(There are more than a few jobs that I couldn't even begin to tell you how they do what they do. Anyone in any technological field, for example. Not a clue. My lack of knowledge makes me appreciate those jobs even more. Funny how ignorance and appreciation go hand-in-hand, isn't it? It's time for another edition of Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 19th in a series):
One of the only reasons a baseball card exists is because it depicts a person on the front who can do something that you can not do. That's what we're celebrating with cards isn't it? In a hundred years of trying, you could never throw a curveball like Josh Beckett or swing at a fastball like Gary Sheffield. In these particular categories these people are better than us -- by a million miles.
But given that fact, I never felt inferior or inadequate when looking at my cards. I had given up my dreams of being a professional ball player by the time I was 14. These guys were supposed to be better than me. I was OK with that.
Then I pulled this card from a pack and I felt about two feet tall. This card is part of an insert set in 1997 Topps. Each card features a drawing of a player created exclusively on an Etch A Sketch by an 18-year-old named George Vlosich.
I marvel at this card every time I see it, and I couldn't get over it when I first saw it. When I was a kid, I couldn't do a thing on an Etch A Sketch. Drawing a box was an achievement. I was pathetic. But for some reason I wasn't as accepting of Vlosich's skill as I was a ballplayer's. "How come he figured out that stupid toy and I never did?" was my basic line of thought.
But apparently Vlosich's talent was so impressive that not only did Topps feature his artistry on a set of cards, but 10 years later he now has his own business and Web site called GV Art & Design. The guy has been on ESPN, TNT, talk shows, and has met plenty of celebrities.
I'm happy to see that. It shows that this is as rare a talent as anything you'll see in baseball. And that I should appreciate this 1997 Topps Hideo Nomo Etch A Sketch insert as much as any other baseball card.
One of the only reasons a baseball card exists is because it depicts a person on the front who can do something that you can not do. That's what we're celebrating with cards isn't it? In a hundred years of trying, you could never throw a curveball like Josh Beckett or swing at a fastball like Gary Sheffield. In these particular categories these people are better than us -- by a million miles.But given that fact, I never felt inferior or inadequate when looking at my cards. I had given up my dreams of being a professional ball player by the time I was 14. These guys were supposed to be better than me. I was OK with that.
Then I pulled this card from a pack and I felt about two feet tall. This card is part of an insert set in 1997 Topps. Each card features a drawing of a player created exclusively on an Etch A Sketch by an 18-year-old named George Vlosich.
I marvel at this card every time I see it, and I couldn't get over it when I first saw it. When I was a kid, I couldn't do a thing on an Etch A Sketch. Drawing a box was an achievement. I was pathetic. But for some reason I wasn't as accepting of Vlosich's skill as I was a ballplayer's. "How come he figured out that stupid toy and I never did?" was my basic line of thought.
But apparently Vlosich's talent was so impressive that not only did Topps feature his artistry on a set of cards, but 10 years later he now has his own business and Web site called GV Art & Design. The guy has been on ESPN, TNT, talk shows, and has met plenty of celebrities.
I'm happy to see that. It shows that this is as rare a talent as anything you'll see in baseball. And that I should appreciate this 1997 Topps Hideo Nomo Etch A Sketch insert as much as any other baseball card.
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