Random Wax: 2020 Playoff Football

2020 Playoff Football:  This set isn't a favorite of mine but I am a big fan of Joe Thomas.  Dude was a beast on the offensive line.  Really wish he had been able to be on a good Cleveland team but alas that never happened.  He started a remarkable 167 straight games of the 167 games he played and didn't miss a game until his final year in the league.  This 10 time Pro-Bowler should be a first ballot hall of famer when he hits the ballot.

As I've said before there is way too much white and in hand it is even more off putting.

Claypool and Kmet have both been good pickups for their respective team though Claypool has definitely been the better of the two.

These last four guys really helped my pull in this pack.  I know I didn't think the Bucs would be World Champions at the end of the season when I picked up this pack in December.  Fun pack even if the design is a big wonky.

 

BREAKDOWN:

40 – Total Cards

7 – RC

4 – Retired Greats

2 – Green Parallel

1 – Rookie Wave

1 – Behind the Numbers

1 – Goal Line Parallel (Blue)

2015 Topps WWE

2015 Topps WWE:  I love the Topps 2015 design so I picked up a pack of WWE.  Rowdy Roddy Piper was always fun so this was a great pull and great way to start off this pack.  Classic photo and look.

I can't say I really knew anyone else in the pack.  Didn't dampen my enthusiasm for this great design.

Nice write-ups on the back.  

That look on Colin Cassady's face!

This was quick but still very enjoyable.  Happy Friday!

 

 BREAKDOWN:
7 – Total Cards
2 – Retired Greats
1 - NXT
1 – Crowd Chants
1 – Gold Foil #/499

1993-1994 Upper Deck Basketball Special Edition

 1993-1994 Upper Deck Basketball Special Edition: This is one of my favorite Upper Deck basketball releases especially after those first few releases.   The Admiral is a great place to start with this Electric Court insert which is basically a parallel.  A favorite of mine, this guy was so fun to watch.  Great all around player and person.

The design was kind of cool  to me.  The subdued photo on the side, even if it was a duplicate, worked for me.  The black and silver color scheme.  Rodman as a Spur.  Still hard to fathom that one.  He seems so polar opposite of who those teams were with David Robinson and later Tim Duncan at the lead.  They did win 62 and 55 games in his two seasons with the Spurs.

The backs were good with a different photo even if the stats were minimal.  

That Wayman Tisdale is a deadline insert.  Fun pack.  David Robinson made the pack for me but I always enjoy old basketball wax and the memories these players bring out.

BREAKDOWN:
10 – Total Cards
1 – Headline
1 – Duplicate
1 – Electric Court

2020 Donruss NASCAR Race Kings Set

2020 Donruss NASCAR: The Championship race is today for NASCAR. Chase Elliott (reigning champion), Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin are the four drives competing for the 2021 crown.  I'll be rooting for Elliott who is one my favorite drivers in the sport and is very popular with fans as a whole.

I enjoy the "Kings" of all the Donruss sets.  I picked this one up on eBay.  It harkens back to 1987 with that retro Donruss design.  Not a favorite of mine back in the day but I think it works here with the black and tires in the gray border areas.

Kyle Busch is my favorite driver but he just missed the cut in the last round of playoffs.

I like that Richard Petty is included here.  The King is an appropriate inclusion.  

Martin Truex Jr. has had a really good year and should show well on Sunday as he goes for the championship.  He has one championship already under his belt.  

If Elliott doesn't win I hope Hamlin does.  He's been so good for a long time but never been able to score a championship.  Kyle Larson will be the favorite out of the four drivers.  He has been so dominant this year.  If he wins it will be well deserved.  Can't wait for the race today and I'll call my pop and watch the end of the race with him like I do every week.

BREAKDOWN:
15 – Total Cards
3 – Retired Greats

Random Wax: 2021 Topps Baseball Hanger Box

2021 Topps Baseball;  This box I picked up in February is a great way to celebrate after the Braves were crowned 2021 World Champions on Tuesday.  Freddie Freeman may not have been MVP but he meant as much as anyone to this team.  After starting out slow in the NLDS Freeman had a typical great showing in the playoffs.  Love this guy and it is great to see him called "Champion".

It was tough not seeing this guy play in the World Series but if he doesn't get hurt in the regular season and the Braves don't make the moves they did at the trade deadline do things play out differently?

Nice pull in this pack.  Trout and three key members of the Braves?  No complaints from me.

Ian Anderson pitched five shutout innings for the Braves in his one World Series start.

Plenty of young players are always found in these boxes.

Great photo on this Josh Harrison card.

Nice Clemente card.  I don't like the '86 Topps design but somehow it looks better on new cardboard with retired greats.

Hopefully San Diego can live up to expectations next year and be back in the playoffs.  They are a fun young team and I'm a big Tatis Jr. guy though I was late to the bandwagon.

Betts on a World Series card.  Hard not to like that guy even though he is no longer a Red Sox.  Great pack of cards and a great week.  Go Braves!

BREAKDOWN:
67 – Total Cards
9 – RC
4 – 1952 Topps Redux
2 – World Series
2 – Royal Blue Parallel
1 – Team Card
1 – League Leaders
1 – Future Leaders
1 – Rookie Cup/RC
1 – Through the Years
1 - 1986 Topps Baseball 35th Anniversary

Atlanta Braves - WORLD CHAMPIONS!

 

"I can't believe what I just saw!"  I know the Atlanta Braves were good.  The best team the latter part of the season.  But I didn't know.  Or maybe I was too scared to think it.  Still hard to believe Atlanta is the World Champion but the Braves did it.  World Series Champions after beating the Houston Astros six game to two.  Wow this feels good. After watching them struggle much of the year how could you see this coming.  Good on Braves management for going for it at the trade deadline, after Acuna's season ending injury, when it would have been easy to say it isn't worth it.  I was always worried about the pitching even though it really put up good numbers all year.  Solid starting pitching and a really good bullpen that shutdown Houston in some critical games.  It really was a team effort.  I think the bullpen as a group could have been given the MVP.  Just saying.

As a Braves' fan this is special.  It's been so long.  The 1995 Championship was amazing.  That team had been built up for five years and kept falling short.  This team, while winning four straight division titles, it still wouldn't have surprised anyone if they had lost in the playoffs.  The team is full of great stories, fun players and great manager.  I'm really enjoying this and it will take some time to come down from the high.  Now I just need to pick me up some swag...you never know if this will happen again.  www.fanati...

And this guy.  Can't say enough about Freddie Freeman.  He's a special player and means so much to the Braves and to Atlanta.  A guy who suffered through some lean years but was the leader this team needed as it ascended to a perennial contender.  It is so nice to see him hoist the World Series trophy.  He deserves that opportunity.  That can be said about many players but Freddie Freeman truly deserves to be amongst them.  A good player, leader, beloved by Atlanta fans and by all accounts a good person.  Congratulations Freddie Freeman.

2021 Topps Chrome Baseball (2 Packs)

 2021 Chrome Baseball: I'm not a huge fan of Chrome so I've held off on these but they've been on the shelves for quite a while and I gave in.  I did pull this refractor of Dansby Swanson of the Braves.  Maybe it'll give Atlanta some much needed juice after the Astros stole momentum in game five.  Not sure what kind of parallel this is for sure though.  

You get what you get with these.  Many folks really like these cards and I'm good with that.  Just not my thing.  Especially at the price point.

It wasn't until I started writing this post that I saw this photo an noticed the card is different from all the others.  It isn't numbered and I have no idea what it is.  My options amongst non-numbered cards are: Refractor (1:3), Sepia (2 per Blaster), Pink (2 per Blaster), Prism (1:6), and Negative.  No clue which one it is.  Didn't come from a blaster.  Always frustrating when you can't figure out parallels.

Not bad packs overall but no cards that make you go wow.  Well maybe the parallels would if I knew what they were.  A Pache rookies is always a good find especially as a Braves' fan.

I did my good deed for the day by sharing these.  Go Braves!

BREAKDOWN:
8 - Total Cards (2 Packs)
2 - Parallels