Of Cards, Ceilings and Commander's in Chief

So on Tuesday I decided it was a historic enough day to play hooky from the No Limits Fun Factory. After all it’s not every day that a president is inaugurated. I’m as optimistic/ liberal as the next person but even I admit NBC’s coverage was a bit over the top. You would have thought that the entire government had been thrown out with the trash and a new day of enlightenment had descended upon us with the chosen one at the head of the table.

Err sorry about that. I didn’t realize how cynical that came off until I wrote it down. I feel kind of like a conservative talk show host now. Honestly, it was an awesome spectacle. The shots of the crowd in front of the Capital were impressive. Truly an amazing show of support for our new president. A lot of people have invested a tremendous amount of hope in Mr. Obama. Hopefully he can pull through. You never know, after all in the last year we’ve seen Michael Phelps live up to the hype, the Rays make it to the World Series and the Cardinals in the Super Bowl. Why couldn’t a politician rise above the cynicism and lead a nation to greater glory?

After watching the prayer meetings, coffee meetings, introductions, YO YO MA, and the speeches I decided to spin by Target and treat myself to some cards. By the way, I didn’t spend the day just watching TV. I also spent the day scraping popcorn off of my ceiling.



Gosh home projects are fun.

Standing in the card aisle I was debating on buying a couple of rack packs of UD Hockey (almost done series I) or some of the high series Heritage baseball. I haven’t collected Heritage all year, but have heard good things about it so I thought “What the Hell?” So I went with the Heritage.


I think it turned out to be a good move. As I got home I ripped the first pack open. Flipping through the cards I was happy to get an Oriole rookie - Dennis Sarfate. As awesome of a card as that is - and it’s pretty freakin’ awesome! - it didn’t compare to the card right behind.




A Nellie Fox Clubhouse Collection Relic Game Used Bat card.


One pack and a nice hit. Having been out of the hobby during the time when game used relics exploded on the scene I still get a kick out of game used cards. Growing up in the hobby during the mass produced, low insert days of the late 80’s and early 90’s relic cards are still a bit of a novelty to me. I’ll admit some of the charm is fading with the glut of relic cards that is now available. After all getting a guaranteed hit out of every UD Blaster Box tarnishes the luster a bit.

Pulling a card like this out of a back is pretty cool. It definitely showed me why there is a growing trend of collecting older players and vintage cards. Pulling a hit of a Hall of Famer is a lot cooler than pulling a hit from a 3rd string minor leaguer.

Other than the fact that he played for the White Sox and played second base I didn’t know much about him. A quick trip to the fact factory that is Wikipedia revealed that he was a 12 time All Star and 3 time gold glover. He was also the first member of the White Sox to be named MVP in 1959 when he led the Sox to the World Series with .309 average. In 1997, 22 years after his death from lung cancer, he was enshrined in Cooperstown.

On the back of the card it mentions that striking out Fox was “not unlike trying to bottle the sound of a Comiskey Park cheer.” Not sure where they’re going with that. Let’s check in with the Chairman of the Board Whitey Ford and see what he has to say, “In 12 years I struck him out once, and I think the ump blew the call”. Ah so he was a good contact guy. In over 9,000 career at bats he struck out only 216 times in his career. How good is that? Well in only 610 at bats Ryan Howard stuck out 199 times. Howard is going to make about $15 million at least next season. Fox probably made 4 bits and a free meal over his career.

So on a day when a Chicagoan was elected to the country’s highest office I pulled a relic card of a Chicago player - pretty cool.

Trade Vinny? Sacre Bleu!

So it begins and so it will continue day and night until March 4th. The annual “Trade Vincent Lecavalier to Montreal” rumors have begun. Much like the “Trade Carl Crawford to the White Sox” rumors this has become an annual tradition in the TBA. The Lightning struggles on ice and the current financial situations worldwide have only added fuel to the fire.

So will this be the year that Young Vincent makes his triumphant return home to Montreal? After all he has spent a decade in the hockey wasteland that is Tampa. Well I’m sure that’s how the average Habs fan looks at it. Let’s take a second to ask the virtual Magic 8 ball…it looks like the answer is a definitive “No”.

Well that’s good.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t make for lively talk radio or witty internet banter. So let’s delve into it a little further. There are several signs that point to him being traded and several reasons why he wouldn’t/shouldn’t be traded.

Let’s start with the positive. Why shouldn’t he be traded:

1. He is the Lightning. Mike Smith may be the MVP and Steven Stamkos may be the future, but for now Vincent is the team. If you look at the billboards and the advertising flyers in the area you see Vincent’s face plastered all over them (especially with the demise of the “Seen Stamkos” campaign). He is the captain and the first line center. Even in a down year he’s tied for the team lead in goals and has been named to the All Star team. At 28 he should be entering his prime playing years. Years that should be played in a Lightning uniform.

2. He is going to be making a lot of money for a lot of years. It’s going to be hard for a team to accept a 9 year contract with a salary cap hit of $7,727,273 per year for a player that has topped 90 points only twice in his career? A team would have to decide that Lecavalier is as much as Alex Ovcehkin ($9,538,000) and Sidney Crosby ($8,700,000). A team picking up Vincent would risk losing future payroll flexibility signing onto that large of a contract. So far the Lightning have been lucky enough to deal away two of the highest contracts in the NHL (Dan Boyle and Brad Richards) it would be a lot to expect them to get away with it a third time.

3. Believe it or not the Lightning still have a shot at the playoffs. Halfway through the season they are 13 points out of the 8th and final spot in the Eastern Conference. Flash back to last season when the Washington Capitals were mired in 14th place midway through the season and then caught fire to win the division and make it to the playoffs. Over the past 9 games the Bolts have shown flashes of life going 5-3-1. If they go on a 7-3 or 8-2 stretch they are right back in the race.

Now the negative

1. He is going to make a lot of money pretty soon and have a no trade clause. Once his extension kicks in this summer he has the right to veto a deal to any team. While that doesn’t preclude a deal being done (see Boyle, Dan) it does make it a lot more difficult. It limits the amount of teams they could deal with, although the best fit, Monteal, would presumably be a team Vincent wouldn’t mind playing for. That would add motivation to get a deal done now.

2. For the first time in years actual names are being bandied about on Montreal’s side. Normally the rumors are “Vinny is being traded for prospects and draft picks” with no actual names being thrown out there. Darren Dreger of TSN lists Christopher Higgans, Tomas Plekanec, prospect PKSubban and draft picks as components of a possible deal. Once names are out there it becomes more than an internet rumor (it becomes a mainstream media rumor!)

3. The Lightning aren’t exactly a money making machine. Attendance is down, the owners are restructuring their deal with the Davidson group and the economy in general is, too be optimistic, experiencing a bit of a downturn. Jettisoning Lecavalier’s contract for two soon to be restricted free agents in Higgans and Plekanec would free up a lot of salary next season along with freeing up some cash this season/.

So there are some pros and cons to moving Young Vincent. If I had to hazard a guess at this point I would say he is staying. Right now Montreal is really the only destination that would have interest in him (although that could change as the trade deadline approaches) and with them comfortably in the playoff hunt it would be hard for them to justify blowing up their team just to pick up a hometown boy.

I think this will be a big year for Lecavalier. He is coming off his first major injury, which he admits is still bothering him, he is the captain of a struggling team and he is entering the phase of his career that will define his career. Will he fulfill the offensive potential of a former first overall pick or like he did from 2006-2008 or will he be a mediocre scorer that shows the occasional flashes of brilliance?

He does seem to be showing signs of coming along with 3 multiple point games in his last 7 played so perhaps his shoulder is gaining strength. It also looks like he is starting to grow accustomed to Coach Tocchet’s style of play. During Barry Melrose’s Reign of Confusion Lecavalier often looked lost and frustrated out on the ice. Lately he is starting to look like the Young Vincent of old, initiating contact and making the tape to tape passed that lead to easy goals for his line mates.

One more minor note. Oren Koules has taken a lot of heat as an owner so far. While he may be finding team ownership a little more daunting then he first imagined he is a Hollywood guy. Which means he knows the importance of publicity. Trading the franchise player in his prime is not the type of publicity he needs in order to put fans in the seat.

Interestingly enough not only do we have to deal with Lecavalier trade rumors now we also are seeing Marty St Louis’ name coming up. According to a report on The Fourth Period, a website I honestly don’t know it’s accuracy, there is interest in Steel City for the sniper. The only reason I mention this is because it’s a trade I’ve talked about with Link, a Pittsburgh native who is 95% responsible for my being a hockey fan.

St Louis would be a nice fit with Sidney Crosby, a superb playmaker who excels at creating opportunities for his teammates. Unlike the Lecavalier rumors there haven’t been any names thrown about on the Penguin side although I’m sure they’d like to pry a young talent like Jordan Staal or Alex Goligoski (hey a fan can dream right?), but would probably end up with a mid tier prospect or draft pick.

In the past I have advocated trading St Louis especially at the deadline for a couple of reasons. T 33 he is the oldest of the offensive talents (let’s call them the Dynamic Duo since Brad Richards is gone now), he is on the downside of his career, but still a sought after commodity. Any team in a playoff race would be willing to take a proven scorer who has scored 25 or more goals in the last 5 seasons.

This year I have changed my tune. In the last few weeks Marty has shown that while Vincent may wear the “C” Marty is emerging as the true leader of the team. He was the first player to call out his teammates and overall is more vocal in the press than Lecavalier. Moving him at this point would be detrimental to the small steps the team has made at reclaiming this season of futility.

The next few months will be nothing if not exciting. Hopefully a lot of talk and little action will be the end result and Young Vincent will continue to skate in the black and blue, not the Bleu, Blanc Rogue of the Canadians.

Since I’m no good at this html thing. Here are the links for the TSN article and the Fourth Period report:

http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/darren_dreger/?id=262963&lid=sublink05&lpos=headlines_nhl
http://www.thefourthperiod.com/news/pit081214.html

What the best cards? Free ones of course!

Over the past few months I’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of people out here on the internets. Complete strangers, bound only by our collective desire to own pieces of cardstock with photos of athletes, have been more than willing to send me stuff I don’t have -- for free! Not only that but they let me give them cards I don’t need or want for just the price of postage. What a great world we live in! Check out the links along the side of this page for some of the websites of those generous enough to send me cards.

I’ll do a better job of posting about these trades as the year winds on. Some Christmas gift cards will finally allow me to pick up a scanner so that I can show off the additions to my collection. For this first post you’ll have to use your imagination, ‘cause there ain’t gonna be no pictures!

A few weeks ago I was perusing the usual suspects when I stumbled across A Cardboard Problem Sooze had bought a blaster of Upper Deck Documentary and decided it wasn’t worth keeping. There were some O’s cards available so I threw my name in the hat for them. On Monday they showed up.

I hadn’t heard much about the set and what I have heard made it sound a little too gimmicky for me. 166 cards for each team each representing a different game throughout the season. An interesting idea that probably could have been embraced in a Topps Total like fashion by set builders. However, they made one miscalculation. Instead of taking their time to feature different players who contributed to different games they focused on pretty much the stars of the team and repeated them throughout the set.

For instance card 4002 which I received from Sooze features Melvin Mora on the front. The game it is recognizing is game 136 played on August 31st. The O’s, in their typical August swoon, lost to the Rays that day 10-4. How did Mora do in that game? He didn’t even play. Aubrey Huff started at 3rd base that day. If they had to feature a player from the O’s why not Luke Scott who drove in 2 runs or Randor Bierd who threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning (trust me for Baltimore that was a notable stat last season).

If they feel the need to release it next year I hope they tweak the set to show more players. It would be nice way to include some late season call ups / rookies in one of the last sets released in the year.

Along with that card I also received card 33 (another Melvin Mora, 1837 (Adam Jones) and 1839 (Ramon Hernandez). Both of the those cards detailed games against the Pirates in June. That reminded me, hey I attended a game in Baltimore in June against the Pirates! Maybe one of these cards represents the game I saw.

So I dug into my ticket collection and wouldn't you know it - the cards showed the game the day before and the game the day after the one I attended. so by my calculations card 1838 would be the one that showed the June 14th game I attended. That card must be mine.

Not only was it the only O's game I attended in 2008 ti was also the first outdoor major league ballgame my better half attended. She had been with me to several games down here at the Trop, but that was her first at a “real” park as she described it.

The game itself was pretty good. After some late afternoon showers (which we avoided by quaffing a few adult beverages at The Wharf Rat in Fells Point) the weather cleared in time for the recently retired and future Hall of Famer Jonathon Ogden to throw out the first pitch. The game went back and forth and the O’s prevailed in the ninth on a game tying home run by the immortal Oscar Salazar and a game winning single by Ramon Hernandez.

There were six home runs total including a 440 foot BOMB by Xavier Nady ( he had yet to be traded to the Evil Empire) that almost hit the ivy climbing up the backdrop in centerfield. Nick Markakis also put one onto Eutaw Street which was only the 43rd home run hit out there since the park opened in 1992.

There is something about sitting outdoors on a clear summer night watching a ball game that makes everything seem alright with the world. I think it’s the clock free nature of the game. In all of the other major sports the fact that there is a time limit seems to add a little tension to the contest. In theory, a baseball game could last forever and there is something soothing about that.

All in all it was one of the best at the ballpark moments I remember from last season. As a matter of fact I think only game one of the World Series topped it. So thank you Upper Deck and thank you Sooze for reminding me of that fun night. And if you happen to have that card sitting alone in your closet feel free to send it here, it will be loved.

Dance if you want to Dance

This past Sunday I experienced an awesome sporting moment. It wasn’t historic or even noteworthy. As a matter of fact it has been happening at least 8 times a year during the last 8 or 9 years. It didn’t even happen during the game. It happened at a time when most people are still settling into their seats. In Tampa most of the crowd wouldn’t even be in the building yet. Sunday afternoon at about 4.00pm I saw a city lose it’s collective mind for one of their athletes - I saw Ray Lewis introduced to the home crowd.

A lot has been said or written about Ray Lewis, the 13 year veteran for the Ravens. Depending on who you are or where you’re from he’s a hero, or a murderer, a hall of famer or an average linebacker, overrated or underrated, hard nosed or over exposed., passionate or a fool. What you can’t deny is that he is the Ravens and by extension he is Baltimore.

There is a holy trinity of sports heroes in Baltimore. At the head is Johnny Unitas, at his right hand is Brooks Robinson and at his left Cal Ripken, Jr. The others (Jim Palmer, Artie Donavon, Eddie Murray, Michael Phelps, etc) are in a tier well below them. Soon, however, Lewis will join the Big Three. That’s why it’s tough to read stories about him possibly being a free agent after this year. He is nearing the end of his career that can’t be disputed and to have that happen in a Patriots uniform or a Cowboys uniform would be a disappointment. God forbid he return to Baltimore in Bengals’ colors.

It’s common for athletes, notably football players, to overextend their stay in the league. After all, the legendary Unitas donned San Diego colors and who wants to remember Emmitt Smith as a Cardinal or Tim Brown as a Buccaneer? If Lewis were to leave next season it seems that it would be worse. Those other players played for franchises that had a history before them and after them. Lewis is the history of the Ravens. He was the second ever draft pick (Jonathon Ogden was their first) and has suited up for the team since he was 21 years old. He gave Baltimore a reason to be proud again, and to be cocky. Every fan wants that. Some take it to far - that’s you Red Sox fan.

That type of player doesn’t happen along very often and in Baltimore it seems even harder. For as long as I’ve been around I’ve been aware of the fact the Baltimore as a city has an inferiority complex. It’s an east coast city between the political capital (Washington, DC) and the cultural capital (New York) of the country, if not the world. Everyone talks about the Yankees dynasties, but no one seems to remember that from the late 60’s to the early 80’s the team to beat was the O’s. This is the 50th anniversary of the “Greatest Game Ever Played” - won by the Colts. A team that doesn’t even have it’s own section in the Hall of Fame. Got to the Hall of Fame website and search for Hall of Fame Baltimore Colts. I’ll wait for you….

….. And you’re back. That’s right they’re not listed under the Baltimore Colts, they’re listed under the Indianapolis Colts. You tell what the hell Indianapolis has to do with Johnny U or Raymond Berry? Do you think Indiana Joe Fan gives two figs about history of the franchise and the “World’s Loudest Outdoor Insane Asylum”? No all they care about is Peyton Manning.

Lewis gives the fans a connection to those proud days. He has suffered for his indiscretions, he has lost millions in endorsement opportunities for his mistakes. I won’t claim that he’s a saint or that he does no wrong, but I do know that since those days in jail he hasn’t come close to running afoul of the law. Unlike others he has learned his lesson. He keeps his nose out of trouble and the only off field stories you hear about are his goodwill charities.

His critics call him arrogant or flamboyent. His antics aren't neccesary. I tend to disagree. He doesn't dance on the field every time he makes a sack or a tackle - he only does it during his introduction. To me it's a show of joy not showmanship. It's for the fans.
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After this season the Ravens are going to have to make a lot of decisions. All three of their high profile linebackers (Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Bart Scott) are free agents. Suggs and Scott are in their mid-twenties - the prime age for defensive players. Suggs has already been franchised once so he will be looking for a big pay day. Losing him would be a tremendous set back for the franchise. Scott has been a better than average linebacker in Rex Ryan’s aggressive scheme and could be looking at a substantial raise.

Both of those players are younger than Lewis and have a brighter future. Ray-Ray, as fans and players call him, is only 33, but in football that is old. With his frantic, hyperagressive style of play Lewis is an “old” 33. He is still effective. He still flies to the ball to force fumbles or recover them. The addition of the big boys up front - Haloi Ngata, Justin Bannan and a healthy Kelley Gregg - have allowed him room to roam the middle of the field without having to worry about fending off a big ol’ 350lb offensive lineman.

He isn’t just valuable on the field. Every player on the team knows that they are accountable to him in the huddle and in the locker room. While that respect can be used for good (keeping the team together during the offensive struggles during the Super Bowl season) or bad (the ouster of Brian Billick last season) it is important. So far rookie coach John Harbaugh has been able to harness the good. Making the playoffs helps as well.

Had the Ravens suffered through another losing season I could be writing a different story. Heck, I have written a different story (take a look at March 2007). If Lewis asks for absurd money this off-season (I.E. anything over $10 Million a year) I’ll write a “thanks but no thanks” article. However, the team team needs to do what it can to ensure he keeps wearing the purple so that for 8 days next season a town can go nuts over it’s adopted hero.

On Sunday it seemed impossible that he would leave. As he danced his way onto the field my dad summed it up best. It was like a king entering his castle.

Upon the Ice Frustration Lay

It’s not right to write when one’s emotions are at a heightened state. So I’ve given myself about an hour to calm down and think about what I’ve seen. I drove home from the Ice Palace, kissed the sleeping girlfriend on the head and scratched the fat cat behind his left ear - his favorite ear scratching spot. I flipped on SportsCenter naively thinking they would have a highlight from the game. I sent an email to Dave over at Fielders Choice and surfed a couple of sites. That being said I’m still pissed.

I loathe blaming officials for losses. I think it was my dad who said, “If you leave the game in the hands of the officials you don’t deserve to win”. Actually, I don’t think he said it but it sounds like something he would say so I’m giving him credit. That being said - man did the ref’s blow the Lightning game tonight.

If you haven’t read about it or seen it, which based on hockey’s current popularity you probably haven’t, the Lightning lost 2-1 in a shootout to the Colorado Avalanche. The only goal that counted in the shootout never crossed the goal line. In fact, it wasn’t even close. Only the Lightning could lose a game where the winning goal never crossed the line.

Here is how it happened. Both the Lightning and the Avalanche missed in their first attempts. The Lightning then missed their second. For the Avalanche's second attempt goalie Mike Smith faced Colorado forward Milan Hejduk. Hejduk brought the puck down the ice and as he approached the goal Smith leaned forward to poke check the puck away. The Colorado shooter avoided the goalie’s stick and tried to beat him with a backhand shot. Smith made the save with the blocker and as the buck bounced harmlessly away the stick fell out of his hand.

Nice save, the crowd ohhs and ahhs. Then the refs got involved. After initially ruling it a save the refs and the linesmen huddled together for a few minutes. The crowd grew restless. The Lightning’s final shooter - little Marty St Louis - skated in circles. The refs continued to convene. Mike Smith chirped at them from a distance. The crowd grew irritated, boo’s grew louder. Then the ref turned his wireless mike on and announced that due the Av’s would be awarded a goal. Rule 26.4 states that if a stick is thrown by the goalie a goal can be awarded to the shooting team.

Needless to say this was not received well by the hometown crowd. The boos increased in quantity and volume. In our seats we were bewildered - even from hundreds of feet away it was apparent that the stick came out of Smith’s hands well after the save was made. The replays on the jumbotron confirmed our view. Yet the refs would not be swayed. Nor could they once the decision was made. After all, it was not a reviewable play.

Then the normally docile and amiable hockey crowd lost it. The boos reached maximum volume - 9,000 fans sounded like 30,000. A brown bag was launched from the crowd onto the ice. The PA reminded fans that throwing stuff on the ice wasn’t cool. That sparked more debris tossing. Bottles, thunders, paper, lids, anything not locked down found it’s way on the ice.
Smith was beside himself with rage. He had to be restrained from the refs. After the ice was cleared St Louis skated in on Colorado goalie Andrew Raycroft and wasn’t able to beat him on his glove side. Game Over.

The Lightning had failed to win their 8th game. In the grand scheme of things it will be just another loss in a series of them. Yet somehow it seems worse. While they didn't play a perfect game they played well enough to win. Smith in particular was outstanding, several times he flashed out his right pad at the last second to make sparkling saves. I don’t believe that there is a grand conspiracy against the Lightning, the refs didn’t blow this game on purpose, but damn get the call right!

I’m sure there will be an apology from the league once they review it, but that doesn’t get the Lightning an extra point in the standings. Why can’t there be a fine or a suspension for referees Brian Pochmara or Tim Peel? Officials in sports take a lot of unwarranted abuse and I tend to take their side more than a lot of fans, but when a blatant game deciding mistake is made there has to be repercussions.

I’m sure there will be writers and opionists (yeah that’s not a word, but I like it) will rail on about how low class the crowd’s reaction was. They will point out how dangerous it is to throw things on the ice and how it makes them look like a bunch o’ country bumpkins. Normally, I would agree with anyone calling fans in the TBA uneducated rubes. However, I think tonight’s display was more about the fans releasing 30 games of frustration. Frustration at the call, frustration at being last in the league again, frustration at the lack of production from the stars and the free agents, frustration at the mismanagement from the front office - all of that came out tonight.

According to analyst Bobby Taylor Smith spoke with the officials after the game and not one of them would cop to making the call - they told him it was a collective decision. Usually that means that they weren’t sure of the call and were covering for each other. The NHL, via Mike Murphy (VP of Hockey Operations ) stated the refs would not have to talk to anyone because of the “hot environment” and he was afraid that they might be “trapped” down here.

Now if this had happened in Toronto or Montreal I could see the refs having to face a blood thirsty lynching mob, but in Tampa? C’mon now be real. No one cares that much. It’s December 18th and it’s 80 degrees outside. It’s hard to stay mad when the weather is this nice. The league knows the refs screwed the proverbial pooch and they don’t want the refs digging themselves any deeper. Once they see it on television they will know they got it wrong and will feel shame.

So cut the fans a break - out of the sports down here the ones that go to hockey games seem to be the most knowledgeable. So give them a free pass on tonight, but feel free to take it out on the NHL if they let the refs off for this one.

A Quest Begins

Is it possible to complete a set in this day in age by spending less than what the set of base cards is valued at? Some might ask if it’s even possible to complete a set these days what with the short prints, “mistakes” and gimmicks that manufacturers seem to be throwing out there these days. To me the answer is yes to both questions.

First I must test my hypothesis. So at random today I picked as a test set the 2008-09 Upper Deck MVP Hockey set. It’s not a super high end product or a product filled short prints a la Masterpieces. So in theory it shouldn’t be a problem to complete. There appear to be 392 cards (including the rookies which are seeded in every other pack) according to Upper Deck’s checklist online.

It was released on 12-2-08 so as of this writing I haven’t been able to find a value to the set. Therefore, I don’t have a spending limit as of yet. I am thinking it will be in the $50-$80 value once it makes it into Beckett. I know Beckett isn’t the end all to pricing that it used to be, but for this non life altering experiment it will do.

So how exactly will I go about acquiring cards for this quest? Well I assume most of my purchases will be made at the local Target or card ship. I picked up a blaster earlier today to start the ball rolling. At $19.99 a pop I don’t think I’ll be able to get too many more of those. I will also be open to trading for what I need once I get a significant portion completed. All non-Lightning inserts will be open for trade as will any doubles I pick up along the way.

I will have a quick breakdown of the blaster some time later this week. Upon initial review the collations didn’t look too bad so I should have a good start.

Wanted

If you need to donate some cards to the collection (it's greatly appreciated) here's what I'm currently looking for:

Individual Players

Eddie Murray
Floyd Rayford - Check Here To See What I need!
Vincent Lecavalier
Peter Bondra

Teams

Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Lightning
Liverpool

Sets

BASEBALL

2010 Topps Series One

24, 80, 105, 126, 261, 271, 305,



2009 Topps

210, 213

2009 Topps Heritage

7 Tim Lincecum Bruce B
10 Hanley Ramirez
25 Paul Konerko
33 Randy Johnson
35 Andy Pettitte
36 Lyle Overbay
37 Jeff Francoeur
47 Ryan Theriot
50 Curtis Granderson
51 Aaron Laffey
53 Adam Jones
67 Omar Vizquel
74 Marlon Byrd
76 Jered Weaver
82 Scott Baker
85 Justin Verlander
86 Jose Lopez
90 Erick Aybar
93 Rickie Weeks
98 Shaun Marcum
99 Lastings Milledge
109 Delmon Young
115 Jonathan Papelbon Ti
116 Emil Brown
118 Chris Lambert RC
120 Fernando Perez RC
121 Angel Salome RC
128 Scott Elbert RC
129 James Parr RC
130 Greg Golson RC
136 Matt Tuiasosopo RC
141 Wade LeBlanc RC
143 Alcides Escobar RC
145 Jesse Chavez RC
154 Rich Aurilia
155 Jeff Kent
164 Cincinnati Reds
165 Tim Lincecum
173 Brandon Phillips
174 Cleveland Indians
176 Corey Patterson
182 Carlos Zambrano
183 Pittsburgh Pirates
194 Pat Burrell
199 David Purcey
202 Troy Percival
209 Randy Wolf
210 Ryan Zimmerman
211 Manny Parra
220 Tony La Russa
221 Jim Leyland
225 Joe Torre
226 Dave Trembley
230 Josh Beckett Jon Les
231 Mark Reynolds
240 Orlando Cabrera
243 Andy Marte
245 Carlos Guillen
246 Brandon Jones
249 Jon Lester
258 Jack Wilson
262 Mark Teahen
268 John Lackey
269 Jeremy Hermida
271 Lance Berkman
277 Bobby Crosby
282 Chris Volstad
284 Max Scherzer
285 Chase Headley
287 Moises Alou
289 Carlos Delgado
295 Casey Blake
296 Mike Pelfrey
299 Daric Barton
304 Jake Peavy
309 Ryan Sweeney
310 Mike Lowell
312 Aaron Rowand
314 Edgar Renteria
315 Mariano Rivera
316 Wilson Betemit
321 Denard Span
324 John Lannan
328 Jesus Flores
330 Franklin Gutierrez
335 Kelly Johnson
341 Vladimir Guerrero
346A Fred Lewis
352 Joey Votto Edwin Enc
353 Luke Hochevar
354 Chris Snyder
355 Rick Ankiel
360 Gavin Floyd
363 Coco Crisp
367 David DeJesus
369 B J Ryan
372 Brian Schneider
374 Tim Hudson
377 Alex Rodriguez
382 Chone Figgins
384 Brian Giles
386 Eric Bruntlett
394 James Loney
397 Chicago Cubs
400 Magglio Ordonez
401 Dan Uggla
402 Adam LaRoche
406 Dustin McGowan
412 Ted Lilly
423 Brian Buscher
427 Ben Francisco
428 Jermaine Dye
429 Dustin Pedroia Ichir
430 Kevin Slowey
432 Glen Perkins
433 Carlos Gomez
434 Jon Garland
435 Joe Crede
436 Billy Butler
437 Zach Duke
438 Chris Coste
440 Elijah Dukes
441 Fausto Carmona
442 Joe Mauer
443 Marcus Thames
444 Mike Fontenot
447 Adrian Beltre
448 Kevin Millar
449 Nick Swisher
450 Justin Morneau
451 Shane Victorino
452 Placido Polanco
453 Ryan Dempster
454 Frank Thomas
457 Alan Trammell Larry
460 Jeff Datz Luis River
461 Lloyd McClendon Andy
462 Jim Hickey Steve Hen
464 Roger McDowell Terry
465 Rob Thomson Tony Pen
466 Milt Thompson Rich D
467 Tony Beasley Joe Ker
468 Dave Duncan Hal McRa
470 Randy St Claire Marq
471 Brad Ausmus
472 Melvin Mora
473 Austin Kearns
474 Josh Willingham
475 Derek Lowe
477 A J Pierzynski
479 CC Sabathia
480 Jorge Posada
482 Lance Berkman
483 Dustin Pedroia
484 Chase Utley
485 Alex Rodriguez
487 Derek Jeter
488A Hanley Ramirez AS Fl
489 Josh Hamilton
490 Ryan Braun
491 Manny Ramirez
492 Kosuke Fukudome
493 Ichiro Suzuki
494 Matt Holliday
496 Geovany Soto
497 Roy Halladay
498 Ben Sheets
499 Cliff Lee
500 Billy Wagner

2008 Topps Series One and Two

Number Name



428 Jair Jurrjens
431 Delwyn Young
451 Brian Giles
452 Kevin Slowey
594 Mike Morse
623 Trey Hillman



HOCKEY

2008-09 Upper Deck Hockey Series 1

45, 50, 105, 110, 127