can you jeter?

I came across this card recently while searching through my Yankees cards looking for cards of Hideki Matsui. I've seen this card before, but I don't ever remember actually reading his shirt before.

2011 Topps All-Star Set

It's been almost a month since my last post and we're still not completly settled into the new house, but I wanted to try and catch up on some posts. I was able to attend the Home Run Derby and All-Star game that was here in Phoenix recently. I also attended FanFest on Saturday and Tuesday. I had an amazing time and loved every second of it!

Topps had a booth at FanFest and had a promotion going where if you bought 3 pack of any of their 2011 products at one of the other participating vendors and brought them back to their booth to open then you got to pick a card from a special 7-card 2011 MLB All-Star set. Because of the promotion, the packs were overpriced. Three packs of 2011 Topps Series 2 for $12. I bought three packs on Saturday and got the Justin upton card. On Tuesday I decided to buy three more Series 2 packs and three packs of Opening Day (3/$5) and get Ichiro and Jeter. When I got to the booth I opened my first pack of Series 2 and pulled out a couple of damaged cards. I asked the guy at the booth if he could do anything about the damaged cards and he took them and looked at them for a little bit and then asked me, "What do you want?  Do you want the whole set?" I agreed and he gave me all 7 cards in the set. I guess every once in a while factory damaged cards are a good thing!

I know there was a lot of discussion about Jeter opting out of the All-Star game and I don't know exactly how I feel about it. I think that some of the frustration though came from the fact that there just was not a lot of star power at the game in the first place and so to have him opt out just added more fuel to the fire. Look at the seven card set below which feature some of the games biggest names. Ichiro - not at the All-Star game, Pujols - not at the All-Star game, Tim Lincecum - there, but did not pitch, Jeter - not at the All-Star game, Ryan Howard - not at the All-Star game, and then you have Justin Upton and Jose Bautista who were at the All-Star game, but let's be honest, they are stars, not super stars.

Pack Break: 2011 Topps Jumbo

On the way home from work on Friday, I stopped at the card shop and picked up a Jumbo pack of 2011 Topps. Here are the results. All cards, except for the Chris Young, are up for trade. Thanks!

Chris Young

Stephen Strasburg Rookie Cup and Base - I didn't pull any Strasburg cards from 2009 until the end of December and now I pull two in one pack.

Diamond Duos Barry Larkin and Derek Jeter

60 Years of Topps Phil Rizzuto Original Back

60 Years of Topps The Lost Cards Bob Feller

60 years of Topps Ernie Banks

Topps 60 Derek Jeter and Diamond Anniversary Angel Pagan *Claimed*

Kimball Champions David Wright *Claimed*

Pack Break: 2010 Topps Update Series Jumbo

I stopped by the card shop on the way home from work yesterday and they had just gotten 2010 Topps Update Series in. I can't afford the $85 for the Jumbo box or even the $55 for the regular box, but I did get one Jumbo pack to try to satisfy my craving. At $10 bucks a pack I was really hoping for the auto or one of the two relics promised per Jumbo box but my pack did not deliver. Each pack contains 50 cards. here are some of mine. I turned my TMCG into a 1981 Gary Carter.

My kids first packs... and the rest of the blaster

I have two boys, one is almost 2 and the other is 3 and a half years old. I wanted to get them each their first pack of baseball cards this year for Christmas. During one of our many holiday related trips to Wal-Mart I spotted a 2008 Uper Deck X blaster for 40% off and decided to pick it up and put a pack in each of their stockings. Well, that left eight extra packs. So, first I will detail each of my boys packs and then I will show what remained in the left over eight packs.

Kolby's first pack of baseball cards

Albert Pujols - This card was on top. Not a bad start to a collection. This was actually just one of many Pujols cards from this blaster.

Chipper Jones

Howie Kendrick

Aaron Rowland

David Ortiz XPONENTIAL 2

Joe Mauer - Die Cut

Brady's first pack of baseball cards

Derek Jeter - This card was on top. Also not a bad start to a collection.

Chase Utley

Johan Santana

Yankee Stadium Legacy - Joe DiMaggio MLB All-Star Game 7/11/1939

Khalil Green XPONENTIAL

Justin Verlander - Die Cut

Now onto the rest of the blaster.

I mentioned that the blaster contained a few other Pujols cards. XPONENTIAL 2, XPONENTIAL 3 and Gold Die Cut

I got two other Yankee Stadium Legacy cards. Well, one other one and another Joe DiMaggio.

Jeremy Bonderman Jersey Card

Not a bad blaster if you ask me. And at 40% off, it's even better.

Blaster Box Break - 2007 Ultra (Packs 1-3)

Last Saturday I went to Wal-Mart with my family and took a stoll down the card isle to discover that they had some blaster boxes marked 50% off. 6 packs for less than 5 bucks, that's hard to pass up, so I picked up 2, 2007 Ultra Blasters. This post will delve into the contents of the first 3 packs of the first box. Here we go!

Pack #1

Andruw Jones - Great photo! Love that we get to see all of Mr. Jones and his bat in the photo. I like the teammate on deck with the bat on his shoulder and dirt all over his pants. I love the empty catchers glove popping indicating that Andruw has just driven this ball to deep left field.

Derek Jeter - Gotta show some love to a World Champion.

Carlos Zambrano - Feel the Game insert

Pack #2

Scott Kazmir - Great photo! The back of the card reveals that Kazmir, after just 3 seasons had become Tampa Bay's all-time K leader. Congratulations Mr. Kazmir.

Pack 3

Trever Hoffman - All-time Saves leader and Barry Zito - 2002 AL Cy Young Award Winner

Francisco Rodriguez and Bronson Arroyo - Gotta love the high leg kick

Cal Ripken Jr. - Ultra Ironman insert #UIM21

Let's Trade

I have seen several other bloggers post pictures of cards to see if anyone is interested in trading. I thought I would give it a try. Here is a group of cards up for trade. Right now I am looking for cards of Mark Reynolds of the the D-Backs. Let me know if you have questions about any of the cards or are interested in trading. Thanks!

Book Review: The Yankee Years by Joe Torre

I recently finished the book The Yankee Years by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci. The book chronicled Torres 12 years in New York as manager of the Yankees. The Yankees under Torre won 1249 games, including the postseason, during that 12 year span. The Yankees appeeared in the postseason each of the 12 years that Torre managed them, including 6 American League Pennents and 4 World Series Championships. Wow! Talk about a resume. I have never been a huge fan of the Yankees, but I thought it was a great read. It was ver insightful about those Yankee teams and its players. I thought that Torre and Verducci didn't hold back much and communicated exactly how Torre felt about certain players. For example:

Torre loved players like Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera .

On Jeter: "Jeter's talent and confidence helped make him a great player right out of the box. It was his humility and desire to win above all else that made him a great teammate and a manager's dream."

On Rivera: "Rivera, like Jeter, fit perfectly in the Yankees' clubhouse culture, another superstar characterized by quiet humility and confidence who defined himself by how many games the team won, not his individual statistics."

On Tino: "Martinez, for instance, was habitually hard on himself. The slightest slump, even a hitless game, would prompt the first baseman to grow angry with himself."

Torre also shared his feelings about some other Yankee players like Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodrigues, Carl Pavano and Randy Johnson.

On Sheffield: "He was a team player. He finished a couple of games at third base for me, when we had to take guys out and move people around. He was willing to do anything."

On A-Rod: Chapter 8. The Issues of Alex

"Alex monopolized all the attention." "When it comes to a key situation, he can't seem to get himself to concern himself with getting the job done, instead of how it looks." "Alex, do me a favor: at least go get a cup of coffee by yourself, instead of sending somebody to get you a cup of coffee.

On Pavano: " His Yankee teammates wrote him off as a guy who milked any physical ailment as an excuse not to have to pitch. The players all hated him. It was no secret."

On Johnson: "He was, in fact, a sensitive, hyperaware person, who...was uncomfortable with the constant critisism and noise that came with playing in New York."