I Think This Needs Some Discussion

After the recent poll's deciding victory for the positive impact that card blogging has had on the hobby, I am not going to make some argument for the 4-10 people who voted negative, nor the 14-20 who voted indifferently. I do want to go over some philosophies regarding this voting structure as I assume that the people voted the way they did for a certain reason.

I want to start with the people who voted positively, which is where I stand myself. Card blogging has been great for the hobby and it has been around before a lot of you think it has. It has brought about a lot of discussion as well, as I know that manufacturers and hobby insiders all either have blogs or read blogs every day. It is basically free market research, and you can see a sliver of the market without even going to a store. What are the hot topics? Where are the mistakes? Who do we need to hold accountable for our actions? All of these questions are answered in the blogs.

Also, with upwards of 10 million people visiting sports blogs alone every day, you can expect that there are a lot of people who read what we write. Mario at Wax Heaven has been lucky enough to have been featured on some of the biggest sports blogs around on multiple occasions. There have been close to 400,000 visitors to his site. That is awesome. Yesterday, SCU was featured on deadspin, which was also very cool, and I can tell you that we have at least 10-15 new readers from the emails I got. Card blogs are most definitely reaching people.

Card blogs have also exposed the soft underbelly of the hobby on a regular basis, and that is something that benefits EVERYONE. Sports Card Info has made it their goal to keep everyone informed, and I think that is pretty important, as information is always at a premium for the uninformed. Plus, considering how many "im new" emails I get every day, I think its great that card blogs are becoming a resource for people rather than for profit magazines and websites. I love getting "Im new" emails because I can show these people a world of information they could never get from Beckett or Tuff Stuff. We answer to NO ONE, and I think that kind of lack of ties makes the news here as great and informative as it can be.

For those people who voted indifferent, however, ill agree with you on some points. Typically we only reach around 500-1000 people a day, most of whom are probably other bloggers who have a vested interest to check the other blogs. I know I sure do. To only reach that many people per day in a multi billion dollar industry is less than a sliver of the complete demographic. Yes, we need to reach more people. Yes, we need more sources to help us. Yes, we need to do a better job of making our message heard. But the reality is that the wrong people have the reigns on the uninformed public, and that sucks. Also, the bloggers who have made an impact on the mainstream media are not spreading any kind of good word. For "those people" the hobby has been business as usual and that is the info they spread. Worlds without cardshops being the destruction of the hobby, price guides being the best source of pricing info for any collector, "prices may be going up, but at least I still have my 1979 topps baseball cards to brighten my day..." type of things. When that is the face of the bloggers, yes, we have not made any sort of impact at all.

Moving onto the negative people, I know two of the votes were out of spite, one was from Beckett, and im not sure about the others. I keep track of IP addresses for the site, and the Beckett admins are so fucking dumb that they think I cant tell when they are here. Either way, I want to discuss why those votes may have counted, had they actually been real. I think there is a negative aspect to blogging, because of the amount of work it takes and because the companies can use it against us. Beckett has their own blog, and though it is not as widely read, its still a face for people to see when they try to break in to collecting again. Also, a lot of blogs, especially this one, can get whiny and too condecending at times. I am a huge perpetrator of this, and I get that I should focus on positive stuff too as it would help bolster some better feelings. A lot of my detractors say I don’t like anything about collecting and that is not true. I wouldn’t spend the time or money I have spent if I hated everything. Yet, that is the message that people get here, and that is a definite negative impact.

Overall, when one blogs, it becomes more about the person than about the hobby. In real life, I am just as opinionated on most topics as I am on the ones I discuss here. Stupid people bug me just as much on main street as they do on blog street. Ha.

As cathartic of an experience as it is, the true focus should be improving the things we want. I think I have made more progress than I expected I would, and I definitely never expected to be featured on deadspin or talk to the brand managers for any manufacturers. Really, as long as people are trying to improve that’s all that matters, we spend enough money to deserve that kind of respect. I know Upper Deck has made a commitment to that, surprised as some of you may be, and they know its not about shutting me up, but rather making good products so I never have to start talking in the first place. This is something Beckett refuses to understand. As recent as yesterday, I received emails from my sources saying they are trying to think of ways to make me quiet rather than improve their product so I don’t need to destroy them here.

After being here in blog land for around 6 months, its time to show you guys what blogs can really do. We are coming into the meat of Football season with Limited and Gridiron Gear coming up and SPA and Ultimate on the horizon, and you can bet I will give you what you want to know. Holy Hitter will continue his group breaks, so make sure to sign up, and Will will continue to contribute as he has. The thing I can promise, though, is that this site will continue to grow beyond your wildest expectations. I still have a few aces up my sleeve.

Poll Results Discussion II

Well, the poll has closed, and I think its results pose some interesting questions. One being why in the world people would want to bust 5 boxes of a mid end product rather than having the sure thing in the cut, logo, or RC patch auto.

I selected RC patch auto of the top rookie for the year because I think those usually are worth more than anything. I like the logo patch option, but this is the best bet for coolness. I know what I would be getting and I know that it isnt going to be crap as the 3 colors are tough to come by.

Im surprised more people didn’t choose the logo patch option as those cards are never going to lose value. Even the crappiest of logo patches still get 50 bucks, and to have a good one would be a centerpiece to any collection. The lack of an auto and the non-specific nature of the choice was damaging, but still suprising. This was my second choice.

The other option was the HOF cut sig, and I can understand why this was as popular as it was. Cut sigs are cool to pull and will never lose value in the long run. The guy has already reached the top honor, so its not like there is going to be some kind of drop off unless there is some kind of scandal.

Lastly was the most popular choice at over half the votes. I don’t get it. People disregarded the bird in hand for two in the bush and did so at a 2 to 1 clip. Wow. You could bust the 5 boxes and get squat and then you are stuck with the realization that you could have had one of the other three. On the other hand, you could get a nice pull, but odds are against that.

We also have a winner for the contest (he was dead on), and if geomon could drop me an email with his address, the card will be on its way.

Poll Results Discussion w/ Contest

After a long time, the poll about the axing of products is over. Ill make sure to shorten it next time so we dont have it sitting there for a long ass time.

Anyways, I agree mostly with what people selected. SAGE, as a brand, should be axed along with Press Poop - so I am not surprised that the overpriced and overhyped DECADEnce was the top vote getter. I hate printing plates in general, but to have a set based around print plates from fucking gross SAGE sets is fucking ludicrious at that price. Who cares if you pull a Reggie Bush, it aint going to look pretty, and it aint going to be worth shit.

I was suprised that Playoff NFL Playoffs set didnt get more votes, I think its a set that is pretty worthless. You get a bunch of cards that you will never need, and all you want is that bonus pack where you can try to make up the $70 cost of the box. Chances are, you wont.

As for Topps CoSigners, I was shocked that more people didnt vote for it. For 120 bucks you got three autos on two cards, one of which was guaranteed to be David Clowney, XCVIILX. It is a set built on awful parallels and I really hoped it would go away (it will be back for sure). Who thinks of plaid and says, "That is a great name for a parallel!" I guess thats what you get when you parallel the shit out of all your products.

Bowman Sterling was the one product I would support keeping if they lowered the price and took out three fourths of the players they featured. Jesus, with this set you get barely nothing for what you pay. I can only imagine what this shit fest will be like with 40 players at the RC Premiere.

New poll will be up soon, dont forget to vote.

Secondly, a little contest for everyone. Post your answer for the next poll and the percentage you think it will get. For the person who guesses the most popular answer and is closest to the percentage, they will win this Steve Smith 2 color patch card numbered to 50. If you are a baseball guy, ill find something comparable to give you. Your answer must be posted by Wednesday of this week at midnight. After that, you will not be eligible. Tell your buddies.