Weekly Market Report - December 14, 2005

A Fresh Look at Sports Collectibles News

McFarlane never seizes to amaze me. I can't say enough about the good things that they have done for sports collectibles. They recently made one huge announcement for their MLB Sports Picks figures for 2006 and collectors definitely won't be disappointed in '06. The Cooperstown Series 3 looks truly amazing. It includes Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson (stealing home with his hat flying off!), Carlton Fisk (in his famous 1975 Game 6 pose), Don Mattingly, Roberto Clemente, and another Nolan Ryan (we'll likely see one of him on each and every one of his teams). Kudos to McFarlane for not only making figures of classic athletes, but putting them in their most famous poses, turning the figure into a collectible of the player in their greatest moment, not just a figure of the player. [read official release]

Former Red Sox first baseman is still fighting with the team over the rights to the baseball from the final out of the 2004 World Series. The Sox have asked a judge to let them permanently keep the ball that Mientkiewicz is currently loaning to them. "The Red Sox continue to assert that their former employee, Mientkiewicz, obtained the baseball through the course of his employment, that he acquired no ownership interest and that the Red Sox are the rightful owners of the baseball." That is stupid. So a guy can't keep the ball from the first shutout he pitches? Or his first major league hit? Does the team have to give him permission to keep those balls? No. The only reason that they want this particular baseball is because of it's significance. Sorry Red Sox, the rules can't be bent for this one instance. If you really feel that way, then no player should ever get to keep a ball unless the team signs off on it. [read article]

I enjoy reading the Monday Morning Collector on Beckett.com - I think it's a great way to relate the weekends NFL games back to collectibles. It keeps the hobby fresh. However, this week I couldn't believe what they said about Ryan Moats. Moats is the Eagles backup running back who, due to an injury to Brian Westbrook, rushed for 114 yards and 2 TD's. I'm happy for him but one good game hardly makes him a good collecting investment. The article says "Should Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter continue to be bitten by the injury bug, Ryan Moats should become the Eagles' featured running back" Lets break down that statement: first off, Correll Buckhalter is always injured so you don't even need to bother mentioning him. Secondly, Brian Westbrook just signed a huge contract extension and got hurt. But he doesn't have a history of injuries, and figures to be the Eagles featured back for the coming years. Anything can happen, but Ryan Moats will probably not just all of a sudden eclipse Westbrook as the Eagles main offensive weapon. The article goes on to say "Despite his performance yesterday, eBay sales still seem to be hovering around low book value." Maybe that's because he is a rookie backup who will likely be a career backup. If you want to collect the guy because you like him, go for it. Just don't invest in him assuming he's going to rush for 1,500 yards and make you rich any time soon.[read article ]