Baseball Card Hall of Bad: 1996 Stadium Club Baseball Megaheroes

As a collector, I love cards that have unique designs. I'm game for something different. Risks can change the game. But sometimes, they're complete and utter failures. Case in point: 1996 Stadium Club Baseball Megaheroes.

The 10-card insert set gave different players superhero personas that matched their nicknames. While I'm a big fan of art and cards sharing the same canvas, these cards are about as attractive as fresh dog crap on the bottom of your new pair of runners.

The concept of making athletes heroes, although cheesy, could work. But the drawings look like they were done by a Rob Liefeld wannabe playing with the blur option in Photoshop. Here's the results:

Megaheroes were inserted 1:48 Series One hobby packs and 1:24 retail packs. 

Here's the checklist:

MH1. Frank Thomas, Chicago White Sox

MH2. Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners

MH3. Hideo Nomo, Los Angeles Dodgers

MH4. Ozzie Smith, St. Louis Cardinals

MH5. Will Clark, Texas Rangers

MH6. Jack McDowell, New York Yankees

MH7. Andres Galarraga, Colorado Rockies

MH8. Roger Clemens, Boston Red Sox

MH9 Deion Sanders, San Francisco Giants

MH10. Mo Vaughn, Boston Red Sox

If you want to see athletes as superheroes where cheesy can mean good (at least in the "so-bad-it's-good" sense), let me draw your attention to Bo Jackson, Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky in the Saturday morning classic, ProStars:

 

Holo Grammys

It's the Academy Awards of music tonight but I don't really care. While your significant other scours People Magazine's website in the morning, here's a random bunch of holograms:

 1992 Denny's Grand Slam 26. Joe Carter

I remember begging my parents to take me out for pie and coffee when these were available. They just turned to me, told me it was a 30 minute drive and that I was too young for coffee as they sipped their instant "coffee." They neglected to mention that Denny's also had gross key lime pie. Denny's sucks. This set was the best thing the restaurant had to offer in 1992. 

 1995 Score Dream Team Gold DG11. Greg Maddux

I'm not sure why Score abandoned the shirtless grandeur of the Dream Team cards for holograms. I can't say that I mind either. The whole "Gold" label, though, doesn't make a whole lot of sense either.

1993 Upper Deck Diamond Gallery 32. Wil Cordero

This card is a part of some oddball Upper Deck box set. I hadn't heard of it before and may have to track it down seeing as how it's an oddball hologram box set. Just 123,600 sets were made, which must make it extremely limited ; )

1997 Stadium Club Instavision Highlights I13. Andy Pettite

You can't capture the greatness of this card in a scan. Well, it is a hologram so it is instantly great, but that there hologram shows Pettite's hurling prowess. Yes, it's got motion technology without the creepy factor of Sammy Sosa's 1996 SPx card winking at me.

And now a trio of static non-sport holograms:

 Marvel Universe: Series One (Impel, 1990) MH1. Cosmic Spider-man

Although these are probably the most recognizable non-sport holograms (my guess is that it's due to the seemingly millions that are out there and just about everyone collecting the set at the time had one or two), I also rank them amongst the worst. Sure, they're shiny but there's nothing else going on. Plus, the card backs are identical for all five in the set. Yes, Virginia, holograms can be boring sometimes. Can anyone tell me what makes this Spider-Man, Cosmic Spider-Man?

 DC Comics: Series One (Impel, 1992) DC Hologram Hall of Fame DCH8. Superman

This card suffers somewhat the same fate as the Spidey above. It's pretty boring. However, at least with this set Impel wised up a bit and gave something of an interesting background. Too bad Superman's face resembles that of a stick man I doodled while waiting on hold yesterday.

Marvel Universe Series Three (Impel, 1992) H-5. Ghost Rider

Finally, Impel is getting somewhere. While I'm not a big fan of Ghost Rider, the way his motorcycle is popping out of this card is pretty bad ass.

Can Someone Please Explain 2008 Stadium Club Baseball to Me?

All right, so I'm slowly plugging away at my 2008 Stadium Club Baseball set but there seems to be way too many weird things going on. Can someone please correct me if I'm wrong and clarify the base set to me.

Here's what I know:

• Cards divisible by 3 (3, 6, 9, 12, 45, 90, etc.) are #'d/999. Does this hold true for the RC's as well?
• First Day Issue parallels of cards divisible by 3 (3, 6, 9, 12, 45, 90, etc.) are much easier to come by than the rest.
• RCs (#101 - 150) have variations. Are they vertical and horizontal?

Seriously, this is the worst set up of a set I've ever seen. There should be no confusion building a simple base set. And who's stupid idea was it to shrot print every third card? It truly messes up the look when you try to put the cards in a binder.

The Many Faces of Moises Alou

This post was inspired by some cards sent to me recently by John from The Pursuit of 80's(ness). Another awesome batch of cards came across from the UK and whilst going through them I was reminded of the solid but rarely flashy career of Moises Alou.

Drafted second overall in the 1986 draft by the Pirates, Alou was the "player to be named later" in a 1990 trade that saw Zane Smith pack for Pittsburgh. It wasn't long before he became one of Montreal's outfield cornerstones dependable for above-average stats in both average and power. He might not have been as flashy as Larry Walker or as speedy as Marquis Grissom but he got the job done. With his father Felipe managing him, Alou finished second behind Eric Karros in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 1992 and was an All-Star two years later.

As good as the Expos got, the team suffered from a lack of commitment from ownership and the team was soon dismantled following the strike that ended the 1994 season. He stuck around for a couple more years but signed on as a free agent with the Marlins for the 1997 season and made an immediate impact hitting .292, knocking in 115 runs and smacking 23 home runs. Oh yeah, he was also the winner of the Babe Ruth Award, which is similar to World Series MVP, in that it's given for the best World Series performance as voted by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, leading an unlikely team to their first World Championship.

Alou's stay with the Marlins wasn't meant to last. Florida owner Wayne Huizenga promptly dismantled his championship squad in a firesale that looked a lot like the ongoing deals that Alou would have become accustomed to seeing in Montreal. Off to Houston.

Different team, same plucky player. In his four years playing with Houston (he missed all of 1999 due to a psychopathic treadmill so I'm not counting it), Alou was an All Star twice and finished third in NL MVP voting in 1998 where he set a career high for RBIs, driving in 124 runs for a dangerous team that included Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio.

As Alou approached and surpassed 40 years of age, he continued to put play a solid game yet never managed to find a place to really call his baseball home. After leaving the Astros via free agency following the 2001 season, Alou got a ripe three-year deal with the Cubs. In 2004, at the age of 37, he set a career high in home runs with 39. But that would be all for his days in the Windy City.

Although his power numbers were starting to taper off, Alou continued to hit for average in his final four seasons (spending two each with the Giants and Mets). Between 2005 and 2008 the Atlanta-born outfielder never hit below .300.

Last year marked the end of Alou's playing career. He'll likely never get any Hall of Fame career, nor does he necessarily deserve it. He was, however, one of the more overlooked players of a generation, quietly playing contently in the shadows of some of the game's bigger stars. Superstars might make those around them look better than they actually are but it's guys like Moises Alou that enable superstars to rise to the top of their game.

Thanks again, John for the awesome cards and for reminding me of an Expos great.

Aren't You Glad You Didn't Buy Any 2008 Stadium Club Hobby Packs?

2008 Stadium Club hobby packs originally hit with a suggested price of $25. In them you got a few base cards and an autograph. Here's a quick look at the kind of "value" you might have received:

 

 

I picked up each of these on eBay from one seller. My total cost with shipping: $10 and a bit of couch change. So for less than half the cost of one pack I was able to get four packs worth of "hits." There's a few okay autographs out there and the Longoria, but with some patience I'm wondering if I can build a complete set with the rookie autographs for less than the cost of one hobby box. My guess is very likely.

While it's good for me, sellers are losing big time with this product. It's too bad because the base design is one of the best of the year. But Topps went and added an unnecessary gimmick that killed its potential. So unless the brand is overhauled again in 2009, dealers are going to avoid it and we can likely say good-bye to Stadium Club once again.

Industry Interview: Rich A. Molinelli, Sketch Card Artist

As I posted about a couple of weeks ago, Topps looks like they're about to push sketch cards, featuring original drawings. Sketch cards are set to appear in both 2008 Topps Updates and Highlights Baseball and 2008 Stadium Club.


Rich A. Molinelli has been working on sketch cards for a while now, contributing art to sets centered around such licenses as Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, Marvel and DC Comics, C.S.I., Indiana Jones and The Lord of the Rings. He's also done work for TK Legacy's football lines and appeared in the recently released 2008-09 Upper Deck Legends Masterpieces Hockey.

Molinelli was very gracious to answer a few questions about his work and what sports collectors can expect from this non-sport staple.

What drew you into illustration as a professional? (no pun intended)

HA! Well, I have always loved cartoons and comic books. So when I was younger I was always being taken to the comic store or Toys "R" Us by my mother and my uncle to get cool Thundercats, He-man or Batman merchandise. Being a guy with NO ATHLETIC ability other than being able to knock down anyone I want too with my size, I chose drawing over the more popular football. Pro Wrestling also has a huge impact on my life as guys like Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior, with their larger-than-life characters, always had me creating fantasy worlds in my mind.

How would you describe your style?

Well I don't know. I used to say Bruce Timm with a little Japanese Anime thrown in, but as of late I have been taken more turns towards realistic artwork with a comic flair. Depends on what the job calls for. The MLB sets for Topps were a really nice challenge, as I had to nail the likeness or presence of the player in order to get the card across. Whereas, say for a set like Fantastic Four, I can stretch my wings and take the time to come up with my own poses and look for the characters.

How did you get started with sketch cards?

Actually, I used to post on Deviantart and DigitalWebbing very often. Went to a lot of conventions, but I have to give major props to Cat Staggs, as if she hadn't introduced me to the world of Topps Sketch cards, who knows what I may be doing now? Heck at the time I got the job I was living off commissions, and that was very plentiful for someone relatively unknown in the comic book field.

What were your experiences with sports art prior to the upcoming Topps baseball sets?

I had two other sports run-ins before the Baseball set. I had just finished working on 08-09 NHL Legends Masterpieces from Upperdeck. I contributed 50 sketch cards to this great release and I didn't think it could get any better until Topps contacted me to work on Stadium Club and Updates and Highlights. I had also done some work for TK Legacy on their college football licenses. That ended about 6 months in and I was later replaced by my good friend Jim Kyle as their resident sketch card artist. Jim is uber talented and I hope to see him doing some sports cards for Topps soon enough.

What sorts of references did you use to select the images for Topps’ upcoming baseball sets?

We were given high resolution files from Topps, but really MLB was easy enough for me. Myself and fellow MLB sketch card artist Brian Kong had tons of references, and I used magazines and the world wide web. I also have a huge Baseball card collection, that I used for reference. I tired to stick to old timers for Stadium Club, Gary Carter, Nolan Ryan, Reggie Jackson, Mickey Mantle and Cal Ripken Jr. to name a few.

Did you use any “famous” photos or old cards as references?

Gary Carter, I have a very extensive collection of his cards, but I am truly a Topps baseball Carter collector. If their is a card from when he played I have it.

Do you have any favourite players to work on? If so, do these correspond with your favourite teams and players?

::chuckles:: Yeah I picked any and all NY Mets players from my list of approved players. Jose Reyes, David Wright, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, Gary Carter and Nolan Ryan all made their way onto my cards from the releases. So if they were a NY Met at one time I found a way to draw them in that uniform.

From the Topps sketches you did, do you have any favourites collectors might want to look for?

Well, the Stadium Club cards are my favorites. I got to do some nice compositions on them and I love each and everyone of them. If collector's are looking for color though, my returned 8 cards are the ONLY color cards I did for the sets and each card I got back in my returns are true 1 of 1 cards as no other version of it exists in the sets. If you are looking for more classic ball players or legends Stadium Club is for you. Updates and Highlights I did modern day players and will really go over well I feel with today's baseball fans.

How is working on baseball sketch cards different from your work in non-sports? Do you consider it any harder or easier?

It's much more difficult, but not so difficult that it hurts the dun aspect of the work. For sets like Star Wars, Indiana Jones or Lord of the Rings I can take those characters and put them in any situation in the movie and make it my own. Complete Avengers, DC Legacy or Marvel Masterpieces I can create the picture from my own vision. The baseball cards were more difficult because these things I were creating were based off real-life events that have already happened and hold a special memory for millions of people. I did a card of Cal Ripken's walk around after he beat the most consecutive games played record and I was so nervous I wasn't doing it justice. It was like getting to add my own vision to the a piece of Sports history.

What sorts of limitations did you have on what players you could select? Poses?

As I said before they sent me a list of players on a cd and I stayed true to that list. I would have loved to draw more legends like Don Mattingly or Keith Hernandez, but maybe if there is a next set, these guys will be on that list.

As far as poses go we had full reign to draw them doing anything baseball related.

What kind of a response are you hoping to get from sports card collectors as they begin to get their first sketch cards?

I'm hoping excitement. Honestly I feel that this is a HUGE step for Topps to take. Baseball collectors have been asking for something new for a long time now and I feel that this really delivers to them. It reminds me of the Donruss Diamond Kings inserts from back in the 80s and how excited everyone was for those. So I'm hoping collectors get really excited for this release and future ones, well assuming there are future ones. ;)

If you're not into the players in the Topps sets or you can't manage to find one busting packs, Molinelli is available for commissions where you can request any players you like in whatever size you need. Generally, his price is $25 per card plus shipping. If you're interested in a commission, you can email Molinelli directly at ramolinelli@gmail.com.

As part of their payment, sketch artists also get a select number of their sketches back. As stated above, Molinelli's eight "artist's proofs" from 2008 Topps Updates and Highlights Baseball (pictured below) are his only full-color cards. If you're interested in one of them, contact him and he'll let you know the cost.

Rich's website includes shots of his work should you want to see how his distinct style transfers over to other sets and genres.