Archive for Yoenis Cespedes

What I did with my Q2 eBay Bucks

Posted in Game-Used Items, Mail Day with tags , , , , , , on July 10, 2019 by Cardboard Icons

It’s always fun to get something for free. This quarter, my eBay Bucks amounted to a tad over $50, and honestly, it could have been much higher had I been smart about when I made some purchases during the second quarter of 2019.

So, what did I get with my reward?

A game-used baseball thrown by Perennial National League CY Young Award contender Max Scherzer that struck former mega prospect and All Star Yoenis Cespedes.

In the bottom of the first inning, Scherzer faced off against Cespedes and on the sixth pitch, he nailed Cespedes on the leg with a 84.5 mph changeup. The Nationals TV announcer had a great comment during the replay:

“With quads like that, you figure that’s a likely place to get hit.”

The encounter was the 28th time Cespedes has been struck by a pitch, and it was the 60th time Scherzer hit a batter during his MLB career. In this game, Scherzer earned his 133rd career victory with his 8-inning, 10-strikeout performance.

The game-used ball represents the 36th in my collection of Hit By Pitch balls I’ve collectively dubbed “The Wall of Pain.” More are on the way; all will eventually be shown here.

Thrift Treasures 63: Topps Sticker Packs!!!

Posted in Thrift Treasures with tags , , , , , , , , , , on February 26, 2014 by Cardboard Icons

IMG_5120One of the first sections I hit in most thrift stores is the toy section.  Why? Because many times I find little baggies containing baseball cards … or in this case stickers. Unopened packs of stickers to be exact.ThriftTreasuresLogo

In 2012 Topps brought back an oldie but goodie in the sticker album collection.  The album cost roughly $2.99 if memory serves me right and each pack containing eight stickers cost 99 cents.  I bought an album.  I bought some packs and let me kids get after it.  But I always felt like I never got my fill.   Topps brought the set back again in 2013, but I never really got into it. That is until this  this nice little baggie.

As you can see from this picture, this baggie cost $2.99.  And a quick count from the outside of the package revealed that there were 16 unopened packs of Topps Stickers within. At roughly 18 cents a pack, it was a no-brainer purchase.

So, without further adieu, here’s what the packs contained:

 

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To see more Thrift Treasures posts, click HERE

2012 Bowman Baseball: Home of the (Oakland A’s) Rookie Cards

Posted in Newspaperman with tags , , , , , , , on May 9, 2012 by Cardboard Icons

2012 Bowman Yoenis Cespedes rookie card #193

I saw a slew of 2012 Bowman baseball opened this week and it instantly came to my attention that Bowman is not only “Home of the Rookie Card,” but more specifically home of the Oakland A’s rookie cards.

The Bowman set features a whopping seven legitimate rookie cards of Oakland Athletics players, and this does not take into account the multiple prospect cards that some people sometimes consider rookies.

We all knew that one of the big draws of the Bowman set was the first pack-seeded rookie card of Yoenis Cespedes wearing a Major League Baseball uniform.  But what I didn’t realize, and likely many others, is that there are a half-dozen other Oakland players who call the 2012 Bowman set the home of their first “official” rookie card.

Guys like Tom Milone and Brad Peacock were in 2012 Topps, but they were pictured as members of the Washington Nationals.

Take a look at this:

2012 Bowman Tom Milone rookie card #196

2012 Bowman Brad Peacock rookie card #216

2012 Bowman Jarrod Parker rookie card #213

2012 Bowman Jemile Weeks rookie card #61

2012 Bowman Michael Taylor rookie card #206

2012 Bowman Collin Cowgill rookie card #201

It should be noted that while these seven cards are considered rookie cards, four of these other players have appeared on Bowman branded baseball cards in recent years.

*Michael Taylor appeared in 2007 Bowman as a prospect card when he was with the Phillies. (2007 Bowman products)

*Jarrod Parker also appeared in 2007 Bowman as a prospect when he was in the Diamond Backs organization. (2007 Bowman products)

*Brad Peacock was in 2008 Bowman products as a Washington National.  (2008 Bowman products)

*Collin Cowgill appeared in 2011 Bowman Sterling as an autographed prospect card while featured in a Diamond Backs unform.  (2011 Bowman Sterling)