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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Robinson’s Rivera signs with Ridgewater

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 04:03 PM

Robinson senior Vic Rivera, a two-year starter at defensive back, has signed a letter on intent with Ridgewater College, a community and technical college in Willmar, Minn., Knights assistant coach Shawn Taylor announced Wednesday.

Ridgewater competes in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference (MCAC) and Region 13 of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Rivera will join three players from Plant already there, Davis Marvel, Steven Galloway and Estimphile Wadensky.

Wesley Chapel receiver Robert Jota also signed recently with Ridgewater.

The 6-foot, 190-pound Rivera had six interceptions as a junior and three last fall. He also recorded a total of 76 tackles over the course of two seasons and knocked down five pass attempts.

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MLB’s Fan Cave finalists includes a Rays fan

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 03:49 PM

After reviewing more than 22,000 entries, Major League Baseball revealed the top 50 fans vying to be a contestant in the 2012 MLB Fan Cave, including Megan Washington, a Rays/Yankees fan from Cape Coral, Fl.

Beginning today through Feb. 22, fans can view video submissions from all 50 applicants on MLBFanCave.com and vote for their favorites.

The 50 men and women include fans from across the U.S. and Canada and represent a wide range of backgrounds and occupations, including recent college graduates, journalists, bloggers, actors, musicians, a self-described “unemployed comedian,” a celebrity hairstylist, a made-up superhero and a professional wrestler.

In 2012, the MLB Fan Cave will return to the 15,000 square foot location at 4th Street and Broadway in the heart of New York City’s Greenwich Village that was formerly the home of Tower Records. The MLB Fan Cave is currently being redesigned to feature new technology and interactive elements.

The MLB Fan Cave is a unique event space mixing baseball with music, popular culture, media, interactive technology and art. Supported by MLB Advanced Media, it also serves as a content factory providing baseball fans with a constant flow of online video and conversation via social media.

The MLB Fan Cave has more than a quarter of a million combined followers on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/mlbfancave) and Twitter (@MLBFanCave). The MLB Fan Cave features products and services provided by nearly 50 companies, led by Pepsi, New Era, Majestic and Sony.

Major League Baseball will select 30 finalists based on fan voting, quality of the original submissions, and the ability of the contestants to generate buzz and interest in their campaigns.

The 30 finalists will earn a trip to Spring Training in Arizona at the end of February, where they will compete in a variety of challenges to determine the final group of contestants.

These winners will begin the season in the MLB Fan Cave with the goal of watching all 2,430 MLB games on a large wall of big screen Sony televisions while chronicling their experiences online through videos, blogs, and social media.

Along the way, they will compete with one another over the course of the season in a series of challenges, with fans online helping decide who gets to stay in the Fan Cave and who gets eliminated with one eventual winner crowned before the end of the World Series.

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DeCamp hired as co-defensive coordinator at Robinson

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 03:09 PM

After working as a position coach the past 10 years at Jesuit and Plant, Scott DeCamp says it was time to be a varsity coordinator. He officially took that step this week when Robinson head coach Mike DePue announced DeCamp has been hired to be the Knight’s co-defensive coordinator.

DeCamp’s most recent post has been as defensive backs coach for Jesuit the last two seasons under James Harrel. From 2004-09, DeCamp was a junior varsity defensive coordinator and varsity assistant at Plant under Robert Weiner. And prior to that, he was an assistant at Jesuit under former coach Dominick Ciao.

“The hardest part is leaving the kids and coaches at Jesuit because they’re all just great people,” DeCamp said. “But coordinating is something I’ve always wanted to do and at Robinson, I really feel like I’m needed there.”

DeCamp, however, won’t be too far removed from Jesuit because Robinson competes in the same Class 5A district as the Tigers.

DePue, who is in his last year as a teacher at Robinson before his scheduled retirement, said he and DeCamp will share duties as defensive coordinators. DePue said DeCamp is a good fit for his staff and that the athletes at Robinson have already connected with him.

“He’s going to do a great job for us,” DePue said. “He’s going to bring a lot of knowledge and energy for us here and we’re putting him to work.”

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Hargreaves, McQuay, Sherit make Rivals 100 list

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 03:44 PM

And just like that, the college football recruiting engine has cranked up again.

Rivals.com helped kick-start that ever-growing, seemingly unstoppable snow ball today with the release of its top 100 prospects for the class of 2013. As subjective as it may be, making this list is a sure-fire way to attract attention. And after jumping to the No. 10 spot on the list, Wharton defensive back Vernon Hargreaves was taken aside by head coach David Mitchell today and given a little talk.

“I told him there’s no pressure on you because you’re the car everyone wants to buy,” Mitchell said. “I told him he just needs to take care of himself in school, do the right things out of school, work hard and just sit back and enjoy the ride.

“He needs to take all of his (official college recruiting) visits and don’t rush it. And I think with his dad being a (University of South Florida) coach (Bulls special tams coordinator and defensive ends coach Vernon Hargreaves), I think he will do just fine with the recruiting.”

The younger Hargreaves is only 5-foot-10 and 177 pounds, but Mitchell says he is “the real deal.” It’s not just Hargreaves’ ability to play the defensive secondary, it’s his total athletic ability. Hargreaves can play nearly any position on the field and last season saw duty at quarterback when starter Chase Litton went down with an injury.

Hargreaves already has offers from all the major schools in Florida, along with Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Purdue and Virginia. Mitchell says his mailbox at school is overflowing with colleges sending letters of interest in Hargreaves. Mitchell says Hargreaves also already has invitations from the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and Under Armour All-America Game.

Speaking of athletic, Armwood’s Leon McQuay III and Hillsborough’s Jordan Sherit also made the Rivals 100. McQuay, a defensive back/safety who returned an interception for a touchdown in the Hawks’ state championship win over Miami Central, is No. 32 on the list while Sherit, who recorded more than 100 tackles last fall at defensive end for the Terriers, is No. 76.

Both McQuay and Sherit also have more than a dozen offers from major Division-I football programs. And like Hargreaves, the schools lining up for their services on the football field.

The bonus for the schools recruiting these players is they are all solid students. Sherit is in Hillsborough’s International Baccalaureate program while both McQuay and Hargreaves are honor roll students. 

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Wesley Chapel WR Robert Jota to sign with Ridgewater College

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Mike Camunas

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 01:47 PM

Wesley Chapel football coach Ben Alford said Wednesday afternoon that receiver Robert Jota will sign with Ridgewater College, which competes in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference (MCAC) and Region 13 of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

Jota will join teammates OL/DL Damien Garvey and OL/DL Robert Gonzales, who signed with Ridgewater a week ago on National Signing Day. In addition, fellow teammates ATH Keegan Tanner (Stetson), LB Luke Fisher, FB/LB Angel Ramos, ATH Xavier Leatherbury (Missouri Valley College), DE Angel Locicero (Eri Community College) and RB Devin Piper (Citrus College) also signed letters of intent.

Jota, a 5-foot-8, 150 pound receiver, lead the Wildcats (5-5) with 26 catches for 438 and three touchdowns. The Warriors were 6-4 in 2011.

Correspondent Mike Camunas can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or follow him on Twitter @MikeCamunasTrib.

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Pasco WR Mike Larry to sign with junior college

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Mike Camunas

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 12:20 PM

Pasco receiver Mike Larry will sign with North Dakota State College of Science during a ceremony at Irvin Education Center on Thursday morning at 8:45, coach Tom McHugh said Wednesday.

Larry, a 6-foot-1 athlete who was part of the Class 5A state semifinalist Pirates, had 11 catches for 91 yards and a touchdown, while on defense, he returned a fumble against Zephyrhills, plus had 14 tackles and two fumble recoveries.

Larry will be the third Pirate football player to sign in the past week, as athlete Trey Dudley-Giles signed with UMass and Jon Baxter with Wayne State.

North Dakota State College of Science is a junior college located in Wahpeton, North Dakota.

Correspondent Mike Camunas can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or follow him on Twitter @MikeCamunasTrib.

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Land O’ Lakes to host send off for boys soccer team Thursday

Posted Feb 8, 2012 by Mike Camunas

Updated Feb 8, 2012 at 12:13 PM

Before Land O’ Lakes boys soccer team makes its seven-plus hour road trip, the school said it will send off its players and coaches at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at the the school, located at 20325 Gator Lane in Land O’ Lakes.

The Gators (22-3-2) will then travel to Tallahassee, where they will stay and have arranged the use a field for practice, then head over to Fortt Walton Beach on Friday for the state semifinal at Choctawhatchee High School at 8 p.m. EST.

As 15th-year coach Mark Pearson said Tuesday night in a text message, “We’ve a some road trip now. Cheers.”

Land O’ Lakes won the Class 3A, Region 2 final Tuesday night 5-0 over Gainesville Eastside, which propelled the team to its first semifinal appearance since 2000. This is Pearson’s third state semifinal appearance in his Land O’ Lakes career, including coaching the Gators to a 1999 state runner-up title.

The Gators, who had been perennially exiting the state tournament early as of recent memory, won the region quarterfinals 4-1 over Fivay and the region semifinals 5-1 over Sunlake, making their first region final appearance since 2005.

Correspondent Mike Camunas can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or follow him on Twitter @MikeCamunasTrib.com

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