’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – ‘Top Ten Hall Most Wanted Signed Baseballs – The Non-HOF Edition’

30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – ‘Top Ten Hall Most Wanted Signed Baseballs – The Non-HOF Edition’

Last Sunday night I told you about my desire to bring some more quality autographed baseballs into my collection.  And I gave you a list of my most desired Hall of Fame balls.

This week, the theme is the same, but now I am bringing you the ‘Non-HOF’ version.  This one was a lot harder to build and then cut down to just ten names, but I did it.

So, before I get to that list, let me at least tell you that if I was ever to find a ‘No-Hitter’ inscribed ball from AJ Burnett, Anibal Sanchez, or Kevin Brown, I would want them for my Marlins collection.  Those balls did not make the list, let’s say that they trumped the list.

Ok?  Ok!

Now, on to the  ‘Top Ten Hall Most Wanted Signed Baseballs – The Non-HOF Edition’.

Here we go:

10 – Gary Sheffield

9 – Mike Lowell

8 – Vince Coleman

7 – Eric Davis

6 – Ivan Rodriguez

5 – Frank Thomas

4 – Chipper Jones

3 – Greg Maddux

2 – Ken Griffey Jr.

1 – John Smoltz

And there you have it.  Ultimately this list could have been a lot bigger – I would also like to add signed balls to my collection of Willie McGee, Mike Greenwell, Curt Schilling, Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Fernandez, Randy Johnson, and the list goes on and on.

Hopefully I can find a few signings to participate in where I can add a few more quality autographed balls to my collection…

Do you have a list?  If so, please share – I’d love to see it!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – ‘Top Ten Hall Most Wanted Signed Baseballs – HOF Edition’

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – ‘Top Ten Hall Most Wanted Signed Baseballs – HOF Edition’

I’ve been wanting to add a few more signed baseballs to my collection so in an effort to get that process rolling, I decided to try to organize my ‘want list’ with the goal of staying focused on who I really, really want versus who I just really want.

This week, I will share my ‘HOF Edition’ of the list.  And next week, I will share the ‘Non-HOF Edition’.

So, without further ado, here are the ten Hall Of Fame signed baseballs that I would like to add to my collection:

10 – Bert Blyleven

9 – Robin Yount

8 – Roberto Alomar

7 – Jim Rice

6 – Barry Larkin

5 – Paul Molitor

4 – George Brett

3 – Tom Seaver

2 – Sparky Anderson

1 – Eddie Murray

And there you have it – Ten high-quality baseballs that I would definitely welcome into the ’30-YOC’ collection if they were to become available to me either at a paid signing, in-person opportunity, or via a consignment deal.

Stay tuned to ’30-YOC’, maybe one of these bad-boys will be mine soon.  Fingers crossed!!

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’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Players Most Likely To Go ’30/30′ During The 2013 Baseball Season

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Players Most Likely To Go ’30/30′ During The 2013 Baseball Season

For me, one of the many ways to judge and offensive player’s effect on the game is to measure the number of home runs and stolen bases he collects in a single season.  The landmark number of ’30/30′ is one that I have enjoyed tracking since I was a kid.

During the 2012 baseball season, there were just two big leaguers to make it into the exclusive ’30/30 Club’ – Ryan Braun and Mike Trout.

Yes, there were a lot of sluggers that hit well over 30 home runs, but very few of them put the effort needed to steal 30 bases.  I think that in the right situations, we could see many of them steal 30 bases in a season, but both they and their managers would have to be committed to it.

Here are the ‘Top Ten Players Most Likely To Go ’30/30′ During The 2013 Baseball Season’:

Honorable Mention – Robinson Cano, BJ Upton, Curtis Granderson, Giancarlo Stanton, Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Beltran, Anthony Rizzo, Justin Upton, and Adam Jones.

10 – Hanley Ramirez

9 – Josh Hamilton

8 – Jayson Werth

7 – Carlos Gonzalez

6 – Jason Heyward

5 – Bryce Harper

4 – Andrew McCutchen

3 – Ryan Braun

2 – Matt Kemp

1 – Mike Trout

I think that the 2013 baseball season will be a magical one.  I expect to see both Bryce Harper and Mike Trout become even better all-around players.  I also expect a rebound season from Hanley Ramirez.  I think that Jason Heyward is poised to take off and deliver what many thought he would do a few years ago.  I also think that Jayson Werth is going to be solid this year – with Zim and Harper in the line-up, there is less pressure on him, and I think he will soar.  And for some reason, I think that Matt Kemp is going to go bonkers this year – I don’t follow the Dodgers too closely, but I think that 2013 will be a Dodger season worth paying attention too.

And there you have it – I am very ready for the 2013 baseball season to start.  And I think that we may see anywhere between 5-8 members of the ’30/30 Club’ at the end.

Let me know what you think.  Am I missing anything here?  Should anyone be pulled from my list in place of someone else?

I’d love to get your thoughts.  Thanks for reading.

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Rookie Cards From The ‘Fleer Update’ Mid-Season Sets!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Rookie Cards From The ‘Fleer Update’ Mid-Season Sets!!!

Just like I did with the Topps Traded and Donruss ‘The Rookies’ mid-season releases, I feel that it is fitting to follow suit with the Fleer Update set as well.

So, I will rank the Top Ten Rookie cards issued as part of these 132-card rookie-filled, factory-sealed, beauties.

Keep in mind that I am only going after cards in which the Fleer Update card was considered the player’s rookie card with the Fleer brand; it just happened to be issued in the ‘Update’ set versus the base set.

OK?

OK!

These sets were released from 1984-1992 and they host some big-time treasures!!  Let’s get right down to it!!!

Honorable Mention – Bret Saberhagen (84), Vince Coleman (85), Will Clark (86), Ruben Sierra (86), Mike Greenwell (87), Fred McGriff (87), Matt Williams (87), John Smoltz (88), Jim Abbott (89), Joey Belle (89), Deion Sanders (89), Tino Martinez (90), John Olerud (90), Bernie Williams (91).

10 – Jeff Bagwell, 1991

9 – Jeff Kent, 1992

8 – Frank Thomas, 1990

7 – Roberto Alomar, 1988

6 – Barry Bonds, 1986

5 – Dwight Gooden, 1984

4 – Greg Maddux, 1987

3 – Mike Piazza, 1992

2 – Roger Clemens, 1984

1 – Kirby Puckett, 1984

Let me tell you that creating this list was mentally exhausting!!

While the top two spots for me were ‘no brainers’, spots 3,4, and 5 shifted around often.  Ultimately, I settled in with Piazza being a lock at number 3, and Maddux & Gooden sharing the 4th spot.  I ultimately gave it to Maddux, but would not complain if Gooden was there and Maddux shifted down to five, or even six.

And the final 2-3 spots were pretty brutal too – some of those guys could have been left off in favor of some that were mentioned in the honorable mention section.  Ultimately, I took the guys who would still be deemed as ‘collectible’ today by your average collector.

So, how did I do?  Love my rankings?  Hate my rankings?

Let me hear it!!!  And have a great night!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Cards From The ‘Donruss Rookies’ Mid-Season Sets!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Cards From The ‘Donruss Rookies’ Mid-Season Sets!!!

Just like the other companies producing baseball cards in the 1980’s, Donruss saw a need to produce sets during the season that captured the attention of collectors.

While some companies issued cards of rookie players and players that traded teams during the early parts of the season, Donruss stuck strictly to rookie cards.  That is probably why the set carried the name of ‘Donruss, The Rookies’.

The sets were issued from 1986-1992, and stared as a 56-card set but ended at 132 cards in 1992.  The set was highly collectible when released, and some of the best rookie cards from the decade were found in these ‘second’ sets.

And now, on to the list!!!

Like most of my other rookie-related ‘Top Ten Lists’, I am going after the cards that were highly coveted when released and still have value and appeal amongst today’s collectors.  Staying power is the theme!!

Honorable Mention: Wally Joyner (86), Kevin Mitchell (86), Ruben Sierra (86), Matt Williams (87), Chris Sabo (88), Jim Abbott (89), Omar Vizquel (89), Carlos Baerga (90), Tim Wakefiled (92).

10 – Edgar Martinez, 1988

9 – Deion Sanders, 1989

8 – Jeff Kent, 1992

7 – Will Clark, 1986

6 – Jeff Bagwell, 1991

5 – Bo Jackson, 1986

4 – Ivan ‘Pudge’ Rodriguez, 1991

3 – Manny Ramirez, 1992

2 – Pedro Martinez, 1991

1 – Barry Bonds, 1986

And there you have it!!  My Top Ten cards from the ‘Donruss Rookies’ brand.

Let me tell you, I switched these around a handful of times; especially numbers 9 and 10 and a few of the Honorable Mention guys.  I could have easily taken this list to 15 official spots, but then I would have to rename the post, build a new category, and get it approved by the MLB.

So, I stuck with just 10.  Did I get them right?  Are my selections way out of line?  Did I completely miss someone??

Let me hear it!!!  And have a great night.

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Fleer Major League Prospects Rookie Baseball Cards!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Fleer Major League Prospects Rookie Baseball Cards!!!

What can I say, I have had rookie cards on the brain for the last few weeks.

First, it started with my ranking the ‘Top Ten Donruss Rated Rookie Cards’ and from there I jumped into the ‘Top Ten Topps Traded Rookie Cards’.

It is only right that I give Fleer some press time too.  From 1985-1990, Fleer issued multi-player rookie cards in their base sets.  The cards featured two players, sometimes on the same time and sometimes not.

Sadly, they are just not able to live up to the excitement that Donruss and Topps brought to the rookie baseball card game.  But, they did try.  And just like a rookie card prospector that is seeking out the best rookies from the next crop of hopefuls, Fleer had some hits.  But they also had a ton of misses too!

And now, without further ado, it is time to offer up the ‘Top Ten Fleer Major League Prospects Rookie Baseball Cards’.

Here we go:

Honorable Mention:  Rob Deer, Glen Davis, Devon White, Joe Girardi, and Moises Alou.

10 – Kevin Seitzer, 1987.

9 – Danny Tartabull, 1985.

8 – Kevin Brown, 1989.

7 – Shawon Dunston, 1985.

6 – Benito Santiago, 1986.

5 – Paul O’Neill, 1986.

4 – Andres Galarraga, 1986.

3 – Mark Grace, 1988.

2 – Jose Canseco, 1986.

1 – Cecil Fielder, 1986.

Not horrible, but not terribly exciting either.  I tell you what – If Fleer did not have these cards in their 1986 base set, I would never have been able to snag ten for this list…  Fleer tried, but their crop of 1980’s rookie cards just cannot live up to the excitement that Donruss and Topps brought.

What do you think?  Do you have a favorite card from the Major League Prospects subset from Fleer?  Did I miss one that you think belongs on the list?

Let me hear it.

And as always, Thanks for reading!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Topps Traded Rookie Baseball Cards!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Topps Traded Rookie Baseball Cards!!!

This Top Ten list stems from a few emails between myself and loyal ’30-YOC’ reader Matt.  Matt and I traded emails earlier in the week about our favorite cards and sets from the 1980’s.  The conversation was fun and it took both of us back to our childhood when we both rabid collectors.

It was during that email string that I thought it would be fun to rank my favorite Topps Traded rookie cards from the 1980s.  There are some fantastic cards that fit that mold, and it will shock you to see which ones only made the ‘Honorable Mention’ list.

The way that I complied my list is that I tried my best to recall how popular the card was when it was released and then also look at how it is treated in today’s hobby.  I also discounted any player that had a multi-player rookie card in a Topps base set and then an individual card in the traded set that is also known as a rookie card, so cards like Tim Raines from the 1981 Traded set and Cal Ripken from the 1982 Traded set were purposely skipped.

Ready to get started?  Let’s go!!!

Honorable Mention – Julio Franco (83), Bret Saberhagen (84), Ozzie Guillen (85), Andres Galarraga (86), Wally Joyner (86), Kevin Mitchell (86), David Cone (87), Benito Santiago (87), Fred McGriff (87), Jim Abbott (88), Mark Grace (88), Ron Gant (88), Tino Martinez (88), Robin Ventura (88), and Deion Sanders (89).

10 – Roberto Alomar, 1988

9 – Vince Coleman, 1985

8 – Will Clark, 1986

7 – Darryl Strawberry, 1983

6 – Ken Griffey, Jr., 1989

5 – Jose Canseco, 1986

4 – Greg Maddux, 1987

3 – Bo Jackson, 1986

2 – Barry Bonds, 1986

1 – Dwight Gooden, 1984

And there you have it.

Did I get it right or screw it up royally??  Let me know what you think of my picks.

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Donruss Rated Rookie Baseball Cards!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Donruss Rated Rookie Baseball Cards!!!

I was going through a random stack of Cubs baseball cards from the 1980’s the other night and I ran across several cards from in-set subsets and insert cards that brought back a ton of memories from my youth as a baseball card collector.

Among the cards were a few Donruss Rated Rookie cards that made me pause and smile.  I used to really like the Rated Rookie subset and eagerly awaited the next Donruss release just to catch a glimpse of who they chose for the new set that year.

Like most rookie cards, the players selected were hit or miss.  For every future Cy Young pitcher, there was a Greg Swindell card.  For every future Gold Glove defender, there was a Jose Lind card.  And for every future member of the 500 Home Run Club, there was a Mackey Sasser card.

Still, over the spread of time that the Rated Rookie subset was included in the base set of Donruss’ releases (1984-1985), they did have their fare share of hits.

I thought it would be fun to look back and choose a ‘Top Ten’ for these cards as I was in my collecting prime as these rookie cards were highly coveted.

So, without any more chit-chat, let’s get right down to it – Here are my ‘Top Ten Donruss Rated Rookie baseball cards!!!

Honorable Mention – 1984: Tony Fernandez, Sid Fernandez. 1985 – Shawon Dunston. 1986 – Paul O’Neill, Andres Galarraga, Danny Tartabull. 1987 – Benito Santiago, Devon White, Rafael Palmeiro. 1988 – Al Leiter, Mark Grace. 1989 – Sandy Alomar, Jr., Gregg Jefferies. 1990 – Robin Ventura, Todd Zeile, Ben McDonald, Steve Avery, Delino DeShields, Greg Vaughn.

10 – Gary Sheffield, 1989

9 – Randy Johnson, 1989

8 – Mark McGwire – 1987

7 – Fred McGriff, 1986

6 – Joe Carter, 1984

5 – Roberto Alomar, 1988

4 – Bo Jackson, 1987

3 – Greg Maddux, 1987

2 –  Ken Griffey, Jr., 1989

1 – Jose Canseco, 1986

And there you have it.  Quite a list, huh??

I based my rankings on a multitude of things, but ultimately it came down to how significant I thought the card was at its time of release, how important the card was when the player was at his prime, and how collected the card is today.  I did not use any science in my measurements to get to these rankings – just my feel for the hobby 25+ years ago and at the present time.

How are my rankings?  Dead-on or Way-off??  Let me know what you think.

Oh, and here is one more peek at that fantastic Rated Rookie logo:

Enjoy!  And have a great evening.

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Robert DeNiro Movies!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Robert DeNiro Movies!!!

Last week it was Samuel L. Jackson.

And the week before that, it was Eddie Murphy.

You can say that I am on a bit of a movie kick, and I would agree 100%.

You see, as a baseball fan that can watch any two teams compete at the highest level, I rarely need to find things to watch between April and October.  But, for the months outside of that time frame, I look to movies to fill the entertainment void.

And just like with baseball, I like films from prior decades as compared to what is being churned out today.  So, you can expect a lot of non-baseball related ‘Top Ten Lists’ to keep you entertained on your Sunday nights.  But, I do promise to sprinkle in a few from time to time too.

Ok, on to my Robert DeNiro list.  Here we go:

10 – A Bronx Tale

9 – The Fan

8 – Sleepers

7 – Men Of Honor

6 – Heat

5 – The Untouchables

4 – Cape Fear

3 – Raging Bull

 

2 – Meet The Parents

1 – Goodfellas

Man, this guy can act; very versatile too!  And he has been making feature films since the 1960’s.  Sure, I cannot recall the last time I wanted to head to the theater to see one his new ones, but pop in any of the movies on the above list into the DVD player, and I am all in!!!

Did I miss any films featuring Robert DeNiro that you like better?  Did I miss any entirely??  Let me know.

Have a nice night!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Samuel L. Jackson Movies!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Samuel L. Jackson Movies!!!

This next ‘Top Ten List’ is the result of a comment from last week’s list that uncovered my ‘Top Ten Eddie Murphy Movies’.

Reader Gerad told us that his favorite actor was Samuel L. Jackson and he wanted to see what kind of list I could come up with for all of the films that he has starred in.

I am up to the challenge, so here we go!!!

First, let me tell you two things – (1) Samuel L Jackson has been in a lot of movies!!  It was not easy to build the list.  I have seen a good handful of the films, but definitely not all of them.  (2) I prefer him in the supporting role, and not as the main character.  In my opinion, he is so dominant and memorable while on screen that he does not need to be in the lead role to make an impact that is memorable.  You will see that for many of my top ten, he is not the ‘headliner’ of the film.

Now that this is out of the way, on to the list!!!

Honorable Mention: The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Negotiator, Deep Blue Sea, Shaft, Changing Lanes, Coach Carter, and Black Snake Moan.

10 – The Incredibles

9 – Jurassic Park

8 – Lakeview Terrace

7 – Resurrecting The Champ

6 – The Avengers

5 – Twisted

4 – SWAT

3 – Unbreakable

2 – Die Hard: With A Vengeance

1 – Pulp Ficton

Now that is a pretty solid list of films right there!!

And as you can see, my preference is to see Samuel L. Jackson in a complimentary role versus as the lead actor. 

What is your favorite film with Samuel L. Jackson??  Did I miss any that you feel should have made the cut??

Let me hear it!!!