Lets Play A Game

I want to play a game that I have gloriously dubbed, "Singling Out Of A Wax Box." Wow, check out all its Majesty! Yes, so here are the rules, instead of me spending 95 dollars on a box of Donruss Classics at my local shop or from blowout, I will scour TWGM for 95 dollars worth of singles from the set I want to get instead. That way, I get what I want and its still Donruss Classics 2008.

Before I start this, I want to document something. From a box that will cost you 95 to get, arguably the best pull is a McFadden Auto. Right now, they are going at a 200 dollar clip, give or take a few bucks. Not only is that DOUBLE what All Day went for last year, but he is with a team that has one of the worst offensive lines in recent memory and a QB that is FOB (Fresh Off the Bench). The JCs are crazy here, but that also makes this pretty much the best pull you can get.

For me, I wanted a JDB auto, a Felix Jones base RC, and maybe a few other scattered cards. It would be nice to get an All Day auto jersey out of this set, but I think I will wait for Premier. So, lets break this down:

Auto: John David Booty-call /349. $29.99-39.99 for the card, shipping not included. I could have also gotten a Joe Flacco Auto here if I had seen it, but it was off the board pretty quick. Booty is a pro-style QB on a team with a shitty starter and even shittier backups. Flacco is good here too because I have a feeling he will be playing for a long time. The only problem was that he didnt play anyone good in college. Eh, toss up.

Base RC: Felix Jones /999. $12.99 for the card, 5-7.99 if you can wait 4 weeks. In my opinion, which is all that matters, he has the best looking RC base card in the set. He is on a great team, though he will be working with Marion Barber, so dont expect a lot of TDs to start unless he breaks a few from long distance. The JCs are all over the running backs this year because of All Day last year, though I have a feeling they will be sorely disappointed.

Base RC 2: I would go Brian Brohm or Chris Long here. 5-12.99 for the card. Brohm because he will be a Packer with a good shot at a starting job and its a spank looking card, and Chris Long because he wont have many releases after this year. You could probably get both.

Jersey Hit 1: Adrian Peterson Sunday's Best. Should be around 7-10 bucks for this card, and that is a really mean looking picture. Its not going to gain much value, but its still a cool GAME USED card to have rather than the event used crap from last year.

Jersey Hit 2: Tom Landry Timeless Treasures. $15-20.00 for the card. I like this piece because Landry doesnt have anything in cards before this other than Treasures 2007. For this kind of money for a jacket he wore, could be kind of cool. Better than a college jersey from DMC. Not to mention this card is a personal homage to a really nice DLP baseball set that really brought me back into collecting full swing in '04.

Card total: Around 95 bucks. That would be a nice box right?

Or we could all just pay 86 fucking dollars for a Wes Welker fucking auto jersey. WES FUCKING WELKER.

Beckett Breaks Donruss Classics, I Break Beckett.

I thought we were going to finally end this whole fucking thing once and for all. Yet, like clockwork, David Lee decided that he just had to bust into a box of Classics. I guess you get that urge at Beckett after you have been busy ass-raping the hobby for a few decades.

Also, can someone please make me a Beckett boycott stamp that I can post on the site? That way more and more people can post it on theirs until the blogosphere is Beckett free.

A Comment On "Best Match" As eBay's Default Search

Fuck that.

Seriously. It royally sucks that every single time I go to TWGM and search for something, it automatically organizes the results according to best match. I dont fucking like that, it didnt used to be that way. I want it to automatically search and organize by ending soonest. I know exactly what I am looking for and I dont need you to match it up for me. If I did need that, I would do it from the drop down menu for the one fucking time I need it per year. God, so annoying.

That is all.

Colt Brennan Better Be The One Bidding On This Card

If not, I have to use this:



Here is the auction for the 1/1 Elite status for Colt "Golden Child" Brennan. I am in total shock that there is some JC out there who is going to pay this much for a card from a guy who may not even make the fucking team. This auction puts the Selvin Young ones to shame, and I think the hobby has reached a new low.

Guess what? Even if he actually makes it on to the field, throws 20 TD passes and 3,000 yards his first year, this card will still NOT be worth what this asshat is going to pay for it. That being said, he will not be starting for a long, long, long time as the Redskins have Jason Campbell, Collins, and another guy, BEFORE Brennan, and will not hesitate to draft a WORTHY QB in a higher round to replace Campbell if they need to.

Besides, its not like Brennan put up stellar fucking numbers at a top school. He was good, in terms of a college QB, but was not pro-material because of his release point and range. He was also not all that and a bag of chips like the other 15 QBs that went in Rds 1-6.

Odds of Brennan starting within the next 5 years: 100-1
Odds of this guy being a loser at life: 1-1

Product Review: 2008 Donruss Classics Football

Im so excited, and I just cant hide it… I know, I know, I know, I know I want you. I want you.

Classics is here, and I am happy as a pig in shit. Finally we have a product with all the RCs in their NFL jerseys. Well, all the RCs that matter that is. The good thing is that Classics is basically the same product it was last year with a few new suprises, the bad thing is that Classics is basically the same product it was last year with a few new suprises. Anyways, ill get in to all of that in a second.

Before I address the review here, I want to lay down some law here. Rashard Mendenhall, I hope you have an awful season. Just the worst possible season you could possibly have. If you are going to put as much effort into your running game as you do into your auto, I will predict a YPC avg of 0.35. Everyone, this could be as bad as Vernand Morency. Gaze upon its glory:

The Good

I think it goes without saying that the RC cards and the base RC autos are awesome. They just rock. If I said I was pumped for the cards I would be lying, I am fucking stoked. I may even dust off the old credit card to buy a box for fun. The design for this year is better than last year, and it fits nicely with most of the picture colors. They have also instituted colored parallels for the cards instead of leaving us to flip over the card on our own. That’s a plus for eBay buyers, because last year it was a crap shoot without a back scan.

One of the few new suprises is the "Classic Cuts" set, which I love. The reason being that they almost look better than the NT cuts, which kind of scares me. The set is filled with some big names, and it definitely doesn’t hurt to have them included. Big upgrade for me.

Also, they have some huge names in old memorabilia to insert, and this set doesn’t disappoint. There are already two Knute Rockne cards on TWGM already, so that’s cool, and I expect more cool ones to surface.

Lastly, a huge plus here is online redemption cards for this set. Yes, we all want a set with no stickers and no redemptions, but that was a step further with DLP last year because you were still mailing it in. There are so many problems with mail in stuff that I cant even mention it. This is huge for DLP, but funny that it has taken THIS long.

The Bad

The number of insert sets is overwhelming. There are seriously 8+ sets with 8+ parallels per shot. Its crazy. Plus, not all of them are the prettiest ones out there, but Ill get to that later. I think if there were a few less parallels, everyone would be happy, but alas, there are actually more.

Secondly, the auto checklist is VERY weak for the rookies. With 32 different guys at the RC premier, you can expect a watered down series of box hits. Upper Deck actually recognized this and promised at least a certain number of A listers per case, but I don’t see that happening here. For 85 bucks, you are really taking a big risk on this box.

The Ugly

Ok, names and set design needs to be re-addressed with Classics. The names of the sets are so bad, and the designs match that sentiment. Sunday's Best? That’s all you could come up with? How about Classic Singles? Doubles? Triples? Quads? Ugh, ill pass that dutchie. I would think that with all the huge names that are out there for DLP to make cards from, that they would have better names and designs. Don’t even get me started on "School Colors." Could be the ugliest insert set ever.

Also, enough with numbering cards. Havent we gotten over that yet? I mean a card numbered to 1500 is not going to make me want it any more than an unnumbered card. If its numbered to 100, fine - but 100 and more is not necessary. Especially with non-auto'ed and non jersey cards. If it’s a jersey or auto I want it numbered to make me feel better when I pull a Kevin O'Connell auto.

One other thing ill file under ugly is the frenzy created for some of these cards considering that they are the first real cards of their kind. People, Colt Brennan will never be the kind of card worth 40 bucks. Why are you jumping on this guy like he is the next big thing? He will be buried on a depth chart for a long, long time, so save your freaking money.

Finally, Your Patience Has Paid Off

If you were stupid and bought a shitload of Press Poop, SAGE, or Draft edition, then I have nothing to say to you.

If you waited patiently for Donruss classics, where the NFL rookies are IN their NFL unis with NO AIRBRUSHED BULLSHIT, then your wait is finally over! THANK THE CARD GODS!




Full product review coming tomorrow.


Score.

Derek Jeter, Yankee Captain / Bad Ass MC

I just wanted to link to this post on MLB.com because I have yet to find an article about New York Hero/Nobel Prize Winner/Poet Lauriate/Baron Von Clutchtenstein Derek Jeter that doesnt contain the words "Yankee Captain."

First off, I think Derek Jeter is THE most overrated player in MLB history. His stat lines are mediocre, his fielding is way below average, and he isnt even the best shortstop on his team. However, his ability to stay with one high market team is only outdone by the calmness of his eyes and his uncanny ability to find missing children that have been abducted in the last five years.

Secondly, being a captain in baseball isnt saying much, so why use it like its part of his first name? There are only two in the whole freaking league, mainly because you dont need them, and the only other one is Jason "My Last Name is Publically Traded" Varitek. Hmm, interesting trend. Big market teams need captains because most of them are filled with free agents from other small market teams, so they promote the one guy who came up through their farm system to be the "captain." His duties? Well, glad you asked! For Jeter, he needs to be on call any time someone needs a clutch person. Need a best man for your wedding party, day of? Jeter is there. Need a doctor to deliver your baby in a taxi on the way to the hospital? Jeter is there. Need someone to make an overly dramatic throw to first base because his range is so small that he cant properly get into position? Jeter is there. Need someone to hit 50 home runs, OPS a billion, and drive in 150, all with a VORP in the stratosphere? Well, thats another "non-clutch" person on the team.

I love fighting with Jeter fans because they are the people that cite his WS wins, gold gloves and all star appearances like they are stats that actually matter to normal people. They may matter to dumbass HOF voters, but not to people that actually use stats that matter when determining a player's worth. Its like using Wins to determine whether or not a pitcher should be in the hall of fame. "Wait, Bert Blyleven has over 4,000Ks but less than 300 wins? He's out."

Listen, I know he is a first ballot HOFer, and his autos are worth a ton, but I think its a travesty. If Jeter played for Pittsburgh, we would be having a conversation about someone with the star power of Omar Vizquel instead of him. I know there are a lot of people who agree with me, but there arent many sportswriters who acknowledge that fact, right FJM? Regardless, Jeter will still get the most votes for the All Star game because the normal fan is dumber than Paris Hilton after a lobotomy, but that doesnt mean you have to agree. I dont - but I do need someone to jump my car using only mind power, can someone call Jeter?

Tales From TWGM 3: The Return of The King

From time to time, I like to peruse the high price listings of the card section of TWGM just so I can find comedic hobby gold. I warn you, stupidity is to follow. I dont even think the guys who sell this stuff are Coe Jollectors because they seem to be even dumberererer than that. Either way, I bring you...

*cue ominous music*

TALES FROM TWGM!!!

First, I think this may be the coolest Tom Brady item I have ever seen. Not only do you get BOTH printing plates from a little known set from 2000, but you also are spending the price of a used Subaru Forester! Personally, I would rather have the cards, as Subaru Foresters are usually driven by 40 something women who want to reclaim their youth. In all seriousness, this guy should get them graded, they may become even MORE valuable.

Next we have this amazing Peyton Manning card. I think the guy wants $9,000 for it because it is numbered 16/2000 - his "collage" jersey number. You cant beat that. A card numbered to eleventy billion, ANNNNND its graded SGC 92. YESSSSSS! Too bad its not numbered 99/2000, because 9+9=18 - his "profossinel" jersey number!! Also, no best offer on this, so forget your lowball offer of $8999.95.

Lastly, we have this auction for the auto version of the Hank Aaron piece of history bat card from Upper deck. First off, I cannot believe how popular these cards are, as I have counted at least fifteen people alone on the IBMB who collect this set. The cards go for mega bucks, despite the fact that most only have bat pieces. BAT PIECES. I have written numerous times on the absurdity of including bat pieces in a card specific to a certain player, but I guess, the people didnt listen. If it was jersey, I would be a little more okay with the price. Either way, the cards do look nice, and the price is high, but not crazy-go-nuts high, so I guess I should take notice.

First Look: 2008 Bowman Football

Personally, I think Bowman is a worthless product because no one wants the plain base cards. Chrome is where its at, and this product is just a filler until we get that. Hopefully they get the point in coming years, but whatever. Here are the designs, and as you can see, the RC autographs are green. According to the sell sheet they are an exclusive hobby parallel, but honestly, I couldnt care less. The only team this design works for is the Panthers, so Jonathan Stewart fans should be happy. On a happy note, I am glad they are using the kick ass design from Baseball for this set.

Other notes for the sell sheet indicate that there will be SOTF autos as box toppers and of course the typical Bowman parallels. However, if this set is anything like last year, the true Chrome RCs wont be released until the second take. So, no cookie for you.

Im still holding out hope that Bowman Chrome will rock as much as it did for the Baseball guys, as those cards are still the best ones in a long, long time.