on August 31st, 2009 by chrisolds
Posted in Beckett Blog
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on August 31st, 2009 by 30-Year Old Cardboard
Darryl Strawberry 1989 Topps All-star card
Of the 12 packs I ripped through of 1989 Topps, I only pulled 1 card for my player collections. In total there are 11 cards of the guys I collect in that set, so I was a little surprised that I only scored 1.
Here it is:
I have always been a [...]
Continue reading about Darryl Strawberry 1989 Topps All-star card »
Posted in 30 Year Old Cardboard
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on August 31st, 2009 by Dinged Corners
Posted in Dinged Corners
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on August 31st, 2009 by T.S.
Mike Schmidt, the ultimate brainy (former) ballplayer, wrote a
story recently for the Associated Press bemoaning the fact that money had so debased
the once-unsullied world of autograph collecting that the resulting arena is now nothing
short of “ugly.”
I’ve been at a couple of group press interviews with the Hall of Famer,
and it’s hardly an overstatement to say that he’s one of the brightest and most thoughtful
former players around, but it may be that those very same qualities leave him just
a tad naive.
While recounting his own charming tales of signing his first autograph
40 years ago and also proudly displaying autographs of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer
and Gary Player that his grandparents had secured for him in the early 1960s, Schmidt
went on to lament that current state of affairs.
I don’t even disagree with his less-than-unique assessment that our society
has become “callous, rude and motivated by money.” True dat. But it seems to me it’s
a more sophisticated response to try to figure out a way to foster those elements
that are so laudable – preserving memories, lighting up a kid’s face with a signature
from his hero, etc. – while minimizing the ugly aspects that leave him so dismayed.
Schmidt is adroit enough to concede that – in his own words – “Old Mike
has made a couple of million bucks he had never counted upon” through the various
inserted autograph cards so stridently marketed by the card companies. He can see
the contradiction of grousing about all the money in the memorabilia business while
accepting a sizable chunk of it for his own coffers.
But he doesn’t then take it to the next logical step, which is to concede
that whining about the sordidness of the hobby seems disingenuous at best in light
of the fact that Major League Baseball itself is such an enormous business behemoth
with literally billions of dollars on the table. I think the world was a much more
agreeable place when $6.50 could snag you a handsome box seat at once resplendent
Shea Stadium, and another buck could get you a reasonably chilled Rheingold beer to
go with it. But it just ain’t that way anymore.
Sigh! I don’t even collect autographs and have given away signatures
from the likes of Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and others, but I certainly understand
that when things have value – even a misty-eyed sentimental value – a monetary figure
gets attached. And yes, Mike, even though lots of people tell you they will never
sell it, you’re absolutely correct to note that everything gets sold sooner or later.
That’s why Upper Deck or Topps agreed to show you the money for those insert cards.
As I mentioned above, I suspect Mike is just a wee bit too sensitive
for the rough-and-tumble world or autograph collecting. And I gotta admit, I thought
the most interesting quote in the AP story was the one where he said that his dislike
of the cat-and-mouse game with autograph collectors on the street was one of the reasons
he retired early.
I wonder if he’s ever had the opportunity to chat with Brett Favre about
his views?
Continue reading about Schmidt longs for kinder, gentler hobby … »
Posted in Infield Dirt
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on August 31st, 2009 by chrisolds
Posted in Beckett Blog
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on August 31st, 2009 by houstoncollector
Thanks to Upper Deck’s Facebook page, I have some images for the upcoming 2009 Upper Deck Ultimate Football.
Now, I’ve never purchased anything other than singles from this product, and that’ll never change, but man, I’d love this Earl Campbell autograph they’re showing. This product will likely launch late this year or early 2010, if the [...]
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Posted in Houston Card Collector
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on August 31st, 2009 by Mario A.
When it comes to bustin’ wax from sports I don’t follow, Hockey & Basketball have always been my favorites. Don’t get me wrong, I have gone through a box or two of some nice football releases but to me it always felt like something was missing.
2009 Topps Football has the same design and shares some [...]
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Posted in Wax Heaven
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on August 31st, 2009 by chrisolds
Posted in Beckett Blog
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on August 31st, 2009 by Tuff Stuff
The Blogger reverted back to his struggling ways, managing just four correct
picks but it likely wouldn’t have mattered much, as Jeff Arends posted a nine
to win this week’s weekly prize in the Beat The Blogger contest.
This week’s matchups will be posted Monday p.m. or Tuesday a.m. so check back
and make sure you get your picks posted prior to the week’s first game to be eligible
to win. Good luck and spread the word and help grow the contest.
While I enjoy giving prizes to several people vs. having just one weekly winner, from
this point forward contestants will be asked to provide a tie-breaker on the week’s
last game so we narrow our winner down to one. Contestants will now be asked to
predict the total score from the last game on the list and the closest to the actual
score will be deemed the winner). I’ll also require contestants to post their
e-mail address with their picks so I can track down the winners easier.
For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple.
The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his 
choices
for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest
by clicking on the “Comment” section below the post with the matchups and then select
their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a “Doubler” and
you will receive an extra point if you’re correct so don’t forget to designate your
“Doubler” pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger’s
total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly
prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian
Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish
Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for
the weekly contest so look for special prize packages.
This week’s Matchups with winning picks in parenthesis
MLB
Saturday, August 29
Colorado at San Francisco (San Francisco)
Texas at Minnesota (Minnesota)
Atlanta at Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Chicago White Sox at New York Yankees (NY)
NFL
Saturday, August 29
New Orleans at Oakland (New Orleans)
Baltimore at Carolina (Baltimore)
NY Jets at NY Giants (NY Jets)
San Diego at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Chicago at Denver (Chicago)
Tie-breaker Total points in Chicago/Denver game (44)
Continue reading about Beat The Blogger Results »
Posted in 7th Inning Stretch
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on August 31st, 2009 by chemgod
If you live near Cary, NC, you owe yourself to check out the 2009 World Cup baseball team who will be playing Canada at the Team USA Training Complex. Some of the top players in the minor leagues are going to be on hand. Below is a list of players on the roster:
#
Name
Pos
B/T
Ht.
Wt.
Hometown
Current Team (Organization)
Pedro [...]
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Posted in Bad Wax
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on August 31st, 2009 by Chris Harris
Posted in Stale Gum
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on August 31st, 2009 by Dave and Adam's Card World
If you haven’t checked out the latest box break videos and would like to win some free cards, be sure to enter the free giveaways. With each of the videos listed below, we are giving away all the cards for free. The contest ends at the end of today, winners will be randomly selected this [...]
Continue reading about Last Day to Enter Box Break Contest Giveaways »
Posted in Dave and Adams
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on August 31st, 2009 by 30-Year Old Cardboard
Frank Robinson turns 74 years old today.
Still one of the most underrated players of all-time, Frank Robinson compiled a career of accomplishments that are on par with the game’s greatest offensive players.
2 of the more notable feats are his 2,943 career hits and 586 home runs.
In baseball, the measurement of an excellent hitter is the 3,000s [...]
Continue reading about Happy Birthday Frank Robinson!!! »
Posted in 30 Year Old Cardboard
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on August 31st, 2009 by White Sox Cards
Posted in White Sox Cards
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on August 31st, 2009 by PunkRockPaint
Posted in punkrockpaint
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on August 31st, 2009 by Dan
Posted in OMGAutos
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on August 31st, 2009 by chemgod
Name: Ricky Williams
Position: RB
Team: Miami Dolphins
Set it’s from: 2006 Playoff Prestige
Serial Number: 41/50
How obtained: ebay
Why this Card?:I have always liked watching Ricky run. Even though he seemed to take a lot of plays off, but when he was on he was unstoppable. Plus he was also one of the most accomplished receiving backs [...]
Continue reading about Bad Wax World of Patches – Ricky Williams »
Posted in Bad Wax
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and the Colorado Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (No.9).