Not long ago, Cory Hahn was a USA Baseball player and a promising prep star who joined the Arizona State Sun Devils -- the program that's produced Dustin Pedroia, Barry Bonds and Reggie Jackson -- with some big-league dreams of his own.

Now, though, he works for an MLB team -- in the front office because he can't walk, let alone take the outfield like he used to.

You might know Hahn's story if you're a prospector, but he recapped his story in a piece published today on The Players Tribune -- one that looks back at a fluke play in just his third college game that changed his life forever. It's worth a read.

"These days, I’m not much of a ballplayer," he wrote, "although in my heart I always will be."

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What: 2016 Certified football cards
Arrives: July 27
Box basics: Four autographs or memorabilia cards per 10-pack box (24 boxes per case via two inner cases)

What's buzz-worthy: This one will be the home of The Peyton Manning Collection, a five-card insert set that will have game-used jerseys and autographs, while every box will include one Rookie Patch Auto.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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So, a collector walks into a card shop and buys a raw Michael Jordan Rookie Card ... stop us if you've heard this one before.

This time, though, the card went to Beckett Grading Services for examination.

The result?

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What: 2015-16 Panini Preferred basketball cards
Arrives: July 27
Box basics:  Two autographs and two memorabilia booklets per two-pack box (eight boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: Playbook gets a slight revamp to include an auto and a booklet in each pack, while continuing to include game-specific memorabilia booklets and a massive autograph set that is free of stickers.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

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The third series of Topps Star Wars Galactic Connexions arrived in Walmart stores yesterday and there's one color besides gold that you'll want to see inside packs of the collectable gaming discs.

Imperial Red.

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When will former WWE star CM Punk make his UFC debut?

Next week -- in Topps' new 2016 UFC Top of the Class MMA trading card set.

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Most collectors may not know Monica Abbott's name, but if you're a fan of softball you certainly do.

She was dominant at the University of Tennessee where she set NCAA records for strikeouts (2,440), shutouts (112) and victories (189) -- and she also had 23 no-hitters and six perfect games. She was a member of the 2008 Olympic squad that won silver and she threw the Olympics' first perfect game.

But today she reached a new plateau in the world of sports.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Nothing but breaks in today's edition -- everything from football to soccer to wrestling from the past and present.

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Captain America: Civil War arrives in theaters tomorrow, but Marvel fans don't have to wait to see more of the blockbuster film thanks to the newest trading card release from Upper Deck.

Each box of 2016 Upper Deck Captain America: Civil War includes one autograph, sketch or "premium insert" as well as two memorabilia cards.

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What: 2016 Leaf Muhammad Ali Immortal Collection
Arrives: June 29
Box basics: One hit per nine-card box (five boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: One of the world's greatest athletes returns to cardboard with a high-end 30-card set that guarantees a hit in every box and at least one cut autograph in every case.

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What: 2016 TRISTAR Quest Discovery autographs
Arrives: May 25
Box basics: Five envelopes per box -- each with an autographed flat or memorabilia redemption inside (three boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR is creating this one solely for breakers, giving online collectors a shot at some of the biggest autographs possible in the sports world and beyond.

Keep reading for more.

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It's the fourth day of May and, of course, that's got a Star Wars tie. (If you don't get it, you probably haven't seen the movies.)

As part of this holiday of sorts Topps has created the 2016 Topps Star Wars Tribute baseball set -- a series of prints and jumbo cards in the style of the memorable early Star Wars stickers made by the company way back in 1977.

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The first Saturday in may is a holiday for comic book collectors as it's Free Comic Book Day.

A total of 50 books from nearly that many publishers have been created specifically for the day -- and they can only initially be had by making a visit to a participating shop.

“We have an incredible selection of Silver comics for fans for Free Comic Book Day this year, and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our 15th anniversary of the event than with such a diverse range of titles for readers of all ages,” said FCBD Marketing Director Dan Manser. “Free Comic Book Day is such an important day for celebrating fans and their local comic shops, as well as introducing new readers to comics. Our Silver-level supporters have really helped make this year special with such an interesting selection of titles.”

A dozen of the books are from Gold-level sponsors of the event, and you can see a gallery and list of all 50 books ... if you keep reading.

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This year's basic Topps wrestling release arrives beginning today and the 2016 Topps WWE set is an interesting one that includes plenty of legends and a healthy selection of the stars seen in the squared circle.

But not all of them.

Some big names aren't found on the base set checklist -- only in the product's lineup of inserts and hits -- but there's still plenty of action and nostalgia.

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Former New York Yankees star and 2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui has been added to the autograph roster for this year's National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City, N.J.

He's scheduled to sign on the final day of the five-day show, Aug. 7.

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What: 2016 Donruss Optic baseball cards
Arrives: July 20
Box basics:  Two autographs per 20-pack box (12 boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: Panini's promise of bringing Optichrome into its baseball lineup begins here with a Prizmatic take on the Donruss baseball brand that will include 10 parallels to the basic Donruss set you've seen before with some added touches.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

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The No. 88 Chevy of Dale Earnhardt Jr. will carry a special paint scheme for one race in July and the sales of its diecast replicas from Lionel Racing will help collectors help a good cause.

And maybe a young fan or two.

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The next Star Wars release from Topps is slated to arrive on June 1 in the form of 2016 Topps Star Wars Evolution, which will include characters from the entire universe for the franchise.

While a final checklist has not yet been released, a signer list has been teased and there will be more than 60 signers for this one. Each of them will have a Purple (/25), Gold (/10) and 1/1 Red parallels as well as printing plates. There also will be dual- and triple-auto cards in the mix.

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Update: It sold for $179,100 on May 16.

Kobe Bryant's final game sparked a few fireworks with his 60 points at the Staples Center, but the show is not over.

The No. 8 added to the floor just for that game, which Bryant signed afterward, is heating things up on the auction block.

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The SI Cover Jinx is on. (Just kidding.)

Three notable quarterbacks taken in this year's NFL Draft will be found in their new uniforms on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated in a series of solo covers.

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It's retro, but it's not -- and it's arriving in hobby shops tomorrow.

It's 2015-16 O-Pee-Chee Platinum and the hockey cards will have several colors and textures in a rainbow of autographs found one per hobby as well as a checklist that includes some of the biggest names in the game today.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: 2016 Bowman breaks, Leaf Q, Space Jam 2, bad certified autos and Kate Upton.

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Beginning this month, Funko has several waves of new Pop! vinyl figures coming for some big franchises in film and TV from the past and the present.

The new Ghostbusters, Aliens, Flash Gordon, Mean Girls, Willy Wonka, DragonBallZ, Through the Looking Glass and Harry Potter are just some of the properties with figures coming between now and August.

Oh, and it's also got the likes of UFC stars Ronda Rousey and Connor McGregor on the way along with the fighters in the political world -- Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders -- scheduled to become toys, too.

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What: 2016 Super Break Super Sixer Mixer
Arrives: May 6
Box basics: Between eight and 16 hits per six-pack box

What's buzz-worthy: Super Break's newest product includes a mix of baseball, football and basketball packs loaded with nothing but big cards in raw and graded form.

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What: 2016 Leaf Pop Century Signed Photograph Edition
Arrives: Late June
Box basics: One autographed 8-by-10 photo per box (12 boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: Leaf's latest buyback product for pop culture arrives with certified autographed photos from the biggest names in Hollywood as well as big names from elsewhere.

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