Custom Card of the Day: Rollins Edition

As a Phillies fan, I tend to forget how...good Jimmy Rollins is, in the grand scheme of things. He's been in Philly for a good fifteen years, playing shortstop consistently for most of his time, and basically becoming the Cal Ripken of the NL. Today was a hell of a milestone for him, as he made his 14th career Opening Day start for one team, which is pretty rare, especially for a shortstop.

However, he's simmered down a lot since he won the MVP back in 2007. Like, he just hasn't been the 'omnipresent, mega-ultra shortstop' that he was back in the early part of the 2000's. Maybe it's the fact that there have been younger, faster players that have come up, like Hanley Ramirez, and have beaten him at his own game at shortstop. But honestly, I don't care.

I'm still gonna root for J-Rol, because he's a Phillie. He may have another 'blah' season, and that'll be fine. I'm just happy that he's still going for us. That's enough.

I'm gonna try to get back to posting regularly. I hope I can keep doing this now.

Coming Tomorrow- I have a lot of options. Likely a lovable Giants third baseman in need of a comeback season.

Spring Training Custom of the Day: Myers Edition

Sorry about all that dead space back there. Life got in the way. I've had a very busy week. Being a senior in high school is very tough, but equally rewarding. I've been dealing with the perks. All this week, I'll be lucky if I can get any posts in at all.

So here's one of my consistently-awesome customs.

Wil Myers will be lucky if he sticks around for a while. Enough Devil Rays/Rays have had rookie acclaim only to just fall off the face of the earth. Jeremy Hellickson, Delmon Young, Elijah Dukes, Josh Hamilton (bad example), Jeff Niemann, Akinori Iwamura. The list goes on. Only Evan Longoria's really survived rookie acclaim in Tampa and told his tale.

If Wil Myers wants to stay relevant, and not just relevant, but ever-presently relevant (unlike Evan Longoria), he needs to have some really big seasons. This season, he needs to dominate. And by dominate, I mean Sports Illustrated cover domination. Not one, but multiple. He needs some postseason staying time. He needs an All Star appearance. He needs Miguel Cabrera to get injured so he can have a MVP-caliber season.

Will all this happen? I have no idea. He could turn out to be the next Bob Hamelin for all we know. But the great part about baseball is that it's unwritten.

I think.

Coming Tomorrow (?)- One of the best pitchers in baseball, hoping to continue his awesome consistency.

You're Killing Me, Topps

 

My Version.

Topps' version.

 

You cropped it too close, you sigh-worthy ripoffs.

 

(Photo Credz: Nick from Dime Boxes)

Custom Card of the Day: Reyes Edition

Well, as today is Friday (I think), today is my last day in Disney. Tomorrow I come home late, but I didn't have more than four customs, so until Sunday, there'll be some static around her. But at least you'll have my comforting voice from last Monday telling you I'll be back. Boy, I wonder if they've announced anything about Stadium Club since then. I wonder which indispensable player's been scratched since then.

Nevertheless, we soldier on, like Jose Reyes in Toronto. Although I think Reyes would rather be soldiering on in Queens, but he's happy because it's pretty nice in Toronto.

I doubt the Jays are going to make a major impact this year, aside from maybe being around third or second place. Maybe third because the Sox and Yankees might be fighting at the top, most likely. Still, at least Reyes will be smiling through it.

Coming Tomorrow- Homecoming.

Custom Card of the Day: Hernandez Edition

Look pretty odd in yellow, eh?

Felix is one of the toughest pitchers in the AL. Not even a down season can stop this guy. He's tough, he's consistent, he makes AL West batters sweat...and though he may not have deserved the 2010 Cy Young, he's still as good as he was back then.

This season, the stakes are slightly higher for him and the Mariners, with the whole Robinson Cano thing. They could sink under the pressure, or they could have a really, really nice season for the first time in a decade.

Honestly, it's up to them. And, really, it could be up to Felix Hernandez.

Coming Tomorrow- Wait, wasn't this guy the big trade last year? Who cares, he's still pretty good.

Custom Card of the Day: Gonzalez Edition

Man, I am just doing beautifully with these customs. One beauty after another.

Adrian has just been having some really good luck really. A major season in 2011, a trade from a crappy squad in 2012, an incredible season in 2013. Things just keep getting better and better for this guy, which he deserves, after being stuck on middling teams for a good decade or so.

I have no idea if the Dodgers will repeat, though I really, really hope they do. They're a fun little team, and they're great to root for, especially with players like Adrian. Maybe he'll have another fantastic season. You never know.

Coming Tomorrow- A powerful Mariners pitcher, still consistent as he was in the mid-2000's.

Custom Card of the Day: Fielder Edition

As you read this post, I am currently either en route or arriving in Orlando, Florida, ready to spend a well-earned week of vacation in the Happiest Place on Earth.

Sorry I had to betray you guys like that, but come on! It's Disney! You guys would do the same thing!

Anyways, while I'm busy going on Space Mountain as many times as humanly possible, you'll have to deal with these preprogrammed customs from Monday.

This one, thankfully, is a generally big star. Nobody in their right minds thought that Prince Fielder would end up in Arlington. There just seems like there's something, very, very off about that photo. He's too awesome to be wearing that uniform.

But, I guess he is. And I guess he'll be the token 'really good hitter' for the Rangers this year. Which isn't the worst thing in the world, since it's still Prince Fielder. Really fun player no matter what team he's on. But...it just takes the sting out of things if he's for a team I don't particularly love.

I'll learn to deal. He better not be really good against my team though.

Coming Tomorrow- Former San Diego standout, current first baseman on the defending NL West champs. Hell of an incline if you ask me.

They Can't Be Serious

I haven't seen enough people talking about this. However, since I'm the resident Stadium Club expert here, I figured I might as well go for it.

People have been comparing this announcement, which is basically pointing to the return of Stadium Club in 2014, to the announcement in 2008, which announced the return of the set, with a new limited version for hobby stores.

The difference is that back then we were asking for it.

Back in 2008, the cardblogosphere was absolutely adamant about there being another Stadium Club sets. There were online petitions, boycotts, etc, etc. And after actually HEARING THE COLLECTORS, Topps brought back the product, and ruined it.

Now, nobody's asking for another Stadium Club set, because we know what happens when we ask Topps to bring back things. They screw 'em all up. However, not asking could work to our advantage.

Because, in my opinion, the decision in 2008 was rushed by the collectors, the set that came out that year, with the exception of the photography, was an overcrowded, generally uncollectable mess. This year, I don't think they were rushed. They had time to think of the idea, plan out the set, and plan exactly what they were going to do, without a sea of collectors clawing at them from afar.

So, does this mean that the potential 2014 Stadium Club will be a good set? Too soon to say.

I mean, we've only seen one card. Not a sellsheet, not a checklist, not a parallel manifesto. Just a single, solitary insert. Once I get more info, I'll form an opinion about it.

For right now...I'm just patiently waiting for more news. And hoping it isn't worse than the 2008 set.

Spring Training Custom of the Night: Garza Edition

Another odd choice. If I had more options, I'd take them. Such is Spring Training season.

Garza hasn't had a stellar season since he was in Tampa, but I think people appreciate him simply because he does well for the circumstances. Garza pitched a few good seasons for the Cubs, and people respected him for it, even if he wasn't amazing. He was in Arlington last year, and people still respected him, because Holland and Harrison were both out.

This year, I don't know if he's gonna have a great season, because he set himself up for doom by signing with a middling team like Milwaukee. I mean, they might have a good season, they might not. I have no idea. But if they're expecting him to be the ace, they might not get one right away.

I'd have better things to say if I had photos from a bigger star.

Coming Tomorrow- Argh. No photos.

Spring Training Custom of the Day: Tanaka Edition

All I can say is thank the heavens it was us for once.

For a nice block of ten years, all the big Japanese prospects were going to other teams and absolutely thriving there. Daisuke Matsuzaka landed in Boston first, and he brought the house down for a while over there. And then Kosuke Fukudome got to Chicago and was good for two seasons. After that Yu Darvish, Hisashi Iwakuma, Hyun-jin Ryu, Kyuji Fujikawa and Norichika Aoki all got to the States and became generally big deals for other teams. Darvish is still really good.

All the Yankees ever really got from Japan was Kei Igawa, who lasted a season of disappointing baseball. Having someone as lackluster as Kei Igawa the same time as Boston was making Daisuke into a star was pretty embarrassing. It was the equivalent of Jose Rijo flaming out during Doc Gooden's reign in New York. I don't really count Hiroki Kuroda, because he was in Los Angeles for a few years before he became a crowd favorite in New York.

And then, this year, we finally got someone good in Masahiro Tanaka. I am so glad that he's pitching well in Tampa, because I had a sinking feeling for a while. I thought he'd go the way of Kei Igawa. He still could, and I really, really, really do not want him to.

Then again, we're not gonna know for sure until after the season, or a few seasons down the line. But I hope we picked a good one. A really, really good one.

Coming Tomorrow- Hopefully somebody at my photo-sharing site will upload some more spring training photos so I can make more.

Spring Training Custom of the Day: Morneau Edition

(Morneau: MC14 #4)

Another odd choice for the first week of customs, but it's all I'm getting.

Morneau will be playing first base in Colorado this year. This is rare for people who are not named Todd Helton. But, as people grow old, I guess it makes sense to replace them with washed-up, injury-addled former MVPs.

Morneau could have a better season, but he's way out from his mid-2000's era of being the awesome All Star 1st baseman every year. Y'now, unless he pulls a Beltran and becomes amazing this year. If this happens, expect me to make fun of this later in the year when it's wrong.

Still, for replacing Todd Helton, Morneau isn't the best choice, but he's better than someone that's entirely new to the game. In other words, it's a better choice than David Robertson.

Coming Tomorrow- Just some kid my team picked up from Japan.

Spring Training Custom of the Day: Posey Edition

(Posey: MC14 #3)

I really, really, really like this shot. I had to monkey with it a little as it was a wider, longer shot than just Posey, but it came out pretty nice.

By the way, if I see any more photos of Posey that are more awesome than this one, I'll just add a variation to this design. If Topps can do it, then I'll do it. Last year I couldn't do too many of these great photos by August because I'd already made everybody. This year there's more control.

Also, my photo source missed a few really important events yesterday. Brian McCann hit a homer. Today Tanaka's making his debut, and they'll probably photograph the shit out of that, but nobody who's been THAT newsworthy to me has gotten photos.

Case in point- tomorrow's is Colorado's replacement for their eventual-Hall-of-Fame first baseman.