Archive for Tim Lincecum

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Topps Diamond Giveaway Haul #3: Now with Die Cuts!

Posted in New Addition, Newspaperman with tags , , , , , , , , on February 27, 2012 by Cardboard Icons

This is THE Diamond Giveaway Haul post I’ve been waiting to post.

Over the 10 months I’ve been somewhat busy on the Topps Diamond Giveaway site.  During that time I’d acquired more than 60 rookie cards for my collection as well as some nice Die Cuts.

I’d already taken delivery of two shipments, all of which had been rookie cards.  The posts can be seen here and here.

But alas, the Die Cuts have come home … along with some more rookies of course

We’ll start with the cardboard virgins (aka rookies) because I have to show these badboys off.  Most are guys you’ve never heard of, but some of them have great names.

1956 Topps Bob Nelson rookie

1964 Topps Herm Starrette

1971 Topps Don Hahn

1973 Topps Jim Breazeale rookie

1973 Topps Chuck Seelbach rookie

1974 Topps Bob Gallagher rookie

1974 Topps Gene Garber rookie

1975 Topps Mario Mendoza rookie

1976 Topps Champ Summer rookie

1976 Topps Mike Miley rookie

1976 Topps Jim Umbarger rookie

1976 Topps John Candelaria rookie

1978 Topps Larry Harlow rookie

1979 Topps Bruce Bochy / Mike Fischlin / Don Pisker rookie

1979 Topps Bruce Benedict / Glenn Hubbard / Larry Whisenton rookie

1981 Topps Lamarr Hoyt rookie

1982 Topps Jay Howell / Ty Waller rookie

1982 Topps Jorge Bell rookie

1984 Topps Jeff Russell rookie

And now … the Die Cuts!

We’ll leadoff with the greatest lead-off hitter of all time,  Mr. Rickey Henderson.

2011 Topps Diamond Die Cut Rickey Henderson

Batting second, another great lead-off hitter, Ichiro.

2011 Topps Diamond Die Cut Ichiro

Every team needs and ace.  The leader of my Die Cut staff is Tim Lincecum.

2011 Topps Diamond Die Cut Tim Lincecum

This next one proved to be one of the most popular cards on the site.  Everyone loves a hot rookie insert. Welcome, Mr. Eric Hosmer.

2011 Topps Diamond Die Cut Eric Hosmer

The way I obtained this next Die Cuts is simply amazing.  I turned two common Die Cuts into a 1953 Common, which was then swapped for a 1952 Common.  That 1952 Common was then traded for a Jackie Robinson DDC, which then was traded up for this Cal Ripken … which was also a pretty popular card on the site.

2011 Topps Diamond Die Cut Cal Ripken

And we close this edition of Topps Diamond Giveaway Haul with the man who made this entire shipment free because his card was a black die cut serial numbered out of 60.  Welcome to the collection, Joey Bats!

2011 Topps Black Diamond Die Cut Jose Bautista /60

Now batting

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The Giants bring the Trophy to San Francisco (photos)

Posted in Newspaperman with tags , , , , on November 3, 2010 by Cardboard Icons

If you’ve been reading my Twitter updates, you know there was a moment early this morning that I felt like I would not be heading to San Francisco to witness the first Giants World Series Championship parade.

But even on minimal sleep, my brother-in-law and I made the trip and let me tell you, it was awesome.

The day started with an hourlong train ride and continued with a stroll around AT&T Park in San Francisco’s China Basin. After taking some pictures along the waterfront of McCovey Cove, we found ourselves near the Player’s entrance where … players were arriving for the parade. We saw World Series MVP Edgar Renteria, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Hall of Famer Willie Mays all arrive in personal vehicles.

Along the parade route, things were nuts. An estimated 1 million people jammed the city. People were watching from windows and rooftops, from trees and even on top of buses.

And some people called in sick …

.. to see the Giants. The World Champion San Francisco Giants.

Here are a few images from the parade.

Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper

Jon Miller and Dave Flemming

Police horses with the Giants 'SF" logo either burned, shaved, painted or dyed into their hinds.

 

Giants Managing Partner Bill Neukom and his stylish bow tie.

 

Willie Mays

Willie McCovey

 

From zero to hero, General Manager Brian Sabean

 

Manager Bruce Bochy with the hardware

 

And pretty much every player on the roster. Although not all of them were facing us.

Cody Ross

Juan Uribe

Barry Zito. That sign sums up his role in the postseason.

Matt Cain

Freddy Sanchez

Andres Torres ... who was too suave for the float.

Brian Wilson and Sergio Romo

Buster Posey ... looking like a high school water polo player

Aubrey Huff, his beer and legendary red thong.

Tim Lincecum

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Cheering for the Giants does not make me a bandwagon fan

Posted in Newspaperman with tags , , , , , , on November 1, 2010 by Cardboard Icons

It’s been two decades since the San Francisco Bay Area has celebrated a baseball title. So with the Giants one game away from winning their first championship since the club moved here from New York, it’s only natural that I get excited, right?

I’ve sat on the edge of my seat — literally and figuratively — as the Giants have dismantled teams over the last month. I’ve been there the entire year listening to local sports talk radio as fans have discussed what to do with Pablo Sandoval, when to call up Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey, and debate whether Bruce Bochy would ever get the team to the World Series, let alone the playoffs.

But here’s the catch: I’m a Red Sox fan.

I was in the ball park this summer when Boston came to China Basin to play the Giants, and I was among those cheering in the end when the Red Sox came out victorious.

But here we are on Nov. 1 and I am cheering on the Giants as if they are MY team. Does that make me a bandwagoner?

For years I have been one to chastise so-called bandwagoners — people who change allegiances simply for the fact that they love to follow a winning team. Like in 1995 when out of nowhere a bunch of Carolina Panthers fans sprouted up amid the Kerry Collins hoopla, or in 2008 when suddenly everyone was a Tampa Bay Rays fan. Hell, I consider just about any Miami Heat fan — who is not from Miami — a bandwagoner.

But here’s where I differ from a bandwagon fan: I know who I am — a Red Sox fan. Don’t mistake my cheering for the Giants as being bandwagon activity. I have not gone out and bought up a ton of Giants gear and worn it proudly as if I have been a fan since the days of Juan Marichal. I cheer for this team because they are local, and because they make me feel like a 9 year old kid again.

In 1989, the Giants and A’s played a historical World Series, one that had a vast portion of the Bay Area talking baseball. People were hanging on every out of every playoff game, clamoring over the thought that the hometown A’s could face the hometown Giants for the championship. To say the region was stricken with Baseball Fever would be an understatement. As a 9 year old kid that was exciting to witness and experience

Now some 21 years later, I’m getting that same vibe. And as a baseball fan, I am loving this. I love listening complete strangers debate the efficiency of the Giants bullpen, seeing casual fans get caught up in the gimmicks such as the “Panda” and “Fear The Beard,” and hearing stories about lifelong San Francisco Giants fans finally getting their wish.

And I am also loving that in some way the Giants front office is being vindicated for the way they’ve built their team. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain may not have been household names across the country before this year, but locally, we all knew who they were. And for years we’ve heard that if the Giants can just get to the playoffs, they can make some noise.

So to the true Giants fans, I salute you. I applaud you for staying with your team through thick and thin. Living with all the crap that the front office has been selling you for years: Barry Zito’s contract, trading a pitching prospect for a wounded second baseman (in hind sight this worked out great), signing aging veterans on the downside of their career, and seemingly missing the boat on big-name free agents who said they didn’t want to play in a pitcher’s park.

This title, should the Giants close out the 2010 World Series, is well deserved and a long time coming for most of you. I’m just glad that I’m able to witness this.

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Rookie Card Showcase: 2000 Topps Traded Adam Wainwright

Posted in Rookie Card Showcase with tags , , , , , , , on October 10, 2009 by Cardboard Icons
00TTWainwright

They told me to stop smiling, but how could I? I've been told that within a decade's time, I will be a Cy Young Award winner.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this should be your 2009 National League Cy Young Award winner. He also should be the winner of Game 2 of the NLDS versus the Dodgers, but we won’t go there, right, Mr. Matt Holliday Mr. Ryan Franklin?

What Wainwright accomplished during the 2009 regular season was simply spectacular. He won 19 games, posted a 2.63 ERA, struck out 212 batters and posted a strikeout to walk ratio close to 4:1. Tim Lincecum and Wainwright’s teammate Chris Carpenter deserve looks for the CY Young award as well, but Wainwright should be the winner.

The Cardinals stud is shown here on a 2000 Topps Traded rookie card, available only in factory sets. Wainwright, formerly of the Braves, only has a handful of rookie cards, none of which are horribly expensive. He also has a Chrome version of this card, which I do not own.

This is the part two of an ongoing series. To see other parts in this series, click here.

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Discount Allen & Ginter!

Posted in Box / Pack Break with tags , , , , , on July 15, 2009 by Cardboard Icons

2008AGTimLincecumYahtzee! I think that’s what Stuart Scott used to say in the late 1990s when he was just starting his career at ESPN. Or was it one of the white dudes who said that? Hmm.

Anyway, as the title of this piece says I scored some discount Allen & Ginter at Target this week — six packs of 2008 for $1.59 each. There has been a weird sampling of discount packs circulating through Targets lately, but if I see any packs of Ginter sitting around for the same price as a pack of Orbit gum, I’m buying them all. Here’s the break.

Oh, and keep an eye out for the Pat Neshek card within. Is this perhaps the ugliest Ginter card ever made of a real player? Continue reading →

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