2008 A&G + Taiwan = More Bullshit

Hey kids. Just to clarify, it's Charlie, not Gellman. My box break and review will be coming as soon as I figure out how to use my video editing software.

In the meantime, I decided to take a look on TWGM to see if I could find anything interesting, and to see whether or not my "pulls" are worth anything. The A&G Taiwan rip-card debaucle has already been well chronicled here, and here.

And now, we have these...........

If you'd like, you can check out the auctions here, here, and here. However, if you don't feel like looking, I can save you some time. THEY'RE ALL IN TAIWAN!! And they all implicitly state "NO TAIWAN BIDDER!!!". I, for one, am utterly shocked. The amazing part is, they all have bids. There must be some JC's closely monitoring all 3 auctions.

And yes, I know, we have our fair share of fake patches here as well. But what I'm really struggling to figure out is.......Why does all of the Allen & Ginter bullshit seem to happen in Taiwan. I need Gellman to begin an inquiry immediately.

Money Talks

I have done a lot of naughty things on this site, A LOT. Its pretty obvious that I use adult language (GASP), I make fun of people (NO!! GASP!!), and I have no qualms about badmouthing the biggest names in the industry (HOW COULD YOU?!?)(GASP!!).

But, as low as I am, I will never expect you guys to give me money for reading this blog. On the other hand, that is exactly what Ben Henry is doing. I wont even post the link because the post is below even me.

I saw the request on his site and I thought to myself about how awful that is. He says that he "deserves" it because he may have inspired you, or turned you on to something new, or a million other things. In response, I think the idea of blogging is not to make money, but to just have a fun place to post your thoughts. For some weird reason, Ben thinks that he deserves more payment besides the fact that he has made a difference for some people.

For me, It seems as though people (like some recent commenters) think that I write this blog to gain notariety, money, fame, and to make a difference in the hobby. If that were the case, I would be really sad *tear* right now as only about 300 people read this site per day. Yet, alas, I write because I enjoy writing, and it just so happens that this hobby provides a lot of good fodder for some funny shit.

Now, its also pretty obvious that I have not changed the collecting world at all, but its pretty cool that I have made a small difference to a select few people. Why would anyone need more than that? Personally, each time I get a cool letter from someone, that is reason enough to keep writing here. I dont think there is an email I havent answered and I dont think there will be. I love interacting with fellow collectors, regardless of whether or not they share the same viewpoints, and I hope people arent afraid of letting me know what's up. Hell, do you guys actually think I would turn down the opportunity to hang out with someone and bullshit about the hobby if they wanted to talk? Nah, im not that selective. In fact, I actually enjoy hanging out over at TradingCardCentral.com, one of the most MOJO infested message boards on the planet. You know why? Because they are genuinely nice people. I like that.

Fact of the matter is that there are too many people out for their own good in this business (and world for that matter). I hate on JCs and Beckett because it seems that fame, money and fortune are all they care about. Of course, cages are rattled and people get pissed, but its all worth it when you get comments like the one "A Fan" posted on the latest Beckett post. That's just plain fun, I even hung it on the wall next to my computer here in my parent's basement.

And yes, I do realize I have had a donate button on the side, but those days are over - so dont worry. Its all cool here in SCU land, and I hope everyone has time to go check out Mario's response to this whole thing too. H/T to him.

Oh, if you guys hang around long enough, my mom can whip us up some sick mojo food.

A Quick Comment On BIN/BO

Thanks to a generous donation from my parents to the "Buy Gellman a B-day Present Fund" I am able to get some stuff I have wanted for a while. I managed to snag a Joe Mauer JSY from A&G for less than 5, and I thought I would maybe think about getting a few autos of people I didnt have.

I started looking around for a Cal Ripken auto that I could trust and maybe a Pujols or something like that. What I didnt expect was that A) No one uses the counteroffer feature, B)Everyone responds with "sorry I cant go that low," despite my offers being ABOVE market value of completed auctions, and that C)BIN w/BO is an enigma if you are buying from a card shop with an eBay store. In reality, they will only give you 5-10 bucks off the already sky high price if you make an offer.

Also, if someone has quoted BV in the auction title, dont even bother.

Topps Dooms Us To 14 Full Minutes Of Complete and Utter Shame

Douching Instructional Video from The Hobby's #1 Authority On Douchebaggery on Vimeo.

Someone tell me what they pulled, I fell asleep at minute 6.

Other than that, is anyone else laughing that Beckett got sent a Hobby box instead of the HTA? Its like Topps either wanted us to suffer through this "break" (or wanted them to suffer through it from the looks of it). Good job you wholly intelligent marketing reps!

Oh, and can someone call these brats' parents and tell them to clean up? I bet their rooms are just as bad as the mess they made here.

Also, after watching video after video after video of this shit, Im suprised that more people arent pissed that these idiots handle the cards the way they do. Listen, we know they are free, but that doesnt mean you need to beat the fuck out of them, im sure the kids who go to day care with Hackler would probably like them.

Dont Tempt Him

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that the national card show in Chicago is offering recent cave dweller, Steve Bartman, 25,000 reasons to come out of hiding. All he would have to do is sign a photo of the infamous bartman bobble play from the NLCS. Bartman has publically said he doesnt want to be a public figure, but we all know what every Cubs fan's dream is (it involves a sideways pineapple and a very uncomfortable place, like the back of a Volkswagen) .

Here are a few things he could do with the 25 grand:

-Buy a bulletproof upgrade for his car.
-Pay James Carville to "spin" the catch as the republicans' fault.
-Buy an ipod to replace his walkman, as those black headphones are "so 1989."
-Make a youtube video of him jumping over a speeding goat (special appearance by Will Ferrell as Harry Carey).
-Sponsor a national mock turtleneck layering awarness day across greater Chicago
-Purchase Season Tickets to the Cardinals for life
-Erect a statue of Moises Alou from blown up bits of baseball
-Open a Steve Bartman experience ride at Wrigley where fans try to catch a ball without falling into a net that prevents them from falling onto a replica part of Wrigley's outfield (hint: most Cubs fans wont win).
-Contacts, he really needs contacts.
-Pay for Ozzie Guillen's english lessons - more of a public service to Chicago and the world.
-Offer the money to the Florida Marlins as a down payment on a new stadium, because after all, he is their savior.
-Start "Bartmanism" which is similar to Scientology. The Bible is the program to the last game of the NLCS. Creed: Thou shalt not catch thy ball if hit near ye wall.

Glossary Added

Because I have gotten 15 emails over the last week or so asking me what such and such means, I have put together a guide for new readers. If you need something added, please email me at sportscardsuncensored@gmail.com and ill throw it up. This is not me being pretentious, this is me being a lazy son of a bitch.

Today Is National Base Set Collector's Day

Says me. 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter comes out today, and it actually looks like there are going to be a fuckload of problems with the collation for this set. Does that mean that no one will buy it? Hell no. Its really the first modern set to go full on into the entertainment/sports combo, and for this it kind of works because of the historical composition of the original A&G sets.

2006 was hugemongously popular because of the collectability of the base set, and the innovation of the minis, the framed hits, and the rip cards. It was a base set collectors wet dream. This continued in 2007, and now 2008 brings it back for a third year. For the first time, I actually might buy a box because I think this is the one set that is fun to open EVERY pack. Plus, with hits now falling as much as 24 per box, and 200 something per case, it cant hurt.

Charlie and JV are already in for a few boxes, so stay tuned to their spots for some A&G goodness. Plus if you are going for the base set and you need some help, im sure they will be more than happy to oblige. Ill post a review if Charlie decides to be lazy again, and maybe even a box break. We'll see, my birthday is Friday so there will be some extra money floating around. Oh, and Mauer and Morneau both have hits in this set, even though their base cards are pretty fugly, so if you pull either, give me a shout. Ill have my paypal ready.

Dont forget, if you are searching on TWGM, make sure you search for "___________ allen ginter" or "__________ topps allen" to get what you want. People are weird with the ampersand.

Lastly, if you are craving some breaks and there is no other possible way for you to watch, please put on a set of rifle range ear muffs and hit play below. Its completely awful, but it will give you a sense of what you want.

Alright, You Win, This IS the Best Box Ever Of 2008 Donruss Classics

Warning, the following is:

I was going through the idiot bomb message boards checking on some A & G breaks, when I couldnt help but notice that this guy did indeed break the "BEST BOX EVER!??! MOJO!!!! LOOK!"

Recap ("HITS!!!!!!"):

Tony Romo Jersey /9 - 30 bucks (only because cowboy fans are stupid)

"Classic Quad Sanders, LT, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith!!! Holy Crap!!! MOJO! 81/100!" - $46

"DeSean Jackson Jersey Auto 10/10!!!!!" - 50 bucks, I cant see it worth more than that on TWGM

So, this was a box that BARELY broke even on the box price, and even if I am off a few bucks, its still not THAT much more. Of course, its not really about the hits themselves, its about the person posting them (and his use of more than 50 exclamation points during the course of his post).

Kill me now.

Contrary to Common Belief, High Price 1st Week DOES NOT Equal High Price After That

Lets face it, the Coe Jollectors love to jump on products when they are hot. THEY LIVE FOR IT. What they dont get is that after the first weeks, you can pretty much cut the price by 20-50% for the remainder of the time. No matter what happens, TWGM jumps in volume sold and price when things are first listed.

The reason I am bringing this up is because Topps Football was just released and not only are people falling all over themselves to buy in at the 85+ dollar price for a box (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!), but they are also killing any surviving brain cells by paying "REDICOLUS" prices for the rookie premiere autos.

This has led more sellers to post enormous BIN/BOs on their auctions, while others dont even bother with the BO, and just expect people to buy their third string WR red ink auto at $250. Lets go over something:

1. All Day (ROY, all time yds leader single game, beastly runner with tons of hype) - $300 Bucks
2. Matt Ryan (Plays for a shitty team and wont be good for three years) - $199
3. Darren McFadden (shitty team, wont do half of what peterson did) - $310, sad
4. John David Booty: Red Ink /10 (5th rd pick, 3rd stringer) - $149?

Am I missing something here? I dont know many JCs that would even buy in at these prices. Hell, even I wont buy in on Peterson because I know those prices are going to drop like a rock, not to mention the fact that he has played a year. Yet, people are buying Rashard Fucking "NO SIG" Mendenhall at 230 plus? Fuck!

Someone really needs to have a mass murdering rampage across TWGM, I am super cereal about that.