Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Rays vs Tigers

This will be the first real test for both teams here. The Rays had to contend with a few of the O's parallels, but nothing too crazy. Let's see how it matches up.

Tigers Roster:

Hitting-Curtis Granderson "Unique Unis" (1:6)
Miguel Cabrera "Red"
Carlos Guillen "Red"
Curtis Granderson
Carlos Guillen
Magglio Ordonez
Miguel Cabrera
Pitching-Justin Verlander "Unique Unis" (1:6)
Justin Verlander
Ryan Perry RC
Total cards (not including doubles)- 10

Rays Roster:
Hitting- Evan Longoria "Red"
B.J. Upton "Red"
Akinori Iwamura
B.J. Upton
Carl Crawford
Carlos Pena
Evan Longoria
Pitching- David Price "Red"
James Shields
Total cards (not including doubles 9)

10-9 and both teams have their share of inserts/parallels. Should be a good one.

Akinori Iwamura vs Miguel Cabrera "Red"
After looking at some of the stats and everyhting, Iwamura kindda reminds me of when Matsui came over to the Mets. Only nothing could be that bad...
Rays-8 Tigers-10

B.J. Upton vs Magglio Ordonez
Upton hasn't lived up to the potential yet. In a few years, the outcome of this could be different but for now it's all Mags.
Rays-7 Tigers-10

B.J. Upton "Red" vs Miguel Cabrera
...I stand by what I said before.
Rays-7 Tigers-9

Carl Crawford vs Carlos Guillen "Red"
Oooo lucky parallel for the Tigers.
Rays-6 Tigers-9

Evan Longoria vs Curtis Granderson
"That's not my cap. That's my cap!"
Rays-6 Tigers-8

Evan Longoria "Red" vs Carlos Guillen
"I'm raking right now by the way."
Rays-6 Tigers-7

Carlos Pena vs Curtis Granderson "Unique Unis"
$100 it's in Granderson's contract with the Yankees that he's not allowed to do any off season wrestling.
Rays-5 Tigers-7

James Shields vs Justin Verlander
Every single time I saw that commercial with Verlander and that look on his face when he drew the mustache on Longorias cardboard face, I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably. Every time.
Rays-4(1) Tigers-7(3)

David Price "Red" vs Justin Verlander "Unique Unis"
Same as the last time, the odds win goes to the insert.
Rays-3(0) Tigers-7(3)

Pitching Advantage-Tigers

Tigers-7
Rays- 2

The scores not what I thought it would be but the Rays put up a fight. The Tigers proved they're gonna be tougher to beat than I gave them credit for at the beginning. Next up will be the red Sox and Rangers!

(...Joe)

Monday, November 29, 2010

Chrome Results!

Weeeeeeeee

Got the box opened and the pictures taken. It was a fun box to break, but as with everyone's complaints, it's just too short. Only 4 cards per just goes by too quickly. Anyways, we've all seen and read no less than 1,000 reviews from this years chrome, so I'm just gonna show the Autos, refracs and inserts and move on along. Let's see what we got...

Actually, before I forget, we got shafted a box topper. This is the first box of chrome I've opened from this year, but isn't every box supposed to have one or is it a 1:? thing. Anyways, now to what we got...

First the autos
Photobucket
Hisanori Takahashi (Mets)and Jon Link (Dodgers)
Sweet! I gotst a Mets auto! And Jon Link, whoever that may be.
Photobucket
Rick Porcello and Victor Martinez (Red Sox)
Photobucket
Adam Jones (Orioles) and Zach Duke
Photobucket
Jair Jurrjens (Braves) and Todd Helton (Rockies)
Photobucket
Juston Upton and Philip Hughes "National Chicle" (Yankees)
Photobucket
Roy Halladay "T-206 Refractor" (Phillies) and Adam Lind

So those are all the refracs and other fun things we got. The ones we got that weren't claimed through teams will be up for trade soon, as well as any of the base from the unclaimed as well. I'm not building the set (only the Mets team set) so anything I picked up from this will be available for your set needs soon!

So that's that for that. Sorry to make this so short, but I need to go read a book or something before my eyes eat out the back of my brain.

(...Joe)

Chrome Box in Hand!

Finally, I went out and got the box of Chrome! I'm gonna bust it wide open and then post the highlights later tonight!!!

(...Joe)

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Dodgers vs Giants

How the West will be won!

We're doing the whole "Bye" thing again, this time it's gonna go to the Reds. After this match-up that'll give us our winners for the East, Central and West. Was that an intentional thing I was trying to do? No. Does it make it look like I've got a plan. Yes.

So anyway, we're pitting the Superbas, uhh I mean the Robins, ummm... the Trollie Dodgers up against the Gothams, shit, I mean the Giants. Ahh, the good 'ol days.

Bridegrooms Roster:
Hitting- Orlando Hudson "Unparalleled Performances" (1:6)
Andre Ethier "Red"
Matt Kemp "Red"
Andre Ethier
Russell Martin
Jim Thome
Manny Ramirez
Matt Kemp
Pitching- Chad Billingsley
Clayton Kershaw
Total cards (not including doubles)- 10

Giants Roster:
Hitting- Jesus Guzman RC "Red"
Aaron Rowand
Freddy Sanchez
Pitching- Tim Lincecum "Alone at the Top" (1:12)
Tim Lincecum "Copper" #/99
Tim Lincecum "Red"
Tim Lincecum
Matt Cain
Randy Johnson
Total cards (not including doubles)- 9

This could be an interesting one. The Dodgers are the complete opposite of the Giants, with a powerhouse and numerous lineup with only 2 pitchers compared to the Giants "unbeatable" staff and weak hitting. How will it play? Only time will tell. Only, time... will tell.

Aaron Rowand vs Orlando Hudson "UP"
I haven't kept up with the O-Dog story this year so far. Is he signed yet? I could just Google it, but then what else would I write here?
Dodgers-10 Giants-8

Jesus Guzman "Red" vs Andre Ethier
This was the Giants only real hope hitting wise, to get their parallel up against a base.
Dodgers-9 Giants-8

Freddy Sanchez vs Jim Thome
I can't belive how under the radar Thome has continued to fly. It seems every other week he's passing another immortal on the all time HR list and all he gets is 5 seconds of mention before ESPN switches off to pretend like they're surprised when another football player is being accused of rape or murder or sending pictures of his pecker. Sigh...
Dodgers-9 Giants-7

Jesus Guzman "Red" vs Matt Kemp
Only card left for the Giants, but the Dodgers have a couple parallels of their own. If they don't show up for awhile though, then the Giants can still do some damage.
Dodgers-8 Giants-7

Jesus Guzman "Red" vs Matt Kemp "Red"
"...but the Dodgers have a couple parallels of their own."
Dodgers-8 Giants-6

Tim Lincecum vs Clayton Kershaw
Is it just me or does it seem like Kershaw's been around for longer than just 3 years? I guess that's just what happens since Bowman prints cards of players who are still in f 'ckin high school. Anyways, the Timster wins. (Was that weird? Did I just make that weird?)
Dodgers-7(1) Giants-6(6)

Tim Lincecum "Copper" vs Chad Billingsley
This card is basically unbeatable. And it just beat the Dodgers...
Dodgers-6(0) Giants-6(6)

Pitching Advantage- Giants

Final score- Ginats-6
Dodgers-5

Unfortunately, I think we just gave Night Owl another reason to hate the Giants.

(...Joe)

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Quick Update

Ever have a revelation that jolts you awake at 3am? Happened to me.

Yesterday I said I was gonna start sending some of the cards from the break out today until I realized we haven't done anything with the Chrome yet! UPS still hasn't delivered the box yet, so I think sometime early next week I'll head on over to my nearest card shop and pick up a box from there. I need to head on over there for some supplies anyways, but once I get the box, I'll post all the good stuff right hurr right hurr.

(...Joe)

Friday, November 26, 2010

Braves vs Phillies Round 2!

Things are gonna start gettin' dirty. It's round 2!

I'm also going to try and get some of our round 1 causalities out tomorrow, but I'm not sure who/when. All I know is that Madding is gonna have to wait JUST a bit longer. I've yet to find a case thick enough for that brick of a card we puled. It's 3/8 of an inch thick. Works great as an anchor in the fish tank...

Braves Roster:

Hitters- Chipper Jones "Unique Unis" (1:6)
Adam LaRoche "Unparalleled Performances" (1:6)
Brian McCann
Yunel Escobar
Nare McLouth
Garret Anderson
Adam LaRoche
Chipper Jones
Jordan Schafer RC
Pitchers-
Tommy Hanson "Red" #/1199
Javier Vazquez "Red" #/1199
Javier Vazquez
Jair Jurrjens
Kris Medlen
Total cards (not including doubles)- 14

Phillies Roster:
Hitting- Chase Utley "Red"
Ryan Howard "Red"
Raul Ibanez
Jimmy Rollins
Ryan Howard
Jayson Werth
Chase Utley
Pitching- Cole Hamles
total cards (not including doubles)- 8

Same rosters as before, just new teams. Copy and paste and away we go!

Jordan Schafer vs Ryan Howard
There's not alot of base that could beat Howard. Pujols can, but the Cards are out already.
Braves-13 Phillies-8

Chipper Jones vs Raul Ibanez
Until Ibanez proves that he's HOF worthy, Chipper will win. If that happens though, give me a call.
Braves-13 Phillies-7

Yunel Escobar vs Chase Utley
I hate the Phillies...
Braves-12 Phillies-7

Adam LaRoche "Unparalleled Performance" vs Jimmy Rollins
I hate the Braves too...
Braves-12 Phillies-6

Adam LaRoche vs Ryan Howard "Red"
Fun fact, Adam LaRoche should be spelled "LaRoach". In my mind at least.
Braves-11 Phillies-6

Nate Mclouth vs Jayson Werth
McLouth has all but fell off the face of the earth. Dare I say the Pirates *gulp* knew what they were doing???
Braves-10 Phillies-6

Chipper Jones "Unique Unis" vs Chase Utley "Red"
Ahh, our first parallel vs insert deal. Here's the skinny, the insert falls at 1:6 or 4 per box, while the parallel is a one per pack pull. The "Unique Uni" wins off the odds.
Braves-10 Phillies-5

Garret Anderson vs Ryan Howard
I want Garret to win just once. It just... it'll make me happy.
Braves-9 Phillies-5

Brian McCann vs Chase Utley
Wow. Super close, look at the stats, they average nearly identical numbers over the course of a season. Same number of All-Star selections, same number of Silver Sluggers won. Utley's birthday is only 2 days before mine, which I don't like at all though. Anyways, I'm gonna tie this one, but the Braves have run through their stack and the Phillies batted around starting with Howard, so I'll do one more match-up to settle this...

Chipper Jones vs Ryan Howard "Red"
Ouch.
Braves-7 Phillies-5

The Phillies took it to the Braves during the hitting round. "Unfortunately" they only have Shit-for Brains Hamels for pitching. Oh I'm sorry, I meant Cole. dickhead

Javier Vazquez vs Cole Hamels
Damnit, I can't make Hamles lose here, can I?
Braves-6(4) Phillies-5(1)

Kris Medlin vs Cole Hamles
FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUU
Braves-5(4) Phillies-5(1)

Javier Vazquez "Red" vs Cole Hamels
Done.
Braves-5(4) Phillies-4(0)

Pitching Advantage- Braves

Final Score- Braves- 5
Phillies- 3

Wow, that was a good one. The Phillies fought back from 6 cards down to tie it until the final match-up. All in all a fun one, but the evil Phillies lost. Because they're evil...

(...Joe)

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Indians vs Tiggers

Nope, not a mis-spelling. The Tiggers. Like, from Winnie the Pooh.

Now before we get started, let me just say that the Indians got shafted in this break. I'm not kidding. 2 cards. In 2 boxes. That's $6 a card. Not cool. I'll throw some extra stuff in there to help even things up, but it's not gonna help them in this contest any...

Indians Roster:
Hitting- Grady Sizemore
Pitching- Justin Masterson
Total cards (not including doubles)-2

Tigers Roster:
Hitting-Curtis Granderson "Unique Unis" (1:6)
Miguel Cabrera "Red"
Carlos Guillen "Red"
Curtis Granderson
Carlos Guillen
Magglio Ordonez
Miguel Cabrera
Pitching-Justin Verlander "Unique Unis" (1:6)
Justin Verlander
Ryan Perry RC
Total cards (not including doubles)- 10

Don't get comfy guys, it's gonna be a short one...

Grady Sizemore vs Magglio Ordonez
Sizemore is an excellent player who on a better team would have about 20 or more addtional RBIs per year. So through power numbers, the 2 compare, but Mags average 30 points higher in career AVG, so my choice is going to him.
Indians-1 Tigers- 10

Justin Masterson vs Justin Verlander
And the winner is... JUSTIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (saw that coming from a mile away)
Indians-0 Tigers-10

Pitching advantage- Tigers

Final score- Motor City Kitties- 10
Indians- 0

As we did with the National League, we had an odd number of teams with the Junior Circuit. So I granted the bye to the Rangers so we can get moving on to round 2! Wahoo!!!

(...Joe)

Monday, November 22, 2010

Orioles vs Rays

K, Orioles vs Rays. I may have to look up some of the O's players for this one...

Orioles Roster:
Hitting- Melvin Mora "Red"
Melvin Mora
Nick Markakis
Adam Jones
Pitching- Chris Tillman "Red"
Koji Uehara
David Hernandez
Total cards (not including doubles 7)

Rays Roster:
Hitting- Evan Longoria "Red"
B.J. Upton "Red"
Akinori Iwamura
B.J. Upton
Carl Crawford
Carlos Pena
Evan Longoria
Pitching- David Price "Red"
James Shields
Total cards (not including doubles 9)

I'll give everyone here $50 if the Orioles win this. And it's not because I'm playing favorites this time (surprise!!!!)

Melvin Mora vs Carl Crawford
Another $50 says you don't remember Mora was a Met.
Orioles-6 Rays-9

Nick Markakis vs Akinori Iwamura
Markakis has 422 RBIs in the past 5 seasons. I didn't even know the Orioles scored 422 runs these past 5 seasons.
Orioles-6 Rays-8

Melvin Mora "Red" vs Carlos Pena
PARALLEL WIN!!!!!!!!!
Orioles-6 Rays-7

Adam Jones vs B.J. Upton "Red"
PARALLEL WIN!!!!!!!!!!!
Orioles-5 Rays-7

Nick Markakis vs Evan Longoria "Red"
Is Longoria the best 3B in the game today? Your talking to a Mets fan, so no. No he's not.
Orioles-4 Rays-7

Melvin Mora "Red" vs Carlos Pena
Mora is the last card left for the O's and the Rays don't have any parallels left, so this could tighten things up a bit...
Orioles-4 Rays-6

Melivn Mora "Red" vs B.J. Upton
Last of the Hitters. The parallel wins it again.
Orioles- 4 Rays-5

Well, the Rays only have 2 pitchers, but I think it gonna take a parallel to beat them, which the O's have. If they can time it right, the Orioles could pull this off.

David Hernandez vs James Shields
Who? vs James Shields. (yes, I've used that joke already but don't worry. It's OK)
Orioles-3 (1) Rays-5 (2)

Koji Uehara vs David Price "Red"
Nawt even fair.
Orioles-2 (1) Rays-5 (2)

Chris Tillman "Red" vs James Shields
Never heard of Tillman, but the parallel wins it.
Orioles-2(1) Rays-4(1)

Pitching advantage: None

Final Score:Rays- 4
Orioles- 2

Actually, alot closer than I thought it would be. Also, I was kidding about the $50 Mora payout. Jussstttttt so we're clear.

(...Joe)

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Red Sox vs Yankees

I wanted to try and actually start and finish the first round of the American League today, but this may be the days only post. I gotst sick last night, which means I put myself on my regimen of ice cream and beer. You wouldn't believe how tired that makes you...

Red Sox Roster:
Hitting- Jason Bay "Copper" #/99
David Ortiz "Red"
Josh Reddick "Red" RC
Mike Lowell "Red''
Aaron Bates
Jason Bay
Jacoby Ellsbury
David Ortiz
Victor Martinez
Mike Lowell
Dustin Pedroia
Josh Reddick RC
Pitching- Daisuke Matsuzaka "Red"
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Josh Beckett
Jon Lester
Total cards (not including doubles)- 16



Yankees Roster:
Hitting-Johnny Damon/Alex Rodriguez/Robinson Cano "Triple Threat" auto #/10
Alex Rodriguez "Unparalleled Performances 'Gold'" #/25
Alex Rodriguez "Red"
Robinson Cano
Alex Rodriguez
Derek Jeter
Jorge Posada
Mark Teixeira
Pitching- A.J. Burnett
Joba Chamberlain
C.C. Sabathia
Total cards (not including doubles)- 11

The Red Sox are favorites for the American League I believe. They've got 16 total cards with 5 parellels which will be tough to beat. Also, I'm staying true to my word about the Rodriguez cards but in exchange, the Yankees will be immune to the pitchers advantage. Will it be enough?

Josh Reddick vs Jorge Posada
Well, there goes the sweep for the Red Sox.
Red Sox- 15 Yankees-11

Aaron Bates vs Alex Rodriguez "UP" #/25
Once again, holding true to my word!
Red Sox-15 Yankees-10

Jason Bay vs Alex Rodriguez
Am I feeling guilty yet? Nope.
Red Sox-15 Yankees-9

Jacoby Ellsbury vs "Triple Threat" Auto
OK, nowww I'm starting to feel guilty.
Red Sox- 15 Yankees-8

Josh Reddick "Red" vs Robinson Cano
The Red Sox's first honest win. Granted, it comes off a parallel vs base scenario, but still...
Red Sox-15 Yankees-7

David Ortiz "Red" vs A-Roid "Red"
Fun drinking game, last year while watching baseball games on ESPN, every time the Morgan or Milner said "Alex Rodriguez" I took a drink. Couldn't make it past the 3rd inning.
Red Sox-15 Yankees-6

Dustin Pedroia vs Derek Jeter
Call him overrated or whatever you will. Jeter will go down as a great, however if we were to have this conversation in another 10 years, it may be closer.
Red Sox-14 Yankees-6

David Ortiz vs Mark Teixeira
While the hitting is comparable, Teixeira is a gold glove first baseman. Ortiz is a DH.
Red Sox-13 Yankees-6

Jason Bay "Copper" #/99 vs Jorge Posada
IN THE FACE!!!!!!
Sorry, not really sure where that came from. But yeah, Bay is the only "Copper" in the American league, so that card is all but unbeatable.
Red Sox-13 Yankees-5

Mike Lowell "Red" vs Derek Jeter
Another match-up won on the power of a parallel,
Red Sox-13 Yankees-4

Mike Lowell vs Mark Teixeira
This is the last hitter left for the Yankees, let's see how long he holds up.
Red Sox-12 Yankees-4

Victor Martinez vs Mark Teixeira
Oh, this is the last hitting match-up. Sooo that's about how long Teix will hold up...
Red Sox-11 Yankees-4

Jon Lester vs C.C. Sabathia
Does anyone know what C.C stands for?
Red Sox-10 Yankees-4

Dice-K vs Joba Chamberlain
Oh God. This is terrible. Two immense busts, I think I'm just gonna tie this one.
Red Sox-10 Yankees-4

Josh Beckett vs A.J Burnett
Hey Yankee fans, think you know how it feels to have Oliver Perez on your team? The answer is no, no you don't...
Red Sox-10 Yankees-2

Dice-K "Red" vs C.C. Sabathia
And the parallel caps it off. It's all over.
Red Sox-10 Yankees-1

Final Score- Red Sox-10
Yankees-1

Kinnda one sided. Can't imagine why. But hey, if BA Benny doesn't want the "Triple Threat" then maybe we can work out some kind of deal...

(...Joe)

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Rockies vs Giants!

So we encountered a small glitch. Nothing crazy, just something I should have thought of before, but didn't. We have an odd number of teams. Sooo in my brief moment of panic (kidding?) I decided to grant a "bye" to Night Owl and the Dodgers. Leaving us with 2 teams left in the National league. Those teams are the Giants and Rockies, both just happened to be claimed by everyone's favorite Rockies fan Shelliebee. When this first started, my prediction was that the Giants were gonna be tough to beat with their seemingly invincible pitching. I've been wrong before though. Like, alot...

Rockies vs Giants

Rockies Roster:
Hitting- Jason Giambi "Copper" #/99
Garrett Atkins "Red"
Dexter Fowler RC
Jason Giambi
Todd Helton
Garrett Atkins
Brad Hawpe
Pitching-Ubaldo Jimenez
Aaron Cook
Jhoulys Chacin RC
Total cards (not including doubles)- 10

Giants Roster:
Hitting- Jesus Guzman RC "Red"
Aaron Rowand
Freddy Sanchez
Pitching- Tim Lincecum "Alone at the Top" (1:12)
Tim Lincecum "Copper" #/99
Tim Lincecum "Red"
Tim Lincecum
Matt Cain
Randy Johnson
Total cards (not including doubles)- 9

The Rockies have alot more hitting, but the Giants have Tim Lincecum 4x over. With only a 1 card total difference, this could be the closest one we have yet!

Brad Hawpe vs Aaron Rowand
Hawpe's pretty underrated. Rowand is a solid player, but when you compare the numbers (which are very close by the way) over the course of a season, Hawpe gets the edge.
Rockies-10 Giants-8

Todd Helton vs Freddie Sanchez
Do I have to explain?
Rockies- 10 Giants- 7

Garrett Atkins vs Jesus Guzman "Red"
Not saying Atkins is a HOF player, but the only reason Guzman wins this is the parallel factor.
Rockies-9 Giants-7

Jason Giambi "Copper" vs Jesus Guzman "Red"
And Guzman meets his match. The Giambi was the best parallel between the teams, so it was a guaranteed win no matter what.
Rockies-9 Giants-6

So that's it for the hitting portion. The Giants only had 3 representing to begin with, and none posed a real threat except for the Guzman "Red" which was only a matter of time before it met its match against another parallel. The Rockies are up by 3, but with the Giants pitching, that could be evened out real quick...

Jhoulys Chacin RC vs Tim Lincecum "Alone at the Top"
Who? vs Tim fucking Lincecum would have been another appropriate title.
Rockies-8 (2) Giants-6 (6)

Ubaldo Jimenez vs Matt Cain
This was really the only chance the Rockies had at winning anything pitching related.
Rockies-8 (2) Giants-5 (5)

Aaron Cook vs Randy Johnson
Cook's good, but Randy Johnson is well, RANDY JOHNSON!
Rockies-7 (1) Giants- 5 (5)

Ubaldo Jimenez vs Tim Lincecum "Copper"
Ubaldo is all that's left for the Rockies and he had the misfortune of going up against 1- Tim Licecum and 2- a Tim Lincecum #/99. Ouch.
Rockies-6 (0) Giants-5 (5)

Pitching Advantage- Giants

Final Score- Rockies-5
Giants-5

All right, our first overall tie! Sweet. Now just give me a second to figure out how to resolve this...


...


...

Got it! Most overall wins. K, let's see.....

Shit. Both have the same number of wins too. How about this, I'll "shuffle" the cards again, take the first 3 hitters and first 2 pitchers off the pile and do a sudden death type deal. No pitching advantage, no returning to the top. Let's see if this helps.

Todd Helton vs Aaron Rowand
The Giants only have 3 hitters, so it's gonna be the same cast of characters for them. In the first round, it ends the same, Helton wins
Rockies- 5 Giants- 4

Brad Hwape vs Jesus Guzman "Red"
Guzman gets lucky again
Rockies- 4 Giants- 4

Jason Giambi vs Freddy Sanchez
Sanchez is a good player. Giambi is a gooder player, like him or not.
Rockies-4 Giants-3

Ubaldo Jimenez vs Randy Johnson
Don't get me wrong, Jimenez is proving to be a dominate pitcher that can become an absolute great. But Johnson already IS an absolute great.
Rockies-3 Giants-3

Jhoulys Chacin vs Tim Lincecum "Red"
I swear to you I'm spelling this guys name right! Anyways, yeah Timmy's got this locked up.
Rockies-2 Giants-3

Ginats win!

Damn, that was brutal.

(...Joe)

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Reds vs Cardinals

Lets hope this one's a little more interesting than the last was.

Reds vs Cardinals

Reds Roster:
Hitting- Brandon Phillips "Red"
Scott Rolen "Red"
Scott Rolen
Jay Bruce
Joey Votto
Brandon Phillips
Pitching- Johnny Cueto "Unparalleled Performances" (1:6)
Johnny Cueto
Edison Volquez
Total cards (not including doubles)-9

Cardinals Roster:
Hitting- Matt Holiday
Ryan Ludwick
Albert Pujols
Tyler Greene RC
Rick Ankiel
Pitching- Chris Carpenter
Total cards (not including doubles)-7

Well, the Reds have more cards first off. More pitching too, with the Cards only having Chris Carpenter. BUT the Cardinals have the Pujols 1/1 on their side! Will it be enough?

Jay Bruce vs Matt Holliday
Maybe in a few years this would be a tougher decision, even a tie, but as it stands now, Holliday's gonna win
Reds-8 Cardinals-7

Joey Votto vs Rick Ankiel
Votto's still on his way up while it looks like Ankiel might be back on his way down. Votto gives the Reds their first win in the round.
Reds- 8 Cardinals- 6

Scott Rolen vs Albert Pujols
Unless you're on a severe budget, you're gonna take Pujols anytime over anyone.
Reds-7 Cardinals- 6


Scott Rolen "Red" vs Ryan Ludwick
The Reds fire back with another Rolen, only the Red parallel this time. Reds are back up by 2.
Reds-7 Cardinals- 5

Brandon Phillips vs Tyler Greene RC
This was one that the Cards really needed to win. With this, all that's is the Pujols 1/1 so this could have made it 2 in a row tying it up. But it didn't, the Reds pull a little farther ahead.
Reds-7 Cardinals-4

Brandon Phillips "Red" vs Albert Pujols "Unique Bat Barrels" #1/1
hahahahahahahaahahahahahahah
Reds-6 Cardinals-4

The Cards put up a great fight, but the Reds have pretty much clinched at this point. They're up by 2 and they have a pitching insert... the Cards don't. Let's see how it plays out.

Edison Volquez vs Chris Carpenter
Easssssyyy, Carpenter wins.
Reds-5 (0) Cardinals- 4 (1)

Johnny Cueto vs Chris Carpenter
Carpenters got 2 in a row!
Reds- 4 (0) Cardinals- 4 (1)

Johnny Cueto "Unparalleled Performances" vs Chris Carpenter
Well, the cardinals were able to make it interesting and fend off the insert until the end, but the inevitable happened.
Reds- 4 (1) Cardinals- 3 (0)

Pitching Advantage- Reds

Final Score- Reds- 4
Cardinals- 2

It's official. Madding didn't get the Pujols for free. Sorry dude. I mean if you don't want the Pujols anymore thennnnnn.......

(...Joe)

Phillies vs Nationals Round 1b

Kk Round 2, or 1b.

Whichever.

We've got the Nationals pitted up against the Phillies. LETS GO NATS!!!!!!!

Phillies Roster:
Hitting- Chase Utley "Red"
Ryan Howard "Red"
Raul Ibanez
Jimmy Rollins
Ryan Howard
Jayson Werth
Chase Utley
Pitching- Cole Hamles
total cards (not including doubles)- 8

Nationals Roster:
Hitting- Adam Dunn
Ryan Zimmerman
Pitching- N/A
total cards (not including doubles)- 2

Wow. It's 8-2 in favor of the Phillies right off the bat. Do the Nationals even stand a chance? I'm a Mets fan, sooo yes... yes they do.

Raul Ibanez vs Adam Dunn
Hmm, Ibanez is better overall but if you're down by 1 in the bottom of the 9th with a runner on... which would you want? This is gonna be our first tie!
Phillies-8 Nats-2

Ryan Howard "Red" vs Ryan Zimmerman
Damn. I can't really play favorites on this one can I? Phillies win with the parallel eliminating both cards on the tie breaker.
Phillies-8 Nats-0

So that's it. The Nats are done, but I'm not...

Cole Hamels vs No One
No One wins!!! Hamels never stood a chance. He threw 3 pitches and then got hungry for a sandwich so he left the game and whined about how he "wants to go home". You suck Hamels.

Pitching Advantage- None

Phillies-7
Nationals-0

That was extremely anti-climatic, so I think I'll do another one tonight and see if we can get something with a little more somethin' somethin'.

(...Joe)

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Team Wars (contest) Round 1!

Now that all the hits are posted, we can start the contest to see who wins and gets their payment sent back! For sanity's sake I'm only doing the teams that were claimed, so who knows if the Pirates could have pulled off an upset and beaten the field. I guess we'll never know.

If you're unsure of the rules or just need a refreshing, check 'em out here. I do want to add a thing or two to them.
1st- Technically, rookies are short printed, but will not count any different than the veteran base cards.
2nd- All cards are "randomized" so any card could come up any time for either team.
3rd- If a team has more cards than the other, the team with less cards will return to the beginning of their stack until the team with more cards finished theirs OR the lesser team has lost all of theirs.

Kk let's get going. First up is the Braves vs. the Marlins!

Braves Roster:
Hitters- Chipper Jones "Unique Unis" (1:6)
Adam LaRoche "Unparalleled Performances" (1:6)
Brian McCann
Yunel Escobar
Nare McLouth
Garret Anderson
Adam LaRoche
Chipper Jones
Jordan Schafer RC
Pitchers-
Tommy Hanson "Red" #/1199
Javier Vazquez "Red" #/1199
Javier Vazquez
Jair Jurrjens
Kris Medlen
Total cards (not including doubles)- 13


Marlins Roster:
Hitters- Jeremy Hermida "Unparalleled Performances" (1:6)
Hanley Ramirez "Alone at the Top" (1:12)
Hanley Ramirez
Jorge Cantu
Dan Uggla
Pitchers-
Sean West RC
Josh Johnson
Total cards (not including doubles)- 7

Well, the Braves have a few things in their favor here. More inserts/parallels, more cards and more pitching. The amount of cards can play a huge role as it's not the number of wins, but the number of cards in the end so the Marlins have a deficit of 5 to make up. And remember the "Pitchers Advantage" where the team with the greater number of pitchers left, eliminates one card from the other teams final total! Let's see how the head to head goes.

FIGHT!

Jordan Schafer vs Dan Uggla
Easy, Uggla wins.
Braves-12 Marlins-7


Adam LaRoche "Unparalleled Performance" vs Hanley Ramirez "Alone at the Top"
Wow, nicely timed insert for the Marlins. The LaRoche falls 1:6 while the Ramirez is 1:12 giving the Marlins the odds wins, while even if on the same odds level, the Ramirez would have still pulled it off.
Braves-11 Marlins- 7

Chipper Jones vs Jeremy Herida "Unparalleled Performances"
Another well timed insert for the Marlins. The insert takes out Chipper
Braves-10 Marlins- 7

Adam LaRoche vs Jorge Cantu
Gotta go with Cantu. Is it because I saw him play for the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Single A affiliate of the Rays, a team that happens to be local to me? Partly...
Braves-9 Marlins-7

Garret Anderson vs Hanley Ramirez
Honestly, I had to think about this for a second. Now I know the look you're giving me, but Anderson is extremely underrated- 2,500+ career hits, 500+ 2B, 1,300+ RBIs. But right now, if I needed to pick a guy for my team, you have to take Hanley.
Braves-8 Marlins-7

Brian McCann vs Dan Uggla
Back to the top for the Marlins. Very close to being a tie here, but I went with McCann for the first Braves win. I can't believe the Marlins are this far ahead, but remember they have to make up for 5 cards right off the bat.
Braves-8 Marlins-6

Nate McLouth vs Hanley Ramirez "Alone at the Top"
Hanley wins again.
Braves-7 Marlins-6

Chipper Jones "Unique Unis" vs Jorge Cantu
Insert wins. Chippers revenge!
Braves-7 Marlins-5

Now to the Pitching, with the Braves lead down to only 2! (pitching in parenthesis)
Kris Medlen RC vs Josh Johnson
Not even a fair fight
Braves- 6 (0) Marlins-5 (1)


Javier Vazquez "Red" vs Sean West RC
Vazquez wins it with the parallel
Braves- 6 (1) Marlins-4 (1)


Jair Jurrjens vs Josh Johnson
Back to the top for the Marlins pitching. It's just Johnson left, so if he loses, the playoff is over. Luckily for the Fish, he wins and is safe for now...
Braves-5 (1) Marlins-4 (1)

Tommy Hanson "Red" vs Josh Johnson
...and now it's over. Parallels and inserts kill in this game.
Braves-5(2) Marlins-3 (0)

Pitching Advantage- Braves

Final Score- Braves- 5
Marlins- 2

The marlins put up a good fight, but the Braves came through based, mainly off their numbers. If the Marlins had a few more cards, I think they would have pulled it off. Next up, Phillies and Nationals tomorrow night!

(...Joe)

Monday, November 15, 2010

UNIQUE RESULTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE: We'll start the contest tomorrow. Let's give this the night to sink in.

We're gonna start off with the goods. The hits and all else interesting. And before we get into it let me say this...

Best
Break
EVER!!!

Someone's about to be very VERY fucking happy!
Lets get started...

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David Wright "Solo Shots" #/275 (jersey)
First up a neato new Wright for my collection. I'm happy I pulled something for myself, as selfish as that sounds.
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Joe Mauer/Justin Morneau "Dual Distinction" #/99 (jerseys)
A nice dual relic from the Twin superstars! No one claimed the Twins, so this is up for trade.
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Freddy Sanchez "Prime Time Patches" #/99
Another team that went unclaimed, so another hit up for trade. The Game Used cards look great in this set, which I can not say for 99% of everything else out there. The patch cards are thick as all hell, but for a nice design and good cuts, fuck it, I'll deal with it.

We did get shorted a Game Used card, but in that same box we got a parallel #/25. I'm not sure if that's supposed to take the other GU place, but from what I've seen in other breaks it's been the same situation. And after what we pulled from this, I'm no gonna complain one bit. You'll see...

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Jason Bay #/99
Some parallel flavor now, with a Copper(?) version of Bay #/99 for the Red Sox.

Parallels come one per pack with this and all are numbered with Red being the most common at #/1199. The Reds are thicker, like you're typical GU cards while the other tiers are the same size as the normal base cards.
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Jason Giambi #/99
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Tim Lincecum Red#/1199 & Copper #/99
Two more Coppers and a Lincecum Red for the Rockies and Giants claimed by Shelliebee. I'm going out on a limb now and saying that Shellie's Giants are gonna be tough to beat in the contest. In addition to the two Lincecum parallels, we got an "Alone at the Top" Timmy insert.

Lincecum has a name that just never looks like you spelt it right.

Now remember that card that I mentioned before well here we go!

!

!!

!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Albert Pujols "Unique Bat Barrels" Game Used Auto #1/1

Not gonna lie. The second I pulled this card, I had my finger on the delete button to the blog. I would change my name, move out of country, marry a Swedish girl then divorce her. Shave my beard, then grow it back...

I cannot believe we pulled this card. Yeah, it's real and yeah, it's a 1/1. Congrats Madding!

(get it? "But wait, there's more!!!)

Yeah, we still got more to go. The next two cards both go to the same guy.
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Alex Rodriguez "Unparalleled Performance" Gold #/25

Does anyone else find it funny that the "unparalleled performance" cards have parallels?

AND
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Johnny Damon
Alex Rodriguez
Robinson Cano
Triple Auto
#/10

Yeah, pretty sure that's why the dogs were growling dude!

This was without a doubt the 2 greatest boxes I have ever opened... ever! Congrats to Madding and BA Benny on the huge pulls and we'll get started with the contest aspect later tonight!!!

UPDATE: We'll start the contest tomorrow. Let's give this the night to sink in.

(...Joe)

Tonight...

...is when it will all go down.

The boxes will be broken.
Bridges WILL fall.

If you notice the lights getting a little dimmer, don't worry, I just opened another pack is all.

Oh, and BA Benny, if you start getting inexplicable headaches throughout the day don't be alarmed. We probably just pulled another Alex Rodriguez card.

Look for the first post around 7ish EST.

I'm excited, are you excited 'cuz I'm excited!

(...Joe)
p.s- anyone have a virgin we can sacrifice for this?

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Group Break Sign Ups Extended

I won't beat around the bush, I was kindda hoping for a bigger response than what I've got now. So I'm extending the sign ups through 5pm EST Sunday, but after that it's closed. This is the longest I've ever had 3 boxes sit unopened in my life.

What's that you say? 3 boxes?! But I thought there was only 2? Well remember that box of 2010 Topps Chrome I won from Georgia Mindset? UPS hasn't been kind enough to deliver it to me yet, but I've decided to include that in the break as well. The price per team will still be the same and you get all the cards from your team you claimed. The Chrome won't count towards the contest end of the break, but hopefully we'll still pull something that'll make us all millionaires!!!

You can find the original break info here.

And you can claim your team(s) here!!!

(...Joe)

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

1992 DONE!!!!

Wha?

What was I collecting from '92 and why am I excited to complete it?

1- PIAZZA!!!
2- IT"S DONE!!!

I picked up the last cards I needed to finish off the year for '92 Piazzas and I now have a copy of every (mass) produced card from that year! I'm sure there's some minor league team issued set with him in it and then there's this number, but I've never encountered the previous and this is my first look at the latter, leading me to believe these would be like searching for the 1/1s of today.

Anyways, 1992 will be by far the easiest year to complete, which is why it happened first. In terms of card volume, the next closest will be '93, but I'm gonna have to contend with picking up a '93 Finest refractor and a '93 Stadium Club First Day Issue among others. '94, which I'm working heavily on now, doesn't have too many high dollar cards, but there's alot of cards in general.

So getting to the goods. We have seven cards making up the the total for 1992 Piazzas, with two being recognized as official RCs, one an insert and four minor league cards. I showed off the Classic/Best card before in a lot I picked up from COMC, but that card has two additional parallels to go along with it.
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Both a Blue and a Red version. These were inserted one per black jumbo pack, but are fairly easy to find. They usually don't go for much more than a $1.50 BIN if not a little less. The main differences between the colored versions and the base are, obviously, the red or blue foil stamping and the absence of any boarder. My favorite part of these cards? You're probably not able to make it out in my picture, but there's a sticker on his helmet with his jersey number. #60. Nice!

Next up is a Minor league offering from Skybox. Nothing really fancy in this set, just 310 cards and nothing else.
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San Antonio Missions. Insert cheesy inspirational tag line here ____.

Lastly we have a card that has been nothing short of a bitch for me to obtain. For a while, whenever I would look for it, I would find nothing but graded copies (booo!) with ridiculous BIN prices. Recently I was able to find one with a BIN of $25, ungraded. There were a few graded copies with BINs of $30, but that would involve putting the card through the bandsaw to get the case off and I really didn't want to risk that...
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My favorite part of this card? Jersey number... 25!

And with that, 1992 is complete in my Piazza collection. It'll be a while before I can say that another year is finished, so I'm gonna try and enjoy this one for a bit.

Also, don't forget about my group break!!!!!


(...Joe)

Team Sign-Ups!!!!! (Updated)

Here's where t starts getting good and dirty, the sign ups! Simple, claim whatever and as many teams as you like!

Two (2) boxes 2009 Topps Unique
$12 a team
Mets Doubles slot is free (please leave open for a Mets collector)
PayPal, checks and greenbacks accepted (include name, address and team(s) paying for)
Payments due Friday, November 12th
Send PayPal to joemiench @ yahoo.com
Email joemiench @ yahoo.com
GO!!!

NL EAST
Mets- (...Joe)
Mets doubles- BA Benny
Braves- Colbey (Flywheels)
Marlins- PhaLe28
Nationals- PhaLe28
Phillies- arfmax (paid)

NL CENTRAL
Cubs-
Astros-
Reds- The BrooklynMet (paid)
Pirates-
Cardinals- Madding
Brewers-

NL WEST
Giants- Shelliebee (paid)
Padres-
Rockies- Shelliebee (paid)
Dodgers- Night Owl (paid)
Diamondbacks-

AL EAST
Yankees- BA Benny (paid)
Rays- Steven M (paid)
Orioles- Ryan "O" No!!! Another Orioles Blog (paid)
Blue Jays-
Red Sox- Christopher Crook (paid)

AL CENTRAL-
White Sox-
Twins-
Royals-
Tigers- James Swiatko (paid)
Indians- Christopher Crook (paid)

AL WEST-
A's-
Mariners-
Rangers- Brain (paid)
Angels-

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Group Break Info

This is all the information about the group break. Team sign ups will be tomorrow (Monday) at 9:00 pm EST. I figure this will be the best time for everyone to get a chance to be available to sign up.

2 boxes 2009 Topps Unique
Spots are team related
$12 per spot
Multiple teams may be claimed


To claim a team, leave a comment on tomorrows post. First to comment on a team, claims that team. I'm accepting payments via PayPal or if you would like to pay by check that will also be fine, just please email me first. Payments will be due by Friday November 12th, unless you plan to pay by check in which case you must email me and let me know by Friday OR email me if you can't make your payment by the 12th but would still like to participate. Send PayPal to joemiench (@) yahoo.com and include you name, address and which team(s) you are paying for. If a claimed team goes unpaid for, it will become open for grabs again.

I will claim the Mets, but to be fair an additional slot will be available for any Mets doubles that may (and most likely will) show up. This doubles slot will be free. That means any base cards, inserts, parallels and/or hits that are doubled up between the two boxes will be free (Minus a 2nd David Wright card due to my needing doubles to fill both the team set and Wright collection. This will only count towards the base, however, if any Wright parallel, etc is doubled it will be counted toward this slot.) That means if we pull for example a parallel #/25 and it's of the same Mets player, it's free. If we double up on the same 1/1... it's free! PLEASE try to keep this slot reserved for a Mets collector. Thank you.

This is a higher end product. There are the potential for some HUGE hits to come out of this break. With that said, this break will NOT be done on video. (what!?!?) I don't own a video camera and have no plans on going out and purchasing one when this would be the only time I'd ever use it. Please understand that I'm not here to screw anyone. You all paid for your teams and will get every card you paid for, if not more. Besides, most of you know where I live... so why would I take that chance.

Hopefully I haven't come across as too much of a prick and you're all still with me at this point. I mentioned before that there will be an inner contest with this break. It's as simple as can be for you guys. When you sign up for a team, you get a spot in the contest. Each team holds one spot. You buy 2 teams, you get 2 spots. You buy the 29 remaining teams, you... well, win... I guess. I got this idea after watching Nachos Grande's latest break and thought I could do something fun with it if I added some of my own elements to it. I'll try to cover everything, but I'm sure I'll miss something, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Just to be clear, this does not affect how many/what cards you receive. You will receive all the cards you paid for!
Here it goes:

If your familiar with the playing card game "War", then you're already half way there.
If your familiar with the rock band "War", that is of no help here.
Here's how it works-
-After both boxes have been broken, all the cards will be sorted into their teams.
-This includes all base, inserts, parallels and "hits" with any doubles being removed, including those of the same parallel etc tier.
-Teams will then be separated into their respective leagues and divisions, minus the Mets (there is no way I could do this even halfway fairly if the Mets were included).
-Position players and Pitchers will be separated within each team.
-Teams will then go head to head against each other, one card at a time as you would if playing the card game "war".
-To put it simply, the better card wins. Example- Albert Pujols against Carlos Quentin, Pujols wins. However, if the same match up occurs only the Quentin is a parallel, insert or hit, while the Pujols is a base then the Quentin wins. So, on and so on. Ruling will be judged on card rarity, player caliber and slight consideration on player collectability.
- ANY Alex Rodriguez card automatically LOSES. Example- base Alex Rodriguez against base Carlos Quentin, Quentin wins. 1/1 auto patch Alex Rodriguez against base Denard Span, Span wins. Etc.
- There can be ties. Example- base Cliff Lee against base Roy Halladay, tie. Next card for each team will be put down and whoever wins that proceeding round keeps both cards while losing team loses both cards.
- At the end of each "match" whichever team has the most pitchers eliminates one card from the other teams final total. At this point it doesn't matter if it's an insert or base.
- The team with the most cards wins and moves onto the next round. All cards are available.
- This continues on until we are down to 2 teams. 1 National, 1 American.
- The best National League team and the best American League team will then go against each other.


That should cover just about everything. Whoever claims the winning team will have their payment FULLY REIMBURSED with the arrival of their cards! Reading the rules, it may sound like alot, but it's rather simple and all the effort is on me. This is meant to be fun for everybody (except Alex Rodriguez) and I will try to be as fair and just as possible (except to Alex Rodriguez). But also keep in mind my own personal feelings will most definitely leak out when the likes of Hamels, Rollins and Chamberlin show up, but I'll try not to get carried away (except with Alex Rodriguez). Hopefully everyone will have a good time and even a laugh or two. I can't wait to get this started and remember, sign ups are TOMORROW!!!!


(except for Alex Rodriguez. He's not invited.)
(...Joe)
P.S- feel free to ask any questions if something is unclear. Thanks!!!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Philisophical Fridays

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."

Rogers Hornsby

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Boxes Ordered!!!

I did it. I hit the "Conferm Order" button, only 'Confirm' was spelled correctly... weird.

I'm not doing the team sign ups just yet. I want to wait until I have the boxes in hand, cuz with my luck everyone will call their teams and make their payments and the fucking post office will lose both the boxes. SO I'll be doing this one step at a time for now. I'll let everyone know when they come and when the post for calling teams will be scheduled!

(...Joe)

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

SAY UNCLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's been forever since I've done one of these posts, but I was given something super ultra neat-o cool today. My parents were cleaning out the last few things from the old house before it gets sold and my father found this...
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While it looks rather unimpressive, it's nothing more than a wrinkled torn brittle piece of paper, it's actually very very cool. My dad was telling me that my Uncle got this at the game.

"What game?" I said.
"In '74 , when Aaron hit the home run."
"He was at the game when he hit 715!?!?" (that's me again)
"Yeah, I think so. They gave these out to everyone who was there."

OK, now if I had been at a game where something like the most well known and coveted record in baseball is broken, I'd be sure to pepper it into every conversation I've ever had. I've never heard him mention this before, so I've gotta ask him about this next time I see him, but how cool is that?
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You might not be able to make out the wording, cuz my picture taking skills blow, but it states: "I was there when Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run to pass Babe Ruth as the top home run hitter in the history of baseball."

I did a 'lil research and found out that, yeah, these were handed out to everyone in attendance when Aaron hit #715. I need to find a frame for this cuz like I said, it's pretty dried out and brittle and this is something I don't want to lose or have be destroyed. I'm definitely diggin' this and I'm glad to add it to my collection!

(...Joe)

I Learned Something Today...

Elevators are not soundproof.

(...Joe)

Monday, November 1, 2010

Group Break Box Decided!

Sooo I'm gonna go in a different direction with the break and crack open a case of 1986 Topps instead.


NOVEMBER FOOLS!!!

Ahhh, life.

Anyways, for reals this time, I'm going with the 2 boxes of Unique. It was unanimous in your comments and I've wanted to bust Unique for a while now, but have only done one pack to date. I did the math for real and it will be $12 a team including shipping and whatnot.

I'm not sure exactly when I'll be starting everything, but I'm hoping to order the boxes later this week and then sign ups will follow. I'll schedule a post for everyone to claim their teams and I'll schedule a pre-post letting the masses know when that post will be so everyone is on an even plain to stake their claims. Aslo, I mentioned before that there will be an inner contest with the break where the winner gets their payment reimbursed. Don't worry, I'll include all the info with the sign up post and double don't worry, there's absolutely no effort on your part to win. Once you buy a team, you're in. That simple. Hopefully this'll be a good break and garner some interest and good cards. Thanks to everyone in advance and stay tuned for future info!

(...Joe)

2009 Topps Unique sell sheet

2009 Topps Unique checklist