MLB Dream Bracket Alt-Topps Cards Part 5

Indians v Negro League Legends

Spoiler alert:

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The biggest disappointment in the Dream Bracket so far (besides the non-existent graphics) was the early exit of the Negro League Stars.  In an apparent lack of pitching on either side, the Tribe outscored the Negro League 52-36 in a series that went all seven games. You can read the recap here or see the video here. 

I was disappointed because I wanted  them to go deep into the bracket. I wanted to see how the Negro League Legends stacked up against other teams as well. Maybe a round-robin type of series would have been better for this. Anyway, This whole thing could have been improved by better graphics like MLB The Show and/or a different form of bracket that wouldn't be a one and done situation.  

Just my thoughts on this imaginary series of games. Now lets get to the imaginary cards!

For the  Indians we have Bob Feller, Nap Lajoie, Lou Boudreau and Larry Doby.

For the Negro League Legends I could not just do 4 cards.  I decided to make four pitcher cards, the full line-up of position players including the DH and three of the reserves.  On a side note, I know that I am missing perhaps the most famous Negro League pitcher, but there are so many cards of Satchel Paige compared to his contemporaries. Also I decided to go with black and white photos rather than an amateurish attempt at colorization. Plus with 16 cards that's a ton of work. 

Here are the four pitchers: Bill Foster, Hilton Smith, Leon Day and Smokey Joe Williams.

Here are the position players: Josh Gibson C, Buck Leonard 1B, Newt Allen 2B, Ray Dandridge 3B, Pop Lloyd SS, Turkey Stearnes LF, Oscar Charlseton CF and Cool Papa Bell RF.

The designated hitter is Mule Suttles. On the bench is Martin Dihigo, Monte Irvin and Biz Mackey.

  It also goes without say that this is the All-Time great nickname team.  Mule, Turkey, Biz, Buck, Pop, Smokey and of course Cool Papa.

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These cards are base on the MLB Dream Bracket.  Not sure who picked the "all-time players". It is a product of Twitch, Out of the Park and Draft Kings.  I take no responsibility for their choices, good or bad.  The cards themselves are based on a rejected Topps design from the late sixties.

To check the status of the bracket click here.

MLB Dream Bracket Alt-Topps Cards Part 4

Red Sox v Rangers

Yankees v Mariners 

Tigers v Angels

Doubling up might not be enough to keep up, so I'm tripling up. This time we have three teams with a rich history versus three relative newcomers.  The Rangers were born as the expansion Senators in 1961. then moved to Texas in 1972. The '61 expansion also gave us the Angels. The Mariners were a 1977 expansion team. Neither the Mariners nor the Rangers have a World Series Title. The Angels have one, the Tigers have four. the Red Sox have nine, and the Yankees have twenty seven.

In the Red Sox - Rangers match up we have Cy Young, Wade Boggs, Ted Williams and David Ortiz for Boston.  For Washington/Texas we have knuckler Charlie Hough, Ivan Rodriguez, Frank Howard and Ruben Sierra.

In the Yankees - Mariners match up we have Whitey Ford, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle for the Bronx Bombers.  Jamie Moyer, Harold Reynolds, Ichiro and Kid Griff represent Seattle.

In the Tigers - Angels series Hal Newhouser, Ty Cobb, Al Kaline and Miguel Cabrera represent the Tigers.  On the Angels there is Nolan Ryan, Jim Fregosi, Rod Carew and Mike Trout.

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These cards are base on the MLB Dream Bracket.  Not sure who picked the "all-time players". It is a product of Twitch, Out of the Park and Draft Kings.  I take no responsibility for their choices, good or bad.  The cards themselves are based on a rejected Topps design from the late sixties.

To check the status of the bracket click here.

MLB Dream Bracket Alt-Topps Cards Part 3

A's v Rays and Orioles v Astros

These "games" have already been played, you can check the results here. I got a chance to watch a bit of these yesterday.  I was disappointed.  The graphics were almost non existent.  I was hoping for something more like the White Sox are doing with NBCSN and "MLB The Show". 

The "greatest" player selection was made by "Twitch" or "Out of the Park" or "Draft Kings" or whoever.  I can't say I totally agree. Also there were no players "disqualified". That mean they included "Shoeless"  Joe Jackson, Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, etc.  In fact, there seems to be a plethora of steroids-era players.

These games are going on right now. As I type many American Leagues have already been eliminated. So I'm doubling up today. Just want to get as many cards out while they are still relevant. I'm still making 4 for each team, 1 pitcher and 3 position players. Once again, the card design is based on a rejected Topps design from the late sixties.

For the A's, I made cards of Eddie Plank, Jimmie Foxx, Bert Campaneris, and Rickey Henderson.  On the Rays there is David Price, Fred McGriff, Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria,

In the Orioles-Astros match up, we have Jim Palmer, Frank Robinson, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken. For the Astros it's JR Richard, Cesar Cedeno, Brad Ausmus and Carlos Correa.