chenyan94: Flaherty is facing Milwaukee

After retiring from the NFL a little more than a year ago [url=www.arizonacardinalsteamonline.com]Cardinals Authentic Jerseys[/url] , Evan Mathis decided to move closer to where he grew up in Alabama.

And to get the kind of house he and his wife wanted, Mathis needed to free up some money. And that meant the avid sports card collector would have to part with his prized possession: a 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card.

"Just that image of the young Mickey Mantle, over the years it's been a centerpiece of the hobby," Mathis told The Associated Press by phone. "I guess it's kind of like the Mona Lisa of the sports card world."

Issued as part of its first set of baseball cards by Topps, the Mantle card is the marquee piece of a card-only spring collection by Heritage Auctions. It is one of six versions of the card to have been rated a Mint 9 by PSA, one of the leading sports memorabilia authenticators, with three others having earned a Mint 10 rating.

The card has been estimated by Heritage to be valued at $3.5 million. For comparison, the highest price paid for a card at auction was $3.12 million two years ago for a 1909 Honus Wagner card.

"It's what I consider the new face of card collecting," said Chris Ivy, Heritage's director of sports auctions. "For decades it's been the (Wagner card). For post-war (World War II) cards and the baby-boomer generation and beyond, it really does come down to this '52 Topps rookie Mickey Mantle card, which has kind of moved from just sports collecting to more of Americana."

Ivy attributes the high value of the card Mathis is selling due to its centering, strong corners and print quality 鈥?a rare combination [url=www.bearscheapstores.com/joel-iyiegbuniwe-jersey-cheap]Joel Iyiegbuniwe Jersey Bears[/url] , considering "quality control wasn't the top issue" for Topps in the 1950s.

"The fact that this one came out of the factory in strong condition, survived for many decades in that same condition, didn't get put in spokes or thrown away by mom is pretty miraculous," Ivy added.

Bidding for items in the collection, which also includes cards from the 19th century, ends April 20.

Mathis was a third-round pick by Carolina in the 2005 NFL draft. He retired in January 2017 after 12 seasons as an offensive guard with the Panthers, Miami, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Denver and Arizona. He was on the Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50.

He got into card collecting as a kid growing up a fan of Bo Jackson in Birmingham, Alabama, in the late 1980s. Jackson, who had attended high school in nearby McCalla before starring in football and baseball at Auburn [url=www.coltscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-kemoko-turay-jersey]Authentic Kemoko Turay Jersey[/url] , was a two-sport professional for the NFL's Los Angeles Raiders and baseball's Kansas City Royals. Mathis, about 6 years old then, started going to the store to buy packs of cards to get as many of Jackson as he could.

By his recollection, Mathis got away from the hobby around the time he was in middle school before picking it up again years later when his own NFL career was progressing and he could afford some of the cards he couldn't earlier. He was drawn to the 1952 Mantle card and bought several versions of the card inferior to the one he currently owns, and his best was a Mint 8 until about two years ago. That's when a collector friend sent him a photo of his Mint 9 to show it off, and Mathis knew he had to have it.

Mathis said he traded the "vast majority" of his collection and agreed to a payment plan for rest of the value to get the card. Now, he's moving with his wife, Katelynn, and their two daughters from Arizona to Tennessee to be close to family, and needed to free up some money.

"I don't think I'll have any regrets because I'll have a nice house to show for it instead of the card," he said.

Looking to expand the pool of potential buyers, Mathis is willing to accept cryptocurrency such as bitcoin as payment.

"A lot of new money was created in crypto," Mathis said. "There's a lot of people that might have some newfound riches that they might want to diversify with [url=www.raiderscheapstore.com/nick-nelson-jersey-cheap]Nick Nelson Jersey Raiders[/url] , and I just kind of wanted to spread the target market out a little bit and give those guys a chance to jump in."

While Mathis is selling the card he owns now, he hasn't given up on the thought of acquiring one of the Mint 10 versions one day.

"It's not within my grasp at the moment," he said. "It's something to work for."

Seven years after making his major league debut as an outfielder, Eric Thames is getting reacquainted with the position for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Normally Milwaukee’s first baseman, Thames has started three straight games in the outfield — including two in a row in left — and has seen the bulk of his action there since returning from a 41-game stint on the disabled list earlier this month.

Manager Craig Counsell has Thames in the outfield as he tries to keep Thames left-handed power bat in the lineup alongside right-hander slugger Jesus Aguilar.

Thames will likely stay in the outfield Friday night as the Brewers continue a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park.

Thames played left field and drove in three runs as Milwaukee began the series with an 11-3 win on Thursday.

Aguilar took over as the everyday first baseman when Thames suffered a thumb injury April 25 and has thrived ever since. Aguilar is tied with Travis Shaw for the team lead with 14 home runs.

With the benefit of added offense also comes liability: Thames spent three years playing first base in the Korean League and made just 15 outfield appearances when the Brewers brought him back to the major leagues last season, so there is a little fine-tuning with Thames’ defensive skills.

“It’s not new for him but it is unfamiliar, and we recognize that,” Counsell said. “We understand this isn’t a regular position at this point. There’s going to be some rough edges there, but he’s shown that he can handle the basics.

“There was a ball he misplayed in Pittsburgh, but he came back and made two very nice plays. That’s what we’re going to get and that’s what we’ve got to be willing to live with.”

Counsell is willing to sacrifice a little on defense if it means getting the kind of pop Aguilar and Thames are capable of.

“I think having both of those bats in the lineup is reward enough for that,” Counsell said.

Junior Guerra (3-5, 2.89 ERA) will make a second consecutive start a day after the Brewers scored 10 runs or more. He’s hoping Friday turns out better than the last time, when Milwaukee followed an 11-run outburst against Philadelphia with a 4-1 loss.

Guerra pitched well in that outing. He allowed three runs on four hits over 5 1/3 innings but took the loss for the second time in three starts and is looking for his first victory since May 14 despite posting a 2.67 ERA in the six starts since.

Guerra has already started two games against the Cardinals this season [url=www.brownscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-nick-chubb-jersey]Nick Chubb Jersey[/url] , and is 1-0 in those games while allowing just one run over 11 1/3 innings. He gave up one run on four hits over 5 1/3 innings in a 3-2 victory over the Cards on April 11. Guerra did not get a decision when he faced St. Louis on May 30, although he pitched shutout ball in his six innings, and the Brewers eventually won 3-2.

He is 2-2 with a 3.82 ERA in six career starts against the Cardinals.

St. Louis has dropped eight of 11 after committing four errors on Thursday and will start right-hander Jack Flaherty (3-2, 2.66).

Flaherty has allowed just one earned run over his last two starts, spanning 11 1/3 innings and has held opponents to no more than a run in six of his nine starts this season.

He held the Cubs scoreless over five innings his last time out on Sunday, striking out nine but didn’t take a decision in the Cardinals’ 5-0 victory.

“I was able to battle and execute when I needed to,” Flaherty said. “I threw a lot of pitches in a short amount of time. I was hoping to go deeper, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”

Flaherty is facing Milwaukee for the second time this season and the third time in his short career.

He made his first start against the Brewers in the 2017 finale at Busch Stadium, going five innings and giving up five hits and four runs and taking the loss. Flaherty made his 2018 debut at Miller Park back in April. He held Milwaukee to a run on six hits while striking out nine but took no decision in the Cardinals’ 5-4 loss.