Glenn Hubbard AKA Jake the Snake Roberts

I see a resemblance, don't you? My latest addition to my album of amazing project is this 1984 Fleer Glenn Hubbard and I must say, the snake is what makes this card. Not everyday you see a snake on a card. A squirrel sometimes, but not a snake. I also like the cameos of Barney Rubble and the Phillie Phanatic in the background.

A Sign of the Times

I believe this is my first autograph card in my collection. It's not a through the mail autograph, but rather a ball player signing for a fan. I first spotted this 1993 Upper Deck Mark Portugal a few months ago and knew I needed to add it to my album of amazing because not only does it show Mr Portugal signing a glove, but it has a ballplayer in shades with a sucker in his mouth. Talk about great subject matter!

Dreamy...

Less than two weeks to go for Opening Day and every time I think of it I feel like my latest addition to my album of amazing project, this 1997 Bowman Ricky Ledee, dreamy. This past winter was a harsh one here in Northeast Ohio and I'm glad that the boys of summer will be trotting out to the diamond soon. I just wish everyone would stop talking about football. It seems like no matter where I go that's all I hear about. I'm sick of football being talked about 12 months out of the year. If it's not the Super Bowl it's the Draft. If it's not the Draft it's Free Agency. If it's not Free Agency it's Mini Camp. If it's not Mini Camp it's Preseason Games. If it's not Preseason Games it's regular season games. If it's not regular season games it's the Playoffs. And if it's not the Playoffs it's the Super Bowl. I used to be a football fan, but with the over saturation of the sport I'm just sick of it. Why can't people talk about baseball and if you can't talk about baseball then can you please just keep quiet and let those who enjoy the National Pastime have their moment in the sun?

Looking Good for your Age

Last week I was able to purchase another tobacco card for my collection for a reasonable rate on eBay. This T206 Mowrey marks my seventh tobacco card and while it wasn't on my list of ten most wanted cards, I felt that if I didn't act when I did the card would have sold and I would be waiting for who knows how long until another became available to purchase. I'm still in awe every time I add a T206 to my collection knowing that little piece of cardboard has survived for more than 100 years.

Hold On!

This week has been crazy with little to no time to post anything here on the blog. The sad part is that for the foreseeable future, that's probably the new norm. I was doing well crafting around five posts a week, but with my hectic schedule I'll be lucky to get three posts in. Here's my latest addition to my Album of Amazing project, a 1995 Stadium Club Rex Hudler. Looks as though Rex is trying to hold on to his sanity. I wonder how that went.

Family Man

This card either depicts David Riske holding his son or it shows David Riske running for office as politicians have a tendency of holding and kissing babies. A very cool Indians card, even if the team name depicted is the Boston Red Sox and a nice addition to my Album of Amazing.

Send me an Angel

Another day, another card for my Album of Amazing project. I decided to add this 1972 Topps Billy Cowan because of the amazing halo over Billy's head. Great card. Need I say more?

Paint it Black

Earlier this week I grabbed another Votto for my 2013 Topps Votto Project. The card is numbered 59/62 and I actually like this card more than it's chrome black refractor counterpart. This is my 27th card in this project and leaves me with just 9 more cards to complete this rainbow. The Cincinnati Reds team set card should be the easiest to pickup, but I'm not sure about the others. Here's the list of outstanding Votto's I need: 2013 Topps Reds Team Card #CIN-1, 2013 Topps Factory Orange, 2013 Topps Silver Slate, 2013 Topps Opening Day Purple Toys r Us, 2013 Topps Chrome Camo Refractor, 2013 Topps Chrome Pink Refractor, 2013 Topps Atomic Refractor, 2013 Topps Mini Black, and a 2013 Topps Printing Plate from either the base mini or chrome set. If anyone knows were I can purchase any of these cards please let me know. Anyone else chasing any rainbows and if so, how's the progress going? On a side note, here's a couple of my favorite songs with the word "Black" in the title.

Will I ever get Opening Day tickets?!

For the third straight year I've registered for an opportunity to buy Opening Day tickets from the Reds, and for the third straight year I've come up empty on not being selected. One of the things on my bucket list is to attend the Findlay Market parade and the Reds Opening Day game. Alas, it looks like this won't be the year that I can cross this item off my wish list. Just thinking about this makes me feel like my latest album of amazing addition. I spotted this 1995 Score Darryl Strawberry on Night Owl's blog a few months back. I think this is the first and only card I've seen of a ballplayer pouting.

Raising the Flag

It's been awhile since I've posted any acquisitions for the Reds Fan Cave so I thought I would show off this stadium giveaway I picked up years ago. This flag of Mr. Redlegs measures over in at close to 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide. I had considered getting this framed, but the costs would be astronomical. I really don't want to use thumb tacks to keep this on the wall because of the holes it'll leave in the flag, so if any of you have suggestions on how I can keep this on the wall without damaging the flag please feel free to share.

Classic Concentration

I've always wondered just how much concentration it takes for a ballplayer to have. Sure it's tough standing at the plate staring down a pitcher that can throw some gas while an untold number of rowdy fans makes it difficult to hit a ball. I can only imagine what it's like chasing down a fly ball at the warning track, leaping up towards the stands trying to rob someone of a home run. That's why when I saw this card I knew I had to add this card to my album of amazing. This 2013 Topps Ryan Raburn is great on so many levels. The sheer amount of concentration on Raburn's face as he tries to prevent some lucky Pirate's fan from taking home a souvenir is priceless. I'm just waiting for the Pirate fan in the yellow t shirt to slop his beer on Ryan in hopes of making a spectacular catch. Or maybe he thinks he doesn't have to waste his beer as the man dressed in the nasty green patterned shirt is about to whack poor Ryan in the back of the head. Finally, what's the deal with the lady in the back left of the picture with the grin on her face. Not sure what she's so amused about. I know if it were me I'd be scrambling to try and catch that ball. I guess I can't blame her since the Tiger fan right next to her is just standing there dumbfounded.

Oh Snap!

I'm not much on keeping up with popular phrases. Considering that I'll be 40 this August, the need to appear cool was something that I concentrated on 25 years ago, not today. I still encounter people that think I'm crazy for collecting baseball cards at my age, but I could honestly care less about what they think. This is my hobby and I love it. Recently, I made another purchase for my Votto Rainbow project. The latest addition is this 2013 Topps Mini Pink numbered 10/25. There's only one slight problem. This is my very first graded card I have ever purchased. I'm not much on grading cards because I think it takes the fun out of the hobby. Having an independent third party determine just how pristine a card is seems a little sketch to me considering that I feel some of those factors they use are arbitrary. But I also know that it's suppose to be difficult to have a card grade a 10. Just for the heck of it I looked on PSA's website to see the report on this card. Apparently it's the only 2013 Topps Mini Pink Votto graded. My question for you is should I keep this card encased in plastic or snap him out of there? If I bust mini pink Votto free I just worry that I could damage him in some way. Let me know your thoughts.