2014 Topps S1 – Packs 5 and 6

Posted by cardboard hogs on February 10, 2014

I’m now 6 packs deep and haven’t pulled a big hit…but I’m going to show you what i’ve got anyways. Because I know you all love to see some scans of base cards and stuff.

Donny Baseball was one of my favorite players growing up, not Rickey Henderson favorite, but way ahead of whomever was third at the time…maybe Nolan Ryan or George Brett? Mattingly was always an elusive pull or me. I never got his card in the packs I bought during the 1985 and 1986 seasons. I got a whole bunch of 1987 Topps though…damn that set was so overproduced. I think I had about 4 complete sets that year due to everyone in my family buying me boxes from Sam’s. Mattingly seemed destined for the Hall of Fame and put up phenomenal numbers especially with a healthy Rickey Henderson hitting in front of him. Seeing this young skinny photo of Donny baseball brings back some great memories of being a young collector. I appreciate Topps pulling old stock photos of baseballs legends and the players that were really good. It keeps the older kids connected and provides a great lesson for the kids that are starting to collect.

Topps has also provided the kids with a look at their previous card designs, which is also a very good thing in my mind. Although, i’m not sure if copying the late 80’s and early 90’s is the way to go. Best to make up for it by making these babies die cut.

Here are some Power Player cards that have powerful players on them. Yadi would like to salute you and Giancarlo is getting a Marlin cortisone shot to the knee…sorry…I couldn’t think of anything else to add to these cards. It’s a parallel that could have been more parallel-y in my mind. I guess changing the border color has been done a million times. Maybe if they edited out the backgrounds…I don’t know, crap. I actually didn’t notice these were Power Player cards at first pass. My oversight was corrected when I realized that these ‘base’ cards should not have been in the middle of the pack. I’m sleuthy!

Love the Mo cards. Love the bottom one the most though. Such a great baseball moment.

The next two cards are last because they deserve to be last.

Although the back of Melky’s card doesn’t suggest anything about PED as Night Owl had suggested it should. I find it telling that Topps decided to quote A-Rod with the very insightful “He’s a big, big, big-time player.” That’s three bigs. I would have gone with he’s a big, bigger, biggest time player but that wouldn’t make much sense either. Don’t do drugs kids, especially if they are to be inserted with needles.

Lastly. This guy. The finger pointer. Topps was smart enough to not drop any photos of him with eye black. I’m finding it difficult to justify writing what I feel about his homophobic eye black last year. He seemed to play it off as ignorance and something that wasn’t a big deal.

But, I’m an adult and I know words can be filled with hate and bad intentions. My dilemma though, is that I’m a die hard Redskins fan. Another term that has been deemed as hateful or oppressive. It’s an unfair position for me to be ok with one derogatory term but not with another. It doesn’t really matter if one is worse, if the words offend someone than it’s an offensive term…besides, what’s with finger pointing at the cameraman? Who does that?

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.