.  I will try something like this again real soon.  Please let me know if you need any of the base cards or some of the inserts.  There was only a handful of the cards that I am going to keep.

Thank you for following along.

Live Archives Blaster Break Packs 5 and 6

The base cards of this set get a big shrug from me.  I just can't get over the lousy card stock and I also can't stop complaining about it.  The inserts and short prints make this set interesting.  I thought those were the only things that made this set interesting.

Pack 5:

That was until I pulled a parallel from this set.  This is a golden, refractor type of card and the blast from the reflection has blinded me for a few minutes.  This card is so awesome looking that I thought about keeping this one.  Then I realized that it is just a shiny looking card of Trevor Cahill.

The short prints come in set designs that aren't featured in the regular Archives base set.  This makes them standout as you are sifting through the pack of cards.  I wasn't collecting cards back in the year 2000 so, this design looks refreshing and new to me.

This card also has a hard swinging action shot of current White Sox manager, Robin Ventura.  I wish Ventura the best of luck this season in Chicago.  I enjoyed watching him play baseball and his time with the Dodgers was pleasant to watch.

Pack 6:

Look!  A sticker card of a floating head!  Neat, old school font as well.  This kind of looks like the type of font that you may see plastered on the LA River.

Topps has been releasing some sticker cards in their sets over the years.  Have any of you guys actually stuck these anywhere?  Where is the funniest place that you have stuck a sticker card?

Live Archives Blaster Break Packs 3 and 4

Dodger Stadium has been undergoing some renovations this off season.  The Dodgers host the Angels later tonight which will be the first game played at Dodger Stadium since the remodel.  I am lucky enough to get a chance to go to the ballgame tonight and check out the new updates at the stadium.

I will be sure to take a lot of photos of some of the amenities that catch my eye.  I am really curious to see what this ownership group can pull off next.

Anyways, back to the pack ripping.....

Pack 3:

 
This Larry Doby card is a Reprint insert which you are able to pull one of these out of every four packs.  Topps placed a gold foil stamp on the top of this card.

The Indians logo appears to be gazing at Larry Doby with great affection and admiration.  I guess that is kind of a cool take on Chief Wahoo.  I guess....

I thought that I had all the Dodgers from this set.  Maybe I am completely wrong and have no idea what I am talking about?  I probably have no idea what I am talking about.  I don't remember seeing this Dee Gordon card before.  It is easy to forget Gordon though.

Pack 4:

Hey, another sweet looking insert from this set.  This Deckle Edge insert features slugger Jose R. Bautista and is slightly smaller than the base cards and of course has a deckle edged border.  The photo is also black and white.  Are all the cards from this insert set in black and white?  Is this a throwback set that was once featured by Topps previously?

Live Archives Blaster Break Packs 1 and 2

I just ripped open the first couple of packs.  The thin card stock of 2012 Topps Archives still irks me and I feel Topps missed an opportunity to make this set one of last's years best.

If you are looking to build this set and need any base cards for trade, just let me know.  I have most of the Dodgers and assorted other players that I collect already from this set.  Leave a comment below of any numbers that you are searching for.

Pack 1:

This card of Ed Kranepool and his hairy arms was the best card of the first pack.  This is the Topps 1970 design.  The Kranepool is also one of the short printed "All Time Fan Favorites" cards.  I am not too familiar with Kranepool's career though.

Through the '69 season, he was batting .247 with 62 home runs.  That is all I got right now.  Maybe a Mets fan can chime in and give some insight on fan favorite Ed Kranepool?

Pack 2:

The 2012 Topps Archives set features older set designs with mostly modern players.  The '71 set design might be my favorite so far from this blaster.  It seems rare to see good conditioned with black borders.  I think most of the real '71 Topps cards in my collection look a little shabby.

The cloth sticker insert sets are top notch.  I remember some bloggers mentioning that this set had some cool inserts.  The cloth sticker set must be one of the best that Archives has to offer.  These are seeded 1 out of every 6 packs, so maybe today will be lucky for me and one more of these beauts are waiting for me.

 

Stealing An Idea From The Plate

Recently, a couple fine bloggers in our community have broken some packs while posting about it live on their blogs.  Oscar from,  All Trade Bait, All The Time, and Brian from Play at the Plate seemed to have a good time opening up some packs and having some real time interaction with some other collectors.

I have just finished work and spotted a nice discounted blaster of 2012 Topps Archives on the shelf.  Working at a major retail store as a few perks, such as being the first to spot some discounted baseball cards and have the ability to pounce on it just before the doors open.  I haven't open too much of this set due to its thin card stock.  At the discounted price plus my employee discount, should make this break worth it to see some cards that are completely new to me.

I am going to pick out some of the best cards from all eight packs that were included.  That could be one card or if by some rare chance that all eight cards included in a pack are worth showing.  You never know what goods can pop out of a pack.

The posts to this live blaster break are set to follow.