2009-10 Upper Deck Basketball

Actual counting NBA games begin later tonight, including a Blazers/Rockets game that I'll be attending in Portland. Here's my first pack from the new season, which also happens to be from the last licensed NBA Upper Deck base set.

97 - Udonis Haslem (Key cog in the Miami Heat's championship run.)

165 - Greg Oden (Look out! Oden is threatening to have a huge year this year.)

35 - Josh Howard

85 - Sasha Vujavic (Ugh, Lakers.)

62 - Yao Ming (Sorry... not this year.)

48 - Richard Hamilton

128 - Chris Duhon (Duhon had the best season of his career last year with a dreadful team.)

134 - Russell Westbrook (I don't like UCLA and I don't like what they did to the Sonics.)

220 - B.J. Mullens Star Rookies (The third consecutive one-and-done Ohio State center, following Kosta Koufos and Oden.)

263 - Dominique Wilkins Immortals (As you can see here, Dominique played way back in the day before color TVs or cameras. He was known as the Human Reel-to-Reel.)

5 - Marvin Williams

171 - Rashad McCants

139 - Earl Watson (Bleh, another ex-Sonic. I can't blame it on the players, though.)

143 - Jameer Nelson (Nelson also had a career year last year.)

126 - James Posey (Posey was not the difference maker that the Hornets hoped he would be as they fell off a bit last year. I always thought he was pretty overrated when he played for Boston.)

94 - Mario Chalmers

70 - Troy Murphy

124 - Tyson Chandler

1992 Skybox Garfield Premier Edition

While checking out a card shop in Skokie, Illinois, I found a huge bin of picked over packs of junk wax for fifty cents apiece. I struggled to find something to pick up. I finally chose a pack of baseball cards and this pack of Garfield cards.

I'm a sucker for most things Garfield. I was a collector of anything I could get my hands on, Garfield-wise, when I was younger. If it was in some way connected with the comic strip, I had to have it! I still appreciate Garfield, but my collecting lust for all things Garfield has waned.

At fifty cents, I couldn't pass this pack up! Let's see what I found in the pack.

#5 - Pooky
First appearance: 10-23-78
I love the fact that there are facts on the back of the card. This was not a set that phoned it in. Garfield found Pooky in a dresser drawer.

#90 - "I'll rise, but I won't shine"
I'm sure this made it on to a poster or at least a coffee mug at some point.
The back features a full color lounging Garfield and the caption, "Some say, 'Go for it!' I say, 'Make it come to you!'"

#47 - Garfield: The Cliffhanger Scene 2
"It's a swarm of killer gerbils!"
Apparently, there is a story somewhere among the card set.

#21 - Jon's Grandma
We've seen Jon's grandma in "A Garfield Christmas", where Garfield presented letters from her deceased husband as a present and in "A Garfield Thanksgiving", where she whipped up a Thanksgiving meal for Jon to impress Liz. I figured this would be a good opportunity to showcase the back of the card. It's very eye pleasing and chock full of information.

Bonus Tattoo
Moisten hand slightly. Apply "tattoo" color side down, pat gently. Peel off carefully. Now you are tattooed!

#71 - Virgo
Even horoscopes made it into this set!
August 23 - September 22
You are quick-witted... and you'll be the first to admit it. Industrious and meticulous, you always do a good job-- and look good doing it. But don't overdo it. Remember to take time to stop and eat the flowers.

#6 - Nermal
First appearance: 9-3-79
"The World's Cutest Kitten" was originally a kitten belonging to Jon's parents, but now he just wanders into Garfield's house from time to time.

#91 - Likes/Dislikes
Front - Favorite TV Show: Bowling For Donuts
Back - Least Favorite TV Show: Lassie's All-Night Theater

#48 - Garfield: The Cliffhanger Scene 3
A continuation of the storyline from earlier in the pack. The town was struck by an earthquake and the gerbil horde plunged into the bowels of the Earth, along with Garfield.

I am a huge Garfield fan and I had no clue that this set existed! There is some great artwork on display, some thorough information and new drawings. Good stuff!

I think sometime in the future, I may track down the complete set. I didn't get any of the randomly inserted holograms, but this was not a big, fat, hairy deal of a pack. It was a treat.

2009 Topps Chrome Baseball

One of the things that made Topps' 2009 flagship product such a critical success this year, but has gone mostly unheralded because of its position on the back of the card, is the bevy of interesting stats Topps included in an arching graphic on the back of each card. I'd like to share something interesting from each card in this pack of 2009 Topps Chrome (retail).

207 Mike Hinckley (RC) - According to this card, the Nationals lost no fewer than 11 games in 2008 due to a cause labeled as "league-wide indifference."

26 David DeJesus - In the off-season, David's family plays a variation of the game known as "Australian Rules Baseball," depicted in the photo here.

W65 Greg Halman - "Did You Know... that Greg is third in line of succession to take the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands?" As it turns out, the only citizens standing in his way are Johann Cruyff and Paul Verhoeven.

55 Daniel Murphy - Oddly enough, the Six Degrees of Mantle factoid is replaced on this card with the original Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Daniel Murphy plays with David Wright who once rented Zoolander starring Owen Wilson who tried to kill himself on the same day a home run was hit by Jason Bay who once fantasized about Denise Richards who was in Wild Things with Kevin Bacon.

2009 O-Pee-Chee Blaster Pack

The last one in the box. Such sweet sorrow.

Alex Rodriguez - For some reason, a very captivating shot. His throwing hand is slightly blurry; his face shows determination, even though he is just warming up; the first base line is fresh; the stands are filling up. It's almost time to play ball.

Manny Ramirez (Midsummer Memories) - At first glance I wondered why they airbrushed out the team logo on the helmet. Then I remembered that his helmet stayed nasty all the time.

Brandon Inge (Black Border) - Not often do you see a card with the position listed as catcher and the picture showing a play by an infielder. Inge is playing 3B this year, so I guess OPC wanted to reflect that?

Jesse Chavez - Can someone tell me what the "250" patch is about?

Russ Springer - Just a boring card.

Mark Loretta - Not a boring card. Little bits of dirt flying is not quite as good as dirtsmoke, but it's still good.

So that was a blaster of OPC. Plenty of really nice cards, plenty of boring studio shots. A black border parallel in every pack. One mini black border in the box. A few inserts. Ninety cards for twenty bucks.

2009 O-Pee-Chee Blaster Pack

The penultimate experience.

Chone Figgins - This card could only be better if I could see the ball in flight. It looks like the shortstop is making a play.

Matt Cain - Bama Boy! If it weren't for some pipsqueak named Timmy, Cain would be finishing up his third season as a staff ace, and he's only 24.

Dan Wheeler (Black Border) - Trivia question: What do Wheeler, Konerko, Iannetta, and Baldelli have in common?

NL Strikeout Leaders--Lincecum/Haren/Santana - This Timmy kid might be a heckuva pitcher when he grows up.

Nelson Cruz - Might be the best fielding outfielder in the game right now.

Jason Michaels - Looks like a nice day for a game at Osceola County Stadium, the Spring Training home of the Astros.

2005 Fleer Showcase

Last month I picked up a repack product at Target, four packs for $4.99. Unless some 1991 Donruss got slipped in there behind the front packs, I thought this was a good enough deal. The first pack, 2005 Fleer Showcase, is the one that turned this purchase from a maybe into a yes. Never opened one before, so this will be fun.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
12 Barry Zito (His A's cards always look cooler than the Giants ones. One of the good guys in baseball.)

34 Bret Boone (Bad head and shoulders picture. Looks like he is a character in a juvenile poop-and-fart comedy film, has to poop, is in a social setting where pooping is not possible, and is straining to keep it on the inside.)

1 Albert Pujols (Great player, I'm hoping Prince can hold him off for the RBI lead to offer some solace for a disappointing, though not unexpected, Brewers season.)

45 Austin Kearns

64 Matt Holliday (Thrust the dagger into my boys last night. I watched the based loaded with one out eighth inning, thought we were home free, and turned to last night's recording of "Big Brother." Did I make a good choice? And for anyone who watches, who's going to win this year? Kevin? Natalie? Jordan? Is this sad, or what?)

Grade: B
Nice design, good assortment of players.

2009 O-Pee-Chee Blaster Pack

Lucky thirteen.

Mike Cameron - In May of 2002, Cameron and Shawn Green both hit four homeruns in a game. Carlos Delgado equaled the feat in September the next year. That's three of the 15 times it has ever happened, right there in the span of two seasons. No one has done it since.

Matt Capps - Why do all pitchers pose with the four-seamer grip?

Carlos Quentin (Face of the Franchise) - Woah! An insert? This set has inserts? Wonders never cease. Also: Really? Quentin is the face of the White Sox? Didn't they trade for him less than two years ago? Why not Konerko? Buehrle?

Mike Napoli (Black Border) - The pose is a little too phallic for my tastes.

Milwaukee Brewers Checklist - Name That Game (tm) would be a little too easy on this card, what with the entire scoreboard showing.

Hanley Ramirez - Pay attention, kids: the glove is down, the bare hand is above the ball, ready to smother and grab.

2009 O-Pee-Chee Blaster Pack

The dozenth pack in the blaster.

Brian Schneider - I don't think I've ever seen a baseball card of a catcher practicing.

Chase Headley (Black Border) - If I were a Padres fan, I would certainly have a camo binder.


Tiger Woods (20th Anniversary) - 1) What a bad picture of Tigerian triumph. 2) I hate cards from other sports. The first person to say they want them can have all three of my 20th anniversary cards. The other two are Magic Johnson and the International Space Station.

Grady Sizemore (Moments) - The more I see of these Moments cards, the sillier I think they are. Grady had a nice game this day. A homer, a stolen base, four RBI. Someone has a game like that every single day. Why make a card of this one?

Braden Looper - I tried to think of something nice to say about this card. I failed. My scanner seemed to get tired of the card quickly as well.

Tim Redding - Dramatic lighting FTW.