Sunday, March 17, 2024

mini collection, City Connect uniforms

 In 2021 Nike and MLB started another cash grab, I mean a new program for team stalwarts.  City Connect uniforms are supposedly designed to reflect the cultural aspecet of each teams home city.  So far twenty teams have City Connect uniforms.  Eight more teams are scheduled to get them in 2024 and the Dodgers are expected to debut a new City Connect uniform this year.  The A's and Yankees are the only teams without a City Connect uniform.  The Yankees have said they do not want one and who knows where the A's will end up.


The Arizona Diamondbacks were one of the teams to get City Connect uniforms in 2021.  The color is called sand and Arizona does have a lot of that.  The uniforms feature the team "name" Serpientes on the front in black with a the players number in red.  
Serpeintes is an homage to Arizona's Hispanic Community.

So far I just have these three cards to represent the D'backs in my mini collection.

Up Next-The Boston Red Sox


Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Mini Collection, National Anthem

I found these two cards in the Topps Update that I opened. They struck a chord with me.  I had an ancestor who fought for the Union during the civil war.  My grandfather was in the National Guard during WWII.  My Dad served in the US Navy during Korea and Vietnam during his twenty one year Naval Career.  I served four years in the US Navy from 1975-1979.  I have lots of friends that served in the military. I have never seen any cards like these before.  I am aware of one other which was also in the Update set.  I ordered one of it.  
If you know of any others please let me know.  
 

Sunday, March 10, 2024

1991 Stadium Club backs

 To me one of the coolest things about the first year of Stadium Club was the backs.  Not so much the stats but the rookie card of each player on the back.


Garry Templeton has the oldest rookie card in this set, 1977.  Every year through 1985 except for 1980 is represented in this bunch.  I hadn't realized that Whitson had broken in with the Pirates.

There are 4 rookie cards from the 1985 set.  Hobby legend Bip Roberts represents 1986.  Phil Stephenson is part of a set that came out for a few years that featured players with their major league Debut.
Many instances of the debut set in this bunch.  

1991 Padres Stadium Club team set.
24 cards, 2 Hall of Fame members and 2 players who are no longer with us.




Friday, March 8, 2024

Stadium Club

When I was opening my blaster of 2023 Stadium Club I was reminded how much I liked the photography and the look of the cards.  I was working in the LCS when they first came out.  I remember the Topps rep telling us about them and showing us the promo cards.  Once they were out everyone working there ordered multiple sets of the members only and the gold Nolan Ryan.  

I tracked down all the Padres team sets since 1991 and going to take a look at them here.

1991 Stadium Club was 600 cards issued in two sets of 300. There were 22 members of the Padres in the set.

The only two horizontal cards in the team are Dennis Rasmussen and future HOFer Fred McGriff.  These two photos demonstrate what you got in that first year, either an action photo or a posed candid shot.  Once in a while you would get an unposed candid shot.  
One of the Clark brothers appears in the set, his brother Phil will join the Padres later.  Oscar Azocars' nephew Jose plays for the Padres now.

10 of the 24 players in the set are pitchers, 2 catchers and the rest are position players.   
Tony Gwynn and Benito Santiago were the stars of the team in 1991.

Two of the members of the 1991 Padres team are now members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.  







Sunday, March 3, 2024

Customs of 2024



So far I have made 5 custom cards.  The Mike Shildt card was for me and is at Spring Training to get signed for my Padres Manager collection.  The Puig and Qualls cards were made for an autograph dealer I work with.  Rich Puig played four games for the Mets in September of 1974 and that was the extent of his major league career.
Jim Qualls played for the Cubs, Expos and White Sox between 1969 and 1972.  63 games in all and 11 for the White Sox in 1972.


This card is also for the autograph dealer I work with.  Gary Alexander had a 7 year major league career between 1975-1981.  He played in 58 games for the A's in 1978,splitting that season with the Indians. He came to the A's as part of the trade that sent Vida Blue to the Giants.
John "Blue Moon" Odom had a legendary career with the A's from 1964-1975.  In 1975 he played with the A's, Indians, Braves and White Sox.  He finished his career with two games for the White Sox.  This was also made for the autograph dealer I work with.




 

 

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

My first look at 2024

 I preordered two blasters of 2024 Topps Baseball.  One to rip and one to put away for Christmas 2024.  I have three blasters of different product to put under the tree come December.

I got a bunch of cards for my City Connect collection.  First cards I have seen with the Red Sox, Mariners and Reds City Connect uniforms.  I need to sort through my city connect cards and see what teams I don't have yet.

 A couple more City Connect cards and Bobby Witt doing Superman into the base.  Of course it wouldn't be a box for me if I didn't get a Bobby Witt, Jr. card.
Nick Fortes presents Easter Bunnies.  I have no clue what is behind Corbin Carroll.

Kerry can pick a game for Nolan Arenado to go yard.  I still haven't figured out what is in the background of Gonsolin and Schanuel.
Some more inserts.  The blue print card reminds me of a Nike Tony Gwynn Hitting Machine poster from the 80's or 90's.

The lone Padre card in the box is no longer a Padre.  The Betts card is a chrome card.  

Overall I like the design of the 2024 cards.  I like the parallels that seem to have metallic ink on them.






Sunday, February 25, 2024

unboxing box 21, the final box, Costco big box

This box was available at Costco.  It contains one oversized card, 2 packs of series 1, 3 packs of series 2, 5 packs of update and three exclusive packs. 

Like the box I got at Target this had a oversized card and and a regular size card along with it.  Unlike the Corbin Caroll card from the Target box, this Francisco Card had a different number from the regular base card, CTC something.

These are the cards that were in the silver packs.  Different design, different pictures and different stock.  Each of these is thicker than a normal card. I thought I had scanned the back of one of these but I can not find it.  There are no stats just a write up about the player.

Inserts from the series 1 packs

Inserts from the series 2 packs.  I haven't seen the Legends of the Game insert before. I will have to pick up a copy of the Tony Gwynn card.



And the inserts from the update packs.
So exactly two months from the date I got them I have completed opening all the boxes I got for Christmas.  They are all sorted and will be going out to people in the next couple of weeks.

 

Friday, February 23, 2024

Unboxing Box 20, the Penultimate Box, 2023 Topps Update Target Big Box.


 My granddaughter and I were in Target looking for something, right after Christmas, when I saw this and picked it up for right around $30.  Upon opening the strangest thing was that all the packs were glued together lightly to maintain that fanned appearance.  

I was going to do a bunch of individual scans but I decided to do this to show the relative sizes of the big card and the pin.  The pin is of Yordan Alvarez of the Astros.  I didn't catch the difference in the two Actions Stars cards until I looked at the scan.  I don't know why they are different.  I don't what the wording is supposed to mean on the Bo Bichette card.  But it looks like a card I will send to Cards as I see Them for his mini collection.

In all the Stars of MLB cards I have seen I don't think that I have seen anyone from the Padres featured.
I am not sure if the Brice Turang card is what sort of parallel but the colors work well with the Brewers color scheme.   I still like the 1988 homage cards especially the Carlton Fisk.  More stars of the MLB including a chrome of Matt Olsen.
The five silver cards were in the special silver pack in the box.  The Bobby Miller card is numbered out of 199 and came out of a regular pack.  
This card is noteworthy because it was loose in the box, hidden behind the big card.

Just one more box to go.







Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Unboxing Box 19, 2023 Topps Heritage High Numbers


 
Starting with the inserts.  I remember the Bat Slam HR.  Davey Lopes is one of my favorite non Padres, he was a Padre for a while as a coach.  I haven't heard of Taj Bradley.  I like the combination of players on the stamp sheet.

 A couple of Padres, Seth Lugo had a really good season and signed a two contract with the Royals.  David Dahl played in four games for the Padres and signed a minor league deal with the Philllies for this year.
Luis Campusano has played for the Padres for the last four seasons, while the team tries to figure out what to do at the catcher position.
Tom Cosgrove made his made league debut last year for the Padres.  I think he will be a valuable part of the teams pitching staff.
A trio of cards for my City Connect collection.  
A hand numbered relic insert of Johnathan India to close out the box.









Monday, February 19, 2024

Unboxing Box 18, 2023 Topps Update box 2


Starting off with parallels and inserts.  One halloween parallel, three chevron parallels, a numbered green parallel of Eury Perez, a black gold homage and two 1988 Topps homage cards.


Eight stars of MLB, five are rookies and one of the rookies is Chrome.

A bunch of rookies. I like the Bachman and Miller cards because of the intensity of the delivery.  Zach Neto has a big leg kick as he hits. Hicks and Bachman will go into my city connect mini collection.
I like the Triston Casas card cause I don't believe I have seen very many cards of that pose.  Maybe I'll start another mini collection.
Michael Fulmer is a parallel, any card with Clemente on it is a winner.  Castro and Wacha will go into my City Connect mini collection.  

Ohio Tim email me your address at padrographsatlivedotcom.  
There are just three more boxes to go.


 

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Unboxing Box 17, 2023 Topps Archives

It's kind of weird to see Willie Mays and Ted Williams on the 2003 design, but these are some good action shots.

1956 yields another Bobby Witt Jr. card and a city connect card.  My Bo Bichetter card was on a different stock and a completely different color.


The design from 1965 (when I was eight years old) is one of my favorites.  A bunch of Hall of Famers, old, now and soon to be.
The inserts.  Verlander is a double header and Max Scherzer with the Rangers is on the other side.  The Tony Gwynn is based on the 1957 Hit Stars set.  I have built that set twice.  It is from the year I was born.  I have enjoyed chasing the people in the set.  McGwire is based on a something else.  Thomas, Ripken, and Smith I think are supposed to be based on the 1969 poster inserts.



 

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Unboxing Box 16, 2023 Topps Heritage First series

Not a whole lot in this blaster.  I had forgotten about the Angels city not being on the cards in the first series.

I did get three Padres from the box.  I didn't have any cards of Liberato before. 
The Only other card of note that I got in this box.


 

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Unboxing Box 15, 1st Box Topps Flagship update

I realized as I was going through my boxes that I had two boxes of Update.  These are from the first box.  I got one pretty rare card in this box.  But first we start off with the not at all rare Stars of MLB.

I got three cards for my city connect mini collection, which will need updating soon as I read the Dodgers are getting new City Connect uniforms along with the other eight teams that will be debuting City Connect uniforms this year.  Also got a Gavin that was new to me, but not to Baseball Card Breakdown.
A few different inserts and parallels along with a Padre that wasn't in a City Connect uniform.

And here is the rare card from the packs.  Ji-Man Choi SSP Mirror Image card.  Would have liked to see it in a Padres uniform since that is where he finished the season.