Upper Deck and Konami Settle

Have you ever gone through a jury selection process, been selected to sit on the jury, listen to opening arguments, even hear a bit of the questioning and answering, and then be summarily dismissed the next day. I have and it sucks. Not because you get to go home earlier than expected- that was the only good thing. It sucked because I had mentally prepared myself to lay judgment and was denied the opportunity to sit with my peers to make that decision. I felt like my job was not done.

Well, this is kind of what happened in the trial between Konami and Upper Deck earlier this week.

News has come indicating that the Upper Deck vs. Konami lawsuit is over and a settlement has been made- specifics not disclosed. Surprisingly, Upper Deck later on declares victory.

I say surprisingly because one thing is clear.

Last month, United States District Judge Valerie Baker Fairbank ruled that Upper Deck counterfeited over 600,000 cards from the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game, and was liable to the Japanese company for damages.

So, the trail that had started with jury selection and opening statements was only about what amount of damages would be due to Konami, not whether Upper Deck was wrong in its actions.

Anyway, Upper Deck released the following statement post settlement.

Upper Deck is pleased to announce that it has come to a successful resolution with Konami over their year-long dispute regarding Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards. On the eve of trial, the court issued several rulings in Upper Deck’s favor which eliminated and gravely threatened many of Konami’s monetary claims requests. These rulings sent Konami and its attorneys into retreat as Konami’s case was disintegrating. These events, and these events alone, provided the framework for the case to be resolved after opening statements were presented to the jury.

Read the rest here. I'm curious what rulings Upper Deck says hurt Konami's damages claims. Anyway, as has been already reported on Beckett.com Upper Deck is to make it's first multimillion dollar payment on Friday (today?).

Unfortunately for Upper Deck their time in the courtroom will probably not be over as Major League Baseball Properties has already thrown out an opening salvo in a oncoming licensing dispute. I'll be sure to write more about this upcoming Baseball card war.

Great Italian Dodgers In a Great Italian Set

As the saying goes, America is a nation of immigrants. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that a game filled with many nationalities became known as America's game.

Baseball has defined us. It was a creation born of another game from a foreign land. American ingenuity at its best. It helped a country during a time of strife as soldiers on both sides of the Civil War played it to pass the time. Proof of it's ability to unify. Immigrants seeking roads paved with gold instead found themselves embracing the game. Baseball is a symbol of our melting pot.

So, a card set that celebrates an ethnic group that helped us enjoy the game shouldn't be a surprise. The Order of the Sons of Italy and the National Ethnic Heritage Foundation have come together to create a 100 card set featuring great Italians in Baseball.

A big thanks to Trader Crack's for finding the below set for us to enjoy. Go here to see them all and to make a donation to get a complete set.

Below are the great Italian Dodgers.

Joe Torre

Steve Sax

Mike Piazza

Tommy Lasorda

Carl Furillo

Roy Campanella

Ralph Branca

Hearing From Jerry Reuss

For one of my favorite blogs, Night Owl Cards, he got a bit of a surprise recently when his favorite player of all-time responded to a post. I must say that I'm a little jealous. Jerry Reuss was one of my favorites also. Check out his post here.

What is even better is that Reuss pointed to a couple of sites worth checking out. Here is a link for his personal website at JerryReuss.com and a flickr page featuring pics of his Baseball cards from his 20+ years of professional Baseball.

In Reuss's honor, Night Owl Cards is running a poll asking what is his best card. Go here to vote. I personally like his 1984 Topps card. After all, he is wearing Dodger Blue and it features his very identifiable windup I grew up watching as a young Dodger fan.BTW, in doing some minor research for this post I came across a fascinating story about Jerry Reuss. From a 1975 story in People Magazine:

When pitcher Jerry Reuss took his wife, Ann, on the Pittsburgh Pirates' final swing to the West Coast last season, the management nicked him with a $500 fine. Jerry, to be sure, had paid for her commercial flight (spouses are non grata on the team charter jet) and the extra hotel tab, but still had violated a Pirate regulation. As a result, in a sport built on arcane records, Reuss came up with a new one for the book: he was the first player to file a grievance action to establish the right to sleep with his own wife.

Read the rest of the article here. It goes deep into the difficulties a Baseball life can have.

Plenty of Jackie's in Topps

The 2010 Topps set is filled with enough Jackie Robinson cards to make any Dodger fan happy. I've collected several pics of as many as I can find. Below is the short printed base card of the Hall of Famer. This is probably his scarcest card in the set.Here is a Legendary Lineage insert card featuring Jackie Robinson and Matt Kemp.
Below is another insert card, available only in Target wax boxes, of Jackie that uses the vintage 1951 Topps Red Back design.
Here is a "History of the Game" card celebrating his first game in the Major Leagues.
Below is a "Tales of the Game" card showing Jackie stealing home in the World Series.
Here is Jackie's "Peak Performance" card.
Below is an insert card of a series called "Cards Your Mom Threw Out" featuring a reprint of Jackie's 1953 Topps card. I would cry if Mom threw this card away.

Check Out This Office

I would love to work in this space. Rabbi David Zaslow shows off his office that is filled with Jackie Robinson and other Dodger memorabilia. Of course, I've chosen to ignore the Yankee and other non-Dodger stuff.

YouTube Link:

Blog Kiosk: 1/24/2010

What a busy week for the Dodgers. Everyone you hoped would get signed, does. And the pitcher who shot himself over the winter stays Blue. I just can't wait for the summer thaw.

• I hope for the best. Troy has had a tough time lately. I'm sure that all of Dodger nation is pulling for you.
  
• Dodger Caravan!
  
• Picture Cards & Bubble Gum is right. There are way too many Manny cards in the 2010 Topps set.
• T. S. O'Connell predicts a courtroom battle between Upper Deck and Topps is coming.
  
• From Baseball Think Factory- a group team photo of from the 1903 Inaugural World Series.