'09 Nathan Gerbe Upper Deck Ultimate Rookies Signatures Auto
My Buffalo Sabres are four points back of the Carolina Hurricanes for the 8th and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Sabres do have three games in hand, but they could certainly use a big win against the Capitals today.
The '09 Upper Deck Ultimate Rookies Signature card is of Sabres forward Nathan Gerbe. Gerbe is a young and talented forward. He's not the biggest guy at only 5'5'', but he makes up for that lack of size with exciting speed and hustle. The Ultimate RC auto is a nice addition to my hockey collection.
Enjoy the smorgasbord of sports today with the Sabres game, Heritage Classic outdoor game, Daytona 500 and 60th NBA All-Star Game. Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".
2007 Upper Deck Ultimate Virtuoso Chris Mullin Auto/Jersey #'d 8/25
There are certain cards that collectors get excited about ever since the first time they lay their eyes on them. For me, this '07 UD Ultimate Virtuoso Chris Mullin auto/jersey card is one of those. It recently came in, and I'm really excited to add it to my collection. Mullin is one of my favorite players to collect (along with Anfernee Hardaway, Tyler Ennis, Bo Jackson, Warren Spahn, Danilo Gallinari, Billy Martin and 90's insert sets), and this is easily one of the best looking Mullin cards I've ever seen. It's on my Top 50 Wish List and it certainly feels good to cross it off.
No, not the Jason Williams who hooped it up with Randy Moss during his high school days, nor the former New Jersey Nets Jayson Williams. I get confused myself with so many NBA'ers named Jason Williams, but I'm talking about the former Duke University star from earlier in the decade. I'm sure many fans and collectors have forgotten about the once dynamic point guard. It's been almost a decade since his playing days, and there have been a plethora of point guards in Chicago since. Although I'm not a huge fan, Derrick Rose is doing a great job of making Bulls fans forget about Mr. Williams. I know he's currently a collegiate basketball analyst for ESPN, but he was at one time an unstoppable force on the court. He was one of the most explosive guards I've ever seen and could also stroke it from deep. I watched the former N.J. State Mr. Basketball Award winner play in high school and thought there was nothing he couldn't do. While at Duke, it seemed that was true. Unfortunately for Williams, we truly are the sum of the decisions we make, as positive or reckless as those decisions might be.
'03 Upper Deck Ultimate Dual Jersey RC
Mr. Williams was well on his way to a great start of his NBA career as the #2 overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls until a motorcycle accident nearly claimed his life after his rookie season. Williams hit a streetlight in Chicago in '03. He did not have a licence to operate a motorcycle in Illinois, nor was he wearing a helmet. In fact, Williams was not supposed to be on a motorcycle at all as his contract with the Bulls stated. He suffered a number of horrific injuries that put walking agin in jeopardy, never mind playing professional basketball. Williams actually made a comeback in 2007 with the N.J. Nets averaging 3.8 points 0.6 assists and 2.6 turnovers/game, but was released after 5 games.
I recently picked up a few RC's of Williams as I'm a dork for basketball history, and he's certainly apart of that history. There's no questioning Williams' place in collegiate basketball history. In only 3 years, he managed to become the 5th all-time leading scoring when he left Dunk with 2,079 points and lead the Blue Devils to the 2001 NCAA Championship. Williams also won the Naismith and Wooden Awards as college basketball's best player in 2002. He is often regarded as one of the best collegiate players ever, and is on many top 100 lists. So what NBA history would Williams have cut out for himself had he not gotten hurt? How would Jay Williams' NBA career have turned out?
As promised, here are a couple Marshawn Lynch cards I recently picked up. I know Lynch wasn't named the Bills starting running back for the opener this Sunday, but I thought he looked pretty good this preseason. I think he's poised for a very solid year. It's likely that Lynch will get the bulk of the goal-line touches with his bruising running style (Beast Mode) and looks to be a bit quicker than last year. That will happen when you're not suspended for the beginning of the season do to legal troubles like Lynch was last year.
Believe it or not, Lynch is only 24 years old. He certainly has the physical tools and talent to be a top notch runner in the NFL and I think he'll regain that distiction either with the Bills or another team by next year. I like the Bills stable of runners with Spiller, Jackson and Lynch, and I think they can all prosper this year in Buffalo including Lynch. Here's to the start of the 2010 NFL season. Come on "Beast Mode"!
Here are a couple of Lynch cards in my collection:
