Did Topps create a Chrome insert to honor Night Owl (or at least have him chase)

 2026 Topps Chrome has an 10 card insert called World Series at Night.

Lets see

Night time World Series cards

Who is in the World Series  - The Dodgers

Hmm...................

Its May 3 and who gets a 2026 Topps rookie card

 The cut off for 2026 Topps rookie card designation is fact approaching if it is not already here - so this is a look at some of the big rookies and where they might land.

Konnor Griffin - Prediction he will be in series 2 as a short print and have his other rookie card leading update. He will be in Heritage high number hopefully not as a short print (not another $50 Kurtz hopefully).

Chase Delauter - he should be in series 2 

Kevin McGonigle - likely the Griffin situation 

Travis Bazzana - will be in update not series 2

JJ Wetherholt - this is a tough one - I could see him as a series 2 rookie (Delauter and Wetherholt would be the big rookies in Series 2 and Griffin and McGonigle would give update some shine).

Again, all above should be in Heritage High but hopefully not as short prints. 

OK I hate the Short Prints but 2026 Topps Heritage (1977) is the best Heritage set of All-Time (for me)

 Well they finally Topps did it or almost did it - But -  Topps finally put out a set that makes me feel like I was collecting cards as a 12-year old. 

The funny thing I was 12-years old when I was collecting the 1977 set. 

This time is the first time my mind can match what I was collecting back in 1977 and get the same feeling when I look at Heritage.

There are some imperfections - the short prints, a tad to many slightly in action cards, but darn they look good. 

Always love the Blue Jay cards from the 1977 - there was no photo like Vlad Guerrero (46), but dam Topps hit it with that card - the Blue Jay logo visible on his helmet, the Blue Jay team name at the top and A+ All Star Banner

These All Star Banners may top the All Star logos from 2024 (1975) and 2025 (1976).

They caught a couple of Orioles (48,49) wearing those Orange Uniforms like they did in 1976.

OK the Rays cards look a little out of place.

When I saw Devers (62), a 1977 Bill Madlock Giants card popped in my head. Yes, Topps finally did it (or as close as they will ever come with me) - they brought back that feeling.

The first packs I ever bought was as a 7 year old in 1972. 1972 my favorite set of all time but Heritage (2021) did nothing for me along those lines. I look at it (2021 Heritage and don't see 1972 Topps) and get no feeling (almost like falling out of love). I bought packs in/of 1973, 1974 but for some reason they sets did not hold the same feeling at the 72ers. Then 1975 Topps happened (2024 Heritage a slight disappointment) and like Wow. I really liked 1976 (2025 Heritage started to give me the feeling) and loved 1977 set a little bit more.

I think this has something to do with my age at the time of collecting because last years Heritage (1976 - when I was 11 years old collecting) - started to give me that feeling.

With this years set finally coincided with my past - Looking at Willson Contreras (156) and I feel 1977 Lou Brocks card. It is an incredible feeling.

I realize this has something to do with my age at the time - 12 years old at the time - Maybe at age 12 Nostalgia really kicks in for Baseball Cards. But I think it also has to do with the 1977 design which has that simple 70s feel.

Now I am wondering if I might try to collect the upcoming Heritage sets (if they happen) but I could not see anyway I would collect 2031 Heritage (1982 Topps - Not with that Hockey stick design)

 

Topps screwed us again - They have Short printed 100 of the 400 2026 (1977) Heritage cards

 That is the first reports I am hearing/seeing

When I saw basically all the stars in the initial checklist of 400 (and no short prints listed)- I thought this might be the year I buy some boxes and put together the set. 

Well it appears that Topps has short printed cards throughout the 400 card checklist. They did this more than 10 years ago but the checklist were 500 cards. So no one saw this coming until......

Until collectors starting opening the packs and started getting 2 cards of the same player in a pack. A comment on Becket revealed some one bought 2 boxes and got 33% of the set.

It appears there are only 8 short print cards per box (better than the 25 cards they short printed in 2025 Heritage update - I dont want to pay $50 for a Nick Kurtz rookie).

To complete the 400 card set - you might have to buy 20 boxes. 

Growing up as a kid in the 1970s - the 1977 and 1979 set may have been the last 2 sets to give me that nostalgia feeling.  Really like the 1983 set but I was in college and that was the beginning of Baseball cards were about the Rookies. 

If this will be what Heritage is for now on - Good bye Heritage - the Nostalgia is over.

The Baseball Hall of Fame is BROKEN

 Jeff Kent, Andruw Jones, and Carlos Beltran were fine players. They were very good players But truly when they were active did anyone think they were watching a Hall of Famer. I doubt it.

I thought Dick Allen and Dave Parker were borderline choices last year. They won MVP and seemed to be the best players in the league for about a year or two.

Harold Baines got in. Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio (ok he got 3000 hits) were borderline. 

The problem with the hall of fame began years ago when they put all of those players in from the 1920s and 1930s who did not really deserve it - but when the 1960s and 1970s were happening those batting averages from those players in the 20s and 30s, made them look like gods. Of course the NL hit .300 in 1930.

Who is not in

Joe Jackson - 2nd highest batting average all time

Pete Rose - All time hit King

Barry Bonds - let me see Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron steal 500 bases.

Roger Clemens - 7 Cy Youngs

A-Rod - are you kidding me there is not a pill that can make you hit

Manny Rameriz - He was baseball for 10 years - Dominate

Mark McGuire - When you saw him play - he was greatness

Rafael Palmerio - To me he was borderline and like some of the players from the 1920s and 1930s who had inflated stats but he probably should be in. 

T J Watt has been the most valuable defensive player since he entered the league

 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

2025-26 Topps Basketball is being release .........without Luka Doncic in the set

 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

HITLESS WONDERS - The National League has one .300 hitter (Trea Turner) matching the American League in 1968

 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. 

HITS - The Major League leader will have the least amount of Hits since 1891 ( - in a non Strike, Covid, WW1 year)

 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

Rating the Topps Heritage sets (2001-2025) - Did it capture the feeling.

 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

Are you ready for some football. Why Football has surpassed Baseball as the National Sport

 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

Sport Card Blogger Stats – Pages views / per post. Update - Blogger is going crazy

 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

When will Topps Heritage End?

 

A couple of years before the Pandemic, On The Shlabotnik report that I thought Topps Heritage was going to end in 2021 (with the 1972 design) because I felt that 1972 was the end of the Vintage years. I also thought that Topps would revert back to 1952 and start with that set because in 2022 everyone who was in the 2001 set would be out of the league.

I was wrong but I was partly right - instead of getting rid of Topps Heritage they started Topps Chrome Platinum.

Crazily in June of 2022, they released 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum using the 1952 design - So I was kind of  right they were reuse the 1952 design for  major set on current players.

In June of 2023, they released 2022 Topps Chrome Platinum using the 1953 design.

In June of 2024, well...........

Topps ended Heritage minors in 2022. Unless they put out a set this year (possibility???)

Which got me to thinking. I really liked the 2024 (1975) and 2025 (1976) Topps Heritage sets. But I think I know why, because that was in my wheelhouse, 11 and 12 years old collecting.  I started collecting at 7 the 1972 Topps Set (My First Love - and still my favorite), and a lot of kids in the neighborhood were collecting but by 1975/1976 it was just me trying to all the cards in the set. Which I never did. 

Demographics. The Baby Boomer era 1946 to 1964 when the birth rates were high, The 1952 set came out when the baby boomers were 6 years old. The number of births per year fell every year from 1965 to 1977. In 1976 - The 11, 12, 13 year olds were the end of the baby boomers. As I mentioned before by 1976, I was basically the only one in the neighborhood collecting - there was no one to trade with (and come to think of it, I was one of the younger kids, there was a kid around 11 but I don't remember any kids in the neighbor between 5 to 10 years at the time. In fact, I can only remember when I was 17, a 4 year-old girl who lived down the street and she had to have been born in the late 1970s so I really believe that declining birth rate was true.

In 1979, 1980, 1981 there were a hell of a lot less 11/12/13 year-olds collecting cards than there were 5 to 10 years before. 

These heritage sets are about nostalgia - which the coming design years would have less adults who collected them as kids. 

Part of the reason I never really sought the heritages (the biggest reason was cost of short prints), was I did not collect them as a kid and they did not have the hold on me (though I love looking at cards from the 1950s and 1960s).

Back to Demographics - if I remember correctly the number of births increased each year from 1978 to 1989. They fell in 1990s (beginning with the terrible GDP years in 1990 and 1991) until sometimes in the early 2000s but I am not positive about this. 

These demographic partly explain the junk wax era. In 1987, those born in those increasing birth rate years would have been 9, and reached 13 in 1991 (which appears to be the age (13) when a lot of kids drop out collecting - I had a 12 year old cousin who completely lost interest in cards after 1989). The junk wax explosion may have also been from some of the Baby Boomers (35-41 years old - stashing cards for their 5 and 6 year olds). 

  This takes me back to the potential upcoming heritage sets - I like the 1977 set, but I really don't care to collect it in modern version form. For some strange reason I would like to see a 1979 version of Heritage. I don't have much emotional attachment to the 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986 sets. 

I would like to see a version of  the 1983 and yes 1987 but that is about it. 

Personally, I can see Topps (Now Fanatics) not continuing this much longer. I think we are getting hints of things to come (see above) and with the Heritage update set coming out almost a year after the release of 2024 Heritage set.   Will there be an update set this year, I did notice the checklist did not really miss any big name players like they did last year. Is there a need for it. The way the rookie card status is manipulated is there a reason to get Nick Kurtz in any of the sets this year (He debuted in end of May) as the rest of the rookie class is really lacking.  

I don't think there is a nostalgia market for us people in our late 50s and early 60s to want to collect the upcoming designs. 

Ranking the Topps Sets from 1952 to 2025. (updated from 5 years ago)

 This is an update from 2020.

Ranking the Topps baseball sets from 1952 to 2025. It is based on the look and feel of the card set (or mostly how I feel about them) - The last five years have not been kind. I have noted where I flipped some of the older set rankings - as I have become fickle - The rankings: 

1.  1972

2.  1959

3.  1983

4.  1971

5.  1953

6.  1965

7.  1975 - I don't know why I had 67 above this set - Heck I am not sure 65 or 53 is better. Moved from 8 to 7

8.  1967 - moved from 7 to 8

9.  1952

10. 1991

Maybe the most surprising pick is 1983, but it was an improvement over the 1963 set that is was based on. The 1983 set is sort like ‘The Empire Strikes Back” in the first Star Wars Trilogy.  The 1971s were not called Black Beauties for nothing.  The 1991 was most colorful and had the best anniversary logo ever. The 1972 set is Topps at its pinnacle. Its Large in size and Beautiful Looking.  The 1959 set has the kaleidoscope look of paintings.

11.  1956

12.  1963

13.  1987

14.  1969

15.  1962

16.  1968

17.  1957

18.  1976

19. 1954

20. 1955

The golden age really dominates the next ten. The 1987 set was an improvement over the brownish borders of 1962 and 1968.  The 1956 set is great looking but it reminds me just a tad of the late 1980s Topps Big set. The 1969 set was the 1967 just reworked a little.

21. 2008

22. 1966

23. 1958

24. 1964 - moved up one from 25

25. 1977 - moved up one from 26

26. 2003 - 2023 seems to be its equal so why is this set so far up here and that set so low down there - moved down two from 24

27. 2005

28. 1961

29. 1988

30. 1985

The 21^st century breaks through, 2008 was one of the most unique designs ever though the photos may have been too small.  If you look closely 1964, 1977, 1986, 2004 sets are an evolving evolution of the same design.  2003 was a good rendition of 1963 and 1983 and the same goes with 1985 copying 1965.  This is truly the top half of the sets, we now move to the lower rung.  

31. 1970

32. 1978

33. 2010

34. 1981

35. 1984

36. 2006

37. 1986

38.  1973

39. 1974

40. 2023 - Not sure where to place  - nice 2 photo design - think it is equal 2003 but I placed that set too high

41. 2007

The 2006 had a well thought out design. The 2010 set was based on a 2001 Topps cereal issue. The 2007 was no 1971 set but black borders returned. Surprisingly the 1973 and 1974 are kind of dull and boring though nostalgic.

42. 1990

43. 1979

44. 1980

45. 2013

46. 2012

47. 2014

48. 2022 - a slightly classy. simple design that could grow on me through the years.

49. 1992

50. 1960

51. 2011

52. 1989 - Switched with 2018 - 2024 inserts made me take a slightly different look at this set

53. 2018

2018 was the best of the borderless era, its design looked like the Rolling Stones logo.  2012-2014, were decent sets which varied little in design. The 1990 is the craziest looking set and could be called the Purple Passion set

54. 1982

55. 1993

56. 2009

57. 2004

58. 1995

59. 2020

60. 2017

61. 2001

62. 2019

63. 2024 - 1986, 2015 all over a again? Though This set could grow on me

64. 2015

65. 2016

66. 1994

67. 2025 - this set could eventually fall to the bottom

68. 2021 - A monstrosity 

69. 2002

70. 1998

71. 1996

72. 1997

73. 1999

74. 2000

The last 35 years have not been the golden age but it is better than the late 20^th century.  1982 set is the worst set  in brown card board back era.  Sorry Night Owl but 2015 is nutty and drab looking. The sets from 1997-2000 had so much gloss on them they stick together.

Today just about every player in the 1989 Topps set is at least 60* years old. In 1989 just about everyone in the 1952 Topps set was at least 60 years old

Boy do I feel old 

This is where we stand today

1989 is to 2025 what 1952 is to 1989. 

Which brings us to this card - Today the after the homerun walk through the dugout celebration is  a common occurrence - This A's card is interesting because I think it is showing the origin of this type of celebration. It kind of makes sense this started in the late 1980s.

In 1987, I believe (the year of the lively ball) was the first year ever teams averaged 1.00 home runs per game and except for a few dips (each time the Pirates were good 1990-1992 and 2013-2015 range) Home runs have be over that level ever since and with it the dugout celebration. Also the All Star home run derby started in 1985. (and Babe Ruth saved baseball from the White Sox scandal with home runs)I don't think in my lifetime  we will see an extended period of time where HR per game per team drops below 1.00.   

* I am not taking in account any players that died before 60 and the 1989 Topps set had a few number 1 draft pick cards of players who wont reach 60 for 2-3 more years