RARE BABE RUTH ROOKIE CARD HOLDS PRICELESS STATUS

Babe Ruth is arguable the first iconic figure in baseball history. More than 50 years after his death, he is still relevant as his rookie card is regarded as one of the most valuable collectables in the sports memorabilia industry.

“The 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth card ranks right up there with the 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner card, widely considered the ‘holy grail’ of sports card collecting,” said Brian Fleischer of Beckett Media, one of the country’s premier memorabilia evaluators.

So it seems Ruth and Wagner have more in common than being part of the first class inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

On April 20, a Wagner card sold at auction for $1.2 million, a sign Fleischer says shows that the vintage sports card market remains extremely strong.

The exact value of the Ruth card is estimated at somewhere between $200,000-$500,000, but that number could fluctuate based on the card’s condition and who is bidding.  According to Fleischer, a card in “very good condition” sold at auction in 2008 for $517,000. But the Ruth card is valuable to different people for varied reasons.

To collectors, it’s a unique artifact worth several hundred thousand dollars. To historians and those whose mission is to preserve the sanctity of our sports culture, it is a valued treasure that has no price tag.

For Mike Gibbons, the executive director of the Babe Ruth Birthplace Foundation, it is the latter as the card signifies an iconic reference point that links visitors to the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum with the immediate starting point of Ruth's baseball career.

“Babe Ruth is the most important player ever to impact the game of baseball,” said Gibbons. “By preserving his rookie card and displaying it to the public for generations to come, the museum hopes to keep the significance of his contributions and impact on our national pastime as dynamic as the day he retired.”

For Glenn Davis, the owner of the card, it represents a lasting family bond. His grandfather, Archie, sold newspapers on the street of Baltimore and collected each of the cards that The News American inserted in the papers in 1914.

 “I remember playing with them when I was little, said Davis. “Had I recognized their ultimate value, I probably would have treated them better.”

Upon his passing, Archie Davis gave them to his son, Richard, who took them to the museum to be appraised. When he realized the rarity of what he had, he loaned the cards to the museum in 1998 knowing that they would be well protected.

When Richard died, his son, Glenn, chose to leave the cards with the Museum. The collection is one of the rarest as is contains 11 cards from the set.

“I have always felt good knowing that, something that my grandfather and father considered worthy of saving, is now available for others to enjoy,” said Davis. “It spent 80 plus years sitting in an envelope, in a dresser drawer, so it's nice to have it in a more appropriate setting.”

While the Wagner card, which was released in cigarette packs sold by the American Tobacco Company, has drawn higher bids, Fleischer says there are between 50 to 60 of the cards in existence. However, there are believed to be only about a dozen Ruth rookie cards in the market, and he says that the1914 Baltimore News American card stands out as Ruth’s first known baseball card.

Ironically, the man who would set baseball’s single-season homerun record is shown on the card as a pitcher. Of all of his incredible records, Ruth was most proud of his consecutive scoreless innings pitched in World Series play - 29 and 2/3 innings without giving up a run. That record stood until broken by Whitey Ford in the '60s. From 1915-17, Ruth won 65 games, the most by any left-handed pitcher in the majors during that time.

Gibbons shares Davis’ belief that the card deserves to be on display for fans to see.

“Ruth has transcended the realm of sports to become an American cultural icon” added Gibbons. “Our hope is to share the card with audiences across America and beyond through a traveling Rookie Card display.”

But until Gibbons finds a sponsor for such a show, the rare piece of Ruth memorabilia will remain the highlight of the set of 1914 cards that rest behind protective glass on the second floor of the Baltimore City rowhome, turned Museum, where Ruth was born in 1895.

Tackling the Complex World of the NFL Salary Cap

For most fans, the National Football League (NFL) salary cap resembles rocket science.  Back-loaded contracts, cap floor…what does it mean in relation to the team they see during the season?  That’s simple – everything.

The NFL introduced a $34.6 million salary cap in 1994. In 2012, it’s $120.6 million. 

For the Baltimore Ravens, Vice President of Football Administration Pat Moriarty is the man charged with ensuring the team stays within that cap.  His job is less about Xs and Os, and more about dollars and cents.

Moriarty knows what it’s like to be on the other side of a negotiation.  A running back at Georgia Tech, where he majored in Industrial Management (subsequently earning a master’s degree in business administration from John Carroll University and graduating from the University of Baltimore School of Law), he signed with the Cleveland Browns in 1979 as an undrafted free agent.  Released in 1980, he spent the 1981 summer with the Miami Dolphins before being cut by the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL). 

“I realized after being cut it was time to actually work for a living,” said Moriarty. “Since I had a business and finance degree, I took a job with a bank in Cleveland and was assigned the Browns’ account.”

 

The franchise was obviously impressed by Moriarty as they hired him as their Director of Business Operations in 1994. Since his first season coincided with the institution of the salary cap, he was responsible for deciphering the new system.   

“It was new to everybody and we had these new rules that were put into place,” Moriarty said. “But, like everything else, some of the rules were up to interpretation, so as you were negotiating contracts you were trying to apply these new rules.” 

Agents were also impacted by the new rules.  Tony Agnone is founder of Eastern Athletic Services, whose clients include Osi Umenyiora (Giants) and John Abraham (Falcons.)  After 16 years, his job now had a twist.

“You had to embrace the new system by learning the rules and knowing them backwards and forward,” said Agnone.  “The teams brought in ‘capologists’ – young, bright accountant/lawyer types – when they were developing the new system, so you had to learn a new language.”

Teams constantly evaluate their own talent. Moriarty is involved in assigning values to players, while monitoring what happens in the free agent market. 

“A large part of my job is literally going through deals, line by line, and then putting them into our system so we can calculate what the increases were with respect to various positions,” Moriarty said. “I’ll do valuation to see if the deal is really worth what is reported…I know what the cap is, but what is the cash.”

Moriarty is one of the original “capologists.” 

“There are few, if any, executives in the NFL who have negotiated as many player contracts as Pat,” said Ravens’ General Manager & Executive Vice President, Ozzie Newsome. “He is a significant factor in our winning, maintaining and managing our salary cap, and directing our football finances. He is highly respected among his peers in the NFL, by the agents he works with, and, certainly, by all of us at the Ravens. We see his impact every day.”

Moriarty feels the cap creates parity in the league. It forces clubs to put their resources to the players that are most productive. Through the draft, a team may get a productive player at a discount.  But if that player performs at a high level, teams are going to have to give him a better deal to keep him. 

“I tell Ozzie that you are a victim of your own success,” stated Moriarty. “The more successful you are in drafting good players, the more great players you will want to keep. But the system just doesn’t allow for it. Eventually, other teams will reap the benefits by taking your players.” 

When free agency starts, the Ravens tend to wait to see how things take shape.

Moriarty added, “I think it’s more of an art than a science and Ozzie has a tremendous knack for finding that right player for the right price - what he calls a ‘Raven deal.’ He normally accomplishes that by sitting back and letting that first wave of free agency hit the market.  Historically, after that first wave dries up a bit, the prices do drop.  As players begin to see their options become more limited, it allows the team to get a good player at a very good price.”

Moriarty cites the signing of Michael McCrary in 1997 as a prime example of waiting out that first wave and getting a good player. McCrary was coming off a great with Seattle, but didn’t get the deal he was looking for from the Seahawks. 

“By the time we began conversations, the market had dropped so we were able to get him for a very good price,” said Moriarty. “We subsequently ended up doing a larger free-agent type deal after his initial contract expired, so he eventually did get his money.  He became a great player for us and one of the main reasons, I believe, we made it to the Super Bowl”

The system does include items like compensatory picks to help clubs who lost more unrestricted free agents than they signed.  The formula determining those picks a team receives involves the salary of the lost players, playing time, etc.

Roman Oben played 12 seasons in the NFL.  Like Moriarty, he believes the salary cap allows for parity.

“Any team in the NFL could go 4-12 one season, then turn it around and make the playoffs the next year,” said Oben. “That can’t happen in other sports.”

He also feels it’s needed for teams to balance their finances.

“I think, with the new rules that require teams to spend a designated percentage of their salary cap, it helps make it more attractive for players to sign with teams like Kansas City or Cincinnati, as opposed to only focusing on larger markets,” explained Oben. “The salary cap gives low market teams a shot.”

Oben says players benefit as the leverage no longer falls solely to the team.  It’s as important for clubs to keep their starting quarterback as it is to hold onto solid players at other positions.  It maintains the overall quality of the team.

Opinions on the cap vary.

“My chief complaint is if you develop a player, you should be able to pay him what you want,” said Agnone. “Do teams really need to let a guy go that they took a chance on and is now a good player…just because they paid another.”

Teams and agents have ways to be creative with the cap.

Agents will seek guarantees in the latter years of a contract, try to front load deals or get base salaries guaranteed.  According to Agnone, these options protect the player as it wouldn’t make sense for a team to cut him since they’d take a hit on the cap. 

Every team wants to win a title.  Moriarty says that while there are creative ways to stay within the cap, making the cap work isn’t about finding loop holes in the system. There’s a bigger picture…how the Ravens’ manage their roster and salary cap in a way that maintains their competitiveness. 

Moriarty says he’s fortunate to be with “the best organization in the NFL.”  He’s been with Newsome for 18 years, and says it helps having a GM who has an appreciation for how the cap works to the betterment of the club.

In the end, the salary cap impacts the product fans see in the fall.

EyeBlack Brand Soars On Deals With Pros And Colleges

EyeBlack was once the best kept secret in sports.  But through deals with the likes of Major League Baseball (MLB) and high-profile athletes, the Rockville, Md.-based company is establishing a national footprint in the sports world. 

Peter Beveridge, president of EyeBlack, came up with the innovative idea for the patches nearly a decade ago while watching a baseball game.

“I saw players wearing patches under their eyes and thought placing logos and messaging on that eye black would be embraced by athletes, beneficial to fans and a valuable business,” said Beveridge.

So despite a challenging economy, Beveridge quit his job with Sylvan Learning and incorporated EyeBlack in 2003.  His big break came when the football programs at the University of Maryland, Virginia Tech and the University of Miami tested the product with their players.  The patches were a hit, and the “EyeBlack Revolution” was underway. 

Athletes utilize EyeBlack to protect their eyes from the sun’s glare or promote a message, while fans wear it to express their support for a team/player.  EyeBlack products are made from latex free medical grade tape and manufactured solely in the United States.

Over the last year, Beveridge has aggressively sought to grow the brand by aligning with professional leagues and athletes.  EyeBlack secured a multi-year agreement with MLB to manufacture product bearing the marks for all 30 MLB Clubs, as well as the official MLB “silhouetted batter.” 

“Baseball fans are always looking for new ways to express their enthusiasm for the game and their favorite team, and the MLB Licensing Division is committed to continually innovating and being creative along with our licensees to meet that demand,” said MLB spokesman Jeff Heckelman. “In the eyes of fans, this endorsement gives their (EyeBlack) product the ‘seal of approval’ from Major League Baseball and sets them apart from their competitors.”

Each club tested the product during spring training and Heckelman said it was well received by players. They will wear the patches during the 2012 season.

For EyeBlack, the impact from the MLB relationship has been substantial.

“Looking outside of the MLB teams, our licensing deal with the league has been positive for us as the first three months of the year have been very good in terms of selling MLB branded product,” said Beveridge. “We’ve already sold over 250,000 pairs, and youth baseball teams named after a MLB team, such as the Orioles, are a great market for us as they can purchase product with their team name or logo on it.”

The company is also an officially licensed partner of Minor League Baseball (MiBL), and several hundred collegiate programs around the country wear custom EyeBlack.

The direct partnerships with the athletes, however, have helped EyeBlack leverage its position in the marketplace.  The company’s largest group comes from the NFL and includes Brian Urlacher, Marshawn Lynch, LaMarr Woodley and Stevie Johnson. 

According to Marco Gentile, adjunct professor of sports marketing at Loyola University, aligning with professional sports leagues/players provides marketing advantages.

Said Gentile, “Ultimately, it comes down to building a level of authentication, whereby people think that ‘if the pros use it, I should use it too because it works for them.’ These partnerships with professional leagues and players allow an emerging brand such as EyeBlack to break out of the clutter, gain a stronger share of voice, and make consumers notice their product.”

While he’s working with players, an item that is high on Beverage’s list is a relationship with the NFL itself.

“Becoming a NFL licensee would be a quantum leap for our company and put EyeBlack on a whole new level,” stated Beveridge.

Deals with professional sports leagues can be complex, but meaningful if properly executed.

“Licensing deals can be very expensive, but they definitely provide a high level of value if you’re looking to build your brand, move product and gain separation from competitors,” said Gentile. 

EyeBlack has been successful in capitalizing on its partnerships in the sports world, reaping benefits from both a branding and sales perspective.  In 2011, it sold six-million pairs of product while continuing to advance its position in the niche product category. 

Nike And Reebok Exchange Blows About Tebow Jerseys

Reebok isn't going out quietly.

Nike Inc. went to court March 28 and won a court order blocking Reebok from selling New York Jets apparel bearing Tim Tebow's name. Nike filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court, claiming that Reebok International Ltd. was manufacturing Tebow New York Jets-related apparel without permission after the quarterback's trade to the Jets was finalized last week. That trade occurred before April 1, when Nike replaces Reebok as the supplier of NFL team uniforms.

In the lawsuit, Nike said Reebok was damaging its ability to capitalize on a unique and short-lived opportunity, because it thought it was unlikely a consumer that purchased an unauthorized Tebow jersey or shirt from Reebok this week would then buy authorized Tebow apparel from Nike next week.

The order, which U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel issued, prevents Reebok from manufacturing, selling and shipping the alleged unauthorized apparel for the NFL team and bearing Tebow's name. It also requires Reebok to offer to buy back the apparel from retailers and recall the products from shipping outlets.

But the judge rejected Nike's request that Reebok destroy any unauthorized Tebow products. He set an April 4 hearing to discuss whether the ban should be extended.

The hearing is the day after Nike unveils its new line of NFL uniforms in, ironically, New York City.