John_Havok

When you're discussing Topps vs OPC, there's a difference in hockey and baseball cards. Topps is the more desirable card for baseball, and OPC for hockey when they have both versions available. Has to do with print runs back when they were the only the only 2 kinds of cards. As for some other stuff that's been mentioned about garded cards being the only ones of value ... yes that very true about the older cards (since anything of decent grade is rare as f*** - kids actually used to play with cards!) And there were sooooo many produced that even a 7/10 card probably still has thousands of copies out there. For grading itself, there's really only 2 companies that the industry takes seriously... Beckett and PSA. PSA grades on 1 -10 scale using whole numbers on the overall card, whereas Beckett grades 1-10 using a .5 scale on 4 different aspects of the card - corners, edges, centering and the card face. So while you might see a PSA card graded as a 9, that same card might be graded by Becket as an overall 9.5, - with subgrades listed as 9.5 corners, 9 edges, 9.5 face, 9.5 centering. Their system is much more detailed. Both companies will also authenticate signatures. Other companies like KSA and GMA aren't really taken too seriously by collectors. Theres a couple other companies like ISA and SGC, but again, they're so small compared to the others that even seeing cards graded hy them is rare, with the exception of older cards. Nearly all new cards people have graded are sent to Beckett and PSA. Thing is, cards these days are all being kept in such good shape by buyers and the cardboard stock is so much better quality than it used to be that even 9.5 is a relatively common grade. The 10 grade from Beckett is really really hard to get so any card rated 10 on all 4 aspects is given a special Black Label that sets it apart from even the other cards that are an overall 10, but only have 3/4 10s and 1 9.5. A black label 10 beckett card will sell for many many times the book value of a card - book value generally being what a card rated as a 9 would be. That being said, book value is still highly variable depending on sport, geography, and the player.

Bright side, maybe this will be the game that slaps the Raps into actually playing defense in the future

JV was too. Just no answer for him tonight at all. Doesn't help ATL is shooting like 50% from 3

I think they'll win, but they really need to stop digging these holes in the first half. Edit. I'll qualify my above statement by saying they'll win, but only if the refs stop letting Howard body check everyone in the paint indriscriminently

Wonder if JV is still having lingering ankle issues, he looks like he's moving with cement feet so far tonight

It's only crazy if you aren't high on the won curve. The would be 0 point in the Braves spending that kind of cash on the pen, but it makes sense for the Red Sox

His injuries and age have killed his value, the QO is more like a nail in his value coffin. Thing is, Bautista has had the unfortunate timing of being a late breakout star. As a result he never had his prime years when he was 22-28 and command that massive FA payday that players crave. Instead, he broke out late out of nowhere and signed what turned out to be a very team friendly contract that took well into what is normally a players decline of their career.

Hang on, let me check the other 17 threads that discuss this and I'll get back to you.

FFS even the cliffs notes was too long

I'll answer some of your other points here too. Yes soccer is the fastest growing sport in America, probably Canada too (I haven't looked this up but am willing to continue under the assumption that it's true). What I can say for certain, is that the reason for its growth is not because North America is finally coming around to the amazing game that the rest of the world plays as the greatest sport. It's because it's so oooo much cheaper for parents to put their kids in soccer than hockey or football, and it not being a physical contact sport, so parents don't have as much anxiety of wondering if their kid will come home with a broken femur, concussion or any other major injuries. Contact sports are getting to be prohibitively expensive for alot of people. Soccer is a very easy, simple, safer and cheap alternative that's still really enjoyable for kids to play.

Neither. I've actually seen 1 exciting soccer game. But it's a very small percentage of all the soccer games that I've seen. Soccer is simple. It's a simple game with simple rules and requires very little equipment. it's simplicity is why it's so popular worldwide, but it's also the reason it's so 1 dimensional and unexciting. It's the vanilla of the sporting world.

You just had a championship game where 1 team didn't even get a shot on net... and won. That's paint drying, grass growing and water freezing all in one cocktail of boring s***. Soccer purists obviously love the game the way it is or it wouldn't be easily the most popular sport on earth, but let's not try to kid anyone that it's exciting.

Maybe theyre just hoping to sneak a bunch of them back through waivers via DFA so they can hold onto them for another year in the minors

Gatorade tester

Yup. I don't see why the commenters are saying it was dirty. He hit him with his forearm and larsen's head then rolled forward and smoked into Hall's shoulder pad, which likely did all the damage.

Taylor Hall just laid Philip Larsen the f*** out.. If they had kept rolling that video, you'd see him laying there unconscious while skates keep running into his head as the pile up happens.

I really don't think teams are so unanimous in their supposed hatred of him personally that they wouldn't be falling all,over themselves trying to sign him if he had just had a good year. It's probably just a convenient narrative

Never said he wasn't?

Well s***.

Not even 1 nomination. I feel empty inside.

Overall, team scoring is fine yes, but that's with Lowry and Derozan scoring 20 and 30 points per game every night. There's going to be likely a lot if games where that doesn't happen so a legit 3rd scoring threat is essential in my mind to further spread things out and lessen the pres sure on them to be perfect evry night. The elite teams all have 3 legit scoring threats.

It's pretty simple really, without a 3rd scoring threat.... they won't get to the next level. You can't put their roster against any elite team and stack up. Demar anynd Kyle are a really good tandem, but they need a legit 3rd option

Looks like another year where the raps are a really good team, but aren't going to get to that next level. I know it's still early in the season, but I just don't see how they would beat the cavs in the playoffs, and the road to the finals goes through Cleveland.

Defense just isn't a thing tonight

Big game tonight