OT: Home Run Derby

[MattyC]

Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan

So if you wanted to buy a Judge RC which one would y'all recommend?

I have been into collecting Judge for a while now, along with Sanchez, Frazier, Bird, and other young Yankees.

Here is a good list of Judge's— let's just call them Top Tier— cards, for you or anyone interested. Would have been helpful had I seen a list like this when I began, so as my recently departed nana said, "Do unto others..."

I won't rank them since they are all in the premiere bucket, so to speak:

- Topps Heritage Real One Auto Red and Blue

- Topps Heritage SP 'action variation.'

- Topps Archives Bazooka Auto, FFA Auto, and Rookie Stars Auto, these come in a base white border, with very rare colored parallels.

- Topps Heritage "dual" card with Tyler Austin - rare variations (Heritage makes special Gold Refractors/5, Blue Refractors/68, Chrome Refractors/568, as well as Flip Stock variation/5, Gray Back/10, Yellow Back/25, and Blue Border/50.)
The Refractors are quite attractive IMO in hand, and the Blue Border as well. The Flip Stock is very cool in hand, perhaps my favorite.

- 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Auto, and its various colored parallels.

- 1987 style Topps Series 1 (2017) Auto

- Topps Now also does some very cool and noteworthy collector-driven cards to commemorate specific highlights.

Hope that helps.

[celoknob]

I would feel neutral about the derby except that these days every game is already seems like a home run and strikeout derby. I like field action, which is missing more and more in baseball, instead of just power hitting and pitching.

[mrvster]

baseball has taken a back seat to football....we need some excitement to keep it relevant .....although I love the history, these hr monsters are the future of baseball....

football is much easier to play than baseball imho.....and im sick of all the losers in football.....too "hyped" and ever idiot talking about football...

ok, let the bashing begin

[celoknob]

Originally Posted by mrvster

baseball has taken a back seat to football....we need some excitement to keep it relevant .....although I love the history, these hr monsters are the future of baseball....
)

People just have a different opinion of what constitutes excitement. I like good fielding, plays at the plate, base running and stealing. I also enjoy home runs when there are a moderate number. A long solo home run and three strikeouts in an inning is not exciting to me put clearly is to others.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by celoknob

People just have a different opinion of what constitutes excitement. I like good fielding, plays at the plate, base running and stealing. I also enjoy home runs when there are a moderate number. A long solo home run and three strikeouts in an inning is not exciting to me put clearly is to others.

Yeah but the masses love the long ball. Witness McGwire and Sosa. People don't have patience to appreciate an intense, chessmatch of a 12 pitch at bat.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Yeah but the masses love the long ball. Witness McGwire and Sosa. People don't have patience to appreciate an intense, chessmatch of a 12 pitch at bat.

When we were all 12 year old kids we dreamed of hitting the grandslam farther than anyone else to win the game. No kid dreams about working out a 12 pitch walk or laying down a drag bunt.

[iowadoc77]

And Fernando Tatis- a name I had not heard for a long time, throwing to Sano I believe. Tatis notoriety comes from 2 grand slams in one inning. Absolutely crazy. Lots of cool story lines. Stanton as the favorite getting knocked off in 1st round, Bellinger's dad pitching to him, lots of players with their kids on the field, just good stuff. I had never watched the celebrity all-star game, but it was neat to see guys like Rickey Henderson, Andre Dawson, Livan Hernandez, Fred Lynn, Tim "Rock" Raines, and others just tattooing the softball. It was cheesy but entertaining.

I remember the days of McGwire vs Sosa. 1998. Such a battle. That was my favorite year of baseball. Their home run chase was epic, although significantly tainted now.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

When we were all 12 year old kids we dreamed of hitting the grandslam farther than anyone else to win the game. No kid dreams about working out a 12 pitch walk or laying down a drag bunt.

Yeah, but the squeeze play in Major League (if I have my movies right) was a thing of beauty.

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

When we were all 12 year old kids we dreamed of hitting the grandslam farther than anyone else to win the game. No kid dreams about working out a 12 pitch walk or laying down a drag bunt.

Precisely. We all know baseball fans and the general public became intensely interested in baseball again during the 1998 season.

Then the fact of PEDS became apparent, and we were let down, disappointed, and disillusioned.

Now we have Aaron Judge, an elderly rookie, but a rookie by the standards of MLB today. In only 83 games, he breaks Joe DiMaggio's 81-year old record for home runs by a Yankee rookie. He is unusual for today---a nice guy in the swirling hysteria of THE BRONX ZOO. His attitude and approach to the game leaves everyone with the highest respect for him---except the assholes who never have anything good to say about anybody.

He put on a sterling performance at the Home Run Derby.

He's got collectors buying out ANY new product that might contain a Judge.
Topps had better put their best card designer, and the one with the best taste in selecting the finest photos, in charge of his cards, 'cause some of them are not that appealing. Rarity is swell, but if the card does not have a compelling WOW photo, it's a piece of "so what". Too many bells and whistles have ruined otherwise nice cards. Just sayin'.........

Aaron Judge is good for baseball, the Yankees, collectors, and America.

There's the matter of the second half of the season.....

Hey, let's just keep enjoying the journey and rooting for the kid.

I'm nobody, but I bought my first modern card of this millennium the night Aaron busted DiMag's record. It's just an ungraded Topps Heritage Bazooka, but the card looked terrific---won it.

Nobody can know for certain what the rest of 2017 holds for Mr. Judge, but he's got a great organization behind him to help him, along with his teammates, and I hope he continues to excel. May God continue to bless him!

---Brian Powell

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Originally Posted by MattyC

I have been into collecting Judge for a while now, along with Sanchez, Frazier, Bird, and other young Yankees.

Here is a good list of Judge's— let's just call them Top Tier— cards, for you or anyone interested. Would have been helpful had I seen a list like this when I began, so as my recently departed nana said, "Do unto others..."

I won't rank them since they are all in the premiere bucket, so to speak:

- Topps Heritage Real One Auto Red and Blue

- Topps Heritage SP 'action variation.'

- Topps Archives Bazooka Auto, FFA Auto, and Rookie Stars Auto, these come in a base white border, with very rare colored parallels.

- Topps Heritage "dual" card with Tyler Austin - rare variations (Heritage makes special Gold Refractors/5, Blue Refractors/68, Chrome Refractors/568, as well as Flip Stock variation/5, Gray Back/10, Yellow Back/25, and Blue Border/50.)
The Refractors are quite attractive IMO in hand, and the Blue Border as well. The Flip Stock is very cool in hand, perhaps my favorite.

- 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Auto, and its various colored parallels.

- 1987 style Topps Series 1 (2017) Auto

- Topps Now also does some very cool and noteworthy collector-driven cards to commemorate specific highlights.

Hope that helps.

This is in essence what's wrong with modern cards. THERE'S TOO DAMN MANY OF THEM! :-)