Tournament of Gimmicks: We Have A Winnah!

It a shocking upset, the 2007 Topps Derek Jeter base card (with photos of George W. Bush and Mickey Mantle airbrushed in, for no apparent reason) has been crowned the worst Hobby gimmick of all time following a 63-56 victory in the Championship Game over Upper Deck's Yankee Stadium Legacy.



Despite getting a #4 seed in the tough Olbermann region, Jeter was able to defeat the #13-seed 2008 Topps Red Sox Rudy Giuliani gimmick in the first round, then punched their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen over an upset-minded #12-seed: the 2000 Pacific Invincible ManRam corked bat card.

In the Olbermann Regional Semi-Final, Derek Jeter was up against a true dark horse, a card picked by some to make it to the Final Four: The 2008 Upper Deck Hillary Clinton/Morgana card. Both sides went back-and-forth in a gimmick match-up for the ages. But when the final buzzer sounded, it was Jeter moving on to meet 2008 UD Documentary in the Regional Final.

The Regional Final was no contest. Although Crockumentary had a strong profile, and was despised by all in The Hobby, it was no match for Jeter/Bush/Mantle.

In the Final Four, in what some called "The Real Title Game" the Derek Jeter with paired with the #1-seeded Kazuo Uzuki. The card of the fake player versus the card with the fake backgound! The roof of Lucas Oil Stadium wasn't able to contain all the bullshit. But after a close match, it would be the Jeter playing for the Championship, and Kazuo Uzuki going back to law school.

After that epic Semi-Final, The Championship itself was a bit anti-climatic. Yankee Tedium Lunacy was a deserving opponent, and had this been any other year, might have been the one to cut down the nets. But on this night, and in this year, the 2007 Derek Jeter/George W. Bush/Mickey Mantle card was too much bullshit for even YSL to handle.

THE 2007 TOPPS #40 OF DEREK JETER/GEORGE W. BUSH/MICKEY MANTLE HAS BEEN CROWNED THE DUMBEST GIMMICK IN THE HISTORY OF BASEBALL CARD COLLECTING!

Tournament of Gimmicks Championship Game

Who will get to cut down the nets and have "One Shining Moment" played in their honor? IT'S UP TO YOU!

Tournament of Gimmicks Final
2007 Topps #40 Jeter/Bush/Mantle
2008-09 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy
See Results

Tournament of Gimmicks: THE MATCH-UP OF THE CENTURY HAS BEEN SET!!!!

The results of the T.O.G. Semi-Finals are in!

Semi-Final #1

#1 2008 Topps #FS1 Kazuo Uzuki: 58
#4 2007 Topps #40 Jeter/Bush/Mantle 70

Semi-Final #2

#3 "Franken-Cuts" 43
#1 2008/09 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy 69

The Championship Match-Up to crown the worst gimmick of all time is now set. Will the upstart Jeter/Bush/Mantle card from 2007 Topps be crowned the dumbest gimmick in Hobby history? Or, will it be Yankee Tedium Lunacy? WHO WILL CUT DOWN THE NETS? Stay tuned to this, and many other fine cardblogs, TOMORROW!

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Tournament of Gimmicks: A Correction.

Please note that I made a minor mistake when setting up the Tournament of Gimmicks Semi-Final #1 poll. The winner of the Jefferson Burdick Regional was Kazuo Uzuki, but when I set up the poll, I accidentally entered the Billy Ripken Fuck Face card. I was able to change the HTML code for my blog (and the Cardboard Junkie's), but was unable to correct it with the poll host.

Therefore, if you voted for Kazuo Uzuki, it will be recorded as a vote for Billy Ripken. If Billy Ripken "wins," it means Kazuo Uzuki will advance to the Championship Game.

With that said, voting for the Semi-Final Round ends at Midnight tonight.

The Tickets to the Gimmick Final Four Are Being Punched

Result from the Burdick Regional Final

1) 2008 Topps #FS1 Kazuo Uzuki - 15
3) 1989 Fleer #616 Billy Ripken "Fuck Face" - 12

Result from the Olbermann Regional Final

2) 2008 Upper Deck Documentary - 24
4) 2007 Topps #40 Jeter/Bush/Mantle - 43

Result from the Beckett Regional Final

4) 2006 Topps #297 Alex Gordon - 5
3) "Franken-Cuts" - 7

Result from the Berger Regional Final

1) 2008/09 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy - 22
3) 2001 Donruss Elite Extra Edition $5.99 Redemption Cards - 9

Tournament of Gimmicks: Regional Finals

BURDICK REGIONAL FINAL



1) 2008 Topps #FS1 Kazuo Uzuki

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3) 1989 Fleer #616 Billy Ripken "Fuck Face"

Click here to vote in this regional final.

OLBERMANN REGIONAL FINAL



4) 2007 Topps #40 Jeter/Bush/Mantle

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2) 2008 Upper Deck Documentary

Click here to vote in this regional final.

BECKETT REGIONAL FINAL



4) 2006 Topps #297 Alex Gordon

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3) "Franken-Cuts"

Click here to vote in this regional final.

BERGER REGIONAL FINAL



1) 2008/09 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy

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3) 2001 Donruss Elite Extra Edition $5.99 Redemption Cards

Click here to vote in this regional final.

Tournament of Gimmicks: Regional Semi-Final Results

"Hi everyone, I'm Gus Johnson, and welcome to the Regional Semi-Finals of the Tournament of Gimmicks."



"In the Jefferson Burdick Region, Kazuo Uzuki easily defeated the 2008 upside down gimmicks 26-7. OOOOHHHHHHH MY!!!!!!! THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS!!!!!

And in the other game OOHHHHH WHAT AN UPSET!!!! As the Billy Ripken Fuck Face card WITH ENGLISH!!!!! took down Manufactured Letter Patches 20 to 13."

"Now, let's go to the Olbermann region, where in an INSTANT CLASSIC!!!!!! the #4 seeded Derek Jeter/Mickey Mantle/George W. Bush card BURIED IT!!!! on the the #1 seeded Johan Santana fake no-no. And in the other half of the region, UD Documentary CLIMBED THE MOUNTAIN!!!! and eeked out the win on a last second three-pointer over the Hillary/Morgana gimmick. WHAT A GAME!!!!!"

"Moving on to the Jim Beckett Bracket, in an MAJOR UPSET!!!! Alex Gordon had GET AWAY FROM THE COPS SPEED!!!!! as the #4 seed took out the #1 seeded "Jon" Smoltz card from last year's Heritage. Meanwhile Franken-Cuts, the cut signatures that everyone loves to hate, went all RISE AND FIRE!!!!! (count it) on Poley Walnuts.

Finally, in the Sy Berger Regional, as expected Yankee Stadium Legacy is through to the Elite Eight with a 16-9 win over Topps Moments & Milestones. It was HEART!!!! BREAK!!!! CITY!!!! for TM&M, who put up a strong fight, but in the end it was YSL that was the stupider gimmick. Finally, for the last ticket into the Regional Final, we had what many would call a Final Four-type match-up as #2 seeded Scoreboard Abe went DOWN TO THE WIRE!!!! with the #3 seed DEEE $5.99 Redemptions. It was an INSTANT CLASSIC!!!! but the $5.99 redemptions BROUGHT THE PAIN!!! and beat Scoreboard Abe by a single point."

The Only Poll that Matters.

Any "Best Blogger" contest that doesn't include: Ben Henry, Dinged Corners, Thorzul, SCU, and, well, ME is a joke.

Take a look at the list of nominees. I can honestly say that half of these cardblogs were unknown to me before this evening. I'm not trying to knock any of these guys, I'm sure they all have great cardblogs. But can you really call a site that has been in existence for less than two months the "Best?"

With that said, go vote for the Junkie. The man deserves to win something.

And if Dr. Wax Battle doesn't win for Best Video Box Breaker, somebody's going to die.

Now, go vote in the only poll that matters: The Tournament of Gimmicks.

Burdick Region

Olbermann Region

Beckett Region

Berger Region

Tournament of Gimmicks: Regional Semi-Finals

Click here to vote in these match-ups.

Regional Semi-Final #1

1) 2008 Topps #FS1 Kazuo Uzuki

Kazuo Uzuki is the Duke of Gimmicks. Year in and year out, Uzuki will always find a way to get to the Sweet Sixteen.

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4) 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights "Upside-Down" Longoria, Bruce, and Fukudome

If Kazuo Uzuki is the Duke of Gimmicks, then 2008 Topps is the ACC. This is going to be a tough match-up between two bitter conference rivals. I'm predicting that this one goes down to the wire!

Regional Semi-Final #2


2) Manufactured Letter Patches

If I had one wish, I'd like to know the name of the person who came up with the letter patch concept. And after I meet him/her, I'd like to ask that person one question: "Have you ever, at any time in your life, actually collected baseball cards?"

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3) 1989 Fleer #616 Billy Ripken "Fuck Face"

Just look at that shit-eating grin on Billy Ripken's face. You'll never convince me that Fleer wasn't in on it.

Click here to vote in these match-ups.

Voting ends Thursday at 12:01 am (ET).

Tournament of Gimmicks: Second Round Results and Regional Brackets

Unlike the real Tournament, there have been very few upsets in the Tournament of Gimmicks. The field of 64 has now been whittled down to 16 and by this time next week we will have our Final Four. BOLD indicates winners.

BURDICK REGION

1) 2008 Topps #FS1 Kazuo Uzuki: 41
9) 2007 Topps Alex Rodriguez Road to 500: 16

4) 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights "Upside-Down" Longoria, Bruce, and Fukudome: 36
5) 2010 Topps Yankee-Pie-In-The-Face: 21


6) 1997-98 Pinnacle Mint: 19
3) 1989 Fleer #616 Billy Ripken "Fuck Face": 28

10) 1998 Pinnacle Multi-Stat-Backs: 21
2) Manufactured Letter Patches: 36

OLBERMANN REGION

1) 2008 Topps #661 Johan Santana "No-Hitter": 34 8) 2005-08 Topps Barry Bonds Home Run History: 31 4) 2007 Topps #40 Jeter/Bush/Mantle: 40 12) 2001 Pacific Manny Ramirez "Corked Bat": 22 6) 2008 Upper Deck Predictors #PP7 Hillary Clinton (Morgana): 35 3) 2009 Topps Heritage #83 Derek Jeter "Red Sox": 28 10) 2007 Topps Generation Now: 28 2) 2008 Upper Deck Documentary: 36

BECKETT REGION

1) 2008 Topps Heritage #440 "Jon" Smoltz: 23
9) 1998 Pacific Aurora Cubes: 4

4) 2006 Topps #297 Alex Gordon: 22
12) 2001 Sweet Spot #JIS Ichiro "Game-Used" Jersey: 5


6) 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights #312 Joba Chamberlain "Astros": 11
3) "Franken-Cuts": 16

7) 2010 Upper Deck Double-Take Variations: 12
2) 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights #SQ1 Poley Walnuts: 15

BERGER REGION

1) 2008/09 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy: 32
8) 2008 Bowman Chrome #155 Kosuke Fukudome No AU: 7

4) 2007-08 Topps Moments and Milestones: 21
5) 2009 Topps Target Throwback/Wal-Mart All Black Blasters: 18


6) 1998-2000 Skybox "Gangsta" Text: 11
3) 2001 Donruss Elite Extra Edition $5.99 Redemption Cards: 28

10) 2007 Topps Update & Highlights #100 Jacoby Ellsbury: 6
2) 2010 Topps Milton Bradley “Scoreboard Abe”: 33

THE REGIONALS START TOMORROW! (Or if you're The Cardboard Junkie, today!)

Tournament of Gimmicks: Second Round Halftime Show.

Let's go to the studio with Greg Gumbel, Seth Davis, and Jeffrey Wolfe.



Remember to vote in ALL FOUR REGIONS! (Or Puff Daddy will kill you)

Burdick Region

Olbermann Region

Beckett Region

Berger Region

Tournament of Gimmicks: Round Two

The First Round is in the books, time for the Second Round.

Click here to vote in this round.

Game #1

1) 2008 Topps #FS1 Kazuo Uzuki

A runaway winner in the First Round, easily defeating the 16-seed 1994 Score R/T September Call-Up Redemption. "The Uzi" looks like a lock to win the Jefferson Burdick region.

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9) 2007 Topps Alex Rodriguez Road to 500

Easily defeated the Ken Griffey, Jr. gimmick from last year's Upper Deck in the 8/9 matchup. The "mirror" insert that, like Kyle's cousin, just won't go away.

Game #2

4) 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights "Upside-Down" Longoria, Bruce, and Fukudome

Another first-round walkover, beating Donruss Triple Play to advance. Like Hand Collated said, there could be a whole wing in the Gimmick Hall of Shame dedicated to what Topps did to poor Kosuke Fukudome in 2008.

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5) 2010 Topps Yankee-Pie-In-The-Face

The 5/12 matchup traditionally is ripe for an upset, but not in the Jefferson Burdick bracket, as Yan-kkake beat the 2001 Donruss single-card Retroactive packs.

Game #3

6) 1997-98 Pinnacle Mint

A close win over the Adrian Gonzalez "Rangers" card from last year's Topps Heritage put Pinnacle Mint into the Second Round. I still have no idea what Pinnacle was thinking with this.

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3) 1989 Fleer #616 Billy Ripken "Fuck Face"

The Billy Ripken Fuck Face card may be the only competition Kazuo Uzuki has on The Road to the Gimmick Final Four. Fuck Face easily dispatched the Leaf Materials inserts of the mid-90s.

Game #4

10) 1998 Pinnacle Multi-Stat-Backs

The biggest First Round upset in the Jefferson Burdick region was the #10 seeded '98 Pinnacle Multi-Stat Backs edging out the 2008 Topps Heritage Johan Santana "Mets" SP.

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2) Manufactured Letter Patches

An easy First Round win over the Gimmmick equivilant of a Historically Black College that always gets rolled in the First Round of the real NCAA Tournament. Letter Patches face a pretty tough Second Round matchup against a strong mid-major.

Click here to vote in this round.

You have until Monday at 12:01AM (ET) to cast your vote.

Tournament of Gimmicks: First Round Results

Results for the First Round. BOLD indicates winners.

Burdick Region

1) 2008 Topps #FS1 Kazuo Uzuki 78
16) 1994 Score Rookie/Traded September Call-Up Redemption Card 7

8) 2009 Upper Deck #885 Ken Griffey, Jr. 20X 20
9) 2007 Topps Alex Rodriguez Road to 500 64


4) 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights "Upside-Down" Longoria, Bruce, and Fukudome 68
13) 1992-92 Triple Play 17

5) 2010 Yankee Pie-In-The-Face 62
12) 2001 Donruss "1999" & "2000" Retroactive 23


6) 1997-98 Pinnacle Mint 41
11) 2009 Topps Heritage #102 Adrian Gonzalez "Rangers" 32

3) 1989 Fleer #616 Billy Ripken "Fuck Face" 52
14) 1995-98 Leaf Materials inserts 21


7) 2008 Topps Heritage #201 Johan Santana "Mets" 27
10) 1998 Pinnacle Multi-Stat-Backs 46

2) Manufactured Letter Patches 54
15) 1994 Upper Deck Diamond Collection 19

Olbermann Region

1) 2008 Topps #661 Johan Santana "No-Hitter" 61
16) 1982 Fleer #576 John Littlefield RevNeg 15

8) 2005-08 Topps Barry Bonds Home Run History 57
9) Allen & Ginter Rip Cards 22


2) 2008 Upper Deck Documentary 45
15) 1995 Stadium Club Ring Leader Phone Cards 28

7) 1998-2000 Topps TEK 34
10) 2007 Topps Generation Now 45


3) 2009 Topps Heritage #83 Derek Jeter "Red Sox" 39
14) 1997 Pinnacle Inside (Cards in a can) 38

6) 2008 Upper Deck Predictors #PP7 Hillary Clinton (Morgana) 57
11) Pacific Card-supials 20


4) 2007 Topps #40 Jeter/Bush/Mantle 41
13) 2008 Topps #234 Red Sox "Rudy Giuliani" 36

5) 1998 Zenith "Dare-to-Tear" 31
12) 2001 Pacific Manny Ramirez "Corked Bat" 46

Beckett Region

1) 2008 Topps Heritage #440 "Jon" Smoltz 22
16) 1995 Topps D3 12

8) 1996 Finest (Fractured Base Sets) 11
9) 1998 Pacific Aurora Cubes 17


4) 2006 Topps #297 Alex Gordon 26
13) 1995-99 Finest peel-off protectors 13

5) 1933 Goudey #106 Napoleon Lajoie 8
12) 2001 Sweet Spot #JIS Ichiro "Game-Used" Jersey 18


6) 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights #312 Joba Chamberlain "Astros" 22
11) 1982 Fleer #438 "All" Hrabosky 5' 1" 8

3) "Franken-Cuts" 20
14) 1999 Topps #220 & #461 Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa 11


7) 2010 Upper Deck Double-Take Variations 27
10) Sportflics 5

2) 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights #SQ1 Poley Walnuts 26
15) eTopps 14

Berger Region

1) 2008/09 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy 37
16) 1988 Topps Bigs 5

8) 2008 Bowman Chrome #155 Kosuke Fukudome No AU 21
9) 2008 Topps Kosuke Fukudome “Japan” 20


4) 2007-08 Topps Moments and Milestones 22
13) 2008 Topps #AS Arnold Schwarzenegger 21

5) Topps Target Throwback/Wal-Mart All Black Blasters 26
12) 2009 Topps Heritage #70 “Thom” Glavine 16


6)1998-2000 Skybox “Gangsta” Text 19
11) 1997-98 Leaf Fractal Matrix 11

3) 2001 Donruss Elite Extra Edition $5.99 Redemption Cards 26
14) 2006 Topps #RC1 Alay Soler 4


7) 1898 Upper Deck #413 Dale Murphy RevNeg 13
10) 2007 Topps Update & Highlights #100 Jacoby Ellsbury 17

2) 2010 Topps Milton Bradley “Scoreboard Abe” 22
15) 1969 Topps #653 Aurelio Rodriguez 8

Tournament of Gimmicks: VOTE OR DIE!

Burdick Region Part One
Burdick Region Part Two

Olbermann Region

Beckett Region

Berger Region Part One
Berger Region Part Two

Tournament of Gimmicks: Round One, Day Two

Click here to vote in these match-ups.

Game #5

2) Manufactured Letter Patches

I know this is a rhetorical question but, does anyone actually like these, things? And can they even be considered trading "cards?"

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15) 1994 Upper Deck Diamond Collection

In 1994 Upper Deck released three different Hobby versions of Upper Deck Series One Baseball, each with it's own insert: The Diamond Collection. Dealers on the East Coast, got packs that yielded Diamond Collections of Cliff Floyd, Lenny Dykstra, and Cecil Fielder. On the West Coast, collectors were able to pull DC's of Ken Griffey, Jr., Barry Bonds, and Mike Piazza. But if you were lucky and lived in Middle America, your local Hobby dealer got the "Central Region" packs that had some guy UD added at the last minute named Jordan.

Needless to say, this gimmick was never done again -- at least in baseball.

Game #6

7) 2008 Topps Heritage #201 Johan Santana "Mets"

Another Topps gimmick of another New York player. You're shocked, (shocked!) right?

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10) 1998 Pinnacle Multi-Stat-Backs

A gimmick so stupid, you've probably forgotten all about it. For '98 Pinnacle Baseball, all 153 non-subset base cards were printed with three back variations -- each in equal quantities. One variation had the player's full career stats on the back. The other two just had their home and away numbers. Really, they did this.

Is it any wonder why this company went bankrupt a few months later?

Game #7

6) 1997-98 Pinnacle Mint

It's cards! It's coins! It's..., it's..., it's totally stupid! Like I said, is it any wonder why this company went bankrupt a few months later?

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11) 2009 Topps Heritage #102 Adrian Gonzalez "Rangers"

To be fair to Topps, this stealth SP mimics the original 1960 Topps #102 variation of Kent Hadley. On this card Hadley, who had just been traded from Kansas City (along with teammate Roger Maris) to the Yankees, is still depicted in an A’s uniform with an A's team logo. While Topps was unable to airbrush a Yankee shirt on him, they did the replace the A's logo with a Yankee one very early in the production run -- however a limited number of Hadley "A's Logo" cards did make it into packs.

Many die-hard Vintage Topps collectors have only heard, but have never seen the Hadley "A's logo" card, and many die-hard Topps Heritage collectors will never see the Gonzalez "Rangers" card -- much less add it to their master set.

Game #8

3) 1989 Fleer #616 Billy Ripken "Fuck Face"

You don't actually believe that no one (no one!), not the photographer, not the designers, not the guy working the presses, not the executives, not the workers, no one noticed that four-letter bomb on the knob of Billy Ripken's bat?

Nah!

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14) 1995-98 Leaf Materials inserts

There was in time in the mid-90s when just about every Leaf-branded card set had at least one "material" insert. During this era, Leaf made cards out of: wood, leather, plastic, nylon, canvas, polyester, wool, and (in the example above) felt.

Then along came cards made of actual game-used material, and well....

Click here to vote in these match-ups.

You have until Thursday at Midnight (ET) to vote.

Tournament of Gimmicks: Round One, Day One

Click here to vote in these match-ups.

Game #1

8) 2009 Upper Deck #855 Ken Griffey, Jr. "20X"

The classic late-'00s gimmick: Make 20 different versions of the same Ken Griffey, Jr. card and not bother to tell anyone in The Hobby. Then, after a few weeks, issue a condescending press released confirming a gimmick that no one gave a shit about.

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9) 2007 Topps Alex Rodriguez Road to 500

The gimmick that just won't go away. 500 different A-Rod cards, that ALL LOOK EXACTLY THE SAME!

GAME #2

1) 2008 Topps #FS1 Kazuo Uzuki

Was anyone actually dumb enough to be fooled by this? A 20-something Chinese-American law student being passed off by Topps as a 16-year-old Japanese pitcher. Never mind the latent racism, WHAT THE FUCK WERE THEY THINKING?

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16) 1994 Score Rookie/Traded September Call-Up Redemption Card

To be fair, Score didn't anticipate the 1994 strike. Then again, collectors didn't anticipate that Score would fulfill this redemption with a card of Alex Rodriguez either.

Game #3

5) 2010 Topps Yankee-Pie-In-The-Face

Could Topps get any lower than this? Sadly, no. (see the #2 seed in the Berger Region) And, surprise, surprise, they're all Yankees. IT'S YAN-KAKKE!

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12) 2001 Donruss "1999" & "2000" Retroactive

A one-card "pack" in the middle of another pack. Didn't Donruss realize just how difficult it would be for collectors to open a one-card pack and NOT damage the card inside?

GAME #4

4) 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights "Upside-Down" Longoria, Bruce, and Fukudome

After Poley Walnuts, Kazuo Uzuki, Rudy the Red Sox, and the Great KosFu Series Two Scandal (See the #9 in the Berger Region), Topps had conditioned The Hobby to expect some kind of gimmick for '08 TU&H. Instead, they just phoned it in with this unimaginative, and pretty cynical, gimmick.

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13) 1992-93 Triple Play

Triple Play may have done more to get kids OUT of The Hobby than video games, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and iPods ever have.

Click here to vote in these match-ups.

You have until Wednesday at Midnight (ET) to vote.

The Tournament of Gimmicks Bracket

The anticipation has been mounting for days. And now, we can reveal the field of 64! The inaugural Tournament of Gimmicks is here!

BURDICK REGION
To be hosted by: Stale Gum

1) 2008 Topps #FS1 Kazuo Uzuki
2) Manufactured Letter Patches
3) 1989 Fleer #616 Billy Ripken "Fuck Face"
4) 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights "Upside-Down" Longoria, Bruce, and Fukudome
5) 2010 Topps Yankee Pie-in-the-Face
6) 1996-97 Pinnacle Mint
7) 2008 Topps Heritage #201 Johan Santana "Mets"
8) 2009 Upper Deck #855 Ken Griffey, Jr. "20X"
9) 2007 Topps Alex Rodriguez Road to 500
10) 1998 Pinnacle Multi-Stat-Backs
11) 2009 Topps Heritage #102 Adrian Gonzalez "Rangers"
12) 2001 Donruss "1999" & "2000" Retroactive
13) 1992-93 Triple Play
14) 1995-98 Leaf Materials inserts
15) 1994 Upper Deck Diamond Collection (Regional Distribution)
16) 1994 Score Rookie/Traded September Call-Up Redemption Card

OLBERMANN REGION
To be hosted by: The Cardboard Junkie

1) 2008 Topps #661 Johan Santana "No-Hitter"
2) 2008 Upper Deck Documentary
3) 2009 Topps Heritage #83 Derek Jeter "Red Sox"
4) 2007 Topps #40 Jeter/Bush/Mantle
5) 1998 Zenith "Dare-to-Tear"
6) 2008 Upper Deck Presidential Predictors #PP7 Hillary Clinton (Morgana)
7) 1998-2000 Topps TEK
8) 2005-08 Topps Barry Bonds Home Run History
9) Allen & Ginter Rip Cards
10) 2007 Topps Generation Now
11) Pacific Card-supials
12) 2001 Pacific Manny Ramirez "Corked Bat"
13) 2008 Topps #234 Red Sox "Rudy Giuliani"
14) 1997 Pinnacle Inside (Cards in a can)
15) 1995 Stadium Club Ring Leader Phone Cards
16) 1982 Fleer #576 John Littlefield RevNeg

BECKETT REGION
To be hosted by: The Card Junkie Jeff Wolfe

1) 2008 Topps Heritage #440 "Jon" Smoltz
2) 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights #SQ1 Poley Walnuts
3) "Franken-Cuts"
4) 2006 Topps #297 Alex Gordon
5) 1933 Goudey #106 Napoleon Lajoie
6) 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights #312 Joba Chamberlain "Astros"
7) 2010 Upper Deck Double-Take Variations
8) 1996 Finest (Fractured Base Sets)
9) 1998 Pacific Aurora Cubes
10) 1986-90, 1994-96 Sportflics
11) 1982 Fleer #438 "All" Hrabosky 5' 1"
12) 2001 Sweet Spot #JIS Ichiro "Game-Used" Jersey
13) 1995-99 Finest peel-off protectors.
14) 1999 Topps #220 & #461 Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa
15) eTopps
16) 1995 Topps D3


Berger Region
To be hosted by: Hand Collated

1) 2008-09 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy
2) 2010 Topps Milton Bradley (Scoreboard Abe)
3) 2001 Donruss Elite Extra Edition $5.99 Redemption Cards
4) 2007-08 Topps Moments & Milestones
5) 2009 Topps Target Throwback/Wal-Mart All-Black Blasters
6) 1998-2000 Skybox "Gangsta" Text
7) 1989 Upper Deck #413 Dale Murphy RevNeg
8) 2008 Bowman Chrome #155 Kosuke Fukudome No AU
9) 2008 Topps Kosuke Fukudome "Japan"
10) 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights #100 Jacoby Ellsbury
11) 1997-98 Leaf Fractal Matrix
12) 2009 Topps Heritage #70 "Thom" Glavine
13) 2008 Topps #AS Arnold Schwarzenegger (2012?)
14) 2006 Topps #RC1 Alay Soler
15) 1969 Topps #653 Aurelio Rodriguez
16) 1988 Topps Bigs

THE FIRST ROUND MATCHES BEGIN MONDAY!!!

Tournament of Gimmicks: Play-In Game

Winner: 1995 Topps D3

The field of 64 is almost set, and the tournament that will crown the worst gimmick in Hobby history is about to get under way. But first, to determine the 64th and final entry...

TOURNAMENT OF GIMMICKS PLAY-IN GAME



#16a) 1995 Topps D3 A product so awful, they didn't even bother with a second series. Overpriced, and gimmicky TO THE EXTREME!

#16b) 1995 UC3 UC3 was essentially the same product as Topps D3, only $2/pack cheaper.

Vote now in the comments. You have until 10PM EDT, Friday, March 19, to vote.

The Tournament of Gimmicks

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fairfax, VA -- The Baseball Card Writers Association of America (BCWAA) today announced the establishment of the inaugural "Tournament of Gimmicks," a single-elimination tournament to crown, once and for all, the single worst gimmick in Hobby history. BCWAA President and Founder Chris Harris said, "With all the bullshit Topps, Upper Deck, and others have come up with over the years, it's appropriate we crown the all-time single worst baseball card gimmick, ever. And have a little fun with it."

Joe Lunardi of ESPN's Bracketology has predicted Kazuo Uzuki, Yankee Stadium Legacy, Derek Jeter/George Bush, and "Jon" Smoltz will be the four #1 seeds; but, "`Scoreboard Abe' from this year's Topps is my dark horse to take the title."

Dick Vitale says, "OH BAY-BEE, THIS IS GOING TO BE AWESOME WITH A CAPITAL-A! I CAN'T WAIT, IT'S MARCH! IT'S TIME FOR THE BIG DANCE! IT'S GIMMICK MADNESS!"

Vitale later gave some of his predictions. "LET ME TELL YA, YANKEE STADIUM LEGACY IS A REAL P-T-Ger, A `PRETTY TIRED GIMMICK!' AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE DIAPER DANDY: `SCOREBOARD ABE!' I THINK MILTON BRADLEY'S 2010 TOPPS GIMMICK COULD GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FINAL FOUR!"

"MY SLEEPER PICK? 1998 PINNACLE ZENITH. A REAL MID-MAJOR THREAT THAT EVERYONE SEEMS TO FORGET ABOUT COME TOURNAMENT TIME. BUT, THE ONE WHO'LL BE CUTTING DOWN THE NETS AND BE CROWNED THE DUMBEST GIMMICK OF ALL TIME? WHO ELSE BUT KAZUO UZUKI!"

"BUT, IT WILL ALL COME DOWN TO THE BRACKETS. WHO THE SELECTION COMMITTEE SEEDS, AND WHO THE GET TO PLAY! I CAN'T WAIT!"

The Other "March Madness."

What do you get when you cross this...



with this...



Find out later this week!