Beat the Blogger Matchups

While there were several players who scored 9, it was Jeff Arends and his nearly
perfect tiebreaker who topped the field in last week’s Beat the Blogger contest.
The Blogger managed a solid score of 7 but it wasn’t enough to hold off the competition.

This week’s picks are now posted so Play Beat the Blogger and spread the word
to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere
else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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 Blogger’s picks in parenthesis
Oct. 3

NFL Regular Season
San Francisco at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Seattle at St. Louis (Seattle)
Denver at Tennessee (Tennessee)
Baltimore at Pittsburgh (Baltimore)
Carolina at New Orleans (New Orleans) (doubler)
NY Jets at Buffalo (NY Jets)
Cincinnati at Cleveland (Cincinnati)
Houston at Oakland (Houston)
Washington at Philadelphia (Washington)
Chicago at NY Giants (Chicago)

Tiebreaker: Total points in Chicago-NY Giants game: 44

Be sure to check out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Matchups »

While there were several players who scored 9, it was Jeff Arends and his nearly
perfect tiebreaker who topped the field in last week’s Beat the Blogger contest.
The Blogger managed a solid score of 7 but it wasn’t enough to hold off the competition.

This week’s picks will be posted Tuesday so Play Beat the Blogger and spread
the word to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere
else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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 Blogger’s picks in parenthesis
Sept. 26

NFL Regular Season
Tennessee at NY Giants (Tennessee)
Cincinnati at Carolina (Cincinnati)(Doubler)
Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay (Pittsburgh)
Dallas at Houston (Dallas)
San Francisco at Kansas City (KC)
Atlanta at New Orleans (Atlanta)
Philadelphia at Jacksonville (Philadelphia)
Oakland at Arizona (Arizona)
Indianapolis at Denver (Indianapolis)
New York Jets at Miami (New York Jets)

Tiebreaker: Total points in Jets-Dolphins game: 54

Be sure to check out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Results »

(Week 3 Matchups posted below)

Proving that the early bird does get the worm on occasion, Dana B was
the first to post picks this week and was also the person to post the highest score.
Dana B posted a score of 9 to easily win last week’s Beat the Blogger, with
the Blogger and most of the field scoring six never threatening.

This week’s picks have been posted so Play Beat the Blogger and spread the
word to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere
else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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 Blogger’s picks in parenthesis
Sept. 26

NFL Regular Season
Tennessee at NY Giants (NY Giants)
Cincinnati at Carolina (Cincinnati)(Doubler)
Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay (Tampa Bay)
Dallas at Houston (Houston)
San Francisco at Kansas City (San Francisco)
Atlanta at New Orleans (New Orleans)
Philadelphia at Jacksonville (Philadelphia)
Oakland at Arizona (Arizona)
Indianapolis at Denver (Indianapolis)
New York Jets at Miami (New York Jets)

Tiebreaker: Total points in Jets-Dolphins game: 44

Be sure to check out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat The Blogger matchups »

Ever since the Cleveland Browns made him the third overall pick in the
2005 NFL Draft, Braylon Edwards has been somewhat of an enigma. There
have been times when the talented 6-3 receiver would demonstrate the
ability that made the high pick justified and there have been countless
other times when it seemed like Edwards wanted to be anywhere but on a
football field.


Last night Edwards wanted to be out drinking until five in the morning and when he
did decide to call it a night, he jumped in his Range Rover and headed for home. But
Edwards never made it home last night. Instead, he spent the night in jail after being
pulled over for erratic driving and blowing a .16 into a breathalyzer just prior to
being arrested for DUI in Manhattan. His arrest came less than 48 hours after he played
a key role in the New York Jets 28-14 upset win over New England on Sunday. The arrest
also comes less than a year after Edwards was arrested for aggravated disorderly conduct
for punching a friend of LeBron James outside a Cleveland nightclub. That led to the
trade that sent Edwards to the Big Apple, with the Jets throwing caution to the wind
in acquiring the troubled wideout just days after the incident occurred.

Not sure why it seems every wide receiver in the NFL comes with more baggage than
a 747 but they sure are a mercurial bunch aren’t they? But the part of this story
that really confuses me is that it could have been easily avoided. The Jets are one
of several teams in the NFL that adhere to to the Player Protect Program. For those
unfamiliar with the program, it was setup to provide a car service for players at
any time so if they’re out enjoying a few beverages, they can simply make a call,
enjoy a safe ride home and avoid any nasty legal entanglements that might come their
way if they elect not to use the service. Other than assigning an intern to each and
every player to drive them around, what more can the league do to try and keep its
players safe?

Seems like a great program but it does have one minor flaw — you have to actually
make the call for it to be effective. Most of us have taken the wheel after a few
cocktails and in my younger days it was probably a roll of the dice that I took more
times than I care to remember. But the big difference between my stupid choices and
Edwards’ is that I didn’t have the options that he does. In addition to the Player
Protect car service option at his disposal, I’m fairly certain a simply wave of his
hand on the curb would have drawn the attention of one of the thousand of cab drivers
motoring around downtown New York as well.

Before the season started Edwards signed a contract that will pay him $6 million this
year. Back when I was tempting fate and driving home after a night at the bar, I was
working at a restaurant to pay for college and was making a little more than minimum
wage. My budget didn’t afford the car service or a taxi as an option but if I was
making $6 million a year and couldn’t make myself avoid the nightclub scene, I think
I’d either utilize the service, flag down a cab or hire a personal driver to get me
home safe.

There’s no shame in handing your keys to somebody better suited to drive, especially
when you have more than enough resources to do so. If these high-profile, highly paid
athletes realize could just realize that, they could go out clubbing every night and
the only news they would make would appear on the Sports Page instead of the police
blotter like it should be.

Continue reading about Another DUI without a logical excuse »

Proving that the early bird does get the worm on occasion, Dana B was
the first to post picks this week and was also the person to post the highest score.
Dana B posted a score of 9 to easily win last week’s Beat the Blogger, with
the Blogger and most of the field scoring six never threatening.

This week’s picks will be posted Tuesday morning so Play Beat the Blogger and
spread the word to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere
else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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 Blogger’s picks in parenthesis
Sept. 19

NFL Regular Season
Pittsburgh at Tennessee (Pittsburgh)
Miami at Minnesota (Miami)
Arizona at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Baltimore at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Kansas City at Cleveland (Kansas City)
Tampa Bay at Carolina (Tampa Bay)
Seattle at Denver (Denver)
St. Louis at Oakland (Oakland)
New England at NY Jets (NY Jets)
NY Giants at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)

Tiebreaker: Total points in Giants-Colts game: 52

Be sure to check out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Results »

With Week 1 of the NFL season in the books, I noticed some interesting trends and topics that should be addressed. Sure it’s only one week and the NFL season is a marathon, but some things just jumped out at me as being obvious and important to how the season will play out. Former commissioner Pete Rozelle dreamed of a parity-filled league in which any team could contend for a Super Bowl championship and that’s exactly what the NFL provides these days.

Much like last year when the Saints surprised many to claim the title, I think
we could be in for more of the same in 2010. While I’m not ready to say they should
start looking into hotel options in Dallas just yet, I do think the Houston Texans
will play a major role in determining this year’s Super Bowl champion. With an above-average
defense, the best receiver in the business and from all indications we’re left with
after Sunday, an impressive ground game, the Texans are for real and if you don’t
believe me, just ask the Colts.

Houston QB Matt Schaub led the league in passing yards last year and his numbers should
be equally impressive this year if not better with the Texans and second-year RB Arian
Foster keeping defenses honest with a balanced attack. Steve Slaton isn’t a No. 1
RB by any means but he does provide a nice change of pace to the more powerful running
style of Foster and is a more than capable receiver out of the backfield giving the
Texans exactly what you look for in the running game. Kevin Walter is a solid WR opposite
Andre Johnson and look for Jacoby Jones to finally live up to his potential and give
Houston another weapon to go along with TE Owen Daniels in the passing game.

Add it all up and Houston appears to have all of its bases covered and I wouldn’t
be surprised if they battle Indy down to the wire for the division title and at the
very least, earn a playoff spot as a Wild Card representative. Getting the monkey
off their backs with a win over the Colts will go a long way in providing the young
Texans with the confidence they need to contend all season long.

For all of the preseason hype they received via their “Hard Knocks” appearance and
headline-generating coach Rex Ryan, the Jets simply aren’t good enough offensively
to contend for a Super Bowl. Their outstanding defense will keep them in most games
but until the coaching staff feels more comfortable with Mark Sanchez and the kid
gloves are taken off, the Jets offense will remain one-dimensional and easily defensed.
The loss of defensive standout Kris Jenkins on the defensive line will weaken the
defense and until Santonio Holmes returns after Week 6, the Jets will have to rely
on a solid, yet predictable running attack and their defense to win games. And as
they learned against the Ravens, that’s easier said than done.

Another preseason favorite to end up in Dallas also suffered a major loss in the opening
week. The Green Bay Packers lost RB Ryan Grant to a season-ending ankle injury and
will be forced to promote unproven Brandon Jackson into a role he is totally unfamiliar
with. Jackson has looked solid in spot duty spelling Grant in the past two season
but his durability and lack of quickness are concerns. With Aaron Rodgers and several
standouts like Greg Jennings, Donald Driver and superstar-in-waiting Jermichael Finley
still intact, some believe the Packers can overcome the Grant loss but I believe the
loss will ultimately cost the Packers any title hopes they might have had.

New England appears to have gotten back on track with its new core of young defensive
players and with Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker highlighting the rejuvenated
passing game, you can never discount the Patriots. An eye-opening victory over a highly
touted Bengals team in the opener got everybody’s attention but with no real threat
of a running game opposing defenses should be able to adjust to New England’s pass-happy
offense.

The wounded Ravens defense was outstanding despite playing without Pro Bowler Ed Reed
and let’s not leave Ray Lewis for dead just yet either. His hit on Dustin Keller was
the stuff of legend and in Lewis’ case, it only added to his. I’m guessing Keller
is still shaken by that bone-crusher and I’m guessing Baltimore will be one of the
final teams standing in the end as well.

With just one week to review it’s far too early to fully comprehend which teams will
be left standing come January. Injuries will continue to decimate contenders and the
open door for unproven would-be stars and ultimately, a champion will be crowned.
Which team that will be I couldn’t tell you I’m just glad the NFL has returned. By
midseason the muddied picture will become clearer but for now and for what I believe
will be the case all season, it could by anybody. Well, almost anybody. Buffalo and
St. Louis, you guys have no shot.

Continue reading about Observations from Week 1 of the NFL season »

The Blogger got off to a shaky start to the NFL season with six correct
picks but the new season didn’t slow down several contestants. By virtue
of nailing the tiebreaker, Frank Dong posted a score of 9 to break a
five-way tie at the top to win last week’s Beat the Blogger contest.

This week’s picks are posted BELOW so Play Beat the Blogger and spread the
word to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere
else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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 Blogger’s picks in parenthesis
Sept. 19

NFL Regular Season
Pittsburgh at Tennessee (Pittsburgh)
Miami at Minnesota (Minnesota)(Doubler)
Arizona at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Baltimore at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Kansas City at Cleveland (Cleveland)
Tampa Bay at Carolina (Carolina)
Seattle at Denver (Denver)
St. Louis at Oakland (Oakland)
New England at NY Jets (New England)
NY Giants at Indianapolis (Indianapolis)

Tiebreaker: Total points in Giants-Colts game: 45

Be sure to check out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Matchups »

The Blogger posted a solid score of 6 but a trio of contestants were too tough,
scoring 8 points each and tying on their tie-breakers to split the top prize in last
week’s Beat the Blogger contest. Paul Sherman, Eddie Weiss and Christie
Merkle are last week’s Beat the Blogger champions, congrats.


NFL picks start this week so spread the word on how easy it is to win playing Beat
the Blogger.

This week’s picks ARE POSTED BELOW so Play Beat the Blogger and spread the
word to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere
else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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 Blogger’s picks in parenthesis
Sept. 12

NFL Regular Season
Atlanta at Pittsburgh (Atlanta)
Cleveland at Tampa Bay (Tampa Bay)
Miami at Buffalo (Miami)
Denver at Jacksonville (Denver)
Indianapolis at Houston (Indianapolis)
Detroit at Chicago (Chicago)
Oakland at Tennessee (Tennessee)
Cincinnati at New England (New England)
Arizona at St. Louis (Arizona)(Doubler)
San Francisco at Seattle (San Francisco)

Tiebreaker: Total runs in SF-Seattle game: 45

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Matchups »

The Blogger posted a solid score of 6 but a trio of contestants were too tough,
scoring 8 points each and tying on their tie-breakers to split the top prize in last
week’s Beat the Blogger contest. Paul Sherman, Eddie Weiss and Christie
Merkle are last week’s Beat the Blogger champions, congrats.


NFL picks start this week so spread the word on how easy it is to win playing Beat
the Blogger.

This week’s picks will be posted later on Tuesday so Play Beat the Blogger
and spread the word to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere
else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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
Sept. 4

MLB

Toronto at NY Yankees (NY Yankees)
NY Mets at Chicago Cubs (Cubs)
Texas at Minnesota (Minnesota)
Cincinnati at St. Louis (Cincinnati)
Colorado at San Diego (Colorado)
Washington at Pittsburgh (Washington)
Chicago White Sox at Boston (Chicago White Sox)
Atlanta at Florida (Atlanta)
Houston at Arizona (Houston)
San Francisco at Los Angeles Dodgers (San Francisco)

Tiebreaker: Total runs in SF-LA game: 9

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Results »

Are you familiar with Spanish philosopher George Santayana’s famous line: “Those who cannot learn from history are condemned to repeat it”? Well, don’t feel bad because it appears most involved in the sports memorabilia business never heard of it either.

I was really a collector until I took over the editorial reigns of Tuff Stuff’s Sports
Collectors Monthly about five years ago and since then my collecting habits would
be modest at best. So unlike others who have been in the industry, I don’t know all
of the history that has shaped the hobby into what it is today. But one thing I learned
about the sports card industry during
my time here is that too much of a good thing is almost always a bad thing.

When the hobby boom took off in the late 1980s and early 1990s, new card companies
jumped into the fray and the existing card companies cranked out set after set until
the supply far outweighed the demand. Everyone wanted a pie of the pie but when the
smoke cleared, the hobby was left with an over-saturated market and millions of worthless
cards. Collectors eventually figured this out and shifted their collecting focus from
cardboard investments to pretty much anything else, as the heavily populated market
had people leaving the hobby in much the same way a burning building does.

After years of industry experts screaming for brand proliferation and a drastic reduction
in the numbers of card sets they wanted to be produced, the card companies eventually
relented and put the brakes on. In recent years the trend has continued with fewer
card companies being licensed by the leagues which ultimately led to fewer, but in
theory, better products available to consumers.

While all that was going on, many collectors shifted their focus from new cards to
vintage materials and as card shop owners struggled to survive in a lean market, they
shifted their focus as well. In the early days of the sports memorabilia business,
auctions featuring high-quality vintage material was reserved for the elite. It featured
a few lots of big-buck items to bid on and the frequency of the sales and the companies
host them could be easily tracked. But as some of the big auction houses spread their
inventory out to include items that wouldn’t break the bank and afforded the average
collector to jump in and slam down the gavel, the auction business grew as exponentially
as the new card market dried up.

Targeting new auction customers, most of which were collectors looking for more stability
than the basement full of new cards that weren’t worth enough to ship to a potential
trade partner, the auction house boom led by eBay, was born. Record prices for vintage
materials were being realized online and throughout country, as everybody caught auction
fever. With everybody looking to “win” items with the highest bid, everybody and their
brother was starting up their own auction business.

Initially, there was plenty of great memorabilia for everybody to prosper but eventually
many of those businesses who had missed the boat when it initially left the dock were
folding up like beach chairs on a rainy day. And that takes us to today’s market where
many are still looking to cash in on the auction craze but the wealth of materials
available running a little thin as everybody tries to grab a piece of the pie.

If you do a Google search for sports memorabilia auctions you’ll get a whopping 102
million results. It seems that many involved have forgotten a valuable hobby history
lesson and might just be condemned to repeat it if they’re not careful. Sometimes
to much of a good thing is a bad thing and today’s auction market might just
be the perfect example.

Continue reading about Auction Business Needs To Step Off The Throttle »

The Blogger bounced back with a respectable showing of 7 correct picks but it wasn’t enough to
defeat a trio of familiar names who topped the leaderboard. Michael Bonner, Mark
Macerak and Michael Mahnke all scored 8 correct picks and all had the same
tiebreaker so all three will be receiving a prize as the Beat the Blogger winners
from last week.

This week’s picks are now posted so Play Beat the Blogger and spread the word
to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

This week’s picks are posted BELOW along with the Blogger’s picks (in parenthesis) so
make sure you get your picks posted before the start of the first game on Saturday.
Good luck and spread the word on the contest before there is no more contest. THIS
MEANS YOU, SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS. Copy and paste our link and send it to
your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else so they can be a part of the action
and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I’m making
a call to action to all of our regulars to do some recruiting. While more people means
more work for the Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome
the challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players
and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I’ll triple the weekly prize. So spread
the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that
goal and boost the prize.

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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
Sept. 4

MLB

Toronto at NY Yankees (NY Yankees)
NY Mets at Chicago Cubs (Cubs)
Texas at Minnesota (Minnesota)
Cincinnati at St. Louis (St. Louis)
Colorado at San Diego San Diego (San Diego)
Washington at Pittsburgh (Washington)
Chicago White Sox at Boston (Chicago White Sox)
Atlanta at Florida (Florida)
Houston at Arizona (Houston)
San Francisco at Los Angeles Dodgers (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Tiebreaker: Total runs in SF-LA game: 6

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Matchups »

The Blogger bounced back with a respectable showing of 7 correct picks but it wasn’t enough to
defeat a trio of familiar names who topped the leaderboard. Michael Bonner, Mark
Macerak and Michael Mahnke all scored 8 correct picks and all had the same
tiebreaker so all three will be receiving a prize as the Beat the Blogger winners
from last week.

This week’s picks will be posted later today so Play Beat the Blogger and spread
the word to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

This week’s picks will be posted later on Monday along with the Blogger’s picks
(in parenthesis) so make sure you get your picks posted before the start of
the first game on Saturday. Good luck and spread the word on the contest before there
is no more contest. THIS MEANS YOU, SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS. Copy and paste
our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else so they
can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I’m making
a call to action to all of our regulars to do some recruiting. While more people means
more work for the Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome
the challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players
and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I’ll triple the weekly prize. So spread
the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that
goal and boost the prize.

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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
Aug. 28

Saturday
NFL Preseason
Cincinnati at Buffalo (Buffalo)
Jacksonville at Tampa Bay (Jacksonville)
Dallas at Houston (Houston)
NY Giants at Baltimore (Baltimore)
San Francisco at Oakland (San Francisco)
Aug. 28

Saturday
MLB

Detroit at Toronto (Toronto)
Philadelphia at San Diego (Philadelphia)
NY Yankees at Chicago White Sox (NY Yankees)
Houston at NY Mets (Houston)
LA Dodgers at Colorado (Colorado)

Tiebreaker: Total runs in NY Mets-Houston game: 5

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Results »

Just when you thought it was safe to invest in the sports memorabilia industry again, the three most-dreaded words in the English language (for a pitcher that is) entered the mix: Tommy John Surgery.

Baseball and the sports memorabilia business have been reaping the financial rewards
of Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg for more than a year now, and now,
just 68 innings into his pro career, the phenom is out indefinitely and facing a long
rehab stint after a likely impending Tommy John surgery.

The 22-year-old took the hobby and the MLB by storm after debuting in June, posting
a 5-3 record with a 2.91 ERA that included 92 strikeouts. He had been highly touted
for years and after his call-up to the big leagues, he dominated the collectibles
hobby much the same way he and his 100-mph fastball did for his first two months in
the majors. His base cards sent collectors scrambling to their local card shops and
his signature and non-signature limited-edition cards sent the online auction world
into a tizzy. And now, less than two full months after his debut, his projected Hall
of Fame career might never be the same.

Modern-day medicine is outstanding and Tommy John surgery isn’t the death sentence
it was 20 years ago, but who knows what the future will hold for the guy who had put
the hobby back on the map the last few months.

While collectors and investors of Strasburg are likely crying into cardboard right
about now, Topps might be feeling worse than any of them. The company took a calculated
risk by holding back several releases featuring Strasburg, including popular brands
like Tribute and Triple Threads, in what appears to be a way to milk StrasburgMania
throughout the duration of the season. The idea to spread out the releases probably
seemed like a great idea at the time it was made but with Strasburg now out indefinitely
the move will likely cost Topps hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost sales.

Vintage memorabilia of established stars is, and always be a safer investment than
putting your collectible dollars into an unproven rookie with a ton of upside. Prospecting
with high-ceiling rookies will likely be around forever but my money remains in proven
commodities like Pujols and Favre and I would suggest you put your money into similar
players, too. 

Continue reading about Strasburg Injury Reminds Collectors That There Are No Sure Things »

I’m not one to throw stones at those who have already been pummeled by
them but … I’m also not one who looks at the MLB players associated
with steroid use (whether they’ve admitted it or just been linked to or
accused to them) as bad people or outcasts because I likely would’ve
done the same thing. But …

My only beef with the jacked-up sluggers of the 1990s and early 2000 comes when they
continue to deny what we all know is true. While steroids and other performance-enhancing
drugs have been in the game for decades, the recent-completed (wink, wink) “Steroid
Era” was the last time the game of baseball was truly must-see TV and we all know
why. We tuned
in more than ever and spun through the turnstyles at our local ballparks at a furious
pace because we wanted to see Home Run Derby within each nine-inning affair. Everybody
loved the then-commonplace 12-9 shootouts that included six or seven long balls typically
reserved for batting practice. We found out with each 475-foot blast that it was only
chicks that dug the long ball and we couldn’t get enough.

Unfortunately for that to happen, the MLB players of that time couldn’t get enough
either. Enough juice that is. But despite the suddenly ripped physiques and oversized
noggins populating the MLB landscape, we all looked the other way and stuck our proportionate
noggins in the sand because cheating the game equated to a more exciting game and
a better overall product.

Unfortunately, like anything else, too much of a good thing is bad and MLB had definitely
had more than it’s fill of foreign substances in the mix. So in came the steroid police,
the Mitchell Report and suddenly what most of us already knew became public knowledge.
Players were cheating the long-standing history of the game by using performance-enhancing
drugs. And shortly after, those associated with using were vilified. And unfortunately
for Major League Baseball, those being targeted were the games biggest stars. Guys
like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. The same guys who just months earlier
were the very source of the game’s renewed excitement level and swooning attendance
numbers. It was very combustible combination.

So the heroes were transformed into villains and villains clammed up like witnesses
in a mafia murder trial. Some denied, some entered the Witness Protection Program
and seemingly disappeared. The smart ones, they admitted they used, said it was only
in attempt to get back from an injury quicker. They were eventually forgiven, or at
least looked at differently from those who remain steadfast in their denial. Those
players who talked themselves into believing their own lies forever tarnished their
careers.

And that brings me to Sammy Sosa. You remember Sosa, the larger-than-life, cartoon-like
figure that patrolled right field in Wrigley Field. He “developed” himself into one
of the game’s top power hitters and ruled Chicago in a Jordan-like fashion for much
of his tenure on the North Side. Until he was linked to steroid use that is. Once
the finger-pointing began and Sosa’s numbers started to decline, the Wrigley faithful
and more importantly, the front office began to distance themselves from the once-formidable
slugger. The relationship quickly soured to a higher degree and Sosa was eventually
jettisoned to Baltimore in a 2005 trade before fading into the black hole of MLB mediocrity
that led his retirement in 2007.

Since that time Sosa has become a recluse of sorts but did turn up in a recent interview
for Chicago
Magazine. In the piece, Sosa’s bitterness toward the Cubs organization
came shining through loud and clear.  

“The Cubs threw me into the fire,” he said. “They made people believe I’m a monster.”

He also wondered aloud why the team hadn’t retired his jersey number yet?

Well Sammy, the reason is simple. The reason is because your time with the team is
all tainted. Despite the mind-blowing numbers you produced and the thousands of fannies
you put in the park, you didn’t do it naturally and then lied about how you did it
when given the chance to come clean.

As for the drug test he allegedly flunked in 2003—evidence, if true, that could permanently
stain his legacy—Sosa ducked the topic. “I don’t want to talk about that,” he said.
“Let’s talk about something else.”

Apparently dodging the issue is popular in the front office, too. When Cubs officials
were asked why there hasn’t been a “Sammy Sosa Day” or a jersey retirement ceremony
for their former hero, the team responded by saying they didn’t want to talk about
it and asked if they could talk about something else.

Continue reading about Sosa following the Pete Rose path of deny, deny deny »

The Blogger made it easy to be eligible to win the weekly prize with his worst
score ever but it was Jeff Arends who capitalized. Arends posted a score of
10 to defeat the field and take home this week’s Beat the Blogger prize.

This week’s picks are posted below so Play Beat the Blogger and spread the
word to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

This week’s picks are now posted along with the Blogger’s picks (in parenthesis) so
make sure you get your picks posted before the start of the first game on Saturday.
Good luck and spread the word on the contest before there is no more contest. THIS
MEANS YOU, SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS. Copy and paste our link and send it to
your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else so they can be a part of the action
and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I’m making
a call to action to all of our regulars to do some recruiting. While more people means
more work for the Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome
the challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players
and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I’ll triple the weekly prize. So spread
the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that
goal and boost the prize.

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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
Aug. 28

Saturday
NFL Preseason
Cincinnati at Buffalo (Buffalo)
Jacksonville at Tampa Bay (Jacksonville)
Dallas at Houston (Houston)
NY Giants at Baltimore (Baltimore)
San Francisco at Oakland (Oakland)
Aug. 28

Saturday
MLB

Detroit at Toronto (Toronto)
Philadelphia at San Diego (Philadelphia)
NY Yankees at Chicago White Sox (Chicago)
Houston at NY Mets (NY Mets)(Doubler)
LA Dodgers at Colorado (LA Dodgers)

Tiebreaker: Total runs in NY Mets-Houston game: 7

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Matchups »

The Blogger made it easy to be eligible to win the weekly prize with his worst
score ever but it was Jeff Arends who capitalized. Arends posted a score of
10 to defeat the field and take home this week’s Beat the Blogger prize.

This week’s picks will be posted later today so Play Beat the Blogger and spread
the word to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

This week’s picks will be posted later today along with the Blogger’s picks (in
parenthesis) so make sure you get your picks posted before the start of the
first game on Saturday. Good luck and spread the word on the contest before there
is no more contest. THIS MEANS YOU, SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS. Copy and paste
our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else so they
can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I’m making
a call to action to all of our regulars to do some recruiting. While more people means
more work for the Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome
the challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players
and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I’ll triple the weekly prize. So spread
the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that
goal and boost the prize.

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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
Aug. 21

Saturday
NFL Preseason
Pittsburgh at NY Giants (Pittsburgh)
Miami at Jacksonville (Miami)
Houston at New Orleans (New Orleans)
NY Jets at Carolina (NY Jets)
Green Bay at Seattle (Green Bay)
Aug. 21

Saturday
MLB

LA Angels at Minnesota (LA Angels)
Toronto at Boston (Boston)
San Diego at Milwaukee (Milwaukee)
San Francisco at St. Louis (St. Louis)
Cincinnati at LA Dodgers (LA Dodgers)
Tiebreaker: Total runs in Cincinnati/LA Dodgers game? (13)

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Results »

If you haven’t heard the news, former coach and current all-around good guy Tony Dungy has a problem with people who swear. Specifically New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, who’s Chris Rock-like diatribe on the first couple episodes HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series has Dungy outraged.

Really Tony? Really? You have a hard time accepting the fact that an NFL coach drops
F-bombs from time to time? Oh my goodness, who knew? I understand that Dungy is a
devout Christian and went his entire 12-year head coaching career without uttering
a swear word. And good for him for staying true to what he believes in. But to say
he wouldn’t hire a guy like Ryan because of his foul language is just plain asinine,
sorry about my language.

The reason people enjoy “Hard Knocks” is because it’s real, it’s genuine. The series
gives you a backstage pass into a team’s Training Camp like nothing ever has before.
It shows you the high, the
lows, the good, the bad and the ugly. And in the course of providing you with that
almost all-access view, you’re going to hear what the players and coaches are saying,
unfiltered and unscripted, F-bombs included. It’s an NFL reality series without scripts
Tony and it comes with a warning before each episode begins. It states that the following
program includes profanity. If if didn’t include profanity it wouldn’t be real and
it was lose it’s appeal, it’s uniqueness and the warning should allow those offended
to find an alternative program to watch.

After a 31-year career as a player and a coach in the NFL, I’m guessing Dungy is very
familiar with some of the language being uttered on the practice field and within
the locker room. If he went into his viewing of the show with different expectations
he’s dumber than his comments have made him appear. 

Dungy even went so far as to say NFL Commissoner Roger Goodell should have a talk
with Ryan. I agree. And the first topic of conversation should be to agree that Tony
Dungy is a f%@!&ing whack job who needs to focus on his latest book tour and not
what’s being said on NFL practice fields.

Continue reading about Dungy’s comments to Ryan way off base »

I went to my first Major golf tournament yesterday at Whistling Straits
in Kohler, Wisconsin. And just like everything associated with the
tournament, everything about the whole event was Major, including the
Major controversy that helped define it.

By now anybody with a pulse has heard about Dustin Johnson’s bunker blunder and most
have weighed in with their opinion. To many, the fact that a rule infraction cost
him a chance at his first Major was a Major injustice. To others, the fact that he
didn’t know the rule was a Major oversight on his part. What ever side of the fence
your on, we can all agree the incident had Major implications on the outcome of the
tournament. 

As for me, I’m having a hard time deciding which side of the fence I’m falling
on. I initially felt that a rule is a rule and let those who don’t know or follow
them suffer the consequences. That was the reporter side of me that views things as
being very black and white. The human side of me says all of this could’ve been avoided.
Had the PGA official walking the course with the final group simply pointed out to
Johnson that his ball was in a bunker. Had he done that, an issue of Major importance
would’ve never happened. Sure, the official isn’t required to give him a reminder
but the course and the location of the ball are so unique to normal situations he
definitely could’ve made a special accommodation just to avoid any possible confusion.
Now that’s one Major omission.

Those arguing that Johnson got a raw deal quickly point out that although the bunkers
(all 1,200 plus) at Whistling Straits are different from those found at most other
courses, the fact that fans were allowed to walk through and set up in them in effectively
wipes away the normal rules of the game because that would never be allowed at most
other venues. Those that blame Johnson for not following the rules counter with the
fact that there was a special announcement made prior to the start of the tournament
that specified that all bunkers on the course, whether they look like typical bunkers
or not, will be played under normal rules.

All of the players were given this rules update both attached to their lockers and
it was also posted on the mirrors in the clubhouse restrooms. Johnson and some of
the other players admitted that they didn’t bother to read the update. You could argue
the players skipping the required reading is understandable. That’s what they have
caddies for right? You hire a good “looper” and give him 5 percent (and often times
more) of your winnings so you don’t have to sweat the little things while you’re focusing
all of your attention on playing your best.

I’d say that while I can make a case for both sides of the argument, the person I
found the most to blame for all of the Major madness that overshadowed an otherwise
wonderful tournament (won by the already forgotten future trivia answer of Martin
Kaymer) is Johnson’s caddie, Bobby Brown. Johnson said he only looks at updates to
the rules if he thinks he needs to. Well, if you’re caddying for a guy, you better
think you need to do everything you can to help your guy find the Winner’s Circle
and Brown obviously didn’t do everything is his power to help his guy do that. And
where I come from, those are some Major grounds for dismissal. Sorry Mr. Brown but
that’s my prerogative.

Continue reading about Plenty of blame to go around in DJ’s bunker blunder »

This week’s Beat the Blogger matchups are now posted. Make sure you pay attention
and notice that five of the 10 matchups feature NFL Preseason action, as we
get ready to switch in the Fall Season.

For the first time in a while, we had a three-way tie in last week’s Beat
the Blogger contest. The Blogger managed a score of 5 but it was Glen Berger,
Shannon Greb and Joann K who posted scores of 7 and nailed their tiebreakers to
tie for the top spot and win a prize. Play Beat the Blogger and spread the word
to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

This week’s picks will be posted later today along with the Blogger’s picks (in
parenthesis) so make sure you get your picks posted before the start of the
first game on Saturday. Good luck and spread the word on the contest before there
is no more contest. THIS MEANS YOU, SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS. Copy and paste
our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else so they
can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I’m making
a call to action to all of our regulars to do some recruiting. While more people means
more work for the Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome
the challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players
and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I’ll triple the weekly prize. So spread
the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that
goal and boost the prize.

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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 Blogger picks in parenthesis
Aug. 21

Saturday
NFL Preseason
Pittsburgh at NY Giants (NY Giants)
Miami at Jacksonville (Jacksonville)
Houston at New Orleans (Houston)
NY Jets at Carolina (Carolina)
Green Bay at Seattle (Seattle)
Aug. 21

Saturday
MLB

LA Angels at Minnesota (Minnesota)
Toronto at Boston (Toronto)
San Diego at Milwaukee (San Diego)(Doubler)
San Francisco at St. Louis (St. Louis)
Cincinnati at LA Dodgers (Cincinnati)
Tiebreaker: Total runs in Cincinnati/LA Dodgers game? (6)

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Matchups »

For the first time in a while, we had a three-way tie in last week’s Beat the Blogger contest.
The Blogger managed a score of 5 but it was Glen Berger, Shannon Greb and Joann
K who posted scores of 7 and nailed their tiebreakers to tie for the top spot
and win a prize. Play Beat the Blogger and spread the word to your friends and
co-workers. Simply copy and paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

This week’s picks will be posted later today along with the Blogger’s picks (in
parenthesis) so make sure you get your picks posted before the start of the
first game on Saturday. Good luck and spread the word on the contest before there
is no more contest. THIS MEANS YOU, SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS. Copy and paste
our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else so they
can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I’m making
a call to action to all of our regulars to do some recruiting. While more people means
more work for the Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome
the challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players
and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I’ll triple the weekly prize. So spread
the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that
goal and boost the prize.

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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
Aug. 14

Saturday
MLB

Chicago Cubs at St. Louis (Chiacgo)
San Diego at San Francisco (San Francisco)
Detroit at Chicago WS (Detroit)
Seattle at Cleveland (Seattle)
Pittsburgh at Houston (Houston)
LA Dodgers at Atlanta (LA Dodgers)
Florida at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Boston at Texas (Boston)
Milwaukee at Colorado (Milwaukee)
Toronto at LA Angels
Tiebreaker: Total runs in Toronto/LA Angels game? (9)

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Results »

For just the second time in the history of the Beat the Blogger, the same contestant
won two weeks in a row. Congrats to Steve Chin who posted a score of eight
to win again. Congrats to him and all the others that were right on his heels. Play
Beat the Blogger and spread the word to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and
paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

This week’s picks are posted below along with the Blogger’s picks (in parenthesis) so
make sure you get your picks posted before the start of the first game on Saturday.
Good luck and spread the word on the contest before there is no more contest. THIS
MEANS YOU, SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS. Copy and paste our link and send it to
your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else so they can be a part of the action
and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I’m making
a call to action to all of our regulars to do some recruiting. While more people means
more work for the Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome
the challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players
and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I’ll triple the weekly prize. So spread
the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that
goal and boost the prize.

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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 Blogger picks in parenthesis
Aug. 14

Saturday
MLB

Chicago Cubs at St. Louis (St. Louis)
San Diego at San Francisco (San Diego)
Detroit at Chicago WS (Detroit)
Seattle at Cleveland (Seattle)
Pittsburgh at Houston (Pittsburgh)
LA Dodgers at Atlanta (LA Dodgers)
Florida at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Boston at Texas (Boston)
Milwaukee at Colorado (Colorado)(Doubler)
Toronto at LA Angels
Tiebreaker: Total runs in Toronto/LA Angels game? (7)

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Matchups »

For the first time in the history of the Beat the Blogger,the same contestant won two weeks in a row. Congrats to Steve Chin who posted a score of eight to win again. Congrats to him and all the others that were right on his heels. Play
Beat the Blogger and spread the word to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and
paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

This week’s are will be posted Friday (sorry for the delay) so make sure you get
your picks posted before the start of the first game on Saturday. Good luck and spread
the word on the contest before there is no more contest. THIS MEANS YOU, SEE BELOW
FOR INSTRUCTIONS. Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook,
Twitter and anywhere else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our
total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I’m making
a call to action to all of our regulars to do some recruiting. While more people means
more work for the Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome
the challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players
and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I’ll triple the weekly prize. So spread
the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that
goal and boost the prize.

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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 Blogger picks in parenthesis
Aug. 7

Saturday
MLB

Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs (Cincinnati)
Tampa Bay at Toronto (Toronto)
Boston NY Yankees (New York)
Texas at Oakland (Oakland)
LA Angels at Detroit (LA Angels)
NY Mets at Philadelphia (NY Mest)
San Francisco at Atlanta (Atlanta)
San Diego at Arizona (Arizona)
Kansas City at Seattle (Kansas City)
St. Louis at Florida (Florida)
Tiebreaker: Total runs in St. Louis/Florida game? (9)

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger results »

For the first time in the history of the Beat the Blogger,the same contestant won two weeks in a row. Congrats to Steve Chin who posted a score of eight to win again. Congrats to him and all the others that were right on his heels. Play
Beat the Blogger and spread the word to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and
paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

This week’s are will be posted Friday (sorry for the delay) so make sure you get
your picks posted before the start of the first game on Saturday. Good luck and spread
the word on the contest before there is no more contest. THIS MEANS YOU, SEE BELOW
FOR INSTRUCTIONS. Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook,
Twitter and anywhere else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our
total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I’m making
a call to action to all of our regulars to do some recruiting. While more people means
more work for the Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome
the challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players
and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I’ll triple the weekly prize. So spread
the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that
goal and boost the prize.

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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 Blogger picks in parenthesis
Aug. 7

Saturday
MLB

Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs (Cincinnati)
Tampa Bay at Toronto (Toronto)
Boston NY Yankees (New York)
Texas at Oakland (Oakland)
LA Angels at Detroit (LA Angels)
NY Mets at Philadelphia (NY Mest)
San Francisco at Atlanta (Atlanta)
San Diego at Arizona (Arizona)
Kansas City at Seattle (Kansas City)
St. Louis at Florida (Florida)
Tiebreaker: Total runs in St. Louis/Florida game? (9)

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger results »

The reports of Tiger Woods’ demise have been greatly exaggerated. Mark it down, you heard it hear first and I’m actually willing to put my money where my mouth is on this one.

After going 0-for-3 season in the Majors this year and then compounding his winless
2010 campaign with a 78th-place finish at last week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational,
(an event he had won seven times) many in the media have left him for dead.



And it’s not just the scribes either. For the first time since Regis first started
asking if you want to phone a friend, Tiger isn’t the favorite coming into a major.
His stranglehold on the No. 1 ranking is also in serious jeopardy for the first time
in years and people are jumping off the Tiger bandwagon quicker than The Titantic.

But has Tiger’s ship sprung a leak or is it taking on water at such a rate that it
can’t be saved? Well considering the incredible fall from grace his off-course escapades
have brought upon him and the drastic changes in his life that followed, I think it
could be argued that Tiger is as good as ever. Consider that after his life-changing
“transgressions” came to light, he’s played in eight tournaments and has finished
in the top 25 in four of them. He’s played in all three Majors and finished fourth
in two of them. For guys like Rory Sabbatini and Woody Austin, two top-10s and three
cuts in three majors is a career year.

I fully understand we’ve all been conditioned to expect more for Tiger and his greatness
has justified that. But considering that golf unlike some other other sports, is probably
close to 70 percent mental and 30 percent physical, it has to be tough to focus on
what’s going on between his ears when his personal life is crumbling around him. I
can’t imagine anybody being able to fully block out the chaos that his life has become.
Imagine your world turned totally upside down and having to alter everything that
was once considered your norm. How quickly could you commit to the new lifestyle,
make the necessary changes and find peace both within yourself and by the perception
of those around you? I’m guessing for most it would be a constant struggle and one
that would definitely take more than nine months to complete.

I make no apologies for Tiger Woods and I don’t condone anything he did. But I won’t
jump on the new bandwagon of Tiger haters either. The people who have been so jealous
of his amazing talents that they now find joy in his struggles. Tiger may never dominate
the PGA Tour like he did for most of the last decade but to count him out of any Major
is about as silly as some of the choices he’s made over that same time frame.

For the last 15 years or so, me and a friend have a “friendly” wager on each of golf’s
four majors. We’ll be making our picks later tonight and with the tournament only
an hour and a half away I’ll also be attending Sunday’s final round. My friend has
the first and fourth picks while I’ll be making my selections out of the No. 2 and
3 holes. I’m not sure my other selection will be but if Tiger is still on the board
he won’t make it back to No. 4. 

If the PGA Championship is the home of the underdogs and a major that anybody can
win who’s to say it can’t happen again this year. If long shots like Shaun Micheel,
Rich Beem and Y.E. Yang can shock the world and take down the world-class field assembled
at the year’s final Major, who’s to say a written-off Woods can’t do the same?  
 

Continue reading about The Reports Of Tiger Woods Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated »

While I’m unfortunately stuck in the office here in the Midwest while thousands of others in the hobby are catching up at this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore, I’m doing my best to stay in touch with the happenings on the East Coast.

Between my co-workers and a couple of our freelance writers who are busy making their
way around the Baltimore Convention Center, I almost feel like
I’m part of the festivities. Well, without the great collectible eye candy, the exciting
auction drama and no Stephen Strasburg posters as far as the eye can see. Other than
that, it’s almost exactly the same.

After high expectations due to a strong amount of pre-convention ticket sales, attendance
reports have been mixed between solid and good from those I spoke with. A mad rush
of collectors came flying through the turnstyles on Day 1 but the early excitement
was quickly squelched when it turned out the early crowd was basically only there
to scoop up the free Baltimore Orioles tickets being offered. And can you blame them?
The Buck Showalter is now in full effect and the team has won three straight.

Those on hand have reported a steady increase in floor traffic for each day thus far,
but considering Wednesday was mainly a VIP-only crowd and Thursday is well, Thursday,
that’s to be expected. Let’s see the actually attendance (for once) once the smoke
(or dust) clears on Sunday and we’ll go from there.

According to my sources close to the situation, lines have been seemingly never ending
to be a part of the Topps’ Stephen Strasburg promotion. The card company has made
Strasburg’s Topps Heritage card available at its booth and the pitching phenom has
again drawn much of the attention thus far. The promotion is a limited-edition (to
999) Strasburg card which are being given out to collectors at various times throughout
the run of the show. I’ve heard that these cards are quickly showing up on eBay and
selling in the $100 range or are changing hands on the showroom floor as dealers seek
hem out and make them a part of their own giveaways.

In addition to the steady crowds on hand, collectors have also been graced with the
presence of several government officials from the Chicago FBI. The feds are on hand
as part of the ongoing investigation into alleged fraudulent activities of various
auction companies in the hobby. Thus far, it has been a matter of questioning but
the investigation has apparently been going on for more than three years with the
findings expected soon so stay tuned. For more, click HERE

Apparently two low-graded T206 Honus Wagner cards are also on site at the show. One
graded a “2″ is being displayed at the PSA booth and another sans the white border
also turned up but only warranted an “authentic” evaluation when the final grade came
in. Either way, pretty cool to see two examples of the hobby’s most sought after card
in the same building. That doesn’t happen every day, ya know?

Just like last year when he helped generate a buzz about the hobby with his video
and article of his National experience, ESPN’s popular Page 2 writer Bill Simmons
is on hand in Baltimore. The irreverent and comical writer will likely have another
interesting video up on the World Wide Leader’s site early next week which should
help all of us living vicariously through others this weekend get a better idea of
what this year’s event brought to the table.

The National Board of Directors will also be meeting later tonight to decide if Baltimore
will be a part of future National rotations. While it seems to me that the vote should
take place after the show has concluded, the fact that they’re willing to make the
call this early in the proceedings leads me to believe Baltimore is a lock for future
shows.

The general consensus is that while the crowds are above-average thus far, there’s
not a lot money is changing hands between collectors and dealers. Many collectors
like to kick the tires for a day or two and then start the haggling process later
in the week as dealers soften their stance and prices get reduced. We’ll see if that’s
the case come Sunday when we get out final report from Baltimore or if this is a year
of the window shopping and many disappointed dealers.  Only time will tell but
here’s hoping collectors start dusting off their wallets to purchase some of the great
memorabilia on hand and everybody wins.  

Continue reading about News and Notes from Day 2 at the Baltimore National »

Poor Major League Baseball. Here it is, early August, the time in the season when the pretenders fall by the wayside and the contenders emerge from the Dog Days of Summer unscathed and poised for a postseason run, and America’s former pastime can’t buy any love from anybody.

Instead of the media and its ever-dwindling fan base relishing in the exciting division
races that are separated by two or less games in five of the
six, including all three in the National League, sports fans instead turn their attention
to the mighty NFL and focus on all the interesting tidbits coming out of Training
Camp.

So, here you have one sport smack in the middle of what used to be its most exciting
part of the schedule and another where its players are working out in shorts and T-shirts
doing drills and all we here about is the latter.

Here MLB has stories like Josh Hamilton and Miguel Cabrera battling
for the AL Triple Crown and Joey Votto doing likewise in the National League
and instead of story about that on Sportscenter, we get another “update” on how Albert
Haynesworth isn’t practicing?

We’re
smack dab in the middle of one of the best years for pitching in three decades but
instead of a closer examination of this interesting trend we get a full day of updates
on how Brett Favre may or may not have texted his teammates regarding his status
for the upcoming season?

How about a little more pub for the season Josh Johnson is putting together
for the Marlins? Here’s a guy with dominating stuff and a microscopic 1.96 ERA and
all I hear about on ESPN (not only culprit but the World Wide Leader tends to dictate
to the rest) is how Darrell Revis is holding out of Jets camp. C’mon Bristol,
let’s focus the “news” on who is actually practicing and leave the non-stories for
the crawl at the bottom of the screen.

And what about a little more of the spotlight for Toronto’s Juan Bautista?
This guy is leading MLB with 33 home runs and I’m guessing few people outside
of Alberta even know who he is. He’s never hit more than 16 home runs in any of his
previous six seasons in the big leagues and here he is leading everybody with one-fourth
of the season to go. That’s pretty impressive where I come from and I’d like to know
more about him. But instead of a story on how it’s all coming together for him, I
get “news” on how Ben Roethlisberger was received by fans in Steelers camp
after his off-season escapades. What?

I get it, the NFL rules the world and I would actually choose football over baseball
as well if I was forced to pick just one. But let’s consider what stage of the season
each sport is in before bombarding us with coverage. Baseball is just reached the
final turn and is heading for the home stretch while football isn’t even near the
starting gate. On an importance level, baseball is at Gulf Oil Spill level
while football is hovering just above Lindsay Lohan just got released from
jail level.

I’ve been advocating an earlier start to the MLB season for years and tradition be
damned, it may have to be changed sooner rather than later just to survive economically.
If baseball could start its season earlier it could wrap up its postseason before
the mighty NFL kicks off its campaign in early September and fans might actually stay
tuned and stay interested. If things continue in the direction they’re heading, the
NFL juggernaut will swallow up more and more of the MLB season and eventually make
it almost irrelevant. Here’s hoping a change is on the way. 

Be sure to check out our other blogs and Videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

Bustin’ Wax
http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/

For Pricing informatin, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/

Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

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Continue reading about Meaningless NFL stories overshadowing MLB’s gems »

While beating the blogger has been pretty easy in recent weeks, taking
down the rest of the field has been quite a challenge. It was more of
the same this week, as eight players tied with a score of seven but it
was Steve
Chin who walks away with the prize by virtue of his tiebreaker being the closest. Congrats
to him and all the others that were right on his heels. Play Beat the Blogger and
spread the word to your friends and co-workers. Simply copy and paste this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

This week’s are will be posted later today so make sure you get your picks posted
before the start of the first game on Saturday. Good luck and spread the word on the
contest before there is no more contest. THIS MEANS YOU, SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere
else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I’m making
a call to action to all of our regulars to do some recruiting. While more people means
more work for the Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome
the challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players
and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I’ll triple the weekly prize. So spread
the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that
goal and boost the prize.

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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 Blogger picks in parenthesis
Aug. 7

Saturday
MLB

Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs (Cincinnati)
Tampa Bay at Toronto (Tampa)
Boston NY Yankees (New York)
Texas at Oakland (Texas)
LA Angels at Detroit (LA Angels)
NY Mets at Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
San Francisco at Atlanta (San Francisco)
San Diego at Arizona (San Diego)(Doubler)
Kansas City at Seattle (Kansas City)
St. Louis at Florida (Florida)
Tiebreaker: Total runs in St. Louis/Florida game? (6)

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Matchups »

While beating the blogger has been pretty easy in recent weeks, taking down the rest of the field has been quite a challenge. It was more of the same this week, as eight players tied with a score of seven but it was Steve
Chin who walks away with the prize by virtue of his tiebreaker being the closest. Congrats
to him and all the others that were right on his heels.

This week’s are will be posted later today so make sure you get your picks posted
before the start of the first game on Saturday. Good luck and spread the word on the
contest before there is no more contest. THIS MEANS YOU, SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere
else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I’m making
a call to action to all of our regulars to do some recruiting. While more people means
more work for the Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome
the challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players
and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I’ll triple the weekly prize. So spread
the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that
goal and boost the prize.

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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
July 31

Saturday
MLB

Cleveland at Toronto (Cleveland)
Detroit at Boston (Boston)
Atlanta at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
LA Dodgers at San Francisco (San Francisco)
Oakland at Chicago White Sox (Oakland)
Milwaukee at Houston (Houston)
Baltimore at Kansas City (Kansas City)
NY Yankees at Tampa (NY Yankees)
Chicago Cubs at Colorado (Colorado)
Texas at LA Angels (Texas)

Tiebreaker: Total runs in Texas/LA game? (3)

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Results »

This week’s are now posted below so make sure you get your picks posted before
the start of the first game on Saturday. Good luck and spread the word on the contest
before there is no more contest. THIS MEANS YOU, SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere
else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I’m making
a call to action to all of our regulars to do some recruiting. While more people means
more work for the Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome
the challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players
and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I’ll triple the weekly prize. So spread
the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that
goal and boost the prize.

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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 Blogger picks in parenthesis
July 31

Saturday
MLB

Cleveland at Toronto (Toronto)
Detroit at Boston (Boston)
Atlanta at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
LA Dodgers at San Francisco (San Francisco)
Oakland at Chicago White Sox (Chicago)
Milwaukee at Houston (Houston)
Baltimore at Kansas City (Baltimore)
NY Yankees at Tampa (Tampa)
Chicago Cubs at Colorado (Colorado)
Texas at LA Angels (LA)

Tiebreaker: Total runs in Texas/LA game? (5)

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger matchups »

I’m not a big auction guy, I’ll admit it. Don’t really believe in the saying “I won” such and such an item at an auction because when I win stuff I like the total cost to be zero dollars instead a couple hundred.

But despite my lack of participation in auctions, I’m relatively familiar with the
auction process, as I’ve been helping with our sister company Collect.com
Auctions for a little more than now. And while writing up some descriptions and inspecting
some of the inventory of the current Collect.com Auction’s sale, I noticed a gem that
might just make some lucky collector a true “winner.”

This lot I’m referring to is a full-sized (7 1/4-7 3/4) Riddell helmet featuring the
signature of three-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl Champion Brett Favre. The Green Bay
Packers helmet is signed in green Sharpie above the logo on the right side and comes
with original certificate of authenticity and PSA/DNA pre-certified.

Now, while there is still a long way to go before the auction ends (sale ends Aug.
12), this impressive lot is sitting at its minimum bid of $125 and could provide a
steal for anyone willing to track it.

Living in Wisconsin Brett Favre has grown out of favor in these parts but he remains
a living legend with a huge fan base on the national level. The current Tuff Stuff
autograph price guide has an authentic full-size Favre helmet valued at $600 so any
winning bid under $500 would be considered a steal.

While Favre was at one time a fairly regular autograph signer, his days of doing private
signings have been a thing of the past for some time now. I don’t expect that to change
until he ultimately retires and returns to the circuit five years after he calls it
a career just prior to getting his bust in Canton. And after a brief HOF signing tour
with the others in his class I predict Favre will go into a prolonged hiding just
like he currently does each off-season.

Factor in that a lot of the Favre signed memorabilia in circulation is the same as
Elaine’s satisfaction level for Jerry in the bedroom (fake, fake, fake, fake) on Seinfeld,
and getting your hands on a guaranteed authentic item such as this suddenly seems
like a really sound investment.

Perhaps I’ll put my personal feelings of betrayal aside long enough to jump in on
the bidding. Might just end up “winning” my first auction item.  

Continue reading about Favre signed helmet could make me a winner »

If you’re a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, you likely view it amusing and harmless.
If you’re a Cowboy hater, you likely view it as the beginning of the end. If you’re
a member of the media, you likely view it as an opportunity to turn a non-story into
the second coming of the O.J. trial. The “it” in this case is the recent account of
Cowboys rookie Dez Bryant refusing to take part in a long-standing Training
Camp tradition of rookie hazing.


While I won’t join the throngs of sports talk radio hosts who are dedicating their
airwaves to the non-topic, I will throw out my two cents and move on. If you haven’t
heard, the Cowboys top pick refused to carry fellow wide receiver Roy Williams shoulder
pads back to the locker room following a team practice.

“I’m not doing it,” said Bryant. “I feel like I was drafted to play football, not
carry another player’s pads. If I was a free agent, it would still be the same thing.
I just feel like I’m here to play football. I’m here to try to help win a championship,
not carry someone’s pads. I’m saying that out of no disrespect to (anyone).”

The only part of this “story” that makes it even remotely interesting is the fact
that Bryant and Williams are ultimately competing for the same starting position.
And let’s understand Bryant’s actions correctly. His actions are all about playing
time and the fact that Bryant doesn’t want the incumbent Williams to hold the upper
hand which led to Bryant taking a stand more so than his dislike for rookie razzing.
My guess is that Bryant would’ve been just fine if veterans Jason Witten, Tony
Romo or even Miles Austin would’ve handed him their respective pads. But
with Bryant and Williams both fighting for the same spot in the lineup he probably
didn’t want Williams one-upping him, however seemingly harmless the gesture was.

Initially I thought Bryant needed to buck up and go along with the NFL’s silly tradition
of ridiculing rookies but if my theory of why Bryant made his stance on Williams specifically,
then I’m OK with his little rebel yell. My guess is Williams was looking over his
shoulder ever since Dallas drafted Bryant back in March. I’m guessing his head is
in full Exorcist mode these days.

Will Bryant’s “just say no” policy be a distraction and divide the locker room? Doubt
it. Will the training camp competition help both players raise their level of play
and leave the Cowboys with the dilemma of trying to get both guys on the field at
the same time? Perhaps. Or will Williams crumble under the microscope before disappearing
from Big D for good? Book it.

Continue reading about Bryant Rebellion More About Who Not What »

With the Blogger making it easy by only posting four correct picks, many in last week’s Beat
the Blogger field were quick to take advantage. While many defeated the Blogger’s
weak effort, none were more impressive than Lance Greathouse, who posted a
score of 10 to win last week’s prize.

This week’s picks will be posted later today so make sure you get your picks posted
before the start of the first game on Saturday. Good luck and spread the word on the
contest before there is no more contest. THIS MEANS YOU, SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere
else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I’m making
a call to action to all of our regulars to do some recruiting. While more people means
more work for the Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome
the challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players
and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I’ll triple the weekly prize. So spread
the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that
goal and boost the prize.

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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
July 24

Saturday
MLB

St. Louis at Chicago Cubs (Chicago)
Chicago White Sox at Oakland (Oakland)
NY Mets at LA Dodgers (LA Dodgers)
Colorado at Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Toronto at Detroit (Toronto)
Cincinnati at Houston (Cincinnati)
Washington at Milwaukee (Milwaukee)
Atlanta at Florida (Atlanta)
LA Angels at Texas (LA Angels)
San Francisco at Arizona (San Francisco)

Tiebreaker: Total runs in San Francisco at Arizona game? (14)

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

Continue reading about Beat the Blogger Results »

Jealousy can take on a variety of faces when it comes to the world of
sports.

Fans get jealous when they see a rival team’s top draft transform from prospect into
superstar while their guy is still struggling in Double-A ball.

Fans get jealous when a rival team trades for a once-promising player who then resurrects
his career in his new home and ultimately lives up to the promise he once possessed.
If we would’ve traded for him he would still stink like he always has,” they would
lament.

Fans get jealous when a rival team with a bigger payroll
lands the top free agent available and he makes an immediate impact. “Well of course
they’re better than we are, they’re trying to buy a championship and we can’t afford
to do that,” they whine.

While I too was briefly envious of the fans in South Beach since the LeBron
James “decision,” came down, I haven’t fallen victim to the jealousy pandemic
that has been sweeping the country ever since. Other than the unnecessary, overblown,
Oprah-like interview that revealed his new squad, I have no problem with LeBron’s
decision to join forces with Dwyane
Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. It’s called free agency people. It gives
a player the right to sign with any team he wants. He selected Miami. You all loved
it the last time it helped your team improve so get over it.

I’m a fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, always have been, always will. Would I have rather
had the Bucks sign LeBron and Bosh instead of Corey Magette and Drew Gooden?
You betcha. But I can’t really fault those guys for choosing South Beach, the beautiful
babies that populate it, the tax break and the chance to play with two good friends
over the arctic winter months and snow bunnies of the midwest. I’ll take the guys
we did get to come here and hope for the best.

And for those poor Cleveland fans who are now reduced to focusing your rooting interest
on the hopeful resurgence of Jake Delhomme and Kerry Wood, get over
it. You had a good run. You got seven years more than anybody else did and I’m not
sure why you felt LeBron would commit his entire career to your fair city anyway.
Sports is a business and the days of yesteryear when guys played their entire careers
with one team have been gone for years. I totally agree that LeBron should have informed
the team and owner Dan Gilbert of his decision before he hit the stage with
it, but other than that and some of the typically disappointment felt after any team
loses the services of a great player, Clevelanders have no reason for all the venom-spitting
trash talk that has filled the airwaves ever since he said goodbye. And I still find
it curious why an owner would covet a player and attempt to re-sign him to a $130
million contract when he feels the player has been a self-absorbed star athlete who
quit on his team when it needed him most? That was the quickest about-face since Brittney
Spears’ first marriage and about as classy.

Jealousy strikes again.

Dan Gilbert’s reaction was similar to how you beg and plead with a girlfriend to give
your relationship one more try only to call her every derogatory term you can think
of as she collects her discs and walks out of your apartment for the last time. Jealousy
makes you do some crazy things.         

I guess I just don’t understand the country-wide backlash that followed LeBron’s decision.
Sure, the announcement was handled like The Bachelorette tell-all episode
but when he finally got around to making his decision, what did he really do wrong?
The breakdown is that he took less money to play with some friends in a quest to capture
his sports’ ultimate goal, an NBA Championship. And now he’s the most hated man in
all of sports? If he had bolted for a team with no chance of winning in favor of the
big money, then I would get it, but that’s the exact opposite of how it played it.

Jealousy strikes yet again.

Continue reading about Jealousy Explains All The LeBron Haters »

Jealousy can take on a variety of faces when it comes to the world of sports.

Fans get jealous when they see a rival team’s top draft transforms from prospect into
superstar while their guy is still struggling in Double-A ball they wonder.

Fans get jealous when a rival team trades for a once-promising player who then resurrects
his career in his new home and ultimately lives up to the promise he once possessed.
“If we would’ve traded for him he would’ve still stink like he always has they would
lament.”

Fans get jealous when rival team with a bigger payroll lands the top free agent available
and he makes an immediate impact. “Well of course they’re better than we are, they’re
trying to buy a championship and we can’t afford to do that” they whine.

“Jealousy, party of three, your table is ready.”

While I too was briefly envious of the fans in South Beach since the LeBron James
“decision,” came down, I haven’t fallen victim to the jealousy pandemic that has been
sweeping the country ever since. Other than the unnecessary, overblown, Oprah-like
interview that revealed his new squad, I have no problem with LeBron’s decision to
join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. It’s called free agency people.
It gives a player the right to sign with any team he wants. You all loved it the last
time it helped your team improve so get over it.

I’m a fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, always have been, always will. Would I have rather
had the Bucks sign LeBron and Bosh instead of Corey Magette and Drew Gooden? You betcha.
But I can’t really fault those guys for choosing South Beach, the beautiful babies
that populate it, the tax break and the chance to play with two good friends over
the arctic winter months of the midwest.

And for those poor Cleveland fans who are now reduced to focusing your rooting interest
on the hopeful resurgence of Jake Delhomme and Kerry Wood, get over it. You had a
good run. You got seven years more than anybody else did        
 

“There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry [Bird], called up
Magic [Johnson] and said, ‘Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team,’ ”
Jordan said after playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada. “But that’s …
things are different. I can’t say that’s a bad thing. It’s an opportunity these kids
have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.”

Apparently MJ suffers from selective memory because I don’t believe he, Magic and
Bird were ever good friends the way Miami’s new trio is. They never sat down and discussed
a possible union because they never sat down together for anything. I also believe
Jordan is comparing apples to oranges when debating

Continue reading about Jealousy Can Take On A Variety Of Faces When It Comes To The World Of Sports Fans Get Jealous When They See A Rival Tea »

Congrats to Julie who posted an impressive score of 10 to edge the Blogger
and the rest of the Beat the Blogger field.
The Blogger posted a respectable total of 8 but it wasn’t enough to deny Julie her
second win.

This week’s picks are posted are now posted so make sure you get your picks posted
before the start of the first game on Saturday. Good luck and spread the word on the
contest before there is no more contest. THIS MEANS YOU, SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS.
Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere
else so they can be a part of the action and we can boost our total list of contestants, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/

With the number of weekly participants slipping a bit the last few weeks I’m making
a call to action to all of our regulars to do some recruiting. While more people means
more work for the Blogger and more people for the Blogger to go up against, I welcome
the challenge and offer this challenge to you: If each player can recruit 10 new players
and we can boost the total to 200 or more, I’ll triple the weekly prize. So spread
the word about the contest to all your co-workers, family and friends and meet that
goal and boost the prize.

Copy and paste our link and send it to your friends so they can be a part of the action, http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ This
week’s winners are posted below so check to see how you fared against the field. 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 Blogger’s picks in parenthesis
July 24

Saturday
MLB

St. Louis at Chicago Cubs (St. Louis)
Chicago White Sox at Oakland (White Sox)
NY Mets at LA Dodgers (NY Mets)
Colorado at Philadelphia (Colorado)
Toronto at Detroit (Toronto)
Cincinnati at Houston (Houston)
Washington at Milwaukee (Washington)
Atlanta at Florida (Atlanta)
LA Angels at Texas (Texas)
San Francisco at Arizona (San Francisco)(Doubler)

Tiebreaker: Total runs in San Francisco at Arizona game? (7)

Be sure to check
out our other blogs and videos:
7th Inning Stretch

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/


Bustin’ Wax

http://blog.tuffstuff.com/bustinwax/


For Pricing information, check out these sports price guides
http://www.tuffstuff.com/priceguides/



Check out our sports-related books
http://shop.collect.com/category/sports-cards

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