7 Day Trading Card Challenge: Day Six

Today’s Challenge: Favorite non-sports card in my collection

Today’s card selection was the easiest selection for me during this challenge.  The reason behind that is simple. I own very, very few non-sports cards. Almost none. 

Around 2013, I binge watched a ton of Parks and Recreation on Netflix. I gave it a shot because I had heard that it was created by the same people that created The Office. As an Office fan, I was excited to hear that I could consume more of the same humor and absurdity. I ended up loving Parks and Rec – so much so that I’d probably put it above The Office if I were forced to rank them. Hopefully no one forces me to do that! It would be close.  

Around the same time I was watching Parks and Rec, I was super into sampling hobby boxes. Press Pass had recently released a Parks and Rec product and it was really affordable at only $55.  I grabbed a box and it was one of the most fun box breaks I’ve ever done. [Side note – I just cheked Ebay and a sealed box would run you $400+ now, go figure.]

The box promised two autographs and one relic card. The autographs in my box were from two “b-listers,” who were recurring characters on the show but not every-episode actors. The box also promised a relic card, and I was much more fortunate there:

Yeah, this card is awesome. I’ve been a fan of Rob Lowe since The Outsiders. His introduction to Parks and Rec in Season 3 was an excellent shot-in-the-arm for the show and he quickly became one of my favorite characters. 

The best part of the card is on the back:

Check it out! A detailed description of exactly WHEN this square inch of fabric made it’s debut on the big screen! Season 3, Episode 16. Even better, it includes an image of the full suit coat before it was chopped to pieces. I guess it technically doesn’t say that Rob Lowe wore this jacket on the screen – but I’ve got to believe he did. Press Pass sure went through a lot of work to highlight the origin of the swatch.  Sports cards manufacturers could certainly take a page from this book.

Thanks for reading!

Edit: In an effort to space out my posts, I usually write my posts several days before publishing them. Writing about the Parks and Rec cards has me feeling nostalgic about my only non-sports card purchase. Since the time I wrote the post above, I purchased a hobby box of Topps 2018 Stranger Things cards to try out another non-sports product. Who knew this trading card challenge could be so inspiring. More to come on that! 

Trade Bait Tuesday

I stole that flashy title from my good buddy Alex over at Chavez Ravining. Unlike Alex, however, there's no way in hell that I can consistently keep this up as a weekly tradition. Admittedly, it's also a total coincidence that I've happened to have the time to do this a Tuesday. Hopefully I can get on and post some trade bait more often.

Below are pictures of a bunch of random baseball parallels, inserts, and rookies that are up for trade!

Drop a comment if you're interested in anything. If you have any questions, let me know! 

Last thing, I have recently published similar trade bait posts that are worth checking out:

This page has all of my 2014 Gypsy Queen Trade Bait. Everything pictured is available, aside from the James Shields blue border and the Xander Bogaerts mini which have been traded away.

And this page has a ton of autos and relic cards that are for trade. There are few cards on that page that have also been traded away, so check with me before getting your hopes too high!

Thanks for reading!

Opening Day 2014: Pictures, Predictions, Postseason? Part 2

Yeah, yeah, I know... Opening Day was a week ago. But I'm slow,  and I haven't had a chance to get on here and write a post of this length!

If you recall, a week ago I posted my thoughts and predictions for the Pirates 2014 campaign. In that post, I only hit on the offensive starting lineup, and didn't mention anything about the pitching staff. So, I thought it would be appropriate to analyze the hurlers as well.

Without further ado, the Pittsburgh Pirates Opening Day starting rotation!

First up, #1: Francisco Liriano!

2013: IP: 161 Record: 16-8 ERA: 3.02 K: 163 WHIP: 1.22

2014 Projected stats: IP: 170 Record: 14-11 ERA: 3.90 K: 178 WHIP: 1.67

Comments: I hate to say it, but I don't see Frankie having a repeat of last year, when he won comeback player of the year. Don't get me wrong, I love this guy. I love the attitude he brings to the mound, and I love watching confused batters hack and miss at his disgusting slider. I just can't see him achieving the same level of success he had last year. If he can stay healthy, I think he'll have a solid year, just not the outstanding season of 2013.

#2: Charlie Morton

2013: IP: 116 Record: 7-4 ERA: 3.26 K: 85 WHIP: 1.23

2014 Projected stats: IP: 175 Record: 13-7 ERA: 3.31 K: 131 WHIP: 1.36

Comments: Unfortunately this is the nicest card I have of Ground Chuck. Why do they call him Ground Chuck, you ask? Because it's catchy, yes, but also because he's a classic ground-ball pitcher (...and his name's Charlie). He's a real Derek Lowe type. Everything he throws breaks downward, and it's never more than theigh-high. In my opinion, he's probably the Pirates most consistent starter. He's not flashy by any means, but he's almost always able to pitch 5 or 6 strong innings, giving the Bucco bats a chance to win the game. I think he'll take a nice step forward in 2014.

#3: Wandy Rodriguez

2013: IP: 62 2/3 Record: 6-4 ERA: 3.59 K: 46 WHIP: 1.12

2014 Projected stats: IP: 181 Record: 11-10 ERA: 3.68 K: 155 WHIP: 1.32

Comments: I love this card. Shiny, low number, great sig. Wandy was plagued with injuries in 2013, sitting out the majority of the season on the back end. He's a very underrated starting pitcher in the major leagues, probably due to playing a total of 8 years with Houston. His lifetime record is 91-93 with an ERA of 4.01-- although these numbers are skewed by a three rough years to start his career. Since 2008, he's never had an ERA over 3.76, and he put together a streak of four 10-win seasons. He's not glamourous in any way, but he's a perfect middle of the rotation guy. I think he'll stay right on track with his career averages.

#4: Gerrit Cole

2013: IP: 117 1/3 Record: 10-7 ERA: 3.22 K: 100 WHIP: 1.12

2014 Projected stats: IP: 192 Record: 16-7 ERA: 3.05 K: 188 WHIP: 1.15

Comments: The phenom, as they say. Boy, is this guy exciting. Cole has been a highly-touted and incredibly exciting young prospect for the Pirates for several years, and has finally made a splash in majors. As a mid-sesason call-up in 2013, he certainly didn't disappoint. I don't see this guy struggling in any way, simply because he's never struggled at all in his young career. Gerrit will take a huge leap forward in his first full season, and he'll be anchoring the Pirates rotation for years to come.

#5: Edinson Volquez

2013: IP: 170 1/3 Record: 9-12 ERA: 5.71 K: 116 WHIP: 1.67

2014 Projected stats: IP: 158 Record: 8-14 ERA: 5.29 K: 106 WHIP: 1.58

Comments: Please excuse that silly piece of tape that a previous collector felt was necessary. We all know how that goes. The Pirates seem to have a ton of faith in Volquez, hoping that the pitching coaches can turn him around like they did with Liriano. Unfortunately, I don't see it happening. I've seen this guy play for a while now, and he just can't get it under control. He was a very cheap signing, so he's low-risk in that sense. However... he kind of sucks... so pitching him once a week seems pretty high-risk to me. I pray that I'm wrong in my predictions and he turns out OK. If not, I pray that the Pirates dispose of him before he can put up the stats that I've projected above.

So there you have it. In my eyes, it should be a solid year for the pitching staff. There's no doubt that's some talent, but all of the pieces will need to fall into place perfectly if the Bucs will have a shot at the postseason.

One last thing: If you haven't already seen, I'm holding a contest with some nice prizes. Check out the link if you like free cards!

Thanks for reading.

CONTEST! Rookies, Relics, and Your Favorite Player

Good evening fellow bloggers, I've decided to run another contest! My last one was a pretty big success, so I'd like to continue running them monthly, ideally.

Here's what's up for grabs!

Quite the odd assortment, I know. A couple of nice rookies up top, as these two guys will have a legitimate chance to make an impact this year. Also a funky-looking die-cut insert of Matt Holliday and a Jeff Francis jersey relic from 2010 Heritage. Winner takes all!

Here are the guidelines:

1 Entry: In a comment, let me know who your favorite ACTIVE baseball player is, and why.

1 Entry: Also in your comment: Do you collect football cards, and would you enter a contest similar to this if the prizes were football cards? 

2 Entries: Post about this contest on your blog. Please let me know if you've done so so I can cadd that your tally. 

So, each participant can achieve a maximum of 4 entries. All entries will be tallied and randomized 14 times through random.org on Wednesday, April 9th. Whoever is in the #1 spot after all 14 randomizations wins!

Good luck, and thanks for participating!

2013 Press Pass Parks and Recreation Hobby Box Break and Review

I've always considered myself a card and memorabilia collector, but more specifically, a sports collector. So much so, in fact, that I've never considered purchasing collectables of any other type. 

That is, until I saw that Press Pass made some Parks and Rec Cards. This is the first time I've ever bought a hobby box from Press Pass. Their sports cards simply don't appeal to me. However, Parks and Rec is my favorite comedy on television right now, and it will easily go down as one of my all-time favorites. I couldn't resist this product, especially for the price- which comes in around 55 dollars.

Here's the box, with 24 packs, 5 cards per pack:

And right on to the base cards:

More or less, there are two types of base cards: Cast member cards, and "episode" cards. Each pack in the hobby box contains a foil base parallel, which can be seen above.  The episode cards highlight the synopsis of the indicated episode, and the cast member cards are self explanatory.

 Here are my two auto's. I was of course hoping for a big name, but these still satisfy. Neither character has a lead role, but both are prominent members of the show. Jay Jackson's signature is the definition of a scribble, and does not resemble his name what so ever. Mo Collins' sig is the exact opposite- perfectly legible- which I always appreciate. Her card is also numbered to 96 with red ink, which is a pleasant bonus. All autographs are on-card which is fantastic. There's the potential for special inscriptions cards in these boxes. Below is an example of these cards:

Next up is the one relic card in the box:

My relic card was my best hit in my eyes. Rob Lowe plays my personal favorite character, Chris Traeger. When I purchased this box, I pictured myself pulling a card like this. This was undoubtedly the climax of the break.

What makes this card so special, interestingly, is the back of the card. Press Pass did an excellent job here, going the extra mile and specifying exactly which article of clothing your swatch came from. It just so happens that this outfit was worn by Rob Lowe during one of my favorite scenes which makes this card all the more valuable to me. 

As a side note, I do have to question whether the swatch is actually from the suit jacket. The swatch itself is clearly light blue, and the suit jacket is an obvious dark blue- almost black. The swatch matches his button-up more closely, so I wonder if there was a mix up here? Or maybe the swatch is from the inside of the jacket? We'll never know!

REVIEW

Overall Design: The base card design isn't anything revolutionary. I really like the cast members cards, and the foil cards work pretty well. The autograph cards look great, leaving almost half of the card for the signature. As I mentioned with the relic cards, I absolutely LOVE seeing where my relic originally came from.

Box contents: Not at lot to chase here. The base set is small. Having a foil card in each pack may be nice for single pack buyers, but if you're buying by the box they lose their appeal. Three hits per box is a great bang-for-your-buck at only 55 bucks. 

The Hits: These boxes truly have a ton of potential as far as value goes. The autograph list is stacked: Amy Poehler, Rob Lowe, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Aziz Ansari and Paul Rudd all signed, as well as many other lesser characters. The inscriptions leave potential for unique one of a kind autos, and I think I've made it clear that the relic cards are awesome.

Positives: Price, number of hits, big name autos, inscriptions, back of relic cards, autos are on card.

Negatives: Card design is average, overuse of foil cards. 

Rating: 8.5 out of 10. This is a must have for any card collector who is a Parks and Rec fan. This is an affordable chance to own unique pieces of your favorite television program. Press Pass did a magnificent job here.