Must...Have...Fleer

Fact: Everybody collected Fleer as a kid and it was awesome
Fact: Everybody wishes Fleer were still around
Fact: Nobody collected baseball cards in the mid-2000s
Fact: You can get 7 boxes of mid-2000s Fleer cards for basically nothing.

How? Community Gum's Super-Fleer Group Break. He just lowered the price and there are still a bunch of teams left like the Angels--who won a world series in this era, White Sox (who ALSO won a world series), Marlins (I'm sensing a pattern here) and a bunch of other teams that were actually good in this era.

This stands in sharp contrast to the Tigers, who were terrible for most of the years represented by these cards. Yet here I am, getting in on the break, because it will yield approximately 1,000,000 cards I don't have for the same price as a 2011 Topps Blaster.

I'm just saying.

Allen & Ginter: Get In On It!

Ok, people are about to go Ginter-crazy. Since it was announced that Strasburg is in the set, prices have gone up, up, up. I Am Joe Collector just recommended sitting back for 6 months or so until prices go back to normal. But I get it, you still want your A&G Fix.

Well how about this:

Get in on a CASE BREAK of Allen & Ginter, in which 20 teams are still available and the price has been LOCKED IN at pre-Strasburg levels. This is a great chance to load up on Ginter, and have a chance at a case hit and all the other goodies the set provides.

Time's running out. You don't want to be the last one on your block without the Ol' Planter by your side, do you? Join the break here.

The Grand Scheme Loses Faith in the Invisible Hand

Hold On To Your Loonies First, let me proclaim this: ATTENTION ALL TEAM COLLECTORS, the veritable Tunguska is hosting a 2010 Allen & Ginter CASE BREAK on his blog and as of right now, most teams are still available. I jumped on board as soon as I found out last night, and if you've got the cash to spare, I highly recommend that you do so as well. It's a case, for goodness sake. Think of the minis!

Also, Tunguska is a Canadian, and is charging just $45 Canadian per slot, which means that you can take advantage of our northern brother's favorable exchang...wait, WHAT?!?!

The Canadian dollar is currently worth more than it's American counterpart. $.97 to the Looney. It was as low as $.92 in May. In fact, monthly averages haven't shown a favorable exchange rate since February 2008 (when $1.00146 would buy us a Canadian buck). I knew things were bad in the US, but geez. This really puts things in perspective.

Even so, I recommend that you sign up for the group break if you're still looking for a way to get your A&G fix.

I think in Philly, you're considered a bad parent if you don't let your kids drink beer

Sweet mother of God, Philadelphia. You embarrass us all.

Big Potato Day Yesterday was the anniversary of Dan Quayle infamously telling a spelling bee contender that his Potato was "missing a little something on the end" (it was the E). To celebrate this, I was going to show a fancy new baseball card of the Tigers' own Big Potato, Jose Valverde. So, I went to my Series 2 pile to pull him out only to find...no Potato. Here's a pitcher who currently has an ERA under 0.70 for the Tigers and is as dominant a closer as exists in the AL and I don't have a Series 2 card of him? Considering that he was in Series 1 (as an Astro), I guess I can't complain too much, but if you're going to give me Phil Coke, why not go the extra mile with the Tigers' big free agent signing?

Still not an All-Star The latest All Star ballot results came out Monday and Miguel Cabrera is still in 3rd place among AL first basemen. This is the player that is leading the league in Home Runs. And RBIs. and has a .330 batting average. And a 1.062 OPS!

The silver light is that Justin Morneau (who, I begrudgingly admit, is also extremely deserving of All Star status) has overtaken Mark Teixeira. The worry was that the undeserving Teixeira would win the fans' vote, with Morneau selected by the players and Cabrera out in the cold...again. This is essentially what happened last year, but would be far more criminal in this season, aka "the best individual season by a Tigers player in history."

But don't take my word for it:

"You have to be careful when you talk about personal things, but like I said, if Miguel Cabrera's not on the All-Star team, then you might as well not have an All-Star team."

That's Jim Leyland, who is actually notoriously stingy with praise for his own players. But he also doesn't pull punches and he's saying what we're all thinking. If Miguel Cabrera isn't an All Star, they might as well not even play the game.

Johnny Damon goes a step further:

"He's in a class by himself. I haven't got to see (Albert) Pujols play too often, but what he's doing, especially in this ballpark ... this ballpark could be the only thing that keeps him from winning the Triple Crown. He's that good. The thing is, he still has a chance to be that Triple Crown candidate."

This is his direct response to a question about how Cabrera compares to ARod and David Ortiz. Yeah, I'd say that's pretty good praise.

Also, Cabrera is 26. You may now pick your jaws up off the floor.

It's worth noting that this isn't the first time that Damon has praised Cabrera. A Bless You Boys post from back in February includes this snippet (from Jason Beck initially):

[Cabrera] is going to win an MVP before he's done. Magglio is on his contract year."
Cabrera's eyes widened as he looked over attentively. Damon smiled back.
"That's right, MVP, baby," Damon said. "And then you take me to dinner."

And he's right. Cabrera is having an MVP-caliber season, and Magglio Ordonez has performed like Magglio Ordonez always has save for the first half of last year. There's something to say for track records, I suppose. Although he's not actually in a contract year as much as he's in an "I better play well enough for the Tigers not to bench me so that I am automatically re-upped to another elephant-caravan load of money" year. Still, no complaints from this end.

Cooling down Austin Jackson was benched last night with some back troubles, which comes in the midst of a dramatic cool-down, in which he is batting a weak .220/.235/.280 in June and is 4-41 since his 4-hit came on June 3. This is probably just a regular slump, albeit one that drags him down to the general levels he should have been in all along (.300 hitter, good XBH power), and isn't too much to be worried about. He's no Bashó after all...
I will say this about Jackson, which I may have said at other points so far this season. I am really impressed with what he has done, especially defensively. I think that he is going to be an excellent player for the Tigers for years to come and may become the career Tiger fan-favorite fans lost when Granderson was traded.

Speaking of Bashó The Free Press today makes the case for Brennan Boesch over Austin Jackson has rookie of the year:

The Tigers first baseman is having a season to end all seasons. He finally will make the All-Star Game as a Tiger. He will be invited to take part in the Home Run Derby. And he’ll take his rightful place in the conversation that starts with, “Who is the best player in the game not named Albert Pujols?”

What's that you say? That quote was all about Miguel Cabrera? Hmm...maybe because that's the basis of Samuelson's argument for The Banana Tree to win the ROY. Protection. He even calls himself out on it:

Sometimes, a little too much credit is given to “protection” in the lineup. Ultimately, it’s still Cabrera doing the damage. He’s the stud. Boesch is the supporting player. But the bottom of the Tigers' lineup is so offensively challenged that the rookie has been the key to keep it going.

Indeed, sometimes too much credit is given to protection, sometimes not enough. The fact is, Boesch has excelled in his role and has both provided protection for Cabrera and inflicted a bunch of damage on his own. At the same time, just as Jackson has hit a cool streak, it is only a matter of time before Boesch--a .250 hitter in the minors--comes down somewhat as well. Bashó has surprised and impressed all of us, and if, come the end of the season, he has outperformed Jackson, and the rest of the AL rookie class, then he deserves the award for sure. I'm just not sure that a month and a half of production is enough to make the distinction yet, although it's certainly enough to put him at the forefront of the conversation.

Rookie Redemptions Which brings me back to something that I brought up yesterday: Are we going to get a Jackson or Boesch rookie redemption card of some sort? I certainly hope so and here's why:

This is the Tigers' lone rookie redemption card from the last few years--a Rick Porcello refractor (#/199) from 2009 Finest. It is a fabulous card which is an excellent addition to the team set. I would absolutely love to see Jackson or Boesch have a similar offering in 2010 Finest. It is worth noting, by the way, that though Porcello was the top of the class in 2009, he was the 9th (of 10) redemption, announced towards the end of the year. I guess there's no arguing with the hype machine, especially in this day and age.

As I write this, the Indians' Carlos Santana was announced as Topps Red Hot Rookie #1, meaning that everyone with redemptions 2 and above just saw the value of their cards increase incrementally.

Misc. I don't have much to say about other things at the moment, so I'll relegate them to here. Ooh! Except this: The custom-designed Infinite Baseball Card set, which I regrettably missed out on before it was pulled for legal reasons, has an update set available with new players! This should avoid the legal messiness that he faced before. These cards are really nice looking and I think I'm going to pick them up, although the OCD in me now wants to seek out the other 10 cards that he discontinued. Topps Attax has a follow-up set called "Battle of the Ages" in which Verlander and Cobb both have cards. They will be added to the Topps Attax gallery. Speaking of Galleries: I'm waiting on a few more cards to trickle in, but a Topps S2 gallery is in the offing. Following up on my Michigan draft posts, the Michigan Daily has a good rundown of the five 2010 draftees. Also, an excellent story on the best home-field advantage in sports. More Michigan stuff? How about the fact that realignment is what made Michigan a Big-10 power in the first place. Fingers crossed that the new realignment does the same thing. Tigers go for the sweep tonight with Verlander on the mound in a series in which they didn't have to face Stephen Strasburg, which is probably a bad thing given the ticket sales it could have brought.

Group Break Chaos: Topps "Black" and "Throwback"

This is why we wait...

NachosGrande is on it, Hand Collated is pissed, and the rest of us are just searching for answers.

Indeed, I have been to the mountaintop, but there is no promised land before us. I went to my own walmart today to find that there were specially marked blasters there, with "black background parallels" seeded in 2 packs per blaster. The serial number on these had the "13" that Dayf told us to keep our eyes out for. At this point, it seems as though the walmart "black" cards (and presumably the throwbacks at target) are seeded at 2 packs per blaster.

I have emailed Topps and await their response. For now, the Retail Group Breaks are on indefinite hold, as it makes zero sense to buy blasters of this product with only two parallel packs in them. I'll let you know what I discover. Also, I'm anticipating a more extensive post about this at the Cardboard Connection, as they have a bit wider of a distribution than yours truly.

Give us the truth, Topps and the truth will set you free.

Topps Throwback/Black Group Break Update

So far, I am yet to find the blasters containing these cards "in the wild." In fact, I haven't seen the cards themselves on eBay yet, indicating that they haven't made their way into stores yet. If I recall, the Series 1 blasters were supposed to be released after the regular issue, but were released simultaneously. It is possible that Series 2 variations will come as a second wave.

In the meantime, I will continue to be vigilant in tracking these down, and I ask all the group breakers to be patient. As soon as I see or hear of them existing I will give you full instructions to send payment. I'm waiting until then because I see no reason for you to send money now for such delayed gratification.

To rehash the specifics (full details here) we will bust 3 or 4 Blasters, based on availability, from Walmart to get the "Black" base cards. We will do the same at Target to get the "Throwbacks". If we do 3 blasters cost is $6 per break. 4 blasters will cost $7.50. ALL PRICES INCLUDE SHIPPING. You will receive all cards from your team, including the base variations, inserts, commemorative patches, autographs, relics and anything else that is pulled.

We are an official go on the break, but still have spots available. Leave a comment if you'd like to fill in the blanks.

Here's the list as it currently stands:

AL WEST
Angels: I Heart Halos--Both Breaks
Rangers:
A's:
Mariners:

AL CENTRAL
Tigers: Grand Cards--Both Breaks
Indians: Baseball Dad--Both Breaks
White Sox:
Royals:
Twins:

AL EAST
Red Sox: Thoughts & Sox--Both Breaks
Yankees: Flash--Both Breaks
Blue Jays: Blue Jays Cards--Both Breaks
Orioles:
Rays:

NL WEST
Dodgers: Night Owl--Both Breaks
Dbacks: Tim Rooks--Both Breaks
Giants:
Padres:
Rockies:

NL CENTRAL
Cubs: Lake Effect Cards--Both Breaks
Cardinals:
Astros:
Brewers:
Reds:
Pirates

NL EAST:
Marlins: Wicked Orteaga--Both Breaks
Phillies: Dan (The Other World)--Both Breaks
Mets: --David (Tribe Cards)--Both Breaks
Nationals: NatsTown--Both Breaks
Braves: Capt. Canuck--WALMART ONLY

RANDOM TEAM (From Unclaimed Teams)
1. --David (Tribe Cards)

Group Break is On (but not full)!

But first, a future baseball card shot, perhaps?


This is from Curtis Granderson's Game-Tying, 9th inning, 2-out Home Run last night (from the Detroit News). Sadly, the Tigers lost in the bottom of the inning. In my cry for more Curtis Granderson non-running action shots in cards, I thought that this one would do nicely.

Onto the real news, the Group Break for Topps Series 2 variation cards (black and throwback) from Target and Walmart is now officially on, thanks to NatsTown claiming the Nationals from the set. That gives us 14 teams, which means that we are a go!

But that's not all, there are still plenty of great teams left, some of which I know have card-blog followings. Here's what's left, as of this morning:

AL West: A's, Mariners, Rangers
AL Central: White Sox, Twins, Royals
AL East: Rays, Orioles

NL West: Giants, Rockies, Padres
NL Central: Pirates, Reds, Cardinals, Astros, Brewers
NL East: Braves

Click on the link for all the specifics and you can either leave your comment over there or on this post if you would like one of the available teams.
It's only $6 including shipping to get three blasters worth of your team of choice, including inserts etc. ($7.50 if we can find four blasters), and you can choose just the Walmart break, just the Target break or both!

As soon as these blasters become available, I will be on the lookout for them, so stay tuned. Once I find them, I will require payment before the break goes forward, just like last time.

Of Group Breaks, Present, Past and One of a Kind.

The Topps Retail Group Break that I am hosting for Walmart (Black) and Target (Throwback) cards. WE ARE STILL ONE TEAM SHORT OF A GREEN LIGHT ON THIS BREAK. You can check out all of the specifics over here, then sign up for a remaining team and we are good to go. Let's do it!

Trimming down my backlog of cards even further, the results of I Am Joe Collector's Sweet Spot Group Break are shown here in all of their full-color glory.

Here's the backstory. For $18.50 you get a random team slot. I was assigned the Marlins. I wanted the Tigers for one reason, and one reason only. Any number of Verlander/Granderson dual signed options. Trading was allowed but I was going to be on the road for the majority of the day leading up to the trading deadline. I contacted the man with the Tigers but couldn't get anything worked out before I left. Now, somebody contacted me about getting the Marlins. That's fine with me, whatever makes you happy. He had the Giants and the Nationals. Bailey (of the Nennth Inning) wanted the Giants. He had the Royals. I'd rather have the Royals than the Nationals so a three-way trade was born. Marlins fan gets Marlins, Giants fan gets Giants and I end up with the Royals. Everybody is happy and I figure that, at the very least, I know a Royals fan that I could trade with.

Here's what I got in the group break:



Padres? For those of you confused, this card was sent to me because it was an unclaimed card and the generous host of our group break decided to send it my way. I've always liked Brian Giles, especially when he was a Pirate, and it has been sad to watch him decline in the last few years. I suppose playing at Petco doesn't help at all.

I only got one other card in the break, one solitary Royal:


Hmm... A redemption for an Alex Gordon/Billy Butler Black Ink/Black Stitch Dual Autograph. Wowza, I thought, that is a great card. Then I looked at the product specs again. That is a GREAT CARD. A One-of-One as it were.

Thrilled with my windfall, I have submitted my redemption and trust me, you will all know when it gets here. Then I'll need to decide exactly what I want to do with it.

Topps "Black" and "Throwback" Group Break Update

Word on the street is that Series 2 blasters are starting to creep out. I haven't seen the Topps Black versions (Walmart) or the Throwback ones (Target) but I will now officially be keeping my eyes open. In the meantime, the list for the Topps "Black" and "Throwback" Group Break remains open.

There are plenty of good teams still available, so go to here and leave a comment to claim yours. We still need (at least) three more teams for the green light.

Elsewhere in Cyberspace

The Cardboard Connection has my most recent commentary on the base set trifecta that I'm anxiously awaiting in Topps Series 2. Of course, you can read all about it right here.

An excerpt: (From "Topps Grabs By Ankles; Lifts, Shakes")

I once read that parallels are just doubles for idiots—I wish I could remember where, but I laughed out loud when I first heard it—likely after splurging on a semi-rare but not really parallel of some sort. On that alone, I must be quite the fool.

Worth a read, if you ask me.

While I'm on the topic, don't forget to sign up for a team(s) for the Series 2 Group Break that will be happening here, as soon as those specially marked blasters hit the light of day.

In a couple hours I will be making the 9 hour drive back to Michigan (and back, on Monday) so I expect posting to be on the lighter side for the next few days. On the plus side, I'm now officially caught up on sending out packages and get the joy of going through and cataloging all of the new cards that sit in bubble envelopes on my desk when I get back! Enjoy your Memorial Day everyone!

Coming to a Mailbox Near You...

I apologize for the slow posting recently, work got an unexpected shot in the arm and has been quite hectic this week. However, I wanted to let everybody know that all of the cards from the "Throwback" group break were dropped off at the post office this morning and will be finding their way to your homes shortly. Mark, this includes your package from the previous break, which I can't believe wasn't sent out before. My apologies.

If anybody doesn't receive their cards in the next few days, let me know and I'll go into reconnaissance in my apartment for packages that were misplaced or knocked behind a desk by our cat etc.

Hopefully things will settle down a wee bit and I will resume posting with some normalcy shortly.

Breaking Down the Group Break: Target "Throwback" Edition

Well, that actually went pretty well! Maybe not quite as well as the last break, as two of the Commemorative Patch cards were unclaimed and the third blaster was full of doubles. However, we pulled some different cards, and on balance, most teams actually came away the same or better than they did on the last break. Perhaps taking some of the luster off of this break was the fact that these cards just aren't as unique or cool as the Walmart "Black" cards, so pulling a typical player doesn't carry with it the same cache as it did in the other break.

Having spent the better part of a day sorting through and looking at these cards, I have found that I actually like them a lot. The common complaint that I've heard is that they are not really distinguishable from the base set. That is true. The "throwback" logo on the front is really not that special--at least not as special as I would have expected it to feel when I first saw the cards. Yet, as is often the case in card collecting, the pictures do not do these cards justice. Printing this set on a gray cardboard stock is tremendous. Even if it didn't harken back to my days as a young collector, these cards just feel "right." If you pulled a person off of the street and stuck one of these cards in their right hand and a regular base card in their left and asked them to close their eyes and tell you which one they prefer, they would go with these throwbacks. They are that much nicer to handle.

Therein lies the problem. By releasing these cards after the initial release of Series 1, most people have already bought the regular cards. If they've decided to pursue the set, there is little motivation to pursue a set of the "throwbacks" as well. Contrast that to the "Black" cards, which are fundamentally different in both look and feel and that extra motivation is there. However, in the event that somebody was on the fence about collecting the set and stumbled upon the "throwbacks," I believe that they would choose to collect that set over the regular issue. Maybe I don't know enough about these things, but Topps should learn a lesson from this--could it be time to switch the regular set back to cardboard? I know there have been calls for this from other blogs, but here is the first direct comparison from cards from the same set and I think the cardboard wins out. I wouldn't mind seeing what they look like in a Matte finish too, but baby steps, people.

So, back to our break (In alphabetical order of Claimed teams):

Angels: 6 Throwbacks
Cubs: 5 Throwbacks, 1 Toppstown
Dodgers: 7 Throwbacks (1 Double)
Indians: 9 Throwbacks (3 Doubles), 4 Toppstown (3 Doubles), 1 Toppstown Gold
Marlins: 10 Throwbacks (2 Doubles)
Mets: 11 Throwbacks (2 Doubles), 1 Toppstown
Orioles: 6 Throwbacks, 1 Legends of the Game
Phillies: 13 Throwbacks (3 Doubles), 1 Toppstown, 1 Gold
Rays: 10 Throwbacks (2 Doubles), 1 Toppstown
Red Sox: 11 Throwbacks, 4 Toppstown (3 Doubles), 1 Gold
Reds: 6 Throwbacks (1 Double), 1 Toppstown, 1 Toppstown Gold
Tigers: 3 Throwbacks, 1 Turkey Red (Granderson!), 1 Gold
Twins: 5 Throwbacks, 1 Toppstown Gold
White Sox: 6 Throwbacks (1 Double), 1 Toppstown, 1 Turkey Red (Quentin)
Yankees: 10 Throwbacks (3 Doubles), 2 Toppstown (1 Double), 1 Gold, 1 Comm. Patch (Ruth)

The final call: Most teams did the same or better than last time (in terms of "base" cards), even with the doubles taken into consideration. Breaking down the net base card haul for each team compared to the Walmart Break (because really, the "base" cards are why we did this break in the first place, to help build our team sets):

Angels: +0 (same number of unique base cards)
Cubs: +0
Dodgers: -3
Indians: -1
Marlins: +0
Mets: +2
Orioles: +3
Rays: +0
Red Sox: -1
Tigers: -2
White Sox: +0
Yankees: -4

For returning teams, then, we did 6 cards worse as a group than we did on the last break--almost entirely because of the doubles. Unfortunately, Night Owl may have had the roughest break comparatively, as he also had a treasure trove of inserts to live up to. Still, 7 teams did the same or better than last time, compared to the 5 teams who did worse, so by that measure it wasn't too bad.

I certainly had fun doing this again and I hope that you all enjoyed the break and that these cards help you out with your aspiring team sets. Thank you very, very much for participating, as I couldn't have done it without you.

If there is enough interest, I plan on doing this again come Series 2, which I know is down the road a ways. I may tweak a couple things (like giving multi-player cards away at the end based on who has fewer, instead of via randomization, trying to add 1-2 more teams to lower the cost for everyone back to $5), but I think that, in general, these two breaks went pretty well. As always, if you have any questions, or would like to add some additional cards to your lot before I send them out (as part of a trade, for example), you can always Email Me. Also, since I came up woefully short of putting a team set of Tigers together, I will trade heavily in anybody's favor to fill the remaining 6 holes that I need.

Enjoy your cards everyone!

Summary Post Delayed

Sorry folks, looks like it will be tomorrow morning until I can get a nice summary post up.

See you then.

In the meantime:
Cincy Reds Cards (Reds), Garvey Cey Russell Lopes (Twins) and Dinged Corners (Phillies), please send me your entry fee via paypal at your earliest convenience. If you have any questions about your slot, pricing, additional cards etc. please feel free to Email Me

Good Night!

2009 Topps "Throwback" Group Break: Box 3

Box 1. Box 2.
Box 3:

Commemorative Patch: LPR-6: Mel Ott. I almost died when I opened this and saw the patch. Turns out, it wasn't a double of Jimmie Foxx. It was Mel Ott! Phew.

2009 Topps LPR-5 Mel Ott

Pack 1:
35 David Price- Rays
140 Brandon Webb- Diamondbacks
173 Manny Delcarmen- Red Sox

OH COME ON! If I pull another one of these, the picture will be of its ashes, smoldering in the alley behind my house.

2009 Topps My Greatest Nemesis

TTT3 Grady Sizemore- Indians: Toppstown
51 Will Venable- Padres
27 Jonathan Niese- Mets
298 Jonathan Van Every- Red Sox
204 Andy Sonnanstine- Rays: How about a bearded shot of the Rays' least heralded fireballer?

2009 Topps Target "Throwback"#204 Andy Sonnanstine

Pack 2:
117 Ron Gardenhire- Twins
243 Chase Headley- Padres
36 Kevin Slowey- Twins: I'm a sucker for landscape cards, it seems

2009 Topps Target "Throwback"#36 Kevin Slowey

28 Mike Lowell- Red Sox
TTT2 Roy Halladay- Blue Jays: Toppstown
97 Willie Harris- Nationals
318 Manny Acta- Nationals
272 Chan Ho Park- Dodgers

Pack 3:
255 Joe Crede- White Sox: A Southsider (well, formerly. Now a Twin)

2009 Topps Target Throwback #255 Joe Crede

295 Derrek Lee- Cubs: And a Northsider:

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #295 Derrek Lee

205 Miguel Tejada- Astros
5 John Lackey- Angels
TTT16 Ichiro- Mariners: Toppstown
108 Alcides Escobar- Brewers
90 Justin Morneau- Twins
304 Jason Kubel- Twins

Man, it's been Twins heaven the last couple packs. Already exceeded my Tiger count so far.

Pack 4:
106 Marlon Byrd- Rangers
324 Mark Reynolds- Diamondbacks
TR48 Nate McLouth- Pirates: Turkey Red
TTT1 Alex Rodriguez- Yankees: Toppstown
121 Greg Golson- Rangers
14 Jon Rauch- Diamondbacks
245 Pat Burrell- Phillies
274 Alex Hinshaw- Giants

Uh oh. Doubles.

Pack 5:
60 Mariano Rivera- Yankees
128 Johnny Cueto- Reds
230 Justin Upton- Diamondbacks
301 Clint Barmes- Rockies
298 Jonathan Van Every- Red Sox: Gold #0241/2009. Am I the only one who has no idea who this is?

2009 Topps #298 Some Guy

TTT25 Daisuke Matsuzaka- Red Sox: Toppstown
102 Garrett Atkins- Rockies
165 Matt Kemp- Dodgers

More Doubles. Not Good.

Pack 6:
70 Jermaine Dye- White Sox
73 Shane Victorino- Phillies
39 Stephen Drew- Diamondbacks
LG25 Cal Ripken Jr.- Orioles: Legends of the Game. Mandatory picture inclusion:

2009 Topps LG25 Cal Ripken: Legends of the Game

TTT24 Jay Bruce-Reds: Toppstown
137 Angel Salome-Brewers
281 Tug Hulett-Mariners
234 John Russell-Pirates

Pack 7:
308 Chris Duncan- Cardinals
180 Cliff Lee- Indians
264 Dave Bush- Brewers
18 George Sherrill- Orioles
TTT23 Josh Hamilton- Rangers: Toppstown
145 Matt Tuiasosopo- Mariners: One of this year's hot rookies.

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #145 Matt Tuiasosopo

159 Matt Antonelli- Padres
242 Ricky Nolasco- Marlins

Pack 8:
310 Johan Santana- Mets
103 Kyle Kendrick- Phillies
113 Chris Young- Padres
314 Matt Treanor- Marlins
TTT19 Carlos Quentin- White Sox: Toppstown
169 Juan Miranda- Yankees
72 David Dellucci- Indians
11 Fernando Tatis- Mets: Loved him with the Cardinals many years back, glad he's back in the game.

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #11 Fernando Tatis

Doubles Disaster.

Pack 9:
151 Carl Pavano- Yankees
329 Gil Meche- Royals
40 Carl Crawford- Rays
164 Bob Geren- A's
TTT21 Chipper Jones- Braves
275 Alex Rios- Blue Jays

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #275 Alex Rios

83 Ryan Garko- Indians
149 Juan Uribe- White Sox

Abandon Ship...

Pack 10:
174 James Shields- Rays
252 Brandon Wood- Angels

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #252 Brandon Wood

95 Andrew Miller- Marlins
209 Alfredo Amezaga- Marlins
TTT22 Tim Lincecum- Giants
13 Ryan Langerhans- Nationals
158 Ray Durham- Brewers
207 Joe Blanton- Phillies

Well, that did not end well. Nice to see that we got entire packs of doubles towards the end. Sigh. I guess we just had particularly good fortune in the Wal Mart boxes. As for Tigers, it was really feast of famine, no? After a killer second box, there were ZERO Tigers in this box. Come to think of it, the Gold Tiger in the first box allowed me to ignore the fact that there were no "Throwback" Tigers there either. I guess that's what trading is for...

Summary post to come later this evening. I hope you all enjoyed the break got some great cards for your collections! Thank you again for making this happen!

2009 Topps "Throwback" Group Break: Box 2

Box 1.
Box #2:

Commemorative Patch: Oh no. LPR-5 Jimmie Fox. Boo.

Pack 1:
100 David Wright- Mets For the Ladies:

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #100 David Wright

323 Vicente Padilla- Rangers
206 Santana/Lincecum/Peavy- Mets
221 Lee/Halladay/Matsuzaka- Indians/Red Sox: Randomizer Says: Indians
TTT12 Justin Morneau- Twins: Toppstown Gold
224 Max Scherzer- Diamondbacks
297 Bud Black- Padres
19 Edgar Gonzalez- Padres

Pack 2:
330 Diasuke Matsuzaka- Red Sox
31 Ian Steward- Rockies
126 Orlando Hudson- Diamondbacks
246 Upton/Crawford/Longoria- Rays

2009 Topps Target "Throwback"#246 Upton/Crawford/Longoria

Pack 3:
115 Kevin Youkilis- Red Sox

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #115 Kevin Youkilis

45 Aubrey Huff- Orioles
259 Lincecum/Haren/Santana- Mets
TTT3 Grady Sizemore- Indians: Toppstown. Jesus Christ. Enough with the Sizemore Toppstown.
22 Longoria/Price- Rays
283 John Baker- Marlins
320 Miguel Cabrera- Tigers: First Throwback Tiger! Keep 'em Coming!
187 Jon Garland- Angels
TTT4 Brandon Webb- Diamondbacks
12 Andrew Carpenter- Phillies
216 Joe Maddon- Rays
247 Yuniesky Betancourt- Mariners

Pack 4:
312 Ryan Sweeney- A's
195 Tim Lincecum- Giants

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #195 Tim Lincecum

119 Craig Counsell- Brewers
278 Philadephia Phillies WS- Phillies
227 Freddy Sandoval- Angels
TTT5 Evan Longoria- Rays: Toppstown
197 Ronnie Belliard- Nationals
185 Randy Johnson- Diamondbacks

Pack 5:
262 Mike Gonzalez- Braves
265 Carlos Zambrano- Cubs: I love pictures that show the pitchers with the lumber. Do you think Zambrano's expression is more "Ahhh, Majestic Home Run" or "Ahh, Damn. Routine Fly Ball"?

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #265 Carlos Zambrano

145 Alex Gordon- Royals
LG3- Christy Mathewson- NY Giants
TTT6 Johan Santana- Mets
282 Chris Lambert- Tigers: Another Tiger for this box!
269 Hunter Pence- Astros
168 Mark DeRosa- Cubs

Pack 6:
143 Matt Joyce-Tigers: Tigers two packs in a Row!
284 Luis Ayala- Mets
257 George Kottaras- Red Sox

HOLD EVERYTHING.

2009 Topps #TR24 Curtis Granderson "Turkey Red"

TR24 Curtis Granderson- Tigers: Turkey Red. Yes! Yes. Yes. Yes.
TTT9 Ryan Howard- Phillies
10 Dan Uggla- Marlins

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #10 Dan Uggla

Pack 7:
150 Kosuke Fukudome- Cubs
288 Guillermo Guiroz- Orioles
65 Mike Pelfrey- Mets
TTT21 Chipper Jones- Braves
292 Francisco Cervelli- Yankees
7 Mickey Mantle- Yankees
200 Chase Utley- Phillies

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #200 Chase Utley

148 Ty Wigginton- Astros
251 Greg Smith- A's
91 Cody Ross- Marlins

Pack 8:
26 Jason Giambi- Yankees: In a picture truly befitting of a retro card.

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #26 Jason Giambi

110 Hideki Matsui- Yankees
61 Berkman/Lee- Astros
290 Albert Pujols- Cardinals
TTT25 Diasuke Matsuzaka- Red Sox: Toppstown
293 Brian Bixler- Pirates
9 Dallas McPherson- Marlins
54 Dusty Baker- Reds

Pack 9:
38 Eric Wedge- Indians
254 Cito Gaston- Blue Jays
24 Frank Thomas- A's
258 Casey Kotchman- Braves
89 Lester/Bay- Red Sox
TTT20 Lance Berkman- Astros: Toppstown
84 Rod Barajas- Blue Jays
112 Hideki Okajima- Red Sox

Pack 10:
107 Pedro Feliz- Phillies
77 Jed Lowrie- Red Sox
41 Mike Mussina- Yankees: Gold #0255/2009
TTT3 Grady Sizemore- Indians: Toppstown Gold ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
299 Cole Hamels- Phillies
131 Joe Torre- Dodgers

2009 Topps Target "Throwback"#131 Joe Torre

104 Brandon Moss- Pirates
96 Dexter Fowler- Rockies

MONSTER box for me there! It looked like a pretty good box for everyone else too. I'm not really sure--I was kind of fixated on one card while I ripped and typed the others on autopilot. I was only jarred from my haze when when another Grady Sizemore Toppstown reared its media-friendly, all-american head.

2009 Topps "Throwback" Group Break: Box 1

Commemorative Patch: LPR-1 Babe Ruth.

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" LPR-1 Babe Ruth Comm. Patch

Another Yankees Commemorative Patch for RogerL aka IDK...3rdBase, following up on his Mickey Mantle from the "Black" Group Break. Pretty much just paid for his entry fee with this one.

Pack 1:
206 Miguel Tejada- Astros
106 Marlon Byrd- Rangers
301 Clint Barmes- Rockies
39 Stephen Drew- Diamondbacks
TTT10 Jake Peavy- Padres: Toppstown
137 Angel Salome- Brewers
14 Jon Rauch- Diamondbacks
245 Pat Burrell- Phillies

Pack 2:
60 Mariano Rivera- Yankees
128 Johnny Cueto- Reds
264 Dave Bush- Brewers
34 Brandon Inge- Tigers Gold #0251/2009--Woah, a Gold Tiger in Pack 2 (and my first of the year)! A taste of good things to come?

2009 Topps #34 Brandon Inge: Gold (#/2009)

TTT25 Daisuke Matsuzaka- Red Sox: Toppstown
274 Alex Hinshaw- Giants
102 Garrett Atkins- Rockies
165 Matt Kemp- Dodgers: The possessor of major skills--primed for a big year.

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #165 Matt Kemp

Pack 3:
180 Cliff Lee- Indians
174 James Shields- Rays
83 Ryan Garko- Indians

2009 Topps Target "Throwback"#83 Ryan Garko

275 Alex Rios- Blue Jays
TTT24 Jay Bruce- Reds: Toppstown Gold
164 Bob Geren- A's
158 Ray Durham- Brewers
207 Joe Blanton- Phillies

Pack 4:
252 Brandon Wood- Angles
95 Andrew Miller- Marlins
149 Juan Uribe- White Sox
314 Matt Treanor- Marlins
TTT3 Grady Sizemore- Indians: Toppstown
169 Juan Miranda- Yankees
40 Carl Crawford- Rays: One of the most talented and under-appreciated players in baseball

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #40 Carl Crawford

329 Gil Meche- Royals

Pack 5:
310 Johan Santana- Mets
103 Kyle Kendrick- Phillies
113 Chris Young- Padres
319 Brian Fuentes- Rockies
TTT2 Roy Halladay- Blue Jays: Toppstown
184 Bobby Parnell- Mets
151 Carl Pavano- Yankees
72 David Dellucci- Indians

Pack 6: Let's kick this into high gear for the second half, shall we?
300 Ichiro- Mariners
67 Andrew Jones- Dodgers
50 David Ortiz- Red Sox

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #50 David Ortiz

79 David Eckstein- Diamondbacks
TTT1 Alex Rodriguez- Yankees: Toppstown
196 Jason Motte- Cardinals
11 Fenando Tatis- Mets
189 Jay Payton- Orioles: Nice shot of one of the O's fine defensive outfielders:

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #189 Jay Payton

Pack 7:
129 Angel Berroa- Dodgers
154 A.J. Pierznski- White Sox
114 Chris Dickerson- Reds: Phenomenal action shot of the young Red on the bases. I think he's about to get gunned down. Thoughts?

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #114 Chris Dickerson

TTT15 Alfonso Soriano- Cubs: Toppstown
276 Geovany Soto- Cubs: Was supposed to be a sleeper in my draft last year, that went three picks before I was going to nab him. Absolute star in the making.

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #276 Geovany Soto

249 Jack Hannahan- A's
55 J.J. Hardy- Brewers
294 Brandon Boggs- Rangers

Pack 8:
212 Denard Span- Twins: Another rising star who will either tear it up or strikeout in a fashion that makes it look like he just picked up a baseball bat for the first time in his life. So frustrating.

2009 Topps Target "Throwback"#212 Denard Span

56 Edwin Encarnacion- Reds
162 Mike Cameron- Brewers
81 Howard/Dunn/Delgado- Phillies: A little league leader action from some big boppers:

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #81 Howard/Dunn/Delgado League Leaders: HR

TR29 Carlos Quentin- White Sox: Turkey Red: These Turkey Red inserts are really, really nice.

2009 Topps TR29 Carlos Quentin Turkey Red

TTT25 Daisuke Matsuzaka- Red Sox: Toppstown
194 Jeremy Guthrie- Orioles
306 Javier Vazquez- White Sox

Pack 9: 136 Tim Hudson- Braves
193 Zack Greinke- Royals
43 Mauer/Pedroia/Bradley- Twins/Red Sox/Rangers: Randomizer says: Red Sox
LG5 Walter Johnson- Senators
TTT3 Grady Sizemore- Indians: Toppstown
273 Brian Roberts- Orioles: Still the face of the franchise and a highly productive player, I think signing him to an extension was a good call

2009 Topps Target "Throwback"#273 Brian Roberts

29 Jerry Hairston- Reds
33 Jose Guillen- Royals

Pack 10:
37 Erick Aybar- Angels: Wearing his Robocop glasses. There is a weird indentation on the top middle of this card. Nice going Topps.

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #37 "Robostop" Erick Aybar

211 Ryan Rowland-Smith- Mariners
4 Jones/Pujols/Holliday- Braves/Cards/Rockies
299 Cole Hamels- Phillies: Gold #0196/2009 Bottom of this card is also dinged up, I guess it's going to the right people then.

2009 Topps Target "Throwback"#299 Cole Hamels Gold (#/2009)

TTT2 Roy Halladay- Blue Jays
271 Cliff Lee- Indians: AL Cy Young
142 Brad Penny- Dodgers
156 Carlos Pena- Rays: The former Tiger with tremendous (but streaky, at least in Detroit) power.

2009 Topps Target "Throwback" #156 (Former Tiger) Carlos Pena

Topps "Throwback" Group Break Scheduled for 2:30

The Group Break is scheduled for 2:30 this afternoon and will follow the same format as last time.

While the majority of people have paid for their slot, I will now publicly put pressure on the two who haven't:

Cincy Reds Cards (Reds) and Garvey Cey Russell Lopes (Twins). Please send your entry fee via paypal to grandcardsblog AT gmail DOT com as quickly as possible. Not doing so could delay the break in its entirety.

For the rest of you, tune in at 2:30 for Box 1!

2009 Topps "Throwback" Group Break is On!

Apparently, I have an issue with the 3rd time being a charm. Today, I went to the Target close to my work that has had no 2009 Topps cards all year. No surprise, they had packs, but no blasters. So, 7 miles down the highway I went to a second Target--an enormous Target that I've never been to before. No blasters, just packs. I was about to go back, having basically extinguished my lunch break, when I told myself "No, I'm going to try one more". 5 miles later, I was at the only other Target that I knew about in the area.

Lo and behold, 2009 Topps blasters with the magic code for Throwbacks. 12 miles later and I'm back at work typing this post. And so, the Group Break will occur upon receiving $6 per team slot from everybody who has committed so far. If you haven't committed and would like to join, you are welcome to do so.

Please send your money to me via paypal to grandcardsblog AT gmail DOT com. The break is tentatively scheduled for tomorrow afternoon pending those funds.

Good luck everybody!

Topps "Throwback" Group Break is Confirmed

Wow, that was fast--I was in the process of moving from one cubicle to another today and kind of missed all of the action in the comments. However, it appears as though we reached the needed number of participants for the group break in record time. I will begin searching for the cards tomorrow. Once I find them, I will ask for your payment to proceed with the break. We have:

Baseball Dad (All Tribe Cards)-Indians
White Sox Cards-White Sox
Cincy Reds Cards-Reds
Night Owl-Dodgers
Lake Effect Cards-Cubs
Thoughts and Sox-Red Sox
I Heart Halos-Angels
RogerL-Marlins, Rays, Yankees, Orioles
Garvey Cey Russell Lopes-Twins
Dinged Corners-Mets
Grand Cards-Tigers

To Steve at The Easy Life, unfortunately, I did offer all returning breakers the opportunity to renew their slots for this break. This was a thank you to them for doing the first break with me, my first ever. In the future these will be first-come, first-served (for Series 2, for example) and with lighting-fast response times like that, I'm sure you'll be able to snatch up the Mets without trouble.

There are still a few great teams out there for those interested, including the Brewers, Braves, Phillies, Blue Jays, Mariners and more. So if you're interested, please leave a comment. However, we are a go for the 3 box "throwback" break, pending the results of my Target search(es). I'll give you a progress report after my lunch break tomorrow.

Prepare for another Group Break!

Spoiler Alert: Baseball Dad at All Tribe Baseball tipped me off to the fact that the Topps "Throwback" blasters have been sighted. In fact, he has them in hand and has a post about them up right now.

If they are out I will, as promised, volunteer to host another Group Break--this time for the Target Blasters. I realize that some of you may not have gotten your "Black" cards yet, but I assure you that they are in transit. Steve at White Sox Cards just got his. So, here is the first post to gauge interest in another break. When all was said and done on the last one I ended up almost exactly breaking even, when shipping was taken into consideration.

So, this time around, we need a minimum of 13 teams (slots) at $6 per team. Out of respect to bloggers who participated in the last break, I'll give you a one day window to renew your slot for the throwback cards. After that, I'll open the slots up to everybody else.

As before, we will be breaking 3 blasters of Target's Topps "Throwback" cards. If we can manage 18 teams (Phillies, Brewers, Cardinals, Braves and Twins were unclaimed last time, among others) then I can pick up a 4th Blaster. At this point, just let me know in the comments if you would like to reserve a slot. I will not ask for any money until I actually find the cards.

I'm hoping to do this break no later than a week from today (and start looking for these cards as early as tomorrow), so if you'd like to be in, reserve your spot today!

Group Break: In Sum

I'd like to thank everybody for participating in my first ever Group Break. If you recall, my plan was to do this with the Walmart AND the Target versions of these blasters. Since I had a good time, and believe that I will break even when all is said and done (thanks to your generosity), I would be willing to do this again for the Target Blasters. Stay Tuned for that, once those hit stores.

Here's the Upshot: Some people did VERY well. Some people, much less so. Its nice to see that the frustrating life of a Tigers fan can be replicated by fans of the White Sox, Orioles, Royals and Rangers. I'm just glad that I'm not a Nationals fan (3 cards).

To break it down:
Angels: I Heart Halos--6 Black, 2 Toppstown (1 Double)
Cubs: Lake Effect Cards--5 Black, 2 Toppstown (1 Double)
Diamondbacks: Mark's Ephemera--8 Black, 1 Toppstown
Dodgers: Night Owl Cards--9 Black, 1 Gold, 1 Turkey Red, 1 LOG
Indians: Baseball Dad--7 Black, 1 Toppstown
Marlins: RogerL--9 Black (1 Double), 1 Toppstown
Mets: Dinged Corners--7 Black, 1 Toppstown, 1 Toppstown Gold
Orioles: RogerL--3 Black, 2 Toppstown (1 Double)
Rangers: Hamiltonian--6 Black (1 Double)
Rays: RogerL--8 Black, 1 Toppstown
Red Sox: AdamE--12 Black, 1 Comm. Patch
Royals: Lake Effect Cards--4 Black, 1 Toppstown
Tigers: Grandcards--5 Black, 1 Toppstown
White Sox: White Sox Cards--5 Black, 1 Toppstown
Yankees: RogerL--11 Black, 1 Turkey Red, 1 Comm. Patch

Now, that leaves plenty of extras, including some from desirable teams in the blogging community (Phillies, Braves, Twins, Brewers) that are available for trade (or sale). Keep an eye out on my tradelist, which will be updated in the next few days, or just take a look at the break posts. If you see something that you like, Let me know.

Thank you again for participating in my group break. I hope everybody enjoys their cards and that we can do it again sometime!