Tired. Literally, Mentally, you name it

Hi NEW Blogger universe.

Seems that a lot of things on the interwebs are changing this month.  Whos to tell if they are good or bad.

i see that this here blogger.com has changed their layout.  i have to ask ... if it aint broke, yada yada yada
also, my messageboard of choice, freedomcardboard.com has also decided to totally change their format.  i
have to admit that i dont like it.  yes, i am old.  yes, i am old fashioned like that. (holy hell i cannot spell
tonight!)  aain, if it aint broke, dont fix it.  but the powers that be on FCB have told me that it WAS broken
and needed fixin'.  well, it is their site and it is free, so what can you do.

well ive not written much here because i am tired.  i am tired because i have been working pretty much every day this
month and will continue to do so for the remainder of the minor league season for the most part.  want to get paid?
have to work for it, thats how it goes.

i also have not won all that much on eBay this month.  not having time and/or desire to look at the website will do
that to a collector.  ive won six auctions this month.  might be a career low for a month since i returned to this
habit back in 2005

been stuck in a collecting rut i suppose.  im still chasing the Topps Heritage Dragon, making some trades here and
there, but now that the release is over 6 weeks old, it might as well be 6 years old as far as wanting to trade
with people.  kind of sad it all is that in todays collecting world, products are so quickly "moved on" from.

remember collecting 30 years ago when we had three sets to collect for the whole year? miss those days.

im still working on my Post War HOF PSA Registry Set.  my wantlist is stuck at nine.  went to a show last sunday,
but wasnt able to find any.  i did walk out of there with two hobby boxes of 2012 THeritage because they were
$50 a box.  Hope to open them soon.

Hello, time for a little update

work work work work work ... you get the pictured, eh?

yep, work is back in full swing and it's taking up a lot of my time. sure there are times when i am out for a walk that i think "wow, this (or that) is a good idea for a blog" but it never comes to fruition for some reason or another.

i am still (slowly) plugging away at my 2012 Heritage set. GQ will be out in a week, so the "H" Train has officially left "Popularity Station" and thats fine by me.

havnt even been looking at eBay all that much as of late. i did manage to win a Seaver '74 PSA 8 for my collection, happy about that.

picked up some 2012 Heritage Blisters at Target, and am now at 22% done on the Blister Exclusive Black Border set. just finished last years Black Border Set last month actually.

Speaking of work, sadly it seems that my desire for cheese has come to a stand still. Being out on LI all winter means that there is no real access to being able to consume real good cheese. Now that i am back in the city six days a week, i have access, but the drive to try new cheeses seems to have gone away. i still love the aged gouda, but dont want to have it every day for fear of growing tired of it.

my blood sugar numbers have been fine, clocking in around 80 upon waking.

Sorry ive been absent lately

Have had a lot of things going on on my end.

did some yard work and am doing some house rearranging. Moved my living space into a bigger room. looks really good. pictures to be taken soon.

work starts up again on Thursday. looking forward to seeing everyone again as its been a long winter.

Ripped my case of 2012 Topps Heritage. Really enjoyed it. Hit two base autos, a Mathews Quarter (redemption) and a bunch of other nice stuff i am forgetting. im pretty close to finishing my master set. Im also adding the "Stick-ons" and thinking about the Blue and Red sets.

Hope all is well with you guys.

Take Care,
Eric
ThoseBackPages

Fruits of my "labor"

Back in January at The White Plains Show, i handed PSA a "bulk order" for grading purposes. Today i received my grades! i am very pleased with the results. Those of you that have read my blog will recognize some of the cards as they were pulled over the course of the last few months :)

1 1 19924515 MINT 9 1990 BOWMAN 382 GEORGE BRETT Card A friend of mine gave me this card, so i subbed it
2 1 19924516 MINT 9 1993 PINNACLE 131 GEORGE BRETT Card Pack pulled by myself this winter
3 1 19924517 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1993 PINNACLE 294 GEORGE BRETT Card Pack pulled by me this winter
4 1 19924518 MINT 9 1991 MOO TOWN SNACKERS 19 GEORGE BRETT Card A friend of mine gave me this card
5 1 19924519 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1993 OMAHA ROYALS 25th ANNIVERSARY TEAM GEORGE BRETT A friend of mine gave me this card. i THINK its the first to be graded as i do not see it in the pop report
6 1 19924520 MINT 9 1986 FLEER ALL-STARS 3 GEORGE BRETT Card Purchased Raw at White Plains Show
7 1 19924521 MINT 9 1993 STUDIO 25 GEORGE BRETT Card Pack pulled by myself this winter
8 1 19924522 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1993 STUDIO HERITAGE 1 GEORGE BRETT Card Pack pulled by myself this winter
9 1 19924523 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1994 DONRUSS ANNIVERSARY 3 GEORGE BRETT Card Purchased Raw at White Plains Show
10 1 19924524 MINT 9 1992 DONRUSS 143 GEORGE BRETT CardPack pulled by myself this winter
11 1 19924525 EXCELLENT-MINT 6 1991 DONRUSS HIGHLIGHTS BC-19 GEORGE BRETT CardPack pulled by myself this winter
12 1 19924526 GEM MINT 10 1987 LEAF 122 MIKE SCHMIDT Card Pack pulled by myself at the hotel room at last years National
13 1 19924527 MINT 9 1988 SPORTFLICS 35 MIKE SCHMIDT Card All Sportflics in this submission were from factory set breaks
14 1 19924528 MINT 9 1987 SPORTFLICS 30 MIKE SCHMIDT Card
15 1 19924529 GEM MINT 10 1986 SPORTFLICS 44 MIKE SCHMIDT Card
16 1 19924530 MINT 9 1989 SPORTFLICS 21 MIKE SCHMIDT Card
17 1 19924531 GEM MINT 10 1988 SPORTFLICS 28 GARY CARTER Card
18 1 19924532 GEM MINT 10 1987 SPORTFLICS 133 KEITH HERNANDEZ Card
19 1 19924533 GEM MINT 10 1988 SPORTFLICS 31 KEITH HERNANDEZ Card
20 1 19924534 MINT 9 1986 SPORTFLICS 91 GRAIG NETTLES Card
21 1 19924535 NEAR MINT-MINT+ 8.5 1991 DONRUSS ELITE 2 GEORGE BRETT Card eBay purchase. LOVE this card, tough to grade
22 1 19924536 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1986 SPORTFLICS 1 GEORGE BRETT Card
23 1 19924537 GEM MINT 10 1988 SPORTFLICS 150 GEORGE BRETT Card
24 1 19924538 GEM MINT 10 1989 SPORTFLICS 64 GEORGE BRETT Card
25 1 19924539 GEM MINT 10 1990 SPORTFLICS 214 GEORGE BRETT Card
26 1 19924540 MINT 9 1988 CLASSIC TRAVEL UPDATE II 248 GEORGE BRETT UPDATE II-BLUE Card broke a set for this card
27 1 19924541 GEM MINT 10 1989 O-PEE-CHEE STICKERS 1 GEORGE BRETT R.DARLING-100/M.BARRETT-257 Card eBay purchase
28 1 19924542 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1985 TOPPS STICKERS 268 GEORGE BRETT CardeBay purchase
29 1 19924543 MINT 9 1985 TOPPS STICKERS 188 GEORGE BRETT FOIL CardeBay purchase
30 1 19924544 MINT 9 1992 DONRUSS TRIPLE PLAY 115 GEORGE BRETT Card Pack pulled by me this winter
31 1 19924545 MINT 9 1993 FLEER FINAL EDITION DIAMOND TRIBUTE 2 GEORGE BRETT Card broke a set for this card
32 1 19924546 GEM MINT 10 1993 LEAF HEADING FOR THE HALL 7 GEORGE BRETT Card Pack pulled by me this winter
33 1 19924547 GEM MINT 10 1993 LEAF 146 GEORGE BRETT Card Pack pulled by me this winter
34 1 19924548 MINT 9 1992 STADIUM CLUB MEMBERS ONLY GEORGE BRETT MEMBERS ONLY Card A friend of mine gave me this card
35 1 19924549 GEM MINT 10 1992 STADIUM CLUB MEMBERS ONLY GEORGE BRETT MEMBERS ONLY-3,000 HITS Card A friend of mine gave me this card
36 1 19924550 MINT 9 1993 UPPER DECK ON DECK D6 GEORGE BRETT Card A friend of mine gave me this card
37 1 19924551 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1993 UPPER DECK SEASON HIGHLIGHTS HI7 GEORGE BRETT Card A friend of mine gave me this card
38 1 19924552 NEAR MINT-MINT+ 8.5 1992 UPPER DECK FANFEST ALL-STAR GAME 16 GEORGE BRETT GOLD Card COMC purchase
39 1 19924553 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1994 UPPER DECK ALL-TIME HEROES 20 GEORGE BRETT 125th ANNIVERSARY Card Purchased Raw at White Plains Show
40 1 19924554 GEM MINT 10 1994 TOPPS PRE-PRODUCTION 397 GEORGE BRETT VERTICAL Card Raw eBay purchase
41 1 19924555 MINT 9 1992 SCORE 489 GARY CARTER Card broke a set for this card
42 1 19924556 GEM MINT 10 1991 SCORE TRADED 26T GARY CARTER Card broke a set for this card
43 1 19924557 GEM MINT 10 1986 LEAF 63 GARY CARTER Card Pack pulled by myself at the hotel room at last years National
44 1 19924558 GEM MINT 10 1990 UPPER DECK 777 KEITH HERNANDEZ Card broke a set for this card
45 1 19924559 MINT 9 1990 TOPPS TRADED TIFFANY 39T KEITH HERNANDEZ Card broke a set for this card, first one graded
46 1 19924560 GEM MINT 10 1991 SCORE 89 KEITH HERNANDEZ Card broke a set for this card
47 1 19924561 GEM MINT 10 1989 TOPPS SENIOR LEAGUE 25 GRAIG NETTLES Card broke a set for this card, first one graded
48 1 19924562 NEAR MINT 7 1977 BURGER KING YANKEES 2 THURMAN MUNSON Card eBay pickup
49 1 19924563 MINT 9 1991 STUDIO 182 GARY CARTER Card Pack pulled by myself this winter
50 1 19924564 MINT 9 1991 STUDIO 62 GEORGE BRETT Card Pack pulled by myself this winter
51 1 19924565 GEM MINT 10 2002 FINEST 14 DEREK JETER Card Purchased Raw at White Plains Show
52 1 19924566 NEAR MINT-MINT+ 8.5 1996 STADIUM CLUB 123 DEREK JETER Card Purchased Raw at White Plains Show
53 1 19924567 MINT 9 2003 ULTRA 2 DEREK JETER Card Purchased Raw at White Plains Show
54 1 19924568 GEM MINT 10 2005 DONRUSS 269 DEREK JETER Card Purchased Raw at White Plains Show
55 1 19924569 MINT 9 1998 DONRUSS 100 DEREK JETER Card Purchased Raw at White Plains Show
56 1 19924570 MINT 9 1998 SCORE 22 DEREK JETER Card Purchased Raw at White Plains Show
57 1 19924571 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1999 FLEER VINTAGE 61 5 DEREK JETER Purchased Raw at White Plains Show

1991 Upper Deck Low Wax Box Rip

1991 Upper Deck Low Wax Box Rip

i picked this box up a few months ago at a show for $10. Cheap wax is just too good to pass up at shows!

This was Upper Decks first baseball release for the 1991 season. After the huge success of their 1990 "High Number" Series
that featured randomly inserted Non and Autographed "Heroes" cards of Reggie Jackson, they continued the same subset
in this release featuring Nolan Ryan in both signed, and unsigned copies of "Heroes" cards

The box was an OK time to open. i dont like how Upper Deck had the cards in a mish-mosh order in the packs. Cards upside down,
mixed with backwards, and correct leads to a frustrating pack ripping experience.

i did not score a Nolan Ryan Auto (as they are approximately 1:10,000 (yes, ten THOUSAND) packs.



Here are some of the better cards that were in the box:





i did enjoy taking a stroll down memory lane as i did open my share of these back in 1991

Thanks for the read,
Eric
ThoseBackPages

2000 Topps Series Two Jumbo Wax Rip

Picked up this box from www.bbcexchange.com
Cost $19 for 12 packs of 40 cards.



Came with a "Jumbo" box topper to boot!



The packs suffered from some "stickage" for being enclosed for 12 years i suppose.

Here are the "hits"




Overall it was an "OK" break. Perhaps do to a smaller(er) base set, there was a lot of repetition of names, and the pack sequence was also repetitive, cutting into the "fun factor" of ripping this box. But for $19, i cannot really complain.

Thanks for the read,
Eric
ThoseBackPages

Is Derek Jeter the last ...

Legendary Home Grown Yankee?

Yes, i am a Mets fan. No, unlike a lot of my friends, i do not hate the Yankees. When i was a kid, the Yankees sucked. It was that fairly small time when living in New York City meant Mets Baseball. Life was good.

But that's a story that ive told before, probably more then once.

Anywho. Topic at hand.

When i was a little kid, a few things really stick out from that time period.

Elvis dying. My Mother and her best friend were huge fans, i remember how upset they were.

John Lennon Murdered. My Father is a huge Beatles fan, so therefore so am i.

Thurman Munson dying. im a Mets fan, but remember how sad people around me were when he died.

Thurman Munson started his Yankees Career in 1969, the year after Mickey Mantle hung 'em up. Mantle replaced Joe D, the lineage goes back through the Yankees History.

After Munson died, the Yankees were without a mega-home grown star until 1982 when Mattingly was given a cup of coffee.

Mattingly carried the torch from then until Derek Jeter took hold of it.

That was 1995

1995 was 17 years ago (wow. think about that for a minute my fellow over 40ers)'

ive been a baseball fan since 1978. Yes i love the Mets, but i love Baseball.

Derek Jeter is a touch more then 3 years younger then i am. His best days are behind him on the diamond. Nothing wrong with that, we all get old.

But heres the thing, whos going to take the torch from him?

Some say Cano. But Cano turns 30 this year and has much to accomplish to be the next in the LONG line of home grown Yankee Greats. i dont think he can do it, to quote Yoda "He's too old"

for the last few years i was sold that Jesus Montero was going to be the one, the "savior" so to speak that would keep the lineage alive. Well, he was traded this winter. So no Jesus Saves will be occuring in the bronx.

Its strange to say it, but i think we're entering a time period that is not very familiar to anyone that has followed baseball for a long period of time. A time of the Yankees not having that home grown superstar.