Feeling A Wave of Excitement with A 2018 Topps Jumbo Box

After all but ignoring 2017 Topps, I was completely on board with 2018 Topps.  Admittedly, the design won't .  However, it is serviceable and after my dislike towards last year perhaps I was just eager to like a Topps design again.  I knew I wanted to hand collate this set so that meant buying a hobby box.

I bought a jumbo box for several reasons.  First, I know if I bought I hobby box I would end up with a standard relic.  At least with a jumbo box I get an autograph and manufactured relic in addition.  Second, buying a jumbo box usually guarantees pulling one full set.  I didn't want to buy a hobby box to then have to chase down the rest of the base set.  Finally, getting two silver packs instead of one was an extra incentive to spring for the jumbo.

I'm starting with the silver packs as they were the first things I opened.  Here are the highlights from the two packs I opened.  They are all base, with a nice Devers rookie.  It's hard to feel disappointed with getting only base as these are essentially free cards.

I'm not familiar with the 1983 Topps design but these have a nice modern look.  I hope it's something continues to do for Flagship each year.

Here is a small sampling of the vertical and horizontal base cards.  The design won't win any awards but it is miles ahead of last year's design that felt sloppy.  Though, I could do without the disintegrating name and team plates.

The photos have some nice variety as well.  The picture quality is crisp and bright.  Last year everything looked dull.  I do miss borders but the full-bleed photos are nice.  The design doesn't get in the way of the photos like 2016 and 2017 Topps designs.

I think I can tolerate staring at this design for a whole year.

I have a couple problems with the backs.  Why is there a black box around the social media handles? Why are the social media handles the biggest thing on the back of the cards?  They are weirdly emphasized over everything else.  Get rid of them or make them smaller.  Preferably delete them.

The write-ups should be centered or justified.  Otherwise there is this weird blank space on the right.

Lastly, I still cannot support the elimination of full stats.  I will never be okay with this.  Thankfully they are not going the Panini route and eliminating all but one year of stats.  Topps has shown some restraint.

Parallels are underwhelming without borders.  They are also easy to miss.  Here's a side by side of a gold with the base.  They don't pop like they should.

Rainbow Foil / Black

The rainbow foil parallels are always easy to spot.  The black parallel took me a few seconds of studying to realize it was a parallel.  I hate to say it but the Yankee uniform looks rather nice against the black background.  I always enjoy it when a color parallel compliments the photo on the card.

I don't know if this was the case last year but for inserts Topps has forsaken breadth for depth.  I pulled a grand total of four different inserts.  If you like putting together insert sets, the checklist depth for them will make it very difficult to put together without spending a lot of time trading or shelling out money. 

The non-chrome 1983 cards still look fantastic.  If the insert set wasn't ONE HUNDRED FREAKING CARDS, I could see myself consider putting it together.  Since it is so big, I'll collect whatever Mariners/Padres are in the set and call it good.

Topps Salute

Topps Salute is back again as a mishmash insert.  Here is an idea to improve Topps Salute.  Remove all rookies.  Remove all legends.  Keep only the special jerseys.

The promised manufactured relic of the box.  The Spring Training logos have looked cool the past couple years and this year is no exception.  I'm curious to hear what happens with MLB's investigation into Sano's alleged sexual assault.  This is already shaping up to be a poor choice of a card.  

The second promised relic of the box.  I have a feeling that the jersey piece isn't from an Astros jersey but a Tigers jersey.  I bet Topps had some left Tiger jerseys of Verlander after he was traded.  Either way, he's a World Series winner so it's a nice hit.

I like the base relic design, unlike last year's that looked like it was designed at the last second.  It's a basic design but I think it looks nice.  I'm happy with the hit.  

Lastly, we have the 1 promised autograph.  Verdugo ranked as the 33th best prospect.  He's only 21 and already made an appearance in the MLB.  In 21 at bats he had only four hits but that's a small sample size.  In AAA he hit .314 with a .389 OBP.  He probably won't make the 25-man team coming out of Spring Training but is waiting in the wings should the Dodgers need some help.

The autograph is on-card so that's a plus.  The 1983 design makes for a great autograph.  It's a base auto but much like the relic, the card looks great so I'm not complaining.  

The last "hit" of the box was this Kershaw short print.  Short prints aren't as plentiful like they were in 2017 Update.  That makes this is a nice pull, especially of such a quality player.

Overall, I had a great time with this break.  The silver packs added a lot of value and look to be back for Series 2.  That means I'll be back for Series 2 as well. 

Finishing Up Collector's Choice

Marbury and Allen rookie cards

With the basketball season just around the corner, it's time for another basketball post.  This time, I attempt to finish my goal of completing the 1996-97 Collector's Choice set. It's a simple, colorful set.

I picked up two boxes on eBay (even though I needed only 1), as the price per box was cheaper than what else was available.  So, as a side note, if you're looking for a box of this product, I'm your man. After flipping a coin, I settled on a box to open.  I'm sure you're all tired of seeing these cards so there's a good chance you won't have to hear about this set again!

Much like the last time, I'll provide a statistical breakdown to see if I beat the odds.  There were 36 packs with 12 cards per pack, for a whopping 432 cards.

Cards Needed for Series 2	109	100%
Completed	103	94%
Outstanding	6	6%

Six cards might not seem like much but for all the base cards that are included, this is not a good collation of cards.  Fortunately, Sportlots makes it easy to pick up base cards at $0.18 a pop, which is what I did to finish off the set.

Bryant rookie card / Mutombo being Mutombo

Insert Card	Odds	Found	Beat the Odds?
Mini-Cards	1:1	36	Tie
Super Action Stick-Ums	1:3	11	No
Gold Mini-Cards	1:35	1	Tie
Silver Crash the Game	1:5	8	Yes
Gold Crash the Game	1:49	1	Yes
NBA Draft Trade Update Card	1:71	1	Yes
Super Action Stick-Ums Base	1:4	9	Tie

Other than missing one stick-ums card, this box treated me well.  Pulling the trade update card was a nice plus.  Too bad I can't redeem it as the update cards are hard to find on the secondary market.

Nash and Iverson rookie cards

Even though I didn't complete the base set for series 2, I managed to finish the base mini-cards. Going into the box I only needed 13 cards so I'm glad I didn't get burdened with too many duplicates.

Camby rookie

It's nice to finally close the book on this set.  I'll chase down the remaining insert cards I need, as well as the update cards.  So this wraps it up for Collector's Choice!

Box Break for the People: 2014 Topps Update Baseball

I think I've done 1 or 2 blaster breaks for the blog, either explicitly or not.  And I'll probably keep buying them  As such, I've decided to turn blaster breaks into a specific feature.  Every good blog needs named features, right?

Even though not everyone has a local card shop they can visit, they surely have a Target or a Wal-Mart nearby.  Hence, anyone can get one of these blaster boxes, making these breaks "for the people." I wanted to create a catchier title rather than a simple title like "blaster break."  

Today's box break is an EXTREME VALUE!  Seriously, that's what the sticker said on the box.  This just isn't any box, it's a blaster of 2014 Topps Update.  I was drawn to this box for a few reasons.  The price (discounted to only $13), the inclusion of a World Series patch card, the availability of All-Star Game cards, and that I haven't opened any 2014 Topps packs.

With 10 packs and 1 patch card, let's see what the blaster holds:

Pack 1

I picked this card because the image is unique and well timed.  Figueroa himself has bounced around the league since his debut in 2014.  I think this image might be from the May 23, 2014 game against the Red Sox when he batted in the winning (and only) run.  He didn't really do much else of note in 2014.

Wainwright had a solid year in 2014 going 20-9 with a 2.38 ERA.

The All-Star Game cards, which were just what I was hoping to get.

Pack 2

Normally Seth Smith would be a card I would quickly pass over but he's a Mariner now.  As such, I was give him is proper due and acknowledge him on the blog.  He's a decent hitter who can provide some pop and get on base.

I liked that some of the rookie cards also included the debut date.

Pack 3

Having previously lived in New England, I still root for Boston teams although they don't take precedence over Seattle teams.  The Ortiz mini replicates a 1989 design.  However, I'm bothered by the fact that this card uses a stat line from 2006.  That's not how it works. That's not how any of this works. 

It's a Trout card so I have to give my obligatory "Fuck Mike Trout."  Notwithstanding Trout, I still like the card. 

Pack 4

A pink card, huh?  Oh it's serial numbered to 50?  Sweet pull! And I've heard of Morneau before! These pink parallels run one every 253 packs.  I'm not ready to call this box a success but I'm getting there.

This card made me wonder how many cards out there haven't been pulled?  This box is 2 years old and there are only 50 of these cards in existence.  I image there has to be rarer cards that have never seen the light of day.  Of course the catch 22 is that we won't know what cards haven't been pulled.

Sadly, Taveras died in a car accident after the season ended in 2014.

Pack 5

Ellsbury got a lot of heat from Beantown after he left the Red Sox and signed with the Yankees.  Dude got paid though so good for him.

Springer is certainly impressing so far in his young career.  

Your 2016 Home Run Derby champion.

Pack 6

Pack 7

One of the few Cal Ripken Jr. cards I have in my collection.  That's not acceptable.

2014 was Seager's only year as an all-star so this is a great card to pull.

Pack 8

It's a numbered parallel, which I'm a sucker for, so I have to include it.  That makes 2 serial numbered cards out of this box.  

I would not normally highlight a Yankee but pulling this card was fortuitous as you'll soon see below.

  

I highlight this card because look at that kick! I am not that flexible.

Pack 9

I picked this red foil insert because....

Pack 10

..I pulled the base card in the same pack.  What are the odds?

I still wish there was a Topps Now for the Odor/Bautista punch.

Won the Rookie of the Year award in 2014.

Patch

The included patch is none other than Mariano Rivera.  I thought it was interesting that I pulled the Rivera World Series Heroes insert and patch card in the same box.

This was a great break overall considering the cost.  Two numbered parallels, one manufactured memorabilia, two current Mariners, and several All-Star Game cards.  

2015 Topps Baseball Retail Break Part 2

Welcome back for the conclusion of the 2015 Topps Baseball Series 2 retail break.  If you missed my first post highlighting some of the cards, you can check it out here.

I don't have as many cards as the first post to discuss but here we go.  

Base

I don't like Mike Trout.  He's too good and he plays in the AL West, where my team the Mariners also play.  It's hard to believe that he is only 24 but has already won an MVP and ROTY award. He's been an all-star every full year he's been in the league.  He already has a WAR above 4.0 and it's not even the all-star break.

The only reason I included this card is because I thought it was a very cool image.  It's easy to get fatigued with the typical baseball card picture but this one is different.  I'm surprised Topps didn't put this is a short print since they are keen on doing that these days.

Highlight of the Year insert

The Babe.  What a legend.  I'm always a fan of baseball history cards.

Free Agent 40 insert

As far as free agent signings go, Cano was likely one of the biggest for the Mariners.  Consistent all-star, gold glove award winner, and positive clubhouse personality.  This signing, and the money to go along with it, showed that the Mariners' front office was serious about contending.  In 2014, his first year with the Mariners, Cano played like a the multi-million dollar man he was.  Unfortunately, the Mariners missed the playoffs by 1 game.  In 2015, Cano struggled mightily at the beginning of the year and the Mariners finished below .500.

This year he has been playing close to his 2014 level but the Mariners have tanked in the month of June and Cano's flaccid bat this month is partly to blame.  I still think he is an all-star this year but he will have to turn it up in the 2nd half if the Mariners have ANY chance of making the playoffs.

First Pitch insert

Local product Macklemore loves Seattle and all it's sports teams.  He's a good ambassador for Seattle sports.  His music is good too.

Baseball History insert

Any card with Casey Kasem is alright with me.  His voice is legendary.

Base

I'm sure I've talked about Pineda before so I won't talk much about him.  Former Mariners prospect that has not seemed to play up to his potential yet.  This year his ERA is a whopping 5.51.  He had a rough start to the year but in June he has been pitching better.

Future Stars - Base - Gold Parallel

The Future Stars tag on DeGrom has been pretty accurate.  In 2015, the year this set came out, DeGrom was an all-star and pitched his way to a 14-8 record with a 2.54 ERA.  He also pitched pretty well in the playoffs last year with the exception of his lone World Series start where he gave up 4 runs in 5 innings.  This year is ERA is a little higher, WHIP is up and his strikeouts are down.  I don't follow the Mets/NL so I can't say for sure how he is doing but the numbers suggest that he's not pitching the same.

Initially I was going to correct the rotation on Fernando Rodney but on second thought I decided to keep it.  Rodney was Mariners closer for a few years and watching him pitch was like riding a roller coaster.  One game he could go 1-2-3 no problem to get the save.  The next game he could walk every batter to load the bases and then get three easy outs.  There was no consistency.  An upside down picture seemed appropriate.  I still like the dude though.  He's been pitching very well this year so congrats to the Padres.

Last, and kinda least, Rick Porcello with the gold parallel, serial numbered to 2015.  I have no affinity for Porcello as I'm not familiar with him.  I just wanted to include the other serial numbered card.  He seems to be doing alright with the Red Sox this year so he's got that going for him.