Little League World Series Champs Get Their Own Upper Deck Baseball Cards
Most baseball players have to wait until they start playing professionally to see themselves on authentic baseball cards. Not so for the 2009 Little League World Series champions from Chula Vista, Calif., who saw that timetable moved up quite a bit this past Friday.
To celebrate their big win, all 12 members of the team known as the Blue Bombers received their own Upper Deck baseball cards. Each player received 250 cards at an autograph signing and pizza party held at the Hall of Champions at San Diego's Balboa Park.
"This is great," shortstop Andy Rios said to a local TV station. "People have been asking us for autographs ever since we won, but I never thought we'd get our own Upper Deck trading cards."
Chula Vista defeated Chinese Tapei 6-3 in the Little League World Series final back on August 30. Besides the card an autograph party, the players have also visited Chargers training camp and Petco Park, and a visit to the White House is also in the works before the end of the year.
Upper Deck produces personalized trading cards for anyone who wants them through its company website, which allows visitors to upload their own photos and choose what designs and text they want on the cards. The company charges a fee for that service for most people, but public relations manager Terry Melia said Upper Deck was happy to do this special batch for free.
"It was our pleasure to produce these cards," Melia said in a press release. "This sort of thing doesn't happen every year in San Diego, so it was important for us to commemorate it by doing something special. This represents another way for the kids to recall their significant accomplishment."
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