Flipping through this little pile really makes me wish Calbee would go back to using a more varied and interesting mix of images on their cards like they used to. The closely cropped "Batters batting, pitchers pitching" photos they always use on their current sets, including this year's, are just so boring.
Hey Calbee, how about showing us some guys sliding into base? Like on Kazumasa Kono's card (#309)?
Or a close play at the plate, complete with the catcher holding up the ball and the umpire calling the runner out? Like on this card of....oh, also Kazumasa Kono (#335):
Or how about a guy getting some high fives as he returns to the dugout? Like this card of Roy White (#327)? We can't even see his face but its a way more interesting card of him than that of any player card they've made in the past decade.
And if you are going to insist on showing us batters batting, why not make it a bit more interesting by using a horizontal layout and showing us a bit more of the background instead of rigidly cropping every photo so the player is all we can see? Worked pretty well on this card of Koji Yamamoto (#311) I think.
Just some random musings that rattled around in my mind as I flipped through a small stack of 1981 Calbee cards.
Some really nice looking cards there. That play at the plate with the umpire is especially cool. One of the coolest I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteI thought that play at the plate was a pretty cool one too. Great shot by the photographer.
DeleteI've been going through the new BBM 1st Version set and it's clear that the "batters batting" cards (as well as the "pitcher pitching" cards are much more interesting in a horizontal format than a vertical one.
ReplyDeleteYeah, if they were to at least change the way they frame the images from time to time - like using horizontal - it would be way better. Glad that BBM has some this year.
DeleteYou make a great point about the horizontal format. Done right, they look really good.
ReplyDeleteThey sure do.
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