Tuesday, February 19, 2008

2001 Topps Fusion Rocco Baldelli


Who is this? Devil Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli.

What is this? An autograph card from 2001 Topps Fusion, card number FA31.

Where'd I get it? Out of a pack I got from Target.

How much did it cost? 3 or 4 bucks, I don't remember how much those packs cost.

Why is this so special? Topps Fusion was a gimmicky product from 2001 that had cards from 4 or 5 different brands in the same pack. I think it was Topps Gold, Gallery, Stadium Club and something else. The cards weren't from the regular sets, this was a completely new set with cards that were kind of based on each set from that year. It was a stupid idea and was quickly forgotten. I still bought a few packs though and out of one of them was this autograph card. I didn't know who the hell Rocco was but it was a nice looking card of a prospect who had an easily recognizable name. I was happy when Rocco turned out to be a legit prospect and disappointed when he turned out to be made of glass. In the 06-07 baseball offseason, the Braves blog on AJC.com was buzzing all winter with rumors that Rocco would get traded to the Braves. It was some crazy package of Chuck James, Yunel Escobar, Jarrod Saltalamaccia and some one else if I remember correctly. Never happened, obviously. Thank God. If Rocco can stay healthy, he could do some real damage for the Rays. In the meantime at least I have a nice autograph on an obscure but good looking card.

1 comment:

Bay Rat North West said...

Topps had some good looking auto insert cards in all 2001 and 2002 brands. A defined signing area. Good photos and team logos were present but not overpowering. 2002 Topps had the best design in my opinion.