Thugs and baseball - why do the two go hand-in-hand? Let's get it straight, they should not. However, as of late, thugs want to be a part of our grand old game. These are the so-called "fans." Sometimes I wonder about America and the values and norms the average "Joe" equates with what is right. I know there are the perceived values and norms the media places on us. God bless the misunderstood media. Then, there are the values and norms that we try to ascribe to, something that would make our forefathers proud. Then you have the "Jacka$$" values and norms group. Now what is wrong with some fans? I think it is important for us to note that we are fans also, in the eTopps arena. But we are not anywhere close to the fools on the field creating havoc. Is this a systematic problem of our country and our society today? Or is this merely a self-repressed inability to cope with life and a "McDonald's Generation" reflex? (That is, not looking into the consequences as long as you get it your way right now and when you want it!) Well, SportsCenter obliged those poor saps. Now I am not a big fan of SI or Rick Reilly, a.k.a. The Citadel Basher, but he had a good point in his last article when he said "we should give players 5 minutes with these loons." I agree and say we up that a notch - remember the Pantera song "5 Minutes alone"? Well, that is what I would like to see... a closed session, maybe pay-per-view, of Stupid Fan vs. Player. As an eTopps fan it really makes me mad to see hooligans trashing our game. It just is so disappointing for me to be watching a great sport play out in a season and then have to worry about the safety of players/umps/coaches because of a bunch of drunken townies.

The second thing I would like to talk about this week is the choices eTopps makes with their prices and print runs. Are they giving monkeys a dart and telling them to chuck it at the board? We all know everything is funnier with monkeys but come on... There has to be someone up there who does some sort of research and determines a price and a print run. Let's see - we can make a lot if we offer Hideki at $9.50 and offer up, say, about 8K of them. And why not throw another $9.50 card in the mix? I do not buy it. Stop putting two $9.50 cards together. Give it a rest. I know it is about money. But do you think there would be more sellouts at a lower price if more were offered? Question of the day right there. Let's use some insight, predictive analysis and do our research eTopps. I am not saying you're doing a bad job; just tighten up the shoot group. Those are my thoughts and mine only. Now what do you say we move on and roll with our picks this week in the 5th IPO session for baseball 2003... the most exciting week to date!

Barry Bonds (4,000 @ $9.50)

I know I said a couple weeks ago that Barry was not the best player to suit up this decade. He is in the top 10 though (as much as that pains me to say). I am not sure there is really much to say here about Barry. It is not whether you like him or not. The simple fact is you have to buy one of these cards because you never know if Barry might become the next Home Run King. You know he is headed for the Hall of Fame, no doubt about it. This card will sell out and immediately see gains of 10 - 20%. With a lower production number than last year's card, this card will no doubt be the better of the two. I think we can say that for about all 2003 cards. Now as far as the 2001 card is concerned, you better get yours before it hits $100. Right now there are 1,567 of those cards somewhere out there. The 7-day average for those cards is $69.35. I would recommend purchasing one of these for the future. BUY THIS CARD.

Barry Zito (2,500 @ $6.50)

Barry is coming off of a phenomenal year - one in which he won the 2002 Cy Young award. He stormed into the majors in 2000 and compiled a 7-4 record while posting a 2.72 ERA and striking out 78 batters in 92 innings. In 2001 he continued his upward trend and finished with a record of 17-8 but had a higher ERA, 3.49. He struck out 205 batters in 214 innings that year. Last year he went 23-5; only Randy Johnson won more games in baseball. He compiled a 2.75 ERA and struck out 182 batters in 229 innings. Barry is truly a pitcher who is a class act. His record and ERA alone speak for themselves. This year he is off to a bit of a slow start with a 3-2 record and 2.91 ERA. I would not hold that against him. I figure him to be one of the frontrunners at the end of the year for the Cy Young award again. Barry has 2 prior eTopps cards. His 2001 eTopps issue is made up of 793 cards and is averaging $28.58 over the past seven days. His 2002 eTopps card is averaging $4.99 over the past seven days but there are 3,708 of them out there. Not a lot of thought should have to go into this one. You really do not need this card unless you're building a set (like I am). I will get one but if I had to buy one out of GP (general purpose) I would have to pass. I would rather dump money into a 2001 Zito. Barry is good - not as good as Barry 1 - but he is good and will do better in the coming years. Watch for this card to exceed the performance of the 2002 card. This issue will sell from 1,900 - 2,300 cards and will drop to about $6.00. DON'T BUY THIS CARD.

Hideki Matsui (8,000 @ $9.50)

"Godzilla", as he is so affectionately known overseas in Japan, acquired this nickname while playing high school baseball in Japan. Hideki had made a name for himself long before he decided to venture across the pond and play baseball in the U.S. He already knew what it felt like to be walked because people dreaded his power, in HIGH SCHOOL. Out of high school in 1993 Hideki went to play for the Yomiuri Giants. He played for them 10 years within the Japanese baseball system. So one question I have is how long can he continue to play here in the U.S. or anywhere for that matter? In Japan, Hideki hit 332 home runs, averaging about 33.2 a year (slightly above average numbers in the U.S.). He also notched 889 RBI's (88.9/yr), had an average of .304, and a slugging percentage of .582. He also won three gold gloves for his defense in center field with the Giants. However, he will not be used for his defensive skills here in the U.S., which is why he was put in right field. Offensively, he will likely benefit form the short porch at Yankee Stadium and get a big jump on his U.S. career. Now we know two things here... first is there will be no shortage of Matsui rookies (8,000 PR) and, second, this is not really his rookie year (1993 Y. Giants Japan). However, for us Americans, it is considered his rookie year since we have yet to recognize Japanese Baseball. Hideki is batting only .252 right now but is making good contact when it counts, hitting 2 home runs and 21 RBI's. It will take a while for him to adjust to the pitching and strike zone but do not expect him to be watching from the bench. He should really start to produce for average in the May - June timeframe. This kid has potential and I cannot imagine what he might have been able to accomplish if he had started over here. Bottom line - this card is a rookie and it will sell out. This card will dominate the secondary markets thanks to flippers and will continue to appreciate in value. Look for this card to double or triple in value by the end of the season. Then it will slowly drop back to about twice IPO value. However, two things that will hurt this card are the high print run and high price. This is a definite buy and the most exciting card since last year's Prior (minus the fact that 8K of these will be floating around). So be wary but purchase a couple for your collections. Do not expect more than 5 years U.S. MLB service. BUY THIS CARD.

Mike Mussina (2,000 @ $6.50)

Would you like a repeat of last year? Please, Mr. Etopps, could you roll the clock back a couple months to last year? Mike Mussina's 2002 card came out with an IPO price of $6.50 and sold over 3,000 cards (3,708 to be exact). Anyway, that fine investment today will get you $4.99 on the secondary market. Is this a proliferation of the market? Or is this a fair cost based on his performance? I will only offer up the facts here. Mike was the go-to guy for the Orioles for so long. He took his act and the MONEY and headed to the NY Yankees. Was anyone really surprised? What gets me is when someone says it is not about the money... Are you kidding me? Anyways, Mike is a solid pitcher and is currently 5-0 this season with a 1.07 ERA. Last year he was also productive and the Yankees won 21 games in which he started. Mike is a stud, no if's, and's, or but's about it. Mike also has a 2001 eTopps card; this is the card to have if you're a Mussina fan. Only 793 of these cards were made and the current 7-day price is $28.58. So, if you want one card of Mike, buy one of these 2001 IPO's. Otherwise get yourself a 2003 IPO. This 2003 IPO is much more attractive than the 2002 version as it has a lower PR. I however recommend saving your money and getting a Matsui or two. This card will not sell out and may only sell about 1,400 - 1,700 cards. Look for it to drop in price by 5 - 10% and then continue to drop as more IPO's come out and this card fades with its limited popularity. DON'T BUY THIS CARD.

Orlando Hudson (2,500 @ $4.00)

I'll tell you this about the Blue Jays farm system; Hudson better not falter because right behind him are two bright prospects in Russ Adams and Dominic Rich (#8 and #15 respectively on the BlueJay's prospect list). Like with Hideki, two things stand out with this issue: h e is a rookie and he has never had an eTopps card before. So that is an attractive aspect. However the attractiveness ends with that. Hudson was called up last year from Syracuse to play with Toronto. They needed someone to fill a void at their revolving door that was second base. Orlando came up late in the year and played in 54 games for the Jays. In those 54 games with the Jays he averaged .276 batting with 53 hits (19 for extra bass), 23 RBI's, and sported a fielding % of .986 (4 errors in 450.2 innings). This year he is off to a poor start, hitting only .211 in 20 games and committing 5 errors in 170 innings. It is obvious that this young kid is on his way back down to Syracuse and he is not the man to fill the void at 2B right now. Do not look for an off-the-charts-type career here. This kid will eventually work his way back into the big leagues to be productive with a team. No long-term gain expected with this card. You're better off buying it on the secondary market. This IPO will sell between 1,800 - 2,200 cards. DON'T BUY THIS CARD.

Paul Byrd (2,000 @ $4.00)

How can you dislike a former Royal who is now under the tutelage of Leo Mazzone? Well, how about one that has not pitched a single inning this year in the majors? Or how about as a 9-year veteran who is coming off the best year of his career and still only won 17 games? I am not a big fan really. I was impressed last year with his 7 complete games for the Royals. However his ERA was not particularly good at 3.90. This is not his first stint with Atlanta. He played with the Braves in limited time during the 1997 and 1998 season when he went 4-4 with ERAs of 5.26 (1997) and 13.50 (1998). So I do not think Leo had an impact then nor will he be able to help out much now. His best year besides last year, the only other year he won more than 10 games, was 1999 when he pitched for the Phillies. He went 15-11 with a 4.60 ERA that year. Do not expect great things out of Paul just because he is back with the Braves. A pitcher with a career record of 52-46 and a 4.39 ERA, he is not going to go far. Even though this is his first card and I am a Braves fan, I am not interested. I do not see the potential in this card, other than with set collectors. No need to try and flip this. It will lose about 15 - 25% of its value after IPO and continue to drop after this year (especially if he never recovers). Do not look for a short print either… fat chance! DON'T BUY THIS CARD!

In closing, I like this week and I like it a lot. However, I think there are a lot of underlying issues here to watch. First off, I said it last time and I will say it again: you ruin a week by putting two $9.50 cards in it. You do not have to look past the 14-year old nephew I have who is allocated about $20 a week to buy IPO's. He simply cannot keep up with the other investors out there who take it a little more seriously than he does. Also, what does it say when you have two 2,000 print runs in a week? I know - baseball is not selling as well as it did last year when everyone had 3 or 12 accounts. But is this setting us up for an SP with a 1,000 print run at some point? Just wondering. I like the week and I like all the stories tied to the week. Remember, do your homework, investigate and research before you invest. I hoped I was of some help. Get your E-Con tickets before you're left out in the cold!!