Ripped from the Headlines #4: Topps 2014 baseball cards: Cards go to WAR, but decline continues

Topps 2014 baseball cards: Cards go to WAR, but decline continues

I was reading some of the headlines on Yahoo this morning and saw this article in my news feed.  It kinda got my blood boiling and my passion for the hobby reared it's (ugly?) head.  I went on a semi rant because even the title says the article was about 2014 Topps, it just seemed like a vehicle for beating the dead horse  sounding the horn for the death of the hobby.  We've all read these types of articles before but I suggest reading this one.  I did comment on the article so be sure to check out the comments section to find what I wrote. I thought about posting my comment on here but it doesn't have the legs to stand on it's own unless your read the article first.

I'd love to hear your reactions so please leave a comment if you are inclined to do so.

Ripped from the Headlines #3

I'm on my lunchbreak at work right now.  I opened up Yahoo's home page and there was a story on there that caught my eye:

Ken Griffey Jr. calls fan in Kansas who had items stolen from extensive baseball card collection

I've always been a fan of The Kid and I sort of grew up with him like the collector featured in the story that had his collection stolen.  He's always been a class act and it's cool to see that he took some time out to make a fan's day.

Also major props to Roberto Clemente Jr. and also Wichita State's basketball coach Gregg Marshall for their parts in the story.

One final point about the article that I took away is the motto that Roberto Clemente lived by:

"If you have the opportunity to make things better, and you don't, then you're wasting your time on Earth."

If you don't know anything else about Roberto Clemente other than how he died, you would understand this quote. That doesn't even say anything about how awesome of a baseball player he was!  If more people lived by this motto, the world would be such a better place!

Ripped from the Headlines #2

I just saw this article on Yahoo! while I was at work:

Postal Service to Cut Saturday Mail to Trim Costs

I'm actually OK with this.  This has been rumored for years but now it seems like its actually going to happen.  Sure I won't get any mail delivered on Saturdays but if it means I can still be able to send and receive trade packages during the week, I'm all for it.

Reading further into the article, you will be able to get your mail on Saturday if you get your mail in a P.O. Box.  Also, all of the service windows that are presently open on Saturday will not be affected.  You will still be able to go to the counter and send out packages, buy postage and stamps.

What do you think about the change?

Ripped from the Headlines #1

I'm still having "technical difficulties" with my home computer but I was reading my daily Orioles links at work and I ran across this article about baseball cards on SB Nation:

Requiem for the 00's: The Decline of Topps Baseball Cards

I agree with some of the topics covered such as the Topps Monopoly, competition causes innovation, and kids are more attracted to video games than collecting cardboard.

The author does harp on the fact of the numbering of the flagship set a little bit.  It never really mattered to me if Cal Ripken or Ken Griffey Jr. or Frank Thomas had a nice "round" card number like 100 or 555.  I haven't grabbed many packs of 2013 yet but the numbering of the cards doesn't really mean a whole lot.  It's just how you put the cards in order, not some hierarchy of a player's worth.

The author does tend to appreciate tradition over present but makes it seem like a person interested in cards is only allowed to buy the latest and greatest.  For hardcore collectors (yes, if you are reading blogs and collecting, you are hardcore!) we know that you can still buy vintage cards online or at shows.  If you're only buying cards at Wal-Mart or Target, you're only going to be able to buy the latest and greatest!

Sure baseball cards aren't as popular as they used to be but Topps is still making money or they wouldn't be doing it anymore.  I don't really appreciate the article's author putting my hobby 6 feet under!  It's more of niche hobby now instead of mainstream and that's ok.  Roller skating was huge at one point in time and it surely declined but they are still around!  Not as many people snowboard as they used to.

Our hobby is not dead or dying.

Here's my only story from Orioles Fan Fest that I am going to share.  (I basically stood in the same lines and William from foul bunt and ended up with the same results, so check his blog for the blow by blow details).

I was standing in the kids only line with my friend Scott and his kid Austin.  Behind me were 4 boys that were probably from the ages of 8 thru 12 and they were rabid baseball fans.  I was talking to them and they were really knowledgeable about the game and the players.  I offered to send them a bunch of extra cards that I had (since I'm downsizing a bit) and they thanked me over and over.  I sent the cards last week and a few days later, the mother of 2 of the boys sent me an email thanking me for making the kid's days!  She said it was like Christmas at their house when the cards arrived.  It made me feel good to do something good for people I only met one time.  Maybe I sparked one (or maybe all 4) of the boy's interest in the hobby by giving away some cards.

So the hobby is not dead or dying, it's only what you make of it!