Alright, bitches and bitchettes. The gauntlet has been thrown and warrior needs food badly. Let’s cuff it up!
We got this box from the same case as Beardy’s monster box. Will lightning strike twice?
Cabinet Card Pack
Not pictured: The Crawford boxes which I'm sure aided this achievement.
NCCB4 – Baseball Highlights featuring Lance Berkman, Ivan Rodriguez and Carlos Lee (+8)
I like these slightly more than the engineering achievements. This one celebrates the first trio of teammates to hit 300 HR in the same season. I would think that a better, similar card would be to celebrate Konerko and Dye hitting their 300th HRs back to back. That did happen last year, didn’t it?
Pack #1
116 Galileo Galilei – Astronomer
Look what I found...a baseball!
98 Johnny Cueto (Favorite Player List +2)
143 Jorge Posada (Yankee -1)
292 Chris Pettit
221 Mike Leake
Haven't heard much about him lately, but I don't follow AL
304 Carlos Pena SP (+2)
Touted Rookie A&G SP!
319 Austin Jackson A&G Back mini SP (+6)
Ramirez rounds third to be greeted by the news of Anne Frank. I think both of their faces are appropriate.
TDH3 Aramis Ramirez This Day in History (+1 +1 Favorite Team = +2) – The Diary of Anne Frank is published. So, this is the kind of insert set this is going to be, eh?
Ginter Code Promo Card
Pack Total: +11
Pack #2
92 Randy Oitker – Archery World Record holder. He’s from IL! Too bad he’s not in a Cubs uni.
206 J.D. Drew
251 Chase Headley
71 Hunter Pence
42 Mark DeRosa
I'd rather have a card of the A's Elephant.
302 Daric Barton SP (+2)
He hasn't quite worked out for the Braves the way they hoped, has he?
316 Nate McLouth mini SP (+3)
Ha! Take that, bearded one. Seriously. It's yours if you want it.
TDH53 Nick Markakis This Day in History (+1 +2 FP = +3) – The first congressional session is held. And it was just as productive as all the rest.
Pack Total: +8
Pack #3
134 Vladimir Guerrero
21 Ryan Kennelly – Bench Press WR holder
What a great promotion for baseball! Seats still available!
289 Hanley Ramirez (FP +2)
213 Mark Reynolds
133 Nelson Cruz
86 Andrew Bailey
Hot damn, another SP. That's all I have to say about this one.
320 Scott Sizemore SP (+2)
He looks different than in the video game
LO12 Cronos (+3) – To protect his throne, he ate his kids as they were born. Is this where “A Modest Proposal” came from?
This insert would be okay, but I'm already hating that kid's stupid face. Cronos needs to eat him.
TDH8 Yunel Escobar This Day in History (+1) – 1st commercial radio broadcast happens, announcing that Harding beat Cox for President. There would be no President Cox until Bill Clinton takes office.
Pack total: +8
Pack #4
This means something...
130 Area 51 (+1) – This card does not exist, does it Will Smith?
237 Kevin Millwood
234 Nick Johnson (-1)
Someone should tell Adam to move. There's someone shooting orange paintballs nearby.
261 Adam Jones (FP +2)
285 Alex Rodriguez (-1) – It’s a real see-saw battle between positive and negative in this pack.
93 Brandon Inge
Finally, Rios is good for something.
317 Alex Rios SP (+2)
TDH42 Jorge Posada This Day in History (+1 -1 Stankee = +0) – Robert Fulton’s steamboat makes it’s first voyage, unknowingly paving the way for Walt Disney’s empire.
Pack Total: +3 It’s a miracle we made it out of that pack with a positive total considering there were 3 Yankees and no mini (although still 8 cards).
Pack #5
Gutes!
129 Johannes Gutenberg (+1) – Think if I send this to Steve, it’d get TTM’d?
266 Adam LaRoche
167 Dan Haren
14 Shane Victorino
39 Josh Johnson
43 Yovani Gallardo
I have nothing sarcastic to say about this. It's kind of cool and I didn't know dolphins were so prominent in that region. I bet Gutes knew that.
NA36 Dolphin – Greece (+2) – How do you say Flipper in Greek? How do you say +2 for that matter?
Ugg
TDH58 Dan Uggla This Day in History (+1) – The Great Blizzard of 1888. Don’t suppose that’s a veiled reference to his 3 error All-Star game performance.
Pack Total: +4
Pack #6
121 Francisco Rodriguez
112 Tyler Bradt – Waterfall Kayaking Record holder
149 Ichiro Suzuki – I hate that they don’t put his full name on cards. Please someone tell me why this stopped.
244 Aaron Cook
Bla-dow! Rosy cheeks Ramirez!
AGR-ARA Aramis Ramirez Bat Relic (+8 X 1.2 FT = +9.6) – Hopefully this is one of those sub-Mendoza bats he was using earlier in the season. I like the darker coloring along the top and right sides. Is that seeped-in tar?
64 Josh Beckett mini
Don't you just want to punch that kid? Am I alone on this?
TDH57 Miguel Tejada This Day in History (+1) – John Scopes is indicted for teaching evolution. He was convicted two months later in what was also known as the “monkey” trial.
Pack Total: +10.6
Pack #7
207 Wandy Rodriguez
24 Brandon Webb
Squint much?
208 Evan Longoria (FP +2)
222 Craig Gentry
85 Yunel Escobar
Seen in rare pre-strike out mode
107 Adam Dunn (FP +2)
I'm not even supposed to BE here today!
WGWS9 Dante Alighieri (+4) – This is a great one for me. I’m working with someone on a comedic project somewhat inspired by “Inferno.” Hopefully it’ll escape the rings of hell one of these days and I can say more.
C'mon Gallardo. Drill him in the head!
TDH46 Yovani Gallardo This Day in History (+1) – The 22nd Amendment is ratified, which limits presidential terms. Nixon would later overturn this in “The Watchmen.”
Pack Total: +9
Pack #8
156 Cameron Maybin
So much better than Ron Weasley
291 Ron Teasley – Negro League (+2)
Silly Dustin, that's not how you bunt.
106 Dustin Pedroia (FP+2)
46 Chad Billingsley
295 Josh Thole – Rumored to be coming to the Cubs in a potential trade for Ted Lilly
Broxton Roxton if he gets us 2 points
335 Jonathan Broxton SP (+2)
Not a bad one to get, I suppose. Although dude is perpetually injured
186 Jose Reyes A&G Back mini (+2)
Another injured player. I blame that dumb kid.
TDH49 Justin Morneau This Day in History (+1) – First Machine Gun Patented, originally called the Puckle gun. That doesn’t sound quite so menacing.
Pack Total: +9
Grand Total so far: +70.6
Alright, so 1/3 of the way in and I think we’re in pretty good shape. We got a nice first hit with a player from our favorite team. No Ryan Howards (our choice for favorite player), however. And really, not too many Cubs cards overall, either. We had really good luck with the SPs and in the mini department, I’d say. Can we keep this momentum going into the next 2/3rds? Will our next hits be just as good as the first? Will that kid stop annoying me? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see.
Clerks was a good movie. Nice pulls so far on your box.
One of these days I will challenge you to do an all-caption post. These are classic.
-Andy