Sports Card Trifecta #11: Spud Webb

When I was growing up... I loved playing basketball and never let my height stop me from running the court. I was always the shortest guy out there, but I made the best of it and developed my baseline jumper... thanks to my favorite player of all-time... Byron Scott.

But I'm not going to lie... deep down inside, I've always wanted to dunk the ball like Spud Webb. At 5'6"... this guy made a name for himself a quarter of a century ago, when he beat his teammate Dominique Wilkins to win the 1986 Slam Dunk contest.

Every dunk was amazing. Okay... so he didn't dunk two balls or three balls like JaVale McGee. No hanging by the arm or ball under the leg dunks like Vince Carter either. He didn't grab a teddy bear with his mouth and dunk at the same time like Serge Ibaka. Nor did he jump over anyone like Nate Robinson. He didn't pull out a blindfold like Cedric Ceballos. And he didn't jump over a car like this year's champion... Mr. Blake Griffin.

Nope... he won it the way it was meant to be won. No gimmicks... just three things... talent, creativity, and heart.

Well tonight... in honor of Anthony "Spud" Webb's 1986 Slam Dunk Contest victory... I have for you my Spud Webb Sports Card Trifecta.

Rookie Card: 1986-87 Fleer #120

Autographed Card: 2009-10 Sp Signature

"INKredible" #ISW

Memorabilia Card: 2006-07 UD Trilogy

"Generations Past Patches" #PMSW

And before I forget... here's the last card in my Slam Dunk Contest Champions PC... The Human Highlight Film:

Actually... this isn't my card. It's a card from COMC. Unfortunately, I took a some of my nicer cards to my parents house this past Christmas for safe storage... and my 2009-10 Bowman 48 autograph set was part of those cards. Sorry about that... I guess I'm getting old.

Speaking of old... it's getting late. I'd better wrap this up. Congratulations Blake Griffin on winning this year's slam dunk contest. You're definitely one of the best "in game" dunkers the league has to offer.

Okay... tonight's question is:

Who's your all-time favorite "Little Man" in NBA history?

It's pretty obvious that I'm going with Spud... but it's hard not to cheer for Muggsy Bogues too. Let's hear it... who you got?

Have a good evening y'all. Sayonara.

Domo Arigato: jaybarkerfan @ CCW

Another care package? Seriously? What have I done to deserve all of these free cards? Today I received another care package from a fellow collector. It wasn't from a trade... nor was it from a contest.

Simply it was a generous gesture from a collector who contacted me on Facebook and Card Collector's World. His personal message was short and simple. "I would like to send you some cards".

Three weeks later... these arrived:

Six team bags full of cards from teams that either I collect... or teams my students collect. He also included a letter that explained why he sent this package:

Sorry if it's hard to read... I had to shrink it to fit on the blog. Essentially... jaybarkerfan is a collector who is giving away the cards that doesn't fit into his collection to collectors who might appreciate them.

Well jaybarkerfan... I totally appreciate your generosity. I love the idea of The Pay It Forward Card Project. In fact... I'm in the process of putting together a few packages myself for other collectors.

It's people like you who make this hobby special. The fact that you took the time to see what I collect, then ship me cards for these collections is truly amazing. Although some of the cards are duplicates, I can assure you that they won't be wasted. I will pass these cards along to my students who collect cards. They'll be pumped... I'm sure.

I'd also like to share your letter (don't worry... I've blurred your address), because one of the things I cover in my class is "character education", which includes things like "compassion" and "generosity". I've actually talked to a few of my students about "paying it forward". This will be an excellent real life example.

So thanks again jaybarkerfan for the awesome care package. Check your mailbox this upcoming week... because I found a few cards I hope you can use. I promise to "Pay It Forward" to other collectors.

As for everyone else... what do you think about this project?

Have you ever sent anyone a package of cards without expecting anything in return?

and/or

Have you ever received cards without any strings attached?

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I know I'm going to enjoy my week off. Sayonara!

PC Spotlight #8: Slam Dunk Champions

Growing up in the 80's... I looked forward to the slam dunk competition more than the all-star game itself. A lot has changed since then. These days... I don't even watch the competition live anymore. I'll usually catch it on the internet either later that evening or in the days following.

I can't put my finger on one specific reason for the loss of interest. Maybe it's that all of the dunks look the same. Or is it that in recent years... a lot of the big names have avoided the contest.

Well this year... I'm planning on watching it live. And it's all because of Mr. Blake Griffin. The things this guy does with a basketball is crazy for a guy of his size. Don't believe me... check out this video I found on YouTube:

Dang... I wish I had invested in this guy... or at least picked up an autograph earlier, before he blew up. Because if he wins this weekend (and I'm betting he does)... it's going to cost me an arm and a leg to add him to my Slam Dunk Champions autograph collection... which I'd like to share with you right now. I'll start with the most recent winners and work backwards:

2006, 2009, & 2010 Slam Dunk Champion

Nate Robinson

2008 Slam Dunk Champion

Dwight Howard

2007 Slam Dunk Champion

Gerald Green

2005 Slam Dunk Champion

Josh Smith

2004 Slam Dunk Champion

Fred Jones

2002 & 2003 Slam Dunk Champion

Jason Richardson

2001 Slam Dunk Champion

Desmond Mason

2000 Slam Dunk Champion

Vince Carter

Unfortunately... there wasn't a slam dunk contest in 1998 or 1999.

1997 Slam Dunk Champion

Kobe Bryant

1996 Slam Dunk Champion

Brent Barry

That's all folks... 15 years of Slam Dunk Champions. I actually have two more autographs in this collection... but I'll save them for Saturday's post. Can you guess who they are? Here's a hint... I can't even begin to afford a Jordan autograph. Stay tuned to find out.

Until then... I leave you with today's question of the day:

Who do you think is the greatest dunker of all-time?

My vote has to go with Vince Carter. That dunk over that 7'2" guy from France during the 2000 Olympics... are you kidding me? Never seen it? Click here.

And that's not even my favorite dunk from him. The one that I've watched over and over... took place less than an hour away from my house at the 2000 Slam Dunk competition. I've watched it at least 50 times and it's still exciting to watch. Figure it out yet? It's his collaboration dunk with T-Mac... where McGrady bounces the ball... Carter grabs it... throws it between his legs... then windmills it home. That dunk can be described in one word... PERFECTION. Check it out here at the 1:50 mark.

I honestly think that was the last year I truly got excited over a dunk contest and I now I know why. VC set the bar too damn high for anyone else. But that's just my humble opinion... what's yours?

Enjoy your evening... I'm out... sayonara!

Domo Arigato: Greg @ Night Owl Cards

If you read this blog... then I know you're a follower of Night Owl Cards. I've been a huge fan of his blog for a while now... and last month... I read one of Greg's posts which talked about how collectors voted the 1989 Topps Randy Johnson rookie card as the 54th best card of all-time.

In short... he didn't think the card should be on the list and neither did I. However, I left a comment saying how much I liked this card... mainly because it's a HOF rookie card of an Expos player.

Greg quickly responded that he would send me 5 of them for free. I appreciated the offer and told him that one was more than enough.

Well... today in my mailbox was a package from Night Owl Cards. Inside was the Johnson:

I actually purchased this card a few weeks earlier off of COMC and had totally forgotten about it until I received my shipment from them. I'm not complaining though... it's a rookie card of one of the greatest pitchers in recent years.

Greg also threw in a bunch of other stuff for my personal collection:

1982 Topps Stickers

I loved buying these when I was growing up. In fact... I'm 100% positive that I owned the Rickey Henderson on the right. It's just one of those cards (or should I say stickers) that stands out from my childhood memories.

1989 Topps Sticker Backs

I'm a huge fan of oddballs... and this fits the bill. I vaguely remember seeing these in the late 80's... but I'm not sure how they were distributed. However... it's safe to say that this is a new addition to my A's collection. Over the years... I've slowly filled almost three 800 count boxes full of A's cards. Thanks to Greg... I have 7 new additions.

2005 Bowman's Best Travis Chick Autograph

I've never heard of this guy... but he's in a San Diego Padres uniform... and it's autographed. After doing some research... it looks like he spent part of 2004 and 2005 in the Padres minor league system. Last year he was in the Rangers organization but was granted free agency this past November. Either way... this card is staying in my Padres PC.

2005 Upper Deck Legendary Cuts

Tony Gwynn is my favorite baseball player... and I have a binder with almost 900 different Gwynn cards. This was not one of the one's I had... so I was stoked to add this one to my 2005 page.

2010 Topps Chrome Target Exclusive Refractors

I love this card for two reasons... it's a Jackie Robinson card... and it's a refractor. I know the Johnson was suppose to be the main card in the package, but I'd be lying if I said this wasn't my favorite card in the lot.

Other Jackie Robinsons

Before today... I had twelve cards in my Jackie Robinson PC. Now thanks to Night Owl... I have seventeen.

Out of his whole care package... a whopping twenty cards... the only cards I already had were these five:

1991/1992 Pro Set

When the San Jose Sharks were established in 1991, I instantly fell in love with them. So... it was only natural for me to build their inaugural team set... which I still have today.

1990 Hoops

The Magic Johnson checklist card is one of about 50 Magic cards that I have sitting in a Lakers box. Originally, I thought it was a new addition... but when I went to put it away... I noticed I already had one in the middle of my stack.

Be assured that these five cards won't go to waste. My students are huge Sharks fans, so tomorrow one of them will be excited to get these. As for the Magic... I think I'm going to put it in a stand and place it in my classroom, since the card is a work of art and looks like it's meant to be displayed.

Thanks a million Greg for this generous package. I totally forgot that you were going to send me the Randy Johnson, so this was a pleasant surprise. This weekend, I'll go through my boxes and see if I have any Dodgers from your wantlists. So expect a package sometime next week... with something to say thanks for your generosity. Keep up the amazing blog!

Everyone else... I hope you're having a great week. Only two more days until Winter Break! I'm so excited... I might actually get around to pulling off some trades over at Sports Card Forum.

Sayonara!

Cheap Cool Cards #10: 1997 Leaf "The Big Heart"

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'll keep this sweet & short... so I can head out to spend too much money on a over priced dinner on this Hallmark holiday. Sorry if that came off sounding kind of pessimistic. Let me make it up to you by sharing this cool card that was produced for a good cause.

If you're a fan of baseball who grew up in the 70's and 80's... then you've heard of Rod Carew. The guy was amazing... making the all-star team 18 years in a row. Umm... yeah. That's 18. Insane right? Anyways... he ended his 19 year career with a .328 batting average and over 3,000 hits. In 1991, he was permanently enshrined in Cooperstown, NY.

Four years later, his daughter Michelle was diagnosed with leukemia. Sadly, less than a year later on April 17, 1996 she passed away at the age of 18.

A few months later, Frank Thomas teamed up with Donruss/Leaf Corporation to create a special set of cards called The Big Heart. According to one price guide these cards were given away with a $20 donation to The Frank Thomas Charitable Foundation, which supports the fight against leukemia. When The Big Hurt was eleven years old, he lost his two year old sister to leukemia.

Here's the first card in the four card set. It features a great photo of Frank Thomas and Rod Carew on the front. On the back, there's a photo of Michelle Carew.

This particular card books for $30 in Beckett. The other three are $5 cheaper. If you're interested, you can find these cards over at Check Out My Cards for $3 to $4 a piece. There's also a complete set on Ebay that has a current bid of $2.25.

These cards are far from scarce... 2,500 of each card were produced (gotta love the 90's)... but they're definitely unique, interesting, and were produced for a good cause.

Last week, one of my students mentioned to me that smiles are contagious. She is totally right. I couldn't help but smile when I saw these three smiling on a wonderful card created for a good cause.

Well... I have to head out to dinner. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!