fan festing for forty two

both the dodgers and the twins had their annual fanfests recently. i used to go to twinsfest pretty religiously, but haven't been now for several years and that time was a one off. i've never been to a dodger fanfest but i can imagine how crowded it is.

a fanfest of a different sort is held around the all-star game each year. i was in boston in 1999 while it was going on but wasn't able to attend. i also missed out on the activities here in the twin cities back in 2014 when the twins hosted the midsummer classic.

i am not sure when the all-star fan fests became a thing but i recall being aware of the 1992 event in san diego. it was only afterwards that i learned about the cards issued at the event.

in 1997 there was a cross-product card set created to honor jackie robinson and the 50th anniversary of his debut in the major leagues. this year, i finally completed the set. 

card 1 is from pinnacle

and features their dufex technology. here’s the back

with a play at the plate

topps is number 2

and it’s no surprise that they used his 1952 card. here’s the back

which is pretty similar to the back of the card in flagship from ‘97. 

upper deck is number 3

there’s a lot going on there on the front. here’s the back

I don’t really know how the rookie of the year award came about but i think it is fantastic that it’s debut coincided with robinson’s.

leaf is number 4

and like topps it’s no surprise that they reprinted their most iconic card of jackie - 1948 leaf. here’s the back

it’s pretty much a straight up reprint. 

fleer is number 5

i like that they went with ultra for their design. here’s the back

i think that fleer got it right. there is more to jackie robinson’s legacy than breaking the color barrier but i would suggest it is even greater than having reshaped the game. 

i found it interesting that the only times we see his iconic number 42 is on the backs of a couple of the cards, but that is just an oddity that i noticed. i am more impressed with the lack of repetition among the images. still, 42 has meaning and today it also means that we are 42 days from the start of the mlb season!