When I was a kid, I figured I was going to grow up to be a big league ballplayer. I mean, it was obvious, wasn’t it? I was a big baseball card collector at the time, and I knew that Topps cards from certain years included the players’ signatures as part of the card designs, so I’d take the duplicate cards of lousy players and practice autographing them, because I figured I’d better get accustomed to signing my name in a baseball card–sized space. Since some players’ cards were oriented horizontally instead of vertically, I practiced signing on some of those as well, in case my own card turned out to be horizontal.
Of course, I didn’t turn out to be a big league ballplayer (yet). But it turns out that I am going to have my own official Topps trading card — and I’m even going to get to autograph it.
Here’s the deal: I was recently contacted by a Topps brand manager. He said there were several Uni Watch fans in the Topps offices and asked if I’d like to be part of Topps’s 2020 Allen and Ginter trading card product. In case you’re unfamiliar with Allen and Ginter (I confess that I didn’t know anything about it myself until now), that was the name of the tobacco company that marketed the first cigarette trading cards in the 1880s. Topps revived the brand name in 2006 and has used it since then for a line of cards with an old-timey look (additional examples here):
Some of the A&G cards are “rip cards,” meaning you can rip them open to reveal another card, possibly more valuable, inside:
The A&G cards include baseball players, obviously, but they also include some non-baseball athletes and non-athlete celebrities. That’s where I come in — I’ll be one of the “celebrity” cards for a set due to come out next July. As I understand it, my card will be one of the smaller, cigarette-sized cards and will be printed in an edition of 260something. I’ll sign each one individually — 10 in red ink (which will go inside of rip cards) and the rest in blue ink (which will be randomly scattered into packs and boxes). So all those practice autographs on cards when I was a kid will finally pay off! It’s like I’ve been preparing for this moment my entire life.
After I told the Topps guy that I’d be happy to participate, he said, “Great! So after we hang up the phone, just email me a good photo of yourself and we’ll take it from there.” I was like, “Are you kidding? If I’m gonna be on a genuine Topps trading card, I’m not sending you an old photo. I’ll pose for a new one!”
That led to a slew of internal deliberations: What should I wear — Uni Watch apparel? One of my vintage flannel jerseys? “I’m Calling It Shea”? If I wear stirrups, will they even appear on the card or will they be cropped out? Should I wear a windbreaker under my jersey, as so many players did in the 1970s when being photographed at spring training for their cards (including Tug McGraw, in the 1972 card shown at right)? How should I pose? Should I be holding a ball? A bat? My glove? Where should the photo be taken — on a baseball diamond? On my front porch? Somewhere else?
Realistically, most of these questions will probably end up being moot, because the A&G autographed cards are small to begin with and the images are cropped pretty significantly to allow space for the signature, so there probably won’t be very much of me on the card. Still, I wanted to look as good as possible under the circumstances. So remember those photos of myself in Uni Watch attire that I showed you a few days ago? They’re from a quick photo session that the Tugboat Captain and I did on Sunday morning:
One of those shots will likely end up being used on the card. I did a lot of that “holding the ball” pose as a reference to the countless ballplayers whose cards looked like this (I always thought it would’ve looked better if they were holding the ball).
I don’t yet know what will be on the back of the card. I also don’t yet know how I’ll be referred to on the card (“Journalist”? “Writer”? “Uniformologist”? “Minutiae Fetishist”? “XFL Skeptic”?), but all of that will be sorted out soon enough.
I’m sure many of you know much, much more about A&G than I do. Feel free to enlighten us in today’s comments about what I’ve gotten myself into. Thanks in advance!
Brandiose update: Tuesday’s entry about my recent visit with the Brandiose guys prompted a lot of good discussion about the Brandiose “style,” the goals of good design, and so on. After the piece ran, I received a really interesting email on that point from Brandiose co-founder Casey White (shown at right; he’s the one who does all those great sketches at the start of each Brandiose project). It was so good, I asked Casey if I could reprint it here on the site, and he said sure. Here it is:
Concerning the article, our ultimate goal is to help Minor League Baseball’s popularity grow, and over the last 20 years we’ve been able to figure out a bunch of ways to help with that. And while I’d love to do more work that’s reminiscent of stuff we’ve done for MLB or Nike, that’s not what sells well in the minor leagues. Fans want fun, light-hearted, cartoony, clever, and narrative logos. Just when I think we’ve gone too far in those directions, the fans only embrace it more ravenously.
I used to be pretty hard on myself for not offering more variety of design styles to our MiLB clients. I used to think if I just sketched more concepts or pushed myself more outside of my comfort zone, then maybe I could find a new style that felt Minor League but was completely new. The truth is, when I did offer a greater variety of design styles, management usually didn’t choose those concepts. And in the few instances when they did choose them, the fans didn’t buy them.
So now I see our job as pushing our designs for MiLB in a different way. How do we push the Minor League brand of fun in new and novel ways? What untold small-town story can we unearth and reweave into the fabric of Americana? How do we distill complicated narratives while packing each logo full of Easter eggs and thematic elements that bring moments of surprise on the fourth and fifth examination? How do we find new ways to design narrative logos that also embroider well? How do we find fresh ways to make the characters in our logos feel like they’re actively determined and not angry or stoic? (The initial feedback from owners is “It’s too angry!” or “It feels too serious!”)
I guess what I’m saying is the only part of your article that I disagree with is that MiLB and Brandiose would be better off with fewer Brandiose logos. I feel like our continuing contributions are a positive for the sport and the league. I feel like we have lots more to contribute, fresh things to say, and room to evolve as designers. I wait with anticipation to see the fresh design styles that the next class of designers comes up with to revolutionize MiLB’s logo landscape in the future. In the meantime, Jason and I are honored to continue to contribute to this chapter of Minor League Baseball’s history.
Happy Holidays, thanks again, and until next time!
I really appreciate the thoughtfulness and introspection in that communiqué. Big thanks to Casey for letting me share it with you here.
In retrospect, I should have sat down and interviewed Casey and his Brandiose partner, Jason Klein. If I had done that, we could have explored these issues up front and gotten them into Tuesday’s piece. So why didn’t I interview them? For starters, my visit to their studio was more of a social occasion. Also, SportsLogos.net’s Chris Creamer was also there, and it seemed weird to be actively reporting in his presence, so I didn’t take any notes or run the tape recorder during my visit. Looking back, maybe Chris and I should have collaborated on a piece that could have run on both of our sites, or I should have interviewed Casey and Jason by phone sometime after my visit.
My bad for not considering either of those things. But maybe it sets the stage for a follow-up piece that I can do later on. I’ll put it on my list!
ITEM! New Teespring sale: Teespring is running one of their periodic site-wide discounts. From now through the end of Saturday, you can get 10% off of anything in the Uni Watch Shop (which includes T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, pins, cufflinks, and stickers) and the Naming Wrongs Shop by using the checkout code BL1ZZARD. (Yes, that’s sort of cringe-inducing, but I didn’t choose the code word.)
If you use this checkout code, you’ll get the discount but Uni Watch will still get its full profit on each item — the discount will come out of Teespring’s end — so it’s a win-win. My thanks, as always, for your consideration of our products.
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Soooo satisfying: A new shipment of Uni Watch Classic Caps arrived yesterday at the home of cap-fulfillment manager Mark LaFountain, who took the photo shown above. Seeing all those yellow squatchees lined up is so pleasing, it almost seems like a shame to remove the caps from the box, no?
While we’re at it: Adelph Wear honcho Nathan Haas sent along these pics of the Uni Watch basketball jerseys and shorts that he was about to mail out (just in time for Christmas!):
Nathan really nailed it with those green mailers, am I right? Thanks, buddy!
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Year-end raffle reminder: In case you missed it last Friday, our annual year-end raffle is now underway, with dozens of cool items available for you to win (including the Padres cap shown above). Full details here.
The Ticker
By Paul
Baseball News: Two of Cleveland skipper Terry Francona’s stolen World Series rings have been recovered. … The MLB Network Photoshopped newly signed D-backs P Madison Bumgarner into one of the team’s now-obsolete snakeskin jerseys. … Gross: The Yankees’ introductory presser for newly signed P Gerrit Cole provided our first look at a Nikefied Yanks jersey in the wild. … Meanwhile, as you can see in that last photo, Cole has complied with the Yanks’ grooming code by shaving his beard. … Speaking of the Yanks, I’m quoted in this New York Post story about the new Nike/MLB/Yanks relationship. … The Giants used an email announcement about a new retail merch shop to break the news, albeit softly, that they’ll be wearing a 20th-anniversary patch for their stadium next season. I can confirm that the patch design, which commemorates the ballpark’s 20 years at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, is the same as what’s shown on the key ring in that email (from Gilbert Lee). … Reader Erik Johnson did a great job of removing the New Era logo from his White Sox cap. Nicely done!
NFL News: The Titans will go mono-navy this weekend against the Saints. … The Jags will wear white over turquoise this weekend, marking only the second time they’ve worn the turquoise pants. … “My cousin George Chaump was on Buccaneers coach John McKay’s coaching staff in the late 1970s and got this equipment bag for me when I was a little boy,” says Art Savokinas. “Notice the NFL Players Association logo on it, and photos of the players on the side.”
College Football News: Schools are reportedly recruiting defensive lineman prospects by promising them single-digit uni numbers. … Sorta cool, sorta gross: Oklahoma gave each of its new recruits his own personal logo (from @ChancePlett). … Looks like LSU will wear white jerseys with no CFB150 patch in the Peach Bowl. … Here’s how the Las Vegas Bowl patches look on Washington’s and Boise State’s jerseys, and also the Liberty Bowl patch on Navy’s jersey (all that from CFBowlWatch). … Here’s our first look at the CFP logo on an Oklahoma helmet (from Sam McKinley). … “In memory of former Iowa coach Hayden Fry’s death on Wednesday, The Cedar Rapids Gazette has republished this story about how Fry was responsible for the creation of Iowa’s Tigerhawk logo,” says Kary Klismet. “And this article captures his many other contributions to the uni-verse, including modeling Iowa’s uniforms after the Pittsburgh Steelers’, painting Kinnick Stadium’s visiting locker room pink, and adding the ‘ANF’ (America Needs Farmers) decal to the team’s helmets during the Farm Crisis in the ’80s. And as this article explains, he always wore white pants on the sidelines so his quarterbacks could pick him out.” … New logo and advertiser next year for the Music City Bowl. … The latest school in Blaise D’Sylva’s helmet history tour is Coastal Carolina.
Hockey News: Coyotes D Ilya Lyubushkin got a penalty for playing without a helmet the other night, even though his helmet had been removed by an opposing player (from Mike Chamernik). … The Islanders will retire John Tonelli’s No. 27 and Butch Goring’s No. 91 in February, but Tonelli has given his blessing for current Isles captain Anders Lee to keep wearing No. 27 (from Alex Peck and @OlegKvasha). … Oh baby, check out this spectacular Iowa Oak Leaf throwback that the AHL’s Iowa Wild will be wearing this weekend — super-tasty! (Big thanks to Drew Hicks.) … A student caroler performing at a hospital in Michigan, of all places, wore a Rangers-style jersey with “Santa” lettering instead of “Rangers” (from Brandon Weir).
NBA News: NBA refs are increasingly whistling players for having untucked jerseys. … The Rockets will give away bobbleheads of James Harden wearing a City alternate uni on Jan. 11 (from Ignacio Salazar). … Yesterday I had a photo showing the prodigious combined NOBs of Nets G Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and Pelicans G Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Here’s a similarly impressive shot from earlier this season of Alexander-Walker with Thunder G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who happens to be his cousin (from @OKCTracker).
College Hoops News: Halloween-style matchup last night, as Cincinnati and Tennessee went black vs. orange (from Jack Owen). … Syracuse G Shaun Belby wore teammate Joseph Girard III’s warmup top last night (good spot by Timmy Donahue).
Soccer News: New match ball for the Ekstraklasa, the top-tier Polish league (from Ed Zelaski). … Bayern Munich MF Philippe Coutinho apparently wore a retail replica jersey on the pitch the other day. … The Russian national team is getting new uniforms, after fans complained the color sequence on the sleeve trim depicted the country’s flag upside-down. … In the “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me” dept., the NPSL now has a preferred ball stand partner (from Joseph Pitirri).
Grab Bag: Astute analysis from this review (NYT link) of the new Star Wars movie: “The struggle of good against evil [in the the movie] feels less like a cosmic battle than a longstanding sports rivalry between teams whose glory days are receding. The head coaches come and go, the uniforms are redesigned, certain key players are the subjects of trade rumors, and the fans keep showing up.” … Microsoft released a new logo for Windows and nobody even noticed. … Would you like to live in a house that looks like a familiar brand logo? … Good article on the history of the peace symbol. … New logo for auto maker Kia. … New logo for the London Underground. … The new logo for a Chinese tourism bureau sure looks a lot like the Walt Disney logo. … More skin rashes and other problems reportedly being caused by Delta’s flight attendant uniforms. I feel like we keep hearing about this on a semi-regular basis, no? (From James Poisso.) … We often see time-lapse videos showing the conversion of an arena from hockey to basketball, but how about hockey to volleyball? That’s the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins’ arena getting prepped for the NCAA volleyball final four (from Jeremy Brahm). … Oooh, check out this amazing old curling sweater! (Big thanks to @jsdeery.) … Faaaascinating article on how a WWII-era intelligence agency called the Office of Strategic Services had a huge effect on 20th-century American design (from Adam Herbst). … I was impressed by this podcast interview with ESPN writer/podcaster/analyst Mina Kimes, who comes off as a very interesting person. Recommended. … Wondering about the economics of being a freelance writer? Here’s an admirably transparent thread about what one writer was paid for her freelance pieces this year.
A&G is one of my favorite Topps releases of the year – not so much because of what I might “hit” (autographs, game-used swatches), but because it’s simply fun. On top of Paul’s celebrity card, there are all sorts of other oddball inserts. Beaches of the world? Sure. Hot peppers? Um, OK. History of aviation, forgotten languages, dogs, randomness? Sign me up.
It’s a neat, affordable product and it’s a blast to rip packs with my kids. This is a cool deal, Paul. I’m fascinated to see how it all comes together. Congrats!
It’s been a long time since I cared about baseball cards, but the A&G cards are so fun that I’ll pick up a pack now and then. My very first pack in 2006 had Ryan Zimmerman, Duke Kahanamoku, and Grover Cleveland. I had never before opened a pack of baseball cards and found such a high proportion of cards for people I’m a fan of!
A&G is probably the only card series where you could get Grover Cleveland *or* Grover Cleveland Alexander!
Such a great deal, your own card. But I wish you had gone for the windbreaker under the shirt look!
It was tempting. But it looks sooooo dorky (even if it would have been intentionally so).
Also, here’s the thing: I don’t own a windbreaker!
2008/09 Upper Deck Masterpieces has Lord Stanley, Lady Byng, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, Foster Hewitt, etc. included
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Wow, what a great thing to be on a real baseball card!! It is impossible to adequately describe how cool that is.
Can’t wait to see it!
In the PPG Paints Arena video, they put the basketball court down first under the volleyball court because the Harlem Globetrotters are coming next week after volleyball. There’s also a Trans Siberian Orchestra concert and a WWE event.
So it’ll be hockey > volleyball > concert > basketball > pro wrestling > hockey in the span of about 10 days.
Paul, this is so cool! Can’t wait to see you in cardboard. And I agree with Bryan above – it’s the most distinctive set of the year, with all sorts of fun details.
Paul, congrats on getting your mug on a card! Just promise us that a stick of 1″ x 2.5″ bubble gum will be included with your cards. As a kid in the 60’s, my heart sank when I got a pack of cards, only to find TWO Don Mincher Seattle Pilots cards stuck in there (or worse, two checklists). But the smell of the bubble gum took all that disappointment away. I can still smell that gum 50+ years later!
What a great story about your first official baseball card. You live a dream for many Paul.
I did have a question. Is green ink an option for your signature?
Ha! Great question. I’m pretty sure the first 10 have to be in red ink. I’ll ask about the ones after that.
The red ink ones are the more scarce version – like Paul said, out of 10.
The rest will be blue ink, if Topps sticks with the usual procedure.
If they don’t do a 1/1 purple ink signature, they’re missing the boat!
The article seems to imply that there will ONLY be autograph cards, but it would be more typical to have a non-autographed version as well. For Bill James last year, for example, there were no fewer than TWENTY-NINE versions of his card, some of which can be seen here: link If you collected in or before the 80s and haven’t collected since, the sheer number of different cards produced is probably the biggest difference.
I can be a little lukewarm on A&G…I’m the sort who does NOT like the idea of cards of peppers, owls, or “dudes”. But I do like when they have people like Bill James in it, and I’m thrilled at the idea of having a Paul Lukas card! Congrats Paul.
Honestly, I don’t know if there’ll be non-autographed, relic, or what. The only thing I’ve been explicitly told is that I’ll have to sign 260some cards. Still very early in the process (the Topps guy called me just last Friday), so I have a lot to learn!
And purple ink is a genius idea!
TL;DR on the Post article: the swoosh is there because the kids like it. Barf.
Definitely follow @minakimes on Twitter.
Anders Lee needs to do the right thing. The Islanders are retiring Tonelli’s number. Anders Lee needs to pick another number instead of continuing to wear #27. Mr. Lee is not worthy of the honour to wear a number that will be retired for a stalwart Islander during their dynasty years.
Maybe he’ll do the Boutique/Esposito thing and peel off the 27 jersey to reveal a new number underneath.
72 would work.
Carlton Fisk would agree.
That would be a good plan. Make people think that you are keeping it and then the surprise change of number during the pre-game ceremony.
Mid pic of you is the best of the three for the card.
Agreed. But I wanted to give them a few options.
A heads-up for you hockey fans. You may want to see the Montreal Canadiens at Calgary Flames highlights tonight. Flames are wearing white throwbacks at home. Does appear the Montreal Canadiens have their red uniforms with them on their Western Canadian road trip.
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RE: 20@24. Looks fine IMO; it’s a lot cleaner than, say, “20@PacBell/SBC/ATT/Oracle/TBA”
:)
I’m glad Casey White responded to your coverage of Brandiose, and you posted it here. I thought it was awkward that they were nice enough to host you and others, and then you criticized their work as “boilerplate” “repetitive and formulaic“, and suggested they do less of it. I agree with you that an interview would have been appropriate.
It was, frankly, awkward for *me.* I like Casey and Jason, but I’ve sometimes been mildly critical of their work in the past, and I know some Uni Watch readers are *very* critical of their work. They have a very particular approach, which in turn invites a very particular critique. Ignoring those realities would have been disingenuous, but it was uncomfortable to bring it up — which is why I referred to it as the elephant in the room.
To their credit, they responded very graciously. But I would have been better off interviewing them.
Thanks Paul. I agree that they responded “graciously”, and I thought you were also gracious admitting that you would have been better off interviewing them.
i feel that the whole process, while awkward, was more organic this way. it feels real. you were just hanging out with some design guys. you don’t always feel their style, but you were honest in that regard, and casey responded with an equally-organic and honest follow-up
i start a lot of my logos hand drawn, and i do like some of their thick-outline logos, (again im a 90s kid, so thick black outlines and anthropomorphized characters are kind of my thing) but i agree not every team needs to be treated in such a fashion, but i dunno in the ago of pencil-thin numerals and non-outlined typefaces i find their work refreshing. not everything can be block numerals with interlocking city initials, but on the other hand, black outline everything does get stale FAST. i dunno paul i found the initial article and response very engaging and transparent. i have been following these designs since around the time they started……(my first exposure being a “sports fan” catalog from the mid-90s in which you could order any MiLB hat you wanted, even my hometown Norfolk Tides) so it was interesting to finally get a view into their process.
Congrats on the baseball card! Can’t wait to see the completed piece!
I do not think the Charlotte MLS colors have been announced. The tweet you referenced is a fan concept from a youth sports guy. So I would take that with a grain of salt unless I have missed something.
Sorry, my bad. Will remove from Ticker.
Paul, this is so cool … immortalized on your own baseball card. I too was a card collector years back, so the thought of having my own card was also in the back of my mind for some time. The fact that it is actually going to happen for you is incredible. Congrats! Even thought I don’t collect anymore, I’m definitely going to have to get my hands on one of those!
Allen & Ginter is a very neat product. The “fun” factor is off the charts!
Your own baseball card is about as cool as it gets. Congratulations!
Congrats Paul on your upcoming baseball card.
Like you, I practiced my autograph a lot on my cards both with an abbreviated signature and one with much more flourish.
Like the comments above, Allen & Ginter are by far the most fun card packs to open. I have opened packs with my son to reveal a Tchaikovsky, Harriet Tubman and Mary Shelley.
Of course we also got a Joey Chestnut to add to the fun factor.
Your poses are excellent, although wondering if you thought about reenacting the Keith Comstock photo?
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Ha! Didn’t think about that one. Was too busy thinking about windbreakers and such!!
Allen and Ginter got me back in the hobby about ten years ago. The set is so much fun. Last year, I got a card with actual flower seeds in it that you can plant!
A few years ago, they had a sub-set that included actual gold embedded in the card.
My pride and joy is my Bigfoot “relic” I got back in 2008. It was a subset of “Mythical Creatures” and embedded in the card look like Bigfoot fun. Topps always authenticates their relics and autos by saying, “The item in this card is authentic game worn material” or something like that. On this card it says, “The relic contained in this card is from nothing at all.” HILARIOUS!
@Paul – You also have to start thinking of what item you want to send into Topps that will get chapped up as relic cards. The celebrities on other non-baseball athletes provide clothing or something owned by them to get put into cards as relics. Dan Rather provided a piece of paper with writing on it last year. Michael Phelps has provided a swimsuit of his. I would recommend something colorful (Uni Watch Jersey?), as the swatches are small, and getting something with a lot of color will make it stand out.
Nothing has yet been mentioned to me about the relic aspect. But we’ll see!
Jeez, don’t SCARE me like that! The “new logo for the London underground,” as the linked story says, is a temporary public art project that will be on display in one station through February. Man, you about gave me a heart attack, especially when I saw the first photo at the top of the story.
Those green bags are incredibly pleasing to look at. I can’t figure out why, maybe it is just that mailers are typically so plain and colorless? But if I got that in the mail, regardless of what was inside, I’d be excited to have received it.
Nathan gets all the credit for that. And that is precisely the reaction we wanted! (Although, of course, we hope everyone will be just as excited by what’s *in* the bag!!)
Really nice response from Brandiose. I’d love to see some examples of logo evolution from ‘he’s too angry’ to ‘he looks too serious,’ etc.
I look forward to the interview!
Congrats on the baseball card. That is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I would welcome a long form interview of Brandiose. It seems that they would be very candid about the commerical aspects of their design vs. on-field look and function. I’d also be interested if they ever get feedback from the players.
Been out of the card game for a long, long, long, time, so I’d never heard of “rip cards” before…what a bizarre idea. Destroying a card to get to another one just seems really odd to me; am I the only one that feels this way?
I was surprised by it as well (only learned about it because of this project). It’s very “Let’s Make a Deal,” but with the added element of destruction.
These rip cards are very sought after. Single rip cards go for around $50, where the double, and box topper triple rip cards can go for $200-$400 depending on who is on the card.
Like Paul mentioned earlier, rip cards are the only place to find exclusive red ink autographed (serial numbered /10) and also metal mini cards, and stained glass cards. Those can go for a lot on the secondary market.
Loved how you wrote “didn’t turn out to be a big league ballplayer (yet)” The comedian Larry Miller had a great bit about guys over 30, working regular jobs and just playing on the weekends, who still thought they had a chance to make it. When I saw it live, I laughed at my friends because I was still only 29 and obviously STILL did have a chance. Paul, You ARE left handed though so maybe there is a chance someone will sign you to come in and get one lefty batter out every night. LOOGY
I always said to myself (and occasionally to others), “As long as there’s someone on the Mets who’s older than I am, then I figure I still have time.” This worked out nicely when they signed Julio Franco at the end of his career! Now they just need to bring back Danny Heep or someone like that!
Wow, I usually don’t hate logo creep as much as Paul/some other anti-creep evangelists around here, but that Yankee jersey with the swoosh is jarring.
Out of the AHL: the Springfield Thunderbirds are doing a Simpsons related promo night tonight and wearing themed “Springfield Ice-O-Topes” uniforms that look, surprisingly, pretty cool. More here: link
Yup. Was in yesterday’s Ticker!
Brandiose Casey- if you’re checking the comment section again… I’m curious to your opinion on possible MiLB contraction. Do you think there would be more rebranding even though there would be fewer teams? Do you have close relationships with some of these team owners?
So cool bout the card..Congrats. When I turned 50 I came to the realization I was never gonna play center field for the Yankees.
Congrats on the card, Paul! Very cool. I LOVE the idea of a purple 1 of 1 sig.
Congrats on your first (hope there are more) baseball card! When the photographers would roll through the spring training camps, I would remind the younger players these cards will be around long after your time on the field. So, have some fun with it. Happy to see you did just that!
My goodness, that curling sweater is spectacular.
Congratulations on getting your own baseball card, Paul. Don’t sell the accomplishment short. Most sports fans have dreamt of having their own card one day. It’s something to be proud of.
so how do i get your card> just start buying A&G packs and hope i get one? im not familiar with most modern card-collecting nomenclature and need a laymans answer hahaa, are there two different packs to choose from?
i just want the card, a sig card would be cool, but i think a card of a uniform expert from one of my favorite blogs would be something cool to have ……
Honestly: I don’t know yet! Still figuring out how this all works.
yea me too! ha i don’t know what a rip-card is lol, i figured when other people were talking about ripping , they meant literally ripping packs open. but it seems as thought your sig cards with be in “rip-cards” and regular boxes/packs? im a 90’s kid, cards were easier to collect then. all “special” cards (as we called them) had pack ratios of like 1/10, 1/20, 1/100 etc., so we used to guess and think we could count the packs in a box to get a special insert,
anyway these card packs sound fun enough to me to try to get a card , i know my wife would get a kick out of me getting a card of the “uniform blog dude” ahhahahahaha
I was wondering the same thing. If I could get my hands on these packs when they come out I could see myself anticipating finding a PL card in the same way I used to hope for goalies in the old hockey card packs.
As I understand it, one has two options: Buy packs at retail until you find the card you’re looking for, or look on the secondary market (like eBay) to buy the card you’re looking for individually.
Someone who knows how to do this sort of thing should build a PL card value tracker widget for Paul to install on the UW homepage. What’s the current going price of a PL A&G card on the secondary market?
I’m assuming the going price will be low!!
Paul, just realized based on your photos that you’re a fellow lefty! No wonder I’ve felt such a bond/interest in you and your work! haha
Once the Canucks ditched the Flying V I realized there was no point in continuing to pursue my NHL goaltending career.
No way they’ll keep the Uni Watch wordmark on the jersey. Will be Photoshopped out. Hat logo might be as well. Just how they do things.
Actually, I was specifically told that I could wear Uni Watch apparel. Encouraged to do so, in fact.
It’s amazing how often people just proclaim things even though they have no idea what they’re talking about.
I hope you secretly wrote “fuck face” on something in the photo. ;)
I *did* think of that! But it seemed too obvious.
This is actually the THIRD time the Jags will break out the real pants. They wore them week 3 last season at home vs the Titans and on the road with black jerseys vs the Cowboys last year.
Teal pants *
Way to pick Rainbow Guts to wear on your card!
Congratulations, Paul!
I’m begging you, though: get a Sharpie and write “F*CK F*CE” on the underside of your cap’s bill.
Thought about it!
I am going to buy so many packs hoping to get you!
How the Brandiose coverage has been handled by both Paul and Casey is exemplary. It is possible to offer critique or disagree with someone and still have dialogue. By both parties being willing to engage the other, we have all learned more and hopefully have a greater appreciation for people who we still may disagree with. We need more of this.
Hey Paul, don’t forget your original “rookie” card! I’ll be looking for the new one too.
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Ha! Forgot about that one. Thanks for the reminder!
1943 Rose Bowl
“I noted I hadn’t seen this, and called the incident “ugly” without any further investigation.”
Maybe you should leave the social commentary out of your articles and just let it be about sports uniforms.
Congratulations on the A&G card, what a well-deserved honor! I will add your card to my existing “Mt Rushmore” of favorite Ginter minis over the years, that include Sam Calagione (of Dogfish beer fame), Okrent/Waggoner (Rotisserie baseball founders), and of course, Jesus.