Biggest Oriole Comeback Win In 53 Years!

Check it! They haven't done anything like this since 1956!

Not since these guys:
Has the city of Baltimore seen a win like this one! I wonder who led the charge back then? I tried to google it, but can't find any info. I admittedly didn't look that hard for it though. I'll bet it was Gus Triandos or George Kell, and if it was anything like tonight's amazing comeback, it must have been awesome to watch, even in black & white.

The truly incredible thing about tonight's game was that you could argue it was Felix Pie who sparked it all off. Adam Jones got hurt almost robbing Youkilis of a homer in the first inning, and Pie came on to play the game of his life. Nick Markakis knocked in the tying and go-ahead runs, which could not have been any sweeter for this O's fan.

Oh, and I just heard on the postgame show that this is indeed the biggest comeback in Oriole history, passing the 8 run comeback win that happened in '56. Oh what a night!

Got My Mojo Workin'

Last week, in a trade with one of my awesome readers, I was sent a 2008 Allen & Ginter Nick Markakis autograph. I'm sure you remember reading about this, it was just last week. Anyway, in that post I mentioned that the card was on it's way to The Mojo Hand. Jay is a fellow Markakis collector, and sounded pretty excited about the Ginter autograph. He also received the Kurt Suzuki short print that I pulled during the Turk-Off.

Well, what I got back in return is both generous, and awesome. Let's check it out, shall we:
2008 Topps 2008 Highlights Nick Markakis autograph. I'll be honest here, these are not the nicest looking autograph cards out there. The design is pretty bland, and just about everyone hates sticker autographs. That being said, I am a Nick Markakis collector, and this is a new auto for my collection, which makes me happy. This card is highlighting Nick's ability to get on base. Last season it was very true, but unfortunately he's in a bit of a slump right now.

2008 Topps 2007 Highlights Nick Markakis autograph. This is where the generosity part comes in. 2 Markakis autographs in exchange for one Markakis autograph hardly seems fair. Thank you VERY much Mojo! Being able to add 2 more certified autos to my player collection is awesome. This card highlights Nick's 100 RBI season in 2007, and refers to him as a "prodigy". He's a fire starter all right, twisted fire starter.

2008 Topps Chrome 50th Anniversary Nick Markakis copper refractor. This now gives me the base, chrome, blue refractor and copper refractor flavors of this card. The old school star rookie cup is pretty rad, and this is another sweet card from Mojo.
HELL YEAH! As I am typing this, the O's just came back from a 9-run deficit. My boy Nick the Stick just hit a 2-RBI double to drive in the tying and go ahead runs... AGAINST PAPELBON! Incredible! Let's hope Sherrill can come out and pick up a drama free save.

2007 Topps Chrome Nick Markakis refractor. This gives me the base, chrome, regular refractor and white refractor versions of this card.
2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Jim Palmer "Blue Steel" framed parallel #5/5. This is not part of the trade. Would you believe Mojo actually GAVE this card away! All I had to do was be the first Birds fan to email him... and I was. This is a really nice looking card, much like most Masterpieces cards are, and it was extremely generous of Mojo to just up and give this card away.

Sherrill is on now for the O's, and promptly gave up a leadoff single. I should probably stop with the blogging, and commence with the watching. Thanks for the great cards Mojo, it's always a pleasure trading with you.

Gint-A-Cuffs Official Scoring Rules

Since quite a few bloggers have already expressed an interest in participating in a 2009 Allen & Ginter battle, I would like to try and find a way to involve anyone who wants to participate. That way, this will truly be war!

It would work like this:

Deadline to enter: Monday July 6th (before the release, so no one can open a box, and then decide to enter)
How to enter: Leave a comment on this post, stating that you are in, and name your favorite player and team.
How to achieve victory: Based on the scoring criteria below (still a work in progress), do the math and figure out how many points your box is worth. You must scan & post all cards that are worth positive points, as well as your total box score. Whoever gets the highest total box score is the Gint-A-Cuffs grand champion. We'll have to figure out a prize for the winner. I could probably make them a custom Ginter card, sort of like if you had "cracked the code" last year.

OFFICIAL SCORING (still being tweaked)

BASE CARDS
0 base card
+1 Favorite Team base card
-1 Yankee base card

+2 Favorite player list base card (Nick Markakis, Grady Sizemore, Tim Lincecum, Joe Mauer, Chipper Jones) MORE PLAYERS TO BE ADDED AS PEOPLE SIGN UP
-1 points if we pull base card of ....Eric Byrnes, Bobby Crosby, Scott Olsen, Jeff Clement, Kenji Johjima, Tom Gorzelanny
+2 Beard & Mustache Champion base card
+3 YOUR favorite player base card

-1 points for pulling the base for Suez Canal, Milky Way, Old Faithful, Electron (because what the hell are you going to do with that)
+5 Short printed base card (301-350?)
+1 FOR ANY BASE CARD OF YANKEE ON "FAVORITE PLAYERS" LIST

MINI CARDS
0 for base

-1 Yankees
+3 Beard & Mustache Champion mini

+1 Mini of player on your favorite team
+3 Mini of player from "favorite players" list (see above)
+5 Mini of YOUR favorite player

+2 Mini A&G back

+3 Mini black border

+10 Mini no number
+7 Mini short print (301-350?)

(Combine points if it qualifies for multiple categories (mini "favorite player list" with A&G back = 7pts)
DIVIDE BY 2 FOR ANY MINI CARD OF YANKEE ON FAVORITE PLAYER LIST

NATIONAL PRIDE INSERTS

+2 Player from your favorite team

+4 Favorite player list
+6 YOUR favorite player

-1 Yankee
SUBTRACT 1 FOR ANY YANKEE ON FAVORITE PLAYER LIST ex: Jeter: +4 (Favorite List) minus 1 (Yankee) = 3pts

OTHER INSERTS

+5 World's Biggest Hoaxes

+7 Creatures of Legend

+5 National Heroes

+3 Brian Kong Baseball Highlight Sketch cards
+10 Inventions of the Future

HITS

+8 Relic
+12 Short Printed Relic (usually non-baseball)

+15 Autograph
+15 Silk
+25 Group A Autograph
+25 Rip Card

+100 Cut Signature
+200 DNA Relic
+5 N43 Box Topper
+8 Cabinet Card Box Topper
+10 N43 of player from "favorite players" list
+20 N43 of your favorite player
+20 N43 Relics
+30 N43 Autographs
+50 N43 Autograph Relic
+75 Michael Phelps Autograph Boxloader

MULTIPLIERS FOR "HITS"
x2 If any of those pulls are of a player from your favorite team

x5 If any hits are of players on the "favorite players" list (see above)

x10 If it's YOUR favorite player

-5 points if we pull a hit of ........Corey Paterson (Relic), Eric Gagne (Relic), Jered Weaver (Relic)
DIVIDE BY 2 FOR ALL YANKEES HITS, INCLUDING "FAVORITE PLAYERS LIST"

IF YOUR FAVORITE PLAYER IS A YANKEE, YOU GET FULL POINTS FOR THAT PLAYER ONLY. ALL OTHER YANKEES ARE WORTH NEGATIVE POINTS, OR HALF AS MANY POINTS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

IF THE YANKEES ARE YOUR FAVORITE TEAM, THAT IS YOUR PROBLEM, AND YOU MUST ACCEPT ANY AND ALL PENALTIES FOR ALL CARDS THAT ARE NOT OF YOUR FAVORITE PLAYER.

Favorite Players List
Nick Markakis
Joe Mauer
Brian Roberts
Tim Lincecum
Jay Bruce
Evan Longoria
Grady Sizemore
Adam LaRoche
Derek Jeter
Adrian Gonzalez
Hanley Ramirez
Joey Votto
Chipper Jones
Geovany Soto
Mariano Rivera
Clayton Kershaw
Dustin Pedroia
David Wright
Josh Hamilton

If there are any suggestions or changes to the scoring system, feel free to speak up. I'm all ears on this one. It would be cool to decide on a system that everyone is comfortable with in the next couple of days. For all the O's fans out there, including myself, there doesn't appear to be a single autograph in this set for us, and the only relic appears to be of Melvin Mora.

Yankees fans may claim the scoring system is unfair. So is the Yankees payroll, and the rest of us have to deal with that.

O So Close To Completion

Another card that can be crossed off the '59 Topps Orioles want list. #192 Charley Beamon has been located, and #529 George Bamberger has been acquired. This puts me one card away from knocking this sucker out.

Here's the updated want list rundown:

#48 Orioles Team Checklist
#192 Charlie Beamon (I might already have this card, but can't seem to locate it) FOUND! 6/29/09
#336 Billy Loes variation w/ trade statement (I already have 336a) Probably not ever going to get this card, so I'm giving up on it
#507 Bob Hale (high #) Acquired! 6/19/09
#529 George Bamberger (high #) Acquired 6/29/09!

If anyone out there has #48, the Orioles checklist/team card, and is willing to trade it, please let me know. I don't even care if it's in good condition, I can always upgrade it later.

The Longest Trade Post Ever In The History Of Trade Posts (Maybe)

These cards came courtesy of Pop Startled who runs a great blog where he shamelessly panders for Hanley Ramirez cards called Trade Me Your Hanleys. Pop contacted me a little while back and said he had some cards to send me. I then saw some trade bait posted on his blog, and decided that this card belonged in my collection: 2009 Upper Deck A Piece Of History #POH-SA "A Piece Of Hollywood" Adam Sandler shirt from Spanglish
Not his best movie by any stretch, but I will always love Sandler for making one of my all-time favorite comedies, Billy Madison. At one point I could quote the entire movie verbatim, but not anymore. I've... uh... "grown up" (sort of).

That's not all Pop Startled sent my way. Check these out:

2006 Topps Triple Threads #88 Cal Ripken Jr. My first Triple Threads base card from any year. Not a bad one to have, as I believe this guy is a Hall of Famer or something, whatever that means. I've heard of Bill Ripken, but Cal is new to me. If you believed that, you're an idiot.

2006 Fleer Greats of the Game "Decade Greats" #DEC-CR Cal Ripken Jr. That was a mouthful. Lovin the old cartoon bird logo, and two-tone color scheme on Cal's batting helmet. Reminds me of better days, when the Orioles were a storied franchise. You know, before Peter Angelos totally ruined them.

2006 Allen & Ginter #290 Cal Ripken Jr. mini. Blogger hates mini cards. No matter what size you make them, they always appear larger than they actually are compared to regular sized cards. This is my first 2006 A&G card period, but as you will soon see, it is not my last.

1999 Topps Gold Label #67 Cal Ripken Jr. This Cal Ripken fellow sure has a lot of cards.

2006 Allen & Ginter #267 Frank Robinson mini. What a beautiful card! Regardless of the poll results up top, Frank is my favorite Robinson. No disrespect intended to Jackie, Brooks, Smokey or Holly. This card is mis-cut, which makes it a 1/1. I will only trade it for a 1957 Frank Robinson rookie, PSA 8 or higher.

2006 Allen & Ginter #227 Corey Patterson mini Ginter ad back. Correct me if I'm wrong on this, but Patterson is the first example that I can recall of the Orioles taking out the trash for the Chicago Cubs. It's happened at least twice since, most recently with Felix Pie. I really wanted to like Patterson, and gave it my best shot. He wasn't as bad in Baltimore as he was for the Reds last season, but he wasn't great either.

2006 Topps Co-signers #DUO-C Javy Lopez/Melvin Mora. I guess this is technically a Javy Lopez card, since his stats are the only ones on the back. Javy was clearly in the twilight of his career by the time he arrived in Baltimore. I'm not really sure why we signed him, but at the time there wasn't really another option at catcher. He put up some good numbers with Atlanta, but his best seasons co-incided with the height of unchecked steroid use in the Major Leagues. I am NOT insinuating anything, just stating the facts. This is my first Co-Signers card ever. I always thought they were sort of ugly, and never understood why the second player, who was never really the focus of the card, was even there to begin with.

2006 Topps Co-Signers #DUO-B 58 Brian Roberts/Javy Lopez. Much like the last card, this one is really just a Brian Roberts card. I've blogged about Roberts before, and over the past few years have really grown to appreciate his game. It's a shame that he was once mentioned in the whole steroid conversation, but pretty much anyone on the Orioles '04-'07 was mentioned, and for good reason (Palmeiro, Tejada, Bigbie, Segui, Gibbons). I believe Roberts has always been clean, but I am also naive.

2008 Stadium Club #34 Brian Roberts. Awesome action shot here. This guy plays the game with a lot of heart, and isn't afraid to deck a catcher who just might be twice his size. Sometimes card photography is brilliant, and this example is on that level.

2008 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Swatches #SSNM. You knew there was going to be a Markakis card in here somewhere, didn't you? Pretty sure I don't have this one already, so it's a new one for the player collection. Thanks Pop! Not the greatest photo of Nick on this card, but what can you do?

2008 Upper Deck Heroes #168 Luke Scott Gold Parallel. At least I think that's gold. There are so many stinking parallels in this set that it's hard to really tell. Luuuuuuuuuuuke has worked out pretty well in Baltimore, and has proven to be quite the power hitter when he's on a hot streak. My favorite thing about Luke is that he logs the result every at-bat in his hitting journal. If you want to call it a diary, that's fine too, but it's a man diary dammit!

2008 Upper Deck Heroes #195 Mike Schmidt, Ernie Banks & Frank Robinson. I got nothing to say about this one. You all know all 3 players, and all 3 are awesome. This post is getting long, and I am running short on wit.

2009 Topps Finest #71 Adam Jones. Star in the making. I've already got the blue refractor version of this card, and now I've got the base card to go with it. We practically stole Mr. Jones from Seattle, and along with Markakis, he will be a part of the best outfield in baseball for along time to come. How has Eric Bedard worked out for you so far Mariners fans? Do you enjoy his whining and constant trips to the DL?

2009 Topps Series 2 #455 Adam Jones Gold Parallel. Any day I can add a new Jones card to my collection is a good day. Today was a good day.

We're getting close to wrapping this thing up, I swear. If you're still reading, Matt Wieters bless you!

2007 Upper Deck Artifacts Autofacts #AU-JK John Knott autograph. If you play 6 seasons in franchise mode on MLB2k6 for PS2, this guy becomes the franchise. Trust me.

2008 Topps 2007 Highlights Autographs #HA-SM Scott Moore autograph. If you play 6 seasons in franchise mode on MLB2k6 for PS2, this guys doesn't pan out. Trust me. Moore was actually considered a top Oriole prospect for the past couple of seasons, but for some reason he has never managed to stick with the big league club. This is another one of those guys we've gotten from the Cubs who hasn't really made anything of himself. Moore is currently holding down the fort at 3B for the Norfolk Tides.

Whew! That was a long one. I know Pop Startled was looking forward to the trade write-up so I wanted to make sure it was done right. Thanks a lot for the cards Pop, and be on the lookout for some Hanleys headed your way in the next week.

Lovin' In The Mailbox

Received these cards in a trade with Justin G. of the fabulous blog Is This A Wasteland- No It's Tampa Bay Sports. Justin is a fellow O's fan trapped in south Florida, and was in need of some '08 Allen & Ginter cards. I was more than happy to oblige, and in return got more great O's cards for the ol' collection.

1983 Topps #530 Eddie Murray. Is there a bad Eddie Murray card? Debatable. Is there a bad Eddie Murray card featuring him with sideburns? Absolutely not. This card is no exception.

2008 Donruss Threads #5 Eddie Murray. Oh old Eddie. I believe this photo is from his Oriole swan song tour, which would make it either '97 or '98.

2008 Bowman Sterling #EM2 29 Eddie Murray. This is my first Bowman Sterling card, and I've got to tell you, it sure is fancy. The image inside is almost like a refractor, and the nice framing makes the card seem expensive, which it is, all things considered. I'm pretty sure the photo is from Eddie's 500th home run, but I am not 100% positive.

2002 Fleer Greats Dueling Duos #DD-EM2 Eddie Murray/George Brett bat. This card confuses me. While it's always awesome to add anther Eddie bat card to my collection, I can't quite figure out why George Brett is there. Do you see any pine tar on this card? Me neither! The back of the card states that it is an Eddie Murray game-used bat , and the numbering has nothing to do with George. Mr. Brett, please kindly remove yourself from my Eddie Murray card.

2008 Upper Deck Heroes #14 Nick Markakis. I already had this card, but I've got to get a Markakis in here somewhere.

1961 Topps #240 Ron Hansen. Nothing makes me happier than vintage Orioles cards. This is my first '61, and it even features the sweet retro All-Star Rookie cup. I have Hansen's '59 rookie, which lists him as Ronnie. Guess by '61 he had become a man, and preferred simply Ron.

1999 Upper Deck Retro #12 Albert Belle. Saved the best (worst) for last. Justin had taken it upon himself to scribble "The Greatest Oriole Ever" on this card's penny sleeve. I made sure to post the image as large as possible, so you could read that. It's a good thing Justin lives in Tampa! In the future I want to do a post about multiple personality disorder and the whole Joey Belle vs. Albert Belle phenomenon. It would almost be like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, except that both Albert & Joey were total doucheknuckles. It's still interesting that he changed his name after undergoing psychological counseling. Too bad he turned out to be a bust here, despite putting up decent numbers. If you only play 1 1/2 years of a 5 year contract, and end up getting paid for all 5, you're a bust in my eyes.
Well, that's it from Justin, and for '08 Allen & Ginter trade posts. I still have a ton more doubles if anyone needs any cards from this set. Thanks for the great Orioles cards Justin, especially "the greatest Oriole ever".

I didn't mention the game I attended today, and it was for good reason. Today was "kids run the bases day" at Camden Yards, and it sure looked like it during the game. I've never seen any team run themselves into as many outs as the 2009 Baltimore Orioles.

Anyone Going To The O's Game?

I am, and I wanna see a sweep! If I take any pictures, they will be shared, but I probably won't. After the game I'm hoping to get a post up about some trades. Some great cards showed up in the mailbox yesterday that are begging to be shared.

The Wild, Wild West- A Trade Post

More booty from the great 2008 A&G tradeaway keeps rollin in. Reader Allan contacted me shortly after the post had gone up stating that he was in need, but that he didn't have much in the way of Orioles to send back in return. Allan has recently gotten back into collecting, so it sounded like he didn't have a huge reserve to be able to trade away. That was just fine with me, since I wasn't looking for a lot. Mainly, I just wanted to unload the 2 boxes of doubles that were accumulated while building this set.

Allan had mentioned in his first email that he had recently opened a box of American Heritage and was wondering if there were any cards I would be interested in. Well, there is only 1 card from that set that I really want, and it's the Buffalo Bill Cody refractor. I knew it was a long shot, but I responded, and let Allan know that there was really only 1 card I wanted. As fate would have it, the one and ONLY refractor he pulled from his box was indeed of none other than Buffalo Bill. I sent Allan 100+ A&G cards from his want list last week, and today, this arrived in the mailbox:

2009 Topps American Heritage #C18 Buffalo Bill Cody Refractor #26/76
Believe it or not, Buffalo Bill holds a very special place in my heart. In the fall of 2006 I was lucky enough to travel to Yellowstone for a week, and spent a few nights in the town of Cody, which was founded by and named after the infamous Buffalo Bill. Cody is a really cool little town, and Yellowstone is by far the most amazing and beautiful place I have ever been.

There really isn't much in Cody, I mean it is in northwestern Wyoming, but aside from it's rustic western charm, the next best thing about it is the Buffalo Bill Museum. It's actually like 4 museums in one since in the same building there is also a Firearms Museum, Native American Art Museum & Western Life Museum. Anyway, I hardly knew anything about Buffalo Bill prior to my trip out west, and I must say that I was pretty impressed with all that he accomplished and stood for. He is most famous for his traveling Wild West Show, which featured sharp shooter Annie Oakley (of Allen & Ginter fame), but you may be surprised to know that he was also a devout conservationist, and supporter of Native American rights. At the turn of the 20th century Buffalo Bill Cody was one of the most recognizable and famous people in the world (what a strange and different place that must have been). He was also a rider for the fabled "Pony Express", and server as a scout for the U.S. Army during the late 1860's, winning the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service in 1872.

Anyway, enough with the history lesson. I figured this would be an ideal post to show off some of the photos I snapped on my trip to Cody & Yellowstone.

This is the Irma Hotel in downtown Cody. The hotel is one of the original building constructed by Buffalo Bill himself. Pretty cool to think he may have drank his Sarsaparilla and gambled in this very structure.

Next up is a hilarious traveling cowboy hat shop. This thing was set-up just off the main drag outside of Cody proper.

Next up, the first of several images from Yellowstone itself. The first is pretty iconic, and if you don't know what it is, you definitely didn't pay attention in school. Shame on you! I don't know who the people are in this picture (I swear!) They were sitting in front of me, and I thought the composition looked cool. That guy's ponytail might be more impressive than Old Faithful on this day.

This was actually in the Grand Tetons, which is right below Yellowstone. It doesn't matter, I'm sure Buffalo Bill was still there, or at least close by at some point. Jenny Lake is the happy place I take my mind to when times are tough.

The river behind the flowers is called the Boiling River. Trust me, it's called that for good reason. There was a swimming hole nearby, where the boiling Boiling River flows into the freezing cold Gardner River. We took a dip, it was awesome! As for the flowers, what can I say, I'm a sensitive guy.
Lastly, we have 2 wildlife pics. This first one screams wild west in my opinion.

I don't have a zoom lens on my digital camera, so we were literally 5 feet from this monster bull elk. He didn't seem to mind, thankfully. If you click on the image to view it full sized, you can see the water dripping from this beasts mouth.

Oh, Alan also sent me this card, which is the last one needed for my Orioles team set. The floating heads are way creepy, but everyone has already commented on that.

Thanks Alan! The Buffalo Bill refractor means more to me than you'll ever know.

Things That Make Me Go Hmmmmm

So I was watching SportsCenter this morning, and I see one of the "Top Stories" is that Alex Rodriguez has tied Reggie Jackson for 11th on the all-time Home Run list by hitting #563 last night. How do you think he hit as many as Reggie, in 5 FEWER SEASONS?!?!

What baffled me is how there was NO mention of the first 562 home runs, all of which may have been aided by PEDs. Let's call a spade a spade here, for Matt Wieters sake! If Jose Canseco is a cheater, if Barry Bonds is a cheater, if Sammy Sosa is a cheater, if Mark McGwire is a cheater, then Alex Rodriguez IS A CHEATER! The media's willingness to ALWAYS give A-Fraud the benefit of the doubt, and cast aside all of his foibles really pisses me off! He's an infidel, a liar, a cheater, and a juicer.

Perhaps I am biased, since he does play for the team I hate more than any other. Perhaps I am even more biased because I have always thought of him as a pansy and a whiner. More than likely though, I am not biased, and every media outlet in the world is. Even when he admitted to steroid use, the gauntlet was never thrown by ESPN, or SI, or any other important sports news outlet. They were all very nice for the most part, and gave him the kid glove treatment once the news was broken.

He isn't tied for 11th on the all-time home run list, he's securely in 3rd place on the all-time cheaters and jerk-offs list!

I'm just tired of this fruitcake still being discussed as one of the best ever.

Granted, the steroid era has tainted the reputation and statistics of every player who has held a bat in the past 20+ years, so it's really difficult to tell who truly was or is "great" and who is just a dirty, rotten cheater. I don't even have that much of a problem with steroids themselves, but I do have an issue with how certain players are exiled, and labeled as lairs and cheaters, while others are allowed to continue playing with only minimal damage to their reputations. Let's at least be fair about all this.

Oh Billy, Sweet Billy Boy (Lucy, Hide Your Eyes)

The kindness and generosity of the collecting community never ceases to amaze me. Less than 2 days after this post, reader Jeff contacted me saying that not only did he have "the" card, he had multiples, and would be more than willing to send one my direction.

His package arrived today, and here it is:

Let's get a closer look, shall we. Wow, that's a crappy closer look. Perhaps I should have scanned at 300dpi instead of 200.


This card has always fascinated me, and apparently I am not alone. Personally, I think Billy did it on purpose, but the world may never know. Imagine how much that bat would sell for, if it were still around. How this escaped Fleer's designers, and proofers (if that's what they're called) is absolutely beyond me. 1989 was the height of card collecting popularity, and most of the buyers at the time were kids (or so it seemed). The initial outrage over this card was completely justified, and the fact that said outrage made this the most desirable error card of all time is hilarious, and so typically American. Like Janet Jackson's nip slip, or H.W. Bush puking on the Japanese Prime Minister, the Billy Ripken error card was captivating because it was raunchy, and wrong. Man are we a messed up culture or what?

AND NOW IT IS MINE!

Believe it or not, that's not all Jeff sent over. He also sent these 2 great Allen & Ginter cards. I've already got the Markakis autograph, so this double will be heading out to my man Mojo, who is a fellow Markakis collector.


Thanks a million Jeff! You have no idea how full my life now feels thanks to Billy Ripken and his foul mouthed bat barrel. Be on the lookout for a fat stack of cards off of your want list, and a few surprises as well.

Get Ready To Be Rocked

This July...

It's a box break battle... to the DEATH!(not really)

Ryans Memorabilia VS. Beardy's Baseball Blog VS. Possibly Other Blogs VS. Possibly More Other Blogs

Brace yo' selves fools!

Yes those Old Planters are boxing, and yes, they're wearing shorts. It's 4am, cut me some slack! Only 2 more hours of work to go!

Best Trade Ever!

A few weeks ago I posted about wanting to unload some '08 Allen & Ginter doubles, to make room for the '09 release. It also seemed like a good way to help others finally finish their sets, and maybe get some Orioles cards in return.

Mike happened to see my post, and was one of the first responders. He sent over his want list, and I was able to hook him up with 80+ cards he needed. These were all just doubles to me, so I was not expecting (or wanting) a lot in return.

What Mike sent me in return is absolutely incredible! 5 TTM autos, 2 "relics", 2 great vintage cards, and an awesome Fleer Cal Ripken "pop-out" 3-D card from the 1986 All-Star game that unfortunately I wasn't able to scan.

1964? Topps Oddball Milt Pappas autograph. If anyone knows where or what this set is called, feel free to drop a comment. The cards is pretty large, I would guess about 2.5" x 6". I guessed 1964, since the back of the card mentions his 1963 campaign, and it's fine finish.

2005 Topps Update "Midsummer Covers" Brian Roberts Game Used Ball #'d/150. That was quite the mouthful. This is a pretty cool card. I like knowing that the ball was used in the All-Star game. At least it's specific.

Upper Deck "Milestone Materials" Miguel Tejada Game Used. I am posting this from work, so I have NO idea what year this is from. I would guess '05 or '06, but without looking at the back of the card, I am not sure. It's a mystery, just like Miggy's age.

1997 Fleer Ultra Scott Kamieniecki TTM autograph. The only reason I know this is a TTM is Mike told me so. Former Stankee, known for his quality pickoff move. I remember him winning a playoff game against Cleveland, but that's about all I recall about this dude.

1996 Stadium Club Doug Jones TTM autograph. 3-time All-Star and journeyman reliever. Sweet mustache though.

1994 Pacific Gregg Olson TTM autograph. Speaking of sweet mustaches, check out the back of this card! I liked Gregg Olson, and he was pretty good here. The only thing I don't appreciate about him is the double "g" at the end of his first name.

1994 Pacific David Segui TTM autograph. David signed this with his syringe.

1976 Topps Brooks Robinson. Currently running second in the "Best Robinson Ever" poll at the top of this blog. It's a travesty he's not in first!

1963 Topps Jim Gentile. Obviously, this guy's not a Jew. 1963 Topps has a great design, and this may be the next O's team set I decide to chase.

I got all of those great cards for a bunch of A&G doubles! Can you believe it? I couldn't either. Thanks again Mike! If you let me know what you collect, I feel like I owe you some additional cards.