Repack Resurrection: 2006 Topps '52 Rookies

As with any five-year-old pack of a rookie-centric set, it's probably a good idea to track down each of the players in order to gauge the success of that pack. We shall do the same tonight.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
212 Paul Hoover
Since his old Marlins days (and his really old Devil Rays days in '01 and '02), Hoover got picked up by the Phillies for a few games in both 2009 and 2010. He is currently in the Red Sox minor league system.

24 Matt Smith
Matt last played in MLB with the Phillies in 2007 and was released by the Cubs organization after spring training '09.

184 Nick Masset
Masset is currently a reliever for the Cincinnati Reds.

DD14 Dynamic Duos Melky Cabrera/Jeff Karstens
Karstens is a starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cabrera is enjoying a .267 batting average with the Royals. There was a rumor following the 2008 season that the Brewers were going to try to deal Mike Cameron to the Yankees for Melky, but it never materialized.

93 Ty Taubenheim
Taubenheim last played in the bigs with Pittsburgh in 2008, and was released just before the start of the season by the Rangers. The back of Ty's card alerts readers to a "staph injury" suffered in 2006. Not staph infection, staph injury. Weird.

137 Wil Nieves
Wil is a backup catcher with my Brewers this season. He is splitting time with George Kottaras and isn't seeing a lot of action because starter Jonathan Lucroy is tearing it up.

Good pack, nothing to write home about. I'm giving it a B-.

2007 Topps '52

While everyone else is out shopping and fighting over slightly discounted iPhones and robotic squirrels (or whatever is the new must-have gadget this year) I'm inside sports that I don't care about and trying to organize stacks of cards that need my attention. He's a pack I got a couple of weeks ago in the Target bargain bin. It's a simple concept: a set full of players that made their major league debut sometime in 2007 with a "heritage" style card stock and using the classic (and incredibly overused) 1952 Topps design. Of course, it's Topps, so they had to mess it up by short-printing cards and creating silly variations. Still, it's Heritage-esque so I had to buy it and try it out.

66 - Jailen Peguero (Buh? It looks like this guy started the 2008 season with the big club, was quickly demoted and then got a call-up when the rosters expanded in September. He'll be 28 next season, so I think I'll hold off on investing in him.)
106 - Eric Stults (Huh? Have I heard of Stults or do I just have another card of his laying around somewhere? He apparently made his debut in 2006, which throws off my unfounded theory about this set a bit. He'll be 29 next season and made 7 starts for the Dodgers last year.)

214 - Kevin Hooper (Beckett tells me this is an SP. Oh thank you, mighty overlords! Hooper looks like he's posing at the park down the street from my apartment. I don't feel like looking him up to find out what he's up to.)
113 - Mike Schultz (Another soon-to-be 29 year old Diamondbacks pitcher. He's pitched exactly 1 inning in his major league career and was AWOL for 2008. I'm starting to turn against this set.)

130 - Tim Lincecum (Alright, fine, Topps. You win. This is apparently the more common variety of Lincecum card from the set.)

163 - Juan Gutierrez (Gutierrez was part of the Jose Valverde deal last offseason and spent the entire 2008 season in AAA for the D-Backs affiliate.)

There was a second pack of these that I've already opened, but I think I'll spare you all the gory details. I need to find the rest of the Cardinals in this set (all I have is Kelvin Jimenez) and put it behind me forever.

Last Call: 2007 Topps '52 Rookies

Last pack of this stuff from me, I promise.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
13 Matt DeSalvo (Now a Brave.)

44 Andy LaRoche
TCRC2 Angel Sanchez Chrome Refractor (512/552)

195 Romulo Sanchez
207 Brett Campbell (Picked up by my Brewers, but since released.)
161 Ryan Budde

Well, I'd better slip both of the Sanchez cards into protective sleeves, lest they get "dirty." And alas, none of these guys, as of today, has gotten into a 2008 game.

I busted a hobby box of this stuff a couple of weeks ago, and now I'm ready to complete my set through trades or sell off any doubles I have.

What I Need
What I Have to Offer

Or just hit up Thorzul Will Rule for complete listings.

2007 Topps '100-48 Rookies

Another day, another pack of Topps '52 Rookies.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
120 Yovani Gallardo (Great start, hurt player. See you in '09 Yovani!)

85 Josh Hamilton
130 Tim Lincecum SP Action Shot

174 Asdrubal Cabrera
118 Gustavo Molina

141 Devon Day

After my Brewers got swept by the Red Sox, I just don't have it in me to write anything else. It's a bad feeling to know your team's already out of the race in mid-May. Milwaukee will extend its current MLB longest playoff drought (and I'm not counting the Expos/Nationals franchise, which gets to spread misery across two cities). Sour times.

2007 Topps '52 Rookies

I guess I'm still opening this stuff because I'm still living in the baseball season of 2007 (the early part of it, at least) because my Brewers are failing to live up to their 2008 potential. If Eric Gagne came to my house for dinner, he might very well get served, but he would not receive any coffee.

Why?

Because coffee is for closers!

Let's tear in, before Gagne blows another save.

Top to Bottom:
92 Devern Hansack
105 Kyle Kendrick

DF4 Carlos Delgado Debut Flashbacks (My my, does he look funny in that hat!)

169 Daniel Barone
156 Patrick Misch
131 Garrett Olson

Fock it, I'm tossing this pack aside in search of those good Glengarry leads.

Mo' Better '52s

Folowing dayf's epic box break, I've got some of the same old stuff for you.
Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
7 Mickey Charles Mantle (SP)

43 Shane Youman
DD15 Dynamic Duo David Murphy/Jarrod Saltalamacchia

192 Carlos Maldonado
172 Ross Wolf

158 Kevin Melillo

Grade: Q for Quality.
A cool SP that uses space-age CGI to authentically re-create Mantle's actual debut at Yankee Stadium Winter Carnival '51...
A sweet insert of a guy who caused jersey manufacturers to crap their pants for fear of having to unveil their 360° stitching technique (not quite perfected)...

...and Thorzul goes ahead and discusses a 1990s teen television drama?

I got a Ross Wolf card in this pack. Never really heard too much about him before, but his name intrigues me. This Thursday, Lost will be back on the air for the first time in weeks. Lost stars Matthew Fox. Matthew Fox burst into the national consciousness via the show Party of Five. On Party of Five, Fox played the older brother/dad/surrogate role model/perpetual 3-day-beard-wearing sibling of Scott Wolf.

Fox.
Wolf.

More insane rambling...
Carlos Maldonado brings to mind Candy Maldonado.
Melillo means "little apple."
"Candy Apple."

Shane Youman.
Sorry, I got nothin'.

2007 Topps √(2,704) Rookies

Today I won't be watching the Brewers/Reds game in its entirety because I'll be attending an MISL indoor soccer playoff game between my Milwaukee Wave and the Baltimore Blast. Yes, it's a bastardized version of "the beautiful game," but it's the playoffs, baby. Playoffs!

Here's a great random fact that connects Milwaukee, Baltimore, and baseball: The Brewers' owner, Mark Attanasio, is the brother of Paul Attanasio, one of the creators of the best TV series of all time, Homicide: Life on the Street, which is set in Baltimore.

Oh, and the current Baltimore Orioles can trace their origins back to the original Milwaukee Brewers, one of several teams from the turn of the century using the name.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
26 Jeff Salazar

29 Mike Fontenot (According to Wikipedia, he wears Mark Grace's old number. Not sure if he smokes like Grace did, too. Probably not.)
24 Jamie Burke
185 Manny Parra

191 Yunel Escobar

Pretty nondescript pack, aside from Milwaukee's Manny Parra. It looks like he'll get sent down to the minors, despite a couple of good starts this season. We'll see if Gallardo pitches today against Cincinnati, which will probably spell N-A-S-H-V-I-L-L-E for Manny. He'll be back, though.

0752

When we last heard from dayf, he revealed his mid-1980s passion for coin collecting. The first thing that came to mind after hearing this was Nelson Muntz: "Stamp collection...HA-HA!"
Actually, my dad was, and still is, a big stamp collector. He tried to get me into the hobby, but hinges, soaking, and Magyar Posta just couldn't compare to gum stains, screw-down holders, and Alvaro Espinoza.

1943 Wheat Pennies, bitches!

And now for something completely different...
More from my late-2007 darling of a set. I'd better watch myself, or I'll be trying to complete the thing soon.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
74 Chase Wright (No stats for 2008 yet. But for some reason, all the people I know who are having babies are throwing Chase into the name mix. Gets a thumbs down from me, though.)

61 Joe Smith (Sweet Pea?)
TCRC10 Tony Abreu Chrome (1085/1952)

170 Justin Upton
148 Mark McLemore (Unfortunately not the "Supersub" who collected POGS. Seriously, check out the link to learn MMcL the First. Crazy stuff.)

138 Curtis Thigpen (Again, still trying to crack the Blue Jays '08 lineup.)

Pretty good pack, but not even close to the stuff that will be posted on Thorzul Will Rule tonight. Viva 'mericana!

2007 Topps '52 Rookies (Hosted by Prince Fielder)

While we have had guest pack presenters on this blog before, this is the first time an active player has taken time out of his busy schedule to lend a hand. Today we've got Prince Fielder, who was honored last Sunday with a bobblehead, ripping a pack of last year's Topps '52 Rookies


Let's tear in, slugger.

First card. That looks like a familiar jersey to me. What do you think, Prince. Shall we take a closer (and clearer) look?

Yup, sure enough, that's your buddy Ryan Braun (#20). That alone makes this pack a winner. The rest could be stuffed with coffee-stained 1988 Donruss Paul Assenmachers and we'd still be happy.


How does this make you feel, big guy?


Yeah, me too, but there's five more cards to check out. Let's keep going.

Hmmm, kind of a let-down. This is #42 Danny Putnam of the A's. What's that do for you, Prince?


Good Lord, it's just a baseball card! There's no need to hit me and feast upon my entrails. You are a vegetarian, after all. Why don't we try to move past this one and see what other treasures await us?


Excellent. This Dynamic Duo insert card of Tim Lincecum and Nate Schierholtz (#DD1) should bring that blood pressure down.

I think it'd be best if we just get through the rest of this pack as quickly as possible. You're starting to make "yummy noises," and I can tell from the reflection in your pupils that when you look at me, your imagination has turned my head into a giant stalk of broccoli. Let's get to cards four, five, and six, and then you can go hit some home runs or something.


Wait...what? I'm so confused with what's going on right now. We've got #177 Marcus Gwynn, #160 Ubaldo Jimenez, and #147 Cesar Jimenez. Those last two are not brothers, but I'm not entirely sure I don't have a couple of clones on my hands with the two of you. (Although the skin colors don't quite match, perplexing me even further.)


Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. You wanted to plug the little plaque you've got there. Yes, it is agreed upon here. You are awesome.


Crimeny, what in the world is going on now? Asexual reproduction like a mug! Are you Prince III or something? I turn my back and this Russian nesting doll pops out. I need to leave right away. Maybe I'll hop over to Thorzul Will Rule where the laws of nature still apply. That was a good pack, but my head is spinning. See ya later!

2007 Topps '52 Rookies Yet Again

I guess this is the set that won't go away for me, but that's what you get when there are only 6 cards to a pack.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
63 Eulogio De La Cruz

104 Clay Rapada (Sounds like PaRappa the Rapper. As a Cub, this chump's probably better off battling a guy with an onion head. Time for a career change, Clay.)
DF5 Gary Sheffield Debut Flashbacks

182 Shelley Duncan
111 Cory Doyne (I know dayf already got this card, but the glove is so nice, ya gotta show it twice.)

154 Terry Evans (That's weird. According to the backs of these cards, each of these last three guys chose to go by their middle name over their first name, even though their nomenclature of choice is more feminine than their first name. Shelley, Cory, and Terry could have been David, Michael, and Michael, respectively.)

Grade: C
The Sheffield, an insert that should actually improve the overall quality of a pack, serves to drag it down a notch. The guy is a loser who has no pride. Milwaukee wasn't good enough for him, so he chose not to play hard. That's about all that needs to be said about him. I'll quietly suppress the urge to deface this card. If you want to see more of that kind of thing, check out the ever-growing selection of genuine doctored cards on my own site.

2007 Topps '52 Rookie Card

Quick and Dirty 'cause I have a bad cold. I bought this pack out of the blue mainly because there were no blasters worth getting. I ended up hitting the Joba Jackpot.


76 Jon Knott
71 Jojo Reyes
89 Troy Cate
190 Joba Chamberlain variation
201 Joba Chamberlain
138 Curtis Thigpen


This pack beat the odds in more ways than one. Pulling the Joba base and Joba variation in the same pack is ridiculous enough, but this pack probably shouldn't have ended up in one piece. The blister pack caught the side of the wrapper and crimped the side, you can see the shadow on the right side of the scan is where it got completely fused together. Another centimeter to the left and the pack probably would have been ruined instead of merely snugly wrapped. Of course lucky bastard here pulls two Jobas and I'm more excited about Jojo Reyes, who is headed to Richmond. Anyone know that the Jobas book? The last Beckett I have is the Rookie Card issue and there's no '52 listings in there.