Today we got the preview for 2016 Triple Threads baseball. Since the product doesnt change much, I think its worth mentioning that my commentary has a right to continue to be as scathing as ever. Here is the way I started out last year’s post. Seems to be fine to basically say the same shit.
For the majority of the time I have spent writing this site, I have waged a war on Triple Threads that knows no hotter fire. Although Football has improved in terms of design and concept over the years somewhat, Baseball has remained as horrifically bad as ever. Now that we see what 2015 is bringing, there is no doubt in my mind that this is the one Baseball set that needs a complete overhaul.
Im pretty sure that what I say here means little to nothing in the way Topps approaches Triple Threads each year, and now that football will no longer be around to give any sort of progress to this STALE brand, I have no fucking clue why it is still being trotted out each year with so little of a change to anything the product offers.
Here is what the product is to me. Laughable at best:
Stupid Phrases Die Cut Over the Relics
I have commented many times that cards will need to continue to provide a reason why this Mike Trout auto is better than the 10000 Trout autos that came before, at least in order to be sustainable. I see Triple Threads as a prime example of why this is so important. This is the 11th year of the brand. Practically nothing has changed about this brand in many years, and I would even argue it has regressed. There used to be on card content that was available in the set
, and now even that element is much more limited than it was in previous years.
Yes, you read that right. Collectors will pay close to 200 a box for this garbage and there is 2 autos per box and none of them look to be on card. Because the product offers those SICK MOJOZZZZZ PATCHES, it doesnt matter the way the cards look to deliver them. I get the appeal of nice patches, but when they come in ugly packages, why bother? When they come in ugly packages that havent changed in 8 years, good fucking god.
Topps’ addition of Kevin Costner relics to this product seems a bit forced and that’s just the start. For a product like Triple Threads, I dont see how the character or the content really fits in, especially when you see how they plan to use the likeness. I would much rather it be in Archives or Ginter and leave it at that. No reason to flood the market, especially after Leaf did the same thing. It takes the novelty out of the whole thing.
Either way, here are the pictures. Im about done giving a shit about this.
