Bowman Chrome Appeal: I'll Revisit This...

You've heard the story. "I'm not buying cards because I am getting married in August", or some rendition of that ilk. Well, Bowman continues to bring me back. After what I considered a mediocre design in 2011 is followed by some really sharp lines (like I like em). The autos are nothing to get nuts about right now, unless you are a serious prospector, which I am not anymore as of last year. I believe that I have a collection of 2006-2011 bochro to net me a few scores down the line with the right RCs and Autos that I have amassed. I mean, I pulled a Gio Gonzalez auto rc in the only box of 2004 bochro I ever broke and was like..."shit, who knows". but I liked the sig a lot. I kept it, and now he is leading an attention-getting (even mine) machine in the Washington Nationals. I collect Ian Desmond because I have a soft spot for the short stop. But now we come to a time when I have been in Virginia long enough, and things are evolving without me in Milwaukee, that it only stands to reason that I must choose eventually between the Birds (my very first team and games 84-88) and the Nats, who are light-years closer traffic-wise, and have what I cannot be convinced is not a bright future.
Here is a shout out to some of my favorite Bowman Chrome RC autos:

 

Simply The Best: Look Closely

Like a fox, this guy's sig is slick as I don't know what. Lefty kind starts from the "sheffield liner". but this guy hits so many pleasing transitions in this auto, I can't stop looking at it. I've heard that rick is kind of a dick, but who cares. as for the UNC/DUKE debate, I've been to both campus', seen shows in both towns, still can't care. sorry. just look back at the above diagram of Rick's rebound on the left, deek, turn, pick n' roll, then take it to the hole, strutting back to center court for some love from the crowd...

MCA NO!!!: God Bless you and Thank You Adam

 The first music tape I ever owned was the Beastie Boys-Liscenced to Ill in 1986. That was the beginning of being cool. It was the powell-peralta, perma-skinned knees, hair over the eyes, "surfer" tan and the boombox. The grey beast barely mobile, with chrome accents that was too loud for anyone in the neighborhood except me and my boys.

Adam, we knew you had cancer in 2009. I tried to deny it, and without it being in my face all the time (unlike with my parents' losing battle), I was able to deny it.

damn the passage of time and it's unyeilding entropic interference.

I am so unhappy right now.

Note on Junior Seau and others lost along the way this week:

Also, props to all those leaving us in time. Junior was a blow yesterday, but I never lived in Cali and never liked the chargers. I knew he was one of the best, but that was about it. He really killed it during the years I was not watching football. I am sorry for his loss as well, but this one hits me where it hurts...pre-puberty.

Peterson

Bruins/Caps Reverb: Echos of Lesser Minds

I can say I am not enjoying some of this playoffs action, but I do have one thing I"ll ask.

You want to know who's team I'm on?

Not these racist schmucks in Gloucester, MA and Franklin Pierce College.

GO CAPS.

      

GO JOEL.

It shouldn't just be "part of the territory", but you handle it like a chamion

 ...much like the Kung-Fu Panda of the roughneck skating set...love this guy.

As for me, the jury is still out on the whole "twitterverse" thing. I have an account, but am not sure if I am self-absorbed enough to use it like the adults that I know do. It seems that the kids in the highschool that I teach in use it as a simple way for groups of friends to communicate and share inside jokes. Good stuff, often creative. I just can't stomach anyone using the forum to just unzip and piss hate into thier "friends'" feeds. (lesson!)

damn I hate racists,

Peterson

Orioles Fever: I Feel A Bit Warm...and Retro-Avian

When I was a kid, the very first MLB game that I went to was the Baltimore Orioles vs. the New York Yankees at Memorial Stadium in June 1984. It was a seminal moment of my childhood. Away from the game, and without a tv most of the time, I turned to the 1986 topps set to keep the game alive on the carpet, organizing positions, teams and stars into piles that reset with a new schema everytime I felt like thinking about baseball.

I do the exact same thing now, although I now keep a "keeper" pile, a "new" (usually already-owned cards I am revisiting) a "time to sell?" pile and a "time to sell" pile. If I were to break it down, the stacks change on a semi-regular basis. It is a cathartic activity in which I have full control over the manipulation of single packets of information (or "quanta" if you wanna get quantum physical). This makes me "happy"...searching the web for my favorite card designs and writing in this blog are the other vectors that I have adopted in order to cut down on any purchases I may want to make. (in case you didn't notice, I still really miss UD)

I know that some of us can follow, or root for, one team their whole life. I have moved far too many times to have that luxury. Let's quickly go over my timeline

1. Memorial Stadium, Baltimore 1984-88, 5 games, Lived in Phoenix, MD

Baseball fascinates me. my young mind was already skewing the way of Bill James, counting and comparing. I will never forget the characters from those years. Sheets, Wiggins, Tippy, Dempsey. I lived not far up the street from Gary Roenicke and used to play with his kids once in a while. It seemed so normal to be a bird fan. (Important note: I did not follow wins and losses yet, and with the Birds in my backyard, I didn't think much about playoffs...just missed that)

2. Yankee Stadium, NY, NY 1988-1994, 8 games, Lived in South CT and then North NJ

Dad and I had some exceptional times heading in to the bronx. I will certainly never forget walking out in the upper deck behind homeplate as my intro to the best looking stadium I have ever been to.

3. Baseball Hiatus, 1994-2002 Strike, puberty, etc.

4. The Fox Hole, Osterville, MA 2002-2003, (Fenway, Boston, MA/MASN)

  watched every single Sox game while bartending my ass off after college. (Fell easily back into baseball culture of   pure team adoration-begin reading box scores in the paper again, no money to attend game at fenway).

5.Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI 2004-2005, 21 games

After taking a job in environmental politics in Milwaukee, the culture of my father's hometown baseball was intoxicating and Miller park remains the most welcoming park I have ever attended. The young brewers became "My Team".

6. the Diamond, Richmond, VA, 2000-2008, 20+ games

Home of the Richmond Braves until 2008, and a shoddy concrete mini-beast. My mother moved to Richmond with my sisters shortly before she passed, and this became home during my last years in college. I returned after both MA and WI to live with my sisters and assist in a new life with just the three of us in our new family. I got to see them win the International League Champioinship. I attended the last opening day and the last Braves game before we literally lost them due to simple yet massive neglect on behalf of the regions governing bodies. It was too late though, MiLB had me for good. I got to see quite a few current A-Braves tear it up in RVA. The first auto card I ever pulled was an Escobar the week before he arrived in Richmond, only to dominate all categories until being called up.

7. The Diamond, Richmond, VA, 2009-present 8 games

The Connecticut Defenders get a major refit as they arrive as the Richmond Flying Squirrels just before their parent organization the SF Giants won the chamionship, and Buster hit the big time. Now I like the Giants a lot too, as I get to see some of their youngest talent before it blossoms or wilts.

7. Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD 2009-present 2 games

My father got to go to Camden Yards on a business trip the year that it opened, and raved about it until he passed in 1998. We had planned to go to a game there, and that is part of the reason it took me so long to attend a game there. I adore the Baltimore baseball culture and it is more vibrant now than ever.

It means a lot to me (an many of us) that everyone ever involved in the game of baseball has their own web of involvement and experiences that coincide on the field and in box scores and, for our purposes here at SH&H, through the unique written styles of individual signatures.

Peterson

Morency!?

Last Chace Saloon: Get A Gander

 The following is a portion of cards that absolutely must go. They are pic'd, and prepped for thebay. Before they head that way I want to celebrate a few cards that I have had for a while, and just a couple that I either wish I could keep, or don't care a lick about. If you absolutely must have something you see, I am accepting very reasonable offers on them individually, but don't be afraid to contact me about multiple cards. I take paypal or MO.

cheers,

peterson

Are Yu Really Serious?!: No Tell Me The Truth...You're Kidding Right?!

I know, I know...I've been at this too long to be shocked by what people will pay for a Stras or Bryce (or even Brien, Maas or Nomo) but since the storm around GQ was only stoked by last year's release and there still being no real product to compete against, I have been watching. I have been looking for that score like last year's Markakis $27.00 #/25 framed auto relic. I have to be patient, but in the meantime this set is still taking off. (my only complaint is the super-drab concept which permeates the parallels as well as the base cards and inserts; that said, it dominates last year's khaki-pants look)

The exceptional specimen below sold for 238.00 even after 22 bids. (238 is my lucky #). That's a lot of cash nowadays. (and yes I'm almost old enough to say "nowadays".)

Then something else caught my eye the same day...

This little bastard below went for $730.00. Seven Hundred and Thirty American Dollars.

5 bids...not a shil in the bunch...wow. I don't care who or what tells me, there is no effing way this guy's auto is worth that much. Next you're going to tell me how much it'll be worth after you grade it...

I have absolutely no desire to own the card on the bottom...but to have won the card above for 238.00 for my BD or gift...woulda been like my dear sainted and departed Mum and Dad themselves gave it to me.

oh, and in the comments section, I don't want to hear shit about availability/print runs...

EDIT: I heard the print run for Yu was 25. Just sayin'.

-Peterson

Just Exceptional: Inspiring Autograph Gallery (Been Sittin On These)

As I've stated, I am trying to "get back on the horse" here, so here's a "dump" of sorts, of some of the best single, non-categorized, non significant players' autographs I've seen since my last post. I have a few themed posts in the works so I got to get this out of my system...hewego...

Similar to Pat Neshek's Prominent "P", Andy had it down years early. I have seen a few of Andy's specimens, and it appears he prefers paper that bleeds a little, so you have to write quickly or be labeled a "hack". 

I am trying to figure out if this sig is upside-down or not...(even thought I know) Paper, sticker or what, this guy has back-handed skills like the SHAH star Gary Sheffield.

 These Wilkins come in two types: shaky and extra shaky. This kind of dedication to follow-through is why I still follow the hobby at all.

 Search "machado auto" and behold the sickness...Exceptional Alejandro here is not alone, though New Manny is making a mess of the category. (see below)

Anderson has a knack for pseudo-symmetry that is all-so-important in a visually-appealing 'graph.

ugchgh.

 Slick white stock has gotten the better of Phips in 2010-12...he is scrawling all over topps' on-card offerings with reckless abandon. (this insert design is one of my few favorite non-upper deck white-stock ones in years. I am crazy for the framing and minimalism. "crowd pleasers"? dammit.why!?awkward.

Just ran across this the other day. I need to get my hands on one so I can do some measuring...

(amazing...[whispered])

 Any man who starts and ends his auto with an "8" is alright with me. He really "got the idea" of that 2006 Bowman Chrome certified auto area...

 They see me rollin...(and yes, I kinda hated bret boone)