Dear Doc,

Just remember, until there's an announcement otherwise, I'm still the NL Cy Young Award winner.

Message received and responded to, bitch!

Sincerely yours,
The Freak

On a night in front of the largest crowd in AT&T Park history for a game that actually counted (only the All-Star Game crowd was bigger), Tim Lincecum went out and pitched the best game of his career, and quite possibly the best game in Giants franchise history.

14 strikeouts. Two hits. Only one walk. And stretches were he retired eight, nine and ten consecutive batters. 119 pitches (including 19 of them in the first inning) and wrapped up in a tidy 2 hours, 26 minutes. Tim Lincecum sent a message tonight, and that message is, Roy Halladay isn't the only premier pitcher in the National League.

What's up, Doc? The Freak, that's what's up.



No, I'm not making this post because I'm a bitter Reds fan. I'm making it because I'm a big-time Lincecum fan. That's it.

After 15 years of waiting, the Reds will return to the postseason for the first time since they lost to the Braves in the 1995 NLCS (I don't count the wild-card playoff game against the Mets in '99, and neither should you).  The Braves, of course, won Bobby Cox's only World Series title that season, so it was destiny that the Reds should get swept. But with the very real possibility of facing the Braves again this time around, a measure of revenge would be sweet.

Man, 15 years is a long time. When I think back to where I was the last time I watched a Reds playoff game, well, let's just say I was a bit younger, had quite a bit more hair, and stayed up a lot longer doing a lot more things that a young man can get away with. In many ways, it seems like a lifetime ago, but at the same time, no way it's been that long.

The fellow at the top of the post didn't do it all himself, of course. But when he stepped up to the plate to lead off the 9th inning and deposited a Tim Byrdak pitch over the center-field wall, that set off a scene similar to this one:


As the great Marty Brennaman said approximately 2.7 seconds later, "The National League Central division belongs to the Cincinnati Reds!"

I couldn't be happier.

Simply put, this is probably the greatest three-pack stretch I've ever had in my life, so I'm going to share it all with you, card by card. The numbering is off because these are the fourth, fifth and sixth packs from this particular box. Remember that I already pulled a Carlos Quentin jersey card in an earlier pack.

Pack 4

Francisco Rodriguez (This Date in History)

16 - Carl Pavano

139 - Miguel Cabrera

288 - Bobby Jenks


221 - Mike Leake - Woo-hoo! My first Mike Leake card with him in a Reds uniform.


242 - Jules Verne (Mini)


AGR-SV Shane Victorino Game Used Bat

Pack 5 (Hereafter referred to as "The Douchebag Pack")


Josh Johnson (This Date in History)

44 - Chris Coghlan

210 - Chris Johnson


114 - Milton Bradley - Believe it or not, he's just the second-biggest douchebag in the pack. You'll see.


136 - Garrett Jones

311 - Chone Figgins


272 - David Blaine - Yep, there he is. The biggest douchebag in the pack, if not the whole damn set.

NA18 - Canadian Beaver (National Animals)

Pack 6


Chase Utley (This Date in History)

211 - Johnny Strange

184 - Jake Peavy

145 - Jim Thome

123 - Mariano Rivera


272 - David Blaine - Mini douchebag to go with the full-sized douchebag!


AGR-IS Ichiro Suzuki Game Used Jersey

This is the first time I've pulled a relic from a pack that's from a player I actually collect. The closest I've ever come in the past was during one of the Thorzul's group breaks, when I scored a Ken Griffey relic card. But that doesn't really count because Thorzul was the one who actually opened the pack - I just got the card in the mail. So this, really, is the biggest pull I've ever made.

I was buzzing after this one, I don't mind telling you. I took the dog for a walk (we're getting paving done at the house so the dog has to stay inside) and worked through what I would say in this post while we were walking. It looks like I've gotten all three hits in the first six packs, but I don't care. Getting an Ichiro relic card is huge for me and it's doesn't matter what's in the rest of the box, it's a winner as far as I'm concerned.

As a history fan (and history teacher) I definitely appreciate the idea behind the "This Day in History" insert set. 75 cards is probably a bit too big for me to collect it, so I'll probably stick with certain players and teams.

But Topps, when deciding who to put in the set, do you think it was a good idea to include a player that's well-known for perpetrating fraud with respect to his birthday?


Can we even trust the date on the back of that card?

So I purchased a box of Allen & Ginter thanks to the good folks at Dave and Adam's (who, as regular readers of the blog know by know, actually ship to Australia). I opened the box on the holidays, and, in the spirit of rationing, have limited myself to three packs a day, much like a smoker! :o

The first three packs (without the box topper, which I'll open later) included one of the hits. It also included a quasi-mangled mini card, which was a bit frustrating.

Here's the hit - as you can see, it's definitely one worth having:

It's Carlos Quentin. TCQ got off to a slow start this season, but eventually became a big contributor to the Bunbury Biscuits success in fantasy baseball. Unfortunately, the Biscuits regular-season triumph did not translate into post-season glory, going out in the LCS to an inferior team. Sometimes I hate fantasy baseball. Bring on fantasy hockey!

Here's the quasi-mangled card.



Negro Leaguer Robert Scott, so I'm annoyed that this happened. There's a gouge on the right-hand side of the card in the middle, like it was caught in a crimper. You can sort of see it on the scan. Regardless, this still goes into the Frankenset, because beggers can't be choosers, and I'm just starting out.



The other two minis were National Animals, the Jaguar and the Elk. I wonder who would win in a fight?

As far as regular cards, the only one that I got, and really wanted, isn't even a baseball player:


It's marathon champion Meb Keflezighi. If you're not familiar with his story, check it out. He's bringing marathon glory back to the USA. Even if he is originally from Eritrea.

Yes, it's more Strasburg Money. In this case, I was able to buy a lot of Legendary Lineage cards that have helped me put a big dent in my collection. Now I have not just one, but two completed pages, both from Series 1:

This is the first page, the first nine cards in the set. Of the two, it's the one I like better. Why? Have a look at the top-left-hand corner. There's your answer. It makes up for the preponderance of Yankees in the bottom right.


Here's page two (cards LL10-LL18). Highlights include Cal Ripken, Johnny Bench, and that card right in the middle. Warren Freakin' Spahn.

I love the Legendary Lineage series. It's one of the two insert sets from 2010 that I'm collecting (the Yo Momma cards are the other). In both cases, the sets are ones that tie in the history of the game with today's baseball. Of course, some of the selections are questionable and the links tenuous at best (Grady Sizemore and Tris Speaker, anyone?). But I like the simple design of the cards, and they have featured some of my absolute all-time favorite players. Overall, it's been a really enjoyable set to collect, read and display.

Well, another term is in the books here and that means two weeks off for me. I also got a package in the mail from back home - there were clothes from Old Navy for my lovely wife and a bunch of baseball cards for me. These were cards I purchased with Strasburg Money and had sent to my folks' place because the sellers would ship internationally. There's also three various hobby boxes waiting to be opened.

What does this mean for you? Well, more posts for the next couple of weeks, of course. Maybe even a post a day, starting.......now!

Here's another Strasburg Money card. This is my fourth short print from the 2009 Topps sets. But unlike some of the others, it's one I actually wanted. I mean, really, really wanted:

Being an Obama card is great in and of itself. But the fact that he's in a White Sox jersey (yes, I know he's a Sox fan) makes it all the better. I'm almost considering making Obama the "fifth PC". This is my fourth Obama card. I won't stop until I reach 44 cards.


Anyway, that's my latest acquisition. But there's plenty more cards to come, so stay tuned!