Boone is a retired firefighter thinks he has found a way around getting a mortgage at a time when they're very hard to obtain. He has been collecting sports card memorabilia since 1956 and now has over 1 million cards. He has more than 28 Mickey Mantle cards from 1962 alone and the most valuable of is worth approximately $600.

Thi is a dream collection of sports memorabilia cards, especially for a Yankees fan.  Bone is more interested in in pondering the future with his fiancee, Deb. They have only been dating a year, but have known each other since junior high. He has been divorced six years and met up with her at a high school reunion earlier this year.

Bone is offering to trade his entire collection for a house in San Diego with a scenic view overlooking a canyon, a mountain or even a desert.

And while he may have a Hall of Fame collection, his ad says he's willing to trade it for a "home of much lesser value" and will even consider trading "for equity in home" and "possibly assuming the remaining balance."

Bone originally posted an ad on Craigslist on Feb. 14 at around 1:30 a.m. and had a response by 9 a.m.

He is also willing to consider monetary offers as well for his sports card memorabilia collection. Anyone interested?

The year was 1980 when a hodge podge group of collectors assembled in Los Angeles for what later became known as the First National Sports Collectors Convention. That meeting grew into the annual gathering that it is today. Hoping to appeal to a larger group of collectors, the creators of The National Sports Collectors Convention decided that the convention should take place at a variety of cities so that collectors from all corners of the continent could take part in the event. In the early going, The National Convention occurred in Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, and the New York metro area.

The National has since grown considerably, becoming a massive event that can only be accommodated by a handful of venues in the nation. That doesn't stop the event from attracting guests from all corners of the collectibles industry. It is the only event where the majority of the people in the hobby come together to meet in one place. The National Convention is where every sports memorabilia wants to be in large part because of the support from major trading card companies, sports card graders, auctioneers, and professional sports licensors.

The 30th National Sports Collectors Convention occurred in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Cleveland's International Exposition Center. Reviews of the event were favorable from visitors, licensors, manufacturers, and exhibitors. The 31th National is now being arranged for 2010, when sports collectors will meet in Baltimore, Maryland for the show.

The National Sports Collectors Convention's autograph guests are legendary. Over the last three decades the National has presented a countless list of superstars to sign autographs at the shows. Past autograph signers include Wayne Gretzky, Cal Ripken Jr., Wilt Chamberlain, Joe Namath, Shaquille O'Neal, Mickey Mantle, Ferguson Jenkins, Joe Dimaggio, Magic Johnson and many other luminaries. Several years ago the Autograph Pavilion has added personalities from the entertainment world. Non athlete autograph signers who have attended The National include Penny Marshall, Erin Moran, David Faustino, Jon Provost, Cindy Williams, Jerry Ferrara and even the rock group KISS.

The National Convention is the largest sports collectibles event with the greatest tradition, the most impressive autograph signers, the widest range of sports card dealers, and the most remarkable range of sports cards and memorabilia, all in one place.The National Sports Collectors Convention is where every collector, distributor, licensor, manufacturer, and dealer will be in 2010 to take part in the most important sports card and memorabilia event of the year.

Authors Info
For more sports card related banter, don't miss the Sports Card Report blog.

Article Source

Betting on MLB baseball is both fun and profitable. The purpose of this article is to explain the basics of baseball betting. We will talk about the line as well as some points to help you win more when betting on the MLB baseball. Baseball is down on the list as far as betting volume goes. For whatever reason, the bulk of sports betting is done on football and basketball. MLB baseball is a great sports betting option. Each season is filled with a plethora of opportunities.

Baseball betting revolves around the money line. Unlike football and basketball, which use spreads, in baseball sports bettors simply need to pick the real game winner of each event. The spread is worked in the money that must be laid or taken for each side. For example, let's say that the New York Yankees are playing the Kansas City Royals. Let's assume that the Yankees are having a great year and the Royals not so much. You might see a line like this: Yankees -300 Royals +270.

In our example, you would need to wager $3.00 on the Yankees for every one dollar you wanted back should they win. Unlike football and basketball, the Yankees don't need to win by a certain amount. They simply need to win the game. Bettors of the Royals in our example would receive $2.70 for every $1.00 they wagered. You see, the closer the two teams are to each other, skill wise, generally the closer the game is on the money line. Let's look at another example.

This time we will look at a game against two first place teams Team X and Team Y. All things being equal, the line might be something like Team Y -110 Team X +105. You see, the closer the teams are, the closer the line is to $1.00. It's important to remember that the job of the spread is not to predict outcomes, but to split public opinion. I bring this up, because there are gifts out there. For example, this season there was a game involving the Royals they were the worst team in baseball at the time.

The Royals were playing a sub-.500 team, which means that team has lost more games than it won. The game should have been somewhat close on the money line, but linemakers knew they could not split the public with a close line. As a result, the line was set at +260 for the Royals. This happened three games in a row and the Royals won 2 of those 3. This example clearly shows that the job of the line is to split the public and not predict games.

Here's a quick tip. When you are deciding who will win a MLB baseball game, look at the whole team. Too often losing sports bettors simply look at the starting pitching. However, starters will only pitch about 66% of the game on average. What about the other 34%? Don't fall into the trap of buying starting pitching. Do your homework and look at the team as a whole.

The jersey has been extensively photo-matched, researched and authenticated as the genuine article. 

“This amazing jersey truly represents the find of a lifetime for collectors of top shelf baseball memorabilia,” said Chris Ivy, Director of Heritage Sports Collectibles. “Even more incredible is the fact that it sat in a private collection for more than three decades with the owner completely unaware of how important a piece it actually is.”

The baseball memorabilia jersey was consigned by a South Florida collector, who wishes to remain anonymous.  It found its way to the area after Mantle’s final game in pinstripes when the great slugger took part in a youth baseball camp in spring of 1969 not far from the Yankees’ training grounds. Mantle had just announced his retirement and wore this jersey for the last time as an instructor in the camp, gifting it to a lucky Little Leaguer at the close of the clinic.

“Given the fact that the jersey saw active duty in the spring of 1969, it could be justifiably billed as Mantle's last pinstripes,” said Ivy. “It’s also equally worthy of note that this jersey has been definitively photo-matched to the one Mick wore on the cover of the Mickey Mantle Day program distributed to more than 60,000 fans at Yankee Stadium on June 8, 1969, certainly one of the most famous photos of Mantle ever shot.”

I was really expecting a great baseball pitch when I clicked on this YouTube video, but was really surprised what kind of baseball pitch I actually saw. I love the foreign pitcher's reaction at the end of the video!

The basic layout of the MLB diamond has been little changed since the original Knickerbocker Rules of the 1840s. The distance between bases was already established as 90 feet, which was determined through trial and error is an appropriate balance between hitting and fielding. It provides frequent tests between the speed of a batter-runner and the throwing arm of a fielder.

The pitching distance, and other aspects of the pitcher's mound, and of pitching itself, have been tinkered with from time to time over the many decades to keep an appropriate balance between pitching and hitting.

In contrast to the distance between the bases, which seems natural, the very specific pitching distance of 60 feet 6 inches is one of those sports oddities which seems like a mistake unless you know the history of baseball: 

The original Knickerbocker Rules did not exactly specify the pitching distance.

By the time major league baseball began in the 1870s, the pitcher was compelled to pitch from within a "box" whose front edge was 45 feet from the "point" of home plate. Although he had to release the ball before crossing the line, as with bowlers in cricket, he also had to start his delivery from within the box; he could not run in from the field as bowlers do. Furthermore, he had to throw underhand. By the 1880s, pitchers had mastered the underhand delivery quite well. The year 1880 saw two perfect games within a week of each other.

In an attempt to "increase the batting", the front edge of the pitcher's box was moved back 5 feet in 1881, to 50 feet from home plate.

The size of the box was tinkered with over the next few years and pitchers were allowed to throw overhand starting in 1884. In 1887, the box was set at 4 feet wide and 5 1/2 feet deep, with the front edge still 50 feet from the plate, but the pitcher had to deliver the ball with his back foot at the 55 1/2 foot line of the box, which restricted his ability to "power" the ball with his overhand delivery to a certain extent.

In 1893, the box was replaced by the pitcher's plate, although the term "knocked out of the box" is still sometimes used when a pitcher is replaced for ineffectiveness. Exactly 5 feet was added to the point the pitcher had to toe, again "to increase the batting" (and hopefully to increase attendance, as fan interest had flagged somewhat) which resulted in the peculiar pitching distance of 60 1/2 feet.

Originally the pitcher threw from flat ground (as softball pitchers still do), but over time the mound was developed, tipping the balance back the pitchers' way somewhat.

A Short history of baseball from the Civil War to the age of steroids.

From history of baseball comes this August 1942 newsreel of Babe Ruth meeting up with Walter Johnson in a benefit baseball game. Ruth made countless appearances to support the war effort and this newsreel shows what happened when the greatest pitcher and the greatest hitter of the golden era squared off in their final showdown in the history of baseball. 

 

The evolution of MLB baseball equipment begins with the baseball bat...

Baseball bats come in various widths, lengths and materials. A heavier bat will give more momentum to the ball, but mean less speed in the swing. A lighter bat gives the batter more control but less momentum. The restitution of a bat (the relationship with the "bounciness" of an object) also determines how far a ball will travel. Bats made out of aluminum or graphite hit balls farther than bats made of wood.

Aluminum bats were first used in the 1970's. MLB batting averages rose 30 points and the number of homeruns hit doubled. Now, MLB batters use wooden bats. If they changed to a lighter material such as aluminum, there would be more homeruns hit and the traditional records and baseball legends would seem insignificant.

In 1991, Steven Baum, a mechanical engineer invented the "Baum Bat" which is made of a high strength inner core made of  resin impregnated fibers and yarns with an ashwood surface. It functions as a wooden bat but is much more durable. The Baum Bat improved hitting power by 5%.

If you want to play MLB Baseball, you probably need to land on a college team. You can’t just sit back and wait to be found.  Not only do you need to be a great baseball player but you need to be pro-active and use more current strategies to promote yourself and be noticed. Examples are:

• Think about building a web page to make college coaches take notice

• Use social networking strategies to promote yourself

• You need to position yourself on the roster of each school individually

• Choosing a college where you will actually be playing and not just sitting on the bench.

You will never get to the MLB if you sit on the bench all the time. But how?

This year, the Philadelphia Phillies won the 2008 World Series Championship in baseball. The last time the Phillies won a World Series title was in 1980. Their victory and other historical information on the who’s-who in the world of baseball are chronicled by baseball enthusiast Mark Cressnan’ in his self-published book The A-to-Z History of Baseball.

American Idol contestant, Taylor Swift performs the USA National Anthem live at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on October 25, 2008 for the World Series

The Philadelphia Phillies played all season with power, determination, and umph... and that's how Liz Seymour, local Cabaret entertainer sings. So watch as she celebrates the Philadelphia Phillies as World Series Champs!

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year-round, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Off-season Hours (current)

Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from the day after Labor Day through the Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend.

Summer Hours

Daily, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., from Friday of Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Monday.

Holiday Closings: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.

The Baseball Hall of Fame is located in Cooperstown in Central New York, 70 miles west of Albany and 30 miles south of the New York State Thruway (I-90).

1903 World Series: Boston Americans (5) vs Pittsburgh Pirates (3) 

The Boston Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates had had a bitter two year rivalry.   To end this bitter contest the veteran National League and the recently established American League decided hold a new kind of season finale. The two top teams in the National League had participated in an experimental post-season championship 9 years before. Boston beat Pittsburg 5 games to 3.

1903 saw the first “World Series”. Barney Dreyfuss of Pittsburgh and Henry Killilea of Boston, both owners of pennant-winning teams agreed they should meet for a “World Championship” in a best of nine competition.  This would be a first step towards settling conflicts that had gone on for years.

Game 1 of the series was a treat for the fans.  They were offered the best of both leagues. The Pirates, Deacon Phillippe pitched a six hitter and right fielder Jimmy Sebring hit the first home run in World Series history. As a matter of fact he drove in four runs for a 7-3 victory. Boston repeated Pittsburgh’s previous performance in game 2. The series was evened when Bill Dinneen threw a three-hitter and Patsy Dougherty walloped two homers in a 3-0 triumph.

The Pirates’ pitching staff had been plagued with illness and injuries, so they were forced to start with Phillipe again in Game 3 with only 1 day’s rest. He proved to be an experienced workhorse, with 25 games won in the regular season, and he stepped up to the challenge allowing only four hits in a 4-2 win. Pittsburgh used him again 3 days later and backed him up with reinforcements who came out swinging. Tommy Leach, Pirates’ third baseman hit 3 runs while Honus Wagner and Ginger Beaumont had three hits each. Boston couldn’t compete and Pittsburgh led three games to one. Young yielded only six hits and drove in three runs in an 11-2 victory. The following day, Bill Dinneen, Game 2 winner, maintained Boston's roll with a 6-3 victory in a contest featuring four hits, two RBIs and two stolen bases by the losing Pirates. The  World Series was now tied at three games each.

Game 7 saw Deacon Phillippe take the mound for the Pirates. The Americans' playing manager Jimmy Collins and Chick Stahl knocked him for first inning triples and Boston jumped to an early 2-0 lead en route to a 7-3 victory . Boston was ahead four games to threeand would attempt to seal the championship on home territory.

Dinneen and Phillippe made Game 8 look like a pitchers duel with a scoreless tie through the first three innings. Boston got on the board twice in the fourth and again in the sixth.

Halloween is coming up. Everything is too tense ith all the economic problems. Enjoy this hilarious video of a mummy from Universal Studios Hollywood throwing out the first pitch at MLB Dodgers game on October 2, 2006.

Look at this amazing baseball catch by the ball girl! She climbs the wall!