October 29, 2025

It's been quite a summer

The summer has been quite a blur. The Tigers had the best record in the league. Then they didn’t. Then they scrambled to make the playoffs. Then they won a series and came mighty close to getting another one. So go Lions, I guess…

I saw some baseball this summer: Comerica Park in Detroit; my local Northwoods League team in Kalamazoo; Busch Stadium in St. Louis; and Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. The latter two stadiums were first-times for me, and I will devote upcoming newsletters to each of those visits. For now, just know that IT’S REALLY HOT IN MISSOURI AT THE END OF JULY.

It hasn’t been all rainbows and lollipops. I wrecked my neck and shoulder lifting weights – for those that have met me in person, you are certainly asking yourself “Eric works out?” And then I somehow contracted Lyme disease, which has been approximately zero fun.

Between those two things, I went from running a marathon in May to a fitness level of zero in like 8 weeks. But we’re still standing, and I’ve got some new fun around the corner.

Blame Kyle

I hinted at doing some art prints in my last newsletter, but with the Gong Show of a summer I was having, I never quite got around to perfecting the format. Then I got a commissioned scorecard order from Kyle, and that was the kick in the can I needed.

[Sidebar confession: I have always felt a bit insecure about my commissioned scorecards. There are some amazeballs artists out there who do fabulous sketches and doodles on their cards. I am not one of these artists, and I never felt like my handwritten cards had much value.

But I love the style I developed for my extra-strength scorebook covers, and I always wanted to take that style and make full-game art prints. About a billion prototypes later, I got pretty close to something I was happy with.]

So I emailed Kyle with a screenshot:

“I’m going to throw this out there … I’ve been working on a new prototype product that might be of interest instead of a handwritten card … Would you have any interest in seeing what your game would look like in this treatment?”

I got a reply pretty quickly:

I think these look amazing and I can see why you like it so much! Count me in – I think this looks like a fantastic idea…

For those who aren't in the art world, encouragement from a someone is nearly as valuable as currency to an artist. Maybe more so. (So be nice to artists you like.) But beware: that encouragement can also create a monster haha…

Introducing Scorecard Art Prints

So I've decided to jump in with both feet on these things. I refined and tweaked the design, and along the way I thought of adding personalized photos to really capture a fun day at the ballpark. I emailed Kyle, and he was all about it. Here’s where we landed.

I’m still in the “figuring it out” stage, so I’m giving my email subscribers first dibs on these prints – I may not even put them on my social media/website at all. (I’m wary of training AI bots these days.)

There’s two different products:

• Prints with just the scorecard – I’m working on a library of commonly-requested games. If the game you’re looking for is done already, prints start at $25. If you request a game I haven’t done – college, minor leagues, pros – I’ll ask for an extra $10.

• Prints with the photos + scorecard – It takes a little longer to color correct photos, so I’m going $55 for the first print. If you want additional prints for friends and family, those are $15 each. What a fun Christmas gift idea for the person who has everything…

Use coupon code GOTIGERS, and the shipping is on me. (That’s a good value, shipping has gotten expensive...)

These are mailed without frames – I would definitely recommend using one just for longevity. (I’ve linked some frames I use on my website.)

So there you go. Summer 2025. I promise not to bug you with these print offerings – I’m still primarily a scorebook maker – but I appreciate you all indulging me. I think this stuff is so cool, and even if I only sell three prints next year, I’m still having tons of fun making these :-)

— Eric