Random Wax: 2024 Topps Hanger Box

2024 Topps:  Aaron Judge is having another great season.  Stupid Yankees.  Enough said.

Pretty good star power in this pack.  Bryce Harper has been able to stay healthy and is having a good year for the Phillies.

Nice horizontal photo on this Eugenio Suarez card.

Youngsters on different offerings.  Riley Greene is having a good season in Detroit.

My Houston Astros Team Card with a fun photo.

Yellow Parallel, Rainbow Foil Parallel, Royal Blue Parallel.  I'm on board with all three of these options though the blue is the one I like most.  Really works on that Rays card.

Another good photo. 

Nice pull on my Stars of MLB inserts.

Checklist.

1989 Topps Baseball insert.

Man, he had some good years with the Red Sox.

Good pack of cards.  Good pull and I like the design.  I really like the Superstar Blueprint cards.

BREAKDOWN:

59 – Total Cards

14 – RC

4 – Stars of MLB

2 – Future Stars

2 – Yellow Parallel

1 – Checklist

1 – Team Card

1 – Royal Blue Parallel

1 – Superstar Blueprint

1 – Rainbow Foil Parallel

1 – 1989 Topps Baseball

1 – RC/Topps All-Star Rookie Cup

Random Wax: 1992 Upper Deck Football

1992 UD:   Eric Bieniemy didn't make a big impact in the NFL, but I really like this photo.

Eugene Robinson was an excellent player, but I can't not think about his short time as a Falcon.  The night prior to Atlanta's Super Bowl game with Denver, and shortly after receiving the Bart Starr Award for high moral character, he was arrested for solicitation.

These backs were so good.

My two Star Rookie cards and the Star Rookie Checklist I pulled.

Star Rookie Checklist.  As always, I enjoy the art Upper Deck gave us in their sets.

My team MVP Checklist pull.  I always liked Reggie Cobb who had one season with 1000+ rushing yards in Tampa Bay.  

More art on this Checklist card.  Great set with good photos and a great design.

BREAKDOWN:

15 – Total Cards

2 – Star Rookie

1 - Checklist

1 – Team MVP Checklist

1 – Team Checklist

1 – Star Rookie Checklist

Random Wax: 1991-1992 SkyBox Basketball - 3 Packs

91-92 SkyBox:   Two of the all-time great centers on one card.  Having these two in the nineties was amazing.  It's one thing to watch two stars but when you get to see them go against each other it's even better.  I was surprised that Robinson and the Spurs had a big advantage head-to-head in games where these two squared off (30-12).  Hakeem is one of my all-time centers.  Top two or even at the top depending on the day.  Robinson was amazing and probably top 10 all-time.  Their career stats were fairly even.  I'm a big fan of both.

This is a great set and there are so many memories for me.  I've always loved the NBA.  Charles Barkley had a hall of fame career and to me is just as accomplished in the studio.  Chuck, Ernie, Kenny and Shaq do such a great job on Inside the NBA with the humor and insight.  Just fun which is what it should be.  And of course Chuck is always good for honesty.

These two combined for 3 Defensive Player of the Year honors and led the league in blocks 3 times.  Hakeem 2X and Robinson 1X for each.  I like these Single Game Performance cards.

Some guard love.  I really like Hall of Famer Sidney Moncrief but I will admit seeing him in a Hawks uni always throws me off.  He also won Defensive Player of the Year 2X in his career.

Centennial Highlights.  What better highlight than the man who gave us the game.

And we love the backs.  Even Charles Oakley.

Some of my all-time favorite players in Larry Smith and Trent Tucker.  They feel somewhat random in my NBA fandom but I'm big fans.  Both are in my top 10.  I've always liked the hard-nosed Terry Cummings as well.

Defensive wizards abound in this post.  Alvin Robertson led the league in steals 3X and holds the all-time average for steals per game at 2.7.

Tom Chambers was fun to watch.  He was such an athletic big.    

BREAKDOWN:
45 – Total Cards
3 – Centennial Highlights
3 – Best Single Game Performance

Random Wax: 1992 Triple Play (4 Packs)

1992 Triple Play:   In George Brett's 1980 MVP season, he led the league in average, on base percentage, slugging, OPS and WAR.  Reggie Jackson and Rich Gossage were 2nd and 3rd in the AL MVP voting that year.

With the Cardinals, Lee Smith had his best tenure with any team, posting a 2.90 ERA in 4 seasons in St. Louis with 160 saves.

Awesome Action!  Well, is it really when it looks like he missed the ball?

Always been a fan of this set and these are three of my favorite players from the era.

Cool card.  Never been there but I'd enjoy it I know.

Mascot, Gallery of Stars and Stadium cards.  I like all three.  The Phanatic's and SkyDome photos are great.

We don't like you either Kent Hrbek.  Overall, a really fun set.  Good photography and simple design that works.

Was the runner out or safe?

Another great photo on that Eck card.  No complaints about the Smoltz or Sheffield pics either.  This Awesome Action card seems to show the runner taking out the catcher who dropped the ball.

BREAKDOWN:
60 – Total Cards
4 – Checklist
2 - Mascots
2 – Gallery of Stars
2 – Awesome Action
1 – Stadium
1 – Hall of Fame

Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord

 Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord finished up on May 4th and they got it right.  This really had a bit of it all.  It harkened back to George Lucas' initial direction for Darth Maul where he's an underworld warlord.  And of course, a powerful Sith.  We got plenty of new characters and a surprise or two.  Some great fight scenes.  I really enjoyed it and it feels setup for a second season which I can't wait to see.

Random Wax: 2024 Donruss Football

 2024 Donruss:  Georgia Bulldogs alum Matthew Stafford has been nothing short of crazy good in his career even when playing for those bad Detroit Lions teams.  Traded for Jared Goff, he brought the Rams their first Super Bowl win in over 20 years.  

Chris Jones has 87.5 sacks in his 10-year career with the Kansas City Chiefs.  He's also a 3X All-Pro

One of my Blue Parallels here.  Bucky Irving rushed for almost 600 yards in his rookie season.

Rookie Gridiron Kings and another Blue Parallel.

I love retired greats including Zach Thomas who was born in Pampa, TX.  The Hall of Famer was also a 5X All-Pro.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards

4 – Rated Rookie

4 – Blue Parallels

4 – Retired Greats

1 – Gridiron Kings

Random Wax: 2025-2026 Topps Basketball Hanger Box

25-26 Topps:   Donovan Mitchell has been so good in his career.  Playing in Utah and Cleveland I think he's gone under the radar of the casual fan.  But he really a good player.  2X All-Pro and 7X All-Star so far in his 9 seasons.  Career averages:  25/4/4 per game career averages on 36% shooting from deep.

I'm not a Kyrie guy but he's been excellent over the course of his career.  NBA Champ, 3X All-Pro, and 9X All-Star.

I like the horizontal cards Topps gives us.

Drake Powell averaged 6 points per game for the Nets.  That's the highlight of my rookie pull.

One of my Checklist cards.  I like how Topps does 'em.

Trey Murphy had the best season of his career averaging 21/5/3 while shooting 37% from long range.

Dylan Harper had a solid rookie campaign for the surging Spurs.

Rainbow Foil Parallel, Diamante Parallel, and 1980-1981 Topps Basketball pulls.  I really like the Diamante cards.

Jazz have some nice youth on their team led by Lauri Markkanen but made a big move trading for Jaren Jackson Jr. this season showing they are looking at the playoffs in the seasons to come.

Brook Lopez, Star Wars fan and NBA Champion, is a favorite of mine.

I love Detlef Schrempf.  One of the four retired greats I pulled.

More retired greats and an 8-Bit Ballers and Power Players insert.  I really like the colors on Power Players.  Groovy...

BREAKDOWN:
59 – Total Cards
8 – RC
6 - Checklist
4 – Retired Greats
2 – 8-Bit Ballers
2 – Power Players
2 – Diamante Parallels
1 – Generation Now
1 – Rainbow Foil Parallel
1 - 1980-1981 Topps Basketball