Not Like the Others

How many of you readers at home used to watch Sesame Street when you were growing up? I usually don’t like discussing childhood things with a mixed crowd because I either wind up sounding like a young whipper-snapper or horribly dating myself. But given Sesame Street’s unprecedented 41+ year run (and counting), I’m going to assume you all can follow along with me on this one.

A popular segment of the show was One of These Things (Is Not Like the Others). We’re going to play that game now with some cards from my Emmitt Smith collection. I know this might seem a tad too educational and developmental for this blog, but just go with it.

Are you ready? Here goes:

#1                 #2                  #3

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn’t belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?

Well, how do you think you did? If you picked #3, you’re correct! Perhaps the bigger question though, is WHY is #3 the odd one out?

Any guesses?

Because I don’t think it exists. If your logic is adequate, I’m sure you’ve figured out that card #3 is the 1999 Donruss Elite Primary Colors Red insert. Parallels and serial numbers were all the rage in the late 90s, and I’ve fallen victim to the hype. Not only do I really want card #3 to complete the mini primary rainbow, it is serial numbered to just 25 copies and I have never seen one anywhere. Perhaps all 25 copies are already in prized Emmitt Smith collections. Maybe there are a few still stuck inside sealed packs in someone’s dusty storage facility. All I know is that not a one has found its way to my home. I do have the die-cut red insert, but that is #/75 for I can’t fathom what reason. In my current box breaks, it’s nothing to pull a #/25, #/10, or even a 1/1. But do you think I could find a #/25 from 1999? No.

*SIGH*

Maybe some day…

EDIT: A buddy of mine just found a copy for sale! Now I just need to do some deep soul searching to decide if it’s worth $120…

Draft Buzz

In line for tonight’s big NFL news: Who will be the 2011 #1 overall draft pick? Will Cam Newton be it? Will the #1 moniker go to a defensive player? Will the top draft pick ever play in the NFL?

What?

No, this isn’t a reference to the still looming NFL/players labor conflict. This is a reference to a much simpler time. The 2011 NFL Draft, the 76th of its kind, stands in stark contrast with the 1936 NFL Draft, the 1st of its kind. Today, the Draft is huge and is surrounded by constant news coverage, in-depth analysis, and year-round predictions. The 1936 Draft was a little different. Yes, there were nine rounds, but there were also only nine picks in each round. It was not held in Radio City Music Hall, or even in New York City, and there was no television coverage. And with teams like the Pirates and Dodgers, the direct correlation to the modern Draft continues to fade in oblivion.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the 1936 Draft and the modern Draft is that rather than signing a huge contract with millions of dollars guaranteed, the #1 overall draft pick, the very first college player ever drafted, never even signed an NFL contract. The Philadelphia Eagles used the first ever draft pick to select Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago. Berwanger was a star multi-sport athlete for the Maroons and even won the first ever Downtown Athletic Club Trophy (renamed the Heisman Trophy the following year). But Berwanger indicated he had no desire to play for the Eagles and his rights were consequently traded to the Chicago Bears. Even Hall of Fame owner-coach George Halas was unable to convince Berwanger to play professional football. Berwanger went on to become a sports writer and eventually a manufacturer of plastic automobile parts.

There have been plenty of other top draft pick busts in the past 75 years. Will tonight’s #1 pick be a future Hall of Famer? Will he ever start a game? At least in 1936, the Eagles did not blow millions of dollars to find out like the Panthers may do tonight.

Heisman Highlight: Steve Owens

Name: Steve Owens
Position: Running Back
College: Oklahoma Sooner
Class: Senior
Winning Year: 1969 – 35th Award
Official Heisman Profile: Click Here
 
 
 

Interesting Notes: Owens enjoyed a long and successful career at Oklahoma…was a two-time All-American, three-time All-Big Eight, and two-time Big Eight Player of the Year selection…was drafted by the Detroit Lions and became the first Lion to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season and was an All-Pro selection twice…retired from football after just six seasons due to a serious knee injury…is currently very active in the insurance industry and contributes to many philanthropic causes.

Featured Card: 1972 Topps #25. Despite being amongst the league rushing leaders early on, Steve Owens’ career never really took off, due in large part to it being cut short by a knee injury. It seems his rookie card prices reflect this disappointment as well. All current listings for this card on eBay carry a less than $5 price tag. Even the few autographed copies are going for less than $20. Interestingly enough, his In Action subset card from the same base set is doing much better, maxing out with an $18 listing. At those prices, this would be a great card to add to or especially jumpstart a Heisman winners collection.

NOTE: You can find all of my Heisman Highlight Features by clicking the post banner above.

Product Preview: 2011 SAGE Autographed

Here are some details about the new 2011 SAGE Autographed product, which is due to hit hobby shelves today. Keep in mind, this information was released directly by SAGE Collectibles and as such, First and Goal Sportscards does not guarantee any card seedings or box break results.

SAGE Autographed Football 2011 is breaking new ground. In the history of trading cards there has never been an autographed-card-per-pack product issued BEFORE the draft of the players featured inside. SAGE Autographed Football 2011, arriving at distributors on Tuesday, April 26 will be the first, launching days before the April 28-30 draft. The product will feature one authentic autographed card inserted into every pack – without any redemptions. Collectors will be able to pull the limited Platinum Level (#’d 50), Gold Level (#’d to 200) and Silver and Red levels (both not #’d). In addition they’ll find randomly inserted much rarer autographed cards including Master Edition 1/1 Autographed Cards, Triple Autographed Cards (#’d to 5) featuring three authentic autographs per card (such as the National Champions card featuring Cam Newton, Nick Fairley and Mario Fannin), and Aspire Autographed Cards (#’d to 5) of the top 8 skill position players in the draft (Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker, Ryan Mallett, Christian Ponder, AJ Green, Julio Jones and Mark Ingram).

Click each thumbnail for a full-sized scans

But that’s not all, if all goes as expected it won’t be long on April 28th before the name Cam Newton is called. It’s with that in mind that SA-GE Collectibles, Inc. has included the innovative “Draft Cam” insert (#’d to only 11 each) and autographed cards (#’d to only 2 each!).

Click each thumbnail for a full-sized scan

HOF Spotlight: Charley Trippi

Name: Charley Trippi
Position: Halfback, Quarterback
Pro Career: 1947 – 1955
Team Affiliation(s): Chicago Cardinals
College: Georgia
Induction Class: 1968

Brief Bio: In what may have been one of the first contract battles in professional football history, Georgia All-American Charley Trippi eventually signed a $100,000 contract with the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals. HOF owner Charles W. Bidwill, Sr. essentially stole Trippi away from the AAFC’s New York Yankees just as they were getting ready to announce his signing. In 1946, $100,000 was an absurd amount of money, especially for a football player. Trippi, as it turned out, was well worth the coin. The final piece to Bidwill’s “Dream Backfield,” Trippi was an exceptional rusher and dominated the 1947 championship game over the Philadelphia Eagles (in which he wore basketball shoes for better traction in the icy field conditions). A multi-faceted athlete, Trippi was a star halfback for four season, switched to quarterback for two, back to halfback for one, and ended his career almost exclusively on defense for two seasons. During that span, he was also the team’s main punter and was a star on the kickoff and punt return units.

Career Stats: 99 games played; 2,547 passing yards; 16 passing TDs; 3,506 rushing yards; 23 rushing TDs; 1,321 receiving yards; 11 receiving TDs; 40.3 yards-per-punt average; 2 punt return TDs; 4 INTs; 1 INT TD

Featured Card: 1948 Leaf #29. It is no wonder that Charley Trippi was featured in both national football sets in 1948 after dominating the 1947 championship game. This 1948 Leaf card carries a trivial Beckett value of $110 while current eBay prices range from $22 to $2,250, with an obvious grading premium. Trippi also has a 1948 Bowman rookie card, although it appears to be less popular than the colorful Leaf card. Current eBay listings for the ’48 Bowman range from $19 to just $59.50 and there are significantly fewer listings than for the ’48 Leaf.

NOTE: You can find all of my Hall Of Fame Spotlight Features by clicking the HOF Spotlight banner above.

Heisman Highlight: OJ Simpson

Name: O.J. Simpson
Position: Running Back
College: USC Trojans
Class: Senior
Winning Year: 1968 – 34th Award
Official Heisman Profile: Click Here
 
 
 

Interesting Notes: Simpson had a legendary career at USC and amassed many school and NCAA records by the time the 1968 season concluded…won the biggest landslide in Heisman history with the most voting points and largest margin of victory ever…had very successful professional career…was a regular feature in movies and television after his playing career…owns and is a CEO of two companies…once drove a white Ford Bronco…was elected to the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1985.

Featured Card: 1970 Topps #90. Known as one of the greatest rushers of all time in his prime, followed by being a respectable actor and television broadcaster, and finally in his later “infamous” antics, “The Juice” has remained in the forefronts of collectors’ minds. This is evidenced by the huge number of current eBay listings for his rookie card. Prices are all over the place, with many falling just under $100. There is the token way-higher-than-anything-else listing with a $705.26 price tag, but hey, at least the seller is taking best offers. Interestingly enough, there are two other listings (all graded) that break the $500 mark.

NOTE: You can find all of my Heisman Highlight Features by clicking the post banner above.