Barry For The Hall

Go here:

http://collectivetroll.blogspot.com/2009/08/bloggers-vote-for-hall-of-fame-contest.html#comment-form

Collective Troll has a Hall Of Fame vote contest going. VOTE BARRY!
VOTE NOW!

Brads Random Red #63

2005 Upper Deck Etchings

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Etched in Time Silver Autograph

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Ken Griffey Sr. (258 of 375)

I love this Ken Griffey Sr. auto. His big sh*t eaters grin is hilarious. Whoever smelt it dealt it Ken! LOL

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Until Next Time...

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Mahalo and Aloha, Brad

Brads Random Red #62

2002 Fleer Patchworks

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Licensed Apparel Patch

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Austin Kearns (92 of 150)

Here's a beauty of a number patch. Perfect chunk from the corner! Awesome!

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And the final card tonight...

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Mahalo and Aloha, Brad

Brads Random Red #61

2008 TriStar Refractor

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Rookie Autograph

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Jay Bruce (30 of 50)

Okay, I know. This is a minor league card but its still an awesome rookie card of an awesome Reds rookie!

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Almost Done For The Night...

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Mahalo and Aloha, Brad

Brads Random Red #60

1963 Topps (RC) & 1964 Topps

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In Person Autographs

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Jim Campbell

Crazy but brief.... I am the drafter/architect/estimator for my jobsite here in Hawaii. Well the place that I order my light fixtures at so happens to be the son of Jim Campbell. I've known his son through my company for the past few years and a xmas or two ago I gave him all the cards of his father that were released (about 12). Well I get a package a week later with signed cards and 8x10s. A month later I meet this hot blonde and we start dating. Turns out her Godfather is Jim Campbell's son. Small world/smaller island. Well a couple months later the relationship dies out and things haven't been quite the same at work with the business relationship with the son. Doh! Still got these sweet cards though!

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4th Up...

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Mahalo and Aloha, Brad

Brads Random Red #59

2008 Finest Moments

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Red Refractor Autograph

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Brandon Phillips (9/25)

Here is a sweet Brandon Phillips auto. This card is so Bradass that it has no book value due to scarcity! Nothing like having a Reds card sporting a Red Refractor finish. The only thing lacking on this card would have been a red autograph.

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Next up...

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Mahalo and Aloha, Brad

Brads Random Red #58

2005 Prime Patches M.L. Materials

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Game Used Number Patch

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Aaron Boone (44/53)

Well after a long hiatus I've found myself with a little free time so I'm back to posting our good ole' favorite Random Red cards. I've received quite a few new nice Reds cards so here's 6 to get things going. First off we have this real nice Aaron Boone Number Patch. A trifecta of sorts. Its a jersey card, with a stripe, and a patch. I love this one!

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On to the second card...

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Mahalo and Aloha, Brad

Reds Make Fail Blog!

Congrats to the Reds ground crew for making sure they get some much needed love.

http://failblog.org/2009/07/13/grounds-crew-fail/

Jumpin Jay Zus on a Nuclear Powered Pogo Stick

Am I glad I am not a paying to see the Yankees play. Either this team truly sucks this year or that stadium plays SMALL.

Cleveland
	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	LOB	Season Avg
G. Sizemore cf	4	3	3	1	1	1	0	.275
T. Crowe cf	2	0	1	1	0	0	0	.238
M. DeRosa 3b	7	2	4	6	0	1	0	.255
V. Martinez c	4	2	2	2	1	0	0	.388
K. Shoppach c	2	0	0	0	0	1	3	.286
T. Hafner dh	7	3	3	1	0	2	6	.289
J. Peralta ss	5	3	3	2	1	0	3	.333
S. Choo rf	4	2	1	3	2	2	4	.275
R. Garko 1b	6	1	2	1	0	0	1	.286
B. Francisco lf	5	3	2	0	1	2	6	.211
A. Cabrera 2b	6	3	4	5	0	1	1	.351
Totals	52	22	25	22	6	10	24

Congrats to Cleveland in this game.
That is one of the gaudiest boxes I have ever seen.
Indians 22 Yankees 4

Frank makes me happy

1958 Topps
No. 488 Frank Robinson

Just thought I would post a card of an all-time great. It's not often you see Frank Robinson smiling these days.

1958 is my second favorite set of the Fifties behind the 53 set. Bright backgrounds. Good portraits. And plenty of Reds!

Dear Topps

SCREW YOU.

I have purchased my last new product from a card manufacturer.
Over the past two weeks I have purchased
eleven boxes of your Target Series One parallel cards.

I AM STILL 69 CARDS SHORT OF A 330 CARD SET.

OUT OF 880 CARDS PURCHASED I CANNOT FIND
330 SINGLE CARDS TO MAKE A SET.

I have 7 Dusty Baker cards.
Yet I am still 69 cards short of a set.

THIS IS BULLSHIT.

There is no excuse in this day and age
for coalition as bad as late eighties products.
Two of the boxes had the exact same cards pack for pack. Even the Topps Town cards.
Three other boxes only had a packs worth of difference between them.

In the Targets I have found boxes they had no more than 3 in stock. Total. I checked. If you are going to do something like this MAKE SURE there is enough product to be sold. If you are going to only make a small amount. LET PEOPLE KNOW. The only reason I have been able to complete a Reds team set of cards is the fact that someone in another state had them and offered them.

As much as I enjoy opening packs I will no longer do so on any new product.
I have spent over $230 on boxes of this product AND DO NOT HAVE A 330 CARD SET. SCREW YOU TOPPS.

Blog Bat Around Five

After missing the past four Blog Bat Arounds due to the job I decided to join in on fifth one.
Why?

Simple:

5 is Johnny Bench's Uniform Number.

What is the best experience you have
had acquiring cards or memorabilia?

That is a simple answer for me.

Do I bore you with the story of having my photo taken with said Johnny and The Chicken as a seven year old kid? Nah.

Do you smile in awe about my meeting Cal and Eddie at a 1983 preseason game in New Orleans with Eddie messing up my hair right before Cal signed a ball "To The Squrt - Cal Ripken Jr."?
Blah, blah, blah.

Who wants to hear about the one hour limo ride talking shop with Dale Murphy?
Not Dayf.

My first post told you guys about how I started in collecting.

So hear you go:

The best experience I have ever had in collecting is the day I got the card above. A simple Fleer sticker of Johnny Bench's Uni and a Reds pennant.
Last April 20th I lost all my material things except for the clothes in my weekend pack and my keys. For the second time in just under three years I had lost it all. Another collection down the drain so to speak. What I had managed to gather in the form of Reds and sets after Hurricane Katrina were gone. Again.
It was a sick feeling.

A few fellow bloggers asked why the absence from Cincinnati Reds Cards. I sent emails letting them know. Thanks to you guys who read us and Brad's friends on The Bench, Reds cards started arriving en mass. Four cards here, twenty there. A new bat card from George Foster. A 1992 Billy Hatcher. Dave Concepcion's auto on a Fleer. Plenty of goodies that make Reds collectors all giggly as schoolgirls.

Those cards were a beacon of light as I checked the mail every few days. Seeing that this community has no problem giving (especially cards of teams they do not like) to other colllectors out of the goodness of their hearts still makes me happy. I somehow doubt you guys have a special place in your hearts for a 1979 Topps Dave Collins.

And all of the people who sent some Reds cards should smile and hold your heads high and chest puffed out knowing the cards you sent are now in a loving, happy, Cubs free environment known to me as the Salt Lake Reds Palace.

That is my greatest collecting exerience.

1979 Topps
Dave Collins
Now residing in the Salt Lake Reds Palace

1990 Topps
Chris Sabo
with a well loved corner

2000 Bowman's Best
Franchise Favorite's
Johnny Bench

Quiz Time Update

Came across this today:

http://www.sporcle.com/games/3000hits.php/

It is one heck of a quiz.
Can you name all 27 members of the 3000 hit club? I knew 25.
The hard part is getting the number of hits right.
I had 8 right. It's a lot harder than most would think.

Answers can be found here.

Good luck.

Hint *A Reds player is the first one* Hint


Looks like the quiz is no longer working. So here it is. You have 8 minutes to name all of the hitters. The date is the day they hit their 3,000th. Some are easy. Some you will have no idea. The main thing is getting the names right.

3000 9/30/1972
3007 9/24/1974
3010 8/7/1999
3020 7/15/2005
3023 8/13/1979
3053 8/4/1985
3055 10/7/2001
3060 6/28/2007
3110 9/16/1993
3141 8/6/1999
3142 9/9/1992
3152 6/19/1942
3154 9/30/1992
3184 4/15/2000
3242 9/27/1914
3255 6/30/1995
3283 7/18/1970
3315 6/6/1925
3319 9/16/1996
3415 6/9/1914
3418 7/18/1897
3419 9/12/1979
3514 5/17/1925
3630 5/13/1958
3771 5/17/1970
4191 8/19/1921
4256 5/5/1978

Happy Johnny - Mad Pudge

We haven't had a good Johnny Bench card lately so here it is:

2001 Topps
Topps Combos
TC5 Ivan Rodriguez / Johnny Bench

Every generation has two great catchers fans immediately think of. That is why this card makes sense showing Bench and I Rod together. The 1970's / 80's had Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk. Thurmon might have had it if not for the plane crash. Both guys are icons of the game for the catcher's position. Bench for being the greatest defensive catcher ever and a master field general with strong bat. Fisk for his historic home run , a gritty, long career and a decent bat. The debate between Yogi and Johnny will always play on but Johnny Bench will always be the best in my books.
Now for Ivan. From the early 1990's until about 2005 it was clearly between he and Mike Piazza for the generations best catcher. Ivan has the edge in game calling with Piazza the edge in batting. Too even for me to call.

So tie breaker goes to Johnny Bench.
Gretest catcher of the last fourty years. Period.

A Full Reds Team Set of

2008 Topps Reds Fest

4 Brandon Phillips
This guys is a great guy.
Not only does he like The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire
he models his dives after Jazz getting thrown out of the mansion.
That's AWESOME!

6 Ryan Freel
A great bench guy.
He is like Pete Rose in that he plays almost
every position on the field well.
And he is a fan of Webster? SRSLY?

19 Joey Votto
Joey led NL rookies in Batting Avg., Hits,
Home Runs, Total Bases, On-Base Percentage and Slugging Percentage.
Plus he's got the looks of a movie star.
Yeah. Those crappy movies.

21 Chris Dickerson
Dog catcher? That's funny!
He should be able chase down some lazy pop ups
from that Chicago team in the National League.
That's as close to dogs as he should get this season.

27 Jeff Keppinger
Hopefully we will all be singing
"We're off to see the World Series Trophy"
after sweeping the Los Angeles American League representatives.
I'd even settle for "Ease on Down the Basepath"

32 Jay Bruce
Yeah. You read that right.
Braves killer.
Braves.

39 Aaron Harang
I bet he has one of those Hot Rod Magazine Visa's
with the flame job background.

He's still having some control problems this Spring.
Thanks Dusty.

61 Bronson Arroyo
I want to like this guy. But he makes it hard.
On top of being a Gator fan he like the Pats.
Then he has Scarface as his favorite movie.
Add those onto the interview he gave in Boston
this off season where he stated
the Red Sox were a better team and I just can't.
Unless he beats the Mets and Chicago NL team.

Great set of cards as you can see. They came in a little folder with some player info and Redsfest XI info. It just shows that the Reds are the best team in baseball to their fans.

FOR RILLS!

A big thanks goes out to the guys at omgReds.com. Without them I might have never known about this set. But did they send me these nope. They sent them to a Cu... C... Cub...
It hurts to type it.
Cubs fan. I like JayBee, but to send some to a Cubs fan?
That's like a Yankee fan rooting for the Red Sox.
Openly.
While wearing a Jeter jersey.
In Times Square.
Next to Stienbrener.

The shame guys. The shame.