On The Sixth Day of Crapmas…

On the Sixth Day of Crapmas…

I believe it was 1997 when Upper Deck introduced Game Used Jerseys on their baseball cards.  I remember zipping through a ton of packs that year, hoping for a piece of Ken Griffey Jr’s jersey on my card.  Not only would I be the coolest dude in Jr. High or High School (despite maybe 2% of them still buying baseball cards at that point), the girls would have been all over me.  I might have even talked to one or two of them…which would be one or two more than I talked to without an expensive Ken Griffey card.

I’ve marginally kept up with the baseball card industry over the past ten or so years.  It’s mostly my fault for going to college and having fun.  Sorry for neglecting you, baseball cards.

But I have noticed that the whole “Game Used” craze has gotten out of hand; from an outsider’s perspective, I kind of think it has jumped the shark.  If nothing else, insert cards like those really watered down the value of the main set.

Except in the case of today’s Cardinal Crapmas gift.  No matter what else you found in your pack of cards, this card just kind of gets in the way.

It’s a duo card of Cardinal HOF’er Frankie Frisch with none other than Joe Morgan, and it includes a swatch of Frisch’s game worn pants.

As in, there’s a party in Frankie Frisch’s pants and Ginger Rogers is invited (sorry, couldn’t help myself…too soon?)

Even better – there’s no Game Used crap of any kind for Joe Morgan. It’s just Frank Frisch’s pants.

I think it’s one thing to go out and buy a card with someone’s autograph on it, but for game used pants?  That feels kind of dirty.  And who kept Frankie Frisch’s pants all these years, then decided to let Fleer tear them up?  I’m not sure if even the hardcore Cardinal fans would buy this, even for the low price of $13.15 (did you see how many capital letters and !!!’s the seller used in the description?  it must be worth a ton.).  You’ve got to be a big dork, or Frisch is your grandpa, to fork over money for this.  Which is why I say “Game Used” has jumped the shark.  And this card was made in ’02.

That said, the real Crapmus lesson today?  Like ESPN has failed to realize for 20 years…Joe Morgan has no real reason to be here.