In 2019 Topps released both Topps Now and a complete set for the Alliance of American Football (AAF) before the league folded in April of 2019 and later filed for bankruptcy. This year Topps released both Topps Now and a complete set for the XFL, which also folded and filed bankruptcy. Now the XFL folding was not the league’s fault but no matter what it will end up costing Topps money, LCS and distributers too. 

Is anyone else wondering if Topps will jump on board with a startup league, no matter what the sport, if the opportunity arises?

I have a question regarding MLB rookies. 

Let’s say the worst-case scenario happens and baseball cancels the entire season. How would this affect RC cards? For example, I will use Kyle Lewis from the Mariners. He was a late season call up and had 71 at-bats in 2019 so he was under the MLB rookie eligibility maximum. He was projected to be on the Mariners’ opening day roster, so his 2020 Topps cards have the RC logo. But if the 2020 season isn’t played Lewis will remain under the MLB eligibility with only 71 at-bats.

Phil Niekro, the famous knuckleballer, turns 81 today. When  you look at his 24 year career, he retired at the age of 48 years old, he had some wonderful highlights like a No-hitter in 1973, NL wins leader (twice), NL strikeout leader and MLB ERA leader, along with 5 All-Star appearances and 5 Gold Gloves and earned his entry in to the MLB Hall of Fame in 1997.

My most recent addition to my Mountain View Toros’ collection is Kurt Haws. Kurt graduated the year before I moved to Mesa but won a AAA State Football Championship during his time playing for the Toros and Coach Parker. After his Mormon mission he went to Utah and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the Fourth Round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He was then drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 NFL Expansion Draft.

Even though he was in the NFL for a couple of seasons he doesn’t have any cards, so my only option was this 1994 Signature Rookies Tetrad autograph from when he was at Utah.

Today is question day and since it is safer to remain indoors, lets pretend we can meet someone famous.

If you had the chance to meet someone you collect, and they signed a card for you, who would it be and which card?

I would love to meet Ken Griffey Jr. and Mark Hamill but I really don’t know what card I would want signed. For Griffey I am a bit stumped. Most people would probably go with the expected 1989 Upper Deck #1, but I would want something showing his sweet swing. In the end I think I would use the custom illustrated Griffey card from The Simpsons that I have been working on for way too many years. 

This morning we lost Harlem Globetrotters’ legend Curly Neal at the age of 77 years old. I was introduced to Neal and the Globetrotters when they were on Scooby Doo, it was good to be a kid in the 1970s, and then later Gilligan’s Island. It really was a treat to watch him play the game.

RIP Fred “Curly” Neal

This year you can say that I have neglected my blog with only 6 posts total. I am still active in the hobby, but besides 2 or 3 purchase I have not added much to my collection. I am on TCDB daily so that keeps me up to date on the hobby news.

This year has been a real struggle for me due to my physical and mental health and two weeks ago I was in the hospital for 5 days. I normally wouldn’t discuss this, but it was a psychiatric hospital. I was in a mentally abusive marriage for 12 of the 16 years we were together and even though we are divorced she continues. Between therapy and some other events there is an end in sight.

I hope that anyone who is considering suicide please re-consider. There may be dark days and they may last for a while, but there is help and things can change.

1-800-273-8255

Today is question day:

If you are a blogger, do you type up posts that you hold in drafts?

When I started blogging nearly 10 years ago, I would type up a new post each day. On occasion I would save one in drafts, but most were written daily. Over the years I have found that keeping ideas or even rough drafts in a Word document helped greatly for the days I had limited time or writer’s block. 

Now my posts are pretty much 50/50 with half being pre-written and half being written on the day of being posted. I have found that having posts that I do regularly like Question Day, Art Gallery and Vintage Cards of the Month pre-written and saved in drafts is a major time saver.

The Sports Cards Super Bowl prediction was correct, now 7-3 over the past 10 years. Time to share All That Is Left X.

The Prizm included 3 Blaster exclusive Lazer parallels, they are pretty cool with a gold/orange color background. Along with the Butker card I showed yesterday, the other two are #68 Willie Snead IV and #362 Lil'Jordan Humphrey. The included relic is a Premier Jersey Riley Ridley. 

The Donruss Elite blaster had a cool Star Stratus Green parallel Patrick Mahomes II, it was in the OT pack so that is why it wasn’t included yesterday, 3 Green base parallels (Mahomes yesterday plus Luke Kuechly and Rodney Anderson). The relic is a Craftsman Sterling Shepard. 

The Prestige hanger box had 60 cards, with 3 Hanger Box exclusive Green Xtra Points. Former University of Arizona QB Nick Foles, Jordan Howard and Evan Engram. Prestigious Pros Green Carson Wentz and the relic was a Gridiron Heritage Alvin Kamara.

The only Seahawk out of all of the packs is this Chris Carson from the Prestige hanger box.