Random Thoughts And Musings To Start The New Year

Just typing out loud here...

*Now that MLB and the Players Association have enjoyed a well deserved Christmas break, perhaps they'll finally get around to figuring out their new deal. Pitchers and catchers report in less than a month, guys, so get your asses to the table and work something out!

*Fanatics is buying Topps, which is good in the sense that the Topps name will live on, maintaining the one thinning strand of nostalgia that ties all of us collectors together. However, I'm convinced that the decision makers at Fanatics are just going to let Topps continue to do their thing, meaning more rehashed designs of the past, more focus on rookies, and little to no innovation.

*I was going to make a joke about the Topps 140th Anniversary design gimmick that they put in Archives, but the more I thought about it the more I wondered if the industry will survive another 70 years. MLB/Topps have done a horrible job making card collecting a worthwhile pursuit for younger kids and planting the seed for them returning to the hobby when disposable income is more available. Who's going to want to buy cards once all of us 60's/70's/80's heck even 90's kids start to fade away? Who's going to come back to the hobby with a fondness for 2022 Topps because it was the first set they collected as a kid?

*I'll have my yearly Hall Of Fame post later this month, but for now I enjoy following along and reading how and why different voters have made their decisions. As a Red Sox fan I'm obviously watching David Ortiz's numbers closely (Prediction: He barely squeaks in with mere percentage points above 75%). One thing that been irking me though are lazy voters who dismiss Ortiz simply because he was a DH. The designated hitter has been a part of baseball for 50 years now, longer than most of these voters have been in the industry. To suggest that he's not a real baseball player because he didn't wield a glove is laughable.

*It doesn't change my overall opinion on Bobby Abreu's Hall of Fame case, but an article showing that he was statistically better than Ichiro does move the needle a little. Obviously, this article doesn't factor in any of Ichiro's awards, achievements, records, or even the fact he didn't start his MLB career until age 27, but it's still an interesting comparison.

 

1990 Fleer #4 Jim Corsi

 

*Former MLB reliever Jim Corsi passed away earlier this month. I honestly forgot he pitched for the Red Sox, associating him more with his time in Oakland. What struck me the most about his passing was that he gave an interview that was released days before. He talked about his cancer, and made a very important plea:

"I got liver cancer, stage four, and colon cancer," Corsi said. "I made a mistake when I was younger by not getting a colonoscopy.

"I should have done it," he said fighting back tears. "If you’re out there, don’t wait. Don’t be stupid. I was a professional athlete and thought I was invincible, strong. You’re not. Cancer is not prejudice to anybody.

"That’s my message. Don’t wait. You don’t want to end up like this. If you get it soon enough, you’ll be alright."

As a cancer survivor myself, this hit home. I was stubborn and thought my pain would go away on its own. It didn't and I'm glad I went to the doctor when I did.  The lesson is clear: Don't be stupid, don't wait on stuff like this.