Wait!? I have a blog??

I've been a bad baseball card blogger as of late.


Things were so much easier when my little girl was a newborn baby...


She literally just ate, puked, slept, and pooped.  Mostly in that order.


So sitting down to write a post about my favorite hobby was very much in the cards. (pun intended)


However, my little sweetheart is now 19 months old and every time Daddy sits down to write on the lap top she begs to sit in my lap and then naturally wants to push ALL of the buttons on the keyboard.


So, on this lovely Saturday morning I have decided to take a few minutes to write you lovely people a post whilst she eats her cereal and strawberries. 


Confined in her high chair.


FRRRREEEEDDDDOOOOMMMM!!!!


So I'll make this quick... bullet point style!


1. The Lost Cards.  I still only have one left to get... Derek fricken Jeter.  The quest continues...


2. Once again I've kicked ass in my Fantasy Football League and am the 1 seed and play in the semi finals this weekend.  If I win Sunday, I'm in the money... and all of that will go to baseball cards.  If I happen to win a championship... mayhap I'll get Derek fricken Jeter.


3. Lineage mini relics... I've decided that I'm just going to get the 99 players and leave it at that.  If I get the other variations (bat v. jersey) I'll just file them away.  I'm up to 76 total relics... OH SO CLOSE!


4. 2010 Topps 206 mini booklets... still only need 3 left! Bench/Mauer, Pettitte/Sabathia, and Utley/Howard.  Utley and Howard are currently on ebay and I have every intention of scooping them up.  Then I'll be down to just 2 for a complete set!


5. 2013 Topps Update 1971 mini relics.  I recently just acquired the Ripken, Bench, and Upton relics to go with my Musial.  That would make 4 out of 15.  I plan to complete this set as well.


6. Popping tags... I recently went to an antique store across the street from my work and found a couple niiiccceee baseball relic cards for dirt cheap.  One I've already flipped for a lineage relic.  Keep your eyes peeled fellow collectors.  There is treasure every where!


7.... oh snap.  Breakfast is over.  Gotta run!


Till next time!!!

All Apologies...

Hey Baseball Card Guru's.

I've lost touch with my inner blogger... basically life has happened and I haven't had the time to sit down and get in touch.

My little girl is 16 months old now and basically takes up all my free time... and baseball card money.  Fortunately I still have money for postage and have been very busy pulling off trades.

I know this is kinda anti climactic but I got another LOST CARD back!

I was able to acquire the Juan Marichal card in exchange for a Ray Lewis signed 8x10 framed and matted.  It was a sweet item in my cave, but this Lost Card was particularly hard to find so I had to jump on the chance when I saw it pop up.  In fact it's print run is limited to 90 so I knew it wouldn't be easy to find.

So that leaves only the 2009 Sweet Spot Derek Jeter auto and I've gotten all of my Lost Cards back!

In the meantime I've also cleaned up in my quest for Lineage relics and have now gotten a total of 70!  The checklist includes 98 players, but 4 of them have both a jersey and bat relic and a lot of them have variations of jersey swatches.  I've decided to just make it an even 100 as I plan to display them in a framed type of set up and it helps make it work... so that being said... just 30 left to go!

Check out my link for the Lineage project and the relic section will be up to date.

In other news I was at the ALDS game 2 for the Baltimore Orioles and watched them kick some more 8th inning ass again!  It's been a magical year and I really feel like its a team of destiny.  So bring on the third Cy Young winner in a row... I'm fairly certain this team can beat him too.

I'll carve some time out in the future to detail the new cards I've gotten and the ones i've shipped away.  Or not... WHO KNOWS!

Not me anyways...

THANKS FOR READING!

Looking for a REPEAT. Fantasy Draft Sunday

Stay tuned...

Brothers and Sisters in collecting... I have much news to share!

Trades on top of trades!

I've taken great strides in my Lineage quest and am one step closer to my T206 Goal!

I'm working on remembering and documenting all of my past trades that need posting about so I can update all of you who check my blog daily with baited breathe wondering what Woogie has been up to!

Fear NOT!

I shall return...

Indeed

STAY TUNED!

Hometown Trades and O's Games

Happy Father's Day weekend!

I hope all the Dads out there are enjoying themselves to the fullest and that maybe you're lucky enough to get to rip some wax on Sunday.

My Father's Day weekend started off great!  I went to the Orioles game Friday night with the wifey and had an amazing time!  Yes, the Orioles lost... but anytime you get a babysitter and a night out on the town you'll find a way to even enjoy the losses!

The seats were great too! We were only 18 rows off the field on the third base line.  I saw Caleb Joseph gun down a would be base stealer for the third out of an inning and also saw Chris Davis strike out on three straight pitches.  That wasn't very cool, but on his way back to the dug out I saw Davis snap the bat over his knee in frustration.  That was pretty sweet.  Dude is The Hulk!

It's a bummer we lost, but I still had a good time.

I'll be going again soon with my buddy Karl in a couple of weeks.  Karl texted me the other night after he busted some packs and pulled this little gem!

2014 Topps Series 2 Ivan Rodriguez Rookie Class Pin Relic

Karl knew I was a huge Ivan Rodriguez fan and had previously hooked me up in a trade with a Pudge auto he had signed in person when he was on the groundskeeper crew for Camden Yards.  

Karl had seen my last post and had his eye on my David Eckstein auto.  So I pulled the trigger and agreed to the trade.

So long David... Karl will take good care of ya!

After we pulled off the trade we got to talking about the Orioles and sure enough my boy invited me to the game. That'll be my third game this year and all three times I got tickets for free.  At this pace I might just make half a dozen games this year!

So far my Saturday morning has been awesome.  The wife let me sleep for an extra hour... she made me a slammin' breakfast and I opened my daughters Father's Day gift a day early.  She made me a photo book of our first year together.  If her end game was to make Daddy cry... well... mission accomplished.  Jules also bought me a few rack packs of 2014 Topps Series 1.  Got a few cool inserts for Harper and Puig.  All in all a great Father's Day weekend so far and still have the rest of the weekend in front of me!

Happy Father's Day to all of the Dads this weekend!

Thanks for reading!

Mojo Risin'

Greetings fellow Baseball Card and Blog enthusiasts! I hope June has been treating you well so far.

As you all recall from my last post I recently got my biggest Lost Card find yet in the form of the 2000 Fleer Traditions Update Mickey Mantle Pieces of Mantle relic card.  It only took two days to arrive and the card was finally in hand.  It came well shipped and included some Orioles base cards from that set as well.  I'm ecstatic to have it back in the collection. Here are the base cards I was hooked up with!

Tha's right... what do you know about Albert Belle in an Orioles uniform?!?  Nothing! The man got hurt after two seasons and stayed on the payroll for 3 more!

and the main attraction...

WELCOME HOME MANTLE!

This card was one of the best pull moments I've ever had.  A total odds beater.  I grab one box on a shelf out of 5 with a 1 in 80 chance of pulling this card.  Opening that box and seeing that solid silver line among the sea of dark grey cardboard is a thrill i'll never forget.

Now I've only got 2 Lost Cards left.  Help a brotha out (especially with the Juan Marichal!)

WANTED: LOST CARDS PUBLIC ENEMIES 1 & 2

Woogies Most Wanted #1

2009 Sweet Spot Derek Jeter Blue Auto /299

Woogies Most Wanted #2

2005 Topps All Time Fan Favorite Juan Marichal Auto

(not serial numbered, but print run is only to 90)

Help me bring these two cards to justice and bring them home to The Cave!

Now I know what you're thinking...

What the crap are you talking about "Mojo Risin'"?

Let's just say if I was in Vegas and was playing cards I'd be on a hot streak.

But I'm not...

I'm in Baltimore and I'm not playing cards...

Just opening them!

Since my little girl was born I've been on a hiatus from buying new packs and boxes.  It's been tough, but she's worth it!  Plus it gave me more time to focus on my collections and Lost Cards.

Anyways, I'd recently spend $30 total in the last month or so on a few hobby packs and rack packs from Target/Wal Mart.

All I can say is I'm on a hot streak and have pulled a number of Relics and Autos.  I think all together I picked up 10 packs and hit on half of them!

Check out my newest additions.  All for trade!

2014 Topps Heritage Chris Sale Clubhouse Collection Relic with pin stripe!

2014 Topps Archives David Eckstein Auto

2014 Donruss Michael Choice RC Auto

2014 Topps Series 1 David Price Relic

2012 Topps Series 2 Tim Lincecum Cut Above Relic /50

Not a bad little haul at all!

Let's just say I've walked away from the proverbial card table. Take the house before the house takes you!

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!

See you next time

Facebook Brings Home Another Lost Card!

And then there were two...

IT'S OFFICIAL

This morning I completed a trade that landed me a Lost Card and it's all thanks to this great Facebook group that I joined a little over a month or two ago.

It's a "private" Facebook Group that hasn't really stayed all that private!  When I joined "Baseball Card Collectors and Trading~ Keep It Real", they maybe had 2,500 members.  In the last couple of months it has ballooned to over 7,400 members.  

The group is great and well run.  I've not made any trades on it, but have enjoyed watching others complete trades, help newbies figure out what they've got, and just plain congratulate others on excellent pulls they've made.  As satisfying as blogging has been for my cardboard addiction, this group has basically taken it to another level.  I actually discovered it through my buddy, Nathan from high school, who had been looking to unload a Bryce Harper auto...

Yeah... it's the same buddy who almost completed a trade with me for a Machado prospect auto that would've netted me that Harper.  As you recall that deal fell through because Santa brought him a Machado auto for Christmas and I didn't get my ass in gear and complete the trade in time.  Funny thing is I was only going to use that Harper as trade bait for one of my bigger Lost Card needs, specifically the Derek Jeter Sweet Spot auto.

Well he'd been shopping the Harper in this group for a quality Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle relic card (not to toot my own horn, but I'm fairly certain I nudged him in that direction).  A member in the group named Robert threw up an offer for a pair of Mantle relics and one of them happened to be my Lost Card!  Nathan wasn't interested in the pair and I sent a message to Robert to see about pulling off a deal.

The exchange actually took place around midnight Saturday morning as I checked in to a hotel in WV after a 5 hour car ride from Baltimore.  Nothing eases the pain of a long car ride like the prospect of a trade for a Lost Card... well... that and a nice stiff drink!  I thought hard all weekend about what I was going to deal for this particular card.  Lucky for me Robert was pretty clear about what he collected... 

Red Sox, 500 HR Club, 3,000 Hit Club, and Triple Crown Winners.

I knew I had some cards that would fit the bill that I was willing to part with!

I came back home Sunday afternoon and sent Robert my offer and it was loaded!  Check it out!

2004 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia Tools of the Trade Rafael Palmeiro dual relic 240/250

2012 Topps Tribute Eddie Mathews bat relic 48/99

1982 Topps Bob Bonner RC... J/K Cal Ripken Jr. RC

2012 Topps Tribute Roberto Clemente Green Parallel 29/75

1978 Topps Eddie Murray RC

2009 Topps Legendary Lineage Mickey Mantle commemorative patch 13/50

2011 Topps Lineage Ivan DeLock autograph

2000 St. Louis Cardinals NLDS ticket stub signed by Stan Musial

Did I mention my offer was loaded and pretty much nailed everything he was looking for?

Robert was gracious and actually has read my blog and knew about how important it was for me to get these Lost Cards back.  He took my offer and in return I landed a Lost Card that I have particularly coveted.

!BOOM!

2000 Fleer Tradition Update Mickey Mantle Mantle Pieces game used pants relic

The thrill of pulling this card personally stayed with me for a long time and I've always regretted losing this card the most out of all the cards I gave up when I sold them in my time of need.

Now it's back!

And to bring it full circle I can still say that Nathan's Harper auto still ended up bringing me a Lost Card!  

So thanks Nathan! (Later that same night Nathan pulled off a trade that landed him a triple bat relic of Babe Ruth to /25.  Did I mention how GREAT this Facebook Group is?!?)

More importantly...

Thanks Robert for understanding just how important this adventure is to me and for being a part of the journey!

I'll be dropping off the cards in the mail tomorrow and I'll update the blog with an exciting MAIL DAY!

Stay tuned...

and

Thanks for reading!

Baltimore Dogs and Baseball

I'm having one of those rare Saturday's today.

Just a perfectly productive day and some free time for work in the man cave.  I kicked off the day getting up early to drop the wifey's car off for an oil change before heading in to the office, you see she happens to be going to see her old girlfriend tonight and daddy's got the night to him self. 

Now I couldn't get too crazy.  I still had my daughter to take care of.  So I got out of work around 11am and headed home just in time to put her down for a nap.  My wife was going to be using nap time to get ready for her trip and I was free to get my night started in the cave.  Ever since I've started to reel in my Lost Cards I've thought about how I should display them.  Up until now I've only kept them filed away in the catalog, but I had to do them justice and put them out to be seen.  I looked up display cases online, but the truth of the matter was that I'd rather spend the money for a display case on actual baseball cards.  There was only one thing I could do...

D.I.Y.

Basic Woogenomics states if you don't feel like paying for a display case, build one out of scrap wood lying around your basement!

So that's what I did...

Now I didn't plan on writing about it, but my wife came out and saw what I'd done half way through and she told me it would make a good blog post. So here I am and there you are... now where was I?  Oh yea...

I had an old TV stand sitting in my rubbish corner of the basement and it had this removable shelf and I decided it would be a good board to use as the base to my display case.  Besides an old TV stand the rubbish corner also has a stack of scrap wood including various lengths of wood trim.  I grabbed four scraps of trim and did my best to measure them for cuts to fit the board.  I would be basically making them mini shelves to have the cards displayed properly.  However I don't own any power saws and only have an old fashioned bow saw.  So I taped all four together to make it easier to cut them to size and it actually worked okay.  I sanded the ends afterwards and while it wasn't "exact" it looked good enough.

I then laid out the distance between shelves to have the top 2 only hold standard sized top loaders and the bottom 2 shelves be spaced enough for graded cards.  After I had them placed I nailed them down and that's about the time I started snapping photos.

Above are the four pieces of trim nailed to the shelf of my old TV stand.  Once it was all nailed together I spray painted it all black.

I laid it on a crate to dry and it was around that time that my daughter was getting up from her nap.  Not bad work for deciding to get creative on the fly in a 2 hour window.

Once it was all dry, I drilled a hole in the top center of the board and then screwed it to a good spot on the wall by the shuffle board table.  

Once it was up on the wall I noticed the spots I had missed with the spray paint.  Always thinking on my feet I quickly devised a plan...

and I did a little coloring.

Problem solved!  Check out the final results!  Looks GREAT in my own humble opinion.

I'm really happy with the way it turned out, and also really impressed that I could make something like this out of scrap wood laying around the basement. Just goes to show what you can accomplish with a little Do It Yourself attitude!

Now normally this is where I'd end the post, but I've just gotta tell you about the best hot dogs I've ever made in my whole entire life... and I just happened to have eaten them tonight and be documenting the whole way.

For those who have not already been privy to this delicious take on the American Classic, may I introduce you to the one and only...

The Baltimore Dog

The Baltimore Dog is essentially a hot dog wrapped in fried bologna.  Here is a step by step tutorial on how to make the best Baltimore Dogs right in your own kitchen!  If you live in Baltimore I recommend you pick up a pack of Esskay All Beef Hot Dogs and 1/4 lb. of Esskay All Beef Bologna (The brand recommended by your Baltimore Orioles!)

The best way to cook your hot dogs other then the grill is to take a sauce pan and fill it with about an inch of water and get it to a boil. Then pop a couple of doggies and steam cook them covered till just about all of the water has cooked away.  Add a table spoon of butter per hot dog and fry the out side of the hot dog to get a crisp skin.  Once you toss the butter in to the pan with the hot dogs and you get it all melted I recommend you take a half  an onion chopped fine and drop it in to the pan.  Once the onions are perfectly cooked down your hot dogs are ready.

Simultaneously while cooking the hot dogs take another pan and melt some butter and fry two pieces of bologna per hot dog and also toast your buns.  Once that's done it's time to build your Baltimore Dog!

Lay out your toasted buns and place your two pieces of fried bologna down.

Next lay down a bed of your cooked down onions.  Raw onions would do just as nicely.

Then lay down your hot dogs...

And lastly top with ketchup.  Some people think this is child's play, but I will always favor ketchup over mustard on my hot dogs.

Plate with some hot fries and you've got yourself a Baltimore classic!  My wife would never eat like this for dinner, so naturally I took advantage tonight and was left wondering why I only decided to make two. They were so freaking good! The only thing that could have made this night better would've been an Orioles win.  They lost a tough 1-0 pitchers duel.  Danny Duffy lost a perfect game in the 6th or 7th and Bud Norris only gave up one run in the first inning and pitched in to the 8th.  Tough to take a loss like that when you pitch that well.  At least I got to watch it in The Cave.  Even if it is the smallest TV on earth it's nice to enjoy the space I've worked so hard to put together.

Well that's a wrap on this post.  

Till next time...

Thanks for reading.

Epic Update!

!!!WOW!!!

Where'd the time go? It's 11:24 pm and in exactly 36 minutes my little girl will be one years old.  This time last year my wife was getting prep'd for surgery and I had no clue just how much my life was about to change.  Being a father has by far been the greatest achievement of my life.  It hasn't been easy, but it has always been a joy.  Part of being a new daddy has been the realization that my hobby is going to take a back seat from here on out... a lot.

So I haven't bought a single box in the last year.  But I have made a few trades and have purchased one or two packs very sparingly.  And I'm happy to report that I've made some good pulls!  As well I've acquired a few cards for the PC and that would include not one, but TWO Lost Cards.

That's right boys, Woogie has his Lost Cards down to just 3!!!

The first one I got back was the Steve Carlton Fleer Greats of the Game autograph card.  In order to get it I traded away a couple of solid cards from the collection including my Pete Rose autograph card from his Leaf product and a 1982 Donruss Cal Ripken Jr. RC.  Check'em out below.

The seller was really cool to work with and the transaction couldn't have gone more smooth!  Welcome back Steve Carlton!

Check out all the Lost Cards that have made there way home since I've started blogging about this quest.

Once I pulled this trade off I felt my luck was getting hot.  I was trolling eBay and found one of the 206 mini booklets I needed for the low price of $10.  I took a chance and just put the minimum bid and ended up being the only one interested enough to put one in.  So all of a sudden my 206 collection is only 4 shy of being complete.  Check out the latest edition!

2010 Topps 206 mini booklet Lincecum and Halladay.  Take a look at the total lot!

I posted about this newest addition to a new Facebook group for Baseball Card collectors hoping that one of the 6,000 strong members had one of the 4 left.  Sure enough someone messaged me that they have an extra Josh Hamilton/Hunter Pence and are going to hook me up with it!  I can't believe my luck sometimes!  I haven't been at this a whole year and I'm just three shy of a complete set of case hits!

If you or anyone you know has Sabathia/Pettitte, Mauer/Bench, or Utley/Howard please let me know.  I'm ready to make some deals!

The mojo doesn't stop there either.  I found myself on a rare occasion with a $10 spot in my pocket.  Now i've already said I haven't purchased any boxes since my daughter was born, but I really haven't even picked up any packs either.  Well I couldn't take sitting on the side lines any more and had to get a few packs of the new 2014 Topps Heritage.  My LCS had them for $3 a pack so I picked up 3 and then a 2012 Topps Series 2 pack for $1 out of the dollar bin.

I sat in my car and ripped them open.  What a rush!  Ripping wax for the first time in a year and I actually hit on two relic cards and both are solid hits!  Check it out!

2012 Topps Cut Above Tim Lincecum relic 9/50 and 2014 Topps Heritage Chris Sale relic with pin stripe!

I didn't pull really much out of the other two packs of Heritage, but who cares! I got the hit from the box!

That'd be enough action to last me the new few months or so but it doesn't end there.  I found another Lost Card online.  The seller and I talked trade for a bit, but couldn't come to an agreement, but at the same time this specific card is so short printed and hard to come by that I couldn't pass it up.  It was online for $30 or Best offer.  I offered $20 and he accepted.  I'd have like to have gotten a better deal, but I can't complain!  Welcome back the latest Lost Card!

2008 Topps Triple Threads Eddie Murray STEADY 6x relic /27.

This means I'm down to just 3 Lost Cards left.  The Mantle and Jeter are pretty much always popping up on ebay.  It's just a matter of finding someone who is interested enough to trade with me.  The Juan Marichal is going to be a different story.  It's the one Lost Card I have yet to see pop up on ebay.  I see in Beckett it's print run is listed as 90 so it is a SP.  Hopefully it pops up soon and I can jump all over it.

The additions to the collection have been awesome and the Cave looks great.  I'll be excited when I complete this mission and I appreciate everyone who has been along for the ride.  I ended up staying up late tonight to watch my Orioles win in the 10th inning for their 5th in a row.  Hopefully they can get the sweep tomorrow for a nice Mother's Day/Birthday gift for my two favorite girls.

As I end this blog post it is 12am on the nose.  Happy Birthday to my wonderful daughter Julia Ruth!

Daddy loves you.

Thanks for reading!

Till next time

Machado MAIL Day!!!

Happy Sunday everyone!  

One week in to the baseball season and the Orioles are already on a 4 game skid.  Oh well, LOTs of baseball left.  Still you want to start out stronger than this!

Apparently Topps wanted to help me celebrate the start of the Orioles season by sending me my redemption for my 2013 Topps Archives Manny Machado 1973 mini framed auto.  It came in the mail yesterday morning and caught me by complete surprise.  

I had redeemed it in December after I purchased it on ebay for winning my Fantasy Football league.  I had been checking the status of the redemption at least once a week since then and the status was always the same... "pending".  

So I guess the last time I checked was right at the end of March.  It was shipped on April 1st and showed up in the mail yesterday.  #awesomesauce

Check it out!

I had been out all day with my daughter and when I came back home my wife tossed me this.  As soon as I saw Topps in the corner I knew it was my card and was insta-excited!

Inside was my prize, protected in bubbles.

BOOM! 11/25. I just wish this would have had the RC logo on it somewhere since this is technically a rookie auto.  I hate his autograph for the record.  It is impossible to discern his name from the autograph.   

3 Home runs in his first 4 games gave us all in Baltimore a great idea of what kind of talent we were getting in Machado.  A year later he would win the platinum glove award at one of the toughest positions to play defense at.  I hope the never move him to shortstop.  He's already the best 3rd baseman in the league.

I love the look and design of the card.  I would totally love to collect the set, but it's a pipe dream.  I'll work on it though for as long as it takes me!  Here are the other names in the set.  Fat chance I add any to my collection, but nothing worth doing was ever easy.  Thanks for reading! Happy Sunday!

73M-BG Bob Gibson

73M-CK Clayton Kershaw

73M-CS Chris Sale

73M-DF David Freese

73M-DS Dave Stewart

73M-DW David Wright

73M-FJ Fergie Jenkins

73M-FR Frank Robinson

73M-GG Gio Gonzalez

73M-HA Hank Aaron

73M-JB Johnny Bench

73M-JM Juan Marichal

73M-JP Jim Palmer

73M-KG Ken Griffey Jr.

73M-MS Mike Schmidt

73M-MT Mike Trout

73M-NR Nolan Ryan

73M-RA R.A. Dickey

73M-RB Ryan Braun

73M-RJ Reggie Jackson

73M-TS Tom Seaver

73M-WC Will Clark

73M-WM Will Middlebrooks

73M-YC Yoenis Cespedes

Feast or Famine

Happy Sunday everyone!

Tomorrow my beloved Birds of Baltimore take on those damn defending World Series Champs, Boston Redsox.  It's been raining here in Baltimore for the last 2 days, but tomorrow is supposed to be around 65 and sunny.  I can't wait!  I think Baltimore has a run in them this year.  Even if all the experts pick them to finish 4th, I think they win the East and who knows beyond that.  It just feels like a lot of potential on this team compared to the last couple of years.

So yeah... like... Feast or Famine man.  What gives?

I've been coming up empty on recent trade offers.  Had a couple of people talking trade, including a huge one for Lineage relics that would have put me over 75 total.  However, I couldn't get a deal done.  Alas my collection has become somewhat depleted.  I've got plenty of autos and relics, and many of them are of star players.  They just aren't next level hits.  Solid mid levels.  Anything I have that would really draw someones attention is PC.  Makes it tough to get stuff done!  Plus, I've been a good little boy this year and have not bought any new packs in 2014.  Seriously, I'm going through hardcore withdrawal.  I've been watching case breaks on the youtubes and window shopping on ebay, but i'm going to need to complete a trade or rip some packs if i'm to really quell the beast with in.

So to that end... Here is an updated list of my Lineage Relic needs. Cards highlighted in red are ones that I currently own.  55 total.  47 left to go!  If you've got any that I need hit me up!  Thanks for reading!

1Adam Dunn JERSEY

2Adrian Beltre JERSEY

3Al Kaline BAT
4Albert Belle BAT
5Alex Rodriguez JERSEY
6Alexei Ramirez JERSEY
7Alfonso Soriano JERSEY
8Andre Dawson JERSEY
9Andre Ethier JERSEY
10Andrew McCutchen BAT
11Andrew McCutchen JERSEY
12Albert Pujols JERSEY
13Aramis Ramirez JERSEY
14Austin Jackson BAT
15Babe Ruth BAT
16B.J. Upton JERSEY
17Bob Gibson JERSEY
18Brian McCann JERSEY
19Brooks Robinson JERSEY
20Buster Posey JERSEY
21Cal Ripken Jr. JERSEY
22Carlos Beltran JERSEY
23Carlos Gonzalez JERSEY
24Carlos Lee JERSEY
25Carlton Fisk
26CC Sabathia JERSEY
27Chipper Jones JERSEY
28Chris Carpenter JERSEY
29Clay Buchholz JERSEY
30Clayton Kershaw JERSEY
31Dan Uggla JERSEY
32David Ortiz JERSEY
33David Price JERSEY
34David Wright JERSEY
35Duke Snider BAT
36Dustin Pedroia BAT
37Eddie Murray JERSEY
38Edinson Volquez JERSEY
39Elvis Andrus JERSEY
40Evan Longoria JERSEY
41Felix Hernandez JERSEY
42Fergie Jenkins JERSEY
43Frank Thomas JERSEY
44Grady Sizemore JERSEY
45Hank Aaron JERSEY
46Honus Wagner BAT
47Ian Kinsler JERSEY
48Ichiro JERSEY
49Ike Davis BAT
50Ike Davis JERSEY
51Jared Weaver JERSEY
52Jason Bay JERSEY
53Jason Heyward JERSEY
54Jayson Werth JERSEY
55Jim Palmer
56Joe Mauer JERSEY
57Joey Votto JERSEY
58John Smoltz JERSEY
59Johnny Bench JERSEY
60Johnny Cueto JERSEY
61Johnny Mize BAT
62Jose Bautista
63Jose Reyes BAT
64Jose Reyes JERSEY
65Josh Johnson JERSEY
66Justin Upton JERSEY
67Justin Verlander JERSEY
68Kevin Youkilis JERSEY
69Kosuke Fukudome JERSEY
70Madison Bumgarner JERSEY
71Marlon Byrd JERSEY
72Matt Cain JERSEY
73Matt Kemp JERSEY
74Mel Ott JERSEY
75Mickey Mantle BAT
76Miguel Cabrera JERSEY
77Mike Schmidt BAT
78Nelson Cruz JERSEY
79Nolan Ryan JERSEY
80Ozzie Smith BAT
81Prince Fielder JERSEY
82Reggie Jackson JERSEY
83Ricky Romero JERSEY
84Roy Campanella
85Ryan Braun JERSEY
86Ryan Zimmerman JERSEY
87Sandy Koufax JERSEY
88Shane Victorino JERSEY
89Stan Musial BAT
90Starlin Castro JERSEY
91Stephen Strasburg JERSEY
92Tim Lincecum JERSEY
93Todd Helton JERSEY
94Tony Perez BAT
95Vernon Wells JERSEY
96Victor Martinez JERSEY
97Wandy Rodriguez JERSEY
98Whitey Ford JERSEY
99Willie McCovey BAT
100Willie McCovey JERSEY
101Yovani Gallardo JERSEY

102 Jay Bruce

Something Magic Happenin: Woogie's Back!

That's right BABAY!

I'm back and everything is coming up Milhouse!

So much to talk about... but where to begin?

First I'll address the title of the post here.  Something Magic Happenin refers to the "Hit" theme song for the Baltimore Orioles back in their hey day!  You can jam out to that here.

Seriously though... someone needs to hop a ride to cloud 9 and bring me back down to earth.  The Orioles actually signed a decent starting pitcher to an unheard of in Baltimore 4 year deal in Ubaldo Jimenez and then not even a week later go out and sign Nelson Cruz to a 1 year deal on the cheap!?!

The Orioles already have a solid core with players like JJ Hardy, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Crush Davis, Nick Markakis and Manny Machado.  Then they add Nelson Cruz to the mix for a full time DH and add quality depth to the pitching staff in Jimenez, Suk-min Yoon, and Ryan Webb.  Now throw in the fact that they are still being linked to Ervin Santana as reported here!  Even small signings still have potential to be big deals.  Maybe Delmon Young or Jemile Weeks find there form again this season and take over left field and second base duties.

Then again... maybe none of this pans out and the 2014 Orioles are essentially the 2013 Blue Jays.

All I know is right here and right now we have a lot to be excited about in Baltimore.  I can't wait for the first spring training game let alone opening day!

WOOGIE'S BACK!

(but where the heck did ya go?)

No where really... I just couldn't post pictures and thus was prevented from writing posts that I felt lacked in appeal without visual support.

However, problem solved and now I'm back and in a big way.

A few posts ago I complained about a dry winter and not having done any trading in the longest time.  Since then (literally the same day I posted that) I've pulled off 5 total trades!

INCLUDING A LOST CARD!!!

That's right playa's

Woogie got another Lost Card back!

First things first though.  I'll recap the trades I already blogged about.

As you'll recall I completed a trade that netted me a 2013 Topps Update mini relic of Stan Musial!  This was numbered out of 25 and is the first in what I hope will become a complete set in my collection.  To get it I gave up a fair amount.  Here is what I sent out below.

The Machado auto was a big card to give up paired with the Musial relic.  However I've already upgraded my Machado auto this past Christmas (still waiting for it in the mail) and the trade netted me a much better and more valuable Musial relic.  The Jeter card was cool and the DiMaggio was a neat image variation.  But it sealed the deal and I got this card in return!

Yes... the image is a little sideways but you get the point.  7/25 with a sweet seam right down the middle. I absolutely love love love this card!  Great addition to my collection.

I was also able to land an Ozzie Smith lineage relic for a couple of Brandon Phillips 2013 Gypsy Queen Relics.

Good bye cards...

Hello Ozzie!

Then after I completed those 2 trades I was able to nail down 3 more trades with very little cost to my collection!

2 more Lineage relics and an awesome Lost Card!

I landed this Cal Ripken Jr. Lineage relic for an Archives auto of Cleon Jones!

Goodbye Mr. Jones

Hello Cal!

Next I landed a great looking Joey Votto all red swatch Lineage relic!  In return I gave up a number of 2008 UD Masterpiece SP and Framed Cards as well as a Brian McCann captured on canvas relic to a set builder.

Welcome to the collection Votto!

Lastly... My LOST CARD

I found it on ebay and sent a message to the seller asking if they'd be interested in a trade.  He came back and said Yes, but that he only really collected 49ers.  I DO NOT collect football.  However I had 1, uno, single, football card in my collection.  Nearly 2 years ago I went to Arizona to visit my baller cousin Adam Woogrow and we hit up his local card shop.  Tony, the owner, had such a great time dealing with us he let us pop a couple of balloons in his store that had raffle tickets that went with prize bags behind his counter.  Mine came with a football auto.  Again... the only one in my collection.

It just happened to be a 49er.

Sadly this cat no longer played for the 49ers (Manny Lawson now a Bengal) so I threw in a Brandon Belt Gypsy Queen auto and a Wade Boggs Donruss bat card for good measure.

He accepted and in return I landed...

Frank Robinson Significant Signatures!

So for those keeping tally at home that would be a total of 8 Lost Cards I've reclaimed (all Orioles card coincidentally) and now only have 5 more left to go!  I'll be going hard after them all and will hopefully complete this journey before 2015!

Like I said... I've been a busy guy lately.  Since I just pulled off 5 trades I'm going to slow down a little bit and really concentrate on the Lost Cards.  

Before I part ways I do have to give a quick shout out.

To my favorite cousin ADAM.  He convinced me that Internet Explorer was for 70 year olds who know nothing about computers and to download Google Chrome.  So I did and he was right I guess.  I'm sure I could have done something to explorer to get it to work again, but downloading Chrome was much easier and I was instantly able to upload photos again.

Thanks Aaum!  YOU DA MAN!

and thanks to all of you who read my stuff!

Till next time...

Help a blogger out

Did blogger change recently to make it impossible to upload photos?


I can load them to be selected but when I go to post them I get a multi colored circle and it just gets stuck.  No photos.


Any help out there to be had?

Trade Drought Busted!!!

YES!!!


It is true!


I ought to write more posts complaining about a lack of trading because hours after that post I completed this trade!


However, since the last time I posted about a trade it fell through I decided I'd wait until the cards were in the mail before I made an announcement.  Since cards went out Friday I feel good about announcing the trade now!


As you all know I'm in to the mini relics big right now and I have made the comment that I'd like to collect all of the /25 relics from Topps 2013 Series 1, 2, and Update. 


Well I got my first one... and I LOVE it! 


To get it I gave up a fair amount and some might think it one sided, but I'm happy and in the end that is all that matters.


To get my card I traded away my Bowman Machado auto as well as my SP Legendary Cuts Stan Musial relic card I got a couple of Christmas' ago. I also tossed in a 2012 Topps Joe DiMaggio image variation and a 1992 Front Row Derek Jeter "rookie" card.






THIS IS WHERE I NORMALLY POST A PICTURE OF THE CARD IN QUESTION BUT BLOGGER IS BEING A REAL TOOL ABOUT POSTING PHOTOS.  IF SOMEONE KNOWS WHATS UP WITH THAT HIT ME UP IN THE COMMENTS SO I CAN DO THIS CORRECTLY.


In return I picked up the Stan Musial 1971 mini relic numbered 7/25.  It has a real sick old swatch with a seam down the middle of it!  It's a great addition to my collection and I'm extremely happy to have it!


Not too long after that I completed another trade.  I gave up a full size and mini framed relic of Brandon Phillips from 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen in exchange for a Lineage Ozzie Smith mini relic.  To complete this trade I also threw in some extra cards, but the most noteworthy of the bunch was a 2007 Topps All Time Fan Favorite gold parallel of Joe Morgan that was numbered to 25.


Again no photos, but 2 trades in the books.  One that gets me started on my goal of collecting all the 2013 mini relics and another that gets me over the half way mark for sure on the 2011 Lineage mini relics.


Hopefully blogger gets it's Sh!t together and allows me to post pics soon. 


Well I'm signing off for tonight!  Looks like I'll be waking up to a winter wonderland.  GREEEEAAAATTTT.


Thanks for reading!

Greetings from the freezer!

How can people do it?


Live in a mostly frozen climate. 


What motivates people to get out of bed in environments like that?


This winter has been brutal for Maryland.  I've been forced out of bed at pre 5am hours on multiple occasions to unearth my drive way and sidewalks from hells topsoil... aka SNOW.


In fact as I write this blog I can see through my sliding glass door the tree in my backyard and it is covered in ice.  Now they're talking about a huge storm coming this weekend. 


Can a shovel get a break!? 


It's okay only 8 Days till Spring Training!


This winter has also been brutal for me as a collector.  Naturally I'm still waiting on my redemption from Topps, but I'm okay with that.  I'm more disappointed that I haven't pulled off a trade in a while.  I had a huge one right before Christmas that actually fell through.  Oh well... you snooze you lose!  (A Machado auto for a Harper auto, but the person I was trading with ended up getting a Machado for Christmas).


I've sent out a few feelers and have even gone back and forth with a few guys too, but nothing accomplished in the end.  I'll keep trying though. 


I also have yet to get a new pack of 2014 Topps.  Which just seems wrong, but life as a new dad comes with certain sacrifices, so I'll continue to wait on new packs.  However, I've done my fair share of watching box and case breaks online to see that I like what 2014 has to offer.


Furthermore and slightly off topic... 2014 Topps Tribute looks stunning.  Really love the design of those cards and the early pictures look like its going to be a great looking product.


Back to 2014 Topps Series 1.  Again... I'm loving these mini relics!  Like last year they are doing a vintage design paying homage to 1989 Topps, but they took it a step further and did a die cut.  These are also numbered to 25 and have a checklist of 15.  I think I'll try and collect these as well.

1989 Topps Mini Die-Cut Relics Set Checklist

15 cards

Serial Numbered #/25

TMR-AD Andre Dawson
TMR-BJ Bo Jackson
TMR-CR Cal Ripken Jr.
TMR-DM Don Mattingly
TMR-DMU Dale Murphy
TMR-FM Fred McGriff
TMR-GM Greg Maddux
TMR-JR Jim Rice
TMR-MS Mike Schmidt
TMR-NR Nolan Ryan
TMR-OS Ozzie Smith
TMR-RJ Randy Johnson
TMR-TG Tom Glavine
TMR-TO Tony Gwynn
TMR-WB Wade Boggs

(normally I'd attach a picture, but Blogger was actin a fool and wouldn't let me)

But WOOG, did you even get any of the 2013 relics?

NO, for the record... I don't have ANY of the 2013 Topps mini relics (not for lack of multiple trade offers).  But I'll be getting all of those one day too! 


As the Rolling Stones once put it....


Tiiiimmmeee is on my side... yes it is!


Thanks for reading...