Finally Print Media Free

The first time I picked up a price guide was back in the early 90’s.  It was a copy of Beckett Baseball with Michael Jordan on the cover.  The first time I actually subscribed to a hobby publication was after I purchased a copy of Tuff Stuff featuring Grant Hill on the front.  For years I received copies of Tuff Stuff before flipping over to Beckett.  Before I even thought of starting a blog, I locked myself into a long term subscription to Beckett.  A few months ago I started to receive notices from Beckett asking me to renew my subscription, and I confidently threw them in the garbage.  I’m not ashamed to admit that while starting Sports Card Info I kept receiving copies of the magazine, but it has been a very long time since I have opened one up.  I never saw the need.  Next month will be the first time I’ve never received a print publication that pertains to The Hobby.  Print media is dead and the blogs have taken over.  Price guides are a complete joke and you can get all the information you need online.  Before I started this blog, I was an active member of the Beckett Message Boards (BMB).  At the time, Kevin Haake was the editor of Beckett Baseball and he would ask members to contribute articles which would then be featured in the magazine.  I had a bunch of stuff printed in their magazine and I thought it was the coolest when the magazine came and I saw it in there.  After they changed their website, I left the boards and focused much more on blogging.  Why wait a month for an article to be published when I can do it instantly at my computer?

Does anyone see a good reason for you to subscribe to a print publication that deals with The Hobby?  I don’t.  You can save yourself a lot of money by reading the blogs.  That extra cash can buy you a lot of cards 🙂

Inside these magazines I remember seeing ads for very large shows.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d ever get to attend some of them.

Blogs Need Cards Too

I think its safe to say that blogs have taken over print media, especially within the sports card industry.  No longer do collectors have to wait a month to see a preview of their favorite product or get the latest information about a manufacturer.  This is why I think it would be great if someone made a card(s) celebrating the blogs.  In an age where its possible to pull cards of the Invisible Man, its not that far of a stretch to create cards for blogs.  I’d like to see a few cards made just for some specific blogs that are more important to the blogosphere like Wax Heaven, Sports Cards Uncensored, The Cardboard Connection and various others.  As for the other blogs, I’d like to see a few cards featuring screenshots on the front and then perhaps a checklist on the back listing the names.  Blogging has revolutionized the way information gets delivered to collectors and having the name of your blog appear on a card would be really cool.

If they made a card of this guy, I think its time for blogs to have their own cards too.

Keith Olbermann Joins The Blogosphere

I know, I know,  Keith Olbermann has been blogging for awhile about politics, but this time its about baseball.  Avid card collector and broadcaster Keith Olbermann has started his own baseball blog located at MLB.com.  Its called Baseball Nerd.  He has always been one of my favorite broadcasters to listen to.  Check it out.

 

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.