Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Let's Talk Opening Day & Mascots

    Yesterday, I opened a hobby box of 2018 Topps Opening Day. I really like this year's card design. It's definitely an improvement over the design Topps used last year. Other Cubs bloggers have already posted scans of the Cubs base set, so I won't be posting any of those for this piece. I did pull all of the Chicago base set cards, minus the two variants. I am pretty excited that I pulled my first variant card though! The Indians' Francisco Lindor, in all his smiling glory.



     I pulled the Kris Bryant Before Opening Day card.  It's cool that this photo was taken in his hometown. I've never found a Bryant subset card before, so this is extra sweet.



    I pulled a Rally Monkey card. (YAY for monkeys!) 🐒 It's not the mascot card but the Team Traditions and Celebrations card.  Got the card for the Cubs' 7th inning stretch tradition of singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame. 




Oh, and I can't forget to share my new bubble gum card.



     There was not a card for Hank the Ballpark Pup this year.  Zip says dogs are the best people, so I was a bit bummed that we didn't get a new pup card. But! There is a dalmatian on the Clydesdale Horses Team Traditions and Celebrations card. Got it! 



Oh and here's Ichiro! Got it!  💖



    We are down to the mascot content of this post. I did not pull a Clark, the Cubs mascot. But, I was really impressed with the costumes this year. Teams are upping their game with new and improved mascot costumes. They are creating headwear on a level that is approaching the cute spectrum, except Bernie Brewer. How that dude is not giving children nightmares, I'll never know.
shiver...



     Ball Heads and President Heads are becoming a fun thing here. This year there was a Racing Presidents card in the Team Traditions and Celebrations subset. I didn't pull that card either. However, I found some mascots to pursue in a new collecting theme.   




    Well that about covers most of subset cards that Topps 2018 Opening Day has added to my collection. There are a few cards for my Moody Blues Frankenset too, but I'll save those for their individual song's days. All of my WANTS and FOR TRADE cards from this box have been added to my collection at The Trading Card Database. -I've also added a bunch more mascot wants from other years to my TCDB WANT list.

Thanks for reading! 


4.4.18 - Update, showing the comic nature of the graphics on the backs of those ballhead cards.  

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11 comments:

  1. Billy KingsleyApril 4, 2018 at 12:47 PM

    I love mascot cards. Cool stuff! If you really want to see a scary mascot, check out the New Orleans Pelicans. They changed their first mascot during the middle of their first season because it literally made children run away screaming, and they also have the disturbing King Cake Baby. No cards exist unfortunately.

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    1. Doe M.G.April 4, 2018 at 1:18 PM

      I googled the monstrosities you mentioned, and dang! On top of the blood thirsty horror they started with, is the fact that it's their state bird, yet they don't seem to know what a pelican should look like. (Pelicans are one of my postcard collecting themes.) Babycakes reminds me of the Giant Floating Baby Head from Phineas and Ferb. There was also an animated short series called Big Baby. I think that was on CN.

      Delete
  2. Doe M.G.April 4, 2018 at 1:20 PM

    BTW Everyone- I have the comments set for my approval. Last week I found a massive spam comment on one of the posts. MASSIVE. lol

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  3. acrackedbatApril 4, 2018 at 2:26 PM

    I enjoy many of the mascots but can't get into those with baseball heads, esp Rosie. Does Rosie O'Donnell know? Cuz they look a lot alike! That king cake baby is freakin' scary. i used in a post a couple years ago and was lucky no one sued me.

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    1. Doe M.G.April 7, 2018 at 10:23 AM

      LOL

      Mr. Red looks like a fun guy this year. There is a bit of a cartoon graphic on the back of the mascot cards that cinched it for me. I'm curious about the various expressions and the evolution of the ballheads. I find the president heads hilarious, so I gotta get some. :D

      PWE heading NE.

      Delete
    2. acrackedbatApril 28, 2018 at 4:03 PM

      I emailed you too but want to make sure you knew I rec'd the PWE. Love the cards! Mascots are good for smiles! Thanks!

      Delete
    3. Doe M.G.April 29, 2018 at 1:50 PM

      You are welcome! :)

      Delete
  4. HackenbushApril 4, 2018 at 5:33 PM

    Wasn't there some flap a while back about the guy in the Mr. Met costume? Can't remember exactly. I'm a Cubs fan who doesn't like Clark. I think Rosie looks kinda like Betty Rubble. And while I'm giving my opinions, I think the Arizona D-backs mascot, Baxter Bobcat is creepier than Bernie Brewer.

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  5. Doe M.G.April 4, 2018 at 6:17 PM

    I shall google in search of naughtiness on the part of Mr. Met! I think Clark is the cutest mascot in MLB. :)
    I don't think BB is in this year's set. I have wondered why AZ chose to be named after a venomous snake. That really reduces their marketability.

    Yeah... Rosie. I like that she is a she, but she could do with a make-over in the make-up department. It's possible that Bernie Brewer wouldn't be so EEK!, if he was not a part of the mascot set. But when looking through cards of heads, plushies, and muppets he stands out, and not in a good way. lol

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    1. HackenbushApril 4, 2018 at 6:29 PM

      And bobcats eat snakes- as in Diamondbacks? Makes no sense. The Bob had something to do with the name of the ballpark at the time--Bank One Ballpark--BOB. Still dumb.

      Delete
    2. Doe M.G.April 4, 2018 at 6:45 PM

      Agreed. Still dumb.

      Delete

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