Card Show: Yo Mamma and 10 cent goodness

Today, the local mall had a card show. Which automatically meant I was there. That's how I roll. Being that I'm a collector getting cards with pocket money, I basically spent the time gorging on the ten cent bins- no game used or autos, because they're not my target, really.

I got a bunch of Series Three Yo Mamma cards at one dealer, including:
1954 Tommy Lasorda
1955 Harmon Killebrew
1962 Looooou Brock
1965 Ernie Banks
1963 Willie McCovey
1979 Dale Murphy
1990 Larry Walker
1994 Billy Wagner
2005 Ian Kinsler

One guy specialized in retired sets, as in sets based around retired players. Mostly 2005 UD Classics and Timeless Teams.
Frank Robinson Timless Teams
UD Classic Willie Stargell, Don Sutton, Tony Perez, Billy Williams, Eddie Matthews, Robin Roberts, Orlando Cepeda, Early Wynn, Bob Feller, Jim Bunning

One guy had a lot of 90's Junk Wax, mainly from the late 90's. I dug in.
1994 Studio Tony Gwynn, Trevor Hoffman, Roberto Alomar, Jim Thome
1995 UD Craig Biggio
1995 Pinnacle Garret Anderson Rookie
1996 Leaf Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Orel Hershiser, Ivan Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez,
Roberto Alomar, Billy Wagner rookie, Tony Gwynn, Paul Molitor, Trevor Hoffman, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Johnny Damon, Kirby Puckett

And the last guy had Early to late 2000's, so I bit:
2003 Diamond Kings White Border Omar Vizquel, Scott Rolen, Eric Chavez
2004 Fleer Showcase Pudge Rodriguez, Tom Glavine
2001 Topps JD Drew
2000 Topps Edgar Martinez, Pedro Martinez Insert
2002 Topps Roy Oswalt, Tony Gwynn
1999 Vladimir Guerrero, Andy Pettite

Overall, nice show. Philly show is in a few months, so I will hit that.

Bartolo Colon- why?

The Yankees were supposed to benefit from the offseason. With Lee, Grienke, Webb and others free to sign, they might have been on top of the world. Then, as pitchers were gobbled up quickly, the Yankees tried to sign anyone remotely good that MIGHT lead them past other teams. All the Yankees have really gotten in terms of starters has been...Mark Prior? And he;s not even in the majors.

Bartolo Colon was signed to a minor league deal. They know that Bartolo wasn't what he was in 2005, when he won the CY Young in a squeaker. They know that he's swatted around the Major Leagues like a ping pong ball the last few years, and that he's getting old. The Yankees just want a few decent pitchers, as if a Sabathia, Burnett, Nova, Hughes rotation isn't good enough.

Time will tell if minor league fallen stars like Colon and Prior will make the big league roster.

Manny to Tampa: I can now hate the Rays again

This is kind of old news, but I just found out a few minutes ago, so my instict as a blogger is to rant about it.

Manny Ramirez was aging, desperate, and needed a team. He failed to win over people with the White Sox, so he went and signed with Tampa Bay. And while it may be good for Tampa fans, however few of you there are on the blogosphere, it's not good for Yankee fans. Cause now, Ramirez will be playing us a lot more.

I explained my massive hatred for Mr. Ramirez is a post last year, the day he ventured to Chicago. I said that while he may be a decent player, he still caused me great pain in his days with Boston, and he has been my least favorite player ever. Seriously. Ortiz looks like a freaking Saint compared to Manny. And just when I thought we'd never have to contend with his steroid injected ass again, he's shipped to Tampa. Isn't that great?

When all those players left Tampa at the end of the year, I thought I was saved. The Rays were a major contender last few years, and thankfully, Crawford, Pena and Garza are now gone. Now, they still had Evan Longoria, David Price and BJ Upton, but they were still dimished from the team that almost won a World Series. They add Manny, and while they may still be a minor setback, they have Manny Ramirez, and imagine what he'll do against the Yankees. He'll hit dingers out of the park.

And in even worse news, there's a rumor going around that Manny may be reunited with former terrible person Johnny Damon. This is bad news. I've tolerated Damon since his days with Boston, mainly because for four seasons, he was a member of the Yankees. And those 4 seasons completely took back anything against him, and his 4 seasons with Baaston. And now that he's signing with the Rays...it looks like nowhere is safe. Manny and Damon combined with Longoria might be pretty bad news. They might not even play together, cause Damon or Ramirez have to vy for DH.

On a lighter note, I don't think we'll need to worry about Toronto anymore. Vernon Wells, the only person on that team worth giving a damn about has been traded to Sluggerland, USA, also known as Anahiem. He'll fit in well with the Angels, but Toronto adds to the list of teams that will not be a problem for us (Right there with Baltimore)

I just hope that Damon deal doesn't go through. Manny on the Rays is bad enough. Manny and Damon...that's even worse.

Super Bowl 45: Cheese vs. Steel

Last night, as predicted by myself, not only did the Packers steamroll over daaaaaaaaa bears, but due to a close call, the Steelers won over the Jets. Apparently, this is good because both teams would match up well against each other. That being said, I'm rooting for the Packers to win, mainly because overall, they are the better team.

Aaron Rodgers. Clay Matthews. Donald Driver. James Starks. A pantheon of terrific players offensive and defensive. This is the reason the Packers got by the other two- their defense is excellent, and only lets few a couple of touchdowns. Also, Aaron Rodgers has not been plagued with any scandal this year (that I know of), unlike another quarterback, whose name is somehow making me hungry. Plus, isn't it about time that somebody OTHER than the Steelers won the Super Bowl? I mean...they've won 6 of 'em, making it the most of all time. One of these days, somebody has to jump in and win one instead of them.

This is no way makes me a Green Bay fan. I am still a Eagles fan from the start. But for one day in Dallas, Texas...go Pack.

Topps Magic Retail Box Break

A lot of you have been liking the new Topps Magic, so I figured I needed to get in on the love fest. I got a retail box, and while I'm not hoping for any autos, this is a good, quality product. Let's see what I get:

Pack 1-
129- Ben Tate.
113- Jordy Nelson, the only person in the NFL with the same first name as me.
155- Brandon Marshall
171- Ray Rice mini
29- Todd Heap.
166- Johnny Knox (ville)

Pack 2-
8- LeSean McCoy!!!
153- Jerome Harrison
85= Rey Maualuga
245- Dennis Dixon
224- Ben Roethlisberger. Mmmmmm, buuurger...
209- Steve Slaton, who may or may not be related to a friend of mine...

Pack 3-
174- Adrian Peterson
163- Matt Leinart
Arrelious Benn Rookie Star
23- Chester Taylor Mini
188- Nate Burleson
104- Brandon Jacobs

Pack 4-
32- Dan Marino
2- Earl Thomas rookie
147- Matt Cassel. Bleah.
157- YA Tittle mini.
51- Jermaine Greshem
222- Tashard Choice

Pack 5-
72- Deion Branch
46- James Casey
Magical Moments of Randy Moss.
233- Cedric Peerman
193- Roger Staubach
118- DJ Williams

Pack 6-
157- Regular sized YA Tittle
142- Anthony Gonzalez
70- Jonathan Crompton
79- Santana Moss mini
234- Kyle Orton
214- Matthew Stafford

Pack 7-
171- Ray Rice
23- Chester Taylor
Terrell Owens Magical Moments. HOW THE HELL IS T.O .MAGICAL?
128- Marion Barber Black Border mini
244- Mohamed Massaquoi
236- Golden Tate

Pack 8-
50- Tony Homo
41- Marques Colston
Rob Gronkowski Rookie Star
Marques Colston mini
226- Early Doucet
247- Jonathan Stewart

Pretty good rip. I really like the look of this set, and I might get more before 2011 Baseball comes out.

Andruw Jones is a big name once again

Andruw Jones needed a home. He had played ten consistent hard hitting seasons with Atlanta, and wanted to add a cherry to his slowly melting Ice Cream. He was in luck. The New York Yankees need a hard hitter that could occasionally play the outfield, like Marcus Thames did for us last year.

They needed each other. Andruw is thankfully now a Yankee. And it's a pretty big deal.

Andruw Jones last achieved a stitch of relevancy when he was signed by Los Angeles in 2008, with hopes of revitalizing the hard hitting power of the Dodgers. That didn't happen. He shopped around a bunch of teams (Rangers, ChiSox), until this year, the Yankees signed him.

Hopefully this will be as good as I think it is...and not as good as everyone else thinks it is (bad).

The Craziest Football Season I have ever seen

Back in September, things were so quiet. So peaceful. So...sane. The Saints, Colts and Patriots were frontrunners for what was sure to be an eventful year. Brett Favre was confident that he would go out with a bang, as Philly fans everywhere dreamed of a good season once again.

Flash forward five months. New England, Indianapolis, New Orleans and Philadelphia, four teams that would have been clear frontrunner had the season been normal, are out of the race. The Ravens are gone, even though I'd have enjoyed to see them in the Super Bowl. All that is left is four teams, three of which I never would have guessed to be in the playoffs. In order of Probability to be in the Super Bowl, here are the lucky winners.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers. For this one, I wasn't surprised. You see, Rothliesberger and the gang always seem to make the playoffs every year- whether they make it or not is besides the fact. For every year I've been following football, the Steelers always seemed to be good. After all, with the help of Hines Ward, James Harrison and the rest, the Steelers have won 2 Super Bowls in the last 10 years, bringing their total to six. That's the most Super Bowls ever. And being that they are being pitted against the Cinderella Jets, I'm guessing it will end in triumph for the Steel City, with no offense to the five million Jets fans in the blogosphere. Since I'm not a big AFC fan, I wouldn't want Pittsburgh to win their seventh, but anything can happen. Odds of Making the Super Bowl: 2:1.
2. Green Bay Packers. This team came way out of left field. After Favre left, and after Rodgers' rocky season, I wasn't sure that Green Bay would make it this far. But they have surprised me, in not only defeating my hometown Eagles, but crushing, and I mean crushing, the Atlanta Falcons two nights ago (I know of one particular person that was screaming at the TV that night) The Pack is red hot, and it doesn't look like anyone, even Chicago, can stop them. Time will tell if they can hold up in the NFC Championship, or maybe even the Super Bowl. Odds of Making the Super Bowl: 3:1.
3. New York Jets. Alright, here's what I have to say about Rex's warrior- they've really surprised me in the playoffs. Not only did they give a serious beatdown to the Colts, causing millions of betting pools everywhere to be lost, but they somehow narrowly escaped defeat at the hands of the Patriots. And don't get me wrong- I was ROOTING for the Jets last night, after everything those damn Pats have done to my Eagles. But if these guys are up against the Steelers now, despite being the favorite on my end, I don't know if they have much of a chance. I do like the Jets a little bit... but it's more of who I hate the least. I wanted the Colts to win, and they didn't. I didn't want the Pats to win, and they didn't. I don't want Pittsburgh to win- but you never know. Odds of making the Super Bowl: 6:1.
4. Chicaaaaago Bears. I was never a Bears lover. I wanted them to lose against Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl a few years back, and I've always wanted them to lose period. Now, for some straaaange reason, they defeated not only the Seahawks, but they got the damn bye over the dominating Packers. Amazing- they won the division, but now the team WITHOUT the bye is better than them. Still, when the Packers play the Bears, I will be gleefully rooting AGAINST the Bears. I've cheered against them, and hell, I've even laughed at them, whenever SNL did "Daaaaaaa Bears". Because it was so true. Odds of Making the Super Bowl: 20:1

I hope my rankings are correct. Because I'll be there.

Lemme rephrase that- I will be at the Super Bowl.

More details to come.

The Soriano Enigma

If two years ago, you were to tell me that Rafael Soriano would eventually become the Yankees setup man/ closer, I would have done one of two things:
1. Laughed.
2. Asked "Who?"

Before you griping that I don't know who he is, I KNOW who he is. He's played unsuccessfully for the Braves for a few seasons, and after being traded to the Rays for a few prospects, has skyrocketed in value thanks to his tendency to pick up saves. He is a decent closer, but by no means should I have cared...that is, until now.

Like it or not, I have to face the fact that when Mariano Rivera retires, that Rafael Soriano is going to have to be the Yankees new closer. I'm not entirely sold on the fact that this guy's gonna be our closer, picking up where the Greatest Closer That Ever Lived left off. But I can't do a thing about it. I wasn't very happy when we traded for Nick Swisher, but now look where he's gone to.

Look...even though I'm not particularly fond of the man, there's still a part of me that might enjoy when he takes the mound in pinstripes. Even if Mo's still active...if he's just taking a night off, I could see him pitching a great night in relief. After the cinderella season that he just had, I wouldn't be surprised if he churns out a few more.

In the end, it all amounts to this: A good team isn't truly good unless they have a decent closer. Without a decent closer, the team has no hope in capping off a win, or securing things in a final inning. They need a closer, whose only determination is to send three batters back to where they came from one by one. To make a name for himself as one of the greatest, and people everywhere will agree.

Teams need one of those closers.

The Bronx has two.

Back with Minnesota

In case you haven't heard by now, Jim Thome, former Philly and all around great player, had resigned with the Twins for another year, after rampant speculation he would go to Texas. Personally, I'm glad he's back with the Twins. The team benefitted from his sheer power at DH, and was a huge factor in getting them to the playoffs.

Thome's always been a lot of fun to watch, and I'm sure he'll keep being that way for 2011.

(P.S- This custom is from last year, and I KNOW it's not one of my best)

The ToppsTown Experiment: Part 2.5

A few weeks ago, I reported that I had began my quest to finish Football's ToppsTown set. I also said that I had about 20 cards left until I completed the set. And that aggrivated me. Because, as I said, nobody gives up what you need...without a little extra involved.

Needless to say, about 2 minutes ago I checked my TT account, and noticed there was a sudden urge of points in the left hand corner. I check my binder- I have all 172 cards, after making a desperate trade for Larry Fitzgerald.

I was excited. I was now officially ready for 2011's card releases to begin.

This means I don't have to go to ToppsTown for a while, but at least the few weeks I had on the site for football counted, a bit.

Just so you're wondering, no I haven't gotten cards in a while, being that today's snow was so bad all the schools in my area were closed. I'll get some sooner or later- I'm interested in the new Magic Football set. Mainly because of the design, but I also love that wrapper. And who doesn't?

There is nothing to say

Nope.

Not gonna talk about it.

All I'm gonna say is it hurt to watch.

Especially the last minute.

At least it's not as bad as losing to Dallas.

What's this? An original Bowman set?

Last year, I ranted hugely on Bowman, and the fact that the rookies and general design have become obsolete. This year, however, they've apparently listened to that rant, and put out an Original Base Set. Really!

For those who haven't seen it on every other blog, it's kinda like a cross between the 1999 Upper Deck base (only less metallic and more generic), and the old 1950's Bowman set with the TV set (only not as obvious). And to be honest, it actually looks like an okay set. I just hope that it isn't Red for the veterans, blue for the rookies again. Then, the respect will be taken back.

But still..back in the 90's Bowman wasn't generic. Every year, it was an original, distiguishable set that would be constant for veterans and rookies. It also had that Wow factor, that made you want to buy the product. Now, however, Bowman has lost that wow factor, and the specificity. Now, every set looks the safe, and it has become almost uniform, and like the same thing happens every year.

At least for 2011 we get a semi-distinguishable set that has a bit of a pop to it, instead of the same thing every year from 2003ish-2009.

I would personally like my old Bowman back, the one with an original, eye popping design, and where you can actually have the rookies and the veterans in the same design, instead of short printed gimmicked crap. I'd like a collectable, rookie set.

Of course, they could just bring back Total, but apparently that's never gonna happen. That angers me.

Everybody hates the...other teams

Last year, I had a post explaining once and for all reasons that everybody else already knew of why people hated the Yankees. This year, I kinda thought it needed a sequel. Because the one team I think of besides the Yankees when I think of hatred, is Boston. But, that's because I'm a Yankee fan. Then I thought- is there more to baseball hatred than just Yankees and Boston? I'll be the judge of that.

To be clear, these are not my opions, just estimated opinions of the fans of the opposing teams.

AL EAST:

Tampa Bay Rays:
Haters: Red Sox
Reasons: 2008 Playoffs (That's not one of my reasons), Longoria, Price, that damn Soriano.

Toronto Blue Jays:
Haters: The other AL East teams
Reasons: For winning those two damn WS's in the Nineties, Joe Freaking Carter, Vernon Wells.

Baltimore Orioles :
Haters: Not many- Just Red Sox, I think.
Reasons: Uhhh...lemme think...Brooks and Frank back in the day? There aren't many reasons to hate the Orioles.

Boston Red Sox: (Just for comparison)
Haters: Pretty much everybody in the league.
Reasons: The gaaddamn Baaaston fans, Manny being Manny, Big Papi, Pedroia, Beckett and Daisuke, sucking for so long and complaining about a curse, Johnny Damon, Yaz, Fisk's home run in '76, the stadium's older than anyone in my family- the list can go on and on.

AL CENTRAL:

Chicago White Sox:
Haters: Twins.
Reasons: Black Sox scandal, Konerko, currently having Manny, 05 series.

Detroit Tigers:
Haters: Indians
Reasons: Making people feel sorry for them, Ty Cobb, Magglio Ordonez, 06 season, Cabrera.

Cleveland Indians:
Haters: Tigers
Reasons: Uhhhh...Travis and Grady, and Choo? There aren't many reasons to hate these guys, and I'm not saying that because a friend of mine's a Cleveland fan.

Minnesota Twins:
Haters: White Sox
Reasons: Current holder of Thome, Kirby's homers to win the series', Blyleven (but not anymore), Nathan, Mauer, Morneau, Delmon

Kansas City Royals:
Haters: Unless you count the players, not many
Reasons: Uhhh...lack of star power...just gave star pitcher to Milwaukee, big star hitter can't get out of AA,...that's it.

AL West:

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Haters: Rangers, Mariners
Reasons: Torii, Bobby, Jered, Haren and the rest, actually won a World Series

Oakland Athletics:
Haters: Mariners? I dunno.
Reasons: Uhhh....lemme think...Andrew Bailey? Having a Giant Elephant as a mascot? Giving up all the four awesome pitchers? Bash Bros?

Seattle Mariners:
Haters: Angels
Reasons: Ichiro gobbling up publicity, King Felix, the 90's.

Texas Rangers:
Haters: Angels,
Reasons: '10 season, Nelson Cruz, Hamilton, Young, Kinsler, ROY Feliz, the fact that the former GM went on to do stranger things...like run the country.

NL East:

Philadelphia Phillies:
Haters: Mets, Marlins, Braves
Reasons: The Fantastic Four (Lee, Oswalt, Halladay, Hamels), 08 season, being so damn good, Howard, Rollins, Werth (not anymore!), fans.

New York Mets:
Haters: Phillies, Braves
Reasons: Shea, Wright, Ike, Bay, Beltran, Johan, the fans, Piazza

Atlanta Braves:
Haters: Phillies, Mets
Reasons: Chipper, McCann, Huddy, Jair, J-Hey, the 90's, the Big Three

Florida Marlins:
Haters: Phillies, Mets, Braves
Reasons: 1997 and 2003 campaigns, the fact that they actually won a World Series, Han-Ram, Coghlan, Stanton, Johnson

Washington Nationals:
Haters: Not really anybody. The senate?
Reasons: Uhhh...no real reasons to hate a team that doesn't make enemies. See Baltimore.

NL Central:

Pittsburgh Pirates:
Haters: The Players
Reasons: The fact that they've had 20+ straight losing seasons, giving away all the good players before July, McCutchen

Cincinatti Reds:
Haters: Pirates
Reasons: the '10 campaign, Votto, Bruce, the pitching, Big Red Machine,

Chicago Cubs:
Haters: Cardinals, Braves
Reasons: The fact that for 100 years now they can't win a World Series, Soriano, Aramis, KosFu, Soto, old stadium

St. Louis Cardinals:
Haters: Cubs
Reasons: Overinflation of Pujols, McCann, the mid-00's series quest, 06 series, Rasmus, Carp

Houston Astros:
Haters: Brewers?
Reasons: Bagwell and Biggio, 05 campaign, Pence, Lee, Brett Myers

Milwaukee Brewers:
Haters: Astros, Braves

Reasons: Prince, Braun, Gallardo, Beer and Cheese

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers:
Haters: Giants
Reasons: Old Stadium, Blake, Ethier, Kemp, Kershaw, traditions,

San Francisco Giants:

Haters: Dodgers
Reasons: '10 series, Posey, WIIIIIIILSSSSSOOOOOON, Kung Fu Panda, home runs flying into the bay, the Freak, Cain

San Diego Padres:
Haters: Dodgers? D-Backs?
Reasons: Well...not that many, now...

Arizona Diamondbacks:
Haters: Rockies
Reasons: Upton, Webb, showoffishness, 2001 Series, Johnson and Schilling

Colorado Rockies:
Haters: D-Backs
Reasons: Being up in the goddamn mountains, Todd Helton-an actual Mountain Man, Fowler, Tulo, Ubaldo.

If there's any info I missed, leave it in the comments. Let's see if this is a worthy sequel.

If they win for you, keep them around

Let me give you a scenario- you're in your late thirties, and you were recently named MVP of the World Series. Your team loves you, your fans love you, the city thinks you're a hero, and you did pretty good at your position in the past year. You've been with the team for a couple years now, and you feel at home there. What does your team do? Refuse to sign you and release you. So, for no real reason other than they don't need you, you sign with a team who used the same strategy (cobbling together awesome pitching with young and old "misfit" players) for a year.

Isn't that unfair, what your team did to you? You were the MVP of the World Series 1 day, and the next day you're teamless. Can the team just define you by age- you have a few years left!

This was the scenario for Edgar Renteria, who today signed with the stronger-every-day Cincinnati Reds. And if have no problem with the Reds, Edgar will play fine there. But...he was a big part in winning the Giants a World Series ring. To be fair, they already ditched Juan Uribe, whose 8th inning heroics shouldn't have happened, but still did. But now, the WS MVP?

To be fair, I KNOW he's in his late 30's. I KNOW he's getting old, and his playing time's gonna decrease. And I KNOW that unless something miraculous happens, Edgar Renteria isn't getting into Cooperstown. But let's be honest here- if you were the GM of a team coming off a World Series, and your aging but still reliable MVP was in need of a contract, would you sign him? I certainly would, to make the fans, and him, happy.

This same "If they win for you, keep them" strategy also relates to another player who did a big thing this year. If you've seen MLB Network, or ESPN, you've heard that the Rays want to trade Matt Garza to the Cubs. I honestly don't see the reasoning behind this decision. This means for the first time in my life, I'll be taking Tampa's side.

Matt Garza was an excellent pitcher for the Rays. With them, he found his footing and became a force to reckon with in the AL East. Hell, he even threw TAMPA'S FIRST EVER NO-HITTER. Which means he's gonna be a name that Tamap will remember for years. Matt Garza was only overshadowed by one other pitcher- Mister The-Hype-Paid-Off-For-Me, David Price. But still, the Rays love Garza, and the Rays fans love Garza. And only one person loved Garza more- Chicago's GM. Which is why later today, Matt Garza will be hearing the news that he's going to Chicago, the land where World Series dreams (and billy goats) go to die. Even though he wants to ask why, he'll pack his bags and ready himself for a press conference in Chicago.

But...if the Rays already knew how important Garza was to the staff, and the team's still growing legacy, why on Earth would they trade him to the place where he'd never in a million years win a World Series ring? And why trade him in the first place? You're just letting a young star with potential slip out of your hands.

But it could be a lot worse. At least Boston isn't gonna let Beltre leav.....ohhhh yeaaaahhh, riiiighht....damn Rangers (Wait, what am I saying? You can HAVE him!)

And then there's the Sixers

I was never a huge basketball fan myself. I remember acquiring Shaquille O'Neal's rookie card from my grandfather, but other than that I was never huge with basketball. Keeping this all in mind, last night I ventured out to a 76ers game in the Wacho- I mean Wells Fargo center. Why did I do this? I was invited by a friend. How could I say no to that.

The team is a lot better than what it was last year, when I saw the team play, invited by the same person around the same time as this year. I mean, last year they did have Iverson, and they had Bellombere or however you spell it (I just remember the announcer yelling it loud and slowly from last year), but now those two are gone and the team has improved.

Back in the days I saw the team Iverson-less, the big star was Andre Iguodala. This was back when he was younger, quicker and still pretty damn good. I'm not saying AI's not good now...he's been overshadowed by two younger stars, two BETTER stars: Elton Brand and Jrue Holiday.

Holiday was the hero of the night. He scored the most out of the whole team, had the most assists (so in turn, had his name cheesily yelled by the announcer, which was 'JRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUEEE.... (in a quiet, raspy voice) Ho....la....daaayyyy). He was named player of the game, and he damn well deserved it. But, as I said, Brand and Holiday were the stars of the show, as well as LOOOOOOOOOOOOOU Williams (As the crowd started Loooooouing the player, my confused friend asked me "Why do they always Boo Williams". I replied "They're not booing, they're Looing", the same response my dad had when his aunt asked why they always Booed Piniella). Iguodala is a good player, but at this point in his career he's no longer a huge name.

It was a great game. Sixers beat the John Walls- I mean the Wizards 109-97. The first time I've seen these guys break 100 points since...the Iverson years.

Bert and 'Berto go to Cooperstown

It was announced today that Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. That's pretty nice on its own. I love the fact that Roberto will most likely be the first player inducted to represent Toronto. Alomar was a definite star for the 1990's. But Blyleven...that's where I have a problem.

Every decade has a pitcher that achieves greatness not through records broken, but for being consistent and being good at his job for a long period of time. That being said, these players are usually scoffed at if and when they're inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Bruce Sutter would be an example. He was a decent closer for his career, but he only had a 10-11 year career. Bruce was okay, but was he really a Hall of Famer? Fergie Jenkins is another example, and I know some of you may disagree on this one. Over 20 seasons, Fergie displayed his talents on the mound, but he didn't break records or really leave a lasting imprint. Eventually he went to the Hall, and while some people agreed, others were baffled. There are a lot of pitchers that fall under this category, but one particular person was a big offender- Bert Blyleven.

Bert was a good 2nd or 2st man in the rotation for 20+ years. He had a blazing fastball and had a lot of strikeouts. But, now that Felix Hernandez has won the Cy Young, do wins and strikeouts really matter? Blyleven never really did anything huge, and he was never a huge household name. He laid low and broke a few records, placing on some strikeout lists. But he isn't like Nolan Ryan or Tom Seaver, and was a huge superstar from the start.

Bert Blyleven...I really don't see the point to putting him in bronze. While Roberto Alomar was dominant at his position for an entire decade, Bert sped along mainly using strikeouts. But at the end of the day...I'm not the one writing the ballots and making the decision.

Congratulations to Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven on your nomination. I'm calling Bagwell and Edgar for next year.

New Look for a New Year

For those of you looking at the blog this afternoon, wondering if this is the same thing anymore, it is. I changed not only the blog's logo, but it's design. This blog looks a lot different than it did when I started it. I kept the template for almost two years, and today I felt like a complete revamp.

As for the logo, this was an easy thing to pull off. Ten of my customs are hanging in my bedroom, so I took my Derek Jeter jersey, and my Roy Halladay jersey and scotch-taped them to the wall, then photoshop did the rest. It's a lot better than my last logo- I no longer want my visitors to think I'm a Dali enthusiast, which I'm not. I want people who see my blog to think I'm a Yankee and Philly fan, who also loves making customs.

I hope everyone had a great 2010, because 2011 is just getting started.