Upper Deck has a RIVALS subset in their 2009 Series 1 and it’s all pretty, and shiny. The idea itself seemed like a fairly solid one — for football. You take an offensive and defensive lineman that smash each other for 60 minutes, twice a year, then you have a rivalry. I’d even settle for a HINES WARD vs. KEITH RIVERS rivalry card.
What kind of Rivalries do you have in baseball though? Maybe Roger Clemens vs. Mike Piazza? Who knows. Upper Deck apparently believes that geography is the only thing determines a rivalry.
Roy Halladay, a career ace, versus Joba Chamberlain who’s pitched maybe 200 innings in his entire career? My favourite rivalry on this card is Upper Deck versus Geography. Toronto apparently is a suburb of the bustling super-city of Buffalo, New York. Anyways, here’s some more realistic Rivalry Cards:
JOSH HAMILTON vs. FUN
I’m not sure who’s winning this rivalry, and it’ll be hard to proclaim a winner until the very end.
If you see a clear winner in any of these rivalries, leave a comment but as of now I see them all as “PUSHes”.
That hamburger doesn’t stand a chance!!!
I haven’t pulled a Rivals card yet as I have not purchased much ’09 stuff yet. I like the idea, if not the design. How about Mariano Rivera vs. David Ortiz? Or Cole Hamels vs. David Wright? Those are pretty good rivalries right there!! Maybe put in a significant event in the rivalry like a winning hit or strikeout. The idea was good, but it seems like the execution was not.