2014 Bowman Chrome

Ok, let's look at the other recent release from Topps Bowman - Chrome. Instead of a retail or a standard hobby pack, here is a jumbo pack of Chrome.

The jumbo's have 13 cards in there. I have no clue about the talent/skill of the pack face Gregory Polanco. Maybe we see him in the bigs next year? Jumbos come from a box where you have the chance to pull up to 5 autos. I picked up two packs out of a fresh box. I pulled an auto in each, and here is the better of the two packs.

Just like Topps Chrome, Bowman Chrome takes the regular Bowman set and fancies it up. Like I really needed to mention that. So let's just blow thru the cards, shall we?

 

 

Ohhhh - a White Sox.

These '89 Bowman throwbacks fall one in four packs. For the record, it took me two minutes to find that listed in the odds on the back of the pack, and it's line 6.

Good luck reading that. And good luck finishing a rainbow from this set. Continuing....

This says it's his first Bowman. So then what the hell is this? Pre-Bowman 1st Bowman?

Losing your cap there, bud. Also - stop photoshopping minor leaguers in big league uniforms. You have the MILB contract - use it.

At least learn how to use Photoshop.

So there are 12 of the cards. Got the one insert. Before I show why this was the better of two packs with hits, let flip one base card over.

If you heard, Bowman is using Sabermetric stats on the backs of the Chrome cards. It's a nice change of pace instead of seeing semi minor league stats and the like as the past has been. Ok - card 13 I pulled was this.

Not bad. Autographed print plate of a Tampa Bay'er Johnny Field. No clue who he is, but a nice 1/1 pull. Interesting that all the Chrome releases print directly onto the card base, as evident with the reversed image, but Topps' other sets do an offset print.

2014 Bowman Platinum

Back into the scan folder. We have two games left before the post season. I have two different scans from Bowman - Platinum and Chrome. Let's post the Platinum today, and then check out Chrome tomorrow.

I will be straight up honest - I threw away the wrapper before I scanned it. I stole this image off the net. It's basically the pack, except I ripped a hobby pack, which has 5 cards. Retail only nets you four. But the same two prospects are on both packs. Dig the Magoo helmet on the right.

Bowman tends to only slightly change their design year to year. Well, Platinum got a major redesign from the previous year's offerings. The badging moved to the left side. Unbalances the card a bit, but the right justifying of the player name does it's best to offset that. It's nice to have a major change, but I am not sure this works.

If there is room on the card, the arrowhead is ok. The card design works on Glasnow.

But on Russell, he's getting stabbed. At least the name is easy to read.

I have had zero luck on getting an Abreu auto, but I was glad to pull his insert. And while we are on the subject - com'on people. For YEARS, no one but I would ever buy the White Sox team slots in breaks. Now, it's the first one sold, blocking me out. You don't care about any other cardboard from the team. I hope you get skunked! Sorry. let me step off the soap box and move on...

Amazing the back ground different from a MLB photo compared to a MILB photo. Great socks on Wainwright.

Back of the card, though, is an evolution from previous years.

1992 Jimmy Dean Rookie Stars

While I prefer my early '90s food issues to smell a little more like Raisin Bran. I'm not opposed to opening a 22 year pack of cards that was once packaged with Jimmy Dean's sausages or some other meat-related product. This was in a box of junk that a friend of mine decided he didn't need and was one of the few non-late '80s Topps things that I dug through. I'm familiar with Jimmy Dean cards from other years, but this threw me for a loop when I opened the pack.

3 of 9 - Brian Jordan - As you could tell by the transparent wrapper, this is a nine card set. As you can tell by the front of the card, it's only licensed by the player's union and not MLB. At one point, this seemed like a really quaint idea, something that would never be repeated in today's glitzy glamorous times. Alas, cropped out logos are back and more prevalent than ever. Once reduced to some pretty sorry looking low budget promotional items, we now get to look at it whenever Panini cranks out a new set. (Is it every week? It seems like it's every week.) Still, I am shocked that I've never seen this card or any of the others like it in my life, so this will go immediately in one of my Cardinals binders.

5 of 9 - Reggie Sanders - Sanders was a key cog in the machine of two of the greatest Cardinals teams in the modern era (2004 and 2005), though he has no rings to show for it. Sanders had a very respectable career when you look at the numbers, with a career OPS of .830 and 305 HRs.

8 of 9 - Lofton played for Cleveland at least 11 separate times and they once made a commercial joking about it. Also, he was fast.

1992 Topps Stadium Club Series 2

Pack of TSC Series 2 coming up

378 - Jose Offerman - his fiery temper has gotten him sued and banned from various places

302 - Lloyd McClendon - trying lead Mariners to the playoffs this year

583 - Cliff Brantley - had 28 game stint in 1992 before spending entire 93 season in the minors, his final year of playing

508 - Rich Rowland

545 - Don Slaught

374 - Craig Shipley

444 - Lance Johnson - sweet shot of him taking batting practice at Comiskey Park

499 - Mitch Williams - Wild Thing trying hold on save along with old grudges

522 - Scott Terry

367 - Howard Farmer - 6 game stint in 1990 only time he played in the majors

547 - Alonzo Powell - those 57 games were final games he played in the majors. Spent entire year in the minors before heading to Japan. Return to US playing in the minors from 1999-2001.

313 - Mike Schooler

307 - Todd Stottlemyre

423 - Andy Benes

526 - Jeff Kaiser

2014 Topps MLS soccer

I had purchased and scanned a small 5 card pack from the dollar store, but I picked up a hobby pack and figured I would post this instead. Why? Twice as may cards, silly.

Says so right on the pack there. At the bottom. Too much LA Galaxy on the pack, with Donovan and Keane, along with Dempsey and Henry. As I said, 10 cards, unless I pull an insert, then I will get less.

That whole paint swipe on the side is so late 1990s. While this image is pretty boring, the rest id good. What don't you see? Yup - FOIL!!!! There is no figging foil to be found on these cards. And it's proof you don't need it. #dumpthefoil BTW - Kries is tagged as the new manager for the new NYFC team.

Again - the swipe is silly, but good images. Beltran has bee a stallworth on Real's back line.

Hate Seattle's black unis. I'm going to chance a TTM with this card.

This card is part of a Mexican National team insert set. Not sure on the distribution, but there are 10 total cards. Com'on Topps - think! It should be 11 cards at least.

I even got a second from that insert set. Somehow, Ochoa is not part of the set. Sigh.....

Chance blew out his Achilles and missed all but the first 7 games of 2014. Good defender in KC.

Rare shot of Houston without their sponsor jersey. Bruin has been drafted a couple times into national team service and was a member when the US won the CONCACAF Cup in 2013.

No, not one of the reincarnations of Superman, Steele is not longer a member of the Red Bulls, being released in July. He is currently in Australia, as well as a member of the Northern Ireland national team.

All keepers should have horizontal cards. Irwin is the starting GK in Colorado.

Here is the back of the Irwin card. Instead of career stats, you get these Power Ranking grids. It's a refreshing change and reminiscent of the early 90's Stadium Club cards.

And yes - I did luck out in my pack, pulling an Icons autograph of Brad Guzan. Brad is the backup to Tim Howard on the US national team, as well as the current starter in goal for Aston Villa.

Now, the pack stated that if I have an insert, I may have less cardboard. I actually pulled 11 cards from this pack.

BOOM!!!!! Double autograph! Some how, the gods gave me two auto cards in the same pack. The pack odds say I have a better change pulling a printing plate (1:47) than I do pulling an Icons autograph (1:77). Well, I destroyed the odds with this little mistake. Plus, I am stoked to pull an auto of Eric Wynalda. Played a lot of years on the national team (106 caps) and was the all time leading scorer on the men's team before Donovan passed him in 2008. Also scored the very first goal in MLS league history.

Even with the design, this may be a box purchase in the future.