The Budget Collector has been entranced with Upper Deck's O-Pee-Chee set, possibly because I know it's going to be a one-off set, but also probably because the set is autograph friendly, and CHEAP! At a retail of $1.59 per pack at Target, and only slightly more elsewhere, it's a steal. Sure there's only 6 cards, but you can't have everything.
Also, with the release of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra most of my collecting dollars have been spent on small articulated hunks of plastic lately. Unfortunately I missed the Toys R Us super-sale, where you could get two Joes for $10, and if you bought four you could have also gotten a $10 gift card. I have purchased four of the new single carded Joes so far (Scarlett in Black Suit, Snake-Eyes Paris Pursuit, Unhooded Storm Shadow and Destro) plus two of the Target exclusive figure/vehicle deluxe packs, which are a STEAL at $9.99. That's my favorite price-point for a small vehicle and figure pack. Can't wait for wave two which will feature the SNAKE armor from way back when in a heretofore unreleased color.
Fantasy Football My keeper league has 8 owners, and I'd like to get a couple more at least. If you're interested in a competitive league with a lot of smack talking, leave me a comment and I'll send you an invite. It's a free Yahoo league. The draft is next Saturday.
Are you looking for display cases for your action figures or other small toys? Look no further than the Container Store which has awesome cases for just EIGHT BUCKS! They also have simple plexiglass cases for balls, bats, pucks, and whatever other memorabilia you want to keep in good condition. Believe it or not, I need a cereal box display for my still unopened box of "Pirates of the Caribbean" Cereal.
The Budget Collector is now broke for the week after dropping over $100 on routine automobile maintenance.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Upper Deck Baseball - Not Dead Yet
Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard that Topps is now the exclusive license-holder for Major League Baseball. What this means is that Topps is the only company that can print and distribute any Baseball cards with Major League Logos and trademarks.
HOWEVER, that does not mean that the other former license holder, Upper Deck, is left entirely out of the loop. Recently UD signed an extension of their agreement with the MLB Players' Association, which means that they can produce products with the players' names and likenesses on them, BUT without MLB Logos and trademarks. This is not the first time this has happened in Baseball, in fact, many of the sets that Topps produced in the 70's and 80's were unlicensed by MLB and carried no logos (you can see them airbrushed out, famously in the 1981 Topps set).
So while fellow bloggers are decrying exclusivity and a lack of Upper Deck Baseball Cards next season, it ain't gonna happen. In fact, I just received this press release:
<>
Upper Deck Sets the Record Straight on the Future of the Baseball Card Market
Carlsbad, CA (August 7, 2009) – On July 2, 2009, The Upper Deck Company and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) announced their renewed partnership to produce baseball trading cards for the upcoming 2010 season, building on the successes of recent years in rebuilding the trading card category through strengthened distribution, consumer-friendly pricing, dynamic products and interactive promotions designed to attract kids to the excitement of baseball cards. This license provides Upper Deck with the rights to feature current Major League Baseball Players on their trading cards, including the game’s most collectible and sought-after superstars.
“Looking ahead to 2010, we are 100% committed to building the highest quality and most innovative baseball cards in the industry,” said Upper Deck CEO Richard McWilliam. “We look forward to announcing more details on our product portfolio in the coming weeks.”
Since its inception in 1989, Upper Deck has been the market leader for both its ability to create top-quality super premium products and to develop innovative programs that promote baseball cards to kids. In the past four years alone, Upper Deck has committed more than $21 million dollars to increase kids’ interest in baseball cards. Through annual television advertising campaigns, numerous retail promotions and online initiatives such as Upper Deck’s Kids Rewards and the current UpperDeckU.com virtual world, Upper Deck has led the way in dramatically increasing household penetration of kids collecting sports cards from 8% in 2005 to a reported 44% in 2008.
The MLBPA license agreement provides access to more than 1,200 current Major League Baseball players, including all of its stars. Fans can look forward to finding cards featuring autographs and pieces of game-used equipment from the biggest names in baseball including Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Ken Griffey Jr., and hundreds more. "Great cards of great players will continue to be the cornerstone of all Upper Deck products,” added McWilliam.
The license agreement between Upper Deck and the MLBPA ensures the company's continued commitment to its existing consumer base, while at the same time building on its extensive investments to stimulate even greater interest among new users and kids.
“We’re looking forward to continuing the partnership with Upper Deck, a licensee that is clearly focused on the long-term growth of the trading card category," said Judy Heeter, MLBPA Director of Business Affairs & Licensing. "We believe strong competition is generally good for consumers, and expect that our ongoing relationships with both Topps and Upper Deck will ensure consumer choices that lead to category growth."
<>
UD cards will still be published next season, albeit with no Logos, and perhaps no team names either (I guess that means that the Angels will be called Los Angeles (AL)).
I also don't see this as a permanent situation, in fact Will's crystal ball will predict that the exclusivity will lead to a proliferation of licensees once Topps completely drops the ball, which we all know they will. ESPECIALLY with Topps owner Michael Eisner, who spent much of the last three decades desicrating Walt Disney's company, saying he wants to bring Trading Cards back to their intended market, children.
Uh...hey Mike, it's not 1983 anymore. Kids don't buy Baseball cards anymore. They'd rather buy video games, or certain TCGs, or even Bakugan. Trading Cards are not even a 20th Century collectible when you think about it, they're rooted deeply in the past of the 19th Century. Kids don't buy nostalgia, adults do.
While the budget collector is happy that Topps has continued it's flagship brand as a budget collectible, and has produced a quality product year in and year out, I don't see how this new focus on kids is going to help the hobby. Not one iota.
Meanwhile, Upper Deck can feel free to focus their marketing efforts on those who TRULY drive the hobby, the obsessed fanatic collectors who still have disposable income. Talk about different worlds, we're in different solar systems. For the budget collector, it's all about packs these days, because you can virtually always justify a few dollars here and there, but even a $20 blaster is getting too rich for most budget collectors.
Over the last few years Topps had made great inroads into revitalizing the Hobby direct market, with their hobby exclusive giveaway cards, HTA program, and hobby only product. Now that the focus is on kids, and kids increasingly don't bother with hobby stores these days, will Topps start caring more about retail, where the Wal-Marts and Targets of the world are actually selling more product than at Hobby?
Hmm...food for thought.
In many ways, the trading card market needs to take a page from the Toy collecting market. After a great many years, toy manufacturers finally discovered that a good segment of their market was adult collectors who will pay more for what they want, if they can find it. Mattel and Hasbro, the two major Action Figure toy companies both have their own exclusive online-stores, and also have other products that go exclusively to online retailers. While both Topps and Upper Deck both have online stores, neither have products that are exclusive to the online world, unless you count e-Topps, and most people wouldn't.
With technology driving our world faster and faster, trading cards are ultimately a dying breed of collectible. Much like cassette tapes, 8-tracks, and eventually CDs, the medium itself is now meaningless. Is it any wonder that the two most popular card types these days are relics and certified autos? Is that because virtually days after release, every single card in a set has been scanned and posted online?
Will the simple act of sorting your collection become nothing more than a click of a computer button?
Will Topps take their exclusive contract and run with it, or drop the ball? My bet is on a colossal tank job, but I'm also a bit hopeful that this actually could be in a move in the right direction. Already in this down economy we've seen far fewer sets than last year or the year before. The real question is can Topps and Upper Deck continue to roll with the economic punches, or will trading cards finally go the way of the dodo?
HOWEVER, that does not mean that the other former license holder, Upper Deck, is left entirely out of the loop. Recently UD signed an extension of their agreement with the MLB Players' Association, which means that they can produce products with the players' names and likenesses on them, BUT without MLB Logos and trademarks. This is not the first time this has happened in Baseball, in fact, many of the sets that Topps produced in the 70's and 80's were unlicensed by MLB and carried no logos (you can see them airbrushed out, famously in the 1981 Topps set).
So while fellow bloggers are decrying exclusivity and a lack of Upper Deck Baseball Cards next season, it ain't gonna happen. In fact, I just received this press release:
<
Upper Deck Sets the Record Straight on the Future of the Baseball Card Market
Carlsbad, CA (August 7, 2009) – On July 2, 2009, The Upper Deck Company and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) announced their renewed partnership to produce baseball trading cards for the upcoming 2010 season, building on the successes of recent years in rebuilding the trading card category through strengthened distribution, consumer-friendly pricing, dynamic products and interactive promotions designed to attract kids to the excitement of baseball cards. This license provides Upper Deck with the rights to feature current Major League Baseball Players on their trading cards, including the game’s most collectible and sought-after superstars.
“Looking ahead to 2010, we are 100% committed to building the highest quality and most innovative baseball cards in the industry,” said Upper Deck CEO Richard McWilliam. “We look forward to announcing more details on our product portfolio in the coming weeks.”
Since its inception in 1989, Upper Deck has been the market leader for both its ability to create top-quality super premium products and to develop innovative programs that promote baseball cards to kids. In the past four years alone, Upper Deck has committed more than $21 million dollars to increase kids’ interest in baseball cards. Through annual television advertising campaigns, numerous retail promotions and online initiatives such as Upper Deck’s Kids Rewards and the current UpperDeckU.com virtual world, Upper Deck has led the way in dramatically increasing household penetration of kids collecting sports cards from 8% in 2005 to a reported 44% in 2008.
The MLBPA license agreement provides access to more than 1,200 current Major League Baseball players, including all of its stars. Fans can look forward to finding cards featuring autographs and pieces of game-used equipment from the biggest names in baseball including Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Ken Griffey Jr., and hundreds more. "Great cards of great players will continue to be the cornerstone of all Upper Deck products,” added McWilliam.
The license agreement between Upper Deck and the MLBPA ensures the company's continued commitment to its existing consumer base, while at the same time building on its extensive investments to stimulate even greater interest among new users and kids.
“We’re looking forward to continuing the partnership with Upper Deck, a licensee that is clearly focused on the long-term growth of the trading card category," said Judy Heeter, MLBPA Director of Business Affairs & Licensing. "We believe strong competition is generally good for consumers, and expect that our ongoing relationships with both Topps and Upper Deck will ensure consumer choices that lead to category growth."
<
UD cards will still be published next season, albeit with no Logos, and perhaps no team names either (I guess that means that the Angels will be called Los Angeles (AL)).
I also don't see this as a permanent situation, in fact Will's crystal ball will predict that the exclusivity will lead to a proliferation of licensees once Topps completely drops the ball, which we all know they will. ESPECIALLY with Topps owner Michael Eisner, who spent much of the last three decades desicrating Walt Disney's company, saying he wants to bring Trading Cards back to their intended market, children.
Uh...hey Mike, it's not 1983 anymore. Kids don't buy Baseball cards anymore. They'd rather buy video games, or certain TCGs, or even Bakugan. Trading Cards are not even a 20th Century collectible when you think about it, they're rooted deeply in the past of the 19th Century. Kids don't buy nostalgia, adults do.
While the budget collector is happy that Topps has continued it's flagship brand as a budget collectible, and has produced a quality product year in and year out, I don't see how this new focus on kids is going to help the hobby. Not one iota.
Meanwhile, Upper Deck can feel free to focus their marketing efforts on those who TRULY drive the hobby, the obsessed fanatic collectors who still have disposable income. Talk about different worlds, we're in different solar systems. For the budget collector, it's all about packs these days, because you can virtually always justify a few dollars here and there, but even a $20 blaster is getting too rich for most budget collectors.
Over the last few years Topps had made great inroads into revitalizing the Hobby direct market, with their hobby exclusive giveaway cards, HTA program, and hobby only product. Now that the focus is on kids, and kids increasingly don't bother with hobby stores these days, will Topps start caring more about retail, where the Wal-Marts and Targets of the world are actually selling more product than at Hobby?
Hmm...food for thought.
In many ways, the trading card market needs to take a page from the Toy collecting market. After a great many years, toy manufacturers finally discovered that a good segment of their market was adult collectors who will pay more for what they want, if they can find it. Mattel and Hasbro, the two major Action Figure toy companies both have their own exclusive online-stores, and also have other products that go exclusively to online retailers. While both Topps and Upper Deck both have online stores, neither have products that are exclusive to the online world, unless you count e-Topps, and most people wouldn't.
With technology driving our world faster and faster, trading cards are ultimately a dying breed of collectible. Much like cassette tapes, 8-tracks, and eventually CDs, the medium itself is now meaningless. Is it any wonder that the two most popular card types these days are relics and certified autos? Is that because virtually days after release, every single card in a set has been scanned and posted online?
Will the simple act of sorting your collection become nothing more than a click of a computer button?
Will Topps take their exclusive contract and run with it, or drop the ball? My bet is on a colossal tank job, but I'm also a bit hopeful that this actually could be in a move in the right direction. Already in this down economy we've seen far fewer sets than last year or the year before. The real question is can Topps and Upper Deck continue to roll with the economic punches, or will trading cards finally go the way of the dodo?
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Dreaming of San Diego
I lived in San Diego from the time I was 10 years old, leaving in 1998 at age 27. I attended my first San Diego Comic Con in 1985, when it was still at Golden Hall, and between 1985 and 1997 I went to 10 conventions. In 1989 and 1990 I worked for the Con as the "assistant editor" of the Japanese Animation Convention Guide (I typed/edited most of the synopses). In 1995 I worked for Decipher giving demos of their Star Trek TNG CCG game, which was by far one of the more fun experiences. I haven't PAID to get into SDCC since 1988, I've either had a comp badge, a pro-badge or worked for the show. The prices they're asking now seem to me to be outrageous, though a good value these days I suppose.
The BEST collectibles that I obtained at the cons didn't cost me a thing, for the most part. After a few years of attending I realized that a ton of people carried around blank sketchbooks and would get sketches done by their favorite artists. I did the same and for about five years I amassed a collection of sketches that, while not museum worthy, means a ton to me.
Stuff like:
and the list could go on and on.
Yes, convention only editions of comics are nice, because they're exclusive, but very few of them are actually worth the added price you pay. Convention toys are obviously your best bang for your buck, especially if you turn them on eBay right away (speaking of which, anyone want to pick me up a GI Joe Destro 2 pack?).
For my money though, the best thing at any convention is the interaction with your favorite creators, who are all there at Con. I have stories about Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Michael Moorcock, Frank Miller, John Byrne, Steve Rude, and so many more.
I wish I could be in San Diego this weekend, but it's bittersweet for me too. I'd love to see old friends, but I can't afford to spend the money I'd really like to spend there.
Maybe next year.
The BEST collectibles that I obtained at the cons didn't cost me a thing, for the most part. After a few years of attending I realized that a ton of people carried around blank sketchbooks and would get sketches done by their favorite artists. I did the same and for about five years I amassed a collection of sketches that, while not museum worthy, means a ton to me.
Stuff like:
- A Harvey Kurtzman original.
- A two-piece "theme" of Batman by Jerry Ordway and Superman by Dan Jurgens
- A beautiful Dinosaur (and me I think) by Geoff Darrow
- A portrait of 'Rain' from the House of Secrets Vertigo series by Teddy Kristiansen (who had already done a Grendel for me in a previous year), that was actually the SECOND piece he did that day, asking if I could tear out and trash the first one he did because he didn't like it!
- No less than three different Matt Wagner sketches, and several Grendel pieces by other related artists, such as Tim Sale and the aforementioned Teddy K.
- A rockhopper by Tom Luth, that he HAND Water-colored
- Several different Usagi Yojimbo sketches by Stan Sakai
- A couple of Anime girls by the creator of Sailor Moon
- Several characters by Ben Dunn, Harrison Fong and Barry Blair, all 'underground' artists at the time.
- A Jim Lee Wolverine head
- A Kevin Eastman Donatello head
- A rare Hellblazer sketch by GRANT FREAKING MORRISON
- A beautiful Swamp Thing sketch that took over an hour by Rick Veitch
and the list could go on and on.
Yes, convention only editions of comics are nice, because they're exclusive, but very few of them are actually worth the added price you pay. Convention toys are obviously your best bang for your buck, especially if you turn them on eBay right away (speaking of which, anyone want to pick me up a GI Joe Destro 2 pack?).
For my money though, the best thing at any convention is the interaction with your favorite creators, who are all there at Con. I have stories about Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Michael Moorcock, Frank Miller, John Byrne, Steve Rude, and so many more.
I wish I could be in San Diego this weekend, but it's bittersweet for me too. I'd love to see old friends, but I can't afford to spend the money I'd really like to spend there.
Maybe next year.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Angels now 1/2 Game Back!
I don't know if anyone's been watching lately, but the Halos are now only 1/2 game back of the West Leader Texas Rangers. Just got finished watching the great come-from-behind win that the Angels gutted out over our cross-town rivals, which was cause for joy. The Halos have been beating up on National League teams for the last week sweeping both the Padres and the Giants, combined with tonight's victory over the Bums means their Interleague record is a League best 9-1. In the last 7 games the Angels are unbeaten, while the Rangers have gone 3-4 in the same span.
Unfortunately Manager Mike Sciosia, who is the longest tenured manager in the AL, has had some pretty bad injuries to deal with this season, not the least of which was Vladdy playing in less than two dozen games at this point. Not to mention the early season tragedy that took the life of Nick Adenhart, which has clearly had an effect on the team.
These Angels are resiliant though. They will come through in the end and win the West for a third straight time, and eight over all.
By the way, tomorrow's game against the Dodgers features Jeff Weaver versus brother Jared Weaver for the first time. I really, really hope it will be a great game, and I get to see it.
Unfortunately Manager Mike Sciosia, who is the longest tenured manager in the AL, has had some pretty bad injuries to deal with this season, not the least of which was Vladdy playing in less than two dozen games at this point. Not to mention the early season tragedy that took the life of Nick Adenhart, which has clearly had an effect on the team.
These Angels are resiliant though. They will come through in the end and win the West for a third straight time, and eight over all.
By the way, tomorrow's game against the Dodgers features Jeff Weaver versus brother Jared Weaver for the first time. I really, really hope it will be a great game, and I get to see it.
Fantasy Football 2009! Already?
It's only June, but Yahoo Fantasy Football leagues are now available...so I started my annual league already. I invited back all the owners from last season, but I'd love to have a HUGE league, so if you'd like to play with us, please leave me a comment with your email and I'll send you the password.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Am I Alive? Of course I am
To my dedicated readers, I humbly apologize for no updates recently. I have a myriad of excuses for not writing, but more than anything, I just haven't had anything to say about the world of collecting right now.
Not that there isn't anything going on, there is. Razor, a newish company that specializes in unlicensed prospect sets has been alleged to be funded and run by Upper Deck CEO Richard McWilliam! The Baseball season is well underway, and while my beloved Angels haven't come out of the starting gate on fire like they had been the last couple of years, the Halos are making advances in the AL West (despite being swept by the Rangers this weekend!). The seemingingly unending NBA playoffs are in their conference finals with the Orlando Magic taking on King LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers, and the upstart Denver Nuggets playing the beloved LA Lakers beginning this week. The NHL seems to be winding down as well, their unending playoffs are also in the conference finals if I'm not mistaken, and apparently the series between the Washington Ovetchkins and the Pittsburgh Crosbys was exciting. Oh and I saw Star Trek over the weekend, so it's not like I have a lack of topics to cover. I could (and kind of plan to actually) do a piece on Trek collectibles that are out there for this new movie, and which ones are worth hunting down and which ones need to be given a wide berth (for the record, the Burger King Glasses are a must buy, the kids' meal toys - not so much, though they are fun).
There are two major reasons why I haven't blogged lately: 1) Nick Adenhart's death affected me much more that I could have imagined and 2) I've been going through a family crisis over the last couple of weeks.
My immediate family is quite fine; I got a call from Good Samaritan hospital two weeks ago, saying that my paternal Uncle had been treated and was ready for discharge, and that he needed to be picked up. He has no other kin, I'm his entire family at this point, and while I don't want to rehash what's been going on, he's been diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic and is now in the process of being placed in a permanent assisted living home because he can no longer care for himself at age 58. So that's been a huge weight on my mind, and I've really not been able to focus on much of anything beyond this situation for the last couple of weeks, and I doubt that until he's actually in the home that I'll have any energy for new posts.
On the plus side, I now have a three Mac network in my home, and at last have a workstation where I can do computer work without using my laptop (say what you want, but sometimes you need a full-size keyboard).
I wish that I could be like a number of other bloggers who update daily, or multiple times a day, but I'm not that guy. I like to think that you would value quality over quantity, but I've let you all down on both fronts lately. I can't actually promise to do better either, but I'll give it the good old college try. At some point anyway.
Not that there isn't anything going on, there is. Razor, a newish company that specializes in unlicensed prospect sets has been alleged to be funded and run by Upper Deck CEO Richard McWilliam! The Baseball season is well underway, and while my beloved Angels haven't come out of the starting gate on fire like they had been the last couple of years, the Halos are making advances in the AL West (despite being swept by the Rangers this weekend!). The seemingingly unending NBA playoffs are in their conference finals with the Orlando Magic taking on King LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers, and the upstart Denver Nuggets playing the beloved LA Lakers beginning this week. The NHL seems to be winding down as well, their unending playoffs are also in the conference finals if I'm not mistaken, and apparently the series between the Washington Ovetchkins and the Pittsburgh Crosbys was exciting. Oh and I saw Star Trek over the weekend, so it's not like I have a lack of topics to cover. I could (and kind of plan to actually) do a piece on Trek collectibles that are out there for this new movie, and which ones are worth hunting down and which ones need to be given a wide berth (for the record, the Burger King Glasses are a must buy, the kids' meal toys - not so much, though they are fun).
There are two major reasons why I haven't blogged lately: 1) Nick Adenhart's death affected me much more that I could have imagined and 2) I've been going through a family crisis over the last couple of weeks.
My immediate family is quite fine; I got a call from Good Samaritan hospital two weeks ago, saying that my paternal Uncle had been treated and was ready for discharge, and that he needed to be picked up. He has no other kin, I'm his entire family at this point, and while I don't want to rehash what's been going on, he's been diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic and is now in the process of being placed in a permanent assisted living home because he can no longer care for himself at age 58. So that's been a huge weight on my mind, and I've really not been able to focus on much of anything beyond this situation for the last couple of weeks, and I doubt that until he's actually in the home that I'll have any energy for new posts.
On the plus side, I now have a three Mac network in my home, and at last have a workstation where I can do computer work without using my laptop (say what you want, but sometimes you need a full-size keyboard).
I wish that I could be like a number of other bloggers who update daily, or multiple times a day, but I'm not that guy. I like to think that you would value quality over quantity, but I've let you all down on both fronts lately. I can't actually promise to do better either, but I'll give it the good old college try. At some point anyway.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Nick Adenhart, Angels P - Dead at 22
!BGk~$(KGrHgoOKi8EjlLmZdNYBJ3inmn-ww~~_1.JPG)
In tragic news, 22 year-old Angels starting pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a three-car hit and run accident last night. The official announcement from the Angels is here. Adenhart had just pitched six innings of scoreless baseball and left the game with a 3 run lead (which the Halos blew and lost 6-4). It was his first start of 2009, and the first time he had made the opening day roster in his 5 year major league career. Adenhart had to have "Tommy John Surgery" while still in high-school to repair his arm, and while he was a bit slow to start his career, had a ton of upside potential. He consistently pitched out of jams last night, and gave the Halos an opportunity to win their second of the season.
I'll not go into the details of the accident, it's not important at the moment. I'll merely repost what I posted on Halos Heaven
So Sad - Young Life Gone - Makes you Think
I’m really torn up about this, I love the Halos, been watching them since I was in utero, and I was extremely excited about Adenhart this season. Thrilled to find that he was in the starting rotation, and I felt that he had a lot of potential for a great career. Now he’s gone and there’s not only a huge hole in the rotation, but a huge hole in the hearts of his teammates and his fans.
I think it’s fantastic to see the outpouring of emotion and support from all the fans of other teams, that’s phenomenal. Baseball fans seem to be a dying breed unfortunately, but a tragedy like this really shows the character of baseball and the grand game’s fans.
Whenever someone very young dies those of us who are older need to stop and think about our lives and the BS minutia [sp] that makes us stressed out and depressed, and just get over it, because life is too short and can be taken away at any moment.
We MUST not forget about Nick and his family throughout the years, yes he wasn’t a major leaguer for very long, but he was an Angel through and through, and he will be missed, desperately.
RIP Nick. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, as well as the other two innocents who were plucked away from us last night. It shouldn’t have happened.
I can think of no better way for the Halos to honor Nick than winning the Series in his memory, and now we all have a rallying cry to bind us together. Not that we wanted it this way. EVER.
-----
Nick Adenhart - 8-24-86 - 4-9-09
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