Zippy Zapped

Nothing like a good Zippy Zappin'. Kenny is one of the best and most unique traders out there. He definitely has a style that is all his own. His custom repacks are so much fun to bust.

This time around I would classify these repacks as the jumbo variety. When I get cards from Zippy I can always count on a nice mix of prospects which you will see are well represented. After that Zippy channeled his inner Hoyle and loaded me down with some great vintage. Old meets new!

 I'm a sucker for Topps Finest. This is a nice rookie of Neil Walker /500.

Did you pull this Zippy? How cool would it be if the Pirates drafted Tolbert? Do you know the future Zippy?

 Robbie Grossman was the main piece that was sent to Houston in exchange for Wandy Rodriguez. At the time Grossman was considered a pretty good prospect for the Pirates. Robbie got an extended look on the big league team last year and has seen some time this year, but it will be an uphill battle for him as the Astros seem pretty set in the outfield.

A nice auto of catcher and former first round pick Tony Sanchez. Tony seems to get a cup of coffee every year, but just can't seem to stick. His defense has really hurt his development.

 Sluggo!

 A beautiful auto of Pirate prospect Nick Kingham.

 This refractor is /25!


A whole slew of 75's!

 This color scheme fits Dock Ellis very well!

 Zippy made me a super collector of Rennie Stennett.

 Love the Phil Garner!

Some more Stennett. Also, so many Pirates made great baseball cards. This is a great Al Oliver looking completely pissed card.

 Matthew Scott Blogger

 Who doesn't love Teke.

 I thought the Luke "Sky" Walker was a nice match for Zeb.

It wouldn't be a proper Zapping without some prospects. Josh Bell should be helping the Pirates in Pittsburgh next year.

 Skinny Bonds

 Shiny prospects. Glasnow is the Pirates top prospect and projected top of the rotation guy.

 Another Zippy trademark with the Sega Gen cards.

Complete with translation.

As always Zippy thanks for the cards. I always enjoy going through the packages you send and appreciate all the time you put in them. Looking forward to our next swap!

Thanks for reading.

Top Play and a Great Deal

I went to the WVU baseball game against Pitt last night. The Mountaineers took the loss, but we made the top play on SportsCenter.

That was quite the catch!

Views from my seat. 

It was a beautiful night for a game. Perfect temps and a nice crowd of over 3,000. That number is pretty impressive as the spring semester ended last week so many students have went home for summer vacation. The new stadium seems to be a hit. In about a month the Black Bears will begin play!

Now for a new card!

2014 Immaculate Collection Cole/Ryu Dual Patch /10

One of these popped up last month in which I proceeded to be outbid at the last second. I was pissed because the final selling price was around $13 which seemed like a pretty good deal considering the rarity and the set. Losing the card proved to be a blessing as the one pictured sold for a whopping $4.25!

I went back to try and see if the card was listed poorly, but other than not mentioning "patches" it seemed like a decent description. In the long run if you buy enough cards off of eBay, you are bound to have some fall in your lap. 

On a side note every time I see Ryu I automatically think of Street Fighter.

HADOUKEN!

He should yell that when he pitches. 

Thanks for reading!

Julie's Got my Back

The best part of blogging are the bonds you develop with fellow bloggers even without meeting in person. It is always nice to know that other people are looking out for your collection. Everyday when scrolling the blogroll you see trade posts featuring cards found for other people by visiting a card show, opening a box or finding a good deal online. The card blogosphere is full of some of the most generous people you will ever meet.

I know if I pull a good non-Pirate I immediately think of another blogger who might enjoy that card. If I'm searching eBay and buy a Pirate card I always look at the sellers other items to see if I can find good cards for other people since I can get significant savings through combined shipping.  Blogging changed my whole mentality of how I collect.

This brings in Julie from A Cracked Bat. Julie and I trade all the time, but this time she hit me up with one card pwe.

You can't go wrong with McCutchen! Julie sent along a note apologizing that she couldn't find a better swatch, but I don't think those exist in Opening Day. Sometimes you are just lucky to get a jersey as the Jeter in last years set was a bat relic. Just pulling a game used relic or auto out of OD is a win.

Julie, I think I may have you pick my next box. You did so well with your Diamond Kings box plus you broke the odds with Opening Day by pulling the Cutch. What's your secret? In all seriousness thank you for keeping me in mind. I'll be sure to send you something once you get situated after the big move.

On a side note I'll be attending the baseball version of the Backyard Brawl tonight as WVU hosts Pitt. I know both schools are trying hard to get back to playing regularly in football and basketball, but for now this will have to do. Conference realignment screwed us out of playing traditional rivals like Pitt and Virginia Tech. Tech is getting back on the schedule in a couple of years, but no word on Pitt. This was not a friendly rivalry...

Trade: Too Many Verlanders Delivers Pirate Royalty

I'm often jealous of those who get to go to card shows on a regular basis like Dennis from Too Many Verlanders. He always seems to find great stuff for his collections to go along with a great place to stock up on trade bait. Northern West Virginia is pretty much void of anything resembling a card show or shop. Sometimes I'll see the southern part of the state has shows, but a 3 hour drive is a pretty big gamble for a mall show. I probably need to be checking Northern Virginia and Maryland as that would be much closer. 

Back in the mid 2000's I would frequent many of the shows in the Pittsburgh region. I'm only about an hour outside city limits so I can get up and back in a relatively short time. The issue with these as Mark from Battlin Bucs often talks about on his blog, is that the same dealers set up with outdated prices. After witnessing firsthand a dealer trying to take advantage of a poor Mom trying to buy cards for her kids I vowed not to go back. 

All is not lost when it comes to shows. Ever since I started blogging I've been the recipient of tons of great cards from those who get to frequent more buyer friendly card shows. 

This time around Dennis warned me he was changing things up on me. Our trades usually have a "hit" theme as we supply each other with current Tigers/Pirates and Wolverine/Mountaineers. As you will see below I can say with 100% certainty that I don't mind "a change of pace."

1962 Maz is a great way to start. I have a pretty nice Maz collection, but most of it is modern autographs. Thanks to generous bloggers like Dennis this is changing rapidly

1965 Maz! By this time in Maz's career he was a household name having 5 gold gloves and 6 All Star games under his belt.

1958 Maz! I'm not very good about putting things in yearly order, but this was my favorite card of the bunch. This is just a sweet looking card featuring a much younger looking Maz. Great stuff Dennis!

1960 Maz! Looks like a mouthful of tobacco.

1962 Post Cereal oddball Maz!

1963 Fleer!

5 Great Maz cards to get the ball rolling is a great way to start out a trade package, but Dennis was far from finished.

Dale Long only played a couple a seasons with the Pirates, but they were by far his best in the majors.

This 1955 Groat is a great looking 2nd year card of the former MVP. Groat was two sport star professionally, but switched to baseball permanently after one year of professional basketball.

Could you imagine pitching 12 perfect innings and losing

A 70 and 71 Pops.

Kluszewski is giving Murtaugh the death stare.

One of the first "modern relievers" Elroy Face.

It looks like the guy on the far right is wearing jeans. Casual Friday!

It wouldn't be a trade package from Dennis if he didn't toss in a few WVU cards. Amos Zereoue was one of the first star WVU players that I could really grasp onto as my comprehension of sporting events was maturing. At this time I was in junior high school and got to see first hand how awesome he was in person. I think it goes without saying that he quickly got the nickname "Famous."

WVU legends Slaton and White!

My first Kevin White card. I was happy to see him get drafted by the Bears. Cutler is not an accurate quarterback, but he can throw the deep ball. That plays right into Kevin's game. I think he should at least be given a situation to succeed unlike Geno Smith.

Dennis likes to hear me say "The Original Frank Thomas" every time I talk about Frank. The only reason I do it is because he signs many of his items like that. I feel obligated to say it.

This was some great stuff Dennis. As always thanks for always looking out for me. Like I told you the cards I have ready for you are the opposite end of the spectrum, but I don't think you'll mind.

Thanks for reading!

Old Grilled Cheese

Little bit later of a post today as I was watching the Pirates finally remember how to beat the Cardinals. It looks like the Pirates bats are waking up after a 2 week slumber.

2014 Allen & Ginter Jason Grilli mini 1/1

If I recall a fellow blogger (maybe Greg of Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle) tipped me off about this one. It was so long a go (sometime last year) I don't remember what I paid, but I'm guessing it was a good deal for me to pull the trigger. 

As a Pirate fan it is not a good practice to get to attached to bullpen arms. Neil Huntington has done a good job of cycling guys through over the years getting maximum value once their contract is approaching the end. Because of short tenures, the Pirate pen is not represented very well in terms of high end cardboard. Grilli and Joel Hanrahan are the only two to have multiple releases over the last handful of years.

A former first round bust, Grilli was close to being out of baseball before revitalizing his career with the Bucs. He proved to be a key component on the 2013 Buccos. While not one of my favorite Pirates I still try to add a card here and there when the opportunity presents itself. 

Thanks for reading!