The Blazer Blog

Guy's Box Topper Contest

2010-08-11T09:08:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm pretty sure all of my followers already follow the Basketball Card Blog, but I figured I'd put the link here anyway. If you didn't know, Guy at the aforementioned blog is holding a contest for a great card (if you can call it that) that he pulled himself. It's a box topper 5x7 autograph of a sure future Hall of Famer. So definitely go check that out--it's a creative contest involving his favorite player, Nic Batum. I'm partial to the guy myself ;) In fact, his autograph is right there...
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As for posts about my hobby goings-on, I'll get something up soon. I've had random maildays and pickups here and there so I'll do a big recap.

Thanks!

Hardwood Update! 06/28/2010

2010-06-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a long while since I last made a post on here. To be honest, I just haven't had a lot of content to post about. I know a blogger like Guy doesn't need any mail to provide a quality blog post, but whatever. I'm here.

To begin with, you may notice the new layout. I made up a little background that you can see over there <----- and there ----->. I still can't get the blank space on the left to go away, though.

This post is supposed to be an update on my 2008/09 Topps Hardwood master set progress, though, so we'll go with that. I will say that I haven't completed any subset of the master set, but I've been making a little progress for how little I've been making deals recently. Microsoft Excel provided me with a nice little way to keep track of what I have. I put in a formula (thanks Basic Business class) to determine the percentage of the cards I own from each subset, and, after letting it crunch the numbers, here's what I came up with, including an example of each I have:

A) Base + Rookies /2009 (A/B versions): 28/150 = 18.67%

B) Hardwood Parallels /299: .................... 20/150 = 13.33%

C) Maple Parallels /175: ............................ 11/150 = 7.33%

D) Mahogany Parallels /75: ....................... 2/150 = 1.33%

E) Veteran Autographs Hardwood /39 ... 1/35 = 2.86%

F) Rookie Autographs Hardwood /69 ..... 1/25 = 4.00%

G) Hardwood Relics /175 .......................... 5/35 = 14.29%

H) Maple Relics /75 ................................... 3/35 = 8.57%

I) Mahogany Relics /50 ............................ 2/35 = 5.71%

So there ya have it. A decent start, if I may say so myself. I still need to finish off the base/rookie set, which I imagine will be the first to be completed. There are also the Rookie Autograph Patches that are signed on a swatch of jersey, and I may have my first one incoming soon. Then the 1/1 sketch cards (which I forgot about when I first chose this set) that I will probably have a hard time securing.

Thanks for looking!

Contest Winnings!

2010-05-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hey all, I received the fantastic first prize from Guy's NBA playoff series contest over at the Basketball Card Blog! Cousy really does have a great looking auto and the contest was very generous of him. Thanks so much, Guy!

Upper Deck hooks me UP!

2010-04-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Just wanted to share this SWEET replacement I received from UD the other day. I had a copy of the Rudy Fernandez/Rajon Rondo dual auto redemption, just like TJ. I picked it up for about $10. Well, UD shocked me with this PC treasure:

O_O

Love it.

2010-04-11T17:20:00.000-07:00

I love it. I absolutely love beating LA. There's no better feeling than that, and it happens so often. I especially love it when Kobe lets his team down. And today's game made me realize that I'm not really sure why we're trying to avoid the Lakers in the first round. We're guaranteed a playoff spot and, to be honest, the two teams I would want to play would be LA and Dallas. We've proven that we can win against both teams and in both cities. I would LOVE to knock out LA in the first round, which is a very real possibility. Plus, it'd give me an excuse (not that I need one) to go pick up one of the shirts you see above.

I also paid a visit to the local card shop down here today. I picked up several things, but there is one card in particular I want to touch on:

This is a base card from late 90s SPX. It looks fantastic and I haven't a clue why they don't use this type of stuff nowadays. The recent SPX releases have some nice looking base, but the majority of base sets are kind of bleh compared to this card. If you turn it, the head shot of Stoudamire looks as if he's turning his head...kinda creepy but very cool. Also, obviously, die cuts are awesome. Here are a few digital camera pics to capture the true beauty of the card:

Thanks for reading!!

Kicking off the Hardwood quest!

2010-03-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

Life is good. Portland is currently up by 34 (albeit over NYK) and I have me some...

Hardwood.

Here are my first few parallels for my set collection!

Rookies /2009

Hardwood Parallels /299

Maple Parallels /175

And in case you have any you're willing to part with...here's the public spreadsheet I made:

http://public.sheet.zoho.com/public/tblazers50/hardwood

Thanks for reading!

Cheap group break, anyone?

2010-03-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

This blog post comes to you in two parts.

Part 1: NBA World

Portland has won 8/10 games this month and 9 of their last 11. Currently, we're a hair behind San Antonio. I'm talking 0.3% behind. If we were to fail in avoiding the Lakers in the first round by that margin, I'd be mad. Luckily, we have a big game coming up against OKC, the 6th seed, this Sunday. Ideally, we prove that we deserve that 6th seed and play Dallas in the first round. This season, we've definitely proved that we can give them a run for their money.

In other news, I found this video. Blazermania personified.

Part 2: Hobby World

You may or may not know (you probably don't) that I have chosen to start up a set collection. A product collection, to be more precise. I'm going to try and finish a many subsets as I can from:

2008/09 TOPPS HARDWOOD BASKETBALL

I don't have too many right now, but I'm making some trades for some. Guy over at Basketball Card Blog suggested I open up a box to kick it off. I would really like to, but I just can't afford by myself right now. So...I'm going to try and fill a group break of this stuff (only one box). I know I only have 3 followers, so this probably won't help much, but if you're interested, the video about it can be found here.

The options are:

A) 15 spots, $8.50 paypal per spot

Randomize all names, put them in a draft order, everyone gets to choose from the teams that are left when their turn comes up

OR

B) 10 spots, $12 paypal per spot

Randomize all names at the end of the break, people get to choose which card each time their name comes up in the draft. More info on the video description.

So, yeah. I already have a testimonial--Guy is willing to join in ;).

Thanks everyone!

Beautiful Black Basketball Bayless!

2010-03-05T17:39:00.000-08:00

So...Portland is on a 3-game winning streak. That's noteworthy. Granted, they weren't against top-of-the-line teams, but we will take what we can get. Don't ask me why this is a link. I have no clue.

Oh, and thanks to Guy's Blog and his widgets, I can tell you Portland is only 4.5 games behind Denver for the division title. Not too bad.

As for the card collecting world today, I got a really really really really very really really fantastic-looking card in today and it is of a Blazer this time. Any guesses? It's a dude. And he plays basketball....no? He wears number 4.

WOOO Bayless! Got this one off of good ol' eBay for a single Alexander Hamilton and I have to say it's the most well-designed and -executed card I have owned for a long, long time. It's an 08/09 UD Black Jerryd Bayless auto rookie quad jersey /99. The rainbow foil really makes the card pop out and I love the silver on card signature. And to be honest, I couldn't decide which picture to use, so here's like 5 of them. Oh, and it's numbered 58/99.

Thanks for reading!

Dear Mr. Rose: May I borrow your face?

2010-02-26T19:56:00.001-08:00

Well, another heartbreaking loss. This team has just lost some of its clutchness from last year. I'm not one to get mad easily, but tonight's game really made me want to release some excess energy on Derrick Rose's face. Don't worry, my cards are safe. For now.

In other news, two very nice cards were introduced to my mailbox this past week. The first isn't PC per se, but I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up keeping it. I think I got an absolute steal on this one; the final price including shipping was just over $6.00. I present to you...

2009/10 Panini Limited Rookie Phenoms Spotlight Patch Auto /25 Sam Young

If you're interested at all, it is back on eBay, but I purposely set the BIN a little high because I'm pretty attached to it. It's a beautiful card.

Then this one was actually a gift from my mother! She saw it ending for a great price and snagged it for me. Thanks!

This blogging actually let off a bit of steam. I feel peaceful now. Hm. Later. ;)

Wait...where are all the Blazers?

2010-01-23T15:30:00.000-08:00

The title of this entry serves two purposes. For one, Portland has been bitten by the injury bug once again. This time it took Jerryd Bayless. Fortunately, it doesn't look too serious. Secondly, I actually have fifteen cards to show this time and not one is a Blazer. And the only one with remote ties to the team is Jermaine O'Neal.

Anyway, with that out of the way, here we go. Yesterday, I had a mailday in from a member on SportsCardForum. It went very smoothly and I'd like to thank the member for the deal. These cards I paid $6 for and they came from Hong Kong. Thanks for the great deal!

First are eight random inserts from this year's Panini Prestige.

Here are my thoughts on the insert designs:

Hardcourt Heroes: Not too bad, they have a nice classy look to them.

Franchise Favorites: Probably my favorite insert set of the ones I got. It reminds me of a movie trailer. The team logo is good, but it is in sort of an awkward place on the card.

Stars of the NBA: Mediocre. It looks a little plain for my taste.

Inside the Numbers: Excellent concept, but it wasn't executed well in my opinion. To have an insert set all about the jersey number, the number should be displayed proudly. This has a tiny box in the center that has the number outlined in white. Make it more exciting, Panini! Maybe even number them to the jersey number to make it more collectible.

True Colors: Pretty nice, but I would need to see some other teams represented to see how the color scheme changes.

Super Sophs: Not terrible, but again, a little plain.

Stat Stars: My least favorite of the bunch. It has nothing stat-related on the front of the card--merely a little blurb on the back (and no actual statistic table).

The lot came with these six autos, which is what I was mainly interested in:

I thought it was a very good price for those six. The Maggette is a rookie year auto, the Szczerbiak is /100, which I wasn't aware of, and the Garcia has a very very nice design. There is a little smudge at the end of his auto, though. 5/6 are on card. Thanks!

Lastly, my dad took me to the local card shop and I got a few things. Donruss Threads 09/10 Looked appealing, but they were out. I took two of the 09 Donruss Elite EE for around $10 and got this:

If you can't see, it's Travis Banwart. It's a nice one but apparently he isn't too good. Oh well.

I also grabbed these:

That Melo is #13/25. Looks pretty cool, huh? Check this out.

Thanks for reading!

Maildays 1/14/10 and 1/16/10

2010-01-16T17:39:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

I haven't been putting up blog posts recently mainly because of school and lack of mail. Well, now it's the weekend and I do have a couple of PC additions to share with you. He hasn't had as much PT in the last few games, but that's not stopping me from collecting him :) Here are the next 2 autos I traded for:

Both autos are nice, of course, but the Press Pass appeals to me most. It's such a sharp card. The blue text and faded photo complement the ink well. And it has a nice large area so Jerryd doesn't have to squish his signature onto a sticker (see "INKcredible") ! ;)

I'll be on the lookout for more sports card topics I can blog about in my next post because I don't have anything coming in other than a six-card auto lot from Hong Kong, which will take a bit. Thanks a lot!

EDIT::Ah! How could I forget?

I added this baby to my collection last weekend when I met him! Martell is a classy guy and was willing to sign, personalize (I forgot to ask...doh!) and take pictures with anyone who wanted one! I'm proud to have him in Portland. Martell even complimented me on my shirt and the pic I made...thanks Martell!!

Martell Webster @ Fred Meyer

2010-01-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

Hey,

I haven't had any mail since those I shared earlier, but I do have a quick announcement. You may already know, but I didn't. My Biology teacher informed me today that the one and only Martell Webster will be signing autographs tomorrow, 1/9/10, at the Fred Meyer in Beaverton. Here's the address if you're not native to the area and you wanna swing by.

11425 Southwest Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway
Beaverton, OR 97005-2929

I know I'll try my best to be there! He'll be signing autographs from 2-3 PM, so I suggest trying to get there a little early--it's sure to be busy. It pays to have teachers that are Blazermaniacs too ;). If you do go, hit me up with an email and maybe we can meet up or something, I dunno. Thanks everyone!

BlazerMail - 01/06/2010

2010-01-06T19:15:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone,

I got a couple packages in today constisting of pure PC stuff. The first had two cards. One was this dual jersey of Randolph and Miles (yeah, yeah, LOLJAILBLAZERS and whatnot...). It's 42/50. Here is the card with the rest from that subset that I own. I also have the autograph + plain jersey, but I sadly misplaced it and haven't been able to find it since. Ah well.

The other card I found in the bubble mailer was this very nice Martell Webster autograph #018/100.

Now, those cards are really nice for the PC but I gotta say this next one takes the cake. Topps did really well on their design for the rookie autographs in 08/09 (I say this now because it's the first one I've seen in person). The sticker is very well camouflaged and the autograph looks really nice on it regardless. I present to you...my third Jerryd Bayless autograph!

I also would like to give props to Blogspot--the pictures are pretty easy to manipulate to where you want them. Thanks for viewing!

The Positives of a Bad Situation

2010-01-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

Any NBA fan that hasn't been in a cave for the last month or so is likely aware of the situation that the Blazers have fallen into. The injury bug has bitten and it has bitten bad.

Steve Blake - Pneumonia (!)
Greg Oden - Broken Patella
Travis Outlaw - Foot
Nicolas Batum - Shoulder
Joel Przybilla - "Ruptured" Patella
Rudy Fernandez - Leg
Lamarcus Aldridge - Ankle

I think that's it, although it's tough to compile the whole list. A solid starting five could be put together with just the injured players on this team, but somehow they're still finding ways to win! The Blazers have won 8 of their last 10 and have moved up to first in the Northwest Division. All of these injuries are giving quite a few of these guys riding the pine some play time. One of these is Jerryd Bayless. He played for a total of 111 minutes in November and 322 minutes in December (and 40 more on January 2nd). To tie this into our hobby we all know and love, his prices have risen significantly already. I had the opportunity to pick a UD Black AU Quad Jersey RC a month or two ago for $10, and now they're selling mid $20s consistently.

P.S. He just hit a three as I said that and Portland is leading 24-23 :)

Anyway, I'm trying to begin a small PC of this guy because he is a fantastic player and a great guy, too. I currently have two autographs of him--a Press Pass auto /250 and the baby above ^. I also have three more incoming, so I'll be sure to post those up as soon as they come in.

Obviously, these injuries that have plagued the team this year haven't seem to have much effect overall. They're playing better than ever and making me proud to be a Blazer fan.

Happy new decade!

2010-01-03T16:36:00.000-08:00

Hey internet, and welcome to my brand new blog. This is going to be my way to express feelings and opinions about sports (specifically the NBA) and the trading cards that accompany them. I'm a collector of sports cards and am fairly involved in the hobby for being only a teenager. As you have likely already noticed, I am a big fan of the Portland Trail Blazers. I'm going to use this blog as a way to practice writing in my free time and also communicate with other NBA fans and collectors! Currently, I have several different collections going:

+ Zach Randolph -- My main player collection. I have a little over 300 different cards of him including 20+ 1/1's and around 40 autographs.
+ Portland Trail Blazers -- My team collection. I don't go as in depth as Randolph trying to attain every different card, but I do like picking up nice cards of my Blazers.
+ Jerryd Bayless and Martell Webster -- These guys I set aside from my other Blazers. I collect them a little more than the rest of the team, but not as much as Randolph.
+ Tyrus Thomas and Josh Smith -- Two more side PC's that I haven't added to in ages. I began my J-Smoove side PC simply because I love his energy and dunks. The Tyrus collection came about after I pulled his Bowman Chrome Gold Ref RC /50 and his red hot HP RC Parallel Auto Patch /50.

My YouTube channel is under the name TBlazers50. I have just over 500 subscribers there and have made many friends doing mailday videos and such.

HobbyKings is the message board I visit most often. It's a heavily basketball-oriented card trading site, so check them out if you'd like: www.hobbykings.com

Lastly, I'd like to thank the guy who I got the idea from. His blog is at www.thebasketballcardblog.com and focuses on the same two passions I have--the Blazers and basketball card collecting. He's a great guy and I strongly suggest you subscribe to his blog if you haven't already.

Thank you very much for viewing, and I should have my first real blog post up really soon!