OK, so yesterday wasn’t officially “Take Your Kids to Work Day†at Panini America. But when duty calls, even during the holiday break, you drop what you’re doing and go. So I packed both Hackler boys with me for the serendipitous sojourn to the Panini America production facility to take in the packout process for 2011 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Baseball.
Heck, they even assisted — for a little while anyway — with helping Panini America Brand Manager Mike Payne and Vice President of Operations Stephanie Carlson make sure the first packs off the line were delivering the proper amount of hits and autographs.
Every box we opened contained the requisite six autographs and a slew of sweet inserts and parallels. On this day, though, the real fun for the Hacklers (all three of us) came when we ventured out to the production line to see the big machines work their magic. As always, it was like an episode of the Science Channel’s“How It’s Made†come to life.
And when a product like 2011 Donruss Elite Extra Edition is made, it’s must-see entertainment for the entire family, as you’ll see in the following massive 60-image gallery that details just some of the highlights coming to collectors next week when the product hits the streets.
Enjoy.