Blue Collar Players – Manny Legace
I wanted to do a post about Manny for yesterday but I just forgot. If you haven’t heard, over the weekend Carolina’s starting goaltender Cam Ward, was injured by wave of an errant skate blade. As if it wasn’t bad enough with a good goaltender, now they have to rely on backup Michael Leighton. I knew that wouldn’t last for long (although I thought they were going to have to trade for another goalie), they ended up signing Manyy Legace to a one year deal.
When I heard about the signing I was elated, Manny has always been one of those players you never realize how good he is until you take a look at his stats. This season has been spent in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, where he was a backup and put up a 2-2 record with a GAA of 3.21 and a save percentage of 0.898. Last season was split between Peoria of the AHL and the St. Louis Blues.
The Blues decided to stick with youth and stayed with Chris Mason in goal. He didn’t have a very good NHL season going 13-7 with a GAA of 3.18 and a save percentage of 0.885. However when you look at his career he is 177-92 with a GAA of 2.38 and a save percentage of 0.912. So you know he is fully capable of shutting down an offense and right now that is what the Hurricanes need. As far as where he goes from here, well that is going to play out in the next month. If he is able to be the wall in goal the Canes need, then they can ease Ward back into play and then waive Leighton. If he doesn’t perform up to par, then it’ll be him that is demoted to Albany upon Ward’s return.
Manny has always been one of the favorites among collectors especially since he spent a good chunk of his career with Detroit (post-Hasek days). He has many autograph and game used cards and most are selling on eBay for reasonable prices. The card pictured below is listed with a $20 buy it now price but should be able to be had for $10. Most of his autographs tend to be about $7 and his game used is running about $3. Not a bad price to pay for someone who had a heck of a nice career.
Good Bye Larry Johnson . . . We Hardly Knew You
If you have not heard, on Monday Larry Johnson was released from the Kansas City Chiefs. At 30, and given his current propensity to use anti-gay slurs, it’s a good bet that Larry is done in the NFL. Will another team pick him up? Probably, but really it would be just to finish out the season (if that). For all intents and purposes he is done.
Some might even argue that we never got to see his true potential. After being drafted by the Cheifs in the 2003 draft, he had to split time with a then rejuvenated Priest Holmes. It wasn’t until 2005 and an injury to Holmes that he even had a chance to start. When he was in his prime he was a heck of a good running back. Unfortunately his prime only lasted 2 seasons 2005 and 2006 where he racked up a total of 3539 yards and 37 touchdowns on 752 carries. Following the 2006 season he was sidelined with a myriad of injuries. Which certainly put a damper on his production and the potency of the Chief’s offense.
So where will Larry show up next? It’s kind of like Michael Vick, who can take on the headache and diva-like attitude of Johnson? A smart move would be to the Patriots, but at 30 I just don’t see him making a huge impact to which ever team he signs for. In truth he may be able to hang around the league for 2 – 3 more years, but I just don’t see the kind of production which made him famous.
Other teams that might be interested in him would be teams with issues at running back: Seahawks, Bills, Patriots, Bucs, Raiders, and possibly the Texans. The big question will be . . . how long until he implodes after he signs yet another lucrative contract?
A quick glance at his autographed cards in eBay says one thing. People are not collecting Larry Johnson cards anymore. Many of his autographs can be had for under $5, including the one pictured below <link>. Even this beautiful on-card autograph and nice patch card couldn’t fetch $15 even with its very low 11/15 serial number. If you want a bargain right now, this is the time to pick up his cards. Of course then again if you are like lots of people out there, just sick of his antics just stay away. Either way I think this might be the last hurrah for a player who had so much potential that he just seemed unwilling to unlock.
Could Be The End Of The Road For A Great Catcher
I was going through this off season’s crop of free agents, one of them stood out to me as being an interesting story. Ivan Rodriguez is a free agent yet again. It seems like this is an annual event for him. However this year is different, he is now 38 years old, and although statistically speaking he had a good year, he was traded mid season (2nd time in 2 years) and was essentially a back up catcher for the Rangers.
So at 38 he finds himself without a team again. The Rangers have plenty of catchers on their roster and just don’t need Rodriguez. So where does he go from here? There aren’t many teams out there looking for a starting catcher and even if they were Ivan isn’t that guy anymore. The last two years he started 108 games and 105 games. You have to wonder, at his age whether his body can endure another full season at catcher.
I think he is going to sign on somewhere, but I can’t imagine that he is going to finish the season. Somewhere along the line this upcoming season he will probably retire. He has had himself an amazing career. One that dates back to 1991, and has appeared in 15 All Star games, has 13 Gold Gloves (most by any catcher), and 7 Silver Sluggers (2nd most by any catcher). To say he has had a Hall of Fame career is an understatement. He’s 58th all-time in hits and 23rd all-time in doubles. As far as catchers go, he was the best complete catcher to ever play the game (sorry Mike Piazza).
As far as his cards go, his rookie cards , can be had for no more than $1. Game used and autographs are a little more expensive, but still go for about $2 for game used and as low as $9 for autographed cards (see below for a sample). It really is a shame his cards are not worth more, but he spent his better years in the junk wax era. If he decides to hang up his cleats at the end of the year, I for one will be very sad, as I grew up rooting for him. Every legend needs to know when it’s time to step away and I think now is Ivan’s time.
Craigslist Idiot – Hurricane Edition
Now I love watching the Hurricanes even though they really stink this season. This guy I am absolutely certain is fed up with the team and is watching his collection value plummet. So hey it’s Christmas time and this would make for an awesome gift for any Hurricanes fan.
Hurricanes autos and jersey cards – $200
03/04 Premier Edition Eric Staal rookie autograph card
05/06 Glacial Graphs Cam Ward rookie auto
06 In The Game Chad Larose rookie auto
07/08 Bap double sigs Erik Cole/Ray Whitney auto
07/08 BAP AUTO Scott Walker
07/08 BAP AUTO Justin Williams
07/08 Bap Auto Eric Staal
07/08 BAP AUTO Tuomo Ruutu
07/08 BAP AUTO Rod Brind Amour
07/08 BAP AUTO Cam Ward
07/08 BAP AUTO Ray Whitney
07/08 BAP AUTO Erik Cole
06/07 BAP AUTO Scott Walker
08/09 BAP AUTO tuomo Ruutu
08/09 BAP AUTO Tim GLeason
08/09 SP Sign of the Times Zack Boychuk rookie auto
Jerseys
08/09 Trilogy Eric Stall Jersey/auto 061/100
07/08 UD Ice Frozen Fabrics dual jersey Eric Staal
07/08 O-Pee-Chee remnants jersey 3 piece Eric Staal 068/100
07/08 UD Eric Staal jersey (series1)
08/09 MVP 2on2 Jerseys Staal/Brind Amour/Lecavalier/St.Louis
08/09 UD series 2 Eric Staal jersey
05/06 Spx Hockey Eric Staal/Just Williams jersey 039/350
07/08 Fleer Eric Staal jersey 002/100
08/09 Artifacts Eric Staal/Cam Ward jersey 069/100
08/09 artifacts Eric Staal Treasured Swatches dual 30/50
08/09 Ud Series 2 Brandon Sutter rookie jersey
Dual 06/75
08/09 artifacts Frozen Artifacts Cam Ward dual jersey 017/100
05/06 UD Cam Ward rookie jersey
08/09 Treasured Swatches Cam Ward dual 091/199
07/08 Fleer Erik Cole jersey
08/09 UD Tuomo Ruutu jersey
08/09 Sp Gameused Edition Tuomo Ruutu triple jersey 01/25
07/08 Ud Rod Brind Amour jersey
07/08 O-Pee-Chee Justin Wiliams triple jersey 058/100
08/09 UD Black Letterman Patch Rookie Tim Conboy “O”from back of jersey 110/399
$200.00 ,this is for all listed and i have a few other singles ill throw in too. Will not seperate this collection for someone wanting a single. If you are a dealer, the same price for you as well, price is firm. Reply by email.if you’re serious i will contact you.
Great Christmas gift for that certain Canes fan ! Sure.they’re having a tough time right now,but, they will come back strong, they always do.
First Take – I don’t even have to email this guy to know that he is a complete scammer. You get 16 autographs and 21 game used cards (37 total). At first glance 37 cards for 200 dollars or just about $5.50 per card. Not too bad except for one thing, among some of the better cards (Staal) there are some stinkers, not worth the card they are printed on. So I think I’m going to take the $3 an autograph and $1 a game used approach and offer, rounded to $70. I think that is a fair price.
The Emails:
Me: Man the Canes really suck, how about a hometown discount?
CI: haha yeah they really have it bad this year. No the price is $200 firm.
Me: Have you gotten a lot of offers on this one?
CI: Yeah, but no one has come close to what I want. What is your offer, I am assuming you have an offer.
Me: Well my offer is 70 bucks, 3 dollars each for the autographs and a dollar each for the jerseys. I think that is fair.
CI: Wow that’s a low ball, are you serious, do you know anything about cards?
Me: Nope not a thing, but I know that if I go on eBay I can get it cheaper.
CI: Ha you go right ahead and give it a shot I doubt it. When you come to your senses let me know.
Me: So what if I upped it to $75?
CI: Unless its 200 then no way.
Me: How about $80? I came up $10 at least you can negotiate with me.
CI: Dude, fuck off, and quite wasting my time with this shit, you are probably a scammer anyway.
Me: You’re right, what I like to do is pay for what a card is worth. To me the card is only worth what I would pay for it on eBay. What if I had offered $150 would you have taken it?
CI: 150 is still not enough, go to hell asshole.
Me: Already been there talking to you, good luck trying to dump a crappy team’s worth of cards. Do you also have the 2008 Detroit Lions team set? No I bet you wanted too much for those as well.
CI: Try peddling your shit somewhere else. See ya shithead!
Me: Thanks for listening to my shit bonehead. Good luck unloading your crappy collection.
End of Emails
Conclusion: All things aside, it’s Craigslist, it’s all about the discout. Don’t even post an ad if you aren’t willing to negotiate. The 200 wasn’t a horrible price but right now given how horrible the Canes have been it’s the equivalent of buying last year’s Detroit Tiger cards, or this year’s Washington Nationals cards (without Strasburg). The market is just crappy right now and it’s unrealistict not expect people to negotiate. This one wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be, but we can’t have awesome ones all the time.
Free Autograph Signings – Week of 11/9/09
I am glad everyone is enjoying the new look to the signings lists. As always, please check ahead of the event for changes in time and appearances. If I messed up you can correct me in the comment section.
Monday 11/9/09
Tuesday 11/10/09
Wednesday 11/11/09
Thursday 11/12/09<!–
Friday 11/13/09
If I have missed any that you know of, please list them in the comments section. If you do attend any of these events for good or for bad, tell us what the experience was like in the comments section. Good luck everyone and have a great week.
Bad Wax Updates
Here is the latest and greatest from Bad Wax Central:
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- Refunds for the Group Break will be completed by Friday, sorry for the delay.
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