MLB Dream Bracket Alt-Topps Cards Part 1

By now you might have seen the MLB Dream Bracket games. If not click here.  To fill the sportsless void, MLB has teamed up with Out of The Park (a baseball online sim game) and Twitch.  Twitch is apparently a network app of sorts that allows people to watch other people play video games.  (OK how many boomers have I lost so far?)  Anyway, I thought the concept was cool.  Now let's see if the execution is worth the hype.

Those of you that have been following this blog lately know that I have been making sets based on some discarded Topps prototypes. I thought I'd make some companion cards to this project using one of the discarded designs.

I will try to make 4 cards for each team using the design. One pitcher and three position players. The first game is scheduled for Monday April 20 at 10 am Eastern.  It will be the All-Time Twins versus the Blue Jays. I've made cards of Walter Johnson, Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett and Joe Mauer for the Tins/Senators.  For the Jays it's Dave Stieb, the late great Tony Fernandez, Roberto Alomar and Josh Donaldson.

These were based on this discarded card:

Although the card says Jim Weaver but it is actually Carl Warwick.

 

TBT - Minnesota Twins Edition

Throwback Thursday

Ok this will be a quick and dirty post I will try to actually publish every Thursday. I will make a retro card of a current player from the era of the throwback uni he is wearing. I will also post an actual card from that era as a comparison point.

This week I am making a card of Joe Mauer wearing the Twins home alternate uniform. This is basically the same threads they wore from 1961-1971.

 I realize that in this picture the colors are more bluish than on the 1971Topps Leo Cardenas card I am using for a comparison. I think that may have more to to with lighting conditions, or exposure.  Personally, I think they look much better than their everyday uniforms.

As a bonus TBT feature, I created these two 1962 cards at the request of a couple of anonymous comments.  Although, Rich Rollins and Bernie Allen both appeared on the same 1962 Rookie Parade card. This particular Twins fan wanted to see them on their own 1962 cards.

This seemed like the appropriate place to put them. As a side note, I also featured that 1962 Rookie Parade card about a year ago on my other blog, Rating The Rookies. They shared that card with Phil Linz and Joe Pepitone.

2024 Topps Heritage

This year's 1965 design for the Heritage set is one of my favorites. And I don't think I am alone. But it seems that every year, just after the set has been out for a little while, people start anticipating next year's set. But what I am really looking forward to the set 10 years from now. The 1975 set included one of my favorite subsets: the MVP cards. 1975 was the 25th year for Topps Baseball cards but 2024 will only be the 24th year of the heritage sets because they never made a set for the 1951 cards. 

In anticipation of this set, I've cobbled together a few MVP cards I hope will be included in their set.

I had to cheat on this one because Ichiro was not included in the initial heritage set but he did have a card in the 2006 Topps '52 set. Close enough.