Free Updates
Navigation
Categories
| March, 2010 (8) |
| February, 2010 (16) |
| January, 2010 (17) |
| December, 2009 (20) |
| November, 2009 (15) |
| October, 2009 (18) |
| September, 2009 (18) |
| August, 2009 (19) |
| July, 2009 (23) |
| June, 2009 (17) |
| May, 2009 (15) |
| April, 2009 (22) |
| March, 2009 (19) |
| February, 2009 (22) |
| January, 2009 (19) |
| December, 2008 (25) |
| November, 2008 (18) |
| October, 2008 (22) |
| September, 2008 (11) |
| August, 2008 (2) |
Search
Archives
More Links
|
 Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Auction House Scandel No Different Than Steroids In Baseball
Posted by Tuff Stuff
There has been much discussion about fraud and more specifically shill bidding among auction houses in recent days and it reminded me of MLB and its 180-degree turnaround regarding steroids in recent years. So what do the two have in common you say? Well, as I see it, MLB elected to look the other way for a decade or so while steroids became more and more prevalent and home runs became more and more a staple of the game. In turn, the league was able to regain the fanbase it lost from the two labor disputes that nearly ruined the game. While the fans and home runs came back in bunches, the game returned to prominence and despite the noticeable changes in many of the player's phyisiques, Bud and the rest of baseball elected to look the other way and play dumb when any steroid chatter was initiated. The struggling game needed a shot in the arm, or in this case, a shot in the butt, and steroids were a quick solution to the problem. Hit the rewind button and examine the hobby landscape a decade or so ago and you'll see similar problems persisted. After enjoying huge success in the mid-to-late 80s, the hobby seemed destined for another downward spiral. The card market had been oversaturated to such a degree that values were plummeting quicker than the stock market in 1929 and something needed to be done. With the enormous success of eBay, came the auction house boom of last decade, where another one seemed to sprout up on a daily basis. Collectors found out that more money could be had by consigning their items to established auction companies and the hobby was up off the canvas. While all this business was being done, it was inevitable that some unscroupulous people would emerge from the masses and try to take advantage of the surging marketplace and sure enough, that's what happened. Whether it was auction company workers posing as legitimate bidders, bogus grades being issued by authentication companies or the doctoring of the memorabilia itself, insiders were getting creative in attempts to drive up the final prices of the items being "won" at the various auctions. Much like in baseball where insiders knew about steroids but elected to look away and bit their toungues for the "betterment of the game," those in the hobby did likewise when claims of shadiness were being whispered throughout the collectibles industry. People were collecting again, money was changing hands quicker than ever on some of the elite items the hobby had to offer and many people quickly adopted the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" attitude in regards to the fraud and deception that was going on behind the scenes. When recent news outlets published reports of subpeonas being handed out and investigations into some of today's top auction house outlets became known, few were surprised at the allegations. When asked whether or not they believed auction houses were capable of collusion, deception and out and out fraud, many hobby insiders matter-of-factly shrugged off these practices as commonplace and stated it was only a matter of time before these types of longtime practices become common knowledge. So, when MLB needed a boost and turned a blind eye on the rampant steroid use in the game because the crowds were filing through the turnstyles at record numbers and sometimes the dollars outweighed the sense, few cared. In much the same way, the hobby needed a boost and the fraudulent tactics being used by the auction houses were looked at with a blind eye, few cared. Business was booming again and whatever it took to make that a reality seemed to be a necessary evil most were willing to live with. So, when the steroid issue was brought to the attention of the general public with the Mitchell Report findings, some acted if this was new news and others acted shocked and appalled. Many did likewise when the allegations were made public regarding the practices of some of the most-trusted names in the auction business but many more were well aware of these practices. It just goes to show you that you can only look the other way and bury your head in the sand for so long before these type of practices come back to haunt you. Whether the skeletons in your closet are shooting needles or shilling bids, everyone needs to be held accountable.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008 3:44:28 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) 
|
|
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Are You Ready For Some Football?
Posted by Tuff Stuff
With the new NFL season just days away, many begin to turn their focus from the pennant races to the start of the NFL campaign where every team is still hopeful of making the postseason and nobody has been mathematically eliminated yet. Except for the Chiefs that is, they're officially done. While they're are a ton of rookies entering the league with high expectations and high price tags on their memorabilia, I started to think about which players would be the guys who go from a blip on the radar screen into tomorrow's superstars. I just got back from hosting one of our company's high-stakes Fantasy FB drafts in Orlando and if the guys who are spending the big bucks to play have any idea, there should be several guys to target for your collections before they transform into superstars and their values skyrocket into another tax bracket. Some of the young players expected to emerge this year (in no particular order) were: Steve Slaton; Rashard Mendenhall, Josh Morgan; Mike Hart; Tim Hightower, Darren Sprowles and Ryan Torain. While there are no sure things if life, Fantasy FB and especially collecting, but these guys spend a lot of time and money preparing for their drafts and these guys are definitely worth keeping an eye on. Everyone knows about Darren McFadden, James Stewart and even Mendenhall, but who are some of the other guys you'll be targeting for your teams and your collections this year. LMK, I'd like to hear your thoughts.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008 7:21:04 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
|
|
Monday, August 25, 2008
Fantasy Is Not That Far From Reality
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Other than the fact that the weather starts to get a little colder and the number of choices of things to do goes from unlimited to a select few, there truly is no better time than the end of Summer. Hopefully, with a little luck your favorite MLB team is battling for a spot in the postseason and if not, there's always the upcoming NFL season to help drowned your MLB sorrows. And then there's Fantasy FB and the prospect of who will tear up your league and who will do likewise in the hobby. Ah, speculating. Good clean fun for most of us, but for others who spend there hard-earned cash on "guessing" who will transform from 6th-rd pick into a yearly Pro Bowler participant, guessing is not really an option. Much like anything worth while, you have to invest some time and effort before you can reap the rewards. So my advice to anybody looking to strike it rich in their draft or within hobby circles is to do your homework and simply try to outresearch the rest. Every year in both the hobby and in Fantasy FB you can quickly tell who's done their homework and who has not. Undoubtedly, there will be someone in every draft that takes the 3rd WR on their hometown team. Not because they feel he's going to have a breakout year, but because he had a good 3rd preseason game against a fourth-string defense and because he's basically one of the only guys he's seen play so far. Sure, checking out your favorite squad during the preseason is a must, but don't bet the farm on anything based on 15 preseason snaps. Of course, then there's the guys who say they've studied for their draft but really mean they've checked out an "expert's" picks online and have now adopted their views as their own. These are the guys I like the best. They spew out all kinds of info they've retained from watching "experts" on TV or online and jump on a player's bandwagon quicker than Usain Bolt runs the 100. Once they get done rattling off the tidbits of information they've picked up from a crash course of Fantasy FB 101, do what I do, and ask them why they feel the way they do about a particular player. Then sit back and watch as the wheels start to spin, as they stumble to provide any substance before ultimately admitting several "experts" said he had a lot of upside. While I'll be the first one to admit I haven't tackled the upcoming football season with the time and effort I have in year's past, I'm not going into take the test with nothing other than a No. 2 pencil either. During the course of my "studying," I did manage to come cross a few guys who I think can make a major impact in the NFL and will ultimately become hobby studs as well. Hot List: Marques Colston: Should have a huge year with Jeremy Shockey able to stretch the field, second-year WR Robert Meachem back after missing 2007 with and injury and veteran David Patten rounding out a formidable WR corp. Factor in a top-flight QB in Drew Brees and Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas and Deuce in the backfield and there are simply too many weapons on the Saints offense for defenses to double team Colston anymore. Thomas Jones: The Jets spent a buch of $ in the offseason to upgrade its O-line and the addition of an established QB in Brett Favre will take the pressure off Jones somewhat. Marion Barber: The Cowboys did draft Felix Jones but make no mistake about it, Barber is a beast and he is easily one of the best backs in teh league and will continue to get the goal line carries which makes him even more valuable. Santonio Holmes: With Hines Ward getting a little older and coming off a season in which he dealt with some injuries, Holmes emerged as a bonofide No. 1 receiver last season and should only improve on that in 2008. Ben Roethlisberger: With Ward, Holmes, Heath Miller and a potent attack that will see Willie Parker taking care of business in between the 20s and Rashard Mendenhall becoming this year's Jerome Bettis (goal line specialist) not to mention rookie WR Limas Sweed providing another big target, if the Steelers average O-line can keep him upright, Big Ben should have a monster year. Roy Williams: Call him a slow learner or blame it on the rotating QBs and offensive coordinators the Lions have turnstyled through the last few years but Williams is due to breakout and live up to his pre-NFL hype and this is the year he does. Kellen Winslow: If Winslow can stay healthy, he's as talented as any TE in the league. Factor in a strong relationship with QB Derek Anderson and weapons such as Braylon Edwards, Donte Stallworth and Jamal Lewis around him and Winslow should be a lock for a trip to Hawaii come February. Brandon Marshall: Love the talent but the Broncos will need to develop a stronger supporting cast of WRs around him or he'll be doubled on virtually every passing situation. If TE Tony Scheffler can step up and provide jay Cutler with another legitimate target and Selvin Young can become an above-average in Denver's zone-blocking scheme, Marshall could be a top-10 WR. James Hardy: Not usually a big fan of rookie WRs but Buffalo's James Hardy is just too big and too talented to not take a late flyer on. With Lee Evans, Roscoe Parrish and TE Robert Royal also in the mix Hardy could excel in long-yardage and especially, red-zone situations. While others on my Hot List include guys like Steven Jackson, Reggie Williams and Chris Perry, I'll toss out my Buster List next time and also include some Sleepers because many of these guys on this list are no-brainers that I simply like more than most. And while Fantasy success doesn't always translate into increased values in the world of collectibles, nine times out of 10, there's a direct correlation. The key with finding the hobby gems is to jump on a player before he has his breakout year and then sell high before he comes back to Earth or fails to live up to his potential. Knowing when to fold'em and admit a mistake is tough to accept but it's much better than holding onto a player's memorabilia too long and then being stuck with a bunch of Ryan Leaf RCs that are better off after being whipped through your bike spokes. I have one of my Fantasy Drafts tonight and another next week so get back to me on our Forums and let me know who I should be targeting in the draft and in the hobby. Thanks Scott Fragale
Monday, August 25, 2008 6:05:57 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
|
|
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
It's Free and it's better than ever
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Welcome to all of you joining us at the new and improved www.tuffstuff.com, a digital representative of Tuff Stuff's Sports Collectors Monthly magazine. As the editor of the magazine, I have my hands full trying to produce a magazine that gives our readers the most accurate and up-to-date multi-sport Price Guide in the hobby as well as providing editorial content that keeps our readers both informed and entertained. It's a tough balancing act to try and provide the best of both worlds but when each issue is done and on its way to our customers, I get the satisfaction of knowing we did exactly what we set out to do when we started putting it together. While the magazine will continue to be your No. 1 source for all of your pricing needs whether it be cards, autographs, figures or limited-edition collectibles and great feature stories, the plan for www.tuffstuff.com is to provide more of the same online and then some. With its user-friendly setup featuring interactive Forums, Videos, Surveys and Contests and a variety of other Interactive opportunities for our users, the new-look www.tuffstuff.com should provide something for every collector. While there are other sites out there that try and provide card pricing for collectors, unlike our competitors, we are totally unbiased and provide the most accurate pricing available absolutely FREE. We encourage you to visit the site frequently, as we'll continue to unveil new features in the coming weeks. We also encourage you to use our Forums to connect with other collectors, suggest ideas for future stories and let us know what you like/dislike about the site. Enjoy the site.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008 5:01:06 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
|
|
|