1999 Skybox Thunder

Holey crap.. these cards have short little raps on the back of each card.. they're so cheezy I'm embaressed for the players!

Here's some examples:

A-Rod's:
"A-Rod, You're in the House.. And You Ain't Creepin' Like No Mouse. You're Comin' Full Force With Speed, Power, and Unrelentin' Skillz."

FER-REALZ!

Here's some more:

Daryle Ward's
"You've Been Strikin' a Pose With the 'Stros, And We Like What We See, 'Bro. How 'Bout Some More of That, Yo."

Rey Ordonez's
"Man, Your Skillz on Defense are Intense, You'd Be a Better Infielder With Your Bare Hands Than Most Are With a Glove, Much Love."

Here's what I got:

#4 Daryle Ward
#25 Chuck Knoblauch
#35 Shane Andrews
#66 Matt Clement
#119 Bobby Smith
#176 Dean Palmer
#199 Rey Ordonez
#276 Alex Rodriguez

Pack Stats:

What it cost me: $ 1.29
Beckett NM/MT worth: $3.10
Insert odds I beat: none
Most valuable card: # 276 Alex Rodriguez @ $1.50

2007-08 Topps Trademark Moves

I'm not too impressed with this set so far.. kinda boring.

Here's what I got:

#10 Tim Duncan
#20 Vince Carter
#21 Kevin Garnett
#26 Gilbert Arenas
#47 Magic Johnson

Pack Stats:

What it cost me: $ 2.99
Beckett NM/MT worth: N/A
Insert odds I beat: N/A
Most valuable card: N/A

1997-98 Skybox Metal Universe Championship Preview

I love this Rasheed Wallace card! I saw him put in a lot of playing time for the Trail Blazers when he was here in Portland. I enjoyed watching him play, as long as the bastard kept his cool and didn't ruin the game for everyone. He led the league in ejections for at least one year, probably more. I also love the Crater Lake National Park scenic foil background in this card.. since I think it's the greatest place I've ever been, and it's right here in Oregon.

Here's what I got:

#2 Chris Mills
#4 Adonal Foyle
#21 Rasheed Wallace
#28 Terrell Brandon
#41 Kevin Garnett
#53 Rod Strickland
#78 Shawn Kemp
#13 Tim Thomas [future champions insert, die cut]

Pack Stats:

What it cost me: $ 2.50
Beckett NM/MT worth: $7.25
Insert odds I beat: 1:18 [future champions insert, die cut]
Most valuable card: Tim Thomas [future champions insert, die cut] @ $3.00

1996 Pinnacle Summit Football

This set is a "collector's set". Nice, thick, heavy card stock, brilliant rainbow foil borders for the base set (you can't tell from the scan) and cool "chase cards". I'm impressed. Looking forward to opening some more of these.. I've got 4 more.

Here's what I got:

#83 Flipper Anderson
#103 Terry Allen
#119 Rick Mirer
#129 Rodney Peete
#136 Kevin Smith
#140 Reggie White
#156 Daryl Gardener [rookie]
#159 Simeon Rice [rookie]
#160 Eric Moulds [rookie, ground zero parallel]
#173 Walt Harris [rookie]
#185 Neil O'Donnell [quarter horses]
#195 Mark Brunell [quarter horses]
#195 Mark Brunell [quarter horses]

...yes, you CAN pull doubles out of the same pack. Now I know.

Pack Stats:

What it cost me: $ 1.00
Beckett NM/MT worth: $10.00
Insert odds I beat: 1:5 [ground zero parallel]
Most valuable card:Eric Moulds [rookie, gound zero parallel] @ $6.00

2004 Playoff Honors Baseball

I grabbed a handful of these off of eBay for a good price. This set is full of fun serial numbered inserts. None out of this pack, but I have high hopes for the rest.

Here's what I got:

#34 Curt Schilling
#91 Morgan Ensberg
#120 Jose Vidro
#162 Phil Nevin
#177 Albert Pujols

Pack Stats:

What it cost me: $ 1.40
Beckett NM/MT worth: $3.80
Insert odds I beat: none
Most valuable card: Albert Pujols @ $2.00

2001 Topps Enduring Freedom

Here's a curveball. My first non-sports pack(s) for the blog! I told you I'd have some non-sports eventually.

This set documented the beginnings of our nation's war on terror. Way back over 6 whole years ago when terms like "United We Stand" and "Don't Tread on Me" meant something again to us again for a short while. American flags were proudly displayed everywhere.. now if you have a flag sticker on your car and you park downtown, your car gets keyed. *sigh*

I got 5 of these guys so lets rip...

Pack 1:

#10 New York's Finest
#16 Arafat Gives Blood for Americans
#26 Former Presidents Unite at the Day of Prayer
#44 U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta
#46 Bush Assures the Nation: "We Will Not Fail"
#51 F-15C Eagle - Fast, Maneuverable, Mighty
#89 USS Kitty Hawk Leaves Japanese Waters
#8 Old Glory [sticker puzzle back]

Pack 2:

#17 President Putin Addresses Russians
#21 Investigators Comb Pennsylvania Site
#40 Mayor Giuliani Gives the "Thumbs Up"
#50 F-16C Fighting Falcon Fires a Weapon
#59 Air Force Special Ops Fly Pave Hawk Choppers
#61 F-16s Deliver Fierce Firepower
#67 Army Special Ops - Troops at the Ready
#1 God Bless America [sticker puzzle back]

Pack 3:

#14 Chirac Leads France in a Moment of Silence
#22 Police Search Suspect's Home in Florida
#48 B-2 Spirit Bomber Prepares for Refueling
#61 F-16s Deliver Fierce Firepower
#73 USS Cole Returns to Action on the High Seas
#77 Britain's HMS Cornwell Heads to Oman
#82 Air Force F-16: Ready for Action
#4 Proud Brave and Strong [sticker puzzle back]

Pack 4:

#7 New York's Bravest Toil, Undaunted
#13 Ottowa Rallies to Honor America
#18 NATO Stands Tall Alongside America
#20 German Police Hunt for Clues in Hamburg
#35 Condoleeza Rice, National Security Advisor
#43 U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft
#87 KC-135: Fueling Station in the Sky
#2 USA Home of the Brave [sticker puzzle back]

Pack 5:

#28 The National Security Council Convenes
#31 Rangel, Schumer, Clinton Meet with Bush
#37 New York Governor George Pataki
#56 B-52 Bomber Flies a Low-Level Mission
#58 AC-130 Spectre - Versatile, Heavily Armed
#80 Navy F/A - 18 Hornets in Formation
#85 Marines Head Out for Overseas Duty
#7 Don't Tread on Me [sticker puzzle back]

1997 Score Cleveland Indians

I'm a sucker for an unusual pack, in fact, that's pretty much my thing. So I picked one of these up. These packs contain 5 cards out of the 15 card Indians team set. The team set cards are like the '97 Score base set, except these have red foil on the bottom, have "Team Collection" printed on the back and are numbered "x of 15". I'm glad I pulled Brian Giles rookie since I have a few of his from the regular set and this one will stand out.

Here's what I got:

#2 Jack McDowell
#4 Dennis Martinez
#9 Sandy Alomar Jr.
#13 Jeff Kent
#15 Brian Giles [rookie]

Pack Stats:

What it cost me: $ 2.25
Beckett NM/MT worth: $3.80
Insert odds I beat: none
Most valuable card: Brian Giles [rookie] @ $2.00