I began collecting baseball cards almost ten years ago. My Dad - a long time collector himself - got me into the hobby. My first set was 2000 Topps - a gift from my Dad. I've collected every Topps set since, not to mention a bunch from the 70's, 80's, and 90's. In total, I've completed over 30 sets, the oldest being 1973 Topps. I have too many baseball cards to count.

I would have to say the 1968 Nolan Ryan/Jerry Koosman Rookie Card. This has been one I have wanted for a while, since it would add so much to my Nolan Ryan collection. I have been waiting patiently, though, for the right deal to come along. To get it as a gift would be even better.

I personally think that his 1973 season was amazing. He pitched two no hitters in one season, and set the single season strikeout record with 383. 1973 was also his first 20+ win season, and his first 300+ innings pitched season as well. It was a Cy Young season if I've ever seen one. However, Jim Palmer won the award that year, and rightfully so.

Many people compare pitchers like Roger Clemens and Sandy Koufax to Nolan Ryan, but one player I think of as being similar to Ryan is Justin Verlander. He has had a tough season this year, but when he's at the top of his game, he throws hard (not as hard as Ryan, but he can still reach the upper 90's), and can rely on the big strikeout. I think as Verlander matures, he could eventually become even more like Ryan.

Even though the odds of this happening are probably microscopic, I would hope he could produce a more thorough rookie/update set that is less pricey than the current Bowman one. For people who really like collecting rookie cards, but don't exactly have the money to complete the Bowman sets, something like that might be interesting, or at least it would be to me.