2011 Topps Series 2 Box Break

This time around I didn't get a jumbo box, just the regular 36-pack Hobby box.  But I still managed to get 2 hits, or at least 1 and a half!

First off, the basics:

278 base cards out of 330, with only 4 duplicates.  Not too shabby.

Next, the expected hit:

Ehn, nothing too exciting for me.  If I'm gonna get a Yankee I would hope to at least get a pinstripe and not a plain gray patch!

I also pulled this as at least a semi-hit (I say "semi" because I'm not sure what the odds of pulling these are):

A nice platinum diamond short print!  I'm torn on these - obviously I'm a huge fan of the platinum diamonds, so this gives me more of them to collect.  But the problem is now I have that many more to collect for a truly complete set, and these are going to be expensive.

Speaking of giving me more cards to collect:

I love these just as much as the regular PDs, but dammit, that's like 25 more I have to get...you're killing me Topps!!

As far as the regular PDs I pulled, I was worried that I might get some duplicates since I already owned a third of the Series 2 parallels before I bought this box.  Thankfully, I needed 8 out of the 9 I got from the box, highlighted by these 2 cards:

My other favorite card was one of the Kimball minis.  I think they're cool and all, but since they are so popular among other collectors I've been using them as trade bait for platinum diamonds.  This one I'll be keeping however:

Hammerin' Hank, and as a Brewer!  w00t~!

I cashed in my 6 diamond giveaway code cards, and while I didn't get anything too exciting I think all 6 cards were from the early to mid 70s, so that was cool at least.  I'm trying to trade them for some 70s Brewers, so we'll see if anything comes of that.

Previous Trivia Question:

Ty Cobb made himself famous as a member of the Detroit Tigers, but with what team did he finish out his career?

A:  Cobb spent his final 2 seasons as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics.

Today's Trivia Question:

What pitcher famously struck out 5 consecutive future Hall of Famers in the 1934 All-Star Game?

THEY'RE BACK!!

A normal trip to Target turned into a trip back in time to my childhood this week:

THEY BROUGHT BACK BASEBALL STICKER BOOKS!!

Finding this in the baseball card section made me so inappropriately happy for someone who is turning 30 this year.  I may or may not have reacted like Ned Flanders when he saw purple drapes....  ;)

Things aren't exactly the same as they were since Topps is in charge instead of Panini. For one, the stickers come in a small pack that is more like regular baseball cards....

... instead of the classic paper packs of yore:

Note to Topps:  THIS is what a pack of stickers looks like.

But that's a minor quibble.  More importantly, do they still have the silver foil team logos and star players?

You bet your ass they do!!!

The foil players are 9 of the all time greats of the game.  I seem to recall in past years that it used to be every team had a foil of their star player.  Oh well, maybe next year I can get a foil Ryan Braun.  But what a fun trip down memory lane!

Previous Trivia Question:

 

How many stitches are there on a regulation baseball?

 

Answer:  There are 108 stitches on a baseball.

 

Today's Trivia Question:

 

Ty Cobb made himself famous as a member of the Detroit Tigers, but with what team did he finish out his career?

Finally a Decent Diamond Giveaway Card

I haven't had much luck thus far with the Diamond Giveaway, my best pulls were a few commons from the mid-70s.  But I finally got an interesting one with my last code:



I'm very curious to see what these die-cuts look like in person.  I'm planning to finally buy a box of Series 2 in the next couple weeks, so with any luck I'll have some other interesting pulls to show then!

Common Cards, Uncommon Photography

I've started to get into photography a little bit myself, so I can appreciate how hard it is to capture a good action shot.  As I sorted through lots of my old cards I found myself paying more attention to the photos of all those commons I had tucked away for years, and then I got an idea - why not create a segment on the blog to highlight all the great photos that tend to go unnoticed as we search for all the star players and hits?  So I started to set aside a pile of cards, and today I'm putting out the first batch.  Enjoy!

1997 Upper Deck Chad Curtis #344:

The pictures on this card highlight Chad's travels through the big leagues - he started with Detroit in 1996, moved to the Dodgers during the season, and opened up 1997 with the Indians.

2002 Upper Deck Alex Escobar #389:

 

A beautiful shot of a diving grab.  I wonder if he held on?

1991 Topps Carlton Fisk #170:

Definitely not the kind of guy Carlton wants coming in for a collision.  I also love Detroit's on deck hitter in the background.

1993 Upper Deck John Habyan #719:

The card lists him as 6'2" and 191 pounds, and it shows with how he appears to be all arms and legs coming at the hitter.

1997 Sports Illustrated Todd Hundley #88:

"Nooooooooo!"

1998 Upper Deck Kirt Manwaring #353:

Ahhh, Spring in Colorado.  Much like Spring in Milwaukee.

1993 Upper Deck Orlando Merced #150:

Perfect timing on this photo.  Also, note the pansy on the right that is covering up for dear life.  You don't deserve seats that good pal!

1994 UD Collector's Choice Craig Paquette #225:

I don't normally look at the photos on the backs of cards, but just happened to see this one.  Nothing like having a picture of you taking one right in the mush on your own baseball card!

1998 Topps Stadium Club Eduardo Perez #273:

I don't know if the scan will do this one justice - it's an unbelievably crisp, clear shot.  Perfect timing with the ball right on the bat, and you can see the way his foot and leg bend under the force of the swing.  I also like this one because it appears to have been taken from an angle you don't normally see.

1998 Sports Illustrated Curt Schilling #130:

This one just makes me laugh because it looks for all the world like Schilling is doing a full follow-through on this pitch to his son, like he just launched a 97mph heater at him. 

1992 Donruss Triple Play #64:

I don't think he got enough height on that kick.

 1998 Topps Scott Servais #92:

Find the ball in this shot.

1999 Upper Deck Todd Walker #139:

And finally, nothing unusual here, just a sweet action shot!

Previous Trivia Question:

Pretty much any baseball fan can tell you that the Yankees have the most World Series titles (27). What team has the second-most?

 

A:  The St. Louis Cardinals are second on the list of most World Series titles with 10 championships in 17 appearances. The Athletics are third with 9 titles in 14 appearances.

 

Today's Trivia  Question:

 

How many stitches are there on a regulation baseball?