A little bit of this, A little bit of that

Got a little bit of everything here today in this post. First I want to start by thanking the following people, Matt from A Giant Blog, Kerry from Cards on Cards, Greg from Night Owl Cards, Steve from A Baseball State of Mind, Jeff from Card Junkie and of course Steve from the Easy Life and anyone else whose package I may have missed. Unfortunately I got so many and they got all mixed up so other than the posts I already put up I am so scrambled on who gave me what but they are all appreciated very much. I also, as I've said in the past, don't have a scanner so its hard for me to get stuff on when I get it. Since I could only do a few individual posts I wanted to do a big group thanks to you all.

I also want to send another thank you to Card Cache for running his 2009 Allen and Ginter contest. I was one of the 9 winners chosen, well 8 really, damn you Beardy. That was a really cool thing to do and really appreciated. Thanks to Card Cache I am the new owner of, Prize E: Lot of 46 Mini's, both base and SP.

You'd think I won an award or something with all the thank you's. While I'm at it I may as well also thank the Academy. "You like me, you really like me!"

Moving on. August 15 was my birthday and I was finally able to get a copy of this so even though it more than two weeks later I gotta post it. My mother made me this cake for my birthday.


Starry Night is my favorite painting. I have a huge print over my bed in my bedroom. I could not believe when my mom showed me this. It blew my mind. And those are all cupcakes. I think its insane.



Here's another pic with the border she used to make it look framed. Amazing! If ya can't tell, yes I am a Momma's boy. And in honor of Starry Night, one of my favorite cards.


He likes hanging out with the yo-yo champ and the electron in the Milky Way. Damn, I love Allen & Ginter!

Finally today I want to leave you with a trailer you may or may not have seen. Unfortunately Youtube has disabled the embed funtion for it but please follow the link below to view iti On February 12, 2010, I will be in the movie theater for the first showing. Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro in the remake of The Wolfman. I have a problem with sequels. Mostly just because they usually suck in comparison to the original but there are some which I have enjoyed, 13 Ghosts, House on Haunted Hill (Though the original was much better), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Again, original better but remake good as well) and Quarantine just to name a few. But this movie looks amazing and with the all-star cast that it has I can not wait to see this film! The countdown begins.

The Wolfman 2009

1987 Topps set Complete - Thanks to My Giant

Got a package from Matt over at A Giant blog which helped me close out my 1987 topps set. The woodgrain is finally finished. I know a lot of people like this set but I never really got into it too much. I've always been an 86 man myself. Which I am very close on. (hint hint everyone). I also got a bunch of 89 Donruss but none of them were on my list. Thats cool though got some good cards though including a Darryl Strawberry and a Dave Winfield.

I only needed 3 more cards for the set and here they are.




I needed 2 Pete Rose cards and a checklist. There's just something about that that I find hilarious. I've been going nuts for these cards for I don't even know how long and 2 are the same player and a checklist. Well thats another set down. Thanks again Matt. This one's for you.



Ha thats like the worst movie ever made

Halloween 2 (2009)

I'm going to start first by saying, I like Rob Zombie. I like his music, I like his other movies, House of 1000 Corpses & The Devil's Rejects and I love his wife. Sheri Moon is hot. But I just do not like his vision of the Halloween series. I absolutely hated the first one. My major problem was the original revolved around Jamie Lee Curtis's character where as in Zombie's version her character doesn't even show up until almost an hour in and the character is just plain forgettable and seems almost like an after thought. So when I heard there was going to be a Zombie sequel I expected the worst. However after seeing the trailer I thought it looked a million times better than the first one so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Picking up right where the first film left off, Laurie is taken to the hospital after supposedly killing the man who was responsible for the deaths of several people in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois. However, her stay at Haddonfield General becomes very brief when a very much alive Michael appears once more, brutally murdering everyone in the hospital to find his sister. Michael disappears, and Laurie survives the infamous Halloween massacre, but is still haunted by it a year later. Laurie struggles to come to terms with her dark past, or at least forget it. But the supposedly dead Michael Myers has other plans, and as the anniversary of his massacre approaches, he returns to Haddonfield once more, with a family reunion planned that Laurie will never forget.

While the film starts off looking like its going to be a remake of the original after about 10 - 15 minutes you see that just like the first film it is definitely a completely different movie. Maybe its because of the original being a horror movie classic or maybe its because Jamie Lee Curtis was so great in her role but I cannot stand Scout Taylor-Compton in the role of Laurie. I think she is a horrible actress and does a horrible job playing a once great heroine.

The movie was however, as I expected, better than Zombie's first shot at the Halloween series. Some great death scenes, great gore and sound effects really add to this movie. Overall though its not something that I think you should dish out X amount of dollars to see in the theaters it isn't a bad movie. But definitely one you wait to see on cable. 3 Burning Skulls. Enjoy the trailer and pleasant dreams.

TTM - Lee Smith

Today's autograph is a man who deserves to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, hands down, no questions asked. The fact that he is not in the Hall in my eyes is an absolute travesty. I am speaking of the former saves record holder Lee Smith.



Lee Smith was born on December 4, 1957 in Shreveport Louisiana. He pitched for 8 teams over an 18 year career in Major League Baseball. He was scouted by great Negro League Player, Buck O'Neil, and drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the second round as the 28th overall pick in the 1975 Major League Draft. Smith started his career as a starting pitcher but struggled in the minors and was moved to the bullpen in 1978. Smith was not happy with the move and tried his hand at college basketball instead at Northwestern State University. In 1979 at the request of former Cubs outfielder, Billy Williams, Smith returned to the AA Midland Cubs as a reliever and played so well he was promoted to AAA in 1980. With the Cubs struggling in last place that year he was given a September call-up.

Smith made his Major League debut on September 1, 1980 against the Atlanta Braves. Smith pitched one inning, giving up no hits, striking out one and walking two. He finished the season with the Cubs and was invited back in 1981 mostly as a middle reliever. A poor pitching year was broken up by the 1981 Baseball Strike. He finished that year with a 3.51 ERA.

The 1981 Cubs closer, Dick Tidrow, had a horrible year and in 1982 Smith, Willie Hernandez, and Bill Campbell all shared closing duties. Smith pitched so well he even started 5 games in 1982. He credits returning Cubs star, Ferguson Jenkins with helping him simplify his delivery and teaching him the forkball and the slider. In 1982, in what would be his last career start, he picked up his first Major League hit, a homerun, against Hall of Famer Phil Niekro. He only managed 2 singles for the rest of his career. He saved 17 games in 1982.

In 1983 he was chosen for his first All-Star appearance though he did not fare well surrendering 2 runs. Although the Cubs continued to lose Smith was pitching great finishing the year with career best 1.65 ERA and 29 saves. He received 1 point in the Cy Young balloting and 8 points in the MVP ballots. He spent his longest tenure with the Cubs pitching for them from 1980 - 1987.

Smith also played for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, Cincinnati Reds, and Montreal Expos before retiring in 1997. He finished his career with, at the time, a Major League Record 478 saves and a 3.03 ERA. In 1991, Smith set a National League record with 47 saves for the St. Louis Cardinals and was runner-up for the league's Cy Young award; it was the second of three times he led the NL in saves, and he later led the American League, once while with the Baltimore Orioles in 1994. He also set the major league career record for games finished (802), and his 1,022 career games pitched were the third most in history when he retired; he still holds the team records for career saves for the Cubs (180), and he also held the Cardinals record (160) until 2006. He is a 7-time All Star, 3-time Rolaids Relief Man of the Year, once in the AL and twice in the NL.

Give me one good reason why this man shouldn't be in the Hall!!!

A Trip to the Card Shop

Last weekend I went to the local card shop looking to eliminate some cards from my want lists. They have tons of 10 cent commons so Steve, from The Easy Life, and I spent 5 hours going through boxes of cards. I left with just under 800 cards from my lists. Got a lot closer on a lot of sets. I am now only a few away on the 2006 & 2007 Topps sets. I'm so close I can taste it. Anyway, as I was going through the boxes I came across a set that I fell in love with. 1995 Studio. Here's a front and back view for those of you who are not familiar with the set.



I love the look. I love the way they look just like credit cards right down to the last detail. I was able to find 30 cards from this 200 card set. After very little deliberation I knew I had to have them. It went something like this.

(Joe) Wow. I really like these cards. Maybe I should grab them. I don't know, I'm just trying to buy cards I need right now.

(Steve) Oh just get them, you know you want to.

(Joe) OK

And that was that. However after getting them home and looking online it is very hard to locate boxes of these cards. Thats where you all come in. (Hopefully) I've added a new want list for this set up and I'm asking for your help to finish it.

I don't know what it is with me. I seem to have a thing for weird cards. I love this set because of their interesting look. I love the A & G sets for their non-baseball cards. I mean c'mon who doesn't want a baseball card thats an electron ala 09 A & G. That just makes me laugh. And for some reason I have to have them.

This has given me an idea. All of the blogs I read on here have their own quirk when it comes to cards they collect. Whether it be their favorite team ala White Sox Cards, A Giant Blog, or Thoughts & Sox or Night Owl who loves collecting great cards taken at night. Well I have a request. I want to start collecting weird cards. Cards that have a unique look, have players doing weird or funny things or baseball cards that have absolutely nothing to do with baseball.

If you know any full sets I should check out let me know. Or if you have some cards that you think I would appreciate please let me know. Your assistance is always appreciated.

Fresh Meat

I know most of the people that read this site are card collectors but I have come across some great blogs which I have added to my scroll and wanted to give you all a heads up about them because they are all great in their own special way.

Final Girl - This is a great horror movie site. Good reviews (much better than I could ever do) and a great sense of humor make this site lots of fun. She also talks about a lot of obscure stuff you may not otherwise hear about in the horror world.

Drunken Severed Head - I really like this guys site. A lot of personal experience stuff here but all horror a macabre related. Great read.

Frankensteinia - A site dedicated entirely to Frankenstein. He talks movies, comics, masks, cons, zines, anything and everything to do with everyones favorite monster Frankenstein.

Beautiful Wrestling - Great site dedicated to the women of professional wrestling. Great picture of some of the most beautiful women in the world and reports on what these ladies can do in the ring.

Steve's Wrestling Blog - great site for news and results. Steve details weekly shows as well as Pay Per View's in great detail. Very good read.

So please feel free to check out these sites. Help a Blogga out!

Frankenstein - 1931

Here is another great card that I got from Night Owl.





Why am I putting up a card of Mary Shelley you ask? Because this is the very talented woman who penned the classic, Frankenstein. Which is today's movie of the day.

Dr. Frankenstein is trying to create life from death. After being shunned by the medical community he previously worked with he has been reduced to stealing bodies from local graves and putting his creature together piece by piece until there's only one piece left, the brain. His assistant (not Ygor, he doesn't show up until a couple movies later) steals a brain from the local university. However the brain he steals is actually a murderer's brain. Once pieced together Frankenstein's monster is brought to life but Dr. Frankenstein and his colleagues are unable to contain the monster and he breaks free. Once out in the open the town mobs together to destroy the monster, but can they destroy what is essentially already dead?

This movie is definitely a classic and Boris Karloff is amazing as the monster. You may be wondering why I keep calling him the monster and not Frankenstein. Well that is because that was his name, the monster. In all of the movies he is never actually named. The name Frankenstein comes from his creator, Dr. Frankenstein. I'm not to sure what I can say about this film that has not been said over the years but it is a great movie to see.

The thing I love most about this film is the pity you feel for Karloff as the Monster. The more you watch the more you realize that this movie is a parody on society. Frankenstein himself does not act out at all unless someone treats him bad. Which is evidenced by his interaction with the little girl. Frankenstein himself even with a killer's brain was not a killer, more of a misunderstood soul. The film shows how we as a society try to destroy and hate all that we do not understand.

I will say this is not my favorite of the Frankenstein films. To be honest I think the best was the sequel Bride of Frankenstein. You felt even more for the monster and the special effects, yes thats right I said special effects, for a movie made in 1935 are amazing.

The original though still is a landmark in cinematic history and gets 4 burning skulls from me. Please enjoy the trailer below and again thanks to Night Owl for the card. Pleasant Dreams!

Contest

There is a great contest going on right now over a Card Cache, If you haven't already checked it out you definitely should. Lots of great 09 A&G giveaways. Check it out!

Trade With Night Owl

When I got back into blogging after some months off I was very happy to see that everyone (for the most part) was still running great sites. One of my favorite reads has to be Night Owl. He always has good, long and interesting posts. I recently sent him some cards from his want lists and I just got a package back. The first thing I have to say is a big thank you. I got about 150 2006 Topps off my list, also some 08 A&G, 08 Topps, and 08 Heritage. But thats not all. Two days later I received an envelope in the mail saying he forgot to include these 2 cards.



This card is based on whats known as the "Surgeon's Photograph"




It was taken in 1934 and is probably the most famous picture of "Nessie" It was, at the time, considered good evidence for the existence of the Loch Ness Monster due to it showing the head and neck of the creature where as prior photographs only showed humps and water disturbances. It was supposedly taken by Robert Kenneth Wilson of London and published in The Daily Mail in April 21 1934. When it ran Wilson refused to have his name run with the picture and with him being a doctor came the name Surgeon's Photograph.

This card however could just as easily been in the Hoax sub-set as many years later it was revealed that the photo was a fake. A man by the name of Christian Spurling who formerly worked for The Daily Mail was the one who actually sent it in to the paper. It was actually a toy submarine with carved wood for the head and neck. He sent it in after his father-in-law was ridiculed by the publication.




Also from my favorite sub-set we have The Vampire. I love vampires. Always have. I love reading about them, and watching movies about them. All the way back to the silent movie classic Nosferatu, which at the time was considered so scary people actually fainted in the audience while watching it. Here's a picture.



The scene with him rising straight up out of his coffin stiff as a board is still one of my favorite cinematic moments ever. For any other Vamp fans out there I recommend Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse Series of books. They have been turned into the very popular HBO series True Blood which is also very good. It is a different take on the whole Vampire idea. In both the show and book the Vampires "Come out of the Coffin" and admit to the world they are real and try to live in modern society. Very Interesting.

Well I think i've gone on enough of a tangent here. Just wanna say thanks again to Night Owl. I will keep my eyes peeled for anything you need in the future. And between Night Owl, another package I got which I will mention in a future post, and a recent trip to the card store I am VERY close to completing the 2006 Topps Set. Please help me finish this one off.

2CW

2CW otherwise known as Squared Circle Wrestling is a local independent wrestling company run out of Syracuse, NY. They travel through the Upstate, NY region putting on shows in Syracuse, Binghamton, and Watertown amongst other places. They have recently started branching out and will begin doing shows in PA and MA.

Their slogan is "Where Wrestling is the Entertainment" And nothing could be more true. They work their storylines right into the matches and pre-match interviews. So when you go to their shows, instead of seeing two hours of soap operas you get 3 plus hours of wrestling.

They have their own group of local talent who live in Syracuse and work their shows on a regular basis but they also bring in talent from ROH and TNA as well. We have also gotten to see former WWE stars such as Scotty too Hottie, The Blue Meanie and Hacksaw Jim Duggan. From ROH we have gotten El Generico, Nigel McGuiness, Bryan Danielson, Die Hard Eddie Edwards and All Money is Legal. From TNA we have seen A.J. Styles, Homicide, The Motor City Machine Guns, and Samoa Joe.

The show has an old ECW feel to it. The fans really do become part of the show. They just had a show on my Birthday in Syracuse. Unfortunately I was unable to attend but I have included a video to hype up the show just so you can get a feel for the product. Steve at The Easy Life will definitely like this one. Definitely low budget but lots of fun. After the shows the wrestlers all come out and talk to you, sign autographs and just hang out. It's a great time. Check out 2CW.com for more details.

1991 Score

Went to the card shop again today. Bought myself some random packs as well as a box of 1991 Score. I still needed a ton of these so I thought this box would definitely help. Unfortunately I need to look a little closer next time. I didn't realize the 91 set was broken up into series 1 and series 2. This was a box of series 1.



Don't get me wrong I still needed a ton of series 1 but I need a whole lot more series 2. I made out pretty well though, eliminating 122 cards from my want list. Here's some notes on this set.



First we have a bunch of the Score All-star cards. I like the look of these. Then again I've always been a fan of the drawn look. Plus the big heads make me laugh. Canseco's is probably in proportion though. Which brings me to....


Body by Roids. Ha! This looks more like a cover of Playgirl than a baseball card. I think the only card that "topps" this one is the Upperdeck card that calls him the best "natural" athlete. I can't remember the year. I think that may have been their 91 set also.




I like these too. Score should have taken the K-Men, the All-stars, the Dream Team and rookie cards and made them into inserts instead of making this set an ungodly 893 cards big.

What are your thoughts on the set? Let me know and please check out my want lists to help me finish this one off.

Birthday Present

As I mentioned, yesterday was my birthday, and my mother knows how much I love the 2009 Topps A&G set. So get this, she bought me 4 boxes of A&G. The only issue was she got them on Ebay and thought she was getting 4 regular boxes. What we got we're 4 boxes you would find in Wal-mart or Target. Am I complaining? Hell no!!! So what if I didn't get 12 game used. I still made out like a bandit and got a big chunk of my favorite set out of the way. 96 packs/6 cards per pack. I'll take it. Check out my updated want list to see what I mean. I have added my mini want list as well since I now have a good enough amount to put a want list up. Here are just a few of the cards I got.

I got a bunch of the Hoaxes, Hoodwinks and Bamboozles cards. I got all of the following:



If only that one was real.



I think this one is hilarious. There was a guy in the machine the whole time



Who would actually believe they could buy The Eiffel Tower for scrap metal. Dumb Ass!!!



Great April Fool's prank!!!

I was also able to add 1, yes only 1, Creature to my collection. So unfortunately I still need 16 more of these. Too bad it wasn't a uh do I still call em "game used"?



Finally I also got what is now officially my favorite game used ever. Mr Yo-Yo Champion himself.



I got plenty other great cards, including a hand #'d Chad Billingsly. So I now have 2 hand numbered from the set. I also got a bunch of the National Hero's cards. I originally was not going to collect these but since I now have about 1/4 of them I figure I may as well. Again everyone please check out my want list for the update. Please help out if you can.

Happy Birthday to Me - Who's on first

Today is my birthday. I turn 29 today. Almost to the big 30. Scary stuff. Anyway I know we all have seen this a million times in the past but it's my day so I do what I want!!!

Random Pack of the Day - 1992 Donruss

This was a fat pack. 27 cards. Only got one off my want list though. I have a ton of doubles on this set so if anyone need any just let me know. Another set that's definitely not one of my favorites but there have been worse sets.


Got some good players here, even though they were all doubles. Here are just a few of them.


Always nice to have a good rookie. Kenny Lofton.....check!



You would think I was an Astro fan or something. I can assure you I am not. Don't even get me started about Scott scuffing balls.


Not a Yankee fan either. As a matter of fact I despise the Yankees. I bleed orange and blue but you can't deny the career that Mattingly had, that's for sure.

Also included in this pack was:

Dennis Eckersley
David Cone (would've put a pic up but couldn't find a photo)
Lenny Dykstra (Nails was playing for the evil Phillies at the time)
Tommy Greene Highlights card (no hitter) I actually have two of these autographed by Mr. Greene already
John Olerud (The boy in the helmet)
Roberto Alomar (Waste of a lot of NY money)
Joel Skinner
Rick Aguilera (should've held onto him for a couple more years)
Checklist 160 (WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO)
Chris James (I'm CHRIS James, Bitch)
Pat Combs
Walt Weiss
Ken Caminiti
Mike Pagliarulo
Joey Cora
Chuck Crim
Steve Olin
Eric Yelding
B.J. Surhoff (who names there son BJ?)
Kelly Gruber
Jay Buhner
Bud Black (Budweiser's new Stout)
Dan Pasqua
Robby Thompson

Random Pack of the Day - 1990 Topps Big

I recently purchased a box with a bunch of random packs in it so I figured I would do a series of posts on each pack. Let me know your thoughts on the sets.

We'll start first today with 1990 Topps Big. Definitely not my favorite set but I have seen much worse.


There are 8 cards to a pack and I made ok in this one. We'll start out first with one that Kerry from Cards on Cards will appreciate. Mr. Backflip himself, Ozzie Smith


He was Mr. Charisma as well. As a kid I couldn't believe the way he played the game. He was just an all-around great player. Wouldn't have minded having him on the Mets in the late 80's/early 90's. I also love that the stat on the back is that one of Ozzie's favorite activities is playing Backgammon. Well, I can rest in peace now that I know that.

Also got one of my favorite NY Mets of all time. Too bad his career was cut short due to some personal demons. Darryl Strawberry



Unfortunately I do not have a scanner so I am relying on the pictures I can find on the web and I was unable to find this card but I was able to find this classic picture from The Simpsons.

DARRYL.........DARRYL........DARRYL!

Also included in this pack was George Bell, Craig Worthington, Mark Lemke, Bob Geren, Jody Reed, and Carlos Martinez. Well I guess this is another set I'll have to start working on now. I won't put a want list up though until I get a few more. "8 isn't enough" (boy, I'm dating myself) to start a list. The list is big enough already.

Them

My horror collection is not just American films. I also love foreign films as well. To be honest right now Asia is putting out much better horror films then the U.S. by far. We just keep stealing them and making our own versions of them instead of releasing the originals, which is a shame.

I don't mind sub-titles. I know a lot of people hate them but they have never bothered me. Currently I have horror movies in Spanish, Korean, Japanese and now I have just added French, with the amazing movie Them. (French Title: Ils)

Clementine is a French teacher living in Romania. She lives there with her husband Lucas, who is a writer. One evening Clementine is awakened by the sound of music coming from their driveway. Her and Lucas head outside where they see that Clementine's car has been moved. Lucas heads for the car when the headlights flash on and the car drives away. Back inside the lights suddenly go out, the phone is dead, eerie sounds and flashlights come from the windows and a night of terror has begun.

From the moment they wake up to the noises in the driveway the tension is turned up to 11. You are on the edge of your seat the entire time not quite sure who is there or what is happening. It is similar to the 2008 film The Strangers in the fact that they are trapped in their own home by an unknown person or persons. This film however came out in 2006 so one has to wonder if it played any part in The Strangers being made in the first place.

Clementine and Lucas are played beautifully by Olivia Bonamy and Michael Cohen. They are believable characters and they suck you in to the situation. You sympathize with the characters and hope they will make it out ok.

The lighting is great, the writing is great, as a matter of fact the only fault I can find in this movie is its length. At only 77 minutes the film is very short. I wish it was longer. I cannot fault the movie for that though. Everything else outweighs the fact that it could have been longer. The movie gets 5 Burning Skulls and is a definite must see for any horror fan. I am very happy to say I was able to find a U.S. trailer for this film, please enjoy below. Pleasant Dreams!

Creatures of Legend, Myth and Terror

Ok, if you read this blog you know I am a horror buff. And if you read this blog you know how much I love A & G. And if you read this blog thank you! (all 4 of you, hehehe) So how happy was I that A & G included a mini set this year called Creatures of Legend, Myth and Terror? Words cannot express.

Here's what I have so far:


Unfortunately the Griffin card was just a copy and paste job so it doesn't look as good but man do I love this subset. I must have all of them. Still so many great one's to get. The Dragon, The Vampire, The Unicorn, Bigfoot!!!!

This is like the best of both worlds for me. If they could figure out a way to make them octogon cards with the creatures in a wrestling ring I'd be set for life. So far I have bought A box, 3 blasters and 2 random packs. I have 3 down and 17 to go. Please help a horror/card brotha out! :) ha!

1990 Score

So I head down to my card shop the other day for some boxes, needed to put some stuff away & get some plastic ones to mail out stuff for you all. Anyway while I'm there I decided to pick up a couple packs of A & G. (Coming in a later post) and I look up and see some old boxes of cardboard goodness from the days where cards were a plenty. If you have checked my want list you see I still need a bunch of old stuff so I decided on a box of 1990 Score.

Not the most appealing set but I needed them. To be honest the only Score set I really like is 1988 and even they are ugly as hell. I have to say the collation was great. 16 cards a pack and I only wound up with maybe 10 - 20 doubles. That is just plain unheard of back then. I got rid of a bunch of cards from my want list including.........



#561 Ryne Sandberg error card showing him as a 3B not 2B. This card Beckett's for $8. Now I Know Beckett is stupid and if I did try to sell the card I'd be lucky to get $2 for it but here's what I found funny. The whole set is "worth" $15. So this one card is worth more than the rest of the set combined. Sorry White Sox, I cant give ya this one as I only got one, but if I had gotten 2 you know 1 would be coming your way for your little side project.

Got a bunch of other great cards and had a great time bustin the box. I have what few doubles I got in this box plus many from before, if you are looking for help with this set let me know. And again please check out my want lists, help me close this one out.

UFC 101 And Packages

Wow. I sucked at predicting the UFC fights this time around too. If you are a betting person. Check my picks and go with the exact opposite of what I say. Didn't get a single fight right. You can check the matches below in an earlier post. Even though I picked Anderson Silva over Forrest Griffin I hyped how great Griffin's chin was and said Silva would have to submit him, instead what happens.....he gets knocked out three minutes into the fight. Thats why I give myself a zero this time around.

Very quick post today because I am working on your packages today. Just got out of work and I am putting them together now. You know who you all are. So expect a gift in the mail in the next couple days from me.

The House on Haunted Hill

When I speak of this movie I do not mean the 1999 remake, I mean the 1959 original. Don't get me wrong, I actually did not mind the remake. I thought it was definitely one of the better remakes I've seen. Good casting, acting, and it followed the original almost to a T. Maybe that will be a future review but today I speak of the original. Please enjoy a plot summary below.

Millionaire playboy Fredrick Loren hosts a party for his 4th wife Annabelle Loren at the "House On Haunted Hill," a house that has seen seven murders, Fredrick invites 5 guests: Lance Schroeder,a pilot, Ruth Bridges, a journalist, Watson Prichard, the owner of The House On Haunted Hill, Nora Manning, a worker for one of Fredrick Loren's companies, and David Trent, a psychiatrist. Fredrick will offer each of them $10,000 to spend a night in The House On Haunted Hill. They all want the money. At midnight, the caretakers lock to doors, and the terror begins! Who, if anyone, will make it out alive?

I have to say this is one of my favorite movies ever! The remake was alright but the original is a horror classic that should not be missed. The movie, starring horror icon Vincent Price, is a must see for any horror fan. One of the first horror movies I can remember as a kid was the 1953 classic House of Wax, which has been replicated numerous times including a remake in which Paris Hilton is killed in extraordinary fashion. That right there makes the re-make great. But I digress.

Vincent Price is one of the biggest names to ever grace the screen in the horror genre. His name is up there with Boris Karloff & Bela Legosi as well as later horror names like Christopher Lee, and even later legends like John Carpenter, Stephen King and many others. Vincent was one of the originators of horror. He has been involved in more horror movies and television broadcasts than one can count. From movies like House on Haunted Hill and House of Wax, prior to his death being involved in cartoons that some of us grew up with. From Scooby Doo episodes in 1985 to Tiny Toon Adventures in 1991, prior to his death in 1993.

The rest of the cast is great in this movie as well. Including Richard Long who appeared in a couple Twilight Zone episodes, playing David Gurney in the episode Person or Persons Unknown and as well as Uncle Rick/Dr. Rex/Doctor Sigmond Friend in the episode Number 12 looks just like you where in your teenage years everyone is given plastic surgery to make them beautiful. You have a book to look through to see how you want to look. It's like a Fingerhut catalog of faces. You are not forced to get the surgery, its your decision, or is it?

The movie is a black and white classic for all horror fans. This is one of the movies that helped to make the entire horror movie genre. This movie helped scare the hell out of our parents before the gore-fest films we have today. But it is also a pre-cursor to the films of today as well. While there is no gore and very little blood to speak of, even though you could not tell in black and white film anyway, it is a classic that helps to bring the horror community to where we have come. This movie is my first 5 burning skull film and I definitely recommend it to a horror fan who may not have seen it or to a classic movie buff looking for a film to take them back in time.

It amazes me, a guy born in 1980, that this once scared the life out of people but between the great acting and the great story its an amazing film for anyone horror fan or not. Please enjoy the trailer below, and pleasant dreams.

UFC 101: Declaration

UFC 101: Declaration will be taking place this weekend inside the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA.

The PPV event will feature the lightweight title bout between champ BJ Penn and top contender Kenny Florian. The PPV broadcast will begin airing live at 10PM ET/7PM PT.

As always, Fightline will be providing free live coverage of the show, as well as the latest breaking news leading up to the event. They will have quick preliminary card results beginning at 7 PM EST, followed by detailed round-by-round coverage of the main card at 10 PM EST.

Here is a rundown of the show with my predictions for the Main Card:


Main Card:

- UFC Lightweight Championship: BJ Penn (c) vs. Kenny Florian

I do not like BJ Penn at all. I think he is a over-rated fighter and his attitude sucks. Don't get me wrong he does have some big wins in his career but he hasn't done anything special recently except whine about his loss to Georges St. Pierre. Kenny Florian on the other hand is a star on the rise. When he came off the ultimate fighter he was already a good fighter. Since then he has improved every aspect on his game. I smell a new Champ.

Prediction: Kenny Florian

- Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson Silva

This has the makings of a blockbuster fight. Forrest Griffin won the first season of The Ultimate Fighter helping to bring UFC into the mainstream. He has since won and lost the belt and has a great career ahead of him. He is unfortunately fighting The Best pound for pound fighter in the world in Anderson Silva. Silva is coming off a disappointing title defense and will be looking to redeem himself in this fight and that is a scary thought. Griffin has a great chin so I'm guessing submission here.

Prediction: Anderson Silva

- Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks

I gotta go with Amir in this one. He has not fought since he won the ultimate fighter 2 seasons ago and has been dying to get back in the octogon. Working through some injuries to get himself back in shape he's gonna want to make an impact in his return fight and he has the talent to do so.

Prediction: Amir Sadollah

- Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove

I'm going with another Ultimate Fighter alum in this one. Kendall Grove needs to win this fight to get on track. He started off strong coming out of the show but then things went downhill. After a couple losing efforts he was relegated to the pre-show. He's back to his winning ways and I see him keeping it up

Prediction: Kendall Grove

- Kurt Pellegrino vs. Josh Neer

This is my sleeper fight. Both very talented fighters. They can both keep it standing and both take it to the ground. This is a very hard one to call.

Prediction: Josh Neer

Preliminary Card (May Not Be Televised):

- Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley

- Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard - Gotta root for Tamdan in this one. He owns a MMA gym in Binghamton, where I live. I wanna join. I don't plan to fight but I love the sport and its a great way to get in shape.

- Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara

- Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer

- George Sotiropoulos vs. George Roop

- Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort

TTM - Gerald Young

Today we have another TTM autograph. I just love getting these back. It's always nice to come home to a gift in the mail. Today it's Gerald Young.



Gerald Young was born on October 22, 1964 in Tela, Honduras. He was a major league outfielder known for his long strides and blazing speed. He was however considered somewhat of a "hot dog" because of what appeared to be a lackadaisical style (including unnecessary basket catches) He was the first person born in the Honduras to play Major League Baseball.

Young was drafted in the 5th round of the 1982 MLB amateur draft by the New York Mets along with Rafael Palmeiro and Dwight Gooden as part of a draft class that set a major league record for a single team when 12 of those players reached the major leagues. Boy, if only we kept him and Palmeiro, both right from the start.

Young was traded to the Houston Astros, and made his Major League Baseball debut with them on July 8, 1987. He showed promise by hitting .321 and stealing 26 bases for the Astros, finishing 5th in National League Rookie of the Year voting despite playing less than half a season with the major league club. Young's best season in the major leagues would come the following year, 1988, when he finished 2nd in the NL with 65 steals. 1989 was disappointment for Young offensively, although he did manage to finish 8th in the league in steals (34) and accomplish a rare defensive feat by recording 412 putouts with only one error and adding 15 outfield assists.

Young would spend the next three seasons splitting time between the Astros, their Triple A affiliate the Tucson Toros, and the disabled list (with an assortment of injuries). Although he was successful at the minor league level, always hitting over .300, his batting statistics for the Astros never replicated his earlier success.

At the end of the 1992 season, the Astros granted Young free agency and he signed with, and became an inaugural member of the expansion Colorado Rockies team that began play in Major League Baseball in 1993.

Young appeared in his final game on August 11, 1994, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was released that October by the Cardinals. In January 1995, Young was charged with cocaine possession when Houston Police Department officers found a crack pipe with cocaine residue in the vehicle that he was driving. He would never play major league baseball again.

He currently participates in youth baseball camps throughout the country.

He finished his career batting .246 with 446 hits and 155 stolen bases.

Thank you Mr. Young.

Black Sheep

When I say Black Sheep I don't mean the Chris Farley & David Spade comedy. Through the years there have actually been over 10 films American and Foreign with the same name, Black Sheep. The movie I am speaking of however is the 2006, Johnathan King directed horror film from New Zealand. Check out the poster below. This movie is a riot. If you want a "bloody" (yes I know thats British, so shoot me) good laugh you should definitely check this one out. Beneath the poster is a brief synopsis.



On a farm in New Zealand three young boys, brothers Angus (Eli Kent) and Henry (Nick Fenton) Oldfield and Tucker (Sam Clarke) are rounding up sheep. Angus, who wears a leg brace and walks with a limp, kills Henry's pet sheep Dudley and terrifies him by dressing up in the dead sheep's carcass. Years later Angus comes back to the farm, with a sheep phobia, only to find out his brother, Henry, has been genetically engineering sheep leading to horrific consequences.

This movie is very funny and will give you one hell of a laugh. I mean, think about it. A horror movie where you are scared of sheep because they will turn you into zombie/sheep creatures. Do I really need to say more? I mean that right there tells you it will be hilarious. The actors do a great job at being believable in this crazy horror/comedy. The effects are great for a film not getting a major theatrical release. And not to ruin anything but lets just say there is a scene with Henry (Nick Fenton) with his pants down locked in a room with a sheep. Its classic! "You wouldn't understand"

The movie gets 4 Burning skulls as a great underground horror/comedy which has lately been seen on the IFC channel. I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a good laugh. Get ready for the "Violence of the Lambs!" Enjoy the trailer below. Pleasant Dreams.

TTM - Seth McClung

The A&G sets are perfect for autographs. I send off all the doubles I can. I have some doubles left though don't worry. They'll make my doubles list soon enough. Anyway, as of today here is my latest TTM.....Seth McClung.



Seth was born February 7, 1981. It still messes me up that people in the majors are older than me. Than again I will be 29 in 2 weeks so I should be used to it by now. Anyway back to Mr. McClung. He has pitched as both a starter and a reliever in his brief career.

Seth comes from a sporting family. His father, Mike, was an all-state high school football player. His brother, Marcus, is a former football player at Virginia Tech and the Canadian Football League, his brother Shawn played extreme sports, and his younger brother Sam was a lineman at Tusculum College in Greenville, Tennessee.

McClung began the 2006 season with the Tampa Bay Rays as a starting pitcher, was sent later that year to the minor leagues, and was converted to be a closer.

He started the 2007 season in Triple-A Durham of the International League, before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Late in the 2008 season, after impressive relief outings for the Brewers against the Chicago Cubs, his nickname 'Big Red' began to stick on account of his stature and pitching command and velocity.

Not much to say yet on this young man's career, but lets see where it takes him. Thank you Mr. McClung

Shaun of the Dead

If you have not seen this movie by now, I highly recommend it. Lets start with a little plot summary and then I'll tell you what makes this such a great movie.

Life isn't too good for Shaun (Simon Pegg). He lives with his best friend Ed (Nick Frost), neglects his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) and despises his step-dad (Bill Nighy). When Liz dumps Shaun, he vows to get his life back on track. Unfortunately, this is the day that the dead have decided to come back to life. With a cricket bat and Ed by his side, Shaun sets out to rescue those he loves and those he doesn't love, and heads to the safest place he knows...the Winchester Arms Pub.

This is a classic horror comedy. Mixing horror and comedy usually makes for a great mix. I absolutely love this movie. I decided to sit down and watch it, for the um-teenth time, so I figured I'd put a post up about it. All of the actors do a very good job and having Bill Nighy definitely gives legitimacy to this movie. The bar scene with the zombies coming in is one of my favorite movie scenes ever. The zombies are coming in to kill everybody and suddenly the juke box "on random" plays Queen's Don't Stop Me Now. It's hilarious. There is only one part that is slightly gorey so it's definitely a movie you can watch with your lady friend. The movie is great. And how much does the actor playing David look like a grown up Harry Potter? That just cracks me up! I give it 4 and 1/2 burning skulls.

I know I have yet to give out 5 burning skulls but when I think of a 5, I think of the Exorcist or The Shining. A classic. This is a great parody and definitely deserves a watch. If you haven't seen it you should definitely check it out. Horror fan or not you will definitely get a kick out of this great British comedy. Later this week I will throw up a review of another British Horror/Comedy, Black Sheep so check back. Enjoy the trailer below. Pleasant Dreams.

2009 Allen & Ginter

I started collecting cards again last year. I hadn't even seen a baseball card before that since I was probably 12 or 13, so needless to say I didn't know anything about the sets that we're coming out. When I saw the A&G set last year I immediately wanted to collect them. I just love the old time look and I love the fact that they are great for signatures. In fact check back tomorrow for one I recently got back. This year though I had to limit myself. Last year I started collecting Topps, Heritage, A&G, and Goudey (none of which are finished, check out my want lists if you can help) and it really stretched my wallet. So I decided this year I would just do Topps, because I will always be a Topps guy, Heritage because I like the way they look and The Goodwin's when they come out because they look phenominal. As much as I love A&G, I figured the past two years they looked the same so they would this year too. But I was wrong. I loved the new set, but still, I said no, I had to limit myself.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) for me I went to my local card shop last week for another box of Heritage only to find out they didn't have any. At this point with cards on the brain what was I to do. You guessed it, I bought a box of A&G and of course just like last year I love them and I have to get not only the whole set but the whole set of mini's. I think one of the things I love most about the set are the non-baseball cards. I mean what other set can you say, "Damn-it, I just need that electron card and I'll have a complete set!" How classic is that?

Plus how can you go wrong buying a box with a guaranteed 3 inserts? Check out my pulls:



As great as the Phil Hughes card is (cough) Screw the Yankees (cough) my favorite is the Todd Helton. Because, believe it or not, it is actually my first game used with a stripe. I have plenty of game used but thats my first 2 color. But it doesn't stop there check out this great Matt Laporta mini.


Woo-hoo, hand numbered!!!! As of right now I have 0 doubles for this set because so far I have only bought one box and I am unfortunately very poor at the moment but in the (hopefully) near future I will have more and add them to my doubles list. Any help with this set will be greatly appreciated. I have been checking other want lists and found some stuff that I have for the rest of you so expect some emails soon. In the mean-time please check my lists which I continually update, I need all the help I can get.

The Pink and Black Attack is Back

And I don't mean Bret Hart. I had some posts already typed and set to go but I had to push them out a day for this. Even though I am a wrestling fan, I don't normally watch WWE Smackdown. Something made me watch it this week and boy am I glad I did. I was treated to what very well may be the match of the year, between Champion Jeff Hardy and challenger John Morrison. These two men put on one hell of a show. Even if you are not a wrestling fan, i beg you, watch the following videos in order. I can almost guarantee you will love it. I will say the match starts off slow, but any good match should. It builds into one of the best matches I've seen in WWE in quite some time.










The match was great and the subsequent CM Punk heel turn was as well. They have been teasing it for over a month so you knew it was coming but I am just so happy they actually finished the match and then had it happen. Anymore they interrupt the Main Event for a screw job finish. It's really annoying week after week. Last night we were treated to a great main event match with a great spot afterwards. Keep it up WWE, even though we know you wont. It's a shame the feud is Hardy and Punk and not Hardy and Morrison, that's for sure.

Tune in to WWE Smackdown every Friday night on your local My Network TV affiliate, check local listings. Also tune in to WWE Monday Night Raw this Monday on Spike TV hosted this week by Jeremy Piven 9/8c