I know we're a few days removed from Luka Doncic's second game in Dallas since he was traded, but it was interesting for me to read about how he was arguably the Mavericks' second-best player of all-time (Dirk Nowitzki being #1, of course). I realize the Mavericks have only been around since 1980 and don't have the history other franchises have, but one of its four retired numbers is for Brad Davis - not exactly a name etched in NBA lore.

Given Luka's age and talent, I started wondering what he would need to accomplish in order to be considered one of the Lakers' all-time greats. Obviously multiple titles and a couple of MVP awards, but would that even be enough to bump any of the Lakers' Top 5?

As you might be able to tell by the asterisk, I realize that Carlos Beltran probably won't be wearing a KC cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. That having been said, I still consider him to represent my Royals in Cooperstown given how he played for KC during his formative years and won the AL Rookie of the Year award, an All-Star nod, and MVP votes over his six+ seasons. He now joins Whitey Herzog, who managed the Royals when they rose to prominence in the '70s when I started watching baseball, in this category for me.

Yes, the Royals had other HoFers such as Gaylord Perry, Orlando Cepeda and Harmon Killebrew pass through for a cup of coffee, but it was in their final years and they didn't significantly contribute to the organization. George Brett is the only "official" member Kansas City has in the Hall of Fame, but I now consider the Royals' representation to be three with Beltran.

Come on - I'm a Royals fan. I've got to take what I can get... :-)

As I look back on what I acquired in 2025, there is one item that is hands-down my favorite: George Brett's 1974 "pre-rookie" postcard.

Before his iconic 1975 Topps rookie card, Brett appeared on this 1974 Kansas City Royals team-issue postcard - his earliest known card-type collectible. Issued locally and never intended for the national hobby, it captures Brett at the very start of his Hall of Fame career and sits in that gray area collectors like me love: Not an official rookie card, but historically earlier and far scarcer (as of my writing there are only a total of 11 examples graded by PSA). Pieces like this are why I think pre-rookie ephemera matters - it helps to tell the story before the story everyone knows.

I had been looking for one of these for a few years and the rare times one came up, I unfortunately wasn't able to snag it. That changed earlier this year and while I may have paid a bit more than I had planned, for me it’s one of those pieces that made me forget the price the moment I held it.

Here's to everyone getting their most-desired card in 2026!

As most people here probably saw, Ohtani's MVP 1/1 card sold for $3M last week. Coincidentally, I was in Taiwan for work at the same time and couldn’t go anywhere without seeing Ohtani - billboards, ads, storefronts, everywhere.

It’s not exactly scientific, but I’d noticed his card prices hadn’t really dipped post–World Series. After spending time in Taiwan, at least part of the reason became obvious: It’s one thing to hear that Ohtani is a global superstar, it’s another to see that level of visibility and cultural presence firsthand.

Given that he’s still in his prime, I’m glad to have the Ohtani cards that I do. My view is that demand - along with his accomplishments - has room to keep growing. Global demand isn’t theoretical anymore - it’s visible, and it’s real.