on June 17th, 2009 by PunkRockPaint
Posted in punkrockpaint
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on June 17th, 2009 by 30-Year Old Cardboard
I recently scored 7 Andre Dawson certified autographs off of Ebay for less than $30 delivered. This is card #5 of the 7.
How about this beauty?? Nice, huh…
Numbered 68/100, this Andre Dawson card is from the 2005 Leaf Limited ‘Trademarks’ set. While the background design of this card is not terribly impressive, it does allow for the features [...]
Continue reading about Andre Dawson Certified Autograph #5 »
Posted in 30 Year Old Cardboard
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on June 17th, 2009 by Mario A.
I don’t think a day ever goes by where I don’t hear a collector complain about non-sports autographs in their box of sports cards. Love it or hate it, I don’t see that trend going away anytime soon. While Upper Deck stumbled in back to back years with their ‘A Piece of Hollywood’ cards, this [...]
Continue reading about One final note on Spectrum of Stars »
Posted in Wax Heaven
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on June 17th, 2009 by Newspaperman
This is a brief message to all of you collectors who have K-Mart stores in your area. Check your card aisles ASAP, it appears there are blaster boxes on clearance — about 50 percent off regular price. The K-Mart I stopped at yesterday had 2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes (9 total packs for $7.49); 2008 [...]
Continue reading about Attention K-Mart Shoppers: Bargain Blasters »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
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on June 17th, 2009 by T.S.
I have to confess I took a couple of days off for something as frivolous as golf,
thus I have been remiss in keeping up my blog postings. I know there are countless
individuals capable of handling something as pedestrian as that from virtually anywhere,
but I ain’t one of them.
Upon my return to the office, I see newspaper and online accounts of Sammy
Sosa’s name being added to the ranks of those on that infamous 2003 list that
indicates players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
This comes about a week after Sammy’s unsolicited announcement that he
was now officially retired and would calmly await his inevitable election to the Hall
of Fame. Ahem.
The timing may be coincidental, but if it is it’s one helluva coincidence.
I don’t know about you, but I would like to know who this guy is who gets to sit back
and decide: a) ballplayer A has said something annoying; so b) He gets
to tie a can to his ass on the basis of Item A. That’s a lot of power for any individual,
anonymous or not.
The resulting uproar is as expected: outraged sanctimony, garnished
with righteous indignation. Yipee!
Me, I’m more interested in the aspect of all of this that is ongoing
rather than that which is historical trivia. The List. I capitalize list, because
I suspect that this particular list is going to become a proper noun fairly soon.
Here’s the part I find so interesting: we wouldn’t know any of this if
the players association hadn’t agreed to the 2003 testing, which hinged on the results
being kept confidential. I can’t shake the suspicion that if this were actually some
kind of legal proceeding, rather than an impromptu public stockade, all of the evidence
would be summarily tossed out because of the way it was obtained.
The reality is that the only reason the “evidence” even exists is because
the players, through their association, agreed to the testing on the basis of that
confidentiality. That ought to count for something, but it doesn’t really seem to
in the court of public opinion, which seems to lap up every new revelation with an
ardor and enthusiasm not unlike that which captivated the baseball world and the nation
in 1998. It’s grand theatre, which is not quite the same thing as being right.
And I’m not quibbling here. It was wrong for players to be using those
substances in 2003, but my mother used to stress to me that two wrongs do not make
a right. They shouldn’t have been using that stuff and it’s wrong that they did. It’s
also wrong that we are going to torpedo them – apparently one at a time – on the basis
of evidence that should never have seen the light of day.
As a duly installed member of the public, I confess I have absolutely
no moral or legal right to be privy to that information. Doesn’t matter who the other
102 names are, it is all data that is “fruit of the poisonous tree,” and should thusly
be excluded.
I will blog another time about the implications of the other 102 names
dribbling out in the coming months/years. Or maybe the pressures will prompt some
large disclosure en masse, or maybe somebody will get tired of having that particular
sword hanging over his head and “confess.”
No matter how it comes about, it ain’t right.
Continue reading about Sammy is guilty, but we have no right to know it … »
Posted in Infield Dirt
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on June 17th, 2009 by Tuff Stuff
I read with disbelief how Donte Stallworth received a 30-day jail sentence
after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter. While I’ll admit I’m no Johnny Cochran,
I’m pretty sure DUI manslaughter translates into Stallworth killing a man with his
car while he was legally drunk. And while I’m not sure what the normal sentence (Stallworth
was facing 15 years in prison before reaching a plea) is for somebody who commits
murder, I’m fairly certain it’s a bit longer stay than 30 days.
Apparently, Stallworth was given a lighter sentence because (according to his lawyer)
“He acted like a man. He remained at the scene. He cooperated fully.”
Good to know. I’m sure the family of the man who he killed are very appreciative that
Stallworth stepped up and did the right thing after killing the man they loved. Unfortunately,
it took killing a man to make him start doing the right thing. If only he would have
done the right thing before the tragic accident occurred. If only Stallworth would
have stopped drinking earlier that night. If only Stallworth would have “acted like
a man” and drank responsibly. If only Stallworth would’ve hired a driver to take him
home with the $4.5 million signing bonus he received the day before the crash. If
only.
Stallworth’s sentence is actually only 24 days in jail, two years of house arrest,
eight years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service so maybe justice was
served afterall. And don’t forget the NFL still has to levy it’s punishment. My guess
is commissioner Roger Goodell will hand down a three-game suspension and by October,
just seven months after the tragedy occurred, Stallworth will return to the life he
had before the “accident.” Unfortunately Reyes won’t be able to do the same.
I remember when I was a kid, I got 60 hours of community service for carving my initials
into some playground equipment. If only I had “acted like a man, remained at the scene
and cooperated fully,” maybe my sentence would’ve been reduced to a minute of pulling
weeds at the neighborhood church instead of the 60 hours I served. I suppose that’s
what I deserved for making my money cutting lawns instead of playing professional
football.
Because the grieving family wanted to “bring closure to this emotional and tragic
event,” Stallworth was able to reach a confidential financial settlement to avoid
a potential lawsuit from the family of 59-year-old Mario Reyes, the man Stallworth
killed. Stallworth was covered by two separate insurance policies, a car insurance
policy and a $5 million umbrella policy that have undoubtedly been transferred directly
into the Reyes family account and serve as protection for Stallworth from a future
lawsuit from the family.
So there you have it. Man gets drunk, decides to drive despite the numerous options
to avoid doing so and ends up taking the life of an innocent man. Little more than
three weeks after receiving his sentence, man resumes his life in the NFL where he’ll
take in $5 million for the season while the family of the victim mourns for a lifetime.
What a country.
Continue reading about Not So Deep Thoughts: Not quite murder, but pretty damn close »
Posted in 7th Inning Stretch
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on June 17th, 2009 by rosschrisman2003
Busting all those boxes was a lot of fun!!!!! The ‘08 Ultimate Collection yieled the lowest numbered card. Pulling a Phillies relic is also good. Take a look.
Posted in Box Breaks 
Continue reading about Birthday Box Breaks »
Posted in Sports Card Info
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on June 17th, 2009 by MMayes
Marty PerezI think I was pretty impressionable as a young baseball fan. If I ever heard something good about a player, that’s what they were forever. That explains why I still can’t believe Mike Rogodzinski, Tom Heintzelman or Stan Papi didn’t make it …
Continue reading about #119 — Marty Perez »
Tags:
braves,
shortstop
Posted in Baseball Cards
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on June 17th, 2009 by chemgod
Name: Rick Nash (2 color patch)
Position: Left Wing
Team: Columbus Blue Jackets
Set it’s from: 2007 Upper Deck SPx
Serial Number: 52/99
How obtained: eBay auction
Why this Card?: I have been following Rick Nash’s career since he came into the league in 2002. I became a fan of his when he put up 41 goals in his [...]
Continue reading about Bad Wax World of Patches – Rick Nash »
Posted in Bad Wax
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on June 17th, 2009 by 30-Year Old Cardboard
Amazingly, Kerry Wood turns 32 years old today.
I still think of the 21-year old rookie phenom when I hear Kerry Wood’s name. The kid that was going to save the Chicago Cubs franchise and make them contenders for the World Series.
Unfortunately, those expectations are too strong for any one player to overcome, especially a 21-year [...]
Continue reading about Happy Birthdy Kerry Wood!!! »
Posted in 30 Year Old Cardboard
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on June 17th, 2009 by Jeremy Roe
Posted in Baseball Cards
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on June 17th, 2009 by Captain Canuck
Posted in Waxaholic
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on June 17th, 2009 by JT
DISCLAIMER: This is a shameless plug for my weekly radio show.
Every Saturday night, I host a radio program on non-profit WMWX in Cincinnati called “Hard Rock Nights.” This program can be heard on 88.9 FM in the local market, but we also stream online so anyone with an internet connection can listen in. The station’s [...]
Continue reading about Do you like to discover new music? »
Posted in Writers Journey
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on June 17th, 2009 by PunkRockPaint
Posted in punkrockpaint
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on June 17th, 2009 by albuqwirke
SPOILER ALERT !!!!
If you already have tickets or otherwise plan to attend the Omaha Royals – Albuquerque Isotopes game on Thursday, June 18, 2009 and do not want to see images of the 2009 Albuquerque Isotopes team set before you have one in hand, DO NOT continue reading. Instead, you should revisit this post after [...]
Continue reading about 2009 albuquerque isotopes team set (P)review »
Posted in Cards In The Attic
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on June 17th, 2009 by freeandylaroche
As I’m sure you’ve read, the never-ending saga to relocate the Portland Beavers out of PGE Park now has city officials unable to decide how exactly they want to spend tax dollars. Whether it’s Lents Park, the site currently occupied by the Memorial Coliseum, or who knows where else, the pols can’t make up their [...]
Continue reading about New PDX ballpark says “never say die” »
Posted in Free Andy Laroche
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on June 17th, 2009 by Dan
Posted in OMGAutos
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on June 17th, 2009 by Newspaperman
As noted earlier this week, I finally got around to watching the Rocky series. Over the last four days I’ve managed to plow through the first four movies in this series and now I’m contemplating whether or not I should start the fifth. I’ve watched Rocky get his ass kicked twice by Apollo Creed, only [...]
Continue reading about Finished Rocky I-IV, should I even attempt V? »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
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on June 17th, 2009 by chemgod
It has always been said that the riskiest draft prospects are high school pitchers. When you think about it, it makes sense. Most highly drafted high school pitchers flame out very early in their career. However not many flamed out as hard as Ryan Anderson. He was so over hyped, he even had two nicknames, [...]
Continue reading about Forgotten Wax – Ryan Anderson »
Posted in Bad Wax
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on June 17th, 2009 by Laurens
Posted in Card Buzz
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