Top-Out Party

In the construction industry on building projects -- especially large ones over $20 million -- the project participants often hold top out parties. These parties are held usually when the contractor has the roof deck in place. Sometimes, the party is held on the roof deck itself once that level is ready to bear a decent amount of weight.

In baseball cards, I think it should be appropriate to hold a top-out party at times as well. For products that include box topper packages -- I'm thinking Archives, Heritage, and Allen & Ginter in particular -- a top-out party/giveaway would be a fun idea when you pull a box topper of your favorite player/team or when you make a trade to get one.

For me, it would appear time for a top-out party. Back in September, Matt over at Bob Walk was on vacation and had his buddy Micah write a guest-post for him. That guest post featured a Ryan Braun box topper from the 2013 Topps Archives set serial numbered 97 of 99. I commented about 40 minutes after the post went live that I would love to get the card from Micah.

Eventually, Matt liberated the Braun box topper from Micah and sent it to me recently in a great little package:

Not only did Matt send the box topper, but he also sent along two autographed cards that I had not seen before. First off, there was a 2014 Topps Triple Threads relic autograph of Jimmy Nelson serial numbered 24 of 75.

A former Alabama Crimson Tide pitcher, Nelson came up last year as a highly touted prospect and pitched very well in limited action. His season in 2014 was not as successful, and he ended up the season in the bullpen while Mike Fiers remained in the rotation.  With Marco Estrada out of the way in the Adam Lind trade, Nelson and Fiers are the likely candidates to fight it out for the 5th spot in the rotation in spring, though with Matt Garza's injury history over the past two years (missing time with muscle pull issues in his ribcage) both will certainly see time in the rotation.

And then, there was this card of the new manager of the Minnesota Twins:

Coming from the Panini Hall of Fame 75th Anniversary set, this card of Paul Molitor is a great addition to my Paul Molitor player collection, which now numbers 272 items.

As always, Matt really knows how to sprinkle great cards and hits around the blogosphere. The good news for him is that I picked up some cool Pirates cards at my local card show this weekend that will be on their way to him shortly!

Thanks again, Matt!

Let the Gint-A-Cuffs Begin

Things have been kind of slow for me this month in terms of blogging.  My purchasing binge came to an end for a while to let me catch up on cataloging items and on building want lists and trade bait lists.  

Also, I really just have been lacking in motivation to write.  Green Day?

Sure, I've written several hundred words on the 1982 Topps blog on a number of cards -- everything from today's Mr. 7-for-7 Rennie Stennett to talking about George "Doc" Medich's addiction to prescription medication that cost him his license to practice medicine to two guys who left us way too soon in Bob Welch (who nearly everyone knows about) and Eddie "Buddy Jay" Solomon, who most people don't know.  

Really, though, I've been anxiously awaiting the start of Gint-A-Cuffs VI.  So, when the rules went live last night, I couldn't wait to get busting through the remaining hobby box of 24 packs to see what was in it.  I mean, that box sat there waiting for me for three weeks.  It was like putting a case of beer in a room with 4 teenagers -- yeah, you might get lucky and no one drinks it all, but eventually the beer will be gone.

So, without further introduction, let's start going through my Gint-A-Cuffs box, starting with the Box Loader:

It's a World War II Memorial Landmarks  Monuments Cabinet Box Loader, worth only 5 points.  At least it isn't the Oversized Reprint Box Loader of Yankee Jacoby Ellsbury from the other box, though -- that would be worth only four points.  

So, let's start a running tally:

TOTAL POINTS: 5

After that less-that-stellar start, I've already got some catching up to do.  UGH.  Can you help me out, Pack 1?

Here are the point cards from that pack:

Yes, that helps.  The David Price Pastime's Pastimes is a 2-point card -- I hope that he likes Detroit, by the way.  The Goldschmidt surprisingly is not anyone's favorite player, but it is a Short Print A&G Back, seeded 1 in every 65 packs -- and it's worth 6 points.  Finally, swimmer Diana Nyad's framed mini autograph, seeded 1 in every 52 packs, is worth 12 points.

So, that pack adds up to a whopping 20 points.  It would be nice if they all were that high, but I know, and you know, they won't be.  After all, the Nyad is one of my three box hits.

TOTAL POINTS: 25

All right, let's do two more packs.  

I'm sure the next one will suck after that last one.  I mean, it pretty much has to be worse unless it has one of the other two hits.  And, if it has one of the hits, it's going to be a pretty long, boring box.

Enough gabbing.  Here are the point cards from Pack 2:

And that was it.  Yes, new Boston Red Sox OF Allen Craig's 2-point Pastime's Pastimes and someone else's favorite player Joey Bats for 2 points -- and that's it.  Four freaking points.

TOTAL POINTS: 29

I can't end on that pack.  One more:

That's better.  Oh, did I mention that Wacha is a short-print Mini also?

Well, he is.  So, toting up the points for those two cards, we have a Pastime's Pastimes for 2 points and Tim Lincecum is a favorite player of someone else -- 2 more points -- so that card is +4.  Then, we get to Michael Wacha -- he's a Black Bordered Short Print, seeded 1 in every 130 packs according to the odds.  According to the rules, that makes this card worth 10 points and this pack -- solely on the strength of these two -- is a 14 pointer.

So, at the end of three packs and the Box Loader the total is:

TOTAL POINTS: 43

Obviously, I'm not going to keep avoiding Yankees for the whole box -- there are just too many of them -- but to get through three packs and the Box Loader Yankee free was a nice plus.

Now, I just wish I could find some Brewers -- especially my favorite player, Robin Yount.