30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Juuuuuuuussssst a Bit Outside!

It's sorta pricey, hard to store, and is missing several key characters... hence the title of this post.

But if you can look past the handful of flaws, this 25th anniversary Major League wax pack is pretty unique and a cool collectible for fans of this classic baseball film.  Collectors who are actually willing to crack open their wallets and drop $12.99 on a single pack of cards will receive six trading cards contained in an old school wax wrapper.

There was even a wax stain!

Thankfully, the people at Topps took this into consideration and added a seventh, blank card to keep the real cards from getting damaged.

The checklist is comprised with the five people in their 2014 Topps Archives Major League autograph set:

"Good morning gentlemen... and welcome to another season of Indians baseball."

Usually I like it when companies spice things up and add ladies to card products.  But this was the one card that left me scratching my head.  If it were up to me, I would have dropped Mrs. Phelps and added one of these guys:  Willie Mays Hayes, Pedro Cerrano, Lou Brown, or even Harry Doyle.

On the flip side...  I applaud Topps' decision to use the 1989 baseball card design as a way of honoring the anniversary year.  What once was a symbol of overproduction and insipidity... I've recently started to appreciate and enjoy this particular card design.


"You got a chance to be a hero on national television... if you don't blow it."

This anniversary tribute couldn't exist without the inclusion of Jake Taylor.  I'm not exactly sure I could pinpoint a main character in this film, but if you held a gun to my head... Taylor would be in the conversation.

"Forget about the curveball Ricky... give 'em the heater!"

My love for this movie stems from the collectiveness of all the entertaining characters.  There were so many, it's hard for me to pick a favorite.  But based on autograph sales, it's pretty obvious that Vaughn's collectibility and fan popularity is second to none.

"You trying to say Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?"

If you appreciate what Gaylord Perry brought to the game, then you're probably a fan of Mr. Harris.  He's the proud owner of some of the movies' greatest lines.

"Let's cut to the crap, Vaughn.
I've only got one thing to say to you... strike this mother f'er out."

Rounding out the set is Mr. Dorn.  I've never been a huge fan of the character.  I understand the role he played as Vaughn's nemesis... but I can't think of too many times the guy made me laugh.  I wouldn't have been offended had Topps decided to substitute one of the previously mentioned characters in his place.

Last, but not least... there's a special Jobu card found only in these packs:

"It's very bad to steal Jobu's rum... it's very bad."

This was the key to my purchase.  As soon as I saw it on the Topps website, I knew I had to own this rum drinkin', bead bearin', cigar smokin' voodoo doll card.  In fact this card alone made the purchase of these special edition 5x7 trading cards worthwhile.

So what about you...

What are your thoughts on this special pack of oversized cards?

I completely understand that these cards aren't for everyone... but if you're a fan of the movie, appreciate non-sports trading cards, and can afford the $12.99 price tag... then you might want to consider picking up a set for your collection.

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

21 comments:

  1. Did you know that the Lake County Captains are giving away Jobu bobbleheads on August 1st? Just wish they had the cigar in the mouth http://www.milb.com/promotions/index.jsp?sid=t437

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    1. I saw this. I'm sure these are going to go for top dollar on the secondary market. Well... that's assuming everyone wants one as bad as me ;-)

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  2. I mean, the cards are cool and all...but the whole movie tie-in leaves me a little bit cold. I guess it's my general apathy for items that really aren't "baseball" cards but "movie" cards, but I would have been fine had the cards not been inserted in Archives or in this special pack.

    Not for me, certainly.

    Plus, who really remembers the fact that the movie was actually filmed in Milwaukee -- which is, in part, why Bob Uecker was in the movie...

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  3. I have the Orioles team set in this format with the wax wrapper. Pretty cool item although I wouldn't have bought it for myself probably.

    I agree that the card of the owner is a curious choice given the options (that is the owner, correct? I haven't seen the film since it came out). Maybe they had problems getting the others to agree. Dunno. The Willie Mays Aikens character was far more entertaining.

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    1. If you're referring to the 60th Anniversary set, I considered buying the A's set... but went with this set instead.

      Yeah that's the owner. She's not in the regular insert set... only the autograph set. Which means you're probably right. Snipes, Haysbert, and Uecker must have been too hard to sign.

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  4. Should've been an insert set in the main Archives set, but I know we have to make people pay for every good idea these days.

    Don't fall over, but I just watched Major League all the way through for the first time last week. It wasn't bad.

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  5. I don't know if I'd spend 13 bucks on it, but this looks like a nice set. I would've LOVED to have seen a Harry Doyle card instead of Rachel Phelps.

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  6. To be honest, the movie was somewhat entertaining. But I would rather have had Topps follow up on their soccer products as only 2 billion people are interested in the 2014 World Cup. Every morning show, every sports show and every other commercial is about soccer. Seems to me they missed the goal.

    Ironically, the USA players appear in more foreign sets around the world than they do in their own country. Shameful.

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    1. Hard to disagree with your statement. I'm addicted to all kinds of cardboard, so I'd buy soccer too ;-)

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  7. I was going to order a pack until I saw they were 5x7, I am not a fan of the bigger cards/box toppers. Though if I do end up chasing any of the cards it will be the Jobu card.

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  8. I really like this, wouldn't mind having a set myself. I might go ahead and buy one in the next day or two...

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  9. I like this idea, but agree with you - having a few more cards would be better for characters like Cerrano or Mayes Hays.

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  10. Thanks for the feedback guys. I guess these are kinda like relics, non-licensed cards, and sticker autographs... some people enjoy them... others can live without them.

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  11. Topps only used characters they could get to autograph. That automatically excludes Lou Brown (deceased) and Willie Mays Hayes (Wesley Snipes hated the role). They also had to be able to sign contracts for the use of the individual's likeness. Snipes out...again. And its entirely possible Cerrano (Haysbert) and Doyle (Uecker) wanted too much money. But, heck, give me Tanaka (Takaaki Ishibashi) from the sequel over Rachel Phelps. She ruins the whole concept for me.

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    1. That's kind of what I figured. Thanks for the info.

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  12. I enjoyed your page about the Major League movie cards from Topps. I too bought them when I learned about them just by chance when I visited the Topps website.

    You mention not liking Dorn so I want to share why I love him and think he is very funny. And I think they are all funny with lots of good parts. What do we know about Dorn? Well, he used to be a pretty good ball player when he cared about playing baseball. So what happened? He was good, got signed to a big contract, made a lot of money, and then became interested in other things. Sorry for the inaccurate quotes but he says things like "I'm not going to risk damage to this (points to his face) for a collection of stiffs". He obviously doesn't want to be on the Indians. He thinks they suck. And they do suck in the beginning. He is an egomaniac and loves himself. To me, that's pretty funny in a baseball movie. He doesn't want to do anything except collect his pay and play the stock market. When Taylor visits him at his home he asks Taylor if he wants help with his portfolio. Hilarious. When Taylor asks him why he didnt get that grounder and end the game his reply is "What do you want me to do...dive for it"? Dude lol that's funny. Dive for it!?!? I remember in the beginning he brings his contract to practice to show Coach Lou there is a clause that says he doesn't have to exercise. He's an athlete and got his lawyers to include no exercise. Amazing. Yes he is the asshole of the group, which makes it funny. Right away he fights with Vaugn and his a tense moment with Serano. He's not one of the boys through the film but at the very end he has the great feel good moment when he goes to Ricky at the pitchers mound and tell his the very famous line "Strike this MF out!"

    Sorry dudes. I just love this movie so much. Me and my buddies quote it all the time. I just want to talk about it and share why I love Dorn and the rest of the crew.

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    1. Love the passion for this movie. I feel the same way about Star Wars. Although I'm not a member of the Dorn fan club, I totally see his role in this movie... and it wouldn't be the same without him. I mean every movie needs an A-hole, right?

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    2. Haha every good comedy does thats for sure. I love my Major League cards but I was a little disappointed they did not include Willie Mays Hayes. He is a major character in the movie. Whats up with that? I would have also liked a coach card for skipper Lou. Who else needed a card besides those two? I would say announcer Harry Doyle too. So those 3. Pretty disappointing. Other than that...pretty cool cards.

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