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.

2009 O-Pee-Chee Blaster Pack

Time for elevenses.
John Danks - Oh wow. Just--wow. Look at that pose. And his facial expression. He is clearly not eager to have this photo appear on a baseball card.

Jeremy Hermida - It never fails--if I watch a baseball game with a non-fan, at some point I will have to explain why the shin guard on the batter is facing the wrong way.

Ryan Church - Woah, a little close with that bat, Buddy.

Micheal Young - I'm not a photography expert by any stretch, but shouldn't a professional studio lighting setup eliminate the shadows in the frame? Also: Young looks like someone just insulted his sister.

Chipper Jones--Moments - Chipperrrrr! How is it possible that Larry Wayne has made only six all-star teams? That's only one more than Edgar Renteria. This is boggling my mind right now. Someone explain it to me.

Jered Weaver - What a nice shot. Here comes the four-seamer. John Danks wants to know what he has to do to get a real picture on his card.

2009 O-Pee-Chee Blaster Pack

Here's the tenth pack of the blaster.

Edwar Ramirez - Not an intimidating looking fellow, what with the peach fuzz and the turtleneck and the accountant spectacles. Is this how J.A. Prufrock would have looked in uniform? Are baseball trousers still made of flannel?

Pedro Feliz - Peter Happy is looking smooooth.

Travis Ishikawa (Black Border) - He played in only 33 games last year.

Baltimore Orioles Checklist - Beautiful shot of the warehouse. Why are there lights on that thing? Does that really help illuminate the field at night? Click the photo to see the high-res pic, and you'll see a bit of the home scoreboard and all of the out-of-town scoreboard. You know what that means: it's time to play Name That Game (TM). First one to tell me what player is currently at bat gets a prize package from yours truly.

J.P. Howell - You know you've made it when your glove has your name on it. And not in Sharpie on the inside of the wrist, either. White script, carved into the leather = You have arrived, young man.

Josh Bard - This is way too tight a shot for a card. Yes, we should be able to tell what the player looks like. No, we should not be able to count his ear hairs.

2009 O-Pee-Chee Blaster Pack

Pack nine!
Juan Pierre - Bama Boy!
Jose Valverde - Closer!
Ryan Dempster - Canadian!
Cliff Lee--AL Cy Young - Cheesy!

Mark Hendrickson (Black Border) - Four-seamer!

Ricky Romero - Mugshot!

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.