State of the Blog Address

Anyone know what the one year anniversary present is?  It's paper, right?  Yeah, I think it is paper.

I could use this occasion to take time out and reflect on what the last year has brought me in the world of blogging.  I could ramble on and on about how I am grateful to even have blog that I can write about my thoughts.  I could thank everyone who "follows" my writings and has wished me well in my endeavors.  I could wax ecstatic about how generous the blog community is or how much more engaged in the hobby I am because of the blogs.  I could, but I won't. 

It's all done before and been done better.  Everyone of us knows how lucky we all are in being a part of this community.  I am glad to be a part (albeit a small one) of it and I think that says enough.  Plus, unless there is a contest involved, I doubt anyone really cares anyway.  So instead of blubbering over my gratitude's like a Hollywood awards show acceptance speech, I figured I'd just give my 2 cents worth on my time in the blogoverse.

I made it a year despite the fact I didn't think I was going to make it a month.  This has to be the only non-paid, freely voluntary work I have (somewhat) consistently stuck to in my life.  To show for it, I have over 30 people that at least pretend they read my drivel...some on a fairly regular basis.  I have even had some family members acknowledge my random musings once or twice, which I still don't know if it is a good or bad thing.  I have probably increased my collection 10 fold because of all the trading I've done since my arrival here as well.

Because of all that, I think I have grown as a collector and am no longer embarrassed by the fact that I still participate in a "kids" hobby.  Because it isn't a kids hobby.  It is a human hobby.  Those of us that turn on the way-back machine and relive our childhoods each and everyday are the reason the hobby stays alive and will never go away.  Sure it can be time consuming and wallet consuming.  Sure it makes me schizophrenic at times and causes me undue stress and anguish.  Sure it gives me a complex and forces behavior similar to severe obsessive/compulsive disorder.  I'm okay with that.  I'm not afraid of people knowing about my "secret" hobby.  It's all out in the open and I am much more comfortable with it.

I have learned over the past year that my collecting habits have always bordered on the edge of hoarding.  Not hoarding in the sense that I need to go on TV to show off my living room packed to the ceiling with garbage bags of laundry, old pizza boxes, and Hummel figurines.  But hoarding in the sense that I have always kept everything that has come into my collection with very few exceptions.  This isn't limited to cards either.  Programs, ticket stubs, SLU's, Headliners, pennants, photos, etc. have all played a major part in my stockpiling over the years.  I have received numerous inadvertent advice from the blogoverse in regards to focusing my collection and parting with items that really have no meaning to me other than being used as "stuff".  I still have too much "stuff" and if I stick around (which I plan to), I hope that will change. 

I have learned that being a sports fan and a collector both elates me with joy and frustrates me with anger and hostility.  I have always known that I can be a bit of a "sore loser" when it comes to my teams but only when I began writing about it did I realize some of my issues.  Being a fan of Pittsburgh sports teams isn't always fun.  Winning traditions have always been a big part of the city and anything short of a championship is generally considered a failure.  Having an outlet to express about frustrating moments as well as crowning achievements has made me become a better fan (In my opinion of course.  My wife would still disagree with me as would my old coffee table).

I have also learned that I suck as a trade partner.  Too many of my trades with everyone take months to occur.  This isn't fair to anyone involved.  I seem to get packages on a fairly regular basis but my trips to the post office become less and less.  I have two dozen (yes, there is really that many) piles of cards sorted out to go to various people around the world that have been generous enough to send me stuff.  I think I just underestimated the kindness of everyone and got buried in trade proposals.  I assure everyone I am trying to get caught up, and I will.  It's a work in progress and my noviceness (is that a word?) in the logistics of what goes into a trade these days got the better of me.  I guess it's no longer as simple as a few guys sitting in someones bedroom with their binders open, trying to trade all their Expos cards to the new kid for his 1974 Topps cards that his uncle left him and convincing him it's a good deal (all the while trying to accumulating as many 1987 Jose Canseco cards as he can because he knows that guy is the greatest baseball player who ever lived).

I think most of all, I have learned that despite never meeting any of you in person (Sal from Puck Junk being the only exception) I consider everyone of you brothers (and sisters, er, siblings, yeah siblings)-in-arms and would call any of you a colleague and friend.  It has been a fun 365 days and with some concerted effort and a little luck, hopefully it will last a long time.

I guess I just spent the last few moments doing exactly what I set out not to do...patting myself on the back, reflecting on my accomplishments with the blog, gushing about all of the wonderful people out there and chastising myself as a bad blogger.  So with that contradictory commentary, I leave you with the obligatory:  Happy First Blogoversary to The Real DFG blog.

That is all for now.

The Return of Had A Bad Day - Episode 6

(Ahhh, the good old days)

I haven't posted one of these in awhile because I was trying to look on the bright side of being a Pittsburgh fan.  With the NFL draft completed, the Steelers have signed all but their top two picks and training camp is just around the corner.  Big Ben has been out of the news for a few weeks and things are starting to look up on that front.  The Penguins, while missing out on defending their Cup, struck gold in the FA Frenzy a couple weeks ago by letting Gonchar walk but getting the top two defenseman available.  It's also the All Star Break in baseball and the Pirates are going into it with a 6 game losing streak and are 18 games out of 1st.  Okay so all the news isn't great but did anyone really think this was the Bucs year?

So that little segue brings me to the 6th day on my list of bad days as a Pittsburgh fan.  In fact, yesterday marked the 9 year anniversary of the day my favorite hockey player of all time was traded to Washington for a box of nails, some half-used chapstick, and a bag of chocolate donuts.  Yes, my friends, today's episode recaps the events that turned Jaromir Jagr into a Capital.

(Possibly the greatest hockey haircut of all time.)

I spent a good portion of my youth having the luxury of having two of the biggest hockey players to walk the face of the earth on my team.  When the Penguins drafted Jaromir Jagr in the first round of the 1990 Entry Draft, I really didn't know who he was or why I should care about a guy from Czechoslovakia that couldn't speak English.  The only thing that I did know is that he and I shared the same hair cut; thick dark brown/black hair that was as wavy as the ocean, with a little party action in the back for good measure.  The only thing missing was the Aqua Net.

Anyone who didn't know about this phenom was quick to find out.  Jagr was a key element in the Penguins winning back to back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992.  His talent was virtually unmatched on the ice and his playmaking abilities were only shadowed by the fact that he always played on the same team with Super Mario.  In fact, the comparisons between the two are so great that if you scramble Jaromir's first name, you get Mario Jr.  Freaky, isn't it?  Denying his offensive talent is impossible considering there were only three Art Ross winners from 1981-2001...Wayne Gretzky (10-only because he had no equal until 1986), Mario Lemieux (6-only because of lingering injuries and cancer cutting his career short), and Jaromir Jagr (5).

I'd like to know who the scout was that was quoted on the back of his 1990-91 Score rookie card.  He said "He is not real flashy; he doesn't attract you with his finesse as much as his overall performance in all areas of the game."  That is priceless.

After Ron Francis took off from Pittsburgh to be reunited with his original franchise in Carolina, Jagr took over the captaincy of the team.  For four straight seasons, he led the league in scoring and capped off an 11 year playoff run.  But in 2000, things went south.  His relationship with his teammates became strained when he fell into a scoring slump.  He lashed out at both players and coaches and publically criticized team officials, alienating himself in the process.  Despite efforts to appease Jagr, like bringing in a European friendly coaching staffs and picking up some of his fellow countrymen as teammates, he was desperately unhappy and it showed.  2001 was the year the Mario came out of retirement but even "getting the band back together" did little for his motivation.  Jagr began asking to be traded.

On July 11, Craig Patrick called Jagr at his home in the Czech Republic, letting him know he had been traded.  Prior to his departure, he was costing the Pens (already bankrupt for the second time) about $10 million per year, which many people felt was what kept the Pens from adding that key element to pushing them over the top.  The Rangers tried to broker a deal but fell short in the negotiations.  Washington, fresh off the "Jordan Experiment" were happy to take a shot at the man that single handedly killed their playoff runs each and every year.  Jagr became the highest paid player in NHL history with his $77 million dollar contract. 

Trading for arguably the best player in the world is going to surely cost you something.  If you are adamant about adding that kind of caliber talent, you have to be prepared to give up some draft picks, semi/all star talent, and some cash.  So what did the Pens get in return?  3 minor league players...Michal Sivek, Ross Lupaschuk, and Kris Beech!!  Not since the indians traded Manhattan had their been such an insult of a trade (at least in the mind of Pittsburgh fans).  But wait, you say!  These are some quality prospects, you say!  Well, let me break it down for you...

At that point in time, here is what we gave up:

Games Played - 806
Goals - 439
Assists - 640
Points - 1079
Hart Trophy in 1999 (4 other as a finalist)
5-time Art Ross Trophy
2-time Pearson Award (Player MVP)
6-time First Team All Star (1 Second Team)
All Rookie Team
Olympic Gold Medal Winner

And....drumroll please.....here is what we got in return:

Michal Sivek - Second round draft pick of the Caps in 1999.  Played 38 games for the Penguins in 2002-03, scoring 3 goals and 3 assists.  Returned to the Czech Republic in 2004.

Ross Lupaschuk - Second round draft pick of the Caps in 1999.  Played 3 games for the Pens in 2002-03 racking up two penalties and no points.

(Just the fact that he is touching the Cup makes me want to throw up.)

Kris Beech - The #7 draft pick in the 1999 Entry Draft.  Played in 95 games for the Pens over three years (technically 100 because he came back in 2007 and played 5 more).  Contributed a total of 27 points in both "runs" with Pittsburgh.  My favorite was his awesomely bad -25 in +/- rating.  He also played for the Predators, Capitals again, Blue Jackets, Canucks, and now resides in Sweden.

So let me sum this up.  A franchise player, one of the greatest of all time, leads the league consistently, is a proven winner, and has a cult-like fan following is worth on the open market in trade value...3 unproven draft picks from a few years ago that will ultimately amount to NOTHING!  What a deal!! 

That was the beginning of the downward spiral for the Pens.  They would live in obscurity and became the virtual joke of the NHL.  This time in Pens history is referred to by many as the "Dark Ages" because of the lack of talent and futility of competition that was brought to the team.  That is, of course, until a random bounce of a lottery ball in 2005 changed Penguins history forever.

2010-11 Upper Deck Hockey is coming

What's that you say?  You have thousands, possibly millions of 1990-91 Upper Deck cards and you don't remember this one.  That's because it didn't exist (not to mention Iginla didn't have a card until his '94 SP draft pick card).  This is a sample from the soon to be released 2010-11 Upper Deck Series I Hockey.

Scheduled for November, Upper Deck is planning thier unveiling of thier flagship hockey set, celebrating 20 years in the making.  This is the design Upper Deck used to launch themselves into the hockey card market back then and they are bringing it back.  These will be featured as a base parallel set randomly inserted into packs at about 1/4 packs.  In the world of retro themed sets, I can think of a lot worse of a product to model these after.  In other words, for nostalgia sake, I like them.

The base cards will look very similar to their baseball counterparts, with the black & white photo adorning the bottom border of the card.  They typical full bleed action shots that we have all become accustomed to will also be there.  Other insert sets look to include a Clear Cut Lineage Set which appear to be acetate or at least "see through" and feature three players from a teams history and are serial numbered, Clear Cut Champions which look to be "diecut" around a Stanley Cup shape and numbered, the standard run-of-the-mill UD Jersey set that everyone is learning to despise, and the ever-popular Young Guns which should fall about 6 per hobby box.

Beckett has the release story over on their blog if anyone wants to check it out.  I am not a product previewer by any means but when I saw this, with the exception of their GU design, it got me excited to see the puck drop again (I know it has only been about a month but I'm going through withdrawal).

Random Steeler Monday (On Tuesday)/Social Commentary - - LaMarr Woodley

In these desperate times we live in, it is sometimes hard to find a hero.  With countless stories in the news about primadonna players demanding more pay for less effort and endless bouts with Johnny Law, it would appear that Superman is dead, so to speak.  Of course, you all know I am being facetious but the point is there.  What ever happened to the "role-model" type player?  Or I guess a better question is, was there ever really such a thing in the first place?

I ran across this article today that would have made for a great segue into my random Steeler of the week posts that I have been doing but I failed to remember that today was Tuesday.  Nonetheless, this is a Steeler that I have great respect for and have admired since he came to the organization a few years ago.  The guy's work ethic is almost unmatched and his committment to give back to his community is legendary.  Today, that player is LaMarr Woodley. 

I decided to "borrow" the article and repost it here because it is poinient and timely, especially in light of some of the latest shenanigans caused by some notable perpetrators (including one of his own teammates).  The article comes from the July 2010 issue of Pittsburgh Magazine.  It is a very good read.

It was midnight, and LaMarr Woodley was preparing for the graveyard shift. Just hours after the Pittsburgh Steelers had suffered a demoralizing, late-November overtime loss to the lowly Kansas City Chiefs, the team plane touched down at Pittsburgh International Airport.


All the players were stunned, shoe-gazing and more than ready to go home and sleep off the gut-punching loss. Everyone except for Woodley, the team’s 25-year-old star linebacker.


Wasting no time, Woodley tossed his suitcase into his SUV and tore up I-80 heading north. He drove for hours, winding around the cusp of Lake Erie until the black horizon turned purple. Finally, at the break of dawn, he reached the blighted manufacturing city of Saginaw, Mich., his hometown.


People were already lining up on the windswept front lawn of the Civitan Rec Center—the free gym where Woodley spent most of his childhood. Their faces lit up when they saw their hero, who was carrying bags of household items for the approaching Thanksgiving holiday. For three hours, Woodley and other volunteers gave out napkins, plates, forks, dish detergent and other essential items to more than 500 families.


"Win or lose, it’s important to put the game aside,” Woodley explains. “I made a commitment to the community that I would be there, so I had to fulfill that promise.”


Twenty-four hours later, he was back in Pittsburgh handing out frozen turkeys at a recreation center in Hazelwood.


On the field, Woodley’s strongest asset is what pundits like to call his “motor.” Or, in non-gridiron speak, his heart. A first-time Pro Bowler in 2009, Woodley racked up 25 sacks in the past two seasons. Only four NFL players have more in that span. Yet the second-round draft pick from the University of Michigan makes less money than the backup goaltender of the Pittsburgh Penguins.


Currently in the final year of his rookie contract, worth $550K this season, Woodley had every right to join in on the NFL’s hottest summer trend—holding out of training camp for a raise. The Tennessee Titans’ stud running back Chris Johnson did it. Even $100 million man Albert Haynesworth was a no-show at the Washington Redskins’ mini-camp because of hurt feelings over trade rumors.


But when the Steelers opened the doors of their South Side training facility for optional team workouts in May, there was Woodley, crushing tackling dummies in the pouring rain when he could have been at home relaxing on a “Dora the Explorer” marathon with his 2-year-old daughter, Gabrielle.


“If I miss workouts and training camp, I not only hurt myself, but I hurt the team,” he says. “I don’t want to fall behind because I’m worried about dollar signs.”


At times, Woodley’s immense strength and anticipation on the field make him look like a man among boys. The same could be said about his humility and class in a league that has been sullied by tawdry Tweets, lavatorial lasciviousness and camera-phone preening. But at the Boys & Girls Club in Wilkinsburg, where Woodley also volunteers, he’s just one of the kids.


“I was there when LaMarr first showed up at the club, and it was like magic,” says Mike Hepler, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania. “He spent at least four hours playing ping-pong, basketball and pool with the kids. Later that day, I went downstairs where everyone was having snacks, and there was LaMarr eating a big bowl of tuna fish like all the other kids.”


But that’s not Hepler’s favorite Woodley story. When Woodley first arrived at the club, he was submerged in a sea of excited kids who were far from awe-struck, Hepler recalls. A little girl came running up to the 265-pound linebacker with her hand raised to the sky. “Mister LaMarr,” she said, “do you have a girlfriend?” Woodley disarmed her with his warm smile, but then it was the boys’ turn to grill him. “Mister LaMarr,” one kid piped up, “how much money do you make?”


Woodley thought about it for a few seconds, then said, “Enough.”


What a refreshing answer.


If there is one man who deserves mega-money from the Steelers, it’s Woodley. After all, he has a knack for paying it back in spades.

Well Thought Out Yet Completely Random Penguin Card of the Week

This time, I felt like going backward featuring a 1970-71 Jim Morrison card.  Is it just me or did guys in the old days just look older than they do now?  At any rate...

Jim Morrison only played for the Pens for two seasons, joining the team in their third season of existence.  He was an offensive defenseman for most of his hockey playing career...which, by the way, spanned from 1949-50 through 1972-73. 

Rather than go on about his playing career, legendsofhockey.net already did a nice write up on his four decade spanning career.  You can check it out here.

Another reason I picked a 1971 Jim Morrison...today in 1971 the more famous Jim Morrison of the Doors died in his Paris apartment bathtub.  Nobody knows why and no one ever will.  But, whether you are a Doors fan or not is irrelevant to the fact that there is no denying the talent of Jim and his song writing abilities. 

R.I.P. Lizard King.

Update #5 - Happy Unrestricted Free Canada Day

Happy Canada Day to everyone north of the border (well north of my border).  It is interesting that Canada Day falls on the same day as the Free Agent Frenzy in the NHL begins.  What a coincidence....or maybe it's not. 

Canada Day is sort of like, in a round about kind of way, like Independence Day in the US.  I'm not Canadian so I won't claim to have first hand experience with this but I was a history major in college and I believe it commemorates the joining of the provinces into a federation...or something like that.  Either way, it is a national holiday and everyone has off work and their is no mail, etc, etc.

More importantly though, it is Free Agent day in the NHL.  There are so many UFA's and RFA's out there on the wire that it would make your head spin.  To give you an idea, head over to The Cap Geek and their pretty thorough list.  Some interesting names you will find on there include the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk, Evgeni Nabokov, Sergei Gonchar, Ray Whitney, Teemu Selanne, and many many more. 

But in typical DFG fashion, I want to focus on the quagmire of cap issues that are affecting the Pens.  In all my years of watching the Penguins, I never remember a year where so many players were on the free agent list.  If you include all the players the Pens have contracts with, Pittsburgh has 15 guys on the bubble.  Of those 15, 8 players saw playing time on the Pens last season and 1 other player saw NHL time (that being Hamhuis).  The rest are all two-way contracted players that spent last season bouncing between Wilkes-Barre Scranton and Wheeling.  So, for argument sake, we will say there are basically 8 pressing issues to deal with.

#1  Sergei Gonchar $5M cap hit- Bottom line here is that he isn't getting any younger.  He did not win any support from the club with his disappearing act in the final few games of this years playoffs and I think the fact that Shero didn't moved on him sooner is a sure sign that they are looking elsewhere for help on the D.  What that means to the team however, is that the leader of the powerplay is now gone, along with a solid 40-50 points of offense.  With very little room under the cap, he is going to be difficult to replace.

UPDATE:  Gonchar signs a three year $5.5M contract with a NTC for Ottawa.  I didn't know they still had a team in Ottawa.  When he can't finish or goes down with an injury, they will see.


#2  Alexei Ponikarovsky $2.1M cap hit- I think I was the only one that liked this trade in the beginning.  What's the saying...hind sight is always 20/20?  We just simply gave up too much to get Poni from Toronto.  He failed to live up to expectations and with the exception of a handful of games, his on ice presence was virtually non-existent.  The organization would be better off letting this one go and trying to tap the market for a sub $2M forward. 

#3 Mark Eaton $2M cap hit - I will admit, I actually like Mark.  Maybe it's because we are about the same age.  Maybe it's because I have followed his career since he got into the NHL.  Maybe I'm just an idiot.  (maybe all three).  Eaton is a stay at home defenseman and only gets noticed when he does something bad.  That's how I was in elementary school.  Maybe that's why I like him.  He doesn't score goals and is hardly seen on offense.  But, that's the thing, he isn't paid for that.  His downfall and possible doom when it comes to staying is the fact that he was non-existent in the playoffs.  Recent memories burn brightest.

UPDATE:  Mark is shipping off to Bos...I mean New York...Islanders that is.  He is taking a $2.5M contract with him.  Mark was the first player to emerge as an offensive capable defenseman in the Bylsma led Pens-era but I'm going to guess his string of injuries shortened his tenure. 

#4  Dan Hamhuis $2M cap hit - This could be a bigger issue than it has been made to this point.  They acquired his rights from Philly in return for some draft pick in 2011.  That doesn't mean they get him, though.  Hamhuis is a solid 20 point D-man that could help pilot a top line corps in the absence of Sarge.  He has been a reliable player for the last 5 years and would most certainly be a welcomed addition to Pens.  However, his agent has already committed to shopping him on the open market.  Pittsburgh doesn't have that much negotiating room, especially if they want both Dan and Gonchar.

UPDATE:  Dan Hamhuis is signed by the Canucks!!  Six years...$4.5M per year.  So we could have had a quality D-man for less than $5M...I guess Dan didn't want to play in Pittsburgh.  That's okay though.  There is now potential room for Billy G.  Wishful thinking I know.

#5  Bill Guerin $2M cap hit - Okay. Okay.  I get it.  He's old.  Well so what?  He is by far the elder statesman when it comes to the team.  The tangibles in this case are fare outweighed by the intangibles like experience and leadership, in my opinion.  I'm biased, I know.  But that doesn't change the fact that Billy G is the undisputed leader of goalie screening.  No one else on the team is going to do the dirty work.  We need him.

#6 Ruslan Fedotenko $1.8M cap hit - Two words...I don't care.  Okay that was three words but, guess what?  I don't care.  I have nothing good to say here.  Ruslan, you are dead to me.  Let him slip.

#7 Jordan Leopold $1.75M cap hit - Leopold was a solid trade deadline pick up for the Pens.  He is a great skater and a good puck handler.  He came in and did exactly what he was supposed to do.  That is until the Expert took him out for good.  He just wasn't himself after that.  If it was between him and Eaton, I would still pick Eaton but I would hate to see Jordan end up as a rent-a-player. 

#8 Jay McKee $800K cap hit - 137 blocked shots for under $1M?  I say, "More, Please!!"  You can't buy that kind of grit and heart in the NHL these days.  Guys don't want to get dirty or risk injury.  McKee is a steal at this price, in my opinion.  If it wasn't for injuries, that shot block number could have easily been over 180.  The reality though, is that he did little else than give up the body.  His chances of staying in black and gold are slim to none and slim just left town.

When noon arrives today, we will see how this circus unfolds.

UPDATE:  Ray Shero goes for the gusto to replace Gonchar and signs Zbynek Michalek.  The contract is a 5 year $20M contract that will count as a $4M cap hit/year.  Michalek is going to be a great addition to the Pens as he is very underrated and has flown under everyone's radar for some time.  He is an excellent passing D-man with the ability to set up and captain the powerplay.  that is going (hopefully) to be well worth the $4M.   The Coyotes are going to be sorry they let him go.

UPDATE:  With another stretch play, the Pens sign defenseman Paul Martin, one of the top three D-men in the UFA market.  He only played 22 games because of a broken arm and missed the Olympics but there is no doubt that he is a offensive minded D-man.  The terms of the deal look to be $5M/year for 5 years.  From where I'm standing...defense looks to be done.