What Could Make This Cooler?

Bobbleheads were all the rage as stadium giveaways in the early 2000's. I remember people lining up at PNC Park hours before first pitch in order to secure one.  Then it just kind of stopped.  I'm not sure if this was just a Pirates thing, but people seemed to be suffering from bobblehead fatigue. I think a combination of the Pirates not having star personnel and the fact that they were doing close to double digit giveaways just wore everyone out.  Most people don't want their third Zach Duke bobblehead. 

Things started to pickup steam again once Andrew McCutchen became a bona fide superstar, but overall I thought a lot of the releases were either boring or just looked like shit. 

The last couple of seasons things have started to turn for the better.  The designs have become more intricate and they are using themes outside the baseball norm.  Last season the Pirates made their most unique giveaway that I could remember.  Yes that is Francisco Cervelli in a smoking jacket surrounded by roses. During the games the Pirates would play a segment where Cervelli would give dating advice. It was very cheesy, but everyone got a good laugh.  It was fashioned after that segment.

Now obviously the look of this bobblehead alone makes it a unique piece but this one goes the extra mile.  In the back their is a button if pressed starts playing Dean Martin's That's Amore! Pretty cool, right?  I rarely utilize eBay to buy these type of things, but I had to have one.

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Happy Days

I'm a self admitted baseball junkie. When something important happens with the Pirates my phone will send me updates like crazy.  Today while eating my lunch I received notification that the Pirates gave Francisco Cervelli a three year extension. I was pretty excited. The deal is worth 31 million.

The deal was surprising for a few different reasons.  First, the Pirates have two catching prospects in Elias Diaz and Reese McGuire. Diaz just recently had shoulder surgery so it is a possibility that this year will be a lost season for him.  McGuire wasn't going to have any impact at the MLB level for at least another year and half.  He is only 21 so he still has a substantial amount of development to be mlb ready.  I guess the Pirates wanted a little more certainty behind the plate.

Next, I was surprised that Cervelli only signed for 3 years.  Many suspected that if he would have hit the open market after this season that 4 or even 5 years was possible.  I guess you really can't blame a guy for taking the guaranteed money when you play such a demanding position.

I don't know how long Cervelli can continue to play on the level he has been since joining the Pirates, but it will be fun to watch him for three more seasons.

Cards!!!

First Taste of Gypsy Queen

I didn't have much of a desire to pick up any new Gypsy Queen. The Pirates checklist really didn't offer much new. As usual my focus is always finding cards of guys that haven't got a lot of love being showcased as a Pirate. Enter Francisco Cervelli

2016 Gypsy Queen Francisco Cervelli Black Printing Plate

Cervelli has performed at a high level ever since taking the field for the Buccos. This has made him quite the fan favorite.  It took a little bit, but this is starting to show in card prices. This plate cost me just a shade below $20 shipped. Not a great price, but it allowed me to pick up another high end card of Cervelli so I'll take it. 

In years past I would be really excited about the release of GQ, but my set building days are pretty much over. The sp's proved to be way too expensive and I just didn't enjoy set completion as much as finding cool Pirate cards. At some point I would like to put together a vintage set, but for now I'm set retired building sets. 

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Hawaiian Topps

2016 Topps Series 1 Hawaii Industry Summit 1/1

You can look at this card in a couple of ways. The glass half empty person can chalk this up as being another "1/1" in which Topps continues its quest to parallel us to death. To a certain degree I would agree with the negative Nancy thought process. 

For me though this card is a winner. I love any chance I can add a card of the Bucco catcher (sorry Zippy). Trading for Cervelli has proven to be one of the better decisions in the last few years. What looked like a gaping hole last offseason, Cervelli was every bit as valuable as Russell Martin. 

As for the card itself it is a little hard to make out, but a pineapple emblem is on the top right of the card. The card cost me just a shade under $20 shipped. Not too bad for a 1/1. The exciting thing is I just secured another Cervelli that I like even better than this one! It should be here next week.  

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Acetation

2015 Topps Series 2 Francisco Cervelli /10

Just about a week after I secured the silver framed Cervelli I was able to get the clear acetate parallel. I've been on a nice run picking up a lot of the lower end Pirates out of Series 2 who don't get any auto or relic love. 

Cervelli has been a key to the Pirates success this year. After losing Russell Martin it looked liked catcher was going to be an offensive black hole, but Cervelli has been great with the bat. Also, if you believe in the pitch framing aspects of the game, he rates #1. All for the price of a middle reliever. 

I have no intentions of going for a rainbow as the silver frame and clear acetate are my favorite parallels, but if I do happen to come across the platinum 1 of 1 I may have to entertain the thought. 

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Found a Home

Francisco Cervelli 2015 Topps Series 2 Silver Frame /20

When the Pirates lost Russell Martin to free agency it left a gigantic void both offensively and defensively. This left the Pirates with only Chris Stewart and Tony Sanchez which was somewhat scary considering the drop off. Knowing that more upside and depth was needed the Pirates made a trade with the Yankees sending reliever Justin Wilson for Francisco Cervelli. This proved to be very smart move. 

Cervelli has shown flashes before, but a number of freak injuries had made him lose significant time. Having a stock pile of young catchers and the well established Brian Mccann, the Yankees felt Cervelli was expendable. Yay for the Pirates! 

Just about everything you look for in a catcher he has managed to provide. His bat has been one of the more consistent in the Pirates lineup as he has been moving up in the order the last few weeks. While still hard to quantify he ranks as the best pitch framer in all of baseball. He probably should have made the All Star team over Yadier Molina, but that is another argument for a later time. He and AJ Burnett are probably the biggest reasons why the Pirates are where they are at this point of the season. You notice a Yankees theme? 

I knew I wanted to chase this parallel as soon as it hit eBay. My first few opportunities were misses, but I finally nabbed it a little over a week ago for around $14. 

Thanks for reading.  

PS: Sorry Zippy