2008 Was A Year That Will Not Be Vanishing Quickly

At least that is how I feel it will be happening. Tonight at midnight, 2008 will be gone, but for me, not forgotten. It was a year that brought the hobby together in new ways, but tore it apart in just as many. Its tought to believe that most of what has happened this year was just 12 months of time, it felt like it was a college lifetime. What I mean by that is that you remember stories like they happened 10 years ago, when really they only happened last month. Its a crazy phenomenon, and it happened to me a ton in college, because there was so much stuff packed into each week. Card blogging in 2008 was the exact same thing.

I think there were a lot of really awesome things that happened this year, and at the top of it, we had one of the bigger surprises in NFL history when the Giants knocked off the 16-0 Pats in the Super Bowl. It had a big hobby impact, as Tom Brady's cards, which were higher than Robert Downey Jr on a bender, came down from the stratosphere. All the weird people who thought it was a good idea to invest at $3000+, got a crash course in buy low sell high. I love the taste of vindication.

We got a great National Treasures product out of DLP, which could have been the best value in a high end break in a long, long time. For once, you could have a pretty good shot at not coming out behind 300 bucks in value. Granted its not a good idea to bust high end for value, but if you get crap cards, where is the fun in that? National Treasures packed the boxes with sweet ass cards, and even during our break on here, we did pretty good.

SPA football was great, even though collation problems made it impossible to break and do well. Even with the collation problems, the cards looked great, producing some of the best autos of the 2007 card season. It also was all completely on card, which made it the beginning of a great tradition for all UD products in 2008. We also got our first taste of the new 45 day redemption process, and for the most part, it worked out pretty well.

Moving on to Exquisite, we got a great idea of what kind of impact Peterson had on the 2007 draft class. even though most of the breaks were less than stellar, the set looked to be one of the most valuable of all time. Coming out of the gate, Peterson, Quinn, and Calvin Johnson were all over, or close to 1000 bucks on ebay, and that was enough to draw the attention of quite a few people looking to break something with that kind of awesomeness. There were major problems with the legitimacy of the set, but I will get to that later.

Later on in the year, DLP came out with its first non-RC based baseball product since 2005, and as expected people went nuts, myself included. We also got the first modern cards of Pete Rose, and the first widely produced relics of Joe Jackson. The product was a reminder to everyone how much DLP's products were missed from the Baseball realm, and I, for one, was very happy to welcome them back.

Staying in Baseball, Allen and Ginter returned with its critically acclaimed 3 offering, this time with many more reasons to bust a shitload of it. Hair relics from some of the country's greatest heroes, as well as the first fossil ever to be put into a card, were huge highlights to the already mammothly (pun intended) popular set.

We also got our first taste of Razor baseball prospects, and for many people it was quite a thorn in their chrome first tendencies that have been building over the last 10 years. They managed to sign most of the first round of the 2007 draft to exclusive contracts, which meant that for many people who made their living on Bowman Chrome, it would be a new experience in 2008.

Exclusive draftee contracts were not the only contract problem to hit 2008, as the rights to many of Baseball's most valuable HOFers went over to the topps brand. A lot of people were very happy, especially now that products like Triple Threads and Sterling would have a MUCH better checklist. I voiced my opinion pretty often that exclusive contracts were one of the main reasons that the hobby was going downhill, and this was a prime example. Legendary cuts, as a response, faced numerous issues.

Also during the course of this year, we saw youtube become one of the most popular expressions of a collector's stash. In the years prior, Doctor Wax Battle had originated the video box break, but it took YouTube to make it huge. After 12 months of people catching onto the phenomenon, though, it has become almost impossible to find an entertaining person to watch. Look at my breaks, for instance, they suck.

Even though my youtube skills are minimal, 2008 was probably the best year for me, as it marked the beginning of this blog as well as the beginnings of a major internet presence in the community the blogs established. As of today there are hundreds of card blogs, all with a unique view of the hobby. The blog bat around that I put together showcased all the talent that was available to new people on the card based internet, and it was really awesome to see how many people cared enough about everything that was going on in the hobby to use a blog as an outlet. We saw the power of the internet, time and time again, as people sounded off on issues ranging from sponsorship to Beckett's awful displays of immorality.

When it comes to Beckett, they made 2008 a year to remember for all the wrong reasons. First, they gave birth to this blog by busting loaded boxes on video, and continuing to showcase the conflicts of interest that plague their magazine. This includes selling graded cards on ebay, crying to manufacturers about not getting certain exclusives that had been given to the newly empowered blogs, and eventually antagonizing bloggers by posting response graphics and stealing articles that had been written by people on the numerous blogs.

They also dismantled the Message boards that thousands of users went to every day to discuss things that were important to them. What is left of that community is still trying to survive on Beckett.com 2.0, but we can see it is no longer what it used to be. I thanked them for destroying the one thing that made them relevant anymore.

Thanks to crooked manufacturers sending them loaded boxes as discussed above, here is a list of their pulls in 2008:

1/1 Adrian Peterson RC Patch Auto
1/1 Walter Payton/ Brian Piccolo Dual Cut
1/1 Brady Quinn National Treasures Logo Patch Auto
1/1 LaDanian Tomlinson Exquisite Base Card
1/1 Ryan Howard Triple Threads Letter Fold Out
1/1 Joe Dimaggio Topps Sterling Cut Auto Jersey
1/1 Lucille Ball Razor Cut Sig
Charlton Heston Razor Cut Sig
Alex Rodriguez Topps Sterling Jersey Auto
Brian Brohm/Matt Ryan/Andre Woodson Rookie Progression Triple Auto
Shoeless Joe Jackson Prime Cuts Dual Bat
National Treasures Dual auto featuring Dan Marino

You may think that anyone who busts thousands of dollars worth of boxes could pull this kind of stuff, but if you look back, all of this is only out of 30-40 different boxes.

Before 2008 is up, I want to thank all the SCUites who have made this blog so awesome to run, and awesome to participate in. Special thanks to Holy Hitter, Will Noetling, and Charlie, who all pitched in to help me out. To all the people who donated to the walk to cure Diabetes, you guys are the true heroes of this b-sphere, thank you for giving up your hard earned cash to help others.

I also want to thank all the idiots who have provided me with so much shit to write about here, seemingly on a daily basis. It was a ton of fun to write about all the numerous blunders.

So, from the bottom of my heart, HAVE A GREAT FUCKING 2009, may you all be safe, healthy and happy.

Monthly Football Box Breakers Club- SPA DELAYED

Well folks our scheduled January break product has been pushed WAAY Back. SP Authentic which was set to release on January 7th has been pushed back until January 28th. That puts us into a situation. Do we want to do a different product that is already released (07 or 08 product) and push SP Authentic into the February Break and 08 National Treasures into March or do we just want to wait and keep SP Authentic for the January Break and be extremely patient? Comments are appreciated.

Below is the list again. Still waiting for a few payments.

1. Holy Hitter (paid)
2. vmonfredo (paid)
3. vmonfredo (paid)
4. Gellman (paid)
5. Wheeler (paid)
6. Hawaiian Lion (paid)
7. Hawaiian Lion (paid)
8. I Am Joe Collector (paid)
9. I Am Joe Collector (paid)
10. Cardboard Addiction (paid)
11. Cardboard Addiction (paid)
12. Psad21 (paid)
13. Psad21 (paid)
14. Penguin101 (paid)
15. Penguin101 (paid)
16. Groat (paid)
17. Groat (paid)
18. HoustonCardCollector (paid)
19. arfmax (paid)
20. arfmax (paid)
21. fatcat4262 (paid)
22. fatcat4262 (paid)
23. darkship (paid)
24. darkship (paid)
25. whitesoxcat (paid)
26. whitesoxcat (paid)
27. sonic (paid)
28. sonic (paid)
29. voluntarheel (paid)
30. voluntarheel (paid)
31. mattlange (paid)
32. hupaskin (paid)

SCU BREAKS: PLEASE HELP

For some stupid ass reason, blogger erased my team post with the video and everything. I know you guys know your teams, so please let me know what cards you got. If someone wants to go through, be awesome, and email me a list of the teams that would be great. I would do it myself, but Youtube is blocked at work.

As for the Thorpe/Jackson card, I think I am just going to give it to the White Sox because Thorpe is not in any team jersey on the card, nor is there a team name printed. If you have a serious problem with that, please let me know.

Due to the above problem, if you won a card from the break, please tell me who you are and I will have your cards out today. Post your address in the comments, and I will not publish it.

Thanks for your help!

BOX 1

Thorpe/Jackson (CHI AL)
Yount Bat (MIL NL)
Anthony Gose Auto (PHI NL)
Isaac Galloway Auto (FLA NL)

BOX 2

Ripken Jr (BAL AL)
Palmer Jer (BAL AL)
Ike Davis (NY NL)
Neftali Soto (CIN NL)

Prime Cuts: HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!

Guys, I have never had a break like this. Ever.

I think this could be the best two boxes we could have hoped for, and for the people who got the main hits, congrats on two fucking ridiculous cards.

The break video will be up in an hour or two, my computer doesnt save quickly. I am still shaking from these pulls, and I hope you guys are as happy as I am...

BOX 1 - Joe Jackson/Jim FUCKING Thorpe Dual Relic 3/25



I guess this goes to the White Sox as Thorpe didnt really play for a team. Fucking amazing card.

BOX 2 - Cal Ripken Jr TRIPLE RIDONKULOUS PATCH AUTO 6/10



Big thanks to Shawn at DACardworld for sending us two amazing boxes.

New Years Questions From Dinged Corners

Patricia and Lucy wanted to know a few things, here are my answers!

Part One

1. If I didn't collect baseball cards, I'd collect COMIC BOOKS.

Yes, this is how much of a geek I am. I revel in my geekdom, and I will be a geek till I die. Right now I have a pretty extensive collection of Spider-man issues, even a good copy of Spidey #14 - first Green Goblin. That is my pride and joy.

2. My baseball heroes include one you probably wouldn't know from my blog or comments, and that person is HANK AARON.

I read a biography on Hank Aaron in 2nd or 3rd grade and did a report. I have nothing but respect for him and what he went through. I love that he wasnt a guy who was big and beefy, but still had the skill to be one of the best ever.

3. Every New Years I resolve to SELL MOST OF my collection.

God, I have so much crap laying around that I always want to just up and sell everything I dont love. I put so much into everything that at this point its all quality over quantity. Too bad eBay makes me lazy enough to say that I will wait until things get better.

4. If I could spend a day with one person from baseball history, it would be Kirby Puckett.

The guy was beyond nice to all the fans, and I had a few experiences that I have mentioned on the blog that would make me want to spend a while just talking to him. He seems like he would have done it too. Thats the kind of player that is a rarity these days.

Part Two

1. What is your favorite kind of dog?

Siberian Husky. I love those things even though they might as well be bears. They are too big for me right now.

2. Who is your favorite baseball player?

Joe Mauer, gotta love the home town guy playing for the home town team.

3. What is your favorite team?

The Yankees...

... I kid, I kid. The Twins.

4. What is your favorite baseball movie?

The Natural. I love watching the evolution of Roy Hobbs.

5. What is your favorite baseball book?

Moneyball, not even a contest. Redefined how I looked at baseball.

6-What is your favorite card?

Baseball-wise, its probably my Joe Mauer Exquisite Patch Auto.

Prime Cuts Break Tonight

Should have the boxes opened and posted by 8pm PST, so please check back. If you have completed a trade for teams, make sure to let me know - I havent really been following it.

Thanks to all of you who are participating, hopefully we will have something to talk about.

A few rules clarifications:

1. Cards from old teams will go to the person who has the current team (IE Nationals get the Expos, San Fran gets the NY Giants, LA gets the Brooklyn Dodgers).

2. Multiplayer cards will be randomed for the people involved

3. Non baseball cards will be randomed for everyone in the break

4. All cards will be sent

Any other questions, please post.

Prime Cuts Box 1 - Trading Post

Please use the comments here to work on your trades.

THIS IS ONLY FOR BOX 1!

Prime Cuts Box 2 - Trading Post

Please use the comments here to work on your trades.

THIS IS ONLY FOR BOX 2!

Value Bumps: Year In Review

This year, the NFL was a mush pot of craziness, mainly because everything went in the opposite direction of what was expected. There were so many surprises over the course of the season, that I went into each week expecting something to happen. Now, heading into the playoffs, its become pretty obvious that 2008 will be a year that many will remember for both good and very very bad reasons.

Before the preseason, everyone was talking about God, or as people in Green Bay call him, "Brettius Favrosis the Magnificent." First he had retired, then he came back, then he wanted out of the cheese factory in Green Bay (BLASPHEMY!!). Eventually he ended up with New York, and Aaron Rodgers was set up for the franchise. Both the Pack and the Jets missed the playoffs, so im guessing Tony Kornheiser died a little inside, but it didn’t stop people from flipping a shit over Favre in the news and in the hobby. Favre cards of him on the Jets went nuts, and Rodgers got a pretty big bump out of the gate due to his early play.

Of course, with the BMOC now in NYC, poor Chad Pennington had nowhere to go, so he took a chance on the 1-15 Miami thinking that it would be a good place to showcase his lack of recent talent. In true 2008 fashion, and in the biggest turn around in NFL history, they end up 11-5 thanks to their new found winning combo of Pennington, Brown and the Wildcat. Who do they beat in week 17 to secure the division? Why the New York Jets! That could be the best 'Fuck You' ever. Chad's cards had never really been worth all that much, and that really didn’t change, but that didn’t mean that people like Ronnie Brown and John Beck didn’t get anything out of it. Brown's value went way up, while Beck's went way down, no surprises there. Maybe those 2005 boxes of Exquisite will finally be worth the break now.

Staying within the division, Tom Brady, ladies man, gets his leg torn off, and Matt Cassel, a guy who seemed to be everything that every Pats-hater loves, was left with the team in his hands. We all expected a miserable season, though as things went on, it seemed like Cassel was just as good as could be expected within Bellichick's system. Even though half the team was out for the season with Brady, the Pats finish 11-5, though they miss the playoffs. It couldn’t be more perfect. Just goes to show you that personel isnt the only thing that makes a team good. As a result, and even though they didnt make the playoffs, Cassel's cards hit the high notes, and you can expect that when he pulls a Matt Schaub and goes elsewhere, the value might stay in the same region.

From the Pats, to the team that beat them, it was truly a great year for the Giants. Number one seed, home field advantage through the playoffs, everything was going great as the end was in sight. Then Plaxico went out for a night with the boys carrying a little too much protection. The Giants lose their top receiver, but don’t really lose much of a step in beating the Panthers the following week. With everything already sewn up, its not too big of a deal to retool things a little.

Interestingly enough, they lose to the Vikings in week 17, which gives Purple Jesus his first playoff birth and an exclamation point to his mammoth season. I thought that this would be a mid to okay season for AD, but in true Peterson fashion, that joke was on me. The Vikings win the division thanks to Peterson and Gus "Bang Your Head" Frerotte's return to glory, leaving the Pack at 6-10 and Peterson with a rushing title. Amazing. Peterson's cards hover about where they ended after 2007, which is a feat in itself, as most people thought that it would be crazy to buy in (including me). Yet, after 2008, we may have to change our tune on value and hype thanks to the Peterson deisel.

Rookies in 2008 were not anything to forget either, as this years class was nothing short of remarkable. Matty Ice Ryan takes his team to the playoffs after a miserable 2007 season, and does it in a freakishly amazing show of skill. Flacco and the Ravens equal his success and take their team to the playoffs too, capping the first time I can remember where TWO RC QBs take their teams to the playoffs without looking like they are amateurs. Both of their card values went through the roof, rightfully so, and now with a playoffs ahead, the sky is the limit (see Roethlisberger for more info).

QBs were not the only RCs to make big news either, as Chris Johnson, Matt Forte, and Jonathan Stewart made people remember why RBs are always a good bet. The thing was that it wasn’t those three that were tops in value to begin the season, and the guys who were are now at half the price in some cases (see McFadden and Mendenhall).

Lastly, we move to the Lions, as they looked like they were playing a team of RCs every week. They end up as the worst team in NFL history at 0-16, and really, it was expected. The only bright spot was Calvin Johnson, who may have been the first Lions draft pick in years to actually be good. Too bad he will end up in Canton for all the wrong reasons.

My NFL MVP: Drew Brees or Kurt Warner
Defensive MVP: James Harrison
My NFL ROY: Matt Ryan
Comeback POY: Chad Pennington
Biggest Surprise: Falcons and Ravens win with RCs
Best QB: Drew Brees
Best RB: Adrian Peterson
Best WR: Andre Johnson
Best RC QB: Matt Ryan
Best RC RB: Chris Johnson and Matt Forte (tie)
Best RC WR: Eddie Royal

As a person who followed the NFL more closely this year than ever, it was great to document the hobby fluctuations here on the blog for the first time. I think that we still have a great playoffs coming up to hopefully fill those mind sanctuaries for the 6 months ahead with no football, and I will guarantee that I will make sure to let you guys know how I feel. Also, with the Draft in the months after the Super Bowl, I hope that 2009 will look as good as 2008 did.

Thanks to all of you footballers out there, I think its baseball dominated blog world, and its nice to see there are a lot of you on here who still collect cards from the gridiron.

Vikings Recap: Week 17

"By the little tiny hairs on our chinny chin chins..."

Thats basically what the whole season was like, and now the Vikings are division champs. I am loving it, and I am loving it even more that Neckbeard and the Bears didnt even have the stones to win in Houston. Its been a wild ride, and if you told me that we would be division champs at this time six in September, I would have told you that you had to go get your head checked. Even though we wont be winning next week, its still nice to be at the table.

Tarvaris Jackson

Wow, he still has a mammoth amount of stuff to make up in order to be a good NFL QB, but he has gotten the job done. After that interception on the goal line, I was chastizing Childress more than him for calling a pass play with the best RB tandem in the league, but I guess it worked out in the end. There sure were quite a few plays he was responsible for that left me with my head scratching, but that was forgotten with the Bernard Berrian TD.

Adrian Peterson

What a season he has had. Just an amazing display of tenacity, even though fumbles again were a problem. Tiki had some problems originally with that, though with experience that should be fixed. The 67 yard blitzkrieg was awesome to watch, and I am happy that he finished as the NFL rushing leader. Hopefully he comes to play next week too, we are going to need it.

Defense

I think this game only showed how bad our defense can be without Patty McFatty. He plugs holes better than his Williams counterpart, and I am sooooooo glad that he could be back next week. That Hixon TD was also one of the worst Winfield plays I have ever seen, so we will definitely need to tighten up if we are even going to have a chance next week.

Ryan Longwell

Longwell, my hero, has been perfect from 50+ this year, and that is so freaking important in this league that you wouldnt even fathom where the Vikings would be without that kind of dependability. I havent mentioned him much in these recaps, but damn, he still has it.

Brad Childress

Childress sucks so bad he was almost taken to school by David Carr and a bunch of scrubs. That takes talent. He has his job for one more year, and that scares the hell out of me. I really hope he isnt stupid enough to let another draft go by without taking a NFL level QB, because he definitely is that dumb to me. If I was sitting in the stadium of Childress' head, I would see nothing but Tjack love, which will suck for many, many reasons.

Overall, I think this seasons win total stops at 10, with Philly coming to town next week, however maybe, just maybe we can pull another one out of our ass. Here's to one more week of torture, watching another 100 fumble game, and screaming loudly into a pillow when Westbrook goes for 200 and 3 TDs.

Product Review: 2008 Prime Cuts Baseball

Well, despite what Beckett did for their break of this product, I think it still warrants a review. Prime cuts was one of my favorite sets of 2005 and I think it takes Topps Sterling out back and kicks the fuck out of it. Though it has no license, I honestly don’t really notice it, as weird as that seems. There are some bad parts, but I think its inevitable with a product like this.

The Good

There are a lot of great things about this product, whether it be Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Rose and Shoeless Joe being in a high end product for the first time in a long time, or the cool ideas they had for the player combos, the checklist rocks when it comes to old timey guys. I think any set that focuses on players like the ones featured in prime cuts deserves a big plus, but to do it the way they did, makes me want to go buy a case.

The design of this set is great. I love it. The cards look wooden almost, and the whole layout of the horizontal double quad and triple relics bring out the buying beast in me. It just looks well put together in every sense, and makes you wonder why sets like threads even was put on the market. This stuff is ten times better looking and ten times better conceived. Also, to not include weird ass stat diecuts is a "thank god!" in my book, so kudos on that.

Encasing the big hits is awesome, especially with the tendency for cards to be chipped and damaged in products like this. I talked about it a while ago, saying that all cards should be like this in high end products, but this is a start. I especially like that they chose the magnetic style holders with corner protection for sure, especially because they are so nice and easy to display.

If you can find this box at 155, or less, I think it’s a really good buy for what you get. The big hit isnt it, and I like the addition of lesser hits so that the box isnt a complete waste if you pull something crappy for the biggie.

Basically, I think its long overdue to have Hank Aaron and Willie Mays in a set, and that will get me to run wild when you do. Its really too bad that we cant see them in a licensed set, but its awesome to still have high end cards.

The Bad

I didn’t like the addition of rookie shit in this set, as there really is no reason to have them included. However, I know the players association requires a set to be like this, though Im not sure if this falls under that set of regulations. I would have liked to have seen the RCs be only the back focus of this product, but I do see some Gordon Beckham and Buster Posey showing up as the encased hits. That would be a huge disappointment to me.

As for the encased hits, I would have liked the sticker to be a lot less noticable. It sometimes covers up part of the card, and that really detracts from the awesomeness. Use a little sticker and make sure that the card is the focus.

Moving on to the autos, this product seems to have been in design for a long time, and Im kind of angry that we still are getting sticker autos for this type of set. Hank Aaron is notorious for having an awful signature, but to have it as sticker confined as it is can be really problematic. Get the living guys and the RCs to sign the cards, its not like you cant produce these things ahead of time.

The Ugly

If you look at some of the colossals, its again obvious that the cards were not designed in the right order. The plain relic cards look like there should be an auto on them, instead of the other way around. The swatch is way too far down, and nothing pisses me off more than a could-be wonderful card that breaks its own borders due to poor design. There is no excuse for this, as the set should be designed with the swatches being the focus of the swatch cards regardless of the presence of an auto.

Overall this is a pretty strong showing from DLP, I must say they did a pretty good job, even getting the CMG guys in there. The set has some things left to be desired, but that doesn’t mean it isnt worth trying a box or two just to see what you get.

Happy Hanukkah From SCU

Rock that driedel straight up like Judah, WHAT WHAT!

Product Review: 2008 Topps Sterling Baseball

Topps Sterling, amazing checklist, very little value, that’s what this product's tagline should be for collectors. I mean you pay a whopping 250 dollars at the least for 1 hit, not multiple hits, 1 fucking hit, and it could be an Eddie Murray jersey card. The good thing is that it also could be a Babe Ruth cut, but the odds are so much against you, its better to buy boxes of Legendary Cuts and hope for the best at that price.

The Good

Ill admit it, with the CMG players, the checklist is pretty good. Cobb, Ruth, Mantle, Robinson, its basically a who' who of the major hall of famers. They even threw in some pre-war players that don’t usually get stuff in these products due to scarcity. Ill give them that.

Another amazing part of this set is the jumbo patch and jumbo patch auto cards. Last year they were out of 10, but this year they all seem to be 1/1s which is good and sucky at the same time. The good thing is that these patches are usually like 25 colors and the space usually affords places for an ENTIRE patch on the card. Its completely awesome. If you manage a player who is still alive, the Patch Autos add a really nice touch to things. However, at 1 per case now, these could be quite substandard.

Looking at the packaging, its awesome. I love the white wood box, and I think it makes a good statement. Packaging is very underrated these days, and I give them props for doing this well.

The Bad

This product is basically higher end triple threads with better players and less hits, and the windows spell out weirder shit, but ill get to that later. I cannot understand why anyone would decide this is the product for them to bust. I cannot understand why Triple Threads is so popular either. Topps blows giant whale balls at high end product and this is reason number one: THEY GIVE YOU NOTHING FOR YOUR MONEY!

At one hit per box, this could be the worst high end break of all time. There is no reason to spend even 200 dollars on one hit, unless you are SURE its one of the old CMG players. Half of the relics for the good people are bats, and the cards don’t even look that good. Your chances at cuts are ridiculous, and the product has enough bad pulls on the checklist that it wont matter.

On top of all this, the price tag on better products is lower, and you get WAAAAAAAY more stuff for your buy. Its like paying 250,000 for a Ferrari box on wheels, when you can have the fully loaded Ferrari at a different dealer for 150,000. It just doesn’t make any sense. Yet, people go nucking futs over this shit because they are too stupid to realize the crap they are buying.

Lastly, its sad that we are cutting up Honus Wagner bats and Jackie Robinson jerseys for this stuff. Its not a good idea. I am all for the historical significance of these jerseys and bats, mainly because so many people would cherish them, rather than destroying them. I can imagine that there are not many relics left to chop, and that makes me sad for future people who wont get to see them as a whole piece.

The Ugly

I have no fucking clue what half of the diecuts mean. 140 sac bunts? .987 OPS 1963? 500 IBBs 1943? Cmon, this stuff is crazy. How about getting someone to think of better things to carve out of these windows. If I was in the market for some sterling, I busted a box and got a Babe Ruth, only for the windows to spell out something like 33 WS 4 HITS or something crazy weird like that, I would be mad. Is it too tough to spell out "Bambino"?



What this excess of weird carvings creates is a fucking gross amount of 1/1s. I bet there are close to 100 1/1s for each CMG player and even more for people like Seaver, Palmer, Gwynn, etc who are younger. That just plain fucking sucks. Topps has made it their mission over the last 4 years to destroy the integrity of the 1/1. They wont be satisfied until every card they make has 200 1/1 parallels. Not only does the abundance of 1/1s devalue the box break even more, it fuels the idiots who buy this crap. That means this product stays around, gross.

The last thing I want to talk about is the foldouts. Why Topps continually resorts to this stupidity is beyond me. They are impossible to display in protected holders, they usually spell out the weirdest possible things ever, and the design for these makes it obvious that they designed two cards, put two of the same pictures on them, connected them together, and knew that Lettermen football loving joe collectors everywhere would kill people to get them. I have even devised a fomula:

Low IQ + Low Hobby IQ x Number of boxes of Lettermen or Triple Threads Bought = Likelihood To Buy A Product With Ugly and/or Poorly Conceived Cards

Before buying Topps Sterling, remember that if a Topps product is over 100 bucks, stay FAAAAR away.

Chris Cooley Goes Balls Out With Breaking Limited

Chris and Clinton play Pack Wars from Tanner Cooley on Vimeo.

I dont know if I can watch any other breaks ever.

h/t 10 people.

Team Randomizer For Prime Cuts Boxes

SCU Sales: Help Me Out!

Guys, I have a lead on a ridiculous price on a ridiculous Peterson card. Problem is that I only have around 140 bucks and need about $350. I have some stuff to sell, including this Peterson, so please take it off my hands if you have the money. I hate hauking my goods on this site because I think its tacky, but I really have no other choice. I have tried all other options. Please email and send paypal to gellmana@gmail.com.

Card: 2007 Adrian Peterson Topps Rookie Premiere Auto
Attributes: Nicer auto than this card that ended at $178, centering is typical for the card (up and to the right), hologram on back, usually sells at around $200.
Price: $195 delivered.


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Card: 2007 LaDanian Tomlinson Gridiron Gear NFL Teams Auto
Attributes: Low numbered, nice centered auto, plastic helmet embedded in card.
Price: $45 delivered


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Item: Official Game Style NBA Basketball Signed By Kevin Garnett
Attributes: Comes with nice lucite style case with wood display, very nice auto with no pen breaks, obtained at a personal signing by myself at a Target in Minneapolis, I will certify it to pass any auto authentication tests.
Price: $195 delivered, price includes shipping of extremely heavy display.
Price w/out display: $175 (due to shipping and cost of display)


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Sorry for the interruption of your normally scheduled rants.

Prime Cuts Box Break Will Happen Monday

Just an FYI, if you are part of the Prime Cuts break, it will be happening on Monday when the boxes are delivered. The holiday has prevented these from being delivered this week, so I am sorry that we cant do this sooner.

Take a look on eBay as there are a lot of nice looking cards and a lot of AMAZING cards. I am hoping we can have some luck, as it is obvious that are many boxes that are not winners unless you collect that player.

The random video for both breaks will be up tonight, trading can start for both boxes' spots at that point.

Good luck!

Obvious News Of The Day: Beckett Needs A Diaper Change

Putting his own neck out there and risking a lot, Mario has posted the proof from his experience with Upper Deck and the collicky babies over at Beckett. Mario's contact at UD had sent him some exclusives for his site, and as I have said before, Hackler put on his pull ups and toddled to the phone to call his people to let them know that it was "*CRY* NOT FAIR *CRY*" that Mario was getting stuff before them.

That was the end of the exclusives for Mario, and its now become painfully obvious that Beckett loathes us as much as we loathe them. The problem is that we cater to their customers too, and this is pretty damning evidence for us to exploit on the behalf of the right and the just. See, remember when the comments were flying and Beckett stood by the fact that the hobby was just meant to be fun and that doing what we do here at SCU was pointless? Well if this is what they truly believe, than this should not have happened. Its all supposed to be about fun, until someone else puts their flag at the top of the mountain, right?

Listen people, you can hate me for who I am all you want. You can defend Beckett until you are blue in the face. The issue will remain that the people at Beckett are awful, horrible people who dont care about anyone but themselves. They have no responsibility to you as a collector, and the magazine and site reflect the fact that truth is secondary to the BJs they give to their contacts at the manufacturers.

Glad to see that we are finally getting a clearer picture of what happens in Texas - and look, there happens to be a naked guy inadvertantly in the background! I hate when that happens!

Green Bay Proves Themselves As Complete Idiots

So, Adrian Peterson (Bears) throws Blackmon out of bounds with a wickedly stupid ass penalty that should have ended the season, but, as usual, the ridiculously lucky ass Bears defense comes through to block the FG attempt.

Fucking Neckbeard and the entire Bears offense cant move the football all night, bailed out by the defense the whole fucking game, and yet they still win. Only in fucking Chicago.

I seriously hope the Vikings kick some Giant ass on Sunday, as it is going to be a cold day in Viking hell for me if they cant even beat the scrubs. 2000 41-donut anyone? I think this looks eerily familiar to many Vikings fans.

WAIT - NATHAN POOLE JUST SIGNED WITH THE GIANTS?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

2008 Threads Baseball Break

As for my Chrome FB break, I got more out of this video than I got out of my box.

Beckett's Sterling Break Response, Its Even Constructive!

Today, for the first time in a while, Beckett broke a few boxes of Sterling and got crap. It was refreshing, and thank you to Topps for not playing into this any more. I dont think I could stomach another Sterling break like last years Arod Auto/Dimaggio Cut scam.

A lot of you are either for Beckett or against them, and this one is for those of you who actually care about the future of this situation. Or, more specifically, how Beckett can fix all the problems they create on a regular basis. I have offered these solutions before, but I doubt you remember.

Really, if Beckett thinks that they dont need to fix any of the things listed below to stay in business, I promise they will be sadly mistaken. I think these solutions are no brainers.

1. DITCH THE PRICE GUIDE

There. Now you get rid of a lot of the conflict of interests that plague the magazine. Just dump it. Its completely off base and irrelevant, and the prices (even though there is SURELY a formula) have no bearing on actual value. Why keep up this charade? Even better, just put a big ad for eBay's completed auction page.

2. STOP ALL THE ARROGANCE

Face it, Beckett is no longer the #1 authority. Internet users are. That means that you need to stop walking around with your dick hanging out of your pants. We dont want to look.

You need to start embracing the internet revolution, rather than taking a big poop on it. We hate you because you are a company of asses. Dont belittle the fact that there are people who disagree with you any more, because that will be the end of you. That is the nature of this. Stop posting 5th grade type rebuttles to things you are obviously at fault for. Say you are sorry, offer amends, make friends not enemies.

An example here: when this website was first created and people were really pissed, you should have maybe sent an email saying that you wanted to make it up to us. Instead of posting fuck you after fuck you after fuck you on the site, you should have just came out and said "We are sorry, please forgive us." You didnt. Instead you adopted a policy of non-recognition, which only makes you look like assholes (which you are). Asking for forgiveness is the sign of a good person who has done wrong. If you stand fast and act like you are above the law, its the sign of a lack of character. FYI, I still have not received one olive branch, not even a sniff. Thats pretty interesting considering I come up in staff meetings. Its too late now, but you get the point.

Another example: After the national card show, Hackler laid a golden poop talking about how much people love his poops that smell like rainbows. He said something like, "our box breaks are the most popular things we do, and its now obvious that only a few people dont like them." That was completely pointless, because we all know how many of us really dislike them. Ill show you my inbox, it has close to 300-400 emails that say exactly the opposite of what Hackler says. All you gain by pulling this time and time again is more enemies.

Last example: Instead of addressing the issue like an adult, someone decided that making fun of Dave's graphic would be a better route. Yes, that worked out great right? Now instead of a website with 450 hits a day being pissed at you, you now have a website with 100,000+ hits a month that is pissed at you. Time to give it up.

3. NO MORE COMPANY SPONSORED BREAKS

Youtube is filled with breaks of boxes from people who are actually paying for them at real stores. Use those in a weekly forum post on the site rather than accepting loaded boxes from crooked PR reps at the manufacturers. Users will be pumped they are on the site, people will be happy, AND I WILL SHUT UP ABOUT IT. Also, it will be real people with real cards who have spent real money. Plus, the real emotions of a real breaker trumps your bad acting any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

This will also dump another conflict of interest from the business you run, and everyone can again have a realistic expectation of what is REALLY in a box of cards.

4. PUT REAL COMMENTARY IN THE MAGAZINES

Get some of the real collectors to write real articles, work with them, and create a true collector's magazine. Tackle real issues with real people, no more fake bullshit. If patch faking is a problem, publish a spread on it. If people love a product, tell us why by having them write about it in article form. Dont publish short paragraphs from people who post on the message board, start getting stuff from people who actually are vested in this hobby. Besides, we are tired of hearing from the same people over and over again. Stop thinking about how to stop the opponents and start thinking about eliminating the problems that cause opponents in the first place.

This also means when Mario and JV spend their time writing an article, you publish it as promised.

5. ADMISSION OF GUILT

Again, apologize for the wrongs, stop doing bad things that cause wrongs, and run a respectable publication. People will admire you for being brave enough to say you are sorry, and they may even start buying the magazine again. Dont give some half assed excuse like, "We are sorry you feel the way you do, it was not meant to be like that."

Instead say, "We broke a lot of a rules in the book, and we are sorry for what we did. We understand why people are angry, and we will make the practices of the magazine reflect a better and more ethical way of functioning."

See? Dont blame us for feeling the way we do, say sorry and admit to what you did.

Dont just say it either, DO IT.

6. STOP SELLING ON EBAY

Another conflict of interest - gone. Its not cool to sell Beckett graded cards on ebay. Do you not see what is going on? Just stop, we will all be happier.

There are a lot more, and I will discuss them as they come up.

Vikings Recap: Week 16

Typical Vikings, I cant believe we blew that game. It was really just a comedy of errors, and it may cost us the season if the Giants decide to play any of their starters next week. Im still hoping Chicago loses tonight, but we all know that wont happen.

Special Teams

If the special teams coach isnt fired by the beginning of next year, you better bet your ass that I will walk down to the dome and poop on his car. Wow, what a pitiful performance again by special teams.

Fumbles

Did they grease the ball or something? I have never seen so many fumbles in a single game since Daunte Culpepper left. 7 fumbles? I want to see a training video of the coaches giving footballs to the players to carry around and then seeing if the defense can knock them away in class and recover them, like in that one movie. That is definitely needed here.

Tarvaris Jackson

Needs to know how to get rid of the ball. He holds onto it like its his baby boy and he has separation anxiety. This has been a big problem for Vikings QBs, mainly because neither of them are really very good. I mean, look at some of the QBs and backup QBs around the league. Some of them just look like they know what is happening around them, others (like Jackson sometimes) look like they are high on peyote and are having a bad trip in the pocket.

Adrian Peterson

Shitty, shitty game, I guess he is entitled to one, JUST NOT THIS LATE IN THE FUCKING SEASON. Dammit, do it in week 8 vs the Bucs or something, now is where you step up. DAMMIT.

Brad Childress

Could be the worst play caller in history. I sat there with a clip board and counted the number of times I was right on the play calls. I totalled 15 plays in a row at one point. Get a new coach, this is a big issue. Billy B's pats win with shitty players because they are well coached. The Vikings suck because they are coached by a retarded looking bird that resembles a vulture.

Receivers

All our receivers suck with few exceptions. We have more holes to fill this offseason than a golf course with a gopher problem.

Here is to the giants not playing hard next week, because I hate them and because we are going to need help to get into the postseason. I hope to god things work out because I am bored during playoff times with no Vikings. However, maybe if they don’t make it, Childress will be fired. Crap, that is a tough pickle to decide how to cheer. One and done in the playoffs or no playoffs and no childress. Hmmm.

Shameless Plug For ARPlatinum

SCU Youtube Breaker of the Year, ARPlatinum, has started a blog to promote his upcoming breaks, and I think it is a good idea to check him out in between SCU Group Breaks, especially if you have a more expansive budget.

His blog is still new, so if you need to know a little more about him, check out his hugemoungus selection of case breaks on YouTube.

He has pretty much broken multiple cases of just about everything, its great to see what happens when a real person breaks boxes with real money. As it turns out, it happens pretty much the same way as when I break boxes.

Right now he has a break going for Ultimate Football, and I cant wait to see how this shit turns out. Color me excited.

Check it out.

A Video That Dances To The Soundtrack Of My Rage

Tom the Ripper has some mad skills at video making.



Too awesome.

h/t Stale Gum

Please, Do Us All A Favor And Read This

A few days ago, I asked Mario why he was hesitant to take a kill shot on Beckett, that his posts seemed like they were teeming with anger, but didnt really cast any shadows of suspicion. He said that it was a matter of the fact that his vendetta was more personal than business. Chris Olds had fucked him one too many times and he was sick of that.

Then, the Prime Cuts break happened, and a lot of things changed. He posted this article, the best thing I have seen on his blog in a long time. That is saying a lot, because there is so much awesome stuff on Wax Heaven, that for me to say this is the best, is tremendous.

Here are some highlights:

Dave created an icon for bloggers to put in their sidebar to show they support Sports Cards Uncensored (link). Rather than respond to the issue, Beckett has decided to mock Fielder’s Choice by creating their own version of the image and putting it in their sidebar. At first I thought this was somewhat humorous but by just tossing it up on their site without explanation it shows that they do hear your complaints and just don’t give a rat’s ass about them.

[After the call out on Wax Heaven] Beckett Media responds with a “random” bust of one of their forum users. Considering there is about 20 people left on their message boards, this was clearly an attempt to save the product (and their reputation). Good try Eric but it’s clear at least on the Internet that this product and your box breaks are pure shit and everyone knows it.

Please do us all a favor and check out these three posts.

3 Reasons Beckett Is Getting Desperate

The Real Victim of Loaded Boxes

Is This Who Beckett Caters To?

Lastly, Wax Heaven has dubbed SCU as blog of the year in the end of the year awards, and I am humbled by that. Mario is the face of the card blogs, with more visitors in a month than this blog has had since its start, so I would think he is the true winner. Either way, thank you for that, its a good way to start a week that could be really, really bad for this hobby due to a number of things that will be happening.

Threads Baseball Break Tonight

I know this was supposed to happen on Friday, but UPS's stupid holiday shipping policy prevented that from happening. I wanted to go to a movie and have dinner with some friends, and they wanted to wait until 8:30pm to deliver my package. As you can imagine, I was pretty angry, and just told them to deliver today. Lets hope things work out.

As soon as I am done breaking, I will post the results from my SHITTY Topps Chrome break and the results of the Threads Break here, pics and all.

Right now, im just hoping things happen as planned.

Houston Collector, send me an email as you won the contest. I dont know if you saw that.

Misery May Love Company, But Stupidity Knows No Bounds

So far, I have been accused of working at a Dunking Donuts (delicious), being King of the Dorks (awesome), and losing credit to my arguments because of my Rotundous face (nice word choice!). That is fine, because its obvious that these people really have no idea what to say about this whole thing except to make jokes like a fifth grader. Personally, I get a pretty good belly laugh out of it, and if you have seen my belly - WHOA.

See, the people who defend Beckett dont really seem to realize what this fight is about, either because it dates back to before they were back in this hobby or because they just dont want to take the time to go back and read about it. Thats fine - your decision.

However, for Beckett to take the stances they have on the things they have done breeds nothing but hatred in my book, and that changes this fight all together. It used to be about that they were getting loaded boxes, but Ross is correct, that is just as much the manufactuer's fault for giving them as it is Beckett's for opening them. Now its more about the arrogance and stupidity that they conduct themselves with. Its still about their unethical, conflict of interest, and stupid way of running their magazine, but now its also about the way they treat other people who have become important within the hobby.

Yes, Beckett's price guide may only be a guide, but to say that the guide is necessary for a collector to get all they need out of the hobby is shit! Collectors dont need a guide, especially one they have to pay for, because JB from the Topps blog is correct, its more about getting what you want and giving others what they want. However, if it comes down to it, and you still need a guide, go to eBay, its free, and you can see EXACTLY how much its worth. You also dont need to read advertising spiked articles talking about DLP's latest Beckett hand job, and you certainly dont need to read ever positive reviews despite shittier and shitter products. Beckett does what they do because they are paid to. They take money from the companies and in return, they give great press to whatever the agenda is. Think the guide is objective? No. Be serious here, they have no responsibility to you, its only to the ad buys.

Its pretty obvious to me that Beckett is a Cancer in this world, and even if we were to cure it, there would still be many little cells left, ready to metastisize. You know what my goal is in all this, all this fighting, all this swearing? To get you to think for yourselves. Thats pretty much my goal, because when you do that, they lose. Their goal is to get you to buy more shit, grade more cards, spend money with their partners. It sucks that many turn to them for news. What is the point? Are we supposed to believe that the news we are getting is better than news we can find here or on other blogs? They would like you to think so. Otherwise, instead of Chris Olds and company crying to their ad buys that they arent getting the same attention online, they would have links and spotlights.

This is where the arrogance plays in, you see, because Beckett employees are the self proclaimed gods of this hobby, and if you question that, FUCK YOU. They want all the attention, they want all the hits, they want every person to believe that this hobby wouldnt survive without them. As Hackler wants you to believe, only a few people care about what is going on behind the scenes. Only a few people care that they are telling us to bend over and spread our cheeks every time they break a box. Every single other person thinks Beckett's poops smell like fucking cotton candy, right?

Its pure arrogance, and you can tell me that Beckett has your best interests at heart, but ill tell you, just about every single blog on the planet has posted AT LEAST one anti-Beckett post, and they have for a reason. Hell, Dave from Fielders Choice even created a graphic for everyone to put on their blogs and message board sigs.

Beckett, you may continue to create zombies and brainwash people, but I will be there at every turn with my flaming sword forged from the F-bombs of articles past, ready to cut your fucking head off. I will not stand for the arrogance, unethical behavior, or stupidity because this hobby already has a shitload of it without you. Misery may love company, but this isnt misery, its a call to arms, and I have a fucking army at my side.

Beckett Topps Sterling Break Is Coming Monday

Just so this is here, I am putting the odds of them getting a monster pull at 1:1, much as I did with Prime Cuts.

Here is a something that you may want to think about:

1. Will they get a top tier box?
2. Will they get a case hit letter?
3. Will they get a huge fucking cut auto like last year?
4. Will they be stupid enough to post the video if they do?
5. Why are they publicizing this?
6. Do they expect us to eat this shit up like its hackler's (obviously) golden poops?
7. Are they thinking that we are going to forget that this is ANOTHER hand seeded product?
8. Are they expecting us to forget that the NAMES ARE PRINTED ON THE FUCKING BOXES?
9. Will people care that this is filmed before the release date, AGAIN?

My call: A ridiculous patch of a pre-war or war era player, and yes to all the above.

Two Box Breaks Tonight - Contest For SCU Breakers

Here is what is happening. Tonight, I will be opening a box of 2008 Threads Baseball and a box of 2008 Topps Chrome Football. THIS IS NOT AN SCU GROUP BREAK. For those of you who have participated in an SCU Break, the upcoming Prime Cuts break, or the monthly football break, you are eligible for this contest - SO PAY ATTENTION. I want this to be a sort of holiday giveaway, so here is what I would like to happen.

I am opening the football first, and I will be getting plenty of refractors and stuff in the box (hopefully). Pick a team, and if the first parallel or auto comes from that team, you will win a hit from either the football box or the baseball box depending on your preference of sports. So, that being said, you could either get a jersey or auto from the DLP Threads, or a refractor or auto from the Chrome. Hell if you want all the base cards, ill give those to you instead. Pretty simple.

There are 32 teams in the NFL, so the first 32 people can enter. Just post in the comments below. Please stay tuned to this post in case I cant approve the posts often enough. If you choose a team that has already been chosen due to someone posting before you, I will randomly assign you a team that hasnt been chosen off the top of my head. Remember, the actual team of your choice has nothing to do with the hit you will be getting.

The hit you win will be shipped out with the Prime Cuts cards.

Happy Holidays Guys.

Edit: My camera cut out mid chrome break, so I will let you know that Houston Collector won the contest with the pull for the Giants. It was a Jeremy Shockey red refractor 23/25, which also turned out to be the best hit of the box with NO FUCKING AUTO. Let me know if you want a bunch of base or a hit from either the football or the baseball break. The threads hasnt come yet, so ill have to let you know. Send me a comment or an email.

Could Brett Favre Decide the Senate Election in MN?

I guess a write in for Brett Favre for President of the United States was challenged by the Franken campaign as a ballot that should be thrown out. Same with one who voted for the "Lizard People."

Either way, I just think its hilarious, because you know that guy was watching TV and was like, "Maw! Paw! Mah vote is on the picture box! I tol' yuu that Favre will be the white house guy!"

h/t fivethirtyeight

Beckett Scam Updates

Just a cute little FYI, Beckett has yet to put the Prime Cuts video on the main site, and that is funny.

Also, take a look at the comments on the video post on the douchebag blog. They are just amazing what is said by Eric, someone who seems nice, but is really misguided in his ways. Its just scary to think that people out there think the same way.

"Why, we provide information collectors need to enjoy the hobby to the fullest, of course."

To those of you who think that these are average boxes from Prime Cuts and that a Joe Jackson bat relic is nothing to be excited about, fine, you have your thoughts, I have mine. The fact is that Beckett is still getting FREE boxes, two weeks ahead of time, with great, great cards in them. Isnt that enough to raise a ruckus? I mean, yes, there are a lot of good cards in the set, but there are three times as many bad ones. There are thousands of cases of these cards and they end up with what they got? Cmon. Donruss wouldnt be stupid enough to send them a cut, they saw what happened last year. Guys, this is a hand seeded product, Donruss knew exactly what was in those boxes and so did the hobby's number one source on douchebaggery.

Lastly, check out these great response articles on this from Houston Collector, Wax Heaven, White Sox Cards, and Sports. Cards. Life. Try to get a true sense of the way people from Beckett look at this break, and the way collectors like me look at the break.

I Dont Even Know What To Say Anymore - Joe Jackson???

Seriously people, I am beyond fucking pissed that no one else fucking cares. Beckett opens their 2 boxes of Prime Cuts and pulls a Shoeless Joe Jackson Mother Fucking Dual Fucking Bat Relic /25.

Boom, 800-1000 dollars. One of the biggest pulls in the product. I put the odds at 1:1, and who guessed it right? Fuck.

I said that we would be adding to the list, and now we are.

Does anyone have any doubt left in their mind that this is a scam? Why are manufacturers still doing this? Fuck, I have more of a reason to believe that Tracy Hackler is a man, than to believe that this shit is real. What the fuck is DLP thinking? We are just supposed to believe that the 15,000 dollars in cards they have pulled over the last 2 years has been "pure luck?" Fuck that! Not only is this product not even on the market for another two weeks, but they get more hand seeded boxes with a fucking monster pull in it? I hope someone dunks their massive heads in a jar full of month old period blood. Thats how much hurt I wish upon them.

They dont even have the fucking decency to get excited over a eight hundred to a thousand dollar card. Those fucks.

My video response and call to arms:

Beckett Island Renamed Desperation Island

So, for those of you who still go to the Hobby's number one source on douchebaggery for news, you may have noticed that their crying and bitching to the manufacturers actually has gotten them some previews of upcoming sets. You may think to yourself, damn, this fight is not going well for the right and the just.

I have said before, I am in no position to make any impact what-so-ever on the hobby, especially when Beckett has so much to hold over the heads of the manufacturers. What? You want to give exclusives to Wax Heaven? Fuck you! We are going to drop book value on your products faster than our circulation numbers! Eat that you assholes!

Beckett still gives prices to the retarded 70-80% of the hobby who still goes by book value, drop the price in the guide, buys will go down, especially in this economy. Senior Pricing analysts? Ha. Guaranteed they just watch gay porn all day and diddle themselves. Otherwise the pricing hat would not still have such a place in their operation.

On top of all this, they have started watermarking all images so that other news sources cannot steal them like Chris Olds has been doing for years. Personally, I dont see why this is a good idea, it just doesnt help anyone. Maybe they are like the Underpants Gnomes and they just dont get it.

1. Prevent all blogs and hobby news sources from stealing our images.
2. ??????????
3. PROFIT!

The stench of desperation has become overwhelming over at the ranch. Maybe its just the typical cow shit they always reek of.

EDIT: HOLY SHIT, AND WE GET A BOX BUSTERS EPISODE THIS AFTERNOON? FUCK, THIS IS GOING TO BE BLOODBATH.

Showing You What Is Possible For Our Upcoming Prime Cuts Break

Just a ridiculous amount of awesomeness.

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

EDIT: Cards encased in magnetic holders? Score.

The Second Blog Bat Around

Wow, this thing has gotten bigger, if that was even a question before. I gotta say, I had more fun with this Bat Around than I did with it's dad, mainly because you guys have some awesome centerpieces. Hopefully we can keep it this size when Dave from Fielder's Choice hosts it next month. Keep on the look out, ill have a post here to make sure you guys know. Again, great job, it only shows what we are capable of, and you didnt even need to buy a stupid magazine to see what we are all about.

Without further adieu:

Sports Cards Uncensored - My experience with Kirby Puckett.

Bad wax - Chem has selected a 1909 Sammy Strang card as his centerpiece. I agree with him that the card reminds me of a simpler time when it was just a game. Its always cool to see pre-war cards too, because I wish I had some.

Stats On The Back - This post is worth reading because his centerpiece(s) are awesome. Just check out that Pat Sheridan card, just total Rambisosity of the Kurt variety.

The Easy Life - Steve has a really nice Marmol/Soto dual auto that he pulled as his focus, which I respect, because I could never pull anything even close to that cool.

Nennth Inning - Man, the Lincecum in this post is really, really nice, and could be the next card worth a ton from that set. Bailey is lucky because he picked up a potential high grade copy for next to nothing.

Padrographs - The collection of IP and TTM autos on this post is amazing, and yes, thankfully, Mickey and Minnie Mouse do sign through the mail. We havent confirmed if it is a ghost signer, but we think it is legit.

Pauls Stuff - Jeff Innis. Most of you havent heard of him, myself included, but Paul has a nice collection of Innis stuff. All your Innis are belong to Paul.

JB's Topps Blog - His centerpieces are the cards that finish his sets, and I feel your pain. For the record, the order I got the links is the order they are put on. Sorry bud.

Sports Card Info - Andrew's piece is a Willie Stargell ball, and ill tell you, I have a soft spot for personalized autos. I long for them, Andrew has them.

Chuck's Used Cards - Another prewar card, but this one is a biggie, a Ty Cobb T205. I am quite jealous despite the poor condition. Wow.

Saints of the Cheap Seats - This post is about something that I have myself, memories passed down from father to son. Danny's father passed down his auto book from the WWII era, and I must say I am thoroughly impressed.

Superfractor - I know that on the podcast he has mentioned all the nice Ortiz cards he has, but this one is ridiculous. Check out the post and see what an Ortiz centerpiece should look like.

Voice of the Collector - I dont think I have seen a nicer collection of amazing RC cards as in this post. The Ripken and the Ryan are amazing enough just to check this out.

Night Owl Cards - 1 post, 1 of the most colorful sets ever produced. He did trade a Hank Aaron for a Ron Cey, but at least, he was happy. I guess thats all that matters.

Sports. Cards. Life. - Still one of the better titled blogs of late, Paul talks about future conquests for a centerpiece as he has just started back into things. I hope he has a deep checkbook for those!

Garvey Cey Russel Lopes - GCRL talks about his Jim Lefebver card, and I spent like 10 minutes trying to pronounce the last name.

Dinged Corners - Lucy loves her Japanese Pokemon card, and her David Wright, "because." I cant argue with that. Although the lunchboxes from Patricia are really cool, I couldnt help but laugh at how awesome the thought processes of a child are.

Wax Heaven - Mario's site started out as Canseco Completist, he showcases the card that got him back into the game. Im sure we are all happy he found it.

Nachos Grande - A Reds card from dad is more than enough to spark a collection, Im glad a lot of people focused on treasured cards that may not be the most expensive ones they have. I agree with the post here, Dad is a great person to thank.

Need Mo Morneau - Dusty has a pic with Ryne Sandberg and I am in awe of people who manage to produce the pic that the auto came from. I almost like the pics better than the autos themselves. The auto he got from Ryne is nice, but the pic is my favorite.

BoxBusters - Game 4 ticket stubs are good in my book if you are a Cards fan, especially because there is nothing better than a WS won at home.

White Sox Cards - Steve still has the card from the first pack he opened, that is truly impressive, even if it is Alfredo Griffin. Also, I think this is the second post with that card in it that has been featured in a Bat Around? Are we starting a trend here?

Cardboard Junkie - Dayf has a simply awe inspiring Braves collection, and his vintage portion seems to be the best I have seen in a while. If you are cool with losing 20 minutes in gazing upon his cards, please click. You will be sucked in, I warn you, so devote proper time.

Trader's Cracks - Ryan has to have one of the biggest oddball Joe Carter cards out there. Its amazing that the card he focused on came out of a cereal box. Amazing.

Old School Breaks - The story behind this Hank Aaron card is awesome, please do yourself a favor and check it out. Like I said before, the connection between dad and son in this hobby is always underappreciated by the people who dont get what it means to be a collector.

Green Monster - Talk about a monster from Green Monster. That Ted Williams card is ridiculously sweet, and I have a feeling the rest of his Sawks collection is similar in awesomeness.

Thoughts and Sox - This post documents a really, really nice collection, and of course, more Ted Williams. I am so jealous as this collection displays some real doozies. Plus the Roe glove? Awesome.

Cardboard Addiction - Outside the box is the name of the game here, but it is cool that he has cards of the kids. I am thinking that would be something cool to give out at the first birthday. At least you have something embarassing to show at their graduation party.

Blue Heaven - What I would give to have been at that show. Koufax, Campy and company? I would give an arm and a leg. The picture that was signed is quite amazing too. Really cool story here.

Hawk to the Hall - Charlie talks about meeting Andre Dawson (naturally) and getting the centerpiece of his collection signed in person

Free Andy LaRoche - This posts talks about the collection as a centerpiece, and I agree on some parts. My IP and TTM auto collection itself is a centerpiece of sorts, so this falls in with the truth in my mind.

I Am Joe Collector - Wow, a whole wonderbread box filled with boxed sets, that rocks in so many ways. Add in the "YOU CRASH THE GAME" redemption set, and you get a winner.

Houston Card Collector - This post presents something that a lot of us go through when writing these posts. Is my centerpiece the most valuable card in my collection or is it the one that means the most. It may be both.

Acheiver Card Blog - Funny post. Tragically Motherscratcher died yesterday writing this post on his computer. May he rest in peace. Dibs on his blog!

Fielder's Choice - I thought it would be only fitting to end the second Bat Around with our host for next month. Dave has some pretty awesome pieces in his Mattingly and Longo collections, so be sure to see this post.

Wow, that was a blast and a half. Ill say this, after going through the order in two consecutive innings, we must be up 100 runs. I am still pissed that Padrographs missed the sign on the squeeze bunt in the second inning, though. Dammit, keep your head in the game!

Thanks again for participating, this is really a massive thing to get everyone together on one topic. We have shown, now, for the second time that the card blogs are the number one info source in the industry, not some magazine of dorks in Texas. See, I had to get one Beckett shot in there!

Same Bat Time next month, but different Bat Channel. Mark your calendars.

TTM Success - Jared Allen (Vikings DE)

Took about a week, I wish he would have signed in black on the other side of the notecard, but I am happy either way. I may send an actual card if I can find one to send, but Im not sure yet. I got this piece of awesomeness in the mail a few days ago, so I probably wont need more sigs.



Chad Greenway's TTM is on its way, lets hope I get that one back, as he is steadily becoming one of my favorite players.

Blog Bat Around - Holy Crap This Is Going to Be Big

So far we are at 30 and counting, I have a feeling there are more on the way. Please remember to have them in by tonight, I have finished the write ups for the ones I got so far, so extra time will be given if you contact me first. Your post will be at the bottom, but it will be on there.

Thanks again for making the Bat Around awesome, I am so happy that we can organize something huge like this.

I Owe A Few People A Few Things

First off, there will be two breaks here on the 19th, and there will be giveaways from the break for the numerous people who have participated in SCU Breaks and the Blog Bat Arounds over the last 6 months, so make sure to check in on Friday for your chance to get some hits from the boxes.

Secondly, I owe Cardboard Addiction a Marino letter, and I havent forgot. With the wedding and money, I havent been able to send it. I can now, this is my fault. Send me your address again, and ill have it out today. Sorry again.

Thirdly, articles are due tonight at midnight - and this time I KNOW I am right.

Fourthly, Dave is breaking a box for the 'sphere, that is amazing.

Lastly, I may have to cancel the Secret Holiday Gift Giver. There are just too many things going on. I havent decided yet, but I am sorry none-the-less.

Chris Cooley Breaks Sports Legends

When I think of Chris Cooley, I seriously think he must be a fucking blast to hang out with. Anyways, blowout sent him some cards so he could open them on video. I think he did a pretty good job, he even did it without accidentally showing his insert and parallels if you know what I mean.


Box Break with blowoutcards.com from Tanner Cooley on Vimeo.

2009 NFL Pro Bowl Rosters Are Up

And the Vikings basically have their whole defense in the game. Nice. Some obvious selections in Peterson and Kevin Williams, with Jared Allen and Patty McFatty as reserves, and my main man Antoine Winfield as the gem of the NFC secondary.

See, this is a great story, as Antoine has been a great, I mean fucking balls out awesome head cracking corner in this league for years . He has never even had a sniff of the Pro Bowl because the guy doesnt run his mouth like Porter, or dance like Ray Lewis. Besides, its a cliche to say that someone plays every game like its the Super Bowl, but he does, and he makes it seem like its 4th and 1 from the 1 yard line with the game riding on the stop. I love watching him, and I am so glad he made it, AND as a starter. Good for him.

Cue the Antoine hit punishment reel.

Clip?

We got a clip?

No clip?

Okay no clip.

So, even though the game is a sham, and needless injuries happen every so often, its still nice to have some of the Viking Ship in Hawaii.

Some other surprises: Chris Johnson makes it as a rookie, I dont think anyone saw that coming, especially with Matt "I H8 U" Forte not making it on the other side of the ball. Hell, even Matty Ice didnt make it, and he took his team to somewhere from no mans land. Another interesting note, Reggie Bush is shut out again from Hawaii even though his punt returns have been masterful this year. Lastly, maybe they should just have the kicker and the punter from the Super Bowl winner every year, it would save us a lot of time.

Reminder: Bat Around Articles Due Wednesday

For those of you who will be participating, your articles are due Wednesday, or they will not be added to the original posting, I will be working on the submitted articles first, and posting that, then yours will be added as soon as I have time, so please get them on time. It takes an unusual amount of time to get the whole post done, because blogger seems to poop itself every time I want to post something with 30 plus links, so please give me advanced time to prepare by being nice and submitting asap.

I have every link so far that has been emailed or commented on the site, so dont worry if you already have yours done. I also read most of the blogs, so I even did a courtesy to those who posted but didnt comment or email.

To get your link added to the Bat Around, please send a link to your blog's post, and I will add it. You can comment below, or email me at sportscardsuncensored@gmail.com.

EDIT: I MUST BE HIGH BECAUSE I THOUGHT TODAY WAS WEDNESDAY.

Monthly Football Box Breakers Club (FILLED)

The new feature here at SCU of a monthly football box breakers club has filled. Our first break will be in January with (4) boxes of 2008 SP Authentic Football. Because we had multiple slot purchases by most people I can send out the base to those who would like it. When I post the shipping information and the "break date" (tentatively January 11th if the January 7th release date for SP Authentic holds) please just leave a comment saying you want your base or email me so that I can make a note of it to ship out. Here is the list of the participants and a reminder for those of you who haven't paid yet that payments are due on the 1st of January.

1. Holy Hitter (paid)
2. vmonfredo (paid)
3. vmonfredo (paid)
4. Gellman
5. Wheeler (paid)
6. Hawaiian Lion
7. Hawaiian Lion
8. I Am Joe Collector (paid)
9. I Am Joe Collector (paid)
10. Cardboard Addiction (paid)
11. Cardboard Addiction (paid)
12. Psad21 (paid)
13. Psad21 (paid)
14. Penguin101 (paid)
15. Penguin101 (paid)
16. Groat (paid)
17. Groat (paid)
18. Holy Hitter (paid)
19. arfmax (paid)
20. arfmax (paid)
21. fatcat4262 (paid)
22. fatcat4262 (paid)
23. darkship (paid)
24. darkship (paid)
25. whitesoxcat
26. whitesoxcat
27. sonic (paid)
28. sonic (paid)
29. voluntarheel (paid)
30. voluntarheel (paid)
31. mattlange (paid)
32. hupaskin (paid)

2009 NFL Pro Bowl Rosters Come Out Today, But Who Cares?

In baseball, the All Star rosters are important, now, and it should never, eeeeeeeeeeeeeever have been that way due to the EXHIBITION status of the game. Regardless of the above stupidity, its still pretty fun to watch. I like seeing my favorite team play, but its amazing to see the best players most popular players face off in a game.

On the other hand, we have the NFL "All Star Game" or the Pro Bowl, where players make up injuries not to go, its after the season when people are still reeling from the Super Bowl, and with no bump and run coverage, or people who care, it becomes boring. On top of all this, you still have fan voting, which means that LaDanian Tomlinson will probably still get in, despite having the worst season of his career.

Funny enough, there was even controversy about the balloting for this game that no one wants to play, as the Washington Redskins were accused of stuffing the ballot box for starting a campaign a little early on their website and games. As a result 8 of the 11 starting positions were dominated by Redskins players in the vote. In retaliation, the NFL extended some stuff and really, it boiled down to no one caring.... again. In my mind, there are only a few people that should go to the pro bowl, as we have come to find out that the non-skill players are just there because they were last year.

What do I think should be done? Well, im glad you asked! If it were me, I would do this as an All American style thing where you dont actually play a game that no one watches except in Hawaii. Instead just have a banquet there, and let everyone still get their trip.

The thing that I hate about the Pro Bowl is that when its over, so is football action for a long......... long fucking time, and that sucks ass. Sure we have the draft in May or whatever, but its still just people on a stage. Really too bad.

A Treasured Experience and a Centerpiece To Match

No one appriciates centerpieces more than I do, I live for them, they make message boards fun, they make you jealous. For me, I pride myself on the fact that although my collection is small, my centerpieces are worth millions to me. Each of them makes me remember a part of my life, and each of them is displayed 24/7 at my apartment. They are my pride and joy until little Gellmans are running around.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I think the modern value ceiling has presented a problem for collectors, as everyone is more concerned with making bank rather than making memories. I would say its almost impossible to distance yourself from the money ideas that are omnipresent in this hobby, though these centerpieces, for me, are about as far away from value as I can get.

I would have to say that my favorite piece in my collection is pretty simple choose, only because the way I got it would still be every Twins fan's dream, even today. In 1992, the Twins were coming off of their best season ever, including a world series championship. I wasn’t old enough (5 years old) in 1987 to appreciate the gravity of the world series, but in 1991, I was in the crowd a few rows back from where Puckett's game 6 home run landed. Game six was still fresh in my mind when I got the chance to go on the field for BP with the Twins, and I didn’t forget to bring a bag full of stuff for all my favorite players. Kirby was number one with a bullet, and my dad's client had supplied us game issue bats for us to get signed. By the time our experience was half over, I had already met more than half of the team. Gladden, Hrbek, Tom Kelly, they all came over to say hi and sign whatever we wanted. Kirby was still in line for the cage when the team rep told us we had 15 minutes before we had to go sit in our seats for the game. As a 9 year old, the dream of meeting Kirby was fading quick until I mentioned to the guy that we were waiting for Kirby. My 6 six year old brother started jumping up and down yelling "KIRBY KIRBY KIRBY KIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRBYYYYYY PUCKETT!"

The rep continued to say that Kirby rarely comes over to sign because the pregames are so busy for him, and my brother burst into tears. Before the first tear could even hit the ground, Kirby's chunky frame was already half way over to our spot. He told us to not worry, and told us to get out our stuff before he had to get to the club house. I immediately whipped out my bat and ball and he laughed as he said "Wow, you guys really went all out! Thanks for being my fans." He signed my ball, my bat and a few other things as my smile reached epic proportions. Man, I was in kid heaven. My brother hid by my dad for the rest of the time, and we walked back to our seats with a backpack full of stuff each.

I still have that bat today, through 3 moves, a broken water pipe and cross country adventure later, happily hanging on my wall. It is just too cool not to show off. Now that Kirby has sadly passed on, that memory has become one of my most treasured sports moments of my life. It was so much fun and Kirby was so nice, you really forgot that he made millions of dollars and realized why he is one of the most popular Twins players of all time.

The second centerpiece is a card I purchased back in the 2007 NFL season, in the midst of Peterson's historic run at the RC rushing record. During the course of the first half of 2007, I had managed to scrape a few Peterson autos together by selling off some of my crap pulls from 2006. I knew I could never afford anything out of Exquisite without maxing out a few credit cards, so I eventually resigned myself to my fate. Luckily, I sold the two autos from before at a pretty high price and pooled together about 350 from the sales and a few left over birthday checks. I knew I was a few dollars short, so I had to get creative. I traded a card to a friend who I knew would give it a good home and then sold the result for another 50 bucks. I managed a 400 BO on the one card I felt was the best looking of the set, and walked away with a sweet as addition to my set.

Sometimes, you can be satisfied with a honda, but in my mind, its an unexplained feeling to own a porsche. I couldn’t afford the Ferrari in the Patch Auto RC, but I will not be letting go of my acquisition any time in the future.

As I look over my collection even today, I am proud as hell that I managed to get everything I have, and I think that after reading the preliminary submissions to the Bat Around, you guys have the same feelings about your centerpieces. I always love reading stories, and hopefully you guys do to, as we have an amazing lineup for this time through the order as we did last time. Be sure to check out the post on Friday so that you can discover, as I have, all the terrific blogs out there that you may not know about.