Thursday, May 26, 2011

Another Trade, This Time With Scott C.

As you may know by now I am not trying to collect the 2011 Heritage set so any packs I bought I've been trying to trade for any Astros/Texans I may not have yet. I was browsing blogs when I ran across Scott Crawford on Cards. I had a few of his Heritage needs so I dropped him an email and this is what I got in return.

 I can always use more Bagwell in my life.

Another Bagwell, this time with some gold.

A classic Biggio in those awful uniforms. I'm thankful I was still young when they switched to the blue/gold and then brick red/white. If I had to watch them play in these uniforms for too long I may have died.

Great looking design and a nice little action shot. I don't have too many Biggio's but this is a card I'm glad to add to my PC.

Just a common Hunter Pence card here but it's one I didn't have so I'll gladly take it. Pence may be part of some trades whenever the Astros start selling for prospects so that will be a sad day around here. He's a great player and I wish we had the cast around him to bring a WS to Houston.

I like this UD Piece of History insert mainly because it's Lance. The card is really busy and that's not always a good thing. It kind of reminds me of those mid-90's inserts with all the color and action going on. I prefer a little cleaner design but it's still a nice card.

Loretta had a few good contributions to the Astros but I never really considered him an Astro. I'm sure most of you didn't either. Either way he's wearing an Astros cap so it goes into my PC.

I know what you're saying, "He isn't in an Astros uniform." That's true, however he was a big part of the Astros success in the late-90's and early 2000's. Growing up I remember watching him play in the Astrodome. I may try and get a TTM with him later on this season.

Thanks again to Scott over at Scott Crawford on Cards for a great trade. I hope we can work out another trade sometime soon.

Prince Fielder Contest Over at Baseball Cards Rule..

If you'd like a chance to win a pretty sweet looking Prince Fielder baseball card you should head on over to Baseball Cards Rule and enter their contest. It ends June 3 so get over there whenever you get the chance. NL Central foe or not, that's a sweet card.

Yes I do get an extra entry for promoting their contest but so can you if you head over and do the same. I've got another trade post coming up shortly so stay tuned. Have a great day!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

J.R. Towles wins it in the 9th and a shout out to AJ!

 Astros win!!! J.R. Towles is the hero in today's game against the Dodgers here at Minute Maid Park. Towles came into the game on a bit of a slump but ended the day with 3 hits, one of them being a walk off winner.

Brett Wallace hit a long double which led to Brian Bogusevic pinch running. Then just as Brownie was talking about all of Towles' struggles he hit a line drive to left scoring Bogusevic and winning the game. Great ending to a very close 2-1 game.

The funny thing is, I contacted AJ over at The Lost Collector last week and offered to trade him a Babe Ruth card he needed for his 2011 Heritage set. It was a small trade but like they say, "The best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time." One of the cards he sent over was this J.R. Towles rookie. That's some pretty good timing on his part, I may have to get him to send me some Astros everyday ha.

Thanks again for the trade and the shout out AJ, I'll keep a look out for more of your set needs.

Trade with Joe

I contacted Joe over at Cobb and Halladay a few weeks ago about filling some of his needs for 2010 Topps Magic Football. I sent him a stack of Magic and he sent me over some Astros, Texans and even a Penguins card to top it off. Joe mentioned a Steve Slaton auto but I had forgotten he included it in the trade until I opened the package, wow it's gorgeous. Here are just a few of the cards:

Since I'm new to the sports card world I wasn't in the game when 2010 Topps Finest came out. I like the design and this refractor is pretty cool. I didn't expect to get any #'d cards in the trade but Joe gave me a couple and this is one of them, 390/599. CJ may not be a top-tier third baseman but he's had some good at-bats this season.


Just look at Super Mario's face right there, a mean mugging beast. I like the overall design of any Heritage card and this is actually my very first football Heritage. The 2006 NFL Draft was a big one for the Houston Texans. They had the #1 overall pick and Reggie Bush, Vince Young (hometown boy) and Mario Williams were the front runners. After the draft many people questioned the pick but after 5 seasons in the NFL I think it's safe to say it was a smart decision.

Domanick Davis here with another #'d card, 02/25. This is my first time seeing this series of cards too and I have to say I really like the refractor effect. It's a simple looking design but it still stands out and pops. The scan doesn't do it as much justice as it should. Davis was a pretty decent runner during his time with Houston and put up some good numbers.

I'm a huge Steve Slaton fan but the Topps Chrome RC of him just isn't my favorite design. I like simple designs yes but this one looks kind of weird to me with the black border. I felt horrible for Slaton two seasons ago when he kept fumbling the ball. As a fan of his I wanted him to do well and help the Texans win some games. He eventually lost his starting position as we all know but he did contribute with some decent runs last season.

Now for the surprise in the package that I was extremely excited to see. This Slaton auto just looks fantastic on the beautifully designed card. This series of cards is another I may have to collect eventually due to the simple yet elegant design. Not only is the auto fantastic but the card is #'d 18/100. What a way to end it.

I just want to thank Joe for a great trade and for going above the expected. If you get a chance stop by and see if you can help some of his set needs.

I almost forgot!!

How could I forget to mention/show these wonderful cards that were in the package Colbey sent over? I decided to take these off his hands so I could get a decent start on collecting the whole mascot set. Too bad there wasn't a Junction Jack in the lot, however he was mentioned on the back of Ranger Captain's card so that's a win in my book.

Trade with Cardboard Collections

I recently completed a trade with Colbey over at Cardboard Collections and while my trade with Colbey wasn't the first with a fellow blogger it was my most recent so that's why I'm posting it first. I sent him everything ranging from Heritage to Gypsy Queen and ending with Topps Magic Football. He sent me a bunch of Astros, Texans and player inserts for my PC. Here are the just a few from the trade:


The 2005 Houston Astros were one of the best Astros teams of my generation. Sure back in the late 90's there were Astros teams that were more competitive but the way this team reached the playoffs was like a script from the movies. Getting swept by the White Sox wasn't easy to take but for one season we got to say our team were the N.L. Champs. That was pretty cool.


A lot of people don't collect Opening Day and I agree it is mostly for children but I love any card with an Astro on the front. Wandy is one of those pitchers who is relatively unknown outside of Houston and the N.L. Central. He doesn't always put up amazing stats but he is an outstanding pitcher. Playing for the Astros he does get a lot of no decision and losses even with a stellar ERA.


What's there to say about Hunter Pence? His style of play looks nothing like the traditional player's "should" and he still struggles with that outside pitch. One thing he's excellent at though is stepping up when he needs to. Just the other night, May 23, he hit the game winning hit to bring Michael Bourn home during an exciting 9th inning rally. With Berkman, Bagwell and Biggio gone there's no other Astro I'd rather have at the plate in a game changing situation than Hunter Pence... period. 


I just love the style of this card. UD Masterpieces was a solid set that I may have to collect soon. Roy Oswalt was one of the best pitchers in Houston Astros history and had a couple of years in the mid-2000's where he was a serious Cy Young candidate. His curveball is vicious and struck out many opponents. The one time I met him he was a real class act and I have no problem with the Phillies winning a World Series if it means Roy O gets a ring finally.

I love the look of these two cards too. Roy O with his goatee on an '08 A&G and Tulo's strange expression on his 2009 Topps 206. There is something about mini's that I love but also hate at the same time. I love the design and I like the novelty of them but I haven't started a binder yet so I just have them stacked in my box. Maybe once I start a binder and get the special holders I'll like them more. 


Longo!!! A shiny Longo to boot! I've always loved Longo and not just for his baseball skills. His commercial spots are pretty awesome. His commercials with Jeter, the new Pepsi commercials and of course the New Era chase. He's also one of the only people I know who still looks cool in a mullet. He'll be in Houston at a Tri-star show soon so I may have to meet him except I don't know if I want to dish out $89 for the auto, $35 for an inscription, $89 if I want a picture with him and then the cost of the bat to get signed. I guess we'll see.


I'm not a huge Drabek fan but he is a hometown kid so I feel like I should at least get some of his cards. Even though the shading of this card is strange I still like it more than his other cards out this year. I haven't seen him pitch enough to know how good he is going to be but I think he'll have a pretty successful career and I'm hoping he does. Maybe one day he'll pitch for the Astros like his dad did.

So there you have it, my first official trade post. I want to thank Colbey again and hopefully we can workout another trade in the future. Thanks for reading this far, I know I have a tendency to ramble at times.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Hello

Hello everyone! I've had so much fun reading other collector's blogs that I decided to start one of my own. My goal is not just to write about sports cards but also to discuss sports in general. Hopefully I'll be able to engage in some good conversations with fellow sports lovers opposed to all the negativity you see over on ESPN and FoxSports websites. 

To ease any reader's mind, when it comes to trading I do belong to a couple of message boards where I've established myself as a fair trader. My username on most message boards is thj0011. I've also traded some with fellow bloggers already before setting up this blog and they can vouch for my fairness.



For those who may not know me I'll give you a quick run down.

Name: Trey J.
Location: Deer Park, Tx
Age: 23
Collecting for: Sadly I've only been collecting for about 3-4 months. Since I'm fairly new I don't have the biggest collection yet but I do plan on increasing my trade bait selection very soon.
Collect: Jeff Bagwell, Hunter Pence, Craig Biggio, Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt (both in Astros jerseys only),  basically any Houston Astros (mostly current guys but I hardly ever turn down an Astros card). Brian Cushing, Arian Foster, Andre Johnson and most Houston Texans.
The following players are guys I collect here and there but I don't go actively searching for their cards: Troy Tulo, Evan Longoria, Josh Johnson and Joe Mauer.

I hope you'll enjoy this blog as it grows. I'll be back shortly with my first "real" post,

-Trey