Road Trip Packs III – The end of the Trilogy.

Posted by cardboard hogs on June 4, 2013

The second day of driving was great, we finally got out of Texas. Anyone that has had to drive from one end of Texas to another knows that this takes a total commitment in patience and perserverance…long stretches of nothingness and not a whole lot of beauty along the way unless you like the color brown.

Our second stop was Montrose, Colorado which didn’t have a Wal Mart or Target close by and frankly I was really exhausted from the day of driving…so I didn’t pick anything up that night. Our third day of driving took us through the remainder of Colorado, Utah and we stopped in Twin Falls, Idaho. I’ve never been to Utah or Idaho and would definitely love to go back for a visit sometime and see all the beautiful rock formations and landscapes…that will be a road trip for the future and a great way to have some family time during the summer. By the way, if anyone has stayed in Twin Falls, Idaho I would love to know more about the town. It seemed like a really great place as we sort of passed through. The gorge with the waterfalls was quite amazing…and the golf courses looked like they would be great to play.

Enough about non card things. After we checked in I located the nearest Wal Mart and strolled in around 11:30 and picked up a couple more packs of Topps Archives Football and some Archives Baseball.

Archives is doing some tall boys for the baseball version and this guy is becoming a very very special player. Not the best photo ever of him, but the card design is cool and classic. Glad to see Miggy get his career and hopefully his life straight after the DUI a couple of years ago…always room for redemption.

Pablo is way too big, like scary big. When his career winds down, he’s going to have some serious health issues with his ballooning weight. Look at that guy busting the bottom button loose…and that face! Obesity in America is a serious thing and seriously needs to be addressed. I hope the Giants are hooking this kid up with a nutritionist and a 24 hour personal trainer. That much weight is bad for the joints and not to mention his heart. Let’s get fit America!

The Griff card is pretty amazing. Look into those youthful eyes. So much hope and promise in that young face. Griffey was never one of my favorite players, but I always loved the way he played. Now living in the Northwest, his importance to the game and the way he played is magnified, especially with the constant PED issues the MLB has had the past several years. I LOVE THIS CARD.

I also LOVE THIS CARD. I would have been happy with the die cut…but now i get a transparent “stained glass” card! I guess these cards were issued at a time when I wasn’t collecting so therefore I have no recollection of them…but they are awesome. Love that Topps has included them in the set this year.

Now for the Football version of Archives. The first card out of the pack was this Adrian Peterson in the 1985 Topps version. I’ve said many times here that this is one of my all time favorite sets, along with the 1986 Topps baseball…it’s probably the black border thing and the superfonts. AP came back nicely from his ACL tear, here’s hoping RG3 can do the same…or better! – HTTR!

I also pulled this Arian Foster. Loved that two of the prominent running backs were in the ’85 Topps version.

There was also this nice looking Gronk mini card. Wonder if he still hangs out with BiBi?

Last up. This little gem. A Cornelius Bennett auto. The autograph is pretty sweet and you can never go wrong with an autograph from a great NFL Linebacker that played in 4 Super Bowls.

2013 Topps – Packs 7 and 8

Posted by cardboard hogs on February 19, 2013

I’m getting close to the bottom of this jumbo box. As usual, it’s taken thrice as long as i had expected, but i can finally see the end in sight. I’ve been a little lackadaisical in putting these things in their respective binder slots, but that will come in due time. I’d like to get these cards organized so I can stay on top of completing the set during the baseball season…rather than waiting until the ~~Super Bowl~~ Big Game to wrap it up. (sorry NFL, didn’t mean to infringe on your copyright restrictions)

Let’s get started on the 4th row of packs.

The first card just might be my favorite card of the year. At the very least it’s a front runner. Gotta love the looks on these drunken fools faces. Some have the look of panic like the blondie on the left and her overly tanned mom on the right. Although their fear may be due to the double barrel gun show reaching out from the card’s left border and Hawaiian shirt from the right. What about the guy, or girl…not really sure…with the black wife beater. I will call him/her Pat. Sorry if you are reading this blog. I mean no harm, just unsure and i don’t want to assume anything here, but I do love the joy on your face dear sir, or madam. Hey, what about that Pirates fan, he’s pretty stoked isn’t he? If Mr. Raburn could see the grief/joy he was about to bring to these fans he would think twice about catching the ball. My favorite though is the dude above the the glove in the stoner glasses. I really need to get outfield tickets this season and make some sweet ass faces for the cameraman. Anyway you call it, this card is awesome.

Don’t have much to say about the next two cards other than one guy had a great career and the other probably will. The Past and the Present. Manny looks like he’s going to be a super star for many years. My man Jeet is nearing the end of his career and i’m not sure he will get another ring, but he will always be a legend. Collecting his cards is one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life…there are exacting 50million cards and counting. I’ve decided to only buy the ones that i think look really cool. There are just too many to pick up.

Putting this Verlander card in because he got down with Kate Upton…allegedly…and that’s good enough for my book. It’s Kate Upton people, Kate Upton.

Didn’t Topps have enough of the sparkle cards last season? Didn’t we all hate them because simple sun flashes looked like SP starburst cards? Are they back? What the HELL is going on HERE!!!

This is what the Jayson Werth card should have looked like. How could they not have put Werth’s walkoff in game 4 on a card…unless i’ve missed it. Morse wasn’t too happy with the Nats offseason and he is now in Seattle. A place that has become baseball purgatory for a lot of player in recent years. They do appear to be building something nice through multiple trades and good drafting. There is a lot of young talent and Felix Hernandez is pretty nice with his.

You can never, ever, ever go wrong with a shiny Willie Mays, now can you. I am pretty fond of this card, although when i was scanning it I noticed it didn’t fit within the 2.5×3.5 box. It was slightly bigger, what does that mean? Was Willie Mays on some delayed growth hormones that have miraculously affected his glossy cards? Sorry, that was weak. Mays is one of those guys that i wish i could have seen play in his prime…if only one game. He was a true legend of the game and a phenomenal talent. I would love to have the cash to collect his vintage cards, maybe one day when architects are paid what I think we are worth.