With two weeks of the NFL season in the books, 2023 is already shaping up to be a fascinating show.  Thus far, the Ravens appear to be the team to beat in the hyper-competitive AFC North, and the Cowboys defense looks historically good after dominating performances against the Giants and Jets.  On the opposite side of the spectrum, All-Pro quarterback Joe Burrow, and legendary head coaches Sean Payton and Bill Belichick, seem to be in trouble as their teams stare down the barrel of 0-2 records. What surprises will the remaining fifteen weeks of the NFL regular season hold?  It w ..read more

With the preseason schedule complete, the NFL will kickoff its 104th regular season in early September.  Here are eight players and cards that I am excited to watch as the 2023 campaign unfolds. Jalen Hurts After an uneven first two seasons in the NFL, Hurts improved significantly in 2022 to become one of the league’s top quarterbacks, finishing second in the MVP voting to Patrick Mahomes.  In 2022, Hurts had the fourth best passer rating (101.5), while throwing twenty-two touchdown passes and running for thirteen more.   NFL history has not been kind to Super Bowl runners ..read more

As a follow up to my last article, here are seven additional players worth monitoring during the upcoming college football season.   Trading cards depicting players in their college uniforms have been around since the beginning of the hobby.  One of my favorite cards in this category is the 1955 Topps All-American of Red Grange during his days as a quarterback at the University of Illinois.  Historically, early cards showing players in their professional uniforms are more desirable than those presenting college garb.  However, with Fanatics acquiring Topps, there coul ..read more

Trading cards depicting players in their college uniforms have been around since the beginning of the hobby.  One of my favorites in this category is the 1935 National Chicle showing Bronko Nagurski in his days as a Minnesota Golden Gopher.  Historically, early cards showing players in their professional uniforms are more desirable than those presenting college garb.  However, with Fanatics acquiring Topps, there could be more hobby attention on the college game.  For the past two years, Fanatics has released a Bowman college football product. In baseball, first Bowman pro ..read more

Earlier this month, the 2023 Bowman Chrome Druw Jones Superfractor was found in a pack of cards in Tipp City, Ohio.   Druw Jones is the 19-year-old son of Andruw Jones.  The elder Jones was a five-time All-Star and ten-time Gold Glove winner during his seventeen-year big league career, which was mainly spent as an outfielder with the Atlanta Braves.  Druw was the second overall pick in 2022 by the Diamondbacks and is currently a member of Arizona’s Class A minor league team where he has a batting average of .175 and no home runs. The Superfractor is numbered 1/1 and includ ..read more

During the summer months, one of the things my family enjoys doing is checking out the garage sales, flea markets and thrift stores in our area.  On these excursions, I am always on the lookout for sports cards.  Even with the hobby boom between 2019 and 2021, I still see plenty of low-cost buying opportunities. Most of what I find in this context is from the junk wax era of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and there are a handful of players that I always buy if their cards are in good condition and priced around a dollar or less.  I have included the players in a list below and ..read more

One month into another baseball season, I wanted to look at some of the players that I am excited to watch throughout 2023. These are not necessarily flip picks or players that I am buying. Rather, they are individuals that I am interested in seeing how things play out for over the 162-game schedule. Wander Franco Once the number one prospect in all of baseball, Franco’s star dimmed with collectors in 2021 and 2022 as injuries and inconsistency hampered his productivity.  However, he showed signs of life over the last twenty-five games of 2022, cutting down on his strikeouts and averagin ..read more

With another baseball season upon us, I wanted to look at some of the players that I am excited to watch throughout 2023.  These are not necessarily flip picks or players that I am buying.  Rather, they are individuals that I am interested in seeing how things play out for over the 162-game schedule. Adley Rutschman Rutschman was AL Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2022.  After he was promoted to the big-leagues last season, the Orioles showed significant improvement falling just short of the playoffs.  Rutschman is a complete catcher as demonstrated by his .806 on-base plu ..read more

With Spring Training in session, I thought it would be fun to think about the Baseball Hall of Fame.   The Hall of Fame is one of my foremost hobby interests, and it has been a few years since I have addressed the topic in a blog post. The last time I authored an article about Baseball Hall of Famers was the summer of 2020.  Included on that list were Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Buster Posey, who have since retired.  These three individuals are not eligible for election but are likely to be enshrined someday.   More importantly, the list from 2020 mentioned Cody B ..read more

With Spring Training in session, I thought it would be fun to think about the Baseball Hall of Fame.   The Hall of Fame is one of my foremost hobby interests, and it has been a few years since I have addressed the topic in a blog post. The last time I authored an article about Baseball Hall of Famers was the summer of 2020.  Included on that list were Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Buster Posey, who have since retired.  These three individuals are not eligible for election but are likely to be enshrined someday.   More importantly, the list from 2020 mentioned Cody B ..read more