SCU Breaks: 2008 Absolute Football

I split this box with Voluntarheel. Im so glad this wasnt a group break.

Chew It Back! CHEW IT BACK!

I have been going through the last six months of posts today, and I have found some products that are so bad, I would advise you remove a toe rather than buy them, because the pain will be similar. These football products are so bad, I have a hard time keeping my lunch down while writing about them.

1. Topps Triple Threads - I rag on this product for a reason. It never changes, its ridiculously expensive for what you get, and anyone who pulled a David Clowney triple jersey auto as their hit has felt this pain. There is nothing redeeming about this product, and it should be offered as a sacrifice to the card gods.

2. Bowman Sterling - I cant fucking believe how much this product costs for what you get. Its like 280 bucks for 5 no-namers and 1-2 good autos at 50 bucks a piece if you are lucky. Plus its Topps, so the jersey cards you get "are not from any specific event, game, or season." The fact that this product costs SO much with giving you so little, makes me put it on this list. The cards being ugly and the stickers on a high end product make this even higher on the list.

3. SP Chirography - Another horribly priced product with nothing to show for it. You get 8 autos, but they will all be Deshawn Wynn. If you get something good, it will be an ugly insert auto of John Beck. If there was a brutal break award of 2007 - this product was it. I have seen excited faces go to shit after one pack of this brutality. If it was 100 bucks instead of 200+ at release, I may change my rankings.

4. Trilogy - I think this product is the most worthless high end product ever created. At around 300 per box at release, you get three autos or some crap like that, some jerseys, a patch, and 3 plexiglass RCs. The problem was, the product was filled with such crap, that you almost always had a brutal break. When Adrian Peterson's auto is a redemption, and the redeemed card isnt breaking 150 a month after release - YOU HAVE PROBLEMS. Just worthless crap for cards.

5. Topps CoSigners - Never has the dual auto been so ravaged by a set. You get one per box, and its most likely going to be Isaiah Stanback and some guy you have never heard of. The cards were crazy-fugly, and the parallels were harder to understand than an episode of "I love money." Hyper-plaid? Ja-huh? At 120 bucks a box at release, I would rather spend my money on euthanizing my dog.

6. Topps Performance - This product was so bad, they had to promise an Adrian Peterson auto in every case just to get people to buy it. I have never seen such ugly cards mixed with a bad idea for a product. This whole set was ripped off of Paradigm from 2006, eventhough Paradigm was probably worse than this. It takes talent to make a set worse than Paradigm.

7. Topps TX Exclusive - A wonderfully creative idea with the execution that of a retarded whale. Signed superbowl ticket stubs is a beyond awesome idea, but to not include anyone worth while and to use those awful stickers instead of on card autos is fucking ludicrious. Not to mention that you paid 240 dollars for a redemption of a Lofa Tatupu auto, that must blow.

8. SP Rookie Threads - Such a bad product that it has actually dropped more than 100 dollars below the original price point. Manufactured letters with awful color schemes and a super high price point with absolutely no potential for good cards, makes this an awful buy. I never thought someone would create a product based around scrub autos and event used jerseys. I was sadly wrong. Let me know when you pull a Kenneth Darby auto out of your 50 dollar pack.

9. Ultimate Football - This product had some good stuff, but the fact that every auto subset looked EXACTLY the same, puts it on this list. The fact that the design for all the subsets was as cool as 1988 donruss baseball, makes this an all-time blunder. Wait, I just paid 399 for 3 Paul Williams autos and a RC auto of Michael Griffin? Crap.

10. Playoff Contenders - I know a lot of people love this product, but the boxes were beyond awful last year. The good tickets were so few and far between that it wasnt worth it to buy 4 boxes of this and not pull anything more than an Anthony Gonzalez. I still think this product needs a revamp.

David Versus A Goliath Of Assholes

Well, in about 2 hours, the Twins and White Sox will face off for the AL Central Division. I want the Twins to win, of course, but I have decided that I want the White Sox to lose more than that. What I mean is that I hate, hate, HATE, the White Sox, and I think it would be better for Baseball if they lost.

My reasoning is this: The Twins have the least amount of HRs in the AL and are more known for hitting for average, getting on base and running around. That is what makes a game fun to watch. They also have a pretty tiny payroll, and are not known for going out and buying a team. The White Sox are known for building/buying/trading for a team centered around players who hit .245 and socking 30 dingers. That sucks. Basically, if the Sox dont hit 3 home runs, they lose - and they have pretty much done that for the majority of the games. I dont think that is that fun to watch, as I would much rather see a three triple game, than a three home run game.

Of course this is coming from me, a person whose favorite player is Joe Mauer, the guy who hits .330 and 10 HRs a year with amazing, amazing defense. That is what I cherish in a player, the guy who doesnt need to swing for the fences to help his team win. He also is very close to the top in Win Shares, so I think he does help out more than people think. I also think he is one of the most well liked players around, which says a lot for the soft spoken catcher.

Funny shit from early may - who called this bitch?!? Thats right motherfuckers, ME.

Then we have Señor Bag O' Crap, AJ Pierzynski - the complete opposite of everything I just talked about. He plays dirty, he runs his mouth, and is pretty much the most hated player in the game. I hated him when he was a Twin, I hate him more now that he plays for Chicago. This is the guy that tried TWICE to injure Justin Morneau last year by stepping on his ankle running down the first base line on a routine ground out. Then again, we got three awesome players for him back in 2003 or whatever, so maybe I should be thankful he was a Twin. Funny enough, he was enough of a cancer in the clubhouse that they got rid of him, so San Fran basically gave up everything for nothing.

Guillen, although he gives the Twins credit for being as good as they are, sucks at life. He says awful things on a regular basis, and is more interested in being in the controversy spotlight than putting out a good lineup every day. I love seeing him lose, it warms my fuzzies like nothing else. He deserves nothing but shit from everyone, and I think even he knows that his managerial career is a joke now.

Guys, I know the White Sox will probably win, but thats fine, we exhausted them to a point where a deep playoff run is most likely not going to happen. The series sweep from last week was a bright point for the last five years, and it was nice to see Mauer win another batting title this year. For a team that was supposed to finish 4th, its cool to see them get this close.

UPDATE on Idiot Trade From Yesterday

So the guy has the cards and is going to send them to me today with delivery confirmation. It was a "mistake" and the cards went into the wrong package. After reading his feedback about sending shit in bad packaging, I have requested he send in "adequate cases with tape" so things dont fall out. Lets see what happens.

Here is my take:

He traded cards he didnt have, so he sent crap to make sure that I didnt question him. Then, by the time I got whatever he was sending, he would have the cards. I checked through his other ongoing transactions, there is nothing even close to what I got, so its not a case of getting a package meant for someone else. He collects Romo, so I am sure he had tons of this shit lying around.

Basically, I now have to return these cards at a cost to me, and wait another few days for cards I should have already had in my possession by now. God dammit, I hate stupid people, I hate scammers, and I hate people who pose as something they are not, but at least I should get the cards I was supposed to get. Ill keep you updated.

UPDATE x2: Here is his new complaint, "How come we were both supposed to send out on the same day, but yet i have not got my card yet? You got my package but where's your's? I'm wondering about you. Care to explain?"

I am ready to take a piece of paper over to my fiancee, who is sick with the flu, have her wipe her ass with it, stick it in an envelope and send it over. Instead, I scanned the label with the date sent on it and PMed it to him. Hopefully he realizes that I am ready to attack him with a flaming chainsaw of death.

UPDATE x3: "Unlike you , i had 14 trades going out. A simple mistake, i admitted i messed up, that's what MEN do when they mess up. I told you i would take care of it the next day, which i did. So there should be no more complaining. If you messed up, i would expect you to fix it when you could. You just need to understand things happen. Just like the post office isn't your fault, it's not but things happen. Enough with the complaining and crying to the mods. I told you i would take care of it first thing in the morning and i did, and i was also communicating with you to. Let it go. "

Urge to kill... rising..... rising.... RISING...

Voluntarheel, the guy should be easy to figure out, but I am not going to plaster his name all over here because people will go harassing him. I have given enough info for you to catch on.

Durant Tries On New Thunder Uni, Takes A Life

I may join him in homicidal participation for this abortion:




I didnt think the branding for this team could get any worse. I was wrong.

h/t reader Greg (my fault for yesterday)

I Feel Like I Am Dealing With A Bunch Of Twelve Year Olds

Second trade in two weeks, second bad fucking experience.

I trade my LeBron James Auto from the replaced Adrian Peterson card for a Romo Auto Jersey and a Marino Auto jersey over on TradingCardCentral.com. The guy I am trading with has 87 positive feedback, so I think, no big deal, right? WRONG.

I get my package today and instead of containing the two expensive auto jerseys, I get three two dollar jersey cards of Romo. I am seriously fucking pissed now, and I go over his account a little more fucking closely. Of course the guy has a bunch of huge fucking problems and numerous people complaining about his shipping methods, wrong cards, etc. Fire is coming out of my ears at this point.

Normally on TCC, if you have trading problems you are red flagged. Here, this sack of mummified dog shit was not. FUCK!

I want to kill someone with my bare hands right now by tearing out their brain through their nostrils. Thats how fucking pissed I am. I hope for his sake he better fucking make good. I emailed the site owner and the trading guy, who helped me with the Peterson debacle last week, and hopefully he steps in.

I swear to god if this is some fucking pre-pubescent 12 year old, I am going to fucking sue. It feels like it is. Ebay at least has a loose age policy, from what I can tell, TCC does not.

Ill keep you guys updated. For right now, stay FAR away from TCC.com.

I WANT THIS: Matt Millen Edition

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Tell me how fucking awesome this shirt is. It does not even begin to describe what Lions fans have gone through over the horrible seasons that Millen has been around. McHale takes the #1 spot as professional sports' worst GM, and everyone in Minnesota continues to live under the law that forbids professional sports championships throughout the state.

h/t UniWatch Blog (better late than never)

The Stupidity Of This Auction May Never Be Eclipsed

If you have seen this, you are probably as shocked as I am. Not because he wants $12,000 for the lot, or because he has THAT many Kobe Bryant autos from ONE set, but because he has graded every last fucking one of them, including the 1/1. I almost had to cover my mouth to keep the belly laugh from getting too loud.

Lets run this down, here. Cards from an extremely condition sensitive set (check), cards numbered less than 25 (check), graded 1/1 (check), ludicrious price (check), cards a lot of people would want, minus the graded case (check). Im sorry sir, you must be castrated to prevent you from contributing further to the gene pool. Personally, I would put his sharpness at that of a bent spoon. He is a few colors short of a paint set to say the least, if not only because the cards range from a 7.5 (!) to 8.5 (ha!). That is what you get for being the biggest mark this side of WWF Wrestlemania.

Obvious News Of The Day: Threads Baseball Has Sold Out

Donruss hasnt released a product like this in close to 4 years. In this product they have autos and relics of a few players that have never seen a trading card from the big three in MANY years. This product is a Baseball replica of a very popular football product.

Wait, you say this product has sold out?

No fucking shit it has. If you havent jumped on pre-ordered boxes, I would if you can. The price will go up if this product delivers - which it should.

Either way, here is the press release:

Donruss Threads Sold Out
September 28, 2008

Officials at Donruss announced Friday that 2008 Donruss Threads Baseball has completely sold out, and sales representatives began notifying dealers and distributors that demand for the product has been overwhelming and has far exceeded supply.

"We are excited to be producing our first baseball-only product since 2005," Donruss Vice President Mike Anderson said. "However, because of the high demand, the product has oversold and we've been forced to cut orders, ensuring success of this new baseball brand."

Boasting an unprecedented lineup of retired greats and top-shelf prospects, Donruss Threads makes its baseball debut in October. Loaded with autographs and memorabilia cards, some of the same components that made Donruss Threads Football so successful, including signed on-card Rookie Class nameplates, will be introduced to baseball collectors.

Recently announced deals with Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson join a list of retired legends including Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Cal Ripken Jr., Nolan Ryan and Ted Williams among many others. Also included in Threads Baseball are the first autograph and memorabilia cards of top prospect Rick Porcello, as well top prospects Ike Davis, Josh Vitters, Xavier Avery, Mat Gamel, Christian Marrero, Elvis Andrus, Jesus Montero, Brandon Waring and more than 110 others.

Five-card packs of Threads will carry a $4 SRP.

Value Bumps: Week 4

Not much happened to the rookies this week, but there were quite a few suprises in terms of the rest of the league. Dallas lost, Philly lost, and a lot of people had some great games.

Brett Favre

I dont know how he fucking does it, but he continues to be a force despite having the body age of 85. 6TDs is a monster and a half, and I was shocked to see that he did it in such awful jerseys. Also, I dont know how his cards can get any more of a bump, so ill say his Jets stuff just gained a head of steam.

BUMP: UP

Matt Forte

I told you Philly would kill him. 19 for 43 when the offense was moving is a pretty bad game. He had 40 receiving, but those were nothing special. I wish people would just see him as a mediocre starting back rather than a guy whose SPA Patch Auto will break $300.

BUMP: DOWN

Chris Johnson

He puts up two TDs against the league's stingiest defense? Thats impressive. He did okay for the game, and he is quickly becoming the front runner for OROY. Too bad his auto didnt pass 2nd grade, a real loss for the collecting base. Hopefully the manufacturers will ban him from products until he signs with a number or something. Its embarassing.

BUMP: UP

Adrian Peterson

I am putting him on this list because it is a feat to keep even with the bumps he got from last year. He is in the top 5 in yards and has 3 TDs on an offense that barely makes it close to the red zone each game. He is doing it with no QB and no WRs, and I gotta give him props for accomplishing as much as he has.

BUMP: EVEN

Darren McFadden

Wow, he dropped off the face of the earth due to that injury. 7 for 20 gets you a big downer, especially when Michael Bush gets your carries. Not necessarily his fault, but not my problem either.

BUMP: DOWN

Larry Johnson

Where oh where have you been lately? Oh, thats right, stuck on a shitty team and injured. Well, its nice to have you back, have a few TDs. I guess now would be a good time to buy in because his prices are WAAAY down and he is showing that he wont be the next Priest Holmes. Its nice to see he can make it back to where he was. Dominant on the league's worst. Good job.

BUMP: UP

Ryan Grant

I totally loved seeing this guy crash and burn. People were paying in upwards of $225 for a sweet spot rookie, and now he is all over every product. I complained back in the beginning of the offseason how much I loathed the fact he was given so much attention in products, and I now have a hearty laugh reserved for the idiots who bought in before he actually accomplished anything outside of half a good season. It only goes to show how much Favre meant to the Packers, as everyone benefited from his dangerousness.

BUMP: DOWN AND A HALF

Michael Turner

Man, what a crappy game that was overflowing with nothingness for him. You can be the burner all you want, but with a rookie QB, I am not going to let you beat me at all.

BUMP: DOWN

Jonathan Stewart

Not bad, not great. Show me some big games or ill give up on your chances of hitting OROY for this year.

BUMP: EVEN

Possible Bumps For Next Week

Laurence Maroney- I hate the system you are in. If you could be on a normal team, I would love you. Right now you are heading down a long and lonely road.

Jonathan Stewart - You get KC next week, be happy. Run happy.

Anthony Gonzalez - I see big things for him next week, but he is a WR, and WRs are never worth anything.

Chris Johnson - Good luck with Baltimore. You're going to need it.

Matt Forte - You get the Lions, you lucky fucking bastard. I hope you have an awful game so I can forget about you.

SCU Breaks: Housekeeping

To those of you who participated in the Premier and Absolute break, I have sent out all the hits. For Premier, that means all of the cards have gone out (I checked, it is all this time - I didnt forget anyone), for absolute, it means that there are still some numbered inserts and base to go out.

If you dont get your cards in the next week, please let me know.

Also, since I am short on cash, I have to sell off the packs to the Absolute Football Box I ordered from Blowout. It will be here tomorrow. I have two left at 32 each or the entire box at 120 shipped. I can either send you the pack or break it on youtube with the rest, and then send you what you get. It will be posted here and you can be remotely famous. I will also send my love for helping me out - that is worth more than any card.

Email me before you pay.

Vikings Recap: Week 4

Man, it is really tough being a Vikings fan when you keep being forced to watch crap like the Tennessee game. It is becoming painfully obvious that as long as Childress is running things we are never going to be competitive unless we have Favre, Brady, or Manning at the helm. Yes, its that bad. Here is what I saw:

Adrian Peterson

Can we get this guy some help? Childress is going to kill this guy because he cant figure out how to run a successful and creative offense. Dont listen to the coordinators for play calls, no, that would be too easy. Just send AD up the middle and he will be gone by week 10. He is already banged up, and yet its still the same fucking shit over and over. Luckily he is good enough to make something out of nothing, which is the sign of an elite back, yet Childress is an idiot so he will never get much more.

Coaching



We are completely out coached every single week. Childress has such a messiah complex that he cant delegate properly and thinks he can be Andy Reid. Im sorry, but Childress is short half a team and the creative half of his brain when it comes to Reid. Of course, Childress doesnt get this, so he runs at the wrong time and passes at the wrong-er times. He needs to pull his head out of Ragnar's ass and let the coordinators run their respective teams. Its not the end of the world, but it will be if you continue to suck more than a hooker at a political fundraiser.

Defense

You cant really blame them because they were never given much to work with. It seemed like every turnover was inside our 20, and you can only stop so many goal line offenses. Especially with White and Johnson. I dont blame our defense for the loss.

Turnovers

I blame the offense for our loss - nothing new. You cant turn the ball over 4 times and expect to win. I dont know why we got fumbulitis all of a sudden, but the ball came out at all the wrong times, and yes, I know there really isnt a right time.

Frerotte

Not an awful game, but not a good game either. When your primary receivers still havent had a 100 yard game, you have problems. Stop throwing to Bobby Wade and Shiancoe and start making Peterson, Berrian and Rice your men. Maybe disregard some of the calls coming to you from the sidelines. That would help a lot.

Thats about all I want to talk about this week, but be rest assured there will be more next week when we get destroyed by the Saints.

SCU Breaks: Absolute Box For Sale

Due to unexpected expenses with my car and wedding, I dont think I can afford to keep the Absolute Football box I ordered from Blowout Cards. If you want it for $120 shipped, send me an email and ill give you the paypal address to send the money to. I really wanted to bust this box, but sometimes things come up.

Let me know.

Voluntarheel has expressed he wants a pack for 30 bucks. Post in the comments if you want one. If we get three others, ill do it that way. Then we will do the break the normal way.

Baseball's MVP: Two Amazing Takes

First I want to pump Joe Posnanski because he is one of the smartest and well spoken sports writers out there. He doesnt stupidly dismiss anything that might actually make sense in an argument, unlike other writers who automatically do when it comes to STAT-geeks. People, I cant stress this enough, if you havent read him, read him. He is great.

Then when you are done, head over to FJM. The guys who write it are hilarious, and they have some of the most witty and wonderful remarks I have ever read about the stupidity of sports journalists and their overzealous affinity for being hyperbolic close minded idiots. I love it.

Both articles I just linked to express the PROPER way to look at an MVP vote. All this crap about what "valuable" means is summed up wonderfully in both pieces. Personally, I have no idea why people hate stats like VORP, WPA and EqA when its obvious they can give us a better understanding of the game. Baseball is one of the most stat driven sports out there, and for people to determine a Pitcher's worth by Wins and a hitters worth by AVG and RBI is just stupid. Mauer is just as valuable to the twins as Morneau and he hits an eighth of the HRs that Justin does. Baseball is less about dingers and more about being a good player. Luckily VORP and other stats are a great way of showing that.

Stupid Graded Cards: Volume 28

Can someone please tell me why in fucking god would you grade this card? Do you have a nice hamburger mush where your brain should be? Lets go over why you took a fucking awesome card and made it worth half of what it should be:

- Card was encased in Topps holder, you removed it (decrease in value)

- Card was uncirculated, that is null now (decrease in value)

- Card was sent to Beckett despite all of the above (possible increase in value)

- Card was graded a fucking 9 (comedic decrease in value)

- One would be unable to restore the above if they crack the case (Awful harsh reality)

Im serious, there is ZERO point in grading a card that is numbered less than 10. There is even less of a point for grading a card that is already encased in a holder when you got it. If the card is worth more than 600 dollars, it wont be worth more when you grade it, especially if there are only 10 to grade overall. Here are the rules:

Never grade 1/1s

Never grade cards worth more than 600 dollars

Never grade cards you know wont grade 9.5

Never grade cards that are from super high end sets

Never grade base cards from sets past 1990

Never grade cards that wont increase the value past the price of grading

Never grade low numbered cards

Never grade uncirculated cards

Im sure there are more, but thats all I can think of right now. God, some people are fucking dumb, and even if you are new, its still easy to see why grading that Peterson is not a good idea.

Housekeeping: Random Crap

Here are some things I have been thinking about:

I finally had some money to spend on myself, so I decided that rather than buying a card I would actually want and keep for a long time, I was going to break a box of Absolute that will not contain even half of the value I paid for it.

Box will be coming on monday or tuesday, so be sure to check out my complete and utter destruction by wax when I bust this.

On another note, a big thank you to Alan who took it upon himself to send me a package containing a Michael Bennett auto'ed jersey from fleer. Bennett isnt a great player, but the old jersey is cool and it was above and beyond what I expected. Thank you!

Also, I have been thinking of creating an SCU Breaks logo, but I suck at it. You can see my work at the top of the page and the Vikings recap logo I have for that. If you are better and want to create a banner size logo for SCU breaks, I would love that, and I would send you some stuff from your sport. Please dont be offended if I dont use it, I am looking for something awesome. If you want to throw in a redesigned general SCU banner you will get major points here if it rocks.

Lastly, thanks to all of you who have sent in stuff to cover or help with stuff I have already covered. I have had no shortage of funny shit to look at, and it has really helped to suck the boring out of the work week.

Twins Take Series and Doom Guillen's Soul To An Eternity Of Sucktitude

Even if the Twins dont win the division at the end of all this, it was so fucking satisfying to see the White Sox fall on their face. I can see Guillen walking into the clubhouse shouting a diarrhea of unitelligible swear words about how his team sucks or the Twins are the best thing since sliced bread, or whatever, I dont care.

WHAT A FUCKING SERIES, THANK YOU BASEBALL GODS!!

Also thanks to Joe Mauer, Carlos Gomez and Denard Span for being fucking awesome. It just shows that building a team around players who hit .240 and 32 home runs doesnt always guarantee you a good team.

Patch Faking Reaches EPIC Proportions (UPDATE)

One of the hot topics around the water cooler is that there have been two Viking head logo All Day Exquisite Autos auctioned off in the last few weeks. One is completely fake, and one, according to Gregg Kohn*, is real.

I emailed Gregg about the two and he said that the letter included in this auction, is indeed from him, and the card is indeed real. That is good to hear. It also gives us the information that there is only ONE Peterson Viking logo patch and it is NOT numbered 47/99.

Thank you to Gregg for the quick response.

* Gregg is the Football Guru over at UD, he is the head cheese.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Wow, Just Freaking Wow.

This is one card that I would love to have, despite not being auto'ed. It should be what every diecut looks like. Kudos to DLP on this beast.

EDIT: This card is now mine. Thanks eBay.

A Comment On Collecting Terms

For some reason, every single collector has to have terms they use to describe everything. There is no wavering, its all the same term, no variety allowed. I dont understand why you cant just say "Wow, what a card!" when you get a nice card, instead of "YESSSSSSS MOJO!" It makes you sound half your age and half your smarts. But, I have commented at length about MOJO because it seems like it has wrapped its slimy oozing tenticle around every douche's brain in this hobby.

What about the word "SICK" to describe the prowess of the card? Obviously its just as bad, as every dimwit in every card store uses it like it was their first word as a child. Why cant we just say, "Fuck me, that card is awesome!" instead of "Get some life support, that card is SIIIICK!" I want to shoot myself in the face with buckshot for maximum pain.

Why is every relic and auto card called a "HIT"? The term is a little more practical than the mind raping nature of the above two, as most cards like that are a hit in a pattern of packs. But still, that is pretty dumb that we cant come up with better names with more descriptive variety.

How about the word "PULL"? This one is actually relevant to any chance ridden hobby. I have seen it in Miniature games that have random boosters, I have even seen it used for lottery tickets. Yes you are hearing that right. Its almost like we take a burning hot emblazened prod and burn these things into our brain, so that the neural pathway always leads to that term when encountering something of that nature. Its fucking ridiculous, and it makes collectors seem VERY ignorant and simple.

Basically, I hate people who cant think for themselves, and the collecting base is so full of these people that I think its reached critical mass. Lets hope the hobby doesnt run to a toilet and crap out the normal people, which always seems to happen.

Im Sorry Topps, You Are Idiots (Not News, To Be Honest)

I know we have all heard that the Finest RCs from this years set were supposed to be numbered, but arent. Despite them looking like they just rolled out of the suck bin and into the packs, people are obviously pissed that they arent getting numbered cards when they should. God forbid there be an unnumbered rookie card these days, right?

Regardless of how stupid the concept is, and even more regardless of how awful the set looks, people do have a right to what is on the sell sheet/box. So, to make up for their mistake, you can send in your card to be numbered in the factory if you want. It is on your own dime, so Topps is already making it harder than it should be. Reader Tim expressed his discontent with having to send in two cases worth of RCs to Topps, and how much that will cost. Yuck.

In all seriousness Topps should pull their heads out of their tight rectums and offer a little more than a factory stamped number. How about some packs? How about a mini box? I think that is only fair, because you shouldnt expect your valued customers to have to spend THEIR money to fix YOUR mistake. Its like Apple asking all their Mac users to send in their keyboards for a missing "A" key. Total crap.

EDIT: Thanks to Holy Hitter for finding out that Topps will actually be distributing hobby packs for the error. Is it one per card? What happens if you bought a few cases?

Patch Faking Reaches EPIC Proportions

So, I was monitoring the ridiculous Peterson Exquisite that just ended for close to 4000, and I couldnt help but feel that something was fishy. After it ended, I got an email from reader Ben who alerted me to this other auction that had pictures of the before card. Wow. Some people are douchebags.

New Auction



Notice the similarities? Hmm.



It is fucking ridiculous that some giant container of drippy ass runoff would actually ruin this card, but even more ass that he would try to pawn it off on some unsuspecting idiot. Can you imagine how it would feel to be had for close to 4000? I would take a life. I am thuper cereal about that.

What I would do for that guys address and phone number.

Georgia RB Jumps High, Has Awful Ridiculous Name

If you haven't seen the acrobatics of Georgia's Knowshon Moreno, then you should check it out. He is pretty acrobatic, looks pretty good for a sophomore, and could be a top pick in the 2010 draft, but he also could have the most ridiculous first name I have seen since Craphonso Thorpe. Seriously parents, did you want your kid to grow up thinking that you were completely incompetant? I would think so if you name him fucking Knowshon.

Either way, check out the vid.

"Millen" Around The Unemployment Office

Detroit Motor City Kitties fans, your day has finally come. Matt Millen has been fired/canned/drawn and quartered and is no longer the team's GM. What a day for you guys. Even though I am about as much a Lions fan as I am a Yankees fan, I am happy for your loss. Hopefully there will be no more Gosder Cheriluses and awful WRs (not Johnson) to fill out your drafts, but again, I hope Kevin McHale quits the Timberwolves and signs a deal to be the new GM. He would still be an upgrade over Millen.

Does this mean the Lions will be good? (Edited for Mr. Bars.)

I hope not.

SCU Breaks: Addresses

If you got a card from the Premier Break or the Absolute Break, please leave me your address in the comments. It wont be approved, so dont worry, its just for my reference.

Also, I have found out that I actually still have the Legedu Nannee and Frank Thomas base card from the last two breaks, so I am really sorry to those people. Im still new to the group break thing. Those will go out today.

If you have gotten a card from a break before, I already have your address.

SCU Breaks: 2008 Premier Football

Wow, this was a break and a half. Im sure you guys will see what I mean from the video.



Here are scans of the highlights:



Matt Ryan Quad Jersey Auto /199 - See! I told you we had a 50/50 shot at pulling a good card. Luckily we pulled a goodie, and it doesnt stop there.



Early Doucet III Signature Premier 1/1 - Wow, a 1/1 as well as the Ryan? That is too cool. Congrats to the buzzsaw and the Falcons.

David Garrard /25 - I am posting this card because I think the design is cool. Too bad its not a better player.

SCU Breaks: 2005 Absolute Baseball

Here are the scans of the highlights:

Gary Carter Jacket/Shoe/Batting Glove/Fielding Glove and Chest Protector 11/25. I love this card only for the chest protector being in there. Nice pull for the mets.





Twins Six Swatch /150 - Santana, Mays, Morneau, Hunter, Cuddyer, and Shannon Stewart. I wish Mauer was on this card, but its still nice even without him. Sorry I couldnt get the back of it.


We also had a Dodgers dual bat card of Rickey Henderson and Shawn Green, as well as a Joe Torre auto braves card.


If you really want me to send out the unnumbered base cards, I will, but it will cost me more to ship them then they are actually worth. Please be courteous. All numbered insterts and hits will go out to the teams that have them.

A Look Into The Thinking Of People Who Go By Book Value

These are some nuggets of pure unadulterated senslessness that I have collected from some recent threads about BV vs SV around the interweb. Try not to think about these for extended periods of time. Blood may run from your ears if you do.

"I`ve been in the hobby for quite awhile now and we always went by book value,beckett does the research and we buy the books,we always went by book value even before the internet,I think sell value is not that reliable,say you want a card you check ebay one might be selling for 3 dollars one for 10 and so on which one do you go by?"

"I use book value just because it is easier. it is a set price not changing every hour like sv is"

"BV has been a standard for 20+ years, I dont need eBay because I already know what mine are worth thanks to beckett"

"BV is what I traditionally go by as well. But, I have been known to hold onto a card expecting the BV to go up in the next edition (see Matt Cassell, Matt Forte, etc), but I recognize the fact that BV is fictitious. SV is too, cards are hot the first week, then fizzle off and the research it takes to follow up on that is too time consuming to interest me, so when someone start spouting SV, I usually move on. BV is fictitious, but it is at least a barometer in which to go by."

"SV changes too much, I like the stability in BV even if it is inflated. Plus it makes me feel better"

"People only trade by sell value when it benefits them."

"I am an uneducated hobby douchebag who cares more about how much my cards are worth than getting a card I actually want. Excuse me while I bust this box of Triple Threads."

Okay, the last one was mine.

LCM 08 Is Live, But I Am Sad

After looking at the two pictures above, are you not as sad as I am? The LCM mirror blues from last year were great looking. I still miss my Peterson. The windows had that tapered look and they looked like they were just right in the way they fit the card. This year's are a oil drum full of suck with the 3 square windows of floating event used crap. Besides the ridiculous auto from lazy brat Chris Johson, the cards are a complete downgrade. I had serious high hopes for this set and now I feel like Donruss has severely let me down. Limited is coming out soon too, and I cant help but wonder if we are in for a raping because of a switch back to packs. Base cards suck in non-lowend products. Lets leave them to the First Worlders and their lower end products.

Chris Johnson, I hope you are run over by a stampede of Buffalo. Your auto is horrible. Epic Fail.

There Is A Lesson To Be Learned Here

I just got an email from reader Phil, who was telling me about his 100 dollar Topps redemption that was replaced with a few packs of a low end product and an auto that hasnt been worth anything since 2005. Rather than going into the awful situation that Topps presents with their redemption replacements, and rather than going into my own redemption replacement predicament with UD, I think there is a lesson to be learned for all.

First off, never, ever, ever, ever buy a Topps redemption. I think I have heard of maybe 1 that has actually been filled correctly. Of all the companies that produce redemptions, and pretty much all companies in general, Topps is...umm... topping the list of people I dont want to deal with. See, the difference between Topps' more sporatic redemptions and UD's all over the place redemptions is that UD fills them MOST of the time. When UD doesnt fill their redemptions, I have heard great stories and awful stories, whereas with Topps, I have only heard bad and worse.

Secondly, if you pull a redemption of any non-PC player, sell the shit like its hot. Its not worth the wait, or going through "the program" if you dont need the card, and will sell eventually anyways. Let the other guy deal with the problem while you get 25 dollars less on eBay for a 300 dollar card. Really is any minimal percentage loss going to make or break you? No, you arent homeless. Go buy something you actually want and can see with your own eyes.

Lastly, dont trade non-redemptions for redemptions. I see people do it ALL THE FUCKING TIME. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. I dont care if it is some rare topps bowman chrome parallel auto. Its not worth your card unless the actual redemption card itself - not the card you are redeeming for - is going into your PC. Dont waste your assets on crap that will never materialize.

Just for reference, here are the best and worst companies for redemptions:

1. UD - online redemptions, soon to be online replacement program, great, good and bad replacement stories. Could take a while for your card though.
2. DLP - online redemptions, usually filled, not many replacement stories heard, but the ones I have are good.
3. Topps - online redemptions, nominally filled, awful, awful replacement stories heard, takes a long ass time.

Exquisite Gold Box On Ebay

Well, as expected, another 1/1 gold box from 2007 exquisite football is up on TWGM. I have a few issues with this one, especially at the gigantic price he wants, for a few reasons. First off, I think this box has already been auctioned once, and this is the second seller. I would be pretty weary about buying this particular one. Secondly, there is no paypal accepted for the box. Seller claims this is to save him the fees, but I disagree, and I think it is to save his ass when the guy gets it (if it is sold), and there are nothing but regular cards inside.

Lastly, and most importantly, the best 1/1s have already been pulled - you know full well about THE 1/1s pulled by Beckett at the beginning of this awful sequence of events, the Quinn and Johnson 1/1s have also been pulled, and the Peterson quad logo, rare materials, and dual logo 1/1s are pulled too. What does that leave this box? Not much.

Either way, I doubt this will sell.

Jumping The Proverbial Shark

If there is one thing I hate, its people who take the idiot 10 commandments to heart. If there is one thing I hate more than that, its people who do it regularly on YouTube. Thus, it got me to thinking, has YouTube box breaks and card collecting jumped the shark to the point where it is better to just avoid it completely? The nennth inning has a good post with his feelings, and I feel generally the same way.

As it seems for this moment in the YouTube space/time continuum, there are 2000:1 odds of people who are mind rapingly annoying versus people who arent annoying. I have found, much like the nennth inning says, that there are more middle and high schoolers than I ever remembered there being. These 13 year olds videotape everything from their collections to their maildays, and they very rarely post anything relevant to other users. When they are done with this annoying practice of idiocy, they go on everyone else's videos and leave nothing but comments like "FIRST!!!oneone" and "Nice MOJO!"

Now, if they dont like anything about the video or cant identify with it, they immediately leave some of the most evil and gross comments you will ever read. That is pretty fucking sad to see, especially if you are new to collecting, or god forbid, new to youtube. Personally, they exhibit everything I despise about the hobby, boiled down and separated until you have the raw makeup videotaped before your eyes. They are Joe Collectors before the age where they can actually be considered such. If you wonder where the idiot conglomerites come from, they come from these people.

The scary thing is, I can only think of two people I can watch on youtube on a regular basis. The first is Chri5784, only because he doesnt focus on anything other than the box. Its a minimalist approach, and I can handle that. The second is arplatinum, only because he breaks so much stuff, and does it by the case. His breaks are minimalist too, but the commentary is that much more annoying.

You are probably wondering what I am doing promoting box breaks on YouTube if I can barely stand it. Well, to tell you the truth, its the easiest and free-ist way to show people you arent scamming them on the group breaks we do here. You cant just post scans, that would be too easy to leave out a good card. So, I use it for help with SCU Breaks. I also use it as a way to reach a lot of people when I need to get out a message, but that will cease pretty soon.

All in all, I would say that YouTube has brought a new element to card collecting, but it has also made for a way to help fuck faces get their face on people's minds. On whether or not the shark has been jumped, right now, if you are a regular box breaker, consider it jumped. We have far entered the parody stage of the spectrum. For specialized usage, ill keep it for my selected viewers.

Vikings Recap: Week 3

Thank the fucking lord that the Vikings won. Thats all I gotta say about that. Beating a 2-0 team was icing on the cake, especially with public enemy number one Steve Smith on the other side of the field. He was held in check and the Vikings pulled out a nice win with a Backup QB.

Gus "BANG YOUR HEAD" Frerotte

He did what we all wish Jackson would do, mainly keep your cool in the pocket, hit your passes for short yardage, and throw one long completion per game. He made one bad throw that cost him an INT, but he made Shiancoe look good, and that is fucking hard. He was good for a few long ass drives, which Jackson had yet to do, and kept the team going behind a rock hard D. Great job.

Defense

The Vikings defense is becoming Cloverfield-like. They are THE premiere run-stopping defense, and the DLine is getting some great pressure. They sacked Delhomme at all right times, and I was no longer biting my lip on third down and 2 like I did the previous weeks. These guys were the MVPs of the day, and Winfield's TD was beyond fucking awesome. I expect them to have a field day next week, I hope Kerry Collins will be wearing kevlar. For his sake.

All Day

An okay game on an injured leg. I could see the problems when he got two yards when he used to get seven. I hope he is better next week.

WRs

Goddammit you guys, step it up. Seriously, if I have to watch another pattern where your separation equals less than a foot, I will come to Minnesota and destroy your DUB edition Escalade. With Frerotte, its no longer acceptable to say the ball was uncatchable. He didnt throw it to Eden Prairie like Jackson used to do.

Special Teams

I am almost positive that the Gophers could run a kick back 40 yards on these idiots. This better improve. Where is the "Suicide Machine" Chris Walsh when you need him?

Visanthe Shiancoe

You saved your job this week, congrats. Dont think you are off the chopping block though. You got lucky.

Bryant McKinnie

One more game. One more game. One more game. Dont fuck up again.

Coaching

Childress, I swear to fucking god, if you dont find some way to grow some creativity in that little fucking brain you have, we will be 7-9 until you are fired. Kiffin is getting the boot because he has nothing and is doing nothing. You have something and you are giving us nothing. I hope you go.

Titans next week - I am hoping for another win, obviously, but I want a big game from someone to do it. Peterson, I am looking at you.

NFL Week 3: Value Bumps

Im kind of glad week three is over because it was a make or break week for some teams, and some lived up to what they were supposed to do, while others continued their slide. Regardless of how the teams themselves did, there were a few players that had the same clause on their week 3 performances. Here is my opinion on what will happen to the value of their cards:

Michael Turner

Again he puts up a monster game with three TDs, but again he was playing one of the worst teams in the league. I would have been suprised if it didnt turn out the way it did. There will be very few running backs who look bad against the Chiefs, but idiots who will keep buying his stuff high wont care. They play Carolina next week, which could be a test of his true ability.

BUMP: UP

Matt Forte

I hate to keep putting him on this list, but people keep buying his stupid fucking cards at high ass prices. Guess what idiots? He is an average RB who will probably be replaced in next years draft. Look at his stats: 27 for 89yds? Thats awful in this league. If you cant break 100 on more than 25 carries, you arent going to be very good.

BUMP: DOWN

Ronnie Brown

Holy fuck, he ran wild. I cant believe the Dolphins used the direct snap as much as they did, I guess they didnt even trust Chad Pennington to pass the ball those 2 inches on a handoff. Either way, the Pats are falling apart, and fast, especially losing AT HOME to an awful team like Miami. Ronnie Brown gets OPOW and a bump.

BUMP: UP

Matt Cassel

Here is my chance to laugh at the people who bought in at 80 bucks for his Contenders, despite the fact that he will no doubt be a backup again next season. People dont seem to understand what stoploss QB is, so they buy when he beats a few teams. He looked like a backup and his crappy pocket presence led to a lot of offensive woes for the Pats. If you have his shit you are a week late in selling, so watch for the floor to drop out this week - FINALLY.

BUMP: DOWN

Darren McFadden

Wow, he looked AWFUL on that injured foot. He slipped left and right because he couldnt plant on a juke, I guess his R2 button was stuck, or broken. His "turf toe" could become a huge problem, especially for a rookie who was already stuck with an awful team. If you buy in now, you might as well stamp "idiot" in permanent ink across your forehead.

BUMP: DOWN

Matt Ryan

Another good performance against an awful team. Its expected. Dont buy in until he can prove that he doesnt need to have a bad defense to have a good game.

BUMP: EVEN

Steve Slaton

Another Matt Forte in a bottle. He rushes for over 100 and a few TDs and all of a sudden he is worth millions to every card collecting idiot out there. The only difference is that he did it against a Titans D that isnt bad. It makes me feel good for AD next week, as the Vikings definitely have a better OLine. Save yourself the heartbreak and dont pick anything up of his - it wont stick. If you have his shit, now is the time to sell. The Texans offense is bad, and he will succumb.

BUMP: UP

Chris Johnson

This was his first week without doing anything. Keep on him, he didnt do horrible. Plus, LenDale White will get most of the goalline carries, so his TDs will only happen on longer runs. I see him being the next Julius Jones in this situation, but that isnt necessarily a bad thing. His stuff should stay where it is or inflate, depending if he can stay in the OROY race. Plus, with McFadden out of it in my mind, this guy will benefit.

BUMP: EVEN

Felix Jones

This guy is slowly emerging as a great pickup in big D. His return skills are way above average and his TD total is coming along nicely. He had a good game, and I expect more. Still way too high to buy in at over 100 for most autos, but surrounding yourself with one of the best offenses in the game is a big plus for anyone.

BUMP: UP

Eddie Royal

Wait until a few more games pass before buying in. WRs are never good investments.

BUMP: DOWN

Brandon Marshall

He is the real deal, but off the field issues and the above fact make me weary of touching his stuff at all.

BUMP: UP

Possible Bumps for Next Week

Matt Ryan: Going up against Carolina could easily hurt him big time. Watch out.
Aaron Rodgers: I see a good week for him coming up. TB has big holes in the secondary.
Matt Forte: Philly will kill him, I hope.
The 1986 2008 Denver Broncos: KC makes everyone look great.
McFadden: Watch that injury. Could be big.

SCU Breaks: Absolute Baseball Randomizer Video

Here is the second video, done the old way because I have no idea when it comes to 2005 baseball. With old time teams like the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, they will go to the new cities for those teams (San Fran and LA).



Match the List above to the list below.

Gcrl (PAID)
CheeseEatingBird (PAID)
Gellman (HOST)
Casey (PAID)
Gcrl (PAID)
chrome 1_1 (PAID)
Gcrl (PAID)
The nennth inning (PAID)
houstoncollector (PAID)
chrome 1_1 (PAID)
The nennth inning (PAID)
Dave (PAID)
chrome 1_1 (PAID)
Motherscratcher (PAID)
The nennth inning (PAID)
Dan K (PAID)
Casey (PAID)
Gellman (HOST)
CheeseEatingBird (PAID)
Dan K (PAID)
Dave (PAID)
Dan K (PAID)
houstoncollector (PAID)
The nennth inning (PAID)
Motherscratcher (PAID)
Dave (PAID)
chrome 1_1 (PAID)
Dave (PAID)
Gcrl (PAID)
Dan K (PAID)

Cubs
Colorado
Philly
Texas
Milwaukee
Cincinatti
Padres
Mets
St. Louis
White Sox
Kansas City
Cleveland
New York Yanks
Houston
LA Angels
Detroit
Arizona
Atlanta
San Fran
Tampa Bay
Washington
Toronto
Seattle
Boston
Minnesota
Pittsburgh
Oakland
Baltimore
LA Dodgers
Florida

SCU Breaks: Premier Randomizer Video

Sorry for the delay. Anyways, I decided to try something new with this randomizer video per a suggestion from someone involved in the last break. Instead of randomizing all 32 teams at one time, I split them into two different divisions - High and Low. The high are teams like the Raiders, Cowboys and Vikings, where the low are teams like the Rams and Buccaneers. That way you get at least one good team for your spot. I think it worked out pretty well, as most of the people should be pretty happy with who they get.



Here are the results:

1. Darkship (PAID) - Cowboys and Jets
2. Ethan (PAID) - Eagles and Broncos
3. Voluntarheel (PAID) - Dolphins and Raiders
4. Holy Hitter (PAID) - Falcons and 49ers
5. PSAD (PAID) - Patriots and Ravens
6. Holy Hitter (PAID) - Panthers and Jaguars
7. Voluntarheel (PAID) - Packers and Texans
8. Speedlegg (PAID) - Colts and Seahawks
9. Alan (PAID) - Vikings and Buccaneers
10. Ethan (PAID) - Bears and Bills
11. Enrique (PAID) - Giants and Redskins
12. Gellman (HOST) - Chargers and Bengals
13. SpeedLegg (PAID) - Lions and Rams
14. Cheese Eating Bird (PAID) - Steelers and Chiefs
15. Darkship (PAID) - Titans and Browns
16. Matt L (PAID) - Saints and Cardinals (Congrats)

If you have a problem, please contact me, I think this was VERY fair. Matt, you are a lucky son of a bitch to get your hometown team (and yes I know you are not FROM New Orleans, but you get the point).

Alan, if you want my two teams for the Vikings, let me know.

An Ode To DLP Baseball

One of the first posts I ever did on here was a plea to bring DLP back into the baseball market with more than just draft pick and college sets. Well, I finally got my wish with threads baseball, and I couldnt be more happy than I am right now. Yet, without an MLB license or any of the big name signees, will it be at all possible for them to make a worthy return to baseball?

For the answer, I have three words for you that say yes: SHOELESS JOE JACKSON.

I also broke the SJJ story a while ago, and I believe that his "relics" are a great addition to this set. Any set with Shoeless Joe is an EPIC win, considering that he barely has any cards. He remains one of the game's greatest players, and we deserve more. Was he guilty enough to suffer this fate? Im not sure, but his stats from the 1919 series speak for themselves.

We also will get a healthy dose of people who have been absent from cards since DLP left, mainly Aaron, Mays, and company. This is beyond a victory for collectors, especially with the crap that Barry "the Steroidisaurus Rex" Bonds brought to the title of HR King.

Lastly we also get Pete Rose, who I agree should be included. However, the guy is the epitome of how not to be a baseball player, so he is not my favorite, and I wont be getting his cards. Others will, so thats good for this set to have him as a part of it.

Basically, when it comes down to it, I miss DLP Baseball A LOT. They were everything they are to football now, and you will see the shear awesomeness when we break Absolute next wednesday. In fact, I have yet to see a VETERAN based product that was done as well as they were done with DLP. They took boring base card focused sets that I couldnt stand, and made them into ridiculously cool products that everyone could appreciate. Since they left, 2nd world baseball has sucked a whole fucking truck of dicks, and I am tired of it. For fuck's sake, not everyone can survive on collecting retro sets filled with players I dont want a base card of.

If there is a future for National Treasures baseball, I will be there busting boxes. If there is a future for the return of a new Timeless Treasures, ill be there too. If we get 2008 Absolute Memorabilia Baseball, there will be a happy dance, follwed by a case break on this site for sure. Thats how much DLP rules.

So listen UD and Topps, you may have some big shoes to fill coming up, I hope. So big that I hope a lot of the first worlders start to recognize that the grass is greener on the other side when its Absolute they are busting.

SCU Breaks: 2005 Absolute Filled, Box Ordered

Hey guys, one way or another, this break is good to go. Box has been ordered, it will be here on Wednesday with the Premier FB, so we will do a double shot of awesomeness.

UPDATE: WE WILL BREAK ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR PREMIER AND ABSOLUTE.

Either way the post is majorly fucked right now, so if you got left out, let me know and I will add you in place of my other spot. I think I have everyone though.

So, randomizer vid for both breaks will be up this weekend.

Wow, this is going to be so fucking awesome.

Absolute Spots:

1. Gellman (HOST)
2. The nennth inning (PAID)
3. The nennth inning (PAID)
4. Dave (PAID)
5. Dave (PAID)
6. Motherscratcher (PAID)
7. chrome 1_1 (PAID)
8. chrome 1_1 (PAID)
9. CheeseEatingBird (PAID)
10. Dan K (PAID)
11. Dan K (PAID)
12. Gcrl (PAID)
13. Gcrl (PAID)
14. houstoncollector (PAID)
15. Casey (PAID)

An Unknown Fact

Funny Note: Ladanian Tomlinson's helmet actually turns in to a small spunky robot when offered mountain dew. More than meets the eye, indeed! Too bad its been used solely as a football helmet and not as its true purpose of defending Shia LeBouf in times of peril. Eh, maybe we will get lucky this year due the injury.

Hmmmmmmmm.

GET THE CUBE, BOY!

My Yankee Stadium Goodbye

I had this long ass post about how much I hate the Yankees ready to go, but really I am just glad to get rid of this awful plethora of Yankee love that has been choking me since the beginning of the season. Bring on the wrecking balls so I dont have to sit through any more 13 minute epics on sportscenter every hour, and so I dont have to see any more Yankee loads blown all over MLB.com each time I check the Twins score. There are more important things going on - forget this meaningless bullshit.

Product Review: 2008 UD Premier Football

Premier is a second year set that has taken over Ultimate's spot as the set with all the goodies. SPA and Exquisite are on a level all their own, but this set is becoming more of a front runner as the years progress. The problem is that the boxes don’t hold their price due to the sheer numbers of crap levels mixed in with the awesomeness, so people end up buying singles instead. I have seen a lot of recent 2007 breaks at the lower price, and a lot of people were very happy with that. Anyways, off we go.

The Good

There is A LOT of good stuff about this product, and I am VERY happy we are doing a break of it. After seeing the prelim breaks, there are some amazing designs that UD has done with the cards to seemingly reinvent it. The subset autos take center stage again this year, and I love the designs compared to last years snore fest. The new direction with the patch and jersey cards makes me want to go out and buy some, and the autos make me wish I had the money to drop on all the ones I want.

Secondly, as mentioned before UD has guaranteed 1 A List auto per case, with the likes of Manning, Peterson, Tomlinson, etc, and I love that new practice. They are also including 4 autos of the top RCs like McFadden and Jones and company, and that is GREAT with a huge RC premiere class. So, if only one comes per box, we can expect that 50% of the boxes have something good. I cant tell you how good those odds are. GOOD JOB UD.

Lastly, the auto RC jersey cards are a huge improvement from last year. Every thing looks better, but the pictures are still goofy and tiny. Still an upgrade, regardless, so its not that big of a deal. I think the jersey windows are also an upgrade, especially when the patches factor in, although its all event used, so who cares. Also a big plus: multiple configurations of diecut windows for parallels. The 2007 ones were a maze of parallels, but this may help to rise above that.

The Bad

Stickers on everything? Cmon UD, I know you can do it better a la SPA. Granted, many are unnoticable thanks to the clear stickers (TAKE NOTICE TOPPS), but that doesn’t mean they should be excused for a high end product. I think it should be commonplace for the on card autos to be directly proportional to the price of the box.

The content is getting closer to the price of the box, but its still not there. In a product this expensive, everything needs to be autoed or have a nice patch. Its inexcusable to throw out 2 autos per box, with only one shot at getting a vet auto.

The Ugly

As far as I know this product will come in one big pack. That is beyond ridiculous to expect us to live with no exquisite style box or something like that. Get the wax pack idea out of your fucking head and start putting better protection in for every product - especially the high end ones. I want to scream every time I have to open a pack for a product over a hundred dollars. I need more base cards like I need a hole in the fucking head. Get rid of the packs and start tinning this shit up with a nice box.

Can someone explain to me why some of the Premier Stitching cards have no player picture on them? They look fucking ridiculous. I cant believe someone didnt catch this and say, "Hey! Put some god damned pictures on these cards. We arent Topps Paradigm!"

Overall, this is only one of a few products, that I can actually think about recommending for people to buy. That is fucking sad. The fact that the market is continually flooded with absolute fucking shit is really disproportionate to the amount of awesome technology available. Hopefully people get back on the fucking horse. Now, I would wait 3 weeks until the prices come down a little before you buy, but it could be worth a shot at that time. Also, watch for our upcoming break for an up close and personal look at the set. Hopefully we pull something huge.

SCU Breaks: Sorry, One More Baseball Break

Okay, I know I said I was done before Holy Hitter took over, but I think this is not going to eat into the budget of the football people around. Hopefully this wont step on his toes. Either way, I absolutely love 2005 Absolute Baseball Update, and I figured that we should do one more Baseball for people out there. The box is suprisingly expensive for 4 hits and 1 auto, but this stuff is chaulk full of GUs/Autos of Ruth, Aaron, Mays, and a whole lot of other sweet pulls. These are some of the most expensive modern cards around.

$17.50 per spot, 15 spots, 2 random teams. Send paypal to gellmana@gmail.com and you will be added to the list. I may split the team groups into higher and lower level teams so everyone gets one of each, but Im not sure yet. Ill see what people say. Also, if this fills quickly, ill add another box of spots.

Listen, I know this is buying even more of a lottery ticket than before, but I figured that the baseball people will jump on this, as it was and is one of the most popular baseball products ever (in terms of high end). Plus, when else would you have the money to do this? Besides, for the price of half a minibox of ballpark collection, you can have the chance to get some really nice stuff.

Oh, and if you have a blog, let me know and Ill link you with your purchase.

Absolute Spots:

1. Gellman (HOST)

2. The nennth inning (PAID)

3. The nennth inning (PAID)

4. Dave (PAID)

5. Dave (PAID)

6. Motherscratcher (PAID)

7. chrome 1_1 (PAID)

8. chrome 1_1 (PAID)

9. CheeseEatingBird (PAID)

10. Dan K (PAID)

11. Dan K (PAID)

12. Gcrl (PAID)

13. Gcrl (PAID)

14. houstoncollector (PAID)

15. Gellman (HOST)

Absolute Baseball Update Stats:

Configuration: 4 packs per box. 4 cards per pack.
Look for (1) Autograph Card, (1) Prime/Jumbo Swatch Game-Used Card, (1) 4+Swatch Game-Used Card, and (1) Game-Used Memorabilia Card per box on average!!

SCU Breaks: Premier Box Ordered

Thank you to everyone who participated in this break. According to the release calendar, this will be out tomorrow, and we will break hopefully on Wednesday. The randomizer team video will be up friday or over the weekend, hopefully I dont forget.

Also, Holy Hitter will be continuing this tradition in a month or two with his first group break on the site. He is a veteran here, and does this all the time. I trust him completely. Im guessing the first break will be Absolute Football - a schmear from all the years. It should be awesome. Keep your eyes here.

Funny thing: My UD replacement package for the All-day auto should be here by friday, I am praying for good luck. I wont have it, so come to check on my ass-reeming over the next day or two. Who knows, I might end up with a 20 dollar card!

Lastly, if you have yet to receive your cards from the previous breaks by monday of next week, please contact me. The tracking for all the packages are finally registering and coming back, so I will keep an eye to see if one says it wasnt delivered. Im guessing the weather problems have had something to do with things.

A Ray of Hope: Topps Company

Okay, so obviously most of this blog is dedicated to both the good and bad of the card collecting industry, and for the most part most of it has been about the bad part. Card Manufacturers seem to have lost connection with the person they should care about (i.e. the collector). Well folks, I have to share a story about a ray of hope amongst the darkness and despair that we find ourselves in.

About 2 weeks ago, I got my box of Bowman Sterling for a box break I was doing on Topps Message Boards. Well I had read about how almost 50% of the boxes were short a hit and what Topps was doing to remedy the situation. So my group new there was a chance we would be short a hit, but the good news was Topps was going to take care of it. Well I did the break and much to my disappointment not only we shorted the one auto that 50% of the boxes had, but we actually were shorted one of the two guaranteed Rookie Relic Autos. Needless to say I was very disappointed and mad.

So what did I do? I wrote a very thoughtful and detailed letter sharing the results of the box and how with such a high cost product that kind of error is just not acceptable. But here is the thing, I didn't cuss them out and fume I logically laid out the situation and shared how I had collected Topps for over 20 years now and that I had always enjoyed their products, but I also shared how an experience like this could easily lead me to never want to take a chance on their products again and only buy other manufacturer's products. I wrote that I hoped they would realize that there was a problem and that it needed to be rectified. Well I sent the letter not only to the "Customer Relations" address, but I also sent a copy of the letter to the Corporate Headquarters in care of the Board of Directors. How many people do you think really write to the people running a company letting them know the problems with their company and product? I would guess not many and I would guess that those that do often aren't very logical and calm in their writing. Well I wrote it and I really didn't have any hopes of getting much outside some crappy cards to replace the "shorted hits."

Well today there was a box delivered to our house and it was from the Topps Company. It wasn't an envelope, it was a good size box. I could only imagine what might be in it. So I opened it right away and inside was an envelope which I opened. Here is a scan of the card inside (the name of the individual is blacked out at his/her request...but it is someone of consequence within the company).



Well I looked further into the box and there to my surprise was a sealed box of 2008 Bowman Sterling.



Needless to say I was very appreciative and I emailed the individual thanking him/her and telling him/her that I am happy to see that a company still cares about the product they are creating and the consumer who purchases it. Now on to the really funny part. So I busted the box on video again (with the first rookie auto and first rookie relic auto going to my previous break people)....well you can see for yourself the fun of this box.

Yep this box was a bigger disaster than the first. It did have a printing plate, but this one was missing both rookie relic autos. I emailed the individual who sent it letting them know and they apologized for the crappy situation and is looking into it. As much as the experience sucked, I have new found hope that there are companies out there that care. I know that this individual cares about the consumer and the product put out and I know that he/she will probably once again go above and beyond his/her duty in rectifying the even more crap of a situation.

Either way. It is a Ray of Hope. Thank you Topps! (I will now continue to purchase their products.)

Shouldn't Fans be United?

Sometimes I think the internet is too all-encompassing. Sometimes I find that the anonymity that is offered brings out the worst in pretty much everyone, myself included. This morning I was reminded that the nets are a savage jungle where even kindred spirits snark at each other and would rather destroy other people instead of build something special.

Case in point: Halos Heaven, which is a SB Nation blog site about the Anaheim Angels. No secret that I'm a huge Angels fan and have been since my Daddy took me to my first game when I was still a baby. I've followed the team through good times and bad, and have never jumped off the wagon, even when they were 40 games under .500. Of course in the current era the Halos are doing fantastically well, which would make you think that all would be right in Angels Nation, bud sadly, nope. The guy who runs Halos Heaven, one Rev Halofan, is the biggest jerk I've come across on the internet in a long time. He runs the site with an iron fist, and if he disagrees with you over ONE thing, he feels no compunction about blasting every one of your profile characteristics, even if they have nothing to do with the point at all.

This morning I posted my first ever "fan post" over there, featuring what I thought would be a good roster for the Halos in the post season. I misspelled one pitcher's first name (Jared instead of Jered Weaver) and forgot about one relief pitcher (Jose Arredondo), for that I got blasted left and right in a manner that would make you think that I was the second coming of Benito Mussilini or Ivan the Terrible. After I called out the asshole in question (Rev Halofan) I was basically told to grow a thicker skin. OK, that's fine I suppose, his playground and all, but seriously, if you're trying to GROW a site, you shouldn't be pissing off your customers.

I removed my initial post and put up a second one expressing my sheer disbelief that ANY Angels fan would be treated as badly as I was this morning on an ANGELS Fan Site. Sure, if I were say a Yankees fan and came in there talking a bunch of smack, then I would expect to be flamed, but NOT if I'm merely being a good Angels fan. As you can imagine, the loyal idiots came to Rev Halofan's defense and then even he posted some more nasty comments, which were extremely uncalled for. So now Halos Haven is on my shit list, and I'm encouraging everyone who has more than a passing interest to give them a miss. There are other Angels blogs to follow, most of them are fairly positive, after all, the Angels just clinched the AL West on the earliest date in divisional history.

I don't know what it is about SB Nation that really chaps my hide though; the other blog of theirs that I subscribe to, Bruins Nation, is just as bad as Halos Heaven. They won't even allow you to make ANY disparaging comments about Bruin players, even IF they played like shit (Darren Collison in the Memphis game, I'm looking at you). Part of being a fan is having the ability to criticize players when they don't perform. That's just the way it is with sports, and if you can't do that without being censored, what's the point?

I post this here because I know Gellman has a much larger viewing public than my personal blog, and again I thank him for the soapbox. I'm not asking for every fan of the same team to agree with each other, and I'm certainly not saying that my opionion is better than anyone else's regarding a specific team. What I am saying is that fans of the same team should treat each other with respect even if they disagree. Getting flamed over a typo and an obvious mistake is just not tolerable.

SO in closing, in the spirit of SCU - FUCK HALOS HEAVEN AND REV HALOFAN and the horse they rode in on. Plus, doesn't look like I'm alone in my newfound disdain for said HH site, looks like plenty of folks think that Halos Heaven is a wasteland.

Thankfully.

Rant off.


http://googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=wildwill&word2=rev+halofan