DOCTOR K

Growing up in the '80s there wasn't SportsCenter with daily highlights or the Internet to look for game clips. So young baseball fans like myself eagerly flipped through the pages of Sports Illustrated when it arrived each week in the mailbox and tuned in faithfully on the weekends to watch This Week in Baseball for Major League highlights and news. During this time the Mets had an electric team that was talented as my hometown Tigers led by an amazing young pitcher named Dwight Gooden. The Mets became my second favorite team during the mid-80s next to Detroit based upon Gooden whose pitching prowess earned him the nickname "Doctor K" for all the strikeouts he achieved and seemed to be a fixture of television highlight reels and magazine covers during that time.

As a 19 year old rookie in 1984, Doctor K made the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game, was named National League Rookie of the Year, and led the Major Leagues in strikeouts. In 1985, Dwight Gooden won the National League Cy Young Award and was recognized as a Pitching Triple Crown Winner for leading the Major Leagues for having the highest number of wins, most strikeouts and lowest Earned Run Average (ERA) during the season. In his first two seasons for the Mets, Doctor K had a record of 37-5 with 1.38 ERA and 412 strikeouts. In 1986, Doctor K was the youngest player to start a MLB All-Star Game, was the undisputed ace of the Mets, the team won the World Series and was only 21 years old. Unfortunately, drug abuse and injuries thereafter hindered a career that had the potential of him being the greatest ever pitcher in professional baseball. He was the only MLB pitcher to be a Triple Crown winner in the 1980s. Fortunately, Gooden was able to go out on a high note pitching a no hitter for the Yankees and helped the team on its path to a World Series victory in 1996.

I was geeked to be able to meet Doctor K in person at an event today based upon all the excitement I had following his career with the Mets when I was a kid just developing my love of the game. I joked with him that watching with my dad Mets games on TV just to see him pitched reminded me of tuning in with my own kids for "must see JV" when Justin Verlander was dominating for the Tigers. He took a picture with me and signed a baseball that will go on my office shelf right next to Justin Verlander one. Two Pitching Triple Crown winners and two of my all-time favorite pitchers next to one another really has this baseball fan thrilled.

I also found an original Topps baseball card from 1986 in my childhood collection that is stashed away in the basement. It has the stats from Doctor K's incredible 1985 season plus is the year his team won the World Series. It may have been worth more without his signature but his signing it was more for my personal nostalgia than hoping to make any money off the card.

It was a fun day for this '80s kid! Doctor K was very personable and it was a great experience meeting him. Is there a baseball player you were a fan of as a kid that you would really like to meet in person someday? 

DOCTOR FAUCI THROWS OUT THE FIRST PITCH

That was nice to see Doctor Fauci throw out the first pitch to start off the abbreviated Major League Baseball season. While it seems a lot of government officials have been throwing us curve balls about details of the coronavirus he always seems to toss out information straight on. So it was nice to see him get to make that symbolic toss during the Yankees vs Nationals game.

Topps, the exclusive trading card partner of the MLB, is launching a limited edition collectible featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci’s opening day pitch. The card will be available this afternoon (7/24) for 24-hours only, for $9.99 exclusively at Topps.com as part of the Topps NOW collection, capturing legendary moments throughout the 2020 MLB season.

 The card captures Dr. Fauci, donning a Nationals jersey, hat, and face mask, firing a strong effort to the plate, signaling the official start of the 2020 MLB regular season as the Nationals took on the Yankees on July 23rd.

If you are a baseball card fan, or maybe even a fan of Doctor Fauci, I'd recommend picking up one of these while you can. Only available for 24 hours makes it an interesting and unique collectible. Check it out!

MYSTICONS

The characters of the popular nicktoons animated show MYSTICONS are jumping from the television screen into children's hands to play with through a new line of action figures from Playmates Toys.  These figures that revolve around the four principal characters in this TV series geared for girls between the ages of six and eleven years old, Arkayna, Zarya, Em & Piper, stand 7" tall and feature 10 point of articulation making them great for imaginative play.  Playmates kindly sent my nine year old daughter two of these new figures along with a box filled with MYSTICONS swag. She has been having a good time playing with these MYSTICONS toys!

MYSTICONS is broadcast on nicktoons Saturday mornings at 8am. Reruns are also shown on Nick Jr. and Nick Teen. The cartoons are set in a futuristic sci-fi setting filled with magical beings that include dwarves, elves, fairies, griffins and more.  The animated series follows the adventures of four ordinary girls who are chosen to become transformed into legendary warriors tasked with a quest to save their world from an evil threat. These heroines are called the Mysticons.



Each of the 7" MYSTICONS action figures comes with a weapon to wield.  Arkayna comes with a magical staff. Zarya includes a bow and arrow. Each of the toys also comes with an animal companion.  Arkayna watches over a baby dragon while Zarya is joined by her trusty pet foz. Playmates Toys' Mysticons action figures are available on Amazon.com as well as at Walmart and select comic book and collectible toy shops.

Check out the free app by Nelvana, Mysticons: Secrets of Gemina, that is available for Apple and Android devices which expands upon the show's stories and lets players join in on the characters' battles through a role playing game. Note while the game can be played entirely for free there are in-app purchase opportunities parents should be aware of when your kids are using the app. Each of these Playmates 7"  action figures also comes with an exclusive Topps collectible card for the character that includes a scannable code on the back that unlocks special FREE bonuses within the Mysticons: Secrets of Gemina game.



Keep an eye out for Mysticons Fun Packs from Topps at retail outlets as well.  These packs are filled with collectible cards include more bonus codes to unlock loot chests and provide special power ups in the Secrets of Gemina game along with other fun stuff.  Each Topps Mysticons Fun Pack includes four Base Story or Character Cards, one Activity Insert that is either Stickers, Coloring Cards or Temporary Tattoos, and a Character Code Card.  Fans of the show will really enjoy this app and these Topps cards.

Heading on a trip with a child who would enjoy these?  A few packs of these cards and this game are a great way to keep girls, and boys (my son likes the TV show too), amused while traveling. A great way to avoid the number of times you hear the phrase "are we there yet" on the way to your destination!

Playmates Toys' action figures are a great way for kids to imagine they have been transported into the world of the Mysticons and engage in creative play. The Dungeon and Dragons vibe with a female perspective as the lead characters provides a rich fantasy theme for action adventures.  The Mysticons are strong, confident, smart, witty, and funny characters making them a great inspiration for kids and earning the television show and toys A Geek Daddy nod of approval.

For more information about the television show head over to nick.com. Download the game on the App Store (ios) or Google Play (android). And to learn more about Playmates Toys MYSTICONS action figures visit playmatestoys.com

Topps promotes digital Star Wars trading cards with new ios app

For those folks who would enjoy the fun of collecting Star Wars themed trading cards without the hassle of having them pile up around the house, Topps recently introduced STAR WARS: CARD TRADER on the Apple App Store for iPhones, iPads, and Ipod touch which it bills as the "official Star Wars trading card app."  Star Wars: Card Trader provides the opportunity to collect digital reproductions of the physical Topps card board collectibles that have been produced for the upcoming The Force Awakens movie as well as those previously distributed from the original and prequel Star Wars films.  There will also be cards featuring characters, scenes and vehicles from the animated television shows Star Wars: Rebels and Clone Wars. This Star Wars effort ties into fan enthusiasm for the December film premiere of Episode VII and follows the company's success with a similar app for baseball cards for iOS devices BUNT: The MLB Digital Baseball Card Trading Game.

Star Wars: Card Trader can be downloaded for free.  One free pack of trading cards can also be opened every day once the app is downloaded.  For those who want to build larger collections credits can be purchased ranging from .99 cents for 3,000 credits to $100 for 900,000 credits.  What you can purchase with credits in the "Cantina" will vary from a basic pack of trading cards to unique exclusives.  Plus collections can be built by trading cards with other app users from across the country and around the world with a feature called "Trading Like a Jawa."

 “In the same way that digital media is transforming reading books, listening to music and watching television, Card Trader is revolutionizing Star Wars collecting,” said Michael Bramlage, VicePresident of Digital at Topps in a press release to A Geek Daddy blog. “Your favorite characters, vehicles and locations from the Star Wars universe can be collected and traded on your iOS device, from anywhere at any time.”

Here are a few of the features of the app #Topps promoted in its press release launching Star Wars: Card Trader:

 The First Cards From Star Wars: The Force Awakens: BB-8, Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren, Rey and other recently announced new characters from Star Wars:The Force Awakens are here! Go to the Cantina and blast open packs to try to find these exciting new cards, all released in vintage-inspired “Star Wars‘ 77” blue and red border designs.

Trading Like A Jawa: The Star Wars: Card Trader app is like a 24/7 Star Wars card convention that you can take with you anywhere you go. Meet real people, make friends, complete trades and build your collection with confidence using features like 9-for-9 trading and Trader Ratings to highlight your trading partner’s trustworthiness.

Classic Re-Releases: Only Topps brings you over 30 years of official-licensed Star Wars trading cards in new, high-definition digital format, from the vintage era to today.Haven’t collected cards in a while? Check out Topps’ state-of-the-art Parallax and Motion cards, innovations that could never have existed in cardboard!

The App Store description notes that there will be more than 1,000 officially-licensed Star Wars digital cards featured with some including futuristic special effects and enhancements.  CLICK HERE to download Star Wars: Card Trader.

This seems like a nice app to have some fun and goof around with, especially for casual collectors. I'd recommend if you are having your kids play with it that you make sure your parental control features are turned on and in-app purchases turned off though.  You'll probably want to stick with physical trading cards though if you are looking to pick up movie mementos, a long term collectible, or want some items you can use as potential financial investments. 

So while this app obviously isn't for the serious collector it does bring back trading cards to the attention of today's kids who are more interested in flipping through their tablets and smart phones than grabbing a piece of gum and some trading cards from a grocery or toy store checkout lane.  From a nostalgic perspective, as a kid myself that had shoe boxes full of Topps' Star Wars and baseball trading cards, it is nice to see the tradition of children and teens collecting trading cards for fun continue into future generations through the products changing with the times.  Most young people aren't collecting these things to try and make a profit off them someday and this digital app caters to those fans.