It's Officially Over...so SHUT UP!

A grateful Thank you to the New York Jets for finally ending the Dallas Cowboys' playoff hopes, and quieting the Dallas Hype Machine for hopefully the rest of the season.  It's been painful to listen to ESPN, the NFL Network, and other sports outlets continually beat the dead horse of Dallas playoff chances for weeks and weeks.  As Michael Irvin was quick to say on Saturday night after the 'boys 19-16 loss, it's been over for quite a while.  But you wouldn't know it by the stories every day leading up to the Jets game.  They've been pitiful for several games, but it's still "What do the Cowboys need to do to win?"  blah blah blah....
Why is it such a crisis that the Cowboys are missing the playoffs?  Because Jerrah paid for more air time?  Or for the Cowboys to play in playoff games this year?  What other 4-10 teams are these channels advocating?  None!  Where are the stories about the Chargers, Titans, Browns, 49ers?  Nowhere.   Now I know Skip Bayless, Deion Sanders, Jimmy Johnson, and Michael Irvin are big Dallas fans, but come on, do they pick all the featured topics for their channels?
God forbid that "America's Team" doesn't maintain TV ratings for the last couple weeks of the season, or don't keep selling Dez Bryant jerseys into Week 17.  It's OK, though the Patriots are still winning,  the Giants still have somewhat of a chance, and the Steelers are still in the mix.  They have the biggest revenue sources - I mean fan bases - in the league.  You would think I would mention Carolina at 14-0, but their market share is inferior and therefore irrelevant to the mass media. Want to hear about the battle for the division between KC and Denver?  Good luck.  How about the dominance of Arizona or Cincinnati this year?  Not gonna happen.  All you'll hear is more rehashing of "Tom Brady is God", Big Ben leading Steeler Nation, and how bad the NFC East is this year because Dallas and New York probably won't make it, so you can't give any respect to Washington for being in first place.

Postseason t-shirt - Cynical version

Saw the original shirt in an ad to the side of the MLB Post-Season site.  This idea came to me immediately, since I've been seeing more and more bias towards the major market teams.

Original

 

Closer to reality

I can just hear them doing that stupid chant...."Let's go Met-ros" clap clap clap-clap-clap.  Makes it even worse when the team name is only one syllable.

SET!!!

My 1959 Topps regular set is DONE!

Found three card dealers in the Amish flea market around the corner from where my pool team was shooting in the playoffs for eight ball in Dundalk, MD.  One guy had the Mantle All-Star.  Had to hit the ATM before they closed at 3PM, but I pulled it off.  Now all I need for a Master Set of '59 are some of the variations - the "no Traded" lines on the back, etc.

I'll have to fabricate a post about the purchase of the Yankees team card.  Don't remember exactly where and when that was...

In Hand!!

Now, on to 1960....!

It's Pull Tab Awareness Week!

Prevent Frag Tape!  Use Pull Tabs traders!

Go here to find out how!

 

IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO!!

New custom card - 2014 Absolute Idiot Teammates to Inmates #1

Aaron Hernandez, went from a sixteen million dollar guaranteed contract (just under $40M total) playing for the Patriots, to serving a life term without the possibility of parole for first degree murder.

The sixteen million he gave up is why the card is serial numbered to 16.  Figured it had to be a low number, so that's what each card in the theoretical series would use to set the numbering.  I thought about putting a notation on the front for the money and the sentence, but I figure it will have to go on the back (which I won't attempt to mock up).

I would also make a Gridiron Gangsta for Hernandez (to continue the series started with Plaxico Burress in 2011), but I couldn't find Aaron's actual mug shot in several online searches, just pics from his indictment and trial.

I like the little touch of the Patriots and Mass Dept. of Corrections logos, and the notations below the swatches - it's always fun to come up with the scandalous "event" where the pieces supposedly come from.  I've had "concert worn leather", affair worn lingerie", and now "indictment worn shirt".

Would have liked to have done more with the background behind the pictures, but I always have trouble with the purely graphical type stuff.  I guess I'd be hired at Topps, but turned down from Upper Deck.  They usually had higher level graphics through the years.  This card design was derived from a Panini Spectra Teammates Combo Jerseys.  Unfortuately, there weren't any with Patriots on eBay at the moment.

Next in this series, Ray McDonald of the 49ers.

1959 Topps - status update - down to TWO!

Went to a show in Ephrata, PA a couple weeks ago and got my Kaline and Pierce All-Stars.  That leaves the Yanks and the Mick!

 

Free the knees!

It's spreading.

At least it seems to me it is.  The trend / tendency / craze / obsession / delusion that I thought was just confined to hipster high school students.  It's now moved on to older folks as well.

No, it's not Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, or the latest smart phone app.  It's the notion that no matter what the temperature outside, they MUST WEAR SHORTS!!

I don't know if it came from marketing, or is a derivative of the "coats aren't cool" concept, but I've observed for months now that more and more people, at least in my area in Western Maryland, appear on the streets in shorts during the cold weather.  Most of them are guys.  (I suppose I wouldn't complain nearly as much if it were mostly girls). 

I've come to the conclusion that the threshold is about 40° F.  Any time the outside temp goes to or above that level, the uncovered knees appear.  The strangest ones to me are those that come out in a full winter coat, hat, and maybe gloves, but still sporting the jogging shorts.  But the majority are dudes with hoodies or warmup jackets and athletic shorts, low socks and sneakers running around in the dead of winter.  Now, I give a pass to the guys just coming off the basketball court in the local gym, but you can usually tell if that's the case.

My theory is that they're either just running a higher metabolism, or hopped up on energy drinks or coffee, or they have some new ailment that makes their knees 20° warmer than the rest of their bodies. 

I was trying to think of what to call it.  Steamy knees?  Swelter shins?  Parched Pants?  Tropical Trousers?  Baking Britches?  I could go on...

Down to four

My 1959 set is almost complete.  With a recent eBay purchase of the Casey Stengel All-Star card, I'm down to four cards for the complete set (not counting the variations).  I need the Yankees team (#510), Al Kaline AS (#562), Mantle AS (#564) and Pierce AS, the last card in the set (#572).

I'll probably get them at the next shows, especially the Mantle.  They're too high dollar to trade for.  At some point, I'll find the other variations too - the "no traded line on back" ones.  Can't wait til the last one is in hand.  This is my favorite set of all time.

Happy Birthday to Me and Kate (and Nina!)

Shucks, I missed doing a 2014 post for my birthday that I share with the Duchess of Cambridge.  It's pretty much just a good excuse to put up her picture.
Also found another cutie that was also born January 9 - actress Nina Dobrev. 
So since I'm behind a year, here's a double shot of two beautiful women!