In Cleveland, it’s become an annual tradition. Jason Kipnis grabs everything he’s accumulated as a player over the course of the year, puts it all in a cart and wheels it out to a group of fans where he tosses it out to them, one shoe or batting glove at a time. Much of it is game-used but there are a few souvenir type items dished out as well.
With the Tribe losing in the playoffs, the annual “shoe toss” came earlier than he’d have wanted this season but once he put the word out, some skipped school or work to head down to the ballpark. Just outside the player’s parking lot on Tuesday, Kipnis arrived with the goods. The publicity he’s gotten for doing it the last couple of years meant there was a mass of humanity and you have to wonder if there’s a better way to do it, but give him some credit for trying. He also stuck around to sign a bunch of autographs.
You can watch it unfold in the video below. If you can’t see it, click here.
Topps has revealed the checklist for 2018 Update Series Baseball, due out next week. We’ve added it to the preview here.
Look for a 2018 edition of Topps Chrome Sapphire, the high-end online exclusive product they first brought out in 2016. No word yet on a release date but it shouldn’t be long.
Each box will have three autographs and, according to the box, a “1 in 4 chance of pulling a Superfractor.”
Piece of the Game, a New York-based company is creating a new product that blends game-used baseballs with autographs and artwork.
They’ve hired sports artist Monty Sheldon to create 150 pieces of art on the side panels of the balls. The game-used baseballs were acquired for their connection to the specific player and are searchable in the MLB Authentication database.
The product, called Baseball Authenticated Masterpieces, is limited to 150 baseballs and the checklist is mostly top-end stars and rookies with some former stars in the mix. There’s a Babe Ruth signed and painted ball among those 150, although that one’s not game-used.
They’re being sold in cases of 10 balls per case and have been created with breakers in mind. David Prince of Piece of the Game says ten of the 15 cases have been sold to big breakers as of this point. Spots in those group breaks are selling for around $3,600.
The release date is March 28, 2019. You can learn more via this Twitter page.
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