Ted Taylor's Collector's Corner

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    Ted Taylor has been a life-long baseball fan and collector of baseball cards and sports memorabilia. He began writing a hobby column back in the early 1970s and has been writing it someplace ever since. He was first president of The Eastern Pennsylvania Sports Collectors Club and co-promoter of the Philadelphia Baseball Card & Sports Memorabilia Shows. He served as VP of the Fleer Corporation (1991-97) and was co-founder and the first President of The Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society (1996-99). Ted can be reached at ted@tedtaylor.com where he is managing partner of STAT Authentic LLC (www.statauthentic.com), a sports/celebrity authentication, appraisal and acquisitions company.

  Ted Taylor has completed two books . . .
  "Philadelphia Athletics . . . By the Numbers"
  and "The Ultimate Philadelphia Athletics Reference Book (1901-1954)"
  Visit www.Xlibris.com/bookstore or call 888-795-4274.

March 1, 2010

This is our 35th Year of hobby columns

Ted Taylor’s Collector’s Corner

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MLB SCHEDULE NOT ALWAYS IN TUNE WITH NATIONAL HOLIDAYS . . . OR SMALL BUSINESSES

            Each year baseball expert and former Reading Phillies GM Julian McCracken does an examination of the MLB schedule to see how they have handled the three national holidays (Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day) they have at their disposal.  “I am happy to report that all of the teams will be playing on both Independence Day and Labor Day, “ McCracken said.

“Of course, all of the teams are in action on July 4th since it falls on a Sunday. It will be interesting to see how the schedule reads in 2011 when the holiday falls on a Monday,” he added.

 And, the following teams will not be in action on Memorial Day (along with commentary from McCracken):

 Baltimore-the Nationals are in Houston, so, the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan area does not have a local game to take in…perhaps a lot of these folks head to Ocean City for the weekend or go to D.C. to take in the National Memorial Day Concert on Sunday evening.

 Boston-a large television market…a major screw-up not to have a game scheduled for the BoSox on this day…either home or away.

 Chicago White Sox-the Cubbies are in Pittsburgh, so, this means that one of the largest markets in America will be without a baseball game in its city…on one of the three major holidays that falls in baseball’s lap…this is not good. WGN should have great ratings.

 Texas-no comment necessary…not many people care in Texas.

 As is his custom, Julian will be sending a letter to Commissioner Bud Selig, and I will forward his concerns to the newly formed committee overseeing things that can be done for “…the betterment of the game of baseball.”

 We agree with Julian that Baseball completely misses the boat when it comes to scheduling games on all three of these important holidays…all the games on these particular days should start at 1 PM so that people can get home for a late afternoon picnic, if they so desire. Plus, it would give front-office and stadium employees an opportunity to get home at a decent hour.

There is just something special about having day baseball on a national holiday…

And speaking of MLB and their bully complex, i.e., "we know better than anyone” approach to things.  They recently sent a letter to Lee’s Hoagie House (see story below about their trip to the Phillies opener) and said they were suing them over the use of the Phillies and Nationals logo in a newspaper ad promoting the trip.

Talk about having balls! (And I’m not referring to Official MLB baseballs either). The ad promotes baseball and attendance (especially in Washington where it sucks) and these mostly Ivy League educated nitwits in NYC want their pound of flesh because two MLB logos appeared in an ad. Instead of suing them, they should be thanking the Philadelphia-area business for generating 100 ticket sales in Washington where none of the locals seldom bother to go.

The ad was prepared by The Philadelphia Daily News not Lee’s (and I guess the DN should have known better) but are they serious about bullying a small businessman? 

And I believe it’s only a matter of time before MLB gets sued over their restrictive one-manufacturer contract for baseball cards?  As it is, they are suing Upper Deck in April for having the audacity to produce 2010 cards when they have only licensed one company, Topps.  The last time MLB got sued over this issue they lost. They will lose again.

Topps Releases Details on Series 2 Baseball

 Even though collectors are currently ripping through packs of the all-new 2010 Topps Baseball Series 1 and Opening Day is still over a month away, it’s never too early to start talking about…2010 Topps Baseball Series 2!

 The cards are tough to find – hobby shops are sold out, ditto a lot of retail outlets - people are collecting for the excitement of the Million Card Giveaway, all the cool inserts, the hobby and retail exclusives, the great photography or all of the above…one thing is for sure: Topps, the exclusive producer for MLB Trading cards, and its flagship brand, Topps Baseball, is loaded with excitement.  And Series 2 features everything collectors love about Series 1 and much more.

 From the addition of T206 cards in the Million Card Giveaway to the all-new 4th of July Hat Logo cards, Series 2 plans to pick up the momentum of one of the best Topps baseball products in years. There will be 330 base cards in series 2, here’s hoping some of them are managers.

 Stephen Strasburg Autographs Fuel Revamp of Bowman

 Collectors highly-anticipating the first autographed cards of pitching phenom and # 1 pick Stephen Strasburg will also be pleased to see a completely refreshed Bowman Baseball in 2010 when it releases in early May.  Additions include an exclusive relic program and three new inserts. 

 Along with Triple Relics, a 1992 Throwback, Top 100 Prospects and the Bowman Expectations Insert, Stephen Strasburg Autographs will be in good company with the likes of Dustin Ackley (2nd overall pick) and Donovan Tate (3rd overall pick).  In addition, highly-touted Cuban pitching prospect Aroldis Chapman will make his first appearance on a baseball card in a Major League uniform. (Though he appeared in several Topps sets last season in a World Baseball Classic setting.)

 Every Hobby Box guarantees 1 Chrome Autographed Prospect and every Jumbo Box guarantees 3 Chrome Autographs (1 prospect + 2 rookies).

 Each pack carries a $3 SRP and includes 10 cards (5 Vets/Rookies, 2 Prospects, 2 Chrome Prospects and 1 Gold Parallel)

 The product in more detail…

 BASIC CARDS (220)

·        Veterans (190 subjects)

·        Rookies (30 subjects)

·        Bowman Chrome Autographed Rookie Cards (10 subjects)

 LEES HOAGIE HOUSE PHILS OPENING DAY SOLD OUT!

             Jon Waxman, owner of three Lee’s Hoagie Houses (Abington, Horsham, Blue Bell PA) has sold out two buses and 99 tickets and the locals will  go to the Phillies opening day game in Washington DC on Monday, April 5.  Buses will leave from the Day’s Inn parking lot in Horsham.  I’ll be making the trip – doing trivia contests on one of the buses and I hope to see you there too. Odds are that Roy Halladay gets the starting nod.

 

WAY TO GO HERBIE!

            On February 13 Philadelphia University men’s basketball coach Herb Magee notched his 900th win and not  long after broke Bobby Knight’s all-time NCAA win record. Imagine.  One of the truly great people that I have ever met (I was Herb’s “boss” as AD at the college for four years in the late '80s, early '90s), I can’t think of a better role model for kids.  Had Herbie taken one of the many Division I offers he has gotten in his life he’d be a national celebrity by now.  As it is, he could care less.  His first goal is always as an educator.  Who could ask for more?  Way to go, my friend!

 RANTS OF A SET COLLECTOR

        I recently won three cards in an auction that I needed to work toward the completion of three different 1950’s sets.  All three were graded and sealed – and I didn’t want that.  So I took them out of the plastic seals so they could join their brethren in the set binders.  Did you ever try to do that? I ended up using a hammer to free them. The suckers are tough.

I was afraid I was going to wreck the cards though one of them, a 1951 Bowman Nelson Fox, was graded a “5” by Beckett. It’s nice to hire the handicapped and all but whoever graded this card couldn’t see very well. Dr. Beckett is clearly hiring blind people to evaluate his cards.  The card is a wreck, sealed and all.  I’ll keep it until I can upgrade it and then in the trash can it goes.  If that’s what Beckett thinks is a “5” wonder what a two or three looks like?

I hate sealed cards. Cards are to be handled. They are to be enjoyed.  They were kid’s toys at one time for crying out loud!

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t comment on Topps Million Card Giveaway.

First off, it’s a fun idea. But that having been said I scored eleven of those cards in the boxes and packs I bought and didn’t get one single card worth much of anything.  The oldest one I got was a ’67 Lou Clinton. Not exactly a find!

Then I find out I can’t redeem my cards until Mid-March and, even then, when I do so I’m on the hook for postage and handling.  Where does it say that in the prom material?  Right now they can keep my eleven cards, they aren’t worth the postage.  You’d think, since Topps has been at it since 1951, that I’d have gotten one card older than 1967.  But, as I said, it’s a good idea but I have a gut feeling lots of these commons will go unclaimed.

 What’s on your mind ????

   Don’t’ be bashful. What do you think about grading cards and their goofy numbers? Drop us a line (ted@tedtaylor.com) and let us know what you think. Thanks for reading the column.  Your feedback is important.