THE TWELVE DAYS OF CARDMAS: LAUNDRY EDITION - DAY 9

SO FAR WE'VE SEEN SOME PRETTY HARD HITTING RELICS, SOME STUFF YOU MIGHT HAVE TO PAY SOME DECENT COIN TO PICK UP. TODAY'S IS JUST ONE I REALLY LOVE EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN PROBABLY PICK ONE UP PRETTY CHEAP

I HAVE NO IDEA WHY BUT WHEN I FIRST SAW THAT THERE WERE GAME USED CAP CARDS I ABOUT LOST MY MIND. THERE WERE ALREADY GAME USED UNIFORM CARDS APLENTY BY 2003 (AND PROBABLY SOME PREVIOUS CAP CARDS IF I'M BEING HONEST) BUT WHEN I FIRSTSAW THESE THINGS I WILL NOT LIE, I COVETED. PART OF IT WAS JUST THE DESIGN OF THE CARDS. BRIGHT, BRIGHT COLORS, DISEMBODIED FLOATY HEADS AND TRICKY DIE-CUTS ARE THREE THINGS I WHOLEHEARTEDLY LOVE ON CARDS AND THIS SET HIT THE TRIFECTA. I WAS ABLE TO PICK UP THE VINNY CASTILLA CARD PRETTY QUICKLY AFTER BUT THIS WAS THE CARD I REALLY REALLY WANTED AND IT TOOK ME A WHILE AND I PROBABLY PAID TOO MUCH BUT I GOT IT. SOMETHING ABOUT THIS CARD ACTIUVATES THE HAPPY CHEMICALS IN MY BRAIN, EVEN NOW I'VE JUST BEEN STARING AT THE CARD FOR LIKE FIFTEEN MIUTES INSTEAD OF WRITING THE POST. THE RED AND BLUE JUST LOOKS SO GOOD! I ALSO LOVE THE NAME OF THE SET 'MEN WITH HATS'. WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? IT IS A SAFETY DANCE REFERENCE TWENTY YEARS LATER? IT'S SO GOOFY. LOOKING ALL THIS STUFF UP I'M NOW FINDING AFTER THE FACT THAT THERE IS ALSO A TIM HUDSON CARD IN THE SET. IT LOOKS GOOD WITH THE SAME RED BORDER AND ANDRUW HERE BUT MAN, IF IT HAD A GREEN BORDER FOR THAT A'S CAP IT WOULD BE AN ALL TIME GREAT

UPPER DECK VINTAGE IS A WILD BRAND, REALIZING A RETRO CRAZE WAS UPON THE HOBBY UD JUST STRAIGHT UP YOINKED SOME CLASSIC TOPPS DESIGNS. THE BEST PART IS THEY PICKED THREE FANTASTIC DESIGNS TO STEAL, 1963, 1965 AND 1971. THEY DID IT IN FOOTBALL TOO WITH THE 1971 FOOTBALL DESIGN AND WITH SEVERAL DESIGNS IN HOCKEY. Y NO HOOPS UD?? I REMEMBER TOPPS GOT MAD AS HELL TOO, THEY WERE NOT AMUSED BY UPPER DECK COPYING THEIR HOMEWORK SO WELL. FLEER DID THE SAME THING AT THE SAME TIME BUT THEIR RIPOFFS LOOKED KINDA CHEESY. BY 2004 UPPER DECK BACKED OFF AND STARTED STEALING VINTAGE ODDBALL DESIGNS. THEY ALSO ADDED A BUNCH OF SHORT PRINTS AND INSANITY AND THERE WAS NO UPPER DECK VINTAGE IN 2005. IT WAS FUN WHILE IT LASTED THOUGH!

SPEAKING OF DISEMBODIED FLOATY HEADS, I HAVE BEEN PLACING THESE ON THE SCREENSHOT MOSTLY BASED ON HOW WELL THEY FIT THE PICTURE NOT BY HOW WELL THE PERSONALITY LINES UP WITH THE CHARACTER. DON'T THINK ABOUT IT TOO HARD OR YOU'LL GET THE IMAGE OF SHAQ HITTING ON ANDRUW JONES WHILE HE PLAYS BEETHOVEN ON A TOY PIANO STUCK IN YOUR HEAD AND NOBODY NEEDS THAT