Nonsense Newsletter No. 131: Letting go, Bo Bichette,
In this week’s edition of the Nonsense Newsletter, John Dudley takes a long look at Blue Jays’ well, um, kinda standout, Bo Bichette. Meanwhile, I talk about a guy named Tom. So there’s that. And, of course, the Quick Hits section is, as the kids say, Dope, once again. So, as the three-day weekend approaches for us in the USA, kick back, enjoy and live it up with this week’s edition of the Nonsense Newsletter!
By John Dudley
The panic button is a necessary weapon in every collector’s arsenal. Figuring out when to hit it when one of your favorites is struggling is one of the toughest decisions to make in the hobby. Sometimes stars have struggles and come back. Other times, a star that looked destined for the HOF will peak at 24 and never put up similar numbers again. It’s a tough call deciding which path a player is on, but if you avoid making it you wind up with over a hundred Pat Burrell rookies, or Troy Glaus, or Hanley Ramirez, or you get the idea. Every collector has stacks of some rookie card of a player that they just held onto for too long.
It’s hard to figure out what is a slump and what is a career downturn in any sport, but it is most difficult in baseball. The eye test often suffices in basketball and football. One can watch Russell Wilson or James Harden and draw some reasonable conclusions on if they’ll return to form. Baseball, on the other hand, can have a HOF player looking benchable during a slump. One such player that I’m trying to figure out if I should panic over is Bo Bichette. As I’ve been thinking about this recently, I thought I’d use this column this week to decide if I’m in panic mode yet and to walk through the decision-making process. So, let’s see, is it time to freak out over Bo Bichette’s 2024 yet?
By John McTaggart
Part of my job each week is to pen a column for this newsletter about something or another relating to the trading card world.
Lord knows, I’ve been in this world long enough, you’d think I’d have a really firm grasp on it.
But the hobby is a wondrous and disastrous thing all at the same time, isn’t it?
And everyday I find myself both excited at the discovery of something new and wonderful, and shaking my head at the realization that some parts of the hobby are still pretty sketchy and cruel.
On that note, I pen today’s column about an old friend of mine who has been a collector since he was six years old, and now, just having celebrated his 73rd birthday, he made a decision about the hobby — he’s walking away from it.
Quick Hits
Hobby News- Fanatics has a new baseball line called Boys of Summer. It’s a premium line with boxes having three autos and one memorabilia card per eight-card box. The cards have a nice design with a background that looks much more like a Topps design but the presence of sticker autos is heavily felt. I’m curious to see how this one sells as I’m a bit surprised by the hefty $300 price tag.
Vintage- If you’re a fan of amazing facial hair and great baseball, like I am, then you’re going to love this article on the 1974 Oakland A’s. Sports Collectors Daily dives right into the 1974 A’s hobby. Check it out here.
Hobby News- 2023, yes 2023, Topps Chrome Platinum is out and looks to capture the success of last year’s product. The first year’s product was a bit of a dud with boxes providing very little bang for the buck. Last year’s was one of the more popular on the SCN Facebook group and elsewhere as Topps fixed the issues of the first year and loaded the product up with shiny goodness. The cards look great so I’m expecting these to continue to be considered one of the most fun rips in the hobby.
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.