Yankees Prospecting: 2009 Upper Deck Icons Brett Gardner Auto'd RC

I decided to collect Brett Gardner cards about halfway through the NY Yankees 27th World Series Championship season. It's not that Gardner is the flashiest Yankee or that he hits gargantuan home runs. He's actually far from any of those types of players. Instead, he simply does the little things to help a team win. Whether it's playing great defense, getting on base with a .381 OBP or stealing bases to get into scoring position, Gardner is one of the Yankees unsung heroes.

I bought a few Gardner cards toward the end of last season and during the MLB off-season. One of those cards is this 2009 Upper Deck Icons Auto'd RC. There aren't too many Gardner auto's out there yet, but this one is pretty nice. It's not all that limited with a print run of 600, but I probably wouldn't have been able to afford it if it was extremely limited. I paid just under $8.00 with shipping. That's a pretty good deal as many are now selling for $20.00 - $30.00 right now on eBay in Live auctions (click here), and are right around $50.00 on Buy Now eBay auctions (click Here).

Gardner currently has a .285 BA, 5 HR's, 39 RBI's, .381 OBP, 73 R's and 34 SB's.

Buffalo Bills Prospecting: James Hardy

I went to a Buffalo Bills open practice a little over a month ago at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY. I try to get to a few practices and training camps of a few teams (Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings) during the course of an offseason or preseason. I'm usually one of those fans sitting there with an updated roster sheet taking detailed notes on each player. You know, just in case any NFL GM wants my "expert" advice. While I was at the Bills practice, I couldn't help but notice one player towering over all the others.

James Hardy is a 6 foot 5 inch 220 pound physical specimen of a wide receiver. Granted, he may have looked so imposing because he was standing next to 5 foot 9 inch Bills receiver Roscoe Parrish, non the less he did look huge out there on the field.

Hardy was originally drafted in the second round by the Bills in the 2008 NFL Draft. The team had been looking for a nice compliment on the opposite side of the field of Lee Evans. The thought was that Hardy could fill that role and be a much needed large target in the red zone. After having some early issues with route running and the speed of the NFL game, Hardy also endured a torn ACL injury toward the end of his rookie season. After a full year of rehab, it looks like Hardy is finally ready to make a significant impact on the field for the Bills.

With the departure of free agent Terrell Owens, the Bills have a huge opening for an ultra physical number two wide receiver, and I think Hardy is poised to fill that role. Because of this hunch, and the modest prices his cards are selling for, I've picked up a few of the higher end Hardy RC's that you see in this post. All three are Upper Deck Exquisite cards serial numbered to 60 or less. There's one more Hardy RC I'm looking for (click here), but they've gone up in price during the past few weeks. It looks like other collectors have the same thoughts on Hardy as I do.

To say I'm excited for NFL training camps to open up is an understatement. Surely, this little James Hardy endeavor that I've taken up should make the upcoming season a little more interesting for this Bills die hard. Hopefully the former Indiana Hoosier will be able to put up some respectable numbers.