Hip Hip, Jorge!

According to MLB.com, the Rays may be interested in signing Jorge Posada as a backup catcher to Jose Molina. This would be ironic as Molina was once a backup on the Yankees to Posada. It would be sad to see Posada finish his career in another uniform, but there is about a zero chance that the Yankees will sign him. Realistically, Posada has declined significantly in recent years. He is no longer able to start at any position every day. He would probably be best served to simply retire. If the Rays don’t sign him, it’s rumored that the Orioles or Phillies might be interested. I love Posada, but I think he is done.

You've Been Drafted

There is a baseball card draft over at Cardboard Heaven. You can check it out here. Basically, you get 25 picks for $15.00. There are some pretty decent cards in the draft - plenty of autos and game used cards. There are only 11 spots so you need to hurry.

Royals Hot Stove

It seems like every off-season the Royals make a few interesting moves that make a few experts believe that they may contend for a playoff spot. By May, those hopes are usually dashed. One of these past signings was Gil Meche. The Royals overpaid for Meche who eventually retired due to injury. The Royals’ latest signing is Jonathan Broxton. Broxton will be the setup man for Joakim Soria. That is a pretty strong 1-2 punch out of the bullpen. Does this make the Royals a contending team? No. But I like this acquisition. The Royals usually make one or two free agent signings and stock the rest of the roster with former Atlanta Braves. I’ll put the Royals down for 75 wins next year.

Cards from Cards on Cards

I recently completed a trade with Kerry from Cards on Cards. I sent over a bunch of my 1993 Upper Deck duplicates in exchange for some Topps Heritage card of varying years. By the way, if anyone needs any 1993 Upper Deck, let me know. I have plenty. Anyway, here are the highlights of the trade in what I think is chronological order.

The neatest card may be the expired redemption card. A little research reveals that a timely submission would result in a Pablo Sandoval Red Hot Rookies card. Time makes fools of us all though. I ended up with a pretty good haul. Thanks for the trade.

Topps Silk: J.J. Hardy

My latest eBay purchase is one more 2011 Topps Update Silk card. This one features J.J. Hardy who is currently an Oriole but perhaps best remembered as a Brewer. Hardy actually had a decent year for the Orioles. I really don’t hear his name too much, but that’s probably a function of where he plays. The neat thing about this card is that it is numbered 50/50. I know that is meaningless, but I like that. I only paid $1.99 shipped for this card. These Silk cards are getting cheaper and cheaper. It’s almost the same trend that we saw with game-used jersey cards.

My Newest Alfonso Soriano Card

I received this 2007 Fleer card of Alfonso Soriano recently. Best of all, it was free. I signed up for Swagbucks and had enough points for this card in about a day with little effort. You earn points by taking surveys and doing web searches and such. I was shocked that baseball cards were available as an award. That’s kind of why I signed up. I like the 2007 Fleer cards because they weren’t too expensive and didn’t have a glossy front. They’re great for autographs. Sure he is wearing a Nationals uniform on a Cubs card but it doesn’t matter. Soriano has been a bit of a nomad since he left the Yankees. He is not the player that he was several years ago. He is now 35 believe it or not. He hit 26 home runs this year, but at the expense of his batting average which was only .244. However, he did make $19 million this year. That’s pricey.

Topps Silk: Rafael Soriano

I have purchased another 2011 Topps Update Silk Card. This one is Rafael Soriano of the Yankees. This is my first Yankees Silk card. I only paid $2.24 shipped for this card. Soriano is basically a setup man to David Robertson who is a setup man for Mariano Rivera. Soriano started out as the 8^th inning guy but Robertson took the job. Soriano had an OK season in 2011 but his best season was in 2010 with the Rays. The card is serial numbered 8/50. It is a really nice addition to my Yankees collection.

Topps Silk from eBay

I purchased my first 2011 Topps Silk card on eBay. The subject is Jon Garland of the Dodgers. Actually, he is technically a free agent right now. It is a card from the Update Series. The serial number is 42/50 which has no significance at all. I entered a high bid of $2.00 for the card which is a lowball bid, but that’s not unusual for me. Someone outbid me and ran the price to $2.25. I wasn’t about to get into a bidding war over a Jon Garland card. But that bidder later retracted his bid which probably caused some potential buyers to ignore this item. I wound up winning this card for $1.34! Barely enough to cover shipping. Thanks mystery bid retractor.

TTM Mailbag: Brandon Morrow

I received a TTM autograph return this week from Brandon Morrow. I sent two cards to Blue Jays Spring Training and received both back in 237 days. Both the Topps Heritage and Upper Deck First Edition cards were signed in blue Sharpie. Unfortunately, each card has a tiny smudge on the front. It is still a very nice return and my longest to date which gives some hope for some cards that I sent out during spring training. I try to send to Blue Jays players during spring training so that I can avoid sending packages into Canada. I can’t wait for spring training to start in 2012. At best, there are only 5 games remaining this season.

Flea Market Finds

I picked up three baseball cards at a local flea market recently. The first is a 1998 Topps Opening Day card of David Justice. Justice is shown in a Cleveland uniform where he spent parts of four seasons. The next card is a 1998 Pinnacle of Jason Giambi. Giambi had some decent years as a Yankee. Somehow, he is still playing. Most recently, he played with the Rockies. The final card is most intriguing. At first glance, it looks like a standard 1988 Topps card of Nolan Ryan. However, the border is actually blue instead of white. Also, the card number is “N” which is kind of odd. The card actually looks like it was cut from a sheet or possibly a box of Twinkies. It’s an interesting little mystery card. It’s a pretty good haul and a good time was had by all.

1984 Topps Lot

I recently purchased a lot of 100 1984 Topps cards at a flea market. The cards are in pretty good shape. I really just wanted the Robin Yount card which was the only visible card. The other cards are basically commons. However, buried deep within the stack of cards was a 1994 Signature Rookies Autograph of Kurt Miller. Not exactly Sandy Koufax, but not a bad find. Hey, an autograph is an autograph. Miller spent parts of five years in the big leagues with the Marlins and Cubs. Miller finished his career with a 7.48 ERA and a 2-7 record. Again, he’s not Sandy Koufax. So I got my Yount card and a nice surprise. I don’t really have much use for the other 99 cards so if anyone is interested in trading, let me know.

Card Supplies

One of the least glamorous purchases I make for my baseball card collection has got to be supplies. I just bought a box of 100 9 pocket Ultra Pro pages for about $20.00 on eBay. I go through these like water. Almost all of my cards end up in these pages. In a pinch, I will buy them in Target. If a card show is coming up, I will buy supplies from a dealer at the show. I haven’t bought supplies from a local card shop in over 10 years. Am I getting ripped off? What is the best source for card supplies?

Dollar Store Packs Part Two

So here is my second pack of 2011 Topps from Dollar Tree. I only received five cards. There’s nothing spectacular, but I could’ve done worse.

Reid Brignac

Vladimir Guerrero

Chase Headley

Marlon Byrd

Jose Contreras

The Guerrero card is probably the highlight of the pack. The Contreras card certainly isn’t. I think he just turned 70. Decent pack for a buck.

Dollar Store Packs Part One

I haven’t opened any packs lately. So I figured I would pick up a couple of packs of 2011 Topps Series 1 from Dollar Tree. These packs only have five cards in them, but the price is right. Anyway, here are the results from the first pack. I didn’t get anything terrific, but who cares? The pack only cost a buck.

Brandon Morrow

Desmond Jennings

Daniel Descalso

Jay Bruce

Yunel Escobar

Jesus Montero Has Arrived

In case you live under a rock or just don’t live in New York, Yankees prospect Jesus Montero made his Major League debut this week. He got his first hit this weekend. Today, he hit his first (and second) home runs against the Orioles. This guy is supposed to be the real deal. Of course, that’s what they said about Todd Van Poppel and Brien Taylor. A search of eBay for his cards yields 850 results. Judging by the prices, I won’t be buying any of his cards anytime soon. The 2008 Bowman Chrome Autos seem to be the high dollar card so far. Different variations are going for $100-$200. It looks like Montero, who is a catcher by trade, will serve as the DH for the Yankees for the rest of the season. This means that Jorge Posada is now a bench player. It is sad to see Posada’s run with the Yankees end like this, but father time catches up with every player. I can’t imagine that Posada would return to the Yankees if he doesn’t retire. As an aside, for the price of a 2008 Bowman Chrome Montero autograph, you could buy an ARod or Jeter autograph. Let that sink in.

I'm Not at the Card Show

The East Coast National Card Show was today in White Plains, NY. I usually go to about half of the White Plains shows during the year but I didn’t go today. However, that doesn’t mean that my day was completely free of baseball cards. At the last show, I bought a box of about 700 2011 Topps base cards. Today was the day that I finally sorted through the cards and put them in the appropriate team binder. The cards are arranged by number in the box. Unfortunately, I am only up to card #74 because I am easily distracted. Card #74 happens to be Tyler Clippard. I first heard of Tyler Clippard when I received his Topps Turkey Red rookie card. He was a Yankee at the time. He wasn’t that good for the Yankees. Once he went to the Nationals, I figured his big league career was circling the drain. He’s still in the big leagues and he’s an All-Star. Good for him. I’m off to finish up on this box.

TTM Mailbag: Max Scherzer

My latest TTM Autograph return came from Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers. I received 1 of the 2 cards I sent in 58 days. I received my Topps Ticket to Stardom card back but not my Allen & Ginter. I don’t really care which card comes back. I’m just happy to get the autograph. I wish the card was not personalized. For display purposes, I think cards look better with just the signature. Oh well. I’m still happy to get this back.

TTM Mailbag: A.J. Pierzynski

My latest TTM Autograph return comes from the Chicago White Sox. A.J. Pierzynski signed 1 of my 2 cards in 42 days. I am happy that I got both cards back. The card that was signed has a cool photo on it so the autograph makes the card look really good. The black Sharpie isn’t weak but it isn’t sharp either. Pierzynski has a reputation of rubbing other players the wrong way. But he is a pretty good TTM signer so he is a friend of mine.

Do These Even Qualify As Baseball Cards?

Of all the cards that I received in this year’s Topps Hobby Box, none were more awful then the two History of Topps card that I received. These cards are the most uninteresting cards I have ever owned. One card commemorates the first Topps set with a giant picture of Sy Berger. The other card commemorates the moving of Topps headquarters which I don’t care about. These cards really have nothing to do with baseball. Needless to say, I am willing to trade either card for anything that legally qualifies as a baseball card. I also have a bunch of Series 1 base and insert duplicates if anyone is interested.

TTM Mailbag: Fausto Carmona

I received another TTM autograph return this week. Fausto Carmona returned my two cards in just 36 days. I received a 2011 Topps and 2006 Upper Deck signed in blue Sharpie. The Upper Deck is technically a rookie card. Both signatures look great, although the back of the Upper Deck card contains some of the Sharpie from the Topps card. It’s hardly noticeable. Carmona is currently on the DL so I guess he had some time to sign. Overall, this is a great return in a little over a month.

TTM Mailbag: Chase Headley

My most recent TTM Autograph return comes from Chase Headley of the Padres. He signed my 2010 Allen & Ginter and 2011 Topps in just 14 days. The cards are in perfect condition and so are the actual signatures. Headley has been a good signer so far this year but it's always nice to get a return.

TTM Return: David Robertson

I received a TTM Autograph Return this week for the first time in a while. During Spring Training I sent a 2009 Topps card to David Robertson. I received the card back in 126 days. The signature looks great. Robertson includes his uniform number with his autograph. It can be difficult to get Yankee autographs so I am happy to get this return back. The card and autograph are in perfect condition. This return was well worth the wait. There is some talk that Robertson should be an All-Star this year. His numbers would support his selection to the team. However, it is hard for setup men to make the team. Oh well. I’m thrilled to have this return.

Flea Market Finds

So I made another trip to the local flea market this past weekend because I have no life. I walked away with some decent baseball cards though. I bought 22 Alex Rodriguez cards and 6 Albert Pujols cards for a grand total of $3.00. I can’t complain about a deal like that. The cards are mostly base cards but they are in great condition. Most came in top loaders and penny sleeves for some reason. I notice that most baseball cards at flea markets are junk wax with rubber bands around them. These vendors should save themselves the embarrassment and just set fire to these cards.

More TTM Requests

I haven’t had too many TTM auto returns lately. So I figured I would increase my odds by sending a few more requests out. I mailed out three envelopes to Javier Vazquez, A.J. Pierzynski, and Chase Headley. I feel pretty good about getting these back signed based on past history.

I Own an ARod Autograph!!

Usually when I make an eBay purchase, I don’t spend more than $10. However, I decided to splurge on my latest purchase. I was looking for a nice autograph in the $25 area. I started looking at a bunch of different players. I also looked at Alex Rodriguez autos which are admittedly more than $25. Most of his autos can be had for under a hundred bucks. At the end of the day, I purchased a 2011 Topps Tribute card with a triple relic and autograph. The card is numbered 58/75. The total damage was $73. Not really too bad considering. This is the new best card in my collection. Once I am able to replenish funds, I may purchase a Jeter autograph which will probably run about a hundred bucks. That won’t be for a while though.

I Don't Collect Vintage Cards

I made a trip to the local flea market this weekend and walked away with a couple of vintage baseball cards. I should point out that I don’t collect vintage baseball cards and I have very little knowledge about them. I honestly have no idea why I bought these cards. Both cards are from the 1957 Topps Set. The first is Jim Pisoni. The other is Bobby Gene Smith. I paid $6 for both which is probably too much given that the condition of each card is only so-so. Pisoni only played for 5 seasons and sported a .212 career average. Smith lasted 7 seasons and batted .243. These guys are not exactly all-stars, but I guess I was drawn in by the allure of old cards. Anyway, if anybody out there is interested in trading for these two cards, please leave a comment.

TTM Requests

I have not sent a TTM Autograph request out since spring training. Today, I sent out three. I sent two baseball cards each to John Maine, Fausto Carmona, and Max Scherzer. I have seen some recent successes from these players and I would love to get the autographs. For the record, I was 4 for 13 during spring training. Maybe I was too ambitious.

2011 Topps Black Diamond Cards!!!!

I received my Black Diamond cards back from Topps. They were shipped pretty quickly. I did not get any autographs in my pack but I think I pulled some decent cards. I received cards of Ryan Howard, Miguel Cabrera, Josh Hamilton, Roy Halladay, and Brian McCann. It’s not a bad pack of cards when Brian McCann is the weak link. These cards look and feel a lot like the Diamond Anniversary cards except that the design is different. The cards re pretty neat. I am satisfied with this little bonus. After all, it’s the least Topps could do after I spent 70 bucks on a hobby box, right?

Card Show Swag

OK, so here’s how my day went at the White Plains card show. I typically search all tables going right to left. I noticed that there were a lot more basketball and football cards than usual. There were also a bunch of vintage cards. Not really my thing. The free autograph was Stan Bahnsen. I didn’t have anything to get signed so I skipped that. The first card I considered buying was a 1985 Topps RC of Kirby Puckett. The centering was a bit off so I skipped it. My first purchase was a lot of 6 cards. I received game-used jersey cards of Eric Chavez, Carl Crawford, Bartolo Colon, Paul LoDuca, and Hank Blalock as well as an autograph of former Met Ambiorix Burgos. All of this cost me $5 total.

I didn’t really come across anything worthwhile for a long time. I offered a guy $4 for a 2007 Bowman’s Best Melky Cabrera auto but he declined. I finally bought 5 more cards from another vendor for $2 each. My favorite amongst these is the 2005 Bowman Chrome RC of Melky Cabrera. It is graded PSA 9. I know what everybody thinks of grading companies, but I like this card. This vendor also had 2005 Bowman Chrome RCs of Edinson Volquez graded PSA 9. Fear not, I also bought some non-graded cards from this vendor. I picked up a 2007 SPx auto of Rich Harden for $2. That’s a bargain. Imagine what a similar card would go for in Harden’s prime. I also bought a 2008 Stadium Club auto of Carlos Villanueva, 2010 Topps auto of Reid Brignac, and a Topps Co-Signers auto of Matt Albers and Chris Iannetta. All of that for $2 each. I’m not sure why Albers and Iannetta are on the same card but whatever.

My final purchase was the most interesting. I was searching a box of 2011 Topps commons to pick up some cards that I did not get in my hobby box. That’s when the vendor offered to sell me the entire box for $15. Please understand that there were about 700 cards in this box. Needless to say, I bought the box and spent the past two days going through it. This wasn’t the best show that I have been to but I had a great time as always. I also had a great time going through all this stuff.

White Plains Card Show

I spent the better part of the day attending a card show in White Plains, NY. I'll scan all of my loot and show it off over the next few days. I had a pretty decent haul. However, the show itself was a bit disappointing. It seemed like there were fewer vendors and fewer customers than normal. I guess this is a sign of a slumping industry or a slumping economy. The number of players signing autographs was also disappointing. Stan Bahnsen was the free autograph. I didn't get him because I didn't have anything to get signed. Also, he was way before my time. Fergie Jenkins was signing for $25 a pop which was decent. Jim Kaat was also signing for $25. I did not get either player. I should have gotten Kaat but whatever. Hopefully, the August show will have a few more players. Overall, I actually had a wonderful time. There is no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than to attend a card show.

eBay Mailbag

My latest eBay purchase brings me a lot of game-used jersey cards and certified autographs. I paid $6.25 shipped for 8 cards. Many of these cards are no name players. But I liked the Giambi and Pena cards. The game-used cards include Giambi, Pena, and Gookie Dawkins. The autographs include Dave Crouthers, Ramon Soler, Brooks Kieschnick, Tyler Pelland, and Mendy Lopez. The only player on that list that I’ve heard of is Kieschnick. He was a pitcher/outfielder. He was a novelty but quickly faded. Lopez played in the big leagues with several teams between 1998-2004. Pelland, Soler, and Crouthers never made the bigs.

2011 Topps Box Packs 35 and 36

This is my last post for my Topps Box. Until I get my Black Diamond cards that it. Pack 35 contained Twins closer Matt Capps, Free Agent Kevin Millwood, Angels Team Card, Hot Shot Catcher Buster Posey, Lucas May (Who?), Jason Bay, and Todd Helton. Inserts were Todd Helton again but a Diamond card, Jim Edmonds 60 Years of Topps, and ToppsTown CC Sabathia. That’s a respectable pack.

Pack the last contained current Brewer Zack Greinke, excitable fellow Heath Bell, the injured Josh Hamilton (who is on my fantasy team), Brett Sinkbeil, Neil Walker, the retired Trevor Hoffman, and Evan Meek whoever that is. The inserts included a Diamond Duos Thomas/Ramirez, 60 Years of Topps Yastrzemski with an original back, and ToppsTown Youkilis. So that’s the end of the line. It’s sad in a way. I don’t think I got any doubles of the base cards. I’m not sure if I will collect the set. I’ve never done that before. We shall see.

2011 Topps Box: Packs 33 and 34

Pack 33 of my 2011 Topps Box was one of my better ones. The inserts included a Gold Mike Aviles card, Adam Wainwright Topps 60, and a Toppstown Joey Votto. The base cards were just as good. There were two Yankee cards: Kerry Wood and Mickey Mantle. Also included were Clay Buchholz, Coco Crisp, Jason Jaramillo, Gaby Sanchez, and Justin Upton.

Pack 34 was also decent. The inserts included a Jason Bay Diamond card, Joe Mauer 60 Years of Topps, and Toppstown Mat Latos. Some of you may be too young to remember but that Mauer card is from all the way back in 2009. I think I would prefer the actual 2009 Mauer card. Topps should insert older cards into packs rather than reprints. Anyway, the base cards were Kevin Slowey, Yuniesky Betancourt, Trevor Hoffman, Colorado Rockies, Jimmy Rollins, Ian Kennedy, and Chris Volstad. I would like to get the Slowey and Kennedy cards signed at some point. Overall, that’s a pretty good pair of packs.

2011 Topps Box Packs 31 and 32

Pack 31 yielded some decent cards. I got a Kimball Champions Pablo Sandoval, Diamond Giveaway card, and ToppsTown Billy Butler. The base cards were so-so. They included Cliff Lee, Jack Wilson, Lars Anderson, Batting Average Leaders, Brendan Ryan, Tyler Clippard, and Nate McClouth. Other than the Cliff Lee card, there’s not much there.

Pack 32 brought some crummy inserts: Topps 60 Nick Markakis, History of Topps, and ToppsTown Dan Haren. The base cards were a little better: Erick Aybar, Adrian Beltre, Felix Pie, Buster Posey, Arizona Diamondbacks, Roy Oswalt, and Ubaldo Jimenez. Between both packs, I received some decent pitchers and a few good inserts.

eBay Mailbag: Xavier Nady

I will take a break from my box break to show off my latest eBay purchase. I was unsure if this card was a Black card or a Walmart card due to a subpar picture. It turns out that it is a Walmart card. That’s OK because I only paid 17 cents shipped for this card. It is a 2011 Topps Walmart card #137 of Xavier Nady. I’m not a Nady collector so I’ll just add the card to the general collection and move on. Oddly enough, I pulled a Nady Gold Card from my Topps Box.

2011 Topps Box: Packs 29 and 30

Pack 29 of my 2011 Topps Box wasn’t that great. The inserts were a Hornsby/Holliday Diamond Duos, Cy Young Vintage Repro, and a ToppsTown card of Ichiro. The base cards were Aaron Hill, Ted Lilly, Julio Borbon, Ben Revere (Who?), Brennan Boesch, Jamie Moyer, and Aramis Ramirez. Surprisingly, I have yet to get a double of a base card.

Pack 30 contained a Kimball Champions card of Jose Bautista, Johnny Cueto 60 Years of Topps, and Miguel Cabrera ToppsTown card. I don’t think of Johnny Cueto when I think of great baseball cards of the past 60 years but I digress. The base cards included Matt Joyce, Gio Gonalez, Derek Jeter (Score!), Jeremy Jeffress (Who?), Red Sox Team Card, Chipper Jones, and James Loney. I think that Pack 30 was the better only by virtue of the Bautista and Jeter cards.

2011 Topps Box Packs 27 and 28

Pack 27 of my 2011 Topps Box yielded a Justin Upton Diamond card, a Diamond Giveaway card, and a ToppsTown Manny Ramirez. I heard that Manny retired in disgrace. I hope that works out for him. The base cards were: Yadier Molina, Garrett Jones, Kurt Suzuki, Neftali Feliz, Shin Soo Choo, Freddy Sanchez, and Darren Ford. I have honestly never heard of Darren Ford.

Pack 28 was even more lackluster. The base cards included A.J. Pierzynski, Yorvit Torrealba, John Buck, Scott Cousins, Jake McGee, Ryan Kalish, and Jair Jurrjens. The inserts brought a Kershaw/Latos Diamond Duos, Mickey Mantle reprint, and Evan Longoria ToppsTown card. Somebody needs to explain why Latos and Kershaw are on the same card.

2011 Topps Box Packs 25 and 26

Pack 25 of my 2011 Topps Box yielded a few interesting inserts. I received a 60 Years of Topps Tommy Hanson, Gold Freddy Garcia, and ToppsTown Vladimir Guerrero. The Garcia card shows him as a member of the White Sox, but he has been decent this season for the Yankees. The base cards included Miguel Montero, Derrek Lee, Pedro Alvarez, Ozzie Martinez, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Brandon Inge, and David Price.

Pack 26 brings a Diamond Duos card of Brett Wallace and Lance Berkman. Meh. The ToppsTown card was Carlos Santana. The base cards are Lucas Duda, Brian Fuentes, Jon Lester, Hanley Ramirez, Freddie Freeman, Ryan Dempster, Carlos Silva, and Adam Dunn. But wait!! That’s no ordinary Ramirez card. Look at the helmet. That is a sparkle variation card. I almost missed that. This pack just got interesting.

2011 Topps Box Packs 23 and 24

Pack 23 of my 2011 Topps Box was a really good pack. The inserts included an ARod 60 Years of Topps, my second Andrew McCutchen Kimball Champions, and a ToppsTown Buster Posey card. The base cards were decent too.

Seth Smith

R.A. Dickey

Josh Johnson

Wins Leaders

Kevin Correia

Alexei Ramirez

Hank Conger

Pack 24 was an equally good pack. In fact, I think it was better. I got a Diamond Giveaway card, a Neil Walker Diamond card, and Dustin Pedroia ToppsTown card.

The base cards were:

Andrew Cashner

Gregor Blanco

Rickie Weeks

Pedro Ciriaco

Brett Gardner (Yankee!)

Jeremy Bonderman

Nelson Cruz

I don’t think I have any doubles of base cards yet. That’s pretty impressive. Overall, these were a really good pair of packs. The base cards were decent but the inserts were terrific.

2011 Topps Box: Packs 21 and 22

Pack 21 of my 2011 Topps Box was rather unimpressive. The base cards included Torii Hunter, Koji Uehara, Desmond Jennings, ERA Leaders, Home Run Leaders, Jason Marquis, Tyler Colvin, and Edgar Renteria. The Uehara card will make a good TTM auto candidate. The inserts were pretty lackluster. I received a Diamond Duos card of Joey Votto and Adrian Gonzalez and a ToppsTown card of Felix Hernandez.

Pack 22 wasn’t that great either. The base cards were Ian Desmond, Barry Zito, Mike Stanton, Aaron Harang, James Shields, Milton Bradley, and San Diego Padres. The photograph on the Bradley card is pretty interesting. The background is a Majestic billboard which looks really cool. The Desmond card also has a cool Turkey Hill ad in the background. The inserts were a Lou Gerhig Vintage Repro, Gary Carter 60 Years of Topps, and ToppsTown David Wright.