Tuesday, September 30, 2014

#PackADailyCircus #ootp Simulated Radio Broadcast (R1G2, Tribecards/JoshDs)

Lunchtime experiment here. Last night (Monday night), I recorded my PbP from one of the OOTP games to see what that would be like. Well, it's a lot like listening to an old radio broadcast where the announcer was handed a mic for the first time in his life. Haha! I do 'live' updates from the other games going on as well.

In any case, I thought I would (attempt) to share it here for your listening..er, pleasure.

It is a LONG set - the game lasts about 45 minutes in talking time. If you want to listen, I suggest you let it run in the background. My next one will have the background crowds up much louder.

UPDATE: Embedding didn't work for some, though seems to work in Chrome. Here is link to file: Gameday Audio

Thanks for listening. Let me know what you thought. If you want to skip around, feel free.
My next one should be better and I hope to keep improving should I decide to keep at it. It was actually a LOT of fun.

Monday, September 29, 2014

#PackADailyCircus #ootp - Round 1, Game 2 Results!

Good evening, folks! Believe it or not, I actually DID record the Tribecards vs JoshDs game as it happened. That recording ended up about 45 minutes long! Whoa! I will probably post it at some point, just for laughs. If/when I do, I'll write it up as a separate post.

In the meantime, we have results from Game 2 of the PADCircus Playoffs!

As before, the link to the folder with all the game logs is:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1Z8vNjtCJDAdXZGcDlWblZ6LWc&usp=drive_web

Feel free to check the logs if you want to see how your favorite team(s) did during the actual game(s). If you prefer to skip down to see where things stand, just scroll below the image:


Okay, you were warned:


FDNYs v Wilsons: Series tied 1-1
Tribecards v JoshDs: Tribecards lead 2-0
PlayAtThePlates v CaptainCanucks: Series tied 1-1
Superduperman99 v NachosGrandes: Series tied 1-1

The Tribecards blew the socks off the JoshDs, winning 15-3. That was a crazy game! Tribecards are poised to take the series unless the JoshDs can rally back. With the rest of the matchups tied, the Tribecards and JoshDs may be watching from the stands after the next game.

How did things turn out in the Wordpress League?


GCRLs v Workmans: Workmans lead 2-0
BoRosnys v Kazis: Series is tied 1-1
Quarrys v Hadsalls: Quarrys lead 2-0
Thorzuls v Dawgbones: Thorzuls lead 2-0

Wow! We have three matchups on the verge of ending after the next game! We'll see if the underdogs on this of things can pull together a win to stay in the hunt. Will they keep up or be put out to pasture? Stay Tuned to find out!

PS: For those interested in stats, here are screenshots of the stats screens as of R1G2:

Click to enlarge (I hope!)










#PackADailyCircus - Correction (to the correction)

Thanks to an eagle-eyed and honest Jafronius, I was able to uncover a mistake I made.

Jafronius did not participate in the final draft. Instead, that should have been GoBlues.

I will make the adjustments in the rosters!

Thanks for catching that, Jafronius.

My apologies to the GoBlues.

The GoBlues are now the proud owners of Andy LaRoche!

UPDATE: I had earlier reported that GoBlues got Astros Mascot, but that is incorrect. The Quarrys have the mascot based on the results.


Sunday, September 28, 2014

#PackADailyCircus #ootp - PLAYOFFS!! Lots to catch up on (Wait, have I said that already? a couple times, even?)

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Tribecards Pack-A-Daily Circus Postseason! We've got a LOT to catch up on, so let's get started.

First of all, the ambitious notion of creating "radio broadcasts" of the games is out the window. There are just too many things going in in life to try to pull that off here. That is a bummer, because I just know you would have loved my radio style and witty banter with..er, myself.

So, with that news, I have created a Post Season folder that I am sharing so that you can look over the game logs as we go along. I will post the links to the game log folder and then later in each post, I will provide the actual standings, scores, etc. That way, I can head off any spoilers (or try anyway).

We also have a few packs to bust open as we finish out the actual MLB season, so we'll get those going as well.




We also have our final draft results!  Let's look at those first:

As always, everyone goes into the pot:


Then, the names are sorted in the spreadsheet. Only, I didn't take that screenshot. Instead, like a doofus, I took one of how things looked before I even ran the randomizer. Well, here ya go, for what it's worth - the list before random sorting:


What everyone really came for: the final results:


 Just as an FYI, here are a couple stats:

  1. This draft had the most shut-outs we've had all season (4)
  2. We had 24 managers participate
  3. Junction Jack, Dmitri Young, and Aaron Harang each received 15 requests
  4. The Jennings were the only team to grab two players!


Those names were put into the OOTP game before the first game was played. All teams were then given AI lineups and roster changes. Sorry, Jafronius and Otakus, but the expanded roster kinda freaked the post season out, so I had no choice but to give every the "AI Equal Treatment."

The Managers/Players list is updated as well. See the "PAD Info" tab above for the link.




Okay, I know you are dying to see what happened in the first day of playoff action, right!? Before we get there, here is the link to the whole postseason game logs folder:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1Z8vNjtCJDAdXZGcDlWblZ6LWc&usp=sharing#list

The files use the following format:
gamedate - visitor vs home (round, game)
Ex: 0927 - Tribecards at JoshDs (Round 1, Game 1)

SPOILER ALERT!! RESULTS FROM PLAYOFFS APPEAR AFTER THE IMAGE BELOW!!
Stop here if you want to go view the game logs for yourself before seeing the scores/standings.

You have been warned...


Okay, here we go!! Here are the results of the 09/27 games:

Dominic FDNYs vs Missouri Wilsons; Arkansas Tribecards vs California JoshDs; Texas PlayAtThePlates vs Alberta CaptainCanucks; and Illinois Superduperman99s vs Pennslyvania NachosGrandes:



Minnesota gcrls vs Florida Workmans; New York BoRosnys vs Ontario Kazis; Kentucky Quarrys vs New Jersey Hadsalls; and Wisconsin Thorzuls vs Virginia Dawgbones:


Congratulations all 1st game winners!! This is a "Best-of-Five" round, though, so plenty of time for those trailing to win.

I am a day behind, I know. So, I will let these stand. There is no game scheduled for the 29th in OOTP, so I will post the scores from the 28th's games on the 29th. Clear as mud? Well, just keep checking back.

Okay, we have some packs to bust! (Sorry, can't scan pics - ugh!)

2010 Topps Series 2:

Jeremy Guthrie - Orioles - BackstopCards (Wahoo!!)
Jake Westbrook - Indians (Wahoo!) - Wilsons (Wahoo!!)
Frank Robinson (1971 Cards your mom threw out) - Orioles - CaptainKirk42s (Wahoo!!)
Ozzie Smith 1993 Topps Reprint(?) - Cardinals - Maddings (Wahoo!!)
Gary Carter Million Dollar Giveaway promo card - Expos - Hadsalls (Wahoo!!)
Jermaine Dye Peak Performers - White Sox - JoshDs (Wahoo!!) 
Justin Verlander Topps Attax - Tigers - Otakus (Wahoo!!) 
Franklin Morales - Rockies - Free Agent

Man, we were so close to a Perfect Pack! Well, Morales will get randomly inserted for one of you!

Next Pack:

2008 Opening Day

Gil Meche - Royals - Free Agent
Jeff Clement - Mariners - Free Agent
Alfonso Soriano - Cubs - BoRosnys (Wahoo!!)
David Ortiz - Red Sox - FDNYs (Wahoo!!)
Josh Hamilton - Reds - ScottCrawfordOnCards (Wahoo!!)
Curt Schilling - Red Sox - FDNYs (Wahoo!! x2)

Congrats to FDNYs for grabbing two hits from this pack!

Let's do another 2010 Series 2:

Troy Tulowitzki - Rockies - Erins (Wahoo!!)
New York Yankees Team Card - Yankees - Free Agent
Lastings Milledge - Pirates - Free Agent
Jason Varitek - Red Sox - ThoughtsAndSox (Wahoo!!)
Mickey Mantle (1953 cards your mom threw out) - Yankees - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!)
Juan Marichal/Tim Lincecum Legendary Lineage - Giants - JoshDs (Wahoo!!)/Otakus (Wahoo!!)
Jon Lester Topps Attax - Red Sox - ThoughtsAndSox (Wahoo!! x2)
Jay Bruce - Reds - NachosGrandes (Wahoo!!)

Congrats, everyone!! Nice pulls for ThoughtsAndSox, getting two hits there.

Thanks for reading along and joining us on this VERY crazy adventure!

Tune in on Monday for the 2nd game results of the PAD Circus Playoffs!!

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Late to my own party...

Good evening, folks!

For those of you following at home, waiting on baited breath for the 1st playoff results from the OOTP game, I'm afraid you will have to wait a bit longer.

I videotaped a wedding for family friends back in June. I edited a video, burned it to DVD and promptly realized, as my wife and I watched on our TV, I had missed a setting or five or twelve. The video looked as though it had been recorded in 1980-something.  So, like all bad "friends of the family," I told the folks that I needed to redo the video, then promptly didn't.

Well, I promised to have it on Sunday (yes, that is TOMORROW if you are reading this on Saturday). The kicker is that what I thought was going to take about 2 hours managed to lose control and turn into a 8-hours project. So, while the video renders (and then is subsequently burned to DVD), my PC is out of commission - and that is where my OOTP game is.

So, the playoffs WILL happen (as will the draft), but it will have to wait until the video finishes.

Please accept my apologies - on all fronts.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

#PackADailyCircus #ootp - Season wrap-up, looking ahead

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the final day of action in the regular OOTP season for the PackADaily Circus League. Today, we find out who is going on and who is going home to lick their wounds and possibly get ready for next season's pack-busting goodness.

First, let's take a look at the teams who have CLINCHED their division:

BLOGGER LEAGUE
Picadilly Division: California JoshDs with a 100-62 record.
Green Park Division: Missouri Wilsons with a 104-58 record.
Leicester Division: Pennsylvania NachosGrandes turning in a 105-57 record.
Oxford Circus Division: Alberta CaptainCanucks end the season with a 92-70 record.

WORDPRESS LEAGUE
Punto Obelisco Division: Virginia Dawgbones with a 103-59 record.
Lillywhites Division: New Jersey Hadsalls end with a league-leading 120-42 record!
Bakerloo Division: Ontario Kazis win with a 106-56 record.
Caring Cross Division: Florida Workmans take the division with a 112-50 record.

Congratulations to each of the managers for securing their places as the first-ever OOTP-based division champions!!  You will each receive a special bonus for achieving this landmark position in Tribecards history.




Gonzalez Stakes Claim to Fame, Hits .403

Adrian Gonzalez joined a very select group today as he closed out 2013 with a torrid .403 batting average. It was a fantastic year for the Minnesota first baseman as he became the newest member of baseball's .400 club.

During the season he stroked 250 hits, including 62 doubles, 1 triple and 32 home runs. Gonzalez also scored 141 times and drove in 131 runs.

Asked by the media what's the hardest part of hitting .400, he glibly replied, "Getting 4 hits in every 10 at-bats." Then, speaking seriously, Gonzalez added, "Staying out of slumps is important. You have to be focused in every game and in every at-bat. Don't swing at anything but strikes... and stay away from any pitch you can't hit."


The race to first isn't over. We have several teams who have secured wildcard spots in the playoffs:

Arkansas Tribecards
Dominic FDNYs
Texas PlayAtThePlates
Illinois Superduperman99s
Wisconsin Thorzuls
Minnesota GCRLs
Kentucky Quarrys
New York BoRosnys

Good luck to each of you (though I am pulling for one team in particular, as I'm sure you understand)!


Second to None: Geggus Wins Triple Crown!

Few men in baseball history have won the pitching triple crown. Charlie Geggus of the Ontario Kazis joined this elite company today when the season ended, officially making him the league leader in ERA, K's and wins.

Geggus put up a 27-3 record, an ERA of 1.63 and 340 strikeouts this season. He started 33 times, walked 76 and held opposing clubs to a .181 average.

Geggus is the odds-on favorite to capture the Ring Toss Champion this year.


On Sept 27th, we will see the first round of playoff action start. The first round consists of a best-of-five format. Which teams face off for Round One? Let's take a look:

Superduperman99s vs NachosGrandes

FDNYs vs Wilsons

Tribecards vs JoshDs

PlayAtThePlates vs CaptainCanucks

Quarrys vs Hadsalls

GCRLs vs Workmans

BoRosnys vs Kazis

Thorzuls vs Dawgbones

I am planning to do "broadcast recordings" of the games with "live look-ins." So, I will pick a game to record with my voice as something like a radio broadcast and while that game is going on, we should be able to do look-ins of the other games happening at the same time. Yeah, I'm not sure how it will all come together either. But, it should be fun! The broadcasts won't actually be live unless I figure out how to pull that off, too. I figure i will record myself, upload the file and share the link. We'll see what happens.

Stay Tuned!

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

#PackADailyCircus - The Final Countdo... er, Draft Picks!

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! To start things off, the Players/Managers list has been updated, so feel free to check that out. (Here is the list)

As I have mentioned, there will be one more Free Agent Draft. I am sending out the draft list tonight (after I bust a pack) and it will be another short draft turn around - I will hold the draft on Saturday, Sept 27 before the postseason starts for ootp! Wahoo!!

Speaking of WAHOO!!, the Indians are fighting to get into the post season in the actual MLB, and they did a nice job of fending off the Royals. Let's Go Tribe!  Actually, I have to say, this has been one of the most exciting season closes I've paid attention to in a while. This should be a fun postseason in the MLB,

The regular season for our OOTP games ends on September 25th. So, I will run the simulation and post pictures. I am out of town for training, but I should have the full season's worth of info online by Friday evening. Then, we will be off to the postseason!

Before we get there, we have a few days of pack busting left. Tonight, I have 2008 Opening Day.

Kevin Hart - Cubs - Free Agent - [Cool! A newly-hatched free agent for our last hoorah!]

Jose Contreras - White Sox - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!) - [Next season, I want to figure out a way to incorporate hits into the ootp game - some kind of stat bonus or something every time a manager pulls a card.]

Clint Sammons - Braves - Free Agent - [Nice! Another one into the fray.]

Richie Sexson - Mariners - TSHensons (Wahoo!!) - This card appears long after he was a Triber.]

Tadahito Iguchi - Phillies - JediJeffs (Wahoo!!) - [That is not an easy name to type this late into the work night.]

Freddy Sanchez - Pirates - BC's (Wahoo!!) - [See? I said something the other day about the BCs not getting card, and now he is hitting left and right.]

Well, no inserts in that pack. Bummer!


Tuesday, September 23, 2014

#PackADailyCircus - Rectal Cranium Disease

Good evening, folks. Well, it turns out I screwed up the draft. As i was putting names in order, I swapped CaptainCanucks and CaptainKirk42s. Lucky for me, Captain Canuck is a forgiving sort of fellow.

Now that we're all friends again, let's rip a couple packs of 2010 Series 2:

Mike Fontenot - Cubs - Jafronius (Wahoo!!) - [Nice play at second shot here!]

Clay Buchholz - Red Sox - BC's (Wahoo!!) - [I don't think we've seen much for the BC's this season. At least, not that pops into my head. Glad you got one here!]

Ryan Howard - Phillies - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!) - [The way the bat and the line between dirt and grass align, it looks like the card was cut and pasted along that angle. Weird effect.]

Jay Bruce - Reds - NachosGrandes (Wahoo!!) - [Um, what is going on in this card? At this angle, with the chalk lines where they are, it appears he is sliding back into first after overrunning the base. Okay, I checked out Great American and he is sliding home. The batter's box is basically directly in front of him and the plate is on the right side of the chalk line at his feet. You basically have to turn the card to get the angle. Yeah, I put too much thought into this one.]

Lou Gehrig Vintage Legends - Yankees - GoBlues (Wahoo!!) - [That is one VERY yellow card. In fact, soccer referees are probably using that one in-game.]

Chase Utley History of the World Series - Phillies - Dawgbones (Wahoo!! x2) - [This actually looks like something Upper Deck would have released.]

Eddie Mathews Turkey Red - Braves - Dayfs (Wahoo!!) - I'm assuming there is significance to his holding 7 bats.]

Matt Kemp Topps Attax - Dodgers - Night Owls (Wahoo!!) - [Huh. I just realized Topps Attax and ToppsTown were connected. Well, that only took 4 years.]

Jordan Zimmerman - Nationals - CaptainKirk42s (Wahoo!!) - [When I was very young, I crush on our babysitter. Her last name was Zimmerman. I have no idea what her first name was. No, wait, that was my 2nd grade teacher's name. I dunno, man, I must have sniffed too many ditto copies as a kid.]



Here is our 2nd pack:

Blake DeWitt - Dodgers - DiamondKings (Wahoo!!) - [Wow, congrats, DKs! I know we haven't see your name come up often. The perks (or pitfalls), I suppose, of being highly selective.]

Dan Uggla - Marlins - Quarrys (Wahoo!!) - [There's a lot of aqua blue on that card.]

Chase Headley - Padres - BackstopCards (Wahoo!!) - [Is it hard for players to play for many years in one place (7.5 seasons or so with the Padres) and then get moved to another team (Yankees)?]

Roy Oswalt - Astros - Workmans (Wahoo!!) - [Judging by his face, that's a pretty hard pitch.]

Harmon Killebrew/Justin Morneau Legendary Lineage - Twins - EG9460s (Wahoo!!)/gcrls (Wahoo!!) - [Cool card, though as in the earlier pack, this looks like a UD rip-off.]

Andrew McCutchen Lenticular - Pirates - BCs (Wahoo!!) - [What a GREAT card! Man, this is cool. McCutchen has been instrumental in getting the Bucs out of their 21-year slump last year and then getting them as far as they've come this season.]

Lance Berkman Topps Attax - Astros - RJBreezes (Wahoo!!) - [Do you see Berkman in the HOF some day? I absolutely do.]

Yadier Molina - Cardinals - Erins (Wahoo!!) - [Way to pull a Yadie! I like the photo on here - chasing after a pop-up!]






Sunday, September 21, 2014

#PackADailyCircus - Draft is in and a couple packs

Good afternoon, folks! Hope you are enjoying your Sunday afternoon full of hockey, er, football brawling. Kind of a crazy day for throwing punches on the field, eh.

Well, here, the only punches involve draft picks. We had a short draft with a short turn-around time. So, we also had a short list of participants - 23 managers this week.

We had a couple shut-outs: JoshDs and TSHensons. Sorry, guys.

The big winners, in terms of numbers, are the folks who listed ALL the available players (which holds true every draft, really). By doing that, you are guaranteed a shut-out prevention, plus you are almost certain to get multiple players. Of course, if those other players don't fit your collection, there is no point listing them, right? Not for me, anyway. I just take my chances on the ones I actually want - usually. Sometimes, I'll reach out for players that I want to use as trade fodder or in giveaways later. I digress. Often.

Here is how things stacked up:

First, I ran the list through the randomizer:


Then, I put everyone in order:


And, after running the snake draft, here is how the chips fell:


The most popular picks were the Sketch Card, Kouzmanoff, Lewis, and Okajima.

Congrats, everyone! I will get these entered into the OOTP game and have the Manager/Player list updated soon.

We have just ONE MORE DRAFT before everything winds down and we move into the post-season!  How will this all work? well, the OOTP season ends on Sept 25th. So, i will run the simulation through the end of the season and post the results. We will then move into post-season play. I will the final draft on Saturday, Sept 27 BEFORE launching the post season. That way, any newly drafted players will be included on post-season rosters.

As for pack busting, the regular MLB season ends on Sept 28th. So, I will bust packs through that date. Any free agents uncovered between the final draft and the end of the MLB season will be randomly distributed among managers, one card at a time. That is, if I open 3 of the same free agent, those three cards will be randomly distributed among three managers. One manager will NOT get all the cards of that player. It is the most fair and unfair way to handle it. :-) Clear as mud?


Okay, let's bust open two packs:

1986 Donruss All-Stars

Craig Nettles Pop-up - Yankees - Free Agent - [Wow! Right out of the gate, we have a free agent of a cool pop-up card!]

Hank Aaron Puzzle 46, 47, 48 - Braves - Dayfs (Wahoo!!) - [Any time we pull Hank, it's a great day!]

Cal Ripken Jr - Orioles - TSHensons (Wahoo!!) - [These oversized cards are great!]

Steve Garvey - Padres - gcrls (Wahoo!!) - [Did you know the "G" in GCRL stands for Garvey? Yeap!]

Carlton Fisk - White Sox - ThoughtsAndSox (Wahoo!!) - ["...AndSox" covers either side of the "Sox" name in the PADCircus!]


And, let's open yet another 2008 Opening Day:

Chris R Young - Padres - BoRosnys (Wahoo!!) - [I always have to check when a Chris Young is pulled because there are several who have played. Keeps me on my toes!]

Jake Peavy - Padres - Workmans (Wahoo!!) - [Back-to-back Padres. Good pack for the west-coaster, eh?]

Dmitiri Young - Nationals - Free Agent - [Well, we journey back to the East Coast, and snag a free agent for our travels.]

Junction Jack Mascot Tattoo - Astros - Free Agent - [I had no idea who this mascot belonged to. I can honestly say I had no clue this was the Astros mascot.]

Aaron Harang - Reds -  Free Agent - [Huh. Another surprise free agent.]

David DeJesus - Royals - JoshDs (Wahoo!!) - [I'm not sure what that face is...]

Congrats, managers! The free agents will go into the pool of players for for the final draft!



Saturday, September 20, 2014

#PackADailyCircus - Cards from ShaneDiaz and it's time for a couple packs

Good evening, folks! I did not get to bust a pack last night because we were off to watch my daughter cheer for the JV football squad: 2 hours away from home!

Before I bust open packs tonight, I received a PWE from Shane Diaz. They come as a "thank you" because I had sent him a JJ Walker sticker from a pack of "Good Times" cards I had opened over at "A Pack to be Named Later."  He sent some very cool Tribers!


I'm not sure I've seen the Leaf Second Edition cards before. The Victory looks way better in person! Getting a "Member's Choice" is always a plus, and when it features someone like Baerga, well, that is pure cardboard magic right there! Speaking of Baeggy, how about that Puckett "Profiles" card! I am quite certain I have not seen that before. Thanks for ALL the cards, Shane! Very cool!

Let's rip some wax. I have two packs of 2010 Topps Series 2:

Dan Runzler - Giants - Free Agent - [Sorry to say I have never heard of him.]

Mike McCoy - Blue Jays - Free Agent - [Wow. Let's see if we go hitless...]

Andy Marte - Indians (Wahoo!) - Free Agent - [Snagged a Triber! Always great in my book.]

Joel Pineiro - Angels - Maddings (Wahoo!!) - [Whew! Nice job grabbing the card and for breaking our hitless streak!]

Joe Morgan 1980 Topps Cards Mom Threw Out - Reds - NachosGrandes (Wahoo!!) - [I owned the real version of that card once upon a time. Not sure if I still have it or not. I need to check my "Non-Tribers" collection.]

Tom Seaver Vintage Legends - Mets - MySportsObsessions (Wahoo!!) - [Sweet! I don't what kind of card it is: Seaver is always a fun pull for me.]

Stephen Drew Topps Attax - Diamondbacks - NachosGrandes (Wahoo!! x2) - [Two hits! Great job!]

New York Mets Team Card - Mets - Free Agent - [The logo is spoken for, but not the team card. Should be a fun draft next time.]



(BTW, I checked my Non-Tribers, and sure enough, I have the original 1980 Joe Morgan. Nice!)

Here is our second pack:

Brandon Wood - Angels - Free Agent - [Starting off with another free agent. Hmm...]

Taylor Teagarden - Rangers - BackstopCards (Wahoo!!) - [He has one of the coolest last name - just because it is so unique.]

Andy LaRoche - Pirates - Free Agent - [The Canucks have Adam, but Andy is up for grabs.]

Brad Bergesen - Orioles - Free Agent - [For once, I am not surprised.]

J P Howell - Rays - Free Agent - [There have a lot of players that have just used their first two initials.]

Chad Billingsley Turkey Red - Dodgers - CaptainKirk42s (Wahoo!!) - [Very nice snag on this one! I like the TR inserts.]

Josh Johnson Topps Attax - Marlins - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!) - [Way to go, Dawgbones! did anyone ever play Attax?]

Austin Jackson - Tigers - PatWs (Wahoo!!) - [Am I the only one who thinks "Steve Austin" when I see this name? Probably.]

Congrats, each of you that added a card or two to your piles!







Wednesday, September 17, 2014

#PackADailyCircus - Short draft, OOTP league updates, and a couple packs

Good evening, everyone! Thanks for joining us this evening. We've got a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time to get there. So, hold on to your hats:



This week, we have a short draft - both in terms of turnaround time and in terms of a players list. There are only 32 names on the list! We usually have more than number of managers participating.
The deadline is 11:59pm, Saturday September 20!!  NOTE: that is just a couple days!!

We only have one more draft (after this one) before the post-season starts in OOTP (and in the MLB, really).


The PAD Circus online updates are posted: http://tinyurl.com/padcircus

Let's see what we'e got:

The Missouri Wilsons, Pennsylvania NachosGrandes, and the Alberta CaptainCanucks have all clinched their divisions in the Blogger League!

In the Wordpress League, the Virginia Dawgbones and the Ontario Kazis have secured their place as division champs!

Congratulations to those five teams!! There are still a couple divisions with managers vying to take the division. In the standings list, the column marked "M#" is the "Magic Number" of games needed for the specified team to take their division. The hardest battle will be for the JoshDs who must win 6 games to clinch. The lightest should be for the Florida Workmans who need just two games to take their division.

I am going to have some kind of "BONUS" prizes for each Division Winner, each League Winner, and then a prize pack for the first-ever Tribecards Giveaway World Series Winner!


Okay, now that juices are flowing and the draft has been sent to the managers, let's rip some wax!

1992 Stadium Club Series 1:

Francisco de la Rosa - Giants - Wilsons (Wahoo!!) - [He played one season, ended up with a 4.50 ERA, and played for several minor league teams. He died in 2011 at the young age of 44.]

Craig Grebeck - White Sox - MySportsObsessions (Wahoo!!) - [He looks scared-to-death in this pose. Yikes!]

Braulio Castillo - Phillies - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!) - [You know he looks like in this picture? El DeBarge. Tell me I'm wrong.]

Darren Holmes - Brewers - Thorzuls (Wahoo!!) - [Is he... snarling!? Haha, that's funny.]

Dave Hollins - Phillies - Free Agent - [Wow, weird to see a free agent from this series considering how many packs of this we've opened this season!]

Gary Thurman - Royals - Free Agent - [And, just like that, back-to-back free agents.]

Anthony Young - Mets - Free Agent - [Okay, now the cardboard gods are just messing with us.]

Roberto Alomar - Blue Jays - Kazis (Wahoo!!) - [Wow, we have not seen a lot of Alomar this season. Great pull!!]

Mike Pagliarulo - Twins - Free Agent - [You have to admit, that is a cool last name. I'm tempted to name one of my characters (in the ootp-based novel I'm writing) after his last name,

Greg Cadaret - Yankees - Chonks (Wahoo!!) - [He played MLB for 10 years, spending '93-'98 bouncing between several teams.]

Mike Scioscia - Dodgers - Night Owls (Wahoo!!) - [Alomar and Scioscia in the same pack! Sweet! Haha, you can tell when I grew up, eh. I would have flipped in my younger days (like I'm not flipping now, right?)]

Shawn Boskie - Cubs - Otakus (Wahoo!!) - [Had a killer debut - complete game, 5-hitter, 1-earned run. Nice job, kid!]

Jeff Blauser - Braves - CaptainCanucks (Wahoo!!) - [Two-time All-Star, spent 13 years in the bigs. Ended his career with a .292 AVG overall. Can't complain there.]

Lee Stevens - Angels - PlayAtThePlates (Wahoo!!) - [In this pic, he wears a look that says, "You want me to stand like THIS!?"

Dave Hansen - Dodgers - Free Agent - [Currently serves as Assistant Hitting Coach for the Angels.]


Okay, let's open another pack! As you may recall, I have a bunch of 2008 Opening Day, so...

Gary Sheffield - Tigers - Chonks (Wahoo!!) - [Did he have a nickname? He should have.]

Stephen Drew - Diamondbacks - NachosGrandes (Wahoo!!) - [Here's a bit of trivia: Drew was one of the limited "RRO Rookies" when eTopps was still making cards. He was one of the highest-priced eTopps cards ever, for a long time. I owned one for a while then sold it on eBay for a nice payout.]

Josh Beckett Puzzle Piece - Red Sox - ThoughtsAndSox (Wahoo!!) - [I thought Beckett Media was going to ... well, let's just say they seemed overly excited when a player with their name came on the scene.]

Aaron Hill - Blue Jays - Kazis (Wahoo!!) - [Wow. One of the worst pics ever. He is very far away, and I am pretty sure he is not in focus. Ouch!]

Raul Ibanez - Mariners - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!) - [Well, this card suffers the same problem as Hill's.]

Joey Votto - Reds - NachosGrandes (Wahoo!! x2) - [Nice! Two hits for NachosGrandes! I have probably said this before, but MAN that is a lot of red!]


Monday, September 15, 2014

#PackADailyCircus - Enter Sandman

Good evening, folks! Hope you had a great Monday. Before the sandman pushes me over the edge into the blissful ignorance of sleep, I thought I had better rip open a pack of cards!

2008 Opening Day:

Miguel Tejada - Orioles - BoRosnys (Wahoo!!)
Wladimir Balentine - Mariners - FDNYs (Wahoo!!)
J R Towles - Astros - Free Agent
Alex Gordon - Royals - JoshDs (Wahoo!!)
Jeff Francoeur - Braves - Backstop Cards (Wahoo!!)
Aramis Ramirez - Cubs - Pedersejs (Wahoo!!)

Congratulations to the managers scoring players from the pack! I will have these scanned on Tuesday. I will also have the rosters updated and should have the next draft ready!

Good night, all!




Sunday, September 14, 2014

#PackADailyCircus - Draft time, finally!

Hey all! As you probably surmised, I did not complete the draft late Saturday night. I ran into a few issues and was getting too tired to keep up with mistakes (namely, my own).

Here are a few notes:

  • "Fred" Lasher" (Misspelled on draft as "Feed Lasher")
    • Obviously, I can misspell things like nobody's business! Though, "Feed Lasher" sounds like some kind of critter that might be found in a set of Allen and Ginter.
  • "Jack Hanrahan" vs "Jack Hannahan" vs "Joel Hanrahan"
    • Had a manager try to claim "Jack Hanrahan" but our player was Jack Hannahan. I thought, "Oh, I must have misspelled that, too." Nope. So, I thought, "I must have missed him in the draft list." Nope. And then i thought, "Wait. Is 'Jack' even Hanranhan's first name?" Nope, it's Joel. I was very confused at that point, as you might imagine.
  • "Josh Donaldson" was listed as someone's pick, but he already belongs to RJBreezes. I'll explain more about errant draftees in a moment.
  • "Zack Bornstein" was listed as a pick. That was just a typo on the manager's part. It had no effect on the draft because Zach had been taken by the time the "Zack" showed up in the rounds.
  • "do Rivero" (Tribecards) - I did this one. Somehow, I managed to skip the first part of "Armando" when I made my pick. Yeah, I got nothing there. Complete operator headspace issue on that one. As above, Rivero had been drafted by the time I saw my mistake, so no effect on the draft.
  • "Jon Warden" (Misspelled on draft list as "Harden") - Another Tribecards headspace issue. On the draft list that was emailed, I listed "Jon Warden" as "Jon Harden." One manager caught it. Thanks, Bo! You guys help keep me in check (and THAT is no easy task!)
Errant draftees can appear on the list when managers go back through posts to try and figure out who is up for grabs. I do not go back and assign players to their owners in the posts after a draft. In retrospect, though, I might take that on next season because it would help clarify things for folks who were just passing through and not reading posts in order. That would be a huge undertaking, so I have not committed to that one yet. Anyway, I thought I might explain how already-taken names sometimes end up in the manager pick list. Any names already taken or not appearing in the email I send out are removed from the draft.


We had TWO shut-outs this week: MySportsObsessions and Pedersejs had their picks gone before their names came up in the draft cycle. Sorry, guys. Nature of the beast. Better luck next draft!

So, here are the pics to go with the picks:





Saturday, September 13, 2014

#PackADaily Circus - A Few Good Players

Good evening! Sorry i missed the last few days. While I work on the draft results, here are a few packs to try and make things up to you:

1990 Donruss

Carl Yastrzemski Puzzle 46, 47, 48 - Red Sox - ThougthsAndSox (Wahoo!!) - [I only have one complete puzzle that I am aware of. It is Hank Arron and I have it in a frame on my wall.]

Dave Magadan - Mets - ScottCrawfordOnCards (Wahoo!!) - [So, here is how my mind works: Magadan > Magdeline > Mandolin > Mandolin Rain > Bruce Hornsby]

Jeff Musselman - Mets - Free Agent - [Huh. Kinda surprised there. Really only because in seasons past, he's been on somebody's roster. Well, i suppose he will find a place this year, too, now.]

Chuck Crim - Brewers - Free Agent - [The original C.C.? Yeah, that was bad, I know]

Steve Buechele - Rangers - NachosGrandes (Wahoo!!) - [Is this the same card that got him on your team in the first place? I don't remember. If so, now you have two.]

Sergio Valdez - Braves - Free Agent - [Bad typesetting means this card has a misplaced line running through the top of the "S" in his first name.]

Ron Darling - Mets - Free Agent - [Wow, lots of Mets in this pack!]

Scott Sanderson - Cubs - Free Agent - [Shaping up to be a nice stack of draftees for the next draft!]

Frank Tanana - Tigers - JediJefs (Wahoo!!) - [Some of the uniforms looked retro even when they weren't]

Roger McDowell - Phillies - Hadsalls (Wahoo!) - [He was always one of my favorite Phillies players.]

Jerry Browne - Indians (Wahoo!) - Tribecards (Wahoo!!) - [I always have mixed feeling about pulling cards I already have. I just put them in my doubles boxes and use them as trade fodder.]

Jerry Reed - Mariners - Free Agent - [Come on, sing along with me.. "Eastbound and down, loaded up and truckin..."]

Jerry Kutzler - White Sox - Free Agent - [I hope he is not offended, but I have never heard of him. He does, though, have his own Wikipedia entry!]

Jose Alvarez - Braves - Free Agent - [I sure hope you folks like some 1990 Donruss...]

Vance Law - Cubs - Free Agent - [What do I remember most about him? His glasses.]

Mike Bielecki Diamond King - Cubs - Free Agent - [Still scratching my head as to why certain players were chosen for these and others were not.]

Sergio Valdez - Braves - Free Agent - [Holy crap! There's a glitch in the matrix. Run!]



Next up: 2010 Topps Series Two:

Ryan Howard/Cole Hamels Phillies Franchise History - Phillies - Dawgbones (Wahoo!!)/Dawgbones (Wahoo!!) - [Well, this one is easy to figure out! Congrats, Dawgbones!]

Fred Lewis - Giants - Free Agent - [A bit of a weird card that features more of the Rockies player standing than of Lewis knee-sliding into base.]

Kevin Kouzmanoff - A's - Free Agent - [Really!? Wow, he's usually long gone by now. In case you didn't know, when he was a Tribe, he hit a grand slam during his first MLB at-bat. The Indians promptly got rid of him - we can't have that kind of success on the team ,you know.]

Trevor Crowe - Indians (Wahoo!) - Free Agent - [Sweet! I will try to grab him up in the next draft!]

Reggie Jackson Vintage Legends - Yankees - Dayfs (Wahoo!!) - [I am guilty of having bought several Reggie bars in my childhood days.]

Chris Coghlan Lenticular - Marlins - Free Agent - [If you move your fingernail gently across the face, you can make your own record-scratching sounds. #wikiwikiwiki]

B J Upton Topps Attax - Rays - Dayfs (Wahoo!! x2) - [Congrats, Dayfs! Way to score two hits from this pack!]

Trevor Hoffman - Brewers - BackstopCards (Wahoo!!) - [Love the composition of this shot! The arm and logo lead the eye downward via the arm and the sweeping curve of the design. The nearly-opposing curve of the Brewers logo leads the eye to the glove and down to his name. Well done.]


Okay, one more and then I have to get the draft going!

2008 Opening Day:

Orlando Cabrera - Angels - Free Agent - [Nice set piece: he is reaching out with open glove to catch a ball headed toward him, photo taken looking straight at him.]

Rich Thompson - Angels - Free Agent - [Angels in the Circus, eh?]

Prince Fielder Flapper (?) - Brewers - TSHensons (Wahoo!!) - [I am very certain I have never seen these. This is a cool card than can be folded to reveal "another" card. Kinda. I didn't fold this because it isn't mine. I am kind of guessing at how it works.]

Justin Verlander - Tigers - Otakus (Wahoo!!) - [This may be a PAD Circus duplicate for you. I can't remember now.]

Kelly Johnson - Braves - CaptainCanucks (Wahoo!!) - [The gold foil printing on some of these looks a bit rough. Ouch.]

Hideki Okajima - Red Sox - Free Agent - [This one the old school "Topps Rookie" trophy in the upper corner. Cool nod to the past.]

Okay, folks, thanks for playing along!! I will have the draft results posted either late tonight (Saturday) or on Sunday. Time flies...


Rain delay

Packadaily circus is under a temporary rain delay. Regular play should resume Saturday evening.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

#PackADailyCircus - Seeing Red

Howdy, folks! Looks like a late-night pack-busting post tonight. I grabbed a pack of 2008 Opening Day. Let's see if we get another puzzle piece out these packs:

Chuck James - Braves - Free Agent - [Man, I hate starting off with a free agent. I'd much rather we had a hit. Also, is it safe to eat 6-year old gum? Probably not.]

Dan Haren - A's - Wilsons (Wahoo!!) - [Congratulations! The photo on this card is not bad, being squeezed between the borders and all, but still look decent.]

Nick Markakis - Orioles - Otakus (Wahoo!!) - [Nice pull! I always seem to type too many "kaki's when I type his name.]

Eric Byrnes - Diamondbacks - Chonks (Wahoo!) - [Weird seeing him in this uni. In my head, he's always an A's player.]

Trevor Hoffman - Padres - BackstopCards (Wahoo!!) - [Certainly shows serious leg extension. Wow.]

Troy Glaus - Blue Jays - Kazis (Wahoo!!) - [Wow! Here's a name I haven't heard in a long time. Nice pull!]

Well, we started off with a miss, but every other card was a hit! Congratulations, managers!


#PackADailyCircus #ootp - Standings and clinching spots!

Good evening, folks! I am posting this week's OOTP15 simulation updates. We have a couple doozies.

First, let's start with breaking news from the Dawgbones:


This does not look good for the mascot nor the team, though i have to admit, it is one of the funniest things I've read - if only because we're talking about the (fictional) mascot here! Haha!

Now, let's talk standings. we'll get to the actual screen shots in a minute, but first we've got teams that have clinched divisions and playoff berths!

The Wilsons have clinched the Green Park Division in the Blogger League, holding on to an 18-game lead over both the Maddings and MysportsObsessions.

Also in the Blogger League, the CaptainCanucks clinched their division, Oxford Cross, as they, too, hold an 18-game lead over the second place Chonks.

Over in the Wordpress League, things are a bit tighter. No one has claimed a division title yet, but several teams have worked their way into a playoff spot! The Thorzuls trail by 9 games behind the Hadsalls, thus guaranteeing a spot in the playoffs.

The BoRosnys are only 3 games behind the Workmans, giving them a spot in the playoffs. They could whip around the Workmans and steal the division title, if things go their way. The Workmans will be hard at work trying to keep that from happening.

 Everyone else is either too close to call or is so far out of the race, they could not show up for the rest of the season and probably see little to no change in their situation. It's been a rough season for several teams in the Blogger League like the Erins, the DiamondKings, and every team in last place on the Wordpress side. Better luck next season, folks! Hey, at least you will get some very cool cards, right?

Here are the standings:



Which teams are leading the league? Let's take a look:


Next week, I should be able to provide the interactive version (wait, did I say that last week!?). I will certainly post the entire league online after the season. The weeklies are harder to coordinate.

In any case, congratulations to the teams securing positions, especially to The Wilsons and the CaptainCanucks for winning their respective divisions!!  WAHOO!!

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

#PackADailyCircus - Two-for-Tuesday because we missed on Monday

Good evening, folks! I missed a post yesterday, but it was for a good cause: we our annual county fair parade (yes, they still do that down here in the south) and my daughter had her cheer/tumbling class. There's no crying in baseball, so let's get this wagon train a-movin! (See what i did there, Wiiillllsssooonnn?)

First up, 2012 Topps Series One

Adrian Beltre - Rangers - PlayAtThePlates (Wahoo!!) - [This is a great 'concentration' photo!]

Juan Nicasio - Rockies - ProwlingCats (Wahoo!!) - [Wow! Good job, 'Cats! I don't remember breaking him out of a pack before, so perhaps you picked him during a write-in draft? Either way, congrats!]

Jhonny Peralta - Tigers - Maddings (Wahoo!!) - [If there were "Jhonny" players in the league before him, I don't recall them. But, it sure seems like quite a few have come into the MLB since. That's probably just me and my lack of general baseball knowledge.]

Evan Longoria Mini - Rays - TSHensons (Wahoo!!) - [When my brother and I were kids, we'd call this style "The Wooden Kind." Yeah, I've told you that before, I know. I like telling it.]

Jay Bruce - Reds - NachosGrandes (Wahoo!!) - [This could have easily been a team card.]

Melky Cabrera - Royals - Jennings (Wahoo!!) - [Congrats to the Jennings - One of our female players and collectors! Even Melky is leaping for joy!]

Ivan Nova - Yankees - BoRosnys (Wahoo!!) - [If you say his name and add something like, "watchu tink yousa doin?" it sounds like something JarJar would say. Yeah, I went there.]

Kevin Gregg - Orioles - Chonks (Wahoo!!) - [Has anyone done a player study on those with two first names? Or two last names, even?]

Ricky Nolasco - Marlins - Quarrys (Wahoo!!) - [Wow, we're getting a nice array of team representation here. Plus, we're heading for a Perfect Pack!]

Mariano Rivera All-Time Saves Leader Checklist - Yankees - Jennings (Wahoo!! x2) - [Awesome! Congrats for getting two hits in this pack.]

Ian Kennedy, Clayon Kershaw, Roy Halladay NL Wins Leaders - Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Phillies - PTownToms (Wahoo!!), Night Owls (Wahoo!!), RJBreezes (Wahoo!!) - [I love multi-player cards! Wonder which lucky manager ends up with this one? Good luck, guys!]

Craig Kimbrel Rookie Saves Record Checklist - Braves - CaptainCanucks (Wahoo!!) - [The best checklists in my book have players on the front!]

WAHOO!! We just hit a Perfect Pack! Congrats, everyone. I don't know about you, but for me, it was worth the wait. Very cool stuff.




Next up, 2008 Opening Day:

Todd Helton - Rockies - Quarrys (Wahoo!!) - [After our trip to Colorado, my son latched on to Helton for wearing #17 (same as my son), sharing his initials (TH), and playing 1st base (at which my some grabbed most-improved player his senior year in high school).]

Ross Detwiler - Nationals - Free Agent - [Having kids grow up during "Suite Life" and "Suite Life on Deck," I can only see his last name as Titwiler. Those of you who understand, understand.]

Scott Kazmir - Rays - Otakus (Wahoo!!) - [Do pitchers know they make those faces?]

Hanley Ramirez Puzzle 21/28 - Marlins - Night Owls (Wahoo!!) - [Here is another puzzle piece! We saw a Sizemore the other day. Maybe if I buy a few more boxes, we can build the whole thing.. Wait, I would have to buy at least 8-9 boxes and hope for no duplicates. Sorry, not happening.]

Daric Barton - A's - Free Agent - [Not that this will surprise anyone, but I have never heard of him. A quick check online, and I see that is my own stupid fault. He seems like a solid day-to-day kinda guy.]

Mark Reynolds - Diamondbacks - Free Agent - [Hmm, thought we've seen him. Maybe in a recent break? I dunno, maybe it's just my imagination (yes, you have to do the spongebob hands with that word).]

Congratulations to you three that scored a card from here! Those puzzles sure are cool, though not as "interactive" as the Donruss ones from several decades ago... Yeesh. Donruss puzzles were DECADES ago - I remember when I was buying them fresh out of the box. That is one of favorite thing about collecting baseball cards - I can instantly recall memories just from a pack or a particular card. What a great hobby.


Sunday, September 7, 2014

#PackADailyCircus - Is there an artist in the house?

Good evening! Or, perhaps by now, I should say, "Good Nighttime, folks!" Or however one says "Hi, it is later than evening, but not past midnight."

No matter how you say it, what I *can* say is that it is PACK TIME! Wahoo!!

2010 Topps Series 2:

A J Burnett - Yankees - Kazis (Wahoo!!) - [He was born in North Little Rock, which is roughly 100 miles north of where I live. Very cool!]

Tony Perez/Johnny Bench Franchise History - Reds - Quarrys (Wahoo!!)/Trhdds (Wahoo!!) - [Sorry i do not know my Reds history. I had to finally search for "Reds Uniform 24" to discover that not only did Perez wear the number, it is one of the Reds' retired ones. Learning more everyday!]

Michael Bourn - Astros - Workmans (Wahoo!!) - [Suffice to say I don't pay much attention to players before they happen upon the Indians roster, so I did not realize Bourn played for the 'stros before heading north.]

George Sherrill - Dodgers - Free Agent - [His best season showed off a 0.65 ERA. His worst? a 27.00 ERA. Ouch.]

Chien-Ming Wang - Nationals - BoRosnys (Wahoo!!) - [Signed a deal with the White Sox in July 2014, but does not appear in their 40-man roster. I had it in my head that he was better than that. I don't know why.]

Willie McCovey Peak Performance - Giants - Tribecards (Wahoo!!) - [Sweet!! This will go with some of the other McCovey cards I have in my non-Tribers collection.]

Matt Holliday Topps Attax - Cardinals - Erins (Wahoo!!) - [I love to see the women in our league score their favorite team/players! Let's be honest, guys, we're glad to see women collecting baseball cards at all!]

Topps You Sketch It blank sketch card - Free agent - [I have no idea what to do with this thing. I guess I'll draft it and let one of you draw on it.]

Doug Fister - Mariners - Kazis (Wahoo!! x2) - [Very cool!! The Kazis open and close the pack with a hit! Congrats!]

Hope you needed the cards we pulled tonight! If not, put them in your doubles pile and use them for trade fodder. Thanks for stopping by!


Saturday, September 6, 2014

Gint-A-Cuffs VI: Let's put this puppy to bed

Since it is pouring down rain outside, and the power keeps flickering off and on, I thought it would be a good time to write my final Gint-A-Cuffs post for 2014. Oh, yeah, and post that 5-point bonus selfie!

Links for each Gint-A-Cuffs post are listed below:

Box loader and Pack 01 (Pack:+13, GAC:+13)
Pack 02 (Pack:+7, GAC:+20)
Packs 03-05 (Packs:+22, GAC:+42)
Packs 06-08 (Packs:+13, GAC:+55)
Packs 09-12 (Packs:+21, GAC:+76)
Packs 13-15 (Packs:+14, GAC:+90)
Packs 16-18 (Packs:+24.5, GAC:+114.5)
Packs 19-21 (Packs:+25,GAC:+139.5)
Packs 22-24 (Packs:+19,GAC:+158.5)

Selfie (below): +5

GAC6 Total: +163.5, Plus whatever points I get for bribing the Commissioner.

Wait! Did I bribe the Commissioner!? You bet your sweet buns, I did! I mean, I offered a "Points Adjustment Incentive." I'm not saying anything else about it, so as to allow Mark the pleasure, nay honor, of posting the bribe contents on the GAC site.

My #GacSelfie displays the Pastime's Pastimes of Justin Masterson - the only insert I pulled for myself, and quite possibly the only INDIANS player I pulled for myself. I can't remember if that is true or not (as far as overall Indians players), and I'm not up to going back to look.




*Taken in the bathroom, as all good selfies are...


#PackADailyCircus - The Collector's Choice and licensed, even.

Good afternoon, pack fans! Today's pack is brought to you by Upper Deck. Okay, well, it features Upper Deck - they have nothing to do with it other than they are the brand of card being opened. The pack comes from 1990 back when competition was a good thing and monopolies, er exclusive contracts, were not all the rage. This is back when UD actually had a license to put logos and insignia on cards. Basically, this is from the good old days.

My biggest pet peeve in pack-busting rears its head with this pack: cards inserted backwards, upside-down, etc. Seriously? How hard is it to have all the cards facing the same direction, people?

Mike Brumley - Tigers - Free Agent - [I know, I know. I shouldn't be thinking it. But, how can you NOT think "Wilford Brimley?"]

Mike Greenwell - Red Sox - ThoughtsAndSox (Wahoo!!) - [This, to me, is a great "head-shot" pose. If I had been a ballplayer and they weren't going to use an action shot, this is the kind of pic I would have wanted.]

Cris Carpenter - Cardinals - Free Agent - [I had no idea the Cardinals had a CRis and a CHRis Carpenter. I am pretty sure I messed up somewhere. Oh well, the "h-less" one is up for grabs, so far as I can tell.]

Bert Blyleven - Angels - Dayfs (Wahoo!!) - [This is one of those "in-motion" cards with multiple exposure during a pitch. I think the idea was cool, but the execution leaves something of a blurry mess on the card.]

Dennis Martinez - Expos - Free Agent - [How in the heck is Denny Martinez still a free agent!? haha, this is another case of having way more modern packs, I guess.]

Mel Hall - Yankees - Trhdds (Wahoo!!) - [I love the "running man" pose on ballcards. Nothing like a good action shot to pull us into the game!]

Orel Hershiser - Dodgers - Trhdds (Wahoo!! Back-to-Back!) - [Excellent!! Congrats! Not the best pic of Hersh, but ANY card of his is a good one in my book.]

Felix Jose - A's - Free Agent - [On this card, he is leading off (from third, I believe). He is biting his tongue in anticipation of heading for home.]

Pittsburgh Pirates Logo Sticker - Pirates - Free Agent - [The mascot is taken. The team card is in the current draft. We now have the team logo up for grabs in the NEXT draft!]

George Brett - Royals - JoshDs (Wahoo!!) - [Holy freakin cow! Does pulling a Brett ever get old? I submit that it does not! He's positioned as if to say, "Yeah, hit it to me. I dare ya!"]

Pat Tabler - Royals - Workmans (Wahoo!!) - [Ex-Triber gets to hang out with the aforementioned Brett. Not a bad way to spend a summer.]

Kevin Mitchell Giants Team Checklist - Giants - Arpsmiths (Wahoo!!) - [Wow, this guy changed uniform numbers almost as often as he changed teams - even when playing for the same team.]

Juan Gonzalez Rookie - Rangers - PlayAtThePlates (Wahoo!!) - [Back of card reads, "...has all the tools (except speed)..." Wow, talk about a back-handed compliment.]

Steve Finley - Orioles - BackstopCards (Wahoo!!) - [Played nearly 20 years in the MLB. I love it when guys have long careers. Get out there and do your thing for as long as you can.]

Gus Polidor - Brewers - Thorzuls (Wahoo!!) - [Speaking of back-handed, this card features a fun fielding shot, presumably taken during warm-ups.]

Ivan Calderon - White Sox - JediJeffs (Wahoo!!) - [Haha! There are few poses that have made me chuckle as this one - sitting on the ground with a "Really? This is what you are going to use as a baseball card?" expression on his face.]

Congratulations, managers! Enjoy these cards when they are delivered to your doorsteps after the season is over!