A link to this auction was posted on Pat Neshek’s forum. The item is supposed to be a game-used, corked bat used by Brewers legend and Hall of Famer Robin Yount. I for one won’t pass any sort of judgement based on this one piece of evidence suggesting Yount was a “cheater”. For one, even though they have very good reason to believe the bat was used by Yount extensively, it’s still not like they took the bat right out of his hands and caught him red-handed. I don’t know much about the process of corking a bat, but theoretically couldn’t it have been done after he retired the bat? I’m not saying I think that’s the case either. I’m just saying their are too many possibilities to brand Yount a cheater. (more…)
Brand New – Daisy – 1st Impressions
Brand New is probably my all-time favorite band. Their only competition if from Taking Back Sunday and their last CD was pretty watered down. When I first heard The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me I wasn’t too blown away. I didn’t even go out and buy the CD. Then I went to their show. It was amazing and I regretted not being more familiar with their new stuff. After that show I listened to Brand New for probably 6 weeks straight. Fast forward a few years and out comes Daisy. (more…)
Cleveland Ready To Acta Fool
The Cleveland Indians are taking the same approach to rebuilding as the Washington Nationals took before the 2007 season. Manny Acta will be manning the helm for 2010 and the Indians were so excited to acquire him and his 158-252 record that they didn’t even go ahead with their scheduled interview of Don Mattingly. To add to the craziness the Astros tried to get Acta but (to my relief) he turned down their offer. (more…)
Dad Shoots and Kills 17 yo. Son
Normally a random story about a recent murder wouldn’t show up on this blog. But this is too awful to be ignored. Not only does this guy, Ofelio Antonio Otero, shoot his 17 year old son, but the kid is trying to run away when he is gunned down. (more…)
The Rookie Cards
My baseball card collection centers around two things. Cards of anyone who have EVER played for the Cincinnati Reds and autographs. However, any good baseball card collector knows and appreciates the significance of rookie cards. They are usually the most highly sought base card of a given player and that is often reflected by their “book value”. “Book values” mean nothing to me as I rarely sell cards and because nothing sells at book, but the pull of the RC still inspires me to acquire cards of guys I wouldn’t otherwise collect. Here are some rookie cards I have, I want, and I’m never going to get. (more…)
Standing Up For A Capella
Men’s A Capella groups are an easy target for ridicule. Take Ed Helm’s character from The Office, Andy Bernard for instance. He’s just a ridiculous guy all around and to make matter’s worse he’s a former member of the fictional Cornell A Capella group Here Comes Treble. It’s easy to laugh lose even more respect for Bernard for his participation in such a group. But when you take the time to actually look into college A Capella groups around North America, I think you’ll be pretty impressed. They seem to have a self-deprecating sense of humor about what they do which legitimizes them for me. Besides that there are some groups which are very talented. Then there are other groups that are less talented, but still entertaining. (more…)
Why We TTM
TTM means through the mail. I along with thousands of other collectors write athletes in an attempt to acquire their autograph. It’s an inconsistent hobby, but I find it to be very rewarding. The autograph aside, sometimes there are things that come from these requests that make the experience extra rewarding. Maybe it’s a handwritten letter from the player or a special inscription or something else entirely. Gregg Zaun provided me with one of those moments Saturday.
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Tis the night before Texas-OU
Tis the night before Texas-OU, and I cannot sleep.
I’ve tried thinking of nothing and tried counting sheep.
The TV is waiting, both large and hi-def.
My favorite word soon will begin with an ‘F’
I’ll also be singing alone though I am.
And if my neighbors hear me, I don’t give a damn.
The song will begin with the words “Texas Fight,”
And if UT wins, well I’ll sing it all night
The antipathy displayed down there on that field
Will simmer at first but then quickly build.
The hate blossoms around this time each season,
Which seems to me odd for one simple reason.
To compare them apart, you’d think they’d be friends.
Similar builds and ages, into women and wins.
They’re all good at sport and all matching sexes.
They all wear pads and all come from Texas. (more…)
Steiner Comes Through! Ugh… Eh?
Well I thought it was only fair to Steiner to give readers an update in regard to the YANK909 fiasco I blogged about several days ago. On the 13th I was perusing a web forum and reading about the experience of other collectors in relation to their YANK909 Steiner orders. This inspired me to go to the Steiner website and check my order. I had checked a couple of days before and it said “departed”. This time it said “delivered”. I was taken aback because I hadn’t seen a package so I read on. Delivered October 13th at the front door. I stood up and ran outside and opened the door. Eureka! There was my package! Three Rawling’s Official Major League baseballs for $9.99. Amazing. But my positive Steiner experience is not being shared by many other collectors. (more…)
Hope From The Next Generation
Not every kid is in his bedroom on his computer, playing videogames or God forbid, doing whatever people do with Magic cards or Pokemon cards (Ok, so once I visited my cousin and we played Magic with his deck and that was a pretty fun game). Don’t believe me? Let me tell you about Oliver Wahlstrom. He’s 9 years old and plays on a hockey team for 12 year olds. That would be enough for me to believe he’s good. But after I saw this video it appears to me that “good” is an understatement.
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