Assorted 2006 Topps

Let's see what else I got in my six-pack repack from Legends, why not?

Series One Pack:

19 Jeremy Reed
44 Carl "Dinosaurs didn't exist" Everett
227 Corey Koskie
318 Brayan Pena RC
MHR1 Mickey Mantle Home Run History #1
Series One Checklist 3 of 3
284 Yankees Team Card

NICE! I'm generally not a fan of the pointless endless insert series, but the 1955 Topps-style design is at least more aesthetically pleasing than the Bonds and A-Rod garbage. Plus, if you've got to have one, #1 is a nice one to have. He hit it off of Randy Gumpert of the White Sox, whose name makes me giggle. The Jeremy Reed card has two divots on the right side, a casualty of the repack.

Series Two Pack #1:

489 Jason Bartlett
372 Marlon Byrd
OD-MA Mariners vs. Angels Opening Day
596 Buddy Bell MGR
Series Two Checklist 3 of 3
628 Tim Corcoran RC
627 Matt Capps RC

Series Two Pack #2:

555 Scott Rolen
394 J.J. Hardy
364 Ryan Madson
583 Craig Counsell
413 Gregg Zaun
610 Reds Team Card

Both of these packs are pretty blah. No decent inserts, and only one real star in Rolen, though Hardy has shown some promise. Tim Corcoran only sounds vaguely familiar, but according to the back of his card, he was a former Orioles farm hand. Not only was he a 27-year-old rookie in 2005, but it says that he was a two-time Rule 5 draftee. Poor bastard. The Capps card shows him shagging balls in practice, in what may have been a lame rookie hazing ritual.

Updates and Highlights Pack:

UH59 Shawn Chacon
UH56 Doug Mirabelli
UH249 Gary Matthews (Jr.) AL All-Star
MHR194 Mickey Mantle Home Run History #194
UH264 Mariano Rivera AL All-Star
UH322 Classic Duos: Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder
Updates and Highlights Checklist 1 of 3

Another Mantle insert, which is okay in my book. The Classic Duo card should be subtitled "The Surgical Ward". It's confusing enough that there was a Cris Carpenter in the 1990s and a Chris Carpenter in the 2000s, and that they are both righty pitchers. But did they both have to pitch for the Cardinals? Come to think of it, Chris debuted with the Blue Jays in 1997, and Cris last pitched for the Brewers in 1996. Has anyone ever seen them in the same place at the same time? The truth is out there, people.