Who's more of a risk to collect?

[AWA85]

Not even close:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353998,00.html

I agree, that would be a little more risky!

[rj_lucas]

Brian, I'll post the same response I just made in another thread, with apologies to anyone who read it already.

To his credit, Pujols answers to a higher authority than Bud Selig:

http://www.pujolsfamilyfoundation.org/faith.htm

If Pujols were ever shown to have juiced, for many of his fans (myself included) it would be tremendously sad and disheartening for reasons that have nothing to do with baseball...

My bigger concern in regards to collecting Pujols is the risk of injury e.g. known issues with his elbow and plantar fasciitis.

That said, I wouldn't discourage you from taking the chance. Owning a piece of Pujols' memorabilia, in some sense, gives you a personal stake in his career. It certainly adds to the excitement when he performs his heroics, at least it has for me.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

[joelsabi]

Brian, I'll post the same response I just made in another thread, with apologies to anyone who read it already.

To his credit, Pujols answers to a higher authority than Bud Selig:

http://www.pujolsfamilyfoundation.org/faith.htm

If Pujols were ever shown to have juiced, for many of his fans (myself included) it would be tremendously sad and disheartening for reasons that have nothing to do with baseball...

My bigger concern in regards to collecting Pujols is the risk of injury e.g. known issues with his elbow and plantar fasciitis.

That said, I wouldn't discourage you from taking the chance. Owning a piece of Pujols' memorabilia, in some sense, gives you a personal stake in his career. It certainly adds to the excitement when he performs his heroics, at least it has for me.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

great post. thanks

[GoTigers]

Vladi is a much bigger risk. I remember reading that he was close to the "trainer" that supplied Arod. I dont believe he's on them anymore, but he could get busted in the future if his name is on the secret list.

I'm sure Ortiz juiced. His numbers with the Twins were far from great, and once he got to Boston they improved dramatically. I believe Pujols is clean, there was an article in SI a month or two ago, and he talked about playing under suspicion and he would gladly be tested 7 days a week.

Jeter, Griffey, Pujols, Chipper Jones, Lance Berkman, Ichiro, Frank Thomas, all clean

[joelsabi]

Vladi is a much bigger risk. I remember reading that he was close to the "trainer" that supplied Arod. I dont believe he's on them anymore, but he could get busted in the future if his name is on the secret list.

I'm sure Ortiz juiced. His numbers with the Twins were far from great, and once he got to Boston they improved dramatically. I believe Pujols is clean, there was an article in SI a month or two ago, and he talked about playing under suspicion and he would gladly be tested 7 days a week.

Jeter, Griffey, Pujols, Chipper Jones, Lance Berkman, Ichiro, Frank Thomas, all clean

here is the article.

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.c...3053/index.htm

[spartakid]

Whay would you say that Vlad used drugs? Just because a player puts up good (not astounding) numbers it does not mean that he is/was using. He is around 34/35, so that is the age when players tend to loose their power. Vlad is a big guy, but not ripped like Bonds/Mac/Canseco/Sosa/Ramirez, so it would be unfair to place a cloud over him. Before you ask, I am NOT an Angels fan. Can't stand them!

Just a word on the "top" players. I think we can rule Jeter out of the steroid mix. His build has not changed over the years; just a little more puppy fat as one ages. Same with his production, which has remained steady.

One last point. We should not bemoan players who used PEDs BEFORE they were banned in baseball. They were not doing anything illegal WITHIN baseball. It is the fault of MLB for being so, well, lazy. Players caught using after the ban, should be thrown out for good. There are lifetime bans in other sports. If not lifetime, at the very least several seasons.

Just my thoughts.

I don't have any proof, but I just think he did, I know it's natural for players' numbers to decline with age, but there's just something about it.... Again, i was planning on getting his bat, and I still hope I'm wrong, I don't want to see another big name get implicated, but I would be willing to bet money that he did juice in the past (if not now as well) It's a shame, but it's definitely too big a liability for me to get his bat at the moment because I think it's just a matter of time... Ricardo

[dirtyla2000]

There is no proof,Vladdy took a beating here in MONTREAL on the Big O s artificial turf otherwise known as cement,so I think its taking its toll! He was an offensive machine when he was a skinny kid! We also killed Dawsons knees in MTL.Vladdy still has a chance to beat Gehrigs record for most consecutive .300 and over 25 hr seaons!

[geoff]

I hope Vlad does not also because I spent alot on a Game Used Bat a few Years back.

[KrAzY3]

Any player who is one of the most popular becomes a huge risk. He might not even have to slow down his production or get in any sort of trouble. People might simply become bored.

Josh took years off of his baseball career. That's never a good thing. Drug risks aside, Josh Hamilton is 28 and his production is down. It's not a good time to jump on board because he's regained popularity but there is absolutely nothing to indicate his career numbers will be that impressive. Pujols is one year older, but his numbers are incredibly far ahead. However, Pujols is so popular that he has to carry a huge risk. Steroids? Serious injury? A lot of things could happen and he could take a huge tumble.

To me, the guys to collect (if you really are concerned about risk) are the ones flying under the radar. Look at the numbers and try to pick out the guys who started their careers early (no guys like Ichiro) and whose numbers seem to exceed their value.

I haven't been able to get involved in Game Used collecting (unless those evil cards with cut up jerseys count...) but I have been involved in card collecting. People are always into something new and flashy. To me the key to keeping the risk out of your collection is to not buy blindly into hype and just be logical. A guy who is almost 30 can't have a great career if he's just getting started...

[brianborsch]

I hear what you say about Hamilton and Pujols. But why not Ichiro? I mean he certainly is not juicing and he produces in huge quantities every year. In fact he would be a good one (but expensive) to collect as this year he has a chance (yet again) to do something no one else has been able to do:

Collect 200 hits and hit over .300 for 9 consecustive seasons, breaking Wee Willie Keeler's record of 108 years! Sure, he could get injured before that and end his career, but this is as close as you can get to greatness.

I think Ichiro is a valid one to collect, as long as your pocketbook is big enough!