Man v. Custom Card

Time for another custom look-alike card.

 

First, here's the original.

1973 Topps #312, Lyle Alzado

It's a young Lyle Alzado, looking big and bulky and not too happy that his picture is being taken.

 

As for the look-alike, in this case he might be a bit more obscure than most of the other look-alikes I've covered so far, such as George Clooney or Clint Eastwood. So along with the hints below, I will also remind you to consider the title of this blog post. 

 

Here are the hints.

Alzado took down quarterbacks on the gridiron, whereas this look-alike took down copious amounts of food in restaurants and other eateries.

 

Just as fans could watch Alzado's accomplishments on TV as he traveled around to different football stadiums, you could also follow this look-alike's food exploits on TV, as he was a host of a popular show on the Travel Channel.

 

Both men intimidated their opponents with trash talk: Alzado to the defensive linemen opposite the line of scrimmage, and the look-alike to the food he was about to battle.

 

And the look-alike is... 

 

...Adam Richman from Man v. Food!

 

There wasn't too much to change on this card, design wise. I just swapped out the player position of defensive end for "Man", and changed the team name from Broncos to "Gastros". (Short for Gastronomes.)

 

If you haven't seen Man v. Food, I recommend you give Mr. Richman a try. On top of attempting to defeat an outrageous food challenge at the end of each episode, the guy is pretty funny. He's also quite knowledgeable about the food and restaurant business.

Interestingly, there are a couple of other things that tie Alzado and Richman together. 

 

First, Alzado was a TV guy as well. He appeared in numerous shows and films, including a sitcom called Learning the Ropes, where he played a schoolteacher who tried to keep his moonlighting career as a professional wrestler a secret from his kids. 

 

Second, both Alzado and Richman were born in Brooklyn, NY. What are the odds?

 

And there's definitely a resemblance between the two, don't you think? The only major things that separate them are the hairstyle and the facial expression. I tried hard to find a picture of Adam Richman scowling, but it seems like the guy is always smiling!

A little more on Man v. Food: It ran on the Travel Channel from 2008 through 2012. Various online sources will tell you that Richman went 37-22 in the food challenges he took on. That's about a 60% win percentage. Not bad, even excellent when you consider the variety and absurdity of the challenges. (There was the 12-egg omelette with chili, hash browns, and biscuits. And how about a 4-pound burrito with a side of macaroni and cheese and a bowl of banana pudding?)

As for Lyle Alzado? The guy was a beast in his prime. He was a two-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro, and a Super Bowl champ in 1983. 

 

In 196 career games, he compiled 112.5 sacks, forced 24 fumbles, and totaled about 1,000 tackles. 

 

Many say he played over the edge, and wasn't quite in control. Case in point? He once participated in a charity boxing match against Muhammad Ali. At times during the match he actually motioned for Ali to hit him—and then stood there with his arms down and took the punch! 

 

Needless to say, Alzado seemed to have an unquenchable desire to prove that no one was going to take him down or stop him from getting to a quarterback.


BONUS CARD

 

The 1973 Topps football set contained a card for each playoff game from the prior year, complete with stats from the game on the back.

Because Richman's challenges could be considered "playoff" games, I thought I'd whip up another custom card. 

 

I just changed the heading from "NFC" to "MVF" (man versus food), and changed the team names and score.

 

In this particular challenge, held at the Quaker Steak and Lube, Richman had to eat six "atomic" wings. (Each wing is hotter than 40 jalapenos—he had to sign a waiver form holding the restaurant harmless for any injuries sustained during the ingestion of the food.) 

 

And as you can see from the card, Richman defeated the wings. For the victory, he earned a bumper sticker and had his name added to the wall of fame at the restaurant.

So here's to a couple of terrors on the field of battle. And to another couple of custom cards finished.

Any fans of Man v. Food out there? Favorite episode? Share in the comment section, and thanks for reading, as always.