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?

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.

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.

Give him the heater!

I love "Major League" and that quote seemed fitting for this particular post. I finally picked up my first printing plate a few weeks ago, and it's a doozy if you're a red's fan! Behold, an Aroldis Chapman 2012 Bowman Chrome yellow printing plate. I've decided to persue a trifecta (rookie card, autograph, and 1/1) for the Cuban Missle. Back to the printing plate. I was thrilled that I could pick this up for a little less than the price of a blaster. I'm in the process of grabbing an amazing rookie card to boot. I'm still trying to find the perfect autograph card, but I'm hopeful to have this completed before the end of the year.

1962 Cincinnati Reds Scorecard

Last week I grabbed another piece of memorabilia for my Reds collection, a scorecard from August 18, 1962 when the Reds played the Los Angeles Dodgers. I was thrilled that I was the only bidder for this, probably due to the fact that the seller misspelled Scorecard as Scorecad in the item description, but I'm not going to complain. I like seeing names like Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson and Chico Cardenas as well as the old beer advertisements (Burger beer....mmmmmmm beer). Now that I have my first scorecard, I'm excited to add more to my collection.

Another Piece of Piedmont

This past week I picked up another card for my Reds collection, a T206 Ed Karger. I've been on the lookout for the past eight months for this card that was in decent condition at a price I thought was reasonable. This marks the fourth T206 card in my collection and the first tobacco card depicting a batter. With the purchase of this card I'm now halfway through my 2013 card collecting goals.

Most Ridiculous Baseball Cards of All Time

I found a slideshow today over at Bleecher Report, and while it is more than a year old, it was a very intriguing slideshow. They showcased 30 various baseball cards that they termed "Ridiculous" and while that may be true to some, to me they're standouts. My favorite is a 1989 ProCards Keith Comstock where it looks like he was nailed in the twig n berries. I just might have to track down this card. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1055430-30-most-ridiculous-baseball-cards-of-all-time/page/14