Funny BGS Auction

One of the readers, Chris, sent in this funny auction that I think exemplifies my love for BGS. Thanks for the Email!

In this auction, the seller, an expert in pricing, is selling his Alexander Ovechkin 05-06 Beehive Beige Parallel BGS 9.5. The thing you may notice is that BGS has graded the auto as a 10. Chris informed me that if there ever were a 10 grade, this is it, as the card is a facimilie auto. Yes, ladies and gents, Beckett cannot tell the difference between a real, or purposefully reprinted auto. Wonderful. Hmm, maybe we should all go search the eBay listings for one that is actually auto'ed? Nope, dont see any. They usually dont sell for more than $70 bucks, glad this seller is taking advantage of this ridiculous mistake.

Also glad to see the "experts" over at BGS were on their game for this one!

SCU Mock 2009 NFL Draft v2.0

Here is the link to v1.0.

We are under a month for the draft, and I wanted to update my original draft with the rest of my first round picks, and to reflect the recent action of the Cutler deal. People would like to think that things have changed, but I don’t really think they have all that much. Im not going to go into much more explanation outside of the top 10, so forgive me for not being a Mel Kiper wannabe.

1. Detroit Lions - QB Matt Stafford, GEORGIA

Well, despite their best interests, I think Matt Stafford is probably going to go number one. Jason Smith or Aaron Curry should be here, but they wont be. Stafford is the best QB in the draft, and the Lions are going to start anew with him. He may start from day one which is a nightmare situation, but I guess there is no alternative. Oh wait, Jay Cutler? No? Well, yeah, you are screwed then.
Prev Pick: Jason Smith, BAYLOR

2. St Louis Rams - OT Jason Smith, BAYLOR

The Rams need a guy that can take the place of Orlando Pace, and Jason smith is going to be better than Pace. He is a strong and speedy tackle, and should be a great asset to a line that has struggled to protect Bulger. It is a Tackle heavy draft, but its always nice to get the best one. These guys are starters from day one, as also said before, and the Rams will need that.
Prev Pick: OT Eugene Monroe, UVA

3. Kansas City Chiefs - LB Aaron Curry, WAKE FOREST

Man, Curry is a beast. The guy just has a ton of potential at linebacker for the Chiefs, especially on a defense that really needs the help. I originally thought Maybin would be here as the consensus pick, but the combine wasn’t as friendly to him as it could have been. Curry has as much upside as Patrick Willis, and should be quicker and and better at a key position.
Prev Pick: SAME

4. Seattle Seahawks - OT Eugene Monroe, UVA

The Seahawks need everything but a WR, and we may even see them reach for a RB or QB here, or trade down to avoid paying for one. Monroe is one of the best tackles behind Smith, and you never pass up a talent at OT, but the Seahawks are hurting everywhere. This is a toss up if Stafford goes #1.
Prev Pick: Matt Stafford, GEORGIA

5. Cleveland Browns - OLB, DE Aaron Maybin, PSU

Maybin was as high as number one on some boards, and I don’t think the Browns could pass up one of the best players in the draft, especially with their ailing defense. Maybin will be a star, and has put on some weight since the combine, so you can expect that many a big hits are in his future. He could be the next big name on defense, I would be shocked if he was a bust.

Prev Pick: SAME

6. Cincinatti Bengals - WR Michael Crabtree, TX TECH

Crabtree is the best player in the draft in my opinion, and the foot injury isnt a bad enough thing to keep him out of the top 10. If he falls this far, he wont get past Cincy, who just lost their best receiver. The guy is a ridiculous talent, and may be on the same level of potential as Calvin Johnson was. I would think this guy could be a 100 catch 15TD player down the road, and boy does this team need him.
Prev Pick: SAME

7. Oakland Raiders - WR Jeremy Maclin, MISSOURI

Wow, what a crapfest the Raiders have become. Thank you Al Davis. The Raiders have no one left in their receiving corps, and Maclin could be that big play guy they are looking for to help out Russell. God knows he needs it. They could also go OLine here, but im not sure if the Raiders draft people are that smart. Maclin is a rocket off the line with a 4.4 40, and you can expect that the upside on him will be enough for the Raiders to take him.
Prev Pick: SAME

8. Jacksonville Jaguars - OT Michael Oher, OLE MISS

Jacksonville needs some playmakers to help Garrard, but they also need to protect him. Their line has been suspect over the years and Oher may be the guy to fix it. I would have put Smith here, but the guy is a washout, much to Oher's benefit. If Maclin makes it down here, the Jags will take him, but I would expect them to definitely want to shore up problems up front as well.

Prev Pick: SAME

9. Green Bay Packers - DE Brian Orakpo, UT

The Packers may be switching to a 3-4 next year, and Orakpo should fit into that scheme from what I have seen. He has the speed and the know how to be a great OLB or DE, and you can believe that the Packers need the help with their awful rush defense from last year.

Prev Pick: SAME

10. San Fransisco 49ers - QB Mark Sanchez, USC

Holy crap, this pick could be the most up in the air for the entire draft. The Niners have a huge amount of holes and a QB that hasn’t had a healthy season since he was drafted. I didn’t think that Sanchez would go here before, but I have a feeling that after his great pro day, he will. Sanchez has the tools to be a good fit in the NFL, pro style offense, etc, but may not be an elite prospect. San Fran may wait one more year for Bradford or the others, but who knows.

Prev Pick: DE BJ Raji, BOSTON COLLEGE

11. Buffalo Bills - DE BJ Raji, BOSTON COLLEGE

12. Denver Broncos - DE Everette Brown, FLORIDA

13. Washington Redskins - OT Andre Smith, ALABAMA

14. New Orleans Saints - CB Malcom Jenkins, OSU

15. Houston Texans - LB Brian Cushing, USC

16. San Diego Chargers - DT Robert Ayers, TENNESSEE

17. New York Jets - QB Josh Freeman, KSU

18. Denver Broncos - DE Michael Johnson, GTECH

19. Tampa Bay Bucs - RB Knowshon Moreno, GEORGIA

20. Detroit Lions - CB Vontae Davis, ILL

21. Philidelphia Eagles - RB Chris Wells, OSU

22. Minnesota Vikings - WR Percy Harvin, FLORIDA

23. New England Patriots - LB Ray Maualunga, USC

24. Atlanta Falcons - DT Peria Jerry, OLE MISS

25. Miami Dolphins - TE Brandon Pettigrew OSU

26. Baltimore Ravens - DT Evander Hood, MIZZOU

27. Indianapolis Colts - LB Clay Matthews, USC

28. Philadelphia Eagles - OT Eben Britton, ARIZONA

29. New York Giants - WR Hakeem Nicks, UNC

30. Tennesee Titans - CB DJ Moore, VANDY

31. Arizona Cardinals - RB LeSean McCoy, PITT

32. Pittsburgh Steelers - C Alex Mack,

That's my first round, so far, and again, I have no experience doing this. Please take that into consideration when looking at this. The draft is pretty up in the air this year, and I hope it goes well for my team. I love watching the draft, no doubt, and maybe ill come close to what I predicted. I don’t think that the teams really have a set draft plan either, other than position needed and their board, so I assume that when the pick comes, they may have just as much of a problem as I did when I was writing this.

Get Ready To Sock Some Dingers

Its that time of year again, my friends, that time of year when the sky is usually blue enough that it hurts your eyes to look at, the time of the year when the titans of the game take off the training wheels and let 'er rip. Finally, its opening day. Finally.

This year, its been tough to get excited with Mauer on the shelf for up to a month, and the Twins hurting in general, but everything always seems to work itself out. In fact, Mauer is far from the biggest name on the DL, as Rodriguez is out for a few weeks and Hamels is also out for a few weeks. Everyone is still recouperating from the WBC, and the fans are putting on their winter jackets to sit through the early games in the cold weather cities. Its still a wonderful time of the year.

To me, Football is obviously the bigger sport, and much more of delicacy considering the lack of games, but that doesn’t take all the excitement out of the boys of summer. I will say this, I did not re-purchase the baseball package this year, and I think that is a pretty good idea. You get to that middle part of the season where teams are on autopilot and you just get bored. At least I did last year. It becomes another job to get home and watch the games you paid for.

As for the hobby, I havent bought a box of baseball cards for myself in a long time, and Prime Cuts was really the only set I saw that was worth my time. I bought a box of threads with money I had won or gotten as a gift, so it really wasn’t the same as risking my shit for a box of cards that wasn’t going to produce. Baseball has become even more of a first world collector's sport because there just isnt anything worth spending 200 bucks on for a box these days. Triple Threads is a disgusting excuse for a product, and Topps Sterling is even worse. I cant justify spending 200 bucks on a five hit box, let alone 250 on a 1 hit box or a 1 auto box, when the majority of the autos are worth less than 10 bucks on ebay.

Baseball should have a good season this year, though, as most of us are looking for another team to recreate the Tampa Bay miracle. Last year showed that payroll means nothing, and Baseball needed that. It didn’t stop the Spankees from spending a small country on Captain Cheeseburger and Mark Texiera, and if you were looking at how much was being thrown around, you would wonder what the hell people were talking about when they mentioned the bad economy.

Either way, today should have been a holiday, and it should be your top priority to get out to a park this week to enjoy the nice or shitty weather for playing Baseball. Im going to try to make an Angels game, but work sucks about that, so it may not be possible.

So, umm, PLAY BALL!

SCU Breaks: April Box Busters Club Break

Well guys I think that this might be one of the best monthly breaks if not the best monthly break we have had. Some absolutely stunning cards. As you will see in the Donruss Threads Video, as you get your package come back and leave a comment on this post to share with us what you got. There should be 4 Hits out there (at least 1 auto).

National Treasures


Pack Distribution


HIGHLIGHTS

Donruss Becomes The Official Card Of The NFL Draft

Whatever the hell that means. Either way, here is the official statement:

Officials at Panini America have reached an agreement with the NFL to become the "Official Trading Card of the 2009 NFL Draft." This year's event will be held at Radio City Music Hall in New York, April 25th and 26th. Through the sponsorship agreement, Panini America will have access to photography from the event, as well as officially licensed NFL Draft memorabilia worn by the players.

"Rookie cards are key to the success of our trading card programs," said Panini America Vice President of Sales & Marketing Mike Anderson. "The relationship allows us to be the first trading card company to have access to the top picks. The growing popularity of NFL Draft day is incredible exposure for trading cards and our company."

The agreement will give Panini America the NFL jerseys and hats the players wear after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell calls their name. These unique items will be incorporated into future trading card programs.

"We felt the memorabilia from this events would be a great way to enhance our programs throughout 2009," adds Anderson. "These jerseys and hats are special, they are the first time the rookies get to wear their new colors - so its going to create some some very unique collectibles."

Officials from Panini America will also be on-hand producing and distributing cards of the top picks (with their new teams) as their names are called.

Umm, so they want draft worn hat cards? Huh? So you give them a hat, they put it on, and take it off? This is totally lame. I already do my best to avoid event used jersey cards without autos, I will avoid these like the plague.

h/t Groat

Beckett: #1 Authority On Getting Laid

So, I get an email from Hitter yesterday informing me that the wonderful people at Beckett have added "relationship councelors" to their list of epic fails. For some reason, they feel arrogant enough to assume the role of relationship psychologist for the cardboard community, as if they hadnt already done enough damage to the hobby we love. 

See, its about target audience, and holy fucking fuck has Beckett screwed the pooch on this. I mean, Gamepro doesnt go and write about Chanel perfume on their shit, do they? They know its fucking stupid and people will laugh their ass off as much as I did when I saw this shit.

I am going to assume that they were sitting around a conference table, wondering where to go next. Here is how it went:

Beckett Lackey #1: Well, our Beckett Obama price guide is hitting shelves in a few weeks, so be sure to add that we are the number one authority on Presidential Collectibles to the website.

Beckett Lackey #2: Are we the number one authority? 

Beckett Lackey #1: Well, we are the only ones ever to put out a magazine about this stupid shit, so that automatically makes us number 1. How dare you question me!

Beckett Lackey #2: So, because we publish a magazine on it, we are supposed to be the best? 

Beckett Lackey #1: YES! YOURE FIRED, NOW LEAVE.

Beckett Lackey #3: Since we are already the number 1 authority on collectibles, presedential stuff, video games, yu-gi-oh! cards, pokemon, and now blogging with Chris Olds, where do we go next? We are still losing readers by the minute...

Beckett Lackey #1: Well, hmm, im not sure. Ha, I have an idea! ***giggles*** Since all the collectors are nerds and have no lives, lets give them relationship advice! ***giggles***

Hackler: You just became the number one authority on ideas, my friend. Congratulations! RUN IT.

Chris Olds: (shouting from down the hall) Did someone say they want a relationship? I want one!

All: SHUT UP!

Hackler: Holy shit, what a creepy piece of shit he is. The number one authority on being sexually inexperienced.

Beckett Lackey #1: I know a gal we can drug to bring in here to do this for us. She is like, so hot. I think she would be great.

Chris Olds: (shouting) Did someone say that there are girls coming? ***runs in naked*** ME FIRST!

Beckett Lackey #1: ***barfs***

Beckett Lackey #2: ***barfs***

Hackler: ***Licks his lips***

Beckett Lackey #1: Dude, run that shit, its going to blow the other blogs out of the water, we are fucking geniuses!

Beckett Lackey #2: its going to blow alright.

Hackler: I thought you were fired.

Beckett Lackey #2: Im the #1 authority on being a douche. 

Hackler: Sorry man, already mine.

ANNNND Scene. 

Unconfirmed: First Tiger Pulled?

Per an email from one of the readers, last night his friend has pulled one of the Tigers, number 2/5, out of Exquisite. This is completely unconfirmed and could be bullshit, but if its not, lets hope he can get us a scan as he said he would. Per his friend, this came from a bonus pack, so I am not putting much water into this bucket.

Ill keep you updated as this develops.

Thanks to Joe from the D.

Holy Crap: Cutler to Chi-town

Well, the Bears win the Cutler sweepstakes, and it will either make their franchise a contender for years to come, or cripple them completely, there is no in between here. They paid a HUGE-MUNGOUS price for him, giving up two first rounders AND Kyle Orton, which to me is pretty much mortgaging the future on a fourth year QB. Usually these things never take a middle of the road results sheet with them to the annals of history. I think its the right thing to do if you are in desperate need of a QB, but the Bears really werent. Thats why I would have passed.

Cutler looks to be great, he has had some good years in denver, but has shown a weird attitude in addition to the talent. This was only the latest in a long string of weird situations surrounding him. Remember the whole confrontation with Rivers? How weird is that for NFL QBs? It usually only happens with WRs and CBs telling each other that they cant cover one another.

Either way, it makes the Bears that much more of a possible threat, and makes that defense much more scary with an Offense that can score. If they have a good rest of the draft, it could be devastating to the NFC North.

Only time will tell.

We Are Almost A Month Into Exquisite Now, Still No Tiger

The buzz in the hobby right now is all Tiger Woods, due to the presence of his cards in both Champs hockey, Ultimate Collection, and Exquisite Collection. The last in that list would be considered to be the craziest card to hit the market in years. The problem is that not one of the five cards have made it onto the secondary market. We havent even gotten a whiff of one.

I know that Gregg had promised that 5 of these made it into circulation, and that not as much Exquisite has been opened this year as last, but the odds thus far that no one even knows a person who has one is a little off the charts. More than 50% of the logos have been pulled, including the Ryan that was sold for $6250 off eBay, the Ryan/Flacco dual logo, and at least one of the Tigers from a more mass produced product like Champs Hockey have been pulled as well. Its currently at $3200 on TWGM.

I would put this card at close to $10K if pulled and listed due to the brand, the product, the memorabilia, and the possible inscription. I am eagerly waiting, hoping that one will surface.

Man, this is nuts!