Almost the Easiest Superbowl Contest on the Web V

As the proud winner of Almost the Easiest Superbowl Contest on the Web IV, let me just say there's no reason you should go enter this year's contest at Collector's Crack, the Big Old 5. Last year I picked the winner, the loser, got the points tiebreaker within 1, and the number of turnovers exactly correct. I've already put in my completely accurate prediction for this year. But, on the off chance my psychic skills don't prevail this time around, you could go enter, I guess. I don't think this year's prizes have been announced yet, so here's part of what I won last year, to give you a flavor for what's at stake.

1996 Laser View - Inscriptions #8 Jim Everett #0248/3100
2006 SP Authentic - Rookie Authentics Signature #255 Tarvaris Jackson
2013 Panini Limited - Monikers Silver #187 Nick Kasa #051/299

Get your entry in before the first game on Saturday, and write a semi-sarcastic promotion post such as this one on your blog to gain a bonus shot at the door prize.

Superbowl Winnings, Part 2

Part 1

Here's the rest of what I won for nailing the Superbowl result at the beginning of the playoffs.

2005 eTopps
#198 David Eckstein

This is my first eTopps card, since I wasn't collecting while it was going on. It's in a thick plastic holder with a holographic seal. And it's World Series MVP David Eckstein, so that's a nice addition to my collection.

2006 SPX -
#186 Matt Leinert #113/399
#190 Laurence Maroney #0188/1650

And now we have the football hits. It was a Super Bowl contest, after all. Laurence Maroney is from St. Louis, so he always gets a little bonus coverage on the local news' sports segment when he makes a particularly good play, so that was a nice card to get.

1996 Laser View - Inscriptions #8 Jim Everett #0248/3100
2006 SP Authentic - Rookie Authentics Signature #255 Tarvaris Jackson
2013 Panini Limited - Monikers Silver #187 Nick Kasa #051/299

Here we have 3 more autographs, one of which is also a relic: Jim "Don't call me Chris" Everett, formerly of the LA Rams, Nick Kasa, and Tarvaris Jackson. The Jackson card was the one promised in the original contest post, and he actually made it into the game. He's one of the few backup QBs to ever play in a Super Bowl, and I think the first since Tony Banks in an almost-as-lopsided Super Bowl XXXV, for the Ravens against the Giants.

That was a pretty great prize pack, full of nothing but Cardinals and autographs (and autographed relics). Thanks to the one and only cynicalbuddha of Collector's Crack!

All-Star Winnings, Part 5

Way back in July 2012, I won a contest at Cards On Cards. The premise was to pick the Cardinals player who would have the biggest impact on the game, determined Sabermetrically. I picked the right player, and got a pile of Cardinals for my trouble. They've been sitting in that same pile, haunting me, for quite some time, so now is the time to show them to you.
Part [ I | II | III | IV ]

Today's theme, besides "The Next Few Cards I Grabbed from the Pile" is 2000s Pitchers.

2002 Donruss Originals #417 Scotty Layfield
2002 Upper Deck #509 Scotty Layfield
2003 Donruss #60 Scotty Layfield

I must admit I don't know who Scotty Layfield is, but the fact that there were multiple cards prompted me to look him up. Of course the go-to source is baseball-reference.com, which showed he climbed up a level in the minors each year from 1999 through 2003 when he was at AAA, so it makes sense that companies would try to jump on the soon-to-be MLBer. Then, 2004 and 2005 show no stats, and 2006 and 2007 show him playing in the dreaded independent leagues. Not that there's anything wrong with Independent League ball, but it's a far cry from AAA. I couldn't find any other information, but I assume a bad injury took place in 2003 and he never quite recovered.

2002 Upper Deck #652 Darryl Kile

Next we have Darryl Kile, probably batting 8th. Tony La Russa loved doing that, and Kile was one of our better hitting pitchers at that time. I still remember finding out he had died during the night before a day game at Wrigley Field, and watching Joe Girardi announce the game's cancellation to the fans. It was rather jarring at the time to see that even a pro athlete could be taken down by bad health. Just a few days prior, Jack Buck, the longtime Cardinals broadcaster, had died, but he was elderly, ill, and it was expected to happen soon. The news of Darryl Kile was much more shocking.

2002 Upper Deck #653 Jason Isringhausen
2004 Upper Deck First Pitch #164 Jason Isringhausen
2006 SP Authentic #85 Jason Isringhausen
2008 Upper Deck #64 Jason Isringhausen

And finally, listen up, MLB. Despite his gig as pitching coach for SIUE, Izzy is apparently still looking for a chance to pitch. I can think of a few bullpens that could use an extra arm in September.