May 2019 Graphing of Salem Red Sox at Down East Wood Ducks

While I was at my parents' the weekend of May 25, my Pro Debut boxes came in.  I got into the boxes after my trip to Hickory, but was able to use some of the cards for when the Wood Ducks were back in town against the Salem Red Sox.

I got Anderson Tejeda, Leody Taveras and JP Martinez on the Pro Debut cards, and they turned out really well.  The cards need to be prepped, as usual, but they look great when signed.

While I was in Hickory, I picked up this season's team set.  I got it after pregame autos there, so I didn't have time to prep and put the cards in the books, so these Wood Ducks were the first cards from the set that I could get done.

Salem doesn't have too many players on their roster who have cards, so I did what I could.  Chris and I got a ton of Bryan Mata cards signed, which was nice.

I was also able to get this 2015 NY-Penn League card of Victor Acosta signed.  I have had it for a couple years, so I was glad to get it out of my box.

I found out Marcus Wilson was on the Salem Roster the day we were heading out there, so I scrambled through my 2014 Bowmans and found one of his cards.  I was disappointed that I didn't have his 2013 Perfect Game card, though.

May 2019 Graphing of Dash at Wood Ducks

The Winston-Salem Dash came to Grainger Stadium in Kinston for the first time this season this past weekend.  Last year, they were stacked with players who had cards.  This season, Nick Madrigal remains on the roster, with a couple other players who have something they can sign.  Madrigal limits to 2 per, but he stopped for us before and after each game, with the exception of the first game of the series (he was late coming onto the field due to giving an interview).

I had a bunch of Madrigal cards that I had hoarded over the winter, and got each one signed.  The Bowmans Best at the bottom right was given to me by my friend, Ben.

I really like Panini Contenders, and they turn out really well when signed.  I prepped both of the cards, just to be safe, and they turned out nice.

John Ely is one of the Dash coaches.  I used to have a ton of his cards, but I gave most of them away years ago to a friend who was a Dodger fan.  I ended up ordering some more Ely cards off of COMC, but their shipping is so slow, I missed getting them signed this series.

I got a few random cards signed that I had found.  The George Timke is a leftover from last season, after having been given to me by my friend, Kolby.

With all of the 2017 Bowman that I opened, I'm surprised that the chrome refractor on the top right is the only Jameson Fisher that I had.

I got more of my Spokane Indians set cards signed with some new players on the Wood Ducks roster.  I also saw that I had missed a Kenny Holmberg card from that set, so I got it taken care of.

Joe Kuzia is really nice.  He stopped and talked to Chris a few times during the series, but we got our Hickory cards signed.

Sam Huff was also called up to the Wood Ducks, after mashing 15 home runs for Hickory in the first month of the season.

Leody stopped for us during this series, so I whittled down my total of his cards to, I think, 8 cards remaining.  I would like to finish them all off, but in the end, it doesn't really matter.  I have what I want done, and if the rest don't get signed, that's ok, too.

Finally, our friend, Scott, will be leaving the Wood Ducks soon.  Chris and I met him as we walked in the stadium for the first ever Wood Ducks practice, back in 2017.  He has stopped and talked to us every time we have seen him at the games.  He is about to leave to go into the Army, so when he told me, and gave me this signed photo, he and I got a bit emotional.  I wish him the best, and I know we will keep in touch!

April 2019 Graphing Recap of Pelicans at Wood Ducks

I have been super busy with this current homestand of the Wood Ducks.  I've already used a bunch of my season tickets, which is helping me justify what I spent on them.  The Woodies just wrapped up the current homestand and are hitting the road, which will give me some time to reset and relax for a bit.

I didn't have too many cards of the Pelicans, but what I did have, I got signed.  I have nothing leftover for them, which is nice.  I was able to get a few cards removed from my box and also was able to take care of a few 50/50s.

Aramis Ademan is still the toughest signature for the Pelicans, and also probably the best looking.  The above 2018 Bowman Peaks of Potential really turned out nicely.

I also got Ademan on these 4 cards.  He was pretty nice, but doesn't say a whole lot.  He takes his time to sign a nice signature, which probably plays into why he only signed one-per.

We missed Grant Fennell the first game.  He came by, but said he was running late, and couldn't sign.  We weren't able to get his attention after he came off of the field that game, as well.  The second game, however, he walked right over, smiled and said hello.  I think he remembered us from the day before.  We chatted for a while, starting with how old the 2013 Perfect Game card was, and then onto the differences between being in Eugene, Oregon and Myrtle Beach, SC.  Being from San Diego, originally, Grant and I joked about how he should be getting some frequent flyer miles, but the team takes care of all of that.  He seemed like a really good kid.

I finished off what little I had left of Alex Lange on the second day.  We missed the third game, since that one was Education Day, and an 11AM game.  There was some action that day, as Lange was tossed in the bottom of the second for having  foreign substance on his arm.  The manager was then tossed, and finally the third base coach was ejected later in the third inning.  I hate that we missed an exciting game.

I wasn't even aware that I had any Luis Lugo cards, until I received a batch of 50/50s from Gerard.  I spent a few minutes before we left for the second game looking through the 2015 Bowmans that I had, and found this one card.  It was nice to get it out of my box, since the opportunity to get 2015 Bowmans signed is getting smaller and smaller.

Leody is getting even tougher to graph, these days.  He has started pulling a Spike Owen and is going under the bleachers and onto the field.  I have strong feelings about that; I am thankful for all of the stuff he has signed for us, but skipping over interacting with all of the fans just isn't cool.  He can just come out onto the field like normal and tell us no, and still sign for kids.  I honestly believe he is doing this because he is upset that he is still here, instead of having been called up to AA Frisco.  It is only a matter of time before he is moved, so we shall see if his mood improves.

Bubba Thompson, still at one per, has been pretty cool.  He at least talks with us each time.  I still have maybe 7 cards left in my snap case, but I'm not sweating over getting any signed.  I have just left them out of the book, and have talked to him each time he comes by.  Currently, he is struggling with the bat, so instead of asking him to sign stuff, we just offer him encouragement, tell him to "go get em", and he has been seemingly cool.

We also got some more of our Spokane stuff done.  It is always tough getting pitchers done, especially this early in the season.  I'm still learning faces, and uniform numbers.

I've almost finished my Wood Ducks cards.  Aside from Bubba and Leody being one per, I have been able to get the pitchers that I have needed.

The Wood Ducks seem to be a pretty good team, so far.  The pay a lot differently under Corey Ragsdale, than they did under Spike.  I think I like this team more than the one that was here last year, but it is still early, so I am reserving judgment.  Still, I love the Wood Ducks altogether, and am so glad that I made the decision to buy the season tickets.

Graphing Recap - Mudcats at Wood Ducks

Another Wood Ducks season is under way, and I have gotten off to a great start with my and Chris's graphing.  I knocked out some of the new Leody Taveras cards that I picked up in the offseason.  He is still really tough, but so far, I have been pleased with what I have been able to get signed.

He had quite a bit of stuff in 2018 Heritage Minors, so those cards have been working their way into my graphing book to get signed.  I have expedited my efforts by having folks that I know around me try to get him as well.  I don't think he will be here for very long, so it is a race against the clock to get my stuff done and help some others with their cards.

Noah Bremer has been really cool,  He even commented that he's sure we can't wait to get an action shot to replace the 2017 Bowman Draft portrait.

I am learning all of the new faces, and am try to meet the players when I am able.  A few of the new pitchers look alike, so it has been tough getting them.  Clay Middleton also resembles one of them, so I had to get him once I realized it was him (the catcher's gear helped).

Yohel Pozo was in all of the Hickory sets I had recently picked up, so I was glad to get these done.

I also finished off the coaches from the Hickory and Spokane sets that I grabbed.  At least, I finished off the coaches that moved up to the Wood Ducks.

Tyler Phillips is easy to recognize.  He is a pretty big guy with long hair.  He is also really nice.  He started Opening Day.

I also got Phillips's Spokane card done.

The only Mudcat that I had cards of was Tristen Lutz.  I got everything of him done right away, which was nice.  I'll end up with a Mudcats team set, but that's something I will tackle at a later date.

The biggest takeaway was that I now have season tickets for the Wood Ducks.  I can also use tickets for the games that I miss as free vouchers to get folks in to later games.  So, come on down and catch a game with me!

Graphing The Wood Ducks Exhibition Game

It took three seasons, but the Wood Ducks finally got an exhibition game completed against Mount Olive University.  The last two were rained out, but this one was played for 12 innings (even though the Woodies were well ahead of the Trojans after the top of the 9th was completed).  Apparently they wanted to stretch a few pitchers out.

There are a lot of new faces on the team, but there are also some familiar ones this season.  I have been stockpiling Rangers prospect cards and ended up with a bunch that I can take with me to games to get signed.  I am also taking 50/50s and consignments this season, but there are a couple players I won't be taking (Leody, Anderson).

I also picked up some Hickory and Spokane team sets so I can get some of the guys who aren't in commercial products yet.  It helped out yesterday.  There are some pretty cool players who I was already able to get to sign some stuff.

I also took care of some stuff I got at the most recent card show in Raleigh, like the two Eric Jenkins cards above.  He was really nice, once again.  I hope he has a big year this year.

I was also able to knock out a ton of Peter Fairbanks cards that I had picked up after the "meet the team" event back in 2017.  We saw him then, but had no cards.  He then got hurt and came back last season.  He was impossible to get to sign anything last year, so I was glad I was able to get him as he came off of the field last night.  Now, I won't have to bother him again.

It was nice seeing Michael Matuella again.  I had to ask him about his Duke Blue Devils, but I did wait until he was done signing.  Everyone's bracket is busted, so it's ok.

Buried in the middle of this group of cards is Tyreque Reed.  This dude is huge.  He looks like he should be playing football, but I'm glad he is a Wood Duck.  I'm looking forward to seeing him crush a few baseballs.

Aside from Leody and Anderson, Bubba Thompson is probably the biggest Rangers prospect on the team.  I was told ahead of time that he will sign anything you have.  That was not the case on Monday.  Maybe he will sign more later on, but yesterday, he was only two-per.  I got him twice, though, so I was able to get some cards out of the way.  I took several 50/50s on him, so I hope that he will help get them done.  We will see as the season progresses.

The biggest news of the day came when I finally broke down and purchased season tickets for my son and I.  It was only a matter of time, and I was happy to do it.  I imagine it will save me money in the long run, so that's a plus.

Now I sit and wait for the season to start on Thursday.

March 16, 2019, Raleigh Card Show Recap

I hadn't been to a card show since last year's National, and I really wasn't planning on going to the Raleigh show this past weekend.  I received a message from my friend, Jackson, who wanted to go, and he asked me if I would go with him to the show.  I figured it would be nice to spend time with him, so I decided to go ahead and attend.

I had some Christmas money that I hadn't spent, so I had a little bit of a budget.  I bought mostly stuff for other people, which is usually the case.  I did, however, find a few things for myself.  Most of what I bought was vintage stuff for TTMs and cirrent prospect stuff for graphing.  I did grab a few things for the collection, like the above 1949 Bowman Ralph Kiner.

The Kiner is really rough, but I liked it, and it was part of a bulk vintage deal with one of my favorite vendors.  I paid $20 for this card and a stack of lower grad vintage for TTMs.

This blue wave Riley Pint auto was part of the last deal I made.  The guy had a ton of nice Bowman parallels and autos.  I got a decent stack from him for $50.

I picked up a bunch of current and former Wood Ducks autos, as well.  I got this Eric Jenkins as part of a 2/$5.00 or 5/$10.00 deal.

Kyle Cody is a case of "buy low" at this point.  He has been out with arm injuries, but when he was on the Wood Ducks, he was pretty much "lights out".  I'm hoping he can bounce back and also spend a little more time in Kinston before he moves up (for selfish reasons, of course).

 I loved this green shimmer Cody auto, and this was the card that started that bulk $50 deal.  Jackson found it for me, and I made sure to take it home.

 This Jairo Beras auto was a steal.  He is a really cool guy, and even if he doesn't make the Show, I will hold onto this, since we met him several times.

I guess I have a small bit of a PC for guys that I have met, so adding this Jose Trevino made sense.  He was an awesome guy, even though he wasn't a Wood Duck.

This Ryan Ripken auto was a throw in on the bulk deal, and I was glad to grab it.  I was also glad I have finally learned not to wear Orioles gear to a show.  I got hosed back in the day when Ripken was first drafted, since I had an Orioles shirt on.

Finally, my big ticket item was this graded 10/10 Leody Taveras auto.  I paid $50 for it, and I think it will only go up.  I expect to see him again in Kinston this summer, but probably for not very long.

I had a great time at the show.  I was happy with everything I picked up, and I really appreciate Jackson inviting me.