Close Only Counts In Horseshoes &...

Thoughts On The Existence Of God

That's not the way you usually title a baseball card blog post right??? The existence of a God has always been a tricky issue for me...I see the intricate design of the human body or of nature and I am hard pressed to explain it all as randomly occurring over time...yet I struggle to find any evidence of a design plan in our world when it seems as if we can counteract God's will...I think certainly there is no one up in the sky keeping tabs on my good or bad deeds but the creation of the universe is beyond my understanding...maybe I can ruminate on this issue another time because for me today there is no doubt in the existence of God:

If You Laugh At This, Then We Could Be Friends

If you laugh at this, then we could be friends:

Whatever Happened to Freddy Garcia?

Trying to write a post about Freddy Garcia reminds me of this girl who asked me to be friends on Facebook last week. Her name is Jaimie and the honest truth is that although she went to my high school and graduated with me, I have no idea who she is. Couldn't pick her out of a line up. Which brings me to Freddy...he played for one of my favorite teams and was apparently
even an All-Star now and again but there is just something about him...I don't remember him pitching for the Mariners or any interesting bit of information at all....This is mainly to me zoning about about baseball in the early 00's but still, I think I should remember something about him...after looking him up I even learned he won a World Series game while pitching for the White Sox in 2006 and he is now with the Mets pitching in the minors. Jaime turned out to be a nurse who lives in Arizona...

Some Freddy Garcia:


These cards are courtesy of GCRL.

Oscar Contest Results

Sorry about the delay in posting these but getting all the entries together took me longer than I thought it would...To see the complete spreadsheet go here.

A perfect score would have been 80 points.

Chris -- 63 Points
TheJaw -- 60 Points
GCRL -- 49 Points
Motherscratcher -- 47 Points
Mmosley -- 47 Points
Matt F. -- 37 Points
JustinB521 -- 30 Points
Dinged Corners -- 30 Points
Zman 40 -- 28 Points
Chuck's Used Cards -- 23 Points
RoofGod -- 20 Points
Mmayes -- 16 Points

The winner is Chris with 63 points...Chris, please send me an email at heartbreakingcards@gmail.com when you can...Thanks to everyone for entering!

Don't Miss Out On My Oscar Contest

The clock is winding down on signing up for my Oscar Contest...to enter just click here and follow the instructions...

I don't know if any dress will ever top the Bjork Swan dress but I hope something comes close this year.

Show & Tell: Thoughts & Sox Package

I'm so far behind on my mail updates that it is getting ridiculous...I've got packages backed up from Night Owl, Stats on the Back, two from Saints of the Cheap Seats, Eric S., gcrl, Pursuit of the 80's and a mystery envelope I haven't touched yet. Here are the highlights from a box of cards that Thoughts & Sox sent me a couple of weeks ago.

These two 3-D Ichiros are destined to become an post on the Things Done To Cards blog shortly...

There's my boy...I think I am going to try to get all the Ken Griffey, Jr. as a Mariner 2.0 cards...who knows how long it will last but I am jumping headfirst into the deep end.

I hadn't realized that Gil Meche started out as a Mariner before moving to Kansas City and becoming the anchor of the pitching staff.

Four Ichiros...three of them with him sharing the spotlight with two other players...

I think it's interesting that they use the same Ichiro photo over these two cards but they use different Vlad Guerrero shots.

Some great Packer action...

Jan Stenerud only played four seasons with the Packers but he is one of my favorite all-time Packers. Like myself, he's a Norwegian and unlike me, he was one of the first soccer-style placekickers. Plus, when he was playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, he alone scored more points in Super Bowl IV [9] than the entire Minnestoa Vikings team [7].

Andre only played for the Packers for part of the 1996 season but he made it count by winning a Super Bowl with the Green & Gold and scoring the first points of the game on a long pass from You Know Who.

Teague was a 1st round draft pick by the Packers in 1993 and if you have any question as to why watch this from that year's Sugar Bowl:

3 Diamond Kings

It's hard to judge who the best prospect in the minors is but some collectors argue it might be Lars Anderson who often gets comparisons to a new Justin Morneau. And who knows how much the fact that he is in the Red Sox farm system effects the level of attention. Rumor has it that he may be moved to the outfield if Kevin Youkilis stays at first base.

Brett is one of Oakland's top pitching prospects and was apart of the 2008 Olympic Team. He made the jump from high school straight to the pros and is in AA ball right now with the possibility of making the A's rotation by the end of season.

And last but not least we have Blake Wood...Future star of the Kansas City Royals! Blake was the ace of the Georgia Tech staff in 2005 and 2006 with 10-1 and 11-4 records respectively. He gave up his senior year of eligibility to join the Royals after they drafted him in the third round of the 2006 draft. Wood spent the '08 season in AA and if everything goes well might be a late season call up at the end of the '09 season as the Royals make their run at the division crown!

Dayf, Focus Your Rage Here

Dayf,

Focus your rage on this guy...


...because it turns out he pushed Griffey Jr. from the Braves to the M's...

Rating the Rated Rookies #2: Rich Delucia

Player: Rich Delucia
Set: 1991 Donruss Series 2 #426

One of the key problems that I'm running into with this series is the idea behind the "Rated Rookie" moniker. I tend to believe it is given to a person who has the potential to be a great player. Also, the way I see it, it is a honor that is different than the Topps All-Star Rookie award. To me a Rated Rookie means more...it is about a players potential rather than having success right away. I might be in the minority here but to me there is no greater honor bestowed upon a new player by a baseball card than being called a Rated Rookie.

Rich was a Mariners 6th round pick in the 1986 draft [that draft year included players like Greg Swindell, Gary Sheffield, Matt Williams, and the #1 overall pick Jeff King]. Interestingly, he was picked 16 places ahead of a Rated Rookie that has shown to be very deserving of the honor, Tom "Flash" Gordon.

Rich career got started quickly...he pitched 32 games in his first full season but as with any mid-to-late 80's Mariners team even pitchers with good stuff end up with a record of 12-13. Even so, Rich did finish 5th in the Rookie of the Year voting. After that season, he moved increasingly into the middle reliever role, at times average nearly 60 games pitched a year. In the end, Delucia retired after nine years in the major with a 38-51 record and an ERA of 4.62.

Results:

Should've Been A Rated Rookie?

A long nine year career but unfortunately, no, not worthy of the Rated Rookie honor.

The Hunt For Gollum

I'm not sure if card collectors are also fans of Lord of the Rings but there is a neat little project called The Hunt for Gollum that is coming out this summer. It is a fan project that focuses on a story of Strider/Aragorn trying to track down Gollum in the pre-Fellowship of the Ring days. No Viggo Mortenson or Ian McKellen...and I imagine no Andy Serkis as Gollum too...there is no sign of Gollum in the trailer, just a voice, so it's unclear how they are going to handle Smeagol.

Here is the trailer:


THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM - FULL Trailer 1 from Independent Online Cinema on Vimeo.

Hope

In Praise Of Statistics

I take for granted the ease at which I can get any mundane baseball statistic at any time of the day from nearly anywhere. Of course, this wasn't always the case...fans would have to depend upon the Sports section of the newspaper or maybe a Baseball almanac for their buring stat needs. They might also turn to some great baseball cards, like this one from the 1962 Topps set, to get the answer to their stat questons...


I am quietly building a respectable Whitey Ford collection and I picked up this card simply because Whitey disembodied head is floating around on it. But then I got a look at the back of the card and an encyclopedic look at the American League strikeout leaders from 1961. The card includes stats on 50, count 'em 50, players and their success at striking out batters. We've got the big four of Camilo Pascual, Whitey Ford, Jim Bunning, and Juan Pizzaro and then we also have players like McClain, Wash. and Baumann, Chi who totaled 76 and 75 strikeouts respectively and who's first name will be a mystery to me forever. I thing it's great that nearly every first or second starters for each team gets recognition for being a Strikeout Leader. It's like get a "Participant" ribbon at a track meet.


I must admit that I was sorely lacking in my knowledge about Camilo Pascual even though he was a Washington Senator and later a Minnesota Twin [my favorite boyhood team]. 1961 would prove to be the first in a stretch of four seasons that Pascual would average over 200 strikeouts [the 221 K's in 1961 would be his career high]. He would also post impressive 20-11 and 21-9 records in '62 and '63 earning him an All-Star birth in '62 but not '63. Like so many players, during the final years of his career he played with a flury of different teams including a reborn Washington Senators, Cinncinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians before retiring in 1971. Interestingly, the pitcher which his stats closest resemble is Fernando Valenzuela.

YES NO YES NO YES NO

In the span of two days:

Ken Griffey Jr. to Seattle Mariners Talks Reportedly Heating Up
YES

Atlanta makes a play for Ken Griffey Jr. while Seattle still in the hunt
NO

Griffey picks Braves over Mariners
NO

Report: Griffey denies he's decided on Braves
YES

Vlad The Impaler

Does Vlad only play during night games?

A Staggeringly Genius Oscar Contest

It's time to get another contest together and this time we are going to go with a non-sports centered contest.

This is pretty simple, just pick the winners of the Oscars.

Points will be assigned in the following scale:

Best Picture -- 6 points
Best Actor/Actress -- 4 points
Best Supporting Actor/Actress -- 4 points
Best Director -- 4 points
All Other Categories -- 3 points

The winner will be the person who earns the most points.

Just pick your winners from the list below and post it in the comments section of this post. I've left my picks as an example.

The Oscars are this Sunday, February 22nd at 8pm ET so you need to have your entries in by the time Hugh Jackman starts his monologue.
What can you win? This time around I'm going to keep the prizes close to my vest because I would like to personalize the smorgasbord of prizes instead of just sending you trade bait. So in the end if you win you will actually get something you would want.

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Gus Van Sant, Milk

BEST ACTOR
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, Milk
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Frozen River, Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh
In Bruges, Martin McDonagh
Milk, Dustin Lance Black
WALL-E, Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Roth
Doubt, John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan
The Reader, David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory — Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

BEST ART DIRECTION
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306

BEST EDITING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)

BEST MAKEUP
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Alexandre Desplat
Defiance, James Newton Howard
Milk, Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman
WALL-E, Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
''Down to Earth,'' WALL-E
''Jai Ho,'' Slumdog Millionaire
''O Saya,'' Slumdog Millionaire

BEST SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

BEST SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

More Inappropriate Sitting

Previously on Inappropriate Sitting...

And now, more inappropriate sitting from Dave Valle in the 1992 Donruss set:

Making An Offer You Can't Refuse

Dinged Corners,

Let me make you an offer you can't refuse...Pick any of the following for your USA baseball set.

1. David Wright 2009 Topps Turkey Red Insert


2. David Wright 2006 Upper Deck Game Materials Pants


3. Barry Zito 2003 Flair Diamond Cuts Jersey, Numbered 32/100

2009 Topps Heritage Need List + My Own Creation

In honor of my Topps Heritage Needs List I have created my own Topps Heritage card...Nixon meeting Elvis should have been one of the country's finest moment.

Needs List:

1 Mark Twain
2 Harriet Beecher Stowe
4 Edgar Allan Poe
7 Walt Whitman
8 Henry David Thoreau
9 F. Scott Fitzgerald
11 Meriwether Lewis
12 William Clark
15 Zebulon Pike
16 Jedediah Strong Smith
17 John Wesley Powell
18 John Charles Fremont
19 Amelia Earhart
23 George Marshall
26 William Tecumseh Sherman
27 Chester Nimitz
28 David Farragut
29 Nathanael Greene
32 Alexander Hamilton
34 Thomas Paine
37 Crispus Attucks
38 Patrick Henry
39 Peyton Randolph
40 Nathan Hale
41 Thomas Edison
42 Orville & Wilbur Wright
45 Samuel Morse
46 Philo Farnsworth
49 Clarence Birdseye
50 Elisha Otis
51 Martin Luther King Jr.
52 Malcolm X
53 Harriet Tubman
54 Frederick Douglass
55 Barbara Rose Johns
57 Cesar Chavez
58 W.E.B. Du Bois
59 Booker T. Washington
61 Thomas Eakins
64 Gilbert Stuart
65 Benjamin Latrobe
66 Norman Rockwell
67 Winslow Homer
69 Thomas Nast
71 Henry Clay
72 John C. Calhoun
77 Charles Sumner
78 Thurgood Marshall
80 Henry Cabot Lodge
81 "Buffalo Bill" Cody
82 P.T. Barnum
84 Harry Houdini
85 Buster Keaton
89 Will Rogers
90 Clara Bow
91 John D. Rockefeller
93 John Paul Getty
94 J.P. Morgan
95 Samuel Colt
96 William Randolph Hearst
97 John Deere
99 Frank Woolworth
100 Andrew Carnegie
101 The landing at Plymouth Rock
102 The Boston Tea Party
103 The signing of the Declaration of Independence
104 The Constitution is ratified
108 The California Gold Rush
112 Seward's Folly
113 Completion first transcontinental railroad
114 The Treaty of Versailles
115 Women win the right to vote
116 Mount Rushmore is completed
117 The end of Prohibition
119 V-J Day
121 Hawaii becomes the 50th state
122 First televised presidential debate
123 Martin Luther King Jr. "I Have a Dream" speech
126 Barack Obama
127 Barack Obama
128 Barack Obama
129 Barack Obama
130 Barack Obama
131 Barack Obama
132 John McCain
133 John McCain
134 John McCain
135 John McCain
136 John McCain
137 John McCain
138 Barack Obama
139 Barack Obama
140 Barack Obama
141 John McCain
142 John McCain
143 Barack Obama/John McCain
144 Joe Biden/Sarah Palin
145 Barack Obama/John McCain
146 Barack Obama/John McCain
147 2008 Election Night
148 Barack Obama
149 Joe Biden
150 Michelle Obama

Doubles available for trade:

35, 36, 44, 120

New Simpsons Opening Sequence

2008 Topps Mayo Needs List

Updated 6-3-2010

Needs List:

*=Short Print

2*, 12*, 13, 14*, 17, 25*, 26*, 34*, 42, 46, 56, 58*, 67*, 71, 97,

122, 128, 130*, 134, 135*, 142, 165, 179, 180, 186, 195, 196,

210*, 211*, 215, 217, 219, 224*, 226, 230, 242, 249*, 256, 269, 276*, 278, 289*,

302, 307, 315*, 316*, 317, 328*

Heartbreaking Breaks: Mayo Blaster

To try to quench the unending thirst for more Mayo, I give you a Mayo Blaster break video...and for a change this blaster had a bunch of great defensive players including an awesome Lawrence Taylor:

Heartbreaking Breaks: Mayo Blaster from Matt F. on Vimeo.

Here are the scans:

Minis:

Quarterbacks

Legends

Defense