Last year of dreads, last year of prepurple

It was a week ago that Andrew McCutchen hit his 250th career homer.  I've shown off a few of my cards limited to 250 copies in celebration of this event.  

Today I will look at my 2014 cards limited to 250 copies.

2014 was the last year of Cutch having dreadlocks during a season and it would also be the last year before things were getting purply by Topps.

2014 Bowman Orange

2014 Triple Threads Emerald

2014 Bowman Chrome Blue refractor

I love that Homerun chart above.  I wish more cards had unique backs like that on a regular basis.

I have been dropping some trivia while looking at Cutch's career homeruns, but I think this next bit of trivia is awesome and really shows the power/speed combination that Cutch has shown over his 13 year career.

Since Cutch's 2009 debut there has only been 1 player in Baseball with 250 homeruns and 200 stolen bases.  His name is Mike Trout.  Cutch currently sits on 194 career stolen bases and 250 homers.  It is likely Cutch joins this generation's greatest player before the season is up. Granted Trout did all that before his 30th birthday, but who's keeping track of that?

Wear That Green!!!

It's St Patrick's Day!

Today I'm going to just stick with showing off some green cards.

2020 Absolute Baseball Sweet Spot green stitches Auto /5

2018 Transcendent Vertical Frame green parallel Autograph /15

2017 Definitive Jumbo Patch green /15

2017 Triple Threads Wold Baseball Classic USA green parallel triple relic /18

2020 Triple Threads Jumbo jersey green parallel /18

2020 Triple Threads "Leadoff Dividends" green parallel triple relic /18

2020 Chronicles Spectra Green /75

2020 Topps Gallery green

2020 Triple Threads green /275

2019 Prizm Forest Green /5

2020 Topps Update Chrome green /45

2021 Topps Hanger 1986 green exclusive on top

Where's The Foil?

Today is just a filler post.

Not much to read.

Much like this 2013 Topps League Leaders Emerald card that is missing the foil on the front.

Don't forget my contest.

9th Day of Christmas: Remember the Titans

Football is on today which is exciting leading into the final weekend before Christmas.

Unfortunately one of the games is the Titans and Redskins.

Borefest!!!

Unless of course if you're a Steelers fan and you need the Titans to be eliminated from the playoff picture.

The division rivals Ravens are playing tonight too and I wish them nothing but the best....at losing.

It is tough to see on this Tribute Titans jersey relic, but this is in fact the 12/25 emerald parallel

Scripture Sunday - Proverbs 17:22

With my Breast Cancer Awareness month long pink card event beginning tomorrow I chose to use a verse that is encouraging to those battling cancers.

Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

For the month of October I will be skipping the Scripture Sunday segments of the blog so that I can provide 31 pink cards and show what we are trying to save.

Scripture Sunday segments will resume in November.

Summer Reading List

With the warmer weather hopefully hitting this week, my girlfriend and I are already planning what days we will be going to the beach to relax and enjoy each other's company soaking in the sun and catching up on some books.

She tends to read crime novels and murder mysteries while I read sports biographies.  One of the books I got as a Christmas present is The Team that Changed Baseball: the story of the 1971 Pirates that fielded the very first all minority team.  I am really looking forwarded to reading it as it has been on my radar for some time.

Over the years both Topps and Panini have used cut up throwback uniforms of Cutch in their products.

A few months ago I managed to grab an awesome swatch of the uniform from Flawless.  It's the Emerald version numbered to only 3 copies.

This card is an absolute beaut.

The back discusses how Cutch's career compared to former Pirates superstar Barry Bonds.

Of course the irony is Cutch is now with the Giants who is the same team Bonds left the Pirates for.

Going Green: Flawless Miss Ireland

Aoife Walsh is a former Miss Ireland and is currently and actress and model. 

To become a Miss Ireland she must be flawless.

Much like one of my latest pickups, 2017 Flawless Emerald on card autograph numbered 1/3.

It's another snowy day on the East Coast today.  I'm thinking about just staying indoors.

Going Green: Unity with AMC

Have you ever listened to some spellcasters and the phrases they say?  Maybe it's just me, but Harry Potter, Doctor Strange, and many others seem to say the word amuk.

Irish actress Evanna Lynch is no stranger to the word as she was a recurring character in the Harry Potter series.

AMC....pronounced amuk

Something about her knees makes me say (u)AM(yu)C(k)
Maybe it's just me though.

Tying into the word I will discuss a Cutch card labeled as AMC.

Triple Threads puts out a series of cards called unity relics each year.  Each unity relic features a different image of the player and is one of 3 different versions.  Some are harder to find then others.  All the unity relics have the standard Triple Threads numbering of /36, /27, /18, /9, /3, /1.

I have completed the gold unity relics /9 which I showed here.

The Emerald (green) Triple Threads relics are all numbered to 18 copies.

I am still in search of SJR-AM and SJR-AMU to complete the emerald set.

Above is the AMC....which pronounced is Amuk....
A spell has been cast for me to acquire the other unity relics.

Going Green: 8 Tracks to Fast Tracks

I recently watched an Irish movie called Sing Street.  It's on Netflix and features a bunch of great songs from the 80s!!! You should know my love of 80s music if you've read this blog before.

I won't reveal any spoilers, but it follows a boys dream to become a musician to impress an aspiring model, Lucy Boynton.

Who wouldn't try to impress her?

Lucy sports a black hair style relevant to the 80s music scene and 8 track time period in the movie.

Speaking of 8 tracks...here is a card talking about Cutch and his young days running track at Fort Meade High School.

I have a lot of the Emerald Triple Threads Triple relics.  One I showed off yesterday.

Going Green: Can't Cope, Won't Cope

Thanks to Chris and Google we are back on track to show off Irish stars (and some American stars with Irish heritages) while showcasing green parallels of Cutch.

This Going Green event will continue through St. Patrick's Day.

Today's star is "The Ireland Scarlett Johansson ".  That alone sounds like a dessert I could indulge in researching about.

Seana Kerslake is an Irish born 27 year old actress who got her big break in the (recently picked up) Netflix comedy Can't Cope, Won't Cope.

Speaking of Can't Coping....
I'm not sure if you are aware, but the Pirates traded their former MVP face of the franchise, superstar Andrew McCutchen AND CASH (whaaaaaaaat????) for a middle reliever and fringe outfield prospect.

Cutch is the greatest Centerfielder in Pirates History!!!

Max Carey, Andy Van Slyke, Omar Moreno, Andrew McCutchen?

When discussing the Pirates greatest centerfielder of all time, I think it's safe to say that Cutch in his 8.5 seasons moved up so many of the record books that he is undoubtly the greatest centerfielder to wear a Pirates uniform.

Cutch appears 4 times in the Pirates top 15 single season WAR records.  The only players with more appearances with him are in the Hall of Fame.  The only other centerfielder is Kiki Cuyler, who did most of his Pirates outfield work as a left fielder.  

Cutch is the greatest CF in Pirates history....

I'm still having trouble coping.

Today's card is a 2017 Triple Threads emerald /18.  I have a few more of these to show off.  

RunPMC NoMas

Around Christmas I won some Triple Threads cards from Probstein's auctions.  One of the auctions I snagged was this awesome emerald parallel triple relic combo of one of the better outfields in baseball.

In 2014 and 2015 the Pirates were expected to have the best outfield in baseball.

They had a perennial MVP candidate in Andrew McCutchen patrolling centerfield not yet in the prime years of his career.

Patrolling left field was the best defensive left fielder in the game and a constant speed threat on the bases in Starling Marte.

Watching over the Clemente wall in PNC Park was a top 10 prospect in all baseball, Gregory Polanco, who began his MLB debut by having a double digit hit streak.

Things looked great for the Pirates in the outfield.

Merely a few years later though and the face of the franchise, Andrew McCutchen, has been traded.  Starling Marte has been suspended for 80 games for PED use. Gregory Polanco has been suffering with hamstring issues nearly his entire career.

What once looked like the building blocks of a yearly contender has already started to be stripped.

RunPMC (Polanco Marte Cutch) is no longer running at PNC.
This will likely be one of the last triple relics with these three guys on it.