Sports Card Info Is Runner-Up Winner In Panini’s 2014 NFL Player of the Day Hobby Blogger Promotion

For a second year in a row, I’m happy to announce that Sports Card Info is a runner-up winner in Panini’s 2014 NFL Player of the Day Hobby Blogger Promotion.  Remember that large contest held last October?  Well I guess Sports Card Info did a good job in hosting it.

As a runner-up winner, I won the following:

• $100.00 in cash
• (1) Kelvin Benjamin 2014 Panini NFL Player of the Day RC Jersey
• (1) Blake Bortles 2014 Panini NFL Player of the Day RC Jersey
• (1) Sammy Watkins 2014 Panini NFL Player of the Day RC Jersey
• (1) AJ McCarron 2014 Panini NFL Player of the Day RC Jersey
• (1) Mike Evans 2014 Panini NFL Player of the Day RC Jersey
• Handful of 2014 Panini NFL Player of the Day promo packs – pulled autos of Asa Watson, Connor Shaw, and a Johnny Manziel jersey

Thanks everyone who participated!!!

Unboxing Panini’s Prize Pack!

If you recall, last week I announced that Sports Card Info was one of three runner-up winners in Panini’s 2013 NFL Player of the Day Hobby Blogger Promotion.  With that great honor came $100.00 and a prize pack.  Well the prize pack came, and it was beyond what I thought it would be.  Take a gander at what was inside.

Sports Card Info Is Runner-Up Winner In Panini’s 2013 NFL Player of the Day Hobby Blogger Promotion

Last October Sports Card Info was invited to take part in the 2013 Panini NFL Player of the Day Hobby Blogger Promotion.  If you recall, Sports Card Info’s involvement in this promotion meant holding a contest jam-packed with a ton of great prizes.  It was the largest contest held in Sports Card Info’s six year history.  I’m happy to announce that Sports Card Info is one of three runner-up winners that took part in this promotion.  What does that mean?  That means Sports Card Info wins $100.00 and a prize pack from Panini.  Thanks again to everyone that participated.

Here is a copy of the e-mail Sports Card Info received:

January 15, 2014

 

Andrew Chrisman

Sports Card Info

  

Dear Andrew:

On behalf of the Panini NFL Player of the Day promotion, thank you for participating in the 2013 Panini NFL Player of the Day Hobby Blogger Promotion.

We are pleased to present you with a runner-up prize of $100 plus a special prize package from Panini with a few more goodies.  A package with this material will be shipped to you tomorrow.

Please be sure to thank your readers for their support.  We thought your promotion was very well done and we were quite impressed with how much time and effort you put into it.  The fact that it set a new record for the most entries you ever received is a testament to your hard work and creativity.

Meeting Your Baseball Hero: Guest Blogger James Ryan of Sports Locker

Meeting Your Baseball Hero

There are more nerve racking moments in life (health scares, getting married, and having children), but finally meeting your baseball hero must be on the list. My favorite team is the New York Mets and my childhood baseball hero is Gary Carter.

I became a Gary Carter fan after watching a game with some school friends on April 9, 1985. It was Gary Carter’s first game with the Mets and he cracked a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10^th inning to beat the St. Louis Cardinals. What a debut! I was also a catcher (for my little team in Logan Township, New Jersey), so cheering for Carter was easy. My favorite team had a new player who hits home runs on demand, plays the same position I do, and was becoming the main guest on Kiner’s Korner! What’s not to like?

As a kid, having a baseball hero is more than just catching an update on the local news. You need to have the t-shirt with his number, find his baseball cards, check the box scores every day and defend him in the school cafeteria no matter what!

Of course I’ll always have my Game 6 memories. Mookie Wilson and Bill Buckner may have captured the front-page headlines, but I’ll never forget that it was Gary Carter who started the rally with 2 outs in the 9^th inning.

I didn’t spend the time to cutout and save box scores or Sports Illustrated issues, but I did begin purchasing the new cards that came. I had his cards from the ‘80s and the new ones later on that had a piece of Gary Carter’s jersey, his bat, and the autograph cards. I even had a card that had a piece of his old Nike shoes!

Eventually I realized that I wanted to expand my collection of Gary Carter memorabilia to more than baseball cards – I wanted to get an in-person autograph. I finally had my opportunity at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland, Ohio (The National).

At the National

TriStar runs the autograph pavilion at The National and in 2007 their guest list included Hall-of-Fame catcher, Gary Carter. Now in my 30s, and twenty-one years after “Game 6,” I couldn’t believe that I would finally have my chance to meet my baseball hero.

What would I ask Carter to sign? Should I get a jersey? Should I ask him to sign a bat? How would a photo looked signed? I decided to get a couple of All-Star logo baseballs signed. He was the Most Valuable Player of the MLB All-Star game in 1981 and 1984.

Leading up to the National and standing in line on that Saturday, I experienced all the emotions of an elementary school kid getting on the bus for the first time.

• What should I wear?
• What should I say?
• How do I talk?
• What is my name?

When it was my turn in line, I tried to keep my voice from cracking like Peter Brady’s (when it’s time to change…) and exchanged greetings. I handed over my tickets, baseballs, and shook Gary Carter’s hand! Gary was great. I talked about watching him start the Game 6 rally and he took his time signing the baseballs and talking about the game.

While signing the All-Star game baseballs Gary asked me, “Are you some kind of All-Star game collector?” My response to Gary (without hesitation), “No sir. I’m a Gary Carter collector.”

You can insert your own rim-shot or Gong Show noise here, but I swear it was the first response that popped in my head. Fortunately for me, Gary responded with, “well give your camera to that guy (pointing at the man behind me whom I didn’t know) and come around the table for a few pictures.”

I don’t know who the guy was in line behind me. I never got a chance to say thank you, but his photography skills preserved an awesome moment.

Today, I have the Gary Carter autograph baseballs displayed in my office and I think about the great autograph experience. My collection has come a long way since pinning a 1987 Topps Gary Carter baseball card to my NY Mets pennant.

When I look at the collections kid’s have today, I think:

• What player will they want to meet 20 years from now?
• Which player will be as gracious as Gary Carter?
• Will the heroes of a few years ago like Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds create experiences like Gary Carter did for me?
• Will stars from this year like Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, or Tim Lincecum follow Carter’s footsteps?

I don’t have the answers, but next time, I hope I’m the guy taking the pictures.

James Ryan runs SportsLocker.blogspot.com

Bloggers and the Hall of Fame

Do you think bloggers will ever get to vote for players to be elected to any of the Hall of Fames?  Ever since the beginning of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Football Hall of Fame, or any of the others out there, only experienced writers for large companies would be able to vote.  I think its about time that bloggers get a chance to vote as well.  We can write just as well, if not better, than some of the other more established people in the business.  Some sports bloggers out there have devoted more time to a sport than others.  Many writers have to cover more than one sport.  If someone focused in on one sport they could learn a lot more.  I guess time will only tell.