A Winning Result

Over on the FreedomCardBoard.com message boards, yours truly won a box of 2010 Topps. Now, being stationed in Germany just makes the win even sweeter, since I have nowhere to go to get hobby boxes (there is a little retail stuff at the AAFES (kind of a military WalMart), but there is a poor selection), so this will be my first taste of in person 2010 Topps.

Not sure of the SP's or the odds of pulling a game used or autograph card, but if anyone needs anything from Series I (besides Astros and Million Card Giveaway), feel free to let me know.

In other news, I head out into the field next weekend for a three week training exercise preparing our unit for our upcoming deployment. Now, we don't deploy until sometime in mid-June, but every unit needs to make sure they are prepared and game planned (think of it as our Spring Training). Sadly enough, I will not have internet out there, so there will be no new posts in that time frame (unless I can knock out a few to leave in the queue and just have sitting on the back burner). Not like anyone would really notice, since I have been updating the blog less regularly this month then I did last month.

Which bring me to another point: being able to come up with different content every day, week and month. I have been finding it hard to sit down and crank out a post or three, with little on my mind. The solution? Three or four posts a week...but all centered on different cross sections of baseball. I plan on having one post a week on baseball cards, another on fantasy baseball and one on the game itself, be it the current season or seasons past. Plus, if I find it interesting enough, I plan on throwing in additional posts/content weekly on just random things going on inside my head or in my own personal life.

Anyways, here's hoping I get the box in by Friday, so I can have a juicy post full of scans of the latest of Topps flagship product.

Chasin an endless dream........or set......

After one of my most recent eBay wins, I will be adding 3 more cards to one of my player collections. The set these cards are coming from? 1998 Topps Tek.

Luckily, I only collect one player in the set (Richard Hidalgo). Unluckily, there are 90 variations of the one card he has in the set, plus diffractors (which are glorified refractors....just much cooler) for each one of those variations.

What's that mean? To finish my player collection "set" within this set, I will need to locate a total of ONE HUNDRED & EIGHTY cards. Yes, 1. 8. 0. That would be more than half of the total number of Hidalgo cards I currently have in my possession.

Am I crazy for even thinking I can complete this? Probably. The set is now 12 years old and Hidalgo really only had one superstar season and, outside of Texas and New York, not many people have a lasting impression of the player.

So I am sending out a request to all of my fellow bloggers, if you can find other variations of this card, please let me know, as I would like to finish this set in the next ten years or so (I currently have #'s 29, 45, 59, 85, 86 & 87).

Just a little love for my personal collection website....

Well, I have been neglecting my personal collection website for some time now. It has complete lists of my Richard Hidalgo, Javier Vazquez and Hunter Pence collections (soon to be added are the Roy Oswalt and Bob Gibson sections), not to mention the complete list of cards needed by me to complete the 2008 Topps base set.

If you feel like checking it out, here's a little link: Anthony's Personal Collection Website.

Hopefully you stop by and realize you have something I need and we can work out a trade to help me land it for my collection.

In other news, look for more posts over the weekend, as the wife and I have no major Valentine's plans (I hate the holiday....really, Hallmark made it up and is reaping the benefits), so I plan on knocking out a few days (or even weeks) worth of posts, with all the stuff I have running through my head.

And, if you are wondering where I have been, my internet connection was down for nearly three days, which feels like about a month if you rely on the internet as much as I have to (news, weather, sports, talking to family). Being stationed overseas makes it tough to stay up to the minute on everything I could in the states, primarily because of the time difference and the lack of channel choices with the local "cable" selection.

I hope to get my scanner up and running tonight or Saturday, as I have a bevy of cards to scan (like, the official start of my Bob Gibson collection and some prize loot), plus a random assortment of cards I just feel like talking about (that's what this blog is primarily supposed to be about anyways).

Plus, I will be doing some retooling, to make it easier to navigate and locate things around here, like my tradelist, wantlist, checklist, website and the like.

The New Year has officially started....

and it is time to prepare for baseball season.

The NFL went out with a bang (Congrats to Drew Brees and The New Orleans Who Dat's) and had one heck of a ride for the entire season, but their time is over. Basketball season is in swing and all 9 of the remaining fans are thoroughly enjoying it. As for hockey, well, uh, they still play in Canada, right?

With pitchers and catchers reporting soon, fantasy baseball leagues starting and  prediction posts coming out of the woodwork, it smells like fresh cut grass and ballpark popcorn (even if it looks like snow and rain outside).

I wish I could say I optimistically look forward to this season, but I regret to say I cannot. As an Astros fan, until some of the bloated contracts are moved, the team improves at a multitude of positions (C, SS, 2B, 3B, SP #3-5 and the bullpen) and the farm system is revamped, all I have to look forward to is an All Star outfield and Roy Oswalt plugging along, season after season.

I also get to look forward to seeing the Astros finish ahead of the Pirates...and nobody else in the Central.

Cardinals fans, enjoy your time at the top (of the NL Central). In two years or so, the Astros will be rearing to go, with a team full of youth and talent (with the occasional free agent thrown in), ready to take back the NL Central and compete with the best of the best.

Until then, enjoy facing Brian Moehler, Felipe Paulino and Brett Myers.

Where have you been?!?!?

I'm sure that is the exact thought going through everyone's head right now.

Well, I have been a little over here and a little over there, but not right here.

The last two weeks were spent in class (Small Arms Maintenance...learning to break down, put together and perform maintenance on a slew of weapons...was pretty bad ass). Not to mention it has been kind of quiet thanks to some bad news regarding my income tax check (thanks Uncle Sam).

The only good thing going on recently? Some eBay wins and some mail. I have no scans of the mail (I plan on working on getting the scanner working tomorrow), but I do have some pictures of the cards I have won recently.

 

2010 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor Javier Vazquez. Slowly but surely building up the partial rainbow for last year's set (haven't seen the Super yet).

 

1960 Topps Bob Gibson. Poorly titled, not in the best shape, but I got it for a heck of a deal. Slowly adding all the 60's Topps base of Gibson I can, before saving up for his '59 rookie.

  

2001 Upper Deck Gold Glove Official Issue Baseball Lance Berkman & Richard Hidalgo. Not huge on getting game used stuff for my Hidalgo collection, but that ball is just freaking awesome, seeing as it has some of the writing on it.

  

1998 Topps Tek Richard Hidalgo x3. My first cards of Hidalgo from this set, which leaves me just 95 shy of completing the run for Hidalgo. Really hoping to land more in the next few weeks.

 

Last, but certainly not least, 2009 Goudey Game Used Jersey Hunter Pence. Just adding another one of the normal, basic game used cards to my ever growing Pence collection.

Thanks for checking out my recent eBay purchases, got another post waiting in the wings, but I will wait a few hours before I get that one up.

Contest? You want a contest?

Well, you're out of luck here.

But over at Play at the Plate, he is holding a 2010 Topps contest. They recently bought 30 packs of Topps and produced 66% of the set. They then added 25 more packs and want us to guess what % of the set they will have done when adding those 25 packs to the other 30 packs.

Math, I know, but still. There should be a pretty good prize, worthy of your little bit of time.

2010 Fantasy Baseball Top 20 Players : 11 - 20

Here for the second half of our top 20 fantasy players for 2010.

If you didn't see the first ten, go ahead and look over HERE.

#11 - Ryan Howard - 1B - PHI - A guarantee to hit 40 or more home runs and drive in 120 or more RBI's, his power production is one of the most predictable in the game. If you can live with the average (or surround him with high average players) Howard is a FANTASTIC late 1st rd or early 2nd rd pick.
#12 - Joe Mauer - C - MIN - The absolute elite at the thinnest fantasy position, Mauer's power production last season seemingly came out of nowhere. I am not so high on his power this season (thanks to the new outdoor stadium), but he should still hit for .350 plus with 20 or so homers and ample runs and rbi's. Will easily end as a top fantasy player and #1 in the catcher rankings for a second consecutive season.
#13 - Ian Kinsler - 2B - TEX - Who doesn't love a 2B with 30/30 potential? Hell, he may have enough power potential to go 40/40, if he could ever stay healthy for an entire season, which is the only knock against Kinsler. Playing in Arlington with that powerful lineup surrounding him, you can expect another great season from second baseman #1B.
#14 - Justin Upton - OF - ARI - At the ripe old age of 22, J-Up went for a .300+, 26/20 season....with the potential for much, MUCH more. so long as the injury he suffered last season is only a fluke injury, you could be looking at the next in a long line of great fantasy outfielders.
#15 - Mark Teixera - 1B - NYY - The dearth of viable 1B continues here with the Yanks starting first sacker. One of the most consistent bats, Tex's game really stepped it up when ARod came off of the disabled list last season. With a full year of ARod and new CF Curtis Granderson in the mix, Tex may well put his finest statistical season of his career this year.
#16 - Mark Reynolds - 3B - ARI - 200 strikeouts aside, where else can you find a corner infielder with 40 homer power and the speed to steal 20 plus bags? Nowhere, that's where. The power has always been there for Reynolds and it seems as if he will be given the green light on the base paths. With Upton healthy for an entire season, I see his numbers rising slightly in the runs and RBI department and possibly on the base paths as well.
#17 - Carl Crawford - OF - TB - The surest bet to get you 10 or more home runs and 46 plus stolen bases, Crawford is an on base machine who will once again reside atop the Rays lineup. With Longoria, Ben Zobrist, a healthy BJ Upton, Carlos Pena and a few others chipping in, we should see another stereotypical top 20 fantasy season from Crawford again this year.
#18 - Zack Greinke - SP - KC - The reigning AL Cy Young is my #2 pitcher off the board. I personally don't like taking a pitcher before round 5, but if I had to, you can't go wrong with Greinke. He has always had the talent and the last two seasons he has finally shown just how great a pitcher he can be. Look for a possible bump in wins if the bullpen and offense can provide him with a few leads and then go on to protect them.
#19 - Matt Holliday - OF - STL - Pretty easy being the guy who hits right behind Pujols, huh? With the on base machine batting ahead of him, Holliday should see plenty of good pitches and have a ton of RBI opportunities. You just gotta hope the guys behind Holliday can get him across the plate 100 times or so.
#20 - Troy Tulowitzki - SS - COL - Tulo proved that 2008 was indeed an anomaly in his career by showing he is one of the 3 best shortstops in all of baseball. This shortstop thinning out as the years go by, there are very limited resources to be had. After the first 5 or so, the skill level tends to drop off pretty dramatically. So if you can't land Hanley, go for the next best thing in Tulowitzki. If he can continue to steal 20 or more bags, he may net you a bigger return then any #20 pick should.

Well, that's my pre-spring training top 20 right there. In the future I will get my overall top 100 up (with little commentary) plus some prospects to keep an eye on.

Also, if anyone else out there still has interest in my fantasy league, I still have two spots open. The sooner those two spots are filled, the sooner we can start to plan the draft.