Topps Now, But Never Again

Topps is now making cards that feature in season highlights the day after they happen.  Jake Arrieta throws a no-hitter, Topps Now card.  Melvin Upton has a walk off hit, Topps Now.  Supposedly Topps got the idea for the Topps Now cards from this scene from SpaceBalls.

Since its inception Topps Now has drawn a lot of talk around social media.  Some good, some not good.  Recently I took the Topps Now plunge.  At $9.99 a card I was expecting something really cool.  I received my envelope a week, or two, ago and all I can say is "sigh".  Let me review a few reasons for my sigh of disappointment.  

1. Shoddy Packaging - Seriously, a $10 card with no penny sleeve in the cheapest, flimsiest Ultra Pro that money can possibly buy.  If someone had sent a card like this off of Ebay the would at least get a stern message about their packaging.  Luckily in this case nothing happened to my card, but if you have not bought from Topps Now, just beware that this is how your card is shipped.

2. Remind Me What's So Special? - I took Bryce out of his flimsy Ultra Pro to scan him, he's felling better in a penny sleeve and a sturdier top loader.  I had to check out the front and back of the card, but outside of the date on the front of the card I cannot really find anything that sets the card apart to make it special.  Is there a serial number?  No.  Is there some sort of cool certification statement on the back?  No.  So, it's printed on some sort of cool card stock, something?  No.  Anything?  No.

3. So This Will Be Great For Team Collectors? - Some of this is a little bit tricky.  If you are going to make roughly two cards a day, there are going to be days where there are some really tough choices.  As a Cardinals fan, I was happy to see Jaime Garcia get a card for his near no-hitter, but I have also been disappointed that Topps has missed getting a card of Aledmys Diaz out.  You know, the rookie shortstop is has been hitting .400 during April and leading the world in OPS, OPS+, and WAR.  So, maybe I am biased.  I asked around.

I decided that I would check out a Cubs collector or two who had said something about Topps Now cards.  After all, nobody is having a better season than the Cubs....Both liked the Arrieta no-hit card that Topps put out the day after, but that was sort of a no-brainer.  Both mentioned a few different plays and games that could have been a Topps Now card, but both wondered why Dexter Fowler had gone unnoticed for the first month of the season?  Fowler has had a spectacular start to the season, several huge games, yet nothing.

Dropping down further in the standings, there are several other collectors who have teams that currently reside near the bottom of their divisions.  For example, as a Durham Bulls fan and collector, I have the chance to interact with a lot of Rays collectors.  Many have expressed doubts about the Rays getting a Topps Now card anytime soon short of a no-hitter.  After all, Drew Smyly accomplished almost the same thing that Jaime Garcia got a Topps Now card for, but where is his card?

I bought two Topps Now cards, but never again.

#MyCardMonday

As a baseball fan I am excited that we are getting close to the start of the season.  We are just 34 days (from Monday) from the first game of the season between the Cardinals and the Cubs.  As a Cardinals fan it seems like there are a lot of questions circling the team this spring.  The Cardinals always seem to have all of the answers and inevitably end up playing important baseball games in October.  One of the more intriguing stories at Cardinals Spring Training this year is pitcher Jaime Garcia.  

When Garcia is right physically he is a really nice pitcher.....

The problem is that Garcia has not pitched a complete season since 2011.  Since then there have been shoulder surgeries and thoracic outlet operations with very little pitching.  Garcia is back with the Cardinals this spring trying to win a spot with the team.  I am guessing that he will end up pitching in the minors on some sort of rehab assignment at the beginning of the year, but at some point he could very well help the Cardinals out with some starts during the season.  

The early returns look good: 

I would be excited to see the good healthy version of Garcia return to the Cardinals starting rotation and recently had to breakout my Garcia cards.  The card above is probably my favorite Jaime card that I picked up a few years ago from former blogger DodgerBobble.  He is still on Instagram and runs a great page with tons of autographs.  Anyway, the card comes from the Museum product with a nice on card signature.  Love the contrast between the blue ink and white background.  I like the faded area around the bottom of the card which gives a nice spot for the signature.  

A Trip to Big D's Sports Cards

It's been a slow week around my blog this week mainly because it's been a busy week around my house getting ready for the holidays with decorations and presents.  It's also been the final week of school for this quarter which is always busy.  Throw in a wife under the weather and a 70 degree day yesterday and I have spent a huge chunk of my weekend chasing a three year old around a few parks around town.

The little guy and I made a deal yesterday morning that I could visit my favorite new card shop in exchange for a trip to his favorite park which features a giant green concrete dragon.  Seemed like a fair trade, so I made my second trip into Big D's Sports Cards.  The owner Jimmy was awesome again and helped me pick out some more awesome cards for the collection.

During my first trip I spent my time focusing on Rays/Durham Bulls cards, but branched out a little bit this visit and added some Cardinals pieces too.  So, without further delay here'a look at my new cards:

2013 Topps Triple Threads Matt Holliday Jersey

Jimmy actually picked this up at a show he attended last week.  I have another version of this card numbered out of 36, but this one is numbered to just 27 and also features his jersey number 7 on the card.  I am not super huge into the whole "Ebay 1 of 1" thing with cards being numbered 1, last print, or to a jersey number, but when I find them and there's not a ridiculous premium attached they are cool.  I paid for a Triple Threads Matt Holliday card which is a great price to pay for this awesome card.

2002 Topps Tribute Bob Gibson Jersey 

A Bob Gibson jersey from a good set is pretty self-explanitory.  I actually saw this the last time in the store and gave it some thought.  Yesterday I pulled the trigger.  Cool card from a cool set.

2011 Topps Tier One Albert Pujols

My interest in Albert has died down, but I will always look and listen when I see something cool.  This is a pretty nice piece.

2012 Topps Tribute Jaime Garcia Autograph 

Hoping Jaime can bounce back this year if he fits somewhere in the middle of Wainwright, Wacha, Kelly, Miller, Lynn, and Martinez.  Cool card from a cool set.  Next up, two Longos.....

2013 Topps Tribute Evan Longoria Dual Bat 

2010 Topps Peak Performance Evan Longoria 

and finally, I always go out on the limb for a card.  Last time it was a great looking Tulo quad from the Topps Museum set.  Not starting a Rockies collection or anything, but could not pass up adding a nice piece from Triple Threads featuring Carlos Gonzalez.  Sweet card.

2011 Topps Triple Threads Carlos Gonzalez Jersey 

It was a good Saturday at Big D's, a little rushed with the little people, but I am really happy with the cards I picked up.  A return trip is definitely in the works before I go back to school in January.  Speaking of return trips, Big D is hosting a Trade Night later on in January.  I am in and hope if you live in the Raleigh-Durham area you will take a little time out of your calendar to stop in and trade a few cards.  Link above, picture with details below.

2013 Topps Museum Bruce Sutter Triple Relic Autograph

In case you missed the beginnings of my blog last year, I have a rule about not opening high end wax products.  Terrible luck in the past, plus the ability to control my product hits through trades and purchases has led me done the path of letting others risk most of the danger.  I still get an itch once in awhile and will drop good money and a high end pack, but that is pretty rare.  My rule still does not mean that I will not dabble in the product once the cards have reached the secondary market.

Last year I really enjoyed the first release of the Topps Museum Collection and was excited to get my hands on a few cards this year.  Last week the product hit the shelves and I overcame the temptation of ripping a box or pack to wait out a few cards in trades and auctions.  My first pair of cards came in the mail this afternoon.  Big one first.

2013 Topps Museum Collection Bruce Sutter

Sutter was the last Cardinals player elected to the Hall of Fame and also had his jersey retired at the beginning of last season.  Sutter was one of the dominate relievers of his area and he was also noted for being one of the pioneers of the split finger fastball.  Sutter is a pretty easy autograph to find on the secondary market, but is mainly in a Cubs or Braves jersey on most of the cards.  While I do not like sticker autographs, especially on a high end product, this card was a little too nice to pass by.  Especially since it is my first Sutter autograph in a Cardinals uniform.  The red patch piece on the left-hand side of this card makes it a little bit sweeter.

2013 Topps Museum Collection Jaime Garcia

And I also picked up this jumbo Jaime Garcia jersey card.  It's been a bad day for Jaime, as it was just announced he is out for the season, so I will simply say that this is a pretty cool jumbo piece of his jersey.

30 Year Top 50: Topps Triple Threads

#34-This post is going to be slightly different than the other posts that I have made for my Top 50 countdown.  I came up with the idea of doing this countdown leading into my 30th year in baseball card collecting this summer and put thought and consideration into where to rank all the different card sets that I have brought into my life since the summer of 1983.  The Triple Threads brand started in 2006 and is still currently running.  Every summer I eagerly await the release of Triple Threads and cannot wait to pick out a handful of really cool cards to add to my collection.  In many ways, the Triple Threads set is a top 10 on my personal list, but looking at the big picture and taking into account important rookies, design, etc, etc this is where it falls.  Note that I did not attach a year.  I do have a few I like more than others, but not a clear cut favorite.  Let me walk you through why I love this product:

2006 Triple Threads
I was initially really excited about the release of Triple Threads in 2006.  I rushed up to a card shop, which is no longer with us, in Durham to buy a pack.  Quickly spotting the product behind the counter I bought a pack of the high end product and immediately remembered my rule about high end wax.

2006 Topps Triple Threads Dan Johnson Dual Jersey/Autograph

Starring me back in this face was this Dan Johnson card.  Of course, he ended up playing for the Durham Bulls and won the International League MVP, so I would have ended up with the card in my collection anyway.  Right?  Disappointed, I did not open another pack of Triple Threads the rest of the year.  Since that time I have traded for a few.

2007 Triple Threads

My second venture into Triple Threads went much better.  I opened approximately zero packs of product, but worked the secondary market very hard to come up with a few gems for my collection.  My favorite:

My first Triple Threads card with a patch piece was a Shawn Riggans with two jersey pieces, a piece of green patch from the old Devil Rays unis, and an autograph.  I found it cheap in an Ebay auction and picked out the card since Riggans was having a great season for the Durham Bulls.  Riggans struggled in the majors and now out of baseball.  Still a cool card and turned the corner for me on this product. 

2007 Topps Triple Threads Shawn Riggans Dual Jersey/Patch/Autograph

2008 Triple Threads 

We all have misses in life and the 2008 Triple Threads set was a miss for me.  I didn't have many players I was excited to collect out of this set and the players I did collect, well....

2008 Topps Triple Threads Elijah Dukes Triple Bat/Autograph

I think I also picked up a few Jo Jo Reyes cards, Melky Cabrera, and a few other infamous characters.  I did pick up a good selection of Matt Holliday relic cards from this set after the Rockies run to the World Series.  This was the first year that I really went after the relics cards along with the autographs.  More recently, I landed a nice Dimaggio relic piece in a trade.  

2008 Topps Triple Threads Joe DiMaggio Six Piece Relic

2008 Topps Triple Threads Matt Holliday Six Piece Relic

2009 Triple Threads

I have two favorites in my collection from the 2009 set and would rank this set in a three way tie for the lead in the best Triple Threads sets.  My favorite card I picked up in 2009 which is a Ryan Braun patch/autograph.  This card has patch pieces from his Futures Game relics, the red/black/yellow pieces along with a thicker piece of black or navy patch.  I also love the word: HAMMER on the card.  If I ranked all of my Triple Threads cards against each other this would finish in the top 5.  

2009 Topps Triple Threads Ryan Braun Triple Patch/Autograph

My second card I picked up a few years ago after watching Nolan Reimold play for the Norfolk Tides. Sometimes I get a feeling about a player I watch in the minors and was fairly impressed by Reimold.  I found this card on Ebay really cheap and figured I would, at worst, have a really cool looking cards.  Reimold is looking like a regular though, so I think I did well with this card.  I love the orange jersey pieces and the yellow/red/black patch piece like the Braun. 

2009 Topps Triple Threads Autograph

2010 Triple Threads

I loved the 2010 release of Triple Threads.  If I had to narrow the Triple Threads sets down to the best, this would be another among my favorites.  The best part of the 2010 release was the inclusion of on-card autographs.  In someways, it gives this release a slight nod over the 2009 set, except the more standard looking Triple Threads cards were still sticker autographs.  My favorite two on card autographs were Andrew McCutchen and Howie Kendrick.  The McCutchen was my first McCutchen autograph and the Kendrick card is just signed really cool.  I've always like Howie's signature and I like how he just wrote over the whole card.  

2010 Topps Triple Threads Andrew McCutchen Jersey/Autograph

2010 Topps Triple Threads Howie Kendrick Jersey/Autograph 

The regular Triple Threads cards were still cool, but again, Topps used sticker autographs.  My favorite has to be Zorilla.  Ben Zobrist.  Again a personal Top 5 Triple Threads card. 

2010 Topps Triple Threads Seven Piece Relic/Autograph

2011 Triple Threads

The 2011 release was similar to the 2010 release in many ways and again, I would consider this to be among the three best Triple Threads sets along with the 2009 and 2010.  The veteran cards were generally sticker autographs.  My favorite is my Miguel Cabrera autograph, which I also collected all of the similar relic cards.  

2011 Topps Triple Threads 13 Piece Relic/Autograph

The young star players in the set were on card autographs like the 2010 release, but I felt the design of the 2011 cards was a little truer to the set.  

2011 Topps Triple Threads Jaime Garcia Triple Jersey/Autograph

The real drawback to this set, in my opinion, is the veteran cards with a single piece of jersey or patch.  If you are going to use sticker autographs the only reason to duck the design of the Cabrera card above is to cheapen the product.  I love the Matt Holliday card below, but I would have gladly tried to find a copy with multiple relic pieces in the regular Triple Threads format.

2011 Triple Threads Matt Holliday Patch/Autograph

2012 Triple Threads

I feel like the set has taken a little step back this year.  Still a really cool product and I own several really nice cards from the set, but the player selection is a little lacking in my opinion and there are several cards which are repeats from previous years.  Also, similar to the 2011 is the pattern on the autographs. Veterans are on stickers, younger players are on card, and there are single jersey autographs that are also stickers.  My two favorites from 2012:

2012 Topps Triple Threads David Freese Autograph

 2012 Topps Triple Threads Lance Lynn Jersey/Autograph

If you like the follow up I do on card sets not in my Top 50 be sure to check back tomorrow for a special piece I am putting together on a few sets released over the past few years similar to the Triple Threads releases.  

Trade with Dodger Bobble

Three weeks left in the school year and I just completed my last hard week.  Really happy with my students and I have some time to catch up on my blogging and trading.  I completed another trade last weekend with fellow blogger Dodger Bobble.  He's got a great page and would strongly encourage everyone to check out his cards and bobbles.  Dodger Bobble also has a Facebook page.  I traded a handful of Dodgers autographs and a Matt Kemp Topps Marquee Jersey Card for three autographs and three jersey cards.  My cards included:

2012 Topps Marquee Carl Crawford Jumbo Jersey

2012 Topps Marquee Zack Greinke Jumbo Jersey

2012 Topps Museum Jaime Garcia Autograph

2009 Topps Tribute Andre Dawson Autograph

2012 Topps Museum Ian Kinsler Quad Jersey/Patch

2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Johnny Cueto Autograph