Sweet, isn't it?I've gone back and forth about this "card," beautifully created by PunkRockPaint.
Is it a glimpse of a future that never was? Or is it a look into a past that could have been? That's the beauty of this creation. I imagined the possibility and PunkRockPaint (a.k.a. Travis) made it reality, and now I get to ponder Koufax's plight some more.
A couple of posts ago, I lamented the sudden end to Koufax's career in 1966. Wouldn't it have been great if he pitched another 10 years, and I could've pulled a 1975 Topps Koufax that first year I started collecting cards? Travis read the post and quickly sent his creation to me in an email.
He said he rushed it, only having time to add some gray to Koufax's hair (Koufax would have been 39 during the 1974 season -- not exactly old, but I'm sure many of you know he has sported gray hair for years and years). But, man, what a job Travis did. Rush job or no, his execution was flawless.
I like the older, scuffed look of the card, and that Travis put Koufax in the All-Star design that Topps used in '75 (I loved pulling those cards as a kid). Koufax an all-star at age 39! Still mowing them down. Imagine how many records he would've held. And, of course, '75 Topps is my favorite set of all-time.
PunkRockPaint does fantastic work. He contributes to the great Things Done to Cards and he's produced retro cards for other card blogs. Check out the pics on his MySpace page where he blends baseball card designs with musicians' photographs (nothing could be better than smushing together my two favorite pastimes -- baseball and music).
Awesome, PRP.
Meanwhile, I'm still interested in your comments on what you dislike about Buckmccarver, and who your preferred baseball announcers are (either current or past). There have been some well thought-out comments so far. I especially like who folks have chosen for their favorite announcers. So please, vent away! And if you want to comment on the wisdom (or lack thereof) of starting a World Series game at 10 p.m. east coast time, vent on that, too! (Personally, I'm already spent on that vent).
Comments
I tend to zone out during baseball games, Joe Buck and Tim McCarver suck. I like the Jays announcers, but they are never going to end up broadcasting the World Series. Its a shame they don't bring in the guys who know the team best. With digital cable and the proliferation of multiple channels for a network, it shouldn't be that difficult to offer WS games on two channels simultaneously with two different commentaries. One featuring the main guys for each team.
It happens fairly regularly in Canada as lots of games are offered by regular networks, and then the same game, at the same time offered in French.
It gives the fans of the teams involved a broadcasting duo they are used to, and it also exposes the broadcasters to a bunch of fans that would never hear them otherwise.
As far as the ridiculousness of games ending at 2 AM - agreed. MLB needs to get the umps to speed things up.
Why does Buck sit lower than McCarver in the booth? It looks weird.