Catching Up: Play at the Plate Contest Winner Goods

Brian at Play at the Plate holds monthly contests, and though I didn't win one of those, I did manage to win a different one by guessing which pitcher would win 10 games the fastest this season, Ubaldo Jimenez. The consensus was Roy Halladay (for good reason), but I just had an intuition back in April when the guessing occurred. In any case, check out his blog for the September contest...coming soon to a computer near you. Here are some the cards that he sent along.2002 Upper Deck MVP Scott Rolen Jersey: I;m not sure what Upper Deck was going for here. MVP usually implied a product with a lot of gaudiness, but the muted tones of the jersey design don't fit with the set motif.
2002 Fleer Authentix Scott Rolen Jersey: The mini-ticket stub (is it a replica?) is of the first series in 2002. Little did he know, it would be his last in a Phillies uniform.
2010 Topps Heritage Chase Utley AS: I love these SP AS cards unequivocally. They are also hard to obtain readily. Oh yes, and Utley is back for the stretch drive. Bring on September!
2010 Topps Heritage Jaime Moyer and 2002 Topps Gallery Carlos Silva: Two pitchers at opposite ends of the line. Moyer may have pitched his last ball in 2010 and Silva pitched his first ball in 2002 (though his last may be coming shortly as well)

Thanks!

2009 Topps Heritage Base Set Journey-completed

Well, the quest has ended with great assists from giveaways and trades in the sports card blogtopia. These last contributions were from Brian at Play at the Plate and Chris from Budget Baseball Cardboarding. Thank you to all those who were patient enough to trade with me.

Robinson Cano is looking sleepy and Aaron Boone is looking smug.
David Price has gone from a rookie star to an all-star starter and he's pushing the Rays to the top with the effervescent Evan Longoria
Derek Jeter is still the face of the Yankees, Alex Rios is having a renaissance this year with the White Sox, and Jay Bruce is always swinging for the fences.
This is a Geovany Soto All-star SP, Corey Hart has decided to remain with the Brew Crew, and Gavin Floyd is enjoying a breakthrough season in 2010.

As for the cards, I love the varying designs of the subsets (all-star, all-rookie team, rookies, managers, World Series, team) and though the photos are mostly portraits, nothing looks washed out or is too bright for the homage like it has in past Heritage editions (such as 2007).

Of course, I only have 4 out of 71 SPs. So those are welcome in any future trades, though I will not pursue them with much vigor.

Play at the Plate: 500th Post Contest

Brian at Play at the Plate is celebrating his 500th post with a very nice contest and prize. Check it out! Extend his dedication to his craft for another 500! Good luck!

2002 Topps Gallery Pack Break

This pack was won from a contest over at Play at the Plate when I correctly prognosticated that Ubaldo Jimenez would be the majors' first 10 game winner this year. Other cards were included, but I just felt like opening a pack and scanning all the cards together.

2002 Topps Gallery was the second edition of Gallery with painted card subjects. This time the design had a fading brushstroked border with white space beneath which featured the player and team name. There was a 150 card base set, 151-200 were inserted 1 per pack and included the rookies and retired players. The best rookie card in the set is Joe Mauer (1:50 chance for the Mauer!) Inserts included Topps Gallery Heritage (1:12 packs), Relics (1:85 packs), and Autographs (1:192 packs). The odds are against me.

84-Fred McGriff-"The Crime Dog" in a Cubbies uni
72-JT Snow-who was a better fielder: JT Snow or John Olerud?
172-Tony Fontana: This guy is not Joe Mauer. He never made the majors, though he did have promising minor league stats. He was finished pitching at the age of 23. Was it injuries?
1-Jason Giambi: When Giambi signed with the Yankees, he lost his power just like Samson did. He was not the same force of nature as he was the A's.

3-Bret Boone-coming off a career year in 2001 with .337 AVG, 37 HR, and 141 RBI. That was a come from nowhere season.
9-Jorge Posada- Somehow he still dons the tools of ignorance with the Yankees and still has managed to not get many pictures in the New York Post.

That was a fun pack break...."pick yourself up off the side of the road, with your elevator bones and your whip flash tones..."

And fade to black.

Contest at Play at the Plate!

If you're interested in 2010 Topps cards and gain exposure to the writings of a dedicated card blogger and trader, check out Play at the Plate.

All you have to do is use your extrasensory powers to divine a number. Go to it.

What Cures a Case of the Mondays for me?

I don't know about other people, but coming back from a weekend trip and having to go to work on Monday just puts me in a somber mood. The rest of the world is much more interesting compared to where I'm sitting now. Imagine a yellow hole....add a computer...and you have my office. Not that I'm complaining about it...it's just not an uplifting setting. This is when and why I turn to my uploaded scans and talk about Phillies cards. These cards are from the generous hand of Brian at Play at the Plate. One of these days I'll have some worthwhile Rangers to send you (I'm completely out after our last trade).

First, he included some cards from the much-maligned 2008 UD Documentary set (now going for $20 per hobby box online). Of course, it documents the most glorious of seasons, 2008 (not that I'm biased or anything). I would say that putting these cards together with the backs showing would be a better way to present them. The player photos on the front are superfluous.




Cole Hamels is dreaming about finding a way to get his BABIP down this year. Advanced stats say he didn't have a down year in 2009, but you could see he was struggling with something. It wasn't his command necessarily, but Hamels wasn't mentally all there for the latter part of 2009. Come back with another pitch for 2010, Cole.

And here's long-time Phillie Bobby Abreu in mini form from the original Topps 206 set in 2002. I was just thinking that Bobby Abreu (except for an all-star starting appearance in 2005) has been one of the most underappreciated players despite putting up consistent stats for 10 years. At his peak, he was a step or two below Vlad Guerrero in terms of production.

The Phillies traded him in mid-2006 to the Yankees in what could only be characterized as a salary dump trade, receiving nothing of consequence in return (this was pre-ordained at the time of the deal). Since that time, the Phillies have made 3 consecutive postseasons. While Abreu was with the team, they came tantalizingly close during the years 2001-2005 without success. Is this a coincidence or causation thing? Or is it because the Phillies just had terrible outfield defense for many years? Later (in the next couple of weeks), we will examine the "Abreu Effect"...in as complicated a manner as possible.


Thanks Brian!

Three Unknown Ex-Phillies Prospects

Here's a quick look at some old prospects from the Phillies organization. Really, it's an excuse to post a handful of cards that I received from Brian at Play at the Plate. These are all very cool and I've never seen most of these brands before.


Anderson Machado was a middle infielder with a great glove who made AA before his 20th birthday in 2000. He then was stuck in AA for almost 3 years, gaining plate discipline, but striking out too much. I was upset when the Phillies traded him to the Reds in 2004 for Todd Jones.




Jorge Padilla was the #13 Phillies prospect in 2004. His stock fell after an injury-plagued 2003 season and a disappointing 2002. After 2001, in A+ Clearwater, he was considered a toosy outfielder with speed. This was Michael Taylor before he developed. Padilla never did and left the organization after the 2005 season. He made his major league debut in 2009 with the Washington Nationals at the age of 29.



I never heard of Franklin Nunez. But I like the ticket stub embedded in the card. Fleer Authentix was there before Topps Ticket to Stardom.

Well, prospects are just what they are...young players with ability who have yet to harness it at the major league level if they get the opportunity. Receiving prospects for proven players has always been a dicey business, as has the other way around.

Happy Birthday to a Cleanup Hitter

(Card comes from a trade with Play at the Plate)

Ryan Howard turned 30 yesterday, meaning he's no longer a baseball young disciple with unfulfilled potential. He's already established as a legitimate baseball superstar. Let's examine his career chronologically.

2001: Drafted by the Phillies in the 5th round in the June Draft out of Missouri State University. Immediately thought that if he wanted to be drafted by a team in a city with horrible winter, it should be a team that finished above .500 more than once in the last 15 years. Set out on quest to swing heaviest bat in minor leagues.

2002: Struck out 145 times in 135 games at Single-A Lakewood. Decided he did not like riding the bus to the games, so decided to hit 19 HRs as well...all walk-offs... to beat the traffic back home.

2003: Enjoys the FL sunshine in Clearwater to the tune of 23 HRs and a .514 SLG. Teammates show him no respect by not letting him run all the way around the bases (only 67 runs despite .374 OBP) and smearing shaving cream on his face as he sleeps. Responds with the classic hot foot to every offender.

2004: Decides PA is good for him when he hits 48 HRs split between Reading and Scranton. Meets Billy Wagner for one game in Reading and decides he doesn't like him. Begins the only known burn book featuring Jim Thome, otherwise known as the nicest guy in baseball.

2005: Has to listen to trade rumors involving Kip Wells during the offseason. Elected ROY in the NL after opportunity to play surfaces, hitting 22 HR and .924 OPS in 88 games. Celebrates by running up the art museum steps 2005 times.

2006: MVP! MVP!

2007: Phillies clinch NL East division title despite his 199 strikeouts (47 HR and 136 RBI). Experiences first champagne spray, and loves it so much, creates the option in his home jacuzzi.

2008: Practices fielding during spring training with oven mitts to soften hands. Powers the Phillies to World Series title! Enjoys the championship parade, has Chase Utley's speech set as his ringtone.

2009: Continues stellar play in the field, helping lead Phillies to NL pennant (45 HR, 141 RBI, 140 OPS+). Decides to boycott cheesecake and pastrami after World Series.

(Note: Not everything presented here was true or based on any evidence)