Peyton Hillis beats Michael Vick for the EA Madden 12 cover

Today on ESPN's "Sportsnation", it was announced that Cleveland Browns RB Peyton Hillis had 66% of the votes as Michael Vick had 34% of the votes in the "Race to Grace" for gracing their presence on the cover of EA's Madden 12 football video game. Not to be a "Debby Downer" but the last time a running back graced the cover of a Madden game was in 2007 and it was Shaun Alexander and we all know how his career turned out after his picture appeared on the boxes. Let's hope Peyton does not fall victim to the ever dreadful "Madden Curse".

LET IT BE KNOWN ON THIS VERY DAY I WILL GO OUT ON A LIMB AND SAY THAT THIS YEAR THE MADDEN CURSE WILL BE REVERSED BECAUSE PEYTON HILLIS WILL BREAK THE TREND AND BECOME THE FIRST BROWNS PLAYER TO BE NAMED AN NFL MVP, ATTEND THE 2011-12 SUPER BOWL (as a fan-LOL), NOT BE BUSTED FOR HGH OR WEED OR FEMALE FERTILITY DRUGS, AND ACTUALLY ENJOY BEING A CLEVELAND BROWNS FOOTBALL PLAYER.

You've been served!

TOPPS.......DOES IT AGAIN to POOCH THE CONSUMER!

The article as found on Topps web blog!

The much anticipated 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Baseball officially streets today (4/27) and overall the product looks great, but it has come to our attention  that not all hobby boxes include the originally solicited 2 Autograph & 2 Relic guarantee (some  contain 3 Relics & 1 Autograph).  Any customer missing an autograph from their box will be taken care of.  Please mail in the box’s UPC code to Topps to receive a Gypsy Queen replacement autograph card. Please Send to:

The Topps Company Inc.
PO BOX  2036
Duryea, PA  18642


So now you have to spend more money sending in for the crap-shoot auto you didn't get when they had the "EMAIL" system set up in place to cover this well botched quality control issue. How can such a delayed product like this one have this kind of a mess up? Kudos to Topps for stepping in quickly again to fix a "quality control" issue. However just because Topps has stepped up to quickly "correct" the situation does not mean they're going to fall back into the "good graces" of the hobby enthusiasts. It's also apparent that topps are giving you less product then advertised if you're a set builder. How many other times has this happened where they're selling something that does not match the advertised sell sheets? You're getting about 350 cards instead the advertised 450. FAIL! NOT WINNING!

BEHOLD THE POWER OF MY DAUGHTER..... and her mighty pull hand!

My beautiful daughter and I decided to take a trip on Saturday to the "dreaded" local card shop as I needed some supplies for the card sets that I am working on and I had run out of penny sleeves and jersey card holders and the last time I was at Wal Mart they were out of those things. Off we go! We get inside the local hobby shop dungeon and all you see is stuff on the counters from 2010, 2009, and 2008: all TOPPS products. As I gaze upon the boxes of hobby products and I see some of the prices he has written on them with black sharpie I suddenly have the urge to lay on the floor in a fetal position and cry out to "make it stop" as he is not one to really bargain on anything and swears a loyal oath and a blue streak by the most "unholiest of foul wretched price guides"....BECKETT (high column mainly). However not all hope is lost in this hobby dungeon of lost cards souls as one of a few bright spots is that he does have good supplies such as sleeves, containers, dividers, etc at really good bargain basement prices. So as I am gathering the much needed supplies to take back to my village, the little kahuna has been looking over the TOPPS seeds and had spotted 4 boxes of Topps Chrome 2010 baseball. She grabs me by my arm and asks if she could get a box since she has not had any cards in a while and that she got a very good report card and because Daddy loves her. Well....I do love her but I really did not want to pay 65.00 a box for Chrome but she has earned it and when I went to pay for it I only ended up being charged 50.00 for it. I felt as if I had slayed the dragon and ran away with the golden egg! This man never hardly budges on his prices. Perhaps it was my daughter's charm or the fact that this guy really needs the business. I didn't ask and he didn't say.

So we came back home and Caty rushed into the house and immediately opened up her new-found box of joy and let me tell you something.....when your daughter comes to you with what she had in her hand....well I'll just let the picture do the talking:

There was a 4th autograph as well: Cole Gillespie regular rookie auto version. This was all from one box mind you! The Gonzalez 1/1, the Castro refractor rookie auto, and the Stubbs, English, and Gillespie autos were all in one box. She brings me these cards and asks if she pulled anything good. Needless to say I pooped my pants at what she pulled. This brings me to another issue: Topps quality control. Was it a hot box? Did some think of themselves as of an air traffic controller and feel asleep at the insert/press machine? The box does say, "2 auto's per box". I guess Christmas came a little early this year from Topps.

I would also have to say that the "little kahuna" has a hot hand in the "big pulls department" as of lately.

In the immortal words of Charlie Sheen:  WINNING!

Craigslist "HeRo of tHe LaMe"

This guy's listing says it all!

Craigslist Listing:

Another one of my rookie lots of 100 cards. All NFL rookie cards. Here are some of the more valuable:
1991 Score Brett Favre
1990 Score Junior Seau (Graded Gem Mint 10) - $50 BV
2006 Score Reggie Bush (Graded Gem Mint 10) - $75 BV
1993 Topps Drew Bledsoe
2007 Donruss Threads Anthony Spencer (#ed 882/999)
2007 Donruss Threads Ryan McBean (Blue #ed 197/350)

There are more big named rookies. Most of them from the last 5 years. Book Value on this lot is easily over $500 

I have still have not heard back as I sent an email asking what other rookies are included.

HERE ARE SOME MORE CRAIGSLIST L-A-M-E-O' S

$300.00 for a JEFF REED AUTO!

Official Dan Marino Signed Jersey - $400 (Newberrytown)

(I WONDER IF THE CAT IS INCLUDED?)

autographed desean jackson photo - $275 (york haven)

Really? 

I'm alive I tell you......Alive.

I'm still here. I've been very busy with a heavy workload and I'm also focusing on ball practice with the "Little Kahunas" so my posts will be far and few for the next few weeks. There has not been much in terms of sports cards that I have felt like busting lately but I have picked up a few packs of stuff here and there of 2010 baseball products. Nothing really major pulled as I'm just trying to fill in a few more sets that I'm working on. As for the kids, they wanted to bust open a few packs but didn't want to spend a lot of money. I figured since we were in Wal-Mart we might as well take that dreadful trip down the card isle and see what we can find. My daughter had chosen a pack of 2010 Bowman Draft picks and prospects and she was pleased with what she pulled although it's only highlight was one minor star rookie. As for my son he chose to purchase a pack of 2010 Bowman Platinum. He was all smiles and said, "Dad....these are all rookies cause they have that logo thingie." I looked at his cards and was shocked as he pulled a Stephen "broken tendons" Strasburg rookie card, a Buster "I've got a world series ring already and you don't" Posey rookie card, a Wade "let's go surfing" Davis rookie card and a Dustin Ackley prospect card. I think he blew the odds out of the water on that pack! He was all smiles and had every right to because the CARD GODS had blessed him with MOJO.....oh wait...I forgot we don't use that word anymore so here's the politically correct word: WINNING!