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Number of Posts:2336
Registered on:11/7/2021
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I knew a few kids growing up who played year-round travel ball from an early age and got burned out. Would have been solid high school players but they just switched to football instead. Elementary school kids need a break from the sport. Summer camp, trips with friends, trying other sports, etc. Then if they are talented enough in middle school they can start playing select to ramp up competition.
The ROI of opening modern junk wax is abysmal. Just buy the singles you want. Vintage has proven to hold value, I don't think that'll be the case with modern and the overproduction of parallels in recent years.

He just can't help himself with the curve down and away
Watching the Giants broadcast, Jon Miller on the call

For those not aware, Operation Bullpen was an FBI investigation that ran in the 90s and early 2000s. They estimated that the majority of all sports memorabilia in the US is counterfeit: Operation Bullpen

Fast forward 20 years. One of largest dealers of signed memorabilia, Brett Lemieux AKA Mister Mancave, got raided and confessed that he used counterfeiters and autopen to forge countless signatures and also forged certificate of authenticity stickers from all the major 3rd party authenticators: ESPN

Even with the autographs that are actually authenticated by PSA, JSA, etc, the forgers have gotten way too sophisticated for them to say with any degree of certainty that any autograph is authentic. All this to say, if you're going to buy signed/game used stuff, make sure its actually authenticated by the league itself, which requires autos to be signed in front of a league rep.
Its been junk wax 2.0 since COVID. Aside from a handful of players, base cards are worthless. They have compensated for this by printing dozens of parallels across dozens of different product lines. I mean compare the flagship Topps release to 20 years ago, its a fricking joke:

2025 Topps checklist

2005 Topps checklist

re: Carvana Experiences?

Posted by foosball on 7/25/26 at 11:00 pm to
Sell but don’t buy. They are notorious for flipping cars with hidden mechanical issues. If you do buy from them, get a private inspection within the 7 day return window.

On a related note, some recommended reading about their shady business practices that may or may not be sustainable:

Hindenburg Research
The D-backs got to the world series in 2024 going 84-78. This team is capable of getting hot and making a run. Just can't justify tearing it down while 2 games back
quote:

They jumped way past the happy medium and now have an unsustainable model


My question is how long are these boosters going to keep spending millions on players? It can't just be billionaires funding this. Spending a significant amount of money to sign some guy who can leave the next year is insane to me when you consider everything else you could blow it on