Poster Review: "First Minute, First Round" By Pyramid Posters

"First Minute, First Round" by Pyramid Posters

It doesn't get any more iconic than this "First Minute, First Round" poster of Muhammad Ali standing over a stunned Sonny Liston. I've reviewed some great sports posters here on Hoopography, but this might be the greatest of all time! Not coincidentally, the poster features the Greatest of All Time. We all know Ali's greatness, but it's really this moment in sports history that makes the poster so iconic.

I'm not all that familiar with Pyramid Posters. It's not like other poster publishers Nike and Costacos Brothers, which most collectors recognize. I do know that Pyramid Posters is from across the pond in the UK and they have the licensing rights to publish Muhammad Ali posters. Other than those few nuggets, I'm a bit in the dark regarding Pyramid Posters. So if anyone has any other information on Pyramid, please feel free to comment. However, I think the poster actually speaks for itself.

Because of the popularity of the poster, there are tons of these around for collectors to put up in their man cave, den or dorm room. With a typical price around $8-$10 (click here), it's also affordable. Maybe it's the black and white or the levity of the moment, but this poster can certainly be the centerpiece of any collection.

Click here for more poster reviews and remember… "Enjoy Every Ding of the Bell".

Poster Review: Andre Agassi Nike Poster & A Lil' Red Hot Chili Peppers Action

Early 90's Nike Andre Agassi Poster

Nike Andre Agassi TV commercial featuring Anthony Kiedis and Flea

Poster Review: Nike "The Judge" Poster

1980's Nike "The Judge" Poster

Former Raiders cornerback Lester Hayes is a bit before my time, but the poster is timeless. Hayes was known for that low stance featured in the poster when lining up against opposing wide receivers. The idea behind the poster is that Hayes could cover even the vastest of open expanses. One of the best cover corners of the late 70's and 80's, Hayes was a five-time Pro Bowl selection for a Raiders team that one two Super Bowls ('80 & '83). Although a finalist for the NFL Hall of Fame, he has yet to be enshrined.

The poster is not one of the more iconic or sought after posters of the 80's, but I think it's a bit underrated. At the very least, "The Judge" poster is a great entry into vintage poster collecting. It's not terribly expensive relative to some of the higher profile posters from this era, and it's a Nike poster from one of the Black & Silvers best. Sales are generally right around $20-$25 plus shipping. Anything more than that is not a good deal (Current Best Offer eBay Auction).

Hope you enjoyed this latest Poster Review post. Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Poster Review: Nolan Ryan "Texas Ranger" Nike Poster

Nolan Ryan "Texas Ranger" Nike Poster (1989)

Texas Ranger fans and poster hunters alike, this is one of the coolest vintage posters out there. It screams awesomeness almost as much as a Nolan Ryan fastball screaming toward a bruised pitcher's hand. "The Ryan Express" played 27 seasons in the Majors finishing with the Texas Rangers in 1993. He left the Houston Astros because of a contract dispute and joined the Rangers in '89. Of course, the marketing wizards at Nike had to jump all over the legends career move.

The idea behind the poster is obvious and simple. Ryan is being depicted as a Texas Ranger lawman who disseminates justice through his gun of an arm. There are even baseballs in the gun holsters. Nice touch be Nike. Ryan lived up to expectations during that first season with the Rangers by going 16 and 10 in 32 starts with a 3.20 ERA and 301 strikeouts. Not too shabby for a then 42 year old.

The post is of course out of print and that usually means it sells for a house payment, however, I found a couple reasonably priced copies for sale on eBay (click here). I would go with the "Best Offer" auction and see what happens. Here's a completed "Live Auction" from a week ago that was a great deal (click here). Just goes to show that patience can be a collectors best friend, or at least a wallets best friend.

Whether it's for your den, dorm room or man cave, iconic sports posters can be that centerpiece item to finish off a room. After a 60 inch plasma TV of course. Enjoy the poster hunt and… "Every Bounce of the Ball".

- Need more poster reviews? Click here to access previous Hoopography poster review posts.

Poster Review: THE LAND OF BOZ

Why am I such a big fan of Brian "The Boz" Bosworth"? He certainly was a dominant football player at the University of Oklahoma during the mid 80's, but that's not why I'm such a fan. It certainly isn't because of his NFL career either. He only played two seasons. I'm a fan of Bosworth mostly because of the crazy mullet he rocked, and because he will forever be linked to Mr. Bo Jackson (click here). There are about 5 or 6 Bosworth cards I'm after and two of those cards feature dual auto's with Bosworth and Jackson. Actually the card in the "click here" link above is in my top 5 most wanted. Surprisingly, there are a few other collectors out there like me who are after some of Boz's cards. That means his cards sell for a lot more than you would think for a guy who barely played two seasons in the NFL.

The poster is pretty well done like many of the sports posters from back in the 80's. All the characters from the Wizard of Oz film are represented, but my favorite part of the entire poster is that the kid's #44 jersey has "Bozkin" on it. Also, the rock on the right side of the poster off the yellow brick road reads, "There's No Place Like Dome". Click here for an insanely  priced BIN eBay auction. I've seen these sell for under $20.

- Fun Fact: Bosworth was an Academic All-American at the University of Oklahoma in 1986.
- Fun Fact: Bosworth was a 2x first team All-American for the University of Oklahoma in 1985 and '86.
- Fun Fact: Bosworth is the only collegiate player to win the Dick Butkus Award twice (1985 and '86).

Poster Review: Griffey-The Next Generation Costacos Brothers Poster

Griffey-The Next Generation
Costacos Brothers Poster

Costacos Brothers came up with some great posters during the 80's and 90's, and this Griffey-The Next Generation poster was no different. The market for Griffey Jr. memorabilia is certainly immense. Particularly, for early pieces like this Jr. and Sr. poster. Reason being, well all I really need to say is that it's Jr. Before phenoms like Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, there was Griffey Jr.

I'm not particularly sure on the exact year this poster was released, but I'm assuming it was in '88 or '89. The background lockers are littered with fun details from family photo's to a "Dad's Root beer" can. Also, the name and font on the poster was taken from a popular late 80's and early 90's television show, Star Trek-The Next Generation. How do I know this you might ask? Let's just say I was a dork phenoms back in the day.

This is really a tremendous poster that is of course, scarce today. Here are two "autographed" posters I was able to find on eBay: click here and click here for more poster reviews.

Poster Review: Nike's Charles Barkley Vs. Godzilla Ad Campaign

Charles Barkley Vs. Godzilla. That's right. Nike ran a very successful ad campaign featuring "Sir Charles" battling the infamous Godzilla, or is Charles the infamous one? Nonetheless, the campaign was entertaining and successful for both Charles and Nike. Nike utilized TV commercials, sneakers, hats, T-shirts and several posters you can find throughout this post to promote its sports apparel lines. Barkley may not have been the NBA's best player during his playing career, but he was easily one of the NBA's most outspoken and controversial stars. To this day, many basketball fans take what Charles has to say seriously as he is not afraid to speak his mind.

(Nike, "I am not a role model" TV Commercial)

Despite being a controversial figure, "Sir Charles" was one of Nike's most successful spokespersons, or more likely, it's because of that controversy that helped propel the off the court success of Charles and the Nike. If Michael Jordan was the seemingly clean cut corporate American spokesperson, then Barkley was his polar opposite. He played the villain role for the NBA and Nike, and played it well.

Charles was one of my favorite players during his career, and is today one of my favorite TV personalities today as an NBA analyst for TNT. He had plenty of game and was certainly a factor in the NBA's resurgence during the late 80's and early 90's golden years. "The Mound Round of Rebound" averaged huge numbers over his sixteen year career filling it up with 22.1 points/game, 11.7 rebounds/game and 3.9 assists/game. To go along with Charles' eleven NBA All-Star appearances, he was also the '93 NBA MVP. Barkley had a distinguished NBA career that also featured a trip to the '93 NBA Finals, two Olympic Gold Medals ('92 & '96), and a spot on the NBA's 50 at 50 Greatest Players list.

Aside from a great playing career, Barkley's poster career is pretty impressive as well. "The Battle of the Century" Nike poster is not your normal sports poster. Nike definitely had a little fun with this one. I really like the entire Godzilla campaign that Nike introduced in 1992. I don't think there's a better comparison for a player like Barkley who himself was a monster on the court.

There's no question that this was a great marketing campaign for the creative ad wizards over at Nike. Instead of shying away from a controversial and abrasive personality, Nike embraced Barkley and used his personality to its advantage. I should know. I bought a pair of the Nike Air Max CB 2's back in the day partially because of the innovative Barkley Vs. Godzilla campaign. It didn't hurt that Nike made quite a technologically sound and comfortable sneaker either. Here's the TV commercial that started the "Battle of the Century" campaign off.

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Poster Review: Converse "Hit Man" Don Mattingly Poster

"Donnie Baseball" is one of the most beloved Yankee and MLB players of the past 30 years. He could do it all at first place and in the batters box, and did it right. The 1985 AL MVP played for the New York Yankees from 1982 - 1995, but never played in a World Series. Despite that dubious distinction, Mattingly had an exceptional career with a .307 batting average, 6 all-star selections, 9 Gold Gloves and 3 Silver Slugger Awards.

So with all that hardware, which ballot did Mattingly get selected to the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame on? His first ballot? Maybe his second? Actually, Mattingly has not been enshrined into the Hall and it doesn't look like he'll get in any time soon. The man known as the "Hit Man" and "Donnie Baseball" has receive an average of 13.43% of the votes needed in each of the years from 2007 - 2010. A player needs 75% of the votes to get enshrined. Many detractors feel Matting was only great for a short period of time as injuries took their toll. They also site his lack of team success referring to the Yankees going to the post season in only one of Mattingly's MLB campaigns (1995). Others feel Mattingly's numbers speak for themselves as to his greatness and reference his .417 batting average in the '95 ALDS.

I'm a bit partial to any Yankee great and hope to see Mattingly enshrined down the road.

As for the Converse "Hit Man" Poster, it's a classic. This is one of the gold standards or "white whales" for poster and Yankee collectors alike. At the time, Converse was one of the largest sneaker and sporting goods companies in the world. It wasn't Nike and Reebok or Nike and Adidas, it was Nike and Converse. Converse had the likes of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Bernard King and Don Mattingly under contract during the mid-80's. They were truly a juggernaut, and created one of the best posters the industry has ever seen.

The "Hit Man" poster is iconic and collectors know that. Many of the posters were used and it's difficult today to find one in mint condition. They do pop up on eBay (click here), but typically command a hefty price tag. If you do find an original mint condition poster, good luck as you'll no doubt have fierce competition on e-marketplaces like eBay.

Although Converse came up with a great campaign for Mattingly with the "Hit Man" poster, their business relationship did not last. By the late 80's Mattingly was a passenger on the Nike express. Here's a Footlocker commercial with Mattingly donning some Nike gear:

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So, did you have a Don "Hit Man" Mattingly poster on your wall as a kid or even today, and do you think Mattingly should be enshrined in the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame?

- Can't get enough poster reviews, click here to read previous Poster Review posts and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Poster Review: Nike Air Jordan "Wings" Poster

Some sports posters are more iconic than others, and the Nike "Wings" poster is certainly one of them. First off, the poster measures 23 x 72 inches. How many six foot wide posters do you know of? It was difficult just to hang this one up simply because of its sheer size. Obviously, this is part of the appeal of the "Wings" poster. Not only could you have the "Goat" (Greatest Of All Time) on your wall, but even the dimensions of the poster were unlike anything else hanging up on sports fans' walls.

The poster features a black and white MJ soaring with his arms out like an eagle ready for flight. I'm sure many readers can remember imitating Jordan, minus the gargantuan wingspan. I even have a grey Nike long sleeve t-shirt with an image of the poster across the front. There's also an inspirational line on the bottom of the poster from poet William Blake, "No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings".

This classic poster is of course, out of print and difficult to find. Original copies do pop up on eBay from time to time, but it can be difficult to determine if it's indeed an original copy unless the poster comes in its original clear plastic with Nike/UPC sticker. The originals go for a pretty penny, but there are plenty of reprints out there that actually look very good and are reasonably priced. Most sell for right around $17.00 - $20.00.

Good luck in you poster chase and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Poster Review: "Chocolate Thunder" Nike Poster

I'm not exactly sure whether this Darryl Dawkins poster is scary, cool or just scary cool. They're your eyes, so I apologies in advanced, but checkout those ridiculously short shorts. Even considering the shorts, this is a pretty great 80's Nike poster. I love the old school pair of Nikes Dawkins is rockin'. Plus, checkout Darryl "Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins holding a rim in his hand. He looks like he just tore the entire rim off and shattered the glass of a basketball hoop. Oh wait, he did…twice.

Dawkins came right out of high school and joined the NBA before it was fashionable or even really tolerated to take such a huge leap. He was drafted 5th overall in the 1975 NBA Draft, and had an up and down professional career most notably with the Philadelphia 76ers. His tenure in Philadelphia produced four trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and one trip to the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, the 76ers could never close the deal during that stretch. Dawkins was eventually traded to the New Jersey Nets after the '82 season. With a revamped team that now featured Moses Malone, the 76ers were able to finally get over the hump and win the '83 NBA Championship.

The Nike "Chocolate Thunder" poster came out right at the beginning of the 80's and is highly representative of the flamboyant Walt "Clyde" Frazier 70's NBA that preceded the posters release. The "Love Tron" shirt Dawkins is wearing is pretty crazy too. I also like that the poster celebrates the most enduring aspect of Dawkins' tenure in the Association as a dunker.

This is one cool poster. It's difficult to find vintage copies of, but it can be added to the collection a patient collector. They show up on eBay usually once a month, and typically sell for right around $15 - $25. If you do add this classic 80's Nike poster to your collection, make sure to enjoy your time on Planet Love Tron.

Poster Review: David Robinson "National Defense" Nike Poster

After fulfilling two years of his five year military service commitment (the U.S. Navy excused Robinson from three years of his five year commitment), “The Admiral” joined the San Antonio Spurs in 1990. The addition of Robinson turned the fortunes of the Spurs franchise around and brought a new meaning to athletic big man. Robinson’s speed, size, power and athleticism were unmatched. His career averages are also very impressive at 21.1 points/game, 10.6 rebounds/game and 2.99 blocks/game. The ’95 NBA league MVP was selected to ten all-star teams, was the ’90 NBA Rookie of the Year, ’92 & ’96 “Dream Team” Olympic Gold Medal winner and two-time NBA Champion (’99 & ’03). “The Admiral” was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Robinson was one of Nike’s top spokesmen during the 90‘s. He had a great smile, was a standup role model and most importantly, had loads of game. The “National Defense” Poster portrays Robinson as if he were on a naval ship protecting the 50 United States. Aside from those incredibly short shorts, I really like this Nike basketball poster. Also, check out those ultra high Nikes Robinson is sporting.

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Poster Review: Isaiah Rider "Slam Dunk King" StarLine Poster

You may remember "JR" Rider more for his long criminal rap sheet or just missing being the captain of the infamous Portland Jail Blazers (Rider was traded to Atlanta for the veteran Steve Smith just prior to the Jail Blazer Days), but I like to remember the former 5th overall draft choice in the '93 NBA Draft as the winner of the '94 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Rider was not one of the best dunkers of all-time, but he may have executed one of the best dunks of all-time. That particular dunk also has one of the coolest rim-rockin' names ever conceived. Say it with me Slam Dunk Aficionados, "The East Bay Funk Dunk". Dunk names don't get too much better than that!

Rider had an NBA career that was marred by criminal, personal and professional distractions, but he actually was a very talented scorer and athlete at one time. He averaged 20.4 points/game during his second season in the Association, and also won an ESPN ESPY Award for the Top NBA Play of the Year in '95 (YouTube video to your right). Rider also won an NBA Championship with the L.A. Lakers in 2001 (He received a Championship ring despite being left off the playoff roster). In all, Rider played in the NBA from '93 to '01 and also had a brief one game stint with the North Texas Fresh of the American Basketball Association.

The Slam Dunk King Starline poster is really a cool piece to add to any collector's collection or game room (click here for an eBay Buy Now auction). The action shot of Rider is from the '94 NBA Slam Dunk Contest that he won with "The East Bay Funk Dunk". Checkout Gary Payton with his bling shining, jaw dropped watching Rider winning the '94 Dunk Contest. I've seen many a dunk, jam and flush in my day, but this one is certainly right up there with some of the best.

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