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."

I need your help!!!!

Iver entered the contest being held over at the Nachos Grande blog, which pits blog entries against one another in a literary death match!

I'm currently three votes behind the leader, so if you could go over, scroll down to group four and vote for me, I would appreciate it!

Here's the link: http://fanofreds.blogspot.com/2013/10/round-0-is-over-now-you-must-vote.html?m=1

Thanks!!!

Update: Mail Going Out and PC Additions

First and foremost, the cards that I promised last week are going out today! Hopefully you will receive the cards by the beginning of next week, so keep a look out!

Secondly, I have a couple more additions to the growing Nelson Cruz PC. These will certainly be on the "higher" end of the collection, and they are pretty awesome in my book.

This is probably my favorite addition so far. In case you are counting, that's a five-color swatch in the upper left corner, and the card is numbered 4 of 25. I pad $12.75 for the card, including shipping. An absolute steal.

Next up is an addition from the Tier 1 line. This is the rose auto, number 2 of 25. The rose-colored ink makes for a nice signature. 

If you look close enough, there is a slight smudge where Cruz must have touched the card while the ink was still wet. You can make out a bit of his finger print.

The other thing I like about the card is the image. After the claw and antlers, it was the cobra. Here you can see Cruz in the motion to make the cobra.  Pretty sweet. 

I have a few more additions to show off, but they will have to wait. Also, my Cuz PC page will be coming soon!

Have a great weekend!

Nachos Grande Post Round 0: Fonsi For President

The following is my first entry into Nacho Grande's Blog Post Contest. Go check it out!

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I don't know what in the hell this card is.

That is a true statement. I don't know what this card is. I recently got back into collecting, and needless to say, I'm not familiar with cards that were produced between 1990 and 2012(ish). This looks like Topps (or whoever produced it) wanted to get in on the Pokemon craze of the early 2000's and this was their idea.

But let me tell what I think when I see this card.

I go back to 2004. I can still feel the heat from the mid-July Texas sun while sitting in the front row of the left field home run porch at the Ballpark in Arlington.

I was waiting.

Waiting for one man to send a gift my way. It was the summer of Alfonso Soriano.
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Alfonso Soriano joined the Texas Rangers in the 2004 trade that sent baseball's highest paid player, shortstop Alex Rodriguez, to the New York Yankees. Rodriguez had made it known that he wanted out of Texas, and the Rangers' front office obliged.

When Soriano joined the team, many Rangers fans wondered if he could come close to the offensive production lost when Rodriguez left. We wondered where our young second baseman, Michael Young, would find himself playing when the season started.

Most of all we just wondered - "what the hell is going to happen?"

Young moved to shortstop, where he would win a Gold Glove in 2008. Soriano was now our send baseman. But could he hit?

The kid could rake. While it took nine games to get his first home run, the guy seemed to have a timely base hit every time we needed one. Whenever he stepped into the box and went into his highly-recognizable stance, you felt that you could see something special. You watched his every at-bat closely - you wanted to be part of the moment if something did happen.
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The summer brought the end of my first year in South Dakota, where I was attending Mount Marty College. I stayed into June because I was working, but I had a two-week window that allowed me to come home.

And to see Soriano for myself.

I had been following all of the games, watching them on TV when I could and reading about them when I couldn't watch. I was as excited as anyone about Soriano, the Texas Ranger. So, I got home, convinced an old girlfriend to go to the game with me, and bought our tickets. I lucked out and was able to get seats on the front row of the left field home run porch. Knowing this, we made signs, mine proudly proclaiming "Fonsi For President." I quietly hoped to myself that Soriano would hit a home run in my direction and that I would be the one to catch it.

We got to the park early in hopes of getting an autographed ball, but as the Rangers sometimes do in the dog days of summer, they took batting practice inside. This left no time for autographs, so we made our way to our seats and hung our signs on the rail in front of us. Little did we know what we were about to experience.

The game went 18 innings. That's literally two games of baseball. During the course of the game, Soriano had three doubles but hadn't driven anyone in, and he didn't have a homerun. A member of the security staff had come down and made us take down our signs. We were bummed, and it looked like we were going witness a loss. Going into the 8th, the Rangers trailed 7-5, but managed to rally scoring one in the eighth and one in the ninth to tie it.

I'm not one to leave until the game is over, and I am thankful I stayed.

After nine more innings of scoreless baseball, Soriano stepped into the batter's box with one on and no one out to face Jamie Moyer. After a first pitch ball, Soriano crushed the 1-0 pitch over the fence for a walk-off, 9-7 win. At that point in the season we were leading the AL West, so this was a huge win. The only way it could have been better is if I would have caught the home run.
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Soriano would do big things in the summer of '04. He was the leading vote-getter for the All Star Game, and he was also the All Star Game MVP. He excited Rangers fans and gave us hope. He was the opposite of the man he was traded for.

The haze of time has clouded some of my memory. In the excitement of the walk-off, I've forgotten which part of the park he hit it to. I've forgotten what I did immediately after the game. But I haven't forgotten my proclamation: Fonsi For President.

I would have voted for him, too.

A Farewell to Jim Leyland

Though he's in his 70's, Jim Leyland surprised the baseball world by stepping down as the skipper of the Detroit Tigers.

I'm sad to see Leyland go. He's one of the few remaining members of the "old school" - a group that I define as players and managers with a certain grittiness, team-first, head-down, play hard mentality that is fading from the game. Bryce Harper falls into that group, hence the reason he's one of my favorite players.

Leyland didn't put up with any nonsense in his clubhouse. He wanted his guys to have fun, but more importantly he wanted them to play and behave in a manner that was representative of him and the organization. It's no coincidence that Detroit has been one of the best teams in the league since he took over.

Happy trails, Jim. The game will miss you.

I'm A Creep (I'm Falling Behind)

To everyone that is expecting a package of cards from me - I'm running behind.

I've been stupid busy with work and I was sick over the weekend. I did absolutely nothing except watch my beloved Texas Tech...and I even slept through most of that.

I'll try to get them out ASAP. Thanks for your patience.

Please accept this as my apology.

Inrtoducing My New PC

First, Chris of Nachos Grande fame has a new contest up. It relies on you and your blog. Check it out and sign up!

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I recently decided to start a new player collection. I found myself acquiring more cards of Nelson Cruz than I had realized. I know, he used PED's. I forgive him. He's done a lot for the organization, and if he had better range in right field, we would have won the 2011 World Series. But it is what it is.

Let me share with you a few of the cards that I have recently added.

Holy blur, Batman! These refractors always seem to come out blurry when I take the picture with my iPhone. But here's the sapphire blue parallel from 2013 Chrome, numbered 128 of 199.

Staying on the Chrome side of things, here's the camo parallel (again, blurry) numbered 13 of 15.

I also got my first Museum Collection card, a Cruz quad relic (one thre-color jersey and three bat pieces). It's pretty.

No blur, and this guy is numbered 62 of 99.

There are more cards to come, I just don't have picture of them yet. So, if you have some Cruz cards you don't want, send them my way!!

Raz For The Win!

Chris over at The Raz Card Blog sent me a package of cards in exchange for some autos from my trade bait page. I can definitely say that I was not expecting a) this many cards, and b) a package at all! I must have read his e-mail while I was half asleep because it shows as "read" in my inbox, though I have no recollection of it. Either way, the box was in my mailbox today and it was a hell of a surprise and a great way to start the weekend!!!

What you don't see in this picture is me tearing the shipping tape off like a 6-year-old tearing through Christmas presents. Even my secretary was laughing while watching me open this thing. What can I say? I get excited.

Inside were tons of cards from team collections to set collections and even some player collections. Here are a few of my favorites.

A shiny blue Kins accompanied by...

A shiny blue Beltre!

I haven't made it official yet, but I recently decided to start a Nelson Cruz PC. These beauties are perfect!

Seriously, how could you not love this guy???

So many more cards were in the box, I don't even know where to really start. Thanks again Chris!!!

Let's Go Dutch!!!

This is the first of two trade posts for today, so sit back and enjoy!

Yesterday, I received a package from Europe, which means one thing - the Dutch Card Guy sent me something! I sent Jeroen a couple Mariano Rivera inserts along with some 2013 Ginter he needed. In return, he sent this:

Out of Supply

My Free Card Giveaway is closed! Thanks to everyone that jumped in, I definitely did not think I owuld have more than three or four takers! Here's the final list:

Capt. Canuck - Braves
Night Owl - Dodgers
Jeff - Angels
Superduperman - Cardinals
Nathan Bell - Pirates
I Don't Know... - Tigers
P-town Tom - Cubs
Andrew - Orioles
defgav - Padres
Kyle - Yanks
Bo - Random team
Swing and a Pop-up - Sox (of the Red variety)

If you claimed a team and don't see it here, let me know! I've checked the comments and my e-mail, this is all I see, so we're going with it. A couple disclaimers however. First, I don't guarantee that I have the teams listed. I should have a little of everything, but I'm not 100%. Second, I may have more cards for one team than for others. For example (and example purposes only), I may have five Yankees and one Cardinal. I haven't broken the cards down by team yet, so I'm not sure. So if you see that someone else got more cards than you, I assure you it wasn't personal!

Lastly, if you haven't already, please e-mail me your mailing address. I'm going to try to get these in the mail by Saturday.

One more thing: I truly don't expect anything in return. I'm doing this to share the wealth because I don't intend to keep any refractors outside of Rangers or players from my PC's. If you do, however, send something back, I say thank you in advance.

One more thing, again: Due to the shiny nature of the cards, some may have fingerprints on them. I'm sorry!

Thanks again everyone!

Come And Get Some Free Sh...Stuff

I'm under the weather. I have been for a couple days. I haven't opened a lot of new packs outside of a few Chrome blasters. Collecting life is boring.

A while back, I complained about getting a blaster of Chrome full of purple parallels. A few of you mentioned that you would be interested in acquiring those parallels for teams.

Wish granted.

Well, sort of.

I sold all of those in one lot on eBay. However, I have since acquired new ones, along with base refractors, xfractors, orange refractors...a lot of refractors. So I'm sending out some PWE's (I'm too poor lately to spend a lot on shipping.

Here's who claimed teams back then:

Capt. Canuck - Braves
Night Owl - Dodgers
Jeff - Angels
Superduperman - Cardinals

If anyone else wants some free cards, comment below. Also, send me an e-mail with your mailing address (judsonmeeks AT g mail DOT com), otherwise I won't know where to send them. This request goes for you four above, as well.

I can't promise that I will have any cards of your team, but I will try.

Ready, set, go!

'Merica!!!

God, family, football and beef - what's not to love about Sundays?!?!

I hope everyone is having a great Sunday!

Texas Rangers Team Set - 2010 Topps Opening Day

43 Ian Kinsler
57 Hank Blalock
66 Rich Harden
77 Josh Hamilton
100 Neftali Feliz
125 Elvis Andrus
176 Nelson Cruz
200 Michael Young

Texas Rangers Team Set - 2010 Topps Heritage

107 Rich Harden
140 Jarrod Saltalamacchia
233 Ian Kinsler
240 Elvis Andrus
254 Chris Davis
258 Derek Holland
264 Nelson Cruz
267 Michael Young
294 Josh Hamilton
348 Julio Borbon
360 Vladimir Guerrero
449 Hank Blalock SP
459 Neftali Feliz SP
467 Michael Young AS SP
489 Josh Hamilton AS SP

Texas Rangers Team Set - 2010 Topps Chrome

30 Ian Kinsler
39 Vladimir Guerrero
57 Josh Hamilton
87 Elvis Andrus
96 Nelson Cruz
108 Michael Young

Texas Rangers Team Set - 2010 Topps 206

27 Derek Holland
124 Josh Hamilton
130 Nelson Cruz
140 Ian Kinsler
161 Neftali Feliz
188 Rich Harden
199 Vladimir Guerrero
242 Julio Borbon
252 Michael Young
253 Elvis Andrus
271 Chris Davis
312 Ian Kinsler SP
339 Neftali Feliz SP

Texas Rangers Team Set - 2010 Allen & Ginter

60 Chris Davis
84 Elvis Andrus
109 Ian Kinsler
133 Nelson Cruz
134 Vladimir Guerrero
171 Michael Young
178 Josh Hamilton
222 Craig Gentry RC
254 Rich Harden
259 Scott Feldman
344 Derek Holland SP

Texas Rangers Team Sets - 2011 Topps Heritage

1 Josh Hamilton
34 Ian Kinsler
42 Nelson Cruz
90 Julio Borbon
125 Vladimir Guerrero
151 Arthur Rhodes
207 C.J. Wilson
211 Midway Masters - Elvis Andrus & Ian Kinsler
234 Game 3 World Series (Rangers Retaliate)
251 Texas Rangers Team Card
263 Rangers Danger - Josh Hamilton & Nelson Cruz
279 Bengie Molina
287 Neftali Feliz
324 Tommy Hunter
330 Mike Napoli
411 Michael Young
449 Elvis Andrus (SP)
471 Josh Hamilton - Sporting News All-Star (SP)
474 Vladimir Guerrero - Sporting News All-Star (SP)

Texas Rangers Team Sets - 2011 Gypsy Queen

33 Ian Kinsler
64 Josh Hamilton
81 Nelson Cruz
100 Nolan Ryan
132 David Murphy
151 Michael Young
186 Tommy Hunter
204 Neftali Feliz
217 Adrian Beltre
285 Colby Lewis
288 C.J. Wilson
319 Elvis Andrus SP
343 Mitch Moreland SP

Texas Rangers Team Set - 2011 Topps Chrome

18 Ian Kinsler
31 Tommy Hunter
60 Josh Hamilton
66 Neftali Feliz
69 Michael Young
74 Nelson Cruz
136 C.J. Wilson
162 Elvis Andrus
165 Adrian Beltre
188 Alexi Ogando RC
194 Mason Tobin RC
210 Pedro Strop RC

Texas Rangers Team Set - 2011 Allen & Ginter

14 Adrian Beltre
25 Nelson Cruz
69 Neftali Feliz
87 Colby Lewis
142 Michael Young
183 Mike Napoli
200 Josh Hamilton
214 Elvis Andrus
231 C.J. Wilson
246 Ian Kinsler

How Much Do You Love Your LCS?

I worked a half-day today. I used my free time to run over to one of my local card shops, Hometown Sports. The owner has always taken care of me, and I haven't stopped in in a while, so I dropped in.

I needed a few supplies and I wanted to buy a few packs. (I always seem to pull hits when I buy packs for him) I asked for some Topps Chrome. He actually opened a fresh box for me because he knew that both hits had been pulled from the box he had open. How often does that happen? So, if you are in North Richland Hills, stop by Hometown Sports and drop a few dollars on the counter.

So, I bought eight packs of Chrome, randomly selected. I was fortunate to grab both autos in the box. The second auto I opened was this one:

Yup, the man with the best name in baseball, L.J. Hoes. It's a base auto, non-refractor....it's going to sit in my collection for a bit and I may trade it later, not sure.

My first auto wasn't really any auto at all. It was a redemption. I wish you could feel my heart flutter when I saw "Washington Nationals" across the redemption card. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Looking back at the card, nowhere is "Washington Nationals". I guess my mind played a trick on me, because I swear I read the team name on the card!) Then my heart kind of sank when I saw it was not Bryce Harper. However, I am pretty excited with what I will be receiving:

After the let down of not being Bryce Harper, I got pretty excited to have Anthony Rendon in my collection soon. Then the shop owner pointed out that not only was it a variation, but it was also a Sepia Refractor. I am pretty pleased with this.

However, I noticed something else about the eight packs I bought. There were four refractors in the eight packs. Every single one was an XFractor. I'm disappointed by that. Then I went back and did the math on the last three blasters I bought: I had four base refractors in the last blaster alone. What the hell?

Speaking of that last blaster...I bought it today. Coming off my Rendon sepia auto high, I stopped at Target and bought a blaster. It was a good buy. I pulled two cards for my collection - a Bryce Harper purple refractor and a Nelson Cruz XFractor - and then this guy:

Carter Capps Black Parallel, numbered to 100 (I've already put it away and I can't remember the number!). It's the first black parallel that I've pulled. Like most of my other parallels, this one is up for trade!

Blame Canada! (For Knocking Out Some Team Set Needs!)

I received some help on my Texas Rangers Team Sets projects last week from one of our neighbors to the North, Mr. Rosenort. I sent him a few Rockies cards I thought might interest him, and he repaid me with this stack of Texas Rangers goodness.

Also included in the package was this:

Rosenort's business card! This thing is awesome. As I've started working more and more trades, I've noticed that many of you that I trade with have awesome business cards that you use for your blog. If I have traded with you, you know that I am the king of the sticky note. It's embarrassing. I need to step my game up and get on your level!

More Blaster Success

I am swamped today, so I must be brief. After leaving a meeting today, I stopped by the local Walmart in Wichita Falls to grab some cards. I decided on a blaster of 2013 Chrome.

It was a good decision.

That's a Zack Wheeler Blue Sapphire Refractor Auto numbered 194 of 199. Beautiful card. It's already on the eBay - I'm hoping it will bring me a little to put towards my next break.

I Won!!!

Have you ever been listening to the radio when an announcer comes on and offers a prize to caller 10? You pick up the phone, dial, only to get a busy signal. That was the story of my life.

Until this week.

Wednesday, I was listening to 103.3 ESPN Radio while sitting in my truck, waiting for a meeting. I heard the commercial, dialed, and BOOM - I won the contest! (The guy onn the other end started laughing pretty hard when he told me I was caller 10 and I replied with a "Holy Sh*t!!!")

I won four VIP passes to an exclusive "Mavstoberfest" autograph signing.

I took my cousin and a good friend from high school. I ended up giving the fourth pass away at the event. So, we got there, waited outside in the heat for an hour and a half, then finally were allowed in. At the direction of the guy from ESPN, we went strait to Dirk's table and the line was ridiculous. Fortunately, we were close to the front.

I was being pushed through while trying to snap a picture of Dirk, hence the blurry picture.

After grabbing Dirk's autograph as well as the other four guys at the table with him, we proceeded on to two other tables before the event was ended. We missed out on one table of five players. Here is the ball:

Let's highlight a few signatures, shall we?

The Big German, Dirk Nowitzki - A sure first-ballot Hall of Famer

The Matrix - Shawn Marion (I don't know how you get his name out of that)

Vince Carter (He was kind of a jerk)

Newest star to join the team, Montae Ellis

I'm pretty excited to have had this opportunity. However, I'm not that big of a basketball fan, and the thought of selling this thing has crossed my mind. I wouldn't begin to know how much to sell it for, however, and I don't know if anyone would be interested in buying it with out CoA on the signatures. Regardless, I think I am content with this on my shelf at home.

Saturday Mail Update - TTM Successes

As I'm sure you know, I've been working on getting every manager's card from 2013 Heritage signed. After a slow start, the collection has been progressing. Today brought me two more cards for the project.

Bruce Bochy was the first, followed by:

Clint Hurdle.  Hurdle will only sign if you include a donation to his charity, which I did. But I also received a letter saying tht they couldn't find the check and were afraid that it may have been misplaced. That stinks, but I can put a stop-pay on the check. I am going to send them another check, however. Charities are always good to support, and I've liked Hurdle since his days with the Rangers, so I definitely want to contribute.

The Biggest Mailday I Have Ever Had

I'm begging you to sign up for my 2013 Bowman Chrome Break!!!  Please!!!

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I went to the mailbox today with no idea that I would receive anything (I had forgotten about a few things, as you will see). When I opened it up, the very first thing I saw was...well, Kate Upton on the cover of SI with BJ and Justin Upton. But after I pulled that out, I found a truckload of bubble mailers and a couple of sweet PWE's. So, without further ado, let's dive into it all.

First, Marcus from all the way to the backstop sent me over some of the missing pieces to my 2013 Allen & Ginter set. A couple weeks ago, I sent him a few cards that I thought he would enjoy, and this was his way of repaying me. Very much appreciated Marcus!

Next up, I took part in the 2013 Topps Chrome Box Break that Ryan, the man behind "O" No! Another Orioles Blog, hosted last week. It was probably the best break I've participated in to date, in terms of the cards I got. After seeing the sell sheet, I decided that I wanted to take the Nats - the inserts featuring Harper were pretty slick! So, when the dust settled from the break, here was what I took home:

I'm Angry (And You Should Sign Up For My Break)

First, I'm hosting a two- or three-box-break of 2013 Bowman Chome. Why two or three? Well, read my break announcement here to find out AND to sign up. Still TEN spots open!

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Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you why I'm angry. I'm angry that the Rangers played this poorly this year. Sure, April was hot and July was nice, but every other month seemed to be terrible for the Rangers, with the month of September being absolutely horrendous. I cannot honestly remember another month that looked so bad - and that is really saying something.

Hitting was nonexistent. A major-league outfield should have at least two legitimate power hitters. Nelson Cruz was one, until he was suspended. Leonys Martin and Craig Gentry definitely do not fit that definition. Alex Rios was a nice addition, but his numbers didn't really come along until the last two weeks of the season. Our first baseman, Mitch Moreland (who I love, by the way), hit .230 this year. .230!!!!! I really like AJ Pierzynski - I feel that he brought the leadership lost when Michael Young was traded - but he and Geovany Soto definitely didn't do as well as they could have.

How about the pitching? Well, Yu Davish was amazing for a while, then looked like a third starter for a while, then looked good for a while. The ace of a staff has to be an ace every time out. Darvish didn't have that level of consistency needed in an ace. Dutch looked good in the later half of the season, but he is still prone to getting beat up and going off the rails. Martin Perez looked like he has potential to be a legitimate number 2 starter in the near future, but he needs to mature mentally (i.e. stop letting little things get to him) before he reaches that next level. Matt Garza...I don't even know what to say about you really. I guess "adios" would probably be appropriate, because I don't think there is any way that the front office will give you the kind of money some other team is going to throw at you. Matt Harrison will hopefully be 100% and ready to go next year. Colby Lewis will probably get a veteran's minimum contract to come back, and my guess is that he will be in the bullpen.

The only consistently good aspect of this team this year was the bullpen. Scheppers took a huge step forward in his development, and even though he stumbled briefly, he looks to have the stuff to be a legitimate closer one day. Speaking of which, Joe Nathan was just about as consistent as they come. The team holds an option on him for next season, but language in his contract allows him to void that option. Neal Cotts was a pleasant surprise, as was Jason Frasor. Robbie Ross was the only relief pitcher who seemed to take a step back, but he also showed moments of brilliance.

So what does all of that equal up to? A thoroughly disappointing season. If you are a Rangers fan, you should be disappointed too. I've already heard others say "Well, we were better than we were a few years ago." That doesn't cut it anymore. A team that expects to be a contender does not look at its past and find comfort in the fact that they had a winning record. From here on, any season that doesn't end with playoff baseball in some form or fashion should be viewed as a failed season. "Well, they gave it all they had," you say. Too bad, that isn't enough. "Injuries held them back." Too bad, the next guy up has to get the job done. No excuses anymore!

I could go on for hours, but....

End. Of. Rant.