Hey all. We're approaching a milestone here at Can't Hit The Curve...1000 page views. This may seem like sort of a big deal. But, I have to take a step back and be realistic.
About 90% of the views on the page are from Google bots and site-scrapers and various tools used by SEO's looking to spam the shit out of me.
But, I'm still psyched. 1000 views ain't nothing to sneeze at, right?
So, once we pass this milestone I will give someone a gift. I know we all like something for free. At least I do.
Leave a message. Comment on something. Just tell me you looked in on us to help get to that 1k point. Then I will send you a gift.
I'm pretty sure it'll be a certified autograph card from my collection...
Thursday, June 27, 2013
What's This Thing Worth?
So, a while back I pulled this thing from a box of Bowman Chrome Prospects. I have no idea what it's worth. Does anyone have a clue? Can you fill me in here?
It's numbered to /10.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Sticking It Out
For a month or two, I had seriously contemplated selling off my entire collection. Getting out of the hobby, for good. Throwing in the proverbial towel. Quit. Kaput. Finished.
I was going to sell it all. Except for a few family heirloom type things: the Gretzky practice-used autographed stick, the David Price SS, and a few others. Hell, I could use the money...times is tough these days. At least the blog is free...thanks Google!
But, I reconsidered. I'm still looking to downsize but I am going to remain immersed in the hobby. However, I'll likely not be buying boxes of product any longer. Getting a few packs here and there to review here on the site will be enough to keep me going with the blog. I will probably amp up my TTM habit, though. There's something about connecting with players...who, like it or not, are actual REAL people...and having them send a little something back to the fans. That, to me, is the ultimate. It may not be cool but I don't really give a shit.
I'm going to focus my collection. My childhood favorites (NHL Oilers, Mets, and Miami Hurricanes) and my hometown team Tampa Rays will be mostly what I collect. I may...MAY...do some prospecting. But, that will likely be solely through the mail.
So, why stick it out? Basically, this hobby connects me to a far simpler time in my life. Children live in an idyllic world filled with role models and heroes. The collecting hobby transports me back to that time as a kid...it's really what it should do for all of us. Hell, this ain't a hobby to make money with. Sure, sometimes you can get a few bucks for a card or signature or whatever. But, really, is that what it's really about? I contend that it is not.
The collection continues. Much of it is for sale. Contact me if you want to purchase. Or trade for my favorites...I'll send you a list of "wants" if you ask nicely.
Keep the faith, people.
I was going to sell it all. Except for a few family heirloom type things: the Gretzky practice-used autographed stick, the David Price SS, and a few others. Hell, I could use the money...times is tough these days. At least the blog is free...thanks Google!
But, I reconsidered. I'm still looking to downsize but I am going to remain immersed in the hobby. However, I'll likely not be buying boxes of product any longer. Getting a few packs here and there to review here on the site will be enough to keep me going with the blog. I will probably amp up my TTM habit, though. There's something about connecting with players...who, like it or not, are actual REAL people...and having them send a little something back to the fans. That, to me, is the ultimate. It may not be cool but I don't really give a shit.
I'm going to focus my collection. My childhood favorites (NHL Oilers, Mets, and Miami Hurricanes) and my hometown team Tampa Rays will be mostly what I collect. I may...MAY...do some prospecting. But, that will likely be solely through the mail.
So, why stick it out? Basically, this hobby connects me to a far simpler time in my life. Children live in an idyllic world filled with role models and heroes. The collecting hobby transports me back to that time as a kid...it's really what it should do for all of us. Hell, this ain't a hobby to make money with. Sure, sometimes you can get a few bucks for a card or signature or whatever. But, really, is that what it's really about? I contend that it is not.
The collection continues. Much of it is for sale. Contact me if you want to purchase. Or trade for my favorites...I'll send you a list of "wants" if you ask nicely.
Keep the faith, people.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
2013 Topps Archives
In theory, I should really like Topps Archives. My tastes run to the vintage-style cards and Archives is...well, it's vintage reprints. So, I should be a fan.
But, I'm really not. But, in the same breath, I am no enemy of the Archives, either.
I finally went back to the LCS and got a couple of packs. Nothing too major. Times are tough, economy is poor, I have no excess money, blah blah blah. But, a couple of packs wouldn't break me.
The cards are what you would expect. Various designs. Nothing really cohesive to bring the set together. In truth, the whole concept of Archives is a little bizarre. "Hey, let's take every single card design we have ever had and put random dudes on each and spread 'em out so no one will know what the heck they are getting". Just weird. But, it's not a BAD product.
So, here's what you get: A 200 card base set (which is pretty sizable), a 45 card short print additional set, a whole mess of inserts, and autograph hits of folks like Cal Ripken, Jr, Clayton Kershaw, Trout, Griffey, Jr, and Bob Gibson. Truthfully, for hit chasers...well, it looks like theres some star power there.
Great news for set collectors. Even though the main set is 200 cards, there are eight in a pack and the two packs I bought didn't have any dupes. So, it's all good there. Get to collating this weird-ish set.
But, all in all, Topps Archives seems pretty legit. The price point is reasonable for broke-asses like me and you. There are a bunch of cards in each pack. There are some good hits to chase. Nice work, Topps. Even though the set does seem a little...funky.
Oh yeah. My two packs: Bryce Harper tallboy, Jim Palmer, Beltran, D. Wright, Kuroda, Wilin Rosario, Darvish, CarGo, J. Hamilton, Alex Gordon, Wade Boggs, a funky Yankees four piece card (looks like stickers...of Ruth, Jackson, Jeter, Mattingly), Eddie Mathews, Bumgarner, Jay Bruce, and Alcides Escobar.
Check out the checklist at our friends sportscardradio.com.
But, I'm really not. But, in the same breath, I am no enemy of the Archives, either.
I finally went back to the LCS and got a couple of packs. Nothing too major. Times are tough, economy is poor, I have no excess money, blah blah blah. But, a couple of packs wouldn't break me.The cards are what you would expect. Various designs. Nothing really cohesive to bring the set together. In truth, the whole concept of Archives is a little bizarre. "Hey, let's take every single card design we have ever had and put random dudes on each and spread 'em out so no one will know what the heck they are getting". Just weird. But, it's not a BAD product.
So, here's what you get: A 200 card base set (which is pretty sizable), a 45 card short print additional set, a whole mess of inserts, and autograph hits of folks like Cal Ripken, Jr, Clayton Kershaw, Trout, Griffey, Jr, and Bob Gibson. Truthfully, for hit chasers...well, it looks like theres some star power there.
Great news for set collectors. Even though the main set is 200 cards, there are eight in a pack and the two packs I bought didn't have any dupes. So, it's all good there. Get to collating this weird-ish set.But, all in all, Topps Archives seems pretty legit. The price point is reasonable for broke-asses like me and you. There are a bunch of cards in each pack. There are some good hits to chase. Nice work, Topps. Even though the set does seem a little...funky.
Oh yeah. My two packs: Bryce Harper tallboy, Jim Palmer, Beltran, D. Wright, Kuroda, Wilin Rosario, Darvish, CarGo, J. Hamilton, Alex Gordon, Wade Boggs, a funky Yankees four piece card (looks like stickers...of Ruth, Jackson, Jeter, Mattingly), Eddie Mathews, Bumgarner, Jay Bruce, and Alcides Escobar.
Check out the checklist at our friends sportscardradio.com.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Back From The Abyss...With USA Baseball Champions
 |
| Random auto... |
So, I'm back with a couple of packs rom Panini and their USA Baseball Champions set. I bought the packs because I hadn't bought anything in a month or so. In fact, I seriously thought about quitting the hobby altogether and concentrating on my love of crochet. Joking. I did think of quitting, though. I found myself not enjoying the hobby as much...but, I think that was due to other issues going on and I was sadly projecting these negative vibes onto something completely harmless and defenseless.
But, I digress.
 |
| This looks kinda cool... |
So, my pack had a bunch of cool cards. A lot of young USA ballplayers that are likely ten years from the majors. But, I did hit a Roger Clemens insert (serial numbered) die cut thingie. So, that's cool.
No autographs or jersey cards or anything like that. Two random and uneventful packs. But, it was a good start to getting back in the game.
I hope y'all missed me. 'Cuz I missed you!
Saturday, May 18, 2013
2013 Bowman
All right. I love Bowman. Always have and probably always will. To me, they are the most consistent product in terms of quality and collectability. So, therefore, they will always be tops in my book.
I had a few bucks, so I went down to Sports Treasures LLC (our LCS) and picked up a few packs of the new Bowman. No, I didn't hit any big names or autos or whatnot. What I did find was a very nice looking product, great photos, and a huge set for the collectors in this world. Like I said before, Bowman is nothing but consistent.
The first thing you notice about any release of Bowman is the abundance of parallel cards. There's orange and red and blue and purple and refractors....the list goes on. But, to me, that's part of the appeal of the Bowman line. I collect Rays players. I would love to have every single variety of David Price card available, in every color, even though he's injured and was pitching like shit. But, that variety is cool, and extremely profitable.
The base set isn't very large, 220 cards. But, once you factor in the Chrome cards they insert into every pack and all the parallels, well the set can start looking kind of large. In a nod to the set collectors in the world, Bowman puts a fairly generous eight cards into every normal (not jumbo) pack. Eight cards is a lot in a pack these days, sadly. So, the set folks will likely be scooping this stuff up.
The autographed subsets look pretty normal for Bowman. Lots of prospect autos. So, at least at this time, you can't be sure that what you hit will be worth anything. This makes the set good for long-term collectors and pretty poor for flippers. Looking on eBay, it looks like Byron Buxton might be the wunderkind for the season. But, there are autos from Manny Machado, Mike Olt, Profar, and Danny Hultzen, which should add some excitement to cracking packs and boxes.
One new bit: Bowman is throwing mini-cards in to this years product. I can't remember them doing this before and I am a big fan of mini cards. So, that's cool.
Anyway, that's Bowman in a nutshell. Check out the sportscardradio site for more details. They rock.
My "hits" from the three packs: Barry Zito orange (#'d to 250), a Sam Selman refractor, and a Nolan Arenado mini.
I had a few bucks, so I went down to Sports Treasures LLC (our LCS) and picked up a few packs of the new Bowman. No, I didn't hit any big names or autos or whatnot. What I did find was a very nice looking product, great photos, and a huge set for the collectors in this world. Like I said before, Bowman is nothing but consistent.
The first thing you notice about any release of Bowman is the abundance of parallel cards. There's orange and red and blue and purple and refractors....the list goes on. But, to me, that's part of the appeal of the Bowman line. I collect Rays players. I would love to have every single variety of David Price card available, in every color, even though he's injured and was pitching like shit. But, that variety is cool, and extremely profitable.The base set isn't very large, 220 cards. But, once you factor in the Chrome cards they insert into every pack and all the parallels, well the set can start looking kind of large. In a nod to the set collectors in the world, Bowman puts a fairly generous eight cards into every normal (not jumbo) pack. Eight cards is a lot in a pack these days, sadly. So, the set folks will likely be scooping this stuff up.
The autographed subsets look pretty normal for Bowman. Lots of prospect autos. So, at least at this time, you can't be sure that what you hit will be worth anything. This makes the set good for long-term collectors and pretty poor for flippers. Looking on eBay, it looks like Byron Buxton might be the wunderkind for the season. But, there are autos from Manny Machado, Mike Olt, Profar, and Danny Hultzen, which should add some excitement to cracking packs and boxes.
One new bit: Bowman is throwing mini-cards in to this years product. I can't remember them doing this before and I am a big fan of mini cards. So, that's cool.
Anyway, that's Bowman in a nutshell. Check out the sportscardradio site for more details. They rock.
My "hits" from the three packs: Barry Zito orange (#'d to 250), a Sam Selman refractor, and a Nolan Arenado mini.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
2013 Gypsy Queen
Now for the product that doesn't usually let me down...in the disappointment department: Topps Gypsy Queen.
The past few years I have bent over for a few boxes of the GQ. It's really tough for me to stay away from this stuff. It's nicely priced and it's like the mentally disabled half cousin of Allen and Ginter. And I freaking love A&G.
So, for the purpose of this review only (I intend to stay away from Gypsy this year) I found a few pennies in the backseat of the car and bought exactly one pack. I did just about as well in this one pack as if I would have bought a box: got nothin. Anyway, the design looks similar than in past years but a little bit better. At least Topps did away with the purple-ish color scheme and went to a more dignified green.
The set looks pretty good: 300 base and 50 sp's. That's pretty do-able for our set collectors out there. However, in fifty years do your kids want to show off your collection of Gypsy Queen? I would guess not...but, hey, who knows?
Of course, the Queen is doing the mini cards. I enjoy the mini cards. I collect mini cards from all brands. I think they're neat and a little bit quirky. It pleases me to know that the mini's probably confound some players when I send them to be signed TTM.
The auto/hits checklist looks a little slim. Sure the current big names are there (Trout, Machado, Harper, etc...) but the product looks a little slim in the retired players department. At least Nolan Ryan and Cal showed up for this one. The autograph booklets and the triple autographs and the bat barrels are new...I think...and look like a pretty cool addition to the product. There are TONS of parallels and inserts. This should keep people buying. However, there might be people that sit back and wait for these cool inserts to hit the secondary market.
Anyway, that's the Gypsy Queen for this season. Tons of inserts, still a little blah on the whole product though. But, maybe that's just my past hang-ups. Maybe I'll buy a box and see...
Oh. Here's how my pack went: Neil Walker base, A. Cabrera base, Paco Rodriguez RC, M. Holliday base, J. Votto base, Jim Abbott "No Hitters", Barry Zito mini, D. Freese base, Frank Robinson base, and Josh Rutledge base.
And Here's the checklist if you need it.
The past few years I have bent over for a few boxes of the GQ. It's really tough for me to stay away from this stuff. It's nicely priced and it's like the mentally disabled half cousin of Allen and Ginter. And I freaking love A&G.
So, for the purpose of this review only (I intend to stay away from Gypsy this year) I found a few pennies in the backseat of the car and bought exactly one pack. I did just about as well in this one pack as if I would have bought a box: got nothin. Anyway, the design looks similar than in past years but a little bit better. At least Topps did away with the purple-ish color scheme and went to a more dignified green.
The set looks pretty good: 300 base and 50 sp's. That's pretty do-able for our set collectors out there. However, in fifty years do your kids want to show off your collection of Gypsy Queen? I would guess not...but, hey, who knows?
Of course, the Queen is doing the mini cards. I enjoy the mini cards. I collect mini cards from all brands. I think they're neat and a little bit quirky. It pleases me to know that the mini's probably confound some players when I send them to be signed TTM.
The auto/hits checklist looks a little slim. Sure the current big names are there (Trout, Machado, Harper, etc...) but the product looks a little slim in the retired players department. At least Nolan Ryan and Cal showed up for this one. The autograph booklets and the triple autographs and the bat barrels are new...I think...and look like a pretty cool addition to the product. There are TONS of parallels and inserts. This should keep people buying. However, there might be people that sit back and wait for these cool inserts to hit the secondary market.
Anyway, that's the Gypsy Queen for this season. Tons of inserts, still a little blah on the whole product though. But, maybe that's just my past hang-ups. Maybe I'll buy a box and see...
Oh. Here's how my pack went: Neil Walker base, A. Cabrera base, Paco Rodriguez RC, M. Holliday base, J. Votto base, Jim Abbott "No Hitters", Barry Zito mini, D. Freese base, Frank Robinson base, and Josh Rutledge base.
And Here's the checklist if you need it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)