I liked the set so much, in fact, that I decided to grab a lot from eBay of the original design the set was based upon - the 1954 Topps "World of Wheels" set. I thought it might be fun to match up the baseball player with a car from the original set. I picked the "Durable 24-Hour Champion" for Mike Trout. Even though he hasn't had post season success yet, he is a perennial MVP candidate and has the kind of popularity that has critics gushing over his sustained excellence.
Luis Robert is a still unproven but exciting prospect that has made an impressive debut. The Belly Tanker is a re-purposed, modified hot rod made from leftover airplane parts. Robert certainly packs the power and speed of a small aircraft!
Byron Buxton is a rare talent, but sometimes can be hard to find in top condition. The Excalibur J is one of the more rare and sought after vehicles. Only 3 were made before new Excalibur models began production in the 1960s. But when you saw one in action, man, there's nothing quite like it!
When I think of Rickey Henderson, I think of an unparalleled all-time great. He's a record breaker of a variety of skills - stolen bases of course, but also walks, runs scored, lead-off home runs... Rickey, it has been argued, could be split in two and both of those players would have Hall of Fame careers. The 300 SL was named the "Sports Car of the Century" in 1999. When the car was put into production for the general public, it was the fastest production car of all time.
Few players combined speed and talent and style like Ichiro. There was something immediately identifiable about him- from his batting stance, to the meticulous care paid to his uniform and equipment, Ichiro was cool and collected at all times. Founded in 1910, Alpha Romeo survived both world wars, and when racing returned after WWII, the car maker began to dominate the field of a new kind of racing, formula one. And they did it with vehicles that performed beautifully with impeccable style.
You need a centerfielder? A Second Baseman? A Shortstop? A guy that can hit for half a season with broken hand? Trea Turner is your guy. He'll take the extra base, he'll steal a base, he'll hit it over the fence. He's tough, durable, dependable. You know, like a Jeep! Similar to the belly tanker, the Jeep was a product of military engineering. A vehicle that could excel in almost any condition.
As is often the case with these sets - I think Topps did a pretty good job with the big picture, but missed the mark on the little details. They churn out a new set like this every week, so it may be asking a bit much for some stats on the back or a little narrative blurb. How cool would it have been to have something like sprint speed, or 1st to third times? Or maybe going further into the past to include some speedsters from the 1950s? Like Richie Ashburn, or Luis Aparicio, or Willie Mays, or Minnie Miñoso? I get that they need to sell this thing, but that's just my opinion..
Have you picked up any Throwback Thursday sets? What do you like/dislike about them?
Thanks for reading!
