Sunday, February 23, 2014

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...

Saturday, February 15, 2014

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?

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

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!

















Wednesday, February 5, 2014

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...