My Last Trip to the Card Aisle For a While.

       This week got all messed up and never recovered.  I had Taco Tuesday on Monday, Spaghetti Wednesday on Tuesday, I saw an old friend on Wednesday making that Throwback Thursday and I ran all my Thursday errands on Friday.  I needed all weekend just to figure it all out.

My Thursday errands on Friday found me in Target and wouldn't you know it, I couldn't stay away from the card aisle.

I wasn't going to buy any more Archives but I remembered something this time that I had forgotten last time...

Coupons!  I still had my two coupon books from series one, which as you can see from above, included the hard-to-resist $5- off of series two.  Plus I got some Oreos because Oreos.  Sadly, these are the end of my coupons.

Let's take a look at what came in each of those boxes of series 2.  While I enjoyed the design of this year's Topps flagship, just about everything else underwhelms...

More of the inserts that I don't care much about.  More parallels, though instead of yellow they went with burnt orange, which will make for a very interesting look for anyone who decided to put together that set.  I got one Met in this box and one rookie cup.  I like that Mike Napoli and I have the same beard and I also got a Nelson Cruz to taunt me since the Mets could have signed him all winter and instead they got Chris Young.  Shoot me now. 

Box number two is more of the same...

Old faces in new places, one whole Met, same old inserts, and I got Target red parallels instead of burnt orange ones.  Since I am not building the set, I guess my enthusiasm is very muted.  Those Phillips and Reddick cards will have to supply my joy.  I do like the inclusion of the Saber Stars inserts - a little learnin' goes a long way.

If you are building series 2, drop me an email with your want list, I have about 100 base cards that would love to find a proper home.  Plus, any of the inserts you see are available as well.

My feelings about Topps Archives was pretty strong this year, I don't think I need to rehash.  Sadly, the packs didn't agree with me and gave me doubles of doubles I already had - those are, you know, triples.  If only I was an Astros fan.

I did get a current Mets player this time around and a few new faux-vintage players that I like.  I also was intrigued by the dusky sunset on that Andre Rienzo, you don't see that much on a baseball card.  I also pulled a retro Future Star of Ron Gant and a Major League movie card of Roger Dorn, but that is too little too late. 

Finally, here is a photo I promised in that Archives post:

You'll find this picture has everything: the bottom of my aforementioned epic beard, my fancy new Reggie Jackson A's jersey, and my Reggie short print from Archives that matches the jersey perfectly.  If you squint hard enough, you can plainly see that Mr. October and I are practically twins.

Feeling Blue.

       There is nothing better in this world than watching the Mets go into Yankees Stadium for two days and beat up on the Bronx Bombers by a cumulative footballish 21-14.  There is nothing more depressing than watching the Mets come home for two games and get shutout twice in a row, 4-0 and 1-0.  Because it happened in that order, I am very bummed out indeed.

These blue parallels from this year perfectly capture my mood.  It is a rainy, gray, disgusting Friday morning and it is only gonna get rainier and muggier. 

Of course, last night, my rage may have gotten the best of me.  I woke up this morning and saw what I posted on facebook...

I hope Fred Wilpon is happy with his billion dollar white elephant of a ballpark and the crappy team he has built on the cheap who can't score in it. If there are any terrorist organizations training their members to fly planes into targets, I have a brilliant idea for you. Let me know when you plan the operation so I can show up with marshmallows and maybe to piss on the ashes.

Yikes. 

She Comes In Colours Everywhere...

....She's like a rainbow.

Behold the first rainbow page I have ever made using just one product (I have cheated before and used Topps and Topps Chrome combined).  2014 Topps has so many parallels, I had different cards to choose from.  Going left to right, top to bottom we have: Walmart blue, Toys 'r' Us purple, Target red, Camo, base, gold, red hot, green, retail yellow.  If I felt like breaking the bank, I could have gone platinum, pink, or clear as well.   Come to think of it, I might break down and buy a pink one just to break up the two reds.  I chose Juan Lagares because I like this photo and I think he has a chance to be a good outfielder for a long time.  I chose the Rolling Stones as the title of this post with great trepidation as Dio would also fit perfectly.  Maybe for series 2.

Night Owl Trade Post #8000.

     I have lost track of all the jiffy packs and PWEs I have sent to upstate New York for Night Owl.  Our constant trading alone should be keeping the USPS in business.  While I am sure the number isn't quite 8000, I am sure it's gotta be about 50.  He also posts my stuff a lot more constantly that I post his, but that is why he has the best card blog on the block and why mine is merely a curiosity to about a dozen of you. 

So anyway, after busting my 2014 Topps packs and putting aside all the nifty Dodgers cards, I packed up those and a few other cards we had negotiated for and in return, I got what is promised to be "part 1."

Pretty sweet "part" if you ask me.  I got the last 2014 Zack Wheeler TFIN insert I needed, a great Matt Harvey insert (who am I kidding, all Matt Harvey inserts are great), and a couple Walmart parallels that I will never get on my own.  Not forgetting the Kaz Matsui rookie I didn't own and a super sweet David Cone jersey piece with a pinstripe and a low serial number, though anyone who reads Night Owl (which is everyone) knows how he now feels about jersey cards.  While I am a skeptic, I also am compelled to touch fuzzy things, so you can send them all to me if you want. 

Oh, and he bipped me.

Mutherfucker.  Last laugh is mine, though, I am putting these nine "devilish" Mickey Hatcher cards into my nine of a kind pages.  Nice try, Night Owl, nice try.  I eagerly look forward to part 2.

Going Dutch.

     This is not my first international trade, as Canada insists upon being a different country.  This is not even my first overseas trade, as I have sent Red Sox to England.  But this is my very first trade with continental Europe so I guess that is something.  I am, of course, talking about everyone's favorite Dutch card guy, um, The Dutch Card Guy.  In keeping with yesterday's 2014 Topps trades, I noticed when he posted about his newest flagship break that he got a 1970 Topps Ron Swoboda with the Topps 75 logo.  I did not get any of these classic pulls in my packs, so I inquired about it, offering a couple of Glavine numbered cards as bait.  The Dutch Card Guy immediately took me up on the offer.  He also said he would take a look at my want lists and augment the deal...

Proving European folk are much more polite than us American folks, he really really augmented:

He sent a bunch of players from my player want lists.  And I mean a bunch.  Here you see almost enough Stephen Strasburg cards to make a page all by themselves.  That's one page off the list.  That Justin Upton card helps, but he is still on the list.

You see here a block from the AL East:

Those Boggs cards will complete his second page.  The Bautista and Buchholz cards come close to finishing their player pages and that Team USA WBC card completes Pedroia's page.  That's three. 

Now we go to Cincinnati:

The Aroldis Chapman cards find places on his incomplete page and all those Jay Bruce cards more than finish off his page.  That's four.

He sent enough David Price cards for a whole page alone with one to spare:

So that's five.

Lastly, he sent a Ty Cobb which knock off his page in my Hall of Fame books - so that makes six player pages completed in one trade.  That might be a record, though I have not kept total track of such occurrences.  He also generously included a couple of Bryce Harper cards, which I keep on that want list page just to remind myself I need them, not expecting anyone to actually send them.  And yet, there they are.

DCG also included a few great oddball non-sports cards and some (I assume) Dutch soccer stickers.  Excuse me, football (pfft, I am such an American).  And very lastly, you see the card that kicked off this wonderful package, the 1970 Ron Swoboda with the Topps 75 logo.  All I can say about all this is wow!  My last bit of shame here is I have not even sent out the package I have for DCG, but it gives me the opportunity to add some goodies for his collection.   Dank u, Jeroen. (yes, I had to look that up on Google).

Double Trade Post*

*in which I am grateful for my trade partners' generosity and then a dick about their idiosyncrasies.

I am way behind in my trade posts so I am gonna try to tackle them all this week and I am going to start by taking care of two of them, both dealing with two first time traders and new Topps cards. 

First comes a wonderful swap with Gavin of Baseball Card Breakdown.  During the flurry of 2014 Topps posts, I noticed he had posted a Red Target Zack Wheeler parallel and dropped him a line saying I would love to have it.  He immediately got back to me and we were off and running.  He sent that wonderful Wheeler and a few other goodies.

The first was a chrome card of the gone-but-never-forgotten RA Dickey - sure it's metallic, but not shiny.  Now if it is shiny you want, that Pacific John Franco can't be beat.  That is not only a spectacular card, but also a card I did not have, which is always a marvelous surprise when trading blind.  Then came a few recent cards of Mets players and then some junk wax.  Okay, I always appreciate the effort.  But wait!  This is Gav we are talking about and he does a special thing to junk wax:

This is the best I could do to capture the magic - Ansel Adams I am not.

He makes those mutherfuckers glow in the dark!!!! And he sent three of them for me, all of them numbered and signed buy the artist...

My only issue with Gavin's package?  He used header cards for protection (always smart) but he wrote his note on this graphic filled Ultra Pro card when he had a nice blank canvas to scribble on this Fleer checklist.  Boy, can I be a nitpicking dick or what?  Anyway, sincere thanks Gavin for the great surprises in the trade, I am certain this won't be our last.  I hope what I sent makes up for my being a bastard.

My other 2014 Topps swap was with Chris of The Raz Card Blog.  After I had listed my 2014 Topps  series 1 goodies, Raz asked me about my four Power Player inserts.  I told him if he had any Mets from this year that I didn't have that I would be glad to send them.  And boy did he send some Mets:

Two Zack Wheeler inserts and a Matt Harvey for my player collection, not to mention a sparkly red Daniel Murphy - that is a great picture on this year's card with the Home Run Apple in the background.  He also sent me three of the All Rookie Cup Team inserts, of which I had pulled exactly zero.  Along with an incomplete eBay lot, I was able to put together the whole set in easy frugal fashion and take it off my want list. 

And my lord, look at how neatly these cards were packed:

I have received hundred dollar cards from eBay sellers that weren't so well protected.  Not to mention the penmanship on the note...way to make the rest of us look bad Chris.

So this is what I have become?  The kind of person who find fault in the kindest of gestures?  What is wrong with me?  I am such an asshole.  Chris, on the other hand, is awesome.  Thanks for initiating this trade and I am sure we will do it again soon. 

Wave of the Present.

       So as promised in my last post/tease, I cracked open some brandy dandy new 2014 Topps in the form of two blasters and two Target jumbo peg hanger packs.  These are the fruits of those delightful labors.

These nine will be immortalized as the 2014 Topps page (until I decide to change it).  Topps has stepped up its photo game since the disasters of 2008/2009.  They are crisp and clean and there is a great variety of shots.  This is by the far the strongest element of the flagship set this time around.  The design is a step down from last year's minimalist piece of perfection.  I can describe it as sort of like the 2005 Topps and 1984 Donruss designs had a May/December love child.  I find the team logo and the team name on the right side redundant - one or the other would have been enough - but the nice little wave with the name and position is pretty cool.  In fact, that little wave reminds me of this gem and if Night Owl needs a suggestion for a name, Catch the Wave seems pretty appropriate. 

Here are the Mets I pulled.  Topps really liked those new blue jerseys, huh?

I am sure Matt Harvey will look back on the face he is making on this card with great fondness.  There were probably 10,000,000 photos of Matt Harvey taken last year and that is the one they went with?  On the other hand, there is some nice action on the Turner and Lagares cards.  I'll need to add the other Mets to my want list.

Some other base cards of note that are staying in the collection:

Of course the all star rookies must stay.  The Wil Myers photo is nicely cropped with his trophy.  I only wish he could afford the extra L and E for his name.  The World Series cards make me quite happy this time around since my baseball mistress won it all last year.  Napoli's beard deserves its own card.  I really liked the two photos on the Chapman and the Cespedes, it is just coincidence they are both Cuban.  Those 1969 A's throwback uniforms are magnificent.

My blasters promised manu-patch cards and this is what I got:

Too bad Prince got traded from the Tigers because that patch is amazing.  A Detroit fan could not be taken to task if they decided to just cut that card into a square to highlight that patch.  Pity the Miggy patch has the classic D and not this.  That Bryce Harper is nice, though it is destined for eBay unless someone has to have it.

Also here is the coupon book from the blaster.  These are very useful coupons for the Target card aisle shopper:
$5 off a 2014 Heritage value box
$1 off three packs of Opening Day
$1 off two packs of Gypsy Queen
$1 off two packs of MLB Chipz (the only one I probably won't use)
$1 off an Archives jumbo pack
$5 off a Topps series 2 value box.

The coupons are dated to coincided to a 2 month window when the products are released.  I like the inclusion of this, my being a cheap bastar...I mean a frugal sort, I never look down upon using a coupon. 

Inserts?  Oh yeah, we got your inserts.  This year's theme is The Future is Now:

These are sort of painted/graphic art photos with of all things lens flares involved.  JJ Abrams approves these cards.

I am not sure why Topps feels the need to have theme, but here are some more inserts following the "theme":

The top six cards are called Upper Class and they are nice enough, I guess.  They cover the rookie class of each year and highlight the best of the bunch.  Yankees fans can wallow in seeing Cano in the pinstripes one last time.  The bottom three cards are from a set called 50 Years of the Draft and in a stroke of luck I got not one but two Derek Jeter cards.  Joy.

I am greatly disappointed that the All Star Rookie Cup inserts are hobby only.  I will have to pick these up on ebay I suppose.  Must. Have. Trophy. Cards.  (If you have these to trade, you know what to do...)

Since Topps has decided to constantly shove minis down our throats, this is what we got this time around:

These aren't just minis, they are die cut minis based on the 1989 design which I guess kind of reflects this year's base design.  I am personally minied out and all these do is remind me of these.  Underwhelming, to say the least.

Lastly, Topps pulled out the old 1983 Super Veteran idea and made it as bland and boring as they possibly could:

Also there you see the 14th year of the numbered gold parallel which would be fine if they didn't make any other parallels...and oh boy, are there parallels.

In the jumbo peg boxes were yellow parallels:

The one thing I can say about these is I am glad that they have taken the celebration photos out of the super short print realm and made them base cards.  And no, I didn't get any super duper short prints in these boxes, not that I care much.

Topps also has these Power Player parallels, which are plain parallels with no foil:

They have codes on the back and I have no clue if this is a game or a contest or whatever Topps has been doing the last few years.  If anyone wants these codes, I happily will let you have them if you have the other Mets cards or something.

These are the shiny red hot foil parallels:

I think I preferred last year's shiny green ones. 

These being Target boxes, there were also red Target exclusive cards.

They also do blue for Walmart and purple for Toys R Us.  Since I don't shop in Walmart at all and have no need to ever go into TrU, I only ever see get these in packs.  I like the bold red border, it doesn't really clash with too many teams - though the Royals and Brewers come close - and for teams like the Phillies, Nationals, and Red Sox, they look great.  And for the A's, they of course become accidentally Christmas themed.  

My only issue with all these parallels?  Well, look:

In two blasters and two jumbo packs, I got 40 of them.  Forty!  Three each in the jumbos and two in each pack of the blasters and that is way way waaaaaay too many.  Unless this is unusual and I just have a shit load of them.   Not shown are the camo, black, pink, clear(!), platinum, and the printing plates.  You can make a rainbow page with just the flagship set now.  I would rather have more base cards.

Speaking of base cards, lets get back to them:

Like I said, there is some great photography going on in this set.  I also like that the design works well both horizontally and vertically; this is not always the case.  The backs are decent and include for the first time WAR, which is appreciated (though they do not say which version they are going with).  It is also pretty nifty that they tied in the wave element from the front to the back.  They also have a little blurb from everyone's rookie year since, hey, everyone was a rookie once.

So. More themes.  More parallels.  More minis.  Topps seems stuck in a rut.  The look on Mike Trout's face kind of covers my overall feelings about all this - "meh" with a touch of dread and disgust.  There has to be a reason for all this stagnation and a lack of innovation and in fact, it is right there on the wrapper if you look closely...

Enhance!

Yup, there's you're problem.

Tease.

       After a very long week of work, which started off every so wonderfully with a nice knee injury on Monday (did I mention I spend 8-10 hours a day on my feet?), I now have a long weekend on my hands.  I have Saturday, Sunday, and Monday off for the first time since before the holidays.  Plus, Sunday is not just any old Sunday, it is Super Sunday.  My plans for the weekend are something along the lines of: drink, sober up, drink, sober up, drink, sober up, drink, sober up - all punctuated with copious amounts of food.  With a plan of this sort, my Friday night was going to be a nice quiet one watching television in my pajamas.  Then I went to Target to run some errands and my Friday night plans changed...

My Friday night plans are now to watch bad TV in my pajamas while drinking a beer and opening some series one 2014 Topps.  I think I've earned it.  I will show you the fruits of my ripping later on or in the morning.