Posted By:
PCThe card companies could balance marketing and respect for the history of the game, but apparently they don't.
For instance, I wouldn't have a problem with the card companies taking a few swatches from a jersey from somewhere that is not otherwise visible -- like the inside fold of a seam. To me, that is a way to create interest in the product and the game (as Al has pointed out) without destroying the jersey.
And there seems to me to be less destructive ways to obtain "bat relics" than slicing up the whole bat. Couldn't Topps have bored out a thin cylinder of wood from the top of the bat, down through the barrell? That's not ideal, but at least the bat would still exist.
But for Topps and Upper Deck to completely destroy vintage Ruth jerseys, and Gibson bats, etc., is ridiculous, and probably does long term damage to their brands (we'll have to wait and see about that).