NOW hear this!

I caved.

Topps NOW has been going on for two years now, and I'd lacked a substantial reason to actually get any, mainly due to the price tag per-card, and the fact that it was trying to make the flagship set relatively pointless.

But...recently I saw an offer I couldn't pass up.

I forget if I've been vocal about it on the blog, but Players Weekend was, in my opinion, a great idea this year, as it encouraged self-expression, deviation from the norm, and creativity. Everybody wore different uniforms and wore nicknames on their backs. As a Yankees fan, I feel like I'm supposed to hate this for some reason, as this is a team based on tradition and sameness, but...there was something really cool about it to me.

There was a set of Players Weekend cards for each team, and seeing as this Yankees team is one of the more fun teams I've had the privilege of rooting for, I kind of had to...

 So this is what I got. A five-card Players Weekend set. Topped off with a Judge card. For a passable enough amount of money. Let's examine these, shall we?

 First of all, Aaron Judge. There can't be a Topps product that features the Yankees without having at least one Aaron Judge card. Not that this is a problem, as I'm glad it's a Yankee for once.

This was during Judge's well-reported slump, and he still managed to do alright here, wearing his 'ALL RISE' nickname on his back. As obligatory cards go, this one's nice enough. Also, design wise, you could do a ton worse than what Topps NOW is doing this year.

 First of all, the KRAKEN? That is a f--king amazing nickname. Like...you're named after a mythical tentacle monster. That's rad.

Second of all, this card does the players weekend unis a bit more justice while still allowing for nickname recognition. Also, it's nice that Gary Sanchez actually had a relatively nice week going when this was taken. Sanchez is juuuuust getting back to his old tricks from 2016, and we're all for it.

 Yeah, and they also needed to do Didi, because he's having his best season yet, and he's reached the apex of fan recognition in the Bronx. Everybody loves him, and he's having an amazing time, and you can tell. This is also a cooler batting shot, a bit more dramatic, while still getting that nickname in there.

 Of course, this is also a way of getting my very first Sonny Gray Yankees card. Which, I have to admit, looks pretty friggin' awesome. Especially with the navy-based uniform.

I should probably point out that I had no idea that 'Pickles' was Gray's nickname, and that's actually kind of hilarious. He's intimidating as hell on the mound, but...heheh, pickles...

 And finally, and insanely cool and dramatic card of the Toddfather, king of the thumbs down as he's been lead to be called. This is my first Frazier Yanks card as well, and he's sloooowly growing on me as a Yankee. The fans already love him, which I expected, but he's beginning to hit a bit more for average, and he might be someone we keep around next year, which is great, as he's a Toms River guy.

Here are all the backs. Pretty cool stuff, though a bit simple.

I don't know if I'm ever gonna get another NOW card, but...these are pretty cool,. and I'm glad I took a risk and got 'em.

The Last Straggler Arrives at Topps

I haven't spoken in detail about ToppsNOW, because I don't have a hell of a lot to say about it. Yeah, they're marketing individual cards of highlights for ten bucks a pop- big whoop. The problems are kind of on the surface, it's not like I need to go very in depth. It's a cash grab that Topps is trying to hawk instead of regular Topps base cards, so in 3 or 4 years time they'll be completely obsolete.

That isn't to say I've been outwardly negative about EEEEVERY aspect of ToppsNOW, because they people in charge do some really nice things. They give spotlights to players who don't get it every day, and they don't really go out of their way to give 50 cards to one person, or fawn over a new rookie star. I mean, they'll do a Bryant or a Harper every once and a while, but only if they do something to warrant it. It's not like the '2007 Highlights' thing Topps did in '08, where they went by every day in the season just to be excessive. They don't go out of their way for surplus star cards- if somebody does something cool, they make a note of it. Simple as that.

Today, with their 'here's who we're putting on cards for the next 24 hours' announcement, Topps detailed a card about the Orioles' hitting in the last few games, featuring a few players, including Mark Trumbo, Jonathan Schoop, and...

No...

It couldn't be...

Matt Wieters is going to be on a ToppsNOW card. So.... (puts two and two together). Matt Wieters can be on Topps Cards. Matt Wieters signed a contract with Topps....

Ever since 2009 when he came into the big leagues, he'd signed an exclusive contract with Upper Deck, and eventually Panini- from then on, Matt Wieters couldn't appear on a Topps card. It was depressing for completists like me who saw Adam Jones and Manny Machado get tons of cards, and to be stuck with one insert from 2010 Upper Deck, and a few Donruss base cards of Wieters.

But now Topps can make Wieters cards, albeit late, but still- I don't think any huge-time current players are barred from appearing in Topps products, now that Ichiro's back with Topps (big time), and they can apparently make Nomar Garciaparra cards again (but mostly from the Red Sox era, in vintage-esque products).

I don't think this especially brings ToppsNOW to legitimacy or relevancy, but it's nice to have Wieters in Topps products. It'd be great if they could do what they did with A-Rod, and make reprints of what Wieters Topps issues would have looked like in '09-'15 Topps flagship, but I imagine that's what us customizers are for.