Game Day Ticket

2007 UD Black Adam Laroche Game Day Ticket Auto /50

I've had this card for several years.  It would have been a great candidate for my white whale list as it was a huge pain in the butt to find. For whatever reason these Game Day autos don't show up much on eBay.  Right now only 10 are listed with most having high BIN prices. Some combination of scarcity, obscure set  and player checklist plays into it I guess.

Visually these cards look really nice.  The scan doesn't do the auto justice as the silver really pops on the actual card. The only deceiving part is that I believe this is a sticker auto.  It is tough to tell but when I ran my finger across the card I'm pretty sure I can feel the edge of the sticker.  I guess if you are going to make a sticker auto, hiding the actual sticker is not a terrible idea.  

LaRoche had a really interesting tenure as a Pirate.  When the Pirates traded for him he was suppose to be a cornerstone piece into turning the franchise around. While he put up decent numbers he just never took him game to the next level. He also was a notoriously slow starter so most of the numbers were put up late in the year when the Pirates were out of the race. Wish we could have gotten a few of those huge years he put up with the Nationals.  

Thanks for reading! 

Gonzo for Gorzo

I haven't really decided if it is a good habit or a bad one, but I often utilize seller's combine shipping. Sometimes I feel I trick myself into thinking I'm getting a good deal, but in reality I'm probably just spending extra money on a card I really don't need. Other times I'm happy I did the search as it can be a treasure trove of cards I needed. Such was the case recently......

Recently a seller had a Tom Gorzelanny auto that I wanted. It just happened he had quite a few Gorzo autos after exploring his eBay store.

 2007 Exquisite Jason Bay/Tom Gorzelanny Auto /10

 2007 UD Black Tom Gorzelanny/Adam LaRoche Auto /15

 2007 Exquisite Tom Gorzelanny Auto /20

2008 UD Baseball Heroes Auto Jersey /75

What made this deal so great was that it also included a low numbered refractor of Marc Bulger. The whole lot was just a shade under $12 shipped. 

The card that originally got my attention was the Exquisite featuring only Gorzelanny. I hadn't seen that card for a long time and knew this would be a good opportunity to pounce.  The big bonus was being able to get the Bay/Gorzo auto for cheap. That card would have carried a good price tag back when that product was released. 

Gorzo is still hanging around as a reliever, but really hasn't had much success sticking around long term. A typical season will see him get a decent amount of innings, but also shipped to AAA a few times. I'm hoping his career trajectory will be that of Zach Duke and that he can get a job solidified in the bullpen.  

On a side note Gorzo was part of the trade to the Cubs that netted Josh Harrison. At the time Harrison seemed more of a throw in as Kevin Hart was the main piece. 

Hope those on the east coast is surviving the storm.  We are expecting about 18 inches here.  Yuck! 

20 Years of Disappointing Pirates

This will be a very unscientific list as it will only encompass players in the last 15-20 years. Some will be on the list for hobby reasons, while others will be a combination of performance and stupid management. Long story short the guys on this list bring some combination of anger and sadness when I ponder their Pirates tenure.

Pitcher - Kris Benson

Benson had a nice long career, but fell short of huge expectations. He was drafted number 1 overall in 1996. With the hype machine at full effect he was billed as a franchise savior and a can't miss guy. By the time he made his debut he showed good stuff, but was overall very mediocre. Injuries and inconsistency was the main theme the rest of his Pirates career. 

You know you probably didn't live up to expectations when your bat shit crazy wife gains more press than your pitching. 

Catcher - Tony Sanchez

This is probably more managements fault than Tony Sanchez, but he is probably the best pick for overall disappointment. Sanchez was picked 4th overall in 2009. Most media outlets considered the pick a reach and it looks like they were right. 

First, injuries stunted his development then his defense went to shit. When Russell Martin got hurt at the beginning of last year Sanchez was getting a majority of the playing time. He began having trouble controlling the running game and making throws to first.  The latter cost the Pirates a few games. 

I'm guessing Sanchez will not see the field with the Pirates again. With a big rule 5 roster crunch coming next year it wouldn't be far fetched to see him left unprotected. 

First Base - Adam LaRoche  

When the Pirates acquired LaRoche in 2007 it received a lot of press. The Pirates looked on paper like a team on the upswing. The outfield was very balanced with the likes of Jason Bay and Nate Mclouth and the infield was anchored by Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez. 

The interesting thing about LaRoche's tenure as a Pirate was that his numbers were pretty much on par with his career norms. The main issue is that he was a notoriously slow starter and would not start hitting until the Pirates were buried. 

The funny thing now is that most Pirate fans would kill to have someone put up a LaRoche like season at first. Pedro Alvarez has really lowered our expectations from the position. Looking back I think his tenure was more of a product of a guy who never took the next step. The Pirates were in the midst of their historic losing streak and would gravitate to any guy who showed the slightest hint of talent. Such was the case for Adam LaRoche. He was pretty much the same player at the beginning and end of his time in Pittsburgh. 

Second Base - Aki Iwamura

For the most part second base has been pretty secure by the likes Neil Walker and Freddy Sanchez in recent memory. Part of me wanted to pick Bobby Hill, but my disdain for Aki Iwamura is too fresh in my head. 

Coming off 3 consecutive above average years the Pirates traded Jesse Chavez to the Rays for Iwamura. It was pretty much a disaster from day 1. He looked out of shape and disinterested. For some reason the Pirates continued to bat Iwamura leadoff the first couple months of the season. After it was all said and done, Iwamura wouldn't even make it a year. The Pirates were on the hook for almost 5 million. 

Third Base - Andy Laroche

I could have taken this one in a number of different ways because the position personifies the Pirates terrible management during the 20 year losing streak. With the bad management decisions regarding the likes of Jose Bautista and Aramis Ramirez, either one could have easily made the list. 

I chose Andy LaRoche because he was the center piece of the Jason Bay trade. It is also kind of funny to have the LaRoche brothers both make the list. 

The writing was on the wall for the Pirates when the new management team came in. A complete rebuild was on the horizon. While the Pirates had been terrible for a long time they weren't without quality players. The most desirable target was Jason Bay.

When the deal was announced that Bay was traded to the Red Sox as part of the three way trade that sent Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers and prospects to Pittsburgh. The key piece for the Pirates being Andy LaRoche. Long story short, he was terrible. It was a tough trade to swallow for the Pirates as they received absolutely no value from the players acquired in the Bay deal. 

Shortstop - Brian Bixler

This pick is more from a hobby perspective than on the field.  Bixler was a second round pick in 2004 and was getting a lot of hype early in his professional career. He was dubbed an offensive shortstop and looked to be the logical replacement to Jack Wilson. 

Before his debut I bought into the hype and loaded up on high end Bixler autos. Ouch! He could not hit to save his life. 

Outfield- Chard Hermanson, Jose Guillen, Derek Bell and Jose Tabata

You have to make the list if you are an actual Pirate.  Mr. Operation Shutdown stole the Pirates money and for a time resided on a boat. The Pirates made a ton of bad free agent signings, but Bell's has to be among the most memorable. Plus, he actually was a decent player in Houston.

In the minors it was said that Chad Hermanson could "walk on water." That may have been true, but he could not hit.

Jose Guillen is the offensive version of Kris Benson. He would go on to have a nice long career, but you were left wondering what could have been. Most agree that the Pirates brought him up way too early and that Guillen didn't have the maturity needed to be a major leaguer. He would continue to struggle with Tampa Bay before coming into his own in the 2003 season.

It is almost like someone took the battery out of Tabata. The first couple of seasons he was a leadoff hitter with gap power and plus speed.  The Pirates liked him so much that he was given an extension. At the time it looked very team friendly, but now it is the worst contract on the team. 

I'm not sure what caused the wheels come off, but the decline has been quick. An outfielder that is only a singles hitter is not in high demand. I hope Jose likes Indianapolis because that is where he'll be the life of the contract.  

One of the cool things about our hobby is how card can conjure up random memories. I started this post last night after looking at a Brian Bixler card and thinking "boy this guy stunk." Sure enough a post was born.  

Thanks for reading!

LaRoche

2007 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Adam LaRoche Bat Auto /5

I've been wanting to show some of my mid 2000's Pirate cards.  This is a nice Adam LaRoche bat variation from UD Sweet Spot.  Pirate fans were very excited when LaRoche was obtained from the Braves.  He was just entering his prime and coming off a productive season.  While LaRoche put up stellar counting stats with the Bucs he just never developed into the star the Pirates were hoping.  He was a notoriously slow starter who did most of his damage late in the season when the Pirates were out of it.  The Pirates ended up cutting ties with LaRoche while his value was low, so we didn't even get a quality player in return.  LaRoche has reestablished his value with the Nationals and is now a key part of their lineup.