Ok, so it’s not exactly $13,000; it’s actually $12,999.99.  You know, so it doesn’t feel like you are actually dropping $13K on a baseball card.  Whether it is actually worth that exact amount or not, there is no denying that the 2008 Bowman Chrome Jason Heyward Superfractor Auto RC is one of those cards that collectors will pay any price for.  It is the rarest rookie card – autographed nonetheless – of the Braves rookie outfielder, and it is the only one like it.  That’s right, it’s a 1 of 1.

You might remember the story about Stephen Strasburg’s 2010 Bowman Chrome Superfractor RC that took eBay by storm in May and ultimately sold for nearly $17,000.  What made that card so incredibly rare and valuable is the fact that pulling a Superfractor in a pack of 2010 Bowman Chrome is 1:47,000. A Superfractor can be any Bowman Chrome card, so considering that the Heyward one is also an autographed rookie, it makes it even more rare.

So if you are bored on this fine Saturday afternoon, and have a little extra spending cash after hitting all of your college football picks this morning, then why not place a bid on one of the hottest rookie cards of all-time.

In case you missed it last night on The Baseball Show, Clint and I spent an hour talking with MLB agent Matt Sosnick from Sosnick Cobbe Sports. We discussed the rise and fall of Dontrelle Willis, sports agency as a profession, Matt’s experiences in Major League Baseball, stories about his clients, Josh Willingham and Ricky Nolasco’s off-season contract negotiations, why Adam Dunn can’t find a permanent home, and a lot of interesting stuff in between.

Here is what the baseball world is saying the day after our interview:

The Reds Should Lock Up Jay Bruce [Diamond Hoggers]

Are The Cubs Interested In Signing Adam Dunn [David Kaplan]

Matt Sosnick discusses Josh Willingham on The Baseball Show [The Golden Sombrero]

Sosnick on Bruce, Willingham, Nolasco, Dunn [MLB Trade Rumors]

News on Ricky Nolasco’s Multi-Year Contract Talks [Bottom 9]

Nolasco Contract Update [The Fish Pond]

Bruce willing to sign long-term with Reds [RedsZone.com]

Washington Nationals Middle of the Order Chatter [Federal Baseball]

If you have not had the opportunity to listen to our conversation with Matt Sosnick, you can do so here

On Wednesday night, Clint and I were honored to have Major League Baseball agent Matt Sosnick, of Sosnick Cobbe Sports, as a guest on The Baseball Show. We discussed a little bit of everything including the rise and fall of Dontrelle Willis, sports agency as a profession, Matt’s experiences in Major League Baseball, stories about his clients, Josh Willingham and Ricky Nolasco’s off-season contract negotiations, why Adam Dunn can’t find a permanent home, and a lot of interesting stuff in between.

In our discussion on Josh Willingham, Sosnick mentioned that the 31-year old outfielder’s next contract is contingent on both his ability to stay healthy, as well as whether the Nationals ultimately decide to re-sign slugger Adam Dunn.

After earning $4.6MM in 2010, Sosnick stated that Willingham would be happy to accept a one-year deal. Entering the third and final year of his current contract with the Nationals, he will be eligible for arbitration during the offseason and it is possible that his 2011 salary could approach $7MM.

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The Golden Sombrero presents MLB Look-alikes: Julian Tavarez and Freddy Krueger

I met the guy in Chicago when I was 12 and let me tell you, he’s scarier than Freddy Krueger.

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Fighting in organized sports is generally frowned upon. When football turns to blows the players are described as barbarians, out of control monsters with little or no self control. When basketball teams slug it out they’re deemed thugs and hoodlums. But Wednesday night’s Nationals-Marlins game included one of baseball’s most time-honored traditions, the bench clearing brawl.

Fighting holds a special place in baseball, a moral gray area that while officially outlawed is still accepted as an unspoken part of the game. Sometimes a scrap can be good for team chemistry, a team-building exercise spilling the enemy’s blood. In other sports players can physically confront each other through the course of play while boxing out for rebounds or making tackles. In baseball there is rarely such confrontation although the same agitation exists. Eventually it becomes too much and rather than a flagrant foul or late hit a player will launch an all-out assault. A bench-clearing baseball brawl is spontaneous, one player provoked to the point of attack and his team following into battle. Players, coaches, and fans know that at the highest level of competition this is sometimes unavoidable. That man pushed over the edge on Wednesday was Washington Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan.

Continue Reading ‘Don’t Mess with Nyjer Morgan’>>