The 400 Level Diamond Code Giveaway

It seemed easy enough. Leave a comment over a The 400 Level about your favorite Topps card. Simple, right? Well, I was one of the winners of a code over at Topps Diamond Giveaway.

I entered the free code and got...
I'm a little underwhelmed, but free is free and when trading finally opens, maybe a Cubs fan or a set completist can take this card off of my hands. Or maybe it will be stuck in my portfolio forever. Either way, it's still free and pretty cool.

Unlocking another card gave me another dig. And with that dig, I got...
My first duplicate ring. Who knows. This may be the key to getting that final ring, once ring trading is up and running.

Thanks, Josh! This was a great and unique contest. Best of all, it was fun!

Another Old Contest Winnings

A contest so old, I pretty much forgot about it after the drama of the holidays. Further proof that I actually won something can be found all the way back on December 10th. Procrastination is my middle name too regarding mailings, so don't fret. There are many positives to be had. Money was saved on postage. Everything arrived at once. Lots of cool cards came flying out of the package.

Thanks dayf! These contest prizes were worth the wait! Even with the included Bipping. Once I sort through the other cards in the package, I'll post those too.

Coolness On A Frigid Day

While I'm shoveling out three cars that the plows packed in tight, I thought I'd show off my eagerly awaited "Coolness Prize" from dayf, for knowing what this post was all about.

Thanks For A Complete Set

I just wanted to give a very big thank you to Wax Pack Relapse for the prize package of a complete set of 2007 Bowman's Best! The package arrived a few days ago.

Thanks for holding such a cool series of contests! I will enjoy my complete set for many years to come!

Master Of The 80s Trivia

I'm not sure that I'd agree with the "master" designation of 80s trivia, but I do know quite a bit. Too much in fact. Still, I'm not even sure how I won this 80s trivia contest sponsored by Phungo. I thought for sure that I was beat, but it was all in the points system. If this were set up like a regular run of the mill trivia game, I probably would have lost, but I have a feeling I just squeaked by a player slightly more knowledgeable than I.

I thought I had no chance. I wasn't fooling anyone. The next screw that fell out would be me. By winning, I was probably breaking like 30 major laws here. It's time to pay the fiddler...

Honestly, I had forgotten about the contest, when I got a reminder for my address. Then it all came back to me, like a radical neon pink hypercolor t-shirt. I had won a contest concerning John Hughes movies, which are some of my favorite 80s guilty pleasures. I did not achieve this position in life by having some snot-nosed punk leave my cheese out in the wind. You know who I am? In the field of local-live-home entertainment, I'm a god! This is not true. It can't be. This has got to be the most hilarious rumor ever floated. Right? Well, somebody better explain, or there'll, uh... there'll be a lot of explaining to do.

Don't let me stand in your way, please don't let me stand in your way. The last thing I want to be remembered as is an annoying blabbermouth... You know, nothing grinds my gears worse than some chowderhead that doesn't know when to keep his big trap shut... If you catch me running off with my mouth, just give me a poke on the chubbs...

And in the end, I realized that I took more than I gave, I was trusted more than I trusted, and I was loved more than I loved. And what I was looking for was not to be found but to be made. No, I don't want to go over the list! OK, let's go over the list.

2008 Donruss Americana
129 - Corey Feldman

No, the Feldmeister was not in a John Hughes movie, but you can't get more eighties than a Corey, can you?

1991 Oklahoma State Collegiate Collection
85 - Jerry Adair

1999 Fleer Update
U-10 - Jesus Pena

1987 Topps
740 - Rich Gedman

Trap card! Someone's looking for more Sox Or No Sox! In the future, I promise!
1992 Upper Deck All-Star Fan Fest Future Heroes
10 - Frank Thomas

1997 Bowman Chrome
100 - Frank Thomas

1992 Stadium Club
611 - Esteban Beltre

2008 Upper Deck First Edition
336 - Paul Konerko
338 - Carlos Quentin

1992 Stadium Club
841 - Dave Gallagher (Mets, pictured in Sox in the back)

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights Gold
UH227 - Carlos Quentin (1789/2008)

2008 Topps Highlights Game-Worn Relics
HR-JT - Jim Thome

2008 UD Masterpieces
97 - Carlton Fisk

2003 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks
BDP126 - Neal Cotts

2004 Ultra Gold Medallion
5 - Bartolo Colon

2000 Pacific Paramount
54 - Carlos Lee

2000 Pacific Omega
31 - Carlos Lee

1994 Topps Gold
792 - Dan Pasqua
1986 O-Pee-Chee
14 - Julio Cruz

Thanks so much! I'm still in shock that I actually won. I figured dayf had the edge. There's a lot of great cards here and thank you for dredging up all those great John Hughes memories!

A Dinged Corners Contest Winner

The ladies over at Dinged Corners ran a contest recently. A bevy of questions greeted us readers and we were beckoned to pick out one and answer. First one to correctly answer a question went into the winners circle. All who failed chose another question.

I chose a question about one of my favorite sets, when I was growing up, 1985 Topps. It helped that the answer was a former White Sox minor league manager. The truth is, I'm surprised that I was the first to answer the question. By the way, the winning answer was Terry Francona.

The winners had their choice of claiming their mystery prize by year, by player, or by team. I chose the White Sox, naturally, and I was welcomed with a great package of wondrous cards that were handpicked especially for me. Patricia and Lucy have been very kind to this blog and I thank them for it every chance I get.

Let's see what they sent over.

1986 Topps
552 – Marc Hill

1987 Topps
539 – Reid Nichols

1988 Topps
437 – Fred Manrique

1989 Bowman
55 – Bobby Thigpen

1989 Donruss
135 – Greg Walker
384 – Dave Gallagher

1989 Topps
384 – Mark Salas

1990 Upper Deck
267 – Ozzie Guillen
386 – Donn Pall

1991 Oklahoma State Collegiate Collection
33 – Joel Horlen

1991 Topps
364 – Dan Pasqua

1992 Stadium Club
356 – Roberto Hernandez

1992 Ultra
44 – Frank Thomas

1993 Leaf
63 – Ron Karkovice
85 – Ozzie Guillen
195 – Frank Thomas

1994 Pacific
132 – Norberto Martin

1994 Pinnacle
428 – Ozzie Guillen

1995 Fleer
121 – Lance Johnson

1997 Pacific Prism
20 – Alex Fernandez

1998 Donruss
66 – Robin Ventura

1998 Fleer Tradition
257 – Mike Cameron

1999 Pacific Crown Royale
32 – Mike Caruso

1999 Topps Opening Day
5 – Ray Durham

2002 Donruss Best Of Fan Club
180 – Ray Durham

2004 Topps Total
122 – Damaso Marte

2006 Bowman Heritage
30 – Jim Thome
194 – Mark Buehrle

2006 Topps
51 – Juan Uribe

2007 Fleer Mini
263 – Jim Thome

2007 Topps Heritage
11 – Rob Mackowiak

2007 Upper Deck
8 – Josh Fields
90 – Bobby Jenks

2007 Upper Deck First Edition
70 – Brian Anderson

2008 Allen & Ginter
148 – Mark Buehrle
327 – A.J. Pierzynski

2008 Topps Heritage
268 – Jim Thome

2008 Topps Heritage High Numbers
501 – John Danks

2008 UD Masterpieces
23 – Jim Thome

2008 Upper Deck Timeline
73 – Alexei Ramirez

2008 Upper Deck X
26 – Carlos Quentin
27 – Jim Thome

2008 Upper Deck X Die Cut
25 – Jermaine Dye
26 – Carlos Quentin

2008 Upper Deck X Xpotentials
X-PK – Paul Konerko

2008 Upper Deck Xpotentials 2
X2-JT – Jim Thome

2008 Yankee Stadium Legacy
229, 592, 1225, 2016, 2234, 2409

2009 Topps Attax
Jermaine Dye
Bobby Jenks
Jim Thome

2009 Topps Heritage
365 – Carlos Quentin

2009 Upper Deck
435 – White Sox TL (Quentin, Floyd, Vazquez)

Thank you, Patricia and Lucy! These cards are great! Thank you for throwing in some White Sox based Yankee Stadium Legacy cards. I swear that I will finish the White Sox set at some point. Thank you for getting me that much closer.

There were surprises in store for me in this package. The Joel Horlen collegiate card was a nice surprise. The Mike Caruso card is out of this world! I'm still amazed at the Alex Fernandez card with the see through diamond and a bust of Alex that's viewable from both sides. It's almost like he had eyes in the back of his head! There are a lot of mid-air moments, smiles and airborne baseballs galore!

It Was In The Alamo... In The Basement

A short while ago, I answered a question in a contest held by A Cardboard Problem. It was about, of all things, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. I can't even count the number of times I saw that movie when I was a kid. I've probably seen it a few dozen times as an adult.

I knew that the fortune teller told Pee-Wee that his bike was being held in the Alamo, in the basement. For that bit of knowledge, I won a hobby pack of Upper Deck Documentary. I'm always for free stuff, so I welcomed the pack with open arms.

Well, actually, I welcomed the package on Saturday. Then a miraclulous thing happened. The piles of snow all melted when the temperature escalated and rain came down. I was awoke early Sunday morning to several phone calls from my friend, whose basement had flooded. Since I am the only friend who still lives a mile away, he naturally thought of me.

The pack will naturally be posted on A Pack A Day. When that is up later today, I will post a link to the post. This way you can see if the pack sucked or if the pack rocked. I'm just hoping for some White Sox.

Along with the package, there were a few cards thrown in. Hey, what can I say? I love free cards!! All were from recent releases. Sometimes it's nice knowing someone that works at a card shop. I wish I worked at one!

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights
UH174 - D.J. Carrasco
UH227 - Carlos Quentin AS
UH324 - Ken Griffey Jr.

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights Gold Foil
UH227 - Carlos Quentin AS

2008 UD Timeline
17 - Ken Griffey Jr.

Thanks, Marie! That was a nice little treat thrown in!

I am working on a special project for A Cardboard Problem that should be done this week. This is just extra incentive to get it done right!

Look for the UD Documentary pack opening on A Pack A Day sometime this afternoon or evening.

Poetry Slam Dunk

Perfect timing must be a strong point of dayf. Not even an hour passed after seeing this post, about my entry in his contest, did I receive my winnings in the mail.

How could I pass up a free "self made" mini card of a Bulls player? I can't. It involves too many things that I like. A free card. Chicago Bulls. Old school cards. Something that I don't already have. It's an entirely winning combination. Altogether.

You and I together: It's an entirely winning combination.

Yeah... that joke doesn't work as well in print.

When I opened the plain white envelope, I saw a hand written note. It informed me that dayf had gotten my package and that my mini card was safely tucked inside, along with a few extras.

The card wasn't entirely free though. Everyone who e-mailed dayf for a free card (of their choice) was told to wait for further instructions. This was a nerve inducing time. What would be required to obtain the free mini? Would we have to play Atari 2600 Video Pinball until the point counter rolled over? Would we have to write a thirteen page report on The Pirate Movie? There's only so much that I can write about Christopher Atkins and Kristy McNichol. Come to think of it, that last sentence was pretty much it.

None of those worries came to light though. It would be a poetry contest. The cards were ours. The only thing preventing them from being mailed was a poem. It could be any style. It could be the grandest thing on Earth or it could suck more than Vanilla Ice's hard rock career.

As soon as I got my assignment, I jotted down a poem. I had it back to dayf within an hour. Did I mention that I have taken many writing classes, including a few involving poetry? Probably not. I know I never mentioned the Women In Literature class that I took, so I'm pretty confident the poetry classes are a new revelation for readers of this blog too. I'm not ashamed. I loved the classes. It's just the first time that it has even been close to coming up.

If you missed the link, near the top, here's a link to my poem that got me the mini Bulls card.

But what about the other cards in the envelope?

Yeah, what about them?

Well, here they are!

Even more beautiful than the poetry assignment for a "mini" card.

I Came Late, But Still Won

I really have to thank Shane at Shoebox Legends, for running this little contest. I also have to thank dayf, for e-mailing me about this. I wouldn't have read about it until the next afternoon.

I was spending the evening relaxing with Tracey. I went by the computer to get something and decided to check my mail. There, I found an e-mail about this contest. The first one to leave a comment on the post would win this sweet Konerko bat card.

With a little luck, an e-mail and I'm sure a few bloggers giving me a chance, I won the card. Well, this beauty, which outclasses my two Darin Erstad bat cards of the same issue, came in the mail on Monday. It was accompanied by two friends. A 2007 Bowman Heritage Rainbow Jermaine Dye and a 2007 Turkey Red Chrome Jermaine Dye.

By sheer luck, Konerko and Dye were the only two players to hit worth a damn in yesterday's game. Was it just a coincidence that I received these three cards of these two players during this game? Yeah, probably. Was it a coincidence that I had opened the envelope just one minute prior to the Konerko home run? Maybe so. I just wonder what would have happened had there been a Thome in the envelope. Maybe an Orlando Cabrera and an Alexei Ramirez too. Would Griffey have struck out to end the season, if there was a shiny card of him in this magic envelope?

Of course he would have, don't be ridiculous. It's just fun to speculate. Sometimes it's OK to wish in luck, but I wouldn't put much stock into believing it. When I asked the online crystal ball if the White Sox would win the 2008 World Series, it said that they certainly would. That was a lie, but it was fun to think that it would be true.

When all is said and done, 2008 was a great season for the White Sox and I've received some wonderful cards from some very thoughtful people. This is just the latest example of that kindness. And I thank Shane for that very much! That was a magical feeling opening this envelope. It brought hope, determination, fun, and some wonderfully shiny Dye cards to go along with Konerko's bat.

Tribe Cards Tourney

When I decided to enter a scratchcard tournament at Tribe Cards, I figured I'd go a few rounds and end up losing to someone luckier than I. I had no idea that it would be one and done. It was a hard fought loss that went to the bitter end. I am better for the experience.

To keep those of us non-winners interested while the other action was continuing, David threw out quite a few trivia questions. They were tricky, but fun. I had a wonderful time seeking out the answers. I still felt that I was in competition, even though I never made it past the first round of the tournament. Bravo!

For my early exit and efforts in the trivia portions of the posts, I received this rather large pile of cards in the mail today. I certainly wasn't expecting this much, but David is a giving soul. Any numbered item, game-used item or autographed item, I would assume would be part of the tournament prizes. But you know what happens when one assumes. You make an ass out of you and Uma Thurman. Let's dig in!

1971 Topps
436 - Wilbur Wood
458 - Ron Lolich, Dave Lemonds
588 - Tom Bradley

1976 Topps Traded
618T - Jack Brohamer

1978 Topps
552 - Francisco Barrios
693 - Lamar Johnson

1984 Ralston Purina
33 - Carlton Fisk

1984 Topps
667 - Vance Law

1986 Donruss Highlights
44 - Joe Cowley
51 - John Cangelosi


1986 Topps Glossy Send-Ins
22 - Tom Seaver


1986 Topps Mini Leaders
8 - Harold Baines
9 - Floyd Bannister


1986 Topps Tattoos
Ozzie Guillen

1987 Fleer Pitchers vs. Sluggers
7 - Ivan Calderon

1987 Topps
89 - Ozzie Guillen
233 - Russ Morman

1988 Topps UK Mini
1 - Harold Baines

1989 Topps
764 - Robin Ventura

1990 Fleer
529 - Ivan Calderon

1990 Score
558 - Sammy Sosa

1991 Fleer
White Sox Logo Sticker

1991 Score
11 - Ozzie Guillen
85 - Dan Pasqua
418 - Bobby Thigpen HL
421 - Carlton Fisk HL

1991 Topps
461 - Robin Ventura

1991 Ultra
83 - Cory Snyder

1992 Donruss
457 - Ken Patterson
470 - Bo Jackson
543 - Carlton Fisk

1992 Topps
255 - Robin Ventura

1992 Upper Deck
743 - Steve Sax

1993 Conlon
895 - Bob Weiland

1993 Fun Pack
200 - Jack McDowell
201 - Tim Raines

1993 Kraft Singles Superstars
14 - Robin Ventura

1993 Leaf
330 - Lance Johnson CL
420 - Tim Raines

1993 Ted Williams
26 - Luke Appling

1993 Upper Deck Future Heroes
62 - Frank Thomas

1994 Action Packed
63 - James Baldwin

1994 Upper Deck
156 - Ozzie Guillen
309 - Jack McDowell

1995 Phil Rizzuto's Baseball
9 - South Side Park
26 - 1885 Chicago White Stockings (the predecessor of the modern day Cubs)

1995 Upper Deck Michael Jordan One On One
2 - Michael Jordan (Fielding)

1996 Collector's Choice
98 - John Kruk

1996 Leaf Limited
23 - Frank Thomas

1996 summit Above And Beyond
147 - Alex Fernandez

1996 SP
11 - Chris Snopek

1997 Finest
215 - Tony Phillips

1997 UD3
4 - Albert Belle

1997 Ultra Rookie Reflections
1 - James Baldwin

1998 Best
Richard Almanzar (autograph)

1998 Score
7 - Albert Belle

1998 Skyboc Dugout Access Double Header
DH17 - Frank Thomas

1999 Best
Michael Barrett (Autograph) 166/200

1999 Bowman's Best
17 - Ray Durham

1999 Metal Universe
27 - Albert Belle

1999 Stadium Club One Of A Kind
42 - Derek Bell 004/150

1999 Ultra Gold Medallion
106G - Ray Durham

2000 SPx
180 - Charles Johnson

2000 UD Black Diamond Rookie Edition
38 - Ray Durham

2001 Fleer Focus
Carlos Delgado 270/344

2001 Leaf Rookies And Stars Statistical Standouts
SS-23 - Magglio Ordonez (game-used base)

2001 Topps
White Sox logo sticker

2002 Absolute Memorabilia
33 - Mark Buehrle

2002 Fleer Maximum
155 - Carlos Lee

2002 Fleer Triple Crown
122 - Paul Konerko

2002 Topps
583 - Kenny Lofton

2002 UD Piece Of History
34 - Frank Thomas

2003 Topps Chrome
43 - Jose Valentin

2003 Topps Gallery
13 - Eddie Collins

2003 Topps Heritage
273 - Aaron Rowand

2003 UD Victory
26 - Frank Thomas

2004 Bazooka
39 - Juan Uribe

2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites
134 - Harold Baines
140 - Bill Skowron


2005 Topps Update
UH173 - Ozzie Guillen
UH219 - Chris Young


2006 Fleer Tradition
190 - Tadahito Iguchi
192 - Jose Contreras

2006 Sweet Spot Update
21 - Paul Konerko

2006 Topps Co-Signers
74 - Dontrelle Willis, Miguel Cabrera 089/115

2006 Ultra Diamond Producers
DP25 - Paul Konerko

2007 Allen & Ginter
70 - Jermaine Dye
123 - Tadahito Iguchi

2007 Goudey
156 - Scott Podsednik


2007 Topps Opening Day
21 - Mark Buehrle


2007 Topps Update
UH208 - Mark Buehrle
UH272 - Bobby Jenks

2008 Bowman
82 - Mark Buehrle

2008 Bowman Chrome Prospects
BCP46 - Javier Castillo
BCP68 - Francisco Hernandez
BCP97 - Matt Inouye

2008 Bowman Gold Prospects
BP68 - Francisco Hernandez

2008 Spectrum
69 - Nick Swisher

2008 Spectrum Retrospectrum Swatches
RS-FG2 - Freddy Garcia (game-used uniform)

2008 Topps
378 - Ozzie Guillen
420 - Nick Swisher
639 - Juan Uribe
649 - Joe Crede

2008 Upper Deck Game Used
UD-RH - Roy Halladay

Where do I even begin here? Well, this would be my first card of a game used base. That's really cool. The rest is just pure awesome! Thanks, David! You have run the best online scratchoff tournament I have ever played in! The prizes are awesome and the experience was a blast!

88 Topps Contest Winnings

Technically, this package came Friday. My weekend was so swamped that I even missed a day in posting the White Sox Photoshop Cards. Um, let's call it a holiday reprieve. Or a break from the Pythonesque tone this blog has taken in the last few days. Sorry, I popped in my Monty Python DVDs over the weekend to wind down. Now, everybody will suffer from that slight indiscretion.

After I confirmed that I had won, I posted this. What was in the package, surprised even me. I got everything from this post, except the paperback book, which was won by dayf.

- Cards 551-650 of the 1988 Topps set.
- The 1988 Topps style George Bell Fan Favorites card.
- A pack of 1984 Topps
- A pack of 1988 Sportflics
- The contents of a rack pack of 1987 Donruss
- The contents of a rack pack of 1990 Fleer

All of the previous packs were opened on A Pack A Day.

There were two bonus packs included in the mighty haul of childhood era wax. A pack of 2007 Topps Opening Day and a pack of 2008 Upper Deck Series 2. Plus there were a smattering of random White Sox cards.

The pack of 2007 Topps Opening Day.

106 - Brian McCann - Braves
23 - C.C. Sabathia - Indians
166 - Jerry Owens - White Sox
51 - Jered Weaver - Angels
125 - Jeff Francoeur - Braves
OD Puzzle 2 - Adam Dunn - Reds

Not too bad. I even got a White Sox card in there!

The pack of 2008 Upper Deck Series 2

492 - Justin Verlander - Tigers
422 - Nick Markakis - Orioles
659 - Chris Duncan - Cardinals
YSL5191 - Don Mattingly (Indians 10 - Yankees 5)
611 - So Taguchi - Cardinals
639 - Daniel Ortmeier - Giants
782 - Brian Roberts SH - Orioles
775 - Troy Tulowitzki CL - Rockies

Not too shabby either!

The smattering of White Sox cards.

2008 Topps
86 - Scott Podsednik
284 - Lance Broadway
296 - Paul Konerko
420 - Nick Swisher
508 - John Danks

2008 Upper Deck
286 - Juan Uribe

2008 Goudey
43 - Jermaine Dye

2008 Spectrum
22 - Jermaine Dye

2008 Topps Heritage Black Back
94 - White Sox Team

2008 A Piece Of History
108 - Lance Broadway

2008 Topps Chrome Refractor
64 - Mark Buehrle

That was quite a package! There were some nice surprises in there. With the 1984 Alfredo Griffin card, I am one year closer to reclaiming the card that started it all for me, the 1983 Topps Alfredo Griffin.

Like I've mentioned before, Andy puts on some of the most imaginative contests. Even if I wouldn't have won with my team of Daves, I had fun looking for the best team featuring one name. Thanks, Andy! Awesome contest! Awesome prize package!

I won? Thanks dayf!

Recently, there was a contest at 88 Topps Cards that dayf won. He only wanted part of the fabulous prize package, so he left the cards. While, I was sure that I had the majority of the cards offered, I loved the challenge of fielding a team of one name.

So, I accepted the offer of the contest and searched to field my team. After a few searches that left me a few players short, I hit upon the right name for my team.

Dave.

I was surprised at how many really good players I was able to find. It never even dawned on me just how many Dave's were in baseball, at different positions, on 1988 Topps cards. Had the entire 792 cards been up, I probably would have been able to field a few different teams, but the parameters of the contest limited us to work with only what had been posted.

Here is my team of Daves.

Starting pitcher = Dave Stewart
Relief pitcher = Dave Cone
Closer = Dave Smith
C = Dave Valle
1B = Dave Bergman
2B = Dave Concepcion
3B = Dave Magadan
SS = Dave Anderson
OF = Dave Henderson
OF = Dave Winfield
OF = Dave Parker

And as an uncredited bonus:
MGR = Dave Johnson

Andy puts on some of the most imaginative contests. By winning with a team of Daves, it gives me a chance to post this!

St. Patty's Day Contest Winnings

There was a St. Patrick's Day contest over at Cardboard Junkie. There were 20 cards that had to be identified to win a prize. I looked the cards over and determined it was too easy, so I figured I'd let someone else win. But when no one got all 20 by the next day, I decided to end the contest.

There were some tricky ones in there. The card that kept tripping everyone up was the 1922 E120 American Caramel. This was very familiar to me, as I did a blog on a set of caramel cards from the same time period. The green tint was the key to identifying the card. All the caramel cards from the twenties have a similar design.

The winnings came in the mail today. I was expecting the Fisk since dayf teased it on a later post. He e-mailed me to expect a bonus with the Fisk card. The green Fisk was good enough. I didn't have it, so I was very happy. Anything else would be gravy.

Here's what I won.

1992 Fleer Team Leaders #4 - Carlton Fisk
1990 Upper Deck #503 - Ivan Calderon
2003 Bowman Heritage #212 - Arnie Munoz
2006 SP Authentic #20 - Jose Calderon
2008 Topps Moments & Milestones #3 - Frank Thomas (HR 384) 100/150
2008 Upper Deck #289 - Jerry Owens

I love the bonus cards! I know I've said this before, but dayf always throws in the coolest stuff. Thank you for the cool contest winnings! They are all very appreciated.

Contest Winning At Dinged Corners

Winning contests seems to be the only fun I have lately. Dinged Corners had a contest, in which you had to think like Lucy, or at least come up with something funny about a 1989 Topps Tommy Lasorda card.

I couldn't match wits with Lucy. I came up with comments about running to the bathroom and ordering from the lunch truck. I guess the comments made Lucy or Patricia laugh, because I just received 10 hand selected cards from Lucy, in the today's mail.

Not only did I receive Lucy's Ten, I got many bonus cards and a bonus unopened pack of cards. Patricia and Lucy are always so generous when it comes to cards. On top of that, I got another great drawing from Lucy! That's always the best thing about the packages from Patricia and Lucy, the personal touches.

Lucy’s Ten:
1989 Topps #21 – White Sox Leaders
1989 Topps #247 – Shawn Hillegas
1989 Topps #334 – Steve Lyons
1990 Fleer #541 – Tom McCarthy
1991 Toys “R” Us Rookies #25 – Scott Radinsky
1994 Fleer #82 – Ozzie Guillen
1994 Pinnacle #116 – Ron Karkovice
2005 Fleer Tradition #248 – Roberto Almoar
2005 Leaf #49 – Magglio Ordonez
2008 Topps #86 – Scott Podsednik

Bonus cards:
1981 Topps #442 – Ron Pruitt
1984 Topps #777 – Tom Paciorek
1986 Topps #123 – Greg Walker
1986 Topps #574 – Ron Kittle
1987 Topps #342 – Bob James
1987 Topps #737 – Floyd Bannister
1988 Topps UK #1 – Harold Baines
1988 Topps UK #9 – Ivan Calderon
1989 Fleer #497 – Ozzie Guillen
1989 Topps #209 – Jeff Bittiger (2)
1989 Topps #357 – Jerry Reuss (2)
1989 Topps #512 – Donnie Hill
1989 Topps #558 – Dan Pasqua
1989 Topps #633 – Daryl Boston (2)
1989 Topps #786 – Melido Perez
1989 Topps 1988 Rookies #16 – Melido Perez
1990 Bowman #303 – Greg Hibbard
1990 Fleer #534 – Greg Hibbard
1990 Score #19 – Richard Dotson
1990 Score #329 – Shawn Hillegas
1990 Upper Deck #651 – Eric King
1991 Leaf #296 – Alex Fernandez
1991 Upper Deck Final #42F – Wilson Alvarez
1992 Score #62 – Jack McDowell
1993 Donruss #720 – Terry Leach
1993 Ultra #171 – George Bell
1993 Ultra #181 – Frank Thomas
1994 Pinnacle #192 – Ivan Calderon
2002 Upper Deck Diamond Collection #33 – Mark Buehrle
2003 Donruss #113 – Jose Valentin
2003 Donruss #115 – Royce Clayton
2005 Skybox Autographics #15 – Paul Konerko
2005 Topps Update #UH20 – Scott Podsednik
2007 Bowman Heritage Prospects #BHP62 – Aaron Cunningham
2008 Topps #224 – Mark Buehrle
2008 Topps #293 – Gavin Floyd
2008 Upper Deck #283 – Jose Contreras

Bonus pack:
1 pack of The Baseball Enquirer

WOW! I got a lot more knocked off my want list, surprisingly. I sent a package out to Patricia and Lucy over a month ago, which is somewhere in limbo. It hasn't shown up at their place and it hasn't shown up back at mine either. Hopefully, someday the cards will show up. I am going to try sending another package out. I'm hoping for this weekend. I've been setting aside cards featuring smiles, technology, aerial acrobatics, Mets, Asian players and more.

Thank you both for the wonderful selection of cards! I will be opening up the pack of Baseball Enquirer cards on A Pack A Day, within the next few days. As always, Lucy's drawings rock!

Yes, Lucy, I loved the card with the sunglasses and the action shots! All the cards were great!

Contest Winnings From Topps Traders

Better late than never, I always say. Although it probably appeared as nothing has changed over here, I have been severely under the weather since last weekend. Some days, I just don't have the energy to move. Frankly, I'm surprised I've written as much as I did. Then again, Tuesday and Wednesday did leave me without my voice. So, I suppose I compensated by writing.

What's this all mean? It means that I have an overdue thank you to write to Jeremiah from Topps Traders. I won a contest by knowing Cardinals trivia. To be fair, I was actually the second person to guess correctly, unbeknownst to me at the time, but my answers were still honored. Jeremiah sent everything out quickly. I was saving the post for Sunday, but then my energy was sapped and I didn't feel like rummaging through my pile of cards from various envelopes that came in the mail last week. I believe this package came in on Saturday afternoon.

So what did I win for knowing Cardinals trivia? White Sox cards!

2007 Topps Heritage - Jose Contreras
2007 Topps Opening Day - Jerry Owens
2007 Topps Opening Day - Jon Garland
2007 Topps Finest - Jermain Dye
2007 Turkey Red - Mark Buehrle (SP)

I was ecstatic when I opened the package. There before my eyes, was a card I've been longing for since it first came out. The 2007 Topps Turkey Red Mark Buehrle short print card! Sweet! It seems only fitting that the package should be topped off by a huge Cardinals fan in Buehrle. Now I only need the Josh Fields short print to complete my team set. Thank you so much!

The Dye and Contreras cards I already had, but they are welcome additions. I am excited to finally complete my 2007 Topps Opening Day White Sox set. Jeremiah provided the last two cards I needed. All this right before the 2008 Opening Day set comes out. Super sweet!

Thank you, Jeremiah, for your generosity. It is very appreciated!

The Fleer Sticker Project Contest Winnings

There is a deep, dark secret that I must share with you. I am a Seattle Pilots fan. I wasn't alive during the team's existence, but I always found it strange that a team would last for only one year before moving on. Something about that seems odd. Armed with this information, I won a contest over at the Fleer Sticker Project.

After a series of mishaps, mostly weather related, I received my Fleer stickers in the mail on Monday. I found more than I bargained for, which is why this post is slightly delayed. I've been trying to figure out the years of each sticker that I won. My hat is off to Jon. I don't know where he digs this information up, but it is outstanding!

This is what I've figured out so far.

1981 Fleer White Sox hat/Chicago lettering sticker
1982 Fleer White Sox logo sticker
1983 Fleer White Sox hat/Sox lettering sticker
1985 Fleer White Sox jersey/pennant Chicago Sox lettering sticker
1986 Fleer White Sox logo/pennant sticker (Eddie Collins back)
1986 Fleer White Sox logo sticker (Honus Wagner back)
1988 Fleer White Sox ball logo in holder sticker (2)
1988 Fleer White Sox/Cardinals logos/labels sticker
1989 Fleer White Sox logo sticker
1990 Fleer White Sox logo sticker
1991 Fleer White Sox logo sticker
1991 Fleer White Sox/Orioles/Red Sox/Angels logo sticker
1991 Upper Deck White Sox hologram logo sticker

This is what I haven't been able to pinpoint exactly. Some of the guessed information comes from sleuthing at Jon's Fleer Sticker site.

1 cloth logo sticker - red circle background, black shoes on batter - 1970 or 1971?
1 cloth logo lettering sticker - current lettering logo in blue and 60's style lettering logo with blue background - late 60's?
1 Grand Slam hi-gloss sticker - logo plus 3-D lettering with pink background and puzzle back - late 70's or early 80's?
1 sticker - 60's style lettering logo on red background and Chicago lettering 70's style in blue with puzzle back - 70's?
1 sticker - late 70's/early 80's style Sox lettering on blue background and Chicago lettering 70's style in blue with puzzle back - 70's?
1 sticker with 60's style logo lettering with red background and current Sox logo lettering in red - 60's or 70's?

Any help? I appreciate all of them. They will all be given a good home with me. The cloth stickers are especially cool! Thanks Jon! Your site continues to amaze me. And here is further proof that contests are so easy that even I can win! So, check these things out and enter!