Opening Pitch: Well, well, well... Look who is back on the mound. That is right fans; I am back for another season of baseball IPO's. I want to welcome back all the old fans and new fans out there. It has been a long wait since the end of baseball in 2003 and the start of the 2004 season. A lot of things have taken shape over the annual fall meetings (well, not annual yet). Several eTopps fans got a chance to present several key ideas to eTopps executives about the product and the direction they should take to better the product and appease everyone. I will only offer you this: this is not done yet. If you think the changes made this year are drastic or well done, check back in a couple years. I guarantee that this program is bound for success and will quickly pull other competing companies into this market to copy the successful eTopps program. This is not done with just hard work by eTopps executives; it is a combination of eTopps and its fans out here. Remember: what have you done for your eTopps community lately? A lot of people are doing different things to help this program out. It only takes a little time each day to do something for your program and guarantee your investments.

With that I am going to launch into my eTopps slush fund campaign. As time dwindles down towards eCON04 money becomes more of an issue for the big boys helping steer the ship during eCON04. There are many overhead and out-of-pocket expenses they are committing to without and backup from board members and fans alike. I did this last year for the program and raised several hundred dollars. This year I have started the same program with a goal of $1000. I want to be able to send Bearabull or Ronin a 1K payment for them to use to make sure we have a great time at eCON and we get those nice little giveaways like last year. If you are interested in donating to the eCON slush fund, please go to the general forum and search for it under Slush Fund. It lays out the nitty gritty. You can also just e-mail me at etoppsguru@aol.com. I would gladly help anyone out who is helping out this program.

Finally, before we roll into the picks I want to highlight a couple more key things here. I am not sure if everyone is up on the boards but if not please check out the general forum (reference eCON04). There you can research anything from hotel information to national updates. There are also several key events that other eTopps personnel are running, such as the golf outing. So please help out, support the program, come to eCON and get your free card. Meet and greet with the fans, drink beers with me (if of age) and let's have a great time. So, with that, remember that these picks listed below are done with research and common sense. Do not trust my opinion. Simply use this as a tool or guide and develop your own buying strategy. Let's roll!

Alex Rodriguez (5,000 @ $6.00)

Alex is appearing on his fourth eTopps card and needs no special recognition from me or anyone else. He is simply the best player in baseball right now. Yes, he is even better than Barry Bonds. Alex was the hottest story this past winter when he was traded from the Texas Rangers to the New York Yankees. It came as no surprise that Steinbrenner pulled this one off. He has the money to do it and the passion (or greed -- however you look at it) for a championship. Alex will no doubt be a key part of any championship run. This card comes with a high PR and will likely suffer due to it. However, the price has dropped from his $9.50 tag that he carried the past two years. If you're looking at Alex for growth and wanted to start a collection based around him you have the right thought process. If you're expecting Alex to meet his Performance Bonus (PB) and get a couple Reward Points (RP), you're not thinking clearly. Alex has not reached his PB the past two years. However, looking at potential and growth, I have to put this one in my locker. I rate this card a MUST BUY!!

Bill Mueller (2,500 @ $5.75)

Hi, my name is Bill Mueller and I play 3B for the Boston Red Sox. If you are not from Boston you may not have heard of me. I am a guy who goes out there, hits for average and plays above average defense -- all under the radar of the bigger stars on my team. Seriously, this is a good-looking card. It is the first $5.75 card I have ever seen. It is also Mueller's first card period. The PR is low enough for a first-year card of a player to make it attractive. But how much potential does this card have? Bill has only played more than 130 games three times in his 9-year career. Most of his time has been spent platooning at Chicago and San Francisco in the National League. Last year when he was brought on to be the man at the hot corner he responded for the Red Sox. He almost doubled his previous best for doubles (45) and his average was almost 60 points better than his average in his last season where he played 130+ games. This card does not have long-term potential. He will not make his PB either (an easy prediction here). I rate this card as a WEAK BUY.

Edwin Jackson (5,000 @ $6.50)

Last year this young player went 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 4 games that he started. He also recorded 19 K's in those 4 games. Not blistering numbers by any means but enough to raise an eyebrow and wonder what type of potential this young player has. Most likely he will start the season with AAA rather than fill the 5th spot that manager Jim Tracy keeps insisting is his. He could not retire a single batter in the 5th inning today. His spring ERA is over 8 and batters are having a field day while batting against him (hitting .340+). Expect Jackson to go to the minors and Lima to stay on the active roster. Now for his eTopps card... this card will have potential in the long run. I would expect it to take a year or two before he seats himself as a #3 or #4 starter with the Dodgers. He will be a factor in any runs that this team makes next year. However, this card is a rookie. Many people are drafting him in the fantasy leagues so expect this card to sell out. This is one of those buy and holds. So, that being said, BUY THIS CARD and hold it.

Josh Beckett (3,750 @ $5.75)

From World Series hero, when he was David vs. Goliath in the epic series battle vs. the NY Yankees, to opening day pitcher. This young star is going to continue to impress everyone out there. Josh has a lot of potential to be the next Kerry Wood or Greg Maddux. He has such control and poise that he scares me when he is on the mound (and I am sitting in my living room). This will be his third card and it is a bit of an odd combo here. The PR is a bit odd, 3,750, and the price is a reasonable $5.75, our second such card this week. Josh will most likely sell every single card offered this year. Do not expect a PR similar to his 2003 card, 1,130. However this card will still be in better shape than his rookie card, which incidentally is still a reasonable buy for under $7.00. Now, that being said, you might want to pick one or two of these cards up. One for yourself and one to sell in a couple weeks when it heats up and baseball is the hot topic of sports discussion. By the way, he was one of the few to meet his PB last year. This card is a MUST BUY, and BUY, and BUY, and BUY!

Rocco Baldelli (2,500 @ $4.50)

Would it be wrong of me to lead off with the prediction that he will make his PB this year? This young star finished third in ROY voting while recording 184 hits last year. Only 15 players in MLB history have had more hits at a younger age and only 9 other rookies since WWII have matched his numbers for hits, runs, and RBI's (Pujols, Garciapara, and Beltran being three of them). This guy has phenomenal speed and will most likely steal 30+ bases this year. Last year his speed produced 29 infield singles (4th in the AL). Last year's rookie card with eTopps sold out, with a PR of 5,000, and is selling 11% above IPO. This card will be more lucrative in that the PR is half what it was last year. I am going to give this card a BUY rating, with earning RP's a guaranteed.

Cleveland Indians Team Card (2,500 @ $6.50)

If the Indians win 12 games in April and/or 81 games this season you will earn reward points. Every month that they meet their target you earn one RP. If they meet their target for the year you get another RP. If they advance to the World Series you get 2 RP's and another 2 RP's if they win the World Series. Chances of the Indians advancing to the World Series are slim to none and slim just left town. In the last two years they have not won more than 74 games and it does not look better this year. They play 23 games in April and, with 7 games at Detroit, should eclipse 12 wins.

Chicago White Sox Team Card (2,500 @ $6.50)

If the White Sox win 12 games in April and/or 88 games this season you will earn reward points. Every month that they meet their target you earn one RP. If they meet their target for the year you get another RP. If they advance to the World Series you get 2 RP's and another 2 RP's if they win the World Series. The White Sox, like the Indians, do not possess the right tools to make it to the World Series. Also, in the past 10 years they have won more than 88 games only once. So the prospects of them winning 88 this year are slim. They play 22 games in April 5 against the Royals, 6 against the Devil Rays, 6 against the Yankees, 2 against the Indians, and 2 against the Blue Jays. I expect them to win 10-11 games and just miss their 12 games for April.

Minnesota Twins Team Card (2,500 @ $6.50)

If the Twins win 13 games in April and/or 91 games this season you will earn reward points. Every month that they meet their target you earn one RP. If they meet their target for the year you get another RP. If they advance to the World Series you get 2 RP's and another 2 RP's if they win the World Series. Since 1992 the Twins have won 91 games or more only once. However, this team won 94 games two years ago and won 90 last year. I expect them to win 92-94 games this year in a weak AL Central. They play 22 games in April with 18 games against CLE, DET, and KC. So I expect them to win 13 games in April. As far as going to the World Series, I would say that they should make the playoffs but will not advance to the World Series. The last time a team from the AL central made it to the World Series was 1996 (Cleveland).