Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2010 Matt Stairs

 

Of the many players during the era I'm most interested in covering in this Should Have Been series that played for 10+ teams over a long period of time, the one that Topps had the least amount of holes in depicting was Matt Stairs, surprisingly. Of the 11 teams Stairs suited up for between 1996, when he started getting card releases, and 2011, when he retired, there were only 2 of them that he never got an official Topps card with. 

One of them is the 2006 Texas Rangers, and finding an image of him with that team that's worthy of a custom is extremely difficult. So, naturally, I'm doing the other one.

Yes, after being a postseason hero for the Philadelphia Phillies during their colossal 2008 and 2009 runs, Matt Stairs found his way to the last Padres team til Machado showed up to actually have a shot at the playoffs. Although people like Ryan Ludwick and Miguel Tejada would join the team at the deadline, the well-traveled Canadian power hitter Stairs was with the team from the start, and played a bench bat role with them all year. In 78 games, the 42-year-old hit .232 with 16 RBIs, 23 hits and his final 6 homers. Far from his 100-RBI years with Oakland, yes, but still formidable enough to stifle defenses. 

Stairs would play one more season with Washington, then upon his retirement would join the Phillies' broadcast booth. ESPN magazine, upon his Nats run, did a whole spread of all of his uniforms over the years, from Montreal to Toronto to Kansas City to Washington. Players like that, who play everywhere and still keep pounding away, are essential to this series, and I'm glad I get to document short-term stints like this one. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Rich Hill Chronicles

Of all people from when I started collecting in 2007 to still be active in the MLB, I never would have guessed Rich Hill would be one of them. I mean, there's not a ton of people left who were around in 2007. Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, Adam Wainwright, Nelson Cruz, Zack Greinke. And then, uh...and then Rich Hill.

Y'know, the guy who got injured in 2008, struggled with Baltimore in 2009, and we all sorta figured would never fully recover. 

Now, let's play that game for a second. Rich Hill, Cubs prospect who becomes a young fireballer for them in 2006 and 2007, making up for the lack of Mark Prior, and then gets injured and has a tough time coming back. 2009, Topps does make a card of him with the O's, he doesn't do well. 

Prior to the 2010 season he's signed to a minor league deal with the Cardinals. A rare sight for Hill for this post in that it is an NL team. Hill is grouped with the starters, and competing against Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Kyle Lohse, Jeff Suppan, Brad Penny and eventually Jaime Garcia proves to be an uphill battle. Hill does not make camp with the team, and is cut prior to the season. I've covered a lot of careers in this series, and that can usually mean the end of the line as far as MLB service is concerned.

Wellll...not in this case...

I think one of the defining factors in Hill's continued success into the 2010s is that he's very much a Boston resident. We don't have a ton of MLBers from the Northeast that really wear their region on their sleeves anymore. You can argue we have Todd Frazier, the Jersey Shore native, or New York natives like Marcus Stroman or Andrew Velasquez, but Hill is very much a Bostoner, and I think that's what drew the Sox to bring him on. Y'know, local boy, lives locally, let's bring him on. So they did. Hill was used in bit relief roles, gave up no earned runs, 5 hits, and notched a win. The Sox kept him on going forward.

Hill's 2011 season was slightly more productive, but he still only had 9 appearances. Here he struck out 10, gave up 3 hits and still zero earned runs. The Sox kept bringing him back year after year, including 2012, which I've already done a custom of.

The Cleveland Indians beat Boston to the punch for 2013, and signed Hill knowing they'd be in need of bullpen help. 2013 was Hill's fullest year as a reliever, making 63 appearances and facing the most batters he'd had since starting in Baltimore. Granted, he left the year with a 6.28 ERA and only 53 Ks, but it told teams he could be a reliable relief piece again.

Prior to the 2014 season he was actually signed to another minor league deal by the Red Sox, as they figured it'd be easy enough to bring him back. This time he would not make camp, and would be waived over to the Angels, where he'd appear in two games and finish with an infinite ERA. Eventually he made his way to a very unfamiliar setting for a lifelong Boston resident:

Yes, Rich Hill, the man famous for getting in a fight in the parking lot of Gillette Stadium, had to suit up for the New York Yankees in 2014. I have no idea how he went through with it. He did a pretty decent job in the Bronx, finishing the season with a 1.69 ERA [very fitting for a man nicknamed Dick Mountain], and striking out 9 in 14 appearances.

Hill actually attended camp in 2015 with the Nationals, but, again due to the breadth of both their rotation and their bullpen, he didn't end up making the team. He stayed on as a minor leaguer for a bit but was cut midway through the year. And then, as the 2015 season rolled to a close...Boston once again came calling.

The Red Sox, thanks to injuries to Clay Buchholz and too many unfamiliar arms like Henry Owens, Steven Wright and late-career Justin Masterson failing to keep runs down, were low on starters. As usual, Rich Hill was local and stayed in shape with a few games playing for the Long Island Ducks, so they signed him and had him come up through Worcester, where he notched a 2.78 ERA in 5 starts. Once he made it back to Fenway, he started 4 games in September, and turned the heads of the entirety of the league, posting a 1.55 ERA, 36 strikeouts and a 2-1 record. The man that everyone thought was cooked was officially back.

Hill would use this incredible end to the season to sign with Oakland for 2016, make his was to LA via a trade, and become a very steady low-rotation arm for Minnesota, Tampa, the Mets, and, yes, the Boston Red Sox, who he started 26 games for last year at the ripe old age of 42.

Rich Hill is currently in camp with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and thanks to the dilution of that organization, he is a favorite to make a rotation spot this year. I hope he keeps pitching for as long as he wants to, a guy like him is really good for baseball. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Gregg Zaun Chronicles

 I don't know if you guys have been keeping track, but January I was doing these Topps Cards That Should Have Been posts in alphabetical order. Just a little challenge. Ah, let's see if I can do a Q name, so on, things like that.

So that should explain why I'm posting a ton of customs of switch-hitting backup catcher Gregg Zaun on the last day of January.

......look, it was either him or Todd Zeile.

Nevertheless, there is a lot of things to talk about regarding Gregg Zaun and Topps' gaps in documenting his career on cards. It may be a niche guy to include, but he played throughout the 2000s and was a reliable choice for catcher when other guys wouldn't do. 

As this project starts in 2000, we begin with Gregg Zaun's 2000 season in Kansas City. In 83 games he hits .274, and the starting gig is his for a bit.

Flash-forward to 2003:

Zaun spends 2002 in Houston backing up Brad Ausmus, which he continues to do for 2003, as he hits .217 in 59 games as backup. That doesn't seem to cut it for Houston, and they release him. 

Only for the Colorado Rockies, who need a solid backup option for Charles Johnson, to pick him up. Zaun does miles better with the Rox, hitting .261 with 3 homers in 15 games. 

Then, in 2004, Gregg Zaun figured out that the key to his longevity in the bigs would be playing in Canada. So he signed a minor league deal with the Expos, which would have been an opportunity to play in Montreal in their last season. However, the Expos had Brian Schneider, strike one, and they were going forward with Einar Diaz as a backup, strike two. Which means the Expos had no use for Gregg Zaun, and released him.

About a week into the season, the Toronto Blue Jays realized that their catching options, including Kevin Cash and Greg Myers, were too thin, and they went...not far, and got Gregg Zaun. Zaun quickly became the starting option in Toronto, hitting .269 in 107 games with a 2.3 WAR. Here, Zaun's scorching run in Toronto begins, and the Jays fans couldn't be any more here for it.

Topps, on the other hand, seems to miss the boat. No Zaun cards in Update, which is a foresight, even if it is a low-tier Jays team.

It becomes even more infuriating in 2005 when Gregg Zaun has his best season. Yeah, that's right. Out of all the hitters in Toronto in 2005, including Vernon Wells, Orlando Hudson, Eric Hinske, Alex Rios and Aaron Hill, you know who has the highest WAR? SWITCH-HITTING CATCHER GREGG ZAUN. He only hits .251 with 61 RBIs, but his defensive numbers are so impressive that it propels him to a 3.6 WAR. Which is huge. No longer the backup, Zaun has a beautiful year in Toronto, cements his status as a Canadian legend, and doesn't have to worry about moving around for a bit.

After this season, Topps listens up and makes Gregg Zaun cards in flagship for the next 4 seasons. Zaun is the primary option at catcher for the Jays for the next few seasons, then in 2009 he signs with the Orioles to start. Only problem is that in 2009, the Orioles bring up a guy named Matt Wieters to play catcher, and Zaun's numbers aren't enough to stop him from usurping his playing time. So the O's trade him.

Thankfully they trade him to a decent team that needed catching options behind Dioner Navarro. So Gregg Zaun gets to compete with the Rays. Unfortunately, thanks to a dismal September, the Rays don't make the postseason. Zaun still hits .287 with 14 RBIs in 34 games. The trade happens after the Update cutoff, so no Topps card. In fact, Topps kind of checks out as far as Zaun is concerned.

In 2010, the Brewers sign Zaun to look over the two burgeoning catchers they have, George Kottaras and Jonathan Lucroy. Zaun's 39, he's clearly just doing this to play, not really worrying about numbers. He actually does fairly well, hitting .265 in 28 games. He's still a decent defender but he's...39. On May 20th, he gets injured, sits out the rest of the season...and it's not looking good for him as a defensive catcher. 

Zaun would try one more season, signing a minor league contract with the Padres in 2011. Just to see if anything was left in the tank. He tried his best, but he really couldn't find any of his former strength left, and retired out of camp. Dignified way to leave, but he did it on his own terms.

And he's been a Jays broadcaster ever since, which means, yes, Toronto has been very kind to him. For a guy who was thinking he'd be a backup in different cities, Gregg Zaun sure found a stationary home there, which is nice.

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2010 Jim Edmonds

 

Jim Edmonds has a 58.3 WAR from 1994 until 2006. For comparison, Albert Pujols has a 45.9 WAR in the last 12 seasons. Put some respect on Jim Edmonds' name- he may have been predominantly a power hitter, but he was also not afraid to hit for contact, hitting over .300 5 times in his career, and finishing his career 50 shy of 2000 hits.

However, the years beyond that mark weren't as satisfying. After a down year in St. Louis in 2007, Edmonds was traded to San Diego for a fresh-eyed third base prospect named David Freese. Edmonds had a solid season in 2008, despite a rough go at things for the Padres- he signed with the Cubs and was a huge player in their postseason attempt that year, hitting .256 with 19 homers in 85 games.

In 2009, Edmonds apparently didn't get any good offers to play, so he sat the season out. But, in 2010, he got a good one from Milwaukee, another NL Central team. They needed help in the outfield in case Braun got injured, and Edmonds responded with his best season since 2005- a 2.0 WAR, a .286 average and 62 hits in 72 games. Not bad for a 40-year-old who came up with the Angels back when they were still called the California Angels. 

Of course, the Brewers weren't going anywhere in 2010, but the Reds were, and they traded utility outfielder Chris Dickerson to Milwaukee to get Jim Edmonds' 2010 season. Edmonds hit .207 in 13 games with the Reds. ADV- Brewers. 

Topps put out a card of Edmonds in Update of his Reds tenure, which means the better season and uniform for Edmonds never got produced by Topps. Which is too bad, as it's a solid last season for the Cardinals hero and the hard-hitting outfielder. Like the rest of his career, it should be kept in better regard.

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Mike Hessman Chronicles

This is one of those insanely niche things I've always wanted to do if I had the proper way of going about it. Now that this SHB Topps series is doing well for me, I might as well go for it. 

Mike Hessman is a name that many MLB fans may not have heard of. Maybe if you're a Braves fan who knew a lot about prospecting in the 2000s, or just an all-around stats expert. But if you're a Toledo Mud Hens fan...oh boy, you know Mike Hessman. You probably love Mike Hessman. Mike Hessman is the closest thing we have to a real life Crash Davis, a guy who flourished in the minor leagues but could never get things going in the majors. 

In 2015, Hessman retired with 433 home runs in the minor league level, which is an all-time mark for minor leaguers. Mike Hessman hit more home runs in the minor leagues than Andres Galarraga did in the major leagues. Think about that.

Hessman's story was rewarded by Topps a few times during their Pro Debut sets, but never in flagship. And so I figured I should rectify that. 

Okay, so 2003, Hessman is called up to the Braves at 25, plays 16 games, hits .286. By this point, Hessman has already hit 136 home runs in the minors. He hits 2 in the majors 2003. 

In 2004, he gets a slightly longer major league stint, backing up Adam LaRoche at 1st. In 29 games, Hessman bats .130 with another 2 home runs. Clearly, something's not working at the major league level yet. Meanwhile, he hits .287 with 19 home runs in Richmond. 

In 2005, as he is 27 and has been with the Braves for the better part of a decade, he's granted free agency. So he signs the first of many minor league deals with the Detroit Tigers. At this point, Hessman sort of knows the drill, it seems. He gets a little play in Spring Training, kibitzes with Ivan Rodriguez and Dmitri Young, then spends the rest of the season in Toledo playing for one of the most well-attended minor league clubs in the union, and hitting more homers. He only hits .214 this season, but he notches 28 home runs. 

2006 is similar, he doesn't get to the majors at all but keeps getting lots of playing time in Toledo. .165 average, 24 homers, which is a down year, but at least he gets to play. 

2007 is probably the closest thing to a career year for Mike Hessman. First of all, he has his best year for Toledo, hitting .254 with 31 homers and 101 RBIs. Then the Tigers need assistance at 1st, they call him up for 17 games and he hits 4 more homers covering for Sean Casey. This is his first major league play since 2004, and he does what he can to make the most of it. 

2008 is a similar year. Fantastic in Toledo, 34 home runs and 72 RBIs, which most 2008 Tigers would kill for, and a few games in the majors. This is one of Hessman's best MLB stints, as in 12 games he hits .296 with 5 home runs, making himself known as a decent backup first baseman. 

However, in 2008, the first baseman is not someone easy to back-up like Sean Casey. 2008 is the beginning of the Miguel Cabrera era in Detroit, meaning Hessman is going to get less and less major league playing time. 

In 2009, he's not going to get any, spending the entire season in Toledo despite once again having a decent time in Spring Training. This year for Hessman is slightly lower-key, with 23 home runs and 77 RBI for the Mud Hens. 

After this, the Tigers don't bring Hessman back for 2010, and Hessman hops around for a few years.

 The Mets are the first team to bite on Hessman, especially the season after losing their longtime first baseman, Carlos Delgado. So Hessman gets some playing time, though it's only 32 games. Hessman sadly only hits a measly .127, and only musters one final major league home run in his final MLB games. It's a sad way for him to go out, but thankfully, it's not the end of Hessman's baseball story.

After a mediocre season playing for the Orix Buffaloes in 2011, Hessman returns to minor league deals in America, playing yearlong stints in the AAA affiliates of the Astros and Reds, hitting 60 homers in those two seasons combined, before returning to the Toledo Mud Hens for his final two years, notching 34 home home runs in order to break the all-time minor league home run record in 2015. It's a huge moment for Hessman, for Toledo, and for the minors. 

So Mike Hessman may not have been a high priority for Topps all those years, but he was a high priority for me when I made this. One of the things I ask myself when I consider subjects for this set is 'are they important in even the most specific story of baseball?' That's why I'll include a botched draft pick that hung on for several years, or a former small-team closer who kept relieving games into his 30s. And that's why Hessman is here. You can't talk about minor league baseball in this era without talking about Hessman, and you can't tell Hessman's story without talking about his major league games. Even though a lot of these were spring training pictures that didn't amount to MLB seasons, they still warrant cards in my eyes, because Hessman's story is that unique, and that important, to this era of baseball.

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Charlie Morton Chronicles

Topps took a while to figure out that Charlie Morton was something special. As did we all.

Morton didn't have his first Topps card til 2011, yet started in the majors in 2008, as a starter for the Braves. Despite starting 15 games in 2008, Morton was kept down for the first half of 2009, eventually being traded along with Jeff Locke to the Pirates for Nate McLouth. Good deal for Pittsburgh, because Morton and Locke WERE their rotation for the first half of the decade. 

Morton did eventually have some 2009 starting numbers, with a 4.55 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 18 games for Pittsburgh. It was a modest start that didn't allow itself for a Topps card in 2009 OR 2010, though he got a 'When They Were Young' insert in 2010T, as well as an UD base card in 2010.

Morton continued as a lower-tier starting option in 2010 for the Pirates, posting a paltry 2-12 record and a 7.57 ERA in 17 starts. Something wasn't clicking. Morton hadn't found himself in the majors yet. 

Thankfully, from there he turns things around, and in 2011 he has a much better season, with a 3.83 ERA and 110 Ks in 29 starts, and he's a trusted starter for the Bucs until 2015. And here Topps gets wind of his talents and starts actually making cards of him, from 2011-2015. 

After the 2015 season, Morton is traded to the burgeoning Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for a minor leaguer. The prospect of a surging, veteran Charlie Morton helping out the post-Hamels Philly rotation was a good one. 

 Unfortunately, it was a short-lived season for Morton, as he'd only pitch 4 games for the Phillies, all in April, with a 4.15 ERA and 19 strikeouts. Then, Morton tears his hamstring, is out for the rest of the season, and never plays another game for the Phillies.

The rest, as they say, is history- Houston picks him up on a cheap deal, he becomes the #3 starter for a World Series team, makes an All Star team in 2018 and becomes the strikeout artist that Tampa has grown to love this postseason. It just kills me that his 2016 season in Philly was his final human moment before becoming truly great. 

Still, I'm glad Morton's gotten his stuff together and become one of the better hurlers in the majors. I don't know if his Rays are gonna make it 7 tonight, but either way, he's given them some amazing performances.

Also, this last custom means I finally know how to do 2016 Topps customs. It's tricky, especially the nameplate gradient, but I'm getting the hang of it. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Manny Ramirez Chronicles

In 2010, Manny Ramirez was still doing pretty well with the Dodgers, still a well-known superstar with capabilities of hitting tons of home runs and making flashy appearances in games. However, in 2009, Manny has his infamous suspension over using a fertility drug as a PED. He rebounds accordingly with .311 numbers in 66 games in LA, but the murkiness that befell his 2009 season hasn't left, especially after rumors of more potent performance enhancing drugs begin to circulate after Alex Rodriguez is implicated.

The bottom line is that 2010 is probably the last time Manny Ramirez really feels like Manny Ramirez. I was at a game in LA when he was still with the Dodgers, and...yeah, that was Manny. He was still, for the most part, being Manny.

It's when he's waived by the White Sox that his career essentially begins to unravel.

Manny spends the last month of the 2010 season with the White Sox, and while the numbers aren't bad, .261 with a home run, his final one, in 24 games, you can see the magic beginning to leave. This stint happened after Topps' cutoff for 2010 Topps, so it wasn't depicted until 2011 Topps.

Then, by that point, Manny had already signed with a new team. He and former Red Sox teammate Johnny Damon made a very big splash in January by both signing with the Tampa Bay Rays on one-year deals. Yes, their best years were past them, but they still wanted to play, and as Tampa was fielding free agents, they saw the opportunity to reunite, and jumped on it. 

2011 was going to be a fun, successful year for Manny, and Topps jumped on the excitement despite missing a Rays card of him for flagship, getting him in Heritage and Bowman in Rays colors. The assumption would be that Manny would get his Rays card in Update..

Except he didn't last in Tampa past April.

It wasn't due to his numbers. Ramirez hit .311 in Spring Training, and was looking at a comeback season. And though his first week left a lot to be desired, with a sub-.100 average and no homers, he was looking forward to getting back to his base level.

Then, on April 8th, Manny Ramirez abruptly retires. It's an inexplicable move that doesn't make sense until the facts come out. Manny tested positive for PEDs again, and would face an 100-game suspension if he chose to keep playing, so he decided right then and there to retire, confusing the hell out of the Rays management. Despite attempted stints with Oakland and Chicago in the next few years, this is the last time Manny sees the majors, and it's a very cloudy note to end his career on.

Topps decides not to make a card of him for Update, as it'd probably be too distracting and unnecessary. I don't have the ethics and standards of a baseball card company, and I like filling in holes in the timeline, so...I made one regardless. 6 games or no, he still played in 2011, and it's a true sunset issue. 

Regardless of how you feel about Manny Ramirez, he's an important figure in baseball history, and his final career footnotes deserve depiction as much as his heights. 

Hey, Wow, I Actually Like the Rangers Now

Now...let me back up, because in 2010 I was LIVID. I thought the Yankees deserved to go back to the World Series and swat around the Giants for a while, but apparently it wasn't in the cards- the Rangers had built themselves a heck of a squad, and even if they didn't win, they still made it their on their own accord, and I couldn't argue with that.

I wasn't happy with them, and I'd be a bit happier the next year when they had a shot of beating the Cardinals, but...I dealt.

Now, the Rangers have built themselves an impressive offensive machine. The guys that were babies in 2010, like Elvis Andrus, Mitch Moreland and Colby Lewis, are leading the charge. The guys they traded for to hit, like Adrian Beltre, Ian Desmond, Carlos Beltran, Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Gomez, are hitting like mad. Their top ace is Cole Hamels and he's on fire. They aren't doing a ton of things wrong.

Plus, unlike the 2010 team, I LIKE a great deal of the players. Beltre, Andrus, Hamels, Beltran...granted, a great deal of them have played for teams I like, but these are fun, good-natured players that work hard.

They probably have a nice chance at making the Series, though I'm not counting out Boston at this point.

Coming Today: A guy I used to despise, now one of my more favored collections and the first baseman of a surprise playoff threat.

Five Years (What a Surprise)

 

(This post was supposed to be for yesterday. However, I had half the post written, and then I went to watch the Beatles 50th Anniversary thing, and forgot. I'm awful at this remembering thing. But oh well).

------------


Five Years ago today I was a young, thirteen year old baseball card collector, racking up cards from everywhere and wanting to share it with the world. I had no idea that I'd get into customizing, Stadium Club, or any of the stuff I've immersed myself in now.

The custom above was my first-ever custom, from June 2009, after many failed attempts at blog series'. I figured it'd be nice to put new players in old designs, so I followed a tutorial, threw Derek Jeter into a 81 Topps design, and posted it. Now, honestly, compared to the stuff I've been producing lately, it's really subpar. Like, for example, here was a 1981 custom I made last year:

Better cropped, better photo, better condition, better gradients and filters. I started simply putting more effort in, and pretty soon I made a name for myself as a customizer.

But, as today's the blog's fifth anniversary, I wanted to look back at the five previous years of the blog, and all the things I was talking about back then.

2009: The First Year

You'll see it in my writing, in my customs, and in my content that I clearly had no idea what I was doing. I was a kid, I was too young, and I banked so much on the fact that nobody was reading, so I felt like I had so much freedom. Around the end of the year I got some followers, and a few trade offers, so I was beginning to get big.

A lot of the posts this year are just me trying hard to be funny, or reporting one-sentence long news stories, or something. The content isn't great, and it's cringeworthy by today's standards.

The only thing that stayed constant were the customs. I didn't use too much filter on them, so they're just the straight photos, but in terms of doctoring the original cards, I had the right idea. The ones I did for 'Year by Year' and the postseason are honestly some of the best of that year.

This was also the year that both my teams played each other in the World Series, and I got to go to Yankee Stadium to watch them. It was an okay first year of blogging, but it was nice to be a part of the sphere, and have people like Dayf, Canuck and Night Owl occasionally comment on your posts.

 

2010: Finding the Knack

First of all, that logo. I dunno what I was thinking. I thought it looked pretty cool, and I thought it was a swell enough idea. Some bloggers weren't amused.

2010 was the year that I became more of a regular blogger, and did more of the normal blogger stuff. I made trades. I ranted. I took part in a blogger worst-autograph tournament (thanks Drew!)

I also started doing a lot of open ended editorial-type posts, which took on some pretty nice topics, like the uselessness of Bowman,  the addictiveness of ToppsTown,  and the fact that everyone despises my team.

My customs were more improved, as I added more filters and just did more work on them. The quality of my writing improved as well.

By the end, I was talking about heartbreak as a fan of two teams unceremoniously booted from the playoffs within two days. I think that the moodier I got back then, the better my posts were.

Like with last year, some of the best stuff was during Year by Year.

2011: Finding the Sweet Spot

I think that 2011 was the year I really settled into the blogosphere. I had an ill-prepared blog contest, bought and ripped some vintage Stadium Club, had some trades with big time bloggers, and started churning out better posts.

One of the more viewed posts of the year was one about how pretty much every team had its haters, so the Yankees weren't free of blame. It soon became an omnibus of all the bloggers' teams of hatred. Reminds me, I should probably update that post.

I started accumulating some pretty nice fans in 2011. One in particular, a Dodger fan, gave me a lot of ideas for customs, as detailed in this post. That same fan ended up leading me to Brent Lillibridge, the first (and only, that I know of) actual ballplayer to actually like one of my customs. He made a custom of mine his Twitter photo. I will take that to my grave.

I had some nice road trips in 2011, going to Indians, Pirates and Nationals games, as well as staying in Meredith, New Hampshire for a week. Also, I went to the Super Bowl, but that's another story.

I think this was the peak of my popularity before I went back to being a regular fringe blogger like I am now.

2012: The Consistent Year

Overall, in 2012 I think I finally hit my stride, and started writing and customizing the way I do now. I learned to control the filters so that I stopped having so many overdone customs. Also, I had more well-written posts, and more well-formed ideas.

2012 was the year that Archives came back, but basically just as a way of copying my set. I had a very angry rant here about how they were stealing my idea. I also had an angry rant about the 2012 Topps gimmicks, which was even more hate-fueled than the Archives one. I had a lot of emotional posts this year, as you can see.

2012 was my biggest year in terms of customizing, as I produced more customs in 2012 than I did any other year. None were real newsmakers, though the Chipper Jones one is a favorite.

I won a contest over at Thorzul's this year. Honestly, I'm drawing a blank on anything else that happened that year.

2013: Making my Mark

Toward the end of this year I was buying Stadium Club boxes, and customizing football players. I was tussling with Topps and still making great baseball customs. Everything I really wanted to do, in my blogging career, I ended up doing in 2013, so it was really a success in my eyes.

You could argue that it was a lot of the same stuff. Making customs, going to lake George, buying cards, telling the world how awful Topps is. For a month I kept getting boxes of football products from a mysterious contact to rip. I think I ripped more actual hobby boxes of products in 2013 than I did in any other year.

2013 was a great year for me even though it wasn't really too different than the other ones. But it really exemplified how I write more than the other years. I think I'm in in my prime, unless in five more years I become as good a blogger as Night Owl or Dime Boxes or something like that.

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To make a long story short, I never did anything on this blog for popularity, for accolades, for followers. I did it mostly for myself, but also for the rest of the world to see my opinions. And I didn't think it would last this long. I didn't think it would last a month.

I'm just glad it lasted part March 2009, and into February 2014.

Will the blog last ten years? Who's to say? Certainly not me. I have no idea what's going to happen to me a year down the line, let alone five. I'll blog until I'm done, and I'll know when I'm done.

Thanks for sticking with me, by the way. For reading when I had nothing to say. And, thankfully, when I had too much to say. I really appreciate it.

Five years, stuck on my eyes
Five years, what a surprise
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we got...









P.S.- If you were expecting me to pick my favorite custom in all my years of making them, I'll say this-  I'm not one for picking favorites...




....but this one

2011 Topps- The same thing as last year?

I've been binging on Topps's 2011 set ever since it came out. Being that I'm a big fan of the flagship set, I'm always impressed with the overall product. However, this year I feel that I've been let down compared to last year's monster effort. 2010 Topps was a great product, with a great base set, awesome inserts and a good design. This year's set, I feel, is just trying to duplicate the success of last year's, in those same areas.

Base set: Last year's set had the engaging purpose of making you feel interested in the regular set with an intriguing design, and a bunch of cool rookies. This year's set has a design that isn't as good as last year's, a semi intriguing base set, and some okay rookies. While last year's base set had the future Rookies of the Year in the base set (Both were in series 1), time will only tell how well Aroldis Chapman will do, and if the other ROY ends up in series 2.

Inserts: This is the main area where I felt Topps was trying to duplicate the success of last year. Just take a look at every insert, and you'll see it's kinda been done before. For example, Topps 60 Years (Or as I call them, NotYo Mamma cards.), is basically just Cards Your Mother Threw Out: Mach 2. And the cards are less relevent than last year's.
Topps 60 is basically Peak Performance with a different emblem. Diamond Duos is just Legendary Lineage again. The Million Card Giveaway is obviously the diamond giveaway. Even Target and Walmart had similar exclusives last year to the Kimball Minis- just some unneccesary minis that you don't need to collect. The only breath of originality is the Before Topps reprints. And they might not be the best insert in the product. So that alone says a lot.

Parallels- This may be the only area of visible differences. While last year had the gold numbered and black numbered, this year's product has gold, black and assorted other parallels thanks to the 6Oth Anniversary Flaunt Fest. There are a lot more parallels this year, and whether that's a bad thing or not is your decision.

In the end, it's safe to say that Topps tried to duplicate the success of last year's set, with the patented "If it ain't broke, use it" strategy. Soon, this tried concept might get broke, if Topps keeps using the same concepts every year.

Which is why I want to say something directly to Topps. I'm saying this as a fan, as a small critic, and not a naysayer in any way. I love your products, and always have, better than anything else out there. I just hope you here what I've said, that the 2010 and 2011 sets are similar because you tried to use the same concepts again. But Topps, I won't give up. Hopefully, the rest of the year will hold new, original concepts, newer inserts. Hopefully, the 2012 set will have an original design, new intriguing inserts, and a sense of orignality that differentiates it from the last two years.

All I'm saying is that collectors want to pick up your products every year, so that they can feel that last year's was different, and so they can contrast the two products, or the products from years before. And I hope that the 2012 set is completely different from the 2011 and 2010 sets. I'm sure the collectors hope this too.

Please, Topps. Listen to the collectors, and make a change for the better. We'll thank you later.

2010- The Year in Review

As everyone is getting ready to close out their 2010, I find myself doing so on a strange note. 1/3 of my family (which in a 3 person family, is just my dad) is really sick while the other 2/3 are trying not to get sick themselves. I've suddenly become addicted to football cards while 9 cards short of the FB ToppsTown set. There is a possibility I might be going to Dallas at the end of January (For what, you'll soon find out), and of course, that the year 2011 looks so damn promising (Roadtrips are in the making that will send us to Pittsburgh, Cleveland and DC just for baseball). But first, we must look back at the last 12 crazy months.

This was the year that Topps was the only card company out there in terms of Baseball. And this was also the year that their base set rocked, the inserts were awesome and a few of the retro products were pretty damn good.

This was the year that my favorite show ended, and even though the creators promised to do so, they didn't answer a damn thing.

This was the year that Topps put out dozens of shortprints, one or two gimmicks...and cards of Mickey Mouse and Abe Lincoln.

This was the year that I answered a friend's request, and ventured to a Phillies-Twins game at home, in which the Phils won, and the fans treated a returning Jim Thome with applause.

This was the year that I became hooked on National Chicle. I'm still a few cards down, and I'll probably be posting a wantlist soon.

This was the year that, on television, Russell lost for no reason, Fabio won, the Event was a little less than that, Dexter's kid turned one, and Sheldon and Amy are still going out. But you people don't care about televison.

This was the year that I ventured to San Francisco for a Giants game, and to Los Angeles for a Dodgers game. Both were excellent expiriences, even though the home team won only once.

This was the year that I became addicted to football cards. I'd collected a few packs over the years, but this was the year the addiction became a apparent.

This was the year that Brett Favre retired, then came back, then got hurt, then kept playing, then missed a game, then got a concussion, then got fined for sending a woman ...you know. All in all, it wasn't a good year to be Brett Favre...even though he's probably gonna be playing for another 10 years.

This was the year that the top wobbled. You could see it, it was going to stop spinning. Everyone in the theater knew it was going to stop. But we never found out. Damn Christopher Nolan.

This was the year that after seeing the Giants get hot in July, I saw them rise and beat the Rangers in the world series. And that felt good.

This was the year that I became addicted to ToppsTown. After completing the baseball virtual set, I went back to complete the football one. You come for the redeeming, you stay for everything else.

And finally, this was the year that both my teams, even if they were favored to win in the playoffs, were bested by teams that shouldn't have won. No matter how awesome that pitching staff is...they still lost.

The good news is that next year looks to be even better. I just know it.

2010 Topps Update Rack Packs

Today was my birthday. I'm not gonna make a big deal of it, since I'm pretty young (still in my teenage years), but I'm still not the youngest cardblogger out there. But, I will say that was enough to bring me into Target on the biggest shopping day of the year, to get some rack packs (I also threw in 1 regular pack as well, because the $ was burning a hole in my pocket. Now, the results:

Regular Pack:
69- Lance Cormier
275- Hong Chih Kuo, representing the 1st ever Taiwanese player to be an All Star. My dentist will love that one.
101- Jake Westbrook
43- Brennan Boesch RD
29- Livan Hernandez (And he shall be a good man...)
184- Blake DeWitt
81- Rich "Not the NFL Network Guy" Harden
190- John Lackey.
Pee Wee Reese mini.
CODE CARD! Let's see who I get:
1999 Jason Kendall. Not THAT bad. At least I've heard of the guy, and at least it's a sweet picture.
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Rack Pack 1-
92- Pedro Felciano
155- Pudge Rodriguez.
167- Ramon Santiago
232- Jason Kendall, speak of the devil
102- Chris Carter
294- Aaron Heilman.
59- Jeanmar Gomez
54- Akinori Iwamura, this time in a real Pirates uni
268- Logan Morrison
69- Lance Cormier GOLD #'d to 2010. Bleah
CODE CARD! Let's see who I get:
1954 ROY MCMILLAN. Nice. A vintage card of another player I'd heard of.
Turkey Red of Christy Matthewson
281- Jose Valverde AS
56- Matt Holliday HRD
187- Checklist
156- Matt Thornton
194- Vernon Wells AS
104- Paul Konerko AS
99- JOSE BAUTISTA. Fun Fact- Jose was with 4 teams in 2004- Orioles, Rays, Royals and finally Pirates.
147- Argenis Diaz
166- Jon Garland
138- Brandon League
283- Kevin Frandsden
270- Vlad Guerrero AS
28- Bill Hall
55- Starsberg RD
311- Felix Doubront
Peak Performance of J-Hey
TT
Yo Mamma card of Arod, Nomah and Jetah Shortstops.
290- Justin Verlander AS
161- Holliday AS
153- Brian McCann AS
220- Jon Lester AS
24- CL
247- Swisher HRD

Rack Pack 2-
103- Matt Tuiasosopo
115- Brad Lincoln
21- ROY OSWALT!
79- Johnny Gomes
310- Derek Jeter AS
261- Jason Vargas
297- Don Kelly
140- John Hamilton
27- Koyie "Say my name 10 times fast and it sounds like you're hyperventilating" Hill
208- Jeff Keppinger GOLD #'d to 2010. Bleah
MY THIRD CODE CARD! Let's see who I get:
Huh. Doug Rau 1980. It's amazing, I just traded a Doug Rau 1976 away for something, and now I got another Rau.
Turkey Red Pee Wee Reese
3- Sam Demel rookie
78- Jon Link rookie
109- Luke Hughes
213- Alex Gonzalez
309- Andruw Jones
169- Ryan Ludwick
102- Chris Carter
142- Mike Canmeron
151- Kerry Wood
82- Emanuel Burriss
294- Another Aaron Heilman
59- Another Jeanmar Gomez
54- Another Aki Iwamura
268- And another Logan Morrison. Great collation, Topps!
159- Ocatvio Dotel
Lineage- Rod Carew and Robinson Cano. That's about right.
tt
Yo Mamma of 2001 Vladimir Guerrero
87- Trevor Plouffe
209- Bengie Molina
66- Ronnie Belliard
212- Mitch Talbot
273- John Jaso
89- Frank Herrmann

Well, it was an okay rip. There was good code cards, and Yo Mamma, but STILL NO ROOKIE STRASBURGS!

Topps Series 2 Rack Pack Double Rip!

Ah, Wal Mart- land of opportunity. I scored myself 2 rack packs of series2, all ready to be ripped.

Pack 1-

415- Reds
432- AJ Burnett
473- Jason Varitek
528- Brian Bannister
457- Kanodkjgdshglgljajdj Texiera.
563- Bronson Arroyo
590 Hey, it's recently injured Ryan Howard
485- Jesus Flores, still not Superstar
558- Ronny Paulino
545-Fred Lewis
Mel Ott Vintage Legends
Hunter Pence in 20 years
Max Scherzer ToppsTown
458- Todd Wellemeyer
507- K-Rod (Insert your own joke here)
628- Ross Detweiler
578- Aaron Rowand
630- Ben "I was traded with Cliff Lee and all I got was this stupid backup spot" Francisco
568- Jarrod Saltasfkdjshfkjdsh
644- David Purcey
538- Travis Hafner
460- Aaron Cunningham
362- Travis Snyder
497- Edgar Renteria
353- Hey, Waddaya know, a Jason Heyward rookie. Too bad I already have it!
548- Twins
361- Nats
1982 Steve Carlton Yo Mamma
Dawson and Soriano Lineage
Catfish Peak Performance
Ryan Ludwick Turkey Red
500- Brad Lidge
414- Sean West
369- David Ortiz
412- Giants
382- Kyle Davies

Now for Pack #2-

599- Jaaay Bruce!
421- Doug Fister
364- Trevor Hoffman
659- Nick Blackburn
571- Brandon Lyon
514- Rafael Soriano
453- Jesse English
395- Jenry Mejia
335- Jordan Norberto
498- Sergio Santos Rookie (OOOOOH!)
454- James Lonely
451- Michael Saunders
641- Chase Headley LaMarr
Cool, CodeCard! Lets see who I get!
1976 Ron Fairly. Pretty good
Jon Lester ToppsTown
389- Troy Tulowitski
481- Scott Rolen
557- Aaron Hill
537- Michael Cuddyer
435- Nelson Cruz
501- Jake Peavy
591- Fernando Rodney
418- Aaron Laffey
463- Carlos Marmol
544- Kouz
524- Dusty Hughes
469- Alex Burnett
565- Franklin Morales
1966 Galyord Perry Yo Mamma...I think I have that one. Up for trade, if anyone needs it.
Mickey Mantle World Series
Adam Dunn Peak'
Brooks Robinson Turkey Red
618- Jorge Cantu
593- Derek Holland
348- Jordan Zimmerman
390- Ervin Santana

Good rip overall. Got some nice cards.

Back in Joisey

You can believe your eyes. It's a 2010 Topps card of a recently traded phenom who used to play for the Phillies. This is an actual photo that will be used in the Update set.

Okay, I'm screwing with you.

I made it the night before I flew out to SF. And now I'm back, and this guy's pitching beatutifully against Jered Weaver, who will have a custom up tomorrow.

But back to me. I just got home from San Diego. I could be mistaken, but if I know former Yankees as well as I do, David "Boomer" Wells was on my flight. No I didn't get an autograph, because from what I've heard, he isn't the nicest guy when it comes to fans.

I'm anxiously awaiting A-Rod's 600th home run. At this point, I've forgiven him. No longer is he A rod, the once hyped phenom who wasted his career by needling up the wazoo, he is A-Rod, the Yankees Third Basemen who for a time was my favorite player, and still might be.

And if he hits 600, I'll be wearing my Yankee Jersey and clapping

(Just don't tell him it's a Jeter jersey)

Rating the Inserts- Topps 2010

I haven't posted in a while, so I'll make it up to you by dishing on this year's Topps inserts, sorta like I did with the gimmicks last year. 1 is the worst, 10 is the best.

Topps Town. It's a cool insert set, but it's still a shameless web promotion that's one per pack. And there are so many doubles. Jees, I haven't gotten a new TT card out of a pack in a while. 3.

Turkey Red. A lot of people are bashing Turkey Red this year. Why? It's a damn good insert set if you ask me. It has current stars, Hall of Famers and a cool design. Plus, it's a lot better than the actual TR sets Topps put out. 8.

Tales/History of the game- Two fun sets that are collectable, but aren't as good as the other ones. 5

Cards your mother threw out. I like this set, and that's why I'm trying to complete it. Seriously- if anyone has some CYMTO that they don't want, email me. 9

Peak Performances. Sorta like the Record Breakers set from '02. Okay. 6.

Legendary Lineage- I don't like this one. Maybe it's just that some players don't need comparison, AND THERE IS ALREADY SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN HERITAGE!!! 2

When they were young- ehhhhhh. 4

2010 Topps Series One Retail Box Break

Aw yeah. I'm back in Jersey, ripping packs and I just glanced at the Exclusive Patch. It's Lou Gehrig from the 1937 World Series. Life is good

Pack 1-
13- Melvin Mora. Now in Colorado
81- Ryan Theroit
66- Kyle Phillips
73-Leaders
1995 Mike Piazza- This card, my mom probably threw it out. I still don't have the card to this day.
Ricky Nolasco When they Were Young
ToppsTown of SuperAwesomeJapaneseInsertKingHIIIIIYAAAA (Ichiro
250- Mark Teixiera

Pack 2-
304- Adam LaRoche
248- Jason Kendall
222- Grandy Throwback
A Cool HISTORY card of the 1st ever Baseball Game
Justin Verlander When they were young
Vladdie ToppsTown
50- Zach Grienke
113- Willy Taveras

Pack 3-
59- Kevin Gregg
110- Andrew McCutchen
68- Brandon Inge
322- Travis Buck
102- Twins Team
Willie McCovey Turkey Red
ManRam ToppsTown
170- Jason Bay

Pack 4-
255- Chris Davis
133- Freddy Sanchez
131- Some Sucky BoSox Rookie
HISTORY= Babe Ruth Retires
ANOTHER Vladdie ToppsTown
111- Ty Wiggington
290- O-Hud

Pack 5-
114- Chris Ianetta
48- Joey Votto
154- Pedro Feliz (I love how they play Feliz Navidad every time he came up to bat. They usually killed the music at "Feliz-"
Cobb and Granderson Legendary Lineage
ANOTHER Ichiro ToppsTown
201- Tigers
158- Not Drunk Jeff Niemann
252- Ronny Cedeno

Pack 6-
330- Brandon Allen
52- Billy Butler
92- Eck
Gold Numbered Dodgers History (OOOOOOHHH!)
Halladay Peak Performances
MigCab ToppsTown
256- A crappily photoshopped Akinori Iwamura
130- Vladdie

Pack 7-
122- RUUUUIIIIIIZZ
286- Vazquez, now on the Yankees
265-Angels
1961 Roger Maris- Not thrown out, but I don't have it
OY! Hank Greenberg Turkey Rd
Eva Longoria ToppsTown
107- Scott Hairston
211- Kelly Schoppach

Pack 8-
193- SSSHHHHAAAIIIIROOON!!!
323- Jim Thome, now on the Twinkies
266- Humberto Quintero
199- Mariners
1974 Dave Winfield- Not thrown out, I have it.
Peak Performers Curt Schilling
Ryan Braun ToppsTown
89- JA Happ

Pack 9-
234-Rays Franchise
3- Derrek Lee
11- Orlando Cabrera
299- Gary Sheffield
32- Reds Team
Duke Snider and Andre Ethier
Halladay ToppsTown
213- Ricky Nolasco

Pack 10-
278- Carlos Delgado
86- Summers Eve Meches
Tales of the Game- REGGIE! REGGIE! REGGIE!
OH SH&T! I GOT A YOOOOUK AND YAZ LEGENDARY LINEAGE!! GAAAAHHH!
Big Mig ToppsTown
53- Craig Counsell
144- Rich Harden
208 Tim Wakefield

I am quite satisfied. I got Reggie, TexMex, Stretch and Feliz Navidad, but I also got YOOOOOOOOOOUK.

2010 Topps Baseball 8 Pack Rip

Yep, I finally got me some swag. It took 2 hours, 4 places and 1 trip to a mall, but I eventaully got some sweet swag.

Let's rip already!

Pack 1-
143- Omar Vizquel. Now on the White Sox
183- Jonathan Poopelbon
235- Neftali Feliz
325- Julio Lugo
97- Luis Durango
207- Colby Rasmus. Nice!
Peak Performers of A-ROD!
Red Back Mini Lou Gehrig, soul patch-less
Todd Helton Topps Town
251- John Lannan
264- D-Backs Franchise History. Yeah, 2001 series. Thanks a lot.
85- Ken Griffey Jr.! Nice way to end a pack!

Pack 2-
52- Billy Butler
122- RUUUUIIIIIZ!
278- The Carlos on the Mets that ISN'T missing the first half of the season.
119- Wilkin Ramirez
147- Huston Street. How was this guy the AL ROY in 05. Just sad.
32- Reds team card
Peak performances of Tom Seaver
Mariano Rivera Red Back
David Wright Topps Town
7- Gee, who's #7 again. Mickey Mantle! Usually, it takes me more than 2 pacsk to find this guy.
16- Johnny Cueto
45- David Hernandez. I saw this guy get bombed by Boston last year.

Pack 3-
182- Coco Crisp- Part of this complete breakfast!
276- Matt Lindstrom
31- Jason PropaneElaini
326- Tyler Colvin
260- Yankees Team History
197- Indians team card
Rogers Hornsby Peak Performances
Red Back of...HEY! Rogers Hornsby!
Roy Halladay ToppsTown
17- Dexter Fowler
62- Kevin Millwood
91- Erik Bedard

Pack 4-
267- Blue Jays Franchise History
35- Rick Porcello
128- Garrett Mock
92- ECK...stein
227- Josh Thole
65- Nick Swisher getting pied. Is this like the Texiera card?
Cards I Thank my mom for throwing out- Carl Yazstremski
Tales of the game- The bloody sock.
Albert Pujols ToppsTown
89- JA Happ
170- Jason Bay, not updated
213- Ricky Nolasco

13- Melvin Mora, who is probably out of a job now.
81- Ryan Theriot
176- Yovani Gallardo
228- Chris Petit
222- Granderson NOT YET on the Yanks
140- Matt Holliday, who I am not yelling at Topps for. He's on the Cards, and I'm happy for that.
Peak Peformers of Big Poopi
Another Red Back Rogers Hornsby
HanRam ToppsTown
208- Tim Wakefield
111- Ty Wiggington
290- O-hud. Good player, without a home.

255- Chris Davis
133- Freddy Sanchez
193- SHAAAIIIROOONNN!
323- Jim Thome. Yeah, I think they got that back image from Google. Even I used that for my custom.
138- Leaders
73- Leaders
History of the game- thing.
Gordon Beckham when they were young
Adam Dunn ToppsTown
24- John Maine
69- Royals Team
117- David DeJesus

Pack...ah, who cares
76- Joe Saunders
139- Frank Fransisco
189- Beltre
292- Tommy Manzella
34- Michael Dunn.
145- Justin Upton
72- Brewers Franchise
Baby Bull of Cards my mother wouldn't ever throw out.
Tales of the game of Josh Hamilton's Homer Derby Smash
Ichiro Topps Town
186- Andrew Bailey
192- ANDRUW JOOONES!

Last pack-
249- Jon Neise
242- Bobby Jenks- JESUS CHRIST WHAT'S THAT ON HIS CHIN!!! SOMEBODY TELL HIM TO SHAVE!!!
215- Max Scherzer
163- Josh Bulter
236- Andrew Bailey ROY
311- Jose Valverde
Turkey Red...hey, it's Rogers- sorry, CC SABATHIA!!!
Legendary Lineage of Willie McCovey and Ryan Howard
CC Sabathia ToppsTown
26- Zach Duke
146- Yunel Escobar
151- Mat Gamel

Not bad. I am totally satisfied, now that I've got my precious Topps.

The 2010 Topps epidemic

I haven't opened a pack in a few days, and now, being that 2010 Topps has been popping up, I plan on checking Target this weekend. Now, since my last post, a few more things have popped up:

• Target blasters cotain more Throwback cards
• There have been a few more SP sightings, like Jackie Robinson, Cy Young, Willie Stargell and Christy Mathewson
• A few base cards are Team Highlight cards (I will have to look for a few of those)
• The ToppsTown cards are much cooler than last years.

I don't know what I'm waiting for. Next chance I get, I'm hitching a ride to Target and getting me some new cards

The calm before the storm

It happens in the twilight of the cold
It sprints throughout the aisles with no consent
This event has but ceased to become old
As Series One arrives without relent
Collectors scour the hobby shops with glee
In hopes of getting hits of then and now
A chance is held of pulling a Cliff Lee
Whose uniform's unaltered; discuss how
But in the coming weeks the masses tire
Of pulling several copies of Vizquel
The most horrendous fact doth catch its fire
For finding several doubles seems like hell.
It's sad what these collectors tend to do:
Ditch Series One, and hope for Series Two.

(Well, this is my second most viewed post ever. I kinda had to make it worthy of that honor.)