A new free app called Rookies is tailor-made for sports fans and brings a new twist to the infinite number of photo apps on the web.
But its secret sauce comes from a place far off the digital grid: the paper stock baseball cards that remain dear to the hearts of sports fans who grew up before YouTube highlights and Twitter shout-outs.
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The Rookies [App Store link] premise is simple but cool. First, snap a new photo with your iPhone, or grab an old one. Then place your pic in one of more than a dozen templates modeled after classic baseball card designs of the 80s. You can tweet your new card, post it to Facebook or simply save it to your phone to email friends, all for free. But here's where it really gets cool: For $12.99 plus shipping, you can get a pack of 20 cards — complete with vital stats on the back, actual old-school card stock and waxy wrapping — delivered to your doorstep.
Here's an example of what a finalized Rookies card looks like in digital form:

Rookies founder Matt Sebek says authenticity was his team's primary concern in creating the card templates and physical packs. They even tried to add actual chewing gum to the packs, he tells Mashable, but FDA guidelines wouldn't allow it.
The app's idea was born out of, you guessed it, his own baseball fandom.
"Like most of my friends, I collected cards growing up," he told Mashable in an email. "We all dreamed of having our face on a baseball card and for most of us, that dream never became a reality. But now, we're all celebrating events that are just as important as opening a new pack of cards as a kid. We're getting married, having kids, meeting meaningful business peers, etc. So the idea was to combine the nostalgia of baseball cards with real world applicability."
Indeed, Sebek says, his team's "proudest moment" came just three hours after Rookies hit the App Store on Friday, when a proud papa took a photo of his newborn son, slapped in on a card template, then ordered a pack.
We've played around with the app ourselves and found it be to exceedingly simple, fun and easy to use. For family get-togethers, business cards, historic moments or just goofy electronic keepsakes — if you're a sports fan yourself or have one in your life, Rookies is an app that's definitely worth a look. It's currently iPhone only, but Sebek says an Android version should be out next spring.
Does this sound like an app you would use? Let us know what you think of Rookies in the comments.
Images: Rookies app