In perhaps my frontrunner for favorite sports moment of 2013, the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ decision to let a 7-year old cancer patient named Jack Hoffman participate in last month’s Spring Game and even score a touchdown has made an amazing impact on the boy’s life. Since that day, he has already had his very own, limited edition Upper Deck trading card printed and he even met with President Obama at the White House. Because of this attention, Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer also successfully pushed to have Jack’s birthday, September 26, declared National Pediatric Brain Cancer Awareness Day.

There was absolutely nothing negative about this heart-warming story that could seemingly help raise awareness for so many other children throughout the country, as they cope with horrible illnesses. But people are both stupid and horrible, so of course someone had to ruin the fun.

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Here’s what made my day better today:

“Talkin Cards! w/ Bob Masters” – Vine by @nickspears | Nick Spears, aka: Bob Masters, talks baseball cards, basketball cards and more! We’re talkin’ cards!

The show, each episode presented in the form of a however-many-seconds vlog on Vine, delivers on both the talkin’ and the cards. It’s one of those things you’ll either roll your eyes at or love forever, and I hope you’ll choose the latter. After the jump is a YouTube compilation of the first seven episodes, so you don’t have to watch it in an autoplaying, auto-muting column (or whatever). Enjoy.

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Earlier this month, the Nebraska Cornhuskers won every Spring Game in America when they allowed 7-year old cancer patient Jack Hoffman to enter the game as a running back and score a 69-yard touchdown as 60,000 fans screamed him on. The players hoisted Jack onto their shoulders and celebrated with him in one of the most touching sports moments that we’ll witness this year.

Well, the moment isn’t ending anytime soon, not if the folks at Upper Deck have anything to say about it. And they do, because the company has made Jack his very own rookie card, and not without an incredible message of inspiration to go along with it.

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If I were a professional baseball player and was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, I would probably want to do everything within my power to clear my name and save my reputation. And if I was actually guilty of using PEDs, whether or not the public knew it yet, I would want to do everything within my power and the power of an entire team of PR people to make people think that I’m an absolute saint. Most notably, I would stop spending every night with strippers and Playmates, and I would adopt a bunch of puppies and bring them with me everywhere.

That’s why I think Milk Bone was on to something back in 1993 with its series of trading cards that featured baseball then-biggest stars with their beloved dogs. Among the players in this series were noted steroid enthusiasts like Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro, as well as Brady Anderson and Larry Walker, who represent a legion of “Yeah, probably” guys. And I’m not trying to be a dick and accuse people, but I just assume that all of these guys were on juice back then, thanks to Bud Selig’s “Eh, whatever” policy.

My point is that any time a baseball player is busted for PED use now, he should be required by league policy to adopt a dog. Hell, Alex Rodriguez would probably save every homeless canine on Earth by next week.

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"Let me get the Santorum," said no kid ever.

Back in 2010, a man from a company named Executive Trading called Upper Deck and proposed a partnership for a new series of political-themed trading cards that would be used as inserts in packs of baseball cards. Despite this being a terrible, horrible, awful idea, Upper Deck apparently told Executive’s President Justen VanGrinsven that they were down and the two parties continued to have regular correspondence over the following months, according to The Cardboard Connection.

At some point the deal fell apart and Upper Deck told VanGrinsven that the company was no longer interested in his political trading cards and people probably said, “Good, this was a terrible idea anyway, because nobody wants to collect cards that feature politicians.” Or not. Because Upper Deck turned around and released the “World of Politics” insert series last year, featuring all of the Democrat and Republican candidates who were involved with the 2012 election primaries.

Of course, Executive Trading was none too pleased with that and VanGrinsven and Co. are suing. And Upper Deck is suing them back. Because America.

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If she hadn’t already, Kate Upton pretty much stole the crown of Queen of the Internet this week with the incredible video of her doing the Cat Daddy that YouTube actually deemed too inappropriate – thankfully, they wised up. But now comes the news that Topps is recognizing Upton’s fame with a limited edition, autographed trading card in their upcoming 7th series of Allen & Ginter’s World Champions set.

Move the f*ck over, Honus Wagner.

The 350-card base set, which will arrive in July, will feature a myriad of baseball stars from today and yesterday, special ‘mini’ insert cards, and framed ‘Relic’ cards of MLB legends. Also included, are autographed cards of famous baseball players (Stan Musial, Albert Pujols, Willie Mays) and numerous non-baseball celebs including Upton along with other notable celebrities including Bobby Knight, Erin Andrews and Arnold Palmer.

(Via Sports Business Digest)

Knight and Palmer, whatever. But Erin Andrews? Look, we’ve always appreciated the fact that Andrews was the ultimate package of sports brains and beauty, but that train has left the station. It’s time for the Samantha Steele era to arrive already.

As for Upton’s card, this news couldn’t come at a better time, because, honestly, I just wanted to post this new batch of outtakes from her photo shoot with world famous (allegedly pervy) photographer Terry Richardson. Yerrrrrrr welcome.

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