The Uzi is Fake

Let's take a brief lesson in Japanese language.

Kazuo Uzuki means "the first son of April." Hence...April Fool's.

Many hobbyist hyped on this card when it first came and Topps had many people fooled into think The Uzi was a legit Japanese prospect.

However, as time rolled on, many people on hobby message boards began to discuss the posisblity of this card being of a fake player. Yahoo! searches for Kazuo Uzuki came up empty leading many to speculate.

But, today Topps confirm their suspicion by announcing thier prank.

“With the latest Japanese imports, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Kosuke Fukudome, fans, scouts and even card companies continue to search the globe for the next sensation,” said Clay Luraschi, Topps’ Baseball Brand Manager. “While “The Uzi” is indeed a fictional character, we look forward to the 2008 major league baseball season as the league continues to become more and more global.”

Now I know a lot of collectors are going to be all over Topps for this, but I think it is a great idea for them. It not only generated publicity in February, but it will generate it again.

Topps's marketing strategies are usually controversial among collectors, but I am an exception to that rule. I think Topps uses good strategies in promoting thier brands. There is only so much you do to promote baseball cards, and Topps has used some new ideas to do so.

And for all of you who complain, it's working isn't it?