Plug One, Plug Two...

Right about the time this post will be published, I'll be sitting in a staff meeting learning about how we'll be conducting our end of the year protocol since it'll be a little different this year. This week will be the last time I'll have the opportunity to meet with my students online as a class, which will be both happy and sad.

I'm sure a few of them will be shocked to see me today, since I chopped off my hair over the weekend. At least one person said I looked much better with long hair, but I just couldn't handle it touching my ears. I know... first world problems.

Anyways... enough about me. I wanted to kick this week off on a positive note, since last week was kind of a downer and plug some fellow bloggers. Here we go...

Plug One: The Diamond King's Diamond Nine

2000 Topps Chrome Refractor #359

2002 Topps Chrome Refractor #380

The Diamond King has returned to the keyboard in a big way. On Saturday I wrote about his version of BFG that incorporated an auction approach that was both unique and entertaining. Today, I'm showing off a pair of cards I claimed off of a Diamond Nine post. What's that? That's where he offers up 9 cards to collectors on his blog. If you see something you like, just be the first to claim it in his comment section.

I'm normally late to the party on these giveaway posts, but I happened to be in the right place at the right time... and managed to snag a pair of refractors for my Montreal Expos/Japanese Athlete and Oakland A's collections.

Plug Two: Bump and Run Football Card Blog

Next up is a football card blogger, who writes about other sports too. It's important to point this out, because based on my blog statistics, baseball rules. That's why I limit the number of basketball, football, hockey, soccer, and other sports and non-sports posts on this blog. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy reading about things outside of baseball.

Trevor's blog offers up some excellent set reviews, but my favorite series on his blog are his Franchise 9 posts. That's where he chooses 9 cards to represent the 9 best Super Bowl Era players for a franchise. Go check out his blog.

But before you do, here's a look at some cards he recently sent my way:

Remember my Lego post from last month? He had asked fellow bloggers to write about one of their unique collections. My submission was a few days late, so I wasn't expecting to win anything. However, I will graciously accept this generous PWE of cards.

Plug Three: CrazieJoe's Card Corner

Joe is a Canadian blogger who writes about his Blue Jays, Maple Leafs, and Magic the Gathering collections. He's also the blogger that opened my eyes to baseballcardstore.ca, which is the blogosphere's latest online dime box.

Last week, he sent me two PWE's that contained some San Francisco Giants for my students:

I'm headed into my classroom for the first time in over two months today... and I'm bringing these with me. Not sure when I'll actually be standing in front of students again. But when it happens, I'll pass these out to some Giants fans.

Plug Four: My Sports Obsession

I'm sure a lot of you are already subscribed to Jeff's blog. If not, he's the member of our blogosphere that will help find a home for any unwanted Chicago White Sox cards you might have laying around.

Speaking of finding a new home, he recently sent me a stack of Frank Thomas cards for my collection:

Frank Thomas is one of those guys I collect that I don't advertise very often. That's what happens when you collect way too many teams and players. I was pretty excited to be able to use about a third of these cards.

The extras? Well... if you know any other Frank Thomas collectors... leave their names down below and I'll pay it forward and make sure to give Jeff all of the credit.

Plug Five: The Ultimate Ginter Mini Set Bracket Challenge

Ninety-three sets enter, but only one will win. Are you able to predict the winner? Give it a shot and you might win a prize over on Nachos Grande's blog. He designed a bracket, similar to the NCAA's March Madness and has turned the tournament into a contest with a few different ways to win. Click here to check it out.

Well that's it for now. I hope all of you have a safe week with your family, friends, and colleagues.

I'll leave you with the song that inspired the title of this post...