Mike Ditka TTM Success

Date sent: 2/16/09
Date returned: 3/4/09

I'm too young to have seen Mike Ditka play but I remember him as the head coach of the Chicago Bears. He's also one of my favorite ESPN personalities as he always tells it like it is. Sports television is full of "analysts" that have no idea what they're talking about and they argue just to argue. Ditka knows the game from the perspective of a player and a head coach. There aren't many people on television that can say the same.

I mailed my request to ESPN Studios in Bristol, CT shortly after the end of the NFL season. It came in just over two weeks postmarked from Chicago, IL. I guess ESPN forwards his mail to him.

I was thrilled to get this one back. Ditka has a great signature as you can see from the photo. I think I'm going to purchase one of his vintage cards on eBay and send off another request to him once football starts again.

Razor Selling Game Worn Team USA Jerseys

Up to this point Razor has been selling limited edition cards, autographed cards and printing plates on eBay. I just noticed tonight that they're selling game worn Team USA baseball jerseys.

I searched their completed auctions and they've sold seventeen in the last five days. Some are priced as low as $79 for a B. Dean (assuming that's Blake Dean) and as high as $1,999 for a Buster Posey. They do have the "Best Offer" feature turned on so you could always opt for that. It looks from the completed auctions that they have accepted a few best offers.

I'm sure that many of the players in these auctions will become stars one day. With many of these at $99 or below it would be well worth the risk to take a chance on one. I wish I had seen the Andrew McCutchen jersey before it sold for $169 with the "Best Offer" feature. I'm a Pirates fan and he's one of their most promising prospects. I would have loved to have had that in my collection. Too bad I didn't see it in time.

You can view Razor's auctions here.

1960 Pittsburgh Pirates TTM Project

My father grew up in Western Pennsylvania and rooted for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He raised me to be a Pirates fan even though we lived in Northern Virginia, within one hour of Baltimore, MD. It's been tough being a Pirates fan over the last sixteen losing seasons but it will make their resurgence that much sweeter whenever that day comes.

My father always told me stories about the 1960 Pirates team when I was growing up. Most of the stories were about Roberto Clemente but the best stories were about the 1960 World Series and the Pirates' improbable victory over the New York Yankees.

The name Bill Mazeroski always brought a smile to my father's face. About 10 years ago I dragged my father to a baseball card show with me, not telling him that Mazeroski was there signing autographs. He wondered what we were standing in line so long for but understood once he could see who was sitting at the table at the end of the line. I think it's the only time in my life that I saw my father in awe of something or someone. We both got baseballs autographed and my father traded a couple of stories with Mazeroski. Mazeroski couldn't have been nicer. It was a really special moment to share with my father.

I've been sending autograph requests through the mail for a couple months now and I was running out of ideas for new requests. Last weekend it hit me. I'm going to try and get every living member of the 1960 Pirates team on their 1960 Topps cards. I checked success rates on sportscollectors.net and it seems like this is a realistic project. There are only four players with low success rates, the rest are 80% or above. There are three players that didn't have a 1960 Topps card so I'll have to find another card for them.

I'm still trying to think of ways to display this but gathering all the cards and sending out the requests is my main focus right now. Once completed, I'll give this to my father as a gift. His birthday is in June so I'm really hustling to get all the cards and get them in the mail.

I will update my successes as they come in. If anyone has any cool ideas on how to display the cards I'd love to hear them. Leave them in the comments.

Helen Keller UD Legendary Cuts Autograph on eBay

This is pretty cool. Upper Deck has some really great autographs in its 2008 Legendary Cuts product but this has to be one of the best.

How many Helen Keller autographs could possibly exist? I can't imagine that there are an abundance of them.

This one is at $676.00 and the auction ends on Thursday night. It will be interesting to see what it goes for. I posted about a Bruce Lee autograph from the same set back in March that the seller was was asking $20,000 for. It doesn't appear to have sold.

Here is the auction: HELEN KELLER 2008 08 UD LEGENDARY CUTS AUTO CUT 1/1 SP

Mike Mussina Really Likes My Cards

Date sent: 3/13/09
Date returned: 4/8/09

I will start this post off by saying that Mike Mussina is one of the best TTM signers out there. You rarely find a modern day player of Mussina's stardom that signs so reliably. I've sent requests to him on three different occasions and each time received cards back signed in under 5 weeks. You can see from the picture that he has a very nice signature.

I thought it would be cool to get a couple cheap jersey cards and have Mussina sign those. As I've said before, I'm willing to send some nicer cards to players that charge for autographs, or in Mussina's case, are very reliable. So, I purchased two 2008 Topps Heritage jersey cards off eBay and sent them off. The cards only cost me a total of $10 with shipping included.

Here's where it gets a little odd... I had read some posts in the past on the sportscollectors.net forums that Mussina is a collector and tends to keep jersey cards that are sent to him. I'd read the same thing enough times to make me purchase two '08 Heritage jersey cards. Otherwise, I would have just sent one. I figured if I sent two that he wouldn't possibly keep both of them, I'd at least end up with one. I even said in the letter that I wrote him that he could keep one and to please sign one for me.

Well, on April 8th I opened my mailbox and there was an envelope with my handwriting and a return address of Montoursville, PA. I knew that it was my Mussina jersey cards. The minute I picked up the envelope I knew something was wrong, it just wasn't thick enough. I tore it open and found a 2006 Bowman Chrome and a 2001 Bowman Heritage.

I posted to the sportscollectors.net forums later that night asking if anyone had received my cards. I listed the cards that I had received and stated that I'd like to switch them out if anyone got mine. The only replies that came back were members that had sent jersey cards and received others in return, just like me. The rumors were true. Mike Mussina keeps jersey cards.

Am I upset? Not at all. I knew the risk and I'm thrilled to get back beautifully signed cards from Mussina each time I send a request to him. The signed Upper Deck rookie pictured above was a recent return from him. I'll just know not to send jersey cards to him in any future requests.

Duke Snider TTM Success

Date sent: 4/17/09
Date received: 4/23/09

I really can't believe this one. Duke Snider lives in California. I live in Virginia. I only sent this card out six days ago and already have it back. Amazing.

Snider charges $5 for to autograph a card. This is a great bargain considering he's a Hall of Famer. Factor in the quickness of the reply his nice signature and it's an even greater bargain. I may have to send a baseball to him soon.

Snider was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980 and one of the most popular Dodgers of all time. He finished his career with a .295 batting average and 407 home runs. He was a member of the '55 and '59 World Series Champion Dodger teams, hitting four home runs in each series.

Here's a link to an AP story that ran about Snider a few years ago: Duke Snider - The "Duke of Flatbush"

1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. BGS 10 on eBay

I couldn't resist pointing to this auction too. According to the latest BGS Population Report, fifty five 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookies have been graded a Pristine 10. This is the first one I've seen on eBay but I'm not in the market for one of these.

This is the top card produced in the 90's and one of the most famous of the modern era. You'd never be able to find a more perfect example than a BGS 10.

I wrote about a couple of the 1989 Upper Deck Griffey Buy Back Autographs earlier this month. They ended up selling on eBay for $1,600 and $3,650 respectively. I'm not sure why there was such a large difference.

Which card would you rather have? The perfect example of the Griffey rookie or an autographed version limited to 89 copies?

You can view the BGS 10 auction here: KEN GRIFFEY JR. 1989 UPPER DECK #1 RC BGS 10 PRISTINE

1979-80 OPC Wax Box on eBay

It's not every day that you see a 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wax Box. Come to think of it, I don't know that I've ever seen one. Although, it's not like I'm in the market for one of these. The auction is currently up to $1,500 but will probably sell for upwards of $2,000.

This is basically the hockey equivalent of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball. 1986-87 Fleer basketball contains Michael Jordan's rookie card. 1979-80 OPC Hockey contains Wayne Gretzky's rookie card. Both players are considered the greatest of all time in their respective sports.

Vintage wax like this is only going to get more valuable in the years to come. Stuff like this is very hard to find and the print numbers weren't near that of the modern products.

I think if I ever purchased a box this rare and valuable that I'd get it graded so I wouldn't be tempted to open it. Grading boxes and packs still seems kinda strange to me but it seems to be gaining in popularity as I see quite a few graded packs on eBay.

You can view the auction here: http://cgi.ebay.com/1979-1980-TOPPS-HOCKEY-WAX-BOX-36-PACK-WAYNE-GRETZKY-RC_W0QQitemZ250407822317QQcategoryZ44884QQcmdZViewItem

Grant Green TTM Success

Date sent: 4/11/09
Date returned: 4/22/09

I'm really happy about this return from Grant Green of the USC Trojans. Green is listed as the #2 pick in Baseball America's 2009 MLB mock draft, just behind Stephen Strasburg. I think I'm mostly surprised at how quick the card was returned from such a high profile prospect.

Grant Green is Junior third baseman with the Trojans. He's batting .372 this season in his first 137 at-bats.

Here's a story Baseball America wrote about Green over the summer when he was playing in the Cape Cod League: http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/summer-scene/summer-stock/2008/266640.html

2009 Philadelphia Football Preview

Upper Deck has posted a preview of their 2009 Philadelphia Football product and it looks sharp. The card pictured is a Matthew Stafford from the National Chicle insert set. That is one great looking card. I think it looks better than the base set card but those are really nice too.

Each box will contain one autograph and two memorabilia cards. Each case will contain 2-3 original Philadelphia buy-back cards. I have a feeling that this is going to be a very popular product. I know I'll be purchasing several boxes of this.

I do have one negative comment. Included as insert sets are The Story of Barack Obama, Woodstock 40th Anniversary, The Vietnam War and The Election Years. I really don't like this trend of adding historical and entertainment cards to sports sets. I don't want them. If I'm buying football cards, I want football cards. I'd much rather they put out an all history or all entertainment product.

Here are the specifics released by Upper Deck:

Regular Set:
• 1964 Philadelphia Base Set (300)
• The Story of Barack Obama (25)
• Woodstock 40th Anniversary (5)
• The Vietnam War (10)
• The Election Years (11)
• NFL Stars in Action (49)

Top Inserts:
• 1935 National Chicle
• 1935 5x7 National Chicle R311 (1 per box!)

Box Break: (on average)
– One (1) Autograph
– Two (2) Memorabilia Cards
– Fifteen (15) base set short prints
– One (1) 5x7 National Chicle R311
– Four (4) National Chicle Inserts

Case Break: (on average)
– One (1) 5x7 National Chicle R311 Autograph
– One (1) 1935 National Chicle Auto
– 2-3 Original Philadelphia Buybacks

Release Date: 7/8/09

Upper Deck Product Preview: http://sports.upperdeck.com/collectorszone/productpreview.aspx?aid=5643

Mike Minor TTM Success

Date sent: 3/28/09
Date returned: 4/10/09

This continues the trend of returns from players with cards in the 2008 Upper Deck USA set. Most of the requests I sent were to high school players, 2 have come back. This return my first from a college player in the set.

Mike Minor is a junior at Vanderbilt University. Here is what his coach had to say about him: "Mike is one of the most complete pitchers that I have coached. He has three above average pitches with plus command and pitchabilty. He will be our "go to guy" and one of the top pitchers in the country. Mikie is a well conditioned athlete who has a strong work ethic." - Coach Tim Corbin

David Price pitched at Vanderbilt so it's not like Coach Corbin hasn't seen pitching talent before.

As with the other players, I sent two cards and requested he sign one and keep one for himself. Mike did just that.

Amazing Michael Jordan auction on eBay

Only a select group of collectors would have the money to even consider winning this auction but it's nice to dream. Three of Jordan's major early releases are offered and all graded PSA 10.

1985 Nike PSA 10
1986 Fleer PSA 10
1986 Fleer Sticker PSA 10

If that's not enough, there's an Upper Deck Authenticated 8x10 photo and three more PSA 10's (overproduced Hoops and Skybox cards).

The only major early release missing is Jordan's 84-85 Star Co. rookie. Those are very tough to find in nice shape but I'm sure whoever wins this will be looking for one to complete the package.

The seller has listed this twice, once for $9,999 and once for $9,799. No takers on those. The auction ends 8 hours from now and it's at an even $6,000.

View the auction here

Austin Maddox TTM Success

Date sent: 3/28/09
Date returned: 4/18/09

This is my second TTM return from a high schooler with a card in the 2008 Upper Deck USA set. I had previously posted about my Matt Davidson return.

This return is from Austin Maddox. He's a senior at Eagle's View Academy in Jacksonville, FL. Here is what Baseball America had to say about him in their draft preview: "Tremendous arm behind the plate, but throws can be erratic. Rare amateur player allowed to call his own game."

Maddox signed two cards for me. I sent two cards to each high schooler. I requested that they sign one and keep one for themselves.

2009 Score Football Preview

I was spending a little time on Beckett Blog earlier and saw something that got me so excited that I had to write a post.

Panini America released images of 2009 Score Football. Included in the set is a 20th Anniversary 10-card insert set that uses the famous 1989 Score Football design. There will be 20 or less autographed copies of each card available as well as unsigned copies. No word on the frequency of the unsigned copies. A list of players was not released but Matthew Stafford is obviously one of them.

Seeing that design really takes me back to the early years of my collecting life. I can still remember opening a box of '89 Score and thinking I was on top of the collecting mountain when I pulled a Barry Sanders rookie.

Click here to see the full review on Beckett Blog.

Monte Irvin TTM Success

Date sent: 3/17/09
Date returned: 4/16/09

Monte Irvin is the third oldest living Baseball Hall of Famer. He turned 90 years old in February. Irvin played 7 years in the Negro Leagues sandwiched around 3 years he served in the military during WWII. He entered the major leagues in 1949 as a 30 year old "rookie" with the New York Giants. Two years later, in 1951, he played his first full season in the majors. He batted .312 with 24 home runs and 121 RBI. He finished third in the MVP voting that year. Irvin played 8 years in the majors before retiring at the age of 37 as a member of the Chicago Cubs. He finished with a lifetime .293 average in the majors.

Irvin requests a $10 fee per signed card. This is quite a bargain to me considering he's a Hall of Famer. He's a great TTM signer, even in his 90th year.

I decided to send his 1953 Topps card as I think it's a great looking card. I may still pick up his 1951 Topps Red Back rookie and get that signed as well. That's a much harder card to find so I'll have to keep my eyes open for one on eBay that's affordable.

Matt Davidson TTM Success

Date sent: 3/28/09
Date returned: 4/16/09

I had a crazy idea a few weeks ago while looking at some 2009 mock MLB draft boards. I knew that a lot of the players listed had cards in the 2008 Upper Deck USA set. The problem is that many of these players are still in high school. Could I possibly send a TTM request to a high school player? Was this breaking some sort of TTM code of conduct? I really wasn't sure so I decided to send a few off to see what would happen.

My request that I sent to Matt Davidson of Yucaipa High School in Yucaipa, CA arrived in my mail today. For each request I sent, I included two cards. I asked each player that they sign one card and keep one for themself. Matt Davidson did just that.

Here is what Baseball America says about him in their Top 50 Draft Prospects article today: "Some of the best raw power in this year's high school crop."

In the end, I'm glad that I sent this and the other requests. Any doubts I had about whether it was right or wrong to send a request to a high school player were curbed when I saw that they have already been paid to sign cards for Upper Deck.

What do you think? Has anyone else out there sent a request to a high school player? If not, would you?

2009 Topps Heritage Blaster Break

I've waited far too long to open my first packs of 2009 Topps Heritage Baseball. It wasn't by choice, I just couldn't find any blasters locally. I was really excited when I found them at my local Target the other night. The design of this product is fantastic. The 1960 Topps set is my favorite card design of all time. I started putting together a set of it around the age of 12. I still haven't finished it but it's about 75% complete. The 2009 Topps Heritage set will be far easier and cheaper to complete than my 1960 Topps set.

I've read reviews of breaks on other blogs and one of the common complaints was the lack of "hits" in this set. I'd have to say that I have the same opinion. I did get two chrome cards, one was a refractor. I also ended up with three short-print cards. There were a few insert cards in the box as well (not pictured). The lack of "hits" comment doesn't relate to my specific box, just the set in general. I don't think the possible "hits" are all that impressive. That said, I think the fantastic design more than makes up for this.

Would I purchase another blaster? Possibly. I'm debating whether I should purchase boxes and blasters until I complete a set or just purchase a set outright on eBay. Purchasing it on eBay would be cheaper than putting it together myself but far less fun.

2008 Topps Series 1 Blaster Break

I stopped at Target on the way home tonight searching for the elusive 2009 Topps Heritage blasters. All my friends are able to find these easily but my local Target and Wal-Mart never have them, until today. I saw them on the bottom shelf and quickly snatched one up. I've been waiting to open one for so long. I love the design!

Anyway, as I'm looking at the rest of their stuff I noticed quite a few blasters that were 50% off. They had a bunch of 2008 Topps Series 1 which were the Target exclusives with the T205 inserts. They had 10-pack $19.99 blasters but also had one 5-pack $9.99 blaster. It was only $4.99 after the discount. How could I pass that up?

I wasn't expecting much out of a $4.99 blaster but as you can see from the picture I did pretty well. The Obama card isn't near as popular as it used to be but it's still cool. Any Mickey Mantle card is good in my opinion. I also got the Isringhausen gold card and the Manny All-Rookie. The T205's aren't pictured but I got Albert Pujols, Joey Votto and Chin-Lung Hu.

I don't think I'll have time to open the Heritage blaster and post the results tonight so check back tomorrow for that.

1990 Topps Frank Thomas NNOF

I came across a really interesting forum discussion while searching eBay today. I'm not sure what prompted me to look for the 1990 Topps Frank Thomas No Name On Front (NNOF) error card but I'm glad I did. It seems that a group of collectors has a theory on how this happened and other cards in the set that were affected. It's a truly amazing discovery. Even more amazing that this has gone unnoticed for 19 years. You can read all about the theory and see other affected cards on this forum: http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=11&threadid=709331

According to the forum, the Frank Thomas NNOF error cards have only been found in 1990 Topps boxes from the Northeastern United States. Does this mean that collectors will start to pay a premium and 1990 Topps Wax will become a hot commodity? Will the other affected cards become valuable as well? A quick search of eBay didn't yield any results.

I'm not surprised, the forum is dated quite recently so I'm sure most collectors aren't even aware of the discovery. I'm sure as soon as word spreads everyone will be digging through their 1990 Topps commons looking for the other affected cards. I live in Virginia and apparently a Thomas has been pulled from wax in VA, even though this isn't the Northeast.

I guess I'll wait and see how this all plays out before I go and dig through my 1990 Topps.

By the way, the Thomas pictured above is on eBay right now and it's currently at $500 with over 7 days left. Click here to view the auction.

David Price vs. Matt Wieters

The much anticipated match-up will happen tonight after being rained out last night. David Price is taking the hill for the Durham Bulls against Matt Wieters and the Norfolk Tides. Price and Wieters are the #1 and #2 prospects in baseball according to Baseball America's 100 Top Prospects list. Most people around baseball were surprised that both were returned to AAA at the end of spring training.

Both players have some very high priced cards out there on the market. Price's cards were hot last season as he was the #1 ranked prospect and having a great season in the minors. They got even hotter after his great performance for the Rays in the playoffs. Wieters' cards have been pricey for a while and haven't moved any since being sent back to AAA. It's just a matter of time before both are playing against each other in the AL East.

GAME UPDATE 1: 2-0 Norfolk in the top of the third. Nolan Reimold hit a 2-run HR in the 2nd.

GAME UPDATE 2: Price leaves the game with Durham up 3-2. His final line: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 4.91 ERA

Against Price
Wieters 1st AB: stuck out looking on three pitches.
Wieters 2nd AB: walked after fouling off 8 pitches.

After Price Departed
Wieters 3rd AB: reached on fielding error.
Wieters 4th AB: struck out.
Wieters 5th AB: flew out to right.

Brett Anderson pitching for Oakland tonight

Brett Anderson, the 21 year old pitcher for the Oakland A's, and Baseball America's #7 overall prospect, takes the hill tonight for the Oakland A's. Anderson is an enormous talent and the A's are counting on him and the rest of their extremely young staff to lead them to an AL West title.

Trevor Cahill, also 21 years old, and Baseball America's #11 overall prospect, pitched for Oakland on Tuesday night. He went 5 innings, gave up five hits and two earned runs. It wasn't spectacular but it was enough to keep the A's in the game and they eventually won.

Oakland is relying on a pitching staff that doesn't have a starter older than 25. It's quite a risk for a team that was more active on the free agent market than they've been in quite some time. They added Matt Holliday, Jason Giambi, Orlando Cabrera and Nomar Garciaparra to their offense. This gives you an idea of how much confidence the organization has in the young staff. Some of the free agent money could have been spent on pitching but it all went to offense.

Many eyes around baseball will watching Brett Anderson tonight, especially in the AL West.

UPDATE - 10:38 PM EST: Brett Anderson had a 7-pitch first inning, then it all went wrong. He gave up five runs on 26 pitches in the second inning. Looks like he's not handling his first start as well as Trevor Cahill did.

Ron Santo TTM Success

Date sent: 3/13/09
Date returned: 4/3/09

This is another recent TTM success where the player charges a fee to sign. In this case, the charge is actually a donation. Ron Santo asks for a $10 donation to Juvenile Diabetes Research per autograph, a worthy cause. Santo has suffered from diabetes since he was 18 years old so the cause is near to his heart.

Again, I chose to send a rookie card to be signed. Santo's rookie is from 1961 Topps and it's not too hard to find a decent copy on eBay for under $20.

Santo played for the Chicago Cubs nearly all of his career and became an announcer for Cubs games on WGN Radio in 1990. He is one of the most beloved figures in Chicago sports history. He will be eligible for the Hall of Fame again in 2011 and many believe he will be inducted after many years of coming close.

Pedro Alvarez makes his debut

The top pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2008 Draft made his debut tonight for the Lynchburg Hillcats.

He went 3 for 4 including a 2B, HR and 4 RBI. That is a nice debut for one of the most highly touted hitting prospects in recent memory.

Box Score: click here

RIP Nick Adenhart

Nick Adenhart was only 22 and the most promising pitching prospect in the Angels organization. He passed away early this morning due to injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

I stayed up late last night to watch the Angels game just to see Nick pitch. He pitched very well, 6 shutout innings. I saw him pitch last year during spring training in Tempe, AZ. I was impressed with what I saw that day and kept tabs on him during his up and down season in AAA last year. He was expected to bounce back this year as evidenced by him earning a spot in the Angels rotation.

He will surely be missed by the Angels organization and baseball fans all around the country.

Don Larsen TTM Success

Date sent: 3/11/09
Date returned: 4/2/09

This is another example of a request I sent off where the player charges a fee for his autograph. So, as with the Johnny Bench request, I sent Don Larsen his rookie card, a 1954 Bowman. As I said before, I feel that it's safer to send more valuable items when a player charges for his autograph. Don Larsen only charges $7 to sign a card.

I was thinking it would be nice to have the famous photo of Larsen and Berra after the '56 World Series perfect game signed too. I will purchase one of those on eBay soon and send that off. My first priority is always to get a rookie card signed, when possible and affordable.

It's amazing how cheap you can pick up some great vintage rookie cards on eBay if you're not too concerned about condition. I think I only paid about $7 before shipping for this Larsen. It has a crease but I don't really care about that if I'm only getting it for an autograph.

Johnny Bench TTM Success

Date sent: 3/11/09
Date returned: 4/3/09

Sorry for the lapse in updates. I was in Phoenix for a wedding a mini vacation. It was a great time and the weather was perfect.

I was quite happy finding this return from Johnny Bench in my mailbox when I got back in town. Bench charges $40 to sign cards through Johnny Bench Enterprises. Whenever a player charges for autographs (or asks for donations), I usually feel safe sending something more valuable. I'm not sure if everyone feels the same.

With this request, I decided to send Bench's best card, his 1968 Topps rookie. It was a bit of a risk but I was willing to take it. It was already one of my favorite cards in my collection before it was signed. Now it's so much cooler.

I got a few more really great returns while I was out of town. I'll post those over the next few days. What's cool is that they're all rookie cards. I prefer getting rookie cards signed over anything else.

Stephen Strasburg Mania

Stephen Strasburg is a 20 year old senior that pitches for San Diego State University. He also pitched for Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. I don't know that there's been as much hype about a pitcher since Dwight Gooden in mid-80's.

Is the hype deserved? Well, yeah, it probably is. Through five starts this year with SDSU, Strasburg is 5-0 with a 1.70 ERA in 42.1 innings pitched. He has 88 strikeouts with only 8 walks. That's quite a strikeout to walk ratio. Did I mention that his fastball tops out at 103 mph? He's an incredible talent, no doubt. But are collectors going a bit too nuts for this young phenom?

Here's a recent example of an eBay sale, from yesterday actually, of his 2008 Upper Deck USA Red Autograph /25. The card sold for $550! Seriously? He hasn't even pitched in the minor leagues. I know he's been dominant in college and for Team USA but let's get real. I just can't imagine spending that kind of money for a player who's still in college.

The card pictured is his Team USA Retrospective card from 2009 Upper Deck Series 1 which I pulled from a blaster I purchased. This card is not rare by any means but it sold on eBay for $15. I didn't think twice about selling once I saw what they were going for.

Who knows, he may turn out to be the greatest player I'll ever see pitch in my lifetime. If you're interested, he pitches tomorrow against UC Davis at 2:30pm PST at Petco Park in San Diego.

Ken Griffey Jr. 1989 Upper Deck Buy Back on eBay

A 1989 Upper Deck Buy Back Ken Griffey Jr. is up on eBay. You can find it here. The bidding was at $1625.00 at the time of this post. There is also another fixed price auction on ebay that's priced at $4895.00. You can find that here.

This is a great card that I would love to own but I can't imagine paying that kind of price for it. You could buy so many Griffey signed items, including game used equipment for that kind of price. I'm pretty sure one of these already sold in the range of $4000.00 but I couldn't find a completed auction for it on eBay.

One thing I'll say, Upper Deck sure knows how to create a buzz. I can't think of a better item to promote their 20th Anniversary than a signed version of the best card they've ever produced. If you collected in the late 80's and early 90's, you know that this was probably the top card of that era.