Anatomy of a Fan Favorite: Reggie Willits

1.) Has to be middle-America to represent what the average baseball fan appreciates on a day-to-day basis.

2.) Has to be unique - for a time, Willits had a batting cage in his bedroom.

3.) Can't be a 6'3'' and 240 pounds - must be a runty guy.

4.) Must exude some confidence, despite apparent lack of stature.

5.) Must remind fans of the old school player, doing the little things to win and earn his keep on a Major League roster.

There has been backlash over the last several years with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's 'Latinofication' of its nucleus of players, with names like Vladimir Guerrero, Orlando Cabrera, Bartolo Colon littering the roster [as key free agent signings] as opposed to guys like Tim Salmon, Troy Glaus, Darin Erstad and David Eckstein [essentially home grown].

Local fans in the 'OC' eat up stories of a 'unique' guy like Willits, since he has the complexion and the game they can identify with now. If you are an Angels' fan that goes to the game, more likely than not, the shirt you'll see that 'chic' fan wearing is that of Willits' and not of Guerrero, Cabrera, Matthews or Anderson.

Coming into the 2007 season, Willits may have been considered as the fourth or fifth outfield option if he made the team. Given an opportunity to play early in the Major Leagues, Willits has not given the Angels an opportunity to doubt his ability as a catalyst in their lineup.

In 290 at-bats so far, Willits has an impressive .402 on-base percentage with 49 walks against 53 strikeouts. He has stolen 22 bags while being caught six times. He has collected 88 hits, including 14 doubles and scored 50 times.

Right now, the 26-year old Angels' rookie star has provided the team with a sparkplug, obviously reminiscent of recent former Angels like Erstad and Eckstein.

The card pictured is his 2006 Upper Deck Update rookie card. His first professional card seems to be his 2003 Upper Deck Prospects Premiere XRC, a card produced months after he was drafted.

I remember picking up the 2003 Upper Deck PP XRC for $0.50. I didn't think much of it then and I thought Willits was going to be a player that isn't likely going to stick in the Major Leagues for a prolonged period of time. With his start so far, is it too late to be a frontrunner and get on the bandwagon?

Featured Breaks

2007 Topps [x3 @$1.99 each] retail

I've been looking forward to breaking some 2007 Topps - I thought I was just being a baseball card nerd but through the week the product has blown up because of a Derek Jeter card that was photoshopped with images of Mickey Mantle and George W. Bush. I was just planning to pick it up because it is 'new.'

I guess it is how it goes and I see how it works - where someone like me is looking to see what the newest cards of a flagship product look like, but now the interest is heightened just a bit more, because there is some gimmick to be supposedly had. So if I can't quite avoid picking up some packs here and there, if for a number of reasons, base brand Topps just doesn't [usually matter].

I finally got three 12-card packs at Target [$1.99 each] from a fresh, sealed box - I was hoping [now] to get one of those Jeter cards, which may or may not have long-term value, but did not. I pulled a black and white Mickey Mantle insert card #'d MM 57 on the back.

The back bordered base cards look pretty sharp.

Five reasons base brand Topps may still matter:
1.) Old faces, new places - in the last several years perhaps, Topps has really been proficient in airbrushing new uniforms for players who signed or got traded to new teams over the off-season. It is unique, if silly to pull a 2007 Topps Barry Zito in game action, wearing San Francisco Giants threads already. There are less instances, where you are pulling cards of old faces still pictured with their old teams, even though players pictured with Photoshop threads haven't played one regular season game with their new clubs.

2.) Topps is a rite of passage - it is the most accessible brand of baseball cards and you always want to see the latest version of the release, even if you've had enough of it in about two months. It is part of tradition, a product that signals that baseball is back in play.

3.) Comprehensive player checklist - there are likely more opportunities to pull common cards featuring players you can get random autographs from either in-person or through the mail.

4.) Good and plenty - packs typically contain 12 cards per pack.

5.) Cheap - packs are $2 each

Five reasons base brand Topps don't matter:
1.) With many other baseball card products - you know it is just 'base brand' Topps here and you can get it all year long.

2.) It is or will be available everywhere and in nearly every form - blasters, factory sets, Walmart, Target, gas station, special team set blisters, rack packs, plastic wrapped 'window' packs, et al.

3.) Redundant players - you don't need to add one more card of typically mediocre MLB veterans to your commons collection.

4.) Photos are never as sharp - quality of the base cards are fine, but there is are no photos with 'personality.' It is mostly hitters hitting, pitchers pitching, fielders fielding kind of a mentality.

5.) No 'special cards' to chase, especially in retail - most of the cards you'll need will likely be coming out of nickel bins. There are other ways to get the base cards, if it is all that you are looking for.

Featured Breaks
From a card show

Can anyone justify spending $40-$50 on a pack of trading cards that probably features no more than four cards?

Waited all afternoon until we got home for me to open my pack of 2006 Bowman Sterling [$45] that I picked up from the card show.

I figure that one way of looking at it is that I'm going to get at least two autographs per pack and one relic. That is almost like pulls from a full box, except you don't get any extra cards.

It took about a minute to open, though it was only a pack and not a box.

1.) Sean Watson auto - looks like a reliever
2.) Pedro Beato auto - saw this pulled online on youtube.com; he has potential though he is a pitcher and he likely has to clear so many hurdles to be somewhat decent.
3.) Josh Johnson (RC) - I was thinking about writing an autograph request to him in the spring; his true rookie card was in 2002 Bowman Draft.
4.) Barry Bonds bat - I was hoping for an autograph, but wasn't going to get one. He has lots of game used cards out and he isn't liked at all. Still, he is a Topps exclusive and this wouldn't be a bad pull, if there was more to the pack.

It was a so-so pack - though it is kind of painful to say that when you spent $45 on it.

2005 Topps Updates and Highlights [x4 @$1.25 each] - cheap break, looking for a Ryan Zimmerman base rookie card.

Jered Weaver - rookie card
Chris Young [Arizona] - rookie card?
John Mayberry Jr. - rookie card
Barry Bonds [x2] - two of his home run cards

Featured Breaks
From a card show

Can anyone justify spending more than $40-$50 on a box of trading cards that probably features no more than 60 cards? You can turn a $90 box of cards into $15 in about 20 minutes.

I do realize that modern [as in the last five years or so] 'baseball card' collecting is designed for people with discretional spending money and a desire to gamble. I'm not one of those collectors, but I was going to slurge on a box of cards.

I was going to get 2006 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Update [$85], since the quad jersey/patch cards look pretty good, where there is one 'notable' patch piece running across the four square frames. There are also two autographs per box.

Being the indecisive collector, I also saw a hobby box of Bowman Draft and Prospects [$63] and was contemplating getting it instead since Bowman Draft and Prospects is one of those boxes that goes up in value [though I'm going to bust any box I purchase]. Will you be able to get one for $63 in three months?

While it isn't as 'sexy' as the other new products and as the MLBPA has altered the rookie-card rules, BDP still features first year cards from select 2006 draft picks with opportunities to pull versions that are signed.

I ultimately went with the BDP since it was cheaper, but perhaps, I can get lucky with some loose packs [if I was going to spend up to $85 anyway].

I don't know if you get the instant gratification with BDP because it features players that may never reach the Major Leagues, but you hope you pull something for later. I'm going to admit that I have no idea and don't really care who the other guys are in BDP, unless they are one of the higher profile prospects [Evan Longoria- who I curiously feel is the next Phil Nevin...].

Still, with Sweet Spot Update, you already know you are going to pull a Sweet Spot certified autograph insert card of a 2006 MLB rookie, that is a long reliever and had his rookie card in 2003. Maybe your second autograph will yield a Sweet Spot 'table'[mimicking a bat barrel] certified autograph card of another 2006 MLB rookie, maybe a 27-year old backup outfielder.

Your quad material card will be all jersey and of some Cuban player who will defect when he is 33 or 34.

My Bowman Draft and Prospect Pulls
Just listing the pulls that I care about as opposed to listing everything under the sun.

Chad Huffman autograph refractor [serial #'d 322/500]

Brian Bannister x-fractor [serial #'d 213/299] - print line across the surface, though it isn't a first year card.

Refractors - Carlos Villanueva and Adam Davis.

Randomness - my Futures Game jersey card was Kurt Suzuki [CSUF], the one guy I may have been looking for, though the card may only be worth $2. pulled a base, chrome and gold insert of Kyle Drabek...pulled a gold insert of Billy Rowell...pulled a base chrome rookie card of Mike Napoli...pulled a base of Hank Conger.

The condition of these cards seemed rough - there are occasional minor nicks, dings and scratches that probably knocks the cards' overall condition. It perhaps takes away from the collectibility of the product. I also wish there was one more certified autograph hit per each box.

Overall, it isn't really the cards that are hot, but the potential for future value that drive this product. It is like being attracted to someone because they belong in a certain clique.

I also bought four packs of 2006 SP Authentic [$4 each] - $4 a pack isn't that bad, but this is where I waste money, trying to get one of those By the Letter certified autograph inserts, which look pretty damn nice from loose packs.

After the damage was done, I did pull one lame auto [Chris Denorfia]. I also pulled a Heroes insert card of Ken Griffey Jr./Andruw Jones [SPAH-43].

Featured Target Breaks
In Orange County California

Anaheim Hills [12/20/06]
2006 Bowman Draft [$2.99 each] - I grabbed a random pack.

Daniel Garcia refractor - eighth round draft pick from a So. Cal high school

Garden Grove [12/11/06]
2006 Bowman Draft [$2.99 each] - I grabbed three random packs to get my fix, though I ended up not getting anything out of it.

Mike Napoli rookie card - hopefully I can get these inked.
Mike Rouse - I pulled one last week and I thought, this card is already
Jason Place chrome

Anaheim by Disneyland [12/8/06]
2006 Bowman Draft blaster break [x1 @$19.99] - not great at all with no autograph or game used card.

David Pauley - refractor; common
Jermaine Mitchell chrome - Mitchell is apparently a darkhorse prospect in the Oakland organization.

Jason Windsor and the 'New' 2006 Rookie Card Rules

$5 and change special at the bi-weekly card show - not much here except a couple of baseball card packs of the low-end variety, eight nine-pocket sheets [$1.00] and an 800-count box [$0.50].

2006 Upper Deck Update [$2.00 each x2] - pulled the one base card I was looking for, essentially a 'bastard' non-rookie prospect card of Jason Windsor with the 2006 rookie card logo. Windsor led the 2004 Cal State Fullerton baseball team to the College World Series title in 2004 and hope to get it signed at the Titans' alumni game in 2007, since I go to school there.

This is one of his few Major League cards so far, though his true rookie cards [and variations] are autographed and found in 2004 Donruss Elite Extra Edition and 2004 Upper Deck SP Top Prospects.

I suppose in an ideal collecting world, companies would have to wait until the player makes his Major League debut to get a Major League issue card. I think that is what the new rookie card logo is about [along with generating 'interest' in current year baseball card product is case the rookie year class is a strong one], but there are too many players that overlap, meaning that they've already had cards in Major League sets issued in previous years.

Slapping a rookie card logo on a 2006 Ryan Zimmerman or 2006 Hanley Ramirez, 2006 Justin Verlander card or any player with cards in the Major League sets [no matter what their status was when the cards were produced] in previous years is silly. No matter how the price guides like Beckett or Tuff Stuff is complying with adding extra meaning to cards [of Zimmerman, Ramirez or Verlander for example] with the rookie card logo, they are still not the rookie cards I've come to know prior to 2006.

If a the rookie card logo is affixed onto a card, I'd like the card to be considered a true rookie card, the first card from the set.

Unfortunately [or maybe not], I think Topps can still get away with putting fresh new professional players in their Bowman sets.

I think the problem is that you can include Major League players in Bowman Draft - so the cards of players just draft would be essentially rookie cards [unless of course, they are inserted].

I remember that Topps issued draft sets in 1994 [Stadium Club] and they didn't really generate much interest, because they were considered a specialty set, without any other players.

If the powers that be made Bowman Draft without the Prospects, cards produced during the Major League debut of a player [or whenever he is eligible to be put in a set] would have that much more value.

Featured Pickup
In an assorted box of random cards at the bi-weekly show, I picked up a 2006 Topps Allen & Ginter Josh Gibson base card [$0.50] - out of all the cards, this was the one I ended up. In baseball lore, Gibson is a pretty historical figure and for two quarters, this card featuring this Gibson means something - it really does.

Featured Pickup
Though worthless, I found a 1990 Upper Deck Ben McDonald error/variation card [and the corrected version] in a commons bin. I think the story is that McDonald was supposed to be part of the 'star rookies' subset.

Instead, Upper Deck had put the Baltimore Orioles logo on a number of McDonald cards, not the 'star rookies' logo.

McDonald was one of the hot rookies back in the day and I think it would have been easy for any companies to overlook a 'printing mistake,' capitalizing not only on McDonald's status, but also on the 'error craze' through the 1980s, particularly when Fleer received so much attention with the 1989 Bill Ripken FF card.

Target Breaks

Stopped by Target yesterday night to see if they had any 2006 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects.

I think it is natural habit to look for some new product, featuring cards of players in their professional playing infancy, just t get some new baseball cards in my collection.

I think Topps is the only company that still can put recent draft picks and other minor league prospects into new baseball card product.

2006 BDP was on the card shelves. I hoped that they were fresh boxes that haven't been tampered with.

When someone tampers with a blaster box, it is usually consists of buying a blaster, gutting the contents of the original product, filling it with junk cards, resealing the package only to return it to the store.

2006 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects blaster breaks [x2 @$19.99 each] - seven packs plus one bonus pack in each blaster box.

Box One - notables
Micah Owings Signs of the Future auto card - a card from dreaded autograph insert set

Davis Romero Futures Game jersey card - a relief scrub

Colton Willems refractor - the Washington Nationals No. 1 draft choice in 2006, whatever that really means

Hank Conger gold filler insert - it isn't the ideal Conger card from the set, but it is my first card of the LA Angels' No. 1 draft choice in 2006.

Box Two - notables
Mike Napoli refractor - don't know if this is a true rookie parallel or not.

Boof Bonser xfractor - serial #'d 157/299; I don't think this is a true rookie parallel.

Tyler Colvin base chrome - he was a surprising No. 13 overall pick in the 2006 MLB Amateur free agent draft. I could have gotten his autograph in-person if I wanted to when he and his Clemson baseball team were playing in the 2006 College World Series.

Nathan Culp white - serial #'d 117/225 - I remember him pitching for Missouri in the 2006 Super Regionals.

Nick Adenhart Futures Game jersey card - another card for the Angels' collection.

Mail Day
A 1980 Topps Nolan Ryan [$9.95 BIN plus $3.50 s/h on Ebay] made its way onto my mailbox on Friday. This was a card that an adolescent friend once had, purchased for about $30 ungraded during Ryan's later 'prime years' with the Texas Rangers back in the early '90s.

I've bought a few graded cards casually and I guess I'm not familiar with the imperfections that are figured into a particular card grade. I assume that buying a card PSA graded '8' would at least have good centering on the front [and the back]. The the graphics on the back of the card seems to be too off-centered to be really visually attractive.

2006 Topps Factory set
Though they have not piqued my interest in recent years because inside they usually contain the base brand cards you see everywhere, but Topps always comes out with their special factory sets. What makes these unique is merely the full-color packaging [available in several variations] and typically a sampling from an exclusive bonus set [typically of the rookies/prospect/draft picks variety].

For the first time, I picked up a 2006 Topps factory set at Target [$59.99] - I've never bought a Topps factory set before and had to impulsively get this year's set because of the 'Target bonus,' which is a Mickey Mantle worn relic card [featuring his 1952 Topps card]. The caveat is that the swatch used to make the card wasn't taken from an official MLB game worn uniform, cap, pants or bat that Mantle used.

Instead what Topps apparently did was cut up clothing that Mantle apparently wore off the field.

I don't really think it is a great way to have a 'worn relic card' of Mantle, but at least you get a full factory set of 2006 Topps [which usually retails for about $50], along with the Mantle for only about $10 more.

Who is to say that these cards will be hard to find or be particularly valuable - but it is 'Mantle' and it is 'worn.'

Featured Pickup
I picked this card up about several weeks ago for about $0.35.

I thought Matthews had a pretty good season with one great catch. Unfortunately the Angels will expecting this guy to hold down centerfield in Anaheim for the next five seasons at a rate of $10 million a year.

I don't like this signing because it seems like a desperate stab to sign a guy who for a while was the epitome of a journeyman. You hope for a lot of things to happen, that Matthews is a late bloomer.

The reality is that Matthews may not be anything more than what he has shown over the course of his career, besides his career year this past season.

Cory Lidle RIP 1972-2006

Featured Pickups
I'm always looking to pick something nice and cheap at the card show, just so I can say I walked away with something decent [if only a $5-$10 card] besides the common cards I usually pick up for random autograph signings.

I looked through a $10 arrangement of cards and Tim Salmon patch/bat card [from 2004 Donruss Throwback Threads] caught my eye immediately. My mind raced, deciding whether I would be willing to pay $10 for a card of a minor-star at best. He's a freaking Angels' legend, you dolt! atch/bat combo serial numbered 16/25. The patch on the card isn't that big [because of the window], but it is distinct. The card is numbered 16/25 and was labeled 'prime' meaning that it was more than just a single swatched jersey/bat card variation.

I came back, flipped through the arrangement of cards again and finally picked the card up. $10 isn't a bad price for a 'semi-premium' card of a franchise star, even though it has been a decade or so, since he has been talked about in mainstream collecting circles. Still, I consider it a card you pick up for your personal collection that isn't going to make or break any collecting budget, unless of course you can get it for something like $6.27 shipped on Ebay [just being facetious there].

In the $10 arrangement, I didn't see much, but some real random cards that piqued my interest for whatever reason: a 2005 Fleer Sweet Sigs Vernon Wells, a random Allan Houston [NBA] patch card that was really nice and had eye-appeal, a random Jason Kidd autograph card [you can get his certified autograph cards for $10?] and an 2005 Donruss Timelines Andruw Jones patch card.

Another Salmon card I found was a 1995 Donruss Studio Gold insert. The faux credit card design gives it a certain aesthetic appeal, though the card is only worth what I paid for it, which is about a dime. I picked it up with a Barry Larkin from the same set for a quarter.

Scanned to show the image of the card, not the particular condition or actual size.

Mail Day
About a month ago, I bought a Kendry Morales autographed baseball blind [without an Ebay image] from Mr. Mem on EBay [$15.00 plus $5.00 s/h]. I paid for the item about two weeks ago and it arrived in the mail yesterday [8/24/06].

I figured it would be okay, since it was stated in the title that it came from a Just Minors product. Basically it is a 'low-end,' certified memorabilia item. It was also noted in the auction description that it came with the Just Minors COA and a hologram affixed.

My official line is that it is only worth what I paid for it, though I'm betting on Morales' potential to be a very good Major League player. With his potential, I was looking to get him on a single-signed baseball and I think I paid a reasonable price.



I open up the UPS Priority service box, my item was shipped in and see a nice Just Minors box. A COA was stuffed inside, along with the Morales baseball wrapped in tissue. The only thing I was worried about is whether or not Just Minors would be using a 'cheap, synthetic' baseball, an official minor-league baseball or some other 'junk' baseball.

I checked on the Just Minors website and it said that they'd used official Major League Baseballs for their signings:

All autographed baseballs are official Rawlings Major League Baseballs or:
FG - Indicates Futures Game Baseballs (individually serial-numbered to 120)
W.S. - Indicates World Series Baseball
A.S. - Indicates All Star Game Baseball
N.L. - Indicates National League Baseball



I examine the ball [still wrapped in tissue] just for a little bit and see the Major League Baseball logo. The hologram is there as well and the autograph looks clean, though Morales' autograph looks like chicken scratch.



I also got a 2006 Topps Allen and Ginter Vladimir Guerrero bat card [$3.00 plus $2.00 s/h on Ebay]. I don't want to care for common bat/jersey cards, though the novelty makes it okay sometimes. On the other hand, the bat used could be a Vladimir Guerrero store-model bat, used by Topps' employees at the park, which would defeat the purpose of having a game-used bat card featuring a favorite player.

Some loose pack breaks
Picked three hobby packs of 2006 Topps Allen and Ginter [$3.75 each/three for $11] at a show last Saturday and two more retail packs at Target [$2.99 each] to see what the buzz was all about. The only card I got of note from the hobby packs was a Ryan Langerhans short print [#151] and a Ervin Santana [#51].

The cards themselves are nice looking, though my five pack pick up seemed more like wanting to drink water because I was thirsty, but only getting a few random drops.

Regional collecting
I'm supposed to be a California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels' fan, but I've missed out on picking up some key cards of young players that have come up from the minor leagues and have helped the Angels' chances to stay afloat in the pennant race this season.

Maybe I've been lazy and ambivalent over baseball card collecting in general, but I still collect and read enough message boards featuring baseball cards, the Angels and prospects in general. I'm no stranger to websites like futureangels.com and baseballamerica.com.

I've got an account on Ebay, so I should have already had particular cards of particular players [from my team] in-hand before all the hype takes place. I kind of feel left out of the picture, though I probably had my reasons for my 'no-action' as far as not picking these guys' cards up.

Still, I have nothing to show for guys like a Jered Weaver [2003 USA auto issues and 2005 BDP auto varieties], Howie Kendrick [various 2004 rookie cards/parallels issued by Topps] and Joe Saunders [2002 Upper Deck PP auto and 2002 Bowman Draft auto varieties].


Now, is it worth my time going through the reasons or am I just SOL?
1.) I'm an uber cheap collector and perhaps the initial prices for some of the cards was already at relatively high levels. I realize that I'm not into flipping cards for a profit. Rather than follow the herd, I'm more apt to be conservative and want something for my personal collection. I have recently speculated on a couple cards [2005 Bowman Draft Chrome Ryan Zimmerman refractor autograph/2005 Upper Deck Signature Edition Kendry Morales update autograph], but didn't want to worry whether or not Weaver will turn out to be the next Mike Witt or Jeff Weaver, as I see myself looking for more position players.

2.) There is a competition factor among the die-hard team collectors and I don't want to feel like I'm some kind of poseur by jumping into the fray.

3.) I don't want to admit I missed the boat, but best time to pick up cards of these guys is definitely not now. I do realize that what comes up, must come down eventually.

4.) I'm more of an autograph collector [in-person/through the mail], than a card collector. I'd rather get Weaver and Kendrick's random signed autographs, than get their rookie cards/rookie year parallels. If I think they are good enough, then I try and get them on an official Major League baseball and I'm happy with that.

5.) Still, maybe I don't show enough confidence in your team's top prospects, both long-term and in the short-term run. I didn't care to realize the potential of a guy like Weaver, who was in some circles, pimped as the next Mark Prior. Maybe I just didn't see guys like Weaver or Kendrick coming up until some time next year.

In 2006, it seemed like a whole roster of first year players have come up and made immediate impacts. Weaver, Kendrick and Saunders are just three of those guys that have already impressed.

6.) Kendrick projects more as a guy who is a good all-around player, with the potential to win batting titles. Does anyone see him putting up Alfonso Soriano numbers? Maybe he is another Ray Durham or someone who puts up all-star numbers, but not superstar numbers.

7.) Saunders probably should have been my guy for much of the last two years. While I look for PC cards, he was injured and there were downpoints when his cards were dirt cheap. Unfortunately, it isn't like I've sought out his cards out at a show. He maybe the guy among the three who becomes decent, but is generally unspectacular over the course of his career.

Now, I think I'm going to be a little more proactive in seeking out rookie cards/rookie year issues of any Angels' prospect who may give the parent club its next productive player.

Baseball card collecting is not a warm-weather hobby
Who wants to be thumbing and sorting through cards, when it is so nice and sunny outside? Pity the fool who would rather be inside playing with his cards or has no other 'default' choice, other than to flip through his brick of useless commons.

I can't come up with a collecting theme that compels me to be focused [with time, effort and $$$]. All my cards and other stuff are 'housed' in my room and it is hard to be enthused with anything when your abode is a furnace for much of the late afternoon.

Mail Day
I got a 1965 Topps Clay Carroll rookie card/Phil Niekro [PSA graded 7] in the mail today.

I casually looked the card up in an ancient [circa 1996] Mo Vaughn Beckett magazine [that I have for reference] and I was dismayed that it was actually Niekro's second year card. I was bummed because I was thinking that this card was going to start my 'vintage' rookie card collection.

I think the fact that it isn't Niekro's actual rookie card shows how impulse bidding [on Ebay] bite you in the butt, especially when you don't do simple research such as checking whether or not a player has had a previous card issued - when you are .

It took me about two weeks to send finally payment about a week ago for the card [$26 plus $4 s/h] and while there is buyer's remorse, I think it is a nice looking card that is going to stay in my personal collection.

The National
Baseball card collecting runs hot and cold because everything seems like the same old cardboard, but the upcoming National in Anaheim gives me an opportunity to see why [or why I’m not collecting].

I want to go to the National and milk the $99/$100 pass for all that it is worth. I have philosophical problems with it though that didn't stop me from purchasing a pass. It is going to be my third National - all have been in Anaheim.

1.) The promos are likely going to be mass produced cards that you are going to put away in junk boxes. I don’t think any of the card companies participating in the National is really willing to put value in their [VIP package] promos by producing high-end versions [ particularly with autographs and/or GU materials]. You take what you can get, but you don’t want to be stuck with crap.

2.) Tiered VIP Packages – you aren’t really guaranteed to get one star, superstar, legend or icon in the $99 package. I don't even know if I'm getting the same one because I purchased my $99 VIP package from the official National website as opposed to Tristar. You get a bunch of loosely termed semistars from the Dodgers and the Angels, with perhaps some other guests, blah, blah, blah - seems like the same names a local promoter [naxcom.com] has been trotting out for the last six years to their autograph shows.

3.) Unless you are willing to pay $$$ - Tristar Productions or a company like Upper Deck is not likely to give you opportunities for casual meet and greets with a star, superstar, legend or icon at the National.

4.) The autograph guest lists has its share of heavy hitters, but any particular sports guy [for example: Magic Johnson, Jerry Rice and Joe Montana] has already done every imaginable show. Those are among the cream of the crop of athletes and there is just seems less elite sports icons [maybe Jim Brown perhaps] you really would pay for, while Johnson, Rice and Montana continue to pimp themselves down to Bob Feller levels [autographs signed, certainly not in fees].

5.) Tristar is known for locking down youngsters to sign autographs at their shows around the country. Where are the local rookies like Russ Martin, Andre Ethier, Mike Napoli or maybe a young, rising star like Ervin Santana? All I see is Matt Kemp and he was already sent down two weeks ago.