Baseball Card Blogs » Electric Friar

Pack Break: Five Hobby Packs of 2011 Bowman Platinum

ElectricFriar — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:52:29 +0000

I purchased these packs of 2011 Bowman Platinum from SportsCardForum back in August. When they arrived, I did not have time to open them since I was going through Chief Petty Officer Induction. So they became buried in a pile … Continue reading →

©2008-2011 The Electric Friar
Unless otherwise expressly stated, all articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial - No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Mailday: 1961 Fleer Paul Lowe SGC 92 NM-MT+

ElectricFriar — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:00:52 +0000

A very nice addition to my personal collection arrived in the mailbox today. I won this beauty from Ebay. Paul Lowe’s 1961 Fleer card, graded 92 (NM/MT+) by SGC. This adds another card to my SGC graded 1961 Fleer Football … Continue reading →

©2008-2011 The Electric Friar
Unless otherwise expressly stated, all articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial - No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Collecting Goals For 2012

ElectricFriar — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:57:34 +0000

A new year brings new opportunities for collecting. For the past couple of years, I really haven’t been collecting as much as I would like. But one of my goals for the new year is to make more of an … Continue reading →

©2008-2011 The Electric Friar
Unless otherwise expressly stated, all articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial - No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Collection Highlight – 2003 Upper Deck Fortyman Shane Victorino

ElectricFriar — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:29:18 +0000

Card: 2003 Upper Deck Fortyman #940 Shane Victorino Sometimes, when you have a fairly large card collection, you might discover something you have completely forgotten about. Like the fact that Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino used to roam the outfield for the Padres. I was rummaging through the old collection … Continue reading →

©2008-2011 The Electric Friar
Unless otherwise expressly stated, all articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial - No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Selected for Chief!!

ElectricFriar — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:21:28 +0000

I got some great news today. After 13 years, I was finally selected for advancement to Chief Petty Officer (E7). If you are not familiar with the Navy, advancement to Chief Petty Officer is probably the most significant milestone for an enlisted sailor. After 4 years of being eligible, it … Continue reading →

©2008-2011 The Electric Friar
Unless otherwise expressly stated, all articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial - No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Collection Highlight – 1995 Skybox Impact Stan Humphries

ElectricFriar — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:13:34 +0000

Card: 1995 Skybox Impact #124 featuring Chargers Quarterback Stan Humphries Why is this card so awesome: First off this is a card of Stan ‘The Man’ Humphries, one of the toughest men to ever quarterback the Bolts. Secondly, it is a picture of Mr. Humphries wearing the throwback Powder Blue … Continue reading →

©2008-2011 The Electric Friar
Unless otherwise expressly stated, all articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial - No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

My Return To The Hobby

ElectricFriar — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 03:26:10 +0000

It’s been quite a while since my last post. Almost 18 months in fact. It’s probably been just as long since the last time I even took a peek at my card collection. So what have I been up during that time? Well, work for one. The Navy sure has a way … Continue reading →

©2008-2011 The Electric Friar
Unless otherwise expressly stated, all articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial - No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Not Quite Back Just Yet

ElectricFriar — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:45:41 +0000

It’s been quite a while since I’ve had time to update the blog – 5 months in fact. The fact of the matter is, I’ve had to take a break from the hobby. Unfortunately, spare time isnt a luxury I have at my disposal right now. Work has been hectic – sea duty in the Navy often is. Plus, as of 3 weeks ago, I’m a new father. I realize it’s cliche to say having a kid is a life changing experience, but there is absolutely no other way to describe it. Between work and my wife’s pregnancy, I really haven’t had the time to get really involved with the hobby the past several months.

I’d love to say that I’ll be getting back into the hobby and resume posting, soon but that would be a lie. My ship will soon be heading out for deployment, which means another long break. Fortunately, I’m set to transfer to shore duty by January next year. I’m hoping that by then, I should have the free time necessary to get back into things. I really miss going to the hobby shop, opening packs, and searching Ebay for deals. I’m also looking forward to someday being able to get my son involved in this hobby as well.

So, I’m keeping the blog open for now, with the hope that by the end of my deployment, I’ll be back and better than ever. It’s killing me that I missed some great looking releases – stuff like National Chicle and T206. I don’t think I even have any Chargers or Padres team sets from 2009. Like I said, hopefully 2011 I’ll be back with a vengeance.

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Not Quite Back Just Yet

Nine Nine Nine

ElectricFriar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:31:28 +0000

For all the numerologists out there, today is 09/09/09. Lots of baseball significance in the number 9. Nine inning ballgames, nine players in a lineup, etc. What better way to celebrate than trying to determine the 9 greatest hitting performances in Padres history by position. That’s exactly what the Padres homepage is doing and I thought I’d share my choices for the Magical Nine.

First Base
No brainer, Adrian Gonzalez ’s 2008 season, while not yet finished, is the best hitting performance ever by a Padres 1B. Just shy of Nate Colbert’s 38 HR’s in 1972, Gonzalez has more RBI’s and runs than any 1B on the list. And he’s doing it in the hitter’s graveyard that is Petco Park.

Second Base
Without looking I would have guessed that young Roberto Alomar’s 1989 season would qualify as the best in Padres history. However, Mark Loretta’s stats from 2004 really overshadow anyone else on the list. Amazing what he quietly accomplished that season.

Shortstop
I would have liked to have gone with Garry Templeton’s 1985 season, but Khalil Greene’s 2007 season (27 HR, 97 RBI, 89 Runs) was definitely worthy of being the best ever by a Friar SS.

Third Base
Sentimentally, I would like to go with Ken Caminiti’s 1996 season (.326, 40 HR, 130 RBI) as the best 3B performance. But the specter of his PED use that season makes me choose Gary Sheffield’s 1993 season (.330, 33 HR, 100 RBI) as the best. Remember, young Sheff was a Triple Crown threat back in 93.

Catcher
No debate, Benito Santiago’s rookie season of 1987 (.300, 18 HR, 79 RBI, 21 SB) was the best season by a Padre backstop. Let’s not forget his 34 game hitting streak during his ROY campaign.

Pitcher
At first I was shocked not seeing Jake Peavy on the list. Until I realized this was for the best hitting performance ever. Not much to choose from statistically, so I went with Eric Show’s 1984 season (.246, 3 HR, 10 RBI) if only for having at least one player from 1984 represented.

Outfielder
You get to choose 3. For the first OF spot I went with Tony Gwynn’s 1997 season (.372, 17 HR, 119 RBI, 92 Runs). Surprising not seeing his 1994 season on the list. You remember, the season he flirted with .400, until Baseball Economics intervened? Dave Winfield’s 1979 season (.308, 34 HR, 119 RBI, 97 Runs) gets the second OF spot. And the final spot goes to 1990’s Bip Roberts (.309, 44 SB). Yeah I know. I’ve got a soft spot for the Bipper.

So those are my choices. Check out the Padres website and let me know who you would pick as the Padres 9 best.

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Nine Nine Nine

Ebay Win: 2009 Topps Chrome Blue Refractor Everth Cabrera Autograph

ElectricFriar — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:12:53 +0000

In last year’s Rule V draft, the Padres selected an unknown middle infielder from the Rockies. Since he was taken in the Rule V draft, the team was forced to play him all season or risk sending him back to the Rockies. A daunting task for someone who never played above Class A. He was projected by the team’s hierarchy as a SS even though he played only 171 of 219 career games as a 2B. Hell, the team had the audacity to compare him favorably with Rafael Furcal.

Well, Mr. Cabrera proved he was indeed ready to make the leap from the South Atlantic League to the Majors. He showed some flashes in the first month of the season. Enough to get Padres fans worked up over the speed merchant. When he came back from the DL, he proved that the early start wasn’t a fluke.

In Everth Cabrera, the Padres finally have someone well suited to Petco – a slap hitter who uses his speed to terrorize opposing teams. With a young lineup featuring guys like Cabrera, Mat Latos, Kyle Blanks, Adrian Gonzalez, and Will Venable, 2010 should be a fun season to watch.

I won this card on Ebay for $13.50. If he has a similar season next season, I’ll be curious to see how the value of this card holds up.

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Ebay Win: 2009 Topps Chrome Blue Refractor Everth Cabrera Autograph