eTopps

I never really cared for eTopps, but I was sitting on some credit and I bought exactly three cards a few years ago. A few days ago, for reasons that escape me, I went ahead and got two of them delivered and put the third one up on eBay.

Maddux Collection: 2008 Bowman Chrome #124

Wow. The white chrome cards from 2008 really POP on my scanner. Hey Greg, when you're posing, it's OK to smile.

I like the resume, skills and evolution sections, but there's clearly room for a few more stats on the back. Why include Complete Games? On most cards, the number is just going to be zero. Wouldn't WHIP make more sense?

Maddux Collection: 1993 Upper Deck #535

Man, Upper Deck could sure pick a photograph. 1993 was a different year for Upper Deck. There were a lot of similarities between their first four sets, and this was the first one to really look different. Truth be told, I like the set, but it looks more ordinary than the earlier years. Every time I see a card from the set, my first though is Donruss. I can't say why though. That's just what I see.

Maddux Collection: 1990 Donruss #158

Oh no. 1990 Donruss. Red borders? No, no, no. Speckles? No, no, no. Just a bad set. Every bit as bad as 1988 Donruss. That was also a bad set. I love 82, 83, 84, 85, 87, and 89. 1981 was at least new and unique. 1986 was dull, 1988 was a bit worse, and 1990 was just bad. Bad, bad, bad.

Maddux Collection: 1993 Topps Stadium Club #2

I love Stadium Club, but the back of this card is just awful. I like the pic on the back, and even the little shot of his rookie card, but there are just too many design elements. It's just a mess. The stats border on the useless. Yes, Greg was awesome in July. So? He was awesome the whole damn year. He's Greg Maddux.

Maddux Collection: 1996 Collector's Choice #754

You've got to love the look on his face. Who picked this photo? Is this a rib on Maddux? I gotta say, it makes what would otherwise be a fairly ordinary card spectacular.

Not that it really matters, but Tom Glavine is on this checklist. Wow! What an awesome occurrence! Or whatever. I may just be typing to type. Who knows.

Maddux Collection: 2008 Topps Co-Signers #028

It's really hard for me to picture anyone getting excited about this product. I really never understood the point of it all.

Here you can see one of Topps big plans to save money put into action. Instead of printing the team name next to every year in the stats, they used an asterisk when it was the same team. This change led to record profits in 2008 making Michael Eisner a very happy man.

Maddux Collection: 2009 Topps Heritage #62

This card always strikes me as weird. The coloring on the card suggests this is a San Diego Padres card. The Dodgers logo and the Dodgers photo just don't look right on this card. Come to think of it, they never look right on a Maddux card. 

Maddux Collection: 2009 Topps Legends of the Game #LG-GM

Right now, I say this is, hands down, the best baseball card put out by Topps in 2009. Only the worst of fans wouldn't love a Maddux card featuring him in an awesome throwback Braves jersey.

Maddux Collection: 1996 Collector's Choice #396

Two things make this more than just a HO-HUM Upper Deck card. First, there's the look on Maddux's face. There's no shortage of cards with a goofy look on his face. Second, there's the World Series champs logo. I'll never get tired of seeing that on a Braves card.

Maddux Collection: 2000 SP Authentic Midsummer Classic #MC10

Ooh. I'm not always big on the shiny, but I'm liking the look of this card something fierce. Thanks to Charlie at the Lifetime Topps Project.

Maddux Collection: 1990 Topps #715

What's not to love about 1990 Topps? The cards are colorful and are on cardboard. Sure, the color borders can be tacky, but imagine how awful the set would look if every card used the exact same color scheme?

OK. If pressed, I can find a few things I don't like about 1990 Topps. First, it is almost impossible to find cards that weren't slightly miscut. Also, the cards are virtually worthless, so there's that. Still, I love the set and I love most of Topps designs right up through 1990.

Notice those 82 walks in 1989? Not a great number ... not an awful one. Mad Dog would never top 80 again. I miss watching Maddux pitch.

Maddux Collection: 2005 Donruss Champions #217

I've decided to forgive Donruss for these cards. Now, my problem with the card is all that blank space on the right. Serves no purpose!!!! Why do I forgive them then you ask? Easy. Maddux is wearing a Braves uniform even though he played for the Cubs the previous season. (Thanks to Rhubarb_Runner for the card!)

Maddux Collection: 2008 SP Authentic #15

Now THIS is a beautiful modern baseball card. That's not a surprise with SP. Upper Deck almost never misses with SP.

Now most manufacturers tend to go with limited stats on the backs of their higher end sets, but Upper Deck knocks this one out of the park with full career stats and a nicely done head shot.

Maddux Collection: 1996 Pinnacle SportFlix #8

I used to think the technology used to make these cards was amazing. Those days have passed, but I still get a kick out of seeing these cards. Thanks to Charlie at the Lifetime Topps Project for this one.

Maddux Collection: 1996 Collector's Choice You Make the Play #22

I must have seen Maddux pitch in person at least a dozen times during his years in Atlanta. Not once do I remember him giving off a pink glow. Perhaps Upper Deck added it in themselves and it isn't actually a part of the picture? 

Yes, I realize that what I wrote above was stupid, but go back through my archives. I've written dumber things.

Thanks to AdamE at Thoughts and Sox for the card.

Maddux Collection: 2000 SP Game Bat Edition Piece of the Game #GM

I really don't have very many Maddux relics, so whenever there's a card show around, I always look to pick up a few. I found this one at the FCB National card show a few months ago.

I like getting bat relics of my three favorite players, especially since they are pitchers, so that is cool. It isn't a bad looking card at all, although, and this is just me nit-picking, I would prefer a picture of Maddux swinging away. Just saying.

Maddux Collection: 2008 Topps Finest Blue Parallel #103

Is that Mad Dog's look of concentration?

Wow. I'm one of only 299 people to own this card. I feel so damn special.

Maddux Collection: 1990 Classic #T32

OK. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "That is one ugly baseball card."

If you aren't, why aren't you? It is an ugly, ugly baseball card. It's like a little dog that's so ugly it becomes cute in a way. Well ... no. It's just ugly.

Even for the time period, the Classic cards looked "phoned in". Anyone who thinks Topps is lazy today should check these awful sets out.

I'm sure there's someone somewhere who was upset when the Classic baseball card sets stopped coming, but I can't imagine who that would be. Was it you? If it were, would you admit it?


Do you think people actually used that little box on the back of the card to get an autograph? Wouldn't you be embarrassed to hand Maddux this card to sign?

Maddux Collection: 1999 Topps Action Flats

I should point out that this is a small, very flat action figure of Mad Dog along with a 1999 Topps Maddux ball card. Another item sent by rhubarb_runner that I had never seen before. Thanks again David!