2009 topps magic football

i'm really liking 2009 topps magic football. i love the fact that the players are in their college unis. i know this isn't for everyone, but when you're a penn state football fan, it's nice to see some cards of your favorite college players sporting the blue and white. it looks like paul posluszny autos are going in the $7-$8 range. i may have to pick up one of these. i might also snag a derrick williams and dan connor while im at it.

a big purchase yesterday

so i picked up the card to the left yesterday to send over to mario at wax heaven. its my little way of saying thanks for keeping me entertained for the last year and a half. its a shame he doesn't get paid for all he does. i mean, i pay over $200/year to read about penn state football, and mario provides way more articles.

i was also able to secure the gold and black refractors for him as well. so, mario, keep a lookout for the final pieces of your 2007 miller finest collection. they will be in the mail as soon as the xfractor arrives.

some talent for a change

so the pirates traded 2/3 of their starting outfield away for the second consecutive year. the first move, trading nate mclouth, didn't make any sense to me. it wasn't the fact that they traded one of their more talented players. i've come to expect that. the really disappointing thing was that it seemed like they could have gotten a lot more for him. if they had kept him until the trading deadline, i think the pirates could have made a big score with some top prospects.

i was really excited about the other trade. the pirates essentially exchanged nyjer morgan for lastings milledge. to me, that was huge. milledge is a very talented player. probably the most talented player the pirates have had since bonds. this was a steal. i don't mean to knock morgan, but he wasn't a baseball player. a great athlete? yes. a good baseball player? no. this trade make perfect sense, and i'm hopeful for the future. i'm going to try to lowball this milledge card to add to my collection.

recent ebay pickup

i started buying chris hernandez autos while researching last year's (2008) draft. in my analysis, he was the 3rd best pitcher in college in 2008 behind strasburg and brian matusz. he was so good that chris was selected to be part of team usa. while all the the usa pitchers fared really well, chris was probably one of the bottom 2 in the rotation.

unfortunately, 2009 was not kind to chris. his hurricanes didn't do very well this season, and he didn't make the cut this time around for team usa.

hopefully, this will motivate him to turn in a stellar 2010 performance. if he could just match his freshman campaign, we are looking at the top 5 pick easily. the final cost of the card to the right was $5 shipped.

busting wax vs. ebay

so every time i look at iamjoecollect's site, i'm tempted to buy some wax. it does look fun and exciting, but when it comes down to it, i just can't pull the trigger. ebay is just far too enticing. i would much rather spend 8 bucks for the 2 autos that i actually want. its just too frustrating to spend $60 on a box to get 2 autos that i don't want. its not really a money thing either. sure, if i'm not going to get the cards i'm after, i'd rather get the good hits so i can recoup my money. i think i'll just stick to letting joe collector buy the boxes, and he can show me what he gets.

another recent ebay conquest

a nice 3 color patch of the new guys in the collection, hank blalock. i picked up this beauty for $3.75 shipped, or $1.25 per color.

before there was silk

one of the more interesting non-auto & non-game used inserts over the past couple years has been the unique topps silk line. they seem to be a hit with played collectors. its refreshing to see an insert line be so successful without using a sticker auto or a tiny piece of jersey, bat, base, or band aid.

however, this idea was alive and well over 12 years ago. 1997 leaf featured an insert called "dressed for success." though i've never seen one, this auction describes the card as a cloth card. it's also serial numbered. donruss was so ahead of the curve back in the day. does anybody have one of these cards?