Blog Notes: Trade Pile, Last Call for my Contest, and BFG Winnings

The typical summer slowdown at work hasn't happened, as it's actually been much busier than normal due to COVID and all the uncertainty around what's going to happen on college campuses this Fall. But as of 5pm, I'm officially on vacation for the rest of the week, so I'm turning my attention to the blog and a few things that new some catching up on.

1. Last Call on the Contest

If you haven't yet joined in on the fun, today's your last day to do so. The contest I've been running officially ends at midnight, and I'll be adding to the prize pool and announcing winners sometime in the next few days. I likely won't make it to my goal of 100 followers (currently sitting at 96), and that's okay. I appreciate all 96 (and everyone else) that takes the time to check out the blog. Thank you!

Regarding the contest, I was initially planning to hold a winnings draft, in which the winners chose which prize they wanted. But after thinking about it some more, that will likely take a ton of time considering the number of prizes I plan on giving out. Instead, I will add all of the entries into a randomizer, then match up the names with the prize number. Seem fair?

One question remains: how many times should I randomize the list of entries? First comment to answer this question decides it.

2. Blog Reader Bruce?
Trade Pile #3 was claimed earlier this month by a commenter named Blog Reader Bruce, but I don't have their contact info. Bruce, if you're out there, can you send me an email so we can exchange address info? If I don't hear back from you by this Friday, I'll plan to add to the pile.  

3. BFG Winnings from Johnny's Trading Spot 

It feels wrong to post without including at least one card photo, so now is as good a time as ever to catch up on my past winnings in Johnny's Big Fun Game. I've participated the last two months and come away with some cool stuff, and I'm looking forward to this Friday's game as well. (Thanks for hosting, Johnny!) If you haven't yet participated, head over and sign up now!

Contest Winnings from Too Many Verlanders Pt.3: The Rest of my Contest Loot

If you are a reader of my blog, you probably already know that I recently won some awesome cards from Dennis over at Too Many Verlanders. He sent me so many cards that I had to separate the posts. You can check out Pt. 1 here and Pt. 2 here.

Forgive me for mailing this post in, but I have such a large stack of cards waiting for their time on the blog that I needed to speed things up.

I picked up a huge stack of 1980's vintage cards from Dennis. I did not have the time or patience to scan everything, so I decided to show off a few of my favorites. You can't go wrong with an afroed Bobby Bonds, or a clean shaven Van Slyke. 

We're moving into other sports now, starting with some cool new Colts cards. I especially dig the mini Reggie Wayne, though a new Andrew Luck card is always a great sight. 

Finally, Dennis sent over the complete set of 2000-2001 Topps NBA. I'm not the bigest fan of NBA cards, though I really enjoy these "Second Coming" cards. It helps that they feature some of the best players of my generation.

Additionally, here are the base cards for some more of my favorite players. I am a big Lakers fan, but I am also a huge fan of Tim Duncan. Of course I couldn't not scan a card of a young Steve Nash. For some reason, I guess I missed Metta Worl.......Ron Artest's time with the Bulls at the turn of the century. 

The complete set was awesome, but this is definitely my favorite card from the set. I think the great shot of the team after the championship and my fandom play into that. 

Once again, thanks for all the cards Dennis!

Contest Winnings from Too Many Verlanders Pt. 2: A-Rod and a Double Header Appearance

I am pretty confident that is the longest title my blog has ever seen. Who knows, I may top it tomorrow. 

Like many other bloggers, I was one of the winners in a contest held by Dennis of Too Many Verlanders a couple weeks back. Because of the sheer volume of the package Dennis sent over, I am splitting up the posts over the next few days. You can check out Part 1 here. 

Dennis decided to run a contest in which you claimed free cards in order to win. There were numerous lots to choose from, but one of my first choices was a lot of A-Rod cards.

The scan came out pretty crappy, but you are looking at a fantastic chrome card featuring A-Rod, Nomar, and Jeter. As you will see as this post goes on, I am a big sucker for Chrome cards. Dennis sent along quite a few A-Rod cards, but this is certainly my favorite.

See.....I told you I like chrome. Though I don't like how the cards generally scan. 

Dennis even tossed in this super sized A-Rod, which is displayed next to a standard sized card. 

Finally, Dennis threw in this sweet set of Double Header cards from 1998 Skybox. I am fairly certain it is some kind of subset, and Dennis sent over all 20 cards. I didn't really feel like scanning them all, so I picked some of my favorites to show you here. Might be tough to see, but the throwback that Nomar is rocking on the bottom right is pretty slick. 

Once again, thanks to Dennis. There is at least one more post recognizing this great prize package. 

Contest Winnings from Too Many Verlanders Pt.1: Triple Play Rack Pack

Dennis of the fantastic blog Too Many Verlanders held a contest a couple of weeks ago, and I was one of the lucky winners. There was so much to the package that Dennis sent over that I am going to split my contest winnings into multiple posts, so stay tuned over the next few days. 

The grand prize of the contest was a Troy Tulowitzky rookie auto, but I was not the lucky entrant that came in first. Dennis had plenty of great prizes however, and I took a rack pack of 2013 Panini Triple Play home.

I usually skim by these while browsing the card aisle in Target, but I am starting to dig them now that I had the opportunity to rip a pack first hand. Just take a look at that fantastic card or O's backstop, Matt Wieters. 

I decided to look into the set a little more to determine of chasing the set was plausible. According to cardboard connection, hobby boxes sell for about 21 bucks. 

Well worth it in my opinion. The cards may be a bit juvenile, but that doesn't mean they aren't awesome. Choo's stoic card, Hamels' elongated neck, and crazy eyes Pence are fantastic pieces of cardboard.

This was one of a few inserts I pulled, and is yet another great looking card. I have been a big fan of Bautista since he hit the scene a few years back. I have been considering adding him as a player I collect, but I'm not sure if I want to add another player just yet. 

The only Dodger related piece of cardboard in the pack was this Matt Kemp tattoo. Like I mentioned earlier, this set targets younger collectors, so I obviously don't really have a desire for Matt Kemp tattoos. However, little additions like this are cool from time to time. 

So, if you have any base cards from this set lying around, let me know. I will probably be uploading a set needs for the set in the next few days.

Thanks again Dennis. Those Triple Play cards found a good home. 

A Bounty of Winnings and Awesome Dodger-ness

I recently won a contest over at Andrew's Baseball Cards. As the winner I took home these sweet minis which are #'d /25. 

I don't collect either guy, so these are up for trade. I haven't added them to my new and improved Trade Bait page yet, but they will be there soon. 

Andrew and I decided to make this a trade while we were at it, so I also received some great Dodger cardboard.

I was targeting this Hanley relic when we decided to make a trade. Although it is an awesome addition to my Hanley PC, the other cards Andrew sent along are what made this trade great.

Take this Kershaw card from 2013 Bowman for example. I have started to gravitate toward other sets lately, but Bowman is still a cool product. The numbering on Bowman cards may be annoying, hwoever this card is anything but. The Brooklyn cap Clayton is rocking goes great with the shot, as well as the Texas flag backdrop. 

Andrew also sent along this sweet mini that I did not already have for some reason. Looks like Clayton is about to fire in a 4-seamer.

Here is another card of Kid K that I didn't have before this swap. It seems like greatness follows the number 2 in Dodgers lore. Tommy Lasorda wore 2, Kershaw wears 22, Koufax had 32, and Jackie Robinson had the infamous 42. We can go ahead and forget about Jeff Kent, who wore 12 during his stint with the Dodgers. 

Now that I have this card in my hands, I understand why Greg loves these so much. My copy isn't #'d /99, but I love it nonetheless. I am going to file this as a Matt Kemp card, so I will need another one of these to add to the Kershaw binder. 

Following the Kershaw card from the same set, this Kemp is a new addition to my growing Bison PC. I absolutely love this shot of the Dodgers outfielder, especially since I noticed the bat in his hands. For all I know, that bat may be the one hanging up in my room right now. 

If you have made it this far then you deserve to celebrate. Of course, your celebration won't be as star studded as this great shot above. Let's try to identify who is shown on the card: Matt Kemp, Kenley Jansen, Juan Uribe, James Loney, Andre Ethier, Mike MacDougal (not really a star), that's about all I can spot. 

Thanks again for the great contest winnings, as well as the awesome cards from the trade Andrew! Your cards will be heading out this weekend.

Contest Winnings from Off Hiatus Baseball Cards

Tony L. over at Off Hiatus Baseball Cards ran contest last week and I was lucky enough to be one of the winners. As a winner, I was entitled to take my pick of cards on his Trade Bait page. 

The choice was easy and I was able to take home this sick jumbo jersey of my once favorite Dodger, Chad Billingsley. A 2012 Topps Chrome Bryce Harper RC gave the C-Bills a run for it's money, but at the end of the day I made the right choice. I don't get the opportunity to pick up free hits, let alone #'d 1/50, very often, so I am extremely happy with my choice. 

Thanks again Tony! Keep up the great work over at your blog.

Contest Winnings from Big L Collectibles

Awhile back I won a contest over at Big L Collectibles. It is one of the newer blogs out there, but focuses more on the Dodgers than cards in general. Still, if you want to see some awesome autographed Dodgers gear, then head over and give Luis a follow.

After being selected the winner, I walked away with these two cards.

Now as much as I enjoy both of these cards, especially the Clemente, there are others out there who would probably enjoy them a little more than me. 

I have added both of these cards to my freshly updated Trade Bait page last night. If these cards, or anything else listed catches your eye, just let me know. 

Thanks again Luis! Good luck with the blog. Can't wait to see some more autographed Dodger goodies. 

Twitter Contest Winnings from MLB RBI

Those of you that have Twitter accounts know that MLB and its affiliates regularly host contests which you can enter by retweeting. It is not often that you hear about the winners of those contests. However, today you will as I will be showing off my winnings from a contest held by MLB RBI. 

I was honestly hoping I would be walking away with a box of Topps cards, but I ended up walking away with an autographed baseball. That auto belongs to Anaheim Angles pitcher, C.J Wilson. 

I am not the biggest Wilson fan, nor am I an Angels fan. Therefore, this ball does not hold any real value to me. I will probably post it on eBay and try to flip it for a Kemp auto before the prices get too high. If there is anybody out there that would like to trade for this, just let me know. I am strictly looking to get a Kemp or Kershaw auto, though other interesting offers will not be denied. 

I probably won't be winning any major contests like this again, so I guess I should be proud of myself. Even though the prize is not something that I consider super valuable, I am lucky to have won. 

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I have been extremely busy lately and haven't been able to get back to some of those who have contacted me about my trade bait. Chances are I saw your message or email, but haven't had the time to actually open it and read it. I will be getting to all of the trades this week.

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I also haven't had time to randomize the contest winners. I am planning on doing it tomorrow night, but my work hours changed and I am not getting home until about 10pm every night now. If it doesn't get done tomorrow, expect the results to pop up sometime this weekend. 

Contest Winnings From My Cardboard Habit

I won a contest run by Judson over at My Cardboard Habit last week. 

My prize? This fantastic Bryce Harper card from 2013 Panini Black Friday. 

Thanks for the contest Judson!

Contest Winnings: Graded 1990 Bowman Frank Thomas Rookie Card

I won a contest over at Dodgers Blue Heaven last week, and the card arrived in the mail yesterday. I would recommend every Dodger fan check out the blog. There are constant updates regarding the Dodgers, and he highlights every Dodger card in upcoming sets. On to my prize!

A 1990 Bowman Frank Thomas rookie card. It was graded by SGC and received a grade of 96 mint. I have never owned a graded card before this one, so the grading process is a whole new concept for me. I know there are a few different graders, each with different grading scales, but not much else. I am assuming this particular card is graded out of 100. 

I am not a Frank Thomas collector, so if this card piques anybody is interest just let me know. 

Thanks for the contest Ernest! I will continue to make daily visits to your wonderful blog. 

Contest Winnings From Dodger Penguin

I recently won a contest over at the fantastic Dodger Penguin blog run by Matthew. Matthew features some great cards of all things Dodgers, and sent me some awesome things. 

The Seager's were the main prize, and something I have been trying to get my hands on for awhile now. I don't like spending more on shipping than I do on the actual card, which is why I have not added these to my PC yet. Luckily, school taught me something and I was able to correctly guess some of the questions Matthew asked in his contest. 

Next up is a fantastic Purple Refractor of Matt Kemp. I wouldn't normally associate purple and the Dodgers, but the card looks great. Matthew also gets 20 points for sending this my way. This purple refractor marks the 4th card out of 12 for the Mattycakes rainbow. 

Thanks again Matthew! I look forward to your next contest.