Starting Lineup Stories: The Great Christmas Haul of 97

As all kids, Christmas was the holiday I looked forward to the most. What kid doesn't love getting dozens and dozens of presents? During my Starting Lineup frenzy though, one Christmas really stood out. I nicknamed it "The Great Christmas Haul of 97" because it was probably the biggest and best haul I ever received. I had gotten lineups for Christmas before, but this year, it wasn't just a couple of lineups oh no it was a TON of SLU's! It was SLU heaven!! Apparently my parents were at our local Wal Mart at the right time because they were able to score some major basketball SLU's. If you're lucky you'd come across a couple of nice SLU's at our local Wal Mart, but this day, the SLU gods were smiling on my parents. I remember getting Nick Van Exel, Grant Hill, Damon Stoudemire, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shereef Abdur Rahim (Yep, the Rookie Piece!) Antoine Walker (Another HUGE rookie piece), and Kerry Kittles. All of those were GREAT and excellent additions to my SLU Collection, but it was this one that to me was the greatest find ever.

 I wasn't a huge hockey fan but I even I knew what a big deal "The Great One"'s first SLU was and I wanted it soooooooooo bad. Imagine my shock and amazement when this bad boy was one of my presents. I couldn't believe they were able to find it at our Wal Mart! Big time Score. This was definitely one of my favorite Christmas memories of all time!

The rest of the "Great Christmas Haul of 97"

Awesome Autographs: Kobe Bryant Autographed Basketball Inscribed "Black Mamba"

What could be lurking in this here box?

Why this BAD BOY!!!

When I saw this on Ebay, I HAD TO GET IT. Not only signed by Kobe Bryant but inscribed Black Mamba as well! This beauty is numbered to 124 (mine is 60). I give Panini crap for their card products, but I'll sing nothing but praise about this ball. This is the 4th auto'd basketball to go in my collection (Lebron, Derrick Rose, and Bob Cousy) and it's probably my favorite out of the 4. Here are some more pics of this amazing ball!

Starting Lineup Stories: The extremely unbelivablely long but well worth it wait for my Cooperstown Stadium Stars

When I found out that the 97 version of Starting Lineup's Stadium Stars was going to be an all Cooperstown set, I was really excited. I'd always been a fan of the larger Stadium Stars series, and the 3 in particularly that I was interested in were the Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Mickey Mantle. They looked so awesome, I wanted them more than anything in the world. I thought of course that here in Corpus, there would be no way in the world I'd ever find them. I used to look at magazines with envy and just wish that somehow I'd be able to obtain them. Opportunity, for once, actually came a knockin and I would definitely seize it!

The Three "White Whales" so to speak of my collection. I wanted these sooooo bad

The opportunity to get these came from a random source actually. I didn't find them, but my aunt in San Angelo, Texas did. She called my mom and let her know, and my mom said to pick them up. I couldn't believe it! All 3, would be mine! I thought I'd be lucky to just get one, much less all three! I was sooooooo excited, I couldn't wait till she mailed them off to me and I could display them and just stare at them in amazement! There was a catch though. You see that summer, we were supposed to visit them, so my mom told my aunt not to worry about sending them. Since we'd be there in the summer, we'd get them then. WHAT?!?! You mean I now have to wait MONTHS to get these in my possession?! How CRUEL!!!! I begged and pleaded, but my mom said there shouldn't be a rush and eventually I'd have them. I had to be patient....VERRRRRRRRY PATIENT.  It drove me crazy just waiting for them, but in the back of my mind I knew they were mine. I would still check to see if we could find them in Corpus (of course we didn't). I was excited to go to San Angelo to visit my cousin, but this definitely added to the anticipation and excitement. Finally, when we arrived and said our hello's, I innocently asked where she had the figures. My aunt brought out the Toys R Us bags and there they were, in alllllll their glory.  I might have waited quite a while, but it definitely made it that much more special when I got my hands on and it's one Starting Lineup Story I will never forget!

My First NFL Gamer! 2001 Torry Holt Rams Game Used Jersey

As you've seen in past posts, I have numerous NBA jerseys and baseball bats but one thing that has eluded me is an NFL gamer. I finally was able to snag one this past MEARS auction. I picked up a Torry Holt 2001 Rams Game Used Jersey. Again, the cool thing about it is that it's a jersey from NFL Auctions and it's game dated to September 30th 2001 against the Miami Dolphins where Holt had 111 receiving yards and a TD in a 42-10 blowout win. Holt is definitely a future Hall of Famer and this is an exciting piece to add to my collection. Here are the pics. Enjoy!

I don't have many Eli's, but I Don't Think This One Is Too Shabby

It's really hard to swallow being a Cowboys fan and seeing that Eli Manning is a Two Time Super Bowl Champion (and MVP), but there is a silver lining to it all. I only have two Eli Manning cards in my collection (obviously, he's not a guy I target much) but one of those two is this gem.  In all honestly,  I liked this one more cause it was a dual auto with Hall of Famer Y.A. Tittle not so much for Eli but yeah I think now, Eli has proven himself beyond doubt that he deserves to share this card with a Hall of Famer. This is a sweet on card dual autograph from SP Authentic's Chirography set and it's numbered to only 30 copies. Like I said, not thrilled at all the Giants won the Super Bowl, but owning this card does take the sting off a little!