Monday, September 30, 2013

Calling Their Bluff

I'll be honest, I'm not too thrilled with the Reds chances of advancing in this year's playoffs. In fact, I think it would probably take divine intervention for them to make it past Pittsburg in the Wild Card game this coming Wednesday. I just haven't gotten the vibe from this team that I did the past few years. Perhaps I'm just being cynical, but probably not. So, I'm not betting on a Reds World Championship this year. I will say that I'm glad I picked up these Topps Chipz from sportlots last week. I was able to grab all four Reds chips for 50 cents a piece. I'm starting to appreciate the oddball stuff that Topps releases and perhaps I'll even go after the Joey Votto Big League mini that Topps released earlier this year.

Friday, September 27, 2013

TTM: Mike Vail

Did you know that Mike Vail won the 1975 International League Player of the Year award? Did you also know that in 1975 he proceeded to set a modern major league rookie record 23 game hit streak? It has since been broken.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

TTM: Jeff Treadway

Did you know that Jeff Treadway used the hidden ball trick in 1989 when he was a member of the Atlanta Braves? He picked off Marvel Wynne of the Padres in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-5 Braves victory.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

TTM: Ron Robinson

Did you know that Ron Robinson's nickname was "The True Creature"? Did you also know that it was Pete Rose that gave him that nickname?

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

TTM: Ray Rippelmeyer

Did you know that Ray Rippelmeyer spent less than a full season pitching in the majors, but went on to become a pitching coach in the Phillie's farm system?

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

My First eTopps Card

A few weeks ago I decided to start searching for an Aroldis Chapman rookie for my trifecta that I'm currently in the process of completing. I took a look at all that Topps had to offer with their Bowman sets as well as their high end products and then I stumbled upon this. I had never purchased an eTopps card before and I knew that Topps had shuttered the program last year. I knew that if I took the plunge on this card that I would purchase it from someone who already had it in hand as compared to buying it from someone's portfolio since the shipping rates are astronomical. Numbers to 999, I decided to bite and I'm glad I did. This is truly an amazing card. I don't think I'll free him from his plastic prison, although I have been tempted. While I probably won't chase all the Reds eTopps cards, there are a few that I'm most certainly pick up sometime soon. Now that I have a printing plate and a rookie card, I just need an  autograph to complete my Chapman Trifecta.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Keeping Score

This past week I picked up my second Cincinnati Reds scorecard, this time from old Riverfront Stadium. The black background with the running Mr. Red looks spectacular. I also appreciate the fact that this scorecard hasn't been written in. The inside of the card looks great as well with advertisements for Frisch's and Budweiser. To top it all off, the team logos serve as backgrounds in the scoring tables. A very nice piece of memorabilia to add to my collection. I still need to pickup a scorecard from Great American Ballpark and there are still a few that I would like to grab from the 1960s that were given out at Crosley Field, but that will have to wait.