Interview With Liz McGuire Whose Story Went Viral After She Got Hit In The Head With A Foul Ball, Turned Into A Topps Now Card, Then Raised Thousands For A Good Cause

You're listening to Cards to the Moon, a podcast about trading cards from both a collector and investor perspective. We hope you'll stick around for the ride as we take a deep dive into the state of the hobby, share some hot takes, hopefully some useful advice and fun stories along the way. Hey y'all, welcome back to Cards to the Moon, my name is Clark from 5cardguys.com and you can also find me at 5cardguys on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. This is episode 290 and it is another Friday episode and just like the earlier Tuesday episode when I interviewed Lance Fensterman, the CEO of Fanatics Events, we've got another special guest on the pod, I guess it's a special guest pod week. And I think you'll enjoy this episode because it's a story that went super viral and it all started with a 110 mile per hour foul ball that hit the head of Liz McGuire at a Blue Jays game last summer. Not to worry, everything turned out fine and in the end it benefited a great kids rehab hospital here in our hometown of Toronto. And even if you heard the story before, whether you saw it on the local news or you read it in the New York Times or Washington Post, I think you'll get a lot more details about what happened by listening to today's episode. But before we play the interview, off the top, yes I'm doing another solo intro, but don't worry, on the schedule for the upcoming weeks, Will and Roy, they're back on with me next week and then you'll hear Hyung again the week after. And if you missed last Tuesday's episode, I mentioned I was taking a couple weeks off just on family vacation, but we got you guys covered with these new episodes that we were able to pre-record. Okay, that's all I wanted to quickly share with you guys. I should mention for this episode, there might have been a few swear words here and there. Not as much as my Gary V interview, but anyway, just in case you're listening with kids, this is your heads up. Alright, hope you enjoy the interview. Alright, we got another special guest today on The Pod. If you're a Jace fan and you're from Toronto, you might have heard her story already, but Liz McGuire is here to talk about a scary incident at the ballpark which ultimately ended in a good news story that includes getting her very own Topps baseball card. I'm glad she was able to come on today and tell us how everything happened. So without further ado, Liz McGuire, welcome to The Pod. Thank you. I will say this. So like the hobby has been so nice to me. Amazing. It's been so kind to me. And so I'm like, you know, I was like, I like baseball. I like Blue Jays a lot. I've been going for years. And so, and like the only, I'm just going to straight up say the only time I collect baseball cards is there was a vending machine at SkyDome and I like to get cards of the players that I liked and I put them in my fridge and be very happy about that. So I would have like Kelly Gruber or, you know what I mean, like, I don't know, like Roberta Alomar, all of which have been canceled since, but yeah, I don't know, but I was like the slaps. Like I like these, I love junk wax. And so I, it's been such an honor. So when I became a Topps card, which is quite an honor, everyone was very nice to me. And so I will say this, like, I realized like this is a big deal, big deal to be a Topps card. And so when I be a Topps card, I'm trying to be the best Topps card that I can be for everyone. One day I dreamt to be a Topps card because straight up, I never did. Like I never thought I'll be a Topps card. So everybody out there, old and young, practice your autographs because you can be woefully unprepared such as myself. I love that. I love hearing that. And I love how the hobby has been welcoming to you. Yeah, really, really nice. And so like, I love the hobby because they mail each other little presents and like that's sweet. And they also like when things are sparkly and like that's so sweet. Yes. I love that also. And yeah, it's just been like the hot like, right away the hobby was like, hey, you're one of us. And I was like, cool, I guess that I am. And somebody actually bought me into my first break. And I was like, cool, cool, cool. And like, I was like, Oh, wait, this is like a good way to get so I got my nephew's nine into collecting baseball cards. I was like, this is a great way to get him just collecting J's because we're trying to complete the base set of 2025. Yeah. Topps one. Yeah, there's one. Yeah. And I was like, I don't tell him that the cards can be worth money. I don't tell him that. I tell him that. I just tell him that it's shiny, if there's a number, if there's an autograph, you put it in a hard case. That's a good rule. I don't want to talk more about the Topps Now card, but you know, for the benefit of our audience who might not be familiar with your story, can you start by, you know, just sharing what happened to you at the Rogers Center, I believe almost a year ago today? Yeah, I'm very happy. It's like almost a year. So, okay, I will straight up say this, like, I go to a lot of baseball games. Me and my friends go to 20, 30 games a year. We like to show, because like, okay, I will say this, but like, there's like a spring package people, a lot of people don't know about, you can get every game for under like two bucks. It's called the lead off package. So for April and May, you can get every game in town for under 40 bucks. It was like a deal. Amazing. Because we're trying to get people in the seats, right? So we're like, yeah, that's our package. We don't have like, I don't want to spend like $10,000. I want to spend like 80 bucks. Let's go. So I'm like, sweet. Yeah. So, you know, we would go to games. I'm like, this is actually a funny game. I was a game in May, it was May 2024. And we actually had good seats, it was a Friday night and we had some good seats and we're like, sweet. We have, because like, we usually in the 500s, so like, sweet, we have, we have the good seats. And like, honestly, I was like five beers in. Great night. It was a lot. It was country night. Crisp acid bobblehead night. The reason why I was five beers in, Clark, is because it was a no hitter against Tampa. And apparently it was like a really trash pitcher. And so we had no, no hits, none, not a hit. And so I'm sitting with my buddies and like, I'm like, sweet, this is a game, whatever. We have the good seats. The dome was closed, actually, it's closed. And then whatever, it's Friday night, let's go. So it's a no hit, JSAV, again, no hits. So it's boring. It's super boring. It doesn't matter because we have the good seats and I'm like, this is amazing. Here we are together. Yeah. And so my buddies are sitting there and we're, it's weird because we're in the, we're in section 137. Oh, yeah. Which I don't advise. Yeah. It was like, I will say that. So it's 137 where, again, so the Jays have just done renovations. The first, last season was the first season. Right. Before it was a multi-use stadium, whereas you would look this way because it used to be football. Yeah. They've turned the seats. I can see home plate. Yeah. That's great. I do love that. Except the seats are steeper and the fences are lower. Oh, right. And you're like, whatever. That's fine. Cause you know what? Who cares? And you're like, I'm going to the baseball game. It's Friday night. Who cares? Turns out you should care. So I'm at the ballgame and I'm like, literally, this is the best part. So I am chirping the baseball game with my friends, having a baseball related conversation. So I turn, I watch a call and I'm like, I say, they should have got robot ops. They need robot ops. What is this? And all of a sudden I hear and someone scream and I can't see anything. And I think, oh no, like I've been hit by the ball. This is bad. I'm embarrassed. I'm like, I'm supposed to be like pretty good at watching baseball games and you have failed at watching a baseball game. And so I didn't hear my teeth smashed and I'm like, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. You are a dummy. You are a dummy. And I was like, sweet. So I'm like, cool, cool. So I stand up. I just stand up. And I was like, I'm fine. Like, I'm fine. Right guys? Like, I'm fine, buds. And they're like, this is the eighth. And they're like, and it's probably seventh. They're like, you are not fine. And all the children look terrified. Like, they're like, whoa. And I'm like, yeah. Yeah. And they're like, nah. I'm like, oh. And so, yeah. And so like, I'm like, okay, like I'm not okay. And, but I feel like amazing. I feel like amazing. Okay. Because all of a sudden, like the adrenaline just hits, right? When something dangerous happens to you, it just, bam, hits. And you're like, so it's crazy. So, so I've been hit by a ball. And I'm like, I'm fine. I'm like, I'm fine. as Peg did, is 110 miles an hour off that. Right. Crazy. 177 kilometers. And so, what is crazy is this? Okay, so, I will say this to you. Now, you'll find out in a moment that I went viral, which we probably know. But like, so, I will be literally sitting on my couch now and somebody will repost me being like, hey, I got hit by a ball, can I get something? Yeah. And they'll be like, what a dumb chick. She wasn't watching the big game. I bet she was taking selfies. Right? And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. I was like looking. I saw the at-bat. I looked away. Yeah. It was traveling at over 100 miles per second. Yeah. And what is crazy about it is it didn't go, you know, like balls arc and you're like, oh yeah, it arcs and arcs and arcs. This was straight. Bam. It was like a weird roper. And so, what's crazy about it is like, I will say this. I'm fortunate it hit me. I'm fortunate it did not kill a child. Because people were like, oh, we only knew a ball was coming. We saw her hat fly off. Right. I was like, ooh. It was dangerous. I was like, it was 177 kilometers an hour off the bat, straight to my face. And it didn't rise. It just went straight and left and down. It literally picked up speed actually when it went down over. Because the nets are low. It's so funny. In the outfield, the nets are lower where they should be higher because it's where the ball flies the fastest. So, I'm like, cool. I'm like, so anyway. So, I get hit and I'm like, I'm very embarrassed. Yes. And so, I just stand up and then the Jays medics come down and they're like, do you want to ride in the cart? And I was like, nah. And they're like, don't you want to ride in the cart? And I was like, yeah. I do want to ride. Okay. I do want to ride in your cart. Yeah. Yes, please. So, they gave me some ice and I thought, cool, cool. Honestly, I'm going to ride the ball. Somebody stole the ball. I'm going to get it back. I'm going to get my ball. Yeah. It's cool. Because like, I am zoodled. I got hit so hard. I can't feel pain. And I'm like, let's go get the ball. Let's go, man. Okay. So, I go and a woman has taken the ball because she said it brushed her shoulder. And I said, I'm up on the concourse. And like, the crowd is chanting to give me the ball. Give her the ball. Yeah. And then she runs out of the game because she's been shamed. So, I'm like, I see you on the concourse. I look insane. Yeah. All right. We'll show you what I look like in a second. But I look absolutely insane. Yeah. And I say, hey, I got really hurt. Can I please have the ball? And she laughed at me. And I thought, oh, you're evil. That's cool. And I just backed off. And I was like, have a good night. So, and like, I look insane. So, I will say that. So, I look, I look crazy. That's the picture on the card. Yeah. I look insane. So, I'm like, cool. And like, it was bigger than that. It was like big. Yeah. It's like, cool, cool. My head is really big. Children are terrified. So, when I'm sitting there because I'm like, okay, cool. I'm going to finish this. I'm going to finish this. I'm going to finish this. I'm going to finish this. I'm going to finish this. So, I'm like, cool. Children are terrified. So, when I'm sitting there because I'm like, okay, cool. I'm going to finish the game. Alright, number one. I am totally zoological. Kudos, right. I'm like, there's three pictures left. Like, we have the good seats. I was like, I can't feel pain. I'm so zooped. I can't feel pain. Yeah. But like, Jay's has a rally going. So, I was like, buds, let's watch the rally. And I promise you after this, we'll walk to the hospital. We're going to walk to St. Mike's. I was like, I swear to promise. I will go. So, at this time, I was like, ah, no, I feel good. I don't want to go. They're like, cool, go. It's like, cool. So, we watch the game. We finish the game. The Jays, I think, lose the game against Tampa. The rally is for naught. Cool. Like, somebody stole the ball off my… I have literally the laces embedded in my face. Oh, my goodness. Cool, cool, cool, cool. And I'm just like… And so, it's supposed to be the next day. I was supposed to go see my nephew who plays his first little league game. That's where I was supposed to be. Yeah. And I thought, I'm going to go see my nephew. I'm going to go see my nephew. I'm going to go see my nephew. I cannot make it to the league game. Oh, I see. Okay, that's the photo, right? I cannot make it to the league game. Oh, I see. Okay, that's the photo, right? That's the photo. And so, actually, I ended up getting up at seven in the morning. So, I got to the hospital. They're like, you don't have a brain blade. Your face isn't smashed in. Yeah, it is. And I was like, I've never been in a fist fight. But you're there likeHey, that things gonna like drop. You're gonna have some wild black eyes and I thought, Go, go with that like three days. That's like three days, a black eye probably takes like three days. No, turns out it takes two and a half months. I never have one. I'm a girl. I had never been in a fistfight. Now, so it went down to my face, and it went to the other eye which actually, honestly, Clark, it's fine. It got me free beers like all season. People get five of these beers. Yeah. So I was like, cool. So I go actually go actually the next day, I get up at seven in the morning, I get my ass to Guelph. I'm like, sweet. I'm just gonna go. This is the first little league game. I want to be there. And so I ended up making it but I was embarrassed. And so I ended up sending a tweet, I was like, Hey, Jays, I had a weird night. Like, I got hurt. And then someone stole the ball. The whole thing was like, and then I look like, I looked insane. I look insane. I was like, can you hook up a girl with with some I was looking for a game use ball. It's like a good $20 like game use ball. Yeah. And I look in the tweet is 15 million views in 15 minutes. Wow. No, I was like, Nah, I didn't want that. I put the phone. I just put my phone down. I was like, Nah, I don't need that. I was like, I bet people are gonna mean to me. It's like, I'm a girl. I was at a baseball game. I said, I literally turned my head for a second. And that's not gonna go over well. And actually, everybody's quite nice to me like, Jays hook her up. You got to be cool. Hook her up. Hook her up. Because you stayed for the game. Right. And I got a message. Blue Jays messaged me back. I'm like, this is what's up. And they say this to me. Well, I stayed for the game. So we didn't escalate. Hmm. I see. Yeah. What? I was like, what? Wait, what? Wait, and then. So anyway, but like, so we had some back and forth dealings. But eventually they're like, because they gave me a rally towel and a T-shirt. And I asked for another T-shirt. And they said, no. I said, that's for a free T-shirt. And they said, no. I was like, what? Yeah. I was like, what? Like, anyway. So eventually they gave me, they gave me free batting practice passage. And I got some Aaron Judge signed ball. I met our judges. I brought my nephew. It was awesome. Like, they were like, weird. And here's the thing. They didn't owe me anything. They could have been like, but like, that's cool. But it was like a, but it was a weird night. Wow. I know the whole story. I sent the tweet out and I was like, goes like viral. And I'm like, I feel dumb. I like straight up feel dumb. I'm supposed to be like. Nothing else. I'm good at watching a baseball game. Like if nothing else, I can sit in a chair. I can sit there in a chair. Turns out I sat in the wrong chair, right? I just like didn't sit well in the chair. I was looking, like everyone's like, oh, did you have your phone up? I was like, it was in my pocket because I had a beer in my hand and I was watching a baseball match. Like, right? And so, I will say this. Okay, so I sent the tweet out and then the Jays were like, yeah, like. You stayed, so we didn't do anything. And I was like, weird. Because like, they had me fill out a form that I couldn't read. And I was like, I filled out your form I couldn't read because I was hit with a 110 mile an hour ball. I was like, seeing double, cool. And then Tops is like, hey, we're gonna make you a baseball card. At this point, I'm like, yeah, man, whatever. Do whatever you want. I'm like, yes. So I'm like, cool. And I didn't realize what it meant. I was just like, sure. I guess you make baseball cards, so I'll be your baseball card. And they were like, yeah, we're gonna make you a Tops Now card and we'll give you all the copies of the Tops Now card. And I literally, I remember I was walking and I was like, sure, bud, whatever you want. Click, click, click, click. And then. Right, it was someone from Tops? Like, their account that just messaged you? Okay. That's cool. Do whatever you want. I was like, do whatever you want. Okay, yeah. Then I realized when the New York Times called that it was a big deal. I was like, oh man, the New York Times have called and the Washington Post called and I'm in People Magazine. I was like, oh no, this was like a bigger deal than you thought. That's crazy, yeah. And then I will say this. So like, yeah, I became a Tops card. And so last year, I'm at the game all the time and kids are always looking at me like. So I was at the game last year and I was out in the outfield and I was like to these random 16-year-old teen kids. And I was like, hi, random teen kids. I'm bad at catching baseballs. If you can catch this baseball, if it comes to you, I'll give you $100 each. And I didn't know who they were. And they looked at me and they said, but you're a Tops card. I was like. Yeah, but you're a Tops card. And I was like, whoa. Like if you can get any kind of cash out of teen children. I was like, yeah. So anyway, that was how I became. I literally sat in the wrong chair. I turned my head for a second. And then I'm like, yeah. And it was like a wild, it was insane. I was like, oh, who? Yeah, anyway, I'm a Tops card. And the cash I have, I'm a Tops card. It's cool. And I will say this. As a female, I'm a girl. You never expect, I love the Blue Jays. So actually my first words ever spoken were, okay, Blue Jays, let's play ball. Not I'm provoked, my brother's provoked the hell out of me to say that. It's not a thing you just say. So, but I don't, you're not, girls don't get on baseball cards. And so it's not a thing you're ever like, oh, one day I'm getting a baseball card. One day it happened and I was like, oh, oh, oh. And so little girls would ask for their picture with me in the stadium because I would show up, I literally showed up for the baseball game two days later because I had tickets and I had these two black eyes and little girls were like, you. And I'm like, cool. And I would take pictures with them and like somebody faked the baseball card. And they're like, literally they made fake copies of my baseball card on the internet. Which most people would be mad about, but I was like, but they made it in like the 1980, like the, you know, the wood grain Topps style? Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, sure. I was like, that's cool. I was like, oh my God. And the guy sent me a hundred of them so I could give them out to kids that I met. Oh, nice, okay. So like I had something to give because Topps took a while to give me the cards, right? Because Topps, you know, but like I had this like really cool 80s style Topps card that I could just give out to kids, which was like really fun. Because like a straight up, me and my friends wanted cards we could stick on our fridge. That's fine, yeah. Right, and so like, but like, yeah, that was, I guess that's it, that's my journey that I had from sitting in the wrong chair to being a Topps card where I'm like, but I think what was confusing to a lot of people is like, I'm a Jays fan, I'm like a big Jays fan. And so like, it wasn't like, oh, whoops. I was like, no, I was literally turning, I was having a conversation about the need for robot arms and I got rocked. And I think what spooks people is they're like, oh, I could have caught that. No, man, no, you couldn't have. I straight up will tell you, you couldn't have caught that. 110 miles an hour, and you can see the at bat, it's like a low robot that goes straight, goes off the bat, bam, right through my face. Like somebody was like, hey, my kid wishes they got hit by that baseball. And I just said, oh, you know, your kid would be dead. I'm so sorry, your kid would be dead. And so it's like a thing where it's like, people are like, oh, if you had, you could have caught that if you're paying attention. I was, you could hit any, you could kill anybody. A lot of people die from these things. And I'm like, I didn't, and it's so great. But it's like, let's not pretend that if I was a big, strong man, I could have caught that. Because if I was a big, strong man and didn't caught that, we'd be having the same conversation. It's hard, yeah, no, for sure. It's hard, and the dome was closed, so the lights were on. And it hit, it was like low. And so, yeah, it's so crazy. I have the hat, my hat got smashed in, and they're like, the whole section was like, we didn't, my buddies feel so bad, they didn't try and catch it, because we didn't see it, nobody saw it. That's quick, right, yeah. Yeah. It's a blink of an eye, that's crazy. 100 miles in a section, it's like, one, two. It's like, that's it. Anyway, but it was like, but yeah, I don't know, man. That was the time I got turned into a baseball guard. Thanks for sharing that whole story. Yeah, it's insane. But it's like, that's the thing, it's like why I never get tired of telling you, because like, it's insane. It's like a wild, it's like the lady trying to steal the ball. Oh yeah, sorry, what I didn't tell you is when I got hit by the ball, the lady was like, I'm not gonna give you the ball, they're chanting. And all the kids ran up to me. All the children of the section ran up to me and be like, try to offer me things that they have in their hands. No way. Their bobbleheads, because it was Chris Bassett bobblehead night. Yeah. They're just like, and so I thought I dreamt it, but somebody who was up in the press box later said to me, Liz, we saw you get hit, we thought you died, and we saw all the kids run up to you. We saw you swarmed by children. And I was like, yeah, I did get swarmed by children. And I was like, that was like the best part of my night, was the kids were all just like, are you okay? Like, it was lineups of children. And I was like. It was beautiful. Yeah, and I was like, that was like, so it's such a weird night of like, yeah, Lady was trash, Jays were weird, they gave me a rally towel and a, what else did they give me? They gave me a rally towel and a fidget spinner, for my troubles. And the kids all showed up for me. And I was like, what a weird night of up and down that was. I mean, humanity. Yeah. All in one day. All in one night. It was like, all I wanted to do was just get drunk with my friends at the baseball game and yell about calls. That is like all I've ever wanted to do. Well, you know, like I said, at the top when I intro this story, it ended up being a good news story, because I guess the last part of that story, and this is why I contacted you, I saw your recent IG post and you decided to, well, first you sold some of those Tops Now cards. Yeah, I did. Right, and then. So I sold, I was like, okay, so here's the thing. I got hurt and then everyone's like this. I got thousands of requests for baseball cards. And I was like, nah, no, no, no, because I didn't have them yet also, but I was just like, I don't know you, get out of here. So, but I thought I'm going to sell, I just, everything felt bigger than me. The moment felt bigger than me. Me being a baseball card felt way bigger than me. And I thought, what am I going to do? So I sold like eight baseball cards and I got five and a half thousand dollars, over five grand. I was like, what? And I was like, this has to mean something bigger than me. So right away I was like, I will, and like, so right away I did a press tour. So every, if you look at me, I'm in every newspaper, weirdly ever. My advice to you is stay out of the news. I was in all the news. And so I thought, I'm going to give this to children concussion research, because I actually got really hurt, right? Like I would forget where I was walking in the street. I had a stutter for months. I had a really bad concussion. Like I like almost died and I got really hurt. So I was like, how can I make this bigger than me? So I was like, I will donate this to Holland Bloorview, which is a rehabilitation hospital in Toronto. So what they do is they do like people, like kids will go to acute care, like sick kids or emergency room, but Holland Bloorview is a school. Kids are there for a long time. It's where you go for your rehabilitation journey. And I was like, I'm going to give them the money. Cause like, I don't, I don't want it. So right away, Schneider's gave me $110 worth of meat. They're like, they're going to give you, we're going to give you a, it was like 10 bucks for, it was a dollar's worth of meat for every mile an hour you got hit, which is like the same with the same with the baseball cards. Like they gave me 110 baseball cards and I gave it to native men's residents. I was like, I will give this away. And when I got hurt with the baseball cards, I was like, I'm going to give, at the time I said, I'm going to get partial proceeds to a children's charity. And I always knew I was going to give it all. I was like, I will give all the money away. And so I gave 5,126, it was actually more with fees in, to Holland Bloorview Kids Concussion Research in Toronto, because it just felt so much bigger than me. And I didn't want the money. I was like, I have this money and it's not my money. It's got to be something bigger. So yeah, so I donated it to a kid's hospital. I felt really good about it. I got to roll up with like a giant novelty check. That was cool. They gave me a tour. That was awesome. But yeah, I, the thing is about the whole thing is like, there's got to be something bigger, right? There's got to be something bigger and better. And I thought, I thought this had to be it. It wasn't good enough that I got turned into Topps card. It wasn't like, what does that mean? I don't know. I actually still don't know. It wasn't good enough that I almost died at the baseball game. But like when I gave the money to a kid's hospital, I thought this slaps. Yeah, no, that's so cool. Yeah, that's, that's amazing story. And yeah, like I used to be a journalist. So I've done a few stories on the Holland Bloor Kids Rehab Hospital. Yeah, it's good. They do great work. Yeah, they do great work. Yeah. I was just like, everything felt right to me when I had the direction of like, I'm going to give it to the kids. And like, I knew it. So I was doing auctions. I was like, I'm going to give money to children's hospitals. This is what I will be doing with the money. Yeah. Because again, the weird night that I had getting turned into a baseball card. Like, dude, I had like, I had 50 million views on that tweet. I probably had a hundred million. Like I walked in and people know who I am. And I'm like, cool. Okay, that's great. And so, yeah, I just, it just never felt like it was my money to begin with. Okay. No, that's, that's, yeah, amazing story. Like I said, and, and I can't even imagine what it felt like for you to go viral. Like, did you ever expect that kind of attention in terms of, you know, what happened, what transpired that night? And- No, my actually, so I was at my niece and nephew's place. And I put on How to Train Your Dragon for them. And then when I went viral, I said, guys, I went viral. And they were whining about where their popcorn was. So, no, like this is the thing. I always say like, stay out of the news. And like, I went viral, but it was a weird thing because everybody's actually quite nice to me, right? Everyone's like super, super nice to me. Cause I was like, well, I stayed for the game. And I did, I stayed for the game. Yeah. Do I say you should do that? No, you should probably go straight to the hospital. Don't do that. But like, everything felt like surreal. And even like, I mean, I did every news you could imagine. I was like everywhere. And- Cause I was gonna ask, I'm like, was it just local? But yeah, you like- No, no, it was Washington Post. It was- Right, you mentioned. TMZ was sniffing around for me and I hid. And it was like New York Times. So, it was crazy. It was like, I was like, oh, whoops. I was in the New York Times and I forgot to buy the article of the New York Times. So, I'm in a two page spread of the New York Times. I'm literally, if you look at my name in the news, you'll be shocked. I was in Sports Illustrated. I was a John boy. I was in all of the news. And I'll tell you, this is what is crazy about my story. So, I went viral like a year ago. But it's not unusual for me to be sitting on my couch, be like drinking coffee, but it's Saturday. And some, like, it's called the baseball. The baseballer likes to repost my original ask. And then my face pops up and I'm like, oh no. 20,000 people are commenting to me and they're always like, shouldn't have been on your phone. And I'm always like. Yeah, here we go again. Like, now I put the phone down now. Because I was like, you would never say that to a man. But like, I will say that. So, I was like, no, was I on my phone taking selfies? I was watching baseball. Having a baseball related conversation. And it could happen to anybody. And people have a hard time with that. Understanding that like, something really bad could happen to you, even if you're doing everything right. And I talked to the Jays a few times. Get your nuts up. Actually, I said, hey, maybe you should call a engineer and get those studies. I know you do them. And so, yeah, that's, I mean, that's what's gonna happen. Someone's gonna get hurt and they're gonna interview me. That's what will happen. But yeah, I think that like, that's, I think, I do wonder if I was a man, how I'd be treated. But I don't think I'd be on the baseball card if I was a man. And I don't think, and like, a part of it also is like, I'm on a podcast. I did every podcast you can imagine. And I actually got a podcast, I joined a podcast team. And now I get to interview like, Todd Stoudemire, Jay Jackson, Ricky Romero. Like, cool Jays. I'm like, I don't hate that at all, you know? Yeah, no, I saw some of those, I like those, or heard some of those interviews. So yeah, just the opportunity that you got. Yeah, it's good. It's a blast. Like, it's a blast. And I think that like, I'm a Jays fan. Like, it hurt. Like, I'm a baseball fan. Like, I go to a lot of games and I feel like, if you go to Jays games, you're gonna see me around the stadium. And I hope that you come say what's up, because I always say what's up to you and high five you. And so, but it's like, yeah, I just feel like I'm part of the flora and the fauna of the SkyDome. And I was always part of it. And it's like, all of a sudden, like something insane happened to me. And people are like, oh, we noticed you now. But I was like, I was always there. You were always there. Yeah. Well, I love that, Liz. Again, thanks for sharing that story. And you know- Yeah, it's wild. It's wild, it's crazy, it's insane for sure. And you know, even the fact that you stay for the rest of the game, that only tells me that you're a diehard Jays fan. So I appreciate that about you. They don't deserve me. But I will say this, like, it's like I try and be the best Topps card I can be for everybody who never became a Topps card, right? Like- Living the dream for us, yeah. I will show you. So I did one Topps card flex. Okay. So I'm, as you know, I am a Topps card. Yeah. Let's see if I can find it. So I commissioned a guy called Brad Davis to put me in the 1950s pop art style of a Topps card. Yeah, I like it. And have it like giant in my house. Yeah. Because I'm like- It's cool. Yeah, I almost died at the baseball game, but at the end of the day, how many people are Topps cards? It's not a lot. And so when I think about how the hobby has embraced me, I am really grateful because I'm like, who am I? I'm nobody. Right? And they're like, there's this thing called random acts of kindness where they mail you baseball cards. And that's really cool. Yeah, nice. You know, I love that. And I love that people want to share their passion with me. And when I see people around Toronto, or even I was in Cleveland and somebody stopped me, they knew who I was. No way. Yeah, man, it's wild. And they're like, Hey, it's you. And they want to talk about baseball, talk about baseball cards. And I'm like, I will talk to you all day about this. So I feel so like lucky that like, people want to share their passions with me of like, you know, about about a baseball game they were at that matters to them, or how mad they are at the Jays, because I'm honestly probably that mad too. And it's so it's so fun, right? Like, I mean, like Cards to the Moon, like you guys, you guys do like baseball cards. And like, I love it, because like, you just collect little pictures of men. I just, that's it. I deeply love it. And so like, what's fun is like, I can show like my nephew. So I got this box of top celebration pack. Oh, yeah, nice. Yeah, I got it because we're I'm trying to help them collect all the series one, 25 Jays or cutie inserts. Right. Like, and so he's nine. And that's fun. We open the cards. And most of me is saying who's that man? I don't know. But sometimes I know who the man is. And like, but it's really fun because like, I like I like I like that he can sort them and I like that we can do it together. Sure. I would never do it alone. I have like six baseball cards that I own. And yeah, like I said, so like, mostly they're my own face. I have 100 of my own baseball cards. So I will say this, like, I really didn't sell a lot of them. They're mostly under my bed. Yeah. I got a few graded, like there's a card shows in town, I dropped a few off, which is super awkward to like, Hey, PSA, I have 10 cards of my own face for grading. And they're like, Whoa, whoa, we want to talk to you. And you're like, Yeah, no, cool. But like, straight up, I'm cuter in real life, I swear. So it's been like a ride because I'm just like, what do you do when you have 100 cards of your own face? So I'm trying to figure that out. But I mostly don't. Like they I mean, one of my baseball cards sold for $2,000 they sold, they sell for five to $2,000. I just don't want them out of my hands. Yeah. And so but if it's a good day, and somebody who's like, I mostly sell them for charity, as you've seen, like I sell them for charity. If somebody's like, somebody's like, had a date assigned Dave Steve card, I love Dave Steve from the Blue Jays. And I was like, for sure. You want to trade? And he sent me all these cool packs. And like, it was a great trade. And I got to meet friends like, yeah, if you get me on the right day, and you ask me something, I'll be like, Yeah, cool. But mostly I say no. Okay, that's good. Good to know. That's, I'm still laughing at the, you're going to a PSA booth, and they're like, Oh, my God. Yeah, there's pictures of me. So I'm like, cool. How do I fill this out? And I had like, 10 cards in my own face. Because tariffs, you can't ship them, right? Right now. And I was like, there's a lot to ship, and I was like, but I'm only getting the cards created because I want my niece and nephews to be able to put them on their wall. And so it's really awkward to be like, everyone else's cool cards, like cool guy, cool baseball man. And I'm just like, yeah, I got like 10 cards in my own face. You should at least sign them. Do you sign any of them? You know? No, I do. Because at PSA, they have my signature on the back. Which is insane. So I signed all of them. Right? Which is insane. So I was like, my mother was like, why did he give you a form? Like, no, no, like, we know your signature. Like, and I was like, and like, literally, it's like, you look at the superstars of humanity. I'm there. And I'm like, I should not be there. But like, yeah, I, yeah, so it was, it was really cool. It's like, then PSA is like, PSA Canada is like, we want your picture taken with you. That's, it happens a lot. They'll be like, we want to take a picture with you. And then people online are like, we want a picture with you. And then other people see it like, yo, we want your picture taken with you. So I do a lot of picture taking. And if anybody, I have this thing at Blue Jays games called random dude selfies. You're walking down, like, I'm just like, I have two beers in my hands, I'm walking somewhere like, I'm like, yeah, yeah. So I will always do. I will always do whatever. I always say what's up. But it was, yeah, it was, I don't know, when you're in all the news is in your thing is like, yeah, I'm a baseball card. A lot of people wish they're baseball cards. I'm not gonna be mean about it. I'm gonna be like, yes, I am this baseball card for all of us. I am this opportunity for everybody that wish they were a baseball card. I'm trying to do the best job of being this Topps card that I can, right? Like, I don't know what you would do if you're a Topps card, but like, I don't know, like, I never thought it was going to happen to me. So I always tell people, practice your signatures. You don't know. You never know. You don't know. You don't know. And so I hope that like, I wish everybody was a Topps card, but it turns out it's just right now it's me. I sat in the wrong chair. But I'm gonna be the best Topps card for everybody who wish they're a Topps card that they could be. Yes. Appreciate that. I appreciate you being the ambassador for that. And yeah, like, it's kind of a crazy story that you are a Topps card. Other than MLB players, other than professional athletes, it's a very, very small list. There's a bee guy. The bee guy was awesome. That's true. Bunch of bees. That raccoon. God bless that raccoon. And then, and then this little jar. And the thing is, like, what made me different is Topps never circulated these cards. They gave all of them to me. If you want this card, get me on a good day. I'll still probably say no, but Godspeed to you. I always say, like, always ask. I don't mind people asking. Can we get a card? What do we got to do for a card? So, right now, I actually tweeted today, I was like, if you give $500 to a charity of my choice, I will send you a card. Now, probably will people do that? I don't know, which is funny, because, like, when I put them on eBay, they pay way more than that. So. Yeah. That's right. So, yeah. I don't know. But. That's cool. I don't know. It was never, I felt like it was never about me. I, and it's really funny. So, my nephew and I were ripping packs, and there was like a thing that was like, hey, like, it was like the big league baseball or whatever series they had, right? I love cutie series. Rips a few boxes of those. Yeah. Nice. Yeah. And it was like, hey, register here, and you can become a baseball player. And he was like, nah. And I was like, no, like, that's a big deal. I know that, like, it happened to me, but, like, actually, like, it's not supposed to happen. And it's a big deal. You should enter the contest. Yeah. Because it's a huge deal. Like, if that happened to you, that'd be everything, you know? And so. Sure. Yeah. I. You never know. I mean, Clark, what would you do if you were a top skirt? That's an interesting question. You know what? I ask that to people. Like, what would you do if you became a top skirt tomorrow? After talking with you, I got to start first, like, practicing my autographs. That's what I got to start doing. Yeah. Oh, my God. But I will say. So, somebody who's very sweet. So, the first place I started was on Jay's Reddit, and they were like, Liz, like, you can't use your banking autograph on those baseball cards. Okay. You got to change. So, I changed the autograph. So, I don't use my formal. Right. Banking one. So, you got to practice your autograph. I don't even think about that. What else would you do? Yeah. How would you celebrate being a baseball card? I would get it graded as well. You got to encapsulate it. You know, you got to protect it. So, yeah. I haven't gotten any of them graded at all. Because I was like, ah. It's going to cost me hundreds of dollars. So, I'm going to get them graded. What else would you do? What would be like the. What else? Yeah. I guess I would give it away for sure. Yeah. I don't know, actually. That's. Yeah. Right. So, I give. Not even my family has. But no. They're literally mostly under my bed. Like, I. They just. Like, somebody was like, oh, hey, Liz. I got one of your baseball cards. Rip one in a pack. Can you sign it for me? And I thought, you're lying. You can't have one. Right. Right. Yeah. There's no. You just don't. What's funny is like people. What is really cool is because I was like, I'm going to help kids with concussions. So, I got a lot of reach out from people being like, I, you know, I have a head injury. I have. And they bought the cards to help with the research. And somebody was like, I have a brain tumor. And he sent me the scans. I was like, oh, man. I was like, oh, man. After he bought it. But I will say this. So, when I got hurt. When they said it was a TOPS card. There was no cure in the whole world. Like my TOPS card. People were like, my daughter's got cancer. The only cure in the world is your TOPS card. If you get a TOPS card. And I was like, no. No. Absolutely not. But I wouldn't respond. But I have a thousand messages of just like people just asking me. Like the weirdest asks you've ever heard of. And I just sort of was like, no. I just ignored it. Because I didn't have them. I didn't have them for two and a half months. Which is good. So, again. You're mostly under. And it is something deeply personal. About giving away pictures of your own face. Yeah. I mean. Obviously in demand. And it's scarce. Because there's only 110 copies out there. Right. So. I would say there's 15. Out in the world. Both of them are under my bed. And everyone's like. Everyone's like. Oh. You've got to do this. And I was like. No. I don't. I don't. And I was like. I was going to take a picture of me throwing them in the fire. Just to weird out collectors. I didn't do it. I did not throw it in the fire. But I was like. No. I was like. I can. Don't you tell me on a baseball card. I am a baseball card. Yeah. Yeah. That you can definitely. Yeah. You own that claim. For sure. Yeah. Well. Liz. That's right. I know I talked a lot. Clark. Any questions you have about being a Top Scar? Anything. About. Anything. No. I think you kind of really. Shared your experience well. Yeah. Yeah. Man. It was a ride. I will say this is like. Again. I will reiterate. Hobby. Was awesome. So. I love. So. Like. I'm bad. I don't have a lot of baseball cards. They have like six of them. Mostly. I collect with my nephew. Which I really. I really enjoy. I like base cards. I'm like. The only person I love. It's like. Yeah. Base cards are still awesome. Yeah. I'm trying to get. Sure. The whole set. I feel like I'm in leave and go. I don't feel like I'm in leave and go. Yeah. It's just like. I have a friend who's a jack. And. That's cool. I bought. I bought. I bought a Vladdy card that he signed. And I'm like. Generally. Bad at baseball cards. But I do. If there's a picture of a man that I like. I think this is actually. The whole route of baseball cards. I don't buy the picture of the man. Okay. It's just pictures of man. Like that. Is just tiny. Pictures of a man. Actually, Clark. What do you like about baseball cards? You know. As a collector. This. This is. This is a collection of bags. And things like that. Right. And I didn't get it for the longest time. Until I really got deep into baseball cards again. And it's just this collector mindset. This is like we just need to collect things. And then we need to complete sets. And we need to. You know. We like to organize. And. And then. You know. And sort. And sort. Yeah. So I like my nephew. I like. I like. He can like sort the baseball. They're not fancy. It's fun. It's fun. Yeah. I like this one. Vladi. Yeah. Puck 70. Yeah. That's a good one. The alien looking face. Yeah. Yeah. I like. It's got a picture of his bat. And he's like. It's like a $2 baseball card. Bat relic. Yeah. This one I bought. I look for an Arjan Nimla signed card. They were over $250. Ready? This card was $100. Why. It's a Vladi. Of 25. Top series one. That's a nice card. Yeah. I know. Why in fact would this. Ready. You know why the rookie cards just have that kind of premium. We know it. Like we know that it's not real though. Then somebody actually mail sent me this card. The tops now. Vladi. I was at this game with my friends. Oh, that's cool. Yeah. And so like. I. Oh. Then I bought this for my nephew. I haven't given it to him yet. But I will for his birthday. It's an on sticker auto Arjan card. Like I got it for eight bucks. Yeah. Nice. Like. Why would someone. Like this guy isn't even really yet. And like this guy. Is like. Holy real. And yet this card is worth three times. Like I just. It's. It's gambling. It's gambling. And you know, if our regular cars to the moon listeners will know we've talked about in the past. It's all about potential. Potential. Potential. I'm like. I'm like. I like. Man. I actually. You know. I just. I entered. I keep entering breaks because like. Because like gambling is fun. All right. Straight up. Sure. And like. I was. This is kind of crazy. So. So in these days are hard to score on packs and somebody was like I got it. Who's the guy who's the name like a car Austin? Oh. Last. I remember. None of. He was like. He was like the biggest deal in like Bowman a couple of years ago. Yeah. He's a catcher. Right. No, no, no. No. No, he wasn't. No. Martin. Austin Martin. Austin Martin. Yes. Great. And so. He was the main hit of the break. And like. He wasn't the guy. You know. And so I'm like. Yeah. I don't know. So I. I'm not doing that. I refuse to like. Yo. This is our guy. No. I'm only picking like. I bought a flat. He signed game. He's back for like fifteen hundred bucks. Because I'm like. He just signed a deal. That's cute. Yeah. I don't. But like. How many rookies actually pan out? Like. Baseball's a hard game. Baseball's a very hard game. So. Basically. I am paying. Money. For cards. I do have a shiny. Otani card. It is a 50-50 parallel. You know the one. Yes. I got. Alright. So this girl got a. One of those shiny bags. You know. You can sell them. And I open it. And everybody. All. And people are like. She only got it. Because she's a girl in the hobby. Doesn't matter. I got it. And you don't. It hit. PSA 9. It's a rainbow PSA. Nice. Parallel of. So I'm like. I'm not. I'm not sure. I go. Anybody wants to buy this card for me? I don't know this man. I know him. But he's not my guy. If I want to trade it for like something like way less. I'd probably be down. There you go. So. Anyway. I'm like. That's it. It's just tiny pictures of men. And I deeply like. Like. I guess fun. I guess cute. I like. Like I went to my first. Sports card exhibition. Right. At the expo. Yeah. Everyone was really nice to me. I was walking down. And people were like. Yeah. So. Yeah. I don't know. Clark. What got you into baseball card collecting? I mean. I collect it. It's the same story for a lot of us. Collected as a kid. You know. Just into baseball too. Right. So. And then. You know. Right before COVID. The nostalgia hit. And you're like. Yeah. Right, yeah, right around COVID for sure. It just boomed in all these 40-somethings like myself. We're like, remember when we collected as a kid, now we have a little bit of disposable income. As a kid, what was your favorite baseball card you got, like ripped in a pack? Um, Mookie Wilson. I don't know if you remember Mookie Wilson. My favorite, my favorite was Mookie Wilson. So Mookie Wilson, my brother got him and we actually had a, we put a letter to the like SkyDome and he signed our card. That's, yeah. So Mookie Wilson's my guy. I deeply love Mookie Wilson. There's a thing going around how he believes in dinosaurs. It's not real. That, it's not real. I didn't even know about that. But Mookie Wilson is a great, that actually got me into baseball cards too, because Mookie Wilson signed our card. Mookie Wilson signed it. I have an autograph for a card because I stood in line for one of his signings. So I had that when I was a kid. Still have it. Yeah, so that's awesome. Yeah, Mookie Wilson was like, I just thought it'd be a cute name because I was nine. And I was like, that's a good name. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, diehard Jace fan like you, you know, let me end off this with one question. Because we're both Jace fans, right? We're both from Toronto. Most of our Carson Moon listeners are American, actually. Hi America. I can't go there right now. Right now. Yeah. But then, you know, like, I'm glad our listeners heard the whole story from you. If you see my face floating around, they only ever post the one where I'm like, hey guys, hook me up. They never post, hey, you gave over $5,000 to a kids charity, or you became a Topps card. So keep that in mind. You see my dumb face floating around. Well, we'll let people know, but you're giving to charity for sure. For sure. But anyway, as of this recording, the Jace, we just won again. So we're back up to 500. Finally, right? My question to you is, what do they need to do to keep this momentum going so we can hopefully get back into the playoffs? Clark, you're not gonna like this. Oh, no. They need to start losing again. They need to get under 500. Yeah. So I don't, yeah, I don't know Shiner's the guy to get us there. I think we're operating within a framework of failure. I'm not really sure the decisions he makes around the bullpen, et cetera. He made some weird decisions. So I don't know if this momentum is real or not. I wish that it was, but here's the thing. The Jace have shown us who they are years and years. So do you remember the parallel universe that was opened when George Springer and Boba Shett smashed into each other years ago? And we lost that. So it kind of ripped open a space-time continuum in which we still operate of failing and losing and being sad. And our lineup for no matter, I don't know what reason is it, but like, I won't put together the best lineups you've ever seen. And then they get like stuck to power and drive and just like can't do it. And also this, I will say that the J's can't get hot all at once. Their bats can't get hot when the pitching's hot. That's true. I don't know why. I don't. It's frustrating. It's like bigger than us, but it's literally in the last three years have never been that way. It's cool that Springer's hitting again and running, but I don't know if these guys can get us there. You're right. I didn't want to hear it, but I can't completely disagree with you. Right. Here's the thing. We've heard this a lot. If only the bats heat up and when the bats heat up, when the bats heat up, but man, bats aren't heating up. It's not going to happen. They built a lineup that is too heavy. How many times have we won the team gold glove? We don't want that team gold glove. We don't want it. We are cursed. So what does it take to kiss her over the hill? A couple of years, I think. A few years. I'm concerned because yeah, our starting rotation's pretty good. They're good, except like- They're old. Yes. They're old. So I still think, you know what? Let's focus on positive. I'm tired of shitting on our baseball team. So I will say this. We have Vladdy locked up. What a treat that is. What a big deal that we can now see what we're building around. Yeah. That's everything. Huge. And we thought that we would have to see him be shopped around other teams all year. All year, we'd see like Boston, like here's Vladdy in a really badly photoshopped Boston outfit. You're like, hey. And it's not. And so you know what? We've saw it down there. We'll eventually heat up, right? And I think they're going to lock up Bo. I think they are. I hope so. I hope so. I want to play with Vladdy for the rest of my career. And I think we're going to see them do that. And so that's cool. I like that. I am concerned about the state of our farm team. It keeps me, actually keeps me up at night. So this, it does. And it should you too, sir. And so what's up? We got Arjan. Arjan is going to be a stud. Can we talk about something as cute as a button? He's got a smile, a winning smile. He's a golden boy. Yeah. Yeah. He's got lovely locks. And I really love that he's the first Indian kid to be like, really make it this far. Like Toronto's multicultural. I love that other people can see themselves in him. That's everything, right? And again, he's gorgeous. Like if I was like 16, I'd be like, he's gorgeous. I'm 41. So I'm like, he's cute as a button. Yeah. Non-predatory. But I think that like our farm team, I don't know what, like we got to start building. Because like when you look at other people's farm teams, like it's depth, depth, depth, depth, depth. And we have a hard time attracting front, front, like, like head talent. Right? We know that. We've seen it. We tried. We tried. And so it's like, we have to grow inside. So I, my concern with the front office isn't that our lineup is weak, which they are, which they can probably adjust over time, but it's how they've treated our farm team. They're just trash farmers. So we need better farmers and we need, yeah. I don't know what's up with Schneider. I don't think he's the guy to get us there. You might be right. You might be right. I don't know. Maybe, sorry. I'm going to ask you, I'll take this back to you in the last, what do you think the JCs need to do to get rolling? I think, yeah, they're, they need to start really building around hopefully Bo and Vladdy. And yeah, I mean the, the question about the pitching rotation being old, like that, that's going to have to be answered really soon, if not next season. Really soon. Really soon, man. Yeah. So I don't know. Hopefully, like, I mean, Max Scherzer didn't turn out okay for us either. I will say he might still. Yeah, it's a possibility. And I will say this, like, let's not forget that when we had a good run in 2015, we were like right about 500. And they're like, we're going to put some pieces in and go for a tear. It could happen again. But for some reason, other teams rebuild and they go for tears all the time. And we just like, can't do it. I don't know why. And we're not like the Angels or we're not the Rockies. But it's like, where is this like, rebuild spirit where we can just like, inject a few dudes in and go hard. And I think it also, I think it just comes down to farm team depth. That and I hope that Rogers continues to pour money into the Jays. Maybe, maybe, you know. I mean, I will say so. I don't like, I try to not go when they're really trash. I'm like, I'm not going to go. But it is a delight because when they, when no one's going, the tickets are like, I got $100 for $30, man. Those are $120 tickets. So, but I hope that like, I hope that the problem with us being Canada's team is because people plan their trips to your head. Right? So like, oh, Jays are good. I will take my vacation there. So we don't see the dip as with a regional team, you'd be like, oh, they're trash. We'll see a dip right away, new tenants. Seem we do not. So, I don't know. I hope that, I mean, we all want the same thing. We want the Jays to do well. We want to win. We all have a hard time with the front office and our ownership. That's true. I guess time will tell us, see what happens, see how it unfolds. But, but you know, we'll still be there. We're both Jays fans. We're going, I will be, that's the sad part, like I'm going on Wednesday, like, but I almost died at the Jays game and I was there two days later. Like, I'm going to be there. That's diehard. I love it. I love it. Well, you know, I'm going to probably see three, four more games this season. So if I see, I'll say hi for sure. If anybody sees me, always come say hi. Awesome. Awesome. Again, thanks for your time. And yeah, love the story. And yeah, it was awesome. Yeah. But stay, stay out of the news. That's my advice. Hey, thanks for listening to Cards to the Moon. We'd really appreciate you subscribing to our podcast, wherever you listen to your podcast. And you can also connect with each of us on Instagram at 5cardguys, or you can follow Hyung at Integrity Sports Cards, or John at TradeUatRecess. You can also check us out at 5cardguys.com. Thanks again, and hope to connect soon.