Fergie Jenkins 2006 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts ‘When It Was A Game’ – Silver

Fergie Jenkins 2006 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts ‘When It Was A Game’ – Silver

It is getting a little bit harder to find ‘new’ cards of Fergie Jenkins for my player collection.  He is not being included in as many new Topps releases as I would like to see, so I am having to revert back to the early 2000′s issues to find cards for my Jenkins PC.

I was able to scoop this card from the 2006 Upper Deck ‘When It Was A Game’ set.  It is the Silver version and it is serial numbered as 392/550.

The scan does not do the card justice – it is nowhere near as dark as the image below.

 

And now with the Silver card in my collection, it is on to the hunt for Gold!!!

Wish me luck.

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter Florida Marlins Team Set – Kind Of A Joke!!!

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter Florida Marlins Team Set

I keep building up inventory of Florida and Miami Marlins team sets.  And I have to say that my binder is filling up rather nicely.

The latest addition to my Marlins team set collection is from the 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter set.  The set features 9 cards in total, and while I am not a big fan of the A&G brand, I will admit that a full sheet of these cards looks pretty nice.

Here is the complete set:

With just 9 players being featured, I thought it would be fun to provide a quick update on the players included in the set.  You’re going to see just how hard it is to stay ‘on top of’ the Marlins as a team…

Chris Coghlan – stuck in the minors leagues rehabbing injuries

Scott Cousins – most famous for ending Buster Posey’s 2011 season. Recently released by the team

Josh Johnson – Back from injury, Johnson went 8-14 in 2012

Omar Infante - Last seen playing 2B for the Detroit Tigers in the World Series

Logan Morrison – Rehabbing another knee surgery. More famous for his Twitter account than anything he has done on the baseball field as of yet

Brett Sinkbeil – Appeared in just 3 major league games, back in 2010. Has not played in the majors since

Hanley Ramirez – traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2012 baseball season

Ozzie Martinez – traded for manager Ozzie Guillen prior to the start of the 2012 season. Guillen was fired after one year with the team

Javier Vazquez – Retired at the end of the 2011 baseball season

So, in a nutshell, there are just two players in this 9-card set of Marlins that are still on the team.  Some of the players included by Topps with this team set are very questionable – Sinkbeil, Martinez, Cousins, and more…  These guys don’t conjure up any good Marlins memories for this fan!!!

I’ve told you before, it is very tough to be a Marlins fan!!!!

Derek Jeter 2003 Upper Deck ‘Magic Moments’

Derek Jeter 2003 Upper Deck ‘Magic Moments’

I am not a Derek Jeter collector, or for that matter, a New York Yankees collector either.

But, I cannot help checking out cards of Jeter when time allows.  I find him to be a true ambassador of the sport, and in time, I firmly believe that he will be talked about in the future the way that players like Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken, and Don Mattingly are discussed today.

I am slowly grabbing inexpensive cards of Jeter and my stack is slowly increasing in size.  My methods are simple – cheap is good.  I am not being picky about the year or brand of card, just trying to build up a nice little collection.

I am hoping to pass these on to my young sons in time.  So I can tell them stories about watching Jeter play with the same fondness that  I can of watching Ozzie and Cal and Donnie Baseball!!

This card is from the 2003 Upper Deck ‘Magic Moments’ set and it set be back just eighteen cents.

Mariano Rivera Will B Back For The 2013 Baseball Season!!

Mariano Rivera Will B Back For The 2013 Baseball Season!!

From Yahoo Sports

What seemed like a forgone conclusion in the months following his torn right ACL suffered during a freak accident in Kansas City, became a 50/50 proposition last week when it was reported that Mariano Rivera was considering retirement.

Well, fear not New York Yankees fans (and all reasonable and sensible baseball fans for that matter) the 42 year old closer made his intentions clear to general manager Brian Cashman on Friday, and the New York Post’s George A. King III reports those intentions are to pitch for the Yankees in 2013.

The iconic closer told Yankees general manager Brian Cashman on Friday that he wants to return in 2013. Rivera missed almost the entire 2012 season with a torn ACL and, after initially saying he definitely wanted to come back, he was less sure about it in the last few weeks.

Now all speculation has ended.

“Rivera contacted us and wants to play,” Cashman told The Post.

Rivera, who turns 43 on Nov. 29, will have to work out a new contract with the Yankees to return in 2013. That won’t be an issue — and we hear they need a closer after Rafael Soriano opted out of his contract on Wednesday — but the comeback itself from a major injury and to his pushoff leg won’t be easy.

That’s especially true when you factor in his age, but if there was any one professional athlete that could recover, return, and not miss a single beat, it’s the greatest closer of all-time, future hall of famer, and the athletic freak of nature known as Mariano Rivera.

Since it sounds like he’s 100 percent determined to do just that, there’s reason to doubt it can’t or won’t happen.

Eric Davis 1989 Topps – CLASSIC!!!

Eric Davis 1989 Topps – CLASSIC!!!

I’ve always been a big fan of 1989 Topps baseball cards. 

As a kid, I collected the heck out of this set, and with packs that cost just 50 cents a piece, that task was an easy one.

As an adult, I really appreciate the style of the player and team name plates that Topps created for this issue.  The team-themed colors work very well, and the added thin trim around the picture helps tie it all together.

Of the 792 base cards that are part of this set, I believe that Eric Davis’ card is one that ranks in the ‘Top Ten’ for best looking!

Have a peek:

Jim Palmer 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen – Green Frame Version

Jim Palmer 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen – Green Frame Version

I mentioned it before – I am going to put in a major effort to step up my Jim Palmer collecting game in an attempt to add variety and bulk to my Palmer PC.

With that being said, I went on a pretty decent sized shopping splurge with www.checkoutmycards.com a few weeks ago and brought home a healthy stack of Jim Palmer goodies.

In that stack was a 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen baseball card, the ‘Green Frame’ version.  This is my second regular-sized baseball card from the set of Palmer and now I am just one card away from the trifecta!

NICE!