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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Via @tristar1 ... Bo Jackson

This year's National Sports Collectors Convention is nearly here -- it's set for July 30-Aug. 3 in Chicago with a strong roster of autograph guests ready to sign for collectors who get a ticket and get in line for their moment beyond the ballpark.

Some signers are free if you attend the VIP reception on opening day of the show or buy a VIP ticket package -- a bonus for taking the time to hit every day of the show -- but landing other signers will take some planning and a few bucks.

It's tough to see everything at The National -- it's that big -- and the time it takes to work through autograph lines is valuable in that it impedes your shot at seeing it all. But, if you have wanted to meet a player and get that ink, a number of past and present stars are on the list this year. With that said, here are my picks -- skewing toward the best names for the lowest prices possible -- to grab off the autograph list during the full days of the show this year. (Keep reading for the full signers list at the end ... and, remember, times are always subject to change.)

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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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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? A big night for one rookie six years ago tomorrow night in The Bronx.

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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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

NASCAR MEETS MiLB
The Cards: Dale Earnhardt 2012 Hickory Crawdads
The Buzz On This: The racing icon's Chevy dealership is actually well-represented on MiLB cardboard from the past with several years of card sets including nods to their corporate sponsor. Sometimes, they're cards of office members, new cars, logos or scenic images that inject some horsepower onto the diamond, but this pair of cards -- pocket change-priced finds -- feature The Intimidator himself signing autographs and standing alongside his legendary No. 3. This is a perfect example of the odd things you might not expect to find in baseball card sets from down on the farm.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can find in MiLB.

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Dave Dravecky's tale is perhaps a somber one in MLB history, but this story isn't that ... this is one from the very beginning.

And, short of a contract signing bonus -- if there even was one -- this is about something at the absolute start of it all.

The newest piece in my collection wasn't some discovery curated and placed on the block with an auction house marketing team pumping it up to be something more, something beyond what it is. In fact, this was a random find over on eBay of all places where it had been sitting for at least months -- if not longer -- as part of a dealer run. It was simply one of many similar items bought in bulk years ago and I actually even passed over it a few times before some curiosity got me to stop and do some research. That's when I realized what I had found. Is it a monster? Probably not unless you like monster-sized trivia while digging on the cheap ... to be honest that's kinda my thing. Sure, it's not finding Earl Weaver's 1977 gamer at a thrift store or a razor-sharp Walter Payton Rookie Card for a buck at an estate sale ... but what I found seemed interesting to me and I think it might be to you, too.

Dravecky's story, to a degree, is captured on his 1990 Score baseball card above, but that's not where it all ended -- or where it began -- and that's something that got me to stop and look when it seemed unfamiliar on eBay. I first knew Dravecky as a San Francisco Giant and, of course, how his career ended, but his time in baseball didn't start around the arrival of his 1983 Fleer and 1983 Topps Rookie Cards as a San Diego Padre, either. No, no ... that's not the life of a 21st-round draft pick. It was a bit more complicated than that.

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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: The Texas Rangers win it all, Corey Seager cards and Hall of Fame pondering, TacoFractors, Black November and more.

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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: World Series chatter, NFL Week 8, playoff integrity, baseball cards at Costco and more.

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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: It's TacoFractor Time, World Series chatter, NFL Week 8 and more in this edition.

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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: Corbin Carroll might be the best TacoFractor to own, blasters for the win, baseball cards at Costco and more in today's edition.

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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: NFL Week 8, the NBA season tips off, Pro Debut, TacoFractors and more.

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This ball isn't that ball ... but imagine if it was.

That was my first thought when I dug out this one from my reserves for this Collecting Game-used series last night as St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas was two outs away from a career game -- a no-hitter that came up one strike short of reality -- Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

My second thought was, man, how much has the game-used world changed in just a few years with a couple new touches from MLB and MLB Authentication? The MLB Film Room didn't exist back when this baseball was used -- details below -- and the notation on the authentication is pretty basic ... real basic. That's been improved since then, too. This is a game-used ball with some nice use to it (came from a grab-bag style box) and with a couple of MLB All-Stars attached from a game a little earlier in their careers. Since there was no Film Room then I can't instantly call up a clip of the play and see it in action ... though there's a chance the game is online somewhere. I've been spoiled being able to photo-match or at least see videos for almost every ball I've had here recently ... I'll let the basics tell the story on this one this time.

Keep reading to see the details.

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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: Collectors react to the Bayron Lora news, new pulls, a FedEx thread to see, unbelievable MLB facts and more.

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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: MLB signings, NFL breaks, NBA chatter, Pop Century packs some punch and more in today's edition.

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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 Archives Signature Series Active Player Edition baseball cards
First Buzz preview & signers list: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 1
Base set completion: 
N/A

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The Panini America VIP Party has a Hall of Famer and a heavy hitter ready for its Saturday soiree.

Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman and500 Home Run Club member Rafael Palmeiro will be there, and that ups the roster to seven past stars from the sports world and beyond for the event made for high-rollers in the hobby this weekend in Chicago.

In 18 seasons for the Marlins, Padres and Brewers Hoffman recorded 601 saves, which is second only to the new Hall of Famer who passed him, Mariano Rivera. 

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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. Trevor Larnach, OF, Twins — High-A Fort Myers Miracle
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff get all the headlines in the Twins’ system, but Larnach has spent the season putting up very impressive numbers in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. He’s continued to adjust his approach to make his big-time power play to all fields, thus helping unlock his potential as a classic big, hairy monster who profiles in a corner outfield spot."

CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 140
First Chrome auto: 2018 Bowman Draft
One auto to consider: 2018 Bowman's Best
Buzz’s card take: About half of his cards are autographs, which is good, but it's still not a big number. His stats in two MiLB seasons are pretty strong with a .311 average and 11 homers and 70 RBI in 126 games since he was taken 20th overall in last year's draft. They aren't overwhelmingly amazing stats but he went 12-for-26 last week ... so that gets him here. I don't see any "big, hairy monster" stats beyond that so I'm not all that sold on his seasons so far.

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: Fanatics Texas Rangers game-used baseball mystery box
The cost: $39.95

What's inside this box? Keep reading ...

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is Hour 8.

The box: Fanatics Authentic Houston Astros game-used baseball mystery box
The cost: $39.95

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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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: Fanatics Seattle Mariners game-used baseball mystery box
The cost: $29.95 (via JCPenney.com)

What's inside this A+ box? Keep reading ...

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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: Fanatics Authentic Oakland A's game-used baseball mystery box
The cost: $29.95 (via JCPenney.com)

What's inside this box? Keep reading ...

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He's had a long road to where he is today, but after a big game on Tuesday night a few more people might know his name.

He's San Diego Padres rookie third baseman Christian Villanueva and he hit three home runs Tuesday night in Denver. Why might the collecting focus be of added interest for a 27-year-old rookie?

Because he doesn't have that much cardboard at all.

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The newest member of the 3,000 Hit Club has new autographs.

Adrian Beltre became just the 31st player in MLB history to reach that plateau and his Topps Now cards today are documenting the feat on cardboard -- with and without ink.

He's just the third third baseman to join the club and is the first born in the Dominican Republic -- and the 38-year-old Texas Rangers star also hasn't been much of a signer in the past, either, helping give these new autos a bit more life than you might expect.

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A new baseball season is nearly here with the first spring training games set to air later this month and that's when we'll see the newest players on their new teams.

And many of them will be wearing new uniforms -- well, at least new caps.

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A new year of Topps #TBT is here and it's bringing to us the newest Hall of Fame class and a few other stars of yesteryear all on a design from the past.

Tim Raines, Ivan Rodriguez and Jeff Bagwell are paired with one other Hall of Famer from their primary franchise's past to round out the first pack in a weekly series.

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