2003 Topps HTA Jumbo

Anytime you get a chance to buy a Topps hobby jumbo pack for $2, you have to pounce on it. I don't care what year it is. It also doesn't hurt that I am trying to collect this set.

187 - Ismael Valdes

191 - Ramon Hernandez

216 - Todd Hundley

218 - Derek Lowe

220 - Jorge Posada (Posada is the last of five consecutive horizontal cards to lead off the pack. These things seem to always come in groups.)

130 - Gary Sheffield (Here's Sheff back when he was slightly less obnoxious.)

195 - Tony Batista

234 - Matt Lawton

239 - Eric Milton

153 - Mike Stanton (Mariano Rivera gets all the credit, but Stanton was tossed out into the fire in some pretty key situations during the Yankees late '90s period of dominance.)

260 - Vicente Padilla

78 - Jimmy Anderson (Anderson gets the dubious honor of being the first gut in the pack that I've never heard of.)

203 - Kip Wells

192 - Adam Kennedy (Kennedy had a surprisingly good year with Oakland yet can't land a job for 2010 for some reason.)

173 - Johnny Damon (Pre-Caveman Damon.)

339 - Alex Rodriguez / Jim Thome / Rafael Palmeiro AL HR League Leaders

361 - Bernie Williams All-Stars

337 - Manny Ramirez / Mike Sweeney / Bernie Williams AL Batting Average League Leaders

RB-JM - Juan Marichal Record Breakers

HM7 - Chipper Jones Hobby Masters (Wow, look at all of those MLB logos!)

154 - David Justice

254 - Glendon Rusch

10 - Mark Prior

163 - Carl Everett (I wonder if Carl Everett watched Jurassic Park back with his buddies in college and freaked out.)

212 - Robert Fick

132 - Brian Daubach

99 - Jose Rijo (Rijo has five consecutive years of stats on the back which read "INJURED - DID NOT PLAY")

16 - Kerry Wood

243 - Sean Burroughs (What happened to this guy? He was the typical Can't Miss Kid.)

263 - Bobby Cox

25 - Nick Neugebauer (No idea who this guy is.)

204 - Ron Coomer (Him neither.)

102 - Hideki Irabu

23 - Aubrey Huff

157 - Brian Lawrence

2009 Donruss Americana: The Worst Pack of All-Time

The pack that finally made me swear off this stuff once and for all. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT buy Donruss Americana unless it is a first series hobby box.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
49 Denzel Whitaker (I have no idea who you are. Thus, you are the result of Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker having a baby.)

7 Sofia Milos (I have no idea who you are. Thus, you are a cross between a TV chef on a show nobody watches and Carnie Wilson. Or you are the third sister of non-sisters Dana Delany and Kim Delaney, Sofia Delaeney.)

15 Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (I have no idea who you are. Thus, I apologize for not watching Welcome Back, Kotter. A little before my time.)

72 Anson Williams (I know who you are, you're Potsie! Yay!)

29 Ty Hardin (I have no idea who you are. Thus, you are a cigarette spokesman from the 1950s. Knowing what you know now, how can you live with yourself?)

Even the wrapper sucks for this product.

What is this, a record crate? If so, what is it doing in the middle of the desert?

I apologize.

1995 Topps Stadium Club High Series

Hello, A Pack A Day. It's been a little while. The boss is back, so I figured I'd better look busy. I received a box of 1995 Stadium Club High Series as a gift awhile back and I thought I'd show off the first pack. At least, I think it was the first pack. I'm just going to go with that.

526 - Alex Gonzalez (Of all the Alex Gonzalezes that played professional baseball over the years, this is the one that played for the Blue Jays in 1995.)

569 - Jim Abbott (Enough said.)

540 - Mickey Tettleton

593 - Mark McLemore (Nice shot of McLemore making the turn. This is what we all come to Stadium Club for.

546 - Pat Borders

625 - Gregg Jefferies Trans-Action (As noted on the wrapper, each pack promises four "Extreme Corps" or "Trans-Action" theme cards per pack with rainbow and silver foil stamping. If you replace the word "rainbow" with "red" then it makes sense.)

625 - Gregg Jefferies Trans-Action (Again? Arrrgh. This is a nice photo, at least. Unfortunately, it commemorates when the underrated Jefferies made his exit from St. Louis.)

501 - Jeff Bagwell Extreme Corps (First off, what does "Extreme Corps" actually mean? Secondly... did they really need to go with the ransom note font?)

510 - Cal Ripken Extreme Corps

581 - Mark Kiefer (Just a few cards left... can I get a fist pump?)

536 - Joey Cora (Hell yeah!)

529 - Jason Bates

558 - Mike Perez