The Channel is Phil's Pulls

What's up everyone?

His name is Phil. 

The channel is Phil's Pulls

In case you are unfamiliar, Phil Hughes, a former top pitching prospect for the New York Yankees collects baseball cards and has a YouTube Channel.

I have a pair of Phil Hughes/Andrew McCutchen printing plates that were never released from Just Minors in 2006.

It should also be noted that the former World Series Champion also sold me a very special 1/1!

My 4th superfractor of my other main PC guy, Charlie Morton.

Phil sent this card in record time, receiving it only 2 days after payment was made.  Thanks Phil!

I had some packages go out today to the following zip codes 07044, 95119, 36618, 46516, 62450.

Elliptical Man, please email me your address to collect your prizes.

Kindness Crushings

AJ from the terrific blog, The Lost Collector told me he was going to be sending me a PWE.

AJ has sent me a bunch of cards over the years, but nothing has ever looked like this.

Check out this art card he made for me!!!

Blake Jamieson of Project2020 would be proud.

He also sent along a 2020 Big League Baseball card of my other main PC, Charlie Morton.  Since Charlie got traded to Philadelphia in 2016 and ultimately left via free agency for Houston and Tampa Bay, my Ground Chuck PC has not been as big a focus as previously.  I still love to collect his cards, but I am way behind the "I own every Charlie Morton non 1/1 card" supercollection I once had.  There's just too many parallels these days to supercollect McCutchen and Morton.

This 1985 insert from 2020 Topps Series 2 was the main card of the PWE I was anticipating.  It's a nice photo of Cutch making a catch.

Thank you AJ!!!

I also got a card sent to me via Bryan on Twitter

Please follow Bryan on Twitter @I_am_steele

He posts a lot of cards for sale and is an incredibly kind neighbor of the north.  

Lost Cards from the Lost Collector

 A few weeks ago I received a 4 card PWE from AJ at The Lost Collector.  The same day I received that package I sent him a package containing an Andrew McCutchen autograph Tier 1 Yankees card because he commented "I hope to get one someday" or something like that.  Well I had a double so I sent it his way.  

Then in the middle of spring cleaning, I lost the location of those 4 cards before I could scan them in.  While preparing to send some packages to go out next week, I found them.

AJ hit my two main basketball player PCs with a Paul George and Reggie Miller.  He also included an orange Chris Archer 2019 Tek numbered to only 25 copies.  Sad news came out yesterday that Chris Archer is shut down for the 2020 season (if there is a season).  That 2018 trade that sent Glasnow, Meadows, and Baz to the Rays looks worse and worse every month.  AJ also included a 2017 Chronicles base card of Cutch.

Today I got ANOTHER PWE from AJ with even more Reggie Miller cards.  Sweet!!!!!  Of these 7 cards, 6 are brand new to the collection.  Only the All-Star card in bottom left was already in my collection.  I love the fact that he included both the cardboard and actual sticker of the '96 UD Stickums.

AJ hit up some more PC additions with a base card of Josh Bell 2020 Donruss (I am trying to put together the rainbow for the Cutch name cameo on the back).  The highlight though is that bright yellow retail exclusive 2020 Donruss of former Pirate and NJ born Charlie Morton.  Before being traded to the Phillies, I had every non-1/1 Charlie Morton card made.  I really need to up my Morton game for releases in 2019 and 2020.

AJ thank you so much for such an awesome pair of envelopes.

Stay safe everyone and Keep Collecting.

Ground Chuck Update

Chris from The Collector suggested that I show off some other Pirates players I collect when I asked for some writer's block suggestions.  I figured I would honor that request.

Another of my main Player Collections is former Pirates pitcher and 2017 World Series Game 7 Winning Pitcher, Charlie Morton.

My reasons for collecting Ground Chuck are because he was my favorite pitcher of the 2009 Pirates pitching staff AND he was born in my hometown.

I haven't posted many Charlie Morton updates here since I predicted he would be the winning pitcher for the Astros in the 2017 World Series.  Gavin from Baseball Card Breakdown even made a post about my bold prediction.

So because it has been a very long time since I showed off any Morton cards I thought I would share SOME of my Morton cards I have acquired over the past few years.  I won't bore anyone with base cards or standard parallels.

This is All Killer, No Filler

 2019 Topps Now Wild Card Game Used Base (featuring A's name on base) Autograph Purple Parallel

This is the back of the above card which discusses how Morton did in the game.

 2019 Triple Threads Patch/Auto blue parallel to 10 copies

Austin Meadows/Charlie Morton dual autograph, dual patch
2019 Topps Update /10

 2019 Triple Threads Triple All-Star Game patch /9

 2019 Triple Threads All-Star Game Majestic Logo 1/1

2018 Heritage 100 Anniversary /25
2 copies 2018 Heritage Magenta Back /10

 2017 Postseason Topps Now cards (I boldly predicted Morton to be winning pitcher of Game 7 World Series back in September 2017)

 2008 Bowman Printing Plates 1/1 yellow and black

2012 Topps Wood 1/1

I picked up a couple of the 2020 Archives Active Signatures.  They feature a blue label on top

I also picked up a few of the 2019 Archives Active Player Autos.  They feature a red label on top.


So theres a few of my Charlie Morton updates.  Prior to leaving the Pirates in 2016, I had every non 1/1 for the NJ born Morton.

Surprise Mailings

Sorry I haven't been reading many blogs and commenting or posting daily this month.  Life has been busy.  I don't think my Black History Month agenda has gone as well as I planned.  Due to a busy life schedule and some writer's block I haven't been motivated to make daily posts.

Fortunately a trio of readers have sent me some packages over the past few days.

It felt like Christmas getting all these fun packages I wasn't expecting.

I promise October will bring daily posts cause everyone likes that kinda thing.

Brad from Brad's Blog sent me a text about having an extra 2019 Chrome Sapphire Cutch.  He sent it my way along with a few Topps coins.

Look at THE SHINE on that sapphire!!!

Mark aka Fuji from Chronicles of Fuji

Fuji hooked me up with a bunch of awesome cards.
The Charlie Morton on top left is a card I needed.  I haven't been supercollecting Charlie like I used to because he is appearing in A LOT more products than he used to when I literally only needed 1 non 1/1 card prior to 2017.
He also included pair of Willie Stargell relics, a Ralph Kiner bat relic, a Starling Marte Holiday Relic.  I needed them all.

I love the Bobby Bonilla 1989 All Star card. I might send it out as a TTM.  The Bill Virdon is a card I never seen before.

The Clemente In the bottom right corner is a true 1/1 sketch by Jayson Johnson.

This is a 1963 Post Cereal topper of Don Hoak.  Don Hoak was nicknamed "The Tiger".  He is best known for committing a fielding error IN THE 13TH INNING of a perfect game when Harvey "the kitten" Haddix was on the mound.  Despite a .282 average and only 16 homeruns while committing 26 errors at third base, he actually was the runner up to the National League MVP award in 1960.

I love the old Kellogg's cards. Love them!!!
Pie Traynor is the greatest third baseman in Pirates history.  He is a Hall of Famer and his number 20 has been retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
(Here's hoping the Pirates retire 22 one day to keep 20, 21, and 22 in legendary fashion for years to come).


Unknown mailing
I seem to remember someone mentioning having the Gallery card for me, but I don't know who sent this package.  It didn't have a return address.

If you sent me this package please leave a comment so I can thank you properly.

Thank you everyone for the surprise packages.  It is VERY MUCH appreciated.

COMC Pickups

I got a package last month containing about 40 cards from my latest COMC pickups.  Among them were half a dozen pink cards that I will show off for my SaveSecondBase event in October along with nearly two dozen Roberto Clemente cards and a smattering of other PC needs.  I won't show everything below, but here is a sample of my pickups.

First up the Cutch cards

The Triple Threads were a trio of needs I hadn't yet acquired.  The star of the show for me is the diecut Pinnacle.  These although relatively inexpensive are incredibly difficult to find. I have only seen a handful since release in 2013 appear on COMC or eBay.  The Gold Optic is numbered to 10. The blue diecut I featured a few weeks back.

Now the non Cutch cards

Everyone probably knows I also PC Charlie Morton because of his birthplace being the same as mine.   I picked up 3 2018 Topps Fire parallels along with an All-Star Game relic numbered to 50.

I also like to collect Pirates Topps Heritage cards.  So I grabbed a black refractor rookie cup of Jose Tabata, a real one authentic Vern Law auto, and a pair of Heritage buybacks (1962 team photo and a 1968 Matty Alou)

And now for some of the Clemente cards, of which I have shown some off already on Chasing 3000.

Let's Play a Game!

I never watched a single Saw movie...
Until this week.

When being snowed in, what better way to pass the time then watching a crazy horror flick?

I wasn't that interested in it though.

I would much rather learn how to play this game.
APBA

I picked up the 2009 Pirates team set to go with my 2016 team set of the Buccos.

Above are some of my favorite players from that team.  While Matt Capps wasn't necessarily a favorite, I was pissed that we released him only for the Nationals to pick him up and trade him to the Twins for 6 years control of Wilson Ramos.

If you've read my blog at any point you probably already are aware of my Charlie Morton super collection and my fandom for both Garrett Jones and Ryan Doumit.

Last week I lost the 2010 team set, which I was really bummed about because for as bad as they were, that was a team I enjoyed watching develop.

Smooooooooth Breakdowns

Cutch used to be so smooth and have so much swagger when he had his dreads.  He's still got a lot of swag, but he's not quite as smooth as he used to be.

Someone who is super smooth and hooks readers up with unexpected swag is Gavin of Baseball Card Breakdown.

He didn't send an email or hint about this package I was about to receive.

I was floored though.

Inside were 2 customs he made of my main PC, Andrew McCutchen.  Smooooooth!

But that wasn't good enough to surprise me with.

He dropped a 1/1 Topps Mini Blank Back of eventual World Series Champion Charlie Morton on me.  Morton is getting very little cardboard love in Houston, but when he holds up the trophy for pitching all them scoreless innings, it won't matter.  He will be a Champion!!!

Gavin, thanks so much for hooking me up with these customs and the 1/1 Morton.  I only need 2 non 1/1 cards and you saved me the trouble of tracking down a 1/1 I needed.

You're the man!!!

Side note: I am predicting that Sports Illustrated predicted correctly and the Houston Astros will win the 2017 World Series.

On another note, Cutch hit a 2 run homer yesterday bringing his total to 199 career Home Runs.  Don't forget to join my contest for a chance to win a Bob Gibson autograph.  And don't forget that if you are a swag pimp you can win a Tim Raines autograph just by sharing the contest on your page.