2009 Topps Fat Pack: What the Fungus?

I'm sure we've all seen our share of 2009 Topps already, but I got two fat packs at Target and something was odd. Check out the the following scans:






So, as I said..."What the Fungus?". You'll notice that all of the affected cards are horizontally oriented. I pulled about six others like these. Each fat pack had two separate runs of three misprinted cards in the middle of the pack. It looks like some of the colored ink didn't make it onto the cards; maybe yellow? At any rate, the backs of the cards are fine. You'll also notice that no less than three of the affected cards feature Josh Hamilton. Weird, huh?

Has anyone else found similarly gerfunct cards? (Yes, these are so weird looking that I had to use a fake word to describe them.)

2009 Topps Series 1 Fat Pack

What is the official terminology for these? It's the 36-card, two-section pack that hangs on the rack. Jumbo is the 50-card single-section pack, right? So is this a fat pack, or is that copyrighted by Upper Deck? Is it simply a rack pack, old-school style? Anyway, I bought it along with a second pack and a cereal box at Target last Tuesday. The big hits in the cereal box were a Chrome Refractor of Mickey Mantle (yawn), a Turkey Red David Wright, and a Lou Gehrig Legends of the Game. A few cards in the cereal box were a bit mangled, with the worst being an Omar Vizquel with a seriously bent corner. What's up with that? Anyway, let's check this bad boy out.

Top Section:

312 Ryan Sweeney - with fuzzy Phillies in the visitor's dugout.

195 Tim Lincecum - I read on espn.com that he sometimes goes two or three days without showering. Thanks for that, guys.

119 Craig Counsell - Do you realize he's been in the league for 13 years? Crazy.

262 Mike Gonzalez - According to the card back, the following hitters are all 0-for-their career against him (min. 5 ABs): Pat Burrell, Luis Castillo, Geoff Jenkins, Aaron Miles, Scott Rolen, Brad Wilkerson. Pick it up, fellas!

265 Carlos Zambrano - Love the photo of Z's home run swing.

143 Matt Joyce - Depicted with the Tigers instead of his new team, the Rays.

209 Alfredo Amezaga - The blurb on the back includes Dan Uggla raving about AA's defense. There's an easy joke here, but I like Uggla in spite of his lead glove.

83 Ryan Garko - There were rumors in the offseason that the O's would trade for him. But they fulfilled their ridiculously named corner infielder need by signing Ty Wigginton.

275 Alex Rios - Looking at the list of his best pitcher matchups, he kills old men (Julian Tavarez, Jamie Moyer, Randy Johnson). You're next, John Smoltz!

314 Matt Treanor - Do you think he resents his wife's fame, even just a little?

TTT16 Ichiro ToppsTown - Three of the seven TT cards I've pulled were Ichiro.

267 Michael Bowden RC - Was born in 1986, when I already knew how to read. I'm SO. OLD.

191 Shane Victorino Postseason Highlights - Commemorating his NLDS grand slam against Captain Cheeseburger. May it lead the way to several more Sabathia meltdowns in the Bronx.

224 Max Scherzer - Is it possible to pronounce his last name without yelling like an angry German? NEIN!

102 Garrett Atkins - His OPS each season since 2006: .965, .853, .780. That's what we call a disturbing trend.

165 Matt Kemp - An anagram for "Matt Kemp" is "Kempt ATM". That's all I got.

281 Tug Hulett - His 6 Degrees of Mantle features four Orioles: Tug's father is Tim Hulett, who hit his 1st HR off Dennis Martinez, who was a teammate of Mark Belanger, who was a teammate of Woodie Held, who was a teammate of Mantle.

234 John Russell - Apparently he "hopes a foundation based on fundamentals will pay dividends". That's code for "The Pirates suck hard".

Section the Second:

159 Matt Antonelli RC - Does he have a nickname? I suggest "the pride of Peabody".

284 Luis Ayala - Good trade for the Mets. He went from a 5.78 ERA with the Nats to a 5.50 to the Mets.

150 Kosuke Fukudome - Shown taking a curtain call at Wrigley. That photo must have been taken in April.

288 Guillermo Quiroz - According to Night Owl, the O's backup catcher is Mr. Ubiquitous of Topps Series 1.

26 Jason Giambi - Between the goofy 'stache and even goofier face, complete with protruding tongue, this is my favorite photo from the set so far.

110 Hideki Matsui - After playing in every game in his first three seasons in New York, Godzilla has missed almost 200 games in the last three. Uh-oh...

319 Brian Fuentes - If his card had a flavor, it would be grapity-purple.

50 David Ortiz - Does anyone actually hate Big Papi?

LG8 George Sisler Legends of the Game - I know dayf was a bit down on this player choice for the Legends set, but I like it. Topps and Upper Deck have done the usual suspects to death, and it's neat to see one of the few legendary St. Louis Browns get some props.

12 Andrew Carpenter RC - He looks too much like Sidney Ponson for my tastes.

22 Classic Combos: First Rate (Evan Longoria and David Price) - Thanks guys, for making it that much harder for my O' s to climb out of the AL East cellar. Isn't it time for more realignment?

282 Chris Lambert RC - Career ERA of 4.60 in the minors? Hold on to your socks, kids.

242 Ricky Nolasco - One of the more anonymous 15-game winners around, I'd say.

158 Ray Durham - I'm surprised no one signed him this offseason.

207 Joe Blanton - His World Series home run was one of my favorite non-Baltimore moments of 2008.

40 Carl Crawford - Have I mentioned that Carl and I share a birthday? Yes, probably I have.

329 Gil Meche - How many "What a Meche" headlines has he inspired?

151 Carl Pavano - "It was a welcome sight to see Carl (elbow) back on the mound again in 2008." For whom?

2009 WWE Heritage IV: A Purchase Made Out of Spite

When I posted a pack rip from 2009 Topps last week and mentioned that I had to go across the country to get those cards, I was half-joking. But this weekend, I again went to my local Wal-Mart and Target, and AGAIN I found no 2009 baseball cards. No Topps, no Upper Deck. No packs, no blasters, no cereal boxes, nada. I was taunted by Timeline, Stadium Club, Documentary, Updates and Highlights, 2008 Topps Series 2, and Heritage High Numbers. What the heck is wrong with my jerkwater town?

So at Target, I found myself staring at a single $10 blaster of WWE Heritage. Though my wrestling geekdom has been well-established, I've resisted the urge to by freaking wrestling trading cards time and again over the past few years. Finally, I had a moment of frustration and weakness. Five five-pack cards and a BONUS four-card pack? Sounds great! Allen and Ginter inserts, and the potential for match-used relics? Who wouldn't want a swatch of Hacksaw Jim Duggan's tights? Okay, never mind. With The Wrestler in the running for a few Oscars tonight, today seems like an appropriate day to rip some rasslin' cards. Ring the bell!

27 John Cena - Ugh, one of the most annoying guys out there. He's got this moron jock aura about him, and a hip-hop gimmick that's like nails on a chalkboard. Because snot-nosed little kids buy his t-shirts, WWE keeps shoving him down our throats, regardless of the fact that obnoxious adult males like myself boo and mock him at live events. Go away, John Cena.

46 Shelton Benjamin - A former amateur wrestler from the University of Minnesota. In case you're curious, he's got bleached hair because his nickname is "The Gold Standard". Get it? That's not even the worst thing the writers have done with him. Despite being an incredible athlete, he's never been treated like a big star because he doesn't have enough charisma. To this end, he was briefly managed by his overbearing sassy momma, as portrayed by obese former sitcom star Thea Vidale. Why do I watch this stuff again?

67 Melina - Consider this scan your reward for putting up with a wrestling post. In case you're curious, she's famous for doing a full-extension split as she enters the ring. Don't make me get the hose...

85 Junkyard Dog - The Legends subset is the real gem of this set. Sadly, JYD was killed in a car accident a decade ago. The other Legends I got in the box were Superfly Jimmy Snuka and Brian Pillman.

25 Jeff Hardy - Just your standard poetry-writing, North-Carolina-born, ex-druggie, raver-looking, ladder-jumping former World Champion. Rumor has it that he once gave his brother, fellow WWE talent Matt, a dead fish for Christmas. Like you do.

So I did get one Allen and Ginter mini in the box (CM Punk, for those who actually care). It was right purty. There was also a die-cut magnet of Batista, which seems like an odd choice for an insert. And the bonus pack? Four cards that I'd already gotten in the other packs in the box. I realize that the entire base set is only 90 cards, but come ON. Whoever packed that box deserves a good powerbomb.

2009 Topps: At Last.

Believe it or not, I had to go clear across the country to get my first few packs of 2009 cards! It's true. Last week it was mid-February, and it had been at least a week since the official release of Topps and Upper Deck. Here in Maryland, I went to my local Wal-Mart: nothing. Target: nothing. Wal-Mart in particular had a pathetic slate of offerings. A feeder box of Timeline and a few blister packs of Stadium Club. The rest was football and basketball, including blasters of 2007-2008 Topps basketball. W. T. F. So I visited some friends in San Diego over the holiday weekend, and Saturday night they took me out to get my first In-N-Out Burger (delicious, by the way. Burger and fries were both top-notch.), and we stopped at Wal-Mart on the way back to the house. FINALLY. They had a feeder box of 2009 Topps, with A-Rod's chemically-enhanced visage plastered all over it. I picked up four packs, and got no Orioles. But the first card of the first pack I opened was a Padre - Chris Young, to be exact. Neat coincidence. So here's the fourth pack of the four.

52 Marco Scutaro - Did you know he was from Venezuela?

316 Brian Stokes - Not to be confused with Brian Stokes Mitchell, though this Mets righty does have a heavenly singing voice.

68 Kyle Lohse - Seriously dude, Kyle Lohse won 15 games last year. He hadn't racked up double-digit wins in a season since 2003.

124 Reed Johnson - Had the rare honor of being heckled mercilessly by yours truly when he played right field for the Jays as a rookie in 2003. The joke was on me, as he delivered a crucial hit in Toronto's win over the Orioles. But I did get the t-shirt giveaway, so it's not all bad.

65 Mike Pelfrey - Big Pelf had a solid '08, going 13-11 with a 3.72 ERA.

61 Classic Combos: Lance Berkman & Carlos Lee - "Bash-stros". That's cute. I see they're using the combo cards as checklists this year. That's a pretty good idea, I'd say.

LG19 Bob Gibson Legends of the Game - I assume this is the Wal-Mart exclusive version of the insert. Great action photo, which you don't get to see often from old-timers.

TTT22 Tim Lincecum ToppsTown - Does anyone actually use these cards? Is it worth your while?

317 Jarrod Saltalamacchia - Great photo showing Salty's back, so you can see all 14 letters crammed onto his jersey.

220 Jay Bruce - Rookie Cup! Do you know why I love Six Degrees of Mantle? Because it's your only chance to see Manny Trillo's name on a 2009 baseball card.

48 Mike Napoli - I just read that his shoulder might make it necessary for him to DH at the beginning of the season. Just what the Halos need...another DH.

42 Jeff Francoeur - "...many believe he's still far from reaching his potential." That's sugar-coating it, huh?

I love the minimal design, the extra stats on the back, and the improved photography. As long as Topps doesn't get obnoxious with the "error cards" again, I might be set-building.

2008 Upper Deck Documentary: What's the point?

Yipes, no posts to this blog since Tuesday. So much for A Pack a Day. Sorry, but this stuff is all that I have handy. Unfortunately, I couldn't just take everyone's word for it when they said that Documentary was pointless and a waste. I just had to buy FOUR packs and find that out for myself. I'll post one pack here, and list the player pictured and the player that is actually described in the accompanying text. We'll see how often they match up, okay? Okay.

88 (CLE9) April 9: Angels 9, Indians 5. Travis Hafner/Indians offense. Well, that's at least in the ballpark. However, Pronk is not one of the hitters mentioned on the card back, which references Blake, Peralta, Shoppach, and Dellucci's extra-base hits. Hafner went 0-for-4 and was hit by a pitch. Whee.

2559 (MIL89) July 7: Rockies 4, Brewers 3. Jason Kendall/Prince Fielder. Bravo, UD. Bravo.

2598 (OAK88) July 6: White Sox 4, Athletics 3. Bobby Crosby/Rob Bowen. Seriously, how hard is this?

297 (WAS7) April 6: Cardinals 3, Nationals 0. Paul Lo Duca/John Lannan. Geez, now they can't even distinguish between a catcher and a pitcher.

287 (TOR7) April 8: Athletics 9, Blue Jays 8. Frank Thomas/Frank Thomas and Vernon Wells. HEY! Blind squirrel finds nut. Film at eleven.

HRD-5 July 14: Home Run Derby. Justin Morneau/Justin Morneau. This commemorates the Canadian slugger's winning effort in the derby. I actually like the foil All-Star Game logo, and they would have had to work overtime to screw up this subset card. Back to the crap.

3923 (CIN132) August 26: Reds 2, Astros 1. Jay Bruce RC/Bronson Arroyo. At least this pack his its first card depicting the winning team in the featured game.

3920 (CWS132) White Sox 8, Orioles 3. Jim Thome/Gavin Floyd. Boooo! The loser was Brian Burres, recently salvaged by Toronto. He's your problem now, Jays.

3917 (CHC132): Cubs 14, Pirates 9. Rich Harden/Geovany Soto. I like the picture, with a batters' eye view of Harden peering toward the plate.

3959 (OAK132): Angels 5, Athletics 1. Carlos Gonzalez/Jack Cust. It's also fantastic that Upper Deck chose not to label the player pictured anywhere on the card. I don't know Gonzalez from Adam, and had to look online to figure out who wore #28 for the A's in 2008.

So yeah. You're probably smarter than me anyhow, but on the off chance that you're tempted to pick up a pack or two of Documentary because it sounds like a neat concept, or you're curious, or Ken Griffey, Jr. is on the pack, or Target is fresh out of 2009 packs, or any other reason you can conjure up...DON'T.

DON'T.


Don't.

2005 Donruss Team Heroes

Before I get to today's pack rip, I should wrap up last week's Royal Rumble Contest. Sam chose #8, represented by Shannon Stewart (see below). The eighth entrant in the Royal Rumble match, Randy Orton, won the whole magillah. So Sam is the winner! I'll need you to email me (brotz13 AT gmail DOT com) with your address and your favorite team so that I can send your prize. If I don't hear from you by the end of the day Wednesday, I'll move on to the runner-up.

So, are you going through Donruss Withdrawal? Never fear, a repacked pack of Team Heroes is here! I don't quite get the graph paper background on these, but I do like the team-color gradient bar on the left side. What do we have here?

241 Marlon Byrd - The card back mentions his 5-RBI game against the Expos. I miss those guys.

222 Barry Zito - Rockin' the double-knit flashbacks. Love the stirrups.

204 Tom Seaver - Hey, an actual Team Hero! Who'da thunk it? Great action shot of Tom Terrific in mid-delivery.

186 Justin Morneau - Probably didn't deserve his MVP award a few years back, but since he denied Derek Jeter the honors I can't complain.

373 Carl Pavano - One of Cleveland's big offseason pickups. Stop snickering.

349 Derek Lowe - It's D. Lowe, not to be confused with D'Lo.

308 Jose Cruz, Jr. - Shown in the Diamondbacks phase of his long career descent.

197 Victor Zambrano - One of the most useless of the Orioles parade of pitching horrors in recent years (0-1, 9.49 in 12.1 innings).

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!

1987 Donruss: Donrussier than ever!

Seriously, I'm still a contributor here. Don't stare at me like that. Anyway, last month I rescued an assortment of Orioles cards from Mark of Stats on the Back. He was kind enough to toss in a few packs of 1987 and 1988 Donruss. Since nobody wants to see 1988 Donruss, here's the best pack of the bunch. Come along, won't you?

488 Dave Martinez - Pictured as a Cubs rookie; the Northsiders were the first of his nine(!) teams. In order: Cubs, Expos, Reds, Giants, White Sox, Devil Rays, Cubs again, Rangers, Blue Jays, and Braves. Whew.

11 Chris Brown Diamond Kings - Was a high school teammate of Darryl Strawberry.

89 Cal Ripken, Jr. - And here's the Hall of Famer for the pack. The first one, anyway (SPOILER ALERT).

572 Bob Kipper - Hails from Aurora, IL. Just like a certain cable-access duo.

440 Scott Bradley - Complete with horrifically red nose and muzzle. Not a pretty picture.

307 Todd Worrell - Sheesh, his mustache was even worse than mine.

297 Al Nipper - It's very difficult to be an effective major league pitcher with a name like Al Nipper. Exhibit A.

413 Tracy Jones - I believe this is the gentleman who is the last remaining holdout keeping me from completing my 1988 Topps set.

280 Jim Sundberg - According to the card back, he was in the midst of a TEN-YEAR contract that ran through 1990. If true, he would have signed it prior to 1981, when he was a 30-year-old catcher with the Rangers. Nice to see that dumb contracts aren't a new thing in Arlington.

271 George Bell - Or as he's better known, Juan Bell's brother.

138 Nolan Ryan - Hall of Famer #2! He had a mere 4,277 strikeouts at that time.

621 Fred McGriff - A Crime Dog second-year card! That's the icing on the cake; this pack is awesome.

42 Chris James Rated Rookie - In 1985 with the Patriots, his brother Craig was the last white running back to rush for 1,000 yards in the NFL.

33 Mike Birkbeck Rated Rookie - Who rated him?

90 Juan Nieves - Officially the worst pitcher ever to no-hit the Orioles. The best? Probably that Nolan Ryan guy.

Puzzle Pieces 52-54: Roberto Clemente's smiling face.

Well, that's about all you can ask for from a 20-year-old pack. The other pack of 1987 Donruss had Lance Parrish and Mike Schmidt as the big pulls, but this one wins easily. Thanks Mark!

The Awesomest Pack of 2008 Goudey Ever!

Okay, there's a slight chance that I'm setting unrealistic expectations here. But I picked up another blaster of Goudey at Target this weekend, and this pack in particular rocked my world:

151 Bill Mazeroski - I love the copy on the Goudey card backs; this one drops "big flies" and "taters" in consecutive sentences.

99 Chad Billingsley - Was 12-5, 3.31 in 2007.

47 Johnny Bench - With nifty red wristband.

127 Phil Rizzuto - No mention of his assist to "Paradise By the Dashboard Light"? What a travesty!

122 Alex Rodriguez - "Pelted" an MLB best 54 homers? That verb choice ain't doing it for me.

18 Eddie Murray - YES! The fourth retired player in this pack is one bad mamma jamma.

200 Evan Longoria RC - He didn't have such a hot World Series, but that won't stop him from being a runaway Rookie of the Year winner.

148 Adam LaRoche - His name is French for "Adam the Roach". Except, you know, I made that up.

2007 Topps Turkey Red - Gobble Gobble!

DISCLAIMER: The selection of a pack of Turkey Red cards is in no way meant as an endorsement of "red states" or Republican candidate John Sidney McCain.

Here's the last pack from my repack envelopey thing, and as promised, there's a purty surprise inside! Oooo!

21 Adam Dunn - I love the classic stadium facade that was drawn into the background, with columns and such.

158 Jeff Kent - I do not love Mr. Kent's intolerance of his fellow man.

147 Joe Mauer - I can't believe he's only been an All-Star once. I guess chicks really do dig the long ball.

30 Barry Bonds - He actually looks kind of jaundiced in his portrait. Maybe Dick Perez was editorializing about the harmful effects of steroid abuse.

41 Barry Zito - His olde tyme background features a smattering of fans looking on from a hilltop. Neato.

TRC-RM Rob Mackowiak Refractor Autograph - Wowie! Not the sort of thing you expect from a repack. As soon as I opened the pack, I saw a shiny border poking out from near the back. This card is eventually heading to Illinois to join the collection of one of Rob's high school classmates, hint hint.

67 Chase Wright RC - I believe this is the poor slob who gave up back-to-back-to-back-to-back (that's FOUR straight) home runs to the Red Sox in Fenway. Ayup.

109 Derek Jeter "The Captain" Checklist - Nifty action scene with Jeter stroking a hit as the Padre catcher (possibly Ramon Hernandez, actually) looks on impotently.

So that was a little taste of something different for me. Be a good little 'Murrican and vote 'er up tomorrow, and I might just be back later this week with a few packs of Goudey or some 1986 Topps baseball tattoos...or both. Intrigue abounds.

WABAC Machine: 1990 Upper Deck

Oh crud, we didn't get a pack up yesterday! I had a post-Halloween party to hit up, so I hope you'll forgive me. Here's another'un from the repack I just grabbed. It's from the infancy of Upper Deck, their sophomore effort if you wiiilllll.

330 Doyle Alexander - He must have had the longest arms of any pitcher in history. In every photo they're dangling around his knees.

382 Frank White - 1990 was the final year of Frank's distinguished 18-season career in KC.

444 Craig Worthington - Nice photo of Craig running the bases in Memorial Stadium as a Boston defender looks to the outfield.

426 Jerry Browne - I never realized that Jerry had some GUNS.

223 Vince Coleman - "Vincent Van Go" may be the only baseball player nicknamed for an impressionist painter who cut off his own ear.

216 Jose Rijo - His name rolls off the tongue: HO-zay REE-ho.

582 Rick Wrona - I wish it was "Wrick".

559 Ken Howell - Passed through the Orioles organization in one offseason, arriving from LA in the Eddie Murray trade and heading to Philly in exchange for Phil Bradley.

Indians logo sticker

612 Gary Mielke - This Minnesota native sported a fashionable mustache, to warm him during those bitter cold winters.

700 Checklist 601-700

197 Hubie Brooks - And his sidekick, Mr. Umpire!

155 Paul Kilgus - The photo on the back shows him batting. Did Upper Deck start the "pitchers batting" photo craze?

62 Mets Checklist (Dwight Gooden) - The full complement, from A-Aase to W-Whitehurst.

15 David West - "Was key part of 5 pitcher deal with Mets for Frank Viola." Yeah, how'd that work out? To be fair, the Twins also got Kevin Tapani, who was a key starter for several years.

617 Jose Guzman - Complete with stray holographic angel dust on the front.

Okay, that pack was a lotta nothin'. But the final part of the repack was a little more exciting. (TEASE!)

2006 Fleer Ultra

Whew, just getting today's pack in under the gun. Pack two from the repack, and the first issue of Ultra that I've ripped since 1995. Whoa.

126 Freddy Sanchez - Upped his batting average from .158 in 2004 to .291 the following year. Sure, he only had 19 ABs in 2004...details, details.

70 Randy Winn - I'm sure Patricia and Lucy like the action shot with Randy kicking up dirt behind him as he digs for the next base.

14 Barry Zito - Despite the fact that he has oodles more money than I will ever see, I kinda feel for this guy amidst his struggles in San Fran.

URS1 Ryan Howard Ultra Rising Stars - Oooh, Brand New World Series Champ Ryan Howard! I opened this pack before tonight's game ended, and took it as a good omen for the Phils.

78 Cliff Lee Gold Medallion - And a parallel of the AL Comeback Player of the Year and likely Cy Young winner to wrap it all up.

2006 Upper Deck Series Two

Okay, we could all use a time-passer as the World Series has been hijacked by the weather gods. As I drove home Sunday after a Saturday night Halloween party (never drink and drive, kids), I was dispatched to Wal-Mart by my sister to pick up some elastic she needed for her homemade gypsy costume. Sheesh. Might as well pick up a "3+ packs" for $5 Legends repack. Here's the first pack, 2006 Upper Deck. All I have from this set is a handful of Orioles, so let's give it a peek.

905 Chris Britton RC - An Oriole right off the bat! The delightfully doughy Britton had a decent year in relief, then was traded to the Yankees for Jaret Wright. Lovely.

983 Boone Logan RC - They're not booing you, they're saying BOOO-ooone.

584 Eduardo Perez - Mushmouthed-yet-harmless Baseball Tonight team member.

528 Corey Patterson - Another Oriole! One of the few baseballers who managed to be less horrible in Baltimore than he's been elsewhere.

653 Jason Bulger RC - Three rookies in one pack, eh? Never heard of him, apparently an Angels reliever. Maybe he's related to Ray Bulger.

677 Sandy Alomar - I didn't have any cards of Old Man Sandy with the Dodgers. Nice Spring Training photo with the players just chillin' behind home plate.

PBDJ-4 Play Ball! with Jeter contest card "E" - If you spelled "J-E-T-E-R" you would win Great Prizes. The prizes ranged from a private clinic with Derek Jeter to...screensavers. Seriously.

827 Shawn Camp - Ah, the halcyon days of the Devil Rays.

Trick or Treat: 1991 Donruss Series 1

I've been scarce around here lately, as I tend to go boom-or-bust with my pack ripping. Besides, I've been trying to keep up with the new additions to my collection at The Great 1965 Topps Project. But David of TribeCards is doing another fun giveaway. I "trick or treated" at his blog, and received a box full of widely assorted cards, most of the non-sport variety. There was also this loosely-wrapped pack of 1991 Donruss Series 1. Trick or Treat? That's your call:

293 Craig Worthington - Ah, the Orioles' all-glove, no-hit hot corner man of the early '90s.

188 Lloyd Moseby - Huh. I didn't realize he was the Jays' all-time leader in games, hits, doubles, and steals when he left the team.

195 Bip Roberts - BIPPED!

90 Bobby Thigpen - His saves record may have just fallen, but K-Rod racked up a lot more cheap saves than Bobby did.

208 "You Can Call Me" Al Newman - Sorry for the Bermanism, but there's just not enough Paul Simon on this blog. Amirite?

214 Walt Weiss - He was apparently born in Tuxedo, NY. Heh.

159 Greg Hibbard - Great throwback Sox threads!

56 Mark McGwire AL All-Star - I never realized that Donruss' All-Star cards had the player's All-Star stat lines on the back. In his first four Midsummer Classics, Big Mac was 2-for-10 with no RBI. But he's not one to talk about the past.

285 Greg Olson - Valuable lesson: the Braves' catcher was Greg with a single 'g'. The Orioles' closer was Gregg with two 'g's. Then there's Greg Golson, the Phillies' farmhand. Yikes.

39 Julio Valera Rated Rookie - Sure, he was crap, but I just love that Rated Rookie logo.

237 Dave Martinez - Currently on the Rays coaching staff. Good for him.

131 Greg W. Harris - Here we go again. He was the Padres starter. Greg A. Harris was the bespectacled reliever for the Red Sox, Rangers, Phillies, etc.

299 Kent Mercker - The only player from this pack still active in 2008. Who'dathunkit?

194 Oil Can Boyd - That's right, Donruss. None of that "Dennis" crap that Topps used to pull.

202 Jeff Russell - Co-starring Jeff Russell's mustache.

5 Barry Larkin Diamond King - Dick Perez really should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

To close things out we have pieces #13, 14, and 15 of the Willie Stargell puzzle. Pretty choice pieces - Pops' head is fully visible, though several pieces of the wrapper are stuck to them. Eh.

2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes

During a recent trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, I eschewed the opportunity to spend my green on colonial trinkets or amusing candid rollercoaster photos and instead wandered into K-Mart and took a flier on a blaster of Baseball Heroes. All in all, it's a fairly uninspiring, harmless set. There were a couple goodies, though, so I'll share the best two packs out the nine I ripped.

Pack 1

11 Jeff Francoeur - Frenchy hit a pair of home runs on 4/12/08. His season went downhill from there.

65 Justin Verlander - Last year: a no-hitter. This year: crushing disappointment.

132 Daric Barton RC - Yeah, just making your ML debut does not a hero make. At least he reached base four times that day.

12 Josh Hamilton Green 019/499 - That's a purty color. Josh was pretty much single-handedly responsible for an April Fools' win over Seattle in 2008.

183 Steve Carlton/Johan Santana Black - a Phillie and a Met? FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT


Pack 2

49 Aaron Harang - In 2006, he led the NL in wins and K's. Now, he's had his arm ruined by Dusty Baker. Join the party!

197 Yogi Berra/Reggie Jackson/Joe DiMaggio/Derek Jeter - It would've made more sense to list them chronologically, putting Joe D. at the beginning. But what do I know?

56 Matt Holliday - 2007 was a helluva year for Matt, with his NL-leading 216 hits and 137 RBI. Now he can be yours, if the price be right.

YSL731 Joe McCarthy Yankee Stadium Legacy - In Game #731 (06/05/1932), the Yankees clobbered the Red Sox 12-1. George Pipgras got the win. That's THE George Pipgras, of course.

18 Frank Robinson Black - This was the pull of the blaster for me, since there were no relics to be found. You can't go wrong with the catalyst for the Birds' first World Series Championship!

2003 Upper Deck Victory

Here's a pair of packs that I received in a trade from John in the U.K. Victory was essentially Upper Deck's attempt to pander to the Magic: the Gathering crowd. Each base card has a batting outcome on the back. If you're wondering how successful they were, ask yourself where the 2008 Upper Deck Victory packs are being sold. Yeeeaaahhh.

Pack 1

61 Nick Johnson (Sacrifice Fly) - Or as I now call him, Poor Unfortunate Nick Johnson.

19 Nomar Garciaparra (Single) - It seems like ages ago that he was The Guy in Boston.

98 Josh Phelps (Walk) - Hit .309 with 15 homers in 2002. What happened?

49 Vladimir Guerrero (Single) - I can't believe he's been in MLB for 13 years already.

194 Vladimir Guerrero Difference Makers - A 1:20 packs foil insert. No foil on the front, which is odd. So here's the back.

59 Bernie Williams (Walk) - I think this is a parallel. It's got a green border.

Rules card

Pack 2

75 Sean Burroughs (Single) - He was no Jeff Burroughs, it would seem.

12 Gary Sheffield (Ground Out) - As a Brave. Weird.

14 Geronimo Gil (Pop Out) - Ha! Of course the Oriole would be a weak out. If you ever saw "Chief" play, it's pretty spot-on.

63 Eric Chavez (Single) - He's been on the decline for a few years, due in part to a balky back.

156 Jason Giambi Laying It On the Line - This one's got 1:5 odds. Jason looks like he smelled something, possibly his own lucky thong. I'll spare you the picture.

33 Larry Walker (Triple) - An orange border this time. I do not get these parallels.

Rules Card - I should point out that these do not count as one of the allotted cards per pack.

These cards have a pretty decent design, though the black borders show every scuff and ding, especially on the back. The game's simple enough that it might even be fun to play if you were bored. I should mix them in with the dozen or so 1996 Collector's Choice You Make the Play cards I already have and go nuts.

...Maybe later.