Fun Cards: “Baseball Immortals” Derek Jeter
Congratulations to Yankees legend Derek Jeter, who was named on 99.7% of the BBWAA ballots for the Hall of Fame.
Fun Cards: “Baseball Immortals” Curt Schilling ***SNUBBED***
Curt Schilling failed to receive the requisite 75% for the Hall of Fame. He has two years remaining on the ballot, so induction seems inevitable…just not this year.
Fun Cards: 1971 Topps Doobie Brothers (Tom Johnston and John Hartman)
The Doobie Brothers’ debut album was released in 1971. Looking at the track list, I don’t recognize a single song. The follow-up, Toulouse Street features a few titles that I know, though.
There aren’t a lot of early photos of the Doobies out there. These pictures are actually from 1973, and I’m not even positive the top image is Tom Johnston.
Fun Cards: 1981 Topps Dave Gahan, Vince Clarke, Andy Fletcher, and Martin Gore (Depeche Mode)
I don’t really know much about Depeche Mode. Their debut album Speak & Spell was released in 1981. They had a few singles hit #1 on the US Alternative charts in the 1990s.
In addition to the original four members, Alan Wilder will also be inducted. He joined the group in 1983.
Fun Cards: 1989 Upper Deck Trent Reznor
I am not surprised Nine Inch Nails will be honored by the Rock Hall. The impact Trent Reznor had on the music world in the 1990s is undeniable. I am not personally a fan of their music overall, but there are a few songs that I like.
Fun Cards: 1985 Donruss Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston had a string of seven straight #1 singles from 1985 through 1988, and four more non-consecutive chart-toppers in the 1990s. She is likely best known for her cover of Dolly Parton‘s “I Will Always Love You,” which appeared on the soundtrack for The Bodyguard. She is one of five posthumous inductees in 2020 (Notorious B.I.G. and three members of T. Rex [Marc Bolan, Steve Currie, and Mickey Finn] are the others).
A cutout of Whitney appeared on a 1988 ProCards Steve Lubratich minor league card; she herself appeared on a 1991 Pro Set NFL Newsreel card after performing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl.
Fun Cards: 1968 Topps Marc Bolan & Steve Peregrin Took (T. Rex)
The band was initially called Tyrannosaurus Rex, but after four releases it was shortened to T. Rex in 1970. I couldn’t fit the entire word on the 1968 format without it looking really goofy, so I rewrote history a little bit with these Marc Bolan and Steve Peregrin Took cards. Bolan was killed in an automobile accident in 1977.
Took appeared on the first three Tyrannosaurus Rex albums; he is not listed among the members of T. Rex to be inducted to the Rock Hall this year. He died in 1980 of “asphyxiation after inhaling a cocktail cherry.” Why are so many rock ‘n’ rollers so reckless?
Fun Cards: 1994 Score Notorious B.I.G.
I don’t want this to be a debate about whether rappers belong in the Rock Hall. It’s not really a “Rock” Hall in the first place. The museum honors popular artists, from blues to soul to country to rock, and rap is one of the most popular forms of music.
But, should Notorious B.I.G. be in before Snoop Dogg? Before LL Cool J? I understand Biggie made a big impact, even though he only released two records before he was gunned down. To me, though, Snoop and LL were much bigger stars.
Notorious is the seventh rap act to be honored by the Rock Hall, joining Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, N.W.A., Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, Run DMC, and Tupac Shakur.
Fun Cards: 2020 Topps Shogo Akiyama
We are three weeks away from the official release of 2020 Topps Series 1! A few images have been posted on Topps’ Twitter page, and I’m liking it more and more (even sans borders).
In a Series 1 kind of Sunday mood… 🤩 pic.twitter.com/ucRfRHho1K
— Topps (@Topps) January 12, 2020
I thought I would take a crack at creating a card for the newest Cincinnatian, Shogo Akiyama. He was a five-time All-Star in Japan and has hit 20 or more home runs in each of the past three seasons for the Saitama Seibu Lions of the Japan Pacific League. Reds Country is excited to see him patrol the outfield at Riverfront Great American Ballpark!
One interesting dilemma I faced was the placement of the “RC” logo. Topps has not previewed any rookie cards for the new design yet. Will the “RC” be in the gray area, as I chose? Will it be incorporated elsewhere in the design portion on the left side? Or will it intrude upon the photo? I tried it in a few different areas, and I like what I settled on the best. Thus it is quite unlikely I placed it correctly.
Where do you think it should appear? (No, “not at all” is not an option…though that would be my first choice!)
