My Yankees Collection - 2003 Upper Deck "Standing O" #54, Derek Jeter

Well, I always say that I am eager to explore cards of my favorite players and teams that I missed out on during my Hobby Ice Age....

FOUND ONE!

From 2003, here is a very unusual, very cool looking "Standing O" Jeter card from Upper Deck.   I have no idea if these were inserts in normal packs or special edition whatevers, but I knew I had to have this card as soon as I saw it!  

 It's in pretty good shape, though it does have some rounded corners.

Thanks, I'll be here ALL night......

The card is fairly simple, consisting of a background baseball image for the front.   The colors are great and the ball's seams pop nicely.   In front, we have a much younger-looking Captain, grasping a bat and looking....a bit confused.   Perhaps this was during his Mariah Carey years?

What does the back of a card like this look like?

OH, HECK YEAH!   We get a bonus for Ryan with a great Mattingly reference! And although it is slightly inaccurate (Mattingly officially announced and retired in January of '07, if I recall correctly), it is a WELCOME addition in the middle of this quick summary of Jeet's accomplishments.   32 STEALS!   Way to go, Derek.

Cool card and glad to add it to my collection.   Now....how to store it?

Thanks for reading!

My Yankees Collection - 2000 Upper Deck SPx Jeter & A-Rod Winning Materials Relic Card

Okay, I am just on a roll with these Hobby Ice Age cards being added into my collection....

I love Jeter and am ambivalent towards A-Rod.   Yeah, there's a lot to hate and I am certainly not shedding any tears over his absence (and possible departure?), but I feel like he has been singled out from a larger group of players.

One positive side-effect of the A-Rod disdain is that his cards and cards on which he appears can be had for a little bit less these days, so I was able to scoop this JETER relic card up for a reasonable price!

Yeah, a "game-used base" will always be kind of weird to me, but it's a nice change of pace.   I wish you could look up exactly which game it is from - I suppose then you could check out the box score and figure out who else might have touched the base?   That could be some fun research.....do you see the DIRT (game used!) on the base piece?   Cool!

The pictures are pretty solid.  I love the big smile from Jeter and A-Rod's sweet shades.   And let's not look past the fact that this is a bat-relic card for a 500 HR Club member.   PEDs or not, he's on that list statistically.

Here's the back:

I'm a little puzzled as to why they couldn't use a couple of different photos for these guys on the back, but I know how expensive it is for companies to maintain licenses for use of materials......

In the end, this is another great Jeter relic for my Yankees Collection and I'm thrilled!

Thanks for reading -

"I Wasn't Going To Buy Any - Until I Did." - 2013 Topps Series 2 Review

Yeah - I lied.

Again.

I blame it on the Evan Gattis RC and all of those teasers on Twitter!   Seriously, it's not my fault....

There are, however, some silver linings to all of this:

- I will show more than one card in a post

- I listened to my brain and used math to realize that 2 hanger boxes are better than 1 blaster (for me)

- It was a lot of fun

- Now I don't have to buy any more retail this year.....seriously!

I walked into WallyMart on the way home from work.   Like a zombie, I headed towards the card isle with the intent to only buy - get this - one or two "loose" packs.   That's all I was going to snag.   Just for old times sake, just to get a taste of the new and scratch the itch.

But then I thought - how much of a taste can you get from two loose packs?   How about a BLASTER?   At least you know you'll get a cool cereal box manupatch prize!

"NO!" my brain yelled.   "You can get almost TWICE the cards for half the price if you go with two "Hanger" boxes.

Normally, my illogical heart would snag a blaster and giggle at this point but something made me pause this time.   The math was too much to overcome and images of disappointments during release rippings past flooded back.......

Two Hanger boxes it was!   For the price of a blaster.

Ryan 1, Card Gods 0.

No more delay - the goal was a Gattis rookie card.   Could I pull it off with 200+ cards to flip through?  

Let's see!

 

First insert - #1 of the WBC subset. Reyes.   Colorful.  Enjoyable to pull.   Won't be collecting.

"Greinke Face" made me laugh.   I referred to Greinke Face in a tweet last night, promptly received a @NightOwlCards "hoot" and that made me happy.   An example of why baseball cards are awesome, even a (GASP) base card!   Next:



Harvey beat my Braves this week.   Boo, Harvey!   He's pretty good, though.   Promising future with his buddy Wheeler.   We'll see!



Easily the most awkward, painful looking "baseball" face I can think of.   Dominguez is on his way up, though.   Marlins used to have him, yes?   I think the Astros' strategy is materializing before our very eyes.



Simple but pretty.   Should have been a Yankees card.  I kid!



BONUS RIZZO!   Woo-hoo!   Trust me, this is the only Soriano card that is penny-sleeved in my collection.   I think.

Standard.   By the end of Series 2, these kinds of inserts run their course for me.   This Schmidt is pretty sharp, though.   Good colors - and I still must commend Topps for ensuring this year's inserts don't look like a waste of space for we who never pulleth autographed versions.....



HOLY MOLY!!!!!!   MATTINGLY!!!!!   '72 MINI!!!!!  I didn't even know he made the insert set so this was a complete and utterly pleasant surprise - and there is no better feeling than that when you're busting baseball cards!   YES!   Player Collection!!!!   Favorite card so far......

BACK TO BACK FAVORITE PLAYER INSERTS?!?!?!?!   As we say down here - OH LAWDY....okay, pretty boring shot of Rizzo, but I love cards that mark a certain event, game or date.   This card commemorates Rizzo's first HR as a Cubbie.  Love the stamped foil.  To the growing Player Collection it goes!

This is probably the card that most of you would consider to be the "HIT" of the day.   I'll always take my favorite guys' base cards over something like this.....BUT....this card is very nice.   It's really thick stock:



Notice the dramatic shift to sepia? (laugh)   Very thick, bright/sharp color scheme on the front with a strong shot of classic Gibson, sideburns and all.   It is numbered 9/50.   I didn't know this subset existed and surely didn't expect to pull a /50 card out of a hanger box.   Great surprise.   Might sell it.   Might trade it for similar.  For now - I'll enjoy!

      

This kid Segura can PLAY and I stand by my belief that if he were a Yankee, Dodger or other large market team - we'd be int he middle of SeguraMania right now.   It's almost like he's having the season that Starlin Castro just can't seem to find.   What do you guys think?   I wish it had a "RC" logo on it.   Did he lose eligibility for that last year or something?   Sharp card.   Might have to keep an eye on this guy.....

Underrated Oriole.   Surrounded by what is currently an offensive MACHINE.   Nice old-school style follow-through captured here....I could easily imagine this picture on an '85 Topps card.



More strong photography here, in my opinion, from Topps.   They've really stepped up their game in both Serieseses.   Do you guys think Dom Brown can keep his revolution going this season?   Will the Phillies have a sell-off here pretty soon?  



Dickey making his Greinke Face.   Love it.



Rainbow-y "Chasing" inserts.   Pretty sharp, but I'm not in love.   They highlight specific achievements, though.   +1.   If only there was a Yankee or Brave in there....

My attempt at a summary photograph of Hanger Box #1.   Yes, I was pretty lucky with this one - but even if the Gibson had been an Aubrey Huff base card (no offense, I love Aubrey Huff), I would've been very happy with all of this for $10.   Good variety, no dupes, healthy stack.  

No Gattis, though!!!!!!!

Box #2...............would I find the White Bear?!?!?!



Apparently, epic follow-through's are a "thing" this year.   Miss this guy in the Bronx.  He's still mashing out west!   RAUL!!!!!!!!!!!



ROOKIE CUP!!!!!!!   Love this card.   Classic.   Is it just me or does Yoenis look really old here?



Moving on.



Horrible use of the horizontal design.   Seriously?



This horizontal picture is better.....AND in black & white.





This might be the nicest design/layout/picture/etc card out of the whole bunch.   Love this.   Almost makes me want to be a Buccos fan!!!!   Almost.   Good job, Topps!

"Scooter turning two over top of Votto" - doesn't that sound cool?

My workout partner.



This guy is raking - nice parallel card.   The blue and red work really well together.  I like it.

No way I could have asked for a better follow-up to the Mattingly '72 mini - another Bravo!



:(

Another great card for my Braves collection - Medlen's first career victory is the event that is commemorated here.   I wonder if he'll stick tot he rotation when Beach returns?



My "Cut to the Chase" offering between the two boxes.   Kaline is a favorite of mine from the club in Detroit.   Sharp looking card.   Not sure if I am going to hold on to it, though.



Ah, yes!!!!!!   The Captain, himself.   Jeter's version of the Chasing History insert is of the vertical variety and I think it shows pretty well.   It highlights his pursuit of lofty career numbers.   I hope we get a chance to see him play again as soon as possible.   The Yanks need him this season and baseball needs him for just a little bit longer.....nice card for the Yankees collection.



My prayers for more Yankees and Braves were answered with these last two cards.   This Aaron insert is a nice looking card and I was able to capture some of the rainbow shine that reflects off of these.   The card highlights a rather random stat - XBH Record - but a record is a record.   I like this card.



Not a Yankee or a Brave on this one but another sharp looking card from this set.   Rickey making the dash to (second?) base was a sight I grew up with and his single-season marks were amazing.   I wonder if Mr. Hamilton of the Reds will write himself into this story of speed one day soon?

And how do we wrap up a lengthy post like this?

With a big 'ol MISSION ACCOMPLISHED - that's how!

My friends, if this were to be my final 'pack' of cards for 2013...........I'd be okay with it.   Here it is, my first ever Evan Gattis card.....the card I was hoping to pull!



Thanks for reading!







My Yankee Collection - 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen "Sliding Stars" Derek Jeter

I really miss our Captain and hope he can return to action soon.  

My worst fear is that he may encounter further difficulty and decide to hang up his spikes.....but I am optimistic that Jeter will make it back to give us a few more memories.

For now, I can certainly enjoy my Jeter cards and this is one of the more unique examples.   Sure, I've got plenty of Gypsy Queen (particularly from last year) but this is a Sliding Stars insert - my favorite GQ insert set from last year and a clear second place behind this year's Collisions at the Plate set.

This is how I look when I change a diaper 

The intrigue goes on, as this version of the card is a miniature version.   It was a nice pull from the special hobby box topper of mini cards found within each box.   Did Topps do the same thing this year?   It was a nice boost to my boxes, when a boost was SERIOUSLY needed.

Here's a picture of the box topper mini....box:

Exclusive! And yes, I kept the boxes..

Gimmicky, yes.....but when you throw down for a hobby box of anything, you're entitled to some bells and whistles, in my opinion.   You also deserve some solid progress towards a complete set.....and GQ did deliver there.   Back to Jeter.

Here's a look at the back:

I really like the design and layout of the GQ backs. Seriously.

Isn't that 3rd base he's sliding into, based on the front photo?   I'm pretty sure it is, judging by the marking on the OF wall.......the write-up of the specific stolen base story (I love it when cards pertain to a specific event!) refers to Derek stealing second base.

Oh well.   Still a sweet card for my Yankees collection!

Thanks for reading!