Revisiting My Autograph Bucket List

As a Vikings fan, I hate the Packers, and I consider it against my religion to support anything Packers related in terms of my buying habits. That particular tendency has led to a number of issues when trying to acquire a Brett Favre auto to fill in the spot it should hold in my Vikings collection. I have wanted a Favre auto for a while, but it was nothing more than adding to my collection of autos from the greats of each sport. Now that the greatest QB in Packers' history is wearing (or wore depending on future decisions) my purple and gold, I feel his auto has reached a higher spot on my autograph bucket list.

A long time ago, I commented on the list of players I want to get autographs from to make my collection complete, a list that has some odd names on it for someone who rarely buys players not related to Minnesota. I have already obtained some of the players that I want to get, but there are sure a lot more that I will need to complete the task at hand. I have Walter Payton, a player that Im sure Vikings fans hated forever, but still someone you need to have in a "Football Greats" collection. I also have Hank Aaron, a player I have admired since I read a biography of him in elementary school. I now have Emmitt Smith, which is funny for a Vikings fan, because his superstardom will be forever tied to one of the worst trades in NFL history. Lastly, I have recently acquired Sandy Koufax as well, a player I sought out due to his dominance of the game in a time where dominance didn’t come easy. After all of that, still no Favre, mainly because of how many of his cards feature Green and Gold.

I started looking for one over the weekend because I had some extra money to throw around after some ebay sales did well, and I was shocked at the prices for his cards. Not the VALUE of his cards, but the prices people thought they should go for. When ending in auction, Favre's cards rarely top 200, even for the lower numbered ones for high end products, but that doesn’t stop people from posting auction after auction at higher than three and four hundred. It basically prices them out of my consideration, and I am forced to wait for something better to come along. I was considering purchasing a mini-helmet, but I am out of space to put anything but a card on my shelf. Because of that, I am quite limited in my purchases. To tell you the truth, I would actually want a Vikings sticker auto above anything, but the hoard of Vikings fans prevent that from being anywhere even close to affordable. I assume with the backlog of Panini and Topps stickers, this year it will become much, much easier to accomplish.

So, with that, I assume you are all waiting with baited breath who is on my autograph bucket list, and I am definitely going to give you what you want. Natch.

Football

Walter Payton - DONE
Joe Montana
Jerry Rice
Barry Sanders
Emmitt Smith - DONE
Brett Favre
Dan Marino
Johnny Unitas

Baseball

Hank Aaron - DONE
Sandy Koufax - DONE
Mickey Mantle
Ted Williams
Willie Mays

Basketball

Michael Jordan
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - DONE
Magic Johnson
Larry Bird
Wilt Chamberlain

Golf

Tiger Woods
Jack Nicklaus - Have somewhere, but lost for lack of a better term
Arnold Palmer - Have what seems like pre-printed TTM, still need

Boxing

Muhammad Ali

I have a few Peterson autos including my 2008 Exquisite Auto /10 that I am debating whether or not I should trade to get more of these cards. Sadly, I now have more Peterson stuff than I can display, and the two I have taken down (including the Sayers dual) are not important for me to keep. Who knows, maybe coming events at work will give me more disposable income to play with. San Antonio living has definitely put us in a great position financially and thanks to a few great investments, I have had a lot of luck crossing names off this list.

UD Tries To Make Good On Favre Icons Redemption Foul

Early in 2008's card year, Upper Deck released their version of Brett Favre's first Jets card. For 2008 Icons, they inserted redemptions for the non-autoed "Broadway Brett" letters that have made Icons such a popular product over the last two years. Since the release, UD has had major problems getting the cards built and sent out, so its been a long wait for the collectors that redeemed them.

To help make up for their late return, UD created two limited edition Brett Favre Vikings cards that will be included with each Letter redemption that are on the verge of being shipped out.

I think its too little too late with these, as the cards shouldnt have taken as long as they have. Regardless, people arent walking away empty handed.

Click to enlarge:

Vikings and Packers in a Bloodbath For The Ages

Considering there is a bye week next week, I needed something to help me through the void that is coming for the Vikings. The game today definitely qualified under that category without a doubt. A great win, not only for the morale it gives Favre and the team, but also because a good portion of the team played great.

Brett Favre

I was dreading what was going to happen in this game because of the adrenaline involved, but Favre performed like the master he is. Four TDs and no picks makes Brett a great QB, and I couldnt help but cheer like hell for him all game. You could just see the Packers fans getting more and more frustrated as the first half went on, and then again at the end of the game. It was great, to say the least, and I loved every minute of the Packer fans misery. On top of the pressure of the game that Brett seemed to shrug off, he made some great throws. The Berrian TD throw to seal it was phenomenal, and the Harvin TD was just as good. Just a great game all around for him.

Percy Harvin

When the Vikings drafted him, I cringed. Another pot smoking idiot, that brings back memories of Moss' attitude, right? WRONG. The guy plays with an intensity that rivals Peterson, but the finesse and explosiveness of someone like Andre Johnson. Harvin looked like a veteran out there today, and his plays on special teams were the reason this game ended the way it did. Four kickoff returns that set the Vikings up with great field position, as well as a 51 yard TD catch that was his best of the year. I cant say enough good things about him. I am so fucking glad I have as many of his cards as I do.

Adrian Peterson

Peterson didnt have a memorable game, but he had a VERY solid performance. 140+ yards from scrimmage, a TD on fourth and goal, and a catch that sealed it for the Vikes in the fourth. Im sure he is just as glad as I am that we can score 38 points when he has just an okay game. Never would have happened a few years ago.

Jared Allen

If there is one person that loves playing against the Packers more than Favre, its Jared Allen. Three more sacks, as well as a few batted passes, and you have another amazing game from a guy that is quickly cementing his place as the best defensive end in the league.

Aaron Rodgers

This guy must be hating himself right now. The guy he replaced just came in and torched them for the SECOND time, and he had a great game despite it. He must be thinking "What the crap do I have to do to beat these mother fuckers?" I actually felt pretty bad for him because he just looked dead out there once the game got out of reach. Favre's shadow looms over him no matter what he does, and you can see that he hates every second of it.

Karl Paymah, Madieu Williams, Cedric Griffin

How long until Winfield gets back? Seriously, I spent most of the second half shouting horrible things at these guys, as they could not have played a worse game coming out of that locker room for quarter 3. Paymah completely looks overmatched, which says something playing across from horrid Cedric Griffin. Madieu Williams has to be one of the worst Safeties I have ever seen, never really putting anything into his tackles. Just to illustrate how bad it was, on Rodgers' 35 yard scramble, Paymah didnt even bother to turn around until Rodgers was right behind him. I hope they cut these fuckers.

Overall, I am extremely happy with the game today. Everything happened as it should. Funny enough, I played a game on Madden the night before against a guy who chose the Packers against my Vikings. I won on the last play of the game with a TD to Shiancoe, and much like today's game, it was dominated by Allen and the D-Line. I am truly excited to see how the rest of the season will turn out, and I think it could actually turn out to be one of the best seasons I have been able to watch.

First Favre Certified Vikings Auto Hits Ebay

The first of the Favre autos is up right now, and the seller wants a shitload. So, Panini gets the first shot in, but there are only a few other than this, and its a sticker. It doesnt look awful, minus the top of his head, but they sure created a huge hullabaloo over a sticker auto on a few cards.

http://cgi.ebay.com/09-Donruss-Certified-BRETT-FAVRE-Emerald-Green-Auto-3-4_W0QQitemZ360198447816QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Football?hash=item53dd8022c8#ht_500wt_735

Favre Has More Than One Vikings SPX Card

For those of you who read about the the Favre "red jersey" card that was inserted in 2009 SPX, it wasnt the only one that they made. They also made a super short print "press conference" card that has been selling for around 125 dollars on eBay as of late. Even though the card is a presser and not a game shot, collectors have definitely jumped on it.

Kind of slipped under the radar for a while...

Two Amazing Games In Two Days

What a high I am living right now, my Twins beat the Tigers in one of the best games in the team's history, and the Vikings go and beat the crap out of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers (literally). Its the first time in a long time that its a great week to be a Minnesota sports fan.

Granted, the Twins are going to go to New York and get destroyed like the Death Star, but this win was good enough to validate their improbable ascension to division champs after losing Morneau and half their pitching staff. It sure helps that the Tigers had an epic collapse, but it was still a great victory none-the-less.

Photo Credit to AP

My main man Joe Mauer also should have secured himself the MVP, as if he didnt deserve it already. To the idiotic writers, the stats he put up would only have been enough if the team had made the playoffs, and now it looks like his resume is complete. That makes me very happy, as he is more

deserving than anyone in the AL, no question.

Photo Credit to UD Blog

As for Favre and the Packers game, I couldnt be happier for both him and for my favorite cattle roper Jared Allen. They did an amazing job putting up points against a good Packer defense, and it was awesome to see Aaron Rodgers get the shit kicked out of him on the other end of the ball. Yeah, yeah, I know it wont last, but it was nice regardless. The true test will be against Baltimore in 2 weeks, with one of the best defenses in the league, as well as a good offense with Flacco, Mason and company.

It was also sweet to see Sidney Rice have another great game, and I dont think much will be made of it, which is unfortunate. Rice had a great TD catch as well as two possible game saving onside kick recoveries, which definitely contributed to the win. Favre and Allen got the spotlight, but Rice deserves some of it.

Peterson, surprisingly had a mediocre game, mainly due to the Packers loading up the box. Of course, they paid for it, but it was discouraging to see him play just okay. The big play was the strip for a TD, and its scary to think that he has the most fumbles of any back in the last 2 years. That is not a good thing.

Lastly, I dont think I can watch another monday night ESPN game as long as Favre is playing. Gruden had crawled so far up Favre's ass that he may as well try and get a couch in there with some direct TV. Its fucking brutal.

Here's to another great Minnesota sports week, hopefully the high will continue.

Rumble In Minneapolis: Packers Vs Vikings Rd 1

When the Vikings signed Favre, to tell you the truth, I wasnt even sure if he was going to make it to this game coming up on monday. Now that the game is upon us, and the circus has come to town, anticipation is starting to boil over. Its going to be great, and its going to be a nationally televised event!

Favre, so far, has been great at leading the Vikings. He has been careful with the ball, he has let AD run wild without remorse, and he was responsible for the best Vikings drive in the last 10 years. Great. Now Bretty McWrangler has to go up against the Packers, a team with a new defense, a great offense, and a hankering to put their former golden boy on his ass. That is not great. Considering that Favre is about as fragile as paper thin sheet of glass, to play a team like Green Bay is probably not going to be a good thing for his health.

Not only that, but a loss for the Vikings here would be a complete morale nuclear bomb. Having your biggest rival come into the dome and beat you on national TV is never a good thing, but when you have the best player in that Franchise's history in uniform, its that much bigger. I say this is going to lead Favre to make some bad decisions, and it may cost the Vikings the game.

If you remember back to the Vikings' playoff win in Lambeau a few years ago, Favre had major problems because he tried to do too much. The Vikings came away with one of the bigger wins in their history, and Favre looked horrible. The same type of effect could happen on monday, especially if Childress plays into it. If the Vikings can continue to hand the ball to Peterson, keep Harvin and Taylor involved, all while the defense plays their normal game, its going to be tough to beat them in their house. However, if Favre starts making horrible throws all over the field, a la the New York Jets last few games, its going to be a disaster.

Ill be watching as usual, and I hope that the Vikings pull it off. More importantly, I hope Favre pulls it off.

Its a Great Day To Be A Vikings Fan

Holy fuck, what a ridiculous end to a ridiculous game. The Vikings didnt play that well, but came out ahead thanks to Jared Allen's "Silver Fox." I yelled so loud my neighbors slapped on the wall, and my wife thought I was dead. It got that crazy around the Gellman house today around 1 PM.

A few minutes after the game ended, I couldnt help but think about what happened a few years ago in a typical slugfest between the Pack and Vikes. The Vikings had just marched down the field and scored a touchdown to go up by a point or two on Favre, but there was a problem I saw right away. There was still time on the clock, and with Favre at the helm, any time is too much. He, of course, drove down to field goal range without much effort and they kicked a field goal to win. Today, I cant tell you how great it was to have that feeling going FOR you instead of against.

It wasnt all Favre either, as Greg Lewis just made a ridiculous catch, best I have seen under pressure in a LONG time.I gotta give him credit, what a fucking unbelievable heads up play. Either way, Favre put in a place where he could be the only one to catch it, and the Vikes walked away 3-0.

Leading up to the end of the game, Harvin also showed why Minnesota picked him. He had some clutch catches, including one on 3rd and ten with less than 30 seconds on the clock. I couldnt believe that kick return TD either as he literally made the defense look like they were running in slow motion. He is going to be a monster, thats all I have to say.

Peterson didnt have a great game, but it wasnt 14 carries for 3 yards either. It would have been nice to see him more involved in the scoring, but the Niners' D looked great when the Vikings handed him the ball.

All in all, just a great game to watch. I cant wait for next week, that has potential to be even better.

The SCU 2009 NFL Preview, Or Why I Suck At Prognosticating

Finally, after a wasteland of boringness, football is back and raring to go. Kickoff is less than a week from today, and I am ready to jump out of my chair and start running crazy go nuts down the aisles here at work. Saturday is going to be much worse for me than any other day, you know, just like the kid who knows that the next day is his birthday. This year should be one of the more interesting years of football in recent memory, mainly because of a few factors that seem to be snowballing in awesomeness for the 2009 season.

First we have Favre-o-mania, again, only this time he is playing for my team. I don’t think he is going to go crazy like a few sportscasters would like him to, but he should add a few wins to the team if he manages to stay healthy. I hear while rehabbing his shoulder, he delivered twins from a woman at the gym, saved the life of his personal trainer with the heimlich maneuver, and still had time to shoot three wrangler jeans commercials. Wow, Derek Jeter eat your heart out!

We also have the Motor City Kitties coming off the worst season in NFL history. They have a new rookie QB starting for them, a few new weapons to play with, but most likely are just going to be another crappy team in a very tough division. They shouldn’t lose all their games again this year, obviously, but it could still be quite tough for them to break 4 wins while playing the AFC North for the non-conference games this year.

Of course, wunderkind Tom Brady is back from his week one destruction last year, and looks to be like he is on track for a normal season. He had a scare during pre-season, but should be close 100% when everything gets going. I don’t think he is going to be breaking any records this year, but the Pats should have ANOTHER contender this year.

Im going to make a few predictions, but don’t think of me as a person who knows anything about forecasting the NFL. Plus, when all it takes is one injury to ruin a season, anything is possible.

AFC East Champs: Patriots
AFC North Champs: Steelers
AFC South Champs: Colts
AFC West Champs: Chargers
AFC Wild Card: Ravens
AFC Wild Card: Dolphins
AFC Super Bowl: Chargers

NFC East Champs: Eagles
NFC North Champs: Vikings
NFC South Champs: Falcons
NFC West Champs: Cardinals
NFC Wild Card: Packers
NFC Wild Card: Cowboys
NFC Super Bowl: Eagles

Super Bowl Champs: Chargers

NFL MVP: Peyton Manning

NFL OFF ROY: Mark Sanchez
NFL DEF ROY: Curry

Im sure that come January, im going to look like as much of an NFL idiot as I usually do, but its still fun to guess. I think that the rookies should have one of the most productive years of the past few drafts, especially with two starting rookie QBs from week one, and a crop of RBs and WRs that should be pretty involved in this year's offensive schemes.

I think Sanchez will have the best year for the rookies, only because he has a better offensive line than Stafford and the lions. I think the Jets defense will win them some games, so Sanchez will look better than he actually is - a la Flacco last year. The only wild card in all of this is Percy Harvin, as he seems like the Vikings will give him a lot of looks as a Wildcat/RB/Slot Receiver type guy. He will also be returning some kicks, so he could have a big impact. The odd thing is, there hasn’t been a WR ROY since Boldin in 2003, so its not likely that he can put up numbers to eclipse people like Sanchez who are on a nationwide stage.

As for the NFL MVP, I think Manning should be at the top of everyone's list, every year. He has a great crop of guys surrounding him, and he is back at 100% this year after playing hurt last year. Again, like Brady, I don’t think he will be setting any records, but he has potential to put up staggering numbers as usual. Plus, with Donald Brown in the backfield to compliment Addai, he may not have to throw as much to be effective.

When it comes to the Super Bowl, I think a lot of people are picking the Chargers, and I am on that bandwagon. I think this is Rivers' year, and now that Chokey McMerriman is back and rallying the troops, the defense should be back on track, especially with the addition of Larry English. The only piece that the chargers may be missing is a big name receiver who draws the game to himself, but that could develop in Vincent Jackson, building on the framework from last year.

Overall, I am just hoping for the Vikings to not fall on their face as they usually do when the pressure of being a contender looms. I think Adrian Peterson should have a good season again, but I don’t think that its going to be enough to go deep into the playoffs again. Even though Favre should add a few wins, I am not confident he will last, let alone make it into weeks 17 and 18 of the season. Therefore they had better hope that Sage or TJack are ready to step up. That scares me.

To answer the one question that is asked each year, you can bet your ass that I am ready for some football.

Brett Favre Mania: Holy Crap Edition

Brett Favre mania is kicking up a few storms in the hobby, and a situation like the Threads card auction doesn’t surprise me one bit. Mario reported that the first auction is over and the card has sold for over eighty dollars. This is top dollar for a card that has 4,000+ copies, has no auto, no relic, and no serial numbering. In fact, there are some Favre autos you can purchase for around that amount. Im not sure why anyone would like an ugly base card when you can have the signature of the guy himself.

I think this proves that after the recent preseason game, and a summer full of hype and circus, collectors are going ape shit for Favre in enemy colors. I have said that of the three that are being produced for release in the next month, Finest, SPX and this Threads version, the design is by far the worst on Panini's. The pic is much better than the others, which will play as it did here, but that game shot doesn’t excuse the massive price this got.

I would understand if this was out of the Topps base or chrome set, as Topps collectors have been known to go to extreme lengths to complete their set, a la Michael Vick's banned chrome card in 2007. This is Threads, however, a set that not many buy for the base - especially this year.

I want to see what the first Favre Viking auto card will go for. That sale will be as crazy as this, I guarantee that.

Favre Will Be Sporting Purple in 2009's Next Releases

A few favre happenings to report:

Toby over on the UD blog just reported that for 2009 SPX, along with the Michael Vick addition to UD Football, Brett Favre will be making an appearance in Vikings' purple. Also, now from Topps, he will also appear in a similar offering in next month's finest, though the card will be airbrushed instead of having a camp photo. Im sure these will be the first of many Favre Vikings cards, but I would like to complement both UD and Topps for not using press conference cards. Those are the same which Mario has rightly deemed are against the card commandments.

Here is a pic from the UD Blog article:



Here is the pic from Topps:

Values of Little Fish When the Big Fish Comes Along

Now that the golden boy is wearing purple, you can bet that things are going to change for the Vikings. The media will storm the locker room for each game, the players will actually feel the passes in their chest when they catch them, and a lot of the supporting cast will have higher valued cards. In fact, the supporting cast usually benefits completely every time a big thing happens, people seem to think that improving one piece improves the whole.

Adrian Peterson sure stands to benefit, at least initially, for teams having to choose whether to defend against Favre's ability or his. No longer should he face nine fucking players in the box, which means more room to run, and less pounding into the defensive stack with every run. If Favre stays healthy, plays well, and hits some early long passes, Peterson's season will boom faster than dog related crime in Philadelphia. People are seeing this now, as his values have spiked in the last 24 hours, with people speculating that he is on the verge of the best season of his career. If he could put up 1500+ with Jackson and Gus "Bang Your Head" Frerotte at the helm, imagine what could happen with a good QB behind him? Right?

Well, Peterson's stuff is already very expensive, and it really doesn’t need to go any higher until we see the results of Favre on the field. However, Peterson is a simple example, so lets take a look at Earl Bennett, someone who has benefitted from Cutler's replacement of Captain Neckbeard in Chicago. Now that the Bears have a pass happy QB to match their strength at RB, Bennett sure stands to benefit. Last year, Bennett caught a total of zero passes for zero yards for zero TDs. Yet, with little else to compete for catches in Chicago, his value spiked with a pro-bowler throwing him the ball. In my mind, it’s a little bit of a stretch go that far down the rope when the guy played a whole season with nothing to show for it.

Does this mean that people like Harvin will also benefit from Favre's arrival, just like Bennett? So far, there hasn’t been enough time to see the trickle down effect from Favre's signing, but I expect that its on the way. Considering that Bennett's Exquisites have eclipsed sixty bucks for a guy that didn’t catch a ball in his rookie campaign, I would say that Harvin's stuff just became more expensive out of principle.

In reality, card values fluctuate based on any little piece of news, just like many companies on the NYSE and NASDAQ. However, Favre and Cutler arent little in any way, so its easy to see why people want to jump on the cards from the players who stand to benefit. Would I go out and buy all sorts of cards from people like Sidney Rice and Juaqin Iglesias? No, not in a million years, but you may want to cash in if you have them.