Random Wax: 2016-2017 Hoops

2016-2017 Hoops:  It's tough with all sports shut down but cards help keep me going.  This dude was having such a great season even for LeBron standards.  He is 35 and was having a monster year.  I'm hoping we'll get to see the end of this season.  The Lakers and LeBron were so good.

I wasn't a fan of the NBA 2K17 cards.  They seemed a bit off to me with the game screen grabs.  And wow how things have changed.  R.I.P. Kobe.

Derrick Rose actually had a good season with the Knicks.  Most things associated with that franchise usually doesn't end well.  Brook Lopez is now the starting center for Milwaukee while DeMar DeRozan drew the short straw in Toronto and was traded for Kawhi Leonard missing out on the Raptors' championship last year.

Pau Gasol has retired while Matthews is now a Milwaukee Buck.  After two rough seasons with Boston Gordon Hayward was having a bounce back year with the Celtics before the season ended.

I really enjoy busting these packs and looking back at players in previous seasons.  Isaiah Thomas was at the height of his career here with the Celtics.  Sadly a year later an injury would derail his career.  Stay positive, stay safe my friends.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards
3 – RC
1 – Kobe Bryant NBA 2K17
1 – Blue Parallel

2020 Topps Heritage

2020 Topps Heritage:  Heritage isn't a brand I tend to enjoy.  I'm not a big fan of the older designs so this is purely a personal preference.   Doesn't mean I won't take a look at it each year.  This year's design is a redo of the '71 cards.  Pretty plain and doesn't do a lot for me but I've also seen worse.  I'm sure collectors aren't fans of those black borders as they tend to show every little fault.  

This pack didn't have quite have the star power throughout but for a 20 card pack I won't complain.

You have to love a leaders card like this where it says they are leading the league in...oh wait it doesn't.  These are the league leaders in wins by the way.  I do like that on the back there must be 50 pitchers listed.

  Backs are fine.  Kind of standard fair for Heritage cards.

Plenty of rookie cards.  Probably my last pack of these but that just means there will be more for other folks to grab.  I was happy to pull Arenado and Davis.  

BREAKDOWN:

20 – Total Cards

3 – Rookie Stars
1 – League Leaders

2020 Topps Opening Day Hobby Box

2020 Topps Opening Day:  Been under the weather this week so I'm happy to finally get back to some cards.  I know Opening Day isn't a brand everyone cares for but I'm a big fan.  I like the logo and set.  With a smaller set size you get plenty of stars.  There are also some different insert sets and photo variations.  Hobby boxes do come with the chance for autos and relics.  I did not pull any this year.  This is my third year of buying a Opening Day hobby box and so far one auto.  A Kyle Freeland from last year.  Again hits aren't guaranteed...just nice bonuses.

   That Matt Olsen photo is great.  There's definitely a fun story there and I wouldn't knowing what it is.

More cool photos.  The Freeman for the nice throwbacks and another great A's action photo as well as a nice emotional shot from Gurriel.

The young stars of course get their chance to shine in the set.  Alvarez there with the not so common RC/Rookie Cup combo.

Inserts include Spring Has Sprung, which include all-time greats, and Dugout Peeks.

That Albies is a blue foil parallel.  There are 2020 copies of each but they aren't numbered.  But why not?  May's hair has to be tops for the year so far.

Team Traditions and Celebrations inserts.  That is a cool bat chandelier.

Mascots are a staple of Opening Day.  You'll also find stickers like this Bellinger.

You see some photoshop goodness on some cards like this Cole card.  Still getting used to the vertical styling on this year's design though.

Opening Day inserts showcase opening day moments from each team.

Plenty more stars.  I also Pulled Trout and Kershaw but they'd been shown in early 2020 Topps posts.  This was a fun box.  For the price and enjoyment I call it a win.  I get the Opening Day logo and plenty of stars as well as the main up and coming stars.

This is really one of the great photos in the set.  The emotion, headband, and classic uni make this a winner.

BREAKDOWN:

252 – Total Cards
17 – RC
16 – Opening Day
11 – Rookie Cup
7 – Mascot
5 – Spring Has Sprung
4 - Stickers
4 – Team Traditions and Celebrations
3 – Blue Foil Parallels
1 – Dugout Peeks
1 – RC/Rookie Cup

Mike Trout Tin - 2020 Topps

2020 Topps Baseball:  I'd been hoping these tins would hit my local Wal-Mart and they finally did yesterday. The only one I wanted was Mike Trout...and there was one left all the way in the back.  Phew.  Not interested in the others especially with Mookie Betts now a Dodger.  The tins come with an exclusive Chrome Decades' Best insert.  Appropriately I pulled these two Mike Trout cards which is great way to start.  I'm not a big Turkey Red fan but I will be holding on to this one.

  Can't complain about my rookie pulls led by Bo Bichette and Fernado Tatis Jr.

Plenty of star veterans as well.

The Marte Turkey Red and Warren Spahn Decades' Best are both chrome.

A Red Sox Team Card and Padres Checklist card.

The Tyler O'Neill is a rainbow foil parallel.

Hoskins Highlight, 1985 Topps 35th Anniversary, and another Turkey Red.

Topps likes their horizontal in this set and these are some nice photos.

Just a few more to show off including a great Sean Doolittle photo.  I was so excited to pick one of these tins up and not have to resort to the secondary market.  Plenty of good cards as well.

BREAKDOWN: 

75 – Total Cards

5 – Turkey Red
4 – RC
4 – League Leaders
2 – Checklists
2 – Team Cards
2 – Hoskins Highlights
1 – World Series
1 – Rainbow Foil
1 – Decades’ Best
1 – Turkey Red Chrome
1 – Decades’ Best Chrome
1 – Gold Parallel #/2020
1 – Topps All-Star Rookie Cup
1 - 1985 Topps 35th Anniversary Set

Random Wax: 2020 Topps Baseball

2020 Topps Baseball:  This is a fun Washington Nationals heavy pack.  

Brings back plenty of memories of a fun World Series.

I'm not that big a Ripken guy but that really is a cool looking card.  Of course the 80's are my jam so maybe that is it.  That's a gold #/2020 parallel Sandy Alcantara card.  Hoskins seems like an odd choice for a highlights set.  He is good, especially at getting on base, but for a guy who hit .226 (.236 career) last year it seems like there are plenty of players who may be better suited for something like this.

I'll be curious how David Price does in L.A. this year.  Wish him the best.  Judge is just too good  not to include here even if he is a Yankee.

As always there are plenty of nice horizontal cards as well as nice team cards.  While it isn't what is happening, it sure looks like some guy just put his hand on Soria's backside.  Just saying...

Nice Mallex Smith photo.  One of those speedsters I like.  

A fun pack with all the Nationals in it.  Plenty of other great  cards as well.  It's a long baseball season so there will be plenty more Topps as the season goes along.

One more National...

BREAKDOWN:

34 – Cards
4 – RC
2 – World Series
2 – Team Card
2 – Turkey Red
1 – Decade’s Best
1 – League Leaders
1 – Hoskins Highlight
1 – Gold Parallel #/2020

Random Wax: 2016 Donruss Football

2016 Donruss Football:  This is one of the smaller packs with only 16 cards but it was still fun.  Todd Gurley is a PC guy for me and those old Rams unis are great.  If only the borders had been colored in sync with his uni.  I'm really hoping Gurley can put up some good numbers this year.  Hard seeing him not be the stud he was in '17 and '18.  

Chris Moore has managed to stick around with Baltimore for four seasons but only has 47 receptions in his career.  Kendall Fuller was a part of the Alex Smith trade to Washington and was able to pick up a Super Bowl ring this season as a Kansas City Chief.  Fun looking back and young players in these older packs and seeing how things worked out.

A kicker card!  He is good mind you - 2X All-Pro as well as a three-time Super Bowl winner.  Wow that Andrew Luck card would have looked a lot different last March.  So crazy that he is out of the sport now.

Tevin Coleman rushed 5 times for 28 yards in this year's Super Bowl but only two weeks after dislocating a shoulder he wasn't able to give his all for the 49ers. Terrell Suggs was on the other side of the ball in the Super Bowl for Kansas City.  He was released by Arizona in December and picked up by the Chiefs.  That was Suggs' second Super Bowl ring.  Allen Robinson had an excellent year for the Bears with 98 receptions.  These are nice cards and this was a fun pack.  I'm always on the lookout for more of these.

BREAKDOWN:

16 – Total Cards
3 – Press Proof Parallels
2 – Rated Rookie
2 – RC

2019-2020 Contenders Draft Picks Basketball Blaster with Auto

2019-2020 Contenders Draft Picks:   This is the last of the four blasters I purchased forever ago. 
These blasters come with an auto and this one is no different.  Moses brown is also a Trail Blazer which is a nice bonus but he isn't moving the needle any averaging three minutes per game.  We'll put him away and see if that changes.  We'll kick this post off with another Trail Blazer Damian Lillard.  This is a Draft Ticket parallel no less.  

I'm enjoying the regular season but I can't wait to see what happens in the playoffs. Kawhi Leonard and The Greek Freek will be front and center when they kick off.  Milwaukee is so good and if they don't come out of the Eastern Conference this year I think they'll feel like it was a lost opportunity. 

Irving and Griffin are out for the season with injuries but Jayson Tatum has come into his own this year scoring 23 ppg, grabbing 7 rbg and shooting 39% on seven three's a game.  Boston, currently third in the Eastern Conference, could be very dangerous in the playoffs.

De'Andre Hunter is playing better of late for the Hawks.  I'd really like to see him finish strong and come back next season even better.

Another fun box of these cards.  I'll finish it off with The Admiral.  This is a nice looking card and fun seeing these guys in both unis.

BREAKDOWN:

42 – Total Cards
7 – Legacy (1 – Duplicate)
7 – School Colors
7 – Game Day Ticket
2 – Draft Ticket Parallels
1 – Draft College Ticket Autograph Parallel