Haunted Trail (2021)

Haunted Trail:  This is a random movie I watched this month.  I like horror movies where there is a group of young adults in a situation where things go bad.  This seemed like it was right up my alley.  I liked the start of the movie.  After that it quickly started with trope after trope.  The killer and the decisions made by the group feel very familiar or overly bad.  That isn't always a bad thing, and Haunted Trail is a fairly easy watch. It just won't hit the rewatch list for me.

Portland Trail Blazers 2024-2025 Season Preview

 The Portland Trail Blazers have room for improvement.  Sure, it helps when you only won 21 games the season before, but this team has talent albeit on an unbalanced roster.  I was willing to give Deandre Ayton a chance last year but he's definitely not the answer.  Jerami Grant is good but he signed a big contract when they were going all in with Dame and that didn't work out.  Still not sure who Anfernee Simons is.  Shaedon Sharpe is still young and figuring out who he is too.  Donovan Clingan was the #7 pick in this year's draft but it's too early to know what he brings to the table.  Scoot Henderson is the guy after being picked #3 last year.  He struggled last year but showed some improvement in the second half of the season.  Coach Chauncey Billups has his work cut out for him.  Too many guards and too many centers does not make for a good rotation.  The front office needs to do something to help.  An Ayton trade would be great and Anfernee Simons might be the odd man out in the backcourt, if not now, later.  I do think they win more than 21 games.  Health kept them from playing consistent lineups last season.  If they're healhty this year, it will go a long way determining the team's identity.  A little optimism but I think Scoot really needs to show he's going be the guy.  Doesn't have to be a star this year but he needs to show he can be the point guard of the future for this team commensurate with being a #3 pick.

Scoot

Atlanta Hawks Season Preview

The Atlanta Hawks are not in a great place.  There are little ways for them to better themselves.  They tried switching things up in the off season, moving on from Dejounte Murray in a trade with the Pelicans but the return of Larry Nance Jr, Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, and Cody Zeller aren't game changers nor are the two low 1st round draft picks they also received.  The Hawks traded three of their own 1st for Murray just a few years ago.  Those of course are more valuable.  The Hawks also tried to trade star Trae Young but there were no takers.  I think many don't see Young as a player who takes their team to the next level and the $136M left on his contract as too much to swallow for the player they see him as.  The Hawks have very limited options.  They did get the #1 pick in the 2024 draft but as is their luck, Zaccharie Risacher, isn't seen as a franchise type guy either.  I said it last year.  Unless many of their role players take a major leap in play this team is probably looking at 36 wins again.  Maybe. While Murray didn't work with Young, will De'Andre Hunter or Jalen Johnson take a huge leap to become a great second option for this team.  I just don't see it.  Somebody will get the points Murray left behind, but I don't think they can make up for his quality play.  And bless Trae Young, that man is really good and can fill up a stat sheet.  But he hasn't shown he's a "The Franchise".  Lots of negativity I know but I don't see improvement this season.  Here's hoping I'm wrong.

2023-2024 Haunted Hoops (20 Packs)

23-24 Haunted Hoops:  The NBA kicks off the season tonight and we'll help with some Haunted Hoops.  I enjoy the holiday themed cards and was excited for these.  Steph Curry and Golden State are at a crossroads it feels like as they didn't bring back Klay Thompson and their biggest move was adding Buddy Hield.  Unless some of the Warriors' young talent takes big strides, I don't know how much better they are from their 46-36 record of last season.

I like the design.  The darker backgrounds, Halloween accents and cobwebs are subtle but together it works.  We also get a pumpkin worked into the Hoops logo.  The design is different from 2023-2024 Hoops and they use different photos which is a big plus.

I'm very happy with my rookie pull and it only gets better.  The Rising Stars photos are from the 2023 NBA All-Star weekend Rising Stars games.  I like that.  Wish we had All-Star game cards with actual in game photos.  Scoot also gives us our first Slime Parallel. 

The backs are good.  Lots of color and a nice big logo.  And a little fun with the pumpkin going through the hoop.

Derrick Rose recently announced his retirement it feels appropriate my Holo Candy Parallel would be of him. His first years in the league he was amazing before injuries sapped his magic.  There are no numbered cards in this set but you can find Holo Candy, Holo Webs, Orange and Slime Parallels.  These cards come three to a pack with 40 packs in a "bundle" which is what you'll find in the store.

I could have easily led with Wemby, but he'll make another appearance in a future Haunted Hoops post.  Great way to kick off the season. Knick-Celtics and Timberwolves-Lakers are the two games tonight.   

BREAKDOWN:

60 – Total Cards (20 Packs)

12 – RC

12 – Orange

6 – Slime

4 – Rising Stars

1 – Holo Candy

Random Wax: 2021 Contenders Draft Picks Football

2021 Draft Picks:  Rob Gronkowski had a Hall of Fame but was just as easy to like for the fun he brought to the game on and off the field.  He was a 4 x All-Pro and 4 x Super Bowl winner.

I've really had this pack since November of 2011 and never showed it off.  This pack only had 18 cards but wow, what a pull.  Jefferson and Watt are studs and Hurts, while having a down year is still a top QB in the league.

The Draft Class inserts are nice with the colors matching the unis.  Legendary Contenders inserts are ok but I'm not a big fan of the black and white photos.  Michael Carter's last year in the league was 2023.  And oh, what a difference three years makes for DeShaun Watson on this Game Ticket Purple Parallel. 

I'm a big Todd Gurley fan so he was a fun pull.  Singletary and Ridley are still farily prominent players in the league.  Maybe the best part of these is seeing players in their college unis.  I'm a big fan.

I didn't know Phillip Rivers played at Stanford.  It's fun seeing these cards and thinking of where some of these player's careers have gone.

BREAKDOWN:

18 – Total Cards

1 – Legendary

1 – Draft Class

1 – Game Ticket Purple Parallel

Thanksgiving (2023)

 

Thanksgiving: This one came out last year, but I held off on posting it until now because it's appropriate.  Could have waited until the actual Turkey Day holiday but it's not what it is about.  This one is a just a good old slasher flick centered around the holiday where we normally give thanks. A local tragedy inspires a Thanksgiving Day themed murderer in the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts.  This movie doesn't really break any new ground outside the holiday it's centered around but I think it does a good job keeping you interested.  It has an old school feel to it, it was fun to watch, and I say give it a shot if you are looking for something spooky to watch this season.  I will say I think I knew who the killer was fairly early on.  Not something I'm usually adept at figuring out so that might spoil it for some.  And I might have just been lucky/unlucky.

  

1994 Donruss Baseball

 '94 Donruss: Greg Maddux actually had a losing record in post season play at 11-14 but he still posted a nice 3.27 ERA.  He won one World Series in 1995 as an Atlanta Brave.  He pitched 16 innings winning one game and posting a 2.25 ERA in that series.  He had an overall 2.09 ERA in three World Series for his career.  The rest of his career was alright too, wink wink, and I love hearing Greg Maddux stories.  The man was such a smart pitcher.

Solid players from the era.  I always liked the speedy guys and Lance Johnson fit the bill back then.  An excellent career average of .291 and 300+ stolen bases for him.  I've always been a fan of the 1994 Donruss set and I picked up a few packs off eBay not too long ago.  This is the first of those two.

Not enough stats on these backs but that nice big different photo helps offset that error.

I like that some of the backs go vertical and we get a nice photo of Johnson in the batter's box on this one.

Dave Henderson was no slouch in the playoffs as a member of the Red Sox and A's.  He batted .298 for his career in 36 games with 7 home runs and one World Series title in Oakland.  Tom Glavine was of course MVP of the 1995 World Series and he shows up here on a Special Edition (Gold) card.

BREAKDOWN:
13 – Total Cards
1 – Rated Rookie
1 – Special Edition (Gold)