Baseball card collecting has now reached the ultimate in absolute stupidity.
One card, one simple piece of cardboard inserted into a pack of baseball cards, signed by a player, and its the only one, the only one of that card.
Now, there is more than one of this card, but what makes this card unique is...are you ready...it has a "red" border, and it's a signed card...that's it...there are more of that basic card around, they just don't have that 1/1 "red" border.
That card is now being bid on...on eBay...the current price...
$999,999
Yep, that's right...$999.999...for a baseball card...of a player who has pitched in exactly 3 big league games...Steven Strasburg.
The person, and persons who are bidding for this card...if indeed they intend to pay that much, cannot be of sound mind...no matter what they tell you.
Do they think they are going to be able to sell the card for a profit...they paid a million dollars for the card!
The only sane person involved here is the fortunate person who opened up that pack of cards with the Strasburg card inside. He's going to collect a pile of money for a simple few dollars...living the American dream.
I just don't get it...why...why on earth would you pay one million dollars for a piece of cardboard...it's not even a year old...it's just simply stupid...idiotic, and the reason that collecting baseball cards is now completely out of hand.
Forget that for a million dollars you could buy a 1952 Mickey Mantle, a 1954 Hank Aaron, a 1954 Al Kaline, a 1963 Pete Rose, a 1968 Nolan Ryan...and still have $900,000 left, but if you have a million dollars just laying around, then why don't you give that money to charity, to a children"s hospital, to the Veteran's of our country who need medical cars, or to take care of their families.
Baseball cards are supposed to be made for the enjoyment of young kids, and baseball fans who enjoy putting together card sets, who enjoy collecting card of their favorite players...by trading cards with each other..."hey, what do you want for that Steven Strasburg, I've got a Jason Heyward RC, a Albert Pujols RC, a Tim Lincecum RC, and a Ubaldo Jimenez RC, and oh, yeah, here's a Ken Griffey, JR RC...how about trading?
"Ok, sure, just add $999,000 and it's a done deal."
Friday, June 25, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Monday Mailbox
Today is Monday, June 21st, the first day of summer.
It is also day 2 of Vacation Bible School at our church....14 First Grade Boys being taught about God by my wife Tracy, and the volunteers of our church.
I only bring this up because we will be doing this all week, and so my time will be focused on the young boys learning about God, and the baseball cards will have to go on hold, although I did by some Topps Series 2 cards over the weekend, and yesterday my boy Chihuahua did get me a pack of Topps Opening Day and a pack of Topps Series 2 for Father's Day...yes, my wife bought the cards, and signed my dog's name. I will get to them in a later post.
Today I did receive a long awaited card, and one I wanted very much...
...thanks to Kishi, via ebay, for my beautiful 2007 Bowman Heritage Prospects BHP 37 Brennan Boesch.
The Brennan Boesch Collection now exists of two cards now...the first 2 of what I hope will be a great adventure, the collecting of a great young Tiger outfielder's baseball cards, renewing my energy and love of my Detroit Tigers, my favorite baseball team for over 40 years.
If you have any Brennan Boesch cards, or Tiger cards in general, feel free to leave a message about the cards you have, and what you would like in return.
p.s. check out the daily contest from Grand Cards...he's giving away a bunch of his cards. Every day he will let collectors know what's up for grabs, and the best deal will win that day's cards. It's a great thing being done by a cool guy, and a fantastic Tiger fan...dig out those Granderson cards and good luck.
It is also day 2 of Vacation Bible School at our church....14 First Grade Boys being taught about God by my wife Tracy, and the volunteers of our church.
I only bring this up because we will be doing this all week, and so my time will be focused on the young boys learning about God, and the baseball cards will have to go on hold, although I did by some Topps Series 2 cards over the weekend, and yesterday my boy Chihuahua did get me a pack of Topps Opening Day and a pack of Topps Series 2 for Father's Day...yes, my wife bought the cards, and signed my dog's name. I will get to them in a later post.
Today I did receive a long awaited card, and one I wanted very much...
...thanks to Kishi, via ebay, for my beautiful 2007 Bowman Heritage Prospects BHP 37 Brennan Boesch.
The Brennan Boesch Collection now exists of two cards now...the first 2 of what I hope will be a great adventure, the collecting of a great young Tiger outfielder's baseball cards, renewing my energy and love of my Detroit Tigers, my favorite baseball team for over 40 years.
If you have any Brennan Boesch cards, or Tiger cards in general, feel free to leave a message about the cards you have, and what you would like in return.
p.s. check out the daily contest from Grand Cards...he's giving away a bunch of his cards. Every day he will let collectors know what's up for grabs, and the best deal will win that day's cards. It's a great thing being done by a cool guy, and a fantastic Tiger fan...dig out those Granderson cards and good luck.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
My in box...Freehan cards
These are the cards I received in my mailbox the past week, or so....sorry, but I still can't scan cards, but once I do, i will post them.
2004 Bill Freehan Greats of the Game AUTO(GBA-BF)...thanks to MPH Cards of Virginia Beach, Virginia...the card is terrific, and it's a great addition to the collection.
1970 3D Bill Freehan #57 OF 75...thanks to Vintage Sports Cards of Danbury, Connecticut...this is a fantastic looking card, and another great find for my Freehan collection.
If any collectors out there have, or come across anything Bill Freehan, please leave me a note, and I will get back to you.
2004 Bill Freehan Greats of the Game AUTO(GBA-BF)...thanks to MPH Cards of Virginia Beach, Virginia...the card is terrific, and it's a great addition to the collection.
1970 3D Bill Freehan #57 OF 75...thanks to Vintage Sports Cards of Danbury, Connecticut...this is a fantastic looking card, and another great find for my Freehan collection.
If any collectors out there have, or come across anything Bill Freehan, please leave me a note, and I will get back to you.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Hello from the World Golf Village
You never know who will enter your life...
Mr. Alvarez is our host this weekend here in St. Augustine for a weekend marriage seminar. He and his wife are super people. We are truly blessed to have met Jose, who played in parts of 4 big league seasons with the Atlanta Braves, posting a 8-9 career record, with a 2.99 era.
For you die hard Braves fans, I found these card listings for Jose.
1989 Upper Deck #734
1989 Topps #253
1989 Fleer #585
1989 Donruss # 405(pictured to the left)
1990 Upper Deck #634
1990 Fleer Regular #574
1990 Donruss #389
Starting Sunday night, I will be adding Mr. Alvarez to my card collection. Again, you never know who will be put into your path, maybe even a big league ball player.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
My best baseball moments
Over on 30 year old cardboard, Bryan Appelbaum has asked his fellow baseball bloggers to look back at their favorite baseball moments, and list them in a top 10 format. As soon as I read this request my mind started to fire up, and so here are the 10 most memorable baseball happening since I started watching America's Pastime in the late 1960's...
#1...My first memory of Tiger Stadium, August 1st, 1969
During a conversation last month with my Uncle Bob, I asked him if he could remember the first time he took me to the famed old ball park at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull in downtown Detroit to watch the Tigers, and after thinking about it, he told me it was 1967, and that he took me every year, at least once, between 1967-1974, however, the first game I remember vividly was played on August 1st, 1969, as Denny McLain shutout the ChiSox 8-0, raising his record to 16-6(that made his record 47-12 since the start of 1968).
I remember the excitement as we road in the car, and the total amazement that I felt when I saw the massive stadium...wow, I thought, look how big it is!
Al Kaline drove in 2 runs, Willie Horton and Mickey Stanley had two hits each, and my baseball memory bank had been started.
#2...Nolan Ryan no-hits the Tigers
I'm 13 years old, my Uncle Bob is sitting next to me in the left field bleachers of Tiger Stadium, and I can't figure out why the fans were applauding, after all, the Tigers were losing...so I ask my Uncle, "why are they cheering the other team"...I didn't know what a no-hitter was...and after he explained what was going on, I still cheered for the Tigers to get a hit, but that didn't happen.
Other than Nolan Ryan throwing a no-hitter, along with 17 K's, what's most remembered about that game was what Tigers first baseman Norm Cash did in his last at bat against the Angels flame thrower...he came to bat with a table leg he had broken off in the Tigers clubhouse. As "Stormin Norman" told the home plate umpire..."...I can't do ant worse that I've done so far."
The umpire refused, of course, to allow Cash to use the table leg... Cash was retired, and the Halos won, 6-0.
#3...1970 All-Star game
The only baseball game I remember watching with my Dad, who wasn't a big sports fan...except when it came to his Boston Celtics...was when we were on vacation in northern Michigan, and we watched the 1970 All-Star Game, made famous, of course, by Pete Rose bowling over A.L. catcher Ray Fosse to score the winning run. It was a spectacular end to the game, the first All-Star Game I ever saw on TV.
#4...The Tigers on the road
Through my travels in life I have been fortunate to watch my beloved Tigers on the road, and in some of baseball's most famous ball parks. In 1987 I saw Allan Trammell hit a three run HR in a Tigers victory over the Orioles in old Memorial Stadium. My next visit to a Tigers-Birds game was not so memorable, except for the fact that I was in beautiful Camden Yard, the O's new home.
In 1988-89, while in the US Navy, I had the privilege of attending eight Red Sox games @ historic Fenway Park, including a game in which the Tigers beat the BoSox behind a HR by Lou Whittaker, and a stellar pitching performance by Frank Tananna. I was also fortunate to see Nolan Ryan, then a Texas Ranger, pitch on a ABC Monday Night Baseball Game of the Week, and see several great players like Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, and Lee Smith.
In 1992 I attended my one and only game @ "The House that Ruth Built," old Yankee Stadium...but the monuments were closed for repairs.
Other venues I've been fortunate to attend...Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Wrigley Field in Chicago(I was only 12, and I don't remember much", Shea Stadium, Joe Robbie Stadium, and Tropicana Field.
#5...The World Series, 1992
This is my one, and only appearance at a World Series. I was fortunate to get tickets to see the Twins and Braves play in Atlanta. Our seats were very far up in right center field, but the atmosphere of a World Series was fantastic.
#6...Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Game #1
My team, the Detroit Tigers, were scheduled to open up big league baseball in Tampa, and I just had to be there. I got tickets for games 2 and 3, but I had to scalp tickets to the first ever game in Devil Rays history...$50 bucks apiece...but I got in, and the Tigers beat the Devil Rays, 11-6. Hall of Famers Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and Al Rosen threw out first pitches...although I was so far up down the right field line that I couldn't see them.
#7...The "Bird is the Word"
To this day, 34 years and counting, no Tigers player, not Allan Trammell, Lou Whittaker, or Cecil Fielder caused a stir among Tigers fans like Mark Fidrych did in his rookie year of 1976, no one.
Fidrych simply captivated Tigers fans...he was energetic, running on and off the field, he talked to the baseball, telling it to stay low, and he manicured the pitchers mound, making sure it was to his liking, and he thanked his teammates for their play, even if it was a routine ground ball.
Recognize the guy raising his fist in the crowd behind Fidrych?
Yep, that's current Tigers Manager Jim Leyland and his Mom.
#8...My first Spring training games, 1978
My Dad took my brothers and I to see the Tigers play in Lakeland, Florida, the Tigers spring home since 1934...I have been back a few times, including 2006, when I took my bride to see the Tigers, and her favorite player, Pudge Rodriguez, and even though the Tigers lost, the reaction of my wife when she first saw Pudge in person, well, I'm sure my Uncle Bob saw the same reaction when I saw Bill Freehan for the first time. It was a priceless day...there is simply no place like Joker Marchant Stadium.
#9...Sweeping the D-Backs
In the summer of 2004 I went to a three game series @ Comerica Park, the Tigers vs. Arizona.
#1...My first memory of Tiger Stadium, August 1st, 1969
During a conversation last month with my Uncle Bob, I asked him if he could remember the first time he took me to the famed old ball park at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull in downtown Detroit to watch the Tigers, and after thinking about it, he told me it was 1967, and that he took me every year, at least once, between 1967-1974, however, the first game I remember vividly was played on August 1st, 1969, as Denny McLain shutout the ChiSox 8-0, raising his record to 16-6(that made his record 47-12 since the start of 1968).
I remember the excitement as we road in the car, and the total amazement that I felt when I saw the massive stadium...wow, I thought, look how big it is!
Al Kaline drove in 2 runs, Willie Horton and Mickey Stanley had two hits each, and my baseball memory bank had been started.
#2...Nolan Ryan no-hits the Tigers
I'm 13 years old, my Uncle Bob is sitting next to me in the left field bleachers of Tiger Stadium, and I can't figure out why the fans were applauding, after all, the Tigers were losing...so I ask my Uncle, "why are they cheering the other team"...I didn't know what a no-hitter was...and after he explained what was going on, I still cheered for the Tigers to get a hit, but that didn't happen.
Other than Nolan Ryan throwing a no-hitter, along with 17 K's, what's most remembered about that game was what Tigers first baseman Norm Cash did in his last at bat against the Angels flame thrower...he came to bat with a table leg he had broken off in the Tigers clubhouse. As "Stormin Norman" told the home plate umpire..."...I can't do ant worse that I've done so far."
The umpire refused, of course, to allow Cash to use the table leg... Cash was retired, and the Halos won, 6-0.
#3...1970 All-Star game
The only baseball game I remember watching with my Dad, who wasn't a big sports fan...except when it came to his Boston Celtics...was when we were on vacation in northern Michigan, and we watched the 1970 All-Star Game, made famous, of course, by Pete Rose bowling over A.L. catcher Ray Fosse to score the winning run. It was a spectacular end to the game, the first All-Star Game I ever saw on TV.
#4...The Tigers on the road
Through my travels in life I have been fortunate to watch my beloved Tigers on the road, and in some of baseball's most famous ball parks. In 1987 I saw Allan Trammell hit a three run HR in a Tigers victory over the Orioles in old Memorial Stadium. My next visit to a Tigers-Birds game was not so memorable, except for the fact that I was in beautiful Camden Yard, the O's new home.
In 1988-89, while in the US Navy, I had the privilege of attending eight Red Sox games @ historic Fenway Park, including a game in which the Tigers beat the BoSox behind a HR by Lou Whittaker, and a stellar pitching performance by Frank Tananna. I was also fortunate to see Nolan Ryan, then a Texas Ranger, pitch on a ABC Monday Night Baseball Game of the Week, and see several great players like Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, and Lee Smith.
In 1992 I attended my one and only game @ "The House that Ruth Built," old Yankee Stadium...but the monuments were closed for repairs.
Other venues I've been fortunate to attend...Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Wrigley Field in Chicago(I was only 12, and I don't remember much", Shea Stadium, Joe Robbie Stadium, and Tropicana Field.
#5...The World Series, 1992
This is my one, and only appearance at a World Series. I was fortunate to get tickets to see the Twins and Braves play in Atlanta. Our seats were very far up in right center field, but the atmosphere of a World Series was fantastic.
#6...Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Game #1
My team, the Detroit Tigers, were scheduled to open up big league baseball in Tampa, and I just had to be there. I got tickets for games 2 and 3, but I had to scalp tickets to the first ever game in Devil Rays history...$50 bucks apiece...but I got in, and the Tigers beat the Devil Rays, 11-6. Hall of Famers Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and Al Rosen threw out first pitches...although I was so far up down the right field line that I couldn't see them.
#7...The "Bird is the Word"
To this day, 34 years and counting, no Tigers player, not Allan Trammell, Lou Whittaker, or Cecil Fielder caused a stir among Tigers fans like Mark Fidrych did in his rookie year of 1976, no one.
Fidrych simply captivated Tigers fans...he was energetic, running on and off the field, he talked to the baseball, telling it to stay low, and he manicured the pitchers mound, making sure it was to his liking, and he thanked his teammates for their play, even if it was a routine ground ball.
Recognize the guy raising his fist in the crowd behind Fidrych?
Yep, that's current Tigers Manager Jim Leyland and his Mom.
#8...My first Spring training games, 1978
My Dad took my brothers and I to see the Tigers play in Lakeland, Florida, the Tigers spring home since 1934...I have been back a few times, including 2006, when I took my bride to see the Tigers, and her favorite player, Pudge Rodriguez, and even though the Tigers lost, the reaction of my wife when she first saw Pudge in person, well, I'm sure my Uncle Bob saw the same reaction when I saw Bill Freehan for the first time. It was a priceless day...there is simply no place like Joker Marchant Stadium.
#9...Sweeping the D-Backs
In the summer of 2004 I went to a three game series @ Comerica Park, the Tigers vs. Arizona.
Game 1 was won, 1-0, by the Tigers, but that was nothing...the next night night Tigers third baseman Eric Munson hit a walk off homer into the General Motors water falls in dead center field, and then, on a beautiful Sunday Afternoon, the Tigers were trailing in the bottom of the ninth when first baseman Carlos Pena hit a walk off Grand Slam HR to give a sell out crowd a day to remember forever.
#10...Meeting Ernie Harwell
Yes, this should be higher on the list, but as the saying goes, I've saved the best for last.
Last night I was going through some old boxes, and I found the ball that Ernie signed for me during a break in a spring game in the late 1990's. Like many thousands, if not millions, of young fans, I grew up, and learned about the Tigers by listening to the best play by play man in the history of baseball, Ernie Harwell.
God Bless you Ernie...
So, there you have it, my top baseball moments in my 40+ years of following Americas great game...baseball fans, always remember baseball fans, to swing hard in case you hit the ball, because you don't want to get caught "standing there like the house bu the side of the road."
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Today's Mail Box...6/01/10
As many of you know, Brennan Boesch is my favorite Tigers player to follow, heck I even created my own blog about Brennan...
www.thebrennanboeschblog.blogspot.com
I don't have a easy route to get cards...there are no card shops anywhere near me, and because of my disability I have limited funds...very limited. So, when I started searching the web...ebay...I quickly found out that the vultures had already pounced on Brennan's RC...2007 Bowman...a lot of variations...refractors...autographed cards...autographed refractors...enough...I just wanted Brennan's regular issue cards...and most of them were way out of my price range....but...
...after a successful bid...lots of bids, with several different bidders, I finally got a successful bid in, and the 2007 Brennan RC was mine, and after payment, and a long anticipated wait...I opened the mailbox today, ...and shazam, there it was...I collected all the mail, went back to the house, gave my wife her mail, and opened up the package like it was Christmas Day...there it was...my very own 2007 Brennan Boesch RC, now added to my collection of Detroit Tigers baseball cards, a collection that has spanned over 40 years...
So, thecollection of my favorite Tigers rookie since Mark Fidrych in 1976 is underway...and, please feel free to let me know if you have any of Brennan's RC's, either for trade, or for sale.
www.thebrennanboeschblog.blogspot.com
I don't have a easy route to get cards...there are no card shops anywhere near me, and because of my disability I have limited funds...very limited. So, when I started searching the web...ebay...I quickly found out that the vultures had already pounced on Brennan's RC...2007 Bowman...a lot of variations...refractors...autographed cards...autographed refractors...enough...I just wanted Brennan's regular issue cards...and most of them were way out of my price range....but...
...after a successful bid...lots of bids, with several different bidders, I finally got a successful bid in, and the 2007 Brennan RC was mine, and after payment, and a long anticipated wait...I opened the mailbox today, ...and shazam, there it was...I collected all the mail, went back to the house, gave my wife her mail, and opened up the package like it was Christmas Day...there it was...my very own 2007 Brennan Boesch RC, now added to my collection of Detroit Tigers baseball cards, a collection that has spanned over 40 years...
So, thecollection of my favorite Tigers rookie since Mark Fidrych in 1976 is underway...and, please feel free to let me know if you have any of Brennan's RC's, either for trade, or for sale.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)