Gint-A-Cuffs VI: Packs 7, 8, and 9

I'm starting to see how some of the other competitors are doing in their GAC boxes, and I have to admit -- other than Nachos Grande and its relic box loader, things aren't too bad for me right now.  I know that will change, though, and frankly, my biggest hope is to get lucky in the randomization phase of the contest to get another box of A&G from Topps.

At least the contest is giving me something to write about to work through my recent writer's block/lack of desire/lack of interest in writing.  

Apropos of nothing other than I'm in a 90s alternative music mood this morning, here's a video for one of the more interesting songs of the 1990s from Soul Coughing:

I'm starting off this group of three packs with 60 points.  Let's see how many points these packs will add.

Pack 7:

And, this pack is not very good. 

There's a short print of Darryl Strawberry, who mercifully is shown on the Mets and not on the Yankees, so he's worth 2 Points.  At least there is no deduction for former Yankees on other teams.

The upside-down card is that way for a purpose.  That is a full-sized card of reality-show toolbox Bill Rancic, who costs me a point for being a tool.  So, -1 Rancic.

Finally, I have a full-sized Festivals and Fairs for the Dia de los Muertos which gives me 2 points.  I remember in high school Spanish class having to read a few articles about The Day(s) of the Dead.  It is a strange "festival" to commemorate, but at least it's not the "New York Yankees Day of the Dead."

So, the Pack total is a rancid 3 points.  Screw you Bill Rancic.

TOTAL POINTS: 63

Let's just move on.

Pack 8:

What a yawn-inducing pack.  

Damn Yankees.  Teixeira is a negative 1 point.  Sonny Gray is a short-print, so he gives me 2 points, as does the Pingxi Lantern Festival, a celebration of the Taiwanese/Chinese New Year in the mountain town of Pingxi.  

So, limping along with another 3-point pack.  These two packs alone are like an interception in football -- they have sapped all momentum in the game for the Off Hiatus team.  Ugh.

TOTAL POINTS:  66

Despite the demoralizing blows dealt by those last two packs, the next ones have to get better, don't they?  Let's close out with Pack 9 and look to a brighter rip tomorrow.

Pack 9

Now, that's better.  Part of me is wishing I'd said that the Milwaukee Braves were my favorite team rather than the Brewers, since I've had better luck in this pack pulling the two Milwaukee Braves (Mathews and Spahn) than the more numerous Brewers.  Warren is a black-bordered mini that's not a short-print, so he's worth 3 points.  Shelby Miller's Pastime's Pastime card is a 2-point play.  Finally, Ryan Howard is someone else's favorite player -- I'm guessing his accountant is playing the Gint-A-Cuffs this year -- so he's worth 2 points.  

So, while this pack is not a huge point getter, at least there weren't any Yankees in it.  

Pack total: 7 points

TOTAL POINTS: 73

It could have been worse, I suppose, than picking up just 13 points over 3 packs. It's not winning form, mind you, but every box has to have some valleys to go with the peaks.  I'll just have to see how the rest of the box sorts itself out.