1973 Alt-Topps

Time for some more rejected Topps prototypes.  Despite the name on this one, there is no mistaking the great Yogi Berra.  Given the uniform, I decided to make this into a 1973 Alt-Topps set.  To the right is my best attempt at cleaning up this mockup card. The fonts aren't an exact match but capture the intent. The style is somewhat reminiscent of the 1972 Topps football set (albeit a more pedestrian version). It seems pretty basic especially by today's standards but still adaptable to many different uses.

In case you are wondering "Who is Len Brown?" He was a long-time Topps employee credited with writing the bios on the backs of cards among many other duties. There is a terrific article about him here.

As usual, I've made cards of the eventual MVPs and Cy Young award winners.

The AL MVP was Mr. October.  But in 1973 he had yet to live up to that name. Although the A's won the 1972 World Series, Reggie did not play.  He was injured on a double-steal.  He collided with Bill Freehan in Game 5 of the ALCS.

In The NL it was Charlie Hustle. In 1973 Rose led the league with a .338 batting average and a career high 230 hits. 

Jim Palmer won his first of 3 career Cy Young awards in 1973. He won 22 games and led the AL with a 2.40 ERA. He also came in second in MVP voting to Reggie Jackson.













Tom Seaver was also the recipient of three career Cy Young awards.  In 1973 he won his second. He won 19 games, and led the league in strikeouts, ERA, WHIP and complete games. I went with a horizontal version and this psychedelic picture from his 1972 Sports Illustrated photo shoot.

To be continued...

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Just as I've done in previous Alt-Topps posts, this post contains the base cards, I'll make a couple more posts with various subsets. And, of course, I'll make as many request as I can an hopefully post them in a few weeks. Just post your requests (or even ideas for other subsets, etc) in the comment section.  Thanks.

Giolito No-Hits the Pirates

Just couldn't let this moment pass without some sort of post. What an exciting game to watch. His stuff was great. The last out was an adventure.  A solid hit that was handled by Adam Engle.

Bat Around: Make Topps 2021 Better!

How Much is Too Much?

Topps came out with their new design and I just think it's too much. Way too much going on in the border. The honeycomb fade, the multi layer inner border with dashes and dots and bevels and corner structure is just overkill. Add to that the needless multi-layered diagonal slashes and it's just gaudy.

I simplified the design but tried to keep the original feel of the card.  As usual, I couldn't get the font just right.  But overall it makes for a cleaner looking card.  

I'd like to see some of the other bloggers who also design cards give their interpretation.  I'll post this on Twitter, too.

Here's the link to the Getty Image that Topps used for this card:

Jo Adell - Getty Images

I know that some of you card creators can do a better version than I did.  And I'm sure it will be better than this Topps version.  My belief is that, in this case, less is more.  You might hold the exact opposite opinion. I'd like to see that, too.

This is my first ever attempt at a "Bat Around".  Please don't leave me hanging.

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Here are the first three retakes on the 2021 Topps cards I've seen. I'll keep udating this post as I see more 2021 remixes.

Click these links to see the original posts: from left to right Roselle Avenue Custom Cards, Design on Deck and Topps Cards That Never Were (no relation, lol).

I like the fact that 2 of the designs included a close-up photo.  Topps incorporated dual photos 1954-56, then again in 1960, 63, 83, 84, 96 (kinda), and 2003. It's a feature that I've always liked. They should use it more often.

*****************Another Update 8/11/20***************

Click the links to see the original blog posts on The Collective Mind and Baseball Card Breakdown,

The incorporation of the 70th anniversary logo into the border on the left card is inspired.  I really enjoy "Defgav's" simple white border.  It looks like the modern equivalent of the 1957 Topps,  I would definitely collect those cards.

2020 Baseball is Back (For Now)

Baseball is back, but looks a little different this year.  I thought I'd make a few card that reflect the current state of things. Here's Anthony Rizzo sharing his hand sanitizer with Orlando Arcia.

I included Mike Trout because he not only is arguably the biggest name in the game, but he was also vocal about his safety concerns.

When designing these cards, I was thinking about a take on the 1983/1963 style with the players' close-up inside a stylized COVID virus.  I also wanted a horizontal version that took on somewhat of a 1960 Topps look.  I thought it might be cool to have the team logos on a surgical mask, too.  (Maybe a bit of overkill?)

A few firsts for the 2020 season: of course Alyssa Nakken, the first female MLB on-field coach and the designated hitter in the National League.  Also that's an MLB sponsored Black Lives Matters t-shirt. And yes, cardboard fans in the seats.

The 1980 Donruss Set That Never Was - The Requests

Sorry for the delay.  I'd like to be a better and more consistent blogger.  But as I've said before, life gets in the way. Truly not that many requests this time around, anyway.  So I'd like to begin with a request of my own:

Ed Farmer was the radio voice of the White Sox from 1991-2019.  He also pitched for the South-siders from 1979-1981. He made his only All Star appearance in 1980, so he fit this theme perfectly. Farmer passed away April 1st.  The White Sox organization made a nice video tribute to "Farmio".

You are missed, Farmio. pic.twitter.com/QonIokv1UN

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 24, 2020

Additionally, the Sox will be sporting a "Farmio" patch on their sleeve this season. This one is modeled by Palehose newcomer Edwin Encarnacion. 

 After Yoan Moncada's three run homer in the opener, Andy Masur (Farmer's successor in the booth) also paid tribute echoing Farmer's signature call:

"Hey Ed, this one's for you! Turn on the fireworks! It's a tie ballgame! Light it up!"

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Okay, now for the actual requests. "Night Owl" suggested a 1980 rookie and a couple pre-rookies. Rickey Henderson, who made his Topps debut in 1980, got a "Rated Rookie" card.

For the pre-rookies, Tim Raines and Fernando Valenzuela, I made a "Rated Prospects" card featuring them in Minor League uniforms.  I went with black and white photos similar to the 1979 Topps Prospects cards. (To be honest, if I could have found color photos, I would have used them.)

I liked the concept, but the final product seemed lacking, so I also made "Rated Rookie" cards for Rock and Fernando.They would both debut on Topps and Donruss in 1981.  Valenzuela also appeared in the 1981 Fleer set while Raines had a card in the Donruss set.

A couple more requests were Ron Cey and Mark Fidrych. Fidrych was in the final MLB season of his meteoric career.  After his brilliant rookie season in 1976, he injured his knee then tore his rotator cuff. He never regained his early dominance. In 1980 Ron Cey was coming off of his 6th straight All Star season. I had to include at least one night-game card for Night Owl.

The usual call for more post season cards came up as well. So I made Champion Series recap-cards and a Game 4 card. The Orioles were up three games to one, forcing the Pirates to win three straight.

Finally, Bryan wanted more Pirates and Indians. So here is a Dave Parker All-Star card and a Len Barker card. Barker led the AL in strikeouts in 1980 and 1981. He made his only All Star appearance in 1981 after throwing a perfect game that May.