Random Wax: 2021-2022 Hoops Blaster

21-22 Hoops:   Stephen Curry and the Warriors are back on track for the playoffs which start this weekend.  There's a little more hair on this version of Steph than what we are used to today.

I picked up this blaster in May of 2022.  As always, it can be quite random as to when I finally get around to sharing cards so here we are almost three years later.  Great pull in this box amongst the veterans.  Back then, we didn't see Donovan Mitchell going to the Cleveland and taking them to the #1 seed in Eastern conference.

Jared Butler has had a solid career in a reserve role while Toscano-Anderson had some fun moments with the Warriors on their run to the 2022 Championship.  David Johnson is on a Red Parallel #/75 while Butler's card is a Blue Parallel

Great photo on the CJ McCollum card which is to be expected on Lights Camera Action inserts.

Paul felt long in the tooth even back then.  He's been around forever.  Fox and Booker are no longer youngsters but they are still great players in the league.  I picked up quite a bit of this set when it came out.

That Purple Parallel goes great with Bam Adebayo and his Heat alternate uni.  Tre Man has had a good career and is averaging 14 a game for the Hornets this year.  Lonzo Ball's career has taken him to New Orleans and is now in Chicago still trying to play a healthy season.  That is my Rookie Remembrance relic.

LaMelo on the other hand has been nothing short of great and one of the best young players in the league.  He's averaging a career high 25 points per game this season.

And we finish it off with a bang.  Klay was no longer needed in Golden State and is a Maverick.  Sounds like Dame's injury won't be as bad as feared in Milwaukee.  Luka is now a Laker and KAT is killing it with the Knicks.  Great KAT photo as well.  So many fun cards and the play-in games start today.

BREAKDOWN:

88 – Total Cards

13 – RC

3 – Blue Parallel

2 – Lights Camera Action

1 - Skyview

1 – Class of 2021

1 – Pure Players

1 – Purple Parallel

1 – Slam Magazine

1 – Red Parallel #/75

1 – Rookie Remembrance Relic

Random Wax: 2022 Score Football

2022 Score:  It's fun looking back at Brett Favre's career.  Crazy good stats and career, he could be a guy you loved or hated, and he was always fun press.   These are great inserts.

Not a favorite design of mine but there are times I'll look at it and say it isn't too bad.  

Jameson Williams, on the Throwback Rookie insert, has done better every season with the Lions and it feels like he's in a good spot to continue that trend.

I'm always a fan of Huddle Up inserts.  Something about getting the entire offense in the photos.

A Red Parallel Daniel Jones.  Wow, how the landscape of the tier 2 quarterbacks, and below, has changed since 2022.

Celebration inserts give us some nice horizontal photos as well as some fun as players celebrate.  I like rain and snow photos as well.

More youngsters.  Jalen Tolbert had his best season of his Cowboys career having 49 receptions and 600+ yards in 2024.

Really cool look on these Sack Attack inserts.  And great photo and an all-time great in Aaron Donald. 

Retired greats are always fun.  Fun pack of cards.  Have a good Sunday!

BREAKDOWN:
40 – Total Cards
6 – RC
5 – Retired Greats
4 – Huddle Up
3 – PROtential
3 – Celebration
2 – Red Parallel
1 – Sack Attack
1 – First Ballot
1 – Throwback Rookie

McFarlane Tim Duncan Figure

I tend to share McFarlane's DC action figures more than I ever do their sports figures but I do love their sports figures just as much.  This Tim Duncan figure was released in 2002.  I'm a Duncan fan like so many others.  He's called The Big Fundamental.  He wasn't flashy but everything he did, he did amazingly well.

    We see a classic Spurs look here.  Duncan's arms and head will move though there really isn't much you can do with his arms that makes him look right.

The back is good again showing the look we're used to.  I took the grandsons to I Had That in Belleville, IL during the Christmas timeframe.  Found Duncan for under $20.  He is used and not in perfect condition, but I had to have it.  You can see a few imperfections on the back of his jersey.

The base is fine with Duncan's name and the Spurs logo.  I don't get why they face opposing directions though in the end it really doesn't matter.

You can see I move his head here, but it doesn't look right.  I think that since they have enough detail on the neck area, which is great, that it just doesn't work well when you turn the head.

There are other McFarlane Tim Duncan figures.  While Timmy dribbling isn't a look I think of when I think of him, I probably won't chase the others.  You can see a Tim Duncan shirt in the background.  I bought that after watching the amazing 2013 Spurs-Heat NBA Finals on TV with my sisters while visiting them in Texas.

An outside shot just for a little different look.  NBA Playoffs start next week so this felt like a fun post leading up to those.  

2024-2025 Donruss Basketball Blaster

24-25 Donruss:  These are hitting the shelves, and I couldn't resist.  Wemby is out for the year but it sounds like he'll be on track to start next year.  He was the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year before going out with the injury.

Really nice pull in this box.  Lots of key players in the upcoming playoffs.  Can't wait.  I like this year's design.  It feels like Donruss and while not perfect is pretty good.  I do think they could have put the team logo in the triangle to gain back a little space up top.

That Salaun is a Holo Purple Laser Parallel #/99 while Bronny is on a Holo Green Laser Parallel.  None of these three have made an impact on the NBA yet.

More youngsters.  There's really not much to The Rookies cards but I like it.  I also like Great X-Pectations which has #1 pick Zaccharie Risacher.  I'm not sure what he'll be in the NBA but I like this card.

I think of shooters when I think of Bomb Squad, but I won't complain about big guys on them.  Good look to these inserts.

Some nice photos.  And nice hair on Scoot.

The backs are bland but at least there is some color.  Donovan Mitchell maybe defines Franchise Feature.  Bland insert which needs something to snazz it up.

Kawhi is healthy and the Clippers play really good defense.  Not sure they can make any noise in the playoffs, but they have been a surprise team this season.  Ja does conjur up some magic on the floor.  I like the look and colors on that Magicians insert.

BREAKDOWN:
90 – Total Cards
16 – Rated Rookie
3 – Holo Green Laser
2 – Bomb Squad
1 – Magicians
1 – The Rookies
1 – Franchise Features
1 – Great X-Pectations
1 – Holo Purple Laser #/99

Random Wax: 3Bros Baseball Pack

3Bros Baseball: Pedro is a favorite of mine.  He had some truly amazing seasons.  And a great personality.  Never one to shy away from a microphone.  He's also been a good analyst when given the opportunity.

This is the last of the four packs I purchased in 2022 at Dollar Tree.  They come with random baseball cards and plenty of fun.  You just don't know what you'll get.  Like this nice looking 2001 Fleer Triple Crown Charles Johnson card.

There is junk wax in these but that is still fun for $1.

What the packs looked like.

3Bros has an online store here.  Sparky looking like the wise veteran while Danny Heep looks like he is in high school.

Pozo had a total of 74 at bats in the majors and left with a .189 average while John Kruk was lots of fun and finished his career with a .300 average.  Three hall of famers in this pack and plenty of fun.  There are cards from across the eras and enough here that I'd buy more if I came across them.

BREAKDOWN:
10 – Total Cards
5 – 90s Cards
3 – 80s Cards
2 – 00s Cards
1 – Sticker
1 – Hall of Famer

 

Random Wax: 1990 Score Football

 

1990 Score: Boomer led the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl in 1988 and had a really good career.  He was a 4X Pro Bowl selection and 1X All-Pro.  He twice threw for over 3,500 yards and 28 touchdowns.

1990 Score is an easy one to like.  The design is fairly simple but seems to work even without the team logo.  I do wish the colors had matched the team's colors more in line like that Steve Deberg card.  It was time to show off this pack whose scans have been gathering dust since 2021.  Two Eagle Hall of Famers here.

The backs were great and were fun in terms of design and color compared to Topps cards.  The tradeoff is the lack of career stats.

Great Vance Johnson photo and I do remember him doing that in games.  Fun cards and I wouldn't mind picking up more of these someday.  And no, I did not know the answer to the trivia question.

BREAKDOWN:
15 – Total Cards
1 – Top Gun
1 – Ground Force
1 – Super Bowl Trivia

Random Wax: 1991-1992 Topps Stadium Club Hockey

91-92 Stadium Club:   First hockey pack of the year and we'll go old school.  Luc Robitaille played 14 seasons for the Los Angeles Kings but won a championship with the Detroit Red Wings.  He made the All-Star team eight times and is a member of the NHL Hall of Fame.  

Topps rolled out Stadium Club in 1991 across the sports, maybe in response to Upper Deck taking trading cards to a different level.  Plenty of good photos even on simple headshots like the Kirk Muller here.

Not enough stats on the backs for a Topps offering but it's still nice and colorful with a photo of the player's rookie card which is really cool.

I'm not a hockey expert but I enjoy hockey cards.  I think when done right, they can be some of the best in the hobby.

I just don't think of Topps hockey cards from the 80s but the photo here shows the '84 set followed a somewhat similar design as the 1983 Topps baseball design and there isn't anything wrong with that. 

Also get some nice horizontal offerings in the set and I like this photo.  It's not in game and just something different but still relevant.  I'll do more hockey later this year and look forward to it.

BREAKDOWN:

12 – Total Cards

1 – Hall of Famers