Today is a new day, one where I should do a little cleaning. So I'm cleaning out my scanned folder and showing a few recent Listia wins.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
Why Do I Use Listia?
Some people have mentioned to me that they have never tried Listia. I'm going to talk briefly about why I like it. I'm not paid to do it, just giving you reasons why I use the site more than ebay.
The biggest reason is because most of the credits I've ever gotten on the site have been free. I think I have spent a total of $6 for credits, and really didn't have to. I can earn a lot of free credits on there every day. You may notice I tweet random auctions on my twitter. I do it once a day or so. The reason is just simply tweeting me that gives me 10 credits. Not much but it adds up. Remember those David Freese cards I showed off recently? Cost me 78 credits, or 8 days of sending a random link via twitter. The downside of linking twitter is if you win, it broadcasts it to the world (they have access to tweet for you, which they only do if you win). It sucks when winning stuff for people, but it gives a heads up on what I might talk about. 10 credits may not seem like much, but how about 50? Taking less than a minute you can share an auction on Facebook (I usually do the same one I'm tweeting, its easier). If you don't want to pest your friends, do as I do (which is why you hardly see posts about Listia on my FB wall), you can send it to only specific people. In my case (and it takes 30 seconds tops) I change it to "Only me" and so nobody else can see the post. Boom, between FB (who doesn't post for you) and twitter, I can get 60 credits a day minimum just for 2 minutes of work. Randomly they give you 2-5 credits just for checking in, sometimes 15 credits for feedback, and maybe others I have missed. Occasionally you'll see "Share this on Facebook for 100 credits (or sometimes 150)" and I do everytime. I broadcast it for everyone to see in the off case someone joins via my link, then I think I get extra points. Plus that happens at most once every couple weeks, not daily like the auction links.
So how do you make the big points? Recently I noticed videos have skyrocketed in points. Last year they were 7-9 credits for each one you watch. Now they are 25 credits, no matter the length. Few are 30 seconds, some are about a minute, some up to 30 minutes. I spend about 10 minutes total watching them, getting anywhere from 100-200 credits. The good news is you don't have to keep it on the page as its running, so you can check twitter on another tab or something while its running. Since I like seeing new ads or ads in general, I usually watch them.
The biggest credits though come with doing surveys or free trials. Recently I got 15,000 credits for a free trial to Next Issue. The catch was sign up for the one month free trial and read two magazines within 48 hours. That's it. I did that, then cancelled the trial about a week later (but still got to keep it for a month, and still got the credits). Be careful though as if you end trials too soon they can rescind the credits (its never happened to me, but they warn you. Most of the trials I have done were free ones, but sometimes there are offers for ones that cost real money. FTD usually has an offer around the holidays, which is good if you were planning on sending flowers. Disney Movie Club usually has an offer, if you need another reason to join it. Just take your time and read the offers carefully then decide if its worth it. The $6 I spent total on credits plus all the free credits I've earned has gotten me over 130 transaction (some multi-card deals), so I can't complain.
If people use your referral link, that person sometimes get extra credits when signing up. That is why I have linked it on here before. Once they buy or sell an item (I think its sell) I would then get bonus credits. I think I would get bonus credits for every sell that person does. That is why I promote it on here.
Then of course is selling items. I will admit I haven't done this yet, but they do give you a bonus for selling items, as well as the credits you get for actually selling the item. For the most part, I would use the site mainly for cheaper things you don't expect to make much or don't want a lot for. Remember, you get credits, so you aren't getting real money. You can't cash them out, so the only way to use them is to buy things. For the most part auctions for cards normally start at 499 credits (but as you've seen in my posts, quite a few don't), you have to determine how much is it worth to sell it. I equate 1,000 credits to $1, which by most standards is actually low. Some judge the going rate of credits by what the gift cards sell for on the site. My way I use is simpler for me. Just going by my way though, 499 credits would roughly be 50 cents if someone bids, and that is about the cost of a stamp. So anything you make above that would go to packaging and envelopes, then profit. So maybe putting 4 or cards together in an auction could net you more profit. Of course they offer more than just cards, they are like ebay but use credits instead of money, and don't have seller's fees either. However the flip side is Listia is nowhere near as big, and the selection is somewhat limited. Just on the cards, there is about 10,000 or less auctions at any given time. You also have less ways to sort auctions (I wish I could limit the auctions to see only 2,000 or less credits and no Get It Now sales), but can sift out the auctions that charge for shipping. You may want to look and browse around a bit to see if its worth your time. I look at most of the auctions, but usually do searches for "Royals" "Maddux" and "Missouri". Missouri and Mizzou get very few hits, while Maddux fluctuates between 20-100 entries, and Royals averages between 50-100. So as you can see, the selection is limited, but again, mostly free credits and who knows what you could find.
You also can earn XP points and badges on the site, which to be honest I haven't found much use for beyond telling if the seller is active and is trustworthy. If you have disputes, they seem to be settled rather quickly, within a couple days, sometimes hours. I have had I believe 3 disputes in a year, one was a seller's mistake (accidental posting), one was the fault of the seller (forgot to send item), and one was the buyer's (ME) fault. I accidently hit the "GOT IT" button before getting the item (it was my first win, and I thought it was asking if I understood the details of the transaction, silly me). All three were settled very quickly and without incident (I never got my item, and forfeited 1,000 credits, but I got over it and conceded it was my mistake). I've never got a damaged package or card, so I can't say how smooth that will go, but I assume it would be like ebay. Most auctions on Listia the seller doesn't include tracking or insurance, but again, in over 130 wins, I've never had any problems beyond the way the seller packs the item. Here is a link if you decide to join, again I am letting you know I will get bonus credits and so will you. You will get them when signing up, I will get mine if you decide to sell items. I'm not asking you to sell anything, I am just stating what either of us have to gain from it. https://www.listia.com/signup/4098073
In closing, I will admit Listia isn't for everyone. I was a member for over a year before I started to use it. Actually the only reason I used it was because I thought I would win a few things to show off on my blog, then once I ran out of credits I would stop visiting. It turns out I visit the site quite often and never ran out of credits nearly a year later. My advice would be this, try it out for a couple weeks. If you sign up and have the credits bid on something you might like. If you are just browsing and don't sign up, keep track of what you see and like. If you don't think its worth your time after a couple weeks then skip it (but I would go ahead and use the credits before stopping, I mean they are free!). If you like it then keep going back, and who knows, maybe you'll find something you have been trying to find. I mean it is a new avenue of searching for cards (and other items) afterall.
I had something else to mention but it slipped my mind, if I think of it I will put it in a future post, and edit this too.
Thank you for reading, and have a great day. If you have used Listia and have anything to add, feel free to comment, or if you have any questions.
The biggest reason is because most of the credits I've ever gotten on the site have been free. I think I have spent a total of $6 for credits, and really didn't have to. I can earn a lot of free credits on there every day. You may notice I tweet random auctions on my twitter. I do it once a day or so. The reason is just simply tweeting me that gives me 10 credits. Not much but it adds up. Remember those David Freese cards I showed off recently? Cost me 78 credits, or 8 days of sending a random link via twitter. The downside of linking twitter is if you win, it broadcasts it to the world (they have access to tweet for you, which they only do if you win). It sucks when winning stuff for people, but it gives a heads up on what I might talk about. 10 credits may not seem like much, but how about 50? Taking less than a minute you can share an auction on Facebook (I usually do the same one I'm tweeting, its easier). If you don't want to pest your friends, do as I do (which is why you hardly see posts about Listia on my FB wall), you can send it to only specific people. In my case (and it takes 30 seconds tops) I change it to "Only me" and so nobody else can see the post. Boom, between FB (who doesn't post for you) and twitter, I can get 60 credits a day minimum just for 2 minutes of work. Randomly they give you 2-5 credits just for checking in, sometimes 15 credits for feedback, and maybe others I have missed. Occasionally you'll see "Share this on Facebook for 100 credits (or sometimes 150)" and I do everytime. I broadcast it for everyone to see in the off case someone joins via my link, then I think I get extra points. Plus that happens at most once every couple weeks, not daily like the auction links.
So how do you make the big points? Recently I noticed videos have skyrocketed in points. Last year they were 7-9 credits for each one you watch. Now they are 25 credits, no matter the length. Few are 30 seconds, some are about a minute, some up to 30 minutes. I spend about 10 minutes total watching them, getting anywhere from 100-200 credits. The good news is you don't have to keep it on the page as its running, so you can check twitter on another tab or something while its running. Since I like seeing new ads or ads in general, I usually watch them.
The biggest credits though come with doing surveys or free trials. Recently I got 15,000 credits for a free trial to Next Issue. The catch was sign up for the one month free trial and read two magazines within 48 hours. That's it. I did that, then cancelled the trial about a week later (but still got to keep it for a month, and still got the credits). Be careful though as if you end trials too soon they can rescind the credits (its never happened to me, but they warn you. Most of the trials I have done were free ones, but sometimes there are offers for ones that cost real money. FTD usually has an offer around the holidays, which is good if you were planning on sending flowers. Disney Movie Club usually has an offer, if you need another reason to join it. Just take your time and read the offers carefully then decide if its worth it. The $6 I spent total on credits plus all the free credits I've earned has gotten me over 130 transaction (some multi-card deals), so I can't complain.
If people use your referral link, that person sometimes get extra credits when signing up. That is why I have linked it on here before. Once they buy or sell an item (I think its sell) I would then get bonus credits. I think I would get bonus credits for every sell that person does. That is why I promote it on here.
Then of course is selling items. I will admit I haven't done this yet, but they do give you a bonus for selling items, as well as the credits you get for actually selling the item. For the most part, I would use the site mainly for cheaper things you don't expect to make much or don't want a lot for. Remember, you get credits, so you aren't getting real money. You can't cash them out, so the only way to use them is to buy things. For the most part auctions for cards normally start at 499 credits (but as you've seen in my posts, quite a few don't), you have to determine how much is it worth to sell it. I equate 1,000 credits to $1, which by most standards is actually low. Some judge the going rate of credits by what the gift cards sell for on the site. My way I use is simpler for me. Just going by my way though, 499 credits would roughly be 50 cents if someone bids, and that is about the cost of a stamp. So anything you make above that would go to packaging and envelopes, then profit. So maybe putting 4 or cards together in an auction could net you more profit. Of course they offer more than just cards, they are like ebay but use credits instead of money, and don't have seller's fees either. However the flip side is Listia is nowhere near as big, and the selection is somewhat limited. Just on the cards, there is about 10,000 or less auctions at any given time. You also have less ways to sort auctions (I wish I could limit the auctions to see only 2,000 or less credits and no Get It Now sales), but can sift out the auctions that charge for shipping. You may want to look and browse around a bit to see if its worth your time. I look at most of the auctions, but usually do searches for "Royals" "Maddux" and "Missouri". Missouri and Mizzou get very few hits, while Maddux fluctuates between 20-100 entries, and Royals averages between 50-100. So as you can see, the selection is limited, but again, mostly free credits and who knows what you could find.
You also can earn XP points and badges on the site, which to be honest I haven't found much use for beyond telling if the seller is active and is trustworthy. If you have disputes, they seem to be settled rather quickly, within a couple days, sometimes hours. I have had I believe 3 disputes in a year, one was a seller's mistake (accidental posting), one was the fault of the seller (forgot to send item), and one was the buyer's (ME) fault. I accidently hit the "GOT IT" button before getting the item (it was my first win, and I thought it was asking if I understood the details of the transaction, silly me). All three were settled very quickly and without incident (I never got my item, and forfeited 1,000 credits, but I got over it and conceded it was my mistake). I've never got a damaged package or card, so I can't say how smooth that will go, but I assume it would be like ebay. Most auctions on Listia the seller doesn't include tracking or insurance, but again, in over 130 wins, I've never had any problems beyond the way the seller packs the item. Here is a link if you decide to join, again I am letting you know I will get bonus credits and so will you. You will get them when signing up, I will get mine if you decide to sell items. I'm not asking you to sell anything, I am just stating what either of us have to gain from it. https://www.listia.com/signup/4098073
In closing, I will admit Listia isn't for everyone. I was a member for over a year before I started to use it. Actually the only reason I used it was because I thought I would win a few things to show off on my blog, then once I ran out of credits I would stop visiting. It turns out I visit the site quite often and never ran out of credits nearly a year later. My advice would be this, try it out for a couple weeks. If you sign up and have the credits bid on something you might like. If you are just browsing and don't sign up, keep track of what you see and like. If you don't think its worth your time after a couple weeks then skip it (but I would go ahead and use the credits before stopping, I mean they are free!). If you like it then keep going back, and who knows, maybe you'll find something you have been trying to find. I mean it is a new avenue of searching for cards (and other items) afterall.
I had something else to mention but it slipped my mind, if I think of it I will put it in a future post, and edit this too.
Thank you for reading, and have a great day. If you have used Listia and have anything to add, feel free to comment, or if you have any questions.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Show & Tell Saturday #1
I'm not sure if this will be a weekly feature, but I thought I'd show off a few random things I have and talk about them. Here we go.
Ghost Ryder isn't the most well-known Monster Truck. To make an analogy- Ghost Ryder is like an indy wrestler or a Arena Football team- you might see them pop up from time to time in your area, but you won't see them too often on the big stage.
I saw Ghost Ryder in Columbia, MO a few years back with my sister and nephews. They had a lot of fun, and we met the drivers afterwards. That is how I got this autograph of our favorite Monster Truck that day (even better than Bearfoot)!
Speaking of Bearfoot- he would be like the Macho Man of Monster Trucks. Almost everyone has heard of him, but not as big as Bigfoot (who would be Hulk Hogan in this analogy).
This card (its a cardboard sheet about the size of a notebook page and fits nicely in a one-pocket sleeve), I had long before ever seeing Bearfoot. This photo is a newer (post 2000's) version which I don't care for as much as his earlier looks, but its still nice to have.
I don't have much to say about Tony Roper. To be honest, I grabbed this at my local Casey's Convenience Store who had a few sitting on the counter. A short time later, he died in an accident (he died on my sisters 23rd birthday- October 14th,2000). I don't remember ever seeing him race, but I just found something out while scanning this.
First- he is a Missourian. I never knew that or I just didn't think about it much. Now I don't know if I should put this in my Missouri binder or not. I think its in a good spot with other Motorsports so it can stay there. The other thing I noticed- Dr. J was the car owner! That is pretty cool.
Many may wonder why I root for Sam Hornish and this is the reason- a cardboard sheet. Well, there's more to it than that. I got this sheet at the Missouri State Fair, where this car was on display. I don't tend to root for drivers too long. I have guys I hope always do good, but usually change it up to keep me interested. This was about the 4-5th car I seen on display. Forgetting a couple I had also seen Bobby Labonte's car and Darrell Waltrip's Western Auto car before. I also enjoy see them in person.
Let's close up on an autograph.
If I remember right, I pulled this card in a box of racing repacks. Wallace is the youngest son of Rusty Wallace. Rusty should be (but I haven't done it yet) in my binder of Missourians, but Steven doesn't qualify. Steven was born in Charlotte, NC (which I would like to visit again), and has Tourette Syndrome. I haven't heard about him in a while so I looked him up on Racing Reference and see he competes in the CARS Super Late Model Series. I never heard of it, but I don't follow a lot of racing beyond the top tier NASCAR events and very little K&N results.
I'm sorry if it doesn't seem like I'm myself tonight (I'm not sure you can even tell through writing), but as I just started writing this, I found out someone I knew from school was killed from flash flooding in the area. She was missing for a day or two, and her passing was the first I even heard about it. I know most of my readers might not care about this, but I've always told myself that writing sort of calms me down and soothes me. Sometimes I look back at things I've written and try to understand my mood for that time, so this is a way for me to personally understand what was happening when I was writing this. Anyways, I was going to scrap this for tonight, but already had the scans loaded and felt it would make me feel a bit better writing. Which it has somewhat.
Thanks for reading, and have a good night.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
DTC- Dollar Tree Cards
There are some things you just don't buy at Dollar Tree. Most food items aren't good ideas (specifically generic brands), and don't expect high quality either. However, you can get a lot of items there that are worth it. If it wasn't, I wouldn't go as often.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Take Two Packs and Call Me In The Morning
I only have one plugin near my air conditioner (yes, I don't have central air), and its the same one that I use for my desktop computer and scanner. I just recently moved the computer there after I got a new desk because its a good spot. So the trade-off is I either have air or have the scanner (since I mainly use a laptop, the desktop isn't really needed to be plugged in). I mention all this because it was cool enough for a couple days that I was able to scan a few things. Today I will show off a couple packs of cards I bought in the last month or so.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
One Man's Trash...
There is an old saying as many of you know, "One man's trash, is another man's treasure". While I never would consider any cards "trash" (except maybe 1991 Fleer), there are cards that doesn't fit in everyone's collection. That was the case back in April when Cards on Cards had a Spring Cleaning. It was really simple- send him at least one card on his wantlist, and he'd send you a bunch from a team he doesn't collect. The thing is this, I never sent cards to anyone yet (and I feel bad about it, as I owe some folks some cards, and I'm working on it, honest), so I thought I'd give it a shot.
I of course requested Royals cards, and then waffled a bit (about a month or so) before I sent him some cards. I had some Cardinals cards on his wantlist and then threw in a few Trailblazers cards because I'm not really a basketball collector. He sent me a package almost lickety-split.
I of course requested Royals cards, and then waffled a bit (about a month or so) before I sent him some cards. I had some Cardinals cards on his wantlist and then threw in a few Trailblazers cards because I'm not really a basketball collector. He sent me a package almost lickety-split.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Royal Mailbag
An odd thing happened to me last week. I communicated with the Kansas City Royals. No this isn't an alien sort of thing, it really happened. I got an email and was informed I was selected as part of a contest. About a month ago I filled out a form online for something called Royals Memories. Every game, the radio crew announces a Royals Memories presented by Tippin's Gourmet Pies. If you are selected, you get a coupon for a free Tippin's Gourmet Pie and possibly more. In the email it asked for my address so they could mail it to me and informed me that they would read my memory on a broadcast in July (I think the 23rd). It is the makeup game between the Royals and Cardinals (a rare game in which I'll be able to see on TV oddly enough). Anyways, I plan on finding a way to record it (best guess is hooking up a stereo and finding a cassette, which I still have some lying around).
I was quite surprised really to win. I never had a Tippin's pie, but look forward to trying it out soon (I might have to go to the Metro KC area to pick it up). I was kind of hoping to be selected for the Sonic Slam Inning where I could have won some case (up to $25,000), I hope this doesn't disqualify me from that.
The next day I got my mail and saw this:
I was quite surprised really to win. I never had a Tippin's pie, but look forward to trying it out soon (I might have to go to the Metro KC area to pick it up). I was kind of hoping to be selected for the Sonic Slam Inning where I could have won some case (up to $25,000), I hope this doesn't disqualify me from that.
The next day I got my mail and saw this:
Saturday, June 20, 2015
A Winner is You!
For those wondering about the title, this might help.
A Nintendo (old school NES) game simply called Pro Wrestling was a game I loved to play. Pictured above is one of my favorite guys to compete as- Starman. Anyways, when you would win this would be the screen. A WINNER IS YOU! From what I understand (or maybe just made up), the game was designed in Japan, and when it was created for America, they didn't put much effort into "America-izing" it so a poorly worded phrase was born. I'm sure if you read my blogs, I have made some similar mistakes, including using a word such as "America-izing".
A Nintendo (old school NES) game simply called Pro Wrestling was a game I loved to play. Pictured above is one of my favorite guys to compete as- Starman. Anyways, when you would win this would be the screen. A WINNER IS YOU! From what I understand (or maybe just made up), the game was designed in Japan, and when it was created for America, they didn't put much effort into "America-izing" it so a poorly worded phrase was born. I'm sure if you read my blogs, I have made some similar mistakes, including using a word such as "America-izing".
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Rain has caused Turtles to spawn!
It has been raining a lot lately. So much so that you would think I lived in Seattle and not Mid-Missouri. Once the rain subsides, hot and humid weather is predicted, so its not a very good trade off.
I decided to show off something today I've been sitting on for a year now. Even before I started my blog. I think I opened them in February but never posted them. Here we go.
I decided to show off something today I've been sitting on for a year now. Even before I started my blog. I think I opened them in February but never posted them. Here we go.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Quick Custom Post
Thought I would write a new post. I've been a little busy and get easily sidetracked so I forgot its been a few days. I thought I'd show off some custom cards I made and then have a regular post tomorrow.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Return of that Online Auction Place
An earlier post I did featured various thing you could find on ebay and stories about why they interested me. I've been on an Ebay kick lately so I found a few items to show today. Let me note that I am not advocating one way or another for these items or asking you to bid or buy them, I am just showing you various items I found.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Opportunity Knockin'.... IF YOU WHEEL!
Every day or at least every couple days, I read Wikipedia and look at recent deaths and then this day in history. I usually read it to my mom because she might be the only person on Earth who has never used a computer before (I don't mean internet, I mean computer, aside from punching numbers for codes and such). So I read them to her and try to educate myself. Today was interesting because it had a couple more noteworthy events than usual, but nothing really standing out.
Until I got to birthdays. I was reading them (not all of them, because neither of us know many Swedish table-tennis players so I pick ones we have heard of). I had to pause for a moment and said "Oh, man..." My mom replied "what?" So I told her today was Magnum TA's birthday. Normally this wouldn't register, and I might have skipped it because she wouldn't know who that is. Many of you might not or know the significance so I'll explain quickly.
Magnum TA was a wrestler whose name is Terry Allen. He was a rising star in Jim Crockett Productions NWA Wrestling federation (which would later become WCW). Right on the cusp of megastar status, he was injured in an accident that finished his career more or less.
Now this tidbit would go unnoticed to many on any other day, but today it meant a lot worse. Magnum TA's running partner at the time of the accident was none other than Dusty Rhodes.
If you haven't heard the news today, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes passed away at the age of 69 earlier today. He leaves behind many family members and fans, who have been talking about it all day. He had two brother in-laws who wrestled- Jerry Sags (Sags of the Nasty Boys), and Fred Ottman (Typhoon of the Natural Disasters, but more infamously as The Shockmaster). He also had two sons who wrestled- Dustin Rhodes (aka Goldust, and other variations of the name and gimmick), and Cody Rhodes (who now is going by Stardust, a name Dusty himself used).
Its a sad day for wrestling fans, and so I thought I would show some cards I have of him off, thanks to Trading Card Database for the scans, and pay my respects to "The Common Man".
1990 ish, proving he could turn crap into gold.
He was a legend, and did just about everything in wrestling.
He is also one of 6 people to be inducted into all the major wrestling Hall of Fame's.
At this point let me say I'm not going to lie. I never got to see the meat of his career, and I wasn't the biggest fan of his. However he had the charisma that could make The Rock cower in the fetal position. His promos were some of the most passionate ever. They were meaningful and sometimes went on for a while, but they told a story, which is a lost art in today's world of soundbites.
I mentioned he just about did it all, for quite a while he was an announcer for WCW (and later would be the same for WWE's developmental league the FCW or NXT). They way he talked made for even the most boring matches seem good. He would say things of no relevance, but he still put the wrestlers in the ring over (another lost art in today's wrestling). "Opportunity knockin' for young Billy Kid-man, if you wheel". His Texas accent stood out. After the wrestling would win (let's just use Kidman again) he's say. KIDMAN'S TAKING IT TO DA PAY WINDA BABY!"
I watched some of his videos today, and I forgot how much fun it was for him to call the matches (especially with Bobby Heenan). One match was a hardcore match where he basically laughed for 5 minutes interjecting things like "THAT WASN'T A PIN TONY (Schiavone), THAT WAS A LOW BLOW" (which they both were right, there was a low blow, but while Heenan and Dusty was enjoying themselves, Tony tried to call it normal and he stunk it up).
Once, according to Eric Bischoff, just to see how he would respond, WCW brought a kid's bike into the arena and used it to see how Dusty would react while calling the match.
For me it is the announcing I will miss the most about Dusty. He was still working for WWE in NXT, and many of the wrestlers today expressed sadness but said Dusty helped them so much. Nobody could cut a promo like him, and it will be a huge loss to NXT when it comes to that.
Here are a few other pics of Dusty.
That hat is horrible, but at least its better than polka dots.
Once Magnum TA was injured, Dusty started teaming with former rival Nikita Koloff to form The Superpowers.
One of the most famous promos Dusty cut was one called HARD TIMES!
Another sad note about Dusty's passing today involves this promo.
"There were two bad people… One was John Wayne and he’s dead brother, and the other’s right here."
Today is also the day that John Wayne passed away in 1979. All these event makes it a little creepy.
So, in closing, let me say Rest in Peace Dusty Rhodes, and thank you for all the entertainment you provided throughout all your years.
Dusty Rhodes vs. Harley Race, whom he defeated twice for the NWA Heavyweight Title. The other person he beat while claiming the title 3 times? Ric Flair.
Thank you all for reading, and if you have a favorite memory of Dusty Rhodes, feel free to leave a comment. Have a great night.
Until I got to birthdays. I was reading them (not all of them, because neither of us know many Swedish table-tennis players so I pick ones we have heard of). I had to pause for a moment and said "Oh, man..." My mom replied "what?" So I told her today was Magnum TA's birthday. Normally this wouldn't register, and I might have skipped it because she wouldn't know who that is. Many of you might not or know the significance so I'll explain quickly.
Magnum TA was a wrestler whose name is Terry Allen. He was a rising star in Jim Crockett Productions NWA Wrestling federation (which would later become WCW). Right on the cusp of megastar status, he was injured in an accident that finished his career more or less.
Now this tidbit would go unnoticed to many on any other day, but today it meant a lot worse. Magnum TA's running partner at the time of the accident was none other than Dusty Rhodes.
If you haven't heard the news today, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes passed away at the age of 69 earlier today. He leaves behind many family members and fans, who have been talking about it all day. He had two brother in-laws who wrestled- Jerry Sags (Sags of the Nasty Boys), and Fred Ottman (Typhoon of the Natural Disasters, but more infamously as The Shockmaster). He also had two sons who wrestled- Dustin Rhodes (aka Goldust, and other variations of the name and gimmick), and Cody Rhodes (who now is going by Stardust, a name Dusty himself used).
Its a sad day for wrestling fans, and so I thought I would show some cards I have of him off, thanks to Trading Card Database for the scans, and pay my respects to "The Common Man".
He was a legend, and did just about everything in wrestling.
He is also one of 6 people to be inducted into all the major wrestling Hall of Fame's.
At this point let me say I'm not going to lie. I never got to see the meat of his career, and I wasn't the biggest fan of his. However he had the charisma that could make The Rock cower in the fetal position. His promos were some of the most passionate ever. They were meaningful and sometimes went on for a while, but they told a story, which is a lost art in today's world of soundbites.
I mentioned he just about did it all, for quite a while he was an announcer for WCW (and later would be the same for WWE's developmental league the FCW or NXT). They way he talked made for even the most boring matches seem good. He would say things of no relevance, but he still put the wrestlers in the ring over (another lost art in today's wrestling). "Opportunity knockin' for young Billy Kid-man, if you wheel". His Texas accent stood out. After the wrestling would win (let's just use Kidman again) he's say. KIDMAN'S TAKING IT TO DA PAY WINDA BABY!"
I watched some of his videos today, and I forgot how much fun it was for him to call the matches (especially with Bobby Heenan). One match was a hardcore match where he basically laughed for 5 minutes interjecting things like "THAT WASN'T A PIN TONY (Schiavone), THAT WAS A LOW BLOW" (which they both were right, there was a low blow, but while Heenan and Dusty was enjoying themselves, Tony tried to call it normal and he stunk it up).
Once, according to Eric Bischoff, just to see how he would respond, WCW brought a kid's bike into the arena and used it to see how Dusty would react while calling the match.
For me it is the announcing I will miss the most about Dusty. He was still working for WWE in NXT, and many of the wrestlers today expressed sadness but said Dusty helped them so much. Nobody could cut a promo like him, and it will be a huge loss to NXT when it comes to that.
Here are a few other pics of Dusty.
That hat is horrible, but at least its better than polka dots.
Once Magnum TA was injured, Dusty started teaming with former rival Nikita Koloff to form The Superpowers.
One of the most famous promos Dusty cut was one called HARD TIMES!
Another sad note about Dusty's passing today involves this promo.
"There were two bad people… One was John Wayne and he’s dead brother, and the other’s right here."
Today is also the day that John Wayne passed away in 1979. All these event makes it a little creepy.
So, in closing, let me say Rest in Peace Dusty Rhodes, and thank you for all the entertainment you provided throughout all your years.
Dusty Rhodes vs. Harley Race, whom he defeated twice for the NWA Heavyweight Title. The other person he beat while claiming the title 3 times? Ric Flair.
Thank you all for reading, and if you have a favorite memory of Dusty Rhodes, feel free to leave a comment. Have a great night.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Neighborhood Watch....ing for good deals
This past weekend my town had City Wide Garage Sales. The term "CITY" is used generically as we have a population of a little over 750 people. Any way you slice it, about 30 houses decided to sell stuff, some in conjunction with other people, so there were deals to be had, it just depends on what you were looking for.
I wasn't looking for much. To be honest, I set my hope of finding something good to 1 (out of 100) just so I wouldn't be disappointed in case I came home empty handed. Luckily I found some good stuff at the few places I went to.
Friday morning started out as a potential wash. Storms were looming, so knowing I had about 20 minutes, I walked down the street to about 4 sales. Swing and a miss on the first three (though I planned to go back later), but I passed up some 9 card pages at the first sale. I passed on them.
The last house I went to brought in some deals just as it started to sprinkle.
I wasn't looking for much. To be honest, I set my hope of finding something good to 1 (out of 100) just so I wouldn't be disappointed in case I came home empty handed. Luckily I found some good stuff at the few places I went to.
Friday morning started out as a potential wash. Storms were looming, so knowing I had about 20 minutes, I walked down the street to about 4 sales. Swing and a miss on the first three (though I planned to go back later), but I passed up some 9 card pages at the first sale. I passed on them.
The last house I went to brought in some deals just as it started to sprinkle.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Monday Morning... Evening Quarterbacking
2009
Trey Hillman-Coach
Zack Greinke
2010
Joakim Soria
2011
Aaron Crow
2012
Nick Kenney- Trainer
Ned Yost- Coach
Billy Butler
2013
Alex Gordon
Greg Holland
Salvador Perez
2014
Alex Gordon
Greg Holland
Salvador Perez
2015
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
...
Look carefully at that list for a moment. You can discount the coaches and trainers. Look at the players.
7 different players since 2009 have made the All-Star Game team for the Kansas City Royals. I can't remember specific numbers, but few if any were actually voted in. From 2009-2012 only one player a year, the bare minimum a team can have.
Earlier today the third update was released for voting so far for this years All Star Game. Notice anything interesting?
Now I'm not a Trekkie, but I know a little about Star Trek. One of the characters on Star Trek Voyager (I had to look it up, I thought it was Deep Space Nine) was 7 of 9. That could explain this latest All Star ballot.
The two non-Royals are Jose Altuve and Mike Trout. I mean 9 of 9 couldn't be possible could it? It's not like people would vote for Omar Infante and Alex Rios over those two right? WHAT? They are close behind? GOODNESS!
In actuality I am happy about this for a number of reasons, mainly because it is my team that has been flooding the boxes with votes. Add in that Ned Yost will be skipper, and if he has the ability (after squeezing in at least one guy on the other teams, he'll likely pick a Royals pitcher or two, my guess is Holland and Davis), this could be 12 Royals represented!
Nowsome most people are mad about this and I suspect its because it isn't their team, so of course they're steamed, but oh well. Sorry! It has gone so far as sites such as Fox Sports telling fans to vote for other players to oust those dastardly Royals. Which has somewhat backfired since after they posted that last week, 2 more spots have gone to Royals. I say keep it up. There didn't seem to be this much backlash when Jeter kept getting voted in on namesake, or when Boston or New York kept getting multiple selections.
Another reason I'm happy is because people are mad because they think a team of Royals won't do good, because historically they have sucked. They seem to forget that this squad made the World Series last year. Some who have realized that fact have quipped, all the NL needs to do is start Madison Bumgarner and its an easy NL win. Cute, but I ain't mad.
People have claimed they would skip watching the game if is filled with "a bunch of Royals". Casual fans could make up the difference if the diehards do skip the game. Last years All Star game was the highest rated one in 4 years. In addition, the World Series featuring most of these same boys in blue had astronomical ratings, according to TV By The Numbers:
"In terms of total audience, Game 7 attracted 52 million viewers who watched all or part of the game, making it the second most-watched baseball game since Game 4 of the 2004 World Series. It is the most-watched sports event since the Sochi Olympics (58.6 million) and most-watched program since the Academy Awards in March (68.5 million)."
Not too shabby. Maybe an all Royals squad wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Having said all that so far, let me state for the record that I have not voted once for this years All-Star Game. Honestly aside from the 2012 ASG played in Kansas City, I can't recall the last time I cared about watching the game or even watching more than a few minutes. Maybe the tied game, maybe the one where Randy Johnson threw over Larry Walker's head. It's been a while.
If nothing else, I hope at least 6 Royals get voted in. Not because I'm petty or think they deserve it, but because it will open the eyes of MLB. Sure its nice to have fan interaction and allow the fans to vote for things, but the All Star Game today means who gets home field advantage in the World Series (which I still love that idea). There is too much on the line to have the fans get so much power. If they allow maybe the top 5 vote getter's a spot on the team, sure I could go for that, maybe if they expanded the roster to 35, and players pick 10 of the players, thats fine. Allowing the fans to pick the starters to me is just crazy, maybe this is the wake-up call MLB needs to see how crazy this idea is. Another reason I think its crazy is because you are allowed to vote I think 35 times a day online. THIRTY FIVE! Why does that make any sense? One vote a day is plenty. Honestly, I think one vote a week is fair enough. If you want to vote more times, go out to the games, and vote at the stadium. I think the fans that go to the actual games should get more votes than people sitting at home on a computer ringing in votes.
So I guess this in more of a rant than an actual post, but I'm behind on stuff and wanted to get that off my chest. I decided since I was going to rant, I would fill out a ballot on how I would pick. I decided not to submit it, but I have a screen shot.
Of course I am bias and picked more Royals than I should. I also want to point out that if the game is in a NL ballpark, why is there an option to pick a DH for the AL? Anyways, as you can see, I selected 5 Royals, better than most people who picked all Royals. I tried to picked who was the best at each position according to the stats provided. When there wasn't a clear cut winner (in most cases it came down to 2-3 at each position), I picked personal preference.
Eric Hosmer was my third pick at first behind Prince Fielder and Miggy. At second, I didn't see anyone who could compare to Jason Kipnis. At Shortstop, there wasn't an absolute, so it allowed me to pick Alcides Escobar.
I picked Mike Moustakas at third mainly because it was close with a couple others, but at this time last year Mike had to go back down to AAA to learn how to hit. It wasn't until the postseason that he finally learned how to. So I kind of gave him an edge because of how much he has improved. The outfield had two standouts, Adam Jones and Mike Trout. The third was tricky, but based on defense skills and his speed, I picked Lorenzo Cain. Kendrys Morales at DH because, why not? There wasn't many options anyways.
On the NL, I had less bias. With the exception to the Cardinals, I haven't seen most of them play, so it was a lot based on stats. Besides Bryce Harper, it may not be the most sexy squad (in terms of name recognition, not their overall hotness, that's not my expertise), but it looks to be very productive.
So I guess I'll finish on this note. It's an all-star game, its not a life or death situation, Until the rules change for better or for worse, any team can vote their entire team in if they have a big enough fanbase, even a small market team, as is being proven.
Thank you for wasting you precious time on reading this, and if you have any comments to share feel free, or if you thought it was well-written or just feel the need to share it, be my guest. I do appreciate those of you who spend time reading my blog, thank you and have a great night.
Trey Hillman-Coach
Zack Greinke
2010
Joakim Soria
2011
Aaron Crow
2012
Nick Kenney- Trainer
Ned Yost- Coach
Billy Butler
2013
Alex Gordon
Greg Holland
Salvador Perez
2014
Alex Gordon
Greg Holland
Salvador Perez
2015
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
...
Look carefully at that list for a moment. You can discount the coaches and trainers. Look at the players.
7 different players since 2009 have made the All-Star Game team for the Kansas City Royals. I can't remember specific numbers, but few if any were actually voted in. From 2009-2012 only one player a year, the bare minimum a team can have.
Earlier today the third update was released for voting so far for this years All Star Game. Notice anything interesting?
Now I'm not a Trekkie, but I know a little about Star Trek. One of the characters on Star Trek Voyager (I had to look it up, I thought it was Deep Space Nine) was 7 of 9. That could explain this latest All Star ballot.
The two non-Royals are Jose Altuve and Mike Trout. I mean 9 of 9 couldn't be possible could it? It's not like people would vote for Omar Infante and Alex Rios over those two right? WHAT? They are close behind? GOODNESS!
In actuality I am happy about this for a number of reasons, mainly because it is my team that has been flooding the boxes with votes. Add in that Ned Yost will be skipper, and if he has the ability (after squeezing in at least one guy on the other teams, he'll likely pick a Royals pitcher or two, my guess is Holland and Davis), this could be 12 Royals represented!
Now
Another reason I'm happy is because people are mad because they think a team of Royals won't do good, because historically they have sucked. They seem to forget that this squad made the World Series last year. Some who have realized that fact have quipped, all the NL needs to do is start Madison Bumgarner and its an easy NL win. Cute, but I ain't mad.
People have claimed they would skip watching the game if is filled with "a bunch of Royals". Casual fans could make up the difference if the diehards do skip the game. Last years All Star game was the highest rated one in 4 years. In addition, the World Series featuring most of these same boys in blue had astronomical ratings, according to TV By The Numbers:
"In terms of total audience, Game 7 attracted 52 million viewers who watched all or part of the game, making it the second most-watched baseball game since Game 4 of the 2004 World Series. It is the most-watched sports event since the Sochi Olympics (58.6 million) and most-watched program since the Academy Awards in March (68.5 million)."
Not too shabby. Maybe an all Royals squad wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Having said all that so far, let me state for the record that I have not voted once for this years All-Star Game. Honestly aside from the 2012 ASG played in Kansas City, I can't recall the last time I cared about watching the game or even watching more than a few minutes. Maybe the tied game, maybe the one where Randy Johnson threw over Larry Walker's head. It's been a while.
If nothing else, I hope at least 6 Royals get voted in. Not because I'm petty or think they deserve it, but because it will open the eyes of MLB. Sure its nice to have fan interaction and allow the fans to vote for things, but the All Star Game today means who gets home field advantage in the World Series (which I still love that idea). There is too much on the line to have the fans get so much power. If they allow maybe the top 5 vote getter's a spot on the team, sure I could go for that, maybe if they expanded the roster to 35, and players pick 10 of the players, thats fine. Allowing the fans to pick the starters to me is just crazy, maybe this is the wake-up call MLB needs to see how crazy this idea is. Another reason I think its crazy is because you are allowed to vote I think 35 times a day online. THIRTY FIVE! Why does that make any sense? One vote a day is plenty. Honestly, I think one vote a week is fair enough. If you want to vote more times, go out to the games, and vote at the stadium. I think the fans that go to the actual games should get more votes than people sitting at home on a computer ringing in votes.
So I guess this in more of a rant than an actual post, but I'm behind on stuff and wanted to get that off my chest. I decided since I was going to rant, I would fill out a ballot on how I would pick. I decided not to submit it, but I have a screen shot.
Of course I am bias and picked more Royals than I should. I also want to point out that if the game is in a NL ballpark, why is there an option to pick a DH for the AL? Anyways, as you can see, I selected 5 Royals, better than most people who picked all Royals. I tried to picked who was the best at each position according to the stats provided. When there wasn't a clear cut winner (in most cases it came down to 2-3 at each position), I picked personal preference.
Eric Hosmer was my third pick at first behind Prince Fielder and Miggy. At second, I didn't see anyone who could compare to Jason Kipnis. At Shortstop, there wasn't an absolute, so it allowed me to pick Alcides Escobar.
I picked Mike Moustakas at third mainly because it was close with a couple others, but at this time last year Mike had to go back down to AAA to learn how to hit. It wasn't until the postseason that he finally learned how to. So I kind of gave him an edge because of how much he has improved. The outfield had two standouts, Adam Jones and Mike Trout. The third was tricky, but based on defense skills and his speed, I picked Lorenzo Cain. Kendrys Morales at DH because, why not? There wasn't many options anyways.
On the NL, I had less bias. With the exception to the Cardinals, I haven't seen most of them play, so it was a lot based on stats. Besides Bryce Harper, it may not be the most sexy squad (in terms of name recognition, not their overall hotness, that's not my expertise), but it looks to be very productive.
So I guess I'll finish on this note. It's an all-star game, its not a life or death situation, Until the rules change for better or for worse, any team can vote their entire team in if they have a big enough fanbase, even a small market team, as is being proven.
Thank you for wasting you precious time on reading this, and if you have any comments to share feel free, or if you thought it was well-written or just feel the need to share it, be my guest. I do appreciate those of you who spend time reading my blog, thank you and have a great night.
Saturday, June 6, 2015
We Are The (Goodwin) Champions Part 2
Enough lolly-gagging on my part, its time for more of the Goodwin Champions box I pulled, this time with MINI'S!
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
They Are The (Goodwin) Champions Part 1
Recently I decided to buy a box of Goodwin Champions cards from 2012. To be honest, I think I just wanted to get something, and they were discounted. Today I thought I would show a few off and discuss.
How about some baseball? Quite a mix here, which I can't decided which one I like best. Ernie Banks is an early favorite, but the Donnie Baseball one stands out as well.
A nice mix of football too. Though not as impressive to me, I am glad I pulled the Kaepernick card and I like how Herschel Walker is in his MMA pose. Jim McMahon looks like somebody asked him to do the Super Bowl Shuffle.
Let's look at basketball for good measure. As impressive as the baseball batch (if not more), I got some pretty good ones here. Never had an Oscar Robertson or Elgin Baylor cards (at least if I remember), and pulling the Karl Malone card is nice too (and it looks like its based on his run with WCW no less, so extra points). Thought the catch for me was the Jackie Stiles. I was a big fan of Stiles during her college days, and even her high school days to be honest. I have wanted this card for a while (and might have even bought one a while back, I need to check), but now for sure I have it. I really wished her WNBA career was better than it turned out to be. I might have even watched more if it did, and might even still watch it today.
Finally is some non-sport inclusions including an insert card.
It's not everyday you see cards of Explorers or Generals, but these are nice ones to pull. I like the Stonewall Jackson card more than I thought I would. I'm no history buff, so generally these don't interest me. However, maybe I should look into these more.
The insert is of the USS Maine part of the Military Machines set. It was a nice card to get, but not one I desired, though I would like to get the USS Missouri at one point.
That will wrap it up for now, but I pulled some more cards that I thought I'd post later since I haven't posted as much lately. I have been working on other things, and not much to show on here, so once I have more I will be posting more. Hoping to hit some garage sales this weekend and may even hit a card shop too, so if I do, I should have plenty to discuss. Thanks for reading and have a great day.
How about some baseball? Quite a mix here, which I can't decided which one I like best. Ernie Banks is an early favorite, but the Donnie Baseball one stands out as well.
A nice mix of football too. Though not as impressive to me, I am glad I pulled the Kaepernick card and I like how Herschel Walker is in his MMA pose. Jim McMahon looks like somebody asked him to do the Super Bowl Shuffle.
Let's look at basketball for good measure. As impressive as the baseball batch (if not more), I got some pretty good ones here. Never had an Oscar Robertson or Elgin Baylor cards (at least if I remember), and pulling the Karl Malone card is nice too (and it looks like its based on his run with WCW no less, so extra points). Thought the catch for me was the Jackie Stiles. I was a big fan of Stiles during her college days, and even her high school days to be honest. I have wanted this card for a while (and might have even bought one a while back, I need to check), but now for sure I have it. I really wished her WNBA career was better than it turned out to be. I might have even watched more if it did, and might even still watch it today.
Finally is some non-sport inclusions including an insert card.
It's not everyday you see cards of Explorers or Generals, but these are nice ones to pull. I like the Stonewall Jackson card more than I thought I would. I'm no history buff, so generally these don't interest me. However, maybe I should look into these more.
The insert is of the USS Maine part of the Military Machines set. It was a nice card to get, but not one I desired, though I would like to get the USS Missouri at one point.
That will wrap it up for now, but I pulled some more cards that I thought I'd post later since I haven't posted as much lately. I have been working on other things, and not much to show on here, so once I have more I will be posting more. Hoping to hit some garage sales this weekend and may even hit a card shop too, so if I do, I should have plenty to discuss. Thanks for reading and have a great day.
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