Sunday, January 10, 2021

He, Himself, and a Custom Card


1969 Topps #351, Carroll Sembera


The image on this card instantly reminds me of one of the wackiest actors of the 1990s. Think you know who it is? If not, here are some hints:

One of his characters had a soft spot for animals (except for bats, as much as he didn't want to admit it).

Just when you thought another one of his characters couldn't get any dumber, he did something to totally redeem himself.

If he were a pitcher, you might say his fastball was Ssssssmokin'!

Alright, here's the custom card:





The image I used is from the film Me, Myself & Irene. I haven't watched it, but I do remember seeing advertisements and previews that showed Mr. Carrey (i.e., Charlie Baileygates) sporting the same spiky flat-top haircut you see on Carroll Sembera's card, and that's what made the connection. I think some of the other features are quite similar, as well.

And if Jim Carrey were a baseball player, he'd have to be a pitcher, wouldn't he? The wackiest of characters across baseball history often have been. 

Just think back to Ace Ventura wearing a tutu and playing football at Shady Acres. Or recall almost any of the characters he portrayed on the show In Living Color. Could you imagine Carrey's antics on the mound? His mannerisms? His wind-up and delivery?

Tickets for every game he started would be sold out.


Let's get to the man on the original card now, Carroll Sembera. Here are his career stats, accumulated over 5 seasons with Houston and then Montreal, from 1965 through 1970:

3-11, 4.70 ERA, 6 saves, 94 strikeouts, 139.2 IP

The bulk of those starts came in 1967 with Houston, where he went 2-6 with a 4.83 ERA over 45 games of relief work. He earned 3 saves along the way and struck out 48 while only walking 19. 

After his professional playing career ended he stayed in baseball, scouting for the Seattle Mariners for more than a decade. 


BONUS CARD

Because Jim Carrey played quite a few memorable characters throughout his career, I wanted to find a way to feature a couple of them on a vintage card, too. If you're thinking the multi-player rookie cards that were a perennial feature in Topps products back then would be a good fit, then we're on the same page.
 
 

 
This combination card is based on the 1966 Topps design (Senators Rookie Stars #11), and features the two characters that are most memorable to me: Ace Ventura and Lloyd Christmas.


I changed the team name from Senators to Jim Carrey, and changed the 1966 Rookie Stars header to 1994 Movie Stars.

It's almost absurd to think that Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (February 1994) and Dumb & Dumber (December 1994) were both released in the same calendar year. How could Jim Carrey have developed and portrayed two iconic screwball characters like Ace and Lloyd so expertly in such a short time? I don't know.

Regardless, here's to wackiness. And to another two custom cards.

Have a favorite Jim Carrey character? Favorite line from one of his films? Share in the comment section. And thanks for reading!


14 comments:

  1. Topps sure didn't do Carroll any favors with that card, it's about as boring of a baseball card as you can get.

    I'm not a Jim Carrey fan, at all, but am impressed with how closely you were able to match the custom to the original, it's really quite remarkable.

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    1. Thanks Jon!

      Sembera's card is boring indeed, as he isn't wearing a baseball cap and you can hardly even see his jersey. However, it allowed me to match up a still shot from "Me, Myself & Irene" quite nicely. I couldn't believe how closely Carrey's image matched up when I first found it.

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  2. DO NOT GO IN THERE = Ace Ventura. I loved the first Pet Detective movie. My sis was a Carrey fan so I took her to a couple films, including MASK. I could not watch the DUMBER movies. The 66 is super nice. Green and yellow stand out well against the photo choices. Truly looks like a Topps! As for wackiness, you can always count me in!

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    1. Ronald Camp: I'll have the plumbing checked immediately, Mr. Ace.
      Ace Ventura: See that you do. If I'd been drinking out of the toilet, I might've been killed.

      Good choice of quotes, Julie!

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  3. That 69T custom is fantastic! I remember going through a Jim Carrey phase... but I think the only movies I care to see of his again would be the Dumb & Dumber series.

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    1. Thanks very much, Fuji! Lots of quotable lines from Dumb & Dumber, for sure.

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  4. Dumb & Dumber was my favorite movie for a few years there in high school - I watched it many, many times. Can't say it's my favorite film anymore, but it still holds up & it's good for a watch every now and then.

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    1. Agreed, Nick! After Fuji's comment above and yours, I might have to add Dumb & Dumber to my film list. . . and totally redeem myself.

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  5. Great work on the customs! The Truman Show might be my favorite film of his, but those earlier wacky characters are great too.

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    1. Thanks Gavin! And yes, give a lot credit to Carrey for breaking out of the zany character typecasting. (Although those are my favorite Carrey characters.)

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  6. Liar Liar is an underrated Carrey classic.

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  7. Jim Carrey is usually too over the top for me, but definitely love Dumb and Dumber and The Grinch! Definitely some resemblance on that first card!

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    1. Haven't seen The Grinch, either. Might have to add it to my list along with Liar Liar from Matt's comment above. Thanks for the tip, Sumo!

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