2008 Topps Chrome

Last season's guilty pleasure was Topps '52 Rookies, and this year's is Da Crome. After buying zero packs of Topps' base set, I just can't resist the Chrome version. What I'm sharing today is a stand-alone retail pack.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
176 Milton Bradley (Milton needs a middle name, one that detracts from his hothead nature. If he were a Milton Bradey game, what game would he be? My vote goes to Guess Who?, the game that teaches deductive reasoning and introduces the concept of "facial hair" to children. It's not because Milton looks like any of the characters, but because of his journeyman status. With a career going back to 2000, Bradley has played for six different teams, none of whom he played for for more than three seasons. The off-season and the trading deadline often create the question, "Guess who Milton will be playing for tomorrow?" He's clearly not badass enough to be called Milton "Fireball Island" Bradley.)

C135 Lance Brodaway Heritage Chrome (0264/1959) (These are fun to get, and this is the first Rookie Stars cards I've gotten.)

8 Jimmy Rollins Bue Refractor (See, these packs are fun. You get something different in every pack. So far, J-Roll is 0-10 in the first two games of the World Series. That can't last for too long, can it?)

169 Aaron Rowand (Here's a guy who was a Philly but chose to sign with San Francisco this past winter. Them's the breaks.)

Don't think that we're done, folks. I also picked up a blaster of this stuff last night. Topps sees fit to give consumers a BONUS PACK. I feel compelled to show the crapitude within.

Let's tear in. (God, I hope there's a Pop Tart inside. Mmmmmm, Strawberry.)

Top to Bottom:
TCCP20 Dan Haren
TCCP20 Dan Haren (Refractor)

Mother-effing-suffrage!

Yes, I realize these are slightly different cards, but come on! I picked up a blaster of this stuff during the summer, and these were the two cards I pulled then:
TCCP30 Andrew Miler
TCCP20 Dan Haren

The numbering Topps used for this subset is very telling. Change one letter, and you've got CCCP. I have to double-check that I haven't been transported back to Stalinist Russia. I'm sure the odds per pack would have been different back then: "X-Fractor 0:3 (Detrimental to the State); Blue Refractor 0:38 (Must be red); Autograph Rookie Base Red Refractor 0:10,000 (Elevates the individual above the group); Listen, comrade, everyone get same card; one pack, one card, all same, all happy!"

In Mother Russia, pack opens YOU!

2005 Topps Retired Baseball: Signature Edition

I splurged a little bit recently and picked up a box of 2005 Topps Retired Baseball Signature Edition. The allure for me was the one uncirculated autographed card in every pack. I already have the Robin Yount base card from this set, but none of the parallels or Autos, so I thought perhaps I could swing a little good luck my way.

The design of the set is identical to the 2005 Topps base set, except for the lower-case-t-with-a-giant-smiley-serif Topps logo from days of yore. This alone makes the cards awesome. As this is the last pack in my box, I've noticed that each pack has come with one gold parallel card numbered to 500, although there are black parallels numbered, I believe, to 54. Oh, and the packs are gigantic as well, so as to fit the tamper-proof card case for the auto. The wrappers have either Wade Boggs of Ryne Sandberg on them.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
8 Carlton Fisk (The facial expression and the direction of his eyeline seem to point to his having recently thrown out a runner trying to steal. His card makes me wonder...Is there another player who approaches the status that Fisk holds as a legend for two distinct teams? He was in a unique position to play roughly half of his career for each of the Sox, and he walks as a god among men in both cities. Other players that immediately come to mind are Reggie Jackson (although he's much better known as a Yankee) and Paul Molitor, who played for a short time in Toronto and Minnesota, earning a ring and the 3,000 hit milestone with each organization, respectively. Twins fans I know love to call him their own, mostly because of his St. Paul upbringing. I'd love to hear from readers about players fitting this Fisk description. I'm not quite sure if Jackson and Molitor fit, though. Clemens? Too many teams. Rod Carew? He's pretty close with the Twins and Angels. This will have me thinking all day.)

3 Al Kaline (No split allegiances here. Twenty-two seasons spent as a Tiger. Plus he hit a hole-in-one this past spring. Way to go Al!)

53 Dale Murphy (Topps made some strange choices for the photos in this set. Players like Murphy, who played their last few years with teams other than the one they were best known for, aren't always pictured playing for their main team. There's no distinct pattern for team choice by Topps. For example, in a earlier pack I got Darryl Strawberry, pictured as a Dodger, not exactly the team he was best known for. Then there was Steve Garvey, who was pictured in Dodger blue. No rhyme or reason whatsoever, but that makes it fun to open these packs. I will not make a Forrest Gump reference here.)

7 Bo Jackson Gold Parallel (454/500)

(Topps gives us the White Sox uniform. They could have really thrown us a curveball by putting him in a Angels uni. I didn't even remember he played for California in 1994. You get to see the back of this card for some more cool tuff Topps decided to include. There's a little field graphic that shows the player's position, and next to that is a box containing a standout stat from the player's career.)

TA-BEB Bob Brenly AUTO (This was not the best autograph I pulled from this box. There was another Joe Pepitone, this time pictured as a Yankee, but the best one I'll save for my year-end best pulls posts.)

By the way, there's a Halloween contest running over at Thorzul Will Rule. Put your creative skills to use and try to win a great memorabilia card!

1984 Topps Baseball

What is better than celebrating a Phillies grand slam than opening a pack of 24 year old cards? I can't think of much. I paid $2 for this pack in Reading. I believe this is the first pack of '84 Topps I have ever opened. Good stuff. Here goes.

Blue Jays Leaders (Moseby/Stieb)
Elias Sosa
NL Career Hit Leaders (Rose/Staub/Perez)
Bobby Grich

Gene Tenace, in a great uniform. I had no idea he was still playing in 1983.
NL Active Strikeout Leaders (Carlton/Ryan/Seaver)
NL RBI Leaders (Murphy/Cooper/Rice)
Ken Schrom with print mark
Tom Gorman
Al Bumbry

Tom Burgmeier doing his best kung fu impression
Graig Nettles
John Shelby
Rob Picciolo
Ken Griffey with the gum on the back

The gum wasn't half bad.