1st Impressions: 2013 Topps Heritage

The preview for 2013 Topps Heritage Baseball I wrote for Sports Collectors Daily is probably the best such preview I've ever written for them. 

SRSLY, go read it.

First Impressions: 2013 Topps Series One Baseball

In what has become an annual late-summer rite of passage, this past weekend Topps unveiled the design and structure of next year’s Flagship baseball set.  Not unlike back-in-the-day when the Big Three car makers would start selling next year’s models by Labor Day, Topps has been sending out the sell-sheets for next year’s Flagship before the current season even ends.  In a way, I kind of like the way Topps gave us a preview this far out in advance.  It whets the collector’s appetite and gives us a sneak peak on what to look for next year.  Now that the sell-sheets have been out for a few days, I do have a few thoughts regarding 2013 Topps Baseball Series One.

The design of the base set isn’t the greatest, but it doesn’t completely suck either.  Despite all the recent issues of the Topps Flagship (and there have been many), they deserve some credit for making a well-designed base set.  The asymmetrical, home-plate motif reminds me of the 2009 design, but with the typeface of the 2010 set.  However, there’s way too much empty space at the bottom – space where the player’s position could have been noted.  It’s not as great as 2009, 2010, or even 2012, but it’s not as bad as “The Girlie Show” of 2008 or the “Black-Bordered with Colored Boxes” thing of 2007 either.  It’s alright.

Before I continue, I want to stop here and get something off my chest regarding the two most overused words in The Hobby today: “Added Value.”  Let’s go back about 5-10 years and compare Topps’ Flagship of the pre-“added value” era to the post-2008 Topps.  Back then, if you bought a Hobby box of Topps you knew that not every $2 pack would deliver $2 worth of cards (Actually, back then, the MSRP was only $1.50/pack, but work with me here.), but there were some packs were you’d get maybe $3-$5 worth of cards.  Over the course of a full 36-pack $50-$60 Hobby box, generally, you’d get $50-$60 worth of baseball cards -- $75-$80 worth if you were lucky enough to pull the case hit.

Then about five or six years ago, Topps decided to “add value” in every pack.  They did this by gradually adding something new to the product every year, without subtracting much, if anything, to its structure.  Over time, we’ve seen more inserts, more parallels, guaranteed “hits” in every box, and (my favorite) gimmicks, all justified as “adding value.”   

They may not have stated it out-front, but clearly the goal was to do something that completely violates the laws of economics: Have every $2 waxpack yield more than $2 worth of cards. But it’s not possible to consistently deliver $3-$5 dollars worth of cards in every $2 pack.  It’s just not.  Either the market price of those packs has to increase or the cards inside those packs have to decrease, and as we’ve seen over the last five years, all of the new “value” additions to the Topps Flagship have wound up actually devaluing just about everything else.  It’s now gotten to the point where the Flagship has become so overstuffed with “value” it’s now become impossible to try and collect it all, and more collectors have done what I did this year and are not even bothering to try.  I think it speaks volumes to the problems of Topps’ Flagship that you can now purchase a Hobby box of 2012 Topps Series One for under $40 – that’s about $4 under dealer cost.  So much for “added value,” huh?

All of which leads us to the bloated mess that has been the Topps Flagship of the last few years; but how does the 2013 edition compare?  Unfortunately, the structure of 2013 Topps is pretty much a cut-and-paste job.  Same 330 card base set, meaningless parallels, boring inserts, stupid manufactured “Relics,” and a near worthless hit in every box.  This year’s “value” addition are the Desert Camouflage and Pink parallels – which judging by the mock-ups on the sell-sheet, are going to be some of the ugliest cards ever produced. 

Seriously. 

Pink baseball cards. 

Who the fuck thought of this?

Moving on, once again the insert program revolves around a unified theme, but unlike the last few years where we’ve had Diamonds and Gold and Reprints jammed down our throats, this year’s theme of “The Chase” is a little more subtle.  (I was expecting a gimmick card of Giorgio Moroder and a 10-card tribute insert to Chase Utley, but alas, there are none.)  There’s the die-cut Cut to the Chase, Chasing the Dream, and Chasing History, but there are three other inserts that don’t seem to have anything to do with the Chase theme: Calling Cards, The Greats (which remind me of the old Topps Sterling brand), and a new batch of mini cards, this time with the psychedelic 1972 Topps design replacing last year’s 1987s and 2011’s Kimball’s.

Yes, there are the much-maligned manu-Relics, this year with fake award trophies and ersatz coins.  However, there are noticeably fewer manu-Relics this year, and you kind of have the feeling that the concept is slowing beginning to jump the shark.  It hasn’t quite yet, but Fonzie just stepped into his water skis and the boat is about to pull out to sea.  I doubt we’ll see the return of these cards beyond  2014.

Once again you’ll get one hit in every Hobby box, and each HTA box will yield an autograph and two “Relics.” (I put the term “Relic” in scare-quotes because Topps actually counts the manu-Relics as a real Relic.)  Of course, all the low-numbered autographs, auto-relics, and patches are prominently displayed on multiple pages of the sell-sheet, but you’re more than likely to pull a single-swatch Relic or a sticker autograph of a marginal prospect or middle-inning reliever.  In other words, your one-per-box hit will be another $0.99 eBay special.

So that’s that.  2013 Topps Baseball Series One is nothing more than a re-hash of a product in need of a major overhaul.  Looking beyond 2013 and into the long-run (something that is sadly lacking in this industry) Topps needs to ask some serious questions regarding their annual Flagship.  Does a product like this really, really, even need a hit in a box?  If the stated goal is to deliver “value,” wouldn’t making the Relics and autographs tougher to pull make sense?  With another year of mini-sized reprints, how many times can they keep going to the same well with a concept some collectors are starting to tire of?  Is it possible to release their Flagship that’s more than 330 cards per series and without foil stamping and gloss on each card?

With that all said, 2013 Topps Baseball looks good and I might actually collect it.  I’ll probably wait until next summer to buy a box, which by that time it should be selling around dealer cost.  Then again, I had the same feelings about 2012 Topps around this time last year, until Topps decided to ruin it with gimmicks.   

They’ll probably fuck it up again with gimmicks, but that’s for another column.

What I've been up to.

In case you're wondering what I've been up to lately, and why this site hasn't been updated in a while, I've been doing some free lance writing for Sports Collector's Daily.

For the uninitiated, it's probably the best Hobby news site on the planet.

For now, I writing previews of soon-to-be-released card sets. Check 'em out...

2012 Topps Opening Day Baseball

2012 Topps Heritage Baseball

2012 Topps UFC Knockout

And yes, I did compare Opening Day to Richard Nixon.

2012 Topps 1st Impressions: You call this a "Game Changer?"

Replace "Diamond" with "Gold" and WAA-LAH!!!!

2012 Topps Baseball!

No really. 2012 Topps is THE SAME FUCKING PRODUCT as 2011 Topps.

Same 330-card base set.

Same insert overload.

Same parallels.

But to be fair, there are some changes.

It's not the "Diamond Giveaway," it's now the "Golden Giveaway."

All of the "Diamond"-themed inserts are now Golden-themed -- including the Diamond parallels from 2011 Topps, which are now "Gold Diamonds."

And did I mention that Hobby boxes only have 24 packs now?

At least they had the good sense to, in an election year, spare us cards of politicians. For now.

If that's the "Game Changer," then I'd like to go back to the old game, please.

Now that the 2011 Topps checklist is out...

A few more takes on 2011 Topps.

You know that super-cool die-cut card of the 2010 NL Cy Young winner and NL MVP that Topps leaked to Beckett last week? The one that gave The Hobby a collective boner over the possibility that Topps might be bringing back some of the design concepts of the mid-to-late-1990s? You know this card?

Well guess what? You will not be able to find this, or any other "Diamond Die-Cut" card in any pack of 2011 Topps Baseball.

Let me repeat that. The Diamond Die-Cut inserts will not be in any pack of 2011 Topps Baseball.

The only way to get them is through the glorified video slot machine known as the Topps 60th Anniversary Diamond Card Giveaway website.

Yes, you'll have to redeem code cards in order to have a chance of getting a Diamond Die-Cut. And since there will be plenty of leftover "Cards Your Mother Threw Out, But Don't Really Want Back Anyway," chances are, you'll probably get five cards the caliber of an '87 Buddy Biancalana before the Transmogrifier grants you one of these.

But wait, it gets worse.

That's because the size of the Series One Diamond Die-Cut set is (and I'm not making this up) 150 cards.

One Hundred and Fifty Freaking Cards! Assuming that another 150 cards will be added for Series Two and TU&H, and you'll have to redeem twelvity-five thousand code cards and make elevity-seven bazillion trades in order to complete the full 450-card set. It's almost as if Topps just created an insert set that IS LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO COLLECT, EVEN IF MONEY WERE NO OBJECT.

But let's suppose you've redeemed those twelvity-five thousand code cards and made elevity-seven bazillion trades and completed that 450 card set. You're probably going to want Topps to deliver that set to you, right? Assuming that the shipping & handling remain unchanged from this year's Million Card Giveaway, then ZANG!!! $240 in shipping charges!

Seriously, how could Topps fuck up something this potentially epic, this badly?

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The rest of the product follows the same tiresome, phone-it-in, formula we've seen for the last few years. A way-too-small 330-card base set, the same numbered parallels, a autogamer in every Hobby box, et al. Even the inserts are pretty much the same as 2010.

Plug in "60 Years of Topps Reprints, Topps 60, Kimball Champions, and Diamond Duos" in place of "The Cards Your Mother Threw Out, Peak Performance, Turkey Red, and Legendary Lineage," and there really is no difference between the structure of the 2010 and 2011 Topps insert programs.

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Speaking of Kimball Champions, I'm going to ask this again: What the hell are these doing in 2011 Topps? If you're going to make 2011 Topps a massive celebration of Topps Baseball, then make it a celebration of TOPPS BASEBALL! Besides, you got to start thinking ahead for 2012 Topps, right?

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Yes, there will be (again), whether you like it or not, "Veteran Variations." Or, more accurately, there will be Veteran Variations whether Topps is even aware if you actually like them or not.

The fact that Topps devotes one line, in very small type, on the sell-sheet and doesn't even bother mentioning them at all on the checklist, says a lot about how ambivalent collectors have become to these gimmicks -- and I think Topps is beginning to notice. Topps could (and should) drop these cards the week before pack-out, and collectors wouldn't notice nor care.

2011 Topps Series One Checklist.

It's 2:40 AM, and I just finished uploading the 2011 Topps Series One checklist to the wiki. (You're welcome)

Still lots of TBDs, and still a work in progress; but it you want to see the provisional checklist...

http://www.baseballcardpedia.com/index. ... Series_One

More Takes on 2011 Topps Baseball

So, Topps released some more images of next year's flagship baseball set on their facebook page today. By now you've already seen them, so here's my take.

This looks pretty damn cool: On-card autographs WITH NOTATIONS. Very original. Too bad you'll probably never see one unless you rip eleventy billion HTA cases.

The once, and future, Cy Young winner; shown Cuttering the shit out of some poor National League donkey, on a die-cut insert (I'm assuming this is an insert) that has a bit of a late-90s vibe to it. Mmm, Guy Like!

I guess since this is the 60th Anniversary, we should get use to every-other insert having the word "Diamond" in it.


Hey look kids, a letter patch that's from the back of an actual uniform! (Albeit from a batting practice shirt.) Again, you'll probably have to rip twelvity five hundred waxboxes to find one, but AT LEAST IT AIN'T A STUPID MANU-PATCH!

For the uninitiated, the card on the left is a reprint of Babe Ruth's first trading card. This card (the real one, not the Topps reprint) is actually rarer than the T-206 Wagner and has been valued at $500,000. The one on the right is a Ryan Braun card done in the style of the 1888 Kimball Champion's set -- Mr. Burdick refers to it as "N-184."

2011 Topps is supposed to commemorate Topps' 60th year in baseball cards, right? Then tell me what the hell are cards like these doing in a set like this? If you're going to make 2011 Topps a celebration of 60 years of Topps Baseball, then make it A CELEBRATION OF "TOPPS FUCKING BASEBALL!" NOT OF CARDS YOU NEVER MADE!

Besides, I think we can all agree, we could use a break from the pre-war/19th Century retro stuff for a year.

And it wouldn't be a Topps product without reprints of ACTUAL Topps cards, right?

For those of you scoring at home, this is now (by my count) the twelfth time Topps has printed this particular Jackie Robinson card.

1952 (Original)
1983: 1952 Topps Reprint Set
1997: All-Star Fan Fest
2001: Topps Through the Years Reprints
2001: Topps Chrome Through the Years Reprints
2001: Topps Chrome Through the Years Reprints Refractor
2001: Topps Archives
2001: Topps Archives Reserve
2002: Topps '52 Reprints
2002: Topps Chrome '52 Reprints
2002: Topps Chrome '52 Reprints Refractor
2011: Topps

Speaking of reprints, wouldn't it have been great if Topps waited until 2011 to unveil "The Cards Your Mom Threw Out" and "Million Card Giveaway" promotions? I know, I know, I'm thinking long-term viability -- a prerequisite not required for employment in the trading card industry.



Chris Olds and I had a Twitter-debate as to what the borders of these cards are supposed to be. Olds thought it was Dufex, I think it's etched-foil a la 1993 Bowman. Either way, they look pretty damn cool. But I do find it curious that the serial-number is on the front of the Gold Ichiro, but not the Silver Jeter.

For the Record: There's also a gray-bordered David Wright card that I assume will inherit the "numbered to 2011" parallel, and a black-border of some broken-down, washed-up, pitcher that should be numbered to 60 copies.

Of course, Topps has yet to release the composition and structure of 2011 Topps. Until then, any further judgments will be withheld.

My take on the 2011 Topps design.

On the Plus Side:

1) No Moose-Knuckle. If I see another card of Albert Pujols' moose-knuckle, I swear, I'm going to off myself.

2) Going back to team logos after a year of wordmarks. Wordmarks are like Topps 206, something to be used once-per-decade, at most.

3) No unnecessary "boxes" or "dots."

4) White borders.

On the Minus Side:

1) Unnecessary repetition of team name. We get it. Albert Pujols plays for the Cardinals. Do you have to state it TWICE AROUND THE TEAM LOGO? Isn't that a little too redundant?

2) The "Name Arc." Try fitting the names "JONATHAN PAPELBON," "SHANE VICTORINO," or "JARROD SALTALAMACCHIA" on that small amount of real estate. (Thank God William Van Landingham is retired!)

3) Where's that way-cool 60th Anniversary logo you showed us at The National?

4) If you were a novice baseball fan and had no idea what position Albert Pujols plays, would you be able to find it on this card?

2010 Allen & Ginter's Checklist

ZOMG! THE CHECKLIST IS OUT!!!

http://www.baseballcardpedia.com/mediawiki/index.php/2010_Topps_Allen_%26_Ginter%27s

I still don't see Jefferson Burdick on the Checklist, though. What's up with that Topps?

National Chicle Baseball has "FAIL" written all over it.

As much as I like retro-themed sets, Topps may have pushed it a little too far with 2010 National Chicle Baseball.

Seriously, do we really need... this?

That's supposed to be Babe Ruth (although it looks more like a bloated Chipper Jones) depicted in the uniform of a team that did not exist until 18 years after his death.

But wait there's more...



Yes it's Ichiro, but in a Seattle Pilots uniform.

Why? Why not just airbrush a Brewers uni on the guy and be done with it?

And then there's this crime against cardboard...



So, is NCB supposed to be based on a 75-year-old football card set, or a 20-year-old baseball one? And who is this even supposed to be? Obviously it's not Frank Thomas, but it can't be Gordon Beckham either because he doesn't play first base. Paul Konerko?

What the fuck is this? What was Topps thinking?

(h/t Beckett Blog)

First Impressions: 2010 Topps

If you haven't seen it on the Beckett Blog, what are you waiting for?

My reax...

Things I Like

The design. The '02-Post-meets-'91-Topps mash-up is starting to grow on me.

The "Tales of the Game" insert. Especially card #TOG-30 "Topps Dumps 1952 Cards in the River."

No short-prints, base set variations, squirrels, fake Japanese "prospects," or other assorted gimmicks. At least not yet, anyway.

Things I Don't Like

330 card base set. Is a 396-card first series base set too difficult to ask, or what?

Too many inserts. By my count, there will be just as many non-parallel, non-autographed, non-relic inserts (303 cards, spread out over seven different sets) then base cards. I like lots of inserts, but over 300 in one release is just excessive. Did we really need another year of Turkey Red? Or a sixty-card set of players pictured in their Little League uniforms?

Manufactured Hat Logo "Relics." Just die already.

Things I'm Indifferent About

The "Cards Your Mother Threw Out" insert. Hey look, it's yet another '52T Mickey Mantle reprint! FEEL THE EXCITEMENT!

MANTLE-JO!!!!!!

I don't understand the logic of another reprint set. Hasn't Topps gone to the well a little too often with this concept already? Besides, I seriously doubt that my mother threw away my '09T Evan Longoria. On the other hand, you'll finally be able to add that Alex Gordon to your 2006 Topps set.

Big Mojo Hits. Nobody buys Topps for autographs or gamers -- even if they are one-per Hobby and three-per HTA box. What's the point of having them?

The newly designed "Rookie Card" logo. The now familiar "Rookie Card" icon (and the eligibility rules that came with it) were the MLBPA's idea. Now that Topps has redesigned it to prominently feature the MLB logo, does this mean that Upper Deck will still use the old one? Is Topps no longer bound to the PA's eligibility rules?

An non-parallel, non-game used, non-autographed insert that will not suck.

UPDATE: My laptop is still out of commission. It'll be a few days before I get it back and I'm resorting to posting from my parent's house.

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Pity, the humble insert. In an era where autographs of obscure Single-A relievers, or a card with the crotch of some backup catcher's pant leg pass as "Big Mojo Hits," the plain-vanilla insert has become a mere afterthought. Granted, the card companies haven't been putting much effort into them lately; but every once and a while, they come up with a concept that makes even the most jaded Hobbyist stand up and take notice. For 2009 Updates & Highlights, Topps may have come up with such an insert.

'09 TU&H will feature a 30-card insert set done in the style of World War II-era propaganda posters (think "Rosie the Riveter," and "Loose Lips Sink Ships" kind of stuff). The posters are the work of Boston-area artist Chris Speakman -- a self-described "Lifelong lover of sports with a passion for history." I describe his work as completely original and kick-ass.

Speakman's been producing his propaganda posters for years now, and most of his work has a definite Red Sox flavor to it. However, he's begun to branch out into the other MLB teams as well.

Check out his website at sportspropaganda.com

1st Impressions: 2009 Topps

Yes, I know. Beckett posted the first prototypes last week. As an editorial decision, I've reserved judgment until somebody posted a sell sheet.

But now, the sell sheets are out. Here's what you'll find in 2009 Topps!

Base Set: 330 cards

Looks like another 660-card phone-it-in special from Topps. :-(

Legends of the Game: 17 variations (1:6 Hobby, one-per HTA pack)

Here's how this gimmick works. Card #1 in the base set is A-Rod, but the variation of #1 is Babe Ruth.

Parallels
Gold: Numbered to 2009 (1:9 Hobby, 1:2 HTA)
Black: Numbered to 58
Platinum: 1/1
Silk: 100 card partial parallel, numbered to 50
Plates

With the exception of the every-other-pack Gold Foil, the parallels are unchanged.

Inserts
Legends of the Game: 25 cards (1:6 Hobby, one-per HTA pack)
Turkey Red: 55 cards (1:4 Hobby, one-per HTA pack)
Ring of Honor: 25 cards (1:6 Hobby, one-per HTA pack)
World Baseball Classic Redemption: Ten cards (1:36 Hobby, 1:10 HTA)
Sketch Cards
Four separate ten-card retail-exclusive inserts.

I don't see a Mickey Mantle hero worship set anywhere on the sell sheet (Thank God).

Turkey Red is this year's "Continuity Insert."

Odd numbered cards #1-50 in the Ring of Honor insert will be given away at HTA stores. Even numbered cards will be inserted into packs.

Each Hobby box will contain a hit, and each HTA box will have three. Then again, if you're buying this JUST for the "Hits," well.....

More info on 2009 UD

• Structure of the 500 card base set...

400 veterans
30 Rookies
30 Team Leaders
10 Season Highlights
30 Team Checklists


• I don't particularly understand the logic behind having BOTH a Team Leader AND a Team Checklist subset.



• Joe DiMaggio is listed as card #0 on the provisional checklist. (Gimmicked SP? God I hope not.)



• All 30 "Rookies" are of September call-ups with Tampa Bay's David Price being the "money card."



• Each 20-card Hobby pack will have two insert cards. Assuming some of these are exclusive to retail, the complete list of inserts reads as follows:
  

  Gold Parallel (numbered to 99)
  StarQuest (25 cards, available in six different flavors)
  Rookie Debuts (30 cards, same checklist as the base set Rookies)
  '75 OPC (50 cards, 1:4/packs, available in regular and mini varieties)
  Rivals (25 cards)
  Greats of the Game (25 cards)
  USA 18U National Team (18 cards)
  USA Retrospectives (14 cards)
  20th Anniversary (1:2)
  Yankee Tedium Lunacy Update (1:4)
  MLB Documentary Update (1:4)



• Each 16-pack Hobby waxbox will yield two jersey cards, one of which will be a multi-swatch card (double, triple, or quad) numbered to 199 copies or less.



• One autographed gamer and a patch card per 12-box case.

1st Impressions: 2009 Upper Deck Series One

UPDATED: Wax Heaven has pictures.




Look at what I found on Dave and Adam's.



500 card base set
Two jerseys and an autograph in a box
1975 OPC inserts

Images of the cards when they become available.

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.

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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.

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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.)

Box Rating: 3 1/2 Gumsticks (out of five)
Product Rating: 3 Gumsticks

... and another thing.

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.

1st Impressions: Razor Signature Baseball

Gellman over at Sports Cards Uncensored had the scoop a few days ago (pay no attention to the article that proceeds it) on the much-anticipated debut of Razor Baseball -- a product I've labeled "The Bowman Killer." But in perusing the checklist, I found a few things that were a bit strange.

For one thing, the posted checklist for 2008 Razor Signature Baseball doesn't list the first 100 cards in the base set -- just cards #101-200. There were also a few minor details that were omitted such as street date and MSRP for a pack.

I contacted Brian Gray of Razor to clarify and his response is that the first 100 cards in the set are all un-autographed base cards. The next 100 cards will repeat the checklist of the first 100 and each will feature a "trapped cut autograph."

What is a trapped cut autograph, you ask? It appears that in lieu of stickers (or for that matter, on-card autographs) Razor had each player sign what looks like a cardboard "tab." The tabs will then be mounted (or "trapped") into the card -- kind of like a cut signature.

Each pack will contain five cards (one of which is autographed) and will retail for an MSRP of $12.50. Waxboxes will have 10 packs. The street date is December 1st, which is about a week before the scheduled release of 2008 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects.

1st Impressions: 2008 Upper Deck Update

Upper Deck will finish off their flagship baseball card set with a 200-card Update set.

So what, you say. OK, here's the cool part: UD is going old school by issuing it exclusively as a factory set. In other words, its an update set the way an update set should be.

But wait, there's more! Each set will be packaged in a custom-fit box big enough to fit the whole 1000-card set.

Upper Deck Baseball is truly "The Collector's Choice."

Street Date: November 4th.

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.

Stadium Club Retail

2008 Stadium Club is starting to look a lot like last year's Ultra SE after all, as Topps will release a stripped down version for retail. That the good news. The bad news: I finally figured out what's actually in Stadium Club.

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.

Inserts: 15 Rookie Performers, 10 Then & Now, 10 2008 Flashbacks.

Two Chrome/Refractors per waxbox.

One Autogamer per waxbox.

Street Date: Oct. 13

1st Impressions: Upper Deck MLB Documentary.

On the same week Topps killed off Moments & Milestones, Upper Deck has unveiled plans for another equally massive, and equally confusing, trading card set.

2008 MLB Documentary will have 166 cards....

... for each of the 30 teams!

That's right, a 4980-card base set.

In what may be the understatement of the year, UD calls MLB Documentary "The most extraordinary set ever to be completed."

Clearly, UD isn't expecting anyone to actually build the nearly 5000 card base set, and is marketing MLB Documentary towards team set collectors as each card will be sequentially numbered twice (as part of the full set and as a team set).

But even if you only wanted to collect all 166 cards of your favorite team, there's one other issue: price. Each fifteen card waxpack will cost $2.99.

Considering the massive size of the base set, the large size of each team's subset, and the odds of finding any particular card from the team you want to collect in a pack, $2.99 is a lot of money.

Each 24-pack waxbox will yield an autograph, and each pack will have a Gold parallel.

Street Date: Late December 2008