Buzz had a hunch, cross-checked the schedule and ... won again.

This month's ball in the Collecting Game-used series is another that simply came to me via a grab bag where all I knew was the date of the game -- and I specifically chose a game between the Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox back in May because of something that happened on this day this season. For just $35 (shipped), I added a game-used piece of Cal Raleigh's 60-homer campaign to my collection and the team may not have even realized it. In fact, I did this twice ... so there will be a sequel to this in a future post.

This wasn't just some ball used during one of the 159 games Big Dumper played this season -- it's from the game where he launched his 16th homer of his historic campaign and Raleigh handled the ball on all but one of its plays during its life in The Show.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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The story of this baseball is a whole lot of ... Bananas.

This extra item in my Collecting Game-used series this month is easily the most-unique baseball in my collection -- and part of this appealing story happened absolutely thanks to some dumb luck. (Again ... some of my best finds have happened that way.) What's the deal? One day when looking into baseball cards for the traveling road show and pop culture phenomenon that is the Savannah Bananas -- think baseball meets a circus with side helpings of Zubaz-era WWF and some Talladega Nights-style NASCAR bombast with game rules even quirkier than both -- I stumbled upon a new part of the official team store. The Bananas now sell game-used stuff with full databased authentication and some supreme stickered specificity just like MLB.

While I picked off my ball simply because it was among the cheapest options, it's actually one with a story and some unique documented game-use that's quite unique within this spectacle on the diamond. In fact, it's absolutely one to chew on ... and when you do that you won't even be the first.

Huh? Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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It's a day on the calendar that's always going to be remembered ... but this is not really tied to that. This one's simply from MLB action two years ago today.

This month's ball in the Collecting Game-used series is another that came to me via a grab bag where all I knew was the date of the game -- and I actually chose this date due to the visiting team, the Atlanta Braves, which I kind of casually collect on the game-used front. This was from the first game of a doubleheader between the two National League powerhouses and it was handled by a pair of All-Stars for its one-pitch lifetime in The Show.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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It's not from The Big Guy, but it's not a bad baseball for the price ... and I've actually pulled this move off twice.

This month's ball in the Collecting Game-used series is another that came to me via a grab bag where all I knew was the date of the game. The baseballs from this game that were thrown by the reigning National League Rookie Of The Year (and future Cy Young winner) Paul Skenes command a big premium price over the rest of baseballs from this day, so I knew I wouldn't land one with his name attached. But ... I didn't get some meaningless ball in the dirt as this one was a hit in support of the phenom and part of a pretty solid day for the batter.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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As Yogi Berra said, "It's déjà vu all over again."

Not everything that's game-used comes from on the field and this is the second entry in the Collecting Game-used series that is a simple kind of item like that and just like the last time we went there. It's one you can find these days quite easily and most often on the cheap -- and it's a little something that's a key piece in the game.  It's one straight from either of the dugouts or bullpens with the tape still on it. It's the lineup card and it's a piece of affordable memorabilia that low-key documents some of the details like a box score does but without any of those pesky stats -- just names, batting order numbers and positions.

Keep reading to see the details this time.

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I didn't need it, but once I saw this ... I knew I had to have it.

This month's entry in the Collecting Game-used series is an item that sat out there on the auction block for some time. One day I noticed the name and wondered, given its unique look, whether it was the kind of piece that could be could be narrowed down to an exact when and where of it all and be photo-matched. It turns out that the piece is a one-of-a-kind item and any and all photos of the player from that day are, without question, that item.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the item in action.

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Not everything that's game-used comes from on the field.

This extra entry in the Collecting Game-used series this month is a simple kind of item -- one you can find these days quite easily and most often on the cheap -- and it's a little something that's a key piece in the game and it's straight from either one of the dugouts or one of the bullpens. It's the lineup card and it's a piece of affordable memorabilia that low-key documents some of the details like a box score does but without any of those pesky stats -- just uni numbers, batting order numbers and positions.

Keep reading to see the details this time.

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Sometimes, you just have to check the calendar.

This month's entry in the Collecting Game-used series is tied to a big name's first week in The Show -- you already know that seeing that headline -- but you may not know how easily this game-used baseball was landed. All this collector had to do was look at the schedule and then check the Chicago White Sox MLB Auctions store and pre-order a ball from that day. They're long gone now, but this ball is from just the fourth career game for Kansas City Royals rookie slugger Jac Caglianone and his first against an American League opponent after he opened his career in St. Louis three days earlier. Now, I knew the odds were likely low -- 0r, realistically, slim to none -- for landing a pitch to him or play involving him, but the price was still pretty modest at $45 ($15 of that is shipping) to take a shot. This one? It turned out to be a pretty interesting ball for a full, but not completed, plate appearance with a different player's MLB debut coming on this day, too.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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It's not match-used -- but it's been seen a whole lot more than that.

That sums up the item in this fifth chapter of a memorabilia series with a tweaked name -- a tank-driven tangent in my Collecting Game-used series. It's once again a piece from Shotzi Blackheart, who I collect rather seriously in the traditional realms involving Panini America and Topps cardboard, but this time it's something seen on cards as well as the small screen.

And that's just a part of what makes it a cool item.

This final memorabilia piece for this run -- at least for now (there will be more at some point) -- comes from her brief time with a distinctly different look, her spikes era. It's from 10 days before the memorabilia seen here last month but this time it's on Smackdown and not Raw. In WWE chronology, it's still from after she was attacked by Bayley who cut off chunks of Blackheart's trademark long green hair before she finished the job herself, she began to unravel and she joined forces with Charlotte Flair to take on Bayley's group, Damage CTRL, at Survivor Series.

Keep reading to see the item and all the details.

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It's a ball that had a short life in The Show, but the one bit of contact was worth it.

This month's entry in the Collecting Game-used series is another that came to me via a blind grab bag where all I knew was the date of the game -- that's pretty much my bargain-bin way of hunting these days -- and yet this was another win. The star player this time? Current New York Yankees ace Max Fried -- though this one from before he put on those pinstripes and is from a game from last season.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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Shotzi Blackheart takes care of business against then-champ Asuka during a brawl on Raw. (WWE photo)

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It's the end of an era -- for now -- but the moments and the memorabilia remain.

That's how I'd sum up the recent developments in the wresting realm that tie into this fourth chapter of a memorabilia series with a tweaked name -- a tank-driven tangent in my Collecting Game-used series to be more specific. This time, it's once again an item from Shotzi Blackheart, who I collect rather seriously in the traditional realms involving Panini America and Topps cardboard, but this time it comes with a mild bummer attached yet the piece being ironclad authentic and caught on tape.

The bummer part? Well, that's got nothing to do with the item -- Blackheart's five-plus year run with WWE is over as her contract isn't being renewed as of this past weekend. However, that just means she should be able to take her name and her tank anywhere else in the globe (both things pre-date WWE so they should be hers) and get a lot more ring time and add some new stories to her wrestling tales unlike others who have to find a new name that's not a WWE-owned creation. The unique part of this? Well, it's my next-to-last item for this run -- for now -- and it comes from her brief time in WWE with a distinctly different look, one that I call her spikes era. It's from after she was attacked by Bayley who cut off chunks of her trademark long green hair before Blackheart finished the job herself and she began to unravel. This item was from one of the final steps as she joined forces with Charlotte Flair to take on Bayley's group, Damage CTRL, at Survivor Series and exact some revenge.

Keep reading to see the item and all the details.

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Detroit Tigers rookie relief pitcher Chase Lee after making his MLB debut last month. (@DETAuthentics photo)

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You probably don't know his name as he's a 26-year-old rookie in an MLB bullpen with more big-league innings in his five career games than he has big-league baseball cards. That count? Four-plus innings and zero big-league cards -- in other words, nothing Bowman at all before he got the call.

His name is Chase Lee and his nickname is "The Viper" -- that part's pretty big-league, actually -- and he made his MLB debut on April 22 with the Detroit Tigers. That day, he became the 23,429th player in league history, closing out a 2-0 loss to the Padres that was started by Jack Flaherty. Lee walked two and struck out one in just under two innings of work.

Three weeks to the day before that happened during a deep dive of game-used stuff from a major dealer in that realm, I added my latest item for this Collecting Game-used series and I added it for a few reasons -- but especially after I was intrigued by his story. Read this, I'll wait. Lee went from an average shortstop riding the bench on a club team with zero scholarship offers to being a failed walk-on who later figured out how to pitch -- he throws side-armed -- and came back to open tryouts the next year, 2019. That's when he made the Alabama Crimson Tide squad to start a three-year run that finished with a 9-0 college record and a 1.87 ERA and as a sixth-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2021.

That sounds pretty strong, right? Well, all that was still years ago. Lee's path to Detroit and his first strikeout ball he's holding up top had more than a few twists and turns with a 7-11 record in those last five MiLB seasons with no MLB-approved baseball prospect cards (what we care about most here) but with 249 strikeouts in 182 innings -- that part's pretty big-league, too.

So, what is there to collect? Well, I'm sure somewhere deep in my Crimson Tide stash is a small sample of something from of his few Panini Prizm or Elite Extra Edition cards from way back in 2021 -- he's got cards in those sets and nothing since save for potential MiLB team set cards and game-used memorabilia. So, when I spotted a gamer I opted to break one of my basic rules and dip down into the minors for a game-used piece of his story to join my collection, figuring I had some time to craft this item before his possible call from a new team. Meanwhile, to my surprise, that's already happened. (Here's a newer story about his path and this one is even better.)

You can keep reading to see the details ... and the item in action.

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WWE star Shotzi Blackheart revisits her old NXT stomping grounds on Oct. 18, 2022. (WWE photo)

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It's one step closer to match-used, but still not there -- yet it's still an iconic piece of a moment for a colorful WWE star.

That's how I'd describe the item in this third installment of a series with a tweaked name -- a tank-driven tangent in my Collecting Game-used series to be more specific -- and it's one that didn't take a whole lot of research time at all before I added this to my collection of memorabilia.

As should be obvious, it's once again from Shotzi Blackheart, who I collect rather seriously in the traditional realms involving Panini America and Topps cardboard, and this item, which came directly from her, also is one that's forever captured in TV history and beyond.

Keep reading to see all the details.

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Bought it for one reason and one reason only ... and then it arrived with two other stars attached.

This latest entry in the Collecting Game-used series is another that came to me via a blind grab bag where all I knew was the date of the game ... and yet this was another impressive ball in terms of its star power. In short, this one was the kind of ball typically not destined for a mystery box.

The initial reason I picked the date of this baseball? This game was just the second in the career of Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood and that alone was good enough for me to grab one -- a debut ball would have cost me substantially more ($1,199 last I looked) and I figured anything here would have story potential -- but then this turned out to be a base hit for one younger New York Mets star and then a foul ball for a franchise player.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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This unusual item in my collection comes from a high-profile dealmaker in the reel world and since it was captured on film that makes this piece game-used ... used in The Hollywood Game that is.

My latest in the Collecting Game-used series is something I grabbed last year but it got lost in the shuffle with some delays on photo-matching end and, well, it's still not yet definitively matched to the frame above -- but I think it's likely. It's something straight from the production of Ballers and the fuzzy visual above was found, with some dumb luck, in a semi-pirated, fan-tweaked clip somewhere out there on YouTube months ago. Rather than spend more time and a few bucks to revisit HBO Max and find it, I'm just going to let it roll here today.

What is this super-cheap but unusual addition to my collection of weird sports stuff? Keep reading.

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Photo-matching a piece of used memorabilia is easier in some sports, especially in today's era of often-authenticated, slap-a-sticker-on-it premium items that can make up a meaty revenue stream for a lot of sports leagues. But, no matter what it is -- or where a piece is from -- it always comes down to one thing.

Details.

Grimey and beaten-down baseball bats? They can have plenty of details between player customizations, models, manufacturers and damage from use. Mangled used football jerseys? Stains and tears of course -- you know, details. Baseball or basketball uniforms? Tougher but still do-able ... thanks to the details of tagging, stitching and other minute things that change over time.

But in the wrestling realm? Well, details still apply ... but things might be a little different to verify depending on a star's habits, styles and budgets for in-ring gear or their tastes for their fashion outside of the ring. Sometimes, those are the same. Sometimes they have to be different ... that's this time.

This second installment with a tweaked name in my Collecting Game-used series is one for a pick-up that wasn't a definitive match when I recently found it. It was a guessing game to a degree until I could get the item in hand for a closer look at ... the details. The star once again is Shotzi Blackheart, who I collect rather seriously in the traditional realms involving Panini America and Topps cardboard, and this item, which came directly from her, was one where those it was those cards that helped solve the mystery.

Keep reading to see all the ... details.

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A piece of the exact moment ... that's what it's all about.

There's a reason there's a tweaked name above for this item in the Collecting Game-used series this month as this isn't just some baseball, football or other typical piece from a name from a traditional game. This one is from a realm just as athletic but also one way more theatric -- the WWE -- which is a world full of colorful characters and names that have more on their resume than just what's on the stat sheet. This time there's no game and there's no uniform, but it's a small piece from a memorable moment that helped lay out the basics for a star who was then still somewhat new to the NXT landscape after a few years as an independent wrestler making her way in the world.

Her name, if you don't know it already from seeing the colorful hair and the horn-adorned Army helmet, is Shotzi Blackheart and she's a star I collect rather seriously in the traditional realms involving Panini America and Topps cardboard, so you'll know her name from reading many other items here. This is the first of a few entries in this series that will step away from the field and get in the world that includes a ring. If her look doesn't grab your attention, her unusual entrances at times might ... she originally rode to the ring in an intentionally absurd childrens' toy tank bought at a Walmart that just works with the vibes and the unusual energy of a Blackheart. (Yes, that name an homage to Joan Jett's punk band.) Meanwhile, in more recent days, her ride is more of a WWE-style tank with and her gear a more glamorized leather aesthetic in the ring and beyond with an energy that's evolved since her late-2019 arrival.

But this time for this item in this series? Well ... keep reading to see all the details.

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A good rookie, a good at-bat, a good ball ... that was one pitch away from history.

This month's entry in the Collecting Game-used series is another that came to me via a blind grab bag where all I knew was the date of the game ... and yet this was another win. The player? Jackson Merrill, the runner-up in the National League Rookie Of The Year behind winner Paul Skenes, and a name I didn't expect to land for a price lower than many a retail mega box of cards.

And, to top it all off, this wasn't some meaningless ball in the dirt or a ball just watched -- well, it kind of was -- it was something more for a low price and that's perfect. It's kind of how I roll most of the time with these items.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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This one comes from a team that only played in the reel world -- but it was all captured on film and that makes it game-used, right?

This second item this month in the Collecting Game-used series is one I grabbed a while back but it kind of got lost in the shuffle for a few reasons -- but with some year-end housecleaning I figured I'd take the time to revisit the set of Ballers for a piece of the action. (My other option would be to start a props series each month but ... that's just not happening yet.)

What is it this time? A teaser is above ... keep reading to see the details.

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Sometimes you have all the details thanks to an authentication sticker ... and sometimes you don't.

It's those don't times that can be work -- but often you can still photo-match an item's damage or other unique traits to photos from the on-field action. Other times, there's nothing. This month's item in the Collecting Game-used series is one of those "other" times and one where there aren't that many details ... yet I know it all. (And still can't prove a thing, either.)

Huh? Keep reading to see the details this time ...

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It's BBWAA Awards Week for Major League Baseball and one of the most-notable winners made his way into my game-used collection this year ... well, sort of.

This month's ball in the Collecting Game-used series is another that came to me via a blind grab bag where all I knew was the date of the game ... but this time that wasn't to my advantage as, well, the baseballs pitched by the now-reigning National League Rookie Of The Year, Paul Skenes, command a 15x premium price over the rest of baseballs from this day and this game. Despite that, I rolled the dice, hoping for a possible inventory error or something interesting from what was still a Skenes start ... and I got just that.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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The MLB postseason has already had its share of moments with big names attached ... and as promised here's a second gamer with some big names attached.

This month's ball in the Collecting Game-used series is the second of two I landed not knowing who would be attached, just knowing that they were from a certain date in the postseason's past with the teams known -- and in this case it's from a pair of teammates now with the New York Mets and a pair of All-Stars. How did they sit all these years since they're from back in 2017? Well, based on holograms, they were originally in Steiner Sports' hands after going through MLB Authentication and then into Fanatics' possession.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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The MLB postseason is almost here, so I figured now's the time to drop one of a pair of baseballs I recently landed from that beloved time of year right here.

This month's ball in the Collecting Game-used series is the first of two I landed not knowing who would be attached, just knowing that they were from a certain date in the postseason's past with the teams known -- and in this case it's from Aaron Judge's first visit to the postseason but not with his name attached -- but some known stars are in play. (Not bad for a modest price that's less than some brand new boxes out in the retail wild, though.) How did they sit all these years since they're from back in 2017? Well, based on holograms, they were originally in Steiner Sports' hands after going through MLB Authentication and then into Fanatics' possession.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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Elly De La Cruz. That was a name I'd hope for -- but never expect -- from the mystery bargain bin ... but here we are.

This month's ball in the Collecting Game-used series is another from a $30 blind grab-bag kind -- picking only from the known date and teams -- and while I totally did not know it was Pup Night at PNC Park (see the gallery) I did know that both squads have some young notables in play in 2024. There's no Paul Skenes action on this day, of course, as he pitched the day before this one but I knew there would be potential for a price that's close to as cheap as it gets for a game-used baseball.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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This is quite possibly my best grab-bag buy ever.

This latest ball in the Collecting Game-used series is one where there's a franchise icon attached, an entire at-bat and even an impressive hit all in one. I can't say that I've ever landed that from what's essentially a blind grab-bag kind of buy, but that happened for me with a ball that was pulled from the field less than two months ago before making its way into my collection this week for just $29.95 -- substantially less than a Chrome blaster box out there in the retail wild and perhaps substantially less than it might cost as a known hit ball with the big name attached. The only thing I had a choice in here? I picked the date -- so I knew the two teams that would be attached and that's it.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and the ball in action.

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