Sick Pedroia Dual Auto Mailday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This latest mailday is definately a really nice card.  As a Red Sox fan, I am a little embaressed to admit that this is my first and only Dustin Pedroia autograph.  Of course it is with Kevin Youkilis, but this is just a nasty card.  I also like it because it also contains game used jersey swatches.

Numbered 2/10, this card has sticker autos.  I really love multiplayer autos because they give a nice variety to my Kevin Youkilis PC.  Its especially nice when they are teammates and won the 2007 World Series together.  I got another package in the mail, so I will post that later.  Also, check out the new want list page.  I haven't added anything yet, but The Pack Prodigy does, so check it out and see if you have anything he needs.

-20youksox

Red Back Mini Mailday

Well, my Kevin Youkilis red back mini came in from Canada.  This is exciting for me because I have been waiting a long time to buy one of these.  This is one of the rainbows I am working on, 2012 Allen and Ginter Minis of Kevin Youkilis.  I currently have the regular, gold border, ginter back, and wood minis.  Now that I have the red back, I only need the black border and no number minis.  Here is the front.

And the back.

As you can see, it is hand numbered 13/25.  I really love hand numbered cards because it gives it a personal touch.  I am almost done with this rainbow, and have the last two I need coming in the mail.  When I have them in hand, I will scan them all together.  Can't wait for Opening Day!

-20youksox

My First 2013 Card!

Well, I finally picked up my first cards from 2013 Topps.  Not a pack, but a single and a nice one at that.  While I do hope to pick up some packs some time soon, I prefer buying singles generally because quite frankly I have bad luck when it comes to pack breaks.  This is my first patch pickup in a while too.

This card is numbered 7/25, and features a nice two color patch with stitching.  In person, it is pretty thick.  This is my first Youkilis relic in a White Sox uniform (even though it is a Red Sox swatch), and I think it may be his only White Sox relic as of now.  This is going to sound kind of weird, but this card reminds me of cowboys and the wild west mainly due to the font (hard to tell from the scan, but the font is black with a foil design over it).  I'm also not sure why it says "space exploration", but maybe it is Youk's "calling card".  More mail is coming in this week!

-20youksox

Random PC Card of the Week

This is one of my favorite non Youk cards, and I pulled it myself.  I pulled this Ken Griffey Jr. on Easter out of a blaster box.  There was actually a picture of the card on the box, so it was pretty awesome to get the "chase" card.  Being younger then, I remember jumping up and down and screaming.  Even though it is a sticker auto, it still has a lot of sentimental value.

This card will never leave my PC.  And, I can't say enough about how beautiful Griffey's autograph is.  This was certainly the funnest box break I have ever had.  That day, I also pulled a Sean Burroughs bat card which I was thrilled with until I pulled this one.  I should have a bunch of maildays coming in this week!

-20youksox

Your not-so-typical posisition switch...

So, I was reading the recent posts over at A Pack to be Named Later and was scrolling through a post about a busted pack of 2004 UD SPx, and the writer mentioned how astounded he was of a certain players statistical history he saw on baseball-reference.com.

The players name is Jerry Gil, a former shortstop/utility everyman who is now a pitcher within the Cleveland Indians minor league system. This guy toiled in the minor leagues for the past 13 Seasons, only playing briefly in the majors in 2004 with Arizona and 2007 with the Reds. Now, keep in mind we're talking about a player who once hit 27 HR and 89 RBI in 2006 between AA-AAA. In 2007 he missed the entire season after having elbow ligament surgery.

Then in 2008, it all hit the metaphorical fan as his batting average dipped below the ever so popular Mendoza Line. Notably, Gil had a strong arm who could still peak 95 mph as a posistion player. Naturally, the Reds had the brilliant idea of converting a player coming off of elbow surgery into a starting pitcher. They just threw caution (and the kids elbow) to the wind. Hey, he was still young, right? Only 27 years old?

Well now he's turning 31, and although it wouldn't call it a career resurrection,  he has put up some respectable numbers as a pitcher. Last year in the Blue Jays orginization at the Triple A level, he went 7-1 with a 4.92 ERA and 7.2 K/9 Innings. The year before that he was 5-6, but had a 3.59 ERA and 8.3 K/9 Innings. For a former posistion player, let alone one 3-4 years removed from major elbow surgery, to put up those kinds of numbers at any point in their career deserves a tip of the hat. This past offseason, he was signed to a minor league deal by the Cleveland Indians. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of his career plays out, to say the least.

Scan c/o APTBNL

Stats c/o baseball-reference.com, other info c/o Wikipedia, & the inspiration for the post c/o the good people over @ APTBNL.

What Would You Pay for a Peice of Red Sox History?

Any Red Sox fan knows the story of Curt Schilling's bloody sock.  Now, that bloody sock could be your's.  With Curt's Connecticut based going under, Schilling is forced to sell his bloody sock to recouperate some of his losses.  This is actually the second bloody sock, because the first one was thrown away, so this one is from game 2 of the World Series.

The sock is being sold by Heritage Auctions, and is expected to raise more than $100,000.  Some bidders may be turned off because it is the second sock, but it is still a peice of Red Sox history.  Personally, I hope whoever buys it will display it in the Hall of Fame because it belongs there where everyone can enjoy it.  Obviously its not up to me, but I have seen it before and I'm sure future generations would love to see it too.  So, if you had the money how much would you pay for the famous "bloody sock"?

-20youksox

Colorful Mailday

This mailday features two colored refractors from the 2012 Topps Chrome Kevin Youkilis rainbow I'm working on.  Well, technically one isn't colored, but it is the rarest refractor other than the superfractor.  That would be the atomic refractor which is numbered 7/10.

I'm glad Topps decided to reduce the print run of these.  Last year, these were numbered out of 225 and a card this cool should be lower numbered.  The next one is the red refractor numbered 9/25.

The red refractors are always nice, especially when your favorite team's colors are red white and blue.  I love that it matches the "surfboard plank" type name plate which is also red.  With these cards in hand, all I need are the gold, sepia, black, orange, x-fractor, and regular refractors.  These should be very easy to attain.

-20youksox

Random PC Card of the Week

Hey, its been a while since I posted one of these, so hopefully it won't dissapoint.  As many of you can probably tell, I'm not much of a vintage guy.  However, I do have a few vintage cards in my PC the best being this 1958 Topps Ernie Banks.

Sure its beat up, but its still a sweet card.  This card was a sweet buy at only $3 from a garage sale.  Its still worth $30ish in this shape with soft corners and creases.  There is no paper loss or writing on this card.  Any vintage Hall of Famer will always be welcome in my PC regardless of its condition.  I've got more maildays coming in this week!

-20youksox

The Future of The Boston Red Sox: Bogaerts, Bradley, Middlebrooks

Known for their philosophy of valuing home-grown talent as the best option for building a successful franchise, the Boston Red Sox spent much of the past decade building around pieces developed in their own minor-league system. Among said players are Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Jon Lester. Now, after finishing below .500 in what has been the first instance in my lifetime, they once again turn towards the futures of their franchise to build around. This upcoming season, in my opinion, will be interesting, as many of the top prospects in the organization are not immediately ready to make an impact. While whether their young prospects can make an impact this season is up for debate, nonetheless I still believe the Red Sox are going to play with a bit of a chip on their shoulder, potentially making a quick turnaround from last season and vying for a playoff spot. Over the next three days I will examine one prospect per day in relation to their potential, skills, and also their card history in their promising, young careers.

1. Will Middlebrooks- 3B

After a breakout rookie season in which he hit .288 with 15 HR's and 54 RBI in only 75 games, he is already drawing comparisons (Sporting News 2013 Baseball Preview issue) to long-tenured 3B Scott Rolen, currently of the Cincinnati Reds. Middlebrooks, like Rolen, has spectacular arm strength as well as a great glove at the hot corner. Notably, Rolen regularly hit about .280 with  30 HR and 100+ RBI, which Middlebrooks could average in a complete season as Sporting News pointed out. Middlebrooks' swing is one that generates so much power in such an easy manner, which in some sense parallels Sox pitcher Daniel Bard's effortless delivery on his 98 MPH+ fastball. He made the occasional rookie mistake last year, but he was generally cool, calm and collected at the plate and in the field. He is a player I'm beginning to focus part of my collection on. I currently have his chrome Bowman DP&P Rookie Card, in addition to a few other cards of him, and I'm looking to hopefully purchase some on eBay soon.

In terms of cards, his Chrome RC's are selling for around $2-3 on the secondary market. That doesn't seem like a lot, nor does the $8-20 range for his relics, but his Auto cards are selling anywhere for $40-250 depending on the variations and numbering. Here are a listings on eBay currently going on for some of his key cards.

1.2012 Topps 5-Star RC Auto- http://bit.ly/15240l6

2.2012 Bowman Sterling RC Autograph- http://bit.ly/Znrsdi

3.2012 Bowman Sterling Dual Auto w/ Jackie Bradley Jr. 4/5- http://bit.ly/Y3KO2e

Superfractor 1/1 Mailday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like I said, I saved the best card for last.  This card is the 2012 Topps Chrome Kevin Youkilis 1/1 Superfactor.  This is my fourth Kevin Youkilis superfractor.  This package also came with the matching blue refractor numbered to 199, and the un numbered purple refractor.  I'll show those first.  I also have the base version already in my PC.

 

 

And now the superfractor...

 

 

You know what this means, I need to start working on this rainbow!  And, I have with the red and atomic refractors incoming.  I will post these when they some in.  That leaves the gold, black, sepia, orange, x-fractor, and regular refractors left for me to get which should be pretty easy.  I would be surprised if it took more than a couple weeks to track them all down.  I'll post pictures of the rainbow when I finish it.  I also have a cool story that goes with it.

 

-20youksox



Golden Mailday

The next part of this mailday is some gold parellels numbered to whatever year they were made.  These 3 come from 2011, 2010, and 2009.  Here are some scans.

A nice variety of years, plus an All Star card and a dual with David Ortiz.  I noticed that in 2010, they stopped foil stamping the serial numbers and they started just printing them in black.  I think the foil looks a lot better than the new version that appears to be cheap and low quality.  Even if they are low end, they are still nice additions to my pc.  I still have more mail to post!  Just got a new package in today.

-20youksox

Rookie Cards Mailday

Hey, nothing too special here but some nice Youk rookie cards for my PC.  While none of these are considered "true rookies", I consider anything from 2004 and earlier to be a rookie.  Youk's MLB debut was May 15, 2004 so I don't see why his 2004 cards aren't recognized as rookies.

The classic is numbered out of 1999, and the Bowman is the thick gold version.  The top card is the gold medallion which I beleive is short printed.  After this, I still have 2 or 3 more posts from this mailday.  Remember, I saved the best card for last!

-20youksox

Hawaii Parellel Mailday

The next mailday is a 2005 Diamond Kings Hawaii Parellel of Kevin Youkilis.  Before I bought this card, I didn't know that these existed.  I still don't know much about them other that they are numbered to 10.

You can kind of see that in the bottom left corner there is a little embossed logo.  Its hard to make out even in person, so I can't really tell you what it is other than it must have something to do with Hawaii.  The back looks normal other than the serial number, 9/10.  Its always cool to discover a new card and buy it for a reasonable price.  Still saving the best pickup for last.

-20youksox

Completed Rainbow Mailday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, the next card from the mailday is a 2012 Topps Tribute Tribute to the Stars Kevin Youkilis Blue Jersey /50.  As some of you may know, I was working on the rainbow for this set and this happened to be the last card I needed.  Here is the blue.

And here is the completed rainbow.

This is my third complete rainbow of Youkilis (others are 2011 Bowman's Best, and 2003 Topps Paper).  I am currently working on three other rainbows of his including 2003 Bowman Chrome Autographs, 2012 Allen and Ginter Minis, and 2012 Topps Chrome.  Nothing compares to the joy of completing a rainbow (in the card collecting world)!

-20youksox

Update from The Pack Prodigy

Hey, everyone.

I'm very sorry for my lack of posting lately. I've been swamped with schoolwork and other commitments that have severely limited my ability to post, but all excuses aside it's my fault. I'm back, though, and you can expect a run of quality posts over the weekend. I'd just like to recognize my co-blogger 20youksox for being so consistent in keeping the blog up and running in my lack of posting. Everyone should check out the posts in relation to his progress as a Youkilis supercollector; it's great stuff! 

So, I recently made some nice additions to my binder ranging from Red Sox cards to current star rookies and more after spending a solid hour or so organizing it. Unfortunately, they're not new pickups, but they're still some sweet cards which I've yet to show on the blog.

In school I've been taking a Photoshop CS3 class, and I've learned a lot of cool stuff that the blog can really benefit from, so keep an eye out for some cool things. One idea I've had in addition to custom cards (purely for entertainment value) is conceptual logos for current sports teams made using Photoshop. That idea popped into my head upon seeing the rash of logo redesigns accross major sports leagues, namely the "NFL".

Well, that's all for now. Thanks, everyone

-T.P.P.

Black Mailday

Next up from the last batch of maildays is a Topps Black.  These cards look very sharp, and they're worth a decent amount of money.  I really like the blacks because they look nice and they are short printed.

This year's black parellels are numbered out of 58.  While 2009 is not my favorite base design, this card features a cool action shot of Youk jumping to catch a ball at first.  The best card from this package is yet to come.  I also won a couple of auctions last night, so there will be even more maildays.

-20youksox

Manufactured Patch Mailday

The next card from my huge mailday is a manufactured patch from 2008 Topps.  I think this was the first year they started putting manufactured relics in base brand.  These were cool, but ever since then, they have gone down hill.

It's numbered out of 499, and it is very thick.  I also like that is has the Word Series sleeve patch.  I have a lot more cards to come from this mailday.

-20youksox

Mini Mailday

This card is the first of many maildays from yesterday.  This mini is from 2008 Upper Deck Goudey, and is the taupe parellel numbered to 8.  I had to get this card because 8 is my favorite number and I could never pass up a Youk card numbered that low.

Its hard to see the numbering in the scan, but it is 8/8 making it an eBay 1/1.  Its a nice looking card in person.  There are plenty more maildays to come including some really high end stuff, a milestone, and a completed rainbow.

-20youksox

Signed Poster Mailday Part 3 of 3

Here is the last of the three movie posters I bought.  This one is modeled after the "Lord of the Rings" movie poster.  I have to admit, I have never actually seen "Lord of the Rings", so I really need to see that.  Here is the original poster...

And here is the Worcester Sharks version...

This poster features Mike Connelly, Curt Gogol, Mike Moore, Ben Guite, and Nick Petrecki.  All of them signed it in blue sharpie, even though it is hard to see in the picture.  Curt Gogol still plays for the Worcester Sharks, and is their equivilant of Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins.  Nick Petrecki is currently playing for the San Jose Sharks of the NHL.  This means I now have all five Sharks movie posters, with the two not shown yet being "Slapshot" and "The Usual Suspects".  Here are pictures of what they look like...

So that's it for the poster maildays.  I have a lot of card maildays to post after receiving several packages today.

-20youksox

Signed Poster Mailday Part 2 of 3

Okay, the next movie poster is Iron Men.  I can't find a picture of the real Iron Man movie poster, but here is my version.

This one is signed by Harri Sateri, Alex Stalock, and Tyson Sexsmith.  Stalock and Sateri are the Shark's current goalies which is cool.  Alex Stalock is a great player too and has played a game in the NHL before getting injured.  I also happen to like the Iron Man movie, so this is a nice pickup for me.

-20youksox

Signed Poster Mailday Part 1/3

Just got in a package with 3 signed Worcester Sharks posters.  I'm going to split it into 3 parts because this is the first mailday I've had in a while.  Every year my local AHL hockey team, the Worcester Sharks, makes these really cool movie posters.  What they do is they chose a movie, and use players on the team and recreate it.  First up is the Band of Brothers movie poster.  Here is a picture of the origional movie poster.

And here is the Worcester Sharks version...

 The poster is signed by James Marcou, Mike Moore, Brandon Mashinter, and Alex Stalock.  Andrew Desjardins is missing because he was called up before the posters were given out.  I think these are pretty cool, and I have four more of them.  I'll show two more in parts 2 and 3.  I might show the other two eventually, but they aren't signed.  I should have some card maildays by the end of the week too.

-20youksox

Super Bowl Sunday!!!

Even though the Patriots aren't in the Super Bowl this year, I am still excited for the big game.  As a Patriots fan, I have to root for the 49ers.  No offense to Ravens fans, but I would hate to see Ray Lewis win the Super Bowl.

Whoever wins, I'm sure it will be a good game.  Feel free to post any predictions below!  I'm going to say 49ers win 31-27.  We'll see how far off I am later tonight.

-20youksox

Random PC Card of the Week

This week's random PC card of the week is a triple patch from 2008 SPX.  This patch card features Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Robinson Cano.  Even though this card pictures 3 Yankees players, I still like it because of the patches and all 3 are All Stars.

Unfortunately the Jeter and Rodriguez patches are 1 color, but the Cano is 2 colors.  This card is numbered out of 25 and I pulled it myself out of my first ever hobby box.  I don't know what its worth or if it is valuable, but it is nice to have a card with such great players on it.

-20youksox