I'm Redeemed in the Choo Crew

Some time ago, I received my "loot" from the Cardboard Problem T206 break.  One of my items was a redemption for an autographed Shin-Soo Choo card.  According to the site, I would receive the card no later than December 21, 2010.  They were right!  It came in the mail *today!* Wahoo!

Turfdiggers Tuesday

The Turfdiggers made a few last-minute changes to the roster this past week, and those changes proved beneficial and detrimental all at once.  Let's look at the changes and then see just how those changes impacted the team this week:



The Turfdiggers pulled McCluster (KC), Ward (Pit), and Gonzalez (Atl).  In their places, they hoped Moss (Was), Cooley (was) and McFadden (Oak) would make a strong showing.  While putting in McFadden worked, pulling the others cost the team points.

McCluster: 9.40 pts
Ward: 7.60 pts
Gonzalez: 11.50 pts

Moss: 10.20 pts
Cooley: 2.65 pts
McFadden: 12.10 pts

Well, okay, really, the major issue was between Cooley and Gonzalez.  Had I left Gonzalez in, I would still be in first place.  And there you have the beans spilled: I have fallen to second place.  Frankly, the fact I can even write that sentence still brings a smile to my face.  I am totally enjoying my current standings in the Super Secret League - just ask my wife! She's pretty tired of me talking about my team.

So, what happened?  Well, only two teams remain undefeated: The Turfdiggers and the Red Grange Halls.  This week, the tables were turned on points, and I fell behind.  The Turfdiggers are 5.13 points behind.  See?  Had I left Gonzalez in there, I would have rocked the league.  Bummer.  Well, as it stands, the Turfdiggers have 251.26 points so far. 

As fate would have it, the two undefeated teams will face each other in Week Four, meaning that SOMEONE will remain undefeated and someone else will face their first loss of the season.  I'm just sayin' I shall reign supreme!!  Yeah, probably not, but it was worth a shot.

As my "Smack Talk" says, "I have a bad feeling about this."

(A different kind of) Mojo Monday

 

Oh, yeah! This is "MOJO MONDAY" alright!  I received not just one, but TWO packages in the mail today!! Wahoo!  The USPS Box is from Mr. Peterson (aka PunkRockPaint, of course!) and the bubbleope (not to be hunted in the wild) is from Steve (aka WhiteSoxCards)!

I have not had a chance to go through either one, other than to read the notes inside.  I have to say, one thing we card bloggers seem to share is a whacked-out sense of humor!  I'll share the cards and the notes in a later post.

THANKS so much, guys, for what I know is going to be a fun-filled trip through the Tribe cards packages!!

Blog Bat-Around ALL CALL! (16 Commissioners so far!)

Re-UPDATE: WOW! So far, we have 16 wannabe Commissioners! Thanks for the great response!  And, if you're like Bo and want to add more thoughts, drop me a line and I'll keep your thoughts together - even if you can't! HA!

About the "cautions:" I don't care what language you use in your post. This is 2010 and you're free to express yourself how you want.  However, we have many younger readers and some of them can't read posts until the post is cleared by their parents. I'm not the censorship police, but more like a self-governed warning label purveyor.  If I think your post has language that might not be for younger eyes, the I'll post a "caution" by your entry. Don't be offended, I'm just looking out for the littler ones. :-) (and if I miss one that has strong language, please let me know and I will add a cautionary remark)

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Hey folks! I don't know what version of the Blog Bat-Around we're on, or if there is an official method for announcing such a thing, but I thought I would start one up!

The topic: With Bud Selig supposedly retiring in 2012 (and assuming the end of the world doesn't follow soon afterward), if YOU were asked to become the next Baseball Commissioner, what would you do?  What changes would you like to make, what things would you leave as-is, what would you like to see as your legacy when your retirement time came?

How the Blog Bat-Around works:  Post your answer to the topic on your blog, then comment here with a link to your post.  I will update this post as entries come in so folks can find your thoughts!  I'll be posting my own thoughts before long, but wanted to get the word out there.

Blog Bat-Around Posts:

Matt (Project Baseball 1976) - http://baseball1976.blogspot.com/2010/09/blog-bat-around-if-i-were-next.html

Bo (Baseball Cards Come to Life) - http://borosny.blogspot.com/2010/09/if-i-become-commissioner.html and a follow-up: http://borosny.blogspot.com/2010/09/importance-of-good-team.html and a "last one - I promise:" http://borosny.blogspot.com/2010/09/best-of-6.html

Paul (Paul's Random Stuff) - http://wp.me/p6j5H-2fk

Steve (White Sox Cards) - http://whitesoxcards.blogspot.com/2010/09/blog-bat-around-commissioner.html

Mariner1 (Emerald City Diamond Gems) - http://emeraldcitydiamondgems.blogspot.com/2010/09/blog-bat-around-if-i-were-commissioner.html

Steve (1974 Topps) - http://1974topps.blogspot.com/2010/09/blog-bat-around-if-i-were-commissioner.html

Night Owl - http://nightowlcards.blogspot.com/2010/09/bombing-baseball-back-to-stone-age.html

Chris Harris (Stale Gum) - http://blog.stalegum.com/2010/09/my-blog-bat-around-post.html (caution: language)

Dan (The Other World) - http://dansotherworld.blogspot.com/2010/09/blog-bat-around-if-i-were-commissioner.html

JT (The Writer's Journey) - http://thewritersjourney.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/blog-bat-around-make-me-the-commish/

Jonathan (Nats Cards, and to whom I really am sending the cards I promised a few weeks ago!) - http://natscards.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/blog-bat-around-the-commish/

Matthew (Number 5 Type Collection - Sorry I missed this earlier, it had gone to spam for some reason) - http://number5typecollection.blogspot.com/2010/09/blog-bat-around-if-i-were-commish.html

Ryan (The Great Orioles Autograph Project) - http://greatoriolesautographproject.blogspot.com/2010/09/blog-bat-around-if-i-were-commissioner.html

Captain Canuck (Waxaholic) - http://waxaholic.blogspot.com/2010/09/blog-bat-around-canucks-take.html (caution: some language)

Andrew (Attic Insulation) - http://waxpackpastime.blogspot.com/2010/09/if-i-were-commish.html (Andrew has changed the language, now "kid-friendly") 

Adam (Thoughts and Sox) - http://thoughtsandsox.blogspot.com/2010/09/if-i-were-commissioner-of-baseball.html (possible language)

Okay, so officially... I'm a dork. Whuddyagonnado, uh?

Given yesterday's heartfelt post about the incredible generosity shown to me by you folks reading along, I thought it only fair that I balance that with a tale of my own dorkiness.  This comes courtesy of dayf, who sent me a package in the mail!!

Now, my first "clue" should have been the fact he said, "...something in here you don't already have."  How could he *not* say that with three packs of Goodwin Champions cards?  He wouldn't know what was in them.  Then again, would he really send three packs and chance giving me some uber-mojo-insert!?  Wow!  I turned the first pack to the bottom because all the cards were there, and experience has taught me it is far easier to pull apart the seams where you find the cards.

Now, the cards, as I had opened the pack, were facing their BACKS to me when I pulled them out.  The first thing I noticed was that the card I saw was David Huff.  It was a Topps.  Now, at this point, any self-respecting collector would have realized something was amiss.  Why?  Because Goodwins are made by Upper Deck.  Did I grab that? Of course not.  Did I grab the fact that Huff is a TRIBER!?  No, no, I was too busy trying to determine which Goodwin cards were in the pack.  Yes, seriously.  Quit laughing.  Nah, keep on laughing. It gets better (or worse, depending on your perspective).

When I flipped the first stack over, a Topps '52 Shin-Soo Choo was facing me!  Hey, a Triber!  How cool!  And, another Topps.  It was here I noticed one of the other packs sitting on the desk, mocking me.  That little UD logo staring at me.  I slowly looked through the rest of the cards (seven not four as stated on the pack, another sign of my ignorance), and guess what!?  Yes, they were *ALL* Indians.  Of course! DUH!

I was utterly amazed that dayf had managed to get the cards into the pack and then re-seal the thing!  That is sheer... er, wait a minute.  I checked the other end of the pack.  Yeah, you saw that coming, didn't you?  He had opened the other end, absconded with the cards and replaced them with some VERY cool Indians cards (and no Alomars to boot)!!  I quickly opened the other packs (from the already-opened end this time) and sat in disbelief at the coolness of the cards (I have *never* seen a Feller like that, what *is* that one!?) and the generosity of the online community we call the card blogosphere.

DAYF, I have to say THANK YOU for not only giving me some great cards, but also keeping me humble without even trying!

Okay, you can stop laughing now.  Really.  It's over.  Nothing to see here, people.