THE CASE OF THE MISSING MEMORABILIA IS SOLVED

At long last, we can close the book on the latest case of missing game-used Sidney Crosby equipment.

Hockey Canada said Crosby's stick used to score the winning goal in the Olympics was located in Toronto as part of a shipment heading to the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in St. Petersburg, Russia. And his missing glove was apparently found its way to teammate Patrice Bergeron's bag by mistake, as the two players' lockers were side-by-side. Conveniently, I heard no other stories of missing equipment from any of the other players on Canada's roster, but I guess this is another case of the special things Sid gets to deal with as the face of the NHL.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Sidneybilia has gone missing. In 2005, the jersey he wore in his first NHL game vanished after his father made the mistake of checking it instead of carrying it on his flight. The jersey was later found in between a piece of equipment and a stairwell by a US Airways employee, with no explanation as to how it got there.

Crosby's Team Canada game-worn jersey from the World Junior Championships was also stolen in 2005. That one also turned up after a week, as it was stolen by an Air Canada baggage handler who was then fired.

As you can guess, Crosby game-used memorabilia is extremely sought-after, especially if it was used during a significant event. I couldn't even begin to put a price on his stick and gloves from the Olympics, as they are basically a part of Canadian history at this point.

Although life would have gone on if Sid never got his gear back, I'm glad to hear that all ended well in each situation. As long as 87 maintains his status as king of the sport, he will have to keep his guard up against anyone with sticky fingers. And his dad should become very familiar the phrase "carry-on".

Stick had been in Russia-bound package [ESPN]

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The News

Well, the recently-announced "Mondesi's House Team" is coming together nicely. The initial lineup of writers will be at least 10 deep, and quality is certainly not being spared for quantity. There is some impressive talent and even more impressive writing resumes here.

And even though I wasn't really soliciting for any more writers in the last post on this topic, I appreciate the avalanche of requests to write for the site. I wish there was a way to include all of you, but if this goes well, maybe expansion will be in the near future.

This will be a bit of a risk on my part, but I think the writers I've selected will mesh nicely with the style I've developed in the last year and a half. This site has certainly outgrown my one-person format; very soon, you'll have a greater frequency of posts from a variety of different voices. I hope you enjoy it.

--Are you wearing a hat right now? If so, take it off and throw it on the floor in honor of Evgeni Malkin's first career hat trick. The Pens scored three goals in 48 seconds to put away the Maple Leafs, 6-2.

--Congrats to WVU for hiring Bill Stewart, a.k.a. "Larry Coker 2.0". Clearly this was a hire based on emotion. How else do you describe giving the job to a coach whose career record is highlighted by an 8-25 mark at VMI? And Mountaineer fans, one question: if WVU gets blown out, does Stewart still get the job?

Interesting footnote: while compiling those eight wins at VMI, Stewart gave a coaching job to a young man just starting his career by the name of Mike Tomlin.

--Got an interesting email to share with you from Dave Zigerelli, a displaced Monacan (you know, someone from Monaca) who is now a producer for the History Channel and living in NYC:

"I wanted to forward you the information for a comedy podcast my buddy and I record every week called "The Burghcast". My friend Matt Little (who also lives in NYC and works as a standup comic) and I record a new one after every Steeler game. We play two middle aged Steeler fans from Beaver Falls named Herb and Buxy. We essentially do a brief rap up of each game and then discuss topics ranging from Heluva Good potato chip dip to the many merits of Gabriel Brothers Clothing.

If you have a free second, please check it out. I'd love to hear any feedback you may have.

You can go to Itunes and search "Burghcast" and our podcast should pop right up.

Or you can download directly from our tentative site which is:

http://www.burghcast.com/podcast/burghcast.xml"

I know I'm always down for some good Gabe's talk. Check it out!

--While I'm in plug mode: NEW BURGH SITE ALERT! Welcome Raise the Jolly Roger! and the Pens Underground message board.

--Mike Lange doesn't make sense. That's old news. But there's a big article about it today in the National Post, so I guess it's new news.

--The Duke reminds me that Duquesne is now 10-3 going into conference play. And as always, Dukes Court provides blanket coverage.

--Why should Bill Parcells hire Big Snack from Pierogis N'at as the new coach of the Dolphins? I don't know either, but he couldn't do much worse than Cam Cameron. I guess you'll just have to click the link to find out why.

--It's the NBA's All-Ugly Team! You'd think with the long cash they make (sorry, I stole that one from Plex), they could afford some plastic surgery.

--A war of words has started with Mike Dempsey, a Jacksonville sports radio host, after he called Steeler Nation a myth. More of an explanation at hereswhatimsaying.blogspot.com.

-Having already burned through 3.2 million copies, Sports Illustrated is now releasing even more issues of its Sportsman of the Year mag, featuring Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. Where's Peter King getting the money to buy all of those?

--Are Romo and Jess faking it for money?

--Here's your chance to own Sidney Crosby's Winter Classic Jersey. Unless it's already been stolen from Troy Crosby.

--Here's 10 reasons why Pittsburgh doesn't need an NBA team. Just 10? For Pierogis N'at's next list, I suggest 1,500 reasons why Pittsburgh doesn't need a CBA team.

--To whoever brought it up in the comments section recently (Louis Lipps, perhaps?)...you can still buy the Kendrell Bell bobblehead on eBay.

--Nothing says "musicians gone wild" like Beyonce and Kanye playing Connect Four

--It's Hip-Hop's Most Ridiculous (and Hilarious) Chains!

--For some reason, I think I've seen this before, but it achieves the very rare Mondesi's Five-Star Recommendation:

The Story Behind the $40,000 Sidney Crosby Card

While recently perusing eBay, I stumbled across an incredible item: a $40,000 Sidney Crosby rookie card. In all of my years, I've never seen a hockey card priced so high, let alone one of such recent vintage.

I clicked to look at the other items this seller was offering, and I was amazed at what I saw - nearly 100 items that were all high-end Sidney Crosby hockey cards. Aside from the $40,000 card, there's one priced at $9,250, one priced at $6,000, and two priced at $3,000. As I dug further, it turns out that the seller operates what's known as "The Sidney Crosby 87 Store".

Fascinated, I sent the seller an email and asked him if he'd be interested in an interview for the site. Other than the Penguins and the companies that pay him for endorsements, I can't imagine many other individuals on the planet that have more money riding on Sidney Crosby. I had a plethora of questions for him.

So sit back and enjoy a few questions with Dany Murray, a French Canadian from Montreal and proud owner of the finest Sidney Crosby items on Earth. His wife was kind enough to translate the questions for him, and his answers exude the kind of excitement that Sidney Crosby creates.

1. Your eBay store is amazing. I must ask: are there any pieces of Sidney memorabilia that you keep for yourself?

Not for now! But that might change soon because I’ll probably keep the team autographed Oceanic jersey for me at the end of the month! I haven’t decided yet.

2. What originally caught my eye was the $40,000 Sidney rookie card. Tell us why you feel this card is so important and worthy of such a price tag.

Last month the finest known T206 Honus Wagner baseball card sold for a record $2.8 million.

I don’t want a million dollars for my card but I know what its potential is!

I can afford to keep this card but I don’t know what to do with a card fit for a museum at home! This is the best hockey player, combined with a very low print run of 10, with the biggest game used patch card, the only rookie year, the most recognizable Crosby patch with a perfect autograph!

Finally, it’s simply the finest known autographed patch card ever of our era’s finest players!

All’s in play to have the best hockey cards ever produced.

I set a high price because in 25 years from now, this card will probably be worth about 100k-200k, if not 1 million for being the best card ever produced. Nobody knows where these cards will be in 50 years from now! For comparison’s sake, a 1979 Gretzky RC sells for $650 and has a print run of +-100,000 cards. Some Albert Pujols autographed and serial #d of 500 RC sold for approximately $12,000 two years ago!

I predict an incredible future for these rare cards serial numbered of 25 or less because HOF will be impossible to find and will sell at insanely high prices! They are already worth way more than gold!

3. Are you a Penguin fan, or strictly a Sidney fan?

I was a Quebec Nordiques fan before but when I lost my team, I also lost all interest in hockey!

I then heard about this young phenomenon and he sparked a new interest in the game…I liked watching hockey games again!

I am now a devout Pens fan and have learned to love the entire team! I am from Quebec and there are many Quebecers on that team, including coach Therrien, the goalie Fleury, Michel Ouellet and Maxime Talbot! Also interesting is the fact that Sidney played 2 years in the Quebec Minor League LHJMQ! How can I not be a Pens fan right- you have my dream team!

4. What is your favourite Sidney moment from a game?

His winning goal in overtime against the Montreal Habs!

A rare game played with Mario the first game against his favourite team as a young boy the Habs and his first winning overtime goal!

Here is a link of the entire shoot out. This is just a regular game! Can’t you just feel the frenzy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR2PfUmoxos

5. What is your favourite Sidney story "off the ice"?

It was extremely cold outside and 50 people were waiting at the doors to see the game. When Sidney saw that, he decided to go to the corner store and get some coffee for everyone. He has such a big heart!

6. Have you ever been to a Penguin game in Pittsburgh?

Not yet, but I hope to in the near future!

7. Have you ever met Sidney in person?

No. Maybe I’ll get to meet him one day but that’s not my goal. The most important thing is to see him play hockey. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to see this phenomenon play!

8. Once his career is finished, assuming he stays healthy, where do you feel Sidney will rank among the all-time great of hockey? Does he have a higher ceiling than Gretzky or Lemieux?

I can only say this…Crosby will not be Lemieux or Gretzky…he’ll be Crosby!

Crosby’s more of a passer than a goal scorer so it’s tough to compare the three! Both Gretzky and Lemieux were big goal scorers. I think he’ll end up being the best passer of all time regardless of who he’s compared to!

I already consider Crosby the most dominating player of the 4 major sports! He already dominates the NHL at 19 years old! I can’t imagine how good he’ll be at 25!

I hope the fans realise how good this guy is and how much they should make an effort to go see him play, especially after this year. He’ll make you love watching hockey!

9. I imagine you've met a number of die-hard Crosby fans as a result of your store. Do you find yourself constantly bidding against the same devoted Sid collectors for high-end items?

EBay made some changes recently and we are no longer able to see the highest bidders on auctions over $200. So now it’s impossible to know who you’re bidding against. All I can say is that the market is so vast that you rarely bid twice against the same collector but you do get to know the die-hard Crosby collectors!

10. What is your favourite Sid item, and what is the Sid item that you haven't been able to acquire yet?

My favourite item is undoubtedly the $40,000 card because it’s simply amazing! And I get an incredible sensation every time I hold this card in my hand! Maybe it’s a lucky feeling, I don’t know, but I guess you’ll only see what it feels like if and when you get to hold it yourself!

I want to acquire a real game-used jersey if not the famous Team Canada stolen jersey! (see question #13 for more info about this jersey)

11. How far do you see the Penguins going in the playoffs this year?

I hope they will win the Stanley Cup because I’m a real Pens fan! Realistically speaking, I think they’ll at least make it to round 3.

12. Any plans on expanding your business to offer memorabilia from some of the other high-profile young Penguins (Malkin, Staal, Fleury), or are you sticking with just Sid?

For now, sports cards and the EBay store are just a hobby for me. Unfortunately I don’t have much spare time to take care of all that. I need to keep it small with high-end items because I can’t list and ship 200 items a week! Also Crosby alone is already very expensive, so I prefer focusing on Crosby memorabilia only. That way, I can offer the largest and the most spectacular Sidney Crosby cards inventory in the world!

My plan is to keep it that way and increase the inventory with the nicest Crosby cards possible!

13. This is a question I have to ask: what ran through your head when you heard that Sidney's father has had his game-used jerseys stolen not once, but twice, while traveling?

If somebody wants to steal Crosby’s jersey twice, than maybe he really is the king of the world! That’s why I decided to start collecting his items! It all started here! The most incredible part is that the jersey is 5 minutes away from me! THE FAMOUS stolen Jersey! I know the owner and she doesn’t want to sell it. I’ll be first in line to buy the jersey if it ever it becomes available.

14. Finally, what is it about Sidney that made you such a fan?

Where do I start!
1) This guy is the REAL total package!
2) This goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9fsf0pMMUY
3) In his first year playing for the Rimouski Oceanic, he won six awards and four the year after!
4) He’s amazing on the ice with so many points, records, special moves, trophies, playoffs, cups!
5) Every night after playing with the Oceanic, a bunch of fans would gather behind the arena and he stayed and signed autographs until there was not one person left!
6) He made the effort to learn French while playing for the Rimouski Oceanic in the Quebec Minor League.
7) He’s the youngest in nearly every category. He is now the Youngest Captain ever to play in the NHL!
8) He’s well behaved and patient with the media.
9) His entire life is dedicated to hockey!
10) He makes time for kids (hockey camps, practices, etc.).
11) Wherever Crosby is, the media is. He’s like a real star! That’s why we say “The Crosby Show”
12) He’s the best investment for the next 10 years! Crosby’s already proven that he’s a better investment than shares on the stock market! Card prices have increased by 100 to 150% this past year and I expect them to increase again by another 60-75% this year!
13) He fills up every arena around the league!
14) I’ve only heard and read good comments about him as a person, both on and off the ice. No one has anything bad to say about him and that’s the case since he’s played with the Oceanic.
15) He always meets expectations! I expect at least 145 PTS this year if he stays healthy.
16) Crosby always improves. His stats keep on getting better with every passing year!

And THE most important reason…

17) HE ALWAYS WINS!
GO PENS!!!

Thanks to Dany for taking the time to answer my questions.

And remember, for the best selection of high-end Crosby items,

check out Dany's Sidney Crosby 87 Store

Quick Morning Roundup

First off, thanks to Dave Dameshek for the double segment on his show last night. It was great fun, as we covered a variety of topics pertinent to Pittsburgh sports. You can catch Dave weeknights from 7-10 on 93.7, "The Man Station".

--Paul Maholm takes his 6.19 ERA to the mound tonight against Houston, when he faces off against Woody Williams and his 6.55 ERA. Not exactly Clemens against Pedro, but it's as good a pitching matchup as you'll find in Pittsburgh on a Tuesday in April. Unless you go watch a WPIAL game.

--Major ups to James Farrior, for this line:

Linebacker James Farrior claimed he wasn't thinking about Porter at all, and, he said, "Change is not always bad."

Especially after an 8-8 season that included a loss to Oakland, perhaps the worst NFL team in 10 years. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mr. Farrior. I hope your attitude is contagious.

--Sidney Crosby, the most perfect human being on Earth (if he is human). From the PG:

Crosby's game-worn jersey from the first period of the All-Star Game by far topped the list of those sold during an online auction held by the NHL and the NHL Players Association to benefit Hockey Fights Cancer. Crosby's sold for $47,520, more than eight times the next highest price, $5,681 for the jersey worn by Brendan Shanahan of the New York Rangers.

I think the most amazing part about this story was not the final sale price, but the fact that a valuable Sid jersey reached sale before Troy Crosby could have it swiped from his luggage.

--A-Rod hit home runs #13 and 14 last night in a loss to Tampa, tying Albert Pujols' April record with another week to go. His newfound confidence is the biggest story of 2007. Before this season, he was like Sidney Crosby without self-esteem.

--The Kevin Colbert Report is talking trade regarding the upcoming draft. Wait, the draft is coming up? You'd think there would be some coverage!

--Sounds like Joe Francis of Girls Gone Wild fame is having a hard time with prison life

--Here's 11 classic guy movies, why they're great, and why they secretly suck. How dare they say any part of Billy Madison sucked.

Sid is a TV Star

Courtesy of Dennis at Pittblather.com, I received a link to a commercial of Sidney Crosby that's been running in Canada for pee-wee hockey.

Man, would I love to get my hands on that Crosby pee-wee hockey card from 1993 that's shown in that ad. That has to be the most valuable piece of Crosby memorabilia in existence...trailing only the jersey he wore in his first NHL game that his dad (Troy) stuffed into a suitcase and checked at the airport (only to have it stolen)...or the Team Canada gold-medal jersey that his dad also tossed into a suitcase (which was also stolen). Does Troy Crosby know that you can carry jerseys onto planes?