Baseball Card Blogs » Leading Off

Canada Gets Free Cards On Saturday

Tuff Stuff — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:12:04 +0000

In celebration of "National Hockey Card Day" this Saturday, January 30, Upper Deck is ready to give away hundreds of thousands of exclusive "National Hockey Card Day" NHL trading card packs for free throughout Canada. Once again, Canadian hobby shops and mass retailers are taking part in this historic hockey trading card promotion, which is now in its second year and remains exclusive to Canada.

“Hockey is the national sport in Canada so Upper Deck wanted to come up with a way to celebrate that incredible devotion,” said Chris Carlin, Upper Deck’s sports marketing manager. “We started this program last year and it was a huge success with countless hockey fans and trading card collectors visiting hobby shops and retailers across Canada. We expect the same kind of excitement this time around.”

Just like last year, the buzz surrounding this promotion lies in the National Hockey Card Day set itself. The 15-card set consists of some of the top Canadian-born rookies, current stars and legends with a special “National Hockey Card Day” logo-stamp adorning each card front. The five rookies featured include John Tavares, Matt Duchene, Jamie Benn, Evander Kane and Logan Couture; the “Pride of Canada” active stars are Sidney Crosby, Vincent Lecavalier, Martin Brodeur, Mike Richards and Rick Nash; while the “Hockey Heroes” lineup consists of Jarome Iginla, Jonathan Toews, Roberto Luongo, Wayne Gretzky and Steve Yzerman. Each pack will yield five randomly assorted cards featuring the aforementioned players.

Wayne Wagner, owner of Wayne’s Sportscards in Edmonton, AB, participated in last year’s event and is looking forward to continued success this time around. “I’m going to use an old cliché, ‘If you build it, they will come,’” he said. “This is one of those programs and card sets that Upper Deck has put together that collectors want. I don’t know any collector out there who would not want this set.

“Last year, I had more than 300 people come through my store on National Hockey Card Day, which is a lot more foot traffic than usual. So if shop owners advertise it in their stores, they too will see customers come through the door.”

For more information about National Hockey Card Day, please visit www.upperdeck.com/nhcd and click on the “stores list” button to find the hobby shop nearest you.

Canada Gets Free Cards On Saturday

Tuff Stuff — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:12:04 +0000

In celebration of “National Hockey Card Day” this Saturday, January 30, Upper Deck is ready to give away hundreds of thousands of exclusive “National Hockey Card Day” NHL trading card packs for free throughout Canada. Once again, Canadian hobby shops … Read More

Marlins Owe Fans An Apology

Tuff Stuff — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:10:19 +0000

I’m glad I’m not a Florida Marlins fan. And it’s not because of that silly looking fish that serves as the team’s mascot.

Nope, I’m glad I’m not a fan of that team because then I don’t have to be extremely upset that Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Player’s Association had to meet with the Marlins’ brass to make sure they actually use the money given to the team under the revenue-sharing agreement that is in place across Major League Baseball.

As it is, I’m still upset that a professional franchise doesn’t attempt to put the best product on the field that it can. That practice cheats the fans, the players and all of the other teams in the league, while providing more money for the owner(s). With the Marlins’ practice of spending freely to build a World Series winner and then dismantling the team, it’s sort of a surprise this wasn’t brought up before.

And apparently, the Marlins aren’t the only team to receive such a reprimand. From a release by MLBPA: “In recent years, the union has had concerns that certain clubs have not lived up to this requirement, and has consulted regularly with the commissioner’s office about those concerns. The Florida Marlins are one of a number of clubs that have been discussed.”

It’s already a sport where certain teams have no chance at winning a championship from the start of the season because of financial constraints, etc. But then take into account that some teams don’t even spend the money given to them to field a more competitive team, and you have an even more failed system.

I’m somewhat surprised a release was even issued on these discussions, although not many details were released.

“In response to our concerns that revenue sharing proceeds have not been used as required, the Marlins have assured the Union and the Commissioner’s Office that they plan to use such proceeds to increase player payroll annually as they move toward the opening of their new ballpark,” said Michael Weiner, MLBPA executive director.

Of course, the Marlins said they were doing everything to field a good team, and MLB basically said no comment.

If I’m a fan of a team where this information gets out as fact, even if it was rumored before, I’d do some serious reconsideration of my season ticket package and attendance until a I saw improvement in the payroll.

And in an odd coincidence since this release, the Marlins signed pitcher Josh Johnson to a four-year, guaranteed $39 million contract. Well, at least Marlins fans might see more of these types of signings.

Marlins Owe Fans An Apology

Tuff Stuff — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:10:19 +0000

Finally Taking a Look at ‘Ball Four’

Tuff Stuff — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:06:40 +0000

I am a little late to the party when it comes to reading. However, the best thing about books is that the “classics” never get old.

Before a recent work trip, I jogged down to the library in our building looking for some reading material for the airplane ride and airport lounging. So I grabbed Ball Four by Jim Bouton, as I had never read the book but only heard about it. This was a reprinted edition, issued 20 years after the original publication date in 1970.

Reading the introduction gave me some insight as to the book’s ground-breaking, behind-the-scenes look and how it turned Bouton into a leper in the eyes of some players, coaches, management and even reporters.

I guess looking back, this would be a rather intriguing book that broke the mold on the “what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room” mantra. But me reading it in this tell-all day and age probably doesn’t impact me as much as it did readers at the time of its original release.

And I can especially imagine that coaches, front-office types and fellow players mentioned at length in the book were none-to-happy to have previously guarded information on salaries, injuries, coaching styles, etc., so freely tossed about.

Like I mentioned in previous columns, this is what I love to read about in sports books. Locker room stories, methodologies on the mound, thoughts on other players and the contract negotiations that take place. I’m having a blast reading about this.

New York Yankee fans might love or hate this book, as Bouton spends a lot of time discussing his time there (do you think he missed that team just a little bit?), although I realize the majority of his career and success took place there. Bouton might have shattered some illusions fans had of some of their favorite players. If any readers can attest to that, feel free.

I also wonder if readers can tell me if this book has excerpts available before it was available, like the teases they do now with nearly every biography. With this tell-all, I’d imagine that would have sent droves to the bookstore. But I suppose ESPN wasn’t around to add to the hype machine.

And here’s how naive I am. Bouton also helped invent Big League Chew, one of my favorites from childhood. That’s pretty darn cool, too.

Finally Taking a Look at ‘Ball Four’

Tuff Stuff — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:06:40 +0000

Cards still backbone of hobby

Tuff Stuff — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:50:58 +0000

When all is said and done, this hobby is still all about the cards. Granted, there are some great autographed items, game-used memorabilia, publications, tickets, trophies, etc., but true hobbyists are still all about the cards.

In the latest Collect.com Auctions sale, now live on www.collect.com/auctions, the items that attracted bids on the first day were almost all cards. Included in that group are a few lots that use the word “hoard” in the description.

I’m not a huge card collector, so when I see the word hoard, I envision someone’s house so full of stuff to the point you can barely walk through any of the rooms. I envision clutter and not something I want to deal with.

However, a lot of people do want to sift through 1,000 cards or more that span several years. I guess it’s like a treasure hunt, trying to find missing pieces to a collection, singles that are gradable to the point they could pay for the entire lot or just the chance to grab a bunch of vintage cards in one swoop.

The other beauty with these lots is that if you are connected with several other collectors in a trading forum or otherwise, it would be great fun to crack through a “hoard” and divide up the cards as needed for the group.

It’s just fun to see that in a hobby where high grades, single entities and provenance seem to be all the rage, the cards remain the big draw.

Perhaps it’s like a box lot at an estate sale or what Forrest Gump used to say about a box of chocolates – you just never know what you’re going to get.

Near-sets and complete sets are also getting good play. These I understand to be draws since it’s not so easy to pick up a complete set from 30 years ago. And, heck, it saves from trying to piece together a set from scratch or reading through auction lots for the remaining 10 cards you need.

Time and again, I’m reminded that cards are the backbone of the hobby, something nearly all sports hobbyists have at least dabbled in at some point in their lives and an easily accessible piece to some of the greats of the game.

And going back to those hoards, have you ever noticed where some of the backups are at shows? It’s collectors sitting on stools and chairs, poring over binders of cards, through shoeboxes and display cases for missing pieces to collections. People still want to simply flip through cards. Now if those unopened packs weren’t so costly to open.

Cards still backbone of hobby

Tuff Stuff — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:50:58 +0000

Upgrade Your Autographs, too?

Tuff Stuff — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:26:14 +0000

You often hear about collectors upgrading pieces in their sports memorabilia treasure trove. Many times that involves trading cards.

That doesn’t mean they are dumping their 1989 Upper Deck Baseball for 1959 Topps, it means they are taking cards they own, such as a 1960 Stan Musial and getting a different card that is in better condition. It’s a common practice and it usually comes into play as collectors age and have more discretionary income to pursue such items.

But does that also happen with autographs – be it signed baseballs or jerseys? As a youngster, do you buy that Mickey Mantle signed ball with a faded signature on an unofficial baseball just to get one in your possession and then later opt for a clean, sweet-spot signed version? Do you go even further and buy a third-party entombed version?

The reason I ask is because some of the signed jerseys I’ve seen recently would be excellent pieces of memorabilia even without the signature – and that’s without looking at the price tag.

I’ll admit I’m not on top of all of the fancy replica jerseys you can purchase these days. For instance, you can buy a 1966 Brooks Robinson Baltimore Orioles jersey from Mitchell & Ness as part of the company’s Cooperstown Collection. The jersey is gorgeous – throw some dirt on it and Brooks could have worn it himself. The price tag for the jersey is about $250. And then I see versions where it’s signed by Brooks or even signed by the members of the 1970 team, for instance.

That takes a some bit of financial commitment, and adding the signature may at times cost just about the same as the jersey.

So when you are starting out collecting autographs, do you graduate from mail-order photos to getting items signed in person? Do you go from cards to balls to bats to jerseys? Do you get a mass-market retail jersey and then move up to a Mitchell & Ness variety? The choices are endless, and manufacturers, dealers, etc., will no doubt offer as many choices as possible to grab a larger share of your wallet.

For me, I’d love to have the top-of-the-line of everything, but that’s just not going to happen. I’ll be content with my Robin Yount signature on a cool collage my wife created and will keep my generic jerseys and hopefully get them signed at some point. Upgrading will probably be kept to the carpet in my house.

Upgrade Your Autographs, too?

Amanda — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:26:14 +0000