Rookie Baseball Cards

Autograph/ Autograph Collecting/ Rookie Baseball Cards/ Through The Mail

Willson Contreras – World Series Champion

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Willson Contreras Chicago Cubs – World Series Champion!

During the autograph collecting in 2017 at Miami Marlins park, one of the most gracious signers is none other than Willson Contreras. Each and everyday he signed cards, photos for just about anyone that wanted it. Some people may be of the opinion that he should have, but nonetheless he is a member of the Chicago Cubs team that busted the World Series jinx! Should or not, he did and was very humble and gracious about it.

The World Series can sometime change people and their perspective as to when they will sign and how many. Also the constant autograph hounding. I would like to give a huge shout out to Kris Bryant. Bryant was loyal and true to the fans not only taking the time to sign autographs, but went down the line and took photographs with special needs children. That boys and girls is what it is all about in the very, very end!!! Cannot say the same for Anthony Rizzo, Jon Lester, and some of the other well named notables. They did not give any of the fans down here in Miami the time of day!!!

Beckett Grading Specials – Incredible Deals

Graded Card Registry/ Psa / Heritage Auctions/ Rookie Baseball Cards

Beckett Grading Specials – Incredible Deals

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Beckett Grading Specials

There is only one way that I know of to protect your investment and assure yourself that you have the optimum grade for a sports card or any other card collectible and that is to grade your card, and or memorabilia. I mostly use Beckett grading, but I also use PSA and for the most part that is it. I am not discounting the fact that some of the other companies may have something to offer but I only use these two. Now I do own some SGC graded cards in my collection, but for the most part Beckett and PSA are the companies that I submit to.

Why I choose Beckett

The main reason is that they do not obligate you to join their membership for submissions. Now you can join and they do have daily, monthly and yearly specials, but it is not mandatory that you join to submit cards and memorabilia for grading. PSA on the other hand requires a membership. So I have a membership with PSA and I do not currently have one with Beckett. So make sure you check out their grading specials for the month of November and then come back to their site for the December specials. I usually send a bunch of cards each month and take advantage of their deals. Here are some of the following cards that I collect:

  • Baseball cards
  • Basketball cards
  • Football cards
  • Vintage sports cards
  • Hockey cards
  • Game cards
  • Comic books
  • Non-sport cards

Beckett Grading Services Club Bronze Membership for $99. Free Beckett “BGS 10” T-Shirt, Beckett Over Shoulder Sling Bag, 6 Grading Vouchers @ 10 day service level, Total Access 1 Month Price Guide

Brien Taylor – The Dream That Was Not!

Rookie Baseball Cards

Brien Taylor – The Dream That Was Not!

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NY Yankee Brien Taylor

The NY Mets dominated the baseball world in New York City with a kid named Dwight Gooden in the mid-late 1980’s. The New York Yankees and then owner George Steinbrenner were never second fiddle to any cross-town sports team ever! But how to draw against Doctor K? This was not just something that could be easily overcome. As a sports card collector sometimes there is a moment where you have to take a gamble on a baseball card rookie and collect every card imaginable even if that card/rookie  belongs to the dreaded Yankees. That was me in the early 1990’s when talk of Brien Taylor came about. I knew that George had deeper pockets then anyone in baseball at the time, but I just could not believe the rampant hype about another pitcher taking away some of the glory from Gooden in NY. Even though Gooden was no longer the center focal point of the Mets pitching staff by the time 1988 and the loss to the L.A. Dodgers came during the National League Championships. However, as a sports card collector you do not ever want to miss the boat on a star rookie. After all, since then, I have missed so many boats, dingy’s, cruise ships, you name it I missed it. This is why today I have more Brien Taylor cards than most to make soup with.

Shoulder Injury From Hell For Yankee Fans!

In case you do not know the history of how this phenom who went from a 1.55 million signing bonus (largest ever at the time) to what turned out to be the end of what could have been a glorious pitching career. In an effort to defend his brother from another person that had already beat his brother up, he attempted to stand up for his brother and endured one of the worst shoulder injuries that Dr. Frank Jobe had ever seen. Dr. Frank Jobe repaired a torn capsule and a torn labrum in Taylor’s shoulder, but the pitcher lost 6-8 miles off his fastball and was unable to land the curve ball for a strike. Since then, he has been arrested two different times. Once for misdemeanor child abuse/child neglect in 2005 and then in March 2012, Taylor was charged with cocaine trafficking after undercover narcotics agents purchased a large quantity of cocaine and crack cocaine from him over a period of several months. He received a 38 month prison sentence, and then he will get three years’ supervised release.

Collecting sports cards teaches us that these players are human and sometimes all the talent in the world, cannot help overcome poor decisions and tough breaks. As a sports fan I think back on when I heard the news that he was arrested a second time and I could not help but feel bad for him. He was only the second NY Yankee 1st round overall pick since 1965. As an older sports card collector, I treasure his cards just as much today. Not because of the value of the cards or a lack there of, but because of the history behind the cards and the man. One man’s claim to fame, and what could have been. Keep collecting sports cards there is history and knowledge on that little piece of cardboard paper.

Youk To Yanks

Rookie Baseball Cards

Youk To Yanks

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Kevin Youkilis is official a NY Yankee. Although he confesses that his heart will always be in Boston. How is that for drama on the baseball diamond. I kind of understand it. Here is the thing though as a former New Yorker, I don’t think that is something that needed to be said. Especially with the incredible downside to his failing in NY. I must admit him coming out and stating that he will never fill the shoes of Alex Rodriguez, might not have been necessary given the fact that NY fans just don’t forgive. You either produce or else!

Kevin Youkilis Rookie Cards

The Kevin Youkilis rookie card should see some positive action, especially since any player that dons the NY pinstripes usually see some hobby love. The last Red Sox player to depart for NY that actually made an impact was Johnny Damon. Before him I can remember Luis Tiant in the hey day of the free agency explosion, and back when Stienbrenner had all the money in baseball.

Alex Rodriguez going to the Yanks after signing the first of two gazillion dollar contracts, was and has been a point of concern for the new, NY Yankees. They seem to be somewhat more careful with their dollars, so is the Kevin Youkilis rental for third base at a cool $12 million, a smart move? Time will tell.

I can say this about Kevin Youkilis, he does play with fire. Of course there is also that long standing feud with Joba Chamberlain, which they both claim is over, but as of yesterday neither had talked to each other or made an attempt to get this water under the proverbial bridge face to face. This will more than likely blow completely over especially after Kevin Youkilis wins a few games for the Yankees with a 4 or 5 hit game which he has done plenty of times.

Kevin Youkilis Baseball Cards

If you want a good list of Kevin Youkilis baseball cards, I recommend you visit Beckett and start with his rookie cards, there are plenty of autograph cards as well. Most are in a Red Sox uniform, and there are a handful of his cards in a White Sox uniform as well. Can’t wait to add one in a Yankees pin-strip uniform. I hope he produces. Here’s to banking on Youk.

Why We Needed Barry Bonds Hit 73 Homeruns In 2001!

2000 Upper Deck E Cards/ Baseball card price/ Rookie Baseball Cards

Why We Needed Barry Bonds Hit 73 Homeruns In 2001!

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Baseball Cards Reminding Us Of Good And Bad

For all the stigma attached to the steroid era that baseball has endured. For all the negative talk about substance abuse and how it changed the game of baseball. The truth was we needed heroes like Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire just to list a few and just about anyone else that helped us get through 2001 as a grieving nation from the 911 terrorist attacks. That year we as Americans endured the toughest year in the history of this country, and it became even tougher to focus on sports a large part of our heritage. But Major League Baseball was there to help heal the wound, as much as it could. That is true, and I will never forget the end of that Summer, as most people that were around would agree they won’t. A wound that I must admit has not yet healed almost 12 years later, just the thought takes us to a dark place.

In lieu of all that happened that year, all the loss, the heartache, even though we were numb America’s favorite past time helped out with the slow healing process. I can remember rooting for Barry Bonds, and who can forget the Mike Piazza Home-run for America in NY. Looking both back and ahead there had to be something of value to the steroid use in baseball in healing this nation, I agree a twisted thought, but as Americans we have made a living turning something ugly into something pretty. Although it is quite funny to think that in the last few years, no other mammoth home-run hitting baseball player like Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, Josh Hamilton, Alex Rodriguez, and a few continue to fail to reach 50 home-runs, something that was the measuring stick back in the early turn of the century years. Now that baseball lost its juice, no pun intended, the game has lost some the monsters of the diamond too.

I guess the steroid use good for about 20 or so home-runs? Maybe more. I mean to further my point, we just had a triple crown winner in Miguel Cabrera (Detroit Tigers) and the fanfare just was not there. Maybe because he played for the Tigers and not the Yankees, but it just was not there. I believe the proof is in the pudding as far as the productivity of baseball players and substance abuse. But in lieu of the greatest American tragedy ever, and we shall never forget the memory of the lost, those baseball years sure were crazy fun.

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Beckett Baseball Publications – Your Sports Card Guide

Rookie Baseball Cards

Beckett Baseball Publications – Your Sports Card Guide

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There is no better sports card guide than Beckett.  This is the most comprehensive guide on the market. With baseball card prices going back to the good old tobacco cards of the early 1900’s to the most modern cards on the market. These books have come a long way and are much bigger than they were back in the 1990’s when they were wafer thin. Most certainly the most bang for your buck if you want the latest on baseball cards. Nice articles too that will get your juices pumping to go out and purchase more cards! Happy collecting!

The Sports Card Collection

Rookie Baseball Cards

The Sports Card Collection

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Collecting sports cards is something that creates a bond between Dads and sons everywhere, it has in my family as I know get to experience sports card box opening, and going over our collections and actually enjoying my kids as they now begin to understand sports more than ever before.  You noticed how I said our collections…Well at least I can lead them to believe that they are theirs too.

Sports card collections

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