2014 Topps S1 – Packs 3 and 4

Posted by cardboard hogs on February 9, 2014

Ok, here are some of the highlights from packs 3 and 4. Nothing overly exciting or notable so this is mostly a post about what I got rather than “HOLY CRAP!! LOOK AT WHAT I GOT!”

In the previous post I pulled two Jean Segura Inserts and whattayaknow, in the third pack, I pulled another! How many The Future is Now cards does this kid have? Oh yeah, in the fourth pack I got the Future Stars version of Mr. Segura. Here is a side by side comparison of the base bandit with eye black and without eye black. Run Jean Run!

The next couple of pairings come with mixed feelings.

I love Jeet and think this could be the last season we see him in a major league uniform. I guess it’s going to depend on how he can recover and produce in the revamped Yankee lineup. It’s going to be a whole different world without #2 at short…here’s hoping he has a great season and we get to see him pick it for another year or two…or three. It will make his gift baskets so much more valuable, especially his balls that he gives to the ladies. His scan partner is A-Rod. I’m really glad he won’t be on the field this season. I’ve mentioned many times in the past that I can’t stand the kid and hope he never rocks the pinstripes again. Such a self-absorbed, neon orange chump.

These guys are the future for the Yankees rivals. Bogaerts and Machado are going to be great players for so many years…oh…so…many…years. Those Machado ears though. Kinda with Xander was a Yankee…that’s my problem with the Yankees organization, they just don’t ever seem to develop major league talent. They have tons of guys that have the potential, but it never works out for them. Xander picked up some great experience in the World Series last year…good for him…

Up here in Portland as in many other cities throughout our beautiful country. Beards have taken over. Along with beards, you have facial hair of many types, like curly mustaches. I’ve never been a fan of facial hair and do my best to keep my face clear of facial hair other than the times I’m too lazy to shave. One thing I would never do though, is sculpt my facial pubes in the same manner as Mr. New House. It’s just way too much time sculpting and crafting in front of the mirror. We have lots of guys with handlebar staches in this great town I live in and they are the only guys I will order an old fashioned from. They are the ones who know how to make them properly. Not with all that muddled fruit crap. Just whiskey, bitters, sugar cube an orange slice and cherry. Any bartender that muddles the fruit and turns your drink into a pink liquor concoction should not be trusted…and will more than likely not have a handlebar mustache.

Here is the hits part of our program.

First up. Elvis Andrus. A great glove and a mediocre bat. So here is a bat card with a picture of him throwing a ball. Nice photo/object coordination.

Next. Matty Alou. One of the 83 Alou’s (actually, I think it’s just 4) that have played Major League Baseball. It’s a buyback, which means now that it is stamped nobody will buy it back. At least Topps went smaller with their foil stamp logo.

I miss the Captain…a rare post.

Posted by cardboard hogs on May 1, 2013

I really miss watching Jeter play short for the New York Yankees.

I know the guy is nearing the end of his career and the severity of his injuries has increased the past few seasons, but it’s always nice knowing the captain is in the lineup and there at shortstop. I’ve been lucky enough to see him play the last few years in Seattle, but will miss him this year since he will still be on his DL stint when we make our trek up to Seattle in June. This will be our son’s first baseball game and living in Portland, will probably be his only game for the season. So here’s hoping Jeter can come back and play well for many more years.

The team has been playing pretty well without him, Teixeira, A-Rod and Granderson, but I’m not sure if the Yankees have the staying power to keep pace with the other teams in the AL East. Boston is having a great season, are healthy and don’t have to deal with the Bobby Valentine circus. Baltimore is young, playing well and managed as well as any team in baseball. Toronto has a ton of talent and i’m sure they will get it turned around in plenty of time to compete for the division title…and Tampa is always lurking around with their deep farm system and endless amounts of young talent. At this point, i think it’s inevitable that the numbers being put up by Hafner, Wells and Overbay will level out and begin to pull the Yankees back to the rest of the pack a bit…I may very well be wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time tonight that i’ve been wrong.

Getting back to Jeter, I know he is one of those guys you love or hate and may be overrated due to his days with the pinstripes…but his passion for winning and dedication to the Yankees and the game of baseball is something i’ve always appreciated. Yeah he doesn’t have great range at short and his arm isn’t the strongest, but he always seems to make the big play with the bat or glove. Jeter is one of those guys you want your kid to emulate when they play baseball. Bryce Harper is another one of those guys. I have always loved the hustle guys (maybe Rickey wasn’t always about the hustle…). It’s the way i played baseball, when i played, way back when i was younger and in shape.

I know the cards i’ve posted aren’t the most exciting Jeter cards out there, but I like them…and i haven’t had too many posts dedicated to Derek Jeter. I always manage to pick up a few Jeters’ at the shows in the nickel and dollar boxes, coming home with 12-15 each time. He’s one of those guys that you can’t ever get enough cards of…plus he has a gillion of them.

We have another show this Saturday and i’m sure I will be adding a few more Jeters to the collection…and I might just post a few of them.

Sorry for the choppy thoughts, been busy at work and up all night with the kid, but I Hope you enjoyed the Jeter post!

2013 Topps – Packs 9 and 10

Posted by cardboard hogs on February 19, 2013

DONE!

I have finished opening 10 jumbo packs and am quite proud of myself. The last two packs turned out to be pretty action packed as well as thick card packed. There was a post over at Basketball Card Blog about the girth-iness of the Topps Cy Young card. I was hoping I would pull one of my own and when i got to the 10th pack i noticed what looked like 10 cards glued together. This reminded me of the time when i opened up an old shoebox of cards from the 90’s that had stuck together to form an un-bendable stack of good ole’ junk wax. My heart broke as i ended up tossing most of these cards as they were damaged, that will teach you to put your 90’s glossy cards in some polypropylene sleeves for that long lasting protection.

On to the cardboard.

First card of note is The Big Hurt. I absolutely LOVED this guy in the 90’s. I remember going to my local flea market and buying 9 of his Score and Topps Rookie cards thinking i was investing in something really great. Like most kids around this time, I was planning my investment strategies when these cards hit the $1,000 mark. They sell for a few dollars now. Frank Thomas was an unbelievable hitter. Great command of the strike zone. Herculean power and a fierce competitor. One of my cousins from Phoenix City, Alabama tells me he went to school with Frank Thomas…i guess it’s believable since Thomas went to school in Columbus, Georgia just across the state line. That anecdote had no other purpose than to be a topper, sorry. These Chasing History cards are OK, not great, not terrible…just OK. Topps has really gone out of their way to put retired players on cards the last 8+ years. I think it’s a great theme to carry on, but maybe pump the brakes a little on this one.

Next up is Reggie Jackson and his super Abs. This card is from his Athletics days. Just look at those glasses and sweet ass afro busting out the bottom of his ear flapless helmet. I couldn’t imagine players using ear flapless helmets these days…someone would be killed by an erratic fastball and claim some unwritten rule in doing so. Still love these The Great cards, this one goes along with the Mo i pulled earlier.

This is my second Bryce Harper card from the box. I got the base card #1 and this one. These Chasing the Dream cards are kind of nice. I would really like them if the name was easier to read on the left side…maybe that’s just due to my old, tired eyes. Harper is going to be a great player and I really love the way he plays the game. I want my son to go all out like he does. Unfortunately, his temper gets in his way at times, Bryce Harper that is. I think it’s going to get the best of him as he gets older and becomes a veteran and more comfortable pushing back. Hope he doesn’t let it come to that though. Topps absolutely loves this kid and it’s almost as if Mike Trout doesn’t matter that much…kind of crazy that the stat guys love Trout so much but his love is overshadowed fairly significantly by Harper, at least from what i’ve seen.

Ok. Here is my thick ass card. It’s Alex Rodriguez. Look at it. That pompous smirk and his magnetic wrist band to increase blood flow to his wrists or from his wrists, i have no idea how those things work or if they work…snob.

If you knew me, you would know that I do not like A-Rod at all. I think he is the worst of the selfish/narcissist modern athlete. I really wish he didn’t play for the Yankees. Anyone else but the Yankees. I understand that a lot of athletes have personal issues and many are far worse than A-Rod, but something about him just kills me. He is a false image of a great baseball player and overwhelmed with his own image that he diligently created. I wonder if he just took less money and stayed in Seattle if i would feel this way?

Ironically, my last two packs contained these two minis. Maybe it wasn’t irony but rather the cardboard gods (my apologies to the card atheists…) balancing things in a very confusing world.

One great humanitarian for the game that would drop everything to help people in need. The other a self serving and self absorbed popcorn fed, orange spray tanning sucka! Now, don’t get me wrong, A-Rod is/was a great talent. Even with the PED rumors, i think he is one of the all time great players…it’s his attitude and entitlement that tugs at my short hairs.