Sports Bust PC
After flipping through my trade bait, I came across several cards that made me reflect on my purchases & trades over the years. The first card I came across was my 1998 Pinnacle Ryan Leaf autographed numbered to 500. I don't remember what I traded for it, but I do know that I gave up a lot. While playing for Washington St., Mr. Leaf had a crazy game against CAL where he threw 4 or 5 TD's as they dominated the Bears. It was that game that made me think that Ryan Leaf was going to be a superstar in the NFL. His career stats include a 4-17 record as a starter, 14 TD passes, 36 interceptions, and a career passer rating of 50.0.
Well, there's no way I could pick lemons in back to back drafts. Right? Next up, Tim Couch. I'm not sure exactly why or how I decided to invest in Mr. Couch. My guess is that I jumped on the #1 draft pick bandwagon and rode it into bankruptcy. Okay, well not exactly... but I sure threw away hundreds of dollars picking up his autographs, inserts, and rookies. Something I had blocked out of my memory for the past 10 years. That's until I strolled across my mint 1999 Encore "UD Authentics" Tim Couch autograph. Thankfully, I have no clue how much I spent on this gem.
Last, but not least is the Kandi Man, aka Michael Olowokandi. Mr. O was drafted #1 in the 1998 NBA draft, ahead of Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, and Antawn Jamison. Unfortunately for me, none of these guys (except the Kandi Man) went to UOP... which along with the fact that he was drafted #1 was the reason I invested some dinero into this fella as well. My loss was someone's gain... as I bring to you this pristine 1998 SP Authentic "SOTT" auto of Mr. Olowokandi. Thankfully, Mr. Carter started going off with his crazy dunks, because this caused me to jump ship and dive head first into Vinsanity.
Anyways... this is only the beginning... because you see, I've decided to start a new PC. It's going to be my Sports Bust PC. In fact, I already have another autograph from a football legend(ary bust) on the way. Anyone remember Steve Emtman? By the way, I'm looking for a Brien Taylor auto, an Alexandre Daigle auto, and anymore autographs of huge sports busts. To be continued...
Well, there's no way I could pick lemons in back to back drafts. Right? Next up, Tim Couch. I'm not sure exactly why or how I decided to invest in Mr. Couch. My guess is that I jumped on the #1 draft pick bandwagon and rode it into bankruptcy. Okay, well not exactly... but I sure threw away hundreds of dollars picking up his autographs, inserts, and rookies. Something I had blocked out of my memory for the past 10 years. That's until I strolled across my mint 1999 Encore "UD Authentics" Tim Couch autograph. Thankfully, I have no clue how much I spent on this gem.
Last, but not least is the Kandi Man, aka Michael Olowokandi. Mr. O was drafted #1 in the 1998 NBA draft, ahead of Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, and Antawn Jamison. Unfortunately for me, none of these guys (except the Kandi Man) went to UOP... which along with the fact that he was drafted #1 was the reason I invested some dinero into this fella as well. My loss was someone's gain... as I bring to you this pristine 1998 SP Authentic "SOTT" auto of Mr. Olowokandi. Thankfully, Mr. Carter started going off with his crazy dunks, because this caused me to jump ship and dive head first into Vinsanity.
Anyways... this is only the beginning... because you see, I've decided to start a new PC. It's going to be my Sports Bust PC. In fact, I already have another autograph from a football legend(ary bust) on the way. Anyone remember Steve Emtman? By the way, I'm looking for a Brien Taylor auto, an Alexandre Daigle auto, and anymore autographs of huge sports busts. To be continued...
Steve Emtman
In 1992, the Indianapolis Colts had the 1st pick in the draft. And with that pick, they chose University of Washington's Steve Emtman. If you look back at Emtman's college stats they aren't stellar and people who never watched him play would look at them and say they were good, but not great. Well, if you saw him play, you know better. Emtman was a beast. Teams never ran at him and always double teamed him. He was the most dominant defensive player on one of the most dominant defensive teams. Many people, including myself (and the Colts) figured this would transfer straight into the NFL.
Unfortunately, injuries to both of his knees limited his career to only 19 starts. He finished his 6 year career with 8 sacks, 121 tackles, 1 interception (which he returned for a 90 yard TD), and 3 forced fumbles. Ultimately, he's regarded as one of the biggest busts in the history of the NFL. He may never have been a Beast in the NFL, but I still remember the good ole' days when he was a Huskie.
Unfortunately, injuries to both of his knees limited his career to only 19 starts. He finished his 6 year career with 8 sacks, 121 tackles, 1 interception (which he returned for a 90 yard TD), and 3 forced fumbles. Ultimately, he's regarded as one of the biggest busts in the history of the NFL. He may never have been a Beast in the NFL, but I still remember the good ole' days when he was a Huskie.
Akili Smith
First Tim Couch... now Akili Smith? Yep... 1999 was the year of the quarterback in the NFL draft. An amazing five QB's (#1 Couch, #2 McNabb, #3 Smith, #11 Culpepper, and #12 McNown) were taken within the first twelve picks. You're probably thinking that 1999 was a terrible draft year, but in fact out of those first twelve picks, eight have played in at least one Pro Bowl. Unfortunately, three of the four that haven't are QB's. I assume you've figured out the three, but just in case you haven't: it's my original sports card bust (Mr. Couch), my newest sports card bust (Mr. Smith), and possibly a future sports card bust pc addition, Cade McNown. Actually, McNown doesn't fit into my PC criteria since he's not a top 5 draft pick.
Well, back to Mr. Smith. Did you know that Akili Smith actually played baseball in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system for three seasons? He eventually quit and focused on football. Akili was a junior college transfer student who football stud his senior year at the University of Oregon. As a Duck, he quacked his way to 3,763 passing yards, a 58% completion rate, and 32 touchdown throws in 1998. Although most considered Couch the top pick, there were some (ex. NY Times) who felt Akili could be the top QB. In the end, both are considered busts in my book. Akili started a total of 17 games in his four year career in the NFL. He threw 5 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and was sacked 59 times. He threw for a total of 2,212 yards and has a career passer rating of 52.8.
It crazy to think that the Saints offered the Bengals nine draft picks for that #3 pick, but the Bengals passed on the offer. Unfortunately for the Saints, the Redskins didn't. However, that's another story.
Mr. Smith went on to play in the CFL, but only lasted one season. Recently, he was hired by UC Berkeley as an administrative assistant on their coaching staff.
Well, back to Mr. Smith. Did you know that Akili Smith actually played baseball in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system for three seasons? He eventually quit and focused on football. Akili was a junior college transfer student who football stud his senior year at the University of Oregon. As a Duck, he quacked his way to 3,763 passing yards, a 58% completion rate, and 32 touchdown throws in 1998. Although most considered Couch the top pick, there were some (ex. NY Times) who felt Akili could be the top QB. In the end, both are considered busts in my book. Akili started a total of 17 games in his four year career in the NFL. He threw 5 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and was sacked 59 times. He threw for a total of 2,212 yards and has a career passer rating of 52.8.
It crazy to think that the Saints offered the Bengals nine draft picks for that #3 pick, but the Bengals passed on the offer. Unfortunately for the Saints, the Redskins didn't. However, that's another story.
Mr. Smith went on to play in the CFL, but only lasted one season. Recently, he was hired by UC Berkeley as an administrative assistant on their coaching staff.
Mike Williams - Honorary Mention
Some of you might be asking yourselves, what exactly is a sports card bust? This is something I had to determine before I started dropping money on this different type of PC. So far I've come up with two criteria.
The first thing I decided was that it had to be someone who was drafted with one of the top 5 picks in the first round. This would settle any debate on whether or not people had high expectations for the player, because anyone chosen that early is expected to perform. Plus, it would save me money in the long run, since there are a lot of #6 to 20 something picks floating around out there. Multiply that by 4 since I'm focusing on the 4 major sports (baseball, football, basketball, and hockey) and there's lot of opportunities for busts to pop up each year. I'm not trying to chase down every athlete who has a sub par career, just the top 5 from each draft.
The next criteria for my collection would be purchase price. I cannot and will not allow myself to spend more than $10 on any sports card bust, and that includes shipping.
With that being said, after starting this project less than 30 days ago, I'm already breaking one of my rules. Allow me to introduce the most popular name in football history (actually, I'm not sure if this is true... but there have been 8 different players with this name to put on an NFL uniform): Mr. Mike Williams. I'm not talking about the offensive lineman from Texas, nor am I talking about the wide receiver out of Northeastern. Nope, the one I'm talking about is Mike Williams, the wide receiver out of USC.
Mr. Mike Williams from the University of Southern California is a wide receiver who was recently signed by the Seattle Seahawks. He was originally drafted with the 10th pick in the 2005 draft by the Detroit Lions. There he played two seasons, starting a total of 6 games. He caught 37 passes, two of which were touchdowns, but unfortunately had difficulty holding onto the ball. He was traded to Oakland before his third season, but was released after dropping a ball that would have given the Raiders a 1st down in red zone.
So, did you catch me breaking my own rule? Well, if you pointed out that Mr. Williams is not a top 5 draft pick, then you've earned yourself a big pat on the back. I decided to break my own rule for two reasons. First, Mr. Williams is legitimately a sports card bust. I remember people chasing his cards back in 2005, now they're sitting in common bins. The second reason is this card was generously donated to me by a member of Sports Card Forum (username: danielsweeney). There was no way I could pass up this opportunity of a lifetime.
So thank you danielsweeney for pointing out Mr. Mike Williams and for generously adding to my sports card bust PC. And thank you to everyone who's been commenting on my SCF thread and/or my blog. Your ideas are awesome and I'm in the process of tracking down more cards for this PC.
The first thing I decided was that it had to be someone who was drafted with one of the top 5 picks in the first round. This would settle any debate on whether or not people had high expectations for the player, because anyone chosen that early is expected to perform. Plus, it would save me money in the long run, since there are a lot of #6 to 20 something picks floating around out there. Multiply that by 4 since I'm focusing on the 4 major sports (baseball, football, basketball, and hockey) and there's lot of opportunities for busts to pop up each year. I'm not trying to chase down every athlete who has a sub par career, just the top 5 from each draft.
The next criteria for my collection would be purchase price. I cannot and will not allow myself to spend more than $10 on any sports card bust, and that includes shipping.
With that being said, after starting this project less than 30 days ago, I'm already breaking one of my rules. Allow me to introduce the most popular name in football history (actually, I'm not sure if this is true... but there have been 8 different players with this name to put on an NFL uniform): Mr. Mike Williams. I'm not talking about the offensive lineman from Texas, nor am I talking about the wide receiver out of Northeastern. Nope, the one I'm talking about is Mike Williams, the wide receiver out of USC.
Mr. Mike Williams from the University of Southern California is a wide receiver who was recently signed by the Seattle Seahawks. He was originally drafted with the 10th pick in the 2005 draft by the Detroit Lions. There he played two seasons, starting a total of 6 games. He caught 37 passes, two of which were touchdowns, but unfortunately had difficulty holding onto the ball. He was traded to Oakland before his third season, but was released after dropping a ball that would have given the Raiders a 1st down in red zone.
So, did you catch me breaking my own rule? Well, if you pointed out that Mr. Williams is not a top 5 draft pick, then you've earned yourself a big pat on the back. I decided to break my own rule for two reasons. First, Mr. Williams is legitimately a sports card bust. I remember people chasing his cards back in 2005, now they're sitting in common bins. The second reason is this card was generously donated to me by a member of Sports Card Forum (username: danielsweeney). There was no way I could pass up this opportunity of a lifetime.
So thank you danielsweeney for pointing out Mr. Mike Williams and for generously adding to my sports card bust PC. And thank you to everyone who's been commenting on my SCF thread and/or my blog. Your ideas are awesome and I'm in the process of tracking down more cards for this PC.
Curtis Enis
My newest Sports Card Bust PC addition has actually been sitting in my "trade bait" box for over 10 years. Luckily, nobody ever snatched this beauty from me. It's a 1998 Skybox Thunder "Chicago Convention Autograph" #NNO Curtis Enis.
If you're a Penn State fan, then you know who Curtis Enis is. If you're a Bears fan, then unfortunately you also probably know who Curtis Enis is.
Joe Paterno rewarded Curtis Enis with his first start against USC during his sophomore year. Curtis Enis rewarded Joe Paterno with 27 carries for 241 yards and three touchdowns in a 24-7 victory over the Trojans. Mr. Enis went on to rush for over 3,000 yards and 36 touchdowns in three seasons as a Nittany Lion. According to SI's War Room report, he had a body of a linebacker and the moves of a much smaller back. He was considered the most complete "big back" in the draft and was a lock as a top 10 pick.
So it wasn't too big of a surprise when the Chicago Bears drafted him with the #5 pick in the 1998 NFL draft. What is a surprise is that Mr. Enis only lasted three seasons in the NFL. Here are the stats I found for Curtis Enis on pro-football-reference.com:
Rushing Yards: 1,497 (his best year was in 1999, when he rushed for 916 yards)
YPC: 3.3 yards per carry
Touchdowns: 6 (4 rushing/2 receiving)
This wouldn't be too bad if they were from one season. Unfortunately, these are his NFL career totals. He played in a total of 36 games, 18 of which he was the starter.
According to a blog I read (written in 2009), he is currently a deputy with the Miami County Sheriff's Office in Ohio.
FYI - Here's a list of notable NFL players that Curtis Enis was drafted ahead of:
Alan Faneca (9 Pro Bowls)
Randy Moss (7 Pro Bowls)
Fred Taylor (11,540 career rushing yards & 66 rushing touchdowns)
Hines Ward (895 career receptions & 78 receiving touchdowns)
If you're a Penn State fan, then you know who Curtis Enis is. If you're a Bears fan, then unfortunately you also probably know who Curtis Enis is.
Joe Paterno rewarded Curtis Enis with his first start against USC during his sophomore year. Curtis Enis rewarded Joe Paterno with 27 carries for 241 yards and three touchdowns in a 24-7 victory over the Trojans. Mr. Enis went on to rush for over 3,000 yards and 36 touchdowns in three seasons as a Nittany Lion. According to SI's War Room report, he had a body of a linebacker and the moves of a much smaller back. He was considered the most complete "big back" in the draft and was a lock as a top 10 pick.
So it wasn't too big of a surprise when the Chicago Bears drafted him with the #5 pick in the 1998 NFL draft. What is a surprise is that Mr. Enis only lasted three seasons in the NFL. Here are the stats I found for Curtis Enis on pro-football-reference.com:
Rushing Yards: 1,497 (his best year was in 1999, when he rushed for 916 yards)
YPC: 3.3 yards per carry
Touchdowns: 6 (4 rushing/2 receiving)
This wouldn't be too bad if they were from one season. Unfortunately, these are his NFL career totals. He played in a total of 36 games, 18 of which he was the starter.
According to a blog I read (written in 2009), he is currently a deputy with the Miami County Sheriff's Office in Ohio.
FYI - Here's a list of notable NFL players that Curtis Enis was drafted ahead of:
Alan Faneca (9 Pro Bowls)
Randy Moss (7 Pro Bowls)
Fred Taylor (11,540 career rushing yards & 66 rushing touchdowns)
Hines Ward (895 career receptions & 78 receiving touchdowns)
Rick Mirer
Two for the price of one. Last month, I picked up a Rick Mirer card for my Seahawks PC and quickly posted it HERE. Then yesterday morning a member on SCF posted a few suggestions to my sports bust thread and low and behold, Mr. Mirer's name popped up. I'm not sure why his name never occurred to me. It's probably because he played on one of my favorite teams and I was in denial. Well there's no hiding from the facts. Rick Mirer is definitely a sports card bust.
He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round with the number two pick in the draft. Drew Bledsoe was the first overall pick and he went on to play in four Pro Bowls. In fact there were three other Pro Bowl quarterbacks chosen after Mr. Mirer: Mark Brunell (5th round), Elvis Grbac (8th round), and Trent Green (8th round). Other notable players chosen after Rick Mirer were Michael Strahan, John Lynch, and Jerome Bettis.
But let's get on with the show. Mr. Mirer played for five different teams during his 8 year tenure in the NFL. During those 8 years, he racked up the following stats:
Career QB Rating: 63.5
Career Passing TD's: 50
Career Interceptions: 76
Career Record (Starter): 24 wins - 44 losses
These stats will never earn him a spot in Canton, however Mr. Mirer has earned himself two different spots in my collection. The first spot is in my Seahawks PC and now thanks to jnuh (of SCF), he's part of my sports bust PC.
He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round with the number two pick in the draft. Drew Bledsoe was the first overall pick and he went on to play in four Pro Bowls. In fact there were three other Pro Bowl quarterbacks chosen after Mr. Mirer: Mark Brunell (5th round), Elvis Grbac (8th round), and Trent Green (8th round). Other notable players chosen after Rick Mirer were Michael Strahan, John Lynch, and Jerome Bettis.
But let's get on with the show. Mr. Mirer played for five different teams during his 8 year tenure in the NFL. During those 8 years, he racked up the following stats:
Career QB Rating: 63.5
Career Passing TD's: 50
Career Interceptions: 76
Career Record (Starter): 24 wins - 44 losses
These stats will never earn him a spot in Canton, however Mr. Mirer has earned himself two different spots in my collection. The first spot is in my Seahawks PC and now thanks to jnuh (of SCF), he's part of my sports bust PC.
Matt Bush & Todd Van Poppel
These guys have several things in common. First, they were both drafted out of high school. Second, both were recommended to me by collectors on Sportscardforum.com. Third, their autographs were purchased off of Checkoutmycards.com for $2 or less. Last, but not least, they both played on my favorite teams (Bushw/Padres & Van Poppel w/A's), which is awesome because I get to add their autographs to two different PC's. Another 2 for the price of 1 deal!
Let's start with Matt Bush, the first overall pick in the 2004 MLB draft. Bush wasn't chosen by the Padres, because he was the top talent in the draft. He was drafted by the Padres to save money. Jared Weaver, Jeff Niemann, and Stephen Drew were considered the top prospects in the draft, but they would have commanded premium bonuses that the Padres didn't want to pay. You've gotta love them. At 24 years of age, he still has time to turn things around, however at this stage in his career, he's a huge bust. He has never played in a major league game. In fact, he's never played in a AA or AAA game either. His lifetime minor league average is .219 and he's hit a total of 3 homeruns. In 2007, the Padres switched him from shortstop to pitcher, where he's found minor success. Unfortunately, injuries and issues with the law have slowed him down the past three years. Currently, he has a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays.
While Matt Bush has never been to the Show, Todd Van Poppel was a seasoned 11 year veteran when he hung up his cleats in 2005. He was the 14th pick in the 1990 amateur draft. I've made an exception to my PC rule, because I spent a lot of money on Van Poppel in the early 90's and it still hurts to think about him.
Although he had a fairly lengthy career, he's struggled through most of it. His best season came in 2001 with the Cubs, when he had a 4-1 record with an ERA of 2.52. He's never had more than 7 wins in a season and his career ERA is 5.58, with a 40-52 record to show for it.
Both of them might be considered busts to many collectors out there, but at least they're appreciated in my collection. Welcome Matt & Todd to my Sports Bust PC.
Jason Bonsignore
The #4 pick in the 1994 NHL draft...
The next addition to my Sports Card Bust PC was once labeled the next Mario Lemieux. Jason Bonsignore attracted scouts attention after scoring 108 points in two seasons at Greece High in New York. A few years later, he began playing in the OHL. That's where scouts started drawing comparisons to Super Mario due to his size and similar playing style. The Edmonton Oilers jumped all over the hype and chose Mr. Bonsignore with the 4th overall pick in the 1994 NHL draft. He is the highest draft pick in Oilers history and unfortunately their biggest bust.
His NHL career lasted 4 seasons, in which he played a total of 79 games. He managed to score an astounding 3 goals and had a total of 16 points. The last time he played in an NHL uniform was during the 98/99 season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Since then, he's played in a few different leagues and even in Europe. Unfortunately, he won't be remembered for any of those things. Nope, Super Mario 2 shall be remembered as being a huge bust and will now reside in my Sports Card Bust PC.
The next addition to my Sports Card Bust PC was once labeled the next Mario Lemieux. Jason Bonsignore attracted scouts attention after scoring 108 points in two seasons at Greece High in New York. A few years later, he began playing in the OHL. That's where scouts started drawing comparisons to Super Mario due to his size and similar playing style. The Edmonton Oilers jumped all over the hype and chose Mr. Bonsignore with the 4th overall pick in the 1994 NHL draft. He is the highest draft pick in Oilers history and unfortunately their biggest bust.
His NHL career lasted 4 seasons, in which he played a total of 79 games. He managed to score an astounding 3 goals and had a total of 16 points. The last time he played in an NHL uniform was during the 98/99 season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Since then, he's played in a few different leagues and even in Europe. Unfortunately, he won't be remembered for any of those things. Nope, Super Mario 2 shall be remembered as being a huge bust and will now reside in my Sports Card Bust PC.
Kwame Brown
On the eve of game 7 of the NBA Finals, I feel it's my duty to pay homage to one of the biggest Sports Card Busts of the decade. Without Kwame Brown, the Lakers may not have acquired Pau Gasol. Without Gasol, there's a chance that Kobe would have demanded out of L.A. Without Kobe, the Lakers aren't in tomorrow night's game.
In 2001, Kwame Brown was drafted by Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards with their #1 pick in the NBA draft. He originally signed a letter of intent to play of the University of Florida, but backed out to enter the draft. Obviously, expectations were high because he was the #1 pick in the draft... plus Mr. Airness made the decision to draft him.
Unfortunately, Mr. Brown never lived up to those expectations. He's averaged 6.7 ppg, 1.0 apg, & 5.4 rpg over the past 9 seasons. I'm sure Washington was excited to dump him off to the Lakers.
As a Lakers fan and a sports fan in general, I was disappointed and frustrated with Kwame Brown. It sucks to hear that a player on your team isn't trying their hardest and unfortunately that what was frequently being reported. However on February 1st, 2008 the basketball gods answered Lakers fans' prayers and sent them a gift. In one of the most lopsided deals in NBA history, the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol for a couple of 1st round draft picks, Marc Gasol, a couple of role players, and of course the man of the hour, Mr. Kwame Brown.
So I want to wish all of my fellow Lakers fans the best of luck. I'm sure either way it'll be one helluva game. But it makes you wonder, would the Lakers be in this position without Kwame Brown?
In 2001, Kwame Brown was drafted by Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards with their #1 pick in the NBA draft. He originally signed a letter of intent to play of the University of Florida, but backed out to enter the draft. Obviously, expectations were high because he was the #1 pick in the draft... plus Mr. Airness made the decision to draft him.
Unfortunately, Mr. Brown never lived up to those expectations. He's averaged 6.7 ppg, 1.0 apg, & 5.4 rpg over the past 9 seasons. I'm sure Washington was excited to dump him off to the Lakers.
As a Lakers fan and a sports fan in general, I was disappointed and frustrated with Kwame Brown. It sucks to hear that a player on your team isn't trying their hardest and unfortunately that what was frequently being reported. However on February 1st, 2008 the basketball gods answered Lakers fans' prayers and sent them a gift. In one of the most lopsided deals in NBA history, the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol for a couple of 1st round draft picks, Marc Gasol, a couple of role players, and of course the man of the hour, Mr. Kwame Brown.
So I want to wish all of my fellow Lakers fans the best of luck. I'm sure either way it'll be one helluva game. But it makes you wonder, would the Lakers be in this position without Kwame Brown?
Brien Taylor
Today's hobby hype is all about Stephen Strasburg. Ten years ago, people were drooling over Mark Prior. Twenty years ago, the New York Yankees drafted Brien Taylor with the first overall pick in the MLB amateur draft.
I'm headed out to dinner, so I'll keep this short and simple. Brien Taylor is one of the greatest draft busts of all time. Scouts were all over his fastball back in 1991 and so were the Yankees. They were so anxious to have him, they gave him a 1.55 million dollar signing bonus. He turned around and built his parents a brick house and bought himself a black Ford Mustang.
What did the Yankees get for that money? Well due to an injury, he never pitched an inning in the big leagues. In fact, he never made it past AA ball. He pitched for seven seasons in the minors and earned a career pitching record of 22-30 with a 5.12 ERA.
As of 2006, Mr. Taylor lived with his parents in the brick house he had built and was driving the same black Mustang.
I don't recall what collector's were dropping for his 1992 rookie cards, but Strasburg collectors might want to reconsider spending hundreds of dollars on a pitcher who only has 3 career starts. Even if he has a stellar rookie season, he could always turn out to be the next Dr. K.
I'm headed out to dinner, so I'll keep this short and simple. Brien Taylor is one of the greatest draft busts of all time. Scouts were all over his fastball back in 1991 and so were the Yankees. They were so anxious to have him, they gave him a 1.55 million dollar signing bonus. He turned around and built his parents a brick house and bought himself a black Ford Mustang.
What did the Yankees get for that money? Well due to an injury, he never pitched an inning in the big leagues. In fact, he never made it past AA ball. He pitched for seven seasons in the minors and earned a career pitching record of 22-30 with a 5.12 ERA.
As of 2006, Mr. Taylor lived with his parents in the brick house he had built and was driving the same black Mustang.
I don't recall what collector's were dropping for his 1992 rookie cards, but Strasburg collectors might want to reconsider spending hundreds of dollars on a pitcher who only has 3 career starts. Even if he has a stellar rookie season, he could always turn out to be the next Dr. K.
Tri (три) Alexandres
My newest additions to my Sports Card Bust PC are three athletes who have three things in common. They all played hockey, they all have first names that sound the same, and they all are huge sports card busts.
I'll start with the most recent and save the best for last. In 2001, the Tampa Bay Lightning drafted Alexander Svitov with the 3rd overall pick in the NHL draft. Svitov played in 179 games during his 3 year NHL career. As a center, he posted career NHL totals of 13 goals and 24 assists for a whopping 37 points. He's presently playing in his hometown in Russia for Avangard Omsk.
Next up, we have Alexandre Volchkov. Before the Washington Capitals selected one of the best Alex's in the game (Mr. Ovechkin), they drafted one of the worst picks in the history of the NHL. Some of you may have never heard of Mr. Volchkov, but that's because he played in only 3 NHL games. His incredible talent wasn't enough to overcome his attitude issues. He played several seasons in the OHL, IHL, and AHL before heading back to finish his career in Russia. He retired from hockey after the 2002-03 season.
This morning I searched Google and typed in "biggest NHL draft busts" and clicked on the first 5 results. All of the search results were Top 10 NHL draft busts. The final Alexandre was the #1 draft bust on three of the five lists and #2 on another. If you're wondering, he was ranked the 5th biggest draft bust by Sports Illustrated's Tom Layberger.
Have you figured out which Alexandre it is? It's not Mr. Mogilny, nope he was a draft day stud (89th pick in the 1988 NHL draft = 4 all-star game appearances, 473 goals, & 1,032 points over a 16 year career).
It's Alexandre Daigle, Ottawa's 1st pick of the 1993 NHL draft. Normally, I might not add a player like Daigle to this list since he played 10 seasons in the NHL and tallied over 300 points. However, it's hard to argue the fact that so many people have labeled him the greatest NHL draft bust of all-time.
So there you have it... three Alex's that weren't so great. Thanks for reading and stay tuned. I have a few more busts arriving any day now.
I'll start with the most recent and save the best for last. In 2001, the Tampa Bay Lightning drafted Alexander Svitov with the 3rd overall pick in the NHL draft. Svitov played in 179 games during his 3 year NHL career. As a center, he posted career NHL totals of 13 goals and 24 assists for a whopping 37 points. He's presently playing in his hometown in Russia for Avangard Omsk.
Next up, we have Alexandre Volchkov. Before the Washington Capitals selected one of the best Alex's in the game (Mr. Ovechkin), they drafted one of the worst picks in the history of the NHL. Some of you may have never heard of Mr. Volchkov, but that's because he played in only 3 NHL games. His incredible talent wasn't enough to overcome his attitude issues. He played several seasons in the OHL, IHL, and AHL before heading back to finish his career in Russia. He retired from hockey after the 2002-03 season.
This morning I searched Google and typed in "biggest NHL draft busts" and clicked on the first 5 results. All of the search results were Top 10 NHL draft busts. The final Alexandre was the #1 draft bust on three of the five lists and #2 on another. If you're wondering, he was ranked the 5th biggest draft bust by Sports Illustrated's Tom Layberger.
Have you figured out which Alexandre it is? It's not Mr. Mogilny, nope he was a draft day stud (89th pick in the 1988 NHL draft = 4 all-star game appearances, 473 goals, & 1,032 points over a 16 year career).
It's Alexandre Daigle, Ottawa's 1st pick of the 1993 NHL draft. Normally, I might not add a player like Daigle to this list since he played 10 seasons in the NHL and tallied over 300 points. However, it's hard to argue the fact that so many people have labeled him the greatest NHL draft bust of all-time.
So there you have it... three Alex's that weren't so great. Thanks for reading and stay tuned. I have a few more busts arriving any day now.
Paul Wilson, Adam Johnson, & Bryan Bullington
I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I'll say it again. I love checkoutmycards.com. I've purchased hundreds of cards off of there at well below eBay prices. The ability to combine shipping allows me to build up my inventory and ship at my convenience.
Recently, I purchased ten new cards for my Sports Bust PC for a total of $17 ($5 was spent on a single card... the most I've paid for a sports bust to this date). If I bought these off of Beckett or eBay the price would have easily been double. So, if you buy singles and you haven't checked out the site... what are you waiting for?
Now... onto my newest additions to my Sports Bust PC. All three of today's additions were highly touted pitchers, who never lived up to the hype.
In 1994, the New York Mets had the first pick in the MLB amateur draft and they selected Florida State's Paul Wilson. Back in 1994, I was busting tons of Signature Rookies packs in search for Paul Wilson's autograph, because I though he would become the next big superstar. Well... 17 years later, we can officially label him a bust. He had a career record of 40 wins & 58 losses, with a 4.86 era. Sure, he lasted seven seasons in the MLB, which is a respectable amount if you're a 15th round pick. But not if you're the number 1 pick in the draft.
Then in Y2K, Adam Johnson was selected by the Minnesota Twins with the 2nd overall pick in the MLB amateur draft (Adrian Gonzalez was the #1 pick, chosen by the Marlins). Out of the three pitchers highlighted today, he pitched the fewest amount of games. During his 2 years in the bigs, he pitched in 9 games for a total of 26.1 innings. Luckily for the Twins, they drafted Joe Mauer with the #1 overall pick the following season. However, this still doesn't keep Mr. Johnson from being added to this PC.
Finally, we'll finish things off with Bryan Bullington, who was drafted by the Pirates with the 1st overall pick in the 2002 MLB amateur draft. He's the only one out of these three pitchers who's still playing baseball. In fact, Mr. Bullington has pitched in 3 games this year. He is 0 - 6 in his career with a 5.57 era. As of right now, he's definitely a bust for being a number 1 pick in the draft. However, maybe this is the year that he'll turn things around.
Recently, I purchased ten new cards for my Sports Bust PC for a total of $17 ($5 was spent on a single card... the most I've paid for a sports bust to this date). If I bought these off of Beckett or eBay the price would have easily been double. So, if you buy singles and you haven't checked out the site... what are you waiting for?
Now... onto my newest additions to my Sports Bust PC. All three of today's additions were highly touted pitchers, who never lived up to the hype.
In 1994, the New York Mets had the first pick in the MLB amateur draft and they selected Florida State's Paul Wilson. Back in 1994, I was busting tons of Signature Rookies packs in search for Paul Wilson's autograph, because I though he would become the next big superstar. Well... 17 years later, we can officially label him a bust. He had a career record of 40 wins & 58 losses, with a 4.86 era. Sure, he lasted seven seasons in the MLB, which is a respectable amount if you're a 15th round pick. But not if you're the number 1 pick in the draft.
Then in Y2K, Adam Johnson was selected by the Minnesota Twins with the 2nd overall pick in the MLB amateur draft (Adrian Gonzalez was the #1 pick, chosen by the Marlins). Out of the three pitchers highlighted today, he pitched the fewest amount of games. During his 2 years in the bigs, he pitched in 9 games for a total of 26.1 innings. Luckily for the Twins, they drafted Joe Mauer with the #1 overall pick the following season. However, this still doesn't keep Mr. Johnson from being added to this PC.
Finally, we'll finish things off with Bryan Bullington, who was drafted by the Pirates with the 1st overall pick in the 2002 MLB amateur draft. He's the only one out of these three pitchers who's still playing baseball. In fact, Mr. Bullington has pitched in 3 games this year. He is 0 - 6 in his career with a 5.57 era. As of right now, he's definitely a bust for being a number 1 pick in the draft. However, maybe this is the year that he'll turn things around.
Sheldon Williams
Well it's been a few weeks since my last Sports Card Bust post... and since then one of my "busts" has been signed by a new team via free agency. The Denver Nuggets recently signed Shelden Williams to a one year contract to help back up Kenyon Martin and Chris Anderson, who are both coming back from knee surgeries.
Williams was drafted 5th overall in the 2006 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, ahead of Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay. Since then, he's also played for the Kings, Timberwolves, and the Celtics. It's debatable, but it looks like his best season was his rookie year when he averaged just under 19 minutes per game, 5.5 ppg, and 5.4 rpg.
Some may argue that it's too early to call him a bust, but in my mind he was the 5th pick overall and he hasn't produced very much. Maybe, he'll turn his career around playing under Coach Karl. If not... I'd call him a Sports Card Bust.
Then again... at least this guy is still playing in the NBA. Shawne Williams who was drafted by the Indiana Pacers with the 17th pick in the same draft was recently charged with driving under a suspended license.
Which brings the question... which is the bigger bust? On one hand, Shawne is out of the NBA and Shelden is still playing. But on the flip side, Shawne wasn't a top 5 draft choice and Shelden was. It's these kind of questions that made C+C Music Factory create songs like, "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm".
Williams was drafted 5th overall in the 2006 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, ahead of Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay. Since then, he's also played for the Kings, Timberwolves, and the Celtics. It's debatable, but it looks like his best season was his rookie year when he averaged just under 19 minutes per game, 5.5 ppg, and 5.4 rpg.
Some may argue that it's too early to call him a bust, but in my mind he was the 5th pick overall and he hasn't produced very much. Maybe, he'll turn his career around playing under Coach Karl. If not... I'd call him a Sports Card Bust.
Then again... at least this guy is still playing in the NBA. Shawne Williams who was drafted by the Indiana Pacers with the 17th pick in the same draft was recently charged with driving under a suspended license.
Which brings the question... which is the bigger bust? On one hand, Shawne is out of the NBA and Shelden is still playing. But on the flip side, Shawne wasn't a top 5 draft choice and Shelden was. It's these kind of questions that made C+C Music Factory create songs like, "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm".
Trev Alberts
Since 1985, the Dick Butkus Award has been given to the top linebacker in the NCAA. In 1993, Trev Alberts won the award. As a senior at the University of Nebraska, he was a consensus first team All-American, Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year, and the Big Eight Male Athlete of the Year. He even won the Today's Top Six Award (now known as the Top Eight Award) for demonstrating excellence on the field and off the field by earning good grades, modeling positive character traits, and by being a leader to his teammates.
His most memorable college game was the last game he played for the Cornhuskers. It was Nebraska's chance to finish off their undefeated season and beat the #1 ranked team in the nation, Florida State. FSU's Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward brought the Seminoles down to the 3 yard line with a last minute drive, where they nailed the game winning field goal with 21 seconds remaining. Nebraska actually had a chance to win the game with a last second field goal, but missed. In the loss, Alberts had 6 tackles including 3 sacks for a loss of 29 yards. According to Wikipedia, the amazing thing is up until this game FSU quarterbacks had only been sacked 5 times their whole season.
Three months later he was rewarded for all of his hard work at Nebraska by the Indianapolis Colts, when he was selected 5th in the 1994 NFL Draft.
Unfortunately his NFL career was plagued with injuries. Mr. Alberts finished his 3 year career with 4 sacks and 1 interception. During those three seasons, he only started 7 games. Obviously the Colts and their fans were expecting much more from their 1994 #5 pick. But there's a bright side to this story. His career stats has earned him a spot in my Sports Card Bust PC.
Well at least the Colts didn't screw up too bad in 1994. They drafted Marshall Faulk with their #2 pick. But that's another story.
His most memorable college game was the last game he played for the Cornhuskers. It was Nebraska's chance to finish off their undefeated season and beat the #1 ranked team in the nation, Florida State. FSU's Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward brought the Seminoles down to the 3 yard line with a last minute drive, where they nailed the game winning field goal with 21 seconds remaining. Nebraska actually had a chance to win the game with a last second field goal, but missed. In the loss, Alberts had 6 tackles including 3 sacks for a loss of 29 yards. According to Wikipedia, the amazing thing is up until this game FSU quarterbacks had only been sacked 5 times their whole season.
Three months later he was rewarded for all of his hard work at Nebraska by the Indianapolis Colts, when he was selected 5th in the 1994 NFL Draft.
Unfortunately his NFL career was plagued with injuries. Mr. Alberts finished his 3 year career with 4 sacks and 1 interception. During those three seasons, he only started 7 games. Obviously the Colts and their fans were expecting much more from their 1994 #5 pick. But there's a bright side to this story. His career stats has earned him a spot in my Sports Card Bust PC.
Well at least the Colts didn't screw up too bad in 1994. They drafted Marshall Faulk with their #2 pick. But that's another story.
Heath Shuler
When it comes to football, I'm a huge Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks fan. Yes, I know that both of them are in the NFC, but there once was a time when the Seahawks were in the AFC West... so it worked out perfectly... one NFC team... one AFC team.
Anyways... let me get to my point. As a Packer fan from the 80's to present, the first person who pops into my head is Tony Mandarich. Two years earlier, the Hawks drafted Brian Bosworth.
The fact is every team has drafted someone that they've regretted.
Well when it comes to the Redskins, I can't think of a bigger draft bust than Heath Shuler. In 1993, Shuler was runner-up to Charlie Ward in Heisman Trophy voting. Scouts loved his game at the University of Tennessee and the Redskins were coming off a disappointing 4-12 season, just two years after winning the Super Bowl. So the Redskins released 1991 Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien and drafted two quarterbacks: Gus Frerotte and Mr. Shuler. Neither would lead the Redskins back to the playoffs.
However, Frerotte had a decent career. He played for 14 seasons on 7 different teams and even made the Pro Bowl once in 1996.
Unfortunately, Shuler's career was quite the opposite. He started 13 games in his 1st two seasons as a Redskin. But after he was benched in 1996, he became expendable and was traded to the Saints for some draft picks. There, he would start 9 games until he suffered a foot injury that eventually ended his career.
His career stats included: 22 games started, an 8-14 record, 49.2% pass completion, 15 career TDs, 33 career interceptions, and a 54.3 QB rating.
On the flipside... there was a bright light at the end of the tunnel for Mr. Shuler. In 2007 (2006 election), ten years after his last NFL game, he became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was successfully re-elected and is still a member of congress to this day.
Who knows... maybe one day he'll be our next President. I wonder what this autograph will be worth then?
Anyways... let me get to my point. As a Packer fan from the 80's to present, the first person who pops into my head is Tony Mandarich. Two years earlier, the Hawks drafted Brian Bosworth.
The fact is every team has drafted someone that they've regretted.
Well when it comes to the Redskins, I can't think of a bigger draft bust than Heath Shuler. In 1993, Shuler was runner-up to Charlie Ward in Heisman Trophy voting. Scouts loved his game at the University of Tennessee and the Redskins were coming off a disappointing 4-12 season, just two years after winning the Super Bowl. So the Redskins released 1991 Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien and drafted two quarterbacks: Gus Frerotte and Mr. Shuler. Neither would lead the Redskins back to the playoffs.
However, Frerotte had a decent career. He played for 14 seasons on 7 different teams and even made the Pro Bowl once in 1996.
Unfortunately, Shuler's career was quite the opposite. He started 13 games in his 1st two seasons as a Redskin. But after he was benched in 1996, he became expendable and was traded to the Saints for some draft picks. There, he would start 9 games until he suffered a foot injury that eventually ended his career.
His career stats included: 22 games started, an 8-14 record, 49.2% pass completion, 15 career TDs, 33 career interceptions, and a 54.3 QB rating.
On the flipside... there was a bright light at the end of the tunnel for Mr. Shuler. In 2007 (2006 election), ten years after his last NFL game, he became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was successfully re-elected and is still a member of congress to this day.
Who knows... maybe one day he'll be our next President. I wonder what this autograph will be worth then?
Patrick Stefan
Anyone who has collected hockey cards during the late 90's knows the name: Patrik Stefan.
In 1998-99, Stefan averaged over a point per game in the IHL for the Long Beach Ice Dogs when he scored 11 goals and had 24 assists in 33 games. Unfortunately, his season was shortened after suffering a concussion.
This didn't scare away scouts, who still put him up on a pedestal. One coach called him a cross between Mike Modano and Sergei Fedorov.
Looking back at his stats, I'm not sure what all of the hype was behind him... but regardless the Atlanta Thrashers decided to draft Stefan with the number one pick in the 1999 NHL entry draft. He was chosen in front of the Sedin brothers (#2 and #3 picks), Henrik Zetterberg (210th pick), and one of my favorite goalies in the league, Ryan Miller (138th pick).
When I looked at his career stats, the first person I thought of was Alexandre Daigle, because at first glance you might not call him a bust. He played seven seasons and had 64 goals with 124 assists for a total of 188 points. Obviously these are not Hall of Fame stats, but I've seen much worse.
However, when you flash back to 1999 and you think about how many collectors lost out on their Stefan investments... then you realize how big of a bust this guy was. I probably have over 25 of his Chrome, Topps Premier, and Gold Label rookies sitting in soft sleeves and Card Savers. These days any of those can be picked up for $1 to $2 on COMC. My guess is that you probably could get these cards for less if you submitted a best offer.
How much did I lose on my investment? Who knows... but it's safe to say I was paying a lot more than $1 or $2 for them. Don't worry... I'm not complaining. I understand that these are the risks you take when you decide to invest in cards.
In 1998-99, Stefan averaged over a point per game in the IHL for the Long Beach Ice Dogs when he scored 11 goals and had 24 assists in 33 games. Unfortunately, his season was shortened after suffering a concussion.
This didn't scare away scouts, who still put him up on a pedestal. One coach called him a cross between Mike Modano and Sergei Fedorov.
Looking back at his stats, I'm not sure what all of the hype was behind him... but regardless the Atlanta Thrashers decided to draft Stefan with the number one pick in the 1999 NHL entry draft. He was chosen in front of the Sedin brothers (#2 and #3 picks), Henrik Zetterberg (210th pick), and one of my favorite goalies in the league, Ryan Miller (138th pick).
When I looked at his career stats, the first person I thought of was Alexandre Daigle, because at first glance you might not call him a bust. He played seven seasons and had 64 goals with 124 assists for a total of 188 points. Obviously these are not Hall of Fame stats, but I've seen much worse.
However, when you flash back to 1999 and you think about how many collectors lost out on their Stefan investments... then you realize how big of a bust this guy was. I probably have over 25 of his Chrome, Topps Premier, and Gold Label rookies sitting in soft sleeves and Card Savers. These days any of those can be picked up for $1 to $2 on COMC. My guess is that you probably could get these cards for less if you submitted a best offer.
How much did I lose on my investment? Who knows... but it's safe to say I was paying a lot more than $1 or $2 for them. Don't worry... I'm not complaining. I understand that these are the risks you take when you decide to invest in cards.
Pat Falloon
Another birthday... another bust. Today is Pat Falloon's 38th birthday. Mr. Falloon was the first player chosen by the San Jose Sharks in the history of their franchise. I can remember chasing down his 1991 Arena holograms (Limited Edition of 99,000) and thinking he was going to be the next big super-star.
Pat didn't disappoint his fans... his rookie season was amazing. He led the team in goals, assists, and points. Who knew that his rookie season would be his best. After breaking down his stats... some may argue the fact that he's one of the NHL's biggest draft busts. So check out the pro's and con's... and decide yourself.
The Pros:
1. He scored 25 goals in a season twice in his career (91/92 & 95/96)
2. He had three 50 point seasons.
3. He had 143 goals and 178 assists for a total of 322 career points.
4. He played 9 seasons on 5 NHL teams.
The Cons:
1. Umm... if that's all you accomplished during your career and you're the number 2 pick in the draft... then you're a bust.
Sorry Pat... you were one of my favorites since day one and you'll always be special to any serious Sharks fan. However... in the eyes of hockey fans... you are a bust.
Pat didn't disappoint his fans... his rookie season was amazing. He led the team in goals, assists, and points. Who knew that his rookie season would be his best. After breaking down his stats... some may argue the fact that he's one of the NHL's biggest draft busts. So check out the pro's and con's... and decide yourself.
The Pros:
1. He scored 25 goals in a season twice in his career (91/92 & 95/96)
2. He had three 50 point seasons.
3. He had 143 goals and 178 assists for a total of 322 career points.
4. He played 9 seasons on 5 NHL teams.
The Cons:
1. Umm... if that's all you accomplished during your career and you're the number 2 pick in the draft... then you're a bust.
Sorry Pat... you were one of my favorites since day one and you'll always be special to any serious Sharks fan. However... in the eyes of hockey fans... you are a bust.
Jonathan Bender
The annual McDonald's All-American game features some of the brightest talents on the court each year. So when you're named the game's MVP, you know you've got game.
Here are just a few winners of this prestigious award: Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Webber, Kevin Garnett, Jonathan Bender, Lebron James, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant, and Tyreke Evans.
You can see that a couple are HOF bound, while the others are well on their way to making a name for themselves in the NBA. However, stuck right in between KG and Prince James is the recipient of the 1999 McDonald's All-American MVP award: Mr. Jonathan Bender.
Before the draft, Mr. Bender was compared to Kevin Garnett because of his athleticism, size, and all around game. He ended up being drafted with the 5th pick in the 1999 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors, who immediately shipped him off to Indiana for veteran forward Antonio Davis.
Right out of the gate, Mr. Bender became the first high school draftee to score double digits in his first game. In 2001, he participated in the NBA Slam Dunk contest, but didn't qualify for the finals. He played 237 games over a 7 year span for the Pacers. Unfortunately knee injuries forced him to retire.
He made a short comeback last season with the New York Knicks. During this short stint, he played 25 games, averaging 4.7 ppg. In the end, Mr. Bender only started a total of 28 games in his career, while averaging a miniscule 5.5 ppg/3.3 rpg/0.6 apg.
On the court, he may have been a huge draft bust. However off the court, it's a different story. In 2006, he established the Jonathan Bender Foundation to empower the children in his community after the suffered the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina.
Here are just a few winners of this prestigious award: Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Webber, Kevin Garnett, Jonathan Bender, Lebron James, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant, and Tyreke Evans.
You can see that a couple are HOF bound, while the others are well on their way to making a name for themselves in the NBA. However, stuck right in between KG and Prince James is the recipient of the 1999 McDonald's All-American MVP award: Mr. Jonathan Bender.
Before the draft, Mr. Bender was compared to Kevin Garnett because of his athleticism, size, and all around game. He ended up being drafted with the 5th pick in the 1999 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors, who immediately shipped him off to Indiana for veteran forward Antonio Davis.
Right out of the gate, Mr. Bender became the first high school draftee to score double digits in his first game. In 2001, he participated in the NBA Slam Dunk contest, but didn't qualify for the finals. He played 237 games over a 7 year span for the Pacers. Unfortunately knee injuries forced him to retire.
He made a short comeback last season with the New York Knicks. During this short stint, he played 25 games, averaging 4.7 ppg. In the end, Mr. Bender only started a total of 28 games in his career, while averaging a miniscule 5.5 ppg/3.3 rpg/0.6 apg.
On the court, he may have been a huge draft bust. However off the court, it's a different story. In 2006, he established the Jonathan Bender Foundation to empower the children in his community after the suffered the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina.
David Carr
Okay... I know I'm going to get some flak for calling this guy a bust. Fuji... how can you call a guy who passed for over 14,000 yards in his career a bust? Did you know that he has thrown 65 touchdowns during his NFL career? He's started almost 80 games in his career and even had the highest completion percentage in 2006. No way man... no way can you call David Carr a bust.
Well people... my blog... my call. I'll be honest... if this guy was the #5 pick in his draft class, I might let him off the hook. But he wasn't. In 2002, the Houston Texans drafted Mr. Carr with the #1 pick in the NFL draft ahead of these Pro Bowlers: Dwight Freeney, Ed Reed, Julius Peppers, and Roy Williams. Sure... these guys are all defensive players... there were a few decent offensive players in the draft. Brian Westbrook and Clinton Portis were both drafted in 2002 with Carr. Unfortunately, the only quarterback in this draft to make it to Honolulu is David Garrard, who has led the Jaguars into a first place tie with the Colts.
But... back to Carr. He has stuggled since he entered the league to win games. In 79 games as a starter... he's won 23 of them... and lost 56. In fact, he's never had a winning season. Sure... the Texans stunk... but part of their stink was on the QB's shoulders.
This year, the 49ers picked him up to back up Alex Smith (a guy you may see in a future post... sooner than later... if I can find a cheap autograph of him)... and when Smith got hurt against the Panthers in week 7... Carr struggled. In week 8, Troy Smith was the starter and Carr hasn't thrown the ball in a game since.
Last week... I picked up this 2004 Fleer Showcase "Sweet Sigs" autograph of Carr (#'d 15/100) for $2 (shipped). Back in September 2004, this card booked for $40 in Beckett. How screwed up is Beckett's pricing? My most recent price guide still has him listed at $40. Yep... I picked him up at 5% of book value.
A week earlier, I wasn't so lucky. I picked up his 2002 Finest "Rookie Auto" for $1.50 (+ $3.99 shipping) off of eBay. Yep... $5.49 for a rookie autograph of this Sports Card Bust and at the time, I was happy to grab it. I just noticed that it books for $12.... that's a little over 45% of Beckett. Back in 2003, this beauty booked for $100. At least Beckett is a little more accurate with this card.
Don't get me wrong... if Carr gets another shot... and turns his career around... I'll go back and update this post. I don't hate the guy. In fact... I love that he's the newest member of my Sports Card Bust PC.
Well people... my blog... my call. I'll be honest... if this guy was the #5 pick in his draft class, I might let him off the hook. But he wasn't. In 2002, the Houston Texans drafted Mr. Carr with the #1 pick in the NFL draft ahead of these Pro Bowlers: Dwight Freeney, Ed Reed, Julius Peppers, and Roy Williams. Sure... these guys are all defensive players... there were a few decent offensive players in the draft. Brian Westbrook and Clinton Portis were both drafted in 2002 with Carr. Unfortunately, the only quarterback in this draft to make it to Honolulu is David Garrard, who has led the Jaguars into a first place tie with the Colts.
But... back to Carr. He has stuggled since he entered the league to win games. In 79 games as a starter... he's won 23 of them... and lost 56. In fact, he's never had a winning season. Sure... the Texans stunk... but part of their stink was on the QB's shoulders.
This year, the 49ers picked him up to back up Alex Smith (a guy you may see in a future post... sooner than later... if I can find a cheap autograph of him)... and when Smith got hurt against the Panthers in week 7... Carr struggled. In week 8, Troy Smith was the starter and Carr hasn't thrown the ball in a game since.
Last week... I picked up this 2004 Fleer Showcase "Sweet Sigs" autograph of Carr (#'d 15/100) for $2 (shipped). Back in September 2004, this card booked for $40 in Beckett. How screwed up is Beckett's pricing? My most recent price guide still has him listed at $40. Yep... I picked him up at 5% of book value.
A week earlier, I wasn't so lucky. I picked up his 2002 Finest "Rookie Auto" for $1.50 (+ $3.99 shipping) off of eBay. Yep... $5.49 for a rookie autograph of this Sports Card Bust and at the time, I was happy to grab it. I just noticed that it books for $12.... that's a little over 45% of Beckett. Back in 2003, this beauty booked for $100. At least Beckett is a little more accurate with this card.
Don't get me wrong... if Carr gets another shot... and turns his career around... I'll go back and update this post. I don't hate the guy. In fact... I love that he's the newest member of my Sports Card Bust PC.
JaMarcus Russell
Drafted: #1 overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2007 NFL Draft
Seasons Played: 3 (2007-2009)
Games Played: 31
Games Started: 25 (7 wins/18 losses)
Completion %: 52.1 (354 completions/680 pass attempts)
Touchdowns: 19 (18 passing/1 rushing)
Interceptions: 23
Fumbles Lost: 25
Quarterback Rating: 65.2
Seasons Played: 3 (2007-2009)
Games Played: 31
Games Started: 25 (7 wins/18 losses)
Completion %: 52.1 (354 completions/680 pass attempts)
Touchdowns: 19 (18 passing/1 rushing)
Interceptions: 23
Fumbles Lost: 25
Quarterback Rating: 65.2
Adam Morrison
3rd Overall Pick in the 2006 NBA Draft
Seasons Played: 3 seasons
Games Played: 161 games
Games Started: 28 games
Average Points Per Game: 7.5 PPG
Average Rebounds Per Game: 2.1 RPG
Career 30 Point Games: 1 game
Career NBA Earnings: $16,000,000+
David Clyde
Imagine yourself allowing only three earned runs in 148 innings pitched and going 18-0 for the season. That's exactly what David Clyde did his senior year at Westchester High School in Houston, Texas back in 1972.
The Texas Rangers selected him with the first overall pick in the 1973 MLB Draft and gave him the highest bonus ever given to a draft pick at the time. Three weeks after his final high school game, Clyde made his MLB debut against the Minnesota Twins. In front of 35,000 fans at Arlington Stadium, he struck out eight batters, walked seven, allowed two earned runs, and gave up only one hit (a two run blast by Mike Adams) in route to his first career win.
That season, Clyde continued to draw fans to the ballpark, but unfortunately never lived up to the hype. By the age of twenty-six, he was completely out of baseball. He finished his career with a subpar 18-33 record and a 4.63 ERA. A lot of people, including Clyde, felt that the Rangers' decision to rush him to the majors was a mistake.
It's a shame that fans, especially Rangers fans, will never know what could have been.
The Texas Rangers selected him with the first overall pick in the 1973 MLB Draft and gave him the highest bonus ever given to a draft pick at the time. Three weeks after his final high school game, Clyde made his MLB debut against the Minnesota Twins. In front of 35,000 fans at Arlington Stadium, he struck out eight batters, walked seven, allowed two earned runs, and gave up only one hit (a two run blast by Mike Adams) in route to his first career win.
That season, Clyde continued to draw fans to the ballpark, but unfortunately never lived up to the hype. By the age of twenty-six, he was completely out of baseball. He finished his career with a subpar 18-33 record and a 4.63 ERA. A lot of people, including Clyde, felt that the Rangers' decision to rush him to the majors was a mistake.
It's a shame that fans, especially Rangers fans, will never know what could have been.
