Archive for August, 2009
Collector of the Month: A Family Hockey Collection
Posted by: | CommentsEach month Upper Deck will spotlight one of our valued collectors to showcase their collection. The great thing about sports collectors is that they are all very different in what they collect, how they collect items and what they do once they have them. This month we spend some time with a family that set out to do what many would perceive as the impossible. Meet Steph Felx, Regent Felx and Maryse Grignon from Montreal, Quebec.
“My family and I have been investing in a master collection hockey cards project of which could be described as somewhat unique and probably statistically almost impossible to complete,” said Maryse.
“My father-in-law Regent has been a die-hard hockey card collector all his life. He initiated his son Steph when he was 8 years old to collect hockey cards. Anyone who has ever been to Montreal knows that the Canadiens are almost a religion here because of the team’s lengthy history and significance in Quebec. The sweaters have even been referred to as ‘La Sainte-Flanelle’ (the holy flannel sweaters). Collecting hockey cards has always been a great way to own something from our hometown players that we treasure.”
“The Felx family lived only a few doors away from the great Penguins’ principal owner Mario Lemieux’s family house in Ville-Émard. Being almost the same age as Mario growing up, Steph and his friends had the chance to play hockey in the backstreets with him and watch hockey games in the basement of the Lemieux’s house. Mario’s mother would set this up for the kids when certain games were not on the local channels!”
“Years later after Steph and I had married, during the 2006 holiday season, Steph and his father decided to start collecting the 2005-06 Upper Deck Ice collection together. They picked this particular master collection because it features eye catching signature acetate patch cards and because they felt it included some of the best looking cards that year. The acetate autographs marked a milestone in the hockey card industry, being that no other set has ever featured patch card versions of acetate autographs.”
“The 2005-06 Upper Deck Ice Hockey is particularly interesting because it is the year after the NHL Lockout and so the set is jam packed with two years of top rookies like Crosby, Ovechkin, Ward, Vanek, Phaneuf, Brule, Lundqvist, Carter, Richards, Getzlaf and many more. There are also a variety of rare cards signed by Gretzky, Roy and more.”
“We have invested tons of money and more than 3 years to develop this master set puzzle of 1028 cards when almost 70% of the cards have serial numbers out of /10, 15/, 35, 50, and so on. We experienced challenges when some of the single cards value skyrocketed up to $7000 on auction sites like eBay. It has been an intense treasure hunt to locate each precious card that has mixed frustration and great thrills together and through it all, most of the time people were telling us that we were crazy and would never finish it.”
“With Steph and Regent not being very computer savvy, I was recruited as the eBay agent! At the time we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into (financially, time-wise etc.), but this hobby became a fun part of our cold winter nights where we were hunting down cards on the internet. We tried different strategies like buying boxes and going to sports cards shows, but we needed eBay in order to find cards from sellers all over the world.”
“We knew there was a possibility that we would never finish the collection, but we would motivate each other not to give up and to keep the faith. Once we had only ten cards missing, the excitement grew. I don’t think you can fully understand the thrill we felt when we received the last card missing from Canada Post! It has truly been a great family hobby that has brought us all closer.”
I inquired with Maryse if they would ever consider selling such a rare collection and she indicated that they would really have to think about it. It’s obvious they formed a great bond over that set, but maybe they are looking to take on another challenge of compiling another master collection in 2009/10. Contact information should you have any questions for Maryse and more images of their set are available below:
Maryse Grignon – magrignon@videotron.ca
http://www.pixelopiadesign.com/udice/index.htm
Popularity: unranked [?]
Visiting Wrigley Field: My Rooftop Experience
Posted by: | CommentsI grew up a diehard baseball fan (from the time I could walk, really), and there is definitely a “dream list” of places I knew I HAD to visit at least once, or else my hardball life just wasn’t going to be complete: Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Cooperstown, and so on. I’m ecstatic to say, I just got to check one of those places off my list two weekends ago when I caught a game in the “Friendly Confines” of Wrigley Field!
So what is it about Wrigley that makes every true baseball fan want to go visit? All I can say is that it definitely has a magic and flair all of its own (very similar to the city of Chicago itself for that matter). I grew up and have spent my whole life out west and am a huge Dodger fan from birth, but I have no regrets saying that taking a game in at Wrigley Field to “root, root, root for the Cuuuubbbbiesssss” is something that is tough to beat.
That last statement takes nothing away from my love for the Dodgers by the way. I can’t tell you how exciting it was to see my Blue Crew beat the Cubs down in last year’s playoffs. I even got to watch us clinch the series in Game 3 at beautiful Dodger Stadium (one of the single most exciting sports events of my life). And I pray for our chance to face the “Lovable Losers” again in this year’s playoffs; come on now, who wouldn’t? The odds are on your side!
But regardless of performance, nothing can change the fact that the Wrigley Experience is a tradition like no other . . .
The place is magical and so was my trip there. We arrived at the famous Addison train stop via the Red Line around 10:45 AM. With game time being the Wrigley-standard 1:20 PM, we had plenty of time to see the “sights” around the park (a.k.a. Wrigleyville). I was amazed! It wasn’t even 11 in the morning on a work day (Friday) and the streets were lined with people, the bars were packed, and fervor was in the air. I took it all in, and couldn’t help but say to myself, “This is my kind of place!” You couldn’t get this much pandemonium for a playoff game in our local Petco Park (I know it doesn’t happen often), much less for a weekday afternoon game against the lowly Pirates (as I wrote that last line, all of the Padre fans, and sole Pirates fan at work shot death-stares my way).
After spending some time in many of the fine Wrigleyville establishments (and by the way there are more than you can count), we made it to the front of the stadium, which was packed with people trying to snap a picture of themselves in front of the famous Wrigley Field sign (myself included). There was even a self-proclaimed “Photo Guy” there, who works for tips by lying down on the concrete and taking people’s pictures in front of the sign, because “that is the best angle” (according to him). Whatever he is doing, he’s making a killing and I (briefly) contemplated a career change.
The game was one-of-a-kind. We decided to take part in the “party with a view”: the famous, or infamous (depending on how you look at it) Wrigley Field rooftops. All-you-can eat, all-you-can-drink . . . and let me tell you, they did not disappoint. But the best part is still just getting to see in person all of the historic parts of Wrigley that you have seen a thousand times on TV…
The ivy-covered walls
The 7th-inning stretch
The old-school scoreboard in center field
The view of the rooftops
The famous Wrigley Field sign
The opposing team’s home-run balls that come flying back onto the field from the stands
Wrigleyville, day games, the smell of Chicago deep dish pizza, and of course…
The raising of the Cubs Win flag and crowd busting out an inebriated version of “Go, Cubs, Go!”
I’m pretty sure the flag was already raised and murmurs of “Go, Cubs, Go” could be heard around the park half way through the game, as I got to be the lucky spectator of the 17-2 shellacking the Northsiders put on the Bucs that day. Never mind that they plated four in the opening frame, they took it to another level in the 2nd and put up a 10-spot! With all those runs, I was waiting for them to ask me to step out of the stands and join the merry-go-round on the base-paths. Unfortunately, my invitation never came.
It still was a sight to see though. The last time the Cubs scored 14 in the first two innings, it was 1906 and Wrigley Field didn’t even exist. So getting to take part in history is always a memorable experience. Speaking of history for a second…Derek Lee had seven RBI’s through only four innings, only to have Sweet Lou pull him from the ballgame! I understand that the manager’s number one concern has to be about protecting a player from injury, and yada, yada, yada, but come on Lou! We were more than halfway to seeing a historic performance (the current most RBI’s in a game is 12) and you gotta do this to us?! I never saw the anticipation balloon pop quicker among Cubs fans since . . . well . . . since last year’s playoff sweep (sorry Cubs fans, I had to do it).
Here’s where I make it up to you though . . .
Even though the blowout was in full effect by the end of the 2nd, the Cubbie faithful were there to the end, cheering, screaming, and taking part in America’s pastime. You can’t say that about most fan bases in a rout of such drastic proportions. But that is exactly what makes this place so unique: it’s built on tradition and has a charm all of its own. It is everything a baseball stadium should be; nothing more, nothing less. And watching a ballgame there is an experience I will truly cherish forever. My “dream list” just got a little shorter. Thanks Wrigley!
I wouldn’t be a true Upper Deck employee if I didn’t bring some packs to the people on my trip to Wrigley. Check out some pictures of the lucky recipients.
Three young Cubs fans get their hands on some Upper Deck cards.
Opening Upper Deck packs at Wrigley is a true family experience.
The Wrigley Done Right rooftop crew love what they find in their pack of UD Icons.
Opening a pack of Upper Deck baseball cards on the Wrigley field rooftops…priceless.
Derek Lee cards always seem to make the Cubbie faithful happy.
Even the Pirates fans joined in on the fun.
Cubs fan pulls his favorite player, Kosuke Fukudome!
Two young ladies enjoyed their packs of Upper Deck cards. Big winner on the right with a Cole Hamels jersey card!
Popularity: unranked [?]
NFL 2009 Preseason Surprises
Posted by: | CommentsJust so you know where I stand, I am one of those fans who believes that the preseason should be two games—three at the most. I don’t like seeing my fantasy running backs tweak their ankles in games that don’t matter.
Still, preseason does bring us some good things. I mean, there are only so many reruns of “Burn Notice” and “UFC Unleashed” I can take. And, hey, at least it’s football. Preseason games always remind me of how crisp the NFL game is, even if these teams are only operating at about 75 percent. Seeing Peyton Manning fire one into Dallas Clark’s hands from 20 yards away is a thing of beauty.
Somewhere in the first quarter of the Cowboys-Titans game I started to think about how there are surprises in the preseason every year. Fans knee-jerk on rookies who have impressive games. Some of last year’s bad teams actually look like they could matter this year.
So, I jotted down some of this year’s preseason surprises, knowing full well that most may not matter a lick in about two weeks when “real” football gets underway.
But you never know.
49ers Throw it Back
At first I thought it was just some preseason tease: The 49ers were decked out in uniforms that looked very similar to their dynasty-era unis, and man did they look sweet! I grew up a big Dallas Cowboys fan, but I always loved those red and gold uniforms with the plain numbers. They’re the ones on all of my 49ers football cards and Starting Lineup figurines from back in the day. Seriously, I could stop down and watch an entire 49ers-Raiders game just to be swept back to the days of Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott and John Taylor. Great move by the ’Niners!
Unassuming Rookie Running Backs
Yes, rookies get more playing time in the preseason, which lends itself to more exposure and more chances to break out. Some rookies disappear once September rolls around, but preseason games do give us some idea of the potential of some young players.
Knowshon Moreno, Donald Brown and Chris Wells were the first-round picks, and Brown (Colts) is actually looking like he could steal a lot of carries away from Joseph Addai; but there are several other rookie runners who are turning heads.
LeSean McCoy (Eagles), Javon Ringer (Titans), James Davis (Browns), Glen Coffee (49ers), Tyrell Sutton (Packers), Kory Sheets (49ers) and Lex Hilliard (Dolphins) are second-round to undrafted players. Each has a good per-carry average and has looked ready for the NFL.
McCoy has worked with the first-team offense since Brian Westbrook has been healing from an injury, which will only help McCoy when he does need to step in for Westbrook. Davis, a sixth-round pick, broke an 81-yard touchdown in his second game. Coffee (looking great in that new uniform!) had 129 yards on 16 carries against the Raiders.
No Love for Edgerrin James or Marvin Harrison
They’re not that old, are they? The last time I saw Edgerrin James (just 31) he was busy helping the Cardinals through the playoffs after the team essentially wrote him off for most of the season. And Harrison, well, he’s only one of the greatest receivers to every play the game. You mean to tell me that there’s a spot on a team for a seven-round draft pick and not Marvin Harrison?
Maybe I’m missing something and these guys want to retire, or maybe they caught the swine flu over the summer. I just know that if they showed up on my front porch, I’d sign ’em up. (Edgerrin or Marvin: If you’re reading this, our flag football league gets going in about four weeks. We play on Saturday mornings and we’re not half bad. I can’t pay you, though. In fact, it’s $35 to cover league fees and your jersey. We might be able to find a spot for ya.)
Favre and Vick Sagas
Can the preseason handle two QB sagas? Apparently so.
We all knew that Vick was returning to the NFL, and as good as Favre is at throwing touchdowns, he stinks at retiring.
Vick with the Eagles really is a great fit. The Eagles love to run by throwing, and just getting the ball in Vick’s hands will make the offense tough to stop (especially with Brian Westbrook, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Macklin). Vick will also play some QB, but when will all this happen? Roger Goodell will decide by Week 6.
Favre joins the Vikings no doubt in another effort to stick it to the Packers. He has one of the top rushing attacks in the game, so Favre won’t have to sling it out to win games. This should also benefit Adrian Peterson, as defenses will have to worry about Favre.
Having said that, I have always liked watching Favre, but I’m sure ready for him to retire. At least he will get another record—most consecutive starts by any player.
No Michael Crabtree
OK, so this really isn’t a surprise. Crabtree is being mentored by Deion Sanders, but if the guy thinks he should get paid like the top receiver in the draft, he really needs to pull up April’s first-round draft results.
Yo, Mike, you weren’t the first receiver drafted.
This is what I hate about rookies. They want all the money up front. I just don’t remember demanding that in my last job interview: “Yeah, I just graduated college and have no significant real-world experience, but I’m gonna need about $100K a year plus a $20,000 signing bonus before I show up for training.”
Crabtree is only hurting himself. If he’s as good as he thinks he is, the money will be there. Let’s just catch a pass first, shall we?
The Raiders
Every year one team due for a good season catches my eye. This year it’s the Raiders.
I know that I’m probably just getting sucked in and that the preseason is more about individual players than how teams perform, but the Raiders have surprised me.
JaMarcus Russell looks like he’s “getting it” and they still have Jeff Garcia even if he doesn’t get it. Darren McFadden should break out this year, and don’t overlook a healthy Michael Bush. The receivers need to step up, but I think the Raiders could challenge the Chargers this year in the AFC West.
David Lee is a Dallas-based writer, and the former editor of Beckett Football and Beckett Basketball. To see more of his work, visit his website at www.MrWriteMedia.com.
Popularity: unranked [?]
The 2009 NHL Rookie Photo Shoot
Posted by: | CommentsThe inaugural Upper Deck NHL Rookie Photo Shoot takes place this week on Wednesday, August 26, and will provide Upper Deck’s creative and marketing teams with an excellent opportunity to get up-close, quality time with many of the league’s top rookies. A total of 15 up-and-comers will be participating in the event, which will be held at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. In year’s past, Upper Deck has participated in similar trading card shoots with rookies from both the NFL and NBA and it has always generated plenty of terrific photography and moments to be captured on future card releases.
As the NHL’s sole trading card licensee, Wednesday’s event (which includes four shooting stations) gives Upper Deck its first chance to photograph the players wearing their new professional teams’ uniforms in a hockey environment. These photographs will be used inside many of Upper Deck’s upcoming launches starting with 2009-10 Upper Deck Series One Hockey in Nov. (provided the player skates on Opening Night). The four stations include: 1.) on-ice action; 2.) video footage, which was added largely based on the popularity and YouTube views of UD’s recent NFL TD Dance Challenge video; 3.) portraits; and 4.) memorabilia/autograph signings.
Rookie cards and, of course, autographed and or memorabilia cards featuring the players, are highly coveted by hockey card collectors the world over. And as the only company producing NHL-licensed trading card products, this is an opportunity and a privilege that Upper Deck takes very seriously. For the record, Upper Deck has been producing hockey trading cards since 1990 and has been the sole producer of NHL-licensed hockey cards since the 2004-05 season.
This year’s class of up-and-coming talent has many outstanding individuals to showcase including the top 3 overall picks from the 2009 NHL Draft: John Tavares (No. 1), NY Islanders; Victor Hedman (No. 2), Tampa Bay Lightning; and Matt Duchene (No. 3), Colorado Avalanche. Other players scheduled to be on hand include: Jared Cowen (Ottawa Senators); Colin Wilson (Nashville Predators); Cody Hodgson (Vancouver Canucks); Tyler Myers (Buffalo Sabres); James VanReimsdyk (Philadelphia Flyers); Logan Couture (San Jose Sharks); Mikael Backlund (Calgary Flames); Eric Tangradi (Pittsburgh Penguins); PK Subban (Montreal Canadiens); Bobby Sanguinetti (NY Rangers); Tyler Bozak (Toronto Maple Leafs) ; and Jonas Gustavsson (Toronto Maple Leafs), the latter being the only goaltender at hand.
Check back later this week for unique photos and video footage taken at the event. As part of the incentive plan to get the rookies pumped and ready to partake in our viral-based videos, we’ll be awarding one LeBron James-signed Cavaliers jersey to the NHL newcomer that comes up with the best trick-shot assortment. It should turn out to be a real lamp-lighter!
Why a LeBron James-signed jersey, you ask? Because he’s an exclusive Upper Deck spokesmen and he’s the NBA’s reigning league MVP. Enough said.
Popularity: unranked [?]
Andrew Long: A Rookie Gaining Momentum
Posted by: | CommentsYou won’t find him starting for your favorite team. Upper Deck doesn’t have any plans of making a trading card for him anytime soon. You may, however, see his name in lights someday.
His name is Andrew Long and he’s a self-professed sports card super-fan who is dedicated to putting a smile on the faces of collectors and sports fans around the world.
Over the past few months, Andrew has written, directed and starred in a variety of short films that have been receiving accolades from the majority of collectors watching. We sat down with him recently to find a little bit more about what makes him tick and what we can expect next.
UpperDeckBlog: Give us some background on you. How old are you? How did you get into card collecting and acting/directing?
Andrew Long: You’re right, let’s do the boring biographical stuff first. I’m 28 and I got into card collecting as a collateral interest to hockey, which I fell in love with around age 10 or so. My interest in cards waned in high school, but a few years ago I impulsively bought a few Target blasters and after pulling a Jagr game-used card, I was sucked back in. Sports cards in general have become way more ambitious which is exciting.
Getting into acting was unexpected. In truth, I’m not sure that I’m actually “into” acting, I’m into comedy. I was never into acting, but I always loved the improv show, “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” My mother was looking up acting parts for my sister and spotted an open audition for an improv comedy troupe. I went and auditioned, without a headshot or resume. Being on that audition stage and doing what they were asking me to do felt great. It felt natural and I loved the freedom of it. I must have done okay, because I got a call the next day with an invitation to join.
Directing is nothing but a necessary evil to ensure the humor comes off right. My partner and I share that duty, as he has a terrific visual imagination and I have a good nose for what can be exploited in a comedic manner.
UpperDeckBlog: So there have been thousands and thousands of collectors making box break videos where they open Upper Deck products on film and show off what they got. What gave you the idea to do something so different with videos like the “Packs to the People” series?
Andrew Long: When I don’t have money to spend on cards, I turn to the vicarious thrill of YouTube breaks to tide me over. However, the breaks themselves bore me as they are usually long and boring. When we made the first video for a contest on SportsCardForum.com, I just tried to think of something I’d want to watch. I like breaks. I like getting into trouble. And just like that, “Packs to the People” was born.
UpperDeckBlog: What has been the response to the “Packs to the People” series so far?
Andrew Long: People have been overwhelmingly positive and supportive so far. These videos are fun, but they serve the hobby on many levels. My goal was to get people who don’t collect cards to start doing so. Most people aren’t aware that Upper Deck even inserts game-used memorabilia and autographed cards; so when I show them what they can pull, their reactions are pretty interesting and help to make the videos fun to watch for people very familiar with card collecting.
UpperDeckBlog: Your last two videos in particular for SP Legendary Cuts and Draft Edition Basketball have been getting some really positive reviews. Do you have any funny stories about filming those and anything interesting that may have ended up on the cutting room floor?
Andrew Long: Well, there are always people hesitant to appear on camera, but particularly so with Legendary Cuts. Lots of those are funny, but we don’t film them all. All I’m asking people to do is open a pack of trading cards on camera, but it’s like they hear me asking for their ATM pin code.
There was plenty of funny stuff I loved that didn’t make it into the Draft Edition video. There was one segment I liked in particular where I had convinced a young lady that Kevin Garnett regularly comes over to my house, because I am a master Vietnamese chef and I cook him all his favorite Vietnamese dishes.
UpperDeckBlog: You seem to have no fear going up and talking to complete strangers or star athletes, have you always been like that?
Andrew Long: Since I was a teen, I’ve had something of an audacious streak, but make no mistake: I’m afraid. I’ve learned from experience that all the best stuff in my life has come when I’ve put aside my fear and just gone for it. A lot of this ability came to me when I was learning comedy. You learn to cope with the looming danger of utter failure and complete embarrassment.
UpperDeckBlog: Your upcoming video for Upper Deck’s The Cup Hockey brings you back to your favorite sport, but it will be a much different video than collectors have seen before, tell us a bit about it.
Andrew Long: It provides a comical reason for The Cup being delayed delayed. It involves the most diabolical of human tendencies with Shakespeare’s favorite emotion: jealousy. Well, sort of. It’s really just our fun version of a summer blockbuster action movie. Part of the humor we were shooting for was to obviously be targeting a big budget-type feel while actually producing a very amateur looking movie. With any luck, it’ll strike a nice balance.
UpperDeckBlog: There are a lot more characters in this video than you’ve had in prior videos, tell us a bit about who the characters are and the actors who play them.
Andrew Long: My co-star in the video is my good friend, Brian Han. His natural personality is incredibly good for comedy. He has a flat, very bottom-line air about him, with one of the most acute and sophisticated senses of humor I’ve ever come across.
Rob Guzzo and Todd Lyons play the henchmen in our movie. Rob Guzzo was a Navy SEAL for five years. You can tell the man knows how to kick some butt. Todd Lyons is a solid commercial actor, and looks good with a fake mustache (wait for it, you’ll see). I felt really lucky to get both, they were both fun to work with.
The lead villain is Jonathan Lucero who is an up-and-coming actor who is a veteran of the Orange County community theater circuit. He and I made Upper Deck history together, as you will soon see.
UpperDeckBlog: So you filmed portions of the video at Upper Deck Headquarters. Most collectors would really enjoy an experience getting to go behind the curtain so to speak. What were some of the more unique things you saw that excited you there?
Andrew Long: The first time I was there, I walked into the room where they keep a lot of juicier stuff and sitting on the desk, about to be sent out, was a Michael Jordan autographed buyback rookie card. I was like, oh look, a $15,000 card. We saw some autographs that were yet to be made for the 2009 SP Legendary Cuts Mystery Cuts and Prominent Cuts including Bruce Lee and Sigmund Freud which was really cool. Seeing the manufacturing process was interesting, where they cut up the jerseys, the number stamping machines, all that.
UpperDeckBlog: So when can we expect to see your blockbuster, “For The Cup” and what’s next for you?
Andrew Long: “For The Cup” should be out in the next couple weeks. As for our future projects, I really want to push the limits of what we’ve done so far. I have tons of ideas for strange and curious concept break videos and I think a “Packs to the People” live show is a real possibility. I get bored easily, especially with my own material once it’s gone a particular direction for any length of time, so expect us to be changing it constantly.
Other than that, I found out recently that I’ll be heading to Toronto next week to spend some time with the new 2009/10 NHL Rookie Class for Upper Deck. That should be interesting and a lot of fun as well.
UpperDeckBlog: Last but certainly not least, as far as we know, nobody has ever even dipped their feet into the Upper Deck pool at corporate headquarters. The rumor is you did that and more during this latest video. Tell us a bit about that experience and how you managed to convince Upper Deck that it was a good idea.
Andrew Long: I did breach the sacred waters of Upper Deck, yes! Though it’s not exactly a pool. It’s clearly a body of water that is for looks only. That’s mostly what made me want to go in it. I’m not sure that I have actually convinced UD (or their pool man) if it was a good idea to go in there. What I can tell you, is that virtually every passing employee was absolutely shocked to see us in there. There were a lot of smiles and really, that’s what it’s all about.
Popularity: unranked [?]
