Stadium Giveaways – Stadium Fantasium

Love Is A Rose (Bowl Contest Winner)

Posted on January 3, 2019January 3, 2019 by BBCARDZ 6 Comments

The 2019 Rose Bowl Game came and went with the Ohio State Buckeyes crowned the 2019 Rose Bowl Champions. Ohio State dominated Washington for most of the game. Washington did score 20 points in the fourth quarter but Ohio State held off the Huskies to win 28-23.

This brings us to the part of the blog post where we declare the winner(s) of the Stadium Fantasium 2019 Rose Bowl Contest (I hope I did the math right–see original contest post here).

Gold Contest Winner: Fuji (The Chronicles of Fuji)! Contestants were to predict which team would win the Rose Bowl and the margin of victory (without going over). Each contestant’s prediction of the margin of victory actually went over but Fuji’s guess was the closest (Fuji guessed 6–nice job!). Fuji will receive four 2019 Rose Bowl Souvenir cups (two of each size, pictured in the original contest post), one 2019 Rose Bowl official game program (pictured on the right, and his choice of three items of the 42 listed in the original contest post. (Fuji, please list your choices in a comment below.)

Silver Contest Winner: It’s a tie! Both Jon (A Penny Sleeve for your Thoughts) and ketchupman (Rekindling the Cardboard Flame) predicted Ohio State to be leading at halftime by 10 points. Ohio State actually led by 18 at halftime. Both Jon and ketchupman will receive two 2019 Rose Bowl Souvenir cups (one of each size, pictured at right), one 2019 Rose Bowl official game program, and his choice of two items of the 42 listed in the original contest post after the Gold Contest winner has chosen. (since Jon posted his predictions before ketchupman, Jon will choose his items after Fuji.) Way to go guys!

Bronze Contest Winner: ketchupman again! Contestants were to predict how many total points would be scored in this game (without going over). A total of 51 points were scored and ketchupman predicted 48–impressive! In addition to what he won in the Silver Contest, ketchupman will receive two 2019 Rose Bowl Souvenir cups (one of each size), one 2019 Rose Bowl official game program, and choice of one item from the prize list after the Gold Contest winner and Silver Contest winners have chosen.

Congratulations to all of our winners! I already have email addresses for Fuji and Jon, just need ketchupman’s.

By the way, if anyone else is interested in acquiring their own 2019 Rose Bowl Program or the Souvenir Rose Bowl cups (initially available only to Rose Bowl Game patrons who purchased a beverage at the game) or any of the unclaimed prizes, let’s work out a trade.

Note: It looks like the Rose Bowl programs and cups are pretty hot commodities on ebay.

Above is a picture of the Rose Bowl’s southern scoreboard–notice the number beneath the scoreboard? Stay tuned…

At the Game: Dodgers vs. Brewers

Posted on August 8, 2018August 8, 2018 by BBCARDZ Leave a comment

Oh my gosh, what a great time we had at this game (Thursday, August 2). First, we stopped for a pre-game meal at a landmark Los Angeles deli which is also a very popular long-time hangout for Dodgers fans. I’m talking about Philippe’s (open since 1908).

After dining on traditional French-dipped roast beef sandwiches, we headed over to the stadium and entered the gates in time to see the Dodgers taking batting practice. I was pleasantly surprised because normally, the Dodgers players are done with batting practice by the time the gates open for regular fans. I’m pretty sure we got to see the Dodgers batting practice because of the early 6:00 pm game time and the fact that the Brewers did not take BP after the Dodgers (is it possible the Brewers took BP before the Dodgers did?). Plenty of batting practice baseballs were hit into the left field pavilion but amazingly, none were hit into the seats near the left field foul pole where we were standing. C’est la vie…

The celebrity first pitch was rather notable with reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian and comedian Kevin Hart pitching to Matt Kemp and Kenley Jansen.

The game itself was also awesome as Clayton Kershaw was the Dodger’s starting pitcher and pitched a good game giving up two runs over six innings.

The Dodgers went on to hit seven home runs and win big, 21-5, setting a Dodger Stadium record for most runs scored. One of the big thrills of the game was seeing Cody Bellinger hit a grand slam of the right field foul pole. Even though most of the game’s drama was gone after the fifth inning with the Dodgers leading 10-2, I did stay the entire game (as is my custom). Things were so bad for the Brewers that they brought in IF-OF Hernan Perez to pitch the seventh inning and catcher Eric Kratz to pitch the eighth inning. btw, new Dodger acquisitions Manny Machado and Brian Dozier each had a pretty good day with the bat.

And now for the reason you probably tuned in here…the cards!

This set is the fifth installment of six sets of Dodgers stadium giveaway cards that celebrate the Dodgers 60 years in Los Angeles. And as was hinted at in the Dodgers promotional videos for these cards, Clayton Kershaw is the featured Dodgers legend. These cards look really great although the design here does differ markedly from the original 2001 Topps design below.

The original 2001 Topps design had a thin gold foil border around the photo, the player’s name etched in gold foil and a gold foil “Topps 50 Years” logo. No gold foil appears on the stadium giveaway cards. Also note the slight difference in how the Dodgers logo is displayed in the front bottom left corner. The 2018 border is also a bit more green than the 2001 border. Despite these differences, I think Topps did a very nice job here. Again we give a Stadium Fantasium shout-out to the Dodgers, Topps and the sponsors of these great card giveaways.

The sixth set of Dodgers 60th Anniversary cards (the 2010’s) will be distributed on September 4th (Dodgers vs. Mets). Who will be the featured Dodgers legend in the sixth set? Vin Scully perhaps? Stay tuned…

At the Game: Dodgers vs. Rangers

Posted on June 24, 2018June 24, 2018 by BBCARDZ 1 Comment

Woo man! I’m so behind here on my blogging, my bad…I’ve been so busy with adjusting to my new work location (same employer, though). I’ve also been putting in some hours at my old work location (but with a new employer). So I’ve been working two jobs lately leaving little time for blogging or the hobby.

But the good new is I was still able to attend the June 12 Dodgers vs. Texas Rangers game at Dodger Stadium and pick up a few packs of the 90’s edition of the Dodger’s 60th Anniversary Collector Cards. These cards feature the 1994 Topps design (a curious choice since 1994 was a strike year for MLB).

So this time I wasn’t able to arrive extra early to watch batting practice near the field (due to working a bit of overtime) but I still got a few shots of the pregame activities including a shot of the cases of giveaway cards and the lineup exchange at home plate.

Here’s a picture from up high behind the Rangers dugout. That’s former Dodger Adrian Beltre high-fiving a Rangers teammate…

…and the Dodgers take the field with some lucky kids who each get a baseball autographed right on the field.

Here’s some first-inning action in which Dodgers rookie pitcher Caleb Ferguson is pitching to Shin-Soo Choo. The Rangers’ starting pitcher this night was none other than Bartolo Colon.

Wow, it’s like having 3 1/2 outfielders…

Thanks to a 7-run fourth inning, the Dodgers went on to win the game 12-5.

And here are the cards!

Once again as in the previous three 60th Anniversary sets, the same six Dodgers are featured in the first six cards. The seventh card features ’90’s Dodger legend Mike Piazza. Here’s a look at the original 1994 Topps Mike Piazza card. Again Topps did a very nice job of replicating the front and back of the 1994 Topps flagship design. By adding an action photo to the back of the cards, a la the 1994 design, these card backs look much more dynamic and eye-catching than the previous sets of Anniversary cards.

Just for kicks, here’s a side-by-side comparison of a couple of 2018 Topps Chris Taylor cards. In case you didn’t know, the card on the right is a Series 2 Topps Salute insert card. These cards make me wonder if other images from the Anniversary cards are used in other Topps products.

So we give a sincere Stadium Fantasium tip o’ the cap to the Dodgers, Topps and the sponsors for these stadium giveaway cards. Any ideas on who the Dodgers will feature on the 2000’s edition of these 60th Anniversary cards? I think I already know, so stay tuned…

At the Game: Dodgers vs Diamondbacks

Posted on May 20, 2018May 20, 2018 by BBCARDZ 1 Comment

First off, my apologies for posting late. I should have posted this ten days earlier but my work schedule has really ramped up lately. On the other hand –Woohoo! I’m so glad my work schedule worked out so that I could attend my third Dodger game this season and it’s only May (my work schedule and budget don’t allow me to attend lots of Dodger games). And being a sucker for baseball cards, I’m also happy that I got to pick up the third installment of the Dodgers 60th Anniversary cards, this time featuring the 1985 Topps design. We also arrived early enough to catch the end of Dodger’s batting practice and all of the Arizona Diamondbacks batting practice. Standing in the field level stands by the left field foul pole, I came really close to catching a batting practice ball. The ball went right over my head as I jumped to catch it but it was just inches out of my reach. Someone behind me ended up getting that ball. D’oh!!

So here are the seven “80’s” Dodgers cards along with a couple of other cards for comparison:

1985 Topps and 2014 Allen & Ginter Lasorda Cards

As in the previous two Dodgers card giveaways (featured here and here), the same six current Dodgers are pictured but with a different Dodgers legend–Tommy Lasorda who brought two World Series Championships to Los Angeles in the 80’s. For comparison I also included images of Tommy’s original 1985 Topps card and his 2014 Allen & Ginter card which uses the same photo altered in that special A & G way.

Like the previous two stadium giveaway anniversary card sets, these cards are nicely done if not quite 100% faithful to the original Topps design. Note that most of the photos used for these cards appear to be in-game or in-action as opposed to the posed shots of the previous cards. Again the backs of the cards kind of resemble the backs of the corresponding vintage cards. Once again we’ve got to give props to the Dodgers, Topps and the sponsors for these cards.

So despite my increasingly hectic work schedule, it does look like I will be able to attend the Dodgers vs. Texas Rangers game on Tuesday, June 12. That night’s stadium giveaway is the 90’s set of Dodgers 60th anniversary cards. Anyone want to guess who will be the Dodger legend featured in the 90’s packs? Stay tuned…

At the Game: Dodgers vs. Marlins

Posted on April 26, 2018April 26, 2018 by BBCARDZ 1 Comment

Dodger Stadium Scoreboard promoting 60th Anniversary cards

2018 Dodgers 60th Anniversary Cards - The 70's — 2018 Dodgers 60th Anniversary Cards by Topps – The 70’s

Yes!! I’m so happy I got to go to my second Dodger game of the season and also obtain the 70’s set of Dodgers 60th Anniversary cards. I’m also happy that the Dodgers won the game 2-1 behind Walker Buehler’s strong performance in his first MLB start. That game was their seventh win in eight games and put the Dodgers over .500 for the first time this season. (Too bad that the Dodgers went and lost the next two games against the Marlins.)

Unfortunately we didn’t get to the stadium entrance as early as the last game so I wasn’t able to take any pictures near the field like last time. However, I did manage to get a couple of pictures of mass quantities of these packs of cards at one of the distribution points in the stadium.

Box of 2018 Dodgers 60th Anniversary Cards - The 70's — Box of 2018 Dodgers 60th Anniversary Cards by Topps – The 70’s

Here are the seven “70’s” Dodgers cards:

2018 Dodgers 60th Anniversary Cards #LAD 8-LAD14
2018 Dodgers 60th Anniversary Cards by Topps #LAD 8-LAD14

2018 Dodgers 60th Anniversary Cards - #LAD-14 — 2018 Dodgers 60th Anniversary Cards – #LAD-14

Anybody notice that the six current Dodgers featured above are the same six current Dodgers featured in the “50’s & 60’s” set? Peculiar, to say the least. Was the player selection decided upon by Topps or the Dodgers or MLB or the player’s union or some combination of the above? Are we to expect the same six current Dodger players in the remaining four stadium giveaway sets? Maybe I should have gotten the hint when I saw that Justin Turner is featured in the image at the top of this post. Taking a look at the Dodgers promotional video of these cards, it does appear that only these players will appear on these cards, until at the 00:26 mark of the 31-second spot. There on the left, one can see a slightly blurry card of Clayton Kershaw on the 2001 Topps design. See the screenshot below:

Screenshot of 2018 Dodgers 60th Anniversary Cards Video

Like the “50’s & 60’s” cards, these 70’s cards are nicely done. Even the backs of the cards kind of resemble the backs of the corresponding vintage cards. It would have been even better if these cards had been packed in a wrapper that was modeled after the original 1977 wrapper instead of clear cellophane. That’s probably asking too much, especially since most wrappers would end up in the trash. So although I’m grateful to the Dodgers, Topps and the sponsors for these cards, I do have to admit I’m a bit disappointed that other current Dodger players were not featured in these 70’s cards. However it is nice to see props paid to HOFer Don Sutton in this set.

So who will be the Dodger legend featured in the 80’s packs? Will it be another pitcher such as Fernando Valenzuela or Orel Hershiser or even perhaps a non-pitcher? Stay tuned…

My Fantasy Baseball Teams: Update 4/21/18

Posted on April 22, 2018April 22, 2018 by BBCARDZ Leave a comment

Okay, so after a rough two weeks of fantasy baseball (ending 4/15), all four of my teams are playing bad sub-.500 baseball. Obviously, I’ve got a lot of work to do if I want my teams to finish with a respectable win-loss record in the standings. Here’s a more detailed look at how my teams are doing:

So Cal All Stars H2H

My Diamond Kings team (highlighted above) is down in last place in the All-Stars division after a 8-3 opening week loss to Noah Patterson and a 8-3 loss to Mark C’s Swag Team. Losing Josh Donaldson and Byron Buxton to the disabled list does not help. I did drop RP Blake Parker and added SP Chad Bettis and 2B Cesar Hernandez. Hopefully they will help me improve against my next two opponents, ThE tHrOwBaCks and SlappinDDs.

Trading Card Database Rotisserie Baseball

As seen above, my one rotisserie baseball team (BBCARDZ) is tied for eight place. A week earlier, I was hovering around second place for a few days but dropped down since then. My strengths in this league (so far) are Runs, Stolen Bases and Saves. My weaknesses are Batting Avg., ERA and WHIP. We’ll see if I can make some improvement in these categories over the course of the season.

Yahoo H2H Money League

Ugh! 11th place again…this is not good. I lost to SF Giants 6-3-1 in the first week and lost to BluffingtonCrapShoot 6-4 in the second week. Since the season started I’ve dropped RP Brad Ziegler and SS Elvis Andrus (on the DL for 6-8 weeks). I also lost SP Rich Hill and 3B Jake Lamb temporarily to the DL. But I’ve added SPs Reynaldo Lopez, Andrew Triggs, Chad Bettis and utility man Asdrubal Cabrera. My opponents for Weeks 3 and 4 are BARTOLO! and Crush City.

MLB REAL ROSTERS (Los Angeles Dodgers, of course!)

I had not mentioned this fourth fantasy baseball league that I’m in before this post, but it has a pretty fascinating (for me) concept. As you can probably tell from the league name above, each fantasy team consists only of players from a selected MLB team. This is my third year in this league and I’ve done fairly well in this 20-team H2H league. Last year I took third place, and second place the year before that. Of course it helps when your MLB team consistently posts a very good won-loss record.

Through the MLB Dodgers first 14 games, they have a 5-9 record. Through the same period, my fantasy Dodgers team has a 10-16-6 record. I lost 8-6 to the Chicago White Sox in the first week and then lost 9-4 to the St. Louis Cardinals in the second week. I think it’s fair to say, as the MLB Dodgers go, so go my fantasy Dodgers (as long as I keep up with lineup and roster changes). My next two opponents in this league are San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels.

Coming Soon…

Look for my next post featuring the next installment of Los Angeles Dodgers 60th Anniversary cards sporting the 1977 Topps design. Stay tuned…

At the Game: Dodgers vs. A’s

Posted on April 12, 2018April 12, 2018 by BBCARDZ 1 Comment

On Tuesday 4/10/18, I got to go to my first Dodger game of the 2018 season. I’ve attended anywhere between two and eight Dodgers games almost every year since I was a young kid but for some reason, I rarely get to attend Dodger games in April. But I really wanted to attend this game (the first of a two-game interleague series against the Oakland A’s) since I knew the Dodgers were having a rather special stadium giveaway: 60th anniversary Dodgers baseball cards manufactured by Topps and featuring the 1965 Topps design. The cards celebrate the Dodgers 60th anniversary in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers will have five similar card giveaways during the season, each featuring a different decade and different Topps design (check out the video here). I’m hoping to go to each of these games to collect all of the cards but work priorities might derail that plan.

The entire evening at the game was among the best I’ve ever experienced. We got to the stadium gates five minutes before they opened and then stood next to the left field foul pole to see the tail end of the Dodgers batting practice and the entire A’s batting practice.

And I have to admit it was pretty cool seeing some of the A’s players up close. Catcher Bruce Maxwell, outfielder Matt Joyce and former Dodger Trayce Thompson each trotted over to by where we standing to retrieve stray balls and give them to kids. Matt Joyce even autographed a baseball for one of the kids and posed for a picture with him.

The game itself was pretty special too as Chris Taylor and Corey Seager launched back-to-back home runs to open the home half of the first inning. And Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched extremely well, not allowing a hit until there were two out in the fifth inning. It was almost déjà vu for us because the last time we saw Ryu pitch was Memorial Day 2014 when Ryu pitched seven perfect innings vs. Johnny Cueto and the Cincinnati Reds. The Dodgers hung on to win that game 4-3, and in this game the Dodgers went on to win 4-0.

I was also happy that I was able to obtain a couple of extra packs of cards (not so happy when I got home to find that the cards in one pack had severely dinged bottom-right corners). Here are the seven cards that come in each “50’s & 60’s” pack:

For stadium giveaway cards, these are great cards. The photos are very nice and may possibly be from the same photo sessions as 2018 Topps Heritage (except for the Sandy Koufax card which uses the same photo as that used in the super-short print 2017 Topps #597 variation.

So as we give the Dodgers and their sponsors a Stadium Fantasium tip o’ the cap and a big thank you, we remind ourselves that the next Dodgers 60th anniversary card giveaway is Monday April 23 vs. the Miami Marlins. There’s a pretty good chance I’ll be able to go to that game. And please share with us whether your team is doing a similar stadium card giveaway. Stay tuned…