Cards from Dad: Pack Wars!

There were two packs hidden away in the box of goodies my dad gifted me. They were already opened, but they were new to me and perfect for another edition of Pack Wars.

In one corner we have 1994 Topps Series 2, boasting twelve picture cards. In the opposite corner is 1996 Topps Series 1, which also has twelve cards, which may or may not contain pictures.

Round 1

 1994 Topps comes out swinging with a Cal Ripken subset card. John Wettleland is a Yankee and if this were Gint-a-Cuffs he would represent -2 points. This makes it an easy win for '94 Topps.

I don't know if I'd compare Ripken to Luis Aparicio. I suppose if you ignore the speed and slugging categories most players who lasted 12+ years would look fairly similar. No?

Updated Score:
1994 Topps S2 = 1
1996 Topps S1 = 0

Round 2

 Round 2 allows us a look at the 1994 base design, but it's of a Cardinal. Ack. Tony Castillo? Who? Doesn't matter. Cardinals should be worth -2 points and not the Yankees.

Updated Score:
1994 Topps S2 = 1
1996 Topps S1 = 1

Round 3

 Lloyd McClendon is a former Cub, but I'll go with the horizontal Brad Radke card in this match-up. I feel the Radke card should be centered better or zoomed in, but I still like it enough for the win.

Updated Score:
1994 Topps S2 = 1
1996 Topps S1 = 2

Round 4

 Todd Worrell had some good years as the closer for the Cardinals, so there's a strike against the '94 Topps offering. Dante Bichette, along with Larry Walker, Vinny Castilla and Andres Galarraga made Colorado a fun team to follow when I was growing up. 1996 Topps takes a commanding 3-1 lead!

Updated Score:
1994 Topps S2 = 1
1996 Topps S1 = 3

Round 5

Dante Bichette tries to double up, but he is denied by Jesse Orosco, who is the all-time leader in games pitched. '94 Topps narrows the gap.  Collation issues. #SMH

Updated Score:
1994 Topps S2 = 2
1996 Topps S1 = 3

Round 6

 Ohhhh! An action-packed photo of Steve Buechele, a Cub, versus blogger favorite Tino Martinez. This is quiet the match-up, but I'll side with Tino and give a shout out to The Lost Collector in the process!

Updated Score:
1994 Topps S2 = 2
1996 Topps S1 = 4

Round 7

 A gold parallel of Tom Henke versus a pitcher on the bases wearing his warm-up jacket. I'm not the biggest fan of parallels anymore. I think chasing all the 2017 Vogelmonster parallels kind of killed them for me. 1996 Topps seems to have my number as it garners another point, this time for uniqueness on cardboard.

Updated Score:
1994 Topps S2 = 2
1996 Topps S1 = 5

Round 8

 Jeff King always had the Cubs number. Boooo!  Omar Vizquel during a double play? Heck yeah!

Updated Score:
1994 Topps S2 = 3
1996 Topps S1 = 5

Round 9

 1994 Topps offers it's own unique photograph, with Sid Bream focusing on a pop-up. But, it's pretty hard to ignore cards of Hall of Fame players. Mathematically speaking, 1996 Topps has secured at least a tie in this match-up.

Updated Score:
1994 Topps S2 = 3
1996 Topps S1 = 6

Round 10

Joe Boever? Meh?
Rookie Cup card of Hideo Nomo signing autographs? Yes, please!

 This card is a keeper and will be going in a binder.  1996 Topps locks up the victory with two rounds to go.

Updated Score:
1994 Topps S2 = 3
1996 Topps S1 = 7

Round 11

 1996 Topps keep bringing the goods. I didn't know Sean Casey was drafted by the Indians until now. Ron Darling is an analyst, and I respect that he's still hanging around the baseball world, but I've always had a soft spot in my collection for The Mayor. 1996 Topps is running away with this battle!

Updated Score:
1994 Topps S2 = 3
1996 Topps S1 = 8

Round 12

Jeremy Hernandez verus Tony McKnight. Talk about anti-climatic.
I couldn't decide between these two, but after further research I found Hernandez made his MLB debut against the Cubs and threw a shutout inning. Meanwhile, McKnight took the loss against the Cubs in his last MLB game. With McKnight being an easier punching bag for my Cubs, I'll have to side with 1996 Topps one last time.

Final Score:
1994 Topps S2 = 3
1996 Topps S1 = 9

For the record, if this contest finished all knotted up at 6 victories apiece I was going to side with 1994 Topps, because I think it has a better design. Outside of the minor collation issues, the card selection from the 1996 pack was stout and quite deserving of the win.

A big thanks goes out to my father for the uber-generous gift of his box of cards. It was fun strolling down memory lane and blogging about cards from 25+ years ago. Thanks, Dad!

Pack Wars: ZZ Re-Pack vs. Topps Update

A little over a month ago Zippy Zappy sent me a personalized Gregg Olson  8"x10" inscribed photo and within the same package was one of his legendary re-packs.

I haven't been buying any modern day product for the last fourteen months or so as I have been focusing more on building Topps sets from the late 70s and early 80s. Unfortunately, that meant I didn't have any loose packs on hand.

I took a trip to my local card shop and was trying to decide on what to buy for this edition of Pack Wars, but the selection was a little too overwhelming.

Ultimately, I picked something everyone has probably already seen, but at least it should be a fair match-up . . . 14 cards in each pack.  FYI, using Google's currency converter, 108 Yen is roughly one US dollar.

Upon first opening the re-pack this Mitch Trubisky card, in a top loader, fell out.

I like Mitch Trubisky the person. He works hard, has a much better sideline demeanor than Jay Cutler, and seems to be well liked by his teammates. I am not a fan of Mitch Trubisky the quarterback. His 2019 on field performance has been very bad. Yeesh. 

Here are the four stickers mentioned on the sticky note from the re-pack wrapper.

Akiem Hicks is one of my favorite Bears. For some reason I always value the defensive players more than the offensive guys.

Inside the original wrapping there was a second wrapper. The mystery of the Zippy Zappy packs continues to grow!

Buckle up folks. It's time for another round of PACK WARS! 

Round 1

 Ryan Harvey was the Cubs #1 draft pick in 2003 and he was very one dimensional. I remember him playing in Peoria and he was an average right-fielder with a TON of power and way too much swing-and-miss in his swing.
Have you seen Ryan Harvey lately? The man can hit a softball over 500 feet. That is plain silliness.
I like the high socks on Freddy Galvis, but the man needs a haircut. 
Zippy Zappy is on the board.

Updated Score:
Zippy Zappy Pack = 1
2019 Topps Update = 0

Round 2

 Dioner Navarro had his best professional season with the Cubs in 2013. He played on a last place team that year, but a switch-hitting catcher with a 0.850+ OPS tends to grow on you. This Fleer Ultra card appears to be a parallel of some sort.
Alex Jackson is a rookie I have never heard of. Topps loves its rookies as do many others.  I could care less.  Dioner for the win!

Somewhat related side note: Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., a hyped up rookie, was taken in the 3rd round of my fantasy baseball draft last spring. I took Josh Donaldson in the twelfth, and I'd do it again if given the chance. You can have your rookies and I'll take my undervalued veterans.

Updated Score:
Zippy Zappy Pack = 2
2019 Topps Update = 0

Round 3

Touch match-up here! Here's a Zorilla card before his Cubs days and a Trevor Cahill card after his Cubs days. I like them both, but Zo is a local guy so he wins by default. 

Updated Score:
Zippy Zappy Pack = 3
2019 Topps Update = 0

Round 4

A sliding Zobrist on one of my least favorite Topps designs versus another rookie on one of my favorite designs. What a conundrum! Again, local guy for the win!

Updated Score:
Zippy Zappy Pack = 4
2019 Topps Update = 0

Round 5

Kerry Wood as a Yankee? Yep, that happened.
Another rookie? And this one appears to share a first name with my favorite Cub of all-time.
I'll Take Kid-K here.

Side note: I thought so little of this Ryne Harper card it has already been sent out in a PWE. 

Updated Score:
Zippy Zappy Pack = 5
2019 Topps Update = 0

Round 6

Baseball's Sad Lexicon and my first card with Tinker, Evers and Chance all on the same card. Zippy Zappy would probably take the Tanaka in this match-up, but that's the beauty of Pack Wars! To each their own. The ZZ re-pack stays undefeated!

Updated Score:
Zippy Zappy Pack = 6
2019 Topps Update = 0

Round 7

Steve Cishek has been a pretty effective pitcher the last couple of years for the Cubs. This black, low numbered parallel, is from his Marlins days.  Ohtani and Trout on the same card? That's pretty cool. Topps Update is finally on the board!

Updated Score:
Zippy Zappy Pack = 6
2019 Topps Update = 1

Round 8

 I actually had never heard of Sherry Magie, but I love Tri-Star Obak and have the master set from 2009.
The 1984 inserts are sharp looking, but why is the 35th anniversary of a set such a big deal? The Nelson Cruz is on it's way to Minnesota with the Ryne Harper card.

FWIW, that's another win for ZZ. 

Updated Score:
Zippy Zappy Pack = 7
2019 Topps Update = 1

Round 9

A bat relic promotional card of Tsuyoshi Nishioka versus my favorite Cleveland Indian. Tough call, but as cool as the promo card is, I have to go with the guy who has one of the best smiles in all of baseball.

Updated Score:
Zippy Zappy Pack = 7
2019 Topps Update = 2

Round 10

 Another rookie? Ugh.
More 2010 Obak fun!  Woo-Hoo!

Updated Score:
Zippy Zappy Pack = 8
2019 Topps Update = 2

Round 11

Ahhhh!  More rookies!  I'll spill the beans now... ZZ, this Ford and the Tanaka are already on their way to you.
Sammy looks to have belted a homer, and he also gives the ZZ re-pack another point.

Updated Score:
Zippy Zappy Pack = 9
2019 Topps Update = 2

Round 12

Wait, Nick Hundley isn't a rookie? Besides the All-Star cards and rookies, Update has cards of regular guys in it?  Crazy.
A die-cut of Kris Bryant? Huh, that's a pretty high quality card and it will definitely find its way into my Bryant binder. Very nice.

Updated Score:
Zippy Zappy Pack = 10
2019 Topps Update = 2

Round 13

Ahhhh! Too much awesomeness in one match-up! How do pairings like this happen without breaking the universe?
This was the closest contest within this Pack Wars, but a slight edge goes to the ZZ re-pack, because that's my first Khalil Mack card. So, very cool!

Updated Score:
Zippy Zappy Pack = 11
2019 Topps Update = 2

Round 14

Ha! A rookie versus and All-Star. You're probably thinking I'll go with Springer here, because he's not a rookie. See, the thing is I really overvalue Cubs rookies.
And, every good re-pack builder knows you have to play to your judge. Well done, ZZ. Well done.

Final Score:
Zippy Zappy Pack = 12
2019 Topps Update = 2

So, that brings us to the conclusion of another Pack Wars. Zippy Zappy, thank you for the re-pack. I always enjoy crafting these posts as it gives me an opportunity to write without a filter.

Thanks for joining me for another edition of Pack Wars. Have a great week!

Pack Wars by Jane, Part 2

A couple of days ago I broke the Pack Wars hiatus on this blog by posting a pair of packs sponsored by my sister, Jane. Her mystery pack was stuffed with vintage cardboard and four Hall of Famers who are now resting in my HOF binder.

Um, well, this time around the mystery pack is going with a very different theme. Let's just put it this way . . . she has a sense of humor and an eye for unique cardboard. I think you'll get the idea after the first round.

Jane's pack of mystery and surprise is on the left and the 1986 Topps pack will be on the right for the majority of this post. (Somehow I switched up the order for Rounds 11 & 15. Oops.)

Round 1

 1986 Topps comes out swinging with Steve Balboni and his wonderful mustache dawning the Royals' road powder blues. It's a nice looking card of a guy I randomly followed during my first time through the hobby.

Steve Sharts. Yes, Steve Sharts. Poor Steve should go see his family doctor or something.
Tell me if that's one of the most unfortunate last names you've ever come across!

And so the wackiness begins.

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  1
1986 Topps =  0

Round 2

 The infamous unibrow and mustache combo. It's like Sammy Stewart has two fuzzy caterpillars on his face. Jorge Bell is sporting the cock-eyed hat, bling around the neck and wristbands. Sammy could take a few lessons from Jorge on style. Style points to 1986 Topps!

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  1
1986 Topps =  1

Round 3

  I have multiple copies of this Leo Gomez card and it has always struck me as something cross between a high school yearbook photo and a very nerdy picture. I like how Mike LaCross is eyeing Gomez as appears to be saying, "Man, you're in the Bigs. Get your $#!+ together!" Another win for 1986 Topps.

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  1
1986 Topps =  2

Round 4

  I think we have a battle of spring training photos here. I don't know enough about old Candlestick Park to be sure this isn't the Giant's former home field, but the folding chairs say "Spring Training" to me. Jack does jumping jacks. What a unique photo for a baseball card. This one is going in my Folder of Fun. Very cool.

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  2
1986 Topps =  2

Round 5

  I think Tim Lollar's hair stylings would fit right in with 2019, which makes for a pretty boring 1986 card. Oddibe is about to limbo. That's a win in my book.

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  3
1986 Topps =  2

Round 6

  Now, this is a match-up! In his only season on the north side of Chicago, Goosage saved 13 games with the Cubs in 1988. Goose was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2008. Hendrick was a former #1 draft pick and went to four All-Star games during his eighteen year career. Yet, their career numbers are not what makes this match-up the best yet.

Fantastic facial hair and the bad-a$$ery is so evident! I gotta go with Hendrick, because he wears that hitting jacket so well.

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  3
1986 Topps =  3

Tie ballgame!

Round 7

  Fernando versus Nate Snell. Again, it looks like a couple of spring training shots to me. I've never heard of Snell-mania, but I have heard of Fernando-mania. Fernando takes this round.

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  4
1986 Topps =  3

Round 8

  I really like batting cage shots, but Neon Deion rookie card! Most excellent!

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  5
1986 Topps =  3

Round 9

  Here's an odd turn of events... a miscut football card. Donnie Hill's yellow jersey top is something I would like to see more of in MLB . . . but, Chuck Muncie is wearing glasses under his helmet. That's a lot of goodness on one football card!

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  6
1986 Topps =  3

Round 10

  I was a HUGE Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan back in the day. Andrew Dawson. The Hawk.
Wow. Another great match-up. I gotta go with the TMNT. Crime fighting, fun loving, pizza eating turtles don't happen along everyday, you know?

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  7
1986 Topps =  3

Round 11

  Shoot, I got these flipped. 1986 Topps should be in the right, but at least this way we can see how in awe John Felske is of Huey Lewis. I don't know what your parents listened to around the house when you were growing up. But, I know about every song by Chicago and Huey Lewis and the News. Good times. Here's one of my favorites.

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  8
1986 Topps =   3

Round 12

  Da Coach! Great card of a Chicago legend!

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  9
1986 Topps =  3

Round 13

  I was a big Derrick Thomas fan and I even had a player collection of him when I was younger. He was left paralyzed after a car accident and then died suddenly a couple of weeks later. Sad, sad story.
Charlie Hough was a model of knuckleball consistency. He pitched over 200 innings during his age 45 season. Only eleven pitchers did that in 2018. Wow.
Charlie and his sweet stirrups for the win!

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  9
1986 Topps =  4

Round 14

  Another great-match up! I think you've probably seen this Keith Comstock card before. This Kirby Puckett is probably one of the top five cards in the 1986 set. I'll hang on to both of these. The Comstock will go in the Folder of Fun and the Puckett will find it's way to humble Twins collection.
If I could only bring home one of these from a card show the Puckett would get left behind, but it would be a very tough decision.

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  10
1986 Topps =  4

Round 15

  Do you remember Collector's Edge? You could put these cards in your bicycle spokes, take a couple laps around the block, and they'd still come back a PSA 9 or higher. I wonder why the material used didn't catch on? A point to Jane for reminding me of a set I had forgotten about.

Updated Score:
Jane's Pack =  11
1986 Topps =  4

Round 16

 A Hank Aaron Collect-A-Books "card" versus a defunct contest for spring training. Ha! That's a good one!

FINAL Score:
Jane's Pack =  12
1986 Topps =  4

Wow, what a wide assortment of cardboard within the mystery pack from Jane! No surprise here, but her hand-picked cards dominate the field yet again.

Thanks again for the cards and the blogging material, Jane!