Please realize......

I really had to write this post considering the number of blogs and hype that I hear about the basketball card market. Most collectors know about the new contract starting with the 2009-10 year and how Pannini will be sole manufacturer. TONS of people have suspected/hoped that Topps and Upper Deck will overload the remaining basketball products to release relic/auto inventory they would not be able to use next year. STOP BELIEVING THE HYPE!!!

There are numerous reasons as to why this will not happen. Let's analyze each company.
Upper Deck has already announced it will be making at least 1 (my guess 3-4)NON-LICENSED basketball product hoping to duplicate the success Donruss had found making non-licensed baseball products. There would be no way on this earth that Richard McWilliams would EVER help Pannini with his excess inventory so what to do??? Well, either overload the remaining products from this year and make ZERO extra revenue, or, piece together whatever, stick some hits inside, and make more money. B-I-N-G-O!!! They do have the exclusive contracts with Kobe, LeBron, MJ and many others. My sources at the NBA told me they would solve that problem. If McWilliams will want trillions to give up those exclusives, so, make some collegiate products, make some head-shot products, and make some other crappy products and boom........$$$$$
With Topps, it would be more likely they would perhaps juice up some products since they don't have the big three anyways. But, that Wade exclusive is looking real good this year, the Shaq deal will always pay off, so again, why not make some Topps-style air-brushed sets as well?!!?!?
Another underlying issue that not many are thinking about is the future. Most of us remember that fateful day when Donruss lost their baseball license in 2005. Donruss, did juice up its remaining products very nicely. Dealers remember that for the next two years, people would first ask for 2-3 year old Donruss products rather than new Topps or new Upper Deck. This harkening back will happen again next year in basketball. NOT because Topps or Upper Deck will overload anything, but since Pannini has never made an autograph or jersey card it will take them time to acquire jerseys, shorts, autos etc etc......and to finally get them out to market. So those collectors hooked on hits, will have to go backwards to get some boxes that will yield to their jonesing. Plus, next year's rookie crop looks no where close to collectibility levels as this year. Also, since this is the one and only year WITHOUT any rookie exclusives, all products from both manufacturers are selling quite well even in a recessionary time. So, without juicing the products, when people look back, they will appear to BE juiced compared to what will come out early next year. Don't forget, the whole reason the NBA went with Pannini was for a "...larger global presence.." That doesn't sound like rare or collectible to me! Sounds more like the old Pro Set motto.
My recommendation to you all, DO NOT overload on end of year high end wax boxes and cases expecting piles of hits. DO put boxes away as next year they will be in very high demand. Crack some retail boxes and have some fun. Put your hobby boxes away. Sell them next year and take that trip to the Bahamas on me :)

"Today......I am the greatest of all time. Thank You."

To no one's surprise, everybody's favorite lead-off hitter Rickey Henderson made it to the Hall of Fame. Also making it, on his last eligible ballot was Jim Rice. I have zero love for those losers, but Jim Rice was one bad ass hitter! I remember growing up and watching that compact swing belt homer after homer. While he probably should have made it years ago, I would like to know what made his numbers better year after year up to this year. Is Rice the fine wine? McGwire lost more votes this year. All he does is go to Starbucks, play golf and pick up his kids from school. Did he lose a couple homers somewhere? I think this volatility can be attributed to one of two things. Either the voters vote hastily from year to year and fail to examine in-depth just what it is they are voting on. I'm sure some take just a few seconds to cast. But one day, if I should ever become a voter, I pledge to you, my loyal fans, my vote will go one way and one way only. Unless, of course, we get the occasional adulterer/rapist/killing/antisemite (fill in the rest).
Or......perhaps the voters, much like most Americans, are swayed over the course of time. Maybe all of those reruns of "This Week In Baseball" or "SportsCentury Legends" are watched so closely that they make a difference. Praise video!

I've got a secret...............

I'm a big fan of San Diego Wide Receiver Malcolm Floyd. He has only a few rookies from 2006......ironically all are Donruss/Leaf/Playoff products. Way to go Ann & Ben!!!!! I don't recommend EVER investing. But I've got a good feeling about this guy. He's cheap. Playoff Contenders auto RC $20.00 Buy these up. Rivers will look for him 10 times a game by end of year.
Happy Thanksgiving. Good watch Charlie Brown!

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Happy Holidays

Is there a better time of the year?

With the leaves slowly changing colors, the temperature as volatile as the stock market, and my DVR maxed I absolutely cherish this time of year. We have extremely exciting baseball playoffs, the NFL is in full swing, the NBA is going thru training camps, the NHL just kicked off what should be an extremely exciting season, college football getting ready for it's first BCS poll and college basketball is about to start scrimmaging. No other time of the year do we have this much sports on tv on a nightly basis. Now all I have to do is find time to clear out the DVR.

It's early, but it is time for hockey.

This week Upper Deck released 2008-09 Black Hockey. Each high-class envelope contains two packs. The basketball version only contained two cards compared to hockey with four. Each pack contains one rookie letterman card. They come both autographed and not autographed. The other card in each pack is your hit. Simply check eBay for some of the INCREDIBLE cards coming out. I personally saw one envelope that contained a 1/1 Mike Bossy autographed ticket and a Sidney Crosby acetate dual jersey autograph #'d 01/25. WOW. That's probably about a $ 750-1,000 envelope; maybe more if the rookies get hot. I haven't seen envelopes that beautiful since the old Treasure Hunt game show starring Geoff Edwards. (now that's pulling one out!) I hate to compliment high-end products, but I believe Upper Deck scored the unassisted hat trick on this one.

Dive Into This Year's NFL Rookie Pool

What a wonderful surprise the 2008 NFL rookie crop has been up to the end of week 2. We have two starting quarterbacks in Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, Matt Forte, Jonathan Stewart, Felix Jones, Darren McFadden and Chris Johnson have been exciting from the opening kick-off. DeSean Jackson started the year off with two 100 yard games. Only one other in NFL history has done that and it was NOT Jerry Rice or Randy Moss. This is only a small sampling of the youth movement in the NFL. At this point last year we were looking for ANY rookie to come along. While Adrian Peterson did come along (thank goodness) to salvage the year, this year has gotten off to a red-hot start a la 2006.

I always recommend looking at products that are loaded with rookies when buying in a rookie-plethora year like this one. Everyone always buys Topps Chrome at this time, and they better! It is heating up fast. But don't forget wonderful others like regular base Topps (buy jumbo boxes!), base Upper Deck, Bowman Sterling and Score. While huge hits may be a bit tougher to uncover in these, they will always bring you value with rookies. And we all know what sells-----rookies!

Have fun collecting this football year!