With all the hype surrounding Opening Day, it's easy to forget that 1/2 the teams in baseball haven't had their Opener yet! Among them, my beloved Detroit Tigers and my hometown Baltimore Orioles.
Rick Porcello starts the home opener for the Tigers, and while I won't be there, I'll be keeping close track of the end game on the big board in Camden Yards this afternoon (and probably watching the start in one of the bars prior to the game).
So, for the rest of us: Enjoy your Opening Day!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Sometimes It's Worth The Wait
At the start of the year, Topps passed on some information that they were going to be running a continuity program that featured cards of star players with big MLB Logo Patches on them. Fine. The first ten of those could be found in Topps Series 1, and then the rest of the releases would get some here and some there, but with no real word on where everything would be. Well, the first Tiger in the set has found his way into our hearts, via Topps Finest:
ooooh. Sometimes things are worth the wait.
Kind of like facing an opposing team's lights out closer and going down 0-2 before fouling off a ton of pitches and finally hitting a game-tying home run off the foul pole after a 10 pitch at bat with two outs in the bottom of the 9th. Right Miguel?*
*Or hitting a go ahead home run in the 10th inning off of a team's lights out closer to put your team ahead for good, right Curtis?
Some things are just worth the wait.
 |
| 2010 Topps Finest #LM-25 Miguel Cabrera |
ooooh. Sometimes things are worth the wait.
Kind of like facing an opposing team's lights out closer and going down 0-2 before fouling off a ton of pitches and finally hitting a game-tying home run off the foul pole after a 10 pitch at bat with two outs in the bottom of the 9th. Right Miguel?*
*Or hitting a go ahead home run in the 10th inning off of a team's lights out closer to put your team ahead for good, right Curtis?
Some things are just worth the wait.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Get Those Men A Baseball Card: Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore
The Tigers kicked off their seasons with a come from behind win over Zach Greinke and the Royals, in a matchup that lived up to its billing, until Justin Verlander kind of fell apart. Then it was just Greinke at his finest until, well, he was taken out before the 7th inning and the Tigers scored 6 runs. The lesson here is this: to beat Greinke is to not have to face him.
From a Tiger standpoint, the game was notable for two reasons. For one, it is their first Opening Day win since 2006 (HT to Bless You Boys for that one). Yes, that 2006. Second, I caught on the radio broadcast that this was the first time that the Tigers had two players that were both making their major league debut on Opening Day. Back then it was none other than the dynamic duo of...Deivi Cruz and Bubba Trammell. (Mega burn from the radio booth: "You'd like to forget about those two." Ouch.) Well today we had two more: 2B Scott Sizemore, who has worked his way up through the Tigers system and CF Austin Jackson who made his way to Detroit in the Granderson deal.
Against Greinke, it seemed like they were going to be in for one of those "learning experiences," like when you learn how to walk slowly back to the dugout, or how to unbuckle your knees or how to unfreeze yourself etc., and it certainly seemed to start out that way. But in a world where they had to face regular Major League pitching instead of the second coming of Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown (and his ilk), the kids were alright.
Scott Sizemore, for his part, took a walk in the 7th advanced to 3rd on a single (From Bless You Boys: "(What is he, a Twin? Are other teams allowed to do it, too?)" Great Quote.) before Austin Jackson ripped a double to drive his fellow debutante home. WOTS was that Jackson also threw out Jason Kendall at home, but I was driving home from work at that point and MLB.com's site is apparently in low bandwith mode or something, so I can't get any video--not like if I could embed MLB video even if I had it...grumblegrumble MLB grumble. Anyway...
It's debut performances like this that prompt me to scream from the hilltops "Get That Man A Baseball Card!" To some degree, it seems like my calls have been preemptively answered:
That sweet little number comes courtesy of 2010 Topps Pro Debut a set which, I am not ashamed to say, I like the looks of a great deal. You know, it wasn't so long ago that futures cards like this were included in regular Topps sets, and he is wearing a Tigers hat in the picture, so this is pretty darn close. Still, now that he is the present, and not the future, I'd like to see a "Big League" card for Scotty.
As for Jackson, he's got a Pro Debut card as well--an insert commemorating his appearance in the AAA All Star Game--but it shows him as a minor league Yankee. No thanks. Tigers card please. (As for 2010 Pro Debut, I should have a gallery up in the next couple days)
If I had my druthers, these would be two no-brainer inclusions in Topps Series 2, and my guess is that if Topps is in the business of making money, that they're on the same page (remember, Rick Porcello and Ryan Perry got the Series 2 treatment after making the Opening Day Roster last year).
And while we're at it, let's get a little "First Tigers to Make Their Debut On Opening Day..." combo card to commemorate this historical footnote--as long as you can promise me that in 15 years we won't be saying "Wish we could forget about those guys."
From a Tiger standpoint, the game was notable for two reasons. For one, it is their first Opening Day win since 2006 (HT to Bless You Boys for that one). Yes, that 2006. Second, I caught on the radio broadcast that this was the first time that the Tigers had two players that were both making their major league debut on Opening Day. Back then it was none other than the dynamic duo of...Deivi Cruz and Bubba Trammell. (Mega burn from the radio booth: "You'd like to forget about those two." Ouch.) Well today we had two more: 2B Scott Sizemore, who has worked his way up through the Tigers system and CF Austin Jackson who made his way to Detroit in the Granderson deal.
Against Greinke, it seemed like they were going to be in for one of those "learning experiences," like when you learn how to walk slowly back to the dugout, or how to unbuckle your knees or how to unfreeze yourself etc., and it certainly seemed to start out that way. But in a world where they had to face regular Major League pitching instead of the second coming of Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown (and his ilk), the kids were alright.
Scott Sizemore, for his part, took a walk in the 7th advanced to 3rd on a single (From Bless You Boys: "(What is he, a Twin? Are other teams allowed to do it, too?)" Great Quote.) before Austin Jackson ripped a double to drive his fellow debutante home. WOTS was that Jackson also threw out Jason Kendall at home, but I was driving home from work at that point and MLB.com's site is apparently in low bandwith mode or something, so I can't get any video--not like if I could embed MLB video even if I had it...grumblegrumble MLB grumble. Anyway...
It's debut performances like this that prompt me to scream from the hilltops "Get That Man A Baseball Card!" To some degree, it seems like my calls have been preemptively answered:
That sweet little number comes courtesy of 2010 Topps Pro Debut a set which, I am not ashamed to say, I like the looks of a great deal. You know, it wasn't so long ago that futures cards like this were included in regular Topps sets, and he is wearing a Tigers hat in the picture, so this is pretty darn close. Still, now that he is the present, and not the future, I'd like to see a "Big League" card for Scotty.
As for Jackson, he's got a Pro Debut card as well--an insert commemorating his appearance in the AAA All Star Game--but it shows him as a minor league Yankee. No thanks. Tigers card please. (As for 2010 Pro Debut, I should have a gallery up in the next couple days)
If I had my druthers, these would be two no-brainer inclusions in Topps Series 2, and my guess is that if Topps is in the business of making money, that they're on the same page (remember, Rick Porcello and Ryan Perry got the Series 2 treatment after making the Opening Day Roster last year).
And while we're at it, let's get a little "First Tigers to Make Their Debut On Opening Day..." combo card to commemorate this historical footnote--as long as you can promise me that in 15 years we won't be saying "Wish we could forget about those guys."
Sunday, April 4, 2010
2010 Season Preview: A New Hope
Opening Day is tomorrow, and before the world is treated to a Zach Greinke-Justin Verlander match up, I thought that I would share my perspective on how I think the Tigers are going to fare this year. Last year I did this through a week-long position-by-position breakdown of the team, and how similar it felt to the 2006 team. Quoth me:
That said, the 2009 team was not particularly good and ultimately, their weaknesses were exposed and the hottest team in the history of everything was able to overtake them by going 17-4 over their last 21 games, with 3 of those losses coming at the hands of the Tigers. This, for a Twins team that was playing under .500 baseball prior to that home stretch. Hot indeed.
Anyway, that improbable run culminated with this:
Oh, the pain.
That game apparently sent a shockwave through the collective sports consciousness of every team that I care for, leading to this:
And this:
And this:
And this:
It's been a rough year.
A New Hope?
So, it is crucial that I believe that we have reached a turning point. That this perpetual 2009-2010 nightmare has reached its end right back where it started. With the Tigers. Now, I'm not saying that they're going to win the World Series. Or even make the playoffs. Or that I even need them to make the playoffs. No, they just need to make it stop. But can they?
I tend to look at a baseball team in two ways: What personnel changes will make them better or worse than the year before and, how will individual players perform based on historical norms, seasonal anomalies and the like. Then we do a mental calibration of the rest of the teams in the division and there you have it. So, let's get to it.
Out with the old, in with the new.
There was a lot of movement within the Tigers organization this year. These guys?
They're all gone. That is, for brevity's sake: your two best offensive players not named Cabrera, your best pitcher not named Verlander, your closer, your set-up man, and the player who needed the fewest at-bats per home run in Detroit Tigers history. In their place we get: rookie, rookie, promising young pitcher and Jose Valverde. And throw in Johnny Damon for good measure.
So here's the question: Did the Tigers get better with their personnel moves this offseason? I have a hard time believing that the answer is "yes." Still, it isn't as much of a long shot as it seems. Valverde should be a better closer than Rodney. Damon is a more-than capable replacement for Granderson, albeit one who I think is not as good by a number of measures. The rookies, by all accounts, should be on their way to nice careers, but are still rookies. And when I see rookies up the middle (at 2nd and CF) I get worried. Personally, I think that both Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore need to have Rookie of the Year-caliber years to make up for the offense that the Tigers lost in the offseason, and frankly, I just don't see that happening.
Regressing to the mean
I'm going to take a shortcut here, because it is late and I need to take the dog for a walk and go to work in the morning. Everything that I'm going to say has no statistical backing because I don't have the time to look it up. However, if you were to look it up yourself, I'm pretty sure that I would be in the ballpark. So...
Looking back to last year, I see four players who had seasons that were unusual. Justin Verlander pitched like Cy Young and carried the team on his back towards the end of the season. Compared to 2008 he was a revelation. Rick Porcello was the 20 year old who, even with all the hype he brought with him, outperformed expectations. Meanwhile, Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez fell off a cliff, which Maggs somehow climbed back up to have a stellar back-half of the season. Still, their declines we so marked that I would be surprised if any former all-stars not named Andruw Jones have had such abruptly abysmal seasons.
For this year, I think that we will see a regression to the mean, and that that will benefit the Tigers. What I mean is this: Verlander was great in 2009 and bad in 2008. But he was really, really good in 2006 and 2007. I see him having a similarly consistent and excellent year, even if it isn't quite as good. Rick Porcello, in his second season, should be able to build off of an excellent 2nd half (culminating in a breakout Game 163), as long as his arm isn't too tired from substantial increase in workload last year. I see him grabbing about 14 wins and holding down the fort. Ordonez will benefit the most from a regression to the mean. His average will stay high, he'll hit the gaps and, although his power numbers will continue to shrink, I think that he'll come through when he is needed, time and time again. Guillen is less certain, as injuries have taken a toll on him. However, a move to DH should help and he should at least be able to hit for average if healthy.
Also, don't count out Gerald Laird. I think he is going to have a big year (.275/15/70). Mark it.
Other Stuff
Questions abound. Where are the runs going to come from? Can the Tigers survive the offensive output of Santiago, Inge, Laird, and Two Rookies? How are Willis and Bonderman going to pitch? What is the backup plan for if/when one of them fails? How will Inge and Sizemore recover from their injuries? How will Scherzer and Valverde adjust to the AL? Damon to Comerica? Guillen to DH?
Ugh.
In a way, I regret not giving myself the time to do a more comprehensive preview for this team, because there is just so much that we don't know. At the same time, I feel like I could have done all the research in the world and felt the same way. I take solace in this: The White Sox seem to have a number of similar question marks as well. The Twins lost Joe Nathan and are OUT OF THE METRODOME! I think that they lose 5 wins on that fact alone. I just don't think that the Indians or Royals are there yet, despite their young, talented cores.
And so we're left with this.
A Prediction
The Tigers will not make the playoffs this year. I just don't feel it. And I'm an optimist--I always feel it. I think that they will be in contention and make things interesting down the stretch but that they won't be able to do it. On the plus side, I think that they'll spare us the heartbreak that we were all treated to last year, so at least there's that.
I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that the team is a bad combination of being too-young and too old, and that they are going to come up just short as they try to reconcile themselves with the fact that they are simultaneously on the decline and not quite ready for the big time. The exceptions are huge, as Verlander and Cabrera will have seasons that will place them in the Top 3 for Cy Young and MVP voting, respectively, but I don't think that the supporting cast is there. When I see Cabrera protected by Guillen and then some sort of Inge/Laird/Sizemore/Everett 6-9, I see trouble.
5 Things from the Crystal Ball:
1. The Tigers will finish in 2nd with 84 wins. The White Sox (88) win the division.
2. Austin Jackson will play like Curtis Granderson circa 2006
3. Both Verlander and Cabrera will lead the league in two of three "triple crown" categories for Pitchers and Hitters, respectively
4. Magglio Ordonez's option will vest for 2011
5. Curtis Granderson will hit 40 home runs and win a Gold Glove. No, I'm not joking.
Prove me wrong kids, prove me wrong. Now bring on Opening Day!
*It is worth noting that while I was writing this Curtis Granderson hit a home run in his first at-bat as a Yankee
Prediction: The Tigers will be in the hunt for a playoff spot up until the final week, at which point, the hot team will win out. This team has tremendous potential, it's just a matter of putting it all together.Remember, this is on the heels of the vast majority of professional analysts predicting that the Tigers would finish 4th or 5th in the division.
That said, the 2009 team was not particularly good and ultimately, their weaknesses were exposed and the hottest team in the history of everything was able to overtake them by going 17-4 over their last 21 games, with 3 of those losses coming at the hands of the Tigers. This, for a Twins team that was playing under .500 baseball prior to that home stretch. Hot indeed.
Anyway, that improbable run culminated with this:
Oh, the pain.
That game apparently sent a shockwave through the collective sports consciousness of every team that I care for, leading to this:
And this:
And this:
It's been a rough year.
A New Hope?
So, it is crucial that I believe that we have reached a turning point. That this perpetual 2009-2010 nightmare has reached its end right back where it started. With the Tigers. Now, I'm not saying that they're going to win the World Series. Or even make the playoffs. Or that I even need them to make the playoffs. No, they just need to make it stop. But can they?
I tend to look at a baseball team in two ways: What personnel changes will make them better or worse than the year before and, how will individual players perform based on historical norms, seasonal anomalies and the like. Then we do a mental calibration of the rest of the teams in the division and there you have it. So, let's get to it.
Out with the old, in with the new.
There was a lot of movement within the Tigers organization this year. These guys?
They're all gone. That is, for brevity's sake: your two best offensive players not named Cabrera, your best pitcher not named Verlander, your closer, your set-up man, and the player who needed the fewest at-bats per home run in Detroit Tigers history. In their place we get: rookie, rookie, promising young pitcher and Jose Valverde. And throw in Johnny Damon for good measure.
So here's the question: Did the Tigers get better with their personnel moves this offseason? I have a hard time believing that the answer is "yes." Still, it isn't as much of a long shot as it seems. Valverde should be a better closer than Rodney. Damon is a more-than capable replacement for Granderson, albeit one who I think is not as good by a number of measures. The rookies, by all accounts, should be on their way to nice careers, but are still rookies. And when I see rookies up the middle (at 2nd and CF) I get worried. Personally, I think that both Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore need to have Rookie of the Year-caliber years to make up for the offense that the Tigers lost in the offseason, and frankly, I just don't see that happening.
Regressing to the mean
I'm going to take a shortcut here, because it is late and I need to take the dog for a walk and go to work in the morning. Everything that I'm going to say has no statistical backing because I don't have the time to look it up. However, if you were to look it up yourself, I'm pretty sure that I would be in the ballpark. So...
Looking back to last year, I see four players who had seasons that were unusual. Justin Verlander pitched like Cy Young and carried the team on his back towards the end of the season. Compared to 2008 he was a revelation. Rick Porcello was the 20 year old who, even with all the hype he brought with him, outperformed expectations. Meanwhile, Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez fell off a cliff, which Maggs somehow climbed back up to have a stellar back-half of the season. Still, their declines we so marked that I would be surprised if any former all-stars not named Andruw Jones have had such abruptly abysmal seasons.
For this year, I think that we will see a regression to the mean, and that that will benefit the Tigers. What I mean is this: Verlander was great in 2009 and bad in 2008. But he was really, really good in 2006 and 2007. I see him having a similarly consistent and excellent year, even if it isn't quite as good. Rick Porcello, in his second season, should be able to build off of an excellent 2nd half (culminating in a breakout Game 163), as long as his arm isn't too tired from substantial increase in workload last year. I see him grabbing about 14 wins and holding down the fort. Ordonez will benefit the most from a regression to the mean. His average will stay high, he'll hit the gaps and, although his power numbers will continue to shrink, I think that he'll come through when he is needed, time and time again. Guillen is less certain, as injuries have taken a toll on him. However, a move to DH should help and he should at least be able to hit for average if healthy.
Also, don't count out Gerald Laird. I think he is going to have a big year (.275/15/70). Mark it.
Other Stuff
Questions abound. Where are the runs going to come from? Can the Tigers survive the offensive output of Santiago, Inge, Laird, and Two Rookies? How are Willis and Bonderman going to pitch? What is the backup plan for if/when one of them fails? How will Inge and Sizemore recover from their injuries? How will Scherzer and Valverde adjust to the AL? Damon to Comerica? Guillen to DH?
Ugh.
In a way, I regret not giving myself the time to do a more comprehensive preview for this team, because there is just so much that we don't know. At the same time, I feel like I could have done all the research in the world and felt the same way. I take solace in this: The White Sox seem to have a number of similar question marks as well. The Twins lost Joe Nathan and are OUT OF THE METRODOME! I think that they lose 5 wins on that fact alone. I just don't think that the Indians or Royals are there yet, despite their young, talented cores.
And so we're left with this.
A Prediction
The Tigers will not make the playoffs this year. I just don't feel it. And I'm an optimist--I always feel it. I think that they will be in contention and make things interesting down the stretch but that they won't be able to do it. On the plus side, I think that they'll spare us the heartbreak that we were all treated to last year, so at least there's that.
I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that the team is a bad combination of being too-young and too old, and that they are going to come up just short as they try to reconcile themselves with the fact that they are simultaneously on the decline and not quite ready for the big time. The exceptions are huge, as Verlander and Cabrera will have seasons that will place them in the Top 3 for Cy Young and MVP voting, respectively, but I don't think that the supporting cast is there. When I see Cabrera protected by Guillen and then some sort of Inge/Laird/Sizemore/Everett 6-9, I see trouble.
5 Things from the Crystal Ball:
1. The Tigers will finish in 2nd with 84 wins. The White Sox (88) win the division.
2. Austin Jackson will play like Curtis Granderson circa 2006
3. Both Verlander and Cabrera will lead the league in two of three "triple crown" categories for Pitchers and Hitters, respectively
4. Magglio Ordonez's option will vest for 2011
5. Curtis Granderson will hit 40 home runs and win a Gold Glove. No, I'm not joking.
Prove me wrong kids, prove me wrong. Now bring on Opening Day!
*It is worth noting that while I was writing this Curtis Granderson hit a home run in his first at-bat as a Yankee
Friday, April 2, 2010
Grand Galleries: 2010 Topps Finest
I like Finest. I particularly like it when you have the chance to look at one page and see a full multi-colored refractory rainbow of a player. It was always a goal of mine to do this with Curtis Granderson cards, but I was never able to really come close. Thank goodness for Grand Galleries then, I suppose. And for living vicariously through eBay. Have you ever heard about how people get the same mental benefit from thinking about what they would do if the won the lottery as they do from actually winning the lottery? Yeah. This is kind of like that.
A few things to note: I will include printing plates as they appear, but I'm not going to soil the aesthetics of this otherwise complete page with my big "Grand Cards" logo. Also, if you want some more thoughts on Finest, please peruse my Tigers Gallery post for the set. With that, I am proud to present you with 2010 Topps Finest, the Complete Curtis Granderson collection:
A few things to note: I will include printing plates as they appear, but I'm not going to soil the aesthetics of this otherwise complete page with my big "Grand Cards" logo. Also, if you want some more thoughts on Finest, please peruse my Tigers Gallery post for the set. With that, I am proud to present you with 2010 Topps Finest, the Complete Curtis Granderson collection:
 |  |  |
#64 Curtis Granderson | #64 Curtis Granderson Refractor (#/599) | #64 Curtis Granderson Blue Ref. (#/299) |
 |  |  |
#64 Curtis Granderson Green Ref. (#/99) | #64 Curtis Granderson Gold Ref (#/50) | #64 Curtis Granderson Red Ref (#/25) |
 |  |  |
#64 Curtis Granderson Purple Ref (1/1) | #64 Curtis Granderson Printing Plate Black (1/1) | #64 Curtis Granderson Printing Plate Yellow (1/1) |
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Winners of the Great Grand Cards Giveaway Are...
Ok, the contest is closed and the winners have been selected. Please enjoy this introductory video, followed by the randomization:
And now the Randomization...
One:
Two:
Three:
I'm sorry. You have been made the fool. An April Fool, as it were.
I'm not much for April Fool's pranks--I haven't really done much of them historically--but for whatever reason felt compelled to give this one a shot.
Kudos to mmosley, who at 10:45 almost blew my cover:
I thought that The Drizz was on to me too after his post on Totally Cecil said this:
But no, somehow I managed to keep under the radar--either that or those that were wise to me stayed away.
Anyway, because you were all such good sports, I thought I would be nice.
mmosley, for figuring out my little game, will now be the proud owner of this:
Yes Virginia, that's your very own 2002 Bowman Chrome Curtis Granderson rookie card. Please enjoy.
Also, keep your eyes peeled because of the course of the next few weeks, I really will be giving away some of my Granderson cards, and selling others etc. For everyone who entered the contest today, you are now automatically entered for the next contest I run. It's the least I can do for the bit of fun you gave me today.
Now, bring on the baseball season!
And now the Randomization...
One:
Two:
Three:
I'm sorry. You have been made the fool. An April Fool, as it were.
I'm not much for April Fool's pranks--I haven't really done much of them historically--but for whatever reason felt compelled to give this one a shot.
Kudos to mmosley, who at 10:45 almost blew my cover:
Interesting Day for an interesting Contest!
I thought that The Drizz was on to me too after his post on Totally Cecil said this:
Dan must have fallin' ill and/or lost his marbles with an exciting and outrageous contest!
But no, somehow I managed to keep under the radar--either that or those that were wise to me stayed away.
Anyway, because you were all such good sports, I thought I would be nice.
mmosley, for figuring out my little game, will now be the proud owner of this:
Yes Virginia, that's your very own 2002 Bowman Chrome Curtis Granderson rookie card. Please enjoy.
Also, keep your eyes peeled because of the course of the next few weeks, I really will be giving away some of my Granderson cards, and selling others etc. For everyone who entered the contest today, you are now automatically entered for the next contest I run. It's the least I can do for the bit of fun you gave me today.
Now, bring on the baseball season!
The Great Grand Cards Giveaway Contest!
You may recall, sometime around the great blog identity crisis of '09 that I came up with a plan. To wit: I would cease and desist my Curtis Granderson collecting and selectively sell-off my collection bit by bit to the overpaying Yankees fans that have money to burn.
However, sometime between then and now, something odd happened. First, Granderson cards stopped selling for much money. That whole "these cards can fund all my wildest collecting wishes" was quickly replaced by hesitation. I can't sell my cards for that! etc. Then, because I'm a sucker, I took advantage of some low prices and *gasp* added more Granderson cards to my collection--the very collection I vowed to eliminate.
Oh, and I've got news. I almost did it again, and again and again but, by the grace of God either lost out on my bids, or forgot about the listing or had common sense get the better of me. Suffice to say, I'm playing a dangerous game. So here's what I've decided to do.
A Contest
1. Look at my Granderson Collection
2. Become a Follower of the blog (sidebar)
3. Post a Comment with your favorite Granderson card in the collection--if it doesn't have a caption, just describe it or something
The Prizes
Every eligible comment will be entered onto a list. The list will be randomized and TEN winners chosen. What do the winners get? A card.
But not just any card. Think of it as a draft. End up first on the list? You get to pick ANY Curtis Granderson card from my collection.
That means the 1/1s
Or the on-card refractor autographs:
Or the silks. Oh, the silks:
The first TEN people on the list, will get their choice of whatever card they want--just like a draft. After that's all done and I am forced to break up the band, so to speak, I should be able to overcome the mental barrier that has kept me from moving on the way I should.
One More Thing
Post about this contest on your blog, and you will receive a second entry into the contest.
Also, ALL COMMENTS MUST BE POSTED BY 5:00PM EASTERN TIME TODAY, AS I AM HEADING OUT OF TOWN ON BUSINESS AND WANT TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNER BEFORE I AM STUCK IN INTERNET PURGATORY.
Good Luck!
However, sometime between then and now, something odd happened. First, Granderson cards stopped selling for much money. That whole "these cards can fund all my wildest collecting wishes" was quickly replaced by hesitation. I can't sell my cards for that! etc. Then, because I'm a sucker, I took advantage of some low prices and *gasp* added more Granderson cards to my collection--the very collection I vowed to eliminate.
Oh, and I've got news. I almost did it again, and again and again but, by the grace of God either lost out on my bids, or forgot about the listing or had common sense get the better of me. Suffice to say, I'm playing a dangerous game. So here's what I've decided to do.
A Contest
1. Look at my Granderson Collection
2. Become a Follower of the blog (sidebar)
3. Post a Comment with your favorite Granderson card in the collection--if it doesn't have a caption, just describe it or something
The Prizes
Every eligible comment will be entered onto a list. The list will be randomized and TEN winners chosen. What do the winners get? A card.
But not just any card. Think of it as a draft. End up first on the list? You get to pick ANY Curtis Granderson card from my collection.
That means the 1/1s
Or the on-card refractor autographs:
Or the silks. Oh, the silks:
The first TEN people on the list, will get their choice of whatever card they want--just like a draft. After that's all done and I am forced to break up the band, so to speak, I should be able to overcome the mental barrier that has kept me from moving on the way I should.
One More Thing
Post about this contest on your blog, and you will receive a second entry into the contest.
Also, ALL COMMENTS MUST BE POSTED BY 5:00PM EASTERN TIME TODAY, AS I AM HEADING OUT OF TOWN ON BUSINESS AND WANT TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNER BEFORE I AM STUCK IN INTERNET PURGATORY.
Good Luck!
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