AT LONG LAST! 2006 Topps Series Two Jumbo Box Break

I'm back! Between my annoyance with Topps' runaway gimmickry and real-life stuff (vacation, rehearsals for my next play), I've been away from APAD for too long. With dayf incommunicado until next week, it's up to the rest of us to pick up the slack for once. What better way to start than by finally closing the door on this box break that I started nearly five months ago. Holy crap.

335 Mark Prior
598 Ron Gardenhire MGR - Shown with untucked jersey, which if you've seen Gardy, is for the best.
433 Casey Kotchman - His name rhymes with...Stacy. Get your head out of the gutter.
376 Luis Gonzalez
406 Ryan Doumit
368 Khalil Greene
397 Jason Vargas
RBI7 Ruben Sierra Hit Parade - Hahaha, are you kidding? Oh, I see: he was #7 among "active" players in RBI.

524 Ben Sheets GOLD 0685/2006
SC-JW James Wilson US Constitution - They really should tell you at least which state these guys were from.
449 Jason LaRue
436 Keith Foulke - He's still pitching...with the A's. (Or was, he's on the DL now.) Seriously.
441 Rich Aurilia
444 Curtis Granderson
435 Paul Konerko - Excellent photo of Paul firing a throw across the diamond.

378 Tony Clark - MORE dupes. Grr.
353 Claudio Vargas
459 Mark Hendrickson
595 Terry Francona MGR
539 Juan Rincon
508 Danny Haren
530 Carlos Guillen
Checklist 3 of 3
MHR30 Mickey Mantle Home Run History #30 - I have 24 of these overall.
479 Carlos Silva - Okay, back to cards I actually need.
622 Jason Bergmann RC
430 Octavio Dotel - Really, he was a Yankee?
619 Joey Devine RC
437 Juan Rivera
443 Danny Kolb - Shown after a swing in Atlanta ruined his career.
639 Prince Fielder RC
560 Jim Thome
660 Angel Arms: Ervin Santana and Francisco Rodriguez - Must be nice to lose arbitration and still bring home $10 million.

607 Cubs Team Card
647 Twin Fundamentals: Rondell White and Lew Ford
603 Mets Team Card

Okay, where do we stand with that box? No relics or autos, which is lame. Way too many doubles, considering that I wasn't able to complete the base set. That's what I get for 27 bucks I guess.

Base Cards: 309 of 330 (93.6%)
Doubles: 75 (19.5% of base cards in box)
Checklists: 2 sets of 3

Gold Parallel (1:4): 3 (Blake, Castilla, Sheets)
Black Parallel (1:14): 1 (Payton)
Hit Parade (1:6): 2 (Bagwell, Sierra)
Mickey Mantle Home Run History (1:1): 12
Opening Day (1:3): 4
Signers of the US Constitution (1:2): 6 (Franklin, Washington, Williamson, Wilson, Spaight, Sherman)
Trading Places (1:4): 3 (P. Wilson, Furcal, R. Hernandez)
Topps Stars (1:4): 3 (Soriano, Cabrera, Ramirez)

So Close: 2006 Topps Series Two Jumbo

Last night I finally made it to an Orioles game for the first time in 2008, and I was rewarded with a 5-3 win by the home team, the sixth in their last seven games. In the offseason, the scoreboards all around the stadium were upgraded. The center field board now features a facsimile of a 2008 Topps card for the current batter whenever the O's are hitting. It's kind of neat, especially since they put them all in landscape format to fit better on the screen.

Speaking of Topps, here's pack eleven of my long-ago twelve-pack jumbo hobby of 2006 Topps Series 2, comin' atcha.

505 Jason Schmidt - Just typing his name makes my shoulder hurt.
510 J.D. Drew - Shown dodging batteries as he races down the first base line.

494 Kip Wells
549 Erik Bedard - Unlike his 2008 card, this is actually Bedard.
486 Wily Mo Pena - The Nats trotted out an outfield of Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge, and Wily Mo (from right to left) last night. Let's just say that they were instrumental in the Orioles' win.
474 Trot Nixon
453 Daniel Cabrera - Shown wearing a children's glove apparently.

401 Roy Halladay - At his current rate, he'll complete 16 games this year...and lose 12.
480 Jose Contreras
TP-PW Preston Wilson Trading Places - I almost typed "Trevor Wilson". That was weird.

334 Lew Ford - Ugh. Bring on more dupes.
422 Aaron Cook
471 Runelvys Hernandez
557 Chris Burke
381 Odalis Perez
600 Ned Yost
405 Miguel Tejada
523 Bronson Arroyo
517 Denny Bautista
395 Austin Kearns
342 Bruce Chen
478 Doug Waechter
MHR55 Mickey Mantle Home Run History #55 - Technically, this is a new card. Technically means little to me now.
552 Eric Byrnes
635 Joe Zumaya RC
438 Todd Pratt
347 Joe Randa
514 Mark Loretta
625 Jeremy Accardo RC
548 Sean Burroughs
472 Duaner Sanchez
653 Brew Crew: Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks
602 Phillies Team Card
655 Cub Corners: Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez
613 Giants Team Card - The last 24 base cards were dupes. Terrible.

Serenity Now? 2006 Topps Jumbo Box Break

Okay, work has been hell lately, but I've got the day off tomorrow! Let's celebrate with the "War and Peace" of box breaks, why not? Today: pack ten of twelve.

468 Johan Santana
383 Russ Ortiz - Man, he went to crap really quick.
506 Michael Cuddyer
584 Jorge Sosa - Multiple-time winner of the "Least Despicable Sosa in MLB" award.
495 Adrian Beltre
423 David Ortiz - Still listed as 1B. That's cute.
487 Rich Harden - His catchphrase: "Ow, my arm!"
417 Jay Gibbons - Has yet to catch on with a new team after the O's decided in March that eating his contract was preferable to keeping him around. Oh, Jay.
HIT6 Jeff Bagwell Hit Parade
TP-RH Ramon Hernandez Trading Places - Hey, an Orioles insert!

600 Ned Yost MGR
405 Miguel Tejada - Orioles all over this pack.
523 Bronson Arroyo
517 Denny Bautista
395 Austin Kearns - One of those players that I like for no specific reason. His name's kind of funny and he's got goofy scraggly hair. Sometimes that's enough.
342 Bruce Chen - Fresh off one of the more unlikely pitching performances in O's history (13-10, 3.83 ERA).
478 Doug Waechter
489 Jason Bartlett
555 Scott Rolen
617 Ryan Zimmerman RC - I'd forgotten that his first professional season was 2005.

386 Luke Hudson
592 Mike Hargrove MGR - He managed the Orioles for four years, the longest tenure under Peter Angelos. Poor devil.
MHR75 Mickey Mantle Home Run History #75 - *weeps softly*
585 Mike Piazza - Sans facial hair. Creepy.

561 Miguel Olivo
515 Mark Grudzielanek
475 Ramon Hernandez - Two Ramons (and five Orioles) in one pack...wow.
533 Scott Hatteberg - The card back actually talks about his role in Moneyball.
631 Dan Uggla RC - My roommate's own personal hero. All he does is hit home runs.
633 Josh Barfield RC
642 Brian Bannister RC - That's neat; Jesse and Floyd's sons' rookies back to back.
650 Philly Phanatics: Pat Burrell and Mike Lieberthal
604 Nationals Team Card
653 Brew Crew: Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks
602 Phillies Team Card

The Long March Onward: 2006 Topps Series Two Jumbo Box Break

I am feeling lucky, folks. The NFL draft is in about an hour, and yesterday I won a photo caption contest on local radio station 98 Rock. Because in-studio guest Ric Flair appreciated my "Figure Foreplay Leglock" pun, I am now the proud owner of four front-row tickets to tomorrow night's WWE Backlash pay-per-view at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore. If nothing else, it cements my status as APAD's resident wrestling geek. Let's commemorate this happy occasion by blogging pack number 9...number 9...number 9...of 12.

541 Oliver Perez - Showing off the high socks.
538 Mark Mulder
559 Jerry Hairston, Jr. - Psst, the steroids didn't work, Jerry.
525 Zach Duke
572 Todd Jones - I approve of the mustache, but not the homophobia.
516 Derrick Turnbow
375 Brady Clark
357 Orlando Hernandez - You may know him as "El Duque", which is Spanish for...the Duque.
367 Ray Durham
466 Jay Payton BLACK 22/55 - It looks neat and it's very rare, but it's still Jay Payton.
391 Casey Blake
338 Livan Hernandez
483 Jose Guillen - I read a hilarious book called Fantasyland. The author organized a three-man picket of the Angels facilities when the team suspended Guillen. He found out very quickly that the Angels hated the outfielder almost to a man.
484 Aaron Hill
563 Brad Ausmus
540 Gustavo Chacin Topps All-Star Rookie - Who wouldn't want to smell like him?
570 Todd Helton
636 Jim Edmonds
588 Ken Macha
464 Nick Swisher - He's no Steve Swisher...which is a good thing. He got lucky with recessive genes.
399 Joe Crede
373 Woody Williams - Shown practicing his bunting. Oookay.
MHR5 Mickey Mantle Home Run History #5
556 Rob Mackowiak
564 Yorvit Torrealba
498 Brad Thompson - Hello, Mr. Thompson.
634 Reggie Abercrombie RC
431 Julio Franco - Not pictured: The Ark of the Covenant.
579 Javier Vazquez
418 Johnny Estrada
618 Craig Hansen RC
654 Power Rays: Travis Lee and Rocco Baldelli - Let's see. In 2005, Lee hit 12 homers and Rocco missed the whole season with injuries. Feel the power!
605 Marlins Team Card
646 Bronx Zoo: Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon - I guess they represent the Monkey House of the zoo.
606 Astros Team Card

2008 UD Spectrum Live Blaster Rip

Ok, live box break is coming up in less than a half an hour. You've got about 15 minutes to guess which pack the relic is in. Ten minutes before the break I'll post the first Trivia Question so you have time to Google around for the answer before the break. The next two questions will be during the rip itself. One prize per person so don't be a Mr. Know It All and try to answer everything.

Ok, time for the trivia to start. First up is the baseball question, first person to answer correctly in the comments wins a prize. One prize per person!

BASEBALL QUESTION:

Derek Jeter has an insert set in 2008 Spectrum. He has won the Rookie of the Year award but not the MVP award.

Name the player who came in second to Jeter for the Rookie of the Year in 1996, and the player who beat out Jeter for the MVP in 2006.

Box break in less than ten minutes....

THE PLASTIC IS OFF THE BOX

HERE'S THE FIRST PACK

ARE YOU READY?

Lets rip!

Pack 1:
6 Jeff Francouer
97 Alex Rios
82 Tim Lincecum
DJ74 Derek Jeter jumps inna stands

Pack 2

HIT ALERT
32 Troy Tulowitzki
SDS-VR Justin Verlander & Ivan Rodriguez Duel Swatches 67/99
52 Prince Fielder
78 Greg Maddux


Question time

BAD MUSIC QUESTION:

2008 Spectrum has a lot of entertainment autographs from 80's hair metal band members, but they didn't get the signatures of these two guys.

Find and post the YouTube link to the video of the guy who sings "Chocolate Rain" doing a karaoke version of "Never Gonna Give You Up".

Yes, I'm serious. If you are unhappy with this question post a YouTube link to something even more terrible, because I'll be checking every link posted tonight.




Pack 3
58 Joe Mauer
45 David De Jesus
65 Robinson Cano
YSL 315 Tony Lazzeri

Pack 4
19 Derrek Lee
71 Jimmy Rollins
26 Adam Dunn
13 Daisuke Matsusaka


Question time



POTPOURRI QUESTION:

The Electromagnetic Spectrum is the range of all possible electromagnetic radiation, from long wave radio waves to gamma waves and includes visible light.

The base cards in 2008 Upper Deck Spectrum have a blue background. What is the length in nanometers of the wavelength of the color blue?



PAck 5
36 Gary Sheffield
62 Jose Reyes
91 Carl Crawford
DJ50 Derek Jeter does something

Pack 6
49 Brad Penny
88 Scott Rolen
39 Dan Uggla
12 David Ortiz

Pack 7
18 Carlos Zambrano
23 Jim Thome Orange Parallel 191-399
1 Chris Young
YSL290 Lou Gehrig

Ok that's the box! Let me fix some of these typos (David Prtiz??) and I'll go check to see who won!

TEH WEENERS:

Pack with the hit - pack 2
Tulo's card number - 32

mmosely wins!

darkship picked Ivan Rodriguez who was on the card so he also wins!

TRIVIA

Question 1 - thorzul drops the Jeter knowledge!

Question 2 - andrew posted the youtube video! (sorry brian, had to be the link to the video)

Question 3 -burnsee2 was first in with 450 nanometers!

BONUS PRIZE:

Kevin has to get something for this wonderful video he posted!



maybe a punch in the nose, but he's gotta get something! THANKS FOR PLAYING!

Where Were We? 2006 Topps Series Two Jumbo Box Break

Sorry for my untimely absence, but I just haven't been buying cards lately. I've been distracted with bigger, shinier purchases like an iPod classic. That's right, I'm one of the beautiful people now. As much as anyone with an entire playlist full of wrestling entrance themes can be considered beautiful...but I digress. Today you get pack number eight from a jumbo box I finished ripping in February. Now that's timeliness. But tomorrow I will give you a treat; some bad wax from the early Nineties. Huzzah!

371 Brad Hawpe
439 Ben Broussard - I love it when goofy baseball cliches sneak onto these cards. His blurb mentions what a good hitter Ben is with the bags "drunk".
363 Jermaine Dye - I hope he has a son named "JerMajesty", like Jermaine Jackson.
452 Jake Westbrook
354 Grady Sizemore - This pack is drunk with Indians.
461 Placido Polanco and his huge skull
344 Doug Davis, scourge of cancer. Cancer runs from Doug Davis.
469 Josh Willingham
TP-RF Rafael Furcal Trading Places - It almost looks as though they used the same photo twice, and just Photoshopped the Dodgers uni onto the second one.

OD-WI White Sox vs. Indians Opening Day
531 Juan Pierre - A Fire Joe Morgan favorite!
409 Edwin Encarnacion
385 Bill Hall - I still remember the game winning home run he hit on Mother's Day with his Mom in attendance. That was a great moment.
411 A.J. Burnett - $55 million well spent, right Jays fans?
390 Jake Peavy
587 Joe Torre MGR - What an awkward picture of Joe with his hands in his pants.

578 Wes Helms
356 Luis Matos - In Baltimore, "Matos" is Spanish for "Lazy".
591 Eric Wedge MGR - Ah, Eric's still rocking the 'stache in this shot. That's how I remember him from 1993 Topps.
429 Francisco Cordero - Who throws a chair, really?
454 Bobby Jenks
432 Brett Myers - Still don't think much of this guy, but the prank he pulled on poor Kyle Kendrick was classic.
MHR33 Mickey Mantle Home Run History #33
544 Mark Bellhorn
501 Emil Brown - Emil spelled backwards is "Lime". F'real.
446 Dustin Hermanson
550 Alfonso Soriano

628 Tim Corcoran RC
627 Matt Capps RC
413 Gregg Zaun - Anyone buy his "blank check" steroids defense?
425 Joe Kennedy - Rest in peace.
608 Cardinals Team Card
615 Diamondbacks Team Card
648 Brothers Orlando: Orlando Hernandez and Orlando Hudson - Huh? Brothers Orlando? Am I missing a reference here?
611 Rockies Team Card

Live Box Break #3 2008 UD Spectrum Monday at 10:00pm

Box break is tonight! 10:00pm! Be there or be somewhere else doing something productive with your life square!

It has been decided: Monday, 10:00pm will be Fastest Box Break Ever #3 - a Blaster of 2008 UD Spectrum.

On that night I will get online at 10:00pm Eastern time, 7:00pm Pacific and live blog the opening of a UD Spectrum Blaster that I will purchase that afternoon. I will rip each pack, post the cards in the pack and scan the best card. There will be two contests:

Contest 1
Each box of Spectrum has seven packs with one pack guaranteed to have relic card in it.
Guess which pack has the relic!
To enter: post here your guess which pack has the relic, a number between 1-100 and your guess on which player is on the card.
Pick the right pack and you have a chance to win. The tie breaker if more than one person picks the same pack is the number from 1-100. Closest to the number of the first card in the pack wins.
Winner gets their choice of:
Bad Autograph card
Relic card
Numbered insert card
If you guess the player on the card you win all three whether you guessed the pack right or not! First person to pick the player wins, so don't you all pick the same guy.
The checklist is here, don't pick someone who is not in the set!

Contest 2
Three trivia questions will be asked during the box break. To keep it topical, one question will be about baseball, one will be about bad music (to honor all the hair metal band autographs in the set) and one will be something unexpected...
First person to answer it right wins a bubble mailer packed full of cards. I'll cram as much stuff as I can get in there safely. Expect an eclectic mix.
Only one prize per person! I'm sending out four bags of stuff!

This thread is the official pack guessing thread, so make your guesses and see you on Monday!

Update - bumped to top again.

Live Box Break #3

Bumped agin.

It looks like three whole people are interested so I'll do it just for them. Everybody else can go take a flying leap into an inflatable pool of Jello pudding pops.

It looks like we're down to three choices:
1) Blaster of Spectrum
2) '90-'91 Pro Set Hockey Series 1
3) '94 Leaf Series 1

I'm going to go see which of those I can find and I'll post the time of the break and the contest rules this afternoon. You also might get an actual pack rip if you're nice to me...

~~~

Bumped to the top to see if there's any interest.

Seriously, does anyone care or should I just save my twenty bucks?

~~~

Ok it's that time again on A Pack A Day. I was originally going to open a box of Finest for this edition of "Fastest Box Break Ever" but I'm not interested in plunking down three Jacksons for a Rip Master autograph and a couple of refractors. So, I'll need some input from the readers on this one. I have two questions:

1) What box should I open?

I'm thinking Spectrum would be good since it's brand new, there are 4 cards per pack (much easier to type) and there's a jersey per blaster. If there's something else you'd rather see ripped, let me know. The guidelines are basically $20 or less. Anything goes as long as I can find it on the shelf at a big box store or in the junk wax at the hobby shop. The only blasters I won't rip is UD Masterpieces or '07 Topps since I have the sets already. I'll even do a TriStar "Find the '52" repack if you want to subject me to that fresh hell. Go ahead and give me a second choice too in case I can't find a particular box.

2) What time should I rip?

Your choices here are:
Friday night 10pm
Monday night 10pm
Sometime on the weekend

Weekends are usually dead around here, but it's will give me time to breathe in case you guys are evil and insist on a 36 pack junk box. 10pm allows both east and west coasters a chance to tune in and watch.

Let me know in the comments and I'll get the box, figure out a giveaway and get ready to rip.

At Least It Ain't Heritage: 2006 Topps Series Two Jumbo

Now that I've been glutted on 2008 Topps Heritage, I thought I'd return to the slowest box break in history. As a reminder, I bought this jumbo hobby box back in February to get free shipping on my 2008 Topps Series One. This is pack number seven, kicking off the second half of the box. As I'm posting this, North Carolina and Washington State have tipped off and I'm rooting for the Tar Heels for office pool purposes. I feel so dirty...

465 Joel Piniero - Card back says that scouts convinced him to switch from shortstop to pitcher. *Rolls eyes* Good call, guys.
470 Jeremy Bonderman
456 Brad Lidge - I figure he'll turn his career around as soon as Pujols' home run from the 2005 NLCS lands.
636 Matt Cain RC

445 Jeff Francoeur Topps All-Star Rookie - "Francoeur" is French for "Dayf's Forbidden Love". True story.
490 Magglio Ordonez
513 Ervin Santana - I believe he lost 38 games on the road last year, give or take a few.
384 Toby Hall
OD-JT Blue Jays vs. Twins Opening Day

SC-BF Ben Franklin US Constitution - Awesome! These inserts are totally getting me in the mood to watch 1776. Also, John Adams. Alas, I am without HBO.
522 Jason Isringhausen - Fire up the dupes!
349 Jason Jennings
463 Todd Walker
493 Eddie Guardado
546 Andy Sisco
596 Buddy Bell MGR - Yep, still dupes...
583 Craig Counsell
575 Roy Oswalt
333 Ryan Langehans
455 Dontrelle Willis
408 Jon Lieber
Checklist 1 of 3
MHR38 Mickey Mantle Home Run History #38 - I think he hit all of these off of the Tigers and Red Sox.
348 Reggie Sanders
447 Jacque Jones
424 Tony Womack - Sigh, still dupin' it up.
504 Phil Nevin
643 Willie Eyre RC
532 Scot Shields
416 Roberto Hernandez
426 Dustin McGowan - Come ON.
658 Up the Middle: Ivan Rodriguez and Carlos Guillen
614 Padres Team Card
650 Philly Phanatics: Pat Burrell and Mike Lieberthal - Hey, a card I didn't have yet!

604 Nationals Team Card - Another newbie. It's a team card, but I'll take what I can get at this point.

Denouement: 2008 Topps Heritage Box Break, Part Six

Okay, I'd better finish this box break before dayf goes Incredible Hulk and starts smashing 2008 Topps Heritage displays in his local hobby shop. No worries, my next few packs after this will be of the non-2008 variety.

Pack 21
374 Baseball Thrills: Kenny Lofton breaks postseason steals record - The photo is recycled from 2008 Topps Series One. Sheez.
100 Jack Cust - Deadspin compared him to Rob Riggle, which I can kind of see.
163 Brad Ausmus
249 Jonathan Papelbon - His batting average against was .146 last year, which is unfair.
346 Daisuke Matsuzaka and Josh Beckett: Batter Bafflers - Say that five times fast.

363 Chris Duffy
180 Jorge Posada - Hip, hip, Jorge!
12 Curt Schilling black variation

Pack 22
184 Bronson Arroyo - He reportedly does a great cover of Pearl Jam's "Black", which is enough for me.
318 Jarrod Saltalamacchia - His last name is so long that the first and last letter are stitched on the front of the jersey.

110 Homer Bailey - His first name is actually "Homesworth". No it isn't.
219 Orlando Hudson - Back of the card calls him "O-Dog". Do we have a ruling: is it O-Dog or O-Dawg?
421 Jamie Moyer - Used to babysit Satchel Paige.
7 Joey Gathright
498 Josh Beckett All-Star SP - According to the card back, he "has owned" many thousands of baseball cards. "Has"? Where are they now?
301 Ronnie Belliard black variation

Pack 23
272 Aaron Harang - He's a San Diegan. The card back told me so.
1 Vladimir Guerrero - Vlad appears to be towering over the light standards.
48 Orioles Team Card - My second O's card of the box. Not a great ratio.
250 Felix Pie - I'm rooting hard for him, because no one deserves to endure this. Yow.
352 Carl Crawford - He and I share a birthday. We're joined by John Wasdin, though we don't often admit it.

383 John Maine and Willie Randolph: Words of Wisdom: I had box seats for Maine's ML debut, in which he was battered by the Twins. It's all in my new book, "Disappointing Memories".
BF8 Mickey Mantle Flashbacks: Mick's 11th Hour Heroics - A double. At least I didn't get another Antarctica card.
224 David Wright black variation

Pack 24
27 Greg Maddux - Another of the hallowed "all stats on the back" old-timers.
101 Carlos Ruiz - Won the "Rookie with the Most Chins" Award in the NL.
154 Bobby Abreu - His name was destined to be enunciated by Harry Kalas.
341 Vernon Wells - I will be strong. I will NOT draft him, no matter how weak my outfield may look.
396 Joe Blanton - I approve of the thickness of his goatee.
179 Austin Kearns
C67 Lance Berkman Chrome Refractor 343/559 - At least I think it is. What's the difference between Chrome and Refractor? It looks like a Chrome, but the serial numbering is lower.

267 Xavier Nady

Consider this hobby box broken, with...no relic or auto? Dudes, I got hosed. I've had some lousy luck with guaranteed pulls lately. Oh well, let's see how the box treated me otherwise:

Base cards (green backs): 156/500 31.2%

Black back variations (1:1): 24/110 21.8%

Short Prints (1:3): 7/75 9.3% (Okay, so they stiffed me on a short print as well. ARGH.)

Total base cards (black or green): 163/500 32.6%

Baseball Flashbacks (1:12): 2/10 20%

News Flashbacks (1:12): 2/10 20%

New Age Performers (1:12) 2/15 13.3%

Then & Now (1:12) 2/10 20%

Chrome Parallels (1:12) 3/100 Chrome (3%), 1/100 Refractor (1%)

Right, so my box was loaded up with Chrome, which I could give two figs about, and I got gypped out of an auto/relic and an SP. Well, crap. On the plus side, I get to do some trading to finish this set...in between a few pack and blaster buys, of course.

Easter Monday Rip: 2008 Topps Heritage Box Break, Part Five

I took a brief break over the weekend for Easter festivities. Now, as I chow down on a baseball-shaped hunk of hollow chocolate, let's get back to - you guessed it - more 2008 Topps Heritage.

Pack 17
212 Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones: Fence Busters - Is Andruw really that much shorter than L. W.?
230 Andruw Jones - Well, ain't that a co-inky-dink!
153 Reggie Willits - He looks like he needs a smaller cap.

38 Mark Reynolds
411 Sergio Mitre - Remember Surge? I used to drink that stuff all of the time, when I was a teenager and didn't know any better.
359 Paul Byrd - Shown without his facial hair, which I think is a better look for him.
175 Jeff Weaver - Already got the black variation. Ho-hum.
155 Johnny Damon black variation - Already got the green base. Ho-hum.

Pack 18
376 Randy Johnson - They need to do a lot more filtering to make him look even remotely human.
289 Brett Myers - Don't think much of him as a human being.

257 Jarrod Washburn - Also known as Kiefer Sutherland.
404 Franklin Gutierrez - With wacky sideways signature!

423 Randy Wolf - I had no idea his brother (Jim) was a MLB umpire!
355 Ian Kinsler
466 Micah Owings SP - I'm getting lots of SPs, it seems.
41 Kelvim Escobar black variation

Pack 19
105 Alfonso Soriano - I panicked and drafted him in the first round last year. Ecch.
93 Mike Piazza - Somebody sign him! I'm not ready for his career to end.
32 Derek Lowe
147 Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano: Cubs Clubbers - Again I get the same player on a base card and a combo card in the same pack. Strength in numbers.

417 Nate Robertson - He's the rare player that those new sports glasses work for.
88 Clay Buchholz - He appears to be wearing his weight in gold chains.
333 Kevin Kouzmanoff - Kevin needs a nickname. Koozy, maybe?
21 Troy Tulowitzki black variation

Pack 20
306 Stephen Drew - Yeowch, he hit .238 last year. And still wasn't as despised as his big brother.
29 Joe Nathan - His ERA with the Twins is 1.94. But hey, the Giants really enjoyed that one year of A. J. Pierzynski, right?
259 Michael Young - Working on a five-year streak of 200-hit seasons.
339 Ian Snell - The Yankees are going to call Ian up to the big leagues in the next year or two.
418 Shaun Marcum - I'll never get used to the Jays wearing black. Ew.
335 Brandon Phillips
NAP5 David Wright New Age Performers - The card back compares him to Ken Boyer, who had a solid career but wasn't quite as dreamy.

67 Rich Hill black variation

The REAL March Madness: 2008 Topps Heritage Box Break, Part Four

At the halfway point of this box, I'm still looking for my guaranteed hit. I've pulled six duplicates, but they're all cards I had before I started on the box. I'm enjoying my first-ever Heritage set building experience, although that may change when I end up desperately hunting short prints and seeing colored circles in my nightmares. Onward and upward!

Pack 13
273 Josh Barfield - Jesse's boy, which sounds like the less-popular version of a Rick Springfield song.
51 Chad Cordero - Did you know that Ted Turner used to refer to NL President Chub Feeney as "Chief"? He also called ex-Commissioner Bowie Kuhn "Superchief".
25 Edwin Encarnacion
311 Jeff Suppan - Last year was about as typical as it gets for Jeff: 12-12, 4.62 ERA. His career numbers: 118-113, 4.61 ERA.
424 Juan Uribe - He was just placed on waivers. He could be starting for the Orioles on Opening Day...God help us.

21 Troy Tulowitzki - His last name makes him sound like a Polish leprechaun.
NF10 News Flashbacks: Antarctic Treaty Signed - Cards for Alaska AND Antarctica? Give me a break.
34 Magglio Ordonez and Curtis Granderson: Pitchers Beware black variation

Pack 14
4 Mark Teixeira - The card back says he "took a cotton to his new digs". I appreciate the use of 1959 language. At least I assume that's what's going on here.
440 John Smoltz - The base card, not the wacky super-SP variation.
118 Emilio Bonifacio RC Rookie Stars
143 Erick Threets RC Rookie Stars - That's Erick, not Eric (as in Byrnes) or Erik (as in Bedard). Got that?
292 Chad Tracy - No relation to former Dodgers and Pirates skipper Jim.
301 Ronnie Belliard - Man, I love BellyLard. The Nats have had lots of entertaining fat guys in three short years (Ray King, Livan, Dmitri Young, etc).
483 Orlando Hudson All-Star SP - What is he looking at? I think O-Dawg is pretending he's on the Brady Bunch.

92 Phil Hughes black variation - Looking at his minor league stats reminds me of how bitter I am that New York took over the Red Barons as their AAA affiliate and re-branded them the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees. Ugh.

Pack 15
152 Brian Bannister - One more double.
400 Manny Ramirez - I suppose he's good enough for card #400.
319 A. J. Burnett - Wikipedia tells me his initials stand for Allan James. There you go.
139 Jeff Ridgway RC Rookie Stars - Wonder if he's related to the Green River Killer.
296 Josh Banks RC
52 Omar Vizquel - He signs using his full name: Omar Enrique Vizquel Gonzalez. Whew.
C9 Josh Hamilton Chrome 1277/1959 - My first card of him. He's got a great story, and I hope he continues to succeed.

3 Eric Byrnes black variation

Pack 16
189 Kenji Johjima - I always feel like I'm drunk when I say his name out loud.
298 Ben Sheets - Card back: "A healthy Ben is a dominant Ben." Wait a sec...let me check something. A. J. Burnett's card back: "A healthy A. J. is a dominant A. J." Shenanigans!
297 Bill Murphy RC
344 Michael Bourn - Photoshopped into his Astros duds. The cap logo is too tiny.
385 Geoff Jenkins - He just left the Brewers after ten years in Milwaukee. Too bad.
225 Pedro Martinez - Card back refers to him as "Petey". That's kinda fun.

475 Jose Contreras SP - Listed as 36 years old. Actually 75.
284 Luis Gonzalez black variation - The Marlins will be his sixth team.

Sobering Up with 2008 Topps Heritage (Box Break, Part Three)

I just had a rare weeknight out, helping a friend celebrate her liberation from the state of Maryland (she's most likely going to school in Indiana, which is...better? I can't keep track). What better way to calm down and get myself ready for bed than another quartet of 2008 Topps Heritage Packs? Do I ask too many rhetorical questions on this blog?

Probably.

Pack 9
95 Buddy Carlyle - Sounds more like a NASCAR driver.
104 Adam Jones - Hey, it's the Orioles center fielder of the future...in a Mariners uniform. Oh well, it probably would've felt hollow to see him in a Photoshopped orange and black cap.

367 Baseball Thrills: Troy Tulowitzki's unassisted triple play
316 Melvin Mora - My sister's favorite Oriole! He's been hitting the cover off the ball this Spring, so I hope he keeps it up.
395 Eric Gagne - Plopped into a Brewers uni. How does Thorzul feel about that?
12 Curt Schilling - The same horrifying photo they used for his 2007 Bowman Heritage.
499 Cole Hamels All-Star SP
98 Jon Garland black variation - With shiny new Angels cap and silly soul patch.

Pack 10
165 Jeff Francouer - Plenty of Braves in the last few packs.
233 Hanley Ramirez - My theory is that the Marlins win the World Series every few years because their young players know that if they play well enough for long enough, they get to leave the Marlins.
31 Nook Logan - His full first name is Nookworth. Well, it could be.
87 David DeJesus
413 Edwin Jackson - Nothing better than a Topps copywriter claiming a pitcher "arrived fulltime" in a year in which he went 5-15 with a 5.76 ERA.
284 Luis Gonzalez - Yep, still hangin' around.

BF4 Bill Mazeroski Baseball Highlights, September 19, 1959: 12th inning GW triple vs. Reds
210 J. J. Putz black variation - I now have the black and green variations and the Chrome of Putz. I still need his strawberry scratch n' sniff card.

Pack 11
200 Yovani Gallardo - Odd choice for what should be a star-numbered card.
190 Chris Duncan - Spent parts of three years at Peoria. That seems cruel.
280 Nate Schierholtz
276 Carlos Lee
355 Edgar Gonzalez - Complete with a really awful dye job.

388 Jason Varitek - Remember when the Mariners traded Tek and Derek Lowe for Heathcliff Slocumb? The Mariners wish you didn't.
67 Rich Hill - Another dupe.
322 Richie Sexson black variation - I remember when he played for the Brewers and O's pitcher Jason Johnson plunked him. Richie flipped out and started screaming at him. It scared me just watching at home. If only he'd known that Jason Johnson didn't mean it; he just sucked.

Pack 12
53 Jim Edmonds - Deer, meet headlights.

269 Horacio Ramirez - By the time I rip this box, the three packs I bought previously may be all dupes.
251 Alex Gonzalez
203 So Taguchi - Enabling sportscasters to drop bad puns since 2002.
414 J. D. Drew
224 David Wright - Had him on my fantasy team last year, and I am drinking the Kool Aid.
TN9 Frank Robinson, David Ortiz Then and Now - What a sweet card. These two in the same batting order would be a sight to see.

262 Chad Billingsley, Derek Lowe, and Brad Penny: Hitters' Foes black variation - Paging Alyssa Milano...

Overkill Day at APAD: 2008 Topps Heritage Box Break, Part Two

We've already had a flurry of activity on A Pack a Day this evening, but good things always come in threes. Besides, I had a pretty awful day and need to blow off some steam. My cardboard opiate is calling out to me. Who am I to refuse? On a side note, I'm opening these packs from left to right, and top to bottom if you're the analytical type.

Pack 5
15 Sean Marshall - Sean's a fellow August 1982 baby.

309 Craig Monroe - Double #2, both from the packs I bought pre-box.
206 Jake Westbrook
68 Derek Jeter - As you can see in dayf's post below, Derek looks kind of puffy and broiled.
378 Johnny Estrada - Photoshopped into a Mets uni he'll never wear. He's with the Nationals as of this writing.
40 Tim Hudson
NF1 Alaska becomes the 49th State - I love U.S. history as much as the next guy, but this card is boring.
336 Ian Kinsler black variation - I'm glad he doesn't pronounce it "EYE-in", like the third-rate sports announcer from CBS.

Pack 6
193 David Murphy - Though the Red Sox traded him to Texas in July, Topps obviously just took an old picture of him in a Sawx uniform and futzed it up; he's got the same dark wall background that several Boston players have.
305 John Lackey - He may be ugly as sin, but he carried my fantasy staff last year.
208 Billy Butler - The Royals traded Billy Buckner because they couldn't keep him and Butler straight.
460 Tom Gorzelanny - HEYYY YOOOUUU GUUUUYYYYSSSS!
364 Fred Lewis
41 Kelvin Escobar - He'd be even better if he wore Rec Specs.
NAP15 David Ortiz New Age Performers - A bit late for St. Patty's Day...

2 Placido Polanco black variation - Complete with Polanco's comically oversized head.

Pack 7
73 Dustin Pedroia - Another double. Is this what I get for trying to get a head start with my pack rips a few weeks ago?
209 Lance Berkman - Caramba! Double #4.
252 Bobby Crosby
108 Pat Burrell - The fourth straight red border to open this pack. Hmm.
218 Rafael Soriano
365 Adrian Beltre
436 Ryan Freel SP - Not pictured: Farney. Or is he?

7 Joey Gathright black variation - 1 home run in 866 ML at-bats. That's downright Belliardian.

Pack 8
149 Barry Zito's contract
247 Dmitri Young - D'meathook! They should have named the new Nationals Stadium after him.
166 Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore: Destruction Crew - I bet rasslin' fan Hafner thinks this is an awesome name for a three-man tag team.
253 Justin Ruggiano RC - He doesn't get the Rookie Stars treatment, but he does get the lame new "Rays" logo.
158 Aaron Cook
155 Johnny Damon
C8 Felix Hernandez Chrome 1290/1959 - This one's red; much shinier than my black Chromes.

40 Tim Hudson black variation - We'll call it a night with my first complete pair of black and green backs.

Top O' the Evening! 2008 Topps Heritage Box Break, Part One

Here's the second end of today's doubleheader! On a whim, I checked eBay the Friday before last for 2008 Heritage boxes. I lucked out: hobby box + Buy It Now + free shipping = Kevin's wheelhouse. Because you're probably just as impatient as I am, I'll be ripping four packs per blog entry. Of course, there's a little something extra in this first installment. Pulling up the lid of the box, we have the ever-titillating 3-card advertising panel. Mine features the Cubs team card, Tadahito Iguchi, and Mariano Rivera. Could've been better, but at least there's a surefire Hall of Famer there. No buyback in this box, so let's cue up the ripping!
Pack 1
144 J. R. Towles RC Rookie Stars - Yes, it's the pigment-challenged Astros catcher of the future.
66 B. J. Ryan
277 Mark Teahen - So interrupts the box-opening run of initials.
256 Rich Aurilia
379 Franklin Morales - My first pink-bordered card of the set. It's adorable.
210 J. J. Putz - Back to the initials.
TN3 Orlando Cepeda and Magglio Ordonez Then & Now - The Baby Bull and Maggs make for one nifty card.

175 Jeff Weaver black number - I think it would've been funny if they'd Photoshopped out the Mariners uniform and listed his team as "Pending". But then, I'm a weirdo.

Pack 2
136 Nyjer Morgan RC Rookie Stars - It would be nice if his career took off in the next couple of years, since I pulled his autograph in my 2008 Topps box last month.
222 Cesar Izturis
274 Ubaldo Jimenez - Ubaldo is Dominican for "Steve". Also, that's not at all true.

402 Dustin McGowan
270 Prince Fielder - Not pictured: The giant Cecil-sized chip on his shoulder.
24 Felix Hernandez - Bleh, my first double. I already pulled F-Her from a few loose packs I picked up at my hobby store.
447 Felipe Lopez SP - One short print down, 74 to go. Oy vey.
52 Omar Vizquel black number - I didn't realize he was a career .274 hitter. That's mildly impressive.

Pack 3
167 Juan Pierre - Soon to be baseball's most expensive fourth outfielder.
103 Bengie Molina - More like Slow-lina. Ouch.
223 Cardinals Team Card
125 Harvey Garcia RC Rookie Stars - Go figure, a rookie on the Marlins.
416 Asdrubal Cabrera
348 Joba Chamberlain - Watch out for those bugs, Joba!

3 Eric Byrnes - I'm of the opinion that he should be seen and not heard.
16 Ichiro black number - He stole 41 straight bases last year without being caught. Wow!

Pack 4
235 Roy Oswalt - His career record is 112-54, which my powers of deduction tell me is very good.
156 Brandon Webb and Jake Peavy: Ace Hurlers - They look like they're hugging. Aww.

64 Francisco Rodriguez
397 Nationals Team Card
314 Mark Kotsay - Always have to appreciate someone whose name sounds like Pig Latin.
34 Magglio Ordonez and Curtis Granderson: Pitchers Beware
C20 Justin Verlander Chrome 1283/1959 - It's hard to get the full shiny effect of the Chrome cards, since I've only pulled black bordered ones.
335 Brandon Phillips black number - He's from Stone Mountain, GA, just like wrestling great Jake "the Snake" Roberts.