A Community Break Brings Gum Goodness

hey everybody,

how's your weekend going?  what a great sunday afternoon here.  I smell a neighbor's BBQ coming through the wind and occasionally i hear tiny yelps from our newborn puppies out in the back yard.

this and my next couple of posts will be catch-ups from trades and breaks i was involved in from a ways back.  today i'm covering the last break i was in, and because of new financial changes around here, maybe the last break i'll be in for a while.  i'm going to be scaling back on how many breaks i join.  maybe that's lucky for you other Dodger collectors, as I'll only be jumping in if the products are something i just can't resist. 

speaking of lucky - i caught some major, major break mojo on this group break from Community Gum and i hauled in my biggest catch yet of all the breaks i've participated in. Andy and Jon gave us a shot at a case break of 2012 topps archives. of course, my team was the dodgers, and i picked up some cool cards of a few guys from other teams as well.  here's the highlights -
 

of course it's a highlight when i get a jackie hit. love this card's great design.  aint all that blue purty? 

nice new cards from (last year's) stars

never been much a snider collector, but i like this one. 

i know some of you out there dig these stickers. bleh...

dee started the season as my favorite Dodger, but his struggles to be consistent are really testing my patience.  emerging as my new fave is elian herrera. he plays almost every position except pitcher and plays 'em pretty well.  besides that defensive value, on a team lacking offense, he's a consistent threat at the plate as well.  hey dee - i'm talking about somebody else on your card caption.  does that say anything to you?

3-D coolness

i always love to get a new mike schmidt card.  the straw looks great in this card.

clemente ALWAYS a good addition. sometimes i feel this dude walked the field with an aura you could see.

andy and jon included this note that gave me a good chuckle when i saw it.  'couldn't pull anything good for me?'  HA ! they only pulled my greatest hit of all ! check it out below ....

see that? a Fan Favorites Sandy Koufax AUTOGRAPH !!!  that auto was the entire reason i joined this break.  i was hoping to catch lightning and the boys at Community Gum helped me catch it this time !!  

I went to the topps redeemtion site and the only drag is i have to wait until september for delivery.   SEPTEMBER ???!!!???!! ARRRGHHHH !!!!   this might be the first time i ever wish for summer to pass quickly.  THANKS for the great break, Jon and Andy! 

My Contest Mojo Reaches Even Beyond Oceans

hey everybody,

hope all is well and good in your world tonight - especially in your world, roberto.  get well soon !

a long time ago i won one of the prizes in a contest over at the blog the fantastic dudes Martyn and Tony run, Cards Beyond Oceans.   It was a really fun contest with top prize of a Duke Snyder auto/relic.  I caught some luck and landed 6th place - but when i opened my package, the goods were so great, even though i didn't hit the snider card, i felt like i had won 2nd place !

i won a stack of cards from my favorite team.  in case you don't know which team that is - WHHHHAAAATTT !!!!!  of course you all know who my package was stuffed with - the Boys in Dodger Blue.  T & M sent me a whole lotta cool cards.   let's check out some highlights...

I never get tired of cards showing Gibby's awesome WS HR trot.  what an epic image.  my guy inside Dodger Stadium actually has this image tattoo'd on his arm!

I got a great stack of topps chrome.  this one is really nice with the modern shiny front and a cardboard back

how about martyn and tony tossing in a RELIC !  for SIXTH place ! wow, absolutely fantastic.  it's a great low numbered relic, and the shiny purple makes for a very attractive card face.

how about this cool catcher action? looks like we're at the toy car and giant soda bottle park, where martin's about to gun down some slow poke.

another GREAT addition to my winnings

one great thing is my winnings were chock full of product i dont usually buy, like bowman, goudey and topps chrome, so i got a hunka cards from favorite Dodgers that are new for my collection.

this is a great card - bowman platinum - that is really cheated by the scan, and the fact i didn't remove the card from it's toploader.  take my word for it, this is a great card.

more cards that are totally new to me. very nice additions for my fernando and pedro collections. 

man, this package even included Dodger HOF greats - both are players that i especially chase.

...and it included rookies ! Dodger fans are waiting for DeJesus to break out.  every time he gets his shot to play, he shows that he does have that special something to be a full-time big leaguer.

finally, a quartet of miiiiiinnniiiiiisss.

 as i said, this was just some of the highlights. it was a great contest and an equally great prize package. THANKS a bunch tony and martyn, for the fun contest.  perfect timing...it's fist pitch in the Dodger game.  talk to y'all later.