Card Show Pickups (Baseball)

Pitchers and catchers report this week so baseball it is to start the week.  These are pickups from the card show in October.  In my first walk around the room I saw a guy who had 50+ Acuna cards for $2 each.  About the same number of Trouts.  I made a mental note to hit him first after my initial look at all the tables.  Big mistake.  In the maybe 10 minutes between visits to his table someone had grabbed every Acuna and Trout the man had.  Lesson learned...  I still grabbed one Acuna card before I left.  Kind of felt like I just had to at that point.

If I'm grabbing singles of cards they'll be personal collection guys like all these here.  While I like the look at the Glavine in orange card I still shudder at seeing him as a Met.

Ichiro is actually a guy I started collecting really late in his career.  Better late than never for a dude who could hit like nobodies business.  The photos, though different, on the Upper Deck cards are great looks at that iconic preparation he'd do during an at bat.

Well maybe Austin Riley isn't a PC guy yet but I kept an eye out for his cards and came across this one on the cheap.  The big question is can this guy make adjustments to major league pitching. Pitchers made their adjustments in pitching to him and his hitting took a major turn for the worse after a great start to his career last year.

Finally found this 2018 Topps Update SP Chipper and couldn't be happier.  I really like the photo no matter how goofy it may be to some.  Could have easily snagged it online but the price at the show was much better.  The card shows are always great and looking through singles is fun.  Just never seem to have enough time to dig through all the boxes.  I'll show off the basketball and football pickups in future posts.

2009-2010 Upper Deck Basketball Retail Jumbo Pack

2009-2010 Upper Deck Basketball:   This pack was a fun eBay purchase with the hopes of finding some rookies of current greats as well as stars from years past.  You can find the rookies for Steph Curry and James Harden in this set and you couldn't go wrong with either of them.  While those two didn't show up in my pack  I did snag a nice DeMar DeRozan rookie.  He is a personal collection guy which is a good bonus.  I really wish he had been able to be a part of the Raptors Championship team but alas it wasn't to be.  He is having another great year even as he is still one of the only guards in the league who doesn't shoot the three.

The design is pretty nice.  There is tons of space for the photos to shine.  The player info, Upper Deck logo, and team logo are all in foil on the fronts.  I like that we have both the player number and position included on the fronts.  Simple but appealing overall.  The backs have plenty of color and a different photo than the front as well as stats from each year for the player.  Sweet.  There is also a short write-up.  I really like these backs.

  It still hurts wondering just how good Brandon Roy could be if injuries hadn't cut his career short.  Chris Bosh was already a four-time all-star at this point in his career in no short part due to that great hair.  Speaking of hair Dwight Howard was still with Orlando and a beast on the court.  He always had short hair until lately when he kind of went all Chris Bosh with it.

Tracy McGrady's career was just starting to hit the last turn as he'd only play three more seasons.  This was a fun pack and the star power from that year was strong.  One hall of famer and maybe two more who will join him someday.  I like picking up random packs of past seasons and I'll definitely go looking for more from different years.

  

It took me way too long to find out something about this insert mainly due actually being from a 2008-2009 set.  That really was confusing but like most others I enjoy pulling anything Michael Jordan.

BREAKDOWN:

2009-2010 Upper Deck Basketball
18 – Total Cards
2 – Star Rookies
1 – 2008-2009 Michael Jordan Legacy

Mimban Stormtrooper 6 Inch Star Wars The Black Series Figure

Star Wars Black Series:  I've had this guy ready to go for some time and I'm finally getting around to posting him.  The Mimban Stormtrooper is familiar thanks to the movie Solo: A Star Wars Movie.  The figure is pretty cool as we get a really dirty looking stormtrooper who looks like he has been in the thick of things.

I guess my photos should have been taken on a day where it was overcast but I didn't put much thought in to it.

  This stormtroooper comes with a cape.  Wookiepedia will tell you they were waterproof to assist while walking through the swamps of Mimban.  

This figure was a Wal-Mart exclusive but wasn't that hard to find when they came out.  I really don't know why this guy had the same pose in every photo.  Fail on my part.

The figure while not all that different from other stormtroopers is an easy one to take out and not worry about it getting dirty.  Who'd know if he did?

There is your Mimban Stormtrooper.  I won't say he is a favorite of my collection but I can definitely see him ending up in more photos where I don't have to worry about him getting messed up.  I'll probably look at picking up a few more to make a squad or make the photos a bit more interesting.

Kansas City Wins Super Bowl LIV!

Super Bowl LIV was a fun game.  We knew San Francisco had a great defense and they had KC's number for 3 1/2 quarters but the Patrick Mahomes and that offense would not be denied.  And at the same time the KC defense found what it took to slow down the 49ers consistently.  The Chiefs had to feel lucky to be tied at 10 at the half with the way San Francisco's defense seemed to be chasing Mahomes every play.  Given how the third quarter was much of the same and the start of the fourth was a disaster they were darn lucky to only be down 10 with 7 minutes to go.  Still I thought, when it was 3rd and 15, that the 49ers were ripe for victory.  Like many I was wrong but that set up the improbable comeback that was great to watch.

Andy Reid at his Monday morning press conference: "I didn't spend the night with the trophy. I spent it with my trophy wife." 

Kansas City was just too good to be denied.  The San Francisco defense finally seemed to slow down after that big catch by Hill and the Chiefs could do no wrong.  San Francisco deserves all the props they get.  They were a great team this year and looked like the eventual world champions for much of this game.  Rooting for the Chiefs I'm really happy for Texas Tech alum Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and and ex-Buffalo Bill Sammy Watkins.  They had a ton more stories on offense and defense - Damien Williams, Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, that defense, etc, etc...  I'm happy for Chiefs fans who waited exactly 50 years and the franchise who have had many good teams throughout the years but couldn't get back to the big game.  Good NFL season and sad to see it end but it won't be long and we'll be back here doing all over again.

Random Wax: 2019 Playoff Football

2019 Playoff Football:  This year's Playoff set is slowly catching up to Score as my favorite 2019 Football set.  The sleek design and deep retired greats roster do it for me.  I'm rooting for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs today.  With no dog in the fight I do like Mahomes, a Texas Tech alum, and have to root for the Chiefs who haven't won a Super Bowl in 50 years.  And then there is Andy Reid who deserves a championship on his resume.  I'm expecting the game to be close but hoping KC pulls it off.

Again the design is simple but one I like.  I do think the logo could be more prominent but I won't complain.

Today will be tricky as my wife really, really dislikes the Chiefs and the city of KC.  Not exactly sure where those feelings are rooted but it makes for a tricky watch as I try not to be in over the top mode rooting for Kansas City.

It'll be interesting to see if Cleveland can get that team turned around.  I'm not completely sold on Baker Mayfield but the fans of the Browns have suffered for so long.  Good news for them is Big Ben can't play forever.  Bad news is they have many years of LaMar Jackson to look forward to. 

Here are some of those great retired greats we get to see in these packs.  That 49er uni is my favorite in the team's history.  This was a fun pack and great way to start off Super Bowl Sunday.  No matter who wins I just hope for a good game.  

Eric is a top 10 guy for me and love that Ram's uni.  The photo is pretty nice too as we get to see his classic upright running style and you can see his trademark goggles.

BREAKDOWN:

40 – Total Cards
13 – Retired Greats
6 – RC
2 – Green Parallel
1 – Air Command
1 – Thunder & Lightning

Random Wax: 2017 Score Football

2017 Score Football:  2017 Football is fun to bust thanks to the success of Patrick Mahomes.  I didn't snag him in this pack but it was still a great pack.  Score offers up a large checklist and plenty of inserts so there is something for everyone.  That includes this nice Julio Jones Standout Numbers insert that highlights his 300 yard, 12 catch day on 2 October, 2016 against Carolina.  This was the same day Matt Ryan through for over 500 yards yet somehow he didn't rate one of these insert cards.

A couple of retired greats making appearances is always a good thing.  I like that Namath a lot.  I like the Bradshaw photo and almost wish it didn't get the faded treatment but I get what they were going for.  Richard Sherman will of course be patrolling the secondary for the 49ers trying to win his second NFL championship tomorrow.

A couple of hard luck quarterbacks in Alex Smith and Andrew Luck.  Smith really was good but now it's doubtful he'll ever see the field again after his leg was broken last year.  Andrew luck of course decided to hang it up after battling a myriad of injuries during his career in a shocker before the season started.

Rookies play a big part inthis set and getting to see them in their college unis is great.  Leonard Fournette had a bounce back year with his best year as a pro.  Curtis Samuel has continued to get better each year in the league and topped 50 receptions for Carolina this year.  

Eli Manning has retired after what will likely be a Hall of Fame career.  

I like Color Rush inserts...I don't like when the uni color is all white.  What sense does that make?

Fitz is a PC guy for me.  I was so rooting him in the 2008 Super Bowl against Pittsburgh.  Watched the highlights of that game this week and it is still hard to watch but what a run they made.  Made me go "wow" pulling that Ryan Shazier card knowing what he went through after that.  That Steelers Drive Team insert now feels 180 degrees different from what it did just a few years ago.  Great pack and tons of fun.  I forget how much I like these.

BREAKDOWN:

40 – Total Cards
7 – RC
2 – Sack Attack
2 – Retired Greats
2 – Scorecard Parallel
1 - Hype
1 – Color Rush
1 – 2017 NFL Draft
1 – Drive Team
1 - Reflections
1 – No Fly Zone
1 – Signal Callers
1 – Red Parallel
1 – Standout Numbers
1 – Huddle Up
1 – Big Man on Campus

Random Wax: 2019 Contenders Draft Picks Football Blaster with 2 Autos

2019 Contenders Draft Picks Football:  This blaster showed up at a reduced price at Wal-Mart.  Seems pretty fast considering there is older product still sitting there.  These blasters come with two autos so I jumped on it.  The two players I pulled, Joe Jackson and Andrew Wingard, have actually seen time on the field which hasn't always been the case with autos I've pulled in the past in the various Contenders Draft Picks offerings.  You just have to go in knowing the odds of pulling the big autos is extremely low.  Love that Bulldogs uni on Todd Gurley and he is a PC guy for me so we'll start this one off right.

This Contenders design isn't my favorite but think if the player photo had somehow been a bit bigger It would have made a big difference.  The combo of current players, retired greats and rookies in their college unis make these pulls enjoyable.

You'll find a few inserts here as well as parallels.  I like the Legacy inserts.  The Game Day Ticket inserts of rookies has a nice design.  Deebo has to be feeling some nerves right now as he goes up against the Chief in the biggest game of the year and his career.

The small set size means plenty of star power in each pack.  It seemed like this box was light on actual college players who might be drafted this year compared to the first blaster of these I opened.

The hardest part is deciding on which players to showcase.  Tom Brady, alias man crush, is a no brainer but there were plenty of others in this pack that could have made the cut.  I might look for some singles from this set here on out but not sure I'll grab any more blasters.  This was a fun box and find.

BREAKDOWN:

42 – Total Cards

2 – College Ticket Autograph (1 – Draft Ticket Blue Parallel)
1 – Connections
1 – Legacy
1 – Game Day Ticket
1 – Draft Day Ticket
1 – 2019 Draft Class