Facial Hair Style - 2011 A&G edition

Love to see the evolution, or not, about the hair and beards and moustaches ball players show on their cards.

It's a theme on its own.

Carmona looks like he was shaving and forgot to do that little thing under his chin.

I had to double check these cards because McGehee and Marcum look just like the same...

But I prefer Marcum's beard and so...

Soto...that's too much of a drawn beard. Less is more my boy.

And my favourite has to be Scutaro 2/3 days beard. That beard that looks like he doesn't care but has all the style. Got to love it.

2011 A&G - Aroldis Chapman RC

I think I'm going to start a new category in my collection: "All those players that once played for my Yankees but I have their cards playing for other teams"

Quite a nice name for it!

And so I might start right here with this pretty Chapman RC from 2011 A&G's set.

This card is almost a win-win situation because I also like Reds, and collect its cards, so having Chapman's RC for the Reds, who is now playing for my Yankees. Yep. Win-win.

Also Chapman still has two great records for a pitcher:

    Fastest pitch in MLB history – 105.1 miles per hour (169.1 km/h)
    Fastest MLB pitcher to reach 500 strikeouts

(169.1 km/h is higher than the limit allowed to go in highway around here...)

I think I have to go through my cards and find more Chapman cards.

Also 2011 A&G set has one of my favourite designs and layout. Yep, got to like this card a lot.

2011 A&G Highlight Sketches

I always have mixed feelings about 'sketchy' cards.

I prefer you go all the way and make it look more like cartoon than trying to make it look like real people. But 2011 A&G try is not that bad. At least we can identify the players with some easy.

Here Jay Bruce card is about the moment he hit a walk-off homer on the first pitch to make Reds win Houston 3-2 and clinch the NL Central Division title.

Starlin Castro card is about his debut on a Cubs 14-7 win over Reds scoring for himself 6 runs.

I should count this as an almost RC for Castro.

Ryan Howard always had an aura around him, making him one of those few players that even playing for a team you don't like you pay attention to his career.

His card is for the mark he achieved of being the fastest player to reach 250 homers.


This is one of those inserts I'd not dislike to have back in a future A&G set.

2011 Allen & Ginter - are there other sports than baseball? Yes sir!

The A&G sets always have other characters besides baseball players. Most of them I confess I don't know. If they would put some football (the true one you know...) players it would be different.

Box is one of those sports I don't watch. I prefer martial arts. But as all living person at the time I watched Mike Tyson bite that ear off...

But that's why A&G is cool. It makes you go search and learn.

And the coolest thing I found about LaMotta, an American boxer was that he was also a stand-up comedian!

So he could go from this

 To this

Mister Hoffman is an other thing. I like X-Games. I had that time of my youth when I thought I was a sk8...and always dreamt of having a BMX, but they were too expensive back then, and when you finally get to make some money you are old enough to think twice before going on a BMX...

So Tony Hawk and Mat Hoffman, thanks to their videogames too, were the thing! Everyone wanted to be like them.

That's why I know well who Hoffman is.

He is a Hall of Famer

Looking at him like this...I looked younger too back then... lol

2011 Allen & Ginter - Ginter Code

A love A&G sets, and always read about people trying to break the code. I never understood how is this done.

But I always kept the few cards I got about it, like these two 2011 A&G cards promoting the code game.

And maybe that's why I never looked closely to the cards, for I always thought it was just a promo card. But then I looked better and noticed that the clock is not marking the same time in both.

And after checking the wonderful internet I found:

"The first thing needed were the promo cards because the clocks reflected in the mirror were important.  The promo cards had 10 different times on them."

Ohhhhhhhhhhh  So that's it! Everything is explained here.

That's why it pays off to not throw any card, even the promo ones, out.

KC Royals - Listen listen! World Series Champs!

Now that KC Royals finally win the World Series here Mr. Butler is not and Kansas City anymore!

But I have Alex Gordon at least.

When some cards might become up to date again

And by that I mean I don't care if they play for one of the rival teams of my favourite team, that I still like them.

Lester, on top, were my favourite Red Sox. Even when he pitched against my Yankees I was hoping he at least had a good game. Let the batters do poorly and make them lose the game.

But keep Lester doing a great job.

I've read he might return to Boston. Lets see if that happens or not. And so this card is deprecated no more.

And then it seems there are still some players that manage to keep their cards always up to date.

Jordan Zimmermann is still with the Nationals!

Let see if he'll be one-team-man.

Such a great player in such a mini card

This has to be my favourite Mariano Rivera card I possess.

(I don't have that much cards of him but I can think of at least two..)

World Series card

I was hopping for them to win the WS because of this.

Since I got this card I paid a bit more attention to Royals.


That's the magic of collecting cards. You got to notice teams and players that makes you change the perception of the game and their players.

History Channel

I remember watching a documentary about Poe's life and they talked about this fact.

I was glad to get this card because of that.

But I think that the toaster ended the tradition a couple of years ago or that they finally found out who did it.

I simply love A&G for these sub-sets.

Royal baby

I was thinking...

Is this how the new royal baby will look like!?


Topps making predictions since 1938.

Fantasy week review

I started not so well this year fantasy but I think I might recover from a bad start and make a good season.

Last Saturday I got the most points from two players I confess I don't pay attention.

Now I'm searching for his cards throughout my collection.

17 points from Elvis Andrus.

Texas lost his super star but Andrus and others might have the space to show their stuff.

5-5 people! He almost went for the cycle!

2009 Upper Deck #944

I discover I have his RC from the last Upper Deck licensed set.

And if Andrus didn't hit a HR to go for the cycle Adam Jones did.

I have this Bronze parallel of him from the '10 T206 set. Jones is doing better than bronze.

2010 Topps T206 Bronze #196

And Baltimore lose and Jones gives me 10 points.

That's how I like it in fantasy. The teams I want to lose in order to let my Yankees win the division do actually lose but their players that I have in my fantasy team can make the game of their lives!


And If I thought Saturday was good Sunday were even better!

And why!?

Yep.

Miguel Cabrera did it again!

He went 4-4 with 3HR!

Let the Triple Crown passsssssssssssssssssssssssssssss...

2011 Topps Opening Day Blue #100

I have a Blue numbered card of him and shamefully I needed to get the picture from comc.com because I haven't yet got the pictures of my 2011 Topps OD cards.

But my numbered card is the 251/2011.

It's cool to have a Cabrera card with him fielding.

And besides Cabrera I also got a good amount of points from a Red Sox man, Mr. Pedroia.

They say Pedroia has some Portuguese family so I might as well give him a break for the fact he's one of the faces of Boston.

2010 Topps Allen & Ginter's #106

I have only a couple of Pedroia's cards. But maybe I have more and I just didn't write them down on my file.

But this '10 Topps A&G card is quite good.

A home run is always a home run

Yesterday my Yankees swept the Blue Jays. So much for the money and great sounding names.

Phil Hughes pitched well and Boesch and Overbay did the rest.

So lets see if I have some cards of the trio.

2007 Topps Turkey Red RC

Great rookie card. This is an SP being the most common one. But I think I like this photo better.

2008 Upper Deck

The '08 Upper Deck had such a great photos! And I have a thing for the second year cards, were the stats line for last year is equals to ML totals.

2008 Topps Allen and Ginter's

This is my favourite Hughes card. I don't quite like the too much white in this year A&G design but Hughes make it go away.

2008 Goudey

I had to double take this card to see Hughes in there. He seems a bit Asiatic. Or perhaps is just that I cannot see the eyebrows.

2010 Topps Update

The last card I have of him is shared with David Price. Price is like an Ace in Tampa but Hughes had some dificult to impose himself in this past years. Hope this will be the season for him.

2010 Topps Update RC

Brennan Boesch had me yesterday! I think he might be one of the best acquisitions Yankees did this season.
His rookie card now has an highlight place in my collection.

2011 Topps

After a good looking RC his second year card has a tremendous photo. Glad to see him in pinestripes and hopping ot get his Yankee card.

2004 Upper Deck First Pitch

For Overbay I don't have a RC but I count this Star Rookie card as so.
Here wearing Arizona uniform but already traded to the Brewers

2009 Topps Heritage

Looking confindent in his Heritage photo. And playing for Toronto whom he helped to overcome yesterday.
I always wonder if the players that play for a bunch of teams during their major league career feel like belongging to a team in specific.

2011 Topps

My favourite Overbay card is the 2011 release.
In '11 Lyle played for 3 teams. Oh well, usually it happens when the player is old or not that good. ut his stats don't look bad and yesterday Overbay was useful and that's what the Yankees need with all the injuries in the rooster.