Shoebox Legends

This is my first official package from Shane of Shoebox Legends fame, but not my first interaction. Back in September Shane, Mark Hoyle and myself met for dinner while I was in Providence and talked cardboard for several hours. It was by far the best part of my trip.  I have my fingers crossed that I can get up to the Boston/Providence area again sometime next year.

Last week a bubble mailer arrived from Shane. I've been sitting on it because I'm still digging out from JBF boxes, but finally got some time this evening to explore the contents.

This was my favorite card of the bunch Shane sent. It is a little hard to see, but this is numbered /399 and is on thick card stock. 

Players like Pedro Alvarez, Chris Carter and Mark Trumbo play in the wrong era. If this was the late 90's early 2000's teams would be lining up to pay them, but now they struggle to find consistent work. Teams just don't want to play one tool players and value positional flexibility these days, even in the AL. Out of the three, only Trumbo looks to get a multi year deal, but I have a feeling it will be a much smaller annual value then most expect. 

 This is a sharp looking card. I think Sid signs with a bible verse just about every time.

On a side note I was happy to see him sign for the Fan Favorites set as it is always one of my favorites, but really question the thought process of him being included. As most know he was involved in the most heartbreaking play when he scored the winning run in the 1992 NLCS as a member of the Braves.

Either way it works out for me as it was nice to see a certified auto of him in the Buccos uniform.

 Oddball!

 I'm pretty much retired from set building these days.  Shane helped me fill in a few loose ends on my incomplete sets.

 I was a Bunt fan.  It was a step in the right direction for budget sets.

Heritage had a ton of new Pirates this year. The Chad Kuhl rookie is a very welcomed addition. He is likely going to be in the rotation next year.

I don't have many Donruss Optic cards.  It is essentially Donruss Chrome. I dig the Marte. Speaking of Marte he and Gerrit Cole might be the faces of the franchise by the time Spring Training comes around. Pour one out for Cutch :(

Thanks for all the cards Shane. Glad we could break the ice via the blog.

Thanks for reading.

Super Veteran

2016 Topps Archives Signature Series Kent Tekulve Auto /60

You know what is better than having Teke on a card? How about having two Teke's on a card!  God bless you 1983 Topps. 

I can't get enough of these Teke autos in the Archives Signature Series set. He really didn't have much in the way of certified autos since the Topps Originals set, so these were welcomed with open arms. Before I went on my November no purchase plan I managed to snag a few. As soon as December comes along I hope to finish a majority of them.  So many Teke's so little time. 

On a side note I got to witness a little basketball history tonight. The WVU basketball team forced 40 turnovers against Manhattan tonight.  Talk about some sloppy basketball.  The Mountaineers press the entire game so forcing turnovers is nothing new, but 40...holy cow. The school record was 36. 

Thanks for reading! 

JBF Goes for the Throat

I'm pretty weathered when it comes to JBF's shenanigans. He has sent me so many priority boxes over the last couple of years that I probably should pay for my mailman's chiropractor appointment. It is mind boggling the amount of awesome stuff he has sent me.

This latest installment was a little more traditional in the sense that it was all cards, but it was far from ordinary.  Of course Wes adds his special touch by writing a note for each category.  Basically he has narrated my demise over the course of the last couple of months. I'm a little frightened that this wasn't the end as this one felt like a knock out punch.

 I like how Willie Stargell is just casually thrown in to start things off.

See what I'm talking about.  You have to applaud JBF's preparation. A couple of times I felt like I've gotten the upperhand and he just bombards me.  JBF is the Patton of card trading. 

 I loved the license plate card.  One of my favorites in the entire package.

JBF is really in tune to my collection. I feel like he studied all my favorite players and memorized every WVU sports alumni. 

 Pirates first round pick two years ago. Also former WV Black Bear!

 Almost World Series hero Rajai Davis.

 Pirates starting shortstop Jordy Mercer representing his Oklahoma St Cowboys.

Nice to see this bad boy in there.  Love the Cole! 

JBF has flair....

Getting both Paul and Lloyd Waner was a nice touch. 

This is where it gets insane......

 That is a Gerrit Cole plate from Donruss.

Hard to see but that is a 1/1 Brad Lincoln from Bowman Platinum. Good lord. 

 Just your run of the mill Terry Bradshaw plate.....

 This one is hard to see but it is a Masterpiece 1/1.

 A 1/1 patch of former Penguin Jay Caufield.  Jay does the post game these days for the Pens.

I think this West was my favorite card in the entire bunch. He doesn't have many cards showcasing him in his WVU garb.  This plate was from the super high end Panini Flawless. 

See what I have to deal with.  How cool is that Maz! A lot of the Sweet Spot baseball signatures have faded over time, but the bat versions look fantastic.  What a great looking card.

As usual I'm at a loss for words trying to sum up these packages. I have one more good shot to throw back your way, but I know I'm probably fighting for a lost cause.  Wes has been trolling me on Twitter with what he calls the endgame. It was a picture of a giant priority mail box.  Should be interesting.

Thanks for reading.