Nonsense Newsletter No. 148: The Cup has arrived, Paul Skenes, Jim Plunkett and a whole lot more!
It’s another Friday which means another edition of the Nonsense Newsletter! Sure, there are publications out there that may have some more flash, some more pop — but there simply aren’t any who do it better than us! So, with that in mind, enjoy this week’s edition of the Nonsense Newsletter!
By John Dudley
Paul Skenes is something I didn’t think I’d see again, a hobby-relevant young MLB starting pitcher. Spencer Strider was popular for a minute but still lagged well behind comparable young hitters. I thought Strider’s level of hobby love was as high as it could go for a modern young pitcher. I was wrong. I’m in good company this time at least as Skenes has proven all of his many doubters (in the hobby) wrong so far. The question I’m left with though is what exactly would Skenes have to do to keep his hobby attention this high?
By John McTaggart
It was bound to happen, right?
Sooner or later Upper Deck would send out the checklist for the 22/23 version of its premium product — The Cup.
Now, for those of you who aren’t maybe as familiar with The Cup as some others — simply put, it’s the standard product in the hockey hobby.
Now, the pandemic set Upper Deck back, and the product being released next week is actually for a season, and rookie class, from 22-23 (so no Connor Bedard in this release).
That said, any release of The Cup is a huge deal in the hobby.
Let’s take a second here and rundown some of the highlights of a product that is, essentially, one highlight after the next.
Quick Hits
Hobby News- Topps Mercury: Victor Wembanyama is an absurdly awesome new high-end set with a high-end price tag that is making waves. The combo autos will grab headlines, but the way Topps is using actual game-dated game-used items is a great change. Wemby RPA? That’s great. Wemby RPA where the patch comes from his NBA debut? That’s game-changing.
Vintage— It wouldn’t be a full day if I didn’t talk about Jim Plunkett — for real. Seriously though, the NFL Hall of Fame nominees include, yet again, Plunkett, who for some reason is not among those enshrined — yet. This is a great article looking at the QB great. Check it out here.
Hobby News- Topps Now is going full-speed ahead with their randomly inserted autos averaging more than one offering a week now. This week, Malik Nabors and Bobby Witt were the subjects available. Oh yeah, there are also some guys named Curry and Messi doing the night-night celebration that have a dual auto to hunt. You can get in on that one here.
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.