This is ironic considering that I bought and ripped a box of 2009 UDOPC Baseball this afternoon; (Video break to come) but according to a documents revealed by Sports Collector's Daily, Topps and Upper Deck have come to an agreement, of sorts, regarding UD's use of the vintage O-Pee-Chee designs.
"Upper Deck will be able to sell its existing inventory of 2009 Series One and Two Baseball, 2009 OPC and 2008-09 OPC hockey, but the west coast card maker will have to stop within four weeks and won't be able to promote the cards at the heart of the dispute."
So look for the flood of 2009 UDOPC Baseball soon.
3) Inject the entire contents straight into the stomach, through the navel. This will induce a fantastic rush -- much like a three-quarter hour Amyl high -- plenty of time to watch the awful spectacle below.
4) Set to full-screen and press play.
One Master Box of 2009 Topps Finest Baseball -- supplied by the manufacturer for free. Two, six-pack, mini-boxes per Master Box (MSRP $50/mini-box)
Base Set: 49 of 164 (29.88%) short set: 48 of 150 (32.00%) 1 Autographed Rookie Letter Patch (14 manufactured letter patches, 1:2 mini-boxes): T. Snider EXCH
Parallels
4 "Plain Vanilla" Refractors: J. Posada, X. Nady, HanRam, M. Garza 4 Blue Refractors (numbered to 399): The World's Fattest Vegetarian, K-Rod, T. Hudson, M. Tuiasosopo 1 Green Refractor (1:2 mini-boxes, numbered to 99): G. Meche 1 Gold Refractor (1:4 mini-boxes, numbered to 50): M. Buehrle 1 Autographed Rookie Letter Patch Refractor (1:4 mini-boxes): A. Solome "E"
Topps, which was taken private in 2007, claims in a lawsuit filed today in Manhattan federal court that Upper Deck’s newest cards are using a design from Topps’ 1971, 1975 and 1977 cards.
Readers have already asked me when the first cards of Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel (a.k.a. The Indian Pirates) will be issued, and who will issue them. I'm kind of curious myself, if only to observe the inevitable bidding war between Topps, UD, Pani-Russ, and Razor for their exclusive rights.
Then I saw this on Deadspin this afternoon. Someone from Topps offered Rinku and Dinesh the traditional $5 "Steak Dinner" checks they give to (literally) every Minor League prospect. For those of you that don't know, for decades Topps has doled out the token $5 contracts to as many minor leaguers as they can possibly sign. While the original idea was to keep as many players away from their 1950s competitor Bowman, they've keep the practice alive as it allows Topps to include minor leaguers and top prospects in "Major League" sets. The Steak Dinner Check is the reason why for years, Topps was able to load up its Bowman brands with scores of minor league players.
As it turns out, Rinku and Dinesh both thought Topps was trying to pull a fast one. Both players has already spoken to (and may have already signed contracts with) representatives of Upper Deck and Playoff and had no clue of the practice. But, this being 2009, they wrote about their escapade on their blog.
I cannot paraphrase their post and do it justice. So, for your entertainment, I reprint it in its entirety.
Yesterday locker room man coming to us from company Topps. He saying we sign contract. We telling him we not reading this english. we say he have talking JB (Jeff Bernstein, the players' agent) sir. He saying he talking JB sir and JB sir say OK signing.
So we signing this thing and he give me and Dinesh $5.00. Then we finding out JB sir not knowing this. Man from company Topps lying to us. he very bad man. This very bad company. We having good deals with upper Deck and Playoff. We not liking Topps. We never be Topps if they ask us signing again. They bad man and say lying to us.
We hoping no people buying Topps cards. Peoples who liking us only buying Upper Deck and Playoff.
But wait. It turns out it was all just a big misunderstanding.
Topps man sir. We sorry. JB explaining that he knowing this man and he not believe man doing these things. he say we not understanding right. Dinesh and i all things new being to us. we wishing many time we just being pitcher, but we also knowing all other things too needed.
This big mistake by me and dinesh. we always sending JB first so no more mistakes. We sorry if we causing any problem. We wanting everyone forget this thing please.
... And everything worked out in the end.
No word on when we'll be seeing The Indian Pirates on cardboard, yet.
Steve Mendez has got to be the luckiest SOB in the world. Over the past three years, he's pulled autographed ones-of-one of LeBron James, President John Adams and Robert Treat Paine.
So yeah, I was wrong. It turns out it was a gimmick after all. In addition to the stealth "Black" cards in Wal-Mart Blasters, there will also be a stealth "Throwback" version of 2009 Topps that's exclusive to Target Blasters. The plan was to release both versions in April, but Wal-Mart jumped the gun and released them a month early.
I will leave you with this. If Topps, Wal-Mart, and Target got together to create a special-run exclusively for their stores, I wouldn't have a problem with it. The problem was the bait-and-switch.
If a collector purchases a Blaster of 2009 Topps Baseball, he/she has the expectation of receiving 2009 Topps Baseball and not a stealth parallel set that he/she was not aware of -- and probably doesn't want anyway. It really is like buying a can of tomato sauce and getting diced tomatoes instead.
And another thing. Is it really too difficult for the card companies, big box retailers, and distributors to, you know, actually tell us what's in the product before we buy it? Or am I asking too much?
Why the Wal-Mart Black cards are not a gimmick. (I think)
In 1997 Pinnacle Brands released the third edition of their popular Pinnacle Certified Baseball set. The set had been highly anticipated by collectors as it was one of the first sets to exploit the low-numbered parallel concept. At a time when a card serial-numbered to 5000 copies was still considered "scarce," '97 Certified had three different parallel sets limited to under 100 copies: Mirror Red (limited to 90 copies), Mirror Blue (45 copies), and Mirror Gold (serial-numbered to only 30). The '97 Pinnacle Certified Mirror parallels raised the bar (or lowered it, depending on your view) and established the benchmark for scarcity.
But when '97 Certified went live, some collectors noticed something peculiar. They looked like a base card, but it had the "refractor-like" sheen of a Mirror insert. Collectors had accidentally discovered the now-legendary Mirror Black parallels, and as reports of them began to surface on the Beckett Message Boards, many were led to believe that these cards were a "stealth" one-of-one parallel.
Only it wasn't. Pinnacle later admitted that the Mirror Blacks were printed as part of a test run and inserted into packs as a mistake. (They weren't even ones-of-one as at least two Jay Buhner and Juan Gonzalez Mirror Blacks are known to exist.)
Fast forward to 2009 and the news that some base set cards being pulled out of 2009 Topps Wal-Mart Blasters have black-borders. Given Topps' recent history, many collectors have (rightly) called shenanigans. However the Wal-Mart Blacks, just like the Mirror Blacks of 1997, may very well be legitimate error cards.
Why do I believe this? Let me count the ways...
1) The coloring
If Topps was to produce a special edition of their base set, why would they choose the same color as one of their established parallels?
2) The scatter-shot distribution
Some Blasters have yielded nothing but lack base cards. Some have yielded nothing but white-bordered base cards. Now if Topps really, really, did produce a parallel that's exclusive to a particular pack-type, wouldn't it have made sense for them to distribute them a little more evenly? (i.e. one-per-pack)
3) Bad P.R.
With all the goodwill Topps has earned with their 2009 effort, why would they throw it all away with a gimmick like this?
More than likely what happened was redux of the Mirror Blacks -- only on a much larger scale. When the time came to produce the Wal-Mart Blaster packs, Topps (or the sub-contractor who printed the cards) made a mistake. A number of black-bordered cards were accidentally produced, and instead of throwing them away, they decided to pack them out as a Wal-Mart-exclusive "Special Edition." In other words, Topps is trying to make chicken salad out of chicken shit.
But hey, I could be wrong. If Topps really did collude with Wal-Mart to create a "stealth" parallel, and failed to inform anyone until after the fact, many collectors will never, ever, purchase a Wal-Mart Blaster again.
Finally, an explaination of those Black Bordered Topps base cards.
Ripped-and-posted directly from Topps.
"Topps is confirming that it randomly inserted special “BLACK” cards (the entire front of the card is black except for player image) in 2009 Topps Baseball Series 1 $19.99 value boxes found at Wal-Mart.
"The exclusive limited edition set includes each of the 330 subjects found in the 2009 Topps Series 1 Base Set."
Video Box Break and Review: 2009 Topps Series One HTA
One HTA box of 2009 Topps Series One (paid $95) 50 cards per pack, ten cards per box
The Video
The Pulls
Base
One full 330-card base set 108 doubles
1 Variation (19 cards, 1:19) W. Johnson
Parallels
10 Golds (one-per-pack, numbered to 2009) B. Lidge, Berkman/Lee, KosFu, J. Manuel, C. Jackson, D. Span, E. Burriss, B. Roberts, C. Lambert, B. Bixler 1 Black (one-per-pack, numbered to 58) B. Barton
Inserts
10 Legends of the Game (25 cards, one-per-pack) C. Young, H. Wagner, T. Speaker, G. Sisler, J. Foxx, Pee Wee Reese, R. Maris, M. Mantle, R. Clemente, C. Yastrzemski 10 Turkey Red (55 cards, one-per-pack) R. Ludwick, B. Molina, Chutley, G. Atkins, C. Granderson, A-Fraud, J. Upton, G. Soto, T. Hunter, M. Caberea 10 Ring Of Honor (25 cards, one-per-pack) T. LaRussa, B. Lidge, D. Snider, L. Gonzalez, G. Carter, A. Pettitte, J. Leyland, A. Pujols, R. Clemens, R. Howard 10 Ticket to Toppstown (30 cards, one-per-pack) J. Santana, HanRam, A. Gordon, R. Howard, J. Peavy, Ichiro, K-Rod, M. Cabrera, C. Quentin, L. Berkman 1 WBC Redemption (1:10) 1 Topps Attax Redemption 1 Legends of the Game Manufactured Patch Bullshit (1:10*, numbered to 50) L. Gehirg "H"
Autogamers*
1 Career Best Autograph (47 cards, 1:10) T. Snider 1 Career Best Relic (34 cards, 1:10) Ichiro
* One autograph, one relic, and one manufactured bullshit patch card per box.
The Review
Well, that's more like it. After a couple of lackluster years, the Topps flagship is back and it is a marked improvement over what we've seen the past few years. It's not quite where it ought to be, but Topps is on its way back.
The base set is still only 330 cards, which is about 100 cards smaller than it ought to be. It breaks down to 255 players, 30 rookies, 10 league leaders, 15 managers, eight postseason highlights, six award winners, five Classic Combos, and one dead Hall of Famer.
The design is Topps best effort in years, and "effort" is an apt term. As many have commented, the fronts have a mid-90s feel to it, and for some reason, I love the "arch" element on the back. I can't explain why, I just do. I also like the fact that Topps chose NOT to airbrush those players who have changed teams. Mark Teixeira is still pictured as an Angel, Pat Burrell is still a Phillie, and Chan Ho Park is still in Dodger blue. The only airbrushed card I could find is of Greg Golson who was traded from the Phillies to the Rangers.
Another thing that's pretty cool are the Classic Combo cards. Not for what's on the front, but what's on the back: checklists. Call me old fashioned, but I think checklists deserve to be in the base set. The only problem is that Topps didn't include any of the inserts in the checklists, only the base cards.
Speaking of which, each HTA pack comes with a Gold parallel and an insert from one of four sets: Legends of the Game, Turkey Red, Ring of Honor, and Ticket to Toppstown. I don't quite understand why Topps chose to reprint Turkey Red though. Hasn't that set been done already? What's next, Allen & Ginter inserts in 2010 Topps?
One insert this product could have done without are the variation cards. 17 of the 19 variations are of the CMG legends and the other two are of President Obama and CC Sabathia in an airbrushed Yankee uniform. Topps had already included these 17 in the Legends of the Game insert, and I don't see the point of including them in a variation.
The Bottom Line
This HTA box yieled one full 330-card base set and about a third of a second. I also pulled 40 inserts, 11 parallels, 1 variation, and two redemptions. My designated autograph was of Blue Jays outfielder Travis Snider. Snider was the 14th player selected in the '06 draft and was the youngest position player in baseball last year. My relic was a plain gray jersey of Ichiro.
My other "relic" (and I use that term loosely) was a manufactured letter patch card with a giant felt "H" on it. Somehow this "H" has something to do with Lou Gehrig. Am I the only collector who thinks these manufactured relics are total bullshit? Does anybody actually collect these things? Memo to Topps and Upper Deck: If it's not actually game used, then what the fuck is the point? Product Rating: 3 1/2 Gumsticks (out of five) Box Rating: 4 Gumsticks
... and another thing
If a gimmick card of Captain Cheeseburger is the worst Topps can come up with, then I guess I'm OK with that. I don't like it, but at least it's not a furry animal, fake Japanese phenom, space alien, or an old decrepit quarterback on a lawn tractor.
We're just a few weeks away from the first series of 2009 Topps baseball. And we all know what that means....
So what do you say we have some fun with it. In the comments, take a guess what the gimmick in 2009 Topps Series One is. If you can accurately guess what it is, you'll win...
... something. (Prize to be determined at a later date.)
Come on Topps. Jeff deserves to be on a card. And what better way to honor the greatest card collector who ever lived, than by putting Jeff Burdick in 2009 Allen & Ginter.
First, go watch Beckett's break of two pack/boxes of Topps Sterling. (I'd post it here for your convince, they won't let me embed the video to this site.)
While you watch, I'll keep myself entertained with this Tom the Ripper mash-up video.
Now, if you're a long-time Stale Gum reader, you've probably figured out that Topps Sterling is a product that isn't exactly geared toward my demographic. But if I paid $250 for a "pox" of Sterling, and my "big hit" is a framed multi-swatch jersey card of Tom Seaver numbered to ten copies, and the '69 on the frame WAS MOUNTED UPSIDE DOWN, I would not be a happy collector.
Inserts 16 U.S. States with six doubles (50 cards, one-per-pack#) 2 World Leaders (50 mini cards*, 1:12) Mozambique, Spain 2 World's Icons (ten mini cards*, 1:48) The Sphinx, Quetzalcoatl 1 Pioneers of Aviation (five mini cards*) Piloted Glider
Autogamers$# 2 Framed Relics: A. Dunn, C. Crawford
* One mini per pack $ Two of the following per box: Framed Autograph, Framed Relic, Framed Printing Plate, Framed 1887 Original, Cut Signature, 1 of 1 Relics # One U.S. State insert or framed autogamer per pack
Did Not Receive 1 World's Greatest Victories insert (1:24) The Review
If you don't like Allen & Ginter, you're an idiot.
One HTA box of 2008 Topps Series Two (Paid $45) 10 packs per box, 46 cards per pack
The Pulls
Base Set: 330 of 330 (100%) 43 doubles
Parallels 20 Gold Foils (two-per-pack) 5 Golds (1:2, numbered to 2008) W. Rodriguez, J. Payton, K-Rod, E. Chavez, J. Keppinger
Inserts 10 Topps Stars (25 cards, one-per-pack) A-Rod, M. Ordonez, J. Morneau, J. Beckett, ManRam, J. Peavy, D. Ortiz, J. Reyes, M. Cabrera, M. Holliday 10 Trading Card History (25 cards, one-per-pack) V. Martinez, B. Webb, C. Beltran, R. Martin, P. Hughes, A. Dunn, R. Cano, J. Thome, C. Young (OF), C. Zambrano 10 Topps All-Rookie Team 50th Anniversary (55 cards, 1:5) C. Young, H. Okajima, R. Adams, D. Pedroia, C. Tracy, T. Wigginton, N. Johnson, R. Furcal, R. Durham, J. Cruz 10 Year in Review (60 cards, one-per-pack) CC Sabathia, C. Figgins, F. Thomas, D. Haren, B. Butler, R. Garko, J. Maurer, C. Young (P), J. Isringhausen, C. Crawford 10 Historical Campaign Match-Ups (55 cards, 1:6) 1796, 1804, 1852, 1860, 1868, 1888, 1892, 1916, 1936, 1952 3 Mickey Mantle Story (10 cards, 1:3) 1 Home Run Derby Contest (50 cards, 1:125, numbered to 999) L. Berkman 1 Red Hot Rookie Redemption (20 cards, 1:10) #4, KosFu
Autogamers* 1 2007 Highlights Autographs: T. Tankersley 3 2007 Highlights Relics: D. Lee, D. Ortiz, D. Wright
* One Autograph and two Relics per box
The Review
2008 Topps Series Two went live six months ago. Now that the Stale Gum Topps Boycott over, I'm playing catch-up with all the Topps releases that I missed.
To refresh your memory, there were three things Topps did to Topps Series Two that I was either ambivalent about, or hated.
1) Each Hobby box would include either an autograph or a game used card, and each HTA box would yield three. Topps' stated reason for adding "hits" to its flagship was slow sales of first series Hobby boxes, but I disagreed.
Yes, pulling additional gamers is nice; but a product like Topps' flagship is, and always has been, a collector's set. Poor sales of '08 Series One Hobby (and of Series Two for that matter) had more to do with it being a lackluster product than the lack of a jersey card. The addition of more "hits" would make little, if any, difference. The fact that I purchased an HTA box for only $45 six months after it's release seems to confirm my view.
2) The establishment of the "Red Hot Rookie" redemption program also seems to have had little impact on box sales. The redemption rookie gimmick may appeal to the "high-end" hobbyist, but the concept never quite caught-on with the the traditional collector -- which is flagship Topps' demographic.
3) Gimmicks which backfired. Much virtual ink has been spilled on this blog (and others), so I won't repeat myself.
I picked up an HTA box, not because I wanted the three "hits," but because it was so cheap. I bought an HTA box for about the price of a regular Hobby box went for when Topps Two went live. I could have bought a regular Hobby box for $35 -- again for less than I was when it went live -- but with 100 more base cards and a crap-load of more inserts for only $10 more, going with HTA was a no-brainer.
So with three hits in an HTA box, what exactly did I get? I pulled a sticker autograph of Taylor Tankersley and three gamers: Derrick Lee, David Wright, and David Ortiz. (For the record, the Wright and Big Papi were both in the same pack.) The theme behind the autogamers is "2007 Season Highlights" and the Tankersley commemorates....
... I don't know. For some reason Topps thought that Tankersley's .179 OPP AVG against left-handed hitters in '07 is worthy of an autographed "Season Highlights" card. Ummm, yeah.
The three gamers celebrate more meaningful accomplishments: Lee reaching base in 32 straight games; Big Papi setting the single-season doubles record for DHes; and Wright breaking the Mets' single-season TB mark.
Now let's just say for a moment that you actually did buy this box just for the hits. Would you be happy with a Taylor Tankersley autograph, and three un-numbered jerseys?
If there's one thing I've always liked about HTA -- dating back to when Topps first introduced the HTA program back in '97 -- is that they're chock-full of inserts. You'll get at least five inserts and either a Gold Parallel or another insert in each pack. What a deal!
The inserts include extensions of the Trading Card History, Year in Review, and All-Rookie Team 50th Anniversary sets. In addition there are two inserts exclusive to the second series: Topps Stars and Historical Campaign Match-Ups. In each pack, I received one card from each of these sets. There's also another batch of Mickey Mantle hero worship cards and two exchange inserts: the aforementioned Red Hot Rookies and the Home Run Derby Contest.
The Bottom Line
The box yielded a full base set and a healthy stack of doubles. Given the size of the box, anything less than a complete set would be disappointing.
No, you can't find a legitimate Kosuke Fukudome rookie card in Topps Series Two. But I did get the next best thing: a KosFu Red Hot Rookie redemption (yay). It should be noted that these are the first on-line redemption cards Topps has issued. However unlike Upper Deck, the Topps redemptions do NOT have those lottery-esque scratch-off strips that conceal it the secret code. Keep this in mind if you see these cards for sale.
I did not pull any of the gimmick cards, nor did I expect to get one.
Product Rating: 2 1/2 Gumsticks (out of five)
... and another thing
The front of the Lance Berkman Home Run Derby Contest insert I pulled says "If he wins, you win." However, if you examine the fine print on the back it reads, "If you receive a HRDC with player who wins, you have not won a prize." ... and yet another thing
For the second consecutive year, Yadier Molina is card #660. I don't know if someone at Topps really, really likes or really, really hates Molina.
Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Topps Baseball Updates & Highlights Presents 2008 Topps Heritage High Number Series Hobby
One Hobby box of 2008 Topps Heritage High Numbers (paid $65) 24 packs per box; six Heritage and two Updates & Highlights cards per pack
Part One
Part Two
The Pulls
Chiptoppers 1 Advertising Strip (one per box): D. Navarro/J. Crede/R. Ludwick 1 Buy-Back (1:2 boxes): S. Bilko
Base Set Heritage High Numbers: 106 of 220 (48.18%) Five Doubles
Short Set: 97 of 185 (52.43%) Short Prints (1:3): 9 of 35
Updates & Highlights: 48 of 330 (14.55%)
Variations 15 Black Backs
Parallels 8 Chrome (100 cards, 1:3, numbered to 1959) K. Wood, J. Soria, E. Longoria, J. Cueto, A. J. Pierzynski, D. Span, E. Aybar, M. Gonzalez 2 Chrome Refractors (100 cards, 1:11, numbered to 559) J. Wright, R. Barajas
Inserts 2 Rookie Performers (15 cards, 1:12) M. Aviles, M. Scherzer 2 Then & Now (Ten cards, 1:12) L. Sherry/M. Lowell, L. Aparicio/O. Cabrera 2 Flashbacks (Ten cards, 1:12) KosFu, C. Delgado
Autogamers* 1 Clubhouse Collection: C. Granderson
*Odds of finding an autograph or a gamer: 1:24
The Review
The one thing I always thought was missing from the Heritage brand was an update. Think about it. Imagine if the 2001 set had an Update with RCs of Albert Pujols and Ichiro? So it's great that Topps has finally gotten around to issuing "2008 Topps Baseball Updates & Highlights Presents 2008 Topps Heritage High Number Series" -- and yes, that's the full name.
The set contains 220 cards, and like most Update sets is heavily weighted towards rookies (KosFu, Jay Bruce, Evan Longoria, and the like). 35 of the cards are short-printed, and has become par-for-the-course for Heritage, it's up to you the collector to figure out which ones are SPed. There are also another 35 black-backed variations, and Chrome parallels for your collecting pleasure. Inserts include another batch of "Then & Nows" and "Flashbacks," and a 15-card "Rookie Performers" which replace the "New Age Performers." In addition, you get a autograph or a gamer in each box.
Each waxpack has two cards from the Updates & Highlights set. All of these cards are base cards. (Yay.) The Bottom Line
The box yielded about half the base set, and each pack had either a black-back or an SP. All the inserts, including the Chromes, were as promised.
The big "hits" were an Evan Longoria Chrome and a Curtis Granderson game used pants card. (Although I'd hate to know what part of the pants it came from.)
Found a Blaster of TU&H at Target this evening. Why not?
One Blaster Box of 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights (Paid $19.99 + tax) 10 packs per box, eight cards per pack.
Base Set: 74 of 330 (22.42%)
Parallels 1 Gold (1:7, numbered to 2008) J. Cabrera
Inserts 1 2009 WBC Preview (1:9) Ichiro 1 Year in Review (1:6) D. Price 1 '86 Mets Ring of (Dis)Honor (1:18) H. Johnson 2 First Couples (1:6) Pierce, Ford
Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights Hobby
One Hobby box of 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights (paid $49) 36 packs per box, 10 cards per pack.
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
The Pulls
Base Set: 308 of 330 (93.33%)
Parallels 1 Chrome Refractor Rookie (55 cards, one-per-box): M. Macri 18 Gold Foils (1:2) 7 Gold (1:5, numbered to 2008 copies): S. Casey, R. Brignac (RC), C. Izturis, G, Sherrill, J. de la Rosa, B. Zobrist, D. Uggla All-Star
Inserts 2 Mickey Mantle Story (10 cards, 1:18) 5 2009 World Baseball Classic (25 cards, 1:9) A. Gonzalez, Pujols, K-Rod, Chin-Lung Hu, KosFu 6 Year in Review (58 cards, 1:6) M. Teixeira, Glavine, C. Buchholz, B. Phillips, J. Thome, D. Wells 2 1986 Mets Ring of (Dis)Honor (10 cards, 1:18) R. Darling, D. Gooden 2 Ring of Honor (11 cards, 1:18) L. Aparicio, D. Snider 6 First Couples (41 cards, 1:6) Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Reagan, Bush (41), Clinton 1 Take Me Out to the Ballgame (one card, 1:72)
Autogamers 1 All-Star Stitches (64 cards, 1:44*) D. Navarro
*Overall odds of finding any autograph or gamer: 1:36/packs.
And Now A Special Comment.
There. I did it.
For the first time in nearly five months, I've purchased a Topps product.
Please do not construe my actions as some sort of endorsement of Topps' recent actions -- especially regarding their flagship baseball brand. It's just that some gimmicks are (to sound a bit Orwellian) a little more equal than others.
Beauty queen politicians and manufactured fake-error cards? Those I can live with -- provided they do not screw with the integrity of the rest of product, especially the base set. If you are able to ignore the gimmicks, you can pull actual rookie cards of Evan Longoria, Jay Bruce, KosFu, et al, out of a pack of 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights. (In fact, I pulled all three from this particular waxbox.)
What I have zero-tolerance for is bullshit.
Poley Walnuts, Kazuo Uzuki, and Johan Santana's "no-hitter" were all bullshit and everyone knew it. But what puzzles this collector/fake journalist are these three little letters. Why?
Why is Topps doing this?
Seriously, Topps: What the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks are you thinking? (Or are you even thinking at all?)
But the lack of respect Topps has shown hobbyists with these gimmicks in this foul Year of our Lord Two-Thousand and Eight, is not what bothers me.
Really, it doesn't. There have been other trading card companies that failed to take The Hobby seriously, and in the end they got what they deserved (i.e. Pinnacle).
What bothers me is the lack of respect Topps has shown to itself and to the legacy of the Topps flagship.
57 years of history may not mean much to the current "Powers That Be" at Topps; but they mean something to this collector/fake journalist.
Topps Baseball is a slice of Americana (and not the Donruss kind) that dates back to 1952. It's an American institution that appeals to everyone from the hardcore collector, to the casual hobbyist, to the new father whose only cardboard-related purchase of the entire year is a Topps factory set he bought at the Wal-Mart so he can pass it down to his newborn son someday.
Topps Baseball is a product that needs no gimmicks. It's history IS it's gimmick. It's "Heritage," if you will.
But sadly, The Powers That Be at Topps feel that that no longer matters. Hence, the fake cards of fake players, and politicians Photoshopped into the Yankee Stadium grandstands.
But believe it or not, I could live with all of this. After all, I have a very high tolerance for BS. But what really sent this collector over-the-edge, was Topps' handling of the Kosuke Fukudome "Rookie" in Topps Series Two. If Topps wanted to pull KosFu's RC from Topps 2 at the last minute and save it for TU&H, fine. Nor did I have an issue with Topps replacing it with a short-printed non-rookie KosFu. What really pissed me off was the fact that Topps did these things WITHOUT bothering to tell anyone until well after the product had been released.
And so with that, I stopped.
It was this despicable act of bait-and-switch that led me to cease collecting any new Topps baseball products. That is until now.
Regardless of where you stand, I hope this is something all collector's can agree on: Card companies have the obligation to inform collectors of what exactly is in their products before they are released. Topps told us all via their website that there would be a rookie card of Kosuke Fukudome in the second series of 2008 Topps Baseball; but then the product went live, and there was no KosFu RC to be found. Topps lied to us all and didn't come clean until weeks later with a press release.
So Topps, if you are reading this (and judging from the list IP addresses tracked by my web host, I know you are), please, I beg of you; SHOW SOME FREAKING RESPECT FOR THE HOBBY, FOR COLLECTORS, AND FOR YOURSELVES! You're gimmicking away 57 years of history and tradition, and for what?
Please! Stop it with the gimmicks. Put some additional effort into your product -- especially your flagship. (Last year, I posted some suggestions on "How to Fix Topps Baseball." Go back and read it.) And tell us what's in your product, before you release it.
(Upper Deck, you might want to take this last point into advisement as well.)
I'm willing to let by-gones be by-gones (for now). But make no mistake Topps, you are still "On Notice."
And with that, I leave you with this. If the main drawing card (no pun intended) of a particular product (any product) is a gimmick, then what does that say about the rest of the product?
If The Powers That Be at Topps continue to feel that their annual flagship needs a gimmick, then what does that say about Topps Baseball? The Review
TU&H is what it is, the third series of 2008 Topps baseball. The last few years, TU&H was released in late-November, but this year it's out in October; meaning that the postseason highlight cards that have been a staple of TU&H are the only thing missing from the base set, and is 100% varmint-free.
Inserts include a continuation of the 2007 Year in Review, a 25-card World Baseball Classic set, and a 41-card set of every President and his Missus. About the only thing good I have to say about that last one is, thankfully, we'll not have to put up with cards of politicians much longer.
The cornerstone of the insert program is "Ring of Honor;" a concept that debuted in Topps Football. Unfortunately, Topps chose to honor the '86 Mets, one of the most dishonorable World Series teams ever.
Oh yeah, you get an autograph or a game jersey card, and a Chrome Rookie Refractor in each waxbox.
The Bottom Line
Hopefully, this is the start of Topps Baseball's long redemption. I got over 90% of a base set with no doubles, and I received an additional WBC insert (both the Pujols and KosFu WBC's were in the same pack).
The designated one-per-box game-used card was an "authentic event-worn piece of a 2008 MLB All-Star festivities" (read: batting practice) jersey card of Tampa Bay catcher Dioner Navarro. For the record, I ripped this box on the day of Game Three of the Phillies/Rays World Series. I hope this isn't bad karma.
By one-per-box Chrome Refractor Rookies was of Matt Macri, a 26 year-old third-baseman from the Twins. (Yay.)
My favorite card I pulled, and perhaps my favorite card I've pulled this year, is #UH6. Yamid Haad is a career minor-leaguer who played one game for the '99 Pirates and seventeen games for San Francisco in '05. The 30 year-old catcher started the 2008 season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons and on June 12th, he got the call.
One week later Cleveland signed veteran backup catcher Sal Fasano and sent Yamid back to Buffalo without getting as much as an at-bat.
Even though Yamid Haad didn't play a single inning for the 2008 Indians, it didn't stop Topps from commemorating his seven days with the Tribe with his own Topps baseball card.
Laugh all you want, but Yamid cashed a Major League paycheck this year, and you didn't.
UPDATE #2: A second upside-down Jay Bruce RC has shown up on eBay; however, no other gimmicks the likes of which we saw in Topps 1 & 2, A&G, BowChro, or Heritage have yet to appear. All of which leads to the question: Should I consider these gimmick cards? Stealth variations? Or actual error cards?
Or do you even care either way?
UPDATE: The Cardboard Junkie thinks that these two error cards may not be legit. After further review, and until more of these begin to make their way onto eBay, I yield to The Junkie's judgment.
The Chris Harris Topps Boycott is well into it's fourth month, but it may be coming to an end. According to The Cardboard Junkie, it appears that 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights is now live.
Here's the deal: If it appears that Topps didn't include any stealth gimmick cards in TU&H, then two weeks from today I will buy and bust a box of it.
If on the other hand, if there are any cards of furry creatures, contrived errors, or cards of fictional teenage prospects, then it continues.
Why I Have No Problem/A Huge Problem with the Topps Sarah Palin Card(s).
I guess it was inevitable -- especially after yesterday's announcement that UD will insert into SP Authentic parody cards of the VP candidates -- that Topps would include into Updates & Highlights a Campaign '08 insert of Sarah Palin. Many of you may be surprised to read this, but I have no problem with it. If only to provide "closure" to the set, the Republican Vice Presidential candidate serves a purpose and is a welcome addition to '08TU&H. (For the record: A Campaign '08 card Joe Biden was inserted into Series One packs.)
And an "attah-boy" for giving The Hobby a heads-up with a press release. The only thing that has been worse than Topps use of "gimmick" cards, has been the lack of transparency concerning these cards. Card companies have an obligation to inform collectors as to what exactly is in a product before he/she buys it.
With that said, there is one thing that really, really, annoys me about the Sarah Palin Topps insert. It's this....
Topps is going to produce not one, but two different Sarah Palin inserts. The more common one will feature the hockey mom/governor we've all come to know and love. (At least that's what Topps is infering, as they've yet to produce an image of what this card will look like.) The other, more scarcer one is, this, thing.....
Seriously Topps: WTF? None of the other candidates have had two cards, so why start now?
And why just Governor Palin? If Topps is going to start making gimmicked inserts of the candidate's previous indiscretions, then dammit Topps be consistent! I WANT A CARD OF OBAMA WITH A ROLLED-UP $100 BILL UP HIS NOSE! I WANT ALL FIVE OF THE KEATING FIVE! I WANT A JOE BIDEN/NEIL KINNOCK DOUBLE CUT-SIGNATURE AU! (Maybe those are the stealth gimmicks of '08TU&H?)
So, thumbs up to Topps for Sarah Palin: Governor of Alaska; thumbs down to Sarah Heath: Miss Wasilla 1984.
UPDATE AND CLAIRIFICATION (9/23): Chris Carlin from Upper Deck wrote Stale Gum to clarify.
The MLBPA considers Upper Deck's flagship set and First Edition as the same product; which makes sense since First Edition is nothing more than a stripped down version of "real" Upper Deck. Therefore, UD Series One and First Edition count as one product, as do UD Series Two and First Edition Update.
Also, factory-set exclusive releases (such as Upper Deck Update) are exempt from the MLBPA's 17-product quota.
At last year's Hawaii Trade Conference (which was held in Florida, but that's neither here nor there), the MLBPA decreed that Topps and Upper Deck would be limited to only 17 baseball card releases in 2008. A careful analysis shows that, while Topps appears to be on pace, Upper Deck is scheduled to go over their designated allotment.
Stale Gum complied this information from products already released, sell sheets already issued, and pre-sell solicitations. Baring any last-minute changes, Topps will wrap-up 2008 with 17 baseball card products. However, Upper Deck will issue 20 products -- three more than the MLBPA allows.
(Blogger's Note: I have no idea why Blogger inserts a very large gap whenever I attempt to post a table. Just scroll down.)
List of 2008 Baseball Card Releases
Topps
Upper Deck
Topps Series One
Upper Deck Series One
Topps Series Two
Upper Deck Series Two
Topps Updates & Highlights
Upper Deck Update
Opening Day
First Edition
Topps Chrome
First Edition Update
Bowman
SP Authentic
Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects
SPx
Bowman Chrome
SP Legendary Cuts
Topps Heritage
UD Goudey
Topps Heritage High Numbers
Artifacts/A Piece of History*
Allen & Ginter
UDX
Finest
UD Masterpieces
Co-Signers
Spectrum
Moments & Milestones
Ballpark Collection
Stadium Club
Baseball Heroes
Topps Sterling
MLB Documentary
Triple Threads
Sweet Spot
Ultimate Collection
Premiere
Timeline
* Since Artifacts and A Piece of History are, for all intents and purposes, the same product, I'm treating them as one.
Here we go again with another "Chris bitches about the latest Topps bullshit gimmick" post.
Another Topps product, another bullshit gimmick card. Who cares, right?
I'm curious to know (and for all you dealers out there, I'd appreciate your feedback), if the gimmicks really have stimulated demand for Topps wax. (Or not?)
And for all you Favre collectors (why you'd be reading a baseball card blog, I don't know), does this make you want to go out and rip a wax box of 2008 Bowman? Or were you planning on buying (or not buying) a box of Bowman anyway?
UMMM, IIIIII..... WANT TO HEARRRRR...... FROM YOU CARD COLLECTORS!!!!
SHOW ME YOUR LIGHTNING BOLT! GIMMICK CARDS!
(Rome Clones may, or may not, get that last reference.)
If you actually believe that this isn't a gimmick, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.
I suppose that it's apropos that on the day my boycott of Topps begins its fourth month, that this story breaks.
I don't know how Trader Crack and the Orlando Sentinel found this out before I did, but Topps has come up with an explanation regarding the Kosuke Fukudome Bowman Chrome "error" card.
Recall, that this is the KosFu card that appears to have been designed for Fukudome to autograph as A) it has no facsimile autograph on the front; B) the "CERTIFIED AUTOGRAPHED ISSUE" logo that has been on just about every Topps autographed card for the last decade is printed on the front, and C) a white box with the words "NOT VALID WITHOUT STICKER" is on the reverse side. Of course, there is no autograph on the card.
(The "Not Valid" box is where the now-familiar black hologram sticker Topps uses for authentication purposes on autographed cards and some gamers. If you have one of these cards and peel off the sticker you'll see the "NOT VALID" phrase.)
The party line is that Topps "inadvertently inserted a Bowman Chrome Kosuke Fukudome Autographed Rookie Card (which is not autographed) into packs of the recently-released 2008 Bowman Chrome Baseball. A total of 1900 copies were issued. Fukudome is not a subject on the Autographed Rookie Card checklist nor was he ever solicited as one."
If all this is true, then it begs these questions: If Topps never had intended to include an autographed KosFu BowChro card, why did they produce a card that appears to have every intention of being autographed by KosFu? And why did this card magically appear in packs of BowChro? And why did Topps wait until two weeks after BowChro's release to notify The Hobby about this card? And how do they know exactly how many packed out?
I'm taking this card out of the "Honest Mistake" column and into the "Bullshit Gimmick" one.
(Images lovingly ripped off from the Orlando Sentinel)
UPDATED!!!! 1st Impressions: Various Topps Late-Season Products
UPDATED!!!! Updates & Highlights
The sell sheets for TU&H have been posted for a while on this one. There are the usual inserts, and one-per-box autogamers. But the selling point is, of course, the 330-card base set.
A certain player who should have been card #645 in series two, is listed on the checklist as card #UH1. Then again, this is Topps, and given their track record this year I wouldn't put it past Topps to find a way to gimmick this up as well.
Of the 150 cards in the base set, 50 are gimmicked "rookies" each numbered to only 1499 copies. If that's not bad enough, while each Hobby five-card pack will have a base rookie, retail has a "Retail Exclusive Rookie First Day Issue Parallel Card." So, are we supposed to believe that the base set rookies are Hobby-exclusive and the retail (read: the version for the rest of us) is stuck with a one-per-pack parallel?
That would royally suck.
Topps Heritage High Numbers
UPDATE:
Base Set: 220 cards (numbered 501-720). 45 cards are of rookies, 35 will be short-printed -- no odds stated.
Each pack will have two cards from the Topps Updates & Highlights set -- therefore giving you an excuse NOT to buy TU&H.
Well, I guess it was inevitable. Rather than one gimmick card of a non-existent player, or a card of a player commemorating a non-existent milestone, Allen & Ginter has a whole team's worth of non-existent bullshit!
Randomly inserted into packs are a ten card set of fake 19th Century players called "Team Orange." Apparently, this Team Orange has something to do with that equally idiotic "Crack the Code" promotion.
I already know what you're thinking: "Who the fuck cares anymore?"
And in a related story, the continuing boycott of all Topps baseball products by famed card collector and cardblogger Chris Harris is about to enter its third month.
2008 Topps Allen & Ginter is now live and should be available at your favorite Hobby establishment. As noted elsewhere, Topps added a card of Kosuke Fukudome to TA&G, and he'll be appearing in all the remaining 2008 Topps baseball products.
The first of the Fukudome A&G's have hit eBay, and it appears to be readily available for collectors. In other words, it's not a gimmick card.
However, there's one minor issue: Fukudome's card is NOT numbered as part of the base set. And despite the addition of the omnipresent MLBPA "ROOKIE CARD" logo on the front of the card, this is NOT a "true" rookie card.
Given the flak received from this blog (and others) over the Topps Series Two Fukudome kerfuffle, Topps deserves some credit for actually listening to the collector. Fukudome was nowhere to be seen on the provisional checklist, and Topps added him at the last minute. However, would it have killed Topps to have slapped a "351" on the reverse side?
I have in my formerly nicotine stained hands (crunch, crunch, crunch) a press release from Topps. It appears that the 2008 Topps baseball factory sets will have a "bonus card" of Koskue Fukudome. Whether or not this "bonus card" will be numbered as part of the base set -- and therefore a true "rookie card" -- is unclear.
So let me get this straight. Topps posted to their website (and it's still there as of 7/14) that the second series of Topps baseball WOULD have a Kosuke Fukudome rookie card. Then, they pull the card at the last minute without bothering to tell anyone until after the fact. To add insult to injury, they stealthily insert into packs a gimmicked Fukudome card, and now they're finally getting around to issuing a Fukudome rookie (we think), but only in factory sets.
What a fustercluck.
If you're a collector, you have to be asking yourself: "Why did I buy those 2008 Topps waxboxes, again?"
And if Topps is going to pull a stunt like this next year -- and given their recent actions, you know they will -- why would anyone collect next year's Topps baseball?
Topps, it's because of crap like this I haven't bought any of your products in seven weeks. With this (and other) actions, I don't see myself collecting Topps anytime soon.
Well jumping Jesus on a pogo stick, get a look at this!
It's Kosuke Fukudome's first Major League Topps card! Of course, its STILL NOT A REAL ROOKIE CARD, but who cares, right?
OBTW, the checklist on topps.com still lists card #645 from the 2008 Topps baseball set as a non-existant Kosuke Fukudome RC. The boycott continues until the gimmicks and deceptive marketing practices cease.
With all the controversy about Topps' multitude of series two gimmick cards, let's take a few moments to catch-up on the subject of Topps' series one gimmick card: Kosuke Fukudome's "compatriot," Kazuo "The Uzi" Uzuki.
This rather creepy video was uploaded by "kwatanabe52" (52, get it?) and shows "Uzuki" chilling out in New York's Central Park and signing an autograph for one of his "fans."
In the three months since it was uploaded this video has been played less than 600 times. (I guess that whole "viral marketing" idea didn't work, huh Topps?)
But who is Kazuo Uzuki? We may have found our answer.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Uzuki is actually Sensen Lin, a student at NYU Law School. According to the article, Topps paid Lin $500 for the picture and another $100 to appear in the aformentioned video.
And get this, Lin isn't even Japanese! He's an American of Chinese ancestry.
The Johan Santana card in this picture is card #661 in the 2008 Topps baseball set. (And to think, you actually thought there were only 660 cards in the Topps set?) According to the eBay auction -- the only one of this card offered so far -- card #661 "commemorates" the "no-hitter" that Johan Santana "pitched" for the Mets on September 28, 2008.
You didn't think they'd stop at just one, did you?
This is Yasuhiko Yabuta, set-up man for the Kansas City Royals. And yes, Topps has decided to (stupidly) replace his legit Rookie Card with a gimmicked short-print.
Meet Alexei Ramirez, backup outfielder for the Chicago White Sox. Like Yabuta and Fukudome, he played in the 2006 World Baseball Classic -- only for Cuba. And just like Yabuta and Fukudome, there is no Alexei Ramirez rookie card in series two Topps. Only this gimmick card.
Ummm, wow. Mere words can not describe what I think of this card.
Memo to Topps:
DO YOU REALLY, REALLY, THINK CARD COLLECTORS ARE THIS GULLIBLE?
DO YOU REALLY, REALLY, THINK CARD COLLECTORS ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO COLLECT THESE CARDS?
DO YOU REALLY, REALLY, THINK THAT CONSTANTLY APPEALING TO THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR -- ESPECIALLY IN SUCH A CYNICAL MANNER -- IS GOOD FOR THE HOBBY?
DO YOU EVEN REALIZE THE LONG-TERM DAMAGE YOU ARE DOING TO THE HOBBY WITH THESE GIMMICKS?
DO YOU EVEN CARE?
I know one thing, as long as the gimmicks continue, this collector will no longer be purchasing Topps baseball products.
In an attempt to gimmick away what little relevance their Bowman brand still had with collectors, Topps has included autographed inserts of over 20 Major League scouts in their just-released 2008 Bowman. But some collectors have had questions about this particular scout card.
This is an autograph of the mysterious "Bowman Scout." Who is this guy? Is he even real? Or do we have another Kazuo Uzuki? Or "Rip Master?"
First off, yes, The Bowman Scout is a real person. He is an actual scout for an American League team who has worked as a consultant for Topps since the early 90s. According to a 2006 interview with Beckett, The Scout (who wishes to remain anonymous) says he attends 300-400 baseball games a year, ranging from high school to the Big Leagues.
Among The Scout's greatest "discoveries:" Mike Piazza (1992 Bowman), Jorge Posada ('94), Matt Holliday ('99), Jose Reyes and Justin Morneau (2001).
And despite his work with Topps, he says he doesn't collect baseball cards.
We now have some sort of an idea. As Scott Kelnhofer reported on this week's Sports Collector's Radio, the Topps will produce a web-based sitcom starring these guys....
The Sklar Brothers from Cheap Seats.
The plot? The Sklar's inherit a trading card company and appoint themselves CEO. Hilarity ensues! (So that's who came up with Kazuo Uzuki!)
ITEM #1) FIRST TIME! Every 36-pack HOBBY box contains 1 Autograph or Relic Card! ENHANCED CONTENT! Every 10-pack HTA box contains 1 Autograph and NOW 2 Relic Cards!
Topps announced this about a month ago, and I've been sitting on this for a while. So allow me to vent.
I don't mind pulling gamers. But is the lack of a gamer in each 2008 Topps Series One Hobby box (as Topps has claimed) the real reason why sales of Hobby boxes weren't as brisk as HTA boxes? HTA's have always sold well; long before Topps began stuffing them with autogamers. It's not all that hard to figure out why if you think about it.
A Hobby box has 360 cards which (you would think) should be enough for a full 330-card base set. But over 50 of those 360 cards are not base cards, (i.e. inserts, parallels, fake Japanese pitching "prospects," and the like) leaving Hobby boxes about 30 cards short of a full base set. On the other hand, a 500-card HTA box all but guarantees a full base set (not to mention a healthy stack of doubles, and a lot more inserts). When given the choice between one box type that delivers a full set and another that leaves you short, some collectors are willing to pay the extra $35-$40 for HTA.
The second (and probably most important) culprit are Blasters. More and more Topps collectors -- even those who would never be caught dead buying their cards retail -- are finding Blasters to be a viable option. Collectors who aren't able to invest either $100 for an HTA box, or even $60 for a Hobby box, find $20 Blasters more affordable. (The availability of Blasters, and Blaster-exclusive inserts doesn't hurt either.)
Topps' flagship product has always been a collector's set; a product where the main draw is, has been, and always will be, the base set. Yes, pulling an autograph or a gamer is nice; but base Topps has never about pulling autogamers. Topps has made HTA boxes and Blasters more attractive to the collector, at the expense of Hobby wax. The addition of a hit in each Hobby box will have little, if any, impact on series two Hobby box sales.
Item #2) NEW! Red Hot Rookie Program! Rookie redemption cards numbered 1-20 will be randomly inserted and guaranteed in every Topps Series 2 Hobby and HTA box.
Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Gimmicked "Rookies"? In FUCKING BASE LEVEL TOPPS? SURELY THEY CAN'T BE SERIOUS?
Sadly, they are serious. (And don't call me Shirley. Ba-Dump-Bump.) Whether you like it or not, gimmicked "Rookies" are coming to base Topps. (Whether you want them or not, is immaterial.)
The scheme is similar to what Topps already has in Finest. Each randomly inserted redemption card will have a number, and Topps will announce over the remainder of the year -- stretching it out to maximize the effect -- what player each redemption card will be good for.
On the original sell-sheets for '08 Topps series two, there are no mentions of these gimmicked rookies so I'm guessing that they are a late addition. Hopefully this gimmick will be a one year aberration.
Hey look, it's a video of a guy holding a redemption for a Tyrus Thomas 1/1 SuperFractor!
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a sec. How can one person have a redemption card for a Tyrus Thomas 1/1 SuperFractor, and another person be selling THE SAME 1/1 CARD ON EBAY at the same time?
Is 2008 the year Topps Allen & Ginter "jumps the shark?"
The sell sheets for '08 TA&G are out, and I have to say, I'm just not excited about Allen & Ginter anymore.
The design is virtually identical to last year.
The base set is the same size as last year.
And there are the usual framed autographs and gamers, that were in it last year.
And that's the problem. It's the same set as last year. Well, not entirely the same. There's some sort of "Ginter Code" thingamabob that no one will understand, much less care about. And there will be a cut signature card of "Church" of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard! (Hail Xenu!)
Don't get me wrong, I'll collect it, and I'll enjoy it.
But I really think Topps should seriously consider pulling the plug on A&G after this year -- or at least switch it up to another 19th Century set (i.e. Ramly, Fatima, et al).
Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Topps Heritage (Hobby)
Part one...
Part two...
The Pulls
Paid $69
Chiptopper: 1 J. Pierre, B. Molina, D. Murphy Advertising Panel
Base Set: 154 of 500 (30.8%)
short set: 146 of 425 Short Prints: 8 of 75 (1:3)
Black Backs: 25 (one-per-pack)
Parallels: 3 Chromes: T. Hunter, R. Oswalt, J. Francis (1:8, numbered to 1959) 1 Chrome Refractor: E. Byrnes (1:29, numbered to 559)
Inserts: 2 New Age Performers: D. Wright, J. Peavy (1:15) 2 Then & Now: E. Mathews & A-Rod, D. Drysdale & J. Peavy (1:15) 1 Baseball Flashbacks: O. Cepeda (1:12) 2 News Flashbacks: Dalai Lama, Hawaii (1:12)
Autogamers: 1 Clubhouse Collection: T. Hunter jersey (1:24)
Remember that Topps card of Kazuo Uzuki that everyone forgot about when we all realized it was just another stupid gimmick? Guess what? It was all an April Fool's joke.
Really.
I'm not making that up.
It says so right in the press release.
I'll leave to the judgment of the reader to determine whether the joke is on you the collector, or on Topps.
Speaking of gimmicks, Mario over at Wax Heaven has the scoop on 2008 Topps Finest. Yes, the idea Topps ripped off of Dr. Wax Battle the cast of the Topps TV Rip Party is now a subject for an autographed insert. So for those of you patiently waiting for your boxes of Finest to arrive at the local Hobby shop, buyer beware. Your one-per-mini-box "hit" might be this.
Normally, I do not comment about "Lotto Pack" products, but recent events have led me to reconsider. First, take a look at this video of 2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Football.
You get the idea.
Now it would be one thing if it were isolated to just 2007 Upper Deck Exquisite football. Maybe Beckett got lucky, maybe not. But if you look at some of Beckett's other video box breaks, they've seem to be getting "Hit of a Lifetime" cards out of all sorts of UD, Topps, and Donruss-Playoff products in all sports (and non-sports).
All of which leads me to wonder: W.W.J.D. What Would Jim Do? Say what you want about Jim Beckett, but no one (and I mean, NO ONE) ever questioned the man's integrity. Beckett truly was "The Hobby's most reliable and relied upon source," and part of that had to do with the man in charge. But no more.
Don't get me wrong. I have no problem with Beckett (or anybody else in The Hobby media) doing video box breaks and product reviews. Objective consumer reporting is a vital component to any respectable journalism outlet. Nor should Beckett be held to account 100% for this debacle. Topps, UD, Donruss, et al, may very well be sending Beckett loaded boxes. (And it's not just Beckett either, as this video from Dr. Wax Battle shows.) Beckett probably is an unwilling accomplice, and we should give them benefit of the doubt. But Beckett should have never put itself in this position in the first place.
May I make a proposal? From now on, anyone in The Hobby media who reviews product should no longer accept free samples from card manufacturers, and the manufacturers should no longer offer them to the press. If you're going to review wax, and expect your reviews to be taken seriously, then pay for your box like the rest of us.
I'm proud to say that in my 9+ years of reviewing wax, I've never received any free cards from the manufacturers. And I can say to you with full confidence, that every single product I've ever reviewed on this site was paid for out of my own pocket at current market prices. I don't think it's too much to ask of Beckett -- or anyone else who reviews wax -- to do the same. W.W.J.D.?
"Topps is confirming that because of what it calls 'a manufacturing error' in the recently-released 2008 Topps Moments & Milestones Baseball, card numbers 145-189 feature more than one red parallel.
"By design, each of the Rookie Cards 145-189 should only have one Red Parallel (1 of 1), but because of the error the subjects have an additional 20 Red Parallels."
In other words, the only "true" ones-of-one in TM&M -- and the only ones-of-one that might actually be worth more than the price of a waxpack -- are actually 20s-of-one.
I Take Back Everything I Said About 2008 Topps Heritage.
Just read the Cardboard Junkie's rant on the "super duper ultra whooper collectors take it in the pooper short print gimmick cards" in 2008 Topps Heritage.
Short Set: 148 of 425 (34.82%) Short-Prints: 8 of 75 (10.67%) R. Freel, J. Peavy, F. Lopez, B. Giles, M. Owings, J. Contreras, O. Husdon All-Star, J. Beckett All-Star
Variations 24 Black Backs
Parallels 3 Chrome: B. Penny, T. Hudson, M. Ordonez 1 Chrome Refractor: J. Isringhausen 1 Black Bordered Refractor: A-Rod
Inserts 24 sticks of gum 1 New Age Performers: M. Holliday 1 Then & Now: D. Drysdale & J. Peavy 2 Player Flashbacks: E. Banks, M. Mantle 2 News Flashbacks: Alaska, Antarctica
Autogamers 1 Real One: S. Podsednik (Redemption)
The Review
I'm going to keep this short and sweet.
Things I like about 2008 Topps Heritage
The design
The one-per-box every-other-box buybacks
Fewer short-prints
Things I don't like about 2008 Topps Heritage
Fewer cards than 1959 Topps
The one-per-pack black-back variations
The advertising panel chiptoppers
Things I really, really like about 2008 Topps Heritage
Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Topps series one. (Part Deux)
NB: The 2008 Topps drinking game was not played during the filming of this box break.
The Pulls
Base Set: 301 of 330 (91.21%)
Variations: NONE
Parallels: 18 Gold Foil 4 Gold: E. Bedard, J. Lackey, K. Youkilis, J. Santana 1 Black: A-Rod
Inserts: 6 Own the Game: A-Rod, C. Pena, L. Berkman, R. Howard, B. Penny, F. Carmona 6 Trading Card History: J. Ellsbury (69T), JOBA!!! (55B), P. Martinez (51B), C-M Wang (75T), Ichiro (50s-era Menko), G. Sizemore (48 Swell Sport Thrills) 2 Mickey Mantle Story 7 All-Rookie Team 50th Anniversary: G. Carter, L. Piniella, H. Ramirez, R. McDowell, R. Oswalt, F. Liriano, M. Ordonez 4 Campaign '08: J. Edwards, RUDY!!! The Huckster, D. Kucinich 1 Kazuo Uzuki Future Star
Mirrors: 6 Year in Review: I-Rod (4/16), D. Young (4/17), M. Buehrle (4/18), A-Rod (4/19), J. Saunders (4/20, (heh-heh 4/20!)), R. Martin (4/21) 4 Mickey Mantle Home Run History: #515, 516, 517 & 518
Autogamers: NONE
Product Rating: 3 Gumsticks (out of five)
...and another thing.
Despite being on the sell sheet, Barry Bonds is nowhere to be found in '08 Topps. (Geez, I wonder why?) Will the last six cards of the Barry Bonds Home Run History mirror set ever be released? Does anybody even care?
However, it should be noted that Roger Clemens, Rick Ankiel, Miguel Tejada, and Paul Byrd are all in the base set.
Twenty-three years after George Plimpton and Sports Illustrated gave us Sidd Finch, Topps has issued a "Future Star" card of a Japanese teenage pitching sensation named Kazuo "The Uzi" Uzuki.
He's only sixteen and has a fastball clocked at 104 MPH!
Two years ago, as a fourteen-year-old, he was invited to tryout for Japan's World Baseball Classic team.
And, according to the back of his short-printed 2008 Topps card, one scout says he's the best pitching prospect he's seen in three decades!
But wait a sec. If there really was a 16 year-old in Japan who could hit 104 on the Jugs gun, and was invited to try out for the Japanese World Baseball Classic team at 14, don't you think he'd be a household name on this side of the Pacific already?
And besides, don't they use the metric system in Japan?
Does Topps really, really, think we're this stupid?
No? OK then. Here's a little game I came up with. Some of you may be familiar with "Hi Bob!" It's a game in which you watch an old episode of "The Bob Newhart Show," and for each time someone on the show says "Hi!" to Bob, you drink.
Well, welcome to "Hi, Topps!" the 2008 Topps drinking game.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO PLAY:
One (1) unopened waxbox of 2008 Topps Baseball. Hobby is preferred, but HTA or Blasters will do.
One (1) twelve-pack of beer. The higher the ABV, the better.
RULES:
Open each individual pack, until you're finished with the whole box.
TAKE ONE SIP -- for each David Wright "TOPPS OF THE CLASS" or "ROOKIE CUP" promo card.
TAKE ANOTHER SIP -- for each overtly airbrushed card.
TAKE TWO SIPS -- for each meaningless "gold foil" parallel pulled.
TAKE ANOTHER SIP -- for any other parallels.
DRINK ONE BOTTLE/CAN -- for each similarly meaningless Mickey Mantle Home Run History mirror pulled.
DRINK TWO BOTTLES/CANS -- for each mind numbingly stupid Year in Review (a.k.a. "Generation Now" version 2.0) mirror card.
DRINK THE REMAINDER OF THE 12-PACK -- if you pull the Giuliani/Red Sox card.
1st Impressions: "Fisking" the 2008 Bowman Sell Sheet
Fisking: "A point-by-point refutation of a blog entry or (especially) news story."
The term was coined to describe a now (in)famous December 9, 2001 blog entry by Andrew Sullivan that ripped left-wing journalist Robert Fisk a new one.
With that said, I have in my formerly nicotine stained hands (CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH) the sell sheet for 2008 Bowman. Yes, it's not even February, and the sell sheets for '08 Bowman (with Bowman Chrome!) are already out.
Configuration: 24 packs per box. 10 cards per pack.
So far, so good.
Home of the Rookie Card!
For the last few years Bowman has ceased to be "The Home of the Rookie Card." But hey, maybe Bowman's changed. Maybe they'll include a few more Rookies this year? Then again, this product is going to be released in May, so maybe not. Let's find out, anyway.
2008 Bowman Baseball now features even more must-have, Bowman Exclusive cards than ever before!
Ooh, I can hardly wait. Are they going to expand the base set to more than 220 cards? Get rid of the base set autographed cards?
NEW this year, 2008 Bowman Baseball presents Hobby Exclusive AUTOGRAPHED Bowman Chrome Prospect Cards, at an insertion rate of 1 per Hobby and HTA Box and introduces Bowman Scouts Autographed Cards, highlighting baseball scouts who have signed some of today’s most incredible MLB stars!
SURVEY SAYS......
FEATURES - NEW Bowman Chrome Autographed Prospect Cards! 1 PER HOBBY BOX!
NEW Bowman Chrome Autographed Prospect Cards? 1 PER HOBBY BOX? Be honest, raise your hand if you didn't see this coming?
- NEW Autographed Bowman Scout Cards!
SURVEY SAYS......
Yes, you read right. Autographed cards.
Of scouts.
(How the hell can these people sleep at night?)
- 110 Topps Exclusive Bowman Chrome Prospect Cards! - 110 Topps Exclusive Bowman Prospect Cards! - 3 Autographed Cards Per HTA Box! - Each pack contains 5 Bowman Baseball cards PLUS 2 Prospect cards PLUS 2 Bowman Chrome Prospect cards PLUS 1 Gold Parallel card.
Wait, wait, wait. Why are you telling us on one line that we get three autographs in an HTA box; but then give us the pack breakdown for regular wax in the next? What's the breakdown for HTA boxes?
BASE CARDS (200 subjects): 5 PER PACK! - VETERANS: 200 top MLB pros. - ROOKIES: 20 young players featured with the MLB® Rookie Card Logo.
Same old puny 220-card base set; unchanged from the last couple of years. If there was anything that NEEDED to change about Bowman, it was the base set.
Available In The Following Parallels: - RED: HOBBY EXCLUSIVE! A 1 of 1 version of the base set. - ORANGE: Numbered* to 250. - BLUE: Numbered* to 500. - GOLD: The player’s signature and Bowman logo are gold-foil stamped!
Does anybody really care about the non-Chrome parallels? I get the one-per-pack Gold parallels, but what's the point with the Oranges and Blues? (Yeah, I know. "Adding value." Whatever.)
AUTOGRAPHED ROOKIE CARDS: HOBBY EXCLUSIVE!
I hope for Topps sake, they didn't tell Wal-Mart that the AUTOGRAPHED ROOKIE CARDS are HOBBY EXCLUSIVE!
And what's the deal with THE ALL CAPS AND THE EXCLAMATION POINTS AT THE END OF EACH SENTENCE! IT SOUNDSSSS LIKE THISSSS GUY WROTE IT:
(VERIFYING ON ANOTHER!)
- 10 Rookies sign their base card and are numbered 221-230. 1 PER HTA BOX!
Here is the complete AUTOGRAPHED ROOKIE CARD checklist:
221 Clay Buchholz 222 Nyjer Morgan 223 Brandon Jones 224 Sam Fuld 225 Daric Barton 226 Chris Seddon 227 J.R. Towles 228 Steve Pearce 229 Ross Ohlendorf 230 Clint Sammons
Basically, it's that guy who pitched a no-hitter for the Red Sox last September, and nine others.
Oh, and wasn't Daric Barton's RC in 2003 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects? (That would be a "yes.")
Available In The Following Parallels: - RED: 1 OF 1! - ORANGE: Numbered* to 250. - BLUE: Numbered* to 500.
Blah, blah, blah...
Moving on to...
PROSPECT CARDS (110 subjects): 4 PER PACK!
BOWMAN PROSPECTS (2 per pack! HTA 8 per pack): - Non-Major League Prospects appear in their MLB uniforms along with a “First Bowman Card” logo. Numbered BP1–BP110. 2 PER PACK!
Available In The Following Parallels: - RED: HOBBY EXCLUSIVE! A 1.....
Same concept as the base cards. You get the idea.
NEW! AUTOGRAPHED BOWMAN CHROME PROSPECTS: 1 PER HOBBY & HTA BOX! - HOBBY EXCLUSIVE! - 25 prospects appear with their signatures on Chrome technology and will be numbered BCP111-BCP135!
Translation: All those Autographed Prospect Cards that were numbered as part of the regular Prospects set, have been moved into the Bowman Chrome set.
And who you ask are these guys?
BCP111 David Price BCP112 Michael Moustakas
Autographed non-rookie cards of players whose First Bowman Card was in last year's BDP&P. SURVEY SAYS......
Here's the rest of the checklist.
BCP113 Matt LaPorta BCP114 Wendell Fairley BCP115 Josh Vitters BCP116 Johnathan Bachanov BCP117 Edward Kunz BCP118 Matt Dominguez BCP119 Kyle Lotzkar BCP120 Madison Bumgarner BCP121 Jason Heyward BCP122 Julio Borbon BCP123 Josh Smoker BCP124 Jarrod Parker BCP125 Kevin Ahrens BCP126 J.P. Arencibia BCP127 Johs Bell BCP128 Scott Cousins BCP129 Brandon Hynick BCP130 Alan Johnson BCP131 Josh Kreuzer BCP132 Ryan Zink BCP133 Matt Harrison BCP134 Justin Masterson BCP135 Fautino de los Santos
Alright, that's enough, you get the gist of 2008 Bowman: Very few actual rookies and a shitload of gimmicks.
And that's the problem. Topps' once vaunted Bowman brand -- the self-proclaimed "Home of the Rookie Card" -- has lost it's identity. Granted, most of it is not of their making (i.e. the MLBPA's "Rookie Card" rules), but a lot of it is self-inflicted. I think Ben Henry said it best last summer: Do collectors really want Autographed Chrome Prospects in regular ol' Bowman, (or Chrome cards? or autographs of scouts? for that matter) or is it because Topps thinks that's what they want?
Anyway, for the first time in years, I think I'll be taking a pass on 2008 Bowman. (At least until the season ends.) If anything, by the time of next year's World Series, hobby wax will be selling for half price.
One Hobby box of 2007 Topps Heritage (paid $55) 24 packs per box, eight cards per pack (MSRP $2.99)
The Details
Chiptoppers: One of 16 13 Individually Wrapped Felt Team Logos Base Set: 494 cards
Short Set: 384 cards Short-Prints: 110 cards (1:2/packs)
Variations* Yellow Letter Name: 17 cards Yellow Letter Team: 16 cards
*Overall odds of finding a Yellow Letter: 1:6 packs
Parallels Chrome: 110 cards (1:11, numbered to 1958) Chrome Refractors: 110 cards (1:39, numbered to 558) Black Bordered Chrome Refractors: 110 cards (1:383, numbered to 58)
Inserts Individually wrapped stick of bubble gum: one-per-pack New Age Performers: 15 cards (1:15) Then & Now: 10 cards (1:15) Flashbacks: 10 cards: (1:12)
Mirrors Alex Rodriguez Bullshit Waste of Space: 25 cards (1:24) Mickey Mantle 1958 AL Home Run Champion: 42 cards (1:6)
Autogamers Clubhouse Collection Relic: 66 cards (production varies) Clubhouse Collection Dual Relic: three cards (1:13,900, numbered to 58) Flashback Relic: ten cards (1:484) Flashback Dual Relic: three cards (1:82,544, numbered to ten) Real One Autograph: 37 cards (1:327, limited to 200) Real One Special Edition Autograph: 37 cards (1:1129, numbered to 58) Flashback Autograph: five cards (1:19500, numbered to 25) Clubhouse Collection Auto Relic: six cards (1:16,100, numbered to 25) Flashback Auto Relic: five cards (1:19,500, numbered to 25) A-Rod Road to 500 Autographed: 25 cards (1:100,500, one-of-one) 1958 Cut Signatures: three cards (1:403,200, one-of-one)
Short Set: 163 of 384 (42.45%) Short-Prints: 12 of 110 (10.91%) W. Ledezma, B. Abreu, B. Hawpe, C. Hamels, J. Vidro, C. Lee, J. Conine, A. Sanchez, Red Sox Team Card, J-Roll, K-Rod, R. Hernandez
Variations: 1 Yellow Letter Name: R. Zimmerman 3 Yellow Letter Team: R. Cano, M. Buehrle, H. Ramirez
Parallels: 2 Chrome: J. Zumaya, Delwyn Young
Inserts: 24 sticks of gum 2 New Age Performers: D. Jeter, R. Clemens 2 Then & Now: Aparico & Reyes, Podres & Harang 2 Flashbacks: W. Spahn, Sen. J. Bunning
Mirrors: 1 A-Rod Bullshit Waste of Space: #54 4 Mickey Mantle 1958 AL Home Run Champion: #2, 20, 30, & 41
Autogamers: NONE
The Review
As of this writing, it has been almost ten months since the release of 2007 Topps Heritage. Don't ask why, but I just never got around to collecting last year's Heritage. I don't know if I can fully explain it, but it's just that Topps has done the whole "Retro" thing to death and the thought of collecting yet another Topps Heritage set just doesn't have the same panache as it did five years ago. Don't get me wrong, Topps has issued some great retro-themed sets over the last few years (Allen & Ginter); but they've also put out some stinkers. (Topps 52)
With that said, I went to the New York Ass Slap wanting to rip something. This being the two-month interregnum between the last of the '07 sets and the first of the '08s, there wasn't much of anything new and the available junkwax was just as unappealing. But there they were: a stack of surplus 2007 Topps Heritage waxboxes. "Oh, what the hell!" I thought as I handed the dealer $55 for the box.
What the hell.
I never liked the design of '58 Topps ('56 and '59 were much better), but for some reason I like 2007 Heritage better than I did 2006. Why? One word: authenticity.
For the first time since the inaugural Heritage set, the size of the base set matches that of the set it's based on -- 494 cards. Also, as a nod to the '58 Topps set, there is no card #145 and some selected players have "yellow letter" variations. (Not unlike the "black back" variations in '01 Heritage.) But they didn't make variations of any old players mind you. The exact same card numbers that were "Yellowed" in 1958 Topps are also Yellowed in '07 Heritage. Give Topps a +1 for keeping it real.
About the only thing not authentic are short-printed base cards. Unlike other Topps sets of the era, all the 1958 cards were produced in roughly equal quantities regardless of series. (In fact, Topps actually triple-printed the Stan Musial and Mickey Mantle All-Star cards!) But as has become par-for-the-course in Heritage, 110 of the base set cards are short-printed and seeded at the rate of 1:2/packs. In retrospect -- if only for the change-of-pace it would have brought to the Heritage brand -- 2007 Heritage could have done without the short-prints.
Other observations:
One thing they didn't have in 1958 is Adobe Photoshop; but if you like Photoshopped cards -- especially poorly Photoshopped cards -- then check out card #386. If you look closely, you might notice the "Veterans Stadium Final Season" patch on Chase Ultey's right sleeve. (For the record, The Vet's final season was 2003.) In 2003, Ryan Howard was playing for AA Reading, and Cholly was out of baseball. But hey, any card with Uncle Cholly is a good card in my book.
Willie Mays is card #5 in '58 Topps, but Derek Jeter is #5 in '07 Heritage. Barry Bonds should have been the obvious choice for #5, but the set was issued during the brief period where Barry Bonds' Topps contract had expired.
Other "similar numbers:" #1: Ted Williams / David Ortiz #30: Hank Aaron / Ichiro #150: Mickey Mantle / Alex Rodriguez #285: Frank Robinson / Ken Griffey, Jr. #310: Ernie Banks / Ryan Howard #418: Mantle & Aaron / Pujols & Ordonez #436: Mays & Snider / Wright & Howard #476: Stan Musial AS / Albert Pujols AS
On card #91, Royals otufielder David DeJesus appears to be holding the same pre-War era glove that his teammate Zach Greinke used as a prop on his 2006 Topps Allen & Ginter card.
The iconic All-Star cards at the end of the set have a reference to Topps Magazine, as opposed to the now-defunct Sport. For those of you not aware, in the early 90s Topps published a magazine that was essentially nothing more than an advertising vehicle -- think Nintendo Power. I remember one issue had a poster with the entire 1991 Stadium Club set.
Inserts include the good (New Age Performers, Then & Now and Flashbacks), and the bad (Chrome parallels and assorted refractors), and the stupid (a continuation of the A-Rod Waste-of-Space and a 42-card Mickey Mantle mirror set).
Finally, each box comes with one of sixteen thirteen five-inch diameter felt logo patches, packaged as a chiptopper. They're great on a T-shirt, sweater, or jacket. (Says so right on the side of the waxbox.)
The Bottom Line:
Zero doubles and inserts that all ran as promised add up to a pretty decent rip. I got a little more than a two-fifths of the base set, and a tenth of the SPs. If you're a set builder, then three boxes should be all you need. The chiptopper yielded a Cincinnati Red Legs logo. (Ol' Tail Gunner Joe would be proud!)
The only thing that sucks about '07 Topps Heritage are the mirror cards. You know that one episode of South Park when Kyle's cousin from Connecticut comes to visit? But everybody hates him, and it gets to a point where Kyle has to pay Cartman $40 just to stop ripping on him? But then even Kyle had had enough of his cousin's constant complaining and kvetching, and winds up tying him to a sled that's tied to the bumper of a Connecticut-bound bus. But then his cousin came back to South Park? Then they leave him in the woods, and he came back again? Then they put him on a plane to Antarctica, and he STILL CAME BACK TO SOUTH PARK? You know, that one?
The A-Rod Road to 500 mirrors are to Topps Heritage (and for that matter every other 2007 Topps set) what Kyle's cousin is to the South Park kids. You wish they'd just go away. But for some reason, they just keep coming back to ruin everything.
You learn something new every day. For example, today, I found out that the New York Yankees once wore plaid uniforms. At first I was shocked. But alas, sometime between 1951 and 1969, the Bronx Bombers wore plaid uniforms!
I came to this shocking discovery in, of all places, the checkout line at the Deptford, NJ Target. I was in the trading card aisle looking for a blaster of UD Masterpieces; but noticed something else that piqued my interest. Stacked neatly on the bottom shelf were four 2007 Topps factory sets each with a "Target Exclusive Mickey Mantle `game-used' card."
And there it was, visible from outside the box: A Mickey Mantle card with a plaid piece of "AUTHENTIC GAME-USED MEMORABILIA."
(Image ripped off of eBay, but you get the idea.)
At first, I was skeptical. Topps wouldn't dare cut up one of Mickey Mantle's civilian dress shirts, paste the swatches on a reprint, and label it as a "game-used" card?
Nah! Topps has way too much integrity to do something that nefarious.
So I came to the only logical conclusion. The New York Yankees must have worn (at some point during The Mick's career) plaid uniforms.
1st Impressions: 2008 Topps Moments and Milestones
Is it just me, or has the Topps product development team been playing a little too much Heroin Hero lately?
(Sorry for the clip, but Randy Marsh chasing an video game dragon is funniest damn thing I've seen on South Park since ManBearPig.)
Anyway, ah yes! Baseball cards!
I have in my formerly nicotine-stained hands (*crumble crumble crumble*) the December 2007 issue of Beckett. I turn to page 5 and lo and behold, what do I see?
"MOMENTS & MILESTONES" "THE SLEEPER HIT OF 2007 RETURNS!"
Yes, Topps is bringing back the "Sleeper (S)Hit of 2007": Moments & Milestones.
More details when they become available. (Like you're actually going to collect this crap.)
Ladies and Gentlemen. What you are about to experience is an experiment in extreme baseball card gonzo journalism. Your humble correspondent will simulate the level of effort Topps has put forth in issuing Updates and Highlights Series Three, by writing this review at approximately that same level. Also, in an effort to amplify the gonzo process, this piece is being written in the haze of an awful hangover; as your correspondent attended last night's Cowboys vs. Eagles Sunday Night Football debacle.
"Buy the ticket to the Eagles game, take the ride!"
One box of 2007 Topps Updates and Highlights Series Three (paid $55) 36 packs per box, ten cards per pack (MSRP: $1.49/pack)
The Details:
Chiptoppers: One individually wrapped Chrome "Rookie" Refractor (55 cards, numbered to 415 copies)
Inserts: The Mickey Mantle Story: 15 cards (1:18) Barry Bonds Home Run King: one card (1:36) WS Watch: 15 cards (1:36)
Waste-of-Space Mirrors: Mickey Mantle Home Run History: 100 cards (1:9) A-Rod Road to 500: 25 cards (1:36) Barry Bonds Home Run History: 22 cards (1:12) Generation Now: 186 cards (1:4)
Autogamers*: Barry Bonds Home Run King Autographed Relic: one card (1:278,000) Barry Bonds Home Run King Relic: one card (1:5145, numbered to 756) 2007 Highlight Autographs: 26 cards (varies) A-Rod Road to 500 Autographs: 25 cards (1:500,000, one-of-one) Generation Now Autographs: 186 cards (1:11,000, one-of-one) Mickey Mantle Home Run History Relic: 100 cards (1:5550) 1954 Mickey Mantle Reprint Relic: one card (1:73,000) All-Star Stitches: 52 cards (1:45) All-Star Patches: 52 cards (1:2500) All-Star Dual Stitches: ten cards (1:5600) All-Star Stitches Triples: ten cards (1:5600)
* One autogamer per box.
The Pulls:
Base Set: 253 of 330 (76.67%) One double
Parallels: 72 "Red Letters" 9 Golds: J. Wilson, J. Salazar, C. Izturis, N. Perez, J. Accardo, T. Clippard, J. Coutlangus, B. Salmon, J. Verlander Season Highlight 1 First Edition: D. Jeter All-Star 1 Chrome "Rookie" Refractor: T. Buck
Inserts: 2 Mickey Mantle Story 1 Barry Bonds Home Run King 1 WS Watch: Tigers
Waste-of-Space Mirrors: 9 Generation Now: P. Fielder (#11), I. Kinsler (#5 & 19), K. Johjima (#9), J. Papelbon (#8, 28 & 31), C. Granderson (#2), J. Barfield (#24) 4 Mickey Mantle Home Run History: #406, 407, 408 & 411 3 Barry Bonds Home Run History: #735, 736 & 746 1 A-Rod Road to 500: #377
Autogamers: 1 Barry Bonds Home Run King Relic
The Review:
I think Ben Henry (who in the interest of full-disclosure, has done some consulting work for Topps) said it best on his blog:
"Topps' strategy towards their baseball card products has been somewhat predictable this year, and these developments only cement their reputation. It begs the question: Do they employ the worst quality-control staffers in the business? Or do they have such a grim outlook towards their own product that they feel it won't sell without an error or two?"
It's a shame that Topps no longer makes Updates and Highlights Series Three as a factory set. If they did, I'd gladly recommend that you buy one instead of a waxbox. You're not going to come close to a complete set, and most of the inserts you pull serve no purpose.
Since you can't get factory, save yourself the $55-$60 and see if you can find a hand-collated set.
The base set will be 330 cards (again), although -- if last year's Airbrush-O-Rama first series was any indication -- the A-Rod card you see pictured above will more than likely be the only 2008 Topps card of Alex Rodriguez in a Yankee uniform.
Inserts include a 50-card "Baseball Card History" set and although I've yet to see any prototypes, I'm guessing that these will be along the lines of the 2001 Topps "Through The Years" reprints. There's also going to be a 12-card set of the major 2008 Presidential candidates. And seriously, aren't you just dying to rip open a pack of 2008 Topps baseball and pull a card of Dennis Kucinich?
On the plus side, it looks as though Topps is finally putting the mirror concept to rest. More than likely, this will be the last Topps set with the Mickey Mantle and Barry Bonds Home Run Histories, and there are no other inserts as egregious as Generation Now.
Let me state for the 534th time, I don't "get" Bowman Chrome. (For all the "Chromies" out there, spare me your hate mail.) I've never opened a pack of the stuff, and I have no intention of ever doing so.
With that said, long time Stale Gum reader Dane Muramoto alerted me to a quality control issue with this year's BowChro. I reprint his warning as a public service to collectors everywhere.
I started opening 3 boxes of Bowman Chrome and noticed the following pattern emerge. The "chase" cards seem to appear most often in the 3rd from top pack position. Out of three boxes, one pack didn't have a chase, and that box, the card was in the 4th from top (2nd from bottom) position.
Also, the autographs were in all three cases in the bottom half (the side with 4 packs per stack) of the box. At first I thought the emergent pattern was lower left corner, but one of the boxes (the one with the non-blue auto) was lower right corner.
So this leads me to two theories on this release.
#1 If your box has a blue auto, it will be lower left corner. #2 It is impossible to finish a set with 4 boxes.
I think #2 is a MAJOR pet peeve for me. With the boxes ranging $75-$120 (eBay to local), I cannot see paying $500 to complete a set.
This is getting ridiculously out of hand.
Anyway, just wanted to give you a heads up on it. Also a warning to readers to not buy single packs.
Regardless of what you think about the on-again, off-again Topps/UD/Michael Eisner takeover, I'm sure we can all agree on one thing; 2007 hasn't exactly been a banner year for Topps. Oh sure, there have been some hits. But every Allen & Ginter has been offset with garbage like Moments and Milestones.
So I guess it's rather appropriate then that Topps closes out 2007 with three products that -- upon first glance -- appear to be more "miss" than "hit:" Bowman's Best, Topps 52 and Topps Updates and Highlights.
Bowman's Best
After a year's hiatus, the redheaded step-child of the Bowman family makes a not-so-triumphant return. BowBest is back (again), this time with a new format (again).
The cards themselves are printed on what Topps calls "Tribute Technology," rather than the Finest-esque chrome stock. In fact, you could probably slap a "Bowman Sterling" label on the wrapper, and most collectors wouldn't know the difference. But like Finest, each waxbox will come packaged into three separate mini-boxes.
Here's where it gets a weird, and you'll have to follow me on this. Some of the base set and Prospect "inserts" are available only as autographs. Others are only available un-autographed. And yet a third group are available either autographed or un-autographed.
And it's not just the "Rookies" and Prospects either. For example: Alex Rodriguez's base set card is only available autographed. Derek Jeter's is not autographed. But Ryan Howard's card is available in both flavors.
Set aside the fact that, if you're an A-Rod collector and want his 2007 Bowman's Best base set card, you'll have no choice but to get one with an autograph; the question I'd like to ask Topps is: Why? Why not just make all the base set cards in an un-autographed version, and have a few players sign as a "variation?" (But that would actually make sense, and we can't have that, can we?)
Confused yet? Well, you can pretty much forget about attempting collect the entire set, as the 29 veteran autographs, 28 "Rookie" autographs, and 24 Prospect "insert" autographs are (naturally) short-printed and come three-per-box (one per mini-box). Not only that, but the 30 un-autographed base set "Rookies" and 40 plain vanilla Prospect "inserts" are all short-printed, serial-numbered, and are seeded at the rate of one-per mini-box, each.
Back in the day, Bowman's Best was a great product. It was the prefect hybrid of Finest technology with Bowman's prospects. And then along came Bowman Chrome; then Bowman Draft Picks; then Bowman Heritage....
The fact is, for the last few years or so, Bowman's Best ceased to be even remotely collectible. This new iteration of BowBest is even less so.
If there is one good thing I can say about '07 BowBest, is that it's somewhat affordable. The MSRP I saw on the sell sheet says $3/pack. (Although I believe this to be a typo.) Street Date: November 12
Topps Rookies -- '52 Edition
And now for something from the "We've Completely Run Out Of New Ideas" department, yet another edition of Topps 52! When I first saw the sell sheet, I said to myself, "I can't believe they're making this set AGAIN." I tried to pinch myself, but to no avail.
It's the exact same concept as last year's Topps 52 -- all the MLBPA-approved "ROOKIES" in one set, and all on the same old 1952 design that Topps has been beating to death ever since the first series of Topps Heritage. And yes, there will be yet another Mickey Mantle reprint in the base set -- as if there haven't been enough of them.
Put a stamp on this one, 'cause Topps is mailing this one in.
MSRP: $5/pack; Street Date: Nov. 19.
Moving along...
Topps Updates and Highlights
TU&H is essentially the third series of '07 Topps -- and I have absolutely no idea why Topps just doesn't call it that. And yes, the parade of insert stupidity continues!
TU&H has more mirrors than a carnival fun house: 100 more Mickey Mantle's, 25 A-Rod's, and another 22 Barry Bonds'. But the coup-de-grace is another 200-card batch of the worst insert set ever: Generation Now.
But at least Topps didn't screw up the base set: 330 cards, with subsets galore.
Street Date: Late October
Judging by the sell sheets for these products, it's become obvious that the Topps product development department is just waiting for the buy-out to resolve itself. Because the effort just ain't there. I guess the best we collector's can hope for is for UD or Eisner to take over, and let 'em clean house.
This whole fanatasy TA&G idea is already starting to get out of hand. The Cardboard Junkie has even made prototypes!
My God, we don't have lives!
Baseball
The Racing Sausages of Milwaukee The Phillie Phanatic That guy in the Pirate Parrot custome who got busted for selling cocaine to half the National League in the 80s Billy Beane Billy Bean (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) Billy Martin Keith Hernandez' Mustache (REEE-JECTED!) John Kruk's Mullet Oscar Gamble's Afro-Puffs Honus Wagner (Duh!) Michael O'Keeffe Victor Conte Kimberly Bell Danny Almonte Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes Jay Johnstone Crash Davis Lloyd and Paul Waner That 6' 8" man/child in last year's Little League World Series Ken Burns (If only for the PBS mini-series that got us all throught he 1994 strike) Marvin Miller (Speaking of player strikes...) Frank Pastore (Technically qualifies in all four categories) Darren Daulton: Astral Traveler Bobby Wallace
Non-Baseball
Billy Mitchell (Greatest Pac-Man player, ever.) Marco Materazzi & Zinedine Zidane The Dudley Boyz with Joel "So big, it's hard to keep from hurtin' her" Gertner Steven Petrosino Sachin Tendulkar Sebastien Chabal Joe Namath & Suzy Kolber Grits-'n-Gravy (77 "7s" in a row, bitches!) Doyle Brunson Lewis Hamilton Bam Margera Allison Stokke The 1950 US World Cup Team Tony Alva Mick Foley Bobby Jones (The other Bobby Jones) Mat Hoffman Rusty Wallace Rasheed Wallace
Non-Sports
Jonas Salk Joe Strummer Walter Winchell H. L. Mencken Matt Drudge ("A Piece of the Fedora?") Wink Martindale Thom McKee Ben Stein James Buchanan (The Nobel Prize winning economist of public choice theory fame, not the lousy president.) Steven Levitt Marshall McLuhan GG Allin The Channel Four News Team The 6ABC Action News Team Carl Monday Manbearpig (I'm totally serial!) Towelie P. J. O'Rourke Tucker Max Wesley Willis Rupert Murdoch R. Lee Ermey Aristotle Morton Downey, Jr. Barry and Levon ($240 worth of puddin'. Awww yeah!) Earth, Wind & Fire Ron Jeremy Thomas Sowell "Screaming Jay" Hawkins John Wayne John Wayne Gacy John Mark Carr Friedrich Nietzsche Tina Fey Daft Punk William F. Buckley, Jr. The Wu-Tang Clan (If only for ODB) George Plympton Kraftwerk DJ Kool Herc Johnny Carson & Ed McMahon ("Yew, are correct sir. Hey-yo!") Ann Coulter Bob Marley Gene Rayburn's long skinny microphone George Orwell Pope John Paul II Mike Wallace Chris Wallace George Wallace (Both of them) William Wallace Wallace & Gromit
Monuments
The World Trade Center The Freedom Tower Carhenge The Liberty Bell Cave of the Winds The New Jersey Turnpike Wembley Stadium (Both the old and the new) Yankee Stadium (2008 is the last season!) The "Rocky" Statue Paul Bunyan & Babe the Blue Ox The Big Texan Steak Ranch The CN Tower The Waffle House (pick one, any one) South of the Border Wallace Wade Stadium
Insert
Will Leitch Matt Ufford The Mighty MJD Big Daddy Drew Dan Shanoff A.J. Daulerio The Cardboard Junkie Joey Abna Ben Henry Chris Harris (Dammit, if Topps is going to rip-off this idea, I WANT MY OWN CARD!)
If you haven't read Ben Henry's latest, you should. The poor guy finally broke down and ripped a box of 2007 Allen & Ginter.
While that in and of itself may not seem all that special, what he wrote at the tail-end got me thinking.
"I’d like to do the next checklist of special cards for A&G 2008, precisely because I think Topps dropped the ball in not including David Beckham in this set, but also because Ernest Hemingway, Keith Richards and the Lusitania need their own cards."
So if you were Topps, what do you do for (another) encore? I came up with this list of athletes and celebrities I'd like to see in next year's TA&G -- assuming that there is one.
And if you don't know who any of these people are, look 'em up on wikipedia.
Old Time Baseballers
Albert Spalding Ed Delahanty Bill James (Alright, so he never actually played. But c'mon, he's Bill James!) Bill "Spaceman" Lee Dock Ellis Buck O'Neil Tommy Lasorda Ban Johnson "Shoeless" Joe Jackson Fred Merkle (2008's the 100th anniversary of "The Boner!") Vin Scully, Harry Caray, Mel Allen and Harry Kalas (Why don't they made announcer cards?)
Non-Baseball Athletes
Cristiano Ronaldo Jozy Altidore Sir Donald Bradman Willie Mosconi Amanda Beard Shaun White "El Wingador" (and yes, I consider competitive eating to be a "sport") Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins That guy who fell off the 40-foot vert ramp at the X-Games Maria Sharapova Michael Phelps Secretariat Kelly Slater Ronaldinho Chris Harris -- New Zealand cricketer Chris Harris -- Carolina Panthers defensive back Chris Harris -- English motorcycle rider "Wildcat" Chris Harris -- Professional Wrestler
Non-Athletes and Historical Figures
Robert Peary Henry Ford Booker T. Washington Sarah Silverman Hunter S. Thompson George Washington Carver Milton Friedman Edward Teller Penn & Teller Trey Parker & Matt Stone Sid Vicious & Nancy Spungen Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid Michael Larson Kevin Mitnick Ayn Rand Frank Lloyd Wright Edward R. Murrow Keith Olbermann & Bill O'Reilly (An Olbermann/O'Reilly double autographed box loader. Hmmm...) Charles Nelson Reilly
Monuments
The Grand Canyon Big Ben The Sphinx The Panama Canal The Golden Gate Bridge Machu Picchu
* One mini card per pack # One Dick Perez Sketch card, or framed Autogamer per pack. $ Stealth inserts
The Pulls
Base Set: 144 of 350 (41.14%) No Doubles
Short Set: 132 of 300
(44%) Short Prints: 12 of 50 (24%)
Parallels: 11 Short Set Minis: S.B. Anthony (2), J. Papelbon, B. McCann (2), D. Jeter (2), B. Sheets, J. Reyes, M. Tejada and B. Giles 2 Short Print Minis: J. Gomes and B. Geren 5 A&G Back Minis: J. Peralta, T. Tulowitzki (2), G. Atkins and M. Cameron 2 Black Bordered Minis: A. Wainwright and J. Lackey 1 Non- Numbered Mini: J. Frazier
Inserts: 1 National Pride chiptopper: J. Reyes, P. Martinez, D. Ortiz and A. Pujols 22 Dick Perez Sketches 2 Mini Flags: Bulgaria and Canada 1 Roman Emperor: Marcus Aurelius 1 A-Rod Road to 500 (#271)
Autogamers: 2 Framed Relics: B. Zito and T. Glaus
The Review
I was tempted to reprint last year's review of TA&G, in this space; because not much has changed with this year's version. And that's not such a bad thing.
Just like last year, the design is based on the 19th Century Allen & Ginter set -- but with the addition of a "2007" on the obverse. Also, just like last year, you get an mini-sized parallel in every pack and each 24-pack box yields two framed autogamers. Missing, is the customary dissertation from the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann -- although a "stealth" framed autogamer (An MSNBC Countdown-used "Piece of the Media Matters Daily Talking Points?") was added late.
What really makes A&G special -- as opposed to other such "retro" sets -- are the non-baseball and non-sports figures. Where else are you going to find cards of wheelchair rugby star Mark Zupan, Dostoevsky, Ken Jennings, Jack the Ripper, AND both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt? (Curiously, no Lucy Mercer.)
The Bottom Line:
Just like last year, TA&G should be one of the most -- if not THE most -- ripped products of 2007. Every pack contains something of value -- be it a short-print, parallel, or autogamer. And if it's anything like last year, commons should be readily available to build your set. With that said, one $100 box should be all you need to get started.
Product Rating: 4 Gumsticks (out of 5)
... and another thing.
There are a pair of "stealth" inserts to be on the lookout for: a ten-card "Roman Emperors" and a five-card "Dangerous Snakes."
You have been selected "God of the Baseball Card Hobby." With these powers, you have been given the power to dictate to Topps and Upper Deck what 17 products they will be allowed to release in 2008.
Post your suggestions in the comments area. I'm not asking for specific product details (at least not yet). Just what specific products should return, what products should go away, and what products would you like to see return.
Choose wisely, the long-term fate of The Hobby is in your hands.
If I were given such a title, here are the 34 products that I would allow:
From all the talk among collectors, from all the e-mails I receive, from all the posts on the website, the verdict is in: 2007 Topps Baseball sucks. This anonymous poster sums it all up:
"I hate this year's Topps base set... I hate the airbrushing. I hate the design. I hate the mirror cards. I hate the 'Generation Now' idiocy. I hate the Mickey Mantle 'hero worship' cards. I hate that Topps repeatedly recycles the 1952 baseball design everywhere ... I really hate the red letter variations. I hate the fake short-print variations. ... I wish they would keep their base set sacrosanct. Put in autographed cards as chase cards. Maybe do one or two small (10-card) insert sets. But that's it! ... Don't ruin the stinkin' base set!"
So as a service to Upper Deck, Michael Eisner, Bazooka Joe, the infamous, deplorable, Keith Olbermann, or whomever winds up running Topps, may I make a couple of suggestions for the 2008 Topps Baseball set.
Expand the base set.
Call it "The 792 Mystique." Topps Baseball and the number 792 go together like peanut butter and jelly. But Topps hasn't made a base set that large since 1994 -- even though the number of MLB teams (and the number of MLB players) have expanded.
660 cards is just too small. Then again, 792 isn't big enough anymore either. Topps should expand their base set from 660 cards to (at least) 880. 880 cards is more than enough to include each team's entire 25-man roster, all 30 managers, 30 team cards, a handful of multi-player cards, and a couple dozen "Rookies."
The Updates and Highlights set -- which, since it's gone to its current format, I consider to be a third series -- is fine at 330 cards. The structure of traded players, "Rookies," All-Stars, league leaders, et al should remain unchanged.
Addition by subtraction.
With the PA's decision to cut the number of 2008 card releases by three, Topps series one and two should be combined into a single series, to be released in late-March. Updates and Highlights would remain in it's current late-October/early-November slot.
Please, step away from the airbrush.
Did we really have to have a card of Alfonso Soriano as a Chicago Cub, before he's even played a game for them? What exactly was the point of doing that? And doesn't airbrushing undermine the purpose of a second series or update set? If you absolutely, have to use the airbrush, save it for the Update set.
And while I'm on the subject of airbrushing, if the MLBPA can mandate to the trading card manufacturers who can appear in a set (i.e. the "Rookie Card" rules), they should decree that licensees should refrain from airbrushing until after the September 1 "call-up" date.
Cut back on the number of parallels and manufactured variations.
Personally, I could never understand the attraction of parallels. But many collectors like them, so I'm not advocating they be totally eliminated. But five different parallel sets? (Not to mention the contrived variations?) Golds, one-of-ones, Press Plates, and HTA-only Coppers are more than enough. Get rid of the Red Letter "stealth" parallels and the variations.
Ditch the "Mirrors."
The "mirror" insert is one of the dumbest concepts The Hobby's seen in the post-Pinnacle Brands era. It's right up there with Fractal Matrix, "Dare-to-Tear," and cards packaged in soup cans on the stupidity meter. The whole concept is an insult to the intelligence of baseball card collectors everywhere. Besides, its not like anybody's actually collecting any of these things.
For 2008, Topps should finish up the Bonds, Mantle, and A-Rod mirrors, and put this gimmick to bed. Permanently.
Streamline the other inserts.
OK, so Topps paid a shit-pot of money to get Mickey Mantle. But does that justify a new "hero-worship" insert of him, every year? Here's a suggestion, with all the other card companies ripping off Topps' designs and ideas, how about ripping-off an idea from the competition?
I don't know about you, but I loved the "Baseball Heroes" anthology inserts Upper Deck had in the early-90s. Why not try the same idea in Topps? Put out a new ten-card hero-worship set for a different player, in each series. Start with Mantle and Bonds sets for 2008, but continue the series in '09 with different players.
I'd keep the other inserts: Own the Game, Hobby Masters, and Topps Stars in the combined "regular" set; Trading Places and Rookie Debuts in Updates and Highlights. I'd also throw in a "historical figures" insert along the lines of the Distinguished Service and The Constitution Signers.
We "get" pack-specific inserts, but this is a little ridiculous.
As collector's, we're used to the idea of separate inserts for Hobby packs, retail packs, HTA jumbos, and racks. But inserts exclusively for K-Mart, Wal-Mart, and Target? That's a little excessive, wouldn't you say?
So those are my ideas for '08 Topps. What to you all think? Care to make any suggestions?
Stale Gum reader Rob Heiser made an observation on Topps series 2 that escaped even my eagle eye. "I noticed that the Bengie Molina card (#4) in 2007 Topps Series 1 is exactly the same as his card in 2007 Topps Series 2 (#342) except for the number on the back of the card. I haven't noticed any other similarities like that between the two sets and wondered if this was a common thing to do -- and if so, why? I could understand if the (#4) card was in a Blue Jays uniform or something, but the picture is the same, as well as the blurb text about him."
Yes Rob, it's exactly the same card. The only difference being the card number. It does not appear -- at least at first glance -- that the second series card is a variation. I've examed the obverse and reverse sides of both Molinas and could find no other difference between the two other than card number.
This can be chalked up to one of two things: 1) Topps' irrational airbrushing exuberance in the first series of '07 Topps, (Molina played for Toronto last year and signed with the Giants as a free agent in the off-season, hence the airbrushing from Toronto to San Francisco) or 2) sheer laziness on Topps behalf.
The party line is that Topps "inadvertently inserted a Bowman Chrome Kosuke Fukudome Autographed Rookie Card (which is not autographed) into packs of the recently-released 2008 Bowman Chrome Baseball. A total of 1900 copies were issued. Fukudome is not a subject on the Autographed Rookie Card checklist nor was he ever solicited as one."
Remember that Topps card of Kazuo Uzuki that everyone forgot about when we all realized it was just another stupid gimmick? Guess what? It was 
Is this what Topps meant by 
(VERIFYING ON ANOTHER!)
