2005 Fleer Ultra Hobby and Retail

We're up to packs 7 and 8 of my Braves team set impulse buy repack box.The storage box had not one but two packs of 2005 Ultra. There was one pack of hobby and one pack of retail so I'm going to fight the two, brother against brother. The Hobby pack has the advantage since the odds are much easier to pull stuff out of them. Rookies are 1:4 instead of 1:5, Gold Medallions are in every pack instead of one in three, Inserts are 1:12 instead of 1:24 and game used is much easier at 1:12 while retail is 1:48. There's also autographs and patches and one of ones and crap that isn't in retail at all. The retail pack is about twice at thick as the hobby pack, so it does have a fighting chance in this battle. Allez Cuisine!

Card 1: Hobby - 86 Brian Roberts, Retail - 38 Brad Penny
Brian Roberts would be a Brave right now had Peter Angelos not meddled it up. I have Penny's autograph on an official minor league baseball. Advantage - Retail

Card 2: Hobby - 56 Javier Vazquez, Retail - 23 Jeff Bagwell
Bags is a Hall of Famer. Javy is a Yankee goat. No contest. Retail leads 2-0.

Card 3: Hobby - 28 Greg Maddux, Retail - 72 Adam Eaton
Maddog with the BUNT! I don't care if he's in a Cubs uni, this is a win and a half for Hobby.

Card 4: Hobby - 4 of 15 Manny Ramirez Follow The Leader, Retail - 219 Terry Tiffee All-Rookie Gold Medallion
Inserts face off... Follow the Leader is the easiest insert to pull at 1:6. Retail counters with an All-Rookie die cut, but it's a guy who is described as 'organizational depth' on a team that's burned through a bunch of third basemen recently. Manny dances all over the die cut. Hobby leads 2 1/2 to 2.

Halftime - The retail pack blesses me with another Die-Cast truck decoy card. Zzzzzzz....

Card 5: Hobby - 177 Orlando Cabrera Gold Medallion, Retail - 188 Angel Berroa
The Red Sox acquired Orlando Cabrera in a trade to replace Nomar Garciaparra. Orlando bolted to the Angels in the offseason, prompting the Sox to sign Edgar Renteria. Edgar got the yips his first year in Boston and was booed to the Braves for overhyped flopspect Andy Marte. Edgar played like an All-Star with the Braves, allowing them to trade him to the Tigers once Yunel Escobar was ready to take over at short. Edgar's high value coming off a season where he hit .332 helped the Braves get a desperately needed upper-level starting pitching prospect in the deal. So Orlando Cabrera signing with the Angels indirectly led to the Braves getting Jair Jurrjens to shore up their creaky old rotation. Thanks Orlando! Hobby 3 1/2 - Retail 2.

Card 6: Hobby - 105 Corey Koskie, Retail - 136 Jason Varitek
A Georgia Tech alum beats a Twin any day. Am I still bitter about 1991? Youbetcha!

Card 7: Hobby - 189 Miguel Tejada, Retail - 212 Jason Kubel All-Rookie
Man, I'm getting a lot of Twinkies... So, can we finally forgive Rafael Palmeiro for his "Tejada gave me a B12 shot" excuse now that Miggy got pinched? I PREDICT: In 2025 or so when the big baseball cheating scandal is Bionic Infrared Eyeballs, the Veteran's committee will sneak Raffy into the Hall. Kubel's got a chance to start in right field for the Twinkletoes since Michael Cuddyer went on the DL, so Retail wins this battle. Retail 4, Hobby 3 1/2.

The winner of this match wins the game! Who will be victorious?

Card 8: Hobby - 135 Frank Thomas, Retail - 63 Mark Mulder

Mulder checks the runner at first... the windup... and the pitch...
Thomas with the line drive! Deep to left!
You can put it on the boooooard, yyyyess!!!

Walk off homer by Big Hurt spoils Retail's comeback.
Hobby 4 1/2 - Retail 4.