Grandpa Roy Column!

Hey guys, Drew back here, once again. Boy it's been a while since I've posted more than once in a day, and since I had the day free to relax, I figured why not catch myself up a bit. Anyways, I just got off the phone with Grandpa Roy, and I got a new question from him to ask you all. Check it out:

Yankees fan favorite and legend Derek Jeter recently passed 3,000 hits, becoming the 28th player to ever do so. He also is one of 11 of these members who has never won a batting title in their career. Who are the other 10?

1: Derek Jeter
2: Craig Biggio
3: Eddie Murray
4: Rickey Henderson
5: Paul Molitor
6: Robin Yount
7: Rafael Palmeiro
8:
9:
10:
11:

Most of you know the drill as always, please only guess 1 player every 24 hours to give more people a chance, and try your hardest to not use any informational websites through guessing this. Good luck to everyone, and See Ya!

Hall of Fame Autograph Addition!

Hey guys, Drew back here! I've been on a crazy eBay binge lately, especially with all the money I received for my birthday, which was totally unexpected. I'm definitely going to White Plains in late August, so I have to save quite a bit of money for that, but I also had plenty of room to buy stuff before hand. Here is one of my first pickups with the birthday money!

Out of 2008 Donruss Threads, to go with my Don Mattingly autograph from the same subset, here is a Tony Gwynn auto relic, numbered 21/50! Granted, my Mattingly was just an auto, but was numbered to 25 I believe. However, this card is pretty sweet! I bought this card after my friend Mike was in Arizona at the All Star Fan Fest and wanted to get his autograph there, even though in the end he never got one. I've been hoping for a guest post from him so he can tell the story of his incredible day there, because he will make you guys super jealous, for sure.

While I never watched Gwynn play, as he was just a little before my time, his list of accolades and accomplishments is very impressive. Over 3,000 hits and a lifetime batting average of .338 alone is something that not many future Major Leaguers will be able to top. He never won a World Series, but his 15 All Star elections, 5 Gold Glove awards, and 7 Silver Slugger awards surely made up for it. He also led the National League in hitting 8 TIMES. As everyone expected, he was elected into Cooperstown in 2007, along with Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr, making for one heck of an induction class!

So for under $20 shipped, there was no doubt in my mind that this needed to be added to my collection!

See Ya!

Mail from Two Big Dodgers Fans!

Hey everyone, Drew back here! I know, it's been a couple days, but I have been so loaded with baseball lately, from camp in Dutchess Stadium, my local ballpark, to my summer baseball league. But anyways, at this point, I'm gonna go broke of Dodgers cards. Why? Because for some reason most of the fans that want to trade with me are fans of the Dodgers, oh, and I have a knack for pulling Dodgers cards. So, recently two of these very Dodgers fans contacted me about a possible trade. The first to contact me was Michael, the author of Nomo's Sushi Platter! I've never made a trade with him before, so it was cool to meet a new blogger wanting to make a swap with me. Here's what I ended up getting from him:

I haven't made a whole lot of trades lately, mainly because I've been really out of it lately with the hobby and have had so many other things going on. While I have pile of Yankees base laying around, I always loved these trades, where I would get cards for all my different collections. Michael certainly knew how to treat me, sending all sorts of cards of Yankees, some even being guys I specifically collect, like Robinson Cano! Plus, it can be nice to finally add an older card of A-Rod that I didn't have like 10 of, with the World Baseball Classic insert.

Next were some more miscellaneous Yankees cards, featuring a few of Nick Swisher, and some 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen. I think this product was very underrated, because, minus the autographed cards they included in so called "gypsies", the design was very nice. Probably would've been better had Topps not screwed up the autograph collation as always. My favorite part of Gypsy Queen was definitely the framed parallels, like the one Michael included of CC Sabathia! These green framed parallels are retail exclusive, and they look really sweet in person. 

One thing new with this trade that's never been done before in my trading lifetime, was that he also included cards from my failed "Secondary Collections" page. I don't think anyone ever referenced to it through trades with me, so I gave up on updating the page. Now, I have more work to do, because Michael threw in quite a few former Renegades such as Shields, Podsednik, and Longoria! Also, he sent me a few Dave Parker cards, which was cool because I haven't added new cards of him in forever!

So overall I was really happy with this trade, thanks so much Michael, I look forward to more trades in the future! Next was a trade from a somewhat frequent guest of my blog, Greg from Night Owl Cards! While he and I have traded several times in the past, it sure has been a while between us. Take a look at how this one went out:

Jeez, I almost forgot, 2011 Allen & Ginter has been out for weeks! I've always been all over that product I thought, but this year, not much will get me to run out to Walmart or Target, especially with the ridiculous price tag on all of the products this year. While Greg didn't send me anything from Allen & Ginter, he caught me up in a few sets I could use some cards for, such as Topps Opening Day, Bowman, Gypsy Queen, and even Heritage! I hadn't even seen any Bowman cards in person until Jeter, Posada, Sabathia, and Granderson landed in the mailbox. They don't look horrible but then again, they're not going to make me wanna buy them. 

Next were the usual random and fun assortment that the Night Owl loves to throw into the packages. Yeah, I have thousands of Yankees cards. But somehow he always seems to get me some I didn't have yet. Like those 2 Don Mattingly cards, that pushed me up over 150 cards of his! 

My favorite cards from this package, however, both were Topps retail exclusive cards from the past couple of years. One being the Babe Ruth card out of the Topps value boxes from this year, and the other being a Mariano Rivera from the "cereal boxes" Topps came out with in 2010. Both cards have a particularly nice shine to them, and I'm a sucker for these cards, as overdone as they are. 

Thanks again Greg for the trade! Hope we can work out more deals in the future! 

See Ya!

eBay Pickup! AL Rookie of the Year Edition!

Hey guys, Drew back here. I recently picked up a few cards off eBay, and since this was the first of 3, this one will go first. Check it out:

Out of the 2010 Topps National Chicle product, I got the on card autograph of Rangers closer and reigning AL Rookie of the Year Neftali Feliz! Unfortunately, I shouldn't have had to even spend this money on him, as he used to be a very good through the mail signer, but apparently the Rangers decided to have their players stop signing, as I got a pre print back from him following my Spring Training autograph request. However, this is my first autograph out of National Chicle, and I have to say I really like the looks of the autographs! While Neftali didn't really feel the need to expose the amount of room given for an autograph, its very well fit onto the card, and this should be the way autographs are done! 

This year, Neftali is 0-1 with a 2.97 ERA, and 20 saves. He was injured for a good length of the season, but has still pitched in 37 games. He's definitely not the caliber he was last year, but hes still a very solid closer nonetheless. 

See Ya!

A Special Day All Around!

Hey everyone, Drew back here! Normally, July 24th seems to be the day of the election into Cooperstown, and this year the Hall of Fame welcomes legendary GM Pat Gillick, Blue Jays second baseman Roberto Alomar, and Twins pitcher Bert Blyleven! Before I reach my point of this post I'd like to congratulate the 3 of them! But also, as I was saying, is the special 15 year anniversary of my existence! Yeah, it's my birthday! Another year went by extremely fast, and I can't believe that I can vividly remember writing this very same post on July 24th, 2010. Many people tell me to enjoy my teenage years because they always hope to have them back, and I can see what they're saying, other than the whole 10 months of school deal.

So, my main gift this year was my new Xbox 360, which, other than a very annoying and time-consuming problem with the "Live" program, was worth almost every penny! The graphics and overall quality of the games are top notch, and we got some nice deals along with it! Also, I'm saving every dollar I get for the August White Plains show, where I'm planning on meeting 2 Hall of Famers and a future Hall of Famer, which will be sweet!

Anyways, I felt like since it was my birthday, I should share to you guys what my buddy William, from the blog foul bunt, got me! He always knows how to get this blogger happy, and he came through once again when he certainly did not have to! Check it out:

First were a few extras he saved for me since the last package he sent me, and definitely some nice ones to add to my player collections and Yankees collections! I needed the Cano Diamond Stars most, out of Topps Series 2, and the Granderson diamond parallel was certainly a nice addition too! 

Next was a card he purchased for me at his last card show, a 1969 Topps Graig Nettles rookie card! I just realized that with the addition of this card, I now completed the trifecta of Nettles! I'm sure I've completed more, and I'll have to double check soon and write something up about that, but it's cool to have a trifecta of one of the top defensive third basemen of all time! Morris was never a major success, but Nettles was definitely a very good player in the 70's. 

The main gift this year was a card I've lost frequently on eBay, and one that I really wanted! Out of 1970 Topps, its the famous Dave McDonald rookie card! HAHA if only Dave McDonald was half as good as the other guy on the card, Thurman Munson! I've watched a lot about the 1970's Yankees teams, and its safe to say that while Reggie thought differently, Thurman was the "straw that stirred the drink", and the ultimate leader/team player! If not for his horrible accident and untimely death he could very well be appearing as a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame today!

I've also watched the game after his death before, and seeing guys like Reggie Jackson, Nettles, Billy Martin, etc, crying about his death during the game just showed how much he meant to the organization, and seeing the thousands of crying fans showed that he was a Bronx legend for sure. The Yankees did a great thing retiring his uniform number and preserving his locker, which can be seen in the Yankee Stadium museum today.

I had his 1971 Topps card, which definitely showed his guts and toughness behind the plate, but I'm so happy William helped me add the actual rookie card to my collection! Thanks so much man, way to make my birthday so much better!

See Ya!!!

TTM #76 BIG Prospect Success! Damage?

Hey guys, Drew back here. So, I haven't really exploded on this blog like I expected to this summer, but what can I say, I've been pretty busy! Also, other than eBay, I haven't felt much interest in the hobby lately. Like I've said, I still haven't wrote one letter yet for TTM's this summer, and I just completed a couple of trades for the first time in forever. Allen & Ginter is out, and while it looks nice, I can't afford to go out and buy a box. I guess I'll have to stick with eBay for a little longer until I can get my hands on some Ginter, because I still plan on building the set when I can. Anyways, I got a TTM success back sometime last week, and I finally got to scanning it, so here it is:

Yep, none other than the second overall pick in last year's draft following Bryce Harper, Mr. Jameson Taillon signed a custom for me! I would be super excited about this pickup, and I still kind of am, but man, just look at it! It looks absolutely destroyed! Fortunately, of all things, the auto wasn't damaged much, but its surroundings were for sure.

So going into sending this to Taillon, I didn't know a whole lot about him, except for the fact he apparently is going to be a pretty darn good pitcher according to scouts. The Pittsburgh Pirates took him as the second pick in the draft, and is currently pitching in their minor league system. The Pirates, who somehow are now in first in the NL Central, have a nice future ahead with a very young team and this 6'7 pitcher with a 99 mph fastball in the minors waiting to make his way up. He's going to be exciting to watch, and I'm glad I reached out to him for an autograph before even more people decide to.

I can't seem to win with these customs, but I think I've got a plan for the next couple, trying to keep them from getting absolutely wrecked. We'll see when I finally get around to trying it.

See Ya!

Revealing the Mysterious Binder... A Little at a Time... Oddball Cards!

Hey guys, Drew back here. So, this has been an ongoing, never ending series of sorts. It sure has been enjoyable, looking back at how lucky I got with this binder, with hundreds of incredible cards just laying there for me to take. I've highlighted the likes of Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, and Mickey Mantle already, who had arguably the most cards of anyone in the binder. But now it's time to focus on the other stuff, because this binder was filled with really neat stuff. For instance, the oddball cards featured in the binder were pretty cool. Check them out:

First are of some of the highlights out of the 1961, 1962, and 1963 Post sets! As you may remember, I did get the Hank Aaron card (2 actually), but since you've seen it I left it out. A couple Hall of Famers were in here, Jim Bunning and Robin Roberts, and then just a few guys that had solid stats but not Hall of Fame material. He cut some of the cards out very badly, which kinda sucks, but he cut the Hall of Famers out perfectly.

Next were some 1966 Bazooka cards, of Dick Groat, Tommy Davis, Warren Spahn, and Bob Friend. Again, I did find the Mickey Mantle card as well, but you've already seen it. These cards are about the size of the Allen & Ginter minis, and they're made of a really cheap stock. They're nothing spectacular but I do like the players I found from it. 

From 1963 Bazooka baseball, I found minis of "All Time Greats" Johnny Evers, Walter Johnson, Ban Johnson, Harry Heilman, and Wilbert Robinson. These are probably my favorites of the oddball sets, just because of the gold look and nice design. And everyone loves floating heads! 

Next, I found 2 cards from the 1965 Topps Embossed series, of Pirates Hall of Famer second baseman Bill Mazeroski and Athletics shortstop Wayne Causey. Apparently this set is 72 cards, and were placed in packs almost like inserts in the 1965 series. The players faces were all embossed onto the gold foil/cardboard background, and there are 36 representatives from each league in the set. These are really beat up, but they're very unique and I kinda like them!

Lastly, these may not be considered oddballs, but at the time, Fleer was just beginning! These 4 cards, all of Hall of Famers, are from 1960 Fleer. Lou Boudreau, Lefty Grove, Mel Ott, and Jimmy Collins are 4 of the 79 former greats featured in the set. The color variation makes the design more pleasing as a whole, but the photos do it for me, rather than the design.

What do you all think about some of these sets? This may be the least valuable post of the 'binder' series, but I wanted you guys to see just how cool this really was to look through!

See Ya!

Perhaps the Greatest Night of My Life!

Hey everyone, Drew back here. So, on Friday night, as I told you guys, I saw Paul McCartney play in Yankee Stadium! I have to say it was everything I could've possibly hoped for, and then some! McCartney played for two and a half hours straight, with not one but two encores, with 35 songs in the entire set! His variety was very nice, with many songs from his Beatles days as well as his Wings days, and a bare minimum of his newer selection. Also, he was great at working the crowd, saying "Who's that Derek Jeter guy? I heard he has more hits than me!" That gave us all a good laugh and he went right back at performing some incredible songs, such as "Helter Skelter", "Get Back", "Live and Let Die", "Hey Jude", "Back in the USSR", "Maybe I'm Amazed", "Band on the Run", "Let It Be", and many, many more. He ended the concert with the "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End" medley, which was absolutely incredible.

So, I don't know if I'll ever see a better concert in my life! This concert has to be one of the top concerts you could possibly see right now. Paul is 69 years old now, and for a guy that age to play that long in front of a sold out Yankee Stadium crowd, it's truly unbelievable. Also, his voice may not be as good as his prime of his career but it still sounds better than 90% of other performing artists out there. He has a god given talent, and I'm so fortunate to be able to have had this opportunity.

Anyways, I forgot my camera in our car while we ran to the train, because we were in a big rush to make it. I took a few pictures with my phone and iPod, but nothing was overly spectacular. Our seats were far out, but even though they had a good angle, the iPod camera is not very good at all. So I guess to show you what I witnessed, here's a few quick videos from YouTube.

Words could not explain what was going through my head while this went on. But all I know now is that I just witnessed a former member of the greatest band of all time absolutely dominate the stage in my favorite place in the world. Wow.

See Ya!

Going to a Future Yankee Stadium Classic Tonight!

Hey everyone, Drew back here! So, I wasn't on hand when Jeter passed Gehrig last year, or when he just recently picked up his 3,000th career hit, but I will be on hand for something that will always be remembered in the new Yankee Stadium tonight. What may that be?

Yes indeed, as I've mentioned once or twice on here, I'm seeing PAUL McCARTNEY and his "Band on the Run" in Yankee Stadium tonight! The legendary Beatle and lady killer will be performing about 40 songs for the huge sold out crowd tonight, as one of the first concerts (besides Eminem/Jay-Z) in the new stadium! 

Before I was big on the card hobby, The Beatles were my life. John Lennon was always my favorite as well as George Harrison, but of course, I will never be able to see them live in concert. But Paul always seemed to be the most entertaining Beatle, and Ringo, well, was Ringo. After tonight I will be able to say that I'm one of the only younger kids that has seen at least half of the most famous band of all time in concert.

So, I'll try to snap a few pictures and perhaps take a video or two for you guys, and wish me luck! 

See Ya!

Robinson Cano: Quiet but Classy

Hey everyone, Drew back here. So, I have a feeling that some of you are surprised I didn't get to posting anything about Robinson Cano's epic home run derby victory over Adrian Gonzalez, but I've been very busy doing all sorts of things lately. So, let me start off by saying congratulations to my man Robby on winning the derby! I watched the entire thing and he was incredible all night. After Gonzalez dropped 11 in the final round, while I had a lot of confidence for one of my favorite players, I thought he had no chance to top that. But, like he tends to do often to me, he completely shocked me, blasting 12 balls over the fence at Chase Field.

I learned something about Robinson Cano that night however. Even as a diehard Yankee fan, I never really got to know the real Cano. When he won, he said to the media that he wished to cut in half his trophy so that he can share the other half with his Derby pitcher and father Jose Cano. Cano has been very outspoken in his short 7 year career, and you never see him getting interviewed following a game unless he's about to get pied in the face. Honestly, I barely knew anything about him except for the fact that he hits the heck out of the ball season after season and may be the best second baseman in baseball today.

It's weird to me, because while Yankees fans love Cano, and he is respected a lot through baseball, I still feel like he's underrated. In a way, while I'm super happy for him to be on the Yankees, I feel like he'd make a bigger name for himself by going to a different team. He outplays Jeter, A-Rod, and several other star Yankee players, yet isn't as highly popular and touted as them. One day, if he keeps up this incredible pace, which is the most hits for a Yankees player at his point of his career minus Joltin Joe DiMaggio, he could have a plaque in Cooperstown.

I started collecting Cano almost 2 years ago, and have acquired almost 150 different cards of his. It's nothing spectacular, but I was lucky to invest in him before everyone else soon realized how good he really is. Not that I plan to sell any of his stuff that I own, but knowing that the cards I spent a good amount of money on went up even more is so nice to see for me.

All in all, while collectors spend a good $30-40 for his autographs now, I've got a solid 6 to hang on to, and I'm glad I took advantage before he got to superhuman status. Robby seems to be a player that kids can look up to, including me. As a ballplayer myself, I like to stay quiet, and be a leader in the best ways I can without being ultra loud and obnoxious.

So through his epic finish in the Home Run Derby, I was not only proud to be a Yankees fan but incredibly proud to have known that one of my favorite players proved just how good of a person he truly is, and made me look good for liking him in the first place!

Here's to many, many more accomplishments Robby! See Ya!

P.S. We may very well have a guest post coming soon from someone that may have attended this awesome event!

Another Picture Perfect Yankees Pickup!

Hey everyone, Drew back here. This summer has not been even close to what I thought it would be for me in terms of the hobby. I haven't gotten a chance or wanted to write any through the mails (thanks damage), I have barely made any trades, but one thing I have done is learn how to spend money. Here's my most recent acquisition off of eBay, this being of a fan favorite in New York, a great leader, and a perfect pitcher:

Out of the 2003 Upper Deck Yankee Signature Series product, a set released for the 100th anniversary of the most successful baseball team in history, this is a hard signed David Cone autograph! Cone was truly a great for both the Mets and Yankees, pitching for either of the teams in 13 of his 17 big league seasons. He won 194 games, including several very clutch games in the postseason. I was a little late to catch Cone, as he retired the year before I started following baseball, but he seemed like a major leader for the Yankees team, who was counted on to say all the right things in press conferences and speak for the team. 

His most famous moment came on July 18th, 1999, on a typical Yankee miracle day, in which they honored Don Larsen and Yogi Berra for Larsen's perfect game in the World Series back in 1956. Berra caught the 1st pitch from Larsen and passed his glove to Joe Girardi, who preceded by catching Cone's perfect game. I've watched the game before, and it was so cool, and like Yogi says "deja vu all over again"! 

I really like the looks of this card, and I'm glad I'm able to add him to my collection! See Ya!

WalMart Stop: Series 2 Blaster + Value Box Break!

Hey guys, Drew back here. About a week or so ago, right before I left for New Hampshire, we stopped at Wal-Mart for some groceries and other stuff. I hit up the card aisle and walked home with a blaster of the new 2011 Topps Series 2 baseball, as well as the collector's recent hit, the Topps "Value Box". I haven't bought much of anything new card wise this year, but I definitely wanted to check out the new series as well as the recent rave over the actual "value" in the Value Boxes. Take a look at how I did:

I first tried out the series 2 blaster box, and here were just a few of the notable base cards. I didn't pull a single notable American League player, and if you may have noticed, this blaster was filled with stars of the NL East! My favorite base card I pulled was either the pumped up Huston Street or the Jose Reyes. The cards look pretty good as always, but there still was a lot of typical, boring pictures.

Also, a staple in the Wal-Mart Topps products is now the black back cards, where only the player is shown in color but the rest of the card, including the border, is black. I pulled some decent ones in the 2 packs that are like this, but none that I really want to hang on to. 

Next were some of Topps' inserts, many of them have already been extremely overdone. But, wait, is that shiny I see? Topps introduced the "Diamond Stars" insert in this series, and I pulled Ichiro and Ryan Howard. I actually really like the looks of these cards, but everything else is very boring and redundant. 

Hey look, more reprinted boring cards! Sigh. When will Topps learn that I really don't reprints of cards from the past 10 years. Next year, I will get on my knees and pray that us collectors won't be fooled again! 

Next is by far my favorite insert of the year, the new Kimball Champions set. While Series 1 was mostly devoted to current players minus a few legends, Series 2 is all former greats of the game. As you can see, I pulled some pretty good ones, in Ruth, Maris, and Robinson! 

Next are the parallels, which are pretty nice. The gold cards are getting very bland and unexciting now, and while Topps thinks its a great idea and a tradition, it's old, and boring, like that sandwich you'd find in your locker on the last day of school that's been rotting there for months. The diamond cards are new and very nice looking, but I sure hope after this year is over that they won't go back and make another "tradition" of them.

Finally, my commemorative patch pull was of Athletics pitcher Brett Anderson. I don't quite get these cards very well. If you're going to feature an old school logo, this being from the 1967 A's, why wouldn't you feature a player from that team? The patch looks cool, but throwing Anderson on there does not quite make sense to me. Oh well, I guess you win some and lose some, especially in this hobby. 

After a very "meh" blaster, we move on to the value box. In this box you get 5 packs of 2011 Topps Series 1, as well as two packs of this year's Topps Heritage, 2 diamond giveaway code cards loose in the container, and a Legend Chrome Refractor.

Also included is this MLB Collector's Guide, which brings collectors through every year of Topps' history, spanning a different star player for each year. It's a great way to teach the younger audience about the hobby, in case you were looking in getting a son or someone you know interested in the hobby. 

I know you are all sick of seeing these same Series 1 cards over and over again, but 1 thing I do want to tell you is if you need help with your Topps set, send me a wantlist and I can help you out, because, since I won the factory set, most, if not all of my base are for trade. 

My chrome refractor turned out to be of Jackie Robinson, rather than Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle. While I would have much preferred one of the Yankees, you can't not like a card of Jackie Robinson. The card looks beautiful under a light, with great reflection and shine to it. If anyone has a Mantle or Ruth I would trade this for it though.

Here are the same old inserts as always, with a Toppstown in each pack (didn't scan Mike Stanton), and some diamond inserts of Brandon Morrow and Billy Wagner. 

Minus the lower group of cards in this scan, here are the better looking inserts I pulled. I love the Mantle "The Lost Years" insert, and I wish that was a real card and not just a made up insert. The Rivera Kimball Champions is a favorite of mine as well, definitely staying in my collection for a while. The Diamond Giveaways were all accumulated through both boxes, and there were 4 total. I was hoping to pull a Diamond card but instead I pulled a few cards from 1973, Danny Cater and Alex Johnson. 

While the flagship product didn't treat me overly well, Topps Heritage certainly did. In the 2 packs, I pulled a Then and Now insert of Mantle and Fielder, as well as some star players and solid rookies. 

I got very lucky in one of the Heritage packs as well, pulling this bat card of Jacoby Ellsbury! Talk about some good value! Ellsbury has been excellent this year for Boston, and it's a pretty good pull if you ask me. It's for trade for any Yankee though, since you all should know how I feel about Boston!

All in all, the value box, which was $5 less than the blaster, certainly had more value than the blaster, so keep that in mind the next time you visit a retail store. Again, most every card that isn't of a Yankee is for trade, so please contact me at yanks1996wsc@gmail.com. For most of the base/inserts I'd be interested in trading for anything in my wantlist on the sidebar. Thanks everyone!

See Ya!

Congrats to the Captain! #3,000 In Style!

Hey everyone, Drew back here. So, after waking up nice and late today, I took a shower, and realized it was about 1:00. I turned on the Yankee game and threw on my Derek Jeter pinstripe jersey. Jeter, who was 2 hits away from 3,000 just 2 hours ago, got a base hit in the first inning, and then he came up in the 3rd inning. Yankee Stadium was booming for the Captain to reach his 3,000th career hit, and Derek worked the count to 3-2, and after fouling off a few pitches, Jeter came up clutch once again, driving the ball off David Price into the bleachers for his 3,000th career hit!

I didn't start to follow baseball to the level I have, until about 2005. I remember watching the Red Sox eliminate my Yankees back in 2004, which was tough to swallow, but got me into baseball so much more. Whether he was batting 1st or 2nd in the order, I always loved to watch Derek Jeter play, especially when I started to watch baseball. With thanks to the Yankees worldwide popularity, his name became larger than life, and while their statistics don't compare, he is currently the Babe Ruth of baseball in terms of popularity.

Watching Jeter start to struggle these past two seasons have been tough, but it's also around that time that the good years of his career started to pay off. Last year, he passed Lou Gehrig for sole possession of the most hits ever by a Yankee player. And now, he joins the famous 3,000 hit club, becoming the 28th player ever to do so. Among his company are 24 Hall of Famers, including a future Hall of Famer in Craig Biggio, and two players that may never may Cooperstown due to their respective controversies: Pete Rose and Rafael Palmeiro. When the captain calls it quits, Cooperstown will be waiting for him, and there is no way I'm missing it.

While as of now I think of the fun loving, and fan favorite outfielder Nick Swisher as my favorite baseball player, I have an extreme amount of respect for Derek Jeter, and after all, until Swish came to the Bronx, Jeter was my favorite player. He got me into the National Junior Honor Society last year, when I wrote an essay about why I look up to him as a role model and idol. While he may be bothering his neighbors with a fancy mansion, and may be asking for too much money, he is a great role model and I'm proud to look up at him.

As I speak, Jeter continues to be clutch, now 4-4 in the game, giving him 3,002 hits lifetime! He needs a triple for the cycle, as if this day has not been enough of a fairytale, as Michael Kay says.

Congratulations to Derek Jeter, and thank you for all the wonderful memories you've given New York over your incredible career! Here's to many, many more clutch hits in a clutch career!

See Ya!

*UPDATE: Jeter singled for the 3rd time following this post, and finished his magical day going 5-5!*

I'm Back! Mail from Blogger Buddy Chad!

Hey everyone, Drew finally back here after a long and fun week with my mom's entire family up in New Hampshire! We had a good time, even though my dad didn't get to go with us this time around. While we were, gone, I've heard from a few people that Derek Jeter is now 2 hits away from 3,000. Just kidding, you can't go anywhere, even in Red Sox Nation without hearing that! I definitely am going to tune in for that game and theres no way I'll miss it. Also, Hall of Fame Manager Dick Williams passed away due to a aneurysm on July 7th, at the age of 82. I'd like to send my condolences to his family, and a R.I.P. to Mr. Williams.

So, I might as well get back to the whole catching up deal. I guess I'll start with a nice trade I met with Chad, one of my readers. Chad contacted me, interested in a few of my autographs, and we made a nice trade, resulting in these cards going into my collection:

The first card turns out to make a milestone in my collection! Out of 2006 Upper Deck Artifacts, I got the Nick Swisher autographed card numbered to 700! Swisher is one of my favorite players, which is proven by the fact that this is now my 10th different autograph of his! Swish has had a very slow year, which pretty much could mean that the Yankees will cut ties with him by the end of the year. He's started to pick it up of late, but thus far, halfway into the season, I would've thought he would have done better than he has. This card is still real sharp, and the autograph looks good, even if its a terrible signature. 

The second card, out of 2007 UD Ultimate Collection, is a Huston Street autograph! Huston has been my star fantasy baseball closer this year, and although his ERA is fairly high for a closer (3.46), he has been very effective this year. I've been looking for an autograph of his lately, which I have to say has to be one of the best signatures in current baseball, and I'm happy Chad was able to get me one.

All in all, it was a real fun trade Chad, thanks so much, and I'll See Ya guys later!

Vacation

Hey everyone, Drew back here. I just wanted to let you all know that I'll be leaving for a family vacation today and I won't have time for posting throughout the next week. I hope all of you are doing well, and I'm gonna miss you all! See Ya!