Are you cuckoo for Coco Crisp? This might be the job for you.

The internet is full of posers.  People working with stolen identities.  So when I first caught wind of this story I thought FAKE.  Let's see what you think.

Here's a recent ad from Craigslist

Yeah... right.  Coco Crisp, a Major League Baseball player for the Oakland A's, who is making good money, has turned to Craigslist to go looking for a personal assistant... sure.  Oh, and if you want the job you must be FEMALE and along with your resume send a PICTURE... OK.   This is starting to sound like a bad pickup or a setup for a segment of Dateline NBC.

I was ready to laugh this one off.  While in the process of tweeting (That's using Twitter for those of you that don't know, and for those of you that do know and tweet, you should follow us if you don't already at http://twitter.com/Allaboutcards  )  I thought I'd check out Coco Crisp's Twitter page.  Surely he would have something to say about this ridiculous hoax.   Here is what I found.

Here, let me make that top tweet bigger for you.

As the British would say, I was gobsmacked.  Unless Coco is in on a joke, all of this is for real.  

So for all of you... wait... strike that.. for all of you females (sorry guys, its his ad, not mine) that have dreamed of being a ball players personal assistant, (but probably not as fanatic as Annie Savoy) if you live in or would be willing to live in Southern California and you don't mind scheduling, shopping, cooking and some light cleaning, Coco is looking for you.

The Minnesota Vikings waive Randy Moss or Moss' Weekend in New England

 

I wrote in my post "Randy Moss and Tom Brady in a girl fight" that the New England Patriots traded Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings for about a pack of gum.  Well...  it looks like the Patriots got the better end of the deal.


Less than a month after the trade, the Vikings have waived Randy Moss.


Fitting that I chose to feature Moss' 1999 Donruss Rookies and Stars "Slide Show" Football card.  The only thing that could have been better is if there where a line of inserts called "Downward spirals."


Could it have anything to do with his weird press conference after yesterday's game?  Randy might as well have been singing Barry Manilow's "Weekend In New England."   Please play this video as you read quotes from Moss' conference, it will help you understand the true feelings behind his words.


On his former coach, "Bill Belichick is the best coach in football history"


About how good the Patriots are as a team, "Man, I miss them guys, man.  I miss the team" and "It was hard for me to come here and play."


Questioning Brad Childress's decision to go for it on four and goal instead of kicking a field goal, "I wish we could have had that three at the end of the half.  Maybe could have been different, maybe not..."


Slamming the entire coaching staff for not listening to him during the week of prep for the game "The bad part about it -- you have six days to prepare for a team, and on the seventh day, that Sunday, meaning today, I guess they come over to me and say, 'Dag, Moss, you was right about a couple plays and a couple schemes they were going to run.' It hurts as a player that you put a lot of hard work in all week, and toward the end of the week, Sunday, when you get on the field, that's when they acknowledge about the hard work you put in throughout the week. That's actually a disappointment."  


His love letter to New England and the Patriots at the end of the conference, "I don't know how many more times I'll be in New England again.  But I leave coach Belichick and those guys with a salute; "I love you guys.  I miss you.  I'm out." 


Do you think this is the kind of stuff the coaching staff of the Vikings and its players want to hear after a loss, let alone from a guy who's been with them for less than 4 weeks?


Well... Randy Moss has no need to pine for New England anymore.  The Vikings left him there, literally.  Didn't even bother to fly him back to get his stuff in Minnesota.  Being put on waivers can affect free agency for Moss next year, so, for now, Randy Moss is in complete limbo.  To quote the song "We've started a story who's end must now wait."

Is it time for Brett Favre to retire?

PLEASE NOTE: THIS WAS POSTED BEFORE BRETT FAVRE WAS INJURED.  WE HOPE FOR NOTHING LESS THAN THE BEST FOR HIS LONG TERM HEALTH.

Brett Favre is putting up good stats today, very impressive for someone with a damaged ankle.  In his 292nd consecutive start, there is no question that Favre has earned his right to stay on the field if he feels he can still play.  But as I sit here watching the Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots game, I can't help but wait for what I term  "The Favre Meltdown." That point late in the game where he tries to live up to what he thinks is still his image, the invincible quarterback.  It's an ugly point late  in the game where he tosses a wobbly football into a sea of opposing defenders, gets picked and costs the Vikes the game.  Yes, its cynical, some bad mojo for sure, but it seems like Standard Operating Procedure at this point in Favre's career.

I'm not against veteran players trying to extend their careers, George Blanda is a prime example.  But something bothers me with the way Brett Favre has handled himself since his first retirement.  I'm starting to feel that if Favre tries to extend through the end of the season, he might do more damage than good to himself and the Vikings.   I respect the man for what he has done as a quarterback in the past, but I'm uncomfortable watching him play at this point.  To me, its tarnishing his career's impact.

So what do you think?  Should Favre stick it out or has he overstayed his welcome?

Panini is back on the ice. They shoot, they Score!!!

Some of us remember the days when you took your allowance, went to your local candy shop or pharmacy and plunked down 30 to 45 cents for a pack of cards.  Somedays you might even pick up a two or three packs.  It was an easy purchase, nothing you had to think too heavily about.

When you ripped the packs open, instead of speeding through the cards looking for inserts, you took the time to check out the pictures on all the cards, read the stats on the back, even the trivia about the players.

Instead of placing the cards directly into penny sleeves and protectors, you might use them in a game of flipping, tossing them against a wall or throwing them on the ground.  Crazy, huh?

I still have close to 4000 1990 Donruss Baseball cards, all collected a pack at a time.  I also have plenty of Hockey cards.  No... I'm not Canadian.  You see while I love Baseball and Football, I also find Hockey to be one of the most exciting sports to watch, more so live than on TV, but most fans of the sport will tell you that.   I have original cards of Phil Esposito, Bobby Clarke, Gerry Cheevers, Denis Potvin, Marcel Dionne, Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier to name a few.

That's why I'm really excited this year Panini is releasing 2010-11 Score Hockey. Why?  Let me make a list.

1 - 2010-11 Score Hockey should cost you about a buck a pack.  That's right, one dollar.  You wont break the bank buying these cards.  If you've never collected Hockey cards or are new to the sport, it's a great way of jumping in.  At a dollar a pack you can't miss.   But a low price point alone is not reason enough to buy anything, which brings me to my next point.

2 - These cards look fantastic.  Look for yourself.

If Donny and Marie were singing about these cards, they'd say "they're a little bit Throw Back and a little bit Rock n Roll."  The photography is clean, close enough to see the players and yet wide enough to feel some of the action of the game.  A difficult balance to strike with hockey cards because the game moves so fast and photographers have to shoot from a distance.  The graphics and design are straight forward.  They don't detract from the pictures.  Unlike some cards, the names can be clearly seen.  You might not be able to pronounce them, but you can read them with ease.

3 - There are some nice inserts.  The inserts I don't have a picture of, but wish I did because they're fabulous are called "Net Cam" with photos taken from inside the goal at the back of the net, giving you an incredible view of the goalie and opposing players trying to score.  Talk about feeling like you're on the ice.   

Then there are USA greats and Canada Greats too.

And for the rookie obsessed, there are these;

Isolated photos so you get to know these players.  Nice touch Panini.  But even at a buck a pack, there are still hits to be had, not easy to get, but they are there.  

4- I'm talking autos.  

These are truly drool worthy.  Some of the greatest players of the game and once again, clean, clean, clean.  No over done graphics to detract from the impact of the players or there signatures.  On card, hard signed autograph buybacks, not stickers.  How great is that?  These would be super to own.

5 - Did I mention they're a buck a pack?

At 500 base cards, you'll be doing a lot of collecting, but its worth it.  This is an easy purchase and an easy recommend.  Great to see Score back in the game.  It's a great set for novice and veteran collectors, and at a buck a pack, a must buy.

Randy Moss and Tom Brady in a girl fight

As if it weren't embarrassing enough for Randy Moss that the New England Patriots traded him to the Minnesota Vikings for about a pack of gum, now there's a rumor that just before Moss left the team, he got into what is being termed as an "altercation" (or more accurately a "catfight") with Tom Brady over, of all things, hair.  It started when Brady told Moss to shave his beard and in response, Moss told Brady to cut his hair because he looks like a girl.  It's a good thing that Troy Polamalu wasn't in the room, because I think he would have beaten both of them senseless.

But while both Brady and Moss are clearly stuck somewhere between Safety and Esteem on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, if you look back at the history of football, its clear that follicles, both facial and on top of your noggin, should not be an issue.  The 1974, 1975 and 1978 seasons proved that alone.  Just look at Jim Kick.

That's a lot of hair... everywhere.  Do you think it affected his play?  NO!  With that much testosterone coursing through his veins, he was just happy to be on the gridiron, knocking guys around..  Here are some others who celebrated their hair.  How about Bill Lenkaitis?

There's Something About Bill, wouldn't you say?  I wonder if that's hair gel. 

It's clear on which side Wally Chambers preferred to part his hair and Ray May was sporting some awesome chops.

Did you think Steve Tannen ever went to a "Stylist"?  No... he ate them for lunch.

Clearly Carl Gersbach and John Beasley looked this way when they got out of bed.  And who was going to tell them to brush their hair?  NO ONE!

Hair Club For Men?  Rogaine?  NO!  Len St. Jean and Pat Toomay worked with what they had and no one had anything to say about it.

Of course there where those who were a little ahead of their time.  Caring about their hair, but certainly not getting in fights about it.

Norm Snead was alway well groomed and Jim Langer had a Superman thing going on.

Lynn Dickey had a nice set of locks.  Hey...  wait a minute.  Is it possible that Tom Brady's dad had this card and Little Tom saw it at an impressionable age AND NOW IT'S TRIGGERING A SENSE MEMORY?  

You know people are saying Brady now looks like teen pop idol sensation Justin Bieber.

After all it is Justin Bieber's world or his world 2.0.  By the way his book just dropped October 1st, if a book can, in fact, drop.

Yes Brady looks a lot like Justin Bieber, but in my mind, I find Brady to be more Dickey.

At least they should be thankful that they're not sporting a Tebow.

No... You Sketch It

Fifth grade Christmas recital.  Everyone was required to sing on stage.  We were in height order, which I loved because to my immediate right is the cutest girl in the entire class, Karen.  I'm wasn't too excited to be singing, but I'm went with it because Karen was totally into it and exhibiting signs of being into me.

What she didn't know was, for the past couple of weeks,  I had been experiencing some... um... changes.  Boy to man changes.  Awkward.

Everything was going great until we got to one part of the chorus that I chose to sing with some gusto and thanks to my impending manhood, I cracked a few uneven notes.  After the song was done, Steven, the short guy directly in front of me, decided to turn around and rather publicly stated "You sound like a frog."  Well... this got him quite a few laughs, Karen's interest in me deflated and I was scarred for life.  If we ever play "Rock Band" together, please don't ask me to take the microphone, I'll pick up the sticks and play the drums in the background, thank you very much.

But singing isn't the worst of my abilities, the one thing I absolutely can't do is draw.  Even my stick figures are hard to make out.   It is my true weak point.

While involved in one of my favorite activities, ripping new packs of cards,  I received a card, or should I say "special note" from Topps asking me the question: "Think you have what it takes to be a Topps sketch card artist?  Well Topps... the answer is... no... no I do not.  So I'll gladly pass.

The only problem is in 40 packs of Series 2, I've received 4 sketch cards.  With the odds of 1 sketch card in every 24 packs, I should have one, maybe two, but four sketch cards?   Is Steven working for Topps?

Whenever I look at the card, I think everyone at Topps is laughing at me, just waiting for me to send it back so they can post it on their wall of shame.  Am I doomed to be teased, grade school style,  for the rest of my life?

So, Topps, in response to your request that "I Sketch It" I say, "No... You Sketch It."  That's why I pay you and not the other way around.  Don't send me anymore of those blank white cards, I don't want them, and if you don't stop bullying me, I'm going to tell my Mommy.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

I usually rummage through my old cards whenever a new season starts and it’s finally here.  No more pre-season games, watching guys trying to make the team.  Now it counts.  And incase I forget that, I'll have Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long to remind me, repeatedly, how much it counts. 

They do this because they are no longer football players.  No… they are “analysts.”  Go ahead, look it up.  They get paid to “analyze” which, in their case, means laugh a lot and point out the obvious.   And sure, there is a whole crop of recent retirees who have traded their jerseys and pads for suits and microphones, but even the old timers gave it a try.   Like Johnny Unitas and Joe Namath who stuck around for a bit, but eventually quit. 

But there are those who stuck it out like Dan Dierdorf and Bob Griese and are still behind the microphone to this day.  

Some even went into acting like Merlin Olsen (Little House on the Prairie), Alex Karras (Blazing Saddles, Webster), Dick Butkus (Any Given Sunday, Hang Time)  and John Matuszak (Goonies).

All of this makes me think about what will happen to Kurt Warner?  Will he be in the next Will Ferrel movie?

And what about Greg Jennings and Derrick Mason?  Will they become "analysts" in 2020?

Will Darrelle Revis become the perfect replacement for Drew Carey on "The Price is Right?"

Its a lot to think about, but I don't have the time for that because Football is on and now it counts.