Fill Your Satchel - Your National Sports Collectors Convention Checklist

It's not a purse, it's a satchel!

If you're going to the 2010 National in Baltimore, you need to bring some important items with you. Here's a list of items to throw in your purse, Eurpoean Carry All, backpack.
- Your list of hard to find cards. The National is the place to find them.
- Team card checklists.
- Cards you'd like to get signed if you see someone walking around. You never know who you'll find at the National.
- An extra Official MLB baseball
- eBay pricing (know the price of your wish list before you go)
- Mini helmet of your football team
- Bottle of water
- Meal/granola bars (Food is always terrible at the convention centers and I've chewed on bouillon cubes that taste better than some of the foods they serve at these.)
- Pens and sharpies
- Hand sanitizer (apply, apply, apply)
- Digital Camera
- Phone/Mobile Device to follow twitter updates
- Cards you'd like to trade

Old Super Bowl Program Ads

A recent closet find from my parents move is a Super Bowl XII program. This was the Cowboys/Broncos game at the New Orleans Super Dome.

My grandfather went to this game and paid a whopping $2.50 for the game program. Probably expense at the time, but it's like the $25 price tag on today's versions.

One of the best items in programs are the ads. Here's an ad for Color TV! Whoa!

Best Uses for Texas Stadium Locker Tile

I picked up one of the Texas Stadium tiles that Steiner and the Cowboys were selling. It's a piece from one of the lockers at Texas Stadium, before they blew it to pieces.

It looked cool on the site, but now I'm not sure what to do with it.

Do I:
- Frame and matte it with some Texas Stadium turf and an autograph photo?
- Use it as a drink coaster?
- Set a small flower pot on it?

Tim Tebow Fans Need No Trademarks

Who needs to pay attention to trademark rules when Tim Tebow Mania is involved.

BroncoGator.com creates the spawn of the Florida Gator and Denver Bronco logos for dedicated Tim Tebow fans. I'm not an attorney, but I can't see how some fairly large corporations like NCAA and NFL would let this happen.

More from ESPN. 

Emmitt Smith's Autograph Price Dropping

It's not where it should be, but the price of Emmitt's autograph is dropping.

Next month Emmitt is signing at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the Mounted Memories show. His price for a Premium Autograph is $299 plus $189 for an inscription.

In September, Emmitt is signing in a Plano, Texas mall for a bit cheaper. His price for a premium autograph is $269, plus $150 for an inscription.

It's not a ton, but it is $69 cheaper.

Wally Backman's Brooklyn Debut

Wally Backman returns to the managerial bench tonight with a major league affiliated club. The Brooklyn Cyclones (Backman's new team) take on the Staten Island Yankees.

I'm a big fan of Wally Backman. I think everyone needs another chance and Backman's passion for the game is rarely matched. I have a game-used bat from Wally and the ticket stub from his first game in a Mets uniform. 

The Wall Street Journal has a great article today about Backman's return.

Of course there is this ejection too (warning... language is not suitable for little ears).

GTSM Announces Their Spectacular List

GTSM is taking over the Football Spectacular and announced their preliminary guest list. Earlier this year I provided information on GTSM filling the Spectacular void. The first batch of autograph guests include:

• Gayle Sayers
• Tim Brown 
• Desmond Howard
• Charles Woodson
• YA Tittle
• Colt McCoy 
• Troy Aikman and more

Considering the show isn't until April of 2011, this is a pretty spectacular start. The guest list so far is here.

More Foursquare Marketing for Card Shops

Card shops need to embrace social media marketing. Yesterday that was YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and even Flickr. Today, location based tools like Foursquare are the next component to the marketing plan.

A few weeks ago I blogged that Sports Cards Stores Need Foursquare. Today, I have another example of how this can work in a card shop.

Sports Authority stores are now offering $10 for mayors of their stores. This is rewarding frequent visitors, providing an incentive for the mayors to buy more, providing an incentive for those close to a mayor status to keep visiting and incorporating the social element by letting everyone see this carrot.

A card store can easily apply this same promotion.

More information on the Foursquare promotion with Sports Authority stores is here.

Free Autographs at the National

Freedom Card Board announced they'll have some free autographs for guests attending this year's National in Baltimore, MD.

The announcement on the Facebook group page said they'll have Dirk Hayhurst and Junichi Tazawa at their booth. Visit the facebook group page for the National for more information.

Last year, FCB did a great job with live video feeds, free autographs, scavenger hunts and random prizes for visiting their booth. 

28 Consecutive National Sports Collectors Convention Appearances and Counting

Rich Klein announced on the Facebook Group page for The National that he's scheduled for his 28th straight National Sports Collectors Convention.

28 in a row?! I've been to the two in Cleveland, but that's about it for me.

I'm still on the fence about attending this one.

World Cup Clones - Adidas Star Wars™ Cantina 2010

Do or Do Not, There is no tie.
Anything with a Star Wars theme and Snoop Dog can't be that bad.

Spuds McKenzie Night at Veterans Stadium

In 1987 I was a Logan Township Little League All-Star. Being selected an all-star provided a huge opportunity - the chance to meet Spuds McKenzie.

The meeting with Spuds was more of an accident than anything else. On 9/16/87, the all-stars from our little league were able to go on the turf of Veterans Stadium to take infield. It was a great! Sure, the Vet wasn't the best park, but at 12 years old, it was the only one I had ever been to and certainly the only field I had ever been on. We even had our names and faces put on the giant "Phanavision" screen.

But while we were waiting to take the field, behind the outfield walls, a Limo pulled up next to us, the window rolled down, and Spuds McKenzie stuck his head out! It was awesome. I put out my hand and the trainer the smacked it with Spuds' paw. A high paw from Spuds McKenzie!

The program scanned here is from that game. It was the Phillies vs. Cubs. Don Carman against Andre Dawson!

Mets Autograph Found - Wally Whitehurst

I always keep baseball programs from the games I attend. I had been missing a ton and fortunately, I found some at my parent's house this weekend.

This program is from a Tidewater Tides vs. Toledo Mud Hens game in 1988. The cover has a Wally Whitehurst autograph that I collected after the game in Ned Skeldon Stadium. Wally spent parts of four seasons with the Mets.

The roster is the best part of this program. The Tides were managed by Mike Cubbage and had a roster of few major league players that included:
- Jeff Innis (p)
- David West (p)
- Wally Whitehurst (p)
- Mark Carreon (of)

The Mud Hens were lead by outfielders George Vukovich and Billy Beane!

Mail Bag Delivers: Barney Poole 1952 Bowman Large

I added to my 1952 Bowman Large collection. I picked up Dallas Texan Barney Poole for a good price on eBay. It's not perfectly centered, but that isn't a big deal to me.

Poole began his pro football career with the New York Yankees in 1949. The Yankees moved to Dallas for the 1952 season - their only season as the Texans.

Outrage Over Emmitt Smith Autograph Prices Builds

I've said here numerous times that I will not pay Emmitt's outrageous price demands for his autograph, but the emotions are now moving to the Hall of Fame blog.

Emmitt's individual prices on a full size helmet go for: $299 plus $189 for an inscription. The Hall of Fame is also selling a $500 super ticket that gets you an autograph of everyone going into the HOF this year. However, that $500 will only get you an autograph on a flat item for Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith.

I'm a huge Dallas fan and Emmitt was one of my favorites, but I won't pay this amount.

Maybe he would sign this transcript though:

Greatest Sporting Event I've Watched

The 30-Year Cardboard Blog posed an interesting question this week: "What is the Greatest Sporting Event You've Ever Watched." It doesn't have to be in person, it can be an event you watched on TV and you remember all the details.

I like to think I haven't seen it yet, but if I have witnessed my greatest sporting event, it's Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

I remember my parents going bed when Dave Henderson hit the home run to put the Red Sox ahead. They gave me the parental, "sorry James, maybe the Mets will do it next year" line. Lately, I've been using that same line on my boys, but that night, I refused to believe it.

I lived in a townhouse in south New Jersey at the time. My best friend was a Mets fan. We lived about 10 minutes from Philly, so you were a Mets fan or a Phillies phan. I remember thinking how terrible my 7th grade classmates were going to make fun of me and my best friend if the Mets lost that game to the Red Sox. I could hear Joe and Tony giving us all kinds of grief about the Mets. Even though the Phillies that season never smelled the post-season, I was preparing myself for a school day of ridicule.

The first two Mets were easy outs, including one of my favorites, Wally Backman. Then, my favorite player at the time came up - Gary Carter. Wow, this was going to be a terrible day at school coming up. Not only was I going to get made fun of for the Mets losing, but Carter was going to make the last out. When Carted lined his hit to the outfield I felt like the weight of the world had almost been lifted off my jr. high shoulders. Even if the Mets lost, at least it wasn't Gary Carter that ended.

We all know how it ended of course. I've watched the game on DVD and video more times than I want to admit. I remember sitting in the living room, just me, my dog and my Mets hat when Ray Knight scored on Mookie's "slow roller to first."

I know I woke up every neighbor when Ray Knight was escorted to home by Buddy Harrleson. I know I scared my dog with my yelling. I know I threw my Mets hat all over that room. I remember it perfectly.

I hope that isn't my greatest sporting event memory. I hope I get to live through an event like that with my kids.

Roy Halladay Perfect Game Ticket Gimmick

Is this a collectible or a gimmick? The Florida Marlins are selling unsold tickets to Roy Halladay's perfect game on 5/29. The tickets are being sold at face value.

I think this is a gimmick. How can the Marlins sell game tickets to a game that happened in the past? They are trying to make a dollar on the backs of ticket stub collectors.

I'm not a fan of this. I think it brings the price down on a collectible. If only 5,000 people paid to see the game, there should only be 5,000 ticket stubs available to collectors.

Where does this stop? If a player hits for the cycle and the game wasn't a sell-out, will the team sell the remaining tickets to collectors then too? How many "standing room only" tickets could a team sell after a Game 7 of the World Series?