Tigers Checklist: 2009 DAV

2009 Tigers Master Checklist Here

In recognition of the upcoming Veteran's Day and last week's tragedy at Ft. Hood, I knew the perfect set with which to unveil my new checklisting mechanism. This has been my ultimate goal for some time, but I never really knew how to pull it off. Hopefully, this is something that I can do for each release, even if some of them require multiple posts. In the next day or two, I will retroactively create a "Checklists" page where all of the galleries can be found. This will be conveniently located in the sidebar. Obviously, there will be some tweaks etc., but for now I'm just hopeful that this works as expected and is a sign of things to come. Any feedback is much, much appreciated.

The Disabled American Veterans release cards each year--this particular set was a stadium giveaway at Comerica Park that my dad was nice enough to snag for me and bring when my family visited us in Baltimore. So with that, here are your 2009 DAV Detroit Tigers.

update: tweaked so that clicking on thumbnail opens a full size picture in new window.

#146 Willie Horton	#147 Jeremy Bonderman	#148 Gates Brown
#149 Mario Impemba	#150 Edwin Jackson	#151 Brandon Lyon
#152 Nate Robertson	#153 Zach Miner	#154 Ryan Raburn
#155 Bobby Seay

Tom Brookens Is The New Tigers Bench Coach

Yes, that Tom Brookens.

Mustaches rejoice!

1981 Topps #251 Tom Brookens

It is worth noting that this makes Brookens the odds-on favorite to replace Jim Leyland whenever he decides to hang up the spikes, although Gibby is angling for a job too. The 2007 Midwest League Manager of the year will take over the spot vacated by Andy Van Slyke on the Tigers bench.

Revolution

I just wanted to let you know that there have been some very exciting developments behind the scenes here. I've still got a couple of tweaks and things to take care of, but this blog is about to become much more useful for many. No worries--there is no major design change, philosophy change or anything that will disrupt the normal flow of things. It's just that some of the stuff that I already do, is about to be done in a much better way.

You'll know what I mean by tomorrow or wednesday. In the meantime, if there are any links or posts or things that appear odd, that is probably me trying to figure out the final logistics, but doing so in a fumbling "I don't really know how html works, so it is trial and error, baby" kind of way.

Happy Trails: Marcus Thames

Detroit Tigers Weblog tipped me off on a "bevy of roster moves." Most of note is that Marcus Thames has been removed from the roster and is now a free agent.

This is a move that had to happen, but it is bittersweet. Marcus was one of the nicest Tigers that I've ever met--influenced, no doubt, by the fact that he was the only player to sign an autograph for me or my brother prior to a 2007 Spring Training game (in fairness, Granderson signed a lot after the game, but we couldn't get to him). I assume that all Tiger fans wish Marcus nothing but the absolute best, and hope for his success on a future team, where he will likely find a roster spot as a 4th outfielder/deadly pinch hitting option. If they don't, then they're all jerks.

So long, Marcus. We'll always have 2006.

The Low End of High End

Let me tell you why I love high end releases. Sometimes, my player of choice will get a card in that release's "base set", which is summarily rejected by almost everyone who buys the high-end cards and are subject to almost-zero demand and bargain basement prices. So hey, how about some pickups from the dollar bin?

2009 SP Authentic #67 Curtis Granderson

For the second straight year, SP Authentic is a winner. There is not a whole lot to dislike about this card. Except for maybe a marginally distinguishable parallel version:

2009 SP Authentic #67 Curtis Granderson Gold (#029/299)

I guess SP Authentic is more of a mid-high end, although it is still out of my price range. As for the actual high end, you know, the ones where you get one card and a bunch of filler, I present some filler:

2009 Topps Triple Threads #79 Curtis Granderson Emerald (#156/240)

2009 Topps Triple Threads #79 Curtis Granderson Gold (#49/99)

These cards aren't particularly impressive, but aren't terrible either. If I were to get them as an insert in a Topps pack, I would be fine with it. The fact that these are allegedly "high end" damages them in the eyes of others. For me, it is just one more notch on the belt. These cards are not the best and not the worst Grandersons out there. They just are. Why did I pick them up? Because they were cheap and I didn't have them and could combine shipping.

Those also happen to be the first "base cards" that Granderson has ever had in Triple Threads. Can you believe people pay over a hundred bucks a pack for the stuff? I mean, God bless them, because it puts cards like this up for sale at throwaway prices, but geez.

Anyway, a smattering of cards that I would never have a chance of getting in a pack to end the week. While the original owners are off enjoying their shiny autographs and the like, I'll just humbly add these to the binder, waiting for some more of these unloved cardboard creations to drop into my lap.

Putting the "M" in MLB: Chris Getz Traded To Royals

Ahh...the season is over and we can all relax. This is a new "segment", of sorts, that will track the progress of University of Michigan baseball players in the professional ranks. Ideally, this will include periodic updates of the whole group, profiles of individual players, and recognitions of transactions or milestones.

Chris Getz, the White Sox starting second baseman for 2009, has been traded to the Kansas City Royals. Is this something I care about? Why yes, yes it is.

There he is, sporting his true colors.

Getz actually started his career at Wake Forest, before transferring to Michigan for the 2004 season, where later swiped 29 stolen bases in his Junior year. He was drafted by the White Sox in 2005 and moved up their system at a reasonable pace. He spent two full seasons in Birmingham (AA) before playing a full season in AAA Charlotte in 2008, earning a September callup to the Show. The big leap came this year, when he earned the starting spot in Chicago, and rewarded the Sox with 25 SBs in 27 attempts.

Speed is certainly Getz's greatest asset, and he could develop into a reliable player with some game changing wheels. White Sox Cards had a nice writeup on Getz earlier this year, with the same general assessment. He has the tools to develop into a solid MLB contact hitter. Oh, and that post featured the outstanding custom card you see below.

With Getz sticking in the same division, he'll still have plenty of chances to play in front of his hometown crowd in Detroit. Even better, his chance of sticking in the bigs improves, as the Royals aren't exactly feeling the pressure to put a championship team together right away, don't have much in the way of major 2B prospects and can survive letting Getz work through some growing pains as he tries to develop into a solid Major Leaguer.

Here's to a strong follow-up to a respectable rookie campaign. Best of luck in 2009 to Chris Getz, now of the Kansas City Royals.

More Wantlist Slicing and Dicing

Whew. It has been a crazy few days, not the least of which involved swapping our basement room with an upstairs room--a process that is still not complete, but the larger pieces have made their way up our narrow rowhouse stairs. Suffice to say, baseball cards have been at the fore of my mind--I've gotten tons of new cards in the last week or so, but posting about them has fallen down on the list of priorities.

With that said, there has been some spectacular demolition of my "Big 10 Wantlist" yet again. You may remember last time when four out of the Top 10 (11) were ceremoniously stricken from the list. Today, I get to do it again, with more of a top-heavy Jenga-friendly removal of items.

From the top:

Number Two

2005 Topps Factory Set (Tiger Edition)5 of 5 Curtis Granderson

Here's Curtis, before age ravaged his once youthful looks. Or, when he was nondescript enough to be mistaken for somebody else entirely. Interestingly (and sadly), this is his first official Topps card, back when he was still a September call-up guy. This card came courtesy of Barry (Los Gatos on the Detroit Sports Collectors Forum) who sent it to me for future considerations. I am now deeply indebted to him and need to keep my eyes open for some hard to get Topps Tigers that he might be able to use for his collection.

As for the specifics of this card: 1. Curtis does make an appearance:

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2. I am now on a quest to figure out who is on the front of this card. My theory is that it is somebody who was invited to the Detroit Tigers 2005 Spring Training, so that will be my starting point. Look for a post at some point in the future that catalogues my search for this illusive outfielder and his 15 minutes of fame.

Number Three
Oh, the fun doesn't stop with Curtis. How about a "Career Best" card from someone who has actually had a career worth "besting" about:

2009 Topps #CBA-GS Gary Sheffield "Career Best" Autograph

Sheff! People gave Sheff a hard time in Detroit, and not without reason, but this is a guy who has had an incredible career and would be a sure-fire Hall of Famer if not for his prickly personality and steroid suspicions. My guess is that he ultimately makes it in anyway. He was the most dangerous hitter in baseball for more than a handful of his years.

As for his "Career Best" card--here are the other Tigers with autographs in this subset this season: Armando Galarraga and Curtis Granderson. Galarraga was a rookie in 2008. Granderson just finished his 4th full season. Thank you, thank you, Topps for including someone with a long career full of bests and not just whoever you could pull out of your sticker drawer.

Speaking of Career Bests...

Number Four

2009 Topps #CBDR-HC Ryan Howard/Miguel Cabrera (#78/99)

Hey, what do you know about that! This is another premature Career Best card, but these are two guys who have posted incredible early-career numbers and have long, bright futures ahead of them. This is far better than some other Tigers Career Best cards like, say, Jeremy Bonderman. In general, the Career Best relic cards are pretty solid, and I think that the Dual Relics are outstanding. This one, for example, features two of the best young first basemen in the game today, both of whom are huge stars and fit well on a card together. Chalk this one up as a win.

So what does this all mean? Well, three big wants were eliminated from the top of the list, allowing the whole thing to shift up a bit. This also completes my "Career Best" subset needs for 2009 Topps, which is something to smile about. Finally, one of the hardest to find Granderson cards has a new home! Just imagine how nice this card would be if Curtis was actually on the front. Boy, that would have been sweet.

Now, With that now in my possession, the search for the mystery man begins.