Back to Being a Baseball Card Blog

If I went cardless for much longer this card blog would have morphed into a travel blog.  Anthony Bourdain I am not. Nice to be back in my comfort zone and having some time to enjoy some cardboard.

2015 Topps Archives Kent Tekulve Gold Auto /50

Coming off vacation with a bang here with cardboard legend Kent Tekulve.  This is a Fan Favorites auto I can really get behind.  The last couple of years Topps had made some interesting choices in what they considered Pirate "fan favorites'' by picking the likes of Kris Benson and Sid Bream. The Bream was the real weird one. 

Here is a few former Buccos I would love see have a Fan Favorites auto.

- Jay Bell

- Bobby Bonilla

- Mike Lavalliere (Extra points if signed Spanky)

Tekulve autos sell dirt cheap as I got this one for around $5 shipped. It has been a lot of fun seeing Topps produce some new Teke autos.  I say it every time, but the guy just has a great look. 

Thanks for reading! 

Vault Metal

For the love of Teke this is awesome!

2016 Topps Legacies Kent Tekulve /135

I'm usually pretty good about checking out new sets, but I had no clue about Topps Legacies.  After a quick glance at the checklist it seems that it was a high dollar/high risk set.  It also had no Pirate hits so that explains why I never noticed on eBay until recently.

As for this Teke it seems that Topps gave a metal backing to some Topps Vault pics and created an insert. As soon as I saw this card I knew I had to have it. Bask in the glory of Teke! 

Thanks for reading! 

Baseball Trip and Walmart Exclusives

My wife and I both like to travel.  Right now our daughter is still a little too young to make many trips so often we divide and conquer. We also think it is good for our sanity to some activities away from each other. Last year I took a baseball trip to San Diego and she went to London with her Mom. Our trips together are usually the long weekend variety.

Today I started to plan my 2017 Pirates baseball trip!!!!

The main requirement is that I visit a new stadium. Next is finding dates that work, which is the most difficult task. Last year for San Diego I could only find one person to go with me as many of my friends are of the age where having kids is the thing to do.  Thankfully this year seems to be coming together a little easier.

This year the winner looks to be Chase Field in Phoenix. It is a 4 game weekend series in mid May so it can accommodate a lot of schedules. Maybe I'll see if Daniel can meet up with me. Might be as many as five people on this trip!

How about a new card....

2016 Topps Archives 65th Anniversary Edition Kent Tekulve Auto

This card sold for cheap because the auto is not the greatest of quality.  I didn't care because it is Teke and all Teke cards need a good home. The final price was around $5 shipped. 

I couldn't bring myself to open one of these because the Pirates in the set could be had for less than the going rate of the box. Just need to find the Vern Law now. I also hate shopping with a passion so the hatred of going somewhere like Walmart usually wins over blaster boxes of cards.  The true test will be if Walmart had some type of guaranteed Kent Tekulve hot box.  I'd probably bite on that....

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! 

Salem Rebels

I don't know a whole lot about this card. It features cardboard legend Teke in his Single A Salem Rebels uniform, but it looks to be some type of reprint set.  Here is the back.

It has all his professional stats on the back so it has to be some kind of commemorative set. Either way it is Teke card and automatically registers extremely high on the coolness factor. Any of you know anything about these? I know the seller I bought this from but he just listed it as a Teke minor league card.

Time to head back to celebrate WVU's win over Texas!

Original Teke

2004 Topps Originals Signature Edition Kent Tekulve /14

This is one of those by any means necessary cards for me. Teke cards are just so damn cool that when one pops up on eBay I will gladly overpay a little to make sure I get it.  Thankfully for the most part his cards are very affordable. If I recall this card had an opening bid for 9.99 and I was the only bidder. Not some crazy good deal by any means, but a nice price for a rare card. 

Teke is still going strong as a post game commentator for the Pirates tv broadcast. He had a health scare a couple years back and had a heart transplant, but looks great today. While I don't agree with a lot of his commentary the man bleeds black and gold and you have to respect his loyalty. 

Thanks for reading. 

Teke Round 2

2003 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Kent Tekulve Auto

Kent Tekulve is just one of those guys that everybody likes.  Since my Topps Retired card received a good bit of attention I figured I would show another Teke auto in my collection.  Must be the awkward shades and unique delivery that made him a fan favorite.  I would imagine if I was a kid in the 70's I would have imitated the submarine pitching style.  Hope you enjoy the card.  Remember shoot me a message if you want to trade

Kent Tekulve

2003 Topps Retired Auto Kent Tekulve

Hard to get a good picture of the Topps Retired cards since they are all encased.  I love everything about this card.  It just reeks of the 70's with the awesome Pirate uniform and Teke's signature thick glasses.  This card was won for $9 shipped off of eBay.  

Teke still plays an active role with the Pirates as he is studio analyst for Root Sports.