Panini's Response To Contest Error

A quick update to my post from yesterday alleging that Panini failed to award the proper winner of their Player of the Day contest.  Panini responded to someone else on Facebook asking about the contest results.  Their response is completely underwhelming.  

Their response boils down to a shrug of the shoulders. 

They claim the box score they referenced was incorrect.  What box score did they use? When did they check it? Halfway through the game?

They claim it is now too late to correct the problem.  I reached out to Panini on Facebook and Twitter within a couple hours yesterday after they announced the winner.  You mean to tell me it was too late to fix their mistake then?  Panini doesn't even offer to contact the correct winner and offer a consolation prize. 

Panini says they will be "moe careful" in the future.  The optics are not great when even their response contains a mistake.

Overall, this goes to show how little Panini cares (at least on the social media side) about their football card customers. 

Did Panini Botch Its Own Contest Results?

Full Disclosure: I entered the Panini Player of the Day contest I am talking about.  My guess was not correct and therefore I have no stake in the outcome of this contest. For the record, I guessed 54 yards.

Panini has wronged the football card community. I am here to bring awareness to the issue.  The mistake appears to be so obvious, I must be wrong.  That's the only way I can explain this gross incompetence.   If am I wrong, please someone point it out for I cannot see it.

Panini, through its Player of the Day brand, held a contest for yesterday's Monday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. Panini asked people to guess the total number of yards (rushing, receiving, and returning) gained by rookie Ryan Switzer.  The prize was an autographed card of Ryan Switzer.

Exhibit 1a: Twitter Contest Post
Source: https://twitter.com/PaniniPOD/status/912366929372950530

The Facebook post was worded slightly differently but the entry was still the same.

Exhibit 1b: Facebook Contest Post
Source: https://www.facebook.com/PaniniPlayerOfTheDay/posts/1636444633090207

Switzer had a mediocre night against the Cardinals. He rushed for a total of 3 yards.  He had one punt return for 18 yards.  Finally, he had four kick returns for a total of 43 yards.  He had no receiving yards.  All told, Switzer earned 64 yards against the Cardinals.

Exhibit 2: Pro Football Reference Ryan Switzer Game Log
Source:  https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SwitRy00.htm; see also ESPN Box Score http://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400951668

Today being the day after the football game, I checked their Facebook page to see if my guess was correct.  It was not.  Instead, I saw Panini award the card to a guess that was nowhere close to the box score results.

Exhibit 3: The "winning" comment on Facebook as awarded by Panini

Panini declared the winning guess to be 31 yards.  Less than half of the 64 yards Switzer earned according to the box score.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  I re-read the contest announcement to see if I missed something.  Nope, Panini said total yards.  

I double checked multiple box scores.  They all showed the same results.  I even used a calculator in case my mental math was incorrect.  Nope, the calculator showed 64 yards.

In disbelief, I went to their Twitter page to see if someone else was awarded the prize.

Exhibit 4: Twitter Reply

Same thing.  Panini declared the 31 yards was the right answer. Unbelievable.  

I posted a Facebook comment on the contest asking how 31 yards was the correct answer.  I also tweeted at Panini saying the same thing.  I have received no response.  

I'm probably making a big stink over nothing.  However, if Panini is making even small errors such as this one, how we can trust that Panini is not making errors elsewhere? Indeed, Panini has made quality control mistakes, including the Dak Prescott autopen controversy and the usage of Mitchell and Ness jerseys for game-used veteran cards.  

Again, if I am wrong please point it out.  I will have egg on my face but I am completely fine with that.  I just want to get to the bottom of this. Maybe Switzer had 33 negative yards that are not reflected.  Who knows?

Day 11: Finally Showing Off A Vintage Card

30-Day Challenge: Day 11

Like clockwork, fall is here.  The Mariners are out of the playoffs (17 year running) and the Seahawks are off to a sluggish start.  At least one bright spot is the play of the WSU Cougars Football team, who have played to an impressive 4-0 record.  As always, the true test will be the start of conference play.

• Card: One of your favorite cards from the 1970s
• 1973 Topps - #43 Randy Moffitt
• Music: A song that you never get tired of
• Phoenix - 1901 (2009)

If it is apparent by the past two posts in this challenge, I am not a vintage card collector.  This is not due to my aversion to vintage cards.  Instead, it's more related to the fact that I have not had much exposure to vintage cards.

I've become more aware of vintage cards though thanks to the blogging community.  There are a lot of nice vintage sets out there and maybe some day I'll track down a card or two.

I do have a couple cards from the 1970s, mostly thanks to Topps' buyback program.  I know that some collectors dislike the stamping of cards.  I agree it's not the best but at least I can say it helped me get some of my first vintage baseball cards.

The Randy Moffitt card earns the nod for today's entry due to it's bright color photo, simple design, and those sideburns.

Speaking of timeless, today's song choice is actually my #1 most listened to track according to last.fm.  I've been scrobbling with last.fm since 2006 and while it can't account for every song I've listened to over the last 10+ years, it comes close.  If I listen to a CD in the car I will make sure to play that album through iTunes overnight so I get the credit on last.fm.

The album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is more synth driven than their previous albums and marked a successful musical change.  1901 is likely the best representation of old and new Phoenix up to that point.  It gets me moving for sure.

Dealing with Poor eBay Sellers

In my last trade post recap I posted about a Collector's Choice oddball I hadn't seen before.  I also mentioned that I found the complete 40-card set on eBay for $12 and purchased it immediately.  I received the cards a few days later. 

The cards were packed in a bubble mailer, which is always a great sign.  However, the cards were placed loose in a plastic sandwich bag that had clearly been used in shipping multiple times.  The bag was soft and wrinkled.  Nothing like a new plastic bag would look and feel. 

Due to cards being packaged loosely, over 25% were damaged in some sort of manner.  Dinged corners and bent edges.  The eBay listing did not disclose any such damage so the only possible explanation is that they were damaged in shipping. 

I sent the eBay seller a message explaining the situation and asking if he might have any replacement cards.  I didn't receive a response after several days so I then filed a refund request.  Again, I didn't hear a response for a couple days so I sent one more message.  After I didn't hear back, I escalated my claim to eBay.

Within an hour, eBay refunded my entire purchase.  Although the whole ordeal was a slight headache, the end result is that I received the complete set for free.  The cards are little dinged up but I think I can live with it.

This is the first time I've ever had to file a complaint with eBay.  Hopefully it will be my last.

My First Hockey Relic

I never been an active hockey card collector.  I love watching the sport and rooting for the Boston Bruins.  Without a hometown team though, it's hard to feel the same level of emotional investment as I do with the Mariners or Seahawks.  The chances are high that sometime within the next 10 years, Seattle will get its own team again.  Until then, the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League will be the main hockey event in town. 

I've been to probably a dozen games over the years.  I even went to a Thunderbirds game as part of my bachelor party.  The games are a lot of fun. 

2013-14 In The Game Heroes & Prospects - Game-Used Jersey Black

Mathew Barzal is the most recent NHL product to come from the Thunderbirds.  The New York Islanders drafted him #16 overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.  After he helped the Thunderbirds win the 2017 WHL Championship, earning WHL Playoff MVP honors along the way, it was finally time for me to purchase my first hockey relic and first Thunderbirds card.

This big blue swatch is from a game-used Barzal Thunderbirds jersey. 

His autograph can be had for under $10 so it might be time to pick up one of those as well.

Day 10: Gone But Not Forgotten

30-Day Challenge: Day 10

• Card: One of your favorite cards from the 1960s
• 1993 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes - #13 Paul Blair
• Music: A song that makes you sad
• STRFKR - Basically (2017)

This photo is likely from the 1960s

Another decade that is entirely absent from my collection.  Like the last post, I'm going to call an audible and borrow from a 1993 Upper Deck set, this time it is All-Time Heroes. 

Paul Blair made his debut with the Orioles in 1964, became a starter in 1965, and won a World Series in 1966.  In Game 3 of the 1966 World Series he was the sole offensive contributor, hitting a solo home run, in the Orioles' 1-0 shutout over the Dodgers.  As he was known for his defense in center field, he also contributed to the World Series victory by robbing the Dodgers of a potential game-tying home run in Game 4.

All in all, Blair is a solid player to represent from the 1960s for today's card.

Sadly, Blair passed away in 2013 the day after Christmas at the young age of 69.

Unfortunately, death is all around us. 

The lyrics describe the physical and emotional heartache I've felt with the passing of my father:

Every day is basically the same now
Get so sad when I think about you
All the things you showed to me
All the things I couldn't do without you

Only one verse in this song as no other words need to be said.  The drum machine and guitar loop throughout the song, never changing.  Only toward the end of the song with the addition of a synthesizer do we get some feeling back into the song.  The repetition sets me into a daze making me feel like truly, every day is basically the same now. 

Color Coordinated

Two recent purchases have made me appreciate the art that is a color coordinated parallel.  Occasionally a card's colored parallel will match up well with the player's photo/team colors.  

Here are two such examples that I can think of off the top of my head:

2005-06 Upper Deck Rookie Debut - Gold

I'm loathed to actively seek out a Los Angeles Lakers card.  The 2008 and 2010 NBA Championship Finals with the Boston Celtics and the Lakers are the primary cause behind my dislike for the Lakers.  The Celtics should have captured their second title with the "Big Three" (or four if you counted Rondo). 

Anyway, I'm a Gonzaga basketball fan, which is the primary reason I was drawn to this card.  The other reason being that I think the set design is top notch.  With the photo of Turiaf in his college uniform I consider this part of my Gonzaga PC.  Even though it is properly listed as a Lakers card. 

As much as hate to admit it, the card matches the Lakers' purple and gold colors very well.  As a bonus, this card is low-numbered out of 50. 

2017 Topps Chrome - Green

Whereas the previous card look nice due to the design elements coming together, here the photo matches up with the parallel color.  The Mariners' "Northwest Green" uniforms debuted in the 90s and hung around for a couple years.  After some sporadic appearances in the 2000s, these jerseys became a regular fixture in the Mariners' uniform rotation in 2011.

The greens don't match up perfectly (side note: at one time my wife legitimately thought I was color blind) but I think they match up enough to consider this a color coordinated parallel.

Do you have any favorite color coordinated parallels?