Forget your smelling salts millennials! If a dart and a gingerale was good enough for the Gumper between periods, it should be for you too. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and it’s not like there’s anything suggesting a quick puff could do any harm, right? That sweet Carolina smoke!
I have to believe the Gump name holds different connotations depending on where it falls in the order of things. As a last name I guess you’re a simple chocolate-loving shrimp boat and Apple entrepreneur. As a first name, you get this huge personality of a man who was a snarky, funny character who considered his face to be his mask. This man was a gem! Personal story: I was lucky enough to spend some time living in Montreal when the Habs were still playing at the Forum. Pre-game tradition at that time was a dinner at this restaurant by the arena called “The Corral”. Cool thing was you would regularly run into old Hans players in there. As the server is walking us to our table one night, we happen to be strolling by Gump as he’s perusing the menu. Buddy of mine shoots him a simple “How are ya Gump?”, which led to the Gumper looking up at us with full eye contact and shooting the greatest grumpy old man grunt I’ve ever heard! Far from off-putting, it was the greatest way we could be acknowledged!
When Does “Game Used” Go Too Far?
So Coors has apparently brewed up a batch of what they’ve called “Champions Ice” beer in celebration of Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup win. To be available on-tap or in limited edition 32 ounce containers this coming week in the TBay area, what makes this beer particularly connected to the post-Cup party is this: it was brewed using the ice shavings collected during game one of this years finals.
If you’re anything like me, despite reassurances that the water from said ice was processed and cleansed through, and I quote, “…several different, incredibly effective filters”, you still feel a little squeemish. At the same time, the mental picture of a beer equivalent to the “wine snob” rolling an ounce or two around in a fancy glass, lifting it to their nose and inhaling deeply, only to describe “a unique bouquet of sweat and blood, with a hint of mid-season equipment bag” is somewhat amusing…
There is no doubt that the Covid pandemic provided a substantial boost in the collectibles market. With people who remained working earning paychecks but unable to hit stores and spend in the way they were used to, the money was going to flow elsewhere. The card market, which has become increasingly internet based over the years versus brick and mortar storefronts, was certainly one of the beneficiaries. Ebay is one service where this was reflected, with hockey card sales in the first quarter of this year showing a 286% sales increase over the same period in 2020. While significant, this was not the sport/interest where the largest increase in card sales was seen. Rather, the top three were tennis (5,157%), soccer (1,588%) and Pokemon (1,046%). A lot of cash being moved for sure…
Whenever we get into chats around memorabilia, the prospect of illegal counterfeit products is there on some level, whether explicitly or implicitly through other topics, such as grading and/or authentication. Every once in a while, I will see more front and center news on this front, as was the case in the article linked below on a recent US Customs seizure of a shipment of counterfeit NBA and NFL championship rings. Most notable in the article was the report of an estimated daily seizure total of $3.6 million of knockoff products by the US Customs and Border Patrol on their own! Pro-rated, this is over $1.3 billion annually.
Yeah, it’s random, but random is in the title. You signed up for this when you clicked the link…
Random Music of the Week
I went down the Devin Townsend rabbit hole yesterday at work so felt like sharing for those not familiar. Hope you enjoy it!
Have a great weekend all. Take care of yourselves and each other, remembering that those we cross paths with may be fighting a rough, albeit hidden, battle and need some extra understanding. Positive vibes to you and yours…
Do you have a piece of treasured memorabilia that has a great story behind it? Let me know and you can be featured in an article. Doesn't matter how big or small the piece is, how valuable it may be, or whether it's a common item or more oddball. If you think it has a story, contact me via the information below and we'll chat. In the meantime, check out some previous "Display Case" articles via the links below to see what others have submitted in the past...
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