Cards From Tomahawk Chopping

Pretty much since the beginning of both of our blogs, Derek from Tomahawk Chopping and I have been trading off and on.  Last week I received another great package full of cards from him, both of the baseball and football variety.  Check some of them out.

First up are some sweet Ravens cards of Ray Rice and Joe Flacco--both of my football player collection focuses.  I really like the die cut aspect of these 2011 Panini Crown Royale cards, and they are my first cards of this brand.

Ray Lewis will be back next year, so he said. The guy seems ageless.  He is still playing at a very high level, which is great for Ravens fans, and bad for opposing quarterbacks.

Many people continue to criticize Joe Flacco for not getting to the Super Bowl again.  He did have one of the best, if not the best, games of his life against the Patriots in the AFC Championship game, and it cannot be argued that he outplayed Tom Brady.

Two awesome Allen & Ginter minis that I didn't have.  I hope the Phillies can find money somewhere to keep Cole Hamels next year when he hits free agency. I hear that might not be in the cards, though.  Hamels is from southern California, and I've read that he might want to play closer to home at some point. That some point might be next year and beyond.  Dom Brown will hopefully have a much better season this year than he had last year, where he spend a long time at the AAA level honing his fielding and his swing.

Justin DeFratus was drafted by the Phillies in the 11th round of the 2007 amateur draft and began his career that year.  He made his major league debut last season in September, and he was really excited about it.  I remember seeing interviews with him where he was talking about his dream coming true.  It was fun to watch.

Michael Stutes was a surprisingly important part of the Phillies bullpen last season, and will continue to be this season.

And finally, this guy.  I like this card--a /250 Bowman orange border Ryan Howard.  Will the third time be the charm for Ryan Howard? Two years in a row he made the final out of the team's season before they made it to the big show.  He is slated to be back from the ankle injury in May sometime.  

Thanks for the cards, Derek! I'll have some coming your way soon.