However, Topps and Upper Deck have become like ESPN....too much Yankees, too much east coast bias. There are quite of few of us out here who don't want to pull Yankees all the time. Or ever even. Oh sure, I don't mind if it's one of the true legends like Ruth, Mantle, DiMaggio, Berra etc., but as far as the current team, I'd rather have a Kinsler than a Cano, a Michael Young than an ARod. I'm quite sure there are others out there that feel the same way about their favorite teams/players.
To illustrate my point, I'll show you two packs I bought a few days ago. I just happened to be at the local Wal-Store and picked up a pack of 2010 Heritage and 2010 Topps. Now, I'm really tired of both of these, but I had a wax bustin' itch that needed scratching.
The 2010 Topps pack revealed these two cards.
I realize these are not Yankees cards, but I still smell the NY bias. We are NOT all from NEW YORK Topps!
The Heritage pack had an SP in it. Guess which team?
That's right. Yankees. I really have to question whether this card is an SP or not. I've pulled three of the Rivera cards and I've only bought two blasters and half a dozen loose retail packs.
Let's not forget the other card in the pack.
How about a Chrome Refractor ARod? A little icing on the New York cake. It's a bitter cake too.
***Disclaimer***As I write this at 3:45 AM, I have had 5 hours of sleep over the last two days. It's possible I'm not being rational. I would like to impress on you Yankees fans/collectors that it's not you I have a problem with. It's the card companies. I'm sure you're quite happy with then number of Yankees "hits" that turn up.
Another reason I hardly ever buy packs lol. I mean my Tanyon Sturtze and Gary Sheffield collections say no Yankees for a reason...
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with you. Especially being an O's fan. I am sick and tired of pulling Mickey Mantle Homerun History, Yankee Stadium Legacy, and Mickey Mantle Story inserts out of packs... I guess A-Roid Steriod syringe history cards are next!
ReplyDeleteI never get many Yankee hits, but I do get a lot of Boston hits.
ReplyDeleteI would say, though, that at least 25% of the cards I pull are Yankees.
Mix in the Red Sox, and it's probably at least 40%.
Chicle is the worst. There are 5 Jays in the set, and 12 Yankees. Absolutely awful.
I believe with sucess comes more players from certain teams. I also think for right or wrong, the card companies feel that there are more fans of certain teams (NY, Bos, Chi, etc.) so they create more cards of said teams so they can sell more product. I have no proof of this, just a theory. If you want, I will turn those NY cards into Rangers cards for you. Shoot me an e-mail if you're interested.
ReplyDeleteI had a recent similar experience, thought about the same issues, had a article ready to go but didn't post it because it's my own damn fault I collect the Brewers...
ReplyDeleteI know what ya mean. In the 25 card set of 206 framed relics, there are 7 NY based players. One Tiger from 90 years ago. Lame.
ReplyDeleteTo piggie back on what benny said, Topps and UD will appeal to the bigger market clubs because they know it will bring in the most money. The Yankees have the biggest fan base in baseball, and the card companies know they'll spend money on getting their favorite players or their favorite team. Simple economics. And it's not all that glamerous... I have to search out more cards for my collections in a much harsher market. Finding fair prices of Jeter, A-Rod, and Mo are next to impossible, not to mention tracking down all the parralels.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I should keep my mouth shut before everyone beats me to a pulp.
I only collect one other sport - hockey. I have noticed the same trend within hockey as well.
ReplyDeleteLuckily in hockey, I collect "the team", the Maple Leafs. Like thewho said, trying to find decent cards of Leafs (and ex-Leafs such as Steen and Stajan, my favorites) you really have to fight to find cards at a reasonable price.
Totally agree with you here Brian. It's frustrating to be in a group break and see the Yankees walk away with everything (maybe they should have to pay a bit more than us fans of "lowly" teams). I think just about everyone is sick of seeing Mantle in every Topps product. The moral of the story is that the Yankees are the spawn of Satan.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback guys. I have a follow up I'm going to write for Wednesday. Benny and Long...I don't speak for everyone, but I don't dislike you or any other blogger who collects the Yankees because of your team loyalty. You have the right to collect who you want to collect and I've made some good trades with Yanks fans. I just get tired of the oversaturation of products with Yankees hits. I'll touch on that more on Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the Yankees heavy sets and I'm a Yanks fan! Yankee Stadium Legacy... DiMaggio career highlights... HR history.. no thanks! I don't like sets that are nearly impossible to complete, and I HATE that these monstrosities count towards the card total in a pack.
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