Nine Reasons To Look Forward To Baseball Season

I found this great article on MSNBS about the 2008 baseball season, and I thought I would share. It was rather long, so I trimmed out some parts, although it doesn't appear that way, so click here if you would like to read it in its entirety.

We come to you today from the performance enhancing drug-free zone, with zero tolerance for grandstanding, blame-gaming and WADA references. Instead, in the spirit of moving forward, we bring you nine reasons for delicious anticipation of a new season that is about to unfold:

1. The Boston Red Sox, and this century’s first shot at a mini-dynasty. They have won two World Series in the last four seasons, and are the odds-on favorite to win another as they return virtually intact from a sweep of the Colorado Rockies, and have emerging young talents such as Dustin Pedroia, Buchholz, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jon Lester to cushion the effects of age on a roster that includes 40-somethings Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield and Mike Timlin, and a mostly-mid-30s lineup.

2. The Johan Santana question. Has a pitcher of this magnitude ever been stuck in this must-be-dealt situation? And where he goes — Red Sox, Yankees, Mets or surprise late-bidder — will alter the balance of power in either league. The Twins are trying their best to maximize their return, but in reality, they are up against it here. You can only ask for so much young talent for a pitcher who will be signing an extension in the $150-million range, and both the Red Sox and Yankees wisely aren’t willing to go any higher than they’ve already gone. The Mets might be willing to, but don’t really have as much to offer.

3. Joba Chamberlain, Philip Hughes and Ian Kennedy. We pretty much know what to expect from the rest of the Yankees’ roster . What we don’t know is just how good Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy will be, and how soon they will get there. And so these three young pitchers who will make about $1 million between them could be the key to the Yankees’ fortunes in 2008 — an interesting twist from the franchise that brought you the first $200-million payroll.

4. The Detroit Tigers’ lineup. Any way Jim Leyland decides to go — and knowing him, he will go in many different directions — this is a potential 950-run monster. Here is one possible combination: Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco, Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Guillen, Jacque Jones, Edgar Renteria, Ivan Rodriguez. With this group in place and healthy, there’s little reason to worry about Dontrelle Willis’ adjustment to the American League.

5. The National League West race. Good luck winning it, as the division that gave us the 2007 NLCS matchup is poised once again. The Dodgers have added Joe Torre, Andruw Jones and Hiroki Kuroda in hopes of erasing the memory of their late-September meltdown. Meanwhile, the comebacks of Jason Schmidt, Rafael Furcal, Hong-Chi Kuo and Yhency Brazoban are on schedule. The Diamondbacks pulled the winter’s biggest coup by landing Dan Haren for a bunch of prospects they can do without, giving them their best 1-2 rotation combination since their 2001 World Series title season. And you have to figure that young core players Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew, Mark Reynolds, Justin Upton and Chris Young will get better. The Rockies lost more than they added this winter, but there is little debating the fact that they were the best team in the National League during the entire second half, not just their late-September run. And they should get full seasons from No. 2 and No. 3 starters Aaron Cook and Ubaldo Jimenez, which they didn’t get in 2007.

6. The Milwaukee Brewers. While Commissioner Bud Selig finds himself embroiled in a mess that won’t go away, his former team is doing its best to fight the fight of the small-to-mid-market franchise. Look no further for a team poised to improve in 2008 behind emerging stars Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, J.J. Hardy, Yovani Gallardo, Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun.

7. The Chicago Cubs. They needed a corner outfielder and some left-handed power to balance their lineup, and got both in Kosuke Fukudome. He could hit second, or he could hit fifth, and his power should translate to Wrigley Field, adding another threat to the combination of Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. There are plenty of quality late-inning bullpen options in Carlos Marmol, Kerry Wood, Bob Howry and Jose Ascanio, rotation depth has been added with Jon Lieber and Ryan Dempster, and it says here Carlos Zambrano is poised for his first 20-win season in a bounce-back year of sorts. Felix Pie and Geovanny Soto will have to do what Ryan Theriot was able to do last season in establishing himself as a regular, but things are pointing to a return trip to the post-season.

8. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Randy Johnson, Trevor Hoffman, Curt Schilling, Jamie Moyer, Kenny Rogers: We’re running out of time to appreciate this stellar group of 40-somethings that could include up to five future Hall of Famers. And in fact, it could be our last chances to watch Maddux and Glavine, two 300-game winners who did it in the biggest offensive era in the game’s history.

9. Ken Griffey Jr.’s 600^th homer (he’s seven away); Maddux’s 350^th win (three away); Manny Ramirez and Gary Sheffield’s 500^th homers (10 and 20 away, respectively); the 2,600^th hit for the game’s new active career leader — surprise! Omar Vizquel (two away); and maybe — just maybe — Johnson’s 300^th win (he’s 16 away).

Don't forget to value your baseball cards and manage your collection with us!

The Art Of Collecting Cookbooks

Miner del Mundo, a food consultant who hails from Manila, started in the food industry at age 19, with his first stint as chef de partie at the Legend Hotel, Palawan. He later became the sous chef for Gualtierro Marchesi, which led him to travel in Portugal, Lisbon, Paris and Milan. In 2005, he went home to the Philippines and established his consultancy firm and, as they say, the rest is history. Del Mundo wrote this fascinating article about collecting cookbooks, which I would like to pass on to you:

In my quest for collecting cookbooks, I already have 250 titles. Not much of a promising feat but maybe when I reach the age of 50, I could have a thousand at least. I had my first cookbook during second year high school. It's the Good Food Cookbook, in full-color and contains simple instructions.

My passion for collecting cookbooks was originally meant to be a collection. If you're passionate about something, you don't aim for quantity but quality. Then, you realize you have enough. Being a collector does not mean having hundreds of such items, but must enjoy what you are doing.

Here are some of the general cookbook classifications you could follow when starting your book collection. Cookbooks are divided into several categories: Type of Cuisine, Specialty Courses, Artisanal Cookbooks and Fundamental Cookbooks. The Cuisine Type Cookbook is focused on a specific country's cuisine --- Spanish, Italian, French or Filipino. One that has colored photographs is better so you could have a comparison with what you cooked. Specialty Courses focus on key areas of cooking like All Salad Recipes or the Pasta and Pizza Book, Purely Fish or Succulent Meats. They also focus on the cooking methods --- Grill, Saute and Boiling, among others. Artisanal Cookbooks are cookbooks written by chefs and are the most expensive. A three-piece collection by Fernan Adria of El Bulli, Spain costs P14,000. Fundamental Cookbooks are those made by top culinary schools like the Culinary Institute of America or the Le Cordon Bleu. You only need to purchase one title that could help you in culinary terms and techniques in case you want to pursue professional cooking.

The important thing is to enjoy and learn from these pieces of knowledge, get inspiration from and develop your own culinary style. If you want to concentrate on one area, it's fine. Just enjoy reading. Until next time. Ciao!

Chef del Mundo offers a great piece of advice about collecting knowledge and deriving inspiration from cooking over time. As time passes, modern software for collectors has been created to help manage collections of recipes that have been passed down. Now, web-based management systems such as iTaggit, have been created for storing and distributing recipes amongst friends and family as a secure means of saving your culinary heirlooms. Check out Okishorty's collection of recipes for a great example. For more on Miner del Mundo's background and accomplishments, click here. For his article in it's entirety, click here.

A Big Surprise In A Little Shell

Here's one way of happening on a collectible of value, so to speak. Florida couple George and Leslie Brock, decided to stop into Dave's Last Resort & Raw Bar during a day at the beach. Mr. Brock was about halfway through a dozen clams when he chomped down on something hard - a rare iridescent purple pearl. At least one expert said the find could be worth thousands. “Few are round and few are a lovely color, so this is rare,” said Vermont gemologist Antoinette Matlins. “I think they have found something precious and lovely and valuable.” The gems occur most frequently in large New England quahogs, clams known for violet coloring on the inside of their shells. Brock's $10 plate of clams came from Apalachicola in the Florida Panhandle, said restaurant manager Tom Gerry. The Brocks, of Royal Palm Beach, plan to have the pearl appraised and said they'll sell it if it's worth a lot of money, so be on the look-out for this if you collect rare jewelry pieces. For the original article, click here, and if you are looking to get organized for the new year, create your inventory list and manage your collections on iTaggit!

Possible Largest Historical Shipwreck Coin Recovery

There have been multiple ship wreck discoveries in 2007 that have yielded large amounts of buried treasure, so to speak, but the code-named “Black Swan” is one of the most impressive. Odyssey Marine Exploration, the world's leader in deep-ocean shipwreck exploration, has recovered 500,000 silver coins, which weigh more than 17 tons, hundreds of gold coins, worked gold, and countless other artifacts. If the results of the conservation and documentation are consistent with speculation, this recovery will constitute the largest collection of coins ever excavated from a historical shipwreck site.
“Our research suggests that there were a number of Colonial period shipwrecks that were lost in the area where this site is located, so we are being very cautious about speculating as to the possible identity of the shipwreck,” said John Morris, Odyssey Co-founder and CEO. “Nevertheless, we have treated this site with kid gloves and the archaeological work done by our team out there is unsurpassed. We are thoroughly documenting and recording the site, which we believe will have immense historical significance.” Although your personal coin collecting might not produce 17 tons worth of material, it is still prudent to manage your collections for future purposes. Good luck finding buried treasure of your own!

Future Football Rookie Cards Worth Holding Onto

The Associated Press just released a great article outlining the NCAA All American Team members for the 2007 season, some of which will be moving on to the NFL Draft here in a few months. Their rookie football cards and other autographed sports memorabilia may be worth a fair amount in the future, once they've had an opportunity to perform their talents.
When it comes to being an All-American, Darren McFadden doesn't have to settle for second. The Arkansas running back and two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up was one of four players voted to The Associated Press All-American team for the second consecutive season. Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis were the other two-time first-team AP All-Americans on the team released Tuesday. Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow joins McFadden in the backfield along with Central Florida's Kevin Smith, who leads the nation with 2,448 yards and 30 touchdowns. Smith is the first All-American from UCF, which began playing major college football in 1996. Tebow led the Gators in rushing and became the first major college player with at least 20 rushing touchdowns and at least 20 TD passes in the same season. McFadden set school records with 1,725 yards rushing and 2,172 all-purpose yards, breaking the marks he set last year. He scored 16 touchdowns and threw four TD passes, working as a quarterback out of Arkansas' shotgun Wild Hog formation.
Kansas State receiver Jordy Nelson went from walk-on to All-American. He ranked second in the country in both receptions (122) and receiving yards (1,606) behind fellow All-American Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech. Crabtree set NCAA freshman records with 125 receptions for 1,861 yards and 21 touchdowns. Fellow redshirt freshmen Jeremy Maclin from Missouri (all-purpose player) and Arizona State kicker Thomas Weber also made the first team. Crabtree was also one of four players unanimously selected to the first team by a panel of 12 media members, along with McFadden, Dorsey and Southern California defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis. Missouri's Martin Rucker, who led the nation's tight ends with 81 catches, gave the Tigers two All-Americans. Long was joined on the offensive line by Kansas tackle Anthony Collins, guards Duke Robinson of Oklahoma and Martin O'Donnell of Illinois, and Wake Forest center Steve Justice.
On the defensive line with Dorsey and Ellis were ends Chris Long from Virginia and George Selvie of South Florida. Penn State's Dan Connor, Colorado's Jordan Dizon and Butkus Award winner Laurinaitis were the linebackers.
In the secondary, the cornerbacks were Aqib Talib from Kansas and Antoine Cason from Arizona. The safeties were Jamie Silva from Boston College and Craig Steltz from LSU, each with six interceptions. Cincinnati's Kevin Huber was the punter. He led the nation with a 46.9-yard average.
The Big 12 had eight players selected to the first team, leading all conferences. The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference were second with four All-Americans each.
Let me know what you think about those who made the team, or those who didn't, and if you do happen to pick up any of their rookie cards, be sure to manage your collection on iTaggit!

Classic Rolls Royce Sets Records

iTaggit has several impressive vehicle collections in our gallery, and this classic beauty would fit right in. According to British reports, the world's oldest surviving Rolls-Royce set two new records this past Monday when a private collector paid 3.5 million pounds ($7.22 million) for it in an auction at Bonhams. The winning bid makes the classic not only the most expensive pre-1905 car purchase, but also the most paid for a Rolls-Royce. This shattered the previous record for a veteran car purchase, which was 1.76 million pounds for an 1884 De Dion Bouton, and also the previous record of 1.48 million pounds for a 1912 Silver Ghost Double Pullman Limousine.
The newly purchased RR was built in 1904 and is only the fourth vehicle produced by the landmark cooperation between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, which is still one of the oldest lines running. It is an open-topped two-seater with a small ten horsepower engine. It is in perfect condition after being restored in the 1950s, but was first exhibited at The Paris Salon in the Fall of 1904. This particular car carries with it a pedigree of sorts, as it was the only Rolls-Royce qualifying on the basis of its pre-1905 date to take part in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. It first ran the prestigious rally in 1954.
If you are curious about managing collections of old car parts, or cars in general, post your queries to our blog board. We can also help manage collectibles from this classic car era by providing knowledge about your items.

Napoleon Bonaparte Love Story Manuscript

Historical documents always add great value to the collections of those who intently seek them out. Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most infamous figures in European history, and he began his rise to prominence as a general during the French Revolution. He then staged a coup d'etat that landed him as the First Consul of France, which he parlayed into being the self-crowned Emperor. Later, by strategic alliances or by armed force, he gained control of most of continental Europe, which directly led to his disastrous invasion of Russia, followed by his infamous downfall at Waterloo. What most people don't realize is that Bonaparte was a writer, and before he moved on to political matters, he penned love stories. Recently, a single manuscript page from his 1795 short novel “Clisson and Eugenie” was sold for $35,400 at the Osenat auction house in Fontainebleau, France. The page had been part of a private French family collection and the buyer's identity was not disclosed at the time. “Clisson and Eugenie” was written while he was a 26-year-old general on his rise to the aristocracy, though it was never published in Napoleon's lifetime. It is believed he loosely based it on his brief romance with the sister of his brother's wife. If you have any items from a significant historical era, iTaggit is always prepared to help you manage your collections and value your collectibles within them.

Last Five State Quarter Designs Released

According to an Associated Press report yesterday, the U.S. Mint has released the last five designs for the state quarter collection. The Mint's 50 State Quarters Program releases quarters in order of each state's admittance to the country, starting with Delaware's quarter in 1999. The effort kicked off a coin collecting craze unlike anything ever seen before in the coin world. Based on a 2005 survey, Mint officials estimate 147 million people have gotten involved in collecting the quarters with their constantly changing designs. "The American people have made the 50 state quarters the most successful coins in United States history," said Mint Director Ed Moy.
The next one to be put into circulation in late January honors Oklahoma, which entered the union on Jan. 6, 1912. It will feature the state bird, the scissortail flycatcher, and the state wildflower, the Indian blanket. That will be followed by a Zia sun symbol for New Mexico, which entered the union on Jan. 6, 1912. Arizona, admitted on Feb. 14, 1912, will be represented by the Grand Canyon and a saguaro cactus. Alaska's coin will feature a grizzly bear wading in a stream with a salmon in its mouth while the Hawaii coin depicts King Kamehameha. Alaska and Hawaii were the last states to join the union in 1959.
Through the first eight years of the program, the Mint produced 31.2 billion quarters. Moy said about 20 billion of those quarters were due to the popularity of the changing designs which attracted collectors in record numbers.
The quarters are scheduled to revert back to their pre-1999 designs after next year. George Washington will remain on the "heads" side of the coin, but the "tails" side where the state designs had been placed will once again feature an American eagle.
Collectors who are missing some states should not lose heart since the coins already produced should remain in circulation for about 30 years. Be sure to manage your collection of state quarters using iTaggit. Also check out who has extra quarters you might be missing.