Look back: 2012

Man, I've been blogging for awhile now. As we enter our fifth year, it's time for our annual "Look back" post.

I didn't lay out much in the way of goals in our "Look ahead: 2012" but I have good news. I met my one and only goal! The blog is still alive!

We hit a few roadblocks throughout the year. October saw an all-time low number of posts for a month. This will be our 244th post this year. Another all-time low for a full year.

On the plus side, I'd like to think my blog has evolved a little in 2012. Thanks to the other bloggers in the blogosphere I have a new appreciation for baseball cards that I haven't had since I was a kid. For the past decade or more cards were only something for me to get autographed. I've liked certain designs more than others ( 2002 Fleer Tradition, 2006 A&G ) but ultimately I didn't really care what the card looked like.

This year, I've gotten more serious about our two player collections ( Luis Aparicio and Daniel Hudson ) and even started collecting any and all Diamondbacks cards. I'm still going after the 2008 Topps set of course but it's these other things that have kept blogging fun for me.

I hope everybody is having a good New Year's Eve. I've spent mine scanning cards and watching Seth Rogan movies. Man, I'm cool.

D-Backs from Drew!

I completed my first trade with Drew from Drew's Cards. He sent me some great D-Backs cards. They're all newer but I didn't have any of them. There's some good stuff here too like a few GQ mini's and a gold bordered Chris Snyder.

Thanks, Drew! See ya!
 

Luis Aparicio Collection - Autographed Bat

With my wife's permission, I bought myself a Christmas present. I now own an autographed Luis Aparicio baseball bat. I had been thinking about getting one for awhile and finally did. I wanted a black bat with a Hall of Fame inscription so this one was perfect.

I'm not a huge fan of autographed bats ( they take up too much space to have tons of them ) but I do have about a dozen or so. This is probably now my favorite.

2012 Topps - Daniel Hudson Red Border Parallel

It's almost Christmas and the Diamondbacks did a little shopping yesterday by picking up outfielder, Cody Ross. I didn't see that coming at all. I'm not really sure what this means four our outfield situation. Rumor has it we'll probably trade Jason Kubel. Kevin Towers was also quoted as saying he has approval to enter next season without trading anyone so who knows.

There has been a lot of scrutiny towards the D-Backs deals this off-season. It's nice to see we're at least trying to make the team better. Hopefully these moves translate to more wins and a division title.

Here's a red border parallel of Daniel Hudson we picked up for our DHuddy collection. These are the ones randomly inserted into retail packs at Target stores.

# 266 - Ryan Doumit

Yes! Third 08 Topps post in a row!

This one is of former Pittsburgh Pirates catcher, Ryan Doumit. Ryan left Pittsburgh at the end of 2011 as a free agent and signed with the Minnesota Twins.

This one came to us from the same guy who hooked us up with the Steve Pearce we posted yesterday.

# 266 - Ryan Doumit

Progress: 501/990
 

# 127- Steve Pearce

Two 08 Topps posts in a row? Whaaaaat? I couldn't possibly make it three tomorrow could I?

I picked up this Steve Pearce signed 08 Topps card from a friend on SportsGraphing.com earlier this year. It just fell through the cracks and never made it's way to the blog.

After spending a few years with the Pirates, Steve found his way to three different teams in 2012. He played on the Orioles, Astros, and Yankees. Around the end of September the Orioles claimed him off waivers from the Yankees and he is currently back on their roster.

# 127 - Steve Pearce

Progress: 500/990
 

# UH 329 - Jeremy Sowers

Former first round pick of the Cleveland Indians, Jeremy Sowers, signed a card for our set. Yes! Despite all of the non-08 Topps posts lately we're still working on the set.

# UH 329 - Jeremy Sowers

Progress: 499/990
 

2011 Bowman Chrome - Chris Owings Purple Refractor

Good news! I've still got more junk from Jaybarkerfan's Junk to post about!

Mixed in with a bunch of base D-Backs he sent me in that large flat rate box were a few inserts.

I know a little bit about about Chris Owings. I know he's one of the D-Backs top prospects. MLB.com currently has him listed at # 5. He was supposed to be our shortstop of the future but that was before the Didi Gregorious trade. I guess if Didi doesn't work out, he'll be our guy. A move to second base is possible too.

This purple refractor is from the 2011 Bowman Chrome set. It's numbered 074/799 on the back.

2010 Topps - Dan Haren Copper Parallel

Good news! I've still got more junk from Jaybarkerfan's Junk to post about!

Mixed in with a bunch of base D-Backs he sent me in that large flat rate box were a few inserts.

I thought this Dan Haren 2010 Topps card was pretty cool. It's a copper parallel and is numbered 017/399 on the back. 

Hall of Fame Junk from Jaybarkerfan

I came across a post on Jaybarkerfan's Junk a few weeks ago. Wes was looking for someone to swap junk with. His large flat rate Priority Mail box full of cards for your large flat rate Priority Mail box full of cards. I already had some cards ready to go so I figured why not.

Earlier this week a 20+ pound box showed up with thousands of cards inside. He sent me a bunch of cool stuff.

I've slowly been trying to downsize some of my older cards. By older I mean 80s, 90s, and early 00s. While sorting through the good and the bad, I've made myself a box with cards of just Hall of Famers.

Wes sent over a bunch of Hall of Famers in the flat rate box too including some of my favorites like Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, and Nolan Ryan.

Thanks for all of the legends. They've already got a new home in my HOF box!

Cardinals Junk from Jaybarkerfan

I came across a post on Jaybarkerfan's Junk a few weeks ago. Wes was looking for someone to swap junk with. His large flat rate Priority Mail box full of cards for your large flat rate Priority Mail box full of cards. I already had some cards ready to go so I figured why not.

Earlier this week a 20+ pound box showed up with thousands of cards inside. He sent me a bunch of cool stuff.

Next up are a ton of Arizona Cardinals cards. I like football cards but I've never really bought too many over the years. When I sorted through the flat rate box I was glad to see a healthy stack of Cards cards.

I didn't have a single Cardinals card that Wes sent. There was lots of nice ones of players like Larry Fitzgerald, Jake Plummer, and Kurt Warner.

Thanks for all of the football goodness. Now if our team could just end this horrible losing streak. I saw a stat on Twitter the other day that pointed out that the Diamondbacks have won more recently than the Cardinals. The D-Backs last win was on October 2nd and the Cardinals on September 30th. Yikes!

D-Backs Junk from Jaybarkerfan

I came across a post on Jaybarkerfan's Junk a few weeks ago. Wes was looking for someone to swap junk with. His large flat rate Priority Mail box full of cards for your large flat rate Priority Mail box full of cards. I already had some cards ready to go so I figured why not.

Earlier this week a 20+ pound box showed up with thousands of cards inside. He sent me a bunch of cool stuff so be on the lookout for some blog posts over the next few days.

First up are a ton of Diamondbacks cards. I really didn't pick up many D-Backs from the early 2000's so all of this stuff is a welcome addition to my Diamondbacks collection.

The scan below doesn't even scratch the surface of what he sent. There were easily 200 D-Backs cards. I found some great names from the early days like Tony Womack, Andy Benes, and David Dellucci as well as some newer stuff of current players like Miguel Montero, Ian Kennedy, and Paul Goldschmidt.

Thanks for all of the teal & purple! I had a great time looking through these. 

2000 Topps Tek - Josh Hamilton

I've mentioned a few times on here that Josh Hamilton is one of my favorite players. I've been fortunate to meet him a few times and get his autograph. The first time was back in 2001 when he was playing in the Arizona Fall League.

He signed this 2000 Topps Tek card for me. It's pattern 38-5 in case you're curious.

He didn't play much if at all during the Fall League that year and he was sent home after about 2 weeks. I saw him two or three times before he left and each time he always took time before the game to sign autographs for everyone. I even saw someone hand him about a dozen baseball cards. He signed them all and then asked the guy if he had anymore. That was enough to make me a fan.

Over the next few years I followed his struggles. Doing the occasional Google search to see if anything new was going on. There was nothing bad news until the Cubs picked him up in the Rule 5 draft. I remember my Dad and I watched on TV as he made his MLB debut with the Reds. It was Opening Day 2007. According to Wikipedia, he was given a 22 second standing ovation. During that quarter of a minute I got chills and was very proud of a guy I didn't even know but felt some type of connection with.

Yesterday, Josh reportedly signed a HUGE contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Once again, I'm happy for him and wish him the best of luck with the Halos.

2001 Fleer - Randy Johnson Relic

Wow! What a week. We found out that Storage Wars is fake, the Diamondbacks traded Trevor Bauer, and I didn't write a single blog post.

I'm getting back on track with a D-Backs legend. This Randy Johnson jersey card came from the 2001 Fleer set. 2001 was a pretty good year for the Diamondbacks. Hopefully our new shortstop, Didi Gregorious, can help lead us back to the World Series. 

2004 Topps Cracker Jack - Brandon Webb Auto

Free Shipping Friday is back with another nice pick up for our D-Backs collection!

We stole this 2004 Topps Cracker Jack Brandon Webb autograph for $2.55 shipped. A great deal for an on card signature of a Cy Young Award winner.

I read on MLBTR earlier this week that Brandon is going to try to make a comeback in 2013. It would be cool to see him pitch again and I wish him the best of luck.

# 222 - Felipe Paulino - Chrome Bronze Refractor

Most of the players on the checklist from the 2008 Topps Chrome certified autos haven't had much of an impact in the big leagues. Felipe Paulino is one who is still hanging around.

He missed some time last year after Tommy John surgery but the Royals recently signed him to a new contract. There's a good chance he'll be back in 2013 sometime after the All-Star break.

This is the first bronze refractor parallel auto for our 2008 Topps collection. We also have Felipe's blue refractor version but we're still missing his base and regular refractor.

I grabbed this one for $3 shipped. Not bad for a card numbered to 50.

# 222 - Felipe Paulino - Chrome Bronze Refractor ( # 26/50 )
 

2002 Upper Deck Pepsi - Danny Bautista

I came across this 2002 Upper Deck Pepsi Danny Bautista card on eBay recently. I ended up winning it for 15 cents shipped. Great deal for a nice card that I have never seen before.

I have a few Pepsi Diamondbacks cards from various years but I have never seen the 2002 version. These are really nice. I like the overall design and the use of the 2001 World Champions and World Series logos. If anyone has any of these or knows where I can get some more at a reasonable price, let me know. 

# WMDP4 - David Ortiz - Dick Perez Insert

Back in 2008, Topps and Wal-Mart struck a deal to include a bonus pack of 3 Dick Perez art cards in their 5 pack series one blasters. I've acquired a few of these over the past few years but didn't have much interest in them until recently.

I saw someone got an autograph TTM from Dick Perez so I dug out my David Ortiz card and sent it off to him. I also dug out his 1983 Donruss card. A few weeks later they both came back signed.

The more I think about it, these are really cool. After all, Dick Perez is kind of a legend in the baseball card world. He supplied the artwork for all of the great Donruss Diamond King cards from the 80s.

Thanks, Mr. Perez! 

  

2012 Topps - Paul Goldschmidt 1987 Topps Mini

I recently participated in Thorzul's trade me anything event. He sent me this 1987 Topps Mini Paul Goldschmidt and I sent him a few miscellaneous Brewers. Check out his recap here. 

I didn't go all crazy for the 1987 minis like I thought I might when they were first announced. I have a few of them but haven't gone out of my way to get any extras except this one. I like the retro "Future Stars" graphic.

Custom: 1981 Fleer Star Stickers - Chumlee

I've been watching Pawn Stars religiously since the summer of 2009 when it started. I even made my wife visit their store with me when we went to Las Vegas that next summer.

The other day I came across a 1981 Fleer Star Stickers Andre Dawson card. I thought the design would make for a nice custom Pawn Stars baseball card. I chose to use Las Vegas's most eligible bachelor, Chumlee!

The card is pretty much like the originals except I went with a more psychedelic font for Chum's name.

2011 Bowman - Trevor Bauer

We were able to get Trevor Bauer's autograph back in Spring Training. Arguably being the D-Backs top prospect, he already had plenty of buzz around him.

The good news for us is that on the day we saw him, he signed autographs for everyone who asked. I had him sign his 2011 Bowman rookie card.

Since then Trevor made his MLB debut in June, struggled mightily over a few starts, and was sent back down to Triple A. He's still our top prospect but some have cooled off on him a bit. His name is even out there in trade rumors this off-season. Hopefully he comes into Spring Training next year and solidifies his spot in the D-Backs rotation. Maybe I'll even be able to get another autograph from him.

1998 UD Collector's Choice - Willie Blair

The stack of D-Backs that Dennis from Too Many Verlanders sent us back in August inspired me to send off a few TTM autograph requests.

I sent this 1998 UD Collector's Choice to Willie Blair c/o the Fort Wayne TinCaps before their season ended. It came back signed a few weeks later.

Willie was one of the Diamondbacks starting pitchers back in 1998, their inaugural year. He lost 15 games while he was with Arizona. He would go on to lose one more game that year for the Mets. He was acquired by New York at the trade deadline in exchange for Bernard Gilkey. 
 

2012 Topps Gypsy Queen - Trevor Cahill Auto

Back when 2012 Gypsy Queen came out, I picked up this Trevor Cahill autograph. I've gotten Trevor's autograph on an A's card before but this is his first certified auto to feature him on the D-Backs.

Luis Aparicio Collection - 1977 TCMA

I've never actually owned a TCMA card until I got this one. This Luis Aparicio card is part of their 1977 set. It's a simple design that reminds me a lot of the 1960 Leaf set. 

2003 Playoff Piece of the Game - Matt Williams Auto Relic

I've always liked the autographed relic cards from the 2003 Playoff Piece of the Game set. They were some of the first reasonably priced auto/relic cards to hit the market. I picked up this Matt Williams one and a few others back in 2003. 

Matt is currently the Diamondbacks third base coach. However his name was out there for both the Rockies and the Blue Jays managerial openings. I wouldn't be surprised to see him elsewhere soon.
 

2012 Bowman Platinum - Tyler Skaggs

I've slowly been picking up some Diamondbacks cards in anticipation of getting autographs during Spring Training next year. These two Tyler Skaggs cards are from the 2012 Bowman Platinum set. The X-Fractor on the right is pretty cool. 

Luis Aparicio Collection - 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game

Brian from 30-Year Old Cardboard sent us this card for our Luis Aparicio collection. It's from the 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game set. I know Topps has done a good job of integrating all-time greats in their various sets but I miss the Fleer Greats of the Game sets that were exclusively for retired players. 
 

2011 Topps Update All-Star Jersey Card - James Shields

Happy Veteran's Day! Today we picked up another 2011 Topps Update All-Star Jersey card. 

This one is of Tampa Bay Rays pitcher, James Shields. This is our 32nd from the set.

2012 Topps Mini - Justin Upton

I finally got my first mini 2012 Topps card. It's of Justin Upton.

The Upton trade rumors are back. I won't be surprised if they move him this time. I won't be too sad to see him go as long as the D-Backs get something good in return.

Trade Bait - 2012 Topps Matt Kemp SP

I pulled this Matt Kemp All-Star SP card out a pack of 2012 Topps Update. If you need it, send me an email. Not looking for much in return. Maybe a few of your extra D-Backs. Thanks!

Trade Bait - 2012 Topps C.C. Sabathia SP

I pulled this C.C. Sabathia All-Star SP card out a pack of 2012 Topps Update. If you need it, send me an email. Not looking for much in return. Maybe a few of your extra D-Backs. Thanks!

2008 Topps 14 Card Team Set - Baltimore Orioles

I picked up this Baltimore Orioles 14-card team set off eBay awhile ago. When the package arrived, I opened it and put the set in one of the cabinets in our kitchen. I do that occasionally instead of putting something away right away. This one has hung out in our kitchen for months but it's finally been scanned and is ready to make it's debut on our blog. 

Luis Aparicio Collection - 2004 Topps Fan Favorites

Brian from 30-Year Old Cardboard sent us this card for our Luis Aparicio collection. It's from the 2004 Topps Fan Favorites set. I really like this updated version of his 1966 card. Thanks, Brian. 

Daniel Hudson Collection - 2010 Topps

It's about time that I picked this card up. You can't have a player collection without having that player's Topps rookie card.

This one is from 2010 Topps Series One which came out before Daniel was traded to the Diamondbacks.
 

# TR-BW - Brandon Webb - Relic Card

Alfredo aka The Cardboard Don sent us this Brandon Webb jersey card in a trade a few weeks ago. I've been wanting this one for awhile but never pulled the trigger.

I guess Alfredo's getting out of the card game. According to his blog post yesterday he has begun selling somethings on eBay. Check out his auctions, there's some great stuff up there already.

# TR-BW - Brandon Webb - Relic Card
 

Luis Aparicio Collection - 1994 Yoohoo

I picked up a lot of a dozen Luis Aparicio cards off eBay. I had most of them but I had never even seen this Yoohoo card. It's from a 20 card set that was produced in 1994. The checklist features 16 All-Time Greats and four fact cards. 

Custom: 1986 Topps - The League

I knocked out the first three seasons of The League on Netflix and am starting on the new episodes currently airing on FX.

If you haven't seen this show, it's pretty great. It's about five friends who play in a fantasy football league together. If you've been turned off because you're not hardcore into fantasy sports, you're missing out. Their friendship and the crazy antics they get into together are just downright hilarious.

I made a few custom 1986 Topps football cards of the guys: Kevin, Taco, Ruxin, Pete and Andre. 

Daniel Hudson Collection - 2012 Topps Chrome Orange Refractor

Like any good baseball fan, I appreciate statistics. When it comes to this blog I pay attention to things like page views and how many posts I write a month. Historically speaking, October is the month when I get burnt out on blogging.

The least number of posts I've ever done in a month is 12. That's happened three times in forty-five months that we've been doing this. Two of those three times were in October.

Here we are in another October and my blog posts have once again been sporadic. Don't worry, I've got a few things lined up to make sure we hit 12 posts this month. I don't want to set a new record for the least amount of posts.

Additionally, I've got a bunch of stuff scanned for November. A few D-Backs, some Lil Luis, and of course cards from our bread and butter 2008 Topps.

I'll stop rambling so you don't have to tl;dr me.

Here's a nice orange refractor for our Daniel Hudson collection. It's from the 2012 Topps Chrome set. 

# RR-CS - Clint Sammons - Relic Card

I'm a sucker for a cheap relic card. This Clint Sammons jersey from 2008 Topps set me back $1.31 shipped. I like the background on this one. Nice and gloomy.

# RR-CS - Clint Sammons - Relic Card
 

2009 Bowman Chrome - David Hernandez Certified Auto

I didn't have an autograph of Diamondbacks reliever, David Hernandez. Then I stumbled on this Bowman Chrome Rookie Refractor Auto on eBay. I've been trying to cut back on my purchases lately but when all was said and done I had won this great card for $2.58 shipped. That was a deal too good to pass up.

With the addition of Heath Bell yesterday and the resigning of J.J. Putz, it will be interesting to see how our whole bullpen situation works out.
 

2005 Topps Pristine Legends - Reggie Jackson

Friend of the blog, Brian, from 30-Year Old Cardboard sent over a few cards. When I opened the package I expected some Diamondbacks from the 2012 Topps Update set. There were some great D-Backs in there but it was this card that really blew me away.

Brian picked up this Reggie Jackson card for himself over a year ago. I commented on his post saying how much I liked it. I graduated from Arizona State and had never seen this one before. I kind of forgot about that but Brian didn't. He found another copy of it earlier this month at his local card show.

The 2005 Topps Pristine set was great but you don't really see it around much. I only have one or two cards from it myself. I didn't even know this Reggie Jackson ASU card existed until Brian's post.

Thanks, Brian! This card is instantly one of my favorites.
 

2010 Topps - Joey Votto Cards Your Mom Threw Out

I sold a few things on Listia and had some credits burning a whole in my digital pocket. It took me awhile to find something good and then this Joey Votto rookie card reprint came along. It's from the 2010 Topps Cards Your Mom Threw Out insert set. It's a reprint of his 2008 Topps card so it will fit in nicely with our collection.

If you're not already on Listia, click here to sign up. You'll get a bunch of credits for free that you can use to buy lots of cool stuff. 

   

Luis Aparicio Collection - 1969 Topps Deckle

This is the first Luis Aparicio card I ever got. My dad gave it to me a long time ago. Sometimes he would give me some old vintage cards from his collection that weren't in the best shape. I've had this one as long as I can remember. It had to be the early 90s when he gave it to me if not before then. That was long before we started buying Lil Luis autographs together. It was even before there was even a thought of working on a Luis Aparicio collection.

It's beat up pretty bad. There's a big tear accross the front and some tape on the side but I like it just the way it is. Thanks, Dad! 

Daniel Hudson Collection - 2012 Topps Triple Threads

There's too many parallel versions in 2012 Topps Triple Threads. All I know is I have this sepia version of Daniel Hudson that is numbered to 75. It scanned kind of weird. It's a lot less blue in person I swear. 

Luis Aparicio Collection - 1972 Topps In Action

It seems like almost everyone in the blogosphere is on Listia these days. This is the first card I've won on there. It's Luis Aparicio's In Action card from the 1972 Topps set.
 
If you're not on Listia already click here to sign up. You'll get some free credits, I'll get some free credits. Everyone will be happy.