My story is on the front page of Beckett Media’s website. Yeah, that’s right! READ IT, people!

Also, the guys at Beckett are giving away 500 FREE issues of the “Graded Card Investor & Price Guide” along with some other goodies. Hurry up and claim your copy before it’s too late. Once you are done with it, leave them a little feedback on what you think of it.

ESPN, the kings of over-hyping players (and themselves) have labeled Yu Darvish Dice-K 2.0, you know, because one Dice-K was just not good enough. If you want to read their article, probably written by Bud Selig himself, click HERE. You can also check out his official website by going here. I don’t know about you guys but I am just not feeling this kid. I haven’t seen him pitch yet but I am choosing sides and it’s Dice-K 1.0 for me.

To keep up with the big dogs, Wax Heaven dubs light-hitting Alfredo Amezaga “Vinny Castilla 0.21″. Sorry for the crude image but I don’t have Photoshop at work. Sports bloggers, feel free to link to the image 1,000 times over. I am a publicity whore.

Don’t you just love it when sports cards predict the future? It looks like this Topps card sure did. It’s of former NFL player Troy Hambrick who was sentenced yesterday to five years in prison for making “street transactions” near Tampa, Florida. Do you need more proof that Tampa is the worst place in the world? Sorry for being a hater but I don’t like them taking away national coverage from my Florida Marlins.

The good news is that he might feel the same way.

Jacque Jones, once a 25 home run, 80 RBI man was “designated for assignment” by the Detroit Tigers after posting a .165 batting average and just 1 home run with 5 RBI in 24 games. The Tigers have until the end of the week to release him. If the Fish do pick him up, it could take care of our lead-off spot and put the “Flying Mexican” on the bench. Of course, Jacque would have to find his swing and not be a distraction in the young Marlins clubhouse. I don’t think it would hurt to pick him up, although I think Luis Gonzalez is much more deserving of a full-time position, in my opinion.

Source: Sun-Sentinel

“Jones, who can play all three outfield spots, would give the Marlins another veteran left-handed bat off the bench and a candidate to bat leadoff and start in center against right-handers. Getting the bulk of the work against righties, Alfredo Amezaga has struggled atop the order, going 5 for 29 (.172) with two runs through his first two at-bats Monday.”

So apparently some guy named “Goose” Gossage has taken offense to the future Hall of Fame, 800-game winner Joba Chamberlain and his little “dances” when he strikes batters out. Does this Goose not realize that Joba will win twenty games as a closer this year and has a rookie card that is selling for thousands of dollars on eBay? For God sakes, what does he know about pitching anyways? If it works for Joba, let him do whatever he wants. If Joba wants to urinate on the baseball and plunk David Delluci in the face afterwards, let him as long as it helps the New York Yankees win another World Series. Who is Goose to judge?

Joba is the future of baseball, Bowman Chrome, and the next 30-game winner so please don’t read this ESPN propaganda article about Goose whatshisname.

JOBA RULEZ!!!

In the second week of Wax Heaven’s existence I wrote a very “Sportscards Uncensored” article about Dick Perez’ work for ‘07 Allen & Ginter. Truth be told, I just needed something to write about and maybe help put my name out there since I was a rookie Blogger still and that was the best I could come up with. Unfortunately, I was made to look like an ass when none other than Mr. Perez came to Wax Heaven to clear things up. Trust me, this is the real thing. It was a bittersweet moment, pride and shame all at once and in the first month of Wax Heaven to boot.

All is well now and Dick even added Wax Heaven to his personal Myspace. Now, with that out of the way you must check out this profile piece about him from M.L.B’s official website. Oh, and a tip to new Bloggers: be careful what you write cause you never know who is reading.

Guys, please help out a Florida Marlins fan by voting Dan Uggla into the All-Star game as a starter for Second Base. You can do it by filling out a card at any ball park or you could just go online and do it from MLB’s website (go to “Cast Your All-Star Ballot Now” link)

This is not a gift vote, either. Dan is on a first place team, has 12 home runs, and is hitting close to .300 for the season. His career-high in dingers is 31 in 2007, he has 12 through 37 games. Could this be his first 40-home run season? The man deserves to start this All-Star game!

Thanks,

Mario Alejandro

by Mario Alejandro!

Today, the lovable New York Yankees legend and three-time Most Valuable Player, Yogi Berra turns 83. You gotta love a guy who has these type of quotes day in and day out but most of all, you gotta love this commercial from the mid-90’s that airs at least a dozen times on our local network during Marlins games.

Thanks to Mr. Berra for all these wonderful memories and here’s to many more!

“It’s like déjà vu all over again”

The year was 1994 and Team USA was full of future Major League ball players. As impressive as their roster was, it was a young, confident 20-year old that stuck out from the pack. His name was Jose Cruz Jr., the latest “5-tool” player out of Puerto Rico and son of former All-Star and Houston Astros hero, Jose Cruz. It wouldn’t be long before Junior would be earning rave reviews playing Center Field for the Seattle Mariners, pushing Ken Griffey Jr. to the side and taking away some of the spotlight from the year’s M.V.P.

It would be ridiculous for me to say Jose played better in his rookie season than Griffey did in 1997. That year Ken Griffey Jr. hit 56 home runs and drove in 147 with a .304 average while Cruz Jr. hit 26, drove in 68, and hit below .250 for the year. The difference was the Ken didn’t hit as many as 26 home runs until his fourth full season in baseball while Jose did it right out the box. What was perhaps the biggest shock of the year was what Seattle did next. Instead of making room for the man who could have gone on to become a home run legend, they traded him away to Canada to play for the Toronto Blue Jays midway through the season, ultimately destroying Cruz Jr.’s momentum and perhaps his career.

So why did Seattle, a team that has never won a World Series trade away a future superstar? Was it to appease another one? If you had a history of being a terrible team but was suddenly making a run for the playoffs, wouldn’t you want to keep a kid who might hit 40 home runs for you? Why would you trade him away for Paul Spoljaric & Mike Timlin? It makes no sense and while the Mariners did make the playoffs that year, they ended up losing in the first round.

Jose Cruz Jr. didn’t even get a chance in Toronto in his first two full years, wasting away his youth playing 105 & 106 games in ‘98 and ‘99. In 2000 he became a full-time player and showed his gratitude by hitting 31 home runs and stealing 15 bases. The next year Jose hit 34 and stole 32. After a poor 2002 season the Jays traded him to San Fransisco, the next year he was headed to Tampa. In 2005 Jose Cruz Jr. bounced from the Arizone Diamondbacks to the Boston Red Sox, and finally to Los Angeles. In late 2006 the Dodgers released him but he somehow found a job with the San Diego Padres before being released yet again in 2007. Later that year the Yankees signed him to a Minor League deal but didn’t have a spot for him.

In 2008, Jose Cruz Jr. signed a minor league deal with the Houston Astros, an organization that also employs his father and gave him perhaps his final opportunity. Many had high hopes when Cruz Jr. led the team in RBI in Spring Training (20) but today Jose is hitting .083 in 28 games, no home runs and no RBI. I have always been a fan of Jose, partly because I remember watching Baseball Tonight on midnights in 1997 and seeing his awesome home runs and I always felt he was dealt a bad hand. I had hoped to see him when the Astros come to Florida but due to some insane schedule, the Marlins don’t host the Astros till September. I have a feeling deep down in my gut that by then, Jose Cruz Jr. will no longer be a Major League baseball player.