Wednesday, July 29, 2020

2021 Topps ideas???

I don't figure anyone has been wondering, but do you know that a year ago yesterday, Topps released their previews for the 2020 Topps design?  The 2019 design previews were released on August 14, 2018, just hours after I had questioned why they weren't up. While that would lead me to believe that the 2021 images would be posted any day, I think with the way the world is right now, that the card stuff might be pushed back a month or so.
With the recent plight with all of the Marlins players testing positive, I wondered if things would get bad enough to where the season would be cancelled, and we would end up with another 1994, with no World Series. Even if the season plays out, we will still have 100 games missing. It made me think of a fun little parallel set that came from 1995 Topps called Cyberstats (or Spectra Light).
I first learned about the set from a little write up of the set in a Sports Illustrated magazine that was at my orthodontist's office in 1994. The article called the set 'Cyberstats', so that is what I always refer to it as. Funny thing was about 10 years later, I met the guy who typed up the article, but we had no smartphones then, and the internet wasn't as big as it is now, so neither of us had a picture of the article. Now, I lost contact with the guy who wrote it, but I have a picture of the article.
For those of you unfamiliar with the parallel set, the fronts of the card feature foilboard around the player photo and rainbow colored foil for the player names. Explaining the back is a little tricky. Topps basically got a computer program to simulate all of the games that were cancelled because of the 1994 baseball strike (including the playoffs), and added the totals from the regular season to the totals from thier simulations, and put the new totals in the 1994 stat column of each player in the 400 card set. I loved the idea when I was 12 and getting packs of 1995 Topps as much as I could. At one point, I had not only the complete 400 card set, but also the 7-card season in review set, which chronicled season and playoff highlights. 
Although I would've loved to see Topps do the same thing for the 1996 set (since the 1995 season was missing about 50 games due to starting later), they never did. It makes me wonder why Topps couldn't bring it back for the 2021 Topps set. The technology has come a long way, so let's say the season ends in November. You could still get all of the stats computed and everything written up in time to have an early February or early March release. Everything is computerized now, anyways. You could do a Cyberstats set where the simulation would just play the first 100 missing games from the '20 season if the year goes on without a hitch, or you could have it play the first 100 missing games, and pick up wherever the season is stopped if a Covid outbreak does force a cancellation of the 2020 season. Either way, it works. Many '90's things have been making a comeback lately (you've seen all of those Topps Throwback Thursday cards). Why not do a reincarnation of CyberStats? They don't even have to do more gold foil, just make them exactly like base cards (maybe with a Cyberstats printed logo on the front), and pay homage to the original set with the same design as the '95 set for the backs. I would buy a ton of packs trying to get them, and you could leave the format the same (1 per pack, 200 cards per set). That would allow them to only to the 200 best players from each series. Perhaps even cut it to 300 cards and 150 per series. I just want something. It doesn't even have to take the place of the gold or rainbow foil parallel set if they don't want it to. This would just be the perfect opportunity to create a cheap parallel that would have '90's collectors chomping at the bit to open 2021 Topps packs, and newer collectors something different and new to chase. After all, these idiots who are taking all of the Bowman and Series 2 off of the shelves won't care if it's a '90's insert that they're pulling. They will just care if it's a Luis Robert, Wander Franco, or (insert name of latest rookie prospect here)
Just my idea for 2021 Topps. Any thoughts on this?
Like I have the past 2 years, I will post a card of the Commish and do my version of the backs (complete with Exit Velocity & Spin Ratio stat columns and FarmersOnly.com profile spots in the bio (OurTime.com for players over 35). 

I have finished making a page for all of the Topps Sunset cards that I know of for most popular players, so  you can check that out if you want. That will be updated periodically with customs added, players added, and more stuff. I still have to do a trade post for John (sorry it's been so late!), and I'll probably start working on a draft for a post on all of the times Topps has Bipped us (by giving us 2 Topps cards of the same player pictured with the same team during the same calendar year). Prepare to send more hate mail to Topps. Tomorrow is the first day I will be off of work and by myself, and other than mowing the lawn, I will have the house to myself for the first time since early March, so I will probably work on those respective posts. I think with all of those projects done, I might actually have nothing really big to work on aside from making customs, so that will be the first time that has happened since I decided to make all of these checklists and this sunset card list way back when. If you don't remember (I barely do), I was in the process of doing customs for the 1993 Topps set, as well as some 1995 replacement player cards when I decided to do all of these lists. Seeing the lists are worth it, as it just provides a resource for anyone who wants to make custom cards, and it helps me as well. 

Thanks for checking out my latest post.
-Jeremy

3 comments:

  1. You know I love 95 Cyberstats. Foil technology has come a long way. Topps could do with a revisit. Their recent ideas kinda stink. Gold parallels haven't meant much in a long time, esp since the number made increases each year.

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  2. I think a revisit of that idea is a great thought for 2021.

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  3. I'd be cool with a reincarnation of Cyberstats. If there was ever a year to do it, 2021 would be it.

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