2013 Topps Triple Threads 9-Box Case Break

Okay guys, let's do it. We officially have 11 13 14 people signed up, so we only need 19 17 16 more people. I say "only" because I never expected to have this many people sign up in the first few days. So let's just move forward. If you're in the break already, please plug the break on your blog. If you like reading my blog, please plug the break on your blog!

There has been a couple questions about multi-player cards. Let's clarify. First and foremost, and perhaps most obvious, if all the players are from the same team, whoever has that team gets the card. If there are players from multiple teams, here's the breakdown:

1. The person who owns the teams of the majority of players on the card gets the card. For instance, if there was a Yankee, a Tiger and a Cub, Matt P. would get the card (he has the Yanks and Cubs).
2. If there is no majority owner of teams on the card, then the person who paid the most for their team slot gets the card.
3. In the event that players featured on the card are on teams that cost the same, then the person who owns the team on the left side (in a left-center-right picture arrangement) or the top (in a top-middle-bottom picture arrangement) will receive the card.

I hope that clears things up. If not, let me know and I will try to clarify.

I'm meeting with the LCS owner later today to see about him sponsoring the break and getting us a discounted price on the box. Again, the team costs aren't final until all teams slots are filled and I get a final price on the case.

So, yeah. Crackin' Wax had his break yesterday, and as a Rangers fan, his break was EPIC. Let's fill these spots and bust this case!!! 

Available Teams:

1. DBacks
2. Braves - Dutch
3. O's - William
4. Red Sox - Judson
5.Cubs - Matt P.
6. White Sox
7. Reds
8. Indians
9. Rockies
10. Tigers - Roger L.
11. Astros
12. Royals - Chris Ross
13. Angels - Jimmy
14. Dodgers - Nate
15. Marlins
16. Brewers
17. Twins - Kyle
18. Mets
19. Yankees - Matt P.
20. A's
21. Phillies
22. Pirates
23. Padres
24. Giants
25. Mariners
26. Cardinals - Jimmy
27. Rays
28. Rangers - Brian
29. Blue Jays - Chris R.
30. Nats - Judson

Triple Threads Break: The Rough Draft, Ready For Edits

I've had more interest in the case break than I anticipated, so I've had to take a serious look at cost. In the past, Atlanta Sports Cards has been my go-to outlet for boxes, so that's where I looked first and what I based the following information on. 

Furthermore, as Chris a.k.a. Raz noted, there is a large disparity between the number of hits between teams, from 11,099 total hits for the Reds (the Reds, really?) to a low of 1,016 hits for the twins. Therefore, it wouldn't be fair for the owners of these two teams to pay the same amount.

Based on the listed cost of a 9-box case and the cost of packaging and shipping, here's what I've come up with:

Now, this cost is directly tied to the cost of a case ($1459) from ATL Sports Cards. I'm not trying to make a profit, so all of the money would go to purchasing the cards and paying for shipping and packaging. Blowout Cards currently has four cases left at $1409 per case. Dave and Adam's is the high mark at $1605 per case. eBay is currently the cheapest, with a case at $1347. Should I be able to get a case for cheaper than the ATL Sports Cards price, the team prices will be adjusted accordingly.

Now, with all of that being said, here's what I would like to do. As I've mentioned in the past, my LCS, Hometown Sports in North Richland Hills, has been more than fair and nice with me. So, I would like to give him some more business. I already plan on purchasing the packaging supplies from him, but if he can give me a competitive deal on the case, I would like to buy it from him as well. If he can do that, I will conduct and film the break there so that he gets a little publicity when the break is uploaded to the Internet. Furthermore, if any of you DFW bloggers buy into the break, I invite you to join us during the break!

Anyway, I need your thoughts and suggestions. What can I do to make this better? Do you know of a better deal? How can I cut costs so that all teams will be purchased? 

2013 Topps Triple Threads 9-Box Case Break: Let's Try It

Well, there is a bit of interest in a 9-box case break for Topps Triple Threads.  So, I am going to go ahead and post a sign-up page. Like I said, it is going to be approximately $60 per team, and all team spots must be sold. EDIT: Team costs will most likely have to be adjusted, as some teams have far more than others in this set. This presents a problem in that teams like the Astros and Twins may not have suitors. If anyone has any idea on how to sell those, let me know.

If you do sign up, help me out by posting a link to the sign-up on your page or creating a widget to send people back to the page!

If you are interested in a team, comment below to let me know which team you would like. Do not pay now! I don't want to take payments until all team slots are sold!

Also, you can keep track of how the sign-up is progressing by checking out the Sign-Up widget on the right-hand side of your screen. -------------->

PLEASE NOTE: there is some "risk" in this break, as you are not guaranteed a hit or a card! If you do not get a card or cards in the break, I will do my best to get you something, but I can't make any promises. If this scares you away, I certainly understand - but I want to be completely clear with this point.

Available Teams:

1. DBacks
2. Braves - Dutch
3. O's - William
4. Red Sox - Judson
5.Cubs - Matt P.
6. White Sox
7. Reds
8. Indians
9. Rockies
10. Tigers - Roger L.
11. Astros
12. Royals
13. Angels
14. Dodgers - Nate
15. Marlins
16. Brewers
17. Twins - Kyle
18. Mets
19. Yankees - Matt P.
20. A's
21. Phillies
22. Pirates
23. Padres
24. Giants
25. Mariners
26. Cardinals
27. Rays
28. Rangers - Brian
29. Blue Jays - Chris R.
30. Nats - Judson

I'm Pretty Sure I Already Know The Answer....

...But would anyone be interested in a Tripple Threads 9-box case break? After cost of the case and shipping, it would be $60 per team AND I would have to sell all 30 teams to do.  If I could 25 get commitments, I might be able to make it happen.

I'm pretty sure that these bumps make this break impossible, but I thought I would throw it out there. I've been watching some breaks and they are freakin awesome. Even the base cards are beautiful.

Let me know!

Severely Behind: Trades, TTM's and more!

I've said it a hundred times already, but I have been super busy at work over the last few weeks. I've fallen behind on sending out cards, on posting about trades and on posting in general. I apologize again. Therefore, I have a few things to share, and instead of making different posts about everything, it's all coming at you here and now.

First up, I received a package from P-Town Tom over at Waiting 'til Next Year. Tom is my favorite - you all have some serious catching-up to do. Here's why:

Sometimes, eBay Makes Me Feel Like A Bad Person

Well, maybe it isn't completely eBay's fault.

I also place some of the blame on the writers whose blogs I follow.

Let me explain. I also see such excitement (usually) when one of my fellow bloggers pulls a great card of someone who isn't one of their PC's or team collections. Those cards they either hang onto, put away for someone specifically or add it to trade bait.

But me? Well, I'm greedy. If it isn't a card I want and I think it might be in demand, I throw it on eBay. Now, to be clear, I almost always leave whatever money I make in my PayPal account to buy cards I actually do want. But I still feel bad.

Case in point: I sold two cards over the weekend. The first was a 2013 Bowman Chrome Canary Yellow Refractor number 6 of 10.

It's a cool card, but not one that I would keep. Yes, I know that I have blog readers that would want this card (Sorry, Weston and Andrew), but I just couldn't trade it.

Here was the second card I sold this weekend:

Again from the 2013 Bowman Chrome product, this is an orange refractor of Giants prospect Mac Williamson, numbered 11 of 25. I have no idea who this guy is, so I have no desire to hang on to it. And after seeing what the two that were on eBay sold for, I had to list it. I sold it in less than two hours and now I will have a good chunk of change to spend on cards I actually want.

So here's the point of the story: please don't hate me for selling cards I don't want!

NG Rd. 2: One of These Words Just Doesn't Belong Here

This is my entry for Nacho Grande's blogging contest. Go check it out, and when the voting begins, vote for me! (I'm a self-promoting wh*re...I'm okay with it)

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"One of these words just doesn't belong here."

But which is it? Well, his name is Jose Lima, so those two are okay. He is in an Astros uniform, so that one is okay.

But Impact???

That one is clearly out of place.

To be clear, "IMPACT" was a line of cards put out by Fleer, so I guess that is an acceptable excuse. This high-end product came with "autographics," "Mighty Fine In '99" inserts (what?), and temporary tattoos! Sign me up!!!

But if you were putting out a line with this name, would you really include Jose Lima?

This card is the line's year 2000 offering, so it should reflect the 1999 season. Lima did have an outstanding '99 campaign, going 21-10 with a 3.58 ERA. Not bad! The season before was also respectable, going 16-8 with a 3.70 ERA.

But that's where the good ends and the ugly shines through.

Lima would have only two more winning seasons in his 15-year career, going 8-3 for the Royals in 2003 and 13-5 for the Dodgers in 2004.

He would lose 16 games twice in his career.  The first time he did it? You guessed it: 2000, the year of this card.

So let's take a look at that 2000 season. Besides the 7-16 record, his ERA was an incredible (and not in a good way) 6.65. He gave up 152 runs on 251 hits, 48 of which left the ballpark (and never landed, I'm assuming). Those 48 home runs allowed led the league and were two short of the 50 given up by HOF'er Bert Blyleven (probably the only time you will ever hear those two names in the same sentence). He walked 68 batters but did have 124 strikeouts, but by all statistical measures, it was a terrible year.

So the word "Impact" should never be attached to Jose Lima's 2000 season. The next season wasn't any better and Lima was traded midseason to the Tigers. So, who was Lima traded for?

Dave Mlicki. Never heard of him. But then again, I'm still struggling with how Jose Lima ended up on a card labeled "Impact."