Archive for Baseball
Upper Deck Retailer of the Month: Attack of the Baseball Cards
Posted by: | CommentsEach month Upper Deck spotlights one of its hobby retailing partners and shares a few reasons why you need to visit their store. If you haven’t been to a card store lately and are in the New Jersey area, make sure to visit our Retailer of the Month.
Attack of the Baseball Cards
60 Milltown Road
Union, NJ 07083-9308
(908)687-8107
Email: attacksteve@aol.com
Open: Monday-Friday 11:30am-7:30pm, Saturday 10:30am-6:00pm & Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm
Holidays open 11:00am-4:00pm with hourly door prizes
Closed only 3 days a year: Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving & Christmas
Shop owner Steve Mandy grew up in Hillside, New Jersey, the home of Yankees’ great Phil Rizzuto. When he was just five years old, he began visiting “the Scooter’s” home several times a year where Rizzuto would bring Mandy and his buddies into his trophy room to recount his playing days. There were times when Mandy and his friends would arrive so early on Saturday mornings that Rizzuto was still in bed following a late night game that he had just called as a broadcaster. On those days, Rizzuto’s wife would take the gang into the trophy room, put cartoons on the TV and feed them breakfast. After a while Phil would walk in, still in his robe and slippers, and spend some time. Steve also met other Yankee legends who would visit Rizzuto on occasion, like Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle and even Joe DiMaggio. Those meetings lit the fire; his passion for autographs and collecting was born.
Mandy grew up spending plenty of time with Yankee great, Phil Rizzuto!
In 1982, a close friend – a Red Sox fan in fact – told Steve that she had seen a newspaper ad about an upcoming baseball card show where Ted Williams would be appearing. She asked Steve to go with her and he agreed. After taking just one step into the card show, Steve had an epiphany that this was what he wanted to do as a job. Two months later, with Joe DiMaggio as the scheduled guest signer, Steve rented a table at his first card show and displayed some of his cherished autographs.
Joe DiMaggio also had a profound impact on getting Steve Mandy into the business.
Through the years he expanded to cards, new and vintage, memorabilia and more. He promoted shows in the late ‘80s and was a partner in his first store during that same time period. In 1994 he retired from his longtime occupation as a publication artist and art director, to become a store owner full time.
Steve still has many of his most cherished autographs from Rizzuto, a signed “Mr. Coffee” coffee pot from DiMaggio, and even the original program from Mickey Mantle’s funeral in 1995. Steve loves being a part of the trading card industry and tries to pass his passion on to everyone who walks into his store, Attack of the Baseball Cards.
Plenty to see at Attack of the Baseball Cards, make a point to stop by!
“A lot of people ask me why I named the store Attack of the Baseball Cards,” said Mandy. “While spending an evening with friends, my task for everyone was to come up with a trade name that would start with an ‘A’ so I would be listed first in the phone book. We blew out names for almost an hour before getting tired and moving on to watch television. Well a PBS channel happened to be on with the cult film ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.’ Someone said that we should call the store ‘Attack of the Baseball Cards’ where you can have giant baseball cards chasing people down the block. Everyone laughed except me and I took that idea to the bank. In fact my first ads showed me covered with baseball cards with only my face and hands sticking out. Needless to say, the name stuck and no one ever forgets it.”
Attack of the Baseball Cards is now in its 28th year in the hobby. This year they are celebrating the 12th Anniversary of being named runner-up for the National “Sportscard Hobby Store-of-the-Year Award.” The store is located on the Union/Springfield border with the entrance in the back of the building. Steve has worked to make Attack of the Baseball Cards a kid-friendly environment for youngsters in the area, having learned how meaningful it is from his own time reminiscing with the likes of Phil Rizzuto. The “Summer Student Essay Contest” has become a staple program at Attack of the Baseball Cards and Larry Jordan of Upper Deck (brother of Michael Jordan) served as a judge for the 2008 contest. Steve also runs Baseball Card Camps for children and Upper Deck sponsored the summer session this past year. In July 2008, Attack of the Baseball Cards was selected by Upper Deck and Major League Baseball as one of only five Official Baseball Card Headquarters stores for that summer’s MLB All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium!
Upper Deck has run several promotions in conjunction with Attack of the Baseball Cards.
Mandy brings more than 28 years of hobby experience to help customers with their every need. Listed in “Who’s Who In America” Mandy has been a guest speaker at schools, hobby conventions and seminars throughout the country. He’s also done appraisals of private collections and estates for tax purposes and insurance companies and law enforcement agencies. In 1999 and again in October 2004, Mandy was honored by the Township of Union (NJ) with the Mayors Award for contributions to the community and children in the area. In April 2007 the Township of Union (NJ) once again honored Attack of the Baseball Cards.
One of the good guys, Steve Mandy constantly works in the best interest of his customers.
You can follow Attack of the Baseball Cards on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or by checking out their official store website. So what are you waiting for? Visit the shop today!
People always have fun opening new cards at Attack of the Baseball Cards, stop by!
Popularity: 2% [?]
The Other Way to Get a Signed Trading Card
Posted by: | CommentsIf you don’t have luck pulling autograph cards from Upper Deck packs and just can’t find your favorite players milling around before or after a game, there is another route you can take to get an autograph from these stars. Try the TTM approach where “TTM” stands for “through-the-mail” autographs. If you’re just a little patient, this is a really cool way to get signatures of your favorite players.
Some people will send more than just a trading card to get signed, maybe a photo or jersey, but the easiest thing to send is definitely an Upper Deck card. First you need to write a letter to the player of your choice explaining that you think they are great and that you would like to get them to autograph your card. The best place to mail your card to is to the stadium address for that player’s team. Also, you may want to consider writing your letter by hand; people have experimented and found they have a better rate of success with hand-written letters.
Let’s say you are sending a request to Jason Motte, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. You would send it to the Busch Stadium address. This is a sample letter of something that you could send to your favorite player:
Dear Mr. Motte,
I am a huge fan of you and the Cardinals. I think you are an amazing pitcher and so glad that you are on the Cardinals. (You could personalize it with an experience that you had or some accomplishment that the person you are writing to has accomplished.) I was hoping that you could autograph my Upper Deck card for me. I have included a self-addressed, stamped envelope so that you could send it back to me. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to read my letter and hopefully you’ll get back to me soon.
Your #1 FAN,
And if you get a player as nice as Jason Motte was for me, you could end up with something like this!
SUCCESS! He signed my card and returned it to me!
The most important thing to include with your letter and trading card is a SASE which stands for “self-addressed, stamped envelope.” That makes it much easier for the athlete to just sign your card and return it to you. This is why sending memorabilia can be a little tough; most athletes are not going to have time to re-package and pay for additional postage to send your item back to you.
So, how do you find the addresses for your favorite player’s team? Check out this great website that will help you pull the addresses you need for baseball teams: http://www.sportmapworld.com/map/baseball/north-america/mlb/.
The most important aspect about TTM autographs is to be patient. Players have a lot on their plates and cannot always drop everything to sign and return your cards each day. I have got autograph cards back in as little as five days before, but waited as long as three years in some instances. The normal wait is usually around three months.
You may want to prepare for the worst. You may not get your card back. It rarely happens, but it can. That’s why you likely don’t want to send anything too expensive out. If you send the card to the wrong address you may get everything back with a yellow slip from the post office, which is called a RTS (Return to Sender). Also, if the player is in a hurry they could put the signed card right in the envelope after signing and it can get smudged like the card below.
Oh rats! The pen he used wasn't the best and the autograph is beading. Oh well.
If you really want to get into the hobby of collecting autographs through the mail, Harvey Meiselman writes a comprehensive book every year, with the players’ home addresses. It is so great to use and you get the address for almost every current and retired player. Here’s more information about Harvey’s book: http://www.sportsaddresslists.com/.
There are plenty of resources to find up to date addresses for your favorite players.
A great website to use is Nolan’s TTM. He updates it whenever he has success in getting an autograph card through the mail. His website is: http://www.nolansttmgraphs.webs.com/. Another great website that is always updating their users’ success is: http://www.fanmail.biz/ to see who is signing. One last site you might want to review is: http://www.sportsautosttm.com/.
I’ve found current and former MLB players have the highest success rate, for all sports, for fulfilling through-the-mail autograph requests, but don’t let that discourage you from sending Upper Deck cards to players from other sports like NBA, NFL or NHL. Since I started collecting through-the-mail autographs in Spring Training, I have already received over 100 signed cards. Hopefully you’ll have the same success rate. Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Troy Kozlowski is an avid collector, a contributor to the Upper Deck Blog and a member of the Upper Deck Volunteer Alliance.
Popularity: 4% [?]
The National Pastime in 2030
Posted by: | CommentsI sometimes find myself channel surfing late at night. I flipped to an old Twilight Zone episode where the Hoboken Zephyrs had a robot pitcher named Casey. It was hokey, but I hadn’t seen it in awhile and it made me think, “I wonder what baseball will be like in the future.” I didn’t want to look five years, or 10 years into the future. Why not make it interesting and jump ahead 20 years into the future. Now I’m certainly not Nostradamus or even Bob Costas, for that matter, but I grew up with baseball and feel qualified to make an informed hypothesis as to the future of the game.
Remember the Twilight Zone episode where the robot pitcher dominated the league? Will we ever see a robo-player?
Will baseball even be considered America’s game in 2030? Maybe not with increased competition from the NFL, but it just takes one good labor dispute by any league to completely turn off the fans and it looks like the NFL is heading for one soon. So there is hope for baseball and as long as fathers go out to have a catch with their kids, it will be a part of American culture.
Here are my top ten predictions of what I think Baseball will be like in 2030:
10. Increased Advertising – Remember a few years back when Sony Pictures wanted to advertise “Spiderman 2” on the bases during regular season MLB games? It could have happened. While I don’t think advertising will come on the field in the next 20 years, I do believe we’ll see it on the uniforms similar to what you have in NASCAR. It may not start off as much, but I believe that 20 years from now, players jerseys, pants and hats will all have some type of advertisement on them. I’m not saying they’ll be covered like a race suit, but in searching for more revenue, team owners will likely be open to pushing for something like this. Look for even more advertisements in stadiums, but I don’t think we’ll see advertisers make their way on the field and base paths in the next 20 years. Maybe 30…
9. More International Play – I really enjoy the World Baseball Classic, but when I go to the games, I wonder where the heck everyone is. I’ve been to high school football games with more fans. Maybe the game is just better suited for television and overseas, but it is clear that MLB is focused on growing its game internationally. With more and more players from Latin America coming into the league, there is definite potential to have a franchise south of the border. In 2030, I believe there will be a franchise in Mexico City, Ole! The financials will be tough to work out, but Spanish-speaking players and fans in Mexico would eat it up. I can also foresee that a spring training league may be set up in Japan. At the very least, the early regular season games in Japan will likely continue with some added to China as well.
The Asian community is passionate about baseball and are begging for more.
8. Pitch Clock – No, I’m not talking about how many pitches a pitcher throws, I’m talking about how long it takes them to throw a pitch after getting it back from the catcher. That’s right, put them on the clock. If you don’t get the pitch off within 45 seconds from having it in your glove, that’s an automatic ball. Hey, that’s how we do it in 2030! Long overdue if you ask me.
7. Less “Fan” Interaction at the Stadium – Fans are great for the game of baseball, but remember, fan is short for “fanatic.” Fans have the potential to go a little crazy. Streaking, pouring beers on players, shouting profanity or even running onto the field to attack coaches are all actions of fanatics. I read the story about a fanatic in Philly intentionally vomiting on a father and daughter. Are you kidding me? Even players can be fanatics, just look at Milton Bradley. And while these crazy outbursts are rare, when they do happen it triggers a very strong response from MLB and the MLBPA. One of the great things about going to the ballpark is having the ability to be so close to the players, but unfortunately in the next 20 years, I’m pretty sure a small group of fanatics will do something idiotic that requires additional security at the gate and more security between players and the fans at the ballpark. I’m not talking about trenches and moats, but higher walls, more space between the stands and field and of course more security staff on the field are all likely on the horizon for baseball’s future.
Will fanatics ruin the game for everyone? Looks like he's thinking, "Maybe this wasn't the best idea..."
6. The Billion Dollar Player – Move over Alex Rodriguez, the billion dollar player is coming. No, maybe not in five or 10 years, but in 15 to 20 years it could definitely happen. Tickets will probably be $500 a game by then anyway so don’t say it can’t happen.
5. Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson are inducted into Cooperstown – Americans are pretty forgiving, especially as more and more time passes. No betting on baseball is a very strong rule, but I believe these two athletes will be forgiven in the next 20 years. Not necessarily because baseball wants to, but because baseball may need a positive PR story like this to help the sport survive and remain relevant in the USA. Many believe the NFL is America’s game now, so why not have a campaign where these athletes are publicly forgiven and honored for their accomplishments on the field. If we could just keep Pete out of the casinos this would be a lot easier…
Sooner or later they will accept your apology Pete. Hang in there.
4. Baseball Cards Go Digital – Always leading the way with innovation, Upper Deck brought a digital trading card to the market back in 2000 with PowerDeck, but it was ahead of its time and collectors didn’t embrace it. Twenty years in the future, I believe a strong segment of baseball cards will move to a completely digital experience with better results from fans where users can play games, interact with players and win prizes through cards that are digitally traded with computers, cell phones and whatever else comes next. The physical trading cards will never go away and Upper Deck is working on some remarkable new technologies currently to really blow collectors’ minds. It blows my mind to think about what the physical cards will look like in 20 years when we are already planning some amazing new insert card sets in next couple years. It’s going to be a lot of fun.
The digital trading card has been done, what's next?
3. Unbelievable New Stadiums – The new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field have set the stage for new mega-stadiums in major markets. Unfortunately, out with the old and in with the new in some cases. I think in order to remain competitive with New York, Boston will have a new Fenway Park 20 years from now. I also think a new Dodger Stadium (along with a powerful new Dodgers owner) are not that far off. I can’t see Wrigley Field getting demolished in the next 20 years, however. While both Wrigley and Fenway are considered cathedrals for baseball, the Chicago faithful would riot for months if the wrecking ball came close to West Addison. Boston fans love Fenway too, but if it meant putting a better product on the field and competing with the hated Yankees, I think they’ll be more apt to do it.
2. A Major Record Will Fall – I think over the next 20 years we will see Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak record fall. It’s one of the most impressive personal records ever, but players have come close before and it’s one of the few major records of meaning that a player would want to shoot for. And I don’t know when this blitz of no-hitters and perfect games is going to stop. The next few years may continue to see pitching dominance, but after that, look out Joltin’ Joe.
1. Instant Replay and Challenges – We’ll see this not just for home runs and foul balls as we do today, but replay will extend to catches and questionable calls on the bases with the opportunity for managers to challenge umpires’ calls. I don’t think you can ever take balls and strikes away from the umpires, however. Although tennis in particular incorporates technology to tell if a ball is in or out, calling balls and strikes is part of the game that I just can’t see ever being taken away from the umpires.
"I object!" How much does Armando Galarraga wish there was a challenge flag in baseball to save his perfect game?
Do these sound fair or foul? What do you think the future holds for baseball 20 years from now?
Popularity: 3% [?]
Remembering an American Hero
Posted by: | CommentsI grew up collecting trading cards because my father and brothers collected trading cards. I liked players like Bob Horner because I read on the back of his card he hit four home runs in a single game and George Foster because he had really cool sideburns. My brothers all had their favorites as well and the names would change based on a variety of nonsensical factors that makes being a kid so great. I can still remember asking my Dad who his favorite player was and the reason why I remember it so well is because I always got the same answer: Jackie Robinson.
He would tell me the stories about Jackie and what he overcame, but I was so young I really did not realize the gravity of it all. To a kid, the idea that you weren’t allowed to play baseball because of the color or your skin just seems silly, which it really is. Robinson’s contributions to the sport of baseball and society as a whole became more amazing to me as I grew older learning about prejudice, bigotry, civil rights and black history. There are so many life lessons you can learn by reading about Jackie, and one of the biggest I think is to never give up.
We’ve had our share of challenges at Upper Deck as of late, but like Jackie, we will stay the course and never give up. As I sat at my desk writing this entry I caught myself looking up several times at a memorabilia item I have hanging on my wall that I just love. It’s inspiring, but also really cool. It’s a piece Upper Deck Authenticated did back in the day that features the emblazoned nameplate from actual game-used bats. It’s very inspiring to be greeted by this Jackie Robinson keepsake each day as I open the door to my office.
Today as we celebrate Jackie Robinson Day I encourage you to take a moment to pause and just think about his impact on the world. It’s amazing to think about how different things would be today if he didn’t come along when he did or if someone else would have been the first player to break the color barrier. Would Tiger Woods be allowed to play at the Masters? Would Barack Obama have been elected President of the United States? What else would be different? These are questions we probably don’t want to know the answers to.
One of the things I think that made Jackie so great was just the fact that he was such a wonderful role model. He had the type of talent that made you want to watch every game he played. He was sharp and had great messages to share. So if you don’t want to go out and learn more about Jackie, just take a moment now to read some of the words spoken by the man, one of the most influential sports figures in history.
“A life if not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
“I’m not concerned with you liking or disliking me… All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”
“Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you’re wasting your life.”
“There’s not an American in this country free until every one of us is free.”
“The right of every American to first-class citizenship is the most important issue of our time.”
Those really are the types of statements you would expect from a leader, an American hero. It’s hard to imagine a player today of any race making statements like these, but maybe that’s what made him so special. And maybe that’s why I find inspiration every time I look on my wall to see Jackie poised to make this world a better place. Thank you Jackie!
Popularity: 3% [?]
Take Me Out . . .
Posted by: | CommentsAh, the crack of the bat, the smell of hot dogs in the air, and a nice cold one to get things started. This Sunday, Easter Sunday, in fact, marks the start of the 2010 Major League Baseball season and who else but the Yankees and Red Sox are batting leadoff. That’s right; button down the hatches because the World Series-defending Bronx Bombers are invading Fenway Park this weekend to see if they can keep the Fenway Faithful quiet with the likes of Jeter, Cano, Teixeira and A-Rod carrying some heavy lumber into the comfy confines of Red Sox Nation.
The Yankees, my least favorite team, are coming off their 27th WS championship season and sporting a few new faces in their lineup. First we have Nick Johnson, a Bronx oldie really, who’s returning to DH for New York, along with Curtis Granderson, the speedy center fielder who couldn’t bolt fast enough from the Tigers to don his new pinstripes. Both of these acquisitions are good, but it will be Granderson’s hustle and defense that’s make the difference in games, and not Johnson’s career .273 bat. The other “new” acquisition, like Johnson, is a former Yankee who’s making a return to the Bronx with the hopes of spelling a better ending this time around. Javier Vazquez, a steady right-hander who posted a 15-10 mark last season with the Braves, was part of the Yankees’ 2004 team which recorded the greatest postseason flop in history by dropping four straight to the eventual WS Champion Red Sox in the ALCS (after leading three games to none).
The Yankees are strong, no doubt about it. They watched 2009 WS MVP Hideki Matsui sign with the Angels in the offseason and shut the door on departing left fielder Johnny Damon, who landed with the Tigers. Nonetheless, they have the Big Four returning in Captain Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera and seem well poised to contend for ring No. 28. Most betters would put their money on the Yankees coming out of the gate strong and staying atop the AL East for much of the season. But I’m not like most betters. I’m a card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation who has followed the Bosox since I was a kid. My dad was a born-and-bred Bostonian who brainwashed his kids early to follow the Red Sox through thick and thin. And trust me, up until the ’04 season, it was mostly thin. Despite watching guys like Yaz, Rice, Freddie Lynn and Carlton Fisk so some pretty incredible things, they never won a ring. And you’ll notice I left out two significant names – Boggs and Clemens – for obvious reasons.
That’s why I’m looking forward to guys like Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, J.D. Drew and Victor Martinez packing a few wallops themselves this season, preferably setting the stage with memorable season debuts on Sunday. The Red Sox picked up a few veterans during the offseason themselves, which should make the here-and-now more important than the hereafter. Newly acquired vets Marco Scutaro (34), Mike Cameron (37) and Adrian Beltre (turns 31 next Wednesday) aren’t the youngest trio in the bigs, but they could provide the defense and stability the Sox are looking for. Their gloves alone should win a few ball games this season for Beantown, not to mention what they can provide at the plate.
No comparison between the Yankees and Red Sox would be complete without mentioning the greatest Yankee Killer of them all, David Ortiz. “Big Papi” is 34 and has lost some oomph off his bat, but he still accounted for 28 dingers and 99 RBI last season. That’s why he’ll see some action in this three-game showdown with Jeter and company, although he probably won’t face CC Sabathia on Sunday. Truth be told, over the past two seasons, Ortiz has batted just .216 against lefties and CC is all about defining “southpaw.” He was 19-8 for the Yanks in the regular-season last year and pretty much unhittable in the playoffs. That’s why Red Sox right-hander Josh Beckett needs to be “on” Sunday. He can’t give up a pair of deep blasts to the likes of Tex and A-Rod in the early going and put his team behind. He needs to line ‘em up and knock ‘em down.
Once again, the stage is set for an exciting 2010 baseball season and what better way to open it than with a thrilling clash featuring the greatest rivalry in sports. Like the home-plate umpire says: “Play Ball.” Can’t wait, baby!
Popularity: 2% [?]
