VICTORY~!

That is all.

My First Packs of 2011 Chrome

I finally picked up a few packs of Chrome last week, and I had some success right off the bat!  I bought 4 packs, and got 3 nice pulls.

Pack 1 had a Vintage Chrome insert of Joe Mauer:

I can never get these cards to scan right for some reason...at least this year the cards aren't bending themselves into tubes!

Pack 2 was the worst of the bunch - I pulled two base set duplicates in just my second pack!  At least it had a Brett Wallace refractor.

Pack 3 was the big hit - a nice rookie Auto!

And finally, Pack 4 revealed a Heritage Chrome Refractor:

Not a bad haul from just 4 packs!  I'll have to go back for more soon.

Previous  Trivia Question:

The Brewers' George Kottaras became the first player to hit for the cycle in 2011 last week. How many times has a player hit for the cycle in big league history?

 

Answer: The cycle has been accomplished 292 times in recorded history.  Three players have accomplished the feat 3 times, John Reilly (twice in the span of one week in 1883, and again in 1890), Bob Meusel (in 1921, 1922, and 1928), and Babe Herman (twice in 1931 and again in 1933).  The most recent player to hit the cycle more than once is Brad Wilkerson, who did it in 2003 and 2005.

 

Today's Trivia Question:

 

Who are the 4 members of baseball's 40/40 club? (Hint: all four 40/40 seasons occured within the last 25 years)



Topps Series 2 Hits from Target

I grabbed a few packs of Topps Series 2 on my last trip to Target.  I never expect all that much from retail packs, but these turned up a couple nice pulls!

A regular short print AND a platinum diamond short print!

I couldn't believe my good luck, but then I thought "wait a minute, I pulled a Diamond Giveaway card from one of the packs too."  Surely my luck could only continue!  I rushed to the website, entered the code, and.....

Ah well.  Two out of three ain't bad.

Previous Trivia Question:

Who were the 5 members of the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame class?

Answer: Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Christy Mathewson made up the first HOF class. 

Today's Trivia Question:

The Brewers' George Kottaras became the first player to hit for the cycle in 2011 last week.  How many times has a player hit for the cycle in big league history?

My Hits From Pack Wars

About a week ago I posted the crazy good hits I saw pulled during my last trip to Pack Wars.  Today I'm posting the few that I snagged that night.  Much less impressive, but still fun!
#1 - Mark Sanchez Jersey Patch from 2011 Panini Threads

#169/299.  A nice looking card, though I don't care for Sanchez at all.

#2 - Hunter Pence framed mini jersey from 2011 Allen & Ginter

I've really grown to like these framed mini cards.  That border looks really sharp!

#3 - Dale Murphy leather nameplate from 2011 Topps Series 2

I'm still not a big fan of these faux-glove leather cards, but at least I got a player I like.

Previous Trivia Question:

What is the record for most RBIs in a single game?

 

Answer:  Jim Bottomley (on September 16, 1924) and Mark Whiten (September 7, 1993) are tied with 12 RBIs in one game.

 

Today's Trivia Question:

 

Who were the 5 members of the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame class?

Trade Bait - 2011 Topps Inserts

I thought I would post what 2011 Topps cards I have available for trade.  I'm looking mainly to add to my Platinum Diamond collection (see the PDs I already have).  After that, I would be looking for any of the Series 2 Diamond Stars (the ones that look like Platinum Diamonds), or else any other cards I have listed on my Help Me Complete a Set page.

So what do I have for trade?  The main attraction is a good number of Kimball Champions, but I have some other stuff as well.

Kimball Champions Minis - 13, 15, 24, 31, 34, 37, 53, 55, 56, 58(x2), 66, 71, 74, 78, 79, 83(x2), 87, 90, 91, 95, 96

Platinum Diamonds (the doubles I've added along the way) - 23(x2), 43, 44, 201, 248, 267(x2), 273, 291, 313, 338, 354, 391(x2), 497, 503, 543, 642

Topps Gold - 13, 48, 58, 119, 166, 171, 191, 240, 269, 290, 295, 333, 354, 364, 493, 532, 571

Diamond Stars - 6 (Posey)

Topps 60 - 19, 21, 45, 46, 79, 99

60 Years of Topps - 3, 9, 41, 63, 81

60 Years of Topps Original Backs - Harmon Killebrew (1960 reprint), Derek Jeter (1997 reprint), Gaylord Perry (1962 reprint), Carlton Fisk (1973 reprint)

60 Years of Topps The Lost Cards - 8

CMGR - 4, 29

Blue Diamond (Walmart) - BDW21

Red Diamond (Target) - RDT21, RDT29(x2)

I also have a fair number of base card doubles from Series 1 and 2.  Also, for anyone collecting 2011 Allen & Ginter I've bought a handful of packs from that set as well.

Let's make a deal!

Previous Trivia Question:

What pitcher famously struck out 5 consecutive future Hall of Famers in the 1934 All-Star Game?

A: Carl Hubbell, who struck out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin.

Today's Trivia Question:

What is the record for most RBIs in a single game?

Mega-hit Insanity at Pack Wars (But Unfortunately Not For Me)

I went to Pack Wars for the first time in a while last week Thursday.  No really big pulls for me, but I did snag a few hits that I intend to post sometime in the next couple days.  I did however witness two amazing pulls.

First off, for my fellow wrestling fans - we were cracking some packs of the Tristar TNA Signature Impact Wrestling cards.  I think the box promises 7 hits per box or something ridiculous like that.  One guy pulled one of the Ric Flair suit letter patches (letter "A") - I would love to put together a set of those!  But the mega-hit was a "1 of 5" SEVEN autograph card - 4 sigs on the front and 3 on the back.  The signers were:

1. Mr. Anderson (or Mr. Kennedy, as he is better known)
2. Rob Van Dam
3. Matt Hardy
4. Jeff Hardy
5. Sting
6. Ric Flair
7. Hulk Hogan

That's a helluva laundry list of names right there for one card.  It is a little ridiculous having so many on one card, just because ultimately there is little room for pictures of the people in question, but still very, very cool!

Then came the truly insane hit.  One guy decided to splurge on an ultra high-end pack of Upper Deck All-Time Greats Basketball (the price was something like $300-350 for one tin, I forget exactly how much).  I was told that this same guy had bought a pack from the store a week or two before and pulled a Jordan auto.  Well, this time he outdid himself:

Yes, that is a 1 of 5 flipbook dual auto of Magic and Lebron.  Jack. Pot.