In Reference to...

Thorzul Will Rule's - Whose Signature is This?

Here's my guess:

1952 Topps Satchel Paige - How To...

++ + ++=

Playing Catch-Up... AKA Getting Organized...

I have been VERY neglectful in my collecting/trading life...

Several kind readers out there have been very generous in their mailings to me. I have not been the best card/pen-pal out there.

I owe some people some packages ASAP. I promise to get on it. Really.

I am compiling gifts for Rod from Padrographs (I am working on the back of the Hayhurst card, too) and jackplumstead of The Pursuit of '80s(ness) and hope to have them shipped out this week.

I am sorely behind (read: pain in the ass) on my card gifts from Christmastime... Those are coming... If you have not yet seen yours, please drop me a reminder email.

Thanks,

Travis Peterson

Delayed Promise Division

PunkRockPaint, Inc.

Here are a couple of the completed card gifts to whet your appetitie (or empty your stomach contents.)

1983 Topps - #324 Steve Gierman

1978 Topps - #793 Jim Hall (front)

1978 Topps - #793 Jim Hall (back)

Fantasy Baseball Draft #1...

Every year I get a couple of autopick fantasy baseball teams on Yahoo!. I am in a couple of leagues already, so I decided to only get one this year. I did some minor adjustments to the pre-draft rankings, and let the mighty Yahoo! computers pick my team for me. I was picked to draft second. Hanley Ramirez was taken with the first pick. Here's what I got:

1. (2) José Reyes
Getting the second pick in an autopick draft is always good. You know that you'll get a good player, and sometimes you get a nut that ranks his favorite player first. A couple of years ago I got Albert Pujols with the fifth pick because the #1 spot took Derek Jeter and #4 took Jason Giambi. José sets me up for stolen bases, runs, and batting average. He's got enough power that he can help me with HRs too. (Good Pick)


2. (23) Lance Berkman
It is a long time between picks when you pick at the top of the draft. You can always get a top player in the 2nd round. Berkman was a reach here. Yahoo! ranks him too high based on his 18 stolen bases last year... I'll be happy if he breaks double digits this year. I see him as more of a mid-third round pick. (Slight Reach)


3. (26) Carlos Beltrán
Only a couple picks between my #2 and #3. This was probably the same choice I would have made if I was drafting live. Carl Crawford was still available, and one of these years he's gonna hit more homeruns. Carlos is the safer pick here. (Good Pick)


4. (47) Aramis Ramírez
Aramis is consistant, and I needed a 3B. This is the spot where I normally pick the best available bat. If I were drafting live, I probably would have gone with Alexei Ramirez instead of Aramis here. Second base is harder to fill than third. Ryan Zimmerman will be available three rounds from now. (Passable)


5. (50) Russell Martin
I would have taken Jake Peavy here to anchor my pitching staff. I would have regretted the pick the second he gets traded from my Padres. I could have picked Victor Martinez in either of the next two rounds. As much as it pains me to say it about a Dodger... (Good Pick)


6. (71) Hunter Pence
He is probably the best outfielder left on the board at this point. If I would have gone with an outfielder last round and waited for a different catcher, I could have upgraded to Dunn, McLouth, Rios, or Granderson. It wouldn't have been that big an upgrade though. (Passable)


7. (74) Magglio Ordóñez
Not too happy with this pick. He had a great season in '07, which inflated his rankings in '08. I think that I could have got comparable stats in later rounds. Luckily, there's a Tigers fan in the league. I am not one of those guys that will offer him an uneven trade knowing that he really wants Maggs. I am currently asking for Matt Kemp... I hate the Dodgers, but I hope he bites on the trade proposal. (Poor Pick)


8. (95) Ryan Doumit
Aaaaugh!!! I would never take another catcher at this point! Doumit is a good player, but not well-known enough to make for good trade bait... I'll be covered if Martin gets hurt, but pissed if he remains healthy all season. (Bad Pick)


9. (98) Howie Kendrick
I would have been happy with this pick two years ago, when there was potential for a breakout season. He hasn't done much to impress me... yet. He was more useful when he had 1B elligibility. (Passable)


10. (119) Carlos Mármol
A little early for me to take a closer. I prefer to poach saves from the waiver wire in Public Leagues. (Passable)


11. (122) Matt Cain
Good pitcher. Hopefully the Giants win more when he pitches (against teams other than my Padres.) (Passable)


12. (143) Chris Young
Can't complain about getting a Padre. If he stays healthy, this will be a great pick. (Good- Read:Padres- Pick)


13. (146) Brian Fuentes
Passable closer on a good team. This pick could work out well. I still prefer waiting until the "up for grabs" closer jobs get sorted out closer to the end of spring training (Passable)


14. (167) Erik Bedard
Injured pitcher on a bad team. If he gets healthy, he won't hurt me at this pick. I would have been happier with this pick about three rounds later. (Reach)


15. (170) Johnny Cueto
Hopefully he will break through after a rough end to his rookie season. Even if he doesn't improve, he'll be one of the anchors of my staff. (Passable)


16. (191) Hong-Chih Kuo
I prefer taking middle relievers in the last couple of rounds. For my fantasy team, I hope Broxton flounders as the closer for the Dodgers. In the real world, I hope the entire Dodgers pitching staff falls apart. (Reach)


17. (194) Carlos Delgado
He struggled early last year, but was MVP calliber for a good majority of the year. Because I have two catchers, my DH/Utility spot fell to me in the 17th round. (Good Pick)


18. (215) Adam Lind
If I am picking for potential this year, I am grabbing Travis Snider. Lind is gonna hit. Hopefully, he hits early and I can trade him for a decent second baseman. (Passable)


19. (218) Paul Konerko
Um, I can't play three first basemen... I would have taken another pitcher here. (Bad Pick)


20. (239) Oliver Pérez
It is an odd-numbered year, so Ollie's gonna have a good year. He had more wins than any of my other pitchers last year. I own a game-used, autographed jersey from his rookie year with the Padres. Gotta say... (Good Pick)


21. (242) John Smoltz
Usually not a bad pick to take a veteran pitcher with your last pick in a draft. I usually prefer to pick a prospect here. It rarely works for me, I guess Yahoo! knows best. (Passable)

Burns so good...

This new blog should be fun!

Of course, you may end up seeing this every time you close your eyes for a few weeks...

PunkRockPaint, inc. will not be held accountable for any permanent retinal damage, temporary blindness, vertigo, or disorienting flashbacks to the early '90s that may be caused by visiting the 1992 Upper Deck Explained Blog. Please visit at your own risk (and the risk of future generations that will be born without retinal cones as a genetic adaptation to the 1992 Upper Deck Explained Blog.)

Ticky Tack...

Goose Joak Originals...

I have always wanted to design my own baseball cards. One of these days I will stop stealing designs from others and make my a set of my own. When that day comes, all credit will be due to Dave over at Goose Joak. ( I have always wanted to ask what a Goose Joak is... but I am fairly certain it is from the same species as a henway or a piecost. I'd rather not look foolish like my good friend Stuart "Stu" Pedasso.)

Well, I sent my first batch of photos over to Goose Joak. They ran them through their Card-o-lator 3000 machine and sent me my first copy.

2009 Goose Joak Originals - Jake Peavy #SDP-JP

Pretty sweet!

This Just In...

The latest craze to hit the baseball card world:

Blog Used Cards!!!

This is the first news story that PunkRockPaint has broken! We are extremely proud to be the first to bring you the news.

When baseball card news breaks... we fix it!

Read Things Done to Cards Post Before This...

Please read my post on Things Done To Cards before checking out the stunning conclusion below...

2000 Fleer Greats of the Game - Willie Randolph "Autograph"

It must be the Ultra Rare Invisible Ink version...

2005 Bowman Heritage - Troy Glaus "Game Used Bat"

No, that isn't a piece of white jersey. It is not even a cut out minus the bat piece... They didn't even bother to punch out the white section where the bat should be...

Nice. I love them anyway.

Trying to Gauge Interest...

Would anyone care to join a Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball league with me? I am thinking standard scoring, but head-to-head...

http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/cardblogleague

The league is alive! Email me for the password: travis at punkrockpaint dot com

Blog Bat Around #4

I decided to wait until the #4 spot in the order came up before I would take my hacks.

From Dinged Corners, the question(s) this time:

Which baseball card or set do you believe will be valuable in ten years? In other words, no matter what happens with the player(s) or industry going forward--injury, steroid accusations, drugs, gambling charges, the demise or ascendancy of Topps, Donruss and Upper Deck--what single card or set from baseball cards past or present do you believe is an absolute BUY and HOLD?

Valuable is term that I stopped using a long time ago. I forced myself to stop thinking that my collection is valuable. Something only has value if you can sell it. I have never put any real effort into selling cards.

As to what card or set will be valuable in ten years... I look forward to everyone else's answers.

Of course, I will always value Tony Gwynn cards. His 1983 Topps card will always hold a special place in my heart.

As for BUY and HOLD... I am waiting for the complete set of Goose Joak Originals to be completed. You can't beat the BUY price, and they have nowhere to go but up!

Turning Treasure into Trash...

I got my first pack of 2009 Upper Deck today. I was surprised to pull one of the 2009 Historic Firsts Predictor cards. I guess they are not very rare, but this card really caught my eye. Just yesterday, the Dinged Corners blog had posted the photograph used on the card! Strange coincidence?

Tony Gwynn - a History (Part 9-16)...

Everybody knows the history and statistics of Tony Gwynn's career. I would like to see who knows the most...

Send an email to me with an interesting story and a brief statistical breakdown of the seasons that correspond to the following cards:

1979 Topps - Tony Gwynn #100

1980 Topps - Tony Gwynn #250

1981 Topps - Tony Gwynn #19

1981 Fleer - Tony Gwynn #17



1981 Donruss - Tony Gwynn #88

1982 Topps - Tony Gwynn #400

1982 Fleer - Tony Gwynn #19

1982 Donruss - Tony Gwynn #75

Don't feel like you have to submit an entry for each card. Send whatever you like to travis@punkrockpaint.com

Thanks for your help.