Han Longo

The Rays recently held their annual Star Wars Day game, and I was happy to get ahold of the giveaway item. I got a package in the mail from my brother, and when I opened it, this bad boy was in there! I am not a Star Wars fanactic by any means, but I sure do like themed bobbleheads. This is my 3rd Evan Longoria bobble, and 4th Star Wars themed bobble. 

The Rays have struggled this year, and I am afraid Longo will be the next to be traded. Hopefully I am wrong, but Tampa is a sports town that is always quick to give up on their players. Longo signed a deal that is less-than the average for a player of his caliber, but to a low market team, even that can be crippling if the player is not putting up MVP type seasons. 

BOBBLEHEAD DAY!

My Wife's Uncle went on a trip to Miami in July, and happened to snag some tickets to see the Marlins play the Reds. That also happened to be Henderson Alvarez day at the park! He knows that I love bobbleheads, so he brought one back and I finally was able to pick it up! They are made by the same company that does the D-Backs, so I am not surprised that the head is slightly tilted. As a Rays fan, I was really happy when they changed their name to "Miami" because I did not like them being known as "Florida's Team".

The stadium is home to the Bobblehead Hall of Fame, and also the ugliest centerfield object of all-time. The only way I can truly describe it is that it is very Miami. I am very jealous that they have a new stadium, but there is so much about the park that is just wrong, aesthetically.

Worth mention: In the back of that bobblehead picture, you will see my Alex Cobb Military bobble that out of nowhere came unglued. I have to figure out how to fix a bobblehead,  and I will not take the common answer that they are unfixable, lol!

Garage Sale Find: Eric Byrnes

The last bobblehead that I picked up at a garage sale was Eric Byrnes. Although I will always be a Rays fan, I really enjoyed the A's in the early 2000s. Since Eric Byrnes played with them, he was someone that I rooted for here in Arizona. I think his hustle outweighed his talent, but he was fun to watch play.

A.J. Pollock Bobblehead!

 I was lucky enough to obtain one of these SGA A.J. Pollock Star Wars bobbleheads from Dan. This was the most recent Diamondbacks bobblehead, at least until Randy Johnson comes out this coming Saturday. The bobblehead looks great, but it seems to have poor craftsmanship, much like many of the recent D-Back bobbles. At the end of the light saber, there is a tiny little screw that is supposed to tighten into the hands. The problem is that there is no where to screw the bolt into, and the bolt is almost non-existent. I can't complain though, I am just happy to add another one to my collection!

 

Garage Sale Find: Mark Reynolds

Hey there Mark Reynolds! This bobblehead came from the same set I have been talking about, and also cost $3.50. There were two of them, I picked the better one, but I ended up with one that was damaged. Hopefully the seller did not do this on purpose, but not sure how it happened. I really like this bobblehead for some reason, I think it has to do with the oversized bat. 

Sidenote: I remember being really bummed that the D-Backs traded him, but I always get worried that the Rays will pick him up as their DH... 

Garage Sale Find: Chris Snyder

I picked up this Chris Snyder for $3.50, and I really like it. I know very little about Chris Snyder, but his bobblehead is great. The 2009 bobbleheads seem to be very heavy, and pretty well crafted. D-Backs have some great bobbleheads compared to other teams, but I think sometimes the paint and glue can be a total wildcard.

Garage Sale Find: OEL

This Oliver Ekman Larsson bobblehead was a SGA for the Arizona Coyotes this season. I really enjoy hockey, so it was great that I could add such a promising star to my collection. We typically go to two hockey games a year since Glendale is a bit far from my home, but we hope to go to more this year. Hopefully Glendale and the Coyotes can work out a deal that works for both sides. Seems like a broken marriage to me, but I just want them to stay in Arizona.  This only set me back $3.50!

Garage Sale Find: Justin Upton

This was the second bobblehead that I had picked up from a sale on Sunday. The seller was adamant on selling this for $10, but I got it for $3.50 along with 5 other players. Justin Upton was a fun player to watch, but also very frustrating. He was a part of one of the most fun teams I have ever got to watch play, the 2011 D-Backs. Apparently the base connects with a number of other 2009 bobbles, and the only one I did not get from the sale was Augie Ojeda. 

Garage Sale Find: Richie Sexson

I was able to find this 2004 Richie Sexson Diamondbacks SGA at a garage sale on Sunday. The seller had a number of bobbles in a box and said he was firm on selling the box for $65, but there was no chance that was happening. He had quite a few that were destroyed, but some were in very good shape. This was thankfully one of the good ones, and I paid $3.50 for it.

I actually went to the yard sale just for this bobblehead, mainly because of the ridiculous home-run he hit when I was in High School.

New Print!

When I first got into this print obsession, I found a print that had just been released, but sold out instantly. I was extremely interested because it was based off of the early 90's movie, Muppets Christmas Carol. For some strange reason, I have always had some serious love for Muppets, and that movie in particular.  So I set out to eBay, and was blown away by some listings that were in the $100-$150 range, which I was not ok with. I ended up finding the artist on Facebook because I loved his artwork, and at some point, he posted that he had just gotten back his proof prints for the Muppets piece that I wanted. I reached out, explained that i'd be interested, and he happily sold me one of the five proofs that he got back. This did kind of ruin a birthday present because my wife was actually going to get it for me :( She ended up insisting on buying it for me, so I got a B-Day present 2 months early.

After a three week journey from the UK, it finally got here. 

I then held on to it for a few weeks, took it to Hobby Lobby, and sent it off for a custom frame. After a longer-than-usual stay at Hobby Lobby, Kermit returned home! 

The print was a very weird size, I almost want to say 15x22 or something, so that was a major reason why I needed to look at a number of different options. I opted to stay away from any boarder because I did not want to take away the signature or margin. So instead, I opted for a frame that just a splash of color. 

Happy Birthday Dan!!!

Dan from the blog It's Like Having My Own Card Shop has been great to me over the years, so I had to try and find him something unique for his birthday. After searching far and wide, I found this gem! It was newly listed, and after missing out on some really good things (#'d Tomas auto, I am looking at you), I pulled the trigger on this. I will not see him for a few days, so I thought I would pull the curtain here first so that he is not in suspense!

Thanks for always being awesome, Dan!

Rays Temperature Gauge

Amazon had a great deal on this gauge last week, so I picked it up to add flair to the backyard. I can't wait to sit in my house and check out that gauge reading over 100 during the summer... Just kidding.

They have every team on Amazon, and a number of really good deals on team yard stuff.

Rays World Series Mega Ticket

I had an Amazon gift card and was looking for something unique to add to my office. I ended up finding this Mega Ticket marked down to about $15 and jumped on it immediately. When it arrived, I noticed a scratch to the canvas and that it was for Game 2 as opposed to Game 1. I let Amazon know, but they said the seller was no longer available for an exchange or refund. I was a little bummed, but shortly after receiving that email, they informed me that they were refunding me the funds, and allowing me to keep, destroy, or donate the item. Even after I said a full refund was not important, they insisted. Game 2 was actually the only game that the Rays won against the Phillies, so I guess that is a little better than the 1st. 

Here it is next to my inaugural seat cushion and program. At some point I would like to add an 8x10 auto of Larry Rothschild, so maybe ill try TTM.  

Garage Sale Find- Rivera Bobblehead

I was purchasing a few D-Backs bobbleheads at a garage sale a few weeks back, and ended up finding a Yankees bobblehead included in the lot! The coolest part was that it was a Mariano Rivera bobble that was commemorating his 600th save. After doing some research, it looks like it was a SGA at a Spring Training game, but I could not confirm it. He only cost 75 cents!

Harry Potter Print

Over the last few weeks I have become obsessed with prints! Over the course of this period, my wife has slowly started getting more into it, which is now dangerous. Her birthday is in July, but I found a print that sold out instantly a few months back, and I had to get it. She loves Harry Potter, and this may be one of the coolest ones I have seen. It is another print from the "When The Lights Go Out" collection, so it has a neat glow print underneath it.

I vowed that she would not get it until her birthday, but then she started combing through the internet trying to find one, and I had to break. It is 66/100.

Lets Go Bolts!

 The Tampa Bay Lightning are in the Stanley Cup Finals, and whether they pull off the upset or not, it has been a great ride. I picked up this awesome garden flag on eBay for $15 shipped, and I love it. I ordered it a while back to try and avoid a bandwagon look to my neighbors, but it just arrived yesterday. It has been raining since I put it out front, so hopefully that means good vibes. I had to move the Rays one to the backyard for a bit, but the Bucs flag is still in the window.

Game 2 tonight!

Longoria Walk-Up Bobble

A couple weeks ago, my wife surprised me and purchased the Evan Longoria Walk-Up bobblehead off of eBay. I had been wanting it since it released earlier this month, but I just could not find a trade partner. This just arrived yesterday, and I could not be more pleased. I know she does not frequently check this out, but thank you for being the best Erika!

It is one of the more detailed Rays bobbles, and with the base, it stands about as tall as your average bobble. Longo is standing in the on-deck circle, and one neat detail is that he has a donut on his bat! The base is hollow, but it has a speaker that is facing outwards, and once you hit that little black button, his walk-up music plays! I am a huge fan of the Rays "sunburst" logo, so to that that in the on-deck circle made me happy. This is my second Longoria bobble, and 5th total Rays bobblehead. I think I will go after the DJ Kitty bobble and Alex Cobb Gumby next.... Yes, they have an Alex Cobb Gumby... Evan did homer on his day, which is always pretty neat. Here is a video of the bobblehead and the music it plays.

Check out a video of the bobblehead, here!

Longoria Five Star- Wedding

Back in February, I got married. I never thought it would happen, but then I met the right person. 6 years later, we finally made it official. We had a great wedding, made it all about us, but kept it pretty small. When I came back from my vacation, Dan from It's like having my own card shop surprised me with the best Longoria card I have. It is a 2014 Topps Five Star Silver Signature card /20!

I love this card so much for so many reasons! Thank you, Dan! 

 Here is a picture towards the end of the night. We did our own thing, and that made everything so much better!

Print Mail Day!

 In attempt to keep posting things, I have posted another print that I recently picked up. This is a print by an artist with the handle "Arsenal Handicraft" called, "We never grow tired of eachother, the mountain and I". This particular print is 41/150, and is apart of a collection called "When The Lights Go Out:3". I missed on a Harry Potter print for my wife, so while I was trying to find something equally as cool, I found this. The man is climbing the mountain by day, and sleeping on the mountain when the lights are out.

Myers played for the Rays?

Here is a bobblehead that was sent from a family member in Florida. Last year, Myers was selected as the Rays representative for Star Wars day. It is crazy to me how old school baseball can be at times, yet Star Wars day is a thing with every MLB team. Anyways, Myers time with the Rays did not last, but this Rebel Pilot Myers bobblehead will live on forever. I love that they included the Rays "Sunburst" logo, but this one lacks Rays branding, big time. Myers was traded to the Padres in the offseason, and replaced with Steven "Strikeout" Souza Jr. Of course, in Tampa Bay sports fashion, Wil seems to be doing very well in San Diego.

In the Rays history, Myers ranks 2nd in my category of "Least Favorite Strikeout Face".

1. BJ Upton

He always would often do this with the bases loaded, and it would add to my frustration.

 2. Wil Myers

I am not sure any player (other than Jose Molina) annoyed me as much. Wil often would stand at home, staring into space after a key 'K'. 

3. Steven Souza Jr.

This guy is a phenom in the field, but this face drives me crazy. He has caught a few tough breaks when striking out, but I have never seen him not argue a call. This face is seen frequently, as he is at a major league leading 38% strikeout rate. 

Garage Sale Find: Dunking Gorilla

My Father-in-Law found this at a garage sale, and it set him back fifty cents. I have to admit, of all the teams in the Valley, the Suns get the least amount of fanfare from me. I enjoy basketball, but it is a sport that I can only watch in person. Regardless, I was happy to add this to my collection because it is a really cool concept. I have no idea why the Suns chose a gorilla as their mascot, but I am sure that it is just a Google search away.

Garage Sale Find: Todd Helton

My Mother-In-Law picked this up at a Garage Sale for a quarter, and I love it. My sister lives in Colorado, and although they are an NL West team, I have to slightly pull for them (If they are not playing the D-Backs). Todd was a great player for the Rockies, but overlooked by many due to the fact that he played at Coors Field. I don't really care where he plays his home games, the guy was great the other 81 games on the road, also. Glad to add this to my office collection.

Josh Collmenter Bobblehead Day- Saturday, May 9th.

This past Saturday was Bobblehead day at Chase Field, and although it was not a big name player, it was a fan favorite. Josh Collmenter has his second bobblehead (First was Star Wars) in as many years, and is well deserving. Josh signed this bobblehead for me, and his Topps 2014 card for my wife. I did not realize until after he signed it that this bobblehead has a slightly crooked head!

I recently joined a bobblehead trading community on Facebook, and can't help but notice the complete lack of desire for Arizona players. Many people looking to trade actually mention *No Dbacks/Brewers* on their posts which can be frustrating. Lately, I have been really wanting to find people that just want to trade, and I thought I found it, but then I realized that these people on the community were exactly what I tried to avoid. For example, the picture below. Tonight is Kershaw CY Young night, and this guy is selling them for $60 each. I get that it should not matter to me what they do with them, but I guess I just wish he would want to trade to help other people. I tried working out a deal for the most recent Longoria bobble, but the guy wanted 5 D-Backs bobbles, and $10... Sorry, but I guess i'll get it off eBay. When you buy/trade from fellow collectors, it is always cool to build a personal relationship, and that does not seem to exist in the online bobble world.

Alex Cobb Bobblehead

Alex Cobb has been one of my favorite Rays players since he came up from the minors in 2011. Since his call-up, he has consistently gotten better, and really has done a great job filling the void that both Price and Shields left. He did not pitch a game this season, as he was recovering from a "minor" strained forearm, which has since left to him scheduling Tommy John surgery. So he will likely be gone until the trade deadline next year, and have one more season under Rays control.

This bobblehead commemorates his dedication to military members in the Tampa Bay area, and it is one of the better crafted Rays SGAs. Cobber is joined by my Toothless piggy bank... Yes, I am a 28 year old man with no kids that has a piggy bank.

Gonzo Goodwill Pickup

I have been scouring just about every secondhand store across the valley to find bobbleheads or other little tidbits of sports memorabilia. Yesterday while looking for a cheap radio for my back patio, I found something that I never knew existed!

This picture does it way too much justice, as it might be the ugliest hand painted figure I have ever seen. Apparently it was given out as a SGA in 2006. Still pretty neat, and at $3.99 it was exactly what I was looking for. 

Pawnee Print

Wow, it has been a long time since my last post.

 I have realized two things in my long absence from blogging:

1. I think I have ADD or something, because I just can never sit down and post, even though I get excited to do so.

2. I buy far too little to post only about cards and stuff, so I think I will have to change it up a bit going forward. 

Anyways, my first post in sometime has to go to one of my favorite new additions to my household:

This is a Pawnee National Park print by Mark Englert. It is based off of the show 'Parks and Rec' that recently wrapped up in February. It is one of those shows that takes a bit to get off the ground, but does a great job of storytelling. Mark Englert has gotten some recent fame due to the fact that he was picked to create the first Jurassic World movie posters. His work is exceptional, and I would recommend him to anyone looking for a good looking print. Check him out at http://www.tacobelvedere.com. This print is also 175/225