First off, I would like to apologize for this article being so late. I have had some problems with the family and am just coming out of the blue now. I am going to keep the reviews this week very brief since it is so late and all your orders are already placed.

I would like to thank all the friends and folks who have supported me in the past and who continue to support me. This past week my mother went from chemotherapy to ICU, which is not good. She is a true champion in her own right and is a hero to me. She had a bout with a rare disease and needed chemo to treat it. She has led me down the right path as long as I can remember. My mother was the one out there in 8th grade who used to catch for me when I was working on a new fastball or curveball. She used to get down in the crouch and I would pace off 90 feet. She knew I was good but never good enough to make it anywhere. However she continued to push me and make me believe in myself. The family bond here was extremely strong. This is like the eTopps community...

I have never experienced a closer group than what we have here on the boards and in our discussion groups. I owe a lot of my collection and my desire for collecting to my mother. She was the one who bought me my 1975 Topps Gary Carter rookie card when I was a true fan. I am still a fan to her and she still encourages my collection and eTopps fanfare. We all need a sense of drive or vision and my mother helped me reach that goal. I am a big fan of eTopps and of collecting. I think deep down in our hearts we all owe a sense of collecting to one of our parents or close friends. I think it is important to realize these goals and excel. I have tried to do this and will continue to do so... thank's MOM!

This week goes down as the low print run week. Every card this week has a PR of 1,000 so it will be interesting to see if they all sell out. The 2003 set is doing much better statistically than the 2002 set and I would bet that the 2001 set will soon have some good competition. Now on with our picks. Remember -- do not trust my advice but use it as a tool along with other tools to invest smarter. Do your homework and invest wisely.

Carlos Arroyo (1,000 @ $5.00)

This is the first eTopps card for Carlos. I can still remember the boards going crazy with people wanting to buy votes for this vote-in star. He has filled in well with the Utah Jazz in place of John Stockton. Carlos started out with Toronto, then went to Denver, and is now solidifying the backcourt of Utah. He is a great story in that he was not drafted out of Florida International. He went to Spain to play in their league before joining the Raptors. He was waived by the Raptors and picked up on a 10-day contract by the Nuggets before being signed through the '02 season. He left and went to Utah where he built up a good game and has exploded this year. This year is by far the best of his career, setting career marks in almost every offensive and defensive category. I like this card and picked up a few. We shall see how well it performs... but I am guessing fairly well since he was adopted early on.

Dirk Nowitzki (1,000 @ $4.00)

Dirk is getting his third card this year and it is well-deserved. He is a leader for the Mav's and is in the top 20 for 14 different offensive and defensive statistical categories. Some of his numbers are down but that is due to the Mavericks being loaded with talent and making a few key acquisitions this off season. Dirk is still a good buy with such a low PR and low price. Again I picked up two for the set here.

Jason Richardson (1,000 @ $4.00)

Like Nowitzki, this is the third card for Jason. He is one of the most electrifying players in the NBA with his spectacular dunk and aerobatic moves. A lot more is resting on his shoulders this year and he is responding well in having his best PPG average in his career (18.2 points per game). This card is going to be the Richardson card to have with the low PR; his 2001 and 2002 cards have PR's over 1000. However, his '01 card is his rookie card so these two cards might be going head to head soon. With such a low PR and price you again cannot miss this card.

Mike Sweetney (1,000 @ $4.00)

Mike is a rookie forward out of Georgetown. He has seen limited playing time this season and will take at least another year to adjust to the NBA. He has the power and skills to make an impact when the organization is ready for him. Being a rookie card, this is a nice pickup although it might not fare as well as other cards or other rookies this year. There are so many good rookies who are having a huge impact on the league that there is more pressure to perform. I passed on this card.

Ndudi Ebi (1,000 @ $4.00)

Picked with the 26th pick out of high school by the Timberwolves, the organization is hoping he is half the player Garnett is. He has some big shoes to fill. So far this year he has only seen action in 16 games and in those 16 games he has averaged 1.9 minutes per game. In those 31 minutes he has only scored 13 points. I am not signing up for this card and would recommend getting it on the secondary market. However, all orders are in by now. So enjoy your decision.

Rashard Lewis (1,000 @ $6.50)

Another phenom out of high school, he has played in the NBA now for 6 years (all with Seattle). He has come into his own this year and has been putting up numbers that are some of the best in his short career. His 50 points against the Clippers in the 2nd game of the season was a coming-out party for him. This is his first eTopps card and should do fairly well. I was drawn to it right away and hope that it does well.