Payday Pack - A Faceful Of Dirt

Spoiler Alert: This edition of Payday Pack doesn't hold a candle to the last one. Still, there are some great cards in this pack. The more I see of this set, the more I like it.

 

3rd Place

#184 Anthony Rizzo

 

Hey Rizzo, how much space do you have inside that card border?

2nd Place

#254 Bobby Witt Jr.

 

I love the angle on this stolen base attempt, and the tongue sticking out makes the shot so much better.

1st Place

#285 Willi Castro

 

Now this is a stolen base attempt card! Give me that dirt cloud, helmet flying, cool shades level of awesomeness any day! This has to be one of the best photos in the set, hands down!

Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:

#26 Freddy Peralta

#47 Cavan Biggio

#222 Zach Remillard (RC)

#137 Reid Detmers

#140 Brad Keller

#256 Harold Ramirez

#130 Grant Hartwig (RC)

#44 Julio Rodriguez

#151 Seiya Suzuki

#57 AL Wins Leaders (Bassitt/Elfin/Cole) (LL)

#154 Atlanta Braves (TC)

#251 Tyler Wells

#148 Alex Kirilloff

#236 Patrick Corbin

#189 Davis Schneider (RC)

#304 Evan Longoria

#170 Aaron Civale

#172 Spencer Horwitz (RC)

#99 Aaron Judge

#203 Chas McCormick

#287 Miles Mikolas

#83 Keaton Winn

#255 Andrew Vaughn

#266 Alec Bohm

#ATT-5 Corey Seager (All-Topps Team insert)

#SMLB-2 Mike Trout (Superstars of MLB insert)

#SMLB-26 Freddie Freeman (Superstars of MLB insert)

#284 Randy Arozarena

#144 Jacob Amaya (RC)

#158 Yennier Cano (ASR)

#346 Patrick Bailey

#313 Ceddanne Rafaela (RC)

#177 Jonathan India

Payday Pack - I Wood Not Have Believed It If I Didn't See It!

I was worried for a little bit, the bounty of baseball cards at my local Wally World dried up, and for awhile I feared things had returned to an unfortunate new normal. However, a recent stop showed replenished shelves. I grabbed a few pack, and bow am I ever glad I did!

3rd Place

#211 Tampa Bay Rays (TC)

  

I always enjoy seeing the players have fun, and when that fun is depicted on cardboard then all the better. Bonus points for a cameraman cameo!

 

2nd Place

#128 Christopher Morel (FS)

  

One of the most popular cards of the first series, and it's easy to see why: A Future Star, celebrating a big blue "W" with a classic Chicago ivory backdrop. On most days, this would be an easy choice for first place, but not today...

 

1st Place

#89BR-TG Tony Gwynn
(1989 Topps Baseball Relic Red SN#25)

Holy cow! This might be the best card I ever pulled out of a pack! While I doubt highly this particular piece of bat was ever held in the hands of the departed Hall of Famer, it's still a cool hit. Plus, it's a parallel numbered to only 25 copies!

 

Other Contestants not Appearing On Stage:

#292 Kodai Senga (ASR)

#206 NL Batting Average Leaders (Arraez/Acuna/Freeman) (LL)

#192 Baltimore Orioles (TC)

#276 Gregory Santos

#80 J.P. Sears

#329 Astros No-No (CL, HL)

#107 Shane Bieber

#65 Johan Oviedo

#197 Eury Perez (FS)

#204 Nico Hoerner

#100 Gerrit Cole

#324 AL ERA Leaders (Cole/Gray/Bradish) (LL)

#241 Seattle Mariners (TC)

#104 Connor Wong

#78 Mark Vientos

#293 NL RBI Leaders (Olson/Alonso/Albies) (LL)

#126 Philadelphia Phillies (TC)

#SB-20 Paul Goldschmidt (Superstar Blueprint insert)

#SMLB-6 Luis Robert Jr. (Superstars of MLB insert)

#SLMB-12 Sal Frelich (Superstars of MLB insert)

#212 NL ERA Leaders (Snell/Senga/Steele) (LL)

#119 Hunter Greene

#71 Brandon Marsh

#43 Dalton Varsho

#195 Dominic Canzone (RC)

#156 Corbin Carroll (ASR)

Payday Pack - I Wish I Was A Little Bit Taller

Wow. It's been almost 3 years since I did one of these. When I first started this blog, I made it a habit to purchase a pack of cards every 2 weeks when I got paid. It was a pretty regular series for me. Then COVID hit. Then in the aftermath, the supply of cards at my local retailers dwindled to nothing. I was no longer buying packs and the Payday Pack series died off. With the abundance of cards that showed up for the release of the 2024 base set, I took a chance to see if there was anything left. Lucky for me, there is still an ample amount of cards available. Here are my 3 favorite cards from the hanger pack I bought:

3rd Place

2024 Topps #32 Samad Taylor (RC)

 

I have no idea who Samad Taylor is, but he's either got enough cache and confidence to specifically  request the number zero, or the Royals have a low opinion of him...

2nd Place

2024 Topps #288 Boston Red Sox (TC)

 

Maybe it is because I'm not a native New Englander, but these City Connect uniforms don't connect with me. The novelty has worn off and every time I see my team in yellow, I cringe. What I can connect with is my team winning, something I hope they can do frequently this year. I believe this photo is from an August game against Kansas City where Pablo Reyes (#19) hit a walk-off grand slam.

1st Place

2024 Topps #133 Resilient Reds Rookies (CL)

 

I have to admit, after seeing this card, I had to hop on to Baseball Reference and see how much of a height difference there was between these two players. Matt McLain is listed at 5'8", while Elly De La Cruz towers over him at 6'4". It kind of reminds me of the Aaron Judge/Jose Altuve card from a few years back.

Other Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:

#330 Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

#173 Brady Singer

#89 Tyler Glasnow

#110 Zac Gallen

#87 Tony Gonsolin

#235 Jonah Heim

#123 Jesus Luzardo

#72 George Springer

#325 Justin Martinez (RC)

#45 Felix Bautista

#121 Bailey Ober

#347 Manuel Margot

#97 Alex Verdugo

#108 Jarren Duran

#317 Starling Marte

#106 2023 AL RBI Leaders (Tucker/Garcia/Rodriguez) (LL)

#279 Angels (TC)

#35 Adley Rutschman

#240 Andruw Monasterio 

#239 Keibert Ruiz

#248 Tyler Anderson (Gold parallel SN#2024)

#CSMLB-28 Corey Seager (Stars Of MLB Chrome insert) 

#SB-19 Clayton Kershaw (Superstar Blueprint insert)

#SMLB-15 Julio Rodriguez (Stars of MLB insert)

#SMLB-29 Corbin Carroll (Stars of MLB insert)

#214 Andrew Abbott (ASR, RC)

#248 Tyler Anderson

#95 Cole Ragans 

#96 Christian Bethancourt

#8 Brendan White (RC)

#282 Alek Thomas

#314 Max Muncy

#171 Jacob deGrom

Payday Pack - Clearer Skies Ahead

Today's Payday Pack isn't about showing off the best cards from a pack. Rather, it's a story of hope. The hobby is a little crazy right now, has been since the pandemic began. Card flippers are dominating so much that major retail chains are pulling product from their shelves. Some days it's hard to know what will become of the hobby we all love. I'm hear to tell you, through the magic of 2021 Topps Heritage, that no matter how bad things may seem, there will be better days ahead:

 

3rd Place

2021 Topps Heritage #112 Ryan Yarbrough

 

Dark clouds always seem to last longer than they should. Long enough to postpone things we had planned in life, things we genuinely enjoy. Sometimes all you can do is wait it out.

 

2nd Place

2021 Topps Heritage #161 Dexter Fowler

 

But those clouds are never permanent. Behind them, the blue sky always forces it way through. That is when hope first appears, and we can allow ourselves to relax a little and smile.

 

1st Place

2021 Topps Heritage #66 Asdrubal Cabrera

 

There will be brighter days soon. Be ready to play.

 

Other Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:

#297 Jose Ramirez

#116 Tommy Milone

#180 Joey Gallo (IA)

#301 Blue Jays Rookie Stars (Pearson/Hatch)

#149 Ryan Mountcastle (BP)

#360 American League Rookie Stars (Houck/Huff)

#148 Spencer Howard (BP)

#474 Josh Reddick (SP)

#390 Jake Cave

#156 Justin Turner

#259 Lane Thomas

#137 Fernando Tatis Jr

#214 Chris Bassitt

#243 Tim Anderson

#82 Rafael Montero

#86 2020 AL Batting Leaders (LeMahieu/Anderson/Fletcher)

#389 Jeimer Candelario

#112 Ryan Yarbrough

Payday Pack - Back to First

I recently had an idea of putting a counter on my blog denoting "X days since I last found baseball cards at a retail store" . Wouldn't you know it, after having that thought I found some! My local Wally World, normally a barren wasteland of display boxes, had a few 40-card packs of Series 1 (still no sign of Heritage, sigh). Anyway, I bought two of the packs, so Payday Pack lives again! As always, I humbly present to you my 3 favorite cards from the pack:

3rd Place

2021 Topps #66 Ryan Brasier

 

The background caught my attention here. I realize it's probably the scoreboard or an advertisement, but the blurred out colors almost give it a sunset look. Along with the off-center position of the player, and it's just an aesthetically pleasing card.

 

2nd Place

2021 Topps #298 Luis Garcia (RC)

 

Poor Luis. All he's trying to do is make the play, and impress everyone enough to keep him in the Majors. It's not his fault his leg got stuck in those stupid parallelograms...

 

1st Place

2021 Topps  #18 Shun Yamaguchi

 

Chances are I've seen this on cards before, but it's rare enough that it still catches my attention. How cool is it that Yamaguchi's stats from the Japanese League on here? He had some great years for Yokohama!

 

Other Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:

#196 Ryan Yarbrough

#287 Arizona Diamondbacks

#251 Pittsburgh Pirates

#24 Nolan Arenado

#229 Paul Goldschmidt

#169 Brady Singer (RC)

#214 Alex Verdugo

#16 Patrick Sandoval

#288 Miguel Rojas

#59 Milwaukee Brewers

#22 Pedro Severino

#9 Max Fried

#32 Edward Olivares (RC)

#180 Jose Abreu (LL)

#294 Leury Garcia

#56 Steven Matz (Rainbow Foil parallel)

#70YT-34 Bo Bichette (70 Years Of Topps insert)

#31 Brandon Kintzler (Royal Blue parallel)

#T52-22 Cody Bellinger (1952 Topps Redux insert)

#T52-12 J.D. Martinez (1952 Topps Redux insert)

#112 Justin Verlander

#41 Deivi Garcia (RC)

#272 John Means

#89 Lucas Giolito

#274 Freddy Galvis

#213 JaCoby Jones

#104 Kenta Maeda

#282 Omar Narvaez

#91 Orland Arcia

#281 Jesse Winker

#151 Evan White (RC)

#106 Brandon Nimmo

#113 Nate Pearson (RC)
#224 Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

#164 Jesus Aguilar

#142 Jake Odorizzi

#250 Bryce Harper

Payday Pack - The Octopus

It's been awhile since I've done a Payday Pack post! For those of us who rely on retail outlet for their cards, 2021 continues to provide a barren wasteland of product on shelves. So when I was fortunate to find some of the latest Topps offering, I did manage to snag a few extra packs to tide me over. Let's rip open one and see what goodies await!

3rd Place

2021 Topps - Home Run Challenge 

#HRC-5 Rafael Devers

 

It's always good to get a Red Sox card, especially an insert! In the years that Topps has been doing these Home Run Challenges, I have yet to scratch the code and attempt to play. I just don't consider myself that lucky.

2nd Place

2021 Topps #161 Lewis Brinson

 

One of the complaints I've heard about this year's set is that the majority of cards are too closely cropped, eliminating almost any sort of background aesthetic. Brinson at least gets a little zoomed out so we can see his impressive leap against the wall.

1st Place

2021 Topps #111 Austin Riley

 

Not all the close ups are bad though! There's is just so much going on in this shot! The unknown opponent is practically wrapping himself around Riley's body in an attempt to reach the bag. All you see are his hands and a pair of cleats that are a little close to Riley's face for my comfort level. Excitement!

Other Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:

#310 Bo Bichette (FS)

#19 Jacob Junis

#217 Jeimer Candelario

#177 Ryan Castellani (RC)

#122 Nick Heath (RC)

#327 Whit Merrifeld

#306 Michael Taylor

#T52-10 Francisco Lindor (1952 Topps Redux insert)

#13 Mookie Betts

#102 Paul DeJong

#141 Caleb Smith

#28 Luke Weaver

#280 Kevin Kiermaier

Payday Pack - Trying To Score

Back in the "Before Times" I would celebrate my bi-weekly payday by heading to the local Wally World and treating myself to a pack of baseball cards. Those days seem forever ago, as my local store continues to have barren shelves with scarcely any packs to be had. 

I did however have some luck at my local CVS in the form of a repack box. I needed some fresh cards for my haiku series, and satisfied by itch to open at least temporarily.

 

 

The repack box contained one unopened pack of 1990 Score. Since this may be the closest I get to opening a pack in awhile, let's take a trip back 30 years and see what gems we can unearth...

3rd Place

1990 Score #310 Roger Clemens

 

It's safe to say in 1990 Roger Clemens was my favorite player, and pulling this card would have been a cause for celebration when I was 15. Wow, even for a team with the color red in their name, that border just overpowers the card, doesn't it?

2nd Place

1990 Score #487 Kirk Gibson

 

It almost seems appropriate after the latest World Series that the sweet swing of Dodger icon Kirk Gibson would make an appearance. This is just an all-around great photo, but it's nowhere near the best in the pack...

1st Place

1990 Score #172 Mike Heath

 

This, my friends, is the clear champion. Be honest - how many of you recall this card from back in the day? I know I didn't. This is an amazing shot, and probably one of the best cards in the whole set. It makes be happy to rediscover such a underappreciated card, and is one of the key reasons why repacks are fun to open!

 

Other Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:

#73 Vance Law

#87 Rick Mahler

#93 Pete Incaviglia

#330 Jim Abbott

#315 Dennis Eckersley

#55 Willie McGee (The MVP's insert)

#676 Kiki Jones (FRDP)

#481 Tom Glavine

#484 Mike Bielecki

#168 Ron Hassey

#152 Barry Jones

#609 Mike Stanton (RC)

#611 Charles Nagy (RC)

#629 Chris Hammond (RC)

Payday Pack - Can You Smell What The Betts Is Cooking?

Slim pickings at the local Wally World. I did scratch my pack-opening itch by picking up some of last year's Diamond King set.

3rd Place

2019 Panini Diamond Kings #6 Mel Ott

Without a proper MLB license, old-timers like Ott here should be Panini's bread and butter. Seriously, Panini should just do an entire set to guys that played in the time before there were baseball cards. No one would mind.

2nd Place

2019 Panini Diamond Kings #17 Yogi Berra

 

Catchers also fare well with the lack of logos. This is a great looking photo of Yogi with his chest plate and shin protectors on.

1st Place

2019 Panini Diamond Kings
- Masters Of The Game #MG1 Mookie Betts

Reasons why this card is awesome: (1) It's Mookie Betts. (2) Mookie is doing that Elvis-lip-snarl thing that he does. (3) The discoloration of the background looks like fumes behind him. (4) Put it all together and you basically have Betts getting a whiff of something unpleasant! Ha! Fart jokes!

Other Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:
#59 Andrew Benintendi
#74 Al Kaline
#31 Enyel De Los Santos (RC)
#88 Justin Verlander
#46 Khris Davis
#4 Roger Maris
#S7 Jack Flaherty (Squires insert)
#TH-23 Adrian Beltre (Team Heroes insert)
#JJ4 Joe Jackson (Joe Jackson Collection insert)
#TH-8 Jose Ramirez (Team Heroes insert)
#115 Albert Pujols (Framed Red SP parallel)
#60 Alex Bregman (SP)
#64 Ryan O'Hearn (RC)
#22 Ted WIlliams
#79 Jacob Nix (RC)
#36 Chipper Jones
#93 Freddie Freeman

Payday Pack - The Greatest Rookie Card Ever

One of the first rules of financial planning is to have something saved up in case of emergency. Due to this pandemic, I haven't purchased any new cards of late. Fortunately, I have a few pack from earlier this year to show off for this week's edition of Payday Pack! Granted, it's nothing you haven't seen already, but still it's fun to look at them, yes?

3rd Place

2020 Topps #252 Aaron Hicks

He almost looks superimposed onto the background, doesn't he? This year's base set has a lot of great jump catches.

2nd Place

2020 Topps #135 Enrique Hernandez

This card makes me wince. Mr. Hernandez is obviously very athletic, but if my leg was ever that far up in the air like that, I would be in some serious pain.

1st Place

2020 Topps #57 Travis Demeritte (RC)

Does any recent player have a rookie card as cool as this one? The Negro League uniform, the unusual angle of the shot, the clouds - everything just comes together beautifully. Even the green padding adds an element to it! Demiritte could go on to have thousands of baseball cards in his career, and yet none may top this one.

Other Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:
#215 Luke Jackson
#301 Mike Tauchman
#299 David Price
#256 Roman Quinn
#252 Aaron Hicks
#5 Jacoby Jones
#214 Trea Turner
#139 Jose Quintana
#200 Christian Yelich
#185 Johnny Cueto
#65 Cleveland Indians
#241 Mike Clevinger (Gold parallel)
#TR-28 Jose Ramirez (Turkey Red insert)
#12 Sam Hillard (RC)

Payday Pack - The Latest Gimmick

I can't help it. Sometimes I'm a sucker for gimmicks. The latest by Topps are these nifty little tins with different MLB superstars on top. I, of course, had to grab the Red Sox one (even though Mookie is no longer with the team - yep, still hurts to type that!). Each tin comes with 75 card, including some chrome insert cards.

As I was sorting through the cards trying to pick a top 3, I realized something - the catchers' cards are incredible this year! I have already spotlighted Yasami Grandal's fantastic card (which I have pulled yet another - arg!), but he isn't by far the only one. I decided for this edition of Payday pack to highlight those glorious catcher photos!

3rd Place

2020 Topps #317 Sean Murphy (RC)

Here's an example of when a photo breaking through the card border really makes the card "pop"!

2nd Place

2020 Topps #80 Ausin Barnes

Catchers have a stereotype of not being the swiftest of ball players, but you get a sense of speed as Barnes tries to tag some mysterious runner out.

1st Place

2020 Topps #318 Omar Narvaez

Passed balls/balls in the dirt may not be the most glamorous task a catcher could have, but how could you not love this card? Mask and ball both airborne, the pure focus on Narvaez's face - it's one of the best photos in this year's set!

Other Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:
#250 Bryce Harper
#184 Michael Givens
#29 Starlin Castro
#249 Jordan Yamamoto (RC)
#13 Miles Mikolas
#182 Vladimir Guerrero Jr (ASR)
#67 Tyler Beede
#131 Ketel Marte
#244 Chris Paddack (FS)
#52 Yasmani Grandal
#291 Tyler Naquin
#175 Lucas Giolito
#207 Zac Gallen (RC)
#169 Jacob Waguespack (RC)
#19 Angels (TC)
#298 Hollywood Heroes (CL)
#72 Big Air, Big Hair (CL)
#342 Taylor Rogers
#100 Alex Bregman
#191 Jeremy Jeffries
#272 Carlos Santana
#276 Yordan Alvarez (ASR, RC)
#118 Clayton Kershaw
#179 Ramon Laureano (FS)
#171 Kole Calhoun
#110 Jesus Luzardo (RC)
#DN-11 Pete Alonso (Decade's Next insert)
#85-75 Mark McGwire (Topps 1985 35th Anniverary insert)
#TR-33 Matthew Boyd (Turkey Red 2020 insert)
#TR-26 Francisco Lindor (Turkey Red 2020 insert)
#TR-13 Mookie Betts (Turkey Red 2020 insert)
#TR-46 Mike Trout (Turkey Red 2020 insert)
#TR-1 Bryce Harper (Turkey Red 2020 insert)
#RH-25 Rhys Hoskins (Rhys Hoskins Star Player Highlights insert)
#RH-13 Rhys Hoskins (Rhys Hoskins Star Player Highlights insert)
#DBC-87 San Francisco Giants (Decade's Best Chrome insert)
#TRC-75 Manny Machado (Turkey Red 2020 Chrome insert)
#240 Jameson Taillon (Gold parallel)
#289 Yuri Gurriel
#162 Michael Baez (RC)
#141 Roberto Osuna
#108 Josh Rojas (RC)
#151 Tommy La Stella
#203 Joc Pederson
#48 Jeff McNeil (FS)
#275 J.T. Riddle
#139 Jose Quintana
#68 James Paxton
#326 Dylan Cease (RC)
#109 Reese McGuire
#115 Matt Thaiss (RC)
#99 Dan Vogelbach
#86 Hyun-Jin Ryu (LL)
#241 Mike Clevinger
#258 Max Scherzer (WS)
#22 Emilio Pagan
#232 Justin Verlander (LL)
#90 Brock Holt
#140 Trevor Bauer
#154 C.J. Cron
#190 Aaron Nola
#148 Willy Adames
#338 Chicago Cubs (TC)
#316 Justin Turner
#225 Oscar Mercado (FS)
#247 Garrett Cooper
#101 Brad Hand
#322 Dario Agrazal (RC)
#197 Raisel Iglesias
#14 Anthony Rendon
#37 Albert Almora
#271 Josh Bell

Payday Pack - The Yankees Wet Themselves

The first Payday Pack featuring 2020 cards is here! Let's see what graphical wonders await!

3rd Place

2020 Topps - Topps Choice #TC-3 Gavin Lux

Despite giving Topps yet another excuse to rehash old designs, this 1956 rendition nicely shows off the latest example of the Dodgers' rookie generating machine.

2nd Place

2020 Topps #52 Yasmani Grandal

I've already said this once - you can't go wrong with plays at the plate! It doesn't bode well that out of 3 packs I've bought I already have doubles though...

1st Place

 2020 Topps #157 Soaking It All In (CL)

What can I say? I enjoy celebration photos, especially ones involving a little liquid dousing. Nothing wrong with two consenting Yankees getting a little moist while they hug and take off some clothing...

Other Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:

 #285 Tyler Alexander

#116 Daniel Murphy

#40 Bobby Bradley

#66 Andrew Heaney

#88 Jorge Alfaro

#194 Liam Hendriks

#224 Juan Soto

#61 Like Father, Like Son (CL)

#327 Cavan Biggio

#22 Emilio Pagan (Rainbow Foil parallel)

#TR-36 Alex Bregman (Turkey Red 2020 insert)

#262 Anthony Santander

#212 Mike Fiers

Payday Pack - Riding The Bench

For obvious reasons, during Christmastime I don't spend as much on myself as normal. This includes baseball cards. In fact, outside of the Topps Holiday boxes, I really haven't bought anything. Fortunately, I have a few payday packs kept in reserve. I bought this pack of Stadium Club back in August, but it's still fun to go back and look at these cards again!

3rd Place

2019 Stadium Club  #156 George Springer

Is it just me, or does George always seem to get great looking cards? This isn't the first time he's made the Payday Pack Top 3, and he's made some good First Impressions as well! Unfortunately, the impression that Springer and his teammates give now isn't as glowing...

2nd Place

2019 Stadium Club - Red 
#86 Johnny Bench

Such an awesome photo! No border needed here when you have the catching gear surrounding Bench's face. The red foil on the parallel just adds to the card's aesthetic charm.

1st Place

2019 Stadium Club  #90 Eddie Matthews

Bench can't beat out this photo though! There's just something about all those neatly aligned helmets and bats. Eddie is ready!

Other Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:
#159 Noah Syndergaard
#37 Carlos Carrasco
#93 Matt Harvey
#197 Hideki Matsui
#42 Luis Castillo
#180 Jonathan Schoop
#WS-7 Trevor Story (Warp Speed insert)
#123 Miguel Andujar
#278 Al Kaline

Payday Pack - Young Studs

When ripping open a pack, most of us hope for something good - our favorite team or player, a Hall of Fame caliber All-Star perhaps. We also get excited when we pull cards of the young up-and-comers of the sport. We sit back and wonder what heights they may achieve, and revel at pulling their rookie card or even a sophomore card. Today's featured purchase (Stadium Club) was a hot pack of today's brightest young stars!

3rd Place

2019 Stadium Club  #272 Pete Alonso (RC)

When I mean young, I mean young! The reigning NL Rookie of the Year is the oldest member here at the ripe old age of 24!

2nd Place

2019 Stadium Club #56 Ronald Acuna Jr.

Not everyone has their name inscribed onto a bat. I'd be showing it off to everyone too. I wonder if Acuna has a glow in the dark one?

1st Place

2019 Stadium Club - Black Foil #246 Juan Soto

One of the names on everyone's lips this post season, I gotta admit I was stoked to pull this black foil parallel of young Soto!

Other Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:
#34 Trevor Bauer
#12 Brooks Robinson
#140 Myles Straw (RC)
#176 Matt Olson
#292 Chris Archer
#248 Willie Calhoun
#EZ-21 Walker Buehler (Emperors Of The Zone insert)
#119 Luis Severino
#218 Marcus Stroman

Payday Pack - Sweet Ninja Moves

I bought a pack of Topps Update, and didn't pull a Vlad Guerero Jr or Pete Alonso card! What's up with that? I thought they set it up so everybody gets one! No? Oh well...

3rd Place

2019 Topps Update #US69 Shed Long (RC)

Outside of having a great baseball name, I picked this card because I'm drawn to the object he's got in his pocket. What is that? A glove? One of those oven mitts they put on for stealing bases? Nunchucks? Whatever it is, it's huge and I wouldn't expect a back pocket to be able to fit it.

2nd Place

2019 Topps Update - Perennial All-Stars
#PAS-23 Ryne Sandberg

Despite the issues with the player representation on the set, I really like the design Topps used on the front. The red, white, and blue waving banner along with the circle of starts really drive home the theme of this insert set.

1st Place

2019 Topps Update #US37 Tim Beckham

In real time, you'd just see another player sliding into home plate. This frozen moment shows Beckham as a martial artist ready to fight his way to victory! Bruce Lee would be proud.


Other Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:
 #US82 Jose Alvarado
#US173 Reunited (Springer/Gonzalez) (VC)
#US12 Paul Goldschmidt
#US291 Nate Lowe (RC)
#US273 Wade Miley
#US276 Spencer Turnbull (RC)
#US158 Brian Dozier
#US150 Keston Hiura (RC)
#US101 Joe Kelly
#US218 Mitch Keller (RC)
#US194 Max Muncy (AS)
#US18 Christian Walker
#US162 Scott Alexander
#US71 Queen City Kings (Dietrich/Puig) (VC)
#US9 Masahiro Tanaka (AS)
#US106 Yasiel Puig (150th Anniversary parallel)
#FB-14 Bryce Harper (The Family Business insert)
#BH-17 Bryce Harper (Bryce Harper insert)
#US43 Josh Naylor (RC)
#US231 Mike Shawaryn (RC)
#US208 Carter Kieboom (RC, RD)
#US14 Jose Suarez (RC)
#US193 Marcus Stroman (AS)
#US93 Michael Brantley
#US122 Kris Bryant (AS)
#US201 Kevin Pillar
#US298 Carlos Santana (HRD)
#US17 Edwin Diaz
#US221 Shelby Miller
#US212 Wei-Chieh Huang (RC)
#US249 Nick Margevicius (RC)

Payday Pack - We Have Clearance, Clarence

 Roger, Roger. What's our vector, Victor?

There's nothing like getting some cheap cards on clearance at Wal-Mart! Some fat packs of 2017 Topps Series 2 were available, so I decided to take another look at the infamous "grid iron" set.

3rd Place

2017 Topps #389 George Springer

We kick things off with an amazing dive by George Springer. You just have to love those flying through the air shots!

2nd Place

2017 Topps - Memorable Moments
#MM-30 Miguel Cabrera

Despite it's unappealing base design, the 2017 set had some fantastic inserts. I've always enjoy cards showing a player with an award they've won. For my money, being handed an actual crown has to be the coolest!

1st Place

2017 Topps - All-Star Game MVP
#ASM-12 Ken Griffey Jr.

It's deja vu all over again! You can just go ahead and reread my previous remarks about great inserts and my appreciation of players with awards. The man, the myth, the legend Ken Griffey Jr gives us a good look at the glass monolith he received for winning the 1992 All-Star Game MVP award.

Other Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:
#406 Sephen Vogt
#436 Cody Allen
#501 Ian Kinsler
#496 Mike Fiers
#388 Yasmani Grandal
#605 Michael Brantley
#521 Brandon Phillips
#534 Cody Asche
#549 Miguel Gonzalez
#564 Washington Nationals (TC)
#368 Jhonny Peralta
#504 Austin Hedges
#396 J.T. Realmuto
#611 Victor Martinez
#417 Darren O'Day
#87-120 Clayton Kershaw (1987 Topps All-Stars insert)
#MLM-1 Miguel Cabrera (Major League Milestones insert)
#ASM-12 Ken Griffey Jr. (All-Star Game MVP insert)
#ASM-25 Eric Hosmer (All-Star Game MVP insert)
#ATAS-26 Ernie Banks (All-Time All-Star insert)
 #642 Renato Nunez (RC)
#491 Ryan Vogelsong
#381 Hunter Renfroe (RC)
#451 Jharel Cotton (RC)
#662 J.A. Happ
#524 James Loney
#530 Jabari Blash
#429 Mark Melancon
#668 Jedd Gyorko
#471 Nick Franklin
#427 Carlos Gomez
#649 Manny Machado
#637 Ryan Rua
#435 Robbie Ray

Payday Pack - Smokin' Hot!

Showing off a pack of Stadium Club today. I must say, this is probably one of the better packs I've opened this year.

3rd Place

2019 Stadium Club - Rainbow Foilboard #133 Jacob deGrom

The photo itself isn't spectacular, and I wasn't a fan of the All-Star caps here. However, pulling a card serial numbered to 25 means you have to make the list!

2nd Place

2019 Stadium Club #208 Carlton Fisk

Now this cap! There's just something about these 70's Red Sox uniforms, especially the Red cap. Another greatly cropped shot by Stadium Club!

1st Place

2019 Stadium Club - Sepia #223 Edgar Martinez

This is probably a strong contender for "Card of the Year". The crispy bats with plenty of smoke just perfectly capture the pure hitting prowess of Edgar. I think I prefer the color version, but the sepia looks good too.

Other Contestants Not Appearing On Stage:
#181 Masahiro Tanaka
#18 Willson Contreras
#48 Tim Anderson
#239 Luis Urias (RC)
#219 Ryan Zimmerman
#255 Paul DeJong
#198 Salvador Perez
#177 Whit Merrifield
#288 Rod Carew