Miracle March TTM 2018 Edition

My monthly TTM wrap-up post is coming up in two days, but on Monday I got back a return that was so cool I just had to blog about it on it's own.

BAM! A TTM autograph of Filip Chytil!

This was one of the requests I sent out thinking my chances of getting a return were about zero. But I was fortunately proven wrong.

"It's something special"#NYR prospect Filip Chytil is ready for his call-up to the Blueshirts

Watch his exclusive interview ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/qfh9DcnpPQ

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 25, 2018

Chytil is a center from the Czech Republic who was drafted by the New York Rangers in the first round (21st overall) last year. Chytil's draft selection was puzzling at first to many but as more details about the type of player he is and who he could one day become came out, the more there was to be excited about him.

Chytil's pre-draft scouting reports indicate that his biggest attribute is his speed and his ability to hold his own when matched up against competitors who are several years older than him. Considering how he was still a teenager back then (he's still a teenager now since he doesn't turn 20 until September in 2019), that is pretty impressive. Most of his other skills are said to be "above-average", except maybe power but give it like five years and he'll probably gain a few more kilos and find himself as a capable forward with power.

Another word that came up al lot when I was looking up his scouting reports was the word "raw". Which is to be expected with any teenage athlete. In baseball terms "raw" is usually code for a player having unteachable skills but never really delivering on them (usually power), hopefully in hockey it means something completely different. And based on what I've read and seen from fans and people who covered the Hartford Wolfpack (the AHL affiliate of the Rangers where Chytil spent most of this past season), Chytil is really starting to add some polish to his game (the results speak for themselves).

With the Rangers in complete rebuild mode for the rest of this season (all five games that remain anyway lol), this is an excellent chance to give Chytil and fellow 2017 first rounder Lias Andersson - both of whom were recalled from Hartford at the same time - a shot to see what they've got as the Rangers sort out who they'll keep around next season. The Rangers have the core to be pretty competitive next season too (with Henrik Lundqvist in the net any team could be), and big strides from Chytil and Andersson would be a huge step forward in the Rangers' Yankees-style five minute rebuild. Hopefully they'll force the issue and show that they're not going back to Hartford, but some more polish in the AHL isn't the worst thing either. The tougher it is for Jeff Gorton to make a decision, the better.

Woof, man, I don't think I've been this excited about a TTM return since... last year when I got a return from Shigeru Sugishita (another March Miracle return). Speaking of which, I guess it's time for a banner pic update...

So yeah, děkuji to Filip Chytil for the awesome autograph.

As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).

Sources:
*http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=196744
*https://futureconsiderations.ca/player/filip-chytil/
*http://www.blueshirtsbreakaway.com/?s=chytil
*https://www.blueshirtbanter.com/2017/6/24/15867362/lias-andersson-scouting-report-filip-chytil-scouting-report-2017-nhl-draft-first-round
*https://www.sny.tv/rangers/news/rangers-call-up-filip-chytil-and-lias-andersson/269673698

Pivoting to Video

For those you that were worried that I was scrapping this blog and moving to video, don't worry, I'm not.

But, I have had a few stray thoughts over the years where I shoot and edit an entire video based on baseball cards. But how? Or rather, what?

Well the foremost obvious answer would be videos focused on opening packs/boxes/entire cases.

I think we've all seen at least one box break video in our lives. Whether it's one of those live stream group break videos or just some vlogger ripping into a blaster from Wal-Mart. For the most part they're all very bad in terms of entertainment value. Never mind the stuff the people pull in the video, a great hit doesn't guarantee a great video. You don't watch those videos to be entertained, you watch them to see if the team slot you purchased gets you something good.

I mean let's face it. Most of the box breakers aren't entertainers or people who make a living performing. They're probably laypeople who work as lawyers (because apparently lawyers make up 60% of all baseball card collectors). That's not their fault, nor is it a sin or anything. But it just means that you're going to end up watching a very lackluster 10 minute video of a guy sitting in front of a web-cam (or right behind it) with a bad mic. All part of a very long continuous shot with little edits, nothing in terms of a music soundtrack, and unless you have something invested in the video (ie you're part of the group break) you're probably going to click out of the video.

I mean I guess that's to be expected for live streaming since I guess it's the closest you're going to be able to get to having the participants see the pulls in real time and confirm for themselves that the operation wasn't rigged.

But what if it's not a live stream? What if it's just a recap video of sorts? What if the point of the video isn't even about opening something? Do you take the same "one and done approach"? Based on YouTube searches the answer is a resounding yes because people are lazy. And no I do not blame them. As mentioned before, I'm lazy too.

BUT, every now and then you do have videos that can make it a little bit more interesting.

I recently came across this video where the plot revolves around the opening of two boxes of Upper Deck Christina Aguilera cards, created by online filmmaker SBN3. It's very entertaining and can be enjoyed by basically anybody regardless of if they're a collector or not.

The next section contains *spoilers*, so watch the video first if you care to.

Now granted, this isn't a "traditional" box break video. There are edits, there are production values, there are puppets. We don't even know if the autograph was pulled or if it was bought. But you know what? I don't care, I really enjoyed it. The video doesn't exist to show us what was in the boxes (in fact it clearly doesn't give a shit what was inside), it shows us a relatable and familiar situation of a collector who is desperate for a good pull. I'm sure a lot of us can relate to a lot of moments in the video. Like questioning the legitimacy of the "autographs", having concerns about the boxes being tampered with beforehand, being friends with condiments, complaining about the same pictures used over & over again, and praying to Jesus Christina Aguilera for a good luck. Don't lie to me or yourself, we've all been there.

It'd be pretty greedy of me to say that this is the kind of content and creativity I want from card videos, but this is totally the kind of content and creativity I want from card videos. So much so that I've considered making one on-and-off for years. All amounting to nothing.

Just a notch below that work of genius is this, an SB Nation original video production brought to you by Jon Bois and Ryan Nanni. They open packs in their quest to find the worst sports card ever. It's no Pretty Good (SB Nation's best video series), but it's fine. It gives pack openings a clear objective and a fun way of presenting their findings to us.

I suppose there is also having former players/personalities open cards and comment on them. Every now and then you get some great personal stories but for the most part the statements are often bland "oh this guy was a great guy and a heck of a player" types of PR speak we've heard millions of times. You're never going to get anything good like "oh this guy was a shit head" from anybody, not even if you gave Michael Barrett a pack filled with AJ Pierzynski's.

I didn't really check to see if there were other types of card videos out there but I assume that they'd be more of the same, vlogger type of card show hauls or autograph hauls or something like that.

My point is that there is effort put into these videos that makes them worth watching multiple times. If I ever do make a video, I'd want it to be like them. A little video made to entertain rather than just being another show and tell presentation. With scripts, with editing, with sound mixing, everything. Easier said than done I know, but hey, where there's a will there's a way. Who knows, maybe in the future we might Clone Breaks in video format ;). Although stop motion is not easy. And mics are not cheap. And camera phones aren't good enough. Ugh.

So anyway what do you think of videos about cards? Do you agree that they can be spruced up and less vloggy? Or do you like them just the way they already are because they're serving their purpose? Or do you think that both can be true like most rational humans would?

As always thanks for stopping by and take care.