2009 Topps: At Last.

Believe it or not, I had to go clear across the country to get my first few packs of 2009 cards! It's true. Last week it was mid-February, and it had been at least a week since the official release of Topps and Upper Deck. Here in Maryland, I went to my local Wal-Mart: nothing. Target: nothing. Wal-Mart in particular had a pathetic slate of offerings. A feeder box of Timeline and a few blister packs of Stadium Club. The rest was football and basketball, including blasters of 2007-2008 Topps basketball. W. T. F. So I visited some friends in San Diego over the holiday weekend, and Saturday night they took me out to get my first In-N-Out Burger (delicious, by the way. Burger and fries were both top-notch.), and we stopped at Wal-Mart on the way back to the house. FINALLY. They had a feeder box of 2009 Topps, with A-Rod's chemically-enhanced visage plastered all over it. I picked up four packs, and got no Orioles. But the first card of the first pack I opened was a Padre - Chris Young, to be exact. Neat coincidence. So here's the fourth pack of the four.

52 Marco Scutaro - Did you know he was from Venezuela?

316 Brian Stokes - Not to be confused with Brian Stokes Mitchell, though this Mets righty does have a heavenly singing voice.

68 Kyle Lohse - Seriously dude, Kyle Lohse won 15 games last year. He hadn't racked up double-digit wins in a season since 2003.

124 Reed Johnson - Had the rare honor of being heckled mercilessly by yours truly when he played right field for the Jays as a rookie in 2003. The joke was on me, as he delivered a crucial hit in Toronto's win over the Orioles. But I did get the t-shirt giveaway, so it's not all bad.

65 Mike Pelfrey - Big Pelf had a solid '08, going 13-11 with a 3.72 ERA.

61 Classic Combos: Lance Berkman & Carlos Lee - "Bash-stros". That's cute. I see they're using the combo cards as checklists this year. That's a pretty good idea, I'd say.

LG19 Bob Gibson Legends of the Game - I assume this is the Wal-Mart exclusive version of the insert. Great action photo, which you don't get to see often from old-timers.

TTT22 Tim Lincecum ToppsTown - Does anyone actually use these cards? Is it worth your while?

317 Jarrod Saltalamacchia - Great photo showing Salty's back, so you can see all 14 letters crammed onto his jersey.

220 Jay Bruce - Rookie Cup! Do you know why I love Six Degrees of Mantle? Because it's your only chance to see Manny Trillo's name on a 2009 baseball card.

48 Mike Napoli - I just read that his shoulder might make it necessary for him to DH at the beginning of the season. Just what the Halos need...another DH.

42 Jeff Francoeur - "...many believe he's still far from reaching his potential." That's sugar-coating it, huh?

I love the minimal design, the extra stats on the back, and the improved photography. As long as Topps doesn't get obnoxious with the "error cards" again, I might be set-building.