Unboxing my 2024 Topps AU Pro Softball Cards

Why Does a Straight Man Care About Women's Sport?

    With a younger sister who also played Little League, I spent plenty of time at softball games. It wasn't unusual to spend an entire weekend at the ball field. My town was so small that, we played nearly all of our baseball games on a converted softball field. Yep. No mound, no infield grass, and no fences. We also played soccer so, most of my childhood revolved around sports, and when I wasn't playing myself, I was watching the girls. So, it's never been such a stretch for me to watch, and even enjoy, Women's Sports. 

    It was always just normal to me. They were just more people playing the same games that I loved. I treated my sisters like competitors. There was even a few seasons in my teens, with such a small town league, that many of our soccer practices were scrimmages against the girls team. So, when I stumbled across the NCAA Women's College World Series a few years ago, it was a pleasant surprise. As a lover of obscure sports (in the late 90's, soccer was considered obscure) I always enjoyed finding games on tv. As much as I loved baseball, and with my familiarity with the game, watching softball came easy.

    I remember growing up, dreaming of playing in the Big Leagues. One day, I would get payed to play the games I love, compete against all of the players I idolized, and become a world champion in every possible sport there is. It never really occurred to me that my sisters, who were equally competitive and skilled, couldn't even imagine that possibility. For many girls, college would be the peak and that was just the way it was. So, when I discovered that Athletes Unlimited was looking to revolutionize Women's Sports, I became an instant fan. Well, sort of. 

    I watched the US Women's National Soccer Team go on their epic run in the Olympics and the World Cup and parley that into rebuilding the NWSL, National Women's Soccer League. Part of me is sad that my sister's had already moved on from the games they loved but, knowing that it was now possible for a woman to create a legitimate career playing sports felt like a win. I've been following NCAA softball tournaments and trying to familiarize myself with the subtle differences in the rules, some of the key performers, and various cultures of successful collegiate programs. When I found AUX, though. It didn't sit right with me. 

What Is Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball?

    Sure, I was excited to see that there was an opportunity for them to play but, the format turned me off. My philosophy has always been built around unselfish, team first mentality. The greatest teams and players I had always respected knew how to "take the ball and run" but, they also respected the fact that a great team will always find a way to beat a few great players. The AUX format tends to celebrate individual performances the most, rewarding points to players and ranking them on a leaderboard. Then, they crown a solo champion for the entire tournament. There are team win and inning win points for the entire team but, they also shuffle the rosters a few teams so, that team culture has little to no time to develop.

    It works for what it is. It is a fun exhibition. It is professional softball and it's being played on a high level. The women seem to be having fun and it has been promoted by many respected players. So, when I found out that AU had intentions of building a more traditional league format, I decided to take a look and I was excited to see some of my favorite collegiate players competing once again. I still prefer the college game. Even though there is a turn-over every four years, it has more of that quality of culture and development that can only come from time together. However, I can appreciate what AUX is and will be tuning in for the Championship Season beginning July 26.

Watch the Topps 2024 AU Pro Softball Unboxing on YouTube

    So, partly for myself and partly for my niece, (who is beginning her Little League softball journey in Montana) I happily picked up a box of the 2024 Topps Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball cards. I was lucky enough to pick up one of the rare Quad Autograph cards featuring Odicci Alexander, Danielle Gibson, Alyssa Denham, and Rachel Garcia. There was also a 1/25 Autographed Dejah Mulipola, a couple of 1/75 and 1/50 editions, as well as several cards of players that I would like to get autographs from in the future.

Some of my favorite player cards in this box include:

• Kathryn Sandercock
• Megan Faraimo
• Josie Muffley
• Aleshia Ocasio
• Odicci Alexander
• Delanie Wisz
• Mariah Mazon
• Sam Fischer

    I already knew some of these players from the NCAA tournaments, and some I watched for the first time at AUX in Wichita. There's still a few more players in the game that I am hoping to collect. As of today, previous AU collections are unavailable on the Topps website but, maybe the demand for these cards will increase and we can see a reissue in the future. Another reason I am excited about the potential for a traditional team format is that I would like to see the stat table on the back of the card, like we've seen for so many years with baseball cards. It has been years since I was invested in cards but, this box has me looking for a few special cases and looking for professional events near me.

Support Athletes Unlimited Professional Softball, Lacrosse, Basketball and Volleyball at AUSports.com

another season in the books 🥹🫶#AUProSB pic.twitter.com/jcnGqzy7mZ

— AU Pro Softball (@auprosoftball) June 27, 2024

Pick up your Limited Edition 2024 AU Pro Softball cards at Topps.com

𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧: 10 lucky collectors of 2024 Topps Athletes Unlimited Softball will receive a game-used jersey with their purchase‼️ pic.twitter.com/KkRVzHKWm7

— Topps (@Topps) June 20, 2024

Check out more Sports content from myself at WriterJoshua.com/BallFirst

Put the Ball First. #BallFirst

My collection of sports psychology, team philosophy, tactical analysis, opinion, fact and How To Win Ballgames. https://t.co/FPsAQgCsPQ pic.twitter.com/1G1ojtaOnj

— WriterJoshua (@JoshWritesWell) June 27, 2024

--

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lucero

Send Me An @Email

www.writerjoshua.com

--

WriterJoshua Around the Web

Joshua Lucero on LinkedIn

WriterJoshua on Facebook

@JoshWritesWell on Twitter (X)

u/WriterJoshua on Reddit

YouTube: Menifee Rose Garden est. 2016

 

Las Cruces, New Mexico

April 3, 2024

    I'm sitting outside on a beautiful morning in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I have been visiting with family and celebrating the life of my late grandfather. It has been mostly pleasant. Living in California, it can become difficult to stay in touch. One of the most common questions when folks get together after long strecthes is, "What have you been up to?" So, I though a great way to convey just what that is, would be to create a short video documenting my progress in the garden.

For more on this project, check out the Menifee Rose Garden page

SeeJoshsPhotos

I have also settled on a new layout for my photography space. You can find this video, more pictures from the garden, as well as other photography content at www.SeeJoshsPhotos.com

All the best,
Josh

Technology: How I'm Leveling Up IRL XP Making Maps in Fortnite Creative 2.0

What is Fortnite Creative 2.0?

    You can thank the Ninja Turtles for really solidifying my engagement in Fortnite. Grinding to complete the Chapter 5 Cowabunga Pass, as well as owning the Master Splinter skin, encouraged me to invest more time and energy into this game. One of the conditions of earning Ooze, the temporary currency for the Cowabunga pass, was to gain XP in User Created maps. Honestly, the perfectionist in me could hardly get past the flaws of many of the Islands. They seemed so primitive compared to the official channels, understandably so. Building an entire video game is a difficult task. It is so complex that it takes entire teams of people to make the best games and even they can have bugs and other complications. That's why there are updates often. Part of that is because the internet makes it possible to push updates rather frequently. Studios don't need to necessarily get it perfect before it ships, like they had to in the days of cartridges and laser discs. So, I say all that with the utmost respect.

    Fortnite Creative is revolutionary to the gaming industry by simply making this technology freely available to everyone. I've never understood more of the nuance of creating virtual worlds and connecting us around the world to play together in real time ever before. Having grown up in the 90's, it is sort of mind blowing to think about. It reminds me of the impact that Apple made on the music industry when it made GarageBand, a powerful music production tool, available for free on its devices. The same may be said about iMovie, as well. 

    I'll get to the specifics of the Unreal Engine in a minute but, the "Omniverse" concept is decentralizing the way we entertain ourselves. It is empowering players, many of them young, to engage in computer sciences with almost zero experience in computers and coding. Most of all, it's actually fun!

    Fortnite Creative 2.0 is powered by the Unreal Engine (Epic Games, 2024), which has created some of the most iconic games on the market. It is available on PC as a developer tool and has recently launched Unreal Engine for Fortnite (UEFN) explicitly for creating Fortnite Islands. It is currently not available for MacOS so, I haven't been able to fully embrace the power of it but, I have been able to experience the more modest version of Creative on the Playstation 5 console can already see the impact it will have on, not only gaming but, computer sciences and education. 

    If you've been around for the past few years, you are certainly aware of Web3, cryptocurrency, decentralized banking, NFT's, and the Fediverse. The Fortnite Omniverse performs a similar function. The game itself is free for everyone. Most, if not all but one, of the islands are free to access. Anyone can sign up for the Creator Portal, allowing them to receive payouts for creating engaging Islands (Epic Games, 2-2024). Considering the potential to earn a living creating video games is nothing I have ever thought possible but, now it is. More than that, though, I find navigating the environment and using such a powerful tool to access an unlimited level of creativity to be a driving force. 

WriterJoshua's Islands

    Joining the Creator Portal and becoming an Island Creator comes with it's own eligibility requirements, including the 30 days rule, before you can publish (Epic Games, 2024). So, you won't find my Islands, just yet. However, I am live streaming my creative exploratory process to document and reference as I move forward. I am learning so much and have lots of great ideas for game modes and experiences. My biggest goal is to be able to implement my own music, as I have been composing soundtracks for many years. I am also excited to engage my storytelling skills into a fun, playable environment that I can share with you. 

    These games may be classic Battle Royale matches, immersive Solo and Cooperative Campaigns, or even virtual concert and music performance instances. Then, there's all of the innovative ideas I've yet to dream up. Having access to such a platform opens up an entire world of artistic possibility. It's been awhile since I've been this excited about a creative venture. I have a good feeling about it. 

    Until I begin publishing, you can contribute by engaging with my online content, or tipping via financial platforms listed below. I am also interested in connecting with you if you'd like to test some of my Islands, possibly collaborate on a project, or just share ideas and feedback. If you are a writer interested in creating dialogue, or a gaming expert interested in discussing game mechanics and structure, or if you have your own projects that you believe some of my music would fit, leave a comment or connect with me on Epic Games or the Playstation Network.. I am also interested in sharing Nintendo Friend Codes if you prefer that platform. That's the great thing about games with cross-platform capability.

I tried to avoid being charged for changing my Player Name but, it wouldn't allow me to connect a new PS account to my current Epic Games account so, I decided that it is still early enough that it isn't much of a loss to abandon the old account. I'll still have access to my TMNT content on the old account if I need it. Plus, there's plenty of evidence on my gamer YouTube channel. Hopefully, that content will cycle back into the shop at some point. Otherwise, I think it's worth it keep all of my tags easily organized so you can find me in game. 

• EpicGames: WriterJoshua_
• PSN: WriterJoshua

$WriterJoshua on YouTube

This is a new domain as of February 2024. Per the Google Workspace Agreement, an account must be active for 30 days to be eligible to create a YouTube account. It will take even longer to be approved by YouTube to do Live Streaming. I'm just too excited to wait! So in the meantime, I've been using my gaming channel to stream my early discovery experience on Fortnite Creative.

I am also new to the Fortnite Omniverse. Until my new channel is approved (watch this space) I will posting my Fortnite Creative adventures at @BeauHolliday on YouTube. You can also follow as I check out Epic Originals like Zero Build, Festival Jam Session, Lego Survival as well as cool creator maps like, Super Market Prop Hunt and Footnite. The possibilities are quite infinite.

Check out these playlists for some of the Live Stream Replays:

• @BeauHolliday: Fortnite Zero Build Victory Royale
• @BeauHolliday: Fortnite Creative Live

My Gaming History

Video games have evolved significantly since I played my first Duck Hunt on the NES. I was going to mention my experience with Pong at my grandpa's house but, I thought that would have dated me older than I am. Ha! I was heavy into Mike Tyson's Punch-Out, Super Mario Bros on the NES. I was probably too young for it but, I spent some time shooting demons in Doom, when. I wasn't typing book reports or playing Minesweeper and Solitaire. Super Nintendo introduced me to Street Fighter and more Mario Bros, and FIFA on Playstation constituted most of my gaming through elementary school. Daytona USA and Virtua Street Fighter on the Sega Saturn are still some of my fondest memories. My friends had multiple Xbox's and we had a lot of Halo LAN parties.I dabbled in GTA on a Playstation 2 but, I mostly used it as a DVD player, if I'm being honest.

That's around the time I started working full time in restaurants and doing the adult life stuff, you know. I lost touch with video games. I would play the occasional Wii Sports with my little sister but, I spent a lot of time away from gaming. I missed the initial boom of online gaming. I didn't have an Xbox 360 or spend much time gaming on PC. It wasn't until I started playing Xbox One demos of FIFA at the mall in 2016 that I began to feel the pull of video games, once again. 

While it was primarily used to play FIFA, the Xbox One immersed me into the new experience of online gaming. By now, the internet speeds were stable enough to support complex software across vast distances. I felt like a caveman riding in a sedan. With that immense processing power, I was enabled to experience open world games, like the Assassin's Creed franchise, and fell in love with the storytelling aspect of gaming. 

Now, I'm on Nintendo Switch and Playstation 5, in addition to the Xbox One for my Halo connections. Ghost of Tsushima was my first game, and via Playstation Plus, I was able to access Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. 

Which brings us to February 2024. I had played a quick game of Fortnite a long time ago. With my experience in first person shooters, I did okay but, I didn't understand the Build Mechanics and lost interest. After playing some Minecraft with family over the holidays, the kids finally convinced me to give Fortnite a try. I've leveled up, some, playing Zero Build lobbies. If I had known this was an option, I might have been here sooner. Now that I understand the weapon classes, how the storm works, which consumables do what, and how to strategize, I'm enjoying it. 

Thank you for your time. Please share your thoughts on Fortnite, or gaming in general. Are you an Island Creator? Which platform is your favorite to play on?

--

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lucero

Send Me An @Email

www.writerjoshua.com

WriterJoshua Around the Web

Joshua Lucero on LinkedIn

WriterJoshua on Facebook

@JoshWritesWell on Twitter (X)

u/WriterJoshua on Reddit

Resources:

Epic Games. (2024). Fortnite Creative Mode. Fortnite.com. https://www.fortnite.com/creative

Epic Games. (2024). Home | Creator Portal. Fortnite.com. https://create.fortnite.com/island-creator/overview

Technology: I'm not ditching my physical media library for a digital one, just yet

Is it too early to put all of your eggs into one digital video basket? Maybe it’s too early to ditch the physical media library, just yet. While digital media has revolutionized the way we consume our favorite tv and movies, in many ways, the plethora of options still poses more challenges of its own. From choosing the right app, to having the right device to play them on, it’s not just as simple as physical vs digital. The market is so new, and studios, developers, and advertisers are trying to capitalize on your attention, that simply choosing one doesn’t serve all of your needs.

Some of the major outlets include Google/YouTube, Apple’s iTunes Store, Microsoft’s Movies and TV, Amazon’s Prime Video, and Vudu, formerly FandangoNow (Nations, 2022). Even though there are a few major sources for buy-to-own digital movies, it can be tricky to access your content without the right device. For the most part, the websites that allow you the opportunity to purchase movies and tv shows each have an app that’s available on most smart tv’s, tablets, and gaming consoles. However, not all companies play nice with each other. Not all apps are supported by all operating systems and not all movies are available to all services. So, while you may have purchased a video on one of these apps, a studio disagreement entitles most of the major outlets the ability to refuse access to certain titles, even if you’ve already paid for it, at any time (Morrison, 2021). 

Now, they can all be accessed from a computer but, if you want to watch them on your big screens, you might be out of luck. Most the media apps I use on my iPhone have “cast” capability but, I don’t always find the connection I’m looking for. If it’s not an Apple Play ready device, then Apple TV becomes useless. If you own a next generation gaming console, such as Xbox One X or PS5, you may or may not have access to the app you’ve chosen to be your library. In many ways, we are forced to use multiple sources keep up with all of our favorites. Not every service offers every movie available. 

It’s understandable that we are all in some uncharted territory when it comes to media and the people who love it. Remember the “mp3” fiasco? Moving music to a digital platform from Compact Discs was a remarkable step forward but, it opened up a pandora’s box of legal questions that, to this day, we don't really have a firm grasp of. When you bought a CD, or cassette, or vinyl (8-track anyone?) you essentially owned your copy. You could play it on any device, whenever you wanted, as long as you wanted. While that is mostly true for streaming, you can download files for offline use and connect to nearly any device with speakers, good luck if you find yourself in an internet dead zone. 

Now, I know, even this is becoming less of an issue, as satellite internet becomes more reliable, and even 5G coverage is extending its range. I used to travel between California and New Mexico, or Montana, and would spend a majority of the trip offline. Now, I’m covered most the way. The point I’m trying to make is that connectivity is not always reliable, and without it, all the streaming services in the world would be useless. Even if you downloaded content, as most services will require you to log in periodically.

That’s not to mention the even more uncontrollable events, such as “business” moves that could pull the rug out from under all of us at any given moment. What if that company you bought all the “licenses to watch,” not copies of the media mind you, gets bought out or goes bankrupt. There’s no guarantee that you will ever access those titles again. That’s worst case scenario. They could just decide that they need more money and charge you “access fees” or force you to watch ads, just because. I’m sure there is legislation that is meant to protect consumers but, as we’ve established, digital media, and the internet in general, is still largely unregulated. 

Whenever I watch a scene about a bunker, or an off the grid cabin, or some situation where internet connectivity is just not feasible, I notice the value in a physical media collection. What about that potential EMP that wipes out the internet and electricity grids around the world? I’m sure, in that scenario, the last thing you’ll be concerned with is your movie collection but, what would that mean for you? Because I’m sure a generator hooked up to a dvd player and a boombox will be able handle cd’s, tapes, and dvd’s as long as there’s power. How will you log in, though?

I know, it’s getting little “doomsday preppy,” but, as long as so much of the legality and licensing legislation is up in the air. I just don’t think it’s worth the convenience of investing in an entirely digital library. I own a few digital titles (or the license to watch whenever I want) and I appreciate the fact that I can access most of them on most of my devices but, even before the “apocalypse scenarios” make this argument viable, it’s still not an ideal situation for media buffs, like you and I.  For instance, while researching this piece, I stumbled across what I thought would be the answer…twice! I thought that perhaps, I wouldn’t even need to write this article. However, Movies Anywhere was not the holy grail, after all. While it is a great idea, to unite the major studios and outlets to let consumers aggregate all of their libraries into one place, for all of the same reasons we’ve been discussing, not all of the movies I’ve purchased are available in the app. 

So, until there is an equilibrium among streaming and licensing regulations, and studios and platforms, even software developers and electronic manufacturers, the digital move is just not in the cards for me. I will keep my eyes up and my fingers crossed. I do enjoy adding a movie on my phone and then, turning on my smart tv to watch it appear in My Library. It’s convenient. I get it but, I bought the PS5 with the optional disc drive for a reason. I still have my old VHS/DVD combo unit, and I have a USB DVD-ROM unit for my computer. Even if the entire system crumbles rendering all licensing and streaming useless, I’m still confident that I can pop in a DVD, from an off grid cabin in the woods, and watch The Sandlot as many times as I want. Until you can beat that, I’m prioritizing my physical library.

Sources:

Morrison, Jeffrey. (2021). You Don’t Really Own the Digital Movies You Buy. NYTimes.com https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/you-dont-own-your-digital-movies/

Nations, Daniel. (2022) The Best Places to Buy Your Digital Movies. Lifewire.com https://www.lifewire.com/where-to-buy-digital-movies-4137638

--

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lucero

Send Me An @Email

www.writerjoshua.com

www.seejoshsphotos.com

--