A place where Colorado Rockies baseball card collectors (all 3 of us) can waste some time reading about our favorite sport. The Rockies and their cards will be the primary focus, but I like to go off on tangents as well so anything and everything baseball related may be covered here.

Monday, December 31, 2012

2012 Quarry Unlimited - #25 Miami Marlins Part 1



Coming in at #25 is the team that joined the league with my Colorado Rockies in 1993, the Miami Marlins.  Of course, they were known as the Florida Marlins then.   The Florida Marlins would have been considerably higher on this list and actually when I started this countdown I had the Marlins slotted in at #11.  However, fire sale #3, which happened earlier this offseason, just turned my stomach especially after their owner conned the city for a new (god-awful ugly) stadium.  I couldn't imagine being a fan of the Marlins after everything that has happened this offseason and honestly going back to the trading deadline.  It just sickens me and the Marlins should probably be even lower on this list.  On that note, let's take a look at some trivia and the first half of the 2012 Miami Marlins.


If I were a Marlins fan...

Title of the blog - The Fish Out of Water

Favorite Player (current) - Mark Buehrle (well he was current anyway)

Favorite Player (all time) - Jeff Conine

Least Favorite Player (current) - Giancarlo Stanton (Mike was much better)

Least Favorite Player (all time) - Dontrelle Willis


2012 Miami Marlins Total Cards = 46












With the Marlins, comes the 10th man to also appear in 1986 Topps, manager Ozzie Guillen.  Guillen had won the American League Rookie of the Year in 1985 and was a member of the Topps All Star Rookie Team (despite no cup).  Let's take a look at his side-by-side to compare his 27 year difference.



He really has lost his smile, hasn't he?

Thanx for reading.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

2012 Mountains to Climb - A Review


At this time of year, it is only natural for the media to reflect on the year that was.  I am going to do that as well.  At the beginning of the year, I outlined a group of collecting and/or blog-related goals for the year 2012 called Mountains to Climb in 2012.  I figured today would be a great day to show my work, so to speak.  I will score myself in the same manner as I did in 2011, on a 10 point scale.  Just to end the suspense, I did not as well as my 85% score in 2011.  However, read along and see how close I came.



ROCKIES GOALS

1. Complete the Rockies team set in every flagship Topps set (1993-2012).

Status - COMPLETE (well, sort of)

This was my biggest goal of the year, and I finally got it finished in late October when I was sent card #696 from 2003 Topps.  Who would have thought a Todd Helton All Star card would be so hard to track down?  The caveat of  "well, sort of" refers to my still missing 3 cards from 2002 Topps Traded.  I didn't include the Traded and Update sets in the original goal language, but to be honest I intended them to be included.  To be fair in the other direction, the three I am missing from that set (#35 Kent Mercker, #67 Gabe Kapler, #97 Todd Zeile) are all from the short printed first 100 cards.  Those short prints are RIDICULOUS to track down, but I did find 3 of the 6 Rockies.

Final Score - 10/10


2. Have 100 cards of 15 different Rockies players.

Status - INCOMPLETE

I was really trying to get this one finished, but came up a bit short.  At the beginning of the year, I started with 100 cards of only Todd Helton, Larry Walker, and Troy Tulowitzki.  At the end of the year, I finished with 100 cards of 10 different players with Dexter Fowler and Brad Hawpe close behind at 98 and 96 respectively.  I also added an additional 100 cards to the Helton, Walker, and Tulo collections for whatever that is worth.  My #15 guy was at 39 in January.  Currently, my #15 guys (Preston Wilson and Jason Jennings) are at 69. 

Final Score - 7/10


3. Successfully complete a full rainbow with one of my 1/1s.

Status - UNCHANGED

I never really got going on this one.  Call it lack of funds or working on other goals.  I will be making this a goal for 2013.

Final Score - 0/10


4. Start player collections for Rockies managers: Don Baylor, Jim Leyland, Buddy Bell, Clint Hurdle, Jim Tracy 

Status - RELATIVELY UNCHANGED
 
Another goal that never really got off the ground in 2012 was the player collections of all the Rockies managers.  I pulled out a few cards, but never got any checklists made or anything else.  I will continue this goal with the newest addition of Walt Weiss in 2013.

Final Score - 2/10


OTHER COLLECTION GOALS

5. Start and get to (at least) 75% complete of 1974 Topps set.

Status - INCOMPLETE

I started out okay on this goal until my job issues came about.  I did start the set and I accumulated 119 of the 678 cards in the set (including major variations) for around 18%.  So I didn't get to my pie-in-the-sky goal of 75%, but I do currently have my biggest chunk of any pre-1983 set and a realist goal of completing it in the next year or two.  I am still happy with my progress.

Final score - 5/10

 
6. Complete Rookie Cup collection from 1980-2012.

Status - INCOMPLETE

I figured this one would be a lot easier to finish than it was.  I still need a couple of big one such as the 1982 Cal Ripken and the 2002 Albert Pujols, but I also need relatively mundane ones such as 1983 Tom Brunansky and 2000 Chris Singleton.  Out of the 33 years that were in my original goal, 20 are complete with another 6 within 1 card of completion.  So all in all, I didn't do that bad with this one.

Final score - 7/10


7. Get Tony Delk collection to over 150 cards.

Status - UNCHANGED

This is another one that I just didn't get around to working on in 2012.  My Kentucky basketball collection is what originally got me back into cards in 2008, but has taken a back seat to my Rockies collection over the last 2-3 years.  I did manage to get most of my checklists updated and accurate with the Beckett website, so I did do a little something.

Final score - 1/10


8. Finish the following sets: 1984 Topps, 1986 Fleer, 1987 Donruss, 1988 Fleer, 1989 Donruss, 1991 Donruss, 1992 Donruss, 1992 Score, 2005 Topps Rookie Cup base set, 2008 Topps Heritage.

Status - INCOMPLETE

This is a goal that looks to be unchanged, because technically I have none of these 10 sets completed.  However, I did take a big chunk out of most of them including getting 89 Donruss down to a single card.  I am disappointed that none of them are finally off of my things to do list, but each of them is closer.  I will continue this goal in 2013.

Final score - 0/10 (I still didn't complete any of the 10)


BLOG GOALS
 
9. Get to 500 total posts by the end of the year.

Status - CAME UP SHORT

This post is a nice round number, but it is only post #400.  I came up 100 short and the biggest factors were the two months I spent without internet access and my one month absence due to my father's passing.    With those three months, at an average of one a day, I would have been very close and probably would have made it.  I am still very proud to be at 400 posts considering I rarely post more than once a day and most of my posts are relatively large. 

Final score - 8/10


10. Hold 4 group breaks throughout the year.

Status - NOT GOING TO HAPPEN

This goal is the only one of my goals that I didn't work on that I do not plan to continue in 2013.  I still may run a group break at some point in the next year, maybe even more than one, but it isn't necessarily a goal.  There are several other blogs that are doing the group break thing right now, so you guys still have plenty of choices.

Final score - 0/10


Final thoughts
Last December when I made these goals, I did not anticipate how personally and financially difficult this year would be.  I intended for the goals to be extremely challenging and they were.  I am very happy to now own every Rockies card in the Topps flagship set along with every card I have accumulated.  I am not currently where I intended to be at this time last year, but without down years you couldn't have great years.  I'll be back and better than ever in 2013.  I will have my 2013 goals ready this time next Sunday.

Final score - 40/100
By god, I am STILL happy.

Thanx for reading.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

2012 Quarry Unlimited - #24 Boston Red Sox Part 2



I think Boston has a few years coming that will see them at or near the bottom of their division.  They have had a great run thus far in the 21st century, but I think it might be over.  I could be wrong, and I usually am, but Boston just seems to be at the end of this winning cycle.  Are there any other teams that you think might be in for a few years of losing?   While you think about that obvious answer, take a look at the second half of the 2012 Boston Red Sox.













My Top 5 Red Sox Cards
1. Jose Iglesias
2. Nick Punto
3. Jon Lester
4. Brent Lillibridge
5. Pedro Beato

Despite having the most cards, the Red Sox didn't have too many great photos.  That being said, the Iglesias is a great timing double play shot.  It's almost like he is resting atop the Angels player.  I like the Nick Punto card just for its sheer awkwardness.  That does not look like a major league player sliding into home.  With the Jon Lester card, what is better than a pitcher bunting?  An AL pitcher bunting, what is better than that?  An AL pitcher missing a bunt badly.  The Lillibridge has the look of a real 1986 Topps card, so it has to be top 5.  Finally, the Beato gives a nice angled shot of the mound during a pitch.  Just a good photo.


The Red Sox brings us the 9th man to appear in 1986 Topps and the 2nd that was also a manager back then, Bobby Valentine.  After the disaster that was 2012, this was probably Bobby Valentine's final season as a big league manager.  Despite that, we can still enjoy his side-by side and marvel at how little the man has aged in 27 years.


That ends week #8 of the Quarry Unlimited set, I hope you guys are hanging in there.  Come back Monday for one of the most talked about teams of the 2012 season.

Thanx for reading.