BOB BRILL'S BLOG

Time [GMT -7] : 06 Sep , 13:04:24


29 Aug 2005 11:14:53 pm
AROUND THE HOBBY LEAVES BECKETT: THE NEW BRILL REPORT


As of this Thursday my 'Around the Hobby' column at www.beckett.com will no longer appear there. Thursday will be my last column for Beckett.com. After nine and a half years or 440 consecutive weeks of writing the column there will be no more of them on that particular website. However, we will be moving the column to our own website www.kckings.com. Stay tuned as we will keep you updated as to where exactly it will be. For the moment it will be free with the opportunity to update it daily. It will be known as The Brill Report or TBR, named after my old newsletter which was sold to Krause Publications in 1995 and now is known as Trade-Fax. We will update you on stock market trends and other business related to the hobby. Of course we will continue the Great Buy/Sell Experiment where we left off. There are also other stories we will run which we could not run on the Beckett.com site. We promise fair and accurate reporting with analysis tied to it to help readers understand where the hobby is going and where it's been. We hope the new Brill Report will have as much impact as the previous one and certainly much more newsworthy than our most recent term. When we do begin charging for The Brill Report the cost will be minimal and we will offer special opportunities to readers. This is about all we can discuss with you now but we promise within a couple of weeks you will be able to read the same high quality newsletter we've been writing for nine years and it will make much more of an impact than before. We hope you stick with us. Thank you to our loyal readers and please bookmark www.kckings.com to stay in touch with us. There will be further updates right here as we move along. Bob Brill

		Category : General \| Posted By : kckings \| Comments[3] \| Trackbacks [4423]


25 Aug 2005 08:02:26 pm
SAME TIME NEXT YEAR? MAYBE


A man who works for a trading card company asked me the other day where did I think the hobby was going? Where would we be a year from now or two, or would there be a hobby? I pondered a minute and thought, good question, and one which I've been asked often in my years in this industry. After a few moments I could offer some thoughts but realistically when it came right down to it there was nothing solid I could speculate about. There were no hard core insights and the reason is the industry is going through another one of its 18 month cycles. This is a rough estimate which I like to call the 18 month period. It seems the hobby changes every six months but it changes drastically every year and a half. Prices go up, manufacturers go down and collectors swing and sway on the stock market moods. I should say the speculators, the gamblers of which the hobby has become dependent in recent years. The true collectors remain and usually just don't spend as much because as collectors the inherent nature of the beast is to be "conservative." Get what you need to fill the set. The gambler/speculator on the other hand is the fix of the moment guy. Spend a lot, get a lot hopefully and turn and burn it for more money to continue playing the game. When I thought about the future I couldn't even go that far anymore. This world has become so fast paced, so 'I gotta have it now and if I can't I'll move to something else,' it just boggles the mind. If this was 1955 or 1965 or even The Good Lord forbid 1975, I would have an answer. The world was more predictable. The pace much, much slower but slowly picking up speed. In 1965 you knew there were 20 baseball teams and your home team guys were going to be there in 1966 unless they were traded for a couple of new guys you would look forward to seeing play. You could count on the elevator working at your office, there would be a Pan American Airways and TWA and you could count on paying taxes and someday you would be dead. You knew those things were a lock. In 1955 you could count on working toward a pension, starting your own business was a difficult and scary proposition and chances are you were going to work for the same company until you retired. Buying baseball cards would cost you a nickel and about the same 10 years later. Now that was a miracle in itself. The 70's? Who remembers the 70's and my gosh who would want to? It's all a blur for most people but you could count on changes but not like today. Today, 2005 it seems the only thing you can count on is rapid change. When I spoke to this card manufacturer guy, I mentioned 'we could count on nothing.' We couldn't even count on them making good on their promises. He asked what I meant. I mentioned to him that three to four years ago we were told the 'hobby stores were the backbone of the industry and the manufacturers were never going to go direct to the consumers.' Broken promise. Topps sells factory sets direct to consumers from its web site and Upper Deck does the same with many of its memorabilia and some card products. No promise made by any company, hobby or otherwise, can stand up anymore. You can't even promise me the company won't be sold tomorrow and therefore all promises are off! The Internet has changed the way we do business making it much faster and more demanding than ever before, and or course, cheaper and usually of suspect quality. We say suspect quality because you never know exactly what you are getting and it's too easy to do a "chargeback on your credit card" or to defraud someone (either dealer or consumer) on the internet. No, there are few things we can count on anymore in this world. You can't even guarantee there will be a tomorrow let alone a hobby two or three years from now. I'm betting there will be (on both counts) and the hobby will be just fine for a long time. It always seems to survive. The bottom line however remains as it did in 1955, with one exception. There are only 3 (three) things you can count on in 2005. Death, taxes and whatever it is you will find it cheaper on the internet.

		Category : General \| Posted By : kckings \| Comments[0] \| Trackbacks [4641]


24 Aug 2005 10:53:13 pm
THE NFL AND THE PLAYER OF THE DAY


By far the best league in the professional ranks when it comes to giving back to the community and to the hobby which supports it is the NFL. The National Football League (as Howard Cosell) used to say is the king of the hill. Each year the league and Players INC offer hobby stores a Player of the Day program wherein hobby stores are supplied with a couple hundred dollars worth of prizes in return for running a program to get collectors involved every day for 30 days. Player of the Day (POD) is the most successful program sponsored by a league or players association in the trading card industry by far. This is the fifth year or so of the program and we've participated each and every time. Each time it was a winner. It helps sales, it gets people involved and it's a lot of fun for basically no cost except your imagination. This year we were supplied two boxes of NFL trading cards, some action figures featuring NFL players and some special packs plus an autographed card. A sheet featuring 30 different players, each on a day of the week like a calendar, which features the "Player of the Day." Customers come in daily and when they buy a pack of new NFL trading cards they look for today's POD. If they pull a card of that player they win a prize. At the end of the 30 days one of them wins the autographed card to boot. It is up to the hobby store exactly how to run the program, but this is the easy part. Kudos’ to the NFL and its players for this program once more. It is always a winner and it helps to have the cooperation of the guys at the top on something which some will call just a little item.

		Category : General \| Posted By : kckings \| Comments[0] \| Trackbacks [3472]


23 Aug 2005 04:28:02 pm
FANTASY FOOTBALL AND THE NEW WORLD


It is the time of year again when Fantasy Football rules the world as we know it. Of the 250 million plus people in the US I'd venture to say probably 25 percent of them are involved in Fantasy Football (FFL). Many are in more than one league. We had our FFL draft this week and based on his performance last year Peyton Manning went first followed by Ladanian Thomlinson and Dante Culpepper along with Shawn Alexander. These four seem to be in the top four picks around the country with a possible variation or two. I made my mark with Manning last year and won the Super Bowl of the league I was in. I had the first pick and took Manning and am glad I did. He had the greatest year he will probably ever have and while I still wanted him this season I knew unless my lot fell to 1-or-2 he'd go elsewhere. Picking 6th in our FFL I selected Randy Moss, picking 9th in another league my lot fell to Julius Jones of the Cowboys. You hate to pick a wide-out on the first round but the top echelon of RB's and QB's were gone although I could have gone for Trent Green. I did get him in my ohter league. The bonus for hobby stores with Fantasy Football is there are lots of coaches who like to have the players who they selected...having cards of these guys just enhances the FFL experience. This means a few extra sales for card shops and this cannot be bad. There are several first timers in our store league and this is cool but there are some wiley veterans as well. While the veterans didn't pick as strong a team as some of the newbies they will be a force to be reckoned with due to the experience they hold in FFL. This is not your normal football league, this is FFL and there is a big difference. So if you are drafting soon remember to get to the secondary players right away because the top tier is so narrow this season, you will need to concentrate quickly on the balance of your team. Fantasy Football has become a lock in America and really is replacing baseball as the National Pastime I'm sorry to say. But this is what you get when your heroes are proved to be steroid users. Remember Strat-O-matic Baseball and APBA? ESPN and Yahoo have replaced the casual fan's fantasy by web-a-nating the whole experience. It's easy and it's fun and yes, you even have to watch out for steroids because the games are played with real players. NOTE: Just a note on the last blog regarding Topps 3 Baseball Topps has decided to start the numbering with "T1" rather than a regular number. In other words, this really is the Rookie & Traded Series and not a Series three, despite the fact Topps is calling it "Series 3." No word yet on Chrome but don't expect a third series of Chrome Baseball 2005.

		Category : General \| Posted By : kckings \| Comments[0] \| Trackbacks [5545]


18 Aug 2005 11:28:23 pm
TOPPS BASEBALL AND THE THIRD WATCH


It never fails. Just when you think you have things figured out someone throws a curve ball. This is the latest with Topps Baseball for 2005. With little warning the Topps Company announced to its dealer base it was canceling the expected Rookie & Traded Series. In its place Topps Series 3 Baseball will be released. There is a lot of promise for this series as inside will be randomly inserted autographs of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. There will also be players who were traded and are now in their new uniforms. This all is coolness extraordinaire. There is something lost in the translation though. Series 3? A series three is fine except if the numbers start where the second series left off what will this say to all those folks who bought Topps factory sets believing this was the “complete” set? Most of these folks did not buy the R&T sets which follow the complete sets but they excused themselves from this by telling themselves “this was really not part of the regular set anyway.” Well guess what? If Topps begins the numbering where the second series (in the factory set) left off, these people are going to be angry. Angry they will be and rightfully so. They were promised a complete set and then the rules changed. Unfortunately this is the way trading card manufacturers seem to treat people. Their customers get little support in these matters and are not seemingly part of the thought process. They seem to be an after thought. It would not be wise for Topps to go this route. If the decision is because MLBPA and MLB limited the number of “new” releases the company can have (Series 3 would likely be considered a continuation and not a new release) then they need to make an exception for this year. Exceptions can be made and rules are made to be bent. In the long run the stigma of a third series will do more harm than good. Remember Stadium Club 1, 2 & 3? Two was more than enough and three was just a joke. C’mon guys get your heads out and get in the game. This really isn’t brain surgery.

		Category : General \| Posted By : kckings \| Comments[2] \| Trackbacks [4007]


16 Aug 2005 11:58:11 pm
THE VINTAGE MEMORABILIA MARKET ON FIRE FOR NOW


The wave of trading cards and memorabilia during the recent two years has gone back into the vintage market and the reasons for this are many. First, collectors seeing prices go up and off the scale for new trading card issues and autographed memorabilia are turned off by secondary market prices. Second, the auction market is allowing every collector to be a dealer and has decimated the line between wholesale and retail. Let me address the second part. In days of old (1995 and back) there was a wholesale and retail market. Typically when it came to new card issues as well as memorabilia from places such as Upper Deck Authenticated, Mounted Memories and other makers of new memorabilia dealers could buy at a wholesale level to sell at a retail price. This has basically disappeared due to the auction market. The auction market, led by eBay, allows everyone to sell at a dealer price to whomever they want. This has built a false market as we like to call it. Previously if UDA sold an autographed baseball to a hobby shop at a wholesale price of $50 the shop would in turn sell it for about $75. Today the auction market is dictating a blowout price of $55 which allows the dealer to make very little, or to look like a fool to his customers for charging $75. A real retail keystone says he should be charging $100 anyway. Imagine how this makes him look to the consumer who goes on eBay only to find the same item for $55. The old adage “something is only worth what someone is willing to pay” is not correct. Consumers would be willing to pay $75 if stupid dealers and consumers who (through a resale license but only dealing part-time) sell it for 10-percent over what they paid for it, would just realize there is a difference between retail and wholesale. The auction market has allowed strong prices however to be realized on items which are rare, unique or in high demand but in little quantities. While the auction market, again led by eBay, has wreaked havoc with newer items, it has driven huge demand for items which might be considered scarce if not rare. In this, dealers, and collectors are finding out there is real life and real dollars to be made in vintage items. Vintage is where it is at and with the vintage explosion it is becoming harder for dealers to find the merchandise to sell at a real profit. It is out there to be had, don’t get me wrong, but like any good thing it will dry up when prices get out of line. This day is approaching. The idea every consumer can be a dealer is at a peak and this too will lead to a crash in the market at some point. At what point we cannot say but like every thing else it has its day. As with most industries these are cycles which must be endured. Without a crystal ball you can only take your chances and make what you can before getting out. It is the getting out which kills most people. It is as Scott Glenn said in the film “Hunt for Red October,” the “trick to playing chicken is knowing when to flinch.”

		Category : General \| Posted By : kckings \| Comments[0] \| Trackbacks [6426]


15 Aug 2005 09:56:34 pm
A SPORTSCARD BLESSING


There are times in this world and in this hobby where you just get blessed. Despite all the faults the hobby has its great highlights are the people you meet and the deals you make. This past weekend I had one of those which fit the bill on both counts. Daily someone, or two, calls me asking if we buy cards. Of course we do at our sportscard store but we usually don’t buy anything from 1988-1993. There is just way too much which was over produced in those years and of little value. It is hard to believe there is still lots of unopened merchandise from those years but there is and plenty of it. A young man calls me and asks the usual question with my usual answer to follow. He says all of what he has is from those years, or the vast bulk of it anyway. I tell him I’m not interested and he adds he does have some Topps sealed factory sets. These are always collectible and in demand and we do buy them almost every time. He says he’ll be in. Saturday afternoon the young man in his late 20’s or early 30’s comes in and brings several large boxes with him. There are a dozen sets, several albums full of trading cards and a shoebox full of individual cards. Of the dozen sets only three are factory sealed from Topps. The 1989, 1990 and 1992 sets I can always use but they aren’t very expensive and sell for much less than their book price. After going through it all I pick out four cards and three sets and offer him $46 which he agrees to. “How much for the rest?” He asks. “Well, I don’t want the rest at pretty much any price,” is my answer. “I don’t have room for it and it is all low end stuff which I don’t carry any more.” “If you were buying how much would you give me for all of it,” he asks. “I really don’t want it either.” “Probably $10 for the rest, and to be honest I hope you say no, because I really don’t want it,” was my quick reply. “I’ll take it,” he says. “I just want to unload it all.” As I begin to write the check I ask him why he needs to move it and he tells me he’s going into the ministry and needs the money for school. He’s going up north and needs the money more than the cards which he hasn’t collected in 10 years. Being a Born Again Christian myself we begin to talk about his future life in the ministry and the hardships he’s going to go through. We both feel good about the conversation and we are kindred spirits. I like this kid and we obviously hit it off. As I begin to write the check again I tell him the deal was for $56 but I’m making a small donation to his cause and am writing it for $66. “Thank you, and for that you can have the rest of the stuff I have in my car,” he responds. I tell him he doesn’t have to do that but he wants to so I say okay. He heads for his car and a new set of customers come in. It’s a family including dad, son and two daughters. They start looking around and enter the back room where the vintage cards are located. They say they are browsing. Upon the young man’s return he gives me a couple more albums of cards, a couple more sets, plaques and a Willie Mays signed baseball. He explains he met the HOF outfielder and asked him to sign the ball and has had it ever since. I recognize the signature as that of Mays and gladly accept the ball. Such a ball we normally sell for $125. “I’ll tell you though, I can’t take the autographed ball and all of this for the price I quoted so I’m going to give you $100 for the lot,” I told him. He again thanks me and accepts my check for $100. At that moment the father of the family which was browsing in room two comes out the door. He was not in earshot of the conversation I just had with the young man. “Do you have a Willie Mays autographed baseball for sale?” He asks. Flabbergasted I toss him the baseball I’ve just acquired and tell him the story of where it came from. The young man gives a nod of approval to the dad to verify the story. The gentleman asks me how much and I respond by saying it isn’t fair while the young man who sold it to me is in the store but “I’ll sell it to you for less than I’ve ever sold a Mays signed ball in my life.” He quickly says okay and we agree to talk price in a few minutes. I turn to the young minister to be and tell him basically the Good Lord usually does work in strange ways. What were the odds a customer would come looking for something he was selling me at the very moment the transaction was taking place? He again nods his approval. “I’ll go you one better,” he says. “I was driving here from Thousand Oaks (45 minutes away) and I was praying and asking God ‘what will I get for all this stuff?’ And I felt the Lord answer me ‘You will get $100.’ Now go sell that Mays ball.” He then turned with a smile and walked out pausing to say “God bless you brother” as he did. I about dropped my teeth. To top it off the other man bought the ball for my $75 asking price happily and gave it to his young son who was thrilled. The young boy’s sister said a Willie Mays baseball was all he wanted and he was so excited he probably wouldn’t sleep at all that night. Before the day was out I had sold another $38 worth of the stuff and another $35 the next day. Sometimes you just get blessed and you can never out give God. I may never see the young future minister here on earth again but I will pray for him as I’m sure he will for me. If we never meet again here, I’m sure we will later on. PTL.

		Category : General \| Posted By : kckings \| Comments[0] \| Trackbacks [3671]


11 Aug 2005 08:32:22 pm
NATIVE AMERICANS, TEAMS & MERCHANDISE


The issue of native American names being used as team mascots never seems to go away and it won't go away until the problem goes away. The question of whether a team name is offensive to native Americans isn't as important to the colleges and professional teams who want to keep their names as are the merchandising dollars behind those team insignias. The NCAA decided to ban the use of such team names in bowl games and post season tournaments. The reason is this is the only place the NCAA has this kind of discretion and jurisdiction. There are state's rights issues involved we're sure when it comes to telling a school in a certain state it cannot name it's teams Indians, Redskins or Seminoles. There are tribal leaders who have spoken out saying they don't have a problem with the names and there are many more probably who say the names dishonor their tribes. The stereotypes are obvious although we do believe the era of PC or Political Correctness has run amuck. The key reason whether the schools and pro teams will admit it or not, but the key reason for keeping those names is merchandising. Money is at the root of it all. These clubs have millions invested in these logos, jerseys, helmets, key chains and everything else. To make a change to a less powerful name than Redskins or Chiefs, or Indians or Renegades would not only cost a lot of money but would also cause the loss of brand recognition. At least this is what the boys on Madison Avenue would have you think. However, there is a strong possiblity a strong name and a fresh change might actually bring more sales of merchandies, a whole new era so to speak. Plus the positive image being projected by the new team logo would go a long way in off setting the loss of dollars. We believe it would actually increase sales and be a welcome change.

		Category : General \| Posted By : kckings \| Comments[0] \| Trackbacks [4547]


10 Aug 2005 10:45:56 pm
KENNY ROGERS AND THE HOBBY, OR NOT


Our hobby has enough problems without the likes of Kenny Rogers tossing around a defenseless cameraman, then getting off scot-free. This is basically what happened after an independent arbitrator overturned for the most part Commissioner Bud Selig’s decision. A couple weeks ago Rogers was being filmed on the field by a TV crew covering pre-game warm-ups. This is a daily occurrence. Without warning or provocation Rogers grabbed the camera and slammed it off the cameraman’s shoulder, not once, not twice but three times. The entire incident captured on tape for posterity. It was deliberate and uncalled for. Commissioner Selig, reacting properly for a change, fined Rogers and gave him a 20 day suspension. Rogers appealed and the arbitrator ruled the suspension was obsessive although the fine stuck and is being given to charity. Rogers is facing criminal allegations alleged by the cameraman who is still undergoing medical treatment. We have the steroids issue, we have salary issues and we have occasional drug related issues. Do major league baseball, the fans and the trading card industry need violence too; especially the kind of violence seen here? Rogers, filmed as he was booked took out his ire on another camera crew covering that part of the story. Rogers has issues whatever they are. Maybe he is seeing the end of his career coming sooner than he’d like. Maybe he has other problems but to do what he did, then have an arbitrator treat it like it was almost nothing is just criminal. Rogers is a starting pitcher. A 10 day suspension for an everyday player might be meaningful but a 10 day suspension for a starting pitcher (13 days actually in all) means he missed two starts --- or two games! What kind of penalty is this? It is nothing short of outrageous! If Rogers had any class or guts at all, he’d have not appealed and sincerely apologized for the incident. He should have gone to the television station to personally offer his apology to cameraman Larry Rodriguez. A television camera is not a light piece of equipment and the cameraman is trained his equipment is as important as his body. The camera Rodriguez was holding, and you can see this on the tape, was what he was protecting as he fought off Rogers attack. Make no mistake about it this was an attack. In defending his position Rodriguez used every muscle in his back, neck and shoulders in tandem. He could have been seriously injured through Rogers’ actions. He may be facing lots of problems for years to come, career threatening problems. For Rogers to get off with as little penalty as he did in just flat wrong. One can only hope a real judge, not an arbitrator, sends a clear message to the ballplayer by making him cool his heels in jail for a few days if not longer.

		Category : General \| Posted By : kckings \| Comments[0] \| Trackbacks [4597]


09 Aug 2005 12:46:44 am
MARINO & YOUNG THE HALL & THE HOBBY


Dan Marino and Steve Young are the newest members of the NFL Hall of Fame but don’t expect this to translate to hobby dollar increases. What I mean by this is just because a player goes into the Hall it doesn’t mean his trading cards and memorabilia will skyrocket. On the contrary it means they will level off. Not to say their merchandise and all things related won’t get a boost. The unsuspecting public who buys on a whim or on a news story will buy their stuff as it goes up or down. They just aren’t as in-tune with the inside workings of this industry. Usually by the time someone goes into a Hall of Fame the increase to their cards and autographs is already built in, especially in the case of Marino. There was no way he wasn’t going into Canton the first time he was eligible. Same pretty much with Young. Baseball’s Cal Ripken will be the same way. These are people we’d be shocked to learn DID NOT get into their respective Halls of Fame on the first ballot. The perfect example I like to use is Nolan Ryan. At one point after his last no-hitter Ryan’s Topps 1968 Rookie card was listing for $1550. Today it has a high book value of $700 and can easily be found in superb condition for $500 (un-graded as graded cards are a different animal). ‘Why did it go down?’ I’m often asked. The answer is simple. Memorabilia and trading card values are based on current events, or if you will, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ The answer to that is another question. ‘When was the last time Ryan pitched a no-hitter? When was the last time he struck someone out? Selling Advil on television doesn’t make your trading cards go up in value, nor does it drive the price of your memorabilia. For players like these any increase they should have gotten for going into the HOF has already been taken years earlier. They were all locks to be there. So if you were planning on cashing in on Dan and Steve you will have to wait a long time, a very long time. The time to cash in is when they are playing and at their peak. Rarely does a player go the other way.

		Category : General \| Posted By : kckings \| Comments[0] \| Trackbacks [11201]


06 Aug 2005 11:03:47 pm
CARLY SIMON PALES IN THE MOONLIGHT


First let me say I love Carly Simon and again let me say I love the songs from her new CD. Moonlight Serenade, ‘I Only Have Eyes for You’ and ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ are among the most favorite of songs for me. I was so looking forward to this new CD advertised heavily on TV I rushed out and bought it. I paid the $15.99 and quickly went to my car where I could listen. Even before I heard every song (and I did listen to them all) I was sorry I wasted my money. Carly Simon is as beautiful as ever and her voice remains gorgeous. The mix of these songs, her range, the tempo and the arrangements does not work. It just doesn’t sound good. It is a mis-match and I am not sure it is Carly’s fault or the fault of producer/arranger Richard Perry but it just doesn’t come off. Carly has timber which she doesn’t show on any but one song. Only on ‘I Only Have Eyes for You’ (from the 1950’s and more to her background and style) does she pull it off. Whereas on the Sinatra up tempo ballad ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ the mix is flat out terrible. The very first time she sings ‘under my skin’ she downbeats where she should upbeat. It almost sounds off key. It was the wrong register for her. Perhaps that last statement says much of what is wrong with this mix of Carly and the Moonlight. The songs are sung in the wrong register. They are way too fast as the tempo is just a bit too quick for the songs the singer is singing. All of the songs, save one, are too quick paced. These are mood songs, love songs, torch songs and not songs to be torched by a rapid fire delivery. Maybe Ms. Simon is not a torch singer. Maybe this is the wrong choice. I’m hoping Perry told her to sing these songs with this particular tempo. I’m hoping it was not Carly’s choice. I would be disappointed otherwise. This music, or most of it, is lounge singer music. These are Jack Jones tunes not Carly Simon. Linda Ronstadt pulled it off during her reign but while listening to songs such as ‘The More I See You’ I am waiting for Simon to break into a rock and roll version because she certainly isn’t singing the song as it was designed. Instead she comes off sounding mis-matched and there is no voice in the world like Carly Simon’s voice. I thought it was impossible for her to be mis-or-over matched. It is not for any critic to judge the intent of the singer/artist. This is within the artist’s own heart. But at the same time it would be wrong not to tell the woman who is 50 pounds overweight she should not be wearing Spandex. It would be as if your dad looked very good with a buzz cut to hide his balding head and he did a comb-over. You’d be wrong not to suggest he looked better with no hair. It would be wrong not to tell Ms. Simon the songs with the style she chose just doesn’t work. She’s better than this. Much better. Simon seems confused in what she is singing and the approach to the music. She’s done these types of albums before as she states in the liner notes but this time she re-unites with ‘hugely talented and dear friend’ Richard Perry. If this CD is the end result it shows Simon is devoted to her friends but should not always take their advice. It was a good idea, a not so good effort. Carly we expect better and so should you. I will still follow your music but perhaps I’ll preview it first.

		Category : General \| Posted By : kckings \| Comments[0] \| Trackbacks [6717]


04 Aug 2005 09:15:18 pm
LOS ANGELES DODGERS COME THROUGH FOR THE FAN


The Los Angeles Dodgers have come through. Back on June 28 in our daily blog and in our weekly www.beckett.com column we explained our frustration regarding a promotion by the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 27th when the club gave away up to 50,000 Sandy Koufax statues. We pointed out despite the fact we purchased tickets for friends who at the last minute could not make the game we were denied a statue for those tickets. With far less than 50,000 in attendance we were told even if there were left over statues we were not going to get one for the other ticket. It was club policy only one statue per person no matter how many tickets you bought at any price. We paid $17 per ticket to bring 10 people and one could not make it. Our expectation was to get a figurine for the extra ticket. We of course were told in no uncertain terms, “no.” The next day a registered letter was sent directly to club owner Frank McCourt expressing our dismay with the team’s corporate policy. Three weeks later Mr. McCourt wrote us a letter which arrived August 1st with a Sandy Koufax statue. In the letter the club owner said he was “disheartened to receive” the letter expressing “discontent and frustration.” He added he understood my concerns and while defending the policy as a way to distribute the items in an “equitable fashion” he apologized for any inconvenience I may have experienced. He hoped I would reconsider my decision regarding our support of the team and hoped we would visit Dodger Stadium for another game. The action and the personal letter from the owner have ensured we will go back to Dodger Stadium once again. The way we were treated was an unfortunate aspect of a rigid policy intended to preserve equality. Unfortunately in the corporate world, and even in our hobby, this happens all too frequently. When individuals lose site of customer service in deference to policy they create mistrust, distrust and turn people away rather than court them to remain loyal. Forgetting the little guy in the midst of the giant world of corporate affairs is the first thing which usually happens – and unfortunately it is all too often the last thing the customer ever remembers. Thank you Mr. McCourt for your prompt attention to this matter and if you are reading this, please accept my thank you with the intent it is given.

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03 Aug 2005 09:14:49 pm
Rafael Palmeiro and Congress


No Raffy say it ain’t so – at least say it to Congress. Okay we’ve all had it with Rafael Palmeiro now that he got busted for using steroids according to major league baseball’s drug gurus. The man who vehemently denied in front of Congress he never ever took steroids got his hand caught in the cookie jar. And, it wasn’t Viagra he had in his hand. The major spokesman for Viagra failed a drug test which says he did use steroids. Now Raffy is coming out and saying he’ll release all his medical records to the Congressmen who held the hearings where he said he never used them. So basically it looks as if the Gold Glove First Baseman lied to Congress. Lied to Congress!! Now why would he do this at this time? Do you think maybe his lawyer might have suggested he might go to jail for telling lies to a Congressional hearing where he swore under oath to tell the whole truth and nothing but? Do you think the man who was considered a lock for the Hall of Fame three days ago would come to this conclusion? It isn’t likely too far from the truth. Now it looks as if Congress is looking into investigating whether he lied to the Congressional panel empowered to find out about baseballs steroid problems. Here we go. Major League Baseball knew he failed the test evidently long before Palmeiro got his 3000th hit last week. This is even worse than Raffy’s testimony to Congress. C’mon Bud, where are your ethics. If the brass at MLB and at MLBPA knew Raffy was going down why wait until after he got no. 3000? Oh yes, the fans. The fans would want to see this momentous event. I love the writer who spoke on ESPN that he would have voted for Palmeiro on the first ballot for the HOF, but no longer. He said he’s sure he’ll get in at some time but not the honor of first ballot and not on his vote. Defending the honor of sportswriters with votes is something I find myself doing more and more these days. Pete Rose lied about his activities for years and enough of the writers got it right to the point Pete isn’t going into the HOF. At least not before he passes into the next life. Palmeiro may find the same thing waiting for him at the end of the day. Who is next? Barry Bonds? There is hope yet to clean up baseball. Last time it took a judge with a lousy record. Baseball needs more of the same, or, at least someone who cares enough to take the issues seriously.

		Category : General \| Posted By : kckings \| Comments[0] \| Trackbacks [8867]


01 Aug 2005 04:15:17 pm
THE JUICE IS SQUEED AGAIN; OJ SIMPSON


I was reminded again this weekend of how unpopular OJ Simpson is today and why I cannot carry any OJ items in my particular hobby store. Every time we do someone gives us crap. So we stopped. A man even brought me an OJ Simpson NBC card from the Pro Set days this week, and I turned it down. The man ended up leaving it for free, so I'm not sure what to do with it. This past weekend OJ was kicked out of the National Sports Collectors Convention under the guise his appearance was not pre-approved. It never will be. Simpson was not on the official autograph list but a company called Justin Communications had a booth selling OJ memorabilia at the National. Without getting prior approval they signed Simpson to be an autograph guest at their booth. As soon as the convention organizers found out The Juice was there ready to sign, they called security and had him quietly escorted from the building. He left peacefully. OJ kicked out of a sports card show? You bet. This just underscores the significance of the aquittal of Simpson who was hotter than hot before the verdict. OJ Simpson merchandise was among the hottest selling anywhere. Dealers could not keep his rookie card in stock. Before the "chase" it was selling for $65 easy. After the chase it was selling for $200 just as easily. Anything with Simpson on it sold and sold for big bucks. After his aquittal, in which a large number of Americans felt he was actually guilty, all that memorabilia stuff went through the floor. Even more so when he lost the civil trial and was forced to pay a hefty settlement to the family of his slain wife. The fact he did not really push anyone to find 'the real killer' led even more folks to believe he was just as guilty as the civil court found him. Once the greatest running back of his day, a lousy but working actor and a kingpin of the memorabilia world -- OJ Simpson is reduced to being escored by security guards from a national sports convention. My how the mighty have fallen.

		Category : General \| Posted By : kckings \| Comments[0] \| Trackbacks [5448]