The Steelers have won 60 games and lost 24 games with 2 ties if TJ Watt gets a sack or interception
When he does not get a sack, interception or does not play the Steelers record is 26 wins and 30 losses.
That is a winning percentage of .703 vs. .464
It sort of ruins the wait and anticipation for this set. This set is missing one of the Top players in the world, It would be like having a set without Ohtani, Mahomes, or McDavid in it.
How was Topps not being able to acquire his rights to publish his card.
Topps is reusing the 2025 baseball design which I really did not like but I have seen samples of a few NBA cards and for some reason the design seems to work better with the NBA than MLB
There is something seriously wrong with baseball now.
Trea Turner is the only .300 hitter in the National League which would match the American League in 1968 (Yaz).
Baseball has become Softball to an extent. This year produce 4 - 50 home run players - which ties 1998 and 2001 for the most ever.
In 1968 Gibson had an era of 1.12 and Denny McClain won 31 games. Nothing happened close to that this year. Pitchers hit in both leagues in 1968 - not in 2025.
How to get the batting average up - decrease the foul area, put seats in there with nets. You would have nets but the fans would be closer to the action more than ever. Make it harder to home runs. Move back the fences, make the wall higher.
Baseball has been trying a number of rules to change the offense in this game and it does not seem to be working.
A larger problem looms a lockout by the owners at the end of 2026. It is salary cap or bust by the owners. I am cutting back on my card buying now.
The major league hits leader will be maybe Bobby Witt Jr or Luis Arreaz and they will likely finish with 185 or less hits. That will be the lowest since Billy Hamilton 179 in 1891 when the most games a team played was 140 games.
The leader this year will be below every leader during the 154 game era. In 1918 the season stopped at the beginning of September because of WW1 and most teams did not play 130 games. George Case had 178 hits
WE ARE NOW LIVING IN THE ERA OF
THE HITLESS WONDERS
The Topps Heritage sets for the last 25 years has been an imperfect group, I really was not paying much attention to them until 2008 when I discovered Sports Card Blogs. Also the aspects of short prints limited my collecting.
In one of the most agonizing decisions I pick 1958 (2007) over 1959 (2008).
1, 1958 (2007) - It appears these cards actually exceed the original 1958. This is probably the only Heritage set that does this. I only had the original set ranked 23 all time.
2. 1959 (2008) - The photos were cropped just a little to tight. But I love the design
3 1971 (2020) - This set had to be released in the pandemic year - when prices were through the roof - I might have collected. When I look at these Heritage cards I feel something. I did not collect this set when it first came out but some how got a hold of some in 1972 and 1973 but my big haul was going through a box at a flea market in about 1980 as a 15 year old and just pulling semi stars Jim Hickman, Don Mincher, Johnny Callison,, Rick Wise, Tommie Harper - I will never forget that day - what a feeling.
4. 1976 (2025) 1976 was my collecting prime - This heritage set gives me a feeling. There is a huge drop off after these top 4 sets.
5. 1969 (2018) This set stands on an island it is better than everyone below it but it does not give me the feeling of the 4 above
6. 1975 (2024) Probably the heritage set I was looking forward to the most. Slightly disappointed, the photos were just a tad too small, the borders were just a tad to big.
7. 1972 (2021) My favorite set of all time but for Heritage I was slightly more disappointed than 2024 - A big part of the feeling is missing
8. 1962 (2013) I was feeling it with these cards back then - maybe it was the wood grain
9. 1968 (2017) Not near the 1962 set but the brown borders help
10. 1965 (2014) I have this I my 6th favorite design but Topps kind of missed this
11 1964 (2013) Not great but this was not a total miss
12. 1966 (2015) Did not do too much for me
13. 1967 (2016) Kind of dull compared to the original
14. 1954 (2003) inferior to the 1994 reprint set
15. 1963 (2014) There was something missing about the look and feel of these cards
16. 1952 (2001) - Kind of Blah
17. 1957 (2006) - Kind of Blah
18. 1953 (2002) - A huge disappointment they felt nothing like the original
19. 1974 (2023) Not a favorite designs heritage did not improve on it
20. 1973 (2022) - First set I ever started collecting at the beginning of the season. As a 7 year old I discovered 1972 Topps Baseball in the middle of the summer - then I went into the fall collecting football, hockey, basketball. When I was 8 years old this set gave me a tremendous feeling bit it was lost over the years and heritage did nothing to recapture it and might have made it worse.
21. 1970 (2019) - had this ranked 31 all time - heritage did not improve on it.
22,23,24 - 1955(2004), 1956 (2005) 1960 (2009) - Too much like Topps Big
25. 1961 (2012) - The cards/photo in this set were horrific in this set and felt nothing like the original
For me it was 1981 when the NFL passed MLB and became a the National Sport.
In 1981, there was the strike - The first summer of my youth without baseball.
For the NFL, that was the first season that they would break into games and show you highlights from those other game (oh that satellite technology). The Dwight Clark catch. But here are some more reasons.
Most of the season action occurs before 7pm. About 75% of the season takes place before 7pm. 40 years ago it was probably 90%.- The older I get the more I like that
75% of the seasons is concentrated on Sunday Afternoon (it is changing for the worse)- It is a predictable time period - you can set aside. It is once a week sport- it is a great advantage over MLB, NBA, NHL -
Most of the action is in the daylight and as the days grow shorter and colder - there something about being in house warm - watching while those players are out there in the freezing cold and snow
Night Owl mention on his blog something strange is going on with page views. They numbers are up big time- See Below comparison - From around June 7
Blog | Views | Posts | Page View Per Post |
Night Owl Cards | 6,727,950 | 5759 | 1170 |
Sports Card Collectors | 3,043,673 | 6311 | 482 |
Chronicles of Fuji | 2,619,848 | 2601 | 1007 |
Cardboard Collections | 1,876,217 | 1673 | 1121 |
Cardboard History | 1,794,078 | 1100 | 1630 |
My sports card obsession | 1,595,897 | 2675 | 595 |
Donruss 1982 | 277,199 | 1196 | 231 |
Cards over Coffee 400,000 750 533
Here are the numbers around the end of August
Blog | Views | Posts | Page View Per Post |
Night Owl Cards | 8.001,868 | 5799 | 1379 |
Sports Card Collectors | 3,588,390 | 6311 | 568 |
Chronicles of Fuji | 3.092.792 | 2626 | 1117 |
Cardboard Collections | 2,011.183 | 1673 | 1201 |
Cardboard History | 1,889,195 | 1106 | 1708 |
My sports card obsession | 1,759,025 | 2706 | 650 |
Donruss 1982 | 332,454 | 1205 | 275 |
Cards over Coffee no page views listed on page
To put things into perspective Night Owl had 15.9 percent of his total views on his blog came in the last almost 3 months
16.6 percent of Donruss 1982 Blogs of all views came in the last almost 3 months
For Chronicle of Fuji it is 15.2 percent
Here are Jim From Downingtown blogs
Blog | Views | Posts | Page View Per Post |
1968 Topps Baseball | 594,787 | 258 | 2305 |
1966 Topps Baseball | 501,665 | 214 | 2344 |
1969 Topps Baseball | 424,334 | 174 | 2438 |
1970 Topps Baseball | 369,666 | 140 | 2640 |
1963 Topps Baseball | 178,104 | 58 | 3070 |
1965 Topps Baseball | 83,131 | 50 | 1662 |
For 1968 Topps Baseball it was not as quite as high at 8.5
Something strange is going on - its like we are being probed - maybe it is 3I Atlas
