Response to Blog Bat Around #3 - Announcing The Goose Joak Original Card Set for 2009!

I've been reading people's responses to the third blog bat around. It's been very interesting.

I've heard a lot of influential, articulate people (for instance Paul, Jeffrey and Mr. Night Owl, among the many others) long for something simpler and a lot more satisfying in their future baseball card sets.

Some of the common ideas include (which I wholeheartedly agree with):

1) Bigger sets. Checklists with deep, complete team rosters rather than seven cards of ICHIRO! and 300 cards of Mickey Mantle
2) Cheaper cards. Packs with a cheap entry price
3) Emphasis on QUALITY base cards rather than on chasing autogamers, inserts, parallels or short prints
4) A classic design that would frame well or sign well, like 1991 Topps.
5) Emphasis on genuine, fun cards rather than gimmick cards

To all of the above: I completely agree.

And so I now ask -- which I may regret later -- why wait for Upper Deck or Topps to step up on our behalf?

(So...here goes nothing...)

In response to the bat around, and largely to quench my own desire to have cards like this as well, Goose Joak will be answering the call in 2009. I will be releasing my own, free of charge, original card set in 2009. It will be online for anyone to download and print. There will be no inserts, no auto-gamers, no frills, nothing. Just one card per player per team*, and as many as I can do. At least until Topps or Upper Deck steps forward!

* ahem...I reserve the right to do a few extra Joakim Soria cards if I want to though. But other than that!

I may need your help on this, which I'll get to later. But scrubs and stars, you name it, they'll be there. If you keep me honest, I'll get as many players as I can manage.

Now onto the cards themselves. It's an all-original card layout, the first I've created. It follows what I believe to be the tenants of good baseball card design:

- No foil stamping
- Matte or low-gloss finish (if you print them out)
- White borders
- Easy to read player names
- Emphasis on photography, particularly unobstructed player shots
- Team-themed color scheme
- Straight forward style with a retro-modern look
- Not a lot of extra frills

And oh yeah, there will be horizontal cards as well.

Some of the details have yet to be worked out in my head, but I wanted to announce this while the blog bat around was still alive and kicking.

In the meantime, please tell your friends!! Post this on your blog if you want to. I can't do it all alone, you know, especially if I'm going after Topps Total, if that's what people want. I'm going to need recruits, such as people people to help find pictures of the players they want to see. I'll also need team-themed observers to keep me honest with the AAAA spot starters in Washington and Seattle who pitch 2 1/3 IP with 6 ER and ship back to the minors after one start, never to be heard from again. If you truly want them in this set, I'll need your eyes, ears and help.

Also, if any Photo-shoppers -- or even MSPainters -- want to pitch in with their favorite team, I can always pass along my templates and make this a team-wide blogosphere effort! There are some free, layer-based programs you can download that would probably make it work, even if you don't have Photoshop.

Sound exciting? Let me know if I'm way off base here. But if it sounds cool, stay tuned...

Comments

  1. Nice design & an ambitious plan.

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  2. Paul, can I recruit you for the Mets? :) I'm going to need some photoshop man power.

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  3. I'm looking forward to this. I can't wait to see a Ron Mahay. There are only two cards made of him that I know of. The cards look real nice. I like how the color fades away onto the picture. I will help out with whatever you need.
    Also, I am aiming at May 23 or 24 for going to my first Saltdog game. They are playing Ft. Worth and there is a coach for them whose signature I want and they are not coming to Wichita this year.

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  4. If you need help locating White Sox photos, drop me a line. The Lance Broadway looks outstanding!

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  5. Oh, this sounds cool. I have no knowledge of photoshop and am not artistic in this area at all, but I'm willing to help in some other area.

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  6. What about All-Star cards? A nice, simple subset that makes sense. Even a return of "Super Veterans" would be cool. Nothing fancy or over-the-top, just a classic subset - as a part of the base set.

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  7. Sorry, forgot to mention... I LOVE THIS IDEA!

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  8. Tell you what, create a killer reverse for your cards, and I will BUY multiple factory sets...

    Besides, how often would you find a set where a Royals closer is card number 1???

    Sincerely,

    JayBee Anama
    bdj610

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  9. Great design! Looking forward to the set!

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  10. That's a really cool idea! I have very minimal Photoshop skills, but I'd be happy to help find some Rays pictures for the cards. Or if you wrote a post that explains how you make these cards in Photoshop, maybe I could improve my skills and help more. I have Photoshop Elements installed on my computer.

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  11. Amazing Idea! I can't wait to see more! Especially Brewers and Bluejays! Any chance of having CC Sabathia in a Brewers jersey card? Can't wait man, very exciting stuff!

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  12. I've often said you should be a designer for Topps or Upper Deck. You have gone one better and made your own set that people can print for free. This is insanely great. And the cards look great.

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  13. Dave, send me the templates. I'll be happy to help you out with the Mets.

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  14. Guys...thanks for the overwhelmingly positive response! This is going to be very exciting!

    I'm working out some of the details now and should have them up over the weekend for sure. I'll also get back to each of you in more detail (lots of great comments as well as ideas coming in).

    Also, I owe an EXTRA thanks if you expressed interest in collaborating, too! That is so cool, be it with rosters, pictures, photoshop or something else entirely! I'll provide more information shortly.

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  15. I'd like to take a crack at some Pirates
    jeffwolfe2001@yahoo.com

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  16. That Granderson card is pretty sweet. I agree when you have a focus on one player in the action shot it works much much better. There are a few occasions of course that I don't having two people in a card. I know one of my favorite shots is the home run that Albert Pujols hit against Brad Lidge in the NLCS a few years ago. There are pictures out there of both Pujols and Lidge in that picture and the moment is unforgettable.

    For the most part though everything you said is true. I'm more of an outsider, but know enough to say that what you have already mentioned makes a lot of sense.

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  17. I'd love to try my hand at making some Mariners. My graphics skills may not be the best but if you'd like to send me the template I'll see what I can do.

    Thanks!
    Ryan

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  18. This is an amazing idea. If you still need help with the Astros I'd be happy to help. If you do, just drop a note here and I'll send an e-mail.

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  19. I'd like to help as well. Could you send me the template? Thanks.

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  20. Therion and sruchris, thanks for the offers to help! Very excited to hear more from you. Sruchris, I just you an email. Therion, you can definitely shoot me an email.

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  21. If you need any help with the A's I could help.

    Mlee4az@cox.net

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  22. I love this idea...email me if you need help with a team or two. I'd like to help.

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  23. I want to participate! help me help you all!

    I am partial to heritage and older set designs too...let me know how this might fit in.

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  24. if you want help, I can pretty much do every single player on the phillies.. just email me at sevenwillm@aol.com, I loved the idea btw!!!

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  25. scratch that.. ha can i please get the Phillies template so I can do the whole team. I really want to help and get involved in this !!! please email me at Sevenwillm@aol.com

    thanks!!!
    -Will

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  26. Thanks Paxtang O'Hoolix...let me know what your email is and I can get you some templates!

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  27. Same goes for parker...just drop me your email and I'll get you some templates. Thanks for your enthusiasm!

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  28. would love to help out any way possible ... just need the templates. I am very good with photoshop and wanna contribute to this.
    once again the email is sevenwillm@aol.com


    Thanks,
    Will

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  29. Will, sorry I am bit behind...I emailed you the templates last night...sent them again today when I got your message in case they didn't go through. Let me know if you're still having issues receiving them and we can work something out.

    Thanks!
    -Dave

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  30. I haven't received them. If you could, could you try sending them to my GMail? My Gmail address is WMattis21@Gmail.com

    Thanks
    -Will

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  31. I would love to help out if you can email me the template to randyjbeck@charter.net

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  32. can anyone send me the fonts by any chancE?

    send to WMattis21@gmail.com

    thanks!!!
    Will

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  33. Hey if anyone wants to post there customs from the set, upload them to the new photobucket i made. The user name is GooseJoakCustomGroup and the password is goosejoak. Thanks!!

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  34. Hey Dave, can I get the template? pdogg1079@hotmail.com
    Thanks!
    -Tim

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