when topps now was really topps then (a memorial patch for jacob wetterling)

contrary to many of you, i checked out the topps now site every day during the season, and wound up collecting the entire dodger set (minus the auto and relic parallels).  i was holding out hope for a vin scully card at some point and was ultimately disappointed on that front, but topps now to me turned out to be what upper deck documentary failed at - providing actual game photos for the game/event that the card represented.  that is not to say that the cards all used iconic photos from their game or event, but a quick getty search could verify that the photo was indeed from the game topps said it was from.

that was not the case, however, with this particular card

that purports to show the indians celebrating their first american league central title since 2007 on september 26th.  the indians were in detroit that night, but the photo topps used comes from their september 9th game in minneapolis against the twins.  i know this, not only because my getty search confirms it, but also because of the jacob wetterling number 11 patch that the clevelend player is wearing on his chest.

jacob wetterling, who wore the number 11 in youth hockey, was an 11-year old boy from a town near st. cloud, minnesota who was kidnapped in 1989 after riding his bike with some friends to a store to rent a video.  his fate was unknown for almost 27 years until september 2016, when his abductor confessed to assaulting and killing jacob that same night that he was abducted.  following the confirmation of the confession, the twins, as evidenced by this getty images photo of joe mauer

along with the visiting indians, wore a number 11 patch with jacob's name beneath the number in jacob's honor.  jacob's parents, who like all minnesotans hoped for a different end to the story, had started the jacob wetterling resource center in 1990 to assist other families in similar missing children situations, and to help end child exploitation of any kind.  following the game against the indians, the twins auctioned off many of the jerseys worn by the players that night, and donated the proceeds to the foundation.

[edit: topps featured a photo of byron buxton wearing the patch on this 2017 topps triple threads relic card

that i was able to add to my collection.]

i have to say that was a pretty crappy week here in minnesota.