2009 O-Pee-Chee Blaster Pack

Pack eight gets us past the halfway point for this blaster. For those of you still paying attention:

Kyle Kendrick - Posing in front of a Monet. I like it.

Kazuo Matsui - We now have a green background. What a terrible picture.

Alfredo Simon (Black Border) - He pitched 13 terrible innings last year as a 27-yr-old, so by all means let's put him on a big-league card.

Joey Gathright (Black Border Mini) - I do love minis. I like the fact that the backs contain all of the same information as the full-size cards, and without looking cramped or squished. Of course, since this pic is the same size as the other pics, you can't really tell this is a mini at all. Well, trust me. It's teeny tiny. And I love it.

NL RBI Leaders - I like leaders cards. Okay, someone explain to me why some teams' names have the TM sign and some just have the circled r?

Conor Jackson - Wow, long time no DBack. CoJack missed most of this season with Valley Fever. Yes, Valley Fever. It has been that kind of year for the Snakes. They just lost their closer for the rest of the season to a line drive that dislocated a kneecap. I hope I never have to write that phrase again. It's nowhere near as cringe-inducing as the fractured testicle that Chris Snyder endured last year, to be sure, but it's still not something I'd hop out of bed in the morning hoping to have happen to me. I like my kneecaps to remain located, thanks.

Pack the ninth tomorrow night.