Georgia Peach and the Babe

So today I thought I would share my Ty Cobb & Babe Ruth autographed piece with you. This features a photo of the two all time greats and signed checks from each. Check it out -



No, the signatures are not real. They are very good copies of the original checks. However, I still think it's cool as heck and looks very nice behind glass on my wall of fame.

Tigers and Pistons and Bad Boys... Oh my!

Hi friends. Happy Monday to you. I hope you had a great weekend and were able to keep warm in the sub zero temperatures we experienced.

I know I promised you that I'd have some Red Wings autographs to share with you the next time we got together, but I've decided to share a couple other cards first. Maybe because they were easiest to get to in my basement.

2002 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Alan Trammell Autograph

I love this card. Anyone that grew up a Tiger fan in the early 80's was a fan of Alan Trammell. You may not have admitted it then, and may not want to admit it now, but you were (are).

The 1994 World Series MVP, Tram played 2293 regular season and 13 post season games for the Tigers from 1977-1996. He was a six time all star and finished second in American League MVP voting in 1987. He also won four Gold Gloves.

2003 Upper Deck Legends Bill Laimbeer & Chucky Daly Autograph

Sorry about the flash spots on the cards. Guess I should have turned the light on before taking the picture of these two cards.

I struggle to say that I'm a Piston fan any more, because I cannot stand the NBA. Maybe I'm a closet Piston fan. I do try to keep up with the team, to see what they are doing. But I cannot force myself to sit and watch a game any more. I honestly believe that the NBA games are partially fixed.

Back in the day when I was a fan, there was nobody I was a bigger fan of than Bill Laimbeer. He's truly one of the great Pistons of all time.

Coach Daly. Need I say more?

Okay, looks like I need to go outside and move some more snow off the driveway... Good times. I'll catch you later.

Two All Time Tiger Greats

Hey everyone! Welcome back. I hope you are having a good weekend and staying warm. Dude, it's cold outside.

As promised, I got a couple of cards in the mail this week that I bought on EBay, and I thought I would share them with you. These are two great cards that are fantastic additions to my collection.

2010 Topps Tribute George Kell Autograph 34/99

Interestingly enough, George Kell passed away March 24, 2009. I'm guessing (hoping) that Topps was sitting on these autographed seals for future use. Who knows, maybe the fine folks at Topps have connections...

2004 Fleer Greats of the Game Bill Freehan Autograph

I hear that, because of health issues, Bill Freehan does not sign autographs any more. I hope his health isn't that bad.

I'm still looking to add some more Tiger greats to my autograph collection, but as you know the finances are not where they should be. Maybe next time I'll share some of my Red Wings autograph cards with you.

Talk soon!

Hi Mr. Ciccarelli

Greetings one and all. Welcome back. Yesterday, 01/16/11, I packed my wife and son, along with a brother in law and sister in law, in to the Chevy and made a trip to Sterling Heights to meet one of my hockey heroes. No, not Basil McRae. It was Dino Ciccarelli. He was doing an autograph signing at DC Sports in the Lakeside Mall.

Dino could not have been friendlier to Benjamin. My little guy walked up to him and said "Hi Mr. Ciccarelli", as we had practiced. He then went on to tell him how much he loved hockey and that he got to go on the ice and play. It was then that Dino told him to come around to the other side of the table to get his picture taken with him. Holly had the iPhone 4 camera going, and here is the picture we got of Benjamin with Dino -



Now, as I mentioned, it was an autograph signing. Not only did I get the item I wanted signed, but Dino asked Ben if he could sign his jersey! How cool is that? I paid to get my autograph, but Dino asked Ben if he could sign his jersey!



Benjamin was on cloud nine after Mr. Ciccarelli signed the jersey. He told me he wants to keep it forever. Good kid!! I knew I was bringing him up right.

As for me, I did get a jersey number signed by Dino. I also bought an 8X10 picture to frame with the jersey number. Here's a picture of it. Not the best, as it's already behind glass and you can see glare and shadows on the picture. But, unless you come over to see it in person, it's the best you're going to get!



That's all I've got for now. Unfortunately, DC Sports didn't have any cards for me to open. I have bought a few on EBay so as soon as they get here I'll let you see them.

My Favorite Card

I've had a few people ask me what my favorite card is. This is an easy one for me, and I'm not really all that sure why. When I think back about how long I've "collected" cards, the first card I ever remember owning is this one-



1977 Topps Aurelio Rodriguez

I know that Aurelio was not really all that great of a ball player, but he was pretty much money at third base for the Tigers, winning a Gold Glove in 1976.

He was traded to the Tigers on October 9, 1970 along with Ed Brinkman, Joe Colman and Jim Hannan in exchange for Elliott Maddux, Denny McLain, Norm McRae and Don Wert. On December 7, 1979 he was purchased from the Tigers by the San Diego Padres for $200,000. He then went on to play for the Yankees, Blue Jays, White Sox and Orioles before his career ended at the end of the 1983 season. He finished with a Brandon Inge like career batting average of .237!

WJR Broadcaster Paul Carey, who at that time was alternating with Hall Of Famer Ernie Harwell, used to refer to Rodriguez' arm as a Howitzer. Every time the Tigers would play the Yankees, the late Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto would eventually get a chance to see a Rodriguez throw a "rising" fastball across the infield. "There's that arm," Scooter would say. "If I had an arm like that . . .!"

In an appearance on the Yes network by several great third basemen, George Brett once commented on Rodríguez's arm, saying to all (but particularly to the Phillie Great Mike Schmidt) "You remember that guy? He would toy with you and pound the ball in his glove and you were still out by 10 feet!"

Sadly, on September 23, 2000, Rodriguez was visiting Detroit from his home in Mexico. While he was walking with an unidentified woman on Detroit's southwest side at 2 p.m., a car jumped the curb and ran over him. The driver of the car was driving with a suspended license and had been ordered not to drive because of a previous brain aneurysm; she was charged with felony manslaughter but received only probation. Rodriguez, who had to be pulled from under the car, was 52 at the time of his death. Rodriguez' funeral in Mexico was attended by thousands of people, including the president of that country. His tomb is located in the stadium Emilio Ibarra Almada from Los Mochis, Sinaloa and his cross stands at the top of the stadium.

An intersting note of baseball card trivia, the photo on his 1969 Topps baseball card is actually Angels batboy Leonard Garcia.

Strasburg Mania. Is It Dead??

Not much going on these days in the world of sports card pulls. I can't get too excited about a 2005 Topps Chrome Andy LaRoche or Michael Bourn rookie. Yes, I was trying (hoping) for a Justin Verlander rookie when I bought that pack. I was pleased to get two rookies, but sad I didn't get the one I wanted.

I did get this yesterday -

2010 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Chrome Stephen Strasburg

Not sure if that's a good thing these days, or not. Too bad I didn't get that before he blew out his elbow! The card has no sentimental value to me, so I slapped it up on Ebay to see if I could get a couple bucks for it, maybe make up the cost of the pack. We'll see!

That's about all I've got for today. Hopefully I'll be back really soon with something awesome to show you from a great pull. Until then, happy shredding!!

Sports Cards!!

As you may, or may not know, I like to collect sports cards. I have not been able to purchase as much as I like to, due to my job loss. But, I'll still pick up a pack or two when the opportunity presents itself.

I don't know what it is I like about collecting sports cards. I know I don't do it for the investment. I guess the thought of having a card of my favorite player is a big thing for me. Plus, there's always the chance of pulling a card that's valuable that I can flip on Ebay for a few quick bucks to get something else.

Here are a few of my favorite pulls that I've recently gotten.


2009-10 Upper Deck Artifacts Silver Steven Stamkos 28/75


2010 Topps Prime Marcus Easley Autograph 023/599


2010 Topps Update Vintage Legends Ty Cobb

2009-10 Upper Deck Ice Glenn Anderson Jersey

2010-11 Upper Deck Black Diamond Jakub Voracek Quad Jersey

OK, that's all I've got for now. Keep coming back and I'll keep updating with more fantastic, or not so fantastic, cards that I get.

Happy Freaking New Year...

Well, friends, here we are. 2010 is gone, put to bed and behind us. As I mentioned before, 2010 can kiss my ass. I'm thankful that it's done and we're in to 2011. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad. Michigan elected a Republican Governor, we're one year closer to the end of the Obama administration. But, let me get a little more personal for you.

The worst part for me was losing my job in November. That filled me with some serious heartbreak. I loved my job and the people I worked with. It pains me to know that some of the people I considered to be very good friends may have thrown me under the bus to ownership, which resulted in me being shown the door. I think I'm mostly over my heartbreak and am now just filled with bitterness. I do miss some of my former co-workers very much.

The job loss did help me to see some goodness in people. There have been so many people that have told me they are praying for us. So many people that have helped out in ways I never imagined. So many people that gave us cash, gift certificates for groceries or other things we needed. Things that we are so thankful for. Oddly enough, I feel so let down by a handful of the people I used to work for, but it's also restored my faith in humanity.

As I said, it wasn't all bad. The major highlight for me and my family was Benjamin starting pre-school this year. It was such an amazing feeling taking him to his first day of school. I was such a proud daddy. I do have to admit that leaving him at school to go to work was quite hard on me. I was emotional, and did touch cloth. Benjamin is such a good boy. So smart, polite and funny.

I took two trips to Walt Disney World with my family. April, it was my entire family minus a couple of nephews and a niece. That was to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday, and it was a whole bunch of fun.

Then we went back in August. Just Holly, Benjamin and me for five days. That was an awesome trip. It was hotter than we thought it would be, but we had a great time. We tried several things that we were unable to do on the previous trip, and really enjoyed a great trip.

Some of the other highlights of 2010 included Toy Story 3, Mumford and Sons, Cherryfest and 4th of July fireworks. Red Wings games at JLA with our friend Laura, poker nights with my buddies, and Words With Friends on my iPhone.

We all lost a friend when Ernie Harwell passed away. I didn't play a single round of golf in 2010.

2010 is history. 2011 is upon us. Let's hope it's a great year for everyone! I wish happiness, health and prosperity for all of you.