Topps 2022 Update RETAIL : When Fear of Missing Out is Really JUST Missing Out

 

Sorry.

            About last week.

            An unexpected break.

            A brief explanation as to my absence. I usually get up to write four or five mornings a week. At around 4:45 a.m. Been doing this for almost a couple of decades now. Was much, much easier when I was younger. Trust me. In fact, getting down to four mornings a week is sometimes because I simply cannot get out of bed. Especially after working a later shift at the day gig. Sometimes I want to sleep.

            Don’t get me wrong; I like my morning schedule. I’m a morning person. For years I tried writing at night, but after capitalism has its way with me, I’ve learned that I’m not much use in the evenings and nights, other than having a few drinks on the couch and reading a book. I like to write in the mornings before the work world, and all that encompasses, gets to have its way with me.

            And it’s worked.

            Most of the time.

            I do have a small body of work out there on small presses.

            For about a year now I’ve been balancing my writing mornings between this blog, poem writing (when an idea comes to me), and a new novel that I’ve been working on. I don’t want to say much about it except that it involves Wiffle ball, baseball cards and middle-aged men carrying around lifelong grudges against each other. Don’t worry…it’s fun stuff. I’m in the home stretch with the novel now, so I’ve been dedicating more mornings to it, while writing this blog while at work.

            Sometimes work gets in the way.

            As if did last week.

            So…I’m sorry.

            Anyway…enough about my creative endeavors. We’re here to talk about cards. And talk about cards we shall, goddamn it! Two weeks ago, I gave a somewhat harsh review of the inserts in Topps 2022 Update Hobby Box. Or, in my case, you win some/you lose some/nobody likes a sore loser. I thought my Hobby Box is crap. But as the movie Grinch says, one man’s garbage is another man’s potpourri. So, perhaps it wasn’t all bad.

            And I went to the well again.

            Not a Hobby box this time.

            But a Retail box.

            You see, I live in New York City. That’s not a boast. It’s an actual fact. I go outside my door and there’s New York City. Well, not the Statue of Liberty. Although if I walk a number of block I can see Lady Liberty far off in the distance. I’m more South Brooklyn. Not the South Brooklyn rich people in Park Slope think they’re in. I’m in the part of Brooklyn that connects to Staten Island. So, technically, I walk out the door into New York City every morning.

            But…I digress.

            Being a card collector in New York City poses some challenges…especially if you don’t own a car. For one, I don’t get to take advantage of a random trip to Target or Wal-Mart. I have a lot of FOMO, or maybe its mild jealous, seeing other collectors get to stop off at big box retail stores and grab product right off of the shelf. I only get to do that if I’m visiting family in Buffalo or Pittsburgh…and thanks to Covid, that hasn’t been as often as I’ve liked. Or when I’ve been to either place, the card shelves were bare because of all of the card insanity in 2020 and into 2021.

            I do have LCS here. But they’re few and far between. And, to be honest, New York City rent overhead makes buying product in those stores a touch prohibitive. We have Targets but they don’t carry sports cards. At least not the ones in Brooklyn. I don’t know if it’s a space issue or what. There is the Major League Baseball Flagship store. But its in Midtown. Like across the street from Radio City Music Hall. And as any good New Yorker knows, avoid Midtown at all costs. Especially in the summer. Most especially during this time of the year. So… card collecting for me is primarily buying product online. That usually means shipping costs along with the cost of the product.

            Which is…fine.

            But sometimes I just want to pop off at the Wal-Mart and see that wall of sports card product waiting for me.

            It’s not FOMO.

            I actually AM missing out.

            Very long story short…with this in mind…I bought a Retail box.

            And I didn’t do too badly.

The Witt Jr. Gold alone was probably worth the price of admission.

            …unless he doesn’t pan out.

            It seems to be my year for Short Print cards.

            Any Astros fans out there looking to trade…I’m a Pirates fan, size XL.

            I’ll take anything Oneil Cruz.

            …and the Juan Soto Short Print is nice.

            Explain to me again why rookies like Michael Harris II can’t be in this set, yet Soto in a Padres uniform can?

            For the Kris Bryant lover.

            …which isn’t me.

            A nice assortment of the All-Star cards.

             Although I still gripe that they aren’t a part of the base set of Update, and I get celebration cards for dudes hitting 100 career home runs.

            That said, I’ve ended up getting a number of the big All-Stars in that set, and might make a run at completing my first ever insert set.

            Here’s the best of the rest.

            The shiny cards.

            The 1987 cards.

            It pains me to write this…but between 1987 inserts and Topps (probably production related) laziness of including 1987 as a part of Archives (a product I did not buy this year, as I saved my pennies for football cards instead); I thought I’d never say this…but I’m getting tired of 1987 Topps baseball. The design needs to go on the backburner for a few years.

            Here come the “bells and whistle” cards.

            Lastly, in nearly every pack of Update Retail you get a Stars of the MLB.

            And here they are for your perusal.

            I take, well, I almost take, umbrage with the word “stars” in this instance. Some of the guys here were once stars…or almost stars. Some guys…are they stars yet? Is Ryan Mountcastle a star? Johnathan India? I’m asking in all sincerity. And a lot of these guys…they’re rookies. I know Julio Rodriguez just won Rookie of the Year…and good for him. He deserved it. But is he a star? Stars to me are Aaron Judge. Mike Trout.

            But I guess they were all used up in Series 1 and 2.

            I like the Stars of the MLB inserts…but here it mostly seems like just another reason to slap an insert card with the RC logo on it, and let history and statistics figure out if Topps got it right.

            All’n’all I liked my Retail Box experience. It’s not the random joy of coming across a blaster or a hanger in a Target (maybe I’ll get to in December!), but it was a fun rip. Full disclosure…this isn’t the first time I’ve opened a Retail Box. And, to be honest, I tend to like the inserts in Retail better, and I tend to DO a lot better in what I pull. Honestly, I think I’d rather buy a Retail box over a Hobby box. But there’s a problem inherent in that thinking. Retail tends to come out weeks to a month after Hobby does. And I lack the patience to wait.

            If my envy of watching people buy retail at Target or Wal-Mart isn’t really FOMO.

            Then my lack of patience waiting on Retail boxes to come out sure as hell is.

 

Thanks for reading! Happy Collecting!

NEXT FRIDAY: Well, I just hope to have a blog post. I’ll come up with something. Maybe I’ll write a blog post about Wiffle ball, cards and middle-aged men with maturity issues….wait…I’m already doing that somewhere else.

Topps 2022 Update : Or...An Ode to Being Underwhelmed

 

Well…

            I bought a hobby box of 2022 Update.

            But I wasn’t excited about it.

            A lot of other collectors were excited about it. I can see why. There’re some big rookies in the set. Big rookie cards drive collecting. Although I tend to roll my eyes at big rookies. Or maybe it’s FOMO.

            You wanna know what the last card in my hobby box was?

            Yep...last card…last pack.

            I was sweating it out too.

            Julio Rodriguez is actually one of the big shot rookie cards that I do care about.

            The others?

            I’m kind of meh on them.

            In fact, my hobby box of Topps 2022 Update was kind of meh as well.

            Let’s start with the silver pack.

            Yeah…I know…Mike Trout. I’m kind of meh on Mike Trout. I don’t collect him. I know people compare him to Mickey Mantle. And I can see the comparisons…Mickey Mantle got hurt a lot too. I’m sure Mike Trout will limp to Hall of Fame numbers. For me, I’d rather see Yordan and Vlady Jr. in the Silver Pack.  As for the rest: PED guy and two other so-called big rookies from years past.

            First card/first pack action.

            My 1987 inserts.

           Two pitchers who will probably end up getting Tommy John surgery, the 2022 version of Dave Kingman, a formerly great Cub who decided the money was worth playing the gulag in Colorado (and, yes, I’m a Pirates fan, I recognize the hypocrisy in that statement), and a HOF Pitcher whom I lost respect for because he defended the indefensible…in my humble opinion.

            What else did we get?

            Got some all-stars showing up.

            2022 Dave Kingman makes his second insert appearance. Love the Yordan though.

            I did get an auto card...

               ...of Alex Wells.

               Of course, I can't forget all of the bells and whistles a hobby box brings

            Anyone as underwhelmed as I was on an early Saturday morning?

    

            But then THIS happened.

            Which I'm happy to trade to any Red Sox fan who has some Pittsburgh Pirates goodies.

            Speaking of Pirates.

            I know I'm supposed to be excited for these guys.

            I was more excited to get these guys.

            But let's not get TOO EXICTED. Topps, proving that they absolutely could not care less for a 

team like the Pittsburgh Pirates, rounded out my Pirates checklist with these guys.

            Four guys who no longer play for the team and one guy who was hurt almost all season.

            I thought this was a classy move by Topps.

            These, on the other hand, were head scratchers for me.

           

            When did Topps start celebrating 100 Home Run marks? Or weren't Ohtani and Soto on enough 

cards this season?

            Getting back to rookie cards. I counted at least twenty-nine Rookie Debut cards in my Hobby 

Box. TWENTY-NINE. You won't put all-stars in the set, other than inserts, but you'll put at least 

TWENTY-NINE of what I consider to be the DIET cola of rookie cards. I'm probably in the minority 

opinion on Rookie Debut cards. But rookie debut cards are lame.

            Speaking of lame rookie cards.

    

            You can give at least TWENTY-NINE dudes a second rookie card, but Topps can't even give 

some players their OWN rookie card.

            And, lastly, a found this card to be a little bit ominous.

            This is looks like a final Albert Pujols card. It FEELS like a final Albert Pujols card. It probably

is a final Albert Pujols cards. This means, in Topps traditional fashion, that we're not going to get a 

career encapsulating card for Albert Pujols in 2023 base.

            ...but maybe Ronald Acuna Jr. will hit his 150th home run!

           

            Sorry I sound so cynical on this post.

            Thanks for reading! Happy Collecting!

            NEXT FRIDAY: I'll try and not be so negative and maybe we'll take a look at something from 

my PC.

"Grail" cards : Or Ten Cards I Really, Really, Really Want in My Collection

 

 

I’m changing it up today.

            I was going to moan and complain about still not completing those Junk Wax sets that I bought all of those wax boxes of…but I don’t feel like moaning and complaining. Or being another person moaning and complaining. I work with the public. I’ve been listening to people moan and complain all week.

            Instead, I want to do something fun.

Well, fun for me.

And maybe fun for you too…if you do it on your own.

I like to listen to podcasts. One of my favorite Hobby related podcasts is John Newman’s Sports Card Nation. It’s actually two podcasts. There’s the flagship Sports Card Nation, which Newman does (usually with a guest interview) on Fridays, and then there’s Hobby Quick Hits, which John does on the Monday before. On the October 17^th edition of Hobby Quick Hits, John spent the episode going over the Top 10 cards he’d like to acquire.

Grail cards as some call them.

Although the Holy Grail was individual and singular, hence its name, people still like to refer to those highly sought cards in that manner. That’s fine with me…I’m not one to nitpick. But I liked John Newman’s idea of creating a list of those kinds of cards. It got me wondering what ten cards, money being no object or, condition being no object, I truly want more than any other cards. What are my “grail” cards. So, I decided to compile a list and share it here. In no particular order of desire.

 

1955 Topps Roberto Clemente.

```I hardly had a Clemente card to call my own as a kid, let alone the A-number-1 Clemente card of them all. As an adult collector, I’ve slowly, and by slowly I mean when I can afford it, been buying some Topps base Roberto Clemente cards. But, if money were no object, or if I could find it in a condition I could live with, I think more than any other card in the world, I would want the 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente rookie card. I know I never got to see The Great One play, but to me he defines the drive, the passion and the pride (albeit shaky these days) in wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform. Learning the legend of Roberto Clemente comes along with learning the history of your favorite baseball team, if you’re a Pirates fan.

            I can’t think of a better keepsake.

 

1971 Topps Joe Greene:

           

            If Roberto Clemente is synonymous with Pittsburgh Pirates history and lore, then I’m throwing Mean Joe Greene into the ring as defining what it means to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. He’s the first guy I think about when The Steel Curtain is mentioned. The first guy I think about when we talk about the 1970s Steelers Dynasty. And I say that as a Terry Bradshaw fan. I love that Coke commercial as a kid. I’ve managed to buy every Mean Joe card except is rookie. It’s there. It’s affordable. And there’s a number 75 sized hole in my PC.

 

1963 Topps Willie Stargell

 

            Yes, I’d get the Clemente rookie first or only if given the choice. But right after that it would be the Willie Stargell rookie card. Like Mean Joe, Pop’s rookie card is the only hole I have remaining in Willie Stargell base PC cards. Clemente was the legend we heard about, but Willie Stargell was the living legend who was still playing (sometimes) when I first became a Pirates fan. He’s my favorite Pittsburgh Pirate of All-time. This card would get a place of honor in my collection.

 

1965 Topps Mickey Mantle

 

            I don’t own a Mickey Mantle base card. I don’t think I ever will. And I know there are a lot of Mantle cards that would be someone’s everything. But if I had the, well, affordable, option in getting a Mickey Mantle card…I’d pick his 1965. I’m a massive fan of the 1965 Topps design and I just think the Mantle card is gorgeous. It’s a work of baseball card art. I know The Mick is nearing the end of his career. But he still looks youthful. Like he could chase Ruth again here. I love how Mickey is looking off into the distance, like he just murdered another ball.

 

1953 Topps Jackie Robinson

 

            Read what I wrote about Mickey Mantle and it’s essentially the same story that I have for Jackie Robinson. I don’t own a base Jackie card. I probably never will own a base Jackie card. But if I could I’d choose the 1953 Topps Jackie Robinson card. A while ago I asked collectors on Twitter their feelings on reprint cards. It wasn’t a positive reaction. But I was thinking about the 1953 Jackie card when I asked the question. I was thinking of getting a reprint because I love the card, the look of the card, it’s very essence of baseball card beauty so much, that even a replica would’ve sufficed just to hold it in my hand and look at it. But, alas, I came to realize that it’s gotta be the real deal…or nothing.

            Maybe one day Jackie.

 

1971 Terry Bradshaw

 

            Like Mean Joe, Terry Bradshaw, to me, defines the Steeler of the 1970s. Yeah, the road to 4 Super Bowls was shaky for Terry. But he did it. He’s a quarterback legend in Pittsburgh. That long 2-decade bridge between him and the Big Ben years, full of a bunch of QBs that…the less said, the better. I’m a Bradshaw collector. Like with Mean Joe Greene, I have all of Terry Bradshaw’s Topps base cards. But it always comes down to the rookie. This card is definitely high on my list of cards I NEED in my collection.

1957 Topps Bill Mazeroski

 

            If there’s a final Pittsburgh Pirate whom I’d include in my holy trinity of post-WWII Pirates, it would be none other than Bill Mazeroski. He’s another one that I never got a chance to play. But like Willie Stagell, Maz was, and still is, a living legend to Pittsburgh Pirates baseball. That 1960 Game Seven, Game winning Home Run is nearly as famous as The Shot Heard Round the World…and Maz didn’t know what the pitch coming to him was going to be so…I can picture him rounding third now. Of course I can! It’s been engrained in all of the memories of Pirates fans of any age.  In college I was lucky enough to take classes in Forbes Quad, a building that was built over the site of Forbes Field. On the floor in the building, encased in glass, was home plate from Forbes Field. And outside the building stood the part of the wall Maz hit the home run over.

1954 Topps Henry Aaron.

 

            I’ve often said, and I still do say, at times, that I’ve never lived in a world where Henry Aaron wasn’t the Home Run king. He his number 715 the night before I was born. So, yeah, I never go to see Henry play. But I’ve been an admirer my whole baseball-loving life. I’m a collector, when I can, of Henry’s cards. I’ve read a couple of bios. Just honestly think he’s a class act all of the way. Whenever Topps issues cards, I’ll grab the Aaron cards out of the set. Like Clemente, he’s one of maybe three players, whom I collect their post-playing years card. If Clemente’s rookie is the true “grail” card…Aaron’s rookie wouldn’t be far behind.

1965 Topps Joe Namath

 

            In some ways, I’m still trying to figure out what kind of a football card collector I’m going to become. So far, it’s mostly been Steelers. But that 2022 Score box I bought is looking more and more like me dividing the cards up into player PCs. And that got me thinking about some of the older players. One of the things that’s always been interesting to me is how many top quarterbacks hailed from my own backyard of Western Pennsylvania. There’s Johnny Unitas. There’s Joe Montana. There’s Jim Kelly. There’s Dan Marino. Then there’s Broadway Joe Namath. I’ve been thinking that I’d like to create a PC of Western PA quarterbacks, and I’ve always been intrigued by the celebrity of Namath. I was growing up as the NFL was exploding into the leviathan it is now. Guys like Namath were those legend that you heard about. The card is also pretty damned sweet too.

1981 Topps Joe Montana

 

            If you’re going to have one Joe in the Western PA collection, you’ve gotta have the other Joe. The Steelers were a dynasty I heard about. The 49ers, in the 1980s, were the dynasty I was watching. And Joe Montana was THE GUY. Of all of the cards on this list, the Montana rookie is the only one to get the distinction of being a card I actually owned when I was a kid. Yeah, moron me, right? But I had the card briefly. In a trade and then I soon traded it away. Joe was maybe 5 years into his career. Who know? I sure didn’t at the time. Of course, I can’t remember what I traded it for…aint’t that the way it always is. But I’d like to get the card back in my collection at some point.

 

        Well…I hope you folks found my list interesting. Or amusing. It’s fun to think about what cards you would or wouldn’t get, if money didn’t matter. Or that you’d honestly spend the money on. It was an interesting thought piece. And if you get the chance, take a listen to John Newman podcast on the topic. Here's a LINK

 

Thanks for reading! Happy Collecting!

 

NEXT FRIDAY: 2022 Update…hmmmm

More Football Cards...yes, I know

 

Football cards

…again.

I know…

But ‘tis the season…or, it’s still too early to be using a phrase like that, right?

All the same it is Football season, or it has been for a number of weeks now. Football is probably the sport I’m consuming most, reading about the most, and purchasing for my card collection the most.

I just can’t get with these MLB playoffs. Minus a team or two, it’s the same group of teams in the post-season nearly every year. And, yeah, the winners have been varied. But one fact remains; the winner is usually a team with one of the highest payrolls in the league. But that’s the way MLB (and, sadly, a good many of its fans) wants it…well, that’s how they get it.

Enjoy the diminishing broadcast numbers.

And, yes, I too was excited to see Seattle and Cleveland in the playoffs…even though, other than Julio Rodriguez and Jose Ramirez, I couldn’t tell you another Mariner or Guardian player.

I watch a lot of teams and a lot of baseball.

Seattle hasn’t been on my radar since Griffey Jr. left.

And Cleveland…I grew up less than 3 hours away from that city…and the team never registered for me.

But I digress.

So I’ve been reading a lot about football.

This book specifically.

Which I’ll get to in an upcoming blog.

But when I read about a sport, or a player in a sport, it tends to fuel my collecting. The MacCambridge book probably spurred the purchase of the 2022 Score Cards. Its certainly going to be spurring the next ComC purchase that I make. Hint? Wallet is going to take a HIT. And the book spurred me to get back to the football PC, for some players that I’m already collecting, and have an interest in collecting.

Yes, this is going to be a show and tell blog post.

I did a recent, well, not too recent ComC purchase of football cards.

I really wanted to get a lot of this guy.

Aside from Terry Bradshaw, or maybe even more so, Mean Joe Greene has always been one of the most mythic and magisterial of Pittsburgh Steelers. I was really too young to watch him play, but, as the old adage goes; his legend lives on. I probably know Mean Joe more for his Coke commercial rather than his playing. Nevertheless, he’s a Steeler I revere. And, like Bradshaw, I want his cards in my ever-growing football PC.

And Mean Joe’s cards are pretty cheap.

If you don’t mind the condition.

I’m going to have to save up for his rookie though.

I also filled in some gaps on my Jack Lambert PC.

Sans rookie again…but we’ll get there…one day.

I basically bought the house on John Stallworth.

Including his 1978 Topps rookie.

Grabbed a couple of other Steelers rookie cards that weren’t pricey at all.

Always loved that Louis Lipps card.

But it wasn’t all Steelers.

I grew up fascinated by Bo Jackson. I’m sure a lot of us did. He was the first two-sport pro player that I’d ever seen. Bo’s 1987 Topps rookie card is one of my favorite and favorite-looking cards of all-time. He made me want to try and like the Raiders. I can’t wait to read Jeff Pearlman’s book on him when it comes out later this year. And I have a small PC of Bo’s cards as well.

But mostly his baseball cards.

So, I grabbed these.

Lastly, I wanted to go a little modern for the PC. Modern is hard because, at least in my view, the cost of so many player’s rookie cards, especially quarterbacks, is inflated beyond belief. Don’t believe me, look up Josh Allen’s rookie cards on ComC. But, like I said last week, I like the Miami Dolphins (not this Sunday, of course). And I like Tua Tagovailoa, even though he takes crap and gets crapped upon (even by his own team). I think he’s a solid NFL quarterback, and maybe even a franchise guy. I wanted some Tua rookies. And, in comparison to other QBs, his were affordable to a cheapskate like me.

I got these two.

Coincidentally…and sadly at that, the cards arrived the day before Tua had that nasty concussion scare on Thursday Night Football.  But he’s back this week. I’m glad for that. I just hope he has a bad game against the Steelers.

Anyway…sorry for the show and tell.

 Thanks for reading! Happy Collecting!

NEXT FRIDAY: Stalled set building.