Random Wax: 2023-2024 Haunted Hoops - 5 Packs

23-24 Haunted Hoops:   Anthony Edwards is only 25 and already a 2X All-NBA selectee.  He's averaging 24/5/4 on 36% long range shooting in his 6-season career.  I can't wait to see what the T-Wolves look like with newest addition LaMelo Ball.

Chris Paul retired after last season.  His 21-season Hall of Fame career saw him be a 11X All-NBA selection leading the league in assists 5X and steals 6X.  He was also a 9X All-Defensive Team member.  These cards are sold in "bundles" which have 20 packs with 3 cards per pack.

Jeremy Sochan saw his time on the court dwindle in San Antonio after being an All-Rookie selection and was traded to the New York mid-season.  While he only averaged 2 points a game for the Knicks, he did take home a championship ring.  We see Slime and Orange parallels here.  Slime is my favorite.  Orange is a bit dull. 

Trae Young will play his first full season with the Washington Wizards who also acquired Anthony Davis and selected AJ Dybantsa with the #1 pick in the NBA draft.  These are always fun cards and perfect for the season.

BREAKDOWN:
15 – Total Cards
3 – Orange
2 – RC
2 – Slime
1 – Rising Stars

2025 Score-a-Treat Football (20 Packs)

2025 Score-a-Treat:  Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers have struggled this season and overall haven't quite been up to expectations in recent years.  He's only 28 and he and the Pack can still turn thing around.

This is another good Halloween inspired design.  Marlon Humphrey is a 2X 1st Team All-Pro and 4X Pro Bowl selection in his 10-year career with the Ravens.

Jeanty and Judkins are two of the good young running backs in the league.

I like the combination of spooky season and the NFL.  Good job Panini.

The backs are okay, but we don't see the same Halloween esque elements they added to the back of Panini's 2024 Score-a-Treat offering.  A step back in my opinion.  We also had Bats Parallels in that set.

I'd love to see Topps do something similar now that they have the NFL license.  Maybe even an insert set or some type of parallel would be nice.  These cards were sold in "bundles" which had 40 packs of 3 cards each.

And our retired greats.  Defensive back and Hall of Famer Ken Houston had 49 career interceptions while being named a 1st Team All-Pro 2X.  He played 6 of his 14 seasons with the Houston Oilers.

BREAKDOWN:
60 – Total Cards
20 - RC
6 – Retired Greats

MaXXXine (2024)

MaXXXine is the final film in the trilogy that included X and Pearl.  All three are different types of movies.  X with its classic 70s slasher vibe, Pearl with its suspense and character development while MaXXXine takes us to the glam of 1980s Hollywood while building up the anticipation.  I thought I saw where MaXXXine might take us but I was wrong.  I liked the suspense and the story.  The last 30 minutes or so felt like a bit of a letdown.  After Pearl I expected something different as the movie built to a climax.  Don't take that too negatively.  Just my expectations as I watched.  I recommend all three movies in the trilogy.  X was my favorite with Pearl right behind it.  And Kevin Bacon plays a prominent role in the movie.

Random Wax: 2024 Stadium Club

2024 Stadium Club:  3X MVP Albert Pujols won 2 World Series Championships with the St. Louis Cardinals.  In 10 postseasons totaling 88 games, he batted .319 with a .422 OBP and .572 slugging percentage which included 19 home runs and 54 RBIs.  

World Series play starts tonight.  Willson Contreras won a World Series title with the 2019 Chicago Cubs.

Two Chrome inserts.  Tanner Bibee has pitched in the playoffs in 3 of his 4 MLB seasons.

The backs are nice.  Not enough stats but still plenty goodness to enjoy.

Ty Cobb won 12 batting titles and also led the league in steals 6X.  

2X MVP and 3X Triple Crown champ Roger Hornsby won a title with the 1926 Cardinals.  He was a powerhouse in his time leading the league in so many stats it looks like they just made them all bold for about a period of 8 seasons.

My 3 Pink Foil Parallels and my Red Foil Parallel.  Lou Gehrig won 7X World Series titles with the Yanks.  In 34 World Series games, he had an average of .361 and 1.214 OPS hitting 10 home runs.

BREAKDOWN:
15 – Total Cards
6 – Retired Greats
3 – Pink Foil Parallels
2 - RC
2 - Chrome
1 – Red Foil Parallel

2026 World Series: Tampa Bay Rays vs Milwaukee Brewers

 I'm excited for this World Series.  We get the best team from the American League and the National League.  Neither have won a World Series.  And they are both really good teams.  I'll root for Milwaukee.  Maybe for nostalgia more than anything else.  I'm a big Robin Yount fan.  Loved that team with him, Molitor, Cooper, Thomas, Vuckovich, etc.  I liked the unis and still do. I'm not discounting the Rays.  They are so good.  And I like those unis that harken back to their early days.  I hope for a good series no matter who wins.  Both franchises deserve that.  They have both been very good in recent history.  Watching either team get that first trophy will be fun.

 

Random Wax: 2025-2026 Topps Basketball Hanger Box

25-26 Topps:   Cooper Flagg was the 2025-2026 NBA Rookie of the Year averaging 21 PPG, 6 RPG and 4 APG.  This Diamante Parallel which is exclusive to hanger boxes.  NBA starts tonight!

Great pull in this box. SGA won his second consecutive MVP award.  He and the Thunder will play at San Antonio tonight in a rematch of the Western Conference Finals.

One of my checklist cards.  I'm a big Domantis Sabonis fan so this was a fun pull for me.  I like that photo.

Dylan Harper was 4th in Rookie of the Year voting and a big part of the Spurs' run to the NBA Finals.

Kon Kneuppel really was clutch and gave Cooper Flagg a run for the Rookie of the Year award, coming in 2nd place receiving 44 of the 100 1st place votes.  He averaged 18/5/3 while shooting 42% for the Hornets.

Another Dylan Harper pull on this 1980-1981 Topps Basketball card.  We also have a Rainbow Foil Parallel and another Diamante Parallel.

Generation Now inserts are fine.

Paolo Banchero on a very colorful and sharp looking Power Players insert.  He averaged 22 PPG, a career high 8 RPG, and 5 APG last season.

DeMar DeRozan is now with the Denver Nuggets and another of my favorite players in the league.  He's 16th on the all-time points list.

KAT is one of the newly minted 2025-2026 NBA Champions.

Checklist card.

Great box of cards and so much fun.  I love retired greats and these are definitely some of the all-time greats.  George Gervin could flat out score.  The 4X scoring champ averaged 25.1 points per game for his career, good for 14th all-time.  He was also a 7X All-NBA, 2X All-NBA, 12X All-Star, and a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

BREAKDOWN:

59 – Total Cards

12 – RC

4 - Checklist

4 – Retired Greats

2 – 8-Bit Ballers

2 – Diamante Parallels

1 – Power Players

1 – Generation Now

1 – Rainbow Foil Parallel

1 – Clutch City Prospects

1 - 1980-1981 Topps Basketball

Portland Trail Blazers 2026-2027 Season Preview

 

The Portland Trail Blazers also had a good season surprisingly winning 42 game and had a playoff play-in win over Phoenix.  They lost in the first round to San Antonio 4-1, but it still exceeded the expectation going into the season.  Already expecting Damian Lillard back from injury, they swung big in the offseason trading for Ja Morant.  

I'm not a fan of his addition.  The backcourt already had Lillard, Shaedon Sharpe and Scott Henderson.  Sharpe is out 6 months with injury but Lillard and Morant next to each other doesn't feel like a win.  Neither is defensively gifted and both are small.  And the team still doesn't know who Scoot Henderson is even though he had a good playoff series.  Deni Avdija took a huge leap last season earning an All-Star nod and giving them a solid scoring threat in the front court.  Donovan Clingan continues to improve which is needed as surprise first round pick Yang Hansen had a horrible first season.  Jrue Holiday and Toumani Camara were also solid.

Where this leaves the team for the upcoming season is something I haven't figured out yet.  There's plenty of optimism about a Ja Morant reboot in Portland, but I have such a hard time seeing it work.   What I need to see is how the offense works together and whether or not they can play consistent defense.  And does Scoot Henderson's game advance any with most of the guard minutes taken up?  It's a lot to ask for from this team.  And they also have a first-time head coach in Micah Nori.  Still, I like a lot of the individual part and I'm really curious as to how it looks when they actually get on the court.  Good news is I think they can compete with the lower tier of teams in the Western Conference.  I still think 40 games is doable even if it is a step back.