And Finally, My 2012 Topps ‘Mound Dominance’ Subset Is Complete!!! Come Check It Out.
Yessir, I have completed another subset and it is time to show it off in its completed form.
The ‘Mound Dominance’ set is from the 2012 Topps release, and is 15 cards deep.
Here it is, complete:
As for the cards, they look great! I like the graphics that Topps used to identify the strike zone, and the added team logo on top of that graphic is a nice touch. I also really like that every card in the subset offers a color, in-action photograph (though the Gibson, Spahn, and Feller appear to be posed-action). I do wish that Topps used a brighter color for the ‘Mound Dominance’ headline – something that stood out more.
While I am really happy with the look and design of the set, I have to say that there are a few odd things about it that stand out for me as well.
They are:
- the set lacks consistency with the theme; from no-hitters to solid outings to dominant playoff appearances, I wish it focused on just one thing
- the inclusion of Dennis Eckersley ( a player I loved watching) is peculiar. He is the only non-starter in the set.
- Phil Niekro’s card is celebrating his 300th career win – the only card celebrating a career achievement instead the most dominant game of the pitcher’s career.
- The set gives us Jon Lester and Armando Gallaraga, but leaves out Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro, Schilling, and others that would certainly be also called ‘Dominant’
Overall, I like the set – it looks great, and it is nice to see players like Verlander and Halladay get put into the same conversation as Seaver, Palmer, and Gooden.
Ultimately, I would have liked to have seen multiple versions of the set, maybe in consecutive years. If Topps broke this set into different levels while keeping the graphic components similar, with just enough changes to let them stand alone, they could have been on to something. Imagine if we had: Mound Dominance – No Hitters, Mound Dominance - The Closers, Mound Dominance – The Workhorses, Mound Dominance – The Strikeout Artists, Mound Dominance – Postseason Heroes. If Topps delivered something like that, it would let them bring us something that more truly represented the many ways that one can dominate from the mound. And it would certainly let them capture more collectors as well.
Topps, do you hear me???
