A Couple Autos From Keegan

I sent some Richmond cards to my friend, Keegan, in hopes of getting some 50/50s done, but it was pretty close to the end of the season, so all he was able to get done for me was this Jalen Miller 2016 Bowman Chrome black and gold refractor.  I had sent him a Jonah Arenado card just like this one, but he got released by the Giants right before Keegan was set to do the graphing.

I took a couple guys for Keegan, and in return he sent me this 2013 Topps Update Chris Davis in return.  I didn't have this one signed by Davis yet, so that was nice.

Hopefully, Keegan will be able to take some more 50/50s next season, as some good players should be moving up to Richmond.

Some Stuff From Andrew

When I stayed with Andrew back in April, he handed me a few cards that he had been meaning to send me a while back.  One of them was this awesome Chris Davis patch numbered 4/5.  He said he had gotten it for me for either my birthday or Christmas, but it got put with some other stuff, and forgotten.  It was definitely a nice surprise when I walked in the door.

Andrew also gave me some cards that he had gotten signed for me last season.  There may not be a bunch, but the big names really stand out.  I really appreciated Andrew hooking me up!

Thanks so much for the cards, and letting Chris and I crash with you!

Christmas Gift From Cal

Continuing my effort to catch up on posts, here is what my good friend, Cal, sent me for Christmas.  He really surprised me by sending a huge stack of cards, including some really nice relics and autos.  The above Panini Spectrum Chris Davis is something I hadn't seen before, and looks really cool in my collection.

This Diamond Kings Chance Sisco dual relic auto was really cool as well.

As was this Austin Hays jumbo relic auto.  Cal really hooked me up, to which I am grateful.

Thanks so much, Cal!

TTM Success - Chris Davis

I wonder if Chris Davis's hoffiric season last year prompted him to revive his TTM signing habits.  He used to sign a while back, but stopped.  Now, he has picked up again, and folks all over are benefiting from it.  I couldn't resist, so I sent three cards that I had earmarked for Fan Fest, and they all came back signed.  My son, Chris, even sent some that he is waiting to see come back.

The above 2018 Topps Chrome blue shimmer refractor was a card that I really wanted to get signed, ever since I pulled it from my box.  I am not planning on trying another rainbow with Davis, but these cards are really nice.

I also got the above 2017 Topps Gallery and 2014 Allen & Ginter Pastime's Pastimes signed and they both look great.

Davis (b. 1986) has played in the majors since 2008 for the Rangers and Orioles.  He holds a career batting average of .238 with 1,099 hits and 283 home runs.  Last season was abysmal for him; he batted .168 and had a -2.8 WAR (if that stat is important to you).  My hope is that the new analytically-minded regime in Baltimore can help fix what ails Davis.  Unfortunately for him, they didn't sign him to his contract, so they could be more inclined to release him if he starts off the 2019 season poorly.  It's sunken money anyway, so it will be interesting to see what happens.

That being said, let's not take away from the fact that Davis is human.  He is a husband, father, son, brother, friend, so I truly wish he gets it together.  I know being booed in his own ballpark has to hurt.  My hope is that he can fix his swing and get back to being the productive first baseman that we as Orioles fans grew accustomed to back in 2012 to 2016.

I mailed to Davis on December 11 and got the cards back on December 26, for a 15-day TAT.

Some 50/50 Autos From Dylan D

My friend, Dylan in Connecticut, offered to take some 50/50s last season and kind of forgot to mail my end back to me.  He thought he mailed the package, but it ended up under some stuff on his desk.  It happens to the best of us.  It worked to my benefit, though, because I had completely forgot that I sent him anything, and he sent back extras because he felt bad.  Thanks, Dylan!  The above Chris Davis signed Orioles team card was one of the extras.

He took Delvin Perez for me, and I sent him every card that I could find.  They all turned out well, and I was glad to move something out of my box that I wouldn't have been able to get signed, myself.

The blue 2017 Topps Heritage Minors was especially nice, I think.

He also saw Aberdeen (I think) and got me some Orioles cards signed.  He also got Chris Kohler for me, although I don't remember which team he was on.

Finally, another of the extras was this 1989 Topps Pat Borders.  It looks like Pat gave Dylan a shaky auto, but I am still glad to be adding it to my album.

Thanks for the cards and the 50/50, Dylan!

What Do I Do?

This 2015 Bowman Red Ice parallel of Chris Davis came up on Ebay a while back, and I picked it up for the PC.  This was very early into the season, and I was glad to add another /5 to my collection.  Since then, Davis has been by far the worst player in the majors.  Making $161 million to carry a ~.150 batting average is an embarrassment.  Further, to find out that there was a lot of misinformation regarding the amount of work that he put in with the hitting coach this winter has been a sick joke.  Articles were printed that said he was working hard with Scott Coolbaugh to correct his swing, and not strike out looking so much proved to be very false, at least according to Jim Palmer.  Right now, I definitely take Palmer's word over Davis's.  Sadly, my feeling is that this is the Chris Davis we will be left with for the duration of his contract.  His salary will hold the Orioles down, and they will be unable to make any significant moves for the life of the contract.

From everything I have heard, Davis is a pretty good dude.  Supposedly, he is struggling mentally with the weight of the contract, and that has possibly compounded the issues at the plate.  It's not as simple as getting him to accept a minor league assignment to straighten things out.  The Union would never allow that.  So, we are stuck with him and his .150 batting average weighing down a lineup that already can't hit or score runs.

While I definitely feel like Coolbaugh should be fired yesterday, he can't force Davis to hit against the shift.  Or to swing at strike three, as opposed to standing there looking lost at the plate.  I, for one, can't talk; I couldn't hit major league pitching either, but I'm also not being paid $161 million to play baseball.  Davis has all of the resources, and the stats on the back of the baseball card in order to earn that money.  Somewhere along the way he got lost, and can't find his way back with the best GPS.

So, because of all of these reasons, I have decided to box up all of my Davis PC and hide it under the bed.  I have removed him from my list of player PCs on my Instagram, and I will no longer wear his jerseys or shirts.  He hasn't necessarily lost a fan, but I don'r think I should be walking around wearing a player shirt/jersey who is just this bad.  Sound harsh?  Maybe, but over the years, I bought into the player and the person, and I feel like it is time to move on.  Like the Orioles are with his contract, I'm stuck with the PC.  I won't be able to unload it, even if I wanted to, so it will remain under the bed until some time comes when I can pull it out, and remember fondly the good times in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016.  I also can't forget the PED suspension in 2014 that hurt his teammates in their playoff run.

What do I do?  I guess I just live with it, and move on.  As of now, he just isn't fun to watch play baseball any more.  I'm sorry.  Rant over.

Some Orioles Cards From Cal

The way the Orioles season has gone has driven me completely away from picking up new cards for the collection.  I have had zero interest in spending any money on anything Orioles related, but I still appreciate when a friend thinks of me and sends something my way.  A while back (before the season), my buddy, Cal, sent me a few Orioles cards for the collection.

Cal is a great guy, and I really appreciated the gesture.  While the Orioles have been the worst team in baseball since last September, I will always be a fan.  I may be holed up in a doomsday bunker for a while, but I will emerge hopefully in the future, when it is a bit brighter for the O's.  Let's also hope that Chris Davis figured out his swing somewhere along the way, because he is set for a historic season, for all of the wrong reasons.  Hit the dang ball, and quit looking like a deer in the headlights.  Come on!

Thanks for the cards, Cal.  They are definitely well received, even though the O's stink right now.  I have some cards to send your way, soon.

Christmas Gift From Anthony - Chris Davis Relic Auto and More

My good friend, Anthony, hooked me up with some nice Chris Davis cards, and other Orioles.  Anthony and I have been friends for several years now, but this past year, we have gotten even closer.  I was finally able to meet him in person when he, Kevin, Max and I all went to the Cubs vs. White Sox game at Wrigley Field.  I was honored to hook Anthony up with the extra ticket that we had.  I'm so happy that I was able to include him, as I could tell that the experience really meant a lot to him.  He also hit it off really well with Kevin, so that helped everyone mesh as a group and enjoy our time at the game.

I really love the Chris Davis dual relic/auto from 2016 Panini Diamond Kings that Anthony gave me.  These are really nice cards.  I hope Panini keeps up the Diamond Kings concept, as I really enjoy the painted canvas feel that the cards have.

I had a couple of these Chris Davis 2015 Topps First Home Run coin cards, bur I still wnjoy them and was glad to add another.

Anthony also included these four Orioles cards.  I have already added the green Chance Sisco and the Mancini to my box of Orioles that I will take with me to Orioles Fan Fest in a couple weeks.  They will give me some nice options for autographs, depending on who I end up getting vouchers for.

Thank you so much for the Christmas gift, Anthony!  I love the cards, and you know they will have a great home in my collection.

Christmas Gift From Cal - Nolan Reimold Triple Auto and More

I've only been talking to my buddy, Cal, for a couple months, but he was nice enough to surprise me with a Christmas gift recently.  I sent him a little something, as well.  I didn't expect anything in return, of course.  I've been helping him out a bunch with TTM ideas and general baseball information, and he seems to have really enjoyed it.  I love answering his questions, and I hope that I have provided him with some help with his collection.

I have seen a bunch of these Just Minors Nolan Reimold autos on my Ebay feed, but never got around to picking one up.  Cal got this one for me, and it is numbered 2/3.  It also has autos of Andre Ethier and Jeff Larish (where has he been?).

Cal also included this Chris Davis relic from 2015 Topps Heritage High Number.  I always love Chris Davis cards, and was happy that Cal included this in the package.

Thank you so much for the Christmas gift, Cal!  I have already put Nolan in a mag, and Davis will go into my PC.

Christmas Gift From Gerard - Chris Davis Triple Relic

I got a Christmas gift in yesterday from my good friend, Gerard.  Normally, I would have waited a bit to blog it, since I have other Christmas stuff that I got before it, but I wanted to go ahead and get this Davis in a magnetic case, since I bought one too many the other day.  It worked out.

I really liked this 2017 Topps Museum Collection Chris Davis that Gerard sent.  He surprised me with it, as it was buried in the bottom of a box of random cards (and a parking pass, lol).  He sent back a good bit of the TTM starter pack that I had sent him, since he already had gotten most of those guys.  Like a stand-up guy, Gerard sent them back so I could send them to someone who could use them.  He's a great guy, like that.

Thank you so much for the Christmas gift, Gerard.  I really love the card!

Christmas Gift From Max - Awesome Chris Davis Patch

I got a nice Christmas gift from my good friend, Max, that I was able to hold onto and not open until I opened all of my Christmas gifts.  Inside was this really nice patch of Chris Davis from Hits Memorabilia.  This is my second card from them, the previous one was from last Christmas from my good friend, Anthony.

Even though Hits Memorabilia isn't licensed, they still put out a really nice product.  I thought the card was thicker, so I bought the wrong magnetic case for it.  I need to go back to the card shop and buy a thinner one.

Thank you so much for the Christmas gift, Max!  I really like the card.  Chris also loved his Tim Lincecum ball.

Christmas Gift From Noah - Chris Davis Patch

One of the first Christmas gifts that came in this year was from my friend, Noah.  This 2017 Topps Museum Collection patch is numbered 8/10 and looks really cool.  I love Museum Collection, and adding a new Davis to the PC is always a plus.  Noah really knows what I like.  I actually got him a sweet Victor Martinez from the same series.  I hope he liked his as well.

Thank you so much for the Christmas gift, Noah!

A Quick Trade With Blaine

Before I get into my Christmas gifts from friends, I wanted to knock out a couple more trades that have piled up to be blogged.  I got an assortment of Chris Davis cards in exchange for something that I have already forgotten to my friend, Blaine.  The main component of the deal was this Chris Davis 500 Futures coin card.  I needed it for the collection, and am glad to have it.

Blaine also tossed in these for the collection.  I hope to see Davis at Fan Fest, and will have a hard time picking out which cards to get signed.  I'll have to think really hard about what I have in my collection, and then I'll also have to get a voucher or two.

Thanks for the deal, Blaine!

A Couple Trades With Cal

My friend Cal made a couple trades with me recently.  He and I have been talking about TTMs and autos lately and made a few deals.  He just busted a box of Topps Gallery and sent me these two that I needed for my PCs.

I really like this product.  I haven't seen any that I could open, so getting these from Cal was pretty nice.

The above Trey Mancini is an Artist Proof, which is pretty cool.  It's not numbered, but I like it.  I may take it to Fan Fest in January to get it signed, but I do already have a few Mancinis that I had planned on taking with me, so we will see.

Finally, here is a purple chrome refractor of Derrek Lee.  I always forget that Lee was an Oriole.  I remember when he was traded to the Pirates.  I think I saw his first game with the Pirates, but I could be wrong.

Thank you so much for the deals, Cal.  I hope we can do some more in the future.

Several Months Worth of Chris Davis Pickups

My "to be blogged" stack consists of a lot more than just TTM successes.  I figured it was a good time to try to knock it down a bit, so to speak.  If I really knocked the stack down, I'd be in trouble, since I would have a huge mess to straighten up.

I have toned down my PC pickups recently, and it is a direct correlation to how the Orioles, and also Chris Davis performed this season.  Davis is still my guy, but since he had a pretty crappy year, other things took precedent.

Of all of the Davis cards that I had picked up that hadn't been blogged, the above 2017 Topps Chrome red parallel may be my favorite.  It is numbered 3/5 and looks so awesome in person.

This reverse negative from 2017 Chrome looks really cool, too.  I like this concept and wonder if a photo editing program can reverse the reverse negative.  Has anyone tried it?

This 2017 Topps Museum Collection quad patch card is a very close second to the red chrome parallel.  I got this card pretty cheaply, which is one benefit to Davis having a down year.

Finally, I picked up my third Chris Davis Sketches Swatches card from 2017 Diamond Kings.  I really like these, which is why I now have three of them.

I'll probably start adding to the PC again soon, maybe after Christmas, so keep a look out!

Birthday Gift From Gerard

My birthday was fairly low key this year.  I didn't tell too many people that it was coming up, but a couple of my friends knew anyway and sent a few things along.  My good friend, Gerard, picked up a few things for me and sent them along with the last 50/50 batch for the season.

I didn't have a signed mini helmet yet of Nolan Reimold, but now I do.  I will put this in my display case with some of my other Nolan stuff.

Gerard also sent this Zach Britton relic along, which I really like.  I haven't picked up much of Britton's stuff, so this was a nice item to add to the collection.

Gerard has been the person that I have leaned on the most for 50/50s this season.  He has sent me a ton of stuff to get signed, and I have sent him some cards for Pawtucket.

Gerard worked on these cards for the bulk of the season, and came away with some nice autos.

I need to find some more cards of Pawtucket guys so that he has more options.  I, obviously, will wait until the new year when rosters are set.

Gerard had asked me for Mike Olt cards a few times, so at the National, I picked up a few from the dime boxes.  I thought they were all going to be for him, but he sent two of them back to me signed.

Finally, he hooked me up with these signed cards.  I liked the Castillo, since I wasn't sure he would be able to get one signed for me.  Luckily, Gerard came through, as always!

Thank you so much for the birthday package, Gerard!  I enjoyed it!

Birthday Gift From Nate

I got a huge package in the mail a while back from my good friend, Nate, that was an early birthday present.  In it was this Chris Davis 2017 Panini Diamond Kings Sketches Swatches card.  I had no idea it was coming, of course, so when I saw one of these cards on Ebay, I had to buy it, then I found another at the National.  So, now I have 3 of these.  They look awesome, so that's ok.

Nate also included a bunch of Altoona Curve signed cards that he was able to get in person a long time ago, which was pretty nice of him.  They will go in my autograph album like the other IP cards that I have.

The most interesting card was this Jose Bautista auto that Nate had.  It is THE Jose Bautista.  The one I can't stand.  Still, it is a pretty cool signed minor league card, nonetheless.

Thank you so much for the birthday package, Nate!  I loved everything, even though I can't stand Bautista.

50/50s and More From Brayden

It's not often when someone messages me out of the blue saying "I think you're a good guy and I'd like to be friends", but that is essentially how the first conversation between my friend Brayden and I went.  He had messaged something to that effect to me, then we went on to make a deal later for an Adrian Beltre signed baseball.

Since then, I have talked to Brayden daily.  He's a huge Yoan Moncada fan.  Not only because Moncada is a great prospect and all, but because they have an actual friendship.  I think that is pretty cool.  Brayden lives in Texas, and his home MiLB team is the Frisco RoughRiders, so he is able to catch some Wood Ducks that have been promoted out of High A.

Brayden took care of a few 50/50s for me, and also included some nice Orioles cards and a couple other IP autos that he was able to get recently.

I had sent Brayden the last remaining Mike O'Neill card that I had, along with another that I had found in a dime box earlier this year at a show.  He took care of those for me, even though I was completely ok if he had kept them.  He also added the above Jason Castro and Randy Choate cards.

Brayden got a few Isiah Kiner-Falefa cards done for me, and added the 2015 Bowman Joe Jackson.  Jackson is cool because he is a distant nephew of Shoeless Joe Jackson.

Finally, Brayden included this nice autograph of Darren O'Day and this rookie card of Chris Davis.  He didn't have to add the extras, but it was really cool of him to do so.  Brayden is a great guy, and I am really happy that he saw to it to message me that day.

Thank you Brayden!

Salem Red Sox 50/50s From Dylan

I only saw the Salem Red Sox once this season, and that was at Five County Stadium in Zebulon.  It was the July 4 game against the Mudcats, and I didn't do very well at all trying to graph the Red Sox.  So, I sent what I had left out to my good friend, Dylan, to complete.  His home team is the Red Sox, and he worked on my cards through the rest of the season.

The above 2010 Bowman gold refractor of Marc Brakeman was the one card that I wanted the most, and Dylan came through for me.  This card is numbered 50/50, which is kind of ironic (don't you think?).

Dylan hooked me up with a couple Joe Oliver cards.  Oliver was one of the few guys who would sign for me at the July 4 game.  Paul Abbott, on the other hand, would not.  Oh well.

I got these two Roniel Raudes cards back from Dylan.  I have gotten quite a few 2017 Bowman cards signed.  Not that I am working on the set or anything, but they are nice cards to get signed.

I had picked up a bunch of cards from my LCS for the Salem guys, and was disappointed that I couldn't get any of them done.  Dylan made it a little better for me, especially with these two Austin Rei cards.  Both of them turned out great.

Dylan kept one of my Josh Ockmey cards, which was fine by me.  I was happy to get this Pro Debut back from him, though.

Finally, Dylan included this 2015 Ginter Chris Davis relic for my PC.  I really appreciated that he thought well enough of me to add extras.

Thanks so much for the 50/50, Dylan!  I hope we can do more next season.