Opening Pitch: What an opening week of baseball and eTopps it has been! The first two weeks have brought a lot of surprises and a lot of regular occurrences. The Yankees have struggled in games at home and games against sub .500 teams from last year. The star pitchers are being hit like no one's business (including Johnson, Maddux and Pettitte). Tejada is throwing the ball everywhere but first base. George had a first crying when Clemens called him to say "Thanks." Then there was the fanfare in eTopps-land with the distro of A-Rod week one and now Kazuo Matsui this week (a sure sell-out). Another interesting piece was the call from a major investing firm during the Topps conference call. The caller basically blasted the online industry and how poorly it was performing. The funny thing was that the changes that were put into place this year should reap benefits to keep investors like this smiling. However, some suspect it was a ploy by another company to plant a seed into the minds of Topps about the reality of this program. Think about it for a minute. A seed planted usually sprouts. I am sure someone would want this to grow into doubt for all listeners and investors and get them to express concern as well. However, Topps handled it well and we continue with business in our third week of eTopps 2004 baseball.

As I did two weeks ago, I am going to launch into my eTopps slush fund campaign. As time dwindles down towards the 2004 eTopps Convention, money becomes more and more of an issue for the big boys helping to steer the ship during ECON04. There are many overhead and out-of-pocket expenses they are committing to without 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 to ensure we have a great time at ECON and 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 or you can just e-mail me at etoppsguru@aol.com. I would gladly help anyone out who is helping out this program.

Before we roll into the picks I want to highlight a couple more key things here. I am not sure if everyone is up-to-date on the boards... 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 participants are running, such as the golf outing. So please help out, support the program, and 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!

Bartolo Colon (2,500 @ $5.75)

Last year was Bartolo's first IPO when he played for the dreadful White Sox. This year he should lead a revamped Angel's team to the playoffs and be the Ace of this team. Right now he is on pace to reach his PB in every category and earn you a nice 2 RP's for each card you own. Though it may not be as attractive as his 2003 card (since this is his second card), it will no doubt carry a lot of weight to people who are chasing this card for RP's. Expect 20 wins from Bartolo this year and watch this card move around the $7 range in a month or two when he starts to look like a real push for the PB race. However, this card is worthless to me minus the PB chase that everyone is swept up in. So wait until after the season and pick this card up on the secondary market. A very, very weak buy.

Corey Patterson (2,500 @ $4.50)

Corey is here! His second IPO comes with a lot of fanfare; though not as much as Moyer's IPO will (Cooltopps). This gifted outfielder who was hurt most of last year deserves a lot of respect. Early in spring training he was knocking balls out of the park like it was routine for him. You gotta love the price and PR of this card as well. This card should sell out and rise in value 10% to 20%. Look for someone who is a Chicago fan to adopt this card early on and pick them all up. Corey is a great ballplayer and deserves this card. However, do not buy this card if you think Corey has never reached his RP in SBs, HRs or RBIs. To think that this is the year he hits those high marks in all three is misguided. He might reach that mark in HRs but not RBIs or SBs. So this is one of those cards you buy for the love of the guy and the way he plays the game. This card is a BUY now.

Dontrelle Willis (3,750 @ $4.50)

Dontrelle took the world by storm last year with his unique delivery, confusing batters with a high kick and look to heaven. This year everyone thought he was done and the gimmick was over. However, he won his first start convincingly and is primed for another great year. This hard-throwing righty is going to be a key for the Marlins if they plan to make a run for the Series again. This will be his second card and may not carry the oomph that his rookie card carried last year but it will be another good performer. At $4.50 you have to like the price for this young rising star. Last year he won 14 games and only lost 6. His PB for 1 point is well within reach this year. Look at this guy and add him to the Cubs curse. He is one that got away back in 2000. This card is a solid BUY.

Kaz Matsui (5,000 @ $7.50)

This is the most touted rookie card of the year for sure. He is ranked in the top 11 prospects in baseball by all four senior writers for Baseball Americana and is ranked the number one Mets prospect. This is his first rookie card and will no doubt sell out and increase in value 25 - 30%. His power is an attractive commodity in this rising star. Though not young he is a rookie, like Hideki last year. His ability to play SS moved the outstanding rookie Reyes to second base. This makes a big statement that the Mets are looking to make him a go-to guy. Right now he is on pace to meet every PB except for steals. Brought in for his speed, he has one attempt this year and was thrown out. However, as it gets warmer and the Mets begin to look like a contender, watch him light up the base paths. He stole 20 or more bases each of the last 4 years he played in Japan. This card is one you have to add to your collection. A STRONG BUY!

Todd Helton (2,500 @ $5.75)

This will be the best Helton card ever. OK, not really but it will not be the worst. However, being his fourth card, it is highly overpriced at $5.75. His 2001 card had a sub-thousand PR and none of the future cards will ever see anything near that. His 2002 card had over a 3K PR and his 2003 card had over a 2K PR. So it makes sense to make about 2500 of this IPO. However, there is no use in setting the price so high. It will most likely drop to the $3 - $4 range like his 2002 and 2003 did. Is he a lock to earn his 2 RP's this year? If you took his best numbers from the past three years he would qualify right now but you cannot do that. He is a long shot to steal 5 bases and hit 33 HR's this year, even if he has one SB now and is playing in Colorado. Last year he did not steal a base and two years ago he hit only 30 HR's. This card is one to pass on. Catch it on the secondary market for 30 - 40% less than IPO price. DO NOT BUY THIS CARD!

Boston Red Sox Team Card (3,750 @ $6.50)

If the Red Sox win 16 games in May and/or 99 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.

New York Yankees Team Card (3,750 @ $6.50)

If the Yankees win 17 games in May and/or 104 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 second place team from last year is now 4-4; not a Henny Penny the sky is falling but... I told you so. If you think you can win 104 games without a lefty in the rotation I will buy the beer. In May they play Seattle and Anaheim six times each and even those dreaded Devil Rays three times. Of those 26 games only 9 of them are at home. This card is a "leave it alone". Stand away from this one. DO NOT BUY!

Pittsburgh Pirates Team Card (2,500 @ $6.50)

If the Pirates win 11 games in May and/or 62 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. What a great start for the Pirates this season. No one expected them to make a push for anything and right now they are sitting in third place while going 2-1 in their last three games which included a win at Chicago and Cincinnati. They play 27 games in May, so if they continue their .500 W-L ratio they should win 13-14 games. They play a rough May schedule but 13 games are at home and they are all hitting well (even Jack Wilson). This is not a strong buy because it will only get you points in May but it is still a BUY.