Sports Card Trifecta #7: Steve Francis

Two of my favorite things in basketball are the crossover dribble and of course a nice looking dunk. Steve Francis... a.k.a. The Franchise could do both.

Drafted with the #2 pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies (he was traded to the Houston Rockets before the season began), he was obviously popular right from the start. The fact that he could do a little bit of everything made him the rookie to collect. I have 17 different rookie cards of The Franchise, but this one is my favorite:

Rookie Card: 1999/00 Topps Gold Label "Class 1" #87

I love the borderless design, along with the dual photo and "refractor" technology used on this card. It's not the most expensive, and the card back is only mediocre. However... the only rookie card design I like more is his 99/00 E-X rookie, but that's one of the ones I don't own.

Autographed Card: 2000/01 Topps Heritage "Autographs" #HASF

I picked up this card off of COMC last month for less than $7 and I was stoked... not about the price (autographs of Mr. Franchise sell for less on eBay)... but I love the Heritage design and the on-card autograph.

The last piece of the trifecta was obtaining a memorabilia card. There are tons to choose from, but I settled for this one:

Memorabilia Card: 2003-04 Flair Final Edition" Courtside Cuts Jerseys" #SN

I ended up grabbing this one for two reasons:

a. It pictured him as a Rocket.

b. It was the cheapest one I could find that pictured him as a Rocket. ($1.20 on COMC)

He may have been out of the league by the age of 31, but he was stellar during his first few seasons with the Rockets.

Thursday night's question of the day is...

Who do you think was the best basketball player to come out of the 1999 NBA Draft?

1999 wasn't known for being one of the better draft classes... although they beat the 1998 draft class in the Rookies vs Sophomores game. They also beat the 2001 draft class the following year.

Here are a few career stats to help you with your final decision:

Most Games Played: Andre Miller (#8 pick) - 922 games

Most Points Scored: Jason Terry (#10 pick) - 14,638 points

Points Per Game: Elton Brand (#1 pick) - 19.1 points per game

Most Rebounds: Shawn Marion (#9 pick) - 8,009 rebounds

Rebounds Per Game: Elton Brand (#1 pick) - 9.7 rebounds per game

Most Assists: Andre Miller (#8 pick) - 6,649 assists

Assists Per Game: Baron Davis (#3 pick) - 7.3 assists per game

Most All-Star Games: Shawn Marion (#9 pick) - 4 All-Star games

Well... happy Thursday everyone! Tomorrow's Friday... minimum day... staff party... then two weeks off! Couldn't be more excited. Sayonara.

Nifty 90's Nostalgia #2: Action Packed

Some of you may be experiencing "deja vu"... since my buddy Charles just covered this over at Hoopography. I just figured, I'd piggyback off of his post and share some of my favorites.

From what I remember... Action Packed first released promos in the late 80's. I believe the first one produced were of baseball players. Later the company came out with football, basketball, hockey, racing promos too. They even produced a promo card of Sugar Ray Leonard... but I'm not going to get into that, because I don't own any of those. Some of them pass the century mark... which is too rich for my blood.

Nope... I'm sticking to the cheap, mass produced stuff. Early 90's football.

If you've never owned any of these cards... I encourage you to go out and buy a few packs. They shouldn't be too expensive since it's from the junk wax era. Anyways... the cool thing about these cards are that they're embossed, so they jump out of the card. My scanner doesn't do the cards justice, so here's a photo that shows of the card's texture:

Well... that's it. That's what made Action Packed different. Topps had put out something previously... called Topps 3D, but they were a little bigger than standard sized cards. Sorry... getting off track... here's my early 90's Action Packed collection highlights:

1990 Action Packed

1990 Action Packed Rookies

1990 Action Packed All-Madden

1991 Action Packed

1991 Action Packed Rookies

1991 Action Packed All-Madden

Action Packed stuck around for several more years... but 1991 was the last product I busted boxes of. Although... I did find this little gem inside of my promos collection:

It's a 1997 Action Packed promo card of Jerry Rice. The insert set was called Studs... and the cards inserted into packs actually featured a real diamond. Unfortunately... the little rock attached to Jerry's ear on my card is fake. I must admit... it's a pretty unique concept though.

I did some research... and from what I can tell... Action Packed went on hiatus after the 1997 season. They didn't resurface until 2002. That year, they were put into packs as inserts in Leaf Rookies & Stars. I'm old school though. Give me some early 90's Action Packed and I'm happy.

What about you? Did you guys ever bust this stuff?

Well... have a good evening everyone. Only three more days until my two week vacation. Sayonara.

I love the 80's (Baseball Edition) #4 - O-Pee-Chee Rookies

I started collecting cards in the early 80's and I've been a Topps fan since day one. That doesn't mean I don't collect other brands... it just means that I love Topps.

After being in the hobby a few years, I was exposed to Topps' Canadian counterpart... O-Pee-Chee. But at the time... I had no desire to collect them. I've always been a person who doesn't like change... and at the time, I had no desire to collect a Canadian version of anything. Honestly... I think it's because O-Pee-Chee baseball cards weren't worth as much as Topps. And back then... I was planning to fund my college education with my card collection.

Fast forward twenty-five years... and I'm still a huge fan of Topps. Sure their sticker autos suck... but I love their Heritage products and of course A&G. However... my opinion of OPC has greatly changed. The past few months, I've been on a hunt for 80's OPC baseball rookie cards.

I have almost every key Topps rookie card from the 80's except for the 1982 Cal Ripken (both his regular issue and the traded set card) and any of the rookies from the 1983 & 1984 traded sets. So, it made sense that now was the time to chase down the OPC versions.

The first two rookies are of players that haven't been on most collector's radar for years, but if you collected during the 80's... then I know you've heard of them.

Orel Hershiser is a three time all-star, who won the Cy Young award in 1988. He was also named the NLCS MVP and World Series MVP in 1988. That was the year he pitched two complete games (one of them was a shutout), had two wins, and allowed only 2 runs and seven hits against my Oakland Athletics. To top it off, he went 3 for 3 with two doubles in that series... it still makes me sick thinking about it. Seven years later he brought home the ALCS MVP while playing for the Cleveland Indians. Hershiser retired after the 2000 season with over 200 wins and 200 strikeouts.

Another pitcher who dominated the late 80's was Kansas City Royal's ace... Bret Saberhagen. He also made three all-star teams. In addition he won two Cy Young awards... one in 1985 and another in 1989. His last season was in 2001 with the Boston Red Sox. He finished his career with 167 wins and over 1,700 strikeouts.

The last pitcher in my small OPC baseball rookie collection is one of my favorite pitchers from the 80's. Mr. Dwight Gooden.

Gooden was the 1984 NL Rookie of the Year after he led the league with 276 strikeouts. The next season he won the NL Cy Young award after going 24-4 with an astounding 1.53 ERA. Only two pitchers have had an ERA of 1.53 or lower since 1919: Dwight Gooden & Bob Gibson. In 16 seasons, he made four all-star teams, won 194 games, and had almost 2,300 K's. When I think of a "what if" player... Dr. K is one of the first people who pops into my mind.

Now it's time for the batters.

One year before Gooden won the NL ROY award as a member of the New York Mets... the Mets had another ROY award winner. Mr. Darryl Strawberry.

Darryl is an eight time all-star, who hit 26 or more home runs in his first nine seasons. He is the Mets all-time home run and RBI leader. He also has the most runs in Mets history, but David Wright should pass him next year. Mr. Strawberry finished his career with 335 home runs. Unfortunately... he had his issues with drugs... much like his buddy Mr. Gooden. However... I try not to focus on the negative... and stick with the positive. At least you can pick up his rookies at a fraction of the cost since his all-star days.

You can't have an 80's rookie card collection without one of the decade's best hitters.

Don Mattingly made six straight all-star games from 1984 to 1989. During those years, he was always one of the top 10 leaders in hits. In fact, he led the AL in hits twice. But... he wasn't only known for his bat. He could also field. During his fourteen year career, Mattingly won nine Gold Gloves. Back problems plagued the better half of his career and he's often called the greatest Yankee to never play in a World Series. Like several other players in this post... he's one of those "what if" players.

Well... I apologize for the long post... but I promise you... I've saved the best for last. Well... at least in my opinion. Anyone who knows me... knows #19 is my favorite player of all-time.

And a few weeks ago, I added this card to my collection. It's definitely one of my favorite cards in my collection. I won't waste your time going into the details of why Tony Gwynn is my favorite player. But if you're interested, please click here... it's a prior post I wrote almost 6 months ago.

Well... it's way past my bedtime. Thanks for bearing with me. I'll leave you with tonight's question of the day:

In terms of 80's baseball (not hockey) rookies...

which would you rather have? Topps or OPC? Why?

I'll be honest... at the moment... I'm a little torn. Up until a few months ago... I would have said Topps in a heartbeat. But... right now... as of this second... I actually think I like my OPC Gwynn... more than my Topps Gwynn.

Anyways... I gotta hit the sack. G'nite!

Sayonara Salute #3: Adrian Gonzalez

I love the San Diego Padres... I really do. And I'll always be a Padres fan. I figure if Tony Gwynn stayed loyal to the Padres franchise for twenty years, then I can too. However... I'll admit it's frustrating that the Padres aren't willing to open their wallet to even the best player on their team.

Adrian Gonzalez has easily been the best hitter on the San Diego Padres over the past 5 seasons. During that time he hit 161 home runs, 501 runs batted in, 464 runs, and had a batting average of .288. In addition to those totals, he won two Gold Gloves and made the all-star team three times.

These numbers have earned Mr. Gonzalez a nice little raise and the Padres knew it. They just weren't willing to pay it. So... five days ago they shipped him to Boston where he'll finish the last year of his contract as a Red Sox. It looks like Boston and Gonzalez have already discussed a contract extension in which he'll get paid somewhere in the area of $154 mil over 7 years. That's a nice little bonus over the 4.875 million he made with the Padres last year.

Mr. Gonzalez... thank you for giving your heart and soul to the Padres organization and fans over the past five seasons. I knew this day was coming for over a year now, so it wasn't a surprise... but it's still a downer. I wish you the best of luck in Boston... and I'm thankful that the Padres didn't trade you to the Yankees.

And to the San Diego Padres ownership and upper management... I sure hope you guys know what you're doing. Is the goal to have the league's lowest payroll? Or are you guys building a team that can compete in the NL West? I just want you to know... that your players played their hearts out last year and surprised almost everyone in the league. As for me... I'm a faithful fan who buys your merchandise and supports the team during the best of times and through the darkest times. The question is... are you guys going to support the team by giving them some ammunition? And what about your fans? Are you at least going to try to build a team that can compete in the NL West? Either way... I'll still be there... along with your employees and other loyal fans. I guess your response to these questions will determine if we're smiling or not.

Today's question of the day...

Do you think the Padres will make the playoffs at least once in the next five years?

Personally... I don't think they will. The Giants are young and will definitely be better next year and the Dodgers are always willing to supply their fans with talent. I sure hope I'm wrong... since it doesn't look like my A's are going to fare any better.

Have a great weekened everyone. Sayonara!

Domo Arigato: The Minnesota Vikings

It feels good when your football team wins on Sunday. But it feels REALLY good when your football team wins against a bitter rival. However... it's even better when your football team beats a bitter rival, whose quarterback was once a hero for your team, but is now public enemy #1.

Three weeks ago, the Green Bay Packers went into Minneapolis and destroyed the Vikings on their home turf. It was truly a gift from the football gods. Last year, Brett Favre and the Vikings embarrassed and humiliated the Packers twice. This year, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers got their sweet revenge. And boy... was it sweet for their fans too.

But... it gets better. Not only did the Minnesota Vikings roll over and hand the Packers an early Christmas present. They also helped me win a bet that I had with one of my blogger buddies... Sir Charles over at Hoopography.

First... let me give you the details of the bet. Obviously, I took the Packers and he picked the Vikings. The winner got to pick one card from the other person's tradelist (up to $10 in value). Plus... the person would get to pick one additional card for each touchdown (7 points) differential in the final score. So... since the Packers won 31 to 3, the point differential was 28... which meant that I got to choose 4 additional cards from his tradelist.

Now... before I show off my winnings... I want to say thanks to Charles for being a great sport and one helluva friend. If you haven't checked out his blog, I encourage you to stop reading this post and head over to www.Hoopography.blogspot.com this very second. He has one sweet collection of 90's inserts and is the man to talk to if you collect basketball shoes.

Okay... now for my winnings:

Card #1: 96/97 UD3 #16 Derek Fisher RC

I've been wanting this card off of Charles for awhile now. The only rookie card of Fisher that I had was his 96/97 Finest. So... now I can say I have two Fisher rookies. Personally, I like this design much more than his Finest rookie.

Card #2: 1996 Laser View "Eye on the Prize" Jerry Rice

This card is sweet... it combines the greatest wide receiver of all-time with amazing 90's card technology: holograms. Last time I checked, Charles had a few different players to choose from... so if you're interested head over to his site and checkout his tradelist.

Card #3: 94/95 SP Championship "Playoff Heroes" #P8 Hakeem Olajuwon

I've been a huge fan of this insert set since I busted these packs almost two decades ago. There are two things that make this card special. First... The Dream was a beast. Easily one of the greatest centers to play the game. Second... the card stock. The card feels like homemade paper... the kind I used to have my students make when I taught 5th grade. Anyways... it's not your ordinary card stock and it's definitely unique.

Card #4: 94/95 Ultra "Defensive Gems" #5 David Robinson

This is another classic insert card from the 90's... of another great center. These foil beauties might have been the precursor to Fleer Metal which was released for the first time the following year.

Card #5: 95/96 Flair "Hot Numbers" Hakeem Olajuwan

This card is 100 times sweeter looking in person... unfortunately the scan didn't do it any justice. It comes from one of my favorite products of the 90's and has that 3D/Sportflic technology. This is another card I've been trying to get from Charles for awhile now. Unfortunately... it didn't fall under the $10 guidelines of the bet... but Charles let me have it anyways.

In addition to those five awesome cards... he also threw in these cards:

I don't have the Kobe, so that was a sweet addition... and you'll never see me turning down a #'d card of The Logo. However... my favorite card he added to the winnings was definitely this 1979 Topps Steve Largent.

I'm sure I mentioned it before... but just in case I haven't... Mr. Largent is easily my favorite Seahawk. There's nobody who even comes close... and this card looks like it came right out of a pack. In fact... I actually think I like this card more than any of the inserts.

Charles... if you're reading this... Thanks for the amazing cards. You know that I'm putting together a little consolation prize to cheer you up. I don't leave my friends empty handed.

So today's question of the day goes back to Favre and the Vikings...

If you're the head coach of the Vikings... does Favre start another game for you... or do you turn to Jackson?

Have a great weekened everyone... Sayonara!