Archive for mlb
Yankees vs. Giants: The Ideal 2009 World Series
Posted by: | CommentsOh, to be a Mets fan in September. I fully expected we’d be at least playing for a Wild Card spot when this month came around, but that ship sailed a long time ago. I’m still a baseball fan though, and I need something to cheer for. Something to look forward to.
I want a Yankees vs. Giants World Series.
Sure, Red Sox vs. Dodgers would feature Manny coming back to Boston, and I’m sure Fox executives would be just as happy with the Dodgers and Joe Torre facing off against the Yankees. The Phillies could very well go for a repeat after adding ace Cliff Lee, and the Cardinals could feature the best player in the game on the biggest stage yet again. The Angels have their usual aggressive approach and solid pitching, but have added an element of patient hitting to their lineup this year. And of course, the Red Sox would have a chance to win their third championship this early in the century, after suffering a great deal in the past one.
But for my money, nothing would be more exciting than Giants and Yankees. I mean, look at this freakin’ lineup. I don’t have much affection for the Yankees, but you have to stand in awe of how their usual great offense combines with the new home run happy stadium to create a Very Scary Place for opposing pitchers. Eight of the nine guys in the lineup will easily have 20 home runs by the time the season is over, with a few hitting 30, and Teixeira may very well get to 40. And it’s not all home runs of course, as every guy with a bat in his hands seems to have an OPS in the mid-to-high .800′s, if not .900′s.
Classic Bronx Bombers with a stadium that plays small, causing bombs to go out left and (especially) right . . . where the old short porch has become even more of a joke for round trippers. Opposing pitchers tremble at the sight of it: the lineup gives you no reprieve, and the stadium itself is against you. Who will save us?
How about this kid?
He’s 5′ 11″, 160 pounds, and just turned 25. He also has a Cy Young on his mantle, is well on his way to getting another, and is the envy of fans of the other 29 teams in the league (especially his hometown Mariners, who passed on the opportunity to draft him). With his funky delivery, he’s proven to be consistent, durable, and productive.
He is the perfect David to take down the Goliath in the Bronx.
Now granted, Lincecum can’t start every game in a long series, which is why it’s good to see the Giants have another young ace up their sleeve.
Matt Cain is 24, and having the best year of his career so far with a 2.50 ERA. He doesn’t get nearly enough credit because he pitches by the bay with Lincecum getting the marquee recognition; but if you put Cain in Boston, New York or Chicago, he’d be an ace and probably a household name. Not to say he can’t get there with the “SF” on his cap either.
So assuming everyone stays healthy, we can expect the Yankees postseason lineup to look something like this:
1. Jeter SS
2. Damon LF
3. Teixeira 1B
4. Rodriguez 3B
5. Matsui DH
6. Posada C
7. Swisher RF
8. Cano 2B
9. Cabrera CF
Holy crap. Who can conquer that four times in seven games? The kids can, I hope.
And even if they can’t, it’ll be remarkably entertaining. By contrast, the Giants lineup is all kinds of awful, and they’ll need to scratch and claw for every run they can get. But when you have Lincecum and Cain going four games out of seven, you definitely have a chance. And how would these kids do against the Yankees anyway: against the toughest lineup in the league, in a high pressure situation, with a stadium that provides no room for error?
That would be something to watch. It’s not even a sure thing the Giants make the playoffs this year, but I’ll be hoping they can win the tight Wild Card battle and make this happen. No matter who wins, fans would get to see a series that could easily be the most entertaining World Series of this decade.
Popularity: unranked [?]
Talking eBay at the Card Show
Posted by: | CommentsAs you may have already guessed, my favorite time of year starts at Spring Training . . . and with any luck ends with the Yankees in the World Series in October. I love baseball, so even if the Yankees don’t make it, the playoffs are still a great time of the year. My second favorite time is when the baseball card show comes to town. There are roughly three in my area (White Plains, NY) throughout the year, and with no local hobby shops this is like a three day slice of heaven.
Despite the card show opening on a Thursday night, I held off going until Friday morning, because I knew my rationale of all the good cards being gone on Thursday was a bit nutty. I arrived fairly early, with my checklists, my budget, and my mission (going to these things with a budget is really not worth bothering with because you never stick to it, at least it seems that I never do). Aside from picking up Pujols cards to fill in some gaps in my collection and supplies, I wanted to try and finish my 2009 O-Pee-Chee set, which at the time was missing 51 cards.
I started the show by visiting a dealer with just hobby boxes who remembered me (it was a trend all day it seemed), and we started talking Yankees, and about the new stadium. Since he was not in my budget I left empty handed. Now, I could tell you all about the deals I picked up while I was there, like seven cards for $5 bucks which got me all the Yankees 2009 Legendary Cuts (plus a Jay Bruce from the set).
But we are going to forgo the loot talk because I found a more consistent theme by talking to many dealers. It had less to do with them remembering I collect Pujols and asking where Suzy (my co-blogger/closest friend) is because they had a box of Jeter cards for her, and more to do with a growing dislike of selling on eBay.
When you talk about eBay with these vendors, you’re likely to hear some strong opinions. The gentleman who sold me the base cards at seven for $5 told me business with selling singles on eBay right now was poor, thanks to the fee structure change and less volume of customers. I really thought it was just our store because we haven’t had the money to buy new stock in a while, but this was coming from a guy with over 100,000 positive feedbacks, not counting duplicate user feedbacks. He told me that right now it really isn’t worth selling on eBay but he will continue to do so now just because he owns his own hobby store, and has a website (so for now it still can work for him).
Where hobby boxes are concerned, he now sells them only through his website, because he was putting up hobby boxes as “Buy-It-Now” or “Best Offer” listings and getting offers that were well under 60% of what they were listed for. Sadly, I was not surprised by this. I told him that many of us like the best offer option to maybe save $5 or $10 bucks, and that I usually try an offer around that discount just to feel like I saved something. He understood where I was coming from and wished that was the case with most people.
Another guy I frequently deal with on eBay only sells singles from case breaks, and I figured this was the guy who could help me pick up the last of the cards I needed for my 2009 O-Pee-Chee set. We had a little chit chat about cards while I rummaged through some boxes and I asked him if he had the OPC cards; he did not bring them. Not only did he not bring them, but he proceeded to tell me how hot they were in his eBay store and why. At this point, I was already steaming mad before I heard his reasoning (just in case you were wondering how I felt).
He told me he ordered X number of cases from his distributor, and only ended up with half. Now, he had promised team sets to many pre-orders and needed to fulfill those first, and then the remaining singles were being allocated to the eBay store. He said he sells more of those than anything right now, and didn’t really get it until he searched himself and found out there were not many (if any) other sellers of singles from this set. He also informed me that he would not charge $1 per base card, but that is the lowest you can list on eBay and they are selling. So how could I fault the guy for leaving them home and making money on them? Well, I can for one reason and one reason alone- eBay fees. He would probably end up with the same profit selling them at the card show.
The last vendor I spoke to ended up telling me basically the same things as the first two guys. I walked around to take care of a few last items (Albert Pujols Diamond Collection card, 2009 Legendary Cuts dual game-used jersey card of Robinson Cano & Ron Guidry) while mulling over all this eBay talk. I generally tend to talk more than look at these shows mostly because other than my blog and Suzy, it’s rare to find collectors this dedicated to the hobby.
When eBay first came around it seemed like it was the place to buy anything and everything at a great discount. In some cases that still holds true, but in the case of baseball cards I don’t know how much longer collectors can get a bargain buying here because of the fees eBay is now charging. Between the store fee (basic store starts at $15/month), listing fees, final value fees, and then PayPal fees because you can no longer accept checks or money orders, you are sometimes looking at making mere cents for selling a card. While I would love to continue my eBay business it is no longer practical or profitable, which is sad because I liked being able to flip unwanted cards for a couple of Albert Pujols or an occasional Robbie Cano autograph.
It seems to be a growing trend that dealers, sellers, and collectors are moving away from selling on eBay right now. If anyone else has a story to share about eBay, I would love to hear your comments or stories.
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 [?]
Tough Economy Sends Collectors Wax to the Future
Posted by: | CommentsThere’s little doubt in the mind of a collector that when it comes to “high-end” trading cards, Upper Deck is king. From the first certified autograph in 1990 and the first “game-used” relic in 1997, Upper Deck has always been pushing forward trying to come up with the next great idea. Guess which company produced the first ever Babe Ruth bat relic and cut signature? You guessed right; the boys in Carlsbad did it way back in 1998.
That being said, times are freakin’ hard for many collectors these days. I know that personally, I’ve had to put down those boxes of 2008 Premier for a couple of packs of First Edition. OK, well it’s not that bad but you get the point. The truth is you don’t have to quit collecting or start buying the ultra low-end products to stay afloat in the hobby. Sometimes, heck many times, the best products are found in older and long-forgotten products.
The misconception about “old school” wax is that it is full of overproduced cards that have not aged well design-wise. That is absolutely not true. For example, take a look at Upper Deck’s brilliant 1996 SPx debut. For years, Upper Deck had been tinkering with holograms and using the technology for inserts. But this was the first all-hologram release, and it worked incredibly well. Unopened boxes of ’96 SPx can be had for about $60 dollars on the secondary market, if you are patient.
Not only is SPx a great product full of cool parallels and a beautiful base card design, it also has extremely hard to find on-card certified autographs of the immortal Ken Griffey Jr. and the most prolific catcher of all-time, Mike Piazza. Now, don’t assume that just because you find a box or two of the set that you will end up with one of these bad boys. These cards were seeded on average of once in every 2,000 packs. Unlike today’s cheap standards of a “hit” per pack or 2-3 per box, pulling one of these cards was like winning the Baseball Card Lottery.
There is something out there for everyone in the hobby, whether you collect the expensive stuff like Ultimate & Premier, the retro-themed products like Goodwin Champions & Goudey, or just build one set of the 20-year old flagship brand as a collecting tradition that began long ago in 1989.
There truly is no wrong way to collect, and ripping through one of these “old school” boxes can bring hours of enjoyment to young and old alike. It also provides a history of baseball, its players from that era, and card technology that has come and gone.
Stay tuned for another installment of Wax to the Future in September!
Mario Alejandro is the author of WaxHeaven.com, and has been collecting baseball cards since 1989. When not scouring through card shows looking for old school Upper Deck wax, you can find him burning away at a Marlins game in sunny South Florida with his wife and 3-year old son/future collector.
Popularity: unranked [?]
The Strasburg Deadline: Boras Playing With Fire
Posted by: | CommentsWhen this blog first started, we spent a good amount of time talking about local San Diego phenom Stephen Strasburg. I was happy to point to his accomplishments, grabbed an opportunity to live blog his last home start of the season, and was thrilled to see him throw a no-hitter that night. For that game back in May, I was the first member of the media to arrive at the stadium, and reserved the best seat in the house in the front row of the press box. Sure, I was there as a reporter, but I don’t mind telling you I was most excited to see him in person, as a fan.
I have to say, it was one of the oddest events I’ve attended when it comes to expectations and reality meeting head on. Since it was his last home start, the press box was filled with more writers than usual, many of whom were grizzled beat reporters for major league teams. We came in expecting to see once-in-a-generation talent, and it was as if anything less would be a disappointment.
In any other situation we’d be setting the guy up for failure before he even stepped on the mound, but he managed to meet those expectations. Strasburg wasn’t just hurling heat, he was pitching. His stuff is good enough to overpower batters, but combine that with changing speeds and locations the whole game, and you’ve got a befuddled opposition. For the first few innings, whenever a batter even made contact, the press box acted as if it was a base hit. When one batter actually managed to hit a ball into the air (where it ultimately met an outfielder’s glove), we were legitimately surprised. When the no-hitter was completed, sure it was exciting, but it almost felt inevitable.
In other words, we came in with unrealistic expectations for his talent, setting the bar at an inhuman height. And, for at least one night, he actually managed to meet those expectations. Following the last pitch of the game, the beat reporters scrambled to get the late story written up, while I grinded away at my closing post and saw MLB Network hustle to put together a tape and interview. It was a remarkable night, and I drove back home up I-5, wondering how well his stuff would translate against a patient big league team.
That was May 8th, and today is August 17th. The Washington Nationals have until midnight to sign first pick Stephen Strasburg.
Of course, Scott Boras is right in the middle of everything. Rumors are that the Nationals are offering a contract worth $17 million, with incentives that can bring it up to $20 million. Unlike most fans, I don’t villify Boras at all: I appreciate that players should get fair market value for their services. Baseball has a long history when it comes to poor player contracts, including things like the reserve clause and free agency collusion, which were designed to unfairly keep player salaries low. So while it can be frustrating to see Boras milking every last dollar he can for his clients, I’m generally happy that players are able to get paid what the market perceives their value to be: this has only been the case for the last thirty years or so.
That being said, it should be noted that Boras’ priority is not any individual client, but rather, the overall market for his players. This is what makes him so dangerous to owners, and such a frustrating figure for fans. Would Strasburg be happy with $17 million? I’m willing to bet he’d be happy with even a quarter of that amount. But to Boras, Strasburg is more of a catalyst for future contracts than a client he needs to make happy.
Here’s the thing: for a while now, Boras has stated he wants $50 million for Strasburg. But it’s not because he wants his client to make $50 million. Rather, if you can actually get that amount for Strasburg, it sets the bar higher for future draft picks. What happens if three years from now, another phenom pitcher comes around: someone who is a few steps below Strasburg but still a #1 pick? Boras can then point to the $50 million contract, and demand say, $10-$20 million for this new client.
The irony? Boras is using Strasburg to elevate salaries for future clients, but in the process, I think he’s finally turning them off. It’s standard knowledge that if you’re a baseball player and want top dollar, you hire Boras to fight for you. But Boras never fights for only one client; driving up overall market value is priority #1. So if a deal can’t be made by midnight, Boras will gladly sacrifice Strasburg’s shot at millions of dollars and the big leagues, and ship him off to an independent league for a year. Who knows what can happen after that, as Strasburg could always be one pitch away from something like Tommy John surgery.
So if you’re the next bright, young, promising prospect, why would you take Boras as your agent? Yes, he’ll go out there and play hardball with a team to get you the best deal possible, but he’s not above sacrificing your shot at life changing money to further his own interests. Case and point, Alex Rodriguez had to remove Boras from his 2007 negotiations entirely, before the Yankees would talk about a new contract. Sure, a big part of that was the Yankees not wanting to deal with Boras after he ripped up the old contract (and with it, the Rangers’ obligation of $20 million). But really, it was A-Rod getting tired of being a pawn in his own negotiations, and he decided to make a move that would make him happiest.
Boras didn’t get the $300 million contract he was hoping for, but A-Rod still got the biggest contract in history, and got to be a Yankee for the rest of his career. Boras wanted to push like hell for that last $20 million, and Rodriguez realized it was worth sacrificing to get some happiness and peace of mind in return.
Strasburg should take notice. If midnight passes and he doesn’t sign, he’ll be leaving huge amounts of money on the table. He’ll go pitch elsewhere for a year, and re-enter the market in the 2010 draft. None of this is in his best interest.
If you’re Strasburg, is there really that big of a gap between $17 million, $20 million or even $50 million at this stage in your life? Certainly, not as big as the gap between $17 million and $0. Boras is playing with fire here, and if Strasburg gets burned, no promising prospect will want to follow in his footsteps as a client.
Popularity: unranked [?]
