Sports Card Bust #13: Brien Taylor

Today's hobby hype is all about Stephen Strasburg. Ten years ago, people were drooling over Mark Prior. Twenty years ago, the New York Yankees drafted Brien Taylor with the first overall pick in the MLB amateur draft.

I'm headed out to dinner, so I'll keep this short and simple. Brien Taylor is one of the greatest draft busts of all time. Scouts were all over his fastball back in 1991 and so were the Yankees. They were so anxious to have him, they gave him a 1.55 million dollar signing bonus. He turned around and built his parents a brick house and bought himself a black Ford Mustang.

What did the Yankees get for that money? Well due to an injury, he never pitched an inning in the big leagues. In fact, he never made it past AA ball. He pitched for seven seasons in the minors and earned a career pitching record of 22-30 with a 5.12 ERA.

As of 2006, Mr. Taylor lived with his parents in the brick house he had built and was driving the same black Mustang.

I don't recall what collector's were dropping for his 1992 rookie cards, but Strasburg collectors might want to reconsider spending hundreds of dollars on a pitcher who only has 3 career starts. Even if he has a stellar rookie season, he could always turn out to be the next Dr. K.

Sayonara Salute #1: Evgeni Nabokov

It's official: Evgeni Nabokov is no longer a San Jose Shark. I've been a huge Nabokov fan since his rookie season. I remember Nabby spending quality time with the fans outside of the arena signing autographs for every person who wanted one. He sat in the driver seat of his truck talking to another guy in Russian, while he signed pictures, pucks, and sticks for at least 10 minutes.

He is by far the best goalie in the history of the franchise. Here's a breakdown of his achievements as a Shark:

A. He lead the Sharks to 9 playoff appearances in 10 seasons.

B. He has 293 wins. Second best? Vesa Toskala has 65 wins as a Shark.

C. He has 50 shutouts, which is more than all other Shark's goalies combined.

D. His .912 save percentage is the second highest in team history. Shields & Toskala are tied for first with a .914 save percentage.

E. He has the second lowest goal against average (2.39) in team history. Toskala has a career 2.34 gaa as a Shark.

So Nabby, if you're reading this... I'll miss seeing you fly out of the Shark's head on game night. Thanks for the memories and best of luck wherever you land next year.

Go Sharks!

I love the 80's #2 - WWF Wrestling

I was probably around 12 years old, the first time I watched half naked men running around a ring grabbing, slapping, hugging, and laying on top of each other. No, I'm not talking about porn... I'm talking about the World Wrestling Federation.

I remember it aired on KBHK channel 44 every once in awhile and it was cool. It was like a soap opera for little boys. I'm sure they're story lines were not as nearly as complex as they are today, but for me it was the coolest thing since slice bread.
In the beginning, I liked all of the fan favorites... Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and the Jimmy "Super Fly" Snuka.

However, I immediately took a liking to Mr. Fuji (for obvious reasons), who was the salt throwing, "bad guy" manager. I remember being the only one in my neighborhood who liked him... everyone else hated him with a passion.

A few years later, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat came along. He is (and always will be) my favorite wrestler for several reasons. First off, he wasn't as popular as some of the other WWF superstars. I've always liked underdogs and he was one of them. Another reason, I liked Steamboat was because he was a nice guy. In fact, he was the exact opposite of Mr. Fuji. They were like the Ying & Yang of wrestling for me. Finally, he was 1/2 Japanese. I mean, how many Japanese wrestlers have there been in the WWF?

My two favorites wrestlers would eventually cross paths. A feud started between The Dragon and Don Muraco, who was managed by Mr. Fuji. Here's a video of a lumberjack match between the two. They were also involved in tag team match-ups. Mr. Fuji would actually show off his wrestling skills with Don Muraco and Ricky would receive help from The Junk Yard Dog. Click here if you'd like to see one of their tag team matches. These confrontations were the peak of my interest in WWF wrestling.

After The Dragon left the WWF, I took a break from watching wrestling altogether. I didn't start watching it again until I became a teacher in the late 90's. I remember most of my students were big Stone Cold Steve Austin fans, while I cheered for The People's Champ. My fascination would only last for a couple of years. It just wasn't the same as before and my interest quickly died out.

These days, I'll still watch wrestling matches from time to time, but it will never be the same for me... like it was when I watched it during the 80's.

I hate being a hypocrite...

I've always hated teams that consistently win. During the 70's, I hated the Steelers and the Yankees. During the 80's, I hated the 49ers and the Celtics. During the 90's I hated the Cowboys and the Bulls. This past decade, I hated the Patriots and the Yankees (again). Actually, I've always hated the Yankees, Celtics, Cowboys, and the 49ers for their winning traditions. Which brings me to another thing I hate...

I hate being a hypocrite! Why the eff, do I love the Lakers? They represent so many things I can't stand... the color purple... the city of Los Angeles (Northern California & Southern California just seem to clash)... and of course their winning tradition.

I've struggled with this for years and today I'll explain (not justify) the history of my hypocrisy. It started back in middle school, when I fell in love with the game of basketball. I'm not talking about watching it on television or collecting cards, I'm talking about playing it.

In the 7th grade, I was one of the shortest people in school, plus I was a little chubby to top it off. However, I could hit an outside jumper... especially from the baseline. Outside of baseball, I never received much praise for my athletic abilities, so when my buddies picked me over taller kids, it felt good and boosted my self esteem.

Remember how everyone pretended to be their favorite superstar when they played? Well, I didn't really follow basketball, so I never did. Until one day someone pointed out that I hit a shot like Byron Scott. I'm not sure if I even knew who Byron Scott was, but after watching a bunch of Lakers games while on a family trip to L.A. I was officially a Lakers fan. During that vacation, the Lakers never lost a game and I was amazed to see how they just dominated their opponents. When I left San Jose, I couldn't name 3 different players on that team. By the time I returned home less than 14 days later, I had memorized the whole team from Magic, to Rambis, to of course my childhood basketball idol... Byron Scott.

Since then, I've never looked back. Sure, I feel guilty for supporting the "evil empire", but I just can't help it. I know I'm a front runner, but I've supported them through thick and thin.

In the early 90's when they struggled after Magic's retirement, I was there. After the 2003/2004 season, they lost Shaq, the Glove, the Mailman, and Fish... but they didn't lose this fan. I'll be a Lakers fan until I can no longer bear the burden. However, I promise you this... If I were to ever stop being a Lakers fan... it would only be while they're on top.

I'm a man of character and would never kick a man when they're down.

My 2004 Star Wars Heritage Sketch Card Collection

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before... but I'm a nerd and I'm proud of it (at least for now). If you ask any of my family members, friends, students, girlfriends, co-workers, and any other important people in my life... they'll tell you... I love playing golf... collecting sports cards... eating food... and watching anything related to Star Wars.

Star Wars has been a part of my life since I was 5 years old. As a child, I collected the trading cards and action figures and went to see Episodes IV, V, & VI in theaters. I even had the sheets on my bed until probably the 5th or 6th grade.

When A New Hope was re-released in theaters in the late 90's, I was one of the freaks who waited in line for 8 hours to watch it on opening day.

I have no idea what ever happened to my original cards, but when I started collecting cards again (probably around 2008), I bought a box of 2004 Star Wars Heritage. The cards were cool and have a design that's similar to the original product. But, what really caught my eyes was this sketch card:

I immediately went back online and bought 6 more boxes and pulled these:

I can't remember why I didn't buy more, but I'm glad I was able to pick up a handful of these sketch cards. I love the fact that each of them is a small, unique masterpiece that was once held by the artist him/herself.

If I ever have to sell my collection for any reason, I guarantee that these sketches will be one of the last things to leave my possession.