The Hot Stove set is winding down for another winter… The whole point of the set is to give everybody a “sneak peek” of what players will look like in their new uniforms, but once Spring Training starts, there’s no need for photoshopped images when the real thing is running around under the warm sun, being photographed by countless photographers.
But don’t worry about that just yet, not when I’ve run out to buy a big ol’ box of Apple Jacksons cereal!
The last winter or two I’d always keep a Hot Stove slot open for some big Mets or Orioles acquisition, but this winter each of my team’s biggest moves was to re-sign one of their own.
Instead, we’ve got notable players leaving, including former Met Daniel Murphy, who signed with the rival Nationals as a free agent.
Murphy had been with the Mets since making his Major League debut in 2008, and I will miss him, as will many Mets fans… But I also think that letting him walk was the right move, and I wish him isolated success with a divisional rival (who will hopefully disappoint yet again).
As I’ve pointed out before, the customs I make up using the 1965 Topps CFL design are ones where I did not “photoshop” the player into his uniform. In this case, I ran across a nice image of Paul Goldschmidt wearing one of the Diamondbacks’ new uniforms.
I don’t love these uniforms… far from it… but I have less of a negative reaction now than I did when they were first unveiled.
Getting back to the clock ticking on the Hot Stove cards… I’m definitely doing a post next weekend, and then after that I *may* do one more… depending on whether I have players I want to “photoshop” and an idea for a cereal box.
Truth be told, I really need to get working on my 2016 TSR design. I’ve got a number of prototypes in the works, but none of them have yet to make me sit up and say “Yeah, yeah, that’s it…”
But in the meantime, if you have any special requests for someone you’d like to see on a Hot Stove card before the curtain drops on another set, just leave a comment and I’ll see what I can do. It doesn’t have to be a star player, so if you want to see Doug Fister with the Astros or Corey Dickerson with the Rockies, just let me know.
The Shlabotnik Report 
Once again, that cereal box is fantastic!
This is awesome! You have a talent for these things.
I have a request for a terribly airbrushed Yonder Alonso “traded” card. (the terribly airbrushed Grienke card was awesome) I would love to use it on my blog and give you a shout out at the same time.
Thanks!
It’s funny… when I saw you’d left a comment and before I even read what you wrote, I thought “Gary’s going to suggest another “airbrushed” card — and I *should* try another one!”
I will definitely give Yonder Alonso my best shot… I’ve already got some ideas.
Also, I was curious…did you ever try to make a card with beat up edges and/or creases?
I’ve never tried to do creases… I’m not sure how to even try to duplicate that. I’d thought I’d done a custom with rounded corners – really just doing a custom card where I started off with a scan of a beaten-up card that I didn’t “clean up” – but I couldn’t find any examples… except for this faux 1940 Play Ball card I did nearly three years ago:
https://shlabotnikreport.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/because-ive-always-wanted-to-do-a-custom-with-the-players-nickname-in-quotes/
Great cards. But wow, do those D’Backs unis blow chunks.