Trade: Too Many Verlanders

This past weekend I received another great envelope from my Tigers buddy Dennis at Too Many Verlanders.  We are to the point where we know what the other likes and just blindly send cards.  This envelope was a change of pace from the usual Pirates theme as Dennis hooked me up with some great WVU cards.  I don't spend much time on the blog talking about the Mountaineers, but they are a huge part of collection and I actively shop for new pieces all the time.

Dennis did throw in one Pirate card and it was awesome.  Tony Sanchez is a former first round pick and catcher in waiting.  He has seen a decent amount of playing time with the Bucs over the last two seasons, but looks to play a major role next year.  I'm hoping the Pirates will resign Russell Martin, but Tony has shown not to be to over matched at the big league level.  He just needs to improve his defense.

Pat White is the most successful quarterback in WVU history.  He won a bowl game in each of his four years in Morgantown including two BCS wins over Georgia and Oklahoma.  Obviously his pro career didn't go as planned, but he is one of my all time favorites.  A large contingent of fans would like to see his number retired by the University.

 Great looking dual relic auto of the former Mountaineer great Steve Slaton.

I think this is my favorite of the cards Dennis sent my way.  The UD Premier autos are very nice looking cards.

Last but not least is a great manu patch/auto of Slaton.  This is a high end card numbered to /75.  

Thanks for the great cards Dennis.  You caught me off guard with this envelope.  Whenever I get blog mail I automatically think Pirates, so needless to say I was pleasantly surprised.  Look forward to swapping in the near future.  

Trade: Dime Boxes

Nick from Dime Boxes and I have swapped cards a few times now.  I was able to help him out with his Opening Day blue refractor needs, and I passed along the Bill Spaceman Lee auto I pulled out of 2012 Archives.  This weekend I received a bubble envelope full of Pirate goodness in return.  Check it out....

 I really like the Swell Kiner and Honus cards.  Nice oddballs to add to the collection

 Donruss keeps coming down in price so I have a feeling that my friends and I will be busting some soon.  Nick was nice enough to pass along a Cutch.

 Nice selection of older cards.  I'm always partial to Pops, but that Sanguillen is pretty cool.

 Nick threw in a bunch of these Pacific throwback cards.  Lots of cool names in this set.

 Great Teke Action Packed card showcasing one of the coolest deliveries in baseball history!

Lofton only has a few relics from his short tenure with the Pirates.  This is cool card.  I actually have the two sided version of this card that has three more bat pieces on the back, so it was nice to add this variation to the collection.  

As always Nick you come up with some eclectic trade packages.  Look forward to trading again.  

Trade: Cool Veal and the Vealtones

A few weeks back Dustin from the blog Cool Veal and the Vealtones posted some Pirates trade bait that I was interested in.  After a few emails a deal was struck for all the Pirates.  This weekend I received the cards and so much more.  Dustin decided to add a ton of extras from vintage to current.  Here is some of the highlights, but there was so much more....

 

I've been adding a lot of Cole's to my collection the past couple months as the former 1st overall pick has been on the DL.  Along with the injury Cole honored most of his redemption cards so the market got a little saturated.  This made for some great deals on some high end cards.  

Freddy Sanchez and Jason Bay were the most collectible Pirates during their time with the Bucs.  Freddy made 3 all star teams and won a batting title  This is a nice bat relic of the former Bucco.

Brian Bixler had every opportunity to become the Pirates shortstop of the future, but the bat never came around.  He later reinvented himself as a super utility player, but hasn't seen major league action in a few years.

I was happy to add this relic of Bay.  This is one that slipped through the cracks.  Bay is one of my all time favorites.  

 Dustin threw in some older cards.  Can't go wrong adding a Pops!

I like the Reggie Sanders card in the top right.  Reggie had a really nice run with the Pirates in the mid 2000's.

 Skinny Bonds!

Nice assortment of Pirate gold.  The Gene Lamont gold manager card is pretty sweet.  A welcome addition to the collection.

Thanks for the trade Dustin.  I look forward to more trades.  Hope you enjoyed the cards I sent back.  I'll find something else cool to send your way very soon.  If you haven't already give Dustin's blog a look and check out his trade bait.  Dustin is a very generous trader.  

Lets Go Bucs.  

Trade: Reader Brandon

Back in the spring Brandon approached me with some Pirates trade bait.  He was unable to find anything on my trade bait page, but I told him I come into a lot of cards and to be patient.  A few weeks back I came into some good Reds cards and we were able to work out a deal.  Check out what came my way...

Pedro is having a tough year, but it was nice to add his jersey from GQ.  I opened a bunch of this stuff and wasn't able to pull this card so Brandon was nice enough to send it my way.

 Always great to add an auto of the Cobra.

I think this is my favorite card of the bunch.  Jose Guillen was dubbed the next big thing by the Pirates, but he never turned into the superstar as people predicted.  He did have a nice career, but being called up too early and immaturity may have set him back.  

Thanks again for the trade Brandon.  Hope we can do it again.  

Trade: Mark Hoyle

Mark and I have a good thing going.  I supply new Red Sox and he gives me awesome Bucco vintage. Mark started with 79 and has been working his way back.  This shipment is dominated with 77's and a few extra 78's he had around.  Check it out!

Teke is a personal favorite of mine.  I have a pretty nice collection of autos so it is nice to add some of his older cards. 

I love the 78 Stargell card!  Anytime I can add a Pops to the collection it is a good day.  Mark has turned my weak vintage collection into a growing powerhouse.  I've said before that my goal by the end of the year was to start focusing on vintage, and thanks to Mark I have a head start.  

Thanks again for the great trade Mark.  Your package is in the mail and should arrive Tuesday or Wednesday.  

PWE: 2 X 3 Heroes

Jeff from 2 x 3 Heroes hooked me up with a Pirate PWE the other day.  Always nice to receive some oddball card including a UD Powerup card of Jason Kendall.  Also included was perhaps one of the better names in baseball.....William Pennyfeather.  Sounds like an old English land owner.

Thanks for the great cards Jeff!

DOH!

Every franchise has trades that they wish they could take back.  Sometimes these can be so catastrophic that they have ripple effects that can be felt for years down the road.  As we approach the trade deadline you will often see articles on the worst trades in the history of baseball.  Obviously Babe Ruth usually tops these lists, but I wanted to to showcase two trades from the Pirates that should have never happened.

2002 Donruss Fan Club Auto Aramis Ramirez

In 2001 Aramis Ramirez hit 34 homeruns, 40 doubles with a batting average of .300.  It looked like they had found a young superstar in the making.  2002 came around and Ramirez hurt his ankle, but played through the injury (some reports say the Pirates made him play through it).  This zapped his production. Cubs GM Jim Hendry thought this might be a good buy low time on Ramirez and offered Jose Hernandez, Bobby Hill and a minor league pitcher.  The Pirates jumped on the deal and the rest is history.  Ramirez went on to be one of the most productive third baseman in the past 10 years and the Pirates continued their losing ways for another 12 years.  This is the consensus worst trade in franchise history.  It was a low point during the record losing streak.

2006 Topps Series 2 Jose Bautista Auto

Jose Bautista was never a great player for the Pirates.  Any Pirate fan that says they could see him developing the way he did is lying.  Bautista credits the Blue Jays hitting coach with fixing a flaw in his swing so its reasonable to say that he might have never put up the huge power numbers if he had stayed with the Pirates.  Bautista was going to lose a good bit of his playing time to newly acquired Andy Laroche at third so instead of playing Bautista as super utility guy the Pirates immediately traded him to the Blue Jays for minor league catcher Robinzon Diaz.  The rest is history.  Laroche turned out to be a bust and Bautista blossomed into one of the more feared power hitters in the game.  I'm happy for Joey Bats that he blossomed into a great player.....just wish the Pirates were smart enough to see this potential.  

Thankfully now the Pirates have changed how the front office evaluates talent and seem to have put these types of deals behind him.  I don't think I could stomach another Aramis Ramirez situation.  They are signing young talent to long term extensions and evaluating the free agent market better. 

Have a nice weekend!

Road to Recovery and Topps Unique

First off I wanted to thank everybody for all the well wishes over the past month.  I'm doing much better and even worked a half day in the office today.  It was nice to get out of the house.  The prognosis for me is great as the tumor was benign.  The only long term side effect is that the surgeon had to remove a portion of my quad muscle in order to get all of the tumor.  That is going to give me a good limp for several months and might make me feel more tired when I exercise.  All things considered I couldn't ask for much better of a result.  I'll just have to think of cool stories how I got a scar that goes from my hip to my knee.  Race car accident, fighting off terrorists, knife fight......

2009 Topps Unique Dual Auto Jason Bay/Dustin Pedroia /25

Now for Cardboard!

Bay doesn't have a ton of Red Sox releases as he was only with the team for a season and a half.  I've had this card for quite sometime so I don't recall the price, but if memory serves it was a good deal as there was a little bit of damage on the bottom left corner.  Topps Unique was an interesting product full of crazy patches and high end autos so this card was par for the course in that set.  I don't spend a lot of money obtaining autos of former Buccos in another teams uniform, but the deal was too good.  Plus it gave me a chance to add a Pedroia auto to my collection.  

Thanks for reading!

Master Series 1/1

Jason Bay 2003 Donruss Signature Series 1/1 Auto

Nice to see the Pirates take two out three against the Dodgers.  Big assist goes out to the Cardinals for hitting Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig in the hands with pitches the series before.  Hanley sat out the whole series and Puig only played the last few innings of tonight's game.  The Pirates did play without Pedro Alvarez and Starling Marte, but losing Puig is no comparison.  

The above card has been in my possession for close to ten years.  If I recall it was one of my first 1/1's to enter my collection.  This one holds a special place as it was an auto of my favorite Pirate at the time.  I've been trying to sneak a few Bay autos on the blog in between all the trades and new Buccos.  He is one of the main focal points of my collection so I have plenty to choose from.  

Let's Go Bucs!  Season high 7 games above .500!

Stan the Man

2003 Playoff Portraits Stan Musial Auto /50

This is my first go around showing an auto that doesn't pertain to the Pirates or WVU.  Back around 2009 I sold off a good bit of my non Bucco and Mountaineer collection to buy some high end Pirate cards.  With that being said I didn't get rid of everything and I will still buy the occasional auto that catches my eye to replace ones that I did sell.  This Musial is a recent purchase.

If you recall the Playoff Portrait autos were kind of odd as the auto was on the back of the card.  Either way I was happy to finally right and old wrong and obtain another Musial auto for less than $30 bucks.  Every so often I'll show off some of my autos that don't fall into my main collections. 

Thanks for checking out the blog!

Trade: Foul Bunt

I've been reading William's blog Foul Bunt even before I started Bob Walk the Plank.  A few weeks back I contacted him to see if he wanted to trade as I had a few Orioles cards.  Today I received a return package full of star power.

The Clemente embossed card is awesome and you can never go wrong adding a Pops to the collection. Thanks so much for the trade William.  I'll be emailing you soon as I just received another Orioles auto that I think you might like!  

My First 2014 Allen and Ginter Card

2014 Allen & Ginter Jason Grilli Mini 1/1

Excuse the poor picture as I had to use my phone.  Big thanks goes out to Greg from Plaschke Thy Sweater is Argyle as he is the one who brought this auction to my attention.  Grilli cards have never been that expensive, but are now even more affordable after he was dealt to the Angles.  This 1/1 was purchased last week for around $15.  Good price for a 1/1!

Trade: Night Owl Cards

On Wednesday I received a bubble mailer from the Night Owl.  Greg hooked me up with a great variety of Pirate cards.  Check it out....

 A jumbo Rick Rhoden card.  This is my first card like this so I was happy Greg sent it my way.

 I claimed the Parrot card when Greg was showing off his discounted Opening Day boxes.  The A&G Clemente and Maz have a great look.

A nice mix of former star Buccos.  Always hurts to see Aramis Ramirez as that trade will go down as one of the worst in franchise history.  Freaking Bobby Hill....

 The legend himself Bob Walk!

Some nice oddball Pirate items.

Thanks for the great cards Greg.  Always enjoy swapping cards with you.  I'll keep my eye out for some more Nomo cards for you!

Have a good weekend!

Bay Day 1/1

2005 Leaf Century Collection Jason Bay 1/1 Auto

I haven't shown off many of my Jason Bay autos since I started the blog even though I have more of his autos than any other Pirate.  Bay was the best player on some horrible Pirate teams.  Anybody who followed the Pirates in the mid 2000's probably has a soft spot for the former Bucco outfielder.  Injuries derailed his career but at his peak he was an all star caliber player.  

Most Bay autos would sell for $10-35 depending on rarity during his prime years.  I remember at the time thinking that buying an auto of a Pirate for $35 seemed like a lot of money.  It is amazing how success can change the card market.  Even the most common Andrew McCutchen auto sells for $50 bucks now.  How times do change.  

Caught Up and Showing Off a Cutch

I'm finally caught up on my trade posts.  Thanks again to everybody who sent me cards the past few weeks. Trading is the reason I started Bob Walk the Plank.

2012 Panini National Treasures Andrew McCutchen Auto/Button /6

I've been so busy trading that it has been a while since I'm shown off a card from my favorite active Pirate. I purchased this card not long after National Treasures came out from a seller in Canada who had a very reasonable buy it now price.  Game used button cards are not very high on my list of relics to collect, but anytime I can add an auto of Cutch for a decent price I usually pull the trigger.  This is especially true when the card is a short print from a high end set.

It is nice to see McCutchen following up his MVP year by arguably having a better season this year.  Right now only Troy Tulowitzki and baseball cyborg Mike Trout have better WARs than McCutchen.  Generally speaking MVP's are not given to players on losing teams.  Off the top of my head I can only think of Alex Rodriguez during his Rangers days as a player who received the award on a below .500 team.  Lots of baseball left, but I'm hoping for another MVP for the Pirates center fielder.  Looking at stats alone the short list right now would probably consist of Tulowitzki, Giancarlo Stanton, Jonathan Lucroy, Carlos Gomez and Cutch.  

Trade: Mark Hoyle

Mark and I have swapped cards a few times in the past month.  He supplies me with awesome Pirate vintage and I send back some Red Sox autos/relics.  Mark has been working backwards as our first trade involved 79 Pirates.  Take a look at the 78's this time around.

 I've mentioned a few times on the blog that I've got to meet Candelaria a couple of times.  Nice guy!

 I love the Mendoza card.  Reeks of the 70's

 All kinds of awesomeness here.  Especially love the Tanner and Al Oliver.

Mark even threw in some more modern cards.  AVS was my favorite Pirate growing up so it is always nice to add some cardboard of the former Pirate center fielder.  

Thanks for the trade Mark.  I hope this becomes a regular thing.  Vintage is the weakest area of my collection.  You have been doing a great job hooking me up!