Latest Bat a Round... ala Fuji (aka - the MEGA post)

Outside of the sports memorabilia genre, is there anything else you collect?

To paraphrase an earlier comment from a different contest, "According to my wife, too much CRAP!! Specifically, Harley Davidson T-Shirts from places I've been to (and from places friends have been to), Phillies memorabilia, and to a lesser extent, Star Wars (and Star Trek) memorabilia."

My wife calls me a "hoarder" though I don't see it. I also collect die-cast cars, both large and small. The cars are spread all over my house and my cubicle at work. Most of them no longer have the original packaging as a few have been played with over the years, and I truly think die-casts were meant to be examined up close and personal-like. Some of the details that goes into these are just phenominal!

A few from work:
this year's #56 MWR NAPA racing Camry (some people don't think NASCAR is a sport...)

a Hotwheels mini

the best retro remake

an original Firebird (Smokey and the Bandit flavored)

a signed Michael Waltrip #7 Phillips Chevy Monte Carlo

and, of course Pixar/Disney's Cars

my Darth Vader alarm clock (needs new batteries!)

and a few from home

Annakin Skwalker Alarm clock (it does NOT need batteries)

Batmobiles, in various sizes

a '94 Chevy Impala

an old Ford

more MWR racing (is Motorsports a Non-Sports??)

This one's also signed by Michael!

here come da Judge

an original Mini

a '68 Camaro in tuxedo black

an '06 Challenger

a Bumble Bee transformer

a Hummer

and many others

I've also got figures and figurines galore:

Heroclix (just some of my favorites)

my LDH (Little Damn Heroes) set from QMX and Serentiy/Firefly

Kaywinnit Lee Frye (Kaylee to her friends), my oldest pup's namesake

The man they cal Jayne Cobb

Captain  Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds, "We aim to Misbehave!"

River Tam

Hoban "Wash" Washburne

my Rubber Ducky collection

and others

and the collections list goes on:

Any good card carryin Republican worth his salt should have a few Elephants:

and who doesn't love a little Augie Doggie?

N.B.C.

and one of the few Star Wars figures I have that is still in his original packaging:

Hats galore

 and even a couple signed by the NAPA drivers themselves, Courtesy of my sister-in-law, who worked for NAPA for a while...

my wife asked after the 3rd, "How many helmets do you need?"

and my latest collection:
 

Just kidding, the black one belongs to my wife!
This one's mine:

Thanks for the latest post subject Fuji,
thanks for reading everybody. Sorry for the over-abundance of photos, but Fuji did ask!
Have a GReat night!
Dawgbones

Are you from Jersey? 3.0

Are you from Jersey? Do you know someone from Jersey? My Uncle Bill, he's from South Philly, but lives in Jersey now. He's my mother's brother, and my main connection to great Phillies news articles and several other goodies.

Well, he's gone off the freaking hook this time!! My mother and father recently made a trip up north. Way up north. We're talking, the border with Canada, up north. For a cousin's kid's wedding. Her oldest brother, my Uncle Bob (yeah I know Bob's my uncle!!) lives in Plattsburg, Ny and it was on of his grandkids that got married. Well, mom and dad stopped by Jersey on the way north, and then again on the way south, on one of these stops, uncle Bill gives them a bag of Enquire's (the Philadelphia Enquirer) from 2008, 2009 and 2010, featuring coverage of my boys and their resultant pennant runs.

Tucked between the brown paper sacks full of news-print was a new Phillies ball-cap, always a very cool gift for your favorite baseball fan, his favorite team.

I've got a couple of these bad boys, and will leave this one in my cubicle at work for those days when I ride into work and end up with a bad case of helmet hair!

As I pull the cap out of the bag, I notice the too familiar white with red pinstripes jersey fabric under it. Sweet, uncle Bill's got me a jersey, wonder which one of my boys he's found for me?
I got a few of these now, my first is my favorite 2nd baseman, Mr. Utley. The second I got is Mr. Halladay's Stars and Stripes flavored variety. My last jersey purchase was a number 4, 1945, Philadelphia Blue Jays Jimmie Fox Mitchel and Ness jersey.

I've been contemplating another one this season, but could not decide on a player. Now I don't necessarily have to!!

My number 1 favorite uncle got me...

yep, I now have a number 1 Philly jersey for my namesake, Richie Ashburn!!

Too Cool!!! It's another Mitchell and Ness throwback, from 1950

Awesome!!
Thanks for my Monday wardrobe this week Uncle Bill!
Thanks for reading everybody!
Have a GReat week!
Dawgbones

Teaser post....

I'm going to take a hint from my local news casters and post a teaser this evening...

As I alluded to on the Dimwit's latest break post, I learned that Upper Deck had screwed my chances for an awesome Thome card, willing it instead to the White Sox, but, that's ok as I had also picked a package up from my folks the same day, so It's All Good!!

Read about the truly awesome hit I got in the morning. Posting at 6am EST!!

Thanks everybody,
Have a GReat night!
thanks for reading
Dawgbones

Flea Market finds for Norfolk, Va.

Absolutely nothing. there was one guy there that had a "dime" box of cards next to the stamps and coins and other collectibles that he was selling. I poked through the box for a few minutes but found no cards labeled less than double digits, on the left hand side of the decimal point!! No thanks, but it was a nice ride up there on my Harley!!

Now, this post is prompted by everybody's favorite summer contest Master, Fuji, over at the Chronicles of Fuji. He is always touting the virtues of his latest Flea Market Finds, which quite often leave me jealous. His latest finds (which scream for a major Bipping) have also prompted his latest question. Vintage cards with character.

My favorite vintage character card (read, semi-severely damaged or well-loved) is my Frank Sullivan card. I've blogged about it before, but it makes a repeat appearance for Fuji's latest bat-a-round.

It's a Topps 1960's Frank Sullivan, Pitcher for the Red Sox. I got it through the transmogrifier from 2010. I traded to get it, kept it til the bitter end, and had it shipped to add to my Sawx collection. Now the picture on the giveaway site is NOT what showed up in my mailbox. In no way did I expect a mint card to arrive, but this one is so far from mint I don't know how it survived the spokes!

Take a look:

yeah a good portion of the front is missing, down to the white card stock. And you can almost see the scoring of the front.


now let's turn the card slightly,

yeah, it looks like someone hit ole Sullivan with 80 grit to remove that portion of the front of the card!! Oh well, as Fuji alludes, it's a well loved card, which is now part of my well-loved collection!

Thanks for another interesting question Fuji,
Thanks for reading,
Have a GReat night everybody!!
Dawgbones

a Big plea for help..

but not for me. it's for my favorite sweater, you know, the ARHgyle variety.

He's in the running for a very cool auto, but needs help
quick, go here and vote for Gregory Zakwin, You know, Plaschke.

Let's bust out the voting, it ends August 7th, Let's see if we can get the man a win, can't we.

Thanks,
have a GReat night!
Dawgbones

Nobody, Part 2...

Earlier today, I put together a post showing off the baseball collection I have in my cubicle at work. This evening, I went through my meager little "mancave" here at the house and photographed the remainder of my baseball collection, and issued myself a walk!!

First, the rest of the non-signed souvenir balls:
A St. Cloud River Bats baseball, picked up in my wife's hometown if St. Cloud, Minnesota:

A Minnesota Twins logo ball, also purchased in my wife's hometown the first time we went back there so she could show me where she is from.

Even came with a Twins stamped ball cube!

A Wisconsin TimberRattlers ball purchased at their home park in Appleton a few years back:

I just love their logo. Hell, I love all of the minors logos!



A Mr. Baseball Build-a-Bear workshop stuffed ball that my totally awesome wife surprised me with last year for my 43rd birthday! Also blogged about here.

Now for the self-issued walk. Everybody who's watched the game of baseball knows when you get four balls, you walk. Well, as it so happens, I own four signed baseballs, hence the walk for Fuji's subject.

I have 1 baseball that I recieved in a contest win, and it's a great one.

Frank Thomas, a 2-time A.L. MVP.

then we have my very first TTM baseball,

and I am still very appreciative of Mr. Doerr for returning my baseball in less than 2 weeks!

We have my favorite pitcher up next, which also came back in almost record time. From baseball's oldest:

Jamie Moyer. It's also my favorite in the collection. Mr. Moyer is just an awesome person, from the perseverance of his career, to the charity of his, well, charity. The things he does with the Moyer foundation... I just wish I could afford to do half the things he has done. I missed my chance two weeks ago to see him pitch here in Norfolk, and I really hope he finds somewhere, somehow to remain in baseball, whether it's pitching, or coaching. He and I were born in the same decade and I just love it when the "old" guys win!

then we have my most prized possession, and the one I hinted at earlier last week, here is an actual photo of my Jim "Catfish" Hunter baseball, which is showing quite a bit of age now, but is still awesome in my book!! Do you think I am odd for my most prized possession NOT also being my favorite?

Not bad for a signature that is not much younger than yours truly!!

So there you have it gang, my total baseball balls collection. Or at least total for now, as I intend to add to this collection as I go.

Have a GReat night everybody!! Happy 4th of July!! Happy Berfday America!!

Be Safe tomorrow, and thank a service member for our independance, it's the perfect day for it!!

To steal an "immature" phrase from everybody's favorite cardboard junkie, "Thanks for looking a mah ballz!"

Dawgbones

Nobody's ever asked...

to see my balls before? Not exactly sure how I feel about that? Kinda feel weird? Fuji has posed another bat-a-round. This week's subject matter is baseball collections. I'm going to start with the ones I have readily available, namely, the collection in my cubicle at work. A quick count reveals 10 baseballs within easy reach of my chair.

Ranging from miniscule:

the ball, caught in a moment of time, ready to leave Thurmon's bat, presumably on it's way out of the park.

the next ball, also in a moment of time, leaving Utley's bat, also headed for the cheap seats!

the ground-out to shortstop.

and yes, even the last pitch from a Cardinal, eliminating our play-off contention in 2011.

to paper:

the baseball-shaped Steve Carlton, given to me by our favorite Troll.
to souvenir balls, purchased here and there:

My first Phillies, a birthday present from my sister-in-law:

my second Phillies ball, which came with a mini-glove.

the Nationals ball, and glove,

which prompted me to search for my team.

a Brewers ball from my time spent on Wisconsin's eastern shore of lake Michigan.

and even one from Paula Deen's restaurant on the Mississippi.

Now, before anyone cries foul, I know Fuji asked about signed baseballs, but I don't have any of those here at work. Those will have to wait for part 2.

Thanks for the interesting post subject Fuji,
I certainly hope every one enjoyed seeing my balls as much as I did showing them off!!
Have a very SAFE and HAPPY 4th everybody!
Leave the fireworks to the professionals!
thanks for reading,
Dawgbones