The Other Guy on the Card

I know I'm stealing this idea from someone.

I just don't know who.

I remember seeing it on someone's page when I first started checking out the blogs. I only saw it once or twice and then never again, but I really liked the idea. Please, if you are the originator of this idea and are reading this, feel free to bring me to court for copyright infringement and whatnot...


Basically the title says it all. This is about the other guy on the card, usually on rookie cards where they feature a few young guys just coming up. One guy blows up and becomes a legend, while the other guys fade into obscurity. The idea is to shed some light on who that obscure guy is. Just for funzies...

Todays subject:

1968 Topps Johnny Bench/Ron Tompkins RC




Again, we all know who Johnny Bench is. But who the hell is Ron Tompkins?

He pitched in the majors for only 2 years, '65 and '71 for the A's and Cubs respectively. What he's doing on a '68 Reds rookie stars card, is beyond me.

Signed as a non-drafted free agent in '62 by the Kansas City A's (remember them? Yeah, me neither...) He made is Big League debut 3 years later at the age of 20. He was actually highly touted in the minors, but not so lucky in the Majors. (Remember Ben McDonald? Yeah, me neither...)

Used primarily as a reliever, making only one start, he never won a game in the majors and made only 40 appearances in his career. A 3.96 ERA and 24 strikeouts for you career won't print your name in many record books either.

HOWEVER

He was flawless as a defender! In 17 chances he never made an error, giving him the perfect 1.000% for his career.

So that's that for that. Obviously, the dude on the left did a little better for himself in the baseball world, but fuck it man, I'd consider it a success to have even made it to the big club in the first place!

Honestly, I still swing and miss in the batting cages.

You win this round, Ron Tompkins...


(...Joe)

An Obsession with the Underdog: Todd Pratt Edition

As I stated in my opening post and what's written underneath the title up top, I have and obsession with the underdog.



No, not the cartoon...

...actual real life underdogs. People and things that no one expects to do anything, let alone win. But sometimes, just sometimes they do. And it's way better than when the "excepted" happens. I wanna try and make this a regular "segment" for me, so we'll see how this goes. Up first...


Todd Pratt

Career stats:
Games AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI AVG

662

1612

194

404

84

3

49

224

.251

Basically, this guy was a journeyman backup catcher his entire career.

After the '95 season, he went back home and worked at a pizza place until he got another chance with the Mets in '98.

In '99 the Mets made the playoffs for the first time since 1988. They ultimately would lose the NLCS 4 games to 2 against the Braves (Booooooo) but it's what happened in the mean time that counts.

Game 4 of the NLDS against the Diamondbacks, the Mets find themselves up 2 games to 1 in the series, but tied currently in game in the bottom of the 10th inning. Mike Piazza had an injured thumb, so he sat out that game, giving Todd Pratt the chance to start. Up to this point, Pratt had gone the entire series 0-7.


The Pitcher, Matt Mantei, hadn't pitched much, 1+ innings, with a few walks, but no hits or runs allowed.

SO everyone is gearing up for the 11th inning.

But to be fair, there's an at bat happening so lets give it a chance.

Pratt hits the ball to deep center field. I'm talking, dead fucking center field. At Shea Stadium, that's 410' to the wall, from a guy who's never hit more than 8 home runs in a season, with a gold glove center fielder, Steve Finley, chasing after it.

It's clear that it's gonna be close, either 2'' in front of the wall, or 2'' behind the wall.

The ball begins descending and the entire time Finley as a bead on it and then, right at the wall...


...he jumps.

The angle at which everything was at, you COULD NOT TELL if he had caught the ball. The 2 seconds of not knowing, honestly felt like an hour.

Do you have any idea what it feels like to be hyperactive excited and cripplingly terrified at the same time? It tingles, almost...


odd


Pratt, rounding 1st, actually stops running the base and begins slowing down to turn back to the dugout at which time, Finley puts his hands on his hips and looks towards left field.



!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Mets just won!!!!!

A walk off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning of a tied game 4 of the NLDS to end the series and send the Mets to the NLCS to fight for the Pennant!!!!

Only the 4th time in Major League Baseball history that a walk off home runs ends a playoff series and it comes from a backup catcher who was working at a pizza place 2 years earlier.

"I'm not an offensive power like Mike, but I can handle the bat all right," Pratt said, according to USA Today. "Honestly, I don't think it was that big a deal. To be honest with you, it's just like another game. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy I gave my team a chance to go to the NLCS, but I'm one guy in the mix. I could have easily been the goat today."

Dude, you have no idea. I can guarantee you that you'll be able to drink for free in any Queens bar, or any bar with a Mets fan in it, for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. If you haven't been already, that is...





As an interesting tidbit- Pratt was the runner on 1st base when Robin Ventura hit his "Grand Slam Single" in Game 5 of the NLCS. Instead of running the bases like a normal person, he stopped, turned around and was the first one to mob Ventura halfway to 2nd base. (You can actually see Vuntura wave Pratt off, saying "keep going!" in videos) The rest of the team followed suite and instead of the game ending 7-3 like it should have, the final score ended up being 4-3 as Roger Cedeno was the only Met to cross the plate.


Only in a Mets uniform could this happen...


(...Joe)

Collective Troll Contest!

There just so happens to be a contest over at the Collective Trolls super site.

If you haven't entered, do it.

If you haven't TROLLED his site

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

DO IT!!!!!!!

Boom!

(...Joe)

Conjunctions, conjunctions. Everybody loves em...

So I know this is old news by now, but it's been well documented that Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez lost a bit of time this spring with Conjunctivitis, commonly known as Pink Eye. Today was the first time I've seen him pitch this spring and it got brought up during the game. I tried to think back to the last time I had Pink Eye and the last I can remember was when I was in friggin' Elementary school! It's just so random that THAT got me thinking this...

What are some of the strangest

Most off the wall

Double you Tee Eff

Baseball injuries ever documented?

I did some research and found some good ones. I'm not trying to say that these are THE top strange injuries, nor are they listed in any paticular order. Just some of my favorite ones I found.

To help fuel the post, I'll include some nice card pics of '09 Mets who fell to the plague.

Bret Barberie
Barberie was preparing tacos and touched his eyes without washing them and the chili peppers and hot sauce burned his eyes.



Sammy Sosa
Sammy Sosa suffered back spasms after sneezing in the dugout.



Denny McLain
Denny McLain's strange baseball injury is very mysterious. One night Denny McLain went to bed completely healthy. The next night McLain woke up with four dislocated toes. Only one explanation, Lawn Gnomes.




Glenallen Hill
Glenallen Hill was sleeping on his couch one night when he had a nightmare about spiders. It startled him and he fell through the glass table next to the couch. THANK GOD I've never had a spider nightmare. Joe dosen't do spiders. If I had a spider nightmare, I'd be breaking shit too...




Marty Cordova
Marty Cordova stayed in a tanning bed for too long and his face was too burned to play the next day.



Freddie Fitzsimmons
Freddie Fitzsimmons was sitting in a rocking chair sleeping when he crushed his own fingers underneath the chair. Fucking Lawn Gnomes!!!!!!



Clarence Blethen
Clarence Blethen was a pitcher that thought he looked a lot meaner if he took out his false teeth. Blethen put his false teeth in his back pocket and when he later slid into second base, his own teethe bit him in the ass.




Doc Gooden
Missed a start when Vince Coleman accidentally struck him with a golf club in the clubhouse.




(...Joe)




The title for thispost was taken from the Memphis May Fire song of the same name. They never made a video for that song, but this one shall suffice...

Symphony of Baseball Bats (My take on the Beckett vs. ebay debate)

I've come across and read alot of different peoples views on the Beckett vs ebay debate and I figured I'd weigh in on it myself. I'm gonna map out some of the pros and cons I see from each and explain how I actually use the both of them in complete balanced harmony. That's right, as I speak I am sitting with a 2008 Bekett almanac in my lap after recieving more positive feedback on my ebay account. So break out the brews, cuz this could take awhile...

For your viewing pleasure, I have included some pictures of upside down dogs. Enjoy

When I first stared collecting, I liked to pick up Becketts and read the articles. I liked seeing other peoples collections, and thought it was cool that there really were no rules to collecting. You could collect cards of your favorite team, player, brand, year, hat color, player height, pre-game sandwich preferance or what ever the hell else you felt like! It wasn't untill I stoped collecting, got older and came back to the hobby, that I paid any attention to the price guide. So yes, it was very similar to a porno mag.

When I came back to collecting, I had missed the introduction and blow-up of auto and game used cards. I remember opening my first box, pulling a Mosies Alou bat card and thinking to myself...

..."I don't get it."

I didn't understand the concept of jerseys or bats inside of a baseball card. So because I didn't know what I was looking at and, at the time, I didn't have internet I went to my card shop and picked up a Beckett to check it out. This is my first PRO for Beckett:

Beckett PRO- They know about cards.

In the Almanac version I have they give you a little bit of information on just about every set.

Example: "The cards in this 176 card set measure approximately 2 1/4" by 3". When flipped over a 1915 "series of 176"Cracker Jack card shows back printing upside-down. Cards were available in boxes of Cracker Jacks or... for "100 Cracker Jacks coupons or one coupon and 25 cents..."
1915 Cracker Jack

It goes on for more explaining that theres a binder issued as well but you get the idea. No common collector is gonna be able to tell you much information about 1915 Cracker Jack cards, but some bsic info and a checklist is right there in Beckett.

Before you think I'm gonna get to snuggly with Beckett, some of their info is fucking pointless.

Example: "This 369-card set was released in July, 2007."
2007 Topps Chrome


...


Why the fuck do I need the month a set was released. The year, mabey. And that's giving alot of slack.

But the information is better more times than not. They give "odds" for inserts and paralles which I use all the time.

Example: "...inserted into packs at a rate of one in 721..."
1996 Pacific Cramer's Choice

That tells me something. That lets me know that this is not a very common card. If you're looking to complete this set, 10 cards, you're gonna be searching for awhile. I was lucky enough to find on ebay the Mike Piazza and I snacthed it up.

This is were the first CON come in-

The pricing is way off.


That Piazza card, lists in Beckett for $50.
I bought it for $5. Including shipping.

1995 Bowman's Best Andruw Jones RC Book- $25
For a non grade, non refractor you can find for under $5.

The actual costs of what a card my be (off ebay) really depends and how many copies are listed at that time and who you're up against. Had I been up against 2 or 3 Piazza super collectors who needed that card, you can bet I wouldn't have gotten it for $5. Would it have reached $50! don't think so.

You also have to keep in mind however, that they can't list a card as having a price of "$0". You can find hnudres of thousands of base cards with completed listings of no bids. So if Beckett were to document that, then they would have to list it as having a value of $0. That's not really true. If you walk into your local card shop, see a common base of your favorite player, you not gonna see a $0 price tag on it. You'll see .25, .50 or whatever.

What I have found (for the most part) is that Becketts prices are determinded mostly by simple odds. A base card will (for numbers sake) be "worth" .50 cents. A basic parellel will be $1. An uncommon parelle will be $2-$3. A rare will be mabey $5 or so. Obviously, that varies but I'm trying to keep it somewhat simple.



I like to use Becketts odds to help me determine the likely hood that I'll see that card again soon. If it's a rare card, with long odds, I'll do what I can to grab it. I have still yet to see another 96 Piazza Cramer's Choice card. However, I have seen countless 07 Allen and Ginter Piazza bat cards. So if I'm debating between the 2, one has longer odds than the other so I'll grab that.

ebay PRO-

Because of the amount of cards that are listed, prices as I've said, are driven way down. You don't have to spend $25 for your players RC at the store when you can grab a nice copy of it for $5-$10 online.

ebay CON-

Because of my last pro, the number of card shops have dropped lower than Lindsey Lohan's SAT scores.



I am of the belief that the prices you find on ebay or more true reflections than that that are depicted in Beckett. Some of it again has to do with who you're going up against with the bidding, but for the most part you won't even touch the "Low" price that Beckett has listed. Also keep in mind that "value" has to do with the individual. Obviously, a Mike Piazza card is going to be worth more to me than to someone like The Collective Troll.

And a Robinson Cano card is gonna be worth alot more to a guy like DrewsCards, than it is to me.

On the other hand, Beckett provides you with a good source of info so you don't get fooled by ebay sellers titles such as this- 1988 O-Pee-Chee 361 Jim Rice SP Ultra Rare


So there it is. Hopefully it made sense and was somewhat coherent. That is my take and how I go about with the two hand in hand.

(...Joe)

Philosophical Fridays

"Yankee fans are proof that Hell is full and the dead are walking the Earth."

-from "Mets Fans Only"


(...Joe)
p.s- sorry Drew. haha

Trade Bait!!!!!

Here it is- the single most EPIC trade bait post...

ever

I know I'm the new guy, but I have done some trading 'round these parts so I'm gonna drop a few names-

"Baseball Dad" All Tribe Baseball
DrewsCards
Thoughts and Sox
The Collective Troll
Play at the Plate
It's Like Having My Own Card Shop
"GiantsFan" Omega Cardboard

Those are the guys I've traded with so far and they all seemed happy with their returns.

I'm gonna try and organize everything by divison and then team to help make things a bit easier for everyone. Again, I don't have a scanner or camera, so I won't have any phots up. If there's anything unusual about the card i.e- damage, shitty auto, wierd patch etc. then I'll be sure to mention it. Email me if you see anything you like and we'll work somehting out! So sit down, grab a beer and enjoy the ride...
NL EAST:

Atlanta Braves-


Steven Evarts 2006 Bowman Sterling Auto

Andruw Jones 2006 Bowman Heritage Bat

Andruw Jones 2006 Bowman Heritage Jersey

Chipper Jones 2006 Bowman Heritage Bat

Chipper Jones 2006 Bowman Heritage Jersey

Chipper Jones 2006 Turkey Red Jersey

John Smoltz 2007 Sweet Spot Jersey

Tim Hudson 2007 Sweet Spot Jersey

Chuck James 2007 Turkey Red Auto

Chuck James 2007 Co-Signers "Solo Sigs" Auto*
*- the auto's faded a bit, from sun exposure. If you'd like it, I'll throw it in for free with whatever else you may be getting from here!

Marcus Giles 2007 Elements "Clear Cut Elements" Jersey/Auto #/99*
*-Listed as a Padre, pictured as a Brave. Thanks Upper Deck!


Philadelphia Philles


Ryan Howard 2006 Bowman Heritage Jersey*
*- I actually really like this card. Mine has a neat pin-stripe down it so it makes it more fun to me. I might hold this at a little bit of a higher ransom, but nothing ridiculous...

Carlos Ruiz 2005 Leather & Lumber "Lumber Cuts" Bat/Auto #/256
Couldn't find a pic, but it's a bitchin' looking card. Trust me!

Cole Hamels 2007 Sweet Spot Jersey


Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals


(TRADED) Andre Dawson 2005 Topps Rookie Cup Auto (TRADED)

Jose Vidro 2001 Fleer Triple Crown "Feel the Game" Bat

(TRADED) Ryan Zimmerman 2007 Artifacts "Antiquity" Jersey #/199 (TRADED)

(TRADED) Ryan Zimmerman 2007 Ultimate Collection "America's Pastime" auto* (TRADED)
*badly sun faded auto. Another freebie...

Beltran Perez 2007 Topps Co-Signers #/275

Matt Chico 2007 Sweet Spot "Sweet Beginnings" Auto


NL CENTRAL

Chicago Cubs

(TRADED) Felix Pie 2007 "Sweet Spot Signatures" #/99 (TRADED)

Sammy Sosa 2006 Upper Deck "Amazing Greats" Jersey
Listed as an Oriole, pictured as a Cub. Thanks Upper Deck!

Scott Moore 2007 Topps Chrome Auto #/ 200 (White parallel )

Scott Moore 2007 Topps Co-Signers Auto

Huston Astros

Brad Lidge 2006 Topps Turkey Red Jersey

Carlos Lee 2007 Turkey Red Bat

Doug Rader 2006 Fleer Greats of the Game "Nickname Greats" Auto

Hector Gimenez 2007 Topps Co-Signers Auto #/150

Hetor Gimenez 2007 Topps Chrome Auto (x2)

Taylor Buchholz 2006 Future Stars "Clear Path to Greatness" Auto


Pittsburgh Pirates

Matt Capps 2006 Future Stars "Clear Path to Greatness" Auto

Carlos Maldonado 2007 Topps Chrome Auto (x2)

Roberto Clemente 1998 Topps "Tribute" (1955)


Cincinnati Reds

Brandan Harris 2006 Future Stars "Clear Path to Greatness" Auto

Adam Dunn 2003 Fleer Focus JE "Team Colors" Jersey

Ken Griffey Jr. 2006 Upper Deck "UD Game Materials" Jersey


St. Louis Cardinals

Skip Schmaker 2007 Upper Deck Elements auto

Jim Edmonds 2006 Upper Deck "Diamond Collection" Jersey

Brad Thompson 2007 Turkey Red Jersey

Milwaukee Brewers

Jose Capellan 2006 Future Stars "Clear Path to Greatness" Auto

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks

Carlos Quentin 2007 SP Authentic "By The Letter Signatures" #/75 (letter- A)

Miguel Montero 2007 Artifacts auto

Stephen Drew 2007 Sweet Spot Jersey

LA Dodgers

(TRADED) Rafael Furcal 2006 Flair Showcase Jersey(TRADED)

(TRADED) Andy LaRoche 2007 SP Authentic "By the Letter Rookie Signatures" #/40 (letter- C) (TRADED)

San Diego Padres

Jake Peavy 2007 Artifacts "Divisional Artifacts" Jersey #/199

Tony Gwynn 2005 Upper Deck Classics "Classic Moments" Jersey

Ben Johnson 2006 Future Stars "Clear Path to Greatness" auto


Colorado Rockies

Garrett Atkins 2006 Turkey Red auto #/475 (Red parallel)

Preston Wilson 2006 Upper Deck "Diamond Collection" Jersey*
*- Listed as an Astro, pictured as a Rockie. Thanks Upper Deck!


AL EAST


Baltimore Orioles


Jeremy Guthrie 2008 Triple Threads Jersey/Auto #/50


Chris Britton 2006 Future Stars "Clear Path to Greatness" auto



Boston Red Sox

Dwight Evans 2006 Fleer Greats of the Game "Boston Red Sox Greats" Jersey

Curt Schilling 2006 Bowman Heritage Jersey

Jermaine Van Buren 2006 Future Stars "Clear Path to Greatness" auto


New York Yankees

Roger Clemens 2006 Upper Deck "UD Game Materials" Jersey*
*- Listed as an Astro, pictured as a Yankee. Thanks Upper Deck!

Gary Sheffield 2006 Bowman Heritage Bat

(pending) Joe Ausanio 1995 Signature Rookies auto #/5,750* (pending)
*- Only 5,750 copies ever made!!!! wow, this is some Minor League set, not sure how/why I have this card, so yeah, ransom won't be very high for this card...


Toronto Blue Jays

Dustin McGowan 2009 Topps "Career Best" Auto


Tampa Bay (devil) Rays

Jorge Cantu 2007 Artifacts "Apparel" gold Jersey #/130


AL Central

Chicago White Sox

Carlton Fisk 2007 SP Legendary Cuts "When it was a Game" Jersey

Frank Thomas 2006 Upper Deck "UD Game Materials" Jersey*
*- Listed as an Athletic, pictured as a White Sox. Thanks Upper Deck!

Brandon McCarthy 2006 Turkey Re Auto


Minnesota Twins
(TRADED)Joe Mauer 2006 Turkey Red Jersey(TRADED)

(TRADED)Glen Perkins 2007 Topps Chrome Auto(TRADED)

(TRADED)Jason Kubel 2006 Future Stars "Clear Path to Greatness" auto(TRADED)

(TRADED)Kevin West 2005 Topps Chrome Auto(TRADED)


Kansas City Royals

Mitch Maier 2007 Topps Chrome Auto

Justin Huber 2006 Bowman Heritage Auto


Detroit Tigers

Brandon Inge 2006 Turkey Red Black Parallel


AL West

Oakland Athletics

Jose Canseco 2005 Upper Deck Classics "Post Season Performers" Auto (pending)

Eric Chavez 2006 Flair Showcase Jersey

Eric Chavez 2007 Artifacts "Apparel" #/199

Barry Zito 2007 Artifacts "Antiquity" #/199

Seattle Mariners

Jeremy Reed 2006 Flair Showcase Jersey

Bobby Livingston 2006 Future Stars "Clear Path to Greatness" auto

LA Angels

Brandon Wood 2007 SP Rookie Edition Auto

Ervin Santana 2006 Turkey Red Black Parallel


Muti-Team

2007 Topps Co-Signers Hector Gimenez/Miguel Montero8
8- Astros/Diamondbacks

Minor Leagues/International Teams

2006 Future Stars Shunsuke Watanabe "World Future Stars" #/99

2006 Future Stars "World Future Stars"Dice-K

2006 Flair Showcase Freddy Garcia Jersey (Team Venezuela)

2006 Flair Showcase Jorge Cantu Jersey (Team Mexico)

2001 SP Top Prospects Chris Wakeland Bat (Toledo Mud Hens)

2001 SP Top Prospects "Chirography" Ben Christensen Auto (Daytona Cubs)

2001 SP Top Prospects " Chirography" Ramon Santiago Auto (West Michigan White Caps?)

1997 Best Wes Helms Auto (Durham Bulls)



So there you have it. My eyes are bleeding and my beers gone, so I'm gonna end it there. Let me know if you see anyhting you'd like and we'll work something out. I have a ton of base cards and common inserts for every team as well so even if you'd like to do a base cards for base cards trade, I'd me more than happy to. Thanks again guys and I'm looking forward to hearing form you!

(...Joe)

1965 Topps Mets Team Set

I wanted to do a trade bait post today, but after a 12 hour shift I am way to fucking tired for that. However, I have one of those "days off" I keep hearing so much about tomorrow so I'll do that tomorrow. If you collect a team, any team I can guarantee that there will be something for you, so check back tomorrow and tell all your friends!

So instead, I'm gonna post something from my personal collection in vein of the Mets team sets. Hopefully, even if you're not a Mets fan, I can make this interesting and drop a few interesting and witty observations along the way.


1965 Topps








"The cards... in this set measure 2 1/2" by 3 1/2"."

THANKS BECKETT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyways, some of the big rookie cards in this set include:
Steve Carlton
Jim "Catfish" Hunter
Joe Morgan (anyone else think is horrid announcing has affected the value of his cards?)
Mansori Murakami

Thankfully none of these cards feature a Mets logo! The most notable rooks for the Mets were:
Cleon Jones
and Tug McGraw/Ron Swoboda


This card was kind of a bitch to obtain. I bid on a few different copies off ebay and lost in a number of ways. First I didn't bid enough to beat out the other guys max, then I got outbid with a day or two left, THEN someone decided to be funny and snipe me out with *literally* 2 seconds left...


...


...motherfucker.

So I finally found a copy with a BIN and dropped some bones on that.

Anyway, I digress.

Some of the cooler cards in this set were, of course- Casey Stengal:

With his patented look of confusion

Yogi Berra:

Yogi Berra came out of retirement in '65 to catch 4 games for the Mets.

And Warren Spahn?

Yeah, evidently so. In '65 he pitched in 20 games for the Mets and then in 16 for the Giants before retiring after the season.


I was born in '87, so this shit was WAY before my time. But part of baseball has and always will be honoring, learning and remembering the history of it all. And that extends into our hobby with vintage cards and the '65 set is amongst the most popular sets. So while I don't recall seeing any of these guys in action, it's still pretty friggin' cool to own a Yogi Berra card! Overall, it was a fun set to put together and I was able to do it relatively cheap and quickly. Of course if you're gonna be putting together a set for the Yankees, Pirates or Cardinals then well... good luck.

(...Joe)

And one last thing. Did anyone notice anything disgusting on the back of the team card? Check it out, I'll wait...


...


...


...

Nah? I'll throw ya a hint. Look at the all pitchers records. Not a single pitcher had a winning record for the 1964 Mets. No 1-0, 2-1, 3-2 nothing. Only 2- check it 2 had a .500 record:
Larry Bearnarth 5-5 with 44 appearances and a 4.15 ERA
Wiillard Hunter 3-3. Mr. Willard lasted 3 years in the Majors and had an career win/loss of 4-9.

I wonder if this is when Tug thought up of the "Ya Gotta Believe!" down the stretch in '64 and then waited till '73 to say it when, you know, the timing...

(...Joe)

Why the World Will Not End in 2012

2013: Barry Bonds
Roger Clemens
Craig Biggio
Curt Schilling
Sammy Sosa
Mike Piazza,
Kenny Lofton
David Wells
Julio Franco
Shawn Green
Steve Finley
Roberto Hernandez
Jeff Cirillo
Jose Valentin
Reggie Sanders
Jeff Conine
Jose Mesa
Royce Clayton
Bob Wickman
Ryan Klesko
Aaron Sele
Woody Williams
Rondell White
Mike Lieberthal
Tony Batista
Mike Stanton
Sandy Alomar Jr.
Damian Miller
Todd Walker

*if you've made it this far, thank you. I owe you a beer*

That is the list of players eligible, for the 1st time, for the Hall of Fame. If you said "fuck it" and skipped down here without reading all the names, go back, read them and I'll get that beer for ya in the process.

That is one HELL OF A CLASS!

Guys like Mike Stanton, Jose Mesa and Damian Miller don't stand a chance.

Julio Franco, Alomar Jr., Shawn Green, Kenny Lofton and guys like that, will and should get a few votes but most likely won't make a big push.

And now the big guns. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa should make things very interesting! Really, now that Mac came out about his use of steroids, we'll get a good idea about what will happen with these three.

Schilling, I believe should be a no doubt nod. BUT it's the writers who vote and apparently he wasn't too snuggly when it came to reporters. So he'll probably twist int he wind for a while.

Biggio- IN

And this is why the world will not end in 2012. Mike Piazza becomes eligible for the first time in 2013 and I will be damned if I miss that induction ceremony!!!

What makes it a little more interesting is that each writer is allowed 9 votes. Looking through this class alone, (assuming someone dosen't care about steroid allegations/admissions) there are 8 guys on here I feel are worthy for a vote. I personally say, if they used, fuck 'em. And as for "the Rocket", I found it very satisfying watching him blow up like the "Challenger"...





...

what, too soon?

So take that group, plus whoever may be leftover from previous years and there are some decisions to be made.


Take that conspiracy theorists...

(...Joe)

Prelude to an Epic

"Hi, my name is Joe and I'm a Mets fan."

"Hi, Joe" The crowd called out in an unenthusiastic, monotone drawl.

"I became a fan in the mid-90's after seeing my first Todd Hundley home run laced with a few Rey Ordonez plays in the field. I became hooked. They promised so much, looked so fun! Little did I know the reality it all hid.

"Mid-9o's!?" someone called out. Couldn't see who.
"You look so young, how old were you?"

"I was only in elementary school."

he crowd collectively grumbled. Shocked at what they had just heard. Someone so young, full with promise and potential, wasted, destined to be a life long die hard Mets fan. Pirates fans shook thier heads. Astros fans needed to be excused. Only those who were also Mets fans, were able to console, comfort and understand my problem. My, addiction...

Yup, that's kindda what being a Mets fan is like lately. You get picked on, scoffed at and are the basis of many jokes. But that's what being a fan of the Amazin's is about. It's an obsession with the underdog, an understanding that it's not how often you win, but when.

With that, I feel I've introduced myself. My name's Joe, I'm a Mets fan and I can be a bit out there. I'm gonna give the whole "blog" thingy a shot and see what happens. My main goal of this is to find other people to trade with because, let's face it, every time I pull a Cole Hamels card I die a little on the inside. So if I can find someone who feels the same way towards a David Wright card, then that's a sweet deal. I have a surplus of cards, as I started collecting as a little kid, so PLEASE let me know if you're interested in trading.

About:

I am a Mets collector. My main goal is collecting team sets and have embarked on the task of collecting EVERY TEAM SET EVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE ENTIRE WORLD.

true story

Player collection consists of Mike Piazza. Base cards, inserts, GU, the extremly hard to come by autos, oddball and all. I do have a "secondary" collection of David Wright, but I'm not really focused on that right now. It's basically just what I may pull from packs or recieve in trades and the like. I also want to begin collecting Rey Ordonez and Todd Hundley somewhere along the way, but am focusing on the Piazza collection 100% for now.

I don't plan on posting every day, but hopefully a couple times a week (2-3).

I will be saying... typing?.. so called "bad words" here. Letter combinations including (but not limited to) shit, piss, fuck (all forms) etc. may/will be seen... read?.. on these posts. If this offends and/or scares you, then I'm sorry, read something else.

Right now I am overhauling a good 95% of my collection, so until I have it all organized I will not be buying boxes. When I do though, I will post them (if they're interesting enough). I will mostly likely be buying mostly stuff from the mid-90's through the early/mid-2000's but I am not an "old school" breaker. Right now, I'm on a serious budget, so that's what's affordable.

I do not have a scanner nor a camera. Yes, I am that cool. SO all pictures will be stock photos from beckett and whatnot.

Lastly, I apologize if me thoughts seem scattered sometimes, or it take me awhile to make this look pretty and organized. I am absolutely horrid with computers so something as simple for the common person (like making a link) I have no clue how to do.

(...Joe)