Random Thoughts

Things are finally back to normal in my world of madness.  Sort of.  With the power back, it was nice to be able to finally watch something on TV Wednesday night.  Of course, I took to NBC Sports and their coverage of Rivalry Wednesday.  It was the Pens vs. the Capitals in Washington.  The Pens rolled to a 4-0 shutout of the Caps, increasing their win streak to 2 games and looking like they were going to get back on track.  It was fun to watch too as I finally saw some life in Evgeni Malkin.  He didn't score but he was out there grinding and making plays, unlike some of his earlier games this year.  He will get back on track (hopefully soon).  It was also nice to see James Neal back in the lineup.  He came back last week but this was the first game I saw with him suited up.  He tallied on the 4th goal of the game.  Even the announcers didn't get on my nerves, which is rare.

• I couldn't figure out the viewing hits on my Stormaggedon posts earlier in the week.  I was posting them from my phone onto the Blogger system.  But normally I do a check to see how they appear.  This time I wasn't because it was too difficult with multiple browsers on my phone.  I now realize that they weren't posting until 12 hours or more after I sent them to publish.  I don't know if this is a glitch in the system or what but it is kind of annoying. What if I had something important to say?  Should the fact that I'm mobile penalize my thought process?  My readers want my thoughts now!!  

• There is a big card show this weekend in Rosemont, IL.  It's the 46th annual (which I don't get because it happens twice a year) Chicago Sun-Times Sports Collectibles Convention.  It's a Mounted Memories sponsored show so the autographed guest list is something comparable to a National-type show.  Feel free to click the link if you want to take a look.  It's sort of impressive but if you were to get the cheapest things signed by every person autographing, it would cost you $4,033.  I still haven't decided if I am going to make my way out there yet.  I always say that, and I always end up going.  But it wouldn't be me if I didn't at least put on the illusion for a couple minutes.  I'm taking the kids, too (assuming I go).  Maybe I'll post pictures on my Twitter account (which you should follow...that's what Twitterer'ses are supposed to say, right?)

• I have been working on, getting ready to, try and, (you like all those non-excuse excuses?) ramp up my internet sales a bit.  I realize I have way too much stuff and really need to get rid of some.  Trim the fat, so to speak.  I know there are a lot of collector's out there that would want to trade and I am glad to do so.  I take requests.  If I have ever posted something that you like, let me know and I will see if it still exists.  Even if you don't remember anything but still want to trade, tell me what you collect and I'll find something.  But I know I can't give everything I have away in exchange for a bunch of Pittsburgh team common cards and cards I already have 15 of.  That's fine if I'm dumping the same things in return but there are only so many Stan Belinda and Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala cards one person can find room for.  If anyone is interested in anything I have up now, check out my storefront thingy over on Collector's Revolution.  I have been having much better success on there than eBay and with less fees.  I just sold another card today in fact.  

• Do trade fodder posts, as in "Here are X# of cards I have with pictures. Who wants to trade?", actually work?  If so, share your experiences in this in the comments below.  I want to know who does these and does them successfully.  I am thinking of throwing up some good trade fodder but don't really know what will get people to bite or not.  I know I'm not the best trader in the world because I have been known to take an eon to send but I'm trying to improve.  When you do them, how do you decide on trading?  Do you trade by the dreaded book value?  Do you trade by number of cards?  Do you swap auto for auto, GU for GU?  I think the blogging community could tap into the proverbial "trade night" that some B&M stores still do.  Thoughts?

• Speaking of B&M (brick and morter) stores, I am going to be doing some research on B&M hobby shop marketing.  I may reach out to some of you in the hobby world for opinions and such.  Anyone who would like to offer their 2 cents on the traditional hobby shop in today's digital market, feel free to comment or email me.  I will be doing a post about it in a couple weeks with more information.  I know many of you still have LCS's that you frequent and some of you even have some that you drive great distances to visit.  This is all good stuff I may be interested in picking your brains on.

• Are there any hockey "personalities" that really get on your nerves?  I believe there are.  By personalities, I am referring to players, coaches, announcers, executives, officials, anyone that has some type of higher than team janitor or production crew assistant profile.  I thought about this the other day while watching NBCs coverage of the game on Wednesday.  My list started to get very large and cumbersome after a while of thinking.  I am going to share with everyone my list of Top 10 Hockey Personalities That Annoy Me in a future post.  As hockey fans and pseudo-writer/blogger/members of the "press", I feel it is our duty.  

• There have been a lot of interesting hockey products released so far for the 2013-14 season.  I know most of the hype has been around the Double Rookie Class.  Even some manufacturers have built that into their marketing materials and advertising.  Great.  But what good is a double crop of rookies when 2/3 of them may be AWOL in a few months?  I get the excitement and intrigue, but from a collector's standpoint, unless you are a "prospector" by nature, you may be in for a Double Disappointment.  I plan on doing a review of products so far this year and exploring more into the Double Rookie Class of this years product in some future posts.

• I just spent time time explaining future posts I plan on writing in a post.  That was weird.

• I like to use bullet points now.  They're neat.

What We Learned - - The Aftermath of the Community Group Box Break

Now that the group break is done, I have a few observations that I thought I would share for anyone else attempting such a feat.  I had fun doing the break and I hope everyone had fun watching my messed up videos.  The response I have gotten from both participants and other readers was actually more than I expected.  Mostly positive...with a few "constructive" criticisms that I desperately deserve.

So here are my random thoughts, in no particular order of importance.

1.  $10 is a good deal...IF YOU ARE A PARTICIPANT.  If you are the host breaker...it probably won't cover costs.  No, it definitely won't cover costs.  If you are in this to make money...don't even bother.  I wanted to have some fun and get some rarely seen cards into the hands of some of my fellow collectors.  I knew I was basically going to take a bath on this but I didn't care.  For those of you maybe looking to do this same thing sometime soon, let me give you an example of what it might take...

(names have been changed to protect the innocent)  

Let's say "Tom" is doing a break.  He drops, lets say...$150 on boxes and offers up 2 teams for each entry at, let's say...$10.  We have a healthy mix of participants, including Tom himself but one spot remains unfilled.  That leaves Tom shy $20 to break even on the boxes.  No big deal because it is going to a good cause, right?  Well, we haven't even begun to calculate shipping yet.  In our mix, lets say we have 10 people from the USA and 5 from Canada.  With everyone getting about 50 cards each, after packaging them up securely that comes to about $2.80-$3.00 for US shipping based on the weight and size of the packages and $4-$4.50 for Canada.  That's $48 minimum, not including the cost of packaging materials.  So with $150 on the boxes, plus $48 for shipping, plus we'll estimate about $8 on supplies, that's $206.  With two spots open in the break, that leaves us in the hole $66.

Fortunately for me, 66 is the greatest number in all of hockey so I am alright with it.  But for some of you, you might want to rethink the entry costs and what you will be willing to sacrifice in order to have some fun.  The lower the entry fee, the more people will participate.

2.  Doing a break with more than a couple boxes is a ton of work if you want it to turn out good.  My goal was to at least attempt to show every card that came out of the boxes and show off the "hits" and non-base cards.  To do that, the videos were long, sometimes broken in two, had to be edited, and the cards scanned.  We did nothing different than we normally would with a video box break other than the fact that it was 6 of them crammed into a 17 day period.  If you want to go quickly and you have a full time job, a wife/husband/significant other, and kids...chances are you are going to have a heart attack before the end.  I paced myself somewhat and it still took me quite a while to finish.  I definitely have work to do for next time. 

3.  Equipment is key.  If you don't have a good video camera to record the breaks, you should probably get one.  I have been meaning to get a better camera for a while now but it hasn't really been that big of a priority.  For around $50, I'm sure there is something much higher quality out there than what I have.  Oh, and make sure you have good lighting.  That can make all the difference in the world.

4.  Always plan as far ahead as you can.  You never know when something will come up.  As mentioned already above, work, kids, spouse, etc. can all interfere.  I tried to record one in advance.  That way, after I posted one, I could work on editing the other.  There is less stress that way.  The last thing you want is for a break like this to be stressful.  You should work at your own pace too.  Everyone needs to be patient and wait for the updates.  Don't let the participants dictate your speed.  That can make it become too taxing and no fun.  Sure it may seem like it's taking a long time but in the end, it will be worth it.


6.  Have clear cut rules for the break.  Think far enough in advance of different scenarios for what may be pulled from the boxes.  Do the research and see what you may have to deal with.  This is one area where I didn't think it through all the way.  I came up with ideas as the break went on but by then it was too late.  This becomes apparent when you get multi-player cards, multi-team cards, or in the case of things like A&G or Champs or Goodwin there are many more cards featuring non-traditional players.  Figure out how "ties" are handled and make everyone aware.  The last thing you want is anyone getting upset from not getting a card they thought they should.  Keep everything as simple as possible but as clearly defined as you can.

7.  Communication is key.  Keep everyone in the loop at all times as far as what is going on.  Use a mass email, use Twitter, use the blog, but just do it.  Get addresses, emails, etc. as soon as you can that way you can be ready to go when it's time to ship.  See #4.  I am still waiting on 1 person to send me their address since it wasn't on their Paypal receipt.  If you got an email from me recently, get me that address ASAP.

To all those waiting on their "wares", they were all mailed out this afternoon (except the one I don't know where to send).  Those of you in the US should probably see your stuff before the week is out.  Those north of the border, hopefully by next week sometime.  And hopefully in one piece!!

Let me know if anything is amiss at the Circle K.

Another bulk card acquisition

The things in this picture may look familiar to ONE of you out there but to the rest, let me try to explain in the best way I know how...a long, drawn-out, brain drain of a blog post.

I have been on a strange kick these past couple years with my collecting.  I have had my ups and downs just like everyone out there but a couple years ago (or a year, I don't even remember anymore) I fell off my somewhat disciplined collecting wagon and bought a big collection.  It was what was left of two former dealers that had overextended themselves in the late 90s and early 2000s and simply couldn't hang on anymore.  Of course, they were both from Denver so I can't really say how much Broncos and Rockies stuff is in there (but it is A LOT!!!) but nonetheless, it increased my collection 20 fold.  I even attempted to start a blog just about that collection.  That part hasn't come to fruition.  Neither has the goal of unloading it within a year.

About 8 months ago, I picked up another, lesser collection from a guy trying to make some cash during a stint with unemployment.  I made him a decent offer and ended up on the receiving end of another (14) 3500 count boxes of stuff.  There is a ton of basketball stuff in these boxes from what I can tell.  Very few hockey cards, some football, and a decent amount of baseball; but TONS of basketball.  Since I don't follow the NBA, nor collect basketball cards, and basically lost interest after my "heroes" Barkley, Malone, Jordan, and Bird retired, I really have been unmotivated to sort through these.

Fast forward to about 6 months ago, same scenario (unemployment thing) only this time it was for a large, three-row shoebox (are they still called that?) full of hockey memorabilia and autograph cards (I take that back, all but one...there was a Mark Sanchez Rookie Jersey in there too).  Finally...HOCKEY STUFF!!  Again, this is all cardboard I didn't need but what fun it was to sort through? I found some rare Guerin and Jagr GU cards in there as well as some interesting cards from sets I never even knew existed.

April...I think...came another collection.  This time it was another dealer collection from a guy who only did shows and weekend swap meets.  A few years ago he decided to call it quits and started to dump everything.  That was, of course, in a bad financial time for lots of collectors and he couldn't get what he wanted for it.  So he hung on for a while until now when he found a buyer.  Then somehow I ended up with it through a third party transaction and the guy still didn't get what he wanted for it.  This collection is much more sorted and organized than the previous ones but there are also 20 Home Depot cardboard moving boxes (you know the 20x20x18 ones?) full of various sizes of individual count boxes...all marked, numbered, and apparently sorted.  I haven't even begun to pick this one apart yet.

Which brings me to the photo above (I might even be forgetting something in here too).  As many of you know, Voice Of The Collector, and co-host of the internet based Cardboard Connection Radio, Rob Bertrand put out an appeal to the blogging community not so long ago to help him cut his collection down so he could refocus on what he really wanted to go after.  I, being the "high roller" that I now appear to be, piped up on the hockey cards, we worked out a deal, and now I am the proud owner of what you see above.

We have a complete base set of 2005-06 Upper Deck Hockey, featuring a large array of inserts (over 100 in fact) and game used cards, as well as a huge chunk of the Young Guns intact (no, Crosby and Ovechkin aren't there but I still went for it).  I had this on my set needs list but never actually got around to adding what I wanted.  Now, my work is definitely been diminished.

We have a mostly complete 2006-07 Upper Deck Hockey set (about 30 cards or less short), again complete with a large array of inserts (over 30) and game used cards with a big pile of Young Guns to go with them.  I'm not sure I have the missing ones since I don't have a ton of 2006-07 stuff but I'm sure I have a few.

There is also a 2004-05 SP Authentic Hockey base set with a few of the All-Worlds thrown in.  I didn't have any cards from this set at all before getting these.  In fact, I had never even seen them before.  2004-05 was one of those voided years in collector's heads because of the lockout.  There were only a handful of sets produced by ITG, Upper Deck, and Pacific at the time.  I wouldn't mind finding some of those Young Guns Legends SPs from the flagship Upper Deck set though.

And finally, we have an almost complete base 2010-11 SP Authentic base set with, (even though I already knew, I'm just now realizing) a bunch of the Essentials SPs, a couple Future Watch cards and some HoloFX cards.  I have this set completed less 2 cards, already.  But having another one isn't necessarily a bad thing.  I may even have the missing cards in my doubles since I bought a couple of boxes of these last year trying to get those last 2 cards. 

Basically, this gives me at least two more Upper Deck flagship sets to add to my set needs list as well as a ton of inserts and GU cards that I may or may not hang on to.  Another cool thing is that apparently Rob is just like me when it comes to storing sets, in that he cuts up the box labels and affixes them to the boxes.  I bet 40% of hockey collectors do the same thing.  We should do a poll.

It is all great stuff and I am glad I now have it in my collection.  Thanks again to Rob over at VOTC!!  I really appreciate the opportunity to take this off your hands and help you toward your next collecting goal.

Comments

Just a quick observation totally unrelated to anything...

I was just noticing on other collector blogs how despite the content, photos, etc. on a blog post, most people get between 3-5 comments each time they send something.  If you are me, it's usually less.  But overall, the average is probably somewhere in that range.

But you offer up a contest???....And the dam breaks. 

Instantly your comment count increases 15-20.  Make it a FREE contest and that number immediately goes to near 50 or more.

The moral of this story...CARD COLLECTORS LIKE FREE STUFF!!

Random Thoughts

I had a few things to say that have been on my mind and I wanted to share.  Since most of them have nothing to do with one another, I figured a Random Thoughts post was warranted.  So, without further adieu, I give you the results of the emptying of my head in no particular order.

1.  I know this probably isn't going to be the popular opinion, especially since this is a sports blog but, is it just me or does this whole bin Laden thing reek of shenanigans?  I know I can't be the only one that is looking in the direction of a desperate political ploy to inject a positive note into a re-election campaign that has the potential of falling flat on it's face before breaking out of the gates.  Don't get me wrong, I am extremely grateful to all the men and women involved in the operation to take that S.O.B. out.  But, doesn't anyone think it's fishy that all of a sudden after not really hearing word one about operations to track him down (although there was admittedly an ongoing operation) for at least a half dozen years, we have him?  Then we turn around and dump the body before an autopsy or possibly a public dismemberment ceremony could take place?  I realize that within the Muslim religion, bodies must be buried quickly but, come on.  This was the most wanted, most hated, most vilified man since Adolf Hitler.  The least we could have done was paraded his rotting corpse through the streets of New York. 

Plus, now as the days are beginning to pass, we are starting to get conflicting reports, shallow story lines, and shaky information, coupled with supposed photos of the beat up and bloodied face of bin Laden that swept across the internet, only to find out they were fakes.  John Brennan, the top counter-terrorism adviser to the President, has spoken out already saying that while they feel that American's are entitled to information, they are still leery about releasing anything at this time.  If you ask me, there needs to be some kind of DNA test done.  In today's day and age of Photoshop, you can make anything seem real.  I'm sure there is video.  Get that stuff out there to debunk the doubters like me.  The problem is, I think that evidence may not exist.  Even in the speech Obama gave, he made no mention of any evidence even existing.  When we got Saddam, there was video, pictures, the whole 9 yards.  Until I see something substantial, I'm holding back.  Again, I am excited...just not all the way excited.

2.  Enough political mumbo-jumbo...This is straight out of the "I'm crazy and have too much money" camp.  Did anyone else catch this one the other day.  SCP Auctions put up a 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie in their last auction.  If you haven't already seen it, take a guess.

$94,163

That is now the record for all sales of "modern" hockey cards (modern being the operative word).  Obviously we have seen other crazy people/groups/organizations, etc. put up record cash to obtain some rare cardboard.  For instance, the T206 Honus Wagner went for over $2 Million a few years ago.  Even a 1911 Georges Vezina went for about $100,000.   But this one was different.  PSA graded this one a Gem Mint 10.  Are you freaking kidding me?  A 10!!!???  I'm sorry but even I, the untrained, mechanically inept individual that I am can plainly see that this card isn't a 10.  But since it is probably in the best condition of any of the Great One's rookies to be submitted for grading, it wins the prize. Don't believe me?  Check this out for yourself.  Pay close attention to the right edge of the card.  This is just another in a long line of issues that the hobby community has with grading cards.

3.  I've started to notice a trend in this hobby.  It almost seems like when the economy is in a downward spiral, card collecting has the reciprocal affect.  Let me explain.  Disposable income is less available when the economy takes a dump.  Everyone knows that.  But for every "The Hobby Is Dead" claim and every "Collecting Is Too Expensive" remark, I hear two dozen positive comments about the growth and stability of the hobby.  The larger shows I have been to over the past year have all been pretty well attended considering the cost of admission, parking, etc.  The dealers I talk to have few to no complaints about the state of their businesses.  The two shop owners I still know have been doing as good, if not better, than they did 10 years ago.  I see more and more people willing to stand in lines a mile long and pay big ticket prices for autographs and memorabilia.  Online sales on sites like Ebay and COMC have gone above and beyond what anyone could have imagined.  And best of all, the card collecting community that populates the blogosphere is by far and away the most active, thought provoking, vigilant (and vigilante), and generous group of people on the planet.  Feel free to disagree with my observations because this may just be me only observing the isolated island that I live in.  But know this, I'm proud to be part of a hobby that just won't die no matter how hard anyone tries to kill it.

4.  Since I didn't want to give him his own post, I thought I would mention my newest autograph that I added to my collection.  Although I highly consider him my arch-nemesis and would rather light myself on fire than to hear one of his self-aggrandizing diatribes spewed forth nightly on ESPN, "the worldwide leader in sports [except hockey]", I saw this and had to have it.  Don't ask me why.  Just gaze into the mullet.  It may hypnotize you into believing you are a good coach and it's the players fault you were fired.

So basically I just wasted the better portion of 20 minutes of your time (10 if you read fast) just to show off a card of Barry Melrose.  Ain't I a stink'a?

What If Scenario #17

Ever made a bucket list?  I never have put it on paper but there have always been a few things in my head that I wouldn't mind doing before I'm gone.  Besides, seeing my kids grow up and have their own families one day, I'm talking about more materialistic things.  Like stuff you want to do, see, or accomplish.  One of mine was always to own a huge collection and run a shop.  I think about it sometimes and always play out stuff I would do different from what I see being done around me.  It is probably a pipe-dream that will never occur but it is a fun game.  So let's play another what if scenario out here for fun, shall we?

A local card dealer decides to unload another dealer's inventory they acquired some months ago.  The stuff that was acquired seemed like a good idea for an investment at the time but it is causing all sorts of issues with space constraints, not to mention asthetics.  There aren't enough hours in the business day to deal with sorting, listing, pricing, etc. when it is a one man operation.  Business was great back in the junk wax years and everyone was happy.  Stuff moved quick and a collection like this would move in no time.  Then came the late 90s and the wheels fell off.  Fast forward 10 years and here we are.

In walks an everyday-Joe kind of collector and sees a chin high stack of boxes that stretches 5' x 12' through the back of the shop.  "What's going on", the unsuspecting patron inquires? 

"This stuff has got to go.  It has been sitting here for too long and I am tired of looking at it," says the shop owner.

"Are you selling this by the box, or singles, or what", asks the curious shopper?

"The whole lot of it...together", exclaims the dealer.  "Why?  Do you know someone that's interested?"

"Yeah, me", you think to yourself.  So here is the deal.  You can ask a billion and one questions about this lot but make no mistake...there are approximately 1,000,000 cards in this pile.  This lot has been looked through many times by the owner but since about 2003, has sat virtually untouched with the exception of adding more boxes to it.  Sure they aren't all Mickey Mantle/Wayne Gretzky/Michael Jordan/[insert name here] rookie cards but you have to imagine there are at least a few thousand major acquisitions in the mix.  Odds are, there has to be. 

"What do you want for it," the confused collector inquires.

"Well, I have it listed at auction for $4000 right now.  A guy from [insert State] called two days ago about making a swap for part cash/part memorabilia.  I have had about 8 offers so far since posting it but nothing has really gotten me to bite."

"So you want $4000 for it?" I asked...I mean, the collector asks. 

"Well, tell you what.  If you are interested, I'll make it worth your while..." 

Peering through a few of the boxes uncovers tons of stars and semi-stars from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s in all sports (even golf, boxing, tennis, and water polo...water polo!!??).  There are even at least 100 graded cards in a box that include autographs, game-used, and some rookies (including an AP rookie [not Topps]graded 9.5, a Troy Aikman GU, a John Riggins rookie, and a Magic Johnson autograph, to name a few).  There are sets galore, ranging from the early 1980s all the way to today (a few visible on top include the 1982 Fleer baseball, 1984-1993 Topps baseball, 1981 Donruss baseball, and 1984-85 Topps hockey).  There are even ten or so boxes (as in 2'x2' UHaul style boxes) filed with unopened wax, retail promotional stuff, and other sports related collectibles.

The devil on the shoulder tells you to make an offer.  He says you have to.  He says you will never have an opportunity like this again.  He says you'll eventually be able to open up that business you've always wanted with minimal inventory constraints.  He says you can start to deal online on a regular basis and make some money doing what you love.  The angel on the other shoulder is supposed to come out next and be the contrarian however he may have gotten lost on the way to work so for now it's just you and the devil.  So the gears in the head begin to turn.  In the meantime, you see a Walter Payton rookie, not in the best condition, but 4 sharp corners and it looks great.  Two boxes later you find both a Dan Marino and a John Elway rookie.

If money isn't one of the major issues, do you do it?  Notice I didn't say money was no object because it is, but thinking of your own situation, what do you offer?  Compare your ideal buying price to what you spend in a year...two years...three years, on cards.  How do you make it work from a logistical standpoint?  What would be the deal breaker, one way or the other?  Could you store this many cards in one place?  How to you begin to organize these for sale? 

Keep in mind here that if you have never seen 1,000,000 cards, you probably have no ability to understand what this looks like.  I would advise you not to even try because it is bigger than whatever image you think.  I would have taken a picture but seeing as this is hypothetical, I had no camera available at the time I imagined it.

Regardless of all that, I want to hear from readers out there.  What Would You Do?

(Again, all this is hypothetical and I am just asking for research purposes...yeah, that's it, research.)

The Pirates Futility Never Ceases To Amaze

[UPDATE:  In the aftermath of this ridiculous firing and the huge backlash from what fan base is left after constant alienation by the franchise, the Pirates are taking the stance that it was for Walbeck's own good because if his talents were going to be utilized to their fullest, there were no positions higher up available with the Bucs organization.  Basically, they were letting him spread his wings and fly away for a better opportunity.  I still call BS but what do I know.]

After posting my elation over securing the #1 pick in next years draft (with a win, nonetheless), it was revealed yesterday that Pirates management has lost their freakin' minds.  It's always two steps forward, a hundred steps back with this club and I don't know why I am surprised.  I also don't know why I bother paying attention anymore when all it does is anger me.

The announcement was that the Pirates club won't be renewing the contract of Altoona manager Matt Walbeck.  Now most of you might be saying, "So what. He's only a Class AA manager."  Well this guy has one of the best reputations as a manager in AA ball and is considered by many to be a candidate for a future job with the MLB team.  Plus, there's the little thing of, oh, winning the Eastern League championship this year.  Or, maybe his fate was sealed by being named the Eastern League Manager Of The Year.

Walbeck's resume now includes 3 league titles and 4 manager of the year awards in the last six seasons, including this last championship which was the first for the Altoona Curve.  That is an accomplishment worth celebrating isn't it?  Do you fire a guy that wins titles?  Do you fire the guy deemed as the best coach in the league?  You do if you are the Pirates.  No one knows the reason for his dismissal and nothing but speculation is available at this point.  Pirates farm team director, Kyle Stark, wouldn't return phone calls from the press asking for an explanation but would only comment over text message that, "We do not comment on internal personnel decisions.  We appreciate Matt's efforts and wish him the best, but felt like it was best to allow him to pursue other opportunities." 

Walbeck has said in the past that he had aspirations to move up and felt he was ready for a job in a higher league.  I'm sure he would welcome the opportunity to go to another league or even, dare I say, a bench job in MLB?  Either way I think his successes will carry along with him. 

So here's my take...The Pirates just made themselves look even worse, if that was humanly possible.  Your franchise has been losing for 18 years straight.  It was just recently revealed that despite the lack of a committment to win you are still profitting.  Your reputation in MLB is that of the leagues "farm" system where they can go and at any time, pick the players they need that you have spent the time and money to develop. 

Walbeck is an asset to an organization committed to winning because that is what he does.  He is also an excellent manager for a minor league team because he understands the process involved in player development better than most.  He has been in the business for almost 20 years and that experience has paid off with championships and individual accolades beyond what most managers dream of. 

This proves that he is obviously not a good fit for the Pirates.  He is a scourge to their mindframe.  He is a positive disease in thier negative environment.  The boat the Pirates have been sailing for years is being rocked by a man devoted to winning and their ingrained expectations of flying under the radar, residing in the basement of baseball and keeping money in the organization and not on the payroll are contrary to his philosophy.  To them, it would seem that Walbeck is a bad fit because he isn't towing the company line and committment to misery.  Maybe he should have been like John Russell.  A 56-102 record gets you a contract extension. 

This move is just another in a long line of losing moments.  There has to be a lot of hard work and effort that goes into it because it can't be easy losing over 100 games in a season.  But, that's what the Pirates do best.  People wonder why I don't freely admit to being a Pirates fan.  I go out of my way sometimes just to not watch them when they are on TV because I know I will just be disappointed.  At least Cubs fans can cling to the "maybe next year" mantra they have become linked with.  A better creed for the Pirates should be "not in my lifetime".

Commence response to Epic Failure!!

 
   
  
 
 
 
 
 
 

2009-10 Upper Deck The Cup - A Royal Fail In the Set

This is old news to most of you but I just wanted to put in my 2 cents for what it's worth (probably 2 cents). 

Upper Deck announced that Lebron James will be making an appearance in one of their highly anticipated card releases.  Not a big deal, right?  Well, as we have all talked about ad nausea, Upper Deck doesn't possess a license to print the product that would feature King James.  They hold no authority to offer a card of his likeness sporting an NBA franchise, let alone an autographed one.  So how are they going to pull this off?  It's going in The Cup!! (check out the pack out photos over on the Upper Deck blog, some are great, some not so much).

When I first read about this a month or so ago on another "cards off the grid" kind of site, I was confused, baffled, a little tired, kind of hungry, but mostly confused.  Of course The Cup isn't the first product to mix sports in the same release.  It has been done, time and time again.  But for a premium product like the Cup to inter-twine what I would consider a "novelty" amongst $300-400 per pack/boxes?  This just seems crazy to me.  It's not just Lebron either.  They have Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, too since they are exclusive autograph signers for Upper Deck.  Now I may be blowing this a bit out of proportion since I have yet to see a checklist and don't know if these are the only three non-hockey subjects but to me, this is a feeble attempt at keeping it known to the collecting public that they have the power to issue any release at any time and shove their exclusivity licenses down our throats.  Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Despite it's hefty price/card, The Cup is arguably one of the most anticipated sets for the hockey collector's each year.  I however, have been unimpressed by The Cup as a whole and have never bought into the hype.  Admittedly, the price tag is what scares me.  I don't care if all the cards are numbered under 100.  I don't care that each has a signature or swatch/patch on it (or both).  I don't care if there is some infused DNA strand embedded in the card that someday can be extracted and used to clone super-athletes that will take over the world (What? That could happen). To me, I'm about getting the most bang for my buck and getting something that I think will fit in my collection somehow without having to dip into my retirement fund to obtain.  I have to be this way, with a wife and two kids and countless other ventures that exhaust me both mentally and financially.  In my entire collection, I possess three cards out of The Cup sets.  3!  And they are all base cards I ended up with through trades or bulk purchases. 

Premium products like The Cup price many of the "everyday Joe" collector's like me right out of their products because there is really no perceived intrinsic value in participating in a futile practice of obtaining 5-8 cards at $75-100 a piece. Of course, this is one person's opinion and I can see how you can easily find reasons to disagree with me.  And you probably should.

But that's not the point.  The point is why resort to another gimmick, especially in a Uber-Premium product?  The Champions set that was intermingled amongst the Upper Deck releases in 2009-10 starting with Series II and continuing through Champs, SPA, Ice, and SPx was hard enough for most collector's to stomach.  When you are anticipating a decent auto of an NHL superstar, rookie, or even semi-star and end up with a figure skater, something has gone terribly wrong.  But at least the "ice dancers" wear skates.  If I opened a pack of hockey cards that cost me a third of a mortgage payment, I better be getting some hockey awesomeness.  The last thing I want to see is a basketball card. 

There is no need for this kind of foolishness.  Most "targeted" collectors (because let's face it, that's what the audience is, a target) that will plunk down the cabbage to try their luck at pulling something "other worldly" like one of these maybe.... 

(obviously an older image from a few years ago, from my.hockeybuzz.com)

...are not going to care.  But someone should.  Even if I am really digging the Property Of... set that features name plate tags from game used sticks, and the patch work quilt concept on the logo patches that build an even bigger patch (did anyone else notice that last Ovie card was upside down?), it is still not enough for me to forgive an obvious lapse in judgment on the part of the UD team that dreams up these crazy schemes. 

So you don't have a license for another pro sport.  Save the basketball cards for a Legends set or a Signatures set that can showcase your exclusive license bragging fodder.  Don't derail the train that has been keeping hockey collector's salivating for quite a few years.  I guess what I really mean is, Upper Deck...try harder.  You have lost print licensing across the board quicker than I lose my sunglasses on every vacation I have taken over the last 10 years.  Hockey has been your only true strong point since 2004 and you have done it very well.  Stop with the gimmicks.  Stop trying to sneak other products into places they don't belong.  

Week 1: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Atlanta Falcons...Recap

Can you smell it?  Smells like football!!  We are finally back to a point in the year where the doldrums of summertime sports dullness (yeah that's a word) subside and the NFL football season gets underway.  Of course I am a big fantasy football player and participate in a number of leagues so I take an interest in almost every game on the schedule.  However, the only games that matter are the ones that involve the black and gold.

Week 1's opponent was the Atlanta Falcons and it took an extra stanza to get the job done.  Both teams rely heavily on the running game to guide them to victory and this was going to prove to be a smash-mouth style game.  All I can say after this one is, Ben who?

Rashard Mendenhall was the big hero in this one with his 50 yard TD run in overtime to propel the Steelers to a 1-0 start for the season.  Mendy had 22 carries for 120 yards and the only TD of the game for either team.  Ward also put up 108 of his own for his 26th career 100 yard game.  As for Double D, he was alright but appeared pretty wobbly at times.  He only had one completion over 50 yards and that was to Mike Wallace and was a beauty.  He finished 18 of 26 for 236 yards with an interception and had several other potential sure picks that were dropped.  Obviously this isn't enough to win every week but it was enough today and he didn't play bad enough to lose.

As for the Steelers defense...THE BEASTS ARE BACK!!  The Defense has bounced back in my opinion from the lackluster performance last year.  The Falcons have a fairly balanced offensive attack and the Steelers were able to counteract most of what they saw.  As for Troy, 4 tackles, an assist and a pick at a critical point in the game to set up a Jeff Reed field goal for the win (he Norwood'ed it though).

Despite my initial concerns for my team, if the Steelers can hold on and play like this for a few more weeks, relying on the running game (Steeler Football) and some aggressive, shut-down defense, I think everything will be fine.

Random Thoughts - Catching up with the world

I have been out of touch with the world for more than a week but it seems like much longer.  Have you ever had one of those moments in time where everything else just stops and you become completely emersed in whatever it is that you are doing?  That was me for the past week and a half or more.  So spending this past weekend trying to catch up on things was no easy task.  There has been a lot going on in my narrow-minded world of sports/collecting.  I figured I would take a moment to gather these thoughts.

-----The Steelers didn't name their starting quarterback for week 1 prior to their pre-season game last Thursday.  It was assumed that Byron Leftwich would get the nod over Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch.  That is, until after the game.  Leftwich apparently tore/strained/severed/obliterated his MCL and is going to be out at least 4 weeks.  Question answered...Dixon is going to get the job in Big Ben's absence.  I am kind of excited by this fact since everything I have seen from Double D thus far in both the limited time he played last year and in this pre-season leaves no doubt he can handle the job (despite the 2 picks vs. Denver).  It conjurs up memories of Kordell Stewart (only the "good" Kordell, not the "bad" one he turned into). 

-----Also in Steeler's related news, Big Ben's suspension was reduced to 4 games by Roger Goodell after a meeting with him and the Steelers' Brass on Friday.  What does this mean?  Nothing really.  Everyone but Terry Bradshaw assumed it would result this way and I think the Black & Gold were preparing for this scenario.  As long as Double D (and C-Batch if Dixon blows it) can hold his own for 4 games, everything with the offense should work itself out. 

So in lue of additional time on the bench, Ben was stripped of a share of the Team Captaincy.  That's a slight exaggeration since the job is voted on by teammates but it sure is a indication of his popularity right now in the locker room.  Instead, Hines Ward (no surprise), Heath Miller, James Farrior, and Keyaron Fox (well deserved yet big surprise) get to wear the "C"...if this was hockey.  But it isn't so they will be on the 50 yard line for coin tosses.

-----The Penguins signed forward Mike Comrie to a one-year league minimum $500,000 contract last week.  Is it just me, or is this a bargain-basement blow out score?  I realize Comrie has been relegated to the under 20 goal scoring club for the last few years but that was due to inactivity and "injury".  If anyone can recall this far back, in 2006-07 "Mr. Duff" scored 45 points in 65 games.  Since then, he has been surrounded by, for lack of a better word, sub-par talent in both Edmonton (where he actually played with Billy G) and NY.  Regardless, I think this is a good move by Ray Shero because it gets the Pens a net-crasher that they lost in Guerin.  It also solidifies an even strength power regardless of the line they put him on.  Plus, I can only imagine how many "crowd" shots we are going to see featuring Hillary Duff and her entourage at the Consol Energy Center.

-----The Pirates signed Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie, two of the team's top picks in the draft.  This was followed up by the signing of a huge 16 year old prospect from Mexico, Luis Heredia.  Of course, once these players begin to develop and get into some Major League action, it wouldn't surprise me to see them shipped off somewhere for some small-pox infested blankets.  Now that the Nutting Family's spending habits have been revealed for all the world to see, there is no reason to think that they are going to change the habit now. 

Spending on the team is not a priority and until it becomes evident that they are being (mis)managed as a MLB "farm" team, the league won't step in, nor should they because to them, it's a business.  Good businesses make money, bad ones don't.  It's unfortunate for the players on a team that has 0% committment to put a product on the field that can compete and win.  They built a new stadium that holds 38,496 people for regular baseball game, which I believe is still the 2nd smallest in the Major Leagues.  Even still, the average attendance is 20,115 or 52% according to estimated numbers on ESPN's MLB site.  That is basically half the attendance of the top 10 teams in the league. 

Is there anything those top 10 have in common?  Only 68 Division Series appearances, 24 Championship Series appearances, 17 World Series appearances, and 10 World Series victories since the Pirates began their downward spiral.  In the end when the 20,000 faithfulls get up and leave, we will see how frugality of Pecos Bob's decisions have destroyed this team.

And that's all I have to say about that....for now.