I am glad you are enjoying the "Collecting With Jeff" newsletters.

The following articles Jeff wrote recently for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

   THE MASTERS TOURNAMENT

     Arguably, a ticket to the Masters Tournament has the reputation of being the hardest ticket to get in all of sports. From my golfing aficionado friend Jerry Rockwell, a ticket is not as difficult as it has been, but it is still mighty tough. You can get a ticket if you are a patron, have connections, or, oh my gosh, have the money. Rockwell should know. A former touring pro on the Grapefruit Tour, now called The Nationwide Tour, he has been to virtually every Masters since 2005. He also holds the dubious distinction of trying to teach me how to play golf, but he failed miserably. I don t know why, but golfing and me are simply incompatible.  Despite that, I am a golf fan, and of the Masters in particular.

     Besides tickets to the Masters being difficult to procure, and relatively pricey, memorabilia also can be a bit costly as well. Try these auction results. A 2005 Arnold Palmer-signed Masters Tournament Flag went for $353, a 1974 Masters Badge for $250, and a 1975 Spectator Guide Program for $125. In addition, a 1997 Gene Sarazen button sold for $895 in a 2008 auction, while a 1998 menu signed by Tiger Woods brought in $2932.

     However, one of the most unique auction items has been the 1997 Tiger Woods Masters Tournament-used golf bag. You are probably wondering how much that went for. Well, first keep in mind that 1997 was the first year that Tiger Woods won the Masters. Okay, how about $89,625. And the bag was not even signed. I don t know who owns it, but I know I don t. That is not your typical item. An item that is a little less expensive is a Woods-signed Masters flag. It went for $1248. A little more like it.

     I wouldn t mind adding a ticket to the Masters to my collection. Does anyone have an extra one?

                                                NATIONAL SPORTS COLLECTORS CONVENTION

     One of the true annual highlights for many sports collectors is the National Sports Collectors Convention. This year the Convention will be held, for the first time, in Baltimore, from August 4-8, 2010.

     As the Convention is on the East Coast, that may defer some collectors from coming if they are from too far away. But it is good to move the venue around.

     The Convention is a great opportunity to see if any of your "wish list" items are available. It is also the perfect place to see old friends in the industry.

     If you haven t been to a National before you will see booths of large and small vendors from across the country. Do yourself a favor, and have a list of what you are specifically looking for. If you don t, and if you don t have a budget, trust me, you can easily be overwhelmed. A few years ago I had a "wish list" of four items, and wouldn t you know it, I found three of them at the Convention. The other one took a couple more years to get.

     At this National also there will be approximately 60-70 Hall of Famers and other stars from the major sports there to sign autographs. A few of this year s signing stars include Cal Ripken, Jr., Willie Mays, Brooks Robinson, Tom Seaver, Bart Starr, and Joe Montana.

     What started out in 1980, when a group of collectors got together in a small hotel ballroom at the Los Angeles International Airport Marriott, for what became the first National Sports Collectors Convention, has now become a full-fledged major convention.

     And if you do go, try to come one of the early days in the Convention. If you wait too long, some of the vendors may be gone, as well as some of the items that you specifically wanted.

     See you in Baltimore.

TRIVIA QUESTIONS:

1.       Who is the only player to play in Major League baseball s All-Star Game in every season he played?

2.       Which AL team holds the record for most loses in a year since 1900?

3.       What city has hosted the most NBA All-Star games?

4.       Which NBA player has won the most regular season MVP awards?

5.       From 1964-1973 UCLA won the NCAA basketball championship every year, except in 1966. Who won that year?

6.       What is the longest punt in NFL history?

7.       Who were the football players who were called the Purple People Eaters?

8.       Which player has won the most NFL MVP awards of the regular season?

9.       Who had the original NBA draft rights to Magic Johnson? Who had the original NBA draft rights to Kobe Bryant?

10.   Who was the last NFL player to play all 60 minutes of a regulation game?

TRIVIA QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM THE JUNE NEWSLETTER:

1.       Who was the first manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks (1998)? Of the Tampa Bay Rays (1998)?

Buck Showalter-Diamondbacks

Larry Rothschild-Rays

2.       Which university did George Mikan attend?

DePaul University

3.       Who was the first starting quarterback for the Rams in St. Louis?

In the Rams first year in St. Louis, 1995, Chris Miller started 13 games and Mark Rypien started 3 games.

4.       Who has the lowest ERA in American League modern history (since 1900)?

Dutch Leonard in 1914 (0.96)

5.       Who coached the UCLA basketball team before John Wooden?

Wilbur Johns

6.       Who was the first coach of the Big Red in St. Louis?

Pop Ivy (1960)

7.       Which St. Louis Browns player later starred in TV s "General Hospital"?

John Beradino

8.       Which college team won the NIT and the NCAA tournaments in the same year?

City College of New York (1950)

9.       In which year did the NFL expand from 14 to 16 games?

1977

10.   How many seasons did the St. Louis Browns have a winning record in the 1900s?

They had 12 winning seasons from 1902-1953