2000 Bowman Chrome Box Break (Black Friday Box #1)

Remember all those boxes I ordered on Black Friday? Yeah, they came about two months ago. The hesitation to bust these bad boys was because I didn’t have enough supplies to store them properly. However, I finally had the funds the get more binders and pages for my cards so I can rip these boxes and sexily display them. Let’s get rocking.

For Card’s Sake likes Chrome. Topps Chrome, Bowman Chrome, funny Chrome reference… you name it. So today we have a box break of, you guessed it, Chrome. But not the dreadful 2010 Topps Chrome. Nope, we got some good old-school crap with 2000 Bowman Chrome. While not as strong a rookie class as 1999 or 2001, 2000 Bowman Chrome has a few big rookies in it (Roy Oswalt, Francisco Rodriguez, Brandon Phillips, Carlos Zambrano). I busted a box of this a long time ago, and I liked the set. So I got another box. And finally, on Black Friday, I pulled the trigger on two more boxes. Here’s the first one.


Each box comes with this nice box topper of an up-and-coming superstar.
Bowman Chrome Oversize #4: Corey Patterson
Or Corey Patterson.

Pack 1:
#73: Ricky Ledee
Not the most original design, but it gets the job done.

#392: Adam Kennedy
#310: Ryan Minor
Rookie Class 2000 RC5: Mark Mulder
The early years of Bowman Chrome came with a nice slew of inserts. This one featured, well, rookies. Duh?


Pack 2:
#290: Carlos Hernandez
#394: Ramon Hernandez
#312: Randy Wolf
Refractor #219: Jeff DaVanon (RC)
Our first refractor out of the box. Unfortunately I already pulled this refractor out of the first box I busted of this product, and when refractors are seeded 1 in every 12 packs, a dupe is not needed.


Pack 3:
#2: Chipper Jones
#287: Gary Majewski (RC)
#158: Brad Baisley (RC)
Retro/Future #161: Chad Harville
Another insert from 2000 BC. Not really a fan, even if it is a slight homage to older Bowman designs. It’s definitely the ugliest insert of the bunch.


Pack 4:
#11: Alex Gonzalez
#389: Tony Schrager (RC)
#369: George Lombard
#196: Kevin Nicholson


Pack 5:
#42: Eric Chavez
#420: DeWayne Wise
#398: Michael Tejada (RC)
#145: Humberto Cota (RC)


Pack 6:
#319: Lyle Overbay (RC)
#329: Carlos Urquiola (RC)
#110: Rafael Palmeiro
Oh boy Raffy. He garnered only 11% of the vote in this year’s Hall of Fame ballot. That’s 9.4% more than I thought he would get. Good for him.

#332: Tim Raines, Jr.
Little Timmy certainly didn’t match the success his father did in the MLB.


Pack 7:
#69: Javy Lopez
#373: Keith Ginter (RC)
#346: Ramon Soler
#262: Gary Matthews, Jr.

Pack 8:
#299: Sun Woo Kim (RC)
#393: Nick Green (RC)
#286: Jerry Hairston, Jr.
Retro/Future #31: John Smoltz
I’ll admit that this design for the Retro/Future subset looks fairly cool. This might be a variation based on cards with veterans on them. I’ll have to look into it.


Pack 9:
#129: Roger Clemens
#362: Octavio Dotel
#220: Rick Ankiel
If you were collecting in 1999 or 2000, Ankiel was all over the place. You really couldn’t escape him. Of all the boxes from those two years I’ve busted, I must have accumulated nearly 15 Ankiel cards.

#166: Bobby Bradley (RC)


Pack 10:
#23: Cliff Floyd
#303: Carlos Zambrano (RC)
Sweeeeet. Big Z is one of the biggest rookies from the set, so it’s a relief to get him out of the way. He’s looking pretty skinny here too. I knocked out Barry Zito’s RC in the first box I ever busted of this stuff, and in the second box I pulled a Roy Oswalt rookie, but it was severely miscut.

#281: Chad Hermansen
Meteoric Rise MR3: Ken Griffey Jr.
This is the only insert set for veteran players, and damn it’s a beautiful one. It’s very bright and it really pops, and the Kid is just icing on the cake.


Pack 11:
#51: Kris Benson
#213: Jason Romano
#276: Mike Colangelo
Retro/Future #305: Robb Quinlan


Pack 12:
#218: Terrence Long
#206: Felipe Lopez
#197: Mo Bruce (RC)
We need mo Bruce!

Meteoric Rise Refractor MR2: Mark McGwire
People ask why I collect. This is why. Simply put, this is one of the most spectacular cards I’ve ever held. It looks absolutely amazing. I think I’m gonna get it graded. Wow.


Pack 13:
#68: Richie Sexson
When the hell did Richie Sexson play for the Indians?

#261: Rico Washington (RC)
#186: Jon Hamilton (RC)
“Excuse me, Mr. Hamilton! Mr. Hamilton! Can I have your autograph?! Oh, wait, you’re Jon Hamilton? Oh my bad… I thought your name was Josh.”

#295: B.J. Ryan


Pack 14:
#89: Jay Bell
#289: Steve Fish (RC)
Yup. Just Fish.

#235: A.J. Burnett
#301: Rick Guttormson (RC)


Pack 15:
#57: Omar Vizquel
Awesome picture to sum up Vizquel’s awesome career as a slick fielder.

#151: Robbie Morrison (RC)
#357: Mike Bacsik (RC)
Does this guy sound familiar? Bacsik gave up the 756th homerun of Barry Bonds’s career. There’s a nice article about him from 2007.

Refractor #350: Rick Asadoorian (RC)
This would have had collector’s crapping themselves in 2000. It’s still a slick-looking card, despite how Asadoorian’s career turned out to be.


Pack 16:
#38: Bartolo Colon
#185: Craig Dingman (RC)
Dammit Dingman!

#328: Josh Hamilton
“Oh thank goodness I found you, Mr. Hamilton! I was getting autographs from some loser named Jon!”


Pack 17:
#111: Shannon Stewart
#194: Alejandro Diaz (RC)
#347: Brandon Phillips (RC)
Another stellar rookie from the set. I also already had this one, but it can’t hurt to add another.

#376: Mike Lamb


Pack 18:
#52: Albert Belle
#143: Matt Ginter (RC)
#361: J.M. Gold
#171: Enrique Cruz (RC)


Pack 19:
#75: Sean Casey
#416: Adam Eaton
#269: Shawn Gallagher
Bidding for the Call Refractor BC8: Corey Patterson
Yet another insert from Chrome. This subset features up-and-coming stars… like Corey Patterson. The refractor is seeded 1 in 160 packs, so this was a pretty good pull. Despite it being Corey Patterson. Yeah, if you haven’t noticed, Corey Patterson bugs the crap out of me. I really don’t know why, but I guess after years of pulling all of his cards and him bringing absolutely no value to this cards, I got a little ticked. But I completely understand why Cubs fans hate this guy.


Pack 20
#91: Frank Thomas
#384: Jody Gerut
#381: Brett Myers (RC)
Bidding for the Call BC11: Josh Hamilton


Pack 21:
#14: Ben Greive
#405: Brad Penny
This card stood out because of the unique/cool background. Not because of Brad Penny.

#279: Josh Girdley
#189: Brian Falkenborg (RC)


Pack 22:
#85: Tim Salmon
#199: Carl Crawford Okay, so maybe you’re wondering how I feel about the Red Sox signing Crawford. To be honest, it doesn’t bother me. Yeah he’s fast and he’s a decent hitter, but when that contract enters the third and fourth year, Sox fans are gonna get tired of him fast. All those years playing on the turf in Tampa is gonna catch up to his legs (a la Vladimir Guerrero) and his speed, his main offensive asset, will seriously decline, making him a very mediocre-hitting corner outfielder for a big cost. Yikes.

#152: Reggie Taylor
Teen Idols TI7: Brett Myers
Yup. Another insert. But, is Bowman saying that these players are idols and they are in their teens? Or are they idols to baseball players in their teens? Hmmm…


Pack 23:
#86: Billy Koch
#187: Toby Hall
#264: Keith Reed (RC)
Retro/Future #191: Juan Pena


Pack 24:
#12: Luis Gonzalez
#357: Mike Bacsik (RC)
#375: Calvin Pickering
Bidding for the Call BC15: Lyle Overbay


Well, thus ends the first box of the Black Friday haul. I added a lot of new cards to the set, and with one more box to go, I should be pretty close to completing it. What I’m worried about is the veteran cards. I haven’t pulled many and the front of the binder is looking really empty. Let’s hope for more luck in the next box!

Unintentionally Hilarious Cards #3

Ah! AH!!

AHHHHHHHHH!!!

Things I Noticed When Going Through My D-Backs Cards

The 2004 Diamondbacks were awful.

Eric Byrnes did something productive with his bat?

I wouldn’t want to hit a thing if I saw that monster staring me down.

Roberto Alomar played for the D-Backs?

This is an awesome picture.

My Stephen Drew rookie card is off-center.

Orlando Hudson has a consistently ugly swing.

I got a nice chunk of D-Backs Chrome.

I like Chris Young.

"Tales from the Dugout" #3: Don Drysdale

Let’s move forward with the “Tales from the Dugout” series with a funny anecdote about notorious bean-baller Don Drysdale and the unfortunate Gene Oliver. Enjoy!

Drysdale’s reputation as a brushback pitcher – some would say “beanball pitcher” – was well deserved. In his 14-year career the 6’6” sidearmer hit 154 batters, a National League record. Drysdale not only intentionally hit batters, but also talked openly about it. He put his philosophy of retaliation this way: “If you knock down on of my guys, I knock down two of yours.”

There is also an old baseball maxim about the inside half of home plate belonging to the hitter, with the outside half of the plate belonging to the pitcher. His maxim is meant to politely warn hitters against digging into the batter’s box too deeply and leaning out over the plate to hit to outside pitch. Drysdale even put his own threatening spin on that: “Half the plate belongs to the batter, and half the plate belongs to me. That’s fair. It’s just that I never let the batter know which half is mine.”

Drysdale beanball stories are numerous. Here’s a good one that St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lou Brock told Frank Dolson of the Philadelphia Inquirer. One day at Dodger Stadium, St. Louis catcher Gene Oliver blasted a long home run off Drysdale. Before beginning a leisurely trot around the bases, Oliver first stood at home plate admiring the flight of the ball and then said, loud enough for Drysdale to hear, “Hey, batboy, come get the bat.”

Oliver’s actions came under the heading of “showing up” the pitcher, and it was a foregone conclusion that Drysdale would make Oliver pay for his Cardinal sins. The next time Oliver batted, Drysdale drilled him with a fastball. While Oliver writhed in the dirt of the batter’s box and teammates and the Cardinals’ trainer rushed to his aid, Drysdale said loud enough for everyone to hear, “Hey, batboy, come get Oliver.”

High End Steals

“High end”? For Card’s Sake doesn’t do “high end”. Hell, a lot of the blogosphere doesn’t do “high end”. Then why in the world do I see a lot of high end cards popping up in people’s mailboxes? Oh that’s right, because most of the hits lose significant value over a span of 2-5 years rendering them almost worthless and deemed for a life in the $1 bin at your local card shop. And I ask again… why do people drop $100+ on this stuff? So they can sell the hits dirt cheap to me.


2008 Topps Triple Threads #147a: Daric Barton (Auto) (RC) (Numbered to 99)
A case of this stuff was going for around $2,000 back in 2008. I got this for two bucks.

2004 Bowman Sterling Refractors DD: David DeJesus (Auto) (Numbered to 199)
In 2004, this stuff was going for $50 a pack, and is still commanding over $250 a box to this day. I got this for 5 bucks.

2004 Bowman Chrome Refractors #334: Dioner Navarro (Auto)
This set had a $4 SPR when it came out in 2004. I got this for 5 bucks.

2006 Upper Deck Future Stars #89: Conor Jackson (Auto) (RC)
When this set was first released in 2007, it was selling for around $4.99 SRP. I got this for two bucks.


Go me.

The Barton is for trade.

A Platinum Mailday

2010 Bowman Platinum, like a lot of products this year, was a big hit with retail buyers and blaster fans. These cards weren’t exactly the most aesthetically pleasing in the world, but they were shiny, and that’s good enough for people like me. The first package of 2011 showed up at my mailbox the other day, and you guessed it, it contained a hefty stack of Bowman Platinum cards. Let’s divulge in the platinum goodness shall we?


Some rookies and For Card’s Sake favorites.
I was very relieved to find no bowing issues with the cards, something I feared would happen due to Bowman’s canny ability to bend cards like a tunnel.

A couple of refractors numbered out of 999.
The refractors are slightly thicker than the base.

A sexy Ryan Zimmerman gold parallel numbered out of 539.
It makes you wonder if they just pull random numbers out of a hat to find the print run of some of these cards.

And a green parallel of some guy I’ve never heard of numbered out of 499.
Isn’t that name a bit of an oxymoron? Sonny Gray? Think about it.


There were no Yanks found in the lot, but all in all, not a bad stack for a couple of bucks. If I can find some more cheap lots of this product, I’ll probably snag them up.

Celebrating For Card's Sake's First Birthday!

Happy birthday to For Card’s Sake

Happy birthday to For Card’s Sake

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR FOR CARD’S SAKE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO FOR CARD’S SAKE!

Yeah, I wish.


Good Lord, has it already been a year? Well, yes, it certainly does feel like a year. 2010 has had many ups and downs, but all in all I think it’s safe to say this has been one of the best years yet. And one of the good reasons for that is For Card’s Sake and the blogosphere community that has made collecting baseball cards such a joy. You guys are the heart and soul of the hobby; people who care about what their cards look like, feel like, taste like (for the kinky people), and voice their opinions every time they feel it should be said. I've learned so much over the past year from all different people about all different topics, and it was fun expanding my knowledge. Thank you to everyone who I’ve ever traded with, who’s ever commented and read my posts, who I’ve ever participated in group breaks with, and much more good stuff. I couldn’t have done it without you. Well… maybe, but it sure as hell would have been boring without you.

And what better way to celebrate this awesome occasion than to give out prizes. But, who exactly will receive these prizes? Well it will be based on categories custom picked by moi.


First Trade: madding from Cards on Cards! Kerry’s blog brought me into the world of blogging. My first trade ever executed in the blogosphere was from Kerry as well, and he hooked me up with a bunch of goodies. Kerry was also the first ever comment on the blog, and in general he was essentially the rock that got the place rolling. So, dear sir, you will be getting a prize in the mail by the end of the month. Congratulations!

First Group Break: Thorzul from Thorzul Will Rule! In my first ever group break on the blogosphere, I picked up some great Yanks from Thorzul’s group break of a couple of boxes of 2009 UD A Piece of History. Thorzul’s blog is often hilarious and insightful, and it has made for a great read over the year. So, dear sir, you will be getting a prize in the mail by the end of the month. Congratulations!

Most Comments: spastikmooss from The Great Sports Name Hall of Fame! After tallying up the comments, spastik had by far the most. He’s a very loyal reader and a great blogger himself. Spastic also has the distinction of winning the first ever “challenge” (or contest if you will) hosted on the blog, The Rookie Card Challenge. Although he had to wait an eternity to get his prize, this time I promise it will be at your doorstep by the end of the month. Congratulations!

First Contest Won: Wicked Ortega from My Past Time… I Love It! I won a sweet Dan Uggla autographed picture from the infamous Wicked months ago when he hosted a contest over on his blog. Wicked is one of the best out there, and he gave me the privilege of guest writing for him when he was out of town. Wicked was gonna get something anyway for being so generous, now he’s getting something a little extra. So, dear sir, you will be getting a prize in the mail by the end of the month. Congratulations!

Now, for everyone that is a follower. You 24 guys (and gals) are the reason I keep going at it, to provide you the entertainment you need to get yourself through the day. Okay, perhaps not as dramatic, but you get the picture. I’ve entered everyone that is following as of January 2, 2010 into the Randomizer. Let’s see who takes home a prize!

A-one.

A-two.

And a-three.


And the winner is… Fans of Reds from Nachos Grande! Congrats sir. Shoot me an email and you’ll have something in your mailbox by the end of the month. But a heartfelt thanks to all my followers!

Once again, a special thanks to everyone that has made the first year blogging a memorable experience. Let’s hopethe second year is just as awesome! To end it all, let's look at the first official post on For Card's Sake. Enjoy!

Get Ready for the Celebration Tomorrow!

I’m back in Jersey for the time being, but then I’m heading down to Florida for a four-day weekend. My cousin is running the Walt Disney World annual marathon and so we’re going down to support him. And also that it’s average 75 degrees. Ah.

But hey, come back tomorrow for the big one-year birthday celebration!

Pre-Vacation Mailday

Howdy y’all, just wanted to show off a quick mailday before I leave for vacation tomorrow. We’re going up to New York to visit the relatives, like we always do at the end of December since God knows when. Due to the normal holiday snail’s pace the mail runs at, I got picked up these cards a while ago and now they finally arrived in my mailbox.


2010 Topps Tribute Blue #53: Alex Rodriguez (Numbered to 399)
You know what I hate? When people bust expensive products like Topps Tribute and just throw the base cards and colored parallels aside like they’re nothing. Well screw you high-end box buster! Thanks to you, I can snag these beautiful cards (that look better than the hits, by the way) for 90% less of what the average cost of a box. Ha.


Along with that sweet eBay pickup, I scored a nice $5 lot off the Blowout cards forums. Included in that 8 player lot was some trade bait and these Yanks.

2006 Bowman Chrome Draft Refractors #5: Melky Cabrera
Oh, Melky, what are you doing now? The Royals? Oh my, your teams just keep getting progressively worse and worse.

2010 Topps Chrome Wal Mart Exclusive Refractors WME1: Babe Ruth
I honestly can’t recall the last time I’ve stepped into a Wal Mart. That place kinda gives me nightmares.


All in all, not a bad mailday to most likely end the year. I should have a package or two waiting for me when I get back home. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of 2010 and the New Year’s festivities that go along with it, and I look forward to seeing you all in 2011. However, if you can’t survive a whole five days without me, I’ll be posting some more stuff over at My Past Time.

By the way, January 3rd will be the official one-year birthday of For Card’s Sake! Woo! Expect some big stuff, and it will be fun. I’ll remind everyone again when it gets closer to the date. Thanks!

Christmas Haul

Merry belated Christmas everybody. I wanted to check in and showcase my haul this year. Along with a brand new Mac Book Pro (holla!) and iPod Touch (holla again!), I received a lot of CDs, DVDs, clothes, and all that good stuff. No baseball cards, believe it or not, but I did pick up quite a bit of baseball related presents Let’s take a look with some pictures taken on my new flip camera (holla thrice!)


Ryan Howard ornament to add to the “At the Ballpark” ornament series. This is the 15th and last ornament their making, so it adds an end to an era. It sure was fun collecting most of them, and now I gotta go find the rest to complete the set.

Nice A-Rod standup.

Thick book on one of my favorite pitchers of all-time, Mike Mussina, and Tom Glavine and their adventures in the 2007 season. Should make for a good read

A beautiful custom-made plaque my sister got for me from one of the school’s craft shows. It fits in quite nicely with the A-Rod corner in my baseball room (future post warning, future post warning)

And last but not least…
Yup, a Yogi Berra signed ball. He signed this a few years ago on a nice 2003 100th-Year Anniversary ball. A very nice addition to the collection of autographed balls I own (which will be a post for tomorrow on My Past Time)


I would like to thank my family for picking out this great stuff to get me; they always know how to please! It was a very great Christmas and I hope everyone else enjoyed theirs as well. And before I forget, here are my two favorite non-baseball related presents.

Boy Meets World Season One and a Betty White calendar. Somebody pinch me.

Shopping for a Christmas Baseball Card

Throughout the many, many, many years of baseball cards, we’ve seen many, many, many players, many, many, many designs, and many, many, many, many, many, many, many different photos. However, I don’t think I’m ever come across a Christmas-related baseball card. Sure, baseball and Christmas are about as opposite as you can get, but it surprises me that I’ve yet to see a player wearing a Santa cap, or a player with one of their bats wrapped up as a present, or something cheesy that you’d find in 1990 Score.

I’m presenting a challenge to everyone out in the blogosphere. Be my Star of Bethlehem tonight; show me the way to a Christmas-themed baseball card. A link, a picture, anything. I’m just dying to see one. Here’s your reward when you do.

Mrs. Claus, meow.

Tomahawk Trading

Salutations one and all. I received a package from Derek over at the Tomahawk Chop a few days ago and wanted to show some of the highlights. Derek just got back into the hobby, and I helped him out by sending him some Braves to add to his growing collection. You should do the same.


2005 Flair #16: Hideki Matsui
Godzilla! He signed with the A’s for one year at 4.25 million dollars. He will serve mostly as a DH and actually might play the outfield.

2008 UD A Piece of History #63: Alex Rodriguez
You didn’t think I’d go a trade post without mentioning A-Rod did you?

2010 Topps Turkey Red TR120: Curtis Granderson
I haven’t seen a saturation of inserts this bad in my years of collecting. Why in God’s name would people want 120 cards of an insert? If that’s the case, maybe you should have kept the Turkey Red set you morons.

2001 Topps Archives #10: Gil McDougald
A nice card of the recently-deceased McDougald, who was a 5-time World Series winner and a one-time Rookie of the Year.


Thanks Derek for the nice Yanks!