Nonsense Newsletter No. 127: Women's Hoops, MLB overreactions, Vintage Hockey Cards,
In this week’s edition of the Nonsense Newsletter, John Dudley takes a deep-dive into some of MLB’s overreactions, while I lament about the game I love as much as Taco Tuesdays at El Charro’s restaurant — women’s basketball. We also deliver another brilliant Quick Hits section. So, by now you all should know the drill — sit back, relax, and enjoy another Pulitzer Prize-worthy edition of the Nonsense Newsletter.
By John McTaggart
I played basketball for a really long time.
Notice I say, “played,” since ,my days of running countless games with teammates are long behind me.
It served me well.
It taught me about teamwork, about depending on others, and having others depend on you for success.
It taught me about commitment and dedication and work ethic and many other things.
Some of the best times of my life were spent on the court, and with those I called basketball family and friends.
It even got me to college — something my family and I would have otherwise struggled to afford.
So, the game is special to me.
But honestly, over the last couple of weeks I’ve found myself more proud of the game than I have been in a very very long time.
Why?
Simple — because it is so awesome for me to see women’s basketball finally start to get the credit it deserves.
By John Dudley
Baseball is back and it is time to start evaluating how players are doing in the 2024 season. It’s way too early to make solid conclusions, but that’s never stopped anyone from forming an opinion and the market is already hopping. Let’s check out how the hobby has reacted to the early season performances of six players, three good and three not-so-good. Three up, three down.
I like to think of a lot of things in terms of Goldilocks and those pesky three bears. Is it too hot, too cold, or just right? I’m going to give each player I look at the Goldilock’s treatment and decide if the hobby’s response is too hot, too cold, or in a few cases, just right. It’s wild to think that just a handful of games can move the market much, but we’ll soon see that it does.
Three Up
Spencer Steer- Steer is doing all he can to get hobby attention. I’ve been ignoring and I still am, but I’m finally starting to wonder if that’s a horrible idea. He’s still overshadowed by the Reds’ other young stars which means collectors still have time to jump on board. His 171 OPS+ will surely come down, but it’s easy to envision a 30-homer season with a 130 OPS+. That tends to be the floor expectations for hobby superstars.
Quick Hits
Pop Culture News- Episode I celebrates its 25th anniversary and is getting the Sapphire treatment this year with Topps’ annual Star Wars Sapphire offering. The release includes rare autos from The Phantom Menace cast with Keira Knightley being a massive first-time signer. The pricing is puzzling as boxes are $285 at pre-order yet last year’s set has boxes available for around $130. The autos will be amazing and the parallels are now falling four per box to further entice collectors. We’ll see if there is a pent up demand for premium prequel collectibles.
Vintage- Look, it’s an article about vintage hockey cards, and what the world really needs now is to learn a little bit more about vintage hockey cards… check it out here.
Hobby News- Marvel comics are the source of some of the world’s most valuable IP, but they rarely get any attention in the cardboard world. Sure the movies get multiple sets a year, but celebrating the actual comics is rare. Upper Deck is doing just that, celebrating a year of Marvel in comics form with Marvel Annual. In addition to creator autos, each card has a variant cover variation that combines both hobby’s love of variants.
The Sports Card Nonsense newsletters reflect the opinions of only the authors and contributors. They are for informational purposes only and are not a recommendation for purchases or of an investment strategy or to buy or sell any assets.