Tag: Daisuke Matsuzaka

Signed Ray Daviault 1991 Wiz Mets baseball card from my collection
Posted in Autographs, Uncategorized

February autograph additions

Posted on by Paul
Signed Curtis Granderson photocard from my collection
Signed Curtis Granderson photocard from my collection

February is off to a good start for my Mets autograph collection.

Today I got a 4″ x 6″ photo-card from Curtis Granderson. The three-time All-Star used to sign baseball cards that people sent to him when he played for the Detroit Tigers, but he started to use photo-cards to respond to autograph requests when he was with the New York Yankees. I’d always thought that these photo-cards featured facsimile signatures printed on them, but I wrote to Granderson last year in hopes of getting one for my Mets’ oddball items collection anyway.

The photo-card I got back today was definitely signed by a person – the autograph does not show the same dot pattern as the printed image, and it’s slightly different from another example that someone scanned and posted at SportsCollectors.Net. So that was a nice surprise on a day where my neighborhood has been without water service since this morning, presumably because of weather-related  issues.

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Posted in Uncategorized

2014 Topps Update Mets baseball cards

Posted on by Paul

It’s been a few weeks since Topps Update came out. In one sense, Topps did a nice job with their selection of Mets players – six of the nine had not appeared on a regularly-issued baseball card as a Met before. In another way, the player choice was terrible – just three of the nine are still part of the Mets’ organization.

Here’s a look at the Mets cards in the Topps Update base set:

Andrew-Brown Andrew-Brown-B

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Posted in Baseball, Baseball Cards, Uncategorized

Halloween is a time of endings & new beginnings for some Mets players

Posted on by Paul

The New York Mets removed six players from their 40-man roster on Halloween to clear space to protect prospects from the Rule 5 draft or sign free agents this off-season.

Andrew-Brown  Andrew-Brown-B

The Oakland Athletics claimed outfielder Andrew Brown, and the Milwaukee Brewers claimed catcher Juan Centeno.

In addition the Mets assigned infielder Josh Satin and relievers Buddy Carlyle, Dana Eveland and Scott Rice to Triple-A Las Vegas on paper, though all four now become minor league free agents.

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Bobby Abreu waves a farewell to the fans at Citi Field after his 2,470th and final major league hit on Sunday. Sept. 28, 2014. (Photo credit: Paul Hadsall)
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Topps Update gives Mets cards to Daisuke Matsuzaka, Bobby Abreu & Jacob deGrom

Posted on by Paul

Topps Update baseball cards were officially released this week, marking the traditional end of the collecting season that started when Series 1 came out back during spring training.

I wanted to pick up a couple of packs when I stopped in Target this afternoon, but they hadn’t made their way to the retail shelves yet. So I’m left looking at the pictures of other people’s cards online instead,

(I’m not likely to see one of these in person anyway.)

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Posted in Baseball, New York Mets, Uncategorized

Wednesday morning roundup as the Mets move towards Opening Day

Posted on by Paul

With spring training nearing an end, the New York Mets and other teams are making their final preparations for the regular season.

Dillon Gee (Photo credit: Paul Hadsall)
Dillon Gee (Photo credit: Paul Hadsall)

Dillon Gee will make his last Grapefruit League start tonight against the Houston Astros to get ready for his first career Opening Day assignment.

Ike Davis and Lucas Duda will both make the Opening Day roster, though it’s still up in the air which one will get to face Stephen Strasburg on March 31st. (I don’t think it matters that much. As long as Terry Collins sticks with a platoon of Davis or Duda and Josh Satin at first base – something he’s probably not going to do – the Mets should manage to get some production out of the spot. If he decides one is an everyday player, I expect to see a repeat of last year’s performance.)

Sandy Alderson suggested that Juan Lagares would get the nod over Eric Young Jr. for the third spot in the outfield. If that decision lasts longer than Collin Cowgill’s status as the everyday centerfielder did last year, the Mets are making the right call – defense is worth more than stolen bases.

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