Eric Lindros - From the Next Great One to Just Another One

Wasn't he supposed to be the next Wayne Gretzky?
Wasn't Eric Lindros going to be the mayor of Philadelphia?

Is Eric Lindros a Hall of Fame player? Did hold-outs in Quebec and Philly ruin his career?

I recently found this card in my collection. I'm not a hockey collector, for some reason I held on to this '91-'92 Upper Deck card.

Dear Topps and Upper Deck: You Need More than a Fan Page

You need a Facebook Application.

It's great that Topps, UpperDeck and other card manufacturers have joined the Facebook tribes. Their fan pages are OK - they aren't at the level of Red Bull or Dunkin' Donuts. Both of them have been recognized for having killer facebook fan pages.

However, the Upper Deck page has more than 800 fans and there seems to be a lot of interaction. The Topps fan page is new and has around 100.

But we need more.

The fan page is great for getting the message out and talking to your customers, but let's interact some. I want a facebook application!

The card companies need to look beyond the fan page and navigation ads.

How about an interactive application that allows you to put any photo you have on your facebook page into your own trading card? This would be similar to the Topps My Trading Card page. You could:
- create your own set
- add it to your profile
- make it your avatar and
- order it directly from the facebook application.

Why not add yourself to the background of the photo like Topps did with the George W. Bush and Derek Jeter card?

Facebook fan pages were great in 2009. In 2010, we need to step it up and see some facebook applications.

Jay Buhner Likes His Gum

Who's the man behind the giant bazooka bubble? Ah, it's Jay Buhner.

This is a 1993 Upper Deck card.

In 1992, the "Pacific Sock Exchange" combined to hit 62 home runs and 249 RBIs.

Pete Rose is Too Busy for Me

I'm in Las Vegas next week and I was trying to arrange a quick interview with Pete Rose. I think it would be great to hear Pete's take on sports cards, memorabilia, and his new deal with Upper Deck.

After several emails and calls, I didn't get a response. Maybe next time.

Howard Johnson Had the Cute Kid Photo First

Boomer Esiason may have wanted to give Drew Brees the Super Bowl MVP trophy based on this picture, but let's not forget Howard Johnson's 1992 Upper Deck card.

HoJo's card doesn't identify who the child is, but I think it's Glen Johnson. GlenJo was drafted by the NY Mets in the 2007 draft by the Mets, but decided to attend Jacksonville University.

Glen Johnson is an infielder for the Dolphins and hit .210 for the university last year. He also wears #20.

Maybe GlenJo will be on the same shuttle that took Daniel Murphy from Jacksonville to Queens? Daniel Murphy is also a former J.U. Dolphin.

Help Needed: Topps 2010 or UD Goudey

I need help decided which product to use for doing our 2010 Mets team set. Suggestions?

Last year my boys dipped their little 5-year old toes into the baseball card collecting pool. It was a lot of fun to see them get started and get excited to find our favorite teams in packs. I blogged about our fun with the 2009 Topps set.

I picked Topps because the design was nice, it didn't empty our wallets and I could find them at Target and Walmart.

Should I go with 2010 Topps this year? Paul's Random Stuff has already provided a great checklist for the Mets. I'm also interested in the Upper Deck Goudey collection since Pete Rose is in there.

What's your take?

Pete Rose to Upper Deck - Dual Autograph Request

I'm looking forward to the Pete Rose cards with Upper Deck's 2010 Goudey card set. Last week UD announced the agreement with Pete Rose.

I was never a big fan of the Sportskings cards that recently came out with Rose cards and autographs. They were priced out of my budget and I'm not a huge fan of their look/appearance. Hopefully the UD Goudey cards will look sharp and fit in my card collecting budget.

I'd like to see a dual autograph card with Rose and Garvey. The picture with the two of them in it was taken right after Rose picked up hit #4,192.

I have an 8x10 of Rose and Garvey with both of their signatures that I'll post on here some day. Garvey signs pretty frequently at the Rose Las Vegas location in Caesar's Palace, but I think a card with both autographs would be awesome.

Did Saved by the Bell Inspire Upper Deck?

They look pretty similar to me!

Every time I see this 1993 Upper Deck card of Howard Johnson I unfortunately think of Slater and Screech. Sad I know. . . but don't deny that you never watched it.

It's the bright colors, sharp edges, and off-center pieces.

Now if I could just find some baseball cards that remind me of Elizabeth Berkley and Tiffani Thiessen.