2014 Guardians of the Galaxy Trading Cards

Found this random pack of the 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy movie trading cards.  It was a nice little find at the local Dollar Tree sitting all by itself with the other trading cards.  With the sequel out it seems like a good time to look at them.  They are cards with a simple design.  Screen shots from the movie accompany the movie logo.  While simple it works for me.

The backs are colorful with a short write-up explaining the front and the front photo is shown again in smaller scale.

Apart from the base cards I also pulled a Concept Series card as well as a Behind The Lens card.  Nice cards if not overly exciting.  I did enjoy the movie and these cards were a nice find considering the sequel was about to be released.  Probably won't seek out more of these but that isn't due to the cards themselves which are a very nice. 

2016 Topps Update Baseball Cards

Saw other bloggers look at the 2016 Topps Update baseball cards and I liked the All-Star Game cards I saw so I wanted to try a pack.  The 2016 base cards were a favorite of mine so how could this go wrong.  Well it didn't. I really liked the cards and it was highlighted not by an All-Star card but by the Brandon Moss card showing him rounding third base with the stadium and video board prominently displayed in the background.  Great photo and card.  I enjoyed the rest of the cards as well and pulled a Matt Kemp card showing him in his Braves uniform.  The All-Star Game cards were fun as well.  The first pitch cards are always fun as well.  It was a fun break and would enjoy grabbing more if I have the opportunity. 

 

2017 Topps Gypsy Queen Baseball Cards

Grabbed some of the 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen baseball cards some time back.  I always enjoy the throwback look when action photos are part of the deal.  The design this year is another good one.

  I liked my pull grabbing a few Red Sox (Ortiz, Sale), Alex Gordon and Lou Gehrig.   I've really liked the Gehrig cards I've pulled in the past and again this one is a hit with me.     

The green parallel doesn't do anything for me as it isn't a good look for these cards in my opinion.  The hand drawn art reproduction didn't do much for me to begin with but is growing on me.  Not a Mets fan so I'm thinking that is the reason it didn't initially appeal to me.  The Fortune Teller  card is a non starter for me.  I don't like odd shaped cards, or minis, so those are cards I would rather they put the time and effort into making as regular size cards.  Overall nice cards and I'll pick more up in the future.   

Hawks fall to Wizards in the First Round

The Atlanta Hawks were eliminated in six games by the Washington Wizards in the first round of the NBA playoffs.  This wasn’t a surprise.  The Wizards are clearly a better team and John Wall has elevated himself into the discussion of “best point guard in the NBA”.  Still it was good to see Dennis Schroder step up with a huge series averaging 24.7 pts and 7.7 assists.  Paul Millsap also had a big series putting up 24.3 ppg , 9.3 rpg and 4.3 assists per game.  After that though there just wasn’t enough help.  Taurean Prince had a small coming out party.  With the need for wing scoring on this team he would be a great help moving forward if he can continue to develop.  Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kent Bazemore didn’t shoot well and Dwight Howard wasn’t a factor. 

I’ve said it before.  This team doesn’t have a real identity nor does it have that go to guy.  This was Schroder’s first time putting up big points consistently and Millsap is normally an 18 PPG guy.  Millsap is also a free agent after this year (he won’t pick up his player option).  Atlanta rolled the dice by not trading him during the season.  Even keeping him has its issues as a max or near max contract would not allow the Hawks to make other changes that may be necessary to actually get better.  I do like Schroder but there just isn’t that much else on this team unless a few players take some big leaps forward.  To be honest this run the Hawks have had, 10 straight playoff performances, is probably over.  We’ll see how the offseason plays out but it feels like they’ll be fighting just to get an eight seed next year.

Trail Blazers Swept by Warriors

The Portland Trail Blazers were swept by the Golden State Warrior 4-0 in the first round.  After sprinting to an eighth seed in the Western Conference at the end of the season this was to be expected.  Golden State is loaded with more weapons than is fair.   As a team they shot 40% from three and are good on the defensive end of the court making every opponent work for all 48 minutes.  Portland had no answers shooting only 39% overall and 32% from three.  While both C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard both had a good series (though their shooting was off) they are still a two man team.  Jusuf Nurkic was a good addition to the team but he was hurt and only available for 17 minutes in the series.  Not that he would have made a difference.  The Trail Blazers were an eight seed for a reason. 

Last offseason big contracts were handed out with the expectation of players taking their play to the next level.  That didn’t happen in the case of Allen Crabbe or Evan Turner whom they traded for.  They make $19M and $17M respectively which is way too much for a combined 19.7 points per game.   This team has two stars and some nice pieces but they need more from their front court.  Nurkic should be a solid piece moving forward but they need to get more dynamic elsewhere.  They aren’t good enough to compete with the better teams in the Western Conference.  Their first priority will probably be getting under the luxury tax threshold which doesn’t necessarily align with the team getting better.  They bet some of these young players would be better this year and lost.