Tribute to 2009 Allen & Ginter - Joakim Soria - My own version!

Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals
Tribute to 2009 Allen and Ginter
by Goose Joak

Yes!! This is the first set of 2009 that I've really been excited about. Well, I take that back -- I've really enjoyed Chachis, Goose Joak Originals, and many of the other custom sets on the web. But as far as main stream releases (i.e. the stuff you have to pay for) this is the first set I'm excited about.

I think these cards are flat out beautiful, and I could hardly care less about the short prints or inserts. I just love the base cards. Here's my own version of Joakim Soria. I'm eager to see how Topps' version compares, if they bothered to make one.

For anyone who wants to do their own, you can get pretty close to the "bumpy" player texture that Topps uses by doing:

Filter>Sketch>Reticulation

I used:

Density 5
Black Level 50
White Level 13

I then upped the brightness and contrast, set as "soft light" at about 50% opacity, and layered it over the original Soria picture. There were a few other steps to get the color levels correct, but more or less that's how you get the texture.

Tribute to 1954 Topps - Vladimir Guerrero

Vladimir Guerrero, California Angels
Tribute to 1954 Topps
by Goose Joak

What is the oldest baseball card you own?

Mine is a single card from 1972 Topps, a beat up card of three rookies who were never listed in a Beckett. I doubt it's worth much -- maybe ten cents at most, perhaps less. And who knows -- maybe it's not worth anything! But I like owning it. It looks old, and it feels old. The colors are faded, and the cardboard is frayed. It feels almost like an artifact to me -- like an old penny from 1923 or something. It's not my favorite card of all time, but it's fun to have.

This tribute to 1954 Topps is the oldest tribute card I've done so far. I picked Vladimir Guerrero because he's a recent addition to my fantasy team. He's been on fire in the two or three weeks since I've traded for him.

I'm getting really close to 100 total tribute cards (this is number 97). Maybe we should have a vote for number 100!

Tribute to 1993 Donruss - Jorge de la Rosa

Jorge de la Rosa, Colorado Rockies
Tribute to 1993 Donruss
by Goose Joak

Starting today against the Nationals. I need some good news after seeing Vladdy go down last night.

Tribute to 1993 Studio - Brad Hawpe

Brad Hawpe, Colorado Rockies
Tribute to 1993 Studio
By Goose Joak

Here is a tribute to Brad Hawpe in the style of 1993 Studio. I really like this set. For me, the run of Studio cards from 1991-1993 was quite awesome. Many collectors may disagree, but I liked reading about how Craig Biggio's pet peeve was Casey Candaele, and I liked reading that Ozzie Smith liked smooth jazz. The tidbits were fun and brought you closer to the players.

And -- admit it -- the photography was great. Sometimes embarrassing, but absolutely fun (Sammy Sosa, anyone?) Take a look back at this era of baseball cards -- most sets were dominated by action shots. Simply by way of contrast, the posed shots of Studio really stood out.

This is my second tribute card of the 1991-1993 Studio era.

Tribute to 1991 Donruss: Jorge de la Rosa

Jorge de la Rosa, Kansas City Royals
Tribute to 1991 Donruss
by Goose Joak

Pitch and ditch on Friday night was a case of the good, the bad and the ugly.

Good: Jorge de la Rosa
8 ip, 6 k, 0.00 era, 1.00 whip

Bad: Chad Gaudin
5 ip, 4 k, 10.80 era, 2.20 whip

Yiiiiiiiiikes: Felipe Paulino
2 ip, 2 k, 36.00 era, 5.00 whip

This card marks the return of my favorite set, 1991 Donruss.

Tribute to 2008 Topps - Gaudin, Paulino and De La Rosa

Chad Gaudin, San Diego Padres
Felipe Paulino, Houston Astros
Jorge de la Rosa, Colorado Rockies
Tribute to 2008 Topps
by Goose Joak

Will it be a complete and utter disaster? Or a heartbreaking work of staggering genius? Tune in at midnight for the answer.

Paulino (Astros@Giants)
Gaudin (Dodgers@Padres)
de la Rosa (Diamondbacks@Rockies)

Tribute to 1997 Collector's Choice - Brad Hawpe

Brad Hawpe, Colorado Rockies
Tribute to 1997 Collector's Choice
by Goose Joak

Who was on your All-Star ballot? Brad Hawpe was on mine. I think he's very deserving.

Unfortunately they don't let you vote for pitchers. So no, I wasn't able to cast a vote for Joakim Soria. Disappointing as usual.

I cast one write in vote this year: Ben Zobrist.

If I were to pick this year's Home Run Derby field, I would really want to see Ichiro do it. He might win. From a raw power perspective, I would want to see Russell Branyan in the lineup. Almost nobody hits them farther.