Ok, people are about to go Ginter-crazy. Since it was announced that Strasburg is in the set, prices have gone up, up, up. I Am Joe Collector just recommended sitting back for 6 months or so until prices go back to normal. But I get it, you still want your A&G Fix.
Well how about this:
Get in on a CASE BREAK of Allen & Ginter, in which 20 teams are still available and the price has been LOCKED IN at pre-Strasburg levels. This is a great chance to load up on Ginter, and have a chance at a case hit and all the other goodies the set provides.
Time's running out. You don't want to be the last one on your block without the Ol' Planter by your side, do you? Join the break here.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
A Special No-Hitter for "BB" Jackson
I love this new nickname that I just invented for him. BB Jackson. This is all self-congratulatory italics, but let's dissect for a moment. One: "BB" is a great nickname. There can no be argument here. Two: The cool nickname juxtaposes with the rather insulting insinuation that Jackson earned the nickname by walking so many people. Three: Yet in a great double entendre, a pitcher who is pitching excellently to the point that he is essentially impossible to hit is said to be "throwing BB's", like the little things you shoot out of a BB Gun. In all, we are left with a perfectly apt nickname that is also really cool sounding. Spread the word.
I'm not sure if it qualifies as "One-of-a-Kind" the way this card would, but Edwin Jackson's no-hitter last night was really...something. His no-hitter took him all of 149 pitches, something no pitcher has done since Livan Hernandez threw 150 in 2005. It also included 8 walks and a batter reaching on an error.
What's incredible to me, is that he walked all but one of the batters in the first three innings--he was at 68 pitches after three--and then went on to only allow two more baserunners for the rest of the game. That's some stamina. In the words of Joe Maddon (via Hardball Talk):
I just thought that would be a nice quote to include from a former Manager. He's right though, Jackson is a horse. Even if he doesn't always pitch as well as you would like, he has that ability to come through when needed. Kind of like he did last night.
Amidst all the hulaballoo about this, the OMG 149 PITCHEZ! has been getting the most play. Ruin his arm, you will. Or, you just left him in to try and get the no hitter, even if it wasn't in the best interest of the player or the team, to which, responses abound, the best of which is from the Dbacks manager himself:
And I think that's exactly the right way to look at it in most cases, including this one. But what about the pitch count that everyone's huffing and puffing about? Leave it to Sports Economist JC Bradbury to assuage our fears:
This claim is backed up by, you know, math and stuff, but is really just a short sweet post worth checking out. However, you do wonder whether this regression (a "fractional polynomial regression"), like so many, fails at the extremes, of which 149 pitches is definitely one, so that even if it holds true in 99% of cases, it's not necessarily true in cases where there are so few modern data points available. I don't know, I'm not a doctor.
Regardless, congratulations to Edwin Jackson, who was an excellent first-half pitcher for the Tigers last year and by all accounts was an excellent teammate and first-rate Tiger. I hope his future holds continued success, perhaps in the form of a lower ERA, fewer walks and his arm not falling off. I'm not sure that any of those are likely after last night's no-hitter, but no one ever said that he's not capable of such excellence.
 |
| 2009 Topps #AST-39 Edwin Jackson Platinum (1/1) |
I'm not sure if it qualifies as "One-of-a-Kind" the way this card would, but Edwin Jackson's no-hitter last night was really...something. His no-hitter took him all of 149 pitches, something no pitcher has done since Livan Hernandez threw 150 in 2005. It also included 8 walks and a batter reaching on an error.
What's incredible to me, is that he walked all but one of the batters in the first three innings--he was at 68 pitches after three--and then went on to only allow two more baserunners for the rest of the game. That's some stamina. In the words of Joe Maddon (via Hardball Talk):
"He throws 68 pitches after just three innings and settles in and pitches like he did? You've got to give him a lot of credit. He's a horse and a great athlete. He's a great kid and he deserved to do that tonight. Hats off to him; he's a wonderful man."
I just thought that would be a nice quote to include from a former Manager. He's right though, Jackson is a horse. Even if he doesn't always pitch as well as you would like, he has that ability to come through when needed. Kind of like he did last night.
Amidst all the hulaballoo about this, the OMG 149 PITCHEZ! has been getting the most play. Ruin his arm, you will. Or, you just left him in to try and get the no hitter, even if it wasn't in the best interest of the player or the team, to which, responses abound, the best of which is from the Dbacks manager himself:
You do want to make smart decisions, but you do have a chance at history and you don't want to take it away from him. And that's for everybody involved, from the team, to the fans, to anybody that was included in this game.
And I think that's exactly the right way to look at it in most cases, including this one. But what about the pitch count that everyone's huffing and puffing about? Leave it to Sports Economist JC Bradbury to assuage our fears:
On average, every pitch thrown raises a pitcher’s ERA by 0.007 in the following game. Jackson’s ERA was 5.05 going into Friday’s game averaging 104 pitches per game; thus, based on the historical response of pitchers to pitch counts Jackson’s expected performance in his next start is about 5.37. So, Jackson can be expected to pitch worse, but not that much worse
This claim is backed up by, you know, math and stuff, but is really just a short sweet post worth checking out. However, you do wonder whether this regression (a "fractional polynomial regression"), like so many, fails at the extremes, of which 149 pitches is definitely one, so that even if it holds true in 99% of cases, it's not necessarily true in cases where there are so few modern data points available. I don't know, I'm not a doctor.
Regardless, congratulations to Edwin Jackson, who was an excellent first-half pitcher for the Tigers last year and by all accounts was an excellent teammate and first-rate Tiger. I hope his future holds continued success, perhaps in the form of a lower ERA, fewer walks and his arm not falling off. I'm not sure that any of those are likely after last night's no-hitter, but no one ever said that he's not capable of such excellence.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Day 3 Winner, and a Note
The winner of my relic card giveaway is none other than Wicked Orteaga, who's three mystery Tiger relics bested BA Benny, if only because of BA Benny's offer of a Cameron Maybin Relic that I already have.
As for more contests: I will wrap things up NEXT WEEK, but will not be doing anything this weekend. A taste of things to come: autographs, neat subsets, vintage cards and team lots of Topps.
Other things of interest:
An excellent preview on what to expect from Andy Oliver via Bless You Boys. He makes his major league debut in less than an hour.
The Kid's Alright: Rick Porcello threw 8 innings of one-hit ball in his first start for Toledo. (via Hardball Talk)
Have a good weekend everybody, GO USA!
As for more contests: I will wrap things up NEXT WEEK, but will not be doing anything this weekend. A taste of things to come: autographs, neat subsets, vintage cards and team lots of Topps.
Other things of interest:
An excellent preview on what to expect from Andy Oliver via Bless You Boys. He makes his major league debut in less than an hour.
The Kid's Alright: Rick Porcello threw 8 innings of one-hit ball in his first start for Toledo. (via Hardball Talk)
Have a good weekend everybody, GO USA!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Great Grand Cards Trade Away: Day 3
That's more like it! Day 2 was a success with the following people winning a package of non-Topps cards of the team of their choice:
Thorzul - Brewers
Cam - Phillies + Royals
Dayf - Braves
TheBrooklynMet - Mets
AnthonyK - Astros
Dan - Indians
AdamE - Red Sox
mmmrhubarb - Twins
Play at the Plate - Rangers
madding - Cardinals
Wicked Orteaga - Marlins
Mariner1 - Mariners
Ryan - Orioles
FanOfReds - Reds + Pirates
Drew - Yankees
CarlCrawfordCards - Rays
Congratulations to the winners. If you wanted a team that wasn't claimed, feel free to shoot me an email and I may be able to accommodate you.
On to Day 3, in an attempt to keep the momentum going:
Up for grabs All of my extraneous Relic cards.
Opening Bid One Detroit Tigers relic card (preferably non-Granderson)
I don't have a ton of these, I'm guessing more than 5 and less than 10, all of which are from products from 2005-2010. Still, it's free relic cards which isn't much to sneeze at. So get those offers in, this contest ends at 6 pm tomorrow. Ideally, I'd like to trade these for ONE relic card, may the best one win. However, I am partial to certain brands' relics (e.g. Allen & Ginter) even though I don't have any non-Granderson's to call my own.
Thorzul - Brewers
Cam - Phillies + Royals
Dayf - Braves
TheBrooklynMet - Mets
AnthonyK - Astros
Dan - Indians
AdamE - Red Sox
mmmrhubarb - Twins
Play at the Plate - Rangers
madding - Cardinals
Wicked Orteaga - Marlins
Mariner1 - Mariners
Ryan - Orioles
FanOfReds - Reds + Pirates
Drew - Yankees
CarlCrawfordCards - Rays
Congratulations to the winners. If you wanted a team that wasn't claimed, feel free to shoot me an email and I may be able to accommodate you.
On to Day 3, in an attempt to keep the momentum going:
Up for grabs All of my extraneous Relic cards.
Opening Bid One Detroit Tigers relic card (preferably non-Granderson)
I don't have a ton of these, I'm guessing more than 5 and less than 10, all of which are from products from 2005-2010. Still, it's free relic cards which isn't much to sneeze at. So get those offers in, this contest ends at 6 pm tomorrow. Ideally, I'd like to trade these for ONE relic card, may the best one win. However, I am partial to certain brands' relics (e.g. Allen & Ginter) even though I don't have any non-Granderson's to call my own.
Clock's Ticking
Just under four hours left to get in on Day 2 of the Great Grand Cards Trade Away. The prize is as many non-Topps cards of a team of your choice as I can fit in a package to send out. There are still plenty of teams with no offers made on them, so click on over and claim a team OR beat someone else's offer for a team that is already claimed.
Day 3 of the contest will be posted tonight at 6, along with the winners for Day 2.
Day 3 of the contest will be posted tonight at 6, along with the winners for Day 2.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The Grand SchemGOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAL!
Reminder, Day 2 of my massive card trade away is going on until 5:30pm tomorrow. Up for grabs are a ton of cards from your team of choice. There are already some hotly contested team offers, so get in on it!
In which your author had a mini-stroke
Boy, that was awesome. Clean sheets at the half in Group D keep the US's Saturday opponent a mystery for a little longer. (Update: It's Ghana))
The analysts know best I mean, they're analysts. We're talking about professionals, right? So why am I bothered by an ESPN article that heaps praise on Miguel Cabrera? This sort of national exposure is exactly what I complain the Tigers (and Cabrera) don't get enough of. So what gives?
I can't quote enough of this article to really do it justice, so perhaps I'll summarize.
Step 1: Say that Cabrera has conquered his Demons
Step 2: Talk about how intelligent of a hitter he is
Step 3: Also credit his supporting cast in the lineup
Step 4: Cabrera is really great!
Uh huh. So what makes this article different from the first three random pieces of Bleacher Report garbage that comes up in a google search for "Bleacher Report Miguel Cabrera?" I mean seriously, please tell me the difference between this:
One is written by and "expert," ESPN analyst Aaron Boone. Now, I have no particular problem with Boone, per se, but when I read something coming from a former major leaguer, I'm hoping for something a little more substantive than information that everybody knows and a tiny clubhouse anecdote. I want some real Todd Jones or Doug Glanville shit, ok ESPN?
One Million Dollars The Strasburggery has gotten out of hand. $100,000 for his 1/1 Red Autograph card? That's insanity. And the guy who bought his superfractor is already selling it again and has made a profit, which I guess means that he's not quite the fool that I took him for. Oh, and Topps is now selling $350 per pop autographs on Strasburg's Topps #661, of which only 300 will be offered, and only 119 have even been unlocked at this point. And the Finest redemptions and Red Hot Rookie redemptions are just adding fuel to the fire, likely withholding Strasburg's card until the bitter end.
It's all quite crazy, and to be honest I'm not sure how I feel about all of it. I'm wondering though...would anyone like to go all profit-share on a case of Bowman Chrome?
A Wolf, a Fox and an Oriole... This will be a future "M in the MLB" post if I ever get around to it, but it's worth mentioning at least that former Michigan catcher Jake Fox, after being designated for assignment last week was acquired by the Orioles yesteraday, leading to a Baltimore Sun comment section explosion of frustration, including my favorite
Zing!
It also spawned an article exploring the connection between the O's and the Cubs, which is unsurprisingly robust given Andy MacPhail's history in the Cubs organization. This is not dissimilar to Dave Dombrowski's penchant for dealing with the Marlins and former Marlins (Robertson, Willis/Cabrera, Sheffield, Pudge, etc.) and I imagine that you could uncover a similar pattern of relationships with every team in baseball.
For what it's worth, Fox flied out to the wall in his O's debut last night, but will most likely provide more power to the Orioles than their entire first base platoon has all season.
Misc. A Cardboard Problem has a great interview with the new President of Upper Deck. Well done Sooz! Stale Gum is as disappointed as I am with Topps' Red Hot Rookie #2 selection. .225 1HR 2RBI is not "Red Hot." I kind of totally want these World Cup Cards. They are fantastic.
In which your author had a mini-stroke
Boy, that was awesome. Clean sheets at the half in Group D keep the US's Saturday opponent a mystery for a little longer. (Update: It's Ghana))
The analysts know best I mean, they're analysts. We're talking about professionals, right? So why am I bothered by an ESPN article that heaps praise on Miguel Cabrera? This sort of national exposure is exactly what I complain the Tigers (and Cabrera) don't get enough of. So what gives?
I had a chance to play with Cabrera when we were both with the Florida Marlins in 2007, and what really blew me away about him was how smart he was at the plate. We would talk over the course of a game and you could just tell that he had a great understanding of how a pitcher was going to attack a certain hitter. He knew what they were going to throw, how to make contact, and where to hit it. He also gave me a lot of advice on my own approach at the plate, often predicting where a particular pitcher would throw to me.
I can't quote enough of this article to really do it justice, so perhaps I'll summarize.
Step 1: Say that Cabrera has conquered his Demons
Step 2: Talk about how intelligent of a hitter he is
Step 3: Also credit his supporting cast in the lineup
Step 4: Cabrera is really great!
Uh huh. So what makes this article different from the first three random pieces of Bleacher Report garbage that comes up in a google search for "Bleacher Report Miguel Cabrera?" I mean seriously, please tell me the difference between this:
I started calling him "Albert Einstein" because that genius light went on when he was in the batter's box. The first time I used his nickname he had no idea who Einstein was. But after friend and teammate Alfredo Amezaga explained the moniker, Cabrera thought it was pretty funny.and this:
He’s 6'2", with arms the size of Paul Bunyan’s and thighs that look like folded over sandbags. He doesn’t have a chest, he has Rhode Island, and maybe a little of Vermont.
He doesn’t walk, he advances.
One is written by and "expert," ESPN analyst Aaron Boone. Now, I have no particular problem with Boone, per se, but when I read something coming from a former major leaguer, I'm hoping for something a little more substantive than information that everybody knows and a tiny clubhouse anecdote. I want some real Todd Jones or Doug Glanville shit, ok ESPN?
One Million Dollars The Strasburggery has gotten out of hand. $100,000 for his 1/1 Red Autograph card? That's insanity. And the guy who bought his superfractor is already selling it again and has made a profit, which I guess means that he's not quite the fool that I took him for. Oh, and Topps is now selling $350 per pop autographs on Strasburg's Topps #661, of which only 300 will be offered, and only 119 have even been unlocked at this point. And the Finest redemptions and Red Hot Rookie redemptions are just adding fuel to the fire, likely withholding Strasburg's card until the bitter end.
It's all quite crazy, and to be honest I'm not sure how I feel about all of it. I'm wondering though...would anyone like to go all profit-share on a case of Bowman Chrome?
A Wolf, a Fox and an Oriole... This will be a future "M in the MLB" post if I ever get around to it, but it's worth mentioning at least that former Michigan catcher Jake Fox, after being designated for assignment last week was acquired by the Orioles yesteraday, leading to a Baltimore Sun comment section explosion of frustration, including my favorite
Would rather they picked up Edwin Encarnacion but he's not white and incompetent so he wouldn't fit into the O's plans.
Zing!
It also spawned an article exploring the connection between the O's and the Cubs, which is unsurprisingly robust given Andy MacPhail's history in the Cubs organization. This is not dissimilar to Dave Dombrowski's penchant for dealing with the Marlins and former Marlins (Robertson, Willis/Cabrera, Sheffield, Pudge, etc.) and I imagine that you could uncover a similar pattern of relationships with every team in baseball.
For what it's worth, Fox flied out to the wall in his O's debut last night, but will most likely provide more power to the Orioles than their entire first base platoon has all season.
Misc. A Cardboard Problem has a great interview with the new President of Upper Deck. Well done Sooz! Stale Gum is as disappointed as I am with Topps' Red Hot Rookie #2 selection. .225 1HR 2RBI is not "Red Hot." I kind of totally want these World Cup Cards. They are fantastic.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
The Great Grand Cards Trade Away: Day 2
I'm changing the name of this. "Trade Down" just didn't do it for me.
First, the winner of the Day 1 offering for all of my Donruss Diamond Kings cards was Cam of the Collectable [sic] Cards blog, who happened to be the only person interested. Huh. So the winners know, I'll send all the cards once the entire contest is over so that I can consolidate shipping in case you win multiple days.
So with Day 1 just a teeny step above "total failure" from a reader interest perspective, Day 2 offers a little more in the way of mass appeal.
Up For Grabs A Large Package of non-Topps cards of your favorite team.
Just to alleviate your fears that I'd load you down with a ton of 1987 Topps or something like that, I will fill as many cards of your team of choice as I can fit into a large package, and all of them will be of a non-Topps flagship brand. We're talking Upper Deck, SP, Leaf, Studio, Collector's Choice, Starting Lineup, Bowman, Topps Big, Oddball Cards, O-Pee-Chee, Score, Donruss, Fleer etc. I have a lot of these.
The best offer for EACH TEAM will be accepted, meaning that I am up for giving away up to 30 packages.
Opening Bid: One non-Topps Detroit Tigers card of any type.
Because of the magnitude of this particular giveaway, I will leave it up for 2 days. It will end Thursday at 5:30.
Update: You may "bid" multiple times on each giveaway, so that if you are outbid, you can increase your offer.
Update 2: You may bid on as many teams as you wish
First, the winner of the Day 1 offering for all of my Donruss Diamond Kings cards was Cam of the Collectable [sic] Cards blog, who happened to be the only person interested. Huh. So the winners know, I'll send all the cards once the entire contest is over so that I can consolidate shipping in case you win multiple days.
So with Day 1 just a teeny step above "total failure" from a reader interest perspective, Day 2 offers a little more in the way of mass appeal.
Up For Grabs A Large Package of non-Topps cards of your favorite team.
Just to alleviate your fears that I'd load you down with a ton of 1987 Topps or something like that, I will fill as many cards of your team of choice as I can fit into a large package, and all of them will be of a non-Topps flagship brand. We're talking Upper Deck, SP, Leaf, Studio, Collector's Choice, Starting Lineup, Bowman, Topps Big, Oddball Cards, O-Pee-Chee, Score, Donruss, Fleer etc. I have a lot of these.
The best offer for EACH TEAM will be accepted, meaning that I am up for giving away up to 30 packages.
Opening Bid: One non-Topps Detroit Tigers card of any type.
Because of the magnitude of this particular giveaway, I will leave it up for 2 days. It will end Thursday at 5:30.
Update: You may "bid" multiple times on each giveaway, so that if you are outbid, you can increase your offer.
Update 2: You may bid on as many teams as you wish
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