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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Not every item in every MLB game gets one of those special little silver stickers and not every moment is captured on film ... or at least film that is easily found. (Video? Maybe.)

In a nutshell, that sums up this month's item in this Collecting Game-used series. You can see a teaser of what's left of the pice above with pine tar and shards of what looks like maple left behind. Thankfully, while there's a lot of mystery to this one, the identifying side of the barrel remains in play ... and that is why I grabbed this piece for my personal collection.

You can keep reading to see the details.

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... 

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HER TIME IS NOW ... 
The Cards: Rhea Ripley 2020 Topps Transcendent WWE (/50) -- Rookie Card
The Price: Less than some of your new boxes out there
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one is more of a long-term buying project for me as I think Ripley has the potential to be an all-time great in the WWE's women's ranks. She's only 26 and has literally been wrestling half of her life, already has held WWE gold and this is her premium-brand Rookie Card (gaming cards don't count in my world) that has an iconic pose and is limited to only 50 copies. This one also is easily among the priciest of the unsigned cards in this pricey set that was made to be broken up. Only three of these are new additions for me but I had to take a pic of all five together as a bit of a brag -- I don't do that a lot and I don't like to give the prices when I spend big on stuff -- but this is a card I like ... and I'm definitely not done yet. She has other Rookie Cards (with logos ... this set didn't use them) from 2020 but this one will always be the best in my book and we know exactly how many exist and that it cost plenty for somebody else to land one. She's got another WrestleMania match against an all-time great, Charlotte Flair, here soon and I don't know exactly how that might go ... but I do know she's definitely worthy of a long and dominating title reign and a smackdown of a great would solidify her place. I think her time is now.
Grab a box right here: WWE boxes can be found here

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If you want to know how simple things in the everyday for sports have changed over the years -- just the recent years -- then this month's item is a perfect example.

It's less than a decade old, but there's no irrefutable video to show this one in action over on the MLB Film Room (at least not yet) database of video clips. And there are no added stats attached to this one -- at least on its MLB Authentication entry -- to offer up advanced into on stuff that some people love. (No biggie for me, spin rates aren't needed.) At a glance it's perhaps one officially from the stone ages.

What's this one's deal? Well, you can probably guess with those stitches ... it's not a bad photo, it's a specialty ball.

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

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With these Ticket Stud or Ticket Dud stories I'm turning just a tiny bit of that energy just a few degrees away from cards (we'll still have plenty of them here) for a different kind of cardboard. What am I doing? Simple ... this is an occasional dip into some random ticket lots -- a show and tell showing something small with a story.

This time? An MLB match-up that was in the headlines in the last few days.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and tell me if you think it's a Ticket Stud or a Ticket Dud.

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Sometimes, there are no extra visuals to photo-match a piece

Forget sometimes ... that's almost always the case with pretty much everything that's game-used before the advent of the MLB Authentication program in 2001. That was the year MLB started stickering and databasing items from the field of play creating a whole new playing field for memorabilia. But this month's piece in this Collecting Game-used series isn't from that past era, either.

This one is from just 2014 ... an item that's newer, but one from when the capture-every-play MLB Film Room and complete data with authentication for every pitch where a ball was used didn't exist. It's stickered but short of finding a pirated game video online (I did a brief search and found nothing), it's a ball that I can only show here and then offer up from info from a game's summary to help tell its story.

You can keep reading to see the details.

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and it's once again the biggest Buzz Buys ever. (A collection of pick-ups from recent times as well as in the past year or so.)

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A RECORD-SETTER, BUT ... 
The Cards: Wander Franco 2022 Topps Living Set (/68,228)
The Price: Direct from Topps (10-pack price)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one re-wrote the new Living Set record book with its sales volume and I did a 10-pack to hopefully land a copy without centering issues and to maybe grade one or two. It turns out 10 wasn't enough as the front card is closest to centered but it has a cardboard blotch that should nix some top marks and any immediate grading from me. I still might but not right now. With so many made, there likely will be plenty graded in the coming months ... so without an obvious gem I'll wait. This might have been my first Living Set lot direct from Topps since Vladimir Guerrero Jr., so it will probably send me back to hibernation on that brand. We'll see.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... but MLB boxes are here.

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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Not all gamers are alike, whether they are from the majors or the minors.

I got a reminder of that recently with a weekend grab -- on sale! -- that you see here as MiLB seasons are over and teams need to move their leftover equipment, whether it's from players who just finished their year or players who are not likely to come back as they've been promoted or traded elsewhere to play now or in the future.

In the case of this game-used 2021 Columbus Clippers cap straight from the team? Well, it's from a guy who's been in the big-leagues as well as down on the farm off and on the last few years -- and it's a cap where, admittedly, when I popped open the box I was like "Oh ... this is a little underwhelming." unlike a lot of the other items you have seen in this Collecting Game-used series.

There's plenty of mystery, too, though. Keep reading to see the details.

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This month's Collecting Game-used item a gamer for sure, but I can't put it in the player's hands to prove it. That's actually way more common than you might think today even if we live in a world of holographic authentication stickers on nearly everything.

After going 3-for-3 for exact photo matches within this series, this one is still a solid hit -- it's a fully prepped and lightly used gamer. What do I mean? If you haven't followed this series, from time to time I grab game-used baseball bats for the retired player I collect, Nick Swisher, and I've been able to photo-match nearly all of them. Here's last time, here's part two and here's the first one. They are all bats that cost me less than this Sam Bat ... but I had to have it.

Why? Because it's a deluxe brand -- it's one that cost me more compared to others -- but it was worth it ... and it turns out this bat might be a lot rarer than others I own.

Keep reading to see the details this time.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: Cleveland's decision has them talking, stocking up on Derrick Henry and Barry Bonds (?), CNBC looks at investing in cardboard and more.

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This one is a new department here on The Buzz ... Fast Five -- a quick list under a simple topic that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection. It's a basic list of five items that could be fun for a starting collector or a new way to add to a stash that might already seemingly include everything when it comes to cardboard. For some of you, it's probably common sense. For others of you out there, it's perhaps something to ponder.

This time? MLB postseason players to watch on cardboard

Shane Bieber -- SP, Cleveland Indians
This year's most-dominating pitcher took home the Triple Crown when the season ended and he's got tonight's must-win game against the Yankees and their top arm, Gerrit Cole. Bieber's got just three Rookie Cards and that makes for some added volatility -- 2018 Topps Update and Topps Chrome Update and then Panini Spectra, which was found in boxes of 2018 Panini Chronicles. Those are also sets loaded with other hobby-favorite rookies -- so they are in demand and not cheap. His first autographed cards also arrived that year in Bowman Chrome, while his first prospect cards dropped in 2017 ... but without ink so there's not anything earlier to truly trump the 2018 stuff. His basic cardboard is pretty cheap big-picture, but his rarities and early autos are not -- and tonight's the night that is a key to them all. If they lose, the hype goes elsewhere. If they win and make a run? Watch out ... "Not Justin" will just get hotter.

Keep reading for four more making up the list this time.

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I'm 2-for-2 this season ... and my hit streak isn't over. There will be more.

What am I talking about? Picking off game-used baseball bats for the retired player I collect, Nick Swisher -- and in this case it's another 100-percent game-used and photo-matched piece ... but one without an MLB Authentication sticker. (Here's last time if you missed it.)

How was this possible? Some research and some luck -- but also knowing what things to look for with game-used bats. In this case, the bat model is somewhat common (used in his Yankees and then Indians years after Louisville Sluggers for most of his career before that) but the handle customizations were not the norm for most of his career. The grip was the first clue when trying to lock down a timeframe of when this bat was used and then a date written underneath the "33" sticker on the bat knob once in hand provided a starting point for still-image searches. Once I found those, then I went to video for additional ironclad matching.

This bat is another reminder that not every item that gets used gets a sticker -- and that's where you can find gems for any player.

You can keep reading to see the details this time.

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A new MLB season is here and that means more brand-new game-used memorabilia pieces to come -- or, really, already piling up -- as games from the spring and beyond happen.

One of those items that can be especially messy and colorful this time of year? The lineup card -- an item where you can find names early in their careers or perhaps late tries at one last go before a season where a veteran may not even play. Sometimes they can be hand-written, sometimes they can be printed and then heavily modified. And, like I said, they can get messy in the spring with plenty of guys in and out of games. These items often aren't super-impressive, but they can get pretty cheap -- I've seen them as low as $10 in the past. But, they can also can be pricey with player autographs and authentication attached. (Manager autos can sometimes arrive sort of "free" as part of the cost.)

Lineup cards can be a simple pick-up -- any card for any game for your player or your team -- or you could make it a challenge and try to find only cards where your player hit a homer, got a win, or a hit and so on. This time? It was one of those ... but it also was a card with a little more -- a detail that I didn't think about when checking a player game log.

You can keep reading to see the details.

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Game-used collectors have been seriously spoiled since the arrival of the MLB Authentication program back in 2001 (I'm one of them), but there are still items that are fully authenticated that require more research for their full story to be known.

This is one of those pieces.

Sometimes, items can't be photo-matched to photos or videos because there are no obvious features or personalized touches that can make them stand out from others. However, for my final item of the year in this Collecting Game-used series, I present to you an item that I recently found that needed a little more research despite it having the coveted MLBA sticker -- but it has those obvious features. In fact, it's a piece that has so many unique features that I was able to track those touches and decipher its lifetime of use. (Well, at least as much as one can without official word from a player to know their uniform habits or info from an equipment manager, who would have been responsible for inventory and replacement of pieces when requested.)

In the case of this Cleveland Indians batting helmet, it was authenticated merely as a "team-issued" piece by MLBA in April 2014. However, the obvious use it shows is from continued play and a distinct lack of maintenance and cleaning (as likely requested by the player). It turns out to be from the entire previous season -- and that was a successful one for the team as it made it to the postseason for just the third time during the 2000s at that point. This helmet's grass, chips, impressive layers of pine tar and other marks can be documented in photos before it was taken out of storage and into collector hands.

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

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"I hope at least $20."

That was Francisco Lindor's answer to a young Cleveland Indians fan who asked "What's your signature worth?" in a new installment of an MLB-produced video series called Questions & Autographs.

The Q&A is one where he signs autographs from a pack of kids and takes their questions. It's a clearly marketing-friendly piece that could, however, interest some fans and collectors out there.

Check it out after the jump.

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It all started with a tweet and that led to another helping sparking a viral sensation of a baseball card.

And now it's inspired a new Topps Now autograph card with the appropriate inscription.

Cleveland Indians All-Star Shane Bieber pitched his third complete game of the season on Sunday. And today? Well, he's got a "Not Justin" autographed card to show for that and his memorable tweet.

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Move over, Bryce Harper ... it's time for Francisco Lindor to make some baseball cards.

The newest Topps X set is here -- 2019 Topps X Lindor -- and it's a release crafted by the Cleveland Indians shortstop. It's up for grabs now at Topps.com or via the company's booth at MLB Play Ball Park as part of the All-Star Game fan festivities.

Each $49.99 set includes an autograph or a memorabilia card and the hit subjects aren't limited to the name on the box. In fact, it can include ink from some of the biggest names in the game today and from the past.

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Here's a look at the top five players on this week's Baseball America Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet and their seasons so far. It's a little something to help those who might want to dabble with prospecting -- some basics on their baseball cards alongside a highlight line from those more scouting-minded. We may not do this every week, but we'll check in on BA's top crop from time to time for the remainder of the season.

1. Drew Waters, OF, Braves — Double-A Mississippi Braves
Baseball America’s highlight line: “It’s not like Waters wasn’t having an excellent season when June began. But his .416/.566/.828 June has unquestionably pushed him to the point where he is the most productive hitter in the Southern League. Waters now leads the league in nine major offensive categories including batting average (.338), slugging percentage (.535), OPS (.916), extra-base hits (36) and total bases (147). ... There are 35 Triple-A hitters slugging .550 or better. There are only three Double-A hitters slugging above .550."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 300
First Chrome auto: 2017 Bowman Draft
One auto to consider: 2016 Leaf Metal Perfect Game
Buzz’s card take: This isn't the first time you have seen him here and not much has changed for him on the cardboard front release-wise -- no new ink this year. As said last time, about a third of his autos can be found in the 2016 Leaf release, while his 2017 ink arrives in a number of prospect brands as a pro. He's a Top 100 prospect across the board but the Braves have plenty of talent on the roster -- so it's a good thing he's just 20.

Keep reading for the rest of the top five ...

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2019 Topps Tier One baseball cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 3
Cards in this box: 4
Base (Relic) set completion: 
0 of 36 (0 percent)
Duplicates: 0

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Here's a look at the top five players on this week's Baseball America Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet and their seasons so far. It's a little something to help those who might want to dabble with prospecting -- some basics on their baseball cards alongside a highlight line from those more scouting-minded. We may not do this every week, but we'll check in on BA's top crop from time to time for the remainder of the season.

1. Ty France, 2B-3B-1B, Padres — Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas
Baseball America’s highlight line: "In a loaded Padres system, it was France who led the organization in total bases, runs and RBIs last year and tied for the lead in home runs. That performance got him put on the 40-man roster in the offseason, and he’s now on the verge of mashing his way to his major league debut. France extended his hit streak to 14 games during his incredible week, capped by hitting back-to-back homers twice with Josh Naylor on Sunday."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): Only MiLB team sets 
First Chrome auto: Still to come
One auto to consider: Still to come
Buzz’s card take: He's been in the minors since 2015 after he was a 34th-round pick, but hasn't appeared on anything more than minor-league team sets despite hitting 22 homers with 96 RBI in 137 games between Double-A San Antonio and Triple A El Paso last season. The 24-year-old is on pace for a career year with nine homers in 18 games this season and that should get him a cardboard look soon.

Keep reading for the rest of the top five ...

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Four homers, one game -- it's something that doesn't happen in baseball often, but a Cleveland Indians prospect pulled off the feat last night.

Lake County Captains outfielder Will Benson went 4-for-5 with four homers and eight RBI. He's the Indians' No. 25 prospect on MLB.com's Prospect Watch list and could be a candidate for some affordable collecting, too, though his stats aren't going to wow you beyond some power.

He was the first MiLB player to put up a four-homer game since 2014 and it's only happened 18 times in MLB history. Two players did it in the NL in 2017, Scooter Gennett and J.D. Martinez. 

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Have you seen the latest cool or interesting items on eBay? If not, you just might see some of those here every week as we're launching a weekly version of our eBay Buzz pieces that pop up from time to time. We’ll spotlight some items that have a story or just wow us with how much interest it might have — and we’re not just talking baseball cards, either.

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RARE AIR 
The Item: An uncut sheet of 1986-87 Fleer basketball cards
The Price: $709 after 24 bids (with just two days remaining)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I've not heard of entire sheets being counterfeited but with the Michael Jordan Rookie Card (heavily faked) you never know ... but what we do know with this one is that it's not perfect but an uncut sheet with this card and this landmark set is impressive. The back of the sheet suffers from massive red ink staining so that's probably why the sheet wasn't cut and put into packs. What kind of other flaws might there be? It's not clear based on the auction images, but it generally looks pretty good on the front and it's the kind of cool impressive piece to frame and display for not only its Jordan presence but every other Hall of Famer Rookie Card that's on it. (It's not worth professional cutting with the back staining.) This one is dirt cheap right now but could go crazy before it ends.
Similar Pieces: More 1986-87 Fleer eBay auctions
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for NBA boxes

Keep reading for four more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

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Professional Sports Authenticator will have a number of things for fans to check out at this year's National Sports Collectors Convention that's set for Aug. 1-5 in Cleveland.

The leading authentication and grading company will have custom cards for fans who opt to get in on those at the show as well as contests for three notable Cleveland items that can be entered both at the show and online right now. The custom card options include Cleveland Indians and Cavaliers gear.

“Last year’s custom encapsulated card option was such a big success in Chicago that we are excited to bring the experience to collectors and sports fans in Cleveland, too,” said PSA Vice President Steve Sloan. “What better way to preserve your memory of being at the show than with a custom trading card from PSA?”

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We're less than a month away from this year's National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, and we've got the details on two more promo card sets that will be going out to VIP ticket package holders.

Topps revealed its lineup -- a 1983-inspired Cleveland Indians lineup -- while Leaf Trading Cards is going the multi-sport route.

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