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 Thursday, October 02, 2008
The Contest That Just Keeps On Giving
Posted by Tuff Stuff
As many of you know, each day on www.tuffstuff.com we give away signed memorabilia featuring your favorite stars. The beauty of this contest is it's totally free, easy to enter, and there is no limit to the amount of prizes you can win. Simply go to the Home Page on www.tuffstuff.com and click on the  Sweepstakes logo and enter your contact information. Or for those of you who simply can't wait, click here and enter now. We typically give away one authentic signed 8-by-10 photo featuring a variety of stars from Football, Baseball or Basketball. We just added several new stars to the mix including: Hall of Famer Gale Sayers, future Hall of Famers Ladainian Tomlinson and Marshall Faulk along with current stars of the game such as Drew Brees, Marc Bulger, Santonio Holmes, Dwayne Jarrett and DeAngelo Williams. So if you like free memorabilia valued between $25-$200, your chance to win is just a click away. Make sure you play the Sweepstakes every day to increase your odds of winning and if you win,keep playing every day because there is no limit to the number of times you can win. Spread the word, it's the easiest contest on the Internet with the best chance to win.
Thursday, October 02, 2008 10:35:42 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) 
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Surprise, Surprise The Economy Is In Bad Shape
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Just got done reading a recent story about how hobby retailers were tallying up their receipts from the month of September with many of them reporting their worst month ever. What a shocker? Join the club. Go figure. Didn't see that one coming. Pick your cliche or makeup a new one, but things are leaking pretty bleak in the hobby and just about everywhere else right now, but let's not act surprised.
While I'm sympathetic to business owners who are struggling, I have no compassion for any dealer who was banking on a big September only to be surprised when the numbers didn't jive. I'm by no means a big investor type or even somebody who follows basic economic trends that closely, but even the most clueless of people out there could have predicted this one coming.
September is typically a slow month for dealers anyway because of kids returning to school and the back-to-school expenses that goes along with that, but recent tragedies (Hurricane Ike and Gustav) coupled with an economy that is weaker than a Jamie Moyer fastball, and you have a recipe for disaster for those making a living off of other's disposable income.
I have no real advice for dealers or anybody else struggling to make ends meet right now other than hang in there, invest wisely, and plan for the worst. That way, when things do go bad, you don't have to act surprised.
Thursday, October 02, 2008 9:27:14 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Go With What You Know
Posted by Tuff Stuff
For years, there have been two topics of conversation that tend to be off limits at a bar: religion and politics. And with good reason. The two topics tend to evoke heated conversations that simply don't mix well with adult  beverages. When people are drinking their opinions tend to be amplified to a whole new level which can often lead to arguments that nobody wins which is why the subjects were deemed as taboo for drinking establishments long ago.  My point is, some things just shouldn't be mixed together. For example, Chicago Cubs fans and Steve Bartman; Lane Kiffin and Al Davis; O.J. Simpson and anybody named Goldman. The latest to be added to the list is combination of political trading cards with good ole fashioned sports cards. Both Topps and Upper Deck are featuring political inserts in their latest baseball releases which begs the question: Why? While I'm sure there are some funny satire-inspired offerings in the sets that will draw a few smiles from collectors, I'm also guessing there will be quite a few hardcore baseball card fans who will disappointed they were shorted a chance at a Geovanny Soto RC in favor of a Tina Fey lookalike (Sarah Palin). Like most in these difficult economic times, sports collectors want to get what they pay for and pulling a cartoon-versioned card of an old war hero will likely not be met with the same passion by those hoping to find the next Cy Young in their pack. So do us a favor Topps and Upper Deck. Do what you do best and leave the political stuff for CNN and the like and stick to producing the best-valued SPORTS cards you can.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008 4:28:08 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Monday, September 29, 2008
Keeping The Faith And Reaping The Rewards
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Just got done riding one of the best roller coaster rides of my life. Another ride is scheduled to take off on Wednesday and I'll be on board for that one, too. They say this next one could be even better, but I haven't experienced the heightened level of excitement that the postseason ride carries with it since I was a kid so I hope my ticker can take it.
The ride I'm referring to is the Milwaukee Brewers incredible journey into its first postseason appearance in 26 years. The odyssey ended Sunday with a dramatic victory over the rival Cubs coupled with another late-inning collapse by the Mets.
Throughout the up-and-down season, many of my Brewer brethren were quick to exit the ride at the first sign of impending doom but I can honestly say my support for this team never wavered. Not during the team's horrific month of May, not after the Brewers were swept by the Cubs in late July and not after the Mets busted out their own brooms during a three-game sweep over the Crew to open the month of September. Sure, I spent several nights this summer swearing at the TV after a forgettable batting-practice like pitching effort or the team's inability to manufacture runs, but I always believed they'd some how find a way.
Putting yourself out there and keeping faith in your favorite team is a risky proposition much like telling that special someone you love them for the first time. It leaves you vulnerable to the prospect of being really hurt but when things work out like you hope it can leave you with a rewarding and fulfilling feeling like no other. Over the course of a 162-game schedule, the up-and-down relationship that we as fans often endure riding along with our favorite teams will often test a person's faith. Maintaining that faith throughout despite the enevitible derailments that occur from time to time makes the ride just that much more fun. I'm proud to say I stayed put for the entire ride and plan to sit tight and keep my harness locked until the ride comes to a complete stop. Here's hoping that won't happen until Oct. 30.
Monday, September 29, 2008 4:45:25 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Thursday, September 25, 2008
Young Gun Gets The Nod In Cy Young Race
Posted by Tuff Stuff
 Heard a lot of NL Cy Young talk as of late and I'm not sure what some people are thinking as far as their choices. Don't get me wrong, I believe this is one of the tightest years in recent memory, but I also believe when you analyze the numbers of each candidate you'll find a clear-cut winner. We can probably all agree that the three pitchers in the race are Johan Santana, Tim Lincecum and Brandon Webb. That part is fairly easy with CC Sabathia and Ryan Dempster also receiving some votes. Those making a case for Santana immediately point to the Mets ineffective bullpen as the reason for him posting 15 wins (15-7) instead of 20-plus and I wholeheartedly agree that New York's inability to close out games this year cost him several victories. While his league-best 2.64 ERA and 197 strikeouts are impressive, he did have the sixth-best run-producing offense on his side which somewhat cancels out the bullpen issues theory. Consider the Mets scored 787 runs this year while the Diamondbacks scored 734 (20th) and the inemic Giants offense managed just 629 (29th) runs or less than four on average per contest. Webb was easily the best pitcher in all of baseball throughout the first three months of the season but his second half was nothing to get too excited about as my Fantasy team can attest to. His 22-7 mark is tied with Cleveland's Cliff Lee for Major League honors and his 3.24 ERA is ninth best in the NL but back-to-back subpar outings in late August coupled with his overall dip in the second half ended his hope of winning the award for the second straight season. Not exactly sure what criteria will be used for each person voting for the award on Sunday but you'll notice there's no mention of team records listed in mine (at least not until later). The reason for that is simple, no pitcher, not even Young himself, could turn the 2008 Giants into contenders, not even Lincecum, although he did all he could every fifth day. The hard-throwing 24-year-old gets my fictional vote because of the fact he almost single-handedly kept what amounts to a glorified Double-A squad from losing the 100 games like many predicted they would. His 15-7 record is all the more impressive when considering the little run support he got and his 2.66 ERA was just slightly higher than Santana's. Factor in Lincecum led all of MLB with a whopping 252 Ks (best in Giants history) which was 46 more than second-place finisher Cincy rookie Edison Volquez, he also added eight double-digit strikeout performances and an impressive 1.18 WHIP to boot. Also consider that Lincecum allowed three or fewer earned runs in 24 of his 33 starts thus far, including 14 straight to open the season, never missed a start and logged 220 innings overall, and it's really an open and shut case that Lincecum was the NL's best pitcher this year. And if you still can't wrap your arms around my choice, just remember he played for the Giants, the 70-88 San Francisco Giants. Disagree with my pick, let me know where I went wrong. You've got until Sunday to change my mind, then I have to turn in my imaginary ballot.
Thursday, September 25, 2008 9:28:40 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Another One Bites The Dust
Posted by Tuff Stuff
People ask me all the time how I can work in the sports collectibles industry and not be an avid collector. While there are several reasons, including many of the items I would want are typically out of my price range, the main reason is because it's just too hard to put much faith into the legitimacy of the items themselves. Just finished reading a story about an East Coast dealer who was being  charged with memorabilia fraud. Apparently the dealer was opening vintage wax packs, scooping out the cards that had any value and then using a machine found in his warehouse to reseal the packs. He'd then present the packs as unopened and resell them along with other items featuring fake autographs. Apparently he'd been selling collectibles for more than 30 years and there's no real way of knowing exactly how much scamming he's been doing in that time but it's a safe bet he had a nice little operation going for quite some time before people caught on. While fraudulent dealer activity in the sports collectibles hobby is about as common as the Yankees overspending on free agent signings, neither is good for those around them and both only serve as a reminder to what's wrong with their respective industries. Sure, not every dealer is crooked and not all memorabilia has been doctored or is straight up fake, but the more and more this type of story surfaces, it just adds to the ever-growing black eye the hobby has been featuring for years. I get it, dealers are going through some hard times like everybody else so they look to make some "shortcuts" in order to keep their bottom line in order. But c'mon guys, with every "shortcut" comes a dramatic rise in the number of people being turned off about the hobby so much so that they abandon it altogether. Times are tough all over fellas, just stick with the old fashioned 250% markup rates like the good ole days and you'll still make your money and you'll get more customers in the long run because they'll trust that the items you're peddling are legitimate.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 4:36:25 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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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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