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 Monday, September 22, 2008
Patriotism Alive And Well
Posted by Tuff Stuff
It's not too often that you'll find me spending much time talking golf in this section, but after the impressive display the Americans put on in Kentucky this past weekend, I'm making an exception. For those who don't know, fueled by an energetic, focused and entertaining new-look squad, the U.S. team rolled over a heavily favored European squad to claim the 37th Ryder Cup at Valhalla. While many claim the Ryder Cup is nothing more than a made-for-TV, ratings-driven, over-hyped waste of time, those same people obviously didn't get a chance to watch a single moment of event because if they did, they'd likely be busy raising the new American flag they just picked up right about now. Sure, the US vs. Europe format has been continually tweaked in an attempt to draw more interest from mainstream Americans and ad revenue and TV ratings will likely determine the event's future. But because of the patriotism factor and the pride these guys take in playing for their country, the Ryder Cup is much more than your standard nap-inducing golf tournament. It's "us" against the world at it's best and when we finally took down the mighty Euros Sunday – without the best player in the world pitching in a single swing mind you – few who witnessed the event were able to keep from muttering "USA, USA" with the thousands in the gallery as the team put the final touches on the win. "This is a week I'll never forget," said Kenny Perry, at 48 the oldest member of the team. "It's the greatest experience of my life. ... I said this was going to define my career. You know what? This made my career." Those quotes are coming from a guy who has won a dozen PGA events and has earned more than $26 million in career earnings on tour. When you consider that, you get a better understanding of the magnitude of the event and the great pride these guys take in playing for good ole US of A. Now if we could just get those same guys to ditch their vanilla personalities and show a similar passion week in and week out on the PGA Tour, golf might really take off.
Monday, September 22, 2008 4:18:07 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) 
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Friday, September 19, 2008
Devastated and Downright Dubious
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Just thought I'd throw in my two cents on some recent news coming from the sports world. First off, Ed Hochuli, the referee who's Hulk-like physique should've prompted steroid testing among officials, has apologized profusely for his quick whistle which literally blew the win for the Chargers last week. He's admitted his mistake, said he's devastated by his mistake, publicly apologized and is now responding to each personal e-mail he has received from balistic Bolt fans. While there is no apology great enough to turn back the clock and return the victory (and it could become an even bigger loss for the Chargers as the season plays out), it's time we all cut the guy some slack and understand that officials are human, too. A few months back, the big debate among NBA fans was who should be the top pick in the 2008 Draft: Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley. As the debate lingered on leading up Draft day, reports of Beasley's off-court character issues surfaced and could of ultimately led to the Bulls opting for Rose instead of the stud forward with the more-impressive collegiate numbers. At the time, Beasley made the rounds on talk radio and ESPN with hopes of dispelling what he referred to as just "rumors," but as it turns out, that might have just been a smoke screen. Beasley was recently fined $50k by the NBA after he acknowledged he was involved in an "incident" along with two other players at the NBA's Rookie Transition Program. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this program designed specifically to warn these high-priced athletes of all the pitfalls that can tempt a young multi-millionaire entering the league? Apparently, when that portion of the program was being explained to the rookies, Beasley and his buddies were busy smoking weed and entertaining some young ladies in their hotel rooms. It's pretty bad when you get busted for something at the very place their instructing you on how to avoid such things. Just another strong argument that these kids should stay in school, stop letting others go to class for them and learn some common sense along the way. Many questioned how the Bulls could let Beasley's off-field questions sway them into passing on Beasley and going with the safer pick in Rose, but as it turns out, the Bulls' homework into the charecter issues of both players might have been money well spent. They're already up $50k and the season hasn't even started yet.
Friday, September 19, 2008 4:40:09 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Day Late, Dollar Short NFL Predictions
Posted by Tuff Stuff
While I might be a little late in getting these predictions out to you, I plan on making up for my tardiness with some good old fashioned accuracy. There will be no Swami-like (aka Chris Berman) "Seattle Seahawks will win the Super Bowl" picks and because of me being late, there will be no fashionable New England Patriots picks either. So let's end the suspense and breakdown the NFL Playoffs rig  ht here and now before the season is half over and nobody gives me any credit when my predictions become reality. Dallas' pass defense looks a little vulnerable right now and the loss of Roy Williams surely isn't going to help a team that doesn't tackle well already but this team possesses enough offensive firepower to make up for of its defensive issues. Cowboys win the East and earn the No. 1 seed in the postseason. Because they're playing in the NFC North and because they are loaded with young talent on both sides of the ball, Green Bay runs away with the division and rides the arm of Rodgers and the legs a RB stable of Grant, Jackson and Lumpkin (remember that name) and earns the No. 2 seed. The playoff format is set up to reward the division winners so despite the fact that Philly and the Giants finish with better records than New Orleans, the Saints earns the No. 3 seed by virtue of winning the South and Arizona earns the No. 4 seed after winning the West. Tom Brady's injury affects the AFC but not as much as many would lead you to believe. Despite the loss of their HOF QB, the Patriots still have enough to hold off a late charge by the surprising Bills to win the East. Pittsburgh has the best team on both sides of the ball and rides its well-balanced offense into a No. 1 seed. With Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall becoming more in sync with each passing day, the Broncos have just enough on defense to steal the West from teh disappointing Chargers. Denver earns the No 2 seed and the Patriots settle for No. 3 while San Diego players get to hit the links in January instead of waiting until February like many predicted. A banged up Indy squad somehow manages to win the South and snag the No. 4 seed with Buffalo and Jacksonville rounding out the group at Nos 5 and 6, respectively. Playoffs NFC N.Y. Giants over Arizona New Orleans over Philly AFC New England over Jacksonville Buffalo over Indianapolis NFC Green Bay over N.Y. Giants Dallas over New Orleans AFC Pittsburgh over Buffalo Denver over New England NFC Dallas AFC Pittsburgh Super Bowl XLIII Dallas Cowboys 34, Pittsburgh 24 Let's check back on this blog post when the playoffs get started and see how close I came. Then again, maybe we shouldn't. Let me know what you think of my fearless (or shopuld I say clueless) predictions and then let's see how you think things will shake out in the NFL this year.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 3:41:45 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Try As We May, We Can't Pleas'em All
Posted by Tuff Stuff
I've been the editor of Tuff Stuff's Sports Collectors Monthly for about nine months now and one of the first things I realized after taking over was that it sure is a daunting proposition to try and keep all of our readers feeling the love. Whether it's the figures collectors who want to read more about the latest Upper Deck Vinyl series or the hockey fans who want more about pucks, it's a seemingly endless battle to find the right balance and keep them all off the ledge. What many of our readers don't understand is that, believe it or not, there is a method to the "madness." We do try to rotate our coverage in an effort to cover all the bases. For example, we recently added some extra pages to our Price Guide section. Our logic was based on the fact that No. 1, the publication is a Price Guide first and foremost. While we still enjoy the idea of bringing you some entertaining and informative feature stories as much as possible, but we understand most people buy the magazine because of the Price Guide capacity and we get that. With that said, we added the pages to the Football and Baseball Price Guide sections and eliminated the Hockey Price Guide pages for that particular issue. The decision to drop hockey for the month was based on the fact that hockey is the least collected sport of the five we cover and the fact that it's currently out of season. In the next issue, the hockey pricing will be back in and we'll likely cut down or eliminate some of our Basketball Price Guide pages if needed because hockey will be starting up and basketball will be out of season. While some readers get a little fired up when the coverage of the sport they collect is reduced and some may not realize that although they see a reduction, we've always got you covered online. Our new website, www.tuffstuff.com, has all of the sports and figures pricing available for you 24/7 and best of all, at no charge. Our entire Price Guides from Football, Baseball, Basketball, Racing, Figures and yes, Hockey, too, are just a click away so we encourage you to check out the new website, make some posts in our Forums, answer the trivia question, enter our Daily Sweepstakes and win some great free prizes and perhaps most importantly, utilize this great resource for what it was designed to do – help our faithful readers. So before you get too fired up, get off that ledge and go to our site and enjoy it to the fullest.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 2:25:54 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Friday, September 12, 2008
O.J. Simpson, In The Conservatory, With The Lead Pipe
Posted by Tuff Stuff
The jury for the latest trial featuring O.J. Simpson is all set but it didn't come without the typical OJ theatrics. Simpson's defense lawyers insisted their client wasn't going to be able to get a fair trial because the potential jury pool was made up entirely of white people. OJ, who, along with co-defendant, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, is being charged with kidnapping and robbing two sports memorabilia dealers last year in Las Vegas. Simpson's attorneys wanted the entire jury dismissed and start the process all over again but Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass denied the request and wants to start opening statements Sept. 15.
Most prospective jurors have said they disagree with Simpson's 1995
acquittal in the slaying of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman but they insist they can be fair regarding the current charges. Normally I would agree with Simpson's lawyers in saying that the lack of African-Americans on the jury coupled with the fact that many of those same jurors aren't hiding the fact that they believe Simpson got away with murder would make it impossible for Simpson to get a fair trial. But in this case, as it was with the double murder charges (or so we thought) back in 1995, the jury could be made up entirely of OJ's family and friends and a guilty verdict would still be the end result. It seems Simpson's lawyers are digging for ways to prolong the inevitable and I don't blame them for that, it is their job. Not sure if any maneuvering from his attorneys will allow him to weasel out of these charges like he did a decade ago, but then again, justice being served when dealing with the elusive Mr. Simpson, is long overdue anyway.
Friday, September 12, 2008 4:07:27 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Thursday, September 11, 2008
UD Steps Up Prize Package For Yankee Set Colletcors
Posted by Tuff Stuff
I was just reading about Upper Deck recently sweetening the pot for those trying to put together the ginormous Yankee Stadium Legacy series, a 6,661-card insert set that details ever home game played at the historic ballpark in the Bronx dating back to 1923. My first reaction, good call, sweetening was needed for this daunting task.  The new proposition offered by UD will give the first five collectors to complete the set, (did I mention it was 6,661 cards?) a "Yankee Dream Day" at the new stadium along with a meet-and-greet with Yankee shortstop and UD spokesman Derek Jeter. With a set this big, not to mention the money it would take to complete it, in my opinion, winners should instantly earn a starting spot in the Yankees lineup, which would make the reward equal to the challenge. Although with the way the Yankees have folded down the stretch that might be more of a punishment than a reward, at least collectors would receive a prize worthy of their efforts. Tackling a set like this is a huge undertaking for anybody and I'm guessing a lack of collector interest prompted the updated prize package or maybe it was just a case of the people at UD realizing they were asking a lot of their customers in the first place. Either way, good call on the late additions, I can't imagine this promotional effort was going to get too far off the ground without them.
Thursday, September 11, 2008 3:31:45 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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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)
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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)
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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)
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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)
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