Is This a Wasteland - No It's Tampa Bay Sports

The Bar is CLOSED

2010-04-10T19:31:00.002-05:00

Thanks for all of the support folks.

Please head on over to:

http://hopefulchase.blogspot.com/

One Final Mailday

2010-04-09T09:21:00.008-05:00

Tonight I board the big ol' jet airliner for Chicago and a new start. So that means this is the final "real" post on this blog. What better way to go then to show off the latest additions to the collection. There is a an ebay purchase and a couple of trades.

First up from the Bay.

A Yellow Parallel Vincent Lecavalier UD Champs. Step one on the rainbow, now to find the base, blue and red versions!

Trade number one. I sent Drew a bunch of football cards and he responded with a couple of 100 count plastic boxes containing some set needs, O's and Rays along with the single football card. It's pretty flippin' sweet.

A Lenny Moore Buy Back. This is the first buy back from any sport that I've been able to add to my collection. The fact that it's one of the all time best BALTIMORE Colts makes it even sweeter. Thanks Drew!

Trade number two. The Great Sports Name Hall of Fame. In return for some football cards as well Tim loaded a 100 count box full of O's including an addition to my player collection.

Sugar Bear! The personal collection now sits at a whopping 4 Rayford cards. There were also a bunch of 1990's era Orioles that I didn't have. It's always nice to see cards that aren't in the collection. Thank you Tim and the 1992 cards I mentioned are on there way to you.

BONUS CARDS!!!!

On Wednesday the Tampa Bay Lightning sent two of their players to the local Champs at International Mall in Tampa. Since I had nothing better to do that day I went there about an hour early and ended up as the 50th person in line. In total about 250 people showed up, which given the normal apathy surrounding hockey and the Bolts dismal performance over the last three weeks, ended up being a decent turnout.

It helped that the closest thing to a hockey icon in town, Vincent Lecavalier, was one of the signers. As a devoted fan of "Enzo" I decided to have him sign my jersey (which will become the centerpiece of my Lightning memorabilia collection once I can afford to have it framed) and a couple of cards.

He was signing with fellow French Canadian Alex Tanguay. When I dropped the the cards on the table to have them signed Vinny made a joke about the Canadians card Tanguay signed. Alas, it was in French and since I'm a monolingual American I had no idea what he said. They were both polite and genuinely glad to meet the fans.

There ya go. Hoped you enjoyed the final post. Come and check things out at The Hopeful Chase, regular posts should be starting in the next day or so!

The O's Make a Trade.

2010-04-01T12:27:00.005-05:00

It's been announced that the O's have acquired former Devil Ray/Astro/Red Sox/Dodger/ Cardinal infielder Julio Lugo for the always popular player to be named later. Chances are that player will be named Cash. To make room for Lugo, Michael Aubrey was designated for assignment.

I wish this was an April Fools joke; not because I think Lugo is washed up (he hit .280 with St Louis and Boston last season), but because this means Brian Roberts isn't as healthy as we're being told.

Roberts has struggled with a herniated disk in his lower back all spring and just returned to the everyday lineup. For the O's to pull in an experienced middle infielder this late in Spring Training means that they are worried that Roberts may miss significant time.

If they weren't concerned then they wouldn't have made the deal and stuck it out with Robert Andino and Ty Wigginton as their utility infielders. I don't see them carrying three spare infielders all season long so I'm guessing the light hitting Andino, who is out of minor league options, is the odd man out.

Lugo wanted out of St Louis when it was apparent he wasn't going to be a starter for the Cardinals. Could Lugo eventually beat out Cesar Izturis for the starting shortstop position? It's possible, but unlikely. The O's like Izturis' defense and feel that they have enough power in the lineup to make up for his below average offensive output.

Roberts has played in the last three games for the O's and is slowly playing his way into game shape. He states that he feels fine, but back problems, like hamstrings and sprained ankles, have a tendency to linger throughout the season. It could also affect the way Roberts plays the game. Will he be wanting to dive after ground balls or slide headfirst into second if it might cause the injury to flare up?

The longest tenured Oriole is a key part of the O's lineup. He is a steady leadoff hitter that sets the tempo for the power guys behind him. Buster Olney from ESPN points out that the O's open the season with 28 of 35 games against teams that had a winning record last season. Sixteen of their games in April are against American League East teams. If they aren't firing at all cylinders to start the season they could find themselves 10 games back by the time May 1st comes around.

Despite all of that doom and gloom there is some good news: The O's won't be spending a lot of money on Lugo. The Red Sox are paying all but $400,000 of Lugo's $8.6 million salary.

So they got that going for them.

Through The Mail Success - Mike McKenna

2010-03-31T12:26:00.003-05:00

For the last couple of weeks I've been kicking around the idea of jumpstarting my through the mail efforts. You may have noticed that along the sidebar I've added a request tracker...it's over there on the left, nope further down, keep going, there ya go!

However, I wasn't sure how I was going to attack it. Who should I send them to? What should I say? How much is this going to end up costing me? Well I think I've stumbled across a half-baked plan. Why not get an autograph of everyone who has donned a Tampa Bay Lightning uniform? Several folks are doing the same thing with various teams, but as of right now no one has targeted the Lightning.

I also have a bit of a headstart thanks to college. My friend and roommate was a big hockey fan and we thought nothing of skipping a morning class to head down to the Ice Palace and catch the players before the morning skate. We didn't have much competition in those days, maybe 5 other people standing around with the same idea.

Almost every player and coach was more than willing to sign, except for a certain "Great One", but that's a whole different story for another day. So I amassed a nice collection of signatures from the then current Lightning and a surprising number of future Lightning players.

With this in mind I sent out my first Lightning targeted request last week. I sent it to former Tampa netminder Mike McKenna. McKenna is a U.S. born goalie who had a brief run (15 games, 4 wins) with the Lightning last season when the team was decimated by injuries in the net.

I was surprised to see him return the card, signed within a week. It was sitting in my mailbox Monday afternoon. I guess he doesn't get many requests.

McKenna, 27, has bounced around the minor leagues since he turned pro in 2005-06. He is currently playing for Lowell in New Jersey's farm system, but has seen time in the net at Norfolk, Portland, Omaha, Milwaukee and Las Vegas.

He was drafted by Nashville in the 6th round of the 2002 draft (11 picks ahead of Paul Ranger) and has spent the time since trying to crack an NHL roster. His stint with the Bolts remains his only NHL time.

A St. Louis native, McKenna is a man of many interests. He graduated from St Lawerence University with a degree in economics and is a fan of Scandanavian Thrash Metal. He is also an occaisonal "Tweeter" who can be found tweeting about life in the minors at www.twitter.com/MikeMcKenna56.

He signed his name and added his Tampa Bay jersey number (30) in black Sharpie across the 2009-10 UD Victory Rookie card I sent. It was my fault that I didn't prep the glossy card before sending it to him so the signature is a little spotty.

Thank you for signing and returning the card Mike. Here's hoping next season finds you between the pipes in an NHL areana!

The Champ is here! The champ is here! The Wasteland Breaks a Box of Cards *Now with Sexy Update!

2010-03-30T09:27:00.010-05:00

I haven’t broken box on this site for quite some time. Finances are a major reason for that. After all, it’s hard to justify dropping $75-$100 on a box of cards when there are bills to pay and no money coming in. However, thanks to some shrewd dealing on eBay and people willing to pay top dollar for gimmick cards I was able to pick up one box of 2009-10 UD Champs.

I stayed away from this product last year because of the price point. If I remember correctly my local shop had them for $4.00 a pack. In that pack you get 5 cards, two of them of the mini variety. Collecting the entire set through packs would be next to impossible.

This year I saw a box on Dave and Adams for under $70 and armed with a $5.00 coupon I copied from someone’s Beckett I made my purchase (paypal is a wonderful thing). Five days later the UPS guy dropped it off and I got to rippin’. One box, 20 packs, 5 cards (on average) per pack.

Here are the results along with the odds of pulling according to the back of the wrapper.

Base Cards:

48 cards, no doubles, one Lightning, no Vincent Lecavalier.

As usual I didn’t pull any Vinny cards. I think this makes 5 boxes in a row without a card of the Lightning captain. Regardless of that I do enjoy the base cards. There is a nice mix of the usual veterans and today’s stars.

The faded, blue background frames the action shots nicely giving the cards a portrait-like feeling. I do get a kick out of the “EST. 2008” below the photo. It reminds me of the local sub shop that has been serving the neighborhood since “2002”. I guess you have to start somewhere.

There is 100 cards in the base set and it looks like you get about ½ of that amount in one box. It’s a good start, but still tough for set builders to put this together without spending a lot of money.

Without a glossy front these cards would be perfect for sending through the mail for autographs, something that I will probably do once I move to my new location.

Colored Parallels:

Green 1:4, Red 1:10, Yellow 1:20

I received 5 green parallels, 2 reds, and 2 yellows. So in that sense I beat the odds, woo-hoo!. The colors aren’t too garish and will make a nice, and not too difficult to collect rainbow for player collectors.

Mini

Usually they come two to a pack and are not parallels of the base card. They feature a different photo and design.

Mini Rookies:
1:4

Again I hit the box average as I pulled 5 rookies with the best being Atlanta’s Evander Kane. Nice close-ups and solid gold borders make these attractive cards to collect.

Mini different color packs

Red 1:20, Blue 1:80, Green 1:160, Parkhurst 1:320

Because even the mini’s need parallel versions I guess. This is an example of where card companies have gone a little too far with a concept. Is there any need for having 4 different variations of a subset? I think not. I had one red back (which actually looks more orange than red).

Mini Subsets

1:2 Wonders of the World/ Natural History/ Historical Figures

I pulled 10 of these cards, so again I was right on the box odds. To break it down further I received 2 wonders of the word (Lighthouse of Alexandria, Aurora), 4 Natural History Collection (Gros Morne National Park, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Richardoestesia, Western Red Lilly) and 4 Historical Figures (Sir Mackenzie Bowell, James K Polk, Harry Truman, Franklin Delano Roosevelt).

Nice cards, but nothing that I would feel the need to chase.

THE HITS

Each box boasts 4 hits (on card autos or relics), but the back of the pack lists the odds at 1:7 which means there are probably boxes out there with only three hits. Luckily for me I did get the four hits.

Mini-auto

Tim Kennedy

Mini Relics

Daniel Alfredsson, Dion Phaneuf, Derick Brassard

Apparently, my box fell in the “d” line of relic sorting. At least they are three different colors, if I had gotten three plain white relics I would have been a little disappointed. They do make a nice red, white and blue theme. Go America!

Final thoughts

The fact that you get four hits per box is the saving grace, anything less and this would be drastically overpriced. It will be interesting to see if the price goes up or down as time goes by. It would be nice if Upper Deck dropped one of the minis in the pack and added another base card.

I would recommend that set collectors wait till the collated sets start showing up on the secondary market, collecting pack by pack will kill your budget. Player collectors should enjoy the chase of completing the rainbow, and while the hits aren’t big budget multi swatches, at least you get the joy of seeing something every 5 packs or so.

On card autos are always appreciated and the card design features is nicely. The base cards lend themselves nicely to getting in person autos or through the mail autos. The rookies look nice, but I wonder how they’ll sell since they are mini’s and not full size cards.

All inserts are for trade, if you’re collecting the mini’s let me know which ones you need and I’ll see if I can send some your way.

Overall I rate this product a second line center. It scores well, but has room for improvement.

* Update!

So upon further review I didn't beat the odds on the yellow parallel borders. In fact, I only received one. The other yellow card was a Yellow ANIMAL ICON parallel seeded 1:80 packs.

See it has animals on it! Ain't they the cutest? So that means I did just a tad bit better on the box than I intially thought. This card is going up on eBay (hey I gots to make money!)

The Blog is Dead, Long Live the Blog!

2010-03-26T15:14:00.004-05:00

A couple of posts ago I teased that there was big news coming down the pike. Now, while I might have exaggerated the effect it has on your day-to-day life, it will definitely change the things I’m doing (and not doing).

For the second time in a year I’m going back to work after having a period of unemployment, or as my family liked to call it “funemployment”. The big difference this time is that my new job isn’t going to be in my second bedroom/office. It is, in fact, not even in this town, or even in this state.

As of April 9th, 2010 I will leave the fun and sun of Florida for the wind and thrills of the big city. Or as they like to call it – “The City of the Big Shoulders” – Chicago.

My better half and I have talked about leaving Florida for along time. She’s lived here her entire life and I’ve spent the better part of the last decade and a half in the Sunshine State. Whenever we’ve talked about moving certain cities have always come up. Honolulu, Seattle, Portland and Chicago were what we called “type A” cities – the ones we focused on.

Thanks to the recent downturn in the economy I was given an involuntary sabbatical and used that time to figure out what I wanted to be when I got older. Alas, I didn’t find the answer that question - probably because I spent a large amount of that free time at the pool. I did eventually find a job in the industry in which I’ve been working for the past decade.

So what does this mean for you my loyal readers (hi mom and dad!)

It means that I’ll no longer be continuing this web site (I’ll give you a moment to recover). Since I’ll no longer be living in the area I won’t be able to report on the trials and tribulations of being a sports fan in a sports wasteland.

I’ll also be crashing on friends couch so that means I won’t have access to my vast collection of mostly useless pieces of cardboard. So my trading will be down. I think I’ll take a shoebox of cards with me to sell on the Bay, or to finish up some trades that I have pending.

The wantlist will be transferred to the new site, so if you see something on there that you want to get rid of, contact me and we’ll work something out. I have a healthy balance in my Paypal account (thanks “Pie in the Face” gimmicks!) so I’ll keep adding to my personal collection.

That’s right I mentioned a new website. The new website will be called The Hopeful Chase, a phrase I borrowed from an interview with Dick Perez that was posted on The Hall of Very Good (and reposted on Magic Carpet Ride Mojo and Beardy’s or whatever they call their blog).

To me the phrase pretty much sums up the way I collect cards, always chasing the perfect card, hoping it’s in the next pack I bust or envelope that’s in the mail. It also sums up the way I live life, much to the chagrin of my better half and my parents. The move to Chicago is a hopeful chase of the joy of living somewhere else. Traveling to foreign countries is a hopeful chase of seeing the world through other people’s eyes. Drinking a new beer is the hopeful chase of finding the greatest liquid refreshment in the world.

All of those things will be discussed on the new site along with whatever cards I happen to pick up and the adventures of the teams I follow. I will be diminishing my focus on the Rays, even more than I have recently. It’s almost like I’m divorcing myself from the team to contain the heartbreak of that day next winter when Carl Crawford is no longer with the team. I will continue to focus on him in my personal collection, up to the moment he puts on pinstripes or Boston gray. If he signs with any other team I’ll still get his cards, but if he goes to either one of those teams look for a sale on Crawford cards.

Besides, I was never that good with writing about the Rays, The Collective Troll always did it better – and more often. Check out his contest while you're at it. Even the ever reclusive Dave over at Fielders Choicehas written more about the Rays in the last few months.

It will be a big change, the hardest part being apart from my better half for the next year or so. So, hopefully, the blog will be therapeutic as well as informational.

I’ll probably post a few more times here before moving over to the new site next month. So feel free to update your sites and all that jazz. Thank you to all of those who have added this site to their weblogs and have read my often rambling, unedited, pointless posts.

Hope is a Waking Dream

2010-03-23T11:38:00.008-05:00

As the season winds to a close the sense of dissillusionment and meloncoly percolates among Lightning fans. Just a month ago the playoffs were a distinct possibility and excitment was building in the cool Tampa air.

Fast forward to the present day where the losses are piling up on a nightly basis and the faintest of hopes are fading into the night. I'll save a few review of the season for a future columnm, for now I'll just post some reminders of why there is a reason to have hope.

1.Steven Stamkos from the left circle.

2. Victor Hedman skating effortlessly through the neutral zone with puck

3. Vincent Lecavalier injury free and contract-worry free

4. An owner with cash, not like these two.

5. It’s not 1998-99. I give you these notable names from the roster a decade ago:
Colin Forbes, Sergey Gusev, David Wilkie, Mike McBain, Steve Kelly, Drew Bannister, Karel Betik, Corey Spring, Xavier Delisle, Mario Larocque, Jason Bonsignore and Zac Bierk.

Bonus

Dustin Tokarski in the net.

The Beauty of Florida Afternoons in the Spring

2010-03-21T20:02:00.011-05:00

It’s time to dust off the keyboard and get back on track. After a two week break I feel like posting again. With the weather finally warming in the TBA, thoughts are turning away from the ice rinks and towards the ball fields. The recent, dismal play of the Lightning also leads ones attention to the hope eternal that Spring Training provides.

In that vein I took a little trip to Sarasota last week. Being unemployed does tend to give one time to take little excursions like this. So into the Mini Cooper I hopped and drove across the Big Bridge. Guided by Mapquest (and delayed momentarily by my inability to discern left from right) I found myself at the new home of the Baltimore Orioles – Ed Smith Stadium.

I joined as assorted band of retirees, vacationers, young kids and work-dodgers for a 1.05pm tilt between the O’s and the Rays. Despite it being an official home game for the Baltimore nine, the crowd was decidedly pulling for the boys in blue.

The O’s fielded a team of minor leaguers and on the bubble veterans while the Rays went with what should evolve into their starting nine. Young Chris Tillman took the mound against Jeff Neimann in a battle of future aces for the two second tier American League East clubs.

I lasted until the 6th inning, having to leave early to beat traffic at the home front. However, I did stay long enough to snap a few pictures.

Hey Tom Foley – How goes it?

The Once and Future Shortstop?

Jim Palmer, the Hall of Fame PITCHER, discusses the finer parts of HITTING with Papa Joe Maddon and Dave Martinez.

"Cakes" still has it. Actually, I think he bounced this one in.

Evan Longoria awaits a pitch. He would rip the next one into the gap for a run scoring double.

Cla Merideth delivers one from the side.

Longo had a good day in the field as well, making a nice play on an attempted bunt by rookie (and recently demoted) outfielder Matt Angle.

BJ Upton dives back into the bag on an attempted pick off.

The Orioles were unsuccessful in their quest for victory. I, however, was successful in my quest to enjoy the weather and a little bit of baseball.

Blog Note

2010-03-20T17:39:00.002-05:00

You may have noticed that it's been almost two weeks since I posted. Or you may not have noticed. There is no real reason why, just pure and unabashed laziness on part of the proprietor of this blog.

I will have something up tomorrow (hopefully a mention of the Lightning defeating the hated Capitals). Then later in the week I will have a post that could affect the very way you LIVE YOUR LIFE!

It is Just Another Mailday Monday

2010-03-08T22:00:00.008-05:00

It’s Monday so it must be time to post some mail. Lot’s of yellow packages showed up last week so despite not having a job and crappy weather which played havoc with my allergies it was still a good week.

We start off with a couple of purchases.

Vincent Lecavalier Ice Medallion. It’s such a nice shade of blue, and it’s serial numbered. I’m a sucker for cards with stamped numbers on them.

Vincent Lecavalier OPC Blue Parallel. Again blue and serial numbered.

Carl Crawford Topps Co-Signer. It’s serial numbered, but not as blue. It is, however, quite shiny. So very shiny.

Now onto some trades

Cards on Cards was so good to remind me of those great days when Sammy Sosa donned the orange and white. Today the word “great” means horrible. Yes that is a fancy Joel Skinner 1990 Donruss. Thanks to CoC and Captain Canuck my long, national nightmare is over. I have completed the set. Team collectors live in fear, ‘cause I still have a bunch of doubles to send to you!

Condition Poor sent a ton of cards, due to laziness I’m only posting three. Two new Crawfords for the collection and a 1991 Fleer Ultra Leo Gomez. Leo was almost the selection for my new player collection. Back in my younger and much more athletic days I wore number 10 and sported glasses on the field for a few weeks before I got contacts. That happened to coincide with Leo’s brief run as the O’s third-baseman so my teammates dubbed me Leo.

Thanks for the cards guys. Thank you to Capt. Canuck over at Waxaholic as well. He sent over some Donruss and Upper Deck Hockey that I integrated into my sets before I could scan them.

No game used merchandise this week, but that’s ok. I added to my player collections, knocked off one set and almost knocked out two others.

I’m heading down to Sarasota tomorrow for some Rays vs. O’s action (weather permitting). Hopefully, I’ll have some photos posted in the next day or so.

A Glimmer of Playoff Hope in Tampa

2010-03-08T10:21:00.004-05:00

For at least one night there was a heart beat. For at least one night they looked like a playoff team. The five game losing streak was forgotten as was the five game streak of surrendering five or more goals. The embattled captain scored a goal and the emerging superstar scored two. The fans cheered and even broke into a spontaneous “DOWN-IE! DOWN-IE!” chant after the Lightning’s Little Ball of Fury decimated a Thrashers defensemen.

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I wrote off the Lightning’s playoff hopes before the Olympic break and their lackluster play over the last five games drove my points home. Yet I was surprised to look at the standings on Saturday night to see that they were only three points out of a playoff spot. Sure, half of the Eastern Conference was between them and that last treasured spot in the postseason dance, but there was a glimmer of hope.

New owner, Jeff Vinik, was on hand to see his team (and his team alone) live up to the new marketing slogan that was instituted over the past week. BRING IT BACK. The “it” referred to is the Stanley Cup although it’s never mentioned in the video ads. The ads in stead stress the passion that swept through the TBA for 3 months in 2004 when the Lightning went on their improbably triumphant Stanley Cup run.

The crowd was announced as a sellout and while it wasn’t necessarily an intelligent hockey crowd (prompting this writer to begin crafting his Lightning Fan Manifesto) it was at least boisterous. They were witness to one of the most inspired efforts put forth by the club in the last three seasons.

Despite surrendering the fist goal, the crowd was ignited by Marty St Louis’ wonderful effort on the first goal. Vincent Lecavalier, survivor of another trade deadline, scored for the second game in the row and showed glimpses of his former glory by muscling to the front of the net several times. Steven Stamkos (a.k.a. Spicolli) scored his patented power play goal on a one-timer from the circle.

Section 323 also had a delightful 10 minute span that saw Steve Downie’s hit, a Matt Walker fight, and one of the greatest drunken fan performances in the history of sports. As time was ticking away and I was talking with some fans behind me a sudden motion caught my eye. I spun around to see a woman in a Lightning jersey making her way down towards the exit aisle.

Rather then use the stairs like a normal person she decided to fall down the steps. By the time I saw the commotion she had already completed one full flip and was on her way to another full flip and crash into the rail that separated her from the concrete floor. She landed headfirst in an empty seat between two shocked couples.

As the stunned crowd watched, she stood up, fixed her beer-doused, stringy blond hair and then stared back at us before turning around and bolting through the entryway out of the section. If she had stayed longer I’m sure we would have given her a standing ovation because there is no way a human being should have survived her tumble from Row M to Row A.

Drunk Fans + Steep Stairs = Good times

Now back to the Lightning. If they can continue the play that they showed on Saturday night then I might have to rethink my prediction of them missing the playoffs. Their biggest problem this season has been inconsistency. Several times they’ve followed well played games with listless performances. At this point in the season they can’t afford to do that. But for at least one night the passion, the euphoria was back.

Another Player For the Collection

2010-03-05T23:18:00.003-05:00

Quick question. Who did Cal Ripken replace in the lineup before he embarked on his record setting consecutive games played streak? Give up? How about this question? Who did the Orioles trade to Saint Louis for the immortal (at least to O’s fans) Tito Landrum in 1983? The answer to both those questions is the same person. He’s also the focus of my new player collection.

If you are an O’s fan over the age of 30 you’ll remember Floyd Rayford. You probably don’t remember him for his on the field accomplishments (although he did hit 18 home runs in 1985), or his athletic build (he was generously listed at 5’10 and 190 lbs during his playing days), most likely you do remember his nickname – “Sugar Bear!”

Does this

have a resemblence to this?

Or was the nickname “Honey Bear”? There seems to be some discrepancy that is only partially cleared up by the man himself. In an interview with The Evening Sun’s Travis Lau, Rayford cops to the Sugar Bear nickname, but does acknowledge that for one year, 1979, he was known as Honey Bear. A reason for the change isn’t given, but has provided confusion amongst fans for years.

As a young fan in the Baltimore area I remember him as Sugar Bear, and as a good natured role player who’s less than athletic body proved you didn’t have to be in shape to be a professional athlete. Rayford’s career was closing as the dawn of the steroid era approached. While he didn’t possess the sculpted body fans expect of today’s athlete he did play hard and could field several positions.

During his 7 year major league career he played four different infield positions, logging most of his time, 237 games, at third base. He enjoyed catching more, saying that he was “too busy back there to be nervous…There’s no time to get butterflies when you’re catching”.

His willingness to play anywhere and his hard work endeared him to the blue collar fans of Baltimore. The mid-to-late ‘80’s were a time of decline for the O’s. He missed their last pennant winning season of 1983, the aforementioned trade for playoff hero Landrum sent Rayford to Saint Louis for a season, and would play for a franchise that hovered around .500 for the next few years.

His last game in the majors was on September 16th, 1987 (my 11th birthday!). In that game he would collect his 255th and final hit as he went 1-3 in a 7-0 loss to Jimmy Key and the Toronto Blue Jays. Rayford would play a few more seasons with Scranton Wilkes Barre before retiring in 1991.

Now 52 he is the hitting coach for the Rochester Red Wings, a team that he played for in parts of 7 different seasons while he was with the O’s.

Why did I decide to collect Sugar Bear? Well he was one of the first professional players that I got an autograph from. As a rather shy kid I didn’t collect many autographs during my childhood as I couldn’t muster up the courage to ask these idols of mine for their signature. I remember having a signed program from ’85 or ’86 that I wanted to scan for this post, but after searching in vain this afternoon I fear I’ve lost it.

Another reason I want to collect him, is well, it shouldn’t be overly difficult. As a role player in the late ‘80’s there weren’t too many different cards of him produced. According to the Card Collector program there was only about 36 different Rayford cards produced.

The most difficult ones to obtain will be the Tiffany versions of his Topps base cards, but since he is listed as a common, they shouldn’t be obscenely expensive. Currently, I only have one card in hand (1988 Topps base), and I’ve completed a Topps Million card trade for another. I swapped a 1993 Mark Gardner for a 1985 Rayford. I have three more trades pending for his other Topps base cards that I hope pay off within a week.

I’ve included his complete card roster in my “Wanted” section, so if you have some mid-80’s commons laying around give a quick look for Sugar Bear and I’ll send ya something nice in return.

Image is property of the Baltimore Sun

Deadline Preview

2010-02-28T21:25:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Team Canada. Though the U.S. had a better goaltender in both match-ups, the Canadians were the better team in both games. That being said, what a final game! Great saves, great goals, last second heroics and a game winner from someone who could have been the goat if the US would have won.

While the entire nation of Canada drinks itself into a Molson-fueled slumber I figure it’s to get back into NHL-mode, and that means trading deadline talk! The Bolts have three days (till 3:00pm Wednesday) to find the final pieces to solve the playoff race puzzle.

So what are the pieces that the Lightning need? Like everyone else fighting for a spot they would like a puck moving defenseman. They would also like a top six forward that jells on Vincent’s line. The Lightning do have a problem with acquiring either resource. And it’s not money.

Simply put Tampa Bay doesn’t have much in the cupboard when it comes to offering prospects. Outside of goaltending there isn’t much that they can offer a rebuilding organization when it comes to A+ prospects. Carter Ashton and Dana Tyrell are probably the two best offensive prospects and I wouldn’t consider them NHL-ready at this point.

Possible dance partners for the next couple of days could be Edmonton, Florida and Columbus. Toronto is looking to continue their overhaul, but the big name, Tomas Kaberle, is going to be pursued by a lot of teams that have a better chance of competing for the Stanley Cup, and have more to offer the Leafs. He also holds the keys to any deal by having a no trade clause and I doubt he would choose the Lightning as his best shot at winning a cup.

Carolina has been pegged as another team that should be busy over the next week, but do the Bolts have a use for an aging Ray Whitney? Although another go-round with Jussi Jokinen would be intriguing. Joni Pitkanen is currently a -14, but he also has 15 power play assists. Could the Bolts put a package together that would be enticing enough for the Hurricanes to deal within the division?

Before the madness begins, lets check out a couple of factors with the Lightning.

Who is untouchable? If a GM calls about Steven Stamkos or Victor Hedman then Brian Lawton should hang up the phone. If teams call about any other name on the roster he should at least listen to what they have to say.

Who would they like to move? Without a doubt they are listening to any and all offers on Andrej Meszaros. Draft picks, fringe prospects, bags of pucks, extra hamburgers, cases of beer – anything should be on the table. He hasn’t lived up to his contract and it would probably be best for him to move on.

Who do other teams want the most? You think Vincent would be high on this list, but the successful teams won’t want to handicap themselves with his contract. I vote Marty St Louis as the number one player on the board. He’s a proven scorer who seems to integrate himself on any line and he’s affordable (one more year at $4 million, $5.25 cap hit).

What are the odds that the Lightning pull of a major deal? I would say 1-in-10. I don’t see the factors aligning right now for them to put together a blockbuster deal. They will be more active in the off-season.

Topps Million Car......NOOO It's Infected The Wasteland, Too!!!

2010-02-26T15:08:00.007-05:00

I haven't posted about the Million Card Giveaway yet, but since it's a requirement for every card blog in the Blogalaxy to post at about it at least once I figure I'll detail my first Topps virtual trade.

The first two cards I unlocked weren't too exciting, a 1987 Tom Seaver and a 1993 Mark Gardner, but my next code unlocked a little retro action. A 1975 Jose Cardenal resplendent in 70's colors and afro-haired greatness.

I no longer own that card because I turned this:

into this:

A 1962 Tom Morgan.

I'm not a huge Tom Morgan fan. I did not know that he played for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, and Los Angeles Angels. Nor did I know his nickname was "Plowboy". What I do know is that when I finally redeem this card it will be the third oldest in my collection and for me that was reason enough to pick it up.

Now if only someone will trade me a 1983 Floyd Rayford for the 1987 Tom Seaver!

Oh and by the way - U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! One-two-three-four - IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!

Trade Bait!!!!! Topps 2009 Series II

2010-02-25T13:17:00.008-05:00

Who wants cards that they don't have already? Anyone? Anyone? Is this thing on?

So a couple of weeks ago my local card shop had a good deal on a 2009 Series II Jumbo Box. I'm a sucker for discounted boxes so I picked it up. It definately wasn't a hot box, but I was able to sell a couple of cards to offset a bit of the cost (ebay is your friend!).

Anyway, enough rambling. Take a gander at the cards below and let me know if you want any. Email me or leave a comment.

The cards are (from the top going left to right)

Fred Lewis Career Best Auto
~~Octavio Dotel Career Best Jersey~~
~~Derek Jeter Team USA World Baseball Classic~~
~~Jorge De La Rosa Black Border #'d 20/58~~
~~Derek Jeter Turkey Red~~
~~Derek Jeter Gold Border #'d 644 / 2009~~

Lots of Jeter'y goodness!

Carl Crawford is on the Wantlist

2010-02-24T10:46:00.001-05:00

So for some reason, perhaps it was the euphoria brought on by a nice helping of waffles, I’ve decided to collect the whole Carl Crawford spectrum from the 2008 Allen & Ginter set. Thanks to some generous traders I’ve already knocked out the relics, but still need most of the other parallels. So if you have them collecting dust in your collection and Carl Crawford Cards or The TROLL (those prolific trading bast*rds!) haven’t gotten their meat hooks into yet then shoot me an email!

Here’s what I still need:

Carl Crawford – Autograph
Carl Crawford – Red Ink Autograph
Carl Crawford – Dick Perez Sketch
~~Carl Crawford – Mini~~
Carl Crawford – Mini A&G Back
Carl Crawford – Mini Bazooka
Carl Crawford – Mini Black Border
Carl Crawford – Mini Framed Cloth
Carl Crawford – Mini No Number
Carl Crawford – Mini Wood

What You (may have) Saw Last Night Was No Miracle

2010-02-22T19:21:00.002-05:00

Why is there a need to make something better then it actually is? By comparing a nice upset to a truly unbelievable upset doesn’t it diminish the original accomplishment? If you haven’t guess by now I’m referring to the U.S victory over Canada in hockey on Sunday night.

It was undoubtedly an upset that few saw coming. Most of the pre-Olympic prognosticators were assured that it would be a Russia vs. Canada battle for the gold medal while the U.S. would be lucky to finish in fourth or fifth place.

Hopefully by now I’m sure you’ve seen the results, even if you didn’t see the game. According to the numbers about 8.2 million people were able to find the game on MSNBC which was almost a record night for the news network. If you’re complaining about not being able to see the game you’re about two weeks behind the rest of the country.

The Olympic television schedule has been in place since before the torch was lit so it shouldn’t have surprised anyone who was paying attention. Now you can argue that NBC should have broadcast it on the parent network instead of ice dancing, but that’s an argument for a different time.

Let’s focus on this so called Miracle On Ice II. First off, stop calling it that. Every single player on the U.S. squad last night is in the National Hockey League. These are not unknown, untested college kids. They may be young, but they are all seasoned (and rich!) professionals.

The team that skated for the United States in 1980 had no business beating the Russians. If they play that game 10 times there is an excellent chance that the Soviets win 9 times. There’s an even better chance that they blow the Americans out of the arena (remember the pre-tournament 10-3 drubbing just a few weeks before the tournament?)

Not only is the current American team not as much of an underdog as it’s miraculous counterpart, the Canadians aren’t the dominant team that the Soviets were. In the four Olympics prior to 1980 the Soviets were 27-1-1 and had outscored their opponents 175-44. Contrast that to a Canadian team that struggled to beat a weak Swiss team. They are not even the defending Gold Medal team, that honor belongs to Sweden.

Perhaps we should refer to it as the “Reasonably Unexpected Upset on Ice”. Time seems to have diminished the luster of the 1980 team’s victory. With the emergence of true professionals playing for their respective countries (as opposed to the Soviets pseudo-amateurs of the 70’s and 80’s) no team is as much of an underdog as the US was. The only comparison I could think of that would be equivalent in today’s sports world would be if Saint Leo’s men’s soccer team beat the Brazilian national team

There is one way the win for the Americans is similar to the Miracle on Ice team victory. There is a lot of hoopla around a game that hasn’t produced the desired end result – a gold medal. Herb Brooks, coach of that upstart 1980 team, was quoted as saying, “If you don’t win this game you’ll take it to your f*&king grave,” in regards to the post-Russian victory game against Norway.

In much the same vain, if the U.S. flames out in the medal round this win will in the end mean almost nothing. The rest of the way will not be a cake walk. Russia, Sweden, Finland and a possible rematch with the Canadians all loom in the not too distant future.

It will be interesting to see if this team will go from upstart underdog to disappointing failure if they lose in the quarterfinals or medal rounds. The American public is fickle at best and downright cruel at its worst. A gold medal win for the U.S. could be a major boon to the NHL, especially for teams that are fighting for a playoff spot.

So let’s just bask in the win for now. There’s no need to compare it to the past, nor is there a need to set this team up for a future failure.

The Veracity of Sports Related Entertainment

2010-02-17T14:36:00.006-05:00

A new feature! From time to time The Wasteland will delve into songs, movies, books that deal with sports related events to see how truthful they remain to the actual story.

We start with Todd Snider’s song – “America’s Favorite Pastime”. Snider retells the story of Dock Ellis and his infamous 1970 no-hitter. One of the fabled events in the history of baseball (though not included in Topps’ “Tales of the Game insert” set) Ellis claimed that he was on LSD when he shut down the Padres on June, 12 1970.

If you’re not familiar with Todd Snider he’s an alternative rock, folk, country singer with a Dylan-esque vibe and a mixture of song/spoken word lyrics that often border on the whimsical, “if we don’t laugh we might cry” kind of way.

Let’s take a look at the lyrics and compare them to what factual information we can find on the internet to see how truthful Snider remained to the story.

America’s Favorite Pastime by Todd Snider

dock ellis didn't think he would pitch that day
back in 1970
when he and his wife took a trip to the ballpark
a little bit differently
so by the time he hit the bullpen
half the world had melted away
that's about the time coach murtaugh said
hey dock you’re pitching today

Truth: Dock Ellis had been in LA to visit his girlfriend (not wife) and his childhood friend Al Rambo. Due to a copious amount of alcohol and stimulants Ellis lost track of time and thinking it was Thursday, the day before he was scheduled to pitch, he took a hit of Purple Haze acid around noon.

His girlfriend Mitzi was perusing the paper and realized that the game announcement had Ellis listed as the starting pitcher. It was then that the right-hander realized it was Friday and was indeed scheduled to start.

Hopped up amphetamines and Benzedrine he took to the mound with the ball feeling like a “very heavy volleyball”. Coach Murtaugh was in fact the manager of the easy going Pirates. Danny Murtaugh worked for the Pirates for 29 years as a player and manager.

taking the ground the mound turned into
the icing on a birthday cake
the lead off man came up and turned into
a dancing rattle snake
the crowd tracked back and forth
in waves of color under the sun
the ball turned into a silver bullet
his arm into a gun

Truth: There’s no reports of the batters turning into bizarre creatures or birthday cake pitching mounds. Ellis himself has stated that there were times when he didn’t even see the batters in the box, he just knew if they were right handed or left handed. He describes his feelings as “euphoric” and mentions that the ball appeared to change sizes throughout the game.

(Chorus) i took a look all around the world one time
finally discovered
you cant judge a book

three up three down for three straight innings
in a zero zero tie
as all those batters names came ringing
from some voice out of the sky
hallucinating halloween scenes
each new swing of the bat
his sinker looked like it was falling off a table
but nobody was hallucinating that

Truth: Thee up, three down usually means in order and it looks like that’s not quite the case. In the first Ellis walked two, retired the side in order in the second and walked one in the third. The Pirates actually led the game 1-0 after three innings thanks to a Willie Stargell home run in the second inning.

Ellis spoke of the names being announced sounding like the “voice of God”.

(Chorus)

by the top of the fifth he was up one to nothing
and giving the padres fits
by the top of the seventh he was up two to nothing
and they still hadn’t got any hits
with one out left to go in the game
the batter looked like a little child
the birthday caking was shaking
and those waves of color were going wild

Truth: Snider nails the scores. In addition to Stargell’s home run in the second he added another one in the top of the seventh. Overshadowed by the no hitter was the fact that Padres starter Dave Roberts had a pretty decent game himself. He scattered 5 hits over 7 innings and ending up with fewer baserunners allowed than Ellis, who walked 8 and hit a batter.

when he finally mowed the last man down
he was high as he had ever been
laughing to the sound of the world going around
completely unaware of the win
and while the papers would say he was scattered that day
he was pretty as a pitcher could be
the day dock ellis of the Pittsburgh pirates
threw a no hitter on lsd

Truth: Ellis did indeed strike out pinch hitter Ed Spiezio to end the game and secure the no hitter. While he might not have been 100% sure that he had won the game, he did know that he had thrown a no hitter. Rookie Dave Cash broke superstition by constantly reminding Ellis that he had a “no-no” going. According to a 2005 interview with the Dallas Observer Ellis remembers getting the last out and saying, “a f—king no hitter”!

(chorus)

So Snider stays pretty close to the truth in his song. The imagery might be gleaned from the songwriter’s own drug experience, but probably comes close to what Ellis experienced on the mound.

Dock Ellis is remembered as the guy who throw a no hitter on LSD, but it should’t be forgotten that he was a good pitcher for the Pirates in the 1970’s. As intimidating as Bob Gibson, as outspoken as Ali, Dock Ellis is the type of athlete that is disappearing from sports these days.

Take a look at his record:

1. No Hitter on LSD
2. Beaned Reggie Jackson in the face in retaliation for Jackson “showing him up” in the 1971 All Star game.
3. Beaned Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and Dan Driessen in a row, threw two pitches behind Tony Perez before walking him, then threw a pitch behind Johnny Bench before being yanked from the game by his coach.
4. Was maced by a security guard in Cincinnati

Imagine the faux-outrage from the talking heads on TV if a player pulled those antics in this day in age? Of course, I would probably pay James Shields $75.00 to hit Kevin Youklis in the face with the first pitch of the season, but Shields would probably be suspended for six weeks and people would be calling for him to be banned from the game.

Kudos to Snider for memorializing Dock Ellis in song and being fairly accurate in doing so.

Spring Training Means Predictions! With a Special Guest!

2010-02-16T10:45:00.004-05:00

The sound of baseballs snapping into leather mitts has replaced the puck pinging off of crossbars in the Tampa Bay Area. Therefore, let us take a little vacation from the hockey posts and welcome in some baseball related information. Spring training officially starts this week and a lot of the players have already trickled into their respective camps.

So to honor the opening of a new season lets start off with our very first preseason prognostication post. This one is compliments of an old friend – Work Mike. Since I no longer work with him, and since he has a perchance for making predictions he will now be known as Stone Cold Lock Mike (or SCL Mike if I’m feeling lazy).

He emailed me a couple of predictions for the upcoming year and gave me permission to share them (his quote “the stone cold lock should be shared with all”). He does reserve the right to change his mind after the first week of the season.

Here we go:

1. Rays win 96 games this year and take the East
2. Yankees surprisingly win 86-92 games.
3. Red sox win only 85-90 games, and have 3+ starting pitchers go down.
4. Blue Jays go 10 under .500.
5. Your Orioles get off to a hot start, and sustain it for a win total of 85 games. This throws the whole east out of wack and leads to the Mariners and Angels making the playoffs out of the west. Yankees and Red Sox call for a balanced schedule until further notice.

AL rookie of the year will be the one and only Michael Taylor of the Oakland A's. .286 21hr 87rbi, and a whole lotta fist bumps with lock ins!!!

He also threw in some Rays-specific predictions:

1. CC will hit .290 and get his 20/20 club membership after all these years.

2. Mr. Upton will earn his $3 Mil with a .310 25hr year, also note that he has replaced his shoulder injury with a rather large chip.

.

So there you are – The Stone Cold Lock Mike’s predictions of the year. I can’t argue with most of them, I like that he gives a shout-out to Tampa Wasteland Hall of Famer Michael Taylor.

He is also available for predictions for the other divisions upon request. How do you think he did?

Ugghhh Radio in Tampa Bay

2010-02-15T16:09:00.005-05:00

So I'm working on another post right now while listening to local sports talk radio. The "Big Dog" is talking hockey, which is painful to begin with. .
Not only is he stumbling through his opinions (Vinny isn't playing hard enough, Tanguay is a bum, Brad Richards should be on Team Canada), now he's spewing false information.

Lord knows I'm no fan of Andrej Meszaros, but if you're going to talk about trade rumors at least get them right
The Lightning are not looking for Patrick Kane in a trade for Meszaros. The name brought up (by TSN's Darren Dreger, not the Lightning) was Patrick SHARP.

Good lord at least get your facts straight Mr. Duemig.

Not Much Going On Today

2010-02-11T13:58:00.003-05:00

Kind of a slow day in the TBA. Nothing much percolating out their in rumor-ville except for a Andrej Meszaros to Chicago deal that popped up on a Darren Dreger TSN chat a few days ago.

I'd be sad if he's traded this soon simply because he's become the new fall guy for the Lightning's woes (when they have woes again, that is).

So I'll leave you with this photo of Mike Smith's new mask, compliments of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Arrrggggghhhhhhh!

Things That Don't Make Florida Look Good

2010-02-10T19:32:00.003-05:00

So I have a Wednesday night Softball league. It's not very competitive, after all when has anything in a "D" League been competitive? It's fun and it gives me a chance to see some of the guys from the No Limits Fun Factory.

Tonight's game was cancelled. Why you ask? Well the other team thought it was too cold. Granted 45 degrees isn't the best weather to play softball in, but when half of the northeast is digging itself out from under 2 feet of snow, then 45 degrees is a day at the beach.

Floridians - this is why the rest of America makes fun of you.

The Doldrums of the Winter Deserve Some Laughter

2010-02-09T09:24:00.004-05:00

So I submit to you the works of "The Garfoose". If you haven't found this on your own yet, I highly recommend you browsing around his website and following his twitter.

Dirk Hayhurst may not have won a game in the major leagues yet (career record 0-2), but he does have quite the devoted following due to his writing and his wit. Only a reliever could adequately explain the origins of baseballs and what they have to do with legendary half-giraffe, half-moose creatures.

His book, The Bullpen Gospels, is due out next month. If it's anything like his other writing it should be immensely enjoyable.

Follow his Twitter for updates on his recent surgery (performed by Dr. Claw) to remove ninjas from his damaged arm.

His website has details and drawing of the legendary Garfoose. Enjoy the whimsy.

Mailbag Monday!

2010-02-08T15:02:00.004-05:00

So it’s that time of year, the Super Bowl confetti has been swept up, Drew Brees is going to DisneyLand and the northeast is digging itself out from underneath another snowstorm. College basketball is slumming through its regular season, weeks away from the madness of the tournament. Baseball, and the hope that comes with spring training, is close, but not close enough. So what are sports fans supposed to do?

Well, for me I can write a column about the cards I managed to acquire over the weekend. In addition to breaking my collecting vows of 2010 and purchasing a box of 2009 Topps series II along with some random 2010 packs, I did get some stuff in the mail over the last week. So here’s another edition of Mailbox Mondays

The Ebay Winnings:

Not one, but two Carl Crawford bat cards. A 2008 Allen & Ginter Bat Relic along with a 2009 Topps 206 Bat Relic both arrived this week. I wonder if they were from the same bat? Between the two I think I like the 206 is a little better, something about the blue border makes it stand out.

The Lightning Game:

Saturday night was free Upper Deck card night at the Forum. So I picked up the six card pack and spent $4.00 on a pack of OPC so that I could get the “exclusive” seventh card. The cards are basically the same as their Upper Deck base counterparts with a different numbering system. “TB-1, TB-2, etc) replaced the normal numbering.

When Ben Lovejoy is the highlight of the pack you know there was nothing special in the OPC pack.

Trade with The Real DFG

In exchange for some extra OPC cards I had laying around the Dog Face Gremlin put together a care pack of Lightning cards and some needs from my want list. He did well. A Vincent rookie card that I didn’t have and a Sean Burke Game Jersey card. This is only my second Lightning relic card and while Burke might not have had the most illustrious career with the Bolts it’s always cool to get a jersey card.

Thanks for the trade!

If I Was in Vegas...Super Bowl!

2010-02-07T13:16:00.005-05:00

I figure I'll finish off this exercise in short term investing. I didn't due to well with my picks, but I figure I can make it all back by betting largo on the big game.

If I truly was in Vegas I would have gotten this bet in as early as I could, because it started off Indy giving 3 points. The line got up to about 6 1/2 before settling at 5 as of this morning.

That doesn't matter to me. I still like the Colts. I know the Saints are the feel-good story of season (It's the feel good hit of this endless summer/It gets these kids out of control/ Singin' along to that star spangled bummer/Hail,hail rock and roll
)
Where was I? Oh year, the colts winning the big game. Peyton Manning is on a mission and he's not going to let 25th ranked pass defense stop him. The attack plan isn't going to change - Short slants and screens to set up the long bombs down the middle.

New Orleans has the fire power to keep up, but in the end nothing is stopping Manning from picking his second Super Bowl ring.

My Pick:

INDIANAPOLIS (-5) over New Orleans

Updated 10.00pm - Holy Sh*t do I suck at picking winners....

Holy Crap a Baseball Related Post!

2010-02-05T16:52:00.004-05:00

Hey Rays fans, spring training is right around the corner. Good news on this rainy Friday, eh? Also making the good news department - it looks like the Rays will finally be represented by McFarlane sports. An Evan Longoria figure will be included in the next release. Click here for preview photos.

They are sceduled for a May 2010 release.

He Speaks!

2010-02-05T13:45:00.002-05:00

Paul Kennedy talks to new owner Jeff Vinik.

See it here!

Some highlights:

He grew up a Rangers fan, but has watched nothing but Lightning games over the base "2 or 3 months".

He wants to win "on and off the ice".

He thinks it's an exciting opportunity.

Five Good Reasons

2010-02-05T12:08:00.002-05:00

Well Tampa Fan, I’m sure you made a nice impression for the prospective new owner. At least the 9,000 or so fans that were actually at the game. I checked the box score for the Lightning game last night and it was reported at 13,891. Reported attendances live in the same realm as unicorns and intelligent Flyers fans. In other words, they have no basis in reality.

I hadn’t planned on attending last night’s game, but I did end up in that part of town around game time. So I pulled into my normal parking spot ($5.00) and quickly found a scalp….err independent ticket provider. He asked for $20.00 for a 300-level ticket (face value $27.50). I laughed. Embarrassed, he lowered the price to $10.00.

With my first successful ticket haggling in awhile (my friend Link has banned me from negotiating for tickets in his presence because I was so bad at it) I followed the meager crowd into the Ice Palace. Walking in I was greeted with…..a half empty building. Way to support that playoff team Tampa Bay!

The Bolts pulled out the victory in front of an uninspired crowd that, according to the Tampa Tribune, included Jeffrey Vinik, the soon-to-be latest ringmaster of the Lightning circus. I could spend the rest of this post coming up with reasons why he should be worried that he’s throwing $150 million down the drain, but that would be negative. I’m trying to reduce the negative and increase the positive here at the Wasteland so I decided that I should give Mr. Vinik Five Good Reasons To Be The Lightning Owner.

1. Steven Stamkos from the left circle – It’s getting ridicules at this point. On the power play, Young Stamkos drifts into the left circle while Marty St Louis cradles the puck along the opposite half-wall. The diminutive St Louis passes the puck to The Glass Crusher Kurtis Foster who decides to either crank up the 101 mph shot that instills fear into defenders and Plexiglas providers or pass the puck to the waiting Stamkos.

If he elects to pass it to Stamkos the sophomore sensation pulls his stick back and fires off a one-timer, short side, and the puck hits the back of the net in the blink of an eye. Everyone celebrates and the arena plays “Hammer Time”. Much rejoicing is had by all. Watch the third goal he scores in this montage for video evidence. And you're welcome for the Dave Mishken call of the goals....in other words turn down the speakers if you're at work

The Stamkos one-timer is a think of beauty for many, many reasons, the most impressive is its accuracy. A lot of forwards have a hard shot, but few put it on net as consistently as Stamkos. Watch it Lightning fans, appreciate it, don’t take it for granted.

2. Vincent Lecavalier’s toe drag attempts – Along with his no-movement clause I believe Vincent also has a “toe drag” clause. Every game he attempts to fake out a defender by drawing the puck from his forehand, between his legs, and to his forehand. It rarely works, but when it does it’s spectacular.

The fact that he continues to try it every game is what makes him so enjoyable to watch. Unlike the others on the ice he has a spark of creativity to his game that garners your attention whenever he has the puck in open ice. If it fails, fans grumble and call him names, but when it works it produces “did you see that?” type of reactions.

3. Steve Downie’s “grittiness” – The trade that brought Downie to the Lightning (Matt Carle to the Flyers for Steve Eminger and Steve Downie) was panned at the time. The Bolts were perceived to be giving up a promising young defender for a journeyman defender (Eminger) and a head case (Downie). While Carle has flourished playing alongside Chris Pronger in Philidelphia it is Downie that has emerged as a surprise.

He has controlled his temper for the most part this season and has used that energy to become a ferocious forechecker and a dangerous linemate for Stamkos and St Louis. Several times during the Lightning’s recent improved play Coach Tocchet has singled Downie out as being the best player on the ice.

I like calling him Steve Avery with skill or a young Darcy Tucker. He has the ability to put up 20 goals in this league and temperament to draw countless penalties from the other team. Against Anaheim he created at least three turnovers in the offensive zones. When he and St Louis are on their game they give the opposing team fits getting the puck out of their zone.

4. Zenon Konopka’s goofiness – It’s been awhile since the Lightning have had a folk hero on the ice. Andre Roy was close, but he spent too much time in Tortorella’s doghouse to be truly appreciated. I would think Konopka is approaching Enrico Ciccone status in the TBA (“Chico’s on the ice, Chico will take care of you”).

Zeke is never going to score 20 goals in a season. What he is going to do is win 60% of the face-offs and make sure no one takes liberties with Stamkos or St Louis. With 185 penalty minutes and 25 games to go he’s well on his way to shattering the Lightning’s penalty minutes in a season record which currently is held by Ciccone with 258.

Tampa fans are an interesting and oft-maligned bunch. They appreciate a solid hit into the boards more than a between-the-legs goal, which probably explains the love/hate with Lecavalier. Nothing gets the Nascar-lovin’, Bubba-supportin’ crowd going more than a round of fist-a-cuffs and Zenon is more than happy to oblige.

5. You’re only paying $150 million! – The latest reports from Canada have the purchase price at $150 million for the team, the Ice Palace, and the 5 and ½ acres of waterfront property around the arena. That’s crazy even in today’s depressed economy.
For comparison, the Davidson Group bought the Lightning from Art Williams for $98 million in 1999. OK Hockey bought the team from the Davidson Group in 2008 for $200 million. The Dallas Stars are next on the shopping block and the estimates are that bidding will START at $300 million. Vinik is getting a great price on a franchise that is struggling right now.

Tampa loves a front-runner so if the Bolts stay in the playoff race the fans will come out. A couple of home sell-outs at the end of the season, and a couple of home play off games will make the bottom line a lot more attractive.

I don’t see him as a long term owner, but if he can provide stability for five years or so isn’t that all a fan can ask for these days?

There’s a lot to love in Tampa besides the weather in winter. If the team keeps winning the fans will come out, because there is nothing this town likes better than a front-runner. So don’t worry when you see those empty seats Mr. Vinik, keep the team stable and they will soon be filled with money-dropping fans. After all, those bandwagon fans have to buy their new jerseys from somewhere, right?

The One Where the Wasteland Trades Everyone Part II

2010-02-03T13:18:00.004-05:00

So after I finished working hard on this gimmick I watched the Lightning defeat the Thrashers 2-1 behind some strong goaltending from Antero Nittymaki. If the season was to end today the Bolts would have locked up the 8th spot in the playoffs (at least according to ESPN's standings page).

After the game The Hockey News (the guys who broke the ownership sale) reported that the potential new owner, Jeff Vinik, is leaning towards keeping Vincent Lecavalier because he doesn't want to alienate the fanbase.

So that makes this pretty much an exercise in futility, yet I will continue on. Why? Well because this entire blog is a fruitless, or at least profitless, venture. Also, I wrote the damn thing already so I'm going to post it.

Here we go..

Forwards:

Brandon Bochenski – Sent down to Norfolk. I just don’t think he’s got what it takes to stay in the NHL. He’s a free agent after the season, and the Admirals will need players after the call ups to fill roster spots!

Steve Downie – To Toronto with Steven Stamkos. For Nazem Kadri, Jeff Finger and a 2nd round pick. This is a big trade for both teams. Toronto continues it’s rebuilding project with native son Stamkos and add toughness and scoring in Downie. They also clear cap room by unloading Finger’s contract. Kadri gives hope to the Lightning without the pressure of having to perform in his hometown.

Todd Fedoruk – Released. I honestly couldn't’t figure out a trade partner for him. The Bolts would have to eat the rest of his contract, but it would be worth it to clear space on the roster for the young ones.

Jeff Halpern – To Washington. For a 4th round draft pick. The Caps pick up some depth for their playoff run and Halpern returns to his first team with hopes of winning a cup.

Zenon Konopka – To San Jose with a 3rd round pick. For Jamie McGinn. The Sharks pick up some toughness and a solid face off man in return for an up-and-coming forward.

Vincent Lecavalier – To Los Angeles with a 2011 2nd round pick. For Jack Johnson, Wayne Simmonds and Colten Teubert. Los Angeles makes the most sense for Lecavalier based on cap room and available prospects. If the Kings do give up a prospect I don’t think they’re giving up draft picks as well. Taking a $10 million salary ($7.7 cap hit) is tough on a team and they are not going to mortgage the franchise to do it.

Ryan Malone – To Montreal. For Ryan O’Byrne. Montreal picks up a large body for the front of the net and the Lightning get another young defensemen.

Martin St Louis - To Pittsburgh with Nate Thompson and Matt Walker. For Jordan Staal, Chris Kunitz, and Ben Lovejoy. This is the big blockbuster that trades away the heart of the Lightning. St Louis gives the Penguins that extra forward to partner with Crosby or Malkin. Jordan Staal comes to the Lightning as the most recognizable name of the new franchise.

Steven Stamkos – To Toronto with Steve Downie. For Nazem Kadri, Jeff Finger and a 2nd round pick. Stamkos has become a legitimate scorer in the NHL and Toronto would love to have him as their new center piece. Giving up Kadri would be tough, but you have to give up something to get something.

Alex Tanguay – To Calgary. For a 3rd round pick. Calgary has already reshaped their roster and adding another scorer could help them out. The Bolts stockpile another pick.

Nate Thompson - To Pittsburgh with St Louis and Walker. For Staal, Kunitz and Ben Lovejoy. Thompson becomes the defensive center/penalty killer in Pittsburgh while Walker adds good ol’ playoff grit to the blueline. Kunitz comes over to clear cap room and give the Bolts a hope of scoring a goal while Lovejoy is another young, expendable defenseman.

Stephane Veilleux – Placed on waivers. Some team can pick him up as far as the Lightning are concerned since he is an unrestricted free agent next year.

So there ya go. An entirely new roster filled with young prospects, third line talent and minimal talent. So in the words of the Real Dog Faced Gremlin - "pretty much a wash".

Sooooo.

2010-02-02T22:27:00.003-05:00

The Lightning haven't been sold because Vinik wants to negotiate a lower price in order to keep Lecavalier around. At least that's according to the latest from The Hockey News.

Either Vinik is a shrewd negotiator or Campbell is backtracking on a week of "Vinny has to be traded for the sale to go through stories".

I'm sure there will be more to follow....

The One Where the Wasteland Trades Everybody - Part I

2010-02-02T11:23:00.003-05:00

Since the “Trade Vinny” rumors are running rampant as of late I figured I’d take it to the next level (one more than 10. eleven.) Let’s trade everybody on the roster! Time to blow this puppy up! Scorched earth, baby! Why use a scalpel to trim payroll when you can use a chainsaw?

So after meticulous research (more than 30 minutes!) I’ve come up with trading partners for every current member of the Lightning roster. I took the salary cap into consideration and tried to make sure that the Bolts were left with an actual roster. In other words I didn’t trade everyone for draft picks.

This isn’t serious, so please refrain from the outraged posts. Think of this as of an emotional cleansing. If I trade everybody in my mind, I can’t be surprised if they are traded in real life.

Part I will be the defense and goaltending.
Part IIwill be the forwards.

Defensemen:

Kurtis Foster – To: Buffalo For: a third round pick and Matt Ellis. Buffalo picks up a big blast from the point for their power play (and a sometimes winger). Tampa gets a draft pick and someone who’s a free agent at the end of the season.

David Hale – To New Jersey. For a 3rd round pick. Hale goes back to the team that drafted him and the Bolts stock another pick.

Victor Hedman – To Vancouver for Mason Raymond and a 2nd round pick. The Canucks lock up a fellow Swede to go with the Sedin twins and Tampa picks up a young (cheap) forward.

Mike Lundin – To Nashville. For Cal O’Reilly and a 4th round pick (package with Mike Smith). Nashville gets a young defenseman and the Bolts shed some more payroll.

Andrej Meszaros – To TJ’s Sports Bar of the New Hampshire Center Ice Adult Hockey League. For: a case of Guinness and platter of wings.

Mattias Ohlund – To Colorado. For Chris Stewart and an unknown prospect. This was a tough one. Finding a team with room for his contract wasn’t easy. Colorado has two veteran unrestricted free agents after the end of the season – Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei. Ohlund would fit in contract wise and provide a veteran presence on the blueline.

Matt Smaby – To Montreal. For a conditional draft pick. He gives the Habs some grittiness on their blue line and they don’t have to surrender too much.

Matt Walker – Part of blockbuster deal that will be announced with the forwards. See that’s foreshadowing- it makes you want to come back for part two!

Goalies

Antero Nittymaki – To: Philadelphia. For: Brian Boucher. Philly gets a goaltender for their playoff run and shed some cap space for next season. Tampa gets a middle of the road goalie to back up Torkarski next season.

Mike Smith – To: Nashville. For: Cal O’Reilly and a 4th Round pick (package deal with Mike Lundin). The Preds now have a goalie for next year in case Dan Ellis bolts in free agency. The Lightning stock up another pick and perhaps a steal in O’Reilly since Nashville is a little center-heavy at this time.

Mail Day Warning! Cards from Canada!

2010-02-01T14:32:00.006-05:00

Today has been a bit gloomy in the TBA what with the weather and the latest ownership debacle surrounding the Hockey club de Tampa Bay. So it was quite nice to see a package in the mail that I knew contained cards. Even better it had a post mark from up north, waaaaay up north.

The Captain has come through with my favorite cards of the year so far. Not because they have patches of shirts or slivers of wood, but because they are all but inaccessible for hockey fans in the south.

We may have sunshine (most of the time) and beaches (look out for the sharks!), but one thing we don’t have – hockey cards at McDonalds! I love McDonalds, I love the convenience, the price, and the French Fries. I love the sheer Americaness of it as well. For $5.00 one can walk in there and get a meal loaded with more calories then the rest of the world sees in a day.

Too much is never enough for this country and that is never better reflected than in McDonalds.

What was I talking about? Oh yeah, cards from Captain. You see, up there in Canada Upper Deck and McDonalds team together to sell a set of cards. I don’t think they’re worth a lot of money – most of the cards I’ve looked at on eBay seem to go for about $.99, but good lord are they shiny.

I had mentioned a few months ago that we don’t have the pleasure of acquiring the cards first hand down here in Florida, despite being a town with a major league hockey team so Captain Canuck gracefully declared that he would send some Vinny’s down when they were available.

True to his word – they showed up this week. He even threw in some older versions as well.

The 2009-10 version. This is least Vinny-looking card I’ve ever seen. He has a bit of a distinctive visage and for some reason I don’t see it here. Is Upper Deck selling a card with an imposter on it? Probably not….

The 2006-07 version. He is called an “emerging superstar” by Upper Deck. Or if you prefer the French a “supervedette en devenir”. The information on the back of the card is in French and English, so us poor mono-lingual Americans can actually learn something!

The 2005-06 version. The back mentions his 16 points in 23 playoff games during the Stanley Cup run. Man, those were fond memories.

As anyone who has traded with the captain knows, it’s not a trade unless there is a pack of unopened cards included. My pack this time – 1991-92 Score. Purple borders! The best card out of the bunch:

Patrick Roy Dream Team. Look at that smug look on his face, you would think he was good or something!

Thanks to the Captain and much condolences to Calgary’s loss….not Phaneuf, but
Cuthbert of course!

Vinik's Vetting Vexes Vinny Votary*

2010-01-29T13:46:00.004-05:00

As I dragged myself out of bed this morning to settle down for a morning reading of the paper along with my tea and oatmeal I was happy to see that the Lightning had a front page, above-the-fold headline on the sports page. Unfortunately it wasn’t about their solid play of late, it was about the latest ownership drama. Immediate reaction across the internet has been doom and gloom (as usual).

For those not familiar with the ownership drama that Lightning fans have been subjected to over the past two seasons, the two main owners – Oren Koules and Len Barrie – don’t like each other and have been scrambling to pay the bills since they’ve bought the team from the Davidson Group. About a week ago it came out that they had to borrow on their TV deal to make payroll last year and had to have a portion of their league revenue sharing forwarded in January to make payroll this season. Good times!

Now it appears that head honcho of the NHL – Gary Bettman is looking to bring someone else into the picture. Jeff Vinik, the main man behind Vinik Asset Management and a minority owner of the Red Sox, has “vetted” the Lightning and according to the Hockey News is “a front-runner to buy the team and is serious in his offer”.

As a hedge fund manager Vinik is known in the financial circles as an aggressive investor who finds high-risk, high-reward projects. In their current financial state the Lightning definitely qualify as high-risk. As for the high-reward portion of the equation that depends on a lot of factors, not the least would be the NHL securing a new television deal and working out a new CBA.

With his ties to the Northeast the “Tampa-to-Hartford” conspiracies should run rampant should he buy the team. Is it possible? Sure, but it’s also possible that the Tampa-to-Orlando high speed rail project makes money. Possible doesn’t mean likely. Bettman wants to keep the NHL in Florida and Tampa has a better fan base than Miami.

With a new name popping up in the latest round of ownership talk the usual rumors about slashing payroll and trading players has begun anew. At the forefront of that talk is the captain and holder of the $10 million salary – Vincent Lecavalier. The “fans” are clamoring at their keyboards to reignite the Vinny to anywhere but here rumors.

The Wizard from Ile Bizard can’t win. If he struggles on the ice then he’s “lazy”, “Le-casual”, or “uninterested”. If he’s hot (like he has been since the start of the second half) then he’s playing well so that other teams will be interested in him or selfishly piling up his stats.

His repeated comments about wanting to stay, management’s repeated statements about him not being on the market are ignored. The anonymous commenters on-line, with their clever names and horrendous spelling know more than the people have dedicated their lives to hockey. So they raise their indignant voices to the high heavens in outrage and threaten to cancel their season tickets.

It becomes repetitive to list the reasons why the chances of Vincent getting traded are slim no matter who owns the team, but I’ll run them down again quickly.

- The no movement clause. Unlike Dan Boyle, the Lightning captain has complete control over his destiny. The team cannot threaten to expose him to waivers in order for him to waive his no-trade clause. To paraphrase Seinfeld – the team has “no hand” in this relationship.

- Vinny likes Tampa. I know that’s a shock to all Canadians out there. How can a native son not want to play in Montreal? He likes the sun, the golf and the relative anonymity. Which leads to the next (and possibly biggest point).

- The media spotlight in Tampa pales in comparison to the rest of the hockey world. In a town where the biggest star in the NHL – Alex Ovechkin – can take a cab to McDonalds and not get harassed, Vinny can go about his business without much hassle. If he goes two games without a goal, there’s minimal grumbling but no one is jumping off the Skyway. If he is traded to Montreal, New York, Toronto, Edmonton or Vancouver then every game he doesn’t score is going to be dissected and analyzed in the papers and on the radio. With a new child on the way does he really want that pressure?

-The salary cap. The same contract that is an “albatross” to the Lightning also makes it hard for another team to bring him into the fold. Let’s take a look at the two teams that have generated the most talk:

Montreal – Salary Cap committed to next year - $44,892,143
New York – Salary Cap committed to next year - $48,596,667

I’m pulling the numbers off of the hockeybuzz.com website. From what I’ve seen they are fairly accurate. Other sites might have some slightly different amounts, but they are all in the same general ballpark.

There is a chance that the salary cap might come down in the next few seasons based on the revenue being generated in the league right now.If that happens neither team has flexibility to bring on a $7 million cap hit. They also don’t have any large salaries that the Lightning would be willing to take on in return. Speaking of the return, certain Lightning fans are deluded as to what Vincent would bring back.

He’s not going to bring in multiple high level prospects, high draft picks and NHL-ready players. If a team is going to take on his money they aren’t going to kill their farm system at the same time. In all likelihood he’ll bring A prospect and A high pick. There might be a NHL player in the package as well for salary cap purposes, but not an ugly contract like Wade Redden’s.

Why would the Lightning take Redden’s $6.5 million cap hit when his salary is also $6.5 million for the next two seasons as well as $5 million for the two years after that? Vincent might cost more money, but he is also on track to put 80 points on the board.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a supposed fan base so eager to trade away the best player in the team’s history. Yes, I said it. Marty St Louis may be the heart of the team, but it only goes as far as Vinny does. He is the stick of sugarcane that stirs the Mojito in Tampa.

Without him, the Lightning are down to one line, and let’s see how Stamkos does when the other teams can focus on him 100%. The kid has all the talent in the world, but also has the benefit of having another line that teams have to worry about.

Lightning fans might want to be more worried about St Louis moving at the deadline instead of Lecavalier. There are a lot of teams looking for a winger that are going to miss out on the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes. With a relatively light cap hit ($4 million) for one more year he has the type of contract that can bring a solid return.

New ownership rumors are fun for the internet and talk radio, but fans have to remember that at this point it is all speculation. Vinik can still walk away if he doesn’t like what he sees. If he does invest in the team wouldn’t it be in his best interest to keep a viable product on the ice? Trading the captain isn’t going to improve their play, and most importantly it won’t improve their attendance.

*Votary - noun, a devoted follower or admirer

Check it out...

2010-01-28T16:14:00.001-05:00

I just updated my "Wanted" list. I added a couple of new sets. So if you're wondering what to trade me - just take a gander. It's over there on the right of the screen....look down...little bit further...there ya go!

Time to See What Hath the Mailman Bringith

2010-01-27T14:33:00.007-05:00

I know some people don't like maildays, but hey part of the reason I have this blog is to showcase trades and acquisitions. The generosity of the people out there should be showcased. So here we go:

This first one wasn't sent in the mail, I actually picked it up at the flea market a week or so ago.

A Peter Bondra 1998-99 Pacific Aurora Atomic Laser. I'm not sure what I like more - the die-cut holes (to make the card more aerodynamic I guess) or the sparsely attended arena in the background.

The next was an e-bay pickup. Good bless having money in a paypal account.

A 2008-09 Vincent Lecavalier Black Diamond Quad Diamond base card. These are short printed (about one a box I believe) so I know there is no way I was ever going to pull it from a box. On a side note the shipper sent this in a top loader, wrapped in a printout of the auction information and then placed in a white envelope. I don't mind the white envelope, but don't charge me $3.00 in shipping for that.

Another ebay pickup.

2005 Carl Crawford SPXtreme Stats relic. It's numbered to 130, making it the second lowest print run of a Crawford card that I own. All for $.99! The corner is a little dinged, but since it's a personal collection card I don't mind too much.

Thanks to the Troll for getting me one card closer to completion on the 2008 Allen & Ginter. I've made arrangements to make sure the set is completed within the next week or so.

Cards That Need a Good Home

2010-01-27T08:35:00.005-05:00

So at some point last year I decided to give Topps 206 a whirl. I picked up a rack pack at the local Target and ripped it open. I thought it was ok, but decided not to persue it. So I have some cards that are looking for a good home. First come, first served. Leave a comment and we'll work out the details.

The cards are:

18 Kenji Johjima
104 Mark Melancon
130 Honus Wagner
131 Kosuke Fukudome
172 Michael Young
247 Huston Street
293 Troy Tulowitzki
35 Erik Bedard - Copper Border
74 Greg Golson - Copper Border

Fan Fest Weekend - Better Than a Day Working on the Condo

2010-01-25T15:57:00.008-05:00

Thanks to the good people of Southwest Airlines (and my frequent trips to Las Vegas and Baltimore last year) I had a free flight burning a hole in my pocket. Originally I was going to use it for a trip to Las Vegas sometime this summer, but never being very good at practicing self control I used it this weekend to fly to Baltimore.

The purpose of the visit was two-fold. One – to visit the Greatest Niece in the World, who I haven’t seen since last summer; and two – the Baltimore Orioles Fan Fest 2010. The journey was a success on both fronts.

The GNitW has graduated to walking and single syllable noises since I last saw her. I was pretty sure she threw in an HOLA at one point as well. No doubt the product of spending some time with her Aunt Jojo.

As for the Fan Fest I wasn’t sure what to expect. Having only attended Fests down here in laid back Florida I didn’t know what to expect from a good ol’ Northeastern gathering. By the end of the day I was fairly impressed. There were about 12,000 fellow Orioles fans wandering the halls of the convention center on Saturday and from what I saw it all went pretty smoothly.

Accompanied by my brother-in-law and his brother we arrived at about 11.00, which was when the gates opened. Braving the chilly (at least for this Florida boy) temperatures we wandered around the convention center until we found out what door to enter. Plopping down $10.00 got us in and we were immediately handed a black and orange MASN bag to throw our goodies in.

I had brought some cards to get signed, basically whatever Orioles cards I could find the night before I flew into town so I wasn’t as prepared as I usually am for the Rays fests. It didn’t help that there wasn’t an autograph schedule posted until the day of the fan fest, which was probably smart since it didn’t allow fans to sand bag lines waiting for the popular players.

We headed downstairs to the lower half of the exhibit where the affiliates and partner companies of the team had booths set up. We picked up schedules for the minor leagues, my brother-in-law’s brother was planning on hitting all of the minor league teams stadiums this season with his father so he wanted to start planning right away.

Not being young enough to hit whiffle balls in the miniature stadium that was set up we found the line where prospect and hopeful ace-in-waiting Chris Tillman was taking photos with fans for a small donation. It would end up being the smallest line we would find all day. He seems to be a nice guy and smiled and introduced himself to everyone in the line.

Following that we wandered back upstairs to see who was signing. The organizers had set up a system whereby they would announce who was signing at a particular station an hour before time and then they would let the first 250 people to show up at that station get in line. Everyone who made it into the line was guaranteed to get an autograph from that group of signers.

The fallback was that you usually had to wait at least an hour to get an autograph and the lines filled up quickly. At that point we just decided to get in a random line and hope for the best. We missed the bearded ones – Nick Markakis and Luke Scott, but did luck out with Chris Tillman, Jason Berken and Kam Mickolio (who was there with his hot wife/girlfriend/ friend).

While we were waiting in line, the news broke that the O’s had signed Miguel Tejada to a one year deal. At $6 million it seems a little steep, but if he hits .275 and knocks in more than 50 runs it will be worth it while the future third baseman (Josh Bell) has another year to improve his game. It was amusing to see all of the fans whipping out their cell phones to entertain themselves while waiting – whatever did we do before handheld internet devices were available.

Once the players arrived the line moved fairly quickly. I had Tillman sign the photo that was taken earlier and the other two signed team provided cards. Three new autographs for the collection was good enough for me. We ventured to the room next door which had a ton of game/batting practice used jerseys and gear for sale.

We had undoubtedly missed the good stuff, but there were a ton of Lou Montenez shirts left. I almost pulled the trigger on an orange Juan Samuel (third base coach) jersey, but thought better of it. I also briefly contemplated picking up a vinyl “This is Birdland” sign for $20, but was pretty sure that wouldn’t go over well with the significant other. The boys bought game used batting helmets, possibly for autographs next year and after a reheated pretzel and god awful chicken fingers we were on to the last phase of the day – the clubhouse tour.

For me this was definitely the highlight. I don’t know what’s so fascinating about wandering around the locker rooms of the rich and famous ballplayers, but it was fun. The clubhouse guides were of good cheer and extra information (umpires used to use tobacco juice to rub down the baseballs before Lena Blackburne’s Original Baseball Rubbing Mud came along in 1939).

We were led through the training room, the locker room and then out to the dugout itself. I knew there was a memento of Cal Ripken Sr in the dugout, but didn’t know that there was also a tribute to Earl Weaver as well. You can’t say that the organization ignores its history.

We snapped some photos sitting on the bench and also of the field. The ushers were adamant about not touching the grass as it was “fragile” from the cold weather. They also explained that the seats in the lower level were removed because the concrete was being retreated. After 17 seasons or so Camden Yards was showing some wear and tear so they were repairing some cracks.

Exhausted after a winter day filled with baseball we hiked back to the car and headed out for some Chinese food. I then hopped the train down to D.C. to watch a Caps game with an old friend of mine. It was truly a good day.

Nope. No performance enhancing drugs in here!

Jason Berken once struck out 200 batters in a season simply because his locker was next to Matt Wieters.

Simply one of the best views in all of baseball.

The first of many calls to the bullpen?

If I Was in Vegas..

2010-01-23T09:27:00.002-05:00

...I'd be going broke right now.

Last week was not good. 1-3 and the only win was a loss for my favorite team, the Ravens. Oh well, I can still put a winning record on the table by sweeping the next three match-ups. Since I'm not in town this weekend, well not in my hometown anyway, the odds are presented by Yahoo.

Here we go:

AT INDIANAPOLIS (-8) vs New York Jets - I see this as a carbon copy of the Ravens match-up last week. Revis will shut down Reggie Wayne, but Peyton will beat the pressure with short screens and quick routes. The defense will do enough to pressure Mark Sanchez into a couple of key turnovers.

AT NEW ORLEANS (-4) vs Minnesota - This is the game that bad Brett Favre comes back to haunt the Vikings. I still don't trust him. The Saints may not smother you on defense, but they are very opportunistic and force turnovers. I think they win going away. Maybe if Prince's Vikings song had been better I'd pick them, but for now I'm going with the Saints.

So there you are. Now I'm off to the Orioles Fan Fest and then a Caps game tonight. Good times!

Slug in a ditch!

2010-01-19T21:41:00.005-05:00

The worst loss I ever witnessed personally was a 10-2 loss vs the Rangers in November of 1998. I'm so glad the Lightning tried to match that effort in futility tonight.

Listless.
Uninspired.
Lacking in desire.
Just plain awful.

Even those words don't adequately explain what happened on the ice in Madison Square Garden. I'm sure there will be the usual post game responses from the players:

"We have to put tonight's game behind us."
"We were just outplayed tonight."
"I don't know what happened, we just didn't have it tonight."
"Frankly, I had the over on goals scored so winner, winner chicken dinner!"

O.k. so we probably won't hear anyone admit to the last one, but for all intents and purposes (what a silly phrase when you type it out) the season is over for the Bolts. They don't have the extra gear needed to make a playoff run.

Is that disappointing? A little, but it's not the end of the world. Despite inconsistent play they have improved over the last two seasons. This team is on the right path and with the right moves during the trading deadline and in the off-season they could seriously make a run next year.

So, the point of this post, which I admit is typed in haste and the disillusionment that follows a nasty defeat, is that I'm declaring the season over. No playoff revenue for the hometown boys this season. If the Lightning prove me wrong and go on a sudden hot streak I'll be the first to admit I was wrong, but I don't see that happening.

I'm upset with the loss and the inconsistently that they've displayed this season, but I'm not going to curse Tocchet's name or carry on about how certain players are lazy and nonchalant about the team's affairs.

Nor am I going to call for the owners' heads or question Brian Lawton's manhood. Because deep down I believe that they are focused on building a winning team. Whatever their motivation may be, be it pride, money or a sense of community, they all have vested interests in putting a winning team on the ice.

Fans tend to forget who's money is at stake. We might shell out a couple of a hundred of dollars, perhaps even thousands on season tickets and merchandise, but that pales in comparison to the millions the owners put up - even if it's not as many millions as they said they would put up.

Thank you for listening to a mini-rambling rant about a team you don't care about. By the way, the title is a reference to how TV versions of movies used to dub over curse words. In the Michael J Fox/ James Woods blockbuster "The Hard Way" one of the stations dubbed in "Slug in Ditch" for the more vulgar Son of a B*tch. It was funny only because there was a scene where it was repeated about 6 times in a row....hmmm maybe you had to be there.

Random Card That I Find Hysterical

2010-01-17T11:35:00.003-05:00

I was sorting through some Montreal Canadians cards and stumbled against this forgotten gem. It appears that Upper Deck stole Turner Stevenson's online dating photo. There are few photos out there that sum up the early '90's more than this one.

Hey ladies, thanks for checking out my profile. Canadians' fan? Nope, I just got drafted by them. That's not going to change me though. I'll still rollerblade through the park on Sundays. I love the way my flowing locks blow in the wind when I skate really fast. So you know give me a call, eh.

If I Was In Las Vegas Part II

2010-01-16T12:10:00.003-05:00

So last week started out well. I went 2-0 on Saturday and then crashed back to earth on Sunday with a nice 0-2. The consolation prize for splitting the week was watching the Ravens pick apart the rotting corpse of the Patriots dynasty.

Now as we move into the second week of playoffs the number one seeds get involved and things get a little more difficult. Do the upstart Jets and Ravens keep rolling over the higher seeds or do they succumb to their inherent flaws?

Which Farve are we going to see this weekend? If it's the one from early in the season then the Vikings roll, if it's Gunslinger Brett then they're in trouble.

Without anymore crappy analysis let's get to the game. As always the lines are based on the current odds posted in Saturday's St Pete Times (one of the Top 10 Sports Sections in the Country!)

ARIZONA (+7) at New Orleans - The Saints defense thrives on turnovers, but Kurt Warner isn't going to give them any. It could turn out to be a shootout like last week and I think that leaves a rusty team like New Orleans at a disadvantage.

at INDIANAPOLIS (-6.5) vs Baltimore - I want to talk myself into the Ravens this week, but it's tough. Peyton Manning owns them haven won seven in a row. He will have too many options (something Tom Brady didn't have last week) for the Ravens to cover. If the team from Baltimore wants to have a chance they need to dominate in the running game and keep Manning off the field. And yes I'm also counting on the reverse jinx factor as well.

DALLAS (+3) at Minnesota - I don't trust Brett Farve.

at SAN DIEGO (-7) vs N.Y. Jets - This was tough, but I think the Chargers run away with this one. The Jets will try to muck it up and make it an ugly game, but I'm feeling two Mark Sanchez interceptions will turn the game for San Diego.

Bonus Prediction compliments of Link in Pittsburgh - Ed Reed will return an interception for a touchdown - lateral free.

If you're in the Tampa Bay Area c'mon out to Varsity Club on US 19 and Sunset Point Road for the game tonight.

P.S. Guess who has two thumbs and is attending the Orioles Fan Fest in Baltimore next week? THIS GUY!!!!!

Fifteen Games to Make or Break a Season

2010-01-15T19:52:00.000-05:00

Here we go with the MOST IMPORTANT 15 GAMES OF THE SEASON! Ok, maybe that’s a bit of an over-statement, after all, don’t coaches always say that every game is just as important as the next? However, if the Bolts are serious about making a playoff run they do need to play their best hockey from now until the Olympic break.

After Thursday night’s lackluster performance the Lightning sit four points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The good news is that they do have at least one game in hand on all the teams ahead of them except for the Thrashers. A timely hot streak could vault them up the standings rapidly.

Eight of the next fifteen games are at the Ice Palace, where the Bolts have captured 11 of their 18 wins this season. More importantly, nine of those games are with teams ahead of them in the conference. The quickest way to move up the standings is to beat the teams ahead of you in regulation.

The next few weeks will also determine if the Lightning are buyers or sellers at the trading deadline. If they’re in the race they could stand to pick up a top six scorer and another defenseman. On the other hand, an extended losing streak would close the door on their playoff hopes and turn them into sellers.

With a club that is struggling financially that could mean that a lot of players could be packing their bags. Vincent would top the list (as usual), but he could be joined by Marty St. Louis, Jeff Halpern, Ryan Malone, Kurtis Foster, and Antero Nittymaki. All of those players could all generate interest among playoff bound teams.

The team is at an interesting crossroads. Coming off of two awful seasons they have shown improvement in several areas. The overhauled defense has been much stronger. The development of Steven Stamkos and Ryan Malone as goal scorers has been a joy to watch, but the fact remains that ownership is struggling to afford this team.

Even though Brian Lawton has put a competitive team on the ice the fans still aren’t showing up. The posted attendance for the game against the Panthers was over 13,000. They were lucky if 9,000 fans were actually in the seats. If the fans aren’t spending money then ownership is going to have find ways to cut costs and the number one way to do that is to shed salaries.

Therefore, those names listed above as trade possibilities would be dealt for draft picks and prospects which would halt any progress this season’s team has shown. Not only that the fans wouldn’t be motivated to show up leading to less revenue and the downward cycle would continue.

All of that could be avoided with a nice five or six game winning streak. That means there has to be consistent effort, which is something that has been lacking from this team all season. Beating Washington one night means nothing if they go out flat against Florida the next game.

So how are they going to put a winning streak together? It’s not rocket science. If they play with solid goaltending, aggressive forechecking, and responsible puck handling then they will win games. They have enough talent to be in the playoffs, they just need to realize that they don’t have enough talent to win without working hard.

Downie vs Ovech....errrr... Bradley! WHO YOU GOT?

2010-01-13T10:53:00.004-05:00

My original plan was to write a clever little post like “12 Reasons the Lightning Won Last Night” or something along those lines before I realized I wasn’t really clever and it would take too much work to come up with 12 reasons the Lightning won. Besides, there is only one thing from Tuesday night’s game that everyone is discussing this morning.

Stephane Veilleux scored a goal!

Ok. So that’s not the thing that everyone around the interwebs is writing about, but it’s still rather noteworthy since it’s only his second of the season and he was a healthy scratch a few games ago.

What everyone is talking about is the Downie vs. Ovechkin vs. Bradley melee that occurred in the third period. If you haven’t seen it, let me break it down for you step by step as viewed from section 323:

1. With the Caps in the Lightning zone Washington Captain Alexander Ovechkin has the puck on his stick. Seconds later his stick is shattered in two by an alleged slashing that wasn’t called. The purported slasher – Steve Downie.

2. After sitting befuddled on the ice at the lack of a call, Mr. Ovechkin skates to his bench for a new stick. Upon receiving said stick he skates to rejoin the play.

3. By this time young Mr. Downie has the puck and is attempting to skate it to center ice.

4. Ovechkin picks up a head of steam and with bad intentions tries to knock Downie onto Channelside Drive. Former Capital captain and current Lightning third-liner Jeff Halpren called it a “dirty hit”. On first glance it looks like Ovechkin led with his knee, but upon further review he hit Downie awkwardly, but cleanly.

5. “Psycho” Steve Downie was enraged by the hit and started throwing down on the much larger Ovechkin. He snuck a solid right hand in before the linesmen and refs intervened and led them each to the penalty box to feel shame for their roughing-ness.

6. During their two minutes of reflection they continued to jaw at each other while some fantastic 4-on-4 action took place on the ice. Upon completion of their penalties the pair left their respective boxes and rejoined the action.

7. Downie immediately put his stick around Ovechkin’s mid-section (for which he would receive a 2 minute hooking penalty) and Ovechkin held the stick while they continued to say unpleasant things about each other.

8. As they drifted into the Lightning zone tied together like 3-legged race participants they finally decided their differences could not be settled verbally. Therefore, resolution could only come via the time honored tradition of fist-a-cuffs.

9. Ovechkin obliged by squaring up, dropping the gloves and removing his helmet. Downie responded likewise and was ready to begin the pummel-fest when he was blindsided by a charging Matt Bradley.

10. Bradley apparently left the bench ( edit - after watching the replays Bradley was already off the bench, it looks like the change was legal) to protect his 6’2 233lb captain from the merciless beating that the smaller Downie was going to inflict upon him (side note – the Lightning website lists Downie as 6’0 tall. If he’s six foot I’m a Pulitzer Prize winning writer).

11. Bradley and Downie grapple for awhile before being separated. In the end Bradley gets a minor for instigating, a major for fighting, a 10-minute misconduct and a game misconduct. Downie gets the hooking minor, fighting major and 10 minute misconduct, Ovechkin gets a minor for being unsportsmanlike (I assume for dropping the gloves and not fighting).

Now having witnessed all of those events let me state for the record I have no problem with what Alex Ovechkin did. He felt he was slashed and he looked for retribution, legally. His hit on Downie was clean and then when Downie offered Ovechkin answered the bell. It wasn’t the Russian’s fault that Bradley thought he couldn’t handle a fight.

Downie was doing what Downie does, stirring up trouble. He has a bad reputation in the NHL for his past misdeeds, but at least he fights his own fights unlike some troublemakers (helloooo Steve Avery). If Ovechkin would have been allowed to fight with him it would have stopped there.

However, Bradley had to be a hero and “save” his teammate. Isn’t the day in age of protecting superstars slowly coming to a close. The top offensive talent in the league, guys like Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Joe Thornton, and Vincent are big guys. They’re not 175lb finesse players like Gretzky was. These boys can hold their own on the ice and fight their own battles.

Bradley’s argument that the Lightning would have done the same if Stamkos was being attacked is invalid. Sure someone would step in if Stammer was being harassed, but not if Steven had already dropped the gloves. Nor would they come off the bench to do it.

I have a feeling that Mr. Bradley may be enjoying a little bit of a league imposed vacation the next time these two teams meet courtesy of his actions. The league likes to police these extracurricular activities so a 10 game suspension wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility.

One of the fans in front of me, resplendent in his varsity style Lightning jacket (with leather sleeves!) yelled out at Ovechkin, “Why don’t you fight your own fights, Ovechkin!” Which I found odd since that’s exactly what he was trying to do.

If Downie was the most surprised player on the ice, then I think Ovechkin was the second most surprised. He wanted to fight, he was ready to fight, and then he had it taken away from him. (Kudos to the Lightning PA team for showing the Rocky IV clip where Stallone is “Chopping the big Russian down!!!!”)

Fighting is a part of the game and there is a certain way to do it. Charging off the bench and blindsiding your opponent is not the way to do it. I award Bradley no points for chivalry and request that if he is not suspended when the two teams clash at the end of the month, that he and Mr. Downie square up at a face off and go after each other on equal footing.

The Lightning Are Back In Town

2010-01-12T14:04:00.002-05:00

An odd note that I came across on the internets last night. Apparently, the ice in Tampa wasn't going to be ready for the morning skate because the circus just left town. Which led to the following twitter comment from JaspersRink (a Caps centric blog):

Circus has been in town since Koules/Barrie took over. RT @TarikElBashir Ice might not be ready for the AM skate. Circus was just in town.

One of the few comments on twitter that made me laugh out loud.

With that being said the Caps do roll into town led, as always, by their new captain Alexander Ovechkin. There will be a lot of pressure on the Lightning blue line to contain the Russian sniper and his cast of secondary scorers.

Not only is the offense on a role it looks like they have a stable netminder in rookie Michal Neuvirth. The AHL playoff MVP from last season has stepped in for the injured Semyon Varlamov and posted a 5-2 record with a .928 saver percentage in his last 7 games.

His play has been so exceptional that veteran netminder Jose Theodore has become expendable and his name is starting to pop up in trade rumors. With Varalamov hoping to be back soon it appears the Caps will go down the stretch with two youngsters in the net.

Of course the looming stat for this matchup is that the Caps have beaten the Lightning 12 straight games. In this day and age that's a ridiculesly long losing streak.

So how do the Lightning win? It's not nuclear science. Stay out of the penalty box, back check, limit the bad passes, shoot often, play responsible in the defensive zone. That's it, that's all there is.

Is It Me Or.....

2010-01-11T21:48:00.003-05:00

Does anyone else think it's odd that Apollo Anton Ono is pimping Nyquil? From my limited internet research, Nyquil containes substances banned by Olympic drug testing rules.

It would be like Mark McGwire promoting the use of illegal steriods....

A Couple of Padded Envelopes

2010-01-09T16:05:00.006-05:00

Sometimes I wonder if my mailman thinks I'm dealing in illicit activities. I'll go out on a limb and say that no one else in my complex gets the amount of little, yellow, padded envelopes jammed into their mailslot as I do.

Here's what this week had to offer:

Beardy came through with these two gems. I unloaded some Upper Deck Masterpiece cards that were taking up space in exchange for one Brian Roberts Relic Card. Much to my surprise the Bearded One threw in an extra won. Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

For Christmas I gave my family a list of 10 cards that I would like to add to my personal collection. Needless to say they didn't get any of them. Therefore, I was left to acquire them on my own. This is the first, compliments of Ebay. Vincent's Upper Deck rookie card.

I bought a pack of Upper Deck Champs last year and didn't care for it. So I decided to send them out for TTM autographs. I received a Pascal LeClaire last week and then today the second one came back. ESPO! The man responsible for the Tampa Bay Lightning's existence and current radio co-host for the home games.

Thanks Mr Mailman for making the long, cold walk to the mailbox worth it!

If I Was In Vegas....

2010-01-09T15:35:00.003-05:00

Time for me to do something that hundreds of thousands of others are doing (or have already done). I'm going to pick the winners of this week's playoff games. Well let's say these are the bets I would be making if I happened to be in Vegas.

The lines are based on what's posted in this morning's St Pete Times. Home team is in all caps.

N.Y. Jets (+2) over CINCINNATI

Because when you can bet on a rookie quarterback on the road in a playoff game - you have to do it!

DALLAS (-3) over Philadelphia

When you have a chance to bet on a team that hasn't won a playoff game since 1996 0 you have to do it!

NEW ENGLAND (-3) over Baltimore

I have zero confidence in Baltimore's secondary and ability to not take stupid penalties.

Green Bay (pk) over ARIZONA

No magic for Kurt Warner this year

I in no way find it ironic that I'm posting this while watching MTV's True Life: I've got a gambling problem is on.

Lights Out on the Lightning

2010-01-08T23:01:00.003-05:00

Apperently the Lightning pissed off the hockey gods by scoring 3 goals on 7 shots against the Devils. Why else would the lights suddenly go out and not be able to be restarted?

No news yet as to if the game will be picked up from where it was left off or if Martin Brodeur gets a do-over. Since both teams play tomorrow and aren't sceduled to meet again this season the league is in a bit of a pickle.

A bizarre season continues for the Bolts

Some Final Thoughts on the Hall of Fame

2010-01-07T20:29:00.001-05:00

Alright , now that I’ve had a day to collect my thoughts on today’s Hall of Fame announcement I must admit I’m still a little baffled by the results. I’ve made my arguments for who I thought should have gotten in this year so I won’t go over it again. Needless to say the voters disagreed with my views.

I am glad that Andre Dawson made it in, kind of in the same way that I’m glad Jim Rice was voted in last year. At least now we don’t have to read the yearly “Hawk should be in the Hall” articles. Of course it means at least 50 writers have to come up with some new material for next year, but that’s their problem, not mine.

My biggest beef this year centers around Roberto Alomar not getting elected on the first ballot. The argument has been made that he’s a really good player, but not a “great” player. How someone who has 10 Gold Gloves (most of any second baseman) and led the major leagues in hits for a decade can’t be considered “great” I don’t know, but part of the fun of sports is debating levels of greatness.

I’ve always considered myself a bit of an optimist when it comes to sports. I like believing that sports writers are objective when it comes to their jobs and can put their personal feelings aside when they are tasked with the responsibility of voting on someone’s professional legacy.

After this year I must say that I’ve lost some of that positive karma. There are writers out there that let their personal beliefs cloud their professional judgment. For some players this is a benefit, for others a hindrance. It’s not fair, but it is better than the alternative. A BCS-esque computer process that completely removes human emotion from the equation and elects based solely on a player’s statistical resume.

Let’s take Alomar as an example. For most people the memory associated immediately with him is the spitting incident involving umpire John Hirschbeck. If he never spits on the umpire how does that change the way people view him as a player?

Do voters use that as an excuse to not vote for him? The stereotype of the bitter, overweight sports writer is as tired as the one about bloggers living in their mother’s basement, but could there be a little bit of a truth in the stale saying?

Did he lose votes because he wasn’t the most outgoing of players? If he had been good with a quote like Rickey Henderson would he have gotten more votes? It’s hard to say because the voters get to hide behind the anonymity of the voting process. The voters are writers, right? Why not have them have to write a paragraph or two on the ballots on why they voted in or left off a particular player?

I have a feeling that would eliminate the blank ballots and old guard who don’t believe that any players deserve 100% of the vote. Having to justify their votes might also have them take it a little more seriously. If they can justify not voting for a person with a reasoned argument then more power to them.

Or why not blow up the whole system and convert to a system similar to the NFL’s? After the five year waiting period have someone nominate an eligible player and present an argument to a group of Hall of Fame Members. I might tweak to make the panel consist of members, some press and select fans (but no owners, owners are evil!). Make it like a jury trial.

Of course they could not make any changes so that there is a lively discussion about it every year, and with the steroid-era players becoming eligible the discussion will indeed be lively. I just hope that if there is no change then at least the voters take their responsibility seriously. That means no more casting votes for David Segui,

Baffled

2010-01-06T14:47:00.002-05:00

Congrats to Andre Dawson, but I must confess to being baffled as to how Roberto Alomar didn't make it. Maybe next year, eh?

A New Year Means A New Strategy

2010-01-05T15:07:00.004-05:00

The calendar has turned on a new year and so that means a couple of things.

1. The hockey season is halfway over. For the first time in a couple of seasons the Bolts are still in playoff contention.

2. New commitments have been made.

3. I've turned in my entries for the 2010 Lawton Chile's Memorial Death Pool. It's juvenile and in bad taste, but hey no one is perfect, eh?

4. I have a new collecting strategy for 2010.

Overall, 2009 was a pretty good year for me in terms of collecting. I picked up the writing on this site, met some great traders and actually recouped some of my investments by selling some cards on e-bay.

Some things didn't work out so well. I didn't finish off the Allen & Ginter set or any other set. I also didn't get rid of enough cards. When you have 80,000 cards in a closet (and on a desk, and a counter, and a dresser) then getting rid of 300 cards here and there doesn't make much of a dent.

At this point I need to get rid of boxes at a time. Therefore, with some inspiration from this site, I've decided to separate my hockey and football cards into teams and donate them, along with some junk wax baseball, to local children's hospitals.

However, my loyal readers will have first crack at them so don't despair. Let me know your favorite team and I'll see what I can do for you.

In addition to that I'm going to be a little bit wiser in my purchasing. It is my hope that in 2010 my card spending is budget neutral. That means I'll only spend as much as I make selling cards. The good news is that I do have about a $30.00 head start thanks to a couple of successful auctions in December.

Buying boxes is out of the question for right now so instead of collecting this sets I'm going to delve into the wide world of player collecting. That's right I'm crossing the line.

The players are few:

Baseball:

Carl Crawford
Adam Jones

Hockey:

Vincent Lecavalier
Peter Bondra

I've updated most of the player collections (except for Adam Jones since I just thought of him 5 seconds ago on my new Zistle page. Check it out! For trade purposes also feel free to send me your unwanted O's, Rays, and Lightning cards.

It is my hope that I can reduce my collection to the point where it all fits in half a closet and has a more personal feel to it.

If for some reason you need cards from 1988-2008 let me know and I'll see what I can put together for you.

So that's the plan. Who knows if it will keep, but at least it's a direction

The Wasteland's 2009 Card of the Year

2010-01-01T15:56:00.004-05:00

I acquired a lot of cards this year. I bought a lot (too many considering I was unemployed for six months), and picked up a bunch through trades. Out of all of these I have found one card that stands above all others. One card that makes all other cards gleam a little less.

Oddly enough, and unlike last year's winner, this card was not a 2009 release. I didn't pull it from a pack or out of a little, yellow, padded envelope in the mail. Nor did it come from a card show or eBay.

It came from the most American of market places - the flea market. To be specific Oldsmar Flea Market (The Mightest in the South!)The dealer we got it from isn't even around anymore, or at least he hasn't been there the last couple of times I've gone.

He had just a single case of cards on an old, beat up, folding table. There were about 15 cards in the case and all of them were either higher end relic cards or autograph cards. There were two or three Jason Bartlet auto's, something I considered but didn't feel like dropping money on.

After talking with the guy for about 5 minutes I realized that he didn't really know too much about cards. His prices seemed a little low for the quality of cards that he had, so I'm not sure where he got them from, not did I really care.

I finally spotted a card that I was interested in and asked him how much. He said $15.00, I countered with $9.00.

He accepted and this beauty below was mine.

A 2007 UD Black Quad Jersey-Auto Precious Materials Auto card numbered 45/50. The swatches are all white and as usual Carl's autograph leaves a lot to be desired but to me it's quite a fantastic card and the new centerpiece of my Crawford collection.

If the Olympics are Half as Good, We're in for a Wild Ride

2009-12-31T22:39:00.005-05:00

I'm not sure how many of you out there are sitting at home on this New Year's Eve like I am. Those of you that are probably aren't watching hockey, and those of you who are watching hockey probably aren't watching the World Juniors match between Canada and USA. If you're not you are missing some fantastic hockey.

The skaters on the ice aren't old enough to drink (at least in the US). Few of the names are recognizable to the average hockey fan. Some may never make it to the NHL. Yet the action on the ice rivaled anything played in a major league arena this year.

Canada stormed back from a 4-2 deficit to tie it in the third period on a short handed goal. They had the go ahead goal disallowed on a referee's questionable whistle. The five minute overtime was back and forth and saw an incredible save by US goaltender Jake Campbell as he channeled his inner Hasek to stop a shot by Jordan Eberle

Heck there were even Mounties in full uniform!

Canada ended up winning the game in a shootout and will move on to the semi-finals. The skater who scored the decisive goal was the LA Kings 6th round draft pick Branden Kozun. What makes him special? Well he had dual citizenship and had a choice as to which team to play for - the US or Canada. I believe Canadian fans think he made the right choice.

Everyone who saw the game is also a winner. If this game represents the future of hockey, then I would say the game is in safe hands.

2009 - How Did I do as a Collector?

2009-12-31T17:55:00.001-05:00

As I celebrate the close of 2009 on the couch (a couch that we didn’t own at the beginning of 2009) I recall that at the beginning of the year I laid out a three prong approach to my collecting strategy for 2009. So let’s take a look and see how I did.

1. No Blasters - Well that one failed mightily. As a matter of fact I just finished busting a blaster of Heritage High Numbers. I did cut down on the number of blasters I bought, which left me more money to spend on-line for boxes.

I found out that Target is way to close for me to resist the siren song of immediate card purchasing. Since all of the loose packs are well rifled through the only option left was the row upon row of blasters. So I delved into them on occasion, and didn’t pull anything special out of them. Was it a waste of money? Perhaps, but it was still fun to rip them open.

2. Pick one or the other - Topps or Upper Deck - I was successful on this one. I chose Topps because I liked the design better and wasn’t disappointed. The base set was filled with great photography and interesting inserts. The short print cards of veterans were nice to chase (even if I haven’t gotten around to getting any of the O’s). I did pick up a few packs of Upper Deck Series One late in the year as a free throw in from Dave and Adam, but they just confirmed that I made the right decision.

3. Limit what I buy and stick to it - I did alright on this one. As I already mentioned I didn’t buy any Upper Deck Base. I also skipped Obak, UD Idols, UD X and Topps Unique. After buying a box of Allen & Ginter I realized that I didn’t really care for this years release and have started giving away as many as I can. So if you need some shoot me an email!

This definitely kept the collection down, all of my baseball purchases fit in one box which is nice. Of course, it limits what I can trade to people looking to complete sets, but I’ve managed to work around that so far.

A bonus idea was to give away 5,000 cards. I don’t think I got quite to that level, but I believe I gave away at least 2,500. This year I’m really going to focus on culling the collection, especially older hockey and all of football.

Next up - what I’m going to do next year. Big changes coming!

For Your Christmas Eve Reading Pleasure - An Upper Deck MVP Break

2009-12-23T15:03:00.007-05:00

Before I pack my bags and head up to Pensacola for Christmas I figured I'd leave my readers (Hi Mom and Dad!) with one last product review. As an early Christmas present to myself I picked up a box of 2009-10 Upper Deck MVP from Blowout Cards. They had the best price that I could find on the intrawebs and right now they are running some nice year end specials so go check them out (look to the right of the blog for a very convenient link).

Back to the cards. Why MVP? Two reasons my merry readers. The first, and most important, is the price point. Less than $40 will get you 24 packs with 8 cards per pack. You will also get a relic card and usually an insert per every other pack.

Reason number two - on average, every other pack will include a rookie. Odds-wise MVP is usually the best shot you have of landing the big name rookies for an affordable price. True to form my box landed me 12 rookies.

Without further delay let us dive right into what was in my box. We're starting off with those rookies.

Victor Hedman! It's my first card of the Big Swede who's manning the blue line for the Lightning. So far he's seemed to have made the adjustment rather well, although occasionally he does struggle with the speed of the game.

Jonas Gustavsson, The Monster. It appears he's on his way to being the Leafs number one goalie.

Ryan O'Reilly. Along with Matt Duschene he's part of the young blood that's bringing the Avalanche back into contention in the west.

Other rookies were Yannick Wever (Montreal), Grant Lewis (Atlanta), John Negrin (Calgary), David Van Der Gulik (Calgary), Byron Bitz (Boston), Joel Rechlicz (New York Islanders), Alec Martinez (Los Angeles), Erik Karlsson (Ottawa), Ilkka Pikkarainen (New Jersey)

Next up let's see what Lightning cards I acquired along with the Hedman.

If you thought that Vincent Lecavalier would be among these cards then you haven't been reading this blog very long. Another box bought without landing the Lightning captain. Unlike the 2009-10 Series One break I had, he didn't even make a cameo appearance on any other cards.

It was nice to pick up my first Steve Downie in a Lightning uniform card. He's managed to garner a lot of bad press for someone who's only 22 years old, but he seems to have settled down a bit and is one of the more exciting players to watch on the Bolts (and new personal favorite of Wasteland friend Big Mike).

Now we move to the numbered parallels that I got. This year they break down to:

Gold Script # to 100
Rookie Gold Script # to 100
Super Script # to 25
Rookie Super Script # to 25

No super scripts for this guy, but the rookie gold script is numbered 100/100 which is kind of cool.

Your basic inserts - Hart Winners and Hart Candidates. You see the Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded to the leagues "most valuable player" and this is Upper Deck MVP. See what they did there? Huh? Pretty crafty Upper Deck!

A Sidney Crosby Hart Winner. It's always nice to have an insert of the league's poster boy, especially with his awesome teenage mustache.

The MVP Candidates look to be Upper Deck's idea of the best player per team.

And finally the big hit of the box - a Two on Two 4 Jersey Swatch!

On the front Owen Nolan (yes he's still in the league) and Pierre-Marc Bouchard show off their Christmas spirit with a red and green swatch. How nice.

Only white pieces from Olli Jokinen's mesmerizing eyes. Look into them and be haunted! Jerome Iginla rounds out the foursome. A familiar face to Lightning fans. There aren't many fights in the Stanley Cup Finals, let alone between the team's top offensive players so it was a bit of a shock when he dropped the gloves against Vincent.

Breakdown:

Total inserts: 10
Rookies: 12 (13 if you include the Backlund Gold Script)
Duplicates: 1
Base Completion (not counting rookies): 166/200

Final Thoughts:

Overall I really liked this box break. It's not designed for the big hit seekers, but if you're into team collecting and rookie cards definitely give it a whirl.

I'll probably buy another box just for fun to see if I can complete the set and maybe pick up a Tavares Rookie.

Final grade - Rookie Defenseman*

All cards pictured (except for Hedman and Gustavsson) are available for trade. The rookies that I listed but didn't include in the photo are also available.

*A needless reminder that the Wasteland Grading system means absolutely nothing and should have no bearing on if you buy this product or not

No Problems With This Trade

2009-12-23T15:01:00.004-05:00

My trading has slowed down a bit over the past weeks. The holidays have intervened as has the job. After staring at a computer for eight hours the last thing I want to do is stare at my card collection and figure out what I have that other people want.

That being said, I've had one trade offer that I've been putting off for some time, mostly because I was too lazy to check out that person's list of cards needed to see what I had. Luckily for them they posted a card that I really kind of wanted so I knew I had to get off my ass and put an offer together.

The cards I had sitting unloved in a pile on a dresser in the kitchen (remodling a home office had caused some major rearranging) were 30-some Yankee Stadium Legacy cards that I've picked up from various packs and boxes over the last couple of years.

I knew Marie over at A Cardboard Problem was attempting the audicious task of putting the entire set together. I went through her list of needs and was able to put together about 20 cards that it looked like she needed. I wrapped them up and shipped them out and waited for one card in return.

A couple of days ago my mail slot had a nice, little, yellow-padded envelops sitting among the bills and Christmas cards. Inside was this little gem -

My first Adam Jones Relic card. The Gold Glover had a pretty nice second season with the O's and looks to be a cornerstone for the rebuilding team.

It's nice when a trade accomplishes two goals:

1. Acquire a card I want or need
2. Get rid of cards I have no use for, but others do

So a big Thank You to Marie!

Farewell, Goodbye, and Na Shledanou Mr. Krajicek

2009-12-21T18:35:00.002-05:00

I’m not going to lie, I’m a little bummed out. Yeah the Lightning won and yeah Vincent has 5 points in his last 3 games, but I’m still not feeling all that chipper. What’s got me down, might you ask? Well, it’s simple. I have to find a new scapegoat for the Lightning.

As of last week Lukas Krajicek is no longer a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was sent down to Norfolk last week (just in time for the Blizzard of 2009!) and according to GM Brian Lawton he “won’t be on re-entry waivers under any circumstances”.

The dismissal seems mostly performance based, Coach Tocchet said he was “at the scene of the crime” too many times. The crime apparently being turnovers or overall less than stellar play. It will be interesting to see who is going to replace his 17:31 of ice time. The masses are begging for The Savior (Matt Smaby), the 25 year-old, 240lb defenseman who’s been raring to get in the lineup since the season started.

I have to believe money also plays a part in his dismissal. The Lightning will have to pay his whole salary since he has a one way deal, but it looks like they aren’t interested in placing him on re-entry waivers because they would be on the hook for half of his salary if a team claims him.

The Times mentioned that there was some interest from other teams, but they wanted to trade an “asset” to the Lightning. That means another player, which would mean salary for the Bolts. So if the Czech defenseman is moved it will likely be for a draft pick.

So after 23 games, 17 shots, -4 and 1 assist I have no one to pick one when the Lightning lose a game. I guess I’ll have to take a look at the roster and choose a new person to blame. At first glance the candidates are: David Hale, Matt Walker, Stephane Veilleux or Alex Tanguay.

I think I’ll have a candidate selected by the time the new year rolls around. I want to give them another week and a half to show why they deserve the wrath of The Wasteland.

Overall, despite the long losing streak the Lightning have been playing a little bit better. They’ve been killing penalties, scoring on the power play and winning face-offs. Vincent might be waking up, since the benching of Tanguay and Jeff Halpern the Lightning captain has been playing inspired hockey.

In those three games he has 2 goals and 3 assists, he has launched 12 shots at the net and won the majority of his face-offs. He’s back checking in the defensive zone and skating harder. He’s seemed to regained a bit of the edge that he used to play with and I wouldn’t be surprised if he picks up a fighting major sometime in the next couple of games.

I’ll wrap up by saying good day to Mr. Krajicek. Please spread your wealth while you’re in Norfolk. Your $1.4 million salary will by a lot of cheeseburgers for your teammates. I’ll miss your soft checks and the wonderful sight of you flipping the puck out to center. I honestly believe if you had been given an entire year you would have eventually hit the scoreboard.

That's Right, I Saved Orlando Jai Alai

2009-12-17T10:08:00.003-05:00

Let's check the timeline.

Saturday - Orlando Jai Alai celebrates the closing of the building with a fantastic Citrus Invitational.

Monday - I start writing a post about jai alai.

Tuesday - I post the column.

Wednesday - News stations announce that a mysterious person has an agreement in place to become the new owner and jai alai will resume in February.

It's quite clear my blog is the catalyst for everything.

That, my fellow readers, is a prime example of a logical fallacy. It really is the only thing I remember from Psychology 101 in college. At least I remembered something.

The real story is that this unknown person with "deep pockets" was impressed with the play over the weekend and announced his intentions to buy the building over the weekend. The employees were told Monday that they would not be losing their job at the end of the month. I had seen rumors pop up on a couple of jai alai message boards while I was writing my column, but nothing official was confirmed.

The good news is that Orlando Jai Alai will be around for at least another season. The as yet to be named buyer is planning on the fronton being able to secure card games (i.e. poker) which most experts see as key to the survival of the building.

The fact that poker games aren't allowed in Seminole County (which is where the building is located) is kind of a minor hurdle that has to be cleared. The fact that neither the fronton in the past or the Sanford Orlando Kennel Club have been able to get past this minor problem is a bit of a concern that can be debated at a later time.

For now, let's celebrate the fact that someone saw something in the play this weekend that inspired him to plunk down some money and save something. Officials are hoping the deal is finished by January 1st so that the eight week season can begin in February.

Securing card games will be very important to the survival of the sport in Orlando, that's not a disputable point. There has to be a reason to bring people in the building and right now poker and blackjack, along with slot games, bring people in to gamble.

Even I game to be a fan of jai alai in a roundabout way. I didn't set foot in Tampa Jai Alai to watch the "merry festival". I was there because they were showing a boxing match that we couldn't get in our dorm room. I want to say it was a Julio Cesar Chavez fight, but my memory fails me right now (damn college drinking!).

Getting people in the door is the first step, once they're in the play of the game has to bring them back. That means the talant level has to be there. Orlando trails Dania and Miami when it comes to the overall level of it's play. Let's face it,when Gino is one of your tournament backcourters you need to step it up.

So challenge number one for the new owner will be working out an agreement to bring better players either from Europe or the other frontons in the state. He would also need to develop local talant as well. The players on the court are closer to 40 or even 50 then they are to 25. Younger, more exciting players would strenghten the play and keep more fans.

Challange number two would be marketing the sport correctly. That means facebook, twitter, you tube videos, a better web site, etc., etc. Find local or national advisors to place advertisements on the wall or padding. Improve the on-site restaurant so that it's worth a dinner out. Find a presence on the local college campuses. UCF isn't that far away and it's one of the larger colleges in the nation. God knows college kids like the hipster, throwback to the '50 & '60s act now more than ever. Appeal to that trend.

This post dragged on a little longer than I expexted. I inteneded to just post the "I saved jai alai" joke and then move on, and now I've delved into marketing plans.

So I'll leave you with this. If you find yourself in the Orlando area in February, take a night and head over to Castleberry (about 20 minutes from Disney) and give jai alai a chance.

A Long, Rambling Post on a Sport Most People Have Never Watched

2009-12-14T20:01:00.004-05:00

I didn’t think I’d be starting this off by quoting Garth Brooks, but he summed it up best when he twanged that he was “much too young to feel this damn old“. What’s got me feeling older than my 30 some odd years? This weekend I attended the closing of the second fronton in my sporting/gambling life.

What the fr-uck is a fronton you ask? It’s a place they played a once great sport. That sport - Jai Alai. Why have 90% of the people reading this never heard of Jai Alai? In no particular order the following things are to blame:

The Lottery
Internet Gambling
Conservative Politicians
Netflix, Movie Theaters, Night Clubs
Not allowing Poker Rooms
Disney (please note - if anything in Florida fails, it’s because of Disney)

There is no smoking gun in the murder of jai alai, it’s more of a conglomeration of competing factors along with an inability to market an exciting sport correctly.

If you're still struggling to place the sport think if the opening credits of Miami Vice, one of those Dos Equis commercials with the world's most interesting man, a scene from the latest season of Mad Men and an episode of Jackass where Steve-O and Johnny Knoxville are having oranges thrown at them by guys with wicker baskets on their hands.

Got it now?

Saturday night Orlando Jai Alai (actually located in Castleberry) closed it’s door for the final time. When my buddy Big Mike dropped the news a few weeks ago that they were shutting down for good it was a no-brainer that we had to be there.

The good news was that they were going out in style - The Citrus Invitational. That meant they were bringing in some of the best players from around the state for tournament jai alai. Play is exciting when average pros are playing, it’s phenomenal when elite players are competing. Tournaments also mean the crowds will show up. Instead of playing in font of a hundred people they would be playing in front of a few thousand.

In college we had spent a few cheap weekend nights at Tampa Jai Alai (now a Home Depot). Quarter beer nights and $1 quinella boxes were cheaper then a night at a club or bar. After college, in my wild and crazy single days we had made the trek to Orlando for marathon jai alai sessions every few months. A Saturday matinee performance followed by a Saturday night performance followed by a Sunday matinee usually meant we were in the fronton for about 12 hours per weekend.

Even then we knew the sport was doomed. Often we were the youngest people in the crowd by a decade or so. The crowd itself would be sparse. More people would be watching simulcast horse races on the TV’s spread throughout the building then actually watching live action. I can’t begrudge the simulcast, it probably kept the place open for a few extra years.

While we saw some excellent players the overall quality of play, especially the early games, was sub par at best. We still had a blast though, watching sports is great, watching sports with the possibility of winning money after the match is even better.

During those days it was worth the drive over to watch the play of two or three players, the most exciting being a slender backcourter who went by the name Elicegui. Unlike most players who tend to be content spending most of the time catching and throwing the pelota, Elicegui played with a fury.

There was no lower gear for him, everything was thrown at top speed. He had a long, smooth throwing motion that generated tremendous speed on his forehand. If he had been born in Florida instead of Spain he probably would have been a pitcher who threw in the mid-90’s.

If he was on his game it was like he was playing on a different level, if he was off his game it could get ugly. Power has a place in the game, but there is also a subtle side to it as well. The best players move their opponents around the court with a mixture of shots. They use all of the angles available to make the pelota (ball) land where the other player isn’t.

Elecigui had no time for subtlety. Nor did he hide his emotion. Screaming at himself after poor shots or glaring out at the crowd as they heckled him were common reactions. When compared to the normally withdrawn players he tended to stand out. The crowd loved him when he won and jeered him when he lost.

He still plays, and was apparently a late scratch to the Citrus Invitational, but arm injuries and age have limited the explosiveness a bit.

The cancha, or court, at Orlando Jai Alai had certain quirks that set it apart from other frontons such as Dania or Miami. For starters the front wall was fast. If you’re familiar with the concepts of “live boards” in hockey arenas then Orlando would compare to the boards at the Igloo in Pittsburgh. The pelota came off the front wall like a cannon, which led to a quicker, more exciting game.

Unlike most cancha’s Orlando doesn’t have a net across the top of the court that signifies out of bounds. They do have a red stripe marking the boundaries, but the pelota actually has to touch the line to be out. This doesn’t sound like much, but it allows the players more room and that leads to more match saving catches and throws. Extended play brings the crowd into the match.

Each performance is divided up into 12-13 individual games. Most games are doubles (two players per team) with a couple of singles matches sprinkled through out the day. The players are divided up into eight positions. The 1 plays the 2, the winner plays the 3, the winner plays the 4, etc., etc. The first time through the rotation the player earns one point for the win, the second time around wins are worth two points. The first player to win 7 points wins the game.

Like a horse race you can bet on the winner, place, show, trifecta, exacta, quinella and probably some other combinations that I never noticed. Most popular among our crowd was the $1 quinella boxes. You pick three teams and hope that two of the three finish in first and second. Total cost - $3.00. Perfect for broke college kids.

Now if that description is confusing, imagine having it explained to you by a 70 year-old Cuban in broken English. That’s how I learned the game. I’m pretty sure the first few times I bet I threw away winning tickets because I had no idea what I actually bet. Luckily, the quarter beers helped erase any bad memories.

Each game had a certain rhythm to it. Early in the match, when only one point is up for grabs, the crowd is disinterested, maybe a little impatient. The players tend to split points, and when they drop an easy catch or fire one out of bounds it only elicits mild grumbling from the spectators.

Then as the players rotate through and the four post or the six post has three or four points the crowd’s attention focuses directly on the players. Now each point is crucial. The player they’ve wheeled their trifecta around might not get up again if he loses this point.

Now when the pelota clangs off the cesta (curved, wicker catching device) on an easy passing shot the suddenly hostile crowd shares their displeasure vocally, usually at the top of their lungs, and in multiple languages. Most players stoically complete their walk of shame back to the caged bullpen, the caged netting between the court and the spectators now seems more for their protection then for the paying public.

On the same token tension builds during great rallies. Most points last about five or six exchanges. Anything more than that usually contains one or two great catches and throws. The iconic image of a a jai alai player scaling the wall to make a catch happens rarely, but when it is pulled off the crowd is delirious with joy.

Whether is was the fact that the competition was better, or that the players were putting on a show for the capacity crowd the late games on Saturday were electric. None more so than game 13 of the nights performance was the Citrus Invitational Doubles Championship.

Heavy money was spent on the favorites - Solozabal and Oyarbide from Dania Jai Alai and Goikoetxea and Irastorza from Miami Jai Alai. Unlike most matches this one would be played to ten points and at no time would the points double. That way a team wouldn’t win by a fluke play or a bad bounce. They would have to cycle through the entire roster at least two times ensuring that the best two teams would match up more than once.

Adding to the intrigue was the fact that Solozabal and Goikoetxea are brothers and formally played at Orlando. The last time we saw Solozabal play in Orlando he had an epic day where it seemed he never lost a point. Yet no one seemed to be betting on him either than Mike and myself so it was one of the few days we walked out with money in our pockets.

Irastorza, a hulking backcourter from France, played with an elegant power that led a the person behind me to exclaim, “To me watching him play is like watching Tiger Woods swing a golf club. It is perfection, he doesn’t hesitate like these other players.” The fact that the person speaking was a former champion made it even more worthwhile.

The match itself would last about 45 minutes and it was one of the most fascinating three quarters of an hour that I’ve spent watching sports. The crowd was at it’s peak, roaring out in full fury when a referee missed a clear over serve. The anger turned to cheers as the aggrieved team (Egi and Hernandez from Spain) rallied back.

Egi, diminutive even by jai alai standards, was a whirling dervish of returns. All day long he had struggled. To me it seemed he was unnerved late in the matinee session when local whipping boy Gino struggled with a return and whipped a shot that missed the back of Egi’s head by about 3 inches.

I have never seen a major injury during my years of watching, the worst injuries being a blown out knee and a player taking a shot in the taint. If the ball had hit Egi I probably would have seen my first jai alai related death.

Gino is a large man who throws with great force, but as the guy behind me said, “He never knows where it’s going on the wall.” Gino also has a bit of a temper and just enough talent to have people bet on him only to let them down with a throw into the pad that marks the out of bounds area.

Part of the joy of going to Orlando was watching the crowd turn on Gino and Gino’s response to the crowd. For the most part the players take the abuse as fines and suspensions can be levied for inappropriate outbursts.

Gino didn’t care about that so much. On one occasion we saw his first match back from a suspension for reacting to the crowd. After being yelled at by a fan for most of the night (one voice can be quite loud when the fronton was empty) Gino finally snapped and yelled back at the heckler and fired off a single finger salute. We’re pretty sure he earned another suspension.

As I was saying, during the climatic match Egi was on fire, making several seemingly impossible saves off the fast Orlando wall. The best save of the night was off a carom (a kill shot that is thrown at high speed with the pelota ricocheting off of the front and side walls at a sharp angle) that I thought was destined to kill the middle referee. He caught and returned it passed the surprised front courter on the opposing team to win the point. The crowd was ecstatic.

Needless to sat Egi and Hernandez won the championship to the delight of everyone, even those that didn’t bet on him. For one night jai alai was back and I was able to see what it was like during it’s hey day of the ‘60s (minus the well dressed crowd). Perhaps, instead of focusing on the loss of another fronton I should remember the screaming delight of the crowd celebrating that shot.

So while I‘m sad that I can‘t make the drive over to Castleberry anymore I am glad that I have the memories from Saturday and from the years before. I started this post by borrowing from Garth Brooks so I’ll end it by corrupting the words of former Tampa Jai Alai announcer Mark Biero. For the last time - Bye, Bye Orlando Jai Alai.

A Setback Can Be A Set Up For A Comeback

2009-12-10T19:25:00.001-05:00

So the Lightning lost to Edmonton on Wednesday. Not only that, they also lost their top two goal scorers in Steven Stamkos and Ryan Malone. Time to panic? Probably not. Word from Lightning organization is that they are both listed as day-to-day, Malone with a “lower body injury” and Stamkos with an “upper body injury”.

Of course Mattias Ohlund was day-to-day as well and he missed about two weeks. Can this team afford to lose half of their offense for two weeks? The two forwards have scored 33 of the teams 75 goals, quite a healthy percentage for two players. It could be a rough stretch for the team. Of course, the team is already in a bit of a rough stretch as they have been defeated six times in their last seven outings.

Rather than cry out in anguish and gnash my teeth I’ve decided to find some positive in the situation. Perhaps the losing the heart of the offense will force those that have been playing below their talent will step up.

There was a sign of it in the game against Edmonton. Everyone’s favorite pass happy French Canadian winger Alex Tanguay fired two shots at the goaltender. That’s right two whole shots. It doesn’t seem like much until you realize that two shots were one more than he had in the previous three games.

Vincent was a force in the face off circle winning 20 of 29, including both of his face offs in the defensive circle. He assisted on Marty St Louis game opening goal, deking goalie Jeff Deslauriers with a shoulder fake before dishing a no-look pass to the diminutive winger.

Will Lecavalier step up his game now that he might be the go to goal scorer? After all his last season with 40 goals was the year before Stamkos arrived on the team. It’s a wild theory, but perhaps he needs to be the focus of the offense in order to succeed.

This is all speculation of course, the two offensive cogs could truly be day-to-day and only miss a game or two. The local fish rags are already saying that it looks like Malone will lace up the skates on Friday in Denver and Stamkos isn’t that far behind.

Until then I’m sure fans will declare the season over, oh wait they already have?

I guess it could be 0-6 on the upcoming trip, 8 losses in a row, and 9 losses out of 10 and for the season 25 losses out of 36 games if you include ot losses & SO losses. The season is over early . . . Again
----Vincevet’s comment posted on the St Pete Times Hockey site

Oh right I forgot what town I was. Why would I think that the news would be met with optimism?

The One Where The Wasteland Declares Its Man Love for Coach Tocchet

2009-12-09T20:20:00.001-05:00

I think Rick Tocchet is quickly leaping of the ranks of my favorite Lightning coaches of all time. He still trails Torts by a considerable margin, but he has left Steve Ludzick and Jaques Demers in his dust. I know what you’re thinking, “The Bolts are losing and when a team is losing you have to blame the coach. He’s lost the locker room!”

First, allow me to digress. Whenever some random commentor posts that a coach has “lost the locker room” I have to laugh. How does some anonymous fan with no relation to the team, no relation to the players or coach know what goes on behind closed doors? It’s such a meaningless phrase. Players don’t have to like their coaches, as a matter of fact most successful coaches have just a touch of ass-holeness in them. So stop saying that.

Blaming Tocchet is the easy way out. I could probably kick out an article about how it looks like the players don’t respect him, how he makes bad decisions (Matt Smaby is the answer! Matt Smaby will solve all of their problems. Matt Smaby is Tim Tebow on skates!), and how he just has the job because he works cheap and Len Barrie owes him money.

The problem is I don’t believe any of that. I don’t agree with everything he does (most notably the power play philosophy. I think their current system cuts off too much of the ice, but that’s a story for a different day). I do, however, think he’s doing a better job then he’s getting credit for.

As I type this, seven minutes before the Bolts take the ice against Edmonton, the team sits at a record of 11-10-8. They are two points out of the playoff race and 14 points behind Washington for the division lead. The chances of catching the Caps are pretty slim, it looks like the Caps do have a solid goaltender this year as well as secondary scoring. That’s something that they’ve lacked in the last few seasons.

Last season at this point the team had a record of 6-12-8 and wouldn’t win their 10th game for another two weeks. The team had fired Barry Melrose a month earlier and were just starting their roster shakeup that would last all season long. The Vinny trade talks were in full bloom and a sense of chaos reigned in the ownership box.

This season he is coaching a team that has seen has had it’s entire blue line reconstructed from the ground up. The two players that were supposed to lead the offense have nine goals - combined. The preseason goalie has been shaky at best and one of the top four defenseman has been missing for the last month.

Despite that they are still in the hunt for a playoff spot, a position that many critics didn’t think they would come close to this year. Yet the cry of “Fire the Coach!” still echoes across the blog-o-sphere.

So why am I taking the contrarian view? ‘Cause I’m a trouble maker of course! Actually, it’s because of something I saw on Monday night. After having a strong first half of the game the team almost on a whole faded. Instead of playing out the game and rotating his normal lines, Tocchet cut his bench in half and rotated two lines - the bottom two lines of his roster.

It was Steve Downie, Paul Szczechura, James Wright, and Zenon Konopka getting the extra playing time while Lecavalier, Tanguay, Stamkos and St Louis sat on the bench and felt shame. A lot of coaches say that they’re going to make players accountable, but rarely follow through. Tocchet followed through.

Not only that, he drastically shuffled the lines. Lecavalier was reunited with St Louis and Ryan Malone. Stamkos was paired with Szczechura and the human dynamo Steve Downie. Alex Tanguay was demoted to a line with Jeff Halpern and James Wright.

Since corporal punishment has been outlawed and a coach can’t fine a player for lazy play the only thing Tocchet can really do is to bench players who aren’t performing. During the past week the players that weren’t performing were the top lines. Even second year sensation Steven Stamkos has seen his play drop off in recent days. Vinny stopped skating and takes lazy penalties. St Louis has been a mess on the point on the power play and is stuck in a nine game goalless streak.

Kenopka, Wright and Downie (dubbed the AHL line by my buddy Big Mike) had been their best line. Their only problem is they can’t score, no matter how long they keep the puck in the zone. I think they could have an empty net and would manage to rattle it off a post, but they play hard. They cause turnovers and dig in the corners for pucks.

What must really be galling for Tocchet is the lack of offensive toughness that the top lines display. As a player who was a grinder, hard-nosed, worked in the trenches, etc., etc. to have to watch players who drift on the periphery of the circles, who dish off passes when they’re in front of the net must be extraordinarily difficult.

Why goalies even think that Lecavalier is going to shoot when he’s on a two-on-one is baffling. Vincent has admitted that he’s lost confidence and it shows. Even in the game against Edmonton (where the reshuffled line scored a minute into the game) he dished off the puck instead of shooting it. The good news is that Marty fired it at the net (and scored) instead of trying to pass it back to Lecavalier.

We might be seeing the evolution of Lecavalier. Instead a 50 goal scorer perhaps he’s going to be a premier set up man a la Joe Thornton. That will be fine as long as he’s paired with someone who’s willing to actually shoot off of his set ups.

That’s the problem Tocchet is facing right now - finding the right chemistry for his offense. The chances of a trade bringing in any new blood is remote. He is going to have to make do with the team he has, a team that isn’t really that bad. The defense seems to have settled into a steady, if not physical, presence. The goaltending is solid and there is talent on the front lines. If they can stay in the race with Malone and Stamkos scoring half of their goals just think how they will do when St Louis shakes off his current slump?

Oh and for all of those braying “Fire Tocchet” it’s not going to happen. The club is already paying two ex-coaches, I wouldn’t bet on them paying a third.

Quick Hits Monday Night Football Edition

2009-12-07T23:37:00.002-05:00

- The Lightning Weekly Roundup is postponed until I can think of something good to say about the team. After watching Monday's game against the Caps it might be awhile.

- Why would the Rays trade one bad contract (Pat Burrell) for another (Milton Bradley)? Throw in Bradley's on the field antics and the fact that the Rays would be on the hook for two more years instead of just one for Burrell and it becomes even more puzzling. Even if the Cubs picked up 70% of the contract the headaches that come with the Bradley would not be worth it.

- That being said, I would have to consider the rumoured BJ Upton and Wade Davis for Roy Holladay deal. I don't see the Blue Jays taking it but if it's on the table I think the Rays have to do it. Picking up one of the elite starters in the league immediately puts the Rays back into contention.

- The Ravens are done. As I'm typing this they are down 10 and Joe Flacco just threw his 2nd interception in as many passing attempts. There are just too many holes on this team (weak secondary, ineffective passing game, inability to make a stop on 3rd down, no big play receiver) to make a serious playoff run.

- If I get to be the O's GM this offseason I forget about big time names and sign Nick Johnson to a two year deal, Joe Crede to a one year deal, and make a run at Rich Harden. That gives you a year to develop the young corner players (Brandon Snyder and Josh Bell) and saves money for next year's much more attractive free agent crop.

Upper Deck Review - Hockey Cards!

2009-12-06T13:43:00.008-05:00

As the calendar turned to December I treated myself to a little gift. It’s amazing what a relief a steady paycheck is. Of course, some of that pay had to be turned into cards. So after a short perusal of the internet I picked up a box of 2009-10 Upper Deck Hockey Series 1. The flagship product always delivers on sharp photography, nice selection of rookies and a couple of hits.

For just over $60 I was looking forward to six Young Guns rookies, two game used memorabilia cards and a smattering of other inserts. The case hits (otherwise known as cards I wouldn’t be getting) are an oversize Playmakers jersey swatches, Cleary Canadian Die-Cut Acetate cards or Clear Cut Trios Acetate cards.

So how was the break? To sum it up in a word: typical.

Typical for me means I didn’t get cheated out of any cards, didn’t pull anything mind blowing and my “hits” were average. It also means I didn’t get any Vincent Lecavalier cards. That didn’t bum me out too much since his base card isn’t in series one.

Let’s take a look at what I did get.

Young Guns:

With a deep rookie crop this year I was holding out for at least one of the big names (Victor Hedman, Jonathon Tavares, Matt Duschene). I didn’t get any of them. Despite that at least three of the rookies I got were having decent seasons. Jamie Benn, Tyler Myers and Jason Demers are all in the top 20 for scoring for rookies.

Random Inserts:

Marc Staal Exclusives - a parallel of the base set that’s numbered out of 100.
Mike Green and Pavel Datsyuk All-World Team - Typical Hockey Insert that celebrates the geographic diversity of the league.

Radom Inserts II:

Eric Staal Top Guns: Tops scorers in the league with a fighter jet motif.
Pavel Datsyuk and Mark Messier Draft Day Gems - An insert set that explores some of the greater players that weren’t first round picks.

Lightning Cards:

According to the checklist the only base Lightning card I didn’t get was Marty St Louis. The inclusion of Noah Welch is a bit odd and a sharp reminder of the vast array of blue liners that rotated through the roster last year.

Hey isn’t that?

As I said Vincent was not in the checklist for Series One, but that didn’t keep him from popping up on two base cards. Bonus Vinny!

Last but not least - the game uses cards:

Michael Frolik and Francis Bouillon UD Game Jerseys. Now don’t go crazy offering huge money for these cards. They aren’t for sale….they are, however, available for trade. That goes for any of the inserts you see listed here.

The numbers:

Total inserts: 13
Young Gun Rookies: 6
Duplicates: 0
Base Percentage (not counting Young Guns): 169/200 ( 85%)

Final Thoughts:

A solid box for the cost. Anytime one box gets you almost the entire set you can’t be upset if you’re a set builder. Big hit hunters know that they should stay away from any base product so it’s not geared towards them. Nothing shocking I grade the box as a solid second line winger*.

* Please note that the Wasteland’s grading system is completely arbitrary and has no basis in reality.

My Two Cents on The Tale of Tiger's Trouble

2009-12-02T20:56:00.005-05:00

"You know, we really have something special here. Let’s not ruin it for the game, because the game is bigger than Tiger or anyone else in it.

Athletes and celebrities are human beings. They are going to have arguments with their wives or girlfriends. They are going to make mistakes in judgment. "In our society, we tend to build our athletes up, ostensibly just so we can tear them down. This is stupid. One day he is the greatest hero in the world for winning the Masters by a record-shattering 12 strokes, and the next day he is target practice"
---Earl Woods, Playing Through

I told myself I wouldn’t write about the Tiger Woods saga until a legitimate news source reported the news. He had earned that much at least. You can call me a cranky old man but I don’t consider TMZ or The National Enquirer as legitimate sources. With the release of Woods’ apology earlier today we can assume that the basic nature of the story, if not the sordid details, are true.

It appears the greatest golfer of this generation, perhaps the greatest golfer of any generation, was not faithful to the institute of marriage.

Am I outraged? No.
Am I going to stop watching golf? Much to the dismay of my better half - no.
Am I going to boycott Nike, Gillette, EA Sports, Rolex, American Express, etc? No.
Am I shocked? A little bit.

I’m not shocked that Tiger cheated on his wife, I’m shocked that a news story finally penetrated the fortress of silence that is Woods’ personal life. Until he wrapped his fender around a fire hydrant the negative stories about the world’s best golfer were limited to:

1. He swears on the course.
2. His caddy broke things like cell phones.
3. He chased women and told dirty jokes when he was 21 years old.
4. He didn’t like to lose.

So he was basically a guy.

Now it seems he was a guy with a rather healthy libido. He didn’t rob a bank or buy alcohol for minors. He didn’t call the Pope a fraud. He didn’t say that Hitler was misunderstood. He cheated on his wife. I’m not saying that cheating on your wife is ok, I’m saying it’s not worth the amount of outrage that we’re seeing on T.V. and on the internet.

When you’re the greatest in the world at anything - golf, baseball, debating, blogging, roshambo, whatever - you’re going to have a bit of an ego. You’re going to think you can get away with anything because, for most of your life you’ve been able to get away with everything.

That’s as deep as you need to get into the psychology of Tiger Woods. There’s no need to discuss that this was because of a “lost childhood” or that this was the desperate cry for attention from a socially awkward adult. He did because he thought he could get away with it.

Tiger Woods isn’t a saint, he isn’t a priest, he isn’t a politician or a community leader. So why should we think he is any better than Billy Joe down in the trailer park when it comes to relationships. Human’s are flawed, humans are weak. If we weren’t McDonalds wouldn’t be a billion dollar franchise and the need for lawyers would be limited to, well probably nothing.

Why we as a society any more shocked that an athlete or celebrity fails at a marriage then when one of our friend’s get a divorce? Just because they are famous? It’s hard to keep a relationship going even if you have Swedish good looks and millions in the bank.

I might argue that it’s harder when you’re famous. Us normal folk go through the trials and tribulations in realitive obscurity. If my girlfriend yells at me because I’m a lazy bastard who has never finished a housing project then I’m not going to have to read about online for the next two weeks. Through in constant travel, lots of free time and no one telling you “no” and it’s kind of amazing that all celebrity marriages don’t end in divorce.

Has anyone ever called Woods a moral role model in the first place? Does anyone know his stance on the war, poverty, abortion, gay marriage, the Irish Problem or Team Edward vs. Team Jacob? For all we know he believes in an open marriage. He and Elin could be swingers (insert your own golf joke or busted window joke here).

The point is that Tiger hasn’t set himself up to be a moral guidepost for the nation so he is going to be alright when this over. Now if this story was about someone along the lines of Tim Tebow, Kurt Warner or AC Green I would have much more outrage.

If Curt Schilling was caught fooling around (oh why God wasn’t it Curt Schilling!!!) this essay would have a much angrier tone. Simply because when an athlete or entertainer uses his fame to espouse his lifestyle choice they set themselves up for ridicule.

Tiger is playing his cards right on this one. He issued his apology and he’s keeping his trap shut as all of the allegations are unleashed. I’m sure he (or his PR team) knows that in a week or two this will blow over. That’s the beauty of the society we live in - there’s always someone else waiting to screw up right around the corner.

Anyone still outraged at Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Rick Pitino, Mike Vick, or Michael Phelps? At the time of their infractions the talking heads of the sporting world would have made you believe that Armageddon was right around the corner. THEY HAD SULLIED THE GOOD NAME OF SPORT! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

Now Tiger is going to have to endure his 15 days of torment. The media that has spent the past twelve years building him up to near mythical status will have their run at tearing him down. Is it fair? Of course not. Part of it is Tiger’s fault for being so private. If he had been a little less guarded with the press, if other flaws had been exposed earlier might the reaction now not been so drastic? Probably. After all, when was the last time a writer was outraged at a John Daly divorce.

If he struggles next year the pressure will be on. His father supposedly said that the only thing that could prevent Tiger from reaching greatness was a woman. Maybe, this will begin a downward spiral that results in Tiger putting on forty pounds and hanging out at driving ranges and betting people he can out drive them.

However, I don’t think Tiger is wired that way. If anything this might spark a “world is against me” revenge tour. If that happens all of this becomes a humorous Chris Farley Show-esque skit.

“Hey remember when Tiger was caught cheating on his wife?”
“Yeah”
“Remember when she shattered the window with a golf club and he ran over a fire hydrant?”
“Yeah”
“That was awesome!”

Isn’t it odd that all of the great ones have some flaw? Michael Jordan and gambling, Kobe Bryant and his alleged relationships with women, Mickey Mantle and his drinking, The Rock and his horrible family oriented movies. Is there something that makes athletes great that also exposes some sort social defect?

Tiger has risen to fascinating heights by being one of the most focused athletes in the world. Keeping his personal life private has been a key factor in maintaining that focus. Now that he will be spending a year fending off the sporting press and the tabloid press will he remain the same player?

Only time will tell.

And the Wheels Begin To Turn

2009-12-01T18:00:00.003-05:00

It was announced today that the Rays made their second off season move today as they acquired Kelly Shoppach from the Indians for a player to be named later. Is this the first move to severing ties with incumbent Dioner Navarro?

The rotund backstop is elegible for arbitration, but the thinking around the blogs is that the Rays will now non-tender him and grant him his free agency. Last season was a major step back for the former Yankee super prospect as his average dipped 77 points from a career best .295 in 2008 to a career worst .218.

Preceding the season long slump was an arbitration hearing last season that the Rays won. Despite the claims that process was fair, it seemed that Navarro was bothered that the Rays didn't think his season was worth a $2.5 million pay day (the Rays won at $2.1 million).

So how does this compare to the Aki! deal earlier this winter? Well, for one I'm not outraged by it. I was never a fan of Navarro. He had a tendancy to have moments of sheer laziness on the field. I've never seen a major league catcher have as many passed balls on fastballs as Navi did last season.

While he does have a strong arm, Shoppach isn't that much of a drop off. Navarro threw out about 27% of would be base theives last season (22 out of 83) while Shoppach nailed 23% (15 out of 64). Their fielding percentages were almost identical (.994 for Navi to .992 for the new guy).

This isn't a case of the Rays dumping a veteran for a young prospect either. Navarro is actually a few years older than Shoppach. Nor is it a salary dump. There's a good chance that the right-handed hitting Shoppach will earn more this year than Navi.

Rather this is the nDRO realizing it's time to cut the strings with a player who rarely lived up to his potential.

Going Broke Ten Cents at a Time

2009-11-29T12:24:00.006-05:00

With some cash in my pocket and a cool breeze in the air I visited the ol’ flea market. For $13.00 I walked away with 60-some cards and 3 “hits”. I figure that’s better odds then plunking down $10.00 for a blaster. Most of the cards were for my personal collection, but I also saw some cards that fellow bloggers might find intriguing. If you see anything you like just let me know!

Let’s start off with a couple of cards for my player collections.

2007 SP Carl Crawford. The nice thing about Mike is that he doesn’t always sort his 10 cent boxes very well. Chances are he would have this one in the $1.00 “Rays” Box normally.

1997 Donruss Studio Peter Bondra. Look at the hair. LOOK AT IT! Glorious! Bondra is my new project. He was one of the more underrated players in the 90’s, the dead puck era of hockey, and he was one of my favorites early in my hockey fandom. Since his hey day was before the proliferation of inserts, autos and game worn relics I figure I have a reasonable chance of collecting most of his cards.

Next up are a couple of Eddie Murray’s. Sadly, these cards are post mutton chops for Eddie, but I didn’t have them so I picked them up.

1986 Topps All Star - Is that a smile? Nice to see on the normally reserved hall of famer.

1987 Fleer “Limited Edition” Was anything limited in the late 80’s?

The quest draws closer to an end

2008 Allen & Ginter Coco Crisp. Another card off the list. Mike had a bunch of Ginters this week, sadly only one that I needed. I’m starting to think I might actually finish this thing off.

Random Orioles and cards for bloggers - This was the bulk of the cheap cards that I bought today. Always nice to add O’s cards to the pile.

I have an idea of where the others are going, but if you see something you like send me an email.

1994 Stadium Club Mike Mussina - He’s in an igloo with ice picks behind him. O.K.

1979 Topps Billy Smith - This reminds me of the poses we had on photo day during my rec league days.

2004 Upper Deck Play Ball Luis Matos - Hopefully the days of thinking that Luis Matos and his ilk are the “answer” to the O’s problems are over. The outfield seems set for the next few years with Markakis, Jones, Reimold and Pie running around the lush green grass of Camden Yards.

The “Hits”

2004 Topps Blue Chip Clint Nageotte Auto - This card was basically free. I don’t know why I picked it, perhaps it’s the horrible looking auto or the fact that the back states that he is a “master of a hard slider”.

1967 Topps John Miller - When I have a couple of extra bucks in my pocket I tend to buy the oldest Oriole card Mike has. Today’s winner - John Miller

2008 A& G Jay Gibbons Bat Relic - He may be a disgraced former supplement user who wrote a letter to every major league team asking for a tryout, but he’s still an Oriole and it’s still a cheap relic.

Those were just a random selection. I also picked up some 1983 Topps (including a Kent Hrbek for 10 cents) and a couple of 2007 Allen & Ginters.

The old guy looking for cards next to me had a laugh when I whipped out the circa-2000 Palm that I keep my list of cards needed to check the Ginters. He had an old spiral notebook that he kept his needed’s in. A difference in generations I guess. I assume some kid out there has the info on his iPhone, wonder if there’s an app for that?

Topps Hockey Cards....errr Collectable Playable Cardboard Piece Things

2009-11-25T14:36:00.002-05:00

As I’ve spent the last few days flipping through my hockey collection in order to eliminate as much of it as possible, I’ve come to realize how much I miss Topps hockey cards. That’s not to say I think Upper Deck does a bad job, but it was nice to have some variation in designs and photos. Hockey Stadium Club is simply outstanding. Perhaps in the future, when the single license fad has passed, we might see it again.

For now there is only one product on the shelves that combines hockey players and Topps historic logo - Topps Puck Attax. Modeled after the popular Match Attax football (soccer to us colonists) and the Topps Baseball Attax that was released this year to little fanfare, it has small photos of the players and offense and defense ratings.

Oh and they’re round. Like a hockey puck.

I’m assuming they skirt UD’s NHL exclusivity contract by touting these as game pieces instead of trading cards, but hey they’re made out of cardboard and have photos of hockey players on ‘em so I took a shot.

Here are the results:

As usual no Vincent Lecavalier cards, but I did get a Mattias Ohlund. The veteran blue liner is nursing an ankle injury, but hopes to return soon. He was also recently named one of Tampa Bay’s “Hot 20 Under 40” So he’s….ummm….yeah got that going for him.

Sixteen “cards” in total including a couple of shiny chrome versions and one gold chome. As you can see it’s not going to set the world on fire with action photos, but they’re not too bad. I might send some out to be signed, it’s nice to send something slightly oddball out. The starter pack was only about 5 bucks.

Will I go for the whole set? I don’t know. With booster boxes at about $35.00 on Dave and Adams I might throw in a box just to see if I can pull some more Lighting players.

The Lightning (semi) Weekly Round Up

2009-11-23T18:13:00.002-05:00

The Weekly Roundup

Weekly Record: 3-3

Overall Record: 9-12, 2nd in the Southeast, 6 points behind the Caps

Wasteland +/-: -1

Key Injuries: Paul Ranger - Personal Reasons, Mattias Ohlund - ankle

Highlight: Goal of the Year

Disappointed By: I was already to write Andrej Meszaros’ name here and then he goes and starts playing well again. I guess that’s what I get for skipping a week. So instead I’ll go with the Lightning’s TV schedule. The last week has seen at least three games that weren’t televised (including Sunday’s OT win against the Thrashers).

If you’re not going to televise every game why not skip a few home games. Of course, I’m sure there were some fiscal concerns when it came to making the decision. Not showing the games from the Bolts longest west coast trip probably saved the organization a nice bit of money. In the long run it might be the smart thing to do, but it definitely irritates an already restless fan base.

According to my refrigerator magnet schedule there are 11 more games that aren’t being televised. Five of those games are road games (including the next to last game of the season). Some of those game may have been picked up by Channel 44 (You’ll find your friends on UPN FORTY-FOUR!)

With a struggling football team and no basketball team this is the time that the Bolts have to do everything in their power to win over new fans. To me that means showing as many games as possible. If this team is still in the playoff hunt come late April there will definitely be a much louder outcry from the bandwagon fans.

Surprised By: Steven Stamkos. The sophomore sensation keeps on ticking along. Most impressive was a blurb in today’s St Pete Times where Stamkos reveals that he pushed himself to make a difference from the first shift of the game on Sunday. It’s easy for players to get motivated by others (hello Mr. Lecavalier), the players that can motivate themselves tend to stand apart.

Playoff Confidence: 65%. Another road trip where the Bolts picked up a majority of the points available. It would have been nice to see a couple of outright wins against the struggling Ducks and Canes, but at this point they have to take what they can get.

Pet Peeve of the Week: Not saying hello on the phone. I make about 60-70 phone calls a day and you would be surprised to find out how few people say hello. I understand that you’re busy, but come on people it takes a second and makes the world a little bit of a better place.

Your 30 Second Ravens / Colts Preview

2009-11-22T11:28:00.003-05:00

It seems to me that this game always means more to Baltimore fans than it does to Indy fans. Probably because the Colts own the Ravens over the past few years (6-0).

This year, well it doesn't look good for the Ravens. The once vaunted defense is still better than most, but it isn't among the elite anymore. They will need to get pressure on Peyton early and often. The most important part, let's call it the Wasteland's Miller Lite Key of the Game, is tackling. The Ravens cannot afford to miss any tackles. No YAC!

On offense they will need to take advantage of an injury-riddled Colts defense. That means Clayton can't drop any passes, Kelly Washington needs to show up and Derrick Mason needs to be Derrick Mason... i.e. catch the ball on third down.

They need to keep it close because they do not have the offense to play catch up.

So I'm hoping the Ravens can pull this one off, but I have my doubts. Final score Colts 27 Ravens 23.

The news of this blog's passing have been only slightly exagerated

2009-11-21T08:34:00.005-05:00

Wow. I forgot how hard it was to work and blog at the same time. I was spoiled by my recent forced sabbatical. Regardless, I'm back now. What pulled me back in? Why a little, yellow padded envelope in the mailbox of course.

Compliments of Jeremy from No One's Going to Read This blog.

First up. A couple of Rays from the Goodwin Champions Set. These are actually the first Goodwin cards I've owned this year. For some reason I didn't chase this set. Now that I have disposable income again will I buy a box or two? Don't know (especially since UD Hockey is next on the table).

Shields struggled a bit in 2009 and wasn't helped by a lack of run support. However, if he is to be the leaded of the staff he needs to notch more than 11 wins next season.

Longoria motored along in his sophomore year. It looks like he's going to be the perennial all star the scouts pegged him to be since he was drafted.

Next up some O's.

The Markakis card is bad ass. Glad I own it now. Adam Jones looks like he just smoked a 2 iron down the middle of the fairway and Roberts just slapped a double in the gap.

These guys are three of the main components for the future success of the Baltimore franchise. Since it's November we can dream that the glory days are right around the corner.

Reports out of Baltimore are that the O's are looking to spend some money on free agents this season. That's...ummm...great? It figures they have money to burn in one of the weaker free agent years in recent memory. Might they be better off signing some players to one year deals and waiting for the madness that will be the Doc Halladay/ Cliff Lee extravaganza next off-season?

Who knows?

The Lightning Weekly Round-Up - Special Two Week Edition!

2009-11-09T20:41:00.001-05:00

The Weekly Roundup

Weekly Record: 3-3

Overall Record: 6-9, 2nd in the Southeast, 7 points behind the Caps

Wasteland +/-: 0

Key Injuries: Paul Ranger - Personal Reasons, Victor Hedman - Concussion

Highlight: I’m going with Rick Tocchet on this one. He’s taking a lot of heat for the way he’s called out the captain of his hockey club in the past two weeks. Not only did he demote him to the fourth line he’s also made several comments about Vincent Lecavalier’s lack of work ethic.

Frankly, it’s refreshing that Tocchet isn’t holding anything back. At the beginning of the year he said that everyone on the team is accountable and he’s being true to his word. Several times, enough that it might replace “Together We Will” as the team slogan, he has made the remark that it’s the “Tampa Bay Lightning” not the “Vinny Lightning” or the “Marty Lightning”.

With the salary that players make today the most effective way to get through to them is by reducing their playing time. In Lecavalier’s case there is history that this tactic works. Some fans might not remember this, but at one time a young coach by the name of John Tortorella butted heads with a blossoming superstar named Vincent Lecavalier.

It was exactly six years ago that COACH benched Lecavalier for his shoddy defensive play. In a post game news conference Tortorella went off,

"Interesting. It wasn't the proper call?" Tortorella said. "Let's forget about the backhand turnover that I've seen all year long, let's forget about that. What about the [expletive] effort in the end zone after watching everybody battle trying to keep the puck out of our net? Let's not even talk about instincts, let's talk about simply playing hard. I'm tired of the whining, because we've been patient. So what he says, I really don't give a [expletive]. He has got to start learning again to play with intensity and under the team concept, plain and simple. If he doesn't, he sits. I don't give a [expletive] who he is or who he thinks he is."

God, I miss that man.

After, the benching COACH and Lecavalier worked things out and the Bolts went on to have a pretty good season, that’s right they won the cup that year. Vincent didn’t have his best scoring season, but he did finish at a +23, the only season he was in the + column.

Will Tocchet get the same results? It’s too soon to say, but the enigmatic center is a +3 since the demotion.

Disappointed By: West Palm Beach. I can’t stress how much that town needs a good sports bar. Or if there is one there, they need to advertise it better.

Surprised By: Antero Niittymaki. He was signed as a stop-gap in case Mike Smith wasn’t fully recovered from his post concussion syndrome. It’s hard to say if Smith is still bothered by the injury or if he’s just struggling, but the Finnish goalie has been more than bargained for.

He’s 4-3 and has all but usurped Smith as the number one goalie in Tampa. He just hasn’t been solid, he’s been spectacular. He’s stopped 94% of the shots he’s faced and has stopped 30 or more shots in five of his seven starts. He’s stopped breakaways, 2-on-1’s, shots from the point and shots down low. The off-season hip surgery hasn’t slowed him down either.
After six weeks he’s running second in the team MVP standings (young Steven Stamkos is first).

Playoff Confidence: 61%. A decent road trip (2 wins and five points) is a step up from the previous sojourns away from the Ice Palace.

Pet Peeve of the Week Talk shows on channels that are supposed to be “all news, all the time”. I’m talking about Glenn Beck, Keith Olbermann, Bill O’Reilly, and all the rest. Regardless of your political leanings, those show’s aren’t “news”. They are entertainment. Think of them as the TMZ’s of the political world.

Trade Bait - Single Card

2009-11-08T17:47:00.004-05:00

So I'm offering this card for trade bait. Actually, I also wanted an excuse to see how scanned photos look as well. Yes after almost a year of posting I finially broke down and bought a scanner.

Heck, since I'll be working out of the house I even get to right it off. Scoreboard me!

So here you go...compliments of a 1/2 priced blaster from Target.

It's a Certified Auto of Blake Dewitt from Stadium Club. Pay no attention to the $5.00 sticker, that's on the penny sleeve.

If you have anything cool to offer for it let me know and we can work something out.

Where in West Palm can a man watch some Hockey!

2009-11-04T18:15:00.004-05:00

Stuck in a hotel with no decent sports bars within a cheap cab ride and access to only ESPN. I had to find out about the Aki trade via the ticker, not cool.

The trade was totally not cool either. After a string of successes, Friedman and Co. are struggling to keep the Rays relevant. I'll express my full thoughts a little later, in the meantime check out the Troll's reaction. Hint - it's not good.

Please do not adjust your screen. Regular programming will resume shortly.

2009-11-01T22:18:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I've spent the last week of freedom (read: unemployment) hiking around some of the local parks and enjoying the fresh air one last time.

Monday morning will find me on a plane across the state for a week of training. I'm taking my crappy laptop (the one that decides to shut down if I hit a key too hard) and try logging on and posting from the hotel.

New job = paycheck = disposable income = more cards!

The Lightning Weekly Round Up - Week 4

2009-10-27T09:58:00.000-05:00

The Weekly Roundup

Weekly Record: 1-2

Overall Record: 3-6, 9 points, 3rd in the Southeast 5 points behind the Caps

Wasteland +/-: -1

Key Injuries: Paul Ranger - Personal Reasons. The reason for Ranger leaving the team hasn’t been announced yet, but hopefully it’s something that can be fixed and he can return to the team soon.

Highlight: This was a tough one. I was torn between their first win against a quality opponent (the Sharks) or Vinny scoring his first goal. Since I am the proud owner of a Vincent Lecavalier jersey I’m going with Vinny’s goal. He scored in the dying seconds of Saturday’s game against the Sabres.

Since Coach Tocchet redistributed the scoring wealth the Lecavalier line has scored twice. That doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a dramatic improvement over the zero goals they scored in the previous seven games.

Disappointed By: The entire team’s shootout performance. It would be comical if it wasn’t costing the team points. Losing three games in shootouts isn’t horrible, not scoring a single goal in any of the shootouts is. Ten times they have skated one-on-one with the opposing goalie and ten times they’ve failed to put the puck in the back of the net.

What’s worse is that with the exception of Steven Stamkos rattling a post none of the attempts have even threatened crossing the goal line. Marty St Louis even tried his patented, backwards skating move to no avail. At some point they might as well just start ripping slap shots at the goalie.

Surprised By: Mike Smith’s performance over the past two games has been a welcome sight. Against the Sharks he picked up his first win and his game against the Sabres might have been his strongest this season. By stopping 30 of the 32 shots fired his way he‘s showed the form that makes the organization believe he has the potential to be an elite goaltender. His performance in the shootout against Buffalo, stopping five of six, silenced some of his critics as well.

Perhaps sitting out two games was a bit of a wakeup call for the big net minder.

Playoff Confidence: 60% For the first time this season the Bolts looked like they belonged on the ice with a couple of a playoff-caliber teams. Games against Ottawa and New Jersey will test them against this week.

Pet Peeve of the Week

The use of “we” when talking about a sports team. Unless you are getting a check from that team you are not part of the we, nothing you did helped them win or lose. So please stop saying things like “We really kicked butt tonight” or “If we don’t get in gear we won’t make the playoffs”.

The only exception I grant - if you are talking about a college team and you went to that school. With what it costs to go to school you’ve earned the right to feel like a part of the team.

Grrr These Guys Make me Angry!!!

2009-10-26T19:10:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, while watching Fernando Torres save Rafa Benitez’s job today I realized that no matter how much you like a certain team there are always going to be players you don’t care for playing for them. I suppose I could say hate, but that word (like the word “great”) is overused. So let’s make a list. The Wasteland’s List of Players That Make Us Angry. Grrrrrr.

Liverpool - Lucas

Of all the one named Brazilian players playing in organized soccer, why oh why did Liverpool sign this guy? Lucas, which I’m assuming is Portuguese for midfielder that wanders around and occasionally misses a pass or blasts a shot ten rows into the Kop, has been with the team since the 2007-08 season. With the departure of Xabi Alonso, Lucas has played in all of the Premier League games but has yet to find the back of the net. In fact he hasn’t even garnered an assist yet. He does not play “the beautiful game”. It’s more like a sort of confused, ugly game.

Tampa Bay Lightning - Lukas Krajicek

No, I haven’t sworn a vendetta against athletes named Lukas. Currently a consistently healthy scratch, Krajicek actually led Lightning defensemen in ice time last season. Don’t read that as being any indication of his talent, unless the talent is remaining healthy on a team that was decimated by injuries.

At 6’3” and 205 lbs, the 26-year-old doesn’t play a physical game. Nor does he play a particularly offensive game. His number one move seems to be pitch forking the puck out of his own zone into center ice. A move he uses on such a consistent basis that The Wasteland has dubbed him “The Farmer”.

Lightning fans wish him more playing time only so that a team desperate for defense might take him off the team’s hands.

Baltimore Orioles - Danys Baez

It’s not so much Baez as the fact that he’s getting paid $19 million to be an average middle reliever. Well let’s say he got paid $19 million, he’s now a free agent. Let’s see what kind of production that type of money buys:

2007 53 games 50.1 innings 0 wins 6 losses 3 saves 6.44 ERA
2008 out injured
2009 59 games 71.2 innings 4 wins 6 losses 0 saves 4.02 ERA

Wow. Even by Orioles’ standards that is a bad return on their investment.

Baltimore Ravens

This was a tough one. For one thing I pretty much like the team that Ozzie Newsome has assembled. Also, there are so many back up linebackers, special teams players, third string long snappers, etc it’s hard to get a feel for everyone on the team.

So for lack of a better choice I’m going with Willis McGahee, and it’s strictly fantasy football related. I’m starting Ray Rice in both of my leagues this year, and while he’s been one of the steals of the draft he isn’t exactly a touchdown machine. Why? Because a certain touchdown vulture by the name of Willis McGahee is taking them away!

The former University of Miami star has only 45 carries this season, yet five of those have resulted in touchdowns. He’s listed at 235lbs, but I doubt he’s more than 220 lbs and who has every heard of a goal line back who’s 6’0 220 lbs? I figure he’s cost me at least 18 points over the season.

So who else has players they don’t care for out there?

Wasteland Hall of Fame Induction Time!!!

2009-10-22T14:49:00.003-05:00

Normally, I would wait for a slow spot in the sports season to write this column, but it’s been kicking around in my head for about 24 hours so I figured I would get it out of the way now. I was editing an old column the other day and realized it’s been more than a year since anyone has been inducted into the Wasteland Hall of Fame. So I started thinking, who should join Michael Taylor in these hallowed halls?

All I know is that it had to be someone worthy. So I met with the Wasteland Hall Committee, which consists of me, The Whiteness and TimMAY. Seeing how The Whiteness and TimMAY are both cats I was able to bribe their votes with extra food (slow cooked BBQ Chicken to be exact).

Having happily sold their votes for human food they are now napping and I am writing this to announce that the newest member of the Tampa Sports Wasteland Hall of Fame is……

Joe Orsulak

Yes I know, quite a stunning selection.

Your first question, if you weren’t an O’s fan growing up in the 80’s and 90’s might be, “Who is Joe Orsulak, exactly?”

Well he was an erstwhile outfielder for Baltimore during the not so good days of 1988-1992. In his 14 year career he also spent time with the Pirates, Mets, Marlins and Expos. He wasn’t a flashy player, but you always had the sense that he tried his hardest. Few games went by where his uniform wasn’t dirty from hurling himself after a fly ball in the outfield.

It was that mind frame which endeared him to the blue collar fans in the Baltimore area. After all, look at the sports icons in that town - Cal Ripken (went to work everyday) and Johnny Unitas (rocked an awesome crew cut while redefining the modern day quarterback). It’s not a town that idolizes flash without substance. Even the current king of braggadocio, Ray Lewis, earned his keep by being among the elite linebackers of his generation.

Orsulak was the type of player who came into spring training every year fighting for his job, sure to be supplanted by Steve Finley, Chito Martinez or Stan Jefferson. While those aren’t household names to most fans, they were the prospects that were going to beat Smokin’ Joe O’ out of a spot in a given year.

Not only would he beat them out for the starting job, he would end up being one of the team’s better hitters during the season. “Better hitters” is a relative term for the O’s during his playing days.

Three times in the six seasons he was with the club the New Jersey native would lead the club in hitting. In 1988 he led with a .288 average, in 1989 he repeated the feat with a .285 average. In 1992, his last season with the club, he would lead the team with a .289 average. Not numbers that strike fear in hearts of opposing pitchers, but better than the more revered Ripken or Fruit Loop eating Mickey Tettleton.

He never played in an all-star game or led the league in any category. His name isn’t in the top 10 in any statistical stat in the O’s records book. Nor is he in the team’s hall of fame. The best stat I can find is that he gunned out 22 base runners in 1991. So why is he in this hall of fame?

Because he is was one of my favorite players when I was growing up and this is my blog. Simple isn’t it? I’m not sure why he was one of my favorites, he played the outfield and I abhorred the thought of playing out there. He was left-handed like I was, but he didn’t have the smooth swing that most southpaws display in the majors. In fact I believe John Lowenstein referred to his hitting style as a “man chopping wood, badly”.

I think it has more to do with the fact that he never played like he was entitled to anything. In this day in age where 18 year olds are handed tens of millions of dollars without recording an out in the major leagues, it’s nice to recognize a player who he had to perform his best to earn his paycheck, which according to baseballreference.com was never more than $1.3 million in one season.

To a 12-year-old kid, why wouldn’t a guy who slammed into walls and dove after line drives in the gap be among his favorites? Perhaps he did something great in a random game during my childhood that captured my attention and that’s why I rank him up there with Ripken and Don Mattingly (yes I was a bit of a blood traitor growing up). Memory tends to glorify the deeds of past heroes while dimming their actual accomplishments. I seem to recall him getting clutch hits every time he came up to bat or making game saving catches every time the ball was hit to him.

While a quick perusal of his career stats crushes those childhood memories it doesn’t mean he should go unrecognized. He represents all of the other players that kids or adults latch on to for no obvious reason. To have Joe Orsulak or Toby Hall or Spike Owen as your favorite player begs questions from other fans. If you asked someone who their favorite player was and they said “Milt Thompson”, wouldn’t you ask them why?

It’s easy to say Albert Pujols or Derek Jeter is your favorite player. They provide plenty of reasons for a fan to like them. They’re superstars on the way to the hall of fame. To me fans who’s favorite players are among the semi-known are interesting to talk to because they always have a story as to why.

I don’t know if honoring someone because they represent the common player is noteworthy, but isn’t it what baseball is all about? The elite players may garner the most press, but most teams win because of the average guy. Wasn’t Jayson Werth a prime example in last season’s World Series? While superstars Chase Utley and Ryan Howard hit .167 and .286 respectively, the much traveled Werth (a former Orioles farmhand) bedeviled the Rays all series long with key hits and stolen bases.

Orsulak isn’t involved with baseball much these days, according to a 2008 Baltimore Sun article he doesn’t go to many games because he doesn’t want to become, “one of those guys who are experts way up in the stands”. He first wife passed away in 1994 from a brain tumor, he has since remarried and continued to live his life quietly in Maryland. But for me he represents what is good about baseball, what is fun about cheering for players on teams.

Congratulations Mr. Orsulak and welcome to the Wasteland Hall of Fame.

Trade Bait!

2009-10-21T16:21:00.005-05:00

So I went to the ol' card shop today because I was feeling like spending some money. A couple of packs of Topps Update and SP Authentic satisfied the urge but left me with some inserts I did not need. So they're up for trade. If you see anything you like, leave a comment or shoot me an email (you can find it in the contact field) and we'll see what we can work out.

Batch Number 1

Top Row

Juan Marichal Legends of the Game (LGU12)
Adrian Gonzalez Topps Town Blue (TTT58)
~~Andrew McCutchen Turkey Red (TR135)~~

Bottom Row

~~Miguel Cabrera Ring of Honor (RH91)~~
Freddy Sanchez Gold 293/2009 (UH283)
Ryan Howard Faces of the Game (199) Apparently not an insert, oh well
Alex Rodriguez Gold Variation 33/299 (13)

Batch 2

Top Row

~~Zack Greinke Victory Insert (PP30)~~
Ryan Church Black Border 7/58 (UH138)
~~Pee Wee Reese Ring of Honor (RH92)~~
~~Justin Upton Victory Insert (PP19)~~

Bottom Row

Kobe Bryant 20th Anniversery Card (1634)
Dan Uggla Topps Town Blue (TTT60)
Wade Boggs Legends of the Game (LGU16)
~~Ty Cobb Turkey Red (TR101)~~

Naked Hockey? Whatever works!

2009-10-20T21:38:00.003-05:00

Like that title don't you?

A little team bonding at the end of practice, strip shootout. If a player misses on a shootout he has to remove an article of equipment. It seems Marty St Louis was in danger of frostbite by the time he scored.

Video link came from Erik Erlendsson, fearless coverer of all things Lightning related for the Tampa Tribune.

What me Worry? Nahh Vinny will be fine.....

2009-10-20T21:22:00.001-05:00

It would be easy to join the rest of the crowd and start ripping on the captain. After all he’s gone seven games and hasn’t scored a goal. If the team is struggling the simple thing to do is to point the finger at the guy banking $10 million and is getting outscored by Todd Fedoruk. But you know what? I don’t care. With more than 70 games to go I have no doubt Vincent Lecavalier will end up with at least 30 goals.

Why am I not concerned? Well the answer, my friend, is three fold.

1. Vincent is a streaky scorer.

Throughout his career there have been scoring droughts. Granted, none have been this long (14 games if you include last season). On the same token there are stretches where he scores goals at an elite rate. Even while mired in a miserable slump last season he briefly broke out in January with a 5 goal, 8 points in five games performance.

All scorers, with maybe the exception of the one they call Ovcehkin, go through slumps for unknown reasons. As long as he keeps getting his chances he will be fine. Twenty-six times he’s fired the puck towards the net which is second only to Steven Stamkos. A couple have clanged off of the pipe and he’s been robbed by good saves. Fourteen of the shots have found the goalkeeper, sooner or later they’re going to start trickling in.

The shake up of lines might help him out. He’s always enjoyed success when skating with Marty St Louis and James Wright is the type of player that can allow Lecavalier to roam a bit more. If the teenaged Wright holds up his end of being the defensive forward on the line then Vincent is free to be a little more daring offensively.

There is the possibility that the St Louis / Lecavalier combination will get too pass happy, a drawback that used to drive Coach Tortorella insane during his tenure with the team.

2. He’s healthy.

This can’t be stressed enough. The past two season’s haven’t seen a 100% healthy Vincent Lecavalier. Whether it was his shoulder or wrist something was always bothering him to some point. If there are two things a skilled player doesn’t want bothering him it’s his upper body.

His play this season has been much more physical this year and his shot has been a lot heavier. There is still probably some rust being shaken off so he might not be up to full speed for another month or so.

3. He’s doing well with the intangibles.

Well they’re not really intangible, rather the little things. He’s winning 53% of his faceoffs, he’s shooting the puck and he’s using his size to shield the opposition from the puck. He’s also staying out of the penalty box. So far he’s only been called for one penalty, and that means the more he’s on the ice the better chance he has of scoring.

When Lecavalier has slumped in the past it’s been noticeable on the ice. His body language would speak of his disappointment. Sagging shoulders, lack luster skating, turnovers are all indicators of a disinterested Vincent. His skating would be off and he would pick up lazy penalties like hooking or tripping.

So far those traits have been largely absent. He is fighting for the puck, diving to block shots (and he’s even managed to block one!) and working hard to set up his teammates. As long as he keeps the work ethic going he will break through.

Out of the six assists he has four of them have come on the power play. Though they are at a pedestrian 17% on the season as a team, their first line is lethal. It’s strong enough that a Pens fan texted me during the game on Saturday amazed at the talent they put on the ice.

Playing the point with the extra man isn’t going to lead to a ton of goals for him, bit it is where he is most effective, and it’s best for the team. As Coach Tocchet has mentioned repeatedly this isn’t the “Vinny Lighting” (I like Vinny Bay Lightning better) it’s the Tampa Bay Lighting. There is no need to move him from that spot, let Ryan Malone get the garbage goals in front, Vincent will find his where he always does - one timers from the right circle.

Is he pressing a bit now? Most definitely. It seems like he is waiting for the perfect opportunity to shoot rather than just ripping the puck at the net. Against the Panthers he had the puck in a good shooting zone (in front of the net) and the goalie was off balance. Rather then shoot he took an extra stride and allowed the defense to recover and disrupt the shot. When his confidence is soaring he trusts his inherent talent and lets it fly.

Once he lights the lamp for the first time whether is be on the power play, penalty shot, empty net, triple deflection, the floodgates will open.

Lightning Weekly Roundup

2009-10-19T21:39:00.000-05:00

The Weekly Roundup

Weekly Record: 1-2

Overall Record: 2-5

Wasteland +/-: -3

Key Injuries: None

Highlight: The win against the Panthers. Last season, going into the third period down by one normally signaled a loss for the Lightning. Forty-two times they trailed after two periods and thirty-nine times the game ended in defeat. Hopefully, the come from behind victory signals that this is a team that won’t fade in the third period.

Disappointed By: Vincent Lecavalier and Alex Tanguay. Normally, I would give them another week to find their scoring touch, but in the last few games they’ve been perhaps the third best line on the team. I’m not worried about Vincent scoring goals, he’s historically been a streaky scorer. This time next week there’s a chance he could have three or four goals. Tanguay, on the other hand, has struggled. Only one lonesome assist in seven games and just six shots. He has simply not been a factor when he’s been on the ice.

Coach Tocchet has seen enough and according to the reports from the St Pete times there will be changes. Currently Tanguay has been dropped to the forth line with Jeff Halpern and Drew Miller. James Wright is called up to Lecavalier’s line as is Marty St Louis. The coach is risking breaking up his best line (also one of the best in the NHL right now) to help Lecavalier out of his goal slump.

If this shakeup doesn’t work, perhaps it’s time to try someone from Norfolk. As of right now the Bolts aren’t carrying any extra forwards. If the offense as a whole continues to struggle perhaps an injection of new blood would shake them up. A quick perusal of the stats shows that a couple of late cuts from camp are off to hot starts. Ryan Craig (CRAIGGERRS!!!) and Brandon Bochenski have both netted 4 goals a piece in the first six Admiral games.

Surprised By: The aforementioned James Wright. He’s nineteen years old and a rookie, yet he’s showing the poise of a veteran. He might not be lighting the lamp (zero points in seven games), but he’s playing with the type of grit and tenacity that the team has been lacking.

He gets his shot with Lecavalier against the Sharks on Thursday. It’s not a bad idea, sometimes offensive lines can have too much creativity. Tanguay is a skilled offensive talent, but digging the puck out of corners isn’t his strong point. Vinny can muck it up when he wants to, but if he’s battling in the corner, the chances are he won’t be scoring many goals.

Playoff Confidence: 50%. They haven’t shown the ability to beat a top tier team yet, the two teams they beat are behind them in the standings. On the road they looked out-classed against Ottawa and Pittsburgh. They have two big games coming up this week. Both San Jose and Buffalo have gotten off to strong starts and are quick, puck-moving teams. Those types of teams have given the Lightning a fit over the last two seasons.

Pet Peeve of the Week

People who tuck sports jerseys into their pants. Back when I worked at the No Limits Fun Factory the employees were allowed to show their pride by wearing their favorite team’s jersey. It sounds stupid, but we ate it up, it was right up there with a dental plan as far as perks.

I don’t know if it was because it was an IT company, but a copious amount of employees would tuck their No. 40 Alstott shirts into their khakis or jeans. Look, there are two shirts that should never be tucked in - sports jersey’s and Hawaiian shirts. So stop it…..right now.

Quick Hits - Post Orlando Edition

2009-10-17T15:21:00.002-05:00

So I go away for a couple of days and the Lightning fall apart? I think I might be glad I didn't have a chance to watch the game against the Senators 7-1? Even I couldn't put a positive spin on that one.

Speaking of dissapointment - how about that Liverpool squad? Four losses in the BPL already. Last season they only had two defeats all season long. I have a feeling the sacking of Rafa Benitez isn't far off.

The Bucs traded Gaines Adams to the Bears for a 2nd round pick. You usually don't see too much about the Bucs on this site, but for the team to admit defeat on their 2007 number one pick is noteworthy - if just for the fact that Adams will be replaced by the wonderfully named Stylez G. White.

Two biggest needs for the Rays in the off-season? Catcher and closer.

Memo to Champs Sports Stores. If you're going to run a promotion with the Lightning make sure your stores are aware of it.

Look Who Bought New Cards!

2009-10-14T17:16:00.004-05:00

So I was working on getting out of the condo before 10.00am this morning when there was a knock at the door. It was my friendly neighborhood UPS guy. He had a box in his hand, woo-hoo! So much for going to see the Lightning practice in Brandon (didn’t really feel like driving that far anyway).

Inside the box was another box, the greatest kind of box of all. It was the kind that was filled with cards! As a present to myself for landing a new job (funemployment ends November 2nd) I bought a box of 2008-09 Upper Deck Black Diamond Hockey for about $50.00

A recently released, higher end product for less than $60.00 was right up my alley. So I commenced to ripping and here is what I received.

A mass of single diamond base cards. Nothing too fancy with these cards, basic photos with a little bit of etching on the top to make the cards feel pretty cool. Tactile cards are the best. The only major complaint I have with this set is the number of doubles. Out of 120 cards there were 22 doubles, all in the single diamond category. Boo!

The only cards with players pictured in a Lightning uniform - Vinny Prospal (cut in the off-season and now with the Rangers and Triple Diamond Rookie Vladimir Mihalik (a 6’7 defenseman manning the blue line in Norfolk for now).

There were 7 of the Double Diamonds

There were three Triple Diamond regular cards and 3 Triple Diamond Rookies. The Rookies (not pictured) were Mihalik, Brian Lee from Ottawa and Nikolai Kulemin from Toronto. Not quite Stamkos or Drew Daughtery, but some rookies are better than none.

I only received one Quad Diamond, I think one of other hits cancelled out my promised second Quad. Bobby Orr cards are always nice, look at the head of hair on that kid!

The Hits part 1:

Ruby Single of Andrei Markov 009/100
Premier Cut Single Jason Spezza (I’m a magnet for Spezza inserts)
Premier Cut Double Henrik Lundqvist

I really like the Premier Cuts, of course I get excited about any die cut cards, hey I’m easy like that.

The Hits part 2:

Gemography of Marc Antoine Pouliot
Quad Jersey of Olli Jokinen
Quad Jersey of Tim Thomas

I think the auto was the hit that replaced my extra quad diamond card. It’s a sticker auto, but the sticker doesn’t take away from the card.

The Jokinen card is nice, glad that a red swatch made it onto the card to break it up. As with a lot of Upper Deck cards of hockey players that move around he is pictured in a Panthers uniform but there is a Coyotes logo on the card. The uniform matches the photo which is nice.

The Thomas card is one of my favorite cards. Multiple color swatches, some striping, a goalie. It can’t get much better than that!

Overall, I like this set. I’m a little perturbed about the doubles, but hey it gives me some trade fodder for completing the rest of the set. For the price it’s a nice bargain, two relic cards and the chance to hit an auto as well for $50 bucks.

Of course I didn’t pull any Vincent Lecavalier cards, he is a quad diamond in this set. So if anyone out there has an extra one lying around let me know and I’m sure we can work something out. All of the hits are available for trade, or if you have nothing to offer I’m sure we can work out a nominal fee.

The Weekly Round Up - Week II

2009-10-12T13:45:00.001-05:00

The Weekly Roundup

Weekly Record: (1-2)
Overall Record: 1-3 (In the Wasteland Shootout Losses count as regular losses)
Wasteland +/-: -1
Key Injuries: Kurtis Foster - back, David Hale - flu, Mike Smith - run over by a truck.
Highlight: I think I have to go with the Ryan Malone hat trick on Saturday night. Two things that you won’t see in the box score about Malone.

1. About 6 minutes into the game a group of about 6 fans sat down behind us. One of the ladies commented, “That Malone better get his ass in front of the net, ‘cause he’s crap anywhere else on the ice!” The words alone were great, but when spoken with a Plant City-esque accent it was priceless.

2. After the puck went in the net for Malone’s third goal the crowd wasn’t quite sure what to do. One hat made it onto the ice about 30 seconds later, but it sat out there all alone for another 30 seconds until the next hat came out.

I don’t know if the crowd:
(a) didn’t realize that Malone scored the goal. After all he was dumped on the play by a Carolina player and it could have been hard to see which Lightning player touched it last.
(b) tough economic times + $28.00 hats = lack of participation
( c ) lack of hockey fan knowledge

I’m going with a little (a) and a lot of ( c ).

Disappointed By: Paul Ranger. He did pick up a goal on Saturday night, but is still plagued by inconsistency. His bad clearing attempt that led to New Jersey’s tying goal on Thursday was just the most glaring turnover he’s made so far this season.

It’s hard to say if it’s a confidence issue or if he’s having trouble with the system. It seems that he is struggling to regain his pre-injury success. At best he is their 4th best d-man (Hedman, Ohlund and Meszaros would be the top three), and could be a scratch candidate when Kurtis Foster is back.

Surprised By: Marty St Louis. I’m not sure what’s gotten into him this season, but he’s definitely playing with a chip on his shoulder. Coach Tocchet has mixed him in with Lecavalier’s line during games, but it’s blatantly obvious that he is gelling with Stamkos and Malone best. With 7 points in 4 games St Louis is on pace for a career year.

Playoff Confidence: Still hanging at 65%. Even in their win they had a 10 minute malaise that left Carolina back in the game. Their struggling on the power play as well as the penalty kill. Without improved special teams they will struggle against higher echelon teams.

Pet Peeve of the Week: I share this one with my buddy Hamel. People who get on the elevator before you get off. Look folks, the elevator isn’t going to go faster just because you push your way on. It’s not the subway.

A Calmer Look at Last Night's Loss

2009-10-09T22:08:00.000-05:00

Alright. It’s been twenty four hours since the latest Lightning loss. It’s been twenty four hours since Mike Smith was writhing around on the ice with blood streaming from his forehead. Twenty four hours since they failed to score a shootout goal, again.

Luckily for the Lightning Smith didn’t re-concuss himself in the collision, it was only his back that he thought he broke. Greeeeeaaaaat. The last thing the Bolts need is another number one goalie with a back issue a la Darren Puppa.

Smith finished the game and looked like his normal acrobatic self so it looks like he’s going to be fine. Young Victor Hedman appears to be fine as well. Two more assists were added to his season total. And they were assists that show the versatility of his game. Assist number one was a long lead pass to Steven Stamkos and the second was a nifty cross ice pass in the offense zone to Todd Fedoruk after a rush up ice.

I’m not going to focus on the fact that Fedoruk now has more goals than Captain Vincent, instead I’m going to enjoy the fact that Stamkos is picking up right where he left off last season. He now has four points (2 goals and 2 assists) in three games. One of the most impressive aspects of the young centerman’s game is his accuracy shooting. It seems that every time he fires a puck on net it is actually on net. Of course he’s been dinging a few posts as well, but at least they’re not missing by 6 feet.

There were some frustrating aspects of the game on Thursday. Chiefly the bad clearing attempts in the last three minutes of the game. Paul Ranger was the main culprit as it was his clearing attempt off the boards that was kept in by New Jersey and led to the game tying goal with less than a second to go. There were also moments in the game when the Bolts seemed to ease off going after pucks in the corners or in the neutral zone.

Both of those tendencies, the bad clearing and lazy attitudes toward loose pucks, were nauseatingly familiar to anyone who watched the team last year. The good news is that it was the exception rather than the rule. For most of the game the Bolts played with energy and passion, which as a fan is all I can ask for.

Well I could ask for a goal in a shootout every once in a while. The loss to New Jersey was the second shootout loss in a row. And for the second shootout the Lightning failed to put a puck in the net. Four different skaters have attempted shots this season (Lecavalier, Stamkos, Marty St Louis and Alex Tanguay) and all four have either missed or hit the post.

That continues a trend from last season. In that dismal season that is best forgotten they only found the back of the net 11 times out of 45 chances. There is a lot of criticism of Mike Smith in the blog-o-spheres, but it’s got to be hard for him knowing that he can only give up one shootout goal at best in hopes for the win. He does have to do better than one save in five chances, but it would be nice if his shooters spotted him one or two.

Why they’ve struggled is a mystery. They have players with a ton of individual talent so one would think that scoring one on one goals would come easy. Somehow, they haven’t been able to translate that talent into success. It seems to be a regular bit of practice and I remember Coach Tocchet saying last year that he wouldn’t have a set shootout lineup, rather going with players that had success in practice.

The good news for the Lightning is that after three games they are only three points behind the division leading Capitals. A win on Saturday would jump them right back in the race and everyone from the players, to the owners to the fans can relax a bit.

Grumble, grrrr, SERENITY NOW!!!! There will be peace in little yellow envelopes

2009-10-08T21:42:00.003-05:00

I’m going to spare you another hockey column, especially since the Lightning just managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Who gives up goals with less than a second to go? The Lightning. Who can’t score in a shoot-out? The Lightning. Take a deep breath………ok it’s all good. Move on to the next game. They’re just saving their first win for a game I’ll be attending. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

So as I was saying, how about a non-hockey post. Let’s go over some recent acquisitions I’ve received through the mail. In return for some football cards (plenty of good teams still available!) some kind readers have sent cards in return. So let’s crack open a couple of wonderful yellow, padded envelopes!!!

Envelope number one traveled all the way from Norman, OK. Jeremy from the awesomely titled No one's going to read this blog sent some cards from random cards:

Some 2009 Topps to help complete the collection

Some assorted O’s and Ray’s cards including the awesome Kellog’s Jim Palmer Sportflics that has been appearing on quite a few blogs lately.

When I got involved in the online card swapping I didn’t realize how many O’s fans were already out there, and the fact that they are some of the most prolific traders out there. I appreciate anyone who can dig up some cards from Birdland. Thanks Jeremy!

Package number two came from even farther away. Everyone’s favorite Canadian - Captain Canuck!

I found some leftover Cowboys cards and a few hockey cards that I hope he needed and in return….

A sweet Carl Crawford Bowman parallel numbered 178/500.

As always with the Captain He also sent along some wax packs. Here are a couple of the highlights.

Thanks, Captain!

I’ll be back tomorrow with more Lightning news. I really need a night’s sleep before delving further into Thursday nights game. Believe it or not there are some positives to their third loss of the season!

A new Feature on the Wasteland! It's Weekly Round Up Time!!!1

2009-10-05T21:19:00.003-05:00

There aren't many reoccuring themes on this webpage. Mostly, because I think of what I want to write about 3 minutes before I start writing it. Well, time to try something new.

For the hockey season I'm going to be posting a column every Monday tracking the Lightning's progress through the season. Why Monday? Because it gives me something to do during Monday Night Football. So without further wasting of time....

The Weekly Roundup Week One

Weekly Record: 0-1
Overall Record: 0-1
Wasteland +/- : -3

Key Injuries: Kurtis Forster. The point man on the second power play unit is out for 5-7 days with a lower back injury. It looks like David Hale will be the first choice to replace him for the upcoming games. Victor Hedman might see some time on the power play.

Highlight: Not many to choose from since they only suited up once and skated to a 6-3 loss. However, I think the honor should go to young Mr. Hedman’s first NHL point. In the second period against Atlanta he fired a nice low shot towards the net that was deflected in by Marty St Louis.

Despite being a minus 2 for the game Hedman looked comfortable on the ice all game long. He logged 26:27 in ice time (8th in the league already!) and used his size to shield off the defenders several times.

Disappointed By: Mike Smith. A couple of the goals were not his fault, but still in the end he gave up six. The two late goals killed the comeback. The Bolts will need him to step up to get to the promised land.

Surprised By: Vincent Lecavalier. He didn’t score a goal and had a couple of passes bounce off his stick. However, he played like he was healthy once again. He used his body to shield defenders from the puck, he danced through the neutral zone and he zipped passes around the ice.

What shocked me the most though was on a giveaway late in the first period. Skating out from behind his own net he lost control of the puck to an Atlanta player. Instead of giving up Vinny threw himself in front of the net to block the shot. It wasn’t necessary at Smith made the save in front of the crease, but to showing that kind of sacrifice might be an indication that he understands what the “C” on his chest means.

Playoff Confidence: 65% They outplayed Atlanta for large parts of the game. A couple of bounces their way and it might be a different story.

Pet Peeve of the Week: Announcers who use the word “a” before naming a player. As in, “If you have ‘a’ Brett Farve you know he likes to throw the ball deep”. C’mon, just say “if you have Brett Farve“, it’s not like there is more than one of him out there in the world.

The Slightly Less Than World Famous Wasteland NHL Preason Preview

2009-10-03T22:05:00.001-05:00

So while I was gone it appeared the National Hockey League got under way. Due to a lack of a inexpensive internet connection while I was in Chicago I wasn’t able to post a preseason preview before the season actually began. So on the eve of the Lightning starting with a 6-3 loss to the Thrashers I give to you my Preseason Prognostication for the NHL.

Let’s start with the Lightning. After another off-season where there was more press about the front office instead of the team on the ice it’s nice that they’re finally on the ice. General Manager Brian Lawton addressed the biggest need by totally overhauling the defense.

Four of the six starting defenseman were not with the team last year. The even better news is that they’re actually NHL-caliber blue liners. Victor Hedman, who picked up his first point on a second period assist, appears destined to be a rock on the Lightning’s defensive line for a long time to come.

They Bolts should post better numbers this season with their strengthen defense. Of course, as I started this article they gave up six goals in their season debut. It’s cool though, they’ll be better. Trust me!

Offensively, they have a true 1a and 1b pairing. The Lecavalier, Tanguay and Downie (for now) line is on the same talent level as the Stamkos, Malone and St Louis line. When they can roll those lines out for two to three minutes in a row the opposition is going to be on their heels. Anything, they get from the third and fourth line will be a bonus.

It will be interesting to see if Zenon Konopka gets into a fight in every single game this season. I would imagine 81 fights would be a record. Hopefully, he manages to win at least one of them. The job of defending the stars with their fists seems to fall with Konopka and Todd Fedoruk. They’re both willing pugilists, but not ones that will strike fear into other teams cheap shot artists.

Goaltending will go as far as Mike Smith’s head will. I mean that both physically and mentally. If his concussion problems are in the best he is definitely on his way to being an elite net minder. As talented as he is, he does get himself in trouble with his tendency to roam after the puck. He needs also to control the rebounds a bit better. His style, a mix of butterfly and Hasek-like aerobics, tends to leave him vulnerable to rebounds.

Overall, I see them finishing anywhere from 8th-10th in the Eastern Conference. With a playoff push and the foul stench that emanates from Raymond James Stadium I believe they’ll be the darlings of Tampa Bay this winter. By the way I love saying “winter” in Florida. Winter means three days of 40 degree weather and the sun dipping behind the clouds for more than 6 minutes.

Since I only spent six paragraphs on my season preview I figure I owe you some other random predictions.. As always I’ll review this after the season to see how I did.

Number 1:

The Penguins will not repeat as Stanley Cup champions (sorry Link). I have a feeling that the winners will come out of the west this year. For fun let’s say the San Jose Sharks get over their playoff woes and ride the wave to the Cup.

Bonus prediction regarding the Pens. Serious talk will circulate about Crosby or Malkin getting traded. It will replace the “Vinny Traded to Montreal” headlines in Canada.

Number 2:

Dany Heatley equals success in San Jose while Marion Hossa equals angry Blackhawk fans in Chicago. Heatley will thrive with Joe Thornton setting him up and playing without the pressure that comes with suiting up for a Canadian team.

Hossa’s injury is going to get him off to a rough start in Chicago and they’ll struggle to find chemistry in the clubhouse. His name will be bandied about come trade deadline time.

Number 3:

The Phoenix Coyotes off ice troubles will extend to their performance on the ice. They will be drafting first next June. The best that they can hope for is to settle the ownership situation. Hey maybe once Oren Koules buys out Len Barrie, then Barrie can get his investors together to buy the ‘Yotes. After all, he’s been approved once as an owner, there’s no reason he can’t be approved again, right?

Number 4:

James Wright doesn’t get sent back to juniors. I must say that I didn’t follow him too closely in training camp, but based on his performance in Game 1 I think he’s here to stay. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Bolts put him on a plan similar to Stamkos’ last season where he gets the occasional game off to watch from the press box.

Number 5:

My plus/minus will be -15 this season. A little background:

When the Bolts won the Stanley Cup it seemed that every time I turned on the radio or TV the Lightning scored a goal. So after a couple of seasons I decided that maybe I should track the goals scored vs. goals given up. The rules are simple - any goal regardless of power play, penalty kill counts. Empty net goals count as well. The only goals that don’t count are shootout goals.

My record so far:

2007-08: -25
2008-09: -29
2009-10: -3 (not a great start)

There ya go. You’ve just seen what I’ve seen in my crystal ball.

The Long and Winding Road Trip

2009-09-21T15:32:00.002-05:00

Tonight marks the beginning of the Lightning’s wacky road trip across North America. For some reason they thought it would be a grand idea to play four games in four nights and five games in seven days. Not only did they decide to do this, but why play at home when you can score sweet frequent flyer miles on the road? According to the St Pete Times the trip will cover 6,803 miles and feature games in Regina, Saskatchewan (that’s in Canada for our American readers) Everett, Washington, Loveland, Colorado, Winnipeg (again Canada), Norfolk, Virginia, and Atlanta, Georgia.

While it’s great for hockey fans in those towns to see some NHL hockey it’s going to be brutal on a young team that is featuring many new players. Last season, the team managed a sluggish start due in part to it’s road-weary beginning in Prague. Of course, the sluggish start was mostly to Barry Melrose’s lack of coaching, but a small part can be, and was blamed on their road trip.

Game action is nice for evaluating talent, but it doesn’t give the coaches chances to work on areas of the game that need refining. How sharp can a team be in a morning skate after three consecutive nights of games? Think of the bleary-eyed participants in a morning session discussing the power play after a night game followed by a red-eye flight from Washington state to Colorado.

For a team that was plagued last season by an ineffective power play and a stung together defense time going over fundamentals is important. Rick Tocchet’s plan of “pick[ing] a couple of points and be good at them and worry about the rest later” is kind of troublesome. Especially the “worry about the rest later” part.

That plan is eerily similar to Melrose’s “throw the best players out there and let them figure it out” doomed strategy from a year ago. Less games and more focus on the power play (which went 1-8 during Friday’s tilt against the Thrashers) would seem more prudent with this team. After all you’re not paying Adam Oates to fix the power play from the press box. Wait, they’re not paying Adam Oates? Oh well, you get the point.

The Lightning traveling party will include all forty-two players still in camp. That many folks are necessary since the NHL has an agreement with it’s players that they can’t suit up for games played on consecutive days in training camp. So some ice time is going to be dedicated to players that have no shot of making the team.

Playing against other NHL teams will provide good experience for prospects such as Dana Tyrell and Carter Ashton. It does, however, come at a cost. Ice time at game speed is important for line-mates to get accustomed to each other. Vincent Lecavalier, Alex Tanguay and there still to be determined third right winger need time together on the ice to become better acquainted with each other.

Of course, finances could be behind this trip. According general manager Brian Lawton the box office receipts from the arena’s should cover the costs of the entire training camp. That’s nice, it probably keeps ownership from selling ad space on the jerseys or naming rights for the team (The Outback Steakhouse Tampa Bay Lightning does have a nice ring to it).

Luckily, the Bolts have five days off upon return from their Homeric odyssey and seven of the first eleven regular season games will be at the Ice Palace. Will it be enough time to rest their weary bodies and find a key to a successful power play? Will the road trip help them determine their defensive pairings? Will Victor Hedman average 30 minutes a game by the end of the trip? At this point the trip seems to be providing more questions then answers. Hopefully, by the time the questions are answered the team won’t be too far behind in the standings.

Hoc-key! Hoc-key! Hoc-key!

2009-09-18T14:37:00.000-05:00

Good times are around the corner. I wish I could say that there was a crisp chill in the air to herald in the new season, but I live in Florida. That means instead of cool September nights we get the height of hurricane season. The good news is that September also means hockey is here.

Tonight, compliments of the outrageous amount of free tickets the Lightning have given away, I will be attending their only preseason home game. Decked in my new Vinny jersey (the first named jersey I’ve owned) I will be watching the Bolts take the ice against division rivals Atlanta Threshers.

A couple of questions will be addressed tonight. First, how will Mike Smith fare in his first live game action since January. He is slated to play the first two periods and the coaches will be looking at more than the box score to judge how his performance is. His recovery from post concussion syndrome is the biggest key to the Lightning’s season.

Question number two revolves around the captain. More specifically who will play on his line. The newest Bolt, Alex Tanguay, will be on his left wing. Tryouts for his other wing will take place over the next three weeks. The first contestant will be young Carter Ashton. Ashton, the second pick in this year’s draft, was a dark horse to make the team. If he isn’t overwhelmed by the speed and physicality of the NHL he could be the perfect match for the prolific Lecavalier. As a large body in front of the net he would be useful in banging home rebounds or redirecting Vinny’s shots from the circles.

Victor Hedman will be making his home debut after playing 700 minutes against Dallas on Wednesday. The Big Swede hopefully won’t log 27 minutes like he did against the Stars. While it’s nice to see the coaches have confidence in him, there’s no need for him to be worn out in the pre-season.

These games don’t count, unless someone gets hurt, but it will be nice to see how the team looks on the ice. With the Rays and O’s grinding out disappointing seasons and the Ravens only playing once a week it’s nice to see the return of hockey on a semi-daily basis.

Saving the Postal Service one package at a time

2009-09-12T15:38:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to thank readers Captain Canuck, Anthony K, Mike from JD's Wild Cardz and Wicked Ortega. They are the latest to take football cards off of my hands. The packages are all in transit as of today.

Plenty of good teams still available...where are the patriot fans at?

Contest! Non Sports Related Content! Excitement!

2009-09-09T20:52:00.001-05:00

So despite not having a job or a steady paycheck I decided to blow some of my savings on Beatles related merchandise today. I am now the proud owner of Beatles Rock Band, and the remastered releases of the White Album and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Was it worth it? Hell-to-the -yes! Plus I had a five dollar coupon! Woo-hoo!

I took Rock Band out for a quick test drive this afternoon (after I finished my chores) and it was awesome. The only problem is that I’m distracted by the backgrounds and keep missing keys. Oh well, it’s worth it. I can’t wait to get some people together and have a full on band jam.

As far as the new albums, there is a noticeable difference between the old discs and the new ones. I had the White Album blasting in the Mini Cooper while I ran about town and it was fantastic. I’m not enough of an audiophile to explain the differences other than to say the new disc packs a lot more oomph.

So now I have a bit of a conundrum. I have two copies of the White Album and Sgt. Peppers. So what should I do? Give the old copies away of course! The only way to give something away is through a totally half-assed contest. So here it is:

Justin G’s Beatles Giveaway Trivia Contest

First to post the most correct answers in the comments field wins both discs and maybe I’ll throw some random packs of cards in the envelope. Each blank is worth one point. If there is a tie, I’ll come up with some sort of tie breaker question. Entries have to be in by Friday at midnight.

Here we go:

1. ________ played lead guitar on “While my Guitar Gently Weeps”. He was also briefly considered as a replacement when George quite the band later on.

2. During the recording of the White Album Ringo briefly quit the band and went boating in Sardina. While he was gone ________ played the drums on "Back In The USSR".

Bonus Question: While Ringo was on the boat what song did he start writing? Hint: the song would appear on Abbey Road.

3. “Dear Prudence” was written for _________ sister. After joining the Beatles in India and studying meditation the band was afraid she was suffering from depression when she locked herself in her room. John wrote the song to remind her how beautiful the world was.

4. Paul wrote “Why don’t we do it in the road” after seeing two ______ having relations in the middle of the road.

5. Desmond bought Molly a ______ karat golden ring.

6. ______ is the official name of the White Album.

There ya go. Seven possible points. Good luck.

Reminder - The Great Football Giveaway

2009-09-05T15:04:00.003-05:00

I'm still trying to clear out the card closet and all of my football cards are up for trade.

Honestly, I'm not looking for much in return. The goal, after all, is to reduce the collection. As a matter of fact all I want is one card. That card may be, in order:

1. A Carl Crawford Card
2. A Vincent Lecavalier Card
3. A Baltimore Orioles relic or auto card (or otherwise shiny card)
4. A Tampa Bay Lightning relic, auto, or shiny card
5. A Tampa Bay Rays card, relic, auto, etc. etc.

For most teams I have about 200 cards from the mid 2000's and you would get anything that has that teams logo on it, rookie cards, auto cards, serial numbered cards, etc. I'm not holding onto anything.

If you're interested click here for the teams that are available and then shoot me an email. First come, first served.

Beckett Isn't Evil Incarnate, Please keep your displeasure at a dull roar

2009-09-03T17:40:00.002-05:00

There’s a lot of noise in the blog-o-sphere in regards to one of the institutions of the card collecting community - Beckett. Unfortunately for them most of the talk is negative. Reading some blogs would make you think that the editors went around kicking dogs and kissing other people’s girlfriends. Yes Virginia card collectors have girlfriends - some even have wives! GASP!

It’s easy to bash on others, especially when they do things that are inexplicable. I’m not here to defend Beckett or their practices. What I would like to do, however, is see if there is a way for them to make the transition back to relevancy for the internet savvy collectors. As my pappy used to say, “It’s easy to tear things down, the hard part is building them back up.”

At times it seems that the internet is just one large wrecking ball. Bloggers and those who comment on those blogs tear down (sometimes with great glee) teams, players, newspapers, religious institutions, religions, governments, other bloggers, celebrities, and even cute puppies. Rarely do they suggest ways that the targets of their derision can be fixed. It’s mostly, “I don’t like it so it must suck and I must show the world my anger!”

To that I say, “Easy big fella. It’s not the end of the world”. So with that in mind lets tackle a couple of the complaints and what Beckett might do to improve things.

1. Only suckers use the price guides

This is probably one of the top rallying cries from the non-Beckett crowd. It is a valid point. The introduction of internet auction sites destroyed the relevance of the pricing guide by granting access to millions of cards to millions of collectors in the privacy of their own basement.

No longer are kids and adults forced to go to the one or two shops in their town or wait for a show to roll around if they wanted to buy singles. Shop owners had the upper hand in the transactions simply because they were they were the only guy in town. In their defense, pre-internet they needed a source to tell them what to sell the cards for. They wanted to maximize their profits After all they are in the business to make money.

Beckett was there to give them that information. It also helped the consumer out. A less than honorable shop dealer in Baltimore could be trying to sell his Floyd Rayford cards for 3 times the national average simply because O’s fans loved them some Sugar Bear. The savvy collector could check his Beckett and see that not only was Rayford not listed, he wasn’t a minor star or even an unlisted star. He was -GASP - a common. Oh the horror!

Armed with that knowledge he could walk into Joe’s Card shop and try and work the price down to something reasonable. Or he could call his cousin in New York to see if the shops up there had Rayford’s sitting in common boxes.

The point of that rambling is that Beckett was there to provide information for both the sellers and the buyers. That went away with the internet. So what should they do now?

The first suggestion would be to ditch individual card pricing all together. Give the price for a box, a pack, the set. Then post two average prices for commons, minor stars, unlisted stars, and listed stars. The first price is a retail price. That’s the price you see in the magazines today based off of sales in shops and at shows. The second price would be an online price. This would be compiled by the prices of completed auctions from the various auction sites over a determined amount of time.

If there are any abnormally high priced cards (think 2001 Pujols cards when they came out) they can always note them in a separate article such as their hot list. This method would allow for more sets to be included in their monthly magazines and still provide a general guide for buying/selling or trading.

Another suggestion, and I think they tried this for a time with the ir hockey edition, is to do away with the set breakdown all together. Just list your star players (Jeter, A-Rod, Lincecum, etc) and break their prices down by base card, relic card, auto card, etc. The prices could be broken into three categories, low end product, mid tier product and high end. As we know not all relics are equal so there has to be consideration for the higher end products of the world.

These are just high level, introductory thoughts. Details would have to be hashed out and flaws uncovered and fixed, hopefully with bloggers input. If they’d like a more thought out approach they can of course contact me through my email and I’d be happy to charge them a consulting fee.

2. Box Breaks / Product Review

Oh boy is this a hot topic. As a self proclaimed industry leader Beckett does have a responsibility to review and discuss new product. However, it is a fine line between receiving product for review and receiving kickbacks.

Set reviews should be something that they focus heavily on. With the volume of product that is released throughout the year they should be able to offer detailed reviews for 3-4 sets a month during the respective seasons.

During the off-season they could also review older sets that are readily available on the internet. For instance I just bought a box of 2003 Topps Gallery from Dave & Adams and might post a review about it in the next week. Why can’t Beckett do that as well? They can list the big rookies from the set, the types of inserts, approximate price of a box online, what collectors liked or disliked about the set, etc.

Of course, what is currently at the heart of the discussion is how Beckett gets the product and what they do with the cards they receive. The conspiracy theorists believe every box that enters their doors is hand picked to flavor reviews and show off the big hits. If that’s true or not isn’t the point, as my pappy also said, “Perception is reality”.

The perception of impropriety is just as bad as impropriety itself. So Beckett needs to do one of two things.

1. Stop accepting free product.
2. Give it all back, or give it all away

The first choice has been debated in other blogs. Basically they buy a random box at a local shop or online and review the contents just like any other consumer would. This has the two fold effect of eliminating the possibility of hand selected products and it also supports the local card shop or online dealer.

The drawback is that the reviews in the magazines would lag a month or two behind the release of the product. But by their nature monthly magazines are outdated by the time their released anyways so it isn’t that big of deal. The on-line busts would be just as relevant as any other that you see on you tube or various blogs.

It also allows them to maintain a bit of objectivity in their reviews. Since they’re not depending on free product to review they don’t have to “be nice” to the products. If something isn’t cool, they can say that without worrying about getting cut off from the product. Would a manufacturer cut off advertising money if they got negative reviews - a smart company wouldn’t. They would focus on making the product better.

As for the giving it away choice. Well that’s simple, random packs to subscribers, contest giveaways, face book or twitter giveaways, the possibilities are out there. Selling hits isn’t cool, but if they had bought the box I would think it would be fair.

If they continue to receive free product couldn’t they just give it back when they’re done? Upper Deck or Topps could repackage it and send it through the channel or have their own giveaways. That way even it doesn’t matter what they break for free it’s all getting back into the public.

Beckett should have a place in the collecting world. They have the platform to spread a lot of information about cards, collecting and sports in general. Instead of being price heavy why not focus on well written collector blogs? They could have regional writers profile local shops and write about their success and their problems.

If they don’t decide to change let it be on them. The best way to show your displeasure is to not mention it all. Yelling and screaming just brings more attention to them. Throughout my life if there is a business that continually screws up I just don’t visit them. For example, there is a local McDonalds that can’t grasp the concept of making a cheeseburger without pickles. After the third time of screwing up my order I stopped visiting them, they no longer get my hard earned money to provide me with cholesterol burgers.

The same thing applied to a local card shop. After not having product, randomly changing prices on supplies and generally being surly I stopped going. They’re now out of business and I’m still spending money on cards.

If Beckett keeps getting one of ones in every box break, stop watching them. If someone comes up and wants to charge you “Book Value” don’t do business with them. Continuing to complain about the same thing weakens the argument, you eventually become background noise. If others still feel the need to pay for things based on outdated pricing don’t try and change them - point them my way and I’ll be happy to sell them what they need. Heck I’ll even cut them a break and sell it to them at the “LO” price.

Kazmir Traded - Has the Towel Been Thrown In?

2009-08-28T17:34:00.003-05:00

According to MLB Trade Rumors Scott Kazmir has been traded to the Angels for two prospects (lefty Alexander Torres and 3rd baseman Matthew Sweeney).

The timing makes this deal more interesting than anything else. The Rays are still in the race and Kazmir has been pitching better since coming off the DL. It will also be interesting to see who takes his spot in the rotation.

At first glance this deal is financial more than anything else. The hard throwing lefthander is owed $20 million over the next two years and the early reports have the Angels picking up his entire salary.

The nDRO has made it known that if attendance wasn't where they needed it to be their could be repercussions. With the talent the Rays have at the pitching position Kazmir was a likely candidate. I just thought it would happen in the off-season.

The good news - this probably keeps Carl Crawford in a Tampa Bay uniform for another year. I haven't questioned too many moves that Friedman and Co. have made, but the timing of this raises eyebrows.

Victor Hedman - super collector?

2009-08-27T19:48:00.003-05:00

Well maybe not a super collector, but TSN is reporting that while the big Swede was growing up he had over 200 cards of fellow Swede Peter Forsberg.

According to the article it looks like all three of the top picks (Hedman, John Tavares and Matt Duchene) were avid collectors when they were younger. I wonder if that means they'll be more tolerable for the autograph hounds out there?

If I'm still umemployed when the season rolls around it looks like I might be hanging out at the Ice Palace during the morning skates.

Any chance the Bolts will play this clip anytime Hedman does anything on the ice? 'Cause I'm all for anything that brings back the greatness that is Stitch Jones.

Well up until the Swede gets his ass kicked....