Come on now you know you want too...Cheap Break announcment Deux

Yo, Yo, Yo, Yep I'm back again. You can call me the Group Break Pimp!  One last time to tell you about the cheap group break over at Cardboard Collections.  I was just over there and there are still 12 teams up for grabs.  I'm not talking about the scrub teams either, the Cubs, the Red Sox, the Tigers are all still up for grabs along with others.  Hell there's still some great $5 teams too. 

Go here to check it out.. Cardboard Collection's May cheap group break!!!

And Colbey's added a bonus blaster already.  Hell if enough people sign up there's a bonus box to be thrown in as well.   Do it!!
Pimp out!

Topps Gypsy Queen Retail, Hobby or None?

(I know, I know another Gypsy Queen post.)

I was looking forward to this product mainly because I got in on A Cardboard Problems group break.  I didn't do to bad.  I got 2 Prince Fielder Relics, the regular and framed mini, about 10 team sets, 4 paper framed cards, a bunch of minis, one black, and a few inserts. 

The Brewers team set consists of only 8 cards, I'm not sure if there are any SP Brewers cards, but from looking at the checklist I'm going to say no.  

So far I've opened 5 hobby,  10 card packs  and 5 retail rack packs, which consists of 3 retail, 6 card packs, and a bonus 3 card green framed pack and I also bought a  mini hobby bonus box out of a hobby box too.  So first lets do the math.

Just the pack math since I'm not shelling out 120+ bucks for a box of this. 

Hobby packs at both my LCS's are $6.00.

10 cards per pack = .60 per card, mini's, inserts, hits included.

Retail rack pack. Rack packs are $8.99, I've only found them at Target up here in Alaska so far.

3 Retail packs @6 cards per pack + 3 bonus framed card = 21 cards = .42 per card, mini's, inserts, hits, and bonus included.  Even if we take out the 3 bonus cards the per card average is .49, actually it's .499 so we should probably round up and just say .50 per card.  That's pretty pricey either way you look at it but retail offers you a slightly better deal especially when you figure in the 3 bonus cards.

Don't get me wrong I fully support buying cards at your LCS, but another reason to buy this product retail is the latest in Topps quality control fuck ups.  The missing auto.  This makes buying hobby packs even more of a waste of money when you consider that your odds of getting an on card auto went from 1:12 to 1:24.  As a matter of fact there are very few boxes I've seen opened, either on youtube or posted on forums or blogs that didn't have the missing auto.  So why would I blow 6 bucks a pack when the odds of me getting that auto hit doubled?  Now don't get me wrong, there are still some nice hits to be had in Gypsy Queen and the artist patch cards are hobby exclusives.  But Topps also includes some retail exclusives like the Sticky Fingers and Wall Climbers inserts and of course the bonus rack pack green framed cards.  Now the green framed cards aren't numbered like the copper framed ones, and I'm unsure if the copper are hobby only (as I found out they are not, read on).   

Now the 50 SP's in the set.  I just don't get it.  I mean I do, Topps wants to sell more cards and if you have short prints it means you need to open more packs to get them but all Topps really does here is shut out the casual set builder.  Not to mention the price point is awfully high for a casual set builder as well.  I'm glad Topps reduced the set by 100 cards but if they had just eliminated the 50 SP's the extra hundred wouldn't have been so bad and actually would have made for a nice set to build.  Why not add variants in the set.  This gives the completists something to chase and the casual set builder, which I consider myself, a chance at putting a great looking set together.  

Another thing is I don't understand why Topps just didn't lower the cost of the cases.  Again I do understand the main reason, money, or money in hand.  Topps already got there order money so why give it all back.  And it must have worked out to be cheaper to organize and mail out a replacement then just say hey knock 20 bucks off a box.   

So out of the 5 hobby packs I pulled one Auto or rather the one auto out of the box and out of my 5 retail rack packs I pulled one auto, one framed relic, one regular relic and two bronze paper framed cards and I also got 15 green paper framed cards in the bonus.

The Tomlin auto was my hobby hit.  Seems like all the box breaks I see have one of these cards in it.

The Byrd was my first retail hit.  Oddly enough in the same rack pack, I also got these two copper paper framed cards.

My relic hits...

Jayson Werth...

And the Wizard!!! Framed relic.  I really don't understand the need for two relic inserts.  I'm not sure what point they serve having a full sized card relic and then a framed mini relic in the set. 

Here is also a smattering of the Green Framed cards I got in the bonus packs.

Over all I'd have to say this is another Topps product that's better bought retail then hobby.  My reasoning is this, with the missing auto you need to buy full boxes to get the extra auto, the only real advantage with hobby is that packs have more cards so more base cards for the set, and there are a few hobby exclusives like the 1/1 artist patch cards and I think gypsy jewels (although they might not be hobby only), but the odds of hitting one of those is astronomical. The odds alone of hitting a Royal Crown jewels card is 1:6200 or so. That's about 1 in 25 cases With retail, you only get 6 cards per pack, of those one is the mini, at least one insert and most times two inserts, so you only get 3 base cards.  Now if you not interested in putting the set together it's even better.  Plus you get 2 other insert groups and 3 bonus green framed parallel cards. 

So this begs the question in my mind, with Panini and Upper Deck instituting programs aimed at helping LCS's, or at least in there mind trying to help LCS's, it seems Topps is doing the opposite.  Making retail packs the more desirable option, sending customers to Wal-Mart, Target and any other big box store that stocks trading cards. 

Of course you can say F U to Topps and just not buy any of this.  I really hate SP sets, like this and Heritage, and Topps Magic Football.  All great looking cards just a set collector's nightmare. 

Anywho most of these cards I put up on eBay already to help defray the cost of my addiction, but anything I have left over or doesn't sell  I'll offer up for trade later this week, save your Brewers parallels for me.



Pow Pow Pacquiao!!!

I don't know how many of you out there follow the world of martial arts, which yes I consider boxing a martial art, but last weekend pitted one of the greats of boxing against one of the... well.

This weekend Manny Pacquiao took on Sugar Shane Mosley, and it wasn't even really a fight.  I missed it.  I couldn't afford the Pay-per-view and I kinda forgot Saturday about it but I've read all the article so now you know I'm an expert.  Hopefully I'll be able to watch some online video of the fight tonight, but from all the articles and reports there's not much to watch.  12 rounds of Mosley trying not to get his ass kicked too bad.  What a shame.  Manny is currently the top ranked pound for pound fighter on the planet. And for good reason, he's pretty good.  As a matter of fact, he's so good it's hard to find people that will fight him.  For good reason Pacquiao ends careers, just as Oscar De La Hoya.  Pacquiaos even gained weight to move up in class to fight bigger opponents and it hasn't stopped him.

Talk is now that Manny might fight Juan Manuel Marquez for a third time or maybe Floyd Mayweather Jr

I use to be really into the whole boxing world.  Back in the Holyfield, Foreman, and Tyson days, before he went all tattooed cannibal. But as of late there is few guys to get behind or get excited about.  Except for maybe Pacquiao and Mayweather.  And I just can't seem to get into MMA.  I've tried and I've got buddies who are gaga for it, but to be honest when you sit and watch a UFC fight it's more of guys rolling around on the ground trying to choke each other or break bones.  And while I know there is years of training and experience in those fighter, and I sure as hell know they could kick the living crap out of me, there's just not that much grace.  When you throw two MMA guys in a cage together it's all about the primal. Each has his own fighting style and it's a match up to see who comes out on top, just with a lot of hugging.

With boxing it's a disciple.  You have set rules and the two fighters are using the same technique. They might approach that technique in different ways but they all have to follow the same rules and that means each has a group of skills they have to use.  No leg sweeps or choke holds, just reflexes and style.  I'm preaching, but I have a point.  Somewhere in this rant.  The point being with MMA you throw two guys in a ring with a minimal amount of rules, such as no groin or throat shots, and if a guy taps out or gives you stop.  That's pretty basic, I know that there are even more serious (illegal?) fights where there are no rules.  I guess this breaks it down to survival fighting, thunderdome!!!  And I see the appeal a guy who can enter the cage and come out against some guy using a style that he's not adapt in or that his style is better has it's place, but boxing well boxing is more of a gentlemen's martial art.  I remember dating a girl years ago that hate boxing.  She couldn't understand the point.  But she had a hard time understanding the need and appeal of most organized sports.

So here's to you Manyy Pacquiao on a much deserved win, even if Mosley didn't want to show up.

And since this is sports card blog here's a Pacquiao card from the future.

From the upcoming 2011 Topps Allen and Ginter.

cb out.

New May Cheap Group Break open over at Cardboard Collections.

Yo it's the Contest Pimp, I'm not pimping a contest this time thou'.  Colbey's monthly affordable group break is open for May.  Some great boxes from the 90's!  Go over to Cardboard Collections to check it out.  Lots of teams still open to grab and some teams start at only $5.00!!!  Grab two you cheap ass.
Colbey said that he's got all the boxes in hand already, so all we have to do is pay and then he breaks. 

So git yo ass over there!!!!

Pimp out.

Hallelujah!!!!!!

I just saw news that the NFL network as fired, errr replaced, the broadcast trio of Joe Theismann, Matt Millen, and Bob Papa on the Thursday night broadcasts.  All I can say is Hallelujah!!!!

Quite possibly the worst announcing job ever done on national TV.  I've complained before about them.  Don't get me wrong I don't think every announcer on TV is awesome but NBC, FOX, ESPN, and CBS at least have the good sense to put people on that can call a game.  And I realize that those 4 networks probably take the creme of the crop, but come on, how hard is it to find a quality announcer for your broadcasts.  Answer, I guess for the NFL Network, extremely hard.

The network announced that Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock will be replacing them.  Will they be better?Who knows. I'm not familiar with either one of them that I know of, but it's hard not to improve over what they had there. 

cb out.

So that's what's in there.

Well howdy all,
I emailed Colbey over at Cardboard Collections thanking him for the last group break and letting him know I got the cards and asking if there was going to be a May group break.  Colbey assured me that there would definitely be a May group break and told me he had sent me another goodie and that I should expect it soon.  Speaking of cheap group breaks head on over to Cards from the Quarry for their first group break, still lots of good teams up for grabs over there.

Anyways a couple of days ago I got Colbey's package and inside was this little gem.

But something wasn't quite right when I looked at the card.  The relics were slightly askew. So I took the card out of the wrapper it was in and found that this card was actually not what it appeared.  To set the record straight Colbey promised me nothing here and for a while now I've wanted to open a relic card up and see it's guts.  I've put the card back together so it looks nice in the above scan but when I took it out of the team bag it came apart.  So I got my wish it seems.  If you've ever wanted to see what's really in the middle of one of these relic cards take a look.

Here's the side by side too.

Interesting I'm curious why the bat piece are larger than they need to be.  I'll ponder a guess that it's a standard size for some of their other relic cards.  Colbey sent along a nice note, but no details on what happened to the card. I'm not sure if he ever posted about the inner works of a relic.  But thanks Colbey, for a nice Jenkins quad relic.  This card was also numbered to 250.  I had thought about gluing it back together but I kinda like the novelty of being able to actually see the relics.  If you look close to the relic card you'll notice a rectangular pop out above the relics on the right.  I'm assuming that this was where an sticker auto would go.  There's a corresponding punch out on the picture side as well.  

Thanks Colbey can't wait for the next group break!

cb out.

In Baseball I have no hate, In football I have too much.

Wow I had some great posts lined up and but I forgot my flash drive at home so maybe I'll work something up later.  In the mean time this is something I've been thinking about for a while.  Actually it occurred to me while in Chicago watching the Cubs play at Wrigley.  Now I'm a Brewers fan and now the Brewers are in the same League and Division as the Cubs, so that would make them my enemy right?  And we went to the Shedd Aquarium that is in the same complex as the Field Museum and Soldier Field, did I want to take a tour of the Bears playing field? 

It got me thinking.  I really hate the Bears and Vikings.  Not the fans, just the teams.  I cannot fault anyone for rooting for a team based on their geography or whatnot.  I understand fandom and having your team.  But it got me thinking why I hate these teams so much in football and in baseball I really don't hate anyone.  Sitting in a great venue like Wrigley it's almost impossible not to root for the Cubs, and slightly dangerous.  I think it dates back to the start of my collecting days when I first started notice sports and paying attention.  I would watch baseball on TV and see all these great guys I had cards of.  Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Cal Ripken Jr., Robin Yount, Will Clark, Don Mattingly, Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, and the list goes on.  But I was a Brewers fan, being from Wisconsin, but having grown up all over the place as a military brat I got to watch a lot of other teams play on TV as the Brewers were not overly popular and to be honest my folks were not huge Brewers fans.  But when you need a team of course you folks and family as well as your geography play a big part in the team you choose.  You can have more than one, there's no crime in that.  As a young card collector and having friends who were collectors we would trade and you knew who was popular, and so if the A's were on TV playing the Yankees, I wanted to see Ricky Henderson hit as much as Don Mattingly. 

But as a football fan, there was no doubt who my team was, who my families team was, and who we hated.  The Bears and Packers have the longest standing feud in the NFL, as you would expect for the two oldest teams.  Being so close and with so much history will do that.  Maybe it's just the nature of the games.  Baseball is a gentleman's sport played in the warm months of the year starting in spring when the icy grasp of winter has finally lifted. Football is just the opposite, played just as the summer is over and winter comes roaring back in. A brutal, physical game where violence is rewarded, where fans, depending where you are, brave the elements to cheer on their team. 

Maybe it the pacing.  Baseball tends to be slow, drawn out, and lazy and football tends to be short and dramatic.  But I find today, especially with fantasy football, I watch every game a little closer, waiting to see a big play, how is that rookie going to work out, who gets hurt.  I have teams I favor more than others, same as baseball, but I can't think of a baseball team I loath, and in football I can think of a few.

Anybody else out there got an opinion?