Thanks for sharing this Mike. Gehrig is so inspiring. The speech in Yankee Stadium is such a treasure, people often just focus on the snippets of what was caught on film, but the entire text is something everyone should read. The level of grace, humility and just appreciating what you have in life is something we can all learn from.
I think kid's will continue to collect vintage cards. Just look at how popular pre-war has become. The players and cards were around long before any of us were. There is always a market for antiques. Nice job with Cale!
What a lovely, positive, video Mike! Firstly, congratulations on the record viewers - thoroughly deserved. Secondly, thank you for the constantly great content - it's little wonder why your views and subscribers are increasing! Finally, it was so moving to hear in your recent video of the gesture of that gentleman to gift you the pack of unopened cards from his son, who (correct me if I'm wrong) sadly died in Iraq. For you to then 'pay it forward' in so many other ways (including in inspiring the next generation) is testament to you. THAT is what's great about being involved in a hobby. People helping other people. Have a great weekend, Mike, and all viewers. 👍
Great video Mike! Never underestimate the impact that what seems like a small act of kindness to us adults can have on a child. Cards are a great way to pass along our love of the game and it's incredible history.
ALS is an awful disease. Have a friend whose family has it in their genes in a bad way. Can be very sad. Great that Cale has the support of his dad in the hobby. Our parents support is a big reason my brother and I both still collect. I got into vintage when I was 12 and my brother was 8 and followed along. We would ride our bikes to the local antique stores and buy beaters of HOFers for $1 or $2 and pore through the baseball encyclopedia at the library. Mom and Dad started taking us to card shows on the weekend spending hours with us as we went through. My dad was a coin collector so he taught us the importance of condition and why it was better to pay a little more to get the nicer card. Those are great memories for both of us. I am sure Cale will never forget seeing your cards and picking his out.
We all have our faults but Mike i think you are a genuinely caring person and that is reason we all enjoy watching your videos. Great story, thanks for sharing.
After The National in 2018, I never would have imagined this many more people being in the IX Center in 2024. You addressed and offered solutions to some problems, and for that I thank you. I was able to enjoy listening to this.
Great job encouraging the young man. About 10 years ago my friend stopped by and I was messing with my cards. His young son was with him. He wanted to see all my cards. I had just recently finished putting together a 1969 set. I had tons of extras and was going to sell the lot. When I saw how interested the young at the time 8 year old was. I gave him all my extras. Roughly 250 cards. About 2 years ago. He stopped by to let me know that he had finished the set and was starting on a 1972 set. He has the fever now.
Great video Mike. I love that you are mentoring Cale. So glad to hear another 14 year old loves vintage and is eager to learn the history of this great game. I will be subscribing to Cale’s channel. Thank you for all you do for this amazing hobby 🙏🏻.
Thank you for being a collector in the hobby and not a businessman in the hobby. You're a truly good influencer and role model for what baseball card collecting SHOULD be about. Thanks also for all the great content and congratulations on the growth of not only your channel, but your collection of cards and friends.
Mike, my step-grandfather saw Gehrig and Ruth play. He was at Yankee Stadium when Lou gave his Luckiest Man speech. He had some great stories to tell. Congrats on nearing 9K!
Hi Mike another great video. I subbed at Cale's cards and watched him go through his amazing collection of vintage cards. He's an amazing young man! I believe that every collector should have a box of cards to let new collectors sort through and take what they want. Way to go!
Thanks so much Mike! I love that you included the card in your video! I’m glad you can feel the appreciation so many of us have for you. #keepcollecting
So Mike I attended the dealers meeting on Sunday morning and a lot of useful information was shared which I wouldn’t have found out about otherwise. Like you both indicated, the new promoters were stuck with the current schedule including the next 3 that are in Chicago. Their first opportunity to choose a site they believe is better won’t be until 2028. With that being said, we should be fortunate that the next 3 shows are in Chicago while they get the criteria right. The new promoters all but acknowledged that they would have never chosen Cleveland if they were running things. They did have their logistics guy talk and explain the problems with the Wi-Fi. They did try to utilize extenders throughout the building but the building itself was built in the 1940’s and is not conducive to Wi-Fi signals. They did end up making the Wi-Fi available for free to everyone but not sure if that message got out to the masses. But still there were too many dead spots. As far as the bathroom situation, they did try to make additional bathrooms available within the convention center but were told no by the Fire Marshall. One idea I’m surprised you guys didn’t mention was changing some of the women’s bathroom to men’s bathrooms as that was the only time I’ve seen no lines for the women’s bathroom while having lines for the men’s. As far as moving forward, I know places like the Javits Center in NY and Las Vegas have been avoided due to the high union costs associated with setting up in those venues. Also while it is cheap to fly to Vegas the hotels are pretty pricey. One of their criteria is to have the show on one floor which limits their opinions for venues. But I do like opening a second level strictly for food and possibly more bathroom opinions. The new promoters said they are already looking at new venues and agree that connectivity will be a big factor as they recognize the importance of being able to access PayPal, Venmo, etc. The other problem they said they will run into is the availability of space when the National is typically held. Other events already have certain venues booked up. They are believe at the end of the day they will come up with a short list of approximately 6 or so locations at which time they will let the dealers vote on. This is where the east coast dealers usually sway the location choice away from the west coast. I’m sure I’ll think of other things I forgot and apologize for the novel. By the way, I’m a good friend of Eric “ThoseBackPages” and started watching you because of all the kind words you have for him.
That's a nice Robin Yount. It was nice to meet you at the RU-vid Meet and Greet. Unfortunately I got covid, but it's not a surprise ... just inconvenient.
Great pick ups! Like you pointed out, that Mathewson is an absolute beauty! The DiMaggio is great looking too! Congrats! Looks like you also met up with a ton of awesome RU-vid guys. Hope you had a great time!
Thanks for the kind words! It was a lot of fun getting to meet so many great collectors. The only (modest) downside is that now I have so many new channels to keep up with! I really need to clone myself, so I can talk to more people. Glad you made it home safely, and look forward to the next video.
I found this to be an interesting video. I was lucky with getting into and out of the National. I arrived an hour or so early each day, Wednesday - Friday and it was not too bad. The bathroom situation was horrible, and the food line were way too long. I did get a hotel room about 3 miles away so that made it easier.
Why would you bring someone totally NOT interested in sports cards on this vacation. You're probably not gonna see them much. With your calendar of events all filled up day and night, when would you have time for them?????? Bad idea from the start. The idea of this vacation is 95% sports cards night and day. That's why you guys like getting AWAY for a week
Well sometimes you have to consider your family and how they can enjoy a vacation with you, like making both people happy !or kinda like the girls do their thing during show hours, guys enjoy the show . Meet up late afternoon for dinner or something, or just take 1 full day and both sight see ?? I’m just a considerate type of person, everyone has their own opinions and thoughts, no right or wrong suggestions!
While waiting in line, I was told there are seven floors to the I-X Center. I think Vegas would definitely accommodate the size needed, but I've been told by different dealers that they would not travel that far west. My guess is that Chicago will become the permanent spot for the nationals.
Still thinking of some more possible solutions for the National, it seems we are all concerned about ways to make it better, no doubt about that!.How about extending the show hours till like 8:00pm, making it a 10-8 show ??,, plus adding another day or two, making it a Monday-Sunday event, or Tuesday-Sunday event ?..Or possibly having 2 a year, like a summer National, and a Winter National??..or Spring and Fall ?
Someone should great an app that gets you to dealers tables. Or have players banners above dealers location. Example, this dealer is in the Mike Trout section and there's a big banner of Mike Trout. I don't like the idea of staggering attendees. Chicago is the ideal spot, but it seems like they could come up with some more creative ideas in the venue. Maybe that will happen in 2025.
27:38 COW is the solution. (Cell tower On Wheels). I’ve worked in telecom for almost 20 years. COWs are easy to get for big events like the National. This should be common practice at this point. Heck, my county fair is setting up down the street for next week and there is a Verizon COW parked across the street from the fairgrounds already.
Got rid of my cards around 2018 for about 500.the pandemic hits I start getting into it again.i collect mainly junk wax because that was the era I started collecting in.
Great conversation, gents. I’m a lifelong NE Ohioan, so I am always bummed out when I hear people had bad experiences when visiting the area. But I completely understand the frustrations. The National has outgrown all the venues it normally rotates. Need to look to cities that can accommodate the new growth, as you mentioned. Mike, I agree with your points about solving a lot of the inside issues on the outside and utilizing the other spaces. Food trucks and port-a-potties outside would have been HUGE. This should be considered for any venue. It all comes down to the people running the national- better decision-making needs to happen and more thinking outside the box. They’re kind of stuck in the past in some regards, imo. The WiFi issue being case in point (see my other comment about COWs). Anyways, great stuff. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences! The more it is talked about, the more likely change will happen.
Hi Mike / Andy. Great analysis on Cleveland and future events. I would love to see it in Vegas, as this gives me a chance to bring the wife (she loves casino's). I enjoyed the Atlantic City National, as I was able to take my wife, with her sister and husband. I bought cards, they gambled, win win for me (lol). Talk soon guys.
Good discussion, fellas. I may be biased, but I think the George R Brown in Houston would check most of the boxes with hotels and food in close proximity.
They could have the national at McCormick place but there's not around that area plus its not in a safe area Rosemount is the perfect place for the national plus they can always use the upstairs rooms
