Happy Halloween Y'all:not my favorite "holiday"

2010 Topps Chrome Football and Baseball Wantlists...Want Wantlists...wantlisssssssssts....Before I put what I have on eeeeeeebaaaaaaaaaay.....

Blogger Fun Fact: Get To Know Peterson

90% of the cards I own have never had their backs read by me. I need to get on that...

It's In The Cards: Read At Own Risk

There are times, many infact, that I find myself wondering just why I have insisted on accumulating so many small pieces of cardboard and plastic that bear the likeness of athletes and such. The money I spend to have and organize my cards, the percieved value that is associated with each one, and where it fits in my grand scheme of priority, all so easily seen as a fool's venture...a bilk, a scam.....but there is so much more.

These are the intangibles.
For me, the intangibles may differ from your average card-collecting adult, though Nostalgia only plays a limited role in mine.

It is the simplicity.

one card, one timeline, limited content, infinite perceptions.

why this card? why now?
I am in love with the fact that the answers to the previous questions are completely up to me.
I am in love with the fact that at any given time in my perilous life, I can get lost in a stack of mass-marketed, collector-persuant pieces of paper.

Buddhism teaches that one should not want, for to want and not recieve is the source of all dissatisfication and unhappiness.
Luckily, this does not play in my style of collecting.
I do not open boxes of Triple Threads, or Sterling, or Cases ( as I see has become hugely popular on many a web-based forum)
Therefore I am not unhappy when I don't pull a "white whale". I find it classically ironic that this term from Moby Dick is used in the hobby to describe what it does...hilarious in fact.
unspeakably perfect.

I love refractors though, and expertly painted art cards, and unique signatures.
so I keep all of the pieces of cardboard carefully in boxes, and trot them out to pick and re-pick all of my favorites and take stock of who's where and what not.

I do not plan on putting my kids through college with my autograph or Brewers or O's collections...but I do plan on having an office in my next house for me, my musical instruments, my glass art marbles, my Andy Goldsworthy book collection, my early graffiti mags, my sticker collection, my seashells, my rocks, minerals and crystals, my trainers, my fitted hats, my crates of vinyl, my photography studio, cassette recordings I made as a "sound designer" in my more delusional college days, my concert ticket stubs, my patch collection and my old coins.
hell's yes. now that is what I call success.
...only if to suceed would be to acheive total disillusionment through textbook escapist tendencies to keep my proverbial psychological "head" above water...I mean, we're all treading at some point...c'mon.

There are so many hobbies, habits and volitions in our culture (because I do believe that we are different if placed outside of said culture [read: bubble]) that can take us light-years away from our plodding lifestyle ryfe with receipts, automobiles and concocted remedies...

our cards, our trades, on our terms.
we like it this way because we make it our way.
we are the deciders. and we guarantee you we will not like everything.




So there it is. My Catharsis. the ebb to my bloggular flow. I am teaching my ass of back at the HS where I started, and for those of you who have been with me since anytime all the way back to January, Thank you. I know what those words mean, and I mean it. I will never let this blog die...but i might move to wordpress...

I would like to leave you with a pair of quotes from men far more eloquent than I...
Love,
Peterson




"Leisure is the mother of philosophy".
Thomas Hobbes

"Everyone of us is, even from his mother's womb, a master craftsman of idols".
John Calvin

Hey Don't Forget!: 2010 Topps Heritage Chrome and Refractors

I am still very much in the work to complete the 2010 heritage chrome set. I have refrained from going for purchasing, and would really rather trade for them. NEED LIST is on my sidebar at the bottom...hit me up!
Also, I am looking for a
1. Pirates Fan
2. Padres Fan
3. Phillies Fan

To trade with. Stuff is piling up...see me.

Peterson

Pun on Prince Fielder's Name: Salary fit for a King on its Way?

I've read plenty all over; blogs, papers, pundits, putz's and I still can't crack what the fudge is going on with my boy Prince....I mean do I have to call doug melvin? they are so busy interviewing Mgrs, including but not limited to, Ron Roenike whom I live up the street from during his days with the Baltimore Bird Club. I hung out with his kids once or twice in the neighborhood, but I don't remember a whole lot about them except they may have pissed me off for having minibikes or something. Shit, My brand new Powell & Peralta "ripper" with Independent trucks, bones III wheels (roughly the size of a good peach) was all I needed.

I digress...

What do you all think? who is after him? what have you heard?

I think I even heard Boston, but now that may be the echoes in my head.

Peterson

Group Breaks: Fun, Cheap, and Often Semi-rewarding

All cards shown were attained through Group Breaks sponsored by different Blogs on my blogroll. All cards are FT, see my wantlist. enjoy.

my "epic" pull from a few boxes of Epic. I have mad respect for Mike, but have never, ever collected mets or padres not named Tony Gwynn. I only got this Mets relic because it has a Padres logo on it...sorta like finding a piss-soaked $5 bill. Still great to come away with a hit from those insanely stingy boxes. I traded for the ones I wanted (see below for Steady Eddie and the "Swat Family Robinson")

The cards above came from a break over at Community Gum, I love cal, and I got the Sox and O's, guaranteeing me a few cals (nice SP and ADD-suffering Hyper insert. Also made a HUGE dent in my nomar/sox PC, and beyond all, it was just awesome to get a box of cards to dig through. great value. great break. great blog.

Supposedly this came from a group break with the Troll in which I chose the A's...weird. Exceptional card of my favorite non-asshole base-stealing genius. Base-Stealing really is a game within a game, and I love it. The text on the card really sealed it for me. I just think this is the coolest card of one of the coolest and best 2baggers ever.

This card was a great pull from a long-forgotten group break that got me a lincecum, King Felix, and some other base, but this one was what made me excited to open the package. I look at this one all the time. Howie has some seemingly-fading upside, but I like his style of play. Rod, well...you know the deal. The man was miraculous at times.

I feel like Group breaks can be great, but it is the lottery scheme that we are all too familiar with. I think that since I really dig pulling great looking cards of nobodies, that shooting for the stars in (especially high end) group breaks is a welcome cheap opportunity to take a chance, if you have the cash...

Thank you EVERYONE for hosting these extremely entertaining breaks, and thank you all for being so super-professional about getting the cards out to your people.

Peterson

Half-Off Blaster Chronicles: 2008 UD "Artifacts"

This was a great descision on my part (though I had my doubts as I should have). I had the retail bug and saw the 10 and change box at walmart.
Boom.
:Sawx Bawx:
I have seen some of the stuff out of this product before and have not been overly impressed with the "lineup" of players and Upper Deck's awkward take on history. Once I got past all that in the first 6packs, I pulled the two of these from the last one.

I love Mike Lowell, hard worker, SOX Ring Bearer, and all-around great classic ballplayer. The Franchise Members 4 is something I did not know existed. I think it is absolutely freaking rad. I am such a sucker for the "scroll/banner/multiple outline style (and the player choice: B+... pic layout:A...") that this card jumped into the Box of excellence.

Thanks for stopping by,
Check my updated Wantlist on the sidebar! You!
and have a great day.

Peterson

Trade Aquisitions: Beard Cheers and Top Twenties

Up top we have Steady Eddie in possibly my favorite O's Unis of all time.

The Fielder/Jackson is from my man Cam (here's his place) . Love the look of the wood ALOT.

I am that guy who still (and always will) freakin' loves 87topps....

Picture this card hard-signed over the team names and with Albert, Weeks or Big Huge Panda instead.

(dream come true)

Crucial PC Needs from The beard. The Mathews makes me glow, and the Hank on the right reminds me that he got to give Lil'Robin a word or two about the game before shuffling off this screwball coil. There are 2 Brooks' that are "mia" right now, my shit is a mess since school started and I shoved it all in the closet.

hit me again with the PC glory beardy. One can never have too many Ryan GU... This Masterpieces Framed Red jumped into my top 20 cardbox the day I got it. It moves me.
zow. The Yount Shines like the day (in my top 10 cards I own) and is Painted by Stephen Gardner, whose portrait of Joltin' Joe hangs in the Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown. I am at a loss as to where this came from. All PC needs, and "The Robinsons" (my new #1 dual GU from an epic break we were in a while back (my man already had one of the 99)
(I'll show you what I "scored" in a later post of "stuff I got from group breaks over the summer")

DEBUT CUTS AUTOS MUST DIE.

NOT OUT: "Nothing is F...ed Here, Dude".

First, I would like to own this. Total non-sequitur. One of the best laid-out patch combinations EVER. I do not like Albert. I admire and respect him. I will never love a Cardinal after The Wizard.
Now on to the pertinent stuff...

So I have some really exceptional material lying in wait for my Blog as my "Back to Biology" campaign continues in my 5th year Teaching in HighSchool. This is the BlackHole into which my contributions have fallen...past the event horizon for some ideas, but the good ones have foundations laid. I do not want to give up and therefor I shall not.

(Nicole(myfiance) just said "tell the blog I love it"...She's pretty "sleepy")

Like MacArthur, I have returned and am busy kicking some serious ass back in the Warrior Saddle. (no more Blue Devils, but the Warriors Fall Ball is in full swing...details later)

I will be focusing on trades and aquisitions as well as the all-important Authorized Autographs from my Personal Collection. I really have spent very little time covering these gems, but their time will come.

I am looking to complete the 2009 Goodwin Champions set, and am looking to trade for 2010 minis of all types, Champions (hockey), A&G, 206 et al. for now.

aside from the few exceptional gentlemen I am dealing with on a semi-regular basis, please feel free to contact me if you are in need on '10 base in topps and some football, cuz I will GIVE it to you.

til we meet again,

Peterson