Whitney: Tampa will always love you

Posted Feb 11, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 11, 2012 at 09:42 PM

As the news filtered down Saturday night about the death of six-time Grammy winning singer and film star Whitney Houston, sports fans in the Tampa Bay area—and nationwide—will never forget her performance at Super Bowl XXV.

Houston sang a stirring rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” at Tampa Stadium prior to kickoff of that Jan. 27, 1991, game between the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills. The atmosphere at the game was emotionally charged because of the United States’ entry into the first Gulf War that week, and security was extremely tight at Tampa Stadium.

There was a question whether Houston was lip-synching into a dead microphone that night and that the song was prerecorded; either way, it was a powerful performance.

Now you ask, what does the death of a 48-year-old singer and film star whose decline was sad have anything to do with sports cards?

Well, there is a connection. The 1991 Pro Set football card (numbered 350 in the 405-card first series) captured Houston’s performance.

Predictably, this card is already being offered on eBay, in a Buy It Now for $4.99 (3 cards available, the seller claims). The card was posted on the auction site within minutes of the announcement of Houston’s death.

With more than six days remaining in this auction, it might go for — and no disrespect to Whitney — much less. I believe the last time I saw a price guide, this particular card booked at eight cents.

But from a fan standpoint in Tampa, we can recall her performance on that night at Tampa Stadium and paraphrase from the song Houston sang in the 1992 film, “The Bodyguard.”

We will always love you.

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Linsanity leads to Lin-credibly inflated prices

Posted Feb 11, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 11, 2012 at 10:40 PM

Total Linsanity has hit the NBA, and now it is trickling down to the card collecting world.

I mean, this is bigger than Tebowmania, as blasphemous as that may sound.

New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin proved Friday night he was more than a flash in the pan, scoring a career-high 38 points to help his team defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 92-85.

His average over his first four NBA starts with minutes is 28.5 points and eight assists per game. And although he only scored 20 points Saturday night, his free throw with four seconds left gave the Knicks the lead for good in New York’s 100-98 win against the Timberwolves.

Not bad for an undrafted point guard out of Harvard, the first Ivy Leaguer to play in the NBA since Yale’s Chris Dudley debuted in 1987 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. And Lin had the numbers at Harvard, as he was the first Ivy League player to score 1,450 points, grab 450 rebounds and get 200 steals during his college career.

Needless to say, Lin’s rookie cards (he was with Golden State last season and was picked up by the Knicks on Dec. 28, 2011) have rocketed in value this week.

Panini America reported on its blog that in the last 24 hours, some of Lin’s autographed rookie cards have sold for up to $1,000. Another one also sold for $799, and others are fetching $200. Even non-autographed cards are being snapped up at auction for $100.

And how weird is this?

On eBay, there is a 1/1 Lin rookie card, a National Treasures autographed card with a game used swatch, graded 9.5 by Beckett. There’s a Buy It Now for a mere $100,000 (money order or cashier’s check, of course). There are six days remaining if you are trying to rustle up the funds.

That’s not Linsanity. That’s just crazy.

Especially when you realize that Lin’s highest-selling rookie card went for $40, and many could be had for $3. On Feb. 3, a similar card to the one that has a $100,000 price tag (I am still smirking at that one), sold for $21.71 on eBay.

Auction sellers on eBay, recognizing a hot trend, are putting that particular National Treasures card (numbered to 99 with auto and swatch) online for one day. Two of those cards have bids of more than $1,000.

As long as Lin keeps playing to a high level, his cards will sell for inflated amounts. Playing in New York will keep his profile high, and as the first American of Taiwanese descent, he has international appeal.

And if Lin keeps scoring, his card values might stay high, too. Perhaps that guy with the $100,000 Buy It Now tag will push it up to $200,000.

At either price, that just won’t fly.

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Mays is first Topps Prime 9 redemption card for 2012

Posted Feb 10, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 10, 2012 at 06:47 PM

Topps announced its first card in the 2012 Home Run Legends Prime 9 program today, and it belongs to one of the classic power hitters of all time: Willie Mays.

Mays will be redemption card No. 1. Every Friday, Topps will name its “Prime 9 Player of the Week.”  Collectors holding the corresponding Prime 9 Redemption card for that week can bring the card into their participating local HTA card/hobby store and redeem it for an exclusive limited edition Topps Chrome Refractor.

Redemption cards can be found in 2012 Topps Baseball Series 1 Hobby packs (1:18) and Jumbo packs (1:5). Each card is denoted by a week number.

Who will be card No. 2? I vote for Hank Aaron, because as much as I loved Willie as a player, the man who originally broke the unbreakable home run record was Hammerin Hank. And No. 1 would have been a nice honor.

That said, Mays is still a good choice. With nine sluggers to choose from, Topps will keep us guessing through mid-April.

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Panini Playoff football is no longer a secret

Posted Feb 9, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 9, 2012 at 09:40 PM

Super Bowl XLVI is history, and the NFL draft begins on April 26. If you still have a buzz from the Super Bowl’s exciting finish and are already getting out your draft sheets to begin your analysis (I don’t do this, but boy, there are people who do, and that’s pretty hardcore), then Panini America has something to whet your appetite.

Panini alluded to a new product in an early January post on its website blog, keeping it under wraps like a football player would guard his team’s playbook. We should have known. Panini’s newest NFL product is scheduled for an April 4 release and will be called 2011 Panini Playbook football (there’s that 2011 designation again. I get it that the cards depict stars from the 2011 season, but arrgh, it’s 2012 ...). It’s going to be a high-end product, but I like the concept.

The set will feature four cards to a pack, and 10 packs to a box. Here’s what that one pack will contain: One on-card signed prime-memorabilia-piece Rookie Premiere Booklet, one rookie autograph and one memorabilia card. The fourth card will contain either another autograph, a prime-piece memorabilia card or a booklet card.

Panini Playbook will have a 136-card base set that will include 50 common signatures numbered to 99 or less, 50 Rookies Signature Silver cards numbered to 299 or less, and 36 Rookies Booklet Silver cards numbered to 399 or less.

That’s just the beginning. Some collectors will unwrap Chronicle Signatures Booklets, which will be numbered to 10 or less and contain up to eight autographs. Others could find Playbook Materials Booklets, another hinge-like card that will include up to eight pieces of game-worn memorabilia and numbered to 49 or less.

There’s more. The Accolades Signatures autographs will feature current stars and fan favorites from the past. Those cards also will be numbered to 49 or less. I like the Accolades based on the Charles Woodson card I saw (and am featuring in this post). Bold block letters at the top, with the player’s name and team also in block letters with a black background. The autograph is large and bold and is positioned under a feathered photo of the player. Very attractive.

There also will be Limited Edition Materials memorabilia cards featuring top NFL stars and retired greats—again, numbered to 49 or less.

I also like the Mammoth memorabilia card featuring Calvin Johnson. I mean, not only is that a large swatch, it’s multi-colored. If all are like then, well, that’s pretty nice.

I always say this, but if you have the means to buy something like this, then it is probably worth the effort (and the cash). If you don’t, well, don’t sweat it.

Since every card is a hit of some sort, it’s hard to lose. Of course, buyer beware, everyone is not going to get a low-numbered Cam Newton card, for example. But that’s the gamble one takes. I’d have to think that opening the product would be fun, and certainly thrilling. I mean, if I opened a pack and saw four autographs of former stars like Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, Phil Simms and Shannon Sharpe on one booklet card, well, I’d be excited.

Panini promises to reveal more “pages” from its Playbook in future news releases. Stay tuned.

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Upper Deck previews images from Series 2 hockey

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 09:24 PM

It’s been a good week for unveiling product. Earlier tonight, Upper Deck weighed in with some images from its 2011-12 NHL Series 2 set.

Among the fun inserts hockey collectors can expect to find are the Young Guns rookie cards; a typical hobby box should yield one every four packs. Rookie updates from Victory, MVP and O-Pee-Chee sets also will be included.

Date of release for Series 2 is expected to be March 6, and presell prices for a hobby box (at least online) are hovering between $60 and $70.
A nice touch to this set will be the Hockey Heroes subset, which will honor NHL stars from the 1960s. A hobby box will yield on average, two of these cards.

With 24 packs (and eight cards to a pack), this set should be fun and affordable for set builders.

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Panini Prime Cuts baseball: Here’s a peek

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 07:39 PM

Panini America gave us a bit of a taste earlier today with its photo release of a Jackie Robinson card scheduled for the company’s 2011 Prime Cuts Baseball (It’s 2012 — why is this product labeled 2011?). And later in the day, Panini released more images, and there are some very interesting cards in this high-end set, which has a March 15 release date.

Each box will contain five cards, but every one of them will be a sizzle card: at least two autographs, two memorabilia cards and an additional auto or relic card.

And, what I find exciting: for the first time in a Panini baseball product, some boxes will include Legends Jumbo Cut Signatures booklet cards.

An example of that is shown in this blog post with the Lou Gehrig autograph. Other booklet cards will include Ty Cobb, Mel Ott and Jackie Robinson.
To me, the coolest-looking cards in this set could be the most controversial, especially in light of Panini’s new multiyear licensing agreement with the Baseball Hall of Fame. Those would be the 1/1 Barrel Up game-used bat barrel cards, which will include cards of two men who would easily fit into Cooperstown’s hallowed halls — except that Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose are banned from the game and are not eligible.

Get out the smelling salts for Jeff Idelson (president of the Baseball Hall of Fame).

  Other Barrel Up cards will feature Hall of Famers Paul Waner, Ted Williams, Nellie Fox and Stan Musial.

Some other subsets:

  Significant Signatures autographs, which will include Ken Griffey Jr., Yogi Berra, and Whitey Ford.

  Icons memorabilia cards will hand the spotlight to Satchel Paige, Jimmie Foxx and Jackie Robinson.

  Colossal jumbo swatch memorabilia autograph cards are an apt description and will include Duke Snider, Josh Hamilton and Miguel Cabrera.

  Timeline Hall of Fame memorabilia cards will contain a checklist and feature Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Miller Huggins.

It’s quite a lineup. Some of today’s biggest stars paired with baseball royalty. The price will be steep for a pack, but the reward promises to be great.

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Panini inks deal with Baseball Hall of Fame

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 06:01 PM

There’s something special about collecting cards of Hall of Famers. As a kid, I’d open packs of Topps back in the 1960s and ’70s and be thrilled when I’d pull the card of a superstar, like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron or Roberto Clemente. Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver and Bob Gibson, too. You just knew these guys would be enshrined someday in Cooperstown, and they did not disappoint.

Now, that thrill can be rekindled thanks to a new licensing agreement.

On Wednesday, Panini America announced a multiyear licensing deal with the National Baseball Hall of Fame. That Hall of Fame presence will make its debut March 15 with the release of Panini’s Prime Cuts set.

It also marks the third Hall of Fame to sign a deal with Panini, as the company also has deals with the basketball and pro football halls.

This latest deal allows Panini trading card rights to images of all Hall of Fame inductees — plus Hall of Fame marks, artifacts and induction ceremony images — in six of its baseball sets this year. Since this agreement is not with Major League Baseball, I am guessing that Panini will be forced to airbrush team logos out of player action scenes, like the Jackie Robinson example presented in today’s blog. The “B” for Brooklyn is conspicuously missing from Jackie’s cap.

This is the second licensing agreement Panini has secured in order to manufacture baseball cards. In September, the company reached a deal with the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Predictably, a Panini news release quoting company CEO Mark Warsop noted that cards made utilizing this new license would be “Hall of Fame worthy.”

“The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum represents the greatest players and personalities the sport has ever known and this partnership will help us bring that level of unparalleled excellence to our products,” Warsop said in the release.

You can’t fault the folks at Panini for being pleased. Topps won a hard-fought battle to become the “official” card of Major League Baseball, but this agreement allows Panini to make some inroads along the fringes. It also presents a choice, and as collectors, we are constantly looking for the better, more attractive choice.

Competition is always good. It makes both products better. And certainly, the collector will benefit.

A few quick words about the Prime Cuts set. Each five-card pack will contain at least two autographs, two memorabilia cards and an additional autograph or memorabilia card.

I am hoping Panini will dig deep into the baseball vault for their relic selections during the lifetime of this deal. Don’t get me wrong, I’d be awfully thrilled to get a Lou Gehrig or Ty Cobb relic, but it would be kind of neat to get the same kind of card for the lesser-known Hall of Famer (is there really such a thing as a letter member of the hall? Probably not; perhaps I should use the phrase “non-marquee” member).

You know, players like Addie Joss or Ed Walsh, Hack Wilson, Edd Roush or Joe Gordon. The possibilities seem endless.

We’ll see how creative Panini can be with this treasure trove of baseball greatness.

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A peek at Panini Preferred reveals bold autographs

Posted Feb 7, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 7, 2012 at 06:06 PM

High-end basketball card collectors can start drooling. Panini America released some more images of its upcoming Panini Preferred set. Images and information were released just before Christmas and those facts were duly noted here back then, but it’s worth showing a few more as the March 21 release date draws closer.

To recap: there will be four cards to a box, which will cost somewhere in the $200 range. Three of those cards will be autographs, with the fourth to either be a six- or eight-swatch memorabilia card.

The set will include designs from three sets: Donruss Signatures, Crown Royale Silhouettes and Panini’s Choice (which will mirror the triangular die-cut configuration of the old Pacific Cramer’s Choice inserts).

  I like the bold autograph shown on the Kevin Durant card I’ve included, and how the photo is feathered toward the bottom, so your eyes are directed from the action shot at the top to the autograph at the bottom with no distractions. Very smooth.

The Crown Royale Silhouettes also include patches and bold autographs. The player’s silhouette is almost an afterthought as it does not dominate the card. It’s like an equal third to a three-component card — player, autograph and patch. The autographs are on-card, which is an excellent choice. To me, stickers are convenient, but to me, on card means the player actually signed the card. That’s much more desirable in my mind.

The Panini’s Choice seems like the more garish of the three designs. I’m not a fan of the silver foil bottom, as it tends to make reading the name on the card difficult — but as the Bill Walton card demonstrates, a bold autograph can cover plenty of misgivings. Walton’s autograph is clear, sharp and large. Love it.

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In The Game previews upcoming Heroes and Prospects set

Posted Feb 6, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 6, 2012 at 01:41 PM

In The Game released some photos of its upcoming Heroes and Prospects set, which hits the shelves on Feb. 23.

The 2011-12 set marks the eighth year ITG has put out Heroes and Prospects, and this year’s base set has been expanded to 200 cards. That will allow for more prospect cards; in the past, In The Game has debuted the cards of players like the Lightning’s Steven Stamkos, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Malkin.

Subsets will include Heroes, International Prospects, CHL Prospects, AHL Prospects, CHL Rookies, AHL Rookies, CHL Grads, AHL Grads and Tributes.

If you like relics, then this set appears to be up your alley. The images included show several game-used jerseys and patches, plus several cards with more than one jersey swatch. Those are always fun to pull out of a pack. There will 20 different subsets of memorabilia, including autographs, and that is a staggering amount. Game-used cards should fall one in every eight packs.

I particularly liked the Complete Logo patch, I thought it was large, bold and well thought out. The player might be playing second fiddle on the card, but it is the logo that will be intriguing, so it works well. The Complete Jersey cards, in which several uniform swatches are displayed, are also pretty nice.

There also will be a non-relic Tribute set, which will honor the four players who died last season: Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien, Luc Bourdon and Wade Belak.  You may recall that In The Game took quite a bit of heat for including players like Belak and Boogaard in last month’s Enforcers series. Those cards celebrated their roles as tough guys; the Heroes and Prospects set will honor them in a more sedate, dignified way.

Hockey fans will enjoy the variety of subsets, the size of the set and the different sizzle cards.

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Taking a good hack at a landmark record

Posted Feb 4, 2012 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Feb 12, 2012 at 11:43 AM

The 1930 major-league baseball season was the year of the hitter. And for sluggers in both leagues, it was absolutely nirvana.

Of course, baseball officials denied that the baseball had been juiced, but here are some statistics from that season: American League hitters had a .288 average, with 673 homers and 6,161 RBIs. In 1929, the A.L. had these numbers: a .284 average, 595 homers and 5,663 RBIs.

National League hitters combined for a .303 average, with 892 homers and 6,582 RBIs in 1930. The 1929 figures? A .294 average, 754 homers and 6,131 RBIs.

At the center of these inflated numbers, Hack Wilson still stands alone 82 years later.

At 5-foot-6, the barrel-chested and bandy-legged Wilson (every book I’ve read that mentions Hack refers to him as “bandy-legged,” so I will do the same) did not cut an imposing figure at the plate. He was short, with small hands and feet. But boy, could he hit for power.

Wilson is the focus of Tampa-based author Bill Chastain’s 11th book, “Hack’s 191: Hack Wilson and His Incredible 1930 Season” (Lyons Press, $24.95, hardback, 262 pages). Chastain, a former Tampa Tribune sportswriter who currently covers the Rays for mlb.com, brings the dusty, moldy records of the 1930 season to life as he documents one of the most incredible batting feats in baseball history.

The RBI was not a glamorous statistic during the 1920s and ’30s, and more attention was paid to home runs. Wilson responded by setting the National League record with 56 home runs. That was eye-popping, but the sheer amount of runs Wilson drove in was even more remarkable.

Chastain presents a balanced look at the Cubs during the late 1920s and early 1930s, using extensive research to highlight some of the behind-the-scenes drama in the clubhouse and front office. The team was managed by Joe McCarthy, who gained the players’ respect even though he had never played at the major-league level.

The tension between McCarthy and star acquisition Rogers Hornsby never boiled over into the public view, but Chastain shows how Hornsby skillfully steered owner William Wrigley Jr. away from McCarthy and closer to his way of thinking. That would culminate with the firing of McCarthy late in the 1930 season; Hornsby replaced him.

While Wilson was a prodigious hitter, he also was adept at hitting the speakeasies around Chicago and in other National League cities. And while he never played a game while drunk. Wilson certainly was hung over many times. But it didn’t seem to affect his game in 1930.
Chastain does a nice job recapping the 1930 season, breaking it down by months, with plenty of game details.

Wilson’s record of 191 RBIs seems untouchable. The closest any player has come to it in recent years was 1999, when Manny Ramirez collected 165.

There were several glitches in the book. Chastain referred to the home of the A’s as “Shibe Field” rather than “Shibe Park,” but that could have been how it was referred to in newspaper reports. But he misuses the word flare (when he should have written “flair”) when he writes that William Wrigley Jr.’s California island used for spring training later became “a vacation destination with an exotic flare.”

The most unfortunate gaffe came near the end of the book, when Chastain was documenting the tail end of Hornsby’s playing career. He misidentifies Yankees pitcher Lefty Gomez as Lefty Grove (who never played for a New York team), but he did get the incident right in an Aug. 17, 1933, game, as pinch-hitter Hornsby socked a home run after Gomez made a snarky comment toward the Hall of Fame second baseman.

It’s also not mentioned in the book that the homer tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, and that the St. Louis Browns would take a rare 7-6 victory against the defending World Series champion Yankees. But honestly, that last criticism is minor.

Chastain includes a chapter about the 191st RBI (for years, Wilson’s mark was set at 190 until some research uncovered an omission), and adds passages about his youth, his early career with the New York Giants (and run-ins with Hall of Fame manager John McGraw) and his steady decline after 1930, which ended when he died penniless at age 48 in 1948.

More stats from Chastain. Of Wilson’s 56 homers in 1930, 23 were solo shots. He did not hit a grand slam in 1930, and his homers produced 97 RBIs.

Overall, another solid effort. Chastain always has a knack for telling a story well, and he doesn’t disappoint in this venture into baseball history.

 

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