Something for your Bike Spokes

For the most part, the things that you held dear during your youth probably haven’t changed much. There are only so many innovations toys and hobbies may take over the course of twenty years. If you were a video game kid, you’ll notice the controller has more buttons and the graphics have become insanely real, but it’s still the same idea. If you played with action figures, those little guys may have a few more accessories, but other than “ninja-brain-chop” action, their skills have gone unchanged. If you had an EZ Bake Oven (and this serves as a full disclaimer that I did NOT), I have to assume that the cookies you could make are as bland back then as they would be today. As much as things change, they stay the same. Except…

One childhood hobby of mine has underwent a dramastic change (that’s a Chris Smith word) since I last paid attention to it. And it only took a Chapter 9 bankruptcy proceeding for me to notice (the equivalent of a MAC truck in the financial world.) Burlington County’s own Fleer Trading Card Company has officially printed its final batch of baseball cards, crumbling under $40 million in debt. I had no idea Fleer was based in Mt. Laurel; if I had maybe I would have supported them in my youth. But it’s highly unlikely that my investment would equal a cool $40 mil. That’s a lot of Kevin Stocker future star cards.

Here’s the thing about seeing Fleer head to the dugout for the final time. It was going to happen sooner or later. When I was 6, there were three biggies in baseball cards – Topps, Donruss, and Fleer. I list Fleer third because that’s where they belong. When it came to collecting baseball cards, you really picked a brand and stuck with it. And when it came to design, reach, and photography, Topps was the best. Donruss, which did feature hot/cold zones for batters on the back, were a fine runner-up, but never the one you’d brag to your friends about. Fleer had a product merely to exist and make money (Objective: FAILURE). If these three were action blockbuster movies – Topps was the Star Wars, Donruss was the Tron, and Fleer was any Hilary Duff flick you can think of.

Baseball cards were the perfect way for a kid my age to spend discretionary income. Notice I say “were.” Today, baseball cards are the perfect way for eleventybillionaires to spend their discretionary income. In 1988, I could walk to the pharmacy in Ocean City and buy a pack of cards for 80 cents, hoping to get that killer “Todd Van Poppel” rookie. (For non-sports types – let’s just say Tony Danza could lace a double into the gap off of this highly-touted phenom). Today, 80 cents could buy me, um…three quarters and a nickel.

In the following years, packs crept to 4 or 5 dollars for a pack of fifteen cards, but it was justified. In a decade of Pogs, Pokemon, and Power Rangers, (and other collectibles beginning with ‘P’) this was a quality product. But then it all changed.

I blame the Internet.

Kids who now were rich thanks to dotcom ISP’s spent good money on their past hobby: cards. Pack prices skyrocketed, upwards of $100 per. And what had changed in the product? Extra features. Cards good for redemption of other memorabilia – game-used bats, jersey swatches, balls, seats, utility infielders. Cards were inserted with official signatures from ballplayers. It is an unconfirmed rumor that Upper Deck even offered through a lucky card the rights to Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel. Just imagine – an authentic Omar Vizquel – doing your homework and cutting the grass!

Once the best way to get kids excited about professional sports, the hobby has gone off of the deep end. And unfortunately for Fleer, someone forgot to fill the pool. Rest in Peace, Fleer. If you see Rickey Henderson in Heaven, let him know I have his rookie card.

What do you mean Rickey Henderson is still alive?