First look at Topps 2011 Opening Day Baseball Cards

Topps has just provided a look at their 2011 Opening Day Baseball Cards.  What do you think?

Mascots are back with this Billy the Marlin trading card and Carlos Gonzalez represents.

Ryan Braun is post swing while Barack Obama throws out the first pitch.

Casey McGehee shows off his John Hancock and while Roy Halladay is an Opening Day Star...

Jason Hayward is a Superstar, much to the delight of Braves fans.

Joe Mauer is glowing under the lights of Target Field.

We think these cards look great and now can't wait for Spring Training and the release of these cards.

Winning bids for Mantle, Mays, Robinson, Palmer and Brock Autographs

In the previous post I talked about The Topps Vault releasing contracts from the 1987 Topps K-Mart 25th Anniversary Baseball Trading card set and putting them up on EBay.  Well those auctions are now closed and the wining bids are in.  Here are the final prices paid, in US dollars, for the contracts behind the cards you see above.

Lou Brock - $129.50
Jim Palmer - $208.59
Brooks Robinson - $169.59
Willie Mays - $409.00
Mickey Mantle - $910.00

Did anyone following us have the winning bid?  What do you think of these prices?

Mantle, Mays, Robinson, Palmer and Brock Autos on the Auction Block

Some of you will remember my posts "Blue Light Special" and "Attention Shoppers" that covered the 1982 Topps K-Mart 20th Anniversary Baseball Cards. ( If you didn't get to read about these great trading cards, click on the titles above and the links will take you there.)


Topps also released a 25th anniversary issue of the K-Mart cards.  There were some differences between the two releases.  To see the diference here are the Mickey Mantle cards,

the Willie Mays cards,

 and the Brooks Robinson cards.

As a bit of inside information, Topps can't just go around printing whatever cards they want, even if they own the pictures, without written consent of the players involved.  There are contracts between Topps and the players.   In the contract, there is usually a time limit that Topps can reuse the players image and monetary payment involved.  And as with any contract, to show the player's acceptance, he must sign it.  In other words, put his autograph on that piece of paper.


Now The Topps Vault is pulling some of those contracts and making them available for purchase on EBay.  And the players above, Mantle, Mays and Robinson are three of the five contracts currently available.  The others are Jim Palmer and Lou Brock.


So if you want to buy the contracts behind these cards or just want to check out what they look like, you can view them at EBay using the following links.

1987 Topps K-MART Card Contract Mickey Mantle YANKEES

1987 Topps K-MART Card Contract Willie Mays GIANTS

1987 Topps K-MART Card Contract Brooks Robinson ORIOLES

1987 Topps K-MART Card Contract Jim Palmer ORIOLES

1987 Topps K-MART Card Contract Lou Brock CARDINALS

Randy Moss and Tom Brady in a girl fight

As if it weren't embarrassing enough for Randy Moss that the New England Patriots traded him to the Minnesota Vikings for about a pack of gum, now there's a rumor that just before Moss left the team, he got into what is being termed as an "altercation" (or more accurately a "catfight") with Tom Brady over, of all things, hair.  It started when Brady told Moss to shave his beard and in response, Moss told Brady to cut his hair because he looks like a girl.  It's a good thing that Troy Polamalu wasn't in the room, because I think he would have beaten both of them senseless.

But while both Brady and Moss are clearly stuck somewhere between Safety and Esteem on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, if you look back at the history of football, its clear that follicles, both facial and on top of your noggin, should not be an issue.  The 1974, 1975 and 1978 seasons proved that alone.  Just look at Jim Kick.

That's a lot of hair... everywhere.  Do you think it affected his play?  NO!  With that much testosterone coursing through his veins, he was just happy to be on the gridiron, knocking guys around..  Here are some others who celebrated their hair.  How about Bill Lenkaitis?

There's Something About Bill, wouldn't you say?  I wonder if that's hair gel. 

It's clear on which side Wally Chambers preferred to part his hair and Ray May was sporting some awesome chops.

Did you think Steve Tannen ever went to a "Stylist"?  No... he ate them for lunch.

Clearly Carl Gersbach and John Beasley looked this way when they got out of bed.  And who was going to tell them to brush their hair?  NO ONE!

Hair Club For Men?  Rogaine?  NO!  Len St. Jean and Pat Toomay worked with what they had and no one had anything to say about it.

Of course there where those who were a little ahead of their time.  Caring about their hair, but certainly not getting in fights about it.

Norm Snead was alway well groomed and Jim Langer had a Superman thing going on.

Lynn Dickey had a nice set of locks.  Hey...  wait a minute.  Is it possible that Tom Brady's dad had this card and Little Tom saw it at an impressionable age AND NOW IT'S TRIGGERING A SENSE MEMORY?  

You know people are saying Brady now looks like teen pop idol sensation Justin Bieber.

After all it is Justin Bieber's world or his world 2.0.  By the way his book just dropped October 1st, if a book can, in fact, drop.

Yes Brady looks a lot like Justin Bieber, but in my mind, I find Brady to be more Dickey.

At least they should be thankful that they're not sporting a Tebow.

Tony Gwynn has cancer.

Really unfortunate news to report.  Padres great Tony Gwynn has cancer.  

It was found in his salivary gland and Gwynn thinks it is probably linked to his use of chewing tobacco during his playing days.  

The good news is that Gwynn's doctors seem to think the cancer was localized and small in size.  They took out three lymph nodes and feel they've caught the cancer early.  They also said there was not much of it there.

The area of Gwynn's cancer is responsible for regulating the flow of saliva into his mouth and considered slow moving but aggressive.  Gwynn will undergo 7-8 weeks of radiation and chemo.

We certainly hope that the doctors got it all and that Tony Gwynn has an easy and complete recovery.