I was scrolling through my Twitter feed last night when I came across this tweet from
Sooz, everyone's favorite Topps employee:
Naturally, I had to read the replies and try to determine what was going on. Of course, a handful of d*ckheads had to throw their comments on Twitter and different forums.
"What a waste. Who cares about company employees?
"If it isn't a baseball card, why is it even part of the set?"
Those are just a couple of the "nicer" comments, if you can call them that. I became pretty upset that people were reacting this way. First, if all you care about are baseball cards, then Ginter is not the set for you. The reason it is so popular with many collectors is precisely because it has non-baseball cards in it. Second, how awful does it sound when people say they don't care about Topps employees? To me, it sounds extremely self-centered and narcissistic, and that's coming from a self-identified conservative! (wink wink, we can all get a little chuckle, right?)
The more I thought about this, the more I realized that I am part of the problem. I love baseball cards, which means that I love Topps (since I can't stand cards without logos). Yet I have rarely been one to point to something and thank Topps or the employees.
More frequently, I am criticizing something about the company. The same player photo being used too many times. Inconsistent formatting. Long wait times on redemptions.
Never have I thanked Topps for having multiple products out that have a wide variety of prices, allowing everyone, regardless of income, the opportunity to collect something.
Never have I thanked Sooz for this year's Stadium Club photos, especially ones like this:
I don't care what anyone says, this might be the single greatest baseball card ever (and I don' say that just because I'm a Rangers fan).
I've never thanked Topps for providing hobby boxes as prizes for Gint-A-Cuffs or for providing boxes for review to other bloggers that I read regularly (self promo: Topps, if you read this, I would be happy to review your baseball products! haha). The company does give back to the collector community and I don't think they ever really get the credit they deserve.
Is it okay to critique and criticize the company? Absolutely. However, if that's all you want to do - without ever offering praise when it is deserved - then keep your thoughts to yourself. You are offering nothing that makes the hobby or collecting community better.
I'll take my own advice here, too. For my part, I apologize to Topps for being a critic too frequently. To Sooz, I apologize that there are those out there that would take this opportunity to ruin something that the rest of us would (figuratively) kill for. Thank you for your hard work and for trying to interact with our community on a regular basis.
Now, if we could just get you to follow in your husband's footsteps and be a Rangers fan instead of a Yankees fan......
