Fan Favorites Auto: Eddie Bressoud

One of my most anticipated sets each year is Topps Archives.  Not because I like the set itself, but because of the Fan Favorites autograph set.  Fan Favorites was one of my favorite sets when it came out in 2003 and I collected it the next two years.  It was such a cool idea.  Bringing a lot of players back that were popular, but maybe not the best players.  There were plenty of stars too.  Fan Favorites only exists at this time in the form of the autographed set in Archives, but the idea is the same.  Previous years have seen autographed Red Sox cards for players like Mike Greenwell, Ellis Burks, Rich Gedman, Kevin Millar, Mike Timlin, Jose Offerman and Carl Everett.  Last year's set was kind of disappointing because the only Red Sox player was the uber-short-printed Nomar Garciaparra.  I would much rather have an under-the-radar player that I can find easily.  Which brings us to 2022.

There are still two premium autographed cards.  Roger Clemens and Wade Boggs will be tough to find.  But, this Eddie Bressoud card was not.  This is exactly the kind of player I want to see.  Shortstop Bressoud played for the Red Sox from 1962 through 1965 after being acquired in a trade with the Giants for Don Buddin.  Boston got the better end of the deal as Bressoud found hitting in Fenway to his liking.  For Boston, he hit .270/.337/.435 with 57 home runs, 115 doubles and 208 RBIs.  He hit a career-high 20 home runs in 1963.  He was an All Star the next season when he hit a career-high .293/.372/.456.  The Red Sox were not great in those years, but Bressoud was a solid player.

The only complaint I have with this card is the design used.  This is the 1972 design and Bressoud was out of baseball long before then.  I think it should have been a 1963 or 1964 design.  Otherwise, this is a great card, and one of my favorites of the year.  Bressoud was definitely a surprising choice for an autograph card in 2022.

Derek Lowe Fan Favorites Autograph

Here is yet another Red Sox Fan Favorites auto I tracked down: 

Derek Lowe was acquired in the same deal as Jason Varitek.  He was a two-time All Star (2000 and 2002) and is one of the few pitchers to save 40 games in a season and win 20 games in a season.  He pitched a no-hitter in 2002 against the Devil Rays.  Lowe also was the winner in the clinching games in the ALDS, ALCS and World Series in 2004.  Lowe is shown here on a 2001 Topps design.  2001 was a bad year for him, but marked the turning point in his career.  He started the season as the closer, but after a few bad outings, he was moved to the rotation, a move that paid off in a big way.  In 2001, Lowe went 5-10 with a 3.53 ERA with 82 strikeouts to 29 walks.  He saved 24 games.  He was coming off a terrific 2000 season though which saw him save a league-leading 42 games with a 2.56 ERA.  Lowe was definitely a fan favorite.

Jerry Remy Fan Favorites Autograph

Here is yet another Fan Favorites autograph, of former player and current broadcaster Jerry Remy. 

Remy fits the definition of Fan Favorite.  He is a very charismatic commentator during Red Sox games and was elected President of Red Sox Nation back in 2007.  He is also a Massachusetts native.  I do think his playing career probably qualified as well.  Remy spent seven of his ten seasons with the Red Sox and made his only All Star team as a member of the 1978 Red Sox.  Remy appears here on the 1982 Topps design.  1982 was one of Remy's better seasons.  He played a full season for the first time since 1978 and hit .280/.337/.324 with 178 hits, 89 runs scored and 16 stolen bases.  He was coming off of a season in which he hit .307/.368/.338 with nine stolen bases.  1978 would have been a better choice though.  That was his best season in Boston, as he hit .278/.321/.350 with 162 hits, 87 runs scored, and 30 stolen bases.

Rico Petrocelli Fan Favorites Autograph

In my ongoing quest to get as many of the Red Sox Fan Favorites cards, I came across this Rico Petrocelli, which I originally bypassed because I already had a couple of Petrocelli autographs.  I have it now.

Petrocelli definitely qualifies as a Fan Favorite.  He spent 13 seasons in the Majors, all of them with the Red Sox.  He was a member of the Impossible Dream Red Sox of 1967 and was a two-time All Star.  For his career, he hit .251/.332/.420 with 210 home runs and 773 RBIs.  The question is whether the 1971 Topps design he appears on is appropriate.  He was with the team that season and had one of his better years, hitting .251/.354/.461 with 28 home runs and 89 RBIs.  He was coming off of a season in which he hit .261/.334/.473 with 29 home runs and 103 RBIs.  But neither of those were his best season.  In 1969, Petrocelli hit .297/.403/.589 with a then-A.L. shortstop record of 40 home runs.  The 1969 design would have been better, but the 1971 design is fine.  

Johnny Pesky Fan Favorites Auto

This is a Johnny Pesky autograph from 2005 Topps Fan Favorites.  It is another step towards finding all of the Fan Favorites autos. 

Pesky is the very definition of a fan favorite.  He spent decades in the Red Sox organization, in a variety of roles, from player to manager to coach to color commentator.  Pesky is shown on a 1952 Topps design, which is not terribly appropriate, but is pretty much the only one they could use.  Pesky's last season as a player with the Red Sox was 1952, but he played in just 25 games and hit .149/.313/.179 before being traded in a massive deal that included former Rookie of the Year Walt Dropo in exchange for Hall of Famer George Kell, Hoot Evers and Dizzy Trout.  Pesky was coming off of his last good season as a player in 1951 when he hit .313/.417/.398.  The photo here appears to come from Pesky's time as the Red Sox manager, which was 1963 to 1964.

Kevin Millar Fan Favorites Auto

Here is the last of the 2020 Archives Fan Favorites from the Red Sox, following up the post from a few days ago: 

Kevin Millar was definitely a fan favorite.  I was a huge fan.  I even wrote a paper for my college Conflict Resolution class about his acquisition by the Red Sox.  Millar appears on a 2002 Topps design, which is somewhat weird.  Millar had a very good season in 2002, hitting .306/.366/.509 with 16 home runs and 57 RBIs.  But that season, he played with the Marlins.  It was not until 2003 that he joined the Red Sox.  It would make more sense for Millar to appear on a 2003 or 2004 design. 

Some Fan Favorites Autos

I have said many times on this blog that the Fan Favorites autographs are probably my favorite ongoing autograph set.  I have lately been considering going back after all of them, including the 2003-2005 cards that were a parallel to a base set.  Of course that will be difficult, and possibly expensive.  I missed out on a few Carl Yastrzemski autos that were short-printed and very hard to find.  But, I will give it a try.

For this post, I have three out of the four cards from this year, and one from 2018 to show off.  This year, Topps put together a very intriguing checklist of players.  It is full of retired players, which was supposed to be the point of the Fan Favorites in the first place.  No rookies, no current stars.  And even more interesting is that most of these players are from the 1980's and 1990's, so they are players that I grew up watching.  I love it.  Even the non-Red Sox cards are intriguing as there are such players I remember from my childhood as Benito Santiago, Danny Tartabull, Tom Henke, Dante Bichette, Bob Walk and more.  And of course I love the four Red Sox cards.

Well, enough of that, here is the scan:

1.  Bernie Carbo.  Carbo retired the year before I was born, so I never saw him play.  He was mostly an extra outfielder, who had some pop in his bat.  He hit a huge pinch-hit three-run home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series that ultimately set up the Fisk homer.  Carbo appears on a 1974 Topps design, which is appropriate as it was his first season in Boston.  However, the photo is clearly from 1975 or later, since he has the red helmet.  1974 was a good season for Carbo as he hit .249/.364/.414 with 12 home runs and 61 RBIs.  However, I would have preferred a 1975 design, because it is a better-looking design, the photo is more likely from 1975 and Carbo had his best his best season with the Red Sox then.

2.  Marty Barrett.  This is the 2018 card.  Barrett was mostly done as a Major Leaguer when I started watching baseball, having suffered a debilitating knee injury, but I did get a bunch of cards of him right away.  Barrett appears on a 1986 Topps design.  Barrett of course had a terrific postseason in 1986 gathering 24 hits combined in the ALCS and World Series.  He was the ALCS MVP.  Barrett also received some down-ballot MVP votes that year and had his best season in the Majors.  He hit .286/.353/.381 with 94 runs scored, 179 hits, 29 doubles, four home runs, 60 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.  Barrett previously appeared in the 2005 set, which I own.  It was a 1987 design that year.

3.  Rich Gedman.  I had to grab this card as soon as I saw it.  It is Gedman's first certified auto card that I am aware of.  I missed Gedman playing for Boston as he was traded during the season before I started watching, and he was well past his prime.  I am a huge fan anyway.  Gedman appears on a 1985 design, which was his best season, even if he hit more home runs in 1984.  Gedman appeared in his first All Star game in 1985 as he hit .295/.362/.484 with 18 home runs, 80 RBIs and 30 doubles.  He received some minor MVP consideration that year as well.

4.  Jose Offerman.  I am not quite sure Offerman qualifies as a fan favorite.  He was not well-liked to my recollection and had the unenviable task of essentially replacing true fan favorite Mo Vaughn in the lineup.  He started off pretty well though and actually had the higher WAR in 1999.  Offerman appears on a 2001 design, which is kind of over-used.  It also does not really work for him as Offerman hit just .267/.342/.374 with nine home runs, 76 runs scored, 49 RBIs and five stolen bases.  That's five, for a guy who stole 45 the year before he came to Boston.  1999 would have been a better design as he hit .294/.391/.435, scored 107 runs, walked 96 times and led the league with eleven triples.

These won't be the last Fan Favorites autos in the short term, there are a couple more coming.  I do still have a list of players I want to see in future Fan Favorites set.  How about Rick Burleson, Butch Hobson, Bruce Hurst, Tony Armas, Jody Reed, Tony Pena, Mo Vaughn, John Valentin, Reggie Jefferson, Mike Stanley, Tom Gordon, Trot Nixon, Johnny Damon, Bill Mueller, Pokey Reese, Mike Lowell, Hideki Okajima and Koji Uehara?  And of course, there is Jason Varitek.  So Topps, get on those players.  Or at least some of them. 

Fan Favorites and a Pink Refractor

I mentioned in a previous post that I did not quite get everything from one deal.  Today, that last card made it to my mailbox:

It is a toss-up between Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers as to which player has been Boston's MVP this season.  I am inclined to lean toward Bogaerts personally because Devers has been a little more probe to slumping and his defense is still a work in progress.  That being said, Devers has been a terrific hitter this year and with his youth, could still get even better.  Hopefully Boston will make it a priority to hold on to him for years to come.  

Up next is a Fan Favorites parallel:

Dave Roberts never did a lot in Boston.  He played in just 45 games with the Red Sox down the stretch in 2004, yet he did something that completely changed the course of the 2004 ALCS by stealing second off of Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada.  That stolen base set up the greatest comeback in baseball history.  And for that one moment, Roberts is an absolute legend in Boston.

Incidentally, this photo comes from when he scored the tying run in the bottom of the 9th on a Bill Mueller single up the middle after stealing second.

Mailday Roundup: Vintage, Fan Favorites, and More

Several packages came in the mail recently and I decided to throw them together into one post.  There is a wide assortment of stuff here.

1961 Fleer Baseball Greats Howard Ehmke.  I'm not sure Fleer knew what "Greats" meant with this set.  There are a number of out-of-leftfield picks and Ehmke is certainly one of them.  Ehmke had a 166-166 record and a 3.75 ERA playing mostly in the 1910's/1920's.  He was the best pitcher for the Red Sox for a few years and had a 20-win season.  He also threw a no-hitter.  I'm not 100% sure this card shows Ehmke with the Red Sox, but his socks appear to be red, so I'm counting it.

2019 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs.  When I saw this on the checklist, I knew I needed to grab it.  It was between it and the Jerry Remy, though I was somewhat disappointed to see that the Remy was not from his playing days with Boston, which also would have qualified.  Gomes had several big moments in the 2013 World Championship run and will always be remembered for that season.  I do wish Archives would go back to choosing years that are more representative for the players on their Fan Favorites cards.  2001 makes no sense, this should be a 2013 design.

This was a trade for some needed inserts from Heritage High Numbers.  Up first is the purple chrome refractor of Nathan Eovaldi.  Eovaldi is having a rough season but was a huge pickup last year.  Up next are a trio of Award Winners.  Mookie Betts was the AL MVP.  Steve Pearce was the World Series MVP, going down as an obscure winner.  And J.D. Martinez won the Hank Aaron Award for best hitter.  He is having a monster season this year too.

And finally, there is one big trade with mostly team set needs.  I love the JBJ card that shows the aftermath of an amazing catch.

And more singles.  There are a couple of World Series highlight cards here, including the moment the team won the World Series.

And last but not least, this Mitch Moreland card, which would not fit into the other scans.

Two Trades, Two Aces

I finally got my tradelist updated and began working out some deals again.  It has been a long time and there are a LOT of holes in my collection from this year in particular.  I received two packages today and one of them helps with the 2019 needs.  The other one is much older, but still terrific.  Both packages contained a single card and both of them were cards of ace starting pitchers who helped the Red Sox to a World Series.

Here is the 2005 Topps Fan Favorites Autograph of Jim Lonborg, the Red Sox ace during the Impossible Dream season and Boston's first Cy Young Award winner.  I need to go back and pick up a bunch of the old Fan Favorites autos.  This Lonborg is awesome as it shows his high leg kick windup.  Lonborg unfortunately injured his leg skiing in the offseason after the 1967 season and was never quite as impressive again.

And this is the 2019 Topps Heritage short-printed Chris Sale card, who was the ace of the 2018 World Championship team.  Sale has not won a Cy Young Award, yet, but he has often been one of the best pitchers in the game.  That was certainly true last season.

I Love Fan Favorites Autos

Finally, I managed to grab one of 2018's Red Sox Fan Favorites autos.  Though it is not the one I wanted the most, it was definitely one of the cards I focused on:

This is the Mike Timlin card.  Timlin spent six seasons in Boston, primarily as a setup man, though he was briefly the team's closer in 2005.  Timlin was a steady presence in the Red Sox bullpen, only once pitching in fewer than 50 games and generally turning in decent ERAs.  He was a part of two World Championship teams in Boston (plus two more in Toronto).  He was one of the better setup men in the game during his time with the Red Sox.

The card I wanted the most, and am still seeking is Dave Roberts.  The other note I feel like I should bring up is that I do not really care for the use of the set designs these days.  I liked it better when Topps would use set designs that were relevant to the player and the time he played for the team with whom he was depicted.  For example, 2001 Topps does not make sense with Timlin with the Red Sox.  He was with the Cardinals in 2001.  It would have made a lot more sense to put him in a 2003 to 2008 design.  Roberts and Keith Foulke are also showed with 2001 designs.  Derek Lowe is as well, but that is acceptable.  I would like to see a return to the Fan Favorites sets.

"You Keep Using That Word. I Do Not Think it Means What You Think it Means."

That quote of course comes from The Princess Bride, one of the few decent chick flicks ever.  But I am not talking about the meaning of "inconceivable" here, I am specifically calling Topps out on their Fan Favorites autograph insert set.  And my evidence is this:

That's right: Carl Everett.  This is the red parallel and is numbered to 50.  Everett is the only Red Sox card in the Fan Favorites autograph set.  I applaud Topps for thinking outside the box here.  I never would have guessed Carl Everett would appear in this set.  Nevertheless, it is a new Red Sox card, a player I don't see much on cardboard anymore, and therefore, I had to get something.  Still, I would have preferred to see someone like Jason Varitek.

Everett spent two years in Boston from 2000 to 2001.  I was early in my college years at that time and I remember his stint very well.  And I have to say, he was pretty much the exact opposite of a fan favorite.  Now, I was something of a Carl Everett apologist, but even I could not keep coming to his defense, because it seemed that every few weeks, something else was going on.  He was missing the bus in Spring Training, getting into fights with teammates, coaches, managers, or reporters, headbutting umpires, and just generally making an ass of himself.  All of that could have been forgiven if he was hitting, but apart from a terrific first half of the 2000 season which saw him named to the All Star team, Everett was not hitting enough to make up for the issues.  He was eventually traded to the Rangers in a trade of bad contracts for Darren Oliver, who could not even finish his one season with Boston.  Everett did have one good season in 2000, and that is how I prefer to remember him, but it is very hard to forget "Jurassic Carl".

Huge Catch Up Post Featuring a Hot Corner Trade, Platinum Break, and Tradebait

I was on vacation for several days and when I came back the customary large number of packages were waiting for me.  So I have been a bit behind.  Well let's get into it.

Up first was a trade from the forums.  I gave up some Bryce Harper cards that I had no use for and some other stuff for a couple of nice 90's inserts.

1.  1997 Sports Illustrated Extra Edition Roger Clemens.  This is from the cover subset and is serial-numbered to 500 because it is the parallel set.  I had one of these once a few years ago that was also Roger Clemens, but since it had a Blue Jays logo on the back it did not find its way into my Red Sox collection.  I actually have the issue of the magazine that this card is a reprint of.  I used to collect the occasonal magazine with Red Sox on the cover.  Clemens was one of the biggest Red Sox stars when I first started collecting.

2.  1996 Ultra Diamond Producers Mo Vaughn.  This is a nice insert of The Hit Dog.  Mo Vaughn was a favorite player of mine for several years.  He was the rare power hitter who struck out a lot, yet still hit over .300 pretty much every year.  I was heartbroken when he left, even moreso than Wade Boggs or Roger Clemens.  Much of the reason for this is probably due to the fact that I got to watch him develop into a star.  Boggs and Clemens were already stars when I started collecting.

Up next is an Ebay win:

3.  2009 SP Legendary Cuts Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd.  This was #1 on my Top 10 Most Wanted.  I was very excited to find this on Ebay.  I have wanted it for a long time.  Boyd had a few nice seasons for Boston.  Of course it is his nickname that has really made him memorable.

Another forum trade:

4.  2013 Topps Target Red Border Felix Doubront.  His last two starts have been pretty bad, but he has had a nice season.  I got this for a Mets Bowman parallel.  Not bad one for one trade.

And another forum trade:

5.  1976 Topps Ted Williams.  It is a nice vintage card of The Splendid Splinter.  It's from 1976 so it is not real old, but I consider stuff from before my birth vintage personally.  I got this for a Tigers Chrome orange refractor of Justin Turner.

And for the last forum trade of the day, I gave up a bunch of A's cards for this nice group:

6.  2004 Leaf Certified Cuts Marble Blue Trot Nixon.  The original dirt dog.  I liked these parallels.  I have a lot of Variteks from this set, but not much from other players.  I figured it was about time to add something.

7.  2005 Absolute Memorabilia Marks of Fame Luis Aparicio.  Yes Louie played for Boston for the last three years of his career.  He made the All Star team a couple of times for them too, but he was clearly past his prime.  Around 2004 to 2005 though Donruss/Leaf/Playoff made a ton of cards of him for the Red Sox for some bizarre reason.  But I won't argue, it's fun getting Hall of Famer cards.

8.  2009 UD A Piece of History Franchise History Turquoise Jason Varitek.  The rare Varitek that I did not already have.  I have the non-parallel version, but I go for as many Variteks as I can possibly get.  It seems unlikely but possible that I could get to 1,000 different cards of him.  Currently I am at 874.

10.  1993 Select Chase Rookies Bob Zupcic.  These cards were highly valued at the time they came out.  I had forgotten this existed.  Zupcic did not have a long career, but he had a couple of nice seasons in 1992 and 1993 for Boston.  I saw him play once when he was with the White Sox.  I did not see my first Red Sox game in person until 1997.

While I was on vacation I had a box of 2013 Bowman Platinum in my hand at Wal Mart in Wyoming.  I decided against buying cards on vacation, but it was a difficult decision.  Sometimes I like to try my luck at places away from home to see if I am any luckier.  When I got home I did buy a blaster.  It was a smart move:

11.  2013 Bowman Platinum Prospects Xander Bogaerts.  He was called up today.  Bogaerts is the most highly-anticipated Red Sox prospect since Hanley Ramirez.  Hopefully Boston will hang on to him.

12.  2013 Bowman Platinum Prospects Autograph Keury De La Cruz.  Wow.  I actually pulled a Red Sox autograph out of this blaster.  I did not expect that.  This is only the third Red Sox autograph I have pulled out of a pack.  De La Cruz is developing into a decent prospect.  Time will tell if he makes it.  I loved this blaster break.

13.  2013 Bowman Platinum Prospects Matt Barnes.  And another top prospect for Boston.  Barnes is Boston's top pitching prospect.

Next was a trade with Patrick from Hot Corner Cards.  I noticed he had a particular autograph that I wanted and I have built up a surplus of Tigers cards.

14.  2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autograph Ellis Burks.  I now only need the Lynn auto.  Next to the Dennis Boyd, this was the autograph I wanted the most.  Burks was one of my early favorite players.  And this is the first Red Sox auto of him.  He did not even have a game-used card before.

15.  2013 Topps Opening Day Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  I was very happy to see this card.  I have been looking for it for awhile.  Salty has so few cards.  I try to get them when I can.

16.  2013 Topps Heritage John Lackey.  Lackey has been pitching well this season.  This was the last non-SP I needed from this set.

17.  Vintage Sports Cards Game-Used Manny Ramirez.  I have no idea what this thing is.  I am happy to add it to my collection though.

Thanks Pat!  Hope to trade again. 

And finally another Ebay win:

18.  2001 Aramark Jimmy Collins.  These cards were available one per game in Spring Training 2001 and are kind of hard  to find.  There are 16 in the set covering some of the biggest stars in franchise history, and I previously had a few.  Collins was one of the first Boston stars and was their first manager.  He is also in the Hall of Fame.  

19.  2001 Aramark Johnny Pesky.  This was the card that lead to me buying these three cards.  I was reading a biography on Pesky while on vacation.  He was a fascinating player, a singles hitter who lead the AL in hits his first three seasons.  

20.  2001 Aramark Dom DiMaggio.  Joe's younger brother was a standout himself for Boston in center field.  He could have been a Hall of Famer had he not missed three seasons in WWII service.

The last mail package is a non Red Sox card.  I won this Trevor Bauer autograph on Topps's Chase promotion.  I am not sure when.  I wish it had been a Red Sox, but no big deal.  I would love to trade it for a nice Red Sox auto, particularly if anyone has the Shane Victorino or other harder-to-find Red Sox cards.

And finally the tradebait from the Bowman Platinum Blaster.  If anyone sees anything they like, let me know.   I am always willing to trade for Red Sox.

Autograph Mailday

Well I turned my Dylan Bundy autograph into something pretty nice.  Behold:

1.  2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autograph Mike Greenwell.  Greenwell was a favorite player of mine early on in my Red Sox fandom.  The left-fielder finished second in the AL MVP race when he racked up 23 game-winning RBIs and had a stellar season.  He was never quite that good again, though he did have a nice career.

2.  2012 Topps Tribute Autographs Sepia Dustin Pedroia.  Of course Pedroia is arguably Boston's best current player.  There really is not much else to say.  This is also serial-numbered 35/35.

I would say the loss of the Bundy auto is well worth it for these two cards.

Two Card Mailday

It was a short mailday on Tuesday with two cards, both from Ebay wins.  

Up first is a 1996 Finest Refractor card of Kevin Mitchell.  Mitchell had a very short stint with the Red Sox and was dealt to the Reds at the trading deadline.  He had a decent average but did not play much and did not hit for much power either.  Still though, it is kind of cool to get Red Sox cards of the former NL MVP.

And next is a 2012 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autograph of Bill Lee.  This is my third autograph card of Spaceman.  He previously appeared in 2003 Topps Fan Favorites and 1999 Sports Illustrated Greats of the Game. 

Baseball Card Spotlight: Topps Fan Favorites

One of my favorite sets of all time was the Topps Fan Favorites sets. Topps had been doing Archives for a couple of years and then decided to take things in a slightly different direction. The decision was to continue with the idea of Archives, but to feature cards of players who were fan favorites and put new pictures on old card designs. The idea was fresh and original. The company also decided to include autograph versions of most of the cards. The players were a collection of stars, minor stars, and players who were beloved by the fans. 2003 As I mentioned, I really liked this set. I bought three retail boxes of the 2003 set and eventually compiled all of the Red Sox from the set in those boxes, not often that I can do that. The Red Sox that year included: 21 Carlton Fisk 48 Dwight Evans 54 Luis Tiant 73 Jim Piersall 77 Fred Lynn 78 Jim Rice 121 Carl Yastrzemski 147 Wade Boggs All of those players also have autographs in the set. But then there was a card that did not have a non-autographed base version, Bill Lee.There were also game-used cards of Jim Rice and Fred Lynn in the set. The only disappointment I had was that the original autograph checklist included Oil Can Boyd and Mike Greenwell, who were never actually released. 2004 The next year, the company released another set. That year, the team set for the Red Sox was not nearly as large, only four cards this time. 17 George Scott 75 Carl Yastrzemski 103 Dennis Eckersley 112 Jim Rice I bought a hobby box of this product and it was pretty easy to get all of the Red Sox this time. I also managed to get the George Scott autograph card in the box. 2005 2005 was the last year Topps produced Fan Favorites. It was the only year I did not pick up any packs of the set, so I bought all the cards myself. The set was more varied for the Red Sox this year, and there were more than in 2004, but not as many as 2003. The Red Sox team set was: 69 Jim Lonborg 78 Carl Yastrzemski 97 Johnny Pesky 101 Marty Barrett 125 Wade Boggs 141 Theo Epstein The inclusion of Epstein was definitely interesting. I bought the autograph card of Marty Barrett. Unfortunately, Topps stopped doing Fan Favorites the next year. I would have liked to see them continue as it was a great set. Some players I wanted to see: Mike Greenwell Oil Can Boyd Bruce Hurst Ellis Burks Reggie Smith Jackie Jensen Ted Williams Frank Malzone Dick Radatz Dom DiMaggio Ken Harrelson Tony Conigliaro Rico Petrocelli

Game-Used/Autograph Pack Pulls

I might as well go ahead and get this out of the way now. Over the years, I have only gotten seven game-used or autograph Red Sox cards in packs. Probably not the least of any team, certainly not the most. I do not have any real way of keeping track since I have sold or traded most of my other ones. I do know that only one of my Red Sox cards holds a candle to some of the other stuff I have pulled. I have gotten Barry Bonds and two Derek Jeter autograph cards. So here's a picture. If you click it, you can see a larger picture:1. TED WILLIAMS: 2002 FLEER CLASSIC CUTS (BAT) This was the very first game-used Red Sox card I pulled, and it's a great one. I bought a hobby box of 2002 Fleer at the local hobby shop, thinking it was inexpensive and I would probably get something decent out of it. I had no idea it would be a Ted Williams game-used bat card. I had not gotten a Williams game-used before because they were more expensive than I was willing to pay. This is my all-time favorite pull. 2. JIM RICE: 2003 FLAIR GREATS HOME TEAM CUTS (BAT) This one I kind of saw coming. I picked up one of the special Red Sox boxes of 2003 Flair Greats with the additional pack of all Red Sox. I knew I would be getting something. Jim Rice is a recent Hall of Famer, although he was not at the time I got this. The Home Team box was a great idea that I wish they would have done more with. 3. MANNY RAMIREZ: 2003 FLEER AUTHENTIX HOME TOWN HEROES (JERSEY) See above. Fleer Authentix did the same thing. This time, the players were currently active and I got Manny Ramirez. 4. GEORGE SCOTT: 2004 TOPPS ALL TIME FAN FAVORITES AUTOGRAPH (AUTOGRAPH) Fan Favorites is one of my favorite sets. After compiling the 2003 team set through retail blasters, I decided with the smaller team set in 2004 to just buy one hobby box. I also wanted a better shot at autographs. There was one autograph card each year that I really wanted for the Red Sox. In 2004 my pick was George Scott, I was shocked when I actually pulled it in a pack. 5. CARL YASTRZEMSKI: 2005 ARTIFACTS AL ARTIFACTS (JERSEY) I bought a hobby box of 2005 Artifacts. This was one of the big pulls, though not the biggest. With this Yaz jersey, I completed the trifecta of the major Red Sox left-fielders. 6. DAVID ORTIZ: 2005 FLEER CLASSIC CLIPPINGS GAME WORN JERSEY COLLECTION (JERSEY) This one was taken from a retail blaster. Each blaster had one in it, I was lucky to get a Red Sox in mine. 7. KRIS JOHNSON: 2006 BOWMAN STERLING (AUTOGRAPH) One day I decided to spring for a pack of 2006 Bowman Sterling. Incredibly expensive packs had something like two autos and a game-used. One of my autos was this 2006 draft pick. Johnson is doing reasonably well in the minors and may make it to Boston in late 2011.