The Jersey Shore Junkwaxapalooza! (Preview)

The video speaks for itself.

2009 OPC Blaster Break

Yeah, it's been a week since I posted anything. Sue me.

Video Box Break and Review: 2009 Upper Deck OPC

One Hobby box of 2009 Upper Deck OPC
36 packs per box, six cards per pack (Paid $59)

Part One:


Part Two:


The Pulls

Base Set: 159 of 600 (26.50%)

Parallels
35 Black (one-per-pack)
1 Blank-Backed Black: P. Polanco
1 Mini Black (1:36): S. Olsen

Inserts
2 2008 Highlights & Milestones (15 cards): A. Beltre, C. Gomez
1 Walk-Off Winners (ten cards): J. Damon
1 2008 OPC All-Rookie Team (ten cards): J. Bruce
1 Midsummer Memories (15 cards): C. Crawford
2 Face of the Franchise (30 cards): M. Young, E. Longoria
2 The Award Show (20 cards): A. Beltre, T. Hunter
1 New York, New York (30 cards, 1:36): J. Posada
1 1979-80 OPC Hockey (33 cards, 1:36): J. Toews (Hockey Player)
6 20th Anniversary: L. Berkman, R. Ankiel, T. Woods (three different), Jeter

Autogamers
1 20th Anniversary Memorabilia (1:432/packs): I. Rodriguez

The Review

When I first saw the sell-sheets for '09 UDOPC back in February, with it's faux '76 Topps design and one-per-pack '71 Topps parallel, my first thought was to the litigation that was all but inevitable. With the lawsuit now all but settled, I still have to wonder what Upper Deck was thinking with this product.

I get the fact that Upper Deck wanted to throw a bone to the set collectors; and with a large 600 base set, they have. But I don't understand why they had to call it "O-Pee-Chee." For baseball card collectors O-Pee-Chee will always be nothing more than Canadian Topps. (The fact that all the cards are in English-only goes against the spirit of the originals, but that's for another post.) Issuing a card set called "O-Pee-Chee," and shamelessly ripping off vintage Topps/OPC designs, was all but inviting a Topps lawsuit.

What I also don't understand is why UD decided to kill off a brand name they paid a lot of money for (Fleer), and revive a brand more associated with their competitor? Maybe it was to stick it to Topps?

The Bottom Line

2009 UDOPC is what it is. It's 2009 Fleer Tradition, but under a different name. I received a little more than a quarter of the base set, a bunch of black-bordered parallels, and a one-per-box mini parallel of former Marlin and current Nats pitcher Scott Olsen. I also pulled a black-bordered card of Placido Polanco with a blank-bank, that I didn't notice until after I was done sorting my box. Apparently, these blank-backed black-backs (try saying that five times as fast as you can) are a stealth parallel.

Not including those annoying 20th Anniversary cards, there are eight different insert sets and I received at least one card from each. Unfortunately, one of the inserts I received was of a hockey player. The card in question is from a 33-card "tribute" to the 1979-80 OPC Hockey set. (The first ten cards are of current NHL players, while the remaining 23 are of baseballers.) Last time I checked it says "Baseball Picture Cards" on the wrapper, and not "Baseball and Hockey Picture Cards." If I wanted hockey cards, I'd buy a pack of fucking hockey cards.

You're not guaranteed either an autograph or a gamer in a box, but then again you're probably not buying this for the "hits." You're supposed to get a triple-swatch game-used card every third box, an autograph every sixth, and a 20th Anniversary Game-Used card in every twelve-box case. This box yielded the "case hit," a Pudge Rodriguez 20th Anniversary jersey card.

I paid $59 for this box of cards, and although I got 36 wax packs, I still don't feel as though I got enough for my money. The problem with UDOPC is the price point. Yes, it's only $1.59/pack -- which puts it along the lines of Topps' flagship -- but you only get a measly six cards in a pack. When you consider that a 20-card Hobby pack of Upper Deck's flagship has an MSRP of $5, the cost-per-card of OPC is roughly the same as regular Upper Deck.

Product Rating: 2 1/2 Gumsticks
Box Rating: 3 Gumsticks

... and another thing

Contrary to what it originally said on the sell-sheet, the last 100 cards are NOT short printed. They are seeded at the rate of one-per-pack, but UD actually printed MORE of these cards than the first 500 cards. I received 36% of the "SPs," but only about a quarter of the first 500.

Video Box Break and Review: 2009 Bowman HTA

One HTA box of 2009 Bowman Baseball (paid $85)
32 cards per pack, 12 packs per box

The Details:

Chiptoppers
One Autographed Rookie Card (10 cards, one per HTA box)

Base Set: 230 cards
220 short-set
10 Autographed Rookie Cards (see above)

Inserts
Bowman Prospects: 90 cards
World Baseball Classic: 20 cards

Parallels
Golds: 330 cards (one-per-pack)
Blues: 330 cards (numbered to 500)
Oranges: 330 cards (1:3 packs, numbered to 250)
Reds: 330 cards (1:1020)
Chrome: 110 cards (six-per-pack)
Chrome Refractors: 110 cards (1:5, numbered to 599)
Chrome X-Fractors: 110 cards (1:10, numbered to 299)
Chrome Blue Refractors: 110 cards (1:19, numbered to 150)
Chrome Gold Refractors: 110 cards (1:57, numbered to 50)
Chrome Orange Refractors: 110 cards (1:114, numbered to 25)
Chrome Red Refractors: 110 cards (1:484, numbered to 5)
Chrome SuperFractor: 110 cards (1:2415, one-of-one)
Press Plates: 330 cards (1:93)

Autogamers
Autographed Rookies: (ten cards, 1:40)
Autographed Blue Rookies: (ten cards, 1:98, numbered to 500)
Autographed Orange Rookies: (ten cards, 1:194, numbered to 250)
Autographed Red Rookies: (ten cards, 1:50,000, one-of-one)
Autographed Rookie Press Plates (ten cards, 1:13,000)
Autographed Chrome Prospects: (17 cards*, 1:23)
Autographed Chrome Refractor Prospects: (17 cards, 1:47)
Autographed Chrome X-Fractor Prospects: (17 cards, 1:94)
Autographed Chrome Blue Refractor Prospects: (17 cards, 1:152)
Autographed Chrome Gold Refractor Prospects: (17 cards, 1:457)
Autographed Chrome Orange Refractor Prospects: (17 cards, 1:911)
Autographed Chrome Red Refractor Prospects: (17 cards, 1:4500)
Autographed Chrome SuperFractor Prospects: (17 cards, 1:22,500)
Autographed Chrome Prospects Press Plates: (17 cards, 1:2400)
Bowman Prospect Autographs: (ten cards, 1:24)

The 17 Autographed Chrome Prospects are numbered as an extension of the Chrome Prospects insert set. (BCP111-BCP127)

The Pulls

Part One:


Part Two:


Base Set: 192 of 230 (83.48%)

short set: 191 of 220 (86.82%)
Autographed Rookies: 1 of 10 (10.00%) L. Montz

Inserts
Bowman Prospects: 77 of 90 (85.56%)
Bowman World Baseball Classic: 19 of 20 (95.00%)

Parallels
12 Golds
8 Blues: C-M Wang, R. Ankiel, D. Haren, J. Lannan, M. Lowell, C. Quentin, Y. Escobar, J. Bourgeois
4 Oranges: N. Leyja, N. Buss, T. Johnson, C. Li
67 Chromes
2 Chrome Refractors: J. Jones, P. Aumont
2 Chrome X-Fractors: O. Tejada, J. Bogany

Autogamers
1 Autographed Chrome Prospect: J. Rodriguez
1 Bowman Prospect Autograph: R. Kalish

Video Box Break and Review: 2009 Upper Deck Series Two Hobby

One Hobby box of 2009 Upper Deck Series Two
16 packs per box, 20 cards per pack (paid $69)

The Video:


The Pulls:

Base Set
247 of 506 (48.81%)
47 Mis-cuts

Parallels
2 Gold (numbered to 99) J. Guthrie, T. Cahill

Inserts
1 20th Anniversary 1989 Buyback: J. Montgomery
8 20th Anniversary: T. Woods, M. Jordan, Interleague Play, B. Favre, The President of S. Korea, T. Perez, and a couple of hockey players
4 USA Baseball National Team (22 cards): A. Oliver, J. Fellhauer, K. Davis, R. Jackson
4 O-Pee-Chee Previews (50 cards): R. Martin, J-Roll, C. Beltran, J. Beckett

Autogamers
1 2005 Dual Signature Reflections (numbered to 99#) D. McPherson/S. Rolen
1 USA National Team Jersey (20 cards*): K. Volz
1 USA National Team Autograph (17 cards*) : C. Hernandez
1 UD Game Materials (58 cards*): K. Griffey, Jr.

* Two Jersey cards, and one autograph per box
# Packaged as a chiptopper

The Review

I'm sorry, but Upper Deck's quality control has gone to complete shit. Just about every pack I ripped had three mis-cut base cards -- that's about two-and-a-half packs worth of cards. Between this, and the half-empty Blaster of Goudey I ripped last week, UD needs to fix this, STAT.

As mentioned on this blog, and others, many of the same players who appeared in the first series also make appearances here -- and these aren't special subset cards; they're base cards. If you're going to have the same 100-150 players in both series, and NOT include some of the fringe players, then what's the point of even having a second series?

Inserts include another batch of 22 USA National Team cards -- basically, it's Stephen "Give me $50 million, or else" Strasberg, and 21 other dudes you've never heard of before, and will never hear from again. Series Two was supposed to have a 50-card set loosely based on the 1977 O-Pee-Chee baseball set, which in turn was based on the 1977 Topps set. But this was changed at the last minute to a 50-card preview of the upcoming 2009 O-Pee-Chee set. It should be noted that the backs of these cards are identical to the '77 OPC/Topps backs.

You're promised three "hits" in each box, and a fourth packed as a chiptopper. The chiptopper was a buy-back of a dual autograph numbered to 99. Unfortunately, it's of Dallas McPherson and Scott Rolen. (Although considering some of the buy-backs that others have pulled, I guess I should be happy that I got an actual Major Leaguer.)

Product Rating: 2 1/2 Gumsticks (out of 5)
Box Rating: 1 Gumsticks (out of 5)

Cardola: 2009 Bowman Draft Picks Football

Again, courtesy of Topps...

Part One



Part Two


So why can't Bowman Baseball be more like this?

Video Box Break: 2009 Goudey Blaster

Yesterday was my birthday and I gave myself a present. Unfortunately, I picked a blaster of 2009 Goudey.

On-Location Pack Break: 2009 Upper Deck Series One Jumbo

Lesson #1: When filming an on-location box break, bring your own wax. Just in case.

My Night at Pack Battle.

This past Friday night, the Lakewood BlueClaws (Single-A affiliate of the WFC) hosted a card show. Many were there to take in an evening of Single-A baseball; I was there to play Pack Battle with the one and only Dr. Wax Battle.

(Also, check out an exclusive preview of my next on-location video.)



(h/t Dr. Wax Battle)

On-Location Mailday Video.

The morning of my trip to Jefferson Burdick's grave, I got a mailday from Marie of A Cardboard Problem. On my way home, I had to make a detour.

The Greatest Video Box Break Ever: Part Two

The Greatest Video Box Break Ever: Part One

2009 Bowman Baseball

24 packs per box, 10 cards per pack
Supplied from Topps

Cardola: 2009 Topps Series Two Hobby

Part One:



Part Two:



Part Three:

Video Box Break and Review: 2009 Upper Deck Series Two Blaster

Bloggers Note: 2009 Upper Deck Series Two Baseball is not scheduled for release until May 19. However at the Wal-Mart in Audubon, NJ, Blasters are already on the shelf. Don't tell anyone though, it'll be our little secret.

One Blaster box of 2009 Upper Deck Series Two (paid $19.97 + tax)
Ten packs per box, eight cards per pack.



Base Set: 64 of 500

Parallels: NONE

Inserts

5 Silver "Common" StarQuest: B. Webb, B. McCann, E. Longoria, F. Liriano, J. Bruce
3 Blue "Uncommon" StarQuest: B. Phillips, C-M Wang, D. Pedroia
1 Gold "Rare" StarQuest: B.J. Upton
1 Emerald "Super Rare" StarQuest: B. Phillips
1 OPC Preview: Chipper
1 Upper Deck Allen & Ginter Goodwin Champions Preview: C. Ripken, Jr.
1 20th Anniversary: N. Ryan

Autogamers

1 UD Game Materials: Dice-K

Video Box Break and Review (On-Location): 2009 Upper Deck Goudey.

Part One:


Part Two:


And if you're ever in the Philadelphia/Trenton/Bucks County Area, drop the kids off at Sesame Place and check out Warren's. And tell 'em Stale Gum sent you.

A Blast from UD's Past.

Why isn't The Hobby marketing itself like this anymore?

Special Preview: On-Location Box Break, 2009 Goudey.

Gonzo Box Break: 2009 Topps Finest

Bloggers Note: This is a Gonzo Box Break. To experience this video break properly, please follow these instructions before viewing.

1) Acquire a half-pint 10-inch hypodermic needle (the kind used for spinal taps & inoculating bulls).

2) Fill this full of rum, tequila, Wild Turkey, or Flying Dog Brewery's Gonzo Imperial Porter.

3) Inject the entire contents straight into the stomach, through the navel. This will induce a fantastic rush -- much like a three-quarter hour Amyl high -- plenty of time to watch the awful spectacle below.

4) Set to full-screen and press play.



One Master Box of 2009 Topps Finest Baseball -- supplied by the manufacturer for free.
Two, six-pack, mini-boxes per Master Box (MSRP $50/mini-box)

Base Set: 49 of 164 (29.88%)
short set: 48 of 150 (32.00%)
1 Autographed Rookie Letter Patch (14 manufactured letter patches, 1:2 mini-boxes): T. Snider EXCH

Parallels

4 "Plain Vanilla" Refractors: J. Posada, X. Nady, HanRam, M. Garza
4 Blue Refractors (numbered to 399): The World's Fattest Vegetarian, K-Rod, T. Hudson, M. Tuiasosopo
1 Green Refractor (1:2 mini-boxes, numbered to 99): G. Meche
1 Gold Refractor (1:4 mini-boxes, numbered to 50): M. Buehrle
1 Autographed Rookie Letter Patch Refractor (1:4 mini-boxes): A. Solome "E"

Inserts

1 2009 MLB Rookie Redemption (1:3 mini-boxes): #1

Product Rating: 2 Gumsticks (out of 5)

$20 Worth of Junk Wax: 2000 Topps TEK

A set so bad, it deserved its own video.

$20 Worth of Junk Wax (Part Two)

$20 Worth of Junk Wax (Part One)

Cardola: 2009 Topps Heritage Hobby

Editors note: Stale Gum will be on vacation in Florida for the next week. So, here's something to tide you over.

Cardola: Topps UFC Round 1

Cardola: 2008-09 Topps T-51 Murad Basketball

Video Box Break and Review: 2009 Upper Deck Series One Hobby

One Hobby box of 2009 Upper Deck Series One Hobby (paid $68 at Dr. Wax Battle's)
16 packs per box, 20 cards per pack.

The Video

Look for the special cameo appearances by A Cardboard Problem's Sooz, and the one and only Fast Eddie!



The Pulls

Base Set: 249 of 500 (49.98%)
37 doubles

Parallels
1 Gold (numbered to 99): Twins Team Leaders

Inserts*
3 1975 O-Pee-Chee (1:6): F. Hernandez, J. Hamilton, M. Holliday
1 Stars of the Game: B. Webb
1 Rivals: J. Hamilton/R. Oswalt
2 USA Baseball Retrospective: M. Brown, T. Teagarden
6 USA Baseball 18U: J. Turner, C. Garfield, J. Malm, M. Stassi, N. Franklin, W. Hatton

Trade Bait*
2 2008 Historic Firsts: OBAMA!, The Ghats of Varanasi
2 2009 Historic Firsts Predictors: The New York Stock Exchange, A Space Alien (WTF?!?!?)
8 20th Anniversary (1:2): A hurricane, three hockey players, a former President and his VP, and three actual baseball players: K. Griffey, Jr, P. Martinez, and D. Winfield
4 Yankee Tedium Lunacy (1:4) #6666 (M. Rivera), #6705 (B. Abreu), #6718 (J. Giambi), and 6731 (M. Mussina)
4 Crockumentary (1:4): That J.D. Guy, J. Ellsbury, J. Lester, E. Longoria

Autogamers#
1 Inkredible: D. Murphy
2 UD Game Jersey: Cap'n Cheesburger, J. Saltalamacchia

* Two inserts per pack
# One autograph, one single-swatch game jersey, and one multi-swatch game jersey numbered to 199 or less per box

The Review

It's the 20th Anniversary of Upper Deck Baseball, and as usual UD did an excellent job with the base set. Some collectors have complained about the gold "bar" on the bottom, but all-in-all it doesn't distract too much from the card.

The first series is back to 500 cards, the first 400 of which are the regular player cards and are arranged by team. The next 30 (401-430) are "Rookies," then 30 Team Leaders (431-460) , ten Season Highlights (461-470), and 30 Team Checklists (471-500). The Team Leaders cards are new and feature three players from each club on a horizontal-format card. Again, the Team Checklist and Season Highlights look exactly like the regular player cards.

Each pack includes two inserts, and among the ones you might receive is a 50 card set that suspiciously looks like 1975 Topps. The rest of the inserts leave much to be desired. Yankee Tedium Lunacy and Crockumentary are finally put to rest, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, UD just can't let go of the "mega-set" concept, and has unleashed their latest monstrosity: the 2500-card 20th Anniversary.

The Bottom Line

Wow, this box sucked. According to the sell-sheets, you're supposed to get one autograph, one single-swatch game jersey, and one multi-swatch jersey card in each box. I received the AU, but both of my gamers were single-swatch.

But getting screwed out of a multi-swatch jersey card is nothing compared to the 37 base set doubles this box yielded. What was weird is that all those doubles were from the first 100 cards in the set. I received substantially fewer cards numbered 101-200. This is unacceptable.

Of the eight 20th Anniversary cards I pulled, only three featured actual baseball players. In fact, I got just as many hockey players as I did baseball players. Last time I checked it still says "baseball cards" in the wrapper; so why am I getting hockey cards?

With that said, you're not really buying Upper Deck for the "hits," you're getting it for the base set, and it is (as usual) great -- even if you only get half of it and three-dozen doubles in a box.

Product Rating: 3 1/2 Gumsticks
Collation Rating: 1 1/2 Gumstick

... and another thing.

By now, you've probably heard the story of Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel. The winners of a Indian reality game show, the two 20-year-old cricketeers were signed by the Pirates, becoming the first players from their country to sign with a Major League team. Although Singh and Patel will probably never appear in a Major League game, Upper Deck thought it appropriate to commemorate the achievement with a card in the "2008 Historic Firsts" insert. After all, card collectors love collecting obscure prospects. Don't they? And if anything could be considered "Historic," it surely would be this.

There's just one problem. Instead of giving the two Indians their own baseball card (if only for the novelty), Singh and Patel's "rookie card" has a picture of the Ghats of Varanasi.

A picture of a Temple? Really, Upper Deck? Would it have killed you to, you know, ACTUALLY GIVE RINKU AND DINSEH THEIR OWN CARD?

Chris vs. The Baseball Card Vending Machine

Two days later, I went back and bought the other 2001 Donruss Hobby pack.

Cardola: 2009 Topps American Heritage

Part One


Part Two

A Worst Card-Related Video I've Ever Seen on YouTube.

Don't ask me how I found this.

Cardola: 2009 Topps Series One Hobby

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Razor Signature Series

I won a Beckett contest, and they sent me this waxbox of 2008 Razor Signature Series.



So, was this a loaded box, or not? Let the conspiracy theories begin!

Video Box Break and Review: 2009 Topps Series One HTA

One HTA box of 2009 Topps Series One (paid $95)
50 cards per pack, ten cards per box

The Video



The Pulls

Base

One full 330-card base set
108 doubles

1 Variation (19 cards, 1:19) W. Johnson

Parallels

10 Golds (one-per-pack, numbered to 2009) B. Lidge, Berkman/Lee, KosFu, J. Manuel, C. Jackson, D. Span, E. Burriss, B. Roberts, C. Lambert, B. Bixler
1 Black (one-per-pack, numbered to 58) B. Barton

Inserts

10 Legends of the Game (25 cards, one-per-pack) C. Young, H. Wagner, T. Speaker, G. Sisler, J. Foxx, Pee Wee Reese, R. Maris, M. Mantle, R. Clemente, C. Yastrzemski
10 Turkey Red (55 cards, one-per-pack) R. Ludwick, B. Molina, Chutley, G. Atkins, C. Granderson, A-Fraud, J. Upton, G. Soto, T. Hunter, M. Caberea
10 Ring Of Honor (25 cards, one-per-pack) T. LaRussa, B. Lidge, D. Snider, L. Gonzalez, G. Carter, A. Pettitte, J. Leyland, A. Pujols, R. Clemens, R. Howard
10 Ticket to Toppstown (30 cards, one-per-pack) J. Santana, HanRam, A. Gordon, R. Howard, J. Peavy, Ichiro, K-Rod, M. Cabrera, C. Quentin, L. Berkman
1 WBC Redemption (1:10)
1 Topps Attax Redemption
1 Legends of the Game Manufactured Patch Bullshit (1:10*, numbered to 50) L. Gehirg "H"

Autogamers*

1 Career Best Autograph (47 cards, 1:10) T. Snider
1 Career Best Relic (34 cards, 1:10) Ichiro

* One autograph, one relic, and one manufactured bullshit patch card per box.

The Review

Well, that's more like it. After a couple of lackluster years, the Topps flagship is back and it is a marked improvement over what we've seen the past few years. It's not quite where it ought to be, but Topps is on its way back.

The base set is still only 330 cards, which is about 100 cards smaller than it ought to be. It breaks down to 255 players, 30 rookies, 10 league leaders, 15 managers, eight postseason highlights, six award winners, five Classic Combos, and one dead Hall of Famer.

The design is Topps best effort in years, and "effort" is an apt term. As many have commented, the fronts have a mid-90s feel to it, and for some reason, I love the "arch" element on the back. I can't explain why, I just do. I also like the fact that Topps chose NOT to airbrush those players who have changed teams. Mark Teixeira is still pictured as an Angel, Pat Burrell is still a Phillie, and Chan Ho Park is still in Dodger blue. The only airbrushed card I could find is of Greg Golson who was traded from the Phillies to the Rangers.

Another thing that's pretty cool are the Classic Combo cards. Not for what's on the front, but what's on the back: checklists. Call me old fashioned, but I think checklists deserve to be in the base set. The only problem is that Topps didn't include any of the inserts in the checklists, only the base cards.

Speaking of which, each HTA pack comes with a Gold parallel and an insert from one of four sets: Legends of the Game, Turkey Red, Ring of Honor, and Ticket to Toppstown. I don't quite understand why Topps chose to reprint Turkey Red though. Hasn't that set been done already? What's next, Allen & Ginter inserts in 2010 Topps?

One insert this product could have done without are the variation cards. 17 of the 19 variations are of the CMG legends and the other two are of President Obama and CC Sabathia in an airbrushed Yankee uniform. Topps had already included these 17 in the Legends of the Game insert, and I don't see the point of including them in a variation.

The Bottom Line

This HTA box yieled one full 330-card base set and about a third of a second. I also pulled 40 inserts, 11 parallels, 1 variation, and two redemptions. My designated autograph was of Blue Jays outfielder Travis Snider. Snider was the 14th player selected in the '06 draft and was the youngest position player in baseball last year. My relic was a plain gray jersey of Ichiro.

My other "relic" (and I use that term loosely) was a manufactured letter patch card with a giant felt "H" on it. Somehow this "H" has something to do with Lou Gehrig. Am I the only collector who thinks these manufactured relics are total bullshit? Does anybody actually collect these things? Memo to Topps and Upper Deck: If it's not actually game used, then what the fuck is the point?

Product Rating: 3 1/2 Gumsticks (out of five)
Box Rating: 4 Gumsticks

... and another thing

If a gimmick card of Captain Cheeseburger is the worst Topps can come up with, then I guess I'm OK with that. I don't like it, but at least it's not a furry animal, fake Japanese phenom, space alien, or an old decrepit quarterback on a lawn tractor.

Video Box Break and Review: 2009 Upper Deck Series One Blaster

Cardola: 2008-09 Topps Hardwood Basketball

Cardola: 2008 Topps Mayo Football

One Hobby Box supplied to me for free by Topps of 2008 Mayo Football (street value: $100)
24 packs per box, eight cards per pack

Part One

Part Two

The Pulls

Base Set: 144 of 330 (43.64%)

Parallels
19 Minis
2 Yale Minis (1:13) E. Sims, D. Northcutt
1 Princeton Mini (1:24) T. Brady
1 Harvard Mini (1:50, numbered to 25) J. Gage

Inserts
2 Mini Famous Ships (19 cards, 1:12) Andrea Gail, RMS Carpathia
22 Super Bowl Logo History (33 cards, one-per-pack)

Autogamers
1 Mayo Relic (43 cards*) C. Henne
1 Mayo Americana Relic (18 cards*) W. Haynes

* Odds of finding an autogamer: 1:12/packs

Box Rating: 4 Gumsticks (out of five)
Product Rating: 4 1/2 Gumsticks (out of five)

Cardola: 2008 Triple Threads Football

It's been a while since I've done one of these.

Tom the Ripper: 2008 Playoff Prime Cuts IV

Video Box Break and Review: 2003 Leaf

One Hobby Box of 2003 Leaf (paid $40)
24 packs per box, ten cards per pack

The Video



The Pulls

Base Set: 208 of 320 (65.00%)
18 Doubles

Parallels

2 Red Press Proof (1:12) T. Glaus, T. Hunter
1 Blue Press Proof (numbered to 50) S. Hatteberg

Inserts

2 Leaf Certified Samples (15 cards, 1:23) M. Piazza, R. Johnson
1 Leaf Certified Samples Certified Red (numbered to 150) R. Johnson
3 Leaf 60 (50 cards, 1:8) Ja. Giambi, G. Maddux, V. Guerrero
1 Home (10 cards, 1:34) C. Jones
2 Slick Leather (15 cards, 1:21) G. Maddux, J. Edmonds
2 Hard Hats (12 cards, 1:13) B. Williams, R. Palmeiro

Autogamers

1 Away Jersey (10 cards, numbered to 250) C. Jones
1 Shirt off my Back (20 cards, numbered to 500) V. Wells

Product Rating: 2 1/2 Gumsticks

Fear and Loathing in Delaware: The Tom the Ripper Remix

Jefferson Airplane, I need a rising sound.

Tom the Ripper: 2008 Topps Sterling

For $240...

... you can get one pack of Topps Sterling.

And that would be, a lot of Topps Sterling.

Or you can go all the way....



Awww, yeah!

Video Box Break: 2008 Razor Signature

Tom the Ripper busts a box of Razor Signature. Hilarity ensues.

Things to look for...

1) A CGI light saber,

2) A retractable razor blade (Get it? A box of Razor being busted with a razor?),

3) Ten autographed trading cards of players you've never heard of -- and more than likely never will,

4) A snippet of an epic rant by Gellman at SCU,

5) A 1950s anti-alcohol educational film set to the music of Alice in Chains.

Collectors React to the News that Upper Deck is Bringing Back UDX for 2009.

Can't you just feel the excitement already?

OBTW, still no word on '09 Ultra.

(h/t Hand Collated)

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Topps Baseball Updates & Highlights Presents 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter Blaster

Base Set: 39 of 350

Short Set: 39 of 300
Short-Prints (1:2): 0 of 50

Parallels
4 Minis: M. Kobayashi, R. Durham, E. Dukes, M. Scherzer
3 Black Bordered Minis (1:10): B. Jenks, A. Wainwright, A. Miller

Inserts
4 U.S. States: S. Victorino, J. Maurer, T. Tankersley, S. McClung
1 World Leader (1:12): O. Arias Sanchez (Costa Rica)

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Topps Baseball Updates & Highlights Presents 2008 Topps Heritage High Number Series Hobby

One Hobby box of 2008 Topps Heritage High Numbers (paid $65)
24 packs per box; six Heritage and two Updates & Highlights cards per pack

Part One


Part Two


The Pulls

Chiptoppers
1 Advertising Strip (one per box): D. Navarro/J. Crede/R. Ludwick
1 Buy-Back (1:2 boxes): S. Bilko

Base Set
Heritage High Numbers: 106 of 220 (48.18%)
Five Doubles

Short Set: 97 of 185 (52.43%)
Short Prints (1:3): 9 of 35

Updates & Highlights: 48 of 330 (14.55%)

Variations
15 Black Backs

Parallels
8 Chrome (100 cards, 1:3, numbered to 1959) K. Wood, J. Soria, E. Longoria, J. Cueto, A. J. Pierzynski, D. Span, E. Aybar, M. Gonzalez
2 Chrome Refractors (100 cards, 1:11, numbered to 559) J. Wright, R. Barajas

Inserts
2 Rookie Performers (15 cards, 1:12) M. Aviles, M. Scherzer
2 Then & Now (Ten cards, 1:12) L. Sherry/M. Lowell, L. Aparicio/O. Cabrera
2 Flashbacks (Ten cards, 1:12) KosFu, C. Delgado

Autogamers*
1 Clubhouse Collection: C. Granderson

*Odds of finding an autograph or a gamer: 1:24

The Review

The one thing I always thought was missing from the Heritage brand was an update. Think about it. Imagine if the 2001 set had an Update with RCs of Albert Pujols and Ichiro? So it's great that Topps has finally gotten around to issuing "2008 Topps Baseball Updates & Highlights Presents 2008 Topps Heritage High Number Series" -- and yes, that's the full name.

The set contains 220 cards, and like most Update sets is heavily weighted towards rookies (KosFu, Jay Bruce, Evan Longoria, and the like). 35 of the cards are short-printed, and has become par-for-the-course for Heritage, it's up to you the collector to figure out which ones are SPed. There are also another 35 black-backed variations, and Chrome parallels for your collecting pleasure. Inserts include another batch of "Then & Nows" and "Flashbacks," and a 15-card "Rookie Performers" which replace the "New Age Performers." In addition, you get a autograph or a gamer in each box.

Each waxpack has two cards from the Updates & Highlights set. All of these cards are base cards. (Yay.)

The Bottom Line

The box yielded about half the base set, and each pack had either a black-back or an SP. All the inserts, including the Chromes, were as promised.

The big "hits" were an Evan Longoria Chrome and a Curtis Granderson game used pants card. (Although I'd hate to know what part of the pants it came from.)

Product Rating: 4 Gumsticks.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Chutley...

From the looks of it, I don't think Uncle Cholly likes Chutley's potty mouth.

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights Hobby

One Hobby box of 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights (paid $49)
36 packs per box, 10 cards per pack.

Part One


Part Two


Part Three



The Pulls

Base Set: 308 of 330 (93.33%)

Parallels
1 Chrome Refractor Rookie (55 cards, one-per-box): M. Macri
18 Gold Foils (1:2)
7 Gold (1:5, numbered to 2008 copies): S. Casey, R. Brignac (RC), C. Izturis, G, Sherrill, J. de la Rosa, B. Zobrist, D. Uggla All-Star

Inserts
2 Mickey Mantle Story (10 cards, 1:18)
5 2009 World Baseball Classic (25 cards, 1:9) A. Gonzalez, Pujols, K-Rod, Chin-Lung Hu, KosFu
6 Year in Review (58 cards, 1:6) M. Teixeira, Glavine, C. Buchholz, B. Phillips, J. Thome, D. Wells
2 1986 Mets Ring of (Dis)Honor (10 cards, 1:18) R. Darling, D. Gooden
2 Ring of Honor (11 cards, 1:18) L. Aparicio, D. Snider
6 First Couples (41 cards, 1:6) Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Reagan, Bush (41), Clinton
1 Take Me Out to the Ballgame (one card, 1:72)

Autogamers
1 All-Star Stitches (64 cards, 1:44*) D. Navarro

*Overall odds of finding any autograph or gamer: 1:36/packs.

And Now A Special Comment.


There. I did it.

For the first time in nearly five months, I've purchased a Topps product.

Please do not construe my actions as some sort of endorsement of Topps' recent actions -- especially regarding their flagship baseball brand. It's just that some gimmicks are (to sound a bit Orwellian) a little more equal than others.

Beauty queen politicians and manufactured fake-error cards? Those I can live with -- provided they do not screw with the integrity of the rest of product, especially the base set. If you are able to ignore the gimmicks, you can pull actual rookie cards of Evan Longoria, Jay Bruce, KosFu, et al, out of a pack of 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights. (In fact, I pulled all three from this particular waxbox.)

What I have zero-tolerance for is bullshit.

Poley Walnuts, Kazuo Uzuki, and Johan Santana's "no-hitter" were all bullshit and everyone knew it. But what puzzles this collector/fake journalist are these three little letters. Why?

Why is Topps doing this?

Seriously, Topps: What the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks are you thinking? (Or are you even thinking at all?)

But the lack of respect Topps has shown hobbyists with these gimmicks in this foul Year of our Lord Two-Thousand and Eight, is not what bothers me.

Really, it doesn't. There have been other trading card companies that failed to take The Hobby seriously, and in the end they got what they deserved (i.e. Pinnacle).

What bothers me is the lack of respect Topps has shown to itself and to the legacy of the Topps flagship.

57 years of history may not mean much to the current "Powers That Be" at Topps; but they mean something to this collector/fake journalist.

Topps Baseball is a slice of Americana (and not the Donruss kind) that dates back to 1952. It's an American institution that appeals to everyone from the hardcore collector, to the casual hobbyist, to the new father whose only cardboard-related purchase of the entire year is a Topps factory set he bought at the Wal-Mart so he can pass it down to his newborn son someday.

Topps Baseball is a product that needs no gimmicks. It's history IS it's gimmick. It's "Heritage," if you will.

But sadly, The Powers That Be at Topps feel that that no longer matters. Hence, the fake cards of fake players, and politicians Photoshopped into the Yankee Stadium grandstands.

---

But believe it or not, I could live with all of this. After all, I have a very high tolerance for BS. But what really sent this collector over-the-edge, was Topps' handling of the Kosuke Fukudome "Rookie" in Topps Series Two. If Topps wanted to pull KosFu's RC from Topps 2 at the last minute and save it for TU&H, fine. Nor did I have an issue with Topps replacing it with a short-printed non-rookie KosFu. What really pissed me off was the fact that Topps did these things WITHOUT bothering to tell anyone until well after the product had been released.

And so with that, I stopped.

It was this despicable act of bait-and-switch that led me to cease collecting any new Topps baseball products. That is until now.

Regardless of where you stand, I hope this is something all collector's can agree on: Card companies have the obligation to inform collectors of what exactly is in their products before they are released. Topps told us all via their website that there would be a rookie card of Kosuke Fukudome in the second series of 2008 Topps Baseball; but then the product went live, and there was no KosFu RC to be found. Topps lied to us all and didn't come clean until weeks later with a press release.

---

So Topps, if you are reading this (and judging from the list IP addresses tracked by my web host, I know you are), please, I beg of you; SHOW SOME FREAKING RESPECT FOR THE HOBBY, FOR COLLECTORS, AND FOR YOURSELVES! You're gimmicking away 57 years of history and tradition, and for what?

Please! Stop it with the gimmicks. Put some additional effort into your product -- especially your flagship. (Last year, I posted some suggestions on "How to Fix Topps Baseball." Go back and read it.) And tell us what's in your product, before you release it.

(Upper Deck, you might want to take this last point into advisement as well.)

I'm willing to let by-gones be by-gones (for now). But make no mistake Topps, you are still "On Notice."

And with that, I leave you with this. If the main drawing card (no pun intended) of a particular product (any product) is a gimmick, then what does that say about the rest of the product?

If The Powers That Be at Topps continue to feel that their annual flagship needs a gimmick, then what does that say about Topps Baseball?

The Review

TU&H is what it is, the third series of 2008 Topps baseball. The last few years, TU&H was released in late-November, but this year it's out in October; meaning that the postseason highlight cards that have been a staple of TU&H are the only thing missing from the base set, and is 100% varmint-free.

Inserts include a continuation of the 2007 Year in Review, a 25-card World Baseball Classic set, and a 41-card set of every President and his Missus. About the only thing good I have to say about that last one is, thankfully, we'll not have to put up with cards of politicians much longer.

The cornerstone of the insert program is "Ring of Honor;" a concept that debuted in Topps Football. Unfortunately, Topps chose to honor the '86 Mets, one of the most dishonorable World Series teams ever.

Oh yeah, you get an autograph or a game jersey card, and a Chrome Rookie Refractor in each waxbox.

The Bottom Line

Hopefully, this is the start of Topps Baseball's long redemption. I got over 90% of a base set with no doubles, and I received an additional WBC insert (both the Pujols and KosFu WBC's were in the same pack).

The designated one-per-box game-used card was an "authentic event-worn piece of a 2008 MLB All-Star festivities" (read: batting practice) jersey card of Tampa Bay catcher Dioner Navarro. For the record, I ripped this box on the day of Game Three of the Phillies/Rays World Series. I hope this isn't bad karma.

By one-per-box Chrome Refractor Rookies was of Matt Macri, a 26 year-old third-baseman from the Twins. (Yay.)

Box Rating: 3 1/2 Gumsticks (out of five)
Product Rating: 3 Gumsticks

... and another thing.

My favorite card I pulled, and perhaps my favorite card I've pulled this year, is #UH6. Yamid Haad is a career minor-leaguer who played one game for the '99 Pirates and seventeen games for San Francisco in '05. The 30 year-old catcher started the 2008 season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons and on June 12th, he got the call.

One week later Cleveland signed veteran backup catcher Sal Fasano and sent Yamid back to Buffalo without getting as much as an at-bat.

Even though Yamid Haad didn't play a single inning for the 2008 Indians, it didn't stop Topps from commemorating his seven days with the Tribe with his own Topps baseball card.

Laugh all you want, but Yamid cashed a Major League paycheck this year, and you didn't.

Video Box Break and Review: 1999 Upper Deck PowerDeck

This waxbox sent to me by Russ from The House of Cardboard for winning the baseball card bloggers fantasy league. So far, he's the sole person to send me my winnings.

One box of 1999 Upper Deck PowerDeck
24 packs per box, two paper cards (a.k.a. "Auxiliaries") plus one baseball card sized CD-ROM per pack.

The Video



The Pulls

Base Set
CD-ROMS: 18 of 25 (72.00%)

Auxiliaries: 24 of 25 (96.00%)
13 Doubles
3 Triples
2 Quads

Inserts
CD-ROMS
1 Season to Remember (One CD-Rom, packaged as a chiptopper) M. McGwire
4 Powerful Moments (Six CD-Roms, 1:7) S.Sosa, C. Ripken, Jr., K. Griffey, Jr., A-ROD
1 Time Capsule (Six CD-Roms, 1:23) K. Griffey, Jr.

Auxiliaries
3 Powerful Moments (Six Cards, 1:7) D. Jeter, A-Rod (2)
1 Time Capsule (Six cards, 1:23) NOE-MAH!!!

Parallels: NONE

Autogamers: NONE

The Review

1999 Upper Deck PowerDeck was one of the more, shall we say, unique baseball card sets ever made. PowerDeck is a product that revolves not around baseball cards, but baseball CD-ROMs. Each three "card" pack contained two regular baseball cards (or "Auxiliaries" as UD calls them here) and a CD-ROM die-cut to the size of a standard-sized trading card.

The concept of merging the traditional, humble baseball card, with the technology of the day, was nothing new. In 1962 and again in '64, Columbia Records in association with the makers of Milk Duds candy, issued a set called Auravsion which featured the images of baseball players pressed onto 33 1/3 RPM records. When placed on a turntable, each Auravision "card" played a brief interview with the subject. Earlier in the 90s, both Topps and Donruss experimented with CD-ROM-based trading card products of their own (Cybr Cards and VxP, respectively). And in a way, Topps' new social networking website Topps Town continues this convergence of technology and cardboard.

'99 PowerDeck was not Upper Deck's first experiment with a cyber-savvy trading card. A year earlier it randomly inserted into specially marked packs of 1998 Series One an audio CD die-cut to the size of a trading card. Collectors who received this "card" could then mount it onto a special tray that was packed as a chiptopper into each waxbox, insert the tray into any CD player, and hear a five-minute interview of UD spokesjock Ken Griffey, Jr.

By 1999 the technology had advanced enough to include video as well as audio onto these CD-ROMs and UD felt the time was right for a stand-alone PowerDeck product.

The base set consisted of only 25 CD-ROMs (one for each player), and each CD-ROM corresponds with a paper-based Auxiliary (i.e. Card and CD-ROM #1 in both sets is Ken Griffey, Jr.; #2 is Mark McGwire; and so on). The same is true for each of the three different insert sets.

Each CD-ROM has game clips, sounds, photos, and sortable career stats of the featured players -- which in 1999 (provided you had a Pentium-based rig with 133MHz, 12MB of RAM, a 4X CD-ROM drive and a Sound Blaster compatible sound card) was cutting edge. Popping a few of these into my laptop, it seems almost Precambrian.

The PowerDeck concept never really caught on, although the suggested retail price of $5/pack may have had a little something to do with it's failure. And although a second series of PowerDecks was released in 2000, UD has yet to issue another.

The Bottom Line

Collation was par-for-the-course with most late 90s UD products -- that is, dreadful. I received two copies of the same Alex Rodriguez Powerful Moments Auxiliary insert, and four copies each of Mo Vaughn and Chipper Jones' Auxiliary base cards.

If you're looking for something different to bust, and don't want to spend a lot of money, then try a box of 1999 Upper Deck PowerDeck. You can bust worse.

Box Rating: 2 Gumsticks (out of five)
Product Rating: 2 1/2 Gumsticks (out of five)

Cardola: 2008 SP Authentic

One Hobby Box supplied to me for free by Upper Deck of 2008 SP Authentic (street value: $100)
24 packs per box, five cards per pack

Part One



Part Two



The Pulls

Base Set: 95 of 191 (49.74%)
1 Double

Short Set: 93 of 100 (93.00%) with one double
1 Rookie Jersey Autograph: (36 cards*, production varies) B. Bocock, numbered to 599
1 Rookie Autographs: (55 cards*, production varies) G. Petit, numbered to 999

Parallels: NONE

Inserts
12 Authentic Achievements (50 cards^): D. Jeter, K. Griffey, Jr., B. Webb, E. Bedard, Dice-K, Big Papi, J. Peavy, J-Roll, Phat Albert, L. Berkman, M. Teixeira, M. Buehrle
12 Marquee Matchups (50 cards^): Beckett/Jeter, Pujols/Lidge, Rivera/Ortiz, Willis/Hafner, F. Hernandez/V. Martinez, Griffey, Jr./Oswalt, P. Martinez/Howard, Wagner/Teixeira, Reyes/Glavine, Zambrano/Fielder, Hamels/Beltran, Smoltz/H. Ramriez

Mirrors
6 Yankee Tedium Luncay (1:4): #2029 (V. Raschi), #2054, 2389, & 2439 (A. Reynolds), #2079 & 2414 (P. Rizzuto)

Autogamers
1 By The Letter Autographed Manufactured Patch (47 players on multiple cards*, production varies): C. Lee "N," numbered to 15#

* Overall odds of finding any autograph: 1:8/packs
^ Overall odds of finding an Authentic Achievements or a Marquee Matchups: one-per-pack
# The Carlos Lee "N" I pulled is serial numbered to 15 copies, but the cumulative production run for all Lee BTL's is 160 copies.

The Bottom Line

It's been seven years since I've busted a box of SP Authentic, and after busting this box I remember why I quit collecting SPA. It's a set that's not even worth the trouble to collect.

Oh sure, you can get autographed rookie cards of Evan Longoria, Jay Bruce, Clayton Kershaw, and an un-autoed, game jersey card of Kosuke Fukudome. But for every RC of these guys, there are dozens players similar in caliber to the two I pulled out of this particular waxbox: Brian Bocock and Gregorio Petit. Caveat Emptor.

All of which begs the question: Why are there 90 different autographed rookie cards (there are two different Evan Longoria's -- one with and one without a jersey swatch) in SPA anyway? Are there really 90 players worthy of an autographed rookie card serial numbered to 999 or less in a $100/waxbox product? How exactly does an AUed RC of a guy who was called up and sent down from Triple-A three times this past season (Petit) and of another guy who hit .220 in Single-A (Bocock) "add value" to a product like this? If I had actually paid the street value of $100 for this box, why would I want to spend another C-Note on another box if what I'm expecting to receive are two AUed RCs of obscure all-glove, no-bat shortstops?

With that said, the rest of the base set -- the part that you can actually collect -- looks great. You can't really tell from the video, but the way the player's jersey number is "spot glossed" into the whitespace is really neato.

Other positives: You get one of 100 different insert cards in each pack, meaning you get something of value for your money. In addition, you get one of those autographed manufactured "By The Letter" patch cards in every box -- for those of you who are into that.

Box Rating: 3 Gumsticks (out of five)
Product Rating: 2 Gumsticks (out of five)

... and another thing.

You know what 2009 SPA needs? (Well, other than about 75 fewer autographed rookie cards) HoloViews.

Yes, HoloViews.

I'm just saying....

Cardola: 2008 Upper Deck X

One Hobby Box supplied to me for free of 2008 Upper Deck X (Market Price: $50-$55)
20 packs per box, eight cards per pack.

Part One



Part Two



The Pulls

Base Set: 100 of 100
13 Doubles

Parallels
20 Die-Cuts (one-per-pack)

Inserts*
10 UDxponential (90 cards): B. Phillips, C. B. Young, C. Guillen, H. Matsui, Ichiro, J. Kent, J. Varitek, ManRam, P. Konerko, Pronk Hafner
7 UDxponential² (75 cards) : B. Roberts, C. Jones, D. Lee, J. Papelbon, M. Holliday, P. Fielder, T. Tulowitzki
2 UDxponential³ (25 cards) : Big Papi, J-Roll
1 UDxponential⁴ (10 cards): A. Soriano

* Odds of finding any UDxponential are one-per-pack

Mirrors
5 Yankee Tedium Lunacy (1:4): #5959 & 5977 (D. Jeter), #6484 (R. Johnson), #6509 (M. Rivera), #6534 (J. Posada)

Autogamers
2 UDX Signatures (30 cards, 1:10): E. Meek, J. Newman

The Bottom Line

I've now busted a full Hobby box of this stuff, and I still don't understand what Upper Deck was going for with UDX.

Just about every one of the one-per-pack die-cuts has either A) A huge roller mark running the length of the card, or B) Is not properly die-cut.

I had no idea who the two AU were until I looked them both up on baseball-reference.com. Both Evan Meek and Josh Newman are 25-year-old rookie middle-inning relievers.

UDX-JO!!!!!!

Box Rating: 2 1/2 Gumsticks (out of five)
Product Rating: 1 Gumstick

I hope Upper Deck comes to its senses and brings back Fleer Ultra for 2009. (And by that I mean "Fleer Ultra" and not "Ultra SE.")

Cardola: 2008 UD Masterpieces

Well, here goes ten year's of credibility right down the drain!

One box supplied to me (for free) by Upper Deck of 2008 UD Masterpieces Baseball
Twelve packs per box, six cards per pack.

The Video



The Pulls

Base Set: 58 of 120 (48.33%)
2 doubles

Short Set: 52 of 90 (57.78%)
6 Short Prints (1:2): F. Robinson, N. Ryan, L. Brock, D. Jeter, R. Jackson, J. Carter

Parallels
4 Black: L. Berkman, W. Ford, Chutley, J. Bench
1 Red: M. Young
1 Blue (numbered to 125): H. Killebrew

Inserts: NONE

Mirrors
4 Yankee Tedium Lunacy (1:3): #320 (T. Lazzeri), 345 (B. Meusel), 370 (E. Combs) 5934 (T. Martinez)

Autogamers
1 Captured on Canvas (1:12): N. Markakis
1 Autographed Captured on Canvas: B. McCann

The Bottom Line

Yeah, yeah, I got my precious six SPs. I'm happy. I still don't think SPing the base set was a smart idea though. Like I said, I love the base set but UD should had left well enough alone.

If you recall, in the Hobby box I paid for, I pulled a blue framed parallel of Hideki Matsui. This card was serial-numbered to 50 copies. In this box I got a framed blue parallel of Harmon Killebrew, but this one was numbered to 125 copies. (The frame on the Matsui is a slightly lighter shade of blue.)

There are a grand total of ten parallel insert sets in 2008 UD Masterpieces; however, Upper Deck does not list anywhere on their website, or on the pack wrapper, what the specific production figures for each set are. So, even though I pulled a Harmon Killebrew parallel numbered to 125 copies, I have no idea whether it is a "Deep Blue Linen" or a "Perisan Blue Linen."

I also can not determine whether the Michael Young red parallel I pulled is a "Hades," "Red Linen," or a "Pinot Red."

And now the $64,000 question: If I had actually paid hard currency for this box, instead of getting it for free, would I have been happy with this box? Well, it was better than the one I actually did pay for. But if I had spent $70-$75 for this box, I don't believe I would have gotten my money's worth.

Box Rating: 2 Gumsticks
Product Rating: 2 1/2 Gumsticks

Cardola: Mario ain't the only one getting free stuff.

And now, a public service announcement from Stale Gum's Chris Harris.

Oh sure, you collect baseball cards.

And you have your own cardblog. Heck, you may even post video box and pack breaks to YouTube.

But do you have your own Tom the Ripper remix video?



Nope. Didn't think so.

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 UD Masterpieces Hobby

By the time this gets published, I'll be in DC watching the US vs. Cuba World Cup Qualifier. America, Fuck Yeah!

One Hobby box of 2008 UD Masterpieces (paid $75)
12 packs per box, six cards per pack.

The Video



The Pulls

Base Set: 58 of 120 (48.33%)
3 doubles

Short Set: 53 of 90 (58.89%)
5 Short Prints (1:2): C. Fisk, J. Bench, D. Mattingly, R. Clemente, A. Pujols

Parallels
4 Black: R. Yount, J-Roll, C. Crawford, L. Brock
1 Blue (numbered to 50): H. Matusi

Inserts: NONE

Mirrors
5 Yankee Tedium Lunacy (1:3): #1625 (J. Gordon), 3742 (R. White), 6122 & 6147 (P. O'Neill), 6197 (R. Clemens)

Autogamers
1 Captured on Canvas (1:12): J. Willingham
1 Autographed Captured on Canvas: M. Cain

The Review

Let me get this out of the way. I love the 2008 UD Masterpieces base set. I loved it last year, and the base set was the sole reason why I spent $75 on this box. With that said, I despise what Upper Deck has done to this product. While I don't normally like short-prints in a base set, I actually thought that adding them wasn't such a bad idea in a product like this. As long as it was still feasible for the collector to build a full set, I had no problem with it. Boy was I wrong.

I guess I'm still bitter over getting only one SP in the Blaster box I ripped a few days ago. But I'm really bitter about getting gypped out of an SP in this Hobby box, and pulling an additional Yankee Tedium Lunacy.

(Are you like me and absolutely dread pulling YTLs from Upper Deck packs? Good.)

And then there's the reason why Hobby packs are $7/pack: the hits. Like I said, I bought this exclusively for the base cards and really could care less about jerseys and autographs. I'm not a (term to describe nitwit collectors that will no longer be used on this site), so allow me to play Devil's Advocate here. If I paid $75 for a waxbox and my two autogamers were Josh Willingham and Matt Cain, I'd be pissed. Seriously UD, Josh Willingham and Matt Cain? Is that the best you could come up with for a $7/pack product? WTF?

The Bottom Line

In addition to receiving one fewer SP and being saddled with one more YTL, I received three base set doubles. ANY doubles in a waxbox this small (72 cards) is inexcusable. Three doubles AND getting shafted out of a short-print should be a felony.

Box Rating: 1 1/2 Gumsticks, a total waste of $75.
Product Rating: 2 1/2 Gumsticks

... and another thing

The two gamers I pulled are so thick, neither one fits into a standard penny-sleeve.

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 UD Masterpieces Blaster

One Blaster Box of 2008 UD Masterpieces (paid $19.97)
Eight packs per box, five cards per pack

The Video



The Pulls

Base Set: 36 of 120 (30.00%)

short set: 35 of 90 (38.89%)
1 Short-Print: Y. Berra

Parallels: NONE

Inserts: NONE

Mirrors
2 Yankee Tedium Lunacy: #3395 (R. Maris) & 3420 (B. Richardson)

Autogamers: NONE

The Review

Last year's retail version of UD Masterpieces was one of the best value breaks 2007. While the Hobby edition yielded an on-card autograph, three gamers, and a multi-colored galaxy of parallels in each 18-count waxbox, the $7/pack MSRP priced out most collector's who only wanted the base set. But no fear, as UD released a stripped-down version of Masterpieces for retail at only $2.99/pack. And there was much rejoicing. (Yay!)

This year's UD Masterpieces appears to follow the same formula, with a $7/pack Hobby version for J C, and a $2.99/pack retail version for A C. But there's one huge difference between Hobby and retail this year, and this is 2008 UD Masterpieces' fatal flaw.

Upper Deck expanded the base set from 90 to 120 cards, which is good because last year's set was a bit on the small-side. But those extra thirty cards in this year's set are short-printed. While this may appear to be a bad thing, it appeared that '08UDM would still be somewhat collectible. The sell-sheets for this product stated that each 12-pack Hobby box would yield six of the 30 SPs, for an insertion ratio of 1:2/packs -- a ratio that is easily manageable a collector to build his/her base set. But in this eight-pack Blaster box I just ripped (which actually had nine packs in it), I got only one SP.

So Upper Deck changed the insertion ratios from Hobby to retail from 1:2 to 1:8. Big deal, right? The problem is, there is nothing on the Blaster box mentioning this change; which would lead a collector to assume that the SPs are inserted into retail packs at the same 1:2 ratio as Hobby. That ain't good.

The Bottom Line

I pulled just under 40% of the short-set, and got two more of those annoying Yankee Tedium Lunacies. The Yankee Tedium Lunacy cards are about as out of place in this product (and in Goudey, for that matter) as those A-Rod 500 Homerun Bullshit Waste-of-Space cards were in last year's Allen & Ginter and Heritage. On the bright side, each pack that contained a YTL had five cards in it, so I guess works out in the end. Also, as I mentioned above, this Blaster had nine packs. So if you bought the one that has only seven, my apologies.

Don't get me wrong, UD Masterpieces is still a great set to try and build -- and this collector will. But getting only one SP in a Blaster when you were led to believe that you were getting four is really, really, bothersome.

Product Rating: 2 Gumsticks (out of five)

This would easily be a 3 Gumstick product if the SPs were seeded 1:2. It would be a 4 Gumstick product if it didn't have SPs at all.

... and another thing.

In addition to the SPs, there are no mention of insertion ratios for any of the other inserts, parallels, autogamers, or Yankee Tedium Lunacies anywhere. At last year's Hawaii Trade Conference, Richard McWilliam himself said that such insertion ratios would be returning to pack wrappers. We're still waiting on that Dick.

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Upper Deck Goudey Hobby

One Hobby box of 2008 Upper Deck Goudey (paid $64)
18 packs per box, eight cards per pack.

Part One



Part Two




The Pulls
Base Set: 127 of 330

Short Set: 117 of 200
3 SPs: Bo Jackson, G. Perry, T. Gwynn
2 U.S. Presidents: T. Jefferson, R. B. Hayes
1 1936: P. Fielder
3 Black-Back Sport Royalty: C. Cooper, A. Dawson, G. Hall, Jr.
1 Green-Back Sport Royalty: K. Durant

Parallels
6 Red Backs: A. Jones, H. Matsui, S. Anderson, P. Fielder, R. Kiner, J. Guthrie
2 Blue Backs: K. Escobar, D. Eckstein
2 Green Backs (numbered to 88 copies): R. Oswalt, M. Cain

Inserts
2 Hit Parade of Champions: B. Worthlessberger, T. Brady

Mirrors
4 Yankee Tedium Lunacies: #6018 (P. O'Neill), 6043 (T. Martinez), 6088 (D. Jeter), and 6093 (T. Martinez)

Autogamers
1 Goudey Autograph: Towelie
1 Goudey Memorabilia: J. Papelbon

The Review

It's hard to believe that I wrote the preview for 2008 Upper Deck Goudey on the opening week of the season, and as I write this review the Phillies and Brewers and are opening the Playoffs.

The big difference with '08 Goudey is, of course, size. Some collectors hate the standard sized cards, but I like 'em. It's 2008, not 1934. Deal with it.

The big flaw with the product is the set size; specifically the massive amount of short-prints. 130 of the 330 cards are SPed which seems a bit excessive. And when you look at the SPs, it's clear the UD overdid it.

Did we really need more cards of dead presidents? Of course not. And what about the 1936 subset? What was the point of that?

The minis are now relegated to parallel status, which as Allen & Ginter has shown, seems to be what Hobbyists want (although, not this one). And like with A&G there are five different varieties of mini parallels.

Wrapping up Goudey are the requisite "hits" and Yankee Tedium Lunacy.

The Bottom Line

The collation was great, with ten SPs and ten parallels. I also received two "hits," four Yankee Tedium Lunacies, and two Berk Ross Parade of Champions.

Collation Review: 4 Gumsticks (out of Five)
Product Review: 3 1/2 Gumsticks

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Upper Deck Goudey Blaster

One Blaster box of 2008 Upper Deck Goudey (paid $19.97)
Eight packs per box, eight cards per pack.

For the Record: This is the Blaster box I did a pack-akkake with on APAD.

The Pulls



Base Set: 61 of 330 (18.48%)

Short Set: 57 of 200 (28.50%)
1 SPs: A. Kaline
1 U.S. Presidents: G. Cleveland
0 1936
2 Sport Royalty: A. Pujols, Bitter Gordie

Parallels
2 Red Backs: 1936 A. Pujols, Sport Royalty Chutley
1 Blue Back: Sport Royalty J. Evans

Inserts: NONE

Mirrors
2 Yankee Tedium Lunacy

Autogamers: NONE

How to get your blog listed on Stale Gum.

It's easy. Just do what Mark at Stats on the Back did: send me free stuff!

But first, the results of my mega-trade with Thorzul.

Sweet Mullet of Gary Gaetti!

Most of you have probably seen it already, but Deadspin just posted a two-minute preview of the Sklar Brothers Topps webcom.

CHOLLY! CHOLLY! CHOLLY!

Well, it is the most original video box break I've seen on YT.



I wouldn't recommend ripping packs with a carving knife, though.

America, Fuck Yeah!

Because nothing says "Happy Birthday America," than the Swedish Chef.



Yeah, this has nothing to do with baseball cards. But dammit, it's the 4th of July!

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Upper Deck Series Two Blaster

Nope, I still ain't buying Topps.

One Blaster box of 2008 Upper Deck Series Two (paid $19.97 + tax)
Ten packs per box, eight cards per pack.

The Pulls



Base Set: 64 of 400 (16.00%)

Inserts
7 Common StarQuest: C. Granderson, P. Martinez, "I", A. Dunn, C. Beltran, P. Konerko, C. Pena
2 Un-Common StarQuest: A. Dunn, D. Jeter
1 Rare StarQuest: Captain Cheeseburger Sabathia
2 Superstar Scrapbook: The World's Fattest Vegetarian, The Big Unit
1 Team USA: D. Espinosa
1 Presidential Predictor: Hillary & McCain

Mirrors
2 Yankee Stadium Legacy: W. Ford, Y. Berra

Gamers
1 UD Game Jersey: D. Jeter

Because you wanted to see it.

By popular demand, here's a video I made highlighting some of the cards from my personal collection.

Baltimore is a great place to pick up dance moves, I find.

It's also a great place to have a baseball card show. Tuff Stuff is reporting that the National Sports Collectors Convention might be coming to the Charm City in 2010.

Yes, Baltimore is the Cleveland of the Northeast; but it's only two-hours drive from me, and that's all that matters.

Explanation of title:

Bullshit, or Not?

What do you think of this? Is this guy trying to pull a fast one? Or is this really legit?



The thing I want to know is, who in their right mind would submit a 1990 Topps Frank Minnifield football card to BGS?

(h/t Ben Henry)

Catching up.

Vacation's over, and nothing in The Hobby has changed in my absence. The big story is (I suppose) Topps and Upper Deck suing each other (again), over something-a-ruther.

And Topps' website still lists card #645 as Kosuke Fukudome. (And yes, the boycott continues.)

So I'm back now. Not quite tanned, not quite rested, and not quite ready.



And just for the hell of it, here's an old Public Image Limited video from the 80s. Enjoy.



Always Be Collecting,
Chris Harris

Summer Vacation.

By the time Blogger (hopefully) gets around to posting this, I'll be on a jet plane. Vacation, baby! Ten days of drunkenness and debauchery with my two little brothers in Ireland!

Come to think of it, this is the first real vacation I've had since that 120-day tour of Saudi Arabia back in '97.

Needless to say, the output of this blog will be noticeably reduced for the next few weeks. I'm bringing my laptop, so I should be able to keep up with what's going on in The Hobby. And if Topps of Upper Deck do anything stupid, rest assured, I'll chip in my two euros from the other side of The Pond.

In the meantime, I leave you with this...

Topps: Helping Spread Manbearpig Awareness.

Don't worry, it's not the real Manbearpig. It's only another bullshit Topps gimmick card -- this one of Al Gore.

For those not aware of the biggest threat to the human race as we know it, let the former Vice President explain.





(h/t Cardboard Mania)

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Upper Deck Series Two

Here's my video box break, courtesy of the one and only Dr. Wax Battle.

One Hobby Box of 2008 Upper Deck Series Two (paid $69 + tax)
16 packs per box, 20 cards per pack

The Details

Base Set: 400 cards (no SPs)

Parallels
Gold (numbered to 99)

Inserts
25 USA National Team (1:4)
20 USA Junior National Team (1:4)
12 Presidential Predictors (1:8)
Yankee Stadium Legacy Buybacks

Mirrors
Yankee Stadium Legacy (1:4)

Autogamers
45 USA Baseball Autographs* (numbered to 375 or less)
45 USA Baseball Jersey Autographs* (numbered to 199 or less)
45 USA Baseball Patch Autographs* (numbered to 99 of less)
10 1997 Game Jersey#
10 1998 Game Jersey#
10 1999 Game Jersey#
70 UD Game Jersey#
10 Throwback 1997 UD Game Jersey Patch Parallel#
10 Throwback 1998 UD Game Jersey Patch Parallel#
10 Throwback 1999 UD Game Jersey Patch Parallel#
70 UD Game Jersey Patch Parallel#
45 USA Baseball Jersey#
45 USA Baseball Patch#
Yankee Stadium Legacy Memorabilia Cards#

* = Stated odds: Two-per-box
# = Stated odds: One-per-box

The Pulls



Base Set: 299 of 400 (74.75%)
3 Doubles

Parallels
1 Gold: A. Marte

Inserts
4 USA National Team: B. Wallace, D. Espinosa, J. Smoak, T. Ross
4 USA Junior National Team: J. P. Ramirez, M. Purke, R. Torrez, T. Melville
2 Presidential Predictors: Clinton vs. McCain: Iraq, Obama vs. McCain: Healthcare

Mirrors
4 Yankee Stadium Legacy: #s 6024 (P. O'Neill), 6049 (T. Martinez), 6074 (D. Jeter), 6099 (T. Martinez)

Autogamers
1 USA Baseball Jersey Autographed: T. Hibbs (# to 392)
1 USA Baseball Autographed: K. Skipworth (# to 200)
1 USA Baseball Jersey: T. Medica

The Review

It's the most anticipated rookie card to hit The Hobby in seven years. And thanks to Topps' hubris, 2008 Upper Deck Series Two will have the only Kosuke Fukudome RC on the market for a while.

The rest of the set consists of 300 regular player cards (401-700) arranged alphabetically by team, thirty "Rookie Cards" (701-730), a batch of Season Highlights (731-750), thirty Team Checklists (751-780), and then, yet another score of Season Highlights (781-800). Once again, the Team Checklists -- at least their fronts -- are virtually indistinguishable from the regular player cards.

The main insert -- and timed just in time for the 2008 MLB Draft -- is the return of Team USA. 45 members of last year's National and Junior National teams are represented on inserts and autogamers. This is the first time the Junior National Team has been included in a Major League set, and I have to be honest with you, I'm not sure I'm all that comfortable with cards of high schoolers.

The Bottom Line

This box yielded three-quarters of a full base set with three doubles and all inserts ran as promised. I pulled three Team USA autogamers, and not knowing who the heck these kids (and they are kids) are, I did some research.

I pulled an autographed jersey card (numbered to 392 copies) of Junior National Team pitcher Tyler Hibbs. Hibbs was the Baltimore Sun's All-Metro High School Player of the Year for 2006, and was offered a scholarship by Florida State. Then this past February he was arrested for marijuana possession, and FSU revoked their offer. Hibbs be attending Tallahassee Community College in the fall.

The second autogamer was an autograph (numbered to 200) of Kyle Skipworth, a catcher from Patriot HS in Riverside, CA. Skipworth hit .543 this past year and was named California high school player of the year. Skipworth is expected to be a top-10 pick in this year's draft.

The third and final autogamer is a jersey card of another catcher: Santa Clara University's Tommy Medica. Medica is a sophomore, and as such, is not draft eligible until next year.

I also pulled eight non-gamer USA cards, three of whom (Justin Smoak, Brett Wallace, and Tim Melville) are projected to go in the top-half of the Draft.

Product Rating: 3 1/2 Gumsticks (out of five)

... and another thing.

I think it says something about the state of The Hobby in 2008 that, of the 18 inserts, parallels, mirrors, and autogamers I pulled in this box, only five feature actual Major League players.

A video metaphor for Upper Deck's "Hair Cut Signatures" DNA cards.

Seriously, what's the point anymore?

Vintage Video Box Break and Review: 1999 Skybox Metal Universe

One retail box of 1999 Skybox Metal Universe (paid $18.95 + shipping from Pittsburgh Sports Wholesale *)
20 packs per box, six cards per pack (MSRP $2.39)

The Details

Base Set: 300 cards

Parallels: NONE (all are Hobby Only)

Inserts:
15 Neophytes (1:10)
15 Boyz with the Wood (1:30)
15 Planet Metal (1:60)
15 Diamond Soul (1:96)
10 Linchpins (1:576)

Autogamers: NONE (all are Hobby Only)

The Pulls

Part One



Part Two



Base Set: 116 of 300 (38.67%)

Inserts:
2 Neophytes: P. Konerko, M. Tejada
1 Boyz with the Wood: M. Piazza
1 Planet Metal: D. Erstad


1999 Skybox Metal Universe was a set that I never got around to collecting. But when I ripped a pack of this in my recent 20-for-$40 gimmick on APAD, I was hooked. I made it my mission to bust a waxbox. Unfortunately, all I could find on Pittsburgh Sports Wholesale was this 20-pack retail box.

Like in previous years, all the base cards have etched-foil fronts and are embossed -- hence, the name. The 1999 Metals have an industrial look and feel, with what look like riveted iron plating. Unfortunately, they only added the embossing to the top-half of the card, which if stacked, causes a noticeable lean.


To wit: These are all the base cards I ripped from this box. I like to call this "The Leaning Tower of 1999 Metal."

Among the subsets, there are 25 "Building Blocks" (prospects and rookies), 25 "M.L.P.D.s" -- which I still have no idea what it stands for -- and 15 "Caught on the Fly's." What makes the subsets great -- but in an unintentionally funny kind of way -- are their backs. The COTF's are "written" in the style of the Sporting News column of the same name. But it's the Building Blocks and M.L.P.D. backs that are notable. Notable in their hilarity.

In the late-90s, Fleer oriented all their Skybox brands to appeal to an "urban" audience. (They even hired Coolio to star in their print ads.) This marketing/pandering even went as far as the language used on backs of the cards.


Before I go any further I should note that in September 2001 I had a job interview at Fleer's headquarters in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. After spending nearly two hours at the Fleer office, I did not notice anyone outside the "middle-aged-white-guy/white-gal" demographic who was employed there. Please take this into consideration before reading the back of Adrian Beltre's Building Blocks card.

"Yo, Adrian, 20 years old, filling in for Bobby Bo' at third for the L.A. Dodgers ... not bad. We know that you almost nabbed the '97 FSL Triple Crown and were Mr. MVP. We can see your glove is phat already. But at 20? I guess that's why Zeile's in Texas and Konerko's in Cincy ... your move, Kid."

See what I mean?

The numbered-to-50 Precious Metal Gems and one-of-one Gem Master parallels were exclusive to Hobby, but all five non-parallel inserts were available in retail as well, albeit at slightly longer odds. Like the subsets, all the inserts are written in "Mount Laurel Ebonics." The fifteen card, 1:10/pack Neophytes are the designated "Hot Rookie" insert that was standard in most late-90s products. The fifteen card, 1:30 Boyz with the Wood (See, it's spelled with a "Z" at the end! It's gangsta!) are an equally formulaic "Power Hitters" insert. If these cards look a lot like those "Flapper" cards in this years Topps Opening Day, they should. The BwtW and the Opening Day Flappers were made by the company.

Planet Metal (1:60) is the standard issue die-cut insert and Diamond Soul (1:96) are lenticular (i.e. Sportflix) cards. In the era before the gamer, just about every Fleer set had one insert that was a genuinely tough pull. In 1999 Skybox Metal Universe, the 1:576/pack Linchpins -- which have a laser-cut cotter pin design in the background -- fit this bill.

The Bottom Line

For such a small box, (only 120 cards) I had some pretty good pulls. I only wish I had found a Hobby box though. I received almost 40% of the base set, two Neophytes inserts, a Mike Piazza Boyz with the Wood, and a one-per-third box Planet Metal of Darin Erstad.

Product Rating: 2 1/2 Gumsticks (out of five)

Vintage Video Box Break and Review: 1995 Select

One box of 1995 Select (Purchased from Pittsburgh Sports Wholesale* for $19.95 + shipping)
24 packs per box, 10 cards per pack.

*No endorsement implied.

The Details

Base Set: 250 cards (no short-prints)

Parallels
Artist Proof: 250 cards (1:24, limited to 475 copies)

Inserts
Can't Miss: 12 cards (1:24, limited to 9900)
Big Sticks: 12 cards (1:48, limited to 4950)
Sure Shots: 10 cards (1:90, limited to 3168)

Autogamers: NONE

Part One:



Part Two:


The Pulls

Base Set: 237 of 250 (94.80%)

Parallels
1 Artist Proof: Darren Lewis

Inserts
1 Can't Miss!: C. Floyd
1 Big Sticks: C. Ripken, Jr.

The Review

Ah, 1995 Select. The memories....

In the summer of '95 I had just arrived from basic training at my first duty station. I never lived outside the greater Philadelphia area before, so it took some time for me to adjust to my new life. Fortunately for me, there were two Hobby shops within walking distance of the base’s front gate; and about every-other month there was a card show at one of the many casino hotels that lined the Mississippi Gulf Coast. My cardboard addiction would be fully sated.

It was around the time I was first allowed to leave the base when Pinnacle Brands released 1995 Select baseball. The novelty behind Select was that only 4950 24-box cases would be made, and that each individual waxbox would be serial-numbered.

For those of you that have been out of The Hobby for a while, and/or don't remember what The Hobby was like in the mid-90s, the practice of card manufacturers announcing the production figures of specific products was The Hobby’s gimmick of the moment. Topps kicked it all off when it debuted Finest in 1993 with the statement that only 4000 cases would be made. Later that year, Donruss stated that would only make 6250 12-box cases of Leaf Update. Pinnacle got into the act by serial-numbering each one of the 1950 24-box cases of 1993 Select Rookie/Traded. The following year it spread to Donruss (17,500 cases of each series), Leaf Limited and Leaf Limited Rookies (60,000 and 30,000 serial-numbered waxboxes, respectively), and ’94 Select (4950 cases of each series).

So what’s the big deal, you ask? Plenty. Armed with these nuggets of information, as well as other variables like set size and stated insertion ratio, one could figure out exactly how many copies of each individual card (insert, parallel, and base) were in circulation with a simple pocket calculator. So although they were not serial-numbered, it didn't much effort to figure out that only 241 copies of 1993 Finest Refractor were issued. And using the same method, only 475 copies of each one-per-box 1995 Select Artist Proof parallel were printed.

A card limited to 475 copies doesn’t seem to be all that “scarce” – and by the standards of 2008, it’s not. But in the fin-de-siècle Hobby, a card limited to 475 was considered scarce, and the thought being guaranteed of such a card in each box was the main reason why Select flew off the shelves when it was released.

By the summer of ’95 it had been four months since I bought any cards, so I was stoked to rip into a box of Select. The 1994 version was (and still remains) one of my favorite card sets, and the ’95 version – with the exception of the new Artist Proofs, and the elimination of a second series – was virtually unchanged. The problem was for me was that very few of those 4950 cases made their way to Biloxi, Mississippi.

You know those two Hobby stores just outside the base I was talking about? One never bothered to order this product and the other....

I rarely bought any wax from that guy -- just singles. For some reason, regardless of the product, or the cost, most of his waxboxes cost $68 -- and that's what he wanted for a box of '95 Select. And so, I took a pass on 1995 Select.

As I mentioned on APAD, this is a product that I waited 13 years to bust, and I found a box for $19.95 at Pittsburgh Sports Wholesale. Was it worth the wait?

Let me put it this way, if you were to go back in time and speak to A1C Harris, I'm sure he'd be ecstatic with a waxbox that yielded 94.8% of the base set and a $75 Cal Ripken, Jr. insert. (According to the September 1995 issue of Beckett, a Big Sticks insert of a fresh-from-breaking-Lou-Gehrig’s-record Cal Ripken, Jr. booked for $75.) While it only books for $25 now, I’m still satisfied with my purchase.

The base set is 250 cards, and although there are no RCs, (there are two second-year A-Rods) it is a very nice looking, well designed card set. For the second consecutive year, all of the base cards -- with the exception of the "Select Rookie" and "Showtime" subsets -- are oriented horizontally and have two photos. All the usual suspects are here, along with a few players you may have forgotten about. (Where have you gone Jason Jacome?)

Like I mentioned, the hot insert in '95 Select was the one-per-box Artist Proofs. But there are three other inserts to chase after. In addition to the 1:48/pack Big Sticks of Cal Ripken, Jr., I pulled a Cliff Floyd Can’t Miss! Can’t Miss! was the designated one-per-box "super hot prospect" insert that was standard issue in most “premium” level products. While the 12-card checklist had some players who did miss, (i.e. Billy Ashley) what makes Can't Miss! special was the Dufex. I've always been a mark for the Dufex, and if there’s one thing I miss about Pinnacle Brands it’s these cards.

The other insert, which I did not receive a card from, was the 1:90/pack Sure Shots. Sure Shots were another Dufex-based set, this one starring ten of the top picks of the 1994 Draft. Unfortunately, with the exception of Paul Konerko, the draft class of '94 never distinguished itself, and these cards (including the Konerko) can be had cheap.

Product Rating: 3 Gumsticks (out of five)

1995 Select is a Hobby time machine. It’s a throwback to a time in The Hobby when a $2/pack product was considered “premium” and when scarcity was measured in the hundreds and thousands. If you’ve got $20 burning a hole in your pocket, and can’t stand the thought of blowing it on two packs of Topps Co-Signers, pick up a box of 1995 Select.

This happened 25 years ago today.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Lee Elia. (NSFW!)



Lee Elia always reminded me of "Red" from the Tube Bar tapes. (Very NSFW!)



Oh yeah, here's some cards.

Yeah, I'm Still Here.

I know. I haven't updated this site in eight days. I'm not dead, nor have I abandoned my pride and joy. (You can stop e-mailing me now!)

There is a good reason why I haven't updated this in over a week. You see, I recently stumbled across a grab bag of some of the worst waxpacks imaginable, and have been posting the pulls on APAD and YouTube. I like to think of it as an experiment in video baseball card gonzo journalism.

So go check 'em out, and tell me what you think of it. Meanwhile, I've got a few things I've got cooking for this site in the next few days.

Stay tuned!

A Blast from UD's Past.

Here's that UD commercial from 1993 that Mario from Wax Heaven was talking about on Sports Collecting Radio.

THE METS GOT RICK ROLLED!!!!

This has nothing to do with baseball cards, but I'm proud to report that during the eighth inning of today's Mets home opener, this happened.

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Topps Heritage (Hobby)

Part one...




Part two...


The Pulls

Paid $69

Chiptopper: 1 J. Pierre, B. Molina, D. Murphy Advertising Panel

Base Set: 154 of 500 (30.8%)

short set: 146 of 425
Short Prints: 8 of 75 (1:3)

Black Backs: 25 (one-per-pack)

Parallels:
3 Chromes: T. Hunter, R. Oswalt, J. Francis (1:8, numbered to 1959)
1 Chrome Refractor: E. Byrnes (1:29, numbered to 559)

Inserts:
2 New Age Performers: D. Wright, J. Peavy (1:15)
2 Then & Now: E. Mathews & A-Rod, D. Drysdale & J. Peavy (1:15)
1 Baseball Flashbacks: O. Cepeda (1:12)
2 News Flashbacks: Dalai Lama, Hawaii (1:12)

Autogamers:
1 Clubhouse Collection: T. Hunter jersey (1:24)

Beckett-Gate: Dr. Wax Battle to Respond.

UPDATED (4/2): CONFIRMED GUESTS.

Stale Gum has confirmed that Alan Narz of Topps (a.k.a. "The Rip Master"), Tracy Hackler of Beckett Media, and Bob Brill will all be appearing on tonight's Dr. Wax Battle show to address Beckett-Gate.

---

If you're not a regular viewer of Dr. Wax Battle's weekly webcast, you don't know what you're missing. With that said, this Wednesday's show is a must-view as it will be dedicated to Beckett-Gate. Dr. Wax has sent out invitations to Beckett and UD, and it would be interesting to see if any of them show up -- especially considering Dr. Wax's previous issues with UD.

Tune in this Wednesday at 7PM EST, or look for it on his YouTube page on Thursday.

Some thoughts on Beckett-Gate.

Normally, I do not comment about "Lotto Pack" products, but recent events have led me to reconsider. First, take a look at this video of 2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Football.



You get the idea.

Now it would be one thing if it were isolated to just 2007 Upper Deck Exquisite football. Maybe Beckett got lucky, maybe not. But if you look at some of Beckett's other video box breaks, they've seem to be getting "Hit of a Lifetime" cards out of all sorts of UD, Topps, and Donruss-Playoff products in all sports (and non-sports).

All of which leads me to wonder: W.W.J.D. What Would Jim Do? Say what you want about Jim Beckett, but no one (and I mean, NO ONE) ever questioned the man's integrity. Beckett truly was "The Hobby's most reliable and relied upon source," and part of that had to do with the man in charge. But no more.

Don't get me wrong. I have no problem with Beckett (or anybody else in The Hobby media) doing video box breaks and product reviews. Objective consumer reporting is a vital component to any respectable journalism outlet. Nor should Beckett be held to account 100% for this debacle. Topps, UD, Donruss, et al, may very well be sending Beckett loaded boxes. (And it's not just Beckett either, as this video from Dr. Wax Battle shows.) Beckett probably is an unwilling accomplice, and we should give them benefit of the doubt. But Beckett should have never put itself in this position in the first place.

May I make a proposal? From now on, anyone in The Hobby media who reviews product should no longer accept free samples from card manufacturers, and the manufacturers should no longer offer them to the press. If you're going to review wax, and expect your reviews to be taken seriously, then pay for your box like the rest of us.

I'm proud to say that in my 9+ years of reviewing wax, I've never received any free cards from the manufacturers. And I can say to you with full confidence, that every single product I've ever reviewed on this site was paid for out of my own pocket at current market prices. I don't think it's too much to ask of Beckett -- or anyone else who reviews wax -- to do the same. W.W.J.D.?

Video Box Break: 2008 Upper Deck Series One Super Star Blaster.

EDITOR'S NOTE: After this video was taken, I discovered a Barack Obama Presidential Predictor insert buried in with the base cards.

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Topps Heritage Target Blaster

We interrupt this Fleer tribute to present a video Blaster box break of 2008 Topps Heritage.

Seven packs + one "Bonus Pack" per box; eight cards per pack. (Paid $19.97 + tax)



Base Set: 46 of 500

short set: 43 of 425
Short Prints: 3 of 75 (1:3) K. Gregg; Snell, Capps, Maholm, Gorzelany; Verlander All-Star

Variations
7 Black Backs: B. Lidge, P. LoDuca, B. Penny, C-L Hu RC, M. Cameron, A. Lind, R. Ankiel

Parallels
1 Chrome: J.J. Putz (1:15, numbered to 1959)

Inserts
1 New Age Performer: Ichiro (1:15)
1 Then & Now: Aparicio & Reyes (1:15)
4 T-205: C-H Hu, R. Howard, V. Guerrero, W. Balentien

Autogamers
NONE

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Topps series one. (Part Deux)

NB: The 2008 Topps drinking game was not played during the filming of this box break.

The Pulls

---

Base Set: 301 of 330 (91.21%)

Variations: NONE

Parallels:
18 Gold Foil
4 Gold: E. Bedard, J. Lackey, K. Youkilis, J. Santana
1 Black: A-Rod

Inserts:
6 Own the Game: A-Rod, C. Pena, L. Berkman, R. Howard, B. Penny, F. Carmona
6 Trading Card History: J. Ellsbury (69T), JOBA!!! (55B), P. Martinez (51B), C-M Wang (75T), Ichiro (50s-era Menko), G. Sizemore (48 Swell Sport Thrills)
2 Mickey Mantle Story
7 All-Rookie Team 50th Anniversary: G. Carter, L. Piniella, H. Ramirez, R. McDowell, R. Oswalt, F. Liriano, M. Ordonez
4 Campaign '08: J. Edwards, RUDY!!! The Huckster, D. Kucinich
1 Kazuo Uzuki Future Star

Mirrors:
6 Year in Review: I-Rod (4/16), D. Young (4/17), M. Buehrle (4/18), A-Rod (4/19), J. Saunders (4/20, (heh-heh 4/20!)), R. Martin (4/21)
4 Mickey Mantle Home Run History: #515, 516, 517 & 518

Autogamers: NONE

Product Rating: 3 Gumsticks (out of five)

...and another thing.

Despite being on the sell sheet, Barry Bonds is nowhere to be found in '08 Topps. (Geez, I wonder why?) Will the last six cards of the Barry Bonds Home Run History mirror set ever be released? Does anybody even care?

However, it should be noted that Roger Clemens, Rick Ankiel, Miguel Tejada, and Paul Byrd are all in the base set.

Video Box Break and Review: 2008 Topps series one. (Part I)

And now, courtesy of The Backstop's Dr. Wax Battle, my first ever video box break!

But first, you know the drill.

---

One Hobby box of 2008 Topps series one (paid $58.85)
36 packs per box, ten cards per pack (MSRP $1.99)

The Details

Base Set: 330 cards (no short-prints)

Variations: one card of Rudy Giuliani Photoshopped in with the Red Sox (1:70)

Parallels:
Gold Foil* (1:2)
Gold (1:9, numbered to 2008)
Black* (1:95, numbered to 57)
Platinum (1:16,500, one-of-one)
Printing Plates* (1:1348)

Inserts:
Own the Game: 25 cards (1:6)
Trading Card History*: 25 cards (1:6)
Mickey Mantle Story: 10 cards (1:18)
All-Rookie Team 50th Anniversary: 55 cards (1:5)
All-Rookie Team 50th Anniversary Gold: 55 cards (1:1290, numbered to 99)
Campaign '08: 12 cards (1:9)
Kazuo Uzuki Future Star: one "stealth" insert (odds unknown)

Mirrors:
Year in Review: 60 cards (1:6)
Mickey Mantle Home Run History: 35 cards (1:9)

Autogamers:
Presidential Stamps: 15 postage stamps mounted on cards (1:1950)
Highlights Autographs: 48 cards (production varies)
All-Rookie Team 50th Anniversary Autographs: 40 cards (1:7194, numbered to 25)
World Champion Autographed Relics: 10 cards (1:14,417, numbered to 50)
World Champion Relics: 15 cards (production varies)
All-Rookie Team 50th Anniversary Relics: 20 cards (1:7178, numbered to 50)
Mickey Mantle Home Run History Relics: 35 cards (1:29,331, numbered to 7)
1955 Mickey Mantle Reprint Relic: one card (1:400,000, numbered to 55)
Campaign 2008 Cut Signatures: five cards (1:125,000, numbered to 15)
In The Name Relics*: 312 cards of 52 subjects (1:17,980, one-of-one)
Mini-Jersey Patch: 35 cards (1:412, numbered to 499)

* Hobby Only