Herding Cats: Our Favorite Savings Stories for the Week of November 15th

While Stella usually indulges my laziness by combing through the financial blogs and picking out our weekly roundup on her own, I thought I'd try something new this week and scrounge around for them myself. The result of this was lots of sports-related stories!

Consumerist: Comcast to Consider Partnering with Ticketmaster - Nothing encompasses customers' feelings about cable provider Comcast quite like the multitude of definitions for "comcastic" at Urban Dictionary (they're not pretty, viewer discretion advised). When news broke on Tuesday that Comcast was looking to merge with totalitarian monolith Ticketmaster/Live Nation--whose merger is already under anti-trust investigation--a fearful nation prayed for its safety. Fortunately, that story was debunked the next day. Such a mega-merger probably would have meant an even bigger hole in your wallet for daring to attend a concert or sporting event.

Deadspin: Sports Cards Can Still Make You Rich, Pathetic - One of two remaining Michael Jordan rookie cards in "pristine" condition just sold for $200,000. I was a voracious collector of late 1990s baseball cards in my childhood; the giant padlocked plastic box under my bed, brimming with rare die-cut treasures of steroid-era superstars, used to be my ticket to early retirement. Then, a few years ago, I picked up a copy of Beckett magazine, the card hoarder's bible, and found out that my collection had lost about half its value. Hooray for overproduction!

The Wall Street Journal: Pontiac Silverdome Sold to Canadian Buyer - Who knew you could buy your own domed stadium for half a million bones? Everyone likes to bag on these cookie-cutter relics of the 1970s for being boring eyesores, but they had infinitely more character than any of the billion-dollar corporate beer gardens most American sports franchises play in today. Each one had its quirks and its glaring flaws (remember when concrete tiles started falling from the ceiling of the Kingdome in Seattle?), but they remind us of a time when people went to games to actually watch the game, not to eat a $17 gourmet burger and drink a $12 microbrew in the comfort of a swanky restaurant on the club level.

Gizmodo: Baseball King Balls Throw Curveball for You - If it weren't for the $25 shipping from Japan, and the fact that I'm over a decade past my Little League days, one of these magical baseballs would definitely be on my Christmas list. They're a little too conspicuous to sneak into an actual game, but I'm sure they're working on a stealthier model. Other incredible gadgets available from the Japan Trend Shop: a USB air-conditioned shirt, a digital home seismograph, a remote-control Mario Kart Wii racing set, and le pièce de résistance, the world-famous Asahi Beerbot beer-pouring robot. Watch the demonstration video of the latter...I think I'm in love.

Gizmodo: The Difference Between $600 and $6,000 TVs - While I was at Gizmodo, I figured I should include an article that was actually practical for a lot of you tech shoppers out there, myself included: an in-depth explanation of the differences between discount and high-end HDTVs. Learn about screen size pricing "sweet spots," CCFL vs. LED backlighting, hertz refresh-rates, and gimmicks you'll see become fixtures of future machines. As soon as I see a name-brand 46" 120Hz 1080p LCD model drop below $800, I'm pouncing. Make sure you become a fan of our Black Friday Savings page on Facebook for updates on killer HDTV deals!

LifeHacker: Increase the Quality of Cheap Vodka with a Water Filter - I thought I'd throw in a wild card on a topic that is near and dear to my heart: vodka filtering. Throughout my college years, I wondered if the legend was true:  Could running a handle of Prestige (the bottom-shelf brand of choice for USC students, $10 at our local Ralphs) through a Brita filter half a dozen times really leave me with my very own supply of homemade Grey Goose? The short answer is no.  MythBusters busted that myth, but expert tasters agree that while you may not be able to refine your own premium stuff, the process definitely upgrades you to a Skyy or Stoli-quality vodka.  ????????! (To health!)

I hope you've enjoyed my selection of stories this week. If you know of any other spectacular must-have Japanese gadgets, please share them with us in the comments. And if anyone's interested in purchasing a mint assortment of extremely devalued Mark McGwire cards, you know where to find me.