Collecting Bucket List #4 Paying Respect to "The Duke of Flatbush"

If the Dodgers stayed in Brooklyn, I would be a Dodger fan today. I have no doubt about that even to this day. I would be complaining about the free spending Yankees and my underachieving Brooklyn Bums. When I think of "The Duke of Flatbush" I think about their 1955 win over the Yankees. It was the only time they ever beat the Yankees in the World Series, mind you. Even still, it was a great achievement for the Brooklyn team.

Duke was part of a golden age for New York teams in the 50's. From 1949 til 1958 there was at least one New York team in the World Series. And the only thing that really breaks that streak is the Los Angeles Dodgers winning in 1959. Duke was overshadowed by Mantle and Mays but his stats are right up there with the best of them. He was also overshadowed by his own teammates Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella but I always saw him as the glue that held that great 50's Dodger era together.

Snider's autos are plentiful and unfortunately due to his recent passing have gone up to closer to $35 which is still a bargain for this Hall of Famer. I can't remember what I paid for this card because I bought it sometime last year but it couldn't have been too far beyond $20. And Duke Snider has a very smooth and easily read signature. I think this 1998 Donruss Signatures card is one of the best ones to get because of the great picture , on-card Signature and the signature's placement (not on the back of the card like this one).

When things settle down you may want to hunt around for an auto of this Dodger icon. I think he's a must-have for any collector.

Collecting Bucket List #3 Warrior come out and play-ee-yay

I was very fortunate to be born at the tail end of the Yankees worst decade in their history. In 1992 the Yankees traded Roberto Kelly for the man we would come to know as "The Warrior," Paul O'Neill.

He was a big part of "my" Yankees. He was there in 1993 with a team that featured Mattingly, Boggs, both Williams (Bernie and Gerald), Danny Tartabull and Paul Abbott threw is famous no-hitter. I really liked the 1993, 1994 and 1995 Yankees. Obviously 1996 was a changing of the guards so to speak. But O'Neill was there, much like myself, for a disappointing 1993 season. A 1994 season of amazing promise but foiled by MLB baseball players and owners. And the 1995 season which saw the first postseason with the new team alignment and Yankees as the first ever AL Wildcard winners. Then a golden age for the Yankees which saw them win 4 World Series in 5 years until that heartbreaking night in Arizona. The night we last saw O'Neill playing as a Yankee.


There isn't much I can say about Paul O'Neill that most don't already know. He was passionate and pissed. He had this swing that he could just stroke the ball into the outfield for a base hit. His passion for the game earned him the "The Warrior" nickname from the Boss. He had that catch deep in the Atlanta outfield during the 1996 World Series in Game 5 that ended the game. He played in the clinching Game 4 of the 1999 World Series, hours after his father passed away.

He's an important part of my baseball memories. I thought it would be fitting to get a reasonably priced auto of him as part of my bucket list. I found this great on-card auto for a little over $20. I was lucky because there really aren't many of his autos out on eBay and they tend to go for closer to $40 for the more basic autos (not short print or from high end product).

So if you're in the market for one good luck, they're out there you just have to find them.

Topps 2011 The almost blaster from Target (9.99 box)

My fiance picked me up this weird box from Target. The part that hangs on the rack is blurred but you can sorta see it. I actually thought it was a blaster until I read it. It has 72 cards in it.



This is what was inside. No packs just a cello wrapped stack of cards. I think the cards totaled out to 10 inserts and 62 base cards. I ended up needing 34 out of the 62 cards.



The pack doesn't have any fancy inserts like autos, relics or original back 60 years of Topps. But you pretty much have one of every type of common insert. Although I do have a question. What the hell card is that David Ortiz? I've never seen it before. The number on it is THP-13 and it only has his name, team name and a blurb about him on the back. There's no subset name anywhere on the card.

So what is this insert and what are the other ones in its set?

Other than that this pack is really only good for someone looking to build the set on the cheap. I'd rather stick with a blaster and its guaranteed commemorative patch, throwback cards and chance for better inserts. Or rack packs if you're trying to keep things a little cheaper but still get some inserts on the side.

Upper Deck 2010 World's BIGGEST AUTO STICKER DUMP!!! WTF!

I had no idea this is what Upper Deck had in mind when they were creating their World of Sports...

Upper Deck 2010 World of Sports

Sticker auto upon sticker auto of cards with just names on it.

I found this all out by finding this: Phil Hughes 2010 Upper Deck World of Sports

SAY IT ISN'T SO!!!!

This is what Upper Deck is reduced to?! Couldn't they have found a better way around this? I'm just in disbelief. Some of my favorite cards in my personal collection are from Upper Deck. Phil Hughes and Mattingly autos and relic cards that look, well to steal one of their own product names, exquisite.

It breaks my heart to see them this way. I sort of feel like they're that underhanded guy with a jacket full of fake Rolexes trying to bait you in. But then I feel sorry for them for being beaten into submission by Topps....into creating this, this GARBAGE: Crappy three auto card

Epic Fail Upper Deck, epic fail

Collecting Bucket List #2

Andy Pettitte Auto

It seems that the end of a player's career or life wakes up collectors. I guess it's like that whole "an artist doesn't sell their work until the person dies." I didn't wait for Pettitte's announcement to retire before I purchased the above card. But I got it for a completely different reason.

I had a "bucket list" idea to collect an auto for every 2009 Yankee team member. I have to say I have most of them but Hideki Matsui will be the only player I will never get an auto for. His auto cards are just way too expensive.

But now that I think back, I'm really glad I bought this card because I would be scrambling on eBay trying to find one that doesn't have the price jacked up.

It never dawned on me until today how important Pettitte was to the many successful postseason runs. When you think of Yankee starting pitchers from 1995 to 2010, Andy Pettitte is #1. Period. Out of his 16 year career, he missed the post season 3 times. He holds many post season records mainly because of the frequency that he was able to compete. But Andy did have many amazing moments in the post season and I can honestly say I don't think the Yankees could've won any of the 5 without him.

He may not have the Hall of Face credentials or what-have-you, but as a Yankee fan he is a living legend. Which is why he is apart of my collecting bucket list.