2004 Fleer Greats of the Game

Today, we're going to take a look at this pack of cards in a rather grim way. Since most of these players will likely be dead, I will fill you in on the circumstances of each man's death. This ought to be a doozy.

Let's tear in, and tear this pack from the Death's cold, firm grasp.

Top to Bottom:
84 Preacher Roe
11/9/08: Beheaded after bringing up the taboo subject of his boss's Chinese and American heritage.

141 Bob Lemon
1/11/00: Abdominally skewered by a length of pipe which entered the industrial boiler behind him. Told to "let off some steam" by adversary, Matrix.

98 Cecil Travis
12/16/06: Exited Bolivian lean-to with partner with guns blazing, ending in a freeze frame. Presumed shot.

136 Rod Carew
10/15/30: Not yet deceased. Will most likely be hung through back on meathook in remote Texas farmhouse.

103 Willie Stargell
4/9/01: Flayed alive by a wealthy cult looking to find the secrets of the afterlife.


On a serious note, some of those old-timers lived to a very old age. Travis was 93, Roe 92, Lemon 79. Well-lived lives.

2004 Upper Deck 1st Pitch

Brent Mayne in Royals white and blue makes a play at the plate, or so it seems. Doesn't matter, as the card says he was signed by Arizona. If I had to guess, it looks like maybe Delgado is the player on the ground. Jay Payton moved from the Rockies to the Padres, but not before breaking a bat for all posterity.


Derek Jeter (Yankees), Danny Bautista (Diamondbacks), and Delmon Young (Devil Rays Star Rookie) are the last three players in the pack. I never saw the problem with calling them 'Devil Rays.' To me, it sounds more impressive than just 'Rays.' To me, that makes it sound like a bunch of guys with the same name all play for the same team. In fact, I think they should aim for that - only hire players named Ray.


Oh, and if this was any date prior to September 30, 2004, we could add this "D" to our collection to 'Spell and Win.' We could have won an auto'd baseball from an unnamed person. Maybe I'm missing the incentive to play here...

Royal Rumble 2009 CONTEST: Gettin' Out the Repack

I thought it might be time for me to come in from the bullpen to relieve dayf and timrooks, who are both kicking ass on this blog as of late. Since I'm pretty sparse with my posts here, I thought we'd have a fun contest today. If you're a wrestling geek like I am (anybody? *crickets*) you should know that tonight WWE (formerly WWF) will hold their annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view. The Royal Rumble match is my favorite gimmick match in wrestling. It's a 30-man battle royal, where you have to throw your opponents over the top rope to the floor to eliminate them from the match. Last man standing wins. But the twist is this: the match starts with just two men in the ring, and another wrestler enters every two minutes afterward until all thirty men have entered. It allows for some creative scenarios to unfold instead of the usual horrendous clusterfrick that occurs when thirty large, muscly men are all trying to fight at the same time. Plus, you get the anticipation of counting down from ten seconds every two minutes...the buzzer sounds...and someone else's theme music hits. Who will it be this time?

Anyhoodle, here's what I'm going to do. I bought a 10-pack repack box from Sports Authority last weekend, and I've grabbed five packs that total 30 cards:

-2006 Topps Opening Day (7)
-2006 Fleer Ultra (5)
-2006 Topps Series 2 (6)
-2004 Fleer Hot Prospects Draft Edition (5, with one disqualification bringing it to 4)
-2006 Upper Deck Series 1 (8)

I'll number the cards in the order that they're pulled and ask you to choose a number from 1 to 30 and leave your number in the comments to this post. Each number can only be chosen once. I'll cut this off at 9:30 PM EST, which is roughly the time that the Rumble match should start. Your number corresponds to the wrestler that enters the Rumble at that numbered slot. If your guy wins the match, you get a prize! The prize will be an assortment of cards from the team of your choice. Pick wisely...

P.S. I'm running late with this, so scans will come later.

2006 Topps Opening Day

1. Barry Zito - The $126 Million Dollar Man will have a tough road to victory today!
2. Alex Rodriguez - Uh-oh, it's the villainous A-Fraud!
3. Jason Bay - Hailing from British Columbia, it's the Canadian Clubber!
4. Danny Sandoval RC - 31 major league games in an 11-year pro career? Your wrestling gimmick is Mr. Coffee, as in cup of.
5. Nomar Garciaparra - Who needs a wrestling name when your birth name is NOMAAAAAHH?
6. Tadahito Iguchi Rookie Cup - Watch out for the mysterious green mist sprayed by the devious Iguchi.
7. David Ortiz (front)/Dontrelle Willis (back) Funny Photos - How appropriate! Big Papi has clamped a bear hug on Rafael Furcal. There is no escape!

2006 Fleer Ultra

8. Shannon Stewart - I forgot that he played for the Twins. I hereby dub thee "Twinkie".
9. Jake Peavy - Also known as "Ace", a nickname he can borrow from 1980s mainstay Bob Orton.
10. Julio Lugo - Um...Lex Lugo?
11. Robinson Cano Rising Stars - Switch it to Kano and he can go with a Mortal Kombat gimmick.

12. Brad Radke Gold Medallion - He was just elected to the Twins Hall of Fame, so we'll go with Goldenarm.

2006 Topps Series 2

13. Jason Lane - I guess he'd take to the ring with a hockey mask and machete.
14. Jason Vargas - Jason and Jason? Sounds like a tag team.
15. Moises Alou - Would be the Hitman, the second-generation star from the great Alou family.
16. Jon Lieber - Translating his last name from German, he will wrestle as "Loverboy".
17. Chris Young - At 6'10", he is the Tower of Doom.
18. Jamie Moyer - Now 46 years old and still plugging away. Rip Van Vader.

2004 Fleer Hot Prospects Draft Edition

19. Todd Helton - Went from Tennessee to Colorado. Rocky Top is a no-brainer nickname.
DQ. Nomar Garciaparra - You can't enter the Rumble twice! I started posting and realized that I'd forgotten to account for the extra Funny Photos card in the Opening Day pack. So Nomar must go, having already popped up in the first pack.
20. Jim Thome and Pat Burrell Hot Tandems - I normally wouldn't permit a tag team to enter as one, but the Philadelphia Phantoms can be very persuasive. E-C-Dub!

21. Carlos Delgado - El Hombre.
22. Lyle Overbay - Hails from Washington state, just like Ted Bundy and Green River killer Gary Ridgway. I'm thinking of a serial killer gimmick: Lyle Wayne Overbay.
(Leave it to Fleer to put "draft" and "prospects" in the name of a product, and then give me a pack that has neither of the above.)

2006 Upper Deck Series 1

23. Luke Scott - LUUUUKKKKEEE! He is a proud gun owner. I say Cool Hand Luke.
24. Jason Marquis - Snooty Frenchman Marquis de Jason? Oui!
25. Brian Lawrence - Attended Northwestern State University of Louisiana, whose mascot is the Demon. His nickname is self-evident. Just don't confuse him with the KISS Demon, played by Jeff Torborg's son Dale.
26. Carlos Zambrano - The hotheaded Big Z is a force to be reckoned with.
27. Aaron Rowand - A dark horse in this match could be scrappy cruiserweight "Crash" Rowand!
28. Kirk Saarloos - The Sar-loose Cannon?
29. Bob Gibson Diamond Debut - WOW! A surprise entrant at #29! Hit the deck, it's Hoot the Headhunter!

30. Robert Fick - Sure, he used to be a valuable and versatile hitter, but I look at him and see "Third Bushwacker".

Wow, I have wayyy too much time on my hands. Tell you what...If you're especially curious and impatient, I'll live-blog the Rumble match on my Orioles blog. Updates should start some time around 10 PM. Now get those guesses in, you pencil-neck geeks!

2004 Topps Opening Day

I honestly have no idea where I got this pack. I am pretty sure it was in a repack box of some sort, but for some reason I hung onto it instead of sorting it into my collection. There's not much here. Opening Day cards really only work in theory (it would be nice if the cards had different photos from the base design) and also only if the design variation looks decent. I think this year's red look is okay and the white look from 2007 wasn't terrible (though, don't get me started on the mascots.) This, however, was not a good idea. Even the pack wrapper is hideous. Theres one reason I chose to post the pack, which you'll find out below.

Let's see if I pulled a "Hot Young MLB Star" like Jerome Williams:

23 - Steve Finley (The miniature outline of the player in the lower left corner is incredibly silly. This came from the regular 2004 design, of course.)
78 - Angel Berroa (A Rookie Cup guy.)
9 - Kevin Millar (I guess you'd have to like Boston to appreciate this guy.)

60 - Greg Maddux (Here's a guy we can all appreciate. This is a great photo of Maddux in a throwback Braves uniform. I'm not a Braves fan by any stretch of the imagination, but it's hard not to like this card, although I'm sure the regular set uses the same photo and looks better.)

On the back, we learn that Maddux threw a shutout in 12 consecutive seasons. Will anyone ever do that again? That's amazingly consistent work. Maddux is set to announce his retirement on Monday, in case any of you slept through the entire weekend, Friday inclusive.

12 - Jay Payton
63 - Alex Gonzalez (Yeah, there were two more cards left in this pack, but none worth talking about.)

2004 Topps Traded and Rookies

I ripped a crapton of this product back in 2004. When I saw a"4 packs for $6" repack hanging with that red white and blue wrapper peeking out the front I got it for old times sake. What does it say about the present day when I'm nostalgic for 2004? Let's try not to think about it and drown our sorrows in a good Topps design.


T77 Bill Bray Draft Pick
T24 Andy Pettitte
T88 Erick San Pedro Draft Pick
T109 David Parrish
T56 Tom Gordon Chrome
Checklist Puzzle card 40 of 110
T62 Braden Looper Chrome
T116 Kazuhito Tadano Gold parallel #0903/2004
T172 Paul Bacot First Year
T11 Kelvim Escobar
T15 Billy Wagner

Billy covering first! Now that's a professional. The veterans in this pack ain't too shabby. Wagner, Andy Pettitte, Tom Gordon and Kelvim Escobar are all solid. This is a Traded set though, so no one gives a rat's patootie about the veterans. BRING ON THE ROOKIES

This set has a pretty solid group of rookie, um, first year cards. Felix Hernandez, Phil Hughes, Huston Street, Fausto Carmona, Joel Zumaya, Howie Kendrick, Blake Dewitt (Notice any familiar names from this year and last?) Josh Fields, Homer Bailey. I didn't get any of them though. Here's the rookie/draft pick/first years I did get:

Bill Bray: Solid relief pitcher for the Reds. Relievers are critical in today's game so this is a win even though it's not going to book in any quarterly price guides from an outdated publisher.

Erick San Pedro: Injury prone catching prospect who is bouncing around organizations at an alarming rate. As far as I can tell, he's in the Nationals system right now. Maybe.

Kazuhito Tadano: Somewhat infamous pitcher (Google it yourself) who spent a couple years with the Indians. HE's back in the Japanese league having some success with the Nippon Ham Fighters.

Paul Bacot: Yay! I got a Brave! Boo! He never got past single-A and hasn't pitched since 2005!

Ok, that's enough of that. This is the really cool stuff in the pack. Each pack either had a super thick, puzzle on the front, glossy on the back checklist card, or some stupid relic card. I wanted only the puzzle pieces and even tried to build the set. The problem was when I asked dealers if they had any of these cards because I was building a set of them they gave me a look like I had just asked them the question in Russian and sprouted horns on my head while dancing the Charleston. Naked. The flea market dude found me a nice pile of 'em (I guess he likes my dancing?) but I never got a single one besides them other than in a pack and my set remains sadly unfinished. I don't know if I need this one or not, but I'm afraid to check lest I be tempted to resume the hunt. This card features prominently the name that will go down as this generation's Dick Pole: Jung Bong. Pass that over here, man.

2004 Fleer Platinum

I found one of these among those stupid discounted packs of non-sports cards at the Target closest to my house. It's specifically retail, so I'm not holding my breath for either of the "Two Game-Used Levels." Not sure what that means, but at least it's not "Game-Used Layers." The layer of clothing closest to the skin below the waist and above the knees needs to be kept off of all MLB relic cards. Write your local congressperson to ensure this.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
22 Jack Wilson (Old uniform present and accounted for. Hairlip, bucktooth thing not visible.)

34 Joe Randa (Milwaukee native.)
167 Morgan Ensberg Unsung Heroes

127 Bobby Abreu
197 Rickie Weeks/Adam Morrissey (Nice, one of last night's heroes.)

117 Mike Cameron (Excellent, a current Brewer with a Mariners jersey and a Mets logo. The perfect photo to showcase his outfield play.)

182 Greg Myers Unsung Heroes

Grade: B+
I got two 2008 Brewers, which is great. The borrows the look of 1984 Fleer, which is my second-favorite 1980s Fleer set (after 1985). My Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test uses this question as a guideline: "Would I have tried to collect this set if I had been collecting in (insert year here)?" Probably, but who knows?

If you want a biased take on the playoff races...

2004 Upper Deck Power Up!

To continue this weekend's "big heads" trend, I found a discounted pack of Power Up!, an Upper Deck brand that would have felt at home in the early 1990s. I got a Jenkins in trade a few weeks ago, perhaps I can snag another Brewer.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
77 Darin Erstad
39 Ivan Rodriguez (Marlins jersey, Detroit logo.)

74 Preston Wilson
25 Ryan Klesko
83 Alex Rodriguez (Rangers jersey, New York logo.)

56 Rocco Baldelli
33 Carlos Beltran
77 Darin Erstad Purple Parallel (Has a "250 points" designation on the back, where all other players count for 10.)

ST-78 Mike Sweeney Shining Through (Likeness rendered in normal body proportions.)

Hmmm, two guys named Rodriguez and two Erstads. Wish I liked Erstad. And that Rocco Baldelli is an inspiring story. I'm just glad I don't have his fatigue thing, 'cause I need to stay up and watch the Wisconsin/Fresno St. game that hasn't even started yet. College football season is fun. You can watch twelve straight hours of football most Saturdays if you'd like, fifteen if Hawaii is hosting a night game.

2004 Topps Cracker Jack Baseball

I don't know about you but I am a complete sucker when it comes to retro themed and oddball sets. I was reading a blog about a guy who is trying to collect cards that were given away with dog food!

So this was of some interest. I knew Cracker Jacks from the song 'Take me out to the ball game' as in buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks.
But in the UK it is unknown snack.

This particular set is a recreation of the 1915 Cracker Jack brand Baseball Card Set, complete with JACK and BINGO. I presume the original cards were included in boxes of Cracker Jacks which were more than likely eaten by children rather than cards inside tobacco products that were eaten by adults.

I bought two packs, on one of the packs it says $2.99.

It includes 8 cards plus 1 secret surprise.

The pack includes

12 Cornelius J. McGillicuddy

WOW, no wonder he changed his name.

15 Bret Boone Seattle Mariners

21 Paul Lo Duca Los Angeles

22 Geoff Jenkins Milwaukee

82 Xavier Nady San Diego

120 Pedro Martinez Boston

138 Sandy Alomar Arizona

143 Wade Miller Houston

And the Secret Surprise!!!!

138 Sandy Alomar Sticker and a checklist 1 of 2!

Oh well, maybe next time.

Hope you enjoyed.

2004 Upper Deck Vintage

I opened my first pack of this stuff a little while ago, with pretty good results. Here's the other Target cheapie I bought on the same trip.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
180 Ryan Franklin
147 Joe Crede

266 Alfredo Amezaga (Fun name to say.)
269 Miguel Ojeda
253 Danny Kolb (Alright, a Brewer! Not a good one. I retract the "alright.")

SSM-23 Alex Rodriguez Stellar Stat Men Game-Used Black Swatch (Unbelievable pull for one of these retread packs! Helps restore my faith in retail.)

76 Magglio Ordonez (Wow! No juicy curl emerging from the batting helmet, and a Ron Kittle-era jersey to boot!)

139 Hideo Nomo (Once a Racing Sausage when with the Brewers.)
271 Hideki Matsui

Grade: A
The A-Rod card is more than I would have ever expected from one of these packs. There are some small creases on the front, as this card came from the time when manufacturers had not yet learned how to stiffen their relic cards. (Or, at least, Viagrafication had not yet become standard practice.) The back of this card also protrudes a bit, but I won't let that get me down.

I like the journeyman aspect of this card, as it contains a Mariners swatch on a Rangers card from a current Yankee. Hands Across America and Scheiße. (The word that comes to mind following Germany's 2-1 loss to Croatia in today's Euro 2008 matchup. Oh well, they will prevail on Monday and make it to the knocout round.)

Check out Thorzul today. I wish I could say that every click means dollars going to charity, but it doesn't.

2004 Upper Deck Vintage Baseball

A great way to start the day, better than a cup of coffee (Blech!), is a pack of Target cheapie cards. Enjoy!

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
167 Ken Harvey (His mom obviously uses Cheer with Color Guard technology. So blue...so very, very blue.)

68 Jay Gibbons
18 Matt Clement
207 Brandon Larson
20 Odalis Perez
5 Vladimir Guerrero (One of his last cards as an Expo. I'll bet that warmup windbreaker is hanging in a closet in Vlad's house.)

261 Rich Harden
9 Derek Jeter

Grade: B
That pack really got going at the end. Basically, I hope it's how my day will go. Hopefully I can get through my morning reading group without opening my eyes. After that the kids go to gym, followed by lunch. We will end the day with math and science. Ten days of school left and counting...

2004 MLB Showdown Trading Deadline

Last pack out of my Wal-Mart Cube. I think I've done ok so far between the UD, Ultra and the fact that the Box is already holding my 2008 Finest and Bowman cards. This pack here can push the box over the top and make it awesome if I can manage to pull a shiny premium card or a Hall-of-Famer out of the pack. Another Ben broussard will make me pull hair out of my head, so it could go both ways. The quest stands on the edge of a knife! Run Frodo! Run to Mordor and pull me a Yogi Berra card out of this pack!

National League East Checklist.

A quick pause here to note that Horacio Ramirez is the only Atlanta Brave in the set, and Kazuo Matsui is deemed worthy of being a premium card. THIS BODES NOT WELL.

En Fuego! Strategy card featuring a random Cardinal batter.
Lefty Shift Strategy card with #17 from the Rockies fielding a grounder.
Swing for the Fences! Strategy card with a Diamondback whose face is in the shadows.

Ok, now for the real cards in the pack.

106 Tino Martinez Super Season
053 Pat Hentgen
111 Nomah Gahciapahrrah Shiny Super Season premium card
046 Miguel Cabrera
078 Joel Pineiro
069 Derrek Lee
042 Reed Johnson
015 Arthur Rhodes

Well, you can't beat that pack with a dead cat. I got my shiny card and it was actually a decent one in Nomar back when he was good. Miguel Cabrera, Derrek Lee and Tino Martinez ain't too shabby either. Even haters of oddball collectible card came cards wouldn't mind this pack too much. I shoudl have known Pugde wouldn't let me down when I saw him on the wrapper. I think I got my money's worth on this box, even if Ben Broussard ganged up on me.