Will Innovation Be Lost?
By · CommentsHere’s the deal: I’ve been around this hobby for 20 years and have worked at Upper Deck for 12. I used to be the editor of Trading Cards magazine during the hobby’s heyday in the early ‘90s and spent ample time comparing, reviewing and writing about innovative sports card products. I watched price guides go up and down; industry trade shows catch fire with more and more excited collectors; and products being unveiled that made people stop and take notice. And more often than not, Upper Deck was the company that made people say: “Wow.” Very simply, they had products worth crowing about.
UD took the hobby by storm in 1989 with the release of its inaugural baseball set, headlined by the much-talked-about Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card (#1). That single, sought-after card catapulted through hobby price guides and reached as high as $150 on the secondary market. Its meteoric rise gave birth to more hobby periodicals and more price guides, not to mention hundreds of new hobby shops sprouting up throughout North America. Older, vintage sports cards were still on serious collectors’ radars, but it was Upper Deck’s initial set that made it possible for any collector to enter the market and turn a modest profit on their original investment. If somebody wasn’t seeking a quick return, they at least walked away with a better baseball card for their collection. The burgeoning hobby, as we know it today, was off and running.
Upper Deck’s debut baseball release also introduced the industry’s first-ever anti-counterfeit hologram on each of its cards. It was groundbreaking. That security device would revolutionize the industry, put competitors on notice, and force card counterfeiters out of business.
In 1990, Upper Deck introduced the first autographed cards in product with the release of its Reggie Jackson “Heroes of Baseball” inserts. Nolan Ryan autographed “Heroes” cards followed in 1991. Upper Deck debuted the hobby’s first-ever game-jersey cards inside Upper Deck Football in 1996. An actual game-used jersey swatch from the player was incorporated on the card front. In 1998, the hobby’s first digital trading cards, called “PowerDeck,” were unveiled by UD. Each beautifully designed trading card-sized CD-ROM was an audio/visual masterpiece that contained 60 seconds of video of the player featured! Babe Ruth bat cards and 500 Home Run Club member bat cards packed out shortly thereafter where an actual piece of a game-used bat used by the players featured was embedded on each of the card fronts. Collectors salivated at the mere thought.
Two years later, “Legendary Cuts” signature cards were released by Upper Deck, which contained the hobby’s first cut signatures of deceased legends and stars. High-end sets like Exquisite and Ultimate Collection were next. You get the drift. When it came to knocking the socks off of collectors, Upper Deck consistently delivered.
What I’ve noticed during my tenure here is that the folks at Upper Deck have worked hard to establish a loyal following of fans interested in purchasing a superior product. It’s as simple as that. So it’s a shame that after 21 years of dedicated service we’re no longer allowed to produce baseball cards showing MLB trademarks, logos and team names because we are, in fact, the company that attracted so many new customers to the category. They came buzzing like bees to honey. Topps may have had a monopoly on the baseball card market for 40 years, but things really didn’t start to flourish until UD arrived.
Its cutting-edge designs, full-color photography, glossy cardstock and anti-counterfeit hologram kick-started a hobby that was dying a slow death. But now the right to produce baseball cards goes exclusively to Topps, the industry’s 60-year-old grand-daddy, for at least the foreseeable future.
Major League Baseball believes that collectors are now the real winners with its decision to limit the playing field to just one licensed manufacturer. But does the collector really win in the end?
Popularity: 98% [?]
Brag Photo of the Week: Chris Paul Signs for UDA
By · CommentsUpper Deck is of course best known for trading cards, but we have a great memorabilia side of the company as well: Upper Deck Authenticated.
The uber-talented point guard Chris Paul did a signing for UDA on Tuesday. He signed the game-used jersey, shorts and sneakers he wore in a game against the Bulls on 1/29/2010. Check this out:
Note all the signed basketballs in the picture as well.
And of course, a personal inscription to mark what he did in that game is always appreciated by collectors:
Keep an eye out for these in our online store: they should be available in the next few weeks. In the meantime, you can click here to check out all the Chris Paul items that are currently up for sale.
If you want to keep up to date with Upper Deck Authenticated, you can click here to join the Facebook page. Once we get up to 1,000 fans, we’ll be giving away this sweet item to one random fan:
We’re already at 856 fans, so you’ll want to join now!
Popularity: 18% [?]
After a lot of entertaining television (I know I wasn’t the only one flipping back and forth between events), the Olympics are over. Canada brought home the gold in both Hockey and Curling, so I’d say it was a success for our friendly neighbors to the north, who were gracious hosts.
At Upper Deck, we celebrate the Olympics in our own way. Check these out:
“The Champions” is a special 41-card insert set, which is included in 2009-2010 Upper Deck Series Two Hockey. Even better? The set will have redemption cards for autographs by the same Olympic athletes. Future releases 2009-10 Ice Hockey, SP Authentic and O-Pee-Chee Metal will include autographed “Champions” cards in the product itself. Authenticated autographed cards are nothing new for Upper Deck, but doing it for medal winning Olympians is definitely something special (not to mention a great item to add to your collection).
Click here for more information on this series, including more names of athletes in the set!
Popularity: 13% [?]
Hasheem Thabeet Sent To D-League
By · CommentsOnly fifty games into his professional career, Memphis’ Hasheem Thabeet is finally going to get his chance to prove he is an NBA player . . . in the NBA’s Developmental League.
After struggling to find playing time in coach Lionel Hollins front-court behind All-Star Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, and Hamed Haddadi, the Grizzlies sent the former Co-Big East Conference Player of the Year to their D-League affiliate, the Dakota Wizards. Thabeet averaged a paltry 2.5 points and 2.9 rebounds, to go along with 1.2 blocks per game in only 10 minutes/gm this season.
The 7-foot-3 shot blocking specialist from the University of Connecticut becomes the highest draft pick (#2 in ‘09) to be assigned to the D-League. Martell Webster of the Portland Trailblazers, who was drafted #6 in ‘06, was the previous highest pick sent down to the NBA’s version of baseball’s minor leagues.
He may have a shot of returning to the Grizzlies in quick order since the Dakota Wizards play a frantic schedule, which includes seven games over thirteen days before having a week off. At that point, if Hasheem has shown signs of improvement, he may once again be on the NBA roster for the remainder of the Grizzlies season.
Hopefully the former college star who averaged more than four blocks per game for his career for UConn will be able to develop a little more potent offense to go with his already imposing defensive presence. At Connecticut, he was relied upon to be a defensive stopper, while other players like Jerome Dyson, AJ Price, and Jeff Adrien provided the offense. Undoubtedly the Grizzlies hoped that Thabeet could become one of the premiere defensive big men for the next decade, since he sought out and received help last summer from NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon on his offensive moves.
In his two games with the Wizards in the NBDL, Thabeet has been both good and bad. In his first game, he put up less than stellar numbers like 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 fouls in only 18 minutes, while in his second game, he showed much of what the Grizzlies were hoping to get in 19 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots in 38 minutes.
The jury is still out on Thabeet, but this is a good thing seeing as how he is only a few years removed from playing soccer in his native Tanzania in Africa. A bit more seasoning through more playing time against lesser competition should help the young, but raw shot blocker develop into a better rounded professional who could be a mainstay of some NBA team’s front-line for many years to come. After all, the D-League has been beneficial to a number of current NBA players like Shannon Brown, Rafer Alston, and Chris “Birdman” Andersen.
So will we see Hasheem Thabeet on an NBA roster next season, or will he go down as one of the league’s biggest draft busts?
Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously. He also coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckBlog.com, and his own blog, Hoops Haven (thehoopshaven.com).
Popularity: 15% [?]
2010 NFL Draft Preview: Sam Bradford
By · CommentsPlayer: Sam Bradford
Position: Quarterback
College: Oklahoma
Projected Draft Position: Top 10
Every year, there are teams looking for quarterbacks at the top of the draft to jump start their franchises. This year, with the stellar crop of defensive players and offensive tackles, there is a good possibility that a quarterback may not be taken in the first ten picks. As of the beginning of the combine, there were a few that had prospects of taking the place of players like Ndamukong Suh at the top of the draft. Out of all of them, Sam Bradford has emerged as the favorite with many teams in need of QB help. With the struggling Rams drafting at number one, the highly touted quarterback prospect out of Oklahoma has rocketed up the draft boards to become a potential number one pick.
It’s been a rocky road for Bradford over the last year, ever since he declared that he was going back to school instead of taking his place next to former number one pick, Matthew Stafford, in last year’s draft. Coming off a huge year, he was expected to be at or near the top of the draft in 2009, but he instead decided to go back for another year, and another shot at a BCS championship with the Sooners. He played well for most of the season until a shoulder injury sidelined him for the latter part of 2009, causing him to miss bowls and workouts alike. This unfortunate injury seemed to have put his millions of NFL guaranteed dollars in jeopardy, until he showed up at the NFL combine 14 pounds heavier and looking stronger than ever.
Although Bradford did not throw at the combine or do any of the drills, he improved his stock to the point where Jimmy Clausen now looks to be the number two prospect. The Rams have publically said that they love what Bradford brings to the table, and one draft insider has even reported that they are dead set on taking him at number one.
There is still a lot of time between now and the draft (including Bradford’s pro day), but his college resume does put him in elite company. He has won almost every college award there is to win, including the 2008 Heisman. Bradford was dominant when he was healthy, frequently outshining top draft prospects like Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow in a few of the games they played.
My thoughts on Bradford seem to match what a lot of other people are saying, as I believe he will be the best of the QBs taken in the 2010 draft class. He played in a pro-style offense, has a great throwing motion, and is turning into a beast at 236 pounds. Tim Tebow may have a “winning instinct,” but that means absolutely nothing when facing linebackers like Ray Lewis, Patrick Willis, and Jon Beason, or corners like Darrelle Revis. You need the tools to play, and Bradford encompasses each and every one of them. His shoulder may present durability questions, but as we saw with former Sooner Adrian Peterson, injuries can be inconsequential coming out of the draft.
Upper Deck will make players like Sam Bradford a focus in the beginning of 2010, along with many of the other elite prospects for upcoming releases. 2010 Sweet Spot Football will be back with a new style and a new face, but will still feature elements collectors have loved for years. It will feature players like Bradford, Ndamukong Suh, Colt McCoy and others, on hard signed custom helmet cards. Sweet Spot will also debut players like Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees in his Purdue garb, and Hall of Famer Dan Marino in his Pittsburgh uniform for all the collectors out there who follow their favorite schools.
Upper Deck Draft will also be back for its third year, with hard signed cards of all the top prospects and veteran stars. These cards have become immensely popular due to being some of the first cards and autographs of the 2010 season, and you can bet Bradford will be one of the top valued cards in the set.
Check back on the Upper Deck Blog for more draft profiles leading up to the 2010 NFL Draft on April 22!
Adam Gellman runs the collecting blog Sports Cards Uncensored, and has been a collector of all things sports for over 15 years. To see more of his work, visit www.sportscardsuncensored.com (warning: strong language!)
Popularity: 19% [?]
