Resurgence of Ryan Howard

Ryan Howard had a dismal start this season, batting .222 with 9 HR & 30 RBI through April & May. Then, Howard started to pick things up, hitting .280 with 10 HR & 27 RBI in June, and he's batting over .300 so far in July. His 01 UD Prospect Premieres XRC hit one of its lowest points last month, averaging around $20 TAC (they could be found for as low as $15 on some days). It's now starting to rebound, selling in the $20 to $25 range. His 03 Bowman's Best Auto RC was averaging around $375 TAC last month. I haven't seen any ungraded ones on auction yet in July, but I expect that they'll sell for around $400 (if not more) now. *Note: one 03 Bowman's Best Blue Auto sold on 6/10 for $870 TAC.

These two cards are my favs for Howard. I was tracking his 03 Bowman Chrome Draft RC also, but didn't think it was as unique or interesting as his XRC from 01. His 03 Donruss Elite TOTC Auto #'d 100 is just too scare (I've only seen a couple raw versions for sale this year).

I think that Howard's key RC's are still undervalued at current TAC levels, with quite a bit of upside potential. I'm holding on to the ones I have, and may even pick up a few more before he joins A Rod & Fielder in the HR race.

Top Pitcher Investments: Age 28 to 30

Here are my picks for top investments for pitchers aged 28 to 30:

1. Johan Santana (MIN, 00 RC year) - Santana has consistently been a high strikeout & low ERA pitcher throughout his career (9.47 K's/9 IP & 3.16 ERA). Since 2004 (his first full season as a starter), he has posted a 64-25 record (.719 win%), 873 K's (9.66 K's/9 IP) and a 2.76 ERA. He has several RC cards to choose from, with his best two being 00 Finest #'d 3000 & 00 Bowman's Best #'d 2999. There aren't many on auction, but those that are can usually be had for below BV. Overall, Santana has been undervalued by the hobby (except for the occasional spike here & there), and his #'d RC's could be potential gems, considering that he very well could be a 4000 K's & 300 W's career pitcher. There isn't a more dominant strike-out pitcher in this age group (Kerry Wood could've been, if he stayed healthy).
   
2. Barry Zito (SF, 00 RC year) - I chose Zito as my #2 pick because of three main reasons: 1) He was one of the most well rounded pitchers in this group, with over 100 career W's, a mid 3.00's ERA and over 1500 K's, 2) He has a good chance at reaching 3000 K's & 300 W's by the end of his career, and 3) He's having a subpar year, with 6-8 record & 4.65 ERA (which could be the result of him switching to the NL). These three points spell investment opportunity. Because he's not playing well, most collectors will be focusing on other players, which should depress selling prices. I think that by next season he'll be able to adjust to playing in the NL (especially since the rest of his life has probably remained unchanged, being that he's playing across the bay from his old team). If you can find his 00 SPx Auto RC #'d 1500 at a good price, BUY IT! The two other cards to get would be his 00 Bowman Draft Picks Auto & Topps Traded Auto. Both can be found for under BV.
   
3. Roy Oswalt (HOU, 00 RC year) - Oswalt has been one of the most consistent pitchers over the last several years, posting a career 3.09 ERA and 105-52 record (.669 Win% - better than the Astros .534 win% during his 6+ year tenure with the team). He would've been #1 or #2 on my list if his RC cards weren't so expensive already. He's been good, but not good enough to justify being so much more than Barry Zito & Ben Sheets (his SPx RC #'d 1600 (non-auto) is like double the price of Zito's SPx Auto RC #'d 1500!). It seems that the hobby has already built a lot of future value into his RC prices, so I don't think that his cards have as much upside potential compared to some of the other pitchers in this age group. I think that he'll reach the 3000 K's milestone, but will fall short of 300 W's (maybe reach 270).
   

• Ben Sheets (MIL, 00 RC year) Sheets is my pick for honorable mention. He's got great skills, and is having a terrific season thus far, but his career win% was what kept him out; he's 71-72 (.496 win%). Zito and he are the same age, yet Zito has 108 W's (at least two seasons' worth of W's more). I do think that things are looking up for Sheets' future though, and that with this hot new Brewer's offense, he'll be able to get more W's than he has in the past. His 00 SPx Auto RC #'d 1500 could very well be a great investment, so keep your eye out for one that can be had at a good price!

Coming up: Pitcher Investments Age 26-27; this post will be on Sportslizard.com. Thanks for reading!

Record A Rod RC Card Sale!

I've been writing about how Alex Rodriguez's 94 SP RC has been increasing in TAC value each week, but this is just unconceivable. Today (7/1), one sold for a whopping $240 TAC! The seller smartly included everything but the kitchen sink in the title: "1994 94 SP ALEX RODRIGUEZ 'AROD' ROOKIE CARD RC #15 WOW", with "AMAZING CONDITION (LOOK) ! Should Be Graded BGS or PSA" in the subtitle. You notice that it doesn't mention that card should be graded any specific BGS or PSA grade. Yet, it was still able to garner 25 bids & 281 views.

My hat comes off to this seller. This exemplifies what the whole auction process is about. Supply & demand at it's finest! Without these types of sales, I think that I would grow very bored of watching the card market!

*Note: This same seller sold a 93 SP Derek Jeter RC today for a TAC of $110.49 (more than double the average TAC for the past month!).

Good Deals: Felix Hernandez Auto RC's

Felix Hernandez is 4-4 with a 4.33 ERA for the season; a drastic drop in performance from his 2-0, 0.00 ERA start in April. This is expected though, since he's been recovering from injury. When he returned in May, he went 1-2 with a 6.30 ERA (but still had 10.8 K's/9 IP). In June, he pitched a little better, going 1-1 with a 4.60 ERA (and 8.9 K's/9 IP). As we can obviously see, he's slowly getting his form back, and also, he never lost the ability to strike out batters.

I thought that demand for his 04 Bowman Chrome Auto RC & 04 Bowman's Best Auto RC would have already started to rebound, but surprisingly they haven't. There aren't that many out there listed on auction (people are waiting for the rebound to get top dollar), but those that are listed are selling at very reasonable price levels. I saw a BC Auto sell this past month for $113.75 TAC (was selling for around $200 in April). Also saw a BB Auto sell for $50.66 TAC (was selling for $100+ in April). You can expect to pay around $130 to $140 for his BC Ref Auto and $200 to $210 for his BC Xfractor Auto.

If you think about it, how many 21 year olds are at his level of play? You look at the other hot young pitchers, with around the same amount of major league experience, and most of them are in the 24 to 26 age range. He's 21, and already has the ability to dominate. Once he gains consistency & gets back to full health, he's gonna be unstoppable. I'm predicting that July will be the month that his cards start to climb again.

Commentary: RC vs (RC) Cards

I don't know about everyone else, but I find the "(RC)" rookie very irritating! I think that they should not have done this with players who already had RC's released in previous years. They should have made a clean start with, say, 2008 or whenever, and just let all those rookies from before stand as is. Now when you do a search for a player, like Prince Fielder RC, you get tons of 06 cards, along with the 05 "RCs" and 02 "XRCs". I tried to find Troy Tulowitzki's Auto rookie cards and the search results yielded 41 cards from 07, and ONE from 05 (the year of his initial or real "RC" cards).

It seems like collectors are still buying the "(RC)" cards though, so maybe most people don't mind. Of course the "RC" versions from earlier years are yielding better prices, but still...I wouldn't spend my money on a card that isn't really a player's RC card (in my opinion). When you look at your Beckett at the sets from 06, there are so few "RC" cards, along side mostly "(RC)" cards. I can honestly say that I did not buy one single box, pack or product from 06. I wonder if that was a low sales year for baseball cards? 07 products should do better, since they have some popular real "RC" cards of players like Daisuke Matsuzaka & Andrew Miller. This will probably continue until all of the prospects with pre-call up releases are either called up or become career minor leaguers. Then we can start fresh with the real "RCs", and go on with our collecting lives (maybe by 2010?).

Anyway, just thought I'd vent some of my ebay search frustrations.

MLB Weekly Market Briefs

Here are some of the weekly average RC TAC value changes that I've observed in the market this month (Week 1 = 6/3 - 6/9, Week 2 = 6/10 - 6/16, Week 3 = 6/17 - 6/23) :

• 89 UD K Griffey Jr. - Week 1 - $21.90, Week 2 - $27.90, Week 3 - $27.96
• 93 SP D Jeter - Week 1 - $46.50, Week 2 - $38.13, Week 3 - $50.28
• 01 BC Ref J Peavy - Week 1 - $45.58, Week 2 - $47.71, Week 3 - $52.83
• 02 UD Prosp Premieres P Fielder Auto - Week 2 - $201.50, Week 3 - $202.78
• 05 BC J Verlander Auto - Week 2 - $73.75, Week 2 - $81.00
• 05 BCD R Braun Auto - Week 1 - $82.80, Week 2 - $69.18, Week 3 - $76.82
• 07 B E Dukes Auto - Week 1 - $23.92, Week 2 - $16.71, Week 3 - $13.35
• 07 B E Dukes Auto #'d 500 - Week 1 - $22.52, Week 2 - $19.56, Week 3 - $18.19
• 07 B A Miller Auto - Week 2 - $29.21, Week 3 - $26.71
• 07 B A Miller Auto #'d 250 - Week 2 - $74.27, Week 3 - $72.58

I predict that Griffey's UD RC will increase this next week, as he gets closer to reaching the 600 HR mark (he just hit 2 HR today vs. the Mariners). All of Peavy's RC's may experience some softening, after he picked up his 2nd loss of the season today, getting out-dueled by Josh Beckett. Verlander's RC's should continue their ascent. He's 4-0 this month, with a 1.24 ERA & 10.86 K's/9 IP. Just heard on ESPN this week that Dukes was sent down to the minors and is inactive due to his personal issues. I was expecting his RC's to plummet with the news, but they've been moving down at a much more moderate pace (he IS young & full of raw talent, so he has a good chance of being back in the majors soon). Fielder's 02 UD PP Auto XRC has been on fire, while his RC's from 05 have softened some, selling for less than they did a week or two ago. He still leads the NL in HR & RBI, so don't expect any big drop in prices unless he hits a major slump.

For those cards that don't show a "Week 1", its because I didn't have any data for it. For those of you that aren't sure about the abbreviations that I used for the brands (though I'm sure most you know) they are: "UD" - Upper Deck, "BC" - Bowman Chrome, "BCD" - Bowman Chrome Draft, and "B" - Bowman.

A Rod On Top Again

Alex Rodriguez has been hot again this month, after a slow May, hitting .440 with 9 HR & 31 RBI through 6/23. His 94 SP RC has been just as hot, jumping from an average TAC of $61.65 during the first week of the month, to $75.88 the 2nd week, to now $91.13 the 3rd week!

Activity on his 94 SP Die-Cut RC has also been decent, when you can find one. I've been seeing about one D/C for every five or six base RC's for sale on auction (at the most). Expect to pay between $90 to $100 TAC (which is actually a good price considering the base sells for pretty much the same amount). There's another D/C auction ending tomorrow, which will give us a good idea of where the market is right now (I'm expecting it to break the $100 mark, especially after A Rod went 8 for 10 in his last two games).

Rockies Enjoying Their Holliday

The Colorado Rockies are off to a strong start this season, with a 37-34 record (they haven't had a winning season since 2000, when they went 82-80). Unfortunately, the NL West is turning out to be a very competitive division, with the Padres, D-Backs & Dodgers ahead of them in the standings. A lot of their success is due to their 1 through 4 hitters; CF Willy Taveras (.315, 17 SB), 2B Kazuo Matsui (.316, 12 SB), LF Matt Holliday (.366, 13 HR, 57 RBI) and Todd Helton (.326, 6 HR, 37 RBI). They also have RF Brad Hawpe (.291, 12 HR, 47 RBI) & SS Troy Tulowitzki (.278, 4 HR, 29 RBI) contributing later in the line-up.

Typically when you think about the Rockies, Todd Helton obviously comes to mind as the star hitter. But, the 33 year old Helton has slowed down in the past few years, going from batting .347, 32 HR & 96 RBI in '04, to .320, 20 HR & 79 RBI in '05, to .302, 15 HR & 81 RBI in '06. Luckily for the Rockies they had the addition of Matt Holliday in '04, who has improved every season he's been with the team, hitting .290, 14 HR & 57 RBI in '04, .307, 19 HR & 87 RBI in '05 and .326, 34 HR & 114 RBI in '06 (kind of like a passing the torch type of deal huh?).

Holliday has been consistently hitting well every month so far this season (guess you have to for a .366 BA!), and is on track to have 200+ hits, 130 RBI & 30 HR. He doesn't have any Auto RC's, so his key base from '99 would be his Bowman Chrome RC. Expect to pay between $10 to $15 TAC on auction.

I'm guessing that the Rockies' NL West competitors will probably start choking as the season winds down (like they often unfortunately do), so if they can maintain their consistent level of play (like how they just swept the Yankees this week), they have a chance to finally go to the playoffs again (the last & only time was in '95).

Player Focus: Felix Hernandez Update

Felix Hernandez, the hottest pitcher in the majors during the first couple of weeks of the season, has had a hard time getting back into the swing of things since coming off the DL last month. Through his first 7 starts back, he went 2-3, with around a 4.90 ERA, and allowed 67 hits & 7 HR. Only bright spot was that he averaged around 9.8 K's/9 IP.

Yesterday vs. the Pirates, Felix finally seemed to be back to his old dominant self. He tossed 8 shut-out innings, allowing 6 hits & 1 BB, and struck out 9. If this is truly the turning point, his Auto RC's are going to start heading up again. For those of you that picked a few (or even one) of them up during his time on the DL or while he's been recovering, I think that you'll be very happy with your investment.

Player Focus: Roy Halladay

Roy Halladay has emerged as the star pitcher from the 1997 "hobby" RC class. Sets from 97 included RC's of pitchers like Kerry Wood, Javier Vazquez, Jon Garland, John Patterson Adam Eaton & Brad Penny. None of these pitchers have had the consistent success that Halladay has had, either because of injuries, etc. Over the last 5 seasons, he boasts a 77-31 record (71.3% wins), 1000 IP, and a 3.17 ERA. In 03 he won 22 games and had 204 K's, earning him the AL Cy Young.

This season, he had a great start, going 4-0 with a 2.28 ERA & 6.3 K's/9 IP in April. In May, he went down with an appendicitis and was expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks (he returned in less than 3). He only had 3 starts in May, struggling to a 1-2 record, and 8.31 ERA with 6.2 K's/9 IP. He began June by getting rocked by the D-Rays for 7 ER in 3-1/3 IP, but has been able to bounce back quite well, going 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA & 4.8 K's/9 IP in his next 3 starts. Halladay is a definite work horse. On 4/13, he went 10 innings, allowing only 6 hits & 1 ER, to outlast & beat the Tigers & their ace, Jeremy Bonderman.

His two best cards from 97 are his Bowman Chrome RC & Bowman Auto (only RC year Auto). You can probably find his Chrome RC for less than $10 TAC, and I saw one of his Bowman Auto's sell this month for $74 TAC. I think that his key RC's could be strong investments down the road, if you can find them for decent prices.

Most Undervalued Pitcher: Brad Penny

Brad Penny has been having an All-Star year, but his ONE base RC card remains unchanged from its near-common status. His 97 Bowman RC books for $2.50, and can be found for right around that price (incl s&h) on auction.

Penny is 9-1 with a 2.12 ERA & around 6 K's/9 IP, making him #2 in the NL for ERA and tied for #1 for W's. He went 3-0 with a 1.95 ERA in April, 4-1 with a 2.15 ERA in May, and is 2-0 with a 2.61 ERA in June so far. What's the deal with this lack of hobby love? He's pitching great, he only has one base RC card and he's playing for a large market playoff contender. Something doesn't add up. Could it be that his one RC card isn't rare enough?

Penny is having a career season, and I think that his values should go up accordingly. Hopefully the hobby will take notice and boost interest in the Dodgers' top ace.

MLB Briefs

Here are some updates for players that I'm watching, comparing their month to month on-field performances, and predicting how some of their key RC's will do. (All June stats are through 6/17).

• Adrian Gonzalez (SD) - Gonzalez started the season hot, hitting .309, 7 HR & 25 RBI in April. He then cooled in May with .284, 5 HR & 12 RBI. In June, he's hitting .295, 2 HR & 13 RBI. I'm thinking that he's now heating back up, and his key RC's will probably follow. His best RC year card is his 00 Bowman Draft Auto (BV $100).
• Manny Ramirez (BOS) - Ramirez, who has been one of the best hitters in the game over the last decade, had a very slow April, hitting .202 with 3 HR & 13 RBI. He found his swing in May, hitting .327, 5 HR & 18 RBI. In June, he's hitting .388, 2 HR & 7 RBI, making me think that the usual big hitting Manny is back to stay. Unfortunately, Ramirez hasn't received much hobby love over the years, even though he's a career .313 batter, and averages 41 HR/162 game. I hope that as he approaches the 500 career HR mark (he currently has 480) he'll get more attention. His best RC is his 92 Bowman #532 (not his Foil #676). You can probably find them on auction in the $10-15 TAC range (BV $25).
• J.J. Hardy (MIL) - Hardy has emerged as one of the best hitting SS in the majors. He had a decent start this season, hitting .282, 6 HR & 17 RBI in April. Then in May, he tore it up, hitting .325, 9 HR & 29 RBI! So far in June though he's slowed down, hitting .200, 2 HR & 3 RBI. His 02 UD USA Auto #'d 375 has been a hot seller throughout the season, averaging a TAC of $77 in June. Sales have ranged between $56 & $95 this month, so if you watch carefully, you may be able score one for a very decent price (especially if his production doesn't pick back up soon).
• Hunter Pence (HOU) - Pence is one of the hottest players in the hobby right now. He was called up at the end of April, and hit .342, 4 HR, 19 RBI & 3 SB in May. So far in June, he's hitting .328, 1 HR, 9 RBI & 2 SB. Pence has been one of the few bright spots on this slumping Astros team (30-40 record this season). His key Auto RC's have already elevated to superstar levels. Expect to pay around $95 to $100 for his 04 Donruss Elite EE Auto #'d 672, $250 to $270 for his 04 SP Prospects Auto #'d 600 and $135 to $140 for his 04 Fleer Hot Prospects Auto #'d 299. You can probably find these cards for a little lower if you look carefully (i.e. find auctions ending during the day or at odd times, etc...).
  

Thanks for reading!

MLB Market Briefs

Here are some recent real market TAC values.

• Cole Hamels (9-2, 3.47 ERA, 9.53 K's/9) - Hamels leads the NL in W's & K's. His 02 Bowman Chrome Draft RC has been selling at an average TAC of around $35 this month. Going forward, expect to pay in the high $30's to low $40's range.
• Andrew Miller (2-0, 3.18 ERA, 5.68 K's/9 IP) - 22 year old Miller has been off to a decent start this season in the majors. After pitching 6 shut-out innings in his first start in May, he slipped a little in his next outing, allowing 4 ER in 5.1 IP. He's still young, and obviously has talent, so just need to give some time to adjust and he should be fine. This month, his 07 Bowman Auto has been selling for an average TAC of $29, his Bowman Blue Auto #'d 500 for $33.50, and his UD Spectrum Auto RC for $26. One cool card to get is his UD Spectrum Auto Die-Cut RC #'d 50 (one sold for $36.49 on 6/12).
• Alex Rodriguez - (.309, 26 HR, 70 RBI) As expected, A Rod's key 94 SP RC is back on fire, as he solidifies his place on top of the HR & RBI leaderboard. For the past week, it's averaged a TAC of $81, up about $20 from the week before (+33%!). Expect to pay between $85 to $95 now, depending on your purchase timing.
• Scott Kazmir (4-3, 4.07 ERA, 9.21 K's/9 IP) - Don't let Kazmir's stats so far this year fool you. Last season he had an impressive 10-8 record, 3.24 ERA & 10.17 K's/9 IP for the lowly D-Rays (who lost 101 games in '06). Once he breaks out of his slump, you'll start to see interest in his cards return. Now is a good time to pick up his 02 UD Prospect Premieres Auto & 04 Bowman Sterling Auto/Jsy, which can be found in the low $40's & low $20's respectively.
  
• Ian Snell (6-4, 2.63 ERA, 7.37 K's/9 IP) - Snell is the top ace for a Pirates team that is full of young, talented (but under achieving) starting pitchers (i.e. Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Tom Gorzelanny). In his 3 June starts, he's 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA & 7.5 K's/9 IP. I feel that his cards are still undervalued in the hobby, and can be found at very affordable TAC values. My favorite is his 04 SP Authentic Auto #'d 999, which can probably be found for $20 or maybe even less.
  

Market Shifts

Here are some of the recent market movements that I've observed for players on my watch list:

• Ken Griffey Jr. - Last month, Griffey's 89 UD RC was selling for a TAC of just less than $20. So far in June, demand has been picking, as he closes in on the prestigious 600 HR career mark. He's 22 HR away, and at his current pace, he should reach this milestone before the end of the season. His June avg TAC is at $24.85; about a 20-25% increase vs. May. As long as he stays healthy and keeps on hitting, expect this classic RC to continue to rise.
• Alex Rodriguez - A Rod's 94 SP RC has had its ups & downs this season. From the beginning of June through 6/10, it averaged $61.17 TAC. On 6/10 he hit 2 HR, sparking another jump in his top RC card. Since 6/11, the average TAC has risen to $78.84; a 29% increase! In addition to him leading the majors in HR & RBI this season, there's also the countdown for him to become the youngest member of the 500 HR club. He's 11 away, so I'm guessing that he'll hit number 500 sometime in July. If he can stay on track, I can only see positives for his key RC's.
  
• Cole Hamels - Hamels has been one of the hottest pitchers in the league, leading the NL with 9 W's & 104 K's. His ERA of 3.47 isn't the best (but not bad either), but collectors are willing to overlook that for now, paying above book for his 02 Bowman Chrome Draft RC. Expect to dish out $35 to $40 TAC for this one.
  
• Elijah Dukes - Dukes' off the field problems continue to accumulate. In addition to the the restraining order filed by his wife, he has to contend with cases against him for marijuana possession & having consensual sex with a 17-year old girl, who claims to be carrying his baby. He wasn't in the D-Rays' line-up yesterday, and it sounds kinds of questionable about his future with the team. All 3 versions of his 07 Bowman Auto RC's have experienced big drops in TAC this week vs. last week. His base went from $23.92 to $16.71 (-30%), his Blue #'d 500 went from $22.52 to $18.70 (-17%), and his Orange #'d 250 went from $36.87 to $18.80 (-49%). I expect prices to keep falling until it's confirmed that Dukes will return. *Just read that Dukes was with the team today for their game against the Padres, but wasn't included in the line-up.
  

Thanks for reading!

Jake Peavy Slumping?

Oh, did I say Jake Peavy was in a slump (see my post "Who's Hot, Who's Not" from yesterday on Sports Lizard)? What was I thinking! Guess he just had a 2-game stumble (not long enough to be called a slump). He was back with a fury tonight vs. the D-Rays! Maybe he got inspired watching the highlights of Justin Verlander's no-no yesterday. Whatever it was, I'm glad to see him back on top of his game. He pitched 7 strong innings, allowing 2 hits, 0 runs & 3 BB, with 8 K's. It would've been pretty pointless to bring him back in the 8th & risk an injury, since the Padres were up 9-0 after Terrmel Sledge's solo HR in the top of the inning.

Maybe now his 01 Bowman Chrome Ref RC will break out of the $40's TAC that it's been stuck in this month (Actual avg TAC has been around $46). I hope to also see some of those 01 Topps Fusion Auto's popping up again (I haven't seen any on auction this month).

Breaking News: Verlander Tosses No-No!

Justin Verlander just completed a no-no tonight vs. the hot hitting Brewers. He went 9 IP with 0 hits, 0 runs, 4 BB & 12 K's. Quite the masterpiece. Verlander gets great movement on his breaking pitches, and his fastball can hit 100+ mph.

On the season, he's now 7-2 with 2.79 ERA and 68 K's in 84 IP. After having a rough May (3.92 ERA), he's been untouchable in his first two June starts, going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA & 18 K's in 16 IP. Watch his Auto RC's start to rise out of their slump very soon!

Commentary: 2007 Topps Auto RC Releases

I was so excited last week to finally see some Elijah Dukes Auto RC's for sale (before that there were only his Finest Redemption RC's). The two product releases that I'm talking about are 07 Bowman & Topps Co-Signers. After watching them for a week, I found that the Co-Signers had way too many parallel versions. They were #'d to 50,75,100,125,150,175,225,250,275! Why in the world would anyone come out with such a ridiculous product?! When you have so many versions with similar serial #'s, all you do is dilute the value of all of them. Basically you're gonna have two levels of TAC value (for 9 versions!). In my opinion, this is a waste of Auto RC's. Topps doesn't win with this either. They have to use a different color for each version (& different serial #), and run each parallel separately, which I'm sure creates a loss in production efficiency. The Product/Brand Manager (or whoever is responsible for making these decisions) should really rethink their strategy for RC cards. As a collector, I wouldn't buy any of them. Up until a few years ago, Topps was the clear #1 card company for Baseball RC's. Recently, Upper Deck has been releasing better products than them, with brands like SPx, Ultimate Collection & UD Prospect Premieres. Pretty soon, the only advantage that Topps will have is their exclusivity with some of the players. Doesn't Topps want people to buy their cards because of their quality, not because they have no choice if they want a particular player?

I think that Bowman is a better bet for Dukes Auto RC's. They have a base non-#'d version, a Blue #'d 500 and an Orange #'d 250 (there's also a Gold version, but I haven't seen any on auction yet). I would definitely steer clear of the Co-Signers RC's.

Follow Up: Alfonso Soriano

Wow! Did you see Soriano's 3 HR game yesterday? I just did a "Player Focus" on him the 2 days before. In the next 2 games after that, he went 6 for 8 with 3 HR, a triple & 4 RBI. I think that Soriano & Felix Pie make a great 1-2 combo in the Cubs' lineup. Both guys are threats at the plate & on the bases.

There's been a lot of talk about Grady Sizemore this season, but I would have to say that Soriano is probably the better hobby value right now for lead off hitters, when comparing each of their sole RC year Autos to eachother. Sizemore's 00 Bowman Draft Auto has been selling for close to $300 TAC this month (it was closer to $400-$500 in April-May), while Soriano's 99 Topps Traded Auto can be had for around $100-$150 TAC, giving it more room to grow in value, compared to Sizemore's card, which is already quite high.

Recent Call-Up: Joey Gathright

Joey Gathright was called up to KC yesterday to play the outfield & bat in the 9th spot. In his first two games, vs. the AL Central leading Indians, he went 5 for 7 (.714 BA), with 1 SB & 2 RBI. Gathright is known for his speed, and could be a great asset as a base stealer. The Royals, who have the 2nd worst record in the majors (after Texas) could use this kind of spark.

Gathright RC's can be found in 2004 releases. If you do a search on ebay, you'll find that all of his RC cards are listed as fixed price "buy it now" auctions. If he continues his strong play, expect more people to start digging his RC's out of their commons boxes to sell.

The best RC's listed for sale are his 04 Donruss World Series Auto RC #'d 1000 & 04 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Auto RC #'d 1000. Makes me think that Donruss may have had the exclusive for his Auto's his RC year.

Player Focus: Alfonso Soriano

Alfonso Soriano is one of the best all around players in the game. In his career, he has 215 HR & 218 SB. Last season with the Nationals he had an amazing 46 HR & 41 SB! This year, his first with the Cubs, he started out slow, hitting .270 with 0 HR & 2 SB in April. Then, in May, he pick up the pace hitting .302 with 4 HR & 6 SB. So far in June (4 games), he's hitting .579 with 3 HR & 0 SB.

I expect his 99 Topps Traded Auto, his only RC year Auto, to jump in price very soon. Right now, you might still be able to find one at a decent TAC, but don't wait too long. If he continues to improve his production like he has been, the ceiling for this card's value could still be quite a ways away. Since there aren't many listed on auction right now, I'm guessing people are waiting for prices to jump before selling. His only other RC card that appears to be getting some attention is his 99 Bowman Chrome RC (both graded & ungraded).

Player Focus: Elijah Dukes (with Topps commentary at the end)

Right when we thought that Elijah Dukes' problems off the field were coming to an end...Now Dukes' wife filed a protective order barring him from contacting her for a year, and also requiring him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before he can see their 2 children. This came after he allegedly threatened her life.

It's uncertain what impact this could have on his on-field performance. Maybe with all of this drama out of his life now, he'll be able to concentrate more on the game. Or, maybe, the temporary loss of his family will prevent him from being able to focus. Since the 5/31 release of this news, Dukes has gone 0 for 8. This, against a KC pitching staff boasting a lackluster 4.73 ERA (ranked 11th out of 14 in the AL). Hopefully this is not an indication of what's to come. I think that his team will support him, because they believe in his potential, and he should snap back into ballplayer mode and resume his development into a potent threat at the plate within the next month or so.

Up until last week, the only MLB RC's for Dukes listed on auction were his 07 Finest Redemption cards. All of the sudden, there's a flood of Auto RC's out there. 07 Bowman & Topps Co-signers have multiple variations of his Auto RC (For Bowman, I've seen the non-#'d base, Blue #'d 500 & Orange #'d 250 and for Co-Signers I've seen then #'d 275, 250, 225, 150 & 50). The first wave will probably sell for the most. Since there's so many for sale right now, I'm gonna wait for the impulse buyers' frenzy to subside and hopefully pick up some deals when the dust settles.

Topps has recently been having way too many variations for RC Auto cards. Why would you need so many that are so close in print run? All that does is increase the total number of Auto RC's on the market (of virtually the same card), which would cannibalize each other and make for a less valuable item. I would want to see say, for instance, a base that's #'d to 1000 (one for the general collector that still has a limited print run), then parallels #'d to 500 & 50 (for more serious collectors). Anyway, what do I know?

L.A. Angels: Beyond Vladimir Guerrero

The Angels are atop the AL West standings partly due to their star Vladimir Guerrero's consistent strong play. But in baseball, one player, no matter how well they play, can't make a winning team. One clear example of such a failure is Alex Rodriguez during his 3 year stint with the Rangers. ARod, who only missed one game is those 3 seasons, averaged a .305 BA, 52 HR & 132 RBI. The rangers record during that time: 216-270 (they were 89-73 the very next season after ARod left).

Some of the other Angels that have been strong offensive contributors are 1B Casey Kotchman (.300, 5 HR, 26 RBI), SS Orlando Cabrera (.318, 3 HR, 27 RBI, 6 SB), CF Gary Matthews Jr. (.288, 7 HR, 33 RBI, 9 SB) and LF Reggie Willits (.326, 13 SB). Matthews Jr. & Cabrera, who have been in the league 11 & 9 years respectively, haven't received interest in the hobby, and I'm guessing they probably won't going forward either.

Kotchman's cards are now starting to pick up steam, especially his 01 UD Prospect Premieres Auto XRC #'d 1000. His 02 Bowman's Best Auto RC isn't #'d , but it books for 1/4 of his XRC Auto, making it quite affordable. Only problem is finding one to buy. I only see one currently listed on auction (it's graded BGS 8.5). His 02 Topps Pristine Personal Endorsements Auto insert is widely available and can be found at lower TAC than his two base RC autos.

Willits' RC's are harder to research, since they're not listed in Beckett (because they're considered commons). When you do a search on ebay, it looks like he had an XRC in the 03 UD Prospect Premieres set, and at least one RC card in the 06 Topps 52 set (non-Auto). If he does have an Auto RC out there, it would probably be a nice investment find to get.

Red Hot Rookie: Ryan Braun

In only his 8th ML game, the Brewers rookie, Ryan Braun, went 3 for 3 yesterday vs. the Marlins, hitting a HR, double & single. The 23 y.o. 3rd baseman, who was called up on 5/24 from AAA Nashville, is hitting .300 with 2 HR, 6 RBI & 2 SB.

His Auto RC's from 2005 have been very hot sellers. There are quite a few of his Bowman Chrome Draft Auto, Bowman Chrome Draft Auto Ref #'d 500 and Bowman Sterling Auto RC's listed on auction. Expect to pay above book price for these cards. I just saw a Bowman Chrome Auto sell for $104.10 TAC today.

The Brewers have a 6.5 game lead in the NL Central (2nd biggest lead in the ML for a division leader), and they finally have some exciting young players to attract hobby interest (Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy, Rickie Weeks, Tony Gwynn Jr.). Braun is a welcome addition to this young up-and-coming squad, which should be a top NL contender for years to come.

Player Focus: Erik Bedard

Last season, Erik Bedard had career bests in wins (15), ERA (3.76) and K's (171). His first 5 games this season weren't so memorable; 3-2 record with a 6.11 ERA. Through his next 6 starts, he had 5 ND's & 1 loss. During this winless streak though, he turned his pitching around and was quite impressive (unfortunate that his record couldn't reflect it). Through those 6 games, he had an ERA of 2.70 (2.12 for his 5 May starts) with 52 K's in 40 IP (11.7 K's/9 IP).

Bedard finally got his 4th win last night vs. the Royals. He went 8 innings, allowing 4 hits, 0 runs and had 5 K's. Guess he needs to shut out the opposing team to get a W!

He only has 2 base RC's: 01 Bowman Draft Picks & 01 Donruss Class of 2001 #'d 625. There aren't many listed on auction, but you can readily find his BDP RC for around $3 to $5 TAC. His Donruss RC is much more elusive, with none currently listed on ebay. Many sellers will try to pass off some of his 02 cards as RC cards, but they are not. Especially his 02 Bowman Draft SOTF Auto. It's probably his 1st MLB licensed auto card (and not a bad card to have), but it's not his RC.

I don't think that his BDP RC will appreciate in value that much because of it's lack of scarcity, but if you can find his Donruss Class of 2001 RC at a good price, it might be a nice investment to make.

Follow Up: Lebron James

Right after my last post about how Lebron James wasn't living up the the hype, he goes & scores 32 pts with 9 rebounds & 9 assists, to lead the Cavs to 88-82 game 3 victory. Was this game an exception, or did it just take two loses to bring his heart back into the game? Whatever it is, I hope he keeps it up. It would be a fitting chapter in his storied young career to go to the NBA Finals just after 3 shorts years as a pro. There's also the added bonus of having a new team in the finals to battle on behalf of the Eastern Conf. I'm not a Jazz or Cavs fan, but I think that these two teams would make a fun finals to watch. It would represent a sort of changing of the guard, with Lebron, Deron Williams & Carlos Boozer exciting the fans.

Player Focus: Ken Griffey Jr.'s Comeback; King Felix's Return

Back in the mid 90's, when I restarted collecting cards, Ken Griffey Jr. was the hottest player in the hobby, and his 89 Upper Deck RC was a must have for everyone's collection. I remember finding a store that had mint ungraded versions for $55, and I was so thrilled to pick one up and get it slabbed by PSA (it got a 9).

Over the next decade, he spent a lot of time on the DL, and his hobby status fell off the chart (along with Frank Thomas, who was also in the "top 3" at that time). You can now find his UD RC for less than $20 TAC. A very sad sight to see! In April he only had 1 HR, and had a BA of .254. In May though, he has stepped it up, hitting 10 HR and batting .313 (through 5/27). I would love to see him continue this pace, and hopefully his key RC's will be able to regain some of their previous glory. Griffey was the 6th fastest player to reach 500 HR back in 04, and is a definite future HOFer. I think that at these prices, his RC's are a steal.

Felix Hernandez made his return on 5/15 as planned, and in his 3 starts since, he's gone 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA and allowed 22 hits; a far cry from his first 2 outings in April before his injury when he went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA & allowed only 4 hits. I'm sure no one expected him to come back & perform exactly where he left off. It'll take a little while to get back into the swing of things. A couple positives for his return are:

• He still hasn't allowed a HR
• He hasn't forgotten how to strike out batters; he's actually increased his K's/9IP from 9.53 in his first two outings to 12.21 in his last 3

Since his return, sales for his two key Auto RC's have been quite scarce. I think collectors are holding on to them until he makes a full comeback and boosts prices back up to where they were in April. I saw a Bowman Chrome Auto sell for a TAC of $128 on 5/21 (it peaked out at $220+ right before his injury), and two Bowman's Best Auto RC's sell on 5/19 & 5/26 for $81 & $93 respectively (peaked out at $120+ before his injury). I think that he'll regain his dominant form within the next month or so, and prices will be back on the rise before we know it. In the meantime, I'll be keeping my eye out for some deals to snag!

Breaking News: Upper Deck buying Topps?

By now, everyone has heard about the $385 million ($9.75 a share) offer that the Michael Eisner-led group made to buy The Topps Company. Yesterday it was announced that Upper Deck made a $424 million ($10.75 a share) bid for Topps.

So far, 3 of the 10 Topps board members have opposed the Eisner bid. One member said that it undervalued the company. Topps said that some of the issues that they have with Upper Deck's bid include "financing commitments, a due-diligence review and what Topps said was Upper Deck's insistence on limiting its liability if antitrust regulators don't approve the proposed acquisition." (Source: The Wall Street Journal, 5/25/07).

Can you imagine one huge card company controlling all NBA brands, and nearly all MLB & NFL brands? Personally I think that even if Topps' board approves this sweeter offer, regulators will shoot the deal down. I'm guessing that the two companies together produce over 95% of the cards out there. Especially with Fleer already being absorbed into the Upper Deck family, how could this be allowed? Talk about lack of competition! Upon receiving the news, investors pushed Topps' stock up to a $10.26 close yesterday.

In addition to anti-trust regulators, Major League Baseball must also approve the deal.

King James Who?

I have to say that with all the hype & expectation of Lebron James, his performance during this Eastern Conf Finals with Detroit has been a little disappointing. In the first game he decides not to take the final shot for the win, and instead dishes to Donyell Marshall to shoot the three. Marshall is an ok 3-pt shooter, but come on! Marshall is averaging 3.8 ppg in 8.5 mpg during these playoffs. That was Lebron's shot to take.

Lebron is only averaging 14.5 ppg this series, opposed to 27.8 ppg vs the offense-only Wizards & 24.7 ppg vs the Nets. Does that mean that when he finally plays against a good defensive team he can't deliver? When I've watched some of his games, I don't feel the same intensity that I do when watching guys like Kobe, Dwayne wade or Steve Nash. I don't doubt that he has the talent & potential, but maybe at this time, he doesn't deserve to be at the top of the hobby value list. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that don't agree with that, but to me a superstar leaves everything out on the floor, win or lose. That's why my perception of Dirk Nowitzki dropped, after his no-show performance in the GS series.

I'm hoping that Lebron can capture that champion's fire, and that he can become the player that everyone is expecting him to be. At 22 years old, he's got some time. For now though, I would expect that a lot of his key RC's will drop in value (especially since he has SO MANY Auto, GU, & low #'d RC's out there!), creating some investment opportunities for the future.

Phoenix Suns Knocked Out of Playoffs

I was very disappointed to see the Suns ousted by the Spurs. The Suns' great offense & so-so defense couldn't stand up to the Spurs' well-oiled machine. Here's a look at the activity for Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire & Leandro Barbosa's key RC cards.

• Steve Nash - His Topps Chrome RC (his best base RC) had been increasing in average TAC every month, going from $28.94 in Feb, to $32.79 in Mar, to $36.88 in Apr and to $40.22 in May (thru 5/17, the day before their elimination). That's a 39% gain in roughly 2 1/2 months! His Topps Draft Redemption RC averaged $44.40 in Apr and jumped to $55 in May (up till elimination). Without the MVP award or championship, I wonder if his cards will hold their current high values till next season. I'm guessing that they will come down some, creating opportunities for buyers in the coming months.
  
• Amare Stoudemire - His SPx Auto/Jsy RC #'d 1999 has been a steady seller for around $70 to $77 from Jan to elimination. The next sale that I saw after their exit was for $58; a drop of roughly 20%. This could be a sign of buyers' deals to come. His SPA Auto RC #'d 1500, Bowman Sig Auto/Jsy #'d 999 & Finest Auto RC #'d 999 have been selling in the $45 to $55 range over the past month. Expect these to also come down in price.
  
• Leandro Barbosa - His SPx Auto/Jsy RC #'d 1999 averaged around $23.80 through Feb & Mar, then jumped to $30.11 in Apr (+26%). In May, during the playoffs, demand seemed to drop off, with TAC averaging $24.50, an 18.7% decrease. This is probably due to his drop in production as the playoffs progressed. Sellers must be holding onto these cards now because I've only seen 2 listed since elimination. His Bowman Sig Auto/Jsy #'d 1250 (his only other base RC with full sig) jumped in avg TAC from $15.63 in Mar to $21.92 in Apr (+40%). Then in May, it saw a modest 10% increase to $24.17. Like his SPx RC, there haven't been many listed since elimination (one to be exact, available on auction). He still has a bright future, so take advantage of market softness when it comes.

I'm afraid that we're going have a boring championship series with the Spurs & Pistons. Neither team has players with much hobby interest, so collectors/investors will probably spend the time looking for deals on the players who are already on their long vacations.

NY Yankees: ARod & Jeter

Alex Rodriguez seems to getting his groove back, hitting 3 HR in his last 3 games. His SP RC's are still at depressed price levels, with an average TAC of around $55 to $60. Even after his slump he still leads the MLB in both HR & RBI. Just less than a month ago these same cards were going for $90 to $100+ (the highest sale that I saw was on 4/26 for $140!). His SP Die Cut RC has already started to pick up in demand, averaging around $80 to $90 (although there are still deals out there if you watch the auctions closely). I wouldn't be surprised if both of these cards rebounded back up to the $120+ range if ARod gets back on track.

Yankee teammate Derek Jeter has been hot at the plate, with a BA of .365 (2nd in the AL only to fellow NYY Jorge Posada, who's hitting .374). Jeter's 93 SP RC has been slowly dropping in TAC since March. It's averaging around $45 for the month of May ($40 avg in the past week). Being that Jeter is the Yankees' captain (and heart & soul), I think that his card values are pretty closely tied to the Yankees' success as a team. If they can turn their season around, look for his key RC's to start creeping up as well.

Peavy RC Year Auto Update

That 01 Topps Fusion Jake Peavy Auto that I mentioned in a previous posting that was at $144.38 with 8 hours left finally sold for a whopping $205.50! Currently there are two listed on auction; one that ends in 3 days with a BIN or Best Offer at $247.44, and one with a fixed price of $203.00 (all incl s&h). Just amazing how this card caught fire in just a week or so, jumping in TAC (total acquisition cost) by well over 200%!

Utah Jazz Advance to Conf Title Game

The Jazz, as a team, outplayed the Warriors. They had better ball movement, and killed GS on the offensive boards. GS's 3-pt shooting strategy is great when they're on, but sinks them when they're off. Two players with hobby potential that really contributed to the Jazz's win were Carlos Boozer & Paul Millsap.

Boozer had hobby love at the beginning of the season, but lost it when he got injured and had a hard time regaining it since. With his strong performance in the playoffs I expect him to receive more interest. He was pretty dominant in the paint, averaging 24.2 ppg & 14 rpg for the series (improving on his 20.9 ppg & 11.7 rpg for the season). His SPx Auto/Jsy RC #'d 1999 increased in average selling price (incl s&h) from $18.90 in April to $25.03 so far in May (+32.5%). If the Jazz can continue their success against the Spurs or Suns (which would be a surprise to me), expect his cards to stay on the rise.

I've been talking about young Millsap for the past few months. Excellent rebounder, and decent scorer in the paint. His coaches say that he works hard and listens, showing that he has the potential to keep improving. Although he only plays around 18 mpg, he puts up quality stats, especially with his offensive boards which result in second chance points. He doesn't have as many auto RC's as other 06-07 classmates, making those that he does have that much more attractive. Currently his Bowman Sterling Auto has become quite popular on auction. Expect to pay between $12 to $20 (incl s&h) for this one. There is also a Gold version #'d 219. This one will cost you over $20. So far, the Bowman Sterling is only Millsap base auto RC that I've seen. There is also the parallel Ovation Auto #'d 99. All others are inserts.

Of course we can't forget the most clutch player on the team, Derek Fisher. I didn't include him because I don't think that his hobby potential is very high. The only time his cards were hot was when he helped the Lakers advance in the playoffs a few years back. If you would like to pick up his 96-97 Topps Chrome RC for your personal collection, you can find it for just a few bucks.

Pitchers Spotlight

Here are some the 25 years or younger pitchers that I've been keeping tabs on:

• Tom Gorzelanny (PIT, 03 RC) - In 8 starts, he is 5-2 with an impressive 2.36 ERA & 34 K's in 53.1 IP. Gorzelanny has been one of the bright spots for the slumping Pirates so far. His 03 UD Prospect Premieres Auto & Bowman Heritage Auto have been hot sellers, averaging $24 & $16 respectively (although you can definitely find both of these for less with the right timing). As the Pirates' hitters start to finally do their thing, look for their key pitchers to push them to some W's.

• Ian Snell (PIT, 04 RC) - I think that Snell is the best pitcher the Pirates have right now. If he can keep consistent, he can be quite effective. In 8 starts, he is 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA & 43 K's in 53 IP. I like his 04 SP Authentic Auto #'d 999 or 195 and his Ultimate Collection Auto #'d 75. You can probably find his SPA Auto for around $20, but expect to pay close to $55-60 for the Ultimate Coll Auto.

• Jake Peavy (SD, 01 RC) - Peavy has been the most dominant pitcher in the majors. He's 5-1 with a 1.52 ERA and 66 K's (MLB lead) in 53.1 IP. His best base RC, 01 Bowman Chrome Ref, has been selling for over $50 in the past month, but has eased some and can now be found in the $40-50 range. A lot of collectors assumed that he didn't have any RC year autos, but as soon as they found out he had ONE, there was a mad frenzy! I'm talking about the elusive 01 Topps Fusion Auto. Pre-discovery (on 4/24) one sold for $67.44. Post-discovery (5/16) one auction is currently at $144.38 (incl s&h), with 8+ hours to go! These are the only two that I've seen on auction recently
  

• Oliver Perez (NYM, 02 RC) - Perez has struggled through his first 4 years in the majors, but has shown some bright signs along the way, which the Mets obviously saw when they decided to pick him up last season. In his first 7 starts this year, he's 4-3 with a 3.00 ERA & 43 K's in 42 IP. He has 2 key base Auto RC's from 02, which are SPx Auto #'d 825 & Ultimate Coll Auto #'d 550. Since both are pretty fairly priced, go for the more limited Ultimate Coll, which can typically be found in the mid to high $20's range.
  

Player Focus: Kobe Bryant & Tyrus Thomas

This post is in response to a comment left by a fellow collector. First I'd like to say congrats on your great Bowman Sig Barbosa buy. That's a terrific price for that card.

Regarding Kobe, I think that his cards are very good investments. Even though his Lakers are out of the playoffs, and not at the same level as the Suns & Spurs (for now), he is still the best player in the game. Over the past 15 years there have been several players who have been dubbed the "heir apparent" (i.e. Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, etc...), but Kobe has emerged as the clear choice. He's got the work ethic, leadership skills, and of course, the talent. All the Lakers need now are a few more years of experience (for their younger players) and a decent point guard. Because Kobe has 3 autograph eras ("Kobe Bryant", "Kobe 8" & "Kobe"), the most coveted is his full signature, which was only featured in the 96 Press Pass set. It'll probably set you back between $200 to $300, but it is by far his rarest sig variation (a BGS 9 just sold on 5/6 for $276.50, incl s&h). I personally don't own any of his full sig autos, but sure wish I did! His Topps Chrome RC has dropped in price by 20% this month, averaging around $136. His 2nd & 3rd best RC's, his E-X2000 & Finest, moved up in price, averaging around $31 & $23.50 respectively (all prices that I write about include s&h costs).

I haven't been following Tyrus Thomas as much as other players, but I do think that he obviously has potential. I read a few articles that compared him to LaMarcus Aldridge during the regular season. Even though Aldridge got more playing time, Thomas is getting world of experience right now in the playoffs, that Aldridge is not. I think that he has a great opportunity to grow with fellow youngsters like Luol Deng & Ben Gordon, and learn from veterans like Ben Wallace, who have been there and won it all. I didn't like the statement that he made right before the dunk contest though, about how he's it it to win the money. Guess that could just be youth & inexperience talking. To answer your question, yes, I do think that all 3 of these players that you mentioned are good investments, as long as you pay the right prices for them.

Good luck with your collecting, and thanks for the comments!

Felix Hernandez Update

As of 5/6, Felix Hernandez's return is expected to come on 5/15 vs the Angels in SEA. I expect that his two key Auto RC's will start picking up steam soon. His Bowman Chrome Auto RC is currently selling in the $130's to $140's, and his Bowman's Best Auto RC in the $50's to $60's range; a long ways off from their highs of $200+ & $100+ respectively, back in mid April, before his injury.

Felix is young, and should bounce back pretty quickly. Pick up his RC's now, since they'll probably pick up steam again when he's back on the mound next week!

Golden State Warriors...Wow!

It was a spectacular thing to watch the Warriors dismantle the Mavs in game 6 last night. The main factor that gave them the edge to win was heart. With Baron Davis playing injured (and playing quite well), Stephen Jackson raining down the threes (7 for 8 to be exact), Matt Barnes (also playing injured) being aggresive at both ends of the court, and Andris Biedrins grabbing boards & scoring in the paint (and hitting 4 of 6 free throws, with his funky shooting form). The whole team played with hearts of winners, while the Mavs, especially their superstar Dirk Nowitzki (only scored 8 pts on 2 for 13 shooting), seemed to almost accept their losing fate earlier on. I think that Nowitzki set the overall tone for the team with his downer attitude. Don't expect to see his cards moving up any time soon, even if he does win the reg season MVP.

Already there is renewed interest in Baron Davis' key RC cards. I'd be surprised if other guys in this line-up don't experience the same. There's a nice 00-01 SP Game Floor Auto/Floor card #'d to 200 of Stephen Jackson on auction right now. It ends on 5/7, and the bid is at $18 (incl s&h).

As an investment though, I would only pick the guys that I think could have hobby appeal, which are Baron Davis, Jason Richardson & Mickael Pietrus. I could be wrong, but I just don't see the others, even if they play terrifically, hitting it big with collectors (kind of like most of the Detroit Pistons players).

One young player that I mentioned about in a previous post is the young Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap (06-07 RC). This kid is really looking good. While at Louisiana Tech, he led the nation in rebounding three straight years (Freshman through Junior year). There was some concern about him being too short to compete in the NBA as a Power Forward, but I think that he's proven the doubters to be wrong. He has also shown that he can score too. Look for him to emerge in coming years as a star for this newly reborn Jazz team. Millsap doesn't have as many RC year Autos, as a lot of players do, so expect the ones that he does have to be hot items.