Sunday, March 22, 2015

2014 Topps Series 2

More from the repack box.


Let's tear in.
Top to Bottom:

540 Ike Davis

458 Vinnie Pestano
468 Wilin Rosario FS (I've noticed that Topps has been much more liberal with the Future Stars imprint as of late. Not everybody is a B.J. Surhoff, guys.)
645 Wilson Ramos (Can't argue with a Cardinal being tagged out on a card.)

359 Sean Rodriguez
338 Carlos Santana Red Hot Foil

340 Casey McGehee
549 Hank Conger
437 Alex Wood
426 Koji Uehara
539 Trevor Bauer
341 Mike Moustakas

More fun than is allowed by law.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

2013 Bowman Platinum

The theme of this pack of cards is "What's the Point?" I picked it up inside a $7.99 Fairfield repack box on Friday after work. The reason I was at Target was to pick up a birthday present for my daughter to give to a kid whose party was today. However, my daughter put herself in a horrible mood right before the party and didn't want to go. Long story short, we walked into the party, dropped off the gift, turned around, and headed home. To reiterate, "What's the Point?"


Let's tear in.
Top to Bottom:

BPP77 Matt Davidson

TP-JB Javier Baez
What's the point of inserts in a set like this?

40 Stephen Strasburg
Really, what's the point of this?

BPP19 Byron Buxton
My Twins fan brother-in-law has actually traveled to see Buxton play in the minors. I didn't have the heart to tell him that Buxton will eventually play a huge part in knocking the Twins out of the playoffs as a member of the New York Yankees at some point in the future. Again, what's the point?

Sunday, March 15, 2015

2015 Topps WWE

Over the last couple of years, I've slowly gotten back into WWE wrestling. I think it's the unique type of fandom that the sport demands that has made it attractive to me. A combination of scripted drama with the possibility of actual surprise is an intriguing one, and for this reason, I plunked down $1.99 at my local Target.


Let's tear in.
Top to Bottom:
42 John Cena

He gets a bad rap from serious fans, but I can't help but like the guy. They say he's there for the kids to have someone to cheer for, but I appreciate what he brings to the ring. His ring entrance music is the best in the business, in my opinion.

7 Big E

Currently representing for The New Day, a group of clowny also-rans that are downright embarrassing to watch. Automatic FF when I'm watching RAW on the DVR.

41 Jimmy Uso

Part of another snooze-inducing tag team. The WWE's tag division is an absolute joke, a far cry from the days of Demolition and the Road Warriors.

55 Nikki Bella

Fitting I get one Diva in a pack, just like you get one Divas segment per show. Nikki is the less attractive of the Bellas. Fact.

66 Rusev

This guy never disappoints. The Russian schtick is enjoyable, and I love it when he gets enraged and starts shouting in rapid Russian (or Bulgarian, possibly, his true heritage). Looking forward to another match with Cena, though that storyline looks as if it's gone by the wayside at the moment.

Crowd Chants 6 "This is Awesome!"

Fun idea for an insert, but I wish I had gotten someone with a little more pop.

Hulk Hogan 6 Faces Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania IV

What's that, two inserts in this retail pack? Can't go wrong with that. Hogan rules.

So I have to say I think I'll be buying more of these. I like the use of the 2015 Topps baseball design, and with a small set, I think completion won't be all that difficult. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go listen to the Cheap Heat podcast.

Saturday, March 07, 2015

1988 Topps

I found this pack in a box full of miscellaneous junk. My 1988 Topps cards are housed in an 800-count box that looks to be about 9/17 full. As I open the pack, I’ll check which cards I need. I’m considering five cards needed from this pack a success.

Let’s tear in.

Top to Bottom:
417 Mark Ciardi (Got it.)
182 Ken Phelps (Got it.)
250 Nolan Ryan (NEED IT!)

68 Dave Dravecky (NEED IT!)

327 Larry Sheets (Got it.)
518 Greg Gross (NEED IT!)

751 Jim Morrison (NEED IT! One more, and this is a successful pack.)

607 Mickey Hatcher (NEED IT! WOO-HOO!)

723 Bob Kipper (NEED IT! GRAVY!)

659 Bobby Meacham (NEED IT! ICING ON GRAVY!)

330 Eddie Whitson (Got it.)
112 Les Lancaster (NEED IT! COOL WHIP ON ICING ON GRAVY!)

323 Rick Leach (Got it.)
240 Lee Smith (Got it.)
34 Ricky Horton (Got it.)

Okay, 53.3% is an outstanding hit rate.

Full disclosure: I still haven’t completed a single set of any brand from 1988.