1/26/09

Johan's no-no card and a case of mistaken identity or: Why you need to proofread

Occasionally, I'll post something here and I won't catch a spelling error or calling Rob Mackowiak "Rod." Hey, it happens and people make mistakes. Thankfully I have a few close friends and die-hard readers who look out for me and let me know if I slipped up.

I am also one of the copy editors for my school newspaper. Scanning over every article with a fine toothed comb is something I find both extremely necessary and somewhat enjoyable.

But for these two flubs, it looks like everyone that had a hand in it made one giant "Uh-oh!"

First up, the case of mistaken identity. This was scanned and sent in by Corey Mansfield. He said he was scanning a fantasy baseball magazine ("Fanball - Fantasy Baseball, Annual Guide 2009" to be exact) and came across this box for Carlos Beltran.

But...that's not a photo of Beltran...What I find really hilarious though, is that Fernando Tatis (the player pictured, if you couldn't tell) has his number very clearly visible. Whoops!

Next up is something sent in by Ryan Punzalan of Retire31.com.

This one is a must-have for the avid baseball card collector. It just sold for $305 on eBay, so hopefully another one pops up.

As if there wasn't a bigger jinx ever created, I present you this -- the Topps Johan Santana No-Hitter card...I wonder what went through the Topps people's heads when they found out there was no no-no.

"What do you mean he didn't throw a no-hitter?! Really? Are you sure? 100 percent? Awww...shucks..."

A life lesson learned: If you're going to make something, make sure you check it over a few times before you hit "send to printer."

UPDATE: Here's a story about the "fake" cards (like Santana's) that Topps PURPOSELY printed up. Not very funny, guys.

Thanks, Ryan and Corey! And Buzz!