Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: A Dayf Pack

Hey everyone!  Since Dayf was kind enough to contribute some packs to the cause, I am going to bust open one of the ones he sent us!  How about 2007 Topps Series 2. 6 cards per pack.

Angel Sanchez - Royals - Free Agent
Brandon Phillips - Reds - FanofReds (Wahoo!!)
Alfonso Soriano Trading Places - Nationals/Cubs - Pedersej (Wahoo!!)
Opening Day Giants/Padres
Shane Victorino - Phillies - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!)
Alex Rodriguez - Yankees - Matthew Wilson (Wahoo!!)

Thanks, Dayf! sorry you didn't pull anything from the pack, but there are more you sent so maybe next time! Meanwhile, a big congrats to the managers scoring players from this busted pack o' cardboard!


I've been Helton'd - which is way better than Alomar'd!

I had a box in the mailbox today. It was postmarked "Acworth, GA." That can only mean one thing: Dayf sent Tribecards a package! And what a great surprise inside!

First up, a selection of Indians and a can! The 1997 Pinnacle Inside "card-in-a-can" is very cool! I don't have one of those, er, I didn't until Dayf sent me this beauty. I'll save the speculation: No. I'm not opening the can to get to whatever cards (there are 10 of them) are hidden inside.  The Indians are vintage! 1971 Phil Hennigan, 1972 Fred Stanley, 1965 Sam McDowell, 1974 Rusty Torres, and a 1956 Chico Carrasquel! Holy freakin' cow!


Also in the box? How about some packs to add to the break!? Yeah, buddy! And, one pack even shows an Indians player waiting to be freed from the cello!


The last thing in the box was a hand-wrapped, hand-sketched "Oh Noez Helton'd" deck of cards. There were more than EIGHTY Todd Helton cards! My son was awestruck, and is extremely thankful for the generous gift! He went from just learning who Helton is to a handful of Helton cards to suddenly finding himself well on the way to having a Helton collection!


Thank you so much, Dayf! These are unbelievable gifts! I am still ooo-ing and aahh-ing over the vintage Indians and that crazy can!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Cardboard Gods?

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! We're here for another pack-bustin good time on a Two-for-Tuesday! Tonight's selections include a little something from 2013 and a little something from 2004. Both packs have a chance for autos or materials or some other kind of mojo-based insert, so we'll have to see if the Cardboard Gods (the title of the book I am currently read- er listening to) will shine upon us:*

2013 Topps Archives. 8 cards per pack.

Carlos Ruiz - Phillies - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!)
Tyler Skaggs - DBacks - Free Agent
Brandon Phillips - Reds - FanofReds (Wahoo!!)
Bronson Arroyo - Reds - Matthew Wilson (Wahoo!!)
Bob Welch - A's - Captain Canuck (Wahoo!!)
Babe Ruth - Yankees - Stealing Home (Wahoo!!)
Eddie Mathews - Braves - Thorzul (Wahoo!!)
Madison Bumgarner - Giants - Adam Smith (Wahoo!!)

Well, the gods may not have provided an insert, but there were certainly some note-worthy players in the pack. Congratulations to managers scoring players for their card collections! I just noticed that the Welch card back is done "Tiffany Style" in that it is a brighter yellow than the comparable Ruiz card. Are there Tiffany parallels, or are some of them just done that way?


Let's see how we do with a pack of 2004 Fleer Ultra Retail. 8 cards per pack.

Austin Kearns - Reds - Davidinark (Wahoo!!)
Bret Boone - Mariners - IrishTribeFan (Wahoo!!)
Casey Blake - Indians (Wahoo!) - Free Agent
Josh Beckett Gold Medallion die cut - Marlins - CattleRustler (Wahoo!!)
Paul Do Luca - Dodgers - Free Agent
Mark Teixeira - Rangers - Brownpg (Wahoo!!)
Adam Dunn - Reds - ScottCrawfordOnCards (Wahoo!!)
Eric Munson - Tigers - Free Agent

Hey, we got a cool die cut this time! I don't know how anyone else feels about die cut cards, but I've always enjoyed them. My favorites were the kooky designs brought about through Pacific. We also scored a free agent Triber, too. Nice! And, as you might well imagine, I am glad to have pulled a player for my own collection out of the pack. What a weird pose to choose for Teixeira...


*For the record, I am well aware that the "Cardboard Gods" refer to the players on the cardboard, at least in connection with the book of the same name.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: The Joy of a Complete Set?

You may recall that I bought a BOX of the 1984 Donruss Baseball Champions. I also mentioned that some point would come along in which I would just break open all the remaining packs. Well, that day has come. Before I get started, each manager who has these players will receive at least two (2) if not three (3) copies of each of their respective players. The box created one full puzzle of Duke Snider and at least two full sets! 

First up, the Duke Snider Puzzle: Congrats, Mark Aubrey!


Babe Ruth - Stealing Home (Wahoo!!)
George Foster - 2x3 Heroes (Wahoo!!)
Dave Kingman - P-Town Tom (Wahoo!!)
Jim Rice - Play at the Plate (Wahoo!!)
Gorman Thomas - Free Agent
Ben Oglivie - Free Agent
Jeff Burroughs - Dominicfdny (Wahoo!!)
Hank Aaron - Dayf (Wahoo!!)
Reggie Jackson - Dayf (Wahoo!!)


Carl Yastrzemski - BConrad (Wahoo!!)
Mike Schmidt - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!)
Graig Nettles - Brownpg (Wahoo!!)
Greg Luzinski - Free Agent
Ted Williams - Ajpca (Wahoo!!)
George Brett - Josh Denhartog (Wahoo!!)
Wade Boggs - ScottCrawfordOnCards (Wahoo!!)
Hal McRae - Trhdds (Wahoo!!)
Bill Buckner - Cattlerustler (Wahoo!!)



Eddie Murray - Sngldddy (Wahoo!!)
Rogers Hornsby - E-Rose (Wahoo!!)
Rod Carew - Workman (Wahoo!!)
Bill Madlock - Workman (Wahoo!!)
Lonnie Smith - Free Agent
Cecil Cooper - Thorzul (Wahoo!!)
Ken Griffey - ScottCrawfordOnCards (Wahoo!!)
Ty Cobb - BP_Weber (Wahoo!!)
Pete Rose - Workman (Wahoo!!)


Rusty Staub - Play at the Plate (Wahoo!!)
Tony Perez - Pedersej (Wahoo!!)
Al Oliver - Adam Smith (Wahoo!!)
Cy Young - Workman (Wahoo!!)
Gaylord Perry - IrishTribeFan (Wahoo!!)
Fergie Jenkins - P-Town Tom (Wahoo!!)
Phil Niekro - Dayf (Wahoo!!)
Jim Palmer - Sngldddy (Wahoo!!)
Tommy John - gcrl (Wahoo!!)


Walter Johnson - Mark Aubrey (Wahoo!!)
Steve Carlton - Brauer (Wahoo!!)
Nolan Ryan - Prowlingcat (Wahoo!!)
Tom Seaver - Paul Hadsall (Wahoo!!)
Don Sutton - gcrl (Wahoo!!)
Bert Blyleven - Andr340 (Wahoo!!)
Frank Robinson - Andr340 (Wahoo!!)
Joe Morgan - Backstop Cards (Wahoo!!)
Rollie Fingers - Backstop Cards (Wahoo!!)


Keith Hernandez - Paul Hadsall (Wahoo!!)
Robin Yount - Patrick Smith (Wahoo!!)
Cal Ripken, Jr. - Workman (Wahoo!!)
Dale Murphy - Backstop Cards (Wahoo!!)
Mickey Mantle - Stealing Home (Wahoo!!)
Johnny Bench - Stealing Home (Wahoo!!)
Carlton Fisk - Ajpca (Wahoo!!)
Tug McGraw - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!)
Paul Molitor - Akgonzolyn (Wahoo!!)


Carl Hubbell - Free Agent
Steve Garvey - gcrl (Wahoo!!)
Dave Parker - Prowlingcat (Wahoo!!)
Gary Carter - Paul Hadsall (Wahoo!!)
Fred Lynn - Ajpca (Wahoo!!)
Checklist


Whew!! Wow, several of you scored a few of these! And, surprisingly, we have free agents for the next draft! As I have mentioned, I will figure out trading after the season ends.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

The results are in - 07/26 draft

Hey everyone! The draft for this weekend is over and we had two shut-outs. It turns out that nearly everyone that did snag a player only snagged one. Some folks, though, were able to pick up two players. That's as deep as this week's draft went, though.

Here are the breakdowns:

List of entries before any randomizing:
 Names randomized:
 Initial randomized draft before selections are made:
 The final draft:

Next season, if this giveaway continues, I am going to have a different draft mechanism. I want to look over the stats of randomization and see the actual data to get a feel for how this season's randomizing panned out (or not) for certain managers. Next season, I am going to run the draft similar to the way the real drafts are held. Each week, we know the pecking order and will rotate each week. Ultimately, every manager will have a first-round, first-slot draft pick. I think it will add a fun twist to the game.

The updated Manager/Player list is here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlZ8vNjtCJDAdDV6blVrX2J5QWRmMTBXaERveHZjRkE&usp=sharing

Tribecards from Outer Space: Waxing Nostalgia

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday afternoon!  As an aside, I like to read books with baseball themes to them. I am not a fast reader by any stretch. Books really are something of an escape for me: I get in them, I essentially tune out the world, and I take just about every word on the page. I'm not quick about it. I say all that to say this: I just finished "Chin Music" by Lee Edelstein. I will do a review on here at some point, but I just want to get the word out: This is a great story. The best part is that it should appeal to just about anyone. It is family-centric (though don't let your kiddos read it unless you've crossed the "F-Word" threshold) and tells a wonderful tale of loss and redemption. Oh, yeah, it also happens to be about baseball and memorabilia, Babe Ruth and features some of the best head-smacking moments I've read.

Managers, remember the draft will close later tonight (between 8p-9p CST), so get your picks in!

That's not why you're here. Let's rip some wax while I am waxing nostalgia. Today, I've got a pack of 1982 Donruss.  15 cards per pack and 1 Babe Ruth puzzle.

Babe Ruth Puzzle 34, 35, 36 - Stealing Home (Wahoo!!)
Mookie Wilson - Mets - Akgonzolyn (Wahoo!!)
Andre Dawson - Expos - Jafronius (Wahoo!!)
Rick Dempsey - Orioles - Free Agent
Joe Sambito - Astros - Free Agent
Doug Corbett - Twins - Free Agent
Steve Carlton - Phillies - Brauer (Wahoo!!)
Dennis Eckersley - Red Sox - Jafronius (Wahoo!!)
Dave Stapleton - Red Sox - Ajpca (Wahoo!!)
Mike Norris - A's - ScottCrawfordOnCards (Wahoo!!)
Rod Scurry - Pirates - Free Agent
Steve Dillard - Cubs - Free Agent
Diamond Kings Checklist
Brian Kingman - A's - Free Agent
Alan Trammell - Tigers - BP_Weber (Wahoo!!)
Sixto Lezcano - Cardinals - Free Agent

Well, we basically split the pack! Holy cow, man. Taking a look at some these guys from back in the day certainly will have you thinking back (er, well, if you are old enough to think back as far as '82). Let's see, how many HOFers do we have here? Ruth, Dawson, Carlton, and Eckersley. That's 1-in-4 cards from the pack. Sweet!


Saturday, July 27, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space:Red and White and Cards all over...

Good afternoon (or whatever time of day it happens to be where you are as you read this!). I reached into the box of packs and grabbed 2008 Opening Day Hobby Edition. 6 cards and 1 stick of gum per pack. Let's see if we can pull one of those Group B Autographs: 1:7800 packs. haha!

Lyle Overbay - Blue Jays - Workman (Wahoo!!) (Pulled from a pack HE donated, even!)
Jason Bay - Pirates - Bo Rosny (Wahoo!!)
Scott Rolen - Cardinals - Kerry Biggs (Wahoo!!)
Carlos Delgado White border (0794/2199) - Mets - Akgonzolyn (Wahoo!!)
Ivan Rodriguez - Tigers - Play at the Plate (Wahoo!!)
Hanley Ramirez - Marlins - Wicked4Life (Wahoo!!)

Now, THAT is some pack bustin! Not only did we pull a serial card, but we hit for the cycle and snagged up all the cards in the pack. Heck, there was a "Topps of the Class" promo card and it has David Wright on it, and that probably should go to Paul Hadsall. Then again, he may have a dozen of those since there were in every pack that year so far as I can remember.


Friday, July 26, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Could have been Slenderman, I suppose...

Hey folks, remember that the draft for the week is up and running. Managers, be sure to check my previous post to jump in.

Tonight, I am busting open a pack of 2010 Topps Series 2. 12 cards per pack. Remember, any free agents will appear in next week's draft.

Marlon Byrd - Cubs - Free Agent
Johan Santana - Mets - Pedersej (Wahoo!!)
Matt Cain - Giants - Adam Smith (Wahoo!!)*
Jenrry Mejia - Mets - Free Agent
Jordan Norberto - DBacks - Free Agent
Padres Franchise History
Roy Campenella Vintage Legends - Dodgers - 2x3 Heroes (Wahoo!!)
Jake Peavy Turkey Red - White Sox - FanOfReds (Wahoo!!)
Derrek Lee Topps Attax - Cubs - Pedersej (Wahoo!!)
Alexi Casilla - Twins - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!)
Aaron Cook - Rockies - Free Agent (in current draft!)
Jeremy Bonderman - Tigers - Free Agent

The Campenella is a cool rendition of the 1979 Topps design. Of course, Turkey Red is always fun to pull, too. Congratulations to all the managers. Pedersej hit a double with this pack! Nice!

*I had Adam listed as both Adam and arpsmith. They have been combined. No drafts have been affected because he only submits one draft entry.


Free Agent Draft is upon us!


Hey everyone! I spent the day in Hot Springs with my Uncle from Pittsburgh and the rest of my family. It rained all day, but that didn't stop us from seeing some of the sites and hanging out with my brother and his wife.  Until today, I did not realize that there is a "Baseball Trail" with historical markers specifically related to baseball. I will have to go back and do the trail then post info on here. Very cool!

Of course, you are here for the draft this week!

Let's talk notables:

  • Desmond Jennings on 2013 Gypsy Queen
  • Lance Johnson Rated Rookie on 1988 Donruss
  • Mike Scioscia on 1988 Donruss
  • Kal Daniels Diamond King on 1988 Donruss
  • Andy Marte First Year on 2002 Topps Stadium Club
  • Bake McBride on 1982 Fleer
  • In fact, a whole slew of players on 1982 Fleer: Sparky Lyle, Gary Allenson, Randy Martz, Mike Cubbage, Mike Jones, Jerry Manuel, Steve Crawford, Rawly Eastwick, and Willie Montanez
We've got 36 Free Agents this week. Which ones will be the most coveted? Which ones will remain in the free agent draft another week? We will see!

Here is the draft form:

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Across the Years

Howdy, readers! Thanks for joining us tonight. It is a 3-for-Thursday, and tonight I am not even going to pretend to randomly select our first pack. I am just as anxious as many of you to see what we've got in the 1982 Fleer pack. This could be one of the coolest breaks yet. 1 sticker and 15 cards per pack.

Yankees Logo Sticker
Randy Martz - Cubs - Free Agent
Gary Allenson - Red Sox - Free Agent
Sparky Lyle - Phillies - Free Agent
Willie Montanez - Pirates - Free Agent
Mike Cubbage - Mets - Free Agent
Jerry Manuel - Expos - Free Agent
Jay Johnstone - Dodgers - Dominicfdny (Wahoo!!)*
Oscar Gamble - Yankees - James.A.Haynes (Wahoo!!)
Mike Jones - Royals - Free Agent
Rollie Fingers - Brewers - Backstop Cards (Wahoo!!)
Rawly Eastwick - Cubs - Free Agent
Steve Crawford - Red Sox - Free Agent
Bake McBride - Phillies - Free Agent
Mike Stanton - Indians (Wahoo!) - Wicked4Life (Wahoo!!)
Mike Jorgensen - Mets - Cardanathema (Wahoo!!)



Bake McBride! When I a kid, I had a much wider range of teams that I collected. I loved the Phillies and the Pirates. In fact, somewhere I have a picture of myself as a kid sporting the 80's Phillies shirt. The Rollie Fingers is another great pull. And, of course, there was a Triber in the pack to boot!! Wahoo! Opening this pack brought me instantly back to my childhood. I remember riding my bike to the little store (called "The Dairy") and buying pack of this, keeping the cards I wanted and flipping the rest. Literally flipping, too. My friends and I would take a stack and flip for each other's cards. Congrats to the managers grabbing these '82 Fleer and we have a whole bunch of "new" free agents to look forward to! *I mistakenly had Jay Johnstone listed as a Free Agent previously. That has been fixed.

The next pack was randomly chosen: 2010 Topps Baseball Update. 5 cards per pack.

John Axford - Brewers - Thorzul (Wahoo!!)
Jesus Feliciano - Mets - Free Agent
Alfredo Simon - Orioles - Bo Rosny (Wahoo!!)
Jon Lester - Red Sox - Ajpca07 (Wahoo!!)
Vladimir Guerrero/Miguel Cabrera NL East Origins - gcrl/Jafronius (Wahoo!!)/Wahoo!!)

Congratulations, managers! It's amazing the difference in styles, photo quality, and card materials between the '82 Fleer and 2010 Topps. Wow!


The final (again, randomly selected) pack of the night comes from: 2004 Fleer Legacy Retail. 5 cards per pack. Wow, only five? I will say the pack feels much thicker than just 5 cards.

Ichiro - Mariners - Jafronius (Wahoo!!)
Alfonso Soriano - Rangers - Pedersej (Wahoo!!)
Greg Maddux - Cubs - Captain Canuck (Wahoo!!)
Hot Prospects Promo Card (And why the pack felt so thick. Bummer.)
Tom Glavine - Mets - Captain Canuck (Wahoo!!)
Mark Teixeira - Rangers - Brownpg (Wahoo!!)

Hey, lookie there! We busted out the whole pack! Congrats to all the managers, and a shout out to the Cap'n for hitting back-to-back. Nice job guys!  Talk about changes in styles. We just busted two packs from Fleer that are 22 years apart!! That's a longer span than some of you have even been alive! That is freakin awesome. I can tell you that 22 years ago, I never would have dreamed that I'd be writing about baseball cards for a giveaway contest on a blog on the Internet!


Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Laying it on thick

Tonight, as I mentioned in my last post, I am opening one of the packs generously provided by Workman41. Let's try a pack of 2003 Stadium Club Hobby Relic Edition. 6 cards per pack.

Eric Hinske - Blue Jays - Free Agent
John Olerud - Mariners - Akgonzolyn (Wahoo!!)
Joe Mauer Royal Gold - Twins - BSnider (Wahoo!!)
Andy Marte - Braves - Free Agent
Ken Griffey Jr - Reds - Patrick.M.Smith (Wahoo!!)
Mark Mulder - A's - Free Agent

The Joe Mauer card has gold foil on the front and gold trim on the back. The card itself is twice as thick as the other cards. These came 1-per-pack according to some quick research. We managed to bat .500 on that pack. Not bad at all. A couple managers get to add some cool cards and we get to try and snag more players in the draft. Again, thanks to Workman for supplying packs to the cause!


A bunch of packs from Workman!

When I got home from work today, there was a box waiting for me in the mailbox. I opened it up, and there were a bunch of packs courtesy of Workman! These are great! Several Hobby packs in the group, so maybe we'll finally pull something very sweet out of the big ol' box of packs.


Thank you so much, Workman! I appreciate your generosity, and I know the managers who score cards from these packs will also appreciate them and certainly enjoy the fruits of your gift.  I am definitely breaking open one of the Hobby packs tonight! That'll be up later.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Tossin Two on Tuesday

Hey folks! Hope everyone is having a nice Tuesday evening. We just had a massive thunderstorm blow through here, but we're none the worse for wear so far as I can tell in the dark. Guess we'll see for sure in the morning. There are no rain delays here, though. We're busting wax!

First up: 2006 Topps Series 2. 12 cards per pack.

Frank Catalanotto - Blue Jays - Bo Rosny (Wahoo!!)
Kelvim Escobar - Angels - Akgonzolyn (Wahoo!!)
Nick Green - Rays - Von Spalding (Wahoo!!)
Corey Patterson Trading Places - Cubs/Orioles - Pedersej (Wahoo!!)
Lew Ford - Twins - Free Agent
Aaron Cook - Rockies - Free Agent
Runelvys Hernandez - Royals - Free Agent
Chris Burke - Astros - Samuel Pair (Wahoo!!)
Kazuo Matsui - Mets - Free Agent
Brian Anderson - White Sox - Bo Rosny (Wahoo!!)
Scott Olsen - Marlins - Free Agent
Orlando Hernandez/Orland Hudson - Brothers Orlando - DBacks - ScottCrawfordOnCards/Matthew.T.Wilson (Wahoo!!/Wahoo!!)

First, congrats to all the managers! Nice double for Bo Rosny! The "Trading Places" card is pretty cool. I don't know if I've seen that one or not. I think the "Brothers Orlando" concept was a fun way to get those two on a card.


It is Two-For-Tuesday, so let's see what we can do here...

2013 Topps Archives. 8 cards per pack.

Tony Perez - Reds - Pedersej (Wahoo!!)
Robin Yount - Brewers - Patrick Smith (Wahoo!!)
Goose Gossage - Yankees - Jafronius (Wahoo!!)
Kevin Mitchell/Pablo Sandoval Dual Fan Favorites - Giants - Arpsmith/Prowlingcat (Wahoo!!/Wahoo!!)
David Freese - Cardinals - Matthew Wilson (Wahoo!!)
Wei-Yin Chen - Orioles - Free Agent
Jason Heyward - Braves - Dayf (Wahoo!!)
Ryne Sandberg - Cubs - Pedersej (Wahoo!!)

Wow! What a great selection of players in this pack! The was a fun pack to bust! The Dual Fan Favorites is a neat throwback nod and a fun way to show off pairs of players.


Monday, July 22, 2013

Thorzul Throws Down the Gauntlet, for a price

Thorzul has created a cool contest of sorts. All you have to do is follow the rules outlined in the post below. The premise is to go to eBay, narrow your field to baseball cards in sports memorabilia, pick a random page (not exactly the rule, but close enough) and buy the first card you see for under $5 total (that's the card plus shipping is less than $5).

Once you buy and receive your card, mail it to Thorzul for a special contest.

Here are the deets:
http://thorzul.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-500-challenge-thorzul-assignment.html

Have fun and good luck!

Batter Up! Freebies from Tim

Tim Henson and I have been swapping Indians cards and goodies for several years now. I recently sent a box of random Indians cards to him and he sent a bubbleope with issues of BatterUp!  I have amassed quite a collection of these programs between what Tim sends and what Jack (BaseballDad) sends! In fact, they have earned their own "type" in my card collecting program! Haha!!

Since I have to attend 99.999% of Indians games by proxy, I can't tell you how great it is to receive these in the mail.  Thanks a bunch, Tim!!

I almost forgot! There was a team schedule in there, too! It fell in the Big Ol' Box of packs for the season break. It'll surface again... eventually.


Tribecards from Outer Space: Yeehaw, let's rip some wax!

Taking a cue from "A Pack A Day," let's rip some wax!

2010 Topps Update. 5 cards per pack.

Chad Qualls - Rays - Free Agent
Doug Davis - Brewers - Free Agent
Tom Gorzelanny - Cubs - Free Agent
Matt Daley - Rockies - Free Agent
Matt Holliday Home Run Derby - E_Rose (Wahoo!!)

Well, that was close! Saved by Erin's choice of Holliday! Of course, that means we have 4 more free agents for Friday's draft.


What's next? How about a pack of 1988 Donruss. 15 cards and puzzle per pack.

Stan Musial Puzzle 28, 29, 30 - Stealing Home (Wahoo!!)
Lance Johnson - Cardinals - Free Agent
Kirk Gibson - Tigers - Don Sherman (Wahoo!!)
Rick Mahler - Braves - Dayf (Wahoo!!)
Mike Gallego - A's - Free Agent
Kal Daniels Diamond King - Reds - Free Agent
Jim Gott - Pirates - Free Agent
Mike Scioscia - Dodgers - Free Agent (Really!?)
Bo Jackson - Royals - Cardanathema (Wahoo!!)
Jack Howell - Angels - Free Agent
Rick Aguilera - Mets - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!)
Ted Simmons - Braves - IrishTribeFan (Wahoo!!)
Devon White Diamond Kings - Angels - Akgonzolyn (Wahoo!!)
Greg Walker - White Sox - Free Agent
Marty Barrett - Red Sox - Dominicfdny (Wahoo!!)
Mike Dunne - Pirates - Free Agent

Holy cow. Is it me, or do we seem to have more free agents per pack coming up since the write-in draft or what!? And how in the world, even after the write-in is Scioscia a free agent!? Sweet!


Okay, let's try another pack and see what we come up with! 1984 Donruss Baseball Champions. 5 cards and puzzle per pack.

Duke Snider Puzzle 46, 47, 48 - Mark Aubrey (Wahoo!!)
Robin Yount - Brewers - Patrick.M.Smith (Wahoo!!)
Tug McGraw - Phillies - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!)
Rusty Staub - Mets - Play at the Plate (Wahoo!!)
Steve Garvey - Padres - gcrl (Wahoo!!)
Walter Johnson - Senators - Mark Aubrey (Wahoo!!)

Sweet! We hit for the cycle, and Aubrey opened and closed the pack. Nice! Now, of course, the question of duplicates and trades. I am still working on this one. I have not recorded each individual card pulled in the database, just managers/players. So, it would take a bit of time and effort to compile a list of what everyone has. Another option would be to create a for the managers could use and enter the card they want and what they want to give (or the card they have and what they want for it, I suppose).  That would lead to a bit of chaos, I think.  Either way, I am saving trades for after the regular season. I can only concentrate on so many things at a time. haha!


Okay, let's try a pack of 2013 Topps Archives. 8 cards per pack.

Barry Zito - Giants - Bo Rosny (Wahoo!!)
Josh Hamilton - Angels - JRBeasley (Wahoo!!)
Alex Gordon - Royals - Josh Denhartog (Wahoo!!)
Wade Boggs - Red Sox - Scottcrawfordoncards (Wahoo!!)
Dwight Evans - Red Sox - Ajpca (Wahoo!!)
Hisashi Iwakuma - Mariners - Free Agent
Brett Lawrie - Blue Jays - Free Agent
Adrian Gonzalez - Dodgers - Dominicfdny (Wahoo!!)

Have I mentioned that I really like the Archives throwback designs? What appeals to me most, and I probably said this before, is that the set is not all one design. Rather, it showcases several of Topps previous designs. Congratulations, managers! Nice pulls and a couple free agents to go with them.


Tribecards from Outer Space: The big reveal.

Okay, the newly updated managers/players list is available. It does not currently include Jeff's Kate Upton, but that will be reflected next week.

With the insertion of Kate Upton, we have a bit of a quandary. Would you like a non-player (er, non MLB Player/Manager/Mascot) draft? If so, are we talking about going back and drafting all the non-player cards already busted? Those were to be randomly distributed, but I am all for making this whatever you want. Haha!

While you ponder that, here is the updated player/manager list:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlZ8vNjtCJDAdGE5UHdVMWROYkFkOC1va2R3dzdQYVE&usp=sharing

Oh, and the cards from the recent break?

The revealed players are:
Desmond Jennings - Rays - Free Agent
Homer Bailey Mini - Reds - Jafronius (Wahoo!!)
Jean Segura -Brewers - Josh Denhartog (Wahoo!!)

Congratulations, you two! You managed to score two of the 'mystery' cards from the other day. And, we've added a Free Agent to the mix!

Sunday, July 21, 2013

07-19-2013 Draft Results

Hey everyone! Here are the results of the regular pick-a-player draft. This one was ugly. I don't know if it was the lack of player selection, the caliber of players offered or if something was in the water.

We had four shutouts! Ouch.  I am looking into other draft options for next season. Though the random route is technically just as fair to everyone, a look over the results thus far seems to indicate otherwise. I'm not complaining, just want to be sure everyone is getting a fair shake - or at least feels like they are.  Then again, this is a free contest/giveaway thingie, so I am probably the only person really worried about that.

At any rate, here is how the draft went down:

The initial entries before any randomization:

The list of names randomized:

The entries in the random order before the draft:

And the final results of the draft:

It will take me a bit of time to get these and the write-ins entered into the database. Once that is done, I will post an updated manager/player list for you!  Thanks for playing along!

The Write-in draft results are in!

Before we get to the results, here are a few notes:

  1. As mentioned in the initial announcement, any write-ins already assigned to managers were removed and that manager's list collapsed to the left to reflect the change. A list of those is provided below.
  2. All initial drafts are available for viewing below. This will let you see who chose whom and then watch the fun ensue!
  3. The Write-in draft was run just like a regular draft. Names randomized, then snake draft style. There were 20 write-in entries, so I randomized 20 times. Just for fun.
List of write-ins already owned:
  1. Michael Jordan - Owned by P-Town Tom
  2. Catfish Hunter - Owned by Wicked4Life
  3. Darren Daulton - Owned by Patrick.M.Smith
  4. Kate Upton - Hahaha, sorry but choices must be baseball players. Though, that actually gives me an idea for a non-player draft... Hmm... I will ponder that a bit more.
  5. Paco Rodriguez - Owned by Dayf
  6. Kevin Mench - Owned by Bo Rosny
  7. Kevin Brown - Owned by Matthew.T.Wilson
  8. Ruben Sierra - Owned by JRBeasley
  9. Gerritt Cole - Owned by IrishTribeFan
  10. Jacoby Ellsbury - Owned by Ajpca07
  11. Jon Lester - Owned bu Ajpca07
  12. Jim Rice - Owned by Play At The Plate
Here is the initial write-in list. No changes other than I removed an incomplete duplicate entry:


Here is the list of randomized names after 20 run throughs:

Here is the list of picks in the random order. Names already chosen have been removed:

Here are the final player selections after the draft:

Congratulations, everyone! The player with the most selections: Puig, which is no surprise given his recent rise to fame (infamy?). As you can see, no one got shut out and everyone got at least two of their picks! I will add these names to the manager/player list after I run the pick-a-player draft. That's up next. Though, it will actually appear above this post once it is done. I digress. Often.

Drafts Closed: Update Soon


Just a quick note: The drafts are closed for the week. I'll have all the results in a bit... Er, let's shoot for 9:00-9:30pm CST, depending on how things go.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Missing Persons

Hey everyone! Hope you are having a nice Saturday afternoon. we are about to head out to see "Despicable Me 2."  Before we go, though, I thought I'd toss up a pack for your enjoyment.  Here is how this will work: I will will any claimed players and any free agents already up for grabs. If I uncover any free agents that we've not seen yet, I will set those aside. If someone happens to claim them in the write-in, then they get that player. If the player is unclaimed after the write-in draft, then I will add that player to the next free agent draft. Clear as mud? Good.

2013 Gypsy Queen. 6 cards per pack.

Denard Span - Nationals - Pedersej (Wahoo!!)
(Unlisted Player)
Kevin Millwood No-Hitters - Phillies - Captain Canuck (Wahoo!!)
(Unlisted Player Mini)
(Unlisted Player)
Freddie Freeman - Braves - Dayf (Wahoo!!)

Well, that did not as well as I had hoped, really. I was hoping for an all-hit pack. Welp, guess we'll find out later who those unlisted players are!


Gint-A-Cuffs V: Break out the gloves, it's on!


Thanks to Mark, Gint-A-Cuffs is on again this year. It's been several years since I've participated, but through a special deal, 12 lucky folks get a special discount on Hobby Boxes provided by Dave and Adam's Card World. If there are slots still available, you can ask for one at gintacuffs.blogspot.com.  Of course, even if the discount is over, you can still participate if you like. Get the details at the gintacuffs site.

The last time I played, I scored roughly 156 points. That was in 2010, Gint-A-Cuffs II. Last year, the winner had 207 points. We'll see how things go, I guess.

I would like to do a special group break for this Hobby Box, but I'll have to figure out just how to set that up. The potential for some great cards is there, but so is the chance of getting very little on a buy-in for one box. Well, no, not really. Covering a whole box, just about any buy-in would be worth it. There are many variables, though: rip cards, box toppers, non-baseball, double-autos, etc.  That's going to take some thought and planning.

In any case, once the 2013 A&G ships around August 7, I'll have the box soon afterward!

Friday, July 19, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Feelin' Wacky

I wasn't sure how busting packs would go since we have a write-in free agent draft. I mean, I don't want to post player names of folks we haven't seen yet. I don't think that would be fair to folks that have already submitted their write-in picks. I considered simply busting a pack and only posting the hits and/or players already in the draft. That is the route I planned to take. And then I reached into the big ol' box. Problem solved itself.

Tonight's pack is Leaf Awesome All-Stars. 5 stickers per pack. Oh, and some nasty old gum.

Tommy Tummy
Evil Eye Eric
Shane the Shortstop
Bo the Bookmaker
What's His Name

Finally, a player named what most people say about a whole slew of players: "What's his name..." That was worth the whole fretting over tonight's post possibilities. The scary thing is that the back of that card is a close-up piece of a belly button sticking out of a shirt. It's pretty gross, actually.


Double the Drafts, Double the Cardboard Collecting Fun!


This week, we're holding not one but TWO free agent drafts!  Why two? Because I think it will be fun.  We'll do our regular draft based on the cards pulled this week. Managers will select from the drop-downs just as we have done since I finally worked all that out back near the start of things.

The other draft will be a write-in. Since this is All-Star Week and we're at the halfway point (roughly) in the season, why not?  The write-in will work like this:

  • There will be 10 (ten) open slots where you can type in player names.
  • Please try to only write in players not already selected.
  • I will review the write-ins compared to selected players and this week's draft just to be safe.
  • The draft will take place in the same "Collapsing snake" format to give everyone a fair shot.
  • As in other drafts, managers snagging players will get all the cards of that player in future breaks for this season.
  • Non-player names/cards will be removed from the list. Players already owned will be removed from this draft.
  • This draft is open to existing managers. No new managers are being accepted in the break. Sorry.
  • If I think of anything else, I will add it to the rules/guidelines as I need to.
So, let's have some fun! Which players have not been uncovered yet but you'd like to secure their cards if/when they do come out of a pack? Which players had you forgotten about during previous write-in drafts? Let's see how this goes! Haha!

Noteables in this week's player draft:

  • Carl Hubbard 1984 Donruss Champions
  • Tug McGraw 1984 Donruss Champions
  • Brian Matusz 2012 Panini Triple Play
  • Oliver Perez 2005 UD Flyball
  • Bret Boone 2005 UD Flyball
  • Felix Fermin 1995 Topps Spectra Light
  • Chuck Knoblauch 1995 Topps
There are just over 40 players in the choose-a-player draft this week.

Here are the links to the TWO drafts:





Thursday, July 18, 2013

Tribecards from Outer Space: Three-4-Thursday

Hey everyone! There is a lot of thunder, lightning and rain going on around my house. And, to top that off, we have a house full of pre-teen girls for my daughter's slumber party. That is why I am in the Man Cave writing this!

Let's get to work on our Three-For-Thursday!

First up: 2012 Topps Series 2. 8 cards per pack.

Alex Rodriguez - Yankees - Matthew Wilson (Wahoo!!)
Andrew McCutchen - Pirates - BConrad (Wahoo!!)
Ryan Sweeney - Red Sox - Free Agent
Ken Griffey Jr Cut Above Die Cut - Mariners - Patrick Smith (Wahoo!!)
Josh Beckett Mini 82 - Red Sox - CattleRustler (Wahoo!!)
Cliff Lee - Phillies - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!)
Kerry Wood - Cubs - P-Town Tom (Wahoo!!)
Jason Kubel - DBacks - Free Agent

Wow, those inserts are sweet! The die cut is especially cool. Reminds me of the good ol' Pacific days!  The mini '82 is a nice throwback. Congrats folks!


Next up: 1993 Pinnacle Series 1. 15 cards per pack.

Tim Teufel - Padres - Paul Hadsall (Wahoo!!)
John Orton - Angels - Free Agent
Pat Borders - Blue Jays - GoBlue2112 (Wahoo!!)
Glenn Davis - Orioles - gcrl (Wahoo!!)
David Wells - Blue Jays - BP_Weber (Wahoo!!)
Kenny Lofton - Indians (Wahoo!) - Workman (Wahoo!!)
Lenny Dykstra - Phillies - Free Agent
Terry Pendleton - Braves - Captain Canuck (Wahoo!!)
Charles Nagy - Indians (Wahoo!) - Workman (Wahoo!!)
Jack McDowell - White Sox - Bo Rosny (Wahoo!!)
Mike Bordick - A's - Free Agent
Tony Gwynn Now and Then - Padres - Backstop Cards (Wahoo!!)
Dave Mlicki - Indians (Wahoo!) - Free Agent
Hal Morris - Reds - Free Agent
Shawn Jeter - White Sox - Free Agent

That Tony Gwynn card is fun! Shows him 10 years apart in age. I can't believe how man Indians were in this pack. This would have been a great Tribe-or-no-Tribe pack! Ah well.  Several free agents to add to the draft for the week. Congrats to Workman for getting a two-bagger in this pack and to everyone that scored cards in this round!


Our last pack tonight is 2012 Panini Triple Play. 7 items per pack.

Dustin Ackley - Seattle - Prowlingcat (Wahoo!!)
Brian Matusz - Baltimore - Free Agent
David Wright - Mets - Paul Hadsall (Wahoo!!)
Baseball 101 - Home Run
Sticker #5 Pitcher on mound, ball flying under leg
Andrew McCutchen 4 of 9 Puzzle - Pittsburgh - BConrad (Wahoo!!)
Ichiro 8 of 9 Puzzle - Seattle - Jafronius (Wahoo!!)

That pitcher on the mound sticker is weird bit of collectible, eh. Congrats to the managers pulling players from this pack. We've added a player to the draft and have a couple items to add to the random distribution at the end of the season.