Monday, July 12, 2010
More Mainstream Love for Allen & Ginter
Perhaps the "Strasburg Effect" is as responsible for this as anything else, but baseball cards seem to be getting an awful lot of mainstream media attention these days. First, there was this piece on A&G from ESPN.com. Now this.........
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The Voices of Baseball......Slowly Being Silenced
This time I write as a baseball fan first and card collector second. Over the past several years, baseball has lost several of the legends who drew people to the game with their eloquence as broadcasters and play-by-play men. Growing up in the South, I was probably predestined to become an Atlanta Braves fan, but Skip Caray certainly had a hand in making the whole experience palatable throughout the 80's when they were often the worst Major League Baseball had to offer. His death in 2008 was like losing a family member.......specifically the drunken uncle who kept everyone in stitches at the family reunion :-) There has also been the passing of Ernie Harwell and Harry Kalas, who were superstars in their respective cities.
Today brings the passing of a baseball voice of a different sort. Bob Sheppard was the PA announcer @ Yankee Stadium for 57 years. He was as much a part of Yankee history as Mantle, DiMaggio, Gehrig, Jeter, or Mattingly. He even parlayed his gig into a show biz career, with a total of 15 TV and film credits, and always playing one of two parts......"Himself" or "Yankee Stadium Announcer".
I'm not a Yankee fan, but I'm fascinated by the figures that have come and gone throughout Yankee history. In every TV piece I've ever seen on Bob Sheppard, he struck me as being the guy whose picture you'd see above the word "erudite" in the dictionary. A very well-read and first class gentleman, and the true definition of minimalism in a job where many of his colleagues prefer over the top. He knew he wasn't the show, so all he did was give you what a PA announcer is supposed to......the names of the folks who were part of the show.
Rest in peace, Bob. When I enter the pearly gates, I hope you announce my arrival.
Today brings the passing of a baseball voice of a different sort. Bob Sheppard was the PA announcer @ Yankee Stadium for 57 years. He was as much a part of Yankee history as Mantle, DiMaggio, Gehrig, Jeter, or Mattingly. He even parlayed his gig into a show biz career, with a total of 15 TV and film credits, and always playing one of two parts......"Himself" or "Yankee Stadium Announcer".
I'm not a Yankee fan, but I'm fascinated by the figures that have come and gone throughout Yankee history. In every TV piece I've ever seen on Bob Sheppard, he struck me as being the guy whose picture you'd see above the word "erudite" in the dictionary. A very well-read and first class gentleman, and the true definition of minimalism in a job where many of his colleagues prefer over the top. He knew he wasn't the show, so all he did was give you what a PA announcer is supposed to......the names of the folks who were part of the show.
Rest in peace, Bob. When I enter the pearly gates, I hope you announce my arrival.
ESPN.com: Yankees announcer Sheppard dies
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The (Un)usual Suspects
One of my favorite card sets over the past few years has been Allen & Ginter. Topps has done a nice job going retro, and the 2010 set is no exception. What I've always liked most about the A&G set is that it's part sports, part (rather expensive) history lesson, and part pop culture. I enjoy the thrill of the non-sports pulls from a box as much as the baseball related "hits".
Here are some of the highlights from this year's cast of non-sports characters......
ESPN.com: Jordin Sparks, Stuart Scott in card set
Here are some of the highlights from this year's cast of non-sports characters......
ESPN.com: Jordin Sparks, Stuart Scott in card set
"The Decision" = All Smiles For Upper Deck
In a year of nothing but relatively bad news for Upper Deck, Thursday provided a silver lining......
Upper Deck Blog: LeBron James to Stay with the Team
Who knows what shape Upper Deck will take in the future, or if this alone will be enough to pull them back from the edge of the cliff? I'm thinking they might get out of the card business, but be able to fight on in the high end autograph business. Regardless, the sound you heard @ Upper Deck headquarters following "The Decision" could be that of a corner being turned.
Upper Deck Blog: LeBron James to Stay with the Team
Who knows what shape Upper Deck will take in the future, or if this alone will be enough to pull them back from the edge of the cliff? I'm thinking they might get out of the card business, but be able to fight on in the high end autograph business. Regardless, the sound you heard @ Upper Deck headquarters following "The Decision" could be that of a corner being turned.
Friday, July 9, 2010
This Week In Sports Cards
Welcome to a new feature at Airwaves, Baseball Cards, and Me.....This Week In Sports Cards, where we scour the Web so you don't have to for the latest in sports card and collectibles news!
- For those on the West Coast and anyone else headed to FanFest, appraisers will be on hand to give you the true value of your baseball cards and memorabilia.....AND to let you know whether or not that autograph is fake!
- Glenn Davis (a regular guy from Delaware, not the former Houston Astros 1st baseman in the 80's) has given a truly great gift to collectors and is instantly the best friend of the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum in Baltimore
- The passing of a sportswriter conjures up memories of one of his most memorable stories......the Nolan Ryan rookie card that sold for $12!!
- An uncut sheet including the famous T206 Honus Wagner will be auctioned @ FanFest
- Strasburg Mania keeps on...........
- ...........and on
Monday, June 14, 2010
Before & After (& Back To Before)......Armando Galarraga
Ebay often provides the ultimate roller coaster ride of memorabilia value for players who suddenly find themselves in the spotlight for all the right or wrong reasons.
Our spotlight today is on Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga, artist of Major League Baseball's greatest "perfect game that wasn't actually a perfect game" on June 2nd. A look at his 2008 Bowman Sterling Autographed rookie card is a perfect example of how fleeting some moments can be in the ebb and flow of card values. Hours before the blown call heard around the world, the card could be had for just over $3.oo (a little over $6.0o w/ shipping). Several hours later, impulse buyers caused a 483% spike in the value of that same card!! Not quite 2 weeks removed from the moment, and following a far more pedestrian outing in his next start, we're pretty much back where we started.
Moral here? If you happen to be in front of the TV on any given night and hear that sports history is in the making, scour through that card collection, put everything you've got with the face of the player involved on eBay (1 day auction would be recommended in this case), and don't worry about your indirect involvement in someone else's buyer's remorse a week later :-)
Our spotlight today is on Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga, artist of Major League Baseball's greatest "perfect game that wasn't actually a perfect game" on June 2nd. A look at his 2008 Bowman Sterling Autographed rookie card is a perfect example of how fleeting some moments can be in the ebb and flow of card values. Hours before the blown call heard around the world, the card could be had for just over $3.oo (a little over $6.0o w/ shipping). Several hours later, impulse buyers caused a 483% spike in the value of that same card!! Not quite 2 weeks removed from the moment, and following a far more pedestrian outing in his next start, we're pretty much back where we started.
Moral here? If you happen to be in front of the TV on any given night and hear that sports history is in the making, scour through that card collection, put everything you've got with the face of the player involved on eBay (1 day auction would be recommended in this case), and don't worry about your indirect involvement in someone else's buyer's remorse a week later :-)
The madness continues.....
With 2 pretty dominant major league starts behind him now, Stephen Strasburg continues to bring the sports card collecting hobby attention unseen since the arrival of the recently retired Ken Griffey, Jr. 21 years ago.
The first major cash-in on the rarities of all things Strasburg came on May 29 with the $16,000+ haul on a 2010 Bowman Strasburg "superfractor".....a true 1/1. Now the other major Strasburg treasure, the 2010 Bowman Red 1/1 autographed card, has been found and can be yours on eBay......for a small fee that can be negotiated.
My best advice for anyone holding anything Strasburg and looking to make money is SELL NOW!!! As anyone who discovered the hobby in the 80's and 90's can tell you......holding onto rookie cards has its ebbs and flows as value goes, and most collectors don't make their living on Wall Street for a reason :-)
The first major cash-in on the rarities of all things Strasburg came on May 29 with the $16,000+ haul on a 2010 Bowman Strasburg "superfractor".....a true 1/1. Now the other major Strasburg treasure, the 2010 Bowman Red 1/1 autographed card, has been found and can be yours on eBay......for a small fee that can be negotiated.
My best advice for anyone holding anything Strasburg and looking to make money is SELL NOW!!! As anyone who discovered the hobby in the 80's and 90's can tell you......holding onto rookie cards has its ebbs and flows as value goes, and most collectors don't make their living on Wall Street for a reason :-)
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