2010 Topps Triple Thread Temptation!

Ack! The temptation begins! I have this ridiculous tendency to covet high-end product. My first swaree into high-end was with 2008 Sweet Spot, which eventually eventually my gateway drug into Ballpark, 2009 Sweet Spot, Topps Tribute, and Topps....somethingerather from this year where you got two packs and a couple rookie patches. Must have been really memorable stuff.

I got burned in the past with 2009 Triple Threads. I wanted to treat myself to something nice for my burfday, and the shop owner gave me a prince of a deal on his way inflated price. Translation: I probably still overpaid by about 20 bucks on a box. No words can really describe the euphoria of being on a roller coaster, nor describe the incredible disappointment when you don't hit a white whale, or other 1:1, or a patch booklet of multiple materials made into some insane phrase. While initially in the gutter about my hits, I have made some amount peace with the packs. If you would like to take a gander, the posts are located here and here.

I am 98% sure that I won't ever take a stab at 2010 Triple Threads. My love of minis has caused a nice little distraction from all products not containing minis. Never say never though, and with some of these cards, can you blame me?

J Hey! I still believe that his Ginter auto is one of the nicest cards OF THE YEAR.

Jersey patches....(drooooooool)

A couple of happy-go-lucky Giants.

1/3 patch PLUS jersey PLUS bat? Droooooool.....

Forget an auto, a bat-knob book would just be sick! These hits are ridonkulous!

Oh hey....it's......Chris Getz.......it has...um, and on-card auto and some jersey....its sorta nice.....nah, i'm over it!

Congratulations, Ichiro

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to Ichiro who stepped up to the plate and bashed his 200th hit of the season, which breaks....his own.....record of 9 consecutive seasons of 200+ hits, and now extending that record to 10 straight seasons! Way to go, tickle-me-Ichiro!

You just never know who is reading...

Way back when Chicle first came out, I decided to get get a little cheeky with some of the artists of the set with my review of 201o Topps Chicle

I was having little fun with some of the artistic tendencies of the various artists and dubbed the work of Dave Hobrecht "The Closer" because I felt that his cards were pretty spot on amazing and possibly the best of the offerings in Chicle.

Not even a couple hours after that post I get an email...from Dave Hobrecht! What? Yep, Dave was checking out blogs and wanted to deliver a kind word in return for my kind words about his Chicle work. Wow! Maybe Dave Matthews and Quentin Tarantino will write next?

Anyways, Mr. Hobrecht was very kind to offer his autograph on any cards that I wanted to send his way. I happily took him up on this offer and sent several cards including my box loader from my single box o' Topps 2010 Chicle.

Here is the returned product of Dave's post signature. Unfortunately somewhere in the fold, either Jacoby or I got a tiny grease stain on the card. Dangit! Oh well, still is a great card and a great auto. I also sent out some cards for signature that might please my 2010 World Cup winners . Grand Cards, the Grand Prize winner should have his package any moment now, and I have Night Owl's ready to go. Darkship, I need your mailing info!

Thanks to Dave for taking the time to sign a few cards!

Check out my virtually amazing pulls!

This week my attention was drawn to a new Topps release called Bowman Platinum. I like to think of this as yet another pointless product to cash in on a bumper crop of rookies using the same images, and adding a sprinkling of autographs and relics that chances are overwhelmingly against you ever seeing in your collection.

Platinum. Platinum? Really? We are out here talking about Bowman Platinum even before the highly-touted and no-doubt overpriced Bowman Chrome takes the stage? And unless Topps has been scurrying around in Tallahassee or Tuscaledo, or Cuca Ranchera clicking additional photos of baseball prospects, my guess is that you are going to once-again be getting the same images that you have already gotten out of regular Bowman...when you threw down $200 a box to get those images.

Oh well, at least the price point is reasonable. A mere $120 bucks will get you a couple autos, and some dinged up "Platinum" cards with roller marks all over them.

Stay tuned in November for Bowman Platinum! Then wait until December when Bowman Titanium comes out quickly followed by Bowman Mercury, sent tentatively to release in January, pending EPA approval.

Nah, not for this hombre. I am still content with my half chewed-up box of Bowman from this Spring (granted I jumped before the price jump), and am not falling for this trick twice. Or thrice.

So instead I have decided to vitually collect a couple of the outstanding hits that Topps includes on product sheets that you are guaranteed to never pull*, and never be able to afford once it hits Ebay**. Well I got em right here, and they are beautiful!

Steven Strasberg/Jason Heyward Dual relic auto. Enjoy it here, because you probably have a better chance of winning Powerball, and getting struck by lightening while standing in line to claim your prize.

Sweet, this is my first virtual book pull ever! I think it's a beauty. I will virtually trade it to anybody for free if you want to add it to your virtual collection as well. Has anybody even seen one of these IRL? My guess is that you are looking at the only one....and I virtually own it. Are you jealous?

Have a great virtual day! See you back here for my review of Bowman Cobalt!

Just what are they eating in Chicago, anyways?

This one has been sitting in the can for a few days, but is certainly well worth mentioning, however late it be. All I can say about those tough guys in Chi Town is WOW! Rewind a little back to season's opening day... Mark Buerhle gave us the play of the year on opening day! (Editors note: I searched high and low for the video, but it is now official property of MLB, which has the slowest web site on the planet...so if you are one of the three people who have NOT seen the play, I urge you to hunt it down and watch it a hundred times). For everybody else, we all know this as the play that spawned "The Buehrle Meter" that has become a staple on ESPN. It was that good. Foreshadowing that he flipped that ball to Konerko?

So now last week, when things didn't look like they could be any Buehrlier, in the first innings of a matchup with Carl Pavano and the Minnesota Twins, takes one to THE FACE, stays in the game, takes his base, and then in his very next at bat, stroll up to home plate, puffy lip leading the way, and proceeds to knock THE VERY NEXT PITCH right out of the park! Now THAT is Buehrle. Hat's off to the man for adding another reason to why baseball is great fun...now go get some ice for that lip, kid.

whoops, I scanned his card twice....oh well, he deserves it.

What's eating Cronos, anyways?

Or more specifically, "What's Cronos eating?" Why, children, of course!


Move over Mike Tyson and your desire to eat Evander Holyfield's children, cuz Cronos has you beat...he eats his own children!


Yep, that's right, according to our historian friends at Ginter, Cronos was "The leader of the titans, reigned during the golden age" and "To protect his throne, he ate his childer as they were born".


Agg, no wonder he looks sick to his stomach on this card! Luckily for humanity, his wife Rhea (who no doubt was getting a little tired of Cronos eating all of her children "Oh come on Cronos, not this AGAIN! Really??), found a way to hide "some" children from him, and eventually led to his demise as one of these children (Zeus of all people) did him in. crazy.


Can you imagine how this would go down?



Cronos: "Honey, isn't your baby due soon?"


Rhea: "Umm, false alarm, I am not pregnant"


Cronos: " What? But you have had a belly for months!"

Rhea: "Oh....well that was just a couple of pillows, haha, April Fools!"

Cronos: "Hey, haven't you used that joke on me before? It sounds vaguely familar."

Rhea: "Huh? Oh, I don't know. Here, have a beer. Hey, what do you think of the name Zeus anyways?"

So how exactly did Rhea hide Zeus from Cronos, you might ask? WELL, it would seem that when it came time for some baby eating, Rhea served up Cronos a nice, fatty ol rock instead! Fooled you Cronos.

Did I mention that Cronos became Leader of the Titans by castrating his father, Uranus? Another story for another day.