The 20 for $40 re-wrap: The Final Pack. 2000 Fleer Showcase

All good things must come to and end, and so this experiment in baseball card gonzo journalism does as well. Was it successful? Was it a failure? More experimentation is needed.

We finish up The 20 for $40 Re-Wrap with a really bad pack from a really, really, bad product: 2000 Fleer Showcase. With this set, Fleer took the one thing that made Flair Showcase unique -- the multi-tiered, multi-fractured base set -- and disposed of it with a formulaic 140-card set with 40 short-printed "rookies."

Yawn.

On the other hand, there are autographs to be had. You get a 1:24 chance of pulling an on-card "Fresh Ink," and a 1:250 of hitting an on-leather "Sweet Sigs."

And now, for the final time, here's the video.




Base
Fernando Tatis
Did you know? Fernando Tatis was the first player in Major League history to hit two grand slams in the same inning?

Preston Wilson
Did you know? Preston Wilson's step-father AND uncle are Mookie Wilson. (Mookie's brother is Preston's father, but then Mookie married Preston's mother.)

Greg Maddux
Did you know? Greg Maddux shares the same birthday (April 14th) with his one-time teammates David Justice and Steve Avery.

Mike Piazza
Did you know? Mike is the godfather to Zakk Wylde's youngest son Hendrix. His full name is Hendrix Halen Michael Rhoads Wylde.

Autogamer
Fresh Ink (1:24) Kip Wells
Alright! An autograph of a career 64-91 pitcher!

Well, there it is; 20 packs o'junk. I did pull a pair of autographs and a few inserts, but I didn't get any RCs. All-in-all, these were cards I did not have a need for. Hopefully, Mr. Andrew Schmidt of Brighton, Michigan (the winner of my contest) will have a better use for them.

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 1998 Pinnacle Performers

1998 Pinnacle Performers was not the last baseball card product released by Pinnacle Brands (that would be Pinnacle Plus), but it might as well have been. Towards the end, just about every Pinnacle Brands set -- with the notable exception of Score -- followed the same predictable formula: A 150-200 card base set, 100-150 of the same veterans, 25-30 "rookies," double-up the superstars with a meaningless subset; throw in a few equally meaningless inserts and a parallel or two, and wah-lah!

'98 Performers followed this formula to a Tee. The 150-card base set has 100 veterans, followed by a 37-card "Rookie" subset, 10 "Far & Away" subsets, and three checklists.

Here's a vid of me opening a pack of this stuff, and inadvertently calling a phone sex line.



Base
The stats on the back of the regular player cards are broken down by month. Give 'em credit, it is different.

Larry Walker
Larry is shown here rounding third, trotting home after one of his 1997 National League leading 49 homers.

Shawn Estes
Shawn Estes won 19 games in 1997.

No, really. He did.

Charles Johnson
Although picture here as a Marlin, the card denotes -- on gold foil, no less -- his trade to the Dodgers.

Derek Jeter (Far & Away)
"The igniter for the high-powered Yankees' offense that finished second in the AL with 891 runs scored in 1997, Derek also helped the pitching staff past the circuit's lowest ERA with his terrific defense at shortstop. The team's youngest regular, Derek led the '97 Yankees in runs, triples and steals."

Travis Lee (Rookie)
"Travis recorded the first hit in Arizona Diamondback history when he singled to center field in his first major-league at-bat in the bottom of the first inning on March 31 against Colorado."

David Ortiz (Rookie)
"Formerly in the Mariners' organization, David made the Twins' roster in 1998 thanks largely to his great performance in spring training when he hit .354 (17-for-48) in Grapefruit League action."

OBTW, Ortiz was sent to Minnesota as a PTBNL for '93 Phillie Dave Hollins.

Jay Buhner

Parallel
Peak Performers (1:7) Jeff Bagwell
Peak Performers was the generic "foil-fronted" parallel that was standard issue in every Pinnacle Brands set. Other than the words "Peak Performers" printed on the side of the card, there is nothing mentioning WHY this particular athlete was a Peak Perfomer.

Insert
Swing for the Fences (1:2) #39
Swing for the Fences is an "Interactive" insert. Each pack contained either one of 50 player cards or one of 50 number cards. The object of the game was to match either the 1998 American League or National League home run leaders with the number card of home runs hit that player hit in 1998. If you've got both the player and the correct number, you can then send them to Pinnacle and they'd send you either an autographed Juan Gonzalez card, or a 10-pack of Swing for the Fences "upgraded" (read: parallel) cards. You were then entered into a drawing for a trip to the '99 All-Star Game.

Since Pinnacle went out of business, none of these prizes were ever fulfilled.

One last pack to go!

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 1999 Bowman Series One.

1999 Bowman Series One is NOT the series with all those RCs. But, there is an RC of Pat Burrell. And if I pull one..., well, just watch the video.



Base
Matt LeCroy
As of the end of last season, Matt led all active players in most career plate appearances without a stolen base.

Ron Belliard
'99 was Belliard's first full season in the Majors. He's now with the Nats.

Scott Randall
Scott went 2-5 in 12 appearances for the Reds in '03. Last seen playing with Triple-A Colorado Springs in '05.

Chuck Knoblauch
Did you know that knoblauch is German for garlic?

Mark McGwire
In 1999 Mark McGwire was on top of the world and on top of The Hobby. Hard to believe, huh?

Eric Valent
This was the guy the Phils drafted with the pick they received for not signing J.D. Drew. 1 RBI in 51 ABs later, he was shipped off to Cincinnati for backup catcher Kelly Stinnett.

Freddy Garcia
Not to be confused with the Freddy Garcia who stole $10 million from the Phillies last year, this Freddy Garcia was the opening day third baseman for Pittsburgh in '98. Was last seen playing for Pawtucket in 2000.

Kerry Wood
After McGwire and Sammy Sosa, there may not have been a hotter player in The Hobby than Kerry Wood. 20 strikeouts will do that to a guy's cards.

Mike Frank
A 7th round pick of the Reds in '97, he was called up to the big club in June '98. 89 ABs and a .225 BA later, he was sent down and never played in the Majors again.

Parallel
International (one-per-pack) Nate Cornejo
The 34th pick overall in the 1998 draft, Nate pitched four seasons for the Tigers (2001-04). Lost 17 games for the Tigers in '03. Retired halfway through the '06 season.

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 2002 Fleer Tradition Update Hobby

At 400 cards, 2002 Fleer Tradition Update was the largest Fleer/Fleer Tradition Update ever. It was also the first Update set issued in pack form since 1996.




Base
Barry Wesson (Prospects, one-per-pack)
Barry had a cup-of-coffee with the Astros in '02, and a second cup with the Angels in '03. Your classic AAAA player, Wesson's been kicking around the PCL the last few years. Surprisingly, I actually need this card for my set.

Juan Diaz
Juan had his cup-of-coffee with the Red Sox in 2002. He finished his career with seven at-bats in four games.

Tony Clark
Tony "The Tiger," was the second player selected overall in the 1990 draft -- one pick after Chipper Jones -- but did not start his professional career until 1992. (He delayed his baseball career to play basketball for San Diego State.)

Odalis Perez
Odalis won a career-high 15 games for the Dodgers in 2002. He now pitches for the Nationals.

Bobby Kielty
Kielty finished fourth in the 2002 AL ROY balloting.

Chipper Jones (Curtain Call)
"Curtain Call" is you typical double-up-on-the-superstars-with-a-meaningless-subset subset. This one commemorates Jones' 8th-inning three-run home run off Billy Wagner on October 9, 2001.

Mike Williams
Mike had a career-high 46 saves for the '02 Pirates, and made his first All-Star team. He made the All-Star team again in '03, was traded to the Phillies at the deadline, then retired after the season.

Williams came up with the Phillies in '92 and pitched 17 games (including four starts) for the pennant-winning '93 Phillies. On July 7, 1993, he pitched six innings of relief -- getting the win in the process -- in a 20-inning marathon against the Dodgers.

Robb Nen (All-Star)
There aren't a whole lot of guys who can say that their final pitch in the Majors was in game six of the World Series. There aren't a whole lot of guys who can say that their final pitch in the Majors was in game six of the World Series, with a torn rotator cuff AND a torn labrum.

Jim Edmonds (Diamond Standouts)
Another blah subset card; this one celebrating Jim's hot start to the '02 season. Next....

Shea Hillenbrand (All-Star)
Shea Hillenbrand was not only an All-Star, but was the starting third baseman for the American League. Who knew?

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 1997 Score Series Two Hobby Reserve

1997 Score Series Two Hobby Reserve. That's a mouthful, huh?

So what the hell is this "Hobby Reserve" anyway?

In 1997 Pinnacle Brands reconfigured their base brand Score into two separate, but similar, sets: The retail-exclusive Score, and Hobby Reserve -- which as the name suggests, was Hobby only.

Hobby Reserve is a "parallel brand," similar in concept to Bowman Chrome. Hobby Reserve has the same design as retail Score, and the same 551-card checklist. The only difference was that Hobby Reserve -- known as "Premium Stock" in the first series -- was printed on thicker card stock and hit with a gold foil stamp. There were also inserts that were exclusive to each pack type.

(Sorry, no video today.)

Base

One thing that rocked about mid-90s Score, was that the reverse sides were chock-full of text and stats. (They had fielding stats, for Christ's sake!) To share with you the awesomeness of 1997 Score's backs, here are the reverse sides of each card.

Roberto Kelly
"Roberto delivered a .323 average in his first season with the Twins. A one-time 20-20 man who's been an All-Star in both leagues, Roberto first reached the majors with the '87 Yankees after establishing a reputation as a minor-league speed merchant. After stealing 51 bases for AAA Columbus, he produced a 42-steal season in the Bronx. He's played for five teams since."

Terry Steinbach
"Terry set an AL record last season with 34 home runs as a catcher. He also became the first Athletics' catcher with 100 RBI since Mickey Cochrane in 1932. With 35 homers last year, Terry more than doubled his previous best in that department. He batted .308 with runners in scoring position and .450 with the bases loaded, increasing his career mark in that category to .369."

Mariano Rivera (Rock and Fire)
"Mariano allowed just a .189 BA and 9.1 baserunners per nine innings in 1996, earning the closer's role in New York with John Wetteland's departure."

Ivan Rodriguez (True Grit)
"Pudge led the AL in innings caught (1,222.2) and threw out a career-best 49 percent of baserunners in '96 to win his fifth consecutive Gold Glove. Still just 25, he's still improving, particularly offensively. He also had career bests with 19 homers and 86 RBI last season."

Bubba Trammell (Rookie)
"Bubba, who led Tennessee to an SEC championship as a senior in '94, could be the next great Trammell in the Tigers' lineup. He batted .316 with 33 HR and 99 RBI between Double-A Jacksonville and Triple-A Toledo in '96 and was named the Best Power Prospect in the Southern League in Baseball America's annual managers poll. He was an 11th-round pick in '94 and his exceptional power surfaced with Class-A Lakeland in 1995 when he drilled 16 homers. Already 25, the Tigers took a long look at him this spring and he impressed them with his power and patience. In addition to batting .304 with three homers and 17 RBI, he also drew a team-leading 14 walks in the Grapefruit League."

Graeme Lloyd
"Graeme, a 6-foot-7, left-handed throwing Aussie with a big, rainbow curveball, won the hearts of Yankees fans the hard way in 1996. He started off with a rocky West Coast road trip after the August 23 trade that brought him from Milwaukee and finished up with clutch, late-inning effectiveness in the postseason for the World Series champions. Graeme is the kind of pitcher managers like to use in late innings to get one or two left-handed batters out. Over his career, he's been most effective against left-handers (.221 BA) and although he can be used often, he's noticeably better with at least one day of rest between appearances."

Randy Johnson (R&F)
"Randy is a terrifying sight to hitters with his 6' 10" frame and 100-mph heat. The Mariners have won 38 of the last 43 games the `Big Unit' has started."

Dave Martinez
"Because his average has risen three years in a row, Dave reached a personal peak in games played last summer (146). Highly-regarded for his defensive skills, Dave plays all three outfield positions and first base. He's even made two mop-up pitching appearances. Dave began his career after the Cubs drafted him off the campus of Valencia (Fla.) Community College."

Scott Rolen (RC)
"After streaking through the upper minors last season, Scott was practically handed the starting third-base job in Philadelphia. Baseball America later named him the club's top prospect, while Eastern League pilots picked him as the No. 2 prospect and best third baseman in that Double-A circuit. He made his big-league bow August 1 and hit his first homer vs. Hideo Nomo during a two-homer game Aug. 21. He had two three-hit games, a four-RBI game, and a .325 average in his first 23 NL contests. Scott still qualifies as a rookie because he did not exceed 130 at-bats. (Ed. Note: He had exactly 130 ABs in 1996) He was the Phillies' second-round amateur draft choice in June 1993."

Glendon Rusch (RC)
"Some prospects need adjustment time as they move from level to level. Not Glendon. A 17th-round draft in June 1993 out of a Seattle high school, he overmatched the competition at every level on the way to Kansas City this year, where in his MLB debut on April 6 he allowed just four hits in eight innings, retiring 19 consecutive Twins in one stretch. He first caused a stir in 1994 with only a two-out, seventh-inning walk kept him from throwing a perfect game against Kane County in the Class-A Midwest League. He skipped Double-A ball last season and posted an 11-9 record for Triple-A Omaha in the American Association, whose managers rated him the league's best pitching prospect in Baseball America's midseason poll."

Edgardo Alfonzo
"Edgar started at three different positions for the 1996 Mets: 56 times at second, 21 at third, and eight at shortstop, his original spot. He knocked in six runs in five games from July 23-29. He's had a four-RBI game and two four-hit games during his two-year career in the majors. Edgardo's first big-league homer was an inside-the-park shot vs. Cincinnati's Matt Grott on May 6, 1995. Always considered a good hitter, Edgardo hit .312 over his final 44 games last season. He then hit .340 in the Venezuelan Winter League. He was second in both the league batting chase and its MVP voting. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 1991."

Ryan Klesko(TG)
"Ryan, who turned 26 in June, got 500-plus at-bats for the first time last season and led the NL champions with 34 homers while placing third on the team with 93 RBI. A power specialist, he sits on fastballs and gets plenty of loft in his swing."

Rusty Greer (TG)
"Rusty has endeared himself to Texas fans with his competitive nature, clutch hitting and diving catches. He also hits left-handers almost as well as he does right-handers, against whom he batted a sixth-in-the-AL .337 in '96."

Norm Charlton
"Norm led the '96 Mariners in saves (20) and games finished (50) while working a career-high 70 times. He ranked second on Seattle's lifetime saves list (52) when the 1997 campaign opened. He's especially tough on left-handed hitters, who managed a .187 average against him last year. IN his final 23 games of the '96 season, Norm posted a 1.63 ERA. An All-American at Rice, he graduated with a triple major in political science, religion, and physical education."

Ariel Prieto
"The Athletics were encouraged by Ariel's strong finish last fall. While splitting eight decisions over his final 12 starts, the hard-throwing Havana native held hitters to a .248 batting average and recorded a compact 3.08 ERA. The former first-round draft choice (1995) is best in the clutch: with two outs and runners in scoring position last year, he held AL hitters to a .170 average. A member of the Cuban National Team from 1990-94, Ariel had a 20-strikeout game, an 11-0 mark in international play, and a nine-inning average of 9.3 strikeouts, third best in Cuban history. He holds a physical education degree from Cuba's Fajardo University."

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: Two Packs of '98 Team Best.

I don't collect Minor League cards. So in order to get these out of the way, I'm busting the two remaining Minor League packs simultaneously.

Team Best released two products in '98, "Player of the Year" and "Signature Series," and I have one pack of each. POY was released in the Spring of '98 and has the first 50 cards of the Team Best base set. SigSer followed in September and has the final 50 base set cards. In addition, SigSer boasts five autographs in each 18-pack box.



PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Base
Scott Schoeneweis
Scott was diagnosed with testicular cancer at 19. But he survived. Why? BECAUSE HE'S FROM SOUTH JERSEY!

Jared Sandberg
The nephew of Ryne Sandberg, Jared played three seasons (2001-03) for Tampa Bay. He retired after spending the '07 at AA Wichita, and will manage the Rays' short-season A-ball team this year.

Alex Sanchez
Alex was picked up by the Coast Guard in the Straits of Florida attempting to escape from Cuba, and spent 16 months in Guantanamo Bay before being granted asylum in 1995.

In 2005, he became the very first Major League player to be suspended for violating the newly established ban on performance-enhancing drugs.

Grant Roberts
Speaking of cheaters, Roberts was also suspended in 2005 for violating the Major League's drug policy. But that's not all!

In 2002 Newsday published this, most interesting, photo of Grant taken at around the time this card was issued.



Mark Fischer
The only things I could find about this guy were: 1) He was drafted in the first round of the 1997 draft with the pick the Red Sox received as compensation for losing Roger Clemens. 2) He hit .330 for the short-season Class-A Lowell Spinners (still a team record). And 3) He retired after the 2002 season, never progressing past AA Trenton.

Mario Encarnacion
Mario played 23 games for the Cubs and Rockies in 2001-02. He found his way to Taiwan in '05 where, on October 3rd, 2005, was found dead.

On that depressing note, here's the other pack.

SIGNATURE SERIES
Base
Willie Martinez
Willie pitched one game for the Indians in 2000, giving up one run and striking out one batter in three innings. He was never seen or heard from again.

Matt Clement
Matt missed all of 2007 with a shoulder injury. He's now a part of the St. Louis rotation.

Luis Rivera
Luis topped out at AAA-Richmond in 2000. Other than that, I got nothing.

Abraham Nunez
Phillies phans remember Abraham as Jaime Moyer's personal third baseman of the last two years. He now plays for the AAA-Nashville Sounds, which.... is the team played for ten years ago!

Gil Meche
Gil missed the entire 2001 and 2002 seasons with a "dead arm." He returned in 2003 and won 15 games for the Mariners, and was selected the AL Comeback Player of the Year.

Autogamer
'97 Full Count Autograph (5:18) Paul Konerko

According to research, these "Full Count" autographs all have 1997 copyright dates and have the design of the '97 Team Best base set. "In all likelihood, there may've (sic) been complications or delays to finish these cards in time for the 1997 packout and they were thrown into 1998 packs rather than being destroyed, sitting in a warehouse forever or being sold individually by the manufacturer."

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 2000 Fleer Mistake, errr, Mystique.

You want to know why Fleer went out of business? It's crap products like 2000 Fleer Mystique.

For those unfamiliar, the whole concept behind Mystique just reeks of gimmickry. Each five-card pack contained a "Mystique" card which had a sparkled covering that must be peeled off to reveal the card.

Stupid?

Yeah.

But not just stupid. Asinine is more like it. You see, all the 50 short-printed "rookies," all the one-per-box "Gold" parallels, and all of the non-autogamer inserts come exclusively as "Mystique" cards. All of which means that when you get a "hit," you run the risk of damaging the card attempting to figure out what you received.

Great idea, huh?

There are, however, some cards in this set that are actually worth something. I could pull a gimmicked rookie of Johan Santana. Or I could get a $400 Hideo Nomo "Fresh Ink" autograph. (This, I believe, was Nomo's first certified autograph card.) But the odds of pulling either one in a single pack -- or any gimmicked rookie, autograph, or "Feel the Game" jersey card for that matter -- are so remote, I shouldn't be getting my hopes up too high.

Here's the rip.



Base:
Tom Glavine
2000 Stats: 21-7, 3.40, 1.19 WHIP, 152 Ks
Finished second to Randy Johnson in the NL Cy Young balloting.

Mo Vaughn
2000 Stats: .262/36/117, .365 OBP, .498 SLG

Tony Gwynn
2000 Stats: .323/1/17 in only 127 ABs

Vladimir Guerrero
2000 Stats: .345/44/123, .410 OBP, .664 SLG
Finished sixth in the NL MVP balloting. Won second Silver Slugger and named to his second All-Star team.

Insert:
Supernaturals (1:10) Ivan Rodriguez
2000 Stats: .347/27/83, .375 OBP, .667 SLG
Named to ninth consecutive All-Star team and won ninth consecutive Gold Glove.

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 1996 Pacific Prisms and 1998 Finest series two

So I've decided what the winner of my contest will get. You will receive every single card I've pulled in both the 20-for-$40 and the 50-cent cheapo wax breaks -- minus whatever cards I actually need on my wantlist. (I might even throw in a few extra game used cards, if that fails to satisfy the winner.)

Onto the packs!



1998 Finest

Base
John "C3P" Olerud
Kerry Wood
Harold Baines
Pat Hentgen
Joe Carter

Parallel
No Protectors (1:2) Brian Hunter


1996 Pacific Prisms

Base
Alex Fernandez

Insert
San Francisco Giants Team Card

Alex Fernandez is card #88, so our winner is "roof_god" who chose "87." To claim your prize, send me an e-mail ASAP.

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: You Pick the Pack -- The Result

The final result was four votes for the pack of '96 Pacific Prisms and four votes for '98 Finest series two. So later tonight, I'm busting both.

1996 Pacific Prisms was a 144-card set, and each pack contained only one card. Here's the contest: Pick a number from 1-144 and post it to the comments section, the closest to the card number of the Pacific Prism I pull will win......

... something. In the meantime, in honor of the holiday, here's the greatest two minutes of South Park, ever.

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: You Pick the Pack.

Ten lousy waxpacks down, ten more to go. Yes folks, we're halfway through the 20 for $40 re-wrap, but I can't decide what to rip next. So in honor of the holiday, (and against my better judgement) I'm leaving it to you, the APAD readers, to decide for me. Which of these ten remaining junk packs shall I rip next?

1996 Pacific Prisms
1997 Score Hobby Reserve (series two)
1998 Finest (series two)
1998 Pinnacle Performers
1998 Team Best Player of the Year
1998 Team Best Signature Series
1999 Bowman (series one)
2000 Fleer Mystique
2000 Fleer Showcase
2002 Fleer Tradition Update

Leave your suggestions in the comments. Choose wisely, as one lucky APAD reader will win..... something.

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 2002 UD Authentics

What's this? A pack of 1989 Upper Deck? In a 20-pack grab bag? Ummm, no. It's a pack of the forgettable 2002 UD Authentics.

I never quite understood the raison d'etre of Authentics. Looking back, and with the benefit of six years of hindsight, I'm guessing that it might have been Upper Deck's attempt to cash in on the success of Topps Heritage. Maybe, maybe not. The cards certainly look like '89UD, and it was packaged like '89UD, but that's where the similarities end.

When this product came out, it's big selling point (not surprisingly) wasn't the base set itself. Rather, it was the game jerseys -- with each 16-pack waxbox yielding three of them. Of course, this was back when three game jerseys in a 16-pack waxbox still meant something.

Here's the pack:



Base

In lieu of commentary, I'm just going to re-print the copy on the back of each card.

Raul Mondesi
"A top all-around player, Mondesi hits home runs, steals bases and possesses one of the best arms in the game. The Dominican racked up 19 assists from right field in 2001."

Adam Dunn
"Dunn made quite an impact on the National League in just 66 games last season. The imposing slugger blasted 12 home runs in August alone."

Ryan Dempster
"With a career-high 15 wins last year, Dempster is well on his way to stardom in the Big Leagues. He tossed the second shutout of his career on 7/3/01 against the Expos."

Mike Piazza
"The Mets team leader, Piazza seems to always come through when the club needs him most. The perennial All-Star hit .397 with an incredible .762 slugging percentage in July 2001."

Todd Donovan (Star Rookie)
"Donovan flashed his speed every chance he could last year with San Diego's Class-A affiliate in Lake Elsinore. The Sienna (sic) College product was successful on 23 of his 25 stolen base attempts (92 percent) and scored 37 runs in just 41 games. Donovan also chipped in to the Storm's success with a career-high .304 average."

It should be noted that -- six years after the issuance of his "Major League" rookie card -- Todd Donovan has still yet to make his Major League debut.

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 2002 Leaf Hobby

For as much as I rag on Donruss, there was a time -- beginning around the middle of 2002, and ending towards the end of '03 -- when D'russ put out some pretty solid products. 2002 Leaf is such a product.

So I was surprised to see this pack in my junk pile. Let's dig in!



Base
Gabe Kapler
Alright, Gabe Kapler! From Single-A manager, to 44th best fantasy player (as ranked by Yahoo!) in less than one year.

Ken Griffey, Jr.
Did you know Ken Griffey, Jr. is about to hit his 600th home run? I completely forgot he hit his 500th! I guess that's what happens when you play in a backwater like Cincinnati.

Mike Hampton
Over the last two years, Mike Hampton was paid over $29 million... FOR DOING NOTHING!!! Who says America is in a recession?

Bobby Abreu
C.J. Henry, Matt Smith, Jesus Sanchez, and Carlos Monasterios. These are the four "prospects" the Yankees gave up to get Abreu.

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 2005 Ultra Hobby

Fuck it, this sack-o-packs is just too enticing. I know the gimmick behind this blog is one pack per day, but I'm ripping a second. Let's reach into our sack and see what I get.

2005 Ultra Hobby. I already have the set, so I'm hoping for either an All-Rookie short-print, or an insert.

Base
Paul Lo Duca (again?!?!?)
Alexis Rios
Tom Glavine
Tony Batisita
Justin Leone
Jody Gerut
Gavin Floyd All-Rookie (1:4)

Parallel
1 Gold Medallion (one-per-pack) Mike Lowell

Nope, I already got 'em all.

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 1991 O-Pee-Chee Premiere

And now it's time for a long-distance dedication.

This pack of 1991 O-Pee-Chee Premiere is dedicated to a guy who rated it as the tenth best baseball card set of the early-90s -- three places ahead of the mighty 1994 Fleer.

Ben: Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.



Base:
Steve Bedrosian
The 1987 NL Cy Young winner, Bedrock spent the '91 season as setting up Rick Aguilera for the World Champion Twins.

Juan Gonzalez
434 career home runs, 1936 hits, 1998 AL MVP. Juan Gonzalez: HOFer, or not?

Hensley "Bam Bam" Muelens
Your prototypical AAAA player. Was the MVP of the International League in 1990, but hit .222/6/29 in 288 ABs for the Yankees in '91. Muelens was the first player from Curacao to play in the Bigs.

Kevin Maas
Dubbed the heir-apparent to Don Mattingly, Maas reached the 10 career home run milestone faster than any player in Major League history. In 1991 he hit .220 and struck out 128 times. (in 500 ABs)

Terry Shumpert
A second round pick of the Royals in '87, Shumpert would go on to play 14 seasons with six different teams.

Will Clark
Did you know that Will Clark is a direct descendant of William Clark -- of "Lewis and Clark" fame? Well you do now!

Wade Taylor
1991 would be Taylor's first (and last) season in the Majors. He would finish his career with a record of 7-12 with an ERA of 6.27.

The 20 for $40 re-wrap with Virtual Don West: 1993 Pinnacle Series One

GET READY.

THE MAN,
THE MYTH,
THE LEGEND,
THE DON
IS BACK!!!

ARE YOU READY FOR THISSSSS????

To review, here's what Don and I got.

Base:
Willie McGee
Randy Johnson
Ken Caminiti
Dave Nilsson
Travis Fryman
Mark Gubicza
Julio Valera
Willie Wilson
Luis Rivera
Dean Palmer
Dave Valle
John Valentin
Derek Parks ('93 Rookie Prospect)
Dan Wilson ('93 Rookie Prospect)
I. Rodriguez/C. Fisk (The Idols)

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 1999 Team Best Baseball America's Top Prospects

Oh Christ. It's a pack of Minor League cards.

Does anybody know what ever happened to Team Best? The website listed on the wrapper now goes to some sort of medical services company.

The gimmick behind this 100-card set, is all the top 100 prospects for 1999 as selected by Baseball America. To refresh your memory, here was BA's list of the top 10 prospects:

1. J.D. Drew, of, Cardinals
2. Rick Ankiel, lhp, Cardinals
3. Eric Chavez, 3b, Athletics
4. Bruce Chen, lhp, Braves
5. Brad Penny, rhp, Diamondbacks
6. Michael Barrett, 3b/c, Expos
7. Ryan Anderson, lhp, Mariners
8. Pablo Ozuna, ss, Marlins
9. Ruben Mateo, of, Rangers
10. Matt Clement, rhp, Padres

There are six cards in this pack. Let's see how many of these guys are still in the Majors (HIT), and which ones aren't (MISS).

Base:
Jin Ho Cho (#24)
22-year old Korean Jin Ho made his Major League debut with the Red Sox on the Fourth of July, 1998. In two seasons with the Red Sox, Jin Ho compiled a 2-6 record with an ERA of 6.52. Out of Baseball by 2000. BUST

Jayson Werth (#94)
Werth was the 22nd player selected in the 1997 draft by the Orioles. It would be another five years until he made his debut with the Blue Jays. He's currently platooning with Geoff Jenkins in right field for the Phightin' Phils. HIT

Tim Drew (#35)
Was selected six picks after Werth -- and 26 after brother J.D -- by Cleveland. Last pitched in the Majors with Atlanta in '04, compiling a career record of 2-4 with 2 saves and an ERA of 7.02 in 35 appearances. Now pitching for Bridgeport of the Atlantic League. BUST

Ron Belliard (#12)
A 2004 All-Star, Belliard is now the everyday second baseman for Washington. HIT

Cody McKay (#65)
Journeyman catcher who bounced around the minors before finally making The Show in '02 with Oakland. Last played in The Bigs for the Cardinals in '04. Named in the Mitchell report. BUST

Ben Davis (#30)
Was called by USA Today the best high school catcher since Dale Murphy, before being picked second overall in the '95 draft by the Padres, but failed to live up to expectations. Has played for San Diego, Seattle, and the White Sox. Currently in the Orioles minor league system. BUST

Two HITS and four BUSTS, which is about what I expected from a nine-year old pack of minor league cards.

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 1994 Leaf Series One Magazine Jumbo

Today's pack is a magazine (read: "retail") pack of 1994 Leaf Series One. These packs were exclusive to (wait for it....) magazine wholesalers. Which begs the question: When was the last time you walked past a newsstand and saw a pack of baseball cards for sale?

You get 15 cards (three more than a standard wax pack) and every twelfth pack contains a Magazine exclusive Clean Up Crew insert.

Virtual Don finally got out of St. Louis; but the only flight he could catch was to Newark. I don't feel like trucking my ass up the Turnpike, nor do I feel like making another video. And nor do I feel like putting much effort into this pack break.

Base:
Orestes Destrade
Chad Curtis
Joe Carter
Orel Hershiser
Alan Trammell
Luis Alicea
Don Mattingly
Mike Devereaux
Gregg Jefferies
Andres Galarraga
Dave Hollins
Mike Devereaux (again?)
Lenny Dykstra
Chip Hale
Al Leiter

That's two 1993 Phillies, two '93 Blue Jays, two ESPN Baseball Tonight analysts, and two Mike Devereaux's.

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 1998 Pacific Invincible

Reaching into our magic sack of junkwax comes this beauty: A pack of 1998 Pacific Invincible. In keeping with the spirit of Pacific, this entire review will be in both English and Spanish.

El alcanzar en nuestro saco mágico de junkwax viene esta belleza. Un paquete de 1998 Pacific Invincible. En armonía con el alcohol del Pacific, esta revisión entera estará en inglés y español.

There was always something a bit amateur-ish about Pacific, which was probably why I never dug them. In fact, this is the only the second Pacific pack (of any brand) I've ever opened.

Había siempre algo al aficionado-ish del pedacito sobre el Pacific, que era probablemente porqué nunca lo cavé. En hecho, éste es el único el segundo paquete Pacific (de cualquier marca de fábrica) que me he abierto siempre.

Invincible is a weird product -- and that's saying something considering that this is Pacific. You get five cards in a pack, but you only get one card from the 150-card "base" set. The other four cards are inserts -- three from the 220-card Gems of the Diamond set and either a fourth Gem or one of four different inserts.

Invincible es un producto extraño -- y ése está diciendo algo que considera que esto es Pacific. Usted consigue cinco tarjetas en un paquete, pero usted consigue solamente una tarjeta de la 150-tarjeta "base" fija. Las otras cuatro tarjetas son los rellenos -- tres de las 220-tarjetas Gems of the Diamond fijado y una cuarta Gem o uno de cuatro diversos rellenos.

Each of the base cards has a head-and-shoulders portrait printed onto a translucent window embedded into the card. The rest of the card is slathered in gold foil, giving it a late-90s insert feel to them. The Gems look like your average Pacific base set -- which is not meant to be a complement.

Cada uno de las tarjetas bajas tiene un retrato de los cabeza-y-hombros impreso sobre una ventana translúcida encajada en la tarjeta. El resto de la tarjeta es slathered en la hoja del oro, dándole una sensación del relleno de late-90s ellos. Las Gemas parecen su base Pacific media fijada -- que no se signifique para ser un complemento.

Once again, my co-host Virtual Don West could not be with me to open this pack. My satellite uplink was damaged and needs replacement, so I figured I'd fly him out here. Unfortunately I booked his flight on American Airlines, so he's still stuck at O'Hare.

De nuevo, mi co-anfitrio'n Virtual Don West no podría estar con mí para abrir este paquete. Mi uplink basado en los satélites fue dañado y necesita el reemplazo, así que calculé que lo volaría hacia fuera aquí. Desafortunadamente reservé su vuelo en American Airlines, así que lo todavía pegan en O'Hare.

Base:
David Justice
Remember when David Justice's '92 Diamond King was worth $15? By 1998, it was worth significantly less.

¿Recuerde que cuando El Rey del Diamante de '92 David Justice valió $15? Antes de 1998, valió perceptiblemente menos.

'98 was David's second season with the Tribe, after being dealt by the Braves at the end of Spring Training in '97. He led Cleveland to the AL pennant with a .329/33/101 season, only to regress a bit in '98 (.280/21/88).

'98 era segunda estación de David con la Tribu, después de ser repartido por el Braves a finales del entrenamiento del resorte en '97. Él condujo Cleveland al banderín del AL con una estación del .329/33/101, sólo para regresar un pedacito en '98 (.280/21/88).

Inserts:
4 Gems of the Diamond (four-per-pack)
Shane Halter
A do-it-all utility man, Shane played every position except catcher for the '98 Royals. (He even pitched an inning of scoreless relief!) On October 1, 2000, Shane -- now with Detroit -- became the fourth player in MLB history to play all nine positions in one game. He last played in the Majors with Anaheim in '04.

Un-E'L-TODO hombre para uso general, Shane jugó cada posición excepto el colector para el '98 Royals. (él incluso echó un turno de la relevación scoreless!) De octubre el 1 de 2000, Shane -- ahora con Detroit -- se convirtió el cuarto jugador en la historia de MLB para jugar las nueve posiciones en un juego. Él jugó por último en los comandantes con Anaheim en '04.

Chipper Jones
My second Chipper in as many packs! 1998 was another All-Star season for Chipper: .313/34/107.

¡Mi segundo martillo Chipper en tantos paquetes! 1998 era otra estación de la Todo-Estrella para el martillo Chipper: .313/34/107.

Orlando Miller
A one-time "can't miss" prospect with the Astros, 1997 was Miller's last year in the Bigs. Final career stats: .259/24/113 in four seasons with Houston and Detroit.

Un de una sola vez "no puede faltar" la perspectiva con el Astros, 1997 era Miller's el año pasado en el Bigs. Stats final de la carrera: .259/24/113 en cuatro estaciones con Houston y Detroit.

Rich Aurilia
Did you know that in 1997, Rich Aurilia hit the first ever interleague grand slam?

¿Usted sabía que en 1997, Aurilia rico golpeó el golpe magnífico del primer siempre interleague?

All in all, '98 Pacific Invincible is a set where the base cards look like inserts, and the inserts look like base cards. A blah product from a manufacturer that few of us have missed

Todo en todos, '98 Pacific Invincible es un sistema donde las tarjetas bajas parecen los rellenos, y los rellenos parecen tarjetas bajas. Un producto del blah de un fabricante que pocos de nosotros han faltado.

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 1999 Skybox Metal Universe

I bought a shitload of wax in '99, but never got around to Metal Universe. There are no RCs, but there are some decent inserts. Unfortunately, the odds of pulling a Planet Metal insert is 1:36; a Diamond Soul, 1:72; and a Linchpins, 1:360.

OBTW, due to satellite issues my new video pack bustin' sidekick Virtual Don West could not be with me to review this pack.

I know, you're heartbroken. As am I, but we're working on it. (I knew that Air Force training would someday come in handy.)



Let's review...

Base:
Charles Johnson
One of a handful of players to have been selected twice in the first round of the draft, Charles was picked by the Expos with the tenth pick overall in the '89 draft, but turned them down to attend "The U" on a baseball scholarship. Three years later, he was then chosen by the Marlins with their first first-round pick in '92. Johnson has the "honor" of being traded to, then released by, the Boston Red Sox on the same day. He ended a respectable career with the Devil Rays in '05.

Known more for his defense, Charles Johnson won four straight Gold Gloves (1995-98), and was an All-Star twice. Although pictured here as a Dodger -- he was sent to LA by the Marlins in the blockbuster Mike Piazza/Gary Sheffield trade -- he was traded again in the off-season to the Orioles, where he would hit .251/16/54 in '99.

Adrian Beltre (Building Blocks)
"Building Blocks" was your run-of-the-mill subset of rookies whose actual RCs were in a previous year's product. (In Beltre's case, 1997 Bowman) In the late-90s Fleer attempted to market/pander their Skybox brands to the "hip-hop" audience, with hilarious results. To fully appreciate this, I present to you, in all it's unintended comedic glory, the reverse side of Adrian Beltre's 1999 Skybox Metal Universe card.

(Before I go any further I should note that in 2001 I toured Fleer's headquarters in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. After spending nearly two hours at the Fleer office, I did not notice anyone outside the "middle-aged-white-guy/white-gal" demographic who was employed there. Please take this into consideration before reading this gem...)

"Yo, Adrian, 20 years old, filling in for Bobby Bo' at third for the L.A. Dodgers ... not bad. We know that you almost nabbed the '97 FSL Triple Crown and were Mr. MVP. We can see your glove is phat already. But at 20? I guess that's why Zeile's in Texas and Konerko's in Cincy ... your move, Kid."

Ivan Rodriguez
Any pack with Pudge, is automatically a good pack, and 1999 would be his best season. He added to the trophy cabinet with his eighth consecutive All-Star appearance, (seventh consecutive start) his eighth consecutive Gold Glove, and the AL MVP. (Or should it be "Mr. AL MVP?") I don't give a shit if Canseco says he was on the gas, if only for his defense, Pudge is a first-ballot HOFer.

Darin Erstad (Caught on the Fly)
The gimmick behind the COTF subset is that it's "written" in the style of The Sporting News column of the same name. Unlike the Building Block card, I will not subject you to the mangled punctuation and broken English of this one.

Ken Griffey, Jr. (Checklist)
A checklist. Yay.

Matt Williams
Matt Williams was in every Fleer insert set in the mid-to-late-90s -- or so it seemed. So I guess it was inevitable that I pulled a Williams. After an awful '98 season in Arizona (his first with the Snakes), Matt rebounded with a possibly steroid-fueled .303/35/142 season. Matt was selected to his fifth (and final) All-Star game, and finished third in the NL MVP balloting to...

... Chipper Jones
who led the Braves to the NL Pennant with a .315/45/110/25 campaign. In addition to the NL MVP, Chipper won his first of two Silver Sluggers -- but curiously was left off the All-Star team.

Insert:
Neophytes (1:6/packs) Troy Glaus
The Neophytes were the designated "Hot Rookie" insert that were standard in most late-90s products. Just like the Building Blocks, the backs are written in "Mount Laurel Ebonics."

"Anaheim's Angel at the hot corner. Your future's so bright, it's hurtin' our eyes! We just hope the bosses know they have a future star on their hands. Keep their heads ringin', Troy, and we know the sky's the limit for this Angel in the infield. True that! True that!"

I believe that sometime around '97, even white people in Nebraska stopped saying "True That." Anyway, most of the fifteen players in this insert were also included in the Building Blocks subset mentioned earlier. In fact, looking at the checklist, with Beltre, Kerry Wood, and "That J.D. Guy," Glaus may be the best pull.

All-in-all, not a bad pack. I'm kind of mad at myself for not busting any '99 Skybox Metal Universe until now. I think I need to find a box of this stuff.

The 20 for $40 re-wrap: 1991 Leaf series one

For some reason, YouTube isn't allowing me to upload from my webcam. Oh well, the debut of my new video sidekick Virtual Don West will have to wait another day.

First pack out of our $40 re-wrap is fifteen cards of absolute dogshit: '91 Leaf series one. I think the only card in this product worth a damn is a Mike Mussina Gold Leaf Rookie. Let's see what we get anyway.

Base:
Jim Abbott
Alright, this pack is getting off to a decent start. Jim Abbott was The Man in The Hobby back in '91.

Scott Sanderson
Sanderson was a serviceable veteran starter who was coming off a 17-win campaign for the AL Champion A's. But, he took George Steinbrenner's money and ran to the Yankees where he would win another 16 and make what would be his lone All-Star appearance in '91.

Donnie Hill
First-round pick of Oakland in 1981. Donnie played nine seasons for the A's, White Sox, Angles, and Twins. Career numbers: .257/26/228/22

Wes Chamberlain
Alright! Our first Phillie! I remember when the Phils acquired Chamberlain from Pittsburgh. He was MVP of the AA-Eastern League, then was accidentally put on waivers by the Pirates at the 1990 trade deadline. WHOOPS!

1991 was Wes's first full year as an everyday player and, as it turned out, would be his best -- finishing fifth in the NLROY balloting. By 1994 he was dealt to the Red Sox, and last played in the Bigs in '95.

Dave Eiland
About the only thing notable about Dave, is his Chris Berman nickname: Dave "No Man Is An" Eiland. I don't think John Donne would have hit it off with Ayn Rand.

Luis Salazar
Veteran third-baseman who was wrapping up a decent, albeit not spectacular, career with the Cubs. In 13 years he played for both Chicago teams, the Tigers, and had three separate tours-of-duty with San Diego.

John Orton
First round pick of the Angels in 1987, Orton never amounted to anything but your typical backup catcher. All the which makes this particular card apropos, as he is pictured performing the typical backup catcher duty of "warming-up-the-pitcher-without-your-mask-or-other-protective-equipment-until-the -starting-catcher-gets-his-gear-back-on." In five seasons (all with California) Orton hit all of .200.

Darren Daulton
It's hard not to like Dutch. Even though he believes that the world will end in 2012, I'll always have 1993.

Alvaro Espinoza

Blurb from the bottom of his card reads, "Alvaro was 2nd in the Major Leagues in sacrifices in '89." I guess if you hit .224 the previous year, you got to come up with something.

Kirk McCaskill
Fourth round pick of the Angels in '82, Kirk won 17 games for in '86. However, he'd lead the Majors in losses (19) in '91.

Tim Leary
Leary was selected with the second overall pick of the '79 draft by the Mets. Although Tim won 17 for the World Champion '88 Dodgers, he'd go 4-10 with an ERA of 6.49 with the Yanks in '91.

Bryan Harvey
One of a slew of dominant early-90s closers, Bryan would save 46, make his first All-Star team, and finish fifth in the AL Cy Young balloting for the Angels in '91. All that, and about 25 cents will get you a Bryan Harvey RC.

Steve Sax
Oh sure, he was the 1982 NLROY. And he was a five-time All-Star. But, c'mon. When I say "Steve Sax" what's your first thought?

Yeah, I thought so.

Todd Stottlemyre
Back in '91 Todd was an up-and-coming starter. The son of Yankees and Mets pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, Todd would finish up a respectable career with the '02 D-Backs with a 138-121 record.

Joe Girardi
Yeah, he's the manager of the Yankees. And he was the NL Manager of the Year in '06. But did you know that Joe Girardi was an All-Star as late as 2000?

Insert: Harmon Killebrew Puzzle Piece

We got one current manager of the Yankees, a one-handed pitcher, and one former All-Star catcher who thinks the world will end in four-and-a-half years. Not a bad first pack, then again I wasn't exactly expecting too much. (This is 1991 Leaf we're talking about.) Only 19 more packs to go!