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

Birthday!T

Well, my birthday has come and went once again. This year I turned 28, and although I was scared to get older, it was an awesome day. Over the past few months, I have been planning a wedding, going to school, working a stressful job, and purchasing a home. I do not think I have ever done so much grown up stuff in a year, and I really never want to again! I am all for being responsible, but I need balance too! 5 days before my birthday day, my fiance messaged me at work asking what I really wanted for my birthday, as I was a bit mum about it this year. After much deliberating, she asked me if I would want to fly out to Tampa to be with my brother for my birthday. He is not a brother by birth, but I have known him since the day he was born, and his mom raised me through my teen years. Anyways, I immediately checked prices on flights, and the Rays schedule to see if they were in town.  The ticket prices were super low, my brother had the weekend off, and the Rays would play the Tigers at home. How perfect! I was fortunate enough to get to see David Price vs Alex Cobb, my two favorite pitchers go head to head. They did not disappoint one bit, with Price pitching 7 innings of no hit baseball. 

This was his stat line: \

David Price Line vs. Rays: Aug. 21, 2014

IP	H	R	ER	K-BB	Game Score	Pitches (Strikes)
8.0	1	1	0	9-0	87	100 (73)

Me(left), Ben (right)

Then I get back to work, and my good friend Dan @ It's Like Having My Own Card Shop surprised me with some awesome cards! Thank you so very much Dan, I truly appreciate everything you have done for me! Dan knows that my favorite Ray to collect is Alex Cobb, and also that I will gladly accept any and all Longo or Myers. In addition to these 3 awesome cards, Dan also gave me some really cool Rays cards that I did not have. Two of them were different parallels of Alex Cobb's first year card.

Gypsy Queen Alex Cobb Printing Plate
The first one I have ever gotten

Wil Myers Jumbo Boxtopper.
Super cool vintage looking card.

Once Dan got me back into the hobby a few years back, I was unaware of relic cards. The first one I bought was a Longo bat card. Now I have another Longo bat to add to the collection.

Should I Even Try To Catch Up

It has been such a long time since my last blog post, so I do not even know where to start. I have been planning for a wedding, buying a home, and just trying to balance the added stress of school and work. I drop in to read blogs, but as far as actually posting, it has been about 8 months. Since I have had so many obligations, the funds for both cards and sporting events have dwindled down.

Back in July though, I was able to purchase my first home! I am super excited to have my own space that is not an apartment. The room in the front of the house was kind of like an oversized bedroom meant to be for a larger guest room.... I needed an office though, so my fiance was happy to let me put all of my junk into one room.


I will also be able to add some new Rays/Bucs stuff to my room in a few days because I am heading out to Florida for my birthday. It was extremely last minute, but the ticket was excellent. I will be watching David Price pitch for the Tigers on Thursday at the Trop. I am super excited, and already am trying to line up a few deals from Craigslist for a couple bobbles!

Here are a few pictures of what I have done so far in my office. I have always wanted a room painted red, and now I have it!!!

The majority of my bobbleheads all shoved onto one fixture... not ideal, but it has to work for right now!

 The gold Goldschmidt and Longoria "fauxback" have found their way to my desk. Joining those two are zombie bobblehead and Derrick Brooks sacking Rich Gannon.

I tried to get a bunch of stuff in this picture, but these are a few of my favorite things. I broke my old signed Longo print's frame, so I put it in a white frame. I also had the programs for the 2011 All-Star Game and 1998 Devil Rays Inaugural game custom framed. I have a Goldschmidt auto print, a line-up card from the Tigers, a Bucs flag, and then some memorabilia from my two favorite bands. I can't forget my seat cushion.

I recently completed my Associates degree, so my fiance surprised me with this Topps Vintage sign. It is number 19/49. It is much smaller than the picture made it out to be, but the measurements were in fine print.... ah, Topps. They also say it will ship in 5 days, but it turns out being a month because they fail to mention they are made-to-order.

 This is just a shot of my desk area. The desk took me a work day to build, and I have managed to cart that old Bucs locker around everywhere I have moved since 1998. The horseshoe in the middle is from my grandmother's horse that she had when she was 8 or 9.

Presents from It's Like Having My Own Cardshop!

I finished up the work week by getting a nice little package from Dan at the blog It's Like Having My Own Card Shop. Dan has really helped me build my collection, while also becoming a good friend of mine. He was able to find this awesome Longo bobblehead that I have been actively want for some time. Also, He included a few Longo cards, and a Hellickson Jersey card! Thank you so much Dan! This is my favorite bobblehead that I own!

Cobb Triple Threads

I have been working on a PC of Alex Cobb for a while now. At the beginning of November, I impulse bought this card. It is a 2013 Topps Triple Threads Alex Cobb gold signature. I think it was $31 shipped, but I actualy forgot. I really enjoy the card, but not sure if I should have bought it. I recently almost got stuck with a 1/1 Wood Cobb card for around $70.