http://www.sportscardforum.com/blogs/1000-Welcome-to-Enigma-s-World Sports Cards Forum for sports card collectors to buy, sell and trade sports cards. en Fri, 24 May 2013 00:03:46 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.sportscardforum.com/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.sportscardforum.com/blogs/1000-Welcome-to-Enigma-s-World http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/226-I-m-Free-FreeRolling Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:36:04 GMT I'm a big fan of a live poker game. And here recently, a buddy of mine on SCF named Ryan (Rhyno24) and I have partaked in a couple of hold'em games with a box of cards on the line.

This got me thinking about my days of playing online poker. Online is a different beast than a live game, mainly because it's a lot easier for players to play looser online as your can't get a read on someone watching a computer screen (unless you've played the same player numerous times).

So I remember poker pro Chris Ferguson turning $0 into $10000 and I think I will try to do the same. So this means playing freerolls to attempt to get my bankroll started.

A freeroll is a tournament with no entry fee that has prizes for the top finishers. I will be doing this on Full Tilt Poker. I played a warmup freeroll tourney to see if I still had some online skills and finished 936th out of 2700.

So now begins my quest on 2/24. Keep checking in as I will update this blog with my result and some highlights/lowlights of my tourney. I figure it will take me a while to get money out of a freeroll, so be patient. ]]> Enigma http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/226-I-m-Free-FreeRolling http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/196-First-Shot-of-the-Year Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:51:34 GMT Sports fans look forward to the first time of an event to kick off a season... Football - Opening kickoff Baseball - First pitch Basketball - First tip Hockey - First puck drop Racing - Waving... Sports fans look forward to the first time of an event to kick off a season...

Football - Opening kickoff
Baseball - First pitch
Basketball - First tip
Hockey - First puck drop
Racing - Waving of the green flag at Daytona (Though there are other exciting races before then)

But as an active participant in athletics...my favorite part of the year is being on the tee box on the first hole of my first round of golf in the new year.

It used to be I would wait until my birthday to put on my spikes, pull the head cover of my driver, put my tee in the ground, place my Titleist Pro V1 on top of it, take a couple of practice swings, center myself with my driver's head positioned behind the ball, look down the course at a specific aiming point, look down at the ball, pull back the driver and let it rip. The sound of the club head meeting the ball in perfect sync is harmonious. Hearing that ball whizz on by and the tee pull up from the ground without a mark, knowing you nailed it, is amazing.

But today, I made an exception. An oppotunity to meet an old acquaintance/friend has arisen and I look forward to meeting him in Myrtle Beach on March 2nd. So I realized I needed to get the rust off my swing and head to the course after 8 months on inactivity.

So there I was, standing in the tee box at 1 at approximately 10:38am (had a 9am tee time, but couldn't make it). All by myself, I could relax and enjoy myself. So there I was with driver in hand just telling myself not to overhit. No greater advice can be given to someone after a layoff when in the tee box. I addressed the ball, went through my normal motions and let it go. CRACK! I knew it as soon as contact was made that I had nutted it. Sure enough, 275 yards down the course about 5 yards to the left of where I aimed. Couldn't be happier, but not because of the shot....because I was back on the golf course, where everything is right. The golf course is sacred ground. All troubles are left behind you as soon as you step foot into the clubhouse, pay your greens fee and walk to the first tee box. Trust me, all duffers know exactly what I mean.

I proceeded to par the first two holes and it felt great. The next seven holes were a fight, but I managed to have my savior (my short game and putter) to bail me out and ended my front nine only +11, which trust me, after 8 months off was a blessing. Took a quick break and headed to the tenth hole. I knew if I could start this off like I started my round, I would post a nice score. Sure enough, par on 10. Headed to 11 with major confidence. There I was on a Par 3, 148 yard hole. The pin was in the back middle of the green. I pulled out my 7 iron (normally would be my 8, but didn't want to over hit as I tend to do from the tee with short irons). Set myself up with a planned right to left fade. Hit it and stood in completely amazemebt as I watched the ball start to the right towards a sand trap and the drift to the left. The ball hit the green, hopped twice and then came to a complete halt.... 2 1/2 feet from the cup. Oh so close to my first hole-in-one. Walked down, repaired my ball mark and tapped in for birdie (my only one of the day). After that, the golf gods decided to reward me with swirling winds in excess of 25 mph. Struggled with it until I got to 18. You always want to walk off the course in good spirits so I knew I had to have this hole.

This is the trickiest hole on the course. The green has a gradual, but steep slope, so you can't spin the ball like normal. You have to put a reverse spin on it. A normal spin goes from left to right. However, on this hole, that means ended up in the drink. Most feel you should aim to the left of the green to avoid the water in front and on the right, but there's a huge sand trap waiting for you from the slightest mi**** to the left. Can't go short, left or right, how about long? Nope. If you hit it over the green, you are stuck in thick rough and any golfer will tell you that the chances of controlling a ball out of the rough is slim and dd the steep slope of the green and you have all sorts of trouble. So looking at a second shot from the fairway of around 185 yards, I went with 5 iron. Normally I would go with a 6 and let the ball run up the green, but I needed to spin the ball and get it past the hole as well. The hole placement was towards the back and to the right, basically next to the water hazard. The only way to stick the green is land it behind the flag and reverse spin it. Sure enough, I managed to pull it off. Left myself about a 20 foot putt for birdie, but the slope worried me so I just tried to get it close. Managed to get it to a foot from the cup and tapped in for par. Trust me, I wasn't complaining. Back 9 ended up being +10. So there I was out with +11 and in with +10, +21 (93). Not my best performance on a golf course, but definitely one to be proud of.

But as I said, it wasn't the score or the shots that made me happy. It was actually being on the course. There's all sorts of rushes you get in various activities, but to me, there's hardly any that compare to lacing up the spikes and playing 18 holes of golf. ]]> Enigma http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/196-First-Shot-of-the-Year http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/185-Etiquette-In-The-Trading-World Thu, 12 Feb 2009 07:20:41 GMT Stop me if this has happened to you...you sent a PM and didn't get...

OK, so it has happened to you.

Stop me if this has happened to you...you contact someone in regards to a card and they want something in return that throws the value scale...

OK, so it has happened to you.

Stop me if this has happened to you...someone is selling a card and you inquire on a price and they tell you to make...

OK, so it has happened to you.

Notice the trend...

Whatever happened to good old fashioned trading etiquette? Remember when you could contact someone and within a couple of minute of hassle free PMs, you had a trade posted and you were happy to go ahead and package up that bubble mailer knowing that in a couple of days, you would be getting something you want? Yeah, those were good times.

Now, I'm not saying that t still does not happen anymore as it does. Heck, recently, I had a trader just send me a card I could use for a collection with a note to just get me back when you can. I've got another trader where we just send each other cards without worrying about trade managers, feedback and definitely not values. Not everyone should be like that, but you don't need to be rude either.

If someone takes the time to contact you via PM about your trade/sell list, you should respond...politely. It's very easy to simply say I'm not interested. It's much better than just ignoring the PM. Sure, some of us get really busy at times and don't respond immediately...but along the way, if you can take the time to post on the boards...trade on the boards...play in the arcade, then you've got enough time to spend the 10 seconds necessary to quickly reply to someone.

However, there is a flip side. There are those that get upset when you don't respond right away. What do they do? Fire off another PM. Folks, once you sent a PM, let it go. The member should respond back as soon as they can. If not, give them some time. If it's been a day or two, then send another PM to check and see if the previous one was received. Don't go crazy and PM someone every five minutes. All you are doing is alienating the other person.

I find it difficult at times to post a trade list on sites because when you do, you normally get three letters in reply..."CMB" (Check My Bucket). Now there are some who are just looking to pick up something new for a collection, but most are not. Most traders are looking for teams/players/drivers/etc. that they collect. Traders tend to even state in a sig or a post who/what they are looking for in return. You know what cards you have. Do the trader a favor and take the time to see what they want and if you have something, post that you have it. It saves a lot of time and the thread starter will appreciate it. Just common courtesy. Don't make the poster do all the work. Trading is about working together.

Then there's those great for sale posts/lists. You know, there's a saying that a card is only worth what a person will spend on it, so you have sellers with this mentality that will say those dreaded three words, "Make An Offer." Now, I'm confused. You are the seller, but I need to make an offer on your items? If you have a price in mind, then just state it. If I like it, I'll gladly pay it. If I think it's a bit steep, I'll say so and make a counter proposal. Is it hard to reveal what you want for a card? Are you that ashamed of your asking price? You are not going to sell the card if the offer is lower than what you want for the card, so what does it hurt? Are you hoping for the person who will come along and actually offer higher than what you want? Do you know how rare that is in these times? Be courteous to prospective buyers and list a price, you are more likely to get a deal done when the buyer can see where you are coming from instead of hiding everything.

Another thing with trading is you should never belittle other traders in any way. Some will think that just means don't outright pick on someone's collection or trading habits, but it goes deeper than that. Did you realize how belittling it is when you tell a trader that is only interest in a $8 book value card that they need for their collection that it is not worth the time and stamps to send the card and you only do bigger trades? That's a slap in the face of any player/team/low-end collector out there. How about the people who can't afford to bust numerous boxes and packs? How do you think that makes them feel? Make your intentions known right away so potential traders already know information like this before getting excited about finding a card on your list.

And how about the new traders? Yes, new traders have a stigma about them. You find some with attitudes, improper etiquette and sometimes clueless. And what do others sometimes do, chastise them. Instead, try to remember when you were the new trader. Did you know the protocol for everything? Probably not. Well, there you go. Keep that in mind the next time you deal with someone new.

As for those new traders, it is really best to observe how to do things before jumping in with both feet. Don't assume you know everything. Being a top-notch trader doesn't happen overnight. It comes down to building trust and acquaintances. The more the traders feel they can trust you and enjoy having you trade with them, the easier it will be to trade. Take the time to learn from veteran members.

So in the end, trading online is all about etiquette. It's about how you treat others as much as how you want to be treated. Don't fall victim to becoming the members mentioned previously. Enjoy the site and enjoy trading...after all, it's just a hobby... ]]> Enigma http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/185-Etiquette-In-The-Trading-World http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/172-Madison-Avenue Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:10:48 GMT Now, as an avid fan of the NFL, I look forward to Super Bowl Sunday like billions of others around the world. I go through the painstaking enjoyment of putting together a party (including cooking),... Now, as an avid fan of the NFL, I look forward to Super Bowl Sunday like billions of others around the world. I go through the painstaking enjoyment of putting together a party (including cooking), participating in office pools (which I won a piece of this year) and connecting numerous TVs together so that everyone can enjoy the game no matter what room they are in. The game is a blast, but it's more about hanging out with friends and family and having a good time.

One of the big events of the Super Bowl are the commercials. A 30-second spot goes for millions. Madison Avenue employees work all year coming up with Super Bowl campaigns as it kicks off what they will do for the entire year. Heck, we see a memorable Super Bowl commercial show every year. That's the power and prestige of the Super Bowl. Everyone has the ones they remember the most from a Coke guzzling Steeler, a computer screen shattering right before our eyes and then there's three frogs in simplistic harmony working together to formulate a word. It's these commercials that help us bridge the gap between the myriad of timeouts in the game and it's the one event that it's not an automatic run to the restroom.

Well, nowadays, the commercials have been lackluster. And last night, was not Madison Avenue's finest moments. NBC hyped up a 3D commercial montage. They even supplied glasses to viewers. We saw numerous commercials leading up to the 3D commercials. And when it happened, it was a complete waste. When you think of 3D vision, you think about those trips to the movies where everything jumps off the screen and looks like it's going to hit you. Well, the first instant was a paddle and a ball. The ball did the job. After that, the effects were awful. Nothing jumped out. All it did was give a little definition to the characters. And at the end of it, it left viewers with nothing than a epileptic headache. To top it off, there are doing an hour-long episode of Chuck tonight in 3D. I can only imagine how bad that will be if they couldn't get the commercials right.

Even Budweiser, the "King" of Super Bowl commercials let us down. There was one about a horse telling the story of his heritage and his great-grandfather coming to America and eventually becoming a Clydesdale. Funny, I thought a clydesdale was a breed of horse. If so, wouldn't he already be one? I know the gist of the commercial and understand that, but that was really a waste of millions as what purpose did it serve. Commercials like that turn viewers off to a product, not towards it. Sure, there were other spots with a few chuckles like the horse racing across the country to be with the horse he loves, but it's not memorable. What happened to the days of the Bud Bowl and Louie hiring a weasel to "off" the frogs? Those are the commercials we want.

The Go Daddy ad was quite subpar. I'm not sure how many viewers (probably men as the ad was geared to) went to Go Daddy to see the extra footage, but I didn't. Do you seriously think you were going to see something if you did? You weren't going to see the teacher and Danica Patrick in compromising positions. Danica is a race car driver trying hard to solidify her ground in racing and tells people to look past her looks when she's on the track. Yes, there's nothing wrong with her doing ads and showing off her body, but she's not going to put herself in a situation where she will throw away her racing career. Just a shameless ad and leaves another question. Wouldn't it have made more sense to use Candice Michelle, the other spokesmodel, as the second woman?

The highlight had to be the spoof on the all-time classic Mean Joe Greene and the kid ad for Coke. This time, it was Troy Polamalu walking up the corridor and the kid offering his Coke Zero. Troy didn't want it but the kid insists. You see him take it and begin to drink it when the two guys from the Coke Zero ads that always want to sue Coke appear and snatch. They start walking away talking about how Coke is not going to steal their brand for this commercial. Troy then chases on of them down and tackles him. He then rips the shirt off the tackled guy and tosses it to kid, who is just left dumbfounded. Now that's a commercial you will talk about around the water cooler, with friends and family or even on a sports card trading and discussion site like SCF.

But in the end, Madison Avenue failed in its goal to deliver amazing commercials and leaves me wondering why, in this era of downsizing and tightening wallets, companies would waste their money on such ads. Personally, if that's what you waited all year to air, you would have been better off saving the money and giving it your employees so that they wouldn't be out looking for new employment. Heck, give it to me to create your commercial as anything I produced couldn't have been worse. There's a challenge to all the bigwigs on Madison Avenue right there. Let me design your commercial for next year's Super Bowl. And after it airs, if the public lashes out about it, then I will publicly write another blog/article commending the hard work you all do on a dialy basis. However, if it succeeds, then you can either pay me for my services or offer me a job. Either way, you win, so what do you say? Otherwise, I guess it's being stuck watching the boredom and doldrum that I can get at any time during the year while my TV is in use. ]]> Enigma http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/172-Madison-Avenue http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/158-Chris-Weinke-Mailday-1-28-09 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:27:01 GMT For some reason, Chris Weinke appeals to my wife and I try to add to her collection when I can. The card I chase after more than anything else is his 2001 SP Authentic RC /390. Every card is a... For some reason, Chris Weinke appeals to my wife and I try to add to her collection when I can. The card I chase after more than anything else is his 2001 SP Authentic RC /390. Every card is a patch, though some are one colored. The one that arrived today makes 9 for her collection.

]]> Enigma http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/158-Chris-Weinke-Mailday-1-28-09 http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/111-Manny-Lawson-Mailday-1-15-09 Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:49:27 GMT Anyone who knows me realizes I'm not really a mainstream player collector. I like lower-end, under the radar guy, because:

1. Cheap to collect.
2. More fulfilling in my opinion as their cards are harder to find.

So, I got something in the mail today with a little story behind it. Here is the card.

2006 Topps Printing Plate Cyan #314 Manny Lawson 1/1





So here's the story...

The card was made available on a particular auction site a while back. I meant to bid on it but forgot as I never bid on a card until the last day. The card had an opening bid price of $19.99 and a BIN of $50. When I went back to check on it, I saw it had no bidders. I sent a message through that site to the seller stating that I would be willing to give him $15 cash for it. Since he lived an hour south of me, I'd be willing to come pick it up so he wouldn't have to mail it (Parents live in the same area). So with no postage, no paypal or that site's fees, I figured $15 was a solid offer considering what he was willing to accept if he had only 1 bidder.

The seller declined and stated he would be coming to Raleigh and setting up at the card show and he'd have it there. I said cool as i was setting up at the same show. I asked him what price would he have on it there. He said $50...which left me going :confused0024:. Now if he couldn't get that on that particular site...what makes him think he'd get that a card show? Yes, the player went to NC State, but seriously.

Anyhow, obviously it did not sell there, nor did I even bother to check it out at the show. I knew it was a matter of time until it popped up again and sure enough it did. It was listed with a $3.00 starting bid and a $20 BIN. With 30 seconds left to go, I made my bid ($15 including shipping). I won it for $9.39 shipped as seen here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=260342702042

So now I have the card in my possession at a discount for what I was originally willing to pay for it and the seller is now stuck with shipping costs, paypal fees and ebay fees. Patience is a virtue my friends...

Moral of today's story: Seller's greed = Bad Karma ]]> Enigma http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/111-Manny-Lawson-Mailday-1-15-09 http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/104-Frustrations Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:50:59 GMT Being a member of SCF for a little over 5 1/2 years and a part of this madcap hobby for even longer, noticing changes become more and more easier to recognize. Growing up, kids would sit on... Being a member of SCF for a little over 5 1/2 years and a part of this madcap hobby for even longer, noticing changes become more and more easier to recognize.

Growing up, kids would sit on porches, in bedrooms, at school, on the bus, at the ballpark, etc., and simply trade for players they liked. It didn't matter the reason and no one cared what type of card it was. It was a simple way of the trading life.

In 1987, I was introduced to the idea that these pictures of cardboard was worth money as a guy my dad knew from work sold cards at a local card show. And it was from him I heard the most dreadful word a kid could ever hear when it comes to the hobby, Beckett. After hearing about, I had to have this magazine. So while at the next show, I got one and was amazed at the dollar amount that appeared by some of the cards. My best friend was with me and we immediately looked up his Mark McGwire Olympic RC from 1985 Topps that he pulled out of a pack. Lo and behold, it showed 50.00. We were floored. He thought he was rich because to a kid 50 dollars was everything at that time. So I had this card, a Don Mattingly RC from 1984 Donruss. Never thought much about the card until I flipped the page in reverse. There it was...80.00. Holy crap! You would have thought I was holding a gold brick the way I was gripping the card. Fortunately, I didn't damage it as I didn't know about top loaders, penny sleeves, and so forth...

So here I am, now introduced to the world of sports cards as a commodity and my innocence forever erased. Now, 22 years later, times sure have changed.

But on to what this is about...

Frustrations:

1. Posting a card for sale and a potential buyer will find the lowest auction on eBay to tell you it sells for that price. Also, trying to buy a card and the potential seller will find the highest auction on eBay to tell you it sells for that price.

Solution -
People need to realize that one auction does not set a price gauge (unless it is numbered to 10 or less and that's not always true either). Showing me one auction tells me nothing. Could have been a price war...shill bid...etc. On the other end, it could have been mislisted, ended and a bad time, etc. Also, keep in mind that some cards are going to obtain more or less interest based on things such as numbering, jersey/patch colors, crispness and clarity of autos, etc.

What a buyer and seller needs to do if they are going to go the eBay route is take the last 7 auctions for that card (you can sort completed auctions by end time). Throw out the highest and lowest prices. Take the other 5 and simply get an average (including the shipping price) and that will give you a better idea of what it goes for.

2. Seeing posts that state "I must sell" or something to that effect and then the seller is not flexible on prices.

Solution - Don't post this and waste a buyer's time if you really aren't selling. If you must sell, that means you are willing to take a price lower than what you want as you need the money. That doesn't mean accepting $2 when you wanted $20. That means being reasonable. Yes, it's your cards and you are free to sell them for what you want...but it is misleading (and will get you put on some people's "Do not deal with" list). Must sell is saying you need to get some money. Be willing to accept a little less and you'll get a lot more in return than being stingy and using "must sell" as a ploy.

3. Post that state "looking for all cards of (insert player's name here)" and in reality, the person is only looking for particular cards.

Solution - Don't waste the time of other traders. State explicit what you want. Say you want all cards, means you want everything, including duplicates. It's saying you want all base and lower-end cards. Don't say it if you don't mean it.

4. Picking on someone's collection because it is small, low-end, lesser known players, etc.

Solution - Don't do it. It was absolutely in bad taste to make fun of anyone's collection. Just because the person doesn't collect the hot names or the Flavor of the Week doesn't mean it's a useless collection. The joy of collecting is you can make it into whatever you want. Only want to do base sets, go for it. Only want to do rookies, go for it. Only collect specific players or teams, go for it. That's what's great about this hobby. You can make it into whatever you want and enjoy it. Respect all collectors and their collections.

I'm going to stop here, but the list could easily continue and it's saad to even think that. Hobbies are meant to be enjoyed, not feel like it's work. There's something for everyone in this hobby and we should embrace them all.

I'm sure you have your own frustrations and I'd love to hear them. Feel free to post them in your comments...but please post your solution to them as well... ]]> Enigma http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/104-Frustrations http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/57-Manny-Lawson-Personal-Collection Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:35:23 GMT In continuing my quest for lesser known players, I have posted my Manny Lawson (http://www.sportscardforum.com/blog.php?cp=13) PC. I will update it with pics and new arrivals as they arrive. My... In continuing my quest for lesser known players, I have posted my Manny Lawson PC. I will update it with pics and new arrivals as they arrive.

My affinity with Lawson goes back to his days in high school while he lived in Goldsboro, NC. He attended Eastern Wayne High School, which was one of the smaller rivals of my own former high school. I was able to follow his time there and when he signed with the NC State Wolfpack, it became a no-brainer for me to follow his career (die-hard Pack fan).

While at State, he partnered up with Mario Williams to become one of the most feared defensive combos in ACC history. Also, he became an instant legend at State due to his punt/field goal blocking ability. Lawson and Williams joined fellow line mate John McCargo as the first threesome to get drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in Wolfpack history.

Lawson got drafted by my favorite team (San Francisco 49ers) and was moved to the outside linebacker position. He had a solid rookie year but was sidelines for most of 2007 with ACL injury. In 2008, he was able to partner up with Patrick Willis to create a formidable 1-2 punch in the middle of an improved defense.

Here is a link to Manny Lawson's bio. ]]> Enigma http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/57-Manny-Lawson-Personal-Collection http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/56-SCF-and-YouTube Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:21:20 GMT Did you know that Sports Card Forum has its own YouTube Channel? You should check it out and subscribe. There are numerous box breaks as well as other sports card related videos. Noticed that the... Did you know that Sports Card Forum has its own YouTube Channel? You should check it out and subscribe. There are numerous box breaks as well as other sports card related videos. Noticed that the channel already has 94 subscribers. Why not join the list? Check out all of the fun, here. ]]> Enigma http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/56-SCF-and-YouTube http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/55-My-Sam-Aiken-Personal-Collection Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:14:23 GMT I have posted my Sam Aiken Collection for everyone to view. I'll be adding scans throughout the next coming days. Also, any time I get a new addition to it, I'll post here and add it to my list.

Sam had a breakout year of sorts with the New England Patriots in 2008. Drafted in 2003 in the 4th Round by the Buffalo Bills, Aiken signed with the Pats in this past offseason when they were looking for a new Special Teams specialist. He came in mainly for that, but was also listed as the 6th WR on the depth chart. However, towards the middle of the season, Sam was seeing more and more playing time as a WR...at times, playing as the slot receiver on 3-Wide formations. He ended the year with 8 catches and 101 yards, including a spectacular 43 yard reception against the NY Jets.

His bio can be viewed here. ]]> Enigma http://www.sportscardforum.com/entries/55-My-Sam-Aiken-Personal-Collection