Random Wax: 2024-2025 Hoops Winter Blaster

24-25 Hoops:  Feels like LaMelo Ball and the Hornets are stuck in mediocracy.  They were very busy after the season ended but I'm not sure how much they'll move the needle.  It'll be interesting to see how they do next season.

Shai and the Thunder are reveling in their championship while the Hawks made some big strides including picking up Kristaps Porzingis this offseason.  LeBron and the Lakers seem stuck in neutral with cap issues leaving them little flexibility.  With this winter offering from Hoops, we get plenty of snow.  That sounds great now that we are in the dog days of summer.

Stephon Castle was the Rookie of the Year after averaging 14/3/4 per game.  Alexandre Sarr and Zach Edey each had good rookie seasons.

These feel a little different, and better, with the snow but they could have done more to make them feel like a greeting card.

The always popular Hoops Tribute cards.  The Dr. J is one of my favorite cards from this set.

Good looking Arriving Now cards.  Kyle Filipowski had a solid rookie year and shows up on this hoops Hopeful Relic.

I love that Jerami Grant photo.  Brook Lopez is on the move taking his talents to the Clippers.

I pulled six Premium Parallels with two of them being Purple Winter Parallels.  Damian Lillard was released by the Bucks shocking the NBA world.  He's injured and not expected to play next season but can sign with any team while still collecting the remaining ~$125M left on his contract.  Crazy.

Edey averaged 9 and 8 in his rookie season for Memphis.

Pascal Siakam and the Pacers were so close to their first NBA championship.  Jackson and Harden both signed big deals with their teams this offseason.

Wemby pulls are always fun.  Even on the perplexing Pure Players inserts.  We also get SkyView and Frequent Flyers inserts.

Great pull in this box.  Plenty of stars, good rookies and personal favorites like Dame and Kawhi.

BREAKDOWN:
90 – Total Cards
18 – RC
6 – Premium Parallels
5 – Hoops Tribute
3 – Skyview
2 – Arriving Now
2 – Rookie Greetings
2 – Purple Winter Parallels
1 – Pure Players
1 – Frequent Flyers
1 – Hoops Hopeful Relic

Random Wax: 2024 Score Football

2024 Score:  As tumultuous as his career was off the field sometimes, Randy Moss was crazy great on the field including eight seasons of 1200+ receiving yards.

I like this set and the helmet on the fronts is a huge reason why.  Great look.

I get that something good probably just happened, but the photo doesn't scream "Celebration" to me.  

Rookies get their time to shine.  I hope Drake Maye continues to progress in New England.  I'd like to see him develop into a top quarterback.  Good start so far.

Hall of Fame cards are always great and appreciated, especially with the Hall of Fame logo on the front.  Random speed League Leaders card.  I'd rather see more classic league leader cards like we see in baseball or something with the classic stats we're used to.

Looks like someone is about to get pile driven into the ground...

Backs from the rookies, retired greats and current players.  I like these backs.  Lots of color. Always want more stats but these are good.

More rookies including another good rookie QB in Bo Nix on that 35th Anniversary Rookie.

This one says celebration to me.

Love retired greats in these sets.  Danny White was 62-30 as a starting quarterback winning 10 or more games four times in his career.  Fun pack of cards.

BREAKDOWN:
30 – Total Cards
10 – RC
8 – Retired Greats
3 – Potential
2 – First Ballot
2 – Celebration
2 – Red Parallel
1 – Sack Attack
1 – League Leaders
1 – 35th Anniversary Rookie

2003 Inkworks Justice League

Inkworks JL:  Still waiting for the sequel to The Batman movie.  Doesn't mean we can't show him some love nonetheless.  Even animated, he looks menacing.

Justice League ran three seasons centering around Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Flash, Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl.  The design is pretty nice even though the side containing the name feels large.  I like it.

I like the art overall from these screen captures.  The first card here stands out to me.

Maybe a Hawkgirl hot pack.  These packs only had seven cards in each.  This is a Friends and Foes card that comes one per pack.

The backs provide us some nice background on each character as well as information specific to the show.  

I do like these.  I've never seen the series but given time and the subscription I'd really like to watch it.  Fun pack of cards.

BREAKDOWN:

7 – Total Cards

1 – Friends and Foes

Random Wax: 2024 Topps Stadium Club

2024 Stadium Club:  Robin Yount not only was a 2X MVP, had 3,185 hits and hit 285 over 20 seasons but he also had strong hair game.

I really like this Evan Longoria photo.  Longoria really had a strong career that spanned 16 seasons.

The Pink Foil Parallels really don't do much for me.  Plenty of good photos in this set which is what we're used to from Stadium Club.

Yamamoto is having another good season for the Dodgers.  Wilyer Abreu Chrome and Red Foil Parallel pulls.  Red parallels I like.  He's also having a really good season in Boston.

Marte is having a great year for the D-Backs.  I really like him.

More retired great which are really fun.  The retired greats in this set really came in team bunches.  Especially in the blasters where you might pull 4-5 retired greats from the same team.  Another fun pack of cards.

TRADING CARDS:
15 – Total Cards
3 – RC
3 – Pink Foil
3 – Retired Greats
1 - Chrome
1 – Red Foil
1 – Special Forces

Random Wax: 1991-1992 SkyBox Basketball - 3 Packs

91-92 SkyBox:   Kevin Johnson had a great career playing 12 seasons for the Phoenix Suns.  He was a 5X All-Pro and averaged 17 points per game and 9 assists per game for his career.

I like that James Worthy card.  Was never a big Worthy fan but I like the look of this card.  Rex Chapman throwing it down looks nice as well. 

Basketball Centennial, Stats and Stay in School subsets.  I like the variety here.  The stats were sometimes random, but I do like league leaders or stats cards.

When you invent a game, you're a somebody.  I wish he had gotten to see what the game has grown into.  To know that he created this massively entertaining game that is played worldwide.

We love the backs.  How can you not?  Detlef's stare (and hair), Oakley interacting with fans and Scott Hastings being a goofball.

Tyrone Corbin was the only surprise for me here.  Solid player.  He averaged 18 points (career high) and 7 rebounds that season for Minnesota.

So much fun.  There was so much great basketball in this era and so many great players and I've always been a big fan.  Too much fun.  We'll end it with a favorite of mine in 2X 6th Man of the Year Detlef Schrempf.

BREAKDOWN:
45 – Total Cards
3 – Stay in School!
2 - Stats
1 – Centennial Highlights

Jurassic World: Rebirth

Jurassic World: Rebirth:  Got to see this one in the theaters this weekend.  My son went with me and we both enjoyed it.  I'd kind of lost interest in the last trilogy.  Probably not the only one.  This one has good characters, action and dinosaurs.  Seeing it on the big screen was a big plus as well.  This is a good first foray back into the franchise.  

 

Random Wax: 2023 Score Football

2023 Score:  I really like this set and Hall of Famer Warren Moon in those classic Houston Oilers unis is great.

George Pickens was traded to Dallas and there have been rumors of the Ravens moving on from Mark Andrews.  I really do like this design.  Can't put my finger on way but it hits well with me.

Nolan Smith had 6 1/2 sacks last season for Philly helping them get to and win the Super Bowl.

Fun photo on this Celebration insert.

More youngsters.  I like the design on both the Protential and 2023 Throwback Rookie cards.  All three of these players had good seasons for their teams.

The look on Russell Wilson's face really helps this Sack Attack insert.  I do like these.

The First Ballot inserts are great.  Big fan.

I do like the Huddle Up inserts.  Joe Klecko is a guy I liked when I was younger.  I recently saw part of an ESPN documentary on The New York Sack Exchange 30 for 30 which was good.

BREAKDOWN:
30 – Total Cards
6 – RC
3 – Sack Attack
3 – Retired Greats
2 - Protential
1 – First Ballot
1 – Huddle Up
1 – 2003 Throwback Rookie