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! 

NL Central Triple Threads

As I've mentioned before nothing has really made me stop in my tracks when it comes to 2015 Pirate cards. The John Holdzkom auto that was issued in Series 1 was my only targeted card, but the Nachos Grande break took care of that. I've seen some Museum Collection hit eBay, but nothing has caught my eye.

Since nothing new has caught my eye I've turned my attention to some mid 2000 Pirate players. I collected heavy during this time so the cards I need are mainly parallels. Thankfully last week I was able to knock off another card that has avoided me for several years.

2008 Triple Threads Hill/Cueto/Gorzelanny Triple Relic Auto /27

This has has hit eBay a few times in the past couple of years without me having any luck. Prices have been all over the place from as high as $25 to as low as $10. This time I was a little more aggressive and put a max bid of $20 which was more than enough as I won the card for $15. 

Obviously Cueto is the main attraction of this card. He has turned himself into an ace the last couple of years and has been a thorn in the Pirates side. Thankfully the only time we've really gotten to him was when it counted the most two years ago during the Wildcard game. 

Gorzelanny looked to have some promise for the Pirates, but injuries cost him a ton of time. Probably what Gorzo is remembered the most for was his trade to the Cubs that netted Josh Harrison who at the time looked to be a throw in for the trade. Now he is an All Star and just signed a long extension. 

Rich Hill looked to have some promise as a started for the Cubs, but never panned out. He has tried to reinvent himself as a reliever but has had trouble sticking for long periods of time. He is currently in the Nationals system. Dennis from the great blog Too Many Manninghams has a ton of Hill cards as he played at the University of Michigan. 

Thanks for reading.