Trade with blog reader Steve G.

I just finished off a massive trade with a reader of mine named Steve.  He's traded with several of us bloggers in the past and each and every one seems to be pretty epic!  Steve actually hit me up on SCF (SportsCardForum.com) that he could help with a lot of my Allen and Ginter set needs in exchange for a bunch of my trade bait.  I was more than happy to oblige since I really wanted to put a dent in my Ginter sets as well as rid myself of some of my trade bait (that's what its there for, to trade!).  I'm not going to bore you all with pictures of regular old Allen & Ginter base cards but I will show off another part of the trade that Steve was good enough to send me.  He sent me a stack of Orioles cards that knocked out over 100 wantlist items!  I understand that my wantlists are getting way smaller and tougher to find cards for but he really dug deep to find some cards I could really use.

Before we get into the Orioles cards I wanted to show the capstone card for my Topps Series 2 set: #475 Chris Dickerson.  I don't show Yankees cards on the blog very often but I'll make an exception just for the occasion.

I'm not sure where this picture was snapped for this 1996 Collectors Choice Roberto Alomar card.  It doesn't look like Fort Lauderdale stadium and the Spanish ads in the background make it even more confusing.  It is a cool shot that you don't see that often, so that's what I think makes it so unique.

If I had to pick a favorite base Topps Brian Roberts card it would have to be from 2004 Topps.  I like the action of  Brian stretching for the ball and the sliding player bearing down in him.  I guess the best part of this card is that it's the Gold Bordered parallel from one of my lists!

Every time I see a Tony Tarasco card whether he's in an Orioles uniform or not, I immediately think of that little brat kid Jeffrey Maier.  I don't know who's more to blame, him or Armando Benitez!  Yeah, Maier shouldn't have interfered with the play but if Benitez wouldn't melt down everytime he was in a ballgame, Jeter wouldn't have hit the ball in the first place.

A Big Thank You again Steve for the help on my sets and for the nice pile of Orioles cards you sent.  Each and every card is much appreciated!

Multiple Trade Appreciation

Trading has slowed down a little bit lately for me so today I'm going show off some of the smaller trades that I've completed.  I've got to try something soon to get the trades flowing again.  I've traded with a ton of different bloggers but I don't think I've quite exhausted the entire roster yet!

So you're here for the cards, not my complaining.  Here goes:

I've traded with Matt from DocHoloday.com in the past and he sent me a few cards I needed for my 2012 Topps Update set along with this sweet Golden Moments Cal Ripken.  I seem to get a lot of trade offers stemming from posting up my box breaks since he saw some of the Red Sox trade bait I got from my most recent hobby box.

Here's the obligatory slew of  2012 Topps Updates that he sent me.  At this point, I still need a few to complete the set:

US25, 33, 41, 47, 54, 55, 60, 123, 166, 171, 224, 232, 247, 249, 251, 288

I received these cards in a trade from blog reader Brian.  He somehow found my blog on the internet and sent me a list of cards that he had from my wantlists.  Since it was his first trade through the mail, I was more than happy to accept the trade and help him figure out the protocol.  I am very appreciative of the cards he sent including the Gold Bordered Adam Jones from Update series. I still need a ton of the Gold Bordered O's so if you have any, please let me know!

Brian also sent me this Markakis Topps 60 insert from 2011 Series 1.  This one goes into my team set binder for 2011.  I was quite alarmed that I didn't have an extra one of these when I decided to collect all of the inserts ( I already had one in my Markakis PC Binder) especially since it was from regular flagship Topps!

More recently I got my end of the trade from Kerry at Cards on Cards.  We swapped a bunch of Allen & Ginter cards from all years and he also threw in this Ryan Adams card.  It was purely a coincidence that the package showed up at my house on the day that Adams was suspended for 25 games for amphetimine use.  What the hell are amphetamines anyways?  Did I miss that day in Health class?  Well, as unfortunate as the suspension was for Adams himself, I think O's nation knows who ISN'T starting at second base on Opening Day 2013!

And last but not least here's a few cards from Greg at the hilariously named Plashcke, Thy Sweater is Argyle.  I seem to have a knack for pulling good cards of the Bison and Kid K so I know Greg is not complaining about that.  I sent over the goods and he sent me these:

A 2011 Topps Hope Diamond Parallel of Luke Scott.  My wife was pretty upset to hear that Luke signed with the Rays last season and swore that she had switched her team alliance because of that fact.  Well Luke played like crap for Tampa this year and became yesterday's news while Chris Davis became her new favorite player.

The last card is Jason Heyward's Rookie card from 2010 Allen and Ginter.  This is the capstone card for my set and marks the first Allen & Ginter set that I built myself.  A few weeks ago, I had a mere handful and now the set is done!  I'll elaborate a little on that in my next trade post.


Thanks guys for all of the nice cards you sent!

"O" NO's 2nd Group Break: Round 6

So we've come to the last round of packs.  I hope everybody has enjoyed the group break so far.  Lets get into the Victory packs first and foremost.

Pack #31
256 John Burkett - Braves
17 David Justice - A's
484 Alex Ochoa - Rockies
458 Jimmy Anderson - Pirates

434 Jimmy Rollins - Phillies
I'm posting J-Roll because God only knows if we'll se another Phillie in the break!
408 Al Leiter - Mets
394 Ryan Dempster - Marlins
368 Jeff Kent - Giants
475 Danny Graves - Reds
449 Rob Mackowiak - Pirates

Pack #32
81 Bartolo Colon - Indians
55 Brent Abernathy - Rays
329 Danny Bautista - Diamondbacks
404 Edgardo Alfonso Gold Parallel - Mets
286 JD Drew - Cardinals
260 Greg Maddux - Braves
213 David Wells - White Sox
187 Torii Hunter - Twins
314 Todd Hundley - Cubs
288 Jim Edmonds - Cardinals

Pack #33
178 Dmitri Young - Tigers
438 Pat Burrell - Phillies
138 Dante Bichette - Red Sox
112 Jerry Hairston Jr. - Orioles
71 Ellis Burks - Indians
342 Cesar Izturis - Dodgers
12 Mo Vaughn - Angels

550 Ichiro Big Play Makers - Mariners
153 Dee Brown - Royals
127 Kenny Rogers - Rangers

Pack #34
143 Dustin Hermanson - Red Sox
273 Ron Belliard - Brewers
528 Larry Barnes - Angels
502 Adam Everett - Astros
461 Sean Casey - Reds
435 Doug Glanville - Phillies
428 Damian Jackson - Padres
373 Tsuyoshi Shinjo - Giants
2 Tim Salmon - Angels
517 Orlando Hudson - Blue Jays

Pack #35
247 Wade Miller - Astros
221 Alfonso Soriano - Yankees
476 Reds Stat Leaders
450 Abraham Nunez - Pirates
409 Lenny Harris - Mets
207 Ray Durham Gold Parallel - White Sox
376 JT Snow - Giants
350 Chan Ho Park - Dodgers
491 Tim Redding - Astros
465 Todd Walker - Reds

Pack #36
195 Joe Mays - Twins
139 Tony Clark - Red Sox
424 Cesar Crespo - Padres
398 Mike Piazza - Mets

A hilariously awful card of Mike.  He's mostly blocked by the blurry runner but has that "deer in the headlights that's getting ready to be hit by a Mack Truck" look.
383 Antonio Alfonseca - Marlins
357 Lee Stevens - Expos
324 Junior Spivey - Diamondbacks
298 Kerry Robinson - Cardinals
439 Kevin Jordan - Phillies
413 Bruce Chen - Mets

Let finish the World Series Fever packs next

Pack #21
63 Rusty Greer - Rangers
118 Manny Ramirez - Indians
47 Jeff Cirillo - Brewers
140 Jaret Wright - Indians
52 Roger Clemens - Blue Jays

64 Travis Fryman - Indians
A very Indians loaded pack.  I guess its appropriate because Thanksgiving is coming up.

Pack #22
2 SI WS Covers Braves 1957
115 Reggie Sanders - Reds

MC-6 Orel Hershiser MVP Collection - Dodgers
A nice insert but I'm not sure where to put it.  He's in Dodgers garb on the front and the back talks about his 1998 playoff performance.  The front says Giants and shows him as a Giant on the back.  Help me again Group Breakers!

44 Tom Glavine - Braves
83 Kenny Lofton - Indians
88 Kerry Wood - Cubs

Pack #23
116 Scott Rolen - Phillies
21 Bill Mazeroski Magnificent Moments - Pirates
129 Frank Thomas - White Sox
150 Shane Reynolds - Astros
49 Ben Greive - A's

41 Mark Grace - Cubs

Pack #24
9 SI WS Covers A's 1974
102 Vinny Castilla - Rockies
20 SI WS Covers Marlins 1997
30 Edgar Renteria Magnificent Moments - Marlins
86 Paul Konerko - Dodgers
74 Mike Lansing - Rockies

And the last grouping of packs from 1999 Topps Stars

Pack #21
47 Choo Freeman - Rockies
49 AJ Burnett - Marlins
140 Ugueth Urbina - Expos
64 Rafael Palmiero - Rangers - 1 star
98 David Cone - Yankees - 1 star
6 Frank Thomas - White Sox - 2 star

Pack #22
38 Bruce Chen - Braves

166 Darin Erstad Luminaries - Angels

178 Ken Griffey Jr. Supernovas - Mariners
90 Dante Bichette - Rockies - 1 star
95 Aramis Ramirez - Pirates - 1 star
41 Alex Gonzalez - Marlins - 2 stars

Pack #23
22 Jeff Bagwell - Astros
1 Ken Griffey Jr. - Mariners

67 Tom Glavine Foil Parallel 1 star #'d 122/249 - Braves
75 Ivan Rodriguez - Rangers - 1 star
85 David Ortiz - Twins - 1 star
24 Todd Helton - Rockies - 2 stars

Pack #24
32 Brad Fullmer - Expos
139 Ray Durham - White Sox
138 Andy Pettitte - Yankees
93 Carlos Delgado - Blue Jays - 1 star
71 Roberto Alomar - Indians - 1 star
27 Fernando Seguignol - Expos - 2 star

So that's it for "O" NO's 2nd Group break.  I think all of the people involved got a good amount of cards for their teams.  I really enjoyed this break.

The Topps Stars box was very good to us with a lot of really neat looking cards.  The tier system was a little confusing but it was a fun product.

The Fleer SI World Series Fever box was another good box for us.  I really liked the photography that was used on the cards, mixed with the thick card stock and the glossy finish really came together as a winner in my eyes.

The 2002 Upper Deck Victory box was a little lacking in the "wow factor".  It reminded me a lot of the older Collector's Choice product that Upper Deck had for about 4 or 5 years.  I think it could have been spiced up with a few insert sets.  But on the other hand, there were cards of lesser known players which is always nice.

What did you think about the break?


Here's the Final card count (how many cards this round):

Yankees - 38 (+3)
Mariners - 20 (+3)
Royals - 17 (+1)
Expos - 25 (+4)
Diamondbacks - 20 (+2)
Rockies - 25 (+6)
Braves - 41 (+6)
Rangers - 23 (+4)
Cubs - 24 (+3)
Rays - 15 (+1)
Reds - 18 (+5)
Tigers - 20 (+1)
White Sox - 30 (+5)
Mets - 23 (+5)
Marlins - 18 (+6)
A's - 23 (+3)
Orioles - 23 (+1)
Red Sox - 18 (+3)
Padres - 18 (+2)
Blue Jays - 19 (+3)
Twins - 15 (+3)
Pirates - 17 (+5)
Dodgers - 25 (+3)
Cardinals - 23 (+3)
Indians - 22 (+7)
Giants - 17 (+3)
Phillies - 15 (+5)
Astros - 24 (+5)
Brewers - 16 (+2)
Angels - 18 (+3)

"O" NO's 2nd Group Break: Round 5

We had some really nice cards pop up in the last round of packs.  For those of you that missed the post, I suggest you do so.  Once you get caught up, feast your eyes on round #5.  I'm going to rip the packs in random order this time!

1998 Fleer SI WSF
Pack #17
51 Edgardo Alfonso - Mets
139 Chuck Finley - Angels

AE-3 Babe Ruth Autumn Excellence - Yankees
The Yankees are stealing the show in the WSF box but there's still a bunch of packs to go!
117 Mike Piazza - Mets
I think this card is the first duplicate out of the entire break.  That's pretty good that it took this long for a dupe to pop up!
114 John Smoltz - Braves
109 Andy Pettitte - Yankees

2002 UD Victory
Pack #25
516 Andy Barkett - Pirates
490 Rockies Stat Leaders
190 Jacque Jones - Twins
164 Blake Stein - Royals
123 Rusty Greer - Rangers
97 Mike Cameron - Mariners
64 Ryan Rupe - Rays
38 Brad Fullmer - Blue Jays
179 Steve Sparks - Tigers

2 Tim Salmon Gold Parallel - Angels

1999 Topps Stars
Pack #17
39 Travis Lee - Diamondbacks
2 Chipper Jones - Braves - 3 Stars
Not much to see here, just the same as the 4 star just one less star and regular holographic foil instead of gold.

BF2 Gabe Kapler Bright Futures #d 326/1999
On the back of the card it says that Kapler was a 57th round pick in 1995.  For some reason the front of the card makes me want to go roller skating!
83 Nick Johnson - Yankees - 1 star
58 Orlando Hernandez - Yankees - 1 star
36 Matt Clement - Padres - 2 stars

2002 Victory
Pack #26
29 Olmedo Saenz - A's
3 Troy Percival - Angels
303 Bill Mueller - Cubs
277 Devon White - Brewers
234 Moises Alou - Astros
With this card, we've gotten the base card of Moises in all 3 products in this break!
208 Keith Foulke - White Sox
161 Carlos Febles - Royals
135 Manny Ramirez - Red Sox
262 Tom Glavine - Braves
236 Craig Biggio - Astros
We've now pulled all of the base cards for Biggio and while looking thru the Astros stack, we also have all 3 Bagwell cards too!

1998 WSF
Pack #18
13 SI WS Covers Dodgers 1988
55 Andy Benes - Diamondbacks

MC-1 Frank Robinson MVP Collection - Orioles
32 Kevin Brown - Padres

94 Hideo Nomo - Mets

50 Ken Griffey Jr. - Mariners
I couldn't help but scan both of the last 2 cards.  Both look great!

'99 Topps Stars
Pack #18
26 Manny Ramirez - Indians
19 Ruben Mateo - Rangers
141 Marquis Grissom - Brewers
67 Tom Glavine - Braves - 1 star
59 Jason Kendall - Pirates - 1 star
37 Mo Vaughn - Angels - 2 stars

'02 Victory
Pack #27
533 Manny Ramirez Big Play Makers - Red Sox
Manny is popping up a lot in this round!

297 Darryl Kile Gold Parallel - Cardinals
251 Brian Jordan - Braves
225 Steve Karsay - Braves
182 Jose Lima - Tigers
156 Raul Ibanez - Royals
I'm still not over his geriatric ass from the Divisional Series
109 Jay Gibbons - Orioles
83 Indians Stat Leaders
210 Royce Clayton - White Sox
184 Tigers Stat Leaders

Pack #28
133 Jeff Zimmerman - Rangers
107 Melvin Mora - Orioles
381 Giants Stat Leaders
355 Fernando Tatis - Expos
338 Adrian Beltre - Dodgers
312 Jon Lieber - Cubs
265 Jason Marquis - Braves
239 Richard Hidalgo - Astros
366 Barry Bonds - Giants
340 Mark Grudzielanek - Dodgers

Topps Stars '99
18 Roger Clemens - Yankees

167 Jeff Bagwell Luminaries - Astros

24 Todd Helton Foil Parallel #'d 170/299 - Rockies
An awesome card for the Astros!  I think the Toddfather is very happy with this card!

60 Mark Kotsay - Marlins - 1 star
62 Gary Sheffield - Dodgers - 1 star
8 Mark McGwire - Cardinals - 2 stars

WSF
Pack #19
23 Carlton Fisk Magnificent Moments - Red Sox
135 Justin Thompson - Tigers
31 Albert Belle - White Sox
131 Magglio Ordonez - White Sox
89 Roberto Alomar - Orioles
76 Al Martin - Pirates

Victory
Pack # 29
13 Benji Gil - Angels

542 Albert Pujols Big Play Makers - Cardinals
242 Daryle Ward - Astros
216 White Sox Stat Leaders
175 Damion Easley - Tigers
149 Troy O'Leary - Red Sox
116 Sidney Ponson - Orioles
90 Jamie Moyer - Mariners
283 Brewers Stat Leaders
205 Paul Konerko - White Sox

Stars
Pack #20
29 Andruw Jones - Braves
40 Adrian Beltre - Dodgers
142 Ryan Klesko - Braves
69 Kevin Brown - Dodgers - 1 star
68 Jeromy Burnitz - Brewers - 1 star
35 Larry Walker - Rockies - 2 stars
Kind of a let down pack since the Stars packs have really produced such nice cards so far.

WSF
Pack #20
18 SI WS Covers Braves 1995
111 Henry Rodriguez - Cubs
22 Joe Carter Magnificent Moments - Blue Jays

RP-7 Larry Walker Reggie's Picks - Rockies
The Rockies are cleaning up this round with some nice inserts!
79 Ryan Klesko - Braves
90 Greg Maddux - Braves

Victory
Pack #30

204 Aaron Rowand - White Sox
Impact!
464 Juan Encarnacion - Reds
432 Marlon Anderson - Phillies

352 Jose Vidro Gold Parallel - Expos
382 Cliff Floyd - Marlins
356 Michael Barrett - Expos
45 Luke Prokopec - Blue Jays
316 Kevin Tapani - Cubs
332 Brian Anderson - Diamondbacks
358 Geoff Blum - Expos

Round 5 is in the books.  The Topps Stars box continues to churn out the hits and the WSF box isn't far behind in the wow factor.  The Victory box is a little dull but there's some cards of guys you don't normally see.  I think the big winners of this round is are the Rockies while the Braves got 12 cards of their own.  The poor Phillies got one card as did the Reds.

Card count so far, (how many cards this round):

Yankees - 35 (+5)
Mariners - 17 (+3)
Royals - 16 (+3)
Expos - 21 (+3)
Diamondbacks - 18 (+3)
Rockies - 19 (+4)
Braves - 35 (+12)
Rangers - 19 (+3)
Cubs - 21 (+4)
Rays - 14 (+1)
Reds - 13 (+1)
Tigers - 19 (+6)
White Sox - 25 (+7)
Mets - 18 (+3)
Marlins - 12 (+2)
A's - 20 (+1)
Orioles - 22 (+5)
Red Sox - 15 (+4)
Padres - 16 (+2)
Blue Jays - 16 (+3)
Twins - 12 (+1)
Pirates - 12 (+3)
Dodgers - 22 (+6)
Cardinals - 20 (+3)
Indians - 15 (+2)
Giants - 14 (+2)
Phillies - 10 (+1)
Astros - 19 (+6)
Brewers - 14 (+4)
Angels - 15 (+5)

"O" NO's 2nd Group Break: Round 4

Round 4 is about to start.  I'm really digging all 3 boxes so far.  There's a lot of variety in each of the 3 products.  Lets get started with the Victory packs this time:

Pack #19
128 Carl Everett - Red Sox
117 Orioles Stat Leaders Checklist
372 Benito Santiago - Giants
378 Russ Ortiz Gold parallel - Giants
331 Erubiel Durazo - Diamondbacks
305 Fred McGriff Cubs
272 Geoff Jenkins - Brewers
246 Jose Vizcaino - Astros
387 Preston Wilson - Marlins
361 Javier Vazquez - Expos

A Pack win for the Giants.

Pack #20
423 Ramon Vazquez - Padres
65 Toby Hall - Rays
346 James Baldwin - Dodgers
320 Mark Grace - Diamondbacks
279 Henry Blanco - Brewers
253 Rafael Furcal - Braves
220 Jorge Posada- Yankees

194 Brian Buchanan - Twins
Brian Buchanan, Bat Inspector.
335 Paul LoDuca - Dodgers
309 Ron Coomer - Cubs

Pack #21
22 Miguel Tejada - A's
544 Shawn Green Big Play Makers - Dodgers
250 Chipper Jones - Braves
293 Mike DiFelice - Cardinals
296 Matt Morris - Cardinals
270 Jeromy Burnitz - Brewers
134 Rangers Stat Leaders
108 Mike Bordick - Orioles
358 Geoff Blum - Expos

543 Jeff Bagwell Big Play Makers Gold Parallel - Astros

Pack #22
412 Kevin Appier - Mets
386 Derrek Lee - Marlins
86 Aaron Sele - Mariners
60 Tanyon Sturtze - Rays
19 Eric Chavez - A's
538 Mike Piazza Big Play Makers - Mets
524 Bart Miadich - Angels
339 Darren Dreifort Gold Parallel - Dodgers
101 Jeff Conine - Orioles
103 Marty Cordova - Orioles

Not bad rounding out the pack with 2 O's cards!

Pack #23
360 Peter Bergeron - Expos

334 Diamondbacks Stat Leaders
I think this card really shows a lot about the Diamondback winning the World Series in 2001.  That team was a great example of everything just coming together at the right time!
34 Carlos Delgado - Blue Jays
8 Ismael Valdes - Angels
512 Yorvit Torrealba - Giants
486 Terry Shupert - Rockies
498 Mike Rivera - Tigers
472 Pokey Reese - Reds
49 Blue Jays Stat Leaders
23 Johnny Damon - A's

Pack #24
40 Felipe Lopez - Blue Jays
282 Jeff D'Amico - Brewers
536 Roger Clemens Big Play Makers - Yankees
510 Jason Middlebrook - Padres
460 Pirates Stat Leaders
416 Ryan Klesko Gold Parallel - Padres
446 Brian Giles - Pirates
420 D'Angelo Jimenez - Padres
527 Austin Kearns - Reds
501 Tim Spooneybarger - Braves

3 Padres popped up in this pack including a gold Klesko.

Here comes some WSF packs

Pack #13
45 Brady Anderson - Orioles

134 Jim Thome - Indians
58 Bobby Higginson - Tigers
124 Mo Vaughn - Red Sox
84 Sandy Alomar - Indians
72 Chipper Jones - Braves

Pack #14
10 SI WS Covers A's 1975 - A's
112 Gary Sheffield - Dodgers

MC3 Willie Stargell MVP Collection - Pirates
We're not going to talk much about this card....  I'm sure you can figure out why
38 Jose Cruz Jr. - Blue Jays
75 Craig Biggio - Astros
85 Matt Morris - Cardinals

Pack #15
29 Kirk Gibson Magnificent Moments - Dodgers
126 Derrek Lee - Marlins
142 Brad Fullmer - Expos

AEG-4 AUTUMN EXCELLENCE GOLD REGGIE JACKSON - YANKEES
This may be this hit of the break.  It's very very shiny with a golden refractory shine to it.  I wish everybody could see the card in person.  This is a 1 in 240 pack hit so it's basically a case hit.  Congrats Dawgbones!
46 Tony Clark - Tigers
59 Bobby Jones - Mets

Pack #16
104 Paul O'Neill - Yankees
12 SI WS Covers - Twins 1987
26 Enos Slaughter Magnificent Moments - Cardinals

RP-2 Barry Bonds Reggie's Picks - Giants
The inserts just keep coming from this box.  All of the lettering and Barry are slightly raised off of the rest of the card. According to the odds, there should be one more Reggies Picks waiting in the box for us.
133 - Marquis Grissom - Brewers
130 JT Snow - Giants

Topps Stars

Pack #13
34 Alfonso Soriano - Yankees
7 Ben Grieve - A's
145 Chuck Knoblauch - Yankees
81 Dmitri Young - Reds - 1 star
57 Barry Larkin - Reds - 1 star
42 Jason Tyner - Mets - 2 stars

Pack #14
11 Troy Glaus - Angels
144 Bobby Higginson - Tigers

Rookie Reprint #2 Ernie Banks - Cubs
Topps has been reprinting cards for years now.  There were only 5 rookie cards reprinted for this product and are a 1 in 65 pack hit.
86 Matt Williams - Diamondbacks - 1 star
77 Todd Walker - Twins - 1 star
10 Alex Rodriguez- Mariners - 2 stars

Pack #15
3 Mike Piazza - Mets
20 Cal Ripken Jr - Orioles

3 Mike Piazza - Mets - 3 Stars
91 Jorge Posada - Yankees - 1 star
54 Wade Boggs - Rays - 1 Star
34 Alfonso Soriano - Yankees - 2 stars

Pack #16

2 Chipper Jones - Braves - 4 stars
While the 4 stars are not terribly difficult to pull, they are still very nice looking cards.
168 Juan Gonzalez Luminaries - Rangers
143 Brady Anderson - Orioles
72 Cliff Floyd - Marlins - 1 Star
84 Mike Caruso - White Sox - 1 star
7 Ben Grieve - A's - 2 stars

The poor Phillies got shut out this round while the Yankees and the Braves got some really nice inserts.  We're 2/3 of the way thru the break, is everybody still enjoying the cards?

Card count so far, (how many cards this round):

Yankees - 30 (+8)
Mariners - 14 (+2)
Royals - 13 (+0)
Expos - 18 (+4)
Diamondbacks - 15 (+5)
Rockies - 15 (+1)
Braves - 23 (+5)
Rangers - 16 (+2)
Cubs - 17 (+3)
Rays - 13 (+3)
Reds - 12 (+4)
Tigers - 13 (+4)
White Sox - 18 (+1)
Mets - 15 (+6)
Marlins - 10 (+4)
A's - 19 (+6)
Orioles - 17 (+7)
Red Sox - 11 (+2)
Padres - 14 (+4)
Blue Jays - 13 (+4)
Twins - 11 (+3)
Pirates - 9 (+3)
Dodgers - 16 (+6)
Cardinals - 17 (+4)
Indians - 13 (+2)
Giants - 12 (+5)
Phillies - 9 (+0)
Astros - 13 (+3)
Brewers - 10 (+5)
Angels - 10 (+3)

"O" NO's 2nd Group Break: Round 3

We're moving right along thru our November Affordable Group Break.  We've busted 1/3 of the packs so what other goodies are we going to find?

Before we start ripping into the shiny foil wrappers, I wanted to let you all know about the Heritage High Numbers set break that Rod at Padrographs is doing.  He bought the set for a couple of the teams and is splitting the rest with the blogging community to cover his costs.  He can tell you more in this post.  Head over and take part!

Now onto our regulary scheduled programming!

1998 Fleer SI World Series Fever

Pack #9
132 Bobby Bonilla - Dodgers
60 Darryl Kyle - Rockies
144 Jason Giambi - A's
127 Orlando Hernandez - Yankees
77 Barry Bonds - Giants
87 Ray Lankford - Cardinals

Pack #10
11 SI WS Covers 1985 Royals
103 Jeff Bagwell - Astros

MC-4 Bret Saberhagen MVP Collection - Red Sox
I'm not sure where to put this card.  The picture on the front shows Bret in Royals garb and the back shows him in Red Sox clothing.  The card says Red Sox on the front but obviously is about his playoff performance with the Royals.  Group Breakers, please weigh in!

42 Nomar Garciaparra - Red Sox
48 Dante Bichette - Rockies
62 Charles Johnson - Dodgers

Pack #11
145 Larry Walker - Rockies
43 Juan Gonzalez - Rangers
149 Todd Stottlemyre - Cardinals

146 Tony Womack - Pirates
I had to scan the back of this card because the look on Tony's face is too priceless to not post!
138 Wade Boggs - Rays
136 Matt Williams - Diamondbacks

Pack #12

113 Curt Schilling - Phillies
1 SI WS Covers Yankees 1956
93 Dean Palmer - Royals
28 Bobby Richardson Magnificent Moments - Yankees
40 Shawn Estes - Giants
34 Ron Gant - Cardinals

1999 Topps Stars next up!

Pack #9
73 Craig Biggio - Astros
53 Mark Grace - Cubs

42 Jason Tyner Foil Parallel #d 299/299
A nice hit for the Mets.  The numbering on the back is imprinted because I think the foil stamping is missing.  I was hoping we'd get a better player for our foil card but there's a chance we can pull another one.
6 Frank Thomas - White Sox - 1 star
41 Alex Gonzalez - Marlins - 1 star
5 Derek Jeter - Yankees - 2 stars

Pack #10
89 Miguel Tejada - A's

163 Barry Bonds Luminaries - Giants

162 Tony Gwynn Luminaries - Padres
2 Luminaries cards back to back, not bad at all!
27 Fernando Seguignol - Expos - 1 star
24 Todd Helton - Rockies - 1 star
9 Sammy Sosa - Cubs -2 stars

Pack #11
87 Raul Mondesi - Dodgers
76 Vinny Castilla - Rockies
19 Ruben Mateo - Rangers - 3 Stars
30 Randy Johnson - Diamondbacks - 1 star
17 Juan Gonzalez - Rangers - 1 star
31 Jose Canseco - Rays - 2 stars

Pack #12

10 Alex Rodriguez - Mariners - 4 Stars
131 Jim Edmonds - Angels
130 Ray Lankford - Cardinals
2 Chipper Jones - Braves - 1 star
13 Kerry Wood - Cubs - 1 star
16 Albert Belle - Orioles - 2 stars

And last but not least, the 2002 Upper Deck Victory Packs

Pack #13
39 Jose Cruz Jr. - Blue Jays

271 Jimmy Haynes Gold Parallel - Brewers
294 Woody Williams - Cardinals
268 Mark Loretta - Brewers
227 Mariano Rivera - Yankees
201 Magglio Ordonez - White Sox
402 Roger Cedeno - Mets
142 Hideo Nomo - Red Sox
231 Roger Clemens - Yankees
257 Andruw Jones - Braves

The Brewers tripled their card count in this pack.

Pack #14
185 Doug Mientkiewicz - Twins
159 Roberto Hernandez - Royals
433 Bobby Abreu - Phillies
407 Timo Perez - Mets
364 Scott Strickland - Expos
181 Victor Santos Gold Parallel - Tigers
317 Cubs Stat Leaders
291 Mike Matheny - Cardinals
444 Mike Lieberthal - Phillies
392 Josh Beckett - Marlins

Pack #15
258 Marcus Giles - Braves
232 Mike Mussina - Yankees
483 Todd Hollansworth - Rockies
326 Jay Bell Gold Parallel - Diamondbacks
10 Garret Anderson - Angels
529 Mike Cuddyer - Twins

417 Mark Kotsay - Padres
391 Alex Gonzalez - Marlins
72 Kenny Lofton - Indians
46 Chris Carpenter - Blue Jays

Pack #16
152 Carlos Beltran - Royals
126 Aaron Myette - Rangers
230 Robin Ventura - Yankees
380 Jason Schmidt- Giants
330 Miguel Batista - Diamondbacks
304 Ricky Gutierrez - Cubs
290 Edgar Renteria - Cardinals
264 Kevin Millwood - Braves
540 Jason Giambi Big Play Makers - Yankees
514 Dennis Tankersley - Padres

Pack #17
100 Mariners Stat Leaders
245 Brad Ausmus Gold Parallel - Astros
354 Orlando Cabrera - Expos

328 Randy Johnson - Diamondbacks
278 Ben Sheets - Brewers
252 BJ Surhoff - Braves
238 Jeff Bagwell - Astros
212 Frank Thomas - White Sox
488 Jose Jimenez - Rockies
462 Wilton Guerrero - Reds

Pack #18
74 Russell Branyan - Indians
26 Billy Koch - A's
219 Rondell White - Yankees
276 Curtis Leskanic - Brewers
348 Alex Cora - Dodgers
322 Matt Williams - Diamondbacks
186 Cristian Guzman - Twins
160 Neifi Perez - Royals
436 Travis Lee - Phillies
370 Desi Relaford - Giants

We're halfway home in this break.  My Orioles only got 1 card this round!  The victory box is then only one that is being kind to the Brewers.  It looks like all of the teams got a good share of cards this round.


Card count so far, (how many cards this round):

Yankees - 22 (+10)
Mariners - 12 (+2)
Royals - 13 (+5)
Expos - 14 (+3)
Diamondbacks - 10 (+5)
Rockies - 14 (+7)
Braves - 18 (+5)
Rangers - 14 (+4)
Cubs - 14 (+4)
Rays - 10 (+2)
Reds - 8 (+1)
Tigers - 9 (+1)
White Sox - 11 (+3)
Mets - 9 (+3)
Marlins - 6 (+6)
A's - 13 (+3)
Orioles - 10 (+1)
Red Sox - 9 (+2)
Padres - 10 (+3)
Blue Jays - 9 (+2)
Twins - 8 (+3)
Pirates - 6 (+1)
Dodgers - 10 (+4)
Cardinals - 13 (+7)
Indians - 11 (+2)
Giants - 7 (+5)
Phillies - 9 (+4)
Astros - 10 (+4)
Brewers - 5 (+4)
Angels - 7 (+2)