I first saw the news at Cardboard Junkie (although he apparently thinks that baseball is all that matters...I hope he's kidding), and then found the news at Wax Heaven and a couple of other sites.  I even noticed this morning that ProFootballTalk had the news on their site--albeit with his rather unsupported claim that "the trading-card industry has diminished over the past two decades, possibly due to the inherently low-tech nature of it."

My take on it?  Like most people blogging about the card industry, I do tend to think it's too bad that all sports appear to be heading down a more exclusive path.  While the NFL is still granting licenses to Upper Deck and Panini, rather than a single card company, I do tend to think that in all cases less competition amongst card companies ill simply mean that the card companies will have less incentive to put out product that is truly the best it could be.

While I don't share the level of angst some in the card blogging community have towards...seemingly all manufacturers, and in fact have largely gotten out of collecting (although I am taking part in mini-card show next month--was supposed to happen last spring, but never did...more on that in a later post), I do tend to agree that the card companies have not been putting out their best work in recent times.

Personally, if I was the NFL/MLB/NBA/etc, rather than restrict the licenses completely, I would spend some time coming up with better guidelines for the card companies in using their logos/names in products--more restrictions on the number of sets, better quality control, better controls around forgeries, and making sure that there is value in card collecting for everyone--from the companies to the leagues to the actual collecters.

But that's just me--what do I know.  What about everyone else?

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com

Topps Loses Football License

1982 Topps Pat McInally

Today, my surfing led me to the Wikipedia page for Pat McInally, who played for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1975 to 1985.  The reason his name jumped out at me when I saw it on another Wiki page (I believe I was looking at the 1975 draft), was that when I was younger, McInally's cards would always fascinate me--I'd heard of guys playing multiple positions, but how often do you see a guy that split time between wide receiver and punter?  And later in his career, a punter wearing #87 on his jersey?

(And yes, I know Danny White was often listed as QB-P--but for some reason, that never seemed quite as unusual to me).

Beyond the oddity of his WR/P position, I had never looked much into McInally's career--what I found was actually kind of interesting:

• He attended Harvard University, and led the nation in receiving in 1973.
• He suffered a broken leg in the 1976 College All-Star Game, which forced him to miss his rookie season, and was part of the reason the College All-Star Game was cancelled after the '76 edition
• Prior to the 1975 draft, McInally scored what is the only verified perfect score on the Wonderlic Test, which is given to draft prospects at the combine
• In the 1981 season, McInally became the first NFL player from Harvard to play in the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl (as a punter).  He was also named to the All-Pro team that season.

Perhaps the biggest thing that I didn't realize about McInally, though, was that he was actually responsible for conceiving the Starting Lineup action figures--precursor's to today's popular McFarlane figurines.

After seeing action figures like GI Joe at a toy store, and not seeing any sports related figures, he took his idea to Kenner, and helped them secure the licensing rights to create figures for the NFL, MLB and NBA, and they took off from there.

And this is why, in 1997 (over 10 years after he retired), there was a Pat McInally Starting Lineup figure produced.

PAT MCINALLY BENGALS 1986 TOPPS CARD

US $1.50

1d 8h 10m

Pat McInally 1997 edition Starting Lineup

1 Bid

US $2.00

1d 13h 53m

1978 PAT MCINALLY MINT 9 BENGALS 354

US $2.25

2d 15h 2m

PAT MCINALLY BENGALS TOM SKLADANY LIONS OHIO STATE AUTO

0 Bid

US $5.99

2d 19h 48m

Pat McInally Childrens Literature Profiles Catalog

0 Bid

US $.99

3d 10h 48m

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com

Random Surfing: Pat McInally

So where have I been, that has prevented me from posting on my football card blog during the football season?

Well, nowhere, unfortunately.

Back around the start of the football season, there was a convergence of things that made me back away from the hobby some--a combination of me putting more time in on another football blog that I help run, to a vacation that put me a week behind in catching up with the rest of the sports card blogs, to frankly just getting kind of worn out with the whole scene.

Oh, and a combination of being disgusted with Beckett, turned off with the general direction the card companies were going, and not being real impressed with the rookie class this year (good call on my part--although, in my defense, I still don't think that anyone in this rookie class has long term superstar potential), and I decided I wasn't going to buy any more 2008 product.

So, in terms of the hobby, since I posted last September about opening a box of Donruss Threads, you've missed...nothing.

But, in the last few weeks, things have started to percelate again.  I've started reading a few of the blogs again.  I'm getting ready to set up at my first show--during which I hope to REDUCE my collection some, and pick up some cash.  And I even broke down and picked up a box of cards--to no one who regularly reads the site's surprise I'm sure, it was a box of Bowman Chrome.

So I finally decided I would pick things up here again.  No promises on regular posting, no Cards of the Week (for a little bit), and likely still not much in terms of box breaks.  But we'll see.

As for the box of Bowman Chrome--not real exciting--Ryan Torain Autograph, Joe Flacco Refractor being the main highlights--but it was fun to open again.

As for the show that's coming up--it's not really a "real" show--rather a friend set up last year at a bar in a small town about a half-hour south of the Twin Cities, and had a decent draw considering the town is less than 5,000 people.  So he decided to do it again this year, and I've offered to set up too.  Unfortunately, it will be after Christmas this year--but we'll see how it goes.

So, if anyone is interested in trading me Vikings cards (or Twins, for that matter--maybe Wild, if there are actually any hockey collectors out there--as for basketball, well, when Minnesota gets an NBA team, maybe I'll be interested)--vintage, new, whatever--let me know, and we'll see if we can work a deal.

Also, I still am interested in completing that 2007 Refractor set, and am still toying with the idea of completing the 1982 Topps as well.

So drop me a line if you get a chance--hopefully there are still a few readers left around here!

Oh, and a special PS note, to commentor Shawn--I apologize for not responding to your message, but you hit me right in the middle of my funk.  I hope you figured out a way to get your cards back from Iraq--and I think it's awesome that you were able to collect while you were there.  Here's a special shout out to your card store site--hopefully I can drive you a sale or two.

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com

Guess Who’s Back, Back Again…

But, I saw some of the game Sunday night, and I'm starting to get back into it.  I've got my first fantasy draft coming up, I think the first set of 2008 cards that I might actually buy a couple boxes of comes out soon, and I've got a couple of other site related projects that are underway.

So, hopefully moving forward things will get a little more regular around here again.  If not, I promise a full refund!

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com

Look Who’s Back, Back Again…

* Got my 8th box of 2007 Bowman Chrome last weekend for my birthday, and after 8 boxes, a few retail packs, and numerous email purchases, I finally completed the base set--well, the cards BC56 and above.  I still hate that they split the set like that, and making it a different design was even dumber.  I think they had to for baseball due to new rules from the Players Association around rookie cards, but why use a format forced upon you for baseball for football?  It's not like more people were buying the baseball because of the switch--they were buying them because they still wanted the rookie cards.  And after my 2007 Baseball Bowman purchases, I doubt I'll be going back in 2008, which may mean I'm done with baseball cards altogether.

* Downside to the box--no printing plates, the autograph was just a Chansi Stuckey, and I already had every refractor that I got in the pack (and none of them were rookies).  So I'm still in need of a lot (roughly 87) refractors to get that set completed.  If anyone has any and would be interested in trading, drop me a line at tony(at)thefootballcardblog.com, or post in the comments below.  I don't think I need any of the big name rookies (other than maybe a Brady Quinn), so we can work something out.

* Werid Collecting Habit #1--I actually save all of the hobby boxes I buy.  I think I even have a few in storage from when I was a kid somewhere, but since I've been back in the hobby (and they've started splitting hobby & retail into different models), I think I've saved every empty hobby box.  Not the retail boxes, those go right in the trash (although I've learned to at least wait until I confirm that I got all the inserts I was supposed to).  Am I the only one?

* Weird Collecting Habit #2--You know the blank white thick cards they put into packs so people can't search through the box and pull the hot packs?  I save those too.  I have almost a full 800 count box of them now.  Anyone else do that?  I think I may have finally found a use for them--I came across a post at Wax Heaven about Custom Made Cards, and I was thinking maybe I would get some cards designed of my Great Uncle Howie Schultz, and see if he would autograph them for the family.  But before that, I have no idea why I saved them.  I did NOT, however, save the contest inserts that make me register to try to win a trip somewhere.  If anyone collects those, maybe we can trade contest forms for blank inserts <GRIN>.

Like I said, just some random thoughts for the night.  I'm hoping I might get a chance to run over to the local card shop this weekend, as I haven't been in for a while, but I'd be surprised if anything came out of it, since I'm not into baseball as much, and last time I was in he was still trying to convince Upper Deck that he was legit (so he probably doesn't have any SP that I could grab).  Might check out a couple of Web sites that I've seen recently, though, to get something--I'm thinking I might try to do a video box break with the new web came I recently got...

Check out my other football related blog, atZoneBlitz.com

Some Random Thoughts as I’ve Cleaned My Office