Sunday Question

This week we found out that Panini is now licensed to produce MLB player cards and is planning to do a few releases. This is a great thing if you ask me because we need some variety in our collections and a choice of what to buy is always nice.

I'm curious as to who else is excited about this, and will you guys be buying Panini baseball cards when they are released?

I guarantee that I will be purchasing some and I am hoping they do something good with the license and make some nice high end inserts and auto cards.

[Related: You want competition, you got it]

Here are some example of Panini products:

Elite Extra Edition baseball cards
Panini Contenders (Mostly hockey cards in this group)
Logoman cards
Some of its rookie cards with patches, jerseys and autograph cards

Marie's View: You wanna know how I really feel?

(Warning: This is a rant and me going bananas in no sort of logical thought process exists here. Just remember I warned you.)

This whole denial of licensing for Upper Deck has put the final nail in the coffin of collecting a variety of different cards. I was enraged when Donruss was taken out of the equation, but now all we have left is Topps? This is bullshi#%.

I don't give a sh$% that Topps was the innovator of the industry, or that they have been around the longest or any other crap reason someone wants to spew. They supposedly want to create this monopoly to engage the interests of young children and young adults again and move the hobby in that direction. I'm sorry, isn't that what they were supposed to be doing all along? Maybe it's MLB saying the hobby is moving in the wrong direction, and maybe they should stop and think about who is buying tickets to their games, buying the gear, etc. because it surely isn't a 9 year old.

I understand that the hobby is dominated by adult collectors, but realistically what kid has means to get to the hobby store (which nowadays could be 30 miles from home), and has an allowance that will afford them packs at $5 a shot for 4 cards in some cases. In the last few years the only movement the card companies have made to engage young children in collecting were putting out Opening Day and First Edition. Not for nothing, kids aren't stupid and they want to get the packs where they have a chance at pulling a jersey card or an autograph, not a pack where there is no gloss and a garbage design.

This has me so amped up, you guys have no idea. I understood the explanation for cutting Donruss years ago because of the oversaturation of autographs and what not but this makes no sense. While I would love a topless set of cards, I would much rather be able to buy a box of Goudey, Sweet Spot, or Goodwin (which I'm still exicted about even if it will only be around one year) yet now we are stuck with Topps. Oh and I guess Bowman and their stale design.

Without any competetion from other companies Topps can continue to produce mediocre base sets, reused designs, and the same BORING sets year in and year out with no worries of people buying Upper Deck or anything else. Great move MLB, bravo idiots. Maybe this will make Topps actually attempt to come up with new designs, or bring back some retro set that people liked from years and years ago like the Heritage.

I would love to see the first year sales report for Topps as the sole provider of baseball cards. Can't wait to see how many children buy Triple Threads and Sterling.

Sooz's View: I still don't like it

After getting the night to digest the information reported by the New York Times, my initial reaction hasn’t changed much.

I don’t like the idea of a monopoly. Upper Deck’s products had gotten a little stale over time (what were all those Xs about), but there were still products I definitely enjoyed. One of my favorite all-time Upper Deck products is 2007 Sweet Spot.

In reality, there is nothing the collectors can do about Upper Deck not getting its MLB license, however, it still has the MLBPA license.

Last night, during my outcry about the news, one of my Upper Deck Twitter buds (@ScoobyCub) said they could still use the players on the cards, just not any team logos. So, apparently there will be Derek Jeter cards just nothing that says New York Yankees or have the NY logo on it.

I am thinking portrait shots. Perhaps topless shots?! Guys in just uni bottoms and no tops?

Maybe this isn’t a bad thing for the female collectors out there.

All kidding aside, in a year’s time we will be able to gauge how this has affected the industry.

Topps will come out with invigorating products and drive the market because collectors want to get everything that is out there.

Or it will shut out the people keeping this business alive because they don’t like the idea of the companies pretending we don’t exist. This could have potentially big ramifications in the industry.

I am interested to hear MLB’s explanation for going with just one company.