Random Wax: 2020-2021 Chronicles Basketball

20-21 Chronicles Basketball:  The real basketball playoffs start today.  AD and the Lakers are in the packed Western Conference but you can't count them out from making some noise.  Not sure they can get past the second round but weirder things have happened.

Only 15 cards in this pack including these base Chronicles designs.  I picked this pack up in January, 2022 but both Mike Conley and Kemba Walker looked at a lot differently two to three years ago compared to today.  But to be fair, Conley is still the starting point guard for one of the best teams in the West (Minnesota).

Chronicles keys in on youngsters.  Nesmith average 12 points per game for Indiana while Williams is a solid role player for the Bulls.  

Tyrese Maxey and Tyrese Haliburton are the big hits here.  Both were all-stars this season and are leaders on their teams.  Haliburton is now a Pacer as part of the Sabonis trade.

Memphis did not make the playoffs with Ja Morant hurt as well as other injuries the team had to deal with.

BREAKDOWN:

15 – Total Cards

10 – RC

2 – Score

2 – Marquee

2 – Chronicles

2 – Luminance

1 – Panini

1 – Prestige

1 – Donruss

1 – Playbook

1 – Rated Rookie

1 – Panini Threads

1 – Bronze Parallel

 

Random Wax: 2023 Topps Baseball Blaster

2023 Topps:  Jose Ramirez is an excellent hitter that seems to fly under the radar in Cleveland.  He's a 5X All-Star and 4X Silver Slugger.  He was also top six in MVP voting five times.

I do like this set and this box was full of good cards.  The photo on the Albert Pujols card is great.  2023 was his last season so this was very appropriate.

Brandon Marsh had a really good 2023 and is looking to build on that this season. Downs has already been traded and waived twice in his young career.  Michael Massey had a decent 2023 but is starting off 2024 injured.

These are solid League Leader cards.  Maybe they could have gotten their actual numbers on the fronts as well but overall no complaints.

These Stars of MLB are popular of late, and that Freddie Freeman is a Chrome version.

Checklist card with some fun photography.

Some fun photos here.  This was a random blaster I found on the shelf two weeks ago.  It was pretty beat up but I took a chance on it.  The cards were fine and I'm glad I grabbed it.

The backs of one of my League Leaders.  It hits the mark for me.  I always enjoy looking back at these years down the road.

These hurlers all had really good 2022 seasons for their teams.  Robbie Ray (Giants) and Dylan Cease (Padres) are no longer with the teams on these cards while McClanahan is having to undergo Tommy John surgery.

The 1988 Topps Baseball inserts are fun.  Not a set I love but I do like it I think?  I go back and forth.  I like the Welcome to the Club insert and I'd probably done that Home Run Challenge with Vlad Jr. if it was a 2024 card.

The back of the Boston Red Sox team card.  Not having the numbers for the each of the team leaders is so weird.  Why tell me Xander led the team in homers but not tell me how many?  Fail.

I like these Team Logo Commemorative Patch inserts that come in the blasters.  Just a cool look to me.

Fun box.  Good pull and nice cards.

BREAKDOWN:
99 – Total Cards
12 – RC
7 – Stars of MLB
4 – Future Stars
4 – League Leaders
2 – Checklist
2 – Team Cards
1 – Rainbow Foil
1 – Royal Blue Parallel
1 – 1988 Topps Baseball 
1 – Home Run Challenge
1 – Chrome Stars of MLB 
1 – Welcome to the Club
1 – Team Logo Commemorative Patch

Random Wax: 2021-2022 Chronicles Basketball Blaster

21-22 Chronicles:  The play-in tournament, which I really don't like, starts today.  Atlanta will play in Chicago.  The Hawks aren't good but maybe they can beat the Bulls.  Fingers crossed, but I'm not putting money on it.

Great veteran pull in this box.  Tatum and the Celtics are by far the class of the Eastern Conference while Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic are in the top three of the Western Conference.  Chronicles base design here.

Chronicles is really all about the rookies.  Cam Thomas and Jalen Green are really good players in the league.  Cam is averaging 22+ points per game this season.

Plenty of variety as well in this set.  I like this Playbook design.  Cade is another star that came out of this draft.  Just needs to stay healthy.

Big man Alperen Sengun has had a breakout season with the Rockets averaging 21 points per game and almost 10 rebounds per game.

Nice LeBron sighting on this Marquee card which is a design I like.

Davion Mitchell and Scottie Barnes are solid players in the league and I like that Elite design.

More greats from the league.  Absolute is another solid design for me.  Really enjoyed this box of cards.  Great pull and you don't get bored.

BREAKDOWN:
42 – Total Cards
29 – RC
6 - Absolute
6 – Chronicles
5 – Essentials
4 – Playbook
4 - Luminance
4 – Pink Parallel
4 – Rookies & Stars
3 – XR
3 - Prestige
3 – Marquee
2 – Panini Threads
1 – Crusade

1991 Pro Set Football (4 Packs)

1991 Pro Set:  Another one of the boxes I purchased in March.  We'll kick it off with one of the best tackles the league has ever seen.  Anthony Munoz played in two Super Bowls, was a 9X All-Pro, 11X Pro Bowl selection and a member of the All-1980s Team.

Solid design here.  Similar to 1990 Pro Set (which I showed off last week) but different enough to make it stand out.  Still missing the team logo but I like the NFL logo being a part of the fronts.  Really good photography too.  Sterling Sharpe was soooo good prior to injury that cut his career short.  Shannon Sharpe is his brother and he was a 3X All-Pro, 5X Pro Bowler.

Bernie Kosar always felt like a guy fans liked, unless he was your starter.  He won a Super Bowl ring with Dallas after being traded mid-season by the Browns to Dallas in 1993.

Always enjoy getting coach cards and who doesn't hear "Playoffs?" in your head when you think of Jim Mora?

I like the 1990 Replay cards giving us highlights from the previous season.  It feels like these would work really well in cards today as well.

We have an Award Winner in that Ty Detmer card as well as a Dallas Public Service Announcement card and Official card.  More inserts in this set as opposed to 1990 Pro Set.  Not all are hits but I do like variety.

Another Award Winner card and a nice horizontal shot of Bruce Smith who looks like he has blood on his pants.  We do get a nice team helmet on the fronts here as well.

Love the art on these All-NFC teams which are part of Series I.  Joey Browner, Keith Jackson and Randall McDaniel on these.  All-AFC players are in Series II.

Solid players from the era.  What are the odds you'd get two players named Mark Carrier in the league at the same time?  There was also a receiver with the same name in the same era.

Tim McKyer won three Super Bowls during his career.  Two as a 49er and one with the Broncos.  He wasn't a starter in Denver and I don't remember him playing for them.

World League Football cards are part of this set.  They aren't bad but not a lot of names ring a bell.  Kerwin Bell's name did seem familiar but probably due to his time at Florida.

These hurt.  I love them as a set and concept.  Getting to see highlights from the Super Bowl is super cool.  But this game still hurts me deep.  

This NFL Newsreel card reminds us there was a war going on during that timeframe.

Who doesn't love Steve DeBerg?  He was always that guy who held down the fort on bad clubs until a team got their starter.  Unfortunately it wasn't until his age 36 and 37 seasons that he had two really good years, both with Kansas City going 21-10 overall.  By far the best seasons he had.

I like that the Award Winner cards included the college ranks.  These are so much fun and hold so many memories.  I'll show off more of over time.

BREAKDOWN:
60 – Total Cards
5 – World League Collectibles
4 – Coach
4 – Award Winner
4 – All-NFC Team
2 – Officials
2 – 1990 Replay
2 – Heisman Hero
2 – Super Bowl XXV Replay
1 - Dallas Public Service Announcement

2024 Topps Heritage Hanger Box

2024 Heritage:  Saw these on the shelves last night and picked up a box.  Two-time home run champion Pete Alonso will lead it off.  He anchors my fantasy team but needs to pick it up after a slow start.  Power is there but the average is ugly.

Not always a fan of Heritage as the older designs aren't something I'm a big fan of.  This 1975 design isn't bad though and it seems like they've gotten away from the closeup head and shoulders pics which dominated previous sets.  Big plus to me.

Alek Thomas has shown plenty of power in his young career but hasn't shown he can hit consistently.

I like these MVP cards.  You get to see cards of players the year they won the MVP.  Fairly simple but I like it.

I really like the All-Star designations for players.  Great add here.  That first card is the back of the 2023 MVP card and then we have the Pete Alonso back.  The MVP back is okay but it really feels like they could have done better.  The backs of the base cards are fine but really do look dark to me.

Great player combo here.

Overall, I like the photos.  I realized I never did pick up any 2023 Heritage.  Hmmmm

Leaders cards aren't that exciting.  Feels like they could use a baseball or something else like we see on the base design.

That Freddy Peralta is a Low-Numbered SP which make up the first 100 cards.  Not sure how they chose players for those 100.

I really like these but I do think there could be more variety in the subsets.

$14 for 35 cards is a tough sell even with the draw of the retro look and feel.

Love seeing retired greats as always.  Wish there were more.  That 1999 design is not appealing at all.  The colors on that Hank Aaron card as well as the Brewers uni just don't feel right but I'm always happy pulling him.  I like these enough that I might grab more of these.  We'll see.

BREAKDOWN:

35 – Total Cards

8 – RC

5 – Most Valuable Players

3 – Retired Greats

1 – SP

1 – All-Star

1 – Leaders

1 – Baseball Flashbacks