Statement from the CEO of Sports Authority

I got this in my email today and I thought I would share it.



Dear Sports Authority Customers,
We appreciate your support and patronage and want you to know that you can continue to shop at Sports Authority stores and online at SportsAuthority.com.
As we communicated in early March when we entered Chapter 11, we are closing or selling approximately 140 of our 450 stores. We continue to move forward with this process, which we expect will be completed by the end of June. During this time, you can take advantage of our ongoing sales at those stores, with big discounts on great brands and merchandise!
The majority of our stores remain open on normal schedules and you can continue to shop on SportsAuthority.com as you always have. For an up-to-date list of operating Sports Authority stores and to find the nearest location, please visit our Store Locator at SportsAuthority.com.
We remain fully committed to delivering value and great merchandise wherever you shop at Sports Authority, and we look forward to continue serving you.
Sincerely,

Michael Foss
Chief Executive Officer


We'll see what happens next.

The Future of Sports Authority

Many media outlets are reporting that Sports Authority will be liquidating their stores. Sports Authority came out with a statement today saying they were looking for a buyer. I don't know who would buy them but if this is the case, many of their stores will probably close.

I had a gift card to their store and I wanted to use it before they liquidated.

When I went last week, it was void of customers. There was one cashier and a few staff members stocking items.

I bought this branded baseball for less than three dollars. Maybe it will be worth something one day. It's sad how Circuit City, CompUSA, Borders, and many other retailers have gone out of business in recent years. Hopefully the people working at Sports Authority will land on their feet.

If you have any gift cards from them, use them before they liquidate or are sold. Liquidators don't take gift cards. Also, wait a week or two into any liquidation sale when there are actual discounts.  

Chargers On Field Cap...Going Out of Business....All Star Voting

Last week I bought this cap at Burlington Coat Factory for $10. The retail value of it is $35, so this was a great find. I like how the Bolts' logo pops out of the cap.



Sports Chalet and many Sports Authority stores are going out of business. The Consumerist has an article about it.  I have been to Sports Authority (SA) on a few occasions and as consumer I felt like their stores very outdated and that their prices weren't competitive with Dick's Sporting Goods. Most of the time I went to SA, there was hardly anyone there. Aisles were vacant of staff and customers. I believe most consumers would rather shop in a big box store or a store tailored towards their sport.



On a lighter note MLB All Star Game voting has opened up. It's been less than one month into the season and it's voting time. The jerseys for it are pretty sweet and I'll break my rule and buy one that isn't on sale.

Game Used Baseballs

Last week I wrote about the Game Used Baseballs that were being sold on MLB Auctions website. On Saturday I received them. This is what $60 ($30 each) got me.

San Diego is spelled wrong on the labels.

There is a seal on both balls, which you can use to see when these were used. The one on the left was used during a Padres/Rockies game in 2014.

The baseball on the right was thrown by former Padres pitcher Ian Kennedy to the Rockies' Justin Morneau. It might have been from this game.  

I am not actually sure what to do with them. I don't want to spend the money on display cases for them.

The Kennedy baseball also features the 10 year anniversary logo of Petco Park. I didn't know the Padres used commemorative baseballs during that season.



Two more things:

Kobe Bryant's last game netted the Staples Center $1.2 million in Bryant merchandise sales. I guess there is a market for $40K hats.

The NBA owners approved ads on jerseys for the 2017-18 season. Many people are upset with this because there are already enough ads in any telecast. I feel like most people won't notice them but I wouldn't buy a jersey with an ad on it unless it was a soccer kit.

Miscellaneous

I have a few quick items to write about this week.

I bought this Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Cooperstown 59FIFTY Cap at Ross for $10. It isn't an official on field cap but it does match my Pirates Road Jersey. Ross has a good cap selection. The trouble is finding your team and size. I got lucky again.


I started an Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/sportsfinds/. As I go around to different places, I'll post on there the deals I find. I'll save so much money because I won't have to buy as much. This blog will still updated regularly. 



Tonight is a big night in sports. The NHL playoffs start with three games in the opening round. The Golden State Warriors will go for win number 73. The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls won 72 games and no one ever thought any team would get that close to perfection. Can the Warriors make history tonight?

This is also Kobe Bryant's last game in the NBA. I bought one Bryant jersey awhile ago, which was my first post on here. 

The Lakers sent out an email with all the commemorative merchandise they're selling for his retirement. 

is all I could think while looking at some of the items.

A Look Back at the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

 At the end of the 2001-2002 NHL season, I went to my first Mighty Ducks of Anaheim game. I had a great time at that game even though they lost. A few seasons later, after an ownership change and a re-branding to the Anaheim Ducks, the team won its first Stanley Cup. This post is about my first years as a fan.

This is the first Ducks shirt I ever owned. It was bought at the Ducks' Team Store for $50. It's a bit pricey but it's made out of a thick fabric and the logo or the material hasn't worn out from all the times it has been washed.

 

This is a replica road jersey made by CCM. Before the great NHL lockout of 2004-2005, color jerseys were the road jerseys and white was worn at home. After the lockout, the NHL mandated that color jerseys were home and away teams wore white. Most teams before and after the lockout had color alternate jerseys, which meant traveling with extra jerseys and matching equipment on road trips. The switch meant teams only had to carry one set of jerseys on the road. 

On occasion, some teams will switch for certain games and wear their white jerseys at home.

I bought this during the 2001-2002 off season. I bought it at Sports Authority and I think I spent about $50 for it. 

 I bought this replica home jersey at the team store during the 2002-2003 Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Wild. I think I spent over $200 on it. (Team stores are usually really expensive and I don't advise buying during games. Wait till there's a sale or if you're lucky, Ross, Burlington Coat Factory, etc. might have it.)

Jean-Sebastien Giguere was the goalie who carried the Ducks all the to the Stanley Cup Finals. They ended up losing to the New Jersey Devils in a close seven game series. He would end up winning the Cup several years later with the Ducks. He was one of my favorite players on the Ducks. Ironically, I don't have his signature on it. I can't remember most of the players who signed it except for Guy Hebert and Teemu Selanne.

Three last things:

Paul Lukas who writes on Uni-Watch.com wrote an article about a Royals fan who attended Opening Day and purchased a one of a kind find. The story is on ESPN.com.

ESPN has the oral history of New Jersey Swamp Dragons. The team president of New Jersey Nets wanted to change the name and everything about the branding of the team. It was very close to happening.

MLB sent out an e-mail telling me that their auction site had Opening Day mementos up for auction. I checked what the Padres had for sale and they are selling game used baseballs from last season. I purchased a couple of them. When they come I'll post about them.

Padres FanFest 2016

The San Diego Padres used their last two exhibition games as part of FanFest, an annual tradition, includes live music, vendor booths where you could win swag, get player autographs, and of course, buy discounted merchandise around the venue.

I arrived at Petco Park around 10AM when the gates were opened to the general public. When I went two years ago, there were a lot of people at the event. As the morning progressed, more and more fans came to enjoy the sights and sounds. Because there were few people there, I could browse through the jerseys and other merchandise causally.

If you wanted a jersey at a discounted price, they had plenty of them. Ghost of Padres' pasts and I didn't recognize a lot of their names. If you wanted a Nick Vincent, Will Venable, Kyle Blanks, or anyone else that had retired or had been traded in the last five seasons, you could probably find his name.

 One row of jerseys were signed by the player that wore them. I avoided them because I wear them and don't display them. Another row had jerseys with commemorative patches from the passing of Jerry Coleman and they were charging $125 for them. I went to $100 rows, which were the least expensive sets of jerseys and they had a wide variety of them.

It was great to have so many choices. Let's begin, shall we.

Odrisamer Despaigne played on the Padres for two seasons and I think I saw six of his starts in those two years. I went to see Mets play the Padres and he had no hitter through seven innings and lost it. I really wanted him to do it. He's in the Orioles' farm system now.

This is a Sunday Military Appreciation jersey. Every Sunday home game, the Padres celebrate a different branch of the Armed Services. Members of the military come out to throw out the first pitch, they get to stand on the field next to the players, and there is an entire section filled with active duty officers.

I wanted a throwback jersey so badly. The Padres wore these jerseys from 1980 - 1984. A few seasons ago, they had Turn Back the Clock games, and they chose this time period because 1984 was when they went the World Series for the first time.

I love the rounded fonts, the orange and brown on sleeves, and neck lines. This is my favorite Padres jersey that I own.

Brad Brach was with the Padres for a few seasons and now is with the Orioles.

Oh yes, I added another jersey to my collection of Polish left handed relief pitchers. Marc Rzepczynski is with the Oakland A's now. When the Padres acquired him, I knew I was going to acquire this jersey. 

This is my first Padres Road jersey and he was the player that I spent the most time searching for the racks for his name. Someone else was searching through the road jerseys and passed on him and I got it. I would like to thank the Padres for having the jerseys in alphabetical order; it really did help me look for certain players.


I decided that three was enough, unless I bought nine jerseys, so I could change every inning, I went around and saw what else was for sale. There were brown batting helmets with no logo for $35, used bats starting at $35, signed balls starting at $25, heavy jackets, player photos in frames, a set of stadium seats, batting practice jerseys, and big promotional banners from last season.

I went to checkout and went around the park.

 Speaking of banners, these were all around Petco and Gaslamp Quarter. Andy Green is current manager of the Padres and they had several banners of him around the park. I don't think Bud Black, the last manager, had a banner when he managed.

It's hard to see from this picture but it's a countdown clock to the All Star Game being held in San Diego.

All of the Padres' Team Stores had sales too. There were 50% percent off sales of different shirts, caps, and other knickknacks. I didn't know you could buy Chapstick with the team's logo on it. 

In the main team store, they were selling old Authentic jerseys for $50 but I didn't see any. I think they sold out after Friday's FanFest. You could buy Cool Base jerseys for $25 and that's a good deal.

Overall, I was happy. The weather was perfect, I got what I wanted at reasonable price, and it's good visit San Diego and the Gaslamp Quarter once again.