Here We Go Again

Author: Todd Uncommon

Yeah, I know.  It’s been since the end of April, whether it’s Mario, Matt, or me posting on Wax Heaven.  What can we say?  At least we’re still here.

Although my team’s not doing very well at it this year, I still am enjoying being part of A Cardboard Problem‘s hobby blogger fantasy baseball league on Yahoo.  I just so happen to have Steepin Strapsborg on my roster.  Like a dork, I drafted the guy at the beginning of the season, and held him on my bench until the beginning of June.  At least I remembered to start him when the time came.

As it happens, I was making an early morning (Pacific Time) visit to my team page (Victorious Secret) today. Beside each player’s name is a folder icon, which sometimes has that little new-folder-bling version, meaning there’s recent news from the fantasy rumor aggregation mill.  Today, the updated news item about Strasburg included a tidbit about the Bowman Red Auto 1/1.  It looked a little something like this:

Sooprise, sooprise, sooprise.  Hot on the heels of an announcement that the 2010 edition of Strapsborg-a-thon might stop before the end of the season, now seems to be the time to sell one of the new important cards of the hobby. It’s hard for me not to smirk and be cynical about the auction, but at least you get the biggest images yet of the (curved) grading (just like middle school geometry, but with more money involved) that this specimen received from Beckett.  Its important-ness must have counted for 1.5 points of the total grade, at least.

Is this a sign of Strapsborgianism cooling off?  Is now the time to get in, or to get out?

Baseball card or senior portrait?

The way you look on your rookie card says a lot about you.

For example, take Jose Canseco’s 1986 Topps Traded release. On that card you see a young, pre-Steroid kid with a look of a 50-year old Ted Williams after being asked for an autograph. Clearly Jose knew that he was headed for superstar status even if he still didn’t have the full package just yet (175 lbs. in ’85).

Just by looking at the stats on the back of Ricky Ledee’s 1997 Bowman Chrome rookie card you’d think this kid was headed for the Hall of Fame. In 1996, while playing in the Minors, Ledee hit .305 with 29 home runs and 101 RBI. All you have to do is dig a little deeper on his card’s back to see what the real story was.

“Spent 3 years in rookie leagues, 3 more in A-ball.”

As it turns out, Ricky had been in the Minors since 1991. In fact, his Minor League career consists of 782 games split between 12 seasons. He did however play in the Majors for a decade or 855 games. His last year came in 2007 with the New York Mets before being released and ultimately retiring.

He may not have the accolades of other New York greats but he’s got two World Series rings and has hit a home run in the now deceased Yankee Stadium. Really, that’s 99% of every young man’s dream growing up.

Not bad for the guy with the cheesiest rookie card ever produced.

First look: 2009 Bowman

Below are the very first images of 2009 Bowman baseball.

Product details:

Every autograph is on-card

(1) autograph per Hobby box

(3) autographs per Jumbo box

220 cards in set

AUTOGRAPHED BOWMAN CARDS

Rookie Base Card Variations
221 Luke Montz
222 Kila Ka’aihue
223 Conor Gillaspie
224 Aaron Cunningham
225 Mat Gamel
226 Matt Antonelli
227 Robert Parnell
228 Jose Mijares
229 Josh Geer
230 Shairon Martis

Autographed Bowman Chrome Prospects:

BCP111 Beamer Weems
BCP112 Logan Morrison
BCP113 Greg Halman
BCP114 Logan Forsythe
BCP115 Lance Lynn
BCP116 Javier Rodriguez
BCP117 Josh Lindblom
BCP118 Blake Tekotte
BCP119 Johnny Giavotella
BCP120 Jason Knapp
BCP121 Charlie Blackmon
BCP122 David Hernandez
BCP123 Adam Moore
BCP124 Polin Trinidad
BCP125 Jay Austin

Cardboard Wars – David Price

In today’s Hobby scene, you’re no one until you have a Bowman Chrome rookie autograph. For Devil Rays phenom and 2009 Rookie of the Year candidate, David Price, his 2007 Bowman Chrome does not have one. Despite the lack of a certified signature, the Bowman and its parallels are considered his best cards by collectors.

Meanwhile, Bowman Sterling, Donruss, and a few other brands managed to get David’s autograph but still almost always play second fiddle to the Bowman Chrome. So if you had the money, which David Price rookie card would make it into your collection?

Would you choose the popular 2007 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor #’d to 50? Or would you take the less traveled path with a 2007 Bowman Sterling Black Refractor autograph #’d to 25 copies? The last Gold Refractor sold for $375 while the Black Refractor is on sale for $450 dollars.

So, who wins this edition of Cardboard Wars?

Topps Redemption Failure: III

Before you read this, check out part 1 & 2.

One of my Christmas gifts for 2007 by my wife was a box of ’07 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects. That year I had already busted a box of Bowman, Bowman Heritage, and two boxes of Bowman Chrome and pulled nothing but duds each and every time. I was hoping B.D.P.P. would be a different experience.

Oh, it was.

During the box break, which I opened while on vacation in Orlando I pulled my second redemption since returning to the Hobby: a Ross Detwiler autograph. Not being a huge prospector I did not know much about the guy but after my vacation while posting my results on a message board I was informed it was one of the better autographs from the set.

In late January of 2008, I sent in my redemption hoping that it would lead to a decent trade for an Andrew Miller autograph. Let’s just say that it was a little late in arriving. How late exactly? 13 months or approximately 400 days after I redeemed the card, it’s now in my hands.

Actually, to be fair, word around the Hobby is that Ross simply did not want to sign the cards. That of course does not explain why he has an on-card autograph from 2008 Topps Finest. Whatever the true story is, the card is in my hand and ready to be exchanged to anyone who wants to trade for an Andrew Miller card I might need.

Oh well, it’s here and that is all that matters. Now, help me get rid of it!