2022 Chronicles Draft Picks Football Blaster with Auto

2022 Chronicles Draft Picks Football:  These were on the shelves and I thought why not.  They're pretty young player heavy and I tend towards brands that have more veterans.  I won't complain about this box though.  Two Mahomes and an auto make this a win.

Lots of variety in these boxes.  That Matt Corral is a red parallel.

I do enjoy seeing retired greats in these sets.  I'm not a fan of that retro Score look.  Didn't like it then and don't like it now.  The Staubach photo isn't one I care for either.  I do like Illusions brand and that Bradshaw is pretty cool.

A nice Wolverines' uni appearance as well as Aiden Hutchinson the #2 overall pick in the draft.  Never complain about seeing Aaron Rodgers in his Cal uni.

Shiny cards.  With Big Ben retired everyone is wondering what Kenny Pickett will be at the pro level.  Seems like a perfect fit.  Pitt guy.  Had a great year.  Ben is gone.  Now the hard part starts.  We'll see how he does on the field.

I really like these retro rookie cards. 

Mathis is a 4th round pick of the Broncos.  It'll definitely take a few years to see how this auto looks. More veteran players.   Pretty fun box.  I liked my pull and some of the different designs.  Not sure I'll grab more.  If there was a fat pack option maybe but probably not in a blaster.  But never say never.

BREAKDOWN:

24 – Total Cards

11 – RC

3 – Donruss

3 – Legacy Rookie

3 – Retired Greats

3 – Rookies & Stars

2 – Score

2 – Prestige

2 – Chronicles 

2 – Contenders Optic

1 – XR

1 - Optic

1 - Recon

1 - Status

1 - Illusions

1 – Phoenix

1 – Red Parallel

1 – Pink Parallel

1 – Rated Rookie

1 - Prestige Xtra Points Signatures

Nope Movie Review (NO SPOILERS)

 Nope: Watched this Jordan Peele movie today in the theater.  I enjoyed it.  He's known for suspense and it had that with plenty of buildup.  Daniel Kaluuya was great in the lead while Keke Palmer playing his sister was good as well.  It's hard to know what you can say with movies like this because you don't want to give away too much.  As with any movie there are things you can question but I'll let them go.  I know I'm not the only one.  I will say that while the buildup was good I think the reveal came a bit early.  Would have liked it to be later in the movie with a quicker ending.  But I don't make movies.  I'll leave that to the masters like Peele.  That's all got.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

 

Secrets of Dumbledore: Finally watched this one.  I really enjoy the Harry Potter universe but I'm not a "hardcore" fan.  I've enjoyed the latest series of movies but understand there are issues.  Secrets of Dumbledore looks to tie everything together as it ends this storyline.  The three movies definitely struggled with identity.  The second movie, Crimes of Grindewald, didn't feel like a Fantastic Beasts movie and this one seemed like they tried to combined the two.  In doing so some characters didn't get a fair shake and unnecessary plot lines seemed to distract more than help the movie.  Still I enjoyed it.  Much was explained on how certain things came to be to include storylines from the original Harry Potter movies.  I really like the acting overall.  Plenty of good casting including the recasting of Mads Mikkelsen as Grindewald.  I thought it flowed fairly well and was entertaining.  I did have lingering questions about why they did certain things and I'm sure hardcore fans were really shaking their heads.  Hopefully whatever direction this universe takes they get it right next time.  It's a great universe with so many directions it could go to include some of the great characters they have now.  That's my two cents which might be confusing but I enjoyed watching the film.  Always curious what others thought.  Probably go look at some YouTube videos as well to see what finer points I missed.

Tarkin

Tarkin:  This will be a quick one but wanted to throw some thoughts out there on this one.  Tarkin is a good solid book. The story is done well and it gives good insight into Tarkin's background and his rise in the ranks of the Empire.  Set in the early years of the Galactic Empire you'll see other characters you're familiar with as well.  Did we need or want a Tarkin book?  I wonder.  This is a good read but I'm not sure I'd prioritize it over other books.  

Hatfields & McCoys TV Series

Hatfield & McCoys:  Pop and I watched this a little over a year ago.  It was a really fun watch.  The feud itself is steeped in legend and it'd be hard to do it any justice but this was a good take on it.  I did read a book on the feud after watching this and of course the TV series takes a few liberties and to be fair it would take seasons upon seasons to flesh out all the details.  I really enjoyed Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton in their takes as the family patriarchs.  There are plenty of other really good performances as well which made this a fun watch.  I never got bored and was always wondering what would happen next.  I recommend this series to everyone.  You don't have to have a keen interest in the feud itself to enjoy.  Looks like it is streaming on Peacock (with subscription) and Amazon (have to pay).  We watched it on DVD.  

Hatfields

McCoys

The Feud: The Hatfields and McCoys, The True Story by Dean King

The Feud:  I'm not great at reviews so I'll keep this short.  There are plenty of Hatfield and McCoy books out there and you just have to go with your gut when choosing one.  I went with this one after watching the Hatfield & McCoys History channel series with my pop.  This book is 464 pages and is packed with information.  The families and history involved in this feud are very complicated.  I think Dean King did a good job keeping it straight as best you can.  Not that I could keep all the family members straight.  There are so many involved it is crazy.  I'm sure it would be the same with most books chronicling these families.  I took my time reading the book and didn't try to plow through it so it took me maybe a year to finish.  I enjoyed the book and the story it told.  That's what you need to take away this.  I'll look at the TV series in my next post.

McFarlane Super Powers Darkseid

McFarlane Toys:  McFarlane has brought back the 1980s Super Powers toys.  I picked up this Darkseid at Wal-Mart.  Actually two, one for each of my grandsons.  They are approximately $10 each.  I think I had seen this was coming out but really didn't think I'd grab one.  But when I saw it I thought its size would work well with the smaller action figures the boys already have.

The packaging really harkens back to the original toy line which I really like.

I think there are only seven points of articulation but that works for this scale of figure (head, arms, legs, knees).

I'm no Darkseid expert but I do like the look.  Fairly simple but again good for what they are going for.

Batman and Superman and vehicles for each will be released in this series as well.  Just one more scale to add to collecting.  We already have the 7" (DC), 6" (Marvel/Star Wars) and 3.75" (all).  Not sure I'll go after the other figures in this line but I'll probably make that decision as I see them in hand.

For some scale this is an older 3.75" Superman compared to the 5" Darkseid.  His obvious height advantage only enhances his bad guy status.  This will be a fun figure for the grandsons to fight their other small (3.75") scale figures.

Random Wax: 2021 Bowman Baseball

2021 Bowman:  I haven't posted one of these packs I picked up last May since, well last May.  We'll kick this pack off with St. Louis Cardinal All-Star starter Paul Goldschmidt who just picked up his 300th career homer last week and is having an outstanding year.  If he keeps it up he may be in line for the MVP.

Bowman stresses youth so plenty of those in these packs.  None of these three have done anything to speak of in the majors yet.

Riley Greene is having a decent rookie year while Adley Rutschman is still struggling in his first MLB season.

These three haven't made it to the majors yet.

Three more who haven't made their mark yet.  These packs aren't for looking at one year later so in a few years from now when I look back at this pack it may have an entirely different feel to it.  Xander Bogaerts is another All-Star and starter for the American League.

BREAKDOWN:
19 – Total Cards
5 – RC
5 – Chrome
1 – Futurist
1 – 1st Bowman
1 – Bowman Top 100

Random Wax: 2021 Topps

 2021 Topps:  Sounds like Juan Soto and the Nationals can't agree to a deal and he may be headed elsewhere.  The Nats are already playing poorly and this will surely hit fans hard.  You have to wonder what it would take to trade for this guy.  He has two more years of control and while his average is down he's still mashing and getting on base really well.  He could definitely put a team over the top.  It's not a sure thing he'll be moved before the trade deadline but it'll be something to watch. And I really like the look of these Redux cards.

The rest of my pull may not wow you but these 16 card packs can be hit or miss.

Seems like that Olson card is a parallel but I didn't annotate it.  Hmmm. The Clevinger is a Royal Blue parallel.

A fun checklist card with a nice Trout appearance.

Booooo...

I like that photo.  Decent pack with Soto and Trout appearances.  

BREAKDOWN:
16 – Total Cards
1 – RC
1 – Checklist
1 – Team Card
1 – 1952 Topps Redux
1 – Royal Blue Parallel

Stranger Things Season 4 (NO SPOILERS)

 

Stranger Things Season 4: I really enjoy Stranger Things and I did enjoy this season.  Not quite there with season one but right there with season 3.  All your favorite characters are back and a few more sprinkled in for good measure.  And some of those new faces will be favorites of yours after you're done watching.  If you've seen the previous seasons, you'll enjoy this one.  It is the most intense and I've had a few folks I know say the same thing when talking about it.  I won't give anything away so I'll keep it short.  We learned a lot in season four and we know where it's going in season five.  And that last episode...phew.  Stranger Things is a fun watch from the beginning of season one and highly suggest the series to everyone.

As always there is plenty of craziness.  That's a big part of the fun.

You'll love Eddie!

Random Wax: 1990-1991 Hoops Basketball (6 Packs)

1990-1991 Hoops:  Tons of basketball moves going on the last few weeks as free agency kicked off.  Karl Malone moved once as a free agent at the end of his career.  He played one year with the Lakers chasing a ring he was never able to get.  Still dude was nothing short of a stud in the NBA.

With six packs you'll have plenty of star power and these packs are no difference.  Zeke and McHale headline these three but don't sleep on how good Walter Davis was with Phoenix.  The man could shoot and score.

Mookie Blaylock rocking what I think is the greatest Nets jersey of all-time. 

All-Star cards are great especially when done this well.  Actual game photos are awesomeness.Good on you Hoops.  Good on you.  

A young Phil Jackson.  The Bulls would win the first of their Championships in 1991 starting a long run of dominance.

Good on Hoops for all the stats they'd give you including college stats.  And all-start game stats?  Win.  Buck is my #2 all-time favorite player while Larry Joe Bird and "Four Four Four" are also favorites of mine.

Sikma's mid-range jumper and passing skills would have played well today.  Great packs and even more fun. Love opening this old basketball wax.

BREAKDOWN:
90 – Total Cards (6 Packs)
8 – All-Star
6 – Rookie
4 – Coach
1 - Award

2022 Topps Series 2 Blaster with Relic

2022 Topps Series 2:  Series 2 can always a bit of a hit and miss but I enjoyed this box.  It helps when you grab some big stars and there is some good variety.  I really like these 1987 All-Star inserts and I really like this Ohtani photo.  And who doesn't like Ohtani?

Frankie Montas is having a good year for the A's and is expected to get Oakland a nice return at the trade deadline.  After battling injuries Carlos Correa is having a really good year and Josh Hader is doing great for the Brew Crew this season.

As always there are going to be plenty of young players in these boxes.  I will say it seems like Alec Bohm has been a RC or Future Stars guy for a long time.

Some inserts we saw in series one but they still help with the variety in this set.  I think I'll try the Home Run Challenge for the first time.  Vlad's hitting homers at a good clip so why not.

I think this is a good-looking relic but it is like an inch thick.  Not really but no way I have a holder for this thing.

I'm a fan of the Stars of MLB inserts and these are two good stars to pull.  That Burnes is a Chrome parallel.

A team card.  Always fun photos and good info on the backs.

Royal Blue, Gold #/2099, and Rainbow Foil parallels.

Checklist card.

All three of these guys are having good years.  You'd think that means Danny Duffy will be traded.  He is now 32 and now played all 11 seasons with the Royals.

Devers is having a monster year.  Fun box of cards.  I doubt I'll grab anymore Series 2 but still this was a good box.

BREAKDOWN:

99 – Total Cards

15 – RC

7 – Stars of MLB

4 – Future Stars

3 – Team Cards

1 - Checklist

1 – Gold #/2022

1 – Rainbow Foil

1 – Royal Blue

1 – 1987 Topps

1 – 1987 Topps All-Star

1 – Home Run Challenge

1 – Significant Statistics

1 – Chrome Stars of MLB

1 - Batting Helmet Commemorative Relic