Yeah, So I Bought More Bowman Platinum

I couldn't help myself. When you're in Walmart buying salad, you get the urge to buy something to redeem your manliness, so I bought a blaster. It was the last one they had, but it proved to be a good box:

Yimi Garcia, a Dodgers prospect. Never heard of him, but this is a green parallel numbered to 399. Pulling color autos in blasters is always a good sign.

But that wasn't all I bought. While in Lubbock last week (I was out in West Texas for work), I stopped into the only cardshop in town and bought another box of Platinum. It was pricey, and the owner wasn't very polite. Needless to say, I won't be visiting his shop again any time soon.

The box I bought did yield some nice cardboard, though.

First was this base auto of Twins prospect Lewis Thorpe. Nothing really exciting.

Then this blue auto of D-Backs pitcher Jake Barrett, numbered to 199. This is the second Barrett auto I have pulled this year, as I pulled one in the first Bowman release a few months ago.

But the big hit, once again, was the relic/auto:

A Mookie Betts relic/auto numbered to 199! Too bad this wasn't his Bowman auto from the first release, those sold like hotcakes. I currently have this guy up on eBay with two bids at $19.99. It should sell for more than that, I hope..

I have now opened roughly two-and-a-half boxes of Platinum and I still need a good number of cards. If you have duplicates, please check out my Needs List to see if you can help me out!

Some New Luke Jackson Color

I feel like I haven't used that title in a while. I guess that happens when the cards you are looking for have relatively low serial numbers. It is what it is, I guess. So, here's my new addition:

The red wave refractor. I tried to buy one a few months back, but the bidding reached a price I wasn't comfortable with. So when this one appeared on eBay with a BIN price of $12, I was stoked. I was even happier when I saw the OBO option. So I sent an offer for $9, and three days later the card is in my hands.

This one is numbered 12 of 25. Now I only need the green wave refractor and the "wave" portion of the rainbow will be complete!

Gint-A-Cuffs VI: Packs 6-10

We left off with a Running Total of 30 Points. Let's see where packs 6 through 10 get us.

Pack 6

1.       Mike Trout

2.       Will Middlebrooks

3.       Pablo Sandoval

4.       Fields of Yore – Ebbets Field +2

5.       Pastime’s Pastimes – Ken Griffey Jr. +2

6.       Reggie Jackson Mini A&G Back +2

7.       Casey Kelly

8.       Tommy Lasorda

Pack Total: 6 points

Running Total: 36 points

Pack 7

1.       Chris Sale FP +2

2.       Danny Salazar

3.       Nick Franklin

4.       Ben Zobrist

5.       Wily Peralta SP +2

6.       Tom Seaver Black Border Mini +3

7.       Daniel Okrent

8.       Ryan Riess

Pack Total: 7 Points

Running Total: 43 Points

Pack 8

1.       Starlin Castro

2.       Frank Robinson

3.       Jim Palmer

4.       Fields of Yore – Tiger Stadium +2

5.       Pastime’s Pastimes – Al Kaline +2

6.       Alex Rodriguez Mini A&G Back +1

7.       Helen Keller

8.       Ricky Nolasco

The A-Rod mini A&G back makes me feel gross. I can almost feel the steroids and ego oozing out of it. I almost feel like I should receive no pints for the card, but I'm behind as it is, so the one point stays!

Pack Total: 5

Running Total: 48 Points

Pack 9

1.       Xander Bogaerts

2.       Freddie Freeman +2

3.       Taijuan Walker

4.       Roy Halladay

5.       Festivals & Fairs – Diwali Festival of Lights +2

6.       Pastime’s Pastimes – Cal Ripken Jr. +2

7.       Jim Calhoun Mini

8.       Anthony Bourdain -1

Pack total: 5

Running Total: 53

Pack 10

1.       Chase Utley FP +2

2.       Joey Votto FP +2

3.       Matt Moore

4.       GIo Gonzalez

5.       Josh Donaldson SP +2

6.       Allen Craig SP Mini +3

7.       Dusty Baker

8.       Robin Yount FP +2

Pack Total: 11

Running Total: 64

The second set of packs nets me 34 points, with one of them being tainted (thanks A-Rod). My total jumps to 34 points. If this is a race, I'm still in last place I think. What will the next five packs bring? We'll find out tomorrow!

Gint-A-Cuffs VI Box Loader and Packs 1-5: It Begins...

I've been so busy with work that I didn't have a chance to start putting my Gint-A-Cuffs VI posts together until today! I opened the box more than a week ago...and I just noticed my second-highest scoring card five minutes ago. So, without further ado, let's get scoring!

Box Loader

Will Myers reprint +8

Pack Total = +8
Running Total = +8

Pack 1

1.       David Wright FP +2

2.       Nick Castellanos

3.       Tony Gwynn

4.       Johnny Bench

5.       World’s Capitals – Washington, DC +2

6.       Pastime’s Pastimes – Willie Mays +2

7.       Outlaws & Bandits – Ishikawa Goemon +3

8.       Buffalo Bill Cody

Pack Total = 9

Running Total = 17

Pack 2

1.       James Shields

2.       Brooks Robinson

3.       Nolan Ryan +1

4.       World’s Capitals – Mexico City +2

5.       Pastime’s Pastimes – Reggie Jackson +2

6.       Matt Adams Mini

7.       Jeremy Hellickson

8.       Dave Portnoy

Pack Total = 5

Running Total = 22

Pack 3

1.       Jean Segura

2.       Alfonso Soriano -1

3.       Hank Aaron

4.       Stan Musial

5.       Sonny Gray +2

6.       Chuck Todd Mini

7.       Hal Newhouser

8.       Sparky Anderson

Pack Total = 1

Running Total = 22

Pack 4

1.       Aramis Ramirez

2.       Derek Jeter -1

3.       Kolten Wong

4.       Air Supremacy – P-51 Mustang +2

5.       Pastime’s Pastimes – Don Mattingly +1

6.       Sam Calgione Mini

7.       Sam Calgione

8.       Samantha Briggs

Pack Total = 2

Running Total = 24

Pack 5

1.       Justin Upton

2.       Craig Kimbrel

3.       Madison Bumgarner

4.       Starling Marte

5.       Polar Vortex +2 SP

6.       Ryne Sandberg A&G Back Mini +2

7.       Mike Pereira

8.       Felicia Day +2

Pack Total = 6

Running Total = 30

That's it for the first few packs. We've stumbled out of the gates, is there any way that I can catch up at this point? Chances are looking grim....

Until tomorrow....

Memorabilia Monday: My First-Ever Autograph!

So last week's post may have been boring to you because it wasn't actually about a piece of memorabilia from a player. Well, I hope this week's piece will make up for it.

I want to feature the first-ever autograph I got:

It's a Walmart brand ball signed by Nolan Ryan! I was probably 10 years old - it was at old Arlington Stadium**, so it was pre-1994. My step-brother and I went down by the dugout and waited in line. 

When Nolan came out of the dugout, he was kind enough to sign for the kids, asking adults to step aside and let us through. Unfortunately for my step-brother, he didn't sign his ball. He cried for the rest of the game. What a baby!

Not only was this my first autograph, it may very well have been the very first professional baseball game I ever attended...I know it was against the White Sox, and I remember cheering when Frank Thomas came to bat...

Anyway, a much shorter post than last week. What was your first in-person autograph experience? Do you remember the first game you attended?

**A quick note about Arlington Stadium. The entire place was built for what would be the equivalent of roughly $14 million today. How crazy is that? I'm pretty sure the jumbotron at Jerryworld, a.k.a. Cowboys Stadium, cost more than that! The entire outfield seating was made of aluminum bleachers...you have no idea what hell is until you have to sit on aluminum bleachers to watch baseball during the summer in Texas!!!

I Swore I Wasn't Going To Buy Any Bowman Platinum...

...But I did.

I bought  a blaster last Friday. And I actually pulled a hit:

A Wendell Rijo base auto. Not bad, I don't know him, so this card is definitely up for trade. I also pulled this guy:

A Jose Abreu Top Prospects insert. Sweet! Okay, maybe I'm hooked.

I went to my new LCS, Duane's Sports Cards, in Arlington on Saturday to grab my box of Allen & Ginter for this years Gint-A-Cuffs incarnation melee. I noticed that Duane had four loose packs of Platinum, so I bought those. In the third pack, I pulled this:

Will Myers patch (swatch)/auto, numbered 100 of 199. Three things about this card. 1) I'm really happy it isn't a plain white swatch. Topps is getting too comfortable using the boring fabric. 2) Kind of bummed it's a sticker auto. 3) Will Myers...DUDE! Learn to sign your name!!!!!!

I shouldn't have bought those packs, because pulling the Myers relic/auto made me decide to spend money I didn't really have to buy a box of Platinum. each box guarantees two Platinum Chrome autos and a patch/auto card. So I figured what the hell, I don't need lunch this week.

My first hit was this Michael Ratterree base auto. Nothing terribly exciting.

Then I snagged some color:

This Jose Campos green auto is numbered 104 of 399 (as I'm sure you can plainly see). But things got better in a hurry...

A Noah Snydergaard patch/auto numbered 2 of 50! I'm clearly not a Mets fan, but I love this card. It's absolutely stunning! Again, stoked that it has a colored patch instead of the plain-jane white that Topps usually uses. Snydergaard's auto isn't 100% clear, but it's a helluva lot better than Myers'. I am pretty certain I am going to keep this card for myself.

But wait, the box isn't done giving yet!

I also pulled this Delino DeShields printing plate! A 1/1 (though we can debate about the true 1/1-"ness" of a printing plate, since there are technically four of them...)!!

I'm glad I bought this box. Definitely the best box I've had in a while. Now ask me how I feel around lunch time and I may change my mind...

A Question About TTMs

Since jumping back in to the hobby roughly a year and a half ago, I've sent more than a few TTMs. I've sent balls to a couple retired players, but I've only sent cards to current players. I was afraid I would be breaking an unwritten rule by sending a ball.

Let me explain, at games, most players want to sign for kids. I understand and admire that; that's how I got Nolan Ryan's signature when I was a kid. I don't want to get something signed at a game if it is going to deprive a kid of getting an autograph, so I don't ask. I also don't show up hours before a game to catch players as they are arriving at the stadium. That would drive me nuts if I was a player, so I try to respect their personal space.

So, has anyone sent a ball to a current player? How was the experience? Did you get it back signed or not? If not, was there any kind of letter explaining why it wasn't signed?

I appreciate your input!