Monday, July 29, 2013

Nein? No, Nine.

I have nine drafts that I should finish so you can have some new content.  Instead, I am procrastinating my procrastination before I go to work to procrastinate for six hours.

I feel like my scanner when it decided to go all wonky on me... 





































...I get about halfway done and then crap out.  Well, I am gonna regroup, whip myself into shape, and get some new posts up this week.

(aren't those aborted scans great? they are like modern art or something...perhaps even early 80's Activision logos.)

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

My Entry in the The $5- Challenge.

       The First Rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club (everyone knows that).  A well known rule of card blogging is that Thorzul Will Rule.  I have never met the proprietor of that site, but I have a feeling we would get along swimmingly.  His blog is celebratory, caustic, assertive, random, Milwaukee-obsessed, and awesome - all things I strive to be in this place, except for the Milwaukee part.  Yesterday, Thorzul dropped a homework assignment on us...The $5.00 Challenge.  You'll have to click through to get all the particulars, but the gist is to go to eBay, search the baseball cards, and buy the very first one you can for $5 or less. 

This is my card:





















Not the best card I could have hoped for, but certainly not the worst.  It had a bin price of $7.99 and an opening bid of $2.99, which is what I won it for.  With $2 shipping, that makes a tidy $4.99 - practically perfect in every way.

This was my initial search:






















I wonder if that dude would have taken a BO of $5 for that '54 Spahn?

Anyway, I suggest highly getting your space monkey ass over to Thorzul's blog and joining in on the fun. 

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Step Right Up And Greet The Mets.

       It has not been the best season so far for the home team in Flushing.  It is 1983 all over again, really - that team went 68-94 and youngsters and castoffs abounded then too - but it also lead to bigger and better things.  At least, that's what I keep telling myself. 

The one thing they have beating us over the head with this year has been that the All Star Game is in Queens for the first time in nearly 50 years.  And wouldn't you know it, the two bright spots for the Mets this year will be starting for the National League down in Citifield - David Wright and Matt Harvey.

David Wright has lived up to the huge contract the team gave him over the winter, going 13-44-.304/.396/.507.  I find this a breath of fresh air, since it seems every time the Mets give someone money, they immediately get old, tank, get hurt, or some combination of the three.





































I also found it a very good thing that Wright didn't make it past the first round of the Home Run Derby Monday night.  Last time he participated in that glorified piece of batting practice, it screwed his swing up for months.

The real shining jewel of the season has been the maturation of Matt Harvey.  I mean, we all knew he was going to be good, but we didn't know he was going to be this good this soon.





































He is 7-2 (and he should have about 12 wins and would if anyone on this team could hit) with a 2.34 ERA (4th) and a league leading 147 strikeouts.  Not to mention his peripherals are magnificent - 10.2 SO/9, 5.25 K/BB, 6.3 H/9, 0.915 WHIP.  He has all the makings of the man who threw out the first pitch tonight, Tom Seaver.  It looks like I know what my next jersey will be...a bright shiny pinstriped home #33. 

The Mets now have 71 games this season to see who can play and who can't.  I like what I have seen from Zack Wheeler.  Jeremy Hefner has been a revelation the last 10 starts.  Dillon Gee has comeback from a brutal start.  Plus they have Rafael Montero and Noah Syndergaard waiting in the wings.  The Mets have enough arms, now if they can just get a few more guys who can actually hit like they are supposed to (*cough*IkeDavis*cough*), this team will be formidable for next decade and we can send 5-6 guys to the All Star Game every year and not just two.

Monday, July 15, 2013

This Is Not The Greatest Post In The World...

...this is just a Tribute.
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This is just a tribute...you gotta believe it...
And I wish you were there, it's just a matter of opinion.
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(wait, you may be asking, if you aren't buying new high end product, how did you procure these two fine pages of shiny? my new obsession, that's how...)

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Second Verse Different From the First.

O beautiful
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for pilgrim feet
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Whose stern impassion’d stress
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A thoroughfare for freedom beat
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Across the wilderness!
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America! America!
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God mend thine ev’ry flaw
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Confirm thy soul in self-control
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Thy liberty in law!
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