Card of the Week: 2009 Topps Ticket to Stardom Daisuke Matsuzaka #124

I’ve said it before. There’s only so much you can do with a rectangular piece of cardboard with a picture on it. A border, no border. A color? A stripe? That’s pretty much it. So, I like it when a company goes out on a limb a bit.

No, this isn’t a huge design stretch. A white border, a foil stripe. But, I like the idea of the “ticket” theme. It’s something a little different. So, there’s a little barcode on the top. (Has anyone tried to scan it?) The important information is set up like a ticket stub. Design-wise it has the feel of a Red Sox ticket. That’s pretty cool. Not earth shattering, but cool. In this case, it may not have chosen the most flattering picture of Matsuzaka to portray. But, it is a nice view of him about to deliver a pitch.

Can’t find much to complain about with this card.

Card of the Week: 2003 Bowman #31

The Bowman cards have evolved into a pretty standard design. A black border. Some sort of secondary color. A picture. Sticking to a design like that does one of two things. It makes the design feel safe, classic, comfortable. Or, it makes it boring. I think, in this case, I feel the latter.

I like this card. It’s a nice tight picture of Wake. The knuckleball grip is clearly shown. I can’t think of a picture that is more classic Tim Wakefield. The border gets out of the way. It has a style to it, that doesn’t go too far. The facsimile autograph isn’t splashed across the middle of the shot. It’s tucked at the bottom next to the position. The name is in gold foil, which is a little annoying when you’re flipping through a stack of them looking for someone. But, a name at the edge like that makes that a little easier.

Nicely done

Card of the Week

2003 Topps Heritage #349 Derek Lowe

The Heritage lines are a lot of fun. Really, any chance to add some variety to a collection is OK in my book. It’s also pretty neat to see newer players in classic designs that I’ve seen for years on older cards. So, this Derek Lowe card is a nice one to have. This design follows the 1954 Topps design, and it’s a nice one. It’s clean, crisp, and colorful. It works well.

The 2003 Derek Lowe is also great because of the stats on the back. Following the lead of the 1954 originals, there is only one year of stats on the back, along with career totals. In Lowe’s case, the 2002 stat line was a great one. It was the year he finished third in the Cy Young voting. So, the stats show his 21 wins, and his sparkling 2.58 ERA. It’s nice that the single line really makes that year stick out. The 1954 Topps also had cartoons on the back. In Lowe’s case, all three cartoons focus on one thing. His no-hitter. So, the back of this one card amplifies his two greatest career achievements. Perfect. It’s also nice for me since, as I may have mentioned, I was at that no-hitter. Anything mentioning that day is just great in my book.

A nice looking card.

Card of the Week: 2010 Upper Deck #107

When Upper Deck lost its license to produce MLB baseball cards, people wondered what they would do. When they announced that they would go ahead with a set, people were even more curious. Cards not licensed by MLB have been around forever. Most cards inside cereal boxes or cases of granola bars were only licensed by the MLBPA. But, those cards were usually pretty bland head shots with the logos airbrushed out. What would a card look like if a real company tried it. This Nick Green cards proves that it can look pretty good.

Now, I would imagine they broke the rules a bit with this one. I have a hard time believing that just because Robinson Cano’s interlocking N-Y is a little wrinkled it’s no longer a Yankees logo. But, if they had a picture from about a second before this one, when Cano’s arm was covering the logo…that should work. Otherwise, there’s nothing about the picture that screams unlicensed. Even the “Boston” team designation isn’t completely out there. Several of the retro sets use those designations. So, it doesn’t jump out as unusual.

The small head shot is always interesting to me. I wear a baseball cap quite often. I wear sunglasses quite often. I have NEVER stored my sunglasses on my hat like Nick Green is doing. And, looking at the rest of the set, there are plenty of similar players storing their glasses just like that. It was a great way for UD to avoid hat logos in several cases.

Now, there are enough iffy aspects to this card that I’m unsure how to treat it. The Cano Yankees logo. The back of the card specifically uses the term “Red Sox” in the write-up. If a card is violating the rules, when is it just another unlicensed card?

It’s too bad, really. Because it wouldn’t have been all that hard to make a great set that did follow the rules.

Card of the Week: 2011 Topps #315

Leading up to this weekend, there has been plenty of discussion about what to do with David Ortiz in National League parks. Should he sit? Should he play first base? Should he pitch? Let’s see if this card can help us out. Yup. Right there on the bottom. “Designated Hitter.” Seems pretty clear to me.

I love the photography in the 2011 Topps set. They have so many great action shots. I actually notice while casually flipping through a pack of cards how great the pictures are. This David Ortiz card is no different. The horizontal format works perfectly with the photograph. It allows the card to focus on Ortiz and the Catcher, without any empty space above or below. Ortiz is captured mid-swing, with the ball almost on his bat. Perfection.

The backs of the 2011 card has an interesting feature. They tell who was on other cards of the same number in previous Topps sets. For instance, David Ortiz’s card tells us that card number 315 in the 1996 set was Deion Sanders. I’m not entirely sure why I care. I wonder who got to flip through 60 years worth of cards to find the most interesting person to list. What a job.

It’s just a great card.

Card of the Week: 1990 Donruss #588

When Donruss lost their lawsuit in the early 80's, they had to stop inserting bubble gum into their packs of cards like Topps did. So, to be clever, they came up with puzzle pieces. In each pack, you'd get three pieces of a puzzle. What did the completed puzzle look like? Enter cards like #588 in the 1990 set.

That year's puzzle featured Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski. This card showed what the puzzle would look like when you were finished. I think of this card a lot when I open packs of cards these days.

Lately, you can't open a pack of cards without getting a card of somone who hasn't played in decades. And, those cards are pretty popular. In 1990? This card was of an "old guy" and was practically used as packing material. I wonder where the switch came in.

When you get down to it, this isn't all that different from the Allen & Ginter cards that are so popular. It's a very nice painted image of Yaz. But, I don't recall any excitement in 1990.

Or did I just miss it?

Card of the Week: 1984 Topps #82

So, it looks like Topps had two chances to get a decent shot of Mr. Bird, and failed miserably in each case.

I like the 1984 Topps design. It’s another case where I like the length of the “Red Sox” name. It seems to fit well into the space provided. “Reds” is too short, and ends up looking like they’re trying to fill space. “Diamondbacks” would have been too long and crammed in. But, the “Red Sox” length is just right. It’s also great that both the team name and player name are easy to read, and easy to find when flipping through a stack. The left side placement of the team name really makes looking through a box for Red Sox cards a breeze.

But, then we get to those pictures. The nice part of the dual photo design is the ability to get a good look at the player in the headshot. In Bird’s case, though, it looks more like a mug shot. The headshot also allows the larger photo to show more action. Which is exactly what Topps has done. They have Bird actively looking at his glove. Woohoo. So, while the concept is a great one, in this case it wasn’t exactly pulled off.

Better luck next time.

Card of the Week

2008 Topps #258 Classic Combos

I like how Topps has started doing their “classic combos” subsets. Back in the day, cards like these would feature awkward posed shots of two players quickly taken before a game. I always used to wonder if they would take a picture of as many different combinations as they could, and find something to do with them later. But, the last few years, the company has moved towards standard action shots that happen to feature multiple players. That’s how you end up with this shot of Youkilis celebrating with Manny. At least they’re not fighting in the dugout. But, it’s a nice use of a shot. Rather than making a card of either Manny or Youk prominently feature the other player, they made it a card of the both of them. Perfect.

The card itself is OK. I still think the 2008 Topps cards have too much border. But, at least the Sox have the right amount of letters in their name so the bubbles don’t look weird. The Reds have too few, and the Diamondbacks have too may. It throws the composition all off. But, the Sox look about right. And, the team colors just work with the card.

Not too shabby.

Card of the Week: 1983 Topps #108

This is another great 1983 Topps offering. I love the design. The nice geometry. The head shot so you know what the players actually look like. It’s too bad they caught Glenn after an apparently tough workout.  Really, neither picture is all that stunning. A rather basic batting shot, and a simple head photo. Not exactly a grouping that will win many awards.

But, the card has everything I ask for. A design that doesn’t call attention to itself. The name and team clearly displayer on a corner. That allows for quick and easy searching. The color scheme makes sense for the team. It’s really the way a card should be constructed.

Pure and simple.

Card of the Week: 1985 Topps #350

I like the 1985 Topps set. Maybe it’s the first “good” set I remember growing up. I remember the great set that had the rookie cards of Puckett, Clemens, Gooden, McGwire, Hershiser, Saberhagen, and Davis. So, the design always stands out to me. And, it’s a nice design too. Simple geometric shapes. The team name in a box. The team logo in a circle. It’s nice and clean.

The picture of Boggs is great as well. How many times did he strike that pose in his career? He naturally made contact. He’s just trying to figure out where it’s going to go. It doesn’t look like a wall-ball double. But, it’s in play somewhere.

In 1985, Boggs would lead the league with 240 hits. He would hit a career-high .368 that season. I would say that he had an impressive .452 OBP that season. However, Boggs had a higher one in each of the next three seasons. Wowsers.

Card of the Week: 1982 Topps #274

When I see this card, I think of an article I read once about baseball card pictures. Basically, in the “old days” card companies wouldn’t waste the film on players who weren’t going to make the team. So, occasionally a rookie would ask the cameraman where he should go for a picture only to be told that it wouldn’t be necessary. Basically, it was the photographer telling the youngster that he wouldn’t make the team. Can’t you just see that happening here?

Ojeda – So, where should I stand for my picture?

Topps – Ummm…yeah, ok…how about over here?

Ojeda – Great. How’s this?

Topps – Would you mind taking off the Red Sox jersey? We’re, umm, doing a series of shots with just plain blue coats.

Ojeda – Umm…sure?

Topps – Oh, and can you tilt your hat up a bit? We’re trying something new where you can’t see hat logos.

Ojeda – So, how will anyone know I play for the Sox, and not any other team?

Topps – That’s actually the whole idea. Wait. No. I mean, don’t worry. They’ll be able to tell. Really.

Card of the Week: 1981 Topps #662

There’s something about the 1981 Topps set that always appealed to me. Maybe it’s the sharp contrast to the rushed together sets put out by the other two card companies. But, it always had a classy look in my eyes.

This team card is no exception. It has a clean look to it. The only thing that breaks it up in the need for the Ralph Houk insert in the corner. The team photo still has the gerbil in the middle, and that wouldn’t do.

It’s always interesting when a company has a nice card design for the base cards, and then has to alter it for subsets such as this. The base cards would have a much bigger hat slightly more prominently displayed in the corner. This version looks stuck there because they had to have a hat somewhere. So, that’s too bad.

I always missed the team cards when companies stopped issuing them. It’s a nice card to have as a team collector. Everyone on the team in one shot. I also like the inclusion of the team checklist on the back. It makes creating wantlists a lot easier.

But, why did everyone have to sit with their hands on their knees?

Card of the Week: 1980 Topps #320

Look at that stare. Eckersley is just glaring in at the hitter as he goes through his wind-up. It must have been a scary sight. It must have been even scarier eight years later when he was one of the top closers ever.

This is a well-done card. I like the banners that hold the information. It adds a baseball feel to it. The shadow effect that makes the flags look like they’re flapping is a nice touch. I’ve never been a big fan of the facsimile signature on a card. For one thing, it makes it harder for me to get the card autographed myself. The double signature does not look good to me. But, on this particular card it doesn’t detract too much from the overall effect. It’s placed in a less busy portion of the picture, without blocking anything out that I need to see.

The picture itself is a great shot. It’s well cropped. The background is so cluttered it’s clean. Nothing stands out to detract from the wonder that in the pitcher in mid-throw. Eck’s hair is flowing out from under his cap. It’s fantastic, especially considering the typical card photo from 30 years ago.

The card has all the information I need on the front. Name. Team. Player. And, when sifting though a stack of cards, it’s easy to see the team name in the bottom left if I’m looking for Red Sox cards. It’s also easy to see the name in the upper right if I’m looking for Eck himself. The name’s not in script, or gold foil, or written vertically. It’s nice and easy. I love it.

What a nice card.

Card of the Week: 1979 Topps #680

This is a great card in a campy sort of way. It just screams 70’s vintage, and I love it.

First, the old Topps logo is a dead giveaway. There’s something about having something out of date like that that makes things more special. It’s kind of like a wheat penny. If you get a penny with the wheat back, it’s somehow much neater than getting the Lincoln Memorial back from the next year. The uniform Fisk is wearing is also great. The red batting helmet. The pullover jersey. Wonderful. But, my favorite part might just be the background. Could the Yankees be less interested in what is going on at the plate? I’ll cut them a little slack. The fact that they’re wearing pinstripes in a green stadium screams spring training photo. As does the fact that they’re sitting on folding chairs. But, shouldn’t they be just a bit more involved, if for nothing else than to watch out for line drives? Weren’t they supposed to actually hate the Red Sox in those years?

Seeing Fisk being hailed as an all-star in 1979 makes it all the more painful to remember his last year in Boston was 1980. There wouldn’t be much more time to enjoy a fantastic catcher. Luckily, his career didn’t last very long once the Sox let him go. Oh, wait.

I like the design a lot for this card. The requited information is tucked onto the bottom of the card. That leaves a lot of clear space to focus on what, for the time especially, is a rather nice action shot. The banner motif to list the team name isn’t particularly clever. But, there’s really only so much you can do within the space constraints of a baseball card. If I’m going to complain when things get complicated, I have to enjoy when they keep it simple.

And this is well done.

Card of the Week: 2007 Topps Ted Williams #TW28

These cards were inserts from the 2007 Topps packs. I believe they may have been Target exclusives, but I don’t feel like confirming that fact. While they are interesting cards, I’m not a big fan.

First, the good points. It’s a set made exclusively of Ted Williams. That’s a check in my book. It’s a Topps card, which is another plus. I also like how the set is built. It chronicles Ted’s historic 1941 season where he became the last batter to hit .400 in a season. It contains one card for each series the Sox played that year. The front of the card displays Ted’s average for the season to that point. It’s nice to see the progression of his average as the season goes along. How low did it get? How high did it get? How high was it late in the year?

The problem? It’s the same card every time. The only differences between card #27 and #28 are the average, the game dates, and results. It’s the same black and white photo. It’s the same information on the top. So, if you have a complete set in a binder it looks pretty repetitive. There have been a lot of sets and subsets lately that have done that. All the cards are the same, except for the number of doubles. I think it’s just lazy.

So, if I’m just talking about this card, it’s a great card. As far as the set? It’s pretty disappointing.

Even if it’s all about Ted.

Card of the Week: 1983 Topps #551

I wonder if the photographers told Yaz what he had in mind when he posed him for the picture.

It was a nice idea for a subset. Let’s celebrate the grizzled veterans in the league. And, what a great way to do it. Show a simple picture of them as a rookie, and one from the present. It’s especially nice in this case since Yastrzemski is a Red Sox in both pictures. But, what a way to make a player feel old. Do you think Yaz saw this card and just went, “My goodness!”

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t remember much about Yaz from his playing days. I just remember him as that old guy on the team that everyone said was a great player. I do remember watching his retirement game and thinking it was pretty amazing to see. But, I’m sure I didn’t appreciate it as much as I should. Maybe when Wakefield finally hangs them up we’ll see a similar scene.

Topps should try a similar subset one of these days. It’d be neat to see the evolution of some of the older players. Maybe show a different picture for every time they changed teams. With Wake, maybe a rookie shot, a first year with the Sox shot, and a current shot. Or Mike Cameron can have a shot with the Reds, and Mariners, and Mets, and Padres, and wherever else he’s been. Might need to make bigger cards. Or, maybe different versions. One with a current picture and a Reds picture. One with a current picture and a Mariners picture. You could print the number of copies relative to the amount of time spent with each team. The Red Sox version would be shortprinted. The Mariners one would be more common.

Hmm. I think I like it.

Card of the Week: 2006 Topps #135

It’s Spring Training Time!

For the Red Sox and their fans, that means new players in new uniforms wearing new numbers on their backs. For the card companies, that means deciding how to show these new players on their cards. That was the problem facing Topps concerning Josh Backett. Josh joined the Sox during the offseason, so there were no pictures of him in a Sox uniform. They decided the way to fix the problem was to photoshop a new uniform onto him. Not a bad idea. They actually did a really good job with it. Honestly, I didn’t even notice it until I was looking at the card in order to write this up. It’s a Red shirt, which is odd…but it’s nicely done. The problem with it? The number 21 on his back. Now, Josh wore number 21 while he was in Florida, so it wasn’t a terrible reach for Topps to simply carry on the same number. After all, nobody on the Red Sox wore the number 21 in 2005. But, a quick call to anybody who was even remotely a Red Sox fan would have told Topps that there was no way on earth that Beckett would get that number. Oh well.

Otherwise, it’s actually a nice card. I like the banner at the bottom. Much like the 2011 cards, it allows some of the picture to sneak out underneath. I like that, for some reason. It’s a great shot of Josh in his delivery, ready to fire another strike. A great looking card.

If it weren’t for that number.

Card of the Week: 1991 Topps #530

This card is so corny it’s fantastic. The 1991 Topps set is well known for having great photography, both in action and posed shots. You have to wonder whet went through the photographer’s mind when he thought of the shot. Sitting in Fenway wondering where to put Clemens. Scanning the field as he looked out at the wall. Suddenly, his eyes focus on the words “Strike Out.” That’s it!

The composition of this card is great too. Obviously, the horizontal format is a must. It allows for the length of the scoreboard to be captured. I also like how the border is less obtrusive. It doesn’t scream at you like, say, the 2008 version. It simply frames the picture and lets it do its own talking. It’s another card I wouldn’t mind having an 8x10 of hanging on my wall.

You know, if it wasn’t a Roger Clemens card.

Card of the Week: 1978 Topps #345

What a great looking card. The card design is very understated, which wasn’t exactly typical for the seventies. But, the simple frame leaves it up to the picture to supply the pizzazz. This is a great “action” shot of Tiant making at least one fan very happy.

I always wonder when looking at older cards how the printing companies worked. Look at the “P” in the baseball in the upper right corner. It’s off-center. Why? Was the printing company unable to print it in the center of the ball? Was it a case of the different color plates not lining up properly from one printing to the next? Did Topps decide it wasn’t worth the effort to get it to print properly? The kids collecting cards weren’t going to notice a slight imperfection like that. Is it like that on all the Tiant cards? With this kind of sloppiness so widespread during the older sets, how did card collecting take off in the first place?

The offset P aside, I still think this is a wonderful card. Love the red hat. Love the face of Tiant. Love the simple glimpse into his day. Nicely dine.

Except for the P.

Card of the Week: 1976 Topps #340

This card is a perfect example of why I am a Red Sox team collector. It illustrates clearly why I am a much happier collector since I decided to focus on the seven-time World Champions.

I acquired this card during the ’85-86 off-season. I just had to have it. I didn’t have many “old” cards like this one. I loved the photo showing the red caps, and pullover uniform top. I also didn’t have any cards displaying the Topps All-Star rookie cup. What a great element. (Of course, I just had to wait a couple months to get some more since Topps included them on their 1987 set) The card was so perfect that I was willing to overlook the small pinhole at the top of Rice’s cap. I didn’t care. What did I need to give up to add this beauty to my collection? A1984 Fleer rookie card of some youngster named Darryl Strawberry. Sure, he was an up and coming star. Sure he just beat my Sox in the World Series. It was still well worth parting with his rookie in order to grab this Rice.

Of course, in the coming years, I wouldn’t be so positive about that. I watched Strawberry have monster year after monster year. The value of his rookie cards shot through the roof. Rice on the other hand started limping to the end of his career. But, I was still glad I had the Rice card, even if it meant taking it on the chin with Strawberry. Then, of course, things reversed themselves. The value of the Strawberry card went in the toilet along with his career. Suddenly, the Rice card was the better of the two again.

Which, I suppose, is the moral of the story. If you collect what you like, you’ll always be pleased with it. If you try to collect all the hot young stars, you’re going to be burned along the way. Sure, I might have been able to get more for my Strawberry if I had dumped him at his absolute peak. But, I still love the Rice.

And that’s really all that matters.