Let the Doldrums Begin!

As the whole world just saw, the Baltimore Ravens were eliminated from the playoffs by Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. The Ravens played a terrible game, and I am starting to have doubts about Joe Flacco's decision making. He hold on to the ball too long, and loves to throw deep passes into double coverage. He either has to be hurt, or there is a chance that maybe he won't be as good as everyone thought.

I never expected the Ravens to make the playoffs after they fell to 5-5 back in November, so all in all it was a pretty good season. Ray Rice had his coronation season, and it looks like he's got a chance to become a legitimate NFL star. Between Flacco and Rice, the future of Ravens football should be exciting.

These next few months are always the hardest for me in terms of my sports fanhood. Without the Ravens or Orioles to root for February feels like it has 82 days instead of only 28.

March Madness can't get here soon enough.

Hey you! Stop throwing so many checkdowns to Ray Rice and look downfield.

For now, I am pledging my allegiance to the Dallas Cowboys, also known as America's Team. Ever heard of them?

Even More Trades From Across The Blogosphere

Yes, that's right Thorzul, another dullard of a trade post.

First up we have some cards from Jay, of the recently defunct The Mojo Hand blog. I don't know about you guys, but I miss Jay, and hope he makes his triumphant return to the blogosphere post haste. I'm not just saying that because I recently won a Griffey Jr. autograph in his contest either. The Mojo Hand is greatly missed. This may be the first trade I've ever posted that does not contain a single Orioles card.

09 Donruss Certified Materials Kenny Britt Souvenir Stamps

While this card is still sort of cool, it's not near as cool as the older incarnations that actually used old postage. There's something about seeing "Stamps.com" on a football card that doesn't sit quite right with me. Britt was my rookie WR du jour this season, and spent time on all 3 of the fantasy teams I managed. WR is the one position where most of the youngsters I have a good feeling about go on to have pretty good rookie campaigns. At every other position, "my guys" don't ever pan out.

2009 Bowman Chrome Joe Flacco green refractor #'d 75/99

If my Ravens are going to take down the evil Patriots and the hooded one this afternoon, my boy "Cup a Joe" is going to have to play better. He holds the ball too long, and ends up taking too many sacks as a result. This is the second season in a row that I feel like they are just a big, play-making wide receiver away from a Lombardi Trophy. It would be great to be proven wrong today.

2008 Upper Deck SP Lawrence Jackson Rookie Threads auto

I don't know much about this guy, aside from the fact that he was a low first round pick of the Seahawks in the 2008 draft. It's too early to call him a bust, but I certainly haven't seen him on Sportscenter either.

2009 Topps Finest Dwayne Bowe refractor

A few years ago Bowe was the rookie wide receiver that started my run of psychic prognosticating ability. He's still one of my favorites in the game, and for the sake of his career I hope he is able to make it out of Kansas City soon. A trade to the Ravens would make me the happiest fan in all the land.

Next up are a few of the cards sent to me by Ed, of Roll Out the Barrel fame. He posted his '08 Allen & Ginter wantlist a week or two ago, and I still have 3 boxes of doubles laying around. It seemed like a match made in heaven. I didn't even want anything in return, since box space is very much in demand these days. Well, Ed sent me some cards back anyway. I can't say I'm disappointed about that either.

2004 Topps Oriole Prospects Nick Markakis/Adam Loewen

A new Markakis! Thanks Ed. This one is a bonus, cause it's also got Adam Loewen on it too. I still believe in Adam. This will be the year he goes Ankiel on us. Mark it dude.

2009 Topps 206 Koji Uehara "Rookie" short print

It would have been smart of me to scan the back of this card too. We all know why it's not here.

2009 Topps Heritage High #'s Chrome Nolan Reimold Rookie Star

Great looking card right there. Can't wait to get the base version as well. Believe it or not, I haven't opened a single pack of Heritage High. For some reason I always lose interest by the time series 2 and high number sets come out. Wanna go ride bikes?

2009 Goodwin Champions Great White Shark Animal Series

My first Greg Norman card. Gotta love the Shaaaaaahhhk.

Big thanks as always to both Mojo and Ed for the great cards. Just like last week, if anyone needs me I'll be on the couch, in front of the TV, biting my nails.

GO RAVENS!!

P.S. If you haven't yet voted for your hobby favorites in the 2009 Gummies, you have 14 hours left to do so. I am currently trailing the Troll by 19 votes for Best New Cardblog. It's been pretty close the whole time, and there have been over 270 votes cast. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

More Trades From Around The Blogosphere

Another round of trades from across the blogosphere and beyond... The perfect way to start off a brand new year.

A month or so ago, reader Joe L. emailed me saying that he had gotten the wrong Topps 206 box, and that this particular hobby box should have been mine. Well... being the nice guy that he is, Joe sent me the 2 Orioles hits he pulled from his box, along with an AMAZING Ray Rice patch card. First up is the case hit...

2009 Topps 206 Nick Markakis Polar Bear framed relic

I'm not sure how I feel about relic case hits. The only thing that makes this card any different than the other Markakis relics in this set is the frame. I would be pretty bummed if I shelled out all that cash for a case, and this was the "big hit". C'mon Topps! These should at least be autographed or something.

2009 Topps 206 Koji Uehara Piedmont framed autograph

Welcome to my Orioles autograph collection Koji! You have an interesting signature, and I dig the exclamation points that look like they are supposed to be i's.

2008 Donruss Gridiron Gear Ray Rice 4-color patch #'d /50

This is officially the nicest patch card in my collection, and the only one featuring 4 colors. Joe swears he saw this card pulled in person, so I have confidence that this isn't a fake. Even if it is, aren't all "memorabilia" cards sort of fake in a way? There's no guarantee that the swatch on your card was ever actually touched by the player pictured.

Next up are a few cards from Duane over at Democratic Roadkill. Duane also emailed me about some cards he thought I might be interested in, and boy was he ever right. I am still rooting around for some Blue Jays cards to send back in return, and should have a package ready for mailing by Monday or Tuesday. Let's see what Duane sent!

2009 UD Ballpark Collection Stat Kings quad swatch

Ballpark Collection was yet another in a long line of overpriced sets featuring a gratuitous use of relics. All autographs are on stickers, and the price tag is upwards of $100/box. Pretty freakin' ridiculous if you ask me, especially since most of the relics (even the six & eight swatches) sell for right around the $5 mark on the secondary market. I'm still going to collect the Markakis & Adam Jones cards though. Being a player/team collector is such a pain in the ass sometimes, but such is life as a collector.

2005 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes Jim Palmer relic #'d /50

This card has some chipping on the right edge, which is pretty standard for Upper Deck. I really like artwork on this card, and being numbered to 50 certainly doesn't hurt either. Both '05 & '08 Heroes are great products, but for me, '05 takes the cake since all autographs are on-card.

2009 Topps Allen & Ginter's Creatures of Myth, Legend & Terror Hydra mini

I goofed up a bit and left this card on my want list, even though I've already got a copy. If anyone needs this card for their set, or happens to be a huge Hydra fan, this card is for trade. My Creatures want list is officially down to just TWO cards, LMT3 & LMT14. If you happen to have them, please contact me and I will make sure you are more than fairly compensated. At this point I'm soooooo close, and just want to knock this set out.

Next we have a card sent to me by Larry the SewingMachineGuy, who is not to be confused with Larry the Cable Guy. Larry just re-did the banner on his blog, and it looks great. If you've never been there, or haven't been there in a while, I suggest checking it out immediately. Much like Joe & Duane, Larry emailed me to say that he'd pulled a Nick Markakis relic from a pack of '09 Sweet Spot, and was wondering if I was interested. Naturally, I was, and quickly sent off a Maggs relic in return.

2009 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Nick Markakis Sweet Swatch Memorabilia

Finally, we have an amazing card from Jeff at I Am Joe Collector. Over the summer he busted a case (maybe 2) of 2008 Upper Deck Football Heroes, and happened to pull not one, but TWO Joe Flacco hard-signed rookie autos. I immediately emailed him about acquiring one, but didn't have anything in my collection that Jeff was interested in. Fast forward to late November, when the Darren Sproles black refractor auto from my 2005 Topps Finest Football mini box break caught his eye, and a comment appeared on my blog that simply read "Sproles for Flacco". In my mind, that is a no brainer, and here is the beauty that arrived early last week, just in time for Christmas.

2008 Upper Deck Football Heroes Joe Flacco rookie autograph #'d/ 250

Hot damn that is beautiful! "Joe the quarterback" had better bring it this Sunday, and every Sunday (or Saturday) from now until Super Bowl Sunday!

A big thank you to both Joes, Duane and Larry for the great cards! It was a pleasure trading with all of you. Oh, and Happy New Year to everyone out there in the great net of the inter.

His Past TIme.... Is Trading

I'll give you one guess where these cards came from. If you can't tell based on the title, chances are you've already started your New Year's Eve celebrations. These here fancy cards come courtesy of "The Don" himself, Mr. Wicked Ortega of the fabulous My Past Time.... I Love It! This is not the first, and I'm almost certain it will not be the last time him and I will deal with each other. This trade post id dedicated to my main man Thorzul, who thinks that reading other people's trade posts is boring, and wants to start a fight with a fellow blogger in 2010. I'll be your huckleberry, Thorzul, but not until tomorrow.

We'll kick things off with a few of the O's cards "The Don" sent my way:

2001 Topps Gold Label Eddie Murray MLB Awards Ceremony relic

As usual, Eddie is looking like a badass on cardboard. This might be the oldest game-used card in my whole collection, and it's interesting that the whole swatch is actually encased in the window like that. There's also a thin layer of plastic covering the window, ala Allen & Ginter's. I wonder how long Topps tweaked this style, before nailing it with Ginter? Are you bored yet Thorzul?

2005 Upper Deck ProSigs Jorge Julio autograph #'d /50

Normally I would love a guy who's name translates to George July, but Jorge Julio was a bit of a letdown, both in Baltimore, and wherever he ended up after being jettisoned. It looks like now he is mired in the depths of the Pirates organization. If he can't make it there, he can't make it anywhere.

2006 Topps Chrome Nick Markakis black refractor #'d / 549

This card, to me, was the centerpiece of the trade. Even though it's #'d to 549, I've only seen one or 2 for sale... EVER. It's always nice to add a new Markakis to the collection.

2009 Bowman Chrome David Hernandez autograph

I think Thorzul just yawned. Hernandez is probably the lowest ranked O's pitching prospect who is currently on the roster, and that's really saying something, because he showed quite a bit of promise last season. With a bit more coaching, and experience, he could develop into a nice like middle/back of the rotation starter. The kid's got a great fastball.

To close things out, here's a couple of Ravens game used cards that are much appreciated. For only being a football collector for about 3 months now, I've already got a nice little start to a Ravens collection.

2008 Topps Football Joe Flacco relic

Everything you need to know about Joe Cool can be seen right HERE. I love it that he came to Baltimore complete with bad accent and all. It's easier that way, and shortens the break-in period.

2008 Upper Deck Ray Rice Game Day Gear

Dear Upper Deck, please address your quality control issues. A large percentage of your so-called "hits" come complete with chipping around the relic window, a dinged corner or both. You might wonder why MLB didn't re-up your license. I submit to you exhibit A. Oh, and say "hi" to your mother for me, ok?

Wicked Ortega, thanks for the cards dude. There is a chance you just might be the most prolific trader on the interwebs, but we'll have to wait for drewscards to announce his winners later tonight in order to know for sure.

Most Awesome Trade From Joe V

Last week I previewed a monster trade with reader Joe V. If you recall, Joe sent me a humongous stack of quality Orioles, and a few other cards, along with a sealed retail box of 2008 Topps Chrome Football. The box break is going to have to wait for another day (it'll be soon, I promise), but in the meantime, here are some of the great cards Joe sent me in exchange for the Chase Utley Sweet Spot autograph from my 2006 Sweet Spot break a few weeks back. I have to admit I was hesitant to give the Utley up, but Joe made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

There are so many cards here it would take me all day to write a blurb on each one. I am going to give it my best shot, so strap on your seat belts, and behold the bounty a Chase Utley autograph can garner.

2009 Allen & Ginter's Creatures of Myth, Legend & Terror - Hydra

I think this leaves me only needing 2 more cards for a complete Creatures set. I'd love to wrap this up by New Year's, so please check my want list, and contact me if you've got either of the final cards I need. It will be worth your while, trust me.

2009 Goudey Nick Markakis green mini

Not sure what the green means, but one (this one) would guess that it's a short printed parallel of some sort. I didn't have it before, so it's another new one for the Markakis collection. Sweet!

1997 UD³ Cal Ripken Jr. ProMotion

This card is pretty cool. I don't have many of these cards, so it's nice to get another one, and a Ripken no less. The late 90's were full of awesome looking cards, or so it seems.

2009 Topps Frank Robinson Legends of the Game

Somehow no one had traded me this card yet. What's wrong with you people?

2009 Sweet Spot Adam Jones

The legend of Adam Jones is growing about as fast as my collection of his cards. Not exactly the most flattering picture, and blowing bubbles while running the bases seems like a choking hazard. Does baseball need a choking hazard warning label?

2007 Upper Deck Spectrum Cal Ripken Road to the Hall

'07 Spectrum was a whole lot nicer than '09 Spectrum. Mark it.

2009 Upper Deck SP Authentic Nick Markakis By The Letter autograph

Jackpot! Manu-patch or no, this is one sweet looking card, and it's already catapulted itself to the top 3 Markakis autographs in my entire collection.

2009 Allen & Ginter's Burke Kenny relic

The nona-fecta is officially complete! If anyone knows where I could locate a printing plate, or wood mini, please let me know. At this point, I might as well go for it all. No guts, no glory.

I am officially out of things to say about the cards below. They are all parallels, and almost all needed. Parallels aren't the kind of cards you seek out and purchase on eBay because it's not worth paying the shipping most of the time. I love getting them in trades though, and Joe came through in a major way with quite a few for me.

2008 Topps Chrome Adam Jones x-fractor

2008 Topps Chrome Brian Roberts refractor

2009 Topps Finest Brian Roberts green refractor #'d /99

2008 Topps Stadium Club Brian Roberts photographers proof #'d /99

2009 Upper Deck Spectrum Nick Markakis red parallel

2009 Upper Deck Spectrum Nick Markakis green parallel

2009 Upper Deck A Piece of History Nick Markakis green parallel

2009 Upper Deck P.O.H. Nick Markakis Stadium Scenes red parallel #'d /75

2009 Upper Deck Spectrum Brian Roberts black parallel #'d /50

2007 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Brian Roberts jersey relic

Some damage around the jersey window. Typical Upper Deck.

2009 Upper Deck Spectrum Brian Roberts red parallel

2008 Upper Deck Spectrum Brian Roberts red parallel

2008 Topps Chrome Ray Lewis copper refractor

2008 Topps Chrome Joe Flacco refractor

Big win last night dude. EPIC!

So there you have it, and that's not even everything Joe sent me. It's amazing what you can get for a Chase Utley autograph. Thanks a lot for the great trade Joe, and I hope you enjoy your cards as much as I am enjoying mine.

Oh, I almost forgot, Joe sent me a sealed 24-pack retail box of 2008 Topps Chrome Football as well. It was pretty fun to bust, and the results will be posted later this week. I don't really collect anything Football outside of the Ravens and Dwayne Bowe, so all cards will be for trade.

Trade With Cardboard Heaven

A couple of weeks back, CamClow of Cardboard Heaven and I got to discussing a potential trade. He had mentioned something about wanting a Granderson auto in one of his posts, and I happened to have one for trade. We quickly worked out a deal, and here is what I was able to walk away with:

2005 Bowman Chrome Billy Rowell Aflac edition

The first & only Aflac card in my collection. Some people in and around Baltimore may have given up on Rowell, but not me. Granted, his numbers have dropped off each one of 4 seasons in the minors, and he struggled mightily in single-A ball last season, but he was still the youngest guy on the team, at 20. I still believe in you Billy, so don't make a fool out of me, ok?

2009 Upper Deck Philadelphia Joe Flacco

Ok Joe, enough is enough. We need you to beat the Steelers this Sunday night. Are you up to the task? Season's on the brink here Joe, and we need to emerge victorious this weekend. Make it happen!

2009 UD Legendary Cuts Cal Ripken Legendary Memorabilia red parallel

This year's Legendary Cuts relic cards are quite stunning, and this card is no exception. Great design, pretty good photo and gold foil used tastefully. This card has it all. I'd like to see the end of plain white swatches, but that probably won't happen anytime soon, especially since most of the guaranteed hits in boxes these days are of the game used variety. I'd imagine it's pretty cost effective for the card companies as well.

1976 Topps Brooks Robinson

Didn't think I had this card already, but as it turns out, I did. There are certainly worse doubles to own. '76 Topps is a design that has grown on me, and is now among my top 3 designs of that decade.

2006 Bowman Sterling Brandon Snyder autograph

Snyder was just added to the 40-man roster last week, so it sounds like the O's organization believes he can possibly contribute this season. We do need a first baseman, and this guy looks like the cheap option, which means he'll probably end up starting in 2010, since Peter Angelos is too cheap to pay for a free agent like Adrian Gonzalez (which would be awesome btw). Here is a nice little write up on Snyder courtesy of orioles.com.

Thanks a lot for the great trade CamClow, and enjoy your Grandy auto. I mailed it out last week, so it has hopefully already arrived by now.


Did anyone out there (aside from Boxes of Cards) end up scoring any sweet deals during the Blowout Cards Black Friday sale? I tried, but it was in vain. Instead, I decided to purchase a hobby box I wanted at full price (which was still cheaper than most other places), and along with it picked up a retail box of 2008 Masterpieces baseball for $9.99. If anyone is building that set, and needs cards, get your wants lists ready.