Sunday 23 May 2010

2010 Upper Deck baseball series 1

The final 2 Jumbo packs of 2010 unauthorised Upper Deck.

Still need these cards from the Red Sox base set:

8 Dustin Richardson RC
91 Dustin Pedroia
92 David Ortiz
93 J.D. Drew
94 Jeff Bailey
95 Kevin Youkilis
97 Jed Lowrie
98 Mike Lowell
99 George Kottaras
100 Takashi Saito
101 Hideki Okajima
102 Jason Varitek
103 Jon Lester
104 Josh Beckett
105 Daniel Bard
106 Jonathan Papelbon
544 Fenway
574 Checklist

The two jumbo packs contained;

Jumbo Pack 3:
#1 Rookie checklist
#9 Tyler Flowers Chicago
#14 Esmit Rogers Colorado
#23 Chris Johnson Houston
#63 Martin Prado Atlanta
#72 Ryan Church Atlanta
#108 Kevin Gregg Chicago
#129 Alexei Ramirez Chicago
#131 Josh Fields Chicago
#134 Mark Buehrle Chicago
#167 Kerry Wood Cleveland
#172 Jhonny Peralta Cleveland
#174 Luis Valbuena Cleveland
#176 Ryan Spilborghs Colorado
#181 Ian Stewart Colorado
#219 Kiko Calero Florida
#240 Jose Guillen Kansas City

#267 Jered Weaver Los Angeles
#284 Eric Stults Los Angeles
#324 Jeremy Reed New York
#331 John Maine New York
#393 Ramon Vazquez Pittsburgh
#399 Charlie Morton Pittsburgh
#441 Jeremy Affeldt San Francisco
#443 Ian Snell Seattle
#446 Matt Tutasosopo Seattle
#452 Brandon Morrow Seattle
#479 Gabe Gross Tampa Bay
#484 Dioner Navarro Tampa Bay
#485 Dan Wheeler Tampa Bay
#486 Andy Sonnanstine Tampa Bay
#531 Wil Nieves Washington
#576 Chicago checklist
#585 Los Angeles checklist
#SB49 Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles
#TMS7 Miguel Montero Arizona
#TMS22 Michael Cuddyer Minnesota

Jumbo pack 4:
#18 Ernesto Frieri San Diego RC
#27 Dusty Hughes Kansas City RC
#53 Leo Rosales Arizona
#63 Adam LaRoche Atlanta
#64 Omar Infante Atlanta
#73 Nate McLouth Atlanta
#90 Rich Hill Baltimore
#140 D.J.Carrasco Chicago
#142 Justin Lehr Cincinnati
#153 Micah Owings Cincinnati
#185 Chris Iannetta Colorado
#187 Franklin Morales Colorado
#233 Jose Valverde Houston
#241 Davis DeJesus Kansas City
#287 Hong-Chih Kuo Los Angeles
#294 Mat Gamel Milwaukee
#301 Mitch Stetter Milwaukee

#334 Francisco Rodriguez New York
#336 Mike Pelfrey New York
#356 Ryan Sweeney Oakland
#381 Jack Taschner Philadelphia
#383 Brad Lidge Philadelphia
#403 Matt Gapps Pittsburgh
#442 Russell Branyan Seattle
#468 Brad Thompson St.Louis
#489 J.P.Howell Tampa Bay
#494 Nelson Cruz Texas
#534 Austin Kearnes Washington
#551 Miami, Florida
#559 Bronx, New York
#582 Houston checklist
#586 Milwaukee checklist
#SB142 Roy Halladay Toronto
#TMS14 Manny Ramirez Los Angeles
#TMS17 Brandon Inge Detroit

These two jumbo packs didn't advance the Red Sox cause any distance at all. Not a single Red Sox at all, that is just bad form.

Tuesday 18 May 2010

1989 Fleer Baseball

A pack of Junk Wax from Big B. Surprisingly I still need 5 Red Sox cards from this readily available set. They are:
#78 - Marty Barrett
#80 - Mike Boddicker
#95 - Carlos Quintana RC
#98 - Kevin Romine
#650 - Mike Rochford Red Sox and Grady Hall White Sox

What does this pack have in store?
#2 Lance Blanenship Athletics
#84 Rick Cerone Red Sox
#155 Norm Charlton Reds
#228 John Cerutti Blue Jays
#253 Richard Dotson Yankees
#286 Charlie Leibrandt Royals
#304 Mark Grant Padres
#326 Kelly Downs Giants
#350 Alan Ashby Astros
#388 Johnny Paredes Expos
#457 Willie McGee Cardinals
#480 Jack Howell Angels
#504 Jack McDowell White Sox
#545 Henry Cotto Mariners
#565 Bob Dernier Phillies
Braves sticker
No luck. What were they thinking with the pin strips?

Monday 17 May 2010

2010 Upper Deck Series 1 baseball

The first two Jumbo (in the true sense of the word) packs of the unauthorised Upper Deck.

There are 600 cards in the base set. This includes Rookies (#1-40), Veterans (#41 to 540), Ballparks (#541 to 570) and Checklists (#571 to 600). Upper Deck keep those with ordering difficulties happy by arranging the team sets in sequential and alphabetical order.

Also, interestingly there is an parallel version called 'Double Take'. 25 cards from the base set are altered in a unique way. The set is broken down into four levels: Common, Rare, Super Rare, and Ultra Rare. I remember hearing of a competition to reward the first people to gain the complete variation set to receive a prize.

Anyone seen a 'double take'? That excludes those to appear on e-bay. These supermarket packs have an exclusive called 'Tape Measure Shots'.

The base set Red Sox include:

8 Dustin Richardson RC
91 Dustin Pedroia
92 David Ortiz
93 J.D. Drew
94 Jeff Bailey
95 Kevin Youkilis
96 Clay Buchholz
97 Jed Lowrie
98 Mike Lowell
99 George Kottaras
100 Takashi Saito
101 Hideki Okajima
102 Jason Varitek
103 Jon Lester
104 Josh Beckett
105 Daniel Bard
106 Jonathan Papelbon
107 Nick Green
544 Fenway
574 Checklist

With odds of 1 in 96 (hobby) and 1 in 960 (retail). Any chances there be any variations in these Jumbo's? No didn't think so.
Jumbo PACK 1:
#10 Drew Stubbs Cincinnati RC
#19 Tyler Calvin Chicago RC
#47 Max Scherzer Arizona
#75 Luke Scott Baltimore
#85 Jim Johnson Baltimore
#107 Nick Green Boston
#143 Wladimir Balentien Cincinnati
#155 Francisco Cordero Cincinnati
#191 Jason Hammel Colorado
#200 Gerald Laird Detroit
#221 Andrew Miller Florida
#224 Hunter Pence Houston
#227 Kazuo Matsui Houston
#231 J.R.Towles Houston
#258 Kevin Jepsen Los Angeles
#265 Mike Napoli Los Angeles
#270 Brian Fuentes Los Angeles
#311 Jason Kubel Minnesota
#313 Brian Buscher Minnesota
#316 Joe Nathan Minnesota
#357 Jack Cust Oakland
#359 Andrew Bailey Oakland
#360 Aaron Cunningham Oakland
#370 Craig Breslow Oakland
#375 Raul Ibanez Philadelphia
#402 Lasting Milledge Pittsburgh
#422 Joe Thatcher San Diego
#499 Taylor Teagarden Texas
#529 Ryan Zimmerman Washington
#532 Ron Villane Washington
#556 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
#568 Arlington, Texas
#596 Seattle checklist
#SB102 Albert Pujols biography
#TMS4 Adam Dunn Washington
#TMS9 Nelson Cruz Texas


Jumbo PACK 2:
#28 Buster Posey San Francisco RC
#36 Pedro Viola Cincinnati RC
#76 Noaln Reimold Baltimore
#96 Clay Buchholz Boston
#114 Aaron Miles Chicago
#138 Bobby Jenks Chicago
#148 Brandon Phillips Cincinnati
#161 Matt LaPorta Cleveland
#202 Curtis Granderson Detroit
#237 Bud Norris Houston
#245 John Buck Kansas City
#247 Zack Greinke Kansas City
#278 Casey Blake Los Angeles
#289 Corey Hart Milwaukee
#290 Jody Gerut Milwaukee
#292 Mike Cameron Milwaukee

#320 Scott Baker Minnesota
#338 Pat Misch New York
#364 Kurt Suzuki Oakland
#415 Luis Perdomo San Diego
#420 Kevin Correia San Diego
#444 Franklin Gutierrez Seattle
#450 Carlos Silva Seattle
#456 Mark Lowe Seattle
#466 Yadier Molina St.Louis
#508 Frank Francisco Texas
#514 Ricky Romero Toronto
#536 Shairon Martis Washington
#538 Garrett Mock Washington
#560 Oakland, California
#569 Toronto, Ontario
#578 Cleveland checklist
#587 Minnesota checklist
#SB17 Randy Johnson biography
#TMS8 Seth Smith Colorado
#TMS Lance Berkman Houston Only 2 Red Sox from 72 cards! I'm obviously not trying hard enough.

Saturday 15 May 2010

2010 Topps Heritage Jumbo baseball Deux

The next five Jumbo packs of Topps Heritage that arrived due to a forced encampment outside a Walmart somewhere in Florida. There are 14 cards per pack, so not really a 'Jumbo' in the Upper Deck sense of the word. 36 cards! Now that's Jumbo.

Still need:
81 Dustin Richardson RC
99 Jed Lowrie
173 Boston Speed Party - Dustin Pedroia & Jacoby Ellsbury
221 Terry Francona
261 David Ortiz
302 Adrian Beltre
316 Kevin Youkilis
376 Marco Scutaco
386 Tim Wakefield
421 Dustin Pedroia
457 J.D. Drew SP
476 Dustin Pedroia - 2005 AL MVP SP
491 Jason Bay AS SP

Jumbo pack 5:
#11 Adam Wainwright Cardinals
#54 Daniel McCutchen Pirates
#120 Chipper Jones Braves
#179 Chase Utley Phillies
#278 Luis Durango Padres
#315 Brandon Webb D-backs
#356 Dan Haren D-backs
#359 Jose Lopez Mariners
#360 Vladimir Guerrero Rangers
#375 Ricky Nolasco Marlins
#380 Jeff Francoeur Mets
#391 Melvin Mora Orioles
#419 Michael Saunders Mariners
#BT1 Roger Maris Yankees

Jumbo Pack 6:
#4 Delmon Young Twins
#17 Checklist 1st series
#20 Cole Hamels Phillies
#39 Matt Carson Athletics
#40 A.J.Burnett Yankees
#86 Los Angeles Dodgers
#99 Jed Lowrie Red Sox
#112 Adam Everett Tigers
#156 Drew Stubbs Reds
#212 Omir Santos Mets
#309 Game 4 2009 World Series
#318 Aubrey Huff Giants
#335 Carlos Gonzalez Rockies
#NT7 Apollo Program Announced

Jumbo Pack 7:
#9 Aaron Harang Reds
#24 Andrew Bailey Athletics
#103 Jimmy Rollins Phillies
#107 Rich Harden Rangers
#178 Matt Holliday Cardinals
#183 Felipe Lopez Brewers
#187 Nyjer Morgan Nationals
#244 Ichiro Mariners
#258 Derek Holland Rangers
#262 Andrew McCutchen Pirates
#305 Brad Bergesen Orioles
#361 Checklist 5th series
#483 Mario Rivera Yankees MVP
#NAP Ryan Howard Phillies

Jumbo Pack 8:
#10 Brian Roberts Orioles
#44 AL League leaders
#52 Ronny Cedeno Pirates
#62 Nick Markakis Orioles
#87 Juan Uribe Giants
#143 David DeJesus Royals
#144 Jon Niese Mets
#166 Ramon Hernandez Reds
#188 Adrian Gonzalez Padres
#224 Bob Green Athletics
#261 David Ortiz Red Sox
#270 Vin Mazzaro Athletics
#304 Alex Gordon Royals
#420 Justin Maorneau Twins

Jumbo Pack 9:
#15 Grady Sizemore Indians
#16 Clay Buchholz Red Sox
#93 Raul Ibanez Phillies
#118 Yadier Molina Cardinals
#174 Craig Stammen Nationals
#177 Trevor Cahill Athletics
#243 Adam Lind Blue Jays
#271 Gary Sheffield Mets
#349 Jose Guillen Royals
#374 Brad Hawpe Rockies
#378 Francisco Liriano Twins
#379 Randy Wells Cubs
#424 Chien-Ming Wang Yankees
#494 Yadier Molina Cardinals SP
3 Red Sox from 5 Jumbo packs, 2 that I needed, which isn't too bad. Always nice to pull a Big Papi from a pack. Have all the Red Sox photos been taken in front of the green monster or in a studio made to look like it was at Fenway? Perhaps they were after a green screen effect and failed to insert the background of players choice. Big Papi in front of pyramids, a beach in Hawaii, a tranquil forest perhaps.

Wednesday 12 May 2010

2010 Topps Attax baseball part 2

The second lot of packs I was recently gifted. Hopefully I will fair better in the search for Red Sox.
Pack 1:
Eric Byrnes D-backs
Jhonny Peralta Indians
Victor Martinez Red Sox
Felipe Lopez Brewers
Tim Lincecum Giants
Jacoby Ellsbury Red Sox
Derek Jeter Yankees code card
CC Sabathia Yankees superstar
Pack 2:
Johan Santana Mets
Jonathan Broxton Dodgers
Adrian Gonzalez Padres
Cristian Guzman Nationals
Adam Kennedy Athletics
B.J.Upton Bay Rays
Pablo Sandoval Giants code card
Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies Hot StreakPack 3:
Jason Bay Mets
Howie Kendrick Angels
Kevin Kouzmanoff Padres
Nolan Reimold Orioles
David Wright Mets
Erik Bedard Mariners
CC Sabathia Yankees code card
Nolan Reimold Orioles hot streak
Pack 4:
Carl Crawford Bay Rays
Josh Willingham Nationals
Ian Kinsler Rangers
Zack Greinke Royals
Ryan Dempster Cubs
Yadier Molina Cardinals
Hanley Ramirez Marlins code card
Derek Jeter Yankees superstar
Pack 5:
Joe Mauer Twins
Freddy Sanchez Giants
Jake Peavy White Sox
Tommy Hanson Braves
Clint Barmes Rockies
Gerardo Parra D-backs
Curtis Granderson Yankees code card
Kendry Morales Angels hot streak

Not such great odds - 3 Red Sox from 10 packs. However looking on the bright side I pulled the two Jacoby Ellsbury cards I need from this set. That in itself is close to a miracle.
If your still reading Night Owl - I am really sorry the Dodgers are just not falling for me at the moment.

Saturday 8 May 2010

2010 Topps Attax Baseball Part 1

The first five packs from my 'Volcano gifting.' A product aimed at the modern child who likes fantasy gaming. Hmmm.
These have been one of the most popular sets Topps has created.
There are 220 base cards, 30 code cards, 31 gold 'superstars', 60 silver 'hot streak' and 10 sepia 'legends'
There are 21 cards in the starter set and 8 cards per pack: a foil card and code card in every pack.

The Red Sox available are:
Base
Victor Martinez
David Ortiz
Kevin Youkilis
J.D. Drew
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jason Bay
Dustin Pedroia
Jon Lester
Jonathan Papelbon
Josh Beckett
Mike Lowell
Code cards
Jon Lester
Jacoby Ellsbury
Gold Cards -Superstars
Jon Lester
Jacoby Ellsbury
Silver Foil-Hot streak
Josh Beckett
David Ortiz
Jason Bay
Dustin Pedroia
Victor Martinez

The first five 'Volcano' packs:
Pack 1:
Luis Castillo Mets
Adam Jones Orioles
Justin Upton D-backs
David Price Bay Rays
Erik Bedard Mariners
Carlos Quentin White Sox
Pablo Sandoval Giants code card
Roy Halladay Philles Hot Streak

Pack 2:
Billy Butler Royals
Randy Winn Giants
Derek Jeter Yankees
Adam LaRouche Braves
Alexei Ramirez White Sox
Felix Hernanadez Mariners
CC Sabathia Yankees
code card
Alex Rodriguez Yankees Superstar Pack 3:
Carlos Lee Astros
Roy Oswalt Astros
Chris Young D-backs
Lance Berkman Astros
Mariano Rivera Yankees
Gordon Beckham White Sox
Ichiro Mariners code card
Scott Feldman Rangers Hot Streak

Pack 4:
Heath Bell Padres
Geovany Soto Cubs
Miguel Tejada Astros
Albert Pujols Cardinals
Chone Figgins Mariners
Skip Schumaker Cardinals
Derek Jeter Yankees code card
Grady Sizemore Indians Superstar

Pack 5:
Jose Reyes Mets
Aaron Hill Blue Jays
Eric Byrnes D-backs
Jhonny Peralta Indians
Justin Masterson Indians
Dioner Navarro Bay Rays
Lance Berkman Astros code card
Jacoby Ellsbury Red Sox Superstar

Not much in the way of Red Sox from these five packs and I thought I would go 'sox-less' until the final pack. The Red Sox was none other than Jacoby Ellsbury and he was a SUPERSTAR.

Monday 3 May 2010

2010 Topps Heritage baseball Uno

The first 4 jumbo packs of 2010 Heritage from the recently gifted haul. There are quite a numbers of bloggers attempting to collect the base set, which shows how popular this Topps brand is. My Welsh friend Tony is also collecting this set, including the inserts, hopefully there are a few to help him complete the goal.

I am also a Heritage fan. Topps do a great job of replicating the look and feel of the original sets and this year is no exception. The original '61 set is a beauty.

However much I like it, I will still only be collecting the Red Sox cards of which there are 24. Which is a fair few cards compared to other teams, only topped by the Phillies with 27 and the Yankees with a staggering 41!

Tony was kind enough to send his spare Red Sox which leaves only these 14 left to collect;

81 Dustin Richardson RC
99 Jed Lowrie
173 Boston Speed Party - Dustin Pedroia & Jacoby Ellsbury
221 Terry Francona
261 David Ortiz
302 Adrian Beltre
316 Kevin Youkilis
371 Victor Martinez
376 Marco Scutaco
386 Tim Wakefield
421 Dustin Pedroia
457 J.D. Drew SP
476 Dustin Pedroia - 2005 AL MVP SP
491 Jason Bay AS SP

The jumbo packs contain 14 cards and a stick of revolting tasting gum of epic proportions (possibly from '61 as well).

Jumbo 1:
#17 Checklist 1st series
#58 Ryan Dempster Cubs
#77 J.A.Happ Phillies
#86 Los Angeles Dodgers
#105 Tim Hudson Braves
#139 Tony La Russa Cardinals
#185 John Danks White Sox
#257 Carlos Quentin White Sox
#260 Manny Ramirez Dodgers
#292 Jhoulyns Chacin Rockies
#309 Game 4 2009 World Series
#325 Brett Gardner Yankees
#346 Akinori Iwamura Pirates
#500 Francisco Rodriguez Mets SP

Jumbo 2:
#7 Chicago White Sox
#83 Rick Porcello Tigers
#118 Yadier Molina Cardinals
#128 Jacoby Ellsbury Red Sox
#177 Trevor Cahill Athletics
#201 Josh Beckett - Johan Santana
#243 Adam Lind Blue Jays
#272 Roy Oswalt Astros
#308 Game 3 2009 World Series
#327 Henry Rodriguez Athletics
#347 St Louis Cardinals
#371 Victor Martinez Red Sox
#382 Hunter Pence Astros
#445 Chris Volstad Marlins SP

Jumbo 3:
#35 Gordon Beckham White Sox
#36 Glen Perkins Twins
#94 Zack Greinke Royals
#98 Checklist 2nd series
#106 Scott Hairston Padres
#148 Chris Getz Royals
#163 Jeff Mathis Angels
#170 Alex Rios White Sox
#208 Jorge Cantu Marlins
#209 Eric Young Jr. Rockies
#225 Mike Scioscia Angels
#293 Felix Hernandez Mariners
#411 Yankees Core Four
#BT9 Al Kaline Tigers
Jumbo 4:
#1 Albert Pujols Cardinals
#4 Delmon Young Twins
#51 Detroit Tigers
#65 Paul Konerko White Sox
#106 Scott Hairston Padres
#112 Adam Everett Tigers
#130 James Loney Dodgers
#145 Jair Jurrjens Braves
#163 Jeff Mathis Angels
#209 Eric Young Jr. Rockies
#283 Cleveland Indians
#312 Hideki Matsui MVP World Series
#335 Carlos Gonzalez Rockies
#NT9 Vostok 1

A pretty poor showing for the Red Sox. Three Red Sox in one jumbo, a Jacoby Ellsbury to boot, which I already had (Sods law).