The Hall Call came once again in baseball, and the winners are Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice.

The Rickey call was easy, as he once was one of the most feared players in the league for quite some time, and it wasn't because he hit home runs all of the time or for his penchant to fight. Rickey (I'll refer to him in the first name because this is how he often referred to himself) was a beast on the basepaths and one of the best leadoff batters ever. Imagine this: He stole more than 100 bases in a season on three occasions. Some fans (and fantasy players), are amazed today when a player hits 50 SBs.

To me, Rickey is best known for setting the all-time stolen base record and immediately proclaiming himself the "greatest." While, yes, he now held the SB title, I'm not a big fan of the ego that was involved with that statement. But he definitely belongs in the Hall.

Jim Rice was the other lucky entrant, getting just enough votes on his final try into the Hall. The 1978 MVP certainly had some great years in his career, but he doesn't necessarily stand out among the greatest to ever play the game. Hence, the long time trying to get in, I guess.

I didn't watch much of Rice, as I got into baseball during the tail-end of his career. My best reference to him is the 1987 RBI Baseball game from Nintendo (that Boston team was good!). The argument, of course, is if he gets in, where is Andre Dawson, Dale Murphy and a few others?

I'm not sure, and I don't know the HOF's criteria for who gets in and who doesn't. Rice didn't reach the automatic milestones (3,000 hits, 500 HRs, etc.) but you could say for the number of years he played, he was among the best.

The Rice debate gets heated every year, so I'll be interested in hearing from the Rice lovers and haters when it comes to HOF status.  

By now most of you must have heard about the woman in California who found a card from the 1860s in a box of antiques.

In case you haven't, here's the link from Yahoo!

This lady does a lot of selling of stuff, as she buys estate lots. Well, having some history in antiques, don't you think she might of had some idea of its worth before being mobbed on eBay? 

A little research goes a long way.

Just a little Saturday light reading....

While out of the office for a couple of days, I ran across this bit of news circulating around the offices:

The increasing number of collectible products that incorporate game-used dirt from major league parks is the subject of a piece in the current issue of Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal.

Brandon Steiner, CEO of Steiner Sports, is quoted as saying items featuring game-used dirt account for more than 25 percent of his company’s business since the closing of Yankee Stadium (Steiner offers items with dirt from Yankee Stadium and a handful of other MLB parks).

Benny Greenberg, director of sales and marketing for Highland Mint, said that game-used dirt is “an inexpensive way to deliver game-used memorabilia, and that is what’s been driving the market for at least a decade.”

Colin Hagen, VP of hard goods for MLB Properties, said the league has been authenticating dirt from all of its parks for about five years.

Steiner is also quoted in the story as saying the company will soon offer portions of turf from the old Yankee Stadium.
I don't get this and never will (and this coming from a guy with a brick from the old County Stadium). Dirt, really? the Packers offered turn and dirt from Lambeau Field when it was renovated and people bought it like it was the latest gadget needed to turn on the TV.

Having a pile of dirt in a vile or in a framed display just seems silly. Where is the nostalgia in that. If you were to dump it in the driveway, you wouldn't be able to differentiate it from anything else. That's collectible? Can you grow your own stadium from it? Does it regenerate to produce the gleaming field you see on television? Nope.

In the end, it's dirt, brought in from somewhere else - sometimes out of state. Oh and it gets replaced, too, so it isn't the same stuff athletes ran over and dove into 50 years ago.

But hey, people are making money off of it, helping the hobby - right?

Wow, has it been quiet when it comes to new card news since the holidays. I know it's only Tuesday after a holiday week, but I would expect that to be the perfect time to start hyping up the New Year.

Instead, it's been pretty quiet. There are some releases scheduled to be kicked out this week – Playoff Contenders Football and SP Authentic Basketball among them. I hope to get some box breaks of these online soon in the Bustin' Wax blog, as we've been pretty quiet in that area, as well.

Of course, the card business hasn't been that great for dealers in 2008. Our division also produces a trade magazine call Card Trade (genius, eh?), an article in there doesn't show a real positive outlook by dealers.

Here are some snippets from the article:

At the hobby shop level, the majority of retailers surveyed by Card Trade magazine this month are reporting their sales were down for the year, with some reporting declines of as much as 50 percent compared to 2007.

“Another a year like this, and I think I’m going to close,” said Ralph Brierly of Maine-ly Sports Cards in Solon, Maine. He estimated his sales were down 30 percent from last year and said he’s not optimistic the economy is going to turn around any time soon.

Dean Katz of Charm City Cards in Timonium, Md., said his sales were down for a fourth consecutive year and says the industry needs to restructure its product offerings. “There’s too much supply and not enough demand,” Katz said. “Plus, the average box of cards is now around $80. The whole climate of business has changed these last four to five years.”

Rob Vandorick of All-Star Baseball Cards in Las Vegas said his 2007 sales were down 27 percent from a year ago, and added it might have been worse had it not been for some aggressive end-of-year promotions. He also believes the best way to get collectors to increase their spending in the coming year is with more focus on lower-priced cards.

“If any new product lines are coming for 2009, we need lower SRPs,” Vandorick said. “People are only buying what they can afford and are not going after the glitz and glam.”


So what do you folks think? Are they right in what you want, do you feel big-time changes need to be made in 2009 or will everything turn out all right once the economic fortunes of the country rebound?
  

OK, the holidays have finally passed us by and now it's back to the basics of work. And for some NFL teams, it's back to the drawing board for next season.

The Colts/Chargers game was one of the more fun games I watched all season. It's a pleasure watching Darren Sproles. If I was a kid again, I'd wear his uniform number in every sport I played because he is about the same height as I am. I always pull for the little guy.

Other "little guy" favorites from my past include Spud Webb, Mike Felder (baseball) and Mugsy Bogues.

I also enjoyed watching the Cardinals taking care of business. Kurt Warner looks younger with no facial hair, and he looks a little weird wearing gloves indoors with short sleeves, but he's doing wonderful things behind center. It doesn't hurt having arguably two of the best wide receivers in the league roaming the field, either.

You knew the Vikings wouldn't go far with Tavaris Jackson at the helm. Even with the dynamic Adrian Peterson, you need to be able to throw the ball once in a while (and not to the other team).

And then there is the Ravens, a team that seems to boast the best defense every year. Do Ray Lewis and Ed Reed ever age? I remember picking that team in Fantasy drafts 10 years ago.

I also watched bits and pieces of the NC/Boston College game, Louisville/Kentucky and Wisconsin/Penn State. It's good to see that moving the three-point line back a foot has done nothing to deter teams from throwing up three-pointers all game. Sure, three points is better than two, but for a lot of teams, if they don't hit their threes, they won't win.
Yet three-pointers are 30-percent odds at beat. Why rely on them to win games? I'll never figure that one out.

Oh, and to UNC opponents in the next few weeks - watch out. I bet Roy Williams might have them rev up their defensive intensity just a bit in the games ahead.

Yes, I watched a lot of TV this weekend. But it's Wisconsin in winter - what do you want from me?
       

     

I was lying around the house on my New Year's Day off, flipping between Bowl games, Marquette vs. Villanova basketball (go Golden Eagles!) and watching the snow fly outside. And then I decided to go a,little further up on the channel guide provided by my friendly cable operator.

And there is was, airing teasers, promos and general good thoughts on this winter day – the MBL Network was going live at 5 p.m., and I didn't need to pay some ridiculous price to have the package added to my cable lineup.

The teasers they had from the previous season' highlights, upcoming programming tidbits and what they will be offering once baseball kicks off in April have me quite excited. No longer do I have to wade through ESPN's home run calls and other nonsense as I await my baseball highlights. They will all be here on the MLB Network, whenever I want them.

So the debut night's programming was a bit, well, repetitive, highlighting the offseason moves (not many) and again touting all that the network will offer in the months ahead. But then they shows Don Larsen's perfect game in the World Series - and that was pretty cool. How often can you see complete games from the 1950s on your TV schedule?

I even got my wife to watch it. It was amusing to see the limited camera angles, almost zero commentary and how you couldn't really hear the crowd. It was definitely a different time.

So I'm hoping the MLB Network will offer more goodies like that in the future as I await the season to start. I know it's only January, but to think of baseball on these snowy days and cold nights is just the right remedy.

Tune in and check it out for yourself. 

Happy New Year to everyone. It's been an interesting 2008, with a lot of changes in the sports collectibles hobby, along with the world in general. I hope the next 12 months brings everyone good fortune and joy.

Along those lines, I also hope 2009 brings the following:

More postseason experience for my Milwaukee Brewers (though I highly doubt it).

A way for baseball to reconstruct itself so the Yankees can't by the only big-money buyer come free agency time.

Terrell Owens retires – and joins Michael Jackson in Europe.

Tiger Woods makes a successful return to golf, thus giving us all amore chances to watch him.

Lance Armstrong competes in the Tour de France and proves that hard work and training make you better - not just doping.

Chris Paul makes it to the NBA Finals.

Brett Favre retires, for good.

I get a Wii gaming system so I can improve my golf game - at least in pretend land.

That all of the major card manufacturers stay in business for collectors to have a variety of selections and signaling some strength left in the market.

NASCAR rewards its drivers who do well all season, not just the last 12 races or whatever it is.

Danica Patrick shuts up and just races. She might win again sometime if she focuses on what she needs to do better besides worrying about everyone else.

Mixed Martial Arts starts to lose its cult status and limited popularity.

The NCAA makes basketball players stick around for two years instead of one.

And finally, I hope 2009 brings my wife and I have a healthy child - we're expecting in June.

 If anyone else has hopes for 2009, please share them with us.

Yawn, grumble, shuffle, shuffle.

That was me this morning as I awakened from my holiday slumber to come back to work. One thing is for certain – I haven't been bored. When it snows every other day, you tend to keep busy outside. Heck, I haven't even witnessed a college bowl game yet, but I suppose the "real" bowl games haven't quite fired up yet. The home-state Wisconsin Badgers didn't even belong in a bowl, so the whooping by Florida State was pretty predictable.

I did enjoy the NFL games yesterday. NBC showed how the playoffs standings looked before games started and how they ended up at the end of the day. Now that's the way a season should end. Pats, Broncos, Jets, Tampa Bay, Bears - out. Whoo-hee, that's fun.

I only caught a few of the Brett Favre-related jabs from the NY media this morning. The Wisconsin websites enjoy sharing that with Favre's long legacy in the state. It's tough when a team loses four of its last five games, and gets bounced from the playoffs. I guess all that love New York had with Favre when the team was 8-3 faded away with the team's postseason chances. I'd imagine he'll head south and enjoy the peace and quiet for a while.

Turning to baseball, my cousin didn't get five feet out of his truck at Christmas before he was spouting about another New York team - the Yankees  -  and their high-spending ways. I guess the Teixeira signing was the last straw for him.

He's now asking for a salary cap - at least "something to be done." Well, I can say the salary cap will never happen - not without another labor strike. And as much as I think it's unfair that one team can seemingly buy whomever it wants, it doesn't guarantee them a World Series title, much less a ticket to the playoffs.

Plus, the Yankees will be left sitting with some of these contracts for many years. As is usually the case when the Yankees sign a guys to 6-plus years, they help out for about three, get hurt or decline in pay and then the remaining contract is still paid out with no output from the player.

I'd like to see something change, but I don't think it will. Until then, I'll just continue to hope the Yankees blow it and all that money is for naught. .    

 

It's a common practice, I know – sticking pieces of memorabilia (be it jerseys, pants, bats, shoes, gloves, tires, whatever) into cards as inserts. It's fun, unique and can even bring a little money in the process.

But we just opened a box of Prime Cuts IV (of which I'll cover in the Bustin' Wax blog soon), and in the pack was a memorabilia card of Joe Jackson. Yes, that Joe Jackson. It was pieces of one of his bats.

Now, I've never seen anything related to Joe Jackson except in catalogs and online, so this was pretty cool to me. However, does the reward of a memorabilia card featuring Joe Jackson warrant chopping up one of his bats (and there can't be that many around)?

I'm a little torn on this one. The topic of taking legends' equipment and cutting it up used to cause quite a stir, mostly by mainstream media who couldn't understand the concept. The question is: Do you leave it alone and let one person enjoy it for an extremely high price, or do you chop it up for hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people to enjoy? And does the patch card hold the significance behind the idea? Do we feel we really have a piece of Jackson's bat in the office?

Yes, we have a piece of Jackson's bat, but the allure is sort of lost in this fashion. And perhaps that's why a lot of collectors an dealers are calling for changes in inserts.

But what? Everyone wants change, but they offer few ideas as to what to change.

Until then, I'll still admire the Joe Jackson card, but I still consider it a small prize compared to the full-sized items.

Now if it were a Joe Jackson cut sig......

I had to share the following obit on pitcher Dock Ellis, and then I'll pose a question:

Dock Ellis Jr., the outspoken pitcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers and the New York Mets, died Dec. 19 at the USC Medical Center in Los Angeles. The 63-year-old had battled liver disease for over a year.

Ellis debuted with the Pirates on June 18, 1969, and would be a double-figure winner for the Pirates from 1969-74. He was traded to the Yankees after the 1975 season, going 17-8 with New York in 1976 and winning the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award. Ellis pitched for the Yankees, Athletics and Rangers in 1977. After spending the 1978 season with the Rangers, Ellis played for the Rangers, Mets and Pirates in 1979.

His best season was 1971 when the tall righthander went 19-9 with a 3.06 ERA, as the Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles in seven games to win the World Series.

On June 12, 1970, Ellis threw a no-hitter versus the San Diego Padres. Later, in the second edition of his book In the Country of Baseball, Ellis claimed to be high on LSD while throwing the no-hitter.

Ellis compiled a 113-119 record in 345 games, 317 of them starts. He had a career 3.46 ERA. He struck out 1,136 batters, while walking 674.

Question
Now Ellis isn't on the same level as say Roger Clemens or Mark McGwire, but where's the abomination for his admitted drug use? Or is LSD OK because it doesn't "enhance" performance?

I realize the 1970s were the 1970s, but the double standards make me shake my head.

Happy Holidays
I'm not sure what other blogging duties I'll squeeze in before flying off for the holidays, so I'll say it now: Happy Holidays to all and to all a great 2009!