Diamond Sparkle SPs - Finally An Answer!

Ever since I first saw one of these "Diamond Sparkle" short prints I've been wondering if the sparkle is something shiny or just part of the image.  I could never get an answer at my local card shop, so when I saw my current favorite Brewer had one of these cards I decided to go out and get the answer for myself.  The latest addition to my Brewer binder:

It only took me all year, but now I know that the sparkle doesn't actually sparkle.  This means I might have easily missed one while busting packs.  Great, now I'm going to have to go through all my Topps base cards from this year...

Previous Trivia Question:

 

What franchise became the first team to lose 10,000 games in 2007?

 

A: The Philadelphia Phillies recorded their 10,000th loss with a 10-2 drubbing by the Cardinals.  To be fair, the franchise has been around since 1883, so it shouldn't be surprising that they have lost that many games.

 

Today's Trivia Question:

 

Who delivered the famous "The Giants win the pennant!" radio call for Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World"?

Topps Diamond Giveaway Trapped In Time

Just a quickie post to vent some frustration - I got a jumbo box of Topps Update as a birthday gift, plus I had recently bought a few packs myself, so I was sitting on about 14 code cards while waiting for the Topps Diamond Giveaway site to finally start working again.  Once the site was back up I entered 3-4 codes, and every single one of my cards was from the 1973 Topps set. I waited a few hours and entered two more - 1973 Topps again!  I waited several more hours and entered another code - STILL 1973 Topps!! I've been watching the "Recently Redeemed Cards" list on the right side of the page ever since, and every single card that pops up is 1973 Topps.  WTF?!?!?

Topps Series 2 Hits from Target

I grabbed a few packs of Topps Series 2 on my last trip to Target.  I never expect all that much from retail packs, but these turned up a couple nice pulls!

A regular short print AND a platinum diamond short print!

I couldn't believe my good luck, but then I thought "wait a minute, I pulled a Diamond Giveaway card from one of the packs too."  Surely my luck could only continue!  I rushed to the website, entered the code, and.....

Ah well.  Two out of three ain't bad.

Previous Trivia Question:

Who were the 5 members of the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame class?

Answer: Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Christy Mathewson made up the first HOF class. 

Today's Trivia Question:

The Brewers' George Kottaras became the first player to hit for the cycle in 2011 last week.  How many times has a player hit for the cycle in big league history?

Trade Bait - 2011 Topps Inserts

I thought I would post what 2011 Topps cards I have available for trade.  I'm looking mainly to add to my Platinum Diamond collection (see the PDs I already have).  After that, I would be looking for any of the Series 2 Diamond Stars (the ones that look like Platinum Diamonds), or else any other cards I have listed on my Help Me Complete a Set page.

So what do I have for trade?  The main attraction is a good number of Kimball Champions, but I have some other stuff as well.

Kimball Champions Minis - 13, 15, 24, 31, 34, 37, 53, 55, 56, 58(x2), 66, 71, 74, 78, 79, 83(x2), 87, 90, 91, 95, 96

Platinum Diamonds (the doubles I've added along the way) - 23(x2), 43, 44, 201, 248, 267(x2), 273, 291, 313, 338, 354, 391(x2), 497, 503, 543, 642

Topps Gold - 13, 48, 58, 119, 166, 171, 191, 240, 269, 290, 295, 333, 354, 364, 493, 532, 571

Diamond Stars - 6 (Posey)

Topps 60 - 19, 21, 45, 46, 79, 99

60 Years of Topps - 3, 9, 41, 63, 81

60 Years of Topps Original Backs - Harmon Killebrew (1960 reprint), Derek Jeter (1997 reprint), Gaylord Perry (1962 reprint), Carlton Fisk (1973 reprint)

60 Years of Topps The Lost Cards - 8

CMGR - 4, 29

Blue Diamond (Walmart) - BDW21

Red Diamond (Target) - RDT21, RDT29(x2)

I also have a fair number of base card doubles from Series 1 and 2.  Also, for anyone collecting 2011 Allen & Ginter I've bought a handful of packs from that set as well.

Let's make a deal!

Previous Trivia Question:

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

A: Carl Hubbell, who struck out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin.

Today's Trivia Question:

What is the record for most RBIs in a single game?

First Batch of Topps Wrapper Redemptions

I got my first batch of wrapper redemptions in the mail this week.  Thanks a lot Topps...now I have 60 more Platinum Diamonds to collect!!  :)

I especially like the CC card with him looking off into the distance.  He'll always have a special place in my heart for that magical half season in a Brewers uniform in 2008.

Awesome.

Previous Trivia Question:

What dubious distinction is held by pitcher Ken Johnson?

 

Answer: He is the only player to ever throw a complete game no-hitter and lose, when his Houston Colt .45s fell to the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 on April 23, 1964.  The winning run was scored in the top of the 9th inning by Pete Rose via an error, a groundout, and another error.

 

Today's Trivia Question:

 

Carroll Hardy is the only player to ever do what?

2011 Topps Baseball Jumbo Box Break - The Bird is the Word~!

I had to wait an extra day due to the blizzard of the decade (seriously, it's a bad sign when you have to start shoveling standing inside your house), but I got my jumbo box of the new Topps set.  Let's see what turned up....

Base Set Cards - 330 out of 330, a full set~!
72 base doubles
10 Kimball minis
10 Topps Town
10 Diamond Giveaways
10 Topps 60
10 Diamond Vision Parallels
10 Diamond Duos
5 Topps Gold Parallels
5 CMGR
3 History of Topps
10 60 Years of Topps
5 60 Years if Topps - The Lost Cards
1 60 Years of Topps Original Back

I'm a big fan of this year's base card design.  I especially like the baseball with the team logo in the lower right corner - encircled by the silver foil it has almost a 3-D effect.  It's nice to pull a full set from a single box, but there was one small caveat - I had about a dozen cards that were missing part of their foil stamping, including 4 that I didn't pull doubles of, so I will need to replace those cards.  Just a minor quality control issue.

I liked last year's reprints, and I'm pleased to see them return with the 60 Years of Topps insert set.  The Kimball minis are also nice.  I'm a little surprised they didn't try to do something a little more flashy with the Topps Gold parallels for the 60th anniversary rather than keep them the same as last year.  They did spurce up the Topps Town cards, including moving the code to the back of the card, which makes these much more like a real card rather than just a pack filler.

As for the hits - no super "money" pulls, but I do really love the auto I pulled:

Mark "The Bird" Fidrych burst onto the scene in the big leagues in 1976, going 19-9 with a 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games on his way to winning the AL Rookie of the Year award.  He was definitely a character, with his most famous quirk being a tendency to talk to the baseball while out on the pitcher's mound.  Sadly his promising career was cut short due to a rotator cuff injury.

I also pulled a jersey patch and a manufactured glove leather nameplate:

I suppose the Catro patch is a decent pull since he looks like a talented young player, but then again he plays for the Cubs so I'll always be rooting against him, so this one goes in the "trade bait" pile.

When I first heard about the glove leather cards I thought they were a neat idea, but now that I have one in my hands...I hate to say it, but I'm not impressed.  There's definitely something missing with these cards, they just seem very plain.  It doesn't help that the only picture of the player in question is a small headshot.  I'm not one that hates on all manufactured relic-type cards (for example I liked the bat barrels from last year's Topps set), but this is one that needs to be the genuine article for me to care - a piece of game used glove would be pretty sweet.  Sorry Topps, swing and a miss on this one.

On the other hand, Topps hit a home run with the Diamond Vision parallels:

Now THESE are BUYS~!  I'm absolutely in love with these cards.  In fact, I'll serve notice right now that I am looking to trade for any and all of these cards - I'll probably never get a full set, but that won't stop me from trying!
 
All in all a decent box break.  This was my first jumbo box, and while the 2 extra hits and full set are great I have to admit part of me missed having the fun of opening 36 packs as opposed to just 10.  Ah well....

GO PACK GO~!!!!!