2003 Fleer Authentix

A lot can happen in the span of seven years. Coincidentally, that's how long ago this pack of cards came out. In case you didn't know, I freed it from a cheap-o box of cards I got at K-Mart.

Since this pack was produced somewhere before the dawn of television, and thus, before mixed martial arts pay-per-view, I'll give you an update as to what each player is now doing. Fun stuff!

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
23 Jacque Jones
Update: Changed last name to Mauer, currently lapping up all of the accoutrements therein and therein contained.

93 Darin Erstad
Update: In the running for Disneyland's Goofy, summer 2011. Will settle for Thumper.

109 Victor Martinez
Update: Splitting time between Boston Red Sox and his home-operated "Bring Back Surge Soda" website.

18 Jose Vidro
Update: Spearheading the now-thriving Puerto Rican bullfighting movement.

98 Bartolo Colon
Update: Free agent starting pitcher.

By the way, the backs of the cards all show the exact same stadium seating diagram. How hard would it have been to show the diagram specific to that player's team?

2008 Topps Stadium Club

Yet another Target cheapie.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
20 Jorge Posada

8 Mark Teixeira

19 Jason Bay

2 Tim Lincecum

144 Justin Ruggiano First Day Issue

It still hurts with regard to the way this set was constructed. The design and photography is just about the best Topps has done in a long time. However, even after reading several explanations surrounding the hypothetical building of this set, I still cannot fully comprehend its madness. Oh well.

2010 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 3D

Topps Widevision.
The ultimate in non-sports cards.

They're back.

In 3D.

And there isn't any half-thought-out garbage to junk it all up. These hearken back to a time before we referred to these as "episodes."

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
46 "Plans for His Son"
With a Darth Vader-centric card, this pack is already a win.

31 "Magnificent Cloud City"
No crime, great schools, and an unbeatable public transportation system put Cloud City at fifth place on Forbes' annual "Most Livable Cities" list.

8 "Back From the Brink"
The Bacta, the weird underwear, the uncomfortable jostling... it's all as I remembered it.

Speaking of which, why don't we have Bacta available to cure our illnesses? Sure, there's Bactine, but that's the light version. We still need something for more than minor scrapes and burns. Why is the scientific community keeping this from us?

Overall, these are great cards. They don't quite work as 3D, since they use the old lenticular technology. It's more like a very subtle Sportflic with less movement. Images in the foreground are kept more or less in place, but the backgrounds move from side to side. The effect does create some illusion of depth, but it's not perfect. I might consider picking up the entire set on eBay at some point in the future, but who knows.



Han shot first.

Asked one of my recent graduates where his friend was. "He's dropping the Browns off in the Super Bowl."

2008 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects

These cards are the latest in my discounted Target finds.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
BDP43 Clayton Richard

BDP15 Blake DeWitt

BDPP89 Elvis Andrus

BDPP102 Clayton Richard (Ummmm... how can he be in both? The answer: Clayton Richard Hot Pack. Odds - 1:20,000)

BDPP66 Carlos Carrasco Chrome

BDPP75 Dexter Fowler Chrome

BDP40 Michael Hollimon Gold

Like that annoying girl we all knew in high school, this pack is crying out for you to give it a grade.
My assessment: C-
It was a fairly average pack with a few guys who are starting big leaguers by now, but the Clayton Richard onslaught knocks it down a peg or two for all but the most die-hard of White Sox fans.

2005 Upper Deck All Star Classics

So a bunch of these discounted packs have started showing up at my local Target, and for $1.59, I can't resist.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
36 Nomar Garciaparra
22 Jason Varitek

20 Ivan Rodriguez
1 Albert Pujols Gold Parallel (250/499)

71 Oliver Perez

79 Bob Gibson
65 Joe Mauer
86 Jim Palmer

Not sure if all packs are like this one, but it seems like the front half is all then-current players, and the back half alternates between All-Star Futures and Legendary All-Stars. Great looking cards, a little hit-or-miss on the checklist given the time period, but a fun pack to open. The Pujols alone makes up the cost of the entire pack. Not bad.

2009 UD Signature Stars

*Pfff* *Pfff* Whoa, what is up with all the dust around here?  This is a pack a *DAY* right?  Man, we need to step up, fellow bloggers!

The 2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars cards come in a box that lets you know in BIG, BOLD PRINT that these cards are NOT AUTHORIZED by the MLB.  I'm sure if I look hard enough, I will find a little logo of a guy sticking his tongue out on there somewhere.

Each Signature Stars box comes with an autographed card.  What that really means is that of the whole six packs you get, one of the packs has an autographed card in it.  Though I opened all six packs, I will only show the one with the "hit" in it. 

First up, Jason Kubel - Twins.  I actually like the looks of these cards a lot.  The picture is center and large enough that the starred border does not take away from the player.  The player's name, city name and position are shown at the top along with the UD logo.  The "SignatureStars" script is centered at the bottom. 

Next up, Brian Roberts - Orioles.  The backs of the cards mimic the name/city at the top, then some biographical info is provided along with a paragraph about the player.  At the bottom of the back are stats from the last four years or so.  They are very clean without a lot of distraction (though the back does have the same starred design altered slightly from the front)

Third, we have the signature card.  This is the "hit" of the box.  This is the reason this box retailed for $30 when first sold.  Who is the reason?  Jason Anderson - Royals.  I don't follow KC, so I don't know if I struck gold or struck out.  Given my genral history with such things, I'm guessing the latter.

Fourth, batting clean-up is Andruw Jones - Rangers.  Oh sure, I couldn't get HIS auto...

And rounding out the pack, we find Pablo Sandoval - Giants.