The Super Bowl is almost upon us.  I’m very excited about the game.  Is there anyone else who is excited?  I think the game is going to be a very good game.  I expect it to be a high scoring game that remains fairly close to the end.  It’s been a really tough game for me to decide on.  To me it really comes down to defensive stops.  I expect both teams to have some success offensively.  There’s no reason to think otherwise.

The two weeks off has been a big help to both teams.  The Giants were able to get Nicks closer to 100%.  The Patriots were able to get Gronkowski somewhat healed.  Those two injuries will have a big impact on the game if they aren’t close to 100%.  These guys are both huge parts of the offense, so it’s crucial for them to be healthy.  I think Gronkowski is actually more important than Nicks.  Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham have been very good, so they’ll still have weapons even if Nicks is not 100% or out altogether.  The Patriots have other weapons, but they won’t be nearly as open if Gronk is out.

Let’s get down to the match-ups within the game.

Giants Offense vs. Patriots Defense

The Patriots defense has played much better since the playoffs started.  However, they haven’t faced an offense that is even close to as explosive as the Giants.  The Patriots have really been able to stop the run in their two playoff games.  The Ravens ran for 116 yards, but needed 31 carries to do it.  Plus 27 of those yards came on scrambles by Flacco.  The Broncos ran for 144 yards, but needed 40 carries to do it.  Both teams averaged far less than 4.0 yards per carry.  The good news for the Giants is that they don’t really need to run the ball to be effective.  They have averaged 117.33 rushing yards per game in the playoffs.  However, 172 of that came against the Falcons.  In their last two games they are averaging only 90 rushing yards.  Vince Wilfork has been a dominant force so far.  There’s no reason to think he won’t be able to keep that up.  Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw haven’t been able to find much of a rhythm this year.  I don’t see any reason to think this game will be any different.  Jacobs will really struggle because he’s a between the tackles runner.  Bradshaw could have a little bit more success if he can get to the outside.  I’m guessing the Patriots will hold the Giants under 100 rushing yards.

The Patriots are still struggling against the pass.  They gave up 282 net passing yards last week to the Ravens.  Flacco completed 61.1% of his passes and only threw 1 interception.  It was the first time since November 6th that Flacco threw for over 300 yards.  And it should be been worse as Lee Evans dropped a sure TD at the end of the game.  The Giants have so many weapons in the passing game.  Victor Cruz has been amazing this year, as has Hakeem Nicks.  Mario Manningham has had some moments as well.  Plus Ahmad Bradshaw is a good receiving back.  The biggest reason the Giants will have success in the passing game is Eli Manning.  Eli is having a fantastic year.  He’s been playing out of his mind since Week 17.  His numbers in the last 4 games add up to 1,269 passing yards (317.25 per game), 64.1% completion percentage, 11 TDs and only 1 INT.  Absolutely amazing.  He’s going to have some success against the Patriots.  There’s no doubt about that.

I see the Giants putting up at least 25-30 points.  There’s no way the Patriots can limit them much more than that.  Since week 16 the Giants are averaging 28.2 points per game.  Look for the Patriots to try and create some pressure to slow them down.  One way or the other, the Giants will get their points.

Giants Defense vs. Patriots Offense

I don’t see this a whole lot different than the other match-up.  The one difference to me is that the Giants are very good at creating pressure without blitzing.  They finished 2nd in the NFL in sacks while rushing four or less.  The Patriots haven’t had a lot of luck running the ball.  I expect that to continue in this game.  The Patriots don’t have much of a running game to speak of right now.  The Giants aren’t great at stopping the run, but the Patriots just don’t try to run the ball that much.  I expect them to try a few runs here or there to keep the Giants honest, but nothing more than that.

The Patriots, like the Giants, will have luck in the passing game.  With or without a fully healthy Gronkowski, the Patriots have enough weapons to move the ball.  While Brady isn’t quite as hot as Eli, he’s still having an amazing season.  His 1st half against the Broncos was one of the best ever.  However, he really struggled against Baltimore.  The Ravens limited him to 239 passing yards and forced 2 interceptions.  If the Giants can get pressure on Brady, they will have some success at slowing him down.  That’s crucial to stopping the Patriots.  If Brady has all day to sit in the pocket, he will pick you apart.  With Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora all finally healthy, the Giants should be able to create some pressure.  The one thing the Giants have to make sure they don’t forget is the running back who leaks out of the backfield.  Danny Woodhead is a quality receiver and has to be accounted for in the passing game.  The Giants linebacking crew isn’t dominant and has to play well.

Special Teams

Neither of these teams are very explosive in the return game.  New England had 1 punt return TD on the year, but no kickoff return TDs.  The Giants didn’t have any return TDs all year.  The Patriots do have a weapon in Zoltan Mesko.  He has been a quality punter all year.  He ranks 3rd in the league in net punting.  Mesko has struggled in the postseason, but he’s only had 4 punts so far.  The Giants punter, Steve Weatherford, has been average all year.  He pretty much ranks right in the middle in every category.

The Patriots have a slight advantage in the kicking department too.  Gostkowski has been slightly better than Tynes this year.  Gostkowski has made 84.8% of his kicks and Tynes has made 79.2% of his kicks.

The interesting thing about special teams is that they may not really come into play very much at all.  I’m guessing there aren’t going to be a ton of punts in this game.  And you never know when the kicking game will come into play, but most of the scores are going to be TDs.

Overall

I expect this game to be high scoring.  Both defenses have some solid players, but not enough to really slow down each other.  Both teams have plenty of playoff and Super Bowl experience, so that really shouldn’t be an advantage for either team.  Both teams also have great head coaches.  To me, it really boils down to one thing.  If the Giants can create pressure on Brady without blitzing, I think they have the advantage.  I know it’s not nearly that simple, but that’s the way I see it.  And I believe they will get some pressure.  For that reason, I’m picking the Giants.

Prediction: Giants 34, Patriots 31.

Tomorrow, the GOLD RUSH begins as it is  the official release day of 2012 Topps Baseball Series 1.

And with this year’s theme being all about GOLD, Topps has created an amazing digital experience for its collectors aptly named THE GOLDEN GIVEAWAY.

In every 6^th pack of 2012 Topps Baseball Series 1, collectors will find a special GOLDEN GIVEAWAY CODE CARD.  And every code unlocks a chance to win prizes!

Here is  what’s in that pot of gold:

• 100 different Golden Moments Die Cut Chrome Cards.  Also features a gold parallel #’d to 99.
• One of One Truly Golden Moments Die Cut Chrome Cards embedded with a real piece of gold. There are 100 cards in all.
• One of One parallel of the Series 1 Base Set embedded with a real piece of gold.
• Digital Gold Coins.  Collect them and win prizes including Ken Griffey, Jr. and Willie Mays Autographed Gold Coin cards.

The Golden Giveaway site goes live in late February, so save your code cards and unlock a GOLDEN chance to win great prizes!

2012 Topps Baseball Series 1…JUST 2 DAYS TO GO

For the last week, Topps has been making special announcements in anticipation for the launch of 2012 Topps Baseball Series 1.

And each announcement has an obvious theme…GOLD!!!  And there’s more..

Topps has created 3 special GOLD –themed relic sets with each card featuring a unique piece that truly brings the card and this Golden celebration to life.

*GOLDEN GREAT COIN CARDS –  Features 15 different legends with an actual coin embedded into the player’s card.  These limited pieces are sequentially numbered to the player’s jersey number.  Includes the likes Of Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Jackie Robinson.

*GOLDEN RETIRED RING CARDS – These beautiful cards show off the tops of snazzy golden rings.  Each ring is engraved with a legendary player’s jersey number that has been retired.  Look for Cal Ripken, Jr., Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays.

*GOLDEN  WORLD SERIES CHAMPION PIN CARDS – These eye-catching cards included  a specially designed World Series Pin embedded into the card and include 20 different Fall Classic standouts.  Find cards of Tim Lincecum, Lou Gehrig, Sandy Koufax and more.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the full info on the centerpiece of our epic GOLDEN GIVEAWAY!

A VERY SPECIAL INSERT WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD

There are 5 days left until the official launch of 2012 Topps Baseball Series 1 and Topps wanted to whet the appetites of the collectors who are in search for TOPPS GOLD!

Topps has produced 16 very special cards that are made of pure 14K solid gold and are exclusive to HOBBY boxes.  These “SOLID GOLDEN GREATS” (inserted as redemptions) include only the best of the best to ever step on the diamond and features legends such as Lou Gehrig (image attached), Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.

In addition, Topps teamed up with Beckett Grading Services to present these gorgeous cards in an exclusive Topps slab.  Each BGS protected card includes the insert name, player name and 1 of 1 sequential numbering….making this a truly unique collectible.

So collectors get ready, because the GOLD RUSH is about to begin!

TOPPS PRIME 9 IS BACK WITH THE HOME RUN LEGENDS

The countdown to the launch of Series 1 continues with just 6 days to go!

And Topps is pleased to announce the return of the successful PRIME 9 hobby store promotion.  But this time it’s HOME RUN LEGENDS featuring sluggers such as Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle.

When collectors start ripping packs of the 2012 Topps Baseball Series 1 in less than a week, some will uncover PRIME 9 Redemption Cards (2 per hobby box) good for the PRIME 9 HOME RUN LEGEND OF THE WEEK.

Starting February 13th, on a weekly basis, Topps will announce the “Prime 9 Home Run Legend of the Week”.  Collectors holding the corresponding Prime 9 Redemption card for that week (each card is denoted by a Week number (1, 2, 3, etc.)) can bring the card to their local participating HTA store and redeem it for an exclusive limited edition Topps Chrome Refractor.

AND WIN A TRIP TO THE 2012 HOME RUN DERBY!

In addition, the back of each redemption card functions as a special sweepstakes entry!  Collectors should fill out the entry form before they redeem and the store owner will submit the entry to Topps.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE…TOPPS SEEDS 10 GOLD TICKETS INTO HOBBY BOXES

2012 Topps Baseball Series 1 will be officially live one week from today and the anticipation continues to build.

And as part of the daily countdown to February 1^st, Topps has a special surprise to announce…

There are 10 Gold Tickets (see attached) randomly inserted into HOBBY boxes.   Each ticket is good for a Gold-Infused official Major League Baseball autographed by three of the game’s greatest homerun hitters…Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Ken Griffey, Jr.

Let the hunt begin for this piece of hobby GOLD!

THE COUNTDOWN TO 2012 TOPPS BASEBALL SERIES 1 CONTINUES

With 8 days left until the launch of 2012 Topps Series 1, collectors are readying for a GOLD RUSH!

The over-riding theme in 2012 Topps Baseball is “GOLD” with The Golden Giveaway, Golden Moments inserts, real Gold cards and more!  And Topps is offering collectors a special wrapper redemption to celebrate.

Collectors sending in 50 HOBBY wrappers (or 14 HTA Jumbo wrappers)  of 2012 Topps Baseball will receive a 5-card cello pack of exclusive GOLD RUSH cards (image attached).  There are 50 cards to collect in all.  In addition, bonus autographed cards have been randomly inserted into packs and feature the likes of Willie Mays, Adrian Gonzalez, Sandy Koufax, Nelson Cruz, Albert Pujols, Albert Belle and Dennis Eckersley…just to name a few.

The exclusive wrapper redemption program will be available only for the month of February.  Packaged wrappers sent to Topps must be post marked no later than February 29^th, 2012…so start ripping packs and send those wrappers in!

And stay tuned tomorrow for more 2012 Topps Series 1 news!

Wrapper should be sent to:

Gold Rush

PO Box 2008

Duryea, PA 18642

*Collectors are encourages to group wrappers and send 1 package.  Topps will fulfill all wrappers submitted until supplies last.

With 9 days left until the launch of 2012 Topps Baseball Series 1, the hobby is abuzz!  And Topps plans to count down to February 1^st with collectors by bringing them exciting information about the product every day until those first packs are ripped.

From the Golden Giveaway and Prime 9 to an exclusive wrapper redemption program, 2012 Topps Baseball Series 1 has it all.  And what would Series 1 be without a card paying tribute to one of the biggest free agent signings in baseball history?

At the eleventh hour, Topps was able to produce an Albert Pujols card (#331) featuring the star in his all-new Angels threads, but because this was a last minute inclusion, only a limited quantity could be produced.  In addition, Topps also created an updated card for Jose Reyes (#332) in his new Marlins uniform.

Both the Pujols (#331) and Reyes (#332) cards will also appear again in Series 2 in full quantities and with updated photography.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more 2012 Topps Series 1 news!

The rookies have been vastly disappointing so far in the playoffs.  We don’t have a whole lot left with Houston and Green Bay losing.  Of the 4 remaining teams, there isn’t much hope for a lot of rookie production.  There is some potential for Torrey Smith, Kendall Hunter & Stevan Ridley.  But, that’s really about it.  The Giants have no rookies on offense that can make an impact.  Here are the rankings for the past week.

1. Randall Cobb WR Green Bay Packers

Cobb didn’t do too much this week.  However, he did more than any other rookie did.  Cobb caught 3 balls for 38 yards.  He also returned 2 kicks for 51 yards and 1 punt for 16 yards.  The Packers had a pretty miserable game, but Cobb wasn’t awful.  He should have a good chance at being more involved next year.  Donald Driver is all but gone and there may be others missing as well.  He will certainly be a big part of their special teams going forward.  All-in-all, not a bad rookie year for a receiver who was a bit of a question mark coming into the season.

2. Tyler Yates QB Houston Texans

Yates gets the nod for the 2nd spot based on the fact that no other rookies did anything this week.  Yates had a pretty terrible game against the Ravens.  His completion percentage was 48.6%.  He threw 3 interceptions.  And his QB Rating was an abysmal 28.8.  I’ll give him a little leeway because he was facing a very tough defense.  However, he blew his team’s chances of winning with an awful, late interception.  Houston had a 1st and 10 at the Ravens 38 with 1:51 left the play.  They were only down 7 points and had 2 timeouts.  Instead of trying more underneath routes to Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels or Kevin Walter, Yates tried to force a deep ball into double coverage.  There was no reason to rush.

Yates may have an opportunity to play next year, but I’m guessing he will be a back-up.  He’s still young, so there’s still plenty of hope for his career.  He just needs to cut down on his mistakes and make better reads.

3. Kendall Hunter RB San Francisco 49ers

Hunter wasn’t overly involved this week.  He had 7 total touches for 36 yards.  Not terrible, but not earth shattering either.  Hunter will continue to provide depth behind Frank Gore.  But, he’s nothing more than an occasional replacement right now.  Hunter did also return 1 kick for 25 yards.  I still like his long term potential.  He’s just not going to make much of a mark in these playoffs.

4. Stevan Ridley RB New England Patriots

Ridley saw very little of the field on Saturday.  He had 4 carries for 21 yards and 1 reception for 4 yards.  Sadly, he lost a fumble and that pretty much sealed his fate.  He didn’t have a single touch after the fumble.  This is a new week, so he might be out of the doghouse.  The good news for him is that I expect the Patriots to try and run the ball a little bit more.  Ridley certainly has some potential.  He just has to be on the field to showcase it.

5. Torrey Smith WR Baltimore Ravens

Smith did a whole lot of nothing this week with only 1 catch for 9 yards.  Some of this was due to the fact that the Ravens were playing ball control and trying to keep the Texans offense off the field.  Ray Rice had 21 carries and Baltimore attempted almost 30 runs total.  Plus the Texans are a pretty solid team against the pass.  I suspect that Smith will find a little more room against the Patriots.  I’m sure the Ravens will still try to run the ball and keep New England and Brady off the field.  However, they’re going to have to take a few shots this week.  The 20 points they scored against Houston probably won’t be enough against New England.  Here’s hoping Smith is the beneficiary of a few deep balls.

After a rather disappointing Divisional week for rookies, I’m hoping for more this week.  The good news is that it can’t get much worse for Ridley and Smith. Good luck to all the rookies this week.

Josh

Happy 70th Birthday to the GREATEST!  Here’s hoping that you are feeling well today and enjoy this special day.  As a tribute to Ali, here are some more hits from the 100 case break.

The Fight Worn Super Prismatic 1/1s are super hard to hit, obviously.  Here’s a scan of what they look like.

I hit 12 of those out of the 35 in the set.  Very cool looking cards and they are all very nice patches.

The Event Worn Super Prismatic 1/1s have some insane patches.  There are 35 of them in the set as well.  I hit 14 of them.

Then there are the Training Worn Super Prismatic 1/1s.  They are my least favorite as they don’t have great patches and they’re not Fight Worn.  Still very cool though.

Base Sets are very difficult to come by.  I haven’t had the time to sort all of the base cards yet, but cards #1 & #100 are very short printed.  Here are the base sets.

I’m also selling cards #1 & #100 by themselves in case you need to finish your set.  Here they are.

Next up is a Prismatic Set #ed out of 125.  This set is fairly tough to build as there are only 125 total sets.  I haven’t sorted all of these, but I think I have about 15-20 of them.

The last thing for today is a Memorabilia Event Worn Set of 35 cards all #ed to 70.  This is a great set and not an easy one to build.  I believe I have about 8-10 of these.

There will be more to come!

Thanks,
Josh