My Martin Brodeur Autographs

As an autograph collector, not having any Martin Brodeur autographs in my collection would be like a baseball team not having any baseballs. It would be absolutely ridiculous. Unfortunately, I do not have as many Broduer autographs as a baseball team, but the ones I do have mean a lot to me.

I have seen some Brodeur collections that absolutely blow mine out of the water. When I started collecting Brodeur, I envisioned myself becoming a Brodeur supercollector, but unfortunately, that neer happened. Instead, I have a couple of nice cards and some pretty cool photos of the greatest goalie that ever played the game.

2007 SportsKings Martin Brodeur Autograph

This was the first Broduer graph I picked up. I grabbed it off eBay for around 30.00. It's not the greatest card. SportsKings couldn't show The Devils logo, but despite that, I am quite fond of this card because it was the very first Martin Brodeur autograph I picked up for my collection.

2007/08 SPx Hockey Martin Brodeur Winning Materials Dual Jersey Autograph #'ed to 25

This card is probably the best in my limited collection of Brodeur autographs. This was a pick up at the Westchester County Sports Card Show a few years back. If I remember correctly, I picked this up at the end of the show for a lot less than the dealer was asking earlier in the day. I mentally noted the card, where it was and made sure to swing by later to see if he would take less for it. Surprisingly, he took a lot less. The card went home with me and to this day I am thrilled to have it in my collection.

2007 Fleer Hot Prospects Martin Brodeur Hotagraphs Autograph

This card was the last Brodeur autograph I have grabbed to this point. I'm always looking to pick up Brodeur autographs, but the prices are at times too high for me. Lucky, I found this card on eBay for a lot less than I paid for the previous two cards I picked up. I would love to have been the guy to thought of the name for this subset. I would have came up with one a lot better than Hotagraphs.

That's all my Broduer certified signed cards. I do have some signed Marty photo's in my collection.

This signed 8x10 was a gift from a fellow collector who was looking to clear out some clutter he had. Now, I don't know about you, but a signed Martin Brodeur picture should never be considered clutter. The only draw back to this picture is the fact that it's signed in black sharpie and most of the signature was signed on he dark part of the Stanley Cup. The guy told me he got this picture in person and I have compared it to other Brodeur autographs and I'm pretty confident that it's a legit Brodeur graph. Despite the placement of the signature I am very happy to have this in my collection.

This 5x7 signed photograph is my pride and joy of my Brodeur autograph collection. The one I'd never ever give up. Why? Because I got this picture signed myself. Marty made an appearance at the NHL Store here in NYC and I waited in line for 2 hours to meet him. I initially wanted to have him sign a puck that I had with me, but the store said he was only signing the picture that was provided. As long as I got to meet my favorite player, I was fine with that. He was nice, smiled and shook my hand and thanked me for the complements and that was it. I do hope too meet him again one day and maybe get that puck signed.

I also have a huge photo of the  Devils 2002 Stanley Cup winning team that Marty signed. I just haven't taken a picture of it as of yet. I will try to do so tonight and show it in tomorrow's blog post.

What about my "holy grail" signed items? The ones I dream of owning one day? Well, I still want a signed puck from Brodeur. That one is the easiest to get. I would also love a signed jersey, goalie stick and maybe a helmet. Those are the "Lotto Money" purchases. I can tell you if I ever did get those items, I would cherish them just as much as I cherish the autographs I have shown you today. There are not that many players I would spend that much on, but I would for Martin Brodeur.

My Five Favorite: Martin Brodeur Game Used Cards

Continuing with my Martin Brodeur week in honor of his career and announcing his retirement, I am showing off my five favorite game used cards in my Broduer PC. Now, bare in mind, most of the game used cards in my collection are pretty boring. One color swatches of fabric that may or may not have been used in an actual game. I prefer to think of it all as game used, just to say I have something that my favorite player wore or used in an actual game. And besides, ignorance is bliss.

Also, the collection is pretty small, like I mentioned yesterday. Brodeur has gotten to be a pretty pricey player to collect. Comes with being considered one, if not, the greatest goalies to ever play the game. When you have 20 records as a goalie in the NHL, then I'd pretty much just hand you the title of greatest goalie ever, with apologies to fans of Patrick Roy, Dominik Hasek, Terry Sawchuk and Bernie Parent.

So, here are my five favorite cards:

5-2001-02 SPx Hockey's Treasures Game Used Stick And Jersey

The reason why this card means a lot to me is because it was my very first Brodeur game used card. I bought it a while back at the Westchester Sports Card show and paid $20.00 for it. I probably overpaid for it, but all I knew was I wanted to seriously collect Brodeur and I was buying as much Brodeur stuff at the show that I could. I think I only bought a few more base cards. But I came home with this gem as well.

4-2006-07 Bee Hive Matted Materials Game Used Jersey

This was an eBay purchase. I always like my jersey cards to have more than one color in them if I can help it. That's what drew me to this card. It's predominately white, but there is a touch of red in it. Plus, the price was pretty low because the seller misspelled Brodeur's last name in the listing. It always pays to check any variations of a player's name you can think of.

3- 2008-09 Upper Deck Ice Frozen Fabrics Dual Jersey

 
Another eBay purchase. And for the same reason as the Bee Hive card. I just love game used cards that have more than one color in it. This one is split red and white 50/50. Hey, I don't have a lot of high end Brodeur cards, so I find joy in my cards regardless of price or piece of material used.

2- 2007-08 SPx Winning Combos Martin Brodeur/ Patrick Roy Dual Game Used Jersey

One of the few Brodeur game used cards I actually pulled or had pulled for me from a group break. This one may be just one color swatches, but they are jerseys from two of the greatest goalies in NHL history. Anytime you can get two of the greatest on one card, it's a win.

1- 2010-11 Artifacts Tundra Trios Martin Broduer/Zach Parise/Patrik Elias Game Used Triple Patch Card

This one is my pride and joy of my Brodeur game used collection. This one was not cheap either. I made a trade with a fellow member of tradingcardcentral.com for this beauty. The price was an Evgeni Malkin autographed card I pulled from a box of Upper Deck Ice. The guy I traded with wasn't sure if that card was enough for what he was giving up, but agreed to make the trade. I am still very happy to have this beauty in my collection. The Elias patch is the only one that's not a triple colored piece, but I really don't care. This would have been out of my price range and I cannot thank the trader enough for trading this to me.

There you have it. My five favorite pieces from my Brodeur game used card collection. Hopefully over time I can pick up more pieces to grow my collection. I'm sure now that he's retired the prices will go up. But when you are a fan of a player, you will find ways to add new pieces to your collection and I'm no exception. Trades, purchasing, it doesn't matter. Anytime I can add a new Brodeur piece, I'm taking the plunge.

An Era Ends Today

It's no secret that I am an Islanders fan. My favorite player growing as a kid was Mike Bossy and I do collect his cards to this day. But ever since 1994, my all time favorite hockey player didn't play on Long Island. He played against them and beat the Isles on numerous occasions and for that alone he should have earned my wrath. But ever since I watched  a young Martin Brodeur play for the Devils I knew I was watching someone very special. So, when word broke that Marty was hanging up his pads, I felt pretty damned emotional.

I followed Marty's career ever since I first saw him play for the first time during the 1995-96 season. I may have actually seen him play during the 1991-92 season when he played four games for New Jersey when Chris Terreri and Craig Billington went down with injuries, I can't remember. I do know I first took notice of him during the 1993-94 season when as a rookie, he took the Devils to the Eastern Conference Championship and nearly led New Jersey to the Stanley Cup Finals with a fantastic performance that series, which went to 7 games. Brodeur won the Calder Trophy as Rookie Of The Year and I had a new favorite player.

Over the next few years, I got to watch Brodeur win a few Stanley Cups, a few Vezina Trophies as the top Goalie in the NHL and even a few Gold Medals for Team Canada in the Olympics. Even though I rooted for Team USA, I was happy that my guy got a Gold Medal. Every time I watched Marty, it seemed like he made an impossible save that would ultimately win the game for the Devils. I was impressed with Brodeur's hybrid style of goaltending, which has led him to the accolades and records he would achieve during his career.

One of my favorite moments of his career was a moment that I was actually in attendance for. After waiting outside the Prudential Center for hours, I was able to get tickets to see Brodeur take a shot at history. On March 17th, 2009, I was in the stands, watching the Devils beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-2 with Marty becoming the NHL's All Time Leader in Regular Season wins with 552. I had never been at an event where history was made. I never went to a game where a No Hitter was pitched, I've never been at a Playoff or Championship game, but the excitement that emanated from the crowd during the game and the pure joy that was felt after the game was something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

When I got back into collecting cards around 2003, one of the first players I knew I would be collecting would be Brodeur. So I collected as many cards of him I could get my hands on. My collection is more base and inserts than game used and autographed cards, although I do have those as well. As of this moment, my collection stands at 363 cards. That's not a lot, I know. I actually hd stopped collecting Brodeur because his stuff is pretty pricey. Getting an autograph will set you back $75-100.00. Even his inserts can go for a high price. But, I still pick up his cards whenever I see them for a good price and I will always. I would like to re-start my Brodeur collection once I get back to work.

Cards are not the only thing I collect of Brodeur. I have figures, bobbleheads, autographed pictures, a jersey, t-shirt, a puck, a mini stick, even a Wheaties box that I bought off eBay that came from Canada. I'm always looking for items to add to my Brodeur collection. I would like to have a shelf or display case dedicated to Broduer at some point, so I will continue to add to my collection whenever I can.

In the future, I would love to add a signed jersey, maybe a game used stick to my collection. That would take me either getting a six figure job or winning the lotto. I also have a Devils throwback jersey that I want to customize into a Brodeur #29 jersey, to make it look like the jersey he wore when he first came up. Getting the NHL 75th Anniversary patch is easy enough. Finding a Devils 10th Anniversary patch for the back is a lot harder. I would also love to get an autographed puck and have a Brodeur puck collection.

Over the next few days, I plan to show off pieces of my Brodeur collection as a tribute to my favorite hockey player,  It was a joy watching him mind the net for the Devils through out his career. And even at this late stage of his career, he still managed to stick it to the Islanders, this time as a member of the St. Louis Blues. All I could do was smile and shake my head. Somethings never change. I will be in attendance at the Rock when the Devils retire his jersey and raise his number to the rafters and say thank you number 30.

Oh, Those Yankees To Be Chased

Last week Topps released the check list for their upcoming 2015 baseball release. After perusing the check list, I was pretty impressed with the Yankee that will be in Series 1. In case, you haven't seen the list, your buddy at the Sports Room has you covered, or specifically, the dudes at Cardboard Connection have you covered. You can check the list over here:  http://www.cardboardconnection.com/2015-topps-series-1-baseball-cards

For me, these are the only cards I am concerned with:

Base
1 Derek Jeter - New York Yankees
17 Brian McCann - New York Yankees
21 Brett Gardner - New York Yankees
45 Carlos Beltran - New York Yankees
142 Masahiro Tanaka - New York Yankees FS
152 Michael Pineda - New York Yankees
224 Bryan Mitchell - New York Yankees RC
225 Jacoby Ellsbury - New York Yankees
278 David Phelps - New York Yankees
302 Martin Prado - New York Yankees
304 Shawn Kelley - New York Yankees
307 Mark Teixeira - New York Yankees
319 Derek Jeter - New York Yankees BH
343 Shane Greene - New York Yankees

Archetypes Set Checklist

A-2 Mariano Rivera - New York Yankees

A-10 Babe Ruth - New York Yankees

A-12 Derek Jeter - New York Yankees

Archetypes Relics Set Checklist

AR-DJ Derek Jeter - New York Yankees

AR-MR Mariano Rivera - New York Yankees

Archetypes Autographs Set Checklist

AA-MR Mariano Rivera - New York Yankees

Archetypes Autographed Relics Set Checklist

AAR-MR Mariano Rivera - New York Yankees

Birth Year Coin and Stamp Set Checklist

CS-07 Lou Gehrig - New York Yankees

CS-10 Reggie Jackson - New York Yankees

CS-11 Derek Jeter - New York Yankees

CS-17 Babe Ruth - New York Yankees

CS-22 Masahiro Tanaka - New York Yankees

Career High Relics Set Checklist

CRH-MTA Masahiro Tanaka - New York Yankees

CRH-RC Robinson Cano - New York Yankees

Career High Autographs Set Checklist

CH-DB Dellin Betances - New York Yankees

CH-HK Hiroki Kuroda - New York Yankees

CH-JPO Jorge Posada - New York Yankees

First Home Run Set Checklist

FHR-04 Robinson Cano - New York Yankees

FHR-05 Derek Jeter - New York Yankees

FHR-28 Don Mattingly - New York Yankees

FHR-40 Deion Sanders - New York Yankees

First Home Run Medallions Set Checklist

FHRM-DJ Derek Jeter - New York Yankees

FHRM-DM Don Mattingly - New York Yankees

FHRM-DS Deion Sanders - New York Yankees

FHRM-RC Robinson Cano - New York Yankees

First Home Run Relics Set Checklist

FHRR-DJ Derek Jeter - New York Yankees

Free Agent 40 Set Checklist

F40-3 CC Sabathia - New York Yankees

F40-5 Goose Gossage - New York Yankees

F40-11 Reggie Jackson - New York Yankees

Free Agent 40 Relics Set Checklist

F40R-CS CC Sabathia - New York Yankees

F40R-RJ Reggie Jackson - New York Yankees

Free Agent 40 Autographs Set Checklist

F40A-CS CC Sabathia - New York Yankees

F40A-RJ Reggie Jackson - New York Yankees

Free Agent 40 Autographed Relics Set Checklist

F40AR-CS CC Sabathia - New York Yankees

F40AR-RJ Reggie Jackson - New York Yankees

Future Stars Pin Manufactured Relic Set Checklist

FS-07 Masahiro Tanaka - New York Yankees

FS-08 Dellin Betances - New York Yankees

Gallery of Greats Set Checklist

GG-3 Derek Jeter - New York Yankees

GG-19 Mariano Rivera - New York Yankees

GG-21 Joe DiMaggio - New York Yankees

GG-22 Babe Ruth - New York Yankees

Gallery of Greats Relics Set Checklist

GGR-DJ Derek Jeter - New York Yankees

Highlight of the Year Set Checklist

H-1 Lou Gehrig - New York Yankees

H-2 Babe Ruth - New York Yankees

H-3 Babe Ruth - New York Yankees

H-11 Roger Maris - New York Yankees

H-12 Roger Maris - New York Yankees

H-24 Derek Jeter - New York Yankees

Highlight of the Year Relics Set Checklist

HYR-DJ Derek Jeter - New York Yankees

In the Name Relics Set Checklist

INT-DB Dellin Betances - New York Yankees

INT-DJ Derek Jeter - New York Yankees

Inspirations Duals Set Checklist

I-3 Don Mattingly - New York Yankees
Mark Teixeira - New York Yankees

Inspirations Dual Relics Set Checklist

IR-TM Mark Teixeira - New York Yankees
Don Mattingly - New York Yankees

Inspirations Dual Autographs Set Checklist

IA-TM Mark Teixeira - New York Yankees
Don Mattingly - New York Yankees

Inspirations Dual Autographed Relics Set Checklist

IA-TM Mark Teixeira - New York Yankees
Don Mattingly - New York Yankees


MLB Silhouetted Batter Logo Pin Manufactured Relic Set Checklist

MSBL-14 Masahiro Tanaka - New York Yankees

Robbed Set Checklist

R-3 Jacoby Ellsbury - New York Yankees

Strata Cut Signatures Set Checklist

SCS-DZ Don Zimmer - New York Yankees

SCS-JD Joe DiMaggio - New York Yankees

SCS-PR Phil Rizzuto - New York Yankees

SCS-RM Roger Maris - New York Yankees

Strata Signature Relics Set Checklist

SSR-CS CC Sabathia - New York Yankees

SSR-MR Mariano Rivera - New York Yankees

The Babe Ruth Story Set Checklist

BR-6 The Home Run King New York Yankees
BR-7 MVP in '23 New York Yankees

BR-8 Murderer's Row Member New York Yankees

BR-9 The Called Shot New York Yankees

BR-10 The Babe becomes a media star New York Yankees

So, this list actually impresses me as a Yankees collector. There are a lot cards for me to chase this year and this is just Series 1. The past couple of years, there wasn't a lot of Yankees cards released in the Flagship brand, especially relics and autographs. This season, I have a few cards to chase. 

I definitely want to get my hands on the dual Don Mattingly/Mark Teixeira cards. If only for my Teixeira PC a well as the Jeter cards for my Jeter PC. But, if I could get my hands on a cut signature or two, I would be one happy Yankees fan.

Every year I want to try to try and get every single Yankee card Topps releases, especially in the Flagship brand, but I always find myself falling short every year. I'm going to try my best to complete the Yankees run on Series 1, 2 and Update. 

If you want to check out your team or the complete checklist, click on the link above. Series 1 is set for release on Feb. 4th, 2015. Happy hunting.

My Haul From The Westchester County Sports Card Show

To tell you the truth, I wasn't really planning on going. My emotions were in the toilet in the days leading up to the show and I was prepared to just stay in my jammies, watch my Yankeeography DVD's and eat copious amounts of junk food while washing it down with some frosty Blue Moon. Then Saturday arrived and something in me grabbed my collar, slapped me a couple times and changed my mood rather quick.

Once I got there, I went into "card pickup" mode. My game plan for the day was to grab some vintage Yankee cards for a cheap price, so I knew grabbing the stars would be out of the question and get the free autograph, which was Gaylord Perry, on a 8x10 of him in a Yankee uniform.

I think I did pretty well.

Quite the haul, eh? I actually didn't spend too much for all of this either. I'm rather proud of myself to be honest.

As you can see, I got a pretty nice photo of Gaylord Perry in a Yankees uni for the PC. He wasn't adding HOF to his signature, that would be extra. I didn't mind as he didn't make the HOF based on his time in the Bronx. Let's see what else I got.

At one table I was able to score this 1961 Topps Bill Stafford card for a buck. The card is actually in pretty good condition. I needed him for the 1961 team set, so I grabbed it.

Another addition to the 1961 Topps team set was this Ryne Duren card. I paid buck for it also. I probably should tell you that unless I tell you how much I paid for a particular card, I paid a buck for it.

For the 1960 Topps team set, I added these cards of "Bullet" Bob Turley and Johnny Blanchard. I absolutely love the 1960 set, with the small picture on the left and the larger on next to it. The team logo and dual color lettering. I snatched the Blanchard because I love Yankee Stadium backing him up in the main picture.

From the 1959 Topps set, I grabbed this Sporting News Johnny Blanchard Rookie Stars Of 1959 card. It was the best from a pile of vintage I was looking through. I'll have to pick up an upgrade on it at a later date.

Yes, there's that Blanchard again. This time, I grabbed his 1965 Topps card. Really, it was between this one or the Tony Kubek card from the same set. I was going with the Kubek until I noticed a huge chunk of card missing from the left side. Blanchard came home with me by default.

I knew I was not getting a Mickey Mantle vintage Topps card unless it was a reprint. So, I took home two oddball cards to add to my growing Mickey Mantle PC. I added the 1975 SSPC and the not so vintage 1982 Authentic Sports Autographs cards to my collection, happily. I will add some vintage Mantle Topps to my collections someday, even if the card is torn and hanging on for dear life.

I also snatched this 1961 Fleer Allie Reynolds to my Yankee collection. This is the first card I have from this set. I did see other '61 Fleers, but the condition wasn't the best, so I left them behind. I know, the cards are only a dollar each, I should expect some issues, and I do. But that doesn't mean I am still not going to look for cards that is as close to mint as possible.

This card was the vintage pick up of the day for me. A 1964 Topps Giant Whitey Ford. I have been wanting to pick up the Yankees in this set for sometime now and I'm glad I was able to knock out one of the big guns for next to nothing. The sticker price was $6.00, which I was happy to pay. It was half off what I usually see this go for on eBay. But when I went to pay, the dealer told me it was $3.00. I tried not to cry as I gave the man the three crisp bills. He did have a Mantle, but was asking $60.00 for it. I passed.

I also finally picked up a signed Tino Martinez OMLB for my Yankees signed ball PC. I have been after a Tino signed ball for a while now. I had missed opportunities to meet him in the past and I was, unfortunately, going to miss his appearance at the show the next day. While I cruised the floor, I came across a dealer that had a signed Tino ball, with JSA Authentication. He was asking $80.00 for it. I said thanks, but no thanks and continued on my way. Later, I came back when the show was about to close for the day. The dealer asked me what I was willing to pay for the ball. Without thinking, I said $40.00, never thinking he would accept a price that was half off what he was asking for. Surprisingly, he agreed and I finally had Tino's autographs in my ball collection. The ball is #47 in the Yankee collection.

Putting it into perspective, If I was able to meet Tino, his signature was starting at $99.00. Then I would have to buy a ball for anywhere from $18.00- $20.00, so I saved a nice chunk of change on the signature. I will get to meet Tino one day. I just won't get him to sign a ball.

And that was my day. Yes, I probably spent some cash that I shouldn't have. But it was money well spent. Not for the cards and autographs, but happiness and confidence. Being out on the card show floor made me forget my problems for a few hours. I got to talk to a bunch of fellow collectors, spotted a few fellow bloggers on the floor (and yet, I won't go up to them to introduce myself and say hi. I'm bashful.) and added some very cool Yankees cards and autographs to my collection. I guess it's true what the ladies say. Shopping is therapeutic.

My 100th Blog Post!

100 posts! I am very pleased that I have been able to reach this number with the Sports Room. I want to take this opportunity to thank the readers who have stopped by to check out the blog.

One of my main goals for this blog in the new year is to get more people to read it. My other blog, The Sexy Geek's House Of Swag, has a nice number of readers and I would love to get this blog either close or even surpass the number I have there.

The question is how can I do that?

One way would be to probably update this blog more often and I do plan on doing that. Sometimes, life can get in the way of updating regularly. That's not an excuse, I know. If I want to build on this blog post then I need to update it at least three times a week, which is the goal.

Another way is I could run a contest. I have been thinking of doing that for a while now. I just never know what to offer up as a prize. Cards? Autographs? Figurines? I really don't know. I've never run a contest before.

I'm open to suggestions. If you guys have any idea's on how to draw more readers or run a contest, I'd love to hear them. I want 2015 to be a great year for the Sports Room and I hope guys will continue to support the blog.

New Cards And A Challenge

Whooo Hooo, problems fixed with my laptop. I can now blog again. Hallelujah! Praise The Lord!

Now that I'm done with the cartwheels and screaming, I can continue on with the blog post.

I've been neglecting my Mark Teixeira PC. That's not to say I've done it purposely or anything. I've not been able to add to the collection for various reasons. The other day, I was flipping through the Teixeira box where I keep my game used cards and autographs and thought there was a bit too much room in this box. So, I decided to challenge myself.

By the end of 2015, I want to have at least 100 different game used cards and 20 different certified autographed cards in my Teixeira PC. I decided to give myself an obtainable goal because I know myself. If I don't obtain a goal I may give up on it and woe is me and all that garbage. I mean, who wants to put themselves through that? I have enough going on in my life that makes me want to close my door and wallow in the dark. My card collection is supposed to bring me joy, so I say let it.

So, I have been adding some new cards to the Teixeira PC, trying to inch it closer to the numbers I set. If you read the last blog post, you may have seen that I did add a new certified autograph to the PC:

A 2003 Donruss Signature Series Teixeira autograph. I explained why this card means so much to me in my last blog post. I do wish that the card companies never decided to use sticker autographs on the cards back then. I'm glad we are seeing more on card autographs again. This is autograph number 12 in the PC.

I was also able to add 2 game used cards to the collection as well:

I received this 2007 Ultimate Collection Dual Prince Fielder/Mark Teixeira game used card from a friend in my team collectors group. It's numbered to 75 and I'm thrilled to have it. This is number 64 in the PC

Number 65 arrived today. It's a 2004 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Game Patch. It's a 2 color patch that's numbered to 75. I seem to have a thing for cards that are numbered to 75. Regardless of that, I got this card off eBay for less than seven bucks. I love me a deal. When I find one, I pounce.

I'm hoping that 2015 is a big year for my collection and for Teixeira. I want to see him stay healthy and return to numbers that us Yankees fans are used to seeing. If he can hit .250 30 HR and 100 RBI's and play a gold glove caliber first base, I will be very happy. Having a healthy Teixeira back will help the Yankees immensely in their quest for the AL East crown this season, especially with Boston and Toronto getting better. If I can reach my goals for my Teixeira PC, that would make me even happier.

All this talk is making me want baseball back, now! Hurry up spring!

New Card Excitement

maniabeatle01's photo on Photobucket





So, I get home from work today to find a package waiting in my mailbox. I run upstairs and tear into that sucker (After I catch my breath from running up 6 flights of stairs. I mean, was I trying to give myself a heart attack??).



Inside is the newest addition to my Mark Teixiera PC. This beautiful 2003 Donruss Signature Series Autograph. I got it for a real good price, so that makes me happy.



What really made me happy about this purchase was the fact I was able to make a purchase. It seems like it's been forever since I was in a position to pull the trigger on a new card for any of my collections. When your out of work, most of the chump change you have now becomes money for necessities and a sweet Derek Jeter patch doesn't exactly come before a loaf of bread.



Now, this could end tomorrow. My current place of employment is not permanent. There have been rumblings that they are going to cut employees loose, namely me this week. But for now, I am not going to stress myself out about it. Not going to worry where my next check will come from. Right now, all I am going to do is chillax, take sip of my orange juice and look at my newest addition to my collection and just be happy that I was able to buy it for myself.



The simplest things can help put things into perspective, I think.