2023 Rookie and Stars Football

2023 Rookies & Stars:  Day two of the NFL draft is today so some Rookies & Stars feels appropriate.  Maxx Crosby is one of the best linemen in the league.  Raiders need a QB so I'm curious if they can get one this week.

Overall I kind of like these.  Wish there was a bit more color where we see that gray.  Just feels like they could have done something different.  Still, it feels like a Rookie & Stars design.

Great rookie pull!  Nuff said.

Some nice color on that Rookie Rush insert.  I really like the Crusade inserts as well.  No complaints with Draft Class.  Seeing players on draft night is fun.

I really like the Man in Motion inserts.  Great photo and the background works.  Jamaal Williams didn't have a great season but he looks good here.

One of my two Green Parallels.  The backs are not great but there is some color. Need some stats though.  Nice A-ARon appearance.

These were fun but at $13 a pack I don't know if I'll grab more.  I'll never say never but I'm not sure why they are so much.  I'll finish it off with some defensive studs and three-time world champion Patrick Mahomes.  Everyone's hoping to draft the next Mahomes in this draft, right?

BREAKDOWN:
40 – Total Cards
16 – RC
2 - Crusade
2 – Green Parallel
2 – Man in Motion
1 – Draft Class
1 – Rookie Rush

2023 Illusions Football Blaster

2023 Illusions: It's draft day!  Hopes and dreams start tonight for players, teams and fans alike.  We'll kick it off with Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy.  Purdy has only started 27 games total including playoffs and he's already been to two NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl.

Some receiving greatness from the league here.  Traditionally I like Illusions.  This year's design is pretty good.  I wish the background photo was different than the photo in the forefront.  That Travis Kelce is a Dots Trophy Parallel.  Not sure what the "Trophy" part of those parallels refers to but Trophy is theme throughout some of the parallels in this set.

Rookies including an Emerald Trophy Parallel of Zay Flowers.  These cards look a lot different in hand.  I don't see many Illusions cards posted or written about.  Doesn't seem that popular so I'm a bit surprised I still see new sets each year.

The backs are somewhat boring, but the write-ups are fair.  One hundred base cards in this set so base team sets are only 3-4 cards.

Inserts including acetate designs in Mystique and Funkadelic.  I like the Funkadelic even without much color.  I'm good with the Amazing inserts as well.

One relic in the box and mine was a Great Expectations insert.  Dell had a solid rookie season teaming up with CJ Stroud.

Not sure I'll pick up more of these.  They are fine but not as excited about these as I once was.  Great C.J. Stroud acetate insert.  Pulled three of the top QBs from last year's draft in this blaster.  Hope everyone is happy with their team's draft!

BREAKDOWN:
36 – Total Cards
18 – RC
3 – Emerald Trophy Parallel
1 – Amazing
1 - Mystique
1 - Funkadelic
1 – Illusionists
1 – Dots Trophy Parallel
1 – Great Expectations Relic

Random Wax: 2021 Contenders Football

2021 Contenders:  The draft is this week and hopes and dreams will start for many players and teams.  Patrick Mahomes is a great example of how teams can change the trajectory of their franchise with the right pick.  I was a fan of his from the get-go as he's a Texas Tech alum, but I had zero thoughts that Mahomes be the dominant QB we see today.

There were 22 cards in this pack I picked up in June of 2022 and wow did it deliver.  The first four cards I'm showing off probably gave us the best four quarterbacks in the league at the time.

I'm a Contenders guy so I know I've shown off plenty of these.  Myles Garrett is so dominant it's crazy.  Probably the best defensive lineman in the league with the retirement of Aaron Donald.

Not a big fan of Chain Movers but no complaints about a Mike Evans pull.  Jalen Hurts on the MVP Contenders insert.  I like the looks of those.  Winning Ticket is a bit gaudy but I'm okay with it.

Great receivers in the league.  Adams is now with the Raiders while Stefon Diggs is now in Houston via a trade.  I really thought Buffalo got fleeced.  The best pick they received, a second-round pick, is a 2025 pick.  They couldn't get a current year draft pick?  They need receivers and at this point they need picks to get them.  So frustrating.

April 3, 2024: Traded by Bills with a 2025 5th round pick and a 2025 6th round pick to Texans for a 2025 2nd round pick

These Playoff Ticket inserts are fun cards.  I wish we had more of these each year allowing us to relive the playoffs.

Mr. Swifty himself also makes an appearance for the Super Bowl Champions.  Kittle s one of the other great tight ends in the league and played in the Super Bowl as well last year.  Fun pack of cards and it's hard to argue about how good this pull is.

BREAKDOWN:

22 – Total Cards

1 – Chain Movers

1 – Playoff Ticket

1 – MVP Contenders

1 – Emerald Parallel Winning Ticket

Random Wax: 2020-2021 Chronicles Basketball

20-21 Chronicles Basketball:  The real basketball playoffs start today.  AD and the Lakers are in the packed Western Conference but you can't count them out from making some noise.  Not sure they can get past the second round but weirder things have happened.

Only 15 cards in this pack including these base Chronicles designs.  I picked this pack up in January, 2022 but both Mike Conley and Kemba Walker looked at a lot differently two to three years ago compared to today.  But to be fair, Conley is still the starting point guard for one of the best teams in the West (Minnesota).

Chronicles keys in on youngsters.  Nesmith average 12 points per game for Indiana while Williams is a solid role player for the Bulls.  

Tyrese Maxey and Tyrese Haliburton are the big hits here.  Both were all-stars this season and are leaders on their teams.  Haliburton is now a Pacer as part of the Sabonis trade.

Memphis did not make the playoffs with Ja Morant hurt as well as other injuries the team had to deal with.

BREAKDOWN:

15 – Total Cards

10 – RC

2 – Score

2 – Marquee

2 – Chronicles

2 – Luminance

1 – Panini

1 – Prestige

1 – Donruss

1 – Playbook

1 – Rated Rookie

1 – Panini Threads

1 – Bronze Parallel

 

Random Wax: 2023 Topps Baseball Blaster

2023 Topps:  Jose Ramirez is an excellent hitter that seems to fly under the radar in Cleveland.  He's a 5X All-Star and 4X Silver Slugger.  He was also top six in MVP voting five times.

I do like this set and this box was full of good cards.  The photo on the Albert Pujols card is great.  2023 was his last season so this was very appropriate.

Brandon Marsh had a really good 2023 and is looking to build on that this season. Downs has already been traded and waived twice in his young career.  Michael Massey had a decent 2023 but is starting off 2024 injured.

These are solid League Leader cards.  Maybe they could have gotten their actual numbers on the fronts as well but overall no complaints.

These Stars of MLB are popular of late, and that Freddie Freeman is a Chrome version.

Checklist card with some fun photography.

Some fun photos here.  This was a random blaster I found on the shelf two weeks ago.  It was pretty beat up but I took a chance on it.  The cards were fine and I'm glad I grabbed it.

The backs of one of my League Leaders.  It hits the mark for me.  I always enjoy looking back at these years down the road.

These hurlers all had really good 2022 seasons for their teams.  Robbie Ray (Giants) and Dylan Cease (Padres) are no longer with the teams on these cards while McClanahan is having to undergo Tommy John surgery.

The 1988 Topps Baseball inserts are fun.  Not a set I love but I do like it I think?  I go back and forth.  I like the Welcome to the Club insert and I'd probably done that Home Run Challenge with Vlad Jr. if it was a 2024 card.

The back of the Boston Red Sox team card.  Not having the numbers for the each of the team leaders is so weird.  Why tell me Xander led the team in homers but not tell me how many?  Fail.

I like these Team Logo Commemorative Patch inserts that come in the blasters.  Just a cool look to me.

Fun box.  Good pull and nice cards.

BREAKDOWN:
99 – Total Cards
12 – RC
7 – Stars of MLB
4 – Future Stars
4 – League Leaders
2 – Checklist
2 – Team Cards
1 – Rainbow Foil
1 – Royal Blue Parallel
1 – 1988 Topps Baseball 
1 – Home Run Challenge
1 – Chrome Stars of MLB 
1 – Welcome to the Club
1 – Team Logo Commemorative Patch

Random Wax: 2021-2022 Chronicles Basketball Blaster

21-22 Chronicles:  The play-in tournament, which I really don't like, starts today.  Atlanta will play in Chicago.  The Hawks aren't good but maybe they can beat the Bulls.  Fingers crossed, but I'm not putting money on it.

Great veteran pull in this box.  Tatum and the Celtics are by far the class of the Eastern Conference while Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic are in the top three of the Western Conference.  Chronicles base design here.

Chronicles is really all about the rookies.  Cam Thomas and Jalen Green are really good players in the league.  Cam is averaging 22+ points per game this season.

Plenty of variety as well in this set.  I like this Playbook design.  Cade is another star that came out of this draft.  Just needs to stay healthy.

Big man Alperen Sengun has had a breakout season with the Rockets averaging 21 points per game and almost 10 rebounds per game.

Nice LeBron sighting on this Marquee card which is a design I like.

Davion Mitchell and Scottie Barnes are solid players in the league and I like that Elite design.

More greats from the league.  Absolute is another solid design for me.  Really enjoyed this box of cards.  Great pull and you don't get bored.

BREAKDOWN:
42 – Total Cards
29 – RC
6 - Absolute
6 – Chronicles
5 – Essentials
4 – Playbook
4 - Luminance
4 – Pink Parallel
4 – Rookies & Stars
3 – XR
3 - Prestige
3 – Marquee
2 – Panini Threads
1 – Crusade