January 12, 2009

Officials at Donruss today announced the first list of short-prints for 2008 Playoff Contenders football.

Card # Player Team Pos. Qty
190 Ryan Torain Denver Broncos RB 70
185 Phillip Merling Miami Dolphins DE 100
134 Early Doucet III Arizona Cardinals WR 113
113 Chauncey Washington Jacksonville Jaguars RB 114
225 Xavier Omon Buffalo Bills RB 124
108 Brad Cottam Kansas City Chiefs TE 132
223 Tom Zbikowski Baltimore Ravens FS 149
200 Brian Witherspoon Jacksonville Jaguars CB 150
195 Thomas Brown Atlanta Falcons RB 151
109 Brandon Flowers Kansas City Chiefs CB 192
189 Reggie Smith II San Francisco 49ers CB 196
215 Mike Tolbert San Diego Chargers FB 199
179 Matt Ryan Atlanta Falcons QB 246

Card # Player Team Pos. Qty
147 Jed Collins Philadelphia Eagles FB 30
121 Dantrell Savage Kansas City Chiefs RB 76
136 Erik Ainge New York Jets QB 108
184 Peyton Hillis Denver Broncos FB 113
171 Malcolm Kelly Washington Redskins WR 141
137 Erin Henderson Minnesota Vikings LB 158
144 Jake Long Miami Dolphins OT 163
173 Marcus Thomas Detroit Lions RB 165
155 Jordon Dizon Detroit Lions LB 188
102 Ali Highsmith Arizona Cardinals LB 214
151 Joe Flacco Baltimore Ravens QB 220
148 Jermichael Finley Green Bay Packers TE 231
105 Andre’ Woodson New York Giants QB 250

Donruss Announces Playoff Contenders Baseball
January 07, 2009

In 1998, Donruss revolutionized the trading card industry by introducing autographed rookie cards in the Playoff Contenders brand. Fast-forward 10 years and Donruss is at it again, this time in baseball. Donruss officials today announced its fourth and final baseball release of the year: 2008 Playoff Contenders Baseball.

Donruss previewed the Contenders cards in the highly successful Prime Cuts release, fueling speculation within the hobby that Contenders would finally be taking the baseball field for the first time.

“This is something we have kicked-around for years,” said Donruss Brand Manager Ben Ecklar. “As we expand our baseball offerings and look at what brands translate well in baseball, the timing was right to finally release Contenders in baseball.”

The product will feature 50 un-signed base commons cards and 100 signed rookie cards. The program will feature the first certified autographs of 19-year-old White Sox third base prospect Dayan Viciedo, who signed a four-year, $10 million deal with the club in November after defecting from Cuba last summer.

“Viciedo is a guy who could find his way to the majors sooner rather than later,” said Mike Payne, part of the Donruss baseball brand team. “Even if he’s two years away from the South Side, the White Sox believe in him enough that they signed him to a multi-year deal at significant dollars.”

Other firsts include Yankee prospects Pat Venditte, an ambidextrous pitcher, and two-sport athlete Mike Jones, a wide receiver on the 2008 Arizona State squad; Rangers prospects Jared Bolden, an outfielder drafted in 2008, and LHP Derek Holland; Twins slugging outfield prospect Angel Morales; Dodgers prospects Pedro Baez, a third baseman, and Devaris Gordon, a shortstop; Reds shortstop Alex Buchholz, drafted by the club in the sixth round of the 2008 MLB First Year Draft; and Red Sox shortstop prospect Yamaico Navarro. Also included in the program will be 2008 first-round draft picks Buster Posey and Gordon Beckham and 2007 first-round pick Rick Porcello, among many other top prospect names.

As an added bonus, Donruss will also be including the FIRST Playoff Contenders basketball cards: Rookie Tickets of OJ Mayo, Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley.

“We couldn’t have asked for three better NBA draft picks to debut Contenders basketball with,” adds Ecklar.

Other program highlights include:

Legendary Rookies: Look for autographs from legendary names such as Pete Rose, Cal Ripken Jr. and Willie Mays, among others.

Round #’s: Look for combinations from this year’s MLB First Year Player Draft, such as Posey/Beckham and former University of Arizona pitchers Daniel Schlereth and Ryan Perry, among other combinations.

Draft Class: Look for the top players taken in the MLB draft.

2008 Playoff Contenders is scheduled for a late-January ship date. Each five-card pack will carry a $6 SRP. For more information, visit www.donruss.com.