Bullish on Valentines Day

My first Valentines Day as a married man - wow, that's weird to think about.  Now that this poor woman is stuck with me for the rest of her life, I hope that she's okay with receiving the following as her February 14th gift:

Just kidding, of course.  Our proper V-Day celebration took place at the Chicago Auto Show, this past Sunday, as per our annual tradition.  Furthermore, tonight we'll be sure to honor the occasion with dinner out on the town (hooray for gift cards!), a bottle of wine, and a late-night showing of the Lego Batman Movie, which looks absolutely hilarious.  It's bound to be a good night.

Anyway, I wasn't kidding about purchasing those NBA valentines, though.  Every year, I pick up a box of these little cards from Walmart because I'm a child and can't help myself.  They make for fun, oddball additions to my tiny basketball card collection and, this year, I've taken to using the extras (32 cards, 8 players... you do the math) as note cards for my outgoing trade packages... again, I'm a giant man-child.

Each year, there's usually a Bull that finds their way into these products.  In years past, it was the once-popular, now-enigma Derrick Rose.  Now that he's a Knick, "Jimmy Buckets" steps up as the Chicago representation.  Butler is a budding superstar and is, by far away, the best player on the purgatory-doomed Bulls' roster.

Oddly enough, since I don't pursue my Bulls All-Time Roster Collection with the same fervor as my other similar Windy City accumulations, this is my very first card of #21, so this Valentine now rests comfortably in that binder, at least until I come across a standard-sized trading card.

These "cards" are slightly longer and wider than your normal, 2.5 x 3.5 baseball card and come in rolled-up, perforated strips that are stuffed within the cardboard box that you see at the top of this post.  This leads to a great deal of warping and ripping.  If these had any collector's value, at all, you certainly wouldn't be seeing any PSA 10's out of this product; of course, they are designed to be folded at the mid-section, by grubby little kid fingers anyway.

Meanwhile, the product features major stars from across the NBA, superimposed in front of a brightly-colored background, with some sort of light or motion pattern.  They definitely catch your attention.

Additionally, they have a pair of slits in the bottom right corner of each card so that little kids can affix little heart-shaped tattoos to their messages.  The tattoos are actually just little stickers, which, upon opening, I proceeded to plaster all over the back of my wife's shirt.  I don't know that she was nearly as amused as I was, but I still think it was totally worth it.  Remember - man-child.

It's hard to argue with the player selection.  These men represent a pretty decent cross-section of the game's biggest and most marketable hardwood stars, with the above two gents being the cream of the crop.  No matter how you feel about LeBron or Steph personally, you cannot argue their star power in today's game.  Nevertheless, it was still the underappreciated-outside-of-Chicago Jimmy Butler that was the biggest draw to me.

The strip concludes with one more player; however, his Valentine is a touch different:

For whatever reason, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers is considerably wider than the rest of the bunch; it's just short of twice as wide.  My best guess is that the manufacturers (The Paper Magic Group) were left with an odd amount of space left over on each strip and, thus, decided to simply expand Lillard's card, since there wasn't enough room to add another player.  But, that's just a guess.

So, there you have it - the comprehensive look at a box of basketball Valentines that you didn't know you wanted.

The NBA has been pumping these out into the market for several years now; it looks like they've been around in some form or another since the late 90's.  Last year, their offering was lenticular (think Sportflics), smaller in size and square.  I, for one, welcome the return to more "normal" printing methods; although, the cardstock suffers in the exchange.  That said, again, these are meant for little kids to pass around, folded, doodled on and sticker affixed, to their classmates.  I'm the only weirdo who buys these for their trading card collection.

The 2016 edition of NBA's Valentine line

I truly wish that Major League Baseball did a set of these every year, as I would totally plop down my hard-earned money on a box of those every St. Valentines day; however, we all know how stingy they are with their licensing.  *Sigh*...maybe someday.

In the meantime, my wife makes up for this shortcoming and truly gets me and my inner man-child.  Just look at what she tagged me in on Facebook:

She's definitely a keeper.  

A Little Pitchy

What. A. Weekend.  I haven't been able to post at all the past few days because there's been so very much going on and all of it was phenomenal.  Allow me to summarize:

• The wife was hired into a coveted new job with a substantial pay increase, so that's pretty cool. 
• We got our car back from the body shop after having the nose of the brand new 2016 Soul ripped off by an errant teenage driver.  
• To celebrate these previous two developments, we partied hard at a local Dave and Busters, with an enthusiastic group of our closest friends. 
• Fourth, I had the opportunity to attend a card show on Saturday morning with none other than Nick, of Dime Box fame. This was my first ever blogger meet-up. 
• My wonderful wife and I took all of Sunday afternoon to meander and explore the famed Chicago Auto Show, as is our yearly, Valentines tradition.  

As you can plainly see, there was a great deal of merriment.  Plus, there will be more to come on all of that throughout this week, as pretty much every one of those bullet points had some sort of cardboard connection.  But first things first...

On top of all that joyfulness, the whole weekend was riffed off on a high note, courtesy of a padded mailer full of rockin', new baseball cards bestowed upon me by Shane, the punk behind OFF THE WALL.  Now, I know what you're thinking - what's with all of the musical adjectives?  Trust me, there is method behind my madness.

This may be the only time that Joan Jett would ever be described as "a little pitchy," but the punk and hard rock maven appears in the popular "First Pitch" subset in the newly released, Flagship product.  As an added bonus, it's with the coolest team in the league, as well.  Jett hails from the Philly area, so I doubt she's a huge North Side fan, but 75% of that checklist is Cubs-centric, so naturally she's in blue.

This is a card that I knew I had to have when I first saw it and I couldn't have been happier when Shane offered to send a copy my way.  I had the opportunity to see Jett play a show in Chicago Ridge a few years back and she absolutely tore the place up; it was easily one of the best live performances that I've ever taken in.  Here's a brief recording from that very set:

While we all know "I Love Rock n Roll" by heart, Jett was a pioneering trailblazer for women in the world of rock music.  She burst onto the scene in the late 70's as part of the first all-female rock group, the Runaways, showcasing a blend of punk, glam and hard rock influences.  Then, after launching a solo career amidst rejection after rejection, with grit and sheer determination, the bad ass Jett stood out to become a rock icon, on her own label, and proved that women could rock just as hard as the guys, oftentimes even harder!

I mean, the Grammys were last night, right?  Without Jett and the Runaways, I don't know that we'd have performances like Lady Gaga's head-banging, fronting of Metallica.  Although, James Hetfield might have been okay with that.

Anyway, as you can plainly see, this former radio DJ greatly admires Joan Jett and her contributions to popular music.  Thus, a card that connects the frontwoman of the Blackhearts and my favorite baseball club was a definite must-have.  Thanks, Shane!

Of course, the ever-so-generous Red Sox blogger didn't stop there, he also threw in a few other bonus items, including the 2015 Opening Day, Clark the Cub insert that you see above.  I must say, after a couple of years, I've warmed up pretty well to the idea of the Cubs having a pants-less, bear mascot running around the grounds.  Bonus points go to Clark for sporting the throwback, "Cuba"-style jersey from the mid-90's.

Here we have Bleacher Bum favorite, Gary Matthews, sharing space on a Topps sticker with someone on the Seattle Mariners... Ken Phelps?  I'm not entirely sure.  Shane knows that I love a good oddball and this adhesive "Sarge" certainly fits that bill.

This card would have been perfect for that "Friday Feeling" gif that I posted on Friday morning - pure elation!  The de facto captain of the Cubs and his crew are celebrating Rizz's walk-off, line-drive over the Rays on August 10, 2014, just one the light was starting to shine at the end of the rebuilding tunnel.  We also get a good look at the 80's-era throwbacks sported by the club as part of their 100 years of Wrigley Field promotion.

Speaking of which...

Hot damn - here's a commemorative patch relic, which I believe was made in honor of that same, century-mark celebration.  This is the first such hit to enter into my collection and, though it might be manufactured and gimmicky, it sure does look nice!  Plus, anytime I can add a hit featuring one of the key cogs in the World Series championship machine, it's an event worth celebrating.

Again, speaking of which...

Shane does it again -  A Jorge Soler First Home Run Medallion from 2015 Topps (which Jorge swatted in his first MLB at bat, 8/27/14) makes it two relics featuring World Series champion sluggers!  While, like the patch, these manufactured medallions are gimmicky, they look positively regal; plus, who says I don't like gimmicky?  As an added bonus, they are heavy enough to serve as emergency weaponry, should anyone attempt to mug me at a card show.

With that, we've completely emptied the epic bubble mailer.  He sure can pack a punch, huh?

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

Shane, after Saturday afternoon's card show with Nick, I have an ample amount of goodies to send back your way, in return for your generous gifting.  I'll make sure to get that package sent out your way, later on this afternoon.  Hopefully, you get as much of a kick out of the contents of this mailing as I did with yours.

Thanks for "Jetting" my weekend off on the right note!

That Friday Feeling

We made it through another long week, guys and gals - time to celebrate!

Catch Me if You Kenseth

Whenever I feel the itch to rip packs, I like to make my way to the local Dollar Tree.  That way, I can satisfy my urge without doing too much damage to my poor, little wallet.  Plus, every once in a while, I end up with some cards that fit in somewhere within my collections or something pretty cool.  I think I'm the only one buying trading cards from this particular establishment, but I digress.

A couple of nights ago, this want struck and so I moseyed on over to the dollar store to see what the pickins were.  Usually, there's nothing but a hefty helping of various repacks products and out of date entertainment cards; however, this time, a nearly new gravity feeder, chock full o' 2014 Press Pass packs caught my eye:

I'll almost always pull the trigger on cheap NASCAR product, seeing as my racing collection is still relatively tiny.  When I picked up this particular pack, it felt unusually thick and heavy.  After examining a couple of others from the feeder for reference, my tactile instincts were confirmed.  Was it possible that there was a hit in there? Or was it just one of those psych-out, thick slabs of blank cardboard?  For a buck, I was ready and willing to take this gamble.

Also, I assure you that I'm no pack-searcher.  This pack very first one that I grabbed out of that gravity feeder.

Unfortunately, the base cards were not particularly intriguing and provided me with no new names for my All-Time Drivers Collection, so I won't bore you with those.  However, as it turns out, the very last card in the pack was definitely of interest:

My very first NASCAR hit!  And it comes from Dollar Tree of all places.  I'm not lucky enough to pull many hits from pack purchases; so anytime I do, it's a cause worth celebrating, much like Matt Kenseth is celebrating his victory in the 2013 STP 400 at Kansas Speedway.  As an extra bonus, the tire rubber relic is numbered 11/50.  Neat!

Also, I think the universe is telling me to start a Kenseth PC.  In my NASCAR collection, I have two (IP) autos, one relic and all three are of the Wisconsin native.  Maybe universe, maybe...

I've been lucky enough to meet the guy a couple of times.

Furthermore, in addition to my lucky pack find, I purchased one of those aforementioned repack products, as well.  I threw this into my proverbial shopping cart to serve as a pallet cleanser, just in case my tactile instincts were horribly incorrect and I needed a little pick-me-up.  I could have opted for baseball, or football, or multi-sport; but, this time, I decided to try something a little different:

A re-pack of packs - I don't think I've seen one of these before. 

Plus, right on top of this set of two, unopened packs, was this sampling of Collegiate Collection, featuring the University of Arizona:

These cards always tempt me for a couple of reasons:  A) I have a noted affinity for cards which feature pro athletes in their minor league or collegiate apparel and B) the diverse subjects included in these products affords me the opportunity to pull some track athletes for my newly-declared runner collection.  After all, the sources for the latter reason are quite limited.

So, how'd I do here?

It wasn't a rip-roaring success, but I did come across one card that intrigued me.

Before leading the Arizona Wildcats to three College World Series titles and earning his way into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Kindall signed on with the Cubs as a bonus baby in 1956.  This flawed system damaged many a young career, forcing prospects into the Bigs well before they were ready.  No one since 1920 with at least 2000 at-bats has a lower career batting average than Kindall's .213, so it seems he was yet another victim of this policy. 

Despite this, Mr. Kindall was able to carve out a decently long, nine-year career in the Majors, with the Cubs, Indians and Twins.

But enough about Jerry Kindall, whose Arizona Wilcats card will slip comfortably into my Nothing Major binder, what about that second pack of cards that was promised within the cello wrapping of the re-pack?

Blah.  Soccer cards... this doesn't even come close to moving the needle for me.  Although, I can appreciate the inclusion of the Italian language on the foil packaging - you don't see that too often.

While I clearly have no use for these World Cup cards from 1994, perhaps I could find someone who does.  Recently, at the school I work at, I discovered that there must be a student who collects soccer cards, as I found this little number, lost on the computer lab floor:

It's been sitting on the corner of my desk ever since I came across it, last week.  Perhaps, if anyone ever actually claims it, I'll dump this pack of World Cup cards from 20+ years ago on them, as well.  I mean, what collector doesn't love free cards of their favorite sport?

With that, I've exhausted my supply of dollar store trading cards.  Not bad for a late night, dollar store purchase, I'd say.  Does anyone else regularly stop at the Dollar Tree for baseball cards?  If so, what's the best find you've scored from such an establishment?  Please feel free to share in the comment section below.

Dollar Tree - easy on the wallet, heavy on the fun.

Stop Mocking Me!

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." - Charles Caleb Colton


"To make mistakes is human; to stumble is commonplace; to be able to laugh at yourself is maturity." - William Arthur Ward


"We all gotta laugh at ourselves, once in a while.  I do it all the time!"  Spongebob Squarepants

Maybe if our president watched an episode of Spongebob, he wouldn't be quite so sensitive.  Ever since Alec Baldwin unleashed his Trump impression on Saturday Night Live during the election season, the Great Orange One has been on a crusade against the late night sketch show... much like he has been against the rest of the media.  Of course, his Twitter tirades about how bad the show is, how mean the impressions are and all that mumbo jumbo is simply a reflection of the fact that the man can't handle criticism.  SNL has skewered every president and presidential candidate since their beginning and only one has taken it as a deeply personal offense.

This of course, only causes the writers to target him and his administration harder (of course, this crew offers up constant material).  Perhaps you saw the Melissa McCarthy impersonation of Press Secretary Sean Spicer, last weekend?

This bit absolutely stole the show on a night where the host accidentally unleashed an "f-bomb" on live television.  Now, rumor has it that Trump's greatest enemy - that's right, Rosie O'Donnell - has offered her services to play assistant and Chief Strategist to the President, Steven Bannon.  I think I can actually hear The Donald's blood boiling at the thought of it.  

Anyway, satire and parody have been around for as long as there have been politics and this administration is going to have to grow some thicker skin.  But, I know what you're thinking - "Tony, what does any of this have to do with baseball cards?"  Well, believe it or not, I have a connection for you, the loyal reader.

Coincidentally, Major League Baseball had a similar reaction to being mocked, circa 1991.

Cardtoons was a set of art-based, parody cards which poked fun at Major League Baseball and it's personalities.  For instance, here we have the Balou's Brothers - a mashup of the Blues Brothers and the Alou family.  At the time, Felipe was manager of the Expos at the same time that his son, Moises, patrolled the outfield.  Sure, this reference would have made more sense with Felipe and his brothers Matty and Jesus, but that ship had long-since sailed.

Shawon Tungsten bears more than a passing resemblance to Chicago shortstop Shawon Dunston, with his cannon of an arm that was about as accurate as the Bowling Green Massacre.  

Also, we have Harry Scaray, who embodies the fear we all had watching the late, great broadcaster call games from the press box, with ample liquid assistance:

This comedic set of baseball cards was supposed to hit the market in 1991, in the thick of the junk wax era, when everyone and their brother was making or marketing baseball cards.  The people behind Cardtoons needed a niche and parody was their way to stand out from the crowd.  By keeping using fake player and team names, they hoped the unlicensed set would avoid litigation, on the grounds that they were "expression protected by the First Amendment and therefore read a parody exception..."  Well, the MLB Players Association would have none of that - according to them, the cutsie player names made the players easily identifiable.

The set eventually got out in 1993, but the lawsuit that entailed stretched out for seven years, with Cardtoons eventually winning out.  However, the lengthy court battle left the small company battered and, essentially, the MLBPA got what they wanted.  Of course, they probably would have been okay with the whole thing if they got a slice of the proverbial pie.

While all of that was going on, Confex put out their own parody set in 1992, called Baseball Enquirer.  This set also lambasted current MLB players and on-field personnel, but left out the cute, slightly twisted names entirely, which is what I am assuming kept them safe from the MLBPA.  Otherwise, I have no idea why they went after Cardtoons, but not Fun Stuff.

The set wasn't very well-received and died a natural death after just one go 'round.  In that checklist, was one implied "Cub" - George Bell.  The longtime designated hitter proved why he filled that spot for the Blue Jays and the White Sox during his singular season in the National League.

The backs of these cards featured comedic "interviews" with their unnamed subjects, thus earning their badge of  "Baseball Enquirer."  Some were actually quite chuckle-worthy, including the Bell above.  Others were notably mean-spirited, like the Lenny Dykstra look-a-like.

After Cardtoons was muscled out of business and Confex failed to grab a foothold in the lucrative market, the idea of a parody set featuring MLB personalities died for good.  To my knowledge, to this date, no other similar undertaking has been attempted (with one exception), likely partially because the threat of litigation is not worth the cost of business.  Furthermore, it's not like any of the licensed card manufacturers are going to stick their neck out on their own similar venture, especially not in the age of ultra-competitive exclusives.

However, every now and then, satire and parody will rear it's head in a product. For instance, in the lead up to the 2008 presidential election, Upper Deck blended baseball with politics in their Presidential Predictors insert set. Without this checklist, we wouldn't have gems such as the one above, which compared the political dogfight with the infamous Michael Barrett vs. A.J. Pierzynski brawl. However, with Hillary Clinton being a noted Cubs fan, I think they should have flipped the roles here.



Furthermore, Topps has long kept the spirit of parody alive with both their Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids line, which extend back decades.  Wacky Packs, which typically poke fun at consumer products, were expanded to include a set of MLB parodies, the first such lambasting since Cardtoons and Confex.  However, while the spirit Wackies have always been subversive and fun, this MLB sticker set was toothless and barely funny.  Again, the MLBPA seems to share a certain inability to laugh at themselves, just like someone else we know...

On the other hand, there seems to be no holds barred in the GPK world, which seems to have only gotten more pointed in the age of online exclusives.  Their pop culture references run wild, like with my wife's new Kimmy K mocking above, and people get a real kick out of them.  I have yet to find a baseball reference in one of these babies though.

In summation, this was basically just a giant excuse to show off my Cardtoons and Confex parody cards.  However, it was easy to draw some parallels between the MLBPA's stubborn refusal to see these mockeries hit the market and Donald Trump's inability to handle satire.  I have to say, this quality is much more nerve-wracking and concerning to see in the leader of the free world than it is to see in a pro sports union that has no power over the direction of our country.

At any rate, let's all remember how important it is to be able to laugh at yourself - "pobody's nerfect" and all that jazz.  In the meantime, I'm looking forward to this Saturday night.  After all, the comedy institution is only going to hammer him harder, from this point on.  Maybe we'll even get that Rosie O'Donnell appearance that the internet is clamoring for.



"Life is too short to be taken seriously." - Oscar Wilde

Now That Football is Over With...

Well, how about that game last night - that was something, huh?.  It wasn't nearly as fun to watch as Game Seven of the 2016 World Series was; but, then again, I might be just " a touch" biased.

No matter how you feel about Tom Brady, the Patriots, Roger Goodell or the NFL in general,  how that "the big game" over with, one thing that we can all welcome is the end of football season.  Why?  The end of the NFL schedule means that baseball season is very nearly upon us and that is a wonderful thing.  This is especially so for we Chicago sports fans, seeing as Bears football has been a test in masochism.

So, with the impending arrival of Spring Training, this seems like as good of a time as any to cover the minor transactions that the Cubs have made in the past couple of weeks.  These moves may have been lost in the shuffle of the NFL playoffs:

Eddie Butler may be  a tourist here, but he's going to be sticking around Chicago for the foreseeable future .  The former first round pick was acquired from Colorado, in exchange for relief prospect James Farris. 

Drafted in the first round in 2012, Butler has the stuff to be a top-of-the-rotation arm; however, his lack of control has kept him from capitalizing on that potential, in the majors (career 1.34 SO/W ratio).  Perhaps a little "Bosmosis" will do Mr. Butler some good, a la Jake Arrieta.  Most importantly, Eddie has options left, meaning that he can and will likely be optioned to Iowa, where he can work on and tweak some things until a need should arise.  Butler will probably be sharing that Iowa rotation with....

Williams Perez, another highly-touted prospect who hasn't been able to figure things out at the Big League level.  The former Braves hurler was signed to a minor league deal, with an invitation to Spring Training.  While his numbers in the Majors are scary (6.04 ERA, last season), injuries may have had something to do with that.  Again, his main role for the Cubs will be to hang around in AAA, in case something should happen to the top five starters.

The want to acquire controllable starting depth (players with options or on minor league deals) has been anything but subtle this off-season and these two roster moves certainly fit that mold.  Also, if anything should happen and Perez makes a start or two for Chicago, I'll need to track down a card of his for my CATRC, as the COMC watermark on the image above would indicate.

Speaking of rotation depth, part of this need was created by the departure of none other than...

 

...Jason Hammel, who was granted free agency in November after management declined to exercise their team option on his contract.  This was done as a favor to Jason, to allow him to pursue a multi-year deal in a weak starter's market.  Unfortunately, despite being one of the most appealing arms on the market, questions about Hammel's health have kept him on the board... that is, until last night.

While Tom Brady was orchestrating one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, Hammel signed his name on the dotted line of a two-year, $16 million deal with the Kansas City Royals.  It's not quite the rich deal that Jason was probably looking for, but one could do a lot worse, right?  Besides, as a member of the 2016 World Series Champion Cubs, he'll never have to pay for a thing in the city of Chicago ever again. 

 

Furthermore, also officially departing Chicago was nondescript reliever Joe Smith, who signed a one-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays a day earlier.  The trade deadline acquisition battled hamstring problems, which hampered his effectiveness, limited him to just 16 appearances and kept him off of the postseason roster.

It would have been nice to re-sign the side-armer to a minor league deal with a spring invite, as his numbers after coming off of the DL were top-notch (0 ER and 7 K's in 5 2/3 innings).  However, his reputation as a quality set-up man in years previous was enough to earn him a Major League deal.  Oh well.

In summation, now we're all caught up on the roster moves that were made leading up to Cubs camp - nothing major or earth-shattering, just depth pieces and proverbial insurances policies.  Anyway, good luck to Jason Hammel and Joe Smith and Jason Hammel in their new surroundings and here's hoping Eddie Butler and Williams Perez can turn a corner with a change in scenery.

With football now in our rear view mirrors and baseball rapidly approaching on the horizon, all feels right in the world.  After the off-season's moves, I'm truly excited about the Cubs chances of defending their World Series title... defending their World Series Title... man, I never thought I'd get a chance to type that sentence.

As Steve Goodman might sing today, "baseball seasons nearly underway and you better get ready for a brand new era."

The New Baseball Cards are Here!

FINALLY!!!!

Okay - so, that might be a tad bit hyperbolic.  After all, 2017 Topps was officially released this past Tuesday and I got my hands on a sampling on Friday - in the grand scheme of things, that's not a very long time.  However, in the interim, watching blogger after blogger showing off their first cards of the new year got me more and more envious.  By the time my local Target got the goods out on their shelves, a few days later, it felt more like a month than three days.

So, when I saw this in front of me last night, I felt like doing a little jig in the aisle:

Thankfully, I came to my senses before I got all Footloose.  Plus, I wasn't wearing my boogie shoes, anyway.

Without any hesitation, I grabbed myself my annual 72-card count, hanger pack (or whatever you want to call it), made my way to the checkout, and drove home in my Chevy Blazer, brimming with anticipation.  New card season feels like the Christmas season did when I was eight years old, even if the new design didn't really get me excited.

There we have it, a honest-to-goodness box of 2017 Topps, with cover boy Kris Bryant gracing it's packaging.  I may be a bonafide Cubs homer, but I think putting "Sparkles" on there was an excellent choice.

Now, I'm hardly the first blogger to show off their initial sampling and thoughts on the new Topps release, so I'll try to keep this brief.  But, I feel a touch obligated to show off my first experience with the latest Flagship product, no matter how what.  I think there's something in the blogging bylaws about that...

Without any further ado, it's time to tear into this baby:

And the first card of 2017 is... Rubby De La Rosa.  Well, that's not too exciting, but hey, we're off and running!

And the first Cub of 2017 is... World Series MVP, Ben Zobrist, turning a slick double play!  That's more like it!

Some quick thoughts on this year's design.  First, it does look quite reminiscent of TV broadcast graphics, but I don't hate that - maybe it's because I studied broadcasting in college and even did some work in the television field.  However, I will say that the "lower third" display takes up far too much space and intrudes upon the photography.

As for the much ballyhooed backsides, where we loose the career stats for the sake of adding social media branding.  I don't love this, but I don't hate it either.  We constantly gripe about trying to get kids back in the hobby and, well, this is an obvious attempt to do so.  That's what the kids care about, these days.  I'd say that the team color-coded backs make up for that disappointment, at least in my humble opinion.  The more colors, the better.

A couple of other base cards, featuring surprise World Series hero, Kyle Schwarber and 18-game winner Jake Arrieta.  On the latter, "Jake the Snake" tied for third in NL wins, earning him a spot in the "League Leaders" subset, which has been expanded from multi-player cards individuals for the top three in each category, this year.  I'm all about this - as a team collector, I like my Cubs cards to be purely Cubs cards.

World Series highlight cards are back and what a perfect year it is for them to make their grand return!  Pulling this celebratory image from the Game 7 victory definitely brought a smile to my face. I still can't believe that they actually did it - it's surreal.  Good things cards like this exist to prove it.

As for the inserts, I was lucky enough to pull a couple of Cubbies, as well.  Kris Bryant appears in the Award Winners set for his selection as the NL's Most Valuable Player.  Far more so than the base cards, these inserts suffer from over-the-top, TV graphic syndrome.

Also, Jake Arrieta hot box!  My 1987 30th Anniversary insert, which I believe came one to each hanger, just so happened to be a Cub.  Hot dog! The borders are pretty washed out in this scan, but they did a good job replicating this design (well, they should be good at it by now, right?), except for the fact that the logo is too small and there shouldn't be any, let alone that much, white space in that bubble.

See what I mean?  Otherwise, though, the miming is pretty faithful.  Also, the stamp is a welcome addition, differentiating the insert from the countless other '87 replications Topps has flooded the market with.

Anyway, that did it for the Cubs content.  What about the rest of the contents?

Here are the other three Award winners that accompanied Mr. Bryant.  I see my streak of pulling Corey Seager cards is still alive and well.  Good thing there are a couple of Dodger bloggers on the internet.

My "Bowman Then & Now" also happened to be a guy that I should have no trouble finding a home for.  I have to say, while this might be a bit of shameless self promotion for their Bowman brand, I think these are pretty cool.  It's always fun to see how far are stars of today have come.

My legend - Frank Robinson.

A couple of parallels in Edinson Volquez and Jose Bautista.  I have to say, this year's design is much more conducive to colored parallels than last year's "fishing net" patterns were.  Bautista is a gold parallel while Volquez looks straight up blue, it's actually a rainbow foil parallel.  Tricky.

This may look like a reprint of a card from 2012 (how exciting, right?); but, there's actually less than meets the eye:

A look at the back reveals that this isn't even really a card, it's an advertisement with a picture of a card on front.  While this may seem lame, at least it does add a teeny, tiny bit of collector value to what would otherwise be an easily disposed of bit of advertising copy.  I mean, I know I consider this to be a Mike Trout card, even if it technically isn't a card, per se.

That did it for the insert portion of the hanger box, However, I wanted to take this opporunity to show off some examples of the awesome photography that is present throughout the base set:

Good, ol' "Lightening Butt" Ellsbury makes a "shocking" catch in the outfield as Jose DeLeon, now of the Tampa Bay Rays, celebrates so intensely that he actually, accidentally craps his pants on the mound.

Maybe I was being a little facetious there - the photography isn't world-beating in 2017 Topps, but it isn't bad either.  Also, maybe it's just me, but the images don't seem as over-enhanced and Photoshopped as they did in the 2016 edition.



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With that, we've exhausted my first sampling of 2017 Topps, Series One.  I got a fair amount of Cubs out of the experience, so I'm a happy camper.  Overall, I'd say that while I'm not a huge fan of this year's design, I would say that I like it a lot better than I did last year's template.  Again, I just wish that the "lower third" graphic didn't take up so much of the 2.5"x 3.5" space.

How do you feel about it?  Make your opinions known, in the comment section below.

Regardless of how I feel about the design, I will always be excited about the new Flagship set hitting store shelves.  There's just something about opening up that first pack of cards that screams baseball to me.  Not to mention, it's a nice reminder that spring training is right around the corner and baseball season will be ramping up, any day now.  With that in mind...

THE NEW BASEBALL CARDS ARE HERE!!!