My McEnroe comes in!!

You may not remember this one. Hell I had pretty much forgot about this as well.  I had some really good luck last year with Allen and Ginter.  In the last box I opened I ended up pulling a McEnroe auto redemption.  I was torn with selling the redemption or redeeming it and waiting for the card.  I ended up redeeming it and well then I had to wait and wait and wait.  I got the usual Topps email saying sorry that it was over due.  I also saw that Johnny Mac had another autographed card in this years A&G and it wasn't a redemption.  OK I thought my 2011 is on the way.  And then I got to wait some more.  Well when I got home from work on Thursday I had a nice post office notification that I had a certified envelope at the post office.  I wasn't sure what it could be.  I'll be honest I did think that this might be my long lost McEnroe redemption, but I was prepared for it to be something not nearly as exciting.  Well when I finally got the Tristar fulfillment envelope in my grubby little hands I knew.  Almost a year and a half later I finally got my card.

It'll go nice with that McEnroe relic card I pulled from a box of this years A&G.  Thanks Topps finally.

What the hell is John McEnroe doing anyways?

I don't hate redemptions. At least not like I hate Mondays and Nazis, but really the world would be a much better place without them.  

See this card I should be holding this card right now, but....

A few days ago I got the usual email I've come to expect from Topps:

Dear Consumer. 

This email is to inform you that the Topps Company is currently beyond the 15 week processing time allocated for the following redemption card:

PIN #: Product: Card/Player Name

AGB19KZUCA Topps Allen & Ginter John McEnroe - Framed Autograph

Our staff is working diligently to process and ship your redemption card as soon as possible. Please continue to check your Online Redemption account for updates regarding the status of your card. 

If you no longer wish to wait for the redemption card, please contact our Consumer Relations team in order to place a substitution request for a card of equal Beckett value. 

Do not hesitate to contact our Consumer Relations department via phone at 1-800-489-9149 or via email at support@etopps.com for assistance. A consumer relations representative will be available to assist you Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30 pm (ET).

Sincerely, 

Consumer Relations

The Topps Company, Inc.

I knew it was coming.  I don't think I've had a Topps redemption ever make it to me on time. It's the only redemption I've redeemed in the last year and  I was super excited when I pulled the card.  Ginter was really good to me this year.  But it begs the question, what the hell is McEnroe doing that he can't sign his damn cards?  And more importantly if he doesn't sign what are they going to send me in replacement?  I shudder to think.  I mean I would gladly take a Jake LaMotta, but I could do with out a Guy Fieri.  

Ah Topps just a couple more years and we can hope you get some competition again in the Baseball card market.  

And one last question, did Topps fire their entire online team?  I mean they put together a blog and never update it, they have a website that's a year behind and a joke, and I get these messages like this one for redemptions they've already shipped.  Topps are you even trying anymore?

I'm still looking forward to eventually getting this card in hand, even if I have to wait till 2012 Allen and Ginter comes out.

And since I'm on my soap box and it's getting close to Christmas, Topps how about next year you stop putting out this half-assed high end stuff and put out a nice mid-range set again based off one of your best products ever.  I'm asking you to bring back STADIUM CLUB!!!(and I wouldn't even mind if you did a Chrome version of it.) 

OK I'm done.

Now okay really my last box of Allen and Ginter

Well as promised another Allen and Ginter post. Yes I broke a promise to myself that I was not going to buy another box of A & G since my first box was so kick ass, but I couldn't resist a box for under 80 bucks. Pretty much cheaper than anything online so... I picked this box up right before I left for my last work trip.  Well I got back last night and finished opening it and finally went through and sorted the cards and took the ones I needed for my set.  I won't bore you with all the inserts and parallels I got, you've all seen that, I'll just get to the meat. 

Well maybe one insert since it's the one and only one of it's kind I've gotten.

Oh snap no you didn't.

Yep I finally pulled a Flora of the World mini, and yes I plan on planting it, sometime.  It will also be blogged about when it happens.

First the relics.

Geovany Soto jersey or pants or underwear, but not travel wear, I think.

Fransico Cervelli Bat card.

I've seen lots of box breaks and even case breaks where there's not a single auto in the box or case.  That just makes you go UNGGG.  And was the reason I really didn't want to spend the money on another box, I figured that my last box with 2 relics, a silk and a red auto was too good to be surpassed and I'll be honest if I put these two boxes side by side that first box would still win.

But I bucked the trend and pulled a nice Randy Wells auto, looks like my box was a little Cubs oriented.  But wait what's that in the pack as well but this bad boy.

A YooGAAAAAAA.

Two boxes, two double hit packs.  While this isn't a red auto it's still an motherfreaking McEnroe auto!! Well a Redemption.  So perhaps by New Year's I might have this in hand.  Yep I already redeemed it.  I thought about selling it or seeing if I good get a nice trade for it, but I'm leaving town again for 10 days and lets face it A & G is starting to cool off, so what the heck another great auto from a tennis legend.

The two relics and the auto are up for trade, but like I said I'm leaving town Monday morning and I don't plan on trying to get any trades off before I leave.  I'll be back in civilization around the 25th of August so let me know.  You know what I like.

cb out