Topps Chrome Wrapper Redemption

Topps is on a roll this week with new ways to either get people into buying cards or help people to get the cards they were missing. Today Topps made an announcement for a special 3 card set that could be redeemed through them by sending in 24 2010 *HOBBY* Topps Chrome baseball wrappers.

Here is the official statement from Topps that the local shops received earlier today.

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For every twenty-four 2010 Topps Chrome Baseball Hobby wrappers sent to Topps, collectors will receive an exclusive 3-card pack of Topps Chrome Rookies & Legends variation cards. In addition, every tenth 3-card pack will feature special Chrome Refractor versions!

Send Wrappers to:

PO BOX 2230
Duryea, PA 18642
ATTN: Chrome Promotion

The deadline for the promotion is 2/28/11.


The 15-card subject list:

Rookies

Jason Heyward

Austin Jackson

Stephen Strasburg

Mike Leake

Buster Posey

Starlin Castro

Ike Davis

Carlos Santana

Mike Stanton

Tyler Colvin

Legends

Babe Ruth

Lou Gehrig

Jackie Robinson

Ty Cobb

Mickey Mantle

Welcome to the 21st century

Topps has decided to go high tech on us and make life simpler for the collectors.

Topps announced that the process to get a missing card from hobby boxes has become easier as they will now do replacements electronically, which means no more cutting up the UPC code, saving all the wrappers and dragging yourself to the post office to pay more on shipping for a card you should have already received. 

This starts now.

But it's still not as simple as just punching a few clicks on a mouse.

Email Support@Topps.com and include your name and address, along with digital pictures in PDF format, which must include the UPC symbol from the box with either an “X” or hole punched through the center, the wrapper from the pack with the missing card and a copy of the store receipt evidencing the purchase. Once email is received and confirmed, they will begin the process to send out your missing hit.

Still sounds like a bit of a hassle, especially for people who are not whizzes with computers. Stupid PDF files. However, I like that I don't have to pay for shipping and delivery confirmation anymore. That part always annoyed me.

More info at Topps' Customer Service Page.

Tim Tebow Superfractor 1/1 pulled - it's purrty

Tim Tebow's 2010 Topps Finest Superfractor auto/patch 1/1 was pulled and is on eBay.

I think is really nice. I love the patch.

I also wonder why football has better cards than baseball.

Price speaks his mind, then apologizes

With a chance to clinch a spot in the postseason, the Tampa Bay Rays drew 12,446.

Think that’s bad?

Well, Rays pitcher David Price agrees.

Price wrote on his Twitter page last night: “Had a chance to clinch a post season spot tonight with about 10,000 fans in the stands....embarrassing”

Can’t say I blame him. Tampa Bay has been a solid team for three years now and even went to the World Series two years ago. Yet, it doesn’t seem the local fans have embraced the Rays even though they never have to worry about a game being rained out.

Price, however, felt the power of Twitter last night. About an hour after he wrote that tweet, he apologized for offending anyone.

But who is he offending? The people sitting at home reading his Twitter page? You shouldn’t be offended if you were supporting the team.

Preach on Price. Be proud of your team that you want fans to come and support you.

John Sterling meets Topps

If you’re a New York Yankee fan, you’re familiar with the radio broadcaster John Sterling. One of the characteristics of his broadcasts is doing the most absurd home run call for a player by using their name. It’s became a joke amongst Yankee fans when a new player comes to the Yankees what Sterling’s home run call will be.

Apparently, Sterling’s home run calls are far-reaching.

Topps decided to incorporate some of those home runs calls into 2010 Topps Triple Threads
this year.

First, we have Alex Rodriguez (A-Bomb by ARod, although I think he usually says From Arod).
(auction link)

Robinson Cano (Don'tcha know!)
(auction link #1)
(auction link #2) 1/1

Derek Jeter (Jeterian - Although, Sterling has used this to describe Jeter doing anything things, but often says "Jeterian swing")
(auction link #1)
(auction link #1)
(auction link #3)

Mark Teixeira (Tex Message, which is arguably better than when Sterling says "You're on the Mark Teixeira")

Nick Swisher (This is actually not John Sterling, but an inside joke or sorts with Yankee fans. When Swisher is called out during the roll call, he does what has been coined as the Swisher Salute)
- This card sold for $300 on eBay (link)

Topps Triple Threads FAIL Part 2

You didn't think I was done hating did you? I drank a nice big glass of Haterade before I started searching around on eBay again. This one is an epic failure.

Mariano Rivera is hands down the greatest closer of all time. Topps was kind enough to give Mariano a card in the 2010 Triple Threads, however they were not kind enough to make it a card that is unique to him. Instead, they mailed it in and made this card... 2010 Topps Triple Threads Mariano Rivera

That's it? That was the best idea the design team could come up with? Really? Not "Sandman" in illegible words with all gray jersey filling it in? No booklet of "Greatest Closer of All Time" illegibly in all gray jersey?

Come on guys, that is a terrible card for Mariano.

Topps Triple Threads FAIL

Last night Sooz and I were going back and forth exchanging links on some of the cards we found of 2010 Topps Triple Threads. I searched for Jorge Posada to see if there were any cool cards and was very surprised at what I found.

One of the nicknames for Jeter, Posada, Rivera, and Pettitte is "The Core Four". They have been called that for a while now, and have appeared on magazine covers with the phrase, Steiner special 4 auto ball's in a special case deals, photos, etc. Suddenly, according to Topps there are only 3 members of "The Core Four", Jeter seems to not be worthy.

Take a look at "The Core Three" card, which also has a large part of the jersey area filled with a color the Yankees don't even wear.

Now, honestly how can Topps mess this up? It's really annoying.

Robbie or Josh: Who wins?

Today when I left the gym I put the Yankee game on the radio to hear what Dumb and Dumber had to say. For once I was very interested in the topic: Robbie Cano (Don't Ya Know!) or Josh Hamilton, for MVP. Suzyn Waldman was saying how there were roughly 100 scouts at todays (or the series, I can't remember) looking at Cano. The majority of them said that they A.L. MVP will come down to Cano and Josh Hamilton, with Miguel Cabrera getting brushed aside.

I found this all interesting because there can be several arguments made in both cases. Josh Hamilton fractured his ribs during the homestretch of the season, one in which he was outperforming most guys and pushing his team into the playoffs. He got hurt and the Rangers have been gimping along in a sense. Hamilton's fielding is something I haven't paid enough attention to, as far as making a statement on that. I have heard that his defense is average, but again, I can't make a judgement.

Then you look at Robbie Cano and see him hitting over .300 and close to a second year of 200 hits. Cano is also one of the smoothest fielding second basemen, if not the best one. I don't say that because I love him, but because you can see it and many other teams and managers have also noted his defense. Cano is also in the middle of one of the toughest lineups in baseball.

Then there is poor Miguel Cabrera, who coming into today, is hitting .329 with 36 HR's and 122 RBI's. How is he not in this conversation? Apparently because the Tigers suck is the answer, at least according to what Suzyn Waldman was supposedly told. I understand that the Tigers are not winning a division title, but how can you discount his accomplishments for the season based on that? I know this is how it goes, but I feel he is worth mentioning.

If you got to vote, who gets your vote? Why?

My vote would be for Robbie, he plays every day all season and for a middle infielder he hits not only for average but can be/is a power hitter as well.

(Photo credit: Kevin Jairaj)