September 12, 2011 - For What It's Worth

Monday, September 12, 2011. For What it’s worth.

Sure wish we could share yesterdays Lions victory with Tom “Killer” Kowalski. I know he was watching and enjoying every minute of it.

Jose Valverde is the best Tigers closer ever. Is there a debate? Who are you going to pick? Todd Jones? Mike Henneman? Sure, Willie Hernandez won the Cy Young and MVP in 1984, but I’ll still rank Valverde ahead of him. John Hiller? Aurelio Lopez? Give me Valverde and call it good.

I think the Big Ten should be going after Kansas and Kansas State. One is a football school and the other a basketball school. Let’s take them both. That’ll put the conference at 14 teams. Go with that for a little while, and see how the landscape of college sports changes. Maybe in a few years look at adding two more.

Notre Dame – Michigan had a TV rating of 4.81. Cowboys – Jets TV rating 16.9. The country loves its NFL!! Guess which one, of the two, I watched? Yup. I was in the minority. The 16.9 from the NFL game does not include me.

Which New York Quarterback is more overrated, Eli Manning or Mark Sanchez? Sure he won a Super Bowl, but I’m going to take Eli on that one. Wow is he bad…

Speaking of quarterbacks, after watching the Vikings game on Sunday, it may be time to invest in Christian Ponder rookie cards!

Very chilling story of how legendary basketball coach, John Thompson, was supposed to be on the doomed 9/11 flight that crashed in to The Pentagon –
http://college-basketball-blog.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/31923777

Is Alex Avila the best catcher in baseball? Steve Berthiaume of ESPN thinks so - http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/16055/best-catcher-of-2011-alex-avila

Who is your Rock & Roll Mount Rushmore? Mine is Johnny Cash, Freddie Mercury, Jimi Hendrix and Jon Bon Jovi. Mock me, but make sure you tell me yours so I can tell you how much worse than mine yours is. Also, if you tell me Johnny Cash doesn’t count as Rock & Roll you’re wrong.

Thinking about Jose Valverde got me wondering about free agent signings and Detroit. Who is the best free agent signing ever in Detroit history? Todd Jones? Kenny Rogers? Scott Mitchell? Pudge Rodriquez? Magglio Ordonez? Brett Hull? Brian Rafalski? Fernando Vina? Az Hakim? Cecil Fielder? Let me know your thoughts. Surely there has to be someone I’ve left off the list that is better than these guys. Yes, I know that Mitchell, Vina and Hakim are on the list of worst free agent signings in Detroit history, right after Charlie Villanueva.

She Said I Know I Look Tired But Everything Is Fried Here In Memphis

Ben Wallace says he wants to come back for one more year.  Do the Pistons retire his number when he retires?  That’s a tough one.  He’s been a great Piston, and was nothing when he left here.  He came back, and has been a solid contributor.  I’d probably have to flip a coin to decide, and be happy with it either way.
 
Here's my biggest baseball tip for the month.  Jump on the Nationals bandwagon now, while there's still room.  Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman, Jordan Zimmermann, Tyler Clippard, Michael Morse, Drew Storen, Jayson Werth and Stephen Strasburg.  Plus I keep hearing they are going to be in the mix to sign Prince Fielder.  Jump on now my friends, before it’s too late!
 
Oh good Lord…  Brandon Inge says he is ready to come back from his rehab assignment.  Heaven help us. 
 
Best $.79 you can spend at Speedway?  Grandma’s Vanilla Sandwich Crème Cookies.  Ten awesome cookies, $.79.  Enough said.
 
If you have not heard ‘Repo Man’ by Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs, do yourself a favor and download it.
 
Someone remind me to check out Tune In Radio on the iTunes store.
 
If you didn’t see my Facebook status earlier, I’m coming out of retirement to play softball for the church team on Sunday.  I’m nervously excited about it.  Wish me luck!!
 
Take care of each other.

Tuesday Afternoon...

Saw something at Kohl's the other night that I filed under "Freaking Brilliant" and "Why Didn't I Think of That?" Postage paid greeting cards. The envelope comes with pre-paid postage. That, my friends, is brilliant!

Did you see that Disney is registering a trademark for “Seal Team 6”? That’s the group that went in and took out Usama Bin Laden. I wonder what Disney is going to do with it. Action figures? Movies? TV series? Lunchboxes? Once again, why didn’t I think to apply for a trademark for “Seal Team 6”?

The Tigers have not had a winning streak of more than seven games since 1984. That’s remarkable to me.

This will be the first NBA Finals without Kobe, Shaq, or Tim Duncan since 1998. That’s remarkable to me.

Still looking for suggestions for my bucket list.

It's Friday I'm In Love!

Happy 80th Birthday to the Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays!! 
 
With it being his birthday, I got to thinking about old time baseball players that I never got to see play.  I’m trying to come up with a list of players that I never saw, that I really wish I had seen play.  I got my list, and then tried to narrow it down to the top five.  It was a lot harder than I thought.  But, here it goes.
 
#5 – Willie Mays
 
#4 – Ted Williams 
 
#3 – Roberto Clemente 
 
#2 – Al Kaline   
 
#1 – Mickey Mantle 
 
Sure, I could have gone really old school and said Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Shoeless Joe Jackson or Cy Young, but I decided to stick with this list.
 
What about a list of great baseball players that I have seen play in person?  Reggie Jackson, Rod Carew, George Brett, Cal Ripken Jr., Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg and Ichiro are the ones that come to mind.  I once saw Nolan Ryan at a game, although he didn’t pitch, he was there walking from the bullpen to the dugout.  Same with Pete Rose, I saw him as manager of the Reds, but never as a player.
 
What’s that you say?  Some other greats that I’ve seen from other sports.  Well…  I could go on all day about hockey players, Gretzky, Lemieux, Yzerman, Hull, Shanahan, Hasek, Bourque, Roy, LaFontaine,  Sakic, Lidstrom, Robitaille, Crosby… 
 
I’ve not been to a lot of pro football games, but I did see Barry Sanders set his career high in rushing yards on a Sunday night against the Bucs.
 
I saw Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Chris Mullin, Isaiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Patrick Ewing, Larry Bird, David Robinson and Charles Barkley play. 
 
It’s fun being a sports fan!!
 
I just heard Indigo Girls covering Uncle John’s Band, which was originally done by Grateful Dead.  Oh.  My. Goodness.  I pray that I never hear that again.  I wanted to change the station, but it was like a train wreck and I had to stay there and listen to it.  Wow was it bad.
 
Liberals love jobs, but hate the employers that provide the jobs.  How does that work?
 

The Whole World Smelled Like Burning Tires The Day John Henry Died

Thinking of Ernie Harwell today, on the one year anniversary of his passing. I hope you're enjoying the games from up there, old friend!

Hey Skipper, see what happens when you listen to me? Remember, I’m the onethat suggested you bring up Scott Sizemore and send Will Rhymes to Toledo. First game after you finally did that, the Tigers beat Captain Cheeseburger and the Yankees. Now, when will Phil Coke go back to the pen, Brad Thomas get his release and Charlie Furbush be brought up??

Sounds like Kris Draper is in the lineup for the Wings tonight at the ‘expense’ of Drew Miller. Nice move, but I’d prefer it was Mike Modano in the lineup and not Draper. However, I’m hoping Drapes can find his magic for some keyface-offs tonight.

The LA Times is reporting that the Dodgers don’t have enough cash to meet payroll at the end of the month. Seriously? I never imagined that the Dodgers wouldhave these problems. However, with the way baseball salaries are, I’m thinking the Dodgers won’t bethe last.

Two songs getting a lot of love on my iPod this week are ‘This Is Why We Fight’ by Decemberists and ‘L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.’ by Noah & The Whale. Check them out if you have the chance.

If you haven’t been to Quaker Steak & Lube for all you can eat wings on Tuesday night, what are you waiting for??? They have some pretty incredible wings and sauces. I like to warm up with Louisiana Lickers sauce and then go right to Buckeye BBQ. Those are my two favorites. Awesome flavor with just the right amount of heat for me.

Surely I cannot be the only one celebrating the fact that I don’t have to hear the April in the D song on Fox Sports Detroit any more. I think that’s my favorite thing about May, is no more April in the D!

My bucket list is small. I have added learn to play the ukulele to it. I’d also like to zipline in Hawaii. I’ve got those two. Any suggestions of things I can add?

I Rode The Bus With 27 Jennifers

Congrats to the brave Navy Seals that took out Usama Bin Laden last night.  I have mad love and respect for you.
 
Three songs that I love, that you've never heard –
            ‘Hopscotch Willie’ by Stephen Malkmus
            ‘Tokyo’ by Bob Schneider
            ‘Nautical Disaster’ by Tragically Hip
 
How was your weekend?  Mine was good, but I’ve come to realize that something needs to change.  Well, several things need to change, starting with me.  I’ve started a workout program today.  I plan to get up every morning and either get on my treadmill or go outside and go around the block.  Wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed for me.  It’s just time for me to get healthy.
 
The next thing that needs to change is the manager of the Detroit Tigers.  I’m 100% fed up with the antics and managerial style of Jim Leyland.  Sure, the guy got us to the World Series in 2006, but that honeymoon is long since over.  For goodness sake, the guy has no clue how to use a bullpen, or anything along those lines.  
 
Let’s look at the game from yesterday, for example.  Top of the ninth inning, down by two.  Austin Jackson got on base, bringing up Will Rhymes.  Will Rhymes, are you kidding me?!?!  I know he’s been struggling this year, but don’t you think maybe using Maglio Ordonez as a pinch hitter would have been a good idea there?  Rhymes flies out to center…  After Ryhmes, we got to see Ramon Santiago.  Ramon Santiago, are you kidding me?  I know he’s been struggling this year, but don’t you think that maybe using Casper Wells as a pinch hitter would have been a good idea there?  Santiago walked.  First and second with one out.
After Santiago we got Don Kelly.  Don Kelly!  Are you kidding me.  Since Leyland didn’t pinch hit for Rhymes or Santiago, surely he’s going to use Ordonez or Wells to pinch hit for Kelly.  Right?  Nope!  Kelly pops out to the shortstop.  The freaking shortstop.  Miguel Cabrera singles, scoring Austin Jackson to cut the lead to one.  Then Brennan Boesch flew out to center to end the game. 
 
Hey Darren Helm, it’s called a deke.  Look it up.
 
Uncle Mike, far be it from me to tell you how to coach the Wings, but let’s put Mike Modano in the lineup for Wednesday.  We brought him in for the playoffs, so let’s give him a chance.  He played in one game in the first round and provided some instant spark.  Let’s see if he can do it again.  I think we can probably survive with sitting Drew Miller in his place. 
 
Hey Zero, have you noticed that gas prices are up again?  It’s $4.299 in my neck of the woods.  You just sit back there in your office at the White House and watch it go up higher.  Heaven forbid you try to do something about it.
 

The Royal Wedding Is Like The Super Bowl For Cat Ladies

Thoughts and prayers to those in the south dealing with the aftermath of the storms from Wednesday night.
 
Today must be opposite day on my iPod that I was bragging about yesterday.  I think I was reminded why I put it away.  There's some real garbage music on it.  Stuff that I used to like (Paramore) but cannot handle listening to any more.  Thank goodness for the forward button.
 
I know you've been waiting, so here it is.  My mock NFL draft for tonight. 
 
#1 Carolina -  Cam Newton, QB Auburn
#2 Denver – Marcell Dareus, DT Alabama
#3 Buffalo – Blaine Gabbert, QB Missouri
#4 Cincinnati – AJ Green, WR Georgia
#5 Arizona – Patrick Peterson, CB LSU
#6 Cleveland – Von Miller, LB Texas A&M
#7 Houston – Anthony Castonzo, T Boston College
#8 Tennessee – Andy Dalton, QB TCU
#9 Dallas – Tyron Smith, T USC
#10 Washington – Robert Quinn, DE North Carolina
#11 San Francisco – Jake Locker, QB Washington
#12 Minnesota – Julio Jones, WR Alabama
#13 Detroit – Nick Fairley, DT Auburn
#14 St Louis – Corey Liuget, DT Illinois
#15 Miami Dolphins – Mike Pouncey, G/C Florida
#16 Jacksonville – Aldon Smith, DE/LB Missouri
#17 New England - JJ Watt, DE Wisconsin
#18 San Diego – Ryan Kerrigan, DE Purdue
#19 New York Giants – Mark Ingram, RB Alabama
#20 Tampa Bay – Da’Quan Bowers, DE Clemson
#21 Kansas City – Nate Solder, T Colorado
#22 Indianapolis – Gabe Carimi, T Wisconsin
#23 Philadelphia – Adrian Clayborn, DE Iowa
#24 New Orleans – Danny Watkins, G Baylor
#25 Seattle – Prince Amukamara, CB Nebraska
#26 Baltimore – Marvin Austin, DT North Carolina
#27 Atlanta – Jimmy Smith, CB Colorado
#28 New England – Justin Houston, DE/LB Georgia
#29 Chicago – Derek Sherrod, T Mississippi State
#30 New York Jets – Phil Taylor, NT Baylor
#31 Pittsburgh – Brandon Harris, CB Miami
#32 Green Bay – Muhammad Wilkerson, DL Temple
 
There you have it.  The 2011 NFL Mock Draft as compiled by Dennis Lake
 
I don’t really think it’ll go like that.  I can see someone like Oakland trading up to get back in the first round (#28 from New England) to draft Colin Kaepernick.  I’m also sticking with my guns that Carolina won’t take Newton number one, but everything I’m reading/hearing today says that they will.  If they don’t take Newton, all bets are off, although he’ll go #3 to Buffalo.
 
Peyton Hillis on the cover of Madden ’12.  Seriously??  Unless you play fantasy football, you’re probably asking yourself who Peyton Hillis is. 
 
I mentioned the name Mitch Daniels yesterday.  Today, we find out that Indiana is on the verge of cutting funding to Planned Parenthood.   This, my friends, is the kind of leadership we need in Washington!!  Why does the government fund Planned Parenthood??? 
 
Alex Avila is leading the Tigers in RBI.  Who had that coming out of spring training?  By the way, nice way to follow up the sweep of the White Sox.  Could you have laid a bigger egg against the Mariners? 
 
The thermometer on my desk reads 76.8º.  Seriously??  I sit in a high traffic area in the office, and I think it’s going to drive me berserker than I already am.  Oh, it just dropped to 76.1º!  Must be a cold front just moved through.
 
“The Royal Wedding Is Like The Super Bowl For Cat Ladies” someone posted on Twitter today.  That’s just funny.
 

"These Are Suction Cups. I'm Suctioning Up Something" - Benjamin

I found my old iPod the other day. You know, the old one with the wheel on the front for changing songs or volume and such. Well, once I remembered how to use the thing I was extremely pleased with the music I had put on there. It's been a long time since I heard some of those songs. I forgot how great bands like Sloan, Wilco, Eve 6, and Daft Punk are. It was great to hear all of that music again. I promise that I won't let my iPod get lost again.

Big weekend coming up for the Lions. I love the draft. It's like the Super Bowl for Lions fans. I feel they won the draft Super Bowl last year, with getting Ndamukong Suh. He's already, just 16 games in to his NFL career, one of the ten best defensive players the Lions have ever had. I keep hearing rumors that the Lions could have an opportunity to do the same thing again this year, and pick Da'Quan Bowers at number 13. There are rumors that he could slide that far, and many think he could be the best player in the draft. There are worries about his knees, but I'm sure the Lions have done their homework on that issue.

Last word on the draft. No way the Panthers pick Cam Newton at number one.

I think Haley Barbour's decision not to run for President in 2012 is a good sign for fans of Indiana Governor, Mitch Daniels.

I give no thanks, credit or blame to Donald Trump for Mr. obama releasing his birth certificate today. Is it wrong of me to say that I'm not convinced that it's real? Show me the placenta...

Whatever Happened To Amy Winehouse?

A lot of things on my mind today.  Not sure where to start, so I'll just
start with whatever is the first thing to come out of my fingertips and on
to the keyboard.

Gosh I love granola bars.

I don't have a problem with the Lions drafting Mark Ingram at number 13.
I'd rather they go defense or offensive line, but Mark Ingram would be
okay with me.

I wish I flossed more.

We met, as you probably know, Chris Chelios at an autograph signing last
weekend.  Nice guy.  I don't know why it surprises me when we meet someone
like that, and they turn out to be nice guys.  I've yet to meet anyone at
an autograph signing and have them be a jerk, but I know others who have.

New job is going quite well, thanks for asking.

I like MSU hiring Dane Fife.  I think he could be the heir apparent to Tom
Izzo, if he's willing to stay at MSU as an assistant for a number of
years.

I hope Bud Selig was only kidding when he said baseball is looking to
expand the playoffs.

Mike Babcock would make an incredible motivational speaker.  When I hear
an interview with him, I pretty much hang on his every word.

I'm glad I'm not a smoker.

It's exciting to me to see Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt
Jr doing well this season.  I'd like to see Mark Martin step it up a bit,
but I'll take three out of four from the Hendrick stable.  It'll be cool
to see Kasey Kahne join the team next year.

The Sporting News has the 56 game hitting streak of Joe DiMagio as the
number one greatest sports records of all time.  I'm thinking they mean
it's most unlikely to be broken.  I kind of disagree.  I think, if I were
ranking records, I'd put Cy Young's 511 wins as the record in sports least
likely to be broken.  What about Wayne Gretzky's 215 points in one season.

Interestingly enough, The Sporting News doesn't have Cal Ripken's streak
on the list.  They don't have Nolan Ryan's career strikeouts on the list.
They don't have Brett Favre's 297 straight starts.

I'll miss Michael Scott, and I wish him well on his retirement from Dunder
Mifflin.

Autographs of the Day - 04/07/2011 - Eight... Seven... Six

Continuing on with my signed Red Wings numbers, today I will feature numbers six, seven and eight.

Jakub Kindl

Jiri Hudler

Brett Hull

Ted Lindsay

Marian Hossa

Brian Rafalski

Justin Abdelkader

Thanks again for stopping by to take a look!!

Autograph of the Day - 04/05/2011 - Number 9... Number 9...

Hey friends! I'm back after a long and somewhat relaxing weekend. Ready to share some more of my autograph collection with you.

Today I am going to start sharing my autographed jersey numbers with you. I'll share all of my Red Wings, and then move on to some others that I have. I'll begin the countdown today with all of my number nine autographs. I only have four number nines, but they are a pretty impressive four, if I do say so myself. Here we go-

Tomas Holmstrom

Dominik Hasek

Steve Yzerman

Gordie Howe

None of these autographs are on jerseys (yet) and some are framed behind glass (Holmstrom). Most are packed away waiting for the day when I can display them all in some form.

That's all I've got for today. Next time I'll share my number eight autographs with you. Maybe number seven as well, as I don't think I have but a couple number eights.

Take care and come back again real soon!!

Autograph of the Day - 03/31/2011 - Hats!

Hi friends. I was looking at some things on the collection this morning and decided that I should feature my two autographed hats and tell you a little bit about each. First, here are the hats -



The white hat, on the left, is autographed by MSU Basketball Coach Tom Izzo. I purchased the hat and took it with me to the 2001 Midnight Madness at Breslin Center and got in the right line and was able to get Coach Izzo to autograph it.

The green hat is a St. Patricks Day Red Wings hat that I was wearing when I took Benjamin to an open Grand Rapids Griffins practice. After practice was over, we were standing out in the lobby when Chris Chellios came walking out. I was quick to ask him to sign my hat, as well as Benjamin's Red Wings jersey. Mr. Chellios was very accommodating to our requests, signing them and a few things for other people before he headed out the door.

These are two great items that I am proud and pleased to have in my collection.

Take care and enjoy Opening Day! Tigers at Yankees are getting ready for first pitch.

Go Tigers!!

Autograph of the Day 3/30/2011

Hey! Welcome back. I got a new autographed item that I wanted to share with you today. I found a couple of Red Wings tickets from a playoff game that I went to a couple years ago. For some reason, I decided to send them to Brian Rafalski at the JLA and see if he would sign them, since he was featured on the face of the tickets. Well guess what? The signed tickets came back to me today! They are going to be a great addition to my collection.



For the record, I also sent a pair of tickets to Jimmy Howard, but have not gotten those back yet. I'm hoping that with his downtime this week he will be able to catch up on that type of stuff.

By the way, if you ever decide to do this with any of your game tickets, be sure to send a self addressed stamped envelope along with your autograph request!!

Go Red Wings!!!

I Freaking Hate The USPS

I don't know how to be any more honest about it, but I truly hate the United States Postal Service. On March 11, 2011 I mailed two packages (thick padded envelopes) from the Caledonia Post Office. One arrived safely and the other has vanished. Here are the details, which I'm hoping will blow your mind as much as they do mine.

Package A - The one that arrived safely:
Detailed Results:

Delivered, March 14, 2011, 3:02 pm, CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MI 48035
Out for Delivery, March 14, 2011, 9:52 am, MOUNT CLEMENS, MI 48046
Sorting Complete, March 14, 2011, 9:42 am, MOUNT CLEMENS, MI 48046
Arrival at Post Office, March 14, 2011, 7:09 am, MOUNT CLEMENS, MI 48046
Processed through Sort Facility, March 12, 2011, 1:13 pm, ALLEN PARK, MI 48101
Processed through Sort Facility, March 11, 2011, 9:58 pm, GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49512
Acceptance, March 11, 2011, 1:12 pm, CALEDONIA, MI 49316


Package B - The that is lost:
Detailed Results:

Acceptance, March 11, 2011, 1:12 pm, CALEDONIA, MI 49316


You have to start at the bottom of the details to see all the steps they go through, but I would like to point out the second step (which I have bolded for you) on the one that was delivered safe. Processed through Sort Facility, March 12, 2011, 9:58 pm, GRAND RAPIDS, MI.

Now, notice the second step on the lost package. Right, there is no second step. It did not even make it to the Sort Facility in GRAND RAPIDS, MI. This package was lost somewhere in the Caledonia Post Office or on the way to the Sort Facility in Grand Rapids. A DISTANCE OF 20.8 MILES...

I talked to the Post Master at the Caledonia Post Office this afternoon and she told me I'm pretty much out of luck because I didn't insure the package. Had I known it was going to get lost in the span of 20.8 miles...

And our postage rates keep going up and up.

How the Hell does mail get lost?

Georgia Peach and the Babe

So today I thought I would share my Ty Cobb & Babe Ruth autographed piece with you. This features a photo of the two all time greats and signed checks from each. Check it out -



No, the signatures are not real. They are very good copies of the original checks. However, I still think it's cool as heck and looks very nice behind glass on my wall of fame.

Tigers and Pistons and Bad Boys... Oh my!

Hi friends. Happy Monday to you. I hope you had a great weekend and were able to keep warm in the sub zero temperatures we experienced.

I know I promised you that I'd have some Red Wings autographs to share with you the next time we got together, but I've decided to share a couple other cards first. Maybe because they were easiest to get to in my basement.

2002 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Alan Trammell Autograph

I love this card. Anyone that grew up a Tiger fan in the early 80's was a fan of Alan Trammell. You may not have admitted it then, and may not want to admit it now, but you were (are).

The 1994 World Series MVP, Tram played 2293 regular season and 13 post season games for the Tigers from 1977-1996. He was a six time all star and finished second in American League MVP voting in 1987. He also won four Gold Gloves.

2003 Upper Deck Legends Bill Laimbeer & Chucky Daly Autograph

Sorry about the flash spots on the cards. Guess I should have turned the light on before taking the picture of these two cards.

I struggle to say that I'm a Piston fan any more, because I cannot stand the NBA. Maybe I'm a closet Piston fan. I do try to keep up with the team, to see what they are doing. But I cannot force myself to sit and watch a game any more. I honestly believe that the NBA games are partially fixed.

Back in the day when I was a fan, there was nobody I was a bigger fan of than Bill Laimbeer. He's truly one of the great Pistons of all time.

Coach Daly. Need I say more?

Okay, looks like I need to go outside and move some more snow off the driveway... Good times. I'll catch you later.

Two All Time Tiger Greats

Hey everyone! Welcome back. I hope you are having a good weekend and staying warm. Dude, it's cold outside.

As promised, I got a couple of cards in the mail this week that I bought on EBay, and I thought I would share them with you. These are two great cards that are fantastic additions to my collection.

2010 Topps Tribute George Kell Autograph 34/99

Interestingly enough, George Kell passed away March 24, 2009. I'm guessing (hoping) that Topps was sitting on these autographed seals for future use. Who knows, maybe the fine folks at Topps have connections...

2004 Fleer Greats of the Game Bill Freehan Autograph

I hear that, because of health issues, Bill Freehan does not sign autographs any more. I hope his health isn't that bad.

I'm still looking to add some more Tiger greats to my autograph collection, but as you know the finances are not where they should be. Maybe next time I'll share some of my Red Wings autograph cards with you.

Talk soon!

Hi Mr. Ciccarelli

Greetings one and all. Welcome back. Yesterday, 01/16/11, I packed my wife and son, along with a brother in law and sister in law, in to the Chevy and made a trip to Sterling Heights to meet one of my hockey heroes. No, not Basil McRae. It was Dino Ciccarelli. He was doing an autograph signing at DC Sports in the Lakeside Mall.

Dino could not have been friendlier to Benjamin. My little guy walked up to him and said "Hi Mr. Ciccarelli", as we had practiced. He then went on to tell him how much he loved hockey and that he got to go on the ice and play. It was then that Dino told him to come around to the other side of the table to get his picture taken with him. Holly had the iPhone 4 camera going, and here is the picture we got of Benjamin with Dino -



Now, as I mentioned, it was an autograph signing. Not only did I get the item I wanted signed, but Dino asked Ben if he could sign his jersey! How cool is that? I paid to get my autograph, but Dino asked Ben if he could sign his jersey!



Benjamin was on cloud nine after Mr. Ciccarelli signed the jersey. He told me he wants to keep it forever. Good kid!! I knew I was bringing him up right.

As for me, I did get a jersey number signed by Dino. I also bought an 8X10 picture to frame with the jersey number. Here's a picture of it. Not the best, as it's already behind glass and you can see glare and shadows on the picture. But, unless you come over to see it in person, it's the best you're going to get!



That's all I've got for now. Unfortunately, DC Sports didn't have any cards for me to open. I have bought a few on EBay so as soon as they get here I'll let you see them.

My Favorite Card

I've had a few people ask me what my favorite card is. This is an easy one for me, and I'm not really all that sure why. When I think back about how long I've "collected" cards, the first card I ever remember owning is this one-



1977 Topps Aurelio Rodriguez

I know that Aurelio was not really all that great of a ball player, but he was pretty much money at third base for the Tigers, winning a Gold Glove in 1976.

He was traded to the Tigers on October 9, 1970 along with Ed Brinkman, Joe Colman and Jim Hannan in exchange for Elliott Maddux, Denny McLain, Norm McRae and Don Wert. On December 7, 1979 he was purchased from the Tigers by the San Diego Padres for $200,000. He then went on to play for the Yankees, Blue Jays, White Sox and Orioles before his career ended at the end of the 1983 season. He finished with a Brandon Inge like career batting average of .237!

WJR Broadcaster Paul Carey, who at that time was alternating with Hall Of Famer Ernie Harwell, used to refer to Rodriguez' arm as a Howitzer. Every time the Tigers would play the Yankees, the late Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto would eventually get a chance to see a Rodriguez throw a "rising" fastball across the infield. "There's that arm," Scooter would say. "If I had an arm like that . . .!"

In an appearance on the Yes network by several great third basemen, George Brett once commented on Rodríguez's arm, saying to all (but particularly to the Phillie Great Mike Schmidt) "You remember that guy? He would toy with you and pound the ball in his glove and you were still out by 10 feet!"

Sadly, on September 23, 2000, Rodriguez was visiting Detroit from his home in Mexico. While he was walking with an unidentified woman on Detroit's southwest side at 2 p.m., a car jumped the curb and ran over him. The driver of the car was driving with a suspended license and had been ordered not to drive because of a previous brain aneurysm; she was charged with felony manslaughter but received only probation. Rodriguez, who had to be pulled from under the car, was 52 at the time of his death. Rodriguez' funeral in Mexico was attended by thousands of people, including the president of that country. His tomb is located in the stadium Emilio Ibarra Almada from Los Mochis, Sinaloa and his cross stands at the top of the stadium.

An intersting note of baseball card trivia, the photo on his 1969 Topps baseball card is actually Angels batboy Leonard Garcia.

Strasburg Mania. Is It Dead??

Not much going on these days in the world of sports card pulls. I can't get too excited about a 2005 Topps Chrome Andy LaRoche or Michael Bourn rookie. Yes, I was trying (hoping) for a Justin Verlander rookie when I bought that pack. I was pleased to get two rookies, but sad I didn't get the one I wanted.

I did get this yesterday -

2010 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Chrome Stephen Strasburg

Not sure if that's a good thing these days, or not. Too bad I didn't get that before he blew out his elbow! The card has no sentimental value to me, so I slapped it up on Ebay to see if I could get a couple bucks for it, maybe make up the cost of the pack. We'll see!

That's about all I've got for today. Hopefully I'll be back really soon with something awesome to show you from a great pull. Until then, happy shredding!!

Sports Cards!!

As you may, or may not know, I like to collect sports cards. I have not been able to purchase as much as I like to, due to my job loss. But, I'll still pick up a pack or two when the opportunity presents itself.

I don't know what it is I like about collecting sports cards. I know I don't do it for the investment. I guess the thought of having a card of my favorite player is a big thing for me. Plus, there's always the chance of pulling a card that's valuable that I can flip on Ebay for a few quick bucks to get something else.

Here are a few of my favorite pulls that I've recently gotten.


2009-10 Upper Deck Artifacts Silver Steven Stamkos 28/75


2010 Topps Prime Marcus Easley Autograph 023/599


2010 Topps Update Vintage Legends Ty Cobb

2009-10 Upper Deck Ice Glenn Anderson Jersey

2010-11 Upper Deck Black Diamond Jakub Voracek Quad Jersey

OK, that's all I've got for now. Keep coming back and I'll keep updating with more fantastic, or not so fantastic, cards that I get.

Happy Freaking New Year...

Well, friends, here we are. 2010 is gone, put to bed and behind us. As I mentioned before, 2010 can kiss my ass. I'm thankful that it's done and we're in to 2011. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad. Michigan elected a Republican Governor, we're one year closer to the end of the Obama administration. But, let me get a little more personal for you.

The worst part for me was losing my job in November. That filled me with some serious heartbreak. I loved my job and the people I worked with. It pains me to know that some of the people I considered to be very good friends may have thrown me under the bus to ownership, which resulted in me being shown the door. I think I'm mostly over my heartbreak and am now just filled with bitterness. I do miss some of my former co-workers very much.

The job loss did help me to see some goodness in people. There have been so many people that have told me they are praying for us. So many people that have helped out in ways I never imagined. So many people that gave us cash, gift certificates for groceries or other things we needed. Things that we are so thankful for. Oddly enough, I feel so let down by a handful of the people I used to work for, but it's also restored my faith in humanity.

As I said, it wasn't all bad. The major highlight for me and my family was Benjamin starting pre-school this year. It was such an amazing feeling taking him to his first day of school. I was such a proud daddy. I do have to admit that leaving him at school to go to work was quite hard on me. I was emotional, and did touch cloth. Benjamin is such a good boy. So smart, polite and funny.

I took two trips to Walt Disney World with my family. April, it was my entire family minus a couple of nephews and a niece. That was to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday, and it was a whole bunch of fun.

Then we went back in August. Just Holly, Benjamin and me for five days. That was an awesome trip. It was hotter than we thought it would be, but we had a great time. We tried several things that we were unable to do on the previous trip, and really enjoyed a great trip.

Some of the other highlights of 2010 included Toy Story 3, Mumford and Sons, Cherryfest and 4th of July fireworks. Red Wings games at JLA with our friend Laura, poker nights with my buddies, and Words With Friends on my iPhone.

We all lost a friend when Ernie Harwell passed away. I didn't play a single round of golf in 2010.

2010 is history. 2011 is upon us. Let's hope it's a great year for everyone! I wish happiness, health and prosperity for all of you.