Saturday, July 24, 2010

We Got That Thing by Coco Crisp

Back in 2005, a group of baseball players were asked to record an album for charity. The album was "Oh Say Can You Sing" and featured the likes of Coco Crisp, Omar Vizquel, Jeff Conine, Ozzie Smith, and others (several of whom are ex-Tribers!). While poking around, I found Coco's "We Got That Thing" on MySpace:

We Got That Thing by Coco Crisp

If you want the album, you can get it from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Music-Recordings-League-Baseball-Players/dp/B0009INJ24

Ozzie Smith does an amazing rendition of "Cupid," by the way.

Off-topic Cross-post: I'm a published novelist!


Summer vacation brings the promise of ice cream, backyard games and adventure for ten year-old Corey Decker and his friends.  As summer breaks, the band of seven friends watch in horror as a tragic car crash plays out right in front of them.  From there, the next weeks are spent laughing, playing, fighting and making up again.  When the gang learns of a "mad man" rumored to live in the nearby woods, they set out exploring parts of their Western Pennsylvanian suburban neighborhood they never knew existed.  Set in an unspecified timeless past, follow Decker and his friends over a creek and through the woods, into an old quarry and through a corn field as they seek out on an adventure to find the "Mad Man of Appleton."  What they find along the way will amuse, thrill, disgust and surprise readers who enjoy a little summertime escapade.


I am thrilled to announce that my debut novel, Summer Breaks, has been published!  Originally, I had called it "Summer of Seven" and it was just the first chapter.  That was in 1998 or so.  I had written it as part of my undergraduate project in the hopes it would one day become more than a single chapter.  Though it had been revised for inclusion in my Master's Thesis Project, it still remained one chapter.  In fact, I had to change the ending of that piece because it made no sense outside of a larger body of work.

Then, I read about NaNoWriMo.org in a magazine and decided to take "Summer of Seven" out of the dusty digital archives and see where things went as a challenge to reach 50,000 words.  What ensued was a flurry of writing almost every single night for the month of November.  I was so spent after that, I set the book aside and let it marinate.

When I started reading it, editing it, shaping it, I saw the story unfold in front of my own eyes.  I grew to like certain characters and not like others.  I had no real plan when I started "Chapter Two" other than to tag along as Decker and his friends started out their summer vacation from school.

With the help of Shan, my mom, and Oretha Ferguson (a colleague I met through the Technology Infused Education program and fellow Plurk user), my novel was honed and fine-tuned.   And then, as mentioned in a previous post, Mr. Adrian Cain was incredibly generous enough to grant me permission to use his artwork for my cover! 

I don't know how other people feel when they publish their first novel, but I am excited, nervous, relieved, and thankful.  I am especially thankful for all the folks that have supported and encouraged me to put myself out there.


Author contact info for interviews, book reviews, etc: David Henderson, davidinark@yahoo.com.  David and his family reside in Prescott, Arkansas.

The book is available for purchase in paperback: http://stores.lulu.com/davidinark for the debut price for $9.99.  Readers can also download an electronic version from that same site.  A Kindle version is currently "under review" and I will let everyone know when that is ready.  Other ePub formats can be obtained from Smashwords.com.  There will be an iBooks-friendly version available (hopefully) soon as well.


Friday, July 23, 2010

Respect or Ridiculous?

On Wednesday, July 21, 2010, Jim Thome faced the team that launched his career.  What did the Tribe do?  They walked Thome ALL FOUR TIMES.  Now, as usual, I am a day (or two) late to the party, but my question is more of baseball in general, I suppose.  When a team walks a former superstar of their team, does that show respect or is it ridiculous. 

I see it as absurd.  Sure, it theoretically shows respect that you think the guy will light you up if you pitch to him.  Sure, you admit total ineptitude to the point that you KNOW the player with the bat is going to send the ball beyond the outfield walls.  But, come on.  This is baseball.  This is a player who is climbing his way up the all-time charts in multiple categories.  This is a guy who is aging, and let's honest a relatively easy out as long as you don't let him get you.

Now, I've seen articles saying that the writer would have walked Thome, too, given the next three batters to follow him.  Okay, I get it. I understand strategy.  I also understand that the Tribe is basically having its collective butt handed to the team this season.  And, that is my point.  Why NOT pitch to Thome?  What's the worst that would happen? He hits a homer and you lose. Oh, wait, even with walking Thome four times, the Indians managed to do that anyway.  Yeah, they lost 6-0.

If I had been in charge, we would have pitched to Thome out of respect for who he was with the team and who he is as a player.  Then again, that could be why I am not the one in charge.

Monday, July 19, 2010

MLB Fan Packs - Tigers and Cubs Edition

I have been in Wichita for the passed couple days, so I am still getting caught up on posting. My goal was to post some of the FTC items that I stored on a flash drive before my trip. So much for that!

In any case, today's mail held TWO MLB Fan Packs (both of which were requested via the clubs' websites).

The Detroit Tigers sent a nice letter along with a few trinkets:
A team schedule!

A 3x5 photo of Johnny Damon!

A Tiger's fact sheet with cool information about the Tigers.

The Cubs also sent a Fan Pack, and it has some very neat items:

This is a 1-of-4 collectible pin. The one I received happens to have the Cubs logo, which makes it even better!
I also found two vinyl logo stickers in the package!

The Cubs also included several 3x5 pictures. Above is Marlon Byrd.

Then we have a Ted Lilly 3x5!

And an Alfonso Soriano to round out the package!

I have to say that the Cubs "win" this match-up! Thanks to both clubs for their continued support of the fans!

Indians Manager Lou Brown Dies at 70

(the image below came from the web site youhitlike####.wordpress.com)

James Gammon, best known to Tribe fans as the BEST manager the Indians have ever had, passed away today at age 70. His voice was so unique that when it came on, many people would instantly know it was him (even if they may not have known his name).

I loved him the Major League, and he will be missed as an iconic, beloved member of the Tribe family. Yes, I know it was a movie, but that doesn't matter. May he rest in peace, hopefully swapping stories with Herb Score and the other Indians that have gone before us.

*The web site mentioned above takes its name from a line in the movie. The author of the site also happens to make some great Major League-related fan art/custom cards! I used the modified image without express permission. I hope he's okay with that in this instance.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

FTC: 1944 Jimmy Grant Press Photo

Here is a different press photo I have in the collection.  this one is from 1944 and was taken by International News Photos, then used/referenced by Central Press Association on August 3, 1944.  You can see from the stamp on the back that INP did not give any rights of the photo to the user other than to use it as a NEWS PHOTO only.  I guess even in 1944, people were battling issues with intellectual property and the like!


*Thanks, folks! I have updated to remove references to 'mudcat.'

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

FTC: AP Wirephoto 1942


For me, this is one of the cooler items in my collection. The photo above is the actual AP Newswire photo announcing the purchase of Ted Sczepkowski in 1942.  He played for the Indians in 1942 then came back after the war and played in 1946-47.  In 1947, he was traded to the Yankees and appeared in only 2 games.  He had zero at-bats for the Yanks, but managed to score a run in one game (I assume pinch-runner).  In addition to the photo, I also have an actual newspaper article using the photo and information from the Newswire:


I don't know how easily or difficult it is to come by these, but if you are looking for something unique to add to your own collection, start searching for "AP Newswire" in your quest for collection-building!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

FTC: Baseballs All Time Great Stars Booklet


The exact date of publication on this little booklet is not displayed anywhere on the item.  A quick Internet search puts it somewhere between 1969 and 1971.  I'll take the middle and arbitrarily say 1970.  The booklet itself is printed on something akin to newsprint, perhaps a slight bit thicker perhaps.  Inside, great baseball players "from the past" are displayed in groups of three or so per page:


Because I am interested to know things like publishers and publication dates, if anyone knows who printed these and when, I'd appreciate a comment so I can update my records.

Monday, July 12, 2010

FTC: 1947 Eddie Bockman (Reprint Photo)


This is an 8x10 reprint photo of Eddie Bockman.  It's printed on "Kodak Quality InkJet" paper and has a COA for the autograph.  1947 was the only year Bockman played for the Indians.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

FTC: 1936 National Chicle

I am starting a new, regular feature here on Tribecards. I'm calling it "FTC (From the Collection)," but this is not to serve as a "brag-station." When I first started Tribecards, my goal was to post any and all info I could find about my favorite team's cards. While I still hope to achieve that lofty goal, part of getting there is posting pictures of the cards.  I will tag each post with the year, brand, type, and names of the featured players so that finding these later should be easier than just trying to search for them.

My organizational skills are not what you find in many collectors, I'm afraid. This means that the scans will appear in the order that the cards are organized in my own collection. There is a slight method to the madness and it goes something like this (each is a binder):
  • One 3-inch binder: 1800-1989 Oddballs, Stickers, Autographs
  • One 3-inch binder: 1990-Present Oddballs, Stickers, Autographs
  • Each a 1-inch binder: 1900-1959, 1960-1969, 1970-1979, 1980-81, 1982-83, 1984-85, 1986-87
  • Each a 1-inch binder: 1988 - present (each year having its own binder)
The "Oddball" binders will eventually be split from two 3-inch binders to four 3-inch binders because they are rather stuffed.

All that to say these FTC posts will (hopefully) appear as a daily item (mainly because when you have nearly 10,000 singles, it takes a lot of posts even when those singles are placed in pocket pages!).

To launch this new feature, I present two samples of 1936-ish National Chicle "Fine Pen" cards (Odell Hale and William Knickerbocker) and one sample of 1936-ish National Chicle "Thick Pen" (sometimes called "Fat Pen") of Luke Sewell:


The "Fine Pen" versions were the standard issue for the set.  The "Fat Pens" were not as common.  As you will see, throughout this first series of posts especially, many of the items in the "Oddball" binders were placed there because at the time, I didn't know what they were or I wasn't sure they were standard fare.  The reason they have generally remained in those binders is because I am basically too lazy to move them to their corresponding 1-inch year binder.  Maybe one day.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

MLB Fan Packs - Pirates Edition


In the mail yesterday, I had an envelope that looked like a greeting card from the Pirates organization.  Inside, however, were three 4x6 photocards and a team schedule.  The players included are Jason Jaramillo, Ronny Cedeno, and Paul Maholm.  The backs of the cards include the player's name, position and biographical information. 

I had been asked earlier how I came to have these packs sent to me.  The easiest way to get one is to go to the team's web page, scroll to the bottom and choose "contact us."  On the Form, select "Other" or something that fits and in the body of the message, let them know you're a fan and that you would like a Fan Pack.  Provide your name and mailing address.  And by all means, THANK THEM in advance for sending you the fan pack. 

For previous Fan Pack posts, click the "MLB Fan Packs" tag immediately below this post.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Thome passes Killebrew, gets special message


I know I am late to the party on this one, but kudos to Thome for his dual homers (and a freakin triple if you can believe it!) on July 3, 2010.  With those homers, he took solo place of the 10th spot in all-time home runs, passing Harmon Killebrew.  After the feat, the Twins HOFer relayed a special video message to Thome and the fans.  In the video, Killebrew told Thome he was proud and what an upstanding guy Thome is, and what he means to the sport.  I can't even imagine what Jim Thome was thinking as he watched that. 

I don't know how many years Thome has left in him, but over his career, he has steadily, surely, strongly been soldifying his place in the baseball Hall of Fame. 

The Great Junk Wax Giveaway

One of the blogs that I've been a contributor to for quite a while is "A Pack to be Named Later."  The site's goal is to open at least one pack of cards ever made.  Not just baseball cards.  We are talking baseball, football, Power Rangers, Zorro, Saved by the Bell, soccer, hockey, anything and everything!

Well, in celebration of the one-year birthday of the site, there's a contest!
http://apacktobenamedlater.blogspot.com/2010/07/great-junk-wax-giveaway-contest.html

Guess how many cards there are and how many packs are from 1990.  What do you win?  Well, all the junk wax pictured, of course!

Hurry, though! Contest ends Tuesday, July 13, 2010!

Cards My Mom Threw Out!?


I have been, er, fortunate enough to pull two "Cards Your Mom Threw Out" code cards from 2010 Topps packs so far.  What you see above are the two cards I have been alotted.  Are these cards my mom threw out?  Heck no, these are cards *I* probably threw out - though, in my world "threw out" means "gave away."

I have not been following which cards have made it into collector's hands with this promotion, so I have no idea what other junk Topps is trying to "give back" to its customers.  Oh, sure, their splash page boasts of Strasburg and a couple other high-profile cards, but one has to wonder how many people are simply throwing out the code cards themselves. 

By the way, if you want either (or both for that matter) of these cards, create a trade in which you offer up some Indians card(s) and these beauties are all yours.  Just let me know about the trade so I can find it.  I have a feeling many of these cards our "mothers threw out" will end up "the cards Topps vault threw out."

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

MLB Fan Packs - Red Sox, Astros, and Mariners! Oh, My!

Today's mail included THREE of the MLB Fan Packs I requested by email! The first Fan Pack came from the Red Sox, and a bill...
Yeap, that's right. I owe the post office $.20 for the Fan Pack. Well, it's worth it!

First item I pulled out of the envelope:
Oh, yeah, buddy! That is GEN-YOU-INE Fenway Dirt! How cool is that!?

Then, I pulled out one of these:
For a while, I wore these baller bracelets everywhere. It was a phase. It passed, but I still think this is a fun inclusion.

Up next, the 4th edition of the 2010 Schedule. Say what!? I am guessing they have different "versions" featuring other players, and this is the fourth:

That's not all that's included, though:
YOOOOUUUKKK!! This is a 5x7 the Fan Pack folks tossed in for good measure. All-in-all, one of the truly "FUN" Fun Packs I've received!

The second Fan Pack came from down the road in Houston.

First up, the 2010 Team Schedule:
This one features Lance Berkman swinging for the fences.

Up next, a little bling:
I'll probably stick this to my filing cabinet where I have several sports-related magnets and stickers.

The Astros included a page of activities:

And a 5x7 of Roy Oswalt:

Like the Red Sox, this was a nice variety of goodies - all for the asking!

The Seattle Mariners, though, take the prize for the best Fan Pack received yet!

We start off with a 2010 Team Schedule featuring Chone Figgins:

Then, the Mariners included something no other team has yet to include:
x
That's right, folks!  A special "Fan Pack" set of baseball cards!  Now, THAT is how you reach your fans!  The cards are all attached on a perforated sheet:

And if that's not enough, how about a little poke at the rest of the MLB:

Nice!  I love snarkiness done right!

But, the Mariners still had an envelope to fill, so they threw in some of their own bling: 

And so your vehicle doesn't feel left out:

Oh, yeah!  We've got a window cling!  Seriously, the Mariner know how to reach out to their fans big time.

And we are STILL not done!  We've got a photo fold-out with facsimile autographs on it, and a fold-out celebrating the 10th anniversary of SAFECO field:



On the back of the SAFECO fold-out, we find a full-color activity sheet (and, yes, it includes 'Baseball Sudoku'):


The Mariners Fan Pack is what I had hoped for when I received the Indians pack.  Though, really, these three packs include enough fun stuff to make even a casual fan rally behind their team just little more than usual!

Monday, July 5, 2010

So, you wanna win a box of Ginter?

There's a contest going on over HERE, and all ya gotta do is come up with FIVE cards you'd like to see in the 2011 Allen & Ginter set.  Here are my picks:

Joe Walsh – Musician – Auto – Because he still rocks

Tomb of Unknown Soldier – Honor the fallen

Steve Jobs iPhone antenna relic – Since they don’t work anyway.

Ben Henry auto – The Godfather of card blogging

Betty White hair sample – Hey, if Facebook can get her on SNL, why cant we get her on A&G?

Pop over there and give it your best shot.  After all, it could net you a box of A&G!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Manny Being... Charitable!


As seen on several card sites around the league, Manny Ramirez has donated his 1994 Porsche 911 for a charity auction on eBay (HERE).  The Dodgers have their own corporate charity and half the proceeds go to that one. The other half go to a charity that benefits misplaced girls.  It's nice to see Manny not being "Manny" for a change. Kudos!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

MLB Fan Packs - Tribe Edition

When the mail came this afternoon, among the bills and catalogs lived the Fan Pack from the Cleveland Indians!  I held it for a moment and set it aside to finish my Allen and Ginter post.  I knew it would wait there, just hoping I would open it soon.  After a while, and after lunch, I felt the envelope.  I suddenly felt like the kid in "A Christmas Story" when he gets his decoder ring.  It had to be inside somewhere.

I tore open the envelope and pulled out the surprises inside.  First up, the form letter that comes with all of these.  "Enclosed you will find the Indians Fan Pack that you requested."  Ohhh, the excitement was building!  Then, in the next paragraph, "We have also included a 2010 pocket schedule..."  Holy cow! I got a bonus item! Sweet!

Now, this was my first Indians Fan Pack, so I don't know exactly what usually comes with them, but there was a full-color foldout....of their stadium suite packages.  Suddenly, sounds of "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine" rang through my mind.  Granted, the suites are very cool and should I win the lottery anytime soon, I'll be happy to contact their offices to make a reservation.

Okay, okay, let's see what else I got from the Tribe!  The remaining pages include various activites: a coloring page of Slider, a Cleveland Indians Word Search, and a page with trivia questions and a word scramble puzzle.

Cool team-related activities and all I had to was ask!  Not a bad gig.

Gint-A-Cuffs II: The (almost) Final Point Tally

I had a lot of fun opening my box of 2010 Allen & Ginter for Gint-A-Cuffs II!  In retrospect, I should have combined it with a group box break so other folks could have benefited from the break.  Ah, well, maybe next time.

I owe some of you cards from recent trades, so hopefully there are some cards in here that will help me return the favor!  I've read that Nick Jacoby wants his cards sent to him in exchange for other goodies (evidently, he is trying to amass the largest collection of himself - pretty cool goal in my book!).

And if all of this weren't enough, I received my INDIANS FAN PACK today!  I'll save *that* for another post (I haven't even opened it yet).

Without further ado, the list of Gint-A-Cuffs scoring cards:

N43 Boxloader BJ Upton (Rays) 5 points
Carlos Zambrano (Cubs) -1 point (penalty)
Derek Jeter Mini Celestial Stars (Yankees) +5, +CS? -1 Yankee
**No official scoring for Celestial Stars at time of this post
Justin Morneau Day in History (Twins) 1 point
Roy Oswalt (Astros) 2 points (short print)
Alex Gordon (Royals) Mini A&G Ad 2 points
Yovani Gallardo TDiH (Brewers) 1 points
Nick Jacoby (2009 code champ) 1 point
Gordon Beckham (White Sox) Mini Black Border 3 points
Brandon Phillips (Reds) TDiH 1 points
SUBTOTAL: 17*

Area 51 (Secret Base) 1 point (bonus)
Milton Bradley (Mariners) -1 point (penalty)
Dan Uggla (Marlins) Mini Black Border 3 points
Ichiro (Mariners) TDiH 1 points
Francisco Liriano (Twins) 2 points (short print)
Alpaca (Peru) Mini 2 points (National Animal)
Ryan Braun (Brewers) TDiH 2 points (fp), 1 point TDiH
Johannes Gutenberg (Movable Type) 1 point (bonus)
Stag (Ireland) Mini 2 points (National Animal)
Dan Haren (Diamondbacks) TDiH 1 points
SUBTOTAL: 15

David Wright (Mets) 2 points (other fp)
Trevor Cahill (A's) 2 points (short print)
Alex Rodriguez (Yankees) TDiH -1 (Yankee) +1 (TDiH) points
Marcus Aurelius (Wordsmiths) Mini 4 points (wordsmiths) ?points MINI?
Mark Teixeira (Yankees) TDiH -1 (yankee) +1 (THiD) points
Ken Griffey Jr (Mariners) 2 points (other fp)
Joe Mauer (Twins) 2 points (other fp)
Placido Polanco (Phillies) 2 points (short print)
Chase Headley (Padres) Mini Black 3 points
Miguel Cabrera (Tigers) TDiH 1 point
SUBTOTAL: 18

Carcharodontosaurus (Monsters of Mesozoic) Mini 3 points
Jimmy Rollins (Phillies) TDiH 1 point
Robert Scott (Negro Leagues) 2 points
Matt LaPorta (Indians) 1 point (my fp)
Carlos Zambrano (Cubs) RIP CARD 75/99 -1 (penalty) +20 RIP card
RIPPED Adam Dunn Mini (Nationals) 2 points (short print) 2 points (other fp)
**No official scoring for mini inside RIP card at time of this post
Andre Ethier (Dodgers) TDiH 1 point
Ponce De Leon (Sailors of the Seven Seas) 4 points
Hanley Ramirez (Marlins) TDiH 2 points (other fp) 1 point (TDiH)
Persephone (Lords of Olympus) 3 points
SUBTOTAL: 41*

Aaron Hill (Blue Jays) TDiH 1 point
Evan Longoria (Rays) 2 points (other fp)
Daniel Murphy (Mets) AG Sketch Card 3 points
Dionysus (Lords of Olympus) 3 points
Robinson Cano (Yankees) TDiH -1 Yankees +1 TDiH
Ankylosaurus (Monsters of Mesozoic) 3 points
Justin Upton (Diamondbacks) TDiH 1 point (TDiH)
Carl Crawford (Rays) 2 points (other fp)
Ryan Theriot (Cubs) 2 points (short print)
BJ Upton (Rays) TDiH 1 point
SUBTOTAL: 18

Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox) 2 points (other fp)
Nick Swisher (Yankees) -1 point
Kelly Johnson (Diamondbacks) 2 points (short print)
Stephen Drew (Diamondbacks) TDiH 1 point
Andy Pettitte (Yankees) -1 point
Kevin Youkilis (Red Sox) 2 points (other fp)
Ichiro (Mariners) Sketch Card 3 points
Madison Bumgarner (Giants) Mini AG ad 2 points
Carlos Gonzales (Rockies) TDiH 1 point
Jason Heyward (Braves) 2 points (other fp)
SUBTOTAL: 13

Joba Chamberlain (Yankees) -1 point
Ryan Doumit (Pirates) 2 points (short print)
Chris Young (Padres) AG ad 2 points
Jay Bruce (Reds) TDiH 1 point
Mariano Rivera (Yankees) -1 point
AJ Pierzynski (White Sox) -1 point (penalty)
Koi (Japan) National Animal 2 points
Andrew McCutchen (Pirates) TDiH 1 point
Robinson Cano (Yankees) -1 point
Ricky Nolasco (Marlins) 2 points (short print)
SUBTOTAL: 6

Jason Heyward (Braves) TDiH 1 point (TDiH) 2 points (other fp)
Ron Teasley (Negro Leagues) 2 points
Michael Brantley (Indians) 1 point (fav team)
Brett Gerdner (Yankees) -1 point +2 points (short print)
Denard Span (Twins) Mini AG ad 2 points
Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals) TDiH 1 point
Andre Ethier (Dodgers) JERSEY RELIC 8 points
Drew Stubbs (Reds) Mini AG Ad 2 points
Gordon Beckham (White Sox) TDiH 1 point
Todd Helton (Rockies) JERSEY RELIC 8 points
Curtis Granderson (Yankees) TDiH -1 Yankees +1 TDiH
SUBTOTAL: 28

BOX TOTAL: 156*

*Score will be adjusted by the powers that be, but this will give other participants something to shoot for.

Gint-A-Cuffs II, Packs 17-24

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and girls of all ages! Welcome to the last of he packs from the 2010 Allen and Ginter stacks!  These cards will amaze you, astound you, and make you want to slap your grandma!  Well, maybe not astound you...

PACK 17
Francisco Rodriguez (Mets) 0 points
Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox) 2 points (other fp)
--I enjoy getting other people's cards. It makes me feel all fuzzy. Wait, that's the webcam.


Chad Billingsley (Dodgers) 0 points
Jorge Cantu (Marilns) 0 points

Nick Swisher (Yankees) -1 point
--And here come the Yankees to pull down my score...
Kelly Johnson (Diamondbacks) 2 points (short print)


Carlos Gomez (Brewers) Mini 0 points
Stephen Drew (Diamondbacks) TDiH 1 point
--Drew had the highest-priced card on eTopps at one point. I suspect that has changed a bit recently.





PACK 18
Matt Carson (A's) 0 points
Randy Wolf (Brewers) 0 points

Andy Pettitte (Yankees) -1 point
--AW, C'Mon, man! Is this "A Yankee in every pack day!?"
Josh Hamilton (Rangers) 0 points

Kevin Youkilis (Red Sox) 2 points (other fp)
--Your favorite = my points!

Ichiro (Mariners) Sketch Card 3 points
--Hey, if I gotta get another Ichiro, at least it's a sketch card.
Madison Bumgarner (Giants) Mini AG ad 2 points
--With his name, I think his parents had dreams of law school. Of course, then he wouldn't have ended up a mini AG with an AG ad on the back.


Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies) TDiH 1 point





PACK 19
Ben Zobrist (Rays) 0 points
Jules Verne (Author) 0 points
Jason Heyward (Braves) 2 points (other fp)
--We had a great time in Atlanta watching him play! 
Jason Kubel (Twins) 0 points

Joba Chamberlain (Yankees) -1 point
--Ya gotta be kiddin' me!?

Ryan Doumit (Pirates) 2 points (short print)
Chris Young (Padres) AG ad 2 points


Jay Bruce (Reds) TDiH 1 point
--I'm sending this one to Sandra Bullock...




PACK 20
Ian Desmond (Nationals) 0 points
Jason Bay (Mets) 0 points
Yadier Molina (Cardinals) 0 points

Mariano Rivera (Yankees) -1 point
--A heavy sigh followed by a look of utter discontent and disbelief. ANOTHER Yankee.  If the Yanks were my favorite team, I'd have racked up.

AJ Pierzynski (White Sox) -1 point (penalty)
--(music) "And then it was 'Oh, no, what have I pulled?' And I can't even spell HIS laaaaaaasst name..."(music)


Huston Street (Rockies) 0 points
Koi (Japan) National Animal 2 points
--Something fishy going on here...


Andrew McCutchen (Pirates) TDiH 1 point



PACK 21
Regis Philbin (TV Host) 0 points
Manny Ramirez (Dodgers) 0 points

Robinson Cano (Yankees) -1 point
--This is an outrage!! I demand a new box!

BJ Upton (Rays) 0 points
Scott Baker (Twins) 0 points


Ricky Nolasco (Marlins) 2 points (short print)
Felix Hernandez (Mariners) 0 points


Jason Heyward (Braves) TDiH 1 point (TDiH) 2 points (other fp)



PACK 22
Ron Teasley (Negro Leagues) 2 points
--It's nice too what a tribute the Negro Leagues have seen recently. In Atlanta, Negro League apparel was EVERYWHERE!

Wandy Rodriguez (Astros) 0 points
Craig Gentry (Rangers) 0 points

Michael Brantley (Indians) 1 point (fav team)
--Hey! Hey! Pulled a Triber here folks!
Felix Hernandez (Mariners) 0 points

Brett Gardner (Yankees) -1 point +2 points (short print)
--This is getting old. Really, really, old.  At least this has no bearing on Tribe-or-no-Tribe...
Denard Span (Twins) Mini AG ad 2 points


Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals) TDiH 1 point


Crack the Code ad card



PACK 23
Lucy (bones) 0 points
--Hold the phone! This is not the LUCY we all know and love over at Dinged Corners! I think she should get this card.  Then again, that might a little freaky. 
Wade Davis (Rays) 0 points
Martin Prado (Braves) 0 points
Andre Ethier (Dodgers) 0 points

Andre Ethier (Dodgers) JERSEY RELIC 8 points
--Nice Jersey relic card! Is it coincidence that I pull a base version immediately before pulling the jersey of the same player? Hmmm...

Drew Stubbs (Reds) Mini AG Ad 2 points


Gordon Beckham (White Sox) TDiH 1 point




PACK 24
Preston Pittman (Turkey-calling champ) 0 points
Kanekoa Texeira (Mariners) 0 points
David Price (Rays) 0 points
Aaron Hill (Blue Jays) 0 points

Todd Helton (Rockies) JERSEY RELIC 8 points
--A 2nd Jersey Relic card in the box.  Not a bad day at all, if it weren't for those meddling Yankees cards...

Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies) 0 points

Curtis Granderson (Yankees) TDiH -1 Yankees +1 TDiH


And there you have it folks!  Those are the last of the packs from my 2010 AG Gint-a-cuffs break.  I'll post the point breakdown cards next time with the unofficial final tally.  We'll see how I did.  Of course, I don't have any other scores to compare it to, but I have seen some "hot" box breaks online and this would pale by comparison.  No matter what happens, it was a lot of fun to break this open!