2014 Topps Opening Day

This is pretty much the only new pack of baseball cards that you can buy with pocket change. With an increasing number of inserts, a few packs of this stuff can go a long way if you're looking for some trade bait. I've never been totally sold on its necessity, but I do like more and more what you can get for your buck.

179 - Johnny Cueto - Like the past 4 years, the 2014 offering has the same design with plain grey replacing the foil from the base cards.

71 - Jordan Zimmermann

2 - Dustin Pedoria - He has a face of a middle infielder who likes to get dirty.

ODS-17 - Dustin Pedroia Opening Day Stars - I am a big fan of this insert set, year after year. I want them all.

42 - Mariano Rivera - We've already seen this card a bunch from the base set, but like most of the cards they duplicated the photo for the Opening Day brand and gave the card Mo's uniform number.

186 - Jonathan Schoop - Schoop. Schoop-a-Doop. Schoop-a-Doop.

87 - Jayson Werth - Check it out, guys! Bryce is shooping!

2012 Press Pass Yo Gabba Gabba

I've never actually seen an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba but it's something I feel like I should know about culturally. From what I've gathered the show is universally loved by people my age who have young children and I imagine that I'll be watching them along with a bundle of joy someday myself. So let's get the training started!

My first card is of Mr. Lizard one of the side characters from the show...for each of these cards I've scanned the front and back to give you an idea of what they look like.

#37 Mr. Lizard

My sticker card is of Brobee who is the youngest of the gabba monsters and is the drummer in the band. Looking at the card I didn't even realize that it was a sticker until flipping it over.

#15 Brobee!

The set also includes cards devoted to some of the songs from the show. This one's for the show's theme song:

#64 Yo Gabba Gabba!

Next we have a Story Time Book card that doesn't make too much sense out of context with the rest of the cards in the set.

#90 The Story Time Book

And last but not least we have another song card...this time for "I Love Bugs":

#68 "I Love Bugs"

2006 Upper Deck Series 1 Fat Pack

Greetings!

Hope everyone is doing well.  April 23rd was the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field, but I totally spaced out on that and didn't write up a post to celebrate the occasion.  That's alright, I guess; the Cubs didn't start playing there until 1916.  So, barring a post from one of my associates (I don't like posting on APTBNL when someone else posted that day), I'll mark the 100th anniversary of the Cubs' start at Wrigley with some sort of post on 4/23/2016.  Stick around!

Anyway, time to remove some scans from the computer.  It's a 2006 Upper Deck Series 1 Fat Pack!

Again?!?!?

Oh yes, this is the 5th 2006 Upper Deck pack posted on the site.  These guys pulled out all the stops that year.  I only scanned a few cards, including the Team Upper Deck Inserts.  Here's what I got:

Top Half

#291 – Anderson Hernandez (RC)

#6 – Dallas McPherson

#234 – Terrence Long

#251 – Hong-Chih Kuo (RC)

#460 – Josh Rupe (RC)

#175 – Dmitri Young

#264 – Prince Fielder

#381 – Robert Rick

#96 – Mark Prior

#404 – Felix Hernandez

#119 – Scott Podsednik

#252 – Oscar Robles

#12 – John Lackey

#468 – Aaron Hill

#183 – Placido Polanco

#UD-4 – Alex Rodriguez (All Upper Deck Team)

#UD-38 – Manny Ramirez (All Upper Deck Team)

The McPherson and Long cards are very cool.  If Upper Deck still had a license, would they be providing excellent photography on their cards like they did then, or would they follow the existing image route Topps does?

Bottom Half

#196 – Juan Pierre

#405 – Gil Meche

#120 – Tadahito Iguchi

#180 – Mark Woodyard (RC)

#308 – Gary Sheffield

#23 – Claudio Vargas

#226 – Jimmy Gobble

#378 – Khalil Greene

#93 – Jeromy Burnitz

#24 – Conor Jackson

#480 – Roy Halladay

#195 – Juan Encarnacion

#430 – Matt Morris

#145 – Grady Sizemore

#297 – Robert Andino (RC)

#UD-13 – Hideki Matsui (All Upper Deck Team)

Hey Jeromy, don't leave Juan hanging!  Or, um, hey Juan, don't leave Jeromy hanging!

Here are the Team Upper Deck Inserts that came in the Fat Packs.  Note that I got an extra one...win for me!

Which of these things is not like the other?

Anyway, that's the pack.  Everyone have a great week...thanks for reading!

1992 Impel Star Trek The Next Generation

I haven't ripped have any baseball packs in a long while but I don't have any on hand so we'll try something a bit non-traditional, a pack of Impel Star Trek The Next Generation from 1992. Having been out of the blogging game full time for a while I really have no memory where I picked these up from...a discount bin somewhere.

First up we have card #94...this emergency maneuver is when the primary hull is separated from the secondary hull of the ship...you might remember this happening in Star Trek Generations.

#94 Emergency Landing of Saucer Module

Sela is Tasha Yar's daughter from an alternate timeline and is one of the major antagonists of the Federation in the later seasons of The Next Generation.

#28 Sela

The Ferengi Alliance is the governing body of the Ferengi people and advancing in the governmenet was based on bribery.

#81 Symbol of the Ferengi Alliance

Some of these cards have some really great designs...

#45 Ship Schematic Dorsal Plan View

...just check out the reverse side with the high level of detail. 

#45 Ship Schematic Dorsal Plan View Back

The Klingons were always my favorite villains in the Star Trek universe and so when The Next Generation made them essentially Federation allies I was a little disappointed.

#33 Klingon Vor'cha Class Attack Cruiser

Okay, we can just toss this card in the trash.

#90 Principal Photography

For the uninitiated, Data was essentially the Spock of the Next Generation series...as an android he was very analytical and typically each season of the series, for one reason or another, Data would acquire emotions for a short period of time.

#6 Lieutenant Commander Data

Here's what the reverse side look like on typical cards. 

#6 Lieutenant Commander Data Reverse

Lieutenant Reginald Barclay was an engineer on the Enterprise who would appear from time to time as comic relief. He also appeared on several episodes of Star Trek: Voyager.  

#15 Lieutenant Reginald Barclay

These last two cards are only for the hardcore Star Trek fan who want to have a card representing every possible ship or part of the Enterprise.

#58 Shuttlepods

#106 Navigational Deflector Systems

1995-96 Topps Stadium Club Hockey

 

Hockey playoffs started and let's open packs. This is 1995-96 Topps Stadium Club hockey. The pack feature 10 cards. Topps decide to be trendy using the words extreme on it.

Every pack either comes with a checklist or membership sign up. I got part 1 of a checklist.

 

69 - Chris Pronger - six-time All-Star and one of best defensemen to play in the league. Was league MVP in 1999-2000 season along with two Olympic gold medals with Canada and part of Anaheim Ducks Stanley Cup winning team. A concussion in 2011 ended his career.

  

93 - Byran McCabe - played 15 seasons in the NHL

145 - Phil Housley - "The Housefly" is a 7-time All-Star is among one of top Americans to play in the league. Coached U.S. junior hockey team to a gold medal last year World Junior Hockey Championship. Currently assistant coach of Nashville Predators.

109 - David Oliver - journeyman spent 9 seasons in the NHL bouncing the majors and minors. 1995-96 is the only year he spent a whole season with NHL club.

  

115 - Jim Carey - 1994-95 lockout season brought bunch of rookie surprises and this is one of them. "The Mask" was one of two rookie goalies who wowed fans with impressive play. Won the Vezina Trophy in 1996 and got big contract out of it. He flamed out the following season and was gone three years later.

203 - Saku Koivu - rookie card of one of longest tenure captain of Montreal Canadiens before going to Anaheim Ducks. Former cancer survivor is a two-time all-star along with Stanley Cup title (2007) and multiple silver and bronze medals from the Olympics. Still playing to this day for the Ducks.

15 - Patrick Roy - one of greatest goalie to play on ice with multiple All-Star and Stanley Cup finals appearances, MVPs, Vezinas, and Jennings trophies. He's currently coach of Colorado Avalanche.

135 - Chris Osgood - one of Red Wings top goaltenders in the 90s leading them to Stanley Cup finals win three times. Currently ranked 10th in all-time wins.

112 - Stanislav Neckar - spent 10 years in the NHL

63 - Kyle McLaren - 12-year veteran spent time checking his opponents on the ice.

This pack got current Hall of Famers, two-three potential Hall of Famers, and one hot flameout.