HOF Additions

The fake jersey scandal that has affected our hobby has been a main topic of discussion among collectors for days now.  Probably every collector has heard about this story by now.  Some are going to dump their relic cards in the ocean or they are going to trade them.

For those few that may be reading this and not know what scandal I am talking about, let me summarize what is going on.  A man sold counterfeit baseball jerseys to some of the main card manufacturers and those card companies cut those jerseys up and stuck them in baseball cards.  The card companies didn't seem to do their due diligence in checking the authenticity of these jerseys.  The card companies needed them quick and were willing to go on the black market to fill the demand of relic cards.

I hope this is real.  I hope this is real.  I hope this is real.  Saying this over and over again won't help guarantee that this is an actual piece of cloth from a Rickey Henderson jersey.

I picked this card up last week to bolster my hall of fame collection.  It was well priced from an e-mail seller that I buy from.  I may shy away from relics now and spend more of my resources on autographs.

This card still looks slick though.  If this is real, then it is a major addition to my collection.  Maybe Topps will mention which sets have the fraudulent jersey pieces in them?

Henderson was one of the more exciting players that I have ever seen play.  He brought speed, patience, power, bravado, flair, arrogance and skills to the game.  More players with those attributes are needed in baseball.  The type of player that you have to watch have an at-bat or run the bases.  The player that brings an art and grace to the field.

That was Rickey Henderson.

Kirby Puckett was another exciting player.  He was short and chubby.  Puckett didn't look like an athlete but, when you watched him play baseball, his size and shape didn't matter.  He was a beast and a very good all-around player.  He could hit for power, play some good defense, and even steal a few bases.  Puckett stole at least 20 bases twice in his 12 year career.

Puckett was also a two time champion with the Twins.  I remember the 1991 World Series.  That was an epic battle between the Twins and Atlanta Braves.  The Twins won in in 7 games and Puckett had 3 walks in that game.

I also remember the dome that the Twins used to play in.  The Metrodome used to shake from the high noise level that the Twins fans brought each playoff game.  It is a shame the Twins ownership gave up that home field advantage.  The Metrodome probably won them a few extra games each year.

I really love the look of the Topps Gallery sets.  The paintings are nice and getting a bat relic of Kirby Puckett is great.

Were counterfeit bats also sold to card companies?

I hope this is real.  I hope this is real.  I hope this is real.