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Buster Posey loves New York, especially when the Giants are winning. This week as the former inhabitants of the Polo Grounds took three of four from the Mets, the soft-spoken Georgia native was in and about Gotham, catching no-hitters, hitting home runs and signing on as the 2015 Ambassador for Topps, which he formalized with a little get-together in lower Manhattan in mid-week.
“Our organization has done such a great job in connecting with our fans wherever they are it’s not surprising to see people turn out, but New York is a little different because of the history with the franchise here,” he said. “You see people who are Giants fans because it was passed down from their parents and grandparents, and older people recognize you on the street. The last few years as we have done well in the postseason it seems like there are more and more of them here. And you certainly see and hear them when we are at CitiField.”
Posey is a great role model and spokesman for baseball, and was selected by the fans as the 2015: Face of the Game: this past spring, edging out the Mets’ David Wright. That impact wasn’t lost on Topps, who chose Posey for their spokesperson as much for his work off the field than on. “We welcome Buster as our official ambassador for 2015,” said Clay Luraschi, Topps’ Vice President of Product Development in a statement. “There are few people, let alone athletes, who are better role models than he is, not just in the way he plays, but in his dedication to off-field activities such as family and community service. We are looking forward to working with him to help us continue to grow and engage our brand.”
As far as the new cards which are out next week, Series Two Baseball, features a 350-card base set that combined with February’s Topps® Series One Baseball makes this year’s card set the company’s largest in 10 years. The set includes new First Pitch cards with actor Jon Hamm, comic and pop culture icon Stan Lee, Bill Kreutzman and Mickey Hart of The Grateful Dead, and actor Chris Pratt all mixed in.
The set will also have the first flagship Rookie Cards for Cubs standout Kris Bryant and Diamondbacks star Yasmany Tomas. In addition, the “Highlight of the Year” autograph and relic subset, which brings the past alive by highlighting iconic moments in baseball history, returns with Rickey Henderson, Nolan Ryan and Cal Ripken Jr., featured on cards. The release of the set comes on the heels of another popular celebrity Topps offering, a full lineup of Will Ferrell cards coming off his nine teams, one day spring training jaunt that will be part of an upcoming HBO special.
Back to Posey, could the All-Star catcher ever find his way to New York permanently, either in Queens or The Bronx? He deflected the question with ease. “I love the Giants organization and what we are doing and that’s where my focus is,” he said. “Our goal is to keep winning on the field and do the best we can to cultivate and engage with our fans, and this opportunity with a great brand like Topps is a big part of that outreach.”
Spoken like a true champion.
