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How Grandmama Created The Big Nasty

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        People often forget that Larry Johnson was a bad dude, and the UNLV Running Rebels team he led to the National Title imitated his demeanor. Had it not been for injuries Larry Johnson could have been a Hall of Famer, the body of Karl Malone the Intensity of Charles Barkley, and the skills to make him an all time great. He was the consensus Wooden Award Winner and 1991 Number 1 Overall Pick in the 1991 NBA Draft. So how did he Create the Big Nasty Corliss Williamson.      In 1991 the Number 1 in the Nation as Defending National Champion Running Rebels came into Fayetteville to play the Number 2 in the nation Arkansas Razorbacks. While Arkansas kept the game close on the scoreboard losing 112-105 they were really no match on the inside for Larry Johnson who shot 10-15 scoring 25 points despite being ejected early in the 2nd half for an on court confrontation with Todd Day. Before the ejection Johnson too the ball high on the block backed down the bigger Oliver Miller for a dunk an
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Isaiah Rider and Bad Trades

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      As a Kid I loved Isaiah Rider! From the moment in his rookie year when he revolutionized the Dunk Contest in 1994 with the East Bay Funk Dunk. Nine Year Old me sat mouth agape along with the rest of the basketball world as Rider was the first person to bring the "street dunk" to the NBA. Yes we had Free Throw Line Dunks, 360's, Reverses, Tomahawks and Windmills.  However, Rider was the first person to go between the legs in mid air before throwing it down with authority, While this dunk is now commonplace in dunk contests around the globe at the time it really opened the eyes of the world to the creativity dunking could allow.     The nine year old me that night sat transfixed convinced I was witnessing the arrival of the next Michael Jordan ( I will pause while you laugh.). That night I was "all in" on Isaiah "JR" Rider before I even knew what "all in" meant. That Monday on the playground I realized I was one of the few allowed to stay
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In Order for Hobby Reform to Happen First We Have To Get Mad

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Arkansas Legend Corliss "The Big Nasty" Williamsonis my new PC Player..      I love the movie Network! It really is a classic! There is a legendary scene in the movie where reporter Howard Beale played wonderfully by Peter Finch told his viewers the only way to make a change was to get mad! "Mad as Hell" were his exact words, if we wanted to change things. It remains one of the most quotable scenes in American film history.      However while I do not encourage yelling out your window that you are "mad as hell and not going to take it anymore." . There are ways to affect change within the hobby by simply deciding to get mad enough to force change. It is no secret that the hobby is broken and definitely in need of serious reform. Between mass production, flippers, breakers, inflated prices on wax and generally dishonest tactics from within, the hobby is no longer the innocent one from childhood. So how do we change it? We have to get mad! I do not mea
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Is Allen Iverson Underrated by the Hobby ? Or is it my imagination?

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Allen Iverson was a pioneer of Today's NBA                In June of 1997 Slam Magazine asked the basketball world a simple question. "Who's Afraid of Allen Iverson?" At the time Iverson had just came off a Rookie of the Year Campaign after being selected #1 Overall out of Georgetown in 1996. In many ways Iverson started a revolution While Jordan was dressed in Armani, Iverson wore baggy clothes, Jordan was clean cut, Iverson had cornrows. While  Jordan represented Wall Street, Iverson represented Streetball. In fact every playground in my hometown of Lakeland, Florida had kids trying to emulate the AI Crossover. He gave every undersized ball player hope, I will go as far as to say if Iverson did. not succeed the current NBA is never blessed with Chris Paul, Steph Curry and other other small guard who's size was questioned.     So my question is where is the hobby respect for AI? You seldom see him as a main PC? He is hardly a chase card in high end sets. What Hap
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I will take a 90's Base Rookie Over Any of Today's Rookie Cards!

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 Yes I said it! It needed to be said! I love Rookie cards before the hoopla that today's hobby community demands. No relics, no autos, no fuss! In the world of Social Media and Alternative Facts Allow me to provide you 3 examples of  1990's rookie cards I love more than any current rookie on the market. 1. The 1990 Hoops Gary Payton     If you listen to the Wax Museum Podcast you will hear Kyle say "Hoops Sucks"! However, cards like this one of Hall of Famer Gary Payton. It is clear that unlike todays Sticker Autos or "Relic" cards where the player several jerseys on in order to "authenticate" the card. This card and photo of "the Glove" is clearly organic as the photo clearly shows  Payton receiving the life changing call from the Sonics that made him the 1990 NBA Draft's 2nd Overall Pick. 2.1991 Skybox Kenny Anderson How can you not love Mr. Chibbs? After piloting Georgia Tech's Lethal Weapon 3 Offense to the Final Four Alongsid
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Collect like a Six Year Old

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" Why don't you just stick to collecting cards like a six-year old?" Was the comment some Social Media  user Tweeted me after I dared to disagree on a rather toxic take about the Carolina Hurricanes back before wins became common. While it is no secret that the majority of social media surrounding your favorite sports teams is inherently toxic, this comment directed at me was not taken in offense. Especially after fielding such well thought out questions such as "What does a nigger no about hockey?" (funny that question is never asked about my knowledge of basketball).      However "collecting cards like a 6 year-old " is exactly what I want to do/ Have you seen most 6 year olds? They do not care how they, look, what they eat, or what people think of them. They like what they like no questions asked. My daughter (yes someone procreated with me) used to wear hot orange leggings with a teal raincoat and earmuffs just to relax around the house, and the ti
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My First Card Show since the Pandemic... The more things change the more they stay same

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      I recently attended my first card show since the world stopped in 2020. Having recently decided to sell off and refocus my collection I went with a different goal in mind. Rookie Cards of Hall of Famers Drafted in the 1990's., and of course cards of my beloved New York Knicks. Fortunately for me I knew that I could get out of there without breaking the bank.      There was definitely an eclectic crowd in attendance, along with a variety of dealers, and I was surprised to see a strong wrestling and Pokemon card presence at the show. I know there is and has always been an underlying tension between the trading card and gaming card community but its nice to know that coexistence is possible.      As I perused the show I realized that somethings in the Hobby in fact will never change. You will always have one dealer using Beckett for prices, insanely overpriced commons, and booths with no prices marked. The booths with unmarked inventory are usually a hard pass for me, because ti
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