Box Break: 2010 Topps Update

This box break started off about as well as it could go, and then slowly went downhill.







The pulls:

Base Set
184 out of 330 (55.7%)
66 Doubles
7 Triples
1 Quintuple (Jason Bay)
8 Gold Cards #'d to 2010
1 Stephen Strasburg Rookie (Card 661)

Inserts:
36 Topps Attax Code Cards
13 Cards Yo Momma Threw Out (2 doubles)
8 Turkey Reds
9 Stupid Vintage Legends (1 double)
5 Tales of the Game
2 Legendary Lineage
4 Peak Performance
10 MCG Code Cards

Hits:
Box Loader Rookie Chrome Refractor - Stephen Strasburg
Big Mojo Hit!!!!!1!!!1 - Robinson Cano All Star Game Jersey *groan*

Stephen Strasburg Cards Pulled - 7

Review:
You can't say Topps Updates is a terrible product. You can get an excellent selection of rookie cards in the set, some of whom will pan out and be worth a decent amount of money. Yes, this was the Stephen Strasburg hot box, right out of the gate even with the boxloader. The checklist for the boxloaders is pretty good, and there are decent odds you'll find something good. The regular checklist is the usual for Updates: rookies, traded players, and All Stars, nothing new or different here. The inserts are mostly all the same from Series 1 and 2, also nothing new here. For what you can and do get, it is what it is.

All that being said, the originality of Updates, quite frankly, sucks. I was kind of hoping for something different and original for an insert out of Updates, like with the propaganda posters in last year's set. Instead, it was just more Tales of the Game cards (I'm so happy with that). I'm not great with original ideas, and clearly neither is Topps, but some type of insert needed to be interesting. And can we all agree that the Vintage Legends need to go away? I think so. On another note, the "stamping" of the serial numbers on the gold cards looks even cheaper and worse than it did before in Series 1 and 2. It's still printed on, but the font looks even cheaper than before and looks sloppy, for lack of a better word.

Finally, and Topps you better be reading and fixing this, your quality control sucks. I'm going to be blunt with that. This is your flagship brand, make it a quality product, not this $48 worth of fail I just opened. Ok, so I pulled 7 Stephen Strasburg cards of various types and got my Ryan Kalish Rookie, so it wasn't all fail. But I for one want something more than Stephen Strasburg's galore in a box. I pulled 66 doubles, 7 triples, and 1 quintuple out of this box. 66 DOUBLES FOR GOD'S SAKE! This is just purely inexcusable; I got short-changed 20% of the base set. And, yes I did like Jason Bay during his time in Boston, but I do not want 5 of his cards in one box, and neither does anyone else. And, it wasn't just the base set, I pulled doubles of a few inserts. And it doesn't stop there, I got short changed out of a pack and instead of pulling 10 cards, I pulled 7.

Topps, do you actually give a crap that your quality control sucks this much? Diamond cutting T-206 cards, not following through on the promised hits, poor (and that's an understatement) coalition, not putting the right amount of cards in a pack, does that not mean anything? Are you realizing that people are getting fed up and pissed off about this? Have you just rolled over and given up? Is it just me, or did Upper Deck, who doesn't even have a baseball license, make the best product this year in terms of quality? Does that mean that you really deserve that exclusive license? I'm starting to question that. So, Topps, do what's best for you and start cleaning up your act and giving a crap about your product and the work that goes into making it, and that includes not putting 66 doubles in a box.

In any matter, this is Topps Updates. While this box was a fail, that does not that every box is a fail. I would still say this product is Hench Approved; it should be somewhat unusual to find 66 doubles in a box. This box, on the other hand, is Not Hench Approved, Stras-Jo, Ryan Kalish, and all.

Another thing, the hit was Yankee, Robinson Cano All Star Game Jersey Card, there-by making this box break much worse. As you know, it is for trade, preferably for a Red Sox relic or auto.

Some Reds-JO

Got the group break stuff in from AJ at Georgia Mindset, and I thought I might as well show it off.



The Topps Update Box Break will be up later on. Please note, this box break was one of the most angering ones I have done, especially angering for a Topps Flagship product.

A Quest

Today I ventured to the Greater Columbus Convention Center to perform several hours of manual labor to help gather funds for OWU Track & Field. The manual labor involved disassembling a set for a cheerleading competition (no, I don't understand the fascination or point of this, and yes, I was horrified by the attire, but that is another rant). But, the Convention Center is very nice, just outside of the recently built up Arena District, and it got me to thinking, and this is my quest (well, it's more like a wish that probably won't happen). I don't know how I'd get this to work, but my quest is to bring the National to Columbus. I just saw that 2014 is open for where the National will be held (I know, it's in Cleveland in 2012, but still), so come on! Just do it! The Columbus Convention Center is extremely nice, and while it might not be a great tourist destination, it would be convenient for me. It will probably end up in LA that year, but they should just amuse me.

They're Gone For Good

Ladies and gentlemen: Neftali Feliz.
He officially ended the Yankees' season about 30 minutes ago. And, not only that, for the last out, he strikes out A-Fraud, who bolted from the Rangers to join the Evil Empire in 2004. Oh so fitting, so so fitting.

Boycotting Retail

One can be exposed to many informative and interesting things while at a liberal arts college. After watching a documentary on evil practices of Wal-Mart titled, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, I am declaring that I will be boycotting Wal-Mart, and that includes cardboard. This boycott is not effective immediately however, as I do want to get my hands on a blaster/rack pack of Topps Chrome (I would prefer to purchase it somewhere else, but the bastard corporation is unfortunately the closest place). Why a blaster/rack pack? I don't really want to pay for a hobby box of that stuff right now. This doesn't mean I will stop buying retail wax, just only the wax from Wal-Mart.

So, to sum this up post up nicely, fuck Wal-Mart. There, I said it.

Opening Day 2011 Previews

Just saw some previews for next year's Topps Opening Day. I have two questions.

1. Why does this product really exist?

and

2. Why does the set have the same structure as last year's set?

Same concept, same inserts. Really shows you how much effort Topps puts into their low-end brands...

Images to come later.

More Bandwagon Jumping!

The Reds grossly disappointed me, except for the fact the Doc Halladay completely mowed them down. So, you know what that means:

Someone needs to beat the Yankees. I don't want to see them in the World Series again. Nolan Ryan & Co.'s Boys, you better step it up...

2010-11 Upper Deck Victory Box Break

Like I said before, the season is here. So it's time to BUST SOME WAX!







The pulls:

Base Set: 197 out of 250 (78.8%)
Short Set: 179 out of 200 (89.5%)
Rookies: 18 out of 50 (36%)

Parallels:
1 Gold Card-Jamie Langenbrunner (1 per box)

Inserts:
Stars of the Game: 9 (1:4 packs)
Gamebreakers: 9 (1:4 packs)

Review:
From the reviews I read before I busted this, I had a feeling this set was going to be bad. But, I would say that this isn't as terrible as I thought it was going to be. I mean, yes the checklist definately isn't long enough (WHERE'S TUUKKA RASK?!), the inserts are cheesy, there needs to be more than one parallel per box, and the rookie selection is pretty bad. But, there are some positives to this. For one, I'm a fan of the base card design; some people might think it is corny and poorly thought out, but I feel they are very pleasing to the eye. I'm really a fan of the design of the Gamebreaker cards, especially with the layout of the color (yes, I like cards like this). Thumbs up to Upper Deck Design. This is also a very easy set to collect for cheapskates and cash-strapped people, like myself. I got close to 4/5 of the base set just by buying a hobby-box for $23.50.

So, it's basically up to the buyer if you want this product or not. If you're a Joe Collector, you can put this product off your radar. If you like more than just 2 sets of cheesy inserts and a bunch of base cards, don't buy it. Save your money and buy Panini's Score Hockey (to be released in 12 days). Though, it is the only hockey product available right now. And, if you have $24 bucks in your pocket and your craving hockey cards, I'd say pick up a box. If you're cheap, this is no question a product for you. I would have to say, by a slim margin, this product is Hench Approved (subject to change with the release of Score in a couple of weeks).

That Time of Year

There seems to be a bit of chill in the air. Oh, you know what that means:

Yes folks, it's finally hockey season! Yes, I ride the Bruins' season like its my job. But, out here in the cornfields of Ohio, I have to settle for some good ol' mediocre Columbus Blue Jackets hockey. Good thing tickets are cheap...

Moss For a Third Rounder?

In Belichick and Kraft I trust. But, moves like this just scream fail.

Now Wait A Minute...

And now for a sports rant:

I have heard one too many "Trade Jacoby Ellsbury" proposals in Boston. Everyone has been banging on the door of the Red Sox Front Office telling them to do so, it seems. And, I for one, do not agree with this proposal. Have we forgotten already that in 2009 he hit .301 with 8 homers, 60 driven in, and 70 stolen bases? I sure as hell haven't. I wouldn't say he is the perfect leadoff hitter, but he's a pretty damn good one. Would I rather have Rollins leading off? Of course. But, is Marco Scutaro a better leadoff man instead of Ellsbury? No? Didn't think so either.

Ok, so maybe he was injured for most of the season (he played 18 games, mind you). Maybe it's his lack of skills as a leftfielder that caused him to get injured, which is why everyone wants his name out of Boston. Oh, wait a minute, he's played CENTERFIELD for the last 2 years. I never understood this last off-season when they brought in Mike Cameron for centerfield and moved Ellsbury to left. He had just played 2 straight season of center, why make the move now? Yeah, Pedroia and Youkilis played other positions before their current ones, but those changes were made early on in their careers, not after they had gotten used to one in the majors.

So, move Ellsbury back to center, sounds easy enough. Put Mike Cameron on the bench or in the minors, oh wow I'm smart. Now there's a gap in left. I'd say sign a bat since there aren't any sure fire replacements in terms of prospects coming up and taking the spot (maybe Daniel Nava, which I would love to see, but I can't them doing that). May I suggest signing Jayson Werth in left field for the short term? There, I did, now sign him. Now there's a bottleneck in right with Drew and Kalish. This might be out there (maybe not too out there), but I've been calling for this for a while now: TRADE JD DREW! I still can't justify the ungodly amount of money they gave this guy for, what has it been, 4 eh seasons here in Boston. Plus, it would open up a good amount of money that could be spent in better ways (hopefully).

Alright Red Sox Front Office, print, read, and follow said instructions. I expect many championships with this plan.

[end rant]

Playoff Bandwagon Time

Postseason, no Red Sox, you know what that means:

BANDWAGON JUMPING!!!

I'm in Ohio, what did you expect? Besides, how does one not love Joey Votto? In other Boston sports news, Bruins open the season next weekend. Get ready for obscene amounts of hockey posts!