The "Universe" has spoken to me........well.....it kind of gave me a gift actually......No really....It gave me a gift....LOOK!

So things been a little crazy lately to say the least in my end of the world especially with working 6 and/or 7 days a week which is very time consuming so I'm very thankful that I am able to receive vacation days from my employer because I took a personal holiday yesterday to use for an appointment and for a mental health day for myself. I needed to take a break and relax my mind by opening up some hockey cards..... 3 boxes of 2021-22 Skybox metal universe, 2 boxes of 2020-21 Upper Deck Clear cut hockey, and 1 box of 2022-23 Upper Deck Artifacts to be specific.

The first box that I opened was the Artifacts box. It's been a few years since I opened a box of Artifacts and since the price was decent I figured why not. 

I was surprised that I did not pull any other rookie cards other than the Jack Quinn clear cut rookie card. Some of the boxes I've seen opened had at least one or two other rookie cards. However my box only had Jack in it. I did receive my 4 serially numbered cards but they were all of base cards. The autograph was a nice surprise considering Quinn's autograph is listed as a "B" group auto 1:994. Overall I was pleased with what the box provided. 

Moving on to the 3 boxes of skybox metal universe.............

The 2020-21 edition of Skybox metal universe provided one autograph per box where as the 2021-22 edition does not guarantee one auto per box.

Per cardboard connections: "Although the 2020-21 product specifically mentions one autograph per Hobby box, the '21-22 box hit can be an autograph, PMG, Jambalaya, or "other coveted cards."

so basically this is what the odds are for hitting an auto even from these 2021-22 boxes:

Base Silver Autographs Set Checklist

54 cards.

Overall odds - 1:100 Hobby/ePack. Specific group odds noted.

1 Connor McDavid - Oilers - A 1:6,959
2 Jonathan Marchessault - Golden Knights - E 1:143
3 Miro Heiskanen - Stars - E 1:143
4 John Gibson - Ducks - D 1:514
5 Mitch Marner - Maple Leafs - B 1:3,085

etc.etc. Your Matthews, Crosby, John Tavares, and other stars like that are all part of group A. You have a chance of hitting one of their autos but the odds are so far up there that you would have better odds of fighting a rabid wolverine naked inside of a telephone booth with aliens cheering you on and Joe Rogan calling the play by play action. 

 

 

So I opened the first box and nothing earth shattering came out of the box but I am a fan of these cards and I really enjoy anything that shows images of the universe on it (real or artist drawn). The quality control with these cards spoke volumes with decent cuts and no damaged cards at all through the first box. I felt that Upper Deck did deliver on a good box of cards.

I moved onto the second box of Skybox metal universe and that's when while moving onto the last stack of packs (the middle stack) the thing I call "last stack magic" occurred and the universe spoke to me in the next to last pack:

Skybox Metal Box (Universe actually speaking through the box): How ya doing today Tim?

Big Kahuna: Just having some fun ripping some packs and trying to make a set. Why....what's up?

SMB: I feel like blessing you today with something. Allow me to ask you a question my child....Have you found McJesus?

BK: Um.....do you mean Jesus? 

SMB: I'm referring to Connor McJesus.

BK: Why yes...I have some his regular cards and I just pulled a Connor Mcdavid planet metal insert in the previous pack.

SMB: That's great my child......however I'd like to bless you with a special card today. This special card is one that can be hard to find and will make you feel excited and overcome with Joy.

BK: Oh.....so you're blessing me with a Connor McDavid serially numbered card. That's cool!

SMB: No my child......while that would be "cool" I really want to bless you with something wonderful.

BK: Well then......I look forward to whatever you may want to share with me.

SMB: Allow me to bless you with this

 

SMB: I present to you and bless you with his HOLY CHICKEN SCRATCH

 

 

All I could think of in the moment was Han Solo saying, "Never tell me the odds."

In my 30+ years of collecting Hockey cards I have never pulled such a star quality autograph that made me go : OMG OMG OMG so many times (the video of it will be posted on the Youtube channel soon). The funny thing is I need the 2020-21 edition of this card for the set I'm building.......and with my luck.....I pulled the 2021-22 edition of this card....LOL. Even funnier, I was just talking with a fellow collector last week about building the 2020-21 skybox metal universe entire set and I said to him, "watch with my luck I'll pull the card from the 2021/22 set and it won't have an auto on it. I may not even try to build the 2021-22 set at all." I guess spoke it into existence and the Universe said, "here ya go buddy.....you willed it into existence and this one has his autograph on it."

I'm still in shock over pulling this card and while it may not seem like much to some people, it's truly an awesome feeling to me and it's one of the many fun things about this hobby. It was something that completely caught me by surprise and totally off guard when I was opening the packs. Ok universe......ok........thank you for making a rough couple of weeks being forgotten about entirely for a few hours.

A small part of my collecting goals for 2013

Here is the top 5 cards that I would like to put into my personal collection for the year 2013.

 1. A Ken Griffey Jr autographed card. I had one at one point and time but I lost it in the fire.

2. A David Wright autographed card. This is one auto that I have not pulled yet and I've always hoped that I would! It seems to be eluding me and it's getting nerve racking!

3. An Avery Brooks autographed card. I was a big fan of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and I loved seeing Avery as Captain Sisko.

4. A Mark Messier autographed card. While I was so delighted to get Wayne Gretzky's autograph in person after a game at MSG I was kind of hoping I could snag Mark's as well. Unfortunately I just missed him by like 4 seconds.

5. A Magic Johnson autographed card. He is my favorite NBA player and my favorite LA LAKERS player! I wish I still had the pair of Lakers colored Converse Weapon sneakers. Loved em!

and finally a special card that I need to get for someone I love dearly:

A John Kruk autographed card. Actually what I would like to do is to find out where I could send a picture to him and see if I could get it signed and personalized to Kathy, my fiance who is a Phillies fan. Her Pap and her used to watch the Phillies games a lot when she was growing up and John Kruk was both their favorite player. I though it would be something to cheer her up and bring back back some good memories for her. She deserves it!

Chicken Scratch: Captain Kirk Edition

For this lovely edition of Chicken Scratch I have decided to look at one of the autographs of NY Mets outfielder "Captain" Kirk Nieuwenhuis.

When you look at this autograph you can easily make out the "K" in his first name and the "N" in his last name. He even added his jersey number which is clearly legible. As for the rest of the letters........good luck on figuring that one out. In his first name you have a "K" and it looks like an "A" almost at first glance. Take a second glance and you might even see, "HA". 

Here's another version of his "younger" autograph:

As for the last name portion.....well......the "N" is visible and the rest of it ends on a long loop. It could also be possibly going "NS" as well. Not really sure what he's communicating but it looks like, "HA NL". Maybe he's saying, "HA! I play in the National League." All I know is he's barely getting 2 sharpies for his poor penmanship!

"SLAP SHOT" of the week

Drayson Bowman 2011-12 Pinnacle Private Signings Card # BOW

Chicken Scratch: Manny Machado Edition

Manny Machado was to be reviewed but this is what I get from Topps:

Eventually when we get the card from Topps (if it ever comes) it will be reviewed and then displayed. Until then here is a funny picture of something odd:

Surf the big one dude!

Thanks Upper Deck for the crap you produce!

So I finally was able to see some shots of the "ever so secretive" 2012 SP SIGNATURE baseball edition and make sure you have this nearby:

(not the cat but the toilet)

Here's the first shot of a sample of $225.00 box of cat crap looks like:

Wow.......sticker auto's....why we've never seen them before. Geeze, so much thought was put into this card design.

 A card that just has autographs with names and lame dates on it. No reference to what position they played. It looks like a label off of a bottle of generic steak sauce. "Here ya go son.....put some of this Seattle Focus sauce on yer burger and it will taste even more watery!"

This is one of the chase cards you could pull and this is a US patch flag of Maury Wills. Well that says a lot about where he played or what position he played. Basically it's just saying, "he's a guy that has a USA patch" if that much even.

Folks..........this is what Upper Deck is doing to you when you buy this product:

In other words.......save yourself and take that $225.00 you have and go somewhere else with it. Save it, invest it stock, spend it on a AMISH hooker named Ulga, donate it to scientific genetic mutation research, pickup a ticket to a couple of rock concerts, or just buy some "special brownies" from that surfer dude down the street. I would suggest that you seriously skip this product and get something that is of better quality.

but wait........there's more

So I decided to look at the comments on UD's Facebook page to see if they had any reviews of  the 2012 Signature series and there was rather some shockingly positive feedback by some people. I decided it was time to give an honest negative review about the product and I posted it on their comment section along with everyone else's comments and people were starting to agree with me. There was a few people that thought the cards looked awful and those comments were left on. However after a while I checked on it and some were deleted. My review had mentioned that I could not and would not support this product and I listed the reasons why and people were agreeing with me on it left and right and was liking it. Well this must've caught the attention of the UD FACEBOOK POLICE because they deleted my comments/review shortly after a while and folks started complaining. So what did I do........that's right folks........I re-posted it AGAIN. Once again there was many likes and more people agreeing with what I said about it with one guy even commenting about it being a sticker dump product. Then I heard sirens go by me again as the UD FACEBOOK POLICE struck again and removed my comment and a few other negative comments. No one it seems was allowed to leave a negative comment regarding 2012 SP SIGNATURE. So I posted a comment on how it was unfair of them to censor people and that if they can't handle a little criticism about their "SO FREAKIN GLORIOUS PRODUCT" then it's definitely not worth buying. I have not checked to see if they deleted that comment but they probably did as well. 

Lasso-Graphs Edition- Sammy Solis

Hello folks! Ryan filling in here with another edition of Lasso-graphs. Tim has been working ungodly hours and asked me if I could fill in a little for him.

For the next person that I chose to examine I know that Tim had pulled this particular card out of a box of Bowman Chrome baseball the day before it was announced that Sammy Solis will undergo Tommy John ligament replacement surgery. I never heard Tim curse so many times about prospecting and his luck at pulling bad prospects. All I could think was (using the Simpson's Nelson voice)......ha ha!

Let's see how bad this guy makes "swirlies" in his name shall we:

Look at all those lasso's flying all over the place. It looks like the initials of "Sg81" or "Sj8l". It looks like his signature is done in one fluid motion. "Loops, loops, everywhere a loop" on this card.

My little ol box of 2011 Topps PRECISION football

In the madness of the boxes of card products that I was buying I decided to take a chance on a box of 2011 Topps Precision football from my LCS and I have to say that the boxes I have been opening from my LCS have had NY GIANTS players in them left and right and this box was no disappointment by any means. 

The first "hit" card that we pulled was of NY Giants rookie wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan. Now I'm pretty stroked about this "hit" because it's a Giants player and it's a jersey autograph as well. The only thing I thought Topps could've done was have the card hard signed instead of putting a crooked sticker auto on the card. 

 

My next big "hit" that I pulled was of a retired legend and a first for my autograph collection: EARL CAMPBELL (I will confess that I am also a bit of a Houston Oilers fan also which also makes me a Tennessee Titans fan as well). What I love about this autograph is that it's clearly legible!

 Like I said before in one of my previous posts, "Jon Baldwin" is haunting me. Here is another autographed jumbo relic serially numbered 25/25 that I pulled of Jon. I can hear the mojo'ers in the background screaming, " OMG- It's a 3 colored patch EBAY 1/1 ". Oh yeah....it is another sticker auto.

In my final pack that I opened I managed to pull this "autographed hit": Marcell Dareus. The really nice thing about this card is that it's a hard signed copy. No sticker is needed. No sticker is applied. I love how his signature is signed "MD".

 

Lasso-graphs

Tim has a section called, "Chicken Scratch" where he describes a little bit about an athlete's signature and how you can tell if it looks like "chicken scratch" or if it looks like the athlete cares about what he's signing. I collect something a little different that I like to call, "Lasso-graphs". Allow me to show you what I mean:

Take a glance at the autograph on this Stargate:Universe card. I enjoy collecting these kind of cards because this is where we get to see some serious ink loop-age and ink flying all over the place. How you would ever identify the name "Josh Blacker" from that signature is beyond me.

Here's another prime example of another prime "Lasso-graph":

Look at how she makes a big "O" followed by curves. Ona Grauer is pretty hot so we'll forgive her for her sloppy effort but that's still no excuse for poor handwriting. My nephew writes better than this and he's 6 years old for crying out loud!

Here's another stellar "Lasso-graph" to share with you:

The question I present to you is how many "Lasso-graphs" do you have in your collection?

Ryan

Chicken Scratch: Jordan Shipley Edition

Welcome to another addition of "Chicken Scratch". This week's subject is non other than Cincinnati Bengals rookie Wide Receiver Jordan Shipley. In Jordan's last NFL game against the Falcons, he had 6 receptions for 131 yards which included a beautiful 64 yd TD reception.
His bold signature is almost legible. His "J's" and "S's" are pretty easy to recognize and he does make an effort to sign his last name where as some athletes just write a straight line instead. When you look at his first name you might assume it was "Jim or "Ji" or even "JD". When you look at his last name .......um yeah.......the only thing that I can come up with is "sis". Still his signature is still a far cry better than Chris Johnson's or Amobi Okoye's autograph. For this lovely piece of artwork I give it: 3 sharpies!

Chicken Scratch David Freese or "Dil Fssssn"

David Freese has a legible signature for the most part. The "D" and "F" are clear and large and recognizable. However it almost looks like his first name is "Dil". I can see those conversations and boy that has a nice ring to it: Hey Dil, nice game Dil, what a home run Dil, way to steal Dil, or What the Dil-Li-O kind of catch was that! As for the second part of his name it looks like, "Fssssn". Heck of a name for ya.....who's pitching- Dil Fssssn! However despite these little things his name is very presentable and can be made out for the most part. David receives 3 sharpies for his efforts.


To bid on this refractor or any more of my cards here's the link. David Freese refractor

Now at WalMart......Enough Already's E.P. The EBAY Gripe Sessions

I'm getting annoyed with all of the listings for 1/1's when there is NO 1/1 listed on the card anywhere. I do believe that is called false advertisement. I'm hoping someone starts buying all the false 1/1's and then when they get the card they file a complaint with PAYPAL because the seller is LEGALLY false advertising a product. You should really learn the legalities when listing Items on EBAY. You could have a field day with some of these listings with Paypal taking to the seller's side due to the listing title.

Here is a list of Ebay false 1/1 idiot listings:

This is just a plain out right joke.
Oh this one
This one is a winner!
This is the tea bagger!
THE GRAND DADDY OF ALL BOLONGA OF 1/1'S FALSELY ADVERTISED BUT LISTED AS NUMBERED TO 20 IN THE DESCRIPTION.

Then you get to some of these listings under the "Buy it Now" tab that just make you wanna either laugh at them for what they're asking for or just feel sorry for them. The best part is when your negotiating the "best offer" and then they quote in the email, "well according to Beckett Book Value". At that point I drop my business with them immediately. I usually find the card somewhere else for a third of the cost.

Let's take a look at some potentials:
Um.....yeah.....I don't think so bub!
Yeah....let me go right out the door!
Um....No sir...I don't like it.
Who the heck is that?
THIS IS THE KING OF EBAY FALSE LISTINGS!



On a happier note, I've surpassed 5,000 views. Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to even remotely look at my crazy world. Heck I would be happy just with 5 views let alone 5,000. Thanks guys!

Chicken Scratch

Ryan Alexander Gordon Smyth is a Left Winger who currently plays for the L.A. Kings. Smyth was selected in the 94'draft by the Edmonton Oilers where he played 12 seasons. He then played for NY Islanders and the Colorado Avalanche before playing with the LA Kings. He is also known as "Captain Canada" due to his participation in the Olympics/World Championships.

Ryan's autograph looks like the result of getting slapped upside the head by Todd Bertuzzi's hockey stick. The only legible letter in this autograph is apparently the "R". You can also identify his jersey number "94" as well. As for the last name signature portion...I have no clue. Over the years he's had the same consistent signature so there's really no chance of him making it any more legible apparently. I'd say this signature was slapped off the goal post.

Chicken Scratch of the Day

Joe Mauer was the 2009 American League's MVP. Joe was the best catcher in all of baseball for 2009 in my opinion. Joe has a MVP style signature as well.

Chicken Scratch

Markus Naslund. This Swedish born hockey player was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and played for 3 seasons in Pittsburgh. Markus then played for the Vancouver Canucks for 12 years and then spent a season with the New York Rangers and retired in May 2009 after 16 seasons in the NHL. He is the Vancouver Canucks Franchise leader in goals and points scored. He was also a member of the "West Coast Express" (fellow NHLers and Canadians will know who that was).

While his talents on the ice proved to be excellent, his skills with a pen seem to be a slap shot boinking off of the goal post. I don't know if he received to many concussions or if he was "checked" into the boards too many times but that signature does not look like a goal buzzer beater to me.

Chicken Scratch

Robert Meachem has been rather "hot" as of lately. This helps when you have a QB that can lay the ball in your hands almost perfectly. The Saints are still undefeated at 13-0 and have clinched their respective division. As for Robert's signature...far from hot!

Chicken Scratch of the Day

Tashard Choice is the 3rd option for running back with the Dallas Cowboys. He has seen some sporadic playing time this year and has been a reliable running back when called upon.
While his signature seems a bit classy at first glance, Tashard does not sign his full name. It seems like he just initials it as T.CO. One upstroke is that Tashard has no fumbles on the field this year. Unfortunately, he does have a fumble for his lovely signature effort. For this he receives "one sharpie".

Stats Overview	Rushing					Receiving					Fumbles
SPLIT	ATT	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD	FUM	LST
2009	58	330	5.7	66	3	15	132	8.8	28	0	0	0

Chicken Scratch of the Day

Ricky Romero: Left Handed Pitcher (2nd rotation)

Wins: 13
Losses: 9
ERA: 4.30
SO: 141

Ricky has a very nice clean signature where you can actually make out his name. His signature does seem to be consistent with other signings he has done. Ricky is also a candidate for the 2009 MLB Rookie of the Year award.

For the effort he puts into his autograph he receives four sharpies.

Chicken Scratch of the Day

Stephen McGee was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2009 NFL Draft in the fourth round. He played college football for Texas A&M. McGee was named the winner of the 2008 National Bobby Bowden Award.
In 2009 he was awarded one sharpie for making his signature look like "Chicken Scratch".