European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 22, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sidelights baseball card store scores big in Germany by Ron Jensen Niernberg Bureau Frank Massaro has one booming baseball card store in Germany. Before he had officially opened for business near Darby Cavern in Firth in september 1990, american customers were buying his Stock before he had it on the shelves. A they  believe it a says Massaro a German married to an american Soldier. American comics amp baseball cards is primarily a comic Book store. It carries Many comics in German and a few in English. But baseball cards Are an item unique to Massaros shop. A a there a no doubt a he says. Although baseball and other sports cards make up Only about 35 percent of his business it is the part of the business Massaro knows Best. He began collecting cards in 1984 when he and his wife Patricia were living in Hawaii. A store owner told him of the Money that can be made in buying and Selling the pasteboard pictures of major leagues. A within a few months i had a couple thousand cards laying around a Massaro says. He began a Wheeling and dealing with other collectors watching Between $2,000 and $3,000 pass through his hands each month. As happens with hobbies especially profitable ones Massaro became obsessed sitting in front of his television sorting cards by the hour Day after Day night after night. A a it a like a drug. You get so addicted to it a he explains. His wife tired of it however. While they were living in Massachusetts she told him to get rid of the cards or open a store. He helped a Friend buy a store Selling comic and cards in june 1989. A it did no to change having cards around the House a he recalls. A it got  a amps Ron Jensen Frank Massaro at his shop in Firth Germany. The store was a Success. But less than a year after its opening the army transferred Patricia to Firth. Massaro sold his Stock to his partner. He thought he was giving up the card business for a while. A it did no to hit me until i got Here a he says. Unable to find a Job to his liking Massaro noticed an empty store across the Street from Darby Headquarters for the 99th area support group. His store was an instant hit. A the first three or four weeks people would drive by and you could hear the tires squeal a he recalls. Customers come from Fulda Wurzburg Hanau and Frankfurt. Massaro recently began Selling football cards by mail to germans. The world league of american football and the presence of american football on Cable television has boosted its interest with germans. A you  believe How germans Are into football cards a Massaro says. He expects that interest to move Over to baseball cards too As the european sports channels offer a wider selection of sports that May include major league baseball. A eventually the Market will open up a he says. A germans Are no different than americans. They like to collect  Stock in the card Market want to know what s hot in baseball cards ask Frank Massaro. A the hottest thing right now is definitely stadium club Quot says the owner of american comics amp baseball cards near Darby Cavern in Firth Germany. The High Quality limited edition 1991 cards produced by Topps arc Selling for $5 to $7 for a pack of 12 cards. The card bearing White sox slugger Frank Thomas picture is Selling for about $40. A Frank Thomas is one of the hot superstars out there right now a Massaro says. The marketplace reflects Thomas place near the top of his Peers. The Thomas card from the 1990 do Russ Leaf set Sells for about $80. Consider yourself blessed if you find one in a $10 to $12 pack. Baseball cards Rose to investment status in the Early 1980s. Until then Topps was the sole card manufacturer but a court ruling opened the door to Competition. Do Russ and Fleer were the first two to enter the Competition. Now there Are others each vying for a share of the seemingly infinite marketplace. Collectors have determined that Rookie cards or the first card on which a player appears arc the Premium collectibles. For example Pete roses Rookie card from 1963 is Worth nearly $600. The 1983 Rookie card of Chicago cub second baseman sync Sandberg is Worth about $60. He recently signed a contract Worth More than $7 million per year which Massaro thinks will make the card More valuable. A that will turn his card around Quot Massaro says predicting a Price tag of $150. Headlines a at least those related to on Field performance a Lead to Price increases in cards. Massaro says cards of Thomas Dave Justice of the Atlanta braves Phil Plantico of the Boston red sox Jeff Bagwell of the Minnesota twins and Ken Griffey or. Of the Seattle mariners will be up in Price by world series time. A those five Guys will be the Guys in 92 that arc going to make headlines a he says. Ron Jensen readers letters keep pushing to get it write Andy Rooney in order to make myself sound fair and As someone who accepts criticism graciously neither of which is True i occasionally like to quote from critical letters in be received. A Man named Ray Prunier who describes himself As a a professional nitpicker a sent me a copy of a column i wrote with three mistakes in it. I used the word a a penguins four times and spelled it with a a a go three times and with a a  once. Ray congratulates me for getting it right three out of four times. I referred to penguins mating a on Artic  Ray Points out that there Are no penguins in the Arctic. They Are All in the Southern hemisphere and thus mate in the Antarctic. I confess to a lot of ignorance about the difference Between Arctic and Antarctic. I done to even know whether to capitalize them. I know they re both cold. Further along in the column referring to the interplay Between men and women in an office i said a it often Trees the ragged Edge of  1 must have been so pleased with myself Over the ragged Edge phrase that i forgot the word is spelled to a a a not to de. Now go away and leave me alone Ray. In a just trying to make a living. An anglican priest in North Carolina father Stephen roman ., wrote a Good but critical letter in which he says a your grammar is As bad As your  his complaint is with a column i wrote in which i said a if Beethoven was played a and a if there was no crime a his Contention is that i should have written a if Beethoven were played a and a if there were no crime a he thinks i should have used the subjunctive tense which suggests a hypothetical situation. I do not use the subjunctive tense very often because it sounds fussy and pretentious. I have no objection to it if a writer wants to make his prose sound More formal but schoolteachers of grammar have More important work to do with kids than insisting on the subjunctive. While i done to know what the initials  Mean and am not naturally inclined to Call anyone but my dad a father a i answered father romans complaint. I have the feeling that priests ought to concentrate their efforts on eliminating evil in the world. Once they be done that they can Start writing to columnists about Fine Points of English usage. That a if i were you father roman. Here a a letter a you ready for this its from Ann Landers. Imagine Ann Linders writing to me. Every once in a while i begin to think in be made it and it s things like a personal letter from Ann Landers that encourage me to continue. Of course i done to think i Ever answered it. Sorry about that Ann but you of All people must know How that is. Lyn raft a lawyer from Miami has apparently written me before and i must have sent Back a snippy letter. A your last letter to me was so abrasive a she writes a i swore i would never correspond with you  she goes on to say she likes something i did recently. Ill write Lyn again. This time ill Send her a syrupy Sweet letter. I like someone big enough to admit she was wrong and admit that i am a wonderful person after All. That a the kind of letter id like to get More of. If i wanted hate mail id ask for it. Letters to columnists fall in categories. One category is the done to i know you from somewhere letter. Elda Lance of Woodland calif., writes to ask if i am related to some people in Schenectady n.y., named Edna and Andy Rooney. I am not but ill Tell you this Elda. Almost everyone who Ever knew anyone named Rooney has written to ask if in a related to them. There Are several Hundred thousand Rooney in the United states to whom i am not related. Its a Glt xxx thing too. There Are just so Many Irish relatives anyone can take. I can say that because i m Irish. Tribune met a service Andy Rooney is a former stars and stripes reporter March 22, 1992 sunday a Page 9