Garbage Pail Kids Twitter Tournament

First off, I know absolutely next to nothing about Garbage Pail Kids cards, although I do remember them back in the day.

The great thing about social media is the stuff you learn and the awesome people you meet.

March Madness is back, and over on Twitter that means another very cool tournament by Cards from the Attic, and this time its Garbage Pail Kids.

Yes, Garbage Pail Kids, those crazy cards from the mid 1980s. are going at it in a bracket style format until a GPK Champ is crowned...just like hoops hysteria!


And, the cool thing is, with participation, you have the opportunity to win awesome GPK Prize Packs, and hey, FREE cards are always cool.

The man is SERIOUS about giveaways!

As I said, I really know nothing about GPK, but there's two cards that I'm going to vote for, a couple of baseball related cards...

           ⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️Homer Runt⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️

        ⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️Screwball LEW⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️

Last year I had an absolute blast playing in the Cardboard Chaos, and I'll have fun participating again this year...learning about those weird cards from the 1980s.


Of course, now that I've gotten interested in the GPK, I'm going to have to start collecting the baseball GPK cards.


For all your GPK Tourney info, go to Cards From The Attic.

Go have some fun... PLAY BALL! ⚾️

Baseball Bulletin... March 4, 2019

Happy Monday everyone, I hope that you all had a terrific weekend.

Today is (was) National HUG a G.I. Day.

Make sure to honor all those who are serving, or have served, buy going up and giving them a hug, a pat on the back, a Thank You!  for serving our Country! 

😎 For myself, it was a pretty good sports weekend, with my Michigan Wolverines going on the road and getting a big time win over the Maryland Terrapins.

The win improved their Big Ten record to 15-4, (26-4), moving into second place in the conference behind the Purdue Boilermakers. 

Michigan has one regular season game left, travelling to East Lansing to take on Michigan State.

My favorite NASCAR driver, Kyle Busch, finished 3rd in yesterday's race in Las Vegas, behind winner Joey Logano and Michigan native Brad Kesolowski.

🇺🇸🤼‍♀️ Torrie Wilson will be Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year.

😎 Here's some Baseball stuff I came about on ye olde Internet.


⚾️🎂🎁 Big leaguers with a #HappyBaseballBirthday  today include Dazzy Vance, Lefty O'Doul, Tom Grieve, Brian Hunter, Sergio Romo, and Tigers right fielder Nicholas Castellanos.



        ⚾️ 📷 Baseball Picture of the Day 📷⚾️

🐯 The annual Spring Training get together of Detroit Tigers catchers...photo courtesy of BIG John Hicks on Instagram.

👀 Bryce Harper signed a 13 year, $330 Million dollar contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, and that meant a much anticipated baseball card from the one and only Gummy Arts.

Harper has been one of my favorite big leaguers to watch play since he made his debut in 2012....and I wrote in January 2013 that he had become my favorite Washington Nationals player.

💻 The #3 Phillies Jersey of Harper set a Fanatics record over a 24-hour period.


😎 Who's the best ballplayer ever?
     ● CUT 4 says the answer is Mickey Kaline.

I honestly can say that I've never heard of Mickey Kaline, but that last name is absolutely fantastic!

Mickey had quite the big league career...apparently.

💛💙⚾️ For the 2nd consecutive week, Michigan Junior Tommy Henry is the BIG Ten Pitcher of the Week. 💛💙⚾️

🐎⚾️ Henry is also a graduate of Portage Northern High School, like yours truly.



📰 Historic Hamtramck Park is being renovated, and it got a good start in funding the project with a $10,000 donation from Jack White.

White, a Motown native, loves baseball, and the Tigers, and its awesome to see a star like that giving back to a great cause in his community.

🐯 The ballpark was once home to the Detroit Stars of the old Negro Leagues, an is one of just five (5) Negro Leagues ballparks still in existence. 


🎯 Well, that's all for now, it's almost midnight,  and its literally taken me about 10 hours, on, and off, to complete this post.

Hope you had a great Monday evening, and if you're reading this on Tuesday, well, my apologies for the delay...go out and HUG a service member and thank them for all they do each and every day for us.


Play Ball! ⚾️🇺🇸🐯🎂🎁😎🐎

Happy Baseball Birthday! ... Nicholas Castellanos

Sending out Happy Baseball Birthday!  wishes to Detroit Tigers rightfielder Nicholas Castellanos, who turns 27 today.

I'm a big fan of the young man, and I know that I'm in the minority when it comes to most Tigers fans on social media, but I'll take a .298 batting average, with 23 HRs, 89 RBI, 46 doubles and 185 base hits any time.

🐯 The Tigers weren't a good team last year, winning just 64 games...without Castellanos, they likely wouldn't have won 54 games

🐯 Castellanos should spend his entire career in the Motor City, and the Tigers can, and should, make that happen.

Happy Baseball Birthday! Nicholas...have yourself an awesome day.....I'm sure it'll involve the newest addition... Lola Castellanos.

Lola and Nicholas Castellanos courtesy of Detroit Tigers on Twitter.


PLAY BALL!⚾️

Card Corner...2019 Topps Heritage Detroit Tigers Cards

Topps released their 2019 Tops Heritage Baseball on Wednesday, and there are plenty of Detroit Tigers cards for sale already on ebay.

Heritage pays homage to the Topps 1970 card set.

The cards, just like they were 49 years ago, are simple, with gray borders, and a simple pose by the player, with TIGERS in either upper left or right hand corners.

I like Heritage cards because it brings me back to when I opened those packs with my my allowance, paper route and birthday money, searching for all the Tigers cards, especially, of course, my hero.

Because the Tigers released James McCann, that Freehan card won't have a Tigers catcher to pose in that classic batting stance, unless one comes out late this year in Heritage Update w/ BIG John Hicks or Grayson Griener.


The TIGERS base cards are...

#12 Jordan Zimmerman

#33 Jeimer Candelario

#95 BIG Joe Jimenez

#98 Nicholas Castellanos

#152 Matt Boyd

                             Yeah Boyd! 

#177 Niko Goodrum

#207 Dawel Lugo RC / Cristin Stewart RC - Rookie Stars

I LOVE that 2019 Tigers Rookie Stars card!

🐯⚾️Here's hoping Stewart and Lugo have better careers for the Tigers than Norman McRae and Bob Reed.

#269 Shane Greene

#313 Michael Fulmer


#472 Miguel Cabrera (SP)

The Cabrera card is short printed, as are all Heritage cards #400 through #500, and will be more difficult to pull in packs.

There are also black color variations of each Tigers player, with just 50 copies of each card

The Walmart my Princess works at never has cards on their actual release date, ao I'm hoping that this weekend they'll show up so I can open a few packs.

If you've opened opened up any Heritage this week, let's hear about your experiences so far, what you think about the cards, did you go hobby, or retail, did you get your favorite player, team... did you get any hits?


⚾️ If your a Chicago White Sox collector, my friend Steve at White Sox Cards has you covered.

⚾️ If you're a L.A. Dodgers fan, Earnest at Dodgers Blue Heaven has all your info.

Give these awesome bloggers a follow and give them your thoughts on the 2019 Topps Heritage cards.


Have a great weekend, keep on blogging, keep collecting, and keep ripping open baseball cards!

Play Ball! ⚾️

My Mailbox...Justin Verlander, Topps Living Set

My #HappyBaseballBirthday! present to myself arrived in the mail on Thursday.

   Topps Living Set #145 Justin Verlander 


This card of the 2018 American League strikeout king arrived less than a week after I placed the order, a record speed for anything I've ever ordered with Topps...I guess they knew if was my Birthday! 

When the Verlander card was released I automatically thought how beautiful a card it was, and also how so much I'd wish that it had come while he was still wearing a Detroit Tigers uniform.

I have lots of cards of JV, but this may be my 2nd favorite in my collection...its definitely my favorite of him as a Houston Astros player in the little over a year that he's had Astros cards.

This is my 7th TLS card, and my 1st Astros TLS card.

Remember, as you finish reading this, that Sunday will be the start of another contest to win a TLS card.

If you're on Twitter, follow Topps Living Stats, and when he posts the contest, nominate three players (not already chosen by another player) who you think will be the next in the TLS.

If the player you chose is in the three cards that Topps releases on Wednesday afternoon, you'll win that card...it's great fun, and I hope you'll get involved with us.

Last week I chose Rich Hill, Dawel Lugo, and Mike Clevinger, and, as always I missed on all three.

Each week you get a keeper pick, and I'm thinking I'll keep my Michigan Man, Rich Hill.


Until next time, PLAY BALL! ⚾️

Baseball picture of the Day...Nicholas Castellanos

Nicholas Castellanos, Right Fielder, Detroit Tigers, Spring Training 2019

Photo Detroit Tigers/Instagram 

🐯⚾️🐯⚾️🐯⚾️🐯⚾️🐯⚾️🐯⚾️🐯⚾️🐯⚾️

Play Ball! 

Baseball Picture of the Day... Justin Verlander

It's Super Bowl Sunday, the final football game of the 2018-19 NFL season.


With Spring Training just 10 days away, my Baseball Picture of the Day is the perfect transition from the pigskin to the horsehide, courtesy of Houston Astros fireballer Justin Verlander. 

         Photo from Justin Verlander/Instagram


Why, you're wondering. is he rooting for Tom Brady to win his 9th Super Bowl?


Well, my guess is his wife, the beautiful Kate Upton, a Michigan native and fan of the football team that calls Ann Arbor home, has a lot to do with it.

Also. Verlander did pitch in Detroit for 12 years, a city only about 45 miles east of Ann Arbor, so he may have some connections there.


Whatever the reason, it's a great picture, and it's awesome that Verlander is rooting for my favorite All-Time QB and cheering on the Patriots with his wife.


Have a great Sunday night, enjoy the game, and, always... PLAY BALL! 🏈⚾️

Happy Baseball Birthday!... Matthew Boyd

Happy Baseball Birthday! to my favorite lefty hurler, Matthew Boyd, who turns 28 today.


It's already been a good start to collecting 2019 issued cards of Matthew, with Topps adding him to their Topps Living Set in January.

Wednesday was the release of 2019 Series 1 Topps cards, and Matthew is well represented, with a base card, base  card variations, and this card with the 150 Years shield to commemorate a century and a half of big league baseball.

After being drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 2012, Matthew stayed one more year at Oregon State, and then in 2013 he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays.


The Tigers acquired Matthew from the Blue Jay's at the end of the trading deadline in 2015 in a deal that sent David Price to Toronto.

Matthew will be in the starting rotation, the 3rd/4th starter, and I hope to see him pitch at home again this season.



Happy Baseball Birthday! Matthew Boyd... #yeahboyd #BoydsForever 


Play Ball! 🐯⚾️ 

Lindy's Baseball Preview Magazine... Yeah BOYD!

As I was scanning ye olde Internet for something to read after midnight here in Portage, lo and behold, what grabs my attention, but Lindy's Baseball Preview Magazine, and look who's gracing our regional cover!

You know I've gotta head over to the bookstore next week to pick up my copy...another thing to add to my Mathew Boyd collection.


Play Ball! 🐯⚾️

Baseball Picture of the Day, February 1, 2019

When I first saw this picture on Instagram yesterday I just knew that I had to share it as the first Baseball Picture of the Day for 2019.

    Photo courtesy of Alanna Rizzo/ Instagram 


It's just is about as awesome a picture as you'll see to get you excited about the start of Spring Training in a couple of weeks.


⚾️📺 Alanna Rizzo is an outstanding broadcaster that I first came to know from her time on the MLB Network, especially when she would hang out with Chris Rose and Kevin Millar on International Talk and give her famous Rizzo Report.



I've continued to follow her since she joined the Los Angeles Dodgers broadcasts in 2014, both on her Twitter page and on her Instagram page.


👍 It's a bonus when the Dodgers are on late night West Coast games on the MLB Network, as they have as good a broadcast crew as you'll find, with Joe Davis, Orel Hershiser, Nomar Garciaparra, and Alanna.


If you're on Twitter, make sure to follow her during the baseball season...you don't need to be a Dodgers fan...just a baseball fan.


As I finish up this post I'd like to personally thank Alanna for not only this awesome picture, but for her passion and professionalism in reporting on the great game that we love. ❤


Until the next post, you know what's up...Play Ball! ⚾️🍊🌵