Another gimmick, another set, another project...

One of the allures of busting packs is the mystery of what you're going to pull from your pack. Well in the 90's, Topps and Pinnacle took it one step further for collectors.

Both companies produced inserts that contained protective coatings which hid the true identities of the player on the card. Topps called them Mystery Finest and Peel & Reveal, and Pinnacle produced an insert set called Double Disguise for their 1996 Pinnacle football product.

I've covered the Mystery Finest cards before... here.

And recently, I decided to build the 1996 Pinnacle Double Disguise set. The set contains 20 cards that feature five different players: Brett Favre, Emmitt Smith, Steve Young, Dan Marino, and Kerry Collins. Each card has a player on the front and a player on the back. However, when you pulled one of these inserts from a box (which were pulled at a rate of 1:18 packs in 24 pack boxes), you didn't know who you had, because both sides were covered with a silver covering that hid the identity of your players.

Originally, my goal was to collect all of the Favres in the set. Then I came across I guy selling an 18 card lot on eBay. I ended up winning the auction for $20 ($17.56 + $2.44 shipping). All of them were unpeeled, with the exception of one card... which had been peeled on one of the sides. The silver coverings were a challenge, but I eventually managed to pull all of them off.

After sorting through all of my singles, I discovered I came up two cards short of the set. Here's a look at who I have (Green) and who I still need (Red).

1 E. Smith/E. Smith

2 E. Smith/D. Marino

3 E. Smith/B. Favre

4 E. Smith/S. Young

5 D. Marino/D. Marino

6 D. Marino/E. Smith

7 D. Marino/K. Collins

8 D. Marino/S. Young

9 K. Collins/K. Collins

10 K. Collins/D. Marino

11 K. Collins/B. Favre

12 K. Collins/S. Young

13 B. Favre/B. Favre

14 B. Favre/K. Collins

15 B. Favre/D. Marino

16 B. Favre/E. Smith

17 S. Young/S. Young

18 S. Young/B. Favre

19 S. Young/E. Smith

20 S. Young/K. Collins

As you can see, each player is featured on seven different cards, one of which has a picture of them on both sides. Personally, I wish Pinnacle would have expanded the player checklist and reduced the number of cards produced for each player.

At least they scored a touchdown with their selection of Emmitt, Dan, Brett, and Steve... but the jury is still out with Kerry. Mr. Collins is in the 17th season of his career and is currently with the Indianapolis Colts. He's played on six different teams, has started 180 games, and has thrown for over 40,000 yards. Currently he ranks 10th all-time in career passing yards.

And he happens to be on both of the cards I need to complete my set. If by chance you have these two cards, please let me know if you'd be interested in trading them. If not, I'll probably end up pulling the trigger and buying them off of COMC.

What's your opinion on "gimmick" cards?

Do you have a particular favorite?

Well... you already know I love them. And my favorite is probably the 1997/98 Pinnacle Zenith "Dare to Tear" product, where they inserted standard size cards into a 5 x 7 card. As a collector, you had to decided whether or not you kept the 5 x 7 intact or if you tore it to see what was inside. I loved the concept and if I could find some at a reasonable price, I'd be all over it.

Good night everyone... thank goodness tomorrow is Friday. Sayonara!

Sayonara Salute #14: Aaron Curry

With the fourth overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected Wake Forest linebacker... Aaron Curry.

The 2008 Butkus Award winner was considered the top linebacker in the draft and at the time Seahawks fans were excited.

In his first two seasons, he started twenty-eight games, forced four fumbles, and collected five and a half sacks. These numbers aren't too shabby, but from what I've read he was susceptible in pass coverage and burned on a regular basis. This season his minutes have been limited with the addition of K.J. Wright, the Seahawks' 2011 fourth round draft pick.

A little over a week ago, the Hawks resigned linebacker David Vobora... which has made Curry expendable. Today, they traded him to the Oakland Raiders for two future draft picks: 2012 seventh round draft pick & 2013 conditional fifth round draft pick.

Goodbye Mr. Curry. As a die-hard Seahawks fan, I want to thank you for everything you've given to the franchise. Best of luck in Oakland where hopefully you'll be given the opportunity to jumpstart your career.

Happy hump day everyone... Sayonara!

Chronicles of Cardfoolery #3: Bowman Originals Buyback Autographs

I recently picked up this 2005 Bowman Sterling "Original Autographs" card of Michael Young, because he's a solid player who hits for average and the price was right ($7 + shipping on COMC).

However, I must have quickly purchased this card without looking at it, because upon further inspection (when I received my package)... I realized I made a regrettable purchase.

Problem #1: Poor Sticker Placement

Topps made several foolish mistakes when they created this card. The first one is deciding to place a sticker on the front of the protective casing that states "certified autograph issue". Seriously? The fact that the card is inserted into your "tamper proof" plastic holder, along with your Topps hologram affixed to the back side of the card gives me enough peace of mind about the authenticity of this autograph. You don't need put a sticker in the middle of the card holder, because it just looks tacky.

Problem #2: Scratches

If you look beyond the sticker, you'll notice a number of scratches on the protective casing. I guess it's not the end of the world, since I was planning to free it anyways.

Problem #3: Damaged Card

If Topps is going to place that "certified autograph issue" sticker on the front, then the card was probably meant to be popped out of its case... right? Well... then my next question is... why would you insert damage cards into your protective holders? The black borders on this card allows the "chipping" to stand out in all of its glory. This card has one major ding on the left edge of the front and two small chips on the side edges of the back. And if that wasn't enough, there was a nice big "finger print smudge" on the front of the card. Unfortunately, it doesn't show up in any of the scans.

Problem #4: Two Autographs?

Okay, I take full responsibility for my actions. I could have passed on picking up this card, but I chose to "Buy It Now". But I'm just wondering... why did Topps think this was a good idea? I understand that Bowman base card traditionally have a "facsimile" autograph on the front. Isn't that good enough? Do we really need two autographs? If this isn't a perfect example of "cardfoolery", than I don't know what is.

Which begs the question... Who's the bigger fool? The fool who produces "garbage" like this and insert into their packs or the fool who buys it? Don't answer that question... I already know the answer and don't need to be reminded of my own tomfoolery.

Well... at least it's not a "sticker" autograph on top of a "facsimile" autograph. Which leads me to today's question:

Would you prefer to have an "on card" autograph that already features a "facsimile" autograph or a "sticker" autograph without a "facsimile" autograph?

Before seeing this Bowman Originals autograph, I definitely would have said the "on card" auto with the facsimile. However, although I'm not a fan of most "sticker" autos, the fact is... they look better than "dueling" autographs. But that's just me. I'm looking forward to hearing how other people feel.

Happy Monday everyone! I'm off to watch the second half of the Lions and Bears game. Sayonara!

The first step towards carrying The Cup...

Tonight marks the start of the San Jose Sharks 21st season, since their inauguration back in 1991. In those twenty years, they've made the NHL playoffs fourteen times... including seven years straight.

But none of that matters... because year in and year out... we just can't seem to get over that hump.

Will this be the year we finally get past the Conference Finals? I'm not here to make any daring predictions. Instead, I'll just point out some things that are dancing around in my head.

A. For the first time in four seasons, Devin Setoguchi won't be my favorite Shark. I'm still recovering from the trade that sent Seto to the Minnesota Wild for Brent Burns. I was so excited when I discovered that the Sharks drafted a half-Japanese player back in the 2005 NHL Draft. Then in October 2007, when he made his NHL debut against the Dallas Stars, he lit them up for two goals and he instantly became my favorite Shark. But I'm loyal to the team, not the player... so I accept the fact that the Sharks pulled off this trade. And there's no doubt in my mind that the team is stronger with Burns than with Setoguchi. Best of luck Devin! I'll be pulling for you... just not when you're against the Sharks.

B. Without Setoguchi... I needed to choose another favorite player. Yes... I'm one of those guys. So after much debate it came down to two players: Douglas Murray & Patrick Marleau. I started liking Murray because he's always there to back up his teammates. The guy is tough, hard working, and loyal. And I appreciate all of those traits. Then there's Patty. Marleau has been with the Sharks since they drafted him back in 1997. He holds nearly every significant record for the San Jose Sharks. And like Murray, the guy has been loyal to the organization. Even when some of the fans lost faith in him, he resigned with the Sharks and has proven that he's worth his salary. If it were up to me, he'd be a San Jose Shark for life.

C. I'm excited to see how much we've improved defensively. When completely healthy, the Sharks should have more than enough fire power to get the puck into the net.

Line 1: Marleau/Thornton/Pavelski

Line 2: Couture/Clowe/Havlat

Line 3: McGinn/Handzus/Mitchell

Line 4: McLaren/Murray/Wingels/Winchester/Desjardins

And this season, their defensive pairings are much improved:

Dan Boyle/Douglas Murray

Brent Burns/Marc-Edouard Vlasic

Colin White/Jason Demers (James Vandermeer)

D. The final thing that's on my mind is finding tickets to the November 10th game, when they take on Devin Setoguchi and the Minnesota Wild. At the moment, I'm not able to find any tickets at reasonable prices.

But I'm hoping I'll be able to find some the week of the game, so I can sport my BlackArmor #16 jersey.

Okay. So I have to know...

Who do you have making the Stanley Cup Finals?

And who's going to win it all?

For the past four or five seasons, I've felt it in my heart that it was going to be the Sharks' year. And we all know how that went. Once again, I have that feeling. I'm just hoping that I'm finally right.

Okay it's time to eat and get ready to watch the Sharks take on the Coyotes. Sayonara!

I'm gonna make a change... for once in my life.

I don't like change. Never have... and probably never will. But today... I'm making an exception. And it involves an allegiance I've had to one of my sports teams for close to three decades.

Although it's been something I've been pondering for the past few years... a post on the blog... Mint Condition pushed me over the edge. This morning Jordan posted "It sucks to be a Yankee fan when everybody wants you to lose." I immediately understood how he felt... not because I'm a Yankee fan, but because I too support a team that is expected to win year in and year out. And simply speaking... it's not fun anymore... and it hasn't been for awhile.

In the early 80's "Showtime" arrived in Los Angeles and I was introduced to professional basketball. Since then... I've been a die-hard Lakers fan.

But sports is suppose to be entertainment. It's suppose to be fun. And everyone has their own interpretation on "fun". Some love teams to support a city. Other people love their team, because it's a family tradition. Sometimes it's because their favorite player plays on the team. The list could go on and on, but for me... I chose the Los Angeles Lakers, because they were fun to watch and I tried to model my game around Byron Scott and his baseline jumper. Plus... it didn't hurt that they were always winning championships.

And for the next twenty-something years... I proudly supported them. Byron, Magic, Wilkes, McAdoo, Kareem, Worthy, A.C., Mychal, Cooper, Rambis, Van Exel, Eddie, Fish, Shaq, Kobe, Rodman, Horry, Devean, Lue, Shaw, Madsen, Fox, Rush, Walton, Malone, Payton, Odom, Sasha, Farmar, Mihm, Kwame, Ronny, Smush, Radmanovic, Mbenga, Pau, Crittenton, Ariza, Shannon, Powell, Morrison, Artest, Barnes, and Caracter.

But the fact is... there's no fun in supporting a team that "buys" their championships... at least for me that is. I've made the comparison in the past... like I said, it's something that has been on my mind for awhile now... and I'll explain it again to help all of you understand. The Lakers are basketball's version of the Yankees, the Cowboys, and the Red Wings. The majority of fans either love them, or hate them. And the reason is because they're not afraid to spend money to buy banners for their fans.

All of these teams are known for dishing out the big dollars to lure the big name athletes, who are expected to bring championships to their cities. And when they do... it's expected... and when they don't, it's catastrophic. And as a result, it's taken the fun out of the game for me. So starting today... I'm moving on to smaller and less talented things.

Today, I've decided to swing my support to the local Golden State Warriors, who are a lot less popular... and less talented, but are honestly a lot more exciting to watch. They're like the A's of basketball. I love the fact that there's no pressure for them to win a championship.

Now I realize that I'm going to be goat in the eyes of both teams' fans. Lakers fans will call me a traitor. Warriors fans will call me the unwanted stepchild. But... I'm okay with it. I realize, I need to earn my stripes here in the Bay Area.

However... it's impossible to throw away almost three decades of support for the purple and gold. As a result, there will always be a soft spot in my heart for the Lakers. Kobe will still my favorite player in the game. But the next time they're in Oakland, I'll be pulling for Monta, Stephen, Dorell, and David. And guess what... they won't be in the hunt for a NBA title, but at least they'll be fun to watch.

I'm sure I'm going to hear a lot of flak about this decision, but as a blogger... I must be held responsible for my actions. So have at it...

What do you think about my decision?

And just for kicks...

What teams do you hate the most?

Happy Friday everyone... have a good weekend. Sayonara!