1994 Flair Series 1

Let’s cut to the chase here. 1994 Flair is a set that’s stylin’ and profilin’. It’s a set worthy of the Flair moniker, although there can only be one true Flair. Ric Flair, that is. Today, we’re going to open a pack and see how each card measures up to the Nature Boy.

Let’s tear in.

Top to Bottom:
177 Pedro Astacio
Score: Woo! Woo!
The Dodgers’ proximity to Tinseltown is this card’s saving grace.


168 Andujar Cedeno
Score: Woo!
No literal connection between Andujar and Flair, but he looks good taking a cut, which Ric would approve of.


196 John Franco
Score: Woo! Woo! Woo!
I was listening to a podcast the other day where some video game guys were talking Mets baseball, and one of them could only name Gooden and Franco. This shows Franco had enough Flair in him to make a non-fan remember him.


82 Jimmy Key
Score: Woo!
Flair was from Tennessee, Key from Alabama. That’s all we have to hang our hats on. Plus, New York is the antithesis of Flair’s wrestling roots.


295 Checklist
Score: Woo! Woo!
Checklists usually suck, but this one features Greg Maddux, baseball embodiment of “To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man.”


216 Mark Dewey
Score: Woo!
This Dewey guy is the baseball equivalent of a jobber.


234 Trevor Hoffman
Score: Woo! Woo! Woo!
Flair: WWE Hall of Fame
Hoffman: Could get in Baseball Hall of Fame, if voters ever got their act together about relievers.


242 Bryan Hickerson
Score: 0


213 Milt Thompson
Score: Woo!
They both have a nice set of teeth?


133 Mark Wohlers
Score: Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!
With a bunch of extra o’s in his name, Mark could be Wooooooooooooohlers. And sometimes that’s all you need.

2014 Topps Series 2

More from the repack box.


Let's tear in.
Top to Bottom:

540 Ike Davis

458 Vinnie Pestano
468 Wilin Rosario FS (I've noticed that Topps has been much more liberal with the Future Stars imprint as of late. Not everybody is a B.J. Surhoff, guys.)
645 Wilson Ramos (Can't argue with a Cardinal being tagged out on a card.)

359 Sean Rodriguez
338 Carlos Santana Red Hot Foil

340 Casey McGehee
549 Hank Conger
437 Alex Wood
426 Koji Uehara
539 Trevor Bauer
341 Mike Moustakas

More fun than is allowed by law.

2013 Bowman Platinum

The theme of this pack of cards is "What's the Point?" I picked it up inside a $7.99 Fairfield repack box on Friday after work. The reason I was at Target was to pick up a birthday present for my daughter to give to a kid whose party was today. However, my daughter put herself in a horrible mood right before the party and didn't want to go. Long story short, we walked into the party, dropped off the gift, turned around, and headed home. To reiterate, "What's the Point?"


Let's tear in.
Top to Bottom:

BPP77 Matt Davidson

TP-JB Javier Baez
What's the point of inserts in a set like this?

40 Stephen Strasburg
Really, what's the point of this?

BPP19 Byron Buxton
My Twins fan brother-in-law has actually traveled to see Buxton play in the minors. I didn't have the heart to tell him that Buxton will eventually play a huge part in knocking the Twins out of the playoffs as a member of the New York Yankees at some point in the future. Again, what's the point?

2015 Topps WWE

Over the last couple of years, I've slowly gotten back into WWE wrestling. I think it's the unique type of fandom that the sport demands that has made it attractive to me. A combination of scripted drama with the possibility of actual surprise is an intriguing one, and for this reason, I plunked down $1.99 at my local Target.


Let's tear in.
Top to Bottom:
42 John Cena

He gets a bad rap from serious fans, but I can't help but like the guy. They say he's there for the kids to have someone to cheer for, but I appreciate what he brings to the ring. His ring entrance music is the best in the business, in my opinion.

7 Big E

Currently representing for The New Day, a group of clowny also-rans that are downright embarrassing to watch. Automatic FF when I'm watching RAW on the DVR.

41 Jimmy Uso

Part of another snooze-inducing tag team. The WWE's tag division is an absolute joke, a far cry from the days of Demolition and the Road Warriors.

55 Nikki Bella

Fitting I get one Diva in a pack, just like you get one Divas segment per show. Nikki is the less attractive of the Bellas. Fact.

66 Rusev

This guy never disappoints. The Russian schtick is enjoyable, and I love it when he gets enraged and starts shouting in rapid Russian (or Bulgarian, possibly, his true heritage). Looking forward to another match with Cena, though that storyline looks as if it's gone by the wayside at the moment.

Crowd Chants 6 "This is Awesome!"

Fun idea for an insert, but I wish I had gotten someone with a little more pop.

Hulk Hogan 6 Faces Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania IV

What's that, two inserts in this retail pack? Can't go wrong with that. Hogan rules.

So I have to say I think I'll be buying more of these. I like the use of the 2015 Topps baseball design, and with a small set, I think completion won't be all that difficult. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go listen to the Cheap Heat podcast.

1988 Topps

I found this pack in a box full of miscellaneous junk. My 1988 Topps cards are housed in an 800-count box that looks to be about 9/17 full. As I open the pack, I’ll check which cards I need. I’m considering five cards needed from this pack a success.

Let’s tear in.

Top to Bottom:
417 Mark Ciardi (Got it.)
182 Ken Phelps (Got it.)
250 Nolan Ryan (NEED IT!)

68 Dave Dravecky (NEED IT!)

327 Larry Sheets (Got it.)
518 Greg Gross (NEED IT!)

751 Jim Morrison (NEED IT! One more, and this is a successful pack.)

607 Mickey Hatcher (NEED IT! WOO-HOO!)

723 Bob Kipper (NEED IT! GRAVY!)

659 Bobby Meacham (NEED IT! ICING ON GRAVY!)

330 Eddie Whitson (Got it.)
112 Les Lancaster (NEED IT! COOL WHIP ON ICING ON GRAVY!)

323 Rick Leach (Got it.)
240 Lee Smith (Got it.)
34 Ricky Horton (Got it.)

Okay, 53.3% is an outstanding hit rate.

Full disclosure: I still haven’t completed a single set of any brand from 1988.

1991 Stadium Club Series 2

It's still snowing, so I'm opening this pack that's been sitting around for a few years.

Let’s tear in.

Top to Bottom:
518 Terry Steinbach

341 Kent Mercker
399 Mark McGwire
539 Rob Deer
524 Alfredo Griffin
541 Mike Sharperson

438 Randy Velarde
342 Ken Griffey (Love getting a look at Griffey's rookie here. Amazing, too, that his son's rookie cards came only 15 years later. And here's another mind-blower: 1991 Stadium Club is only slightly closer in age to 1974 Topps than it is to cards from the present.)

421 Jeff Russell
531 Steve Bedrosian (Sweat-hat visible.)

491 Gary Wayne
443 Vicente Palacios

While my gut says Series 1 had a somewhat stronger player lineup, a quick look at BCP tells me that the two checklists were pretty equal. McGwire would have been a nice pull back in the day, and Rob Deer was a personal favorite of mine. Decent pack.

2014 Bowman Draft

I picked up a few packs of these Bowman Draft cards on the miraculous trip I made to my local card shop the weekend before last.

Let's tear in.
Top to Bottom:
DP111 Troy Stokes

DP20 Cole Tucker

DP130 Jared Walker

CTP-82 Mac Williamson

CTP-29 Gabriel Guerrero Blue Refractor (232/399)

DP39 Jacob Gatewood

TP-19 Jose Berrios


Two Brewers (who will undoubtedly someday help the St. Louis Fucking Cardinals reach the World Series) and a blue refractor? I'll take it!