Here's a new contest

I know I don't post here like I used to.

A lot of things have hampered me in collecting, mostly a lack of money to buy cards and I haven't been able to get to a few shows because of a lack of transportation, and a recent move, my cards are in boxes and I'm not able to get to them.

Anyway, through my Twitter page I found a couple of new sites, one is   Cheap Card Collecting where they have a contest going on to win some cool cards, so head over there, and if you win a Brennan Boesch card, send it my way.

I hope to get back to doing some more collecting soon, I really need to get into those boxes and clean out some things.

Bill Freehan Baseball Cards Page 1 - Career Page Featuring Pictures, Cards, Autographs, Publications, Stats, Photos, History, and Memorabilia

Bill Freehan Baseball Cards Page 1 - Career Page Featuring Pictures, Cards, Autographs, Publications, Stats, Photos, History, and Memorabilia

I'm moving, want some baseball cards?

I'm moving this coming week, and this weekend I'm going through everything in my house.

I am going to keep my Detroit Tigers cards, and a few others...I found a 2010 A&G RC of Buster Posey, but then I'm going to separate everything else by team.

If you'd like to trade for your favorite team, just leave me a comment and when I've moved I'll start to go down the list. 1st come, etc.

One thing, if you have any Brennan Boech cards, or cards of my favorite player, Bill Freehan, you will have special consideration.

I have so many cards that I've just kept in storage boxes, and it's time to get them to someone else now.

Let's do some trades, what do you say.

Thanks, John

My first 2011 Topps packs

Today I was @ Walmart, and their they were, 2011 Topps Series 1 Baseball.

At 1st I saw the regular packs, then the blisters, I think that's what they're called, and then I saw the boxes.

$19.98, 10 packs, a guaranteed Patch Card, it was Manny Ramirez of the ChiSox, with the cool old school 1970's ChiSox logo, and one 2011 Diamond Giveaway redemption card.

81 cards in all in the special box, and the cards are really nice looking.

The 2 Detroit Tigers cards I got were a Justin Verlander Topps Town(#TT-38), and a Miguel Cabrera 2010 A.L. Home Run Leaders Card(#T60-50).

The best card of the pack so far is #CMGR-8, a Cy Young 1911 T205 reprint card. Very nice.

2011 Topps Series 1 Baseball Wrapper Redemption Program Announced

2011 Topps Series 1 Baseball Wrapper Redemption Program Announced

Tigers' Brennan Boesch has survived last season's swoon | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Tigers' Brennan Boesch has survived last season's swoon | detnews.com | The Detroit News

My Mailbox

Look what I found in my mailbox today...

My redemption for the Brennan Boesch RC came today, what a great Christmas present!

There are only a few true blue Boesch fans left, but i'm not giving up on this kid from Cal.

I think he learned a lot, and I believe he will be ready to help the Tigers when Spring Training starts next February.

Cool stuff

With the college football season winding down, I'm trying to re-focus on baseball, the Hot Stove transactions, and the new releases for the 2011 baseball cards.

I saw this very cool card on my Facebook page, from Topps Tribute Baseball...this will be a very challenging collection to obtain.

It's 5 cards with 2 rookies from 2010 on each card, including the Detroit Tigers Austin Jackson on the bottom of card #3.

When put together, the 5 cards will spell out "2010 Rookies."

OK, so I'll go ahead and say it. If anyone comes across the Jackson card, let's talk.

Goodbye Captain Hook

It took me a while to get over it.

OK, I really never got over it, but I let it go.

When Tigers manager Sparky Anderson took the field for the first time I was not happy, not at all.

Now, I was glad he was the Tigers skipper, heck, it was fantastic.

What I didn't like was his uniform.

I was simply upset, and in fact, I might have started to cry.

Sparky Anderson was wearing #11...wait, what. no, it couldn't be, #11?

Hey, that's Bill Freehan's number I cried out...how dare the Tigers disgrace my boyhood hero's number like that...#11 belonged to the best catcher the Tigers ever had, not a guy in his first game.


OK, I know that was a minor flaw in my character, but hey, I had been personally hurt, so I thought, by the Tigers  injustice towards my hero.


Sparky Anderson passed away today, and to say I was sad would be a tremendous disservice to one of the greatest baseball men ever.


Sparky was a true baseball man, a man who loved the game more and more every single day.


The Tigers should honor Sparky in some way, and I think that way should be to retire #11, do it next year, Freehan turns 69 this month, and honor both those great men at Comerica Park.


#11 was a special number, and I think the Tigers have been slow in doing things like this.


Sparky is in the Hall of Fame, and the Tigers need to do the right thing.


May Sparky rest in peace.

Topps 60th

I clicked on a link today to pick The 60 greatest Topps Cards ever

Wow, I though, how cool will this be, so I went to the site, and started scrolling through some of the most famous cards in Topps history.

Topps has what they consider the 100 greatest cards they've produced, and are asking collectors to pick the top 60 of All-Time to help them promote their 60th Anniversary next year.

Now, it's a great idea, and I voted for my Top 10 cards, but I was not happy about all the selections to choose from.

To start,their is not one, not one, card from any Detroit Tiger player, not one. 

Now, I didn;t expect the '63 Bill Freehan RC, or a '91 Cecil Fielder, but...

...I thought for sure that the 1954 Al Kaline RC would be there for me to select, or the 1978 RC that has Alan Trammell and Paul Molitor on the same card, but no.

There are, however...

16 different Mickey Mantle cards, and 24 different Yankee cards total.

13 different Brookyln Dodger cards

Topps is to be congratulated on a great promotion, but the cards selection is way to slanted to the Yankees and Dodgers. 

So, I voted for 10 of the 100 cards featured, including the '52 Mantle, which has to be in anyone's top 1o, and for the '85 McGwire USA Card, just to name a couple.

As I mentioned before,I would have like the guys at Topps to have a much better selection of cards, there's just way to many Mantle cards.

Here's easily the worst choice that Topps made...

 

A 1985 Topps Doc Gooden Record Breaker, that's what they consider one of their best 100 cards of All-Time?

Here's another choice from Topps 100 cards...yes, a 1990 Sammy Sosa card.

Topps will take the top 60 cards and insert them into packs of 2011 Baseball packs.

Life Long Tiger Fan Blues

Tiger fans, check out this great video/song by life long Tiger fan Jeff Daniels.

Life Long Tiger Fan Blues by Jeff Daniels.

This is a must listen for all Tiger fans...simply great stuff.

Meeechigan Football is here...Go Blue!

Michigan Football is back for it's 131st season...

The Wolverines, my favorite college football team since 1976 begin the season today @ 3:30 vs. the Connecticut Huskies, hoping to get back to the winning tradition of Michigan Football.

Michigan has also been a great baseball program over the years, and so I thought I'd give a shout-out to the Wolverine baseball players in the big leagues. 

There are four Wolverines in MLB this year, including Jake Scott of the Baltimore Orioles,  Chris Getz of the KC Royals, J.J. Putz of the Chicago White Sox, and ex-Wolverine QB Clayton Richard of the San Diego Padres.

Richard is having a fine season this year with the Padres, compiling a 12-6 record this year, with a 3.50 ERA so far in 2010.

This card is Richards 2005 Bowman RC. 

Clayton was a 8th round draft pick by the ChiSox in 2005. He has a career record of 23-16, with a ERA of 4.21.

So, here's to the Wolverines in pro baseball, and here's to the Meeeechigan Men running through the tunnel at 'The Big House" today...Go Blue!

The Bill Freehan Bobble head

Bill Freehan played catcher for the Detroit Tigers from 1963-1976. 

To this day he is my favorite ball player of All-Time.

Below is a link to an article about a giveaway at a Great Lakes Loons game this past July 21st.

I would love to find this Bill Freehan Bobble Head for my collection. If anyone knows where I may obtain one, I would greatly appreciate it.

Bill Freehan Bobble Head 

My first blog trade

On Tuesday I received a package from Steve @ White Sox Cards

Thanks to Steve for helping me complete my first trade of baseball cards through my blog.

I am relatively new at my blog, and it was great to trade with Steve.

Imagine, if you will, a Tigers fan and a ChiSox fan actually agreeing on something..hahahaha!

I received a great 1969 Bill Freehan Topps All-Star card...beautiful...but that wasn't the trade card...he sent me a nice Bill Freehan Upper Deck Jersey Card...and it's terrific.

I won't spoil what Steve got in return, I'll leave that for him.

Meanwhile, with my first trade under my belt, I look forward to doing some more swapping in the future.

Adios Pablo!

Goodbye, so long, and farewell...

Finally, after months of trying, I've traded away the very first Topps Million Card Giveaway card that I unlocked, trading it for this...

Now, I honestly don't recall this card, nor do I remember Patterson pitching for the Tigers, but, I just had to get rid of that '78 Torrealba card.

So, I have 6 cards in my Topps MCG now, ans I've received 2 in the mail...and I traded for every one of them, now how cool is that!

My Topps Million Card Giveaways

As most baseball card collectors in 2010, I ventured into the Topps Million Card Giveaway redemption program, and even though I cannot afford to buy a lot of cards, I have unlocked 6 code cards, none of which were very good.

I did pull a 1968 card of a Cincinnati catcher, but I cannot remember his name, as I traded the card.

I did trade most of the cards I opened, getting a 1970 and a 1972 Bill Freehan.

..MY BOYHOOD HERO...and NOT TRADEABLE...which I have received from Topps...

B

 Both Freehan cards were in great shape...thanks to Topps.

a 1971 Les Cain..

...a 2003 Brandon Inge...

...and a 2005 Carlos Guillen...

  

I also acquired 1989 and 1990 Alan Trammell cards.

 

 I have traded for all the cards that I now have, with the exception of the very first card I redeemed...a 1978 Pablo Torrrealba, a pitcher for the Oakland A's.

I have tried in vain to trade this card since day one, but I just cannot get anyone to pull the trigger.

If any A's fans, or guys collecting 1978 cards need this to add to their collections, please let me know.

Play at the Plate Contest for August

Sorry for the lack of posts the past few weeks, my health hasn't been the best, plus I really haven't been getting a lot of cards to speak of.

I am waiting on my Brennan Boesch Rookie Redemption card, and two Bill Freehan cards, a 1970, and 1972, that I traded for in the Topps Million Card Giveaway.

Blog News...

 

I've entered a contest over at Play at the Plate.

He's giving away a blaster pack of 2010 Topps Allen & Ginter...how cool is that!

I really appreciate what these guys do, how dedicated they are to baseball cards, it's just awesome!

 

Brennan Boesch's first Topps RC

Thanks to Grand Cards,   for the news of the 1st regular issue Topps RC of Brennan Boesch.

Brennan is redemption card #3 in the 2010 set.

How cool is this card!

Please let me know if anyone gets one and wants to make a deal.

Look who's 4th in batting average in the big leagues

It took a while, but now it's official, Detroit Tigers rookie Brennan Boesch is now among the elite of hitters in the big leagues, hitting .346 at the All-Star break, good enough for 4th best. Brennan is also 4th in slugging %, at.593

Brennan trails only teammate Miguel Cabrera in batting average, .346, the Rangers Josh Hamilton, ,346, and the Twins Justin Morneau, .345.

In slugging, Brennan trails Cabrera, .651, Hamilton, .625, and Morneau, .618.

These stats for Brennan are in ONLY 65 games! 

 

Cool card contest

Over a A Pack To Be Named Later there's a great giveaway going on. 

You can win 95 packs of un-opened cards by quessing how many cards total are in those packs, so check it out, so far there have been 38 entries. 

If you win, and pull any good Tigers cards from the packs, and would like to trade, let me know.

Good Luck.