Friday, July 19, 2019

2019 Topps Museum Collection Baseball | Checklist, Autographs, Relics, Box Break and Review

Topps’ choice of Cal Ripken Jr. to headline 2019 Topps Museum Collection Baseball is a bet on the product matching the Hall of Famer’s legendary consistency and reliability. Serving as a Topps staple for both design and intrigue, 2019 Topps Museum Collection Baseball delivers a premium experience that offers a luxurious payoff.

2019 Topps Museum Collection Baseball / Topps

2019 Topps Museum Collection Baseball Base Set, Inserts, and Checklist

The 100-card base set is fitted with a silver design, offering an immediate pop when they come out of the pack. The set is a mix of rookies, veterans, and retired players that will please a diverse group of collectors. Each pack also comes with one parallel card in Copper, Sapphire (#/150), Amethyst (#/99), Ruby (#/50) and Emerald (1/1) versions.
Click here for the complete checklist.

2019 Topps Museum Collection Base Set / Topps
2019 Topps Museum Collection Parallels / Topps

2019 Topps Museum Collection Baseball Autographs

Each box of 2019 Topps Museum Collection Baseball contains four mini-boxes, each with either a relic or an autograph. Two autographed cards comprised half of the hits in the box Topps provided for this review.

The base Archival Autographs set comes with an impressive lineup that includes Rookie of the Year favorites Pete Alonso and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., as well as Ichiro and Mike Trout. The case-hit Framed Autographs are even more impressive, with legends such as Hank Aaron, Derek Jeter, and Sandy Koufax dominating the list of signers. For the lucky few, a dual or triple autograph card if pulled from this product can easily be the centerpiece of any collection.

Our autographs included a Sean Manaea Archival Autograph, and an Eddie Rosario 2019 Topps Museum Collection Dual Jersey Autograph numbered to 50.

2019 Topps Museum Collection Eddie Rosario Gold Patch Autograph / Topps
2019 Topps Museum Collection Sean Manaea Archival Autograph / Topps

2019 Topps Museum Collection Baseball Relics

Some of Topps’ most creative relic work comes in their Museum Collection set. The multi-player quad relics focus on four stars from one team, each with a small piece in the middle from each player. As an added twist this year, Topps slid in one quad relic of four Japanese players (Ichiro, Ohtani, Tanaka, and Matsui) on the same card. For the player collectors, Topps included quad relics from both active and retired players, as well as the single relic Meaningful Materials cards. Super collectors will be busy chasing down 1/1 bat relics from the Jumbo Lumber nameplate set.

Our two relics included a Johnny Cueto Gold Meaningful Materials patch numbered to 25 and a Yankees quad relic numbered to 99.

2019 Topps Museum Collection Quad Patch Relic / Topps

2019 Topps Museum Collection Baseball Box Break and Final Thoughts

Topps has created a streak of exciting experiences with Museum Collection that would make Cal Ripken Jr. proud. Topps has upgraded from the 2018 set, making these cards look and feel even more like a collectible the moment they reach your hands. The patch and relic cards are a well-designed entry point for collectors who want a premium display that is within financial reach. With hobby boxes settling in at the $200 range, 2019 Topps Museum Collection Baseball is a drive that collectors should strongly consider taking.



Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Baseball Happenings Podcast | Mike Oz Dishes On How He Got His 2019 Topps Allen And Ginter Baseball Card

Mike Oz has a knack for keeping it fresh. Whether he is running his "Old Baseball Cards" show for Yahoo! Sports, organizing the Taco Truck Throwdown, or hosting his radio show on KFRR 104.1 FM, Oz has put quality content at a premium. He joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss how a kid who collected baseball cards starting in the 1980s finally came to have his own in 2019 Topps Allen and Ginter.

Mike Oz 2019 Topps Allen And Ginter / @CardboardIcons

An idea that started from looking at sealed baseball card packs in his garage four years ago, led to the iconic baseball card manufacturer Topps taking major notice. As Oz grew "Old Baseball Cards," to include the likes of Andre Dawson, Randy Johnson, and Manny Machado chopping it up while opening packs, Topps made a move that Oz never envisioned.

“Fast forward four years later,” Oz said during our recent Forbes interview, “I get an e-mail from Topps [asking], ‘Do you want to be in Allen and Ginter?’”

In our 30 minute Baseball Happenings Podcast interview, Oz explains the surprisingly intense process of signing his official cards, what made "Old Baseball Cards" take off, and his love for hip hop music.








Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Baseball Happenings | Explorations In Baseball Card Collecting On The About The Cards Podcast

Baseball Happenings lead writer Nick Diunte recently appeared on the About The Cards Podcast to dicuss baseball cards, autograph collecting, and what we do here at Baseball Happenings. The two-hour show is below. It's a fun watch; if you love collecting, click here to subscribe to them on YouTube.  

The podcast is also available on multiple platforms.
Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Twitter


Friday, July 12, 2019

Glenn Mickens | Former Brooklyn Dodgers Pitcher Shared A World Of Baseball Experiences

While Glenn Mickens’ major league career consisted of four games with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1953, his impact on the sport was global, as he was one of the early Americans to play baseball in Japan. The long-time UCLA baseball coach who spent 13 seasons in professional baseball, died July 9, 2019, in Hawaii due to complications from pneumonia. He was 88.

Glenn Mickens / Author's Collection

A False Start At UCLA

Mickens’ career hit a rocky start during his time at UCLA. Right before his 1948 freshman year, he went to a Brooklyn Dodgers tryout in Anaheim. While the Dodgers did not sign him, they told him they would keep an eye on him while he was at UCLA. Unfortunately, for Mickens, the scout running the camp gave him $20 for his food and travel. When Mickens went to UCLA, he reported on a questionnaire that he received the $20 from the Dodgers, and the NCAA ruled that he forfeited his amateur status.

For two years, he pitched for a semi-pro team while traveling with the Bruins before he signed a contract with the Dodgers in 1950. His early minor league career started a series of brushes with greatness throughout the vast Dodgers system. His first came with not a baseball legend, but a future NBA Hall of Famer, in teammate Bill Sharman.

“In 1951, we played [together] in Fort Worth,” Mickens said during a phone interview from his Hawaii home in 2011. “We would stop at every other ice cream parlor in the street when the streets were boiling and see who could eat the most ice cream. … He would be on the basketball court, and he would never miss. He always told me he liked baseball more than basketball. He slowed down from all that pounding on the basketball court. Obviously, he picked the right court.”

Korean War Draft

Just as Mickens started to get comfortable with Sharman at Fort Worth, Uncle Sam called. Mickens received his draft notice for the Korean War, which caused him to miss the rest of 1951, as well as the entire 1952 season. Luckily, his baseball skills saved him from a potential fateful trip to Korea.

“I was in the medical corps down in Fort Sam Houston,” he said. “Bob Turley, Owen Friend, Gus Triandos, and Ken Staples [were there with me]. I think I was 16-1 the first year, and 18-4 the second. I got to stay in the United States. I am grateful for baseball. Our colonel had the power to put you on a boat to Korea.”

Upon his return, the Dodgers assigned Mickens to Fort Worth in the Texas League. Still relatively new to the ways of professional baseball, Mickens almost ruined his chances at the majors due to a seemingly innocuous comment he made to his manager.

“I made a stupid comment. … There was a guy on second base, and we were down by about seven runs. A guy gets a hit to right-center, and the outfielder throws the ball into one of the infielders. He didn't score.

“I said something to Max Macon like, ‘Darn skip, couldn't he have scored easy?’ He said, ‘Yeah that run doesn't mean anything.’ We lost 9-8 and like an idiot, I said, ‘Darn skip, that was a big run now, wasn't it?’ A rookie doesn't make those kinds of statements. I heard from the players that Max was going to leave me on the mound until my jockstrap was knocked off. ... He started pitching me with about two days rest [until] I got to the Dodgers.”

A Call To The Brooklyn Dodgers

Luckily for Mickens, his jockstrap was intact, and his arm stayed attached long enough for the Dodgers to bring him to the majors in July 1953. Upon arriving, Roy Campanella immediately let him know that he was undoubtedly in the big leagues.

“I walk into that clubhouse from Fort Worth, and it was a doubleheader,” he recalled. “I said, ‘Which one of these is the seven-inning game, and which is the nine-inning game?’ [Roy] Campanella said, ‘Man this ain't no bush leagues! There ain't no seven-inning games here!’ I wanted to crawl under a stool.”

Dodgers manager Charlie Dressen wasted little time throwing Mickens into the fire. With Brooklyn down 2-1, Dressen sent Mickens to the mound in the top of the 9th inning against one of the National League’s top sluggers, Ted Kluszewski.

“I'll still never figure out that one,” he said. “Why Charlie brought me in to be the first guy I faced? I see this big guy [Kluszewski] with a couple of arms bigger than my legs. I said ‘Oh heck, I just don't want this guy to hit the ball back up the middle.’ I got one or two strikes on him, and I think I will keep the ball away and make him hit it. He hit the ball in the upper deck in Ebbets Field; I think he ripped up about five seats. I get back to the dugout and [Johnny] Podres was sitting there laughing. He said, ‘Don't feel bad, he hit 3 or 4 off of me—and I throw from the left side.’”

Mickens only lasted a few weeks in Brooklyn, as the Dodgers hit a hot streak and no longer had room for the rookie in their rotation. He cited Carl Erskine, Gil Hodges, and Duke Snider as a few who looked out for him during his time there. While his brush with The Boys of Summer was brief, it was in the Dodgers minor league system where Mickens built his relationships with baseball’s elite.

Playing In The Minors With Baseball Legends

Playing with the Montreal Royals in 1954, his teammate was a young rookie outfielder named Roberto Clemente. He noted that while Clemente showed tremendous upside, the manager would remove him at odd times during the game. He later discovered why.

“He [Max Macon] had orders from the Dodgers, I found this out later, to try and hide him,” he said. “They would play him 4-5 innings, and they would take him out after he'd make a great catch or hit one over the right-center field fence. There wasn't anything he couldn't do.”

Another Dodgers legend that Mickens paired with was a fiery left-handed pitcher that went on to become a Hall of Fame manager, Tom Lasorda. The future Dodgers skipper had a mound tenacity that resonated with Mickens over 50 years later.

“If you had one big game on the line and you wanted to win it, you would give him the ball,” he said. “He had that 12-6 curve, and catchers would hate him because he would bounce it so often that he would beat the catcher to death. When he had to get it over though, he got it over. He would knock his own mom down if it meant winning a ballgame. Talk about a competitor; he was amazing.”

A Regrettable Argument

While Mickens was busy making connections with baseball’s future icons, he was also working hard at getting back to the major leagues. After pitching well with Montreal in 1955, a frustrated Mickens had another run-in with management that sealed his fate within the Dodgers organization.

“I had some words with Fresco Thompson,” he said. “I was with Wally Fiala. The rooms we were staying in were junior officers’ quarters in Vero Beach, just like the Army. Some [players] had been playing mumbly peg against the wall. … Thompson put a note on our door one day, and my roommate says, ‘Look at this; they’re going to take $20 out of our salary for wrecking these walls.’ I looked for him [Thompson] all over the camp, and I finally encountered him in the mess hall. I asked him if he signed it and he said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘What right do you have to accuse me of something you don't know anything about?’ He said, ‘I've got my information.’ I said, ‘Tell me who your information is, and I'll call them a liar to their face.’ I was fuming. If he would have come up to me and asked, I would have told him, but he flat out accused me. He starts pointing his finger into my chest, and he said, ‘I'll send you so far down, it will take a $10 postcard to find you.’ I didn't realize it, but [after] that day, I could have won 20 games with Montreal, or anywhere in their organization, and I wouldn't have had another chance with the Dodgers.”

The Dodgers bounced Mickens all around their farm system, sending him to their affiliates in Los Angeles, St. Paul and Victoria, Texas. It was in Victoria where he sensed he needed a change. He reached out to an old friend, Ralph Kiner, who was the general manager of the San Diego Padres in the Pacific Coast League.

“I got to the airport [in Victoria], and I thought this was a place you go through, you don't get off there,” he said. “I said, trade me, sell me, or give me away. I called Kiner and said, ‘See if you can get me traded to the San Diego organization.’ He called me back and said, ‘Mick, they won't release you.’”

Heading To Japan

Mickens faced a situation that caused many of his peers to put aside their baseball dreams. With teams in full control of player contracts, their only other choice was to retire or leave the country. Mickens took the road less traveled, certainly by American players at the time.

“My only chance at that stage of the game to get out of the organization was to go to Japan, which at that stage was outlaw ball,” he said. “Bill Nishida, who was in Montreal [with me], got me to go over there. I was over there for five years. I got in three All-Star Games and was the first and maybe only American to win an All-Star game for the three innings I pitched. I got to pitch against Sadaharu Oh over there. My only regret is that I didn't get another shot here.”
Glenn Mickens 1960 Marusan Baseball Card / Japanese Baseball Cards

Baseball in Japan in the late 1950s was still in its formative stages. The level of play was nowhere near what it is today, and tactical methods were years behind as well. Mickens noted the stark contrast of how managers handled their players.

“Their regimen was so different,” he said. “These guys would last 4-5 years and would come up with sore arms. They would pitch nine innings and then be back in the game the next day if they were winning. … I was on the worst offensive and defensive club in Japan. The manager would ask me to throw 1-2 innings, and then [all of a sudden] you are out there 4-5 innings.

“There are so many things you have to get used to over there. I think they changed their methodology. They would not slide to break up the double play; they would run out of the way. Lefty O'Doul was doing some announcing over there. I told him I was trying to get them to play like back in the United States. He said, ‘Kid, forget it. I've been coming here for 30 years. They haven't changed, and they're not going to.’”

While Mickens could not always rationalize his team's tactical decisions, he recalled a hilarious method his manager once used to motivate him to close out the opposition.

“I'm on the bench one night and it's about the 8th inning,” he said. “The manager of our club, Chiba, he's trying to think of something to stimulate me to go out and finish the game to beat these guys. He said, ‘Remember Pearl Harbor!’” I almost fell off the bench.”

A Return Home

Mickens finished up in Japan in 1963 and returned to UCLA to become their assistant baseball coach. He stayed for 25 years, fostering multiple generations of professional talent. He coached Eric Karros, Don Slaught, Tim Leary, as well as Ralph Kiner’s son, Mike, a connection to his brief major league stay.

“There's a really cute story,” he said. “I faced Ralph Kiner. On the loudspeaker, after he hit his home run off me in Wrigley Field, the announcer said, ‘He hit this for his newborn baby boy, Mike.’ Twenty years later, I'm coaching at UCLA, and who am I coaching? Mike Kiner for crying out loud! I tell him, ‘Thank your dad for me.’ The other time I faced [Kiner] was in Ebbets Field. They said Kiner didn't strike out, but I struck him out in Ebbets. I remember the guy saying, ‘You can't strike Kiner out.’ He was a super nice guy.”

In retirement, Mickens moved to Hawaii where he was active in civic affairs and traveled the world with the UCLA alumni baseball team to compete in friendly exhibitions. While his time with the Dodgers only lasted four games, he realized the monumental achievement of just making the club.

“Who's place were you going to take up there?” he asked. “Duke Snider, Carl Furillo? They had these guys in front of you. What chance did you have?”

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

2019 Topps Finest Baseball | Checklist, Autographs, Box Break and Review

Topps furthers their attempts to fancy collectors with their release of 2019 Topps Finest Baseball. Minted in a glossy chrome format, 2019 Topps Finest Baseball stands out from the pack with an eye-catching design and tight checklist that sharpens the focus for the cardboard obsessed.
20919 Topps Finest Baseball / Topps

2019 Topps Finest Base Set and Checklist

The 101-card base set features an assortment of active stars and rookies, including 2019 Home Run Derby champion Pete Alonso, and a tougher to find Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in card 101. In addition to each card having a basic parallel refractor, they also carry the usual Topps serial-numbered rainbow (Purple (/250), Blue (/150), Green (/99), Gold (/50), Orange (/25), Red (/5), and Superfractors (1/1).)

2019 Topps Finest Base Set / Topps
While a few boxes can complete the base set, Topps upped the ante for the 25-card short-printed set (cards 101-125) by limiting them to 1:30 packs. Note that two cards share #101, Guerrero Jr. and Yusei Kikuchi. The former is part of the base set, while the latter is part of the short prints. These short prints have ultra-rare refractors—Gold Refractors (/50 - 1:350 packs), Red Refractors – (/5 - 1:3,462 packs), and Superfractors – (1/1 - 1:16,756 packs).

Click here to download the complete 2019 Topps Finest Baseball checklist.

2019 Topps Finest Aaron Nola Blue Refractor / Topps

2019 Topps Finest Inserts

Keeping with the narrow theme of the base set, Topps goes for simplicity with 2019 Topps Finest Baseball’s inserts. There are four insert sets: Blue Chips, Finest Firsts, Prized Performers, and a 10-card die cut set as a tribute to Mariano Rivera. These insert sets also have serial numbered refractors, as well as autographed versions.

2019 Topps Finest Baseball Inserts / Topps

2019 Topps Finest Autographs

This is where 2019 Topps Finest Baseball shines. The on-card autographs in this set help to separate this Topps issue from the myriad of sticker autographs on the market. With collectors growing even more refined in their collecting habits, the on-card signatures in this product when combined with the enhanced design help to give 2019 Topps Finest Baseball a proper niche in the hobby.

The two-mini boxes each yielded one autograph. The first autograph was a base Finest signature from San Francisco Giants rookie Chris Shaw.

2019 Topps Finest Chris Shaw Autograph / Topps
The other was a much rarer Gold Finest Origins autograph from the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year, Ronald Acuña Jr. This card was serial-numbered to 50, with the odds being 1:779 packs of landing one of these difficult hits.
2019 Topps Finest Ronald Acuña Jr. Finest Origins Gold Auto / Topps

2019 Topps Finest Box Break and Final Thoughts

With 12-pack master boxes checking in at $120, Topps has placed a premium on quality and performance with 2019 Topps Finest Baseball. With an appealing design, on-card autographs, and cards of both potential Rookie of the Year candidates, the baseball card giant is making sure that collectors take notice of 2019 Topps Finest Baseball.