Just a thought here. While it seems like I might be a little overly critical of Topps when I talk about their airbrushing past and other less than optimistic opinions I have of their new exclusivity deal, I hope that it's noted that the airbrushed cards amuse me a lot more than they upset me. Times were different, the technology was - I can only assume - vastly more limited, and deadlines were likely tighter than they are today. I'd love to be a photoshop expert and do a regular feature on all of the idiotic photoshopped cards that we see in today's products, but I'll leave that others. However, I thought at least for this post I'd give equal time to Topps's chief competitor.Why is Koyie Hill shown wearing a Dodgers uniform? That doesn't look right. Before I ever even attempted to look up his stats or any biographical information on the guy, I noticed that behind that blue chest protector appeared to be a home Dodgers uniform. (I'm starting to become an expert on that team.) This wouldn't ordinarily set off red flags since I would have assumed that Koyie Hill had been recently acquired by Arizona at the time of the card's printing, but check out the back of the card.
The text refers to him playing in Arizona for at least the past season, and lo and behold, so does the stat line. It took me a few glances to realize that 2004 was not actually Hill's only season to date. A quick check at baseball-reference.com reveals that Hill only played 3 official games as a Dodger, netting him a grand total of 3 plate appearances - all in 2003. The current part time Cubs catcher was traded in the middle of the 2004 season to the Diamondbacks. Upper Deck got the team right, but could they not find a current photo to use? If this guy is such a "Pro" and/or "Prospect" worth making serial numbered parallel/insert/whatever cards of, I'd think they'd take a little care in making things right.
The text refers to him playing in Arizona for at least the past season, and lo and behold, so does the stat line. It took me a few glances to realize that 2004 was not actually Hill's only season to date. A quick check at baseball-reference.com reveals that Hill only played 3 official games as a Dodger, netting him a grand total of 3 plate appearances - all in 2003. The current part time Cubs catcher was traded in the middle of the 2004 season to the Diamondbacks. Upper Deck got the team right, but could they not find a current photo to use? If this guy is such a "Pro" and/or "Prospect" worth making serial numbered parallel/insert/whatever cards of, I'd think they'd take a little care in making things right.Anyway, this card now ends up in my outgoing Dodgers pile, mostly because I don't have a repeated Diamondbacks trading partner that I can think of. Fans of both teams are probably pretty underwhelmed.
Yeah, I don't even know if that'd go in the Dodger binder.
ReplyDeleteYep there is plenty of laziness going on around at both Topps and UD.
ReplyDeleteRather than getting one set right they would rather zombie through 23 sets - and then they don't put in the effort for those last 20 sets or so.
garbage