Category Archives: Mauer Power

BA-WHA? Mauer In the Home Run Derby??

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Per MLB.com, Mauer is going to be one of the AL’s representatives for this year’s home run derby. Personally, I think any extra screen time for Mauer is a plus, especially for all the stuff I have from him. I know he isnt going to be Josh Hamilton, but he could do pretty well with a swing “as pure as the morning dew.“

Either way, the derby is a fun spectacle to watch, and it should be fun to cheer on the second Twin to participate in the derby in the last few years. Morneau beat out a gassed Hamilton last year, despite the showing put on by everyone’s new favorite player, so I assume that stamina is the biggest part of success in the derby. Who knows.

I guess the only thing this could do would be to help Mauer’s stock, and thats always a good thing.

25/30

Joe Mauer: MC Minnesota Bats?

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Usually I hate reading about baseball through ESPN or whatever magazine there is, unless its through Baseball Prospectus. Usually pieces are written for entertainment purposes and contain nothing but useless stats and ugly conjectures about what is actually happening. Over at yahoo, Jeff Passan is the worst of the worst in some cases. In fact, his cliches are so bad, I have to keep a bucket by my keyboard to catch stray puke particles.

Today is just as bad as ever, especially with his ridiculous article about Joe Mauer, sports god. He talks for a good 1000 words about how Mauer is good at bowling, golf, and well, pretty much everything. He even goes as far as saying his swing is “as pure as morning dew.”

Are you kidding? This guy is the face of yahoo baseball?

Either way, Mauer is having a great season, leading the league in pretty much every stat that actually does matter. Feel free to check Baseball Prospectus for me on that one, im not smart enough on Sabremetrics to write about it. Then again, Passan doesnt focus on that, he focuses on Mauer’s rapping ability, even to the point of asking Kevin Slowey if Mauer is a good dancer. You know what? I dont fucking care, and Passan needs to be a little more selective on his story subjects. I mean, when was the last time a Catcher, coming off one of a bad off season, comes back a month into the season and does what Mauer has done? I think his EqA speaks for itself, as well as his win share percentage. DJ Jazzy Joe is ridiculous, and not because he can rhyme like fiddy cent.

Who’s glad he bought a ton of Mauer stuff when it was cheap?

*Raises Hand*

2006 Joe Mauer Exquisite Auto Patch /25

If I Had A Million Dollars…

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If you look around eBay, there are probably things you wish you had added every minute of every day. Well, what would you do if you had all the money to spend, and nothing else to spend it on? Personally, if I had a lot of disposable income, cards would be the last thing I would buy, but if I couldnt buy anything else, I would have a few things to buy. Here are some (in no particular order):

2007 Adrian Peterson Exquisite Gold RC Patch Auto (3 Color)

If you have a favorite player, you need their Exquisite RC Patch Auto if they have one. If they dont have one, you need some sort of Exquisite auto. Its a status symbol, just like a Caddy. For me, thats pretty tough because I dont have 1500 to drop on one /99, let alone the gold parallel.

1997 Walter Payton UD Legends Auto

This card is from the set of sets, and it is the one player that everyone wants. It has a great design, a great picture, and its on card. It could be the best auto set in the history of the football industry. Eventhough it was recently redone in 2008 Ultimate, this particular card will always be the best of them all. I want one.

2001 Topps Archives Johnny Unitas Auto

Johnny Unitas’ RC card is one of the most Iconic cards in the hobby. Everyone has the two tone card in their minds everytime they see a top 10. In 2001, Topps put out a set that had on card autos of many of these cards, and I would love to have the Johnny U. I wish that companies would do this more often, go back and have some of the most recognizable cards signed on reprints, especially now that retro sets are so popular.

2003-04 Lebron James Exquisite RC Patch Auto

If there were any basketball card I would want, it would be this one. I think when things are all said and done, LeBron will have every record in the book, be recognized on the same level as Jordan, and this card will be the card of his to have. Right now it tops out at a few thousand, but that should go up a bit when, not if, he wins his first championship. Being a small print run, you can imagine that there arent many chances to own one at a reasonable price now, but as part of the beginning of super high end, it will always be recognizable.

1986 Fleer Michael Jordan RC

This is probably the most iconic basketball card ever. I dont need to say much else on why I want this card in my collection somehow.

2000 Playoff Contenders Tom Brady RC Auto

No matter how much you hate him, Brady is one of the best QBs ever to play on the gridiron. It also just so happens that he came in at the beginning of the auto era of football cards. Granted, he is the reason you get undrafted free agent signatures in those products, but it doesnt make this card any less desirable for me.

1998 Playoff Contenders Peyton Manning RC Auto

Manning has already established his place in history, and this card is his best. It was released during a time where autos were still more rare, and to pull a Manning was the pinnacle of one’s existance as a box buster. I am a Peyton Manning fan, if not only for his mastercard commercials and his SNL hillarity. Too bad this card costs so much, otherwise I would have already invested.

2006 Reggie Bush Exquisite RC Patch Auto

Holy fuck, I can still remember all the Reggie Bush hype in 2006. It was a machine, and this card rode it all the way to the bank. Now, it has dropped considerably as Bush’s career has not lived up to the hype, but it would still be fun to have.

1994 Mickey Mantle/Ken Griffey Upper Deck Dual Auto

I think this may be the first dual signed card ever, but regardless, its one that every baseball fan should appreciate. The painted card has always impressed me, and to have it signed by two of the greatest players in baseball history is worth the chase to get one. 15 years later and its still one of the most sought after UD cards.

2005 Babe Ruth Absolute Memorabilia Jumbo Jersey

I just spoke of the Ruth effect, and this is a prime example of what happens when people flip their shit over the Bambino. However, unlike most cards, I like the way this one looks, especially with the giant fucking swatch that happens to be a part of the card.

2001 Joe Mauer Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor Auto

Mauer is my favorite baseball player, and its only fitting that we end with him. The gold refractors were the hottest RC auto back in 2001, and Mauer was the most expensive at the time. The highly graded ones still go for a ton, and so far, I have only been able to get the regular auto. This card would be a great centerpiece to my Mauer collection.

There are definitely more cards that I have wanted to have over the years, but these ones are at the top of my list right now. I know I didnt mention the 52 Mantle, or even the Wagner, but really, those cards are not of interest to me. So, which ones are on your list?

Testing The Waters…

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A few days ago I posted about Joe Mauer and his recent explosion, and how I didnt want to sell any of my prized possessions just because he was hot at the moment. Well, I found two cards that I coundnt give two shits about, that are actually worth quite a bit from recent auction sales, so I thought I would give it a try.

The first, a 2006 Triple Threads Auto /18, I bought in 2006 for 18 dollars as part of a bigger deal. Triple Turds never really struck me quite right, and back in 2006 I never really knew the full extent of its sucktitude. Hell, this card is numbered to 18. Who fucking numbers a card to 18? Either way, its over the amount I paid for it, so hopefully that will continue to rise. Put a few bids in on my behalf, huh? I write for you, now you help me out…
…kidding, please dont.
Second is a 2004 Ultimate Collection jersey auto out of 50. These were actually pretty tough pulls in 2004, and I bought it a 40 bucks a few years ago. There is another card from the same set at 50 bucks already, so ill see what happens with this one.
Let me reinterate that I dont care what happens with either of these cards, they are both ugly beyond hell’s deepest caverns, and really have no value to me anymore. I paid a total of 58 dollars for both, lets see what they end up at. Im hoping that they reach at least 58 so I can save up for the coming storm of Harvin stuff, or any number of Petersons I dont have from previous years. Hell, I might even hold the money for that Mauer Artifacts Patch Auto /10 that never surfaces.

A Comment On Extreme Price Jumps

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Over the last few weeks, Joe Mauer has been the best hitter on the Twins and possibly in the league, after returning from his injured back. I never really expected to see Joe have a good season, but when you are batting over .400, you have ECLIPSED your homerun total from last year, and have played brilliantly behind the plate, it requires some sort of attaboy from me and others around the league. What’s even better is that Morneau is having just as great of a season so far as well, more than I ever expected to see from him. Hitting behind Mauer helps quite a bit, but I will give credit when credit is due, these guys are having cloverfield sized seasons this early.

That’s not the issue I have, however. My biggest thing is now Mauer’s cards are so fucking expensive that I cant afford them anymore. As recent as two months ago, you could get his cards for close to nothing, and I did. Now, the cards are triple what I was used to paying for them, and I am quickly being priced out of the market. So, what do I do now? I have so much Mauer stuff that I could easily sell for a small fortune, but as a die-hard fan, I don’t think I could do it! My bat I got last year is going for over 300 in regular auctions, and my Bowman RC Auto is back over $100 for the first time in a while. For the first time since Peterson’s 296 yard record game, I am in a prospector’s dream position – I bought low and can sell high, but should I?

If it were any other player but my favorite, the stuff would be on eBay as we speak. My two baseballs, my bat, my mini helmet, my 40 auto cards, everything. However, I did not buy this stuff to sell it. I bought it for my own enjoyment, so that’s where it will stay. My advice to the rest of you who may find yourself in this position one day is to really determine what the stuff means to you. If you have something you could live without, sell it. If you cant, then don’t, pretty simple stuff. That’s the rules I live by, and I encourage you to take advantage of good prices when you can/want to.

There is still another pressing question, one that I may not have the answer to. When, during an epic price run, should you sell? You don’t want to hold it for too long until the player cools off and you miss your chance, but you also don’t want to sell too early and miss out on higher prices still. I have always had a rule in gambling, and I think it should factor in here as well, because prospecting a price of a card is like gambling in this industry. If I ever sit down at a Black Jack table or something similar, I will never risk anything past doubling my money, the odds are never in your favor that you will do much better than that. So why not just take the money and run? Sure, you could win more, but its more likely that you will lose everything back. With cards, I would never hold something longer than a 75% rise in value (100 rising to 175 dollars and such) unless there is an extenuating circumstance like I have with Mauer and Peterson. In football, do it as soon as possible, maybe even at 50% or less because the season is shorter and injuries are more likely.

Listen, when you have a bird in hand, don’t wait for it to become the two birds in the bush. Just take it, risk is never good in a hobby like this one, especially with the economy where it is. Why even take the chance if its something you are willing to dump? 99% of the time, you will be able to rebuy what you sell at a lower price. Then again, with a hobby also full of wax breakers who risk hundreds weekly, its not surprising to see someone try to hold something for value. Remember, and I have said this a million times, cards are not and never will be a good investment.

With Mauer, I am going to stay put, the stuff I have is too important to me, and most of it is personally obtained. I would say the same stuff about my AD collection, though the rest I would sell in a second if the price jumped. There is no reason for me to think any other way as Tom Brady and Albert Pujols were once in a lifetime opportunities, and I am not disturbed by the fact that I missed out on both.