Technology and is it disease

I the world of the NFL nothing these days seems to be a shock, from spygate a few years back to Aaron Hernandez, to the now most imfamous video that has reared it's ugly head with one word that well is not worth repeating.  But in the year 2013 with the internet, and cell phone video when does the privacy of an individual set president from your job to when your in your off time.  Cooper was never one I thought of being a great WR for the Eagles yet alone the NFL, but someone decided that turn on that cell phone and demand that Cooper pay up or they were going to release the video.  

Now lets talk about this gentleman,  he is a mulitmilllionare and agent, and team owner, how did he get to be on top, with Rap music that while entertaining, is laced with the same word that Riley Cooper used just once in a off moment.  People say that race is at hand who says the word, how it's used,  my main point is in sports there is no double standard,  everyone has there off moments but tell me what seperates these two individuals.  If it is the color of there skin, God help us all.  

No debate on the greatest

So yes the Miami Heat have won another title and the debate is still going is Lebron better than Jordan, and I loathe that question, the card to the left doesn't exsist but if it did in 1984 his rookie year I think it would be better than any Lebron card ever made.  Jordan was in a time when the NBA meant something, and as another great said this past season if Lebron played in the 80's or 90's he be average.  I'm not a Lebron hater I just don't think he's that good yet.  Jordan built the team around him, in Miami to many diva's.  Jordan will always be the King of the Court. 

The end of an era

Back in 1986, I had a dream that one day I would have a collection that would amaze everyone that saw it over the past 27 years I had every card that anyone could have ever wanted from a 1986 Jordan Rc to Autos and game bats of the greatest players every to be produced.  When the odds were stacked as I was told back in 1999 I had a horseshoe in my ass for the things that I was pulling.  I even had a 1911 Honus Wagner that was a crown jewel of my collection.  Toward the end I was putting topps sets together like nobody's business,  but with the closure of a local shop, and the responsiblity of growning up, my dream that started 27 years ago is gone.  This picture could not even scope what I had,  but it was a fun ride.  To anyone who reads this the advise I have for you is do what you like, make your dreams a reality, never limit yourself to becoming old to quick.  Maybe one day I'll be back.. but then again, once you sell your dreams they are hard to get back.....

Donruss and where these came from

Back in the early 2000's as card companies were going out of business, instantly cards that no one ever heard of started to appear as that loss of companies was apparent, so was the inventory that they had hidding away.  Here is my delima,  I heard in 1990 Donruss was testing a glossy set called Donruss Aqueous Test, #'s vary from one to 5 on the cards depending on player.  But then a few months ago I saw these on ebay and they are much more rare thatn the Aqueous Test cards, but where did they come from.  They are Blue test paper cards and years vary from 1981 to 1992 and they are cut by hand and I only seen a few graded.  While the regular 1990 Donruss set is worth about $9-$15 dollars, these cards are going between $10.00 and $300.00 per card.  I hate to say that while even as the 90's cards are worth nothing, how come in took a decade to put some value back in the market.   As I will never know how these cards came to be, it would be interesting to find out just what else is going to surface.....oh yeah I do know and that is a different blog topic for a later date.   

Good bye old friend

Early this year, I walked into my local card shop for the last time, not because of anything the owner did, but because my local card shop was closing, I walked in and he was packing everything up, a couple days later it was gone, 23 years of visiting, buying and trading, gone in the blink of an eye.  I never told the owner this but when I got home I cried like a little school girl, another piece of my childhood gone.  There are still shops around, but not like his, this guy had everything you could have ever wanted, and if you needed something if you looked hard enough it was there.  I started my visits in 1993, and out of his shop I pulled many, many beautiful cards, in 1993 a first day production of Mike Piazza, in 1997 a Tony Gywnn game jersey, in 2000 a Ty Cobb bat, but the real enjoyment if you need a set any year he had them.  If you needed commons he had them, old odd wax he had them, uncut sheet yes those too.   The industry did get a little expensive and I can only think that the over head plus product was a reflection of the hobby, I have always dreamed about opening my own hobby shop, what he had was my dream.   So if you have a local shop take the time to visit them,  because one day they will be gone, and my son's will never know what it was like to have that experience of buying a pack from a brick and mortar store like I did for 23 years.

Pack searching my thoughs

I have been collecting cards for about 28 years, and in the old days sights like this were never there.  But because the hobby has added a lot of colorful aspects to packs, going to Wal mart or Target your going to see this at least once,  a guy in mid 20's to 30's handling packs like he should to his wife or girlfriend to find that big hit.  Now I have noticed that over the past 3 years big hits have been coming out of retail packs from a Abe Lincoln cut autograph, to limited patch cards #ed to 10, but I don't blame the searchers I blame the companies who produce the cards.  Topps, Upper Deck, and Panni should have gone with the plain white or so so auto's for these packs, and left the big hits to the hobby products, but they had to give the collector something to chase, I for one will not ever EVER buy loose retail packs, I only collect Topps sets so it would not be an issue, but I think this has turned a lot of people off to the hobby.  I once saw someone in a Target doing this, asked security to do something, they basically said they can't, but it goes farther there are dealers that pay the employees to do this not only with packs, but the Mcfarlane chase figures as well.  So my solution, there is no solution the only thing you can do is just watch.  Thankfully I'm not that desperate to fondle packs,  PACK searching is not a crime, but I will never lower my standards.

What if in 91 he was Strasburg

In 1991 Topps had this one of a kind idea make a gold set exclusive but make it 793 cards and make the # 1 prospect 793 with an auto, collectors will go nuts,  they did when he broke his arm and never pitched a game in the majors.  This card was once valued at $100.00, that's not including the rest of the 792 card, today they range any where from $10.00-$15.00,  but what if this bust was in fact the first Steven Strasburg of the hobby, lets just say for giggles Taylor had Nolan Ryan #'s at the end of his career, would the 1992 Topps auto have propelled the autograph age for future sets.  93 Piazza, 92 maybe a Chipper, it would be a few more years before prospect autos would appear, but I would think if Taylor panned out, the 90's would have produced the first autograph prospect cards.