2009 Goudey Starter Set Or For Trade

I'm finally getting around to getting my list of available cards up on my site.

I started last yesterday with the Allen & Ginter minis I'm looking for or can trade. I've also got standard sized A&G base cards up for trade as well.

Today I'm posting the list of 2009 Goudey's I have up for trade. Base, minis, and 4-in-1s. I am willing to trade all the base cards as a starter set if there is someone that is interested in putting together the base set. Otherwise, consider these singles all up for trade. Feel free to take a peek at my 2009 Goudey needs list here if you'd like to work out a trade. I'm still looking for many of the SPs.

I have another special request for my good friend Brian. #198 Shairon Martis and #200 Cristian Guzman. I'll happily trade for either of these two Goudeys as well. I'm also interested in any black numbered parallels.

Thanks for reading, and I hope I can help someone out.

List of cards available for trade:

1 - Adam Dunn
2 - Max Scherzer
4 - Randy Johnson
6 - Dan Haren
10 - James Parr x2
11 - Tom Glavine
12 - Tim Hudson
13 - Chipper Jones
14 - Kelly Johnson x2
16 - Jeremy Guthrie
19 - Jed Lowrie
21 - Melvin Mora
23 - Josh Beckett
26 - Michael Bowden
28 - Jacoby Ellsbury
35 - Clay Buchholz
37 - Derek Lee
38 - Kosuke Fukudome
42 - Carlos Zambrano
47 - Nick Swisher
48 - Jim Thome
49 - Jermaine Dye x3
53 - Johnny Cueto
55 - Dave Concepcion
59 - Kelly Shoppach
60 - Fausto Carmona
61 - Grady Sizemore
62 - Travis Hafner x2
70 - Carlos Guillen
71 - Gary Sheffield
72 - Miguel Cabrera
73 - Magglio Ordonez
74 - Justin Verlander x2
76 - Josh Willingham
82 - Lance Berkman
83 - Kila Ka'Aihue
85 - Alex Gordon
88 - Jered Weaver x2
91 - Garret Anderson
94 - Clayton Kershaw
95 - Cory Wade
96 - Matt Kemp
97 - Russell Martin
98 - Scott Elbert x2
100 - Andre Either
101 - Rafael Furcal x3
102 - Brad Penny
105 - Alcides Escobar x2
106 - Bill Hall
107 - Mat Gamel x2
108 - Prince Fielder x2
109 - Miguel Montero
111 - Ben Sheets
112 - CC Sabathia
113 - Ryan Braun
115 - Denard Span
117 - Nick Blackburn
118 - Joe Mauer
119 - Justin Morneau
120 - Francisco Liriano
123 - John Maine
125 - David Wright
126 - Jose Reyes
127 - Carlos Beltran
129 - AJ Burnett
130 - Derek Jeter
132 - Ian Kennedy
141 - Greg Smith
142 - Marlon Byrd
144 - Frank Thomas
149 - Kurt Suzuki
150 - Bobby Crosby
151 - Cole Hamels
154 - Jimmy Rollins x2
156 - Greg Golson x2
159 - Brad Lidge
161 - Nate McLouth
162 - Ryan Doumit
165 - Jake Peavy
166 - Kevin Kouzmanoff x2
168 - Trevor Hoffman x2
171 - Matt Cain x2
173 - Matt Tuiasosopo
174 - Ichiro
178 - Albert Pujols
180 - Troy Glaus x2
183 - David Price
184 - Evan Longoria
185 - Carl Crawford
186 - Scott Kazmir
190 - Ian Kinsler
191 - Michael Young
192 - Mike Aviles
195 - Vernon Wells
197 - Ryan Zimmerman

35-16 - Sandberg, Uggla, Kinsler, Utley
35-20 - Bench, Concepcion, Bruce, Phillips x2 (Blue and Red)
35-40 - Ichiro, Tuiasosopo, Bedard, Hernandez

Minis For Trade: Pedroia, Glavine, Phillips, Ripken, Harden (Green Back and Blue), Jeter, Aramis Ramirez, Carmona, Kershaw, Blue Sport Royalty Nolan Ryan, McCann, Kemp, Green Alfonso Soriano Heads-up

Allen & Ginter Mini Set Builders Unite!

An A&G minis flea market? I'm going to give this idea a whirl even if it's a tad self serving. Hopefully it can serve a lot other 'selfs' as well.

I've now gotten to the point where I've collected approximately 100ish minis from the A&G set and I'm planning to post my 'For Trade' and 'Want' lists.

I've been scanning any blog I could get my hands on recently to see who is attempting to do the same thing and I know there are a number of you. So if you happen to stumble across this post, please leave a comment with a link to your 2009 A&G mini needs or up for trade lists. If you're just someone that needs to find a home for your minis, go ahead and link or post what you've got up for grabs as well. My hope is to get as much of these lists as possible in a central spot will facilitate more trading among everyone.

To get the ball rolling I'll post my availability list tonight. I think I've decided I can part with the mini insert sets and I have 10-15 from the various Hoaxes, Myths, and Heroes subsets. I'm going to keep a few that I like, but the rest will go up for trade to try to pull back other minis - maybe some black minis since they're just so cool looking.

My list of A&G minis available for trade:
13AG,94,144,154AG,174,229,320

LMT14 (Griffin), NH3 (Toussaint L'Ouverture), HHB17 (Reavis)

Make an offer on my list of black bordered minis if you can help me more quickly finish the base mini set:

6 (Eaton), 20(Jones), 49 (Jiminez), 144 (Soria), 164 (Bedard), 174 (Lannan), 266 (Cueto),

My list of A&G minis need:

1,2,4,5,7,8,10,11,12,14,16,18,19,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30
31,32,33,34,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,44,48,50,51,52,53,54,55,57,58,59
61,62,63,64,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80
81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,90,91,92,93,95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102
103,104,107,108,109,110,111,112,113,114,115,116,118,119,120,121
123,124,125,126,127,129,130,131,132,133,134,135,136,137,138
140,143,145,146,147,148,149,150,151,152,153,155,156,157,158,159
160,161,164,165,166,167,168,171,172,173,175,176,177,178,179,181
183,185,186,187,189,191,194,195,197,200,201,202,203,208,209,210
211,213,214,215,216,217,218,219,220,221,222,224,225,226,227,228
230,231,232,233,234,235,,237,238,239,240,241,242,243,244,245,246
249,250,251,252,253,255,256,257,259,260,261,263,264,265,267,269
271,273,274,275,276,277,278,279,281,282,283,285,286,287,288
290,291,292,293,294,295,297,298,299,300,301,302,303,305,307,308
309,310,311,312,314,315,316,317,318,319,321,322,323,324,325,326
327,329,330,331,332,333,334,337,338,339,340,342,343,344,345,346
347,348,349,350

Fair Ball

The post season always gets me thinking about this book. I can't help it, the inequity of baseball still really has the potential to make me angry if I think about it long enough.

Since I was thinking about it, and getting angry all over again, I decided to break out this book again before bed last night. You can finish it in one sitting, its a quick read, maybe an hour. Costas outlines what was happening in the game around the time of the strike in 1994, what happened, what went wrong (in his mind) and how it could have been fixed or better handled.

The first thing that jumped out at me was all the references to the struggling Twins and contraction. I'd almost forgotten about it, and I live here. The second thing that stuck out to me was this:

Baseball doesn't have a revenue problem, and didn't in 1994 when the strike happened. This is where I'd like to focus my conversation (ramblings?) as well.

Baseball still doesn't have a revenue problem, but it does have a problem with inequities. Sure Costas' point about needing a top 10 payroll to make the postseason seems a little off these days, but the sentiment at the heart of the comment still rings true.

Yes since this book was written and published (ca. 2000), the As, Twins, Giants, Marlins, Astros, Padres, White Sox, Tigers, Diamondbacks, Indians, Rockies, Phillies, Rays and Brewers have gotten a taste of the postseason without a top 10 payroll. This is true, complete fact, but it still doesn't address the problem.

Why should over half the teams in the league enter each season with no shot at the playoffs, every year, for long periods of time, not just a couple seasons, we're talking 5, 6, 13 years. This just isn't right.

It takes all 30 teams to make Major League Baseball the booming industry that it is, and with this I cannot agree more with Costas. If it takes two teams to play a game, why does the home team keep all the gate money (save for a few pennies)? If the Angels need the As, Rangers, and Mariners to show up for games in order to televise something on TV, why is that revenue not split more evenly? This is the part of the game that simply put, stinks. It's not a part of the tradition, and it's not quaint. It's neither the way its always been nor the way it should be.

In the end, if it takes two to tango, the revenue should be split. Costas notes that the NFL takes a 60/40 split on revenue (home/away) and that's exactly how it should be. All teams should benefit from being in the league, not just the ones in the biggest market or with the most fans. Each team should know that if it manages those resources correctly, they should have a shot.

It's a vicious circle these days. Players either want to play for a contender, or want to get paid. More likely the latter than the former. In the end, they're saying the same thing. The best teams, over a period of time, are the ones operating with the most cash. Sure the Twins, or the As or the Rockies can get by for a period of time, but the only way to enjoy sustained success is to ship off their best players before they become too expensive. If they're going to end up on the Mets, Angels, Yankees, Red Sox, or Tigers you might as well get something for them, right? Right. I won't even go down the road about how terrible this is for fans, but I will say that how sad it is that I already turned on Prince Fielder as a fan years ago becasue I knew it wasn't going to be worth my time to get emotional invested in him. He'll go play in the AL East soon enough. I can only hope the Brewers can ship him out for some pitching before he does.

Now I don't really blame the players, they should try to get the biggest chunk of cash that they can, that's business and that's fair. Especially if they're going to be stuck on a lousey team for years at a time with no hope for winning. What's not fair is the competitive disadvantage most teams are at. And this is where I agree with Costas.

The current economic model is outdated and silly. Teams shouldn't have to decided between being competitive and signing their big name players that have been with the franchise for a number of years. And players shouldn't have to decide between taking less money to stay someplace they've called home for 6 or 7 years and having a shot at a title. It's not fair to anyone.

It's time to institute a salary floor, and a salary cap and move toward progresss where every team gets a chance to think "Hey, this year might be our year". Every team, every owner, every player, and every fan deserves this.

All of the other stuff: realignment, interleague play, the DH, steriods, whatever you think your gripe is with the game, nothing is as big of a smear on the game as the current economics that dictate the most likely outcome of your team's season.

I only hope someone in the game has the stones to stand up and say "enough is enough, let's fix this".

I Dipped Into Ebay, Not Sure How I Feel

Okay, so here's the deal. I've added two Goudey Graphs from this year's set to my collection.

But I had to go to eBay to do it. I really didn't want to, but I also really wanted to add these cards to my collection.

So . . . the backstory. If you've read any of my posts over the summer and into the fall, you'll know that I did a good bit of training for some 10K races this summer with Brian. He and I were breaking packs and blasters of Goudey for reward for finishing various achievements throughout the season. After we were three blasters into our Goudey season, Brian started to lament how we should have just laid of some cash for a hobby box, thus garaunteeing ourselves a Goudey Graph and some memorabilia cards. My reaction to this was:

"Brian, do you really want to lay out $80 to land a Marlon Byrd autograph?"

Thus the Marlon Byrd phenomenon was born. Anytime we talked about getting a bad hit from a box, we'd always say "you're just going to pull a Marlon Byrd anyway". Even when he broke a box of Philadelphia Football Brian dubbed his Quentin Jammer auto a Marlon Byrd.

I knew at this point I'd have to grab the Goudey Graph of Marlon at some point since it was such a key part our conversations around collecting this summer. This card is priceless to me.

Next up is the backstory on Lou Marson, who has since been dealt to the Indians (I believe in the Cliff Lee deal). As we were breaking these blasters of Goudey this summer, the doubles and triples started to pile up. For whatever reason Brian started to end up with a whole stack of Lou Marson cards, and I had approximately six Greg Golson's. In all honesty, stories like these are why I collect cards. All summer we joked about trying to get a TTM autograph from each of these players for one another. As of now, neither of us has taken the time to do it, so I figured I'd do the next best thing and pick up a Lou Marson Goudey Graph for my partner in crime.

In case you are wondering, I picked up each of these for $2 in a "Best Offer" auction. There was also the one that got away, a Prince Fielder Goudey Graph. Prince went for $16.50 which was just over what I was willing to pay. If there is someone else out there with a 2009 Prince Goudey Graph, I'd be interested in that. Or a Greg Golson Goudey Graph. I think they made one of those as well.

The Collective Troll, A True American Hero

I wish that I could report that I pulled off a trade with The Collective Troll, but the truth is I just received this card in exchange for nothing.

Or I guess you could look at it as a PTBNL type of deal, but as it stands, I'm forever grateful for the generosity that took place. I've failed to pull an autograph from a box break so this is the next best thing.

I remember first becoming aware of baseball in 1987. And by becoming aware, I mean that's the first season in which I tucked away lifelone memories of baseball in general and of my beloved Milwaukee Brewers specifically.

1987 had a magical start with the 13 game winning streak, Nieves' no-hitter, and Teddy Higuera would follow up his 20 win 1986 season with 18 more. Little did I know that I'd really only have one more season to follow Higuera before arm troubles set in, but to this day I still call him "My Favorite Brewer". And that's a big statement when you grew up with the hordes of Yount and Molitor fans.

Anyhow, I'm forever greatful to the Troll for sending along an autographed 1986 Topps Higuera card. I've always been partial to this card design since it was the first year that I really had any substantial amount of cards (likely only a couple hundred) from any one set.

Social Card Collecting ft. The Treasure Hunt

I've been thinking about what I'd title this post if I ever got around to writing it, and I think 'social card collecting ft. the treasure hunt' sums it up nicely for me.

Wading around through the blogs for the past few months has produced many a post regarding the state of our collective minds regarding our collections, the way we spend our money, and the satisfaction we derive from our collections.

In my wanderings over the past month or so, I've been leaving comments here and there on other people's blogs regarding 'what I plan to do' or 'how I plan to collect' from here on out. I'm really only 7 months back into this and I've learned a lot about the various sets and what each manufacturer has to offer.

The real inspiration or idea for this post came from a now defunct blog entitled Topps Baseball Cards. Specifically, the post The Current State of My Hobby. This isn't the first, nor will it be the last time these sentiments have been published. It did however, get me thinking.

Where do I, where do you, or where does anyone derive their pleasure from in hobby?

I jotted down a list of things that I like, and I'm really hoping to see what other people's lists would look like.

1. I like building sets. Why do I like building sets? Good question, I tried to answer it in a rational way, but I couldn't. There's just something about a giant stack of cards with numbers on them that makes me want to put them in order and find the other cards I don't have.

Exhibit A: 1987 Topps Football Vann McElroy #225



This was the last card I needed for my 1987 Topps Football card set. Yes, I still remember it, and chances are I'm not the only one with a story like this. I bought tons of packs of football cards, yet Vann escaped me all winter. Finally, my friend down the hill from me back home told me he had this card. He was a Bears fan, and I was a Packers fan and this created an natural rivalry. This card and the fact that he had it, and I did not created an entirely different rivalry. I have no idea what he held me hostage for. Probably a bunch of the 1986 or 1987 Topps Bears cards, but I know one thing - once I got Vann in my hands I was happy.

Before I even went out to grab this image I knew Vann was #26. I knew he had a beard and I knew he was wearing crazy elbow pads. And I know for a fact I haven't seen this card in a decade or better. I can remember what this card looked like the moment I had it in my hands and as I sit here right now I can feel all the same feelings I had back then. What a rush.

2. So that brings me to the second reason I collect. I like the social aspect of card collecting. I like trading cards. It used to be sitting down in a circle at a friend's house with a pile of cards to trade. Now it's meeting new people that share the same interest in baseball (or football, or whatever sport your cards depict). Exchanging emails, packages, cards, and thoughts. This is also what it's all about - for me.

3. I love the treasure hunt aspect of card collecting. And I realized the other day that even though I say I'd rather just purchase the cards I want on eBay rather than opening millions of packs to find it - that I'll likely never do it. Or, at the very least, I'll never stop opening packs. There's just a rush in finding something in YOUR pack, YOUR box, YOUR case (you people are insane, but I secretly harbor the desire to break a case of A&G next summer) of cards.

Take for instance, Exhibit B:



This is the Joe Mauer relic card I found in a blaster of Goudey a month or so ago. Do I chase relic cards? Nope, I actually think, overall, that they are a bit silly. However, I do really like Joe Mauer, and the fact that I opened a pack with a Joe Mauer card that is in theory difficult to find, well I couldn't be happier - even though it's the same image on his normal card from this set.

So, even though I know, fiscally it would make more sense to purchase a collated Goudey set off of eBay for $10, and then spend maybe $60 to get every autograph card I want - I'll still buy packs or boxes or blasters. I know that I derive pleasure for collating the set myself, plus I know that I'll need doubles to trade with other collectors. Or at the very least I'll need cards that other need or want, and if I just get a set for myself, I won't have much to trade.

So what's your story? What makes you operate you do in the card collecting arena? What could get you to change?

Favre Bowl

I've got a backlog of posts coming in the near future after doing a little trading to kick off October, but I must admit that my attention was pulled away for the Vikings-Packers game last night.

I fully admit that I'm a Favre backer. 20 years from now, my kids aren't going to ask me "Dad, what was it like to watch the Packers in the 80s?", they're going to ask "what was it like to watch Favre play" and I'll happily recount the story of Favre sticking it to the Pack on Monday Night Football.

Just like there had to be a day when Brett Favre was no longer a Packer, thankfully there will also be a day when Ted Thompson will no longer be the GM, and that day is getting closer and closer and I'll be happy.

Sorry to digress from cards, but I just wanted to go on record.

Lastly another digression, but after I stopped including my fantasy baseball team updates here on SS92 they started to go on a bit of a tear in the second half.

Even though my pitching failed miserably this year and Justin Verlander and Heath Bell were the lone bright spots, the offense took off.

Ryan Howard, Troy Tulowitzki, Ben Zobrist, even Vlad and Beltran once they got healthy came back and carried my team out of the cellar of a 12 team league and into 6th place.

This is quite an accomplishment. Heck even Chris Davis finally showed up and showed off his power potential down the stretch.

So here I sit, ready to watch game #163 for the Twins and Tigers and I could lose my 6th place finish if Granderson or Miggy are credited with an RBI today. I lead a team by .5 pts in the roto standings and lead the team with those two players by 1 RBI. 1 RBI and I tie for 6th place. 2 RBI and I lose it.

The only reason I'm semi-interested in my 6th place finish is that teams that finish in top half of the standings in my league (but out of the 3 big money slots) are given sandwich picks in our minor league draft the following year. We just added this wrinkle to increase competition down the stretch and it's seemed to work.

Well, I'll return with some card posts soon.