Bustin Packs # 5-8

Pujols leads the way! This is the pack rip results for packs 5-8 of the great Topps-O-Cuffs rip off! to get you caught up, Joe and I were neck and neck at the end of the first four packs. At stake is four slaps and some yankee/red sox memorabilia! Without future ado, lets get to the results!

Pack #5

Bobby Crosby (shades) +5

Manny Ramirez Toppstown (leader) +5

Man Ram/Jimmy Fox Legendary Lineage (horizontal) +5

Topps Million Card Givewaway (Campanella)

Coors Field (horizontal) +5

Zach Greinke
Nick Johnson

Lyle Overbay

Josh Beckett (Red Sox!) +5

Pittsburgh Pirates

Pack Total = 25 pts!

Pack #6

Edwin Encarnacion

Cliff Lee

Garrett Anderson

Ichiro Toppstown

Chipper Jones Peak Performance

Manny Ramirez CYMTO (hahahaha, this card is priceless)

Jose Valverde (horizontal +5 AND TWO UMPIRES +10)

Adam Laroche

Neftali Feliz

Jon Papelbon (Red Sox) +5

Pack total = 20 pts

Pack 7 and 8 (kinda got mashed together)

Jorge de la Rosa

Buster Posey

Chris Ianneta

Yankees Checklist! -10 for that but +5 for being horizontal = -5

Ken Griffey Jr

Robinson Diaz (shades and bonus teammate) +10

Homey Bailey looking scary as ever

Jason Kendall

Joe Blanton

Darin Erstad sporting shades +5

Ticket to Toppstown Vlad (leaders) +5

Andrew Bailey

Chris Coghlan Gold

Jayson Nix

John Lannan

Dbacks (posed teammates Johnson and Schilling...nice card!) +10

Toppstown CC Sabathia (Leaders)+5

Legendary Lineage Musial/Pujols +5 (horizontal)

Tales of the game - Bo knows defense (horizontal) +5

Turkey Red Pujols (current player) +5

Total for packs 7-8 = +45

Grand total packs 5-8 = 90 pts!

The scans are pretty much all over the place in this post. I started sorting out base and inserts before realizing that I needed to keep them separate for the points scanning. Won't happen again! I was just so excited to start my inserts binder that the cards kinda mingled together.

Latest Impressions: Now that I have my inserts binder ready to roll and I can really check out the products grouped together I definitely am starting to like the insert sets. All of them...yep, even the Toppstown look better this year. Hands down though the winner for me so far is the Cards Your Mother Threw Out. These are fun, and very nice reprints, and there is rumored to be ACTUAL original cards out there for the taking. Or at least original backed...either way they are pretty nice.

Thats it until Tuesday. I recommend you go check out Joe's rip points. Word on the street is that he pulled a jersey card today....AND STILL is behind.....BWA A A A AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Shenanigans?

You be the judge...

http://cgi.ebay.com/2009-Allen-Ginter-ROCCO-BALDELLI-Auto-Jersey-1-1_W0QQitemZ320416084632QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Baseball?hash=item4a9a497298

If these are real, that is news to me.

Jacoby's Treasure Chest

It's Friday! That means that it is also time to check in with the CEO and see what surprises we can pull of out his collection today. Unfortunately the CEO is not able to conduct the random draw this evening because he is a party animal at day care and is only getting about an hour nap each day...so the happy parents get to experience the joy of his crankiness. Off to bed with you!

Some very interesting pulls today. Let's jump right in...

Dexter Fowler gold parallel Rookie Auto #/10. To this day, this probably remains my slickest eBay find. I found Dexter right after SP Authentic hit the market and virtually no one was looking for it so I got a killer deal on this card. Now, obviously a Dexter Fowler Rookie is nothing to shout from the Colorado mountain tops about...yet. But I know that I definitely heard his name several times last season, and I am willing to take the chance that he can be a breakthrough player. If that happens, then this little bit of prospecting will be well worth it. Either way you slice it, this baby is numbered to 10.
Ru-Roh! Where did this stinkin thing come from? Ah yes, this was another one of my future legend pulls during my SP Legendary Cuts binge last year. Kennedy was one of the first autos that I ever pulled, so into the top loader it went, not to be seen again until...today. Kennedy has certainly had a roller-coaster ride in the early part of his career and has more-or-less made his living in the minors between surgery and being a gas can in the show. I am encouraged that he is no longer a Yankee though and is pitching for Arizona this season. Arizona just seems to know how to raise pitchers and I am hoping that this type of environment will help Kennedy thrive in 2010.

Ah yes, the surprise hit from my 2009 Heritage High Numbers set. The owner seems to think these hand-numbered autos are the case-hits, which is definitely a nice thing to hear. I found nothing extraordinary about the careers of either of these two guys, but it's still a pretty good looking card, a lucky pull and scarce to boot.

Until next week, the treasure chest is closed.

Topps-O-Cuff Rip Off Update! Packs 1-4

Well, after much time planning and waiting, and waiting some more, the Rip Off is officially under way! I have to say that this is a completely different approach to pack ripping that I am used to. Normally I am just looking over the cards, sorting them, and filing them away. But in the instance of the competition, I find myself really eyeballing every card and hoping that I can find a sneaky way to add a +5 to my score. After all, who really wants to lose to a Yankees fan? Leaves a horrible taste in my mouth just thinking about it. Well, here is the breakdown of packs 1-4

Pack #1

Jim Thome
Kevin Gregg (sporting glasses, but not SUNglasses...drat)
John Lackey (horizontal!) +5
Prince Fielder (many, many extra players) +5
CYMTA-Tony Gwynn...sweet
Legendary Lineage-Ozzie Smith and Jose Reyes (horizontal!) +5
Toppstown Ryan Braun
KC Royals team card
David Dejesus (sunglasses!) +5
Akinori Iwamura (flying bat)! +5


Total for Pack 1 = 25 pts (text in green cuz this pack was MONEY)





Pack #2


Tyler Flowers
Shane Victorino
Ryan Doumit (bonus player!) +5
Edwin Jackson
Chris Pettit
CYMTO - Jim Palmer...nice card
WTWY - Ryan Doumit
Toppstown Youk! No points, but my first sox.
Barry Zito
Tobi Stoner


Total pack #2 points = +5....el stinkarino! (written in brown because...well...it was NOT money).




Pack #3


Ryan Spilborghs
Andre Ethier
Toppstown Vlad Guerrero (leader of the pack) +5
Turkey Red-Mark Teixeira (current player) +5
CYMTO - Evan Longoria..yeah, I have about 8 of these laying around....could be a bipping coming on?
Houston Astros team (horizontal) +5
Luis Durango (sunglasses) +5
Matt LaPorta (sunglasses) +5
Dodgers Franchise History
Elvis Andrus (sunglasses) +5


Total pack #3 = +30...muuuuuch better.

Pack #4

Carlos Gomez
James Shields
Curtis Granderson
NL Wins Leaders (horizontal) +5
NL HR Leaders (horizontal) +5
Million card giveaway featuring Ichiro
Peak Performance Prince Fielder
Toppstown Josh Hamilton
Rickie Weeks
Kevin Hart

Total for pack #4 = 10 pts (MINI stinkarino).

Total pack 1-4 = +70 pts

Product: Early Impressions - Well, after four packs in, I am obviously still undecided as to my overall thoughts on the product. I do have a couple early impressions though. First of all, as a hand-collator, I am very happy to see much larger card numbers on the backs of the cards. I file my cards in boxes, so it can get a little dark in there and last year's numbers were tiny. Big ups to Topps on that.

The photography is pretty hit-and-miss, just like last year, but I think that this year the extra color arching and huge team logos really make the vertical cards seem a bit squished. The landscapes seem to work much better with this design. (By the way, the number 1 card in the entire set is Prince Fielder "knocking down the bowling pins" (see above). I thought the choice was an interesting one. Does Prince represent Topps and their new ruling of the license kingdom? Hmm...

Inserts are pretty good so far. I think the CYMTO are a cool touch, especially for newer collectors like myself who have never so much as sniffed older, classic cards. I definitely want all of these. Being a father as well, I appreciate the "when they were young" cards. I am also looking forward to collecting all of the Tales of the Game series, though none have appeared yet. Turkey Red as an insert is sooooo 2009, but they are still nice.

Just one more thought as a wrap-up...what is up with the SMELL of Topps cards? I noticed it first with the Updates and Highlights set in October and the same sour, musty smell seems to have arisen again in this set. If you don't know what I am talking about, go smell you cards right now! GO!

Punxsutawney Mike makes his predictions!

It is a little known, if not completely fabricated fact that the first card that I pull from Topps Flagship each year will represent that year's World Series champion. Yup, it's true (totally false). It is also true (false) that I am the only person that has this incredible ability (also a total fabrication). In fact, I have been correct for the last 15 years straight. I know what you are saying...didn't he just start collecting last year? Yes! But those are just some minor details to this story...pay no attention.

Anyways....where was I? Oh yes, my psychic abilities. Well, last night with the 2010 Topps-O-Cuff Rip off officially on, I had the pleasure of ripping my first two packs of the hobby box. How do I show so much restraint you may ask. Simple. NO MONEY! Yup, just got a call from the brake center, $400 bucks are on the way out my door to fix the brakes on my car. Yay team.

Alright, so of these two packs, I carefully selected through my psychic powers of bull$h**, the power of YOUR 2010 World Series Champions! The pack selected depicted the Babe on the front...but sorry NYY fans, it is not your year. Nor is it the Red Sox year either. Are you ready for the next evolution?



Are you sure?


Well, this is totally redonk, but your 2010 World Series Champions are....

The Dodgers of Los Angeles! Take it easy there Minnesota fans, I am aware that Thome actually is now headed back to the frigid midwest, but I never said it was the player on the card, but actually the TEAM on the card. How do I know this? Because I have been right for the last 15 years! (I have not). So congratulations to the LA Dodgers, and everybody should flood to Vegas now based on this sound advice.

BUT, we are not done yet. No Sirs and Madams, not by a longshot. I also have the incredible ability to predict the ROY (I do not), and this will not doubt be an invaluable tool to you in deciding who's rookie cards to stash this year and who's to line the birdcage with (I don't have a bird). It goes like this...the first Rookie card that I pull becomes the rookie of the year...it is totally disputable scientific fiction! Well, this year, unlike the previous 14, it took me two packs to find the first rookie, though I looked twice through the first pack because of that damn tiny little RC symbol. But pack two revealed YOUR 2010 Rookie of the Year....


Seriously?



(no, not really)


TYLER FLOWERS! Congratulations Mr....Flowers, you beat out some other dude named Stoner (go Mets) by ONE card. Here is the scoop on Flowers...Tyler was traded by Atlanta from their minor league system to Chicago in 2009. He was on a decent tear in AA, held steady for awhile in AAA before getting called up to the show and getting torn a new one. Actually he only has 10 games experience and only 16 at bats in those games, so I'll cut the guy some slack....besides, it is a mooooooooooooooo point anyways, because my scientific method reveals that Flowers is force to be reckoned with this season...sorry Stoner.

What about those pack rips, you may ask (probably not). Well, two more will be ripped this evening and all early results will be posted tomorrow, 12pm pacific. Join me, won't we?

Smackdown is imminent!

Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today. Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - it's GROUNDHOG DAY! Ned Ryerson? BING!

Today, alas, Punxsutawney Phil came out of his little burrow thingy in Gobblers Knob and saw his shadow, thus solidifying six more weeks of winter and any possibility that Night Owl will be going to any card shows or purchasing any Topps 2010 any time soon. I actually feel bad for those regions that have gotten the winter blast this year. Up here in P-Town we have actually had reasonably mild and wet weather, minus the surprise storm that created a massive city-wide shutdown in December.

I don't get the whole groundhog thing anyways. So if the weather is sunny and clear, the damn marmot says six more weeks of winter (which mathematically STILL assures of an early spring), but if it is rainy or cloudy, spring hath sprung. Whatever. And Johnny Damon is worth a multi-million dollar contract.

While you may spend your day reading various prognostication lore, today also represents another monumental occasion...Joe is actually receiving his 2010 Topps today. Yup, his wholesaler finally decided to feed the mouse on the wheel his cheese, and get that conveyor belt running to roll out those packages! This all means that Topps-O-Cuffs 2010, the Rip Off is officially ON.

Showing massive restraint, Joe and I will rip two packages a day. The first official scoring will be posted on Thursday for packs 1-4, and the tears will begin to flow and steady as the Southern California rain. All it takes is one MASSIVE pull and this baby is done for! Of course now that I have lipped about Joe's wholesaler, he will probably pull a Ruth Cut-Auto while I pull a Howie Kendrick relic. So goes Karma.

So stay tuned as the curtain officially falls on this must-see event (other than LOST). Have a happy Groundhog Day, All of this moisture coming up out of the Gulf is gonna push off to the east and hit Altoona.

Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today. Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - it's GROUNDHOG DAY! Ned Ryerson? BING!

Today, alas, Punxsutawney Phil came out of his little burrow thingy in Gobblers Knob and saw his shadow, thus solidifying six more weeks of winter and any possibility that Night Owl will be going to any card shows or purchasing any Topps 2010 any time soon. I actually feel bad for those regions that have gotten the winter blast this year. Up here in P-Town we have actually had reasonably mild and wet weather, minus the surprise storm that created a massive city-wide shutdown in December.

I don't get the whole groundhog thing anyways. So if the weather is sunny and clear, the damn marmot says six more weeks of winter (which mathematically STILL assures of an early spring), but if it is rainy or cloudy, spring hath sprung. Whatever. And Johnny Damon is worth a multi-million dollar contract.

While you may spend your day reading various prognostication lore, today also represents another monumental occasion...Joe is actually receiving his 2010 Topps today. Yup, his wholesaler finally decided to feed the mouse on the wheel his cheese, and get that conveyor belt running to roll out those packages! This all means that Topps-O-Cuffs 2010, the Rip Off is officially ON.

Showing massive restraint, Joe and I will rip two packages a day. The first official scoring will be posted on Thursday for packs 1-4, and the tears will begin to flow and steady as the Southern California rain. All it takes is one MASSIVE pull and this baby is done for! Of course now that I have lipped about Joe's wholesaler, he will probably pull a Ruth Cut-Auto while I pull a Howie Kendrick relic. So goes Karma.

So stay tuned as the curtain officially falls on this must-see event (other than LOST). Have a happy Groundhog Day, All of this moisture coming up out of the Gulf is gonna push off to the east and hit Altoona.

Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today. Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - it's GROUNDHOG DAY! Ned Ryerson? BING!

Today, alas, Punxsutawney Phil came out of his little burrow thingy in Gobblers Knob and saw his shadow, thus solidifying six more weeks of winter and any possibility that Night Owl will be going to any card shows or purchasing any Topps 2010 any time soon. I actually feel bad for those regions that have gotten the winter blast this year. Up here in P-Town we have actually had reasonably mild and wet weather, minus the surprise storm that created a massive city-wide shutdown in December.

I don't get the whole groundhog thing anyways. So if the weather is sunny and clear, the damn marmot says six more weeks of winter (which mathematically STILL assures of an early spring), but if it is rainy or cloudy, spring hath sprung. Whatever. And Johnny Damon is worth a multi-million dollar contract.

While you may spend your day reading various prognostication lore, today also represents another monumental occasion...Joe is actually receiving his 2010 Topps today. Yup, his wholesaler finally decided to feed the mouse on the wheel his cheese, and get that conveyor belt running to roll out those packages! This all means that Topps-O-Cuffs 2010, the Rip Off is officially ON.

Showing massive restraint, Joe and I will rip two packages a day. The first official scoring will be posted on Thursday for packs 1-4, and the tears will begin to flow and steady as the Southern California rain. All it takes is one MASSIVE pull and this baby is done for! Of course now that I have lipped about Joe's wholesaler, he will probably pull a Ruth Cut-Auto while I pull a Howie Kendrick relic. So goes Karma.

So stay tuned as the curtain officially falls on this must-see event (other than LOST). Have a happy Groundhog Day, All of this moisture coming up out of the Gulf is gonna push off to the east and hit Altoona.

Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today. Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - it's GROUNDHOG DAY! Ned Ryerson? BING!

Today, alas, Punxsutawney Phil came out of his little burrow thingy in Gobblers Knob and saw his shadow, thus solidifying six more weeks of winter and any possibility that Night Owl will be going to any card shows or purchasing any Topps 2010 any time soon. I actually feel bad for those regions that have gotten the winter blast this year. Up here in P-Town we have actually had reasonably mild and wet weather, minus the surprise storm that created a massive city-wide shutdown in December.

I don't get the whole groundhog thing anyways. So if the weather is sunny and clear, the damn marmot says six more weeks of winter (which mathematically STILL assures of an early spring), but if it is rainy or cloudy, spring hath sprung. Whatever. And Johnny Damon is worth a multi-million dollar contract.

While you may spend your day reading various prognostication lore, today also represents another monumental occasion...Joe is actually receiving his 2010 Topps today. Yup, his wholesaler finally decided to feed the mouse on the wheel his cheese, and get that conveyor belt running to roll out those packages! This all means that Topps-O-Cuffs 2010, the Rip Off is officially ON.

Showing massive restraint, Joe and I will rip two packages a day. The first official scoring will be posted on Thursday for packs 1-4, and the tears will begin to flow and steady as the Southern California rain. All it takes is one MASSIVE pull and this baby is done for! Of course now that I have lipped about Joe's wholesaler, he will probably pull a Ruth Cut-Auto while I pull a Howie Kendrick relic. So goes Karma.

So stay tuned as the curtain officially falls on this must-see event (other than LOST). Have a happy Groundhog Day, All of this moisture coming up out of the Gulf is gonna push off to the east and hit Altoona.

Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today. Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - it's GROUNDHOG DAY! Ned Ryerson? BING!

Today, alas, Punxsutawney Phil came out of his little burrow thingy in Gobblers Knob and saw his shadow, thus solidifying six more weeks of winter and any possibility that Night Owl will be going to any card shows or purchasing any Topps 2010 any time soon. I actually feel bad for those regions that have gotten the winter blast this year. Up here in P-Town we have actually had reasonably mild and wet weather, minus the surprise storm that created a massive city-wide shutdown in December.

I don't get the whole groundhog thing anyways. So if the weather is sunny and clear, the damn marmot says six more weeks of winter (which mathematically STILL assures of an early spring), but if it is rainy or cloudy, spring hath sprung. Whatever. And Johnny Damon is worth a multi-million dollar contract.

While you may spend your day reading various prognostication lore, today also represents another monumental occasion...Joe is actually receiving his 2010 Topps today. Yup, his wholesaler finally decided to feed the mouse on the wheel his cheese, and get that conveyor belt running to roll out those packages! This all means that Topps-O-Cuffs 2010, the Rip Off is officially ON.

Showing massive restraint, Joe and I will rip two packages a day. The first official scoring will be posted on Thursday for packs 1-4, and the tears will begin to flow and steady as the Southern California rain. All it takes is one MASSIVE pull and this baby is done for! Of course now that I have lipped about Joe's wholesaler, he will probably pull a Ruth Cut-Auto while I pull a Howie Kendrick relic. So goes Karma.

So stay tuned as the curtain officially falls on this must-see event (other than LOST). Have a happy Groundhog Day, All of this moisture coming up out of the Gulf is gonna push off to the east and hit Altoona.

Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today. Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - Thats right, woodchuck-chuckers - it's GROUNDHOG DAY! Ned Ryerson? BING!

Today, alas, Punxsutawney Phil came out of his little burrow thingy in Gobblers Knob and saw his shadow, thus solidifying six more weeks of winter and any possibility that Night Owl will be going to any card shows or purchasing any Topps 2010 any time soon. I actually feel bad for those regions that have gotten the winter blast this year. Up here in P-Town we have actually had reasonably mild and wet weather, minus the surprise storm that created a massive city-wide shutdown in December.

I don't get the whole groundhog thing anyways. So if the weather is sunny and clear, the damn marmot says six more weeks of winter (which mathematically STILL assures of an early spring), but if it is rainy or cloudy, spring hath sprung. Whatever. And Johnny Damon is worth a multi-million dollar contract.

While you may spend your day reading various prognostication lore, today also represents another monumental occasion...Joe is actually receiving his 2010 Topps today. Yup, his wholesaler finally decided to feed the mouse on the wheel his cheese, and get that conveyor belt running to roll out those packages! This all means that Topps-O-Cuffs 2010, the Rip Off is officially ON.

Showing massive restraint, Joe and I will rip two packages a day. The first official scoring will be posted on Thursday for packs 1-4, and the tears will begin to flow and steady as the Southern California rain. All it takes is one MASSIVE pull and this baby is done for! Of course now that I have lipped about Joe's wholesaler, he will probably pull a Ruth Cut-Auto while I pull a Howie Kendrick relic. So goes Karma.

So stay tuned as the curtain officially falls on this must-see event (other than LOST). Have a happy Groundhog Day, All of this moisture coming up out of the Gulf is gonna push off to the east and hit Altoona.

Best/Worst Cameo Ever

Time for my weekly "Boycott-Accidentally-On-Purpose-To-Create-A-Meaningless-Blog-Before-Two-And-A-Half-Men" blog. Here is a few extra dashes, just in case ----thank you.

I was very happy with the take on the "perfect game". My joy factor increased with each segment. Poo jokes, joy. Tip of the cap (did I need dashes there?) to "Major League", joy. The universal toothbrush, joy. Jim Nantz, joy (although I have to say, has Jim had some surgery lately, or am I just used to seeing him with ski parkas and earmuffs?) Joy nevertheless.

The with ten minutes to go in the perfect episode...TRAGEDY. Into the bar swaggers this man...

RUN, RUN for your lives! Its Nick Swisher with a crazy-ass fo-hawk (more dashes). World Series champ he is, actor he IS NOT! Actually, Swisher is a pretty good guy, likeable, and does a lot for charity, so big-ups (dash) to Swisher....just do us all a favor and keep it on the field, please!

Kickin it with Pujols

Friday evening I received my glorious package from Atlanta Sports Cards. Yup, they get linked because they are awesome for getting me my cards much quicker than those other guys. The problem is...because of the great Topps-O-Cuffs Rip Off, I am unable to open any cards until that other guy gets his cards, most likely Tuesday. I found ways to pass the time over the weekend. You saw my unique box bust and screwing around with mini cards, but I also decided to spend a little time with Albert Pujols, the cover model for series 1. Here are some of the fun times we shared...

CEO and President Jacoby inspecting the package for explosives...hits that is....

Here is JD proudly displaying the contents of the package. Jacoby also selected this box, so it will be my competition selection for the Rip Off.

Pujols and I also spent some quality time...

...playing hide and seek. Oh Albert...

...playing a little bit of Call of Duty...

and of course a little snorkeling adventure.

Well, all things going as planned, the Rip Off should start tomorrow evening with the first results postings scheduled for Thursday. Have a great week!

Sunday Fun With Mini's!