Rip- kobe bryant

[PowderedH2O]

Bill, ironic that you should post this today. I am a high school teacher. We just started the new semester less than a week ago, so I am just getting to know the students. In my 4th period class I ended up having a 15 minute discussion with two 16 year old boys that had completed their work. It was on basketball history. They knew all about Maravich, Wilt, Oscar, etc. I was very impressed. Now, do they know that next level of star? I have no idea. I have so many memories, like going to my first NBA game as a kid and watching Bob Love torch the New Orleans Jazz.

I went to Pete's camp as a kid and still have the camp photo with all of us signed by him. He would show us trick shots and it was insane. Just like Kobe's passing, I was just devastated when he died at 40 years old.

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by PowderedH2O

I went to Pete's camp as a kid and still have the camp photo with all of us signed by him. He would show us trick shots and it was insane. Just like Kobe's passing, I was just devastated when he died at 40 years old.

Was this at the Kutsher's (Borsch Belt) resort in upstate New York?? Or were there other Pistol Pete camps? My brothers, friends and I went a couple of years in a row and my Dad was one of the (non-NBA player) instructors.

[MULLINS5]

Can't blame people for raising their prices when most are buying low to flip. Those are the worthless losers.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by MULLINS5

Can't blame people for raising their prices when most are buying low to flip. Those are the worthless losers.

People who buy things low hoping to sell them high are "worthless losers?"

If you had a stock broker who advised you, and his recommendations helped give you a nice return, would you call him a "worthless loser" and fire him?

Or would you be happy when YOU buy low and sell high?

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by Mark17

People who buy things low hoping to sell them high are "worthless losers?"

If you had a stock broker who advised you, and his recommendations helped give you a nice return, would you call him a "worthless loser" and fire him?

Or would you be happy when YOU buy low and sell high?

Good post, Mark. As a former stockbroker, I would hope not.

After someone like Bryant dies, it's only natural for fans to want a tangible piece their career (especially when they're athletes), be it a jersey he wore, or a card he autographed. That's because human beings are sentimental creatures. Demand goes up. The supply won't increase all that much, unless someone who didn't have their items for sale puts them on Ebay immediately after Bryant's death (darned opportunists!) So, given the increase demand, shouldn't the items available command a premium? You can buy now, and pay more, or, you can wait, and see what happens, knowing you might miss out on the very best items, altogether.

If a seller raises their item's price, and a buyer pays the price they ask, what's the problem? The seller has made a profit. The buyer has what they wanted, at a price they were willing to pay. Nobody held a gun to their head. They could have waited, no? And while we demonize the seller for raising the price-who's to say that the seller isn't also sentimental? Maybe they would have kept it if they could, and they're selling the item(s) to pay for something like their kid's medical bills, or helping a family member out. Don't be so quick to assume that a seller raising their price is doing so out of pure greed. I've helped friends out in a tight jam before, and one of the ways I did so was to sell a few cards. They never knew how I got the money, but I asked what I felt was a fair price, and got it. The money never went in my pocket.

This will sound cold, but it's true: Kobe won't be any less dead a month from now when prices will normalize some. In two months, I would expect the market to return closer to the mean, or average price. Three months, closer still, if not all the way back. You can still be "a part of Black Mamba's career", owning a fat, overpriced 1/1 shiny card with his sticker auto, and jock strap tag in two months, and likely pay less to acquire it. That's economics.

I'm a movie collector. I'm on disability, and have been for ten years, permanent disability for about the last seven. I build my film collection for two reasons: one, I love film, and my collection keeps me entertained while I'm in bed almost 24/7. Secondly, and equally important, because my plan is to write about film (and sports) for a living, as I try to get off disability, and pay my own way again. There's nothing worse than having to rely on the government to survive, even though I worked my nuts off, and paid into the system.

I have x amount of dollars to spend on my collection every month. I can pay $20 + tax for a movie when it comes out on blu-ray. Or, if I wait, I can get the same film for less in a few months. I know when all the sales are each year, for each major label (Warner Bros, Fox, MGM, Disney) and boutique label (Criterion, Kino Lorber, Twilight Time, Warner Archive, and in England, Eurkea, Arrow Films, etc). I have much of what I'm going to buy plotted out months in advance. Some of the films I buy have limited print runs, like Twilight Time, a boutique label that typically does just 3,000 copies on blu-ray. They keep their licensing fees down by doing a smaller run. Occasionally, when demand outpaces supply, they might negotiate a second print run. If I wait a while after release, I might get it at a lower price. If the demand is high, I might miss out on it completely, or, be forced to pay a scalper $100 for a film that sold for $30. Or, I can hope the film was released on blu-ray in another part of the world, and import it from them. That's capitalism in a nut shell. Everything has a cost, and it's driven by demand. I don't think seeking a profit on an item, be it on a Kobe card, or a film with a low print run, is wrong. Again, nobody is forcing the consumer to buy it. I could always get my film on DVD which has no advertised print run. The quality is lesser (480p vs 1080p), but you pay for quality. It's up to each person to determine what they want, and what they're willing to comfortably pay.

[Mark17]

Over the past year I've visited Bud Grant a few times to get some things signed. He's 92 years old, still as quick-witted as anyone I know, and he has a great sense of humor. Last time I was at his house, he was signing some of my Metropolitan Stadium seats. We were having a pleasant conversation as usual, and about halfway through he paused and said, "I suppose these will be worth more after I die."

I replied, "Yes. So.... how are you feeling?"

[PowderedH2O]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Was this at the Kutsher's (Borsch Belt) resort in upstate New York?? Or were there other Pistol Pete camps? My brothers, friends and I went a couple of years in a row and my Dad was one of the (non-NBA player) instructors.

1976 at the University of New Orleans campus. Sponsored by Pepsi. All the Pepsi you could drink. I was a kid. I probably drank six a day.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by PowderedH2O

Bill, ironic that you should post this today. I am a high school teacher. We just started the new semester less than a week ago, so I am just getting to know the students. In my 4th period class I ended up having a 15 minute discussion with two 16 year old boys that had completed their work. It was on basketball history. They knew all about Maravich, Wilt, Oscar, etc. I was very impressed. Now, do they know that next level of star? I have no idea. I have so many memories, like going to my first NBA game as a kid and watching Bob Love torch the New Orleans Jazz.

I went to Pete's camp as a kid and still have the camp photo with all of us signed by him. He would show us trick shots and it was insane. Just like Kobe's passing, I was just devastated when he died at 40 years old.

Color me pleasantly surprised about their knowledge. That's great to hear, and very encouraging.

I'm sitting here watching some Pistol Pete highlights on YouTube. He had remarkable court vision, didn't he? He just instinctively knew where everyone was, all the time. Some of his passes just made the guys on the other team look foolish, and these were the best in the world. It's as if the ball just did his bidding. Underhanded, full court pass? No problem. Behind the back pass....to himself, followed by a no look, between the legs pass? Pfft, you can't do that? And he had remarkable hang time. He could jump, and delay the ball release, so whoever was defending him had already committed. This one video I watched showed him at the All Star game making these crazy passes to Dr. J. My God, lol. I just wish his career hadn't been wasted on so many bad teams. He was traded to the Celtics for part of his final year. Of course, the year after he retires, Boston wins the NBA Championship.

My earliest NBA memories came at the old Mecca Arena in Milwaukee. The Bucks were real good, back then, but not Lew Alcindor and Oscar Robertson good. I was born about five months after the Bucks won the NBA Championship. I'm still waiting for our next one. I've never seen a parade down Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee. I hope the Bucks can do it this year.

I grew up watching Marques Johnson at first. He was a pretty good player, coming from John Wooden's UCLA dynasty. Then, it was Sidney Moncrief, Terry Cummings, Jack Sikma. Lots of talent on that team, and Don Nelson was our Head Coach. Between the 1979-'80 season, and the 1986-'87 season, the Bucks averaged 54 wins a season. It was our misfortune that the Bucks were in a stacked Eastern Conference. Back then, first it was Dr. J and the Sixers ending our seasons in the playoffs. Then, it was Larry Bird and the Celtics. And before long, "oh, look, here comes the Bulls with this kid from UNC named Jordan." It just never let up.